Comparisons of stakeholders' influences, inter-relationships, and obstacles for circular economy implementation on existing building sectors.

Buildings are energy- and resource-hungry: their construction and use account for around 39% of global carbon dioxide emissions; they consume around 40% of all the energy produced; they are responsible for over 35% of the EU's total waste generation; and account for about 50% of all extracted (fossil) materials. Therefore, they present a significant challenge to meeting national and international Net Zero targets of reducing greenhouse emissions and fossil resource use. The CircularB Project, is at the heart of this issue, which will underpin synergies of multi-scale circular perspectives (from materials, to components, to assets and built environments), digital transformation solutions, data-driven and complexity science, stakeholder behavioral science, and interdisciplinary capabilities towards achievable, affordable and marketable circular solutions for both new and existing buildings, for sustainable urban design, and for circular built environments across Europe. This paper contributes to the project by deriving new insights into the stakeholders' influences, inter-relationships, and obstacles in the implementation of circular economy concepts on existing building stocks in Europe, which represent over 90% of whole building assets. In order to identify and derive the insights, our study is rigorously based on (i) a robust critical literature review of key documentations such as articles, standards, policy reports, strategic roadmaps and white papers; and (ii) interviews with relevant stakeholders and decision makers. Uniquely, our work spans across all scales of CE implementation from materials, to products and components, to existing building stocks, and to living built environments. The findings point out the current challenges and obstacles required to be tackled. Inadequacies of financial incentives and governmental enforcement (via policy, legislation, or directive) are commonly found to be the most critical obstacles found throughout Europe. Circular economy is the global challenge and not just a single country can resolve the climate issue without the cooperation of other countries. The insights thus highlight the essential need for harmonized actions and tactical/pragmatic policies promoted and regulated by the European Commission, national and local governments who can dominate the influence, promote inter-relationship, and overcome the barriers towards circular economy much more effectively.

Anxiety and fear of COVID-19 as potential mechanisms to explain vaccine hesitancy among adults.

Background: Vaccine hesitancy is a significant global problem resulting from the interaction of multiple factors, including mental health factors. However, the association of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy with mental health has not been well-examined, especially in Arab culture. This study aims to identify the correlation between anxiety/fear of COVID-19 and vaccine hesitancy among Saudi adults. Methods: An online-based survey was administered to 558 participants from all regions of Saudi Arabia using the snowball technique. However, this sample may not be representative of the Saudi adult population. Participants responded to the Questionnaire of Vaccine Hesitancy, the COVID-19-Anxiety Questionnaire (C-19-A), and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). Data were analyzed on vaccine uptake, vaccine hesitancy, coronavirus infection, and demographic variables. The predictive factors of vaccine hesitancy were examined in one model using multiple regression analysis by the Enter method (P= 0.05). Results: COVID-19 anxiety and fear have significant correlations with vaccine hesitancy (Phi=0.33, P=0.017; Phi=0.29, P=0.013, respectively). Anxiety and fear were higher among unhesitating participants (t =2.469, P=0.014; t=2.025, P=0.043, respectively). Participants who had previously been infected with coronavirus were more likely to be hesitant (X2 = 23.126, P=0.000). Participants who scored high in anxiety were more likely to be vaccinated (F=3.979, P=0.019) and have a secondary school or college education (F=4.903 P=0.002). COVID-19 anxiety, gender, and coronavirus infection significantly predicted vaccine hesitancy. Conclusion: Anxiety and fear of COVID-19 are among the most important factors correlated with vaccine hesitancy; unhesitant people are more likely to have anxiety and fear. COVID-19 anxiety significantly predicted vaccine hesitancy. We recommend integrating psychological care into vaccination plans to help increase the uptake rate during potential subsequent pandemics. Relevant intervention programs can be designed to help increase vaccine acceptance, deal with vaccine hesitancy, and relieve psychological symptoms during major pandemics. Psychologists can provide awareness messages, counselling seminars, online mentoring, or telemental health outreach.

Sex-related disparities in cough-associated symptoms across different age groups.

BACKGROUND: Sex-related disparities in the prevalence of chronic cough have been consistently reported globally, with varying male-to-female ratios. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate sex-related differences by comparing correlations between cough-related symptoms in males and females of different age groups. DESIGN: Adult patients with chronic cough who completed the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) were recruited from 16 respiratory centers. METHODS: Correlation networks were constructed based on Spearman's correlation coefficients in males and females of various age groups. The distinct relationships of cough-related symptoms between subgroups were validated by an independent cohort. RESULTS: A total of 255 patients were enrolled in this study (male-to-female ratio, 1:1.71). The following LCQ items were highly correlated: embarrassment and interference with daily work, anxiety, and interference with overall life enjoyment/feeling of being fed up, interference with daily work and overall life enjoyment, interference with overall life enjoyment and feeling of being fed up, and feeling of being fed up and annoyance to partner/family/friends. The patterns of these correlations between LCQ items varied in males and females of different ages. The strongest interrelationship was observed in male patients aged >50 years old, which was similar to those in the validation cohort. CONCLUSION: The correlation patterns between cough-related symptoms vary significantly according to age and sex. Understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of cough-related symptoms may facilitate sex- and age-specific strategies for chronic cough.

Role of microalgae-bacterial consortium in wastewater treatment: A review.

In the global effort to reduce CO2 emissions, the concurrent enhancement of pollutant degradation and reductions in fossil fuel consumption are pivotal aspects of microalgae-mediated wastewater treatment. Clarifying the degradation mechanisms of bacteria and microalgae during pollutant treatment, as well as regulatory biolipid production, could enhance process sustainability. The synergistic and inhibitory relationships between microalgae and bacteria are introduced in this paper. The different stimulators that can regulate microalgal biolipid accumulation are also reviewed. Wastewater treatment technologies that utilize microalgae and bacteria in laboratories and open ponds are described to outline their application in treating heavy metal-containing wastewater, animal husbandry wastewater, pharmaceutical wastewater, and textile dye wastewater. Finally, the major requirements to scale up the cascade utilization of biomass and energy recovery are summarized to improve the development of biological wastewater treatment.

Exploring the curricular and pedagogical decision criteria for research-based learning design in undergraduate studies.

Learning design has a multifaceted nature requiring a range of course- and institutional considerations. Analyzing the decision criteria's influence on research-based learning design helps understand the causes of the success/failure of the approach in achieving the teaching goals to improve the study programs. This study explores the interrelationship between the curricular and pedagogical criteria for research-based learning design decisions at the undergraduate level. For this purpose, the DEcision-MAking Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method is used to systematically analyze the decisive criteria and their causal relationships. Feedback from education professionals and university professors from Scandinavian universities is used to validate the pedagogy decision framework and provides input into the DEMATEL method. The student's role in the course is identified as the central criterion, featuring the highest level of interactions in the network of curricular and pedagogical decision criteria. Results are supportive of the identified institutional and course-specific criteria as prerequisites for the study outcomes.

Temperature and moisture sensitivities of soil respiration vary along elevation gradients: An analysis from long-term field observations.

Based on long-term field observation data over 11 years at 23 sites in two mountainous areas (TS1 and TS2) at elevations from 829 to 2700 m, where the dominant vegetation type of TS1 and TS2 was temperate mixed broadleaf-coniferous forest and cold temperate coniferous forest, respectively, we analyzed the correlations between soil respiration (Rs) and abiotic and biotic factors to explore the response patterns of Rs to environmental factors within and between the sites along the elevation gradient. We found that soil moisture (θ) and its combinations (Ts × Î¸ and θ/Ts) with soil temperature (Ts) increased significantly with increasing elevation, while Ts, soil bulk density (SBD), C/N ratio, and pH decreased significantly with increasing elevation. Within each site, both exponential- Ts (ET) and Gaussian-Ts (GT) models could be used for predicting the Rs seasonal variation, except for two sites in the area of TS1, where θ was a better predictor than Ts. The integrated ET-θ and GT-θ models could be applied to all sites except for 22S, and both were superior to the ET and GT models. The mean Rs of each site over the measurement period ranged from 3.07 to 6.94 µmol CO2 m-2 s-1 and showed a quadratic increase along the elevation gradient. Among the 23 sites, Q10 ranged from 1.15 to 3.79, and it increased with elevation, reaching a maximum at an elevation of 2366 m; the θ sensitivity parameter (d) decreased significantly with elevation and reached a minimum at an elevation of 1975 m. Both the d and Ts sensitivity parameter (b) of Rs were complementary to each other along the elevation gradient. Among the sites, Ts, θ, and combinations of the two were more important drivers for both Rs and Q10 variations than microbial and physicochemical indicators.

Assessment of Dental Patients' Awareness of the Correlation Between Systemic and Periodontal Diseases: A Questionnaire-Based Study.

AIM: The correlation between periodontal diseases and systemic diseases has been proven. Considering the high prevalence of periodontitis, as well as the high prevalence of systemic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and anemia, in Saudi Arabia, patients visiting dental clinics need to be educated about this correlation. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and awareness levels of dental patients on the correlation between periodontal and systemic diseases and compare the awareness levels of the population based on their gender, educational level, and age group specifications. METHODOLOGY:  The awareness level of patients was assessed using a questionnaire consisting of 18 questions about the correlation between periodontal and systemic health, along with demographic data (gender, age, and educational level). The questionnaire was distributed to randomly chosen patients who were attending Qassim University dental clinics. Patients could select their responses from three options: "yes," "no," and "no idea." The awareness level of patients was categorized based on their educational qualifications, age, and gender. RESULTS:  A total of 252 patients participated in the study. Out of the 252 patients, 116 (46%) were male, and the remaining 136 (54%) were female. Females were found to be more aware of the correlation between pregnancy and anemia, independently, and periodontal diseases. Additionally, younger age groups were found to be more aware of the interaction between periodontal diseases and hyperparathyroidism. However, the awareness level based on educational qualification was almost equivalent between high school and college graduates. CONCLUSION:  The general public of the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia needs to be educated further on the correlation between systemic and periodontal disease. Being part of the community, we wish to contribute to improving the level of awareness about the relationship between periodontal and systemic diseases, as our study has concluded that more efforts are required to achieve higher health standards.

Management of healthcare waste collection and segregation for developing countries.

Healthcare waste (HCW) consists of hazardous material that may be radioactive, toxic or infectious. Inappropriate treatment and disposal of HCW may pose health risks to humans indirectly through the release of pathogens and toxic pollutants into the environment. The biggest problem in HCW management is its handling, which causes anxiety over sorting and categorizing the waste. Hence, the current study identifies and addresses the challenges towards sustainable environmental development by managing infectious HCW in developing countries. Fuzzy Delphi method is used in the present study to carefully examine the barrier drawn from the literature and experts' opinions. The number of barriers taken into consideration for study are 30, which are then grouped into four main categories, that is, social, environmental, technological and economic barriers. Additionally, a hybrid strategy based on the fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory is developed in this work to examine the significance and interrelationships of the identified barrier. The research outcome is a hierarchy and classification model based on the relative importance of the barriers. The results of this study indicate that: 'Lack of segregation', 'Inconsistency in waste collection', 'Unregulated disposal site' and 'Inadequate programme for training and awareness' require quick action. The conclusions obtained through the study would facilitate the preparation of check sheets for documenting HCW management procedures by the healthcare administration and Pollution Control Boards. Understanding the priority cause-group barrier would improve the long-term protection of the hospital environment from the spread of infection caused by the HCW.

The Orthodontics-Periodontics Challenges in Integrated Treatment: A Comprehensive Review.

Orthodontics and periodontics are intricately linked since adult orthodontics often implicate the periodontium. Periodontal intervention is needed throughout all phases of orthodontic treatment, from orthodontic diagnosis to mid-treatment periodontal assessment and postoperative evaluation. Invariably, periodontal health affects orthodontic success. Conversely, orthodontic tooth movements may serve as adjunctive therapy in patients with periodontal disease. This review aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the orthodontic-periodontic relationship for optimizing therapeutic strategies and achieving the best treatment outcomes in patients.

Inter-relationships of risk factors and pathways associated with all-cause mortality in patients with chronic schizophrenia.

Introduction: Of all psychiatric disorders, schizophrenia is associated with the highest risk of all-cause mortality. This study aimed to investigate independent risk factors for all-cause mortality in patients with chronic schizophrenia. In addition, the possible causal inter-relationships among these independent risk factors and all-cause mortality were also explored. Methods: We conducted an analysis of 1,126 patients with chronic schizophrenia from our psychiatric department from April 2003 to August 2022, and retrospectively reviewed their medical records. The study endpoint was all-cause mortality. Baseline clinical characteristics including sociodemographic data, biochemical data, lifestyle factors, comorbidities and antipsychotic treatment were examined with Cox proportional hazards analysis. Results: The all-cause mortality rate was 3.9% (44 patients). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that several factors were independently associated with all-cause mortality, including diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, heart failure, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcer disease, ileus, underweight, fasting glucose, triglycerides, albumin, and hemoglobin. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis revealed that several factors had statistically significant direct effects on all-cause mortality. Heart failure, hypertension, underweight, age at onset, and ileus showed positive direct effects, while albumin and hemoglobin demonstrated negative direct effects. In addition, several factors had indirect effects on all-cause mortality. GERD indirectly affected all-cause mortality through ileus, and peptic ulcer disease had indirect effects through albumin and ileus. Ileus, underweight, DM, and hypertension also exhibited indirect effects through various pathways involving albumin, hemoglobin, and heart failure. Overall, the final model, which included these factors, explained 13% of the variability in all-cause mortality. Discussion: These results collectively suggest that the presence of DM, hypertension, heart failure, GERD, peptic ulcer disease, ileus, and underweight, along with lower levels of albumin or hemoglobin, were independently associated with all-cause mortality. The SEM analysis further revealed potential causal pathways and inter-relationships among these risk factors contributing to all-cause mortality in patients with chronic schizophrenia.

The Tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta as an Important Model Organism in the Experimental Parasitology of the 21st Century.

The tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta is a common parasite of the small intestine in rodents but it can also infect humans. Due to its characteristics and ease of maintenance in the laboratory, H. diminuta is also an important model species in studies of cestodiasis, including the search for new drugs, treatments, diagnostics and biochemical processes, as well as its host-parasite interrelationships. A great deal of attention has been devoted to the immune response caused by H. diminuta in the host, and several studies indicate that infection with H. diminuta can reduce the severity of concomitant disease. Here, we present a critical review of the experimental research conducted with the use of H. diminuta as a model organism for over more than two decades (in the 21st century). The present review evaluates the tapeworm H. diminuta as a model organism for studying the molecular biology, biochemistry and immunology aspects of parasitology, as well as certain clinical applications. It also systematizes the latest research on this species. Its findings may contribute to a better understanding of the biology of tapeworms and their adaptation to parasitism, including complex correlations between H. diminuta and invertebrate and vertebrate hosts. It places particular emphasis on its value for the further development of modern experimental parasitology.

La influencia del conflicto familia-trabajo en la salud mental del personal de la unidad militar de emergencias / The influence of work-family balance on the mental health of military emergency unit personnel

En este estudio se ha tratado de analizar la influencia de la interrelación familia-trabajo con el estrés percibido y la salud mental general del personal interviniente en emergencias. Además, se ha explorado si una variable propiamente psicológica como la autoeficacia percibida, ejercía algún tipo de efecto mediador entre las relaciones del eje familia-trabajo con las variables de resultado, el estrés y la salud mental general. Para ello, se han aplicado una serie de cuestionarios a una muestra de 460 intervinientes de la Unidad Militar de Emergencias, cuyos datos se han analizado posteriormente a través de técnicas de regresión lineal y estudio de mediación con PROCESS.Los resultados nos indican que existe una relación significativa directa entre la interrelación familia-trabajo, respecto al estrés y la salud mental general percibida por el personal de emergencias. No se ha encontrado evidencia de que la variable autoeficacia percibida ejerza ningún tipo de efecto mediador entre la interrelación familia-trabajo y las variables de resultado.En conclusión, se debe seguir investigando en las variables psicológicas que puedan mitigar el estrés generado en el personal de emergencias, proveniente de su ámbito familiar, ya que ha quedado demostrado que este tiene una relación significativa entre ambos conceptos y que puede tener consecuencias en la salud mental general de los intervinientes.(AU)

In this research we tried to analyze the influence of the family-work interrelationship with perceived stress and the general mental health of staff involved in emergencies. In addition, it has been explored whether a specific psychological variable such as perceived self-efficacy exerted some kind of mediating effect between the family-work axis relationships with outcome variables, stress and general mental health. To this end, a series of questionnaires were applied to a sample of 460 participants from the Emergency Military Unit, whose data were subsequently analyzed through linear regression techniques, and mediation study with PROCESS.Results indicate that there is a significant direct relationship between family-work interrelationship, with respect to stress and general mental health perceived by emergency staff. No evidence has been found that perceived the self-efficacy variable exerts any kind of mediating effect between family-work interrelation and outcome variables.In conclusion, further research should be carried out on psychological variables that can mitigate the stress generated by emergency personnel, from their family environment. It has been shown that this has a significant relationship between the two concepts and that it can have consequences on the general mental health of the participants.(AU)

Assessing the Interrelationship of Microstructure, Properties, Drug Release Performance, and Preparation Process for Amorphous Solid Dispersions Via Noninvasive Imaging Analytics and Material Characterization.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this work is to evaluate the interrelationship of microstructure, properties, and dissolution performance for amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) prepared using different methods. METHODS: ASD of GDC-0810 (50% w/w) with HPMC-AS was prepared using methods of spray drying and co-precipitation via resonant acoustic mixing. Microstructure, particulate and bulk powder properties, and dissolution performance were characterized for GDC-0810 ASDs. In addition to application of typical physical characterization tools, we have applied X-Ray Microscopy (XRM) to assess the contribution of microstructure to the characteristics of ASDs and obtain additional quantification and understanding of the drug product intermediates and tablets. RESULTS: Both methods of spray drying and co-precipitation produced single-phase ASDs. Distinct differences in microstructure, particle size distribution, specific surface area, bulk and tapped density, were observed between GDC-0810 spray dried dispersion (SDD) and co-precipitated amorphous dispersion (cPAD) materials. The cPAD powders prepared by the resonant acoustic mixing process demonstrated superior compactibility compared to the SDD, while the compressibility of the ASDs were comparable. Both SDD powder and tablets showed higher in vitro dissolution than those of cPAD powders. XRM calculated total solid external surface area (SA) normalized by calculated total solid volume (SV) shows a strong correlation with micro dissolution data. CONCLUSION: Strong interrelationship of microstructure, physical properties, and dissolution performance was observed for GDC-0810 ASDs. XRM image-based analysis is a powerful tool to assess the contribution of microstructure to the characteristics of ASDs and provide mechanistic understanding of the interrelationship.

Analysis of barriers in e-waste management in developing economy: an integrated multiple-criteria decision-making approach.

An increasing amount of electronic waste (e-waste) is not a new concern. It has been causing trouble globally. This waste comprises valuable metals and harmful compounds that lead to detrimental environmental conditions. Managing this kind of waste in developing economies is difficult due to different barriers hindering the process. Therefore, the goal of this research work is to determine the barriers while taking expert opinions and through available literature, and subsequently prioritize them to address the challenges in e-waste management. Moreover, this study utilizes an integrated Fuzzy Decision-Making Trail and Evaluation Laboratory (F-DEMATEL) and Fuzzy Interpretive Structural Modeling (F-ISM) approaches to determine the interrelationship between these identified barriers. Performance data obtained from this combined approach is applied to determine an overall rank for 15 identified barriers. The F-DEMATEL technique facilitates in obtaining the influence of barriers on each other and categorizes them into causal or effect groups. In addition, a Fuzzy Matrice d'impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée an un Classeement (F-MICMAC) analysis is exercised to sort them into dependent or driving factor. The findings suggest that the underlying cause barriers include "lack of customer awareness about return," "less policies addressing e-waste problem," "lack of long-term planning," and "insensitiveness of public towards environmental issues." The methodology is integrated with fuzzy logic to take uncertainty in the data gathered into consideration. This approach aids policymakers and decision-makers in determining the barriers' mutual relationships and interconnections.

Exploring disease interrelationships in patients with lymphatic disorders: A single center retrospective experience.

BACKGROUND: The lymphatic contribution to the circulation is of paramount importance in regulating fluid homeostasis, immune cell trafficking/activation and lipid metabolism. In comparison to the blood vasculature, the impact of the lymphatics has been underappreciated, both in health and disease, likely due to a less well-delineated anatomy and function. Emerging data suggest that lymphatic dysfunction can be pivotal in the initiation and development of a variety of diseases across broad organ systems. Understanding the clinical associations between lymphatic dysfunction and non-lymphatic morbidity provides valuable evidence for future investigations and may foster the discovery of novel biomarkers and therapies. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed the electronic medical records of 724 patients referred to the Stanford Center for Lymphatic and Venous Disorders. Patients with an established lymphatic diagnosis were assigned to groups of secondary lymphoedema, lipoedema or primary lymphovascular disease. Individuals found to have no lymphatic disorder were served as the non-lymphatic controls. The prevalence of comorbid conditions was enumerated. Pairwise co-occurrence pattern analyses, validated by Jaccard similarity tests, was utilised to investigate disease-disease interrelationships. RESULTS: Comorbidity analyses underscored the expected relationship between the presence of secondary lymphoedema and those diseases that damage the lymphatics. Cardiovascular conditions were common in all lymphatic subgroups. Additionally, statistically significant alteration of disease-disease interrelationships was noted in all three lymphatic categories when compared to the control population. CONCLUSIONS: The presence or absence of a lymphatic disease significantly influences disease interrelationships in the study cohorts. As a physiologic substrate, the lymphatic circulation may be an underappreciated participant in disease pathogenesis. These relationships warrant further, prospective scrutiny and study.

Experience of a hierarchical relationship between a pair of mice specifically influences their affective empathy toward each other.

Prior experience of social hierarchy is known to modulate emotional contagion, a basic form of affective empathy. However, it is not known whether this behavioral effect occurs through changes in an individual's traits due to their experience of social hierarchy or specific social interrelationships between the individuals. Groups of four mice with an established in-group hierarchy were used to address this in conjunction with a tube test. The rank-1 and rank-4 mice were designated as the dominant or subordinate groups, respectively. The two individuals in between were designated as the intermediate groups, which were then used as the observers in observational fear learning (OFL) experiments, an assay for emotional contagion. The intermediate observers showed greater OFL responses to the dominant demonstrator than the subordinate demonstrators recruited from the same home-cage. When the demonstrators were strangers from different cages, the intermediate observers did not distinguish between dominant and subordinate, displaying the same level of OFL. In a reverse setting in which the intermediate group was used as the demonstrator, the subordinate observers showed higher OFL responses than the dominant observers, and this occurred only when the demonstrators were cagemates of the observers. Furthermore, the bigger the rank difference between a pair, the higher the OFL level that the observer displayed. Altogether, these results demonstrate that the hierarchical interrelationship established between a given pair of animals is critical for expressing emotional contagion between them rather than any potential changes in intrinsic traits due to the experience of dominant/subordinate hierarchy. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Subordinate observer or dominant demonstrator resulted in higher affective empathic response in familiar pairs but not unfamiliar pairs. The relative social rank of the observer with respect to the demonstrator had a negative linear correlation with the affective empathic response of the observer in familiar pairs but not unfamiliar pairs. The effect of social rank on affective empathy is attributed to the prior social hierarchical interrelationship between them and is not due to intrinsic attributes of an individual based on one's dominance rank.

Modeling the association between socioeconomic features and risk of flood damage: A local-scale case study in Sri Lanka.

Floods cause severe damage to people as well as to properties. The same flood can cause different levels of damage to different households, but investigations into floods tend to be conducted on regional and national scales, thereby missing these local variations. It is therefore necessary to understand individual experiences of flood damage to implement effective flood management strategies on a local scale. The main objectives of this study were to develop a model that represents the relationship between socioeconomic conditions and flood damage at a local scale, and to understand the socioeconomic factors most closely tied to flood damage. The analysis is novel in that it considers not only the impact of flood characteristics, but also the impact of social, economic, and geographic factors on flood damage. This analysis derives from a quantitative modeling approach based on community responses, with the responses obtained through questionnaire surveys that consider four consecutive floods of differing severity. Path analysis was used to develop a model to represent the relationships between these factors. A randomly selected sample of 150 data points was used for model development, and nine random samples of 150 data points were used to validate the model. Results suggest that poor households, located in vulnerable, low-lying areas near rivers, suffer the most from being exposed to frequent, severe floods. Further, the results show that the socioeconomic factors with the most significant bearing on flood damage are per capita income and geographic location of the household. The results can be represented as a cycle, showing that social, economic, geographic, and flood characteristics are interrelated in ways that influence flood damage. This empirical analysis highlights a need for local-scale flood damage assessments, as offered in this article but seldom seen in other relevant literature. Our assessment was achieved by analyzing the impact of socioeconomic and geographic conditions and considering the relationship between flood characteristics and flood damage.

Inter-relationships among key reproductive health indicators in sub-Saharan Africa focusing on the central role of maternal literacy.

BACKGROUND: Indicators of reproductive health (RH) are expected to be both inter-related and associated with key social determinants. As the provision of RH services is usually integrated, the effort to improve one RH component should influence the other components. However, there is a lack of evidence-based models demonstrating the inter-relationships. The purpose of this study was to examine the inter-relationships among key RH indicators and their relationship with women's literacy in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). METHODS: Data were sourced from the most recent demographic and health survey conducted between 2010 and 2016 in 391 provinces of 29 SSA countries. We examined seven RH indicators along with women's literacy. The unit of analysis was at the provincial level. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the strength of relationships among these indicators and with women's literacy, using the total standardized effect sizes. Significance tests and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for these effects were calculated using a bias-corrected bootstrap method. RESULTS: RH indicators are strongly interrelated and are associated with women's literacy. The strongest relationship is observed between women's literacy rate and the contraception prevalence rate, with a total standardized effect size of 0.79 (95% CI 0.74-0.83). The model of inter-relationships developed in this study may guide the design, implementation and evaluation of RH policies and programmes. CONCLUSIONS: The key challenge in reducing fertility in SSA is to reduce people fertility desire. This could mainly be addressed by enhancing integrated approaches especially between the education and health sectors.

Estudio morfométrico y ecuaciones de predicción del peso corporal en llamas (Lama glama) Ch'aku y Q'ara / Morphometric study and body weight prediction equations in llamas (Lama glama) Ch'aku and Q'ara

RESUMEN: En el estudio se utilizó una población de 180 llamas de ambos sexos (machos y hembras) clasificados por edades (dientes de leche; dos dientes y cuatro dientes). Se registraron datos del peso corporal y las siguientes medidas morfométricas: En la cabeza: Longitud de la cabeza (LC); ancho de cabeza (ACa) y longitud de oreja (LO). En el cuello: Longitud del cuello (LCU); Perímetro de cuello anterior (PCuA) y perímetro de cuello posterior (PCuP). En el tronco y extremidades: Altura a la cruz (AC); altura de la grupa (AGRU), diámetro dorso esternal (DDE), perímetro torácico (PT), longitud del cuerpo (LOCU), longitud de la cruz a la grupa (LCG), longitud de grupa (LGRU), perímetro de caña anterior (PCA); perímetro de caña posterior (PCP). Los datos fueron procesados utilizando el software estadístico R. Concluyendo que los rasgos de conformación en llamas (Lama glama) Ch'aku y Q'ara están influenciados por la edad, sexo y raza. Los modelos de regresión simple y múltiple para la predicción del peso corporal fueron significativos.

SUMMARY: The study used a population of 180 llamas of both sexes (males and females) classified by age (milk teeth; two teeth and four teeth). Body weight data and the following morphometric measurements were recorded: Head: Head length (CL); head width (ACa) and ear length (LO). On the neck: Neck length (LCU); anterior neck circumference (PCuA) and posterior neck circumference (PCuP). On the trunk and limbs: Height at withers (AC); height at rump (AGRU), sternal dorsal diameter (DDE), thoracic perimeter (PT), body length (LOCU), length from withers to rump (LCG), rump length (LGRU), anterior canine perimeter (PCA); posterior canine perimeter (PCP). The data were processed using R statistical software. It was concluded that conformation traits in Ch'aku and Q'ara llamas (Lama glama) are influenced by age, sex and breed. Simple and multiple regression models for body weight prediction were significant.