Publications by authors named "G J Fernando"

Background: In the United States, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expanded public and private health coverage, increased health insurance affordability, reduced healthcare costs, and improved healthcare quality for many. Despite ACA provisions, lack of insurance and other factors continue to affect working-age women's access to primary care services.

Methods: We conducted a mixed-method systematic review to identify factors that affect women's access to primary care services since the ACA.

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Predicting phenotypes from a combination of genetic and environmental factors is a grand challenge of modern biology. Slight improvements in this area have the potential to save lives, improve food and fuel security, permit better care of the planet, and create other positive outcomes. In 2022 and 2023 the first open-to-the-public Genomes to Fields (G2F) initiative Genotype by Environment (GxE) prediction competition was held using a large dataset including genomic variation, phenotype and weather measurements and field management notes, gathered by the project over nine years.

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Palliative care is a vital component of primary healthcare systems, especially in Asia, where the ageing population is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. Integrating palliative care into primary healthcare systems is a crucial strategy for achieving universal access to palliative care. It is necessary to take concurrent actions to achieve this integration, including integrating palliative care into public health policies, educating primary healthcare workers, establishing appropriate service structures and ensuring the availability of controlled medications.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Predicting how genetic and environmental factors influence traits (phenotypes) is a critical challenge in biology, with potential benefits like improved health, food security, and environmental care.
  • - The Genomes to Fields (G2F) initiative hosted a competition in 2022 and 2023, inviting global participants from various disciplines to develop models using a comprehensive dataset gathered over nine years, including genetic and environmental data.
  • - Winning methods combined machine learning with traditional breeding techniques, showcasing a variety of approaches such as quantitative genetics and deep learning, indicating that no single strategy was universally superior in predicting phenotypes in this context.
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Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a major contributor to the global burden of disease, increasingly impacting low-income and marginalised populations in low- and middle-income countries such as Sri Lanka. Microfinance could be a potential approach to target NCDs. Using an ethnographic approach with thematic analysis, this study explored the nexus between microfinance and NCD outcomes.

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