Infant mortality rates and pneumococcal vaccines: a time-series trend analysis in 194 countries, 1950–2020

Pneumonia due to Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a major cause of mortality in infants (children under 1 year of age), and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs), delivered during the first year of life, are available since the year 2000. Given those two premises, the conclusion follows logically that favourable impact reported for PCVs in preventing pneumococcal disease should be reflected in the infant mortality rates (IMRs) from all causes. Using publicly available datasets, country-level IMR estimates from UNICEF and PCV introduction status from WHO, country-specific time series analysed the temporal relationship between annual IMRs and the introduction of PCVs, providing a unique context into the long-term secular trends of IMRs in countries that included and countries that did not include PCVs in their national immunisation programmes. PCV status was available for 194 countries during the period 1950–2020: 150 (77.3%) of these countries achieved nationwide PCV coverage at some point after the year 2000, 13 (6.7%) achieved only partial or temporary PCV coverage, and 31 (15.9%) never introduced PCVs to their population. One hundred and thirty-nine (92.7%) of countries that reported a decreasing (negative) trend in IMR, also reported a strong correlation with decreasing maternal mortality rates (MMRs), suggesting an improvement in overall child/ mother healthcare. Conversely, all but one of the countries that never introduced PCVs in their national immunisation programme also reported a decreasing trend in IMR that strongly correlates with MMRs. IMRs have been decreasing for decades all over the world, but this latest decrease may not be related to PCVs

Plasticity of histamine H3 receptor expression and binding in the vestibular nuclei after labyrinthectomy in rat

Background: In rat, deafferentation of one labyrinth (unilateral labyrinthectomy) results in a characteristic syndrome of ocular and motor postural disorders (e.g., barrel rotation, circling behavior, and spontaneous nystagmus). Behavioral recovery (e.g., diminished symptoms), encompassing 1 week after unilateral labyrinthectomy, has been termed vestibular compensation. Evidence suggesting that the histamine H3 receptor plays a key role in vestibular compensation comes from studies indicating that betahistine, a histamine-like drug that acts as both a partial histamine H1 receptor agonist and an H3 receptor antagonist, can accelerate the process of vestibular compensation. Results: Expression levels for histamine H3 receptor (total) as well as three isoforms which display variable lengths of the third intracellular loop of the receptor were analyzed using in situ hybridization on brain sections containing the rat medial vestibular nucleus after unilateral labyrinthectomy. We compared these expression levels to H3 receptor binding densities. Total H3 receptor mRNA levels (detected by oligo probe H3X) as well as mRNA levels of the three receptor isoforms studied (detected by oligo probes H3A, H3B, and H3C) showed a pattern of increase, which was bilaterally significant at 24 h post-lesion for both H3X and H3C, followed by significant bilateral decreases in medial vestibular nuclei occurring 48 h (H3X and H3B) and 1 week post-lesion (H3A, H3B, and H3C). Expression levels of H3B was an exception to the forementioned pattern with significant decreases already detected at 24 h post-lesion. Coinciding with the decreasing trends in H3 receptor mRNA levels was an observed increase in H3 receptor binding densities occurring in the ipsilateral medial vestibular nuclei 48 h post-lesion. Conclusion: Progressive recovery of the resting discharge of the deafferentated medial vestibular nuclei neurons results in functional restoration of the static postural and occulomotor deficits, usually occurring within a time frame of 48 hours in rats. Our data suggests that the H3 receptor may be an essential part of pre-synaptic mechanisms required for reestablishing resting activities 48 h after unilateral labyrinthectomy

ALTERNATIVE LEARNING SYSTEM (ALS) PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENT AND JOB PERFORMANCE OF IMPLEMENTERS

This study assessed the job performance of the district ALS implementers in relation to ALS program achievement in the Area V districts in Leyte Division for improved quality of life. Specifically, this research answered the following questions: (1) What is the profile of ALS implementers in terms of age, sex, experience, and relevant training?; (2) What is the level of the job performance of the district ALS implementers?; (3) What is the achievement level of the ALS program in terms of Basic Literacy and Accreditation and Equivalency Program?; (4) Is there a significant relationship between the implementers’ profile and their job performance?; and (5) Is there a significant relationship between the implementers’ job performance and ALS program achievement? The research hypotheses tested were: (1) There is a significant relationship between the implementers’ profile and their job performance; and (2) There is a significant relationship between implementers’ job performance and achievement of the ALS program. The findings revealed that the ALS implementers belonged to the 30 – 38 age bracket with more females than males. They have varying experiences and training attended. They performed their job very well. Literacy achievement is also satisfactory and substantially related to their job performance. Likewise, their profile, particularly sex, experience, and training were related to their job performance. It is concluded that the ALS program in Area V has been managed well by the implementers. The literacy programs are effective in attaining their teaching objectives. Job performance has a positive impact on literacy program achievement. It is recommended that a functional staff development program for ALS implementers be provided to make them more competent and productive. Strictly enforce the policies and programs to have a uniform and more accurate implementation. More incentives are given to all those involved in the ALS programs and projects for greater commitment from them.  Article visualizations

implementaci?n de una secuencia de ense?anza - aprendizaje (SEA) en teor?a de evoluci?n biol?gica: aproximaci?n a la transformaci?n de las concepciones de naturaleza de la ciencia de profesores en formaci?n

164 p. Recurso Electr?nicoEste proyecto deriva de una propuesta anterior del grupo de investigaci?n en did?ctica de las ciencias, articul?ndose al amplio recorrido que en investigaci?n en concepciones de naturaleza de las ciencias este posee. La intenci?n inicial fue constituir una SEA (Secuencia de Ense?anza - Aprendizaje) aplicable a un grupo base de investigaci?n en concepciones de naturaleza de la ciencia (en adelante NdC), caso particular la teor?a de evoluci?n, con profesores en formaci?n del programa de Licenciatura en ciencias naturales y educaci?n ambiental, que indagara por las concepciones epistemol?gicas, hist?ricas y sociol?gicas que estos poseen respecto a la teor?a de evoluci?n biol?gica. Acto seguido se implement? la secuencia propuesta y se registraron las sesiones realizadas, para finalmente mediante an?lisis de contenido, buscar la informaci?n que permita evidenciar alg?n tipo de transformaci?n en las concepciones de naturaleza de la ciencia, para as?, acercarnos al logro de los prop?sitos planteados por el movimiento internacional CTS, tanto en la alfabetizaci?n cient?fica como en la formaci?n de una mejor ciudadan?a. De modo que identificadas las dificultades o principios en conflicto, lo que algunos autores han llamado concepciones inadecuadas de epistemolog?a, historia y sociolog?a de las ciencias. (Aikenhead, 2003; Cardoso, Morales y V?zquez, 2009; Cutrera, 2003; Erazo, 2009; Guisasola, 2000; Hern?ndez, 2009; Hodson, 1996; Izquierdo, 2000; Lederman, 1992; V?zquez, Acevedo, Mannassero y Acevedo, 2006), se proceder? a confrontarlos con las concepciones aceptadas de naturaleza de las ciencias en lo que respecta actualmente para la teor?a de evoluci?n biol?gica, de acuerdo a su quehacer, prop?sito, contexto y productos, todo dentro de un contexto de constante renovaci?n, justificaci?n, argumentaci?n, di?logo y aplicaci?n de nuevas propuestas did?cticas.This project stems from an earlier proposal of the research group on science education, articulating the broad path that research on conceptions of nature of science, this has. The initial intention was to be a SEA (sequence Teaching Learning) applicable to a core group of research on conceptions of nature of science (hereinafter NDC), particular case the theory of evolution with teachers in training the Bachelor program in natural sciences and environmental education, which investigates by the epistemological, historical and sociological that they possess regarding the concepts of the theory of biological evolution conceptions. Then the proposed sequence was implemented and the sessions were recorded, and finally through content analysis, seeking information that will uncover some transformation in conceptions of nature of science, enabling closer to achieving the aims set by the international movement CTS agencies such as UNESCO and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) on the construction of a scientific culture, contribution to a democratic life and better citizenship. So the difficulties identified or conflicting principles, which some authors have called inadequate conceptions of philosophy, history and sociology of science. (Aikenhead, 2003; Cardoso, Morales and Vazquez, 2009; Cutrera, 2003; Erazo, 2009; Guisasola, 2000; Hernandez, 2009; Hodson, 1996; Izquierdo, 2000; Lederman, 1992; Vazquez, Acevedo, Mannassero and Acevedo, 2006 ), proceed to confront them with the accepted conceptions of nature of science in relation to current theory of biological evolution, according to their work, purpose, context and products. All within a context of constant renewal, justification, argumentation and application of new educational proposals. Keywords: Nature of Science (NDC), Theory of Evolution (TE), Epistemology, content analysis

Herd immunity in older adults from a middle-income country: A time-series trend analysis of community-acquired pneumonia mortality 2003–2017

Background and Aims: Community-acquired pneumonia is responsible for substantial mortality, and pneumococcus is commonly accepted as a major cause of pneumonia, regardless of laboratory confirmation. Child immunization programs have reported success in decreasing pneumonia mortality: directly in young children and indirectly (herd immunity) in unvaccinated adult populations in some countries. We assess changes in mortality trends for all-cause pneumonia in older adults associated with the introduction of pneumococcal vaccination for children in Peru. Methods: This is a secondary analysis on administrative data collected periodically by the Peruvian Ministry of Health. An observational retrospective time series analysis was conducted using longitudinal population-based data from death certificates in Peru between 2003 and 2017. The time series includes 6 years before and 9 years after the introduction of the pneumococcal-conjugated vaccines in the national child immunization program in 2009. Monthly frequencies and annual rates for all-cause pneumonia deaths in children under 5 years of age and adults over 65 years of age are presented. Linear and quadratic trends are analyzed. Results: Deaths among older adults accounted for 75.6% of all-cause pneumonia mortality in Peru, with 94.4% of these reporting “pneumonia due to unspecified organism” as the underlying cause of death. Comparing pre- and post-child immunization program periods, annual average mortality rates from unspecified pneumonia decreased by 22.7% in young children but increased by 19.6% in older adults. A linear trend model supports this overall tendency, but a quadratic curve explains the data better. Conclusion: Pneumococcal-conjugated vaccines are developed using serotypes prevalent in selected countries from less common (invasive) pneumococcal disease and expected to prevent mortality worldwide from widespread (noninvasive) pneumonia. Our results do not support the presence of herd immunity from pneumococcal vaccination of children for community-acquired pneumonia in the increasingly ageing population of Peru. This should direct future research and could influence public health policy.Revisión por pare

Time boundary terms and Dirac constraints

Time boundary terms usually added to action principles are systematically handled in the framework of Dirac's canonical analysis. The procedure begins with the introduction of the boundary term into the integral Hamiltonian action and then the resulting action is interpreted as a Lagrangian one to which Dirac's method is applied. Once the general theory is developed, the current procedure is implemented and illustrated in various examples which are originally endowed with different types of constraints.Comment: 12 page

Why Economists Should Support Populist Antitrust Goals

Antitrust policy can be a powerful tool to tackle important social and economic problems. For decades antitrust enforcement has been shackled by the so-called Consumer Welfare Standard (“CWS”) that has limited the goals considered to be “legitimate.” The CWS limits antitrust goals to those that impact demand in markets, and primarily in output markets. Recently, new voices have come forward to suggest that antitrust policy should address several other important social objectives. Such goals include the traditional antitrust goals that motivated passage of the antitrust statutes, and which were discussed in Pre-Rehnquist Court opinions, including dispersion of economic and political power, and protection of small business. Additionally, it has been suggested that antitrust law should contribute to alleviating inequality, protecting labor when mergers occur or in the presence of monopsony, protect macroeconomic growth and stability when financial entities merge, and possibly contribute to efforts to advance sustainability. While some argue that the CWS is flexible enough to support some or all of these objectives, we disagree. There are at least five reasons why the CWS is severely limited or defective, preventing it from being an appropriate standard for modern antitrust. First (Section III below), it is a “material welfare” approach derived from Alfred Marshall, meaning an approach that cannot incorporate important issues that affect welfare such as political democracy and sustainability. This is made clear in the writings of Marshall and Pigou, the originators of the theory imported into antitrust by Judge Bork. Second (Section IV), the CWS assumes that the marginal utility of money (or the marginal social welfare with respect to a change in anyone’s surplus) is constant and equal among individuals impacted by anticompetitive practices. As a consequence, the CWS treats as inconsequential transfers of income between groups resulting from alleged restraints or mergers. Third (Section V), CWS is biased in favor of the wealthy, despite Section IV’s findings that CWS is neutral with respect to marginal transfers. Fourth (Section VI), CWS uses an indefensible measure of efficiency. Fifth (Section VII), CWS ignores the input market when analyzing restraints in the output market.We suggest that there are three questions that must be addressed when considering an antitrust criterion. First: is there credible social science research showing that the policy goals embodied in the criterion result in material increases in human well-being (the basis of economic welfare)? Second: can competition policy substantially advance the criterion? Finally, does the criterion provide a method for dealing with tradeoffs between the goals it embodies, if such tradeoffs are present? The CWS is so seriously limited that it does not even allow consideration of the first requirement. A more general welfare approach certainly can address the first two questions and may hold promise for satisfying the third

The electrical double layer for a fully asymmetric electrolyte around a spherical colloid: an integral equation study

The hypernetted chain/mean spherical approximation (HNC/MSA) integral equation is obtained and solved numerically for a totally asymmetric primitive model electrolyte around a spherical macroparticle. The ensuing radial distribution functions show a very good agreement when compared to our Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations for spherical geometry and with respect to previous anisotropic reference HNC calculations in the planar limit. We report an analysis of the potential vs charge relationship, radial distribution functions, mean electrostatic potential and cumulative reduced charge for representative cases of 1:1 and 2:2 salts with a size asymmetry ratio of 2. Our results are collated with those of the Modified Gouy-Chapman (MGC) and unequal radius Modified Gouy-Chapman (URMGC) theories and with those of HNC/MSA in the restricted primitive model (RPM) to assess the importance of size asymmetry effects. One of the most striking characteristics found is that,\textit{contrary to the general belief}, away from the point of zero charge the properties of an asymmetric electrical double layer (EDL) are not those corresponding to a symmetric electrolyte with the size and charge of the counterion, i.e. \textit{counterions do not always dominate}. This behavior suggests the existence of a new phenomenology in the EDL that genuinely belongs to a more realistic size-asymmetric model where steric correlations are taken into account consistently. Such novel features can not be described by traditional mean field theories like MGC, URMGC or even by enhanced formalisms, like HNC/MSA, if they are based on the RPM.Comment: 29 pages, 13 figure

Quantum simulation of the Anderson Hamiltonian with an array of coupled nanoresonators: delocalization and thermalization effects

The possibility of using nanoelectromechanical systems as a simulation tool for quantum many-body effects is explored. It is demonstrated that an array of electrostatically coupled nanoresonators can effectively simulate the Bose-Hubbard model without interactions, corresponding in the single-phonon regime to the Anderson tight-binding model. Employing a density matrix formalism for the system coupled to a bosonic thermal bath, we study the interplay between disorder and thermalization, focusing on the delocalization process. It is found that the phonon population remains localized for a long time at low enough temperatures; with increasing temperatures the localization is rapidly lost due to thermal pumping of excitations into the array, producing in the equilibrium a fully thermalized system. Finally, we consider a possible experimental design to measure the phonon population in the array by means of a superconducting transmon qubit coupled to individual nanoresonators. We also consider the possibility of using the proposed quantum simulator for realizing continuous-time quantum walks.Comment: Replaced with new improved version. To appear in EPJ Q