My 5 moments (M5M) was used less frequently among cleaning staff members, suggesting that a poor compliance score in this group may not indicate deficient handwashing. This quasi-experimental study compared hand hygiene compliance (HHC), hand hygiene (HH) moments, and HH time distribution in the control group (no HH intervention; n = 21), case group 1 (normal M5M intervention; n = 26), case group 2 (extensive novel six moments (NSM) training; n = 24), and case group 3 (refined NSM training; n = 18). The intervention’s effect was evaluated after 3 months. The HHC gap among the four groups gradually increased in the second intervention month (control group, 31.43%; case group 1, 38.74%; case group 2, 40.19%; case group 3, 52.21%; p < 0.05). After the intervention period, the HHC of case groups 2 and 3 improved significantly from the baseline (23.85% vs. 59.22%, 27.41% vs. 83.62%, respectively; p < 0.05). ‘After transferring medical waste from the site’ had the highest HHC in case group 3, 90.72% (95% confidence interval, 0.1926–0.3967). HH peak hours were from 6 AM to 9 AM and 2 PM to 3 PM. The study showed that the implementation of an NSM practice can serve as an HHC monitoring indicator and direct relevant training interventions to improve HH among hospital cleaning staff.

Energy homeostasis is essential for organisms to maintain fluctuation in energy accumulation, mobilization. Lipids as the main energy reserve in insects, their metabolism is under the control of many physiological program. This study aimed to determine whether the adipokinetic hormone receptor (AKHR) was involved in the lipid mobilization in the Spodoptera litura. A full-length cDNA encoding AKHR was isolated from S. litura. The SlAKHR protein has a conserved seven-transmembrane domain which is the character of a putative G protein receptor. Expression profile investigation revealed that SlAKHR mRNA was highly expressed in immatural stage and abundant in fat body in newly emerged female adults. Knockdown of SlAKHR expression was achieved through RNAi by injecting double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) into the 6th instar larvae. The content of triacylgycerol (TAG) in the fat body increased significantly after the SlAKHR gene was knockdown. And decrease of TAG releasing to hemolymph with increase of free fatty acid (FFA) in hemolymph were observed when the SlAKHR gene was knowned-down. In addition, lipid droplets increased in fat body was also found. These results suggested that SlAKHR is critical for insects to regulate lipids metabolism.

Power scaling based on traditional ytterbium-doped fibers (YDFs) is limited by optical nonlinear effects and transverse mode instability (TMI) in high-power fiber lasers. Here, we propose a novel long tapered fiber with a constant cladding and tapered core (CCTC) along its axis direction. The tapered-core region of the fiber is designed to enhance the stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) threshold and suppress higher-order mode resonance in the laser cavity. The CCTC YDF was fabricated successfully with a modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) method combined with solution doping technology, which has a cladding diameter of 400 μm and a varying core with a diameter of ~24 μm at both ends and ~31 μm in the middle. To test the performance of the CCTC fiber during high-power operation, an all-fiber laser oscillator based on a CCTC YDF was investigated experimentally. As a result, a maximum output power of 3.42 kW was achieved with an optical-to-optical efficiency of 55.2%, although the TMI effect was observed at an output power of ~3.12 kW. The measured beam quality (M2 factor) was ~1.7, and no sign of the Raman component was observed in the spectrum. We believe that CCTC YDF has great potential to simultaneously mitigate the SRS and TMI effects, and further power scaling is promising by optimizing the structure of the YDF.

Diverse and abundant fossil taxa have been described in the lower Cambrian Shipai Formation in the Three Gorges area of Hubei Province, South China, but the taxonomy and diversity of the co-occurring brachiopod fauna are still far from clear. Here we describe the brachiopod fauna recovered from the Shipai Formation in the Three Gorges area of South China, including representatives of the subphylum Linguliformea: linguloids (Lingulellotreta ergalievi, Eoobolus malongensis, and Neobolidae gen. indet. sp. indet.), and an acrotretoid (Linnarssonia sapushanensis); and representatives from the subphylum Rhynchonelliformea: the calcareous-shelled Kutorginates (Kutorgina sinensis, Kutorgina sp., and Nisusia liantuoensis). This brachiopod assemblage and the first occurrence of Linnarssonia sapushanensis shell beds permit correlation of the Shipai Formation in the Three Gorges area of Hubei Province with the Stage 4 Wulongqing Formation in the Wuding area of eastern Yunnan. This correlation is further strengthened by the first appearance datum (FAD) of the rhynchonelliform brachiopod Nisusia in the upper silty mudstone of both the Shipai and Wulongqing formations. The new well-preserved material, derived from siliciclastic rocks, also gives critical new insights into the fine shell structure of L. sapushanensis. Microstructural studies on micromorphic acrotretoids (like Linnarssonia) have previously been restricted to fossils that were acid-etched from limestones. This is the first study to carry out detailed comparative ultrastructural studies on acrotretoid shells preserved in siliciclastic rocks. This work reveals a hollow tube and solid column microstructure in the acrotretoid shells from the Shipai Formation, which is likely to be equivalent of traditional column and central canal observed in shells dissolved from limestones.

In this paper, we use finite element analysis (FEA) to study the linear viscoelastic response of polyurea, a type of hard–soft block copolymer. A Niblack's algorithm-based technique employed on atomic force microscopy images provides geometry inputs for the FEA model, while the viscoelastic master curves of the soft matrix are obtained via a combination of dynamic mechanical analysis data and molecular dynamic (MD) estimations. In this microstructural image-based FEA framework, we introduce an interphase area of altered properties between the hard and soft domains. Both spatial and property distributions of this interphase area affect the viscoelastic response of the copolymer system. To quantitatively investigate the impact of structural and property features of the interphase on the energy storage and dissipation of a system during linear perturbation, we develop a statistical descriptor representation of the interphase region related to physical parameters. Utilizing decision-tree and random forest concepts from machine learning, we apply a ranking algorithm to identify the most significant features for four different mechanical response descriptors. Results show that the total interphase volume fraction and shifting factor distributions in the interphase area dominate the magnitude of the tan δ peak, whereas the magnitudes of the shifting factors primarily affect the tan δ peak location in frequency space. This method allows us to readily identify the dominant features impacting individual properties and paves the way for material design of hard–soft block copolymer systems.

High-peak-power transform-limited narrow-linewidth nanosecond all-fiber lasers are desired in a range of applications. However, their linewidths will be broadened by self-phase modulation (SPM). We propose a novel concept that generates transform-limited laser pulses by temporally shaping the pulse seed. The impact of the pulse shape on SPM-induced spectral broadening was studied numerically and experimentally. It was found theoretically that the square-shape pulsed laser is immune to SPM-induced spectral broadening. Based on this principle, we built a high-peak-power, linearly polarized, square-shape nanosecond all-fiber laser in a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) configuration. Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) limited peak powers of 4.02 kW, 5.06 kW, 6.52 kW and 9.30 kW were obtained at pulse widths of 8 ns, 7 ns, 6 ns and 5 ns. Thanks to the square-shape pulsed seed, the linewidths at maximum peak power remained at 129.5 MHz, 137.6 MHz, 156.2 MHz and 200.1 MHz, respectively, close to the transform-limited values of 110.8 MHz, 126.6 MHz, 147.7 MHz and 177.3 MHz.

X-ray powder diffraction data for (S)-methyl-2-hexanamido-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propanoate, C16H23NO4, are reported [a = 17.795(4) Å, b = 15.101(1) Å, c = 12.746(3) Å, unit-cell volume V = 3425.51 Å3, Z = 8, and space group P212121]. All measured lines were indexed and are consistent with the P212121 space group. No detectable impurities were observed. The single crystallographic data of the compound are also reported [a = 12.5998(3) Å, b = 17.6856(5) Å, c = 14.6711(5) Å, unit-cell volume V = 3269.25(16) Å3, Z = 8, and space group P212121]. Because of the single-crystal diffraction data were measured at low temperature (110 K), the cell parameters, volume, and calculated density of single-crystal experiment have slight differences with powder diffraction results.

Compared with traditional uniform fibers, tapered fiber has numerous unique advantages, such as larger mode area, higher pump absorption, suppression to nonlinear effects, and maintaining good beam quality. In this manuscript, we have constructed an all-fiberized fiber amplifier which is based on a piece of ytterbium-doped tapered double-clad fiber (T-DCF). The fiber amplifier is operated under continuous wave (CW) regime at 1080 nm wavelength. The $M^{2}$ factor of the amplifier at 1.39 kW output power is ${\sim}1.8$. The maximum output power of the system reached 1.47 kW, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the highest output power of long tapered fiber based fiber laser system. Our result successfully verifies the potential of power scalability and all-fiberized capability of long tapered fiber, and the performance of our system can be further enhanced by fiber design optimization.

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) attitude determination and positioning play an important role in many navigation applications. However, the two GNSS-based problems are usually treated separately. This ignores the constraint information of the GNSS antenna array and the accuracy is limited. To improve the performance of navigation, an integrated attitude and position determination method based on an affine constraint model is presented. In the first part, the GNSS array model and affine constrained attitude determination method are compared with the unconstrained methods. Then the integrated attitude and position determination method is presented. The performance of the proposed method is tested with a series of static data and dynamic experimental GNSS data. The results show that the proposed method can improve the success rate of ambiguity resolution to further improve the accuracy of attitude determination and relative positioning compared to the unconstrained methods.

The Wa'ergang section in South China has been proposed as a potential Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the base of Stage 10, the uppermost stage of the Cambrian System. In this study, high-resolution C-isotopic compositions are reported and we identified three large negative δ13C excursions, namely N1, N2 and N3, at Wa'ergang. The N1 is located just above the First Appearance Datum (FAD) of Lotagnostus americanus, corresponding to the possible base of the Proconodontus posterocostatus conodont Zone. The N2 was identified within the Micragnostus chuishuensis trilobite Zone and the Proconodontus muelleri conodont Zone. The N3 is located in the lowermost part of the Leiagnostus cf. bexelli – Archaeuloma taoyuanense trilobite Zone or Eoconodontus conodont Zone. The N1 and N2 can be correlated with the negative δ13C excursions preceding the Top of Cambrian Carbon Isotope Excursion (TOCE) observed globally. The N3 can be correlated with the TOCE or the HEllnmaria–Red Tops Boundary (HERB) Event. The inter-basinal correlation of N1 and L. americanus strongly supports that the base of Stage 10 may be best defined by the FAD of L. americanus. We also used a box model to quantitatively explore the genesis of the negative δ13C excursions from South China. Our numerical simulations suggest that weathering of the organic-rich sediments on the platform, probably driven by intermittent sea level fall and/or the oxygenation of the Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) reservoir in seawater, may have contributed to the generation of the negative δ13C excursions observed in the Stage 10 at Wa'ergang in South China.

2-[((3R)-5-oxo-4-phenyltetrahydrofuran-3-yl)methyl]isoindoline-1,3-dione, C19H15NO4, was synthesized for the first time. Its structure was characterized by element analysis, ultraviolet spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, and single X-ray diffraction (SXRD). X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) data of title compound were collected and calculated. The result of SXRD shows that its crystal system is orthorhombic, space group is Pbca, and unit-cell parameters are a = 8.861 57(7), b = 14.6666(10), c = 24.4247(19) Å, α =β =γ =90°, unit-cell volume V = 3174.4 Å3, and Z = 8. All XRPD measured lines were indexed and consistent with the Pbca space group [a = 14.639(7), b = 24.378(3), c = 8.918(1) Å, α = β = γ = 90°, unit-cell volume V = 3182.7(9) Å3, Z = 8]. No detectable impurities were observed.

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is the most sensitive method for measuring 129I in environmental samples available today, with a detection limit of about 10–15 for 129I/127I. A drawback of the technique is the time-consuming chemical separation required to prepare AMS targets from raw samples. This step significantly limits applications requiring rapid analyses and large numbers of samples, for example, in monitoring studies associated with nuclear accidents. This work introduces a direct method for 129I measurements by AMS that does not require chemical separation. In this approach, stable iodine (127I) is added to a matrix of niobium (Nb) powder and mixed with dried raw sample. This mixture is pressed directly into a sputter target for AMS analysis. Two types of environmental samples have been tested in this work, seaweed and sediment. No anomalous behavior was noted in the Cs+ sputtering behavior of the targets prepared from these materials. The 129I/127I ratios and 129I concentrations measured by this rapid method were found to be in agreement with reported values that used a conventional AMS method for the same material. Based on our findings, we expect that such rapid measurements can be applied to a wide variety of materials, in addition to seaweed and sediment, as long as the sputtering-induced adverse effects do not prevent the stable operation of the ion source. The method is especially useful for screening large numbers of samples before more precise analyses are made.

Due to α radioactive decay Pu is vulnerable to aging. The behavior of He in Pu is the foundation for understanding Pu self-radiation damage aging. Molecular dynamics technique is performed to investigate the behavior of defects, the interaction between He and defects, the processes of initial nucleation and growth of He bubble and the dependence of He bubble on the macroscopical properties of Pu. Modified embedded atom method, Morse pair potential and the Lennard-Jones pair potential are used for describing the interactions of Pu-Pu, Pu-He and He-He, respectively. The main calculated results show that He atoms can combine with vacancies to form Hevacancy cluster (i.e., the precursor of He bubble) during the process of self-radiation as a result of high binding energy of an interstitial He atom to vacancy; He bubble’s growth can be dominated by the mechanism of punching out of dislocation loop; the swelling induced by He bubble is very small; grain boundaries give rise to an energetically more favorable zone for the interstitial He atom and self-interstitial atom accumulation than for vacancy accumulation; the process of He release can be identified as the formation of release channel induced by the cracking of He bubble and surface structure.

Grinding stones have provided a convenient proxy for the arrival of agriculture in Neolithic China. Not any more. Thanks to high-precision analyses of use-wear and starch residue, the authors show that early Neolithic people were mainly using these stones to process acorns. This defines a new stage in the long transition of food production from hunter-gatherer to farmer.

With the recent significant growth in the single-name credit default swap (CDS) market has come the need for accurate and computationally efficient models to value these instruments. While the model developed by Duffie, Pan, and Singleton (2000) can be used, the solution is numerical (solving a series of ordinary differential equations) rather than explicit. In this paper, we provide an explicit solution to the valuation of a credit default swap when the interest rate and the hazard rate are correlated by using the “change of measure” approach and solving a bivariate Riccati equation. CDS transaction data for the period 2/15/2000 through 4/8/2003 for 60 firms are used to test both the goodness of fit of the model and provide estimates of the influence of economic variables in the market for credit-risky bonds.

If the energy-density of prey bodies is not uniform, predators usually should maximize their rate of energy intake while foraging by selectively consuming energy-rich regions of their prey and discarding other parts. In this study, the hypothesis of selective body-part consumption was tested using two species of dasyurid marsupials, Sminthopsis youngsoni and Ningaui ridei, and their invertebrate prey in arid central Australia. Energy-densities were similar for several divergent types of prey, including whole insects, centipedes, and spiders (20.2±2.19 (sd) J/mg ash-free dry mass), but there were marked differences in energy-density among orders of insects and also between different body regions of invertebrates. In captivity, the two dasyurid species consumed different body regions of prey in the same way. For beetles and cockroaches, the rank order for selection of body parts was abdomen, thorax, head, then legs; for centipedes it was body, then head + legs; and for spiders it was opisthosoma, prosoma and then legs. Selection of prey body regions by the marsupials correlated closely with the energy-densities of these regions, and also with the rates of energy intake that they yielded. In the field, selection of body parts of arthropod prey by dasyurids probably occurs primarily when prey is abundant. This selection should allow maximization of rates of energy intake in favourable periods and should, in turn, allow dasyurid predators to effectively exploit pulses of prey resources in the temporally variable desert environment.