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Containment and response strategies for mpox outbreaks:a systematic review
Get PDFBackground: Mpox, primarily endemic to Central and West Africa, has seen a concerning global rise in recent years. There is a critical need to synthesize evidence on successful strategies that have been used to contain and respond to mpox globally to inform policy and best practices. Methods: A systematic review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Four databases were searched for publications between 2017 to August 2024. Articles were included if they reported on mpox response and containment strategies. Results: A total of 72 studies were included in this systematic review. During mpox outbreaks, screening was primarily conducted at sexual health clinics, including Sexually Transmitted Infections and PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis) clinics. PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) testing was the most commonly reported diagnostic method. Three treatment options were identified: Tecovirimat, Vaccinia Immune Globulin, and Cidofovir. Additionally, vaccines were classified into two main categories: (i) JYNNEOS (also known as MVA-BN and IMVANEX) and (ii) ACAM2000. Studies highlighted several challenges associated with isolation measures, including difficulties in maintaining consistent follow-up, ensuring patient compliance, and managing large-scale isolation logistics. Surveillance strategies emphasized effective data collection, case investigations, and public health coordination to strengthen outbreak response. Pre-emergency preparedness efforts focused on international collaboration, the development of distribution networks, models of care for Mpox treatment, and the analysis of past outbreaks to improve future response strategies. Conclusion: This review synthesized strategies for mpox outbreak response and containment, highlighting the need to expand vaccine access beyond GBMSM/LGBTQIA + populations, integrate screening into routine sexual health services, adopt alternative delivery and diagnostic approaches, strengthen surveillance and pre-emergency preparedness, and promote context-specific research in low- and middle-income countries to inform evidence-based policy and practice
Tailored superconducting properties of laser powder bed fusion NbTi by nanosized artificial pinning centres
Get PDFThis study investigates the effect of artificial pinning centres using oxide dispersion strengthening (ODS) approach on the superconducting properties of the additively manufactured Nb47wt%Ti superconductor. Y2O3 nanoparticles are incorporated within the in situ alloyed Nb47wt%Ti powder and processed through laser powder bed fusion process. Laser parameters were optimised, and the optimal condition shows a microstructural density of 6.24 g/cm3, 0.35% porosity fraction, and 0.21% undissolved Nb fraction. The sample was heat treated for homogenisation and aged to precipitate ⍺-Ti pinning centres. Evidence from XRD peak shifts and literature comparison suggests the formation of Y2Ti2O7 artificial pinning centres, arising from the interaction of ⍺-Ti with Y2O3. The superconducting optimum condition shows a critical temperature of 8.4 K and a critical current density value of 2.51 kA/mm2 (at 4.2 K and 5 T)
Detecting and characterising exoplanets with HARPS-N
Get PDFExoplanet follow-up with JWST requires precise masses and radii. HARPS-N is a high-resolution spectrograph on the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG), predominantly used to detect and characterize exoplanets using the radial velocity (RV) method. The HARPS-N Collaboration has been characterising exoplanets with HARPS-N for over a decade. In this short paper we highlight the contributions that the HARPS-N Collaboration has made to the characterisation of small exoplanets.</p
Technological and Socio-Economic Challenges in the Development of Sensors for Precision Agriculture
Get PDFField-deployable sensors play an important role in precision agriculture and are used to enable key stakeholders (farmers, agronomists, policy makers, etc.) to make informed decisions about resource management and improve crop yields. Sensor developers must consider technological, economic, and human aspects jointly in order to design a successful sensor. The objective of this review is to describe some of the key strands of each aspect and highlight the need to develop a degree of understanding of all of these aspects in order to create technologies that will be easily and readily adopted. Rather than analyzing each area in depth, we limit our discussion to a few major aspects and try to indicate interdependency and showcase their impact on one another. We hope that this approach will instigate thoughts and ideas and stimulate the co-creation of fit-for-purpose sensors
Peer support intervention (ABA-feed) for improving breastfeeding:UK based, multicentre, parallel group, randomised controlled trial
No full textObjectivesTo assess the effect of a proactive, assets-based, peer support infant feeding intervention (ABA-feed) in addition to usual care, compared to usual care alone, on breastfeeding rates, formula feeding practices and other secondary outcomes. DesignUK based, multicentre, parallel group, unblinded, individually randomised controlled trial.SettingThe trial was delivered in community settings in 17 UK localities that offered breastfeeding peer support as part of usual care between January 2022 and 30 April 2024.Participants2475 nulliparous women were recruited between 20 and 35+6 weeks gestation. InterventionsParticipants were randomised 1458 to the ABA-feed peer support intervention and 1017 to usual care (1.43:1 to account for potential clustering by peer supporter). Person-centred proactive peer support for infant feeding was underpinned by an assets-based approach and behaviour change theory delivered in person and remotely by text and telephone call. Contacts commenced antenatally, with daily text/phone contact for the two weeks following birth then reduced frequency until 8 weeks postnatal. Support was offered for exclusive breastfeeding, mixed feeding and formula feeding according to parental wishes.Main outcome measuresThe primary outcome was any breastfeeding at 8 weeks post-birth. Secondary outcomes collected at 8-, 16- and 24-weeks post-birth included breastfeeding initiation, any and exclusive breastfeeding, formula feeding practices, anxiety, social support and health care utilisation. Analyses were based on the intention-to-treat principle. ResultsThere was no difference in rates of any breastfeeding at 8 weeks between the intervention (1013/ 1452; 69.8%) and usual care groups (698/1015; 68.8%); adjusted risk difference 0.01, 95% confidence interval -0.03 to 0.04. Findings for pre-planned subgroup analyses found no interactions between the intervention and age; pre-specified feeding intentions; mother’s education; Index of Multiple Deprivation quintile or relationship status. Breastfeeding initiation rates were high (intervention 94.2%; usual care 92.5%). At 8-weeks the intervention group reported higher social support, not sustained at 16-weeks. No differences were observed in other secondary outcomes. ConclusionsThe ABA-feed intensive peer support intervention did not improve breastfeeding rates compared to usual breastfeeding support in a UK context and should not be commissioned. Against a background of many international peer support trials showing improvements in breastfeeding outcomes, countries considering peer support programmes are recommended to establish effectiveness in their local context. Trial registrationISRCTN17395671<br/
Exploring the interconnections between baseline symptoms in ultra-high risk youth who did and did not transition to psychosis over three years:A network analysis comparison
Get PDFBackground: In the ultra-high risk for psychosis (UHR) field, it is unknown whether understanding symptom relationships, beyond symptom severity alone, may hold prognostic value and inform preventive care. In this study, network analysis was performed to examine the interconnections between baseline symptoms in UHR youth who did and did not transition to psychosis over three years. Methods: In a sample selected from the UHR1000+ cohort, positive and basic symptoms were assessed using the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States. Network analyses and network comparison tests were performed. Results: 195 UHR youth transitioned to psychosis within three years and 346 did not. The two groups did not differ in the network structure, global strength (i.e., the overall level of connectivity between symptoms), or centrality of symptoms (i.e., their importance within networks). The transitioned group was characterized by unusual thought content not being connected to other symptoms; however, its centrality between networks was comparable. Across networks, impaired cognitive functioning connected disorganized speech to impaired emotional functioning, motor functioning, and tolerance to normal stress. Impaired bodily sensation connected perceptual abnormalities to other symptoms. Conclusions: The networks of youth who transitioned and who did not transition were similar, indicating similar baseline symptom relationships. Across groups, unusual thought content, despite being traditionally associated with transition, had little to no interactions with other symptoms. Clinical manifestations that may need attention include impaired cognitive functioning, which connected several symptoms, and impaired bodily sensation. Future research using time series data may support progress toward individualized care
Assessing decadal changes in human exposure near wildfires in a Mediterranean region
Get PDFThis study examines the evolution of human exposure to wildfires in Catalonia, Spain, over the period 1992–2021, by integrating geospatial data on fire perimeters, population, satellite-derived nighttime light (NTL) imagery, and settlement records. Although the burned area shows a slight statistically non-significant decrease (-0.43 km2/year), human exposure per unit of burned area has risen by 42% (based on GlobPOP data within burned areas) to 138% (based on GlobPOP data within a 5 km static buffer around fire perimeters), depending on the buffer distance and dataset used. This alarming trend is mainly driven by rapid urban expansion and population redistribution, particularly in coastal regions, which highlights a growing intersection between human settlements and fire-prone areas. Our findings emphasize the critical role of urbanization in amplifying wildfire risks, underscoring the urgent need to integrate demographic dynamics into fire risk governance strategies. By employing innovative proxies such as nighttime light data alongside high-resolution population and building density datasets, this study provides a comprehensive framework to assess wildfire exposure in rapidly urbanizing Mediterranean environments.</p
Continental river runoff enhances atmospheric aerosol formation over the Arctic Ocean
Get PDFThe formation of cloud condensation nuclei is a critical but uncertain factor in Arctic climate dynamics. A major nuclei contributor is new particle formation, yet the geographical variations in activity and the factors driving it remain poorly understood. Here, we present a nine-year (2010–2018) analysis of atmospheric particle number size distributions from Tiksi, Russia, integrated with air mass trajectory modelling and ocean remote sensing. We show that aerosol formation rates are significantly enhanced—particle formation rates increase by 300% and growth rates by 60%—when air masses travel over regions of the Arctic Ocean with high concentrations of terrigenous dissolved organic matter from river runoff. Using multiple analytical approaches, we identify terrigenous dissolved organic matter rich waters as key source regions for aerosol formation, likely driven by the oxidation of biotic and abiotic volatile organic compounds emitted from the air–ocean interface. We note that most atmospheric measurements are conducted far from Arctic River deltas, despite 11% of the ice-free Arctic Ocean being influenced by high terrigenous dissolved organic matter concentrations. Our findings indicate that riverine input and subsequent aerosol formation is a major source of Arctic aerosol which has been largely overlooked.</p
Mid- and far-infrared spectral signatures of mineral dust from low- to high-latitude regions:significance and implications
Get PDFMineral dust absorbs and scatters solar and infrared radiation, thereby affecting the radiance spectrum at the surface and top-of-atmosphere and the atmospheric heating rate. While half of the outgoing thermal radiation is emitted in the far infrared (FIR, 15–100 µm), knowledge of the optical properties and thermal radiative effects of dust is currently limited to the mid-infrared region (MIR, 3–15 µm). In this study we performed pellet spectroscopy measurements to evaluate the MIR and FIR contribution to dust absorbance and explore the variability and spectral diversity of the dust signature within the 2.5–25 µm range. Thirteen dust samples re-suspended from parent soils with contrasting mineralogy were investigated, including low and mid latitude dust (LMLD) sources in Africa, America, Asia, and Middle East, and high latitude dust (HLD) from Iceland. Results show that the absorbance of dust in the FIR up to 25 µm is comparable in intensity to that in the MIR. Also, spectrally different absorption (position and shape of the peaks) is observed for Icelandic dust compared to LMLD, due to differences in mineralogical composition. Corroborated with the few available literature data on absorption properties of natural dust and single minerals up to 100 µm wavelength, these data suggest the relevance of MIR and FIR interactions to the dust radiative effect for low to high latitude sources. Furthermore, the dust spectral signatures in the MIR and FIR could potentially be used to characterise the mineralogy and differentiate the origin of airborne particles based on infrared remote sensing observations.</p
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