Costs Associated with Malaria in Pregnancy in the Brazilian Amazon, a Low Endemic Area Where Plasmodium vivax Predominates.

BACKGROUND: Information on costs associated with malaria in pregnancy (MiP) in low transmission areas where Plasmodium vivax predominates is so far missing. This study estimates health system and patient costs of MiP in the Brazilian Amazon. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Between January 2011 and March 2012 patient costs for the treatment of MiP were collected through an exit survey at a tertiary referral hospital and at a primary health care centre in the Manaus metropolitan area, Amazonas state. Pregnant and post-partum women diagnosed with malaria were interviewed after an outpatient consultation or at discharge after admission. Seventy-three interviews were included in the analysis. Ninety-six percent of episodes were due to P. vivax and 4% to Plasmodium falciparum. In 2010, the total median costs from the patient perspective were estimated at US $45.91 and US$216.29 for an outpatient consultation and an admission, respectively. When multiple P. vivax infections during the same pregnancy were considered, patient costs increased up to US $335.85, representing the costs of an admission plus an outpatient consultation. Provider direct and overhead cost data were obtained from several sources. The provider cost associated with an outpatient case, which includes several consultations at the tertiary hospital was US$103.51 for a P. vivax malaria episode and US $83.59 for a P. falciparum malaria episode. The cost of an inpatient day and average admission of 3 days was US$118.51 and US $355.53, respectively. Total provider costs for the diagnosis and treatment of all malaria cases reported in pregnant women in Manaus in 2010 (N = 364) were US$17,038.50, of which 92.4% (US$ 15,741.14) due to P. vivax infection. CONCLUSION: Despite being an area of low risk malaria transmission, MiP is responsible for a significant economic burden in Manaus. Especially when multiple infections are considered, costs associated with P. vivax are higher than costs associated with P. falciparum. The information generated may help health policy decisions for the current control and future elimination of malaria in the area

Electric field and exciton structure in CdSe nanocrystals

Quantum Stark effect in semiconductor nanocrystals is theoretically investigated, using the effective mass formalism within a $4\times 4$ Baldereschi-Lipari Hamiltonian model for the hole states. General expressions are reported for the hole eigenfunctions at zero electric field. Electron and hole single particle energies as functions of the electric field ($\mathbf{E}_{QD}$) are reported. Stark shift and binding energy of the excitonic levels are obtained by full diagonalization of the correlated electron-hole Hamiltonian in presence of the external field. Particularly, the structure of the lower excitonic states and their symmetry properties in CdSe nanocrystals are studied. It is found that the dependence of the exciton binding energy upon the applied field is strongly reduced for small quantum dot radius. Optical selection rules for absorption and luminescence are obtained. The electric-field induced quenching of the optical spectra as a function of $\mathbf{E}_{QD}$ is studied in terms of the exciton dipole matrix element. It is predicted that photoluminescence spectra present anomalous field dependence of the emission lines. These results agree in magnitude with experimental observation and with the main features of photoluminescence experiments in nanostructures.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, 1 tabl

Resonant Raman scattering off neutral quantum dots

Resonant inelastic (Raman) light scattering off neutral GaAs quantum dots which contain a mean number, N=42, of electron-hole pairs is computed. We find Raman amplitudes corresponding to strongly collective final states (charge-density excitations) of similar magnitude as the amplitudes related to weakly collective or single-particle excitations. As a function of the incident laser frequency or the magnetic field, they are rapidly varying amplitudes. It is argued that strong Raman peaks should come out in the spin-density channels, not related to valence-band mixing effects in the intermediate states.Comment: Accepted in Physical Review

Valoración del efecto de la calcitonina en la consolidación de la fractura de Colles

Se estudian cuarenta pacientes en que se ha producido una Fractura de Epífisis Distal de Radio (Fractura de POUTEAU-COLLES) en pacientes mayores de cincuenta años, con signos de osteoroporosis. Se han hecho dos grupos aleatorios de veinte pacientes. El grupo A se ha tratado con un programa de calcitonina y calcio que cubre los tres primeros meses. El grupo B es tratado exclusivamente con calcio, por igual período. En ambos la reducción e inmovilización sigue los mismos criterios. Se evalúan los resultados, observando que el grupo A presenta menos secuelas dolorosas.The authors have studied 40 patients with fracture of distal epiphysis of radius (POUTEAU-COLLES' fracture) all of them fifty years old with signs of osteoporosis. They have made two groups of patients (20 every one). The group A has been treated with a program of calcitonin and calcium during three months. The group B has been treated only with calcium, three months, as well as the other group. Both groups have the same criterion of reduction and inmovilization. The evaluation of results in the first group showed less painful consequences

Applying data mining to discover common learning routes in Moodle

En este artículo, aplicamos técnicas de minería de datos para descubrir rutas de aprendizaje frecuentes. Hemos utilizado datos de 84 estudiantes universitarios, seguidos en un curso online usando Moodle 2.0. Proponemos agrupar a los estudiantes, en primer lugar, a partir de los datos de una síntesis de uso de Moodle y/o las calificaciones finales de los alumnos en un curso. Luego, usamos los datos de los logs de Moodle sobre cada cluster/grupo de estudiantes separadamente con el fin de poder obtener más específicos y precisos modelos de procesos del comportamiento de los estudiantes.In this paper, we apply techniques data mining to discover common learning routes. We have used data from 84 undergraduate college students who followed an online course using Moodle 2.0. We propose to group students firstly starting from data about Moodle’s usage summary and/or the students’ final marks in the course. Then, we use data from Moodle’s logs about each cluster/group of students separately in order to be able to obtain more specific and accurate process models of students’ behaviour

Efectos agudos de las vibraciones de cuerpo completo sobre variables funcionales en niños con parálisis cerebral

Accésit Congreso SIBB 2015El objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar los efectos agudos de las vibraciones de cuerpo completo (VCC) sobre el equilibrio y la movilidad en niños con parálisis cerebral, y comparar los efectos producidos por el estímulo vibratorio vertical y oscilante sobre las variables mencionadas. Se utilizó un diseño cruzado aleatorio en el que participaron 6 niños y adolescentes con parálisis cerebral. Se llevaron a cabo 5 sesiones de tratamiento, utilizando las dos primeras como familiarización. En cada una de las tres sesiones restantes, el paciente recibía de forma aleatoria un tratamiento de VCC diferente consistentes en 5 series de 1 minuto de vibración seguidas de 1 minuto de descanso. Antes y después de cada intervención se realizaron valoraciones de esfuerzo percibido, equilibrio y movilidad a través de una escala visual analógica y los test de Romberg y timed up and go, respectivamente. La escala visual analógica mostró un incremento del esfuerzo percibido tras la aplicación del tratamiento (+75%, p=0,007). En el equilibrio se observó un aumento en la velocidad de desplazamiento del centro de presiones tras la intervención (+11,3%, p=0,024).Todos los protocolos aplicados en niños y adolescentes con parálisis cerebral, modificaron de manera aguda el equilibrio, no mostrándose cambios respecto a la movilidad. Los resultados del presente estudio demuestran que, el estímulo vibratorio no parece inducir mayores modificaciones sobre el equilibrio y la movilidad que el propio trabajo isométrico sobre la plataforma.Peer ReviewedAward-winnin

Star-forming dwarf galaxies in the Virgo cluster: the link between molecular gas, atomic gas, and dust

We present $^{12}$CO(1-0) and $^{12}$CO(2-1) observations of a sample of 20 star-forming dwarfs selected from the Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey, with oxygen abundances ranging from 12 + log(O/H) ~ 8.1 to 8.8. CO emission is observed in ten galaxies and marginally detected in another one. CO fluxes correlate with the FIR 250 $\mu$m emission, and the dwarfs follow the same linear relation that holds for more massive spiral galaxies extended to a wider dynamical range. We compare different methods to estimate H2 molecular masses, namely a metallicity-dependent CO-to-H2 conversion factor and one dependent on H-band luminosity. The molecular-to-stellar mass ratio remains nearly constant at stellar masses <~ 10$^9$ M$_{\odot}$, contrary to the atomic hydrogen fraction, M$_{HI}$/M$_*$, which increases inversely with M$_*$. The flattening of the M$_{H_2}$/M$_*$ ratio at low stellar masses does not seem to be related to the effects of the cluster environment because it occurs for both HI-deficient and HI-normal dwarfs. The molecular-to-atomic ratio is more tightly correlated with stellar surface density than metallicity, confirming that the interstellar gas pressure plays a key role in determining the balance between the two gaseous components of the interstellar medium. Virgo dwarfs follow the same linear trend between molecular gas mass and star formation rate as more massive spirals, but gas depletion timescales, $\tau_{dep}$, are not constant and range between 100 Myr and 6 Gyr. The interaction with the Virgo cluster environment is removing the atomic gas and dust components of the dwarfs, but the molecular gas appears to be less affected at the current stage of evolution within the cluster. However, the correlation between HI deficiency and the molecular gas depletion time suggests that the lack of gas replenishment from the outer regions of the disc is lowering the star formation activity.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic