Cost analysis of the development and implementation of a spatial decision support system for malaria elimination in Solomon Islands

BACKGROUND The goal of malaria elimination faces numerous challenges. New tools are required to support the scale up of interventions and improve national malaria programme capacity to conduct detailed surveillance. This study investigates the cost factors influencing the development and implementation of a spatial decision support system (SDSS) for malaria elimination in the two elimination provinces of Isabel and Temotu, Solomon Islands. METHOD Financial and economic costs to develop and implement a SDSS were estimated using the Solomon Islands programme's financial records. Using an ingredients approach, verified by stakeholders and operational reports, total costs for each province were quantified. A budget impact sensitivity analysis was conducted to investigate the influence of variations in standard budgetary components on the costs and to identify potential cost savings. RESULTS A total investment of US$96,046 (2012 constant dollars) was required to develop and implement the SDSS in two provinces (Temotu Province US$ 49,806 and Isabel Province US$46,240). The single largest expense category was for computerized equipment totalling approximately US$ 30,085. Geographical reconnaissance was the most expensive phase of development and implementation, accounting for approximately 62% of total costs. Sensitivity analysis identified different cost factors between the provinces. Reduced equipment costs would deliver a budget saving of approximately 10% in Isabel Province. Combined travel costs represented the greatest influence on the total budget in the more remote Temotu Province. CONCLUSION This study provides the first cost analysis of an operational surveillance tool used specifically for malaria elimination in the South-West Pacific. It is demonstrated that the costs of such a decision support system are driven by specialized equipment and travel expenses. Such factors should be closely scrutinized in future programme budgets to ensure maximum efficiencies are gained and available resources are allocated effectively

Charged Carbon Nanomaterials: Redox Chemistries of Fullerenes, Carbon Nanotubes, and Graphenes

Since the discovery of buckminsterfullerene over 30 years ago, sp2-hybridised carbon nanomaterials (including fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and graphene) have stimulated new science and technology across a huge range of fields. Despite the impressive intrinsic properties, challenges in processing and chemical modification continue to hinder applications. Charged carbon nanomaterials (CCNs), formed via the reduction or oxidation of these carbon nanomaterials, facilitate dissolution, purification, separation, chemical modification, and assembly. This approach provides a compelling alternative to traditional damaging and restrictive liquid phase exfoliation routes. The broad chemistry of CCNs not only provides a versatile and potent means to modify the properties of the parent nanomaterial but also raises interesting scientific issues. This review focuses on the fundamental structural forms: buckminsterfullerene, single-walled carbon nanotubes, and single-layer graphene, describing the generation of their respective charged nanocarbon species, their interactions with solvents, chemical reactivity, specific (opto)electronic properties, and emerging applications

Uso de fármacos psicoestimulantes en drogodependencias

El uso de medicamentos estimulantes es una cuestión de plena actualidad en psiquiatría, aunque su utilización y prescripción es controvertida . Fármacos como el metilfenidato, las anfetaminas, o el modafinilo están siendo utilizados y estudiados en distintas enfermedades psiquiátricas como el trastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad (TDAH), la dependencia de cocaína, en trastornos del sueño y en la depresión resistente. Todos estos fármacos tienen en común, igual que las drogas de abuso, que son medicamentos que actúan sobre el sistema dopaminérgico, que constituye la base neurobiológica del refuerzo fisiológico. Los estimulantes como el metilfenidato o el modafinilo son fármacos eficaces en el TDAH y han sido estudiados en el tratamiento de la dependencia de cocaína. En niños con TDAH el metilfenidato es un factor protector para el desarrollo de fármaco en la dependencia de cocaína, aunque son estudios preliminares, por lo que no se debe considerar que este totalmente demostrado que los fármacos psicoestimulantes sean eficaces en el tratamiento de esta dependencia. Aunque no son conocidos todos los mecanismos fisiopatológicos, parece crítico que el refuerzo, y por lo tanto el riesgo de dependencia, aparece cuando se producen incrementos rápidos dopaminérgicos y que los efectos terapéuticos aparecen cuando son lentos y mantenidos. Las características de uso a dosis bajas administradas por vía oral disminuyen el riesgo de abuso. Para realizar una adecuada prescripción es necesario aclarar, definitivamente, los mecanismos neuroquímicos en los que intervienen, y sus indicaciones en drogodependenciasStimulant drugs prescription is a controversial and current topic in psychiatry. Drugs such as methylphenidate, amphetamine compounds and modafinil have been trialed and used in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), sleep conditions, cocaine dependence and as an adjunct to antidepressants for depression. All these drugs, like stimulant drugs abuse, increase extracellular dopamine in the brain.This effect is associated with reinforcing as well as therapeutic effects. Methylphenidate and modafinil treatment of ADHD are associated with a reduced risk for later substance abuse among ADHD patients. There is evidence of the beneficial effects of the use of modafinil in cocaine dependence, altough there isn't conclusive evidence for the stimulants' efficacy in treatment of the stimulants' dependence. At this time, the physiopathology of drug abuse and dependence is unknown, but it's known that the very critical point is that the reinforcing effects are associated with rapid changes in dopamine increases, whereas the therapeutic effects are associated with slowly and smoothly rising dopamine levels, such as are achieved with low doses and oral administration. Due to this, it's necessary to study the neurobiological bases on which stimulants drugs are related, and their clinical use in dependence treatment

The X-Ray Pulsar XTE J1858+034 Observed with NuSTAR and Fermi/GBM: Spectral and Timing Characterization plus a Cyclotron Line

Accreting X-ray pulsars (XRPs) undergo luminous X-ray outbursts during which the spectral and timing behavior of the neutron star can be studied in detail. We analyze a NuSTAR observation of the XRP XTE J1858+034 during its outburst in 2019. The spectrum is fit with a phenomenological, a semiempirical, and a physical spectral model. A candidate cyclotron line is found at 48 keV, implying a magnetic field of 5.4 × 1012 G at the site of emission. This is also supported by the physical best-fit model. We propose an orbital period of about 81 days based on the visual inspection of the X-ray outburst recurrence time. Based on Fermi/GBM data, the standard disk accretion-torque theory allowed us to infer a distance of 10.9 ± 1.0 kpc. Pulse profiles are single-peaked and show a pulsed fraction that is strongly energy-dependent at least up to 40 keV

Genetic parameters for growth, wood density and pulp yield in Eucalyptus globulus

Genetic variation and co-variation among the key pulpwood selection traits for Eucalyptus globulus were estimated for a range of sites in Portugal, with the aim of improving genetic parameters used to predict breeding values and correlated response to selection. The trials comprised clonally replicated full-sib families (eight trials) and unrelated clones (17 trials), and exhibited varying levels of pedigree connectivity. The traits studied were stem diameter at breast height, Pilodyn penetration (an indirect measure of wood basic density) and near infrared reflectance predicted pulp yield. Univariate and multivariate linear mixed models were fitted within and across sites, and estimates of additive genetic, total genetic, environmental and phenotypic variances and covariances were obtained. All traits studied exhibited significant levels of additive genetic variation. The average estimated within-site narrowsense heritability was 0.19±0.03 for diameter and 0.29± 0.03 for Pilodyn penetration, and the pooled estimate for predicted pulp yield was 0.42±0.14. When they could be tested, dominance and epistatic effects were generally not statistically significant, although broad-sense heritability estimates were slightly higher than narrow-sense heritability estimates. Averaged across trials, positive additive (0.64±0.08), total genetic (0.58±0.04), environmental (0.38±0.03) and phenotypic (0.43±0.02) correlation estimates were consistently obtained between diameter and Pilodyn penetration. This data argues for at least some form of pleiotropic relationship between these two traits and that selection for fast growth will adversely affect wood density in this population. Estimates of the across-site genetic correlations for diameter and Pilodyn penetration were high, indicating that the genotype by environment interaction is low across the range of sites tested. This result supports the use of single aggregated selection criteria for growth and wood density across planting environments in Portugal, as opposed to having to select for performance in different environment

Plasma carotenoids are associated with socioeconomic status in an urban Indigenous population: an observational study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Indigenous Australians experience poorer health than other Australians. Poor diet may contribute to this, and be related to their generally lower socioeconomic status (SES). Even within Indigenous populations, SES may be important. Our aim was to identify factors associated with plasma carotenoids as a marker of fruit and vegetable intake among urban dwelling Indigenous Australians, with a particular focus on SES.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cross sectional study in urban dwelling Indigenous Australians participating in the DRUID (Darwin Region Urban Indigenous Diabetes) Study. An SES score, based on education, employment, household size, home ownership and income was computed and plasma carotenoids measured by high performance liquid chromatography in 897 men and women aged 15 - 81 years (mean 36, standard deviation 15). Linear regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between SES and plasma carotenoids, adjusting for demographic, health and lifestyle variables, including frequency of intakes of food groups (fruit, vegetables, takeaway foods, snacks and fruit/vegetable juice).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>SES was positively associated with plasma concentrations of lutein/zeaxanthin (p trend <0.001), lycopene (p trend = 0.001), α- and ß-carotene (p trend = 0.019 and 0.026 respectively), after adjusting for age, sex, glucose tolerance status, smoking, alcohol use, hypercholesterolemia, dyslipidemia, self-reported health, waist to hip ratio and body mass index. These associations remained after adjustment for self-reported frequency of intake of fruit, vegetables, takeaway foods and fruit juice, which all showed some association with plasma carotenoids. Even in the highest SES quintile, concentrations of all carotenoids (except lycopene) were lower than the mean concentrations in a non-Indigenous population.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Even within urban Indigenous Australians, higher SES was associated with higher concentrations of plasma carotenoids. Low plasma carotenoids have been linked with poor health outcomes; increasing accessibility of fruit and vegetables, as well as reducing smoking rates could increase concentrations and otherwise improve health, but our results suggest there may be additional factors contributing to lower carotenoid concentrations in Indigenous Australians.</p

Benign mammary epithelial cells enhance the transformed phenotype of human breast cancer cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recent research has yielded a wealth of data underscoring the key role of the cancer microenvironment, especially immune and stromal cells, in the progression of cancer and the development of metastases. However, the role of adjacent benign epithelial cells, which provide initial cell-cell contacts with cancer cells, in tumor progression has not been thoroughly examined. In this report we addressed the question whether benign MECs alter the transformed phenotype of human breast cancer cells.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We used both <it>in vitro </it>and <it>in vivo </it>co-cultivation approaches, whereby we mixed GFP-tagged MCF-10A cells (G2B-10A), as a model of benign mammary epithelial cells (MECs), and RFP-tagged MDA-MB-231-TIAS cells (R2-T1AS), as a model of breast cancer cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The <it>in vitro </it>studies showed that G2B-10A cells increase the colony formation of R2-T1AS cells in both soft agar and clonogenicity assays. Conditioned media derived from G2B-10A cells enhanced colony formation of R2-T1AS cells, whereas prior paraformaldehyde (PFA) fixation of G2B-10A cells abrogated this enhancement effect. Moreover, two other models of benign MECs, MCF-12A and HuMECs, also enhanced R2-T1AS colony growth in soft agar and clonogenicity assays. These data reveal that factors secreted by benign MECs are responsible for the observed enhancement of the R2-T1AS transformed phenotype. To determine whether G2B-10A cells enhance the tumorigenic growth of co-injected R2-T1AS cells <it>in vivo</it>, we used the nude mouse xenograft assay. Co-injecting R2-T1AS cells with G2B-10A cells ± PFA-fixation, revealed that G2B-10A cells promoted a ~3-fold increase in tumor growth, irrespective of PFA pre-treatment. These results indicate that soluble factors secreted by G2B-10A cells play a less important role in promoting R2-T1AS tumorigenesis <it>in vivo</it>, and that additional components are operative in the nude mouse xenograft assay. Finally, using array analysis, we found that both live and PFA-fixed G2B-10A cells induced R2-T1AS cells to secrete specific cytokines (IL-6 and GM-CSF), suggesting that cell-cell contact activates R2-T1AS cells.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Taken together, these data shift our understanding of adjacent benign epithelial cells in the cancer process, from passive, noncontributory cells to an active and tumor-promoting vicinal cell population that may have significant effects early, when benign cells outnumber malignant cells.</p

Factors affecting the disclosure of diabetes by ethnic minority patients: a qualitative study among Surinamese in the Netherlands

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Diabetes and related complications are common among ethnic minority groups. Community-based social support interventions are considered promising for improving diabetes self-management. To access such interventions, patients need to disclose their diabetes to others. Research on the disclosure of diabetes in ethnic minority groups is limited. The aim of our study was to explore why diabetes patients from ethnic minority populations either share or do not share their condition with people in their wider social networks.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with 32 Surinamese patients who were being treated for type 2 diabetes by general practitioners in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Most patients disclosed their diabetes only to very close family members. The main factor inhibiting disclosure to people outside this group was the Surinamese cultural custom that talking about disease is taboo, as it may lead to shame, gossip, and social disgrace for the patient and their family. Nevertheless, some patients disclosed their diabetes to people outside their close family circles. Factors motivating this decision were mostly related to a need for facilities or support for diabetes self-management.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Cultural customs inhibited Surinamese patients in disclosing their diabetes to people outside their very close family circles. This may influence their readiness to participate in community-based diabetes self-management programmes that involve other groups. What these findings highlight is that public health researchers and initiatives must identify and work with factors that influence the disclosure of diabetes if they are to develop community-based diabetes self-management interventions for ethnic minority populations.</p

A review of elliptical and disc galaxy structure, and modern scaling laws

A century ago, in 1911 and 1913, Plummer and then Reynolds introduced their models to describe the radial distribution of stars in `nebulae'. This article reviews the progress since then, providing both an historical perspective and a contemporary review of the stellar structure of bulges, discs and elliptical galaxies. The quantification of galaxy nuclei, such as central mass deficits and excess nuclear light, plus the structure of dark matter halos and cD galaxy envelopes, are discussed. Issues pertaining to spiral galaxies including dust, bulge-to-disc ratios, bulgeless galaxies, bars and the identification of pseudobulges are also reviewed. An array of modern scaling relations involving sizes, luminosities, surface brightnesses and stellar concentrations are presented, many of which are shown to be curved. These 'redshift zero' relations not only quantify the behavior and nature of galaxies in the Universe today, but are the modern benchmark for evolutionary studies of galaxies, whether based on observations, N-body-simulations or semi-analytical modelling. For example, it is shown that some of the recently discovered compact elliptical galaxies at 1.5 < z < 2.5 may be the bulges of modern disc galaxies.Comment: Condensed version (due to Contract) of an invited review article to appear in "Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems"(www.springer.com/astronomy/book/978-90-481-8818-5). 500+ references incl. many somewhat forgotten, pioneer papers. Original submission to Springer: 07-June-201

Star forming dwarf galaxies

Star forming dwarf galaxies (SFDGs) have a high gas content and low metallicities, reminiscent of the basic entities in hierarchical galaxy formation scenarios. In the young universe they probably also played a major role in the cosmic reionization. Their abundant presence in the local volume and their youthful character make them ideal objects for detailed studies of the initial stellar mass function (IMF), fundamental star formation processes and its feedback to the interstellar medium. Occasionally we witness SFDGs involved in extreme starbursts, giving rise to strongly elevated production of super star clusters and global superwinds, mechanisms yet to be explored in more detail. SFDGs is the initial state of all dwarf galaxies and the relation to the environment provides us with a key to how different types of dwarf galaxies are emerging. In this review we will put the emphasis on the exotic starburst phase, as it seems less important for present day galaxy evolution but perhaps fundamental in the initial phase of galaxy formation.Comment: To appear in JENAM Symposium "Dwarf Galaxies: Keys to Galaxy Formation and Evolution", P. Papaderos, G. Hensler, S. Recchi (eds.). Lisbon, September 2010, Springer Verlag, in pres