Life cycle analysis of potential municipal solid wastes management scenarios in Tanzania: the case of Arusha City

This research article published by Springer Nature, 2021The municipal solid wastes (MSW) management technologies in most cities of developing countries pose a continuous risk of contaminating the environment and affecting human health adversely; often because MSW technologies are not comprehensively analyzed before their implementation. For this purpose, the life cycle assessment methodology was applied to access the different MSW management scenarios in Arusha City, Tanzania. Three different scenarios of recycling and sanitary landfilling (RSL) were developed as the business as usual scenario (RSL) (SN-1), RSL combined with composting (SN-2), and RSL combined with anaerobic digestion (SN-3). Results obtained showed that no scenario performed better in all impact categories, however with the current focus on climate change and limited funds in developing countries, the best option would be SN-2. The SN-2 which is the combination of recycling, composting and the landfill had the least economic cost and environmental burdens in most categories when compared to the other scenarios. The sensitivity analysis results indicated that improving diesel consumptions, reducing methane emissions to air and increasing the recycling rate of papers and plastics would reduce the total environmental impacts on all scenarios

Two-stage banana leaves wastes utilization towards mushroom growth and biogas production

This research article published by Springer Nature Switzerland AG., 2020Banana leaves wastes (BL) were subjected to fungal treatment using Pleurotus ostreatus to produce edible mushrooms and biogas in the anaerobic digestion process. Effects of fungal treatment on mushrooms production, lignin degradation, trace elements compositions and biogas yield during the anaerobic digestion process were evaluated. Treatment with P.ostreatus for 36 d resulted in the production of 181 ± 19 g of edible mushrooms per 2 kg of BL with biological efficiency of 37 ± 4%. Lignin concentration in fungal treated BL decreased by 10% indicating an improvement on its digestibility. Important trace elements (Fe, Mn, Mo, Co and Ni) necessary for the improvement of the anaerobic digestion process were also significantly reduced (P < 0.05) during the fungal treatment process. The biogas yield for the fungal treated BL was 282 mL g−1 VS−1 of which this study suggests that could be improved through trace element supplementation during the anaerobic digestion process

Factors associated with gastro-duodenal disease in patients undergoing upper GI endoscopy at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana.

Background: There is a high prevalence of gastro-duodenal disease in sub-Saharan Africa. Peptic ulcer disease in dyspeptic patients, 24.5%, was comparable to prevalence of gastro-duodenal disease among symptomatic individuals in developed countries (12 \u2013 25%). Limited data exists regarding its associated risk factors despite accumulating evidence indicating that gastroduodenal disease is common in Ghana. Objectives: This study investigates risk factors associated with gastro-duodenal disease at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana. Methods: This study utilized a cross-sectional design to consecutively recruit patients referred with upper gastro-intestinal symptoms for endoscopy. The study questionnaire was administered to study participants. Helicobacter pylori infection was confirmed by rapid-urease examination at endoscopy. Results: Of 242 patients sampled; 64 had duodenal ulcer, 66 gastric ulcer, 27gastric cancer and 64 non-ulcer dyspepsia. Nineteen (19) had duodenal and gastric ulcer while 2 had gastric ulcer and cancer. A third (32.6%) of patients had history of NSAIDuse. H. pylori was associated with gastric ulcer (p=0.033) and duodenal ulcer (p=0.001). There was an increased prevalence of duodenal ulcer in H. pylori-infected patients taking NSAIDs, P=0.003. Conclusion: H. pylori was a major risk factor for peptic ulcer disease. However, NSAID-related gastro-duodenal injury has been shown to be common in H. pylori infected patients. It highlights the need for awareness of the adverse gastro-intestinal effects in a H. pylori endemic area

A Robust Determination of the Time Delay in 0957+561A,B and a Measurement of the Global Value of Hubble's Constant

Photometric monitoring of the gravitational lens system 0957+561A,B in the g and r bands with the Apache Point Observatory (APO) 3.5 m telescope during 1996 shows a sharp g band event in the trailing (B) image light curve at the precise time predicted from the observation of an event during 1995 in the leading (A) image with a delay of 415 days. This success confirms the "short delay," and the lack of any feature at a delay near 540 days rejects the "long delay" for this system, resolving a long-standing controversy. A series of statistical analyses of our light curve data yield a best fit delay of 417 +/- 3 days (95% confidence interval). Recent improvements in the modeling of the lens system (consisting of a galaxy and cluster) allow us to derive a value of the global (at z = 0.36) value of Hubble's constant H_0 using Refsdal's method, a simple and direct distance determination based on securely understood physics and geometry. The result is H_0 = 63 +/- 12 km/s/Mpc (for Omega = 1) where this 95% confidence interval is dominated by remaining lens model uncertainties.Comment: accepted by ApJ, AASTeX 4.0 preprint, 4 PostScript figure

Heme metabolism genes Downregulated in COPD Cachexia.

IntroductionCachexia contributes to increased mortality and reduced quality of life in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and may be associated with underlying gene expression changes. Our goal was to identify differential gene expression signatures associated with COPD cachexia in current and former smokers.MethodsWe analyzed whole-blood gene expression data from participants with COPD in a discovery cohort (COPDGene, N = 400) and assessed replication (ECLIPSE, N = 114). To approximate the consensus definition using available criteria, cachexia was defined as weight-loss &gt; 5% in the past 12 months or low body mass index (BMI) (&lt; 20 kg/m2) and 1/3 criteria: decreased muscle strength (six-minute walk distance &lt; 350 m), anemia (hemoglobin &lt; 12 g/dl), and low fat-free mass index (FFMI) (&lt; 15 kg/m2 among women and &lt; 17 kg/m2 among men) in COPDGene. In ECLIPSE, cachexia was defined as weight-loss &gt; 5% in the past 12 months or low BMI and 3/5 criteria: decreased muscle strength, anorexia, abnormal biochemistry (anemia or high c-reactive protein (&gt; 5 mg/l)), fatigue, and low FFMI. Differential gene expression was assessed between cachectic and non-cachectic subjects, adjusting for age, sex, white blood cell counts, and technical covariates. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed using MSigDB.ResultsThe prevalence of COPD cachexia was 13.7% in COPDGene and 7.9% in ECLIPSE. Fourteen genes were differentially downregulated in cachectic versus non-cachectic COPD patients in COPDGene (FDR &lt; 0.05) and ECLIPSE (FDR &lt; 0.05).DiscussionSeveral replicated genes regulating heme metabolism were downregulated among participants with COPD cachexia. Impaired heme biosynthesis may contribute to cachexia development through free-iron buildup and oxidative tissue damage

Secondary predication and the distribution of raising to object

In Den Dikken (2017b) arguments are presented for a predicational approach to hyperraising and copy raising constructions in which the ‘raised’ DP serves as the subject of the matrix clause. In this sequel, I show that hyperraising and copy raising also occur in secondary predication constructions embedded under propositional attitude verbs such as consider. An examination of the properties of these hyperraising and copy raising to object constructions leads to the conclusion that overt subject-toobject raising (‘object shift’) definitely exists in English but is obligatory only for subjects of small-clause complements of verbs. Apart from yielding a clearer perspective on the distribution of overt object shift in English, the study also delivers a unified account of a variety of restrictions on the subject of the non-finite complement of propositional attitude verbs

Ernst Freund as Precursor of the Rational Study of Corporate Law

Gindis, David, Ernst Freund as Precursor of the Rational Study of Corporate Law (October 27, 2017). Journal of Institutional Economics, Forthcoming. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2905547, doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2905547The rise of large business corporations in the late 19th century compelled many American observers to admit that the nature of the corporation had yet to be understood. Published in this context, Ernst Freund's little-known The Legal Nature of Corporations (1897) was an original attempt to come to terms with a new legal and economic reality. But it can also be described, to paraphrase Oliver Wendell Holmes, as the earliest example of the rational study of corporate law. The paper shows that Freund had the intuitions of an institutional economist, and engaged in what today would be called comparative institutional analysis. Remarkably, his argument that the corporate form secures property against insider defection and against outsiders anticipated recent work on entity shielding and capital lock-in, and can be read as an early contribution to what today would be called the theory of the firm.Peer reviewe

Teleparallel Gravity and Dimensional Reductions of Noncommutative Gauge Theory

We study dimensional reductions of noncommutative electrodynamics on flat space which lead to gauge theories of gravitation. For a general class of such reductions, we show that the noncommutative gauge fields naturally yield a Weitzenbock geometry on spacetime and that the induced diffeomorphism invariant field theory can be made equivalent to a teleparallel formulation of gravity which macroscopically describes general relativity. The Planck length is determined in this setting by the Yang-Mills coupling constant and the noncommutativity scale. The effective field theory can also contain higher-curvature and non-local terms which are characteristic of string theory. Some applications to D-brane dynamics and generalizations to include the coupling of ordinary Yang-Mills theory to gravity are also described.Comment: 31 pages LaTeX; References adde

Clinically recognizable error rate after the transfer of comprehensive chromosomal screened euploid embryos is low

ObjectiveTo determine the clinically recognizable error rate with the use of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)–based comprehensive chromosomal screening (CCS).DesignRetrospective study.SettingMultiple fertility centers.Patient(s)All patients receiving euploid designated embryos.Intervention(s)Trophectoderm biopsy for CCS.Main Outcome Measure(s)Evaluation of the pregnancy outcomes following the transfer of qPCR-designated euploid embryos. Calculation of the clinically recognizable error rate.Result(s)A total of 3,168 transfers led to 2,354 pregnancies (74.3%). Of 4,794 CCS euploid embryos transferred, 2,976 gestational sacs developed, reflecting a clinical implantation rate of 62.1%. In the cases where a miscarriage occurred and products of conception were available for analysis, ten were ultimately found to be aneuploid. Seven were identified in the products of conception following clinical losses and three in ongoing pregnancies. The clinically recognizable error rate per embryo designated as euploid was 0.21% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.10–0.37). The clinically recognizable error rate per transfer was 0.32% (95% CI 0.16–0.56). The clinically recognizable error rate per ongoing pregnancy was 0.13% (95% CI 0.03–0.37). Three products of conception from aneuploid losses were available to the molecular laboratory for detailed examination, and all of them demonstrated fetal mosaicism.Conclusion(s)The clinically recognizable error rate with qPCR-based CCS is real but quite low. Although evaluated in only a limited number of specimens, mosaicism appears to play a prominent role in misdiagnoses. Mosaic errors present a genuine limit to the effectiveness of aneuploidy screening, because they are not attributable to technical issues in the embryology or analytic laboratories