Multi-Disease Data Management System Platform for Vector-Borne Diseases

Background Emerging information technologies present new opportunities to reduce the burden of malaria, dengue and other infectious diseases. For example, use of a data management system software package can help disease control programs to better manage and analyze their data, and thus enhances their ability to carry out continuous surveillance, monitor interventions and evaluate control program performance. Methods and Findings We describe a novel multi-disease data management system platform (hereinafter referred to as the system) with current capacity for dengue and malaria that supports data entry, storage and query. It also allows for production of maps and both standardized and customized reports. The system is comprised exclusively of software components that can be distributed without the user incurring licensing costs. It was designed to maximize the ability of the user to adapt the system to local conditions without involvement of software developers. Key points of system adaptability include 1) customizable functionality content by disease, 2) configurable roles and permissions, 3) customizable user interfaces and display labels and 4) configurable information trees including a geographical entity tree and a term tree. The system includes significant portions of functionality that is entirely or in large part re-used across diseases, which provides an economy of scope as new diseases downstream are added to the system at decreased cost. Conclusions We have developed a system with great potential for aiding disease control programs in their task to reduce the burden of dengue and malaria, including the implementation of integrated vector management programs. Next steps include evaluations of operational implementations of the current system with capacity for dengue and malaria, and the inclusion in the system platform of other important vector-borne diseases

A W-String Realization of the Bosonic String

It has recently been shown that the ordinary bosonic string can be represented by a special background of N=1 or N=2 strings. In this paper, it will be shown that the bosonic string can also be represented by a special background of $W$-strings.Comment: 8 pages plain Tex, KCL-TH-93-1

Autoionizing Polaritons in Attosecond Atomic Ionization

Light-induced states are commonly observed in the photoionization spectra of laser-dressed atoms. The properties of autoionizing polaritons, entangled states of light and Auger resonances, however, are largely unexplored. We employ attosecond transient-absorption spectroscopy to study the evolution of autoionizing states in argon, dressed by a tunable femtosecond laser pulse. The avoided crossings between the $3s^{-1}4p$ and several light-induced states indicates the formation of polariton multiplets. We measure a controllable stabilization of the polaritons against ionization, in excellent agreement with \emph{ab initio} theory. Using an extension of the Jaynes-Cummings model to autoionizing states, we show that this stabilization is due to the destructive interference between the Auger decay and the radiative ionization of the polaritonic components. These results give new insights into the optical control of electronic structure in the continuum, and unlock the door to applications of autoionizing polaritons in poly-electronic systems.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Embedded Vortices

We present a discussion of embedded vortices in general Yang-Mills theories. The origin of a family structure of solutions is shown to be group theoretic in nature and a procedure for its determination is developed. Vortex stability can be quantified into three types: Abelian topological stability, non-Abelian topological stability, and dynamical stability; we relate these to the family structure of vortices, in particular discussing how Abelian topological and dynamical stability are related. The formalism generally encompasses embedded domain walls and embedded monopoles also.Comment: final corrections. latex fil

The KiHM-9: A Novel Self-Deploying PicoSat Antenna Design for Reflectarray Antennas

Reflectarray antennas are popular on satellites for their ability to achieve similar performance to parabolic antennas in a more compact volume. This project shows how integrating novel technologies achieves the benefits of larger antennas while maintaining the advantages of small satellites. The objective of this research is to create a reflectarray antenna for a holographic metasurface that utilizes the volume surrounding a CubeSat when stowed, incorporates a novel pin-less hinge, includes a self-deploying and stabilizing joint, and is manufactured out of space-grade materials. By using hinges embedded with membranes and magnets, issues with lubrication and outgassing may be avoided, and the same motion and stability of pin-joints may be maintained with no external structure required. These technologies also result in a self-deploying and self-stabilizing design. The Radii Controlled Embedded Lamina (RadiCEL) hinge design was incorporated into the final model and allows the geometry of the hinge joint to be specifically tuned to control the stress in the hinge membrane while minimizing required hinge volume. Metal meshes were used as membrane joints, increasing the durability and robustness of the hinge. Feasibility of the RadiCEL joint is shown through fatigue testing of various materials at a range of hinge radii. The testing shows the viability of metal meshes, as well as other common membranes. Magnets were used in a MaLO configuration, which allowed for a smaller footprint in the antenna and required no external actuation or power source to deploy and stabilize the antenna. Various prototypes of the system were manufactured and are presented. Modeling and testing efforts presented create various opportunities to build on current research to improve mission capability by increasing antenna gain while eliminating peripherals required for antenna deployment

Dynamical SUSY Breaking in Meta-Stable Vacua

Dynamical supersymmetry breaking in a long-lived meta-stable vacuum is a phenomenologically viable possibility. This relatively unexplored avenue leads to many new models of dynamical supersymmetry breaking. Here, we present a surprisingly simple class of models with meta-stable dynamical supersymmetry breaking: N=1 supersymmetric QCD, with massive flavors. Though these theories are strongly coupled, we definitively demonstrate the existence of meta-stable vacua by using the free-magnetic dual. Model building challenges, such as large flavor symmetries and the absence of an R-symmetry, are easily accommodated in these theories. Their simplicity also suggests that broken supersymmetry is generic in supersymmetric field theory and in the landscape of string vacua.Comment: 48 pages, 1 figure, added discussion about the spectrum and some cosmological implication

A Jaynes-Cummings-Fano Model for Autoionizing Polaritons

Intense laser pulses can couple resonances in the continuum, giving rise to a split pair of autoionizing polaritons whose lifetime can be extended as a result of interference between radiative and Auger decay channels. We present an extension of the Jaynes-Cummings model to autoionizing states which quantitatively reproduces this phenomenology and allows us to study how the dressing laser parameters can be tuned to control the ionization rate of the polariton multiplet. We illustrate the potential of this model to estimate the splitting and widths of the polaritonic features in the attosecond transient-absorption spectrum of the argon atom in the energy region close to the $3s^{-1}n\ell$ autoionizing states and compare the results with ab initio simulations of the spectrum in realistic experimental conditions.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figure

Root Nodules of Red Alder (alnus Rubra) and Sitka Alder (alnus Viridis Ssp. Sinuata) Are Inhabited by Taxonomically Diverse Cultivable Microbial Endophytes

The root nodules of actinorhizal plants are home to nitrogen-fixing bacterial symbionts, known as Frankia, along with a small percentage of other microorganisms. These include fungal endophytes and non-Frankia bacteria. The taxonomic and functional diversity of the microbial consortia within these root nodules is not well understood. In this study, we surveyed and analyzed the cultivable, non-Frankia fungal and bacterial endophytes of root nodules from red and Sitka alder trees that grow together. We examined their taxonomic diversity, co-occurrence, differences between hosts, and potential functional roles. For the first time, we are reporting numerous fungal endophytes of alder root nodules. These include Sporothrix guttuliformis, Fontanospora sp., Cadophora melinii, an unclassified Cadophora, Ilyonectria destructans, an unclassified Gibberella, Nectria ramulariae, an unclassified Trichoderma, Mycosphaerella tassiana, an unclassified Talaromyces, Coniochaeta sp., and Sistotrema brinkmanii. We are also reporting several bacterial genera for the first time: Collimonas, Psychrobacillus, and Phyllobacterium. Additionally, we are reporting the genus Serratia for the second time, with the first report having been recently published in 2023. Pseudomonas was the most frequently isolated bacterial genus and was found to co-inhabit individual nodules with both fungi and bacteria. We found that the communities of fungal endophytes differed by host species, while the communities of bacterial endophytes did not

Under-five mortality: spatial-temporal clusters in Ifakara HDSS in South-eastern Tanzania.

BACKGROUND\ud \ud Childhood mortality remains an important subject, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where levels are still unacceptably high. To achieve the set Millennium Development Goals 4, calls for comprehensive application of the proven cost-effective interventions. Understanding spatial clustering of childhood mortality can provide a guide in targeting the interventions in a more strategic approach to the population where mortality is highest and the interventions are most likely to make an impact.\ud \ud METHODS\ud \ud Annual child mortality rates were calculated for each village, using person-years observed as the denominator. Kulldorff's spatial scan statistic was used for the identification and testing of childhood mortality clusters. All under-five deaths that occurred within a 10-year period from 1997 to 2006 were included in the analysis. Villages were used as units of clusters; all 25 health and demographic surveillance sites (HDSS) villages in the Ifakara health and demographic surveillance area were included.\ud \ud RESULTS\ud \ud Of the 10 years of analysis, statistically significant spatial clustering was identified in only 2 years (1998 and 2001). In 1998, the statistically significant cluster (p < 0.01) was composed of nine villages. A total of 106 childhood deaths were observed against an expected 77.3. The other statistically significant cluster (p < 0.05) identified in 2001 was composed of only one village. In this cluster, 36 childhood deaths were observed compared to 20.3 expected. Purely temporal analysis indicated that the year 2003 was a significant cluster (p < 0.05). Total deaths were 393 and expected were 335.8. Spatial-temporal analysis showed that nine villages were identified as statistically significant clusters (p < 0.05) for the period covering January 1997-December 1998. Total observed deaths in this cluster were 205 while 150.7 were expected.\ud \ud CONCLUSION\ud \ud There is evidence of spatial clustering in childhood mortality within the Ifakara HDSS. Further investigations are needed to explore the source of clustering and identify strategies of reaching the cluster population with the existing effective interventions. However, that should happen alongside delivery of interventions to the broader population

DNA Bound Avicel Network: The Beginnings of a Self-Healing Material

Self-healing materials could potentially provide many improvements to engineering projects, including reduced maintenance and cost, and increased lifespan. It is desired to create a self-healing material proof of concept, which can then be altered for eventual application to the surfaces of small satellites with the goal of increasing material lifetimes. The intrinsic properties and abilities of DNA base pairing will be studied as a first test of proof of concept. The exploratory research reported in this short communication utilizes oxidation of small (50µm) particles of Avicel using TEMPO, followed by activation of Avicel particles via an EDC (1-Ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride) reaction. The cellulose prepared in this manner will next be reacted with short sequences of single stranded DNA (oligonucleotides) with the cellulose, although this has not yet been achieved. Complementary strands will be bound to a second aliquot of particles. The particles will be combined to test if they hybridize (bind in a directed manner), resulting in a network of Avicel particles glued together by DNA. A Malvern wet particle size instrument was used to determine zeta potential of the cellulose particles, and in the future will be used to compare the size of particles before and after chemical alterations. Colored nanoparticles will be used to dye the individual aliquots of the derivatized celluloses so that a change in color may be observed when cellulose derivatized with complimentary strands of DNA are brought in contact with each other. After washing to remove unbound particles, a change in color would be expected to occur, thus indicating binding. While this is a work in progress, key developments at this point are the experimental design, development of research hypotheses, and successful oxidation of cellulose. These experiments are part of a longer term project that is studying whether intrinsic self-healing materials are possible. Alterations in the particle and in binding sequences to be placed on the particles have potential for automobile, airline, satellites and spacecraft, military, and healthcare applications, where self-healing principles at a nano-scale would enable micro-damage to be identified and healing processes to occur