In Bangladesh, serological tests have been widely used for the primary screening of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Several serologic tests are available for the diagnosis of VL. Selection of the best test is important to permit diagnostic differentiation between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients and to reduce cross-reactivity. We evaluated the effectiveness of a new serological test “Onsite Leishmania Ab Rapid Test” as a part of “quality assurance” activities for the kala azar elimination programme of the Government of Bangladesh. Plasma samples of 100 parasitologically confirmed cases of VL along with 101 healthy controls were tested, and “Onsite Leishmania Ab Rapid Test” strip tests were positive in 94 out of 100 confirmed VL cases, whereas four out of 51 healthy subjects from the VL endemic areas also tested positive. All the 50 healthy volunteers tested negative. Thus, the sensitivity and specificity of “Onsite Leishmania Ab Rapid Test” strip test were found to be 94% (95% CI: 87–98) and 96% (95% CI: 90–99), respectively. This study showed that the performance of the “Onsite Leishmania Ab Rapid Test” strip tests was up to the recommended level.
This paper presents how a post-secondary institution like University of British Columbia’s Okanagan (UBCO) campus can reduce its carbon footprint and be aligned with the government’s target through promoting virtual campus and autonomous electric vehicles (AEVs). Different virtual campus scenarios are developed: online classes only, working-from-home only, and a hybrid of both. In the case of AEVs, alternative penetration rates for levels 2 and 5 are considered. A total of 50 scenarios are tested using a sub-area transport simulation model for UBCO, which is extracted from the regional travel demand forecasting model. The results suggest that a 40% AEV penetration rate coupled with fully in-person classes reduces GHG by ~36% compared to the 2018-level, which will help UBCO to achieve their 2030 emission reduction target and be aligned with the provincial target. The 50% AEV and 10% hybrid virtual campus reduces emissions by ~48%, which is aligned with the 2040 provincial target. A fully virtual campus will help to reach the 2050 provincial target by reducing GHG by ~76%. The results further demonstrate that level 5 AEVs produce lesser emissions than level 2 at a lower AEV penetration rate for the fully in-person campus scenario. At higher penetration rates, level 5 performs better only if it is coupled with 10% of students, faculties and staffs attending virtual campus scenario.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.