Metal–organic fireworks: MOFs as integrated structural scaffolds for pyrotechnic materials

A new approach to formulating pyrotechnic materials is presented whereby constituent ingredients are bound together in a solid-state lattice. This reduces the batch inconsistencies arising from the traditional approach of combining powders by ensuring the key ingredients are ‘mixed’ in appropriate quantities and are in intimate contact. Further benefits of these types of material are increased safety levels as well as simpler logistics, storage and manufacture. A systematic series of new frameworks comprising fuel and oxidiser agents (group 1 and 2 metal nodes & terephthalic acid derivatives as linkers) has been synthesised and structurally characterised. These new materials have been assessed for pyrotechnic effect by calorimetry and burn tests. Results indicate that these materials exhibit the desired pyrotechnic material properties and the effect can be correlated to the dimensionality of the structure. A new approach to formulating pyrotechnic materials is proposed whereby constituent ingredients are bound together in a solid-state lattice. A series of Metal–organic framework frameworks comprising fuel and oxidiser agents exhibits the desired properties of a pyrotechnic material and this effect is correlated to the dimensionality of the structure

Couples' voluntary counselling and testing and nevirapine use in antenatal clinics in two African capitals: a prospective cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>With the accessibility of prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) services in sub-Saharan Africa, more women are being tested for HIV in antenatal care settings. Involving partners in the counselling and testing process could help prevent horizontal and vertical transmission of HIV. This study was conducted to assess the feasibility of couples' voluntary counseling and testing (CVCT) in antenatal care and to measure compliance with PMTCT.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A prospective cohort study was conducted over eight months at two public antenatal clinics in Kigali, Rwanda, and Lusaka, Zambia. A convenience sample of 3625 pregnant women was enrolled. Of these, 1054 women were lost to follow up. The intervention consisted of same-day individual voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) and weekend CVCT; HIV-positive participants received nevirapine tablets. In Kigali, nevirapine syrup was provided in the labour and delivery ward; in Lusaka, nevirapine syrup was supplied in pre-measured single-dose syringes. The main outcome measures were nurse midwife-recorded deliveries and reported nevirapine use.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In eight months, 1940 women enrolled in Kigali (984 VCT, 956 CVCT) and 1685 women enrolled in Lusaka (1022 VCT, 663 CVCT). HIV prevalence was 14% in Kigali, and 27% in Lusaka. Loss to follow up was more common in Kigali than Lusaka (33% vs. 24%, p = 0.000). In Lusaka, HIV-positive and HIV-negative women had significantly different loss-to-follow-up rates (30% vs. 22%, p = 0.002). CVCT was associated with reduced loss to follow up: in Kigali, 31% of couples versus 36% of women testing alone (p = 0.011); and in Lusaka, 22% of couples versus 25% of women testing alone (p = 0.137). Among HIV-positive women with follow up, CVCT had no impact on nevirapine use (86-89% in Kigali; 78-79% in Lusaka).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Weekend CVCT, though new, was feasible in both capital cities. The beneficial impact of CVCT on loss to follow up was significant, while nevirapine compliance was similar in women tested alone or with their partners. Pre-measured nevirapine syrup syringes provided flexibility to HIV-positive mothers in Lusaka, but may have contributed to study loss to follow up. These two prevention interventions remain a challenge, with CVCT still operating without supportive government policy in Zambia.</p

Engaging Practitioners as Inquirers : Co-constructing Visions for Music Teacher Education in Nepal

This chapter explores how co-constructing visions might engage teachers as inquirers in a ‘majority world’ context by reflecting on a series of 16 Appreciative Inquiry workshops involving over 50 musician-teachers in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal in 2016. It extends the concept of teachers’ visions (Hammerness, Teach Educ Q 31(Fall):33–43, 2004) through socio-cultural anthropologist Arjun Appadurai’s notions of the imagination (Modernity at large: Cultural dimensions of globalization. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 1996) and the social and cultural capacity to aspire (Culture and public action. Stanford University Press, Stanford, 2004). The chapter reflects on the processes that took place when co-constructing visions, including the ways co-constructing visions may have been the fuel for action, and analyzes the implications of the resulting co-constructed visions. The findings highlight the importance of developing and supporting collaborative learning for the development of both preservice and inservice music teacher education

Adherence to Combination Prophylaxis for Prevention of Mother-to-Child-Transmission of HIV in Tanzania

BACKGROUND: Since 2008, Tanzanian guidelines for prevention of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV (PMTCT) recommend combination regimen for mother and infant starting in gestational week 28. Combination prophylaxis is assumed to be more effective and less prone to resistance formation compared to single-drug interventions, but the required continuous collection and intake of drugs might pose a challenge on adherence especially in peripheral resource-limited settings. This study aimed at analyzing adherence to combination prophylaxis under field conditions in a rural health facility in Kyela, Tanzania. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A cohort of 122 pregnant women willing to start combination prophylaxis in Kyela District Hospital was enrolled in an observational study. Risk factors for decline of prophylaxis were determined, and adherence levels before, during and after delivery were calculated. In multivariate analysis, identified risk factors for declining pre-delivery prophylaxis included maternal age below 24 years, no income-generating activity, and enrolment before 24.5 gestational weeks, with odds ratios of 5.8 (P = 0.002), 4.4 (P = 0.015) and 7.8 (P = 0.001), respectively. Women who stated to have disclosed their HIV status were significantly more adherent in the pre-delivery period than women who did not (P = 0.004). In the intra- and postpartum period, rather low drug adherence rates during hospitalization indicated unsatisfactory staff performance. Only ten mother-child pairs were at least 80% adherent during all intervention phases; one single mother-child pair met a 95% adherence threshold. CONCLUSIONS: Achieving adherence to combination prophylaxis has shown to be challenging in this rural study setting. Our findings underline the need for additional supervision for PMTCT staff as well as for clients, especially by encouraging them to seek social support through status disclosure. Prophylaxis uptake might be improved by preponing drug intake to an earlier gestational age. Limited structural conditions of a healthcare setting should be taken into serious account when implementing PMTCT combination prophylaxis

The Status Of Two New England “Endemic” Carices: Carex Elachycarpa And C. Josselynii (Cyperaceae)

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149729/1/tax00494.pd