Little is known about the perceptions, attitudes and practices of lymphatic filariasis in Conakry, Republic of Guinea. Yet, such knowledge is important for an optimal design and implementation of setting-specific prevention and control measures. We conducted a cross-sectional study using a mixed methods approach. Qualitative data related to people's general experience with lymphatic filariasis, their perception of the causes of the disease, the onset of elephantiasis, care-seeking behaviour and the socioeconomic impact of lymphatic filariasis were collected through in-depth interviews with 85 respondents. Quantitative data related to strategies for prevention and the knowledge of the causes of the disease were collected by interviewing 429 people. A total of 514 individuals (313 females and 201 males), aged 10-84 years, participated. Most participants were well aware of lymphatic filariasis and they recognized the disease mainly by its disfiguring manifestation, collectively termed "elephantiasis" or "leg-swelling disease". Morbidity patterns due to filarial infection showed an increase with age (from 30 to 50 years) independent of sex. Most patients with lymphatic filariasis abandoned their jobs (73.9%) or sought other work (21.7%). The main perceived causes of acquiring lymphatic filariasis were of supernatural origin (as stated by 8.7% of patients and 5.7% of healthy subjects), while mosquito bites were mentioned by fewer participants (4.3% of patients and 4.2% of healthy subjects). A number of other causes were reported that relate to both medical and non-medical conceptions. The study also identified socioeconomic impairments and stigmatization due to elephantiasis. Taken together, community perception of lymphatic filariasis in Conakry is influenced by sociocultural conceptions. Appropriate health education campaigns aimed at enhancing community understanding of the transmission of lymphatic filariasis are required to increase the success of mass drug administration implemented for the elimination of this disease. There is a need for a morbidity management programme to alleviate lymphatic filariasis-related physical and emotional burden in Conakry.

The planar vibrational response of a single conductor with an attached Stockbridge damper is investigated. The mathematical model accounts for the two-way coupling between the conductor and the damper, the flexural rigidity of both the damper and the conductor, and the mass of the two counterweights of the damper. Hence, the dynamic behaviors of the damper and conductor are simultaneously assessed. Both free and forced vibration analyses are implemented via the use of a finite element code developed in MATLAB. The results of the force vibration analyses show that the effectiveness of Stockbridge dampers depends on their location, mass, and excitation frequency.

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--Introduction. Knowledge of tephritid diversity in Senegal was poor before 2004, so PIP-COLEACP and CIRAD, in collaboration with Cérès-DPV, carried out, in 2004, trapping for preliminary detection of fruit flies in six orchards in the Niayes zone. Materials and methods. We selected three mixed mango orchards and three homogeneous mango orchards in this zone. In each orchard, we used three attractants: Terpinyl acetate (Ter), Trimedlure (Tri) and Torula (Tor). Traps were serviced weekly. Results. We captured 77 642 fruit flies in more than 4 months including mango season; they were represented by 18 identified fly species, including ten Ceratitis, six Dacus and two Bactrocera species. Two very serious pests were identified with the confirmation of Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) for cucurbit crops and the detection of B. invadens Drew Tsuruta & White for fruit crops. The two most abundant species of Ceratitis were C. cosyra and C. silvestrii. Discussion. We captured more fruit fly species in mixed mango orchards than in homogeneous mango orchards. Bactrocera invadens was also more abundant in mixed orchards, probably because of its polyphagous status. This new invasive species, B. invadens, can have many hosts in mixed mango orchards, enhancing its breeding potential. Conclusion. Effective management to deal with this alien species requires: (i) improvement of basic and applied research; (ii) an effective IPM package; (iii) an area-wide management approach; (iv) a sub-regional effort on the part of researchers, extension services, growers, exporters, farming associations and the different actors in fruit value chains (mainly mango). invadens, peut se développer au niveau de nombreuses autres espèces fruitières autres que le manguier, ce qui lui permet d'accroître ses potentialités de reproduction. Conclusion. Une lutte efficace contre cette espèce invasive requiert (i) l'approfondissement de recherches fondamentales et une recherche appliquée efficace, (ii) un paquet technologique efficace en lutte intégrée, (iii) une lutte menée à l'échelle du bassin de production, (iv) un effort général mené à la fois par les centres nationaux de recherche, les services du développement, les exportateurs, les associations de planteurs et les différents intervenants au niveau des filières fruitières (principalement mangue). Senegal / Mangifera indica

Electromagnetic resonant shunt tuned mass damper-inerter (ERS-TMDI) has recently been developed for dual-functional vibration suppression and energy harvesting. However, energy harvesting and vibration mitigation are conflicting objectives, thus rendering the multi-objectives optimization problem a very challenging task. In this paper, we aim at solving the design trade-off between these two objectives by proposing alternative configurations and finding the model with the best performance for both vibration suppression and energy harvesting. Three novel configurations are presented and are compared with the conventional ERS-TMDI. In the first two configurations, the primary structure and the absorber are only coupled through the spring. Both inerter and electromagnetic devices are connected to the ground in the first configuration, whereas only the inerter is connected to the ground in the second configuration. The third configuration is inspired by the recently developed three-element vibration-inerter (TEVAI), but in this case an electromagnetic device is sandwiched in between the primary structure and the absorber. Closed-form expressions are presented for optimum vibration mitigation and energy harvesting performances using H2 criteria for both ground and force excitations. The obtained explicit expressions are validated using matlab optimization toolbox. Simulation examples reveal that the first configuration performs the best, whereas the second performs the worst in terms of both vibration mitigation and energy harvesting. It is also demonstrated that replacing the series RLC with a parallel circuit can improve or degrade the vibration mitigation performance, but it constantly enhances the energy harvesting performance in all four models.