“The Armies of the Night” was written by the American contemporary prominent writer Norman Mailer in a particular skill--combining fictional art with journalistic writing.It has been considered one of Norman Mailer&...“The Armies of the Night” was written by the American contemporary prominent writer Norman Mailer in a particular skill--combining fictional art with journalistic writing.It has been considered one of Norman Mailer's best books and was awarded the pulitzer prize in 1968.展开更多
Long long ago,there was a young girl named Hua Mulan.Her father was a soldier.One day,the emperor needed more soldiers.Each family had to send one man.But Mulan’s father was too old,and her brother was too young.So,M...Long long ago,there was a young girl named Hua Mulan.Her father was a soldier.One day,the emperor needed more soldiers.Each family had to send one man.But Mulan’s father was too old,and her brother was too young.So,Mulan cut her long hair short,dressed up as a man,and joined the army in place of her father.展开更多
2017-06-24,6时许,四川省茂县叠溪镇新磨村发生山体高位滑坡,造成农舍和人员被埋。灾情紧急,根据西部战区联指命令和西宁联勤保障中心指示,成都军区总医院第一时间派出两个梯队（共47人）的应急医疗救援队空陆并进赶赴灾区,提供应急医...2017-06-24,6时许,四川省茂县叠溪镇新磨村发生山体高位滑坡,造成农舍和人员被埋。灾情紧急,根据西部战区联指命令和西宁联勤保障中心指示,成都军区总医院第一时间派出两个梯队（共47人）的应急医疗救援队空陆并进赶赴灾区,提供应急医疗救治服务。此次救援,从医院接到上级预先号令,至第1梯队出发赴机场共用时1 h 14 min,至第2梯队摩托化出发共用时2 h 54 min,实现了应急医疗队快速出动的目的。展开更多
Since the advent of the U.S. Iraq war in 2003, there has seen an acceleration of functions and operations which used to be the province of government become increasingly privatized. The division of the world into publ...Since the advent of the U.S. Iraq war in 2003, there has seen an acceleration of functions and operations which used to be the province of government become increasingly privatized. The division of the world into public and private spheres is at the center of a debate over what the government＇s role should be. This paper seeks to frame the debate between public and private roles regarding security issues. The military has been one area where there has never been a question of nation states outsourcing or privatizing. This paper will touch on the use of mercenaries and then discuss the growing use of corporate entities to supply what were considered to be traditional military activities and objectives.展开更多
With research on the carrier phase synchronization and symbol synchronization algorithm of demodulation module, a synchronization circuit system is designed for GPS software receiver based on field programmable gate a...With research on the carrier phase synchronization and symbol synchronization algorithm of demodulation module, a synchronization circuit system is designed for GPS software receiver based on field programmable gate array （FPGA）, and a series of experiment is done on the hardware platform. The result shows the all-digital synchronization and demodulation of GPS intermediate frequency （IF） signal can be realized and applied in embedded real-time GPS software receiver system. It is verified that the decision-directed joint tracking algorithm of carrier phase and symbol timing for received signals from GPS is reasonable. In addition, the loop works steadily and can be used for receiving GPS signals using synchronous demodulation. The synchronization circuit for GPS software receiver designed based on FPGA has the features of low cost, miniaturization, low power and real-time. Surely, it will become one of the development directions for GPS and even GNSS embedded real-time software receiver.展开更多
Background: It is crucial for the army to know the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea(OSA) syndrome in activeduty army personnel. Little information has been reported on the prevalence of OSA and clinical features ...Background: It is crucial for the army to know the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea(OSA) syndrome in activeduty army personnel. Little information has been reported on the prevalence of OSA and clinical features in activeduty army personnel. This study was aimed to estimate the prevalence of snoring and risk of developing OSA in activeduty army personnel in Thailand and to identify the co-morbidities of OSA. In total, 1107 participants who were aged20–60 years and were deployed to the three southernmost provinces of Thailand were enrolled. All the participants completed the Phramongkutklao(PMK) Hospital OSA Questionnaire that was modified and validated from the Berlin Questionnaire and underwent physical examination. The participants were 1107 active-duty army personnel in the three southernmost provinces of Thailand, both males and females, aged 20–60 years.Methods: The PMK OSA Questionnaire was used to assess the risk of OSA together with interviewing for snoring,fatigue, falling asleep and day-time sleepiness. Physical examination of the neck, chest and hip circumference,and height was performed. Information concerning physical training, co-morbid diseases, smoking and alcoholic consumption was collected.Results: The prevalence of snoring was 58.5, and 4.8% met the PMK OSA Questionnaire criteria, thus indicating a high risk of OSA. The information obtained indicated that laryngopharyngeal reflux(LPR), current smoking and alcoholic consumption were significantly higher in the high-risk OSA group.Conclusions: Early detection and treatment of OSA in active-duty army personnel are imperative. Physical examination and polysomnography can be used to reveal the high-risk group. High body mess index(BMI), laryngopharyngeal reflux, current smoking and alcoholic consumption are modifiable factors for OSA and are avoidable. A policy to decrease the BMI and risk of LPR, as well as to stop smoking and alcoholic consumption, should be applied.展开更多
According to the requirements of the live-virtual-constructive(LVC)tactical confrontation(TC)on the virtual entity(VE)decision model of graded combat capability,diversified actions,real-time decision-making,and genera...According to the requirements of the live-virtual-constructive(LVC)tactical confrontation(TC)on the virtual entity(VE)decision model of graded combat capability,diversified actions,real-time decision-making,and generalization for the enemy,the confrontation process is modeled as a zero-sum stochastic game(ZSG).By introducing the theory of dynamic relative power potential field,the problem of reward sparsity in the model can be solved.By reward shaping,the problem of credit assignment between agents can be solved.Based on the idea of meta-learning,an extensible multi-agent deep reinforcement learning(EMADRL)framework and solving method is proposed to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of model solving.Experiments show that the model meets the requirements well and the algorithm learning efficiency is high.展开更多
With the development of online social networks,a special group of online users named organized posters(or Internet water army,Internet paid posters in some literatures) have fl ooded the social network communities. Th...With the development of online social networks,a special group of online users named organized posters(or Internet water army,Internet paid posters in some literatures) have fl ooded the social network communities. They are organized in groups to post with specific purposes and sometimes even confuse or mislead normal users.In this paper,we study the individual and group characteristics of organized posters. A classifier is constructed based on the individual and group characteristics to detect them. Extensive experimental results on three real datasets demonstrate that our method based on individual and group characteristics using SVM model(IGCSVM) is effective in detecting organized posters and better than existing methods. We take a first look at finding the promoters based on the detected organized posters of our IGCSVM method. Our experiments show that it is effective in detecting promoters.展开更多
This paper deals with effects of airborne fluorine on the army worm, Mythimna separata (Walker), by rearing the larvae on the wheat foliage exposed to HF or fumigating the larvae on the artificial diet with the pollut...This paper deals with effects of airborne fluorine on the army worm, Mythimna separata (Walker), by rearing the larvae on the wheat foliage exposed to HF or fumigating the larvae on the artificial diet with the pollutant. Larval relative growth rate (GR) and index of population trend of the insect reduced by 5% and 11%, respectively, when the larvae were reared on the foliage taken from the wheat plants exposed to 0.87 g·dm-2·day-1 of fluorine compared with those of the control. An extra instar appeared in a majority of the larvae treated. Survival rate and GR of the larvae on the wheat plant being exposure to the same concentration of fluorine in field open-top fumigation device were 40% and 15% lower than that of the control, respectively. Similar experiment with the insect on the artificial diet also showed that direct impact of the pollutant on the army worm was greater than its indirect effect via their host plant.展开更多
Objective To compare the blood antioxidant levels and dietary antioxidant intakes between pilots and non-flight staff of the Army Force in The Islamic Republic of Iran. Methods Thirty-seven helicopter pilots and 40 no...Objective To compare the blood antioxidant levels and dietary antioxidant intakes between pilots and non-flight staff of the Army Force in The Islamic Republic of Iran. Methods Thirty-seven helicopter pilots and 40 non-flight staff were included in this study. Their general characteristics were recorded and their weight, height, and waist circumference were measured. Their daily intake of energy and nutrients including antioxidants was assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Serum levels of total antioxidant capacity （TAC）, malondialdehyde （MDA）, and glutathione reductase （GR）, glutathione peroxidase （GPx）, superoxide dismutase （SOD）, and catalase （CAT） in red blood cells were also measured. Results The median erythrocytes SOD, serum MDA level and the mean serum level of TAC and erythrocytes GPx were significantly higher in pilots than in non-flight staff. The median vitamin C intake was significantly lower in pilots than in non-flight staff. The serum MDA levels were similar in non-flight staff and pilots when their vitamin C intake was 〈168 mg and significantly lower in non-flight staff than in pilots when their vitamin C intake was 〉168 mg. Conclusion The serum MDA level is lower in non-flight staff than in pilots when their vitamin C intake level is high, indicating that pilots need more vitamin C than non-flight staff.展开更多
Leptospirosis is a re-emerging zoonotic disease caused by infection of the bacteria belongs to Genus leptospira. It occurs in tropical, subtropical and temperate zones. It is also known as occupational-related disease...Leptospirosis is a re-emerging zoonotic disease caused by infection of the bacteria belongs to Genus leptospira. It occurs in tropical, subtropical and temperate zones. It is also known as occupational-related disease as certain occupations are associated with the occurrence of leptospirosis. Army is identified as one of the high-risk occupations in contracting leptospirosis. This study was done to determine knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) among army personnel on leptospirosis. A cross sectional study was conducted among 616 army personnel in four based camps in Northeastern Malaysia, who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A validated KAP questionnaire was used, consisting of knowledge, attitude and practice questions. More than half (52.8%) of the respondents had poor knowledge score. For the attitude score, almost the same proportions had satisfactory attitude. The same finding was seen in practice score, whereby those with good practice (54.9%) and bad practice (45.9%). In conclusion, the finding showed that almost all army personnel had unsatisfactory KAP, thus, it is recommended for the army to have a good health education program on leptospirosis among army personnel to protect the army personnel from risk of getting leptospirosis.展开更多
Community-based interventions in prevention and control of leptospirosis, have been uniformly unsuccessful. Individual counseling and health education play an important role in the prevention and control of the diseas...Community-based interventions in prevention and control of leptospirosis, have been uniformly unsuccessful. Individual counseling and health education play an important role in the prevention and control of the disease. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of intervention on the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) score on leptospirosis among the army personnel after receiving a health education given. A validated questionnaire was used to assess knowledge, attitude and practice at pre- and post-intervention. A total of 188 army personnel from the two camps involved in this study with 94 respondents in control and intervention groups respectively. Leptospirosis Health Education Module (LHEM) was given to the intervention group. There was significant improvement in knowledge score before and after intervention done (mean difference = 24.25, 95% CI: 21.93, 26.56;p −14.13, 95% CI: −15.82, −12.45;p −0.72, 1.55;p > 0.05). For the intervention effect, the subjects in intervention group had significantly higher mean attitude score as compared to the subjects in control group (mean difference = −2.12, 95% CI: −2.99, −1.24;p −0.47, 1.98;p > 0.05). For the intervention effect regardless of time, the subjects in intervention group had significantly higher mean practice score as compared to the subjects in control group (mean difference = 4.16, 95% CI: 2.80, 5.52;p < 0.001). The leptospirosis health education module was found to cause improvement in KAP score in the intervention group.展开更多
On September 20,2017 Hurricane Maria,a category 4 hurricane,made landfall on the eastern coast of Puerto Rico.This was preceded by Hurricane Irma,a category 5 hurricane,which passed just off the coast 13 d prior.The d...On September 20,2017 Hurricane Maria,a category 4 hurricane,made landfall on the eastern coast of Puerto Rico.This was preceded by Hurricane Irma,a category 5 hurricane,which passed just off the coast 13 d prior.The destruction from both Hurricane Irma and Maria precipitated a coordinated federal response which included the Federal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA)and the United States military.The United States Army dispatched the 14^th Combat Support Hospital(CSH)to Humacao,a city on the eastern side of the island where Maria made landfall.The mission of the 14^th CSH was to provide medical humanitarian aid and conduct disaster relief operations in support of the government of Puerto Rico and FEMA.During the 14^th CSH deployment to Puerto Rico,1157 patients were evaluated and treated.Fifty-seven operative cases were performed to include 23 orthopaedic cases.The mean age of the orthopaedic patients treated was 45.7 years(range 13-76 years).The most common operation was irrigation and debridement of open contaminated and/or infected wounds.Patients presented a mean 10.8 d from their initial injury(range 1-40 d).Fractures and infections were the most common diagnoses with the greatest delay in treatment from the initial date of injury.The deployment of the 14^th CSH to Puerto Rico was unique in its use of air transport,language and local customs encountered,as well as deployment to a location outside the continental United States.These factors coupled with the need for rapid deployment of the 14^th CSH provided valuable experience which will undoubtedly enable future success in similar endeavors.展开更多
Agent Blue, a mixture of cacodylic acid (CH<sub>3</sub>) As O<sub>2</sub>H) and sodium cacodylate (C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub> AsNaO<sub>2</sub>), was a tacti...Agent Blue, a mixture of cacodylic acid (CH<sub>3</sub>) As O<sub>2</sub>H) and sodium cacodylate (C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub> AsNaO<sub>2</sub>), was a tactical arsenic-based herbicide used during the Vietnam War to destroy grasses and rice crops. Natural and synthetic sources of arsenic can degrade into water-soluble forms and persist in groundwater and potentially contribute to elevating As levels in drinking water. The United States Department of Defense (DOD) and United States Department of Agricultural (USDA) Operation Ranch Hand records for tactical herbicides including Agent Blue sprayed in southern Vietnam during the Vietnam War (1961-1971) are very detailed, rather complete and publicly available. The same is not true for tactical herbicides sprayed by the Republic of Vietnam (RV) during the Khai Quang program which was supported by the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the Mekong Delta. Agent Blue was sprayed by the RV military for three years before the official start of the American-Vietnam War. Few, if any, RV military, US Army, US Navy and CIA spray records exist from 1962 to 1965. Vietnam War veterans, historians and scholars have reported the spraying of 3.2 million liters (468,008 kg As) of Agent Blue on rice paddies and mangrove forests in the Mekong Delta and Central Highlands by the RV military with the support of the US Army, US Navy and CIA. The Institute of Medicine estimated that 3.2 million liters (468,000 kg As) were sprayed during the RV Khai Quang program. This was in addition to the U.S. Air Force’s Operation Ranch Hand spraying of the tactical herbicide Agent Blue primarily by C-123 aircraft. The Operation Ranch Hand missions maintained location and quantities of herbicides sprayed (over 4,712,000 liters (664,392 kg As) from 1961-1971. The RV military and US military (Army and Navy) spray equipment included hand and backpack sprayers, sprayers mounted on Brown Water Navy boats, on Army track vehicles and Army land-based helicopters and helicopters based on the decks of Blue Water Navy ships. Some of these spray missions were a military secret and spray records were classified or if kept were not maintained. Agent Blue containing cacodylic acid had a short half-life and degraded to water-soluble arsenic, which was released into the surface water and/or leached into the groundwater. Once the water-soluble arsenic leached into the Vietnam Mekong Delta groundwater, the arsenic-rich water was pumped back to the surface by tens of thousands of tube wells for urban and agricultural use. The primary objectives of this research are to explore the conditions during the Vietnam War under which 1) the RV military herbicide spray program with the support of the US Navy, CIA and US Army, and 2) the US Air Force spray program during Operation Ranch Hand may have significantly contributed to the natural and anthropic As spikes found in the Mekong Delta today. The environmental impacts of Agent Blue, on the Menominee River at manufacturing sites in the United States, were studied to identify possible As remediation and mitigation strategies. The lessons previously learned at the manufacturing sites in Wisconsin and Michigan, United States can be considered and applied to the Mekong Delta to help mitigate and remediate the arsenic-rich surface water, soil, sediment and groundwater found in the Mekong Delta.展开更多
The number of children affected in conflicts is on the rise in Africa.All childhood experiences of such children are nightmares by war.The conflict in Northern Uganda continues to attract local,national and internatio...The number of children affected in conflicts is on the rise in Africa.All childhood experiences of such children are nightmares by war.The conflict in Northern Uganda continues to attract local,national and international attention.Once a vibrant area,Gulu has been shuttered by the Lord Resistance Army (LRA)atrocities,a region where several vehicles were burnt and people were butchered.The purpose of展开更多
Background:The prevalence of obesity has been increasing in both males and females worldwide.In Thailand,the National Health Examination Surveys reported that the prevalence of obesity(body mass index(BMI)≥30 kg/m^2)...Background:The prevalence of obesity has been increasing in both males and females worldwide.In Thailand,the National Health Examination Surveys reported that the prevalence of obesity(body mass index(BMI)≥30 kg/m^2)among Thai male adults aged 20–59 years increased from 1.7%in 1991 to 6.8%in 2009.Obesity has been confirmed to lead to health problems,including noncommunicable diseases.In the present study,we report trends in the prevalence of obesity among new conscripts from 2009 to 2016.We also investigated the associated factors of obesity.Methods:Serial cross-sectional studies were conducted from 2009 to 2016 among male Royal Thai Army(RTA)conscripts whose weight and height had been measured to determine BMI after being inducted.Each subject completed a detailed risk factor questionnaire.Obesity was defined as BMI≥30 kg/m2.Results:A total of 26,540 young Thai males conscripted into the RTA were included in this study.The prevalence of obesity was 2.2%in 2009,3.4%in 2010,2.5%in 2011,2.9%in 2012,3.4%in 2013,4.4%in 2014,5.0%in 2015,and 4.8%in 2016(P for trend<0.0001).The independent risk factors for obesity were coming from the north central and south regions compared with the northeast,higher education level,indoor occupation and no regular exercise.Conclusions:Our data emphasized that obesity constitutes a serious problem among young Thai men.We could apply these findings in military units to other groups at any age.Regular exercise should be provided to young adults and other age groups to slow the process of obesity,so that associated complications,especially noncommunicable diseases,will cease.展开更多
CdS nanowire arrays were synthesized by altering current（AC） electrodeposition in the porous anodic alumina film prepared by aluminium anodizing in oxalic acid. These nanowires have a uniform diameter of about 45 nm...CdS nanowire arrays were synthesized by altering current（AC） electrodeposition in the porous anodic alumina film prepared by aluminium anodizing in oxalic acid. These nanowires have a uniform diameter of about 45 nm corresponding to the pore size of the films used and length up to several microns. The X-ray diffraction（XRD） pattern indicates that the CdS nanowires crystallize in an hcp structure. Besides, photoluminescences（PL） of CdS nanowire arrays, characterized by spectrophotometer show that CdS nanowries embedded in porous alumina template increases the light-emitting intensity and induces a red shift of PL band.展开更多
文摘“The Armies of the Night” was written by the American contemporary prominent writer Norman Mailer in a particular skill--combining fictional art with journalistic writing.It has been considered one of Norman Mailer's best books and was awarded the pulitzer prize in 1968.
文摘Long long ago,there was a young girl named Hua Mulan.Her father was a soldier.One day,the emperor needed more soldiers.Each family had to send one man.But Mulan’s father was too old,and her brother was too young.So,Mulan cut her long hair short,dressed up as a man,and joined the army in place of her father.
文摘2017-06-24,6时许,四川省茂县叠溪镇新磨村发生山体高位滑坡,造成农舍和人员被埋。灾情紧急,根据西部战区联指命令和西宁联勤保障中心指示,成都军区总医院第一时间派出两个梯队（共47人）的应急医疗救援队空陆并进赶赴灾区,提供应急医疗救治服务。此次救援,从医院接到上级预先号令,至第1梯队出发赴机场共用时1 h 14 min,至第2梯队摩托化出发共用时2 h 54 min,实现了应急医疗队快速出动的目的。
文摘Since the advent of the U.S. Iraq war in 2003, there has seen an acceleration of functions and operations which used to be the province of government become increasingly privatized. The division of the world into public and private spheres is at the center of a debate over what the government＇s role should be. This paper seeks to frame the debate between public and private roles regarding security issues. The military has been one area where there has never been a question of nation states outsourcing or privatizing. This paper will touch on the use of mercenaries and then discuss the growing use of corporate entities to supply what were considered to be traditional military activities and objectives.
基金supported in part by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program)(2006AA12A108)CSC International Scholarship (2008104769)
文摘With research on the carrier phase synchronization and symbol synchronization algorithm of demodulation module, a synchronization circuit system is designed for GPS software receiver based on field programmable gate array （FPGA）, and a series of experiment is done on the hardware platform. The result shows the all-digital synchronization and demodulation of GPS intermediate frequency （IF） signal can be realized and applied in embedded real-time GPS software receiver system. It is verified that the decision-directed joint tracking algorithm of carrier phase and symbol timing for received signals from GPS is reasonable. In addition, the loop works steadily and can be used for receiving GPS signals using synchronous demodulation. The synchronization circuit for GPS software receiver designed based on FPGA has the features of low cost, miniaturization, low power and real-time. Surely, it will become one of the development directions for GPS and even GNSS embedded real-time software receiver.
基金Sleep Center,Department of Otolaryngology,Phramongkutklao Hospital
文摘Background: It is crucial for the army to know the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea(OSA) syndrome in activeduty army personnel. Little information has been reported on the prevalence of OSA and clinical features in activeduty army personnel. This study was aimed to estimate the prevalence of snoring and risk of developing OSA in activeduty army personnel in Thailand and to identify the co-morbidities of OSA. In total, 1107 participants who were aged20–60 years and were deployed to the three southernmost provinces of Thailand were enrolled. All the participants completed the Phramongkutklao(PMK) Hospital OSA Questionnaire that was modified and validated from the Berlin Questionnaire and underwent physical examination. The participants were 1107 active-duty army personnel in the three southernmost provinces of Thailand, both males and females, aged 20–60 years.Methods: The PMK OSA Questionnaire was used to assess the risk of OSA together with interviewing for snoring,fatigue, falling asleep and day-time sleepiness. Physical examination of the neck, chest and hip circumference,and height was performed. Information concerning physical training, co-morbid diseases, smoking and alcoholic consumption was collected.Results: The prevalence of snoring was 58.5, and 4.8% met the PMK OSA Questionnaire criteria, thus indicating a high risk of OSA. The information obtained indicated that laryngopharyngeal reflux(LPR), current smoking and alcoholic consumption were significantly higher in the high-risk OSA group.Conclusions: Early detection and treatment of OSA in active-duty army personnel are imperative. Physical examination and polysomnography can be used to reveal the high-risk group. High body mess index(BMI), laryngopharyngeal reflux, current smoking and alcoholic consumption are modifiable factors for OSA and are avoidable. A policy to decrease the BMI and risk of LPR, as well as to stop smoking and alcoholic consumption, should be applied.
基金supported by the Military Scentific Research Project(41405030302,41401020301).
文摘According to the requirements of the live-virtual-constructive(LVC)tactical confrontation(TC)on the virtual entity(VE)decision model of graded combat capability,diversified actions,real-time decision-making,and generalization for the enemy,the confrontation process is modeled as a zero-sum stochastic game(ZSG).By introducing the theory of dynamic relative power potential field,the problem of reward sparsity in the model can be solved.By reward shaping,the problem of credit assignment between agents can be solved.Based on the idea of meta-learning,an extensible multi-agent deep reinforcement learning(EMADRL)framework and solving method is proposed to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of model solving.Experiments show that the model meets the requirements well and the algorithm learning efficiency is high.
基金supported by 973 Program of China(Grant No.2013CB329601, 2013CB329602,2013CB329604)NSFC of China(Grant No.60933005,91124002)+1 种基金863 Program of China(Grant No.2012AA01A401, 2012AA01A402)National Key Technology RD Program of China(Grant No.2012BAH38B04, 2012BAH38B06)
文摘With the development of online social networks,a special group of online users named organized posters(or Internet water army,Internet paid posters in some literatures) have fl ooded the social network communities. They are organized in groups to post with specific purposes and sometimes even confuse or mislead normal users.In this paper,we study the individual and group characteristics of organized posters. A classifier is constructed based on the individual and group characteristics to detect them. Extensive experimental results on three real datasets demonstrate that our method based on individual and group characteristics using SVM model(IGCSVM) is effective in detecting organized posters and better than existing methods. We take a first look at finding the promoters based on the detected organized posters of our IGCSVM method. Our experiments show that it is effective in detecting promoters.
文摘This paper deals with effects of airborne fluorine on the army worm, Mythimna separata (Walker), by rearing the larvae on the wheat foliage exposed to HF or fumigating the larvae on the artificial diet with the pollutant. Larval relative growth rate (GR) and index of population trend of the insect reduced by 5% and 11%, respectively, when the larvae were reared on the foliage taken from the wheat plants exposed to 0.87 g·dm-2·day-1 of fluorine compared with those of the control. An extra instar appeared in a majority of the larvae treated. Survival rate and GR of the larvae on the wheat plant being exposure to the same concentration of fluorine in field open-top fumigation device were 40% and 15% lower than that of the control, respectively. Similar experiment with the insect on the artificial diet also showed that direct impact of the pollutant on the army worm was greater than its indirect effect via their host plant.
基金funded by the Medical University of Armed Forces
文摘Objective To compare the blood antioxidant levels and dietary antioxidant intakes between pilots and non-flight staff of the Army Force in The Islamic Republic of Iran. Methods Thirty-seven helicopter pilots and 40 non-flight staff were included in this study. Their general characteristics were recorded and their weight, height, and waist circumference were measured. Their daily intake of energy and nutrients including antioxidants was assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Serum levels of total antioxidant capacity （TAC）, malondialdehyde （MDA）, and glutathione reductase （GR）, glutathione peroxidase （GPx）, superoxide dismutase （SOD）, and catalase （CAT） in red blood cells were also measured. Results The median erythrocytes SOD, serum MDA level and the mean serum level of TAC and erythrocytes GPx were significantly higher in pilots than in non-flight staff. The median vitamin C intake was significantly lower in pilots than in non-flight staff. The serum MDA levels were similar in non-flight staff and pilots when their vitamin C intake was 〈168 mg and significantly lower in non-flight staff than in pilots when their vitamin C intake was 〉168 mg. Conclusion The serum MDA level is lower in non-flight staff than in pilots when their vitamin C intake level is high, indicating that pilots need more vitamin C than non-flight staff.
文摘Leptospirosis is a re-emerging zoonotic disease caused by infection of the bacteria belongs to Genus leptospira. It occurs in tropical, subtropical and temperate zones. It is also known as occupational-related disease as certain occupations are associated with the occurrence of leptospirosis. Army is identified as one of the high-risk occupations in contracting leptospirosis. This study was done to determine knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) among army personnel on leptospirosis. A cross sectional study was conducted among 616 army personnel in four based camps in Northeastern Malaysia, who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A validated KAP questionnaire was used, consisting of knowledge, attitude and practice questions. More than half (52.8%) of the respondents had poor knowledge score. For the attitude score, almost the same proportions had satisfactory attitude. The same finding was seen in practice score, whereby those with good practice (54.9%) and bad practice (45.9%). In conclusion, the finding showed that almost all army personnel had unsatisfactory KAP, thus, it is recommended for the army to have a good health education program on leptospirosis among army personnel to protect the army personnel from risk of getting leptospirosis.
文摘Community-based interventions in prevention and control of leptospirosis, have been uniformly unsuccessful. Individual counseling and health education play an important role in the prevention and control of the disease. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of intervention on the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) score on leptospirosis among the army personnel after receiving a health education given. A validated questionnaire was used to assess knowledge, attitude and practice at pre- and post-intervention. A total of 188 army personnel from the two camps involved in this study with 94 respondents in control and intervention groups respectively. Leptospirosis Health Education Module (LHEM) was given to the intervention group. There was significant improvement in knowledge score before and after intervention done (mean difference = 24.25, 95% CI: 21.93, 26.56;p −14.13, 95% CI: −15.82, −12.45;p −0.72, 1.55;p > 0.05). For the intervention effect, the subjects in intervention group had significantly higher mean attitude score as compared to the subjects in control group (mean difference = −2.12, 95% CI: −2.99, −1.24;p −0.47, 1.98;p > 0.05). For the intervention effect regardless of time, the subjects in intervention group had significantly higher mean practice score as compared to the subjects in control group (mean difference = 4.16, 95% CI: 2.80, 5.52;p < 0.001). The leptospirosis health education module was found to cause improvement in KAP score in the intervention group.
文摘On September 20,2017 Hurricane Maria,a category 4 hurricane,made landfall on the eastern coast of Puerto Rico.This was preceded by Hurricane Irma,a category 5 hurricane,which passed just off the coast 13 d prior.The destruction from both Hurricane Irma and Maria precipitated a coordinated federal response which included the Federal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA)and the United States military.The United States Army dispatched the 14^th Combat Support Hospital(CSH)to Humacao,a city on the eastern side of the island where Maria made landfall.The mission of the 14^th CSH was to provide medical humanitarian aid and conduct disaster relief operations in support of the government of Puerto Rico and FEMA.During the 14^th CSH deployment to Puerto Rico,1157 patients were evaluated and treated.Fifty-seven operative cases were performed to include 23 orthopaedic cases.The mean age of the orthopaedic patients treated was 45.7 years(range 13-76 years).The most common operation was irrigation and debridement of open contaminated and/or infected wounds.Patients presented a mean 10.8 d from their initial injury(range 1-40 d).Fractures and infections were the most common diagnoses with the greatest delay in treatment from the initial date of injury.The deployment of the 14^th CSH to Puerto Rico was unique in its use of air transport,language and local customs encountered,as well as deployment to a location outside the continental United States.These factors coupled with the need for rapid deployment of the 14^th CSH provided valuable experience which will undoubtedly enable future success in similar endeavors.
文摘Agent Blue, a mixture of cacodylic acid (CH<sub>3</sub>) As O<sub>2</sub>H) and sodium cacodylate (C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub> AsNaO<sub>2</sub>), was a tactical arsenic-based herbicide used during the Vietnam War to destroy grasses and rice crops. Natural and synthetic sources of arsenic can degrade into water-soluble forms and persist in groundwater and potentially contribute to elevating As levels in drinking water. The United States Department of Defense (DOD) and United States Department of Agricultural (USDA) Operation Ranch Hand records for tactical herbicides including Agent Blue sprayed in southern Vietnam during the Vietnam War (1961-1971) are very detailed, rather complete and publicly available. The same is not true for tactical herbicides sprayed by the Republic of Vietnam (RV) during the Khai Quang program which was supported by the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the Mekong Delta. Agent Blue was sprayed by the RV military for three years before the official start of the American-Vietnam War. Few, if any, RV military, US Army, US Navy and CIA spray records exist from 1962 to 1965. Vietnam War veterans, historians and scholars have reported the spraying of 3.2 million liters (468,008 kg As) of Agent Blue on rice paddies and mangrove forests in the Mekong Delta and Central Highlands by the RV military with the support of the US Army, US Navy and CIA. The Institute of Medicine estimated that 3.2 million liters (468,000 kg As) were sprayed during the RV Khai Quang program. This was in addition to the U.S. Air Force’s Operation Ranch Hand spraying of the tactical herbicide Agent Blue primarily by C-123 aircraft. The Operation Ranch Hand missions maintained location and quantities of herbicides sprayed (over 4,712,000 liters (664,392 kg As) from 1961-1971. The RV military and US military (Army and Navy) spray equipment included hand and backpack sprayers, sprayers mounted on Brown Water Navy boats, on Army track vehicles and Army land-based helicopters and helicopters based on the decks of Blue Water Navy ships. Some of these spray missions were a military secret and spray records were classified or if kept were not maintained. Agent Blue containing cacodylic acid had a short half-life and degraded to water-soluble arsenic, which was released into the surface water and/or leached into the groundwater. Once the water-soluble arsenic leached into the Vietnam Mekong Delta groundwater, the arsenic-rich water was pumped back to the surface by tens of thousands of tube wells for urban and agricultural use. The primary objectives of this research are to explore the conditions during the Vietnam War under which 1) the RV military herbicide spray program with the support of the US Navy, CIA and US Army, and 2) the US Air Force spray program during Operation Ranch Hand may have significantly contributed to the natural and anthropic As spikes found in the Mekong Delta today. The environmental impacts of Agent Blue, on the Menominee River at manufacturing sites in the United States, were studied to identify possible As remediation and mitigation strategies. The lessons previously learned at the manufacturing sites in Wisconsin and Michigan, United States can be considered and applied to the Mekong Delta to help mitigate and remediate the arsenic-rich surface water, soil, sediment and groundwater found in the Mekong Delta.
文摘The number of children affected in conflicts is on the rise in Africa.All childhood experiences of such children are nightmares by war.The conflict in Northern Uganda continues to attract local,national and international attention.Once a vibrant area,Gulu has been shuttered by the Lord Resistance Army (LRA)atrocities,a region where several vehicles were burnt and people were butchered.The purpose of
文摘Background:The prevalence of obesity has been increasing in both males and females worldwide.In Thailand,the National Health Examination Surveys reported that the prevalence of obesity(body mass index(BMI)≥30 kg/m^2)among Thai male adults aged 20–59 years increased from 1.7%in 1991 to 6.8%in 2009.Obesity has been confirmed to lead to health problems,including noncommunicable diseases.In the present study,we report trends in the prevalence of obesity among new conscripts from 2009 to 2016.We also investigated the associated factors of obesity.Methods:Serial cross-sectional studies were conducted from 2009 to 2016 among male Royal Thai Army(RTA)conscripts whose weight and height had been measured to determine BMI after being inducted.Each subject completed a detailed risk factor questionnaire.Obesity was defined as BMI≥30 kg/m2.Results:A total of 26,540 young Thai males conscripted into the RTA were included in this study.The prevalence of obesity was 2.2%in 2009,3.4%in 2010,2.5%in 2011,2.9%in 2012,3.4%in 2013,4.4%in 2014,5.0%in 2015,and 4.8%in 2016(P for trend<0.0001).The independent risk factors for obesity were coming from the north central and south regions compared with the northeast,higher education level,indoor occupation and no regular exercise.Conclusions:Our data emphasized that obesity constitutes a serious problem among young Thai men.We could apply these findings in military units to other groups at any age.Regular exercise should be provided to young adults and other age groups to slow the process of obesity,so that associated complications,especially noncommunicable diseases,will cease.
基金the Innovative Fund of Scientific Research of Hohai University(No.1066-405141)
文摘CdS nanowire arrays were synthesized by altering current（AC） electrodeposition in the porous anodic alumina film prepared by aluminium anodizing in oxalic acid. These nanowires have a uniform diameter of about 45 nm corresponding to the pore size of the films used and length up to several microns. The X-ray diffraction（XRD） pattern indicates that the CdS nanowires crystallize in an hcp structure. Besides, photoluminescences（PL） of CdS nanowire arrays, characterized by spectrophotometer show that CdS nanowries embedded in porous alumina template increases the light-emitting intensity and induces a red shift of PL band.
