Safety of Coach Based School Transport in the UK: A Study of Safety Compliance of Coach Operators and Trust of Stakeholders

Coaches are considered as the safest mode of transport for children, but coach crashes result in a high number of fatalities per crash. In the United Kingdom (UK) alone 1218 children were injured in 381 coach crashes between 2005 and 2016. Schools in the UK rely on coach operators to provide vehicles for school trips. Between 2016 and 2017 alone, 78 coach operators’ licenses have been revoked without public inquiries in the UK due to operator’s non-compliance. There are only limited studies available, which examined the safety of children travelling by hired coaches in the UK. The safety of children travelling using hired coaches in the UK is investigated to identify the safety related issues. This is achieved through the analysis of existing literature, the national crash statistics, traffic commissioner reports and the views of relevant stakeholders. Sequential mixed-method exploratory research was used for data gathering and analysis. The results show that there is a critical knowledge gap within the stakeholders. The most significant safety issue identified is the stakeholders’ unawareness of drivers and coaches safety condition before and during school trips. This requires immediate attention before more children lives are put at risk

Big Data and IoT Opportunities for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)

The advancement of technology and emergence of internet of things (IoT) has exponentially caused a data explosion in the 21st century era. As such, the arrival of IoT is set to revolutionize the development of the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) organizations by shaping it into a more universal and integrated ecosystem. Despite evidential studies of the potential of advanced technologies for businesses, the SMEs are apprehensive towards new technologies adoption such as big data analytics and IoT. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is to provide a holistic study of big data and IoT opportunities, challenges, and applications within the SMEs context. The authors hope that the outcome of this study would provide foundational information on how the SMEs can partake with the new wave technological advancement and in turn, spurring more SMEs for adoption

Hydrogen production from methane cracking in dielectric barrier discharge catalytic plasma reactor using a nanocatalyst

The study experimentally investigated a novel approach for producing hydrogen from methane cracking in dielectric barrier discharge catalytic plasma reactor using a nanocatalyst. Plasma-catalytic methane (CH4) cracking was undertaken in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) catalytic plasma reactor using Ni/MgAl2O4. The Ni/MgAl2O4 was synthesised through co-precipitation followed customised hydrothermal method. The physicochemical properties of the catalyst were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy—energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDX) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The Ni/MgAl2O4 shows a porous structure spinel MgAl2O4 and thermal stability. In the catalytic-plasma methane cracking, the Ni/MgAl2O4 shows 80% of the maximum conversion of CH4 with H2 selectivity 75%. Furthermore, the stability of the catalyst was encouraging 16 h with CH4 conversion above 75%, and the selectivity of H2 was above 70%. This is attributed to the synergistic effect of the catalyst and plasma. The plasma-catalytic CH4 cracking is a promising technology for the simultaneous H2 and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) production for energy storage applications

Genome-wide association analysis of more than 120,000 individuals identifies 15 new susceptibility loci for breast cancer.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and large-scale replication studies have identified common variants in 79 loci associated with breast cancer, explaining ∼14% of the familial risk of the disease. To identify new susceptibility loci, we performed a meta-analysis of 11 GWAS, comprising 15,748 breast cancer cases and 18,084 controls together with 46,785 cases and 42,892 controls from 41 studies genotyped on a 211,155-marker custom array (iCOGS). Analyses were restricted to women of European ancestry. We generated genotypes for more than 11 million SNPs by imputation using the 1000 Genomes Project reference panel, and we identified 15 new loci associated with breast cancer at P < 5 × 10(-8). Combining association analysis with ChIP-seq chromatin binding data in mammary cell lines and ChIA-PET chromatin interaction data from ENCODE, we identified likely target genes in two regions: SETBP1 at 18q12.3 and RNF115 and PDZK1 at 1q21.1. One association appears to be driven by an amino acid substitution encoded in EXO1.BCAC is funded by Cancer Research UK (C1287/A10118, C1287/A12014) and by the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement 223175 (HEALTH-F2-2009-223175) (COGS). Meetings of the BCAC have been funded by the European Union COST programme (BM0606). Genotyping on the iCOGS array was funded by the European Union (HEALTH-F2-2009-223175), Cancer Research UK (C1287/A10710, C8197/A16565), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) for the CIHR Team in Familial Risks of Breast Cancer program and the Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade of Quebec, grant PSR-SIIRI-701. Combination of the GWAS data was supported in part by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) Cancer Post-Cancer GWAS initiative, grant 1 U19 CA148065-01 (DRIVE, part of the GAME-ON initiative). For a full description of funding and acknowledgments, see the Supplementary Note.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from NPG via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ng.324

Fine-Scale Mapping of the 4q24 Locus Identifies Two Independent Loci Associated with Breast Cancer Risk

Background: A recent association study identified a common variant (rs9790517) at 4q24 to be associated with breast cancer risk. Independent association signals and potential functional variants in this locus have not been explored. Methods: We conducted a fine-mapping analysis in 55,540 breast cancer cases and 51,168 controls from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium. Results: Conditional analyses identified two independent association signals among women of European ancestry, represented by rs9790517 [conditional P = 2.51 × 10−4; OR, 1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02–1.07] and rs77928427 (P = 1.86 × 10−4; OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02–1.07). Functional annotation using data from the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project revealed two putative functional variants, rs62331150 and rs73838678 in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with rs9790517 (r2 ≥ 0.90) residing in the active promoter or enhancer, respectively, of the nearest gene, TET2. Both variants are located in DNase I hypersensitivity and transcription factor–binding sites. Using data from both The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (METABRIC), we showed that rs62331150 was associated with level of expression of TET2 in breast normal and tumor tissue. Conclusion: Our study identified two independent association signals at 4q24 in relation to breast cancer risk and suggested that observed association in this locus may be mediated through the regulation of TET2. Impact: Fine-mapping study with large sample size warranted for identification of independent loci for breast cancer risk

Maternal health services for refugee populations: Exploration of best practices

The full scope of women’s health needs is not necessarily addressed in refugee camps and after resettlement, particularly pregnancy and postnatal services. The aims of this research are to examine the maternal care services provided to refugee women in camps and after resettlement to the United States, and to analyse organisational successes and challenges in service provision. With this understanding, policies can improve service delivery for refugee women. We interviewed respondents from five organisations, ranging from local non-profits to international non-governmental organisations. Most of the organisations do not provide direct medical care, but rather education and social service support to clients, and in some cases midwife training. Their success stemmed from a focus on client capacity building, individualised support, effective partnerships, and cultural competency. Respondents described the need for physical resources, effective leadership, and additional personnel, especially with linguistic capabilities. The dialogue in the interviews supports themes of education as empowerment and client self-sufficiency. Respondents emphasised the importance of funding and policies that support their work. This knowledge can lead to improved models of service delivery and inform the development of best practices and policies in maternal and reproductive health for refugee women

Biomarker potential of C-peptide for screening of insulin resistance in diabetic and non-diabetic individuals

Insulin resistance is a hallmark feature of type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We determined the homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and evaluated its association with C-peptide, insulin, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in T2DM patients and non-diabetic subjects. This study comprised a total of 47 T2DM patients and 38 non-diabetic controls. Venous blood samples from all the subjects were collected and sera were analyzed for FBG, HbA1c, insulin and C-peptide using an autoanalyzer. HOMA-IR was calculated using the following equation: HOMA-IR = fasting insulin (µU/ml) × fasting glucose (mmol/L)/22.5. There was a significant increase in the levels of FBG and HbA1c in diabetic patients. Although the levels of C-peptide and insulin did not differ significantly between the two groups, a significant increase in HOMA-IR was observed in T2DM patients. Both insulin and C-peptide were significantly correlated with HOMA-IR. In conclusion, C-peptide may serve as a simple and convenient predictor of HOMA-IR. Keywords: Insulin resistance, Diabetes, C-peptide, Fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, Biomarke

Indirect Z-scheme assembly of 2D ZnV2O6/RGO/g-C3N4 nanosheets with RGO/pCN as solid-state electron mediators toward visible-light enhanced CO2 reduction

Indirect Z-scheme assembly of graphene-bridged 2D ZnV2O6/pCN nanosheets composite has been fabricated by one-step solvothermal process and tested for photoinduced CO2 conversion under visible-light irradiations. The highest CH3OH production of 3488 μmol g-cat−1 was obtained over ZnV2O6/RGO/g-C3N4 composite, 1.02 and 1.25 times higher comparing to ZnV2O6/RGO and ZnV2O6/g-C3N4 samples, respectively. This enhanced efficiency can be ascribed to well-designed ternary heterojunction with hierarchical structure and efficient charges separation by RGO. More importantly, CH3OH yield was further improved by introducing RGO/pCN as an electron sink, which led to a 1.07 times higher yield than using only RGO. This reveals that ternary 2D ZnV2O6/RGO/pCN nanostructure has higher visible-light absorption, improved charge separation, and enhanced photocatalytic efficiency due to RGO/pCN as multiple mediators. The stability of composite catalyst also prevailed for 32 h for continuous CH3OH production. Therefore, structured Z-scheme composite with multiple electron mediators enables efficient CO2 conversion under visible-light irradiation

Kabale und Liebe : heute Freitag den 2. Januar 1846 ; Trauerspiel in 5 Aufzügen

von Friedrich von Schiller. Personen: Herr Schoepe, C. Grabowsky, Herr Doß, Herr Klusmann, Frau Grabowsky, Herr Tietz, Frau Müller, Fräul. Hehl, Fräul. Müller, Herr Kampmann, Herr Köhler d. j., Herr Löwe, Herr Welb, Herr Raud, Herr Kelb, Herr Roß, Fräul. Schütz, Fräul. Deimling, Fräul. Schwarzer, Fräul. Mathes, Frau Derossi, Frau KalinkeIn Fraktu

Significance of HbA1c Test in Diagnosis and Prognosis of Diabetic Patients

Diabetes is a global endemic with rapidly increasing prevalence in both developing and developed countries. The American Diabetes Association has recommended glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) as a possible substitute to fasting blood glucose for diagnosis of diabetes. HbA1c is an important indicator of long-term glycemic control with the ability to reflect the cumulative glycemic history of the preceding two to three months. HbA1c not only provides a reliable measure of chronic hyperglycemia but also correlates well with the risk of long-term diabetes complications. Elevated HbA1c has also been regarded as an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke in subjects with or without diabetes. The valuable information provided by a single HbA1c test has rendered it as a reliable biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of diabetes. This review highlights the role of HbA1c in diagnosis and prognosis of diabetes patients