Setting research priorities for sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health in humanitarian settings

Background: An estimated 70.8 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide, 75% of whom are women and children. Prioritizing a global research agenda to inform guidance, service delivery, access to and quality of services is essential to improve the survival and health of women, children and adolescents in humanitarian settings. / Method: A mixed-methods design was adapted from the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI) methodology to solicit priority research questions across the sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (SRMNCAH) domains in humanitarian settings. The first step (CHNRI) involved data collection and scoring of perceived priority questions, using a web-based survey over two rounds (first, to generate the questions and secondly, to score them). Over 1000 stakeholders from across the globe were approached; 177 took part in the first survey and 69 took part in the second. These research questions were prioritized by generating a research prioritization score (RPP) across four dimensions: answerability, program feasibility, public health relevance and equity. A Delphi process of 29 experts followed, where the 50 scored and prioritized CHRNI research questions were shortlisted. The top five questions from the CHNRI scored list for each SRMNCAH domain were voted on, rendering a final list per domain. / Results: A total of 280 questions were generated. Generated questions covered sexual and reproductive health (SRH) (n = 90, 32.1%), maternal health (n = 75, 26.8%), newborn health (n = 42, 15.0%), child health (n = 43, 15.4%), and non-SRH aspects of adolescent health (n = 31, 11.1%). A shortlist of the top ten prioritized questions for each domain were generated on the basis of the computed RPPs. During the Delphi process, the prioritized questions, based on the CHNRI process, were further refined. Five questions from the shortlist of each of the SRMNCAH domain were formulated, resulting in 25 priority questions across SRMNCAH. For example, one of the prioritized SRH shortlisted and prioritized research question included: “What are effective strategies to implement good quality comprehensive contraceptive services (long-acting, short-acting and EC) for women and girls in humanitarian settings?” / Conclusion: Data needs, effective intervention strategies and approaches, as well as greater efficiency and quality during delivery of care in humanitarian settings were prioritized. The findings from this research provide guidance for researchers, program implementers, as well as donor agencies on SRMNCAH research priorities in humanitarian settings. A global research agenda could save the lives of those who are at greatest risk and vulnerability as well as increase opportunities for translation and innovation for SRMNCAH in humanitarian settings

Critical exponents and equation of state of the three-dimensional Heisenberg universality class

We improve the theoretical estimates of the critical exponents for the three-dimensional Heisenberg universality class. We find gamma=1.3960(9), nu=0.7112(5), eta=0.0375(5), alpha=-0.1336(15), beta=0.3689(3), and delta=4.783(3). We consider an improved lattice phi^4 Hamiltonian with suppressed leading scaling corrections. Our results are obtained by combining Monte Carlo simulations based on finite-size scaling methods and high-temperature expansions. The critical exponents are computed from high-temperature expansions specialized to the phi^4 improved model. By the same technique we determine the coefficients of the small-magnetization expansion of the equation of state. This expansion is extended analytically by means of approximate parametric representations, obtaining the equation of state in the whole critical region. We also determine a number of universal amplitude ratios.Comment: 40 pages, final version. In publication in Phys. Rev.

Impact of e-ASPECTS software on the performance of physicians compared to a consensus ground truth: a multi-reader, multi-case study

BackgroundThe Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) is used to quantify the extent of injury to the brain following acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and to inform treatment decisions. The e-ASPECTS software uses artificial intelligence methods to automatically process non-contrast CT (NCCT) brain scans from patients with AIS affecting the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory and generate an ASPECTS. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of e-ASPECTS (Brainomix, Oxford, UK) on the performance of US physicians compared to a consensus ground truth.MethodsThe study used a multi-reader, multi-case design. A total of 10 US board-certified physicians (neurologists and neuroradiologists) scored 54 NCCT brain scans of patients with AIS affecting the MCA territory. Each reader scored each scan on two occasions: once with and once without reference to the e-ASPECTS software, in random order. Agreement with a reference standard (expert consensus read with reference to follow-up imaging) was evaluated with and without software support.ResultsA comparison of the area under the curve (AUC) for each reader showed a significant improvement from 0.81 to 0.83 (p = 0.028) with the support of the e-ASPECTS tool. The agreement of reader ASPECTS scoring with the reference standard was improved with e-ASPECTS compared to unassisted reading of scans: Cohen's kappa improved from 0.60 to 0.65, and the case-based weighted Kappa improved from 0.70 to 0.81.ConclusionDecision support with the e-ASPECTS software significantly improves the accuracy of ASPECTS scoring, even by expert US neurologists and neuroradiologists

Failure stresses of plain weave glass/epoxy under different in-plane biaxial loading ratios

National audienceComposite materials are widely used in engineering applications. The mechanical characterization of these materials is of major importance and the in-plane biaxial tensile test can be an interesting alternative to conventional uniaxial tensile tests along multiple directions. The major problem related to this test is the design of the cruciform specimen. In this study, the objective lies in the failure characterization of composite materials under a wide range of stress state. The proposed specimen is composed of two aluminum tabs glued on each side of a constant thickness composite sample. Experimental biaxial tensile tests are led for several displacement loading ratios from uniaxial to equi-biaxial stretching. Major and minor strains in the central zone (calculated by DIC technic) and measured tensile forces along the two specimen axes constitute the experimental database. According to the loading ratios, the minor and major stresses (or strains) at the onset of failure will define a failure envelop for the material.Les matériaux composites sont largement utilisés dans les applications d'ingénierie. Dans le cadre de la caractérisation mécanique de ces matériaux, l'essai biaxial sur éprouvette plane peut s'avérer intéressant par rapport à l'essai conventionnel de traction uniaxiale réalisé selon différentes directions. Cependant, la définition de la géométrie de l'éprouvette cruciforme constitue une difficulté majeure pour cet essai. Dans ce contexte, l'objectif de cette étude est de caractériser le comportement à la rupture d'un matériau composite dans une large gamme d'états de contraintes. L'éprouvette proposée est composée des deux talons d'aluminium collés de chaque côté du matériau composite d'épaisseur constante. Les essais de traction biaxiale sont réalisés pour différents chemins de déformation allant de la traction uniaxiale jusqu'à la traction équi-biaxiale. Les déformations majeures et mineures dans la zone centrale (calculées par la méthode de corrélation d'images) et les efforts mesurés selon les deux axes de l'éprouvette constituent la base expérimentale. En se basant sur l'ensemble des chemins de déformation testés, une enveloppe de rupture du matériau étudié peut être obtenue à partir des contraintes (ou déformations) majeures et mineures déterminées au moment de la rupture de l'éprouvette

Corporate social responsibility and shareholder's value

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become one of the core components of corporate strategy and a crucial instrument to minimize conflicts with stakeholders. While corporations are busy adopting and enhancing CSR practices, the academic literature on understanding the impact of CSR is scarce, especially in the capital market. This paper traces the market reaction to corporate entry and exit from the Domini 400 Social Index, recognized as a CSR benchmark, between 1990 and 2004. The results reveal a significant negative effect on abnormal returns after exit announcements from the Domini index. The effect persists even after controlling for concurring financial distress shocks and stock market seasonality

Does gender affect innovation? Evidence from female chief technology officers

202206 bcfcNot applicableOthersProject of Strategic Importance at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (No. ZE2J)Published36 month

On the implementation of a primal-dual algorithm for second order time-dependent Mean Field Games with local couplings

International audienceWe study a numerical approximation of a time-dependent Mean Field Game (MFG) system with local couplings. The discretization we consider stems from a variational approach described in [14] for the stationary problem and leads to the finite difference scheme introduced by Achdou and Capuzzo-Dolcetta in [3]. In order to solve the finite dimensional variational problems, in [14] the authors implement the primal-dual algorithm introduced by Chambolle and Pock in [20], whose core consists in iteratively solving linear systems and applying a proximity operator. We apply that method to time-dependent MFG and, for large viscosity parameters, we improve the linear system solution by replacing the direct approach used in [14] by suitable preconditioned iterative algorithms