Epidemiology and strain differentiation of Echinoccus granulosus in Kenya

Imperial Users onl

Some aspects of analytical chemistry as applied to water quality assurance techniques for reclaimed water: The potential use of X-ray fluorescence spectrometry for automated on-line fast real-time simultaneous multi-component analysis of inorganic pollutants in reclaimed water

The potential use of isotopically excited energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry for automated on line fast real time (5 to 15 minutes) simultaneous multicomponent (up to 20) trace (1 to 10 parts per billion) analysis of inorganic pollutants in reclaimed water was examined. Three anionic elements (chromium 6, arsenic and selenium) were studied. The inherent lack of sensitivity of XRF spectrometry for these elements mandates use of a preconcentration technique and various methods were examined, including: several direct and indirect evaporation methods; ion exchange membranes; selective and nonselective precipitation; and complexation processes. It is shown tha XRF spectrometry itself is well suited for automated on line quality assurance, and can provide a nondestructive (and thus sample storage and repeat analysis capabilities) and particularly convenient analytical method. Further, the use of an isotopically excited energy dispersive unit (50 mCi Cd-109 source) coupled with a suitable preconcentration process can provide sufficient sensitivity to achieve the current mandated minimum levels of detection without the need for high power X-ray generating tubes

Individual and Collective Responsiveness to Climate Change: A Response to Dwyer

Commentaire / CommentaryL’histoire de James Dwyer au sujet d’une Commission GAIA fictive met en évidence les préoccupations concernant la portée de la bioéthique, en particulier en ce qui concerne la répartition de la responsabilité au niveau international face aux impacts des changements climatiques sur la santé. Ce commentaire traite de l’impact potentiel d’un individu sur les émissions de gaz à effet de serre et l’importance des réponses institutionnelles afin d’avoir un impact significatif.James Dwyer’s story about a fictional GAIA Commission highlighted unresolved concerns about the scope of bioethics, specifically regarding the global distribution of, and responsibility for, the health impacts of climate change. This commentary discusses the potential impact of an individual on greenhouse gas emissions and the importance of engaging institutional responses in order to have meaningful impacts

Ocular Phenotyping in the harlequin Mouse Model of Retinal Degeneration: A Framework for Therapeutic Testing

Retinal degeneration, despite devastating effects, lacks therapy. Memantine has potential for preserving vision by reducing excitotoxicity associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS). A model for memantine delivery is the oxidative stress- and retinal degeneration in harlequin (hq) mice. Wild type (WT) and hq mice received untreated or memantine-treated (30 mg/kg/ day) drinking water at 1 out to 2,4,6, 8 and 10 months (mo) of age (5 males per cohort). Retinal integrity was assessed using electroretinography and ocular coherence tomography with ROS levels and apoptosis examined postmortem. Reduced hq vision was evident at 2 mo with a slight elevation in ROS at 2 mo, central retinal photoreceptor layer thinning at 4 mo and significant apoptosis at 4 mo. Excitotoxicity was not evident. Memantine had expected effects in WT mice but did not preserve hq vision. Ocular phenotyping of hq mice revealed dry age-related macular degeneration and a valid framework for testing appropriate drugs

HazardReady – a geographically based natural hazard education and preparedness web application

Earthquakes, floods, wildfires, and other natural disasters are inevitable and costly both in terms of lives lost and money spent on recovery. Scientific research on natural hazards is widely shared within the scientific community, but is less often made more widely accessible, as methods or pathways for providing scientific natural hazard information and data in non-technical language are limited. Priorities for imparting hazard information include: 1) scientific accuracy, 2) spatial granularity, 3) integration of information about all relevant hazards, 4) nontechnical content, 5) appropriate preparedness activities, and 6) engagement with existing disaster response and mitigation capabilities. In response to these priorities, we developed HazardReady, an interactive online application that delivers location-based multihazard risk and preparedness information using graphics and natural language easily understood by nonexpert users. This paper explores the development of the prototype for Missoula County, Montana, U.S.A. called MissoulaReady. The web application is built on spatial data layers corresponding to levels of risk and historical distributions of natural hazards in Missoula County. A web user queries these data by searching on a spatial location, either an address or a map click, for which curated, location-specific, interpreted risk information is then served. We specifically address the steps required to implement all of the priorities identified, including how natural hazard data are collated, modified, and interpreted, as well as methods by which diverse stakeholders were involved in the application’s creation. Focus groups and usage metrics indicate that the application meets criteria of scientific accuracy and usability

Theory of Pump Depletion and Spike Formation in Stimulated Raman Scattering

By using the inverse spectral transform, the SRS equations are solved and the explicit output data is given for arbitrary laser pump and Stokes seed profiles injected on a vacuum of optical phonons. For long duration laser pulses, this solution is modified such as to take into account the damping rate of the optical phonon wave. This model is used to interprete the experiments of Druhl, Wenzel and Carlsten (Phys. Rev. Lett., (1983) vol. 51, p. 1171), in particular the creation of a spike of (anomalous) pump radiation. The related nonlinear Fourier spectrum does not contain discrete eigenvalue, hence this Raman spike is not a soliton.Comment: LaTex file, includes two figures in LaTex format, 9 page