Factors associated with neonatal deaths in Chitwan district of Nepal

Neonatal mortality has remained unchanged since 2006 in Nepal. Reducing neonatal mortality is indispensable to reduce child mortality. The objective of this study was to investigate the factors associated with...

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Photonics, Vol. 3, Pages 2: Numerical Study of Light Transport in Apple Models Based on Monte Carlo Simulations

This paper reports on the quantification of light transport in apple models using Monte Carlo simulations. To this end, apple was modeled as a two-layer spherical model including skin and flesh bulk tissues. The optical properties of both tissue types used to generate Monte Carlo data were collected from the literature, and selected to cover a range of values related to three apple varieties. Two different imaging-tissue setups were simulated in order to show the role of the skin on steady-state backscattering images, spatially-resolved reflectance profiles, and assessment of flesh optical properties using an inverse nonlinear least squares fitting algorithm. Simulation results suggest that apple skin cannot be ignored when a Visible/Near-Infrared (Vis/NIR) steady-state imaging setup is used for investigating quality attributes of apples. They also help to improve optical inspection techniques in the horticultural products.

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Applied Sciences, Vol. 6, Pages 7: Novel Molecular Non-Volatile Memory: Application of Redox-Active Molecules

This review briefly describes the development of molecular electronics in the application of non-volatile memory. Molecules, especially redox-active molecules, have become interesting due to their intrinsic redox behavior, which provides an excellent basis for low-power, high-density and high-reliability non-volatile memory applications. Recently, solid-state non-volatile memory devices based on redox-active molecules have been reported, exhibiting fast speed, low operation voltage, excellent endurance and multi-bit storage, outperforming the conventional floating-gate flash memory. Such high performance molecular memory will lead to promising on-chip memory and future portable/wearable electronics applications.

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Metals, Vol. 6, Pages 7: Spectral Shift Amplification and Polarization-Controlled Spectral Shift with Silver Metal

The spectral shift amplification effect and polarization-controlled spectral shifts are studied using silver (Ag) metal. The spectral shift amplification factor can be doubled by using silver compared with using water. The solid Ag metal surface also provides orientation freedom for polarization-controlled spectral shifts, benefiting data transmission applications in any direction. The liquid water interface provides only limited direction at the Brewster angle. Besides those advantages, the higher reflectivity of Ag reflects higher spectral intensity, which makes the signal easier to detect. The spectral switch phenomenon that depends on the central wavelength variation is also presented.

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Atoms, Vol. 4, Pages 3: Natural and Unnatural Parity Resonance States in the Positron-Hydrogen System with Screened Coulomb Interactions

In the present work, we report calculations of resonances in the positron-hydrogen system interacting with screened Coulomb potentials using the method of complex scaling together with employing correlated Hylleraas wave functions. Resonances with natural and unnatural parities are investigated. For the natural parity case, resonance parameters (energy and width) for D-wave resonance states with even parity lying below various positronium and hydrogen thresholds up to the H(N = 4) level are determined. For the unnatural parity case, results for P-even and D-odd resonance states with various screened Coulomb interaction strengths are located below different lower-lying Ps and H thresholds.

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IJERPH, Vol. 13, Pages 81: Medical Hydrogeology of Asian Deltas: Status of Groundwater Toxicants and Nutrients, and Implications for Human Health

Drinking water, a fluid primarily for human hydration, is also a source of mineral nutrients. Groundwater, a drinking water source for more than 70% of inhabitants living in Asian deltas, has received much attention because of its naturally occurring arsenic, but the linkage of arsenic toxicity with other water constituents has not been studied. In addition, although nutrients are generally provided by food, in under developed rural settings, where people subsist on low nutrient diets, drinking-water-nutrients may supply quantities critical to human health thereby preventing diseases. Here, we show, using augmented datasets from three Asian deltas (Bengal, Mekong, and Red River), that the chemical content of groundwater is so substantial that in some areas individuals obtain up to 50% or more of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of some nutrients (e.g., calcium, magnesium, iron) from just two litres of drinking water. We also show some indications of a spatial association of groundwater nutrients and health outcome using demographic health data from Bangladesh. We therefore suggest that an understanding of the association of non-communicable disease and poor nutrition cannot be developed, particularly in areas with high levels of dissolved solids in water sources, without considering the contribution of drinking water to nutrient and mineral supply.

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Sustainability, Vol. 8, Pages 24: Environmental Consciousness in Daily Activities Measured by Negative Prompts

The gap between people's attitude and action as regards environmental issues has been pointed out even while surveys registered an increase in people's environmental awareness. Among the possible reasons is that people tend to automatically answer "yes", as most surveys on environmental consciousness use positively-phrased questions or prompts. To remove the "yes-bias" in previous surveys, this present study conducted in Japan a large-scale questionnaire survey on environmental consciousness using negative prompts and free-answered prompts on which behaviors people feel good/bad/uncertain for the environment. This study also investigated peoples' psychological factors and concrete pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) in daily life. The results of the questionnaire with negative prompts showed that the rate of people's consciousness to the environment was lower compared with other surveys. Through factor analysis, five psychological factors were extracted as the explanatory factors of environmental attitude. Demographic effects on the consciousness and PEBs were also observed. Comparison of free-answers on concrete daily behaviors among five different environmentally conscious groups showed there were certain phases in the perception of PEBs based on consciousness level. Similar common behaviors were highly ranked as both PEB and doubtful behaviors, indicating that people were worried about actions that involve a trade-off relationship from diversified standpoints.

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