Heavy quark radiation in an anisotropic hot QCD medium

The impact of momentum anisotropy on the heavy quarks (HQs) dynamics has been investigated in a hot QCD medium while considering both collisional and radiative processes within the ambit of the Fokker-Planck approach. The relative orientation of the HQs motion (momentum vector) with respect to the direction of anisotropy is responsible for the character of transport coefficients. Therefore, the drag and diffusion coefficients of the HQs are decomposed, respectively, into two and four components by considering a general tensor basis. Each component of the drag and diffusion coefficient of the HQs has been analyzed in detail. It is observed that the anisotropy has a significant impact on the transport coefficients of the HQ for both the collisional and the radiational processes. The nuclear suppression factor, $R_{AA}$, has been computed considering the anisotropic medium. It is observed that the momentum anisotropy affects the $R_{AA}$ of the HQs significantly in both elastic and inelastic cases.Comment: Published in Physical Review

Hepatitis E: Genotypes, strategies to prevent and manage, and the existing knowledge gaps

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is considered an emergent source of viral hepatitis worldwide, with an increasing burden of jaundice, liver failure, extrahepatic illnesses, and deaths in developed countries. With the scarcity of data from efficient animal models, there are still open-ended questions about designing new models to study pathogenesis, types, virology, and evolution of these viruses. With an emphasis on available data and updates, there is still enough information to understand the HEV life cycle, pathogen interaction with the host, and the valuation of the role of vaccine and new anti-HEV therapies. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) preferred to stress prevention and control measures of HEV infections in animals, zoonotic transmission, and foodborne transmission. It is being reviewed that with current knowledge on HEV and existing prevention tools, there is an excellent room for in-depth information about the virus strains, their replication, pathogenicity, and virulence. The current knowledge set also has gaps regarding standardized and validated diagnostic tools, efficacy and safety of the vaccine, and extrahepatic manifestations specifically in pregnant females, immunocompromised patients, and others. This review highlights the areas for more research exploration, focusing on enlisted research questions based on HEV infection to endorse the need for significant improvement in the current set of knowledge for this public health problem

Do recipients of cash transfer scheme make the right decisions on household food expenditure? A study from a rural district in Pakistan

Objective: To assess spending by beneficiaries of Benazir Income Support Programme on monthly food commodities, and contribution of the cash grant programme on purchase of nutritious foods.Methods: The descriptive cross-sectional survey of households enrolled in the Benazir Income Support Programme was conducted during July and August, 2013, in Matiari district of the Sindh province of Pakistan. Monthly household food expenditure on food commodities and use of the cash grant on type of food purchased was assessed through structured interviews of the beneficiaries. Results were computed in 2013 Pak rupees and converted to 2018 United States dollar. Women beneficiaries were also interviewed on decision-making regarding the use of the cash grant and on household food expenditure.Results: The survey comprised 421 households. with a mean monthly expenditure on food of Rs 7,577, r 80.73 dollars. Women made decisions on food spending in only 135(32%) households, but in 235(56%) households, women were the primary decision-makers on cash grant spending.Conclusion: Unconditional cash grant did not meaningfully translate into the purchase of nutritious foods even though it played an important role in increasing women\u27s agency

The intertwined relationship between malnutrition and poverty

Despite social and economic development, the burden of malnutrition across the globe remains unacceptably high. A vital relationship exists between nutritional status, human capital, and economic standing. Malnutrition adversely affects the physiological and mental capacity of individuals; which in turn hampers productivity levels, making them and their respective countries more susceptible to poverty. A two-way link exists between malnutrition and poverty, creating a vicious cycle with each fueling the other. Malnutrition produces conditions of poverty by reducing the economic potential of the population and likewise, poverty reinforces malnutrition by increasing the risk of food insecurity. The aim of the paper is to describe the interconnection between malnutrition and poverty, and to highlight how both serve as the cause and consequence of each other. The paper also discusses ways to move ahead to tackle these issues in a parallel manner rather than in separate silos

Driving inter-sectoral strategies to progress on health and health-related sustainable development goals (HHSDGs) : building a consortium to address climate change, health, and complex challenges (CHOICE)

This technical progress report highlights the steps undertaken by the Aga Khan University (AKU) and the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in the first year of implementation of “Driving Inter-sectoral Strategies to Progress on Health and Health-related Sustainable Development Goals (HHSDGs): Building a Consortium to address Climate Change, Health, and Complex Challenges (CHOICE)”, between February 1st, 2022, and January 31st, 2023. The synthesis provides key programmatic highlights, followed by an overview of the research problem, progress from the first year of implementation, challenges and programmatic adaptations, cross‐cutting themes, and financial progress

Tackling the existing burden of infectious diseases in the developing world: existing gaps and the way forward

This series evaluates the effectiveness of community-based interventions (CBIs) to prevent and control infectious diseases of poverty (IDoP). Evidence from our reviews suggests that CBIs and school-based delivery platforms are effective in averting risk behaviors and reducing the disease burden. Co-implementation of interventions through existing community-based programs including immunization campaigns, antenatal care and maternal and child health programs have the potential to scale-up interventions for IDoP. Future research should focus on the process of developing and implementing efficient community-based programs through a comprehensive approach, and to gauge the effectiveness of various existing delivery models in order to improve morbidity and mortality outcomes

The conceptual framework and assessment methodology for the systematic reviews of community-based interventions for the prevention and control of infectious diseases of poverty

This paper describes the conceptual framework and the methodology used to guide the systematic reviews of community-based interventions (CBIs) for the prevention and control of infectious diseases of poverty (IDoP). We adapted the conceptual framework from the 3ie work on the \u27Community-Based Intervention Packages for Preventing Maternal Morbidity and Mortality and Improving Neonatal Outcomes\u27 to aid in the analyzing of the existing CBIs for IDoP. The conceptual framework revolves around objectives, inputs, processes, outputs, outcomes, and impacts showing the theoretical linkages between the delivery of the interventions targeting these diseases through various community delivery platforms and the consequent health impacts. We also describe the methodology undertaken to conduct the systematic reviews and the meta-analyses