Vitamin C Dosage in Health and Disease

The dosage of any compound determines its efficacy in therapy and/or prevention of any disease. Such is also true about vitamin C. Unlike most other vitamins, L-ascorbic acid seldom leads to toxicity or an overdose. It is well-tolerated at extremely high dosages with little or no side effect. Vitamin C at different doses can act as either an antioxidant or a pro-oxidant. Either way, it is therapeutic in several conditions. In this chapter, we consider the appropriate doses used under normal conditions, for the maintenance of healthy state. The recommended daily allowances of vitamin C vary from country to country, and different organizations have varying values. Therefore, we look at some of the factors responsible for these variations and those that determine the efficacy of ascorbic acid at different doses. We also explore the different dosages used in several randomized controlled clinical trials for either treatment or prevention of certain disease conditions. The high dose used in disease conditions is to first replenish the depleted stores before improving the health status of the patients

Academic Discursive Gender in High Education

In the teaching and learning of literacy at the university level from the disciplines, the teaching of the discursive genres of the specialty is proposed. In this framework, this research addresses the study of the discursive genre Final Research Report of the Professional School of Chemistry at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Lima, Perú. It is a qualitative, descriptive, and explanatory study of a corpus consisting of 10 final research reports of laboratory experiments. As a result, we propose that the characteristics of the FRR manifest the existing relationship between the language and society. Methodologically, we try to investigate the discursive practices where the relationships are established between the researcher and his object of study, man and nature, objectivity and truth, among other discursive axes, mediated by institutional norms and scientific practice norms, seen in the globalization view, and how these relationships are expressed in the text, as a product of those pedagogical and institutional discursive practices. Finally, some difficulties are presented in writing the FRR and it is suggested to give importance to the study of the discursive genres of the different disciplines to implement pedagogical projects according to the specificities of each of them

Impact of Illegal Mining Activities on Cocoa Pollinator Abundance in Ghana

Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is mainly pollinated by Ceratopogonid midges (Forcipomyia spp.). Wild pollinators are important to both cocoa production and natural ecosystems, and are threatened by land-use change, intensive agricultural management, fragmentation from mining activities, and climate change. Despite the massive expansion of cocoa production in Ghana, it may now be of secondary economic importance to gold due to its increased environmental impact and the economic importance exercised by cocoa communities. However, very little attention has been paid to pollination management as a factor of production, as pollination is often not considered an important process for crop yield. The Ghana Cocoa Board takes a closer look at the impact of illegal mining on cocoa productivity and trusts farmers to destroy their farmland for illegal gold mining. In this chapter we briefly describe the cocoa sector, cocoa flower and pollinator biology and phenology as presented. What follows is an overview of the current environmental threats and social issues posed by unregulated mining affecting pollinator abundance and diversity in the context of Ghana. Finally, we examine ways to improve pollination and deforestation in Ghana’s small cocoa sector

Did Average Happiness in Nations Change over the Years?

Did average happiness in nations change over time, or did it remain stable as implied in trait theory and some variants of comparison theory? We assessed changes in average happiness in nations over the last decade. Happiness was conceptualized as the subjective enjoyment of one’s life-as-a-whole, which can be measured using self-reports. We took stock of responses to questions on happiness in representative surveys of the general population in nations, drawing on findings gathered in the World Database of Happiness. We limited to time series that cover at least 20 years and 10 data-points, which yields 200 time series in 50 nations over the years 1946–2021. Comparison between the first and last observation in 80 timeseries showed 50 cases of a rise and 30 cases of a decline. The average rise was 7%, the average decline 6%. Regression analysis over all 200 time-series showed an average yearly change to the better or worse of 1.6% and a yearly increase of 0.007%. Inspection of the COVID years 2020–2021 revealed declines in average happiness from 5 to 10%. These findings go against theories that imply that average happiness in nations will hardly change over time but fit well with livability theory

Role of Urine Examination in Renal Transplant Recipients

Kidney transplantation has emerged as a major advance of modern medicine, providing high-quality life years to patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Post-transplant monitoring of the transplanted kidney is based on physical examination, urine volume, the assessment of albuminuria or proteinuria, serum creatinine, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimation based on serum creatinine. Of these multiple investigations, serum creatinine and urine analysis is one of the most widely used and accepted tool to assess graft dysfunction as well as plan management. Various immunological (rejections-antibody, cellular) and non-immunological (polyoma virus nephropathy, mycosis, recurrent/de novo diseases) may affect the graft function. Changes in various parameters like urine osmolality, proteinuria, hematuria and presence of casts, crystals and other cellular constituents aids in diagnosis diseases of the allograft. This chapter thus highlights the importance of most frequent parameters that help in assessing the graft function. In addition to these parameters, a brief introduction of biomarkers is also included. Many studies have shown that these biomarkers have a promising role in diagnosis of allograft disease and thus avoiding interventional procedures like renal biopsy. Easy availability as well as low-cost of the urine examination makes it a promising tool for overall assessment of the graft dysfunction

Measuring the Service Quality of Mobile Smart Devices: A Framework for Best Practices

This chapter presents a comprehensive framework for measuring and managing service quality of mobile smart devices across seven key dimensions: interactions, usability, efficiency, information quality, availability, security, and reliability. Grounded in established models like SERVQUAL and E-S-QUAL, the framework identifies specific metrics based on user perceptions for evaluating expertise, accuracy, responsiveness, and customization. The SERVQUAL model outlines five service quality dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. E-S-QUAL adapts these to the digital environment. The proposed framework draws on these seminal models while incorporating new factors relevant to interconnected, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled mobile platforms and devices. The framework is designed to enable proactive service quality management throughout the customer journey with mobile smart devices—from product design and testing to postsales support. A continuous measurement, analysis, and improvement process is outlined involving quantitative and qualitative techniques. An implementation road map covers considerations for organizing, change management, and training to integrate the methodology into product development processes. The goal is to provide technology companies with actionable and evidence-based guidance for optimizing satisfaction and loyalty among mobile smart device consumers. As these devices continue proliferating, managing user expectations through integrated hardware, software, and service experiences will be key to competitive positioning in mobile ecosystems

Addressing Gender Inequality through Local Planning: The Colombian Case

What does the analysis of city plans reveal about efforts toward gender equality? Gender equity is not often an explicit aim in local planning, and the analysis of planning documents does hardly evaluate the presence of efforts toward gender equity. I evaluate the degree to which city plans support gender-responsive planning (GRP) and examine the circumstances under which GRP is achieved in 21 Colombian cities. I find high mismatch between intention and action toward gender equity. Thus, I conclude with an analysis of what drives cities to include gender in their plans but then not take action

Perspective Chapter: Prefabricated Low-Carbon Panels for Exterior Walls

The construction industry plays a relevant role in the economy but also has some major negative environmental impacts. Such impacts need to be reduced, hence the importance of guiding the industry towards the principles of sustainable construction, which allow for greater productivity, as well as for significant reductions in terms of costs and labour. In spite of the lingering popularity of on-site execution techniques, the construction site is progressively becoming a place for the assembly of prefabricated components, which are lighter and more flexible, have dry metallic connections, can be easily assembled and disassembled and are, therefore, reusable. This paper means to present an alternative method for the prefabrication of panels for exterior walls, also for use in the construction of small-scale buildings, using renewable, often local, non-polluting building materials, such as wood, cork, or straw. These have thermal insulation functions that are essential for the outer envelope of the building to achieve high energy efficiency and may be applied with the use of simple but effective mechanised technologies

Modeling of Soil Sensitivity to Erosion Using the Analytic Hierarchical Process: A Study of Menoua Mountain Watershed, West-Cameroon

The Bamboutos Mountains experience a persistent deterioration of their natural environment, which is evidenced by the ongoing loss of vegetation and growing instability of the ecosystem. As such, several soil restoration projects have been put in place to restore this mountain ecosystem and maintain its agricultural potential. This article goes in-line with this premise by studying the sensitivity of soils to water erosion in a watershed where agriculture is the main form of land use. The objective of the study is to examine various aspects of the study area, including its topography, lithology, hydrology, climate, and land use, in order to adopt a multi-criteria approach that involves intersecting these factors related to soil vulnerability to erosion using GIS. Results showed that the Menoua watershed is characterized by very steep slope classes (60% of the area occupied by slopes greater than 50°), with agricultural land alone covering approximately 49% of the watershed or almost half of the available space. The map of soil sensitivity to erosion shows that areas most sensitive to erosion (42%) generally coincide with the sloping land cultivated on lateritic soils in the northern part of the basin. Very strong and strong sensitivity to erosion represents 8.82%. The basin is therefore a geographical area at risk of erosion. Adopting no-tillage farming technique and the agroforestry can reduce sensitivity to erosion and ensure sustainable management of mountains

Telenursing Future in Solving the Nursing Global Workforce Gap

Although there are 28 million nurses worldwide, it is not enough to meet patient needs. So we face a future with too much work, with too few workers. Telenursing can help in solving this issue by utilizing the technology in providing distance healthcare and health education to patients/clients with lower costs, effective services and proper clients’ satisfaction especially in rural areas through insufficient accessibility to local clinics or hospitals. Telenursing can use phone calls, video visits and remote monitoring devices in different nursing fields as family, pediatric, geriatric nursing and/or others. Telenursing can improve the quality of nursing care for patients by building relationships with them and improve the preferable outcomes. Telenursing also can decrease the work burden on nurses and direct contacts with patients with negative related health consequences specially after COVID 19 pandemic