Understanding how neglected tropical diseases programs in five Asia-Pacific countries adjusted to the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.

Background: Following the COVID-19 pandemic declaration, the World Health Organization recommended suspending neglected tropical diseases (NTD) control activities as part of sweeping strategies to minimise COVID-19 transmission. Understanding how NTD programs were impacted and resumed operations will inform contingency planning for future emergencies. This is the first study that documents how South-East Asian and Pacific NTD programs addressed challenges experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contrasting effects of the Toll-like receptor 4 in determining ovarian follicle endowment and fertility in female adult mice.

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is best known for its role in bacteria-produced lipopolysaccharide recognition. Regarding female reproduction, TLR4 is expressed by murine cumulus cells and participates in ovulation and in cumulus-oocyte complex (COC) expansion, maternal-fetal interaction and preterm labour. Despite these facts, the role of TLR4 in ovarian physiology is not fully understood.

Water transit time and active recharge in the Sahel inferred by bomb-produced Cl.

The lack of data and suitable methods to quantify regional hydrological processes often hinders sustainable water management and adaptation to climate change in semiarid regions, particularly in the Sahel, which is known for its climatic variability. Here we show that Cl from nuclear tests is a promising method to estimate water transit times and groundwater recharge rates on the catchment scale, and to distinguish water and chloride cycles. Cl was measured in 131 surface and groundwater samples in the Chari-Logone sub-catchment of the emblematic Lake Chad Basin, located in central Sahel.

3D numerical modelling of a pulsed pumping process of a large DNAPL pool: In situ pilot-scale case study of hexachlorobutadiene in a keyed enclosure.

Remediation of dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) represents a challenging issue because of their persistent behaviour in the environment. This pilot-scale study investigates, by means of in situ experiments and numerical modelling, the feasibility of the pulsed pumping process of a large amount of a DNAPL in an alluvial aquifer. The main compound of the DNAPL is hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD), added in 2015 to the persistent organic pollutants list (POP).

Experimental device for chemical osmosis measurement on natural clay-rock samples maintained at in situ conditions: implications for formation pressure interpretations.

In order to characterize the so-called coupled processes occurring in compacted clay rocks, the coupling coefficients must be identified. For this purpose, an original device which allows such measurement for undisturbed (natural) samples in their in situ conditions was developed. The present experimental device minimizes the fluid leaks improving the accuracy of the coupling parameter determination.