Use of verbal autopsy and social autopsy in humanitarian crises

Data sharing statement Qualitative information is stored at a University of Aberdeen managed file-space. Data can be available upon prior permission from the University and the corresponding author can be contacted for further communication. Participants gave informed consent for data sharing. The research presented in this paper is supported by a programme grant as part of the Health Systems Research Initiative from the Department for International Development (DFID)/Medical Research Council (MRC)/Wellcome Trust/ Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) (MR/P014844/1).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Verbal Autopsy in Health Policy and Systems : A Literature Review

The research presented in this paper is funded by the Health Systems Research Initiative from the Department for International Development (DFID)/ Medical Research Council (MRC)/Wellcome Trust/Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) (MR/P014844/1).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The oral sensory organs in Bathochordaeus stygius (Tunicata Appendicularia) are unique in structure and homologous to the coronal organ

The article processing charge was funded by the Open Access Publication Fund of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.Background: Appendicularia consists of approximately 70 purely marine species that belong to Tunicata the probable sister taxon to Craniota. Therefore, Appendicularia plays a pivotal role for our understanding of chordate evolution. In addition, appendicularians are an important part of the epipelagic marine plankton. Nevertheless, little is known about appendicularian species, especially from deeper water. Results: Using µCT, scanning electron microscopy, and digital 3D-reconstruction techniques we describe three pairs of complex oral sensory organs in the mesopelagic appendicularian Bathochordaeus stygius. The oral sensory organs are situated at the anterior and lateral margin of the mouth and inside the mouth cavity. A single organ consists of 22–90 secondary receptor cells that project apical cilia through a narrow hole in the epidermis. The receptor cells are innervated by branches of the second brain nerve. Conclusions: Based on position, morphology, and innervation we suggest that the oral sensory organs are homologues of the coronal organs in other tunicates. We discuss the hypothesized homology of coronal organs and the lateral line system of primary aquatic vertebrates. The complex oral sensory organs of B. stygius are unique in tunicates and could be adaptations to the more muffled environment of the mesopelagic.Peer Reviewe

Fluorescence optical imaging for treatment monitoring in patients with early and active rheumatoid arthritis in a 1-year follow-up period

BACKGROUND: Fluorescence optical imaging (FOI) enables visualization of inflammation in the hands in rheumatic joint diseases with currently a lack of long-term follow-up studies. OBJECTIVE: To investigate FOI for treatment monitoring in a homogenous cohort of patients with early (disease duration  3.2) RA over a period of 12 months. METHODS: Thirty-five RA patients (24 (68.6%) females, mean age 53.3 years (SD 13.6)) were investigated clinically by DAS28, tender joint count (TJC) and swollen joint count (SJC) and by FOI in phases 1-3 and PrimaVistaMode (PVM) before therapy change and after 12 months. The FOI activity score (FOIAS) was calculated based on individual joint scores from 0 to 3 in 30 joints per patient, adding up to a sum score (0-90). RESULTS: We found a statistically significant reduction of FOIAS in phase 1 from baseline (median 5.0, IQR 24.96) to follow-up (median 1.0, IQR 4.0) in all patients (p = 0.0045), both in responders and non-responders according to EULAR response criteria by DAS28. Statistically significant reductions over 12 months were found for median DAS28(ESR) 5.61 to 3.31, TJC 7.0 to 1.0, and SJC 5.0 to 1.0 (each p <  0.001). No statistically significant correlations were detected between the FOIAS change in phase 1 and DAS28(ESR), TJC, or SJC. Correlations between the other phases and clinical outcomes were weak to moderate. CONCLUSION: Reduced early enhancement in FOI phase 1 can be observed in clinically responding and non-responding early RA patients under treatment. Regarding potential marker performance, FOI probably shows a reduction of inflammation more objectively

Mit autonomen Landmaschinen zu neuen Pflanzenbausystemen

Ziel des Projektes war es, Szenarien zu künftigen Pflanzenbausystemen auf Basis autonomer Landmaschinen zu entwickeln und Fragestellungen für künftige Gestaltung dieses Forschungsfeldes abzuleiten. Es wurde untersucht, wie derzeitige Entwicklungen in den Bereichen Automatisierung und Digitalisierung genutzt werden können, um heutige Pflanzenbausysteme weiterzuentwickeln und nachhaltiger zu gestalten. In einem ersten Schritt wurde hierfür ein Szenario mit autonomen Großmaschinen entwickelt und bewertet. Es zeigt sich, dass aus rechtlichen und technischen Gesichtspunkten mit Ausnahme der Ernte alle Verfahrensschritte autonom darstellbar sind. Allerdings ergaben sich sowohl ökonomisch als auch pflanzenbaulich keine wesentlichen Verbesserungen im Vergleich zu heutigen Verfahren. In einem zweiten Schritt wurde daher ein Szenario für die Weizenproduktion mit kleinen autonomen Landmaschinen konzipiert. Hierfür wurden die Anforderungen der Maschinen aus dem Pflanzenbau abgeleitet. Als wichtige Kennwerte wurden der Leistungsbedarf, das Gewicht oder die Flächenleistung der Maschinenkonzepte abgeleitet und ökonomisch bewertet. Hierfür wurden auf Basis der künftig zu erwartenden Herstellungskosten der Ma-schinen, der voraussichtlich verfügbaren Feldarbeitstage, die Anzahl erforderlicher Kleinmaschinen sowie deren Kosten abgeleitet. Es zeigte sich, dass die Arbeitserledigungskosten der Kleinmaschinen auf Niveau heutiger Kosten liegen können. Aus pflanzenbaulicher Sicht gilt es künftig zu untersuchen, welche Pflanzen wie auf dem Acker kombiniert werden sollten. Aus technischer und ökonomischer Sicht ist die optimale Maschinengröße einzelner Verfahren zu klären. Weiterhin sollte untersucht werden, ob ein modularer Aufbau der Kleinroboter realisiert werden kann, um einzelne Bauteile in verschiedenen Verfahren einsetzen zu können und die Maschinenkosten weiter zu senken

Field-Induced Tunneling Ionization and Terahertz-Driven Electron Dynamics in Liquid Water

Liquid water at ambient temperature displays ultrafast molecular motions and concomitant fluctuations of very strong electric fields originating from the dipolar H2O molecules. We show that such random intermolecular fields induce the tunnel ionization of water molecules, which becomes irreversible if an external terahertz (THz) pulse imposes an additional directed electric field on the liquid. Time-resolved nonlinear THz spectroscopy maps charge separation, transport, and localization of the released electrons on a few-picosecond time scale. The highly polarizable localized electrons modify the THz absorption spectrum and refractive index of water, a manifestation of a highly nonlinear response. Our results demonstrate how the interplay of local electric field fluctuations and external electric fields allows for steering charge dynamics and dielectric properties in aqueous systems. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society

Coccolithophore biodiversity controls carbonate export in the Southern Ocean

Southern Ocean waters are projected to undergo profound changes in their physical and chemical properties in the coming decades. Coccolithophore blooms in the Southern Ocean are thought to account for a major fraction of the global marine calcium carbonate (CaCO3) production and export to the deep sea. Therefore, changes in the composition and abundance of Southern Ocean coccolithophore populations are likely to alter the marine carbon cycle, with feedbacks to the rate of global climate change. However, the contribution of coccolithophores to CaCO3 export in the Southern Ocean is uncertain, particularly in the circumpolar subantarctic zone that represents about half of the areal extent of the Southern Ocean and where coccolithophores are most abundant. Here, we present measurements of annual CaCO3 flux and quantitatively partition them amongst coccolithophore species and heterotrophic calcifiers at two sites representative of a large portion of the subantarctic zone. We find that coccolithophores account for a major fraction of the annual CaCO3 export, with the highest contributions in waters with low algal biomass accumulations. Notably, our analysis reveals that although Emiliania huxleyi is an important vector for CaCO3 export to the deep sea, less abundant but larger species account for most of the annual coccolithophore CaCO3 flux. This observation contrasts with the generally accepted notion that high particulate inorganic carbon accumulations during the austral summer in the subantarctic Southern Ocean are mainly caused by E. huxleyi blooms. It appears likely that the climate-induced migration of oceanic fronts will initially result in the poleward expansion of large coccolithophore species increasing CaCO3 production. However, subantarctic coccolithophore populations will eventually diminish as acidification overwhelms those changes. Overall, our analysis emphasizes the need for species-centred studies to improve our ability to project future changes in phytoplankton communities and their influence on marine biogeochemical cycles.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio