The 2015 edition of the GEISA spectroscopic database

The GEISA database (Gestion et Etude des Informations Spectroscopiques Atmosphériques: Management and Study of Atmospheric Spectroscopic Information) has been developed and maintained by the ARA/ABC(t) group at LMD since 1974. GEISA is constantly evolving, taking into account the best available spectroscopic data. This paper presents the 2015 release of GEISA (GEISA-2015), which updates the last edition of 2011 and celebrates the 40th anniversary of the database. Significant updates and additions have been implemented in the three following independent databases of GEISA. The “line parameters database” contains 52 molecular species (118 isotopologues) and transitions in the spectral range from 10−6 to 35,877.031 cm−1, representing 5,067,351 entries, against 3,794,297 in GEISA-2011. Among the previously existing molecules, 20 molecular species have been updated. A new molecule (SO3) has been added. HDO, isotopologue of H2O, is now identified as an independent molecular species. Seven new isotopologues have been added to the GEISA-2015 database. The “cross section sub-database” has been enriched by the addition of 43 new molecular species in its infrared part, 4 molecules (ethane, propane, acetone, acetonitrile) are also updated; they represent 3% of the update. A new section is added, in the near-infrared spectral region, involving 7 molecular species: CH3CN, CH3I, CH3O2, H2CO, HO2, HONO, NH3. The “microphysical and optical properties of atmospheric aerosols sub-database” has been updated for the first time since 2003. It contains more than 40 species originating from NCAR and 20 from the ARIA archive of Oxford University. As for the previous versions, this new release of GEISA and associated management software facilities are implemented and freely accessible on the AERIS/ESPRI atmospheric chemistry data center website

Continued Decline of Malaria in The Gambia with Implications for Elimination

BACKGROUND: A substantial decline in malaria was reported to have occurred over several years until 2007 in the western part of The Gambia, encouraging consideration of future elimination in this previously highly endemic region. Scale up of interventions has since increased with support from the Global Fund and other donors. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We continued to examine laboratory records at four health facilities previously studied and investigated six additional facilities for a 7 year period, adding data from 243,707 slide examinations, to determine trends throughout the country until the end of 2009. We actively detected infections in a community cohort of 800 children living in rural villages throughout the 2008 malaria season, and assayed serological changes in another rural population between 2006 and 2009. Proportions of malaria positive slides declined significantly at all of the 10 health facilities between 2003 (annual mean across all sites, 38.7%) and 2009 (annual mean, 7.9%). Statistical modelling of trends confirmed significant seasonality and decline over time at each facility. Slide positivity was lowest in 2009 at all sites, except two where lowest levels were observed in 2006. Mapping households of cases presenting at the latter sites in 2007-2009 indicated that these were not restricted to a few residual foci. Only 2.8% (22/800) of a rural cohort of children had a malaria episode in the 2008 season, and there was substantial serological decline between 2006 and 2009 in a separate rural area. CONCLUSIONS: Malaria has continued to decline in The Gambia, as indicated by a downward trend in slide positivity at health facilities, and unprecedented low incidence and seroprevalence in community surveys. We recommend intensification of control interventions for several years to further reduce incidence, prior to considering an elimination programme

Detecting Foci of Malaria Transmission with School Surveys: A Pilot Study in the Gambia.

BACKGROUND: In areas of declining malaria transmission such as in The Gambia, the identification of malaria infected individuals becomes increasingly harder. School surveys may be used to identify foci of malaria transmission in the community. METHODS: The survey was carried out in May-June 2011, before the beginning of the malaria transmission season. Thirty two schools in the Upper River Region of The Gambia were selected with probability proportional to size; in each school approximately 100 children were randomly chosen for inclusion in the study. Each child had a finger prick blood sample collected for the determination of antimalarial antibodies by ELISA, malaria infection by microscopy and PCR, and for haemoglobin measurement. In addition, a simple questionnaire on socio-demographic variables and the use of insecticide-treated bed nets was completed. The cut-off for positivity for antimalarial antibodies was obtained using finite mixture models. The clustered nature of the data was taken into account in the analyses. RESULTS: A total of 3,277 children were included in the survey. The mean age was 10 years (SD = 2.7) [range 4-21], with males and females evenly distributed. The prevalence of malaria infection as determined by PCR was 13.6% (426/3124) [95% CI = 12.2-16.3] with marked variation between schools (range 3-25%, p<0.001), while the seroprevalence was 7.8% (234/2994) [95%CI = 6.4-9.8] for MSP119, 11.6% (364/2997) [95%CI = 9.4-14.5] for MSP2, and 20.0% (593/2973) [95% CI = 16.5-23.2) for AMA1. The prevalence of all the three antimalarial antibodies positive was 2.7% (79/2920). CONCLUSIONS: This survey shows that malaria prevalence and seroprevalence before the transmission season were highly heterogeneous

Stressors in nurses working in Intensive Care Units

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 235 nurses from two intensive care units in Porto (Portugal). The purpose of this study was to identify stressors for nurses working in intensive care units. The data was collected using the following: i) a questionnaire (for socio-demographic variables, physical aspects of work and variables related to the work context; ii) Interpersonal Work Relations Scale; iii) Nurse Stress Index. Nurses in the early phase of their career have higher stress levels ( = 81). An inadequate physical work structure leads to higher stress levels (X = 83). The worse the interpersonal relations are, the higher stress levels nurses feel (Spearman correlation coefficient =-0.331). Nurses who have a bad relationship with their work superiors view the dimension "Support and Organizational Involvement" as a stressor (Student's t test, pSe trata de un estudio de tipo descriptivo y transversal, en total la muestra fue constituida con 235 enfermeros pertenecientes a dos unidades de terapia intensiva de la ciudad del Porto (Portugal), con el objetivo de conocer algunos factores generadores de estrés de enfermeros que trabajan en unidades de terapia intensiva. En la recolección de datos se utilizó: 1) un cuestionario de auto llenado (para las variables sociodemográficas, para los aspectos físicos del servicio y para las variables relacionadas con el contexto de trabajo); 2) la Escala de las Relaciones Interpersonales en el Trabajo; y 3) la Nurse Stress Índex. Se identificó que los enfermeros en inicio de carrera tiene niveles de estrés más elevados ( o = 81); que una estructura física inadecuada conduce a niveles de estrés más elevados (X=83); que cuanto peor es la relación interpersonal, mayores son los niveles de estrés (Coeficiente de correlación de Spearman =-0,331); que los enfermeros que establecen una mala relación con los jefes perciben la dimensión "Apoyo y envolvimiento organizacional" como fuente generadora de estrés (t-Student, pTrata-se de estudo do tipo descritivo e transversal, englobando amostra com 235 enfermeiros, pertencentes a duas unidades de terapia intensiva da cidade do Porto, Portugal, e teve como objetivo conhecer alguns fatores geradores de estresse em enfermeiros que trabalham em unidades de terapia intensiva. Na recolha de dados, utilizou-se: i) questionário de autopreenchimento (para as variáveis sociodemográficas, para os aspectos físicos do serviço e para as variáveis relacionadas ao contexto de trabalho); ii) a escala das relações interpessoais no trabalho e iii) a nurse stress index. Pelos resultados, observa-se que enfermeiros, em início de carreira, têm níveis de estresse mais elevados ( ou = 81); estrutura física não adequada conduz a níveis de estresse mais elevados (X=83); quanto pior é a relação interpessoal maiores são os níveis de estresse (coeficiente de correlação de Spearman=-0,331). Os enfermeiros que estabelecem má relação com as chefias percepcionam a dimensão apoio e envolvimento organizacional como fonte geradora de estresse (teste t de Student, p<0,001)

Decadal climatological trends of aerosol optical parameters over three different environments in South Korea

Decadal climatology of aerosol optical parameters derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board Terra satellite has been analysed during past decade (February 2000 to February 2010) over three different environments in South Korea. Seoul, a continental urban station showed a significant decadal decrease of around 22% in aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 550 nm during observational period. The corresponding decrease in AOD found to be 18.7% over Busan, a coastal station. However Jeju, a volcanically sedimented island station in Korea showed negligible changes in AOD (1.4%). Fine mode fraction (FMF) and Angstrom exponent (ANG) parameters also showed a significant decadal reduction, indicating the decrease in fine mode aerosols, which are majorly produced due to anthropogenic activities in land areas. On analysing the decadal trends in seasonal climatology, it is found that aerosol parameters in general were showing a decreasing trend in different seasons except during spring. The decadal trend in meteorological parameters did not show a perfect alignment with aerosol trends. This suggests that the decadal decrease in aerosols could be mainly attributed to reduction in anthropogenic aerosol emissions. The surface temperature over the stations showed a significant increase of 8% to 11%. This study suggests that, in spite of positive effects in pollution perspective, the reduced AOD may in part contribute the increasing trend of surface temperature