The Evolution of the World Bank's Global Health Work in Africa from 2000-2015

The World Bank is a leading driver of international development in Africa, where a higher percentage of its project portfolio is concentrated than any other continent. The World Bank's stated goal is poverty reduction and growing economies. Given the strong connection between poverty and poor health, however, the World Bank has become a major player in global health, particularly since the advent of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000. At the conclusion of the MDGs, however, progress was unsatisfactory in many areas. As the Sustainable Development Goals were developed to replace the MDGs, there was a lot of discussion in the development community about the need to change strategies, including from those at the Bank itself. This report examines the strategies that the World Bank has used to achieve its health goals in Africa since the start of the MDGs in 2000. This report examines data from all 420 World Bank health projects implemented in Africa between 2000-2015. The report also samples projects for a document review to better analyze the Bank's health interventions and strategies. The report concludes that while many of the Bank's strategies and interventions remain vertically inclined, the Bank appears to recognize the need for horizontal interventions. The data suggests that the Bank has made some movement in this direction, but it is too soon to tell whether this trend will persist or what the outcomes of this work will be.Master of Science in Public Healt

A third cluster of red supergiants in the vicinity of the massive cluster RSGC3

Recent studies have shown that the area around the massive, obscured cluster RSGC3 may harbour several clusters of red supergiants. In this paper, we analyse a clump of photometrically selected red supergiant candidates 20' south of RSGC3 in order to confirm the existence of another of these clusters. Using medium-resolution infrared spectroscopy around 2.27 microns, we derived spectral types and velocities along the line of sight for the selected candidates, confirming their nature and possible association. We find a compact clump of eight red supergiants and four other candidates at some distance, all of them spectroscopically confirmed red supergiants. The majority of these objects must form an open cluster, which we name Alicante 10. Because of the high reddening and strong field contamination, the cluster sequence is not clearly seen in 2MASS or GPS-UKIDSS. From the observed sources, we derive E(J-Ks)=2.6 and d~6 kpc. Although the cluster is smaller than RSGC3, it has an initial mass in excess of 10000 solar masses, and it seems to be part of the RSGC3 complex. With the new members this association already has 35 spectroscopically confirmed red supergiants, confirming its place as one of the most active sites of recent stellar formation in the Galaxy.Comment: Accepted for publication on A&

Elective affinities of the Protestant ethic : Weber and the chemistry of capitalism

Peer reviewedPostprin

Eukaryotic DNA Polymerases: Proposal for a Revised Nomenclature

Pol polymeraseIn 1975, a Greek letter nomenclature system was introduced to designate DNA polymerases from mammalian cells (1). Ten years ago, progress in the biochemical analysis of eukaryotic DNA polymerases and in the isolation of their genes, particularly in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, necessitated a revision of the Greek letter nomenclature system and an expansion to include all eukaryotic organisms (2). Until a few years ago, this system sufficed to designate the six known DNA polymerases α, β, γ, δ, ε, and ζ

Functional Strength Training and Movement Performance Therapy for upper limb recovery early post-stroke – efficacy, neural correlates, predictive markers and cost-effectiveness: FAST-INdiCATE trial

BackgroundVariation in physiological deficits underlying upper limb paresis after stroke could influence how people recover and to which physical therapy they best respond.ObjectivesTo determine whether functional strength training (FST) improves upper limb recovery more than movement performance therapy (MPT). To identify: (a) neural correlates of response and (b) whether pre-intervention neural characteristics predict response.DesignExplanatory investigations within a randomised, controlled, observer-blind, and multicentre trial. Randomisation was computer-generated and concealed by an independent facility until baseline measures were completed. Primary time point was outcome, after the 6-week intervention phase. Follow-up was at 6 months after stroke.ParticipantsWith some voluntary muscle contraction in the paretic upper limb, not full dexterity, when recruited up to 60 days after an anterior cerebral circulation territory stroke.InterventionsConventional physical therapy (CPT) plus either MPT or FST for up to 90 min-a-day, 5 days-a-week for 6 weeks. FST was “hands-off” progressive resistive exercise cemented into functional task training. MPT was “hands-on” sensory/facilitation techniques for smooth and accurate movement.OutcomesThe primary efficacy measure was the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT). Neural measures: fractional anisotropy (FA) corpus callosum midline; asymmetry of corticospinal tracts FA; and resting motor threshold (RMT) of motor-evoked potentials.AnalysisCovariance models tested ARAT change from baseline. At outcome: correlation coefficients assessed relationship between change in ARAT and neural measures; an interaction term assessed whether baseline neural characteristics predicted response.Results288 Participants had: mean age of 72.2 (SD 12.5) years and mean ARAT 25.5 (18.2). For 240 participants with ARAT at baseline and outcome the mean change was 9.70 (11.72) for FST + CPT and 7.90 (9.18) for MPT + CPT, which did not differ statistically (p = 0.298). Correlations between ARAT change scores and baseline neural values were between 0.199, p = 0.320 for MPT + CPT RMT (n = 27) and −0.147, p = 0.385 for asymmetry of corticospinal tracts FA (n = 37). Interaction effects between neural values and ARAT change between baseline and outcome were not statistically significant.ConclusionsThere was no significant difference in upper limb improvement between FST and MPT. Baseline neural measures did not correlate with upper limb recovery or predict therapy response.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials: ISRCT 19090862, http://www.controlled-trials.co

Low exposure long-baseline neutrino oscillation sensitivity of the DUNE experiment

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) will produce world-leading neutrino oscillation measurements over the lifetime of the experiment. In this work, we explore DUNE's sensitivity to observe charge-parity violation (CPV) in the neutrino sector, and to resolve the mass ordering, for exposures of up to 100 kiloton-megawatt-years (kt-MW-yr). The analysis includes detailed uncertainties on the flux prediction, the neutrino interaction model, and detector effects. We demonstrate that DUNE will be able to unambiguously resolve the neutrino mass ordering at a 3$\sigma$ (5$\sigma$) level, with a 66 (100) kt-MW-yr far detector exposure, and has the ability to make strong statements at significantly shorter exposures depending on the true value of other oscillation parameters. We also show that DUNE has the potential to make a robust measurement of CPV at a 3$\sigma$ level with a 100 kt-MW-yr exposure for the maximally CP-violating values \delta_{\rm CP}} = \pm\pi/2. Additionally, the dependence of DUNE's sensitivity on the exposure taken in neutrino-enhanced and antineutrino-enhanced running is discussed. An equal fraction of exposure taken in each beam mode is found to be close to optimal when considered over the entire space of interest