Computing automorphic forms on Shimura curves over fields with arbitrary class number

We extend methods of Greenberg and the author to compute in the cohomology of a Shimura curve defined over a totally real field with arbitrary class number. Via the Jacquet-Langlands correspondence, we thereby compute systems of Hecke eigenvalues associated to Hilbert modular forms of arbitrary level over a totally real field of odd degree. We conclude with two examples which illustrate the effectiveness of our algorithms.Comment: 15 pages; final submission to ANTS I

Facteurs Explicatifs de la Pratique Contraceptive Moderne des Femmes Fréquentant les Formations Sanitaires du District de Youwarou au Mali

Objectif : Mettre en exergue les déterminants de la pratique contraceptive moderne des femmes fréquentant les centres de santé du district de Youwarou au Mali. L’étude part du constat que la situation sanitaire est non satisfaisante avec un faible taux de fréquentation des centres de santé qui est de 15 %, exacerbée par la crise sécuritaire déclenchée en 2012. Ainsi, le taux d’utilisation des méthodes contraceptives modernes est également très faible soit 1,07%. En effet, l’utilisation de la contraception moderne selon la cinquième Enquête Démographique et de Santé du Mali (EDSM-5) est de 9,6% au niveau national et de 2,7% dans la région de Mopti. Méthode : Etude transversale quantitative dont l’enquête fut réalisée du 1er mai au 30 juin 2015, et a porté sur 200 femmes âgées de 15-49 ans fréquentant les 07 centres de santé dans le district de Youwarou. Les données collectées par un questionnaire ont été vérifiées, compilées à l’aide du logiciel le Sphinx Plus² version 4.5, puis transférées sur le logiciel stata 10 pour l’analyse statistique. Pour l’analyse des données, nous avons eu recours à deux méthodes dans ce travail : la méthode d’analyse descriptive (analyse bivariée) et la méthode d’analyse explicative (analyse multivariée). Résultats : L’étude montrent que la prévalence contraceptive moderne est de 8,8%. Les femmes de centre de Guidio-sare utilisent les contraceptives modernes plus que leurs consoeurs du district. Enfin les déterminants de la pratique contraceptive sont notamment l’ethnie, l’âge et le statut matrimonial de la femme. Conclusion : A la lumière de cette étude, nous suggérons qu’un accent particulier doit être mis sur les déterminants révélés afin de promouvoir les méthodes contraceptives modernes. Objective: Highlight the determinants of modern contraceptive practice among women attending health centers in the Youwarou health district of Mali. The study was carried out based on the observation that the health situation is unsatisfactory with a low utilization rate of health centers is 15%, exacerbated by the security crisis triggered in 2012. Thus, the rate of use of modern contraceptive methods is also very low is 1.07%. Indeed, the use of modern contraception according to the fifth Demographic and Health Survey of Mali (EDSM-5) is 9.6% at the national level and 2.7% in the Mopti region. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was carried out from May 1th to June 30th 2015, and covered 200 women aged 15-49 attending the 07 health centers in the district of Youwarou. The data collected by a questionnaire was verified, compiled using the software Sphinx Plus² version 4.5, and then transferred to the Stata 10 software for statistical analysis. For data analysis, two methods were used in this work: the descriptive analysis method (bivariate analysis) and the explanatory analysis method (multivariate analysis). Results: The study shows that modern contraceptive prevalence is 8.8%. women of Guidio-sare Center use modern contraceptives more than their sisters of district. Finally, the determinants of contraceptive practice include the ethnicity, age and marital status of women. Conclusion: In the light of this study, we suggest that emphasis should be placed on the identified determinants in order to promote modern contraceptive methods

Promoter effect on the reduction behavior of wuestite-based catalysts for ammonia synthesis

Ammonia synthesis remains one of the most important catalytic processes since it enables efficient hydrogen storage and provides the basis for the production of fertilizers. Herein, complementary bulk and local analytical techniques were combined to investigate the effect of selected promoters (Al, K, Ca) on the reduction of wuestite into α-iron and their catalytic performance for ammonia synthesis. The use of promoters appears to have a positive effect on the wuestite-derived catalyst in ammonia synthesis. The promoters seemingly act as a binder for wuestite grains and impede the reduction and disproportionation events of wuestite precursors resulting in an increased catalytic performance. This effect is associated with an increase of surface area and mesoporosity. The study delivers new insights into the interplay of structure and promoters in wuestite-based catalysts

A Trial of Early Antiretrovirals and Isoniazid Preventive Therapy in Africa

BACKGROUND: In sub-Saharan Africa, the burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated tuberculosis is high. We conducted a trial with a 2-by-2 factorial design to assess the benefits of early antiretroviral therapy (ART), 6-month isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT), or both among HIV-infected adults with high CD4+ cell counts in Ivory Coast. METHODS: We included participants who had HIV type 1 infection and a CD4+ count of less than 800 cells per cubic millimeter and who met no criteria for starting ART according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups: deferred ART (ART initiation according to WHO criteria), deferred ART plus IPT, early ART (immediate ART initiation), or early ART plus IPT. The primary end point was a composite of diseases included in the case definition of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), non-AIDS-defining cancer, non-AIDS-defining invasive bacterial disease, or death from any cause at 30 months. We used Cox proportional models to compare outcomes between the deferred-ART and early-ART strategies and between the IPT and no-IPT strategies. RESULTS: A total of 2056 patients (41% with a baseline CD4+ count of ≥500 cells per cubic millimeter) were followed for 4757 patient-years. A total of 204 primary end-point events were observed (3.8 events per 100 person-years; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.3 to 4.4), including 68 in patients with a baseline CD4+ count of at least 500 cells per cubic millimeter (3.2 events per 100 person-years; 95% CI, 2.4 to 4.0). Tuberculosis and invasive bacterial diseases accounted for 42% and 27% of primary end-point events, respectively. The risk of death or severe HIV-related illness was lower with early ART than with deferred ART (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.41 to 0.76; adjusted hazard ratio among patients with a baseline CD4+ count of ≥500 cells per cubic millimeter, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.33 to 0.94) and lower with IPT than with no IPT (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.48 to 0.88; adjusted hazard ratio among patients with a baseline CD4+ count of ≥500 cells per cubic millimeter, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.36 to 1.01). The 30-month probability of grade 3 or 4 adverse events did not differ significantly among the strategies. CONCLUSIONS: In this African country, immediate ART and 6 months of IPT independently led to lower rates of severe illness than did deferred ART and no IPT, both overall and among patients with CD4+ counts of at least 500 cells per cubic millimeter. (Funded by the French National Agency for Research on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis; TEMPRANO ANRS 12136 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00495651.)

A Comparative Study of the Spatial Distribution of Schistosomiasis in Mali in 1984–1989 and 2004–2006

Geostatistical maps are increasingly being used to plan neglected tropical disease control programmes. We investigated the spatial distribution of schistosomiasis in Mali prior to implementation of national donor-funded mass chemotherapy programmes using data from 1984–1989 and 2004–2006. The 2004–2006 dataset was collected after 10 years of schistosomiasis control followed by 12 years of no control. We found that national prevalence of Schistosoma haematobium and S. mansoni was not significantly different in 2004–2006 compared to 1984–1989 and that the spatial distribution of both infections was similar in both time periods, to the extent that models built on data from one time period could accurately predict the spatial distribution of prevalence of infection in the other time period. This has two main implications: that historic data can be used, in the first instance, to plan contemporary control programmes due to the stability of the spatial distribution of schistosomiasis; and that a decade of donor-funded mass distribution of praziquantel has had no discernable impact on the burden of schistosomiasis in subsequent generations of Malians, probably due to rapid reinfection

Effect of isoniazid preventive therapy on risk of death in west African, HIV-infected adults with high CD4 cell counts: long-term follow-up of the Temprano ANRS 12136 trial.

BACKGROUND: Temprano ANRS 12136 was a factorial 2 × 2 trial that assessed the benefits of early antiretroviral therapy (ART; ie, in patients who had not reached the CD4 cell count threshold used to recommend starting ART, as per the WHO guidelines that were the standard during the study period) and 6-month isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) in HIV-infected adults in Côte d'Ivoire. Early ART and IPT were shown to independently reduce the risk of severe morbidity at 30 months. Here, we present the efficacy of IPT in reducing mortality from the long-term follow-up of Temprano. METHODS: For Temprano, participants were randomly assigned to four groups (deferred ART, deferred ART plus IPT, early ART, or early ART plus IPT). Participants who completed the trial follow-up were invited to participate in a post-trial phase. The primary post-trial phase endpoint was death, as analysed by the intention-to-treat principle. We used Cox proportional models to compare all-cause mortality between the IPT and no IPT strategies from inclusion in Temprano to the end of the follow-up period. FINDINGS: Between March 18, 2008, and Jan 5, 2015, 2056 patients (mean baseline CD4 count 477 cells per μL) were followed up for 9404 patient-years (Temprano 4757; post-trial phase 4647). The median follow-up time was 4·9 years (IQR 3·3-5·8). 86 deaths were recorded (Temprano 47 deaths; post-trial phase 39 deaths), of which 34 were in patients randomly assigned IPT (6-year probability 4·1%, 95% CI 2·9-5·7) and 52 were in those randomly assigned no IPT (6·9%, 5·1-9·2). The hazard ratio of death in patients who had IPT compared with those who did not have IPT was 0·63 (95% CI, 0·41 to 0·97) after adjusting for the ART strategy (early vs deferred), and 0·61 (0·39-0·94) after adjustment for the ART strategy, baseline CD4 cell count, and other key characteristics. There was no evidence for statistical interaction between IPT and ART (pinteraction=0·77) or between IPT and time (pinteraction=0·94) on mortality. INTERPRETATION: In Côte d'Ivoire, where the incidence of tuberculosis was last reported as 159 per 100 000 people, 6 months of IPT has a durable protective effect in reducing mortality in HIV-infected people, even in people with high CD4 cell counts and who have started ART. FUNDING: National Research Agency on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis (ANRS)