CHILDREN¡¯S HEALTH GRADIENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: EVIDENCE FROM INDONESIA

Using data of children under age fifteen in Indonesia, I examine how the health gradient among children evolves over age. It is found that health status is strongly correlated with household income among children younger than seven, but not so among the older school-aged children. I find evidence that schooling explains partly the pattern, as schooling has a positive impact on health status of children of low-income families, but little impact on health status of children of high-income families. Accessibility to healthcare providers is found to play a significant role in shaping the gradient, but it does not explain directly the observed evolving pattern of the gradient.Child Health Gradient, Healthcare, Schooling, Developing Country

Impact of violence against women on severe acute maternal morbidity in the intensive care unit, including neonatal outcomes: a case–control study protocol in a tertiary healthcare facility in Lima, Peru

Introduction Preventing and reducing violence against women (VAW) and maternal mortality are Sustainable Development Goals. Worldwide, the maternal mortality ratio has fallen about 44% in the last 25 years, and for one maternal death there are many women affected by severe acute maternal morbidity (SAMM) requiring management in the intensive care unit (ICU). These women represent the most critically ill obstetric patients of the maternal morbidity spectrum and should be studied to complement the review of maternal mortality. VAW has been associated with all-cause maternal deaths, and since many women (30%) endure violence usually exerted by their intimate partners and this abuse can be severe during pregnancy, it is important to determine whether it impacts SAMM. Thus, this study aims to investigate the impact of VAW on SAMM in the ICU. Methods and analysis This will be a prospective case-control study undertaken in a tertiary healthcare facility in Lima-Peru, with a sample size of 109 cases (obstetric patients admitted to the ICU) and 109 controls (obstetric patients not admitted to the ICU selected by systematic random sampling). Data on social determinants, medical and obstetric characteristics, VAW, pregnancy and neonatal outcome will be collected through interviews and by extracting information from the medical records using a pretested form. Main outcome will be VAW rate and neonatal mortality rate between cases and controls. VAW will be assessed by using the WHO instrument. Binary logistic followed by stepwise multivariate regression and goodness of fit test will assess any association between VAW and SAMM. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been granted by the La Trobe University, Melbourne-Australia and the tertiary healthcare facility in Lima-Peru. This research follows the WHO ethical and safety recommendations for research on VAW. Findings will be presented at conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals

What Determines the Gradient among Children in Developing Countries? Evidence from Indonesia

I estimate the gradient among children 0 to 14 years old across different age groups using data from Indonesia. I find that while the gradient is strong among the very young, it gets weaker and almost disappears among children older than 6. I find that unequal mortality of children by socioeconomic status depresses the gradient among children 3 years old or younger. I also find evidence that limited access to private healthcare providers decreases the gradient among children 4 to 12 years old. Schooling, on the other hand, is found to have a positive impact on health status of children from low-SES families but little impact on health status of high-SES children. It weakens the gradient among school-age children.

The LAB@FUTURE Project - Moving Towards the Future of E-Learning

This paper presents Lab@Future, an advanced e-learning platform that uses novel Information and Communication Technologies to support and expand laboratory teaching practices. For this purpose, Lab@Future uses real and computer-generated objects that are interfaced using mechatronic systems, augmented reality, mobile technologies and 3D multi user environments. The main aim is to develop and demonstrate technological support for practical experiments in the following focused subjects namely: Fluid Dynamics - Science subject in Germany, Geometry - Mathematics subject in Austria, History and Environmental Awareness – Arts and Humanities subjects in Greece and Slovenia. In order to pedagogically enhance the design and functional aspects of this e-learning technology, we are investigating the dialogical operationalisation of learning theories so as to leverage our understanding of teaching and learning practices in the targeted context of deployment

ER localized bestrophin1 activates Ca2+ dependent ion channels TMEM16A and SK4

Bestrophins form Ca2+ activated Cl- channels and regulate intercellular Ca2+ signaling1. We demonstrate that bestrophin 1 is localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where it physically interacts with stromal interacting molecule 1 (Stim1), the ER-Ca2+ sensor2,3. Intracellular Ca2+ transients in HEK293 cells elicited by stimulation of purinergic P2Y2-receptors were augmented but more transient after expression of hBest1, in contrast to dominant negative hBest1-R218C, which attenuated Ca2+ increase. The p21-activated protein kinase Pak2 was found to phosphorylate hBest1, thereby enhancing Ca2+ signaling and activation of Ca2+ dependent Cl- (TMEM16A)4 and K+ (SK4)5 channels. Lack of bestrophin 1 expression in respiratory epithelial cells of mBest1 knockout mice caused expansion of ER cisterns and induced Ca2+ deposits. We propose that hBest1 is important for Ca2+ handling of the ER store, probably by controlling the function of Stim1 and by acting as a counter-ion channel to balance transient membrane potentials occurring through inositol trisphosphate (IP3) induced Ca2+ release and refill of the ER-Ca2+ store. Thus bestrophin 1 controls activation of Ca2+ dependent ion channels by regulation of compartmentalized Ca2+ signaling

In-home and remote use of robotic body surrogates by people with profound motor deficits

By controlling robots comparable to the human body, people with profound motor deficits could potentially perform a variety of physical tasks for themselves, improving their quality of life. The extent to which this is achievable has been unclear due to the lack of suitable interfaces by which to control robotic body surrogates and a dearth of studies involving substantial numbers of people with profound motor deficits. We developed a novel, web-based augmented reality interface that enables people with profound motor deficits to remotely control a PR2 mobile manipulator from Willow Garage, which is a human-scale, wheeled robot with two arms. We then conducted two studies to investigate the use of robotic body surrogates. In the first study, 15 novice users with profound motor deficits from across the United States controlled a PR2 in Atlanta, GA to perform a modified Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) and a simulated self-care task. Participants achieved clinically meaningful improvements on the ARAT and 12 of 15 participants (80%) successfully completed the simulated self-care task. Participants agreed that the robotic system was easy to use, was useful, and would provide a meaningful improvement in their lives. In the second study, one expert user with profound motor deficits had free use of a PR2 in his home for seven days. He performed a variety of self-care and household tasks, and also used the robot in novel ways. Taking both studies together, our results suggest that people with profound motor deficits can improve their quality of life using robotic body surrogates, and that they can gain benefit with only low-level robot autonomy and without invasive interfaces. However, methods to reduce the rate of errors and increase operational speed merit further investigation.Comment: 43 Pages, 13 Figure