Solar wind and geomagnetism: toward a standard classification of geomagnetic activity from 1868 to 2009

We examined solar activity with a large series of geomagnetic data from 1868 to 2009. We have revisited the geomagnetic activity classification scheme of Legrand and Simon (1989) and improve their scheme by lowering the minimum Aa index value for shock and recurrent activity from 40 to 20 nT. This improved scheme allows us to clearly classify about 80% of the geomagnetic activity in this time period instead of only 60% for the previous Legrand and Simon classification

Le conseil post-test encourage-t-il les PVVIH &#224 partager leur statut s&#233rologique? Pratiques et suggestions des conseillers au Burkina Faso

Full Title:Le conseil post-test encourage-t-il les PVVIH à partager leur statut sérologique? Pratiques et suggestions des conseillers au Burkina Faso (Does post-test counseling support PLHIV in disclosing their HIV status? Practices and propositions by counselors in Burkina Faso)Le partage du rèsultat du test VIH est, selon les normes, abordé lors du counseling post-test. Cependant, alors que les obstacles au partage d’un résultat VIH positif sont attestés, la littérature reste peu abondante sur la maniére dont les directives sont appliquées sur le terrain. L’objectif de cet article est d’examiner les pratiques de conseil concernant le partage du résultat avec l’entourage rapportées par les clients et les prestataires du conseil et test VIH (CTV) au Burkina Faso. Une enquête transversale a été conduite en milieu urbain et en milieu rural en 2008. Un questionnaire intégrant des questions semi-ouvertes a été utilisé. Un nombre total de 542 personnes qui ont réalisé le test depuis 2007 et 111 prestataires de services de conseil et test VIH ont été interviewés. Les données ont été analysées sur SPSS 12. Seulement 29 % des personnes testées déclarent que le théme du partage du résultat avec l’entourage a été discuté avec elles lors du counseling post-test. Ce résultat s’explique par les incertitudes et les inquiétudes des prestataires sur la maniére de partager et sur les risques de conséquences défavorables du partage. Des stratégies sont développées par les prestataires pour soutenir les personnes dont la séropositivité a été dépistée à partager cette information avec l’entourage mais ils reconnaissent que ces actions sont insuffisantes. Les suggestions des prestataires pour améliorer la situation incluent la lutte contre la stigmatisation vis-à-vis des personnes vivant avec le VIH, le renforcement des compétences des prestataires et l’adoption de textes juridiques pour rendre obligatoire le partage du résultat avec le partenaire. En conclusion, l’étude a identifié plusieurs pistes pour améliorer les pratiques de conseil concernant le partage des résultats au Burkina Faso. Ces observations pourraient avoir une portée globale pour la région Afrique.Mots cle´: partage résultat VIH, rôle des prestataires, conseil post-test, MATCH, Burkina Fas

Landscape analysis – Assessing countries' readiness to scale up nutrition actions in the WHO African region

The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of the Landscape Analysis to assess strengths and weaknesses in combating malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Landscape Analysis is an inter-agency initiative to assess gaps and constraints and to identify opportunities for effective nutrition actions in order to accelerate intersectoral action for improving nutrition. In-depth Country Assessments to evaluate countries' "readiness" to scale up nutrition action have been conducted since 2008 in Sub-Saharan Africa. "Readiness" was assessed in terms of the  commitment and capacity of each country and the focus was high stunting burden countries. The main focus was countries with heavy burden of undernutrition. From 2008 to September 2011, a total of 14 countries had undertaken the Landscape Analysis Country Assessment. Nine of them were in Africa: Burkina Faso, Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, and South Africa. Three additionalcountries (Guinea, Namibia and Tanzania) were also planning to complete the Landscape Analysis Country Assessment in early 2012.From the findings in the nine countries, the following recommendations have beenmade:• Existing nutrition architectures and coordination mechanisms should bestrengthened and better utilized;• Nutrition needs to be mainstreamed and integrated in relevant sector policies;• Advocacy at high levels is needed to highlight the importance of the lifecourseperspective, focusing particularly on nutrition interventions frompreconception until the first two years of life;• National nutrition policies need to be translated into programmatic actions;• Human resource capacity for public health nutrition needs to be built with highquality in-service trainings in the short-term and long-term strategies toprovide pre-service trainings;• Community-based outreach should be strengthened by using existingchannels;• National nutrition surveillance systems need to be strengthened to ensure adequate use of data for monitoring, evaluation, and planning purposes.As part of the implementation of the 2010 World Health Assembly resolution on Infant and Young Child Nutrition (WHA 63.23) WHO has proposed a process to help countries in developing scale-up plans, which incorporates the Landscape Analysis Country Assessment as a tool to help countries in undertaking the initial context mapping. The countries that have already undertaken an in-depth Country Assessment, such as the Landscape Analysis Country Assessment, are ready to move forward in implementing the next steps in developing scaling-up plans to accelerateaction in nutrition. At the same time, WHO will support additional countries that have expressed interest in conducting the Country Assessment

Palatal Rugae as a Discriminating Factor in Determining Sex: A New Method Applicable in Forensic Odontology?

The purpose of this study is a new method that can help to identify the sex through the study of palatal rugae, comparing sagittal sections of the hard palate using Cartesian coordinates and evaluating the assistance given by digital technology and its applicability in this method. In this study, 57 digital impressions were examined and divided in two groups based on sex. Results: 2223 impression sections were studied and 145 coordinates that were present with a frequency greater than 50% in one or both groups were obtained: 52 discriminating traits (DT) in the male group, 29 discriminating traits in the female group, and 64 common traits (CT). The DTs in the female group showed no statistically significant difference from the same coordinates in the male one (p = 0.832). Statistically significant differences were observed in the DTs in the male group compared to the same coordinates in the female group (p = 0.018). No statistically significant differences were observed in the frequency of DTs in both sexes (p = 0.056). Further research in forensic odontology is needed to determine its scientific certainty. It is certain that digital technology may one day be a valuable support for the forensic odontologist but to date the lack of dedicated and certified programs limits its reliability

Death of a 23-year-old man from cardiac conduction system injury through a blunt chest impact after a car accident.

Cardiac contusion, usually caused by blunt chest trauma, has been recognized with increased frequency over the past decades. Traffic accidents are the most frequent causes of cardiac contusion resulting from a direct blow to the chest. Myocardial contusion is difficult to diagnose; the clinical presentation varies greatly, ranging from a lack of symptoms to cardiogenic shock and arrhythmia. Although death is rare, cardiac contusion can be fatal. The Authors report a case of death due to a cardiac conduction system injury from a blunt chest impact following a car accident. The autopsy showed no external signs of thoracic trauma, no evident rib or sternum fractures. A small subendocardial hemorrhage was found in the region of the atrioventricular node. Histological examination revealed an injury of the atrioventricular node and His' bundle. The cause of the death was attributed to the arrhythmia induced by contusion of the cardiac conduction system

Deliveries by caesarean sections on request of women: legal-medical evidence

Introduction: In Italy the use of caesarean delivery has a rising trend moving away from European standards appeared on Euro-Peristat on maternal and child health, presenting the highest percentage of use of this procedure with significant regional differences. This study have analyzed the most recent data of a Sicilian reality about normal delivery and caesarean sections carried out in a hospital situated in Messina (Italy). Materials and methods: A total number of 1,573 medical records from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2013 were analyzed and data gathered were statistically examined to describe general and specific parameters of the sample making use of Epi Info 7.1.4 software (CDC Atlanta – USA). Chi-square test was used to show any statistic differences among studied population. Results: Overall data showed that were carried out 38.27% of spontaneous deliveries, 7.06% of induced labor, and 54.67% of caesarean deliveries. There were no significant statistical differences between recourse to caesarean section and vaginal delivery in relation to nationality, age, level of education and/or work. The enrolled group, based on the parameters examined, was divided into appropriate caesarean section, in 79.49% of cases, inappropriate in 7.20% (mother’s request) and unjustified in 13.31% (with no indication, incomplete medical record). An examination of the anesthetic medical records showed that the caesarean section was considered to be urgent in 31.74% of the cases; however in 17.92% of these cases there is no information in the medical records justifying the use of emergency procedures. Conclusion: The reported data from the study that we conducted, lead to medical-legal and juridical considerations, especially as regards the use of caesarean delivery on the woman request. The complexity of the phenomenon requires the development of a variety of intervention strategies, not only for issues related to the reduction of health care costs, but also with regard to the clinical risk management and medical legal aspects related to the several profiles of professional responsibility

Toxicological Findings of Self-Poisoning Suicidal Deaths: A Systematic Review by Countries

The use of illicit and non-illicit substances is widespread in suicides. The toxicological data may help in understanding the mechanism of death. This systematic review aimed to analyze autopsies related to suicides by consuming poison, focusing on the correlation between substance use and the country of origin to create an alarm bell to indicate that suicide maybe attempted and prevent it. The systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines, with the primary objective of identifying autopsies conducted in cases of suicide by consuming poison in specific geographic areas. Significant differences in substances were observed between low-income and Western countries that confirm previous literature data. In rural areas and Asian countries, most suicides by consuming poison involve the use of pesticides, such as organophosphates and carbamates. In Western countries, illicit drugs and medically prescribed drugs are the leading cause of suicide by self-poisoning. Future research should shed light on the correlation between social, medical, and demographic characteristics and the autopsy findings in suicides by self-poisoning to highlight the risk factors and implement tailored prevention programs worldwide. Performing a complete autopsy on a suspected suicide by self-poisoning could be essential in supporting worldwide public health measures and policy makers. Therefore, complete autopsies in such cases must be vigorously promoted

Molecular tracking of Acidovorax citrulli: Unveiling pathogen dynamics and blotch disease outbreaks through specific markers

Acidovorax citrulli (Ac), a gram-negative bacterium, is the causal agent of bacterial fruit blotch (BFB), which poses a significant threat to cucurbit crop production worldwide. Understanding the genetic diversity of Ac is crucial for identifying sources of resistance and implementing effective disease management strategies. In this study, we conducted the first genetic characterization of Ac strains collected in Turkey using Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers. These markers were selected based on repetitive domains mapped on the complete reference genome sequence of Acidovorax citrulli strain NWB SC196. The identity of the Turkish strains was confirmed through molecular (PCR) and serological (Immunofluorescence test and ELISA) methods, while the selected ISSRs, which exhibited similarity to flanked regions in the pathogen's whole genome sequence, were employed to assess the genetic diversity among Ac strains. We compared the profiles of Turkish strains with those of a collection of Ac strains from various countries, including the US, to explore a possible common origin. Specifically, we considered the dissemination of these strains through rootstocks used for grafted seedling production (Cucurbita maxima ? Cucurbita moschata). The results demonstrated a shared genetic profile, suggesting a potential link between Ac strains collected in Turkey and foreign strains. The Mauve analysis, utilizing whole genome sequences of various Ac strains available in the NCBI database, displayed similar clustering patterns to those obtained using our selected molecular markers, confirming the discriminatory efficiency of our method. Based on the high discriminatory power of the selected markers, our proposed method offers a rapid and straightforward approach for genetic analysis of intraspecific variation and monitoring Ac gene flow across countries. The characterized strains and markers presented in this study serve as valuable resources and reference materials for further genetic investigations and tracking contamination sources associated with Ac

EuroGammaS gamma characterisation system for ELI-NP-GBS: The nuclear resonance scattering technique

A Gamma Beam Characterisation System has been designed by the EuroGammaS association for thecommissioning and development of the Extreme Light Infrastructure-Nuclear Physics Gamma Beam System(ELI-NP-GBS) to be installed in Magurele, Romania. The characterisation system consists of four elements: aCompton spectrometer, a sampling calorimeter, a nuclear resonant scattering spectrometer (NRSS) and a beamprofile imager. In this paper, the nuclear resonant scattering spectrometer system, designed to perform anabsolute energy calibration for the gamma beam, will be describe