Is Aid Unfriendly to Tax? African Evidence of Heterogeneous Direct and Indirect Effects

We explore the heterogeneous effects together with the transmission channels of aid on tax revenues in 47 African countries over 1990-2011 using a panel smooth threshold regression model and two alternative tax datasets from IMF and ICTD. We find that aid enhances tax revenues with decreasing returns for a threshold of 6.3% and 23% of GNI for total taxes and non-resource taxes respectively. Aid effect varies across countries and over time, but, on average, is positive. Moreover, we evidence that aid conditions the impact of the level of development, trade, institutions and resource wealth on tax

Electromagnetic Brain Stimulation in Patients With Disorders of Consciousness

Severe brain injury is a common cause of coma. In some cases, despite vigilance improvement, disorders of consciousness (DoC) persist. Several states of impaired consciousness have been defined, according to whether the patient exhibits only reflexive behaviors as in the vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/UWS) or purposeful behaviors distinct from reflexes as in the minimally conscious state (MCS). Recently, this clinical distinction has been enriched by electrophysiological and neuroimaging data resulting from a better understanding of the physiopathology of DoC. However, therapeutic options, especially pharmacological ones, remain very limited. In this context, electroceuticals, a new category of therapeutic agents which act by targeting the neural circuits with electromagnetic stimulations, started to develop in the field of DoC. We performed a systematic review of the studies evaluating therapeutics relying on the direct or indirect electro-magnetic stimulation of the brain in DoC patients. Current evidence seems to support the efficacy of deep brain stimulation (DBS) and non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) on consciousness in some of these patients. However, while the latter is non-invasive and well tolerated, the former is associated with potential major side effects. We propose that all chronic DoC patients should be given the possibility to benefit from NIBS, and that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) should be preferred over repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), based on the literature and its simple use. Surgical techniques less invasive than DBS, such as vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) might represent a good compromise between efficacy and invasiveness but still need to be further investigated

Relation between Barrier Conductance and Coulomb Blockade Peak Splitting for Tunnel-Coupled Quantum Dots

We study the relation between the barrier conductance and the Coulomb blockade peak splitting for two electrostatically equivalent dots connected by tunneling channels with bandwidths much larger than the dot charging energies. We note that this problem is equivalent to a well-known single-dot problem and present solutions for the relation between peak splitting and barrier conductance in both the weak and strong coupling limits. Results are in good qualitative agreement with the experimental findings of F. R. Waugh et al.Comment: 19 pages (REVTeX 3.0), 3 Postscript figure

Accidental hepatic artery ligation in humans

Despite the vast amount of information from experimental animals, it has been difficult to obtain a clear-cut picture of the effects of ligation of the hepatic artery in humans with relatively normal livers. The last complete review of this subject in 1933 indicated that a mortality in excess of 50 per cent could be expected in non-cirrhotic patients with injury of the hepatic artery or its principal branches. Five cases of dearterialization of the normal human liver have been observed. These were due to accidental interruption of the right hepatic artery in four and the proper hepatic artery in one. The injured vessel was repaired in one case and ligated in the others. In four of the five patients the vascular disruption was the sole injury. In the other the common bile duct was also lacerated. There was no evidence of hepatic necrosis in any case although one patient died from complications of common duct repair. Transient changes in SGOT and temporary low grade bilirubinemia were commonly noted. In addition, all cases of ligation of the hepatic artery reported since 1933 have been compiled. On the basis of reviewed, as well as the presently reported cases, it is concluded that ligation of the hepatic artery or one of its branches in the patient with relatively normal hepatic function is not ordinarily fatal in the otherwise uncomplicated case. Adequate perfusion of the liver can usually be provided by the remaining portal venous flow and whatever arterial collaterals are present, unless additional factors further reduce the portal venous flow or increase hepatic oxygen need. These factors include fever, shock and anoxia. The key to therapy in unreconstructed injuries to the hepatic artery is avoidance of these secondary influences. © 1964

Higher-Order Results for the Relation between Channel Conductance and the Coulomb Blockade for Two Tunnel-Coupled Quantum Dots

We extend earlier results on the relation between the dimensionless tunneling channel conductance $g$ and the fractional Coulomb blockade peak splitting $f$ for two electrostatically equivalent dots connected by an arbitrary number $N_{\text{ch}}$ of tunneling channels with bandwidths $W$ much larger than the two-dot differential charging energy $U_{2}$. By calculating $f$ through second order in $g$ in the limit of weak coupling ($g \rightarrow 0$), we illuminate the difference in behavior of the large-$N_{\text{ch}}$ and small-$N_{\text{ch}}$ regimes and make more plausible extrapolation to the strong-coupling ($g \rightarrow 1$) limit. For the special case of $N_{\text{ch}}=2$ and strong coupling, we eliminate an apparent ultraviolet divergence and obtain the next leading term of an expansion in $(1-g)$. We show that the results we calculate are independent of such band structure details as the fraction of occupied fermionic single-particle states in the weak-coupling theory and the nature of the cut-off in the bosonized strong-coupling theory. The results agree with calculations for metallic junctions in the $N_{\text{ch}} \rightarrow \infty$ limit and improve the previous good agreement with recent two-channel experiments.Comment: 27 pages, 1 RevTeX file with 4 embedded Postscript figures. Uses eps

2D to 3D crossover of the magnetic properties in ordered arrays of iron oxide nanocrystals

The magnetic 2D to 3D crossover behavior of well-ordered arrays of monodomain gamma-Fe2O3 spherical nanoparticles with different thicknesses has been investigated by magnetometry and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Using the structural information of the arrays obtained from grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering and scanning electron microscopy together with the experimentally determined values for the saturation magnetization and magnetic anisotropy of the nanoparticles, we show that MC simulations can reproduce the thickness-dependent magnetic behavior. The magnetic dipolar particle interactions induce a ferromagnetic coupling that increases in strength with decreasing thickness of the array. The 2D to 3D transition in the magnetic properties is mainly driven by a change in the orientation of the magnetic vortex states with increasing thickness, becoming more isotropic as the thickness of the array increases. Magnetic anisotropy prevents long-range ferromagnetic order from being established at low temperature and the nanoparticle magnetic moments instead freeze along directions defined by the distribution of easy magnetization directions

Safety and immunogenicity of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine in infants and children identified as HIV-infected during a randomized trial in sub-Saharan Africa

Background: We assessed the safety and immunogenicity of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine in a subset of children identified as HIV-infected during a large phase III randomized controlled trial conducted in seven sub-Saharan African countries. Methods: Infants 6–12 weeks and children 5–17 months old were randomized to receive 4 RTS,S/AS01 doses (R3R group), 3 RTS,S/AS01 doses plus 1 comparator vaccine dose (R3C group), or 4 comparator vaccine doses (C3C group) at study months 0, 1, 2 and 20. Infants and children with WHO stage III/IV HIV disease were excluded but HIV testing was not routinely performed on all participants; our analyses included children identified as HIV-infected based on medical history or clinical suspicion and confirmed by polymerase chain reaction or antibody testing. Serious adverse events (SAEs) and anticircumsporozoite (CS) antibodies were assessed. Results: Of 15459 children enrolled in the trial, at least 1953 were tested for HIV and 153 were confirmed as HIV-infected (R3R: 51; R3C: 54; C3C: 48). Among these children, SAEs were reported for 92.2% (95% CI: 81.1–97.8) in the R3R, 85.2% (72.9–93.4) in the R3C and 87.5% (74.8–95.3) in the C3C group over a median follow-up of 39.3, 39.4 and 38.3 months, respectively. Fifteen HIV-infected participants in each group (R3R: 29.4%, R3C: 27.8%, C3C: 31.3%) died during the study. No deaths were considered vaccinationrelated. In a matched case-control analysis, 1 month post dose 3 anti-CS geometric mean antibody concentrations were 193.3 EU/mL in RTS,S/AS01-vaccinated HIV-infected children and 491.5 EU/mL in RTS,S/ AS01-vaccinated immunogenicity controls with unknown or negative HIV status (p = 0.0001). Conclusions: The safety profile of RTS,S/AS01 in HIV-infected children was comparable to that of the comparator (meningococcal or rabies) vaccines. RTS,S/AS01 was immunogenic in HIV-infected children but antibody concentrations were lower than in children with an unknown or negative HIV status

Immunogenicity of the RTS,S/AS01 Malaria Vaccine and\ud Implications for Duration of Vaccine Efficacy: Secondary\ud Analysis of Data from a Phase 3 Randomised Controlled Trial

The RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine targets the circumsporozoite protein, inducing antibodies associated with the prevention of Plasmodium falciparum infection. We assessed the association between anti-circumsporozoite antibody titres and the magnitude and duration of vaccine effi cacy using data from a phase 3 trial done between 2009 and 2014. Using data from 8922 African children aged 5 1317 months and 6537 African infants aged 6 1312 weeks at first vaccination, we analysed the determinants of immunogenicity after RTS,S/AS01 vaccination with or without a booster dose. We assessed the association between the incidence of clinical malaria and anti-circumsporozoite antibody titres using a model of anti-circumsporozoite antibody dynamics and the natural acquisition of protective immunity over time. RTS,S/AS01-induced anti-circumsporozoite antibody titres were greater in children aged 5 1317 months than in those aged 6 1312 weeks. Pre-vaccination anti-circumsporozoite titres were associated with lower immunogenicity in children aged 6 1312 weeks and higher immunogenicity in those aged 5 1317 months. The immunogenicity of the booster dose was strongly associated with immunogenicity after primary vaccination. Anti-circumsporozoite titres wane according to a biphasic exponential distribution. In participants aged 5 1317 months, the half-life of the shortlived component of the antibody response was 45 days (95% credible interval 42 1348) and that of the long-lived component was 591 days (557 13632). After primary vaccination 12% (11 1313) of the response was estimated to be longlived, rising to 30% (28 1332%) after a booster dose. An anti-circumsporozoite antibody titre of 121 EU/mL (98 13153) was estimated to prevent 50% of infections. Waning anti-circumsporozoite antibody titres predict the duration of effi cacy against clinical malaria across diff erent age categories and transmission intensities, and effi cacy wanes more rapidly at higher transmission intensity Anti-circumsporozoite antibody titres are a surrogate of protection for the magnitude and duration of RTS,S/AS01 effi cacy, with or without a booster dose, providing a valuable surrogate of eff ectiveness for new RTS,S formulations in the age groups considered

Safety profile of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine in infants and children: additional data from a phase III randomized controlled trial in sub-Saharan Africa

A phase III, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial (NCT00866619) in sub-Saharan Africa showed RTS,S/AS01 vaccine efficacy against malaria. We now present in-depth safety results from this study. 8922 children (enrolled at 5-17\xC2\xA0months) and 6537 infants (enrolled at 6-12\xC2\xA0weeks) were 1:1:1-randomized to receive 4 doses of RTS,S/AS01 (R3R) or non-malaria control vaccine (C3C), or 3 RTS,S/AS01 doses plus control (R3C). Aggregate safety data were reviewed by a multi-functional team. Severe malaria with Blantyre Coma Score \xE2\x89\xA42 (cerebral malaria [CM]) and gender-specific mortality were assessed post-hoc. Serious adverse event (SAE) and fatal SAE incidences throughout the study were 24.2%-28.4% and 1.5%-2.5%, respectively across groups; 0.0%-0.3% of participants reported vaccination-related SAEs. The incidence of febrile convulsions in children was higher during the first 2-3 days post-vaccination with RTS,S/AS01 than with control vaccine, consistent with the time window of post-vaccination febrile reactions in this study (mostly the day after vaccination). A statistically significant numerical imbalance was observed for meningitis cases in children (R3R: 11, R3C: 10, C3C: 1) but not in infants. CM cases were more frequent in RTS,S/AS01-vaccinated children (R3R: 19, R3C: 24, C3C: 10) but not in infants. All-cause mortality was higher in RTS,S/AS01-vaccinated versus control girls (2.4% vs 1.3%, all ages) in our setting with low overall mortality. The observed meningitis and CM signals are considered likely chance findings, that - given their severity - warrant further evaluation in phase IV studies and WHO-led pilot implementation programs to establish the RTS,S/AS01 benefit-risk profile in real-life settings