Spatial analysis of malaria in Anhui province, China

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malaria has re-emerged in Anhui Province, China, and this province was the most seriously affected by malaria during 2005–2006. It is necessary to understand the spatial distribution of malaria cases and to identify highly endemic areas for future public health planning and resource allocation in Anhui Province.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The annual average incidence at the county level was calculated using malaria cases reported between 2000 and 2006 in Anhui Province. GIS-based spatial analyses were conducted to detect spatial distribution and clustering of malaria incidence at the county level.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The spatial distribution of malaria cases in Anhui Province from 2000 to 2006 was mapped at the county level to show crude incidence, excess hazard and spatial smoothed incidence. Spatial cluster analysis suggested 10 and 24 counties were at increased risk for malaria (<it>P </it>< 0.001) with the maximum spatial cluster sizes at < 50% and < 25% of the total population, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The application of GIS, together with spatial statistical techniques, provide a means to quantify explicit malaria risks and to further identify environmental factors responsible for the re-emerged malaria risks. Future public health planning and resource allocation in Anhui Province should be focused on the maximum spatial cluster region.</p

Study on the Stiffness Correction Method of Novel Antivibration Bearing for Urban Rail Transit Viaduct

A novel antivibration bearing is developed to reduce the train-induced vibrations for urban rail transit viaduct. It adopts four high-damping thick rubber blocks stacking slantingly to reduce the vibration and provide large lateral stiffness. But the existing stiffness calculation method of laminated rubber bearing aimed at horizontal seismic isolation is unsuitable for thick rubber bearing designed for vertical vibration reduction. First, the stiffness correction method has been proposed based on the characteristics of the novel bearing. Second, to validate the design method, mechanical property tests are performed on a specimen of the novel bearing with design frequency at 8 Hz and with 3500 kN bearing capacity. Third, damping effects of the novel bearing are investigated through impulse vibration tests on scaled models. Results show that the mechanical property of the novel bearing can satisfy the engineering demand, and the proposed method for calculating the stiffness agrees well with the test results. The overall insertion loss of the novel bearing is 13.49 dB which is 5.32 dB larger than that of steel bearing, showing that the novel bearing is very promising to be used in the field to mitigate train-induced vibrations

A Simplified Hollow-Core Photonic Crystal Fiber SERS Probe with a Fully Filled Photoreduction Silver Nanoprism

In this paper, a simplified hollow-core photonic crystal fiber surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) probe is presented. Silver nanoprisms are grown with a photoreduction method and account for the SERS, which have better electromagnetic enhancement than spherical silver nanoparticles at 785 nm. Due to the antiresonant reflecting guidance mechanism, the excited laser and SERS signal are effectively guided in such a fully filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber SERS probe and complicated selective filling with target sample is avoided. Rhodamine 6G molecules are used as probe molecules and the simplified hollow-core photonic crystal fiber SERS probe is test. Detection of low concentration Rhodamine 6G down to 10&minus;8 M is achieved with a short integration time of 300 ms

Complete mitochondrial genome of Scincella modesta (Squamata: Scincidae)

The first complete mitochondrial genome sequence was determined for an oviparous lizard, Scincella modesta (Scincella, Scincidae). The total length of the complete mitochondrial genome was 17,511 bp, encodes 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs, 2 rRNA genes, and 2 non-coding regions. The overall base composition of S. modesta is A: 31.9%, T: 27.2%, G: 14.5%, and C: 26.5%. Most of the S. modesta mitochondrial genes are encoded on the H-strand except for the ND6 gene and eight tRNA genes, which are encoded on the L-strand. Mrbayes and ML tree based on 13 protein-coding genes indicated that S. vandenburghi is the sister group of the S. modesta within the genus Scincella. The complete mitogenome sequence of S. modesta provided fundamental data for resolving phylogenetic and genetic problems related to genus Scincella

Advances in liposomes loaded with photoresponse materials for cancer therapy

Cancer treatment is presently a significant challenge in the medical domain, wherein the primary modalities of intervention include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. However, these therapeutic modalities carry side effects. Photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) have emerged as promising modalities for the treatment of tumors in recent years. Phototherapy is a therapeutic approach that involves the exposure of materials to specific wavelengths of light, which can subsequently be converted into either heat or Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) to effectively eradicate cancer cells. Due to the hydrophobicity and lack of targeting of many photoresponsive materials, the use of nano-carriers for their transportation has been extensively explored. Among these nanocarriers, liposomes have been identified as an effective drug delivery system due to their controllability and availability in the biomedical field. By binding photoresponsive materials to liposomes, it is possible to reduce the cytotoxicity of the material and regulate drug release and accumulation at the tumor site. This article provides a comprehensive review of the progress made in cancer therapy using photoresponsive materials loaded onto liposomes. Additionally, the article discusses the potential synergistic treatment through the combination of phototherapy with chemo/immuno/gene therapy using liposomes