Prognostic factors at birth for stunting at 24 months of age in rural Indonesia

Background The problems of stunting are its high prevalence as well as the complexity of its risk factors. Identifying the modifiable prognostic factors at birth may reduce the shortterm as well as longterm effects of stunting in later life. Objective To estimate the influence of prognostic factors detected at birth for stunting at 24 months of age and the occurence of reversal of stunting at 24 months of age among children in a rural area of Indonesia. Methods Subjects (n=343) were born to mothers participating in a randomized controlled, double-blind, community-based study of vitamin A and/or zinc supplementation during pregnancy and followed from June 1998 to October 2000. The children were followed prospectively from birth until 2 years of age with monthly measurements of length from birth to 12 months, and again at 18 and 24 months. Data on potential prognostic factors detected at birth, i.e., maternal, child, and household facilities, were collected by trained field workers at home visits. The incidence and risk ratio were calculated to assess the influence of the possible prognostic factors detected at birth on stunting at 24 months of age among these children. Results Boys who were born prematurely had significantly higher risk of stunting at 24 months of age compared to girls born maturely. The incidences of stunting at 24 months of age according to gender, and gestational age were 33.9% boys vs. 22.5% girls (RR 1.80; 95%CI 1.06 to 3.09), and 33.3% premature vs. 27.6% mature (RR 7.11; 95%CI 2.07 to 24.48), respectively. Conclusion Boys who were born prematurely have significantly higher risk to become stunted at 24 months of age. The occurrence of reversal of stunting at 24 months of age is low

Pengaruh Faktor Pribadi dan Faktor Psikologis terhadap Keputusan Pembelian Konsumen di Kentucky Fried Chicken (Kfc) Singaraja

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui (1) pengaruh faktor pribadi terhadap keputusan pembelian konsumen di KFC Singaraja, (2) pengaruh faktor psikologis terhadap keputusan pembelian konsumen di KFC Singaraja, (3) pengaruh faktor pribadi dan faktor psikologis terhadap keputusan pembelian konsumen di KFC Singaraja, (4) besarnya pengaruh faktor pribadi dan faktor psikologis terhadap keputusan pembelian konsumen di KFC Singaraja. Jenis penelitian ini adalah penelitian kausal. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah konsumen yang telah membeli produk KFC Singaraja dengan jumlah sampel sebanyak 96 orang. Pemilihan sampel dilakukan secara acak dengan menggunakan metode acedental sampling. Data dikumpulkan dengan mengunakan metode kuesioner yang dianalisis dengan menggunakan analisis regresi linier berganda dengan bantuan program SPSS for windows 17.0 yang meliputi uji-t, uji F, dan koefesien determinasi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa; (1) faktor pribadi berpengaruh terhadap keputusan pembelian konsumen di KFC Singaraja, hal tersebut ditunjukan dari nilai thitung = 4.501 > ttabel = 2,000 atau p-value = 0,000 ttabel = 2,000 atau p-value = 0,000 Ftabel = 3,11 atau p-value = 0,000 ttable = 2,000 or p-value = 0,000 ttable = 2,000 or p-value = 0,000 Ftable = 3,11or p-value = 0,000 Copyrights © 2015 Copyrights © 2015 </div

Mean stress effect in high-frequency mechanical impact (HFMI)-treated welded steel railway bridges

The need for new railway bridges is driven by the growing volume of transportation demands for both passenger and freight traffic on railway networks. In the design of these bridges, the fatigue limit state is a criterion that usually limits the allowable applied load level and thus also the utilization of the high strength of the steel material. Therefore, improving the fatigue performance of welded details by high-frequency mechanical impact (HFMI) treatment leads to a more efficient design. However, the fatigue performance of HFMI-treated welds is known to be affected by the mean stress and this needs to be considered in the design of treated welded details in steel bridges. This is rather straightforward if the bridge is subjected to cycles from one type of train but becomes cumbersome when several different sets of trains (e. g. axle loads, axle distances) cross the bridge. In this article, a factor to take the mean stress effect (including self-weight and traffic load variations) into account is derived from traffic data measured in Sweden. Moreover, the mean stress effect is also predicted using the different fatigue load models in the Eurocode. These models either consist of one-load patterns such as LM71, SW/0, and SW/2 or are composed of different trains with different combinations. It was found that the mean stress effect is underestimated by the first group of models. On the other hand, the mean stress predicted by the light traffic mix is found to be close to that calculated using real traffic data, while other mixes (standard and heavy) underestimate the mean stress effect. Therefore, a correction factor to account for the mean stress effects in real traffic is derived (called here λHFMI). This factor can be used to correct the design stress range for fatigue verification of HFMI-treated welded details in railway bridges

Optimal sizing and siting of smart microgrid components under high renewables penetration considering demand response

The purpose of this article is to determine the size and place of different components in microgrids (MGs) including renewable energy resources (RERs). Various factors like reliability, the uncertainty of wind speed, solar irradiance, load, and load growth are considered. The Ekbatan residential complex is studied as the pilot case study placed in Tehran, Iran. Ekbatan complex has three separate sets of buildings called phase 1, 2, and 3 considered as smart MGs. The multi‐objective optimisation problem is solved considering RERs uncertainties, improving reliability and power quality and minimizing power loss by particle swarm optimisation algorithm. Different constraints in terms of voltage, frequency, resources, and energy storage systems (ESSs) capacity are taken into consideration. The effect of load growth, photovoltaic (PV) and ESSs placement, changing the capital cost of RERs, and demand response of controllable loads are studied on optimal sizing and siting. The proposed method is tested on a wind turbine/PV/fuel cell (FC)/hydrogen tank MGs system and the optimal sizing and siting of mentioned sources could decelerate the rate of increase in the total cost of MG considering the load growth.©2019 IET. This paper is a postprint of a paper submitted to and accepted for publication in IET Renewable Power Generation and is subject to Institution of Engineering and Technology Copyright. The copy of record is available at the IET Digital Library.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Fixed-angle plates in patella fractures - a pilot cadaver study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>Modified anterior tension wiring with K-wires and cannulated lag screws with anterior tension wiring are currently the fixation of choice for patellar fractures. Failure of fixation, migration of the wires, postoperative pain and resulting revision surgery, however, are not uncommon. After preliminary biomechanical testing of a new fixed-angle plate system especially designed for fixation of patella fractures the aim of this study was to evaluate the surgical and anatomical feasibility of implanting such a plate-device at the human patella.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In six fresh unfixed female cadavers without history of previous fractures around the knee (average age 88.8 years) a bilateral fixed-angle plate fixation of the patella was carried out after previous placement of a transverse central osteotomy. Operative time, intra-operative problems, degree of retropatellar arthritis (following Outerbridge), quality of reduction and existence of any intraarticular screw placement have been raised. In addition, lateral and anteroposterior radiographs of all specimens were made.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Due to the high average age of 88.8 years no patella showed an unimpaired retropatellar articular surface and all were severely osteoporotic, which made a secure fixation of the reduction forceps during surgery difficult. The operation time averaged 49 minutes (range: 36-65). Although in postoperative X-rays the fracture gap between the fragments was still visible, the analysis of the retropatellar surface showed no residual articular step or dehiscence > 0.5 mm. Also in a total of 24 inserted screws not one intraarticular malposition was found. No intraoperative complications were noticed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Osteosynthesis of a medial third patella fracture with a bilateral fixed-angle plate-device is surgically and anatomically feasible without difficulties. Further studies have to depict whether the bilateral fixed-angle plate-osteosynthesis of the patella displays advantages over the established operative procedures.</p

Evolution of microstructural and mechanical properties of nanocrystalline Co2FeAl Heusler alloy prepared by mechanical alloying

Mechanical alloying (MA) has been used to fabricate the Co2FeAl Heusler alloy with a nanocrystalline structure. The formation mechanism of the alloy has been investigated. Rietveld analysis showed that all samples that were milled for more than 15 hours had an L21 structure with a space group of Fm3m. The crystallite size and internal strain of the samples were calculated using the Williamson-Hall equation. With mechanical alloying of up to 20 hours the crystallite size of Co2FeAl increased, after which the crystallite size started to decrease. In contrast, internal strain first decreased during the process and then increased with the increase of milling time. The powder obtained after 20 hours of MA was split into three parts and separately annealed at 300, 500 and 700 oC for 5 hours. A considerable increase was observed in the hardness value of powder particles with the increase of annealing temperature up to 500 oC. However, the hardness value of the sample annealed at 700 oC decreased. It seems that this feature is related to parameters such as increase of crystallite size, enhancement of lattice ordering, change in density of defects and impurities and nonstoichiometric effects

Planning of Smart Microgrids with High Renewable Penetration Considering Electricity Market Conditions

In this paper, a new method for optimal sizing of distributed generation (DG) is presented in order to minimize electricity costs in smart microgrids (MGs). This paper presents a study of the effect of wholesale electricity market on smart MGs. The study was performed for the Ekbatan residential complex which includes three smart MGs considering high penetration of renewable energy resources and a 63/20 kV substation in Tehran, Iran. The role of these smart MGs in the pool electricity market is a price maker, and a game-theoretical (GT) model is applied for their bidding strategies. The objective cost function considers different cost parameters in smart MGs, which are optimized using particle swarm optimization (PSO). The results show that applying this method is effective for economic sizing of DGs.© 2019 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

A New Viscosity Equation For Bin Aqueous Solutions.

An equation for the viscosity of binary aqueous solutions has been derived based on the Power law equation and Erying's absolute rate theory. The concentration dependent equation for viscosities of binary aqueous systems is derived using additive contribution from water and solute component. The equation has sufficient degree of freedom to represent the' whole range of concentration. The equation has been applied to 12 nonelectrolyte aqueous systems and 10 electrolyte systems at various temperatures. An average absolute deviation percentage error' (AAD%) of 0.2856% is reported for electrolyte systems: For non-electrolyte systems an average AAD% of 0.7843% is reported. Overall, the equation is found to have yielded an AAD% of 0.5576%

Human Remyelination Promoting Antibody Stimulates Astrocytes Proliferation Through Modulation of the Sphingolipid Rheostat in Primary Rat Mixed Glial Cultures

Remyelination promoting human IgMs effectively increase the number of myelinated axons in animal models of multiple sclerosis. Hence, they ultimately stimulate myelin production by oligodendrocytes (OLs); however, their exact mechanism of action remains to be elucidated, and in particular, it remains unclear whether they are directly targeting OLs, or their action is mediated by effects on other cell types. We assessed the effect of remyelination promoting antibody rHIgM22 on the proliferative response and on the ceramide/sphingosine 1-phosphate rheostat in mixed glial cell cultures (MGCs). rHIgM22 treatment caused a time-dependent increase in PDGF\u3b1R protein in MGCs. Forty-eight hours of treatment with rHIgM22 induced a dose-dependent proliferative response (evaluated as total cell number and as EdU(+) cell number) in MGCs. When the proliferation response of MGCs to rHIgM22 was analyzed as a function of the cell types, the most significant proliferative response was associated with GLAST(+) cells, i.e., astrocytes. In many cell types, the balance between different sphingolipid mediators (the "sphingolipid rheostat"), in particular ceramide and sphingosine 1-phosphate, is critical in determining the cell fate. rHIgM22 treatment in MGCs induced a moderate but significant inhibition of total acidic sphingomyelinase activity (measured in vitro on cell lysates), the main enzyme responsible for the stimulus-mediated production of ceramide, when treatment was performed in serum containing medium, but no significant differences were observed when antibody treatment was performed in the absence of serum. Moreover, rHIgM22 treatment, either in the presence or in absence of serum, had no effects on ceramide levels. On the other hand, rHIgM22 treatment for 24\ua0h induced increased production and release of sphingosine 1-phosphate in the extracellular milieu of MGC. Release of sphingosine 1-phosphate upon rHIgM22 treatment was strongly reduced by a selective inhibitor of PDGF\u3b1R. Increased sphingosine 1-phosphate production does not seem to be mediated by regulation of the biosynthetic enzymes, sphingosine kinase 1 and 2, since protein levels of these enzymes and phosphorylation of sphingosine kinase 1 were unchanged upon rHIgM22 treatment. Instead, we observed a significant reduction in the levels of sphingosine 1-phosphate lyase 1, one of the key catabolic enzymes. Remarkably, rHIgM22 treatment under the same experimental conditions did not induce changes in the production and/or release of sphingosine 1-phosphate in pure astrocyte cultures. Taken together, these data suggest that rHIgM22 indirectly influences the proliferation of astrocytes in MGCs, by affecting the ceramide/sphingosine 1-phosphate balance. The specific cell population directly targeted by rHIgM22 remains to be identified, however our study unveils another aspect of the complexity of rHIgM22-induced remyelinating effect