Moluscos vectores da esquistossomose mansônica no lado leste do Rio São Francisco, no Estado da Bahia

Pela primeira vez foi realizado um levantamento malacológico de espécies vectoras de Schistosoma mansoni na região do lado Oeste do Rio São Francisco, no Estado da Bahia. Observou-se que nas áreas onde a única espécie encontrada foi B. straminea, a esquistossomose não constitui um problema médico. Entretanto, nas áreas onde foi coletado B. glabraata, além de B. straminea, a esquistossomose se apresenta com características de alta endemicidade. A ausência de moluscos, apesar da abundância de água, foi observada em extensas áreas, quase despovoadas. Esse quadro poderá se modificar em futuro bem próximo, devido â construção de novas estradas, bem como pela implantação de projetos de irrigação. Baseados nos presentes resultados e, em dados da literatura, os autores correlacionam a distribuição geográfica das espécies vectoras com a endemicidade da esquistossomose no Brasil.Snail vectors of Schistosomiasis mansoni west of the San Francisco River, State of Bahia, were surveyed for the first time. In areas where the only vector found was Biomphalaria straminea, Schistosomiasis does not appear to be a medical problem. However, in areas where B. glabrata was collected, in addition t B. straminea, schistosomiasis was highly endemic. In spite of an abundance of surface water, no sanils were found in sparsely populated areas. This could change as a result of proposed schemes of new roads and irrigation systems. The results presented here have been combined with previously data in order to demonstrate a correia tion between the geografic distribuition of different species of snail vectors and the endemicity of schistosomiasis mansoni throughout Brazil

Conceptual and Numerical Analysis of Active Wingtip Vortex Cancellation in Propeller-Driven Electric Aircraft

As battery and electric motor technology continues to advance rapidly, propeller-driven electric aircraft are likely to become a significant part of the aviation market in the near future. One proposed design configuration for electric aircraft involves using large, wingtip- mounted propellers to actively cancel wingtip vortices, a method called active wingtip vortex cancellation (AWVC). By reclaiming part of the kinetic energy that would otherwise be lost to tip vortex formation, drag is decreased. In addition, the induced spanwise flow and upwash from the propeller causes the spanwise lift distribution to remain more uniform at the wingtips, increasing lift. Previous wind tunnel testing of this configuration characterized a significant increase in lift and decrease in drag, particularly in low-aspect-ratio configurations. This paper builds on that research by examining several test cases with a 3D, transient, viscous, sliding mesh CFD analysis in an effort to validate numerical methods for future conceptual design studies. In addition, many practical considerations regarding the implementation of this design are analyzed. Geometry from the aforementioned wind tunnel literature was reconstructed and analyzed. CFD indicated an 18.1% increase in lift and 5.1% increase in net thrust was possible solely through the phenomenon of AWVC. Furthermore, this CFD analysis matched wind tunnel data to within approximately 1%, validating the CFD approach for the analysis of more exotic configurations involving active wingtip vortex cancellation

"The trauma of competition": the entry of Air Products Inc. into the industrial gases business in Britain and continental Europe 1947-1970

The British Oxygen Company (BOC) had a virtual monopoly on the supply of industrial gases (e.g. oxygen and acetylene) on the British market through the 1950s, when it was finally challenged by an American-based company, Air Products. Air Products Limited (APL) was able to undercut BOCs position, overcoming high barriers to entry to gain significant market share in this sector, which shares some features of network industries. Factors in this success included conditions imposed by the Board of Trade, APL’s innovations, BOC’s slow response, and favourable market conditions. APL’s success had implications for the internationalisation of the industrial gases industry

Incidence of hyperoxia in trauma patients receiving pre-hospital emergency anaesthesia:results of a 5-year retrospective analysis

Abstract Background Previous studies have demonstrated an association between hyperoxia and increased mortality in various patient groups. Critically unwell and injured patients are routinely given high concentration oxygen in the pre-hospital phase of care. We aim to investigate the incidence of hyperoxia in major trauma patients receiving pre-hospital emergency anesthesia (PHEA) in the pre-hospital setting and determine factors that may help guide clinicians with pre-hospital oxygen administration in these patients. Methods A retrospective cohort study was performed of all patients who received PHEA by a single helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) between 1 October 2014 and 1 May 2019 and who were subsequently transferred to one major trauma centre (MTC). Patient and treatment factors were collected from the electronic patient records of the HEMS service and the MTC. Hyperoxia was defined as a PaO2 > 16 kPA on the first arterial blood gas analysis upon arrival in the MTC. Results On arrival in the MTC, the majority of the patients (90/147, 61.2%) had severe hyperoxia, whereas 30 patients (20.4%) had mild hyperoxia and 26 patients (19.7%) had normoxia. Only 1 patient (0.7%) had hypoxia. The median PaO2 on the first arterial blood gas analysis (ABGA) after HEMS handover was 36.7 [IQR 18.5–52.2] kPa, with a range of 7.0–86.0 kPa. SpO2 pulse oximetry readings before handover were independently associated with the presence of hyperoxia. An SpO2 ≥ 97% was associated with a significantly increased odds of hyperoxia (OR 3.99 [1.58–10.08]), and had a sensitivity of 86.7% [79.1–92.4], a specificity of 37.9% [20.7–57.8], a positive predictive value of 84.5% [70.2–87.9] and a negative predictive value of 42.3% [27.4–58.7] for the presence of hyperoxemia. Conclusion Trauma patients who have undergone PHEA often have profound hyperoxemia upon arrival at hospital. In the pre-hospital setting, where arterial blood gas analysis is not readily available a titrated approach to oxygen therapy should be considered to reduce the incidence of potentially harmful tissue hyperoxia

The Middle to Later Stone Age transition at Panga ya Saidi, in the tropical coastal forest of eastern Africa

The Middle to Later Stone Age transition is a critical period of human behavioral change that has been variously argued to pertain to the emergence of modern cognition, substantial population growth, and major dispersals of Homo sapiens within and beyond Africa. However, there is little consensus about when the transition occurred, the geographic patterning of its emergence, or even how it is manifested in the stone tool technology that is used to define it. Here, we examine a long sequence of lithic technological change at the cave site of Panga ya Saidi, Kenya, that spans the Middle and Later Stone Age and includes human occupations in each of the last five Marine Isotope Stages. In addition to the stone artifact technology, Panga ya Saidi preserves osseous and shell artifacts, enabling broader considerations of the covariation between different spheres of material culture. Several environmental proxies contextualize the artifactual record of human behavior at Panga ya Saidi. We compare technological change between the Middle and Later Stone Age with on-site paleoenvironmental manifestations of wider climatic fluctuations in the Late Pleistocene. The principal distinguishing feature of Middle from Later Stone Age technology at Panga ya Saidi is the preference for fine-grained stone, coupled with the creation of small flakes (miniaturization). Our review of the Middle to Later Stone Age transition elsewhere in eastern Africa and across the continent suggests that this broader distinction between the two periods is in fact widespread. We suggest that the Later Stone Age represents new short use-life and multicomponent ways of using stone tools, in which edge sharpness was prioritized over durability

Optometric Measurements Predict Performance but Not Comfort on a Virtual Object Placement Task With a Stereoscopic 3D Display

Twelve participants were tested on a simple virtual object precision placement task while viewing a stereoscopic 3D (S3D) display. Inclusion criteria included uncorrected or best corrected vision of 20/20 or better in each eye and stereopsis of at least 40 arc sec using the Titmus stereo test. Additionally, binocular function was assessed, including measurements of distant and near phoria (horizontal and vertical) and distant and near horizontal fusion ranges using standard optometric clinical techniques. Before each of six 30 minute experimental sessions, measurements of phoria and fusion ranges were repeated using a Keystone View Telebinocular and an S3D display, respectively. All participants completed experimental sessions in which the task required the precision placement of a virtual object in depth at the same location as a target object. Subjective discomfort was assessed using the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ). Individual placement accuracy in S3D trials was significantly correlated with several of the binocular screening outcomes: viewers with larger convergent fusion ranges (measured at near distance), larger total fusion ranges (convergent plus divergent ranges, measured at near distance), and/or lower (better) stereoscopic acuity thresholds were more accurate on the placement task. No screening measures were predictive of subjective discomfort, perhaps due to the low levels of discomfort induced

A Value Function Approach to Information Operations MOE\u27s: A Preliminary Study

A value focused thinking approach is applied to information operations. A preliminary value hierarchy for information operations is constructed by extracting the values of senior military leadership from existing doctrine. To identify these key values for information operations, applicable existing doctrine was reviewed and summarized. Additionally, hierarchical representations of the values represented within each reviewed doctrine are developed. A value hierarchy requires that supporting objectives be mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive. Within this analysis, these requirements are enforced, in part, by developed definitions which serve as tests to maintain mutual exclusivity. An exhaustive set of supporting values is also guaranteed by identifying a spanning set of values that directly support the overall objective of information operations. This preliminary value hierarchy serves as the basis for continuing research. The implications for this research include the construction of a prescriptive model in which the effectiveness of current and future systems can be assessed on a common scale. Further, the effectiveness of developing technologies can be assessed and the value of these technologies determined with respect to the values of senior military leadership. With this, the value of holes in our suite of information warfare systems can also be assessed in terms of their effectiveness in fulfilling the values of military leadership

No time for change? Impact of contextual factors on the effect of training primary care healthcare workers in Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam on how to manage asthma in children - A FRESH AIR implementation study.

BACKGROUND: Training is a common and cost-effective way of trying to improve quality of care in low- and middle-income countries but studies of contextual factors for the successful translation of increased knowledge into clinical change are lacking, especially in primary care. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of contextual factors on the effect of training rural healthcare workers in Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam on their knowledge and clinical performance in managing pediatric patients with respiratory symptoms. METHODS: Primary care health workers in Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam underwent a one-day training session on asthma in children under five. The effect of training was measured on knowledge and clinical performance using a validated questionnaire, and by direct clinical observations. RESULTS: Eighty-one healthcare workers participated in the training. Their knowledge increased by 1.1 Cohen's d (CI: 0.7 to 1.4) in Kyrgyzstan where baseline performance was lower and 1.5 Cohen's d (CI: 0.5 to 2.5) in Vietnam. Consultations were performed by different types of health care workers in Kyrgyzstan and there was a 79.1% (CI 73.9 to 84.3%) increase in consultations where at least one core symptom of respiratory illness was asked. Only medical doctors participated in Vietnam, where the increase was 25.0% (CI 15.1 to 34.9%). Clinical examination improved significantly after training in Kyrgyzstan. In Vietnam, the number of actions performed generally declined. The most pronounced difference in contextual factors was consultation time, which was median 15 min in Kyrgyzstan and 2 min in Vietnam. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The effects on knowledge of training primary care health workers in lower middle-income countries in diagnosis and management of asthma in children under five only translated into changes in clinical performance where consultation time allowed for changes to clinical practice, emphasizing the importance of considering contextual factors in order to succeed in behavioral change after training

A study of the impact of individual thermal control on user comfort in the workplace: Norwegian cellular vs. British open plan offices

In modern offices, user control is being replaced by centrally operated thermal systems, and in Scandinavia, personal offices by open plan layouts. This study examined the impact of user control on thermal comfort and satisfaction. It compared a workplace, which was designed entirely based on individual control over the thermal environment, to an environment that limited thermal control was provided as a secondary option for fine-tuning: Norwegian cellular and British open plan offices. The Norwegian approach provided each user with control over a window, door, blinds, heating and cooling as the main thermal control system. In contrast, the British practice provided a uniform thermal environment with limited openable windows and blinds to refine the thermal environment for occupants seated around the perimeter of the building. Field studies of thermal comfort were applied to measure users’ perception of thermal environment, empirical building performance and thermal control. The results showed a 30% higher satisfaction and 18% higher comfort level in the Norwegian offices compared to the British practices. However, the energy consumption of the Norwegian case studies was much higher compared to the British ones. A balance is required between energy efficiency and user thermal comfort in the workplace