Long-lasting insecticide-treated net usage in eastern Sierra Leone - the success of free distribution.

Summary Objective Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) runs a malaria control project in Bo and Pujehun districts (population 158 000) that includes the mass distribution, routine delivery and demonstration of correct use of free, long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs). In 2006/2007, around 65 000 LLINs were distributed. The aim of this follow-up study was to measure LLIN usage and ownership in the project area. Methods Heads of 900 randomly selected households in 30 clusters were interviewed, using a standardized questionnaire, about household use of LLINs. The condition of any LLIN was physically assessed. Results Of the 900 households reported, 83.4% owning at least one LLIN. Of the 16.6% without an LLIN, 91.9% had not participated in the MSF mass distribution. In 94.1% of the households reporting LLINs, the nets were observed hanging correctly over the beds. Of the 1135 hanging LLINs, 75.2% had no holes or 10 or fewer finger-size holes. The most common source of LLINs was MSF (75.2%). Of the 4997 household members, 67.2% reported sleeping under an LLIN the night before the study, including 76.8% of children under 5 years and 73.0% of pregnant women. Conclusion Our results show that MSF achieved good usage with freely distributed LLINs. It is one of the few areas where results almost achieve the new targets set in 2005 by Roll Back Malaria to have at least 80% of pregnant women and children under 5 years using LLINs by 2010

Filling in CMB map missing data using constrained Gaussian realizations

For analyzing maps of the cosmic microwave background sky, it is necessary to mask out the region around the galactic equator where the parasitic foreground emission is strongest as well as the brightest compact sources. Since many of the analyses of the data, particularly those searching for non-Gaussianity of a primordial origin, are most straightforwardly carried out on full-sky maps, it is of great interest to develop efficient algorithms for filling in the missing information in a plausible way. We explore practical algorithms for filling in based on constrained Gaussian realizations. Although carrying out such realizations is in principle straightforward, for finely pixelized maps as will be required for the Planck analysis a direct brute force method is not numerically tractable. We present some concrete solutions to this problem, both on a spatially flat sky with periodic boundary conditions and on the pixelized sphere. One approach is to solve the linear system with an appropriately preconditioned conjugate gradient method. While this approach was successfully implemented on a rectangular domain with periodic boundary conditions and worked even for very wide masked regions, we found that the method failed on the pixelized sphere for reasons that we explain here. We present an approach that works for full-sky pixelized maps on the sphere involving a kernel-based multi-resolution Laplace solver followed by a series of conjugate gradient corrections near the boundary of the mask.Comment: 22 pages, 14 figures, minor changes, a few missing references adde

Spitzer observations of a gravitationally lensed quasar, QSO 2237+0305

The four-image gravitationally lensed quasar QSO 2237+0305 is microlensed by stars in the lens galaxy. The amplitude of microlensing variability can be used to infer the relative size of the quasar as a function of wavelength; this provides a test of quasar models. Toward this end, we present Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Spectrograph and Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) observations of QSO 2237+0305, finding the following. (1) The infrared (IR) spectral energy distribution (SED) is similar to that of other bright radio-quiet quasars, contrary to an earlier claim. (2) A dusty torus model with a small opening angle fits the overall shape of the IR SED well, but the quantitative agreement is poor due to an offset in wavelength of the silicate feature. (3) The flux ratios of the four lensed images can be derived from the IRAC data despite being unresolved. We find that the near-IR fluxes are increasingly affected by microlensing toward shorter wavelengths. (4) The wavelength dependence of the IRAC flux ratios is consistent with the standard quasar model in which an accretion disk and a dusty torus both contribute near 1 micron in the rest frame. This is also consistent with recent IR spectropolarimetry of nearby quasars

Fast and reliable MCMC for cosmological parameter estimation

Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques are now widely used for cosmological parameter estimation. Chains are generated to sample the posterior probability distribution obtained following the Bayesian approach. An important issue is how to optimize the efficiency of such sampling and how to diagnose whether a finite-length chain has adequately sampled the underlying posterior probability distribution. We show how the power spectrum of a single such finite chain may be used as a convergence diagnostic by means of a fitting function, and discuss strategies for optimizing the distribution for the proposed steps. The methods developed are applied to current CMB and LSS data interpreted using both a pure adiabatic cosmological model and a mixed adiabatic/isocurvature cosmological model including possible correlations between modes. For the latter application, because of the increased dimensionality and the presence of degeneracies, the need for tuning MCMC methods for maximum efficiency becomes particularly acute.Comment: 12 pages, 17 figures. Submitted to MNRA

The Coyote Universe I: Precision Determination of the Nonlinear Matter Power Spectrum

Near-future cosmological observations targeted at investigations of dark energy pose stringent requirements on the accuracy of theoretical predictions for the clustering of matter. Currently, N-body simulations comprise the only viable approach to this problem. In this paper we demonstrate that N-body simulations can indeed be sufficiently controlled to fulfill these requirements for the needs of ongoing and near-future weak lensing surveys. By performing a large suite of cosmological simulation comparison and convergence tests we show that results for the nonlinear matter power spectrum can be obtained at 1% accuracy out to k~1 h/Mpc. The key components of these high accuracy simulations are: precise initial conditions, very large simulation volumes, sufficient mass resolution, and accurate time stepping. This paper is the first in a series of three, with the final aim to provide a high-accuracy prediction scheme for the nonlinear matter power spectrum.Comment: 18 pages, 22 figures, minor changes to address referee repor

Supergravity Higgs Inflation and Shift Symmetry in Electroweak Theory

We present a model of inflation in a supergravity framework in the Einstein frame where the Higgs field of the next to minimal supersymmetric standard model (NMSSM) plays the role of the inflaton. Previous attempts which assumed non-minimal coupling to gravity failed due to a tachyonic instability of the singlet field during inflation. A canonical K\"{a}hler potential with \textit{minimal coupling} to gravity can resolve the tachyonic instability but runs into the $\eta$-problem. We suggest a model which is free of the $\eta$-problem due to an additional coupling in the K\"{a}hler potential which is allowed by the Standard Model gauge group. This induces directions in the potential which we call K-flat. For a certain value of the new coupling in the (N)MSSM, the K\"{a}hler potential is special, because it can be associated with a certain shift symmetry for the Higgs doublets, a generalization of the shift symmetry for singlets in earlier models. We find that K-flat direction has $H_u^0=-H_d^{0*}.$ This shift symmetry is broken by interactions coming from the superpotential and gauge fields. This direction fails to produce successful inflation in the MSSM but produces a viable model in the NMSSM. The model is specifically interesting in the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) limit of the NMSSM. In this limit the model can be confirmed or ruled-out not just by cosmic microwave background observations but also by axion searches.Comment: matches the published version at JCA

Reducing epilepsy diagnostic and treatment gaps:Standardized paediatric epilepsy training courses for health care professionals

Aim: To evaluate improvement in knowledge and clinical behaviour among healthcare professionals after attendance at paediatric epilepsy training (PET) courses.Method: Since 2005, 1-day PET courses have taught evidence-based paediatric epilepsy management to doctors and nurses in low-, middle-, and high-income countries. A cohort study was performed of 7528 participants attending 252 1-day PET courses between 2005 and 2020 in 17 low-, middle-, and high-income countries, and which gathered data from participants immediately after the course and then 6 months later. Training outcomes were measured prospectively in three domains (reaction, learning, and behaviour) using a mixed-methods approach involving a feedback questionnaire, a knowledge quiz before and after the course, and a 6-month survey.Results: Ninety-eight per cent (7217 of 7395) of participants rated the course as excellent or good. Participants demonstrated knowledge gain, answering a significantly higher proportion of questions correctly after the course compared to before the course (88% [47 883 of 54 196], correct answers/all quiz answers, vs 75% [40 424 of 54 196]; p &lt; 0.001). Most survey responders reported that the course had improved their epilepsy diagnosis and management (73% [311 of 425]), clinical service (68% [290 of 427]), and local epilepsy training (68% [290 of 427]).Interpretation: This was the largest evaluation of a global epilepsy training course. Participants reported high course satisfaction, showed knowledge gain, and described improvements in clinical behaviour 6 months later. PET supports the global reduction in the epilepsy 'treatment gap' as promoted by the World Health Organization.</p

Naturalness and Focus Points with Non-Universal Gaugino Masses

Relations between the gaugino masses have been shown to alleviate the degree of fine-tuning in the MSSM. In this paper we consider specific models of supersymmetry breaking with gravity mediation and demonstrate that within both GUT and string constructions it is possible to generate these relations in a natural way. We have numerically studied the degree of fine-tuning in these models, including one-loop corrections, and have found regions of parameter space that can satisfy all known collider constraints with fine-tunings less than 20%. We discuss some of the phenomenological features of these models within the regions of reduced fine-tuning.Comment: 31 pages, 21 figures. Version accepted for publication in Nuclear Physics

Perfectionism and performance in a new basketball training task: Does striving for perfection enhance or undermine performance?

Objectives: In the psychology of sport and exercise, the question of how perfectionism affects performance is highly debated. While some researchers have identified perfectionism as a hallmark quality of elite athletes, others see perfectionism as a maladaptive characteristic that undermines, rather than helps, athletic performance. Against this background, the purpose of the present study was to investigate how different aspects of perfectionism predict performance and performance increments. Method: A study was conducted with 122 undergraduate athletes to investigate how perfectionism during training affects performance and performance increments in a series of trials with a new basketball training task. Two aspects of perfectionism were examined: striving for perfection and negative reactions to imperfection. Design: The design was a correlational prospective design. Results: Results showed that striving for perfection during training predicted higher performance in the new task. In contrast, negative reactions to imperfection predicted lower performance when athletes attempted the task for the first time, once the positive influence of striving for perfection on task performance was partialled out. However, negative reactions to imperfection did not undermine performance in the consecutive trials. On the contrary, athletes with both high levels of striving for perfection and high levels of negative reactions to imperfection showed the greatest performance increments over the series of trials. Conclusion: The findings suggest that perfectionism is not necessarily a maladaptive characteristic that generally undermines sport performance. Instead, when learning a new training task, perfectionism may enhance performance and lead to performance increments over repeated trials