Costs of alternative treatments for incomplete abortion

Unsafely performed abortion is one of the five leading causes of maternal deaths worldwide. Many women who have undergone unsafe abortions enter the healthcare system to seek help for the resulting complications, including incomplete abortion. This human and financial cost of this health problem is tremendous, especially in the developing world. This study examined the potential for reducing costs to healthcare systems by changing the standard method of treatment for incomplete abortion. Vacuum aspiration (VA) has been shown to be safer than dilation and curettage (D&C) for uterine evacuation; the World Health Organization includes VA as an essential service at the first referral level. The technique most commonly used for treating first-trimester incomplete abortion in developing countries, however, is D&C. This study examined the hypothesis that use of manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) - a variation of VA - would be less costly than D&C and thus advantageous to healthcare systems with limited resources. The purpose of the study was to identify and, where possible, to explain the factors that contributed to cost differences between MVA and D&C for treatment of first-trimester incomplete abortion. To achieve this objective, researchers observed patient management and documented resource use at hospital sites in Ecuador, Kenya, and Mexico. In most cases, treatment with MVA required a shorter patient stay and fewer hospital resources than D&C, as the two techniques were practiced at the various study sites. The policy decision to adopt MVA, supported by procurement of instruments and incorporation of training in its use, is the chief prerequisite for achieving these improvements. But the full advantages of MVA are realized only if it is introduced in conjunction with certain changes in patient-management practices, such as offering outpatient treatment of incomplete abortion. Further, decentralizing MVA services can maximize the benefits of the technique, facilitating (hospitals'and) healthcare systems'efforts to decrease the cost of delivery service and improve the quality of care.Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Gender and Health,Health Systems Development&Reform,Information Technology,Business Environment

The human rights implications of virginity testing in South Africa

This article examines the historical context of virginity testing in Southern Africa with a focus on South Africa. It then examines the arguments often adduced in justifying the introduction of this practice. The two major arguments to support the reintroduction of virginity testing, namely, that it helps in reducing the spread of HIV and in preserving societal moral values are critically examined. Thereafter, the article discusses how the ever contentious debate between universalists and relativists applies to virginity testing. The last part of the article then considers the human rights implications of virginity testing

Adherence to extended postpartum antiretrovirals is associated with decreased breast milk HIV-1 transmission

Estimate association between postpartum antiretroviral adherence and breastmilk HIV-1 transmissio

Sire Breed, Litter Size, and Environment Influence Genetic Potential for Lamb Growth When Using Sire Breeding Values

Lamb growth can be optimised with genetic selection using sire Australian sheep breeding values, however, breeding value expression has been shown to be reduced with poor nutrition. It was therefore hypothesised that the genetic potential for lamb growth would also be reduced, where production factors such as multiple births limit growth. Live weights at birth, weaning, and post-weaning were collected from more than 18,000 lambs produced over five years and eight locations of the Sheep Cooperative Research Centre Information Nucleus Flock experiment, and the impact of environment, production factors, and genotype was determined using mixed effects regression. The genetic potential for lamb growth was moderated by environment, multiple births, and sire type (p < 0.05). Twin lambs achieved 76% of the expected weight gain at weaning and 58% post-weaning. For triplet lambs weight gains were drastically less at approximately 30% of the expected gain at the same time points. Lambs born to maternal sires consistently had the poorest response to genetic selection, achieving approximately half the expected weight gain. Hence, producers need to temper expectations for growth based on genetic selection, or employ mitigation strategies such as precision feeding, the use of alternate breeds, or place emphasis on the genetic merit of other desirable traits

Modeling of drying thin layer of tomato slices using solar and convective driers

This paper presents a mathematical modelling of thin layer drying of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). To this end, two different methods are used to dehydrate tomato slices namely the solar drying (in an indirect solar dryer), and the forced convective drying (in a convective dryer). In the solar dryer, the experiments are carried out at a constant air velocity of 1 m/s and average temperatures of 37.2, 39.9, 42.5 °C. In the convective dryer, the experiments are performed with five different temperatures (30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 °C) at a constant air velocity of 1 m/s. In order to estimate and select the appropriate drying curve equation, fifteen different thin layer mathematical drying models available in the literature are applied to the experimental data. The models are compared using the correlation coefficient (r) and the standard error (s) and are predicted by a non-linear regression analysis using the Curve Expert software. The Midilli-Kucuk model shows a better fit to the experimental drying data according to (r) and (s) for the two drying methods. The effect of the drying temperature on the parameters of this model is also determined. The experimental drying curves show only a falling drying rate period. On average, tomatoes are dried until the moisture content of 0.15 kg water/kg dry matter from 14.36 kg water/kg dry matter in the solar drying, and to the moisture content of 0.10 kg water/kg dry matter from 12.66 kg water/kg dry matter in the convective drying.

ISOTHERMS AND ISOSTERIC HEAT OF DESORPTION OF WATERMELON FRUIT

In this paper, a new unpublished study on the watermelon fruit is presented. It concerns the experimental determination of the water desorption isotherms at three different temperatures, using the dynamic method requiring the Dynamic Vapor System device (DVS). In order to select the appropriate desorption curve equation, 11 different models available in the literature were applied to the experimental data. The models were compared using the correlation coefficient, the standard error, the reduced chi-squared, the mean bias error and the root mean square error; they were predicted by a non-linear regression analysis using the Curve Expert software. The effect of the temperature on the constants of the found equation is also examined. Finally, the desorption isosteric heat of watermelon is determined using the Clausius-Clapeyron relation. Contrary to long times taken in the static method, the results show that 4.5 days are widely sufficient to reach the equilibrium via the DVS device. In addition, the obtained curves are of the type III and the Henderson model is the most appropriate model representing them. In the interval 0.05 - 0.45 kg of water/kg d.m of equilibrium moisture, the values of the isosteric heat vary from 65.02 to 113.25 kJ/mol. Finally, the equation giving the isosteric heat of desorption v.s. the equilibrium moisture content is obtained

Convective drying of cherry tomato: Study of skin effect

A whole single cherry tomato is dried in a forced convective micro-dryer. The experiments are carried out under temperatures of 50, 60, 70 °C and a constant air flow and humidity. In order to study the effect of the skin two sets of experiments were performed using original tomatoes or after skin was handly removed. The drying kinetics show the existence of two main phases, which are: adaptation phase and falling drying rate phase with an increase of the drying rate with the temperature increase. The observation of the product behavior shows that shrinkage effect is largely happening during the process. It is possible to follow this effect represented by variation of the product volume with its moisture content using X-ray microtomography. This non destructive imaging technique has been proved to find interesting applications in the drying field. In a second part, mathematical modeling using diffusion equation based on Fick’s law is studied. Consequently and using the analytical solutions proposed by Crank (1975), the diffusion coefficient is determined and written as function of the drying air temperature under Arrhenius form permitting by this way the calculus of the activation energy. The skin effect is clearly determined as the calculated diffusion coefficient of an original tomato with skin is largely smaller than the one without skin

Modeling of drying thin layer of tomato slices using solar and convective driers

peer reviewedThis paper presents a mathematical modeling of thin layer drying of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). To this end, two different methods are used to dehydrate tomato slices namely the solar drying (in an indirect solar drier), and the forced convective drying (in a convective drier). In the solar drier, the experiments are carried out at a constant air velocity of 1 m s-1 and average temperatures of 37.2°C, 39.9°C and 42.5°C. In the convective drier, the experiments are performed with five different temperatures (30°C, 40°C, 50°C, 60°C and 70°C) at a constant air velocity of 1 m s-1. In order to estimate and select the appropriate drying curve equation, fifteen different thin layer mathematical drying models available in the literature are applied to the experimental data. The models are compared using the correlation coefficient (r) and the standard error (s) and are predicted by a non-linear regression analysis using the Curve Expert software. The Midilli-Kucuk model shows a better fit to the experimental drying data according to (r) and (s) for the two drying methods. The effect of the drying temperature on the parameters of this model is also determined. The experimental drying curves show only a falling drying rate period. On average, tomatoes are dried until the moisture content to 0.15 kg water kg-1 dry matter from 14.36 kg water kg-1 dry matter in the solar drying, and to the moisture content of 0.10 kg water kg-1 dry matter from 12.66 kg water kg-1 dry matter in the convective drying

Étude par microtomograpie aux rayons X durétrécissement de tranches de tomates durant le séchage convectif

In this study, the shrinkage phenomenon taking place during the convective drying of tomato slices is investigated with three different temperatures (40, 50 and 60 °C) at constant air velocity of 1 m.s-1 and very low humidity. Indeed, the shrinkage curves showing the evolution of the volume ratio (V/V0) v.s. the water content ratio (X/X0) are determined by X-ray microtomography. The results show that the tomato presents an anisotropic and independent of temperature shrinkage and then a single shrinkage curve is proposed. On average, the volume decreases of 70 % of its initial value.The height and the diameter shrinkages have a linear dependence with the water content until X/X0 = 0.2, but for X/X0 < 0.2, the diameter and especially the thickness decrease rapidly, following a polynomial and a logarithmic trend, respectively

Convective drying of cherry tomato: Study of skin effect

A whole single cherry tomato was dried in a forced convective micro-dryer. The experiments were carried out at constant air velocity and humidity and temperatures of 50, 60, 70 °C. In order to study the effect of the skin, two sets of experiments were performed using a tomato with and without skin (easily removed). Shorter drying times were obtained when increasing drying temperatures as well as when removing sample skin. X-ray microtomography, a non-destructive 3D imaging technique was used to follow shrinkage of the samples. This phenomenon was introduced in the modelling part of this study. Analytical solutions of the Fick’law were used to determine the diffusion coefficient at the three temperatures studied, and then the activation energy was obtained through fitting the Arrhenius equation. The skin effect was clearly evidenced by showing that the mass transfer parameter values of an original tomato with skin were largely smaller than the one without skin. Indeed, the moisture effective diffusivity ranged from 2.56×10-11 to 7.67×10-11 m2·s-1 with activation energy of 50430 J·mol-1 for tomato with skin an ranged from 4.59×10-10 m2·s-1 to 6.73×10-10 m2·s-1 with activation energy of 17640 J.mol-1 for tomato without skin