101 research outputs found
Performance Simulation of HF-VHF Mobile Radio Systems in a Tactical Vehicle
A simulation process evolved for evaluating the performance of HF-VHF multi-radio set configuration ina tactical command vehicle is discussed. Algorithms and performance models used in the simulation process arebriefly described. Simulation process is for a specific application in a defined area of deployment under knownoperating situations. Performance simulation also includes an interference simulation model corresponding to thesystem model so that a real world situation is analysed to the practicable extent. Wherever statistical data ormanufacturer's design data is not available, suitable default values are assumed for applicable, battlefield scenarioquoted in the literature. This simulation tool can be extended to many applications (with modification to RFpower of transmitters, receiver sensitivity, frequency separation, distance separation, channel spacing, frequencyrange, communication range, etc. of tactical vehicles operating in combinations of HF-VHF-UHF regions).Defence Science Journal, 2008, 58(6), pp.762-767, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.58.170
Time and causes of submergence of ancient temple structures off Mahabalipuram, East Coast of India
658-665As per traditional belief, some part of the ancient town of Mahabalipuram had been submerged just off the shore temple
and this story has been recorded by the several British travelers during the 18th – 19th century. During the underwater
exploration of Mahabalipuram area in 2017, three sites along with a large number of scattered dressed stones were found in
the intertidal zone. Calcareous material grown over these stone structures after their submergence in seawater was subjected
to radiocarbon (14C) dating to infer submergence time-periods of these structures. Submergence date for the site I is the late
14th century CE; whereas the submergence date from the site II comes ~ 1st century CE. According to the water-depths from
where the studied structural remains were excavated, and obtained 14C dates of submergence, it could be surmised that these
stone-structures off Mahabalipuram town were submerged in two phases. The submergence might have been induced by
natural events such as coastal cyclone activity or Tsunami that flushed off sand around these structures and raised the sealevels
locally over the coast
A qualitative study of minority ethnic women’s experiences of access to and engagement with perinatal mental health care
Background: Approximately one in five women will experience mental health difficulties in the perinatal period. However, for a large group of women, symptoms of adverse perinatal mental health remain undetected and untreated. This is even more so for women of ethnic minority background, who face a variety of barriers which prevents them from accessing appropriate perinatal mental health care. Aims: To explore minority ethnic women’s experiences of access to and engagement with perinatal mental health care. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 women who had been diagnosed with perinatal mental health difficulties and who were supported in the community by a specialist perinatal mental health service in South London, United Kingdom. Women who self-identified as being from a minority ethnic group were purposefully selected. Data were transcribed verbatim, uploaded into NVivo for management and analysis, which was conducted using reflective thematic analysis. Results: Three distinct overarching themes were identified, each with two or three subthemes: ‘Expectations and Experiences of Womanhood as an Ethnic Minority’ (Shame and Guilt in Motherhood; Women as Caregivers; Perceived to Be Strong and Often Dismissed), ‘Family and Community Influences’ (Blind Faith in the Medical Profession; Family and Community Beliefs about Mental Health and Care; Intergenerational Trauma and Family Dynamics) and ‘Cultural Understanding, Empowerment, and Validation’ (The Importance of Understanding Cultural Differences; The Power of Validation, Reassurance, and Support). Conclusion: Women of ethnic minority background identified barriers to accessing and engaging with perinatal mental health support on an individual, familial, community and societal level. Perinatal mental health services should be aware ethnic minority women might present with mental health difficulties in different ways and embrace principles of cultural humility and co-production to fully meet these women’s perinatal mental health needs
Experiences of Perinatal Mental Health Care among Minority Ethnic Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic in London: A Qualitative Study
(1) Background: Approximately one in five women will experience mental health difficulties in the perinatal period. Women from ethnic minority backgrounds face a variety of barriers that can prevent or delay access to appropriate perinatal mental health care. COVID-19 pandemic restrictions created additional obstacles for this group of women. This study aims to explore minority ethnic women’s experiences of perinatal mental health services during COVID-19 in London. (2) Methods: Eighteen women from ethnic minority backgrounds were interviewed, and data were subject to a thematic analysis. (3) Results: Three main themes were identified, each with two sub-themes: ‘Difficulties and Disruptions to Access’ (Access to Appointments; Pandemic Restrictions and Disruption), ‘Experiences of Remote Delivery’ (Preference for Face-to-Face Contact; Advantages of Remote Support); and ‘Psychosocial Experiences’ linked to COVID-19 (Heightened Anxiety; Social Isolation). (4) Conclusions: Women from ethnic minority backgrounds experienced disrupted perinatal mental health care and COVID-19 restrictions compounding their mental health difficulties. Services should take women’s circumstances into account and provide flexibility regarding remote delivery of care
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Video feedback for young babies and maternal perinatal mental illness: intervention adaptation, feasibility and acceptability
Aims/Background
We aimed to adapt, pilot and explore experiences of receiving and delivering the video feedback intervention for positive parenting (VIPP) for 2 to 6 month old babies, mothers experiencing moderate to severe perinatal mental health difficulties and perinatal mental health clinicians.
Design/Methods
The VIPP intervention was adapted to include developmentally appropriate activities and developmental psychoeducation for 2 to 6 month olds, alongside psychoeducation on emotion regulation, and then piloted in 14 mothers experiencing moderate to severe perinatal mental health difficulties (registration ISRCTN64237883). Observational and self-reported pre-post outcome data on parenting and parent-infant mental health was collected, and post-intervention qualitative interviews were conducted with participating mothers and clinicians.
Results
Consent (67%), intervention completion (79%) and follow-up rates (93%) were high. Effect sizes on pre-post outcome measures indicated large improvements in parenting confidence and perceptions of the parent-infant relationship, and a medium-size improvement in maternal sensitivity. In qualitative interviews, clinicians and mothers described how mothers’ initial anxieties about being filmed were allayed through receiving positive and strengths-focussed feedback, boosting their self-confidence, and that the video feedback facilitated identification of young babies’ subtle behavioural cues and moments of mother-infant connection. Streamlining the information provided on maternal emotion regulation, and allowing increased use of clinical judgement to tailor intervention delivery, were suggested to optimise intervention feasibility and acceptability.
Conclusion
It is feasible and acceptable to implement VIPP with very young babies and their mothers experiencing perinatal mental health difficulties. A fully powered randomised controlled trial is required to establish intervention efficacy
The timing of death in patients with tuberculosis who die during anti-tuberculosis treatment in Andhra Pradesh, South India
Background: India has 2.0 million estimated tuberculosis (TB) cases per annum with an estimated 280,000 TBrelated
deaths per year. Understanding when in the course of TB treatment patients die is important for
determining the type of intervention to be offered and crucially when this intervention should be given. The
objectives of the current study were to determine in a large cohort of TB patients in India:- i) treatment outcomes
including the number who died while on treatment, ii) the month of death and iii) characteristics associated with
“early” death, occurring in the initial 8 weeks of treatment.
Methods: This was a retrospective study in 16 selected Designated Microscopy Centres (DMCs) in Hyderabad,
Krishna and Adilabad districts of Andhra Pradesh, South India. A review was performed of treatment cards and
medical records of all TB patients (adults and children) registered and placed on standardized anti-tuberculosis
treatment from January 2005 to September 2009.
Results: There were 8,240 TB patients (5183 males) of whom 492 (6%) were known to have died during treatment.
Case-fatality was higher in those previously treated (12%) and lower in those with extra-pulmonary TB (2%). There
was an even distribution of deaths during anti-tuberculosis treatment, with 28% of all patients dying in the first 8
weeks of treatment. Increasing age and new as compared to recurrent TB disease were significantly associated
with “early death”.
Conclusion: In this large cohort of TB patients, deaths occurred with an even frequency throughout anti-TB
treatment. Reasons may relate to i) the treatment of the disease itself, raising concerns about drug adherence,
quality of anti-tuberculosis drugs or the presence of undetected drug resistance and ii) co-morbidities, such as HIV/
AIDS and diabetes mellitus, which are known to influence mortality. More research in this area from prospective
and retrospective studies is needed
Identification of the Feline Humoral Immune Response to Bartonella henselae Infection by Protein Microarray
Background: Bartonella henselae is the zoonotic agent of cat scratch disease and causes potentially fatal infections in immunocompromised patients. Understanding the complex interactions between the host’s immune system and bacterial pathogens is central to the field of infectious diseases and to the development of effective diagnostics and vaccines. Methodology: We report the development of a microarray comprised of proteins expressed from 96 % (1433/1493) of the predicted ORFs encoded by the genome of the zoonotic pathogen Bartonella henselae. The array was probed with a collection of 62 uninfected, 62 infected, and 8 ‘‘specific-pathogen free’ ’ naïve cat sera, to profile the antibody repertoire elicited during natural Bartonella henselae infection. Conclusions: We found that 7.3 % of the B. henselae proteins on the microarray were seroreactive and that seroreactivity was not evenly distributed between predicted protein function or subcellular localization. Membrane proteins were significantly most likely to be seroreactive, although only 23 % of the membrane proteins were reactive. Conversely, we found that proteins involved in amino acid transport and metabolism were significantly underrepresented and did not contain any seroreactive antigens. Of all seroreactive antigens, 52 were differentially reactive with sera from infected cats, and 53 were equally reactive with sera from infected and uninfected cats. Thirteen of the seroreactive antigens were found to be differentially seroreactive between B. henselae type I and type II. Based on these results, we developed a classifier algorith
High Throughput Selection of Effective Serodiagnostics for Trypanosoma cruzi infection
The diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection (the cause of human Chagas disease) is difficult because the symptoms of the infection are often absent or non-specific, and because the parasites themselves are usually below the level of detection in the infected subjects. Therefore, diagnosis generally depends on the measurement of T. cruzi–specific antibodies produced in response to the infection. However, current methods to detect anti–T. cruzi antibodies are relatively poor. In this study, we have conducted a broad screen of >400 T. cruzi proteins to identify those proteins which are best able to detect anti–T. cruzi antibodies. Using a set of proteins selected by this screen, we were able to detect 100% of >100 confirmed positive human cases of T. cruzi infection, as well as suspect cases that were negative using existing tests. This protein panel was also able to detect apparent changes in infection status following drug treatment of individuals with chronic T. cruzi infection. The results of this study should allow for significant improvements in the detection of T. cruzi infection and better screening methods to avoid blood transfusion–related transmission of the infection, and offer a crucial tool for determining the success or failure of drug treatment and other intervention strategies to limit the impact of Chagas disease
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