Estimating the burden of malaria in Senegal : Bayesian zero-inflated binomial geostatistical modeling of the MIS 2008 data

The Research Center for Human Development in Dakar (CRDH) with the technical assistance of ICF Macro and the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) conducted in 2008/2009 the Senegal Malaria Indicator Survey (SMIS), the first nationally representative household survey collecting parasitological data and malaria-related indicators. In this paper, we present spatially explicit parasitaemia risk estimates and number of infected children below 5 years. Geostatistical Zero-Inflated Binomial models (ZIB) were developed to take into account the large number of zero-prevalence survey locations (70%) in the data. Bayesian variable selection methods were incorporated within a geostatistical framework in order to choose the best set of environmental and climatic covariates associated with the parasitaemia risk. Model validation confirmed that the ZIB model had a better predictive ability than the standard Binomial analogue. Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods were used for inference. Several insecticide treated nets (ITN) coverage indicators were calculated to assess the effectiveness of interventions. After adjusting for climatic and socio-economic factors, the presence of at least one ITN per every two household members and living in urban areas reduced the odds of parasitaemia by 86% and 81% respectively. Posterior estimates of the ORs related to the wealth index show a decreasing trend with the quintiles. Infection odds appear to be increasing with age. The population-adjusted prevalence ranges from 0.12% in Thille-Boubacar to 13.1% in Dabo. Tambacounda has the highest population-adjusted predicted prevalence (8.08%) whereas the region with the highest estimated number of infected children under the age of 5 years is Kolda (13940). The contemporary map and estimates of malaria burden identify the priority areas for future control interventions and provide baseline information for monitoring and evaluation. Zero-Inflated formulations are more appropriate in modeling sparse geostatistical survey data, expected to arise more frequently as malaria research is focused on eliminatio

Partition Functions, the Bekenstein Bound and Temperature Inversion in Anti-de Sitter Space and its Conformal Boundary

We reformulate the Bekenstein bound as the requirement of positivity of the Helmholtz free energy at the minimum value of the function L=E- S/(2\pi R), where R is some measure of the size of the system. The minimum of L occurs at the temperature T=1/(2\pi R). In the case of n-dimensional anti-de Sitter spacetime, the rather poorly defined size R acquires a precise definition in terms of the AdS radius l, with R=l/(n-2). We previously found that the Bekenstein bound holds for all known black holes in AdS. However, in this paper we show that the Bekenstein bound is not generally valid for free quantum fields in AdS, even if one includes the Casimir energy. Some other aspects of thermodynamics in anti-de Sitter spacetime are briefly touched upon.Comment: Latex, 32 page

Imaging features of rare mesenychmal liver tumours: beyond haemangiomas.

Tumours arising from mesenchymal tissue components such as vascular, fibrous and adipose tissue can manifest in the liver. Although histopathology is often necessary for definitive diagnosis, many of these lesions exhibit characteristic imaging features. The radiologist plays an important role in suggesting the diagnosis, which can direct appropriate immunohistochemical staining at histology. The aim of this review is to present clinical and imaging findings of a spectrum of mesenchymal liver tumours such as haemangioma, epithelioid haemangioendothelioma, lipoma, PEComa, angiosarcoma, inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour, solitary fibrous tumour, leiomyoma, leiomyosarcoma, Kaposi sarcoma, mesenchymal hamartoma, undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and hepatic metastases. Knowledge of the characteristic features of these tumours will aid in guiding the radiologic diagnosis and appropriate patient management

Fitness, motor competence and body composition are weakly associated with adolescent back pain

Study Design: Cross sectional Objectives: To assess the associations between adolescent back pain and fitness, motor competence and body composition. Background: Although deficits in physical fitness and motor control have been shown to relate to adult back pain, the evidence in adolescents is less clear. Methods and measures: In this cross-sectional study, 1608 Raine cohort adolescents (mean age, 14 years) answered questions on lifetime, month and chronic prevalence of back pain, and participated in a range of physical tests assessing aerobic capacity, muscle performance, flexibility, motor competence, and body composition. A history of diagnosed back pain in the adolescent was obtained from the primary caregiver. Results: After multivariate logistic regression analysis, increased likelihood of back pain in boys was associated with greater aerobic capacity, greater waist girth and both reduced and greater flexibility. Back pain in girls was associated with greater abdominal endurance, reduced kinaesthetic integration, and both reduced and greater back endurance. Lower likelihood of back pain was associated with greater bimanual dexterity in boys and greater lower extremity power in girls. Conclusion: Physical characteristics are commonly cited as important risk factors in back pain development. Although some factors were associated with adolescent back pain, and these differed between boys and girls, they made only a small contribution to logistic regression models for back pain. The results suggest future work should explore the interaction of multiple domains of risk factors (physical, lifestyle and psychosocial) and subgroups of adolescent back pain, for whom different risk factors may be important. Mark Perry, Leon Straker, Peter B O\u27Sullivan, Anne Smith and Beth Hands, \u27Fitness, Motor Competence, and Body Composition Are Weakly Associated With Adolescent Back Pain\u27, Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy, Vol. 39 (6), 2009, p. 439-449. ISSN: 0190-6011 DOI: 10.2519/jospt.2009.301

On Duality in the Born-Infeld Theory

The $SL(2,R)$ duality symmetric action for the Born-Infeld theory in terms of two potentials, coupled with non-trivial backgroud fields in four dimensions is established. This construction is carried out in detail by analysing the hamiltonian structure of the Born-Infeld theory. The equivalence with the usual Born-Infeld theory is shown.Comment: revtex, 4 page

Perioperative Quality Initiative (POQI) Consensus Statement on Perioperative Assessment of Right Ventricular Function

BACKGROUND: The right ventricle (RV) plays a central role in the maintenance of effective cardiac pump function. Despite overwhelming evidence that perioperative RV dysfunction (RVD) and failure (RVF) are associated with poor clinical outcomes, there are very few published recommendations or guidelines for comprehensive, evidence-based RV assessment on the risk of developing either during the perioperative period. MAIN TEXT: To address this gap, the Perioperative Quality Initiative-IX (POQI-IX) investigators group, comprised of clinical experts in anesthesiology, cardiovascular surgery, internal medicine, critical care medicine, and advanced practice nursing, has developed a consensus statement based on current literature, published society recommendations, and the clinical expertise of the group. Herein, the group provides recommendations and evidence-based tools related to perioperative RV assessment, functional screening, staging, and the clinical implications of each. These assessment tools are based on comprehensive patient evaluation consisting of physical examination, biomarker data, imaging, and hemodynamic assessment. CONCLUSION: This review presents a comprehensive tool for assessing perioperative RV function. We hope that this simple, intuitive tool can be applied to all phases of perioperative care and thereby improve patient outcomes

Accounting for Dilution of SARS-CoV-2 in Wastewater Samples Using Physico-Chemical Markers

Most sewer networks collect domestic wastewater and a variable proportion of extraneous water, such as rainwater, through surface runoff and industrial discharges. Accounting for wastewater dilution is essential to properly quantify wastewater particle loads, whether these are molecular fragments of SARS-CoV-2, or other substances of interest such as illicit drugs or microplastics. This paper presents a novel method for obtaining real-time estimates of wastewater dilution and total daily volume through wastewater treatment works, namely when flow data is not available or unreliable. The approach considers the levels of several physico-chemical markers (ammonia, electrical conductivity, and orthophosphate) in the wastewater against their dry-weather levels. Using high-resolution data from the national Wastewater Surveillance Programme of Wales, we illustrate how the method is robust to spikes in markers and can recover peaks in wastewater flow measurements that may have been capped by hydraulic relief valves. We show the method proves effective in normalising SARS-CoV-2 viral loads in wastewater samples and discuss other applications for this method, looking at wastewater surveillance as a vital tool to monitor both human and environmental health

Rotating Hairy Black Holes

We construct stationary black holes in SU(2) Einstein-Yang-Mills theory, which carry angular momentum and electric charge. Possessing non-trivial non-abelian magnetic fields outside their regular event horizon, they represent non-perturbative rotating hairy black holes.Comment: 13 pages, including 4 eps figures, LaTex forma