Does Decentralized Welfare Reform Lead to a Race to the Bottom in Local Economic Development and Local Public Services?

This paper tests the hypothesis that devolution of welfare programs leads to heightened intergovernmental competition and a "race to the bottom" in the provision of local public services. Data from a national survey of county governments is used to estimate an econometric model of strategic interaction by county governments.Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Determination of polar and dispersive contributions of surface tensions of some macromolecular solutions

The determination of the surface tension of some liquids or solutions has been carried out using a tensiometer. The determination of the contact angle between the liquids and a planar surface has also been carried out using photography. Polar and dispersive contributions of the surface tension were obtained by calculation while the polarities of the liquids and solutions were determined applying Wu equations. This method gave the different results for solutions prepared from macromolecular compounds (acroleineethanolamine macromolecular solution 1 g/l, acroleine-diethanolamine macromolecular solution 1 g/l, acroleine-urea macromolecular solution 0.7 g/l and polyglutaraldehyde-ethanolamine macromolecular solution 1 g/) synthesized by Malonda from glutaraldehyde and acroleine. The dispersive and polar contributions of the surface tension were computed and used to calculate the surface tensions of solutions by the simple measurement of the contact angle. The results have revealed that the polarities were weak: 2% for all solutions except for the acroleine-diethanolamine macromolecular whose polarity was 6%. The surface tensions for all solutions varied from 67 to 59 dynes/cm.Keywords: Surface tension, interfacial tension, contact angle, polarity, dispersive and polar contribution

Molecular Based Survey of Pathogens Associated with Respiratory Disease Outbreaks in Broiler Chickens in Accra

Respiratory diseases in poultry are caused by a host of pathogens that act either singly or in association with each other. The clinical signs elicited by some poultry respiratory pathogens are similar and may confuse diagnostic efforts. Definitive diagnoses involving the use of sensitive, robust and rapid laboratory method are important for the identification and differentiation of specific agent(s) during infection. Our study aimed at identifying the involvement of Infectious Bronchitis Virus, Newcastle Disease Virus and Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) in outbreaks of respiratory diseases in chickens in the Ga-East district of Greater Accra using the Polymerase Chain Reaction technique (PCR). Twenty (20) trachea swabs were obtained from four chicken flocks (5 per flock) with acute respiratory diseases. RNA and DNA were extracted from each sample individually. The S1 glycoprotein gene, MgC2 gene and fusion protein gene of IBV, MG and NDV respectively, was individually target in a single tube PCR reaction. Amplicons were resolved on a 1% agarose gel stained with Ethidium bromide and visualized with a UV trans-illuminator. Twenty percent (20%) of samples tested negative to all three pathogens. IBV and NDV as single agents were detected in 40% and 20% of the samples respectively. Twenty percent (20%) of the samples were found to be co-infected with IBV and NDV. None of the samples tested positive to MG. IBV and NDV play major roles in outbreaks of respiratory diseases in commercial broiler chickens in Ga-East district of Accra. Keywords: Respiratory pathogens, Broilers, Ghana, Polymerase Chain Reactio

Infectious Bronchitis Virus: a major cause of respiratory disease outbreaks in chickens in Ghana

Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV) causes respiratory diseases with significant economic losses in the global poultry industry. The possible presence of this pathogen in the commercial poultry industry in Ghana has not yet been evaluated and thus there is no control strategy in place. In the present study, the RT-PCR technique was used to detect IBV in respiratory disease outbreaks in 6 chicken farms in the Ga East district of Accra. RNA was extracted from tracheal swabs of birds with respiratory signs and used in an RT-PCR to amplify the S1 glycoprotein gene of IBV. Forty seven (47) samples were obtained and analyzed during a 3 month period from broilers, layers and broiler breeders. Thirty (30) of the samples were positive for IBV by RT-PCR, giving a prevalence of 64%. This study confirms the presence of IBV in the study area and provides initial evidence of IBV involvement in respiratory disease outbreaks. Additional studies including virus isolation attempts and characterization will provide necessary data to outline and implement an effective control strategy in the country. Keywords: Infectious Bronchitis Virus, RT-PCR, chickens, Ghan

Cell-based therapies for the treatment of sports injuries of the upper limb

Introduction: The use of cell-based therapies in the management of sports injuries of the upper limb is increasingly popular despite the limited scientific evidence available for their use. We aim to evaluate the evidence for the use of cell-based therapies in these injuries and recommend areas for further research. Areas covered: In accordance with a published protocol (PROSPERO; Registration No. CRD42020193258), a comprehensive search of the literature was performed using the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases from inception to June 2020. All human studies reporting on the clinical, histological, or radiological outcomes following the use of cell-based therapies in the management of epicondylitis or rotator cuff pathology were included in this study. This resulted in 22 studies being included in this review, all of which underwent risk of bias assessments. Expert opinion: The evidence for the use of cell-based therapies in upper limb sports injuries is limited and generally of low quality. Given the heterogeneity in the cell types used, their harvesting methods and cell amounts, future research should be targeted at developing standardization of the reporting of these studies and more direct comparative studies looking at the efficacy of the different cell types

CALCULATION OF INTERFACIAL TENSIONS BETWEEN MACROMOLECULAR SOLUTIONS AND SOLTROL-130 FROM CONTACT ANGLES MEASUREMENTS

ABSTRACT The determination of the surface tension of some liquids or solutions has been carried out using a tensiometer. The determination of the contact angle between the liquids and a planar surface has also been carried out using photography. Polar and dispersive contributions of the surface tension were obtained by calculation while the polarities of the liquids and solutions were determined applying Wu equations. This method gave the different results for solutions prepared from macromolecular compounds (acroleine -ethanolamine macromolecular solution 1g/l, acroleinediethanolamine macromolecular solution 1g/l, polyglutaraldehyde-ethanolamine macromolecular solution 0.7 g/l and polyglutaraldehyde -diethanolamine macromolecular solution 1 g/l) synthesized by Malonda from glutaraldehyde and acroleine. The dispersive and polar contributions of the surface tension were computed and used to calculate the interfacial tensions of solutions by the simple measurement of the contact angle. The results have revealed that the computed interfacial tensions were comparable to the values measured directly by the tensiometer for polyglutaraldehydeethanolamine macromolecular solution 0.7 g/l and polyglutaraldehyde -diethanolamine macromolecular solution 1 g/l) making an interface with Soltrol-130 of 17.1 and 16.9 dynes/cm compared to direct measured values of 17.2 and 17.7 dynes/cm respectively representing 1% and 5% error, respectively

Ultrasonic evaluation of the hydration degree of the orange peel

The elastic parameters of fruit and vegetables are normally monitored in quality control processes as there is a good correlation to the degrees of firmness, turgidity and humidity. These parameters have been traditionally measured by means of penetration tests, which are destructive. This has resulted in the increased attention recently given to ultrasonic techniques applied to the quality evaluation of horticultural commodities. Nevertheless, since most of the fruit and vegetables display a viscoelastic behavior, the penetration test should be considered to be quasi-static, especially when compared with the speeds associated with the ultrasonic tests. Both methods should provide different values for the elastic parameters. The aim of this work is to study this discrepancy in the values of the elastic parameters and interpret the elastodynamic behavior of the vegetable tissue under an ultrasound test. Thus, the paper presents an ultrasonic nondestructive method to evaluate the elastic parameters of the sweet orange peel at 40. kHz. The complete dehydration process of two sets of oranges (Navelina and Ortanique) was monitored for 2. months. A linear elastic solid model with viscous losses was numerically solved using a simulation scheme based on a 3D-Spherical FDTD method (Finite-Difference Time-Domain) in order to interpret the results, which proved that the elastic parameters obtained by penetration and ultrasonic tests differ. The method provides an empirical relation between the hydration state and the elastic parameters of the orange peel. Therefore, the proposed ultrasonic test reported in this work is capable of determining the hydration state of the orange simply by measuring the propagation speed of the Rayleigh waves on the orange peel, and hence, can be used as a fruit quality index during postharvest processes. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.This study was supported by the Programa de Apoyo a la Investigacion y Desarrollo (PAID-05-09-002-618), (PAID-06-10-002-295) of Universidad Politecnica de Valencia. The authors would like to thank K. Y. Foo, from the University of Birmingham and P. Malischewsky from the University Friedrich-Schiller at Jena, for the fruitful discussions regarding surface acoustic waves.Jimenez, N.; Picó Vila, R.; Camarena Femenia, F.; Redondo, J.; Roig, B. (2012). Ultrasonic evaluation of the hydration degree of the orange peel. Postharvest Biology and Technology. 67:130-137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2011.12.020S1301376

Horizon scanning implanted biosensors in personalising breast cancer management:First pilot study of breast cancer patients views

Aims: This study aimed to explore breast cancer patients' understanding and acceptability of implanted biosensors (BS) within the primary tumour to personalise adjuvant radiotherapy, and to determine optimal design and number of BS, and evaluate potential clinical benefits as well as concerns about tolerance, toxicity, dwell time, and confidentiality of data. Patients and methods: A total of 32 patients treated by surgery (29 breast conserving, 3 mastectomy), postoperative radiotherapy and systemic therapy for early breast cancer, were recruited from a posttreatment radiotherapy clinic at a cancer centre. Patients participated in semistructured interviews. Interview transcripts were analysed using qualitative methods. Results: Participants were aged 39 to 87 years, with a median age of 62 years. Most (N = 23[72%]) were unfamiliar with biosensors. The majority (N = 29[90.6%]) were supportive of the technology's potential use in future breast cancer treatment and were willing to accept biosensors (N = 28[88%]) if they were endorsed by their breast cancer consultant. Only 3 patients expressed concerns, predominantly about uncertainties on their role in the diagnostic and treatment pathway. Patients were flexible about the size and shape of BS, but had a preference for small size (N = 28 [87.5%]). Most (N = 22[69%]) would accept implantation of more than 5 BS and were flexible (N = 22[69%]) about indefinite dwell time. Patients had a strong preference for wireless powering of the BS (N = 28[87.5%]). Few had concerns about loss of confidentiality of data collected. All patients considered biosensors to be potentially of important clinical benefit. Conclusions: While knowledge of biosensors was limited, patients were generally supportive of biosensors implanted within the primary tumour to collect data that might personalise and improve breast cancer radiotherapy in future

Thermal properties of Odum chipboard

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