599 research outputs found
Sexual behaviour does not reflect HIV-1 prevalence differences: a comparison study of Zimbabwe and Tanzania
Background
Substantial heterogeneity in HIV prevalence has been observed within sub-Saharan Africa. It is not clear which factors can explain these differences. Our aim was to identify risk factors that could explain the large differences in HIV-1 prevalence among pregnant women in Harare, Zimbabwe, and Moshi, Tanzania.
Methods
Cross-sectional data from a two-centre study that enrolled pregnant women in Harare (N = 691) and Moshi (N = 2654) was used. Consenting women were interviewed about their socio-demographic background and sexual behaviour, and tested for presence of sexually transmitted infections and reproductive tract infections. Prevalence distribution of risk factors for HIV acquisition and spread were compared between the two areas.
Results
The prevalence of HIV-1 among pregnant women was 26% in Zimbabwe and 7% in Tanzania. The HIV prevalence in both countries rises constantly with age up to the 25-30 year age group. After that, it continues to rise among Zimbabwean women, while it drops for Tanzanian women. Risky sexual behaviour was more prominent among Tanzanians than Zimbabweans. Mobility and such infections as HSV-2, trichomoniasis and bacterial vaginosis were more prevalent among Zimbabweans than Tanzanians. Reported male partner circumcision rates between the two countries were widely different, but the effect of male circumcision on HIV prevalence was not apparent within the populations.
Conclusions
The higher HIV-1 prevalence among pregnant women in Zimbabwe compared with Tanzania cannot be explained by differences in risky sexual behaviour: all risk factors tested for in our study were higher for Tanzania than Zimbabwe. Non-sexual transmission of HIV might have played an important role in variation of HIV prevalence. Male circumcision rates and mobility could contribute to the rate and extent of spread of HIV in the two countries
Review of recent experimental progresses in Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information obtained in Parametric Down Conversion Experiments at IENGF
We review some recent experimental progresses concerning Foundations of
Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information obtained in Quantum Optics Laboratory
"Carlo Novero" at IENGF.
More in details, after a short presentation of our polarization entangled
photons source (based on precise superposition of two Type I PDC emission) and
of the results obtained with it, we describe an innovative double slit
experiment where two degenerate photons produced by PDC are sent each to a
specific slit. Beyond representing an interesting example of relation between
visibility of interference and "welcher weg" knowledge, this configuration has
been suggested for testing de Broglie-Bohm theory against Standard Quantum
Mechanics. Our results perfectly fit SQM results, but disagree with dBB
predictions.
Then, we discuss a recent experiment addressed to clarify the issue of which
wave-particle observables are really to be considered when discussing wave
particle duality. This experiments realises the Agarwal et al. theoretical
proposal, overcoming limitations of a former experiment.
Finally, we hint to the realization of a high-intensity
high-spectral-selected PDC source to be used for quantum information studies
Dark energy survey year 1 results: calibration of redMaGiC redshift distributions in DES and SDSS from cross-correlations
FINEP - FINANCIADORA DE ESTUDOS E PROJETOSFAPERJ - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DO RIO DE JANEIROCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOMCTIC - MINISTÉRIO DA CIÊNCIA, TECNOLOGIA, INOVAÇÕES E COMUNICAÇÕESWe present calibrations of the redshift distributions of redMaGiC galaxies in the Dark Energy Survey Year 1 (DES Y1) and Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) DR8 data. These results determine the priors of the redshift distribution of redMaGiC galaxies, which were used for galaxy clustering measurements and as lenses for galaxy-galaxy lensing measurements in DES Y1 cosmological analyses. We empirically determine the bias in redMaGiC photometric redshift estimates using angular cross-correlations with Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) galaxies. For DES, we calibrate a single-parameter redshift bias in three photometric redshift bins: z is an element of [0.15, 0.3], [0.3,0.45], and [0.45,0.6]. Our best-fit results in each bin give photometric redshift biases of vertical bar Delta z vertical bar < 0.01. To further test the redMaGiC algorithm, we apply our calibration procedure to SDSS redMaGiC galaxies, where the statistical precision of the cross-correlation measurement is much higher due to a greater overlap with BOSS galaxies. For SDSS, we also find best-fit results of vertical bar Delta z vertical bar < 0.01. We compare our results to other analyses of redMaGiC photometric redshifts.481224272443FINEP - FINANCIADORA DE ESTUDOS E PROJETOSFAPERJ - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DO RIO DE JANEIROCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOMCTIC - MINISTÉRIO DA CIÊNCIA, TECNOLOGIA, INOVAÇÕES E COMUNICAÇÕESFINEP - FINANCIADORA DE ESTUDOS E PROJETOSFAPERJ - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DO RIO DE JANEIROCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOMCTIC - MINISTÉRIO DA CIÊNCIA, TECNOLOGIA, INOVAÇÕES E COMUNICAÇÕESSem informaçãoSem informaçãoSem informaçãoSem informaçãoAgências de fomento estrangeiras apoiaram essa pesquisa, mais informações acesse artig
The case for studying other planetary magnetospheres and atmospheres in Heliophysics
Heliophysics is the field that "studies the nature of the Sun, and how it
influences the very nature of space - and, in turn, the atmospheres of
planetary bodies and the technology that exists there." However, NASA's
Heliophysics Division tends to limit study of planetary magnetospheres and
atmospheres to only those of Earth. This leaves exploration and understanding
of space plasma physics at other worlds to the purview of the Planetary Science
and Astrophysics Divisions. This is detrimental to the study of space plasma
physics in general since, although some cross-divisional funding opportunities
do exist, vital elements of space plasma physics can be best addressed by
extending the expertise of Heliophysics scientists to other stellar and
planetary magnetospheres. However, the diverse worlds within the solar system
provide crucial environmental conditions that are not replicated at Earth but
can provide deep insight into fundamental space plasma physics processes.
Studying planetary systems with Heliophysics objectives, comprehensive
instrumentation, and new grant opportunities for analysis and modeling would
enable a novel understanding of fundamental and universal processes of space
plasma physics. As such, the Heliophysics community should be prepared to
consider, prioritize, and fund dedicated Heliophysics efforts to planetary
targets to specifically study space physics and aeronomy objectives
Initial antibodies binding to HIV-1 gp41 in acutely infected subjects are polyreactive and highly mutated
Many HIV-1 envelope-reactive antibodies shortly after HIV-1 transmission may arise from crow-reactive memory B cells previously stimulated by non-HIV-1 host or microbial antigen
Alcohol intoxication and mental health among adolescents – a population review of 8983 young people, 13–19 years in North-Trøndelag, Norway: the Young-HUNT Study
Ethnomedicinal plant knowledge and practice of the Oromo ethnic group in southwestern Ethiopia
An ethnomedicinal study was conducted to document the indigenous medicinal plant knowledge and use by traditional healers in southwestern Ethiopia from December 2005 to November 2006. Data were collected from 45 randomly selected traditional healers using semi-structured interviews and observations. Sixty-seven ethnomedicinal plant species used by traditional healers to manage 51 different human ailments were identified and documented. Healers' indigenous knowledge was positively correlated with their reported age but not with their educational level. High degree of consensus was observed among traditional healers in treating tumor (locally known as Tanacha), rabies (Dhukuba Seree) and insect bite (Hadhaa). The use of more than one species was significantly cited for remedy preparations. The reported abundance of the ethnomedicinal plant species varied significantly with respect to the presence of multiple uses of the reported species. Our results showed that ethnomedicinal plant species used by healers are under serious threat due to several factors, which indicates the need for urgent attention towards their conservation and sustainable utilization
Burden of cancer in Malawi; common types, incidence and trends: National population-based cancer registry
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