187 research outputs found
mHealth: A Mediating Tool for Community Health Workersâ Transformation in Armed Conflict Zones
Communities affected by armed conflict are striving to provide access to effective healthcare services in countries like Nigeria, where there exists a fragile healthcare system with an acute deficit of manpower and resources. This fragility has a negative impact on child health service delivery. mHealth is considered an excellent platform for enhancing/transforming the activities of community health workers (CHWs) in the delivery of effective health services. This paper aims to explore how mHealth implementation mediates and transforms the activities of CHWs in an armed conflict setting using activity theory as a lens. An interpretive research methodology was used, and the method of data collection was done mainly by participatory observations and interviews. The findings show that the introduction of an mHealth tool can transform the activities of CHWs in various ways. The study contributes to information systems research by broadening our understanding of the implementation of mHealth in armed conflict settings
NMR studies of the incommensurate helical antiferromagnet EuCo2P2 : determination of the antiferromagnetic propagation vector
Recently Ding et al. [Phys. Rev. B 95, 184404 (2017)] reported that their
nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study on EuCoAs successfully
characterized the antiferromagnetic (AFM) propagation vector of the
incommensurate helix AFM state, showing that NMR is a unique tool for
determination of the spin structures in incommensurate helical AFMs. Motivated
by this work, we have carried out Eu, P and Co NMR
measurements on the helical antiferromagnet EuCoP with an AFM ordering
temperature = 66.5 K. An incommensurate helical AFM structure was
clearly confirmed by Eu and P NMR spectra on single crystalline
EuCoP in zero magnetic field at 1.6 K and its external magnetic field
dependence. Furthermore, based on Co NMR data in both the paramagnetic
and the incommensurate AFM states, we have determined the model-independent
value of the AFM propagation vector k = (0, 0, 0.73 0.09)2/ where
is the -axis lattice parameter. The temperature dependence of k is also
discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B. arXiv
admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1704.0629
Association between household solid fuel use and tuberculosis: cross-sectional data from the Mongolian national tuberculosis prevalence survey
BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) and indoor air pollution (IAP) are equally critical public health issues in the developing world. Mongolia is experiencing the double burden of TB and IAP due to solid fuel combustion. However, no study has assessed the relationship between household solid fuel use and TB in Mongolia. The present study aimed to assess the association between household solid fuel use and TB based on data from the Mongolian National Tuberculosis Prevalence Survey (MNTP Survey). METHOD: The MNTP Survey was a nationally representative population-based cross-sectional survey targeting households in Mongolia from 2014 to 2015, with the aim of evaluating the prevalence of TB. The survey adopted a multistage cluster sampling design in accordance with the World Health Organization prevalence survey guidelines. Clusters with at least 500 residents were selected by random sampling. A sample size of 98 clusters with 54,100 participants was estimated to be required for the survey, and 41,450 participants were included in the final analysis of the present study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on environmental and individual factors related to TB. Physical examination, chest X-ray, and sputum examinations were also performed to diagnose TB. RESULTS: The use of solid fuels for heating (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.5; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1-2.1), male gender (aOR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.6-3.2), divorced or widowed (aOR: 2.6; 95% CI: 1.7-3.8), daily smoker (aOR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.3-2.5), contact with an active TB case (aOR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.2-2.3), being underweight (aOR: 3.7; 95% CI: 2.4-5.7), and previous history of TB (aOR: 4.3; 95% CI: 3.0-6.1) were significantly associated with bacteriologically confirmed TB after adjusting for confounding variables. CONCLUSION: The use of solid fuels for heating was significantly associated with active TB in Mongolian adults. Increased public awareness is needed on the use of household solid fuels, a source of IAP
Influence of large local and non-local bispectra on primordial black hole abundance
Primordial black holes represent a unique probe to constrain the early
universe on small scales - providing the only constraints on the primordial
power spectrum on the majority of scales. However, these constraints are
strongly dependent on even small amounts of non-Gaussianity, which is
unconstrained on scales significantly smaller than those visible in the CMB.
This paper goes beyond previous considerations to consider the effects of a
bispectrum of the equilateral, orthogonal and local shapes with arbitrary
magnitude upon the abundance of primordial black holes. Non-Gaussian density
maps of the early universe are generated from a given bispectrum and used to
place constraints on the small scale power spectrum. When small, we show that
the skewness provides an accurate estimate for how the constraint depends on
non-Gaussianity, independently of the shape of the bispectrum. We show that the
orthogonal template of non-Gaussianity has an order of magnitude weaker effect
on the constraints than the local and equilateral templates.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, updated to match published version in
JCAP02(2016)029, Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, Volume 2016,
February 201
NMR studies of the helical antiferromagnetic compound EuCo2P2
In EuCo2P2, 4f electron spins of Eu2+ ions order antiferromagnetically below a NĂ©el temperature . The magnetic structure below was reported to be helical with the helix axis along the c-axis from the neutron diffraction study. We report the results of 153Eu, 59Co and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements on EuCo2P2 using a single crystal and a powdered sample. In the antiferromagnetic (AFM) state, we succeeded in observing 153Eu, 59Co and 31P NMR spectra in zero magnetic field. The sharp 153Eu zero field NMR (ZF NMR) lines indicate homogeneous Eu ordered moment. The 59Co and 31P ZF NMR spectra showed an asymmetric spectral shape, indicating a distribution of the internal magnetic induction at each nuclear position. The AFM propagation vector k characterizing the helical AFM state can be determined from the internal magnetic induction at Co site. We have determined the model-independent value of the AFM propagation vector k distributed from (0, 0, 0.86)2Ï/c to (0, 0, 0.73)2Ï/c, where c is the lattice parameter
Immunochemical faecal occult blood test: number of samples and positivity cutoff. What is the best strategy for colorectal cancer screening?
Immunochemical faecal occult blood tests have shown a greater sensitivity than guaiac test in colorectal cancer screening, but optimal number of samples and cutoff have still to be defined. The aim of this multicentric study was to evaluate the performance of immunochemical-based screening strategies according to different positivity thresholds (80, 100, 120ângâmlâ1) and single vs double sampling (one, at least one, or both positive samples) using 1-day sample with cutoff at 100ângâmlâ1 as the reference strategy. A total of 20â596 subjects aged 50â69 years were enrolled from Italian population-based screening programmes. Positivity rate was 4.5% for reference strategy and 8.0 and 2.0% for the most sensitive and the most specific strategy, respectively. Cancer detection rate of reference strategy was 2.8â°, and ranged between 2.1 and 3.4â° in other strategies; reference strategy detected 15.6â° advanced adenomas (range=10.0â22.5â°). The number needed to scope to find a cancer or an advanced adenoma was lower than 2 (1.5â1.7) for the most specific strategies, whereas it was 2.4â2.7, according to different thresholds, for the most sensitive ones. Different strategies seem to have a greater impact on adenomas rather than on cancer detection rate. The study provides information when deciding screening protocols and to adapt them to local resources
Spectral Distortions of the CMB as a Probe of Inflation, Recombination, Structure Formation and Particle Physics
Following the pioneering observations with COBE in the early 1990s, studies
of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) have focused on temperature and
polarization anisotropies. CMB spectral distortions - tiny departures of the
CMB energy spectrum from that of a perfect blackbody - provide a second,
independent probe of fundamental physics, with a reach deep into the primordial
Universe. The theoretical foundation of spectral distortions has seen major
advances in recent years, which highlight the immense potential of this
emerging field. Spectral distortions probe a fundamental property of the
Universe - its thermal history - thereby providing additional insight into
processes within the cosmological standard model (CSM) as well as new physics
beyond. Spectral distortions are an important tool for understanding inflation
and the nature of dark matter. They shed new light on the physics of
recombination and reionization, both prominent stages in the evolution of our
Universe, and furnish critical information on baryonic feedback processes, in
addition to probing primordial correlation functions at scales inaccessible to
other tracers. In principle the range of signals is vast: many orders of
magnitude of discovery space could be explored by detailed observations of the
CMB energy spectrum. Several CSM signals are predicted and provide clear
experimental targets, some of which are already observable with present-day
technology. Confirmation of these signals would extend the reach of the CSM by
orders of magnitude in physical scale as the Universe evolves from the initial
stages to its present form. The absence of these signals would pose a huge
theoretical challenge, immediately pointing to new physics.Comment: Astro2020 Science White Paper, 5 pages text, 13 pages in total, 3
Figures, minor update to reference
Theoretical Engineering of the Gut Micro biome for the Purpose of Creating Superior Soldiers
The purpose of this review is to highlight research raising the possibility of exploiting the host-microbiome gut axis for military purposes. Through optimizing the gut-microbiome environment it is possible to enhance nutritional access to indigestible material, provide local and systemic analgesia, enhance psychological robustness to battlefield stress, produce endogenous steroids, reduce muscle fatigue, and promote peripheral wound healing. However, this approach is still in its early stages and thus has not been explored to its full potential. The challenges that are currently preventing the practical use of gut bacteria include the following: inconsistency of clinical outcomes, transient effects requiring continuous supplementation, the type of regimen selected, the initiation and cessation of regimen, and the broader clinical studies needed to validate this research. This review is intended to shed light on the numerous and varied positive impacts such an approach could have for the military if further developed
Hydrodynamics of the VanA-type VanS histidine kinase: an extended solution conformation and first evidence for interactions with vancomycin
VanA-type resistance to glycopeptide antibiotics in clinical enterococci is regulated by the VanSARA two-component signal transduction system. The nature of the molecular ligand that is recognised by the VanSA sensory component has not hitherto been identified. Here we employ purified, intact and active VanSA membrane protein (henceforth referred to as VanS) in analytical ultracentrifugation experiments to study VanS oligomeric state and conformation in the absence and presence of vancomycin. A combination of sedimentation velocity and sedimentation equilibrium in the analytical ultracentrifuge (SEDFIT, SEDFIT-MSTAR and MULTISIG analysis) showed that VanS in the absence of the ligand is almost entirely monomeric (molar mass M = 45.7 kDa) in dilute aqueous solution with a trace amount of high molar mass material (M ~ 200 kDa). The sedimentation coefficient s suggests the monomer adopts an extended conformation in aqueous solution with an equivalent aspect ratio of ~ (12+2). In the presence of vancomycin over a 33% increase in the sedimentation coefficient is observed with the appearance of additional higher s components, demonstrating an interaction,
an observation consistent with our circular dichroism measurements. The two possible causes of this increase in s â either a ligand induced dimerization and/or compaction of the monomer are considered
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