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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), is a complex autoimmune disease associated with high rates of mortality and extreme disability. It is characterized by gradual joint destruction and a chronic inflammatory response. As current medications are not economical and provide complications, plant-derived therapeutic practices are now being explored. Dodonaea viscosa, a flowering plant, is well-known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, wound healing, and analgesic activities but no in vivo anti-arthritic study have been conducted so far. Hence, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the toxicity and therapeutic potential of Dodonaea viscosa in a collagen-induced arthritic mouse model. Chemical analysis exhibited that Dodonaea viscosa has high levels of beneficial bioactive compounds, including phenols, flavonoids, and other phytochemicals. In ex vivo and in vivo studies, Dodonaea viscosa showed significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-arthritic potential, while no toxic effects were found. Arthritic mice treated with Dodonaea viscosa showed reduced levels of rheumatoid factor and paw edema, while no significant effects were found on spleen indices and radiological examination of paws, compared to control untreated arthritic mice. Our study showed that treatment with Dodonaea viscosa resulted in improvements in arthritis and could therefore be a viable therapeutic source for treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis. However, further studies on humans are required for validation.

Abstract Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most common complications of diabetes mellitus (DM). Diabetes mellitus contributes to about 66% of CKD cases globally. CKD results in increased morbidity and mortality and advanced stages often require kidney replacement therapy that is unaffordable for the majority of the patients. Developing countries have scanty data regarding CKD burden in diabetic patients. Objectives This study aimed at determining the prevalence of low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and proteinuria and associated clinical and socio-demographic factors among adult diabetic patients attending the diabetic clinic of Mbale Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH). Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at the adult diabetic clinic of MRRH in Eastern Uganda. A total of 374 adult diabetic patients were enrolled. A urine sample for urine albumin creatinine ratio (UACR) determination and a venous blood sample for measurement of serum creatinine were obtained from each participant. The eGFR was determined using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation and CKD was staged according to the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) classification. Results A total of 318 (85%) participants had an eGFR of ≤ 60 mL/min/1.73m2, UACR of ≥ 30g/g, or both. Only 6.1% were aware. Age, duration of DM, hypertension, and dyslipidemia were associated with low eGFR and proteinuria. Conclusion There is a high prevalence of low eGFR and proteinuria among DM patients, 85% of the participants had these markers of CKD and the majority of them were undiagnosed. Over half of the DM patients had an eGFR consistent with advanced CKD. Strengthening routine screening for CKD biomarkers and equipping DM clinics with more diagnostic resources is recommended.

The study investigated engineering students’ attitudes and motivation in relation to their identity formation during the learning of EFL in a multilingual and multicultural context. It adopted a Motivational Factors Questionnaire (MFQ) based on Dörnyei’s L2 Motivational System framework. In this study, a mixed-methods approach was applied, with an ordered logistic regression technique for the quantitative part and content analysis for the qualitative part. The study revealed that engineering students’ characteristics such as gender, age, learners’ attitudes toward the L2 community, and nationality were influential factors in constructing their identity in a multilingual and multicultural context. In addition, they were found to be motivated to learn EFL for some pragmatic benefits, leading to positive attitudes toward EFL learning in such a context. They easily construct their identity because of their linguistic and cultural exposure. It is recommended that EFL be taught to all university students irrespective of their course of study, to fit perfectly into the globally diverse labor market of society.

The Japanese giant salamander, Andrias japonicus, is an iconic but declining species of aquatic amphibian. A population within the Nawa River Basin of Tottori Prefecture persists but faces two significant threats. The first major threat is waterway obstructions, in the form of dams, weirs, and concrete embankments, which severely fragment and degrade the habitat. The second is water pollution, primarily caused by runoff from animal farms. Both threats to A. japonicus can be mitigated with proper actions. We provide science-based recommendations, advocating for the modification of dams and weirs by implementing ladderways to restore habitat connectivity and the provisioning of adequate breeding habitat in the form of artificial nest boxes. We also recommend the implementation of regular water quality monitoring and the enforcement of regulations regarding allowed runoff from animal farms. The Nawa River Basin could also be designated as an official sanctuary area for the Japanese Giant Salamander, lending additional formal protection and providing ecotourism opportunities for economically declining rural areas. Though the threats to A. japonicus are serious, the implementation of these mitigation measures and continual monitoring can allow this remarkable species to thrive.

Introduction: Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL) has become the standard of care for large renal calculi. The aim of the surgery is to achieve maximum stone clearance with minimal postoperative complications. Various scoring systems have been described to predict both of these outcomes. S.T.O.N.E. Score and Guy's Stone Score (GSS) are two of the most widely used scoring systems. S.T.O.N.E. Score comprises of Size of the stone, Tract length, degree of Obstruction of the urinary system, Number of stones, and Essence. Aim: To compare the predictive power for stone clearance and postoperative complications of the two scoring systems, namely S.T.O.N.E. Score and GSS. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Genitourinary Surgery at Government Medical College, Kottayam, Kerala, India from March 2019 to August 2020. All patients above 18 years undergoing PCNL were included. A total of 122 patients were studied by calculating the preoperative S.T.O.N.E. Score and GSS and comparing them with post-PCNL stone clearance and complications. The association of both S.T.O.N.E. Score and GSS with stone clearance was estimated by plotting the Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) curve using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20, International Business Machines (IBM) SPSS Statistics windows, version 20.0 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.). A p-value

Purpose: This study sought to identify the sources of differential performance and misclassification error among local (Indian) and external (non-Indian) corneal specialists in identifying bacterial and fungal keratitis based on corneal photography. Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of survey data assessing the ability of corneal specialists to identify acute bacterial versus fungal keratitis by using corneal photography. One-hundred images of 100 eyes from 100 patients with acute bacterial or fungal keratitis in South India were previously presented to an international cohort of cornea specialists for interpretation over the span of April to July 2021. Each expert provided a predicted probability that the ulcer was either bacterial or fungal. Using these data, we performed multivariable linear regression to identify factors predictive of expert performance, accounting for primary practice location and surrogate measures to infer local fungal ulcer prevalence, including locality, latitude, and dew point. In addition, Brier score decomposition was used to determine experts' reliability (“calibration”) and resolution (“boldness”) and were compared between local (Indian) and external (non-Indian) experts. Results: Sixty-six experts from 16 countries participated. Indian practice location was the only independently significant predictor of performance in multivariable linear regression. Resolution among Indian experts was significantly better (0.08) than among non-Indian experts (0.01; P < 0.001), indicating greater confidence in their predictions. There was no significant difference in reliability between the two groups (P = 0.40). Conclusion: Local cornea experts outperformed their international counterparts independent of regional variability in tropical risk factors for fungal keratitis. This may be explained by regional characteristics of infectious ulcers with which local corneal specialists are familiar.

In the title compound, C19H20Cl2N2O, the seven-membered 1,4-diazepane ring adopts a chair conformation while the 4-chlorophenyl substituents adopt equatorial orientations. The chlorophenyl ring at position 7 is disordered over two positions [site occupancies 0.480 (16):0.520 (16)]. The dihedral angle between the two benzene rings is 63.0 (4)°. The methyl groups at position 3 have an axial and an equatorial orientation. The compound exists as a dimer exhibiting intermolecular N—H...O hydrogen bonding with R22(8) graph-set motifs. The crystal structure is further stabilized by C—H...O hydrogen bonds together with two C—Cl...π (ring) interactions. The geometry was optimized by DFT using the B3LYP/6–31 G(d,p) level basis set. In addition, the HOMO and LUMO energies, chemical reactivity parameters and molecular electrostatic potential were calculated at the same level of theory. Hirshfeld surface analysis indicated that the most important contributions to the crystal packing are from H...H (45.6%), Cl...H/H...Cl (23.8%), H...C/C...H (12.6%), H...O/O...H (8.7%) and C...Cl/Cl...C (7.1%) interactions. Analysis of the interaction energies showed that the dispersion energy is greater than the electrostatic energy. A crystal void volume of 237.16 Å3 is observed. A molecular docking study with the human oestrogen receptor 3ERT protein revealed good docking with a score of −8.9 kcal mol−1.

El emprendimiento y la creación de empresas genera empleos, competitividad e impulsa el crecimiento económico, siendo importante concretar las ideas de negocios en empresas. El objetivo del estudio fue determinar los factores que inciden en la intención empresarial en los estudiantes universitarios de una universidad pública en Lima-Perú. Las variables se sustentan en la teoría del comportamiento planificado (Ajzen, 1991) y la teoría de valores (Schwartz, 2006). La investigación fue de diseño no experimental, transversal explicativa, con una muestra por conveniencia de 248 participantes, a la que se aplicó un cuestionario de valores e intenciones empresariales. Se obtuvo como resultados que los factores, actitud hacia la conducta emprendedora, norma subjetiva, control percibido de la conducta y los valores inciden en la intención empresarial de los estudiantes universitarios. Asimismo, mediante la prueba del pseudo R cuadrado, que mostró el valor de Nagelkerke, se establece que la variabilidad de la intención empresarial es explicada en un 20,4% por la actitud emprendedora; 20,2% por control percibido de la conducta, 15,8% por valores y un 8% por la norma subjetiva. Se concluye en la necesidad de promover en las universidades una educación emprendedora enfocada principalmente en las actitudes de los jóvenes hacia el emprendimiento.

This study aimed to formulate a commercial quality index (CQI) for avocados (Persea americana Mill) produced in an inter-Andean valley in southern Peru. Thirty-eight commercial quality parameters of Hass and Fuerte avocados were evaluated under the marketing and export protocols approved in the Codex Alimentarius CXS 197-1995 issued by FAO and the Peruvian technical standard NTP 011.018. The index was formulated using information gathered from 44 experts in the Apurimac region. To weight the commercial quality parameters, the Delphi method was used, with the cooperation of expert producers and marketers, from which a weighted equation was formulated for the commercial quality index of Hass (CQIh) and Fuerte (CQIf) avocados. Fifteen parameters of interest were found for the formulation of the quality indexes for both varieties, which reported more than 50% coincidence among experts, based on physical and sensory evaluation. The CQI proposal would be a tool to help improve the quality attributes of avocado growers.

Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) was the first virus to be studied in detail and, for many years, TMV and other tobamoviruses, particularly tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) and tobamoviruses infecting pepper (Capsicum spp.), were serious crop pathogens. By the end of the twentieth and for the first decade of the twenty-first century, tobamoviruses were under some degree of control due to introgression of resistance genes into commercial tomato and pepper lines. However, tobamoviruses remained important models for molecular biology, biotechnology and bio-nanotechnology. Recently, tobamoviruses have again become serious crop pathogens due to the advent of tomato brown rugose fruit virus, which overcomes tomato resistance against TMV and ToMV, and the slow but apparently inexorable worldwide spread of cucumber green mottle mosaic virus, which threatens all cucurbit crops. This review discusses a range of mainly molecular biology-based approaches for protecting crops against tobamoviruses. These include cross-protection (using mild tobamovirus strains to ‘immunize’ plants against severe strains), expressing viral gene products in transgenic plants to inhibit the viral infection cycle, inducing RNA silencing against tobamoviruses by expressing virus-derived RNA sequences in planta or by direct application of double-stranded RNA molecules to non-engineered plants, gene editing of host susceptibility factors, and the transfer and optimization of natural resistance genes.

How scholars conceptualize the driving forces of planetary crisis is intimately connected to how they conceptualize solutions to it. Recent scholarship has drawn on the work of Carl Schmitt, Nazi jurist and political philosopher, to articulate concepts in political ecology. These works of political ecology, however, do not engage with the problematic political history of the work and concepts developed by Schmitt. This article asks: what kinds of assumptions do we adopt when deploying Schmitt’s geographical, political, and ecological conceptual apparati? First, the article draws on the work of Minca and Rowan (2015, 2016) and Giaccaria and Minca (2016) to argue that Schmitt’s thought is geographical, that Nazi geographical thought was intimately tied to geographies of conquest on the part of the Nazis. It argues that Schmitt’s concept of Großraum or “greater space/ sphere of influence” is bound up with Schmitt’s and the Nazi’s politics of an ethnically/ racially motivated politics of “Friend versus Enemy.” The article then evaluates Schmitt’s concept of the political and considers its implications in relation to the environmental crisis of contemporary conjuncture, arguing that Schmitt’s amorphous conceptualization of the political allows the distinction between friend and enemy to be left open to interpretation, making it possible for both intellectuals and green political parties to articulate xenophobic and reactionary political positions in environmental terms.

Nile perch and Nile tilapia are major commercial species in Uganda, and thus require continuous production. However, their production is impacted by anthropogenic activities such as fishing in breeding habitats. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize Nile perch and Nile tilapia fish breeding habitats on Lake Kyoga. Water quality, lake bottom, fish and vegetation type samples were collected from 20 sites in April of 2021 and 2022. Key informant interviews were conducted with experienced fishermen at five fish landing sites. The water quality parameters indicated significant difference within the sites using analysis of variance. Sandy and muddy bottom types were equally spread at 40% each by use of a pie chart. Fish gonads showed no significant difference among the 20 sites. Bivariate correlation analysis of the vegetation types indicated a strong negative correlation with Nile perch while Nile tilapia had a positive correlation. Principal component analysis of the water quality, fish gonads and habitat vegetation components cumulatively contributed 82.5% in characterizing a fish breeding habitat. Four sites for Nile perch and four sites for Nile tilapia were characterized as breeding sites on Lake Kyoga and are recommended for mapping and gazettement as breeding habitats for sustainable fisheries management.

El objetivo de la investigación fue analizar el proceso de la descentralización en Lima Metropolitana y la revisión del régimen especial atribuida a esta ciudad. El abordaje metodológico se realizó a través de un enfoque cualitativo con un diseño fenomenológico, para lo cual se entrevistó a cuatro expertos pertenecientes a los gobiernos subnacionales, la sociedad civil y la academia. Los resultados muestran que la descentralización en la ciudad de Lima se encuentra inconclusa, paralizada e incomprendida por las autoridades de turno. Los hallazgos evidencian que solo un 26.48% de las funciones han sido transferidas y existen serias debilidades en la concepción de su régimen especial, lo cual conlleva a plantear una profunda reforma descentralista, con adecuados niveles de decisiones políticas, movilización y participación ciudadana y marcos regulatorios. Se concluye que es evidente el retraso del proceso de descentralización en la metrópoli de Lima, lo que indica que existe la urgente necesidad de atender las deficiencias y limitaciones de una megaciudad, que necesita profundas reformas de descentralización, un nivel adecuado de toma de decisiones políticas, profunda movilización y participación ciudadana a través de un marco regulatorio adecuado que la distinga de otros lugares donde el gobierno reside ciudadanos del país respectivo.

Abstract Sperm harbours a wide range of proteins regulating their functions and fertility. In the present study, we made an effort to characterize and quantify the proteome of buffalo bull spermatozoa, and to identify fertility associated sperm proteins through comparative proteomics. Using high-throughput mass spectrometry platform, we identified 1305 proteins from buffalo spermatozoa and found that these proteins were mostly enriched in glycolytic process, mitochondrial respiratory chain, tricarboxylic acid cycle, protein folding, spermatogenesis, sperm motility and sperm binding to zona pellucida (p

Abstract The integration of artificial intelligence into clinical workflows requires reliable and robust models. Repeatability is a key attribute of model robustness. Ideal repeatable models output predictions without variation during independent tests carried out under similar conditions. However, slight variations, though not ideal, may be unavoidable and acceptable in practice. During model development and evaluation, much attention is given to classification performance while model repeatability is rarely assessed, leading to the development of models that are unusable in clinical practice. In this work, we evaluate the repeatability of four model types (binary classification, multi-class classification, ordinal classification, and regression) on images that were acquired from the same patient during the same visit. We study the each model’s performance on four medical image classification tasks from public and private datasets: knee osteoarthritis, cervical cancer screening, breast density estimation, and retinopathy of prematurity. Repeatability is measured and compared on ResNet and DenseNet architectures. Moreover, we assess the impact of sampling Monte Carlo dropout predictions at test time on classification performance and repeatability. Leveraging Monte Carlo predictions significantly increases repeatability, in particular at the class boundaries, for all tasks on the binary, multi-class, and ordinal models leading to an average reduction of the 95% limits of agreement by 16% points and of the class disagreement rate by 7% points. The classification accuracy improves in most settings along with the repeatability. Our results suggest that beyond about 20 Monte Carlo iterations, there is no further gain in repeatability. In addition to the higher test-retest agreement, Monte Carlo predictions are better calibrated which leads to output probabilities reflecting more accurately the true likelihood of being correctly classified.

Understanding the behavior of magnetocaloric materials when exposed to high-energy x-ray irradiation is pivotal for advancing magnetic cooling technologies under extreme environments. This study investigates the magnetic and structural changes of two well-studied magnetocaloric materials, (MnNiSi) _1−x (Fe _2 Ge) _x composition (x = 0.34) and LaFe _13-x-y Mn _x Si _y H _z composition (x = 0.30,y = 0.1.26 and z = 1.53) alloys upon irradiation. The alloys were exposed to x-ray radiation with a dosage of a continuous sweeping rate of ∼>120 Gy min ^−1 and an absorbed dose of 35 kGy . Both the samples didn’t show any observable crystal change after irradiation. There was a considerable change in magnetization at low applied magnetic fields in magnetization versus temperature measurements from 2.72 emu g ^−1 to 4.01 emu g ^−1 in the irradiated (MnNiSi) _1−x (Fe _2 Ge) _x sample and 4.41 emu g ^−1 to 5.49 emu/g fo _r the LaFe _13-x-y Mn _x Si _y H _z alloys. The Magnetization versus magnetic field isotherms near transition temperature exhibited irradiation-induced magnetic hysteresis for the (MnNiSi) _1−x (Fe _2 Ge) _x (x = 0.34) while the LaFe _13-x-y Mn _x Si _y H _z samples did not result in any irradiation-induced magnetic hysteresis. In both the samples the magnitude of entropy change did not change due to irradiation however, the peak entropy change shifted to different temperatures in both the samples, (MnNiSi) _1−x (Fe _2 Ge) _x ( x = 0.34), showed a maximum entropy change, ΔS _mag of ∼ 11.139 J/kgK at 317.5 K compared to ΔS _mag of ∼ 11.349 J/kgK at T _ave peak of 312.5 K for the irradiated sample. LaFe _13-x-y Mn _x Si _y H _z , pristine sample exhibited a maximum magnetic entropy change, ΔS _mag ∼ 18.663 J/kgK, with the corresponding peak temperature, T _ave peak, of 295 K compared to ΔS _mag ∼ 18.736 J/kgK, at T _ave peak of 300 K. It was determined that irradiation applied to the samples did not induce any structural or magnetic phase changes in the selected compositions but rather modified the magnetic properties marginally.

Let Γ be a finite group with identity element e and let S ⊆ Γ − {e} which is inverse-closed, i.e., S = S−1 := {s−1 : s ∈ S}. An undirected Cayley graph on a group Γ with connection set S, denoted by Cay(Γ, S), is a graph with vertex set Γ and edges xy for all pairs x,y ∈ Γ such that xy−1 ∈ S. The dihedral group of order 2n, denoted by D2n, is a group generated by two elements a and b subject to the three relations: an = e, b2 = e, and bab−1 = a−1. In this paper, we investigate the Cayley graphs of the dihedral group for some connection sets S satisfying |S| = 1, 2, 3 by doing simulations using Wolfram Mathematica.

Abstract Bull fertility is of paramount importance in bovine industry because semen from a single bull is used to breed several thousands of cows; however, so far, no reliable test is available for bull fertility prediction. In the present study, spermatozoa from high- and low-fertility bulls were subjected to high-throughput transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic analysis. Using an integrated multi-omics approach the molecular differences between high- and low-fertility bulls were identified. We identified a total of 18,068 transcripts, 5041 proteins and 3704 metabolites in bull spermatozoa, of which the expression of 4766 transcripts, 785 proteins and 33 metabolites were dysregulated between high- and low-fertility bulls. At transcript level, several genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation pathway were found to be downregulated, while at protein level genes involved in metabolic pathways were significantly downregulated in low-fertility bulls. We found that metabolites involved in Taurine and hypotaurine metabolism were significantly downregulated in low-fertility bulls. Integrated multi-omics analysis revealed the interaction of dysregulated transcripts, proteins and metabolites in major metabolic pathways, including Butanoate metabolism, Glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, Methionine and cysteine metabolism, Phosphatidyl inositol phosphate, pyrimidine metabolism and saturated fatty acid beta oxidation. These findings collectively indicate that molecules governing sperm metabolism potentially influence bull fertility.

Abstract Land use, land cover, and climate change impacts are current global challenges that are affecting many sectors, like agricultural production, socio-economic development, water quality, and causing land fragmentation. In developing countries like Uganda, rural areas with high populations dependent on agriculture are the most affected. The development of sustainable management measures requires proper identification of drivers and impacts on the environment and livelihoods of the affected communities. This study applied drivers, pressure, state, impact, and response model in the L. Kyoga basin to determine the drivers and impacts of land use, land cover, and climate change on livelihoods and the environment. The objective of this study was to determine the drivers and impacts of land use, land cover, and climate changes on the environment and livelihoods in the L. Kyoga basin and suggest sustainable mitigation measures. Focus group discussions, key informant interviews, field observations, and literature reviews were used to collect data. Population increase and climate change were the leading drivers, while agriculture and urbanization were the primary pressures, leading to degraded land, wetlands, and forests; loss of soil fertility, hunger, poverty, poor water quality, which are getting worse. The local communities, government, and non-government institutions had responses to impacts, including agrochemicals, restoration, and conservation approaches. Although most responses were at a small/pilot scale level, most responses had promising results. The application of policies and regulations to manage impacts was also found to be weak. Land use, land cover changes, and climate change occur in the L. Kyoga basin with major impacts on land, water, and community livelihoods. With the observed increase in climate change and population growth, drivers and impacts are potentially getting worse. Therefore, it is essential to expand interventions, provide relief, review policies and regulations, and enforce them. The findings are helpful for decisions and policy-makers to design appropriate management options.

El objetivo de la investigación fue determinar la incidencia de la evaluación de crédito en una cartera de crédito de microfinanzas en el departamento de Apurímac - Perú. Las variables se estudian dentro de las microfinanzas, sustentándose en las Escuelas Grameen y de Acción que tienen como fundamento la reducción de la pobreza y la inclusión financiera de las personas. La investigación fue de nivel explicativo, diseño no experimental, enfoque cuantitativo de tipo básico. La muestra estuvo conformada por 358 expedientes de crédito y 18 trabajadores; se usó las técnicas de la encuesta y el análisis documental y como instrumentos el cuestionario y la ficha de investigación; la confiabilidad se obtuvo con el Alfa de Cronbach y la validez se realizó mediante el juicio de expertos. Los resultados muestran que se cuenta con información suficiente para realizar la evaluación cualitativa y cuantitativa de un expediente de crédito y la preponderancia del crédito calificado como normal, lo que permite decir que la entidad financiera cuenta con una buena cartera de crédito. Se concluye en la investigación la existencia de dependencia entre la evaluación de crédito y cartera de crédito, por lo que la evaluación de crédito incide sobre la calidad de la cartera de crédito.

Food demand will continue to be on the increase due to rapid urbanization and population growth, amongst others. Thus, building and strengthening the capacities of human resources, and creating the avenue for young people to develop a passion for agriculture and its related endeavors is expedient. The study was to find out young people's views and thoughts on farming and their willingness to take it up as a profession someday. A total of fifty-five (55) teenagers; 25 and 30 males and females, respectively, were interviewed. With a majority, that is 35 (63.64%) in their middle adolescence, 47 (85.45%) of the participants were at the Junior High School level. Investigating the association between some significant study variables, it was realized that there was a weak correlation (r < 1) among variables. However, at p < .05, there was a significant relationship between variables such as 'gender' and 'willingness to be a farmer' (r=.386, p=.004), 'gender' and 'enjoy going to farm' (r=.357, p= .009), 'age' and 'enjoy going to farm' (r=.372, p= .007), 'ever want to be a farmer' and 'enjoy going to farm' (r=.686, p=. 001). Although most (67.27 %) participants' parents/guardians were farmers, only 9 (16 %) participants ever wanted to be farmers. In ranking the perception of teenagers, “it is boring” was 1 only 9 (16 %) participants ever wanted to be farmers. In ranking the perception of teenagers, “it is boring” was 1 only 9 (16 %) participants ever wanted to be farmers. In ranking the perception of teenagers, “it is boring” was 1st followed by “it is for retirees”. As we embrace a world of digital innovations, reflecting in curriculum development, positive perspectives of agriculture should be established among teenagers by incorporating agriculture classes in the educational curriculum.

The present study quantitatively characterized the proteomic changes in bull spermatozoa induced by the cryopreservation process. We performed high-throughput comparative global proteomic profiling of freshly ejaculated (before cryopreservation), equilibrated (refrigerated storage; during cryopreservation), and frozen (ultralow temperature; after cryopreservation) bull spermatozoa. Using the liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) technique, a total of 1,692, 1,415, and 1,286 proteins were identified in fresh, equilibrated, and cryopreserved spermatozoa, respectively. When the proteome of fresh spermatozoa was compared with equilibrated spermatozoa, we found that 166 proteins were differentially expressed. When equilibrated spermatozoa were compared with cryopreserved spermatozoa, we found that 147 proteins were differentially expressed between them. Similarly, we found that 156 proteins were differentially expressed between fresh and cryopreserved spermatozoa. Among these proteins, the abundance of 105 proteins was lowered during the equilibration process itself, while the abundance of 43 proteins was lowered during ultralow temperature preservation. Remarkably, the equilibration process lowered the abundance of sperm proteins involved in energy metabolism, structural integrity, and DNA repair and increased the abundance of proteins associated with proteolysis and protein degradation. The abundance of sperm proteins associated with metabolism, cGMP-PKG (cyclic guanosine 3′,5′-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase G) signaling, and regulation of the actin cytoskeleton was also altered during the equilibration process. Collectively, the present study showed that the equilibration step in the bull sperm cryopreservation process was the critical point for sperm proteome, during which a majority of proteomic alterations in sperm occurred. These findings are valuable for developing efficient protocols to minimize protein damage and to improve the quality and fertility of cryopreserved bull spermatozoa.

La presente investigación tiene como objetivo analizar si el empaque permite posicionar una marca en la ciudad de Andahuaylas - Perú, sabiendo que este atributo influye en la decisión de compra de los consumidores. La investigación es de enfoque cualitativo, con método inductivo y diseño fenomenológico. La población estuvo conformada por 15 ciudadanos residentes en el área urbana; sin embargo, para el análisis de los resultados y la categorización el tamaño de la muestra se redujo a seis personas ya que los resultados se estandarizaron. Se adoptó el focus group y la guía de entrevistas para recolectar información; por otro lado, se utilizó un checklist para analizar la normativa vigente sobre etiquetado. El resultado muestra que el packaging permite el posicionamiento de una marca ya que este atributo viene a ocupar un espacio en la mente del consumidor a través de sus particularidades. Se concluye que las funciones básicas y comunicativas del packaging están relacionadas con la decisión de compra del consumidor; si estas funciones influyen en la decisión de compra, el producto logra el posicionamiento en el mercado.

In bovines, cryopreserved semen is used for artificial insemination; however, the fertility of cryopreserved semen is far lower than that of fresh semen. Although cryopreservation alters sperm phenotypic characteristics, its effect on sperm molecular health is not thoroughly understood. The present study applied next-generation sequencing to investigate the effect of cryopreservation on the sperm transcriptomic composition of bull spermatozoa. While freshly ejaculated bull spermatozoa showed 14,280 transcripts, cryopreserved spermatozoa showed only 12,375 transcripts. Comparative analysis revealed that 241 genes were upregulated, 662 genes were downregulated, and 215 genes showed neutral expression in cryopreserved spermatozoa compared to fresh spermatozoa. Gene ontology analysis indicated that the dysregulated transcripts were involved in nucleic acid binding, transcription-specific activity, and protein kinase binding involving protein autophosphorylation, ventricular septum morphogenesis, and organ development. Moreover, the dysregulated genes in cryopreserved spermatozoa were involved in pathways associated with glycogen metabolism, MAPK signalling, embryonic organ morphogenesis, ectodermal placode formation, and regulation of protein auto-phosphorylation. These findings suggest that the cryopreservation process induced alterations in the abundance of sperm transcripts related to potential fertility-associated functions and pathways, which might partly explain the reduced fertility observed with cryopreserved bull spermatozoa.

Pollution indexes are instruments that allow a quick interpretation of water quality, combining physical, chemical, and microbiological parameters to generate a numerical value. Our aim was to evaluate spatial and temporal-spatial water quality and propose a water pollution index (WPI) for high Andean rivers using multivariate statistics. Data on physical, chemical, and microbiological parameters were collected from the river water of the Chumbao sub-basin during the rainy and dry seasons at eight sampling points. The laboratory and field analysis methods were developed following the methodology proposed by the APHA. Spearman’s correlation, cluster analysis, and discriminate analysis were applied to evaluate water quality’s spatial and temporal variation and principal component analysis/factor analysis to identify critical parameters to formulate the Water Pollution Index (WPI). The parameters with the most incidence in water quality were color, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, biochemical demand oxygen, ammonia, total phosphorus, lead, chromium, and thermotolerant coliforms. The inorganic pollution index (IPI) was obtained from conductivity, lead, and chromium, reporting pollution levels for the river water between “none” to “high”; and the organic pollution index (OPI) was obtained from dissolved oxygen, biochemical demand oxygen, ammonia, total phosphorus, color, and thermotolerant coliforms, with levels of “low” to “very high” pollution. The proposed pollution indexes are water management instruments that evaluate water quality.

Native potato clones grown in Peru contain bioactive compounds beneficial to human health. This study aimed to optimize the spray-drying nanoencapsulation of native potato phenolic extracts utilizing a central composite design and response surface methodology, obtaining the optimal treatment to an inlet temperature of 120 °C and an airflow of 141 L/h in the nano spray dryer B-90, which allowed maximizing the yield of encapsulation, antioxidant capacity (DPPH), encapsulation efficiency (EE), total phenolic compounds, and total flavonoids; on the other hand, it allowed minimizing hygroscopicity, water activity (Aw), and moisture. Instrumental characterization of the nanocapsules was also carried out, observing a gain in lightness, reddening of the color, and spherical nanoparticles of heterogeneous size (133.09–165.13 nm) with a negative ζ potential. Thermal, infrared, and morphological analyses confirmed the encapsulation of the core in the wall materials. Furthermore, an in vitro release study of phenolic compounds in an aqueous solution achieved a maximum value of 9.86 mg GAE/g after 12 h. Finally, the obtained nanocapsules could be used in the food and pharmaceutical industry.

Prickly pear fruits are seasonal and have shades ranging from pale green to deep purple. Their pigments are associated with bioactive compounds, being sensitive to thermal transformation processes for their conservation. The objective of this research was to evaluate the bioactive compounds and the sensory analysis of freeze-dried prickly pear fruits from an inter-Andean valley in Peru. The prickly pear fruits of the morada, anaranjada, and blanca ecotypes came from an inter-Andean valley in Peru at 2972 m altitude. The sliced fruits were freeze-dried at −40 °C and 0.25 mTorr, and the total polyphenol content (TPC), vitamin C, and antioxidant activity (AA) were determined, as well as the color L* a* b*, color index (CI*), FTIR spectra, and mineral content. In the same way, sensory analysis of preferences with nine scales was applied. It was observed that in the freeze-dried fruits, TPC, AA, and vitamin C increased significantly (p-value < 0.05), and their corresponding functional groups increased in intensity in their corresponding FTIR spectra; furthermore, trace elements such as Cu, Fe, Se, Zn, Si, and Mn were identified. On the other hand, freeze-drying provided deeper colors to the fruits, which most panelists said they “very much liked” during the sensory analysis, although the texture was not very well accepted, with most panelists reporting being “indifferent” towards it. The freeze-drying technique allows the bioactive and sensory attributes of prickly pear fruits from inter-Andean valleys to be preserved, making it a potential fruit for export and conservation due to its seasonality.

Cada vez son más las universidades que se adhieren a la figura de Responsabilidad Social Universitaria, sin embargo, muy pocas la asocian con su posicionamiento. Por ello, el objetivo del estudio es determinar la relación que existe entre la responsabilidad social y el posicionamiento de las universidades de Lima-Perú. La investigación es de tipo descriptivo-correlacional, con diseño de campo, no experimental transeccional. Se trabajó en una muestra no probabilística de 607 estudiantes de pregrado de cinco universidades privadas de Lima de las carreras de ciencias empresariales (46,61% varones y 53,39% mujeres). La técnica utilizada fue la encuesta y el instrumento un cuestionario escala tipo Likert con 9 ítems para la responsabilidad social universitaria y 6 ítems para el posicionamiento. La confiabilidad de los instrumentos fue alta para ambas variables. Los resultados reportan que la responsabilidad social universitaria tiene relación moderada (Rho Spearman ,630) con el posicionamiento; ello implica que a mayor responsabilidad social la universidad tendrá un mejor posicionamiento. Se concluye que la Responsabilidad Social es relevante en las instituciones universitarias para lograr un mejor posicionamiento, puesto que, al contemplar aspectos como la formación, investigación, gestión y extensión, permite tener una mejor identidad, comunicación e imagen en su público objetivo.

Geodetic data can detect and estimate deformation signals and rates due to natural and anthropogenic phenomena. In the present study, we focus on northeastern Italy, an area characterized by ~1.5–3 mm/yr of convergence rates due to the collision of Adria-Eurasia plates and active subsidence along the coasts. To define the rates and trends of tectonic and subsidence signals, we use a Multi-Temporal InSAR (MT-InSAR) approach called the Stanford Method for Persistent Scatterers (StaMPS), which is based on the detection of coherent and temporally stable pixels in a stack of single-master differential interferograms. We use Sentinel-1 SAR images along ascending and descending orbits spanning the 2015–2019 temporal interval as inputs for Persistent Scatterers InSAR (PSI) processing. We apply spatial-temporal filters and post-processing steps to reduce unrealistic results. Finally, we calibrate InSAR measurements using GNSS velocities derived from permanent stations available in the study area. Our results consist of mean ground velocity maps showing the displacement rates along the radar Line-Of-Sight for each satellite track, from which we estimate the east–west and vertical velocity components. Our results provide a detailed and original view of active vertical and horizontal displacement rates over the whole region, allowing the detection of spatial velocity gradients, which are particularly relevant to a better understanding of the seismogenic potential of the area. As regards the subsidence along the coasts, our measurements confirm the correlation between subsidence and the geological setting of the study area, with rates of ~2–4 mm/yr between the Venezia and Marano lagoons, and lower than 1 mm/yr near Grado.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a vasoproliferative retinal disorder that can have devastating visual sequelae if not managed appropriately. From an ophthalmology standpoint, ROP care is complex, since it spans multiple care settings and providers, including those in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), step down nurseries, and the outpatient clinic setting. This requires coordination and communication between providers, ancillary staff, and most importantly, effective communication with the patient's family members and caregivers. Often, factors related to the social determinants of health play a significant role in effective communication and care coordination with the family, and it is important for ophthalmologists to recognize these risk factors. The aim of this article is to (1) review the literature related to disparities in preterm birth outcomes and infants at risk for ROP; (2) identify barriers to ROP care and appropriate follow up, and (3) describe patient-oriented solutions and future directions for improving ROP care through a health equity lens.

Spermatozoa carries a reservoir of mRNAs regulating sperm functions and fertilizing potential. Although it is well recognized that a considerable proportion of high genetic merit breeding bulls produce poor-quality semen, the transcriptomic alterations in spermatozoa from such bulls are not understood. In the present study, comparative high-throughput transcriptomic profiling of spermatozoa from good and poor-quality semen-producing bulls was carried out to identify the transcripts associated with semen quality. Using next-generation sequencing (NGS), we identified 11,632 transcripts in Holstein Friesian bull spermatozoa; after total hit normalization, a total of 544 transcripts were detected, of which 185 transcripts were common to both good and poor-quality semen, while 181 sperm transcripts were unique to good quality semen, and 178 transcripts were unique to poor-quality semen. Among the co-expressed transcripts, 31 were upregulated, while 108 were downregulated, and 46 were neutrally expressed in poor-quality semen. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the dysregulated transcripts were predominantly involved in molecular function, such as olfactory receptor activity and odor binding, and in biological process, such as detection of chemical stimulus involved in sensory perception, sensory perception of smell, signal transduction, and signal synaptic transmission. Since a majority of the dysregulated transcripts were involved in the olfactory pathway (85% of enriched dysregulated genes were involved in this pathway), the expression of selected five transcripts associated with this pathway (OR2T11, OR10S1, ORIL3, OR5M11, and PRRX1) were validated using real-time qPCR, and it was found that their transcriptional abundance followed the same trend as observed in NGS; the sperm transcriptional abundance of OR2T11 and OR10S1 differed significantly (p < 0.05) between good and poor-quality semen. It is concluded that poor-quality semen showed altered expression of transcripts associated with olfactory receptors and pathways indicating the relationship between olfactory pathway and semen quality in bulls.

Abstract The effectiveness of Trichoderma atroviride, T. asperellum, T. harzianum, against targeted tea disease causing pathogen, Fusarium solani (dieback), Beauveria bassiana against tea mosquito (Helopeltis theivora), and Metarhizium anisopliae against the red spider mite, Oligonychus coffeae Nietner, and the live wood eating termite (Microcerotermes beesoni Snyder), respectively were evaluated under laboratory and field conditions. The Trichoderma isolates showed effective control of F. solani (64.6 to 71.7%) under laboratory conditions, while the wettable powder (WP) formulation could reduce dieback disease incidence (57.1 to 77.7%) over control, under field conditions. The post prune application of Trichoderma asperellum on light pruned (LP) and application of T. asperellum as well as T. harzianum on deep skiffed (DS) tea fields showed a significant growth promotional response. The treated bushes could produce an average number of 421.2 and 398.4 shoots when it was applied 7.5 and 5.0% (w/v), respectively, which was higher than the number of shoots recorded in the control plots (259.4). The antagonist also induced comparatively higher shoot length (6.85–7.99 cm) than the untreated control plots (5.13–6.38 cm). The B. bassiana isolates (2 × 109 conidia/ml) exhibited 71.5 to 93.0% control of 2nd instar nymphs of H. theivora under in vitro conditions. However, addition of different adjuvants resulted in enhanced mortality. Under field conditions, the highest reduction of tea mosquito population of 52.3% was noted when B. bassiana (1 × 109cfu/ml) was sprayed along with Tween 20 plus and crude sugar. However, the wettable powder formulation of this EPF along with jaggery reduced the insect incidence. The M. anisopliae effectively controlled the red spider mite to the tune of 46.3 to 63.8% under laboratory conditions, while the wettable powder formulation of this isolate was more effective against the termite, resulting in the reduction of infestation to the tune of 84.2% under field conditions.

The World Health Organization has called for the global elimination of cervical cancer. While high income countries have made significant progress, the incidence and mortality due to cervical cancer is unacceptably high in low and middle income countries (LMIC). Jamaica is an upper middle income country with cervical cancer incidence and mortality of 21.6/100,000 and 13.6/100,000 person years respectively compared to 14.9/100,000 and 7.6/100,000 person years in Latin America and the Caribbean. Jamaica's pathway to reducing the burden of cervical cancer highlights challenges and opportunities for other LMIC. High prevalence of HPV infection (54% women attending primary care clinics), low levels of cervical cancer screening (

Lewis and Maslin explore geological markers for the beginning of the “Anthropocene”-beginning, in their periodization, in either 1492 (naming the birth of capitalism as the cause of planetary crisis) or 1945 (naming elite-driven militarization as its cause). In this essay, I argue for a synthesis of these two dynamics, locating both the birth of capitalism and a transformation of elite-driven militarization in the conquest of the New World during the Long Sixteenth Century. As such, I propose narrating planetary history through a “capitalocene as polemocene,” “the age of capital as an age of war” framework.

The cellulose from agroindustrial waste can be treated and converted into nanocrystals or nanofibers. It could be used to produce biodegradable and edible films, contributing to the circular economy and being environmentally friendly. This research aimed to develop an edible film elaborated with activated cellulose nanocrystals, native potato starch, and glycerin. The activated cellulose nanocrystals were obtained by basic/acid digestion and esterification with citric acid from corn husks. The starch was extracted from the native potato cultivated at 3500 m of altitude. Four film formulations were elaborated with potato starch (2.6 to 4.4%), cellulose nanocrystals (0.0 to 0.12%), and glycerin (3.0 to 4.2%), by thermoforming at 60 °C. It was observed that the cellulose nanocrystals reported an average size of 676.0 nm. The films mainly present hydroxyl, carbonyl, and carboxyl groups that stabilize the polymeric matrix. It was observed that the addition of cellulose nanocrystals in the films significantly increased (p-value < 0.05) water activity (0.409 to 0.447), whiteness index (96.92 to 97.27), and organic carbon content. In opposition to gelatinization temperature (156.7 to 150.1 °C), transparency (6.69 to 6.17), resistance to traction (22.29 to 14.33 N/mm), and solubility in acidic, basic, ethanol, and water media decreased. However, no significant differences were observed in the thermal decomposition of the films evaluated through TGA analysis. The addition of cellulose nanocrystals in the films gives it good mechanical and thermal resistance qualities, with low solubility, making it a potential food-coating material.

The avocado fruit is an agro-industrial product with high export demand in Peru due to its sensory and nutritional qualities, which can be affected during storage. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of the application of a coating formulated with potato starch (Solanum tuberosum ssp andigena), nopal mucilage (Opuntia ficus indica), and pectin on the physicochemical and physiological properties during the storage of Fuerte and Hass avocados. Samples were taken in their harvest state from the plantation in “Occobamba”, which is cultivated by the Avocado Producers Association in Chincheros, Apurímac, Peru. Physicochemical properties (titratable acidity, pH, total soluble solids) and physiological properties (weight loss, firmness, and color L* a* b*) were determined during 20 days of storage at 20 °C. The elaborated films present high transparency and low aw values. In the coated avocado of the Hass and Fuerte varieties, acidity and total soluble solids decreased significantly (p-value < 0.05) during the storage time. Weight loss and firmness of coated fruits decrease to a lesser extent. Luminosity L*, color index, and color variation showed better attributes for the coated samples. The use of coatings made with potato starch, nopal mucilage, and pectin allows the physicochemical and physiological properties of avocado fruits to be maintained for a longer time during storage.

Background: The symptom of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) diminishes quality-of-life for many mid-age women and imposes substantial societal burden. We investigated our hypothesis that HMB reflects impaired endometrial vasoconstriction due to endometrial glucocorticoid deficiency. Does reversing this deficiency, by short-term luteal-phase treatment with exogenous glucocorticoid (dexamethasone), ameliorate HMB? Methods: In our Bayesian response-adaptive parallel-group placebo-controlled randomised trial, five pre-planned interim analyses used primary outcome data to adjust randomisation probabilities to favour doses providing most dose-response information. Participants with HMB, recruited from Lothian (Scotland) NHS clinics and via community invitations/advertisements, were aged over 18 years; reported regular 21–42 day menstrual cycles; and had measured menstrual blood loss (MBL) averaging ≥ 50 mL over two screening periods. Identically encapsulated placebo, or one of six Dexamethasone doses (0·2 mg, 0·4 mg, 0·5 mg, 0·6 mg, 0·75 mg, 0·9 mg), were taken orally twice-daily over five days in the mid-luteal phase of three menstrual cycles. Participants, investigators, and those measuring outcomes were masked to group assignment.Primary outcome, change in average MBL from screening to ‘treatment’, was analysed by allocated treatment, for all with data. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01769820; EudractCT 2012–003,405–98 Findings: Recruitment lasted 29/01/2014 to 25/09/2017; 176 were screened, 107 randomised and 97 provided primary outcome data (n = 24,5,9,21,8,14,16 in the seven arms, placebo to 1·8 mg total daily active dose). In Bayesian normal dynamic linear modelling, 1·8 mg dexamethasone daily showed a 25 mL greater reduction in MBL from screening, than placebo (95% credible interval 1 to 49 mL), and probability 0·98 of benefit over placebo. Adverse events were reported by 75% (58/77) receiving dexamethasone, 58% (15/26) taking placebo. Three serious adverse events occurred, two during screening, one in a placebo participant. No woman withdrew due to adverse effects. Interpretation: Our adaptive trial in HMB showed that dexamethasone 1·8 mg daily reduced menstrual blood loss. The role of dexamethasone in HMB management deserves further investigation. Funding: UK MRC DCS/DPFS grant MR/J003611/1.

Crossbred bulls produced by crossing Bos taurus and Bos indicus suffer with high incidence of infertility/subfertility problems; however, the etiology remains poorly understood. The uncertain predictability and the inability of semen evaluation techniques to maintain constant correlation with fertility demand for alternate methods for bull fertility prediction. Therefore, in this study, the global differential gene expression between high- and low-fertile crossbred bull sperm was assessed using a high-throughput RNA sequencing technique with the aim to identify transcripts associated with crossbred bull fertility. Crossbred bull sperm contained transcripts for 13,563 genes, in which 2,093 were unique to high-fertile and 5,454 were unique to low-fertile bulls. After normalization of data, a total of 776 transcripts were detected, in which 84 and 168 transcripts were unique to high-fertile and low-fertile bulls, respectively. A total of 176 transcripts were upregulated (fold change > 1) and 209 were downregulated (

Abstract Painful seizures can be the only feature of focal epilepsy. Its localization on a limb favors the epileptic etiology, while abdominal or cephalic paroxysmal pain is not so specific. Painful somatosensory seizures arise from operculo‐insular cortex.

Activated hepatic stellate cells of putative mesodermal origin orchestrate scarring during injury. Here, the authors define a discrete morphologically plastic lineage of embryonic mesothelial-derived scar-orchestrating cells, through a distinct quiescent adult precursor, defined and paradoxically inhibited by WT1.

Abstract Background Small-for-gestational-age (SGA) is associated with increased neonatal mortality and morbidity. In low and middle income countries an accurate gestational age is often not known, making the identification of SGA newborns difficult. Measuring foot length, chest circumference and mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) of the newborn have previously been shown to be reasonable methods for detecting low birth weight (

A new pandemic is ongoing in several parts of the world. The agent responsible is the newly emerged severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The symptoms associated with this virus are known as the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). In this review, we summarize the published data on virus specific antibodies in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 disease, patients recovered from the disease and the individuals who are asymptomatic with SARS-CoV-2 infections. The review highlights the following: i) an adjunct role of antibody tests in the diagnosis of COVID-19 in combination with RT-PCR; ii) status of antibodies from COVID-19 convalescent patients to select donors for plasma therapy; iii) the potential confounding effects of other coronaviruses, measles, mumps and rubella in antibody testing due to homology of certain viral genes; and iv) the role of antibody testing for conducting surveillance in populations, incidence estimation, contact tracing and epidemiologic studies.

At the local scale, environmental parameters often require monitoring by means of affordable measuring techniques and technologies given they need to be frequently surveyed. Streamflow in riverbeds or in channels is a hydrological variable that needs to be monitored in order to keep the runoff regimes under control and somehow forecast floods, allowing prevention of damage for people and infrastructure. Moreover, measuring such a variable is always extremely important for the knowledge of the environmental status of connected aquatic ecosystems. This paper presents a new approach to assessing hydrodynamic features related to a given channel by means of a beamforming technique that was applied to video sensing. Different features have been estimated, namely the flow velocity, the temperature, and the riverbed movements. The applied beamforming technique works on a modified sum and delay method, also using the Multiple Signal Classification algorithm (MUSIC), by acting as Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) post-processing. The results are very interesting, especially compared to the on-site measured data and encourage the use of affordable video sensors located along the channel or river course for monitoring purposes. The paper also illustrates the use of beamforming measurements to be calibrated by means of conventional techniques with more accurate data. Certainly, the results can be improved; however, they indicate some margins of improvements and updates. As metrics of assessment, a histogram of greyscale/pixels was adopted, taking into account the example of layers and curve plots. They show changes according to the locations where the supporting videos were obtained.

A chart review study of the sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevalence among persons living with HIV (PLHIV) was conducted among STI clinic attendees in Trinidad between January 2012 and December 2012. Data were abstracted from client records to obtain the clinical and the laboratory diagnoses of STIs. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted, and factors significantly associated with the presence of a STI were assessed using multiple logistic regression. During this period, 385 PLHIV were seen; 104 (27.0%) were newly HIV diagnosed and 281 (73.0%) had a known history of HIV infection; 135 (35.1%) were diagnosed with a STI. Patients with known HIV infection were more likely to be diagnosed with a STI than those who were newly diagnosed (odds ratios: 6.99; 95% confidence interval: 3.79-12.89). The STI prevalence was high among PLHIV in Trinidad, identifying them as a critical target group for public health interventions to prevent the spread of HIV and STIs.

Climate change (CC) is now a global challenge due to uncertainties on the drivers and the multifaceted nature of its impacts. It impacts many sectors such as agriculture, water supply, and global economies through temperature and precipitation, affecting many livelihoods. Although there are global, regional, and national studies on CC, their application to determine local CC occurence mitigation and adaptation measures is not ideal. Therefore, this study aimed to determine climate change trends in Lake Kyoga Basin using standardized precipitation and anomaly indexes. Short-term (39 years, 1981–2020) and long-term (59 years, 1961–2020) monthly data from eight strategic meteorological stations were acquired from the Uganda National Meteorological Authority and supplemented with satellite and model reanalysis climate datasets. Change in precipitation was determined by SPI-6, while SAI determined change in temperature. The Mann–Kendall test was used to determine the trend significance. Whereas two (Serere and Lira) long-term data stations showed significant changes in precipitation, all the short-term data stations showed a significant increasing trend. Decadal relative rainfall anomaly increased from 85.6–105 in 1981–1990 to 92.0–120.9 in 2011–2020, while mean temperature anomaly increased from 0.2–0.6 °C to 1.0–1.6 °C in the same period. The frequency of severe wet weather events was more than for dry weather events in many stations, indicating an increase in precipitation. Maximum, mean, and minimum temperatures increased, with resultant warmer nights. The findings showed that the Lake Kyoga basin is experiencing climate change, with both temperature and rainfall increasing spatially and temporarily. Climate change affects agriculture, which is the main economic activity, and causes the destruction of infrastructure from floods, landslides, and mudslides. The results of this study are helpful in pointing out climate change-affected areas, and hence for designing mitigation and adaption strategies for local communities by policy and decision-makers from relevant stakeholders.

Waves propagating on the water surface can be considered as propagating in a dispersive medium, where gravity and surface tension at the air–water interface act as restoring forces. The velocity at which energy is transported in water waves is defined by the group velocity. The paper reports the use of video-camera observations to study the impact of water waves on an urban shore. The video-monitoring system consists of two separate cameras equipped with progressive RGB CMOS sensors that allow 1080p HDTV video recording. The sensing system delivers video signals that are processed by a machine learning technique. The scope of the research is to identify features of water waves that cannot be normally observed. First, a conventional modelling was performed using data delivered by image sensors together with additional data such as temperature, and wind speed, measured with dedicated sensors. Stealth waves are detected, as are the inverting phenomena encompassed in waves. This latter phenomenon can be detected only through machine learning. This double approach allows us to prevent extreme events that can take place in offshore and onshore areas.

Background. Adolescents living with HIV are an emerging group in the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. Mental health in this population affects HIV care, treatment, consequential morbidity and secondary transmission. There is a paucity of research regarding these youth in South Africa (SA), partly because section 71 of the National Health Act of 2003 (NHA) requires parental or guardian’s consent. Objective. To explore legal and ethical issues related to conducting adolescent mental health research in SA. Methods. After obtaining a High Court order permitting research on minors aged

Gas-containing renal stones is a rarely described complication of emphysematous pyelonephritis. Most of these patients are diabetic and almost all have urinary obstruction and stasis. Management of these patients may be associated with several complications.

Aspirin has been widely recommended for acute and chronic conditions for over 2,000 years. Either single or repetitive doses are commonly used for analgesic and antipyretic reasons and to prevent heart attacks, stroke, and blood clot formation. Recent studies show that it can also be used chronically to dramatically reduce the risk of a variety of cancers. However, prolonged usage of aspirin can cause severe damage to the mucosal barrier, increasing the risk of ulcer formation and GI-bleeding events. In the present study, we show the effects of acute low-dose aspirin exposure as an active secretagogue-inducing gastric acid secretion. Studies were carried out with isolated gastric glands using the pH-sensitive dye BCECF-AM to assess acid secretion. The non-selective NOS inhibitor L-NAME (30 μM), or the specific inhibitor ODQ (1H-[1,2,4]Oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one) was applied while monitoring intracellular pH. The effects of basolateral exposure to aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid, ASA) caused activation of gastric acid secretion via the H+, K+-ATPase. Our data suggest that aspirin increases nitric oxide (NO) production, which in turn activates acid secretion. Exposure of gastric glands to either the non-selective NOS inhibitor L-NAME, and the highly selective, soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4]Oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) effectively inhibited aspirin-dependent gastric acid secretion. Aspirin can be considered as a novel secretagogue, in the way that it activates the H+, K+-ATPase. With increased daily aspirin consumption, our findings have important implications for all individuals consuming aspirin even in low doses and the potential risks for increased acid secretion.