Energy for social transformation : a study of the West Nile region of Uganda

Sandy Stevens Tickodri-Togboa, Izael Pereira Da Silva - Electrification and energy provision in rural areasThis Paper presents the results of technical, financial, environmental and management feasibility studies into the provision of reliable, sustainable and environmentally-friendly supply of electricity to the north-west corner of Uganda, called the West Nile Region – a region that is highly populated by comparison with the average population densities of the country and whose location is of both strategic and economic importance in that it serves as a gateway to the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic in the west and to the south of Sudan in the north. The study examines various possible options for supply of electricity to the region and concludes that the optimal mode is through micro/mini-hydro power plants to be built on the 19 potential sites along nine principal rivers that drain the five districts comprising the region. It presents the current situation of supply of electricity in the region. This is followed with a detailed study for the implementation of the site at Olewa – the site nearest and with sufficient capacity to supply the current largest load centre in the area, which are the Arua Municipality and its environs. Due to the close similarities amongst those sites, it is argued that the data and findings pertaining to the Olewa one can easily be extended to the others, which thus makes this study beneficial and of direct relevance for the whole region. The paper then proceeds to discuss some of the foreseeable transformations that are likely to emanate from availability of adequate and reliable electricity supply in the region and ends with concluding remarks and recommendations.This Paper presents the results of technical, financial, environmental and management feasibility studies into the provision of reliable, sustainable and environmentally-friendly supply of electricity to the north-west corner of Uganda, called the West Nile Region – a region that is highly populated by comparison with the average population densities of the country and whose location is of both strategic and economic importance in that it serves as a gateway to the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic in the west and to the south of Sudan in the north. The study examines various possible options for supply of electricity to the region and concludes that the optimal mode is through micro/mini-hydro power plants to be built on the 19 potential sites along nine principal rivers that drain the five districts comprising the region. It presents the current situation of supply of electricity in the region. This is followed with a detailed study for the implementation of the site at Olewa – the site nearest and with sufficient capacity to supply the current largest load centre in the area, which are the Arua Municipality and its environs. Due to the close similarities amongst those sites, it is argued that the data and findings pertaining to the Olewa one can easily be extended to the others, which thus makes this study beneficial and of direct relevance for the whole region. The paper then proceeds to discuss some of the foreseeable transformations that are likely to emanate from availability of adequate and reliable electricity supply in the region and ends with concluding remarks and recommendations

Core level spectroscopies locate hydrogen in the proton transfer pathway – identifying quasi-symmetrical hydrogen bonds in the solid state

Short, strong hydrogen bonds (SSHBs) have been a source of interest and considerable speculation over recent years, culminating with those where hydrogen resides around the midpoint between the donor and acceptor atoms, leading to quasi-covalent nature. We demonstrate that X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy provide deep insight into the electronic structure of the short OHN hydrogen bond of 3,5-pyridinedicarboxylic acid, revealing for the first time distinctive spectroscopic identifiers for these quasi-symmetrical hydrogen bonds. An intermediate nitrogen (core level) chemical shift occurs for the almost centrally located hydrogen compared to protonated (ionic) and non-ionic analogues, and it reveals the absence of two-site disorder. This type of bonding is also evident through broadening of the nitrogen 1s photoemission and 1s → 1π* peaks in XPS and NEXAFS, respectively, arising from the femtosecond lifetimes of hydrogen in the potential wells slightly offset to either side of the centre. The line-shape of the core level excitations are thus related to the population occupancies, reflecting the temperature-dependent shape of the hydrogen potential energy well. Both XPS and NEXAFS provide a distinctive identifier for these quasi-symmetrical hydrogen bonds, paving the way for detailed studies into their prevalence and potentially unique physical and chemical properties

Velocity distributions in clusters of galaxies

We employ a high-resolution dissipationless N-body simulation of a galaxy cluster to investigate the impact of subhalo selection on the resulting velocity distributions. Applying a lower limit on the present bound mass of subhalos leads to high subhalo velocity dispersions compared to the diffuse dark matter (positive velocity bias) and to a considerable deviation from a Gaussian velocity distribution (kurtosis -0.6). However, if subhalos are required to exceed a minimal mass before accretion onto the host, the velocity bias becomes negligible and the velocity distribution is close to Gaussian (kurtosis -0.15). Recently it has been shown that the latter criterion results in subhalo samples that agree well with the observed number-density profiles of galaxies in clusters. Therefore we argue that the velocity distributions of galaxies in clusters are essentially un-biased. The comparison of the galaxy velocity distribution and the sound speed, derived from scaling relations of X-ray observations, results in an average Mach number of 1.24. Altogether 65% of the galaxies move supersonically and 8% have Mach numbers larger than 2 with respect to the intra cluster gas.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRAS(Letters

Employing defined bioconjugates to generate chemically functionalised gold nanoparticles for in vitro diagnostic applications

Novel methods for introducing chemical and biological functionality to the surface of gold nanoparticles serve to increase the utility of this class of nanomaterials across a range of applications. To date, methods for functionalising gold surfaces have relied upon uncontrollable non-specific adsorption, bespoke chemical linkers, or non-generalisable protein–protein interactions. Herein we report a versatile method for introducing functionality to gold nanoparticles by exploiting the strong interaction between chemically functionalised bovine serum albumin (f-BSA) and citrate-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). We establish the generalisability of the method by introducing a variety of functionalities to gold nanoparticles using cheap, commercially available chemical linkers. The utility of this approach is further demonstrated through the conjugation of the monoclonal antibody Ontruzant to f-BSA–AuNPs using inverse electron-demand Diels–Alder (iEDDA) click chemistry, a hitherto unexplored chemistry for AuNP–IgG conjugation. Finally, we show that the AuNP–Ontruzant particles generated via f-BSA–AuNPs have a greater affinity for their target in a lateral flow format when compared to conventional physisorption, highlighting the potential of this technology for producing sensitive diagnostic tests

Recruitment of ethnic minority patients to a cardiac rehabilitation trial: the Birmingham Rehabilitation Uptake Maximisation (BRUM) study [ISRCTN72884263]

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.BACKGROUND: Concerns have been raised about low participation rates of people from minority ethnic groups in clinical trials. However, the evidence is unclear as many studies do not report the ethnicity of participants and there is insufficient information about the reasons for ineligibility by ethnic group. Where there are data, there remains the key question as to whether ethnic minorities more likely to be ineligible (e.g. due to language) or decline to participate. We have addressed these questions in relation to the Birmingham Rehabilitation Uptake Maximisation (BRUM) study, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing a home-based with a hospital-based cardiac rehabilitation programme in a multi-ethnic population in the UK. METHODS: Analysis of the ethnicity, age and sex of presenting and recruited subjects for a trial of cardiac rehabilitation in the West-Midlands, UK. PARTICIPANTS: 1997 patients presenting post-myocardial infarction, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty or coronary artery bypass graft surgery. DATA COLLECTED: Exclusion rates, reasons for exclusion and reasons for declining to participate in the trial by ethnic group. RESULTS: Significantly more patients of South Asian ethnicity were excluded (52% of 'South Asian' v 36% 'White European' and 36% 'Other', p < 0.001). This difference in eligibility was primarily due to exclusion on the basis of language (i.e. the inability to speak English or Punjabi). Of those eligible, similar proportions were recruited from the different ethnic groups (white, South Asian and other). There was a marked difference in eligibility between people of Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi origin. CONCLUSION: Once eligible for this trial, people from different ethnic groups were recruited in similar proportions. The reason for ineligibility in the BRUM study was the inability to support the range of minority languages.The BRUM study is funded by the NHS HTA Programme

Bacterial toxin-triggered release of antibiotics from capsosomes protects a fly model from lethal methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection

Antibiotic resistance is a severe global health threat and hence demands rapid action to develop novel therapies, including microscale drug delivery systems. Herein, a hierarchical microparticle system is developed to achieve bacteria-activated single- and dual-antibiotic drug delivery for preventing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacterial infections. The designed system is based on a capsosome structure, which consists of a mesoporous silica microparticle coated in alternating layers of oppositely charged polymers and antibiotic-loaded liposomes. The capsosomes are engineered and shown to release their drug payloads in the presence of MRSA toxins controlled by the Agr quorum sensing system. MRSA-activated single drug delivery of vancomycin and synergistic dual delivery of vancomycin together with an antibacterial peptide successfully kills MRSA in vitro. The capability of capsosomes to selectively deliver their cargo in the presence of bacteria, producing a bactericidal effect to protect the host organism, is confirmed in vivo using a Drosophila melanogaster MRSA infection model. Thus, the capsosomes serve as a versatile multidrug, subcompartmentalized microparticle system for preventing antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, with potential applications to protect wounds or medical device implants from infections

HIV Viral Load Testing in the South African Public Health Setting in the Context of Evolving ART Guidelines and Advances in Technology, 2013 - 2022

HIV viral load (VL) testing plays a key role in the clinical management of HIV as a marker of adherence and antiretroviral efficacy. To date, national and international antiretroviral treatment recommendations have evolved to endorse routine VL testing. South Africa (SA) has recommended routine VL testing since 2004. Progressively, the centralised HIV VL program managed by its National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) has undergone expansive growth. Retrospective de-identified VL data from 2013 to 2022 were evaluated to review program performance. Test volumes increased from 1,961,720 performed in 2013 to 45,334,864 in 2022. The median total in-laboratory turnaround time (TAT) ranged from 94 h (2015) to 51 h (2022). Implementation of two new assays improved median TATs in all laboratories. Samples of VL greater than 1000 copies/mL declined steadily. Despite initial increases, samples of fewer than 50 copies/mL stagnated at about 70% from 2019 and declined to 68% in 2022. Some variations between assays were observed. Overall, the SA VL program is successful. The scale of the VL program, the largest of its kind in the world by some margin, provides lessons for future public health programs dependent on laboratories for patient outcome and program performance monitoring

The case for Tai Chi in the repertoire of strategies to prevent falls among older people

Falls among older people is a global public health issue. In this article, Dr Samuel Nyman of Bournemouth University Dementia Research Institute, and Professor Dawn Skelton, Institute for Applied Health Research, Glasgow Caledonian University highlight the effectiveness of Tai Chi as an alternative strategy to physiotherapy to combat this issue