189 research outputs found
An affordable, quality-assured community-based system for high-resolution entomological surveillance of vector mosquitoes that reflects human malaria infection risk patterns.
ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: More sensitive and scalable entomological surveillance tools are required to monitor low levels of transmission that are increasingly common across the tropics, particularly where vector control has been successful. A large-scale larviciding programme in urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania is supported by a community-based (CB) system for trapping adult mosquito densities to monitor programme performance. Methodology An intensive and extensive CB system for routine, longitudinal, programmatic surveillance of malaria vectors and other mosquitoes using the Ifakara Tent Trap (ITT-C) was developed in Urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and validated by comparison with quality assurance (QA) surveys using either ITT-C or human landing catches (HLC), as well as a cross-sectional survey of malaria parasite prevalence in the same housing compounds. RESULTS: Community-based ITT-C had much lower sensitivity per person-night of sampling than HLC (Relative Rate (RR) [95% Confidence Interval (CI)] = 0.079 [0.051, 0.121], P < 0.001 for Anopheles gambiae s.l. and 0.153 [0.137, 0.171], P < 0.001 for Culicines) but only moderately differed from QA surveys with the same trap (0.536 [0.406,0.617], P = 0.001 and 0.747 [0.677,0.824], P < 0.001, for An. gambiae or Culex respectively). Despite the poor sensitivity of the ITT per night of sampling, when CB-ITT was compared with QA-HLC, it proved at least comparably sensitive in absolute terms (171 versus 169 primary vectors caught) and cost-effective (153US per An. gambiae caught) because it allowed more spatially extensive and temporally intensive sampling (4284 versus 335 trap nights distributed over 615 versus 240 locations with a mean number of samples per year of 143 versus 141). Despite the very low vectors densities (Annual estimate of about 170 An gambiae s.l bites per person per year), CB-ITT was the only entomological predictor of parasite infection risk (Odds Ratio [95% CI] = 4.43[3.027,7. 454] per An. gambiae or Anopheles funestus caught per night, P =0.0373). Discussion and conclusion CB trapping approaches could be improved with more sensitive traps, but already offer a practical, safe and affordable system for routine programmatic mosquito surveillance and clusters could be distributed across entire countries by adapting the sample submission and quality assurance procedures accordingly
Horava-Lifshitz Holography
We derive the detailed balance condition as a solution to the Hamilton-Jacobi
equation in the Horava-Lifshitz gravity. This result leads us to propose the
existence of the d-dimensional quantum field theory on the future boundary of
the (d+1)-dimensional Horava-Lifshitz gravity from the viewpoint of the
holographic renormalization group. We also obtain a Ricci flow equation of the
boundary theory as the holographic RG flow, which is the Hamilton equation in
the bulk gravity, by tuning parameters in the theory.Comment: 7 page
Thin accretion disk signatures of slowly rotating black holes in Ho\v{r}ava gravity
In the present work, we consider the possibility of observationally testing
Ho\v{r}ava gravity by using the accretion disk properties around slowly
rotating black holes of the Kehagias-Sfetsos solution in asymptotically flat
spacetimes. The energy flux, temperature distribution, the emission spectrum as
well as the energy conversion efficiency are obtained, and compared to the
standard slowly rotating general relativistic Kerr solution. Comparing the mass
accretion in a slowly rotating Kehagias-Sfetsos geometry in Ho\v{r}ava gravity
with the one of a slowly rotating Kerr black hole, we verify that the intensity
of the flux emerging from the disk surface is greater for the slowly rotating
Kehagias-Sfetsos solution than for rotating black holes with the same
geometrical mass and accretion rate. We also present the conversion efficiency
of the accreting mass into radiation, and show that the rotating
Kehagias-Sfetsos solution provides a much more efficient engine for the
transformation of the accreting mass into radiation than the Kerr black holes.
Thus, distinct signatures appear in the electromagnetic spectrum, leading to
the possibility of directly testing Ho\v{r}ava gravity models by using
astrophysical observations of the emission spectra from accretion disks.Comment: 12 pages, 15 figures. V2: 13 pages, clarifications and discussion
added; version accepted for publication in Classical and Quantum Gravit
A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)
Meeting abstrac
Portuguese Ministers, 1851-1999: Social Background and Paths to Power
Disponível em:
http://193.136.113.6/Opac/Pages/Search/Results.aspx?SearchText=UID=bb8aa8d5-c6b6-466a-81bb-fe8a67693cee&DataBase=10449_UNLFCSHThis paper provides an empirical analysis of the impact of regime changes in the composition and patterns of recruitment of the Portuguese ministerial elite throughout the last 150 years. The ‘out-of-type’, violent nature of most regime transformations accounts for the purges in and the extensive replacements of the political personnel, namely of the uppermost officeholders. In the case of Cabinet members, such discontinuities did not imply, however, radical changes in their social profile. Although there were some significant variations, a series of salient characteristics have persisted over time. The typical Portuguese minister is a male in his midforties, of middle-class origin and predominantly urban-born, highly educated and with a state servant background. The two main occupational contingents have been university professors - except for the First Republic (1910-26) - and the military, the latter having only recently been eclipsed with the consolidation of contemporary democracy. As regards career pathways, the most striking feature is the secular trend for the declining role of parliamentary experience, which the democratic regime did not clearly reverse. In this period, a technocratic background rather than political experience has been indeed the privileged credential for a significant proportion of minister
Health-related quality of life and mental health in the medium-term aftermath of the Prestige oil spill in Galiza (Spain): a cross-sectional study
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In 2002 the oil-tanker <it>Prestige </it>sank off the Galician coast. This study analyzes the effect of this accident on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and mental health in the affected population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using random sampling stratified by age and sex, 2700 residents were selected from 7 coastal and 7 inland Galician towns. Two exposure criteria were considered: a) residential exposure, i.e., coast versus interior; and b) individual exposure-unaffected, slightly affected, or seriously affected-according to degree of personal affectation. SF-36, GHQ-28, HADS and GADS questionnaires were used to assess HRQoL and mental health. Association of exposure with suboptimal scores was summarized using adjusted odds ratios (OR) obtained from logistic regression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>For residential exposure, the SF-36 showed coastal residents as having a lower likelihood of registering suboptimal HRQoL values in physical functioning (OR:0.69; 95%CI:0.54–0.89) and bodily pain (OR:0.74; 95%CI:0.62–0.91), and a higher frequency of suboptimal scores in mental health (OR:1.28; 95%CI:1.02–1.58). None of the dimensions of the other questionnaires displayed statistically significant differences.</p> <p>For individual exposure, no substantial differences were observed, though the SF-36 physical functioning dimension rose (showed better scores) with level of exposure (91.51 unaffected, 93.86 slightly affected, 95.28 seriously affected, p < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Almost one and a half years after the accident, worse HRQoL and mental health levels were not in evidence among subjects exposed to the oil-spill. Nevertheless, some of the scales suggest the possibility of slight impact on the mental health of residents in the affected areas.</p
Epilithic diatoms in headwater areas of the hydrographical sub-basin of the Andreas Stream, RS, Brazil, and their relation with eutrophication processes
Tracking development assistance for health and for COVID-19 : a review of development assistance, government, out-of-pocket, and other private spending on health for 204 countries and territories, 1990-2050
Background The rapid spread of COVID-19 renewed the focus on how health systems across the globe are financed, especially during public health emergencies. Development assistance is an important source of health financing in many low-income countries, yet little is known about how much of this funding was disbursed for COVID-19. We aimed to put development assistance for health for COVID-19 in the context of broader trends in global health financing, and to estimate total health spending from 1995 to 2050 and development assistance for COVID-19 in 2020. Methods We estimated domestic health spending and development assistance for health to generate total health-sector spending estimates for 204 countries and territories. We leveraged data from the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database to produce estimates of domestic health spending. To generate estimates for development assistance for health, we relied on project-level disbursement data from the major international development agencies' online databases and annual financial statements and reports for information on income sources. To adjust our estimates for 2020 to include disbursements related to COVID-19, we extracted project data on commitments and disbursements from a broader set of databases (because not all of the data sources used to estimate the historical series extend to 2020), including the UN Office of Humanitarian Assistance Financial Tracking Service and the International Aid Transparency Initiative. We reported all the historic and future spending estimates in inflation-adjusted 2020 US per capita, purchasing-power parity-adjusted US8. 8 trillion (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 8.7-8.8) or 40.4 billion (0.5%, 95% UI 0.5-0.5) was development assistance for health provided to low-income and middle-income countries, which made up 24.6% (UI 24.0-25.1) of total spending in low-income countries. We estimate that 13.7 billion was targeted toward the COVID-19 health response. 1.4 billion was repurposed from existing health projects. 2.4 billion (17.9%) was for supply chain and logistics. Only 1519 (1448-1591) per person in 2050, although spending across countries is expected to remain varied. Interpretation Global health spending is expected to continue to grow, but remain unequally distributed between countries. We estimate that development organisations substantially increased the amount of development assistance for health provided in 2020. Continued efforts are needed to raise sufficient resources to mitigate the pandemic for the most vulnerable, and to help curtail the pandemic for all. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe
First Observation of a Doubly Charged Tetraquark and Its Neutral Partner
A combined amplitude analysis is performed for the decays B0→D ̄D0s+π- and B+→D-Ds+π+, which are related by isospin symmetry. The analysis is based on data collected by the LHCb detector in proton-proton collisions at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV. The full data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb-1. Two new resonant states with masses of 2.908±0.011±0.020 GeV and widths of 0.136±0.023±0.013 GeV are observed, which decay to Ds+π+ and Ds+π- respectively. The former state indicates the first observation of a doubly charged open-charm tetraquark state with minimal quark content [cs ̄ud ̄], and the latter state is a neutral tetraquark composed of [cs ̄ūd] quarks. Both states are found to have spin-parity of 0+, and their resonant parameters are consistent with each other, which suggests that they belong to an isospin triplet
Measurement of the mass difference and relative production rate of the and baryons
The mass difference between the and baryons is
measured using proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment,
corresponding to an integrated luminosity of , and is
found to be \begin{equation} m(\Omega^-_b)- m(\Xi^-_b) = 248.54 \pm 0.51
\text{(stat)} \pm 0.38 \text{(syst)} \, \text{MeV}/c^2. \end{equation} The mass
of the baryon is measured to be \begin{equation} m(\Omega^-_b)=
6045.9 \pm 0.5 \text{(stat)} \pm 0.6 \text{(syst)} \, \text{MeV}/c^2.
\end{equation} This is the most precise determination of the mass
to date. In addition, the production rate of baryons relative to
that of baryons is measured for the first time in collisions,
using an LHCb dataset collected at a center-of-mass energy of and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of
. Reconstructing beauty baryons in the kinematic region and with their decays to a meson
and a hyperon, the ratio \begin{equation}
\frac{f_{\Omega^-_b}}{f_{\Xi^-_b}}\times\frac{\mathcal{B}(\Omega^-_b \to J/\psi
\Omega^-)}{\mathcal{B}(\Xi^-_b \to J/\psi \Xi^-)} = 0.120 \pm 0.008
\text{(stat)} \pm 0.008 \text{(syst)}, \end{equation} is obtained, where
and are the fragmentation fractions of
quarks into and baryons, respectively, and
represents the branching fractions of their respective decays.Comment: 23 pages, 3 figures. All figures and tables, along with any
supplementary material and additional information, are available at
https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2022-053.html (LHCb
public pages
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