On the Corner: Day Labor in the United States

This report profiles, for the first time, the national phenomenon of day labor in the United States. Men and women looking for employment in open-air markets by the side of the road, at busy intersections, in front of home improvement stores and in other public spaces are ubiquitous in cities across the nation. The circumstances that give rise to this labor market are complex and poorly understood. In this report, we analyze data from the National Day Labor Survey, the first systematic and scientific study of the day-labor sector and its workforce in the United States. This portrait of day labor in the United States is based on a national survey of 2,660 day laborers. These workers were randomly selected at 264 hiring sites in 139 municipalities in 20 states and the District of Columbia. The sheer number of these sites, combined with their presence in every region in the country, reflects the enormous breadth of this labor market niche. Findings reveal that the day-labor market is rife with violations of workers' rights. Day laborers are regularly denied payment for their work, many are subjected to demonstrably hazardous job sites, and most endure insults and abuses by employers. The growth of day-labor hiring sites combined with rising levels of workers' rights violations is a national trend that warrants attention from policy makers at all levels of government

Mechanisms of antibiotic action shape the fitness landscapes of resistance mutations

Antibiotic-resistant pathogens are a major public health threat. A deeper understanding of how an antibiotic’s mechanism of action influences the emergence of resistance would aid in the design of new drugs and help to preserve the effectiveness of existing ones. To this end, we developed a model that links bacterial population dynamics with antibiotic-target binding kinetics. Our approach allows us to derive mechanistic insights on drug activity from population-scale experimental data and to quantify the interplay between drug mechanism and resistance selection. We find that both bacteriostatic and bactericidal agents can be equally effective at suppressing the selection of resistant mutants, but that key determinants of resistance selection are the relationships between the number of drug-inactivated targets within a cell and the rates of cellular growth and death. We also show that heterogeneous drug-target binding within a population enables resistant bacteria to evolve fitness-improving secondary mutations even when drug doses remain above the resistant strain’s minimum inhibitory concentration. Our work suggests that antibiotic doses beyond this ‘‘secondary mutation selection window” could safeguard against the emergence of high-fitness resistant strains during treatment

Three Styles in the Study of Violence

This is a postprint (accepted manuscript) version of the article published in Reviews in Anthropology 37:1-19. The final version of the article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00938150701829525 (login required to access content). The version made available in Digital Common was supplied by the author.Accepted Manuscripttru

Impact of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine versus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine on the incidence of malaria in infancy: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Intermittent preventive treatment of malaria during pregnancy (IPTp) with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) significantly reduces the burden of malaria during pregnancy compared to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), the current standard of care, but its impact on the incidence of malaria during infancy is unknown. METHODS: We conducted a double-blind randomized trial to compare the incidence of malaria during infancy among infants born to HIV-uninfected pregnant women who were randomized to monthly IPTp with either DP or SP. Infants were followed for all their medical care in a dedicated study clinic, and routine assessments were conducted every 4 weeks. At all visits, infants with fever and a positive thick blood smear were diagnosed and treated for malaria. The primary outcome was malaria incidence during the first 12 months of life. All analyses were done by modified intention to treat. RESULTS: Of the 782 women enrolled, 687 were followed through delivery from December 9, 2016, to December 5, 2017, resulting in 678 live births: 339 born to mothers randomized to SP and 339 born to those randomized to DP. Of these, 581 infants (85.7%) were followed up to 12 months of age. Overall, the incidence of malaria was lower among infants born to mothers randomized to DP compared to SP, but the difference was not statistically significant (1.71 vs 1.98 episodes per person-year, incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.87, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.73-1.03, p = 0.11). Stratifying by infant sex, IPTp with DP was associated with a lower incidence of malaria among male infants (IRR 0.75, 95% CI 0.58-0.98, p = 0.03) but not female infants (IRR 0.99, 95% CI 0.79-1.24, p = 0.93). CONCLUSION: Despite the superiority of DP for IPTp, there was no evidence of a difference in malaria incidence during infancy in infants born to mothers who received DP compared to those born to mothers who received SP. Only male infants appeared to benefit from IPTp-DP suggesting that IPTp-DP may provide additional benefits beyond birth. Further research is needed to further explore the benefits of DP versus SP for IPTp on the health outcomes of infants. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02793622 . Registered on June 8, 2016

Growth Recovery Among HIV-infected Children Randomized to Lopinavir/Ritonavir or NNRTI-based Antiretroviral Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Diminished growth is highly prevalent among HIV-infected children and might be improved by antiretroviral therapy (ART). We examined growth recovery in a rural Ugandan cohort of HIV-infected children randomized to lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) or non nucleoside reverse transcription inhibitor-based ART. METHODS: HIV-infected children 2 months to 6 years of age were randomized to LPV/r- or non nucleoside reverse transcription inhibitor-based ART. Changes in weight-for-age (WAZ), height-for-age (HAZ) and weight-for-height Z-scores for 24 months were evaluated using generalized linear repeated measures models. Recovery from being underweight (WAZ<-2), stunted (HAZ<-2) and wasted (weight-for-height <-2) to Z-scores greater than -2 was also compared by arm using Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox proportional hazard modeling. RESULTS: A total of 129 children with median age of 3 years initiated therapy; 64 received LPV/r-based and 65 non nucleoside reverse transcription inhibitor-based ART (nevirapine: 36 and efavirenz: 29). The median (interquartile range) difference in growth measures between baseline and 24 months for LPV/r (n = 45) versus non nucleoside reverse transcription inhibitor-based therapy (n = 40) were as follows: WAZ, 0.47 (0.10, 1.62) versus 0.53 (0.03, 1.14) (P = 0.59) and HAZ, median 1.55 (0.78, 1.86) versus 1.19 (0.62, 1.65) (P = 0.23), respectively. ART regimen was not predictive of change in WAZ (β: -0.02, 95% confidence interval: -0.25, 0.20) or HAZ (β: 0.05, 95% confidence interval: -0.10, 0.19). The presence of confirmed virologic failure was not associated with growth. CONCLUSIONS: Most ART-naive children experienced recovery of both WAZ and HAZ over the 24 months after ART initiation, with no significant difference between those receiving LPV/r versus non nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-based ART. However, the persistence of median Z-scores below 0 underscores the need for additional strategies to improve growth outcomes in HIV+ African children

Day labor, informality and vulnerability in South Africa and the United States

The purpose of this paper is to compare conditions in informal day-labor markets in South Africa and the USA to better understand the nature of worker vulnerabilities in this market, as well as the economic conditions that have contributed to the growth of day labor. The conclusion considers interventions that are underway in the two countries to improve conditions in day-labor markets.– The paper is based on national surveys of day laborers in South Africa and the USA. A random sample of day laborers seeking work at informal hiring sites was undertaken in each country. The paper presents key findings, compares conditions in South Africa and the USA, and analyzes the relationship between economic change, labor-market dynamics, and worker vulnerability

Atomic Resonance and Scattering

Contains research objectives and summary of research on eight research projects.National Science Foundation (Grant PHY75-15421-A01)U. S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research (Grant AFOSR 76-2972)Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAB07-76-C-1400)U. S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research (Contract F44620-72-C-0057

Antiretroviral agents and prevention of malaria in HIV-infected Ugandan children.

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease inhibitors show activity against Plasmodium falciparum in vitro. We hypothesized that the incidence of malaria in HIV-infected children would be lower among children receiving lopinavir-ritonavir-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) than among those receiving nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based ART. METHODS: We conducted an open-label trial in which HIV-infected children 2 months to 5 years of age who were eligible for ART or were currently receiving NNRTI-based ART were randomly assigned to either lopinavir-ritonavir-based ART or NNRTI-based ART and were followed for 6 months to 2 years. Cases of uncomplicated malaria were treated with artemether-lumefantrine. The primary end point was the incidence of malaria. RESULTS: We enrolled 176 children, of whom 170 received the study regimen: 86 received NNRTI-based ART, and 84 lopinavir-ritonavir-based ART. The incidence of malaria was lower among children receiving the lopinavir-ritonavir-based regimen than among those receiving the NNRTI-based regimen (1.32 vs. 2.25 episodes per person-year; incidence-rate ratio, 0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.36 to 0.97; P=0.04), as was the risk of a recurrence of malaria after treatment with artemether-lumefantrine (28.1% vs. 54.2%; hazard ratio, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.22 to 0.76; P=0.004). The median lumefantrine level on day 7 after treatment for malaria was significantly higher in the lopinavir-ritonavir group than in the NNRTI group. In the lopinavir-ritonavir group, lumefantrine levels exceeding 300 ng per milliliter on day 7 were associated with a reduction of more than 85% in the 63-day risk of recurrent malaria. A greater number of serious adverse events occurred in the lopinavir-ritonavir group than in the NNRTI group (5.6% vs. 2.3%, P=0.16). Pruritus occurred significantly more frequently in the lopinavir-ritonavir group, and elevated alanine aminotransferase levels significantly more frequently in the NNRTI group. CONCLUSIONS: Lopinavir-ritonavir-based ART as compared with NNRTI-based ART reduced the incidence of malaria by 41%, with the lower incidence attributable largely to a significant reduction in the recurrence of malaria after treatment with artemether-lumefantrine. Lopinavir-ritonavir-based ART was accompanied by an increase in serious adverse events. (Funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00978068.)

Atomic Resonance and Scattering

Contains reports on eight research projects.National Science Foundation (Grant PHY77-09155)Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAG29-78-C-0020)U. S. Department of Energy (Grant EG-77-S-02-4370)National Science Foundation (Grant DMR 77-10084)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NSG-1551)U. S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research (Grant AFOSR-76-2972)National Science Foundation (Grant CHE76-81750

Infant sex modifies associations between placental malaria and risk of malaria in infancy.

BACKGROUND: Placental malaria (PM) has been associated with a higher risk of malaria during infancy. However, it is unclear whether this association is causal, and is modified by infant sex, and whether intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) can reduce infant malaria by preventing PM. METHODS: Data from a birth cohort of 656 infants born to HIV-uninfected mothers randomised to IPTp with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) or Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) was analysed. PM was categorized as no PM, active PM (presence of parasites), mild-moderate past PM (> 0-20% high powered fields [HPFs] with pigment), or severe past PM (> 20% HPFs with pigment). The association between PM and incidence of malaria in infants stratified by infant sex was examined. Causal mediation analysis was used to test whether IPTp can impact infant malaria incidence via preventing PM. RESULTS: There were 1088 malaria episodes diagnosed among infants during 596.6 person years of follow-up. Compared to infants born to mothers with no PM, the incidence of malaria was higher among infants born to mothers with active PM (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] 1.30, 95% CI 1.00-1.71, p = 0.05) and those born to mothers with severe past PM (aIRR 1.28, 95% CI 0.89-1.83, p = 0.18), but the differences were not statistically significant. However, when stratifying by infant sex, compared to no PM, severe past PM was associated a higher malaria incidence in male (aIRR 2.17, 95% CI 1.45-3.25, p < 0.001), but not female infants (aIRR 0.74, 95% CI 0.46-1.20, p = 0.22). There were no significant associations between active PM or mild-moderate past PM and malaria incidence in male or female infants. Male infants born to mothers given IPTp with DP had significantly less malaria in infancy than males born to mothers given SP, and 89.7% of this effect was mediated through prevention of PM. CONCLUSION: PM may have more severe consequences for male infants, and interventions which reduce PM could mitigate these sex-specific adverse outcomes. More research is needed to better understand this sex-bias between PM and infant malaria risk. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02793622. Registered 8 June 2016, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02793622