Disease Morbidity and Cost Analysis Associated with Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza Among Children <15 Years in South Korea, 2004–2007

Background: The available opinions regarding participation do not appear to be applicableto adults with visual and severe or profound intellectual disabilities (VSPID). Because a cleardefinition and operationalization are lacking, it is difficult for support professionals to givemeaning to participation for adults with VSPID. Aims: The purpose of the present study was to develop a definition and operationalizationof the concept of participation of adults with VSPID. Methods: Parents or family members, professionals, and experts participated in an onlineconcept mapping procedure. This procedure includes generating statements, clusteringthem, and rating their importance. The data were analyzed quantitatively using multidi-mensional scaling and qualitatively with triangulation. Results: A total of 53 participants generated 319 statements of which 125 were clusteredand rated. The final cluster map of the statements contained seven clusters: (1) Experienceand discover; (2) Inclusion; (3) Involvement; (4) Leisure and recreation; (5) Communica-tion and being understood; (6) Social relations; and (7) Self-management and autonomy.The average importance rating of the statements varied from 6.49 to 8.95. A definition ofparticipation of this population was developed which included these seven clusters. Conclusions: The combination of the developed definition, the clusters, and the statementsin these clusters, derived from the perceptions of parents or family members, professionals,and experts, can be employed to operationalize the construct of participation of adults withVSPID. This operationalization supports professionals in their ability to give meaning toparticipation in these adults. Future research will focus on using the operationalization asa checklist of participation for adults with VSPID

Sustainable use of construction and demolition (C&D) waste as A road base material

Crushed concrete waste is a by-product from building demolition and constitutes a principal component of municipal solid waste consisting of concrete, sand, brick, rock, metals and timber. Over 50% of this waste is commonly sent to land-filled sites, resulting in the impact on the limited capacity of land-filled sites. Nowadays, the sources of virgin natural aggregates are depleted by increasing in demand of using a virgin material in building and infrastructure construction and maintenance facilities. This depletion leads to the utilisation of crushed concrete waste to replace natural aggregates in road and highway construction. Of key significance of this study is to present alternative materials for road and highway construction on the production of the proper guideline for road base by using crushed concrete waste. Sophisticated tests were conducted to investigate the mechanical responses of compacted crushed concrete subjected to applied loads simulated from traffic loads. Unconfined compressive strength, shear strength parameters, resilient modulus and permanent deformation of such material were determined. Our findings showed that crushed concrete waste is able to utilise as a road base material. The results of this study will enhance increased use of crushed concrete waste in road and highway construction and will, therefore, alternatively reduce consumption and costs in manufacturing virgin aggregates

Impact of 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine on Colonization and Invasive Disease in Cambodian Children

Background Cambodia introduced the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in January 2015 using a 3 + 0 dosing schedule and no catch-up campaign. We investigated the effects of this introduction on pneumococcal colonization and invasive disease in children aged <5 years. Methods There were 6 colonization surveys done between January 2014 and January 2018 in children attending the outpatient department of a nongovernmental pediatric hospital in Siem Reap. Nasopharyngeal swabs were analyzed by phenotypic and genotypic methods to detect pneumococcal serotypes and antimicrobial resistance. Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) data for January 2012–December 2018 were retrieved from hospital databases. Pre-PCV IPD data and pre-/post-PCV colonization data were modelled to estimate vaccine effectiveness (VE). Results Comparing 2014 with 2016–2018, and using adjusted prevalence ratios, VE estimates for colonization were 16.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 10.6–21.8) for all pneumococci and 39.2% (95% CI 26.7–46.1) for vaccine serotype (VT) pneumococci. There was a 26.0% (95% CI 17.7–33.0) decrease in multidrug-resistant pneumococcal colonization. The IPD incidence was estimated to have declined by 26.4% (95% CI 14.4–35.8) by 2018, with a decrease of 36.3% (95% CI 23.8–46.9) for VT IPD and an increase of 101.4% (95% CI 62.0–145.4) for non-VT IPD. Conclusions Following PCV13 introduction into the Cambodian immunization schedule, there have been declines in VT pneumococcal colonization and disease in children aged <5 years. Modelling of dominant serotype colonization data produced plausible VE estimates

Rapid assessment of Hib disease burden in Vietnam

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Several countries have applied the <it>Haemophilus influenzae </it>type b (Hib) rapid assessment tool (RAT) to estimate the burden of Hib disease where resources for hospital- or population-based surveillance are limited. In Vietnam, we used the Hib RAT to estimate the burden of Hib pneumonia and meningitis prior to Hib vaccine introduction.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Laboratory, hospitalization and mortality data were collected for the period January 2004 through December 2005 from five representative hospitals. Based on the WHO Hib RAT protocol, standardized MS Excel spreadsheets were completed to generate meningitis and pneumonia case and death figures.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found 35 to 77 Hib meningitis deaths and 441 to 957 Hib pneumonia deaths among children < 5 years of age annually in Vietnam. Overall, the incidence of Hib meningitis was estimated at 18/100,000 (95% confidence interval, CI, 15.1-21.6). The estimated Hib meningitis incidence in children < 5 years age was higher in Ho Chi Minh City (22.5/100,000 [95% CI, 18.4-27.5]) compared to Hanoi (9.8/100,000 [95% CI, 6.5-14.8]). The Hib RAT suggests that there are a total of 883 to 1,915 cases of Hib meningitis and 4,414 to 9,574 cases of Hib pneumonia per year in Vietnam.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In Hanoi, the estimated incidence of Hib meningitis for children < 5 years of age was similar to that described in previous population-based studies of Hib meningitis conducted from 1999 through 2002. Results from the Hib RAT suggest that there is a substantial, yet unmeasured, disease burden associated with Hib pneumonia in Vietnamese children.</p

Genome-wide association analysis with selective genotyping identifies candidate loci for adult height at 8q21.13 and 15q22.33-q23 in Mongolians

We performed a genome-wide association study with 23,465 microsatellite markers to identify genes related to adult height. Selective genotyping was applied to extremely tall and extremely short individuals from the Khalkh-Mongolian population. Two loci, 8q21.13 and 15q22.33, which showed the strongest association with microsatellites were subjected to further analyses of SNPs in 782 tall and 773 short individuals. The most significant association was observed with SNP rs2220456 at 8q21.13 (P = 0.000016). In the LD block at 15q22.32, SNP rs8038652 located in intron 1 of IQCH was strongly associated (P = 0.0003), especially the AA genotype of the SNP under a recessive model was strongly associated with adult height (P = 0.000046)

Northern Eurasia Future Initiative (NEFI): facing the challenges and pathways of global change in the 21st century

During the past several decades, the Earth system has changed significantly, especially across Northern Eurasia. Changes in the socio-economic conditions of the larger countries in the region have also resulted in a variety of regional environmental changes that can have global consequences. The Northern Eurasia Future Initiative (NEFI) has been designed as an essential continuation of the Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative (NEESPI), which was launched in 2004. NEESPI sought to elucidate all aspects of ongoing environmental change, to inform societies and, thus, to better prepare societies for future developments. A key principle of NEFI is that these developments must now be secured through science-based strategies co-designed with regional decision makers to lead their societies to prosperity in the face of environmental and institutional challenges. NEESPI scientific research, data, and models have created a solid knowledge base to support the NEFI program. This paper presents the NEFI research vision consensus based on that knowledge. It provides the reader with samples of recent accomplishments in regional studies and formulates new NEFI science questions. To address these questions, nine research foci are identified and their selections are briefly justified. These foci include: warming of the Arctic; changing frequency, pattern, and intensity of extreme and inclement environmental conditions; retreat of the cryosphere; changes in terrestrial water cycles; changes in the biosphere; pressures on land-use; changes in infrastructure; societal actions in response to environmental change; and quantification of Northern Eurasia's role in the global Earth system. Powerful feedbacks between the Earth and human systems in Northern Eurasia (e.g., mega-fires, droughts, depletion of the cryosphere essential for water supply, retreat of sea ice) result from past and current human activities (e.g., large scale water withdrawals, land use and governance change) and potentially restrict or provide new opportunities for future human activities. Therefore, we propose that Integrated Assessment Models are needed as the final stage of global change assessment. The overarching goal of this NEFI modeling effort will enable evaluation of economic decisions in response to changing environmental conditions and justification of mitigation and adaptation efforts

Monte Carlo track structure simulation in studies of biological effects induced by accelerated charged particles in the central nervous system

Simulating the biological damage induced by charged particles trajectories (tracks) in the central nervous system (CNS) at different levels of its organization (molecular, cellular, and tissue) is a challenge of modern radiobiology studies. According to the recent experimental studies at particle accelerators, the most radiation-sensitive area of the CNS is the hippocampus. In this regards, the development of measurement-based Monte Carlo simulation of radiation-induced alterations in the hippocampus is of great interest to understand the radiobiological effects on the CNS. The present work investigates the influence of charged particles on the hippocampal cells of the rat brain using the Geant4 Monte Carlo radiation transport code. The applied computer simulation provides a method to simulate physics processes and chemical reactions in the developed model of the rat hippocampus, which contains different types of neural cells - pyramidal cells, mature and immature granular cells, mossy cells, and neural stem cells. The distribution of stochastic energy depositions has been obtained and analyzed in critical structures of the hippocampal neurons after irradiation with 600 MeV/u iron particles. The computed energy deposition in irradiated hippocampal neurons following a track of iron ion suggests that most of the energy is accumulated by granular cells. The obtained quantities at the level of molecular targets also assume that NMDA and GABA receptors belong to the most probable targets in the irradiated neural cells

Monte Carlo track structure simulation in studies of biological effects induced by accelerated charged particles in the central nervous system

Simulating the biological damage induced by charged particles trajectories (tracks) in the central nervous system (CNS) at different levels of its organization (molecular, cellular, and tissue) is a challenge of modern radiobiology studies. According to the recent experimental studies at particle accelerators, the most radiation-sensitive area of the CNS is the hippocampus. In this regards, the development of measurement-based Monte Carlo simulation of radiation-induced alterations in the hippocampus is of great interest to understand the radiobiological effects on the CNS. The present work investigates the influence of charged particles on the hippocampal cells of the rat brain using the Geant4 Monte Carlo radiation transport code. The applied computer simulation provides a method to simulate physics processes and chemical reactions in the developed model of the rat hippocampus, which contains different types of neural cells - pyramidal cells, mature and immature granular cells, mossy cells, and neural stem cells. The distribution of stochastic energy depositions has been obtained and analyzed in critical structures of the hippocampal neurons after irradiation with 600 MeV/u iron particles. The computed energy deposition in irradiated hippocampal neurons following a track of iron ion suggests that most of the energy is accumulated by granular cells. The obtained quantities at the level of molecular targets also assume that NMDA and GABA receptors belong to the most probable targets in the irradiated neural cells