Seven principles for inclusive development policy-making

ASC – Publicaties niet-programma gebonde

Inclusive development in Africa

ASC – Publicaties niet-programma gebonde

Investigation of risk factors for Echinococcus coproantigen positivity in dogs in the Alay valley, Kyrgyzstan

Echinococcosis caused by the zoonotic cestodes Echinococcus granulosus (sensu lato) and Echinococcus multilocularis is highly endemic in the Central Asian Republic of Kyrgyzstan, and is increasingly being identified as public health problem especially amongst pastoral communities. As domestic dogs are considered to be the main source of human infection in these communities, the identification of potential transmission pathways can be of use when considering implementing a control scheme for echinococcosis. The current report describes the results of an analytic study of canine echinococcosis (based on the results of coproantigen ELISA testing) in the Alay valley of southern Kyrgyzstan prior to the commencement of a praziquantel dosing scheme amongst dogs. A logistic regression model using a form of Bayes modal estimation was used to identify possible risk factors for coproantigen positivity, and the output was interpreted in a Bayesian context (posterior distributions of the coefficients of interest). The study found that sheepdogs had lower odds of coproantigen positivity, as did households with donkeys, some knowledge of echinococcosis, and which did not engage in home slaughtering. There was no evidence of an association between free roaming or previous praziquantel dosing and coproantigen positivity, as has been found in previous studies. Possible reasons for these findings are discussed and suggestions made for further work

Evaluation of the impact of 2 years of a dosing intervention on canine echinococcosis in the Alay Valley, Kyrgyzstan

Echinococcosis is a re-emerging zoonotic disease in Kyrgyzstan. In 2012, an echinococcosis control scheme was started that included dosing owned dogs in the Alay Valley, Kyrgyzstan with praziquantel. Control programmes require large investments of money and resources; as such it is important to evaluate how well these are meeting their targets. However, problems associated with echinococcosis control schemes include remoteness and semi-nomadic customs of affected communities, and lack of resources. These same problems apply to control scheme evaluations, and quick and easy assessment tools are highly desirable. Lot quality assurance sampling was used to assess the impact of approximately 2 years of echinococcosis control in the Alay valley. A pre-intervention coproELISA prevalence was established, and a 75% threshold for dosing compliance was set based on previous studies. Ten communities were visited in 2013 and 2014, with 18-21 dogs sampled per community, and questionnaires administered to dog owners. After 21 months of control efforts, 8/10 communities showed evidence of reaching the 75% praziquantel dosing target, although only 3/10 showed evidence of a reduction in coproELISA prevalence. This is understandable, since years of sustained control are required to effectively control echinococcosis, and efforts in the Alay valley should be and are being continued

Anomalous spin-splitting of two-dimensional electrons in an AlAs Quantum Well

We measure the effective Lande g-factor of high-mobility two-dimensional electrons in a modulation-doped AlAs quantum well by tilting the sample in a magnetic field and monitoring the evolution of the magnetoresistance oscillations. The data reveal that |g| = 9.0, which is much enhanced with respect to the reported bulk value of 1.9. Surprisingly, in a large range of magnetic field and Landau level fillings, the value of the enhanced g-factor appears to be constant.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Electronic Continuous Pain Measurement vs Verbal Rating Scale in gynaecology:A prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE: To compare pain measured with a new electronic device - the Continuous Pain Score Meter (CPSM) - and the Verbal Rating Scale (VRS) during gynaecological procedures in an outpatient setting, and to correlate these outcomes with baseline anxiety and patient (in)tolerance to the procedure. STUDY DESIGN: This prospective cohort study was undertaken in two centres: a university hospital and a large teaching hospital in The Netherlands. Patients undergoing an outpatient hysteroscopy, colposcopy or ovum pick-up procedure for in-vitro fertilization in one of the two participating hospitals with availability of the CPSM were included. Pain was measured by both the CPSM and the VRS. Patient tolerance to the procedure was reported. Various outcomes of the CPSM were compared with those of the VRS and related to baseline anxiety scores. RESULTS: Ninety-one of 108 included patients (84 %) used the CPSM correctly during the procedure, and it was possible to analyse the CPSM scores for 87 women (81 %). The CPSM scores were all linearly related to the VRS. The peak pain score on the CPSM (CPSM-PPS) had the strongest correlation with the VRS score for all three procedures. Higher CPSM-PPS was related to patient (in)tolerance to the procedure (p = 0.03-0.002). Anxiety at baseline was not correlated with pain perception, except for VRS during colposcopy (r = 0.39, p = 0.016). CONCLUSION: The majority of patients were able to use the CPSM correctly, resulting in detailed information on pain perception for each individual pain stimulus during three outpatient gynaecological procedures. The CPSM-PPS had the strongest correlation with the VRS score and patient (in)tolerance to the procedure

Magnetic Field Induced Spin Polarization of AlAs Two-dimensional Electrons

Two-dimensional (2D) electrons in an in-plane magnetic field become fully spin polarized above a field B_P, which we can determine from the in-plane magnetoresistance. We perform such measurements in modulation-doped AlAs electron systems, and find that the field B_P increases approximately linearly with 2D electron density. These results imply that the product |g*|m*, where g* is the effective g-factor and m* the effective mass, is a constant essentially independent of density. While the deduced |g*|m* is enhanced relative to its band value by a factor of ~ 4, we see no indication of its divergence as 2D density approaches zero. These observations are at odds with results obtained in Si-MOSFETs, but qualitatively confirm spin polarization studies of 2D GaAs carriers.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Apparent Metallic Behavior at B = 0 of a two-dimensional electron system in AlAs

We report the observation of metallic-like behavior at low temperatures and zero magnetic field in two dimensional (2D) electrons in an AlAs quantum well. At high densities the resistance of the sample decreases with decreasing temperature, but as the density is reduced the behavior changes to insulating, with the resistance increasing as the temperature is decreased. The effect is similar to that observed in 2D electrons in Si-MOSFETs, and in 2D holes in SiGe and GaAs, and points to the generality of this phenomenon

Helminth parasites in the endangered Ethiopian wolf, Canis simensis

Ethiopian wolves, Canis simensis, are an endangered carnivore endemic to the Ethiopian highlands. Although previous studies have focused on aspects of Ethiopian wolf biology, including diet, territoriality, reproduction and infectious diseases such as rabies, little is known of their helminth parasites. In the current study, faecal samples were collected from 94 wild Ethiopian wolves in the Bale Mountains of southernEthiopia,betweenAugust 2008andFebruary 2010,andwere screened for the presence of helminth eggs using a semi-quantitative volumetric dilutionmethodwithmicroscopy.We found that 66 of the 94 faecal samples (70.2%) contained eggs from at least one group of helminths, including Capillaria, Toxocara, Trichuris, ancylostomatids, Hymenolepis and taeniids. Eggs of Capillaria sp. were found most commonly, followed by Trichuris sp., ancylostomatid species and Toxocara species. Three samples contained Hymenolepis sp. eggs, which were likely artefacts from ingested prey species. Four samples contained taeniid eggs, one of whichwas copro-polymerase chain reaction (copro-PCR) and sequence positive for Echinococcus granulosus, suggesting a spillover from a domestic parasite cycle into this wildlife species. Associations between presence/absence of Capillaria, Toxocara and Trichuris eggs were found; and egg burdens of Toxocara and ancylostomatids were found to be associated with geographical location and sampling season.Institute for Breeding Rare and Endangered African Mammals (IBREAM), the Born Free Foundation and the Wildlife Conservation Network. University of Salford.http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=JHL2016-01-31hb201