Exploring the challenges of implementing COVID_19 guidelines: Experiences of commuters in the Copperbelt Province, Zambia.

Background: The first case of COVID-19 in Zambia was confirmed on the 18th of March 2020, to date 320, 412 people have been infected and 3983 Covid related deaths have been reported. In Zambia, public transport is mainly by road, dominated by intra-city minibuses. This mode of transport particularly involve serious human interaction and compliance with Covid -19 preventive measures, especially in urban areas had not been systematically evaluated.Aims: To explore the challenges to compliance in implementing the recommended WHO COVID -19 guidelines in Copperbelt Province, Zambia.Design: An explorative qualitative study.Methods: Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted from February to April 2022 and, content analysis was used.Results: The following 5 major themes emerged: “perception and experiences about Covid 19; knowledge of prevention guidelines; attitudes towards implementation of the prevention guidelines; accessibility and availability of protective equipment; and, accessibility and availability of transport.” Drivers and conductors experienced tremendous reduction in income due to restricted movements of passengers as well as social distancing which called for a reduction in the number of passengers in a particular bus, cost of face masks and hand sanitizers. This left them with no profit and most of them were retrenched. Passengers reported discomfort caused by the face masks which prevented some of them from breathing properly, while others reported impact on their business and restriction in movements. A section of respondents felt that Covid was a hoax therefore prevention guidelines were an infringement on them.Conclusion: This study highlights the fact that creating an enabling environment for doing business is critical by ensuring Covid -19 prevention materials are subsidized or provided for free. In addition provision of loans to transporters to cushion the challenges are crucial. Furthermore there is need to maximize information dissemination to raise awareness and depoliticize the fight against Covid -19

The overriding driver dynamics in Ethiopia–South Africa migrations

Ethiopian youths and adults have been migrating from South Ethiopia to the Republic of South Africa for the last 40 years. Related studies on sub-Saharan Africa and particularly on Ethiopia have mostly emphasized the combined relationships of the two end drivers of push and pull but have failed to longitudinally examine the migratory experiences and driver dynamics. The two stated end drivers have also been incorporated within the purview of natural, political, and econometric domains, further obscuring overriding factorial reproduction and its changing aspects, which this study elucidated. The present investigation addressed the migration experiences of the Hadiyya and Kambaata ethnic groups and contextually probed how their migration practices shifted from the micro to macro geospatial levels. It also took into account discrete periods, intervening variables, and other changes that have shaped and reshaped the migration patterns and trends of these communities. This study applied a concurrent longitudinal study design via a multisided ethnographic approach. Qualitative semi-structured and unstructured interviews were conducted with one hundred and eight (108) respondents, and observations along with twelve (12) focus group discussions and, ten (10) in-depth interviews were carried out. The study was conducted from June 2016 to January 2019 in two selected rural woredas of the Hadiyya and Kambaata zones in Southern Ethiopia. It also encompassed the downtown locations of Johannesburg and Pretoria, where most Ethiopian migrants reside. In so doing, the study sought to answer two key research questions: how and why the practice of emigration has emerged and transcended beyond the political boundaries of Ethiopia to South Africa and how the migration drivers are evolving. The discussion section of the paper elucidates that migration is not a new phenomenon for these communities; rather, it forms a historical continuum as a culture and a survival strategy to combat resource constraints. However, migration has been galvanized by the combined effects of poverty, political oppression, displacement, and structural, sociopolitical, and economic marginalization after the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front came into power and instituted ethnicity-based regionalism. Migration is sustained by overriding as well as accompanying changes and challenges at local, national, and international levels. These difficulties cannot be measured merely through environmental, sociopolitical, or econometric-based conditions prevailing at specific times and places. Their determination requires factors beyond such time-bound incidences and parameters. This article is designed to generally discuss and illuminate such comprehensive experiences.

Is there association between temporomandibular dysfunctions, sleep quality, parafunctional habits, anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis? - Pilot study

 Abstract: There is a high prevalence of anxiety, depression, and stress in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and these factors associated with psychotropic medications can lead to temporomandibular disorders (TMD). However, the association between these variables and TMD is still unclear. Objective: To associate TMD with anxiety, depression, stress, sleep quality, use of psychotropic drugs and parafunctional habits (PH) in patients with CKD undergoing hemodialysis (HD). Methods: Cross-sectional study, approved by CEP (CAAE: 63054822.5.0000.5350) carried out with 28 patients. Patients with scores greater than 19 points on the Mini Mental State Examination questionnaire and at least one positive response on the American Academy of Orofacial Pain TMD screening questionnaire and who underwent hemodialysis for more than 3 months were included. Those who were in isolation or hospitalized at the time of data collection were excluded. After analyzing the screening results, the patients were submitted to the research protocol, which consisted of the following instruments: application of the questionnaire to collect clinical and sociodemographic data; Fonseca anamnestic index;  Parafunctional Habits (PFH) assessment questionnaire; Hamilton Anxiety Scale – HAM and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index – PSQI. Results: It was found that 60.71% of the patients had some degree of TMD and 92.86% had PH, the most cited being the habit of chewing gum/candy and sleeping on one side. Still, 82.17% of the patients slept more than 6 hours a day, even though they did not have a good quality of sleep. 42.8% of patients reported the presence of depression and 42.85% used psychotropic medications. TMD had a statistically significant association with the PFH of waking bruxism, resting the hand on the jaw, chewing on one side only and biting the nails and with the use of antidepressant medication. Conclusion: Most patients with CKD on hemodialysis have TMD and there is a statistically significant association of TMD degrees with the PFH of grinding teeth awake, clenching teeth awake, resting the hand on the jaw, biting nails and chewing on one side alone and with the use of antidepressant medication. This is an indication that TMD should be evaluated and treated in these patients with the potential to improve their quality of life

Judo for elite Brazilian women: A successful trajectory into the 21st century: A narrative review

Background: The objective of this study was to verify, in a perspective way, the history and evolution of the development of the Brazilian Elite Female Judo. Brazilian women's Judo is one of the best Judo teams in the world. Performance and achievement in Olympic and world championships has reached a significant and expressive increase. That is, of course, medal winnings at different competitive levels. Making it one of the most prestigious sport in Brazil. Methods: This is a Narrative Review study, where the Scielo, Google Scholar and PubMed databases were used, with no initial period restriction until the year 2022. Results: Women's Brazilian Judo evolved both individually and as a team. Achieving expressive results in national and international competitions, in the Olympic Games and World Championships. In addition, these results have raised the competitive level of the Brazilian judo team worldwide. It has solidified women within sport and combat sports. However, some barriers (social resistance, lack of investment, little credibility and social representation) persist, albeit with less intensity. Conclusion: We conclude that Brazilian Women's Judo is a strong representative in the competitive, social and world scenario. In addition, that the participation of women raised the sport to a high level of social representation

Conflict resolution in Libya

This paper examines the role of key conflict elements such as solidarity among disagreeing groups and partisan foreign intervention in the complexification of the Libyan conflict. Incorporating evidentiary events along with a comparative application of different conflict theories (ripeness theory, instrumentalism, primordialism, protracted social conflict and constructivism), this paper argues that ideational factors top merely material factors in the Libyan conflict and no permanent solution can be achieved without changing people 's socially constructed identities and world view

Depressive symptoms as a predictor of rehospitalization and death of heart failure

Introduction: Hearth failure is a disease with a high risk of complications and reduces life expectancy. Ventricular function and neurohumoral activation are defining characteristics of the disease. The present of depressive symptoms is extremely common and determinant for the HF, and its influence may determine the prognosis of the disease.Methods: Consecutively hospitalized patients with HF were analyzed and recruited for three months, receiving clinical follow-up for six months after admission. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were analyzed and submitted to a type II Beck questionnaire to analyze depressive symptoms. They received clinical follow-up in person or by phone call to determine whether there was hospital readmission or death in the afore mentioned period. Chi-square test, Student’s t-test were used to compare groups with and without depressive symptoms, multivariate analysis was used to determine mortality predictors in the group with depressive symptoms up to the sixth month.Results: Initially, 103 patients were included, and after six months 96 patients remained alive. The mean age was 63.5±12.1 years. Most patients were female (58.4%). New York Heart Association functional class was in II and III in 75% of the sample. In the sample, 59 (61.4%) had DS by the Beck questionnaire type II. There were 28 (29.2%) patients with the analyzed outcomes and in the multivariate logistic regression analysis, the presence of age was a determining factor for the outcomes.Conclusion: The presence of heart failure associated with depressive symptoms becomes a combination with increasingly evident complications, as well as it also becomes a long-term relevant factor for readmission and death. Depressive symptoms in our sample proved to be a major factor in deaths and readmissions. A multidisciplinary care is extremely important for the improvement of care

A comparative study of the electrical properties of undoped schottky junction In/a-Si:H/AZO-Coated-Glass and In/SiNWs/AZO-Coated-Glass Solar Cells

Plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) is used to synthesise undoped hydrogenated amorphous thin film silicon (a-Si:H) and silicon nanowire (SiNWs) array for solar cell applications. Indium metal is used as the top contact electrode in Schottky junction configured solar cells devices represented as In/a-Si:H/AZO-coated glass and In/SiNWs/AZO-coated glass respectively. For six solar cell devices on each sample, its observed that charge carrier trap states are observed under dark conditions, despite indium metal's farther position on the various impurities in silicon mid-band gap and minimum temperature for Vapour-Liquid-Solid (VLS) Silicon nanowire growth, which is expected to not produce charge carrier trap states. In/SiNWs/AZO-coated glass solar device demonstrated  non-rectifying and ohmic  behaviour with no significant measurable solar cell device parameters, while In/a-Si:H/AZO-coated glass showed rectifying and Schottky behaviour with a reported average values of short circuit current (ISC) of (9.522 ± 0.82)A, open circuit voltage (VOC) of (0.305 ± 0.05)V, and ideality factor (n) of (4.7 ± 0.32)

Inability of 7,8 – Dihydroxy-4- Methylcoumarin antioxidant activity, to prolong longevity and to protect against stress in Caenorhabditis Elegans worms

Despite an increase in life expectancy, it is known that this factor is not necessarily accompanied by a better quality of life, which reflects in longevity. Aspects related to metabolic stress to which cells are subjected can modulate this process, which can lead to various pathologies. Coumarins are secondary metabolites found in several plants, such as guaco, and are part of the polyphenol family capable of producing up to 1300 derivatives, with potential effects against metabolic stress, in addition to being used in the cosmetics industry with the objective of improving fragrance of products. Therefore, it seems necessary to seek to elucidate molecular mechanisms that can regulate this aging process, which can be associated with the gradual loss of physiological functions of cells and tissues, increasing the number of cells in senescence that may be related to increased oxidative stress. PURPOSE: the aim of this study was to identify the influence of the use of the coumarin synthetic compound 7,8-Dihydroxy-4-methylcoumarin (DHMC) on longevity and resistance to different types of stress in vivo. METHODS: free radical scavenging (DPPH) analyzes were performed for the compound, longevity, and stress tests (H2O2, NaCl, Heat) for C. elegans worms. RESULTS: in the first analysis, the compound showed 92% of antioxidant activity already in small concentrations (25ug/ml) through DPPH analysis. In the following tests DHMC did not show antibacterial responses against Escherichia coli, and Caenorhabditis elegans worms did not show stress reduction or significant improvement in longevity with the use of the compound. CONCLUSION: therefore, the DHMC compound expresses a high antioxidant activity and presents several study potentials. However, it has no biological effects in protecting against stress or contributing to longevity in C. elegans worm

A string theory of quantum gravity and inertial fields for the description of reality

Relativity of space time neglects uncertainty principle while Quantum Mechanics takes into account the uncertainty principle but neglects space time structure.In this work we put both principles together and find one expression for the interval to the type of Kaluza Klein where the fifth term is not one extra dimension but a quantum state of space.This work is complementary with others where posit a model of vacuum in which decompose the continuous spatial geometry into 3-dimensional cells and put a oscillator in each one. This oscillators couple in a way that build a large set of open and closed fibers that group in open strings. Because this strings have no null section, it can be interpreted as a extra dimension.We will show in a self consistent way that this cells model can explain gravity and inertial forces in algebraic terms

And if the time to passes relatively different for insects? Unfolding of Einstein's Theory of Relativity: the dilation of time to different systems of inercial references as a function of the inercial mass.

The purpose of this insight is to contribute to a possible development of Einstein's theory of relativity. Starting from the idea that gravitational fields deform the space-time fabric, affecting objects as a function of inertial mass. Thus, two objects or ecosystems equidistant from the same field, with significant differences in inertial masses, would also be subject to the same relativistic effects.O objetivo deste insight é contribir para um possível desdobramento a teoria da relatividade de Einstein. Partindo da ideia de que se os campos gravitacionais deformam o tecido espaço-temporal afetando os objetos em função da massa inercial. Assim, dois objetos ou ecossistemas equidistânciantes de um mesmo campo, com significativas diferenças nas massas inerciais, estariam também sujeitos aos mesmos efeitos relativisticos.