Risk and protective factors for meningococcal disease in adolescents: matched cohort study

Objective: To examine biological and social risk factors for meningococcal disease in adolescents. Design: Prospective, population based, matched cohort study with controls matched for age and sex in 1:1 matching. Controls were sought from the general practitioner. Setting: Six contiguous regions of England, which represent some 65% of the country’s population. Participants: 15-19 year olds with meningococcal disease recruited at hospital admission in six regions (representing 65% of the population of England) from January 1999 to June 2000, and their matched controls. Methods: Blood samples and pernasal and throat swabs were taken from case patients at admission to hospital and from cases and matched controls at interview. Data on potential risk factors were gathered by confidential interview. Data were analysed by using univariate and multivariate conditional logistic regression. Results: 144 case control pairs were recruited (74 male (51%); median age 17.6). 114 cases (79%) were confirmed microbiologically. Significant independent risk factors for meningococcal disease were history of preceding illness (matched odds ratio 2.9, 95% confidence interval 1.4 to 5.9), intimate kissing with multiple partners (3.7, 1.7 to 8.1), being a university student (3.4, 1.2 to 10) and preterm birth (3.7, 1.0 to 13.5). Religious observance (0.09, 0.02 to 0.6) and meningococcal vaccination (0.12, 0.04 to 0.4) were associated with protection. Conclusions: Activities and events increasing risk for meningococcal disease in adolescence are different from in childhood. Students are at higher risk. Altering personal behaviours could moderate the risk. However, the development of further effective meningococcal vaccines remains a key public health priority

A supergeometric approach to Poisson reduction

This work introduces a unified approach to the reduction of Poisson manifolds using their description by graded symplectic manifolds. This yields a generalization of the classical Poisson reduction by distributions (Marsden-Ratiu reduction). Further it allows one to construct actions of strict Lie 2-groups and to describe the corresponding reductions.Comment: 40 pages. Final version accepted for publicatio

Pengaruh Fraksi Penipisan (P) Air Tanah Tersedia Pada Berbagai Fase Tumbuh Terhadap Pertumbuhan, Hasil Dan Efisiensi Penggunaan Air Tanaman Kedelai (Glycine Max [L] Merr.)

Penelitian bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh fraksi penipisan (p) air tanah tersedia pada berbagai fase tumbuh terhadap pertumbuhan dan efisiensi penggunaan air tanaman kedelai. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan di dalam rumah plastik, laboratorium lapang terpadu, Universitas Lampung pada bulan Oktober 2015 sampai dengan Januari 2016. Penelitian ini menggunakan rancangan Faktorial dalam Acak Lengkap (RAL) dengan 2 faktor perlakuan, yaitu faktor I (Fraksi penipisan air tanah tersedia, p) dan faktor II (fase tumbuh, F). Masing-masing perlakuan terdiri dari 3 taraf, yaitu faktor I terdiri dari P1(0,2), P2(0,4) dan P3(0,6) dari penipisan air tanah tersedia, dan faktor II terdiri dari fase vegetatif aktif (F1), fase pembungaan (F2), dan fase pembentukan polong (F3), dengan ulangan sebanyak 3 kali. Pengukuran evapotranspirasi tanaman acuan dilakukan pada fraksi penipisan 0,2 dari air tanah tersedia dengan menggunakan tanaman rumput. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa, perlakuan fraksi penipisan (p) air tanah tersedia pada berbagai fase tumbuhtidak berpengaruh terhadap pertumbuhan dan efisiensi penggunaan air tanaman kedelai.Tanaman kedelai pada perlakuan fraksi penipisan (p) air tanah tersedia tidak mengalami cekaman air pada semua perlakuan, karena tanaman sebelum mendekati batas bawah perlakuan segera diberi irigasi dan dikembalikan ke kondisi kapasitas lapang. Produksi tertinggi dengan nilai efisiensi penggunaan air tertinggi dicapai oleh perlakuan fraksi penipisan (0-0,2) air tanah tersedia pada perlakuan fase pembungaan (F2). Tanaman kedelai menghasilkan produksi yang tinggi pada fraksi penipisan 0,4 untuk perlakuan fase pertumbuhan aktif dan fraksi penipisan 0,2 untuk perlakuan fase pembungaan dan fase pengisian polong

Microstructural characterization of AISI 431 martensitic stainless steel laser-deposited coatings

High cooling rates during laser cladding of stainless steels may alter the microstructure and phase constitution of the claddings and consequently change their functional properties. In this research, solidification structures and solid state phase transformation products in single and multi layer AISI 431 martensitic stainless steel coatings deposited by laser cladding at different processing speeds are investigated by optical microscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), orientation imaging microscopy (OIM), ternary phase diagram, Schaeffler and TTT diagrams. The results of this study show how partitionless solidification and higher solidification rates alter the microstructure and phase constitution of martensitic stainless steel laser deposited coatings. In addition, it is shown that while different cladding speeds have no effect on austenite–martensite orientation relationship in the coatings, increasing the cladding speed has resulted in a reduction of hardness in deposited coatings which is in contrast to the common idea about obtaining higher hardness values at higher cladding speeds.

The Association Between Social Networks and Self-rated risk of HIV Infection among Secondary School Students in Moshi Municipality, Tanzania.

Abstract This study describes the social networks of secondary school students in Moshi Municipality, and their association with self-rated risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 300 students aged 15-24 years in 5 secondary schools in Moshi, Tanzania. Bonding networks were defined as social groupings of students participating in activities within the school, while bridging networks were groups that included students participating in social groupings from outside of the school environs. A structured questionnaire was used to ask about participation in bonding and bridging social networks and self-rated HIV risk behavior. More participants participated in bonding networks (72%) than in bridging networks (29%). Participation in bridging networks was greater among females (25%) than males (12%, p < .005). Of 300 participants, 88 (29%) were sexually experienced, and of these 62 (70%) considered themselves to be at low risk of HIV infection. Factors associated with self-rated risk of HIV included: type of school (p < .003), family structure (p < .008), being sexually experienced (p < .004), having had sex in the past three months (p < .009), having an extra sexual partner (p < .054) and non-condom use in last sexual intercourse (p < .001), but not the presence or type of social capital. The study found no association between bonding and bridging social networks on self-rated risk of HIV among study participants. However, sexually experienced participants rated themselves at low risk of HIV infection despite practicing unsafe sex. Efforts to raise adolescents' self-awareness of risk of HIV infection through life skills education and HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome risk reduction strategies may be beneficial to students in this at-risk group

The quantum non-linear Schrodinger model with point-like defect

We establish a family of point-like impurities which preserve the quantum integrability of the non-linear Schrodinger model in 1+1 space-time dimensions. We briefly describe the construction of the exact second quantized solution of this model in terms of an appropriate reflection-transmission algebra. The basic physical properties of the solution, including the space-time symmetry of the bulk scattering matrix, are also discussed.Comment: Comments on the integrability and the impurity free limit adde

An innovative agro-forestry supply chain for residual biomass : physicochemical characterisation of biochar from olive and hazelnut pellets

Concerns about climate change and food productivity have spurred interest in biochar, a form of charred organic material typically used in agriculture to improve soil productivity and as a means of carbon sequestration. An innovative approach in agriculture is the use of agro-forestry waste for the production of soil fertilisers for agricultural purposes and as a source of energy. A common agricultural practice is to burn crop residues in the field to produce ashes that can be used as soil fertilisers. This approach is able to supply plants with certain nutrients, such as Ca, K, Mg, Na, B, S, and Mo. However, the low concentration of N and P in the ashes, together with the occasional presence of heavy metals (Ni, Pb, Cd, Se, Al, etc.), has a negative effect on soil and, therefore, crop productivity. This work describes the opportunity to create an innovative supply chain from agricultural waste biomass. Olive (Olea europaea) and hazelnut (Corylus avellana) pruning residues represent a major component of biomass waste in the area of Viterbo (Italy). In this study, we evaluated the production of biochar from these residues. Furthermore, a physicochemical characterisation of the produced biochar was performed to assess the quality of the two biochars according to the standards of the European Biochar Certificate (EBC). The results of this study indicate the cost-effective production of high-quality biochar from olive and hazelnut biomass residues

Procedimento Blupis e seleção massal em cana-de-açúcar.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar a seleção via procedimento BLUP individual simulado (BLUPIS) versus seleção massal em famílias de irmãos-completos de cana-de-açúcar. Foram utilizadas 80 famílias originadas de cruzamentos biparentais da série RB03. O experimento foi desenvolvido em área experimental, localizado no Município de São Tomé, Paraná. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos incompletos, com cinco repetições por família. Para seleção considerou-se a variável tonelada de sólidos solúveis por hectare (TSH). Utilizou-se o modelo 35 do programa computacional Selegen REML/BLUP, via procedimento BLUPIS para a indicação do número de clones potenciais a serem selecionados. Estes resultados foram correlacionados com o número de clones selecionados via seleção massal dentro das famílias. A seleção clonal via procedimento BLUPIS indica maior número de clones promissores para caracteres quantitativos dentro de famílias com elevados efeitos genotípicos