Amy Price, patient editor, The BMJ; senior research scientist, Stanford University School of Medicine
Wise words from someone you should listen to….
Wearing a mask doesn’t mean that you are weak or
cowardly. It’s a way to protect vulnerable people
around you. I am vaccinated, yet I wear a mask
whether I’m inside or outside, in solidarity with
people who are still vulnerable.
New article, just out: https://wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/2-78/v1
Summary: The estimates of podoconiosis cases presented here based upon the combination of currently available epidemiological data and a robust modelling approach clearly show that podoconiosis is highly endemic in Ethiopia. Given the presence of low cost prevention, and morbidity management and disability prevention services, it is our collective responsibility to scale-up interventions rapidly
It is a huge risk. We, as researchers, may often find ourselves going into situations where we might be uncomfortable or in danger, for the sake of our research. It makes you wonder how many of us have been in a situation where a person of authority has taken advantage…. Speak up and out against harassment, discrimination and abuse.
La Mariposa is a wonderful organisation, not only is it an eco-hotel and spanish school but they also do an incredible amount of work with the local communities. Below is a paragraph from their website.
Over the years La Mariposa has become involved in a wide range of different projects in several of the poorer barrios in La Concha. We do not set up our own projects– ideas and initiatives come directly from people in the community — and, at their request, we employ people to work with them. Some of the projects support children, including disabled children; others, such as helping building a bakery, benefit women’s cooperatives; we are also increasingly involved in eco-tourism initiatives aimed to strengthen both local communities and the local environment. Plus we have our rescued animals: dogs, cats, monkeys, parrots, and horses. Volunteer work is available on most of the projects.
Read about the impact that Hurricane Nate has had on La Mariposa and DONATE here: https://mariposaschool.wordpress.com/2017/10/08/hurricane-nate/
Please consider donating to this worthy cause….
If you are in the UK, you can donate here (and Gift Aid it to boost the donation by 25%!): http://www.sustainability-partners.org.uk/tierra.html
if you are in NYC, go and see this 7 min projection onto the celestial ceiling in Grand Central station on the ‘Hidden stars’ behind some of the greatest STEM achievements :
The AMNH Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences invites applications to carry out research projects in collaboration with senior research staff. Fields of research include mineralogy, petrology/high-temperature geochemistry, experimental petrology, volcanology, mineral deposits, meteoritics/planetary sciences and paleoclimatology. Appointments are for six months to two years beginning September 2018.
Application guidelines are at: http://bit.ly/EPPostDoc. The application deadline is 11/15/17.
Applicants are expected to discuss potential research projects with research staff prior to submission of applications. For questions please contact Dr. Jim Webster, jdw@amnh.org. For further information see http://bit.ly/EPStuOp.
First topic – Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis
http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/news/NTD_course_now_accessible_via_eLearning/en/
Fantastic new article on the first statistically based arsenic hazard model and health risk map for Pakistan, combining groundwater quality data with various environmental variables.
http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/8/e1700935 (open access)
Great animation of Cenozoic (66-0 Ma) volcanism over the western margin of North America from the IAVCEI (International Association of Volcanism and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior) plenary-session 2017 talk, uploaded by IRIS.
In the United States, nearly one in two adults and one in four children do not drink tap water on a given day, with even more dismal statistics among minority and low-income populations (Patel et al., 2013).
Patel AI et al. 2013. Sociodemographic characteristics and beverage intake of children who drink tap water. Am J Prev Med. 45(1):75–82.
After the tragedy of Flint, Michigan, we need to highlight the importance of having access to safe, reliable drinking water for all. This paper identifies the key problems and sets out a strategy to tackle this important topic. Have a read!
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.2017.303972
Dr Jennifer S Le Blond, Ph.D 