35 research outputs found
Modeling the risk of malaria for travelers to areas with stable malaria transmission
BACKGROUND: Malaria is an important threat to travelers visiting endemic regions. The risk of acquiring malaria is complex and a number of factors including transmission intensity, duration of exposure, season of the year and use of chemoprophylaxis have to be taken into account estimating risk. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A mathematical model was developed to estimate the risk of non-immune individual acquiring falciparum malaria when traveling to the Amazon region of Brazil. The risk of malaria infection to travelers was calculated as a function of duration of exposure and season of arrival. RESULTS: The results suggest significant variation of risk for non-immune travelers depending on arrival season, duration of the visit and transmission intensity. The calculated risk for visitors staying longer than 4 months during peak transmission was 0.5% per visit. CONCLUSIONS: Risk estimates based on mathematical modeling based on accurate data can be a valuable tool in assessing risk/benefits and cost/benefits when deciding on the value of interventions for travelers to malaria endemic regions
Observational Constraints on the Common Envelope Phase
The common envelope phase was first proposed more than forty years ago to
explain the origins of evolved, close binaries like cataclysmic variables. It
is now believed that the phase plays a critical role in the formation of a wide
variety of other phenomena ranging from type Ia supernovae through to binary
black holes, while common envelope mergers are likely responsible for a range
of enigmatic transients and supernova imposters. Yet, despite its clear
importance, the common envelope phase is still rather poorly understood. Here,
we outline some of the basic principles involved, the remaining questions as
well as some of the recent observational hints from common envelope phenomena -
namely planetary nebulae and luminous red novae - which may lead to answering
these open questions.Comment: 29 pages, 8 figures. To appear in the book "Reviews in Frontiers of
Modern Astrophysics: From Space Debris to Cosmology" (eds. Kabath, Jones and
Skarka; publisher Springer Nature) funded by the European Union Erasmus+
Strategic Partnership grant "Per Aspera Ad Astra Simul"
2017-1-CZ01-KA203-03556
Physical conditions and chemical abundances in photoionized nebulae from optical spectra
This chapter presents a review on the latest advances in the computation of
physical conditions and chemical abundances of elements present in photoionized
gas H II regions and planetary nebulae). The arrival of highly sensitive
spectrographs attached to large telescopes and the development of more
sophisticated and detailed atomic data calculations and ionization correction
factors have helped to raise the number of ionic species studied in
photoionized nebulae in the last years, as well as to reduce the uncertainties
in the computed abundances. Special attention will be given to the detection of
very faint lines such as heavy-element recombination lines of C, N and O in H
II regions and planetary nebulae, and collisionally excited lines of
neutron-capture elements (Z >30) in planetary nebulae.Comment: Book Chapter. 31 pages. 6 Figures. Accepted for publication in the
book "Reviews in Frontiers of Modern Astrophysics: From Space Debris to
Cosmology" (eds Kabath, Jones and Skarka; publisher Springer Nature) funded
by the European Union Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership grant "Per Aspera Ad
Astra Simul" 2017-1-CZ01-KA203-03556