The effect and control of malaria in pregnancy and lactating women in the Asia-Pacific region

Half of all pregnancies at risk of malaria worldwide occur in the Asia-Pacific region, where Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax co-exist. Despite substantial reductions in transmission, malaria remains an important cause of adverse health outcomes for mothers and offspring, including pre-eclampsia. Malaria transmission is heterogeneous, and infections are commonly subpatent and asymptomatic. High-grade antimalarial resistance poses a formidable challenge to malaria control in pregnancy in the region. Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy reduces infection risk in meso-endemic New Guinea, whereas screen-and-treat strategies will require more sensitive point-of-care tests to control malaria in pregnancy. In the first trimester, artemether-lumefantrine is approved, and safety data are accumulating for other artemisinin-based combinations. Safety of novel antimalarials to treat artemisinin-resistant P falciparum during pregnancy, and of 8-aminoquinolines during lactation, needs to be established. A more systematic approach to the prevention of malaria in pregnancy in the Asia-Pacific is required

KM3NeT broadcast optical data transport system

The optical data transport system of the KM3NeT neutrino telescope at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea will provide more than 6000 optical modules in the detector arrays with a point-to-point optical connection to the control stations onshore. The ARCA and ORCA detectors of KM3NeT are being installed at a depth of about 3500 m and 2500 m, respectively and their distance to the control stations is about 100 kilometers and 40 kilometers. In particular, the two detectors are optimised for the detection of cosmic neutrinos with energies above about 1 TeV (ARCA) and for the detection of atmospheric neutrinos with energies in the range 1 GeV-1 TeV (ORCA). The expected maximum data rate is 200 Mbps per optical module. The implemented optical data transport system matches the layouts of the networks of electro-optical cables and junction boxes in the deep sea. For efficient use of the fibres in the system the technology of Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing is applied. The performance of the optical system in terms of measured bit error rates, optical budget are presented. The next steps in the implementation of the system are also discussed

Fetal sex and risk of pregnancy-associated malaria in Plasmodium falciparum- endemic regions: a meta-analysis

In areas of moderate to intense Plasmodium falciparum transmission, malaria in pregnancy remains a significant cause of low birth weight, stillbirth, and severe anaemia. Previously, fetal sex has been identified to modify the risks of maternal asthma, pre-eclampsia, and gestational diabetes. One study demonstrated increased risk of placental malaria in women carrying a female fetus. We investigated the association between fetal sex and malaria in pregnancy in 11 pregnancy studies conducted in sub-Saharan African countries and Papua New Guinea through meta-analysis using log binomial regression fitted to a random-effects model. Malaria infection during pregnancy and delivery was assessed using light microscopy, polymerase chain reaction, and histology. Five studies were observational studies and six were randomised controlled trials. Studies varied in terms of gravidity, gestational age at antenatal enrolment and bed net use. Presence of a female fetus was associated with malaria infection at enrolment by light microscopy (risk ratio 1.14 [95% confidence interval 1.04, 1.24]; P = 0.003; n = 11,729). Fetal sex did not associate with malaria infection when other time points or diagnostic methods were used. There is limited evidence that fetal sex influences the risk of malaria infection in pregnancy

ENERGY-TRANSFER PROCESSES OBSERVED IN THE SCINTILLATION DECAY OF BAF2LA

The luminescence decay of BaF2 doped with lanthanum was studied. The decay shows contributions from cross-luminescence (CL) and self-trapped exciton (STE) luminescence. The STE luminescence is quenched in the doped crystals, and shows two non-exponential decay components. Models yielding good fits to the decay data are discussed, as well as the physical relevance of the fitting parameters found

THE SCINTILLATION INTENSITY AND DECAY FROM ND3+ 4F(2)5D AND 4F(3) EXCITED-STATES IN SEVERAL FLUORIDE-CRYSTALS

Nd3+-doped LaF3, LiYF4, CsY2F7, BaY2F8 and BaF2 crystals were investigated. For scintillator applications, the characteristics of the fast Nd3+ 4f(2)5d --> 4f(3) emission component is of interest. The effective 4f(2)5d --> 4f(3) scintillation decay time under gamma irradiation was found to vary from 5 to 42 ns, depending on the host tattice. Light yields were determined under x-ray excitation. The 4f(2)5d --> 4f(3) output from many samples was seriously affected by impurity absorptions. After correcting for these, an estimate was made of the maximum possible 4f(2)5d --> 4f(3) light yield to be expected in very pure Nd3+-doped crystals. In neither of the cases was a 4f(2)5d --> 4f(3) light yield of more than about 1000 photons per MeV of x-ray energy found. In addition to Nd3+ 4f(2)5d --> 4f(3) emission, Nd3+ 4f(3) --> 4f(3) and host emissions were also recorded at wavelengths shorter than 550 nm. A semiquantitative model is giuen for the Nd3+ 4f(2)5d --> 4f(3), 4f(3) --> 4f(3) and host emission intensities