Goal setting and knowledge generation through health policy and systems research in low- and middle-income countries

The importance of health policy and systems research (HPSR) and its role in aiding health system reforms has been increasingly recognized in recent years within the World Health Organization (WHO). An assessment of the 71 WHO Country Cooperation Strategies (CCS) that are publicly available and were published in English in 2012 was completed to determine the extent to which HPSR goals are incorporated at the global level. A review was then conducted using a Medline database search to determine the number of articles published by countries with HPSR goals. Sixty-six out of the 71 (93%) available CCS describe HPSR as an objective or strategy for achieving health system priorities. However, only 52 out of the 66 countries (79%) have any publications involving HPSR during their most recent CCS cycle. This suggests that although health systems strengthening through HPSR is increasingly emphasized by the WHO and country health ministries, actual HPSR progress may still be lacking. There is a need and an opportunity for the WHO and other global health agencies to focus on providing the necessary tools and building HPSR capacity in low- and middle-income countries

Temporal proteomic profiling reveals functional pathways in vaccinia virus-induced cell migration

IntroductionViral diseases have always been intricate and persistent issues throughout the world and there is a lack of holistic discoveries regarding the molecular dysregulations of virus-host interactions. The temporal proteomics strategy can identify various differentially expressed proteins and offer collaborated interaction networks under pathological conditions.MethodHerein, temporal proteomics at various hours post infection of Vero cells were launched to uncover molecular alternations during vaccinia virus (VACV)-induced cell migration. Different stages of infection were included to differentiate gene ontologies and critical pathways at specific time points of infection via bioinformatics.ResultsBioinformatic results showed functional and distinct ontologies and pathways at different stages of virus infection. The enrichment of interaction networks and pathways verified the significances of the regulation of actin cytoskeleton and lamellipodia during VACV-induced fast cell motility.DiscussionThe current results offer a systematic proteomic profiling of molecular dysregulations at different stages of VACV infection and potential biomedical targets for treating viral diseases

Expression of SET Protein in the Ovaries of Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Background. We previously found that expression of SET gene was up-regulated in polycystic ovaries by using microarray. It suggested that SET may be an attractive candidate regulator involved in the pathophysiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In this study, expression and cellular localization of SET protein were investigated in human polycystic and normal ovaries. Method. Ovarian tissues, six normal ovaries and six polycystic ovaries, were collected during transsexual operation and surgical treatment with the signed consent form. The cellular localization of SET protein was observed by immunohistochemistry. The expression levels of SET protein were analyzed by Western Blot. Result. SET protein was expressed predominantly in the theca cells and oocytes of human ovarian follicles in both PCOS ovarian tissues and normal ovarian tissues. The level of SET protein expression in polycystic ovaries was triple higher than that in normal ovaries (P<0.05). Conclusion. SET was overexpressed in polycystic ovaries more than that in normal ovaries. Combined with its localization in theca cells, SET may participate in regulating ovarian androgen biosynthesis and the pathophysiology of hyperandrogenism in PCOS

Retrospective evaluation of whole exome and genome mutation calls in 746 cancer samples

Funder: NCI U24CA211006Abstract: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) curated consensus somatic mutation calls using whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS), respectively. Here, as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium, which aggregated whole genome sequencing data from 2,658 cancers across 38 tumour types, we compare WES and WGS side-by-side from 746 TCGA samples, finding that ~80% of mutations overlap in covered exonic regions. We estimate that low variant allele fraction (VAF < 15%) and clonal heterogeneity contribute up to 68% of private WGS mutations and 71% of private WES mutations. We observe that ~30% of private WGS mutations trace to mutations identified by a single variant caller in WES consensus efforts. WGS captures both ~50% more variation in exonic regions and un-observed mutations in loci with variable GC-content. Together, our analysis highlights technological divergences between two reproducible somatic variant detection efforts

How to Design Your Project in the Online Crowdfunding Market? Evidence from Kickstarter

Raising money in the online crowdfunding market is an important way for start-up enterprises to start their entrepreneurial projects. However, how to help creators design their projects in this market is still an open and very realistic issue. In this study, we collect a unique dataset from Kickstarter (a leading crowdfunding platform in the U.S.) to examine the impacts of reward scheme related and unrelated factors on projects’ crowdfunding performance based on solid theories. We use a Heteroscedasticity-based instrument method to solve the endogeneity of backing price. We found that a project creator can raise more money in the crowdfunding market if he/she sets a bit higher maximum backing price; lists relative fewer reward tiers in their reward schemes; publishes well designed project homepage; and communicates with backers as much as possible during the project’s survival time. We also discuss the implications for project design in this market

Influence of Electrodes Configuration on Hydraulic Characteristics of Constructed Wetland–Microbial Fuel Cell Systems Using Graphite Rods and Plates as Electrodes

Constructed wetland–microbial fuel cell coupling systems (CW–MFCs) have received significant academic interest in the last decade mainly due to the promotion of MFCs in relation to pollutants’ degradation in CWs. Firstly, we investigated the effect of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and electrode configuration on the flow field characteristics of CW–MFCs using graphite rods and plates as electrodes, as well as the optimization of electrode configuration using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulation. The results showed that: (1) the apparent HRT was the most influential and decisive factor, with a contribution of over 90% for the average HRT of CW–MFCs; (2) anode spacing was the most influential factor for the hydraulic performance of CW–MFCs, with contributions of over 50% for water flow divergence and hydraulic efficiency (λ) and over 45% for effective volume ratio (e); (3) anode size was significant for e and λ, with a contribution of over 20%; (4) cathode position and cathode size had no statistically significant effect on the hydraulic performance of CW–MFCs. It was mainly through the blocking of water flows, flows around, compressing water flow channels and boundary layer separation that the MFC electrodes influenced the hydraulic characteristics of the flow field in CW–MFCs. Optimizing the flow field by optimizing the electrode configuration helped to facilitate electricity generation and pollutants’ removal in CW–MFCs. This study offers a scientific reference for improving the hydraulic performance of CW–MFCs, and it also provides a new research perspective for improving the wastewater treatment and electricity production performance of CW–MFCs

Spatial Distribution, Sources Apportionment and Health Risk of Metals in Topsoil in Beijing, China

In order to acquire the pollution feature and regularities of distribution of metals in the topsoil within the sixth ring road in Beijing, a total of 46 soil samples were collected, and the concentrations of twelve elements (Nickel, Ni, Lithium, Li, Vanadium, V, Cobalt, Co, Barium, Ba, Strontium, Sr, Chrome, Cr, Molybdenum, Mo, Copper, Cu, Cadmium, Cd, Zinc, Zn, Lead, Pb) were analyzed. Geostatistics and multivariate statistics were conducted to identify spatial distribution characteristics and sources. In addition, the health risk of the analyzed heavy metals to humans (adult) was evaluated by an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency health risk assessment model. The results indicate that these metals have notable variation in spatial scale. The concentration of Cr was high in the west and low in the east, while that of Mo was high in the north and low in the south. High concentrations of Cu, Cd, Zn, and Pb were found in the central part of the city. The average enrichment degree of Cd is 5.94, reaching the standard of significant enrichment. The accumulation of Cr, Mo, Cu, Cd, Zn, and Pb is influenced by anthropogenic activity, including vehicle exhaustion, coal burning, and industrial processes. Health risk assessment shows that both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks of selected heavy metals are within the safety standard and the rank of the carcinogenic risk of the four heavy metals is Cr &gt; Co &gt; Ni &gt; Cd

Actes des 16èmes Rencontres Jeunes Chercheurs en Sciences du Langage: Modèles et modélisation dans les sciences du langage

Pour citer cet ouvrage : Gao J., Guérin M., Allegranzi V., Rivière M., Sauwala L., Simon C., Viain M. & Xue L. (éds.). 2014. Actes des 16èmes Rencontres Jeunes Chercheurs en Sciences du Langage : Modèles et modélisation dans les sciences du langage. http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/RJC2013International audienceHow do we grasp the variety of reality without trying to establish a structure and formulate rules supposed to explain or describe the way it works? How do we understand a phenomenon without first trying to conceive its possible operations? Even if the use of an abstract framing is not always enough for comprehending a given linguistic phenomenon, psychological process or cognitive strategy, the construction and utilisation of models often appears necessary - just as it is necessary to question and revise existing models, in order to apprehend ever more finely grained phenomena. Because of the varied disciplines grouped under the heading "language sciences", the very word "model" is to be understood in different senses. For instance, the psycholinguist proposing a model to account for the psycho-cognitive process of the reader does not conceive the model in the same way as the semiotician speaking about the "model reader" (Eco, 1979). In the same way syntactic models have different functions in natural language processing and in descriptive linguistics. The many approaches of the varied disciplines lead to question regarding not only the notion of "model" but also the activity of modeling linguistic data, depending on descriptive, explanatory or predictive purposes. Thus, the various definitions of "model" are of interest, together with their application, their transdisciplinary potentialities and their possible transformations. The questions of the relevance and limits of these models are also of interest, as is the issue of the very notion of "model". According to the different approaches adopted by researchers, the model can be considered as a necessity, or an obstacle, as a sign of rigor or as a scientific bias. Is it a theoretical restraint into the empirical data must fit in with? Or is it an abstract construction required to understand the dynamics and functioning of a any given phenomenon or linguistic fact?Comment appréhender la diversité du réel sans chercher à la structurer et à formuler des règles supposées expliquer ou du moins décrire son fonctionnement ? Comment comprendre un phénomène sans d'abord en concevoir des fonctionnements possibles ? Même si le recours à une réalité idéale ne suffit pas toujours à la compréhension d'un phénomène langagier, d'un fonctionnement psychologique ou encore d'une stratégie cognitive, la construction et l'exploitation de modèles apparaît souvent nécessaire. Tout comme apparaît nécessaire la remise en cause et la révision de ces représentations, afin d'appréhender des réalités plus nuancés. La diversité des disciplines regroupées sous l'intitulé "sciences du langage" encourage à envisager le terme de "modèle" dans des acceptions bien différentes. Par exemple, un psycholinguiste proposant un modèle pour rendre compte de la réalité cognitivo-psychologique du lecteur ne voit pas la notion de modèle de la même manière qu'un sémioticien quand il parle de "lecteur modèle" (Eco, 1985). De même, les modèles syntaxiques n'ont pas la même fonction en traitement automatique des langues qu'en linguistique descriptive. La multiplicité des approches adoptées par les différentes disciplines engage à interroger non seulement la notion de modèle, mais aussi la modélisation des données langagières, que ce soit à des fins descriptives, explicatives ou prédictives. On peut donc s'intéresser aux différentes définitions du modèle, et se pencher sur leur mise en pratique, leur potentiel transdisciplinaire et leurs éventuelles transformations. On peut aussi s'interroger sur la pertinence et les limites de ces modèles, voire de la notion même de modèle. Selon les approches des chercheur-e-s, le modèle peut ainsi être perçu comme une nécessité ou comme un obstacle, comme un indice de rigueur ou comme un biais scientifique. S'agit-il d'un carcan théorique auquel les données empiriques doivent s'ajuster ? Ou s'agit-il d'une construction sans laquelle la dynamique et le fonctionnement d'une réalité seraient impossible à appréhender