Therapeutic ultrasound as a potential male contraceptive: power, frequency and temperature required to deplete rat testes of meiotic cells and epididymides of sperm determined using a commercially available system

Ultrasound has been used in rats to produce a Sperm Count Index of zero. The non-invasive and reversible nature of this treatment makes it a promising candidate for a male contraceptive.

Thin-film fixed-bed reactor (TFFBR) for solar photocatalytic inactivation of aquaculture pathogen Aeromonas hydrophila

Aeromonas hydrophila, an important pathogen in aquaculture systems, can be inactivated using a photocatalytic reactor coated with a thin film of titanium dioxide which increases the effectiveness of solar disinfection, demonstrating the application of solar photocatalysis in purification of aquaculture systems.

Neglected Tropical Diseases and the Millennium Development Goals-why the "other diseases" matter: reality versus rhetoric

The paper responds to criticism of mass drug distribution programmes for the control of neglected tropical diseases identifying recent successes and arguing for immediate expansion of programmes based on donated safe and efficacious drugs. Image: Drug distributor with dose pole in Zanzibar during mass distribution of praziquantel and albendazole (Courtesy WHO/A-F Gabrielli).

Forest cover: setting targets for the future

Dr Georgii Alexandrov, co Editor-in-Chief of Carbon Balance and Management, introduces the new thematic series 'Forests: Looking to the Future' and discusses the importance of Land-Use/Land-Cover Change models in setting forest conservation targets.

Thirty years after Alma-Ata: a systematic review of the impact of community health workers delivering curative interventions against malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea on child mortality and morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa

Using large-scale community health worker programmes to implement curative and preventative interventions can achieve large gains in child survival in sub-Saharan Africa, although a larger body of evidence is still needed to persuade policy makers.