SOLAR DRYER WITH BIOMASS BACKUP HEATER FOR DRYING FRUITS: DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

Most solar dryers rely on only solar energy as the heat source. This condition limits its use in off -sunny periods such as cloudy, rainy seasons and after sunset. The objectives of this study were to: develop a solar dryer with biomass backup heater for drying fruits; analyze its performance; and carry out comparative analysis of the dryer with and without biomass backup heater. An indirect solar dryer was designed, constructed and analysed using 4mm slices of pineapples and mangoes. Temperature, humidity and ambient air temperature were measured using Tinytag data loggers, EasyLog – USB 2 and HI 91610C Thermo-hygrometer. A 300g weight of charcoal, costing GHC 0.5 (US$0.16)was fed into the backup heater every 1-2 hours with a running cost of US$ 1-2.88/day. The results showed that the moisture content (MC) of the pineapples reduced from 87% to 16%(wb) and that of mangoes reduced from 85% to 15.5% (wb). On average, solardrying with backup took 14-18 sunshine hours to attain the desired MC, while that without backup took 20-27 sunshine hours. With biomass backup heater the drying rates were: pineapples (32.5g/h) and mangoes (19.3g/h), while without backup the drying rates were: pineapples (23.7g/h) and mangoes (15.5g/h). Better performance was obtained when the dryer was with a biomass backup heater.Keywords: Moisture; dryer; temperature; solar; biomas

Gender, Disaster, and Resilience: Assessing Women\u27s Water and Sanitation Needs in Leogane, Haiti, before and after the 201 O Earthquake

This study investigates differences in men\u27s and women\u27s access to water and sanitation in Leogane, Haiti (population -300,000), a town situated at the epicenter of the January 2010 earthquake. While research suggests that women\u27s water and sanitation access is crucial to health, security, and equity in post-disaster situations, there are a number of limitations to current participa­tory approaches in post-disaster reconstruction. Underlining the social impor­tance of water access in Haiti were reports citing a Jack of potable water and sanitation as one factor contributing to the spread of cholera, which was intro­duced by UN peacekeepers aher the earthquake. Limited access to water and sanitation facilities was also reported as a factor in the lack of security for women and children in the internally displaced persons camps. The results of this NSF-RAPID study are presented pertaining to gender issues in the context of post-disaster infrastructure reconstruction efforts in Haiti. We ask specifically how gender dimensions can be integrated into community-based participatory processes of water and sanitation planning, which face many challenges in post-disaster situations. We conclude that more robust participatory processes that include women and other marginalized groups in planning and decision ­making can be used to elicit and support local knowledge, practices and preferences, ultimately leading to more appropriate infrastructure systems that will be more socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable

Global, regional, and national incidence of six major immune-mediated inflammatory diseases: findings from the global burden of disease study 2019

Background The causes for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) are diverse and the incidence trends of IMIDs from specific causes are rarely studied. The study aims to investigate the pattern and trend of IMIDs from 1990 to 2019. Methods We collected detailed information on six major causes of IMIDs, including asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis, between 1990 and 2019, derived from the Global Burden of Disease study in 2019. The average annual percent change (AAPC) in number of incidents and age standardized incidence rate (ASR) on IMIDs, by sex, age, region, and causes, were calculated to quantify the temporal trends. Findings In 2019, rheumatoid arthritis, atopic dermatitis, asthma, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease accounted 1.59%, 36.17%, 54.71%, 0.09%, 6.84%, 0.60% of overall new IMIDs cases, respectively. The ASR of IMIDs showed substantial regional and global variation with the highest in High SDI region, High-income North America, and United States of America. Throughout human lifespan, the age distribution of incident cases from six IMIDs was quite different. Globally, incident cases of IMIDs increased with an AAPC of 0.68 and the ASR decreased with an AAPC of −0.34 from 1990 to 2019. The incident cases increased across six IMIDs, the ASR of rheumatoid arthritis increased (0.21, 95% CI 0.18, 0.25), while the ASR of asthma (AAPC = −0.41), inflammatory bowel disease (AAPC = −0.72), multiple sclerosis (AAPC = −0.26), psoriasis (AAPC = −0.77), and atopic dermatitis (AAPC = −0.15) decreased. The ASR of overall and six individual IMID increased with SDI at regional and global level. Countries with higher ASR in 1990 experienced a more rapid decrease in ASR. Interpretation The incidence patterns of IMIDs varied considerably across the world. Innovative prevention and integrative management strategy are urgently needed to mitigate the increasing ASR of rheumatoid arthritis and upsurging new cases of other five IMIDs, respectively. Funding The Global Burden of Disease Study is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The project funded by Scientific Research Fund of Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital (2022QN38)

Acaricidal efficacy evaluation of amitraz and diazinon against Amblyomma variegatum tick species in Waghimra zone, northern Ethiopia

Ticks pose a substantial economic burden associated with production loss and treatment costs globally. Ethiopia has tremendous livestock resources, but its productivity is hindered by various animal health challenges in which ticks are the top priority, with a limited response to acaricidal treatments. Hence, we designed an acaricidal efficacy trial for the top commercially available Chemicals (amitraz and diazinon) to examine their efficacy against the widely distributed tick species (Amblyoma variegatum). Ticks were collected from animals admitted to veterinary clinics with no history of treatment with acaricides. Adult Immersion Technique (AIT) was employed to detect acaricidal resistance, and the mean percent control and antiparasitic efficacy were used to estimate tick susceptibility with a completely randomized laboratory-based trial (CRT). The mean weights of eggs laid by ticks subjected to amitraz and diazinon indicated that amitraz had a better egg-laying-inhibition effect than diazinon. The mean control percentages of amitraz and diazinon were 92.8 ± 5.6% and 69.7 ± 3.1%, respectively, with a highly significant difference (P-value = 0.00). The antiparasitic efficacy of the two drugs was 57.5 ± 0.96 and 37.5% ± 0.96 for amitraz and diazinon, respectively, which revealed that amitraz was statistically better than diazinon in killing adult ticks (P-value =0.026). In general, ticks treated with diazinon showed evidence of resistance development, and amitraz is relatively the most effective acaricide; we recommend its use in the study area and other locations with similar settings

Adherence to recommended lifestyle modifications and factors associated for hypertensive patients attending chronic follow-up units of selected public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abel Tibebu,1 Daniel Mengistu,2 Lemma Negesa1 1School of Nursing and Midwifery, Haramaya University College of Health and Medical Sciences, Harar, 2School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Introduction: One of the most prevalent noncommunicable diseases is hypertension (HTN). The availability of effective antihypertensive medications does not result in the expected outcomes in terms of controlling blood pressure. The rationale for these and other findings of uncontrolled HTN points toward poor adherence. The most neglected causes of uncontrolled HTN are unhealthy lifestyles. Few studies have been conducted to show the gap and magnitude of self-management adherence.Objective: This study aimed to assess adherence to recommended lifestyle modifications of hypertensive patients undergoing follow-up at chronic follow-up units of public health hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2016.Methods: Institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted in four public health hospitals which were selected by drawing lots. Systematic random sampling was used to select study subjects. The results of the descriptive statistics were expressed as percentages and frequencies. Associations between lifestyle modification and independent variables were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. The study was conducted from February 15, 2016 to April 15, 2016.Results: The study included 404 respondents with a 97% response rate; 210 (52%) were male and the mean age was 54.00±10.77 years. The respondents’ adherence to lifestyle modifications was 23%. The lifestyle adherence was found to be better in females, patients who had comorbidities, and had been knowledgeable about the disease and was poor among young adult respondents.Conclusion: The rates of adherence to lifestyle changes were generally found to be low. Educational sessions that especially focus on lifestyle modifications and ongoing support for patients should be designed and studies which assess all the components of self-management should be conducted for comparison among different subgroups. Keywords: lifestyle modification, adherence, hypertensio

Feed intake, digestibility and body weight gain of sheep fed Napier grass mixed with different levels of Sesbania sesban

A randomized complete block design was employed to assess the feed intake, nutrient digestibility and live weight gains of hair type local sheep (~ 18.0 kg initial live weight) fed Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) mixed with different levels of Sesbania (Sesbania sesban). The treatments were sole Napier grass (control) and four Napier grass-Sesbania mixtures consisting of 100, 200, 300, and 400 g/kg of Sesbania on dry matter (DM) basis. The ratio of mixing the two feeds was adjusted every week based on DM content of each feed component to maintain a constant ratio on DM basis. The DM, ash, crude protein (CP) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) contents of the Napier grass-Sesbania mixtures increased as the proportion of Sesbania increased and the reverse was true for organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) contents. The DM intake was higher (P <0.05) in the mixed diets than in the sole Napier grass diet while the OM intake was higher (P <0.05) in the diet containing 400 g/kg of Sesbania (52.9 g kg W- 0.75 day- 1) than Napier grass alone (47.5 g kg W- 0.75 day- 1). Crude protein intake increased with increased inclusion level of Sesbania in the diet. Dry matter and OM digestibilities were higher (P <0.05) in the mixed diets containing 200, 300 and 400 g/kg Sesbania than Napier grass alone. Crude protein digestibility was significantly higher (P <0.05) in all the mixed diets than sole Napier grass diet whereas NDF digestibility was higher in the mixed diet containing 400 g/kg Sesbania than sole Napier grass diet. The sheep that were fed the diet containing 300 g/kg Sesbania foliage showed significantly higher (P <0.01) average daily body weight gain (103 g/day) than the unsupplemented control group (75.6 g/day). In general, all the experimental sheep showed good growth performances throughout the experimental perio

Surveillance des cas suspectés d’intoxication et de blessures liées aux opioïdes : tendances et contexte tirés du Système canadien hospitalier d’information et de recherche en prévention des traumatismes, mars 2011 à juin 2017 Sentinel surveillance of suspected opioid-related poisonings and injuries: trends and context derived from the electronic Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program, March 2011 to June 2017

INTRODUCTION: The opioid epidemic is currently a major public health problem in Canada. As such, knowledge of upstream risk factors associated with opioid use is needed to inform injury prevention, health promotion and harm reduction efforts.METHODS: We analyzed data extracted from 11 pediatric and 6 general hospital emergency departments (EDs) as part of the electronic Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (eCHIRPP) from March 2011 to June 2017. We identified suspected opioid-related injuries using search strings and manually verified them. We computed age-adjusted and sex-stratified proportionate injury ratios (PIRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to compare opioid-related injuries to all injuries in eCHIRPP. Negative binomial regression was used to determine trends over time. We conducted qualitative analyses of narratives to identify common themes across life stages.RESULTS: Between March 2011 and June 2017, 583 suspected opioid-related poisoning/ injury cases were identified from eCHIRPP. Most of the cases were females (55%). Many of the injuries occurred in patients' own homes (51%). Forty-five percent of the injuries were intentional self-harm. Among children (aged 1-9 years), most injuries were caused by inadvertent consumption of opioids left unattended. Among youth (aged 10-19 years) and adults (aged 20-49 years), opioid use was associated with underlying mental illness. Overall, the average annual percent change (AAPC) in the rate of injuries (per 100 000 eCHIRPP cases) has been increasing since 2012 (AAPC = 11.9%, p < .05). The increase is particularly evident for males (AAPC = 16.3%, p < .05). Compared to other injuries, people with suspected opioid-related injuries were more likely to be admitted to hospital (PIR = 5.3, 95% CI: 4.6-6.2).CONCLUSION: The upstream determinants of opioid-related injuries are complex and likely vary by subpopulations. Therefore, continued monitoring of risk factors is important in providing the evidence necessary to prevent future overdoses and deaths.MÉTHODOLOGIE: Nous avons analysé les données sur les blessures subies par des personnes traitées dans les services d’urgence (SU) de onze hôpitaux pédiatriques et de six hôpitaux généraux au Canada et recueillies par le Système canadien hospitalier d’information et de recherche en prévention des traumatismes en ligne (SCHIRPTe) entre mars 2011 et juin 2017. Nous avons identifié les blessures apparemment liées aux opioïdes au moyen de chaînes de recherche et nous les avons vérifiées manuellement. Nous avons calculé des rapports proportionnels de blessures (RPB) en fonction de l’âge et d