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Objectives:To determine whether countries that adopted the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act (NSPA) achieved a reduced risk of needlestick injuries (NSIs).Method:In this meta-analysis, 3 international databases (Embase, PubMed, and MEDLINE EBSCO) and 1 Chinese database (Airiti Library) were searched using appropriate keywords to retrieve relevant articles, including multiyear NSI incidences that were published after 2010. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Prevalence Studies was used to evaluate article prevalence. A binary random-effects model was used to estimate risk ratio as summary effect. A log scale was used to evaluate differences in risk ratios of NSIs between countries that adopted versus those that did not adopt the NSPA.Results:In total, 11 articles were included in the meta-analysis from 9 countries, and NSI incidence rates were surveyed between 1993 and 2016. The risk ratios of NSIs in countries with and without the NSPA were 0.78 (95% CI, 0.67–0.91) and 0.98 (95% CI, 0.85–1.12), respectively, and the ratio of risk ratios was 0.79 (95% CI, 0.65–0.98). Reduction in NSI incidence was more prominent in nurses than in physicians.Conclusions:Our findings suggest that the mandatory use of safety-engineered medical devices in countries that adopted the NSPA had lower NSI incidence in healthcare workers compared with countries without needlestick safety and prevention regulatory policies. Further studies are needed to develop preventive strategies to protect against NSIs in physicians, which should be incorporated into the standards of care established by national regulatory agencies.

The physical form of starter feed may affect the gastrointestinal development and the performance of ruminant. However, little information is available on how changes in the physical forms of starter feed influence the performance of lambs, especially during the pre- and post-weaning periods. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different physical forms of starter feeds on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, gastrointestinal enzyme activity, and morphology of pre- and post-weaning lambs. Twenty-four 8-day-old male Hu lamb (5.04 ± 0.75 kg BW) were randomly assigned to one of two dietary treatments: 1) a pelleted starter (PS) feed and 2) a textured starter (TS) feed, which included coarse mashed steam-flaked corn. From eight to thirty-five days of age (pre-weaning), the lambs were bottle-fed milk replacer (MR) at 2% of BW measured on day 8. All lambs were weaned at day 35 when feeding of MR was stopped. Six lambs for each treatment were euthanized at 21 or 42 days of age for sampling. The following results are obtained by variance analysis: TS lambs had a greater (P < 0.05) final BW, higher apparent digestibility of starch and ether extract, activities of α-amylase pre- or post-weaning, and higher (P < 0.05) average dry matter intake and lipase post-weaning in small intestine contents and had a trend of significantly higher average daily gain post-weaning (P = 0.07). Rumen development analysis of TS lambs showed a significantly higher (P < 0.05) relative weight of rumen post-weaning, greater papillae length, increased circular and layered muscle, increased sectional area pre- and post-weaning, and increased rumen papillae width post-weaning. Textured starter treatment increased the villus height and villus width (except jejunum pre-weaning) of the whole small intestine and villus height to crypt depth ratio of jejunum and ileum during the whole period and tended to increase the relative weight of the rumen pre-weaning (P = 0.07). The results indicated that TS feeding is more beneficial to lambs over the weaning transition than PS in promoting gastrointestinal development, intestinal enzyme activities, nutrient digestibility, and growth performance. The findings provide new insights into the selection of physical forms of starter feeds in lamb production. Further research with more animals and female lambs is needed to obtain a more complete conclusion.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of starter feeds of different physical forms on rumen fermentation and microbial composition for lambs. Twenty-four eight-day-old male Hu lambs (5.04 ± 0.75 kg body weight) were fed either milk replacer (MR) and pelleted starter feed (PS), or MR and textured starter feed (TS) in pre-weaning (day 8 to 35) and post-weaning (day 36 to 42) lambs. And the MR was fed by bottles to lambs at 2% of body weight at day 8 divided as three equal amounts at 08:00, 14:00 and 20:00 in pre-weaning. And the lambs were readily availed starter feeds and clean fresh water in the whole experiment. Six lambs for each treatment were euthanized at day 21 or 42 for sampling. The results showed the total volatile fatty acids, propionate and butyrate of rumen liquid in TS groups were all higher than them in PS groups respectively for pre-weaning and post-weaning lambs (P< 0.05), and the pH of rumen liquid in TS group was lower than it in PS group for post-weaning lambs (P< 0.05). Moreover, the pH of rumen and OTUs in TS group had trends to lower than them in PS group for pre-weaned lambs (P= 0.061,P= 0.066). TS established the predominant Phylum,Bacteroidetes, earlier than PS, and increased significantly the relative abundances ofSharpeacompared to PS at level of genus (P< 0.05) for pre-weaning and post-weaning lambs. TS were more benefits to trigger rumen development for lambs.IMPORTANCEEarly use of starter feed could trigger rumen fermentation and establishment of dominant flora, which were in favour of growth and development of rumen for ruminants. The physical form of starter feed is one of the important factors to promote rumen fermentation and establishment of dominant flora for ruminants of transition. However, limited study on effects of physical forms of starter feeds, especially the texturized starters containing steam-flaked grains, to rumen fermentative pattern and microbial composition for pre-weaning and post-weaning lambs to date. It was necessary to investigate the effects of physical form of starter feed on rumen fermentation and microbial composition for lambs. The significance of our research showed TS were better benefits to promote the rumen fermentation and establishment of dominant flora for lambs, which will greatly enhance our understanding of physical forms of starter feeds, leading to broader studies on rumen development for lambs.

This paper presents a M-Integral based failure description of the elasto-plastic materials containing multiple defects, such as voids, subjected to biaxial loading conditions. A non-dimensional Π-parameter is defined, and a novel failure criterion based on the Π-parameter is proposed to assess the multi-defected media. Analytical, numerical and experimental investigations are conducted to evaluate the Π-parameter for different types of problems in order to elucidate the Π-parameter based failure criterion. The explicit definition of the Π-parameter is first derived from the case of elastic inclusion problems in plane elasticity being subject to biaxial loading conditions. And then the Π-parameter is regarded as a damage driving force, and its critical value indicates the occurrence of failure of elasto-plastic materials with defects under biaxial loading. This Π-parameter based failure criterion is further validated through a series of numerically elasto-plastic analyses of cruciform biaxial specimens containing multiple and randomly distributed local defects. In addition, an experimental procedure on evaluating the Π-parameter for elasto-plastic materials is proposed by using the digital image correlation.

The aim of this study was to determine whether monocyte/macrophage β2-AR could act as the therapeutic target of antisympathetic excitation-induced atherosclerotic progression. Cultivated human THP-1 cells were divided into different groups and incubated with isoprenaline, metoprolol, propranolol or β2-AR blocker for 24 h, together with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL). Afterwards, each group was analyzed for C-C chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR2) expression, monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) release into medium and cell migration ability. In the isoprenaline group, CCR2 protein level was increased, as well as the secretion of MCP-1, and cell motility was enhanced, in a concentration-dependent manner. Propranolol and ICI 118,551 significantly reversed the stimulatory effect of isoprenaline on THP-1 cells induced by ox-LDL, but only high concentrations of metoprolol interfered significantly with the action of isoprenaline (P < 0.05). Isoprenaline or a β-AR blocker could mediate through β2-AR, affecting MCP-1 secretion, CCR2 protein expression and cell migration capacity of THP-1 cells. Therefore, monocyte-macrophage β2-AR may act as a target of antisympathetic excitation-induced atherosclerotic progression.

Cerebellar liponeurocytoma is a rare benign neuroepithelial tumour. We describe the case of a 50-year-old man presenting with signs of increased intracranial pressure and cerebellar dysfunction. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a heterogeneous, well-circumscribed cerebellar mass with a predominant adipose content. Diffusion-weighted imaging showed an isointense mass with a hyperintense rim. Craniotomy demonstrated a soft grey mass with intratumoral bright patchy yellow areas. Histological and immunohistochemical findings indicated an advanced neuronal, glial and focal lipomatous differentiation with a low level of mitotic activity.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) plays a central role in the regulation of the immune response. HLA class II molecules are essential for T cell-mediated adaptive immunity and present peptide antigens to CD4(+) T cells. Because of its important role in the immune response and its high degree of polymorphism, the HLA system is associated with many diseases. We examined the polymorphisms of HLA-DRB alleles and the sequences of the HLA-DRB promoter region in 97 unrelated patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and in 62 unrelated normal controls of the Han nationality from North China, using PCR with sequence-specific primers and PCR direct sequencing. We found that the frequency of HLA-DRB1*15 was significantly higher in the pulmonary tuberculosis group than in the healthy control group. The P value was 0.001, and the odds ratio was 3.793. The pulmonary tuberculosis group had the same HLA-DRB1 promoter region sequences as the control group. We concluded that the HLA-DRB1*15 allele is associated with pulmonary tuberculosis in the Han nationality from North China. The HLA-DRB1 promoter region sequences had no association with the development of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Choroid plexus papillary carcinoma is a rare intracranial malignant epithelial tumor. We describe a case of choroid plexus tumor arising in the periventricular parenchyma. A 52-year-old man presented with headache for five months, aggravated by vomiting for three days. Brain computed tomography scan revealed an inhomogeneous density lesion in the right temporoparietal lobe with mild enhancement, and hemorrhage anterior to the lesion. Histological and immunohistochemical findings indicated a choroid plexus papillary carcinoma.

As a new type of spatial structure system, a suspen-dome structure shows good mechanical behavior, because its cable layers with pre-stress do not only improve the stability and stiffness of the top lattice shell of the structure but also decrease the push-out forces to its hoop beam. There are two kinds of connection forms on the common joints among hoop cable, radial cable and struts. One is continuous gliding cable joint where individual cable can move independently at the same joint, and the other one is no-gliding cable joint (discontinuous cable joint) where different cables at the same joint move in the same direction. These two forms will lead to different structural behavior, such as internal force distribution of cable layers when the structure is subjected to half-span loads. In this paper, frozen-heated method (FHM) is employed to analyze this problem. And, the results obtained show that the first joint form can adjust internal forces and decrease the peak value of internal forces of hoop cables and radial cables, while it has little influence on the mechanical behavior of the top lattice shell of the structure.

Publisher Summary The chapter theoretically studies the ultimate load-carrying capacity of a shuttle-shaped hollow-section column. By establishing the equilibrium equation of a shuttle-shaped hollow-section column under axial compression, the overall buckling elastic load is obtained, which is dependent on the column length, the minimum inertial moment at the end of the column, and the maximum inertial moment at the middle of the column, as well as on tapering ratio. Based on the non-linear finite-element method for shell elements that exactly stimulate the column, the large-deflection elastic-plastic analysis for the ultimate load-carry capacity of the shuttle-shaped box hollow-section column is carried out considering the interaction for the local buckling of the plate components and the overall buckling of the column. By investigating the relationship between the ultimate load-carrying capacity and the geometrical parameters of the shuttle-shaped box hollow-section column, a simplified design formula for predicting limit strength based on the effective length coefficient of the column and the effective width of the section is proposed in the chapter.

Publisher Summary The chapter analyzes and introduces a new type of cable-arch structure. This new type of cable-arch structure is hybridized by cables, struts, and an arch. The tensile cables are arranged according to the variation of the bending moment diagram of a pure arch alone subjected to the uniformly distributed load. The mechanical behavior and failure mechanics of the cable-arch structure are examined in the chapter. The effects of the rise-to-span ratio and the brace strut length on the inelastic performance of the cable-arch structure are studied, and some conclusions are drawn which are valuable for the analysis and design of such structures. Arches are widely used in structural engineering for their high bearing capacity, large rigidity, small deformation, good economic gains, etc. However, in large span structures, slender arches subjected to both bending and compression are easy to buckle.

Publisher Summary The chapter presents the finite element simulating analysis of a cable sliding inside a membrane pocket. Generally, according to cable and membrane construction details, the sliding cable in flexible membrane structures behaves to move independently along the cable axis direction, with the same displacement as the membrane cloth in their common conjunction normal to the cable axis direction. But in the design, it is assumed that the cable and the membrane are both nodded fixedly, and they move with same displacement in the space.. But this assumption may result in large difference in the stress distribution of the membrane and the cable, especially when anti-symmetric loads applied on the membrane surface. The chapter studies the structural behavior due to the cable sliding in the membrane pocket, which is stimulated by a link model and an object controlling model. In the link model, a set of link elements normal to the cable axis direction are introduced between the cable and the membrane to reflect the relatively sliding. In this way the global structure including the cable and the membrane is simulated with the finite element model that consists of cable elements, link elements, and membrane elements. In the object controlling model, the cable stress is the control object in order to get more accurate numerical results. Both models are applied to form-finding and load analysis as compared to the traditional model that does not consider cable sliding.

Publisher Summary Many theoretical and experimental investigations on monotonic and hysteretic behavior of thin steel plate shear wall (SPSW) have been conducted. However, very few researches have been found in the thin or moderate thick SPSW with cross stiffeners. Inelastic large displacement FE method by using ANSYS package is employed in this chapter to reveal influence of three main parameters on shear carrying capacity of stiffened steel plate shear wall, which are slenderness ratio of panel, stiffness ratio of stiffener to panel, and column stiffness. One important conclusion obtained from this study is that there are two kinds of collapse modes corresponding to thin and thick panels, respectively, namely the nonlinear behavior of thick plate mainly owing to the panel material yielding, and the nonlinear behavior of thin panel due to both its material yielding and its diagonal tension field formation. The requirement for the column stiffness and stiffener stiffness are determined by these two collapse modes, respectively. Overall, thick panel can stand itself under shear loading, so the requirement for column stiffness and stiffener stiffness is relatively relaxed. However, for thin panel, the diagonal tension field should be anchored on the boundary members such as beams and columns. Therefore, the column stiffness has a great effect on the post-buckling behavior of thin panel. The thin panel stiffened by cross stiffener behaves as moderate thick or thick panel because its cylinder stiffness is enhanced.

Omicron Andromedae is a multiple system of at least four stars: a B ↔Be star (component A), a spectroscopic binary (components B1–B2) and a close companion (component a). According to several studies (see Hill et al. 1988, 1989): -the distance between A and the B1–B2 system decreased from 0.39″ in 1975 to 0.25″ in 1987 (McAlister and Hartkopf 1988)-the few previous speckle measurements of component a have shown the possibility of a 3.7 years orbit around A, according to the 1975 to 1984 observations (mean distance 0.05″). The calculations with this 3.7 yr orbit lead to the prediction of a maximum distance of 0.77″ at 1992.738, i.e. at the end of september 1992, with a North-South orientation.