Catastrophic health expenditure among industrial workers in a large-scale industry in Nepal, 2017: a cross-sectional study

Objectives The study aimed at estimating out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure, catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) and distress financing due to hospitalisation and outpatient care among industrial workers in Eastern Nepal. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study involving industrial workers employed in a large-scale industry in Eastern Nepal. Those who were hospitalised in the last 1 year or availed outpatient care within the last 30 days were administered a structured questionnaire to estimate the cost of illness. CHE was defined as expenditure more than 20% of annual household income. Distress financing was defined as borrowing money/loan or selling assets to cope with OOP expenditure on health. Results Of 1824 workers eligible for the study, 1405 (77%) were screened, of which 85 (6%) were hospitalised last year; 223 (16%) attended outpatient department last month. The median (IQR) OOP expenditure from hospitalisation and outpatient care was US$124 (71–282) and US$36 (19–61), respectively. Among those hospitalised, the prevalence of CHE and distress financing was found to be 13% and 42%, respectively, and due to outpatient care was 0.4% and 42%, respectively. Drugs and diagnostics account for a large share of direct costs in both public and private sectors. More than 80% sought hospitalisation and outpatient care in a private sector. Conclusion Industrial workers face significant financial risks due to ill health compared with the general population. Poor utilisation and higher cost of care in public health facilities warrant strengthening of public sector through increased government spending. The labour act 2014 of Nepal should be strictly adhered

Mesoscopic model for DNA G-quadruplex unfolding

[EN] Genomes contain rare guanine-rich sequences capable of assembling into four-stranded helical structures, termed G-quadruplexes, with potential roles in gene regulation and chromosome stability. Their mechanical unfolding has only been reported to date by all-atom simulations, which cannot dissect the major physical interactions responsible for their cohesion. Here, we propose a mesoscopic model to describe both the mechanical and thermal stability of DNA G-quadruplexes, where each nucleotide of the structure, as well as each central cation located at the inner channel, is mapped onto a single bead. In this framework we are able to simulate loading rates similar to the experimental ones, which are not reachable in simulations with atomistic resolution. In this regard, we present single-molecule force-induced unfolding experiments by a high-resolution optical tweezers on a DNA telomeric sequence capable of adopting a G-quadruplex conformation. Fitting the parameters of the model to the experiments we find a correct prediction of the rupture-force kinetics and a good agreement with previous near equilibrium measurements. Since G-quadruplex unfolding dynamics is halfway in complexity between secondary nucleic acids and tertiary protein structures, our model entails a nanoscale paradigm for non-equilibrium processes in the cell.Work supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), grant No. FIS2014-55867, co-financed by FEDER funds. We also thank the support of the Aragon Government and Fondo Social Europeo to FENOL group. Work in J.R.A.-G. laboratory was supported by a grant from MINECO, No. MAT2015-71806-R).Bergues-Pupo, A.; Gutiérrez, I.; Arias-Gonzalez, JR.; Falo, F.; Fiasconaro, A. (2017). Mesoscopic model for DNA G-quadruplex unfolding. Scientific Reports. 7:1-13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-10849-2S1137Arias-Gonzalez, J. R. Single-molecule portrait of DNA and RNA double helices. Integr. Biol. 6, 904 (2014).Burge, S., Parkinson, G. N., Hazel, P., Todd, A. K. & Neidle, S. Quadruplex DNA: sequence, topology and structure. Nucleic Acids Res. 34, 5402 (2006).Lam, E. Y., Beraldi, D., Tannahill, D. & Balasubramanian, S. G-quadruplex structures are stable and detectable in human genomic DNA. Nat. Commun. 4, 1796 (2013).Siddiqui-Jain, A., Grand, C. L., Bearss, D. J. & Hurley, L. H. Direct evidence for a G-quadruplex in a promoter region and its targeting with a small molecule to repress c-MYC transcription. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99, 11593 (2002).Endoh, T. & Sugimoto, N. Mechanical insights into ribosomal progression overcoming RNA G-quadruplex from periodical translation suppression in cells. Sci. Rep. 6, 1 (2016).Hänsel-Hertsch, R., Di Antonio, M. & Balasubramanian, S. DNA G-quadruplexes in the human genome: detection, functions and therapeutic potential. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 18, 279 (2017).de Messieres, M., Chang, J. C., Brawn-Cinani, B. & La Porta, A. Single-molecule study of G-quadruplex disruption using dynamic force spectroscopy. Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 058101 (2012).Koirala, D. et al. A single-molecule platform for investigation of interactions between G-quadruplexes and small-molecule ligands. Nat. Chem. 3, 782 (2011).Long, X. et al. Mechanical unfolding of human telomere G-quadruplex DNA probed by integrated fluorescence and magnetic tweezers spectroscopy. Nucleic Acids Res. 41, 2746 (2013).Ghimire, C. et al. Direct Quantification of Loop Interaction and pi-pi Stacking for G-Quadruplex Stability at the Submolecular Level. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 136, 15544 (2014).Garavís, M. et al. Mechanical Unfolding of Long Human Telomeric RNA (TERRA). Chem. Commun. 49, 6397 (2013).Fonseca Guerra, C., Zijlstra, H., Paragi, G. & Bickelhaupt, F. M. Telomere structure and stability: covalency in hydrogen bonds, not resonance assistance, causes cooperativity in guanine quartets. Chemistry-A European Journal 17, 12612 (2011).Yurenko, Y. P., Novotn, J., Sklen, V. & Marek, R. Exploring non-covalent interactions in guanine-and xanthine-based model DNA quadruplex structures: a comprehensive quantum chemical approach. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 16, 2072 (2014).Poudel, L. et al. Implication of the solvent effect, metal ions and topology in the electronic structure and hydrogen bonding of human telomeric G-quadruplex DNA. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 18, 21573 (2016).Li, M. H., Luo, Q., Xue, X. G. & Li, Z. S. Toward a full structural characterization of G-quadruplex DNA in aqueous solution: Molecular dynamics simulations of four G-quadruplex molecules. J. Mol. Struct-Theochem. 952, 96 (2010).Islam, B. et al. Conformational dynamics of the human propeller telomeric DNA quadruplex on a microsecond time scale. Nucleic Acids Res. 41, 2723 (2013).Stadlbauer, P., Krepl, M., Cheatham, T. E., Koca, J. & Sponer, J. Structural dynamics of possible late-stage intermediates in folding of quadruplex DNA studied by molecular simulations. Nucleic Acids Res. 41, 7128 (2013).Li, H., Cao, E. & Gisler, T. Force-induced unfolding of human telomeric G-quadruplex: a steered molecular dynamics simulation study. Biochem. Bioph. Res. Co. 379, 70 (2009).Yang, C., Jang, S. & Pak, Y. Multiple stepwise pattern for potential of mean force in unfolding the thrombin binding aptamer in complex with Sr2+. J. Chem. Phys. 135, 225104 (2011).Bergues-Pupo, A. E., Arias-Gonzalez, J. R., Morón, M. C., Fiasconaro, A. & Falo, F. Role of the central cations in the mechanical unfolding of DNA and RNA G-quadruplexes. Nucleic Acids Res. 43, 7638 (2015).Linak, M. C., Tourdot, R. & Dorfman, K. D. Moving beyond Watson-Crick models of coarse grained DNA dynamics. J. Chem Phys. 135, 205102 (2011).Rebi, M., Mocci, F., Laaksonen, A. & Ulin, J. Multiscale simulations of human telomeric G-quadruplex DNA. J. Phys. Chem. B 119, 105 (2014).Stadlbauer, P. et al. Coarse-Grained Simulations Complemented by Atomistic Molecular Dynamics Provide New Insights into Folding and Unfolding of Human Telomeric G-Quadruplexes. J. Chem. Theory Comput. 12, 6077 (2016).Parkinson, G. N., Lee, M. P. & Neidle, S. Crystal structure of parallel quadruplexes from human telomeric DNA. Nature 417, 876 (2002).Bhattacharya, D., Arachchilageand, G. M. & Basu, S. Metal Cations in G-Quadruplex Folding and Stability. Frontiers in Chemistry 4, 38 (2016).de Lorenzo, S., Ribezzi-Crivellari, M., Arias-Gonzalez, J. R., Smith, S. B. & Ritort, F. A Temperature-Jump Optical Trap for Single-Molecule Manipulation. Biophys. J. 108, 2854 (2015).Smith, S. B., Cui, Y. & Bustamante, C. Optical-trap force transducer that operates by direct measurement of light momentum. Methods Enzymol. 361, 134 (2003).Mergny, J. L., Phan, A. T. & Lacroix, L. Following G-quartet formation by UV-spectroscopy. FEBS letters 435, 74 (1998).Torrie, G. M. & Valleau, J. P. 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Enhanced thermoelectric performance of a chalcopyrite compound CuIn3Se5-xTex (x=0~0.5) through crystal structure engineering

In this work the chalcopyrite CuIn3Se5−xTex (x = 0~0.5) with space group through isoelectronic substitution of Te for Se have been prepared, and the crystal structure dilation has been observed with increasing Te content. This substitution allows the anion position displacement ∆u = 0.25-u to be zero at x ≈ 0.15. However, the material at x = 0.1 (∆u = 0.15 × 10−3), which is the critical Te content, presents the best thermoelectric (TE) performance with dimensionless figure of merit ZT = 0.4 at 930 K. As x value increases from 0.1, the quality factor B, which informs about how large a ZT can be expected for any given material, decreases, and the TE performance degrades gradually due to the reduction in nH and enhancement in κL. Combining with the ZTs from several chalcopyrite compounds, it is believable that the best thermoelectric performance can be achieved at a certain ∆u value (∆u ≠ 0) for a specific space group if their crystal structures can be engineered

The Single-Phase ProtoDUNE Technical Design Report

ProtoDUNE-SP is the single-phase DUNE Far Detector prototype that is under construction and will be operated at the CERN Neutrino Platform (NP) starting in 2018. ProtoDUNE-SP, a crucial part of the DUNE effort towards the construction of the first DUNE 10-kt fiducial mass far detector module (17 kt total LAr mass), is a significant experiment in its own right. With a total liquid argon (LAr) mass of 0.77 kt, it represents the largest monolithic single-phase LArTPC detector to be built to date. It's technical design is given in this report

The DUNE Far Detector Interim Design Report, Volume 3: Dual-Phase Module

The DUNE IDR describes the proposed physics program and technical designs of the DUNE far detector modules in preparation for the full TDR to be published in 2019. It is intended as an intermediate milestone on the path to a full TDR, justifying the technical choices that flow down from the high-level physics goals through requirements at all levels of the Project. These design choices will enable the DUNE experiment to make the ground-breaking discoveries that will help to answer fundamental physics questions. Volume 3 describes the dual-phase module's subsystems, the technical coordination required for its design, construction, installation, and integration, and its organizational structure

The DUNE Far Detector Interim Design Report, Volume 2: Single-Phase Module

The DUNE IDR describes the proposed physics program and technical designs of the DUNE far detector modules in preparation for the full TDR to be published in 2019. It is intended as an intermediate milestone on the path to a full TDR, justifying the technical choices that flow down from the high-level physics goals through requirements at all levels of the Project. These design choices will enable the DUNE experiment to make the ground-breaking discoveries that will help to answer fundamental physics questions. Volume 2 describes the single-phase module's subsystems, the technical coordination required for its design, construction, installation, and integration, and its organizational structure

The DUNE Far Detector Interim Design Report Volume 1: Physics, Technology and Strategies

The DUNE IDR describes the proposed physics program and technical designs of the DUNE Far Detector modules in preparation for the full TDR to be published in 2019. It is intended as an intermediate milestone on the path to a full TDR, justifying the technical choices that flow down from the high-level physics goals through requirements at all levels of the Project. These design choices will enable the DUNE experiment to make the ground-breaking discoveries that will help to answer fundamental physics questions. Volume 1 contains an executive summary that describes the general aims of this document. The remainder of this first volume provides a more detailed description of the DUNE physics program that drives the choice of detector technologies. It also includes concise outlines of two overarching systems that have not yet evolved to consortium structures: computing and calibration. Volumes 2 and 3 of this IDR describe, for the single-phase and dual-phase technologies, respectively, each detector module's subsystems, the technical coordination required for its design, construction, installation, and integration, and its organizational structure

The Single-Phase ProtoDUNE Technical Design Report

ProtoDUNE-SP is the single-phase DUNE Far Detector prototype that is under construction and will be operated at the CERN Neutrino Platform (NP) starting in 2018. ProtoDUNE-SP, a crucial part of the DUNE effort towards the construction of the first DUNE 10-kt fiducial mass far detector module (17 kt total LAr mass), is a significant experiment in its own right. With a total liquid argon (LAr) mass of 0.77 kt, it represents the largest monolithic single-phase LArTPC detector to be built to date. It's technical design is given in this report

The DUNE Far Detector Interim Design Report Volume 1: Physics, Technology and Strategies

The DUNE IDR describes the proposed physics program and technical designs of the DUNE Far Detector modules in preparation for the full TDR to be published in 2019. It is intended as an intermediate milestone on the path to a full TDR, justifying the technical choices that flow down from the high-level physics goals through requirements at all levels of the Project. These design choices will enable the DUNE experiment to make the ground-breaking discoveries that will help to answer fundamental physics questions. Volume 1 contains an executive summary that describes the general aims of this document. The remainder of this first volume provides a more detailed description of the DUNE physics program that drives the choice of detector technologies. It also includes concise outlines of two overarching systems that have not yet evolved to consortium structures: computing and calibration. Volumes 2 and 3 of this IDR describe, for the single-phase and dual-phase technologies, respectively, each detector module's subsystems, the technical coordination required for its design, construction, installation, and integration, and its organizational structure