Special Values of Generalized Polylogarithms

We study values of generalized polylogarithms at various points and relationships among them. Polylogarithms of small weight at the points 1/2 and -1 are completely investigated. We formulate a conjecture about the structure of the linear space generated by values of generalized polylogarithms.Comment: 32 page

Water sources are associated with childhood diarrhoea prevalence in rural east-central Mali

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74635/1/j.1365-3156.2004.01200.x.pd

SUPPORT Tools for evidence-informed health Policymaking (STP) 5: Using research evidence to frame options to address a problem

This article is part of a series written for people responsible for making decisions about health policies and programmes and for those who support these decision makers

SUPPORT Tools for evidence-informed health Policymaking (STP) 9: Assessing the applicability of the findings of a systematic review

This article is part of a series written for people responsible for making decisions about health policies and programmes and for those who support these decision makers

Recoverable and Reusable Polymer Microbead-Supported Metal Nanocatalysts for Redox Chemical Transformations

Metal nanoparticles have been widely exploited in catalysis, but their full impact on the environment and human health is still under debate. Here we describe the one-step fabrication of recoverable and reusable polymer microbead-supported metal and metal oxide nanocatalysts for application in batch reactions and flow systems. Au, Ag, and Fe3O4 nanoparticles were prepared directly at the surface of commercial benzylamine-coated spherical polymer beads in water by using low-energy microwave radiation for 5 min. The functionalization of microbead surface with betalamic acid, an antioxidant from plant origin, before irradiation changes the morphology and catalytic properties of the grafted nanoparticles. No leaching of the active phase was observed during the application of these effective and ready-to-use nanocatalysts on the reduction of 4-nitrophenol and oxidation of dihydrorhodamine 123. The supported nanocatalysts were recovered by filtration and/or magnetic separation and reused up to three times without significant drop in catalytic performance. These results can stimulate the controlled and facile synthesis of recoverable microbead-supported magnetic and nonmagnetic nanocatalysts that can be applied under myriad reaction conditions and reused multiple times.Peer reviewe

Sources of Community Health Worker Motivation: A Qualitative Study in Morogoro Region, Tanzania.

There is a renewed interest in community health workers (CHWs) in Tanzania, but also a concern that low motivation of CHWs may decrease the benefits of investments in CHW programs. This study aimed to explore sources of CHW motivation to inform programs in Tanzania and similar contexts. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 CHWs in Morogoro Region, Tanzania. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and coded prior to translation and thematic analysis. The authors then conducted a literature review on CHW motivation and a framework that aligned with our findings was modified to guide the presentation of results. Sources of CHW motivation were identified at the individual, family, community, and organizational levels. At the individual level, CHWs are predisposed to volunteer work and apply knowledge gained to their own problems and those of their families and communities. Families and communities supplement other sources of motivation by providing moral, financial, and material support, including service fees, supplies, money for transportation, and help with farm work and CHW tasks. Resistance to CHW work exhibited by families and community members is limited. The organizational level (the government and its development partners) provides motivation in the form of stipends, potential employment, materials, training, and supervision, but inadequate remuneration and supplies discourage CHWs. Supervision can also be dis-incentivizing if perceived as a sign of poor performance. Tanzanian CHWs who work despite not receiving a salary have an intrinsic desire to volunteer, and their motivation often derives from support received from their families when other sources of motivation are insufficient. Policy-makers and program managers should consider the burden that a lack of remuneration imposes on the families of CHWs. In addition, CHWs' intrinsic desire to volunteer does not preclude a desire for external rewards. Rather, adequate and formal financial incentives and in-kind alternatives would allow already-motivated CHWs to increase their commitment to their work

Can We Systematically Review Studies That Evaluate Complex Interventions?

In three Viewpoints, Sasha Shepperd and colleagues, Geoff Wong, and Aziz Sheikh explore various approaches to help systematic reviewers who wish to review complex health interventions

Strengthening patient-centred communication in rural Ugandan health centres: A theory-driven evaluation within a cluster randomized trial.

This article describes a theory-driven evaluation of one component of an intervention to improve the quality of health care at Ugandan public health centres. Patient-centred services have been advocated widely, but such approaches have received little attention in Africa. A cluster randomized trial is evaluating population-level outcomes of an intervention with multiple components, including 'patient-centred services.' A process evaluation was designed within this trial to articulate and evaluate the implementation and programme theories of the intervention. This article evaluates one hypothesized mechanism of change within the programme theory: the impact of the Patient Centred Services component on health-worker communication. The theory-driven approach extended to evaluation of the outcome measures. The study found that the proximal outcome of patient-centred communication was rated 10 percent higher (p < 0.008) by care seekers consulting with the health workers who were at the intervention health centres compared with those at control health centres. This finding will strengthen interpretation of more distal trial outcomes

SUPPORT Tools for Evidence-informed Policymaking in health 6: Using research evidence to address how an option will be implemented

This article is part of a series written for people responsible for making decisions about health policies and programmes and for those who support these decision makers