Issues related to rural electrification using renewable energy in developing countries of Asia and Pacific

Renewable energy (RE) systems represent the most environmentally friendly and cost-effective means of providing electricity to those living in rural communities or regions in developing countries, however, this has been relatively slow and in many countries the proportion of the rural population supplied with electricity remains low and the proportion supplied with electricity from renewable energy systems is even lower. To understand the causes of this slow progress, a literatures review on renewable rural electrification programs was undertaken. The review suggested a need for better coordination at the national level between those institutions involved in the development and implementation of these programs. This paper compiles and analyse the issues associated with rural electrification in developing countries in Asia and the Pacific. Two case studies of programs are presented, one in Bangladesh and the other in Fiji. Based on the literature review and these two case studies, comments are provided on the policies and strategies required for renewable energy based rural electrification programs.     

Petrous bone tumors: primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the inner ear canal and cerebellopontile angle

BACKGROUND: We report about a primary Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) of the internal auditory canal. The only previously known manifestations of a NHL in the temporal bone have been infiltrations or hemorrhagic complications due to a late manifestation or advanced systemic disease. Involvement of both temporal bones is typical. CLINICAL CASE: The 60-year-old female patient complained of an acute one-sided deafness, accompanied by a high-pitched tinnitus, rotating vertigo, and paralysis of the left half of the face. RESULTS: We found a deafness in the left ear, spontaneous nystaxis, which was interpreted as a deficiency in excitement of the vestibular organ, and a complete peripheral facial paralysis. Diagnostic imaging studies revealed a large, intrameatal solid mass in the temporal bone, measuring 1.2 x 0.8 cm. Histologic examination after translabyrinthine tumor removal demonstrated a centroblastic Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. The following extensive interdisciplinary staging examination showed no other tumor manifestations; the CSF analysis was negative. CONCLUSIONS: The uniqueness of this case lies in the detection of a primary nongeneralized centroblastic lymphoma of the internal auditory canal. In contrast to infiltrations of systemic NHL in the same location, in which the advanced disease is responsible for the bad prognosis, this isolated lymphoma of the internal auditory canal seems analogous to extranodal MALT Lymphomas with a better prognosis. The primary extranodal NHL of the temporal bone, not reported in previous studies, is discussed with regard to clinical symptoms, differential diagnoses, and therapeutic strategies.     

Breast conservation and prolonged chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer: the University of Michigan experience

PURPOSE: To determine whether breast conservation and prolonged neoadjuvant chemotherapy have efficacy in locally advanced breast cancer (LABC), as measured by survival and rate of breast conservation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-nine patients with stage III disease were enrolled at the University of Michigan (UM) onto a prospective nonrandomized trial. Patients received nine 21-day cycles of neoadjuvant chemohormonal therapy that consisted of doxorubicin 30 mg/m2 and cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m2 intravenously on day 1, conjugated estrogens 0.625 mg orally twice daily on days 6 to 8, methotrexate 40 mg/m2 and fluorouracil 500 mg/m2 intravenously on day 8, and tamoxifen 10 mg orally twice daily on days 9 to 14. Patients with a negative biopsy received radiation only, while those with residual disease underwent mastectomy and postoperative radiotherapy. Eight more cycles of chemohormonal therapy were administered after local-regional therapy. RESULTS: The clinical response rate to neoadjuvant therapy was 97%, 28% of patients had a complete pathologic response evaluated at biopsy. Five-year overall and disease-free survival probabilities were 54% and 44%, respectively. The median disease-free survival time was 2.4 years. The 5-year actuarial rates of local-regional control with local failure as only first failure were 82% and 78% following radiotherapy, and mastectomy and radiotherapy, respectively (P = .99). CONCLUSION: Prolonged neoadjuvant chemohormonal therapy and biopsy-driven local therapy have efficacy in LABC, with 28% of patients being candidates for breast conservation and a 5-year overall survival rate of 54%.     

Molecular Mechanisms of RSV and Air Pollution Interaction: A Scoping Review

RSV is one of the major infectious agents in paediatrics, and its relationship with air pollution is frequently observed. However, the molecular basis of this interaction is sparsely reported. We sought to systematically review the existing body of literature and identify the knowledge gaps to answer the question: which molecular mechanisms are implied in the air pollutants–RSV interaction? Online databases were searched for original studies published before August 2022 focusing on molecular mechanisms of the interaction. The studies were charted and a narrative synthesis was based upon three expected directions of influence: a facilitated viral entry, an altered viral replication, and an inappropriate host reaction. We identified 25 studies published between 1993 and 2020 (without a noticeable increase in the number of studies) that were performed in human (n = 12), animal (n = 10) or mixed (n = 3) models, and analysed mainly cigarette smoke (n = 11), particulate matter (n = 4), nanoparticles (n = 3), and carbon black (n = 2). The data on a damage to the epithelial barrier supports the hypothesis of facilitated viral entry; one study also reported accelerated viral entry upon an RSV conjugation to particulate matter. Air pollution may result in the predominance of necrosis over apoptosis, and, as an effect, an increased viral load was reported. Similarly, air pollution mitigates epithelium function with decreased IFN-γ and Clara cell secretory protein levels and decreased immune response. Immune response might also be diminished due to a decreased viral uptake by alveolar macrophages and a suppressed function of dendritic cells. On the other hand, an exuberant inflammatory response might be triggered by air pollution and provoke airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), prolonged lung infiltration, and tissue remodeling, including a formation of emphysema. AHR is mediated mostly by increased IFN-γ and RANTES concentrations, while the risk of emphysema was related to the activation of the IL-17 → MCP-1 → MMP-9 → MMP-12 axis. There is a significant lack of evidence on the molecular basics of the RSV–air pollution interaction, which may present a serious problem with regards to future actions against air pollution effects. The major knowledge gaps concern air pollutants (mostly the influence of cigarette smoke was investigated), the mechanisms facilitating an acute infection or a worse disease course (since it might help plan short-term, especially non-pharmacological, interventions), and the mechanisms of an inadequate response to the infection (which may lead to a prolonged course of an acute infection and long-term sequelae). Thus far, the evidence is insufficient regarding the broadness and complexity of the interaction, and future studies should focus on common mechanisms stimulated by various air pollutants and a comparison of influence of the different contaminants at various concentrations.     

Elektrische Linsen für Kaltkathodenoszillographen mit einheitlichem Vakuum

Ohne ZusammenfassungHerrn Professor Rogowski danken wir für die Anregung der Arbeit und wertvolle Ratschläge, der Notgemeinschaft der Deutschen Wissenschaft für wirtschaftliche Unterstützung.     

Uber Stearins?ure-Bestimmungen

Ohne ZusammenfassungMitteilung aus dem chemisch-technischen Laboratorium der Universität Basel.     

Role of intelligence and task difficulty in the affective learning styles of children with high and low self-concepts.

Fifth-graders prerated both abstract and concrete nouns for likability, and paired-associate lists were constructed by pairing nouns (liked with liked and disliked with disliked). As predicted, the high self-concept (Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale) children learned their liked noun pairs more efficiently than their disliked pairs, while the low self-concept children reversed and learned their disliked noun pairs more readily. Further analysis revealed that these self-concept patterns were most pronounced for low-IQ (Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Test) children. High-IQ children, who were superior to low-IQ children in overall learning, showed no preference for their affective evaluations in learning. Increasing task difficulty (e.g., by increasing work abstractness) resulted in a tendency to learn disliked items more readily than liked items. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)