Collection Centers Research Articles

Self-Esteem and Peer Pressure in Adolescent Males using Drugs

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between self-esteem and peer pressure in drug abusing male adolescents. In the light of earlier literature, it was hypothesized that there will be high prevalence of peer pressure and low self-esteem in adolescent males with drug abuse and there will be a negative relation between self-esteem and peer pressure in drug abusing male adolescents. For this study, 155 male adolescents (10 to 19 years) were chosen through convenient sampling from different drug rehabilitation centers in Karachi. The participants belonged from madrasa and school. Proper ethical considerations were maintained and permissions were taken from different rehabilitations centers for data collection. Adolescent Self Esteem Questionnaire and Peer Pressure Scale were used for this study. Findings indicated high prevalence of low self-esteem (44%) and consecutively high incidence of peer pressure (73.5%) in adolescent males with drug abuse. Moreover, the study proved that a significant negative relationship exists between self-esteem and peer pressure among adolescent males with drug abuse (r = -0.75, p = 0.05). The study has implications for psychologists, counselors, educationist and government for managing self-esteem and peer pressure in students

Investigating the Relationship between Mental Workload and Job Burnout of Health Care Workers in Health Centers and Collective Corona Vaccination Centers

Investigating the Relationship between Mental Workload and Job Burnout of Health Care Workers in Health Centers and Collective Corona Vaccination Centers

A Development Approach to a Protracted IDP Situation: Lessons from Azerbaijan

This article highlights the realities facing Azerbaijan’s internally displaced persons (IDPs), living in a state of protracted displacement. It argues that the World Bank’s development approach to the IDP population in Azerbaijan and to IDP populations elsewhere has likely done more for these populations’ long-term welfare and prospects than exclusively humanitarian approaches could have accomplished, even though displaced peoples have traditionally been presumed to be the responsibility of the humanitarian community. The article begins with a brief discussion of the differences between refugees and IDPs and between humanitarian and development approaches. It then outlines a history of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh which, in the early 1990s, produced upward of a half-million Azerbaijani IDPs. Next, the article discusses some of the realities (economic, social, and mental health, among others) that confronted Azerbaijan’s IDPs 15 years into their displacement. It focuses on a community of IDPs who lived in a temporary-turned-long-term “collective center” on the outskirts of Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku. Finally, the article discusses one of the World Bank’s projects in Azerbaijan with IDPs. The article concludes with policy recommendations on the way future scholars, practitioners, and policymakers should be trained to understand and approach IDPs. More broadly, it recommends that combined humanitarian and development approaches to IDP situations should become the norm. This seems imperative given that the number of IDPs displaced by conflict and violence world-wide has increased each year for more than a decade, while the ability of IDPs to avail themselves of traditional durable solutions has not kept pace.

Unlocking the potential of smallholder dairy farm: Evidence from the central highland of Ethiopia

Sustainable livestock farming practices have the potential to improve productivity and high income, reduce greenhouse gases, and improve household food security. Despite previous efforts to disseminate these technologies, the rate of adoption has remained very low in Ethiopia. In this study, we investigate the determinants of adoption and the impact of improved dairy farming practices (IDFP), which include improved breed, improved feed, and improved feeding conditions, on household food security in the central highland of Ethiopia. A multi-stage stratified random sampling technique was used to select 480 smallholder farmers from four districts. The study employed principal component analysis (PCA) to group IDFPs, and the endogenous switching regression model (MESR) was used to examine household food security status. Our findings showed that IDFP adoption had a significant and positive impact on per capita food consumption and increases the likelihood of smallholder farmers being food secure compared to non-adopters. The adoption of integrated IDFP had a greater impact on household food security when smallholder farmers used a package that incorporates improved breeds, feeds, and feeding systems (B1F1S1). The implementation of this package increased food security by 31% in terms of household food consumption score (HFCS) and 26% in terms of household diet diversity score (HDDS). Additionally, the size of livestock holdings, off-farm income, extension services, and milk collection centers all influenced the adoption decision of this package. It has been confirmed that improving dairy farming practices for sustainable development can significantly contribute to the food security of smallholder farmers when used in combination. Interventions that address access to farm resources, the supply chain for technological inputs and services, and output markets may assist in the adoption of dairy technologies.

Reverse Supply Chain and Pharmaceutical Waste Collection Management Utilizing Location-Routing Model

Nowadays, the increased amount and variety of waste, and the health risks caused by them are considered among the substantial issues of human societies today. Pharmaceutical wastes are among the most dangerous polluting wastes of the environment in the world. They include expired products and unused medicines. This study aims to investigate pharmaceutical waste collection management utilizing the location-routing model in a reverse supply chain. To do so, pharmaceutical waste from pharmacies and hospitals is collected and then transfer to collection centers, where waste classification and future decisions are planned. This process is done in two stages, the first includes pharmacies and hospitals, and collection centers, and the second stage includes collection centers, disposal centers, and airports. In the first stage, pharmaceutical waste is collected, and in the second level, this waste is either safely disposed of or recycled, or medicines that can be reused are sent to third-world countries. Finally, by creating an optimization model, the transportation costs, the construction cost of collection centers, disposal costs, and the cost of producing carbon dioxide will be minimized. Reducing carbon dioxide production helps make this chain greener.

The Effects of Aerobic and Resistance Exercises on the Cognitive and Physical Function of Persons with Mild Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol

Dementia causes deterioration in cognitive and physical functions. The scope of this study is to investigate the effect of different exercise programs on cognitive functions and functionality of persons suffering from mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) by generating information on the exercise types and their parameters. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be performed involving aerobic and resistance exercise interventions, taking place both at the sample collection center and at home. Participants will be randomly divided into two different intervention groups and a control group. All groups will be assessed twice; once at baseline and once after 12 weeks. The primary outcome shall comprise the effect of exercise programs on cognitive functions using cognitive testing, such as Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revisited (ACE-R), Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Trail Making Test A-Β (TMT A-B), and Digit Span Test (DST): Digit Span Forward (DSF) and Digit Span Backward (DSB). The effect on functionality will be assessed using the Senior Fitness Test (SFT), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADL) questionnaire. Secondary outcomes include the effect of exercise on depression using the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15), on physical activity using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), as well as the participants' compliance with the intervention. This study will investigate the possible effect of intervention of different exercise types and the comparison between them. Exercise forms a low-cost and reduced-risk intervention.

First Report of Top Blight of Cunninghamia lanceolata Caused by Diaporthe unshiuensis and Diaporthe hongkongensis in China.

Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook. is an important conifer species widely planted in southern China. A top blight, with an incidence of 20% (40/200 seedlings), occurred on 1-year-old seedlings of C. lanceolata in a nursery, Luzhai, Guangxi, China in August 2021. The disease mainly occurred on shoot tips. The infected needles and shoots appeared brown to brownish red. White conidial tendrils oozed from pycnidia under wet-weather conditions. Lesion margins from fresh samples were cut into small pieces (n=100), which were sterilized according to Mao et al., and placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 25°C. Three isolates (GXJ2, GXJ4, and GXJ6) were obtained and deposited in The China Forestry Culture Collection Center (CFCC 55717, CFCC 55716, and CFCC 55722). The colony of GXJ2 on PDA was white, with sparse aerial mycelia, and became grey with time. The α conidia were fusiform, hyaline, and aseptate, 6.7±0.6 μm × 2.6±0.2 μm (n=30). The β conidia were filiform, hyaline, and curved, 30.4±2.1 μm × 1.4±0.1 μm (n=30). Colonies of GXJ4 and GXJ6 were white, with moderate aerial mycelia, which collapsed at the center, and the collapsed parts were iron-gray. The α conidia were 7.8±0.8 μm × 2.5±0.2 μm (n=30). The β conidia were absent. Morphological characters of 3 isolates matched those of Diaporthe spp.. The partial sequences of ITS, EF1-α, CAL, β-tub, and HIS genes were amplified with primers ITS1/ITS4, EF1-728F/EF1-986R and CAL228F/CAL737R, βt2a/βt2b and CYLH3F/H3-1b according to Gomes et al. 2013, respectively. The sequences for the five genes of each of 3 isolates were deposited in GenBank (Accession Nos. see Supplementary Table 1). BLAST results showed that the ITS, EF1-α, β-tub, HIS, and CAL sequences of GXJ2 were highly similar (>99%) with sequences of Diaporthe unshiuensis, while sequences of GXJ4 and GXJ6 were highly similar (>99%) to those of D. hongkongensis (Supplementary Table 1). Phylogenetic analyses using concatenated sequences placed GXJ2 in the clade of D. unshiuensis, while GXJ4 and GXJ6 in the clade of D. hongkongensis. Based on the phylogeny and morphology, GXJ2 was identified as D. unshiuensis, GXJ4 and GXJ6 as D. hongkongensis. Pathogenicity tests were performed on nine 1-year-old seedlings of C. lanceolata, and 10 needles at shoot tip per seedling were slightly wounded and inoculated with 5-mm mycelial plugs from one of 3 isolates. Three control seedlings were treated with PDA plugs. Each plant was covered with a plastic bag after inoculation and kept in an air-conditioned nursery at 25°C/16°C (day/night). The symptoms appeared 5-8 days after inoculation and were similar to those observed in the nursery. D. unshiuensis and D. hongkongensis were re-isolated from the inoculated seedlings and were confirmed based on morphology and ITS sequences. The controls were symptomless, and no fungus was isolated from them. D. unshiuensis was first reported as an endophyte on the fruit of Citrus unshiu, and caused peach constriction canker, shoot blight of kiwifruit. D. hongkongensis was first described from fruit of Dichroa febrifuga and caused shoot canker of pear, shoot blight and leaf spot of kiwifruit, and fruit rot of peach. This is the first report of D. unshiuensis and D. hongkongensis causing the top blight of C. lanceolata. This study provides a basis for controlling this newly emerging disease in the nursery.

Identification of Aspergillus Fumigatus using Molecular Techniques

Plant pathogenic fungi belong to the Kingdom Fungi comprising of over 100,000 registered species grouped into about 4,300 genera. Many of these fungi infect a variety of cereals particularly stored condition. A study was conducted to evaluate the occurrence of Plant pathogenic fungi associated with stored Sorghum vulgare grains. The fungal was subjected to the fungal load for exact identification using the molecular biology technique. The fungal isolates were isolated from the collected grains. Results revealed that Genus Aspergillus fumigatus was the most frequent isolate which are known to produce Aflatoxins. A combination of many different isolates was present on the grains. The molecular identification method using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) helped in the identification of fungi at the species level with precision and in the least possible time. In conclusion, the isolated species were identified morphologically as Aspergillus fumigatus. The fungal samples were then identified through molecular techniques by DNA sequencing which was identified as Aspergillus fumigatus. The molecular techniques used in this study, has added great benefits to the process of distinguishing between similar species of fungi in comparison with the classical techniques. Furthermore, there is a need for having a National Level, Germplasm collection centre and detailed database of all the naturally occurring post-harvest Plant pathogenic fungi for easy intervention and timely overcoming of situations in case of any emergency.

An analysis of governance factors influencing performance of selected smallholder dairy cooperatives in Zimbabwe.

Cooperatives are organisations owned and operated by individuals or groups that come together for mutual benefit including pooling of resources for the purchase of inputs and marketing of products. Marketing of milk is through dairy cooperatives where the milk collection centres are mandated to help integrating smallholder farmers into competitive markets. The study investigated governance structures of five smallholder dairy schemes purposively selected based on their agroecological regions in Zimbabwe. The aim of the study was to explore how the governing boards conduct their business, particularly marketing milk, and how this affects allocation of resources (milk production and deliveries to milk centres) by smallholder farmers. Qualitative data were collected using focus group discussions with 20 dairy cooperative members from each milk collection centre. Key informant interviews were conducted with chairpersons, management committee members, and dairy value chain stakeholders such as dairy associations and processors. The SWOT analysis technique was employed to identify governance structures highlighting major strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats as a gateway to isolating strategies for enhancing centre performance. An analysis of implications of the governance structures on resource allocation decision by farmers was also performed. So focus is on how boards are discharging mandate such as marketing on behalf of farmers, price setting and negotiations, trainings, and accountability to members. Such factors if executed well will see farmers increasing milk production and deliveries to MCC yielding positive results in income and profits. The study results show that poor governance mainly caused by incompetent boards and management committees was the major factor affecting performance. Other findings were that if good governance factors were in place, then cooperatives became proficient leading to their growth. Thus, cooperatives must adopt business models based on private sector partnerships to maximise on expertise and technical support. The schemes ought to take advantage of existing opportunities, especially policies that mitigate threats and improve product diversity, value addition, and effective pricing strategies. To achieve these milestones, capacity building roadmaps ought to identify competent and efficient boards.

Determinants of Nepalese hog plum ( Choerospondias axillaris Roxb.) production in Sindhupalchok, Nepal

Nepali hog plum (Choerospondias axillaris Roxb.) is a multipurpose agroforestry fruit tree grown in hilly regions of Nepal for livelihood and income generation in rural households. The research was conducted in 2019 to assess the determinants of the Nepalese hog plum/Lapsi sub-sector in Sindhupalchok district. Three major lapsi-producing areas, namely, Chautara Municipality, Indrawati Rural Municipality and Melamchi Municipality were selected for research with a sample size of 150 producers. In addition, focused group discussions with producers/collectors and rapid market appraisal with traders were used as survey tools. Chi square test and one way ANOVA were used to analyze and compare mean among the geographical area. Indexing and multiple regression model were also used to analyse problems and factors affecting household income. The average variable cost involved in Lapsi production was 4.93 Nepalese Rupees (NRs.) (0.042 United States Dollar (USD)) per kilogram whereas the total cost for producing fresh Lapsi fruits was NRs. 5 (0.042 USD) per kilogram. Benefit-cost ratio was found 2.79 at the farm level. The major problems faced by producers were non-bearing trees followed by lack of improved production technology and low production. Likewise, the major marketing problem identified were low bargaining capacity followed by low selling price and lack of market and collection center. Significant factors affecting the income were gender of household, adoption of value addition practices, attitude towards this business, involvement of household members, literacy, gender-based decision, type of house and experience.

Quality–innocuousness of raw cow’s milk entering collection center’s in the Province of Cañar–Ecuador, in the context of Latin American regulations

En esta investigación se analizaron parámetros físico–químicos y microbiológicos de la leche cruda de vaca, para evaluar su calidad–inocuidad con referencia a la normativa técnica ecuatoriana (INEN009–2012), y a las normativas de otros países: Perú, Colombia, Venezuela, México y Argentina. Se tomaron 203 muestras de leche cruda contenidas en medios de transporte provenientes de 6.214 productores, al ingreso a 28 centros de acopio de la provincia de Cañar, Ecuador. Se realizaron análisis in situ de temperatura, densidad y acidez titulable, mientras que grasa (G), sólidos totales (ST), sólidos no grasos (SNG), proteínas (P), punto de congelación (PC), Conteo de Células Somáticas (CCS), Conteo de Bacterias Totales (CBT), aerobios mesófilos y enterobacterias se realizaron en laboratorios de AGROCALIDAD y de la Universidad de Cuenca. Se observó que en las variables: densidad (15 °C), acidez titulable, G, ST, SNG, P, PC (°C); el 87,5 al 100 % de muestras cumplen, tanto con la normativa ecuatoriana como con las normativas de los países analizados. Las normativas de Colombia y Venezuela tienen valores referenciales más exigentes para densidad, proteína, acidez titulable y SNG, respectivamente. México y Argentina no hacen referencia para ST y Perú no considera proteínas. Sin embargo, los resultados en microbiología son desalentadores, del recuento de aerobios mesófilos solo 8 % de muestras analizadas cumplen la normativa de todos los países. La carga microbiológica es alta, a pesar que ninguna normativa analizada indica máximos para CBT, se encontró una media de 24.000 × 103 unidades formadoras de colonias por mililitro (UFC·mL–1). Como referencia, algunas normativas en EUA fijan un máximo de 300 × 103 UFC·mL–1 de CBT en leches mezcladas. Este trabajo aporta un conocimiento del estado actual de la calidad–inocuidad de la leche cruda de una importante zona lechera del Ecuador y analiza estos resultados en el contexto de normativas internacionales, sirviendo para focalizar esfuerzos en la mejora continua con miras a la exportación.

The innovation networks of blackberries

Objective: Map the innovation networks of blackberry producers in the Los Reyes Michoacán region, as well as to identify the degree of centrality, density and intermediation of the network and some options for improvement. Design/methodology/approach: Visits and interviews were made to the main collection centers Sunbell, El Cerrito, SPR and Driscoll, to the personnel of Trusts Established in Relation to Agriculture of the Western Region, the Zamora Agency. For the baseline survey, a universe of 50 producers was considered, including partners and main clients; then, all the red was relieved with the "snowball" technique. Results: 39% of the producers are also dedicated to the production and marketing of avocado. Most of the production (92%) is destined for export. The main collection centers for export are Sunbelle, Splendor and Driscoll. El Molinito and Moradely account for 70% of the total national market. Agrofertilizadores de Michoacán Agromich, Fertimich, Bucosa and Agrupe concentrate 70% of the inputs sold to producers. The company Procal stands out in the supply and service management network. Limitations on study/implications: It is a study focused on the Los Reyes region, which could be extended to other regions, crops, and expand the number of actors involved in the study. Findings/conclusions: The relationships between different actors centralization, inputs-outputs, and intermediation indicators take higher values, which shows the role of producers and key companies (Ere03 and OP01) as source, collector, and articulator actors. It is important to promote high productivity and profitable technologies for innovation

First Report of Stem Canker Caused by Diaporthe tulliensis on jasmine in Taiwan.

Diaporthe species can infect forest trees, ornamentals, and crops, causing root and fruit rots, stem cankers, leaf spots, etc. (Yang et al. 2018). In February 2021, about 10-20% of jasmine plants showing stem canker, foot rot, and wilting were observed in Changhua (24°01'57.7"N 120°34'54.7"E), Taiwan. The diseased plants initially showed chlorosis, leaf drop, and dieback. Sunken lesions were observed on the infected stem and kept expanding gradually. Eventually, plants wilted and black spots formed on the lesions. The margin of healthy and infected tissues of six samples were cut into 4 pieces, disinfected with 10% NaOCl for 30 seconds, rinsed twice in sterilized distilled water for 1 minute, and cultured on water agar at 28℃ under 12 h light / 12 h dark cycle. Hyphae grown out from isolated tissues were sub-cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA). All tissues grown out of fungi showed similar colony morphology. Two hyphal tips from different tissues were isolated as representatives and deposited in Bioresource Collection and Research Center, Hsinchu, Taiwan, under BCRC numbers FU31566 and FU31567. The colonies on PDA were white to pale gray and produced black pycnidial conidiomata. The two-week-old conidiomata scattered or aggregated in small groups, exuded cream to pale yellow conidial droplets, 0.3-1.1 mm (n=50). The α-conidia were one-celled, hyaline, ovoid to cylindrical with one or two droplets, 3.8-6.3 × 2.5-3.8 μm (n=50). β-conidia were absent. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS), translational elongation factor subunit 1-α (EF1α), and β-tubulin of the two isolates were amplified using primer pairs ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990), EF1-728F/EF1-986R (Carbone and Kohn 1999), and Bt2a/Bt2b (Glass and Donaldson, 1995), respectively. The ITS (MZ389113, MZ389114), EF1α (MZ419338, MZ419339), and β-tubulin (MZ408893, MZ408894) sequences of two isolates showed 98.55-98.56% (KR936130), 98.82% (KR936133), and 99.11-99.33% (KR936132) match to those of Diaporthe tulliensis R.G. Shivas, Vawdery & Y.P. Tan ex-type isolate BRIP 62248a (Dissanayake et al. 2017), respectively. Based on the morphological and molecular characters, this fungus is identified as D. tulliensis. To confirm the pathogenicity, the needle-wounded stem bases of eight-month-old cutting jasmine seedlings were inoculated with BCRC FU31566 by two PDA disks with actively grown fungal edges or conidial suspension at the concentration of approximately 2 × 105 conidia/ml. Each method inoculated five seedlings, performed in the greenhouse at 25 ± 2°C. Non-inoculated plants served as control. Two weeks after inoculation, three plants inoculated with PDA disks of the fungal culture showed wilting, and conidiomata formed on the stem base. The same symptoms were observed in one plant inoculated with the conidial suspension 3 weeks after inoculation. By contrast, the controls remained symptomless. Koch's postulates were completed by re-isolating the fungus from the inoculated plant. The re-isolated pathogen showed similar morphology and molecular characteristics to the original. D. tulliensis has been reported to cause cocoa rotted stem in Australia, kiwifruit stem canker in China, and Boston ivy leaf spot in Taiwan (Crous et al. 2015; Bai et al. 2017; Huang et al. 2021; Farr and Rossman 2021). To our knowledge, this is the first report of stem canker on jasmine associated with D. tulliensis in Taiwan. Furthermore, this is the first record of jasmine as a host of D. tulliensis worldwide.

First Report of Leaf Blight on Mahonia fortunei Caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea in China.

Mahonia fortunei belongs to Berberidaceae, and is often used as a potted plant in Chinese tradition medicine (Li et al. 2015). In March 2019, leaf blight was observed on this species in the campus of Anhui Agricultural University (31°51'51″N; 117°15'31″E) in Hefei City, Anhui Province, China. The average disease incidence was 35% over 20 m2 planting area. Symptoms of the disease are easily apparent, with irregular, dark brown necrosis at the edge of the leaves. To identify the pathogen, symptomatic leaves were collected from three symptomatic leaves from three plants and cut into small pieces. Leaf pieces from the margin of the diseased tissues were surface sterilized for 1 min in 75% ethanol, rinsed three times with sterile distilled water, and subsequently, plated onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated in dark at 28°C for 4 days. The colonies of three isolates were obtained and appeared morphologically similar in agar media. The cultures were initially white, gradually becoming dark gray, and could grow to the edges of plates (90mm diameter) four days after subculturing. After 7 days on media, the colony was induced for sporulation by UV for 15min, and conidia were observed after 2 weeks. Conidia were nonseptate, hyaline, and oval, measuring 16.9 to 25.3 μm (mean 21.4 μm) × 5.0 to 8.4 μm (mean 6.8 μm) (n = 50). The isolate was identified as Botryosphaeria dothidea preliminarily according to the morphological characteristics (Zhai et al. 2014). For accurate identification, DNA was extracted from the mycelia. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS), β-tubulin (TUB) and Ef1-a were amplified and sequenced using primers ITS1/ITS4, Bt2a/Bt2b and 983f /2228r, respectively (Zhai et al. 2014). The 543-bp ITS (GenBank accession no. MK850215), 673-bp TUB (no. MN370930) and 1069-bp Ef1-a (no. MN598070) showed >99% identity with those of B. dothidea KP183180 (Xu et al. 2015), KU306116 (Lisboa et al. 2016) and DQ767637.1 (Schoch et al. 2006), respectively. Based on cultural characteristics and phylogenetic analysis, the current isolate associated with leaf blight of M. fortunei was identified as B. dothidea. The representative strain was deposited at the China Center for Type Culture Collection (CCTCC) as CCTCC AF 2019004 SX03. Pathogenicity test was performed on three healthy M. fortunei on campus. Three branches of each plant were selected and all leaves on branches were wounded with dissecting needle by puncturing, then inoculated with a spore suspension (105 conidia/mL) by a hand-held spray bottle, using sterile water as control (Huang et al. 2019). In order to maintain high relative humidity, the inoculated leaves were sealed with transparent plastic bags for 3 days. Fourteen days after inoculation, symptoms (leaf blight) were similar to those on infected leaves on campus, while the controls remained healthy. The experiments were conducted three times and the pathogen was reisolated from inoculated leaves and was confirmed as B. dothidea based on morphological and molecular analyses. To our knowledge, this is the first report of B. dothidea causing marginal leaf necrosis on M. fortunei in China. This study provides a preliminary basis for identifying the causal agent of this plant disease.

Neutropenia associated with delay to processing FBC samples

Background: Southern IML is the main private provider of laboratory services in Southern NSW, with collection centres located along the south coast. Due to its large geographical coverage, samples can travel ∼300km to reach the main laboratory for analysis, and this can cause delays in processing of samples. There have been local anecdotal reports of ‘artefactual neutropenia’ thought to be related to this delay. This has never been clearly described in the literature, and we sought to determine if this is a real phenomenon.

Suitability mapping of solid waste disposal sites in Obio/Akpor local government area: rivers state of Nigeria

Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State have constantly witnessed Rapid City growth and increased urbanization due to persistence rural-urban migration and the quest for human to meet their needs and wants. This has increased solid waste generation and unregulated dumping of solid wastes in unapproved sites. This prompted the need for this study which is aimed at mapping the suitability of solid waste sites in the study area with the objective of identifying the spatial locations and development of a database of suitability or otherwise of solid waste disposal sites. Ground survey and Geospatial techniques were utilized for data acquisition, manipulation and processing. Garmin 78csx GNSS receiver was used in observing the coordinates of ground positions of all solid waste disposal sites in the study area, the obtain coordinates were charted on the Google earth imagery (2022) and Open Street Map (OSM) (2022) to ensure the positions falls within the shape-file of the study area, On-Screen vectorization was perform using the point, line and polygon spatial tools in the QGIS 3.22 bialowieza software environment to determine the position and extent of solid waste sites under study. Proximity analysis was performed in QGIS environment for buffer of 200m, 500m and 1km to ascertain the suitability of solid waste collection centers and dumpsites base on global standard and proximity maps were produced. A total of (114) solid waste disposal sites were mapped, with (27) legal and (73) illegal collection points and (2) suitable and (12) unsuitable dumpsites respectively. The study also revealed that Elelenwo community in ward 6 has the highest (12) whereas Egbelu Ozodo community in ward 16 has the lowest (1) number of collection sites in the study area. Immediate review and enforcement of solid waste disposal and management laws is needed to forestall likely environmental hazards resulting from indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the study area.

Determinants of the Milk Marketing Channel Options among the Dairy Farmers of Punjab

Background: Dairying is an integral part of farming system of India. In 2019-20, milk production in Punjab was 13,347 thousand tonnes and growth rate was about 5.60 per cent per annum. Milk production is only profitable if there are proper marketing facilities. The objective of the present study is analyzing the determinants that affect the choice of milk marketing channels by the dairy farmers of Punjab. Methods: The present study is based on primary data, collected through a detailed schedule from 420 dairy farmers in 2019 belonging to different farm size categories from 21 villages situated across three different agro-climatic zones of Punjab state of India, using a multi-stage sampling technique. Binary Logistic Model has been used for the purpose of analysis. Result: The significant variables affecting the choice of milk marketing channels by the dairy farmers are found to be the presence of milk collection centre in the village and herd size of the dairy farmer. The value of Cox and Snell R-square indicates that around 17.00 per cent of the variations in the choice of marketing channels are attributed to the variations in the explanatory variables included in the study.

Mining microbial resources from water

In the past two decades, the concept of microbial resources evolved from the conserved strains in culture collection centers and microbial genome data in databases to functional microbial consortia, strains with superior phenotypes, novel biochemical and signaling systems, highly efficient enzymes, secondary metabolites, and unique genetic traits. Natural and engineered water environments provide diverse ecological niches for microorganisms to evolve and thrive, serving as treasure troves of microbial resources. Compared with that of chemical and energy resources from water, mining of microbial resources is severely underexplored. In this review, we first summarize various approaches (e.g., cultivation, functional metagenomics, and single-cell genomics) that have been employed to mine microbial resources from water, and then discuss their distinctive advantages and limitations. Lastly, we explore future directions on the mining of microbial resources from water.

Culture of leukocyte-derived cells from human peripheral blood: Increased expression of pluripotent genes OCT4, NANOG, SOX2, self-renewal gene TERT and plasticity.

There are few stem cells in human peripheral blood (PB). Increasing the population and plasticity of stem cells in PB and applying it to regenerative medicine require suitable culture methods. In this study, leukocyte populations 250 mL of PB were collected using a blood separator before that were cultured in optimal cell culture medium for 4 to 7 days. After culturing, stemness characteristics were analyzed, and red blood cells were removed from the cultured cells. In our results, stemness markers of the leukocyte populations Sca-1+ CD45+, CD117+ CD45+, and very small embryonic-like stem cells CD34+ Lin- CD45- and CXCR4+ Lin- CD45- were significantly increased. Furthermore, the expression of stem cell genes OCT4 (POU5F1), NANOG, SOX2, and the self-renewal gene TERT was analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in these cells, and it showed a significant increase. These cells could be candidates for multi-potential cells and were further induced using trans-differentiation culture methods. These cells showed multiple differentiation potentials for osteocytes, nerve cells, cardiomyocytes, and hepatocytes. These results indicate that appropriate culture methods can be applied to increase expression of pluripotent genes and plasticity. Leukocytes of human PB can be induced to trans-differentiate into pluripotent potential cells, which will be an important breakthrough in regenerative medicine.

A meta-heuristic optimization for a novel mathematical model for minimizing costs and maximizing donor satisfaction in blood supply chains with finite capacity queueing systems

Blood and blood banks play an essential role in patient care. This study proposes a novel mathematical model for Blood Supply Chains (BSCs), which minimizes the total costs and maximizes donor satisfaction by reducing the system’s waiting time. The model addresses several aspects of the BSC, such as locating collection centers, allocating blood donors to collection centers, inventory control in the main blood center, blood shortage and deterioration considerations, and queueing systems in collection centers over a planning horizon. Queueing systems lead to a better understanding of the BSC and provide an opportunity to investigate donors’ attendance and waiting times. A real-world case study is presented and solved using a new meta-heuristic algorithm to illustrate the model’s applicability. Finally, sensitivity analyses are performed, and several beneficial managerial insights are provided.