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Background Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT) have become an essential tool for the control of malaria worldwide. Their simplicity of use and their reliability make them ideal for the diagnosis of malaria in endemic areas. Numerous brands are now available on the market. In South East Asia, where both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax are prevalent, the Abbott-Bioline™ Malaria Ag Pf/Pv rapid diagnostic test (for the detection of Pf HRP2 and Pv LDH) is deployed widely but, after years of satisfactory performance, its recent sensitivity has been questioned after multiple false negative results were reported. Methods and results The study was conducted between October 2024 and January 2025. A field comparison with the First Response ® Malaria Ag pLDH/HRP2 RDT (for the detection of Pf HRP2 and Plasmodium Pan LDH) and microscopy (i.e. the gold standard) was conducted on the Thailand-Myanmar border where, until recent conflict, falciparum malaria was close to elimination. Overall (combining all field specimen), the Bioline RDT had a sensitivity of 0.18 and a specificity of 0.99 for P. falciparum . The corresponding figures for the First Response RDT were 0.89 and 0.93 respectively. For P. vivax malaria, the Bioline RDT had a sensitivity of 0.44 and a specificity of 0.99, while the First Response RDT had a sensitivity of 0.59 and a specificity of 0.98. In laboratory studies, using samples from patients or standard antigen panels (NIBSC antigens including histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP2 and P. vivax lactate dehydrogenase (PvLDH)), Bioline RDT consistently showed fainter result lines compared to the other brands of RDTs, at parasite densities between 208 and 1993/µL, and some tests had no visible lines at all. The Bioline RDT detected only 45.0% (9 of 20) cases of acute falciparum malaria and 74.0% (37 of 50) cases of acute vivax malaria whereas the First-response RDT, identified 90.3% (18 of 20) of P. falciparum and 84.0% (42 of 50) P. vivax cases. Conclusion The Abbott-Bioline™ Malaria Ag Pf/Pv RDT that were obtained in 2024 failed to detect microscopically confirmed cases of malaria and is not fit for purpose. This test should no longer be used and should be replaced by one with adequate performance.

Human-crocodile interaction in the Laguna del Carpintero, Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico has been a growing concern for the last several years, with homeless people being the most affected, although individuals of fixed address have also been involved. The objective of this document is to describe in detail a case of non-fatal human-crocodile interaction in this lagoon and the response of the SOS Crocodile Tampico working group. To document the case, we collected information on the interaction, the causative crocodile and the affected person. On June 8, 2024 a male person was involved in a non-fatal interaction with a 278 cm long crocodile, which caused a fracture in his left leg, requiring him to be transported to the nearest hospital. This event activated the first response team who provided pre-hospital and hospital care; search and capture of the crocodile involved, as well as the custody, handling and final disposal of the crocodile into captivity. Therefore, we consider that inter-institutional coordination between federal, state, municipal, health and crocodile specialists, integrated as the SOS Crocodile working group, is fundamental to rapidly and efficiently attend the interactions with crocodiles in urban areas.

This article presents a study using social robots in a hotel public space. The objective of this study is to investigate people’s response to robot’s different speech. We used humanoid robot NAO for setting up our experiments: (i) A single robot greeted each guest. (ii) A single robot engaged in soliloquy about hotel’s information. (iii) Dual robots had conversations between each other about hotel’s information. In each experiment, hotel guests’ behavior in response to robot’s speech was studied by using four patterns that reflected the level of a guest’s interest to the robot’s speech. With these behavior-patterns, we analyzed the guests’ first and second responses after they encountered with the robot in the hotel. Our study helps to understand the practical effectiveness of robot’s speech in a public space context, which could inspire the design of hotel-assistive robots.

Open Source Software (OSS) projects rely on a continuous stream of new contributors for their livelihood. Recent studies reported that new contributors experience many barriers in their first contribution, with the social barrier being critical. Although a number of studies investigated the social barriers to new contributors, we hypothesize that negative first responses may cause an unpleasant feeling, and subsequently lead to the discontinuity of any future contribution. We execute protocols of a registered report to analyze 2,765,917 first contributions as Pull Requests (PRs) with 642,841 first responses. We characterize most first response as being positive, but less responsive, and exhibiting sentiments of fear, joy and love. Results also indicate that negative first responses have the literal intention to arouse emotions of being either constructive (50.71%) or criticizing (37.68%) in nature. Running different machine learning models, we find that predicting future interactions is low (F1 score of 0.6171), but relatively better than baselines. Furthermore, an analysis of these models show that interactions are positively correlated with a future contribution, with other dimensions (i.e., project, contributor, contribution) having a large effect.

The Kahramanmaraş earthquakes struck the north-eastern part of Türkiye and Syria on February 6, 2023. It is well known that timely coordination and provision of emergency medical care in the field is particularly important to save lives after earthquakes. This study aimed to identify the challenges faced by medical responders on the ground. This exploratory-descriptive qualitative study was conducted in Hatay, the province most affected by the earthquakes. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and field observations, and then analyzed using thematic analysis approach. The study was carried out with 15 first responders from the medical profession. The study revealed 9 themes of challenges faced by medical responders: providing safety and security, human resources management, meeting personal needs, recording data, communication, patient transport, burial procedures, psychological acumen, and logistical problems. Some problems were resolved after 72 h and some continued until day 7. Inadequate organization of volunteer health workers, communication breakdowns, and logistical problems are some of the main challenges. To address these issues, satellite phones and radio systems can be promoted, as well as disaster-resilient logistical planning and better coordination of volunteers.

Forest ecosystems are vital to sustainable development, contributing to economic, environmental and social well-being. However, the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires threaten these ecosystems, demanding more effective and integrated fire management (IFM) strategies. Current suppression efforts face limitations due to high resource demands and the need for timely, informed decision-making under uncertain conditions. This paper presents the SILVANUS project’s approach to developing an advanced Decision Support System (DSS) designed to assist incident commanders in optimizing resource allocation during wildfire events. Leveraging Geographic Information Systems (GIS), real-time data collection, AI-enhanced analytics and multicriteria optimization algorithms, the SILVANUS DSS component integrates diverse data sources to support dynamic, risk-informed decisions. The system operates within a cloud-edge infrastructure to ensure scalability, interoperability and secure data management. We detail the formalization of the resource allocation problem, describe the implementation of the DSS within the SILVANUS platform, and evaluate its performance in both controlled simulations and real-world pilot scenarios. The results demonstrate the system’s potential to enhance situational awareness and improve the effectiveness of wildfire response operations.

Community transmission of the new coronavirus is occurring in several parts of the United States, and travel bans and mandatory quarantines alone cannot end the outbreak. Many public health and legal scholars believe that more constructive tools are needed.

Years of anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric will be difficult to reverse, but it’s essential that the Trump administration address the needs of undocumented immigrants in its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Improving interactions between first responders and individuals experiencing behavioral crisis is a critical public health challenge. To gain insight into these interactions, key informant qualitative interviews were conducted with 25 Chicago stakeholders. Stakeholders included directors and staff of community organizations and shelters that frequently engage first responders. Interviews included granular depictions related to the expectations and outcomes of 911 behavioral crisis calls, and noted areas requiring improved response. Stakeholders called 911 an average of 2 to 3 times per month, most often for assistance related to involuntary hospitalization. Engagements with first responders included unnecessary escalation or coercive tactics, or conversely, refusal of service. While stakeholders lauded the value of police trained through the city’s Crisis Intervention Team program, they emphasized the need for additional response strategies that reduce the role of armed police, and underscored the need for broader social and behavioral health services for individuals at-risk of such crises.

This analysis examines whether the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency sick leave provision of the bipartisan Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) reduced the spread of the virus. Using a difference-in-differences strategy, we compared changes in newly reported COVID-19 cases in states where workers gained the right to take paid sick leave (treatment group) versus in states where workers already had access to paid sick leave (control group) before the FFCRA. We adjusted for differences in testing, day-of-the-week reporting, structural state differences, general virus dynamics, and policies such as stay-at-home orders. Compared with the control group and relative to the pre-FFCRA period, states that gained access to paid sick leave through the FFCRA saw around 400 fewer confirmed cases per state per day. This estimate translates into roughly one prevented case per day per 1,300 workers who had newly gained the option to take up to two weeks of paid sick leave.