The HIV/AIDS epidemic has many serious consequences for children. These consequences are, however, rarely inevitable. Families can provide a protective barrier that deflects blows, or minimises their impact and a supportive nurturing environment that can help children recover from harm. If strong enough, and with sufficient access to quality services and support from communities, families can r...

National, regional and international competitiveness of an economy is increasingly connected to the presence of an environment supportive of innovation and risktaking. Innovation is gaining prominence on agendas of governments throughout the world who increasingly appreciate the need to develop knowledge-based economies as a prerequisite to competitiveness and growth. Given this recognition, it...

The organs of the hepatosplanchnic system are considered to play a key role in the development of multiorgan failure during septic shock. Impaired oxygenation of the intestinal mucosa can lead to disruption of the intestinal barrier, which may promote a vicious cycle of inflammatory response, increased oxygen demand and inadequate oxygen supply. Standard septic shock therapy includes supportive...

Accumulating evidence implicates cerebral fat embolism (CFE) as a causative agent in post-operative confusion (POC). CFE occurs following orthopaedic procedures including, intra-medullary (IM) nailing and total joint arthroplasty (TJA). The incidence of CFE is high (59-100% TJA) and the resulting POC is associated with higher overall complication rates. Cognitive dysfunction improves in many pa...

Research has begun to explore the use of virtual humans (VHs) in clinical interviews (Bickmore, Gruber, & Picard, 2005). When designed as supportive and ‘‘safe’’ interaction partners, VHs may improve such screenings by increasing willingness to disclose information (Gratch, Wang, Gerten, & Fast, 2007). In health and mental health contexts, patients are often reluctant to respond honestly. In th...

Adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) has been overlooked historically despite the high risks that countries face for its neglect. Some of the challenges faced by adolescents across the world include early pregnancy and parenthood, difficulties accessing contraception and safe abortion, and high rates of HIV and sexually transmitted infections. Various political, economic, and socioc...

Tight junctions create regulated barriers in the paracellular space between epithelial cells, including those of the airway and alveolus. Junctions vary widely throughout the body in their electrical resistance and, to some extent, in their ionic charge selectivity. Paracellular differences complement transcellular transport to define overall water, ion, and solute movements. A large family of ...

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a reversible syndrome of impaired brain function occurring in patients with advanced liver diseases. The precise pathophysiology of HE is still under discussion; the leading hypothesis focus on the role of neurotoxins, impaired neurotransmission due to metabolic changes in liver failure, changes in brain energy metabolism, systemic inflammatory response and altera...

This paper presents a new cooperative wireless communication network strategy that incorporates energy cooperation and data cooperation. The model establishment, design goal formulations, and algorithms for throughput maximization of the proposed protocol are presented and illustrated using a three-node network with two energy harvesting (EH) user nodes and a destination node. Transmission mode...