Profile Survey Research Articles

Delineation of sensitive coastal zone of northern Ramanathapuram coast, Tamilnadu, India, using a GIS approach

This research aims to assess the sensitive coastal zones by analyzing the shoreline changes such as accretion and erosion in the eastern coastal part of Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu, India. The study focused on Mandapam, Pirappanvalsai, Enmanamcondam, Nagachi, Terbogi, Athyuthu, Chitrakkottai, Pathengal, Attangarai, Alagankulam, and Devipattinam villages. Some of these areas are distinguished as highly sensitive ecological zone. The erosion of an area leads to irreplaceable disturbances to nature. Hence, erosion and accretion studies are top priorities when studying the coastal area. In addition to GIS technology, which has been widely used in the past 20 years, the End Point Rate (EPR) and Linear Regression Rate (LRR) analyses were conducted to better understand the shoreline changes. The stability of the coastal region was analyzed by observing the slope variations of the beach during the profile survey. In the study, we analyzed that the Quaternary deposits of sand are the dominant geological feature of the study area. Coral reefs and salt pans are highly distributed along the coastal stretch. The coast of Mandapam village has been detected as a highly sensitive region, with an average erosion rate of −3.1 m/yr and an average accretion rate of 1.22 m/yr, resulting in high erosion and low accretion. The coast is a steep coast with an average slope angle of 0.24°. This study provides insight into sustainable coastal zone management.

Perception and satisfaction of patients after telemedicine urology consultations: A matched analysis with physicians' perspective.

During the first regional COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020, we conducted a study aimed at evaluating completeness of telemedicine consultation in urology. Of 1679 consultations, 67% were considered completely managed by phone. The aim of the present study was to assess patients' experience and satisfaction with telemedicine and to compare them with urologists' perceptions about quality and completeness of the telemedicine consultation. We contacted a randomly selected sample of patients (n=356) from our previous study to enquire about their experience. We used a home patient experience questionnaire, inspired by the Patient Experiences Questionnaire for Out-of-Hours Care (PEQOHC) and the Consumer Assessment Health Profile Survey (CAHPS). Of 356 patients contacted, 315 agreed to complete the questionnaire. Urological consultations were for non-oncological (104), oncological (121), cancer suspicion (41), and pediatric (49) indications. Mean patient satisfaction score after telemedicine consultation was 8.8/10 (median 9/10) and 86.3% of patients rated the quality of the consultation as either excellent (54.6%) or very good (31.7%). Consultations regarding cancer suspicion had the lowest score (8.3/10). Overall, 46.7% of all patients would have preferred an in-person visit outside of the pandemic situation. Among patients whose consultations were rated suboptimal by urologists, almost a third more (31.2%) would have preferred an in-person visit (p=0.03). Despite high reported patient satisfaction rates with telemedicine, it is noteworthy that nearly half of the patients would have preferred an in-person visit. Post-pandemic, it will be important to incorporate telemedicine as an alternative, while retaining and offering in-person visits.

A Comparison of Fatty Acid Profiles in Highly Demanded Traditional and Fast Foods in Isfahan, Iran

Background: High consumption of fatty acids is known as a dietary risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The aim of study was to survey of fatty acid profiles in the traditional/fast foods commonly consumed in Iran. Methods: Gas chromatography was used in the present study to determine the composition of fatty acids in 40 most popular traditional/fast foods consumed in Isfahan, Iran. The food samples were collected from 19 restaurants. Results: In all the tested samples, palmitic acid was at the highest level of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) (P < 0.05). Although in both groups of foods, the levels of trans fatty acids (TFAs) were above 2% in 30% of examined foods, the higher amounts of TFAs were found in traditional foods (P < 0.05). The results show that traditional foods contain higher levels of SFAs and TFAs than fast foods. Conclusions: The alarming findings of the present study should compel the relevant authorities in Iran to adopt and implement appropriate policies that systematically and continually control the types of food prepared and served in restaurants in order to minimize the intake of SFAs and TFAs.

Annotation survey and life cycle transcriptomics of transcription factors in rust fungi (Pucciniales) identify a possible role for cold shock proteins in dormancy exit

Fungi of the order Pucciniales are obligate plant biotrophs causing rust diseases. They exhibit a complex life cycle with the production of up to five spore types, infection of two unrelated hosts and an overwintering stage. Transcription factors (TFs) are key regulators of gene expression in eukaryote cells. In order to better understand genetic programs expressed during major transitions of the rust life cycle, we surveyed the complement of TFs in fungal genomes with an emphasis on Pucciniales. We found that despite their large gene numbers, rust genomes have a reduced repertoire of TFs compared to other fungi. The proportions of C2H2 and Zinc cluster - two of the most represented TF families in fungi - indicate differences in their evolutionary relationships in Pucciniales and other fungal taxa. The regulatory gene family encoding cold shock protein (CSP) showed a striking expansion in Pucciniomycotina with specific duplications in the order Pucciniales. The survey of expression profiles collected by transcriptomics along the life cycle of the poplar rust fungus revealed TF genes related to major biological transitions, e.g. response to environmental cues and host infection. Particularly, poplar rust CSPs were strongly expressed in basidia produced after the overwintering stage suggesting a possible role in dormancy exit. Expression during transition from dormant telia to basidia confirmed the specific expression of the three poplar rust CSP genes. Their heterologous expression in yeast improved cell growth after cold stress exposure, suggesting a probable regulatory function when the poplar rust fungus exits dormancy. This study addresses for the first time TF and regulatory genes involved in developmental transition in the rust life cycle opening perspectives to further explore molecular regulation in the biology of the Pucciniales.

Forward modelling and identification of shallow gas in the Bohai Bay seabed

The accumulation of shallow gas in the seabed reduces the strength of strata or forms a high-pressure air sac, endangering ocean engineering construction. Therefore, it is important to identify the distribution of shallow gas in the seabed within the study area. Shallow gas increases the soil mass porosity and reduces the acoustic wave velocity, causing attenuation by absorbing to high-frequency components in the acoustic waves. Based on the geological drilling data in the area surrounding an oil platform in Bohai Bay, a stratigraphic model was established for forward analysis, and the results suggest the presence of the phase inversion of reflective waves at the interface between shallow gas and strata and sunken events for the lower shallow gas. According to a survey of stratigraphic profiles surrounding the platform, a seismic attribute analysis of acoustic stratigraphic profile data concerning amplitude, instantaneous phase, and instantaneous frequency was carried out, and characteristics such as disordered weak amplitude reflection, phase inversion, sunken events and indicators, including high-frequency loss and shallow gas reflection, were identified. Given that the shallow gas reflection is columnar and ended at the top clay strata of the seabed, the shallow gas was probably produced from deep depths.

A profile of dental school deans, 2021.

In 2021, US dental school deans were surveyed to update and expand ADEA deans' profiles developed in 2002 and 2014. The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and the Academy for Advancing Leadership (AAL) collaborated on an updated version of the 2014 dental deans' profile survey. On July 1, 2021, the research project was approved as exempt from IRB oversight. The survey was distributed in electronic format on July 31, 2021, to the deans of the 70 US dental schools, including 3 schools that had not yet held their first year of classes. A total of 60 responses were considered. Administration/management activities continue to consume deans' time the most, followed by fundraising. Managing personnel issues and financial/budget issues, including fundraising, represent the top aspects of the position deans must master and the greatest challenges they face and expect to face for the next 5 years. Deans found these same issues the most surprising aspects of their position, reporting a low level of preparedness to meet those challenges. Most deans advocated for additional leadership programs to supplement the current training received through ADEA and AAL. In recent years, gradual changes have occurred in the dental deans' profile, with more women and underrepresented groups assuming this leadership role and the average and median ages of deans increasing. Substantial turnover occurred among deans in recent years; when the 2014 survey was conducted, one respondent was an interim/acting dean. By comparison, seven reported their deanship status as interim/acting in 2021.

High resolution measurements of the epi- and mesopelagic ocean by a profiling vehicle equipped with environmental sensors and a broadband echosounder

Collecting detailed surveys of the physical and biological heterogeneity in the epi and mesopelagic ocean is critical to describe the ecosystems within these vast and three-dimensional habitats. Common ocean sampling platforms (e.g., net systems, moored and shipboard sensors) are often unable to resolve marine biota at scales comparable to the variability existing in their physical environment. We have integrated a dual-frequency split-beam echosounder (Simrad EK80 with 70 and 200 kHz transducers) into the Wire Flyer profiling vehicle to achieve concurrent hydrographic and acoustic sections in environments between 0 and 1000 m. The Wire Flyer provides high-resolution repeat profiling (0–2.5 m/s vertical velocity, ∼1 km horizontal repeats) within specified water column depth bands typically spanning 300–400 m. This system can provide acoustic backscatter data at depths unavailable to shipboard surveys and can be operated in tandem with shipboard echosounders to provide overlapping acoustic coverage with concurrent hydrographic sections near the surface. The side-looking transducer orientation samples orthogonal to the vehicle's profiling survey path provide a direct measurement of horizontal heterogeneity. The collected data have proven the system’s capacity to resolve migrating layers, biological patches, and single targets in the horizontal, rising gas plumes, and scattering layer distributions tightly coupled to submesoscale environmental features.

Assessment of Coastal Landscape Along Kelantan Coast Using Geospatial Techniques

Abstract The social and economic development from the coastal area benefits human life. However, growing human and environmental pressures at coastal areas also bring significant impacts on coastal erosion and coastline changes. Nowadays, geospatial technology which utilized remote sensing and GIS techniques has been widely used to detect coastal erosion for controlling the development and coastal region sustainability. Thus, this study was conducted to assess the coastal erosion and accretion for the potential risk zone based on the characteristics of the landscape and land use land cover (LULC) at the Kelantan Coast using land use classification and GIS spatial interpolation techniques. In this study, the vulnerability level of the coastal profile at the Kelantan coast was determined from the beach profile survey and the Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation method. Then, the Land Use Land Cover (LULC) along a 1 km buffer zone were classified by performing a supervised classification method on Sentinel 2 satellite images year 2020. The effect of these parameters on coastal erosion was determined from separated five management units (MU 1, MU 2, MU 3, MU 4, MU 5) along the Kelantan Coast based on the Malaysian Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID). It is found that MU 3 (0.8%) and MU 5 (0.6%) were the area with the lowest average slope profile percentages which is located at Pantai Sabak and Pantai Kemayang respectively. Thus, the infrastructure, LULC and coastal communities in Pantai Sabak and Pantai Kemayang were potentially vulnerable to erosion. This finding supports the significant use of geospatial techniques of important decision-making to protect and mitigate steps toward sustainable coastal management along the coastline.

Seasonal influenza vaccination in pharmacy in France: description and determinants of the vaccinated at-risk population using this service, 1 year after implementation.

Vaccination of the at-risk population against influenza by pharmacists was widely implemented in France in 2019. Only little data are available about the population using this service. We have explored the characteristics and determinants of the at-risk population vaccinated in pharmacy through a web-based cohort during the 2019-20 winter season. This study is based on the data of the profile survey of at-risk over-18 vaccinated participants of the cohort GrippeNet.fr, for the 2019-20 winter season. Population characteristics were described using the inclusion questionnaire data. Factors associated with pharmacy influenza vaccination were analysed through a logistic regression model. In total, 3144 people were included in the study. 50.2% (N = 1577) of them were women and 65.5% (N = 2060) were over 65 years old. 29.5% (N = 928) of participants were vaccinated in pharmacy. 73.1% (N = 678) of participants vaccinated in pharmacy were over 65 years old and 46.6% (N = 432) had a treatment for one or more chronic disease. Factors positively associated with being vaccinated by a pharmacist were: being a man (OR = 1.25, 95% confidence interval [1.06-1.47]), being over 65 years old (OR = 1.97 [1.49-2.63]), living in a test region (OR = 1.62 [1.29-2.02] and 1.72 [1.43-2.07] depending on the year of the implementation of the experimentation) and being vaccinated against influenza in 2018/2019 (OR = 1.71 [1.32-2.21]). Factors negatively associated were: taking a chronic treatment (OR = 0.83 [0.70-0.97]), and living alone (OR = 1.40 [1.17-1.67] and being in contact with sick people (OR = 0.68 [0.50-0.93]). This study confirmed some factors associated with pharmacy influenza vaccination and feeds the debate on other uncertain factors. These findings can support public health authorities' willingness to enhance pharmacists' involvement in the future country-wide vaccination campaign. Our study also highlights the necessity to further investigate the impact of this measure in a few years.

A long-term dataset of topography and nearshore bathymetry at the macrotidal pocket beach of Porsmilin, France

Long-term datasets documenting the evolution of coastal forms and processes, through the provision of recurring beach as well as shoreface morphological observations and accompanying time-series of environmental controls, remain difficult to collect and are rarely made available. However, they are increasingly needed to further our understanding of coastal change and to improve the models that will help planning what our future coast will be. This data descriptor presents the results of topographic and bathymetric surveys at Porsmilin, a macrotidal embayed beach situated in Brittany, northwest France. The Porsmilin beach survey program was launched in January 2003 by the Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM/Univ. Brest) and is continuing today in the framework of the French coastal observation service SNO-DYNALIT. The dataset contains over 16 years of monthly beach profile surveys and a large collection of repeated high-resolution subtidal and subaerial digital elevation models (DEMs). The dataset is accompanied by time-series of inshore waves and water levels, and enriched metadata, that will facilitate its future reuse in coastal research.

Factors Controlling Storm-Induced Morphology Changes at an Erosional Hot Spot on a Nourished Beach, Sand Key Barrier Island, West-Central Florida

Cheng, J. and Wang, P., 2022. Factors controlling storm-induced morphology changes at an erosional hot spot on a nourished beach, Sand Key barrier island, west-central Florida. Journal of Coastal Research, 38(4), 750–765. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Beach nourishment has become the dominant sandy shore protection method over the past 40 years. The performance of nourished beaches and therefore the design of renourishment projects are significantly controlled by the presence of erosional hot spots and storm impacts. Based on 5.5-year bimonthly beach profile surveys, along a nourished beach spanning an erosional hot spot, this study examines the hydrodynamic conditions of extratropical (winter) and tropical (summer) storms that cause significant morphology changes. The sand volume loss above the short-term closure depth averaged along the 1.8-km stretch erosional hot spot was 178 m3/m over the 5.5 years after the nourishment. A large portion of this volume loss was caused by several extratropical storms and Hurricane Irma in 2017, when the high, northerly approaching waves were associated with a depressed water level. The northerly approaching waves induced a large longshore sediment transport gradient along the generally north-south trending coast due to wave refraction over a nearby ebb tidal delta. The energetic Hurricane Irma induced a large negative surge and also transported sediment seaward beyond the short-term closure depth. On the other hand, during the passages of typical tropical storms, the southerly approaching waves superimposed on elevated water levels caused substantial beach volume loss above the mean sea level. The eroded sediment deposited on the nearshore sandbar, resulting in conserved sand volume above the short-term closure depth. Understanding the different beach response to extratropical and tropical storms would benefit beach management, especially under the circumstance of increasing storm activities due to climate change.

School Health Services for Children with Chronic Health Conditions in California Public Secondary Schools: Findings from the 2018 School Health Profiles Survey

Background: More than 20% of school districts in the United States do not have policies on identification and case management for students with chronic health conditions (CHCs), suggesting that these students’ health needs may not be met during the school day. Prior research reports a gap in policy implementation and the actual provision or operationalization of the policy into action. Significance: While there is limited research on school health policies, little is known about the actual provision of the services that such policies indicate should be provided. Notably, the actual provision of health services in U.S. schools, particularly regarding CHC management and its association with school nurse employment, is underreported. Methodology: Using data from the 2018 School Health Profiles (SHP) Survey, health services including administering daily medication, providing stock rescue medication, providing case management, facilitating community partnering, and providing disease-specific education were examined in California public secondary schools together with school nurse employment. Complex sampling analysis and chi-square statistics were used to examine the statistical associations. Results: A significantly greater proportion of schools with a full- or part-time nurse compared with schools with no nurse provided: (1) daily medication administration (82.1% vs. 68.1%; p = .014); (2) case management services (75.8% vs. 62.0%; p = .031); (3) disease-specific education for parents and families (44.9% vs. 25.7%; p = .016); and (4) parent and student connection to health services in the community (83.7% vs. 72.2%; p = .035). Conclusion: Findings suggest that nationally representative data, such as SHP, contain important information for states to review regarding school health policies and provision of services. Further research needs to expand these findings to better understand school health policy and practice and its alignment with state and federal laws to support all children, especially those with CHCs.

Toward improved distributed acoustic sensing sensitivity for surface-based reflection seismics: Configuration tests at the Aquistore CO2 storage site

Alternative fiber configurations have been tested in an attempt to improve the sensitivity of surface-deployed distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) fiber cables for the purpose of recording steep-angle P-wave reflections. Four alternative fiber configurations were deployed at the Aquistore CO2 storage site to record 401 dynamite shots during a 3D vertical seismic profiling survey. The test cable comprised horizontal configurations (straight fiber, helixes, and asymmetric helixes) buried in a shallow trench and vertical configurations (straight fiber and helixes) deployed in 3.5 m drillholes. Evaluation focused on deep reflections with two-way traveltimes of 0.8–1.8 s. All of the alternative fiber configurations increased the sensitivity relative to the horizontal straight fiber. Sensitivity was highest for the vertical straight fiber configurations and the asymmetric helixes with sensitivity increases of more than 10 and 5 dB, respectively, and amplitude-variation-with-offset behavior similar to that of a vertical-component geophone for reflections with incidence angles of 0°–15° at the surface and 0°–34° at the reflector. Modeling of the DAS responses explains the general pattern of sensitivity variability among the different configurations, but it does not explain the large range of observed sensitivities.

Investigation of fiber utilization in the rumen of dairy cows based on metagenome-assembled genomes and single-cell RNA sequencing

BackgroundDairy cows utilize human-inedible, low-value plant biomass to produce milk, a low-cost product with rich nutrients and high proteins. This process largely relies on rumen microbes that ferment lignocellulose and cellulose to produce volatile fatty acids (VFAs). The VFAs are absorbed and partly metabolized by the stratified squamous rumen epithelium, which is mediated by diverse cell types. Here, we applied a metagenomic binning approach to explore the individual microbes involved in fiber digestion and performed single-cell RNA sequencing on rumen epithelial cells to investigate the cell subtypes contributing to VFA absorption and metabolism.ResultsThe 52 mid-lactating dairy cows in our study (parity = 2.62 ± 0.91) had milk yield of 33.10 ± 6.72 kg. We determined the fiber digestion and fermentation capacities of 186 bacterial genomes using metagenomic binning and identified specific bacterial genomes with strong cellulose/xylan/pectin degradation capabilities that were highly associated with the biosynthesis of VFAs. Furthermore, we constructed a rumen epithelial single-cell map consisting of 18 rumen epithelial cell subtypes based on the transcriptome of 20,728 individual epithelial cells. A systematic survey of the expression profiles of genes encoding candidates for VFA transporters revealed that IGFBP5+ cg-like spinous cells uniquely highly expressed SLC16A1 and SLC4A9, suggesting that this cell type may play important roles in VFA absorption. Potential cross-talk between the microbiome and host cells and their roles in modulating the expression of key genes in the key rumen epithelial cell subtypes were also identified.ConclusionsWe discovered the key individual microbial genomes and epithelial cell subtypes involved in fiber digestion, VFA uptake and metabolism, respectively, in the rumen. The integration of these data enables us to link microbial genomes and epithelial single cells to the trophic system.1dVKuikNrJ1xsEB1JvqD2DVideo abstract

Smart Water Supply, Monitoring and Quality Control by Using Latest Techniques

Water is important for human life and without water, life cannot exist on earth. Every person required 135 liter per day for drinking and demotic purpose. But due to lack of quality, inefficient water supply designs, quality of water is deteriorated specially in recent decades and affecting a number of people. In present study, it had been inevitable to style a water system system for selected area to supply safe water system design for alittle community. For this purpose, a study area was selected named as Nimkhedi Zone of Jalgaon City. The current water system system of the village was built 30 years ago with the issues of leaky pipes, beverage was causing water-borne diseases like Diarrhea, Cholera, Giardiasis, Typhoid fever, Schistosomiasis. EPANET (Environment protection agency network) is computer software was used to design a water system system of the world providing input parameters to the software. For this a profiling survey was conducted to work out the length of pipes and therefore the elevation of every junction. The other input parameters just like the diameter of pipes, pipe network map, head losses were provided. Conclusively, EPANET gave an in-depth water system system plan for specific design period. By adopting this design provided by detailed surveys of the world and EPANET will help to regulate water quality. The new design is predicated on technology by using modern techniques (Software). It provides save and continue supply of water to community. It will also reduce the value of water billing, leakage, decrease the diseases rate and improve the life standard of people’s lives therein area. Key Words: Smart Water Supply, Quality Control, Epanet, water supply, water quality sensors, water borne diseases.

Buccal Reharvest for Urethroplasty After Graft Site Closure is Safe and Does Not Affect Long-Term Oral Health

ObjectiveTo understand the effects of reharvest on safety and long-term oral health in patients requiring buccal mucosa reharvest from a previously harvested and closed site for management of recurrent urethral stricture disease. MethodsWe conducted an IRB approved retrospective chart review from 2014 to 2019 of all patients who underwent buccal graft urethroplasty at our referral based academic medical center. Surgical data was collected, and the validated Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) survey was administered to each patient. Descriptive statistics were performed and compared between patients who underwent a buccal graft reharvest and patients who underwent standard first time buccal harvest. Buccal graft beds were closed on both initial and reharvest. ResultsFour patients underwent a total of 5 ipsilateral buccal graft reharvests and 6 patients underwent first time buccal harvest. Median length of follow-up for all patients was 6 months (1-35 mo) and the median length of all grafts was 6 cm (5-6 cm) with no difference in the reharvest and first-time cohorts. For patients that underwent buccal reharvest, their median post-operative OHIP-14 score was 0 (0-9 pts) out of a possible 56 points. This compared to a median postoperative OHIP-14 score of 0 (0-10 pts) for patients who underwent first time buccal harvests with oral complications limited to one post-operative hematoma in the first-time cohort. ConclusionBuccal grafts can safely be reharvested from a previous site with minimal concern for long-term oral health outcomes.

Shoreline Detection Accuracy from Video Monitoring Systems

Video monitoring has become an indispensable tool to understand beach processes. However, the measurement accuracy derived from the images has been taken for granted despite its dependence on the calibration process and camera movements. An easy to implement self-fed image stabilization algorithm is proposed to solve the camera movements. Georeferenced images were generated from the stabilized images using only one calibration. To assess the performance of the stabilization algorithm, a second set of georeferenced images was created from unstabilized images following the accepted practice of using several calibrations. Shorelines were extracted from the images and corrected with the measured water level and the computed run-up to the 0 m contour. Image-derived corrected shorelines were validated with one hundred beach profile surveys measured during a period of four years along a 1.1 km beach stretch. The simultaneous high-frequency field data available of images and beach surveys are uncommon and allow assessing seasonal changes and long-term trends accuracy. Errors in shoreline position do not increase in time suggesting that the proposed stabilization algorithm does not propagate errors, despite the ever-evolving vegetation in the images. The image stabilization reduces the error in shoreline position by 40 percent, having a larger impact with increasing distance from the camera. Furthermore, the algorithm improves the accuracy on long-term trends by one degree of magnitude (0.01 m/year vs. 0.25 m/year).

A household-based survey of the morbidity profile of under-five children in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Southern Nigeria.

Introductionthe commonest causes of childhood morbidity and deaths are avoidable and curable, and have been well reported in country-wide surveys. This study was conducted to validate the locality-specific childhood morbidity profile among households in urban Port Harcourt Metropolis in the oil-rich South-South Nigeria.Methodsan observational, cross-sectional survey was conducted involving 806 mother/under-five children pairs that were randomly selected by a modified cluster sampling design. Data were collected using a pre-tested, interviewer-administered structured questionnaire that was adapted from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey instrument (2018), which explored information on common causes of morbidity by verbal autopsies. Analysis was done with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 21.Resultsthe under-five children were 406 males (50.4%) and 400 females (49.6%) with an average age of 27.7 ± 17.9 months. Fever was the most frequent morbidity, reported in 364 (45.2%, 95% CI = 0.4175-0.4861) of the children, followed by cough in 362 (44.9%, 95%CI = 0.4150-0.4836), fast breathing in 49 (6.1%, 95%CI = 0.0458-0.0789), and diarrhoea in 17 (2.1%, 95%CI = 0.0139-0.0308). Symptoms of fever (chi-square = 31.117, P-value=0.001) and cough (chi-square=21.416, P-value = 0.001), were higher in the 48-59 month age group.Conclusionfebrile illness, acute respiratory tract infection, and diarrhoea disease were found to be common in under-five children in the metropolitan city of Port Harcourt. Tailored community-based health interventions and surveillance are needed to reduce the frequency of childhood morbidity and prevent mortality in this age group.

ALGORITHMS OF THE ADDER OPERATION

The article describes the assembled electronic multifunctional adder for electricity metering SEM-3. The authors present the technical characteristics, the device and the principle of its operation. The presented adder is designed to monitor and account for the consumption of electricity generation and power directly from consumers, as well as in automated centralized accounting and control systems, and is designed for round-the-clock operation. The paper describes the algorithms of the adder. The adder implements two fundamentally different algorithms for collecting information about electricity consumption (generation) from meters. The first algorithm is based on a survey of half-hour energy profiles stored in the meter memory. This algorithm allows you to recover information from the counters in case of a power failure of the adder or communication with the counters. The second algorithm is based on a constant survey of the accumulated energy values by the cumulative total (meter readings). This algorithm is used to control the averaged 3-minute power.

Inversion of Fracture Weaknesses Based on Linearly Approximated Traveltime

Seismic traveltime is crucial for the inversion of anisotropy parameters. In the inversion for fractured rock, a typical transversely isotropic medium with a horizontal symmetry axis (HTI), the joint utilization of traveltime of P- and split shear waves can provide more anisotropy information than the utilization of only P-wave traveltime. The computational effort of nonlinear parameter inversion also increases with the involvement of split shear waves. Therefore, based on the series expansion of vertical slowness projection, we derive the linear approximations for the first-break traveltimes of P-, S1-, and S2-waves with respect to fracture weaknesses, which are used to accelerate and stabilize the inversion process. Linear coefficients are used to analyze the sensitivity of the traveltime to fracture weakness and thus the accuracy of the results. To make our proposed approximation more practical, we expand our linear equations to the traveltime difference between the HTI model and its isotropic background model and derive the joint inversion equation for fracture weaknesses in a vertical seismic profile (VSP) survey by jointly using P-, S1-, and S2-waves. Field data application shows that our method is feasible for estimating fracture weaknesses by using walkaround VSP data. The error caused by linear approximation can be reduced by the joint utilization of multiple wave modes.