942 research outputs found
The Village Component Of African Cities
A Geographical Proceedings (GP) article on the evolution of African cities.The aim of this paper is to explore a few ideas about the evolving morphology of cities in Sub-Saharan Africa. It will attempt to demonstrate, that with the passage of time and the diminishing influence of western colonialism,
African cities are becoming increasingly similar to one another and to Third World cities elsewhere
Blooming landscape
The project is a response to the competition brief for the relocated
Museum of Egyptian Culture, which asked for an extensive range of spaces
on an exposed site in Giza and four landscaped territories that ‘exhibit’
the varied Egyptian landscape. The site is manipulated as conceptual
archaeology. A ‘deep surface’ punctures, excavates and compresses
around vast galleries, responding to Egypt’s indigenous landscape and
architectural traditions. Subterranean galleries are connected by chasms
for ventilation, circulation and division of the collection. The landscape
and roof structures are merged into stratified layers and interstitial
spaces to combat the extremes of the local environment. These are
configured with zones of bright sun and deep shade, draught corridors
and plenum spaces.
Questions/aims/objectives: This proposal aims to reinterpret notions of architectural space and
landscape design and to investigate the roles of boundary and facade.
The project questions whether traditional vernacular technologies can
be re-appropriated today to provide the sensitive environment required
for the display and storage of antiquities.
Contexts: Ancient Egyptian gardens plotted with trees, groves and pools in
symmetrical arrangements create synthesis between building and
landscape via levels, terraces and viewpoints. This project aims to
reinterpret these notions and test them against the rigorous demands of the contemporary museum environment.
Methods: design investigations are tested through prototype and iteration as a
research method. Vernacular technologies are studied and reinvented
with the aim of reducing the architecture’s reliance on artificial
environmental control
The retreating village
Summary: The coastal village of Happisburgh in North Norfolk is falling into
the sea. The cliffs, dunes and sea defence structures that protect this
predominately low-lying county and its extensive freshwater Broads
from inundation cannot contend with the force of rising sea levels and
climate change. Government policies that allow coastal retreat by failing
to intervene with an active policy such as a Shoreline Management Plan,
have conspired to leave the village undefended from the action of the
sea and the wind.
Questions/Aims/Objectives: The Retreating Village looks at the threat of coastal erosion. The project
questions whether vulnerable territories can remain occupied and
considers how, if so, this occupation might be manifest. The project aims
to propose an architectural language of representation and investigation
that inhabits the disintegrating territory.
Contexts: The project exists in the design research context of conceptual
architectural design. Sustainability, climate change, alternative energy,
dynamic landscape management and landscape retention schemes are
considered, and also the historic context of peripatetic villages.
Methods: Normative orthographic demonstrations of architectural space are
avoided, and instead drawings utilize multiple viewpoints to emphasis
disintegration. A lexicon of architectural devices allow the building to
accumulate as the landscape retreats. Models in three scales exhibit the
process of collapse and the architecture as it shifts to new ground
Cytometric analysis, genetic manipulation and antibiotic selection of the snail embryonic cell line Bge from Biomphalaria glabrata, the intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni.
The invertebrate cell line, Bge, from embryos of the snail Biomphalaria glabrata, remains to date the only established cell line from any species of the Phylum Mollusca. Since its establishment in 1976 by Eder Hansen, few studies have focused on profiling its cytometrics, growth characteristics or sensitivity to xenobiotics. Bge cells are reputed to be challenging to propagate and maintain. Therefore, even though this cell line is a noteworthy resource, it has not been studied widely. With growing interest in functional genomics, including genetic transformation, to elucidate molecular aspects of the snail intermediate hosts responsible for transmission of schistosomiasis, and aiming to enhance the convenience of maintenance of this molluscan cell line, we deployed the xCELLigene real time approach to study Bge cells. Doubling times for three isolates of Bge, termed CB, SL and UK, were longer than for mammalian cell lines - longer than 40 h in complete Bge medium supplemented with 7% fetal bovine serum at 25 °C, ranging from ∼42 h to ∼157 h when 40,000 cells were seeded. To assess the potential of the cells for genetic transformation, antibiotic selection was explored. Bge cells were sensitive to the aminonucleoside antibiotic puromycin (from Streptomyces alboniger) from 5 μg/ml to 200 ng/ml, displaying a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of ∼1.91 μg/ml. Sensitivity to puromycin, and a relatively quick kill time (<48 h in 5 μg/ml) facilitated use of this antibiotic, together with the cognate resistance gene (puromycin N-acetyl-transferase) for selection of Bge cells transformed with the PAC gene (puroR). Bge cells transfected with a plasmid encoding puroR were partially rescued when cultured in the presence of 5 μg/ml of puromycin. These findings pave the way for the development of functional genomic tools applied to the host-parasite interaction during schistosomiasis and neglected tropical trematodiases at large
Intimate partner violence and engagement in HIV care and treatment among women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to estimate the odds of engagement in HIV care and treatment among HIV-positive women reporting intimate partner violence (IPV). DESIGN: We systematically reviewed the literature on the association between IPV and engagement in care. Data sources included searches of electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL and PsychoInfo), hand searches and citation tracking. METHODS: Two reviewers screened 757 full-text articles, extracted data and independently appraised study quality. Included studies were peer-reviewed and assessed IPV alongside engagement in care outcomes: antiretroviral treatment (ART) use; self-reported ART adherence; viral suppression; retention in HIV care. Odds ratios (ORs) were pooled using random effects meta-analysis. RESULTS: Thirteen cross-sectional studies among HIV-positive women were included. Measurement of IPV varied, with most studies defining a 'case' as any history of physical and/or sexual IPV. Meta-analysis of five studies showed IPV to be significantly associated with lower ART use [OR 0.79, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.64-0.97]. IPV was associated with poorer self-reported ART adherence in six studies (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.30-0.75) and lower odds of viral load suppression in seven studies (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.46-0.90). Lack of longitudinal data and measurement considerations should temper interpretation of these results. CONCLUSION: IPV is associated with lower ART use, half the odds of self-reported ART adherence and significantly worsened viral suppression among women. To ensure the health of HIV-positive women, it is essential for clinical programmes to address conditions that impact engagement in care and treatment. IPV is one such condition, and its association with declines in ART use and adherence requires urgent attention
Development of a novel methodology to validate optimal sterilization conditions for maximizing the texture quality of white beans in glass jars
Optimal thermal processes were designed for white beans in glass jars heated in a
still and end-over-end rotary pilot water cascading retort. For this purpose, isothermal
kinetics of thermal softening of white beans were studied in detail using a tenderometer
and a texturometer. The fractional conversion model was applied in both cases to model
the texture degradation. The Arrhenius equation described well the temperature
dependence of the reaction rate constant. With regard to the heat transfer, heat
penetration parameters (fh and jh) were experimentally determined from 100 containers
under static as well as rotational (end-over-end) conditions at 4, 7, 10, and 15 rpm.
Theoretical optimal temperatures, maximizing volume average quality retention, were
calculated using a computer program valid for conduction heating foods. Experimental
verification of the calculated results was conducted. Considering the finite surface
heat transfer coefficient, theoretical and experimental optimal temperatures were of
the same order of magnitude, around 130 °C, while for an infinite surface heat transfer
coefficient the calculated optimum temperature was much lower than the experimental
value. The type of reaction kinetic model, fractional conversion or first-order models,
does not significantly affect optimal sterilization temperatures. Although some
differences were found, the developed theoretical approach was successfully applied
to convective and mixed heating mode products. The use of the correct surface heat
transfer coefficient is crucial to design optimal processing conditions
Poverty politics and governance of potable water services: the core–periphery syntax in Metropolitan Accra, Ghana
In developing countries, increasing urbanization amidst chronic financial constraints sharply limits the authorities’ ability to provide universal urban infrastructural services. This tendency creates complex networks of governance that remains largely understudied and not clearly understood. This article examines this nascent literature, focusing on Metropolitan Accra’s experience through the sustainable development goal lens: “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”. Based on the analysis of 26 in-depth interviews with key informants about the current processes, technologies and multiplicities of governance approaches, we demonstrate how the private sector does not only play a significant role in shaping the water dialogue but also has introduced its own modes of governance, which sometimes usurps preferences for public services. Ultimately, differences in procedural legalities and functionalities have spurred (un)healthy competition between the multiple governance modes, spearheaded by the private firms. Concluding, we caution that the multiplicity of management practices devoid of efficient and effective regulatory framework creates indecisive outcomes. Further, we suggest that the development of water-related capacity, both at the individual and institutional levels, will be fundamental in the realization of sustainable development goal 6 by 2030
Assessment of oesophageal emptying in achalasia patients by intraluminal impedance monitoring
Oesophageal emptying can be assessed by radiographic and scintigraphic tests with radiation exposure or by multichannel intraluminal impedance monitoring (MII). The aim of this study was to evaluate the applicability of MII for the assessment of oesophageal emptying in achalasia patients. In 10 achalasia patients, impedance tracings were scored independently by three observers after ingestion of a 100-mL barium bolus. Bolus clearance time (BCT) and height of barium column were scored using fluoroscopic images acquired at 20-s intervals. All patients showed a low baseline impedance level in the distal oesophagus. Air trapping in the proximal oesophagus was detected in nine patients. BCT on MII was similar to that on fluoroscopy in 40-70% of the patients. Correlations between height of barium on fluoroscopy and fluid level on MII were poor to moderate at different time intervals. Concordance (Kendall's coefficient) between the three observers for assessment of fluid level on MII was 0.31 (P = 0.04) at 1 and 5 min, 0.26 (P = 0.08) at 10 and 0.44 (P = 0.01) at 15 min. We conclude that in achalasia patients, low baseline impedance levels and air entrapment in the proximal oesophagus limit the value of intraluminal impedance monitoring as a test of oesophageal emptying
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