Synthesis of Heptakis-2-O-Sulfo-Cyclomaltoheptaose, a Single-Isomer Chiral Resolving Agent for Enantiomer Separations in Capillary Electrophoresis

Single-isomer sulfated cyclodextrins (SISCDs) have proven to be reliable, effective, robust means for separation of enantiomers by capillary electrophoresis (CE). SISCD derivatives used as chiral resolving agents in CE can carry the sulfo groups either at the C2, C3 or C6 positions of the glucopyranose subunits which provides varied intermolecular interactions to bring about favorable enantioselectivities. The first single-isomer, sulfated β-CD that carries the sulfo group at the C2 position, the sodium salt of heptakis(2-O-sulfo-3-O-methyl-6-Oacetyl) cyclomaltoheptaose (HAMS) has been synthesized. The purity of each synthetic intermediate and of the final product was determined by HILIC and reversed phase HPLC. The structural identity of each intermediate and the final product was verified by 1D, and 2D NMR, and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. HAMS has been used as chiral resolving agent for the CE separation of a set of nonionic, weak base and strong acid enantiomers in pH 2.5 background electrolytes. Rapid separations with satisfactory peak resolution values were obtained for the enantiomers of most of the nonionic and weak base analytes. Typically, low concentrations of HAMS were required to effect good enantiomer resolution. The trends in the effective mobilities and separation selectivities as a function of HAMS concentrations followed the predictions of the ionic strength-corrected charged resolving agent migration model (CHARM model). HAMS showed poor complexation with the anionic strong electrolyte enantiomers for which no peak resolution was observed. The separation patterns observed with HAMS as chiral resolving agent were compared with those of other β-cyclodextrin analogues, including heptakis(2-O-methyl- 3-O-acetyl-6-O-sulfo)-b-cyclodextrin (HMAS), heptakis(2-O-methyl-3,6-di-O-sulfo)-b- cyclodextrin (HMdiSu), heptakis(2,3-di-O-acetyl-6-O-sulfo)-b-cyclodextrin (HDAS) and heptakis(2,3-di-O-methyl-6-O-sulfo)-b-cyclodextrin (HDMS)

BiCyCLE NMES—neuromuscular electrical stimulation in the perioperative treatment of sarcopenia and myosteatosis in advanced rectal cancer patients: design and methodology of a phase II randomised controlled trial

Abstract: Background: Colorectal cancer is associated with secondary sarcopenia (muscle loss) and myosteatosis (fatty infiltration of muscle) and patients who exhibit these host characteristics have poorer outcomes following surgery. Furthermore, patients, who undergo curative advanced rectal cancer surgery such as pelvic exenteration, are at risk of skeletal muscle loss due to immobility, malnutrition and a post-surgical catabolic state. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) may be a feasible adjunctive treatment to help ameliorate these adverse side-effects. Hence, the purpose of this study is to investigate NMES as an adjunctive pre- and post-operative treatment for rectal cancer patients in the radical pelvic surgery setting and to provide early indicative evidence of efficacy in relation to key health outcomes. Method: In a phase II, double-blind, randomised controlled study, 58 patients will be recruited and randomised (1:1) to either a treatment (NMES plus standard care) or placebo (sham-NMES plus standard care) group. The intervention will begin 2 weeks pre-operatively and continue for 8 weeks after exenterative surgery. The primary outcome will be change in mean skeletal muscle attenuation, a surrogate marker of myosteatosis. Sarcopenia, quality of life, inflammatory status and cancer specific outcomes will also be assessed. Discussion: This phase II randomised controlled trial will provide important preliminary evidence of the potential for this adjunctive treatment. It will provide guidance on subsequent development of phase 3 studies on the clinical benefit of NMES for rectal cancer patients in the radical pelvic surgery setting. Trial registration: Protocol version 6.0; 05/06/20. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04065984. Registered on 22 August 2019; recruiting

Determinants of credit access of cocoa farmers

Access to credit is one of the critical areas that are of prime interest to development practitioners, agribusiness entrepreneurs and agricultural economists, mainly access to credit by farmers in order to increase their production and also reduce poverty. This study sought to analyze the determinants of credit access among cocoa farmers in the Asunafo North of the Ahafo Region of Ghana. The multistage sampling procedure was used to collect data from 100 cocoa farmers with the aid of a questionnaire. Sources of credit, factors influencing access to credit, and constraints to credit were analyzed with the aid of descriptive statistics, multiple linear regression, and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance respectively. The results of multiple linear regression revealed that, age, marital status, education, experience, and family size were significant factors that influenced access to credit. The constraints analysis with the aid of Kendall’s coefficient of concordance showed that, high interest rate was highly ranked with a mean score of 1.93 whilst the need for a guarantor was least ranked with a mean score of 7.40. Based on the results, the study recommended that a policy aimed at expanding formal and semi-formal financial institutions credit portfolio to embrace cocoa farmers by finding alternative to collaterals and also reducing the interest rate will improve credit access with a positive externality effect of poverty reduction among cocoa farmers in the study area. JEL Classification: Q1

DETERMINANTS OF CREDIT ACCESS OF COCOA FARMERS

Access to credit is one of the critical areas that are of prime interest to development practitioners, agribusiness entrepreneurs and agricultural economists, mainly access to credit by farmers in order to increase their production and also reduce poverty. This study sought to analyze the determinants of credit access among cocoa farmers in the Asunafo North of the Ahafo Region of Ghana. The multistage sampling procedure was used to collect data from 100 cocoa farmers with the aid of a questionnaire. Sources of credit, factors influencing access to credit, and constraints to credit were analyzed with the aid of descriptive statistics, multiple linear regression, and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance respectively. The results of multiple linear regression revealed that, age, marital status, education, experience, and family size were significant factors that influenced access to credit. The constraints analysis with the aid of Kendall’s coefficient of concordance showed that, high interest rate was highly ranked with a mean score of 1.93 whilst the need for a guarantor was least ranked with a mean score of 7.40. Based on the results, the study recommended that a policy aimed at expanding formal and semi-formal financial institutions credit portfolio to embrace cocoa farmers by finding alternative to collaterals and also reducing the interest rate will improve credit access with a positive externality effect of poverty reduction among cocoa farmers in the study area

DETERMINANTS OF CREDIT ACCESS OF COCOA FARMERS

Access to credit is one of the critical areas that are of prime interest to development practitioners, agribusiness entrepreneurs and agricultural economists, mainly access to credit by farmers in order to increase their production and also reduce poverty. This study sought to analyze the determinants of credit access among cocoa farmers in the Asunafo North of the Ahafo Region of Ghana. The multistage sampling procedure was used to collect data from 100 cocoa farmers with the aid of a questionnaire. Sources of credit, factors influencing access to credit, and constraints to credit were analyzed with the aid of descriptive statistics, multiple linear regression, and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance respectively. The results of multiple linear regression revealed that, age, marital status, education, experience, and family size were significant factors that influenced access to credit. The constraints analysis with the aid of Kendall’s coefficient of concordance showed that, high interest rate was highly ranked with a mean score of 1.93 whilst the need for a guarantor was least ranked with a mean score of 7.40. Based on the results, the study recommended that a policy aimed at expanding formal and semi-formal financial institutions credit portfolio to embrace cocoa farmers by finding alternative to collaterals and also reducing the interest rate will improve credit access with a positive externality effect of poverty reduction among cocoa farmers in the study area

Pedagogic Strategies for Stimulating Long’s (1980) Interaction Hypothesis in the Second Language Classroom

From classical to contemporary periods, the teaching and learning of a second language have conscientiously been guided by pedagogical theories, ideologies, methods, rules, and regulations. The Interaction Hypothesis (IH) is one theory that advocates face-to-face contact between the learner and the facilitator. Although some media for physical contact and communication were mentioned in the Interaction Hypothesis, with time and the advent of technology, many better strategies have emerged. Therefore, this paper assesses some traditional and modern pedagogical strategies for oral language development that were not captured in the Interaction Hypothesis. The paper aims to expose second language teachers and learners to some new techniques and guidelines for oral language development and to reinforce the classical techniques cited in earlier research works. Our paper is segmented into four parts – introduction, empirical evidence of IH, pedagogical strategies for stimulating IH in second language classrooms, and conclusion