Control of schistosomiasis in the Gezira

For the control of schistosomiasis in irrigated agricultural schemes, the inhabitants must have: 1) Enough potable water. 2) Latrines. 3) Proprer health education to motivate the community to participate in the control. 4) Proper diagnostic facilities. 5) Proper availabel chemotherapy. 6) Focal mullusciciding. 7) If possible trial of biological and environmental methods control. Following the above methods, we could reduce the prevalence of schistosomiasis from over 50% to about 13%. The important achievement, is the improvement of the health of the community; therefore more production and reduced morbidity and mortality.

Body mass index, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption and cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx: modeling odds ratios in pooled case-control data.

Odds ratios for head and neck cancer increase with greater cigarette and alcohol use and lower body mass index (BMI; weight (kg)/height(2) (m(2))). Using data from the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium, the authors conducted a formal analysis of BMI as a modifier of smoking- and alcohol-related effects. Analysis of never and current smokers included 6,333 cases, while analysis of never drinkers and consumers of < or =10 drinks/day included 8,452 cases. There were 8,000 or more controls, depending on the analysis. Odds ratios for all sites increased with lower BMI, greater smoking, and greater drinking. In polytomous regression, odds ratios for BMI (P = 0.65), smoking (P = 0.52), and drinking (P = 0.73) were homogeneous for oral cavity and pharyngeal cancers. Odds ratios for BMI and drinking were greater for oral cavity/pharyngeal cancer (P < 0.01), while smoking odds ratios were greater for laryngeal cancer (P < 0.01). Lower BMI enhanced smoking- and drinking-related odds ratios for oral cavity/pharyngeal cancer (P < 0.01), while BMI did not modify smoking and drinking odds ratios for laryngeal cancer. The increased odds ratios for all sites with low BMI may suggest related carcinogenic mechanisms; however, BMI modification of smoking and drinking odds ratios for cancer of the oral cavity/pharynx but not larynx cancer suggests additional factors specific to oral cavity/pharynx cancer.

PKS2: A link between phototropin signalling and auxin transport - a study on how plants sense and respond to light.

The blue light photoreceptors phototropins (phot1 and phot2 in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.)) carry out various light responses of great adaptive value that optimize plant growth. These processes include phototropism (the bending of an organ induced by unequal light distribution), chloroplast movements, stomatal opening, leaf flattening and solar tracking. The biochemical pathways controlling these important blue light responses are just starting to be elucidated. The PHYTOCHROME KINASE SUBSTRATE (PKS1-4) proteins - the subject of this research - have recently been identified as novel phototropism signalling components. PKS1 (the founding member of this family) interacts in a same complex in vivo with phot1 and the important phot1 signalling element NON-PHOTOTROPIC HYPOCOTYL 3 (NPH3). This suggested that the PKS may act as early components of phot signalling. This work further investigates the role of this protein family during phototropin signalling Genetic experiments clearly showed that the PKS do not control chloroplast movements or stomatal opening. However, PKS2 plays a critical role with NPH3 during leaf flattening and solar tracking. Epistasis data indicated that both proteins act in phot1 and phot2 pathways, which is consistent with their in vivo interaction with both phototropins. Because phototropism, leaf flattening and solar tracking are developmental processes regulated by the hormone auxin, the role of PKS2 and NPH3 during auxin homeostasis was also investigated. Interestingly, PKS2 loss-of-function restores leaf flattening in the auxin transporter mutant aux1. Moreover, PKS2 and NPH3 are found in a same complex with AUX1 in vivo. Taken together, these results suggest that PKS2 may act with NPH3 as a connecting point between phot signalling and auxin transport. Further experiments were performed to explore the molecular mode of action of PKS2 and NPH3 in this process. The significance of these results is discussed.

Gestió d'espais i control d'accés en edificis públics

El present projecte desenvolupa una aplicació de gestió d’espais i control d’accés per a la l’Edifici d’Estudiants-ETC de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Aquest edifici ofereix serveis a la comunitat universitària i compta amb un conjunt d’espais i equipaments ben divers: despatxos, sales de reunió, sales d’assaig, sala d’ordinadors, cinema i teatre. Els usuaris d’aquestes instal·lacions són els propis treballadors de l’edifici, alumnes dels cursos i tallers, estudiants beneficiaris d’algun servei i col·lectius d’estudiants. La gestió i l’assignació d’aquests espais, així com el control d’accés són realitzats manualment per part del personal de l’ETC a la recepció de l’edifici (anomenat Punt de Serveis). L’aplicació desenvolupada implementa els processos existents, tals com la gestió i reserva d’espais, l’inventari de claus o el control d’accés a les sales. Tanmateix introdueix nous processos i funcionalitats, com la gestió, reserva i cessió de material propietat de l’edifici.

Using Effluent Charges in Promoting Investment in Water Pollution Control Technology: A Model of Coordination Failure among Firms

Untreated wastewater being directly discharged into rivers is a very harmful environmental hazard that needs to be tackled urgently in many countries. In order to safeguard the river ecosystem and reduce water pollution, it is important to have an effluent charge policy that promotes the investment of wastewater treatment technology by domestic firms. This paper considers the strategic interaction between the government and the domestic firms regarding the investment in the wastewater treatment technology and the design of optimal e­ffluent charge policy that should be implemented. In this model, the higher is the proportion of non-investing firms, the higher would be the probability of having to incur an e­ffluent charge and the higher would be that charge. On one hand the government needs to impose a sufficiently strict policy to ensure that firms have strong incentive to invest. On the other hand, it cannot be too strict that it drives out firms which cannot afford to invest in such expensive technology. The paper analyses the factors that affect the probability of investment in this technology. It also explains the difficulty of imposing a strict environment policy in countries that have too many small firms which cannot afford to invest unless subsidised.

Evaluation of different Cypermethrin formulations and concentrations in the control of Musca domestica

Cypermethrin (4 g/l, 5 g/l wettable powder and 7 ml/l, 10 ml/l emulsifiable concentrate) was tested, under laboratory conditions, against the adult Musca domestica. As a standard for comparison, a 6 ml/l concentrate suspension formulation of deltamethrin was used. One and twenty-four hours after application, mortality counts showed that the substances under test killed, respectively, more than 80% and 85% of the exposed insects. Under the conditions of the test, cypermethrin was considered effective in the control of the house fly.

The economics of power and control

John Hardman Moore outlines his joint research with Oliver Hart, looking at the economics of power and control and the foundations of contractual incompleteness

Cost-effectiveness analysis in Chagas' disease vectors control interventions

After a large scale field trial performed in central Brazil envisaging the control of Chagas' disease vectors in an endemic area colonized by Triatoma infestans and T. sordida the cost-effectiveness analysis for each insecticide/formulation was performed. It considered the operational costs and the prices of insecticides and formulations, related to the activity and persistence of each one. The end point was considered to be less than 90% of domicilliary unitis (house + annexes) free of infestation. The results showed good cost-effectiveness for a slow-release emulsifiable suspension (SRES) based on PVA and containing malathion as active ingredient, as well as for the pyrethroids tested in this assay-cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin and permethrin.