Caught between necessity and feasibility

Dependence on biomass, especially wood, to meet domestic energy needs raises several socio-environmental concerns. In contrast, cattle manure, which may be used to generate biogas, is considered a cleaner and cheaper source of energy. Despite the existence of several initiatives to promote biogas, systematic analyses of the effects of such initiatives are limited. This paper provides such an analysis. We use data from rural Rwanda to examine the effects of access to bio digesters on energy-related expenditures and consumption of traditional fuels. We find that participation in Rwanda’s National Domestic Biogas Programme leads to substantial reductions in firewood use and yields large savings. However, a cost-benefit analysis reveals that the attractiveness of participating in the biogas programme is hampered by a long payback period

Indonesia's Domestic Biogas Programme – Household panel survey data

The data presented in this article are related to the research paper titled, “The impact of a household biogas programme on energy use and expenditure in East Java” (A.S. Bedi, R. Sparrow, L. Tasciotti, 2017) [1]. This Data in Brief article presents two rounds of survey data conducted in 2011 and 2012 for a panel of 677 dairy farm households in the province of East Java, Indonesia. The survey relied on structured questionnaires to collect data on the production and use of biogas, the use of other non-renewable energy sources, farm characteristics, and socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of households. The panel data set in STATA format and do files are made publicly available to promote replicability and extended analyses of a sustainable energy initiative

The provision of solar energy to rural households through a fee-for-service system

This baseline report is part of an evaluation commissioned by the Policy and Operations Evaluation Department (IOB) of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It belongs to a series of impact evaluations of renewable energy and development programmes supported by the Netherlands, with a focus on the medium and long term effects of these programmes on end-users or final beneficiaries. A characteristic of these studies is the use of mixed methods, being quantitative research techniques, in combination with qualitative techniques, to get insight in the magnitude of effects. The purpose of the impact evaluations is to account for assistance provided and to draw lessons from the findings for improvement of policy and policy implementation. The results of these impact evaluations will be input to a policy evaluation of the “Promoting Renewable Energy Programme” (PREP) to be concluded in 2014

Does electrification spur the fertility transition? evidence from Indonesia

We analyze various pathways through which access to electricity affects fertility in Indonesia, using a district difference-in-difference approach. The electrification rate increased by 65 % over the study period, and our results suggest that the subsequent effects on fertility account for about 18 % to 24 % of the overall decline in fertility. A key channel is increased exposure to television. Using in addition several waves of Demographic and Health Surveys, we find suggestive evidence that increased exposure to TV affects, in particular, fertility preferences and increases the effective use of contraception. Reduced child mortality seems to be another important pathway

Impacts of the Brexit referendum on UK employment: a synthetic control method approach

We estimate the impact of the 2016 Brexit referendum on the UK (un-)employment rate up to January 2020 by comparing the observed performance of the indicators in the UK with those of a synthetic control. The decline in the UK unemployment rate recorded after the referendum mimics the trend of the synthetic indicator and, similarly, the increase in UK employment follows the trend of the synthetic control. Overall, we find that the Brexit referendum has had little effect on the UK (un-)employment rate

p65BTK is a novel potential actionable target in KRAS-mutated/EGFR-wild type lung adenocarcinoma

Background: Lung cancer is still the main cause of cancer death worldwide despite the availability of targeted therapies and immune-checkpoint inhibitors combined with chemotherapy. Cancer cell heterogeneity and primary or acquired resistance mechanisms cause the elusive behaviour of this cancer and new biomarkers and active drugs are urgently needed to overcome these limitations. p65BTK, a novel isoform of the Bruton Tyrosine Kinase may represent a new actionable target in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: p65BTK expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 382 NSCLC patients with complete clinico-pathological records including smoking habit, ALK and EGFR status, and in metastatic lymph nodes of 30 NSCLC patients. NSCLC cell lines mutated for p53 and/or a component of the RAS/MAPK pathway and primary lung cancer-derived cells from Kras/Trp53 null mice were used as a preclinical model. The effects of p65BTK inhibition by BTK Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) (Ibrutinib, AVL-292, RN486) and first-generation EGFR-TKIs (Gefitinib, Erlotinib) on cell viability were evaluated by MTT. The effects of BTK-TKIs on cell growth and clonogenicity were assessed by crystal violet and colony assays, respectively. Cell toxicity assays were performed to study the effect of the combination of non-toxic concentrations of BTK-TKIs with EGFR-TKIs and standard-of-care (SOC) chemotherapy (Cisplatin, Gemcitabine, Pemetrexed). Results: p65BTK was significantly over-expressed in EGFR-wild type (wt) adenocarcinomas (AdC) from non-smoker patients and its expression was also preserved at the metastatic site. p65BTK was also over-expressed in cell lines mutated for KRAS or for a component of the RAS/MAPK pathway and in tumors from Kras/Trp53 null mice. BTK-TKIs were more effective than EGFR-TKIs in decreasing cancer cell viability and significantly impaired cell proliferation and clonogenicity. Moreover, non-toxic doses of BTK-TKIs re-sensitized drug-resistant NSCLC cell lines to both target- and SOC therapy, independently from EGFR/KRAS status. Conclusions: p65BTK results as an emerging actionable target in non-smoking EGFR-wt AdC, also at advanced stages of disease. Notably, these patients are not eligible for EGFR-TKIs-based therapy due to a lack of EGFR mutation. The combination of BTK-TKIs with EGFR-TKIs is cytotoxic for EGFR-wt/KRAS-mutant/p53-null tumors and BTK-TKIs re-sensitizes drug-resistant NSCLC to SOC chemotherapy. Therefore, our data suggest that adding BTK-TKIs to SOC chemotherapy and EGFR-targeted therapy may open new avenues for clinical trials in currently untreatable NSCLC

APC I1307K mutations and forkhead box gene (FOXO1A): another piece of an interesting correlation.

Purpose: Germline nonsense and frameshift mutations in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene are found in approximately 90% of individuals affected by familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and a genotype-phenotype relationship has been observed. Missense mutations have also been found in a few cases, even if their role in FAP is still unknown. An association between a missense mutation, APC I1307K, and the risk of sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) has been reported. In order to improve the knowledge about the genetic effect of APC I1307K on the phenotype, we tried a new approach using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI/MS). Experimental design: An APC mutation (I1307K) was found in an index case of a non-Jewish woman and her son with attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis (A-FAP) and no family history of cancer. In order to evaluate whether the presence and abundance of the ionic species are related to the presence of cancer or the presence of mutation, comparative analyses of 11 healthy clean-colon subjects, 59 patients with CRC (stage II n=19, stage III n=23, stage IV n=17) without polyps, and 9 FAP patients, carriers of a nonsense mutation in the APC gene, were evaluated. Results: Comparative analysis of serum protein profiles of the index patient and her healthy son, FAP and sporadic CRC patients, and subjects with preneoplastic lesions showed a characteristic abundance of ionic species at m/z 905, which was not present in healthy controls. Two peptides were identified from MALDI/MS/MS spectra of m/z 905 belonging to the kininogen-1 precursor and the human forkhead box protein 01A (FOXO1A). FOXO1A was present in only two subjects carrying I1307K, but not in other patients. Conclusions: Our findings seem to suggest a relationship between m/z 905, FOXO1A and the development and growth of colorectal cancer. FOXO1A fragment determination in serum with MALDI/MS might be a promising approach for early detection of colon carcinoma or for the development of targeted therapies

The electrification-malaria nexus: the case of rural Uganda

Sub-Saharan countries are facing multiple simultaneous challenges that include the need to both increase access to electricity and combat morbidity and mortality caused by malaria. This study is the first to explore the nexus between electrification and malaria incidence using country-wide representative household-level data. The focus is on rural Uganda. Despite the fact that data used in this analysis come from a multi-topic survey and therefore do not include the ideal indicators for a malaria-related study, we do find evidence that household members having access to electricity are more likely to experience malaria. Our interpretation is that electric light attracts malaria vectors and that lifestyle changes associated with outdoor lighting increase human exposure to the vectors. Our findings suggest that the electrification process in Uganda should be complemented by anti-malaria strategies