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Purpose: This study examines the effect of market sensing and interaction orientation capabilities on the marketing performance of service based firms in Ghana. The study particularly explored the moderation effect of interaction orientation capability on the relationship between market sensing and firm performance of the service firms. Methods: This study adopted the survey approach focusing on a convenient sample of 200 employees of service firms. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to establish the relationship between the variables of interest. Results: The study revealed that market sensing capability and interaction orientation significantly account for variations in the marketing performance of the service businesses. Furthermore, the findings showed that the interaction of market sensing and interaction orientation capabilities is vital for extracting a higher marketing. Implications: The research target of service firms limits the generalizability of the findings since the participants were not proportionally participated. In addition to insights on how marketing sensing and interaction orientation should fit the realization of marketing performance, the research offers other ideas to enhance measurement of marketing performance based on customer profits and customer relations.

Mangrove ecosystems represent low-cost climate-regulating systems through carbon storage in their sediments. However, considering the complex shifts in shallow coastal ecosystems, it is clear from just a few sets of environmental impacts on their carbon storage that there is a deficit in the information required for preserving this service. Here, we investigated the spatial and temporal variability of hydrographic factors (water temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), flow velocity, turbidity) and sediment characteristics (sedimentation rate and sediment grain size) on the intricate carbon dynamics of mangroves by examining which key variable(s) control mangrove sediment organic matter (OM). We used in-situ monitoring to assess the hydrographic dynamics, sedimentation rate, sediment organic content, and granulometry. Laboratory loss-on-ignition and granulometric methods were employed to quantify OM in trapped and bottom sediments and sediment grain size, respectively. Based on the findings, water pH, salinity, and DO were the key regulators of OM in sediments. Despite conventional expectations, the study observed positive effects of DO on OM, highlighting the possible role of aquatic plant photosynthesis and freshwater inflow. Sedimentation rates, usually considered crucial for OM accumulation, showed no significant relationship, emphasizing the importance of sediment content over quantity. Noteworthy findings include the role of sediment grain size in OM storage within mangrove sediments. Even though the grain size class of 63 μm diameter had the highest mean weight across the studied sites, there were significant positive correlations between Trap and Bottom OM with 500 and 2000 μm grain size classes, emphasizing the need to consider sediment characteristics in carbon dynamics assessments. Overall, this research provides valuable insights into the intricate environmental dynamics of mangrove ecosystems that are crucial to understanding and managing these vital coastal habitats., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Hyperlipidemia accounts for about 17 million deaths worldwide each year. High cost and side effects have limited the use of conventional anti-lipidaemic agents in some cases, majority of whom resort to traditional medicine. The current research focused on validating the safety and efficacy of a herbal product, 'LIPO A' used in the management of hyperlipidaemia. Induction of hyperlipidaemia was achieved by oral administration of 3 mL of cholesterol in coconut oil for 4 weeks in male Sprague Dawley rats with water available as 40 % sucrose. Subsequently, the animals were treated with 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg of the product 'LIPO A' for 4 additional weeks with atorvastatin as reference drug (at 2 mg/kg body weight). Blood samples were taken for serum biochemistry and atherogenic ratios were then calculated. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay, total antioxidant capacity, physicochemical and phytochemical analysis were also carried out using standard methods. Treatment resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in total cholesterol with maximum reduction of 46.01 % at 400 mg/kg compared to atorvastatin with 49.30 %. There were significant changes in the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c/HDL-c) and Total Cholesterol (TC/HDL-c) ratios which measures the atherogenic and coronary risk indices respectively. Acute and subacute toxicity studies did not reveal any signs of toxicity. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint revealed six well resolved peaks with two prominent compounds with retention times 24.88 and 23.95 min, which could serve as quality control markers for the product. The herbal product showed considerable antihyperlipidemic and antioxidant actions in rodent models and lend credence to its use in traditional medicine for hyperlipidaemia., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Mangrove ecosystems are recognised as one of the nature-based solutions to a changing climate. Notwithstanding the socio-ecological benefits of mangrove ecosystems, they are increasingly being destructed in some regions of the world. In Ghana, several studies have reported on the status, use, and management strategies of mangrove ecosystems in different sites of the country. However, these studies do not make it possible to appreciate the broader picture of Ghana's mangrove ecosystems since they are not synthesized into a single comprehensive report. This study uses the ROSES method for systematic reviews to report on Ghana's mangrove ecosystem distribution and species composition, as well as their socio-economic benefits, the anthropogenic and natural impacts on Ghana's mangrove ecosystems, and the management strategies and/or practices on Ghana's mangrove ecosystems. The study reveals there is no existing management strategy for Ghana's mangrove ecosystems, and therefore recommends the need to develop and implement policies and regulations that specifically target the protection and sustainable use of mangrove ecosystems in Ghana., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The use of plant-based indicators and other conventional means to detect the level of water stress in crops may be challenging, due to their difficulties in automation, their arduousness, and their time-consuming nature. Non-contact and non-destructive sensing methods can be used to detect the level of water stress in plants continuously and to provide automatic sensing and controls. This research aimed at determining the viability, efficiency, and swiftness in employing the commercial Workswell WIRIS Agro R infrared camera (WWARIC) in monitoring water stress and scheduling appropriate irrigation regimes in mandarin plants. The experiment used a four-by-three randomized complete block design with 80−100% FC water treatment as full field capacity and three deficit irrigation treatments at 70−75% FC, 60−65% FC, and 50−55% FC. Air temperature, canopy temperature, and vapor pressure deficits were measured and employed to deduce the empirical crop water stress index, using the Idso approach (CWSI(Idso)) as well as baseline equations to calculate non-water stress and water stressed conditions. The relative leaf water content (RLWC) of mandarin plants was also determined for the growing season. From the experiment, CWSI(Idso) and CWSI were estimated using the Workswell Wiris Agro R infrared camera (CWSIW) and showed a high correlation (R2 = 0.75 at p < 0.05) in assessing the extent of water stress in mandarin plants. The results also showed that at an altitude of 12 m above the mandarin canopy, the WWARIC was able to identify water stress using three modes (empirical, differential, and theoretical). The WWARIC’s color map feature, presented in real time, makes the camera a suitable device, as there is no need for complex computations or expert advice before determining the extent of the stress the crops are subjected to. The results prove that this novel use of the WWARIC demonstrated sufficient precision, swiftness, and intelligibility in the real-time detection of the mandarin water stress index and, accordingly, assisted in scheduling irrigation.

To optimize crop water consumption and adopt water-saving measures such as precision irrigation, early identification of plant water status is critical. This study explores the effectiveness of estimating water stress in choy sum ( Brassica chinensis var. parachinensis ) grown in pots in greenhouse conditions using Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) and crop vegetation indicators to improve irrigation water management. Data on CWSI and Spectral reflectance were collected from choy sum plants growing in sandy loam soil with four different soil field capacities (FC): 90-100% FC as no water stress (NWS); 80-90% FC for light water stress (LWS); 70-80% FC for moderate water stress (MWS); and 60-70% FC for severe water stress (SWS). With four treatments and three replications, the experiment was set up as a completely randomized design (CRD). Throughout the growing season, plant water stress tracers such as leaf area index (LAI), canopy temperature (Tc), leaf relative water content (LRWC), leaf chlorophyll content, and yield were measured. Furthermore, CWSI estimated from the Workswell Wiris Agro R Infrared Camera (CWSI W ) and spectral data acquisition from the Analytical Spectral Device on choy sum plants were studied at each growth stage. NDVI, Photochemical Reflectance Index positioned at 570 nm (PRI570), normalized PRI (PRInorm), Water Index (WI), and NDWI were the Vegetation indices (VIs) used in this study. At each growth stage, the connections between these CWSI W , VIs, and water stress indicators were statistically analyzed with R 2 greater than 0.5. The results revealed that all VIs were valuable guides for diagnosing water stress in choy sum. CWSI W obtained from this study showed that Workswell Wiris Agro R Infrared Camera mounted on proximal remote sensing platform for assessing water stress in choy sum plant was rapid, non-destructive, and user friendly. Therefore, integrating CWSI W and VIs approach gives a more rapid and accurate approach for detecting water stress in choy sum grown under greenhouse conditions to optimize yield by reducing water loss and enhancing food security and sustainability.

The effects of urbanization such as population upsurge, increased industrialization, urban agriculture, and rural-urban migration of persons exert pressure on the limited water resources in most cities. This study investigated the impact of human activities on the water and sediment quality of the three main rivers (Wiwi, Subin, and Suntre) in Kumasi, the second-largest city in Ghana. The physicochemical parameters and the concentrations of contaminants, including heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticide residues, and microbial loads in the rivers, were linked to the specific human activities at the riverbanks. While all the 37 pesticide residues investigated in river sediments had concentrations below the detection limits (0.005 mg/kg for organochlorines, 0.010 mg/kg for organophosphates, and 0.010 mg/kg for synthetic pyrethroids), the study showed that the sediments are polluted with petrogenic and pyrogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. River Subin, the most polluted among the three rivers, recorded benzo[e]pyrene concentrations up to 47,169 µg/kg. The geoaccumulation index and concentration factors show that the rivers are highly contaminated with metals such as cadmium, chromium, mercury, and arsenic and are related to human activities. The microbial quality of the rivers was poor, recording specific microbial loads of 6.8, 4.1, and 1.5 × 10 7 counts/100 mL respectively for Wiwi, Subin, and the Suntre Rivers. The three water bodies are therefore not suitable for recreational and irrigational purposes., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Drought and water scarcity due to global warming, climate change, and social development have been the most death-defying threat to global agriculture production for the optimization of water and food security. Reflectance indices obtained by an Analytical Spectral Device (ASD) Spec 4 hyperspectral spectrometer from tomato growth in two soil texture types exposed to four water stress levels (70-100% FC, 60-70% FC, 50-60% FC, and 40-50% FC) was deployed to schedule irrigation and management of crops' water stress. The treatments were replicated four times in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in a 2 × 4 factorial experiment. Water stress treatments were monitored with Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR) every 12 h before and after irrigation to maintain soil water content at the desired (FC%). Soil electrical conductivity (Ec) was measured daily throughout the growth cycle of tomatoes in both soil types. Ec was revealing a strong correlation with water stress at R 2 above 0.95 p < 0.001. Yield was measured at the end of the end of the growing season. The results revealed that yield had a high correlation with water stress at R 2 = 0.9758 and 0.9816 p < 0.01 for sandy loam and silty loam soils, respectively. Leaf temperature (LT °C), relative leaf water content (RLWC), leaf chlorophyll content (LCC), Leaf area index (LAI), were measured at each growth stage at the same time spectral reflectance data were measured throughout the growth period. Spectral reflectance indices used were grouped into three: (1) greenness vegetative indices; (2) water overtone vegetation indices; (3) Photochemical Reflectance Index centered at 570 nm (PRI 570 ), and normalized PRI (PRInorm). These reflectance indices were strongly correlated with all four water stress indicators and yield. The results revealed that NDVI, RDVI, WI, NDWI, NDWI 1640 , PRI 570 , and PRInorm were the most sensitive indices for estimating crop water stress at each growth stage in both sandy loam and silty loam soils at R 2 above 0.35. This study recounts the depth of 858 to 1640 nm band absorption to water stress estimation, comparing it to other band depths to give an insight into the usefulness of ground-based hyperspectral reflectance indices for assessing crop water stress at different growth stages in different soil types.

The goal of this research is to use a WORKSWELL WIRIS AGRO R INFRARED CAMERA (WWARIC) to assess the crop water stress index (CWSI W ) on tomato growth in two soil types. This normalized index (CWSI) can map water stress to prevent drought, mapping yield, and irrigation scheduling. The canopy temperature, air temperature, and vapor pressure deficit were measured and used to calculate the empirical value of the CWSI based on the Idso approach (CWSI Idso ). The vegetation water content (VWC) was also measured at each growth stage of tomato growth. The research was conducted as a 2 × 4 factorial experiment arranged in a Completely Randomized Block Design. The treatments imposed were two soil types: sandy loam and silt loam, with four water stress treatment levels at 70-100% FC, 60-70% FC, 50-60% FC, and 40-50% FC on the growth of tomatoes to assess the water stress. The results revealed that CWSI Idso and CWSI W proved a strong correlation in estimating the crop water status at R 2 above 0.60 at each growth stage in both soil types. The fruit expansion stage showed the highest correlation at R 2 = 0.8363 in sandy loam and R 2 = 0.7611 in silt loam. VWC and CWSI W showed a negative relationship with a strong correlation at all the growth stages with R 2 values above 0.8 at p < 0.05 in both soil types. Similarly, the CWSI W and yield also showed a negative relationship and a strong correlation with R 2 values above 0.95, which indicated that increasing the CWSI W had a negative effect on the yield. However, the total marketable yield ranged from 2.02 to 6.8 kg plant -1 in sandy loam soil and 1.75 to 5.4 kg plant -1 in silty loam soil from a low to high CWSI W . The highest mean marketable yield was obtained in sandy loam soil at 70-100% FC (0.0 < CWSI W ≤ 0.25), while the least-marketable yield was obtained in silty loam soil 40-50% FC (0.75 < CWSI W ≤ 1.0); hence, it is ideal for maintaining the crop water status between 0.0 < CWSI W ≤ 0.25 for the optimum yield. These experimental results proved that the WWARIC effectively assesses the crop water stress index (CWSI W ) in tomatoes for mapping the yield and irrigation scheduling.

Severe injuries are frequently accompanied by hemorrhagic shock and harbor an increased risk for complications. Local or systemic inflammation after trauma/hemorrhage may lead to a leaky intestinal epithelial barrier and subsequent translocation of gut microbiota, potentially worsening outcomes. To evaluate the extent with which trauma affects the gut microbiota composition, we performed a post hoc analysis of a murine model of polytrauma and hemorrhage. Four hours after injury, organs and plasma samples were collected, and the diversity and composition of the cecal microbiome were evaluated using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Although cecal microbial alpha diversity and microbial community composition were not found to be different between experimental groups, norepinephrine support in shock animals resulted in increased alpha diversity, as indicated by higher numbers of distinct microbial features. We observed that the concentrations of proinflammatory mediators in plasma and intestinal tissue were associated with measures of microbial alpha and beta diversity and the presence of specific microbial drivers of inflammation, suggesting that the composition of the gut microbiome at the time of trauma, or shortly after trauma exposure, may play an important role in determining physiological outcomes. In conclusion, we found associations between measures of gut microbial alpha and beta diversity and the severity of systemic and local gut inflammation. Furthermore, our data suggest that four hours following injury is too early for development of global changes in the alpha diversity or community composition of the intestinal microbiome. Future investigations with increased temporal-spatial resolution are needed in order to fully elucidate the effects of trauma and shock on the gut microbiome, biological signatures of inflammation, and proximal and distal outcomes.

Previous studies demonstrate that Mycobacterium vaccae NCTC 11659 ( M. vaccae ), a soil-derived bacterium with anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties, is a potentially useful countermeasure against negative outcomes to stressors. Here we used male C57BL/6NCrl mice to determine if repeated immunization with M. vaccae is an effective countermeasure in a "two hit" stress exposure model of chronic disruption of rhythms (CDR) followed by acute social defeat (SD). On day -28, mice received implants of biotelemetric recording devices to monitor 24-h rhythms of locomotor activity. Mice were subsequently treated with a heat-killed preparation of M. vaccae (0.1 mg, administered subcutaneously on days -21, -14, -7, and 27) or borate-buffered saline vehicle. Mice were then exposed to 8 consecutive weeks of either stable normal 12:12 h light:dark (LD) conditions or CDR, consisting of 12-h reversals of the LD cycle every 7 days (days 0-56). Finally, mice were exposed to either a 10-min SD or a home cage control condition on day 54. All mice were exposed to object location memory testing 24 h following SD. The gut microbiome and metabolome were assessed in fecal samples collected on days -1, 48, and 62 using 16S rRNA gene sequence and LC-MS/MS spectral data, respectively; the plasma metabolome was additionally measured on day 64. Among mice exposed to normal LD conditions, immunization with M. vaccae induced a shift toward a more proactive behavioral coping response to SD as measured by increases in scouting and avoiding an approaching male CD-1 aggressor, and decreases in submissive upright defensive postures. In the object location memory test, exposure to SD increased cognitive function in CDR mice previously immunized with M. vaccae . Immunization with M. vaccae stabilized the gut microbiome, attenuating CDR-induced reductions in alpha diversity and decreasing within-group measures of beta diversity. Immunization with M. vaccae also increased the relative abundance of 1-heptadecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, a lysophospholipid, in plasma. Together, these data support the hypothesis that immunization with M. vaccae stabilizes the gut microbiome, induces a shift toward a more proactive response to stress exposure, and promotes stress resilience., Competing Interests: CL serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Immodulon Therapeutics, Ltd., is cofounder and Chief Scientific Officer of Mycobacteria Therapeutics Corporation, serves as an unpaid scientific consultant with Aurum Switzerland AG and serves at a member of the faculty of the Integrative Psychiatry Institute, Boulder, Colorado, United States. KPW has received research support from the National Institutes of Health, the Pac-12 Conference, and SomaLogic, Inc. outside of this work; consulting fees from or served as a paid member of scientific advisory boards for the Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board – National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and CurAegis Technologies, Circadian Therapeutics, Ltd.; and has received speaker/educational/travel consultant honorarium fees from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Sports Medicine, American Diabetes Association, Associated Professional Sleep Societies, Kellogg Company, and The European Association for the Study of Obesity. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Foxx, Heinze, González, Vargas, Baratta, Elsayed, Stewart, Loupy, Arnold, Flux, Sago, Siebler, Milton, Lieb, Hassell, Smith, Lee, Appiah, Schaefer, Panitchpakdi, Sikora, Weldon, Stamper, Schmidt, Duggan, Mengesha, Ogbaselassie, Nguyen, Gates, Schnabel, Tran, Jones, Vitaterna, Turek, Fleshner, Dorrestein, Knight, Wright and Lowry.)

In the African continent, several studies have been conducted to determine PAH pollution levels with their associated health risks in the environment. However, these studies are very much disconnected. The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review that serves as a comprehensive report on the PAH-related studies conducted in the African continent. Data sources are from Google Scholar and PubMed. English language studies that reported on PAH levels in smoked fish and meat, soils and dust, aquatic environments, indoor and outdoor air, and ready-to-eat food items were selected. Specific PAHs included the following: 33 PAHs comprising of the 16 USEPA PAHs, non-alkylated PAHs, non-alkylated PAHs, oxygenated PAHs (OPAHs), and azaarenes (AZAs). Study appraisal and synthesis methods: The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was adapted to assess the quality of the selected studies basing on their sampling methods, analytical techniques, and results. A total of 121 studies were reviewed, with the majority (56) being from Nigeria. PAH levels in smoked fish and meat, soils and dust, aquatic environments, indoor and outdoor air, and ready-to-eat food items recorded total concentrations of PAHs ranging from 5 to 3585 μg/kg, BDL to 6,950,000 μg/kg, 0 to 10,469,000 μg/kg, 0 to 7.82 ± 0.85 μg/m 3 , and 2.5 to 7889 ± 730 μg/kg respectively. Carcinogenic risk assessment for children and adults ranged from very low to very high levels when compared to the ILCR range (10 -6 to 10 -4 ) defined by the USEPA. Out of 54 African countries, only 19 were represented. The majority of selected studies failed to apply any standard protocols for sample collection and analysis. The low to very high PAH levels reported in studies calls for effective actions on environmental health. Similar systematic reviews are expected to be performed in other continents for a global assessment of PAH pollution.

Background: Recent research has shown that in schistosome-endemic areas preschool-aged children (PSAC), that is, ≤5 years, are at risk of infection. However, there exists a knowledge gap on the dynamics of infection and morbidity in this age group. In this study, we determined the incidence and dynamics of the first urogenital schistosome infections, morbidity and treatment in PSAC., Methods: Children (6 months to 5 years) were recruited and followed up for 12 months. Baseline demographics, anthropometric and parasitology data were collected from 1502 children. Urinary morbidity was assessed by haematuria and growth-related morbidity was assessed using standard WHO anthropometric indices. Children negative for Schistosoma haematobium infection were followed up quarterly to determine infection and morbidity incidence., Results: At baseline, the prevalence of S haematobium infection and microhaematuria was 8.5% and 8.6%, respectively. Based on different anthropometric indices, 2.2%-8.2% of children were malnourished, 10.1% underweight and 18.0% stunted. The fraction of morbidity attributable to schistosome infection was 92% for microhaematuria, 38% for stunting and malnutrition at 9%-34%, depending on indices used. S haematobium -positive children were at greater odds of presenting with microhaematuria (adjusted OR (AOR)=25.6; 95% CI 14.5 to 45.1) and stunting (AOR=1.7; 95% CI 1.1 to 2.7). Annual incidence of S haematobium infection and microhaematuria was 17.4% and 20.4%, respectively. Microhaematuria occurred within 3 months of first infection and resolved in a significant number of children, 12 weeks post-praziquantel treatment, from 42.3% to 10.3%; P<0.001., Conclusion: We demonstrated for the first time the incidence of schistosome infection in PSAC, along with microhaematuria, which appears within 3 months of first infection and resolves after praziquantel treatment. A proportion of stunting and malnutrition is attributable to S haematobium infection. The study adds scientific evidence to the calls for inclusion of PSAC in schistosome control programmes., Competing Interests: Competing interests: DNMO is supported by the Darwin Trust of Edinburgh and MCT is supported by a Wellcome Trust Strategic Award WT095831.