41 research outputs found

    Heat Transfer Analysis of a Lamphouse from a Typical Color Photographic Printer

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    High-speed operatorless photographic printers require high illumination levels at the negative print gate from lamps with stable color temperatures. The lamps using in these applications give off a large amount of heat radiation that is harmful to photographic emulsions as well as printer components and must be removed. This report describes how a typical photographic printer lamphouse separates the visible energy from the infrared, delivers the visible energy to the negative to be printed, and removes the infrared energy from the housing. This report also develops a set of empirically derived equations, which analytically describe the cooling mechanisms. These equations are intended to be useful design tools in future printer lamphouse development

    Surface rupture of multiple crustal faults in the 2016 Mw 7.8 Kaikōura, New Zealand, earthquake

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    Multiple (>20 >20 ) crustal faults ruptured to the ground surface and seafloor in the 14 November 2016 M w Mw 7.8 Kaikōura earthquake, and many have been documented in detail, providing an opportunity to understand the factors controlling multifault ruptures, including the role of the subduction interface. We present a summary of the surface ruptures, as well as previous knowledge including paleoseismic data, and use these data and a 3D geological model to calculate cumulative geological moment magnitudes (M G w MwG ) and seismic moments for comparison with those from geophysical datasets. The earthquake ruptured faults with a wide range of orientations, sense of movement, slip rates, and recurrence intervals, and crossed a tectonic domain boundary, the Hope fault. The maximum net surface displacement was ∼12  m ∼12  m on the Kekerengu and the Papatea faults, and average displacements for the major faults were 0.7–1.5 m south of the Hope fault, and 5.5–6.4 m to the north. M G w MwG using two different methods are M G w MwG 7.7 +0.3 −0.2 7.7−0.2+0.3 and the seismic moment is 33%–67% of geophysical datasets. However, these are minimum values and a best estimate M G w MwG incorporating probable larger slip at depth, a 20 km seismogenic depth, and likely listric geometry is M G w MwG 7.8±0.2 7.8±0.2 , suggests ≤32% ≤32% of the moment may be attributed to slip on the subduction interface and/or a midcrustal detachment. Likely factors contributing to multifault rupture in the Kaikōura earthquake include (1) the presence of the subduction interface, (2) physical linkages between faults, (3) rupture of geologically immature faults in the south, and (4) inherited geological structure. The estimated recurrence interval for the Kaikōura earthquake is ≥5,000–10,000  yrs ≥5,000–10,000  yrs , and so it is a relatively rare event. Nevertheless, these findings support the need for continued advances in seismic hazard modeling to ensure that they incorporate multifault ruptures that cross tectonic domain boundaries

    The Severe Typhoid Fever in Africa Program: Study Design and Methodology to Assess Disease Severity, Host Immunity, and Carriage Associated With Invasive Salmonellosis

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    Background. Invasive salmonellosis is a common community-acquired bacteremia in persons residing in sub-Saharan Africa. However, there is a paucity of data on severe typhoid fever and its associated acute and chronic host immune response and carriage. The Severe Typhoid Fever in Africa (SETA) program, a multicountry surveillance study, aimed to address these research gaps and contribute to the control and prevention of invasive salmonellosis. Methods. A prospective healthcare facility-based surveillance with active screening of enteric fever and clinically suspected severe typhoid fever with complications was performed using a standardized protocol across the study sites in Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, and Nigeria. Defined inclusion criteria were used for screening of eligible patients for enrollment into the study. Enrolled patients with confirmed invasive salmonellosis by blood culture or patients with clinically suspected severe typhoid fever with perforation were eligible for clinical follow-up. Asymptomatic neighborhood controls and immediate household contacts of each case were enrolled as a comparison group to assess the level of Salmonella-specific antibodies and shedding patterns. Healthcare utilization surveys were performed to permit adjustment of incidence estimations. Postmortem questionnaires were conducted in medically underserved areas to assess death attributed to invasive Salmonella infections in selected sites. Results. Research data generated through SETA aimed to address scientific knowledge gaps concerning the severe typhoid fever and mortality, long-term host immune responses, and bacterial shedding and carriage associated with natural infection by invasive salmonellae. Conclusions. SETA supports public health policy on typhoid immunization strategy in Africa

    The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

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    INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

    Tracking the Euro—Pac Index

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    Effects of Probiotic (Bacillus subtilis DE111) Supplementation on Immune Function, Hormonal Status, and Physical Performance in Division I Baseball Players

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    We sought to determine the effects of probiotic supplementation (Bacillus subtilis DE111; 1 billion CFU∙d−1) on markers of immune and hormonal status in collegiate male athletes following 12 weeks of offseason training. Twenty-five Division I male baseball athletes (20.1 ± 1.5 years, 85.5 ± 10.5 kg, 184.7 ± 6.3 cm) participated in this double blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study. Participants were randomly assigned to a probiotic (PRO; n = 13) or placebo (PL; n = 12) group. Pre- and post-training, all athletes provided resting blood and saliva samples. Circulating concentrations of testosterone, cortisol, TNF-α, IL-10, and zonulin were examined in the blood, while salivary immunoglobulin A (SIgA) and SIgM were assayed as indicators of mucosal immunity. Separate analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) were performed on all measures collected post intervention. No differences in measures of body composition or physical performance were seen between groups. TNF-α concentrations were significantly (p = 0.024) lower in PRO compared to PL, while there were no significant group differences in any other biochemical markers examined. A main effect for time was observed (p < 0.05) for increased testosterone (p = 0.045), IL-10 (p = 0.048), SIgA rate (p = 0.031), and SIgM rate (p = 0.002) following offseason training. These data indicate that probiotic supplementation had no effect on body composition, performance, hormonal status, or gut permeability, while it may attenuate circulating TNF-α in athletes

    Gender differences in depressive symptom among Mexican adolescents

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    Existing research on gender differences in depressive symptoms among Mexican adolescents is limited to studies conducted in Mexico City. The purpose of this study was to continue the investigation of gender and depression among male and female adolescents living in Mexico. The results of the scores of two groups of adolescents that participated in the study indicated no significant gender differences on depression as measured by the Spanish version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). These findings contradicted all but one previous study of gender differences in adolescent depression -research which studied adolescents living in "developed" versus "developing" countries. Several alternative explanations, including how the effect of living in a rapidly developing country, such as Mexico, might be impacting gender and depression in Mexican adolescents, were explored. In addition, stress, acculturation, sex-typed personality characteristics, and suicidal ideation were discussed. Additional research into the relationship between gender and depression among adolescents living in Mexico was recommendedLa investigación existente sobre diferencias de género en síntomas depresivos entre adolescentes mexicanos está limitada a estudios realizados en la ciudad de México. El propósito de este estudio fué continuar la investigación sobre género y depresión entre hombres y mujeres adolescentes de otras partes de México. Los resultados de las puntuaciones de los dos grupos de adolescentes que participaron en el estudio indicaron la no existencia de diferencias significativas de género en depresión tal y como fue medida por la versión española del Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Estos hallazgos contradicen algún estudio previo sobre diferencias de género en depresión en adolescentes -investigaciones que estudiaron a adolescentes que vivían en países "desarrollados" versus "en vías de desarrollo". Se exploraron diversas explicaciones alternativas, incluyendo cómo el efecto de vivir en un país que se desarrolla rápidamente, tal como México, puede impactar en las variables de género y depresión en adolescentes mexicanos. Adicionalmente, se discuten variables tales como estrés, aculturación, características de personalidad basadas en el sexo e ideación suicida. Se recomienda investigación adicional acerca de la relación entre género y depresión entre adolescentes que viven en México

    Depresión y aculturación en mujeres americanas mexicanas y americanas europeas

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    El objetivo de este trabajo fue determinarla relación entre depresión y aculturación en mujeres méxico-americanas y mujeres europeo-americanas. Participaron 76 mujeres méxico-americanas y europeo-americanas de Kansas City. La depresión se midió con la escala Gestor of Epidemiological d Studies Depresión Sca/e y la aculturación fue determinada por el O/medo Acculuoration Inventory. Los resultados de dicho estudio estén de acuerdo con la investigación existente que indica que las puntuaciones en la aculturación para las euro-americanas fueron significativamente más altas que los resultados paca las méxico-americanas y que hubo puntuación significativamente más alta para las méxico-americanas de primera a tercera generación. Este estudio también está de acuerdo con los hallazgos que indican que las puntuaciones en depresión de las mujeres méxicoamericanas fueron mis altas que las de las mujeres euro-americanas. Las puntuaciones no estuvieron afectadas por las diferencias demográficas, como lo fueron las puntuaciones de la aculturación. Además, no hubo relación significativa entre la aculturación y la depresión
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