Surveillance of artemether-lumefantrine associated Plasmodium falciparum multidrug resistance protein-1 gene polymorphisms in Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Resistance to anti-malarials is a major public health problem worldwide. After deployment of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) there have been reports of reduced sensitivity to ACT by malaria parasites in South-East Asia. In Tanzania, artemether-lumefantrine (ALu) is the recommended first-line drug in treatment of uncomplicated malaria. This study surveyed the distribution of the Plasmodium falciparum multidrug resistance protein-1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with increased parasite tolerance to ALu, in Tanzania. METHODS: A total of 687 Plasmodium falciparum positive dried blood spots on filter paper and rapid diagnostic test strips collected by finger pricks from patients attending health facilities in six regions of Tanzania mainland between June 2010 and August 2011 were used. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique was used to detect Pfmdr1 SNPs N86Y, Y184F and D1246Y. RESULTS: There were variations in the distribution of Pfmdr1 polymorphisms among regions. Tanga region had exceptionally high prevalence of mutant alleles, while Mbeya had the highest prevalence of wild type alleles. The haplotype YFY was exclusively most prevalent in Tanga (29.6%) whereas the NYD haplotype was the most prevalent in all other regions. Excluding Tanga and Mbeya, four, most common Pfmdr1 haplotypes did not vary between the remaining four regions (χ² = 2.3, p = 0.512). The NFD haplotype was the second most prevalent haplotype in all regions, ranging from 17% - 26%. CONCLUSION: This is the first country-wide survey on Pfmdr1 mutations associated with ACT resistance. Distribution of individual Pfmdr1 mutations at codons 86, 184 and 1246 varies throughout Tanzanian regions. There is a general homogeneity in distribution of common Pfmdr1 haplotypes reflecting strict implementation of ALu policy in Tanzania with overall prevalence of NFD haplotype ranging from 17 to 26% among other haplotypes. With continuation of ALu as first-line drug this haplotype is expected to keep rising, thus there is need for continued pharmacovigilance studies to monitor any delayed parasite clearance by the drug

Avaliação da qualidade do compensado fenólico de Eucalyptus grandis.

This research’s main objective is to evaluate the quality of Eucalyptus grandis’ manufactured plywood for external use. In order to make comparisons, plywood of Pinus taeda and Araucária angustifolia were also manufactured, using phenol-formaldehyde resin with two formulations. The plywoods of Eucalyptus grandis showed higher specific gravity and lesser thickness reduction in comparison with the other two species. The results of shear bonding tests were statistically the same between all species. The values of MOR and MOE of Eucalyptus grandis were statistically the same in comparison with Araucaria angustifolia and higher than Pinus taeda. In relation to effects of different formulations of adhesive, no differences for all evaluated properties were verified excluding water soaking shear bonding test.Essa pesquisa foi desenvolvida com o objetivo de avaliar a qualidade do compensado de Eucalyptus grandis para uso exterior. Para efeitos de comparação, foram produzidos também painéis com lâminas de Pinus taeda e Araucaria angustifolia, utilizando a resina fenol-formaldeído com duas formulações distintas. Os painéis de Eucalyptus grandis apresentaram massa específica superior e menor redução na espessura em relação às demais espécies. Os resultados dos ensaios de resistência da linha de cola demonstraram não haver diferenças estatísticas entre as espécies. Tanto para o MOR, quanto para o MOE em flexão estática, os painéis de Eucalyptus grandis apresentaram resultados estatisticamente iguais a Araucaria angustifolia e superiores em relação a Pinus taeda. Em relação aos efeitos de diferentes formulações do adesivo, não foram constatadas diferenças estatisticamente significativas para as propriedades avaliadas, com exceção da resistência da linha de cola no teste úmido

EVALUATION OF QUALITY OF PHENOLIC PLYWOOD MANUFACTURED FROM Eucalyptus grandis

A intensidade de dorm\ueancia e o requerimento em frio do vimeiro (Salix x rubens Shrank) foram avaliados pelo m\ue9todo de estacas de gema isolada. As observa\ue7\uf5es foram realizadas em ramos coletados em Lages, SC, a intervalos regulares de 21 dias, de 29/03/2004 a 2/08/2004. A brota\ue7\ue3o de gemas dos segmentos basal, mediano e distal de ramos do ano foi avaliada na aus\ueancia ou ap\uf3s suplementa\ue7\ue3o de frio (500 ou de 1000 horas a 5 \ub1 3\ub0C). A brota\ue7\ue3o de gemas foi avaliada nos est\ue1dios: a) gemas inchadas; b) in\uedcio da abertura das gemas; c) broto alongado e; d) broto alongado com folha aberta. A intensidade de dorm\ueancia das gemas foi crescente da base para a ponta dos ramos e foi m\ue1xima em 10 de maio, para todas as regi\uf5es do ramo. O tratamento com 500 horas de frio foi efetivo em reduzir o tempo para a brota\ue7\ue3o, em todas as \ue9pocas e posi\ue7\uf5es das gemas no ramo. A avalia\ue7\ue3o at\ue9 o aparecimento de folhas abertas foi importante para identificar a real capacidade de brota\ue7\ue3o das gemas.The dormancy intensity and chilling requirement of willow (Salix x rubens Shrank) were investigated in excised single node shoots. Observations were made from branches collected in Lages, Santa Catarina State, Brazil, at 21 days interval from March, 29th to August 2and, 2004. Budburst of buds from bottom, middle, and top segments of branches under natural chilled or completed with artificially chill by 500, and 1000 hours at 5\ub13\ub0C was evaluated. The sprouted were evaluated at wetting bud, expose bud; steam larded and opened leaf station. The most intensive dormancy occurred on May 10th and it was improved from the basal to top part of the branches. The chill treatment with 500 hours at 5\ub13\ub0C was effective in reducing the time to budburst. The real ability of bud development can be assessed only if observations are carried out until appearance of opened leaves

On the Determinants of Social Capital in Greece Compared to Countries of the European Union

Social capital refers to the stock of social relations, based on norms and networks of cooperation and trust that spill over to the market and state to enhance collective action between actors and achieve improved social efficiency and economic growth. The aim of the present paper is to discuss the implications of contemporary literature and empirical findings on social capital for the growth prospects of Greece, compared to the member-states of the European Union. In order to examine the potential of social capital to enhance growth, we must look into the factors that determine the nature and context of trust, norms and networks that have emerged in our multinational, multiethnic and multicultural Europe.The contribution of this paper is to offer insight on the determinants of social capital in Greece, compared to the European Union (EU - former 15 member-states). For this purpose, we regress an index of individual group membership, derived from the European Community Household Panel (ECHP), on a set of individual as well as aggregate factors of social capital. Regression results provide evidence of the impact of both individual and institutional characteristics on group membership. Differences on the extent of group membership between countries might be indicative of the historical and cultural differences that have affected the evolution of social capital across Europe. Particularly in Greece, the relatively low level of group membership compared to the other EU countries might provide further evidence of its low levels of civicness. Historically, its weak civil society has been a result of a prior civic tradition of clientelism under arbitrary rule, the interference of special-interest groups and the lack of credibility and impartiality from the part of the state. And these factors might be responsible for the slow pace in reform and growth observed compared to the rest of the EU. Nevertheless, the findings on the determinants of social capital may direct us to possible means of rebuilding patterns of participatory and cooperative behavior, especially in countries with low levels of trust and civicness, such as Greece

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Comparison of computational algorithms for simulating an electrospray plume with a n-body approach

Abstract In order to better evaluate the trade-offs between different simulation options for an electrospray thruster plume, we have developed a multi-scale n-body code to compute the evolution of a single emitter electrospray plume in the pure ionic regime. The electrostatic force computations in the simulation are captured through the use of three different computational algorithms with various degrees of approximation. The results of the simulations for a simple test case are compared in terms of computational speed and accuracy. The test case utilizes a single operating point (323nA) for a stable meniscus solution for the ionic liquid EMI-BF4 firing in the positive pure ion mode. Complex species and probabilistic fragmentation processes are neglected. An overview is provided of the trade-off between accuracy and computational speed for the three algorithms in the context of simulating the electrostatic interactions between particles. For a large number of particles, the faster algorithms show a significant reduction in computational time while maintaining a high level of accuracy with a proper choice of tuning parameters

Multiscale modeling of electrospray ion emission

A multi-scale approach to electrospray ion source modeling has been developed. The evolution of a single-emitter electrospray plume in a pure ionic regime is simulated with a combination of electrohydrodynamic fluids and n-body particle modeling. Simulations are performed for the ionic liquid, EMI-BF4, firing in a positive pure-ion mode. The metastable nature of ion clusters is captured using an ion fragmentation model informed by molecular dynamics simulations and experimental data. Results are generated for three operating points (120, 324, and 440 nA) and are used to predict performance relevant properties, such as the divergence angle and the extractor surface impingement rate. Comparisons to experimental data recorded at similar operating points are provided. </jats:p