More Than a Safety Net: Ethiopia\u27s Flagship Public Works Program Increases Tree Cover

More than one billion people worldwide receive cash or in-kind transfers from social protection programs. In low-income countries, these transfers are often conditioned on participation in labor-intensive public works to rehabilitate local infrastructure or natural resources. Despite their popularity, the environmental impacts of public works programs remain largely undocumented. We quantify the impact on tree cover of Ethiopia\u27s Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), one of the world\u27s largest and longest-running public works programs, using satellite-based data of tree cover combined with difference-in-differences and inverse probability treatment weighting methodologies. We find that the PSNP increased tree cover by 3.8% between 2005 and 2019, with larger increases in less densely populated areas and on steep-sloped terrain. As increasing tree cover is considered an important strategy to mitigate global warming, our results suggest a win–win potential for social safety net programs with an environmental component

The role of positron-emission tomography in the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis

Abstract Background: Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an inflammatory disease of the larger vessels, typically affecting the temporal arteries, but involvement of the carotid and thoracic arteries is not uncommon. Serious complications such as blindness can occur if the disease is left untreated. Currently, the gold standard test for GCA is a temporal biopsy, but this invasive technique is not without risks and frequently inaccurate. We investigate the use of 18-fluoro-desoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) as a new diagnostic means in GCA. Methods: We performed a literature search in the MEDLINE database for original research articles written in the English language that discussed the use of PET in diagnosing GCA. After applying selection criteria, 9 articles were included for literature review and 4 of these were incorporated in a meta-analysis. Results: 18-FDG uptake in the extracranial arteries is correlated to the presence GCA within patients suspected for vasculitis. In our meta-analysis we found the following results: sensitivity 85% (95% CI; 74-92%, I2=0.0%), specificity 91% (95% CI; 82-96%, I2=31.2%), positive likelihood ratio 7.18 (95% CI; 3.43-15.06, I2 =10.1%) and negative likelihood ratio 0.19 (95% CI; 0.11-0.33, I2= 0.0%). Discussion: 18F-FDG-PET cannot replace temporal artery biopsy at the present time, because of its limited ability to visualise the cranial arteries. However, PET may be provide valuable information when extracranial involvement is suspected, specifically in biopsy-negative patients who are strongly suspected of having GCA

Infographic. One small step for man, one giant leap for men's health: a meta-analysis of behaviour change interventions to increase men's physical activity.

OBJECTIVE:To determine the effects of behaviour change interventions on men's physical activity (postintervention), sustained change in physical activity behaviour (≥12 months postintervention) and to identify variations in effects due to potential moderating variables (eg, theoretical underpinning, gender-tailored, contact frequency). DESIGN:Systematic review with meta-analysis. Pooled effect size (Cohen's d) was calculated assuming a random-effects model. Homogeneity and subsequent exploratory moderator analyses were assessed using Q, T2 and I2. DATA SOURCES:Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, SportDiscus and Web of Science to April 2019. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTED STUDIES:Randomised control trials of behaviour change interventions in men (≥18 years) where physical activity was an outcome and data were from men-only studies or disaggregated by sex. RESULTS:Twenty-six articles described 24 eligible studies. The overall mean intervention effect on men's physical activity was 0.35 (SE=0.05; 95% CI 0.26 to 0.45; p<0.001). This effect size is consistent with an increase of approximately 97 min of total physical activity per week or 980 steps per day. Intervention moderators associated with greater increases in physical activity included objective physical activity outcome measures, a gender-tailored design, use of a theoretical framework, shorter length programmes (≤12 weeks), using four or more types of behaviour change techniques and frequent contact with participants (≥1 contact per week). 12 studies included additional follow-up assessments (≥12 months postintervention) and the overall mean effect was 0.32 (SE=0.09; 95% CI 0.15 to 0.48; p<0.001) for that sustained increase in physical activity. SUMMARY:Behaviour change interventions targeting men's physical activity can be effective. Moderator analyses are preliminary and suggest research directions

A solution approach for deriving alternative fuel station infrastructure requirements

When an alternative fuel is introduced, the infrastructure through which that fuel is made available to the market is often underdeveloped. Transportation service providers relying on such infrastructures are unlikely to adopt alternative fuel vehicles as it may impose long detours for refueling. In this paper, we design and apply a new solution approach to derive minimum infrastructure requirements, in terms of the number of alternative fuel stations. The effectiveness of our approach is demonstrated by applying it to the case of introducing liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a transportation fuel in The Netherlands. From this case, we learn that, depending on the driving range of the LNG trucks and the size of area on which those trucks operate, a minimum of 5-12 LNG fuel stations is necessary to render LNG trucks economically and environmentally beneficial

Dependence of Intramyocardial Pressure and Coronary Flow on Ventricular Loading and Contractility: A Model Study

The phasic coronary arterial inflow during the normal cardiac cycle has been explained with simple (waterfall, intramyocardial pump) models, emphasizing the role of ventricular pressure. To explain changes in isovolumic and low afterload beats, these models were extended with the effect of three-dimensional wall stress, nonlinear characteristics of the coronary bed, and extravascular fluid exchange. With the associated increase in the number of model parameters, a detailed parameter sensitivity analysis has become difficult. Therefore we investigated the primary relations between ventricular pressure and volume, wall stress, intramyocardial pressure and coronary blood flow, with a mathematical model with a limited number of parameters. The model replicates several experimental observations: the phasic character of coronary inflow is virtually independent of maximum ventricular pressure, the amplitude of the coronary flow signal varies about proportionally with cardiac contractility, and intramyocardial pressure in the ventricular wall may exceed ventricular pressure. A parameter sensitivity analysis shows that the normalized amplitude of coronary inflow is mainly determined by contractility, reflected in ventricular pressure and, at low ventricular volumes, radial wall stress. Normalized flow amplitude is less sensitive to myocardial coronary compliance and resistance, and to the relation between active fiber stress, time, and sarcomere shortening velocity

Optimal Fleet Composition via Dynamic Programming and Golden Section Search

In this paper, we consider an optimization problem arising in vehicle fleet management. The problem is to construct a heterogeneous vehicle fleet in such a way that cost is minimized subject to a constraint on the overall fleet size. The cost function incorporates fixed and variable costs associated with the fleet, as well as hiring costs that are incurred when vehicle requirements exceed fleet capacity. We first consider the simple case when there is only one type of vehicle. We show that in this case the cost function is convex, and thus the problem can be solved efficiently using the well-known golden section method. We then devise an algorithm, based on dynamic programming and the golden section method, for solving the general problem in which there are multiple vehicle types. We conclude the paper with some simulation results

Treatment with intravenous pamidronate is a good alternative in case of gastrointestinal side effects or contraindications for oral bisphosphonates

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In case of contraindications or intolerance during treatment with oral bisphosphonates (OB), administration of pamidronate intravenously is a widely used alternative.</p> <p>In this study we compared the effect on change in bone mineral density (BMD) of the spine and hip during long term treatment with pamidronate iv in comparison to OB.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We studied 61 patients receiving treatment for at least two years. In case of contraindications or intolerance (within 3 months) of an OB, pamidronate iv was started. BMD was measured on a Hologic 4500 and a Lunar DPX-IQ at the spine (L1-L4) and total hip.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Thirty-one patients were enrolled in the OB group and 30 in the intravenous pamidronate group. Mean follow-up duration (SD) was 4.3 (1.3) years. We observed a significant increase (p < 0.001) in spinal BMD, both in the OB group (8.3%) as well as in the pamidronate iv group (6.1%), but no significant difference in BMD change between the OB and pamidronate iv groups. At the hips, we observed a tendency to increased BMD in both groups, 1.1% in the OB and 1.4% in the pamidronate iv group.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We conclude that intravenous pamidronate is a good alternative for oral bisphosphonates in the treatment of osteoporosis in patients with contraindications or intolerance during treatment with oral bisphosphonates.</p

Detecting Regulatory Mechanisms in Endocrine Time Series Measurements

The regulatory mechanisms underlying pulsatile secretion are complex, especially as it is partly controlled by other hormones and the combined action of multiple agents. Regulatory relations between hormones are not directly observable but may be deduced from time series measurements of plasma hormone concentrations. Variation in plasma hormone levels are the resultant of secretion and clearance from the circulation. A strategy is proposed to extract inhibition, activation, thresholds and circadian synchronicity from concentration data, using particular association methods. Time delayed associations between hormone concentrations and/or extracted secretion pulse profiles reveal the information on regulatory mechanisms. The above mentioned regulatory mechanisms are illustrated with simulated data. Additionally, data from a lean cohort of healthy control subjects is used to illustrate activation (ACTH and cortisol) and circadian synchronicity (ACTH and TSH) in real data. The simulation and the real data both consist of 145 equidistant samples per individual, matching a 24-hr time span with 10 minute intervals. The results of the simulation and the real data are in concordance