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SUMMARYWhisky (25–50 ml) increased plasma levels of immunoreactive calcitonin (iCT) in seventeen of nineteen patients with chronic renal failure. The effect was greater in patients with high levels of iCT than in those with normal levels. Changes in plasma iCT were not related to changes in calcium, phosphate or immunoreactive gastrin, but were inhibited by the prior administration of propranolol.

Tourist experience (TX) has been covered by many studies. However, a consensus on the topic still needs to be reached in terms of its dimensions, factors, evaluation methods, and evaluation models. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic severely affected the tourism sector, and the post-pandemic era could bring about new challenges and opportunities, such as the growing awareness of the need for greener, more sustainable, and more balanced tourism. In this study, we consider TX a particular case of customer experience (CX) and an extension of the user experience (UX) concept. We conducted a systematic literature review addressing the concept of TX and reviewing articles published from 2012 to April 2023, indexed in two significant and relevant databases (Web of Sciences and Science Direct). We addressed research questions concerning (1) TX definition; (2) TX dimensions, attributes, and factors; (3) methods used to evaluate TX; and (4) the post-pandemic TX. We selected and thoroughly analyzed 167 articles. We analyze the TX concept, models, evaluation, and the post-pandemic context. We propose a holistic definition of TX and recommend ways to achieve its better analysis. Lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic may be helpful when dealing with future challenges and crises.

In order to understand the potential impact of alcohol consumption on the course of the HIV/AIDS pandemic we examine at least 3 very different debates. In an attempt to summarise these debates we assess the impact of alcohol consumption on numerous aspects of HIV infection, including the relationship between alcohol use and likelihood of engagement in 'unsafe' sexual behaviour; the impact of alcohol on immune function and its importance as a co-factor for AIDS-related illness. We argue that, contrary to popular belief, the consumption of alcohol does not appear to make individuals more likely to engage in unsafe sex. Furthermore, while alcohol has clearly been proven to effect immune function in vivo and in vitro there is no clear evidence that it plays any part in individuals' susceptibility to HIV infection or has any effect on disease progression among persons with HIV infection. Clearly some of this research is in its infancy and such conclusions should be treated with caution.

Alcohol has potential deleterious effects on donor heart function. This study was conducted in rats to determine whether long-term alcohol ingestion produces impaired hemodynamic performance while maintaining a normal left ventricular ejection fraction in donor hearts before transplantation and whether donor cardiac function is affected after heart transplantation.Rats fed 30% alcohol in their drinking water for 12 weeks were compared with rats fed a normal diet. Left ventricular ejection fraction was measured by echocardiography with Simpson and single plane Dodge formulas in living sedated rats after 10 and 12 weeks of alcohol feeding. Explanted heart function was assessed before and 3 days after heterotopic heart transplantation (no immunosuppression) with a Langendorff preparation.Blood ethanol levels at 4 and 8 weeks were 0.08 +/- 0.04 and 0.08 +/- 0.09 gm/dl. Left ventricular ejection fraction was similar in the group fed an alcohol diet for 12 weeks when compared with the control group (65.4% +/- 1.6% vs. 66.5% +/- 2.9%, p = 0.33). Explanted alcohol-fed hearts before transplantation had significantly lower maximum and developed pressures and had a blunted response to 0.1 ml 10(-9) mol/L isoproterenol. After transplantation alcohol-fed hearts had significantly lower maximum and developed pressures and decreased maximum rates of pressure rise and pressure decline. Allografts (ACI to Lewis) exhibited decreased function in comparison with isografts (ACI to ACI).Alcohol feeding for 12 weeks in rats does not affect pretransplantation left ventricular ejection fraction, but it impairs explanted heart function, both before and after transplantation, resulting in a subclinical cardiomyopathy that is worsened by the presence of allograft rejection. Long-term alcohol exposure and rejection have independent, additive detrimental effects on left ventricular performance of the transplanted heart. Alcohol-exposed hearts may not be suitable donors.

Abstract Background In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the production and use of woodfuel remains an important socio-economic activity with more than 70% of the population relying on woodfuel as their primary household energy source. Despite their socio-economic significance, woodfuel value chains are often viewed negatively due to their association with detrimental health and environmental impacts. However, the lack of sound evidence and limited understanding of the role of contextual factors in influencing the various impacts of woodfuel value chains have prevented the formulation of properly guided policy interventions. Thus the objective of this systematic map is to provide a comprehensive review of the environmental, socio-economic, and health impacts of woodfuel value chains across SSA. Methods The search strategy for this review map was defined in a peer-reviewed protocol and refined by iterative testing. Search strings were composed of population, intervention, and location terms and combined using Boolean operators. The bibliographic databases Web of Science, Scopus, and CAB Abstracts were used as the main sources of literature for this review, and a total of 4728 results were initially retrieved. Following title and abstract screening, 659 entered full text screening. Critical appraisal of 219 articles led to the exclusion of studies that did not set meet quality criteria for this map, resulting in a final total of 131 articles for inclusion in data extraction and analysis. Results From the 131 included articles, 152 individual studies were identified during data extraction. Studies came from 26 of the 49 Sub Saharan African countries, with a particular preponderance of articles published in the last 10 years. Critical appraisal found significant weaknesses in the experimental design of woodfuel value chain studies with the exception of health impact studies, which frequently utilized controls or other relevant comparators. Findings suggest that woodfuel value chains have environmental, socioeconomic and health consequences with the frequent presence of trade-offs. The reporting of contextual factors in the studies challenge the widespread perception of deforestation as being directly caused by bush fires, overgrazing and woodcutting. Instead, agricultural expansion (which often includes forest clearing) and pre-existing biophysical factors were the most frequently cited factors in shaping environmental outcomes. Conclusions This systematic map suggests that there are environmental, socioeconomic and health consequences associated with woodfuel value chains in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, the literature also shows a weak and geographically limited evidence base to justify the above claims. We argue that policy formulation processes targeting woodfuels in SSA require more solid, coherent and broad body of knowledge, especially for such a vital sector in rural economies. Thus, there is an urgent need to design and undertake research using robust methodologies, at appropriate scales that further takes into account the interrelationships between environmental and socio-economic outcomes in order to generate substantial and reliable evidence for informed policy formulation.

All-solid-state batteries (SSBs) are prospective candidates for a range of energy accumulation systems, delivering higher energy densities compared to batteries which use liquid electrolytes. Amongst the numerous solid-state electrolytes (SEs), sulfide-based electrolytes in particular have received more attention given that they have a high ionic conductivity. However, the incompatibility between the electrode and SEs is still an ongoing challenge that leads to poor electrochemical performance. In this work, we focus on 1T-MoS2. It is well known that 1T metallic MoS2 is unstable even at room temperature. However, we showed that 1T-MoS2 can be stabilized at 600 °C for at least 2 h, and the 1T-MoS2-600 interlayer spacing expanded to 0.95 nm. The high crystallinity of the 1T phase is highly compatible with solid electrolytes and coupled with the increased interlayer spacing, so in the all-solid-state lithium-ion battery (ALLLIB), we achieved outstanding cycling performance. At the current density of 0.2 C (1 C = 670 mA g−1), this material delivered a capacity of 406 mA h g−1 after 50 cycles.

Financial support is a critical enabling factor for healthy agri-food innovation systems, particularly within resource-limited settings, though additional forms of support are also necessary. This motivated a critical comparative review of evidence in peer-reviewed and gray literature on the range of instruments that support innovation in agri-food systems in the Global South, toward achieving sustainable agriculture intensification. The main aim is to provide recommendations to innovation managers on the choice of different instruments for supporting innovation. The key guiding questions for the comparative analysis were whether the instrument fosters uptake of innovation and whether it promotes inclusive development. A review of the literature was supplemented with a scan of websites for sources of peer-reviewed and gray literature documenting the application of the 12 selected instruments. The study revealed three categories of instruments: (Type A) those that support entrepreneurship; (Type B) those that primarily finance innovation; and (Type C) those that support innovation in real-life contexts. Our analysis indicates that innovation managers and funders need to select instruments that are likely to fit the specific context as well as to address the mandates of their organizations, and in so doing, they must consider how to ensure the sustainability of their investments and meet the needs of their beneficiaries. This review represents one of a handful that have compared the use of multiple instruments across multiple continents in the Global South, and can serve as an important decision-making tool for investors and funders looking to invest in agri-food innovation systems.

AbstractThis paper uses data for 134 countries for the period 1960–2010 to document an energy ladder that nations ascend as their economies develop. On average, economic development results in an overall substitution from the use of biomass to energy sourced from fossil fuels, and then increasingly towards nuclear power and certain low-carbon modern renewables such as wind power. The process results in the carbon intensity of energy evolving in an inverse-U manner as per capita incomes increase. Fossil fuel-poor countries climb more quickly to the low-carbon upper rungs of the national-level energy ladder and so typically experience larger reductions in the carbon intensity of energy as they develop. Leapfrogging to low-carbon energy sources on the upper rungs of the national-level energy ladder is one route via which developing countries can reduce the magnitudes of their expected upswings in carbon dioxide emissions.