A conceptual framework for integrated impact assessment of trypanosomiasis interventions

A framework for assessing the integrated impacts of trypanosomiasis interventions that resembles the structure of the DPSIR conceptual model (see EEA 2000) is developed in this study. This framework provides a way to make evident the pressures on the involved systems, define the target groups and levels of analysis, establish cause and effect relationships, organise information about the state of the systems, select appropriate methodologies for impact assessment, identify indicators, scaling up and scaling out the results, promote dynamic learning processes and evidence the potential responses of the society. The structure of this paper is as follows: The main concepts of impact assessment are initially introduced; and an integrated vision of the interaction between environmental, economic and social systems is presented. Then a set of key questions to be considered in the design of impact assessment studies are reviewed. Later, the basic elements of the impact analysis are shown in a logical sequence to present the conceptual framework for integrated impact assessment of trypanosomiasis interventions. Finally, the paper summarises the available methodologies for impact assessment on the different systems and provide some conclusions

Guidelines for assessing environmental and socio-economic impacts of tsetse and trypanosomiasis interventions

This report provides guidelines on methods and tools for conducting impact assessments of T&T (tsetse and trypanosomiasis) interventions on the environmental, social and economic systems and on approaches for the integrated impact assessment of the interventions. The purpose of these guidelines is help donors, development agencies, project implementers and other T&T eradication stakeholders to identify adequate options for assessing the impacts of T&T interventions based on their target level of analysis, available resources and constraints. These guidelines are therefore aimed at helping PATTEC (African Union 's Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign) project managers and their experts target their priorities in environmental and socio-economic impact assessments. This will allow them to address pertinent issues adequately for the benefit of all stakeholders and allocate their resources rationally

Switching of the Chiral Magnetic Domains in the Hybrid Molecular/Inorganic Multiferroic (ND4)2[FeCl5(D2O)]

(ND4)2[FeCl5(D2O)] represents a promising example of the hybrid molecular/inorganic approach to create materials with strong magneto-electric coupling. Neutron spherical polarimetry, which is directly sensitive to the absolute magnetic configuration and domain population, has been used in this work to unambiguously prove the multiferroicity of this material. We demonstrate that the application of an electric field upon cooling results in the stabilization of a single-cycloidal magnetic domain below 6.9 K, while poling in the opposite electric field direction produces the full population of the domain with opposite magnetic chirality. We prove the complete switchability of the magnetic domains at low temperature by the applied electric field, which constitutes a direct proof of the strong magnetoelectric coupling. Additionally, we refine the magnetic structure of the ordered ground state, deducing the underlying magnetic space group consistent with the direction of the ferroelectric polarization, and we provide evidence of a collinear amplitude-modulated state with magnetic moments along the a-axis in the temperature region between 6.9 and 7.2 K

P28 85. Análisis de la supervivencia a corto y medio plazo de la cirugía de aorta ascendente

ObjetivosEvaluar la mortalidad hospitalaria y la supervivencia a medio plazo de los pacientes sometidos a una cirugía de aorta ascendente y determinar cuáles son sus factores de riesgo.Material y métodosSe analizó de forma retrospectiva toda la población de pacientes sometidos a un procedimiento quirúrgico de aorta ascendente (sustitución con o sin cirugía valvular o de raíz asociada) entre enero de 2003 y diciembre de 2008. Se evaluó la mortalidad hospitalaria y la supervivencia absoluta en el seguimiento, y mediante análisis uni y multivariante se determinaron las correspondientes variables predictoras.ResultadosTrescientos sesenta y cinco pacientes fueron sometidos de forma consecutiva a algún procedimiento quirúrgico de la aorta ascendente. Edad media: 63,1 años (desviación estándar [DE] 13); n = 99 (27,1%) fueron mujeres; n = 58 (15,9%) habían sido sometidos a una cirugía previa. En 32 pacientes se sustituyó total o parcialmente el arco aórtico. EuroSCORE mediano de 11,72% (interquartile range [IQR]: 6,78-20,43). La mortalidad hospitalaria fue 7,7% (n = 28). Los predictores de mortalidad en análisis multivariante fueron: cirugía cardíaca previa (odds ratio [OR]: 3,18; p = 0,045), tabaquismo activo (OR: 5,7; p = 0,021), insuficiencia renal (OR: 3,03; p = 0,043), estado crítico preoperatorio (OR: 5,63; p = 0,005), edad (OR: 1,06; p = 0,018) y cirugía coronaria asociada (OR: 3,17; p = 0,35). La supervivencia a 1, 3 y 5 años fue 96, 94 y 92%. Sólo edad (hazard ratio [HR]: 1,08; p = 0,022) e hipertensión pulmonar grave (HR: 3,5; p = 0,026) fueron predictores independientes de mortalidad en el seguimiento.ConclusionesEn nuestra experiencia, la sustitución de la aorta ascendente demuestra una baja mortalidad hospitalaria y una adecuada supervivencia a medio plazo

Data archeology: in the pursuit of the longest sea temperature time-series on the North Spanish Coast.

Recent attempts to recover historical data show that, in general, measurements that are not incorporated into standardized databases are irretrievably lost within 10 years. However, some historical records are kept in the institutions, either due to the personal interest of some researchers, or because of good archiving practices maintained over time. The damages of paper records makes their retrieval more and more difficult, and the digitization and validation work is time and effort consuming. Nevertheless, the old data taken time ago are invaluable for climate studies that require the longest time series available in order to establish long-term cycles and trends, as well as to incorporate them into numerical models that allow predict the ocean behavior in relation to climate change. In the 1920s, the Santander Oceanographic Centre, (North coast of Spain), began a series of coastal measures that, with different time lapses, have been maintained over time to the present day. First repeated records of temperature at different depth levels, were made with inversion thermometers and have been kept in log books. A digitization and validation process has recently begun, which will allow the reconstruction of the longest sea temperature series in the area and their climatic characterization. At this time, the monthly measurements carried out from 1928-1964 in the area outside the Bay of Santander have been recovered. After their validation, it is expected that they will be incorporated into the NODC's institutional database for permanent storage and reusing in future studies

Long-range quantum discord in critical spin systems

We show that quantum correlations as quantified by quantum discord can characterize quantum phase transitions by exhibiting nontrivial long-range decay as a function of distance in spin systems. This is rather different from the behavior of pairwise entanglement, which is typically short-ranged even in critical systems. In particular, we find a clear change in the decay rate of quantum discord as the system crosses a quantum critical point. We illustrate this phenomenon for first-order, second-order, and infinite-order quantum phase transitions, indicating that pairwise quantum discord is an appealing quantum correlation function for condensed matter systems