Willingness to pay for biogas as cooking energy in the local communities of Hadejia Valley, Northern Nigeria

The majority of poor households in Nigeria depend on firewood to cook with dramatic impacts. The smoke of firewood use is known as the “silent killer” causing more than 95000 annual deaths (WHO, 2012) while illegal and uncontrolled logging to meet the demand of the growing population is leading to deforestation. There is an urgent need to look for sustainable sources of biomass and Typha Project[1] has developed a biogas technology making use of Typha biomass, an invasive plant that extends over thousands of hectares in Hadejia Valley (Northeastern Nigeria). In this context, the objective of this work is to assess adoption and estimate the willingness to pay for this novel biogas technology A logit model has been used to analyze adoption of biogas by households considering the information gathered in the focus groups and a field survey. The most relevant factor triggering adoption is related to health issues and the experience of respiratory diseases. We also observe that among those women who are willing to change, those who spend more time cooking are more likely to change to biogas. This is consistent with the fact that biogas cooking is a clean and quick way of cooking

Competitividad económica: los efectos del clustering, la estrategia de innovación y el rol moderador de la localización en la industria hotelera colombiana

Clustering in service industries has scarcely been investigated, while there is huge evidence of a positive impact on innovation and competitiveness in the case of manufacturing industries. We address this by exploring the potential moderator effect that location externalities have on the triangular relationship between clustering, innovation and competitiveness. In this empirical study of 131 hotels located nationwide in the emerging destination of Colombia, we found a negative moderated mediation effect. The impact on competitiveness is higher when the location holds low levels of resources. We uncovered and discuss one of the reasons for explaining the heterogeneous impact of clustering on service firms.El clustering en las industrias de servicios ha sido escasamente investigado habiendo extensivas evidencias de su influencia sobre la innovación y la competitividad en el caso de industrias manufactureras. Afrontamos esta carencia mediante la exploración de un posible efecto moderador que las externalidades de la localización tienen sobre la relación triangular entre el clustering, la estrategia de innovación y la competitividad. En este estudio empírico de 131 hoteles localizados por todo el país del destino emergente Colombia, encontramos un efecto moderador mediado que es negativo. El impacto sobre la competitividad es mayor cuando la localización tiene niveles bajos de recursos. Exponemos y discutimos una de las razones que explica el heterogéneo efecto que tiene el clustering sobre las empresas de servicios.Universidad de Valenci

Microbiological assay for quantitative determination of Imipenem in powder for injection

This work describes the development and validation of a microbiological method using the cylinder-plate assay for quantitative determination of imipenem in powder for injection. The aim was to obtain a low-cost and suitable methodology that can be alternative to physicochemical techniques already described, contributing for the quality control of this antibiotic. Firstly, the analytical conditions were optimized, testing the microorganism, inoculum concentration and best range of sample and standard concentrations, in a way that provides the adequate measurement of the inhibition halos. Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228 was selected as test microorganism, as well as 2.0 % of inoculum concentration. The validation protocol followed the official guidelines, and the parameters evaluated were linearity, precision (intermediate precision and repeatability) and accuracy. All standard curves ranging 0.5-2.0 μg/mL showed r values higher than 0.999, and ANOVA confirmed that were no deviation from linearity (p-value > 0.05). The method also proved to be precise with RSD (relative standard deviation) values ranging 0.28-0.64 for repeatability and 2.49 for intermediate precision. It was performed three days of experiments, being three assays of eight plates a day. The drug mean content was 101.05%. Accuracy was assessed by recovery test, with standard recovery percentage of 101.70-107.90% (mean recovery = 104.86%), which was considered satisfactory. Therefore, the proposed microbiological method was considered validated and suitable for application in quantitative determination of this drug, being useful for quality control routine

UV spectrophotometric method for quantitative determination of agomelatine in coated tablets

UV spectrophotometry is an analytical technique used routinely for qualitative and quantitative assay due the low cost and reliability during analysis. In this work, it was validated a quantitative UV method for determination of agomelatine in coated tablets. The parameters specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy and robustness were evaluated according to official guidelines. Methanol was selected as solvent and the maximum wavelength for drug analysis was 230 nm. The purposed assay showed to be specific and the linearity was proved in a range of 0.5 - 2.5 μg/mL. The RSD values obtained during precision assay (inter-day RSD = 1.75%) indicated the method reproducibility, and the accuracy testing showed good results from recovery test. Robustness assay was complementary and showed that the purposed method is adequate for drug quantitation in commercial samples, being a reliable alternative to chromatographic assay

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Spanish Midwives and Midwifery Students toward Oral Healthcare during Pregnancy

Pregnancy can affect the mother’s oral health, increasing their susceptibility to oral diseases that have been associated with harmful effects on the newborn. Despite the severity of oral diseases during pregnancy, the demand for dental care during the gestational period is low, which may improve with the participation of midwives in promoting oral health activities. The objectives of this study were: (i) to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Spanish midwives and midwifery students regarding oral health in pregnant women; and (ii) to identify the barriers faced by these healthcare professionals in addressing oral health promotion during pregnancy. An observational cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. A total of 128 midwives and/or midwifery students ≥ 18 years old and of both sexes were invited to self-complete a questionnaire between January and April 2020. A total of 85 people participated in the study. Participants had a regular level of knowledge about oral health during pregnancy (overall knowledge score: 6.53), and although they were interested in activities that promote oral healthcare, their oral healthcare practices during pregnancy were limited. As midwives play an important role in promoting health, their training in oral healthcare could help to improve pregnant women’s oral healthS

The Piwil1 N domain is required for germ cell survival in Atlantic salmon

Genetic introgression of farmed salmon into wild populations can damage the genetic integrity of wild stocks and is therefore considered as an environmental threat. One possible solution is to induce sterility in farmed salmon. We have searched for proteins potentially essential for germline survival in Atlantic salmon. One of these is the argonaute protein Piwil1, known to be required for germ cell survival. To examine Piwil1 function in salmon, we induced indels in the N domain by CRISPR-Cas9. The encoded domain is present in all vertebrate Piwi proteins and has been linked to Tdrd1 protein interaction and PAZ lobe structure. The F0 founder generation of piwil1 crispant males and females displayed a mosaic pattern of piwil1 mutations, exhibiting highly mutated alleles (53%–97%) in their fin gDNA samples. In general, piwil1 crispants carried germ cells, went through puberty and became fertile, although a transient and partial germ cell loss and delays during the spermatogenic process were observed in many male crispants, suggesting that Piwil1 functions during salmon spermatogenesis. By crossing highly mutated F0 founders, we produced F1 fish with a mixture of: loss-of-function alleles (−); functional in frame mutated alleles (+) and wt alleles (+). In F1, all piwil1−/− fish lacked germ cells, while piwil1+/+ siblings showed normal ovaries and testes. Yet, most juvenile F1 piwil1+/−males and females displayed an intermediate phenotype with a higher somatic/germ cell ratio without an increase in germ cell apoptosis, suggestive of a gene dose effect on the number of germ cells and/or insufficient replacement of lost germ cells in heterozygous fish. Interestingly, the two longest in-frame indels in the N domain also ensured germ cell loss. Hence, the loss of 4–6 aa in this region Phe130-Ser136 may result in crucial changes of the protein structure, potentially affecting piRNA binding of the PAZ lobe, and/or affecting the binding of Piwil1 interacting proteins such as Tdrd protein, with critical consequences for the survival of primordial germ cells. In conclusion, we show that loss of piwil1 leads to loss of germ cells in salmon and that part of the N domain of Piwil1 is crucial for its function.publishedVersio

NÍVEL DE APTIDÃO FÍSICA DE MULHERES ENCARCERADAS NO INSTITUTO PENAL FEMININO DO CEARÁ

Aptidão física e qualidade de vida relacionam-se com a capacidade do indivíduo de desempenhar atividades de lazer, domésticas ou profissionais e com seu bem estar bio-psico-social. Contudo, o déficit dos componentes da aptidão física promove o aparecimento de doenças não-transmissíveis. Assim, o objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar o nível dos componentes da aptidão física relacionada à saúde das encarceradas no Instituto Penal Feminino do Ceará (IPF). Participaram do estudo 27 mulheres (27 M), entre 20 a 45 anos, com permanência mínima de 3 meses na Instituição. As avaliadas foram submetidas aos testes: IMC, percentual de gordura, teste de sentar e alcançar no banco de Wells, teste de resistência abdominal em 1 minuto. Foi utilizado o Statistical Package for Social Sciences 15.0 for Windows para analisar valores de média e desvio padrão. Os resultados encontrados quanto a classificação de peso determinaram: 15M - normal, 8M - sobrepeso, 3M - obesidade I e 1M - obesidade II. Para análise do percentual de gordura corporal ficou demonstrado: 1M - excelente, 4M - bom, 3M – acima da média, 8M - média, 7M - abaixo da média e 4M - ruim. A avaliação da flexibilidade na lombar e ísquios-tibiais constatou: 10M - ruim, 9M – abaixo da média, 5M – média, 2M – acima da média e 1M – excelente. O teste de resistência do músculo abdominal diagnosticou: 22M – ruim, 4M – média e 1M – acima da média. Conclui-se que as avaliadas, em sua maioria, possuíam peso normal, porém apresentavam grande concentração de gordura corporal. Na avaliação das capacidades motoras foi constatado hipomobilidade dos músculos das pernas e lombar, assim como pouca resistência no músculo abdominal. Os resultados encontrados revelam-se preocupantes pelo baixo nível de aptidão física, o que remete a inatividade física como a principal causa desses valores, levando possivelmente a aquisição de doenças não-transmissíveis e lesões músculo-articulares

Radio‐cephalic fistula recovered with drainage to median basilic vein by straightening of the forearm cephalic vein: A case report

The distal arteriovenous fistula (AVF) has less complications and better patency than the proximal fistula, when it works properly. The complications of outflow of the fistula are complex, and it is necessary to analyze all solutions to solve the problem. We introduce a novel approach to solve outflow problems of a radio-cephalic AVF by straightening of the forearm cephalic vein with drainage into the median basilic vein.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Radio‐cephalic fistula recovered with drainage to median basilic vein by straightening of the forearm cephalic vein: A case report

The distal arteriovenous fistula (AVF) has less complications and better patency than the proximal fistula, when it works properly. The complications of outflow of the fistula are complex, and it is necessary to analyze all solutions to solve the problem. We introduce a novel approach to solve outflow problems of a radio-cephalic AVF by straightening of the forearm cephalic vein with drainage into the median basilic vein.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio