Intestinal Parasitosis in Children among Internally Displaced Persons in the Hauts-Bassins Region of Burkina Faso

Introduction: The setting up of camps for internally displaced persons in Burkina Faso as a result of terrorism creates favorable conditions for the emergence of digestive parasitosis in these displaced populations. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of digestive parasitosis in children of this population in the Hauts-Bassins region. Material and methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study from November to December 2020, in which stool samples were collected from internally displaced children from the Sinfra reception site in Banzon and from Poya in Karangasso Vigué. The stool samples were stored at room temperature, protected from dust and insects, in a cooler and then sent to the laboratory of the CHUSS in Bobo-Dioulasso where the parasitological analyses were performed. Results: The mean age was 5.8 ± 2.4 years. The most represented age group was 5 to 10 years (75.31%). The sex ratio is 1.61. The overall prevalence of intestinal parasite infection was 53.09%. The prevalence was statistically higher among those who consumed well water than those consuming tap water (p = 0.01). Monoparasitism by protozoa and helminths represented 74.42% and 6.68% respectively. The polyparasitism rate was 9.31%. The species identified in monoparasite patients were protozoa with Entamoeba coli (37.21%), Giardia lamblia (25.58%), Endolimax nanus (6.98%) and Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (4.65%). Biparasitism was identified with combinations, such as E. coli + E. histolytica/dispar (11.63%). Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of digestive parasitosis among IDPs in the Sinfra and Poya reception site. Educational sessions on hand washing before meals, use of drinking water, etc. should emphasize preventive measures in these IDP camps.

An internally damped inertial platform for marine gravimetry and a test case in the South China Sea

To dampen periodic off-levelling motions within an inertial platform while undergoing horizontal accelerations of the same period and to achieve a levelling accuracy of a few tens of arcseconds with that system,an internally damped inertial platform for a marine scalar gravity system was the developed.Methods for attenuating horizontal acceleration and reducing off-levelling error by a satisfactory gyro-levelling loop,which are fundamental to the internally damped inertial platform,were designed and implemented.In addition,phase delays are introduced by the levelling loop.The resulting off-levelling gravity errors were analyzed and modeled.A series of tests on a motion simulator were performed in laboratory for a variety of simulated sea conditions.We found that the motion of the platform is a function of the amplitude and period of the simulated ship motions and ranges between 10 and 40 arcseconds.In addition,the phase lag between platform motion and ship motion is not constant but ranges 180°-270°,depending on the period and amplitude of the motion.Then,the platform,on which a gravimeter was mounted,was installed on the R/V Shiyan 2 to conduct a gravity survey in the South China Sea.Despite rough sea conditions,it was shown that in short periods of 2-30 s,the off-levelling angle was less than 30 arcseconds,and the phase lagged the horizontal acceleration by 230°-260°.From a repeated survey line and intersecting survey points,the estimated errors of gravity measurements were between 1.3 and 1.7 mGal.The marine measurements results were compared with those of satellite altimetry data and show a mean value of 0.5 mGal in a standard deviation of 1.5 mGal.

Gut Bacteria and Nutritional Status of Nigerian Children at an Internally Displaced Persons’ Camp in Benue State, Nigeria: A Pilot Study

This study was conducted to determine the gut bacteria and nutritional status of children (n = 30) aged 2 - 11 in Benue’s largest internally displaced persons (IDP) camp since information on this is lacking. Gut bacteria were identified using culture techniques, while Body Mass Index (Kg/m2), Weight-for-Height (WHZ), and Weight-for-Age (WAZ) z scores were computed from anthropometric measurements. Socio-demographic and economic variables were collected via structured questionnaires. IBM SPSS v25 was used to analyze the data, with p Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., and Escherichia coli compared to children from a nearby private school (n = 10), except for E. coli, where the prevalence was equal. The results for BMI revealed that 23 (57.5%) of the children had a healthy weight while 17 (42.5%) were underweight.WAZ z-scores were between (-0.02 - 2.51) with evidence of mildly underweight (20%) and mildly overweight (5%) children. WHZ z-scores were between -0.03 - 2.37, with moderately wasted (30%) and severely wasted (5%) found. To ensure better health outcomes for residents, conditions in the camp must be improved.

An 8GHz Internally Matched AlGaN/GaN HEMT Power Amplifier with RC Stability Network

8GHz 20W internally matched A1GaN/GaN HEMTs have been developed. The input and output matching net- works are realised with microstrip lines on a 0. 381mm thick alumina substrate. To improve the stability factor K of the device, a lossy RC network is used at the input of the device. The developed internally matched power amplifier module exhibits 43dBm （20W） power output with a 7.3dB linear gain,38.1% PAIE,and combined power efficiency of 70.6% at 8GHz.

Visualization of Water Plugging Displacement with Foam/Gel Flooding in Internally Heterogeneous Reservoirs

During the displacement of water plugging with binary flooding in internally heterogeneous reservoirs,it is essential to understand the distributions of remaining oil as well as the oil displacement mechanisms at different stages.In this study,two types of internally heterogeneous systems,i.e.,vertical and horizontal wells are investigated experimentally through a microscopic approach.The results show that plugging agent types have a greater impact on oil recovery than well types,and foam injection can enhance oil recovery more effectively than gel injection.Additionally,the injection sequence of plugging agents significantly affects oil displacement efficiency.Injecting gel after foam is more beneficial.According to the present results,the main formation mechanisms of remaining oil in each displacement stage are influenced by:capillary force,viscous force,inertial force,shear force,microscopic fingering&channeling.

Research on adsorption mechanism of wall climbing robots based on internally balanced theory

The internally balanced theory proposed by the Japanese researchers,solved the contradiction between adsorption ability and moving capability of the permanent magnetic adsorption mechanism.However,it still has some problems when applied to wall climbing robots.This paper analyzes and improves this theory,and the improved internally balanced theory satisfies the requirements of the adsorption mechanism significantly.Finally,a practical prototype is proposed based on this method,and both the analysis using ANSYS and the experiment results justify the design validity.

Experimental study of heat transfer of ultra-supercritical pressure water in vertical upward internally ribbed tube

Under ultra-supercritical pressure, the heat transfer characteristics of water in vertical upward 4- head internally ribbed tubes with a diameter of 28.65mm and thickness of 8mm were experimentally studied. The experiments were performed at P = 25- 34MPa, G = 450- 1800kg/（m^2·s） and q = 200 600kW/m^2. The results show that the pressure has only a moderate effect on the heat transfer of uhra-supercritical water when the water temperature is below the pseudocritical point. Sharp rise of the wall temperature near the pesudocritical region occurs earlier at a higher pressure. Increasing the mass velocity improves the heat transfer with a much stronger effect below the pesudocritical point than that above the pesudocritical point. For given pressure and mass velocity, the inner wall heat flux also shows a significant effect on the inner wall temperature, with a higher inner wall heat flux leading to a higher inner wall temperature. Increasing of inner wall heat flux leads to an early occurrence of sharp rise of the wall temperature. Correlations of heat transfer coefficients are also presented for vertical upward internally ribbed tubes.

Dynamic model for internally carried air-launched rocket

For rigid-flexible coupling multi-body with variable topology,such as the system of internally carried air-launched or heavy cargo airdrop,in order to construct a dynamic model with unified form,avoid redundancy in the modeling process and make the solution independent,a method based on the equivalent rigidization model was proposed.It divides a system into independent subsystems by cutting off the joints,of which types are changed with the operation process of the system.And models of different subsystems can be constructed via selecting suitable modeling methods.Subsystem models with flexible bodies are on the basis of the equivalent rigidization model which replaces the flexible bodies with the virtual rigid bodies.And the solution for sanction,which is based on the constraints force algorithm(CFA)and vector mechanics,can be independent on the state equations.The internally carried air-launched system was taken as an example for verifying validity and feasibility of the method and theory.The dynamic model of aircraft-rocket-parachute system in the entire phase was constructed.Comparing the modeling method with the others,the modeling process was programmed;and form of the model is unified and simple.The model,method and theory can be used to analyze other similar systems such as heavy cargo airdrop system and capsule parachute recovery system.

Accessibility and availability of health care services to internally displaced persons, in Kitgum and Pader districts, northern Uganda

Introduction: During 1986-2009, an estimated 1.6 million persons were internally displaced from northern and eastern regions of Uganda due to civil war. We investigated accessibility to and availability of health care services for the internally displaced persons in Kitgum and Pader districts, northern Uganda. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Kitgum and Pader districts, northern Uganda. We interviewed a total of 1383 respondents comprising 968 (70%) adults and 415 (30%) adolescents;60% were females and 40% males, randomly selected from 35 of 67 (52.2%) internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. We held 27 key informant interviews and 52 focus group discussions. Data were entered in EPI data version 3.02 and analysed using SPSS version 12.00 statistical packages. Findings: Two thirds of the respondents 67.5% lived within 5 km distance of a health facility. The majority 62.9% of respondents mentioned that health related information was readily provided. 43.5% of health providers were always available in a health facility. A quarter 25.1% of health facilities always had drugs available, while 56.9% of the drugs prescribed were always available. Two thirds of the respondents 65.9% were satisfied with the health care services provided. The main reasons for the choice of a health facility were proximity 29.6%, provision of free treatment 24.7% and availability of drugs 17.2%. Main barriers to health care access were due to the lack of financial resources, trained personnel, and inadequate drugs and supplies in the health facilities. Conclusions and Recommendations: The majority of IDPs lived in close proximity to health facilities and obtained health care services from public health facilities. Access to health care was determined mainly by proximity and availability of free services and drugs. Although geographic accessibility to health services was high, lack of finances, information and decision power hindered access to health care services.

Prevalence of <i>Helicobacter pylori</i>Infection among Internally Displaced Persons from Bakassi Peninsular and Etim Ekpo in South Southern, Nigeria

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), is an important global infection with a worldwide prevalence of about 40 percent. This infection is contagious and mostly acquired during childhood through the fecal-oral and oral-oral route. A total of 1560 blood specimens were aseptically collected from Internally Displaced Persons comprising female and male from the warring communities of Bakassi Peninsular and Etim Ekpo Local Government Area in South Southern, Nigeria. The specimens were screened for H. pylori using Elisa kits following standard serological techniques. The overall prevalence rate was 464 (29.7%). There was significant difference (p H. pylori infection;its distribution varied between age group, educational status, habits or behaviors of the subjects with children within 5 to 14 years having the highest rate of 274 (17.6%), followed by 78 (4.99%) from adults (51 years and above) and 17 (1.08%) from active age range of 36 - 45 years old. Subjects with primary and quranic level of education showed a total of 274 (17.56%) positive cases to H. pylori. Analysis of sex-specific distribution revealed that females had the highest prevalence of 312 (20%). The helicobacter infection shows a significant difference at (p H. pylori infection. Crowding in camps and increasing household contact have been considered as risk factors of H. pylori infection. Adequate infrastructural provision and availability of portable water with good hygienic environment will drastically reduce the high rate spread of H. pylori bacterium in the IDPs communities in Nigeria.

Pregnancy Outcomes of the Internally Displaced Women in Juba, South Sudan

Background: Conflict and displacement substantially affect maternal reproductive health by increasing the risks formorbidity and mortality. However, most literature on pregnancy outcomes is from cross-border refugees and migrants. To date, scanty literature is available on pregnancy outcomes of internally displaced women. South Sudan, with 16 women dying daily is badly affected by internal conflicts of which by the end of December 2013 about 2.2 million people were internally displaced. The aim of this study was to determine pregnancy outcomes of women living in the United Nations House Internally Displaced People (UN IDP) camp and factors associated with poor outcomes. The study was ethically cleared by MUHAS and the Ministry of Health in South Sudan. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in UN House IDP Camp in Juba among internally displaced women who attended antenatal services in the camp, from September to November 2016. Among them, women who became pregnant in last 3 years, excluding the index, were interviewed about their immediate past pregnancy experiences. Additionally, the women were interviewed on reproductive health and gender violence matters. Interviews were guided by a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 20. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses were computed for associations with poor pregnancy outcome. Results: A total of 300 internally displaced women participated in the study. Data for 289 participants were analyzed for poor pregnancy outcome. More than half of the women, 157 (54.3%), had poor pregnancy outcome. Poor Maternal outcome was established in 47% of the women and poor fetal outcome in 27.7%. Delivery in IDP camp compared with outside the camp, was independently associated with a 3-fold increase in risk for poor pregnancy outcome, OR = 2.9 (95% CI: 1.47 - 5.56). Conclusion: The prevalence of poor pregnancy outcome is unacceptably high among internally displaced women seeking antenatal services in the IDP camp in Juba and delivery in the camp seems to increase the risk.

Switched-mode AGC circuits with internally created reset module for burst-mode unbalanced data optical receiver

This paper presents an innovative switched-mode auto gain control （AGC） circuit with internally created reset module for DC-10Mb/s burst-mode unbalanced （BMU） optical data transmission. Conventional AGC circuit is inappropriate for BMU data transmission because it is based on average level detection and requires considerable time to settle on a predefined gain. Therefore, we adopt a fast switched-mode AGC based on peak level detection. After the gain is adjusted, the peak level detectors need to re-detect the peak level of the input signal. Thus, we develop an internally created reset module. This AGC with reset module exhibits a fast operation and achieves an adjusted stable gain within one-bit, avoiding any bit loss up to 10Mb/s data rate. During power-up, the peak level detectors possibly hold an uncertain level resulting in the bit-errors. We propose a power-up reset circuit to solve this problem. Designed in a 0.5μm CMOS technology, the circuit achieves an optical sensitivity of better than -30dBm and a wide dynamic range of over 30dB with a power dissipation of only 30 mW from a 5V supply.

Into the Fold Refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees and the challenge of integration in Africa

Refugees,internally displaced persons,returnees and the challenge,of integration in Africa.

Development of an Internally Controlled Reverse Transcription Recombinase-aided Amplification Assay for the Rapid and Visual Detection of West Nile Virus

West Nile virus(WNV)causes West Nile fever and West Nile encephalitis.Because infection by WNV creates serious public health problems,its simple,rapid,and visual detection is very important in clinical practice,especially in resource-limited laboratories.We have developed a rapid,specific,and highly sensitive internally controlled reverse transcription recombinase-aided amplification(RTRAA)assay to detect WNV,using both real-timefluoresce nee and the lateral flow dipstick(LFD)at39.0°C for 30 min.The analytical sensitivity of theRT-RAA assay was 10 plasmid copies and 1.6 pfu perreacti on with real-time fluoresce nee,and 1,000plasmid copies per reaction with the LFD.No crossreactionwith other control viruses was observed.Compared with the RT-qPCR assay,the RT-RAA assaydemonstrated 100%sensitivity and 100%specificityfor WNV.

Classical Linear Stability Analysis of Energy Based Internally Heated Distributions on Bénard Porous Convection in a Micropolar Fluid Layer

The theoretical and numerical analysis is carried out on the effect of three types of configurations of Rayleigh-Bénard (RB) convection driven by the boundary combinations of Rigid-Rigid (R-R), Rigid-Free (R-F) and Free-Free (F-F). The RB convection models are distinguished by the three different temperature boundary conditions like: 1) RB1: lower and upper at fixed-temperature, 2) RB2: lower and upper with fixed-heat flux, or perfectly insulating and 3) RB3: bottom surface is fixed-temperature and top surface is fixed-heat flux. A Galerkin-type is based on the weighted residual method (WRM) which has been used to obtain the eigenvalue for gravity thermal Rayleigh number. It is noted that the porous medium of Darcy parameter and spin diffusion (couple stress) parameter N3 is to hasten coupling parameter N1 and micropolar heat conduction parameter N5 is to delay the onset of convection. Further, increase in the value of N1, N5, and as well as decrease in N3 is to diminish the size of convection cells.

Experimental and Theoretical Study of an Internally Cooled Liquid Desiccant Dehumidifier

Liquid desiccant dehumidifiers are useful for simultaneously recovering heat and water from flue gas.Internally cooled dehumidifiers are generally superior to adiabatic dehumidifiers in terms of the consumption of the desiccant and the size of the equipment required.This study examines the performance of a counter-flow dehumidifier through experiments and simulations under different operating conditions,and analyzes the moisture effectiveness and enthalpy effectiveness as performance indices.By applying correlations from the literature,the theoretical model can predict the performance of the dehumidifier within an acceptable range of accuracy.According to the experimental results,droplets were visible at a low desiccant flow rate when the velocity of the gas was above 4.88 m/s.Moreover,a higher cooling ratio and a higher temperature of the solution enhanced the effectiveness of the dehumidification.A temperature cross occurred between the gas and the solution when the mass transfer was sufficiently high,which reflects better heat transfer performance than the conventional convective heat exchanger.

Mechanism of internal thermal runaway propagation in blade batteries

Blade batteries are extensively used in electric vehicles,but unavoidable thermal runaway is an inherent threat to their safe use.This study experimentally investigated the mechanism underlying thermal runaway propagation within a blade battery by using a nail to trigger thermal runaway and thermocouples to track its propagation inside a cell.The results showed that the internal thermal runaway could propagate for up to 272 s,which is comparable to that of a traditional battery module.The velocity of the thermal runaway propagation fluctuated between 1 and 8 mm s^(-1),depending on both the electrolyte content and high-temperature gas diffusion.In the early stages of thermal runaway,the electrolyte participated in the reaction,which intensified the thermal runaway and accelerated its propagation.As the battery temperature increased,the electrolyte evaporated,which attenuated the acceleration effect.Gas diffusion affected thermal runaway propagation through both heat transfer and mass transfer.The experimental results indicated that gas diffusion accelerated the velocity of thermal runaway propagation by 36.84%.We used a 1D mathematical model and confirmed that convective heat transfer induced by gas diffusion increased the velocity of thermal runaway propagation by 5.46%-17.06%.Finally,the temperature rate curve was analyzed,and a three-stage mechanism for internal thermal runaway propagation was proposed.In Stage I,convective heat transfer from electrolyte evaporation locally increased the temperature to 100℃.In Stage II,solid heat transfer locally increases the temperature to trigger thermal runaway.In StageⅢ,thermal runaway sharply increases the local temperature.The proposed mechanism sheds light on the internal thermal runaway propagation of blade batteries and offers valuable insights into safety considerations for future design.

Endoscopic polidocanol foam sclerobanding for the treatment of grade Ⅱ-Ⅲ internal hemorrhoids:A prospective,multi-center,randomized study

BACKGROUND Endoscopic rubber band ligation(ERBL)is a nonsurgical technique for the treatment of symptomatic internal hemorrhoids but is limited by recurrence and post-procedural pain.AIM To evaluate satisfaction,long-term recurrence,and post-procedural pain in managing internal hemorrhoids using a combination of polidocanol foam sclerotherapy and ERBL.METHODS This was a prospective,multicenter,randomized study.A total of 195 consecutive patients diagnosed with grade II-III internal hemorrhoids were enrolled from four tertiary hospitals and randomly divided into a cap-assisted endoscopic polidocanol foam sclerobanding(EFSB)or an ERBL group.All patients were followed-up for 12 months.Symptom-based severity and post-procedural pain were assessed using a hemorrhoid severity score(HSS)and a visual analog scale(VAS).Continuous variables were reported as medians and interquartile range.RESULTS One hundred and ninety-five patients were enrolled,with 98 in the EFSB group.HSS was lower in the EFSB group than in the ERBL group at 8 weeks[4.0(3.0-5.0)vs 5.0(4.0-6.0),P=0.003]and 12-month[2.0(1.0-3.0)vs 3.0(2.0-3.0),P<0.001]of follow-up.The prolapse recurrence rate was lower in the EFSB group at 12 months(11.2%vs 21.6%,P=0.038).Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that EFSB treatment[B=-0.915,95%confidence interval(CI):−1.301 to−0.530,P=0.001]and rubber band number(B=0.843,95%CI:0.595-1.092,P<0.001)were negatively and independently associated with the VAS score 24 hours post-procedure.The median VAS was lower in the EFSB group than in the ERBL[2.0(1.0-3.0)vs 3.0(2.0-4.0),P<0.001].CONCLUSION Cap-assisted EFSB provided long-term satisfaction and effective relief from the recurrence of prolapse and pain 24 hours post-procedure.

Seeing beneath the surface:Harnessing point-of-care ultrasound for internal jugular vein evaluation

Point-of-care ultrasound(POCUS)of the internal jugular vein(IJV)offers a noninvasive means of estimating right atrial pressure(RAP),especially in cases where the inferior vena cava is inaccessible or unreliable due to conditions such as liver disease or abdominal surgery.While many clinicians are familiar with visually assessing jugular venous pressure through the internal jugular vein,this method lacks sensitivity.The utilization of POCUS significantly enhances the visualization of the vein,leading to a more accurate identification.It has been demonstrated that combining IJV POCUS with physical examination enhances the specificity of RAP estimation.This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the various sonographic techniques available for estimating RAP from the internal jugular vein,drawing upon existing data.

Utilization of Basalt Saw Mud as a Spherical Porous Functional Aggregate for the Preparation of Ordinary Structure Concrete

To promote the production and application of artificial aggregates,save natural sand resources and protect the ecological environment,we evaluated the feasibility of using spherical porous functional aggregates(SPFAs) formed by basalt saw mud under autoclave curing in ordinary structural concrete.In our work,two types of prewetted functional aggregates were taken as replacements for natural aggregates with different volume substitution rates(0%,5%,10%,15%,20%,25%,and 30%) in the preparation of ordinary structural concrete with water-to-binder ratios(W/B) of 0.48 and 0.33.The effects of the functional aggregate properties and content,W/B,and curing age on the fluidity,density,mechanical properties and autogenous shrinkage of ordinary concrete were analyzed.The experimental results showed that the density of concrete declined at a rate of not more than 5%,and the 28 d compressive strength could reach 31.0-68.2 MPa.Low W/B,long curing age and high-quality functional aggregates were conducive to enhancing the mechanical properties of SPFAs concrete.Through the rolling effects,SPFAs can optimize the particle gradation of aggregate systems and improve the fluidity of concrete,and the water stored inside SPFAs provides an internal curing effect,which prolongs the cement hydration process and considerably reduces the autogenous shrinkage of concrete.SPFAs exhibits high strength and high density,as well as being more cost-effective and ecological,and is expected to be widely employed in ordinary structural concrete.