Maser threshold characterization by resonator Q-factor tuning

Whereas the laser is nowadays an ubiquitous technology, applications for its microwave analog, the maser, remain highly specialized, despite the excellent low-noise microwave amplification properties. The widespread application of masers is typically limited by the need of cryogenic temperatures. The recent realization of a continuous-wave room-temperature maser, using NV− centers in diamond, is a first step towards establishing the maser as a potential platform for microwave research and development, yet its design is far from optimal. Here, we design and construct an optimized setup able to characterize the operating space of a maser using NV− centers. We focus on the interplay of two key parameters for emission of microwave photons: the quality factor of the microwave resonator and the degree of spin level-inversion. We characterize the performance of the maser as a function of these two parameters, identifying the parameter space of operation and highlighting the requirements for maximal continuous microwave emission

Self-reported health status of older adults in Malaysia and Singapore: evidence from the 2007 Global Ageing Survey

The aim of this study is to investigate the correlates of self-reported health (SRH) among older adults in Malaysia and Singapore. The study uses data collected in the Global Ageing Study (GLAS) 2007, one of the largest surveys of its kind, specially designed to investigate attitudes towards later life, ageing and retirement. Data were collected from 1002 and 1004 respondents from Malaysia and Singapore respectively. The study found that Singaporeans report a healthier life than Malaysians. The two countries have consistent results with regard to the influences of selected covariates on individual health. Poorer health is more prevalent among people with lower education, among those widowed, divorced or separated, and those working in blue-collar occupations. Although social support is found to be an important determinant of SRH, the effects are partially confounded with other covariates. These findings enhance our knowledge about the health status of older people, and in turn will be useful for governments to ensure effective policy making

Health technology assessment of tests for SARS-CoV-2 and treatments for COVID-19: A proposed approach and best-practice recommendations

OBJECTIVES: To develop best-practice guidance for health technology assessment (HTA) agencies when appraising diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2 and treatments for COVID-19. METHODS: We used a policy sandbox approach to develop best-practice guidance for HTA agencies to approach known challenges associated with assessing tests and treatments for COVID-19. The guidance was developed by a multi-stakeholder workshop of twenty-one participants representing HTA agencies, clinical and patient experts, academia, industry, and a payer, from across Europe and North America. The workshop was supported by extensive background work to identify the key challenges, including: targeted reviews of existing COVID-related methods guidance for assessing interventions and clinical guidelines, engagement with clinical experts, a survey and workshop of HTA agencies, a systematic review of published economic evaluations, and a workshop of health economic modelers. RESULTS: We suggest HTA agencies should consider using other types of evidence (e.g., real world) where high-quality randomized controlled trials may be lacking and healthcare systems would value timely HTA outputs. A "living" HTA approach may be useful, given the context of an evolving disease, scientific understanding and evidence base, allowing for decisions to be efficiently revisited in response to new information; particularly, if supported by a common "disease model" for COVID-19. Innovative ways of engaging with the public and clinicians, and early engagement with regulators and payers, are recommended. CONCLUSIONS: HTA agencies should consider the elements of this guidance that are most suited to their existing processes to enable them to assess the effectiveness and value of interventions for COVID-19

Antiviral Combination Therapy with Interferon/Peginterferon Plus Ribavirin for Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C in Germany: A Health Technology Assessment Commissioned by the German Agency for Health Technology Assessment

Objective: The purpose of this health technology assessment (HTA), commissioned by the German Agency for HTA at the German Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security, was to systematically review the evidence on effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of antiviral treatment (AVT) for initial chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and to apply these data in the context of the German health care system. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs), meta-analyses, and HTAs that evaluated initial AVT for CHC. A modified version of the German Hepatitis C Model (GEHMO) -- a decision-analytic Markov model -- was used to determine long-term morbidity, life expectancy, quality of life, costs and cost-effectiveness of different treatment strategies. Model parameters were derived from German databases, international RCTs, and a Cochrane Review. Results: Overall, 9 RCTs, 2 HTA reports, 1 Cochrane review, and 2 meta-analyses examining medical effectiveness of antiviral combination therapy, as well as 7 economic evaluations, met the inclusion criteria. These studies indicate that combination therapy with peginterferon plus ribavirin produced the highest sustained virological response rates (54-61%), followed by interferon plus ribavirin with 38-54%, and interferon monotherapy with 11-21%. Based on international cost-effectiveness studies, interferon plus ribavirin is cost-effective compared to interferon monotherapy. No published articles were available regarding cost-effectiveness of peginterferon plus ribavirin. In our decision analysis, these findings were confirmed and the discounted incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for peginterferon plus ribavirin was € 9,800 per quality-adjusted life-year gained compared to interferon monotherapy (as the next best non-dominated strategy). Sensitivity analyses showed robust results across a wide range of model parameters. Conclusions: This HTA suggests that initial combination therapy prolongs life, improves quality of life, and is cost-effective in patients with CHC. Combination of peginterferon and ribavirin is the most effective and efficient treatment strategy among the examined options

Knowledge, attitudes, and willingness of healthcare workers in Iraq’s Kurdistan region to vaccinate against human monkeypox: a nationwide cross-sectional study

Although human monkeypox infections had not been recorded in the Kurdistan region of Iraq as of August 2023, the rapid growth of cases worldwide and the detection of monkeypox in neighboring Middle Eastern nations call for careful planning and timely response measures. Educating and empowering frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) so that they can act to curb the spread of monkeypox infections are core elements of primary prevention and protecting public health. Therefore, this study aimed to assess HCWs’ knowledge and attitudes about monkeypox and their willingness to vaccinate against monkeypox. By employing a convenience sampling method, an online survey was disseminated via Google Forms between 1 November 2022 and 15 January 2023. The researchers utilized regression analyses to ascertain the factors associated with the three parameters: knowledge, attitude, and the willingness to vaccinate. A total of 637 HCWs were included in the analysis (ages ranged between 21 and 51 years). The mean overall scores were 8.18 of a max score of 16 (SD 3.37), 3.4 of 5 (SD 1.37), and 2.41 of 5 (SD 1.25) for knowledge, attitude, and willingness to vaccinate, respectively. A multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that HCWs who had heard about monkeypox before 2022 rather than later had a higher level of knowledge (AOR: 4.85; 95% CI: 2.81–8.36; p < 0.001). In addition, those who had newly joined the workforce or had less than 1 year experience in practice had more positive attitudes about curbing monkeypox (AOR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.20–0.59; p < 0.01) than those who practiced for longer. No significant predictors of willingness to vaccinate against monkeypox were identified. The research revealed that HCWs exhibited a relatively low level of monkeypox knowledge. They also had poor attitudes towards monkeypox vaccination and were therefore reluctant to receive the vaccines. Imparting knowledge about the infectious disease can cultivate better awareness and attitudes among HCWs as to their roles in mitigating the spread of an epidemic in the foreseeable future

Age and sex-specific disability-free life expectancy in urban and rural settings of Bangladesh

\ua9 The Author(s) 2024.Background: Disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) has been used to gain a better understanding of the population’s quality of life. Objectives: The authors aimed to estimate age and sex-specific disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) for urban and rural areas of Bangladesh, as well as to investigate the differences in DFLE between males and females of urban and rural areas. Methods: Data from the Bangladesh Sample Vital Statistics-2016 and the Bangladesh Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES)-2016 were used to calculate the disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) of urban and rural males and females in Bangladesh in 2016. The DFLE was calculated using the Sullivan method. Results: With only a few exceptions, rural areas have higher mortality and disability rates than urban areas. For both males and females, statistically significant differences in DFLE were reported between urban and rural areas between the ages of birth and 39 years. In comparison to rural males and females, urban males and females had a longer life expectancy (LE), a longer disability-free life expectancy, and a higher share of life without disability. Conclusion: This study illuminates stark urban–rural disparities in LE and DFLE, especially among individuals aged &lt; 1–39 years. Gender dynamics reveal longer life expectancy but shorter disability-free life expectancy for Bangladeshi women compared to men, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to address these pronounced health inequalities

Enhanced heterogeneous activation of peroxymonosulfate by Ruddlesden-Popper-type La2CoO4+δ nanoparticles for bisphenol A degradation

The scalable synthesis of stable catalysts for environmental remediation applications remains challenging. Nonetheless, metal leaching is a serious environmental issue hindering the practical application of transition-metal based catalysts including Co-based catalysts. Herein, for the first time, we describe a facile one-step and scalable spray-flame synthesis of high surface area La2CoO4+δ nanoparticles containing excess oxygen interstitials (+δ) and use them as a stable and efficient catalyst for activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) towards the degradation of bisphenol A. Importantly, the La2CoO4+δ catalyst exhibits higher catalytic degradation of bisphenol A (95% in 20 min) and stability than LaCoO3–x nanoparticles (60%) in the peroxymonosulfate activation system. The high content of Co2+ in the structure showed a strong impact on the catalytic performance of the La2CoO4+δ + PMS system. Despite its high specific surface area, our results showed a very low amount of leached cobalt (less than 0.04 mg/L in 30 min), distinguishing it as a material with high chemical stability. According to the radical quenching experiments and the electron paramagnetic resonance technology, SO4[rad]–, [rad]OH, and 1O2 were generated and SO4[rad]– played a dominant role in bisphenol A degradation. Moreover, the La2CoO4+δ + PMS system maintained conspicuous catalytic performance for the degradation of other organic pollutants including methyl orange, rhodamine B, and methylene blue. Overall, our results showed that we developed a new synthesis method for stable La2CoO4+δ nanoparticles that can be used as a highly active heterogeneous catalyst for PMS-assisted oxidation of organic pollutants

Tracking of unpredictable moving stimuli by pigeons

Despite being observed throughout the animal kingdom, catching a moving object is a complex task and little is known about the mechanisms that underlie this behavior in non-human animals. Three experiments examined the role of prediction in capture of a moving object by pigeons. In Experiment 1, a stimulus moved in a linear trajectory, but sometimes made an unexpected 90o turn. The sudden turn had only a modest effect on capture and error location, and the analyses suggested that the birds had adjusted their tracking to the novel motion. In Experiment 2, the role of visual input during a turn was tested by inserting disappearances (either 1.5 cm or 4.5 cm) on both the straight and turn trials. The addition of the disappearance had little effect on capture success, but delayed capture location with the larger disappearance leading to greater delay. Error analyses indicated that the birds adapted to the post-turn, post-disappearance motion. Experiment 3 tested the role of visual input when the motion disappeared behind an occluder and emerged in either a straight line or at a 90o angle. The occluder produced a disruption in capture success but did not delay capture. Error analyses indicated that the birds did not adjust their tracking to the new motion on turn trials following occlusion. The combined results indicate that pigeons can anticipate the future position of a stimulus, and can adapt to sudden, unpredictable changes in motion but do so better after a disappearance than after an occlusion

Recovery of Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) from faeces of healthy Singapore adults after intake of fermented milk

To validate survival of Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) during passage through the gastrointestinal tract of healthy Singaporean young adults, 21 participants (18-25 years old) were asked to consume a 100 ml of fermented milk drink containing 1.0x10(8) cfu/ml of LcS daily for 14 days, and to maintain their dietary habit and life style. During and at the end of the ingestion period, both culture method (identity confirmed by ELISA) and 16s rRNA sequencing results revealed that viable LcS (7.27 and 7.64 log(10) cfu/g of faeces at the ingestion period Day 7 and Day 14, respectively) and Lactobacillus could be recovered from the faeces of all the subjects. The viable LcS count from male and female were comparable for each time point. Before consumption (baseline) and 14 days after cessation of consumption of the fermented milk, LcS was not detected in most of the subjects. In this study condition, the composition of the major gut microbiota (>0.1% in relative abundance of genus) and characteristics of defaecation such as stool consistency and frequency of defecation did not change throughout the study before and after ingestion of LcS. LcS was able to survive passage through the gastrointestinal tract of Singapore adults without sustainable colonisation, but the effect of LcS on microbiota modulation, stool consistency and frequency was not observed under this study condition