The Usefulness of Seismic Surveys for Geotechnical Engineering in Karst: Some Practical Examples

Having in mind uncertainties linked with the nature of rock masses, it is a challenge for geotechnical engineers to characterize them in a credible manner, especially if the rock mass in question is a notoriously complex karst with its distinctive features such as voids and discontinuities. A large range of geophysical methods are useful tools in the characterization efforts and their utilization in karst environments nowadays is a non-negotiable requirement, even though near-surface scattering significantly affects the acquired data. This paper demonstrates the versatile applications of seismic geophysical methods for geotechnical engineering in karst, from mapping of near-surface karstic features to the application of elastic wave velocities in determination of small to large strain stiffness of karst. The highlighted practical examples offer a step forward from the traditional interpretation of seismic surveys, making them a prosperous tool in geotechnical engineering investigation works, design and quality control campaign.

Demonstration of resistance to satyrization behavior in Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) from La Réunion island

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are competent vectors of arboviruses such as dengue and chikungunya viruses which co-exist in some areas including La Réunion island. A kind of reproductive interference called satyrization has been described in sympatric species where a dominant species tends to control the spread of the other species. Here, we investigated satyrization in laboratory experiments to provide insights on the potential impact on Ae. aegypti of a control campaign including a sterile insect technique component against Ae. albopictus. Different mating crosses were used to test sympatric, conspecific-interspecific and allopatric effects of irradiated and non-irradiated male Ae. albopictus on female Ae. aegypti, including in a situation of skewed male ratio. Our results suggest that there was only a low level of satyrization between sympatric populations of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus colonised from La Réunion island. A male Ae. albopictus to female Ae. aegypti ratio of 3:1 did not increase the level of satyrization. Female Ae. aegypti previously mated to male Ae. albopictus were not prevented from being inseminated by conspecific male Ae. aegypti. A satyrization effect was not seen between allopatric Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti strains from La Réunion Island either. The tested Ae. aegypti strain from La Réunion island has therefore developed full resistance to satyrization and so releasing sterile male Ae. albopictus may not suppress Ae. aegypti populations if an overflooding of irradiated male Ae. albopictus leads to similar results. The management strategy of two competent species in a sympatric area is discussed.

Pengaturan Alat Peraga Kampanye Dalam Pelaksanaan Pemilihan Kepala Daerah

This study aims to explain the mechanism for electing governors and deputy governors, regents and deputy regents as well as mayors and deputy mayors who are directly elected by the people, through what we are familiar with direct regional head elections and to find out the authority of the general election commission (KPU ) in conducting the procure- ment, distribution and installation of campaign props (APK.) The method used in this research is legal research which is to find the rule of law, legal principles, and legal doc- trines in order to answer the legal issues encountered. In this study shows that given the authority of political parties or candidate pairs to hold campaign props a number of prob- lems arise, including the difficulty for the KPU to control or control campaign props held by political parties or candidate pairs starting from the number, completion time, until the design

Demonstration of resistance to satyrization behavior in Aedes aegypti from La Réunion island

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are competent vectors of arboviruses such as dengue and chikungunya viruses which co-exist in some areas, including La Réunion island, Indian Ocean. A type of reproductive interference called satyrization has been described in sympatric species where dominant species mating fails to produce hybrids and thus reduces the fitness and tends to control the spread of the other species. Here, we investigated satyrization in laboratory experiments to provide insights on the potential impact on Ae. aegypti of a control campaign including a sterile insect technique component against Ae. albopictus. Different mating crosses were used to test sympatric, conspecific-interspecific and allopatric effects of irradiated and non-irradiated male Ae. albopictus on female Ae. aegypti, including in a situation of skewed male ratio. Our results suggest that there was only a low level of satyrization between sympatric populations of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus colonized from La Réunion island. A male Ae. albopictus to female Ae. aegypti ratio of 3:1 did not increase the level of satyrization. Female Ae. aegypti previously mated to male Ae. albopictus were not prevented from being inseminated by conspecific males. A satyrization effect was not seen between allopatric Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti strains from La Réunion Island either. The tested Ae. aegypti strain from La Réunion island has therefore developed full resistance to satyrization and so releasing sterile male Ae. albopictus may not suppress Ae. aegypti populations if an overflooding of irradiated male Ae. albopictus leads to similar results. The management strategy of two competent species in a sympatric area is discussed.

2471. Review of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium difficile and Acquired Bloodstream Infections Across all United Kingdom Intensive Care Units following Implementation of a Statutory National Infection Control Campaign.

Background Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and C. difficile infection have reduced across the UK National Health Service in the last decade following implementation of an infection control campaign. The national impact on hospital-acquired infections in the ICU however has not been comprehensively documented. Methods Data on MRSA, C. difficile, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) and ICU-acquired bloodstream infection (UABSIs) were analyzed from 1,189,142 consecutive patients from 2007 to 2016 recorded prospectively and standardized by highly trained assessors. Initial coverage was 139 ICUs increasing to 275 ICUs representing 100% of general, adult UK ICUs. Results ICU MRSA and C. difficile admissions and acquisitions per 1000 patients decreased between 2007 and 2012 (MRSA admissions 38.8 to 13.1; acquisitions 25.4 to 4.1; C. difficile admissions 10.6 to 4.2; acquisitions 11.1 to 3.5), whereas VRE admissions and acquisitions increased from 1.9 to 5.3 and 1.5 to 5.9, respectively. There were 13,114 UABSIs in 1.8% patients staying >48 hours. UABSIs fell from 7.3 (95% CI 6.9–7.6) to 1.6 (95% CI 1.5–1.7)/1,000 bed-days between 2007 and 2012. Adjusting for patient admission and ICU factors the IRR was 0.21 (95% CI 0.19–0.23, P < 0.001) from 2007 to 2016. Reductions in UABSIs were seen for all main organisms excluding VRE with greatest reductions for MRSA (97%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (80%), S. aureus (77%) and Candida spp. (71%) but lower reductions for E. coli (54%) and Klebsiella (42%). Conclusion Large decreases in ICU-acquired infections occurred across the UK ICU network between 2007 and 2012 linked with the first few years of the national infection control campaign, but rates have been static since. Further reductions in ICU will likely require a new intervention framework. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Questionnaire Survey on Ectoparasites Challenges and Impact of Ectoparasites Control Campaign Conducted in Welkait, Tigray Region, Ethiopia

A cross-sectional survey study was conducted from November 2015 to May 2016 in Welkait district Western part of Tigray Region. A total of 120 small ruminant owners were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaire. The survey was focus on husbandry system, awareness status of animal owners on ectoparasites and their effect, treatment approaches and an assessment on the implementation and impact of ectoparasites control intervention practiced in the study district. The current assessment showed that the production system practiced in the study area is mixed production with (31.67%) owners managed their sheep and goats independently in their own house whereas (62.5%) had been kept their sheep and goats together with other domestic animal including dog and cat. With regard to the knowledge of ectoparasites species, (100%) of the respondents clearly indicate that they knew one or more ectoparasites that affect sheep and goats. During the survey, the veterinary service delivery and the free charge governmental ectoparasites control campaign conducted was assessed. According to the response of (89.61%) respondents reported that modern veterinary service delivery had in their nearby but; the rest did not have any service. Out of 120 interviewed, (98.33%) respondents knew the free charge governmental ectoparates control program conducted from 2012 to 2015. From the total 120 intertwined individual, (94.17%) small ruminant owners sprayed/dipped their sheep and goats one or more times at different interval using acaricides (diazinone 60%). From (94.17%) respondents which had sprayed/dipped their sheep and goats, (88.49%) were used knapsack spraying option whereas (4.42%) disinfected by dipping. During the survey the interval of treatment applied was assessed. According the response (70.00%) interviewed individuals, they were treated their sheep and goats at two week interval whereas (25.00%) and (5.00%) of the respondent provided and treated their small ruminants at three and four week interval respectively. As indicated by (96.5%) respondents, there was re-infestation of ectoparasites after the control campaign. Based on these findings, designing and implementing proper annual chemical control, develop clear animal movement policy and strict quarantine, creating awareness and better management practice should be implemented.

A behavioral design approach to improving a Chagas disease vector control campaign in Peru

Background Individual behavior change is a critical ingredient in efforts to improve global health. Central to the focus on behavior has been a growing understanding of how the human brain makes decisions, from motivations and mindsets to unconscious biases and cognitive shortcuts. Recent work in the field of behavioral economics and related fields has contributed to a rich menu of insights and principles that can be engineered into global health programs to increase impact and reach. However, there is little research on the process of designing and testing interventions informed by behavioral insights. Methods In a study focused on increasing household participation in a Chagas disease vector control campaign in Arequipa, Peru, we applied Datta and Mullainathan’s “behavioral design” approach to formulate and test specific interventions. In this Technical Advance article we describe the behavioral design approach in detail, including the Define, Diagnosis, Design, and Test phases. We also show how the interventions designed through the behavioral design process were adapted for a pragmatic randomized controlled field trial. Results The behavioral design framework provided a systematic methodology for defining the behavior of interest, diagnosing reasons for household reluctance or refusal to participate, designing interventions to address actionable bottlenecks, and then testing those interventions in a rigorous counterfactual context. Behavioral design offered us a broader range of strategies and approaches than are typically used in vector control campaigns. Conclusions Careful attention to how behavioral design may affect internal and external validity of evaluations and the scalability of interventions is needed going forward. We recommend behavioral design as a useful complement to other intervention design and evaluation approaches in global health programs.