A Longitudinal Analysis of Mosquito Net Ownership and Use in an Indigenous Batwa Population after a Targeted Distribution

Major efforts for malaria prevention programs have gone into scaling up ownership and use of insecticidal mosquito nets, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where the malaria burden is high. Socioeconomic inequities in access to long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) are reduced with free distributions of nets. However, the relationship between social factors and retention of nets after a free distribution has been less studied, particularly using a longitudinal approach. Our research aimed to estimate the ownership and use of LLINs, and examine the determinants of LLIN retention, within an Indigenous Batwa population after a free LLIN distribution. Two LLINs were given free of charge to each Batwa household in Kanungu District, Uganda in November 2012. Surveyors collected data on LLIN ownership and use through six cross-sectional surveys pre- and post-distribution. Household retention, within household access, and individual use of LLINs were assessed over an 18-month period. Socioeconomic determinants of household retention of LLINs post-distribution were modelled longitudinally using logistic regression with random effects. Direct house-to-house distribution of free LLINs did not result in sustainable increases in the ownership and use of LLINs. Three months post-distribution, only 73% of households owned at least one LLIN and this period also saw the greatest reduction in ownership compared to other study periods. Eighteen-months post distribution, only a third of households still owned a LLIN. Self-reported age-specific use of LLINs was generally higher for children under five, declined for children aged 6–12, and was highest for older adults aged over 35. In the model, household wealth was a significant predictor of LLIN retention, controlling for time and other variables. This research highlights on-going socioeconomic inequities in access to malaria prevention measures among the Batwa in southwestern Uganda, even after free distribution of LLINs, and provides critical information to inform local malaria programs on possible intervention entry-points to increase access and use among this marginalized population

Design and implementation of a communication protocol for knee assistive device with distributed control system

i-CREATe 2012 - 6th International Convention on Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology

USE OF THE NOVEL ATYPICAL OPIOID TAPENTADOL IN GOATS (CAPRA HIRCUS): PHARMACOKINETICS AFTER INTRAVENOUS, AND INTRAMUSCULAR ADMINISTRATION

The objective of the present study was to assess the pharmacokinetics of the novel atypical drug tapentadol (TAP) after intravenous (I.V.) and intramuscular (I.M.) injections in clinically healthy goats. A 2 9 2 cross-over design study was carried out. Six local adult Nubian nonlactating, nonpregnant female goats, were given 5 mg/kg body weight of TAP by I.V. and I.M. routes. The concentrations of TAP in plasma were evaluated using a validated HPLC method. Transient adverse effects were noticed in some animals, especially after I.V. administration (tremors and ataxia). Three days after drug administration, severe hair loss was also recorded. The plasma concentrations after the two routes of administration were best described by a bi-compartmental model. After I.M. injection, TAP showed a very fast absorption (Tmax = 0.17 h) and a short half-life (1.29 h). The I.M. bioavailability was quite high, despite being variable (87.8 35.6%). This is the first pharmacokinetic study of TAP in goats but due to its unknown safety profile and efficacy, it is premature to recommend the use of this drug in clinical ovine practice

Multi-taxon alpha diversity following bark beetle disturbance: Evaluating multi-decade persistence of a diverse early-seral phase

Early-successional forest ecosystems developing after natural disturbances, such as fire, windthrow or insect outbreaks, can support high diversity of habitat structures, species and processes. However, the specific structural and multi-taxon responses that best define a distinct early-seral pre-forest phase, and the longevity of that phase, remain important research questions. To address these questions, we assessed stand structural heterogeneity and species density of various taxa across three biological kingdoms in the initial early-seral period (∼3 years after severe bark beetle outbreak), advanced early-seral period (∼17–25 years after severe bark beetle outbreak) and mature spruce forests in unmanaged montane/high-montane ecosystems in Southeastern Germany. We evaluated the hypothesis that changes in structural heterogeneity and increases in diversity would peak in the initial stage and attenuate toward mature forest conditions by 17–25 years as the tree canopy closed. We found a clear change in forest structural heterogeneity following the outbreak – most prominently in reduced cover and more clustered patterning of live trees, increased light availability, increased cover of shrubs and herbs, and high volume of dead wood. Most of these structural changes were not ephemeral after outbreaks, but remained high or even increased after multiple decades, suggesting persistence of early-seral heterogeneity well into succession. Biodiversity as measured by species density and rarefaction curves showed variable responses to early-seral conditions depending on taxon and functional group. While some groups either showed no significant change with disturbance (e.g., most epigeics associated with the ground surface), or initially peaked after disturbance before declining quickly (e.g., saproxylic beetles specializing on fresh dead wood), several key groups showed maximum diversity in the advanced early-seral stage (e.g., herbs, herbivores, pollinators) – indicating that the timeframe over which increases occurred tended to be on the order of decades rather than years. Our findings suggest that in unmanaged forests after bark beetle attack, a structurally complex phase prior to tree canopy closure can last several decades, and that many aspects of early-seral biodiversity and ecosystem function only fully develop given this extended time period. Where management of montane forests includes objectives for sustaining biodiversity, accommodating the protracted early-seral stage is important to supporting the full range of organisms and functions associated with canopy-opening disturbances

Are they any good at all? A financial and ethical analysis of socially responsible mutual funds

In this article, we examine a broad sample of socially responsible (SR) and conventional mutual funds with respect to financial and ethical parameters. We cannot document profound differences in their financial performance. With regard to ethical performance, we indeed find that an investor who seeks to avoid the least ethical of all available funds can do so by purchasing SR mutual funds. Still, we also demonstrate that SR mutual funds are not holding considerably more ethical assets on average. Moreover, the label ‘SR mutual fund’ does not in any way guarantee the exclusion of clearly unethical firms, which contrasts to the common perception of screening out poor assets