Effect of nano-size on magnetostriction of BiFeO3 and exceptional magnetoelectric coupling properties of BiFeO3_P(VDF-TrFE) polymer composite films for magnetic field sensor application

The existence of magnetostriction in bulk BiFeO3 is still a matter of investigation and it is also an issue to investigate the magnetostriction effect in nano BiFeO3. Present work demonstrates the existence of magnetostrictive strain in superparamagnetic BiFeO3 nanoparticles at room temperature and the magnetoelectric coupling properties in composite form with P(VDFTrFE). Despite few reports on the magnetostriction effect in bulk BiFeO3 evidenced by the indirect method, the direct method (strain gauge) was employed in this work to examine the magnetostriction of superparamagnetic BiFeO3. In addition, a high magnetoelectric coupling coefficient was observed by the lock-in technique for optimized BiFeO3_P(VDF-TrFE) nanocomposite film. These nanocomposite films also exhibit room-temperature multiferroic properties. These results provide aspects of material with immense potential for practical applications in spintronics and magneto-electronics applications. We report a magnetoelectric sensor using superparamagnetic BiFeO3_P(VDF-TrFE) nanocomposite film for detection of ac magnetic field

Programmatic feasibility of dried blood spots for the virological follow-up of patients on antiretroviral treatment in Nord Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Background:As part of its policy to shift monitoring of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to primary health care (PHC) workers, the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) tested the feasibility of using dried blood spots (DBS) for viral load (VL) quantification and genotypic drug resistance testing in off-site high-throughput laboratories.Methods:DBS samples from adults on ART were collected in 13 decentralized PHC facilities in the Nord-Kivu province and shipped during program quarterly supervision to a reference laboratory 2000 km away, where VL was quantified with a commercial assay (m2000rt, Abbott). A second DBS was sent to a World Health Organization (WHO)-accredited laboratory for repeat VL quantification on a subset of samples with a generic assay (Biocentric) and genotypic drug resistance testing when VL >1000 copies per milliliter.Findings:Constraints arose because of an interruption in national laboratory funding rather than to technical or logistic problems. All samples were assessed by both VL assays to allow ART adjustment. Median DBS turnaround time was 37 days (interquartile range: 9-59). Assays performed unequally with DBS, impacting clinical decisions, quality assurance, and overall cost-effectiveness. Based on m2000rt or generic assay, 31.3% of patients were on virological failure (VF) and 14.8% presented resistance mutations versus 50.3% and 15.4%, respectively.Conclusion:This study confirms that current technologies involving DBS make virological monitoring of ART possible at PHC level, including in challenging environments, provided organizational issues are addressed. Adequate core funding of HIV laboratories and adapted choice of VL assays require urgent attention to control resistance to ART as coverage expands

Evaluation of midazolam-ketamine with dexmedetomidine and fentanyl for injectable anaesthesia in dogs

dexmedetomidine and fentanyl for injectable anaesthesia in dogs. Vet. arhiv 83, 509

Prosudba učinka midazolam-ketamina s deksmedetomidinom i fentanilom za injekcijsku anesteziju u pasa.

A prospective randomized blinded study was conducted on 12 clinically healthy adult dogs of both sexes (mean weight of 18.34 ± 0.78 kg) divided into three groups (n = 4). The animals received 0.4 mg/kg midazolam and 10 μg/kg dexmedetomidine (group A), 0.4 mg/kg midazolam and 20 μg/kg dexmedetomidine (group B) and 0.4 mg/kg midazolam + 20 μg/kg dexmedetomidine + 4 μg/kg fentanyl (group C) intramuscularly, using separate syringes. Ten minutes later Ketamine was administered intravenously in all the groups. A significantly (P<0.05) shorter weak time (onset of sedation) and down time (onset of recumbency) were recorded in animals in group C as compared to the animals of groups A and B. Muscle relaxation was excellent in group C. The pedal reflex was abolished up to 30 min in groups A and B and up to 60 min in group C. Intubation was only possible in groups B and C. The anaesthetic induction dose of ketamine was minimal in group C. Standing recovery time was shortest in the animals of group C. Respiratory rate (RR) decreased significantly (P<0.05) throughout the observation period, but rectal temperature (RT) decreased significantly (P<0.05) towards the end of the observation period in all the groups. Heart rate decreased significantly (P<0.05) in the animals of group B. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was maintained within the physiological range in all the groups. It was concluded that dexmedetomidine (10 μg/kg)-midazolam-ketamine can produce anaesthesia for about 20 min in dogs. Increasing the dose of dexmedetomidine did not enhance the duration of anaesthesia, but the further addition of fentanyl not only reduced the induction dose of ketamine but also increased the duration of anaesthesia up to 50 min. Dexmedetomidine-midazolam-fentanyl-ketamine can be used for prolonged duration of injectable anaesthesia in dogs.Poduzeto je prospektivno istraživanje na 12 slučajno odabranih klinički zdravih pasa i kuja (prosječne tjelesne mase 18,34 ± 0,78 kg) podijeljenih u tri skupine (n = 4). Životinjama skupine A bio je intramuskularno primijenjen midazolam u dozi od 0,4 mg/kg i deksmedetomidin u dozi od 10 μg/kg. Životinjama skupine B bio je i/m primijenjen midazolam u dozi od 0,4 mg/kg i deksmedetomidin 20 μg/kg, a životinje skupine C primile su i/m 0,4 mg/kg midazolama, 20 μg/kg deksmedetomidina i 4 μg/kg fentanila. Deset minuta nakon toga svim je životinjama intravenski bio ubrizgan ketamin. Značajno (P<0,05) kraće vrijeme smirivanja (nastup sedacije) i vrijeme lijeganja ustanovljeno je u životinja skupine C u usporedbi sa skupinama A i B. Opuštanje mišićja bilo je izvrsno u skupini C. Nožni refleks nestao je nakon 30 minuta u skupinama A i B, a nakon 60 minuta u skupini C. Intubacija je bila moguća samo u životinja skupine B i C. Doza ketamina potrebna za početak anestezije bila je najmanja u životinja skupine C. Vrijeme potrebno za ponovno ustajanje bilo je najkraće u životinja skupine C. Frekvencija disanja značajno se smanjila (P<0,05) u čitavom razdoblju promatranja, dok se rektalna temperatura u svih životinja značajno smanjila (P<0,05) na kraju razdoblja promatranja. Frekvencija bila znatno se smanjila (P<0,05) u životinja skupine B. Srednji arterijski tlak bio je u fiziološkim granicama u svih životinja. Može se zaključiti da kombinacija deksmedetomidin (10 μg/kg)-midazolam-ketamin može u pasa dovesti do anestezije za oko 20 minuta. Povećanje doze deksmedetomidina nije povećalo trajanje anestezije. Ipak, daljnja primjena fentanila ne samo da je smanjila početnu dozu ketamina već je povećala trajanje anestezije na 50 minuta. Deksmedetomidin-midazolam-fentanil-ketamin mogu se rabiti za produženo trajanje injekcijske anestezije u pasa

The idea of a new Zimbabwe post- Mugabe

Zimbabwe has gone through deep political, economic and social challenges for close to three decades. Once known as the shining light of Africa, Zimbabwe is now often known for dominating international headlines for the wrong reasons. In November 2017, the country experienced a radical change to the constitutional and political order, which brought an end to former President Robert Mugabe’s 37-year reign. Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was once Mugabe’s right-hand man, assumed leadership of both the country and the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union–Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF). He was reelected in the July 2018 harmonised elections, although under disputed circumstances. The removal of Robert Mugabe has provided the country an opportunity to break from the past, and hopes have been raised for the birth of a new Zimbabwe. This chapter explores some of the measures that the administration post-Mugabe should implement to set the country on a new path. Thus, the purpose of this chapter is not to argue for a particular political formation or political leaders to govern. Rather, its objective is to explore whether the idea of a new Zimbabwe is possible and what it would take to realise this objective. Before discussing the prospects for this desired state of affairs, it is important to examine the current situation, which is explored in the first part of the chapter. A brief overview of the fall of Mugabe and rise of Mnangagwa is then provided to show how a leader who commanded respect beyond the shores of our continent could exit in such an undignified manner. The core section is dedicated to a discussion of the prospects for a new Zimbabwe, and concluding remarks end the chapter

Population dynamics and genetic connectivity in recent chimpanzee history

Knowledge on the population history of endangered species is critical for conservation, but whole-genome data on chimpanzees (<Pan troglodytes) is geographically sparse. Here, we produced the first non-invasive geolocalized catalog of genomic diversity by capturing chromosome 21 from 828 non-invasive samples collected at 48 sampling sites across Africa. The four recognized subspecies show clear genetic differentiation correlating with known barriers, while previously undescribed genetic exchange suggests that these have been permeable on a local scale. We obtained a detailed reconstruction of population stratification and fine-scale patterns of isolation, migration, and connectivity, including a comprehensive picture of admixture with bonobos (Pan paniscus). Unlike humans, chimpanzees did not experience extended episodes of long-distance migrations, which might have limited cultural transmission. Finally, based on local rare variation, we implement a fine-grained geolocalization approach demonstrating improved precision in determining the origin of confiscated chimpanzees

Socializing One Health: an innovative strategy to investigate social and behavioral risks of emerging viral threats

In an effort to strengthen global capacity to prevent, detect, and control infectious diseases in animals and people, the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT) PREDICT project funded development of regional, national, and local One Health capacities for early disease detection, rapid response, disease control, and risk reduction. From the outset, the EPT approach was inclusive of social science research methods designed to understand the contexts and behaviors of communities living and working at human-animal-environment interfaces considered high-risk for virus emergence. Using qualitative and quantitative approaches, PREDICT behavioral research aimed to identify and assess a range of socio-cultural behaviors that could be influential in zoonotic disease emergence, amplification, and transmission. This broad approach to behavioral risk characterization enabled us to identify and characterize human activities that could be linked to the transmission dynamics of new and emerging viruses. This paper provides a discussion of implementation of a social science approach within a zoonotic surveillance framework. We conducted in-depth ethnographic interviews and focus groups to better understand the individual- and community-level knowledge, attitudes, and practices that potentially put participants at risk for zoonotic disease transmission from the animals they live and work with, across 6 interface domains. When we asked highly-exposed individuals (ie. bushmeat hunters, wildlife or guano farmers) about the risk they perceived in their occupational activities, most did not perceive it to be risky, whether because it was normalized by years (or generations) of doing such an activity, or due to lack of information about potential risks. Integrating the social sciences allows investigations of the specific human activities that are hypothesized to drive disease emergence, amplification, and transmission, in order to better substantiate behavioral disease drivers, along with the social dimensions of infection and transmission dynamics. Understanding these dynamics is critical to achieving health security--the protection from threats to health-- which requires investments in both collective and individual health security. Involving behavioral sciences into zoonotic disease surveillance allowed us to push toward fuller community integration and engagement and toward dialogue and implementation of recommendations for disease prevention and improved health security

Electrical properties of sodium beta-alumina ceramics synthesized by citrate sol-gel route using glycerine

Sodium beta-alumina is an efficient ion conducting solid electrolyte due to fast ionic conductivity arising from its favourable crystal structure. Other main requirements of a material to serve as solid electrolyte are fine grain structure, minimum porosity and good electrical properties at the operating temperature, which is usually about 300 °C. Mg-doped sodium beta-alumina powder was synthesized using citrate sol-gel route (wherein glycerine was used as a fuel) and calcined at different temperatures (950–1100 °C). The synthesized powders have β′′-alumina as a dominant phase and particle size in range 75–95 nm. The obtained powders were compacted by uniaxial pressing at 100 MPa and sintered at 1500 °C for 3–10 h. Maximal density of the sintered samples was 92% TD and the primary phase was β′′-alumina. The highest conductivity of 0.38 S/cm was measured at 300 °C and the lowest activation energy for conduction of 0.20 eV was obtained