"Well, not me, but other women do not register because..."- Barriers to seeking antenatal care in the context of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV among Zimbabwean women: a mixed-methods study.

BACKGROUND: While barriers to uptake of antenatal care (ANC) among pregnant women have been explored, much less is known about how integrating prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programmes within ANC services affects uptake. We explored barriers to uptake of integrated ANC services in a poor Zimbabwean community. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among post-natal women at Mbare Clinic, Harare, between September 2010 and February 2011. Collected data included participant characteristics and ANC uptake. Logistic regression was conducted to determine factors associated with ANC registration. In-depth interviews were held with the first 21 survey participants who either did not register or registered after twenty-four weeks gestation to explore barriers. Interviews were analysed thematically. RESULTS: Two hundred and ninety-nine participants (mean age 26.1 years) were surveyed. They came from ultra-poor households, with mean household income of US$181. Only 229 (76.6$10-increase in household income 1.02 (95% confidence interval, CI, 1.0-1.04), as was education which interacted with having planned the pregnancy (OR for planned pregnancy with completed ordinary level education 3.27 (95%CI 1.55-6.70). Divorced women were less likely to register than married women, OR 0.20 (95%CI 0.07-0.58). In the qualitative study, barriers to either ANC or PMTCT services limited uptake of integrated services. Women understood the importance of integrated services for PMTCT purposes and theirs and the babies' health and appeared unable to admit to barriers which they deemed "stupid/irresponsible", namely fear of HIV testing and disrespectful treatment by nurses. They represented these commonly recurring barriers as challenges that "other women" faced. The major proffered personal barrier was unaffordability of user fees, which was sometimes compounded by unsupportive husbands who were the breadwinners. CONCLUSION: Women who delayed/did not register were aware of the importance of ANC and PMTCT but were either unable to afford or afraid to register. Addressing the identified challenges will not only be important for integrated PMTCT/ANC services but will also provide a model for dealing with challenges as countries scale up 'treat all' approaches

Performance of two handheld NIR spectrometers to quantify crude protein of composite animal forage and feedstuff

Two handheld near infrared (NIR) spectrometers were used to quantify crude protein (CP) content of mixed forage and feedstuff composed of Sweet Bran, distiller’s grains, corn silage, and corn stalk. First was a transportable spectrometer, which measured in the visible and NIR ranges (320–2500 nm) with a spectral interval of 1 nm (H1). Second was a smartphone spectrometer, which measured from 900–1700 nm with a spectral interval of 4 nm (H2). Spectral data of 147 forage and feed samples were collected by both handheld instruments and split into calibration (n= 120) and validation (n= 27) sets. For H1, only absorbances in the NIR region (780–2500 nm) were used in the multivariate analyses, while for H2, absorbances in the second and third overtone regions (940–1660 nm) were used. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS) regression models were developed using mean-centered data that had been preprocessed using standard normal variate (SNV) or Savitzky-Golay first derivative (SG1) or second derivative (SG2) algorithm. PCA models showed two major groups—one with Sweet Bran and distillers grains, and the other with corn silage and corn stalk. Using H1 spectra, the PLS regression model that best predicted CP followed SG1 preprocessing. This model had low root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP= 2.22%) and high ratio of prediction to deviation (RPD= 5.24). With H2 spectra, the model best predicting CP was based on SG2 preprocessing, returning RMSEP= 2.05% and RPD= 5.74. These values were not practically different than those of H1, indicating similar performance of the two devices despite having absorbance measurements only in the second and third overtone regions with H2. The result of this study showed that both handheld NIR instruments can accurately measure forage and feed CP during screening, quality, and process control applications

Manuscript title: Facilitators and barriers to cotrimoxazole prophylaxis among HIV exposed babies: a qualitative study from Harare, Zimbabwe.

BACKGROUND: Implementation of cotrimoxazole prophylaxis (CTX-p) among HIV-exposed infants (HEI) is poor in southern Africa. We conducted a study to investigate barriers to delivery of CTX-p to HEI in Zimbabwe at each step of the care cascade. Here we report findings of the qualitative component designed to investigate issues related to adherence conducted among women identified as HIV positive whose babies were started on CTX-p postnatally. Of note, Zimbabwe also provided nevirapine prophylaxis for HIV exposed babies, so the majority were giving nevirapine and CTX-p to their babies. METHODS: Between Feb-Dec 2011, the first 20 HIV infected mothers identified were invited for in-depth interview 4-5months postnatally. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, translated and analysed thematically. RESULTS: All women desired their baby's health above all else, and were determined to do all they could to ensure their wellbeing. They did not report problems remembering to give drugs. The baby's apparent good health was a huge motivator for continued adherence. However, most women reported that their husbands were less engaged in HIV care, refusing to be HIV tested and in some cases stealing drugs prescribed for their wives for themselves. In two instances the man stopped the woman from giving CTX-p to the baby either because of fear of side effects or not appreciating its importance. Stigma continues to be an important issue. Mothers reported being reluctant to disclose their HIV status to other people so found it difficult to collect prescription refills from the HIV clinic for fear of being seen by friends/relatives. Some women reported that it was hard to administer the drugs if there were people around at home. Other challenges faced were stock-outs of CTX-p at the clinic, which occurred three times in 2011. The baby would then go without CTX-p if the woman could not afford buying at a private pharmacy. CONCLUSIONS: The study highlights that adherence knowledge and desire alone is insufficient to overcome the familial and structural barriers to maintaining CTX-p. Improving adherence to CTX-p among HEI will require interventions to improve male involvement, reduce HIV stigma in communities and ensure adequate supply of drugs

Seasonality and buoyancy suppression of turbulence in the Bay of Bengal

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2019. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geophysical Research Letters, 46(8), (2019):4346-4355, doi:10.1029/2018GL081577.A yearlong record from moored current, temperature, conductivity, and four mixing meters (χpods) in the northernmost international waters of the Bay of Bengal quantifies upper‐ocean turbulent diffusivity of heat (Kt) and its response to the Indian monsoon. Data indicate (1) pronounced intermittency in turbulence at semidiurnal, diurnal, and near‐inertial timescales, (2) strong turbulence above 25‐m depth during the SW (summer) and NE (winter) monsoon relative to the transition periods (compare Kt > 10−4 m2/s to Kt  ∼ 10−5 m2/s, and (3) persistent suppression of turbulence (Kt < 10−5 m2/s) for 3 to 5 months in the latter half of the SW monsoon coincident with enhanced near‐surface stratification postarrival of low‐salinity water from the Brahmaputra‐Ganga‐Meghna delta and monsoonal precipitation. This suppression promotes maintenance of the low‐salinity surface waters within the interior of the bay preconditioning the upper northern Indian Ocean for the next year's monsoon.This work was supported by the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) Grants N00014‐14‐1‐0236 and N00014‐17‐1‐2472, and the Ocean Mixing and Monsoon program of the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences. The deployment of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution mooring and RW and JTF were supported by ONR Grant N00014‐13‐1‐0453. The deployment and recovery of the mooring were carried out by RV Sagar Nidhi and RV Sagar Kanya, respectively, with the help of the crew and science parties. Thanks to National Institute of Ocean Technology (India) for buoy support. The authors acknowledge invaluable discussions with Johannes Becherer, Deepak Cherian, and Sally Warner at CEOAS, OSU, and Dipanjan Chaudhuri, J Sree Lekha, and Debasis Sengupta at CAOS, IISc. The authors thank two anonymous reviewers for their detailed reviews, which have helped sharpen many aspects of this paper. Data can be accessed as described in section S2.2019-10-0

Genetic control of the operculum and capsule morphology of Eucalyptus globulus

The petaline operculum that covers the inner whorls until anthesis and the woody capsule that develops after fertilization are reproductive structures of eucalypts that protect the flower and seeds. Although they are distinct organs, they both develop from flower buds and this common ontogeny suggests shared genetic control. In Eucalyptus globulus their morphology is variable and we aimed to identify the quantitative trait loci (QTL) underlying this variation and determine whether there is common genetic control of these ecologically and taxonomically important reproductive structures.EEA Bella VistaFil: Hernández, Mariano Agustín. University of Tasmania. School of Natural Sciences; Australia.Fil: Hernández, Mariano Agustín. University of Tasmania. ARC Training Centre for Forest Value; Australia.Fil: Hernández, Mariano Agustín. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bella Vista; Argentina.Fil: Butler, Jakob B. University of Tasmania. School of Natural Sciences; Australia.Fil: Ammitzboll, Hans. University of Tasmania. School of Natural Sciences; Australia.Fil: Ammitzboll, Hans. University of Tasmania. ARC Training Centre for Forest Value; Australia.Fil: Weller, James L. University of Tasmania. School of Natural Sciences; Australia.Fil: Weller, James L. Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture; Australia.Fil: Vaillancourt, René E. University of Tasmania. School of Natural Sciences; Australia.Fil: Vaillancourt, René E. University of Tasmania. ARC Training Centre for Forest Value; Australia.Fil: Potts, Brad M. University of Tasmania. School of Natural Sciences; Australia.Fil: Potts, Brad M. University of Tasmania. ARC Training Centre for Forest Value; Australia

Bis(triphenyl­phospho­ranyl­idene)ammonium iodide

The title compound, C36H30NP2 +·I−, was obtained accidently from crystallization of a reaction mixture containing [(Ph3P)2N]OH and B(OH)3, which was contaminated with MeI. There are two independent [(Ph3P)2N]+ cations and two I− anions within the asymmetric unit. The central PNP angles are non-linear [137.6 (2) and 134.4 (2)°] and the phenyl substituents on P centres adopt different conformations within these two cations

The RadFxSat-2 Mission to Measure SEU Rates in FinFET Microelectronics

The RadFxSat-2 mission was launched January 17, 2021 with Virgin Orbit\u27s LauncherOne under the NASA ELaNa-20 initiative. RadFxSat-2 carries a radiation effects payload designed to investigate single event upsets (SEUs) in sub-65 nm commercial memories, including a FinFET-based memory. Sub-65 nm technologies have demonstrated enhanced sensitivity to low-energy protons, but current models have not considered low-energy protons as a source of SEUs. Missions utilizing the latest commercial technologies could experience a higher error rate than predicted. RadFxSat-2 was designed to assess SEU rates for FinFET SRAMs operated in low-Earth orbit (LEO), a proton-heavy environment. Details of the mission and data collected over the previous two years are presented. Results from RadFxSat-2 suggest that FinFET-based microelectronic technologies are suitable for high-performance, high-density storage in LEO

Blood profile holds clues to role of infection in a premonitory state for idiopathic parkinsonism and of gastrointestinal infection in established disease

The two-stage neuroinflammatory process, containment and progression, proposed to underlie neurodegeneration may predicate on systemic inflammation arising from the gastrointestinal tract. Helicobacter infection has been described as one switch in the pathogenic-circuitry of idiopathic parkinsonism (IP): eradication modifies disease progression and marked deterioration accompanies eradication-failure. Moreover, serum Helicobacter-antibody-profile predicts presence, severity and progression of IP. Slow gastrointestinal-transit precedes IP-diagnosis and becomes increasingly-apparent after, predisposing to small-intestinal bacterial-overgrowth (SIBO). Although IP is well-described as a systemic illness with a long prodrome, there has been no comprehensive overview of the blood profile. Here, it is examined in relation to Helicobacter status and lactulose-hydrogen-breath-testing for SIBO