Alternative low-cost latrine option for rural and peri-urban communities

The aim of the study was to develop a low-cost latrine that is suitable for use in the rural and peri-urban areas. The study assessed the key capital cost components of three commonly used on-site latrine technologies in Ghana (Ventilated Improved Pit, Traditional pour flush toilet, and Biofil toilet) which was used as basics for the design of a new low-cost latrine option. The study was conducted using field survey and field test. The results of the study revealed that, majority of latrine installation cost comes from pit lining, followed by pit excavation, cover slab, with pipe materials bearing the least cost. It was also found that installing the newly developed toilet technology saves 64 %, 62% and 83% of the cost of the Pour Flush toilet, VIP and Biofil toilet respectively

Hybrid HVDC circuit breaker with self-powered gate drives

The ever increasing electric power demand and the advent of renewable energy sources have revived the interest in high-voltage direct current (HVDC) multi-terminal networks. However, the absence of a suitable circuit breaker or fault tolerant VSC station topologies with the required characteristics (such as operating speed) have, until recently, been an obstacle in the development of large scale multi-terminal networks for HVDC. This paper presents a hybrid HVDC circuit breaker concept which is capable of meeting the requirements of HVDC networks. Simulation results are presented which are validated by experimental results taken from a 2.5kV, 700A rated laboratory prototype

Assessing Landcover Changes from Coastal Tourism Development in Ghana: Evidence from the Kokrobite-Bortianor Coastline, Accra

As a major driver of landcover change, tourism-based developments are growing rapidly along different part of Ghana’s 560 km coastline. Kokrobite and Bortianor, with their serene environment, relatively clean, and pristine sandy beaches, have become popular coastal tourism destinations for tourists, recreationist, and holiday seekers in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. This study assesses how landcover changes emanating from coastal tourism establishments such as hotels, resorts, restaurants, and recreational facilities are affecting the socio-ecological landscape of the area. In this study, we utilize the maximum likelihood supervised classification along with post classification change detection techniques to analyze Landsat images for the years 1990, 2000 and 2010. Landcover maps of the different years were created and used to analyze changes occurring along the coastline of Kokrobite and Bortianor. Assembled results showed that built-up areas associated largely with tourism-based establishments have increased substantially from 1.02 km2 (16%) to 2.20 km2 (34.6%) between 1990 and 2010. Approximately 60% of the Kokrobite and Bortianor coastline’s natural ecosystem has been converted into different forms of tourism-based facilities such as hotels, resorts and settlements. Conversely, all forms of vegetative cover–riverine, dense active, and shrub/herbaceous cover are declining significantly. Increased tourist and recreationist demands along with the rapid urban growth in Accra is a preeminent cause of the current trends of developments. Regrettably, majority of the tourism-based establishments are unplanned, lacking authorization from development institutions and agencies, a reflection of the lack of a coherent integrated coastal zone management plan and functional urban landuse policy in Ghana. The result is a significant encroachment and degradation of the coastal ecosystems. Considering the already vulnerable state of most coastal areas in Ghana including Kokrobite and Bortianor, such developments could aggravate social and ecological vulnerability if left unchecked. In line with this, this study recommends the urgent need for a functional integrated coastal zone management plan and resourced institutions and agencies to enable effective management and regulation of developments in coastal zones in Ghana. Ultimately, coastal tourism, with all its recognized and potential socio-economic benefits to local and national economies can only be sustained with an ecologically productive coastal zone. Keywords: Tourism, Coastal tourism, Landcover, Kokrobite and Bortianor, Erosio

Pulmonary effects of e-liquid flavors: a systematic review.

Electronic cigarettes (ECs) are purported to be tobacco harm-reduction products whose degree of harm has been highly debated. EC use is considered less hazardous than smoking but is not expected to be harmless. Following the banning of e-liquid flavors in countries such as the US, Finland, Ukraine, and Hungary, there are growing concerns regarding the safety profile of e-liquid flavors used in ECs. While these are employed extensively in the food industry and are generally regarded as safe (GRAS) when ingested, GRAS status after inhalation is unclear. The aim of this review was to assess evidence from 38 reports on the adverse effects of flavored e-liquids on the respiratory system in both in vitro and in vivo studies published between 2006 and 2021. Data collected demonstrated greater detrimental effects in vitro with cinnamon (9 articles), strawberry (5 articles), and menthol (10 articles), flavors than other flavors. The most reported effects among these investigations were perturbations of pro-inflammatory biomarkers and enhanced cytotoxicity. There is sufficient evidence to support the toxicological impacts of diacetyl- and cinnamaldehyde-containing e-liquids following human inhalation; however, safety profiles on other flavors are elusive. The latter may result from inconsistencies between experimental approaches and uncertainties due to the contributions from other e-liquid constituents. Further, the relevance of the concentration ranges to human exposure levels is uncertain. Evidence indicates that an adequately controlled and consistent, systematic toxicological investigation of a broad spectrum of e-liquid flavors may be required at biologically relevant concentrations to better inform public health authorities on the risk assessment following exposure to EC flavor ingredients

In Vitro High-Throughput Toxicological Assessment of E-Cigarette Flavors on Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells and the Potential Involvement of TRPA1 in Cinnamon Flavor-Induced Toxicity

Electronic cigarettes (ECs) are considered a less hazardous alternative to tobacco smoking but are not harmless. Growing concerns about the safety profiles of flavors in e-liquids underpin the need for this study. Here, we screened 53 nicotine-free flavored e-liquids (across 15 flavor categories) across a 3-point concentration range (0.25%, 0.5%, and 1% v/v) in a high-throughput fashion in human bronchial epithelial (HBEC-3KT) submerged cell cultures to identify ‘toxic hits’ using in vitro endpoint assays comprising cell count, cell viability, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). We observed significant, dose-dependent adverse effects only with cinnamon, vanilla tobacco, and hazelnut e-liquids compared to media-only and PG/VG vehicle controls. Hence, we further analyzed these three flavors for their effects on HBEC-3KT proliferation, mitochondrial health, and oxidative stress. A significant decrease in cell proliferation after 36 h was observed for each e-liquid toxic hit compared to media-only and PG/VG controls. Hazelnut (at all concentrations) and vanilla tobacco (1%) increased cytoplasmic reactive oxygen species generation compared to media-only and PG/VG controls. Conversely, all three flavors at 0.5% and 1% significantly decreased mitochondrial membrane potential compared to PG/VG and media-only controls. Chemical analysis revealed that all three flavors contained volatile organic compounds. We hypothesized that the cytotoxicity of cinnamon might be mediated via TRPA1; however, TRPA1 antagonist AP-18 (10 μM) did not mitigate these effects, and cinnamon significantly increased TRPA1 transcript levels. Therefore, pathways mediating cinnamon’s cytotoxicity warrant further investigations. This study could inform public health authorities on the relative health risks assessment following exposure to EC flavor ingredients

Yam pectin and textural characteristics: a preliminary study

Open Access Journal; Published online: 05 Jul 2022The texture of yams is a key determinant in the selection of yams for boiled and pounded yams. This study was conducted to quantify pectin from local and newly developed yam varieties and to correlate pectin and its degree of esterification (DE) with instrumental textural profile parameters of boiled and pounded yam. Isolation of pectin from yam cell wall material (CWM) was achieved with citric acid and the degree of esterification (DE) was determined. The textural parameters were obtained using a texture analyzer. All the new D. rotundata (Poir) varieties had low CWM which varied from 11.88 to 18.95% compared to the D. alata varieties which ranged from 27.60 to 32.79%. Pectin yield (%) for CRI D. alata varieties ranged from 4.47 to 11.35 while CRI D. rotundata (Poir) varieties ranged from 5.18 to 5.50%. Generally, CRI D. alata yam varieties had higher pectin than D. rotundata (Poir) varieties. The DE for all samples ranged from 22.54 to 51.37%, making yam pectin low methoxy. Positive correlations existed between the textural parameters and pectin content as well as the DE but were not significant (p > .05). This study shows that low methoxy yam pectin has no effect on textural characteristics of boiled and pounded yam

Chemical, functional and pasting properties of starches and flours from new yam compared to local varieties

Open Access Journal; Published online: 14 Jul 2022The potential uses of starches and flours depend on their physicochemical and functional properties. The chemical composition, functional and pasting properties of starch and flours obtained from some newly developed yam varieties from the Crops Research Institute (CRI), Ghana were evaluated, and compared with the existing local varieties. The results showed that the physicochemical and functional properties varied among the varieties studied. The CRI varieties were grouped in a principal component analysis as moisture (afase pa), amylose content (ahodenfo, soanyinto, afase biri), high starch content, bulk density and water absorption capacity (kukrupa, Mankrong pona, CRI pona). Starch pasting characteristics showed that Mankrong pona, CRI pona and afase pa exhibited stable pastes whereas afase biri, Mankrong pona and, afase soanyinto could be utilized for high-temperature processing. Overall, the new CRI varieties showed considerable functionalities that could be explored for potential food and industrial applications as compared to the existing local varieties

Gender-disaggregated consumer testing and descriptive sensory analysis of local and new yam varieties

Open Access JournalGender-disaggregated sensory evaluation has become an essential element that could enhance breeding activities by increasing the adoption of new varieties. The effect of age, sex and geographical location on descriptor preferences for boiled and pounded yam were studied using descriptive and consumer testing. Attributes with definitions and measurement scales were used to generate lexicons for boiled and pounded yam. Analytical tools employed for the inferential statistics were the independent t-test, analysis of variance, Kruskal–Wallis test, Mann–Whitney test and relative importance index (RII). Descriptive testing showed that all the D. rotundata varieties were good for boiling and pounding. The D. alata varieties afase soanyinto and afase biri were most liked, while afase pa and ahodenfo were disliked. Age had no significant effect on descriptor preferences. Being a female or male, however, influenced preferences for pounded yam descriptors such as mouldability, lumpiness and colour. The RII for the D. rotundata varieties (0.22–0.28) showed that they are all good varieties for boiling and pounding. The local D. alata varieties were still highly acceptable compared the new CRI varieties due to the aroma. Rural consumers preferred all the descriptors of boiled D. rotundata than urban consumers, whereas urban consumers liked the pounded yam varieties better than the rural consumers. Availability of the new yam varieties on local markets could therefore increase consumption and improve adoption

Dynamic Changes in the Endocannabinoid System during the Aging Process: Focus on the Middle-Age Crisis

Endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling is markedly decreased in the hippocampus (Hip) of aged mice, and the genetic deletion of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) leads to an early onset of cognitive decline and age-related histological changes in the brain. Thus, it is hypothesized that cognitive aging is modulated by eCB signaling through CB1. In the present study, we detailed the changes in the eCB system during the aging process using different complementary techniques in mouse brains of five different age groups, ranging from adolescence to old age. Our findings indicate that the eCB system is most strongly affected in middle-aged mice (between 9 and 12 months of age) in a brain region-specific manner. We show that 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) was prominently decreased in the Hip and moderately in caudate putamen (CPu), whereas anandamide (AEA) was decreased in both CPu and medial prefrontal cortex along with cingulate cortex (mPFC+Cg), starting from 6 months until 12 months. Consistent with the changes in 2-AG, the 2-AG synthesizing enzyme diacylglycerol lipase α (DAGLα) was also prominently decreased across the sub-regions of the Hip. Interestingly, we found a transient increase in CB1 immunoreactivity across the sub-regions of the Hip at 9 months, a plausible compensation for reduced 2-AG, which ultimately decreased strongly at 12 months. Furthermore, quantitative autoradiography of CB1 revealed that [3H]CP55940 binding markedly increased in the Hip at 9 months. However, unlike the protein levels, CB1 binding density did not drop strongly at 12 months and at old age. Furthermore, [3H]CP55940 binding was significantly increased in the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEnt), starting from the middle age until the old age. Altogether, our findings clearly indicate a middle-age crisis in the eCB system, which could be a potential time window for therapeutic interventions to abrogate the course of cognitive aging

Evaluating knowledge, awareness, attitudes, and practices regarding vitamin D in pregnant and postnatal Ghanaian women: a cross-sectional study

Background Vitamin D plays a crucial role in maternal and foetal health during pregnancy and lactation. However, its deficiency remains prevalent among pregnant and post-natal women globally, potentially leading to adverse health outcomes. We assessed and compared the knowledge, awareness, attitudes, and practices regarding vitamin D among pregnant and postnatal women in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Methods This cross-sectional study recruited 310 pregnant women and postnatal women from a Municipal Hospital between January to August 2024. A well-structured questionnaire was used to obtain data on demographic, clinical and lifestyle characteristics of participants. Information on awareness, knowledge, attitude and practices regarding vitamin D were also obtained. The binary logistic regression analysis model was used to determine the independent predictors of awareness and knowledge. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Most pregnant women (82%) were aware of vitamin D, compared to postnatal women (71.1%). Pregnant women also showed higher knowledge levels (62% vs. 50.3%). Nearly all postnatal women (100%) and pregnant women (98.1%) had positive attitudes toward vitamin D, with comparable good practices (88.8% for pregnant, 89.9% for postnatal). Having non-formal education [(aOR = 17.639, 95% CI (3.218–96.686), p = 0.001)] or basic education [(aOR = 24.956, 95% CI (6.084-102.366), p < 0.001)] was significantly associated with increased odds of non-awareness. Moreover, having basic education [(aOR = 20.946, 95% CI (6.264–70.042), p < 0.001)] or SHS education [(aOR = 2.725, 95% CI (1.160–6.402), p = 0.021)] were the independent predictors of poor knowledge regarding vitamin D. Conclusion Awareness and knowledge of vitamin D were higher among pregnant women compared to postnatal women, with educational level being a significant predictor. Future interventions should prioritize education on the importance of vitamin D, appropriate sun exposure, and dietary sources to mitigate deficiency risks, associated complications, and improve maternal health outcomes during and after pregnancy