Zika virus Concern and Preventative Behaviors During Pregnancy: Analysis of 2017 Georgia Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System data

Background: Zika virus infection can cause severe health complications in pregnant women such as microcephaly and other congenital anomalies in the developing fetus but it can be prevented. It is imperative to develop an understanding of concern about Zika virus among pregnant women as this can influence their Zika virus preventative behaviors. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of Zika virus concern among women in Georgia with live births in 2017 and to examine the frequency of condom use among those who were sexually active during their most recent pregnancy. Methods: This cross- sectional study used secondary data collected by Georgia Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System in 2017. Descriptive analyses were performed on variables of interest. Chi squared tests examined associations between level of concern about Zika virus and socio-demographic variables. Results: A total of 955 women (age range 18-45) completed the survey. Less than half of the women (n =418,47.4%) reported they were concerned about Zika virus. Consistent use of condoms was not associated with the level of concern of Zika virus. Among the women, those of Hispanic race/ethnicity were more likely to consistently use condoms during their most recent pregnancy (Adjusted Odds Ratio = 11.37; 95%CI: 3.95-32.81) when compared to Non-Hispanic white women, and this association was found to be statistically significant (p\u3c0.0001). Conclusion: Consistent use of condoms by sexually active women in Georgia during pregnancy appears to vary by race/ethnicity for these women. Findings of this study point to opportunities for engagement on Zika virus awareness and help with refining risk messaging for prevention of Zika virus (or other diseases of global concern) to pregnant wome

Flow equations for Hamiltonians: Contrasting different approaches by using a numerically solvable model

To contrast different generators for flow equations for Hamiltonians and to discuss the dependence of physical quantities on unitarily equivalent, but effectively different initial Hamiltonians, a numerically solvable model is considered which is structurally similar to impurity models. By this we discuss the question of optimization for the first time. A general truncation scheme is established that produces good results for the Hamiltonian flow as well as for the operator flow. Nevertheless, it is also pointed out that a systematic and feasible scheme for the operator flow on the operator level is missing. For this, an explicit analysis of the operator flow is given for the first time. We observe that truncation of the series of the observable flow after the linear or bilinear terms does not yield satisfactory results for the entire parameter regime as - especially close to resonances - even high orders of the exact series expansion carry considerable weight.Comment: 25 pages, 10 figure

Improving Household Drinking Water Quality: Use of Biosand Filter in Cambodia

The BSF is a robust water treatment technology for use in rural Cambodian households, capable of effective removal of bacteria, and significant reduction of diarrheal disease. BSF performance is comparable to other recommended household water treatment interventions

Energy spectrum and Landau levels in bilayer graphene with spin-orbit interaction

We present a theoretical study of the bandstructure and Landau levels in bilayer graphene at low energies in the presence of a transverse magnetic field and Rashba spin-orbit interaction in the regime of negligible trigonal distortion. Within an effective low energy approach (L\"owdin partitioning theory) we derive an effective Hamiltonian for bilayer graphene that incorporates the influence of the Zeeman effect, the Rashba spin-orbit interaction, and inclusively, the role of the intrinsic spin-orbit interaction on the same footing. Particular attention is spent to the energy spectrum and Landau levels. Our modeling unveil the strong influence of the Rashba coupling $\lambda_R$ in the spin-splitting of the electron and hole bands. Graphene bilayers with weak Rashba spin-orbit interaction show a spin-splitting linear in momentum and proportional to $\lambda_R$, but scales inversely proportional to the interlayer hopping energy $\gamma_1$. However, at robust spin-orbit coupling $\lambda_R$ the energy spectrum shows a strong warping behavior near the Dirac points. We find the bias-induced gap in bilayer graphene to be decreasing with increasing Rashba coupling, a behavior resembling a topological insulator transition. We further predict an unexpected assymetric spin-splitting and crossings of the Landau levels due to the interplay between the Rashba interaction and the external bias voltage. Our results are of relevance for interpreting magnetotransport and infrared cyclotron resonance measurements, including also situations of comparatively weak spin-orbit coupling.Comment: 25 pages, 5 figure

Contributing Factors in a Successful Foodborne Outbreak Investigation: an Analysis of Data Collected by the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), 2003-2010.

Background. Foodborne disease is estimated to cause 48 million illnesses annually in the US resulting in 3000 deaths [1]. Although most infections occur as sporadic cases, outbreak surveillance offers valuable insight about the foods and pathogens responsible for illnesses [2]. A total of 1632 foodborne disease outbreaks were reported during 2011-2012 [3] and recent data indicates an overall decrease in the number of outbreaks reported each year [4]. Understanding which factors contribute to the successful identification of a food vehicle in a foodborne outbreak investigation is crucial for improving outbreak response [5-10]. The purpose of this study was to describe outbreak characteristics and to determine which may be associated with the success of a foodborne outbreak investigation (i.e. one in which a food vehicle has been reported). Methods. A foodborne disease outbreak was defined as the event in which two or more people acquired similar illnesses from consuming the same food or beverage. Outbreaks occurring in FoodNet sites during 2003 through 2010 were included in the analysis. Results. Data were available for 1441 (87%) of the 1655 foodborne disease outbreaks documented in FoodNet Outbreak Supplement forms from 2003 through 2010. A food vehicle was identified in 692 of the 1441 (48%) outbreaks. Six outbreak characteristics remained statistically significant in both univariate and multivariate analyses: environmental and/or food culture collection, FDA or state agriculture involvement, outbreak size, case-control studies, and number of fecal specimens tested for norovirus. Conclusions. Less than half of foodborne outbreaks examined here resulted in a food vehicle being identified. Having more robust resources available for outbreak detection and investigation may improve likelihood of a food vehicle being identified

North Carolina Hispanic Farmworkers and Intestinal Parasitism: A Pilot Study of Prevalence and Health-Related Practices,and Potential Means of Foodborne Transmission

Migrant and seasonal farmworkers provide much of the necessary labor to harvest and process agricultural commodities desired by consumers. Little is known about the health status (especially the parasitic burden) of farm laborers, who handpick agricultural items such as fruits and vegetables, despite being implicated as a means of foodborne pathogen transmission. The goal of this research was to develop a framework to investigate enteric parasitic infections among Hispanic farmworkers in Eastern North Carolina. Seventy-one interviews were conducted, 16 stool samples were collected, and two parasite-positive workers were found. In addition, some potentially harmful health practices (e.g., self-medication) were identified. Further research is necessary to fully understand the scope of farmworker health issues and the potential risk of disseminating foodborne pathogens to humans. The study model presented provides a geographically expandable format to allow for various types of health investigations including the prevalence of other pathogens