Effects and acceptability of implementing improved cookstoves and heaters to reduce household air pollution: a FRESH AIR study

The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of locally tailored implementation of improved cookstoves/heaters in low- and middle-income countries. This interventional implementation study among 649 adults and children living in rural communities in Uganda, Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan, was performed after situational analyses and awareness programmes. Outcomes included household air pollution (PM2.5 and CO), self-reported respiratory symptoms (with CCQ and MRC-breathlessness scale), chest infections, school absence and intervention acceptability. Measurements were conducted at baseline, 2 and 6-12 months after implementing improved cookstoves/heaters. Mean PM2.5 values decrease by 31% (to 95.1 µg/m3) in Uganda (95%CI 71.5-126.6), by 32% (to 31.1 µg/m3) in Vietnam (95%CI 24.5-39.5) and by 65% (to 32.4 µg/m3) in Kyrgyzstan (95%CI 25.7-40.8), but all remain above the WHO guidelines. CO-levels remain below the WHO guidelines. After intervention, symptoms and infections diminish significantly in Uganda and Kyrgyzstan, and to a smaller extent in Vietnam. Quantitative assessment indicates high acceptance of the new cookstoves/heaters. In conclusion, locally tailored implementation of improved cookstoves/heaters is acceptable and has considerable effects on respiratory symptoms and indoor pollution, yet mean PM2.5 levels remain above WHO recommendations.European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme under grant agreement no. 680997, TRIAL ID NTR5759, http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctsearch.asp?Term=23332. The devices, measuring the personal HAP, were funded by Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO

Weber and church governance: religious practice and economic activity

The debate about the relationship between religion and economic activity in the wake of Weber has been cast largely in terms of belief and values. This article suggests an alternative focus on practice. It argues that taken for granted practices of church governance formed to-hand resources for the organization of economic activity. The argument is developed through an examination of the historical development of church governance practices in the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, with particular emphasis on the way in which theological belief gave rise to practices of accountability and record keeping. In turn such practices contributed to a ‘culture of organization’ which had implications for economic activity. A focus on governance practices can help to illuminate enduring patterns of difference in the organization of economic activity

Perspectives in visual imaging for marine biology and ecology: from acquisition to understanding

Durden J, Schoening T, Althaus F, et al. Perspectives in Visual Imaging for Marine Biology and Ecology: From Acquisition to Understanding. In: Hughes RN, Hughes DJ, Smith IP, Dale AC, eds. Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review. 54. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 2016: 1-72

COPD’s early origins in low-and-middle income countries: what are the implications of a false start?

[Excerpt] The Global Initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung disease (GOLD)guideline of 2018 describes COPD as‘the result of a complexinterplay of long-term cumulative exposure to noxious gases andparticles, combined with a variety of host factors includinggenetics, airway hyper-responsiveness and poor lung growthduring childhood’.1Tobacco smoking is traditionally viewed as themain contributing factor to the development of COPD. However,COPD also occurs among non-smokers, especially in low-incomeand middle-income countries (LMICs).2,3Notably, more than 90%of COPD-related deaths occur in LMICs.4For these countries, otherrisk factors, such as ambient, occupational and household airpollution play a significant role in the development of COPD.1,2,5–7Does COPD in these settings have a different pathophysiologicaltrajectory compared to COPD in high-income countries, and if so:what does this imply?In normal lung development, airway branching is completed bythe 17th week of gestation, after which airways increase in volumeuntil young adulthood. Alveoli are present at birth and developfurther during childhood. Lung volume and airflow continue toincrease as the thorax grows, influenced by age, sex, and ethnicity,reaching a peak at young adulthood. Lung function then remainsconstant for about 10 years (the plateau phase), after which itgradually declines.8In the‘classic’COPD patient, the decline inlung function is more rapid than in healthy individuals. However,in a considerable proportion of COPD patients, lung function doesnot decline rapidly, but reaches a lower plateau phase in earlyadulthood instead. For these patients, a completely differentpathophysiological trajectory seems to lead to the diagnosis ofCOPD: the decline in lung function follows a normal pattern, yetthey seem to have a‘false start’by attaining a lower maximumlung function. [...

Plant‐mediated interactions among above‐ground and below‐ground life stages of a root‐feeding weevil

© 2019 The Royal Entomological Society 1. Interactions among herbivores mediated by plant responses to herbivore injury may have large impacts on herbivore population densities. Responses may persist for weeks after injury and may affect not only the initial (inducing) herbivore, but also herbivores that are spatially or temporally separated from the initial attacker. 2. In many plant–insect interactions, multiple life stages of the insect may be associated with the same plant, and these various stages may interact indirectly with one another via induced responses. The rice water weevil (RWW), Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus, a serious global pest of rice, is one such insect. A series of experiments were performed with root-feeding larvae and leaf-feeding adults of the RWW using three conventional rice varieties. 3. The first objective of this study was to test whether RWW adult feeding on rice leaves resulted in altered oviposition by subsequent adults. The hypothesis for the first objective was that RWW adult feeding would decrease plant suitability, resulting in reduced oviposition by subsequent adults. 4. The second objective was to test whether injury by RWW larvae to rice roots resulted in altered oviposition by subsequent adults. The hypothesis for the second objective was that below-ground RWW larval feeding would decrease plant suitability of rice to above-ground RWW adults, resulting in decreased oviposition. 5. Results provided inconsistent support for the first hypothesis, indicating that responses differed among combinations of variety and injury level. Conversely, consistent support for the second hypothesis was found, indicating that larval feeding on roots decreased suitability of rice plants for oviposition

Polyphenol oxidase-mediated resistance to common cutworm

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