Window Screens Research Articles

Optimization of control strategies for non-domiciliated Triatoma dimidiata, Chagas disease vector in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico.

BackgroundChagas disease is the most important vector-borne disease in Latin America. Regional initiatives based on residual insecticide spraying have successfully controlled domiciliated vectors in many regions. Non-domiciliated vectors remain responsible for a significant transmission risk, and their control is now a key challenge for disease control.Methodology/Principal FindingsA mathematical model was developed to predict the temporal variations in abundance of non-domiciliated vectors inside houses. Demographic parameters were estimated by fitting the model to two years of field data from the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico. The predictive value of the model was tested on an independent data set before simulations examined the efficacy of control strategies based on residual insecticide spraying, insect screens, and bednets. The model accurately fitted and predicted field data in the absence and presence of insecticide spraying. Pyrethroid spraying was found effective when 50 mg/m2 were applied yearly within a two-month period matching the immigration season. The >80% reduction in bug abundance was not improved by larger doses or more frequent interventions, and it decreased drastically for different timing and lower frequencies of intervention. Alternatively, the use of insect screens consistently reduced bug abundance proportionally to the reduction of the vector immigration rate.Conclusion/SignificanceControl of non-domiciliated vectors can hardly be achieved by insecticide spraying, because it would require yearly application and an accurate understanding of the temporal pattern of immigration. Insect screens appear to offer an effective and sustainable alternative, which may be part of multi-disease interventions for the integrated control of neglected vector-borne diseases.

Brominated flame retardants and other polyhalogenated compounds in indoor air and dust from two houses in Japan

This study analyzed polyhalogenated compounds (PHCs) such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in indoor air and dust samples from two modern homes in Japan. Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 2,4,6-tribromophenol (2,4,6-TBP) in exhaust and indoor air of two houses were detected at 10 2–10 3 pg m −3 order, which were well above those in outdoor air. For dust samples, the detected polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) and polybrominated dibenzo- p-dioxins/furan concentrations resembled values found in our past study. Interestingly, compared to PBDE concentrations, two orders of magnitude higher concentration (13 000 ng g −1) was observed for hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in a dust sample from one house. Based on the calculation of air/dust partition ratio values ( Kad), low Kad values (log Kad ⩽ 0) were obtained for high brominated PBDEs (pentaBDEs – decaBDE), tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), and HBCDs, although indoor air contained higher contents of low chlorinated PCBs, low brominated PBDEs, and 2,4,6-TBP. Attention should be given to exposure to 2,4,6-TBP through inhalation of air as well as dust ingestion. Results of X-ray fluorescence analysis show high bromine concentrations in curtain and roll screen samples possessing a high product loading factor. Furthermore, a preliminary estimation was made of the likely magnitude of inhabitants’ exposure to PHCs via inhalation and dust ingestion in the two houses.

Airflow and microclimate patterns in a one-hectare Canary type greenhouse: An experimental and CFD assisted study

This study presents an analysis of air circulation and microclimate distribution during daytime in a 1-ha Canary type tomato greenhouse in the coastal area of southern Morocco. The investigation of the climate inside the greenhouse is based on a numerical simulation using a finite volumes method to solve the mass, momentum and energy conservation equations. The main novelty of this simulation lies in the realism of the 3D modelling of this very large agricultural structure with (i) a coupling of convective and radiative exchanges at the surface of the plastic roof cover, (ii) simulation of the dynamic influence of the insect screens and tomato crop on airflow movement, using the concept of porous medium, (iii) simulation, in each grid cell of the crop canopy, of the sensible and latent heat exchanges between the greenhouse air and the tomato crop, and (iv) detailed simulation of climate parameters in a 1-ha real-scale commercial greenhouse. The model simulations were first validated with respect to temperature and relative humidity fields measured inside the experimental greenhouse for fairly steady-state outside conditions marked by a prevailing sea breeze around the solar noon. A good agreement was observed between the measured and simulated values for inside air temperatures and specific humidity. It was next used for exploring the details of the inside air temperature and humidity fields and plant microclimates and transpiration fluxes throughout the greenhouse space. Simulation for a wind direction perpendicular to the side and roof openings shows that the insect screen significantly reduced inside air velocity and increased inside temperature and humidity, especially in the vicinity of the crop canopy. It revealed the details of the flow field within the greenhouse. At the windward end of the greenhouse, the flow field was marked by a strong windwise air current above the tomato canopy which was fed by the windward side vent, and a slow air stream flowing within the tomato canopy space. Then, from the first third of the greenhouse to the leeward end, the flow field was marked by the combination of wind and buoyancy forces, with warmer and more humid inside air which was evacuated through the upper roof vents, while colder and dryer air was penetrated through the upper roof vent openings. Based on these simulations, design studies of the greenhouse crop system were performed to improve inside air temperature and humidity conditions by simple modifications of orientation of the crop rows.

Teaching a Reluctant Adult Reader: A Case Study

We 21st-century vision rehabilitation therapists can trace our roots in the United States back to the early 20th-century pioneer home teachers who instructed homebound blind adults in one or more finger-reading systems ... and in methods of coping with the demands of daily (Koestler, 2004). Although braille and technology have enhanced the range and scope of accessible reading-and-writing systems during the past 100 years, itinerant vision rehabilitation therapists are continually challenged with the mission established by our predecessors to provide therapeutically oriented instruction as a means through which adult clients develop methods to cope successfully with the demands on daily living imposed by their unique vision loss, learning challenges, and lifestyle needs. Since the ongoing process of adjusting to vision loss naturally has an impact on learning for our adult clients, and vice versa, vision rehabilitation therapists need to determine how to assess and address therapeutically the degree to which issues related to vision loss might be affecting reluctant readers. Although there is no single formula that applies to every reader, the following case may offer a few factors for vision rehabilitation therapists to consider in similar situations. Elayne, a recently retired 60-year-old human service professional and self-professed assistive technology geek, engaged in an intensely defiant and unsuccessful struggle in making the transition from using ZoomText screen magnification software to the JAWS for Windows screen reader for reading, word processing, e-mail, and web navigation. Although Elayne was capable, self-motivated, and resilient, and had enthusiastically requested JAWS instruction, she was not benefiting from the supplemental, multisensory teaching approaches and tools I had devised for her. Finally, her increasingly defensive and argumentative behavior during lessons became a time-consuming diversion that sabotaged the learning process, making impossible for me to continue instruction with her. Both Elayne and I knew she had reached a defining moment in her personal rehabilitation program. We needed to determine whether or not her ambitious goals for learning communications skills were still realistic and, if they were not, how her goals should be modified according to her abilities. In response to our mutual concerns, I talked with Elayne about how we might functionally apply the following premise as a means to identify and respond to factors that had the potential to block her progress: is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it (Holtz, n.d.). Because Elayne trusted that our mutual intention was to do everything we could to help her succeed, I arranged a meeting with her so we could discuss her progress, during which we respectfully, thoroughly, and candidly discussed all the following considerations to determine if some of them could be contributing to Elayne's frustrating lack of progress and incomplete homework assignments: * Ability (Did Elayne have an undiagnosed auditory processing or memory challenge or both?) * Motivation (Was Elayne devoting sufficient time and effort to study or practice in spite of her fears of failure?) * Attitude (Since Elayne was embarrassed to admit that she was confused and needed additional help during and between lessons, would she be able to commit to the rigorous effort required to develop meticulous aural and keyboard navigation skills?) We agreed that motivation was a realistic factor to measure because we could create a quantifiable structure to measure the content, quality, and rates of training; homework performance; and learning progress. To ensure that the functional teaching strategies and rehabilitation goals would be continually responsive to her learning ability, motivation, and attitude, together we formally incorporated and documented Elayne's new responsibilities in the Statement of Method section of her Rehabilitation Teaching Individualized Written Service Plan, effectively committing Elayne and me to the process of measuring her progress and identifying the causes of her learning challenges. …

Aerosol Deposition on Electroformed Wire Screens

Insect screens, which are usually an integral component of an air sampling inlet, can cause inadvertent deposition of larger aerosol particles. Numerical and experimental studies were performed to characterize aerosol deposition on commercially available electroformed wire screens for aerodynamic particle diameters between 3 and 20 μ m, Stokes numbers between 0.49 and 20, wire widths between 35 and 160 μ m, and screen open area fractions of 0.56 to 0.90. With increasing values of Stokes numbers, the actual collection efficiency increases gradually to a maximum value that is asymptotic to the fraction of open area. Deposition is characterized in terms of a standardized screen efficiency, which is the actual efficiency divided by the areal solidarity (1–fraction of open area). A correlation equation has been developed for the electroformed mesh screens, which relates the standardized efficiency to the fraction of open area, the Stokes number, the interception parameter, and the Reynolds number based on wire...

P03-116 Damage to object oriented programming in the brain explains many of the psychopathological features of schizophrenia

Introduction:Modern computers often use programs that incorporate a programming technique called Object Oriented Programming (OOP), allowing users to manipulate complex ‘computational objects’ such as menus, screen windows, etc with very little effort, say the click of a mouse. OOP deals with structures called objects and allows time and computational effort saving devices such as inheritance, polymorphism and encapsulation. We examine whether the brain itself may use OOP and if representation of objects suffers a breakdown in schizophrenia.Review of literature:Previous models fail to provide a unifying explanation with a computational basis that could explain the psychopathology in schizophrenia. METHODS Using the object oriented programming language JavaTM we designed a system of self-objects named ‘hand’, ‘action monitor’ etc interacting with non-self objects ‘scissors’, ‘hammer’, ‘wall’, etc. in computational experiments, we allow the ‘action monitor’ to fail; the features of disparate objects are allowed to merge, some features of an object are allowed to be shared with other objects, etc.Results:By transposing only a few lines of code, it is possible to duplicate various features of the psychopathology of schizophrenia.Discussion:Our model can demonstrate overinclusion (overabstraction), concrete thinking (underabstraction), loss of ego boundaries (conjoining of disparate objects), delusions (misattribution of object function), lack of insight (poor monitoring of object activity) and passivity (loss of monitoring and misattribution of object activity).Conclusion:The brain must use the OOP model in its computations. Failure of object representation and manipulation must lie at the core of the psychopathology of schizophrenia.

Maximally efficient two-stage screening: Determining intellectual disability in Taiwanese military conscripts

The purpose of this study was to apply a two-stage screening method for the large-scale intelligence screening of military conscripts. We collected 99 conscripted soldiers whose educational levels were senior high school level or lower to be the participants. Every participant was required to take the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) assessments. Logistic regression analysis showed the conceptual level responses (CLR) index of the WCST was the most significant index for determining intellectual disability (ID; FIQ ≤ 84). We used the receiver operating characteristic curve to determine the optimum cut-off point of CLR. The optimum one cut-off point of CLR was 66; the two cut-off points were 49 and 66. Comparing the two-stage window screening with the two-stage positive screening, the area under the curve and the positive predictive value increased. Moreover, the cost of the two-stage window screening decreased by 59%. The two-stage window screening is more accurate and economical than the two-stage positive screening. Our results provide an example for the use of two-stage screening and the possibility of the WCST to replace WAIS-R in large-scale screenings for ID in the future.

POLLINATION EFFECTIVENESS OF APIS CERANA FABRICUS AND APIS MELLIFERA LINNAEUS (HYMENOPTERA: APIDAE) IN JATROPHA CURCAS L. (EUPHORBIACEAE)

Pollinators are well known to provide key ecosystem. Animal pollinators are thought to contribute between 15 and 30% of global food production and bees are recognized to be the most important taxon. The pollination effectiveness of two species of bees, Apis cerana and A. mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Jatropha curcas (Euphorbiaceae) was studied. Three cages, made of insect screen were set up. Each cage contains three individual plants. One colony of A. mellifera and A. cerana were placed in the first and second cage, while the third cage was used for control plants. Bee colonies were placed during one month in the first and second cages.  Fruit set of plants pollinated by A. mellifera, A. cerana, control plants, and open plants were counted and compared. Pollination by honeybees increased the number of fruits per plant and fruits per raceme of J. curcas. Based on measuring of fruit produced by plants, pollination effectiveness of A. mellifera was higher than A. carana. Key words: Pollination, effectiveness, Apis cerana, A. mellifera, seed set, Jatropha curcas.

Use of Integrated Malaria Management Reduces Malaria in Kenya

BackgroundDuring an entomological survey in preparation for malaria control interventions in Mwea division, the number of malaria cases at the Kimbimbi sub-district hospital was in a steady decline. The underlying factors for this reduction were unknown and needed to be identified before any malaria intervention tools were deployed in the area. We therefore set out to investigate the potential factors that could have contributed to the decline of malaria cases in the hospital by analyzing the malaria control knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) that the residents in Mwea applied in an integrated fashion, also known as integrated malaria management (IMM).MethodsIntegrated Malaria Management was assessed among community members of Mwea division, central Kenya using KAP survey. The KAP study evaluated community members' malaria disease management practices at the home and hospitals, personal protection measures used at the household level and malaria transmission prevention methods relating to vector control. Concurrently, we also passively examined the prevalence of malaria parasite infection via outpatient admission records at the major referral hospital in the area. In addition we studied the mosquito vector population dynamics, the malaria sporozoite infection status and entomological inoculation rates (EIR) over an 8 month period in 6 villages to determine the risk of malaria transmission in the entire division.ResultsA total of 389 households in Mwea division were interviewed in the KAP study while 90 houses were surveyed in the entomological study. Ninety eight percent of the households knew about malaria disease while approximately 70% of households knew its symptoms and methods to manage it. Ninety seven percent of the interviewed households went to a health center for malaria diagnosis and treatment. Similarly a higher proportion (81%) used anti-malarial medicines bought from local pharmacies. Almost 90% of households reported owning and using an insecticide treated bed net and 81% reported buying the nets within the last 5 years. The community also used mosquito reduction measures including, in order of preference, environmental management (35%), mosquito repellent and smoke (31%) insecticide canister sprays (11%), and window and door screens (6%). These methods used by the community comprise an integrated malaria management (IMM) package. Over the last 4 years prior to this study, the malaria cases in the community hospital reduced from about 40% in 2000 to less than 10% by 2004 and by the year 2007 malaria cases decreased to zero. In addition, a one time cross-sectional malaria parasite survey detected no Plasmodium infection in 300 primary school children in the area. Mosquito vector populations were variable in the six villages but were generally lower in villages that did not engage in irrigation activities. The malaria risk as estimated by EIR remained low and varied by village and proximity to irrigation areas. The average EIR in the area was estimated at 0.011 infectious bites per person per day.ConclusionsThe usage of a combination of malaria control tools in an integrated fashion by residents of Mwea division might have influenced the decreased malaria cases in the district hospital and in the school children. A vigorous campaign emphasizing IMM should be adopted and expanded in Mwea division and in other areas with different eco-epidemiological patterns of malaria transmission. With sustained implementation and support from community members integrated malaria management can reduce malaria significantly in affected communities in Africa.

Precision and recall estimates for two-hybrid screens

Motivation: Yeast two-hybrid screens are an important method to map pairwise protein interactions. This method can generate spurious interactions (false discoveries), and true interactions can be missed (false negatives). Previously, we reported a capture–recapture estimator for bait-specific precision and recall. Here, we present an improved method that better accounts for heterogeneity in bait-specific error rates.Result: For yeast, worm and fly screens, we estimate the overall false discovery rates (FDRs) to be 9.9%, 13.2% and 17.0% and the false negative rates (FNRs) to be 51%, 42% and 28%. Bait-specific FDRs and the estimated protein degrees are then used to identify protein categories that yield more (or fewer) false positive interactions and more (or fewer) interaction partners. While membrane proteins have been suggested to have elevated FDRs, the current analysis suggests that intrinsic membrane proteins may actually have reduced FDRs. Hydrophobicity is positively correlated with decreased error rates and fewer interaction partners. These methods will be useful for future two-hybrid screens, which could use ultra-high-throughput sequencing for deeper sampling of interacting bait–prey pairs.Availability: All software (C source) and datasets are available as supplemental files and at http://www.baderzone.org under the Lesser GPL v. 3 license.Contact: joel.bader@jhu.eduSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

The effects of shading on dioecious, pistillate Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle transplants from Lake Okeechobee, Florida, U.S.A.

The effect of shading on morphometric and meristic characteristics of dioecious, pistillate Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle was investigated in a large outdoor tank using water, sediment, and plants from Lake Okeechobee, Florida. These data were needed for a hydrologically integrated submersed aquatic vegetation model being developed to assess the effects of restoration activities on Lake Okeechobee. Plants were grown in peat sediment and lake water, under ambient temperature (27.0-30.8 °C) and photoperiod (13 L: 11D to 14 L: 10 D). Treatments were established by differentially shading plants with varying numbers of layers of fiberglass window screen. Photon flux density (PFD) measured 0.27 m above the sediment surface ranged from 8 to 154 μmole photons m -2 s -1 , or 1.1 to 21.6 % of average incident photosynthetically active solar radiation (PAR), based on percent transmittance in the tank and averaged continuous daytime measurements from a mid-lake PAR sensor. Plant characteristics examined included ash-free dry mass (AFDM), leaf, node, shoot, and branch numbers, leaf area, cumulative shoot length, and the number of leaves on the upper third of all shoots; all of which decreased linearly with decreasing PAR, and had statistically significant treatment effects. No statistically significant treatment effects were found for maximum shoot and mean and maximum internodal lengths, or when the number of leaves or branches on the upper third of all shoots were expressed as a percentage of their totals, indicating that significant treatment-induced internodal elongation and canopy formation had not occurred. Mean absolute and relative growth rates ofH. verticillata were estimated to be 11.6 ± 1.9 mg AFDM plant -1 d -1 (mean ± SE) and 0.04 ± 0.003 d -1 , respectively. Estimated photosynthetic PFDs for no net growth (NNG) was negative, with an upper 95 % confidence limit of 13 μmole photons m -2 s -1 , or 1.8 % of mean incident PAR for absolute, and 7 μmole photons m -2 s -1 , or 0.9 % of mean incident PAR for the mean relative growth rate. These results demonstrate that H. verticillata has a high growth rate and can grow in very low light, which may impart an important adaptive advantage given the poor light climate typical of much of Lake Okeechobee and many other disturbed, culturally hypereutrophic waterbodies.

Preventing Childhood Falls at Home: Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression

Childhood falls are an important global public health problem, but evidence on their prevention has not been quantitatively synthesized. Despite social inequalities in childhood injury rates, there is a lack of evidence examining the effect of fall-prevention practices by social group.A systematic review of literature was conducted up to June 2004 and meta-analysis using individual patient data to evaluate the effect of home-safety interventions on fall-prevention practices and fall-injury rates. Meta-regression examined the effect of interventions by child age, gender, and social variables. Included were 21 studies, 13 of which contributed to meta-analyses.Home-safety interventions increased stair-gate use (OR=1.26; 95% CI=1.05, 1.51), and there was some evidence of reduced baby-walker use (OR=0.66; 95% CI=0.43, 1.00), but little evidence of increased possession of window locks, screens, or windows with limited opening (OR=1.16, 95% CI=0.84, 1.59) or of nonslip bath mats or decals (OR=1.15; 95% CI=0.51, 2.62). Two studies reported nonsignificant effects on falls (baby-walker-related falls on flat ground [OR=1.35; 95% CI=0.64, 2.83] or down steps or stairs [OR=0.70; 95% CI=0.14, 3.49]) and medically attended falls (OR=0.78; 95% CI=0.61, 1.00).Home-safety education and the provision of safety equipment improved some fall-prevention practices, but the impact on fall-injury rates is unclear. There was some evidence that the effect of home-safety interventions varied by social group.

Thermal characteristics of a double-glazed external wall system with roll screen in cooling season

A double-skin system (double-glazed external wall) is an effective passive system that can be used to decrease solar heat gain into buildings. Detailed information on the thermal distribution of double-skin facades is necessary to design better systems that can provide thermal comfort and conserve energy. In this study, the three-dimensional thermal characteristics of double-skin facades that had the ventilation opening installed partially and were screened partially by the adjacent buildings were investigated by field measurements. To that end, field measurements were carried out on the double-skin exterior wall (9.4 m high and 27.0 m wide) installed in an atrium located in the west of an existing building during cooling period for typical summer conditions. Maximum air change rate of natural ventilation through the bottom opening up to the top opening is about 20–25 [1/h], the reduction ratio of total solar heat gain compared with those of non-natural ventilation is about 25%. The exhaust solar heat gain is about 100 W/m 2 per inner glass surface area of the double-skin facades. Air temperature distribution of air space in the double skin was ranged from 30 °C to 44 °C, and heat gain difference ranged from 50 W/m 2 to 130 W/m 2. The influence of the ventilation openings and the shade conditions on temperature distribution of double skin is found to be significant and the double-skin system was verified to reduce the cooling loads effectively.

Fly screen for flu targets

RNAi screening in Drosophila could yield new host or viral targets for influenza and possibly other viral infections. But opinions vary over whether the method is superior to use of human cell lines.

Automating a 96-well microtitre plate model for Staphylococcus aureus biofilms: an approach to screening of natural antimicrobial compounds

The purpose of this study was to establish and automate an assay to be used for screening novel antimicrobial agents against biofilm-forming Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. The selected assay was based on crystal violet staining, which is a well used method for staining bacterial biofilms. The method was first optimised manually, antibiotic susceptibility was established and biofilm formation in plates was confirmed using atomic force microscopy. Automation of the assay was done using a Thermo Scientific Multidrop ® Combi dispenser and Biomek ® 3000 liquid handling workstation. A detailed comparison of the performance between the manual and the automated method was made in terms of screening window coefficient as well as other statistical parameters and repeatability measurements, such as plate-to-plate and day-to-day variability. Automated screening of an in-house library of natural products gave the same positive hits as previously reported, therefore the developed assay can be regarded as a reliable screening tool.

Study protocol for a three-armed randomized controlled trial to assess whether house screening can reduce exposure to malaria vectors and reduce malaria transmission in The Gambia.

BackgroundMosquito-proofing homes was one of the principal methods of environmental management in the early 1900s. House screening provides protection against malaria by reducing exposure to malaria parasites and has the added benefit of protecting everyone sleeping in the house, avoiding issues of inequity within the household. The aim of this study is to determine whether house screening protects people against malaria in Africa. It is hoped that this study will mark the beginning of a series of trials assessing a range of environmental interventions for malaria control in Africa.DesignA 3-armed randomised-controlled trial will be conducted in and around Farafenni town in The Gambia, West Africa, to assess whether screening windows, doors and closing eaves or installing netting ceilings in local houses can substantially reduce malaria transmission and anaemia compared to homes with no screening. Eligible houses will be sorted and stratified by location and the number of children in each house, then randomly allocated to the interventions in blocks of 5 houses (2 with full screening, 2 with screened ceilings and 1 control house without screening). Risk of malaria transmission will be assessed in each house by routine collections of mosquitoes using light traps and an anaemia prevalence study in children at the end of the main transmission period.DiscussionPractical issues concerning intervention implementation, as well as the potential benefits and risks of the study, are discussed.Trial RegistrationISRCTN51184253 – Screening-homes to prevent malaria

The Establishment of an In-Situ Real Time Radiation Contour Mapping Technique

The goal of this study is to present that an in-situ radiation dose distribution on an area measured by using a gamma radiation measuring instrument is grasped without a delay. Fundamentally, the test includes an area map as well as real numerical data from the measured area. The map is a computer file with a format of ‘bmp’ which is used in the gamma radiation measuring instrument, and the data is a text file which has numerical values of the latitude, longitude and radiation dose rates of the measured points. The radiation dose rates of the unmeasured points in the area are displayed through an interpolation with those of the measured ones. A 2D plot shows the contour lines with an overlapped map image and a 3D one gives contour lines on the z-axis for an immediate understanding of the radiation level. It is available to optionally display the numerical values of the radiation dose rates and to zoom up and down the image of a certain part for a detailed view. This contour mapping method programmed by using a commercial software requires only a mouse click to show in-situ in a real time the radiation distribution on the corresponding map in a laptop window screen.

Fundamental issues in mosquito surveillance for arboviral transmission

Marked spatiotemporal variabilities in mosquito infection of arboviruses, exemplified by the transmission of West Nile virus (WNV) in America, require adaptive strategies for mosquito sampling, pool screening and data analyses. Currently there is a lack of reliable and consistent measures of risk exposure, which may compromise comparison of surveillance data. Based on quantitative reasoning, we critically examined fundamental issues regarding mosquito sampling design and estimation of transmission intensity. Two surveillance strategies were proposed, each with a distinct focus, i.e. targeted surveillance for detection of low rates of mosquito infection and extensive surveillance for evaluation of risk exposure with high levels of mosquito infection. We strongly recommend the use of indicators embodying both mosquito abundance and infection rates as measures of risk exposure. Aggregation of surveillance data over long periods of time and across broad areas obscures patterns of focal arboviral transmission. We believe that these quantitative issues, once addressed by mosquito surveillance programs, can improve the epidemiological intelligence of arbovirus transmission.

RealTimeFrame – A Real Time Processing Framework for Medical Video Sequences

Imaging technology is highly important in today’s medical environments. It provides information upon which the accuracy of the diagnosis and consequently the wellbeing of the patient rely. Increasing the quality and significance of medical image data is therefore one the aims of scientific research and development. We introduce an integrated hardware and software framework for real time image processing in medical environments, which we call RealTimeFrame. Our project is designed to offer flexibility, easy expandability and high performance. We use standard personal computer hardware to run our multithreaded software. A frame grabber card is used to capture video signals from medical imaging systems. A modular, user-defined process chain performs arbitrary manipulations on the image data. The graphical user interface offers configuration options and displays the processed image in either window or full screen mode. Image source and processing routines are encapsulated in dynamic library modules for easy functionality extension without recompilation of the entire software framework. Documented template modules for sources and processing steps are part of the software’s source code.

COMPARISON OF VISUAL PERFORMANCES OF WINDOW SCREENS AND VENETIAN BLINDS

In order to identify the characteristics of visual performance of window screens, which include providing sufficient light, reducing discomfort glare and keeping the visibility of the outside view, visual performances of window screens are compared with that of venetian blinds. The apparent openness factor and the average luminance and luminance distribution of the window, which determine the visual performance, are calculated for the window screens and the blinds. The results show the change in the apparent openness factor with the angle between the window plane and the line of the sight for the window screen and the blinds. The window screens are not advantageous to keep both a moderate average luminance and the pattern of the luminance distribution of the window in comparison with the blind, when they are hit by the direct sunlight.