Development of a Robust Setup for the Study of Wetting Characteristics of Low Melting Point Metals

• Energy use is very inefficient • Approx. 60% rejected mostly in the form of waste heat • Low melting point metals are promising for applications in thermal energy management, conversion, and storag

Development of a Robust Setup for the Study of Wetting Characteristics of Low Melting Point Metals

• Energy use is very inefficient • Approx. 60% rejected mostly in the form of waste heat • Low melting point metals are promising for applications in thermal energy management, conversion, and storag

Acute febrile illness and influenza disease burden in a rural cohort dedicated to malaria in Senegal, 2012-2013

Background African populations are considered to be particularly vulnerable to fever illnesses, including malaria, and acute respiratory disease, owing to limited resources and overcrowding. However, the overall burden of influenza in this context is poorly defined and incidence data for African countries are scarce. We therefore studied the fever syndrome incidence and more specifically influenza incidence in a cohort of inhabitants of Dielmo and Ndiop in Sokone district, Senegal. Methods Daily febrile-illness data were prospectively obtained from January 2012 to December 2013 from the cohort of the villages of Dielmo and Ndiop, initially dedicated to the study of malaria. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from, and malaria diagnosis tests (thick blood smears) carried out on, every febrile individual during clinical visits; reverse transcriptase- polymerase chain reaction was used to identify influenza viruses in the samples. Binomial negative regression analysis was used to study the relationship between the monthly incidence rate and various covariates. Results In Dielmo and Ndiop, the incidence ofmalaria has decreased, but fever syndromes remain frequent. Among the 1036 inhabitants included in the cohort, a total of 1,129 episodes of fever were reported. Influenza was present all year round with peaks in October-December 2012 and August 2013. The fever, ILI and influenza incidence density rates differed significantly between age groups. At both sites, the adjusted incidence relative risks for fever syndromes and ILI were significantly higher in the [6-24 months) than other age groups: 7.3 (95% CI: [5.7-9.3]) and 16.1 (95% CI: [11.1-23.3]) respectively. The adjusted incidence relative risk for influenza was significantly higher for the [0-6 months) than other age groups: 9.9 (95% CI: [2.9-33.6]). At both sites, incidence density rates were lowest among adults > = 50 years. Conclusions In this rural setting in Senegal, influenza was most frequent among the youngest children. Preventive strategies targeting this population should be implemented

Knowledge and provision of misoprostol among pharmacy workers in Senegal: a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Making misoprostol widely available for management of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) and post abortion care (PAC) is essential for reducing maternal mortality. Private pharmacies (thereafter called "pharmacies") are integral in supplying medications to the general public in Senegal. In the case of misoprostol, pharmacies are also the main supplier to public providers and therefore have a key role in increasing its availability. This study seeks to understand knowledge and provision of misoprostol among pharmacy workers in Dakar, Senegal. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Dakar, Senegal. 110 pharmacy workers were interviewed face-to-face to collect information on their knowledge and practice relating to the provision of misoprostol. RESULTS: There are low levels of knowledge about misoprostol uses, registration status, treatment regimens and side effects among pharmacy workers, and corresponding low levels of training on its uses for reproductive health. Provision of misoprostol was low; of the 72% (n = 79) of pharmacy workers who had heard of the product, 35% (n = 27) reported selling it, though rarely for reproductive health indications. Almost half (49%, n = 25) of the respondents who did not sell misoprostol expressed willingness to do so. The main reasons pharmacy workers gave for not selling the product included stock outs (due to product unavailability from the supplier), perceived lack of demand and unwillingness to stock an abortifacient. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge and availability of misoprostol in pharmacies in Senegal is low, posing potential challenges for delivery of post-abortion care and obstetric care. Training is required to address low levels of knowledge of misoprostol registration and uses among pharmacy workers. Barriers that prevent pharmacy workers from stocking misoprostol, including weaknesses in the supply chain and stigmatisation of the product must be addressed. Low reported sales for reproductive health indications also suggest limited prescribing of the product by health providers. Further research is needed to explore the reasons for this barrier to misoprostol availability

Recent developments in high-temperature photonic crystals for energy conversion

After decades of intense studies focused on cryogenic and room temperature nanophotonics, scientific interest is also growing in high-temperature nanophotonics aimed at solid-state energy conversion. These latest extensive research efforts are spurred by a renewed interest in high temperature thermal-to-electrical energy conversion schemes including thermophotovoltaics (TPV), solar–thermophotovoltaics, solar–thermal, and solar–thermochemical energy conversion systems. This field is profiting tremendously from the outstanding degree of control over the thermal emission properties that can be achieved with nanoscale photonic materials. The key to obtaining high efficiency in this class of high temperature energy conversion is the spectral and angular matching of the radiation properties of an emitter to those of an absorber. Together with the achievements in the field of high-performance narrow bandgap photovoltaic cells, the ability to tailor the radiation properties of thermal emitters and absorbers using nanophotonics facilitates a route to achieving the impressive efficiencies predicted by theoretical studies. In this review, we will discuss the possibilities of emission tailoring by nanophotonics in the light of high temperature thermal-to-electrical energy conversion applications, and give a brief introduction to the field of TPV. We will show how a class of large area 2D metallic photonic crystals can be designed and employed to efficiently control and tailor the spectral and angular emission properties, paving the way towards new and highly efficient thermophotovoltaic systems and enabling other energy conversion schemes based on high-performance high-temperature nanoscale photonic materials.United States. Dept. of Energy (Solid-State Solar-Thermal Energy Conversion Center Grant DE-SC0001299)United States. Army Research Office (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies Contract DAAD-19-02-D0002)United States. Army Research Office (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies Contract W911NF-07-D000

Структурные изменения в системе гемостаза у больных меланомой кожи на ранней стадии ее развития

Мета дослідження – оцінка показників системи гемостазу у 27 хворих на меланому шкіри. Виявлено подовження активованого часткового тромбопластинового часу, подовження часткового тромбопластинового часу, подовження часу рекальцифікації, зниження рівня антитромбіну III, підвищення рівня розчинних фібрін-мономерних комплексів. Таким чином, мають місце серйозні структурні зміни системного гемостазу - гіпокоагуляція і гіперфібриноліз. Діагностика та корекція цих змін допоможе поліпшити клінічний перебіг і прогноз захворювання.A research aim is an estimation of indexes of the system of hemostasis at 27 patients by the melanoma of skin. Lengthening of the activated partial tromboplastin time, lengthening of partial tromboplastin time, lengthening of time of recalcification, decline of level of antithrombin of III, increase of level of soluble fibrinmonomers complexes is educed. Thus, the serious structural changes in the system of hemostasis - incoagulability and hyperfibrinolysis take place. Diagnostics and correction of these changes will help to improve a clinical flow and prognosis of disease

Development of a rapid serological assay for the diagnosis of strongyloidiasis using a novel diffraction-based biosensor technology.

BACKGROUND: Strongyloidiasis is a persistent human parasitic infection caused by the intestinal nematode, Strongyloides stercoralis. The parasite has a world-wide distribution, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions with poor sanitary conditions. Since individuals with strongyloidiasis are typically asymptomatic, the infection can persist for decades without detection. Problems arise when individuals with unrecognized S. stercoralis infection are immunosuppressed, which can lead to hyper-infection syndrome and disseminated disease with an associated high mortality if untreated. Therefore a rapid, sensitive and easy to use method of diagnosing Strongyloides infection may improve the clinical management of this disease. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: An immunological assay for diagnosing strongyloidiasis was developed on a novel diffraction-based optical bionsensor technology. The test employs a 31-kDa recombinant antigen called NIE derived from Strongyloides stercoralis L3-stage larvae. Assay performance was tested using retrospectively collected sera from patients with parasitologically confirmed strongyloidiasis and control sera from healthy individuals or those with other parasitoses including schistosomiasis, trichinosis, echinococcosis or amebiasis who were seronegative using the NIE ELISA assay. If we consider the control group as the true negative group, the assay readily differentiated S. stercoralis-infected patients from controls detecting 96.3% of the positive cases, and with no cross reactivity observed in the control group These results were in excellent agreement (κ = 0.98) with results obtained by an NIE-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A further 44 sera from patients with suspected S. stercoralis infection were analyzed and showed 91% agreement with the NIE ELISA. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: In summary, this test provides high sensitivity detection of serum IgG against the NIE Strongyloides antigen. The assay is easy to perform and provides results in less than 30 minutes, making this platform amenable to rapid near-patient screening with minimal technical expertise