The consumption of packaged water in Ghana has grown significantly in recent years. By 2017, "sachet water"-machine-sealed 500ml plastic bags of drinking water-was consumed by 33% of Ghanaian ...households. Reliance on sachet water has previously been associated with the urban poor, yet recent evidence suggests a customer base which crosses socioeconomic lines. Here, we conduct a repeated cross-sectional analysis of three nationally representative datasets to examine the changing demography of sachet water consumers between 2010 and 2017. Our results show that over the course of the study period sachet water has become a ubiquitous source of drinking water in Ghana, with relatively wealthy households notably increasing their consumption. In 2017, the majority of sachet water drinking households had access to another improved water source. The current rate and form of urbanisation, inadequate water governance, and an emphasis on cost recovery pose significant challenges for the expansion of the piped water supply network, leading us to conclude that sachet water will likely continue to be a prominent source of drinking water in Ghana for the foreseeable future. The main challenge for policymakers is to ensure that the growing sachet water market enhances rather than undermines Ghana's efforts towards achieving universal and equitable access to clean drinking water and sanitation.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background
The width of the facial alveolar bone wall is crucial for long‐term successful esthetic outcomes of implants immediately placed into extraction sockets. A threshold of 2 mm is recommended ...to minimize buccal vertical bone resorption.
Aim
To assess the width of the facial alveolar bone wall using cone‐beam computed tomography images (CBCT).
Material and methods
Retrospective CBCT images were acquired from a representative sample of Asians using the i‐CAT® classic system with a 0.4‐mm voxel size. At random, 200 CBCT images were selected according to predefined criteria. The DICOM file was imported into the i‐CAT Vision® software. In the panoramic screen, the middle of each tooth was selected, and in the sagittal window, the middle cross section was selected for performing the measurements using a computer. The vertical distance from the alveolar crest (BC) – cemento‐enamel junction (CEJ) was measured. The width of the facial alveolar bone wall was measured at three locations: 1, 3, and 5 mm apical to BC. Descriptive statistics, frequency analyses, and multi‐level comparisons were performed.
Results
The sample consisted of 74 men and 126 women (mean age of 37.2 years; range 17–82years). A total of 3618 teeth were assessed. There was no significant difference between the values of right and left sides, or between genders. However, statistically significant differences were observed between age groups at all levels. The distance from CEJ to BC varied from 0.4 to 4 mm, with an overall tendency to increase with age. The mean width of the facial alveolar bone wall at anterior teeth was 0.9 mm and increased toward posterior regions. Rarely, a width of 2 mm was yielded (0.6–1.8% for anterior teeth, 0.7–30.8% for posterior teeth). At a 5‐mm distance from BC, minimal widths of facial alveolar bone were identified for the anterior teeth. The frequency of dehiscence ranged from 9.9% to 51.6% for anterior and 3.1% to 53.6% for posterior teeth, respectively.
Conclusion
A thin facial alveolar bone wall was usually present in both jaws. Hence, for most patients, adjunctive bone augmentation may be needed when installing implants in areas of esthetic concern.
There is an increase in interest in the relationships between loneliness and psychosis. The notion of psychosis continuum implies that psychotic experiences extend from clinical populations with ...psychotic disorders to non-clinical populations. This meta-analytic review aimed to examine the respective associations of loneliness with positive and negative psychotic experiences along the psychosis continuum. A systematic database search was conducted and a total of 30 studies were included in the first meta-analysis and 15 studies were included in the second meta-analysis. There was a medium association between loneliness and positive psychotic experiences (r = 0.302, p < 0.001). In particular, the association between loneliness and paranoia was robust (r = 0.448, p < 0.001). The second meta-analysis revealed a medium association between loneliness and negative psychotic experiences (r = 0.347, p < 0.001). The associations between loneliness and both positive and negative psychotic experiences were found to be smaller among clinical than non-clinical samples. The above findings provided evidence for the associations between loneliness and the two core dimensions of psychotic experiences along the phenomenological continuum. Future research should examine the dynamics of these relationships in both clinical and non-clinical samples, preferably using a single-symptom approach.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Challenge-based learning (CBL) is a learner-centred, experimental learning strategy that aims to prepare students to manage unforeseeable and complex global issues in the 21st century. It cultivates ...an active and authentic learning environment that requires students' creative input, collaboration and community involvement. Studies in the past decade have shown that CBL strengthens soft skills essential for future society, such as critical thinking and creativity. However, its effect on students' metacognitive abilities is scarcely mentioned. This study – a quasi-experimental study with non-equivalent groups conducted in a self-financing tertiary institution in Hong Kong – aims to evaluate the effect of CBL on approaches to learning among nursing students. First-year students in the nursing programme who attended a nursing course using CBL were recruited for the intervention group and senior year-one students were included in the control group. Their approach to learning was measured by the Revised Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire administered at the beginning and at the end of the semester. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to compare the mean difference in scores of deep and surface approaches between the groups. A total of 209 participants were recruited, with 130 in the intervention group and 79 in the control group. The response rates were 65.3% (130/199) and 78.2% (79/101) for the intervention and control groups, respectively. In the intervention group, the mean post-test deep approach score was significantly higher than the pre-test score (F = 5.2, p = 0.023), even though it had only a small effect. There was no statistically significant difference in baseline post-test mean surface scores (F = 2.4, p = 0.125). The results of this study indicate that CBL may facilitate deep learning in nursing students.
A number of species within the Fusobacteriaceae family of Gram-negative bacteria uniquely encode for an ornithine decarboxylase/arginase (ODA) that ostensibly channels l-ornithine generated by ...hydrolysis of l-arginine to putrescine formation. However, two aspartate residues required for coordination to a catalytically obligatory manganese cluster of arginases are substituted for a serine and an asparagine. Curiously, these natural substitutions occur only in a clade of Fusobacterium species that inhabit the oral cavity. Herein, we expressed and isolated full-length ODA from the opportunistic oral pathogen Fusobacterium nucleatum along with the individual arginase and ornithine decarboxylase components. The crystal structure of the arginase domain reveals that it adopts the classical α/β arginase-fold, but metal ions are absent in the active site. As expected, the ureohydrolase activity with l-arginine was not detected for wild-type ODA or the isolated arginase domain. However, engineering of the complete metal coordination environment through site-directed mutagenesis restored Mn2+ binding capacity and arginase activity, although the catalytic efficiency for l-arginine was low (60–100 M–1 s–1). Full-length ODA and the isolated ODC component were able to decarboxylate both l-ornithine and l-arginine to form putrescine and agmatine, respectively, but k cat/K M of l-ornithine was ∼20-fold higher compared to l-arginine. We discuss environmental conditions that may have led to the natural selection of an inactive arginase in the oral associated species of Fusobacterium.
The actinobacterium Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 grows on a remarkable variety of aromatic compounds and has been studied for applications ranging from the degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls to the ...valorization of lignin, an underutilized component of biomass. In RHA1, the catabolism of two classes of lignin-derived compounds, alkylphenols and alkylguaiacols, involves a phylogenetically distinct extradiol dioxygenase, AphC, previously misannotated as BphC, an enzyme involved in biphenyl catabolism. To better understand the role of AphC in RHA1 catabolism, we first showed that purified AphC had highest apparent specificity for 4-propylcatechol (kcat/KM ∼106 M−1 s−1), and its apparent specificity for 4-alkylated substrates followed the trend for alkylguaiacols: propyl > ethyl > methyl > phenyl > unsubstituted. We also show AphC only poorly cleaved 3-phenylcatechol, the preferred substrate of BphC. Moreover, AphC and BphC cleaved 3-phenylcatechol and 4-phenylcatechol with different regiospecificities, likely due to the substrates’ binding mode. A crystallographic structure of the AphC·4-ethylcatechol binary complex to 1.59 Å resolution revealed that the catechol is bound to the active site iron in a bidentate manner and that the substrate’s alkyl side chain is accommodated by a hydrophobic pocket. Finally, we show RHA1 grows on a mixture of 4-ethylguaiacol and guaiacol, simultaneously catabolizing these substrates through meta-cleavage and ortho-cleavage pathways, respectively, suggesting that the specificity of AphC helps to prevent the routing of catechol through the Aph pathway. Overall, this study contributes to our understanding of the bacterial catabolism of aromatic compounds derived from lignin, and the determinants of specificity in extradiol dioxygenases.
Abstract
Many of the geographical indications (GI) in developing countries are intellectual creations with incredible uniqueness generated by traditional communities and local people. These products ...are linked to the culture of that community and hence can be considered as traditional cultural expressions (TCE). Dev gangjee and Steven Van Uytsel and argued that TCE can be protected under the law of GI. Moreover, there are many similarities between GI and TCEs. These two forms share some unique characteristics that other intellectual property systems are not indulged in as well as not in concern with of many nations. Handicrafts, textile products, pottery works, jewellery works are some prime examples of TCEs protected under the law of GI in India and Indonesia. This article intends to validate the compatibility of GI laws in providing space for TCEs and give some suggestions for enhanced compatibility. Case study approach has been used as methodology and that the study presumes that the present GI laws in India and Indonesia are not capable of adequately protecting TCE.
•Since the outbreak of COVID-19, there has been a focus on the nature and spread of the virus, as well as the impact on the acute care system. Studies have detailed the physical and psychological ...impacts on hospital-based health care professionals and their strategies and responses to working in health care during a pandemic. Understanding these impacts allows governments to mitigate and prevent burnout of acute health care professionals during a period of unprecedented challenge.•Primary health care professionals such as school nurses have an essential role as a gatekeeper of health information and strategies to prevent and reduce the spread of COVID-19 in communities, especially in different school settings such as international schools and special schools where students often have intellectual disabilities. This study looks specifically at the experiences and responses of school-based primary health care professionals during the COVID-19 outbreak in Honk Kong. Interviews directly with primary health care professionals allowed first-hand discussion of these experiences and responses and the context of these.•Understanding how school nurses have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic enables a greater understanding of the key role of primary health care in responding to and preventing pandemics and infection rates. A significant preventative role can be found within the primary health care setting, particularly school communities and those school communities with students who are further impeded by cognitive and intellectual disabilities.
It is widely acknowledged that the experiences of frontline primary health care professionals during COVID-19 are important to understand how they respond and act under situations of pandemic as the gatekeepers in primary health care system. School nurses are primary health care professionals who lead health care in schools and practice in a holistic manner to address the needs of schoolchildren and school personnel. There are rising mental health concerns of frontline health care professionals with anxiety and panic disorders, somatic symptoms, and feeling isolated. No studies use a qualitative study approach to document community frontline school nursing professionals’ experiences and challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, understanding the school nurses’ experiences and challenges to fight against COVID-19 in the communities is important.
This study aims to explore the experiences of school nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong.
A qualitative study design adopted the principles of thematic analysis. Nineteen school nurses were recruited to participate in individual semistructured interviews and shared their roles and responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Three themes indicated the school nurses’ expand professional responsibilities to fight against COVID-19 emerged from the data analysis. These were “Managing Stress,” “Navigating the School Through the Pandemic,” and “Raising the Profile of the School Nurse Professional,”
Findings reveal the important role of school nursing professionals in minimizing the community-wide risk posed by pandemics and the need to integrate them into planning and implementation of school health policies and guidelines in the primary health care system. This essential role in schools is necessary to assess, implement, monitor, prevent, and reduce the spread of virus in school communities and to minimize the burden to and extra health care resources utilized in the acute care setting during COVID-19 pandemic.
Fusobacterium nucleatum is an opportunistic oral pathogen that is associated with various cancers. To fulfill its essential need for iron, this anaerobe will express heme uptake machinery encoded at ...a single genetic locus. The heme uptake operon includes HmuW, a class C radical SAM-dependent methyltransferase that degrades heme anaerobically to release Fe2+ and a linear tetrapyrrole called anaerobilin. The last gene in the operon, hmuF encodes a member of the flavodoxin superfamily of proteins. We discovered that HmuF and a paralog, FldH, bind tightly to both FMN and heme. The structure of Fe3+-heme–bound FldH (1.6 Å resolution) reveals a helical cap domain appended to the ⍺/β core of the flavodoxin fold. The cap creates a hydrophobic binding cleft that positions the heme planar to the si-face of the FMN isoalloxazine ring. The ferric heme iron is hexacoordinated to His134 and a solvent molecule. In contrast to flavodoxins, FldH and HmuF do not stabilize the FMN semiquinone but instead cycle between the FMN oxidized and hydroquinone states. We show that heme-loaded HmuF and heme-loaded FldH traffic heme to HmuW for degradation of the protoporphyrin ring. Both FldH and HmuF then catalyze multiple reductions of anaerobilin through hydride transfer from the FMN hydroquinone. The latter activity eliminates the aromaticity of anaerobilin and the electrophilic methylene group that was installed through HmuW turnover. Hence, HmuF provides a protected path for anaerobic heme catabolism, offering F. nucleatum a competitive advantage in the colonization of anoxic sites of the human body.
Indian Copyright Act, 1957 provides a private right in copyright which extensively deals with provisions that guarantee access to knowledge as well. Copyright is an exclusive and assignable legal ...right given to the author for a particular period for original literary, dramatic, artistic works, and musical work whether published or unpublished. These rights are not absolute but subject to restrictions and limitations imposed by law. Section 52 of the Copyright Act, 1957 is one such provision that restraints the exclusive enjoyment of rights given to the copyright holder. As per Section 52 (1)(o) of the Copyright Act, 1957 a non-commercial library is permitted/allowed to make three copies of a book for library use, provided such books are not available for sale in India. The present article is about the concept of fair dealing which is originated from the Common of laws of England. Although, the concept of fair use and fair dealing are used synonymously, the Indian Copyright Act, 1957 deals with fair dealing under Section 52 of the Copyright Act, 1957. The reproductions of works for research or private study, taking photocopy for research and educational purpose, etc., are covered under the doctrine of fair use. This paper will explain the conceptual framework of the Indian Copyright Act and the empirical reality in libraries of Maharashtra. It attempts to empirically test the usage of fair use provisions under the Indian Copyright Act and the awareness among librarians of Colleges and Universities in Maharashtra. The research methodology used for the present study is both doctrinal and non-doctrinal. It was observed that most of the librarians are aware of Copyright Law and copyright exceptions but when it comes to the implementation librarians also face difficulty and it leads to the infringement of copyright.
PDF
