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The ACT‐America project is a NASA Earth Venture Suborbital‐2 mission designed to study the transport and fluxes of greenhouse gases. The open and freely available ACT‐America data sets provide airborne in situ measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide, methane, trace gases, aerosols, clouds, and meteorological properties, airborne remote sensing measurements of aerosol backscatter, atmospheric boundary layer height and columnar content of atmospheric carbon dioxide, tower‐based measurements, and modeled atmospheric mole fractions and regional carbon fluxes of greenhouse gases over the Central and Eastern United States. We conducted 121 research flights during five campaigns in four seasons during 2016–2019 over three regions of the US (Mid‐Atlantic, Midwest and South) using two NASA research aircraft (B‐200 and C‐130). We performed three flight patterns (fair weather, frontal crossings, and OCO‐2 underflights) and collected more than 1,140 h of airborne measurements via level‐leg flights in the atmospheric boundary layer, lower, and upper free troposphere and vertical profiles spanning these altitudes. We also merged various airborne in situ measurements onto a common standard sampling interval, which brings coherence to the data, creates geolocated data products, and makes it much easier for the users to perform holistic analysis of the ACT‐America data products. Here, we report on detailed information of data sets collected, the workflow for data sets including storage and processing of the quality controlled and quality assured harmonized observations, and their archival and formatting for users. Finally, we provide some important information on the dissemination of data products including metadata and highlights of applications of ACT‐America data sets. Plain Language Summary We describe the data collected and produced by the Atmospheric Carbon and Transport – America mission, including airborne and tower‐based measurements of greenhouse gases (e.g., carbon dioxide and methane) and modeled atmospheric mole fractions and regional carbon fluxes of greenhouse gases over North America. In this paper, we briefly describe the data collections and archival including the instruments and methodology used to generate, manage, and distribute the data, and the significance of these new measurements for the study of the North American carbon cycle. Key Points Atmospheric Carbon and Transport – America (ACT‐America) provides a unique, weather‐oriented collection of atmospheric CO2, CH4, trace gases, and meteorological properties measurements ACT‐America data are free and open to the public from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center (ORNL DAAC) ACT‐America data are uniquely suited to improve the accuracy and precision of regional inverse greenhouse gas (GHG) flux estimates

In order to assess the HIV prevalence in healthcare workers (HCWs) in Burkina Faso, we conducted a national survey in 97 health facilities from urban and rural areas. Of 1570 HCWs who agreed to participate, 1013 (64·5%) provided a urine sample for HIV testing. The crude prevalence of HIV in HCWs was 3·5% (95% CI 2·3–4·6). HIV prevalence was 0·7% in students and trainees, 3·8% in nurses and midwives, 4·5% in administrative workers, and 4·6% in laboratory workers. After age and area standardization, men from the Demographic Health Survey (DHS) had a similar HIV prevalence (2·3%, 95% CI 1·4–2·9) as male HCWs (2·5%, 95% CI 1·1–4·0), while female HCWs were more infected (4·5%, 95% CI 2·5–6·0) than women from the DHS (2·1%, 95% CI 1·3–2·4). A voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) programme should be specifically implemented and adapted for female HCWs.

BackgroundLittle information is available on the epidemiology of syphilis in West Africa, where this infection is routinely screened in antenatal clinics to prevent congenital infection. In order to inform control programmes, the burden of active syphilis was estimated among pregnant women and adults in Burkina Faso.MethodsThis study enrolled 2136 pregnant women from 98 healthcare facilities and 1679 consenting women and men from the general population of Ouagadougou, the capital city. After a face-to-face interview on demographic characteristics, blood samples were collected and tested for syphilis. Active syphilis was defined by a dually positive result on rapid plasma reagin and Treponema pallidum haemagglutination antibody tests.ResultsThe overall seroprevalence of active syphilis was 1.7% (95% CI 1.3 to 2.2), with similar rates between women (1.2%, 95% CI 0.7 to 2.3) and men (1.8%, 95% CI 1.0 to 3.0) in Ouagadougou, and a trend for higher prevalence among pregnant women from semi-urban areas (2.2%, 95% CI 1.0 to 4.5) compared with rural areas (1.7%, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.4, p=0.06). The prevalence tended to be higher among women aged 20–24 years (2.6%, 95% CI 1.3 to 7.6) and men aged 30–34 years (3.9%, 95% CI 0.8 to 11.0) than at other ages. However, age, marital status, location and education were not associated with syphilis.ConclusionThe low prevalence of syphilis among pregnant women and the adult general population is very encouraging but should not challenge the amount of resources dedicated to sexually transmitted infection and HIV prevention.

Background While dolutegravir has been added by WHO as a preferred second-line option for the treatment of HIV infection, boosted protease inhibitor (bPI)-based regimens are still needed as alternative second-line options. Identifying optimal bPI-based second-line combinations is essential, given associated high costs and funding constraints in low- and middle-income countries. We assessed the cost-effectiveness of three alternative bPI-based second-line regimens in Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Senegal. Methods We used data collected over 2010–2015 in the 2LADY trial/post-trial cohort. Patients with first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) failure were randomly assigned to tenofovir/emtricitabine + lopinavir/ritonavir (TDF/FTC LPV/r; arm A), abacavir + didanosine + lopinavir/ritonavir (arm B), or tenofovir/emtricitabine + darunavir/ritonavir (arm C). Costs (US dollars, 2016), quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were computed for each country over 24 months of follow-up and extrapolated to 5 years using a simulated patient-level Markov model. We assessed uncertainty using cost-effectiveness acceptability curves, scenarios and prices threshold analysis. Results In each country, over 24 months, arm A was significantly less costly than arms B and C (incremental costs ranging from US$410–$US721 and US$468–US$546 for B and C vs A, respectively) and offered similar health benefits (incremental QALY: − 0.138 to 0.023 and − 0.179 to 0.028, respectively). Over 5 years, arm A remained the least costly, health benefits not being significantly different between arms. Compared with arms B and C, in each study country, Arm A had a ≥ 95% probability of being cost-effective for a large range of cost-effectiveness thresholds, irrespective of the scenario considered. Conclusions Using TDF/FTC LPV/r as a bPI-based second-line regimen provided the best economic value in the three study countries. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00928187.

Abstract The method of wireless power transmission is an important method in powering wireless medical devices in vivo, but the efficiency is still low, especially when the devices move freely in random positions and orientations. Aiming at powering an endoscopic capsule, a method for improving efficiency of wireless power transmission is proposed, which is based on electromagnetic localization and synthesis of magnetic field vector. By analysing the model and experimenting in vitro, the proposed method is verified, which can improve the efficiency of the wireless power transmission because of accurate localization of the capsule and synthesis of magnetic field vector.

Leptospirosis essentially affects human following contact with rodent urine-contaminated water. As such, it was mainly found associated with rice culture, recreational activities and flooding. This is also the reason why it has mainly been investigated in temperate as well as warm and humid regions, while arid zones have been only very occasionally monitored for this disease. In particular, data for West African countries are extremely scarce. Here, we took advantage of an extensive survey of urban rodents in Niamey, Niger, in order to look for rodent-borne pathogenic[i] Leptospira[/i] species presence and distribution across the city. To do so, we used high throughput bacterial 16S-based metabarcoding, [i]lipL32[/i] gene-targeting RT-PCR, rrs gene sequencing and VNTR typing as well as GIS-based multivariate spatial analysis. Our results show that leptospires seem absent from the core city where usual [i]Leptospira[/i] reservoir rodent species (namely [i]R. rattus[/i] and [i]M. natalensis[/i]) are yet abundant. On the contrary, [i]L. kirschneri[/i] was detected in [i]Arvicanthis niloticus[/i] and [i]Cricetomys gambianus[/i], two rodent species that are restricted to irrigated cultures within the city. Moreover, the VNTR profiles showed that rodent-borne leptospires in Niamey belong to previously undescribed serovars. Altogether, our study points towards the importance of market gardening in maintain and circulation of leptospirosis within Sahelian cities. In Africa, irrigated urban agriculture constitutes a pivotal source of food supply, especially in the context of the ongoing extensive urbanization of the continent. With this in mind, we speculate that leptospirosis may represent a zoonotic disease of concern also in arid regions that would deserve to be more rigorously surveyed, especially in urban agricultural settings.

Brown rats are one of the most widespread urban species worldwide. Despite the nuisances they induce and their potential role as a zoonotic reservoir, knowledge on urban rat populations remains scarce. The main purpose of this study was to characterize an urban brown rat population from Chanteraines park (Hauts-de-Seine, France), with regards to haematology, population genetics, immunogenic diversity, resistance to anticoagulant rodenticides, and community of parasites. Haematological parameters were measured. Population genetics was investigated using 13 unlinked microsatellite loci. Immunogenic diversity was assessed for Mhc-Drb. Frequency of the Y139F mutation (conferring resistance to rodenticides) and two linked microsatellites were studied, concurrently with the presence of anticoagulant residues in the liver. Combination of microscopy and molecular methods were used to investigate the occurrence of 25 parasites. Statistical approaches were used to explore multiple parasite relationships and model parasite occurrence. Eighty-six rats were caught. The first haematological data for a wild urban R. norvegicus population was reported. Genetic results suggested high genetic diversity and connectivity between Chanteraines rats and surrounding population(s). We found a high prevalence (55.8%) of the mutation Y139F and presence of rodenticide residues in 47.7% of the sampled individuals. The parasite species richness was high (16). Seven potential zoonotic pathogens were identified, together with a surprisingly high diversity of Leptospira species (4). Chanteraines rat population is not closed, allowing gene flow and making eradication programs challenging, particularly because rodenticide resistance is highly prevalent. Parasitological results showed that co-infection is more a rule than an exception. Furthermore, the presence of several potential zoonotic pathogens, of which four Leptospira species, in this urban rat population raised its role in the maintenance and spread of these pathogens. Our findings should stimulate future discussions about the development of a long-term rat-control management program in Chanteraines urban park.

Leptospirosis is the most common bacterial zoonoses and has been identified as an important emerging global public health problem in Southeast Asia. Rodents are important reservoirs for human leptospirosis, but epidemiological data is lacking. We sampled rodents living in different habitats from seven localities distributed across Southeast Asia (Thailand, Lao PDR and Cambodia), between 2009 to 2010. Human isolates were also obtained from localities close to where rodents were sampled. The prevalence of Leptospira infection was assessed by real-time PCR using DNA extracted from rodent kidneys, targeting the lipL32 gene. Sequencing rrs and secY genes, and Multi Locus Variable-number Tandem Repeat (VNTR) analyses were performed on DNA extracted from rat kidneys for Leptospira isolates molecular typing. Four species were detected in rodents, L. borgpetersenii (56% of positive samples), L. interrogans (36%), L. kirschneri (3%) and L. weilli (2%), which were identical to human isolates. Mean prevalence in rodents was approximately 7%, and largely varied across localities and habitats, but not between rodent species. The two most abundant Leptospira species displayed different habitat requirements: L. interrogans was linked to humid habitats (rice fields and forests) while L. borgpetersenii was abundant in both humid and dry habitats (non-floodable lands). L. interrogans and L. borgpetersenii species are widely distributed amongst rodent populations, and strain typing confirmed rodents as reservoirs for human leptospirosis. Differences in habitat requirements for L. interrogans and L. borgpetersenii supported differential transmission modes. In Southeast Asia, human infection risk is not only restricted to activities taking place in wetlands and rice fields as is commonly accepted, but should also include tasks such as forestry work, as well as the hunting and preparation of rodents for consumption, which deserve more attention in future epidemiological studies.

The potential existence of a wild bird reservoir for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been recently questioned by the spread and the persisting circulation of H5N1 HPAI viruses, responsible for concurrent outbreaks in migratory and domestic birds over Asia, Europe, and Africa. During a large-scale surveillance programme over Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, we detected avian influenza viruses of H5N2 subtype with a highly pathogenic (HP) viral genotype in healthy birds of two wild waterfowl species sampled in Nigeria. We monitored the survival and regional movements of one of the infected birds through satellite telemetry, providing a rare evidence of a non-lethal natural infection by an HP viral genotype in wild birds. Phylogenetic analysis of the H5N2 viruses revealed close genetic relationships with H5 viruses of low pathogenicity circulating in Eurasian wild and domestic ducks. In addition, genetic analysis did not reveal known gallinaceous poultry adaptive mutations, suggesting that the emergence of HP strains could have taken place in either wild or domestic ducks or in non-gallinaceous species. The presence of coexisting but genetically distinguishable avian influenza viruses with an HP viral genotype in two cohabiting species of wild waterfowl, with evidence of non-lethal infection at least in one species and without evidence of prior extensive circulation of the virus in domestic poultry, suggest that some strains with a potential high pathogenicity for poultry could be maintained in a community of wild waterfowl.

A common strategy used to maintain sterile fly quality without sacrificing sterility is to irradiate the insects under an oxygen-reduced atmosphere. So far, sterilizing doses for the South American fruit fly Anastrepha fraterculus have only been determined under normoxia. Our study reports for the first time the dose-sterility response under hypoxia for two different A. fraterculus strains. The pupae were derived from a bisexual strain (a Brazilian-1 population) and a recently developed genetic sexing strain (GSS-89). Two hours prior to irradiation, pupae were transferred to sealed glass bottles and irradiated when oxygen concentration was below 3%. Four types of crosses with nonirradiated flies of the bisexual strain were set to assess sterility for each radiation dose. For males from both strains, Weibull dose?response curves between radiation doses and the proportion of egg hatch, egg-to-pupa recovery, and recovery of adults were determined. The GSS males revealed high sterility/mortality levels compared to males from the bisexual strain at doses < 40 Gy, but a dose of 74 Gy reduced egg hatch by 99% regardless of the male strain and was considered the sterilizing dose. The fertility of irradiated females was severely affected even at low doses under hypoxia.