53,379 research outputs found
Rapid diagnostic tests for the home-based management of malaria, in a high-transmission area.
No full textRapid diagnostic tests (RDT) are sometimes recommended to improve the home-based management of malaria. The accuracy of an RDT for the detection of clinical malaria and the presence of malarial parasites has recently been evaluated in a high-transmission area of southern Mali. During the same study, the cost-effectiveness of a 'test-and-treat' strategy for the home-based management of malaria (based on an artemisinin-combination therapy) was compared with that of a 'treat-all' strategy. Overall, 301 patients, of all ages, each of whom had been considered a presumptive case of uncomplicated malaria by a village healthworker, were checked with a commercial RDT (Paracheck-Pf). The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of this test, compared with the results of microscopy and two different definitions of clinical malaria, were then determined. The RDT was found to be 82.9% sensitive (with a 95% confidence interval of 78.0%-87.1%) and 78.9% (63.9%-89.7%) specific compared with the detection of parasites by microscopy. In the detection of clinical malaria, it was 95.2% (91.3%-97.6%) sensitive and 57.4% (48.2%-66.2%) specific compared with a general practitioner's diagnosis of the disease, and 100.0% (94.5%-100.0%) sensitive but only 30.2% (24.8%-36.2%) specific when compared against the fulfillment of the World Health Organization's (2003) research criteria for uncomplicated malaria. Among children aged 0-5 years, the cost of the 'test-and-treat' strategy, per episode, was about twice that of the 'treat-all' (U.S.0.5). In older subjects, however, the two strategies were equally costly (approximately U.S.$2/episode). In conclusion, for children aged 0-5 years in a high-transmission area of sub-Saharan Africa, use of the RDT was not cost-effective compared with the presumptive treatment of malaria with an ACT. In older patients, use of the RDT did not reduce costs. The question remains whether either of the strategies investigated can be made affordable for the affected population
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The Choral Music of Joseph Willcox Jenkins
No full textComposer Joseph Willcox Jenkins (b. 1928), longtime professor at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylania (since 1961) and the first arranger for the United States Army Chorus (1956-1959), has composed and arranged a prolific amount of choral music, much of which has remained unpublished. After presenting a brief biography of Jenkins, this essay examines a sample of seven of his choral works, with analyses and scores of each. Catalogs of the choral compositions to which he assigned opus numbers and his U.S. Army Chorus arrangements follow, along with a classified list of remaining choral works and arrangements. The document concludes with the transcription of a conversation between Jenkins and the author about his career and music. It is hoped that this resource for choral musicians will encourage a more widespread knowledge of Jenkins’ choral music, providing increased possibilities for performance and further study.</p
They Really Are That Old: A Validation Study of Centenarian Prevalence in Okinawa
No full textLong-lived individuals, such as centenarians, may harbor genetic or environmental advantages important for healthy aging. Populations with high prevalence of such individuals offer fertile ground for such research . However, precise phenotypes are required, particularly accurate age. Okinawa has among the world's highest reported prevalence of centenarians but, despite extensive study, no systematic validation of centenarian prevalence has been published. Therefore, we performed comprehensive age validation of a subset (8%) of the total centenarian population and assessed the reliability of the age registration system. Self- reported age was validated with several common methods and found to correlate well with documented age. Demographic methods, including assessment of age heaping, maximum age at death, centenarian proportions, and male to female ratios of centenarians indicate that the age registration system is reliable. We conclude that the high reported centenarian prevalence in Okinawa is valid and warrants further study for its genetic and environmental correlates
Argemone mexicana decoction for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria.
Get PDFA prospective, dose-escalating, quasi-experimental clinical trial was conducted with a traditional healer using a decoction of Argemone mexicana for the treatment of malaria in Mali. The remedy was prescribed in three regimens: once daily for 3 days (Group A; n=23); twice daily for 7 days (Group B; n=40); and four times daily for the first 4 days followed by twice daily for 3 days (Group C; n=17). Thus, 80 patients were included, of whom 80% were aged2000/microl but no signs of severe malaria. The proportions of adequate clinical response (ACR) at Day 14 were 35%, 73% and 65% in Groups A, B and C, respectively (P=0.011). At Day 14, overall proportions of ACR were lower in children aged5 years (81%) (P=0.027). Very few patients had complete parasite clearance, but at Day 14, 67% of patients with ACR had a parasitaemia<2000/microl. No patient needed referral for severe disease. Only minor side effects were observed. Further research should determine whether this local resource could represent a first-aid home treatment in remote areas
Intermolecular Sp<sup>3</sup>C─H Metalation of Non‐Nucleophilic Brønsted Bases Using Simple Lewis Acids
No full text2,6‐Di‐tert‐butyl substituted pyridines (tBu2‐py) are widely used non‐nucleophilic Brønsted bases. Their ubiquity is due to their highly hindered basic site and chemically robust nature. Herein we report that simple M2X6 Lewis acids (M═Al or Ga, X═Cl, Br or I) effect intermolecular sp3C─H metalation of t Bu2‐py bases under mild conditions. The sp3C─H metalated products can be converted in situ into ─BPin, ─iodo, ─bromo and ─hydroxy derivatives for further elaboration. Mechanistic investigations indicate that: i) a frustrated Lewis pair effects sp3C─H heterolysis to form the C─M bond and a protonated pyridine; ii) C─H metalation requires singly halide‐bridged super‐electrophilic M2X6 dimers for sufficiently low barriers. Finally, sp3C─H metalation using M2X6 is not limited to t Bu2‐py bases. Thus, it is important to be aware of this facile sp3C─H functionalisation when using a range of non‐nucleophilic Brønsted bases
"Closing the R&D Gap, Evaluating the Sources of R&D Spending"
Get PDFBoth spending and tax policies have been implemented in the United States with the goal of stimulating private sector research and development (R&D). Karier questions whether current R&D policy, especially the research and experimentation tax credit, can contribute to closing the gap between nondefense expenditures on R&D in the United States and such expenditures in other countries, such as Japan and Germany. He also explores possible changes to our current R&D policy to make it more effective.
Letter from C. D. Dawson, Tusayan Copper Mining and Smelting, to Carl Hayden
No full textLetter from C. D. Dawson to Carl Hayden urging him to consider the rights of miners and farmers when drawing up the boundaries for the proposed park
Measurement of the D+/- production asymmetry in 7 TeV pp collisions
Get PDFThe asymmetry in the production cross-section \sigma of D+/- mesons, A_P = (\sigma(D+) - \sigma(D-))/(\sigma(D+) + \sigma(D-)), is measured in bins of pseudorapidity \eta and transverse momentum p_T within the acceptance of the LHCb detector. The result is obtained with a sample of D+ -> K_S pi+ decays corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb^-1, collected in pp collisions at a centre of mass energy of 7 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider. When integrated over the kinematic range 2.0 K_S pi+ decay is negligible. No significant dependence on \eta or p_T is observed
D* (D)over-bar* molecule interpretation of Z(c)(4025)
No full textWe have used QCD sum rules to study the newly observed charged state Z(c)(4025) as a hidden-charm D*(D) over bar* molecular state with the quantum numbers I-G(J(P)) =1(+)(1(+)). Using a D*(D) over bar* molecular interpolating current, we have calculated the two-point correlation function and the spectral density up to dimension eight at leading order in alpha(s). The extracted mass is m(X) = (4.04 +/- 0.24) GeV. This result is compatible with the observed mass of Z(c)(4025) within the errors, which implies a possible molecule interpretation of this new resonance. We also predict the mass of the corresponding hidden-bottom B*(B) over bar* molecular state: m(Zb) = (9.98 +/- 0.21) GeV.Physics, Particles & FieldsSCI(E)[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Letter from W. C. Gorgas, Surgeon General, War Department, Washington, D. C., to Colonel Charles Willcox, Medical Corps, Camp McClellan, Alabama, August 23, 1918
No full textThis is an item from the William Crawford Gorgas papers. This collection includes material created by and written about Gorgas, as well as material created by other Gorgas family members. His diaries and journals illuminate his life and work for the U.S. Army as a surgeon and span the years he worked in Cuba and Panama. The collection includes official reports and other documents Gorgas wrote and collected, as well as articles and other publications written about Gorgas and his work in sanitation and disease prevention, particularly yellow fever. Correspondence, articles, and other items document the numerous awards and tributes Gorgas received during his life and memorials after his death in 1920. In addition to William Crawford Gorgas material, the collection includes other material belonging to Gorgas family members including Marie Gorgas and their daughter, Aileen Gorgas Wrightson. In 1924, his widow Marie Gorgas published William Crawford Gorgas: His Life and Work. This collection includes manuscripts, galley proofs, and published versions of her work
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