Caregivers'awareness regarding the care of dementia and the coping strategies among the caregivers of people with dementia:a cross-sectional study in Udupi District,Karnataka

Objectives:To assess the awareness and coping skills of the informal and formal caregivers of people living with dementia(PLWD).Dementia is a condition,which leads to memory loss and gradual deterioration of cognitive abilities in the affected person.The lack of awareness regarding the care of people with dementia and the caregivers'poor coping strategies can negatively impact caregivers'experiences.Methods:A cross-sectional survey was conducted among the 80 caregivers of PLWD from the psychiatric units of the selected hospitals of Udupi district,Karnataka,India.The baseline data were collected by a self-reported sociodemographic questionnaire.The“Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale”was used to gauge participants'awareness of the care of people with dementia,while the“Brief COPE inventory,”a 28-item questionnaire,was used to gauge carers'coping mechanisms.Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for the data analysis using Jamovi(2.3.24),a graphical user interface for R programming,and Microsoft Excel.Results:Most of the caregivers(n=68,85%)had lesser awareness regarding the care of people with dementia.The mean coping strategies score was 60.9±7.71.There was a positive correlation between the awareness and the coping strategies scores among the caregivers(r=0.659,P<0.05).Conclusions:The caregivers of people with dementia often lack awareness about dementia and hence experience poor coping due to their high workload and stress.The frontline healthcare professionals and nurses need to provide appropriate interventions to the caregivers to improve their awareness about dementia and its care.

Influence of physical-anatomical wood variables on charcoal physical-mechanical properties

This research assessed the relationship between wood physical-anatomical variables and charcoal physical-mechanical properties.Nine trees were harvested and mechanically processed into standard pieces for laboratory analysis.The following variables were determined:wood density,fiber length and width,fiber lumen diameter and wall thickness,fiber wall fraction,and vessel frequency.The charcoal was produced in a laboratory and gravimetric yield,relative density,and mechanical properties established.Pearson’s correlation coefficients,multivariate statistical analysis of canonical correlation,and principal component analysis were used to evaluate the relationship between wood and charcoal properties.Fiber width was not significantly correlated with charcoal properties.Charcoal bulk density,hardness,and strength were positively correlated with wood density,fiber length,wall thickness,and wall fraction.Charcoal properties were negatively correlated with fiber lumen diameter and vessel frequency.These results will help identify the best wood with adequate physical-mechanical properties for industrial charcoal proces sing.

Development and Commercialization of New Autonomous Low Power Systems for Energy Harvesting

This paper evaluates new technologies for energy harvesting from the environment. We assess the reliability, accuracy, and autonomy of low power electronic devices, their market opportunities, and their ability to enhance sustainable development. For small, portable applications that need long lifetime energy supply systems, size, width, finite energy lifetime, and the need for replacement are important drawbacks. New supply alternatives should be explored that are able to make recharging easier or to remove battery dependence altogether. A new trend in the energy sources for low power applications has emerged in recent years, involving the harvesting of the energy available in the environment to supply power for electronic applications instead of using battery technologies that provide only short, finite amounts of energy. In this paper, we describe an all-purpose module of energy harvesting from mechanical, thermal, solar and RF energy sources developed at the University of Barcelona. We provide proof of concept in order to incorporate this novel energy technology in a wide range of applications and environments.

Flotation of indium-beard marmatite from multi-metallic ore

Flotation of indium-beard marmatite from Dulong multi-metallic ore in Yunnan Province of China was studied to improve the grades and recoveries of zinc and indium of the zinc concentrate in Dulong concentration plant. The experimental results indicated that copper sulfate mixed with a chemical reagent X- 1 as the activator in the marmatite flotation produced a much better beneficiation than copper sulfate alone, increasing the zinc and indium recoveries of 10% and 6%, respectively, while the concentrate grades remained unchanged. Also, the new activator acted well around pH 10, allowing large savings on lime consumption in the marmatite flotation. In addition, it has been found that a sufficient activated time of activator with ore slurry in the flotation is needed to achieve good beneficiation of the marmatite ore.

Demodulating the Response of Optical Fibre Long-Period Gratings： Genetic Algorithm Approach

The extraction of the physical parameters of long period gratings from the spectral response is not an easy process. We present a demodulation technique to synthesize the physical parameters of a long period grating recorded in an optical fibre. The demodulation is achieved through the implementation of a genetic algorithm. The extracted parameters are in agreement with the typical values known for long period gratings.

RECYTRACK Project： Elastomeric Eco-friendly Material Based on End-of-Life Tires Blended with Organic Bind Resin for Railway Applications

RECYTRACK is a 3.5 year project granted by the European Commission through LIFE＋ 2010 program. The overall objective of the project is to demonstrate the environmental benefits and technical feasibility of the implementation of an elastomeric eco-friendly material made of end-of-life tires with resin for railway applications. Within the project, AV Ingenieros jointly with LEAM, carries out the study of the vibration behavior of the eco-friendly material, which will be applied as a mat for ballasted tracks as well as an isolated block system for slab tracks. Firstly, an analytical model capable to predict the efficiency of the eco-friendly material as a vibration mitigation measure has been developed. Subsequently, and after the implementation of the eco-friendly solutions in real railway infrastructures, its vibration behavior will be measured and validated through in situ measurements during regular service. In this paper the analytical model is defined, the elastomeric material dynamic experimental characterization is described and the under ballast mat Insertion Loss is calculated for two different soil stiffness.

Experimental investigation on coherent structures at early stage of boundary layer bypass transition induced by wake impingement

The early stage of a boundary layer bypass transition induced by the direct impingement of a circular cylinder wake is experimentally investigated in water tunnel,with the primary interest in both the evolution of coherent structures and their effects on the disturbance growth inside the boundary layer.It is found that spanwise vortices with small scale first form in the near-wall region around the leading-edge,which are either the residual of the wake rollers cut by the leading-edge or the high-order structures induced by the wake rollers.The formation of these spanwise vortices leads to the first rapid disturbance growth inside the boundary layer.On the other hand,streamwise vortices,which result from the impingement of longitudinal braids onto the leading-edge,are also observed inside the boundary layer.They lead to the three dimensional destabilization and the subsequent dispersion of spanwise vortices,and soon become the most dominant coherent structures inside the transitional boundary layer.It is suggested that the formation and evolution of these streamwise vortices contribute to the secondary disturbance growth stage and thus promote the completion of the transition process.The difference between the present transition scenario triggered by direct wake impingement and that by indirect wake-vortex inducement is further discussed.

Cumulative effects of volcanic ash on the food preferences of two Orthopteran species

Inert dusts are an early form of insecticide which is still in use. One of the most common inert dusts is volcanic ash. In order to study the reaction ofrangeland grasshoppers, Dichroplus vittigerum （Acrididae） and a katydid, t]wgilis mendosensis （Phaneropteridae）, to the presence of volcanic ash in their food sources and how this reaction changed as a function of time, we conducted paired preference tests between clean leaves of their pre- ferred host plant and leaves exposed to volcanic ash of different grain size. The behavioral response was measured as the rating on the Thurstonian preference scale of leaves with ash in relation to clean leaves. The results showed that the avoidance of volcanic ash increased as a function of time in both species. Both species studied are occasionally exposed to vol- canic activity, and come from an area in which a volcanic eruption had recently occurred. As their populations did not decrease after the ash fall, we propose that some behavioral responses such as avoidance of places with ash, works as tolerance mechanism to inert dusts exposure.

Fungal diversity notes 603–708: taxonomic and phylogenetic notes on genera and species

This is the sixth in a series of papers where we bring collaborating mycologists together to produce a set of notes of several taxa of fungi.In this study we introduce a new family Fuscostagonosporaceae in Dothideomycetes.We also introduce the new ascomycete genera Acericola,Castellaniomyces,Dictyosporina and Longitudinalis and new species Acericola italica,Alternariaster trigonosporus,Amarenomyces dactylidis,Angustimassarina coryli,Astrocystis bambusicola,Castellaniomyces rosae,Chaetothyrina artocarpi,Chlamydotubeufia krabiensis,Colletotrichum lauri,Collodiscula chiangraiensis,Curvularia palmicola,Cytospora mali-sylvestris,Dictyocheirospora cheirospora,Dictyosporina ferruginea,Dothiora coronillae,Dothiora spartii,Dyfrolomyces phetchaburiensis,Epicoccum cedri,Epicoccum pruni,Fasciatispora calami,Fuscostagonospora cytisi,Grandibotrys hyalinus,Hermatomyces nabanheensis,Hongkongmyces thailandica,Hysterium rhizophorae,Jahnula guttulaspora,Kirschsteiniothelia rostrata,Koorchalomella salmonispora,Longitudinalis nabanheensis,Lophium zalerioides,Magnibotryascoma mali,Meliola clerodendri-infortunati,Microthyrium chinense,Neodidymelliopsis moricola,Neophaeocryptopus spartii,Nigrograna thymi,Ophiocordyceps cossidarum,Ophiocordyceps issidarum,Ophiosimulans plantaginis,Otidea pruinosa,Otidea stipitata,Paucispora kunmingense,Phaeoisaria microspora,Pleurothecium floriforme,Poaceascoma halophila,Periconia aquatica,Periconia submersa,Phaeosphaeria acaciae,Phaeopoacea muriformis,Pseudopithomyces kunmingnensis,Ramgea ozimecii,Sardiniella celtidis,Seimatosporium italicum,Setoseptoria scirpi,Torula gaodangensis and Vamsapriya breviconidiophora.We also provide an amended account of Rhytidhysteron to include apothecial ascomata and a J?hymenium.The type species of Ascotrichella hawksworthii(Xylariales genera incertae sedis),Biciliopsis leptogiicola(Sordariomycetes genera incertae sedis),Brooksia tropicalis(Micropeltidaceae),Bryochiton monascus(Teratosphaeriaceae),Bryomyces scapaniae(Pseudoperisporiaceae),Buelliella minimula(Dothideomycetes genera incertae sedis),Carinispora nypae(Pseudoastrosphaeriellaceae),Cocciscia hammeri(Verrucariaceae),Endoxylina astroidea(Diatrypaceae),Exserohilum turcicum(Pleosporaceae),Immotthia hypoxylon(Roussoellaceae),Licopolia franciscana(Vizellaceae),Murispora rubicunda(Amniculicolaceae)and Doratospora guianensis(synonymized under Rizalia guianensis,Trichosphaeriaceae)were reexamined and descriptions,illustrations and discussion on their familial placement are given based on phylogeny and morphological data.New host records or new country reports are provided for Chlamydotubeufia huaikangplaensis,Colletotrichum fioriniae,Diaporthe subclavata,Diatrypella vulgaris,Immersidiscosia eucalypti,Leptoxyphium glochidion,Stemphylium vesicarium,Tetraploa yakushimensis and Xepicula leucotricha.Diaporthe baccae is synonymized under Diaporthe rhusicola.A reference specimen is provided for Periconia minutissima.Updated phylogenetic trees are provided for most families and genera.We introduce the new basidiomycete species Agaricus purpurlesquameus,Agaricus rufusfibrillosus,Lactifluus holophyllus,Lactifluus luteolamellatus,Lactifluus pseudohygrophoroides,Russula benwooii,Russula hypofragilis,Russula obscurozelleri,Russula parapallens,Russula phoenicea,Russula pseudopelargonia,Russula pseudotsugarum,Russula rhodocephala,Russula salishensis,Steccherinum amapaense,Tephrocybella constrictospora,Tyromyces amazonicus and Tyromyces angulatus and provide updated trees to the genera.We also introduce Mortierella formicae in Mortierellales,Mucoromycota and provide an updated phylogenetic tree.

First report of L1014F kdr mutation in Culex quinquefasciatus in Mexico

The L1014F mutation in the voltage-sodium channel gene has been associated with resistance to DDT and pyrethroids in various arthropod species including mosquitoes. We determined the frequency of the L1014F kdr mutation in 16 field populations of Culex quinquefasciatus from Northeastern Mexico collected between 2008 and 2013. The L1014F was present in all populations analyzed with the lowest frequency （3.33%） corresponding to the population from Monclova collected in 2012, and the highest frequency （63.63%） from the Monterrey population collected in 2012. The presence of a kdr mutation in populations of Cx. quinquefasciatus from northeastern Mexico provides evidence ofpyrethroid resistance. This requires a special attention, considering that pyrethroid-based insecticides are commonly used in vector-control campaigns, especially against Aedes aegypti （L.）.