First report of rapid, non-invasive, and reagent-free detection of malaria through the skin of patients with a beam of infrared light

We describe the first application of the Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technique to detect Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax malaria parasites through the skin of malaria positive and negative human subjects. NIRS is a rapid, non-invasive and reagent free technique which involves rapid interaction of a beam of light with a biological sample to produce diagnostic signatures in seconds. We used a handheld, miniaturized spectrometer to shine NIRS light on the ear, arm and finger of P. falciparum (n=7) and P. vivax (n=20) positive people and malaria negative individuals (n=33) in a malaria endemic setting in Brazil. Supervised machine learning algorithms for predicting the presence of malaria were applied to predict malaria infection status in independent individuals (n=12). Separate machine learning algorithms for differentiating P. falciparum from P. vivax infected subjects were developed using spectra from the arm and ear of P. falciparum and P. vivax (n=108) and the resultant model predicted infection in spectra of their fingers (n=54).NIRS non-invasively detected malaria positive and negative individuals that were excluded from the model with 100% sensitivity, 83% specificity and 92% accuracy (n=12) with spectra collected from the arm. Moreover, NIRS also correctly differentiated P. vivax from P. falciparum positive individuals with a predictive accuracy of 93% (n=54). These findings are promising but further work on a larger scale is needed to address several gaps in knowledge and establish the full capacity of NIRS as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for malaria. It is recommended that the tool is further evaluated in multiple epidemiological and demographic settings where other factors such as age, mixed infection and skin colour can be incorporated into predictive algorithms to produce more robust models for universal diagnosis of malaria.

The search for baseline events for assessing the safety of nuclear refueling operations at nuclear power plants

The relevance of the topic of the safety of nuclear refueling operations is associated with the specificity of exploitation of RBMK units. One of the most hazardous, from the perspective of accidents at modern nuclear power plants, is the process of nuclear fuel reloading. The operations on rearrangement of fuel cartridges entail the risk of fuel damage, and thus, the likelihood of the release of radioactive substances exceeding the permissible limits. The process of reloading RBMK, if the reactor is at full capacity, consists of the vast number of complex operations characterized by a range parameters. Non-observance of the criteria for carrying out operations, or if the parameter values exceed permissible limits, with high probability leads to an accident. This article explores the possibility of application of formalized approach towards determination of the baseline events that may cause accidents for the purpose of the development of essential protection instruments. The formal approach would allow detecting the excessiveness in protection instruments on the existing blocks, as well as revealing the accident situations that cannot be prevented using these protection instruments. The author formulated systemic approach towards comprehensive assessment of the accident rate of structurally complex systems. Adaptation of this method relative to REM allows systematizing the search for baseline vents that entail uncontrolled situations, as well as optimizing the protection instruments that would ultimately enhance reliability of the system, simplify the exploitation process, and reduce the time of operating cycle of the controller for processing of the protection.

The Compromised Healthcare Sector of India and Other Southeast Asian Countries

This chapter aims to focus on the umpteen challenges in the healthcare sector of India which temper the possibility of partnerships with India and the 10 Southeast Asian countries. India's expenditure on the healthcare sector is only 1% of GDP, less than neighboring ASEAN countries. The Indian Government has privatised the healthcare sector. In the second wave of COVID-19, public and private hospitals are operating at full capacity with shortages of life-saving medicines, oxygen, ventilators, and vaccines. Lower middle-income groups and the poor are suffering the most. Nations of the world, medical scientific community, and pharmaceutical companies put their resources together to discover a vaccine for coronavirus within a year. To have an effective and sustainable model of doing business in healthcare, it is important to have partnerships and integrating best practices and innovations for improving and providing equitable and affordable access to healthcare.

Disparate roost sites drive intraspecific physiological variation in a Malagasy bat

Many species are widely distributed and individual populations can experience vastly different environmental conditions over seasonal and geographic scales. With such a broad ecological reality, datasets with limited spatial and temporal resolution may not accurately represent a species and could lead to poorly informed management decisions. Because physiological flexibility can help species tolerate environmental variation, we studied the physiological responses of two separate populations of Macronycteris commersoni, a bat widespread across Madagascar, in contrasting seasons. The populations roost under the following dissimilar conditions: either a hot, well-buffered cave or within open foliage, unprotected from the local weather. We found that flexible torpor patterns, used in response to prevailing ambient temperature and relative humidity, were central to keeping energy budgets balanced in both populations. While bats’ metabolic rate during torpor and rest did not differ between roosts, adjusting torpor frequency, duration and timing helped bats maintain body condition. Interestingly, the exposed forest roost induced extensive use of torpor, which exceeded the torpor frequency of overwintering bats that stayed in the cave for months and consequently minimised daytime resting energy expenditure in the forest. Our current understanding of intraspecific physiological variation is limited and physiological traits are often considered to be fixed. The results of our study therefore highlight the need for examining species at broad environmental scales to avoid underestimating a species’ full capacity for withstanding environmental variation, especially in the face of ongoing, disruptive human interference in natural habitats.

The infinity stadium: Intensifying the sublime in post-event stadia

<p>The Stadium is a blend of commercialism, functionality, regulation and iconicism. At the height of its power, a Stadium is an unrivalled example of the Sublime functioning at a massive scale for a collective and for individuals simultaneously. Every year, large-scale stadia are built for events such as Olympic Games or World Cups which then become underused or even abandoned after the event has finished. Despite this, these facilities continue to be built. This thesis argues that the challenge then, is to design the Sublime into the post-event stadia architecture. This thesis looks to explore architectural design methods that invest the post-event stadia with the Sublime. The aim is to intensify the Sublime, often found at the height of the event, in post-event situations. Explorations in scale and programming are used to test such intensifications. Can the Sublime – which, to paraphrase Burke, is “the strongest of emotions causing astonishment because of unimagined eloquence, greatness, significance, or power, and which is experienced by the user as awe, wonder or even dread, fear and terror” - be found after the event? This research uses iterative design experimentation to tease out the Sublime at three scales: that of an installation, then a domestic scale and then an urban-public scale. This research ultimately looks to create a project that uses the Sublime as a main driver and design criterion for creating a Stadium that is as effective at low capacity as it is at full capacity through the enticement of the Sublime.</p>

The infinity stadium: Intensifying the sublime in post-event stadia

<p>The Stadium is a blend of commercialism, functionality, regulation and iconicism. At the height of its power, a Stadium is an unrivalled example of the Sublime functioning at a massive scale for a collective and for individuals simultaneously. Every year, large-scale stadia are built for events such as Olympic Games or World Cups which then become underused or even abandoned after the event has finished. Despite this, these facilities continue to be built. This thesis argues that the challenge then, is to design the Sublime into the post-event stadia architecture. This thesis looks to explore architectural design methods that invest the post-event stadia with the Sublime. The aim is to intensify the Sublime, often found at the height of the event, in post-event situations. Explorations in scale and programming are used to test such intensifications. Can the Sublime – which, to paraphrase Burke, is “the strongest of emotions causing astonishment because of unimagined eloquence, greatness, significance, or power, and which is experienced by the user as awe, wonder or even dread, fear and terror” - be found after the event? This research uses iterative design experimentation to tease out the Sublime at three scales: that of an installation, then a domestic scale and then an urban-public scale. This research ultimately looks to create a project that uses the Sublime as a main driver and design criterion for creating a Stadium that is as effective at low capacity as it is at full capacity through the enticement of the Sublime.</p>

EVALUATION OF THE EFFICIENCY OF FRANCHISING IN THE HOTEL BUSINESS

The development of tourism is inextricably linked with the effective functioning of accommodation facilities, which in many countries form a significant share of gross domestic product. The hotel complex of Ukraine needs development and significant investment resources for reconstruction and bringing to international standards. Franchising can become an effective and efficient mechanism for conducting hotel business, which will reduce the risk of business activities, optimize investment, increase the level of hospitality services. The article analyzes the conceptual approaches to the organization of hotel business on a franchise basis in the Ukrainian market, explores the essence and mechanism of business processes on a franchise basis, outlines the economic relations between participants in such relations, identifies advantages and disadvantages of franchising for participants: franchisor and franchisees. In order to assess the effectiveness of opening hotels under franchise agreements, in addition to financial indicators based on discount estimates, it is necessary to take into account the additional benefits that franchisees will receive from consulting services of the franchisor, such as concessional lending, rent, transfer of contracts with suppliers and contractors. reduction of the period of reaching full capacity, transfer of the established business practice, etc. It is the transfer of an efficient business model that will reduce operational risks and guarantee high economic performance. The state and prospects of hotel activities in the conditions of activity restriction due to the COVID-19 pandemic are also considered. Crisis conditions of economic activity always give impetus to new ideas and development of new services. The vectors of further development are the informatization of most technological operations in the industry, and the optimization of operating costs, the formation of a new product, such as renting office space for business people who are ready to work and relax at the same time.

Geographic Factors for Managing Cruise Ship Destination Port to Attraction Passenger Transfer in the Caribbean Region

The Cruise Line industry (CLI) is working on plans to recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19. Along with the expected benefits of a post COVID19 surge in cruise tourism, destination ports have an opportunity to mitigate potential impacts that come with the tourist economy. In this study, we expand on our previous work on four CLI destination sites (two in the Caribbean and two meso-American) to a larger regional study area in the Caribbean Sea and investigate the sustainability of destination marine infrastructure and near port transportation resilience. Twenty- Eight destinations were analyzed in the study. All the CLI destinations ports in the study are considered mature for cruise tourism and have tourist attractions of interest (including historic, natural, shopping, and other areas with sociocultural authenticity), which can be reached during a one day ship visit. An analysis of the marine traffic and geographic settings provides a more complete picture on key parameters that can potentially impact the commerce and livelihoods of local communities near destination ports. The results of the study also provide potential solutions for mitigating these impacts. As a baseline for fully operational cruise industry in the Caribbean Sea, the 2019 cruise year was analyzed since it was the last full year without impact from COVID-19. This paper offers a wider empirical view of CLI impacts on the Caribbean region once the industry resumes to full capacity following the COVID-19 pandemic, and it presents results and recommendations to build a framework for continued study of CLI sustainability.

Development of social and labor relations in rural areas in terms of integration of the agricultural sector of the agro-industrial complex into the EU structure

Social and labor relations in the process of market environment development in the agricultural sector of the agro-industrial complex are undergoing significant changes. The study of these changes is necessary to identify trends that characterize all the processes associated with the use of labor, increase its productivity and impact on the efficiency of agricultural production. Miscalculations in socio-economic policy result in negative consequences and loss of human capital. One of the peculiarities of the period of Ukraine's integration with the EU in Ukraine is that the state does not regulate the content of social and labor relations, and other regulators, such as social partnership, are not yet working at full capacity. The most serious problems were in social and labor relations directly on agricultural enterprises and especially in farms and households. There is a need for effective state influence, using the opportunities of OTG, on the formation of a national model of social and labor relations and the effective use of labor potential. Further development of social and labor relations should be carried out in the context of Ukraine's integration with the EU, which raises the need to improve socio-economic policy towards the agricultural sector in terms of its transformation and adaptation to European integration structures. It is advisable to determine the main directions and priorities of socio-economic modernization of OTG in the coming years. The main ones are: and popularization of knowledge, including the reform of rural vocational schools, the search for new forms of adult learning, the development of economic, technical and social infrastructure, support for entrepreneurship and non-agricultural activities in rural areas.

Safe Return to Work for Domestic Workers in the Time of COVID-19

Domestic workers including housecleaners, nannies, and caregivers are facing a challenging time in the era of COVID-19 exposure. Many domestic workers have lost their jobs worldwide. As businesses and organizations have started to reopen in full capacity, domestic workers are unsure of their future and whether they will be rehired by their employers. They have less protections from labor laws unlike other occupations and usually their employers/agencies do not provide training on safe practices for working in a home setting. There are gaps in understanding safety and health issues associated with precarious work for domestic workers. This review article has searched the literature on safe strategies for domestic workers to eliminate exposure and provides helpful suggestions for domestic workers to safely return to work. Employers or house owners can have a proper reopening plan when considering hiring or rehiring domestic workers. Domestics working in a home environment should use best practices to protect themselves and others from infectious diseases. Having open communication between employers and their domestic workers can go a long way. Implementing and following an effective working plan for both employers and their domestic workers will provide a path towards minimization of hazard and control of infectious diseases like COVID-19.