View allAll Photos Tagged diagnostics
Diagnostic complex of (railway) infrastructure "ERA+" manufactured by JSC RPC INFOTRANS (Samara, Russia) by order of JSC "Russian Railways" is the special train for complex rail track and catenary diagnosing, and it is composed of set of measuring wagons built on the base of modern passenger carriages and standard carriges for personnel (the first wagon in the row on the picture). Complex allows to measure a lot of railway parameters and transmit them in real time to a single coordination center of RZD.
Диагностический комплекс инфраструктуры "Эра+"
изготовлен АО НПЦ ИНФОТРАНС для ОАО «РЖД».
Diagnostic Black-legged Kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla tridactyla, 37 - 42cm. UNCOMMON here. Breeds on steep sea cliffs, sometimes on buildings. Rarely seen far from the sea.
Salina do Sambouco, Alochete County, Setubal, Portugal.
©bryanjsmith
Diagnostic 'Akepa, Loxops coccineus, 4 - 5 in / 10.16 - 12.7 cm. UNCOMMON and ENDANGERED. An ENDEMIC found in native montane forest above 4,500 ft / 1371.6 m. Probably extinct on Mau'i and is extinct on O'ahu.
Lifelist #5355
Halalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, Mauna Kea, Hawai'i, Hawaiian Islands, United States.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant, Agriornis montana, 25 cm. / 10 in. Widespread in Andes and also seen at lower elevations. Often in altiplano villages on buildings, wires, etc. Natural habitat is rocky slopes near grassland, prefers to perch on rocks instead of bushes.
Farellones, Region Metropolitana De Santiago, Chile.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Straight-billed Earthcreeper, Ochetorhynchus ruficaudus, Upucerthis rufucaudus, 16 - 19 cm. / 6 - 7.5 in. COMMON in the north, less common central. Rocky slopes with scattered shrubbery. This bird danced around and was very shy.
Atacama Desert, Lluta Valley, Arica Y Parinacota Region, Chile.
©bryanjsmith.
Digital images from rawpixel's own physical collection of antique chromolithographic plates
Free download under CC Attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit the artist and rawpixel.com.
Higher resolutions with no attribution required can be downloaded: www.rawpixel.com/board/427285/rawpixel-original-lithographs
Diagnostic features: small size, short pronotum with sharply indented side keels, clubbed antennae (male), thickened antennae (female). Colour & pattern variable, but usually 'busy' with multi-coloured stripes & blotches. Like the field grasshopper, males have red colouration on the abdomen, but are much smaller & the clubbed antennae are distinctive.
The main picture was taken at The Ercall, Shrops, in 2007 with my first digital camera, a 6mp Sony H2 superzoom. It is still the best shot I've taken of the male's antennae.
Diagnostic New Zealand Pipit, Pihoihoi, Anthus novaeseelandidae, 19 cm. / 7.48 in. UNCOMMON ENDEMIC in open habitats from coast to high alpine.
Near Waiokuru off Highway 1, Waikato Region, North Island, New Zealand.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Wrybill, Ngutuparore, Anarhynchus frontalis, 20 - 21 cm. / 7.8 - 8.3 in. VULNERABLE ENDEMIC found along estuaries of the North Island. Unique bill that bends to the right. While feeding on mudflats as the tide was receding 350 - 400 meters distant.
Puketutu Island, Auckland Region, North Island, New Zealand.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Yellow-browed Sparrow, Ammodramus auriferons, 13 cm. / 5 in. COMMON and widespread in grassy areas of the eastern lowlands. Even though we only spotted this single.
Valladolid, Loja Province, Ecuador.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Cinereous Conebill, Conirostrum cinereum littorale, 10 - 11 cm. / 4 - 4.5 in. COMMON in oasis valleys of the north and pre-puna shrub zone. Found in shrubby areas, olive plantations, gardens, riparian scrub and tamarugo forests.
Chaca Valley, Arica Y Parinacota Region, Chile.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Gray Tit-Flycatcher, Fraseria plumbeus orientalis, Myioparus plumbeus, 14 cm / 5.5 in. Locally COMMON resident in dense woodland and savanna thickets, riparian woodland and forest edge.
Sukuza Camp, Kruger National Park, South Africa.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Wall Skink, Fence Skink, Snake-eyed Skink, Cryptoblepharus virgatus, 40 mm. / 1.6 in. Urban areas, woodlands and grasslands. Often on vertical surface such as trees, fences and walls.
Mareeba Wetlands, Mareeba, Queensland, Cairns Administrative Region, Australia.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Sedge Warbler, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus, 11.5 - 13 cm. / 4.5 - 5 in. Dense vegetation in marshy areas; reeds with bushes and herbage, tall rushes, riverside willows,swampy bushland, ditches and canals with lush herbage. Photographed in June 2008.
Titchwell Reserve, England, United Kingdom.
©bryanjsmith.
I recently added a grove of Ponderosa Pines near my sawmill. I am pleased with the results of each tree, but I label this as a diagnostic photo because it also revealed some flaws that needed to be corrected. The molded tree bases were glued to the painted plaster cloth and Styrofoam SubTerrain, but I failed to completely paint the tree bases. Ooops! I corrected this by painting the bases and covering them with ground foam that looked like ferns and underbrush that often grows around tree trunks.
Woodland Scenics makes several sizes of conifer tree kits that can be bent and trimmed into several tree shapes. The tree trunks are then painted the proper color before applying the adhesive that holds on the ground foam foliage. That also applies to their broad leaf tree kits. In this case, I painted the trunks a rust brown color characteristic of the Ponderosa Pines growing throughout the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevadas, Cascades, and other western mountain ranges. This grove of pines are 70 to 80 scale feet tall. My highest ones in another grove are about 110 scale feet tall; however the real species have been measured at 268 feet. This particular species of pine are fairly drought resistant and often grow in fairly open groves with brush or grass underneath. They form the Transition Zone between the semi-desert Upper Sonoran Zone of pinyons, junipers, and scrub oaks below and the Canadian Zone of Douglas Firs. Aspens can grow in either zone after it as been disturbed by fire or landslide and provide shade for the pines, firs, and spruce to grow.
In the background you can see the millpond and sawmill.
Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon Portugal
Charles Correa Associates designed this research and diagnostic centre located in Lisbon. It is a state-of-the-art facility guided by some of the best scientist in the world. The site, where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean, is steeped in history. It is the site where Henry the Navigator, Vasco de Gama and other great Portuguese left on their journeys into the unknown—a perfect metaphor for the discoveries of contemporary science today. The 3 units that constitute the project are:
•the largest for the doctors and scientist,
•the second for the theatre, the exhibition hall, the foundation offices, etc,
•the third is an open-air amphitheatre for the city.
They have been arranged to create a 125m long pathway leading diagonally across the site, towards the open seas. This pathway is ramped up at a gentle slope of 1:20, so as you ascend, you see only sky ahead of you. At the end of the ramp are two stone monoliths, straight from the quarry. When you reach the highest point, you begin to see a large body of water, which seemingly connects (i.e. without any visual break) to the ocean beyond. In the centre of this water body, just below the surface of the water, is an oval shaped object—made of stainless steel and slightly convex, so that it reflects the blue sky and passing clouds above.
Beyond its scientific importance, the centre’s design has also caught the attention of architects around the world. The bid to design the site was won by Indian architect Charles Correa, who also designed the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The centre features a large interior rainforest connecting clinics and laboratories, chemotherapy suites with gardens, and many areas open for public use, including exhibition halls, an outdoor amphitheatre and landscaped walking areas. It is hoped that the location of the centre in the heart of Lisbon, as well as the openness of the site to the public, will encourage awareness of the centre and the Champalimaud Foundation, as well as the health and medical issues that their work is aiming to address.
Diagnostic Southern Cassowary, Casuarius casuarius, 170 - 175 cm. / 67 - 69 in. Quite a distance away, this adult male, with an immature bird following it, was strolling along a stream. You can not see their legs, but each has only two: ) Tropical rainforest, preferring stream banks and clearings.
Moresby Range National Park, Queensland, Australia.
©bryanjsmith.
Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon Portugal
Charles Correa Associates designed this research and diagnostic centre located in Lisbon. It is a state-of-the-art facility guided by some of the best scientist in the world. The site, where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean, is steeped in history. It is the site where Henry the Navigator, Vasco de Gama and other great Portuguese left on their journeys into the unknown—a perfect metaphor for the discoveries of contemporary science today. The 3 units that constitute the project are:
•the largest for the doctors and scientist,
•the second for the theatre, the exhibition hall, the foundation offices, etc,
•the third is an open-air amphitheatre for the city.
They have been arranged to create a 125m long pathway leading diagonally across the site, towards the open seas. This pathway is ramped up at a gentle slope of 1:20, so as you ascend, you see only sky ahead of you. At the end of the ramp are two stone monoliths, straight from the quarry. When you reach the highest point, you begin to see a large body of water, which seemingly connects (i.e. without any visual break) to the ocean beyond. In the centre of this water body, just below the surface of the water, is an oval shaped object—made of stainless steel and slightly convex, so that it reflects the blue sky and passing clouds above.
Diagnostic Meyer's Parrot, Poicephalus meyeri saturatus, 23 cm. / 9 in. Widespread and sometimes COMMON in woodland, bushland, scrub and cultivation below 2200 m. / 7218 ft.
Maasai Mara, Kenya.
©bryansmith.
Diagnostic Brown Snake-Eagle, Circaetus cinerascens, 73 cm / 29 in. COMMON and widespread in bush and woodland. Distant bird.
Tsavo East National Park, Coast, Kenya.
©bryanjsmith.
Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon Portugal
Charles Correa Associates designed this research and diagnostic centre located in Lisbon. It is a state-of-the-art facility guided by some of the best scientist in the world. The site, where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean, is steeped in history. It is the site where Henry the Navigator, Vasco de Gama and other great Portuguese left on their journeys into the unknown—a perfect metaphor for the discoveries of contemporary science today. The 3 units that constitute the project are:
•the largest for the doctors and scientist,
•the second for the theatre, the exhibition hall, the foundation offices, etc,
•the third is an open-air amphitheatre for the city.
They have been arranged to create a 125m long pathway leading diagonally across the site, towards the open seas. This pathway is ramped up at a gentle slope of 1:20, so as you ascend, you see only sky ahead of you. At the end of the ramp are two stone monoliths, straight from the quarry. When you reach the highest point, you begin to see a large body of water, which seemingly connects (i.e. without any visual break) to the ocean beyond. In the centre of this water body, just below the surface of the water, is an oval shaped object—made of stainless steel and slightly convex, so that it reflects the blue sky and passing clouds above.
Beyond its scientific importance, the centre’s design has also caught the attention of architects around the world. The bid to design the site was won by Indian architect Charles Correa, who also designed the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The centre features a large interior rainforest connecting clinics and laboratories, chemotherapy suites with gardens, and many areas open for public use, including exhibition halls, an outdoor amphitheatre and landscaped walking areas. It is hoped that the location of the centre in the heart of Lisbon, as well as the openness of the site to the public, will encourage awareness of the centre and the Champalimaud Foundation, as well as the health and medical issues that their work is aiming to address.
Diagnostic Mangrove Finch, Camarhynchus heliobates, Pinzón del Magyar, 14 cm. / 5.5 in. CRITICALLY ENDANGERED ENDEMIC and a VERY RARE species. We were fortunate to find two birds in a mangrove lagoon near the beach. Their population stands at 20 - 40 birds due to very limited habitat. Plus, there may be speciation between the two remaining fragments of habitat which increases the risk that one, or both populations may go extinct because of an inadequate gene pool. One of "Darwin's Finches".
West coast of Isla Isabela (Albemarle Island), Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Madagascar Swamp-Warbler, Acrocephalus newtoni, 18 cm. / 7.1 in. ENDEMIC to Madagascar. Variety of habitats near water, here at a wetlands enroute to Tulear.
Near Ifaty, Toliara, Madagascar.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Grey-cheeked Thrush, Catharus minimus, 18.4 cm / 7.25 in. COMMON in breeding range in spruce woods. Can be difficult to see. Shot through the van window handheld in June 2007. .
Along Old Denali Highway, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, USA.
©bryanjsmith.
Erika returned to her bench with the diagnostic slate tucked under one arm, as if Eidolon’s presence, impossibly expensive and quietly strange, were simply another system awaiting attention.
Vivienne lingered on the hotdog couch. She pretended the coffee was better here than at the Ravenwood so no one would interpret her staying as protectiveness toward something others would have left to be repaired.
“Erika,” Eidolon said.
Erika looked up. “Yes?”
“I would like to initiate an unscheduled change,” Eidolon continued. “I require external confirmation of outcome.”
Erika’s eyebrows rose a fraction, but she simply nodded. “All right. Show me.”
Eidolon passed behind the partition.
There was a soft whisper of fabric.
Eidolon turned with careful efficiency and stepped out from behind the partition of the small fitting alcove.
The dress was metallic olive-gold, liquid in the light. It cut away with deliberate confidence: bare sides, an open front that framed her torso without apology, the halter rising cleanly to her throat before falling into a long, uninterrupted line to the floor.
Eidolon stopped in the center of the workshop and waited, motionless, as if she had entered a new configuration and was awaiting evaluation.
Erika exhaled slowly. Her expression softened.
“That’s… good,” Erika said. “That’s very good.”
Eidolon’s optics brightened a fraction. “Define ‘good.’”
Erika took a step closer. “It suits you.”
Eidolon processed. “Clarify: does it suit aesthetically?”
“Yes.” Erika’s voice stayed calm, but her eyes did not. They lingered, curious, interested, careful. “Aesthetically.”
Eidolon nodded once. “Confirmation received.”
Only then did Vivienne lift her knuckles briefly to her lips as she suppressed a chuckle.
Eidolon turned her head toward Vivienne. “Director. You are producing an unclassified vocalization.”
Vivienne straightened, executive composure snapping back into place. “I’m fine.”
With an amused, deeply fond smile, she added dryly, “Congratulations. You’ve just been assessed.”
Eidolon’s head tilted. “By whom.”
Vivienne’s brows lifted as she nodded toward Erika. “By the only person in this room whose opinion you asked for.”
Eidolon’s internal systems ran a quick check: Request initiated; response delivered by Erika; positive variance detected; Director amused; no threats present.
“Understood,” Eidolon said.
Then, in the calm tone she might use to request a replacement actuator, she asked Erika, “Would you like to see it in motion?”
Erika blinked. “Yes,” she said. “I would.”
Eidolon extended her hands, palms slightly open.
Erika laid her hands lightly on Eidolon’s, accepting as if they were delicate components.
Eidolon’s internal clock stuttered.
Not enough to register as a fault. Just enough to delay the next scheduled task by three milliseconds.
“Proceed?” Eidolon asked.
Erika’s eyes, blue behind the thin frames, registered with slightly higher contrast as they lifted to meet hers. “Proceed,” she said.
And somewhere deep in Eidolon’s architecture, a priority flag reindexed itself.
It was no longer grouped with maintenance or optimization.
It nested beside motion control and proximity thresholds.
It remained unnamed.
Filed as unscheduled.
And therefore far more dangerous than anything planned.
While we had been out someone nicked a bird off our noses back at our accommodation, finding a newly arrived Great Grey Shrike that turned out to be a very interesting candidate for the first confirmed British record of the subspecies known as Lanius excubitor homeyeri, characterised by white over the bill, extensive wing-bars that produce a double-toothed white patch on the closed wing and (diagnostically according to Poland's rarity panel) pure white outer tail feathers. Driven indoors by bad weather we had good views through the windows, taking photos there and eventually from a cautiously opened front door.
Diagnostic Plaintive Cuckoo, Cacomantis merulinus querulus, 23 cm / 9.1 in. Resident of forest and wooded country. Rainy evening in the park just prior to us being threatened by a bull elephant. Quickly moving along, loud clapping and shouting saved the evening! Handheld.
Nameri National Park, Assam Province, India.
©bryanjsmith.
20201022221012ZW4N41.927E12.481G2.900E1H3.000E1
[Metrionotus Moczar 1970: 16 (IT: 1) spp]
FLVOR of this genus in IT outside IT-82. Same specimen, sx profile. Cfr. notes¹ over the above image.
Metrionotus is not easily recognized among the other Mesitiinæ but some characters are helpful, such as foveolate body surface, dorsal pronotal area with median pronotal line, amsct without median mesonotal line, posterior propodeal projection present. This genus has some characters shared with Anaylax and Clytrovorus, and probably has some spp erroneously allocated to these gg; hence a revision is necessary both for sp level and genus limit diagnoses. Argaman redescribed Metrionotus in 2003 citing that it closely resembles Anaylax because both gg have black head, anterior ocellus crossing supraocular line and hypopygium wider than long. This emphasizes how difficult it is to understand Metrionotus and consequently its recognition.
NOTES
1. Specific diagnostic characters: foveolate body surface, dorsal pronotal area with median pronotal line, amsct without median mesonotal line, posterior propodeal projection present.
REFERENCES
D.N. Barbosa & al. 2021: Chrysidoidea sting morphology.
E.G.F. Regina 2020: Metrionotus IT FLVOR outside IT-82.
G.O. Lanes & al. 2020: Bethylidæ revisited morphology.
C. Jouault & al. 2020: Bethylidæ evolution.
C.O. Azevedo & al. 2018: Bethylidæ global guide, pp. 198-200.
Diagnostic Fischer's Starling, Lamprotornis fischeri, 19 cm. / 7.5 in. Locally COMMON in dry bush habitat.
Erte Arabico Sokoko State Forest, Tsavo East National Park, Kenya.
©bryanjsmith.
Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon Portugal
Charles Correa Associates designed this research and diagnostic centre located in Lisbon. It is a state-of-the-art facility guided by some of the best scientist in the world. The site, where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean, is steeped in history. It is the site where Henry the Navigator, Vasco de Gama and other great Portuguese left on their journeys into the unknown—a perfect metaphor for the discoveries of contemporary science today. The 3 units that constitute the project are:
•the largest for the doctors and scientist,
•the second for the theatre, the exhibition hall, the foundation offices, etc,
•the third is an open-air amphitheatre for the city.
They have been arranged to create a 125m long pathway leading diagonally across the site, towards the open seas. This pathway is ramped up at a gentle slope of 1:20, so as you ascend, you see only sky ahead of you. At the end of the ramp are two stone monoliths, straight from the quarry. When you reach the highest point, you begin to see a large body of water, which seemingly connects (i.e. without any visual break) to the ocean beyond. In the centre of this water body, just below the surface of the water, is an oval shaped object—made of stainless steel and slightly convex, so that it reflects the blue sky and passing clouds above.
Beyond its scientific importance, the centre’s design has also caught the attention of architects around the world. The bid to design the site was won by Indian architect Charles Correa, who also designed the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The centre features a large interior rainforest connecting clinics and laboratories, chemotherapy suites with gardens, and many areas open for public use, including exhibition halls, an outdoor amphitheatre and landscaped walking areas. It is hoped that the location of the centre in the heart of Lisbon, as well as the openness of the site to the public, will encourage awareness of the centre and the Champalimaud Foundation, as well as the health and medical issues that their work is aiming to address.
Novartis, a Swiss-based company, is a global leader in the field of healthcare-related biotechnology.
They are also known for their interest in bold architecture.
This striking building, in Emeryville, California, is Novartis' headquarters for vaccines and diagnostic products.
Taken by a camera lofted by a helium balloon.
© All rights reserved
Diagnostic Male Musk Duck, Biziura lobata, M: 66 cm / 25.9 in; F: 55 cm / 21.6 in. ENDEMIC duck. Not a great image because he kept his distance. Large lobe of skin hanging below the bill. Seen in permanent swamps, large open lakes, tidal inlets and bays.
Beaufort River, Western Australia, Australia.
©bryanjsmith.
Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon Portugal
Charles Correa Associates designed this research and diagnostic centre located in Lisbon. It is a state-of-the-art facility guided by some of the best scientist in the world. The site, where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean, is steeped in history. It is the site where Henry the Navigator, Vasco de Gama and other great Portuguese left on their journeys into the unknown—a perfect metaphor for the discoveries of contemporary science today. The 3 units that constitute the project are:
•the largest for the doctors and scientist,
•the second for the theatre, the exhibition hall, the foundation offices, etc,
•the third is an open-air amphitheatre for the city.
They have been arranged to create a 125m long pathway leading diagonally across the site, towards the open seas. This pathway is ramped up at a gentle slope of 1:20, so as you ascend, you see only sky ahead of you. At the end of the ramp are two stone monoliths, straight from the quarry. When you reach the highest point, you begin to see a large body of water, which seemingly connects (i.e. without any visual break) to the ocean beyond. In the centre of this water body, just below the surface of the water, is an oval shaped object—made of stainless steel and slightly convex, so that it reflects the blue sky and passing clouds above.
Diagnostic Female Golden-winged Warbler, Vermivora chrysoptyera, 4.75 in. / 12.1 cm. NEAR THREATENED. UNCOMMON and declining population in brushy forest habitat with a few tall trees.
Boardwalk, Magee Marsh, Ottawa County, Ohio, United States.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Taita Falcon, Falco fasciinucha, 25 - 30 cm / 9.8 - 11.8 in. THREATENED in South Africa. RARE and localized resident closely associated with cliffs and gorges in woodlands. Way, way up there (above the large whitewash spot ~ 2 o'clock)!
Abel Erasmus Pass, Limpopo Province, South Africa.
©Bryan Jsmith.
Diagnostic Golden-crowned Flycatcher, Myiodynastes chrysocephalus, 20.5 cm. / 8 in. Borders of foothill and sub-tropical forest and woodland and adjacent clearings on both slopes.
Numbala Road, Valladolid, Zamora-Chinchipe Province, Ecuador.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Spot-winged Pigeon, Patagonienas maculosa, 32-33 cm.
Putre, Arica and Parinacota Region, Chile.
©bryanjsmith.
A large pale waterbird with a hefty pinkish pouched bill marked with diagnostic dark spots on the upper mandible. The head is grizzled with a hint of a shaggy crest and the back of the neck is dark. Rings of bare skin around each eye that make this bird look like it's wearing glasses. Juveniles have brown upper wings. The spots on the bill start to appear once the bird is at least two months old. Often seen in large lakes and estuaries fishing in groups. Nests in noisy colonies in trees bleached by droppings.
Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India. March 2016.
Nigerian lab technicians undergo malaria microscopy mentoring with the U.S. Army Research Unit-Kenya’s Malaria Diagnostics and Control Center of Excellence speciailists recently at a Nigerian Air Force hospital near Lagos, Nigeria.
U.S. Army photo by Rick Scavetta
A team of medical experts from U.S. Army Medical Research Unit-Kenya recently visited Nigeria to offer their expertise in malaria microscopy.
The team from USAMRU-K, also known as the Walter Reed Project, departed the unit’s Malaria Diagnostics and Control Center of Excellence in Kisumu, Kenya – arriving in Lagos in late-September, said Maj. Eric Wagar, director of the center.
“Our team was invited to Nigeria to teach a malaria microscopy course and mentor Nigerian instructors who had previously undergone the course at our center in Kisumu,” Wagar said. “This effort in Nigeria is an example of USAMRU-K’s expanding role in Africa to support efforts that increase capabilities within African partner nations.”
The course is the first step in establishing a new malaria microscopy training center in Nigeria as part of the cooperative efforts between the U.S. Defense Department’s HIV program in Nigeria and the Nigerian Ministry of Defense, Wagar said.
One of five U.S. military research overseas labs, USAMRU-K was first established in 1969 at Kenya’s invitation to study trypanosomiasis, a parasitic disease transmitted by the tsetse fly. In 1973, the unit was permanently set up in Nairobi, working through an agreement with the Kenya Medical Research Institute. USAMRU-K has 10 U.S. Army Soldiers, two Army civilians and over 400 Kenyan contractors – a mix of doctors, nurses, scientists and laboratory technicians who work together to research, test and prevent disease.
Much of the USAMRU-K’s efforts are centered on malaria research, anti-malarial drug testing and studies to support malaria vaccines. Other research helps people facing HIV, diarrheal disease and tuberculosis.
In 2004, USAMRU-K began courses at Kisumu. Since then, the center hosted more than 500 students from 16 African countries in an outreach to improve the technicians’ ability to read blood samples for malaria diagnosis, said Col. David Jones, director of USAMRU-K’s Kisumu station.
In the past, research suffered because lab technicians were unable to correctly read blood slides during studies, Jones said.
“Training is pivotal to improve the quality of lab work,” Jones said.
In July 2009, two laboratory technicians from U.S. Defense Department’s HIV program in Nigeria completed the microscopy course in Kenya. The pair served as primary instructors for the first microscopy course in Nigeria - a two-week effort held at the 445th Nigerian Air Force Hospital, Wagar said. In addition to providing medical care for the Nigerian military, the hospital also provides care to a large number of civilian patients.
Upon the USAMRU-K team’s arrival, Nigerian Air Force Group Capt. Edward Abayomi Akinwale, who heads the hospital’s laboratory, offered Wagar and five Kenyan staff a tour of the Nigerian labs.
“The lab was recently renovated,” Wagar said. “This beautiful new facility has over two dozen microscopes and equipment necessary for preparing malaria blood films, plus computers and projectors - everything needed to teach a course in malaria microscopy.”
During the course, Nigerian and U.S. military officials with interest in improving medical research standards observed the class. Wagar also met with Air Commodore Harold Oyechi, the Nigerian medical officer in charge of the hospital, and Brigadier General (Dr.) T. O. Umar, the head of the Nigerian Emergency Plan Implementation Committee, which coordinates bilateral U.S.-Nigerian military efforts to fight HIV and AIDS.
The USAMRU-K team plans to return to Nigeria in March to mentor a second microscopy class and officially commission the new Nigerian malaria microscopy training center, Wagar said. The center has also offered courses in Ghana and is planning for coursework in Tanzania.
“Our goal is to increase Nigerian capabilities to support HIV care and treatment and medical research by mentoring Nigerian staff who, in turn, teach lab technicians among their own ranks,” Wagar said. “It’s a step forward that we were glad to assist in.”
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