Effects Of Different Activities Research Articles

Interventions to reduce medication errors in adult medical and surgical settings: a systematic review.

Background and Aims:Medication errors occur at any point of the medication management process, and are a major cause of death and harm globally. The objective of this review was to compare the effectiveness of different interventions in reducing prescribing, dispensing and administration medication errors in acute medical and surgical settings.Methods:The protocol for this systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42019124587). The library databases, MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from inception to February 2019. Studies were included if they involved testing of an intervention aimed at reducing medication errors in adult, acute medical or surgical settings. Meta-analyses were performed to examine the effectiveness of intervention types.Results:A total of 34 articles were included with 12 intervention types identified. Meta-analysis showed that prescribing errors were reduced by pharmacist-led medication reconciliation, computerised medication reconciliation, pharmacist partnership, prescriber education, medication reconciliation by trained mentors and computerised physician order entry (CPOE) as single interventions. Medication administration errors were reduced by CPOE and the use of an automated drug distribution system as single interventions. Combined interventions were also found to be effective in reducing prescribing or administration medication errors. No interventions were found to reduce dispensing error rates. Most studies were conducted at single-site hospitals, with chart review being the most common method for collecting medication error data. Clinical significance of interventions was examined in 21 studies. Since many studies were conducted in a pre–post format, future studies should include a concurrent control group.Conclusion:The systematic review identified a number of single and combined intervention types that were effective in reducing medication errors, which clinicians and policymakers could consider for implementation in medical and surgical settings. New directions for future research should examine interdisciplinary collaborative approaches comprising physicians, pharmacists and nurses.Lay summary Activities to reduce medication errors in adult medical and surgical hospital areas Introduction:Medication errors or mistakes may happen at any time in hospital, and they are a major reason for death and harm around the world.Objective:To compare the effectiveness of different activities in reducing medication errors occurring with prescribing, giving and supplying medications in adult medical and surgical settings in hospital.Methods:Six library databases were examined from the time they were developed to February 2019. Studies were included if they involved testing of an activity aimed at reducing medication errors in adult medical and surgical settings in hospital. Statistical analysis was used to look at the success of different types of activities.Results:A total of 34 studies were included with 12 activity types identified. Statistical analysis showed that prescribing errors were reduced by pharmacists matching medications, computers matching medications, partnerships with pharmacists, prescriber education, medication matching by trained physicians, and computerised physician order entry (CPOE). Medication-giving errors were reduced by the use of CPOE and an automated medication distribution system. The combination of different activity types were also shown to be successful in reducing prescribing or medication-giving errors. No activities were found to be successful in reducing errors relating to supplying medications. Most studies were conducted at one hospital with reviewing patient charts being the most common way for collecting information about medication errors. In 21 out of 34 articles, researchers examined the effect of activity types on patient harm caused by medication errors. Many studies did not involve the use of a control group that does not receive the activity.Conclusion:A number of activity types were shown to be successful in reducing prescribing and medication-giving errors. New directions for future research should examine activities comprising health professionals working together.

Study on regeneration of waste adsorbent material in PVC industry

Activated carbon is an adsorbent material with pore structure, which is environmentally friendly and easy to operate. It is widely used in human production and life. However, the spent activated carbon has not been properly treated, and adsorption of harmful elements is highly likely to cause secondary pollution of the environment. Through the regeneration of waste mercury catalyst in PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) industry, the effects of different activators on the regeneration performance of spent activated carbon were studied. It was found that the regeneration effect of carbon dioxide on spent activated carbon was significant at 900 °C. The removal rate of harmful mercury-containing compounds from regenerated activated carbon can be reached 99.96%, and the specific surface area reaches 750.755 m2·g−1, which has basically met the adsorption performance index of activated carbon for wastewater treatment. This study is expected to provide theoretical support for the treatment of waste adsorbent material containing harmful elements and reveal the mechanism of regenerating activated carbon under different activator conditions.

The effect of sleep quality on academic performance is mediated by Internet use time: DADOS study

ObjectiveThe aims of the present study were to analyze the association of sleep patterns with academic and cognitive performance in adolescents, and to test the potential mediating effect of different activities of screen media usage on this association. MethodsA sample of 269 adolescents (140 boys) aged 14 years from the baseline data of the Deporte, ADOlescencia y Salud study completed questionnaires about sleep quality, cognitive performance, and leisure‐time sedentary behaviors. Sleep duration was objectively computed using a wrist‐worn GENEActiv accelerometer and academic performance was analyzed through school records. ResultsSleep quality (but not sleep duration) was associated with all the academic performance indicators (all p<0.05). Analysis of covariance revealed higher grades among adolescents with better sleep quality (PSQI≤5; all p<0.05). These analyses showed no differences regarding cognitive performance. Internet use time was revealed as a mediator of the association between sleep quality and academic performance, being significant for all academic performance indicators (PM ranging from 15.5% to 16.0%). ConclusionsThe association between sleep quality and academic performance in adolescents is mediated by time of Internet use. Overall, reducing Internet use in adolescents could be an achievable intervention for improving sleep quality, with potentially positive effects on academic performance.

Subject-Specific Surgical Planning for Hip Replacement: A Novel 2D Graphical Representation of 3D Hip Motion and Prosthetic Impingement Information

Prosthetic impingement (PI) following total hip arthroplasty (THA), which arises due to the undesirable relative motion of the implants, results in adverse outcomes. Predicting PI through 3D graphical representation is difficult to comprehend when all activities are combined for different implant positions. Therefore, the aim of the paper was to translate this 3D information into a 2D graphical representation for improved understanding of the patient’s hip motion. The method used planned implanted geometry, positioned onto native bone anatomy, and activity definitions as inputs to construct the 2D polar plot from 3D hip motion in four steps. Three case studies were performed to highlight its potential use in (a) combining different activities in a single plot, (b) visualising the effect of different cup positions and (c) pelvic tilt on PI. A clinical study with 20 ‘Non-Dislocators’ and 20 ‘Dislocators’ patients after 2 years of THA was performed to validate the method. The results supported the study hypothesis, in that the incidence of PI was always higher in the ‘Dislocators’ compared to the ‘Non-Dislocators’ group. The proposed 2D graphical representation could assist in subject-specific THA planning by visualising the effect of different activities, implant positions, pelvic tilt and related aspects on PI.

The effects of different activators on the release curve of human platelet-rich plasma

Objective: To compare and analyze the effects of different activators on the release curve of TGF-β(1) and PDGF-AB in platelet rich plasma(PRP). Methods: A total of 36 ml peripheral venous blood was obtained from 10 healthy adult volunteers, and the PRP was made by secondary centrifugation. The platelet activator was made by bovine thrombin 1 000 U in 1 ml 10% calcium chloride solution. The Thrombin-PRP group was made by PRP and the activator in a ratio of 10∶1.The Calcium chloride-PRP group was made in a ratio of 10∶1 by PRP and 10% calcium chloride solution instead. The fresh whole blood(whole blood group) and inactived PRP(PRP group) were used as the control groups. The 4 groups were incubated in warm water of 37 ℃ for 0, 1, 8, 24,72 and 168 h. A quantitative sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays(ELISA) was used to examine the amount of TGF-β(1) and PDGF-AB in different time points of each group. The release curves of TGF-β(1) and PDGF-AB were based on afore-mentioned data, and then comparisons of the release curves of TGF-β(1) and PDGF-AB in different groups were performed by repeated measurement variance analysis. Results: (1)The levels of TGF-β(1) and PDGF-AB in the whole blood group and the PRP group continued to increase within 168 h. PRP immediately formed into a gel after mixture with thrombin combined and calcium chloride, and the concentrations of TGF-β(1) and PDGF-AB reached the peak in 1 h after activation; increased from (42±21)ng/ml and (77±18)ng/ml to (84±21)ng/ml and (124±35)ng/ml, respectively, and then decreased gradually. The release curve was direct and rapid. The PRP became a gel state in approximate 1 h after mixture with calcium chloride, and the concentrations of TGF-β(1) and PDGF-AB were slowly rising and remained high at 168 h. (2)The AUC(0-168h) of TGF-β(1) and PDGF-AB in the PRP group was higher than that in the whole blood group (all P<0.05) , and the AUC(0-168h) of TGF-β(1) in the Calcium chloride-PRP group was higher than that in the Thrombin-PRP group(Z=-2.26, P<0.05).However, there was no significant difference in the AUC(0-168h) of PDGF-AB between the Calcium chloride-PRP group and the Thrombin-PRP group(Z=-1.512, P=0.131). Conclusion: Using calcium chloride as activator can get a higher release concentration of TGF-β(1) and PDGF-AB and a longer release time, with the largest area under the curve.

The effect of sleep quality on academic performance is mediated by Internet use time: DADOS study

ObjectiveThe aims of the present study were to analyze the association of sleep patterns with academic and cognitive performance in adolescents, and to test the potential mediating effect of different activities of screen media usage on this association. MethodsA sample of 269 adolescents (140 boys) aged 14 years from the baseline data of the Deporte, ADOlescencia y Salud study completed questionnaires about sleep quality, cognitive performance, and leisure-time sedentary behaviors. Sleep duration was objectively computed using a wrist-worn GENEActiv accelerometer and academic performance was analyzed through school records. ResultsSleep quality (but not sleep duration) was associated with all the academic performance indicators (all p<0.05). Analysis of covariance revealed higher grades among adolescents with better sleep quality (PSQI≤5; all p<0.05). These analyses showed no differences regarding cognitive performance. Internet use time was revealed as a mediator of the association between sleep quality and academic performance, being significant for all academic performance indicators (PM ranging from 15.5% to 16.0%). ConclusionsThe association between sleep quality and academic performance in adolescents is mediated by time of Internet use. Overall, reducing Internet use in adolescents could be an achievable intervention for improving sleep quality, with potentially positive effects on academic performance.

Mood modeling: accuracy depends on active logging and reflection

Current behavior change systems often demand extremely advanced sensemaking skills, requiring users to interpret personal datasets in order to understand and change behavior. We describe EmotiCal, a system to help people better manage their emotions, that finesses such complex sensemaking by directly recommending specific mood-boosting behaviors to users. This paper first describes how we develop the accurate mood models that underlie these mood-boosting recommendations. We go on to analyze what types of information contribute most to the predictive power of such models, and how we might design systems to reliably collect such predictive information. Our results show that we can derive very accurate mood models with relatively small samples of just 70 users. These models explain 61% of variance by combining: (a) user reflection about the effects of different activities on mood, (b) user explanations of how different activities affect mood, and (c) individual differences. We discuss the implications of these findings for the design of behavior change systems, as well as for theory and practice. Contrary to many recent approaches, our findings argue for the importance of active user reflection rather than passive sensing.

Investigation of Different Activities on the Hemodynamic Parameters of Left External Carotid Artery Using Fluid–Structure Interaction

It is known that atherosclerosis disease can lead to narrowing of human arteries over time. In this research, the flow field in the left external carotid artery is studied numerically considering fluid–structure interactions and effect of different activities on the risk of atherosclerosis disease is evaluated. In this research, it is studied as to whether having physical exercise can reduce the risk of this disease to a great extent. The artery’s tissue is assumed homogeneous and isotropic hyperelastic in fluid–structure interaction simulations. The normal heart cycle (without physical activity) is considered 0.8 s (75 bpm), and the effects of normal and high activities (having physical exercise with heart rates of 100, 120 and 150 bpm) are studied on the artery’s parameters (one healthy subject is studied). It is shown that the results obtained by considering fluid–structure interaction are close to those of rigid wall consideration in low activity. However, when the person has very high activity (i.e., heart rates of 120 and 150 bpm), the differences become noticeable, and rigid wall assumption cannot be correct. Wall shear stress is one of the parameters that shows specific reaction to high exercise. Maximum difference between time average wall shear stress in normal activity and very high activity (150 bpm) is about 103.7% for FSI simulation. Wall shear stress also shows greater difference between fluid–structure interaction and rigid wall consideration with respect to the other parameters by 36.2% in very high activity.

Exploring Temporal Analytics in Fog-Cloud Architecture for Smart Office HealthCare

Ever since the boost realized in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), market is flooded with high-end multi-tasking devices, presenting a real-time computational environment for technologies like Internet of Things (IoT). With computation at user-end, it provides a fog-based computing paradigm to generate time senstive results, which along with cloud storage presents a comprehensive Fog-Cloud computing paradigm. Because of these reasons, the work presented in this paper focuses on utilizing the potential of IoT Technology to provide a novel Fog-Cloud architecture for efficient healthcare services in smart office. Specifically, a Fog-Cloud architecture has been proposed to monitor and analyze various health attributes of a person during his working hours. Moreover, the framework indulges various activities in the ambient office environment with the purpose of analyzing it for health severity. In order to realize this, a probabilistic measure, named as Severity Index (SI) is defined to evaluate the adverse effects of different activities on personal health. Finally, an application scenario of temporal healthcare predictive monitoring and alert generation is discussed to depict the ideology of Smart Office Healthcare. In order to validate the system, an experimental implmentation is performed on heterogenous datasets. The results obtained in comparison to state-of-the-art techniques show that the proposed model is highly efficient and accurate for providing appropriate healthcare environment during working hours of a person in a smart office.

Effects of different activation protocols on cleavage rate and blastocyst production of caprine oocytes.

The present study was undertaken to assess the effect of different chemical activators along with 6-DMAP on in vitro matured caprine oocytes. From 4332 ovaries, 14235 cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) were collected which were matured in TCM-199 medium containing follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) (5 µg/ml), Leutinizing hormone (LH) (10 µg/ml), oestradiol-17β (1 µg/ml) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, 10% follicular fluid and 3 mg/ml bovine serum albumin (BSA) at 38.5°C and 5% CO2 in an incubator under humidified air for 27 h. In group 1 (control), 3117 in vitro matured oocytes were co incubated with sperms for 18 h in ferttalp medium. In group 2, 3563 in vitro matured oocytes were activated with 7% ethanol for 5-7 min followed by treatment with 2.0 mM DMAP for 4 h in mCR2aa medium. In group 3, 3109 in vitro matured oocytes were activated with 5 μM ionomycin for 5-7 min followed by treatment with 2.0 mM DMAP for 4 h in mCR2aa medium. In group 4, 3455 in vitro matured oocytes were activated with 5 μM calcium ionophore for 5-7 min followed by treatment with 2.0 mM DMAP for 4 h in mCR2aa medium. Oocytes were cultured in 50 µL drops of research vitro cleave (RVCL) medium for embryo development. The cleavage rate, morula and blastocyst production in group 1, 2, 3 and 4 were 26.07 ± 2.37%, 14.91 ± 2.91 & 1.45 ± 0.71%, 49.57 ± 3.79%, 20.07 ± 2.38% & 5.29 ± 1.42%, 50.18 ± 3.59%, 15.26 ± 2.87% & 1.85 ± 0.72% and 80.26 ± 2.30%, 35.33 ± 2.67 & 7.10 ± 0.89%, respectively. These results indicated that the activation of in vitro matured oocytes by 5 μM calcium ionophore for 5-7 min followed by treatment with 2.0 mM DMAP for 4 h is most favorable for parthenogenetic caprine embryos production.

Environmental Risk Assessment and Management in Oil Platform Construction Phase Activities: A Case Study

The construction phase is one of the very risky stages engaged in oilfields, which usually involves minor to severe human, financial, and environmental damages. It includes a major part of lost working times, and in recent years, along with the development of oilfields and oil platform construction activities in Iran, hazardous risks and events have occurred and have been recorded. Therefore, this study aims to reduce the negative effects of the risks engaged in oil platform construction activities in the region under study, i.e. the Abuzar oilfield. The indexing system method, along with determining the importance index, effect, and frequency of occurrence, was used in this study to evaluate the environmental risks of oil platform construction activities in Abuzar oilfield. First, the project activities were identified and then, the effect of desired activities on environmental aspects (water, air, soil, human, waste production, and noise) was investigated. For quantitative estimation of risk values through interviewing the experts and using the tables of intensity, effect, and frequency of event occurrence, were calculated based on the formula governing the effect of different activities on the environment, and the risk value was determined. The research findings indicated that most of the environmental risks are in the range of average risks (72.9%) however 20.2% are in the range of low risks and 6.9% are in the range of high risks. Finally, considering experts’ viewpoints, management solutions were proposed to reduce the risk of activities, and the risk priority numbers were calculated after performing the corrective actions.

Experimental research on the effects of different activators on the formation of platelet-rich gel and the release of bioactive substances in human platelet-rich plasma

Objective: To explore the effects of calcium gluconate and thrombin on the formation of platelet-rich gel (PRG) and the release of bioactive substances in human platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and the clinical significance. Methods: Six healthy blood donors who met the inclusion criteria were recruited in our unit from May to August in 2016. Platelet samples of each donor were collected for preparation of PRP. (1) PRP in the volume of 10 mL was collected from each donor and divided into thrombin activation group (TA, added with 0.5 mL thrombin solution in dose of 100 U/mL) and calcium gluconate activation group (CGA, added with 0.5 mL calcium gluconate solution in dose of 100 g/L) according to the random number table, with 5 mL PRP in each group. Then the PRP of the two groups was activated in water bath at 37 ℃ for 1 h. The formation time of PRG was recorded, and the formation situation of PRG was observed within 1 hour of activation. After being activated for 1 h, one part of PRG was collected to observe the distribution of fibrous protein with HE staining, and another part of PRG was collected to observe platelet ultrastructure under transmission electron microscope (TEM). After being activated for 1 h, the supernatant was collected to determine the content of transforming growth factor β(1, )platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB), vascular endothelial growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), epidermal growth factor, and insulin-like growth factorⅠby enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. (2) Another 10 mL PRP from each donor was collected and grouped as above, and the platelet suspension was obtained after two times of centrifugation and resuspension with phosphate buffered saline, respectively. And then they were treated with corresponding activator for 1 h as that in experiment (1). Nanoparticle tracking analyzer was used to detect the concentrations of microvesicles with different diameters and total microvesicles derived from platelet. Data were processed with t test. Results: (1) The formation time of PRG in group TA was (228±40) s, and the PRG volume reached the maximum at this moment. The PRG volume shrunk to the minimum after 30 minutes of activation. The formation time of PRG in group CGA was (690±71) s, and the PRG volume reached the maximum at this moment. After 55 minutes of activation, the PRG volume shrunk to the minimum. The formation time of PRG in group TA was obviously shorter than that in group CGA (t=15.17, P<0.01). (2) HE staining showed that after 1 hour of activation, the red-stained area of fibrous protein in PRG of group TA was large and densely distributed, while that of group CGA was small and loosely distributed. TEM revealed that after 1 hour of activation, the platelets in PRG of group TA were fragmented, while lysing platelet structure, lysing α granule structure, intact α granule structure, and intact dense body structure were observed in PRG of group CGA. (3) The content of PDGF-BB released by PRP in group TA was (7.4±0.8) ng/mL, which was obviously higher than that in group CGA [(4.9±0.5) ng/mL, t=5.41, P<0.01]. The content of bFGF released by PRP in group CGA was (960±151) pg/mL, which was significantly higher than that in group TA [(384±56) pg/mL, t=8.75, P<0.01]. The content of the other 4 growth factors released by PRP in the two groups was close (with t values from 0.11 to 1.97, P values above 0.05). (4) The concentrations of total microvesicles, microvesicles with diameter more than 100 nm, and exosomes with diameter less than or equal to 100 nm derived from platelet in group CGA were (165.8±15.1)×10(8)/mL, (142.4±12.3)×10(8)/mL, and (23.4±2.9)×10(8)/mL respectively, which were significantly higher than those in group TA [(24.7±4.6)×10(8)/mL, (22.6±4.0)×10(8)/mL, and (2.1±0.7)×10(8)/mL, with t values from 17.36 to 22.66, P values below 0.01]. Conclusions: Calcium gluconate can slowly activate PRP, resulting in slowly shrunk PRG with high content of bFGF and high concentration of microvesicles, which is suitable for repairing articular cavity and sinus tract wound. Thrombin can rapidly activate PRP, resulting in quickly shrunk PRG with high content of PDGF-BB and a certain concentration of microvesicles, which is suitable for repairing acute trauma.

Development of building material utilizing a low pozzolanic activity mineral

In this work, the effects of different activators, particle size and curing conditions on the mechanical properties and hydration progress of alkali activated Pisha mortars were studied. Four different activators (NaOH, Na2CO3, Na2SO4 and water glass) based on two different fineness Pisha were used, two kinds of curing temperature, 25 and 80°C were considerate. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were conducted to analyze the reaction products, indentify the phase composition and observe the micro-morphology, respectively. It was found that the modulus of water glass and fineness of Pisha have significant influence on the compressive strength and hydration process of alkali activated Pisha mortars. The optimum activators were water glass, the sample (Ms=1.5, curing at 80°C) exhibited the highest compressive strength (14.4MPa) at 28days. The results of the investigation also show that the amorphous aluminosilicate gels were the main hydration products.

The effect of different activators on the performance of an inorganic solidifiable gel plugging fluid

This study examines a new type of inorganic gel plugging fluid that can solidify and plug into lost circulation zones. This approach resolves the difficulty of forming an effective slug in a leakage passage using a plugging agent. Difficulty forming such a slug leads to a low plugging success rate. Tests were performed to examine sample characteristics, such as the suspension stability, rheology, microstructure, and strength. Analysis of the hydration mechanism of the solidifier was performed. This study shows that activators, e.g., NaOH, Na2CO3 and Na2SiO3, can condition the rheology by changing the thickness of the hydration film of charged particles in the system. An alkaline environment can disperse the solidifier vitreum so that it dissolves and develops structures, enabling the working fluid to solidify and form plugs. Field tests at Well X demonstrate that this system can condition the additives based on actual conditions when circulation loss occurs in an oil/gas well. The pressure bearing capacity of the well increases from an equivalent circulation density (ECD) of 1.02 g/cm3–1.61 g/cm3, thus satisfying the requirements to continue drilling. The development of this system provides a new solution for the treatment of circulation loss and establishes a correlation between basic research and industrial application of the relevant materials.

A Short Review of Infra-Red Spectroscopic Studies of Geopolymers

Infra-red spectroscopic (IR) analysis of the geopolymers provides information regarding gel chemistry, quantitative analysis, kinetics and effect of different activators on geopolymers. This review discusses the IR analysis of geopolymers and their starting materials. Different applications of IR spectroscopy, used in geopolymerization, are explored in detail. Future research questions regarding IR analysis of geopolymers are also discovered

INFLUENCE OF VARIOUS DAILY TASKS ON SEGMENTED TRUNK KINEMATICS

Back pain can affect up to 65% of the American population and cost the health care system approximately fifty billion dollars each year. Due to the difficulty with recording spine/trunk movement, several methods and models exist. The myriad of methods and the need for understanding of spine/trunk motion has led to a lack in a ‘gold-standard’ of treatment for individuals with back pain. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of different activities of daily living on the kinematics of individual trunk segments in young adults to determine how common ambulatory tasks will alter trunk motion compared to level walking. Young healthy adults completed, in a random order, four activities of daily living: level walking, obstacle crossing, stair ascent and descent using a previously validated model. Subjects were outfitted with a full body marker set which included a segmented trunk. Multi-segmented trunk angles between the three inferior segments, sacrum to lower lumbar [SLL], lower lumbar to upper lumbar [LLUL] and upper lumbar to lower thorax [ULLT], were calculated and compared between tasks. Peak flexion angles, instance of peak angle and range of motion were analyzed. The overall hypothesis that different spine levels will have altered kinematics during various activities of daily living was supported. Stair descent had smaller peak flexion angles than obstacle crossing and stair ascent. The instance of peak angle were different depending on trunk angle and daily task. The most inferior trunk angle — Sacrum-to-Lower Lumbar — had the largest range of motion during all four tasks in all three (sagittal, frontal and transverse) planes of motion. This study was able to show how various activities of daily living produce different motions in the three inferior segments of a multi-segmented trunk method. The results of this study are the first steps in understanding how the trunk responds on a daily basis and how those responses could lead to back pain.

Chemical activation of hybrid binders based on siliceous fly ash and Portland cement

The hydration of Portland cement (PC) blended with a high amount of a siliceous fly ash (70% fly ash, 30% PC) has been examined. The fly ash contributes significantly to the long-term strength development, when compared to a reference sample with quartz powder. However the long setting time and the poor early strength prevent the use of such binders. Therefore the effect of different activators (sodium carbonate, potassium sodium silicate, potassium citrate and sodium oxalate) on the setting, the hydration kinetics and the strength development of the fly ash-PC blend has been investigated.The addition of the activators increases the pH and decreases thus the calcium concentrations in the pore solution, which leads to a faster reaction of alite and thus to early setting and increased early strength. On the long term, the high alkali concentrations lower the compressive strength and lead to a (partial) destabilization of ettringite.Sodium oxalate and potassium sodium silicate accelerate both the setting of the fly ash-PC blend and increase the early compressive strength. Furthermore, they show better compressive strengths at later ages compared to the other activators. Based on these findings, they can be considered as the most suitable accelerators among the investigated activators.

Effect of different activators on development of activated in vitro matured caprine oocytes.

This study was designed to compare the effectiveness of different activation treatments for activation of in vitro matured oocytes and their developmental potency in mCR2aa medium so as to obtain maximum number of embryos. A total of 1090 cumulus oocyte complexes (COC's) were collected from 480 ovaries. In vitro matured oocytes were randomly divided into four groups. Group 1 in vitro matured oocytes (n=226) were exposed to 7% ethanol for 5 min followed by treatment with 2.0 mM DMAP for 4 h in mCR2aa medium. Group 2 in vitro matured oocytes (n=294) were exposed to 7% ethanol for 5 min followed by treatment with 10 µg/ml CHX for 4 h in mCR2aa medium. Group 3 in vitro matured oocytes (n=325) were exposed to 7% ethanol for 5 min followed by treatment with 2.0 mM DMAP and 10 µg/ml CHX for 4 h in mCR2aa medium. Group 4 in vitro matured oocytes (n=108) were cultured for 4 h without any chemical treatment in mCR2aa medium (control). The cleavage rate in groups 1, 2, 3 and 4 was 54.42%, 44.55%, 51.69% and 0.00%, respectively. The percentage of morula and blastocyst production in group 1, group 2 and group 3 was 26.01%, 29.77% and 29.76% and 2.43%, 1.52% and 1.78%, respectively. These results suggest that the activation of in vitro matured oocytes by 7% ethanol for 5 min followed by treatment with 2.0 mM DMAP for 4 h in mCR2aa is most favorable for parthenogenetic caprine embryos production.

An exploratory discrete-time multilevel analysis of the effect of social support on the survival of elderly people in China

This study undertakes a survival analysis of elderly persons in China using Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey 2002–2008. Employing discrete-time multilevel models, we explored the effect of social support on the survival of elderly people in China. This study focuses on objective (living arrangements and received support) and subjective activities (perceived support) of social support, finding that the effect of different activities of social support on the survival of elderly people varies according to the availability of different support resources. Specifically, living with a spouse, financial independence, perceiving care support from any resource is associated with higher survival rates for elderly people. Separate analysis focusing on urban elderly and rural elderly revealed broadly similar results. There is a larger difference between those perceiving care support from family or social service and not perceiving care support in urban areas comparing to those in rural areas. Those who cannot pay medical expenses are the least likely to survive. The higher level of economic development in province has no significant effect on the survival of elderly people for the whole sample model and the elderly people in urban areas; however, there is a negative influence on the survival of the rural elderly people.

Adsorption of cobalt ions from waste water on activated Saudi clays

The aim of this work was to remove the Cobalt ions from wastewater by three types of Saudi clay. These were collected from Tabbuk city (Tabbuk clay), Khiber city (Khiber clay), and Bahhah city (Bahhah clay). The paper also examined the effect of different activators on the enhancement of adsorption capacity of clays for cobalt ions. The results showed minor enhancement in the adsorption capacities of cobalt ions on three types of clays activated by acid treatment. The adsorption capacity of clays improved particularly for Tabbuk clay when treated with hydrogen peroxide as an activator. The adsorption capacity increased from 3.94 to 12.9 mg/g for the untreated and treated Tabbuk clay, respectively. Also, the adsorption capacity of Bahhah clay increased by activating with sodium chloride from 3.44 to 12.55 mg/g for untreated and treated sample, respectively. The equilibrium adsorption data were correlated using five equilibrium equations, namely, Langmuir, Freundlich, Langmuir–Freundlich, BET, and Toth isotherm equations. Langmuir isotherm agreed well with the experimental data of Khiber and Bahhah clay, while Freundlich model and Langmuir–Freundlich model fitted well with the experimental data of Tabbuk and Bahhah clay activated by NaCl. The results showed that Freundlich model fitted well with the experimental data of Tabbuk clay when activated by H2O2 and H2SO4. Finally, the BET model did not describe the experimental data well for the three types of clay after activation.