An Econometric Model of Factors Influencing Households’ Willingness to Pay for Improved Solid Waste Management Service within the Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolis in the Western Region of Ghana

Solid waste disposal, in particular, has become a daunting task for the municipal authorities. This paper presents an assessment of household's willingness to pay for improved solid waste management service. The paper engaged household's that demand the services of Solid Waste Management (SWM) within Sekondi -Takoradi Metropolis. Data for the study were collected through survey of households living at the Effiakuma estates. Three hundred questionnaires were administered to respondents to gather information on their willingness to pay and the amount they were willing to pay for an improved service. In this study, contingent valuation method (CVM) was used as a method of valuation. Probit and Tobit models were used in the empirical analysis to determine the factors that influence WTP and MWTP of households for improved SWM respectively. The outcome of the study shows that, environmental awareness, occupation, income, perception and house ownership significantly determined households willingness to pay for an improved SWM service. The paper recommends that government should create more employment opportunities so that people can earn regular income. In addition government and various stake holders should make efforts towards improving residents' income as willingness to pay relates positively to income.  More so, educational programs about the dangers of waste in our communities should be organized by various organizations in a quest to increase environmental awareness so as to increase the WTP for improved environmental quality in general and improved solid waste management in particular. Last but not least, the policy frameworks which have been set aside by government for service providers or companies must be given a strict enforcement. Keywords: Solid Waste Management, Willingness to pay, Contingent valuation method, Probit and Tobit model, Marginal effect, Sekondi – Takoradi  and Effiakuma Estate

DEMOCRACIA PARTICIPATIVA NA VENEZUELA CONTEMPORÂNEA

This article seeks to reflect participatory democracy in contemporary Venezuela through Bolivarian missions and communal councils as an expression of popular power in the construction of 21st century socialism. This participatory experience requires diagnoses, assessments, and possible changes of course to fulfill the promises contained in the legal and discursive instruments intended to build participatory and protagonist democracy.Esse artigo busca refletir a democracia participativa na Venezuela contemporânea, por meio das misiones bolivarianas e os consejos comunales, como expressão do poder popular na construção do socialismo do século XXI. Essa experiência participativa requer diagnósticos, avaliações e possíveis mudanças de rumo para atender as promessas contidas nos instrumentos legais e discursivos com pretensões de construir a democracia participativa e protagônica

Non-Traditional and Non-Invasive Approaches in Facial Rejuvenation: A Brief Review

While injectables, lasers, and surgical interventions have traditionally been used to reverse the changes associated with facial aging, other alternative therapies such as facial acupuncture and facial exercises are now being studied for facial rejuvenation. In this paper, we both summarize the concepts of facial acupuncture and facial exercises, and review seven studies that evaluate the efficacy of these modalities. Data from these studies suggest that both facial acupuncture and facial exercises have the potential to improve the skin laxity, wrinkle length, muscle thickness, and pigmentary changes associated with aging. Patients frequently reported improvement and experienced very few side effects. However, further research is necessary before these modalities are widely accepted as effective by the medical community, though the results of these studies may ultimately make providers less hesitant when patients seek out these services

Non-Traditional and Non-Invasive Approaches in Facial Rejuvenation: A Brief Review

While injectables, lasers, and surgical interventions have traditionally been used to reverse the changes associated with facial aging, other alternative therapies such as facial acupuncture and facial exercises are now being studied for facial rejuvenation. In this paper, we both summarize the concepts of facial acupuncture and facial exercises, and review seven studies that evaluate the efficacy of these modalities. Data from these studies suggest that both facial acupuncture and facial exercises have the potential to improve the skin laxity, wrinkle length, muscle thickness, and pigmentary changes associated with aging. Patients frequently reported improvement and experienced very few side effects. However, further research is necessary before these modalities are widely accepted as eective by the medical community, though the results of these studies may ultimately make providers less hesitant when patients seek out these services

ETNOBOTANI TUMBUHAN OBAT PADA SUKU KARO DI DESA GARINGGING KECAMATAN MEREK KABUPATEN KARO SUMATERA UTARA

Untuk mengetahui jenis tumbuhan yang digunakan sebagai tumbuhan obat oleh suku Karo di Desa Garingging, memahami bagian tumbuhan apa saja yang digunakan sebagai obat tradisional, memahami kegunaan tumbuhan obat tradisional yang digunakan masyarakat Karo di Desa Garingging, memahami cara pengolahan tumbuhan obat di masyarakat Karo di Desa Garingging, dan pemahaman cara pemanfaatan tanaman obat di Suku Karodi menjadi tujuan dari penelitian ini. Penelitian dilakukan dengan menggunakan metode deskriptif kualitatif Subyek penelitian ini adalah sebagian masyarakat Karo di Desa Garingging serta tokoh masyarakat yang memiliki pengetahuan tentang tanaman obat. Obyek penelitian adalah tanaman obat yang digunakan oleh masyarakat Karo di Desa Garingging.Berdasarkan temuan penelitian, masyarakat Karo di Desa Garingging menggunakan 30 spesies tanaman obat yang berbeda. Daun, batang, buah, bunga, akar, dan getah tanaman ini digunakan sebagai bahan obat, dan ada tiga cara berbeda untuk menyiapkan dan menggunakannya: direbus, diperas, dan ditumbuk. Cara lain termasuk makan, minum, menetes, mengunyah, menyemprot, dan mengolesi.tumbuhan tertentu yang berkhasiat obat