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This study investigated the propensity to pay for modern apparatus processing locust beans in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Utilizing primary data and a multistage sampling strategy, 240 processors were chosen for the study. The collected data were analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics and an inferential statistical instrument, such as Logit and ordinary least square regression analysis. About 72 percent of processors were married and had an average of eight years of experience processing locust legumes. The majority of respondents belonged to a cooperative group (66.7%) and had no access to credit (100%). The average monthly income from processing was N18,000. The majority of respondents (65%) were unwilling to pay for the service of centralized, advanced or contemporary processing equipment. According to the results of the Logit regression analysis, the variables that significantly influence willingness to pay for the service of centralized modern locust bean processing equipment were household income and processing experience (1%), level of education and age (5%), and household size (10%). The Ordinary Least Square (OLS) analysis reveals that household size and education level were significant at the 1% level, while age and marital status were significant at the 5% level and processing experience was significant at the 1% level. The study suggests that processors ready to pay should form a formidable cooperative to secure grants or loans to establish a centralized, contemporary locust processing cottage. The government should educate processors on modern food processing and safety at all levels.
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Resumen Según información procedente del observatorio del delito de la Policía Nacional de Colombia, los hurtos a personas y de celulares han presentado una tendencia al alza desde el año 2003 (Norza, Peñalosa y Rodríguez, 2017). Esta tendencia motivó la realización del presente estudio para analizar la relación entre los factores socioeconómicos y el hurto en los diferentes municipios de Colombia durante el año 2017, mediante el uso de modelos de regresión lineal múltiple y regresión geográficamente ponderada utilizando fuentes de información secundaria segregada a nivel municipal. Se constató que las variables matriculados en instituciones de educación superior por cada mil personas, presupuesto per cápita asignado por el sistema general de participaciones y la categoría del municipio explican el 69,5% de la variabilidad del logaritmo del hurto a personas y de celulares en 532 municipios mediante un modelo de regresión lineal múltiple estimado globalmente y el 50,16% utilizando el modelo de regresión ponderada geográficamente omitiendo en este último la categoría del municipio. En este modelo hubo ligeras variaciones en los coeficientes a nivel municipal, lo que refleja que la heterogeneidad social y económica tiene efectos en los indicadores de hurto a nivel nacional.
Abstract According to information from the crime observatory of the National Police of Colombia, thefts from people and of cell phones have shown an upward trend since 2003 (Norza, Peñalosa and Rodríguez, 2017). This trend motivated the carrying out of the current study to analyze the relationship between socioeconomic factors and theft in the different municipalities of Colombia during 2017, through the use of multiple linear regression models and geographically weighted regression using secondary information sources segregated to municipal level. It was validated that variables enrolled in higher education institutions per thousand people, budget per capita allocated by the general system of participations and the category of the municipality account for 69,5% of the variability of the logarithm of theft from individuals and of cellphones in 532 municipalities using a globally estimated multiple linear regression model and 50,16% using the geographically weighted regression model omitting in the latter the category of the municipality. In this model there were slight variations in the coefficients at the municipal level, reflecting that the social and economic heterogeneity has effects on indicators of theft nationwide.
Resumo Segundo informação proveniente do observatório do delito da Polícia Nacional da Colômbia, os furtos a pessoas e de celulares têm apresentado uma tendência de aumento desde o ano 2003 (Norza, Peñalosa y Rodríguez, 2017). Esta tendência motivou a realização do presente estudo para analisar a relação entre os fatores socioeconómicos e o furto em os diferentes municípios da Colômbia durante o ano 2017, mediante o uso de modelos de regressão linear múltipla e regressão geograficamente ponderada utilizando fontes de informação secundária segregada a nível municipal. Constatou-se que as variáveis matriculadas em instituições de ensino superior por cada mil pessoas, orçamento per capita atribuído pelo sistema geral de participações e a categoria do município explicam o 69,5% da variabilidade do logaritmo do furto a pessoas e de celulares em 532 municípios mediante um modelo de regressão linear múltipla estimado globalmente e o 50,16% utilizando o modelo de regressão ponderada geograficamente omitindo neste último a categoria do município. Neste modelo houve ligeiras variações nos coeficientes a nível municipal, o que reflete que a heterogeneidade social e económica tem efeitos nos indicadores de furto a nível nacional.
Subject(s)
Humans , Socioeconomic Factors , Theft , Police , StatisticsABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the scientific research efficiency of tertiary hospitals and analyze the influencing factors, providing reference for the decision-making of scientific research managers in China. Methods Evaluation indicators were collected from 100 tertiary hospitals in China, and their research efficiency was evaluated using Bootstrap data envelopment analysis (DEA) method. The influencing factors were analyzed using ordinary least square ( OLS) regression model. Results The averaged scientific research efficiency of these hospitals using Bootstrap DEA method was 0. 5224, lower than that using conventional DEA method (0. 0676), yet with a great variation (from 0. 1103 to 0. 8790) among them. Linear regression analysis showed that factors such as R&D input and output, and hospital types has statistical significance on the saentific research efficiency (P < 0. 05). Conclusions These hospitals are inefficient in scientific research with sizable room for improvement. Conventional DEA method should be used with caution, as deviations should be corrected with Bootstrap DEA method. The research development level and hospital types of their province can influence the research efficiency the hospitals significantly.
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As polyphenolic compounds in nature, flavonoids are classified into flavones, flavanones, flavonols, flavanonols, isoflavones, isoflavanones, flavan-3-ols, anthocyanidins, and chalcones according to their chemical structures. In general, flavonoids with different structures always have different biological activities. Many studies have shown that flavonoids exhibit a wide range of pharmacological effects, such as anti-oxidant, antimutagenic, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and immunomodulatory activities. The anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties of flavonoids make them likely to be candidates for prevention and treatment of pulmonary inflammatory diseases. Thus, this review focuses on the application of flavonoids in pulmonary inflammatory diseases, as well as establishes some structure-activity relationships between this biological potential and chemical profile of these compounds, which can provide the references for the development and utilization of flavonoids.
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Objective: It analyzed the current situation and influencing factors of provincial essential public health service level index(PHI) in 2016. The ordinary least square(OLS) and the geographically weighted regression model(GWR) were constructed respectively. The advan-tages of GWR in the field of health economics were compared. Methods: Moran’s I was used to analyze spatial auto-correlation and hetero-geneity of PHI. OLS and GWR models were constructed to estimate the main influencing factors and their directions. Results: There were a positive spatial auto-correlation in provincial PHI and a weak agglomeration pattern in geographical distribution; the level of economic devel-opment and government funding, population size, population structure and population urbanization level were the main influencing factors of the PHI. There was spatial heterogeneity in provincial regression indexes estimated by GWR. Conclusion: When dealing with geographically related issues in the health economics, the GWR model was better than the OLS with a higher degree of goodness of fit.
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The growing body of evidence regarding the putative health benefits of green tea (Camellia sinensis), including reduced risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, has led to an increase in the consumption of brewed green tea and the formulation of green tea extracts (GTE) into a variety of food and beverage products and food supplements. The principal bioactive ingredients in green tea beverages and GTE are polyphenols, particularly the flavan-3-ols, which have been shown to act on antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, glucoregulatory, and cell signaling pathways. Some experimental evidence and case reports suggest the use of green tea and GTE is associated with the potential for inducing liver injury. The ability to extrapolate findings from in vitro and animal model studies is always limited and the available results on green tea- and GTE-induced liver injury in humans have presented clinical and regulatory challenges due to the difficulty of demonstrating a causal relationship between intake and harm. Attention to the risk for hepatotoxicity has largely been focused on GTE. Existing data are insufficient to identify the causative agent in the preparation or composition of GTE or its dose or duration of use as well as nutrigenetic, medical, and other factors that may contribute to the risk of hepatotoxicity. Responses by different government regulatory agencies regarding the safety of GTE are inconsistent with one another, including the dosage and derivation of its bioactives from aqueous versus hydro-alcoholic extracts. Restrictions on the production of GTE limit the application of innovative extraction technologies that may improve the efficiency, quality, and cost-effectiveness of production and minimize the presence of endogenous or contaminant heavy metals as well as mycotoxins, pesticides, and other unwanted constituents. The objective of this review is to characterize the phytochemical profile of green tea and GTE, provide an updated description of the methods that could be used to extract green tea constituents, and discuss recent considerations on the potential for harm from consumption of GTE and products containing GTE.
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Flavonoids have been hypothesized to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, but the lack of a flavonoid database hampered epidemiological studies addressing this issue in Korea. In this study, we developed a flavonoid database, based on a systematic review. A total of 1549 food items containing flavonoids were selected using the Korean Nutrient Database. Among them, flavonoid contents for only 649 food items were evaluated with analytical values and the remaining 900 items were replaced with adaptations or calculations from similar items. The developed flavonoid database covered 93.2% of fruits and fruit juices, 76.1% of vegetables, 98.4% of legumes and legume products, and 85.0% of all plant foods overall (1,549 items) as reported by the 24-hr dietary recall method regarding the 2008 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We found that this flavonoid database, overall, included 95.6% of all mainly consumed plant foods by Koreans. This flavonoid database is expected to be useful in regards to the correlation study of flavonoid intake and chronic diseases.
Subject(s)
Anthocyanins , Chronic Disease , Fabaceae , Flavones , Flavonoids , Flavonols , Fruit , Isoflavones , Korea , Nutrition Surveys , Plants , Statistics as Topic , VegetablesABSTRACT
Flavan-3-ols are a subclass of flavonoids found in a variety of foods including teas. The effects of flavan-3-ols on the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) have been investigated, generally focusing on tea catechins or individual flavan-3-ol rich foods, but there is little information on dietary flavan-3-ols intake and risk of MetS in population-based studies. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the association between dietary flavan-3-ols intake and the risk of MetS in Korean adults. Subjects comprised 1,827 men and 2,918 women aged 20-69 years whose data was included in the 2008 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. This survey was conducted between January 2008 and December 2008. Total flavan-3-ols intakes were calculated from 24-hour dietary recalls using a flavonoids database. Thirty percent of the male subjects and 24% of the female subjects were reported as having MetS. In the female subjects, flavan3-ols intake was inversely associated with the risk of MetS after adjusting for potential confounders (5th vs. 1st quintile, OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.45-0.91, P for trend = 0.384). The main food source of flavan-3-ols was green tea followed by apples and grapes. Among MetS components, flavan3-ols intake was inversely associated with the risk of high blood pressure after adjusting for potential confounders (5th vs. 1st quintile, OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.45-0.90, P for trend = 0.005). No significant association between flavan-3-ols intake and risk of MetS was found in the male subjects. After stratified analysis by obesity (BMI > or = 25 or BMI < 25), however, flavan3-ols intake was inversely related to the risk of hypertension in non-obese men. These results suggest that dietary flavan-3-ols intake may have beneficial effects on MetS risk by reducing the risk of hypertension. The effects of flavan-3-ols intake dependent on obesity need further investigation.