The use of personal protective measures in control of malaria in a defined community

Malaria is one of the main health problems in the non-immune immigrant workers and army personnel of the malaria endemic areas in Myanmar. Due to changes in the vector bionomics and multiresistant strains of P. falciparum, chemoprophylaxis alone is not an effective means of control of malaria in them. So it is envisaged that the combined used of personal protective measures (deltamethrin impregnated bed-nets, scalves and hand-bands) and the chemoprophylaxis will be an effective means of control of malaria in the define group of people. The study also intended to find out the side effects of the deltamethrin and feasibility and acceptability of methods by the users. The study was conducted in Theini Township, Northern Shan State, from March to November 1993. The study population consisted of all ages of both sexes 554 and 440 persons in the test and control groups respectively. At the initial phase of the study, malaria infected persons from both the groups were treated. The experimental group received personal protective measures with impregnation of bed-nets using 25 mg ai/m2 of deltamethrin at 4 monthly intervals and the scarves and hand-bands at twice the concentration of the insecticides at monthly intervals. Chemoprophylaxis was given to both the groups at weekly intervals using age adjusted dosage of Pyrixine tablet (sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine). The parasitological, entomological, and epidemiological indices were collected at two month intervals in both the groups. The study clearly showed the impact of personal protective measures and chemoprophylaxis on malaria infection in the studied subjects. During the study period, the out patient malaria cases of the test group was 6% to 11.2% and that of the control group was 12% to 21.6% in Theini Hospital. The reinfection rate of the test group (0.9 to 4.7%) was also significantly lower than the control group (6.1 to 14.3%) from July to November. Acceptance of the treated bed-nets, scarves and hand-bands was high and good compliance was found in the follow up. The results of the study clearly showed that malaria can be controlled effectively in the defined group of persons for a malaria transmission season by using chemoprophylaxis and personal protective measures.     

Male moth sensitivity to multicomponent pheromones: Critical role of female-released blend in determining the functional role of components and active space of the pheromone

In the present study male redbanded leafroller (Argyrotaenia velutinana), cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni), and Oriental fruit moths, (Grapholita molesta), were tested in a flight tunnel to (1) the major pheromone component, (2) theZ/E pheromone component mixtures for Oriental fruit moth and redbanded leafroller, (3) and the female-released blends, over a series of dosages. Experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that male response downwind of a female is initiated by the major component and that minor components function only to elicit behaviors close to the female during close-range approach and courtship. The results did not support this hypothesis, but rather showed that males initiated upwind flight in significantly higher percentages to the complete blends of components, at all dosages, compared to single components or partial blends. Addition of minor components also signficantly enhanced male perception of the major component at lower dosages, resulting in completed flights to dosages of the major component that alone did not elicit any upwind flight. Our results support the concept that minor components function to enhance male sensitivity to the pheromone, and the specificity of the signal. Our results also support the hypothesis that the active space of the pheromone is a function of the upper and lower concentration thresholds for the blend of components, and not simply for the major component.     

Activity of perfluorobutyl-containing components in pheromone blend of cabbage looper moth,Trichoplusia ni

Substitution of nine hydrogens by nine fluorines in the butyl terminus of (Z)-7-dodecenyl acetate, the major component of the pheromone blend of the cabbage looper,Trichoplusia ni (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), produces a highly volatile analog that is significantly less active as a replacement for the natural pheromone component, either alone or substituted in the sixcomponent pheromone blend of this species. When 9,9,10,10,11,11,12,12, 12-nonafluoro-(Z)-7-dodecenyl acetate (nf-Z7-12: OAc) was tested in a wind tunnel as a single component or as part of the six-component blend, males exhibited preflight activation, but they did not orient in the pheromone plume and fly upwind over a five-decade range of doses at levels comparable with those of the natural component and blend. Addition of large amounts of nf-Z7-12:OAc to the optimal dose of the natural blend also did not effect flight arrestment as when increased amounts of Z7-12:OAc were added. The nonafluoro (nf) analog of (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate, a minor component in theT. ni blend, did not affect male behavior when substituted in the sixcomponent blend, and substitution of both nf analogs in the natural blend produced the same results as observed for blends containing nf-Z7-12:OAc. The lack of an effect with substitution of nf-Z9-14:OAc is discussed in relation to the reported redundancy in the action of minor components inT. ni.     

Effect of nitridation on the reliability of thick gate oxides

In this work the effect of nitridation on the reliability of thick (60 nm) gate oxides used in discrete power MOSFETs is investigated. Nitridation was carried out by post-oxidation anneal in N₂O at 1000 °C. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy characterization did show that the nitrogen resulting from N₂O nitridation piles up in the oxide at the Si–SiO₂ interface regardless of nitridation time. The results obtained show improved breakdown field (E_bd), and charge-to-breakdown (Q_bd) characteristics for nitrided thick oxides. Also, lower mid-bandgap interface trap density (D_it) was observed in the case of nitrided oxides. Key conclusion from this experiment is that nitridation of thick (>50 nm) gate oxide performed to suppress boron penetration into the MOSFET channel region is not having an adverse effect on its electrical characteristics.     

Detailed deletion mapping at chromosome 9p21 in non-small cell lung cancer by microsatellite analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization

We describe a case of pulmonary embolism and ischemic stroke due to paradoxical embolism in a healthy young woman taking oral contraceptives to treat an ovarian cyst. It was not possible to identify the site of the thromboembolus. Ultrasound techniques played an important role in identifying the peripheral arterial obstructions and in diagnosing acute pulmonary hypertension. Transesophageal echocardiography provided detailed information on both the morphology and the evolution of the atrial thrombus straddling the foramen ovale within the aneurysmal interatrial septum. The patient was given anticoagulant treatment, initially with heparin and subsequently with warfarin over a period of six months. Repeated ultrasound controls showed no thrombus, regression of the signs of pulmonary hypertension and, lastly unchanged systemic arterial obstruction.     

Rheology of simulated radioactive waste slurry and cold cap during vitrification

During the vitrification of radioactive waste in a Joule‐heated melter, aqueous melter feed slurry forms a cold cap, a reacting and melting material, which floats on the surface of the molten glass. The rheological behavior of the feed affects cold cap formation and shape, and is vital for modeling the feed‐to‐melt conversion process. We used slurry feed simulant and fast‐dried slurry solids representing the cold cap to investigate the rheological behavior of the feed as it transforms into glass. Both low‐temperature and high‐temperature rheometry were performed and a new scheme was applied to estimate the feed viscosity. This study shows that the conversion advances in four sequential stages that form distinct regions in the cold cap: (i) a fast‐spreading boiling slurry from which water evaporates, (ii) a porous solid region (viscosity > 10⁸ Pa s) containing reacting solids and molten salts, (iii) a plastic region in which glass‐forming melt connects the refractory solids (~10⁸ to ~10⁶ Pa s), and (iv) a viscous foam layer in which the viscosity drops from ~10⁵ to ~10¹ Pa s. The implications for the mathematical modeling of the cold cap are discussed.     

Egyptian blue pigment in East Mediterranean wall paintings: A study of the lifetime of its optical infrared emission

This study presents advances in the application of laser‐based methods to image and measure the luminescence lifetime of historical wall paintings containing Egyptian blue. Samples from Tel Kabri, a major Canaanite palace dated to 18th C. BCE, from the Roman city of Caesarea Maritima, from the 4–5th C. Byzantine tomb in Lohamei HaGeta'ot, and from a 6th C. Byzantine church of Shivta have been studied using time‐resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy and imaging. Taking into account the high sensitivity of the emission lifetime to the microenvironment surrounding the emitting species, here, we show for the first time that the optical emission from historical samples containing Egyptian blue particles exhibits meaningful lifetime variations. Indeed, the wall paintings from Tel Kabri, Lohamei HaGeta'ot, and Shivta present the shortest emission lifetime, close to 115–120 μs. However, samples from Caesarea Maritima wall paintings exhibit a different optical emission, which dumps more slowly with an average lifetime of 130 μs. Egyptian blue pigment particles, synthetised with modern methods, are associated with the longest emission lifetime of 147 μs. This study suggests that there is a possible link between the lifetime of the pigment's emission and its synthesis method.     

Evaluating Pore Space in Macroporous Ceramics with Water‐Based Porosimetry

We show that water‐based porosimetry (WBP), a facile, simple, and nondestructive porosimetry technique, accurately evaluates both the pore size distribution and throat size distribution of sacrificially templated macroporous alumina. The pore size distribution and throat size distribution derived from the WBP evaluation in uptake (imbibition) and release (drainage) mode, respectively, were corroborated by mercury porosimetry and X‐ray micro‐computed tomography (μ‐CT). In contrast with mercury porosimetry, the WBP also provided information on the presence of “dead‐end pores” in the macroporous alumina.