Global Health Security in an Era of Explosive Pandemic Potential

Pandemics pose a significant risk to security, economic stability, and development. Annualized expected losses from pandemics are estimated at $60 billion per year. Despite the certainty and magnitude of the threat, the global community has significantly underestimated and underinvested in avoidance of pandemic threats. We cannot wait or continue with the status quo, in which we pay attention to infectious disease threats only when they are at their peak and then are complacent and remain vulnerable until the next major outbreak. To reinforce and sustain international focus, funding, and action, it is crucial that pandemics rise to the level of “high politics,” becoming standing agenda items for political actors. In this article, we make the case for fundamental reform of the international system to safeguard global health security. We build on the action agenda offered by four international commissions formed in the wake of the Ebola epidemic, calling for the recommended “peace dividend” (an annual incremental investment of$4.5 billion – 65 cents per person) to strengthen global preparedness, for the United Nations to play a greater role in responding to major global health and humanitarian emergencies, and for an effective and efficient R&D strategy with multiple stakeholders—governments, academics, industry, and civil society—identifying R&D priorities and leading a coordinated response. If our action plan were adopted, it would safeguard the global population far better against infectious disease threats. It would reap dividends in security, development, and productivity

Relative Permeability of Homogenous-Wet and Mixed-Wet Porous Media as Determined by Pore-Scale Lattice Boltzmann Modeling

We present a pore-scale study of two-phase relative permeability in homogenous-wet porous media, and porous media altered to a mixed-wet state. A Shan-Chen type multicomponent lattice Boltzmann (LB) model is employed to determine pore-scale fluid distributions and relative permeability. Mixed-wet states are created by altering the wettability of solid surfaces in contact with the nonwetting phase at the end of steady state simulation of initially homogenous-wet porous media. To ensure accurate representation of fluid-solid interfacial areas, we compare LB simulation results to experimental measurements of interfacial fluid-fluid and fluid-solid areas determined by X-ray computed microtomography imaging of water and oil distributions in bead packs. The LB simulations are found to match experimental trends observed for fluid-fluid and fluid-solid interfacial area-saturation relationships. The relative permeability of both fluids in the homogenous-wet porous media was found to decrease with a decreasing contact angle. The relative permeability of both fluids in the altered, mixed-wet porous media was found to decrease for all mixed-wet states in comparison to the initial homogenous-wet states. The nonwetting phase relative permeability decreased significantly, while the wetting phase experienced only a minor decrease. The significance of the decrease was found to be dependent on the distribution of the unaltered solid surfaces, with less dependence on the severity of alteration. Key Points Lattice Boltzmann simulation interfacial areas match experimental trends Wetting phase relative permeability is unaffected by wettability alteration Nonwetting phase relative permeability is decreased by wettability alteration © 2014. American Geophysical Union

Des indicateurs clés de performances pour accroître la résilience des réseaux sur trois étapes

International audienceWater distribution networks (WDNs) are critical infrastructures that should face multiple and continuous changes and adverse operative conditions (due to abnormal events) that alter their normal service provision. The main objective of a WDN is to deliver the required amount of water to the customer under a certain threshold of the desired pressure and quality. Therefore, ensuring resilience and safety of WDSs are big concerns for water utilities. Several resilience key performance indicators have been suggested to quantify and assessing WDN resilience. Regarding the objectives of resilience, water utility managers require modelling tools to be able to predict how the WDN will perform during disruptive events and understand how the system can better absorb them. Tools such as: demand-driven modelling (DDM) for sufficient pressure conditions, and pressure-driven modelling (PDM) for insufficient pressure conditions, aid to simulate WDNs performance under adverse operative conditions. This work attempts to evaluate the network resilience. The proposed approach is based on an event-driven methodology and there is considered the time when the event occurs, when it evolves, and the sequence of the events. It should be carefully selected the type of the approach (PDM or DDM) used for the hydraulic model, as well as the system performance state and the uses of resilience power-based indicators. The results are promising in order to provide to water managers with a great depth of information and support better preparedness for WDNs

Análisis comparativo de las representaciones sociales de violencia y conflicto en parejas residentes en Huancayo- Perú y Barranquilla- Colombia

PsicologíaThe objective of this research was to analyze comparatively the social representations of violence and conflict in couples living in Huancayo - Peru and Barranquilla - Colombia. It is a research based on social representations with a quantitative methodology, descriptive - comparative, transversal and field design, in which 400 people participated, divided into 200 heterosexual couples from Barranquilla - Colombia and 200 heterosexual couples from Huancayo - Peru, between 20 and 67 years old, the instrument used was a questionnaire for evocation of words supplemented by a small sociodemographic survey that allows the characterization of the population, for the present investigation, only the data of the city and the sex of the participants will be taken into account. The analysis of the data was carried out through the "Prototypical Analysis" method through the EVOC 2003 program. The results allow us to identify that, in relation to conflict, the central core focuses on words such as intolerance and coup, and in relation to term violence, the central core was abuse, aggression and beatings. The study of social representations of the violence of couples, is currently little in Latin America, although the figures for reporting this type of situation are increasing, the analysis of these figures and variables are made from other perspectives. With this research, we wanted to analyze from another point of view, allowing researchers of violence in pairs, to find data between two cities in Latin America from social representations.El objetivo de esta investigación fue analizar de forma comparativa las representaciones sociales sobre violencia y conflicto en parejas residentes en Huancayo - Perú y Barranquilla- Colombia. Es una investigación basada en las representaciones sociales con una metodología cuantitativa, diseño descriptivo – comparativo, transversal y de campo, en el que participaron 400 personas, divididas en 200 parejas heterosexuales habitantes de Barranquilla - Colombia y 200 parejas heterosexuales habitantes de Huancayo- Perú, en edades comprendidas entre 20 y 67 años, el instrumento utilizado fue un cuestionario de evocación de palabras complementado con una pequeña encuesta sociodemográfica que permite la caracterización de la población, para la presente investigación, sólo se tendrá en cuenta los datos de la ciudad y el sexo de los participantes. El análisis de los datos, se realizó a través del método de “Análisis Prototípico” mediante el programa EVOC 2003. Los resultados permiten identificar que, en lo referente a conflicto el núcleo central se centra en palabras como intolerancia y golpe, y en relación al término violencia, el núcleo central fue maltrato, agresión y golpes. El estudio de representaciones sociales de la violencia de parejas, actualmente es poco en Latinoamérica, pese a que las cifras de reporte y denuncias de este tipo de situación están yendo en aumento, el análisis de estas cifras y variables se realizan desde otras perspectivas. Con esta investigación se quiso analizar desde otro punto de vista, permitiendo a los investigadores de violencia en parejas, encontrar datos entre dos ciudades de Latinoamérica desde las representaciones sociales

Évaluation de la phase absorbante de résilience basée sur des Indicateurs de criticité pour des réseaux de distribution d'eau

International audienceWater distributions networks (WDNs) are exposed to multiple hazards, leading the network to operate under a range of critical conditions. This paper explored the relationship between the impact of anomalous events (AEs) of WDNs and the consequent palliative actions (PAs) to be implemented in the network to minimize such impact. Both AEs and PAs were assessed through a network resilience criticality index adapted to WDNs. The results were compared with those obtained from normal operating conditions with respect to the satisfaction rate of nodal demands. The proposal was evaluated by two case studies. The first corresponded to a small synthetic network and the second to a medium-size utility network. After a pipe burst event analysis, two different isolation actions were scrutinized in each of the two WDNs. The results quantify system resilience and support water utility managers in further decision-making processes. This is done through critical resilience indicators that provide information and support for better crisis preparedness (planning) and management (mitigation)

Far Infrared Slab Lensing and Subwavelength Imaging in Crystal Quartz

We examine the possibility of using negative refraction stemming from the phonon response in an anisotropic crystal to create a simple slab lens with plane parallel sides, and show that imaging from such a lens should be possible at room temperature despite the effects of absorption that are inevitably present due to phonon damping. In particular, we consider the case of crystal quartz, a system for which experimental measurements consistent with all-angle negative refraction have already been demonstrated. Furthermore, we investigate the possibility of subwavelength imaging from such materials, and show that it should be possible for certain configurations.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure

Field-induced Bose-Einstein Condensation of triplons up to 8 K in Sr3Cr2O8

Single crystals of the spin dimer system Sr3Cr2O8 have been grown for the first time. Magnetization, heat capacity, and magnetocaloric effect data up to 65 T reveal magnetic order between applied fields of Hc1 ~ 30.4 T and Hc2 ~ 62 T. This field-induced order persists up to ~ 8 K at H ~ 44 T, the highest observed in any quantum magnet where Hc2 is experimentally-accessible. We fit the temperature-field phase diagram boundary close to Hc1 using the expression Tc = A(H-Hc1)^v. The exponent v = 0.65(2), obtained at temperatures much smaller than 8 K, is that of the 3D Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) universality class. This finding strongly suggests that Sr3Cr2O8 is a new realization of a triplon BEC where the universal regimes corresponding to both Hc1 and Hc2 are accessible at He-4 temperatures.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted by PR