Digital disease detection tools are technologically sophisticated, but dependent on digital information, which for many areas suffering from high disease burdens is simply not an option. In areas where news is often reported in local media with no digital counterpart, integration of local news information with digital surveillance systems, such as HealthMap (Boston Children's Hospital), is critical. Little research has been published in regards to the specific contribution of local health-related articles to digital surveillance systems. In response, the USAID PREDICT project implemented a local media surveillance (LMS) pilot study in partner countries to monitor disease events reported in print media. This research assessed the potential of LMS to enhance digital surveillance reach in five low- and middle-income countries. Over 16 weeks, select surveillance system attributes of LMS, such as simplicity, flexibility, acceptability, timeliness, and stability were evaluated to identify strengths and weaknesses in the surveillance method. Findings revealed that LMS filled gaps in digital surveillance network coverage by contributing valuable localized information on disease events to the global HealthMap database. A total of 87 health events were reported through the LMS pilot in the 16-week monitoring period, including 71 unique reports not found by the HealthMap digital detection tool. Furthermore, HealthMap identified an additional 236 health events outside of LMS. It was also observed that belief in the importance of the project and proper source selection from the participants was crucial to the success of this method. The timely identification of disease outbreaks near points of emergence and the recognition of risk factors associated with disease occurrence continue to be important components of any comprehensive surveillance system for monitoring disease activity across populations. The LMS method, with its minimal resource commitment, could be one tool used to address the information gaps seen in global 'hot spot' regions.

BACKGROUND: Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) that rely on the detection of Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (PfHRP2) have become key tools for diagnosing P. falciparum infection. The utility of RDTs can be limited by PfHRP2 persistence, however it can be a potential benefit in low transmission settings where detection of persistent PfHRP2 using newer ultra-sensitive PfHRP2 based RDTs can serve as a surveillance tool to identify recent exposure. Better understanding of the dynamics of PfHRP2 over the course of a malaria infection can inform optimal use of RDTs. METHODS: A previously published mathematical model was refined to mimic the production and decay of PfHRP2 during a malaria infection. Data from 15 individuals from volunteer infection studies were used to update the original model and estimate key model parameters. The refined model was applied to a cohort of patients from Namibia who received treatment for clinical malaria infection for whom longitudinal PfHRP2 concentrations were measured. RESULTS: The refinement of the PfHRP2 dynamic model indicated that in malaria naïve hosts, P. falciparum parasites of the 3D7 strain produce 33.6 × 10-15 g (95% CI 25.0-42.1 × 10-15 g) of PfHRP2 in vivo per parasite replication cycle, with an elimination half-life of 1.67 days (95% CI 1.11-3.40 days). The refined model included these updated parameters and incorporated individualized body fluid volume calculations, which improved predictive accuracy when compared to the original model. The performance of the model in predicting clearance of PfHRP2 post treatment in clinical samples from six adults with P. falciparum infection in Namibia improved when using a longer elimination half-life of 4.5 days, with 14% to 67% of observations for each individual within the predicted range. CONCLUSIONS: The updated mathematical model can predict the growth and clearance of PfHRP2 during the production and decay of a mono-infection with P. falciparum, increasing the understanding of PfHRP2 antigen dynamics. This model can guide the optimal use of PfHRP2-based RDTs for reliable diagnosis of P. falciparum infection and re-infection in endemic settings, but also for malaria surveillance and elimination programmes in low transmission areas.

We investigate bond-rearrangement driven by photo-double-ionization (PDI) near and above the double-ionization threshold in a sequence of carbon-carbon double-bonded hydrocarbon molecules: ethylene, fluoroethylene, and 1,1-difluoroethylene. We employ the kinematically complete cold target recoil ion momentum spectroscopy method to resolve all photo-double-ionization events leading to two-ion fragments. We observe changes in the branching ratios of different dissociative ionization channels depending on the presence of no, one, or two fluorine atoms. The role of the fluorine atom in the bond-rearrangement channels is intriguing, as evident by the reordering of the threshold energies of the PDI in the fluorinated molecules. These effects offer a compelling argument that the electronegativity of the fluorine (or the polarity of the molecule) strongly influences the potential energy surfaces of the molecules and drives bond rearrangement during the dissociation process. The energy sharing and the relative angle between the three-dimensional momentum vectors of the two electrons enable us to distinguish between knockout and other ionization mechanisms of the PDI processes.

We have conducted an experimental study on the photo double ionization (PDI) of carbon dioxide dimers and oxygen dimers, while focusing on the dissociation dynamics upon single photon absorption. The results in terms of the kinetic energy and angular distributions of the charged particles show unambiguous experimental evidence of intermolecular Coulombic decay (ICD) in carbon dioxide dimers. In the oxygen dimer, the results show that ICD is accompanied by knock-off ionization mechanisms.

We investigate interatomic Coulombic decay in NeKr dimers after neon inner-valence photoionization [Ne⁺(2s^-1)] using a synchrotron light source. We measure with high energy resolution the two singly charged ions of the Coulomb-exploding dimer dication and the photoelectron in coincidence. By carefully tracing the post-collision interaction between the photoelectron and the emitted ICD electron we are able to probe the temporal evolution of the state as it decays. Although the ionizing light pulses are 80 picoseconds long, we determine the lifetime of the intermediate dimer cation state and visualize the contraction of the nuclear structure on the femtosecond time scale.

We demonstrate the use of cold target recoil ion momentum spectroscopy to perform state-selective measurements of the dissociative channels following single-photon double-ionization of H2O. The two dominant dissociation channels observed lead to two-body (OH++H++2e-) and three-body (2H++O+2e-) ionic fragmentation channels. In the two-body case we observe the presence of an autoionization process with a double-differential cross section that is similar to the single-photon double-ionization of helium well above threshold. In the three-body case, momentum and energy correlation maps in conjunction with new classical trajectory calculations in the companion theory paper by Z. L. Streeter et al. [Phys. Rev. A 98, 053429 (2018)10.1103/PhysRevA.98.053429] lead to the determination of the eight populated dication states and their associated fragmentation geometry. For the latter case, state-specific relative cross sections, median kinetic energy releases, and median angles between asymptotic proton momenta are presented. This benchmark-level experiment demonstrates that, in principle, state-selective fixed-frame triple-differential cross sections can be measured for some dication states of the water molecule.

We have conducted an experimental study on the photo double ionization (PDI) of carbon-dioxide dimers at photon energies of 37 and 55 eV and oxygen dimers at photon energies of 38, 41.5, and 46 eV, while focusing on the dissociation dynamics upon single-photon absorption. The investigation was performed by applying the cold-target recoil-ion momentum spectroscopy method in order to collect and record the three-dimensional momenta of the ionic fragments and emitted electrons from the dissociating dimer in coincidence. The kinetic-energy release upon fragmentation and the electron angular distributions in the laboratory and body-fixed frames, as well as the relative electron-electron emission angle, show unambiguous experimental evidence of intermolecular Coulombic decay (ICD) in carbon-dioxide dimers upon photoionization below and above the double-ionization threshold of CO2 monomers. The PDI of oxygen dimers is less conclusive and shows contributions from ICD and knock-off ionization mechanisms. As for atomic dimers, the present results reveal that ICD in CO2 dimers after valence PDI can also serve as a source for low-energy electrons, known to be very relevant in biological systems, cells, and tissues.

We present an experimental investigation of symmetry breaking of H2 and D2 molecules after single photoionization due to the Coulomb field of the emitted slow electron interacting with the parent cation during dissociation. The experiments were carried out by measuring the three-dimensional momentum vectors of the photoelectron and recoiling ion in coincidence using a reaction microscope. For photon energies close to threshold, the low-energy photoelectron influences the dissociation process, which results in an asymmetric molecular frame photoelectron angular distribution. This can be explained by the retroaction of the Coulomb field of the photoelectron on its parent ion and has been recently experimentally demonstrated by M. Waitz et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 043001 (2016)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.116.043001], confirming theoretical predictions by V. V. Serov and A. S. Kheifets [Phys. Rev. A 89, 031402(R) (2014)PLRAAN1050-294710.1103/PhysRevA.89.031402]. High-momentum resolution and a new series of photon energies just above the dissociation threshold enable the observation of a strong influence of the electron energy and nuclear kinetic energy on the electron localization process for energies below ∼100 meV, which so far has neither been observed nor discussed by theory. Exploring the limitations of the retroaction mechanism at our lowest photon energy, we are able to single out a sensitive testbed and present data of non-Born-Oppenheimer dynamics of the simplest molecular system for future benchmark computational treatments.

Molecular frame photoelectron angular distributions (MFPADs) are measured in electron-ion momentum imaging experiments and compared with complex Kohn variational calculations for carbon K-shell ionization of carbon tetrafluoride (CF4), ethane (C2H6) and 1,1-difluoroethylene (C2H2F2). While in ethane the polarization averaged MFPADs show a tendency at low energies for the photoelectron to be emitted in the directions of the bonds, the opposite effect is seen in CF4. A combination of these behaviors is seen in difluoroethylene where ionization from the two carbons can be distinguished experimentally because of their different K-shell ionization potentials. Excellent agreement is found between experiment and simple static-exchange or coupled two-channel theoretical calculations. However, simple electrostatics do not provide an adequate explanation of the suggestively simple angular distributions at low electron ejection energies.