Search results for: phyto essential oils

Authors: Reihane Mehrparvar

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Human age could exceed further by altering gene expression through food intaking, although as a consequence of recent century eating patterns, human life-span getting shorter by emerging irregulating in autophagy mechanism, insulin, leptin, gut microbiota which are important etiological factors of type-2 diabetes, obesity, infertility, cancer, metabolic and autoimmune diseases. However, restricted calorie intake and vigorous exercise might be beneficial for losing weight and metabolic regulation in a short period but could not be implementable in the long term as a way of life. Therefore, the lack of a dietary program that is compatible with the genes of the body is essential. Sweet and high-glycemic-index (HGI) foods were associated with type-2 diabetes and cancer morbidity. The neuropsychological perspective characterizes the inclination of sweet and HGI-food consumption as addictive behavior; hence this process engages preference of gut microbiota, neural node, and dopaminergic functions. Moreover, meal composition is not the only factor that affects body hemostasis. In this narrative review, it is believed to attempt to investigate how the body responded to different food intakes and represent an accurate model based on current evidence. Eating frequently and ingesting unassimilable protein and carbohydrates may not be compatible with human genes and could cause impairments in the self-renovation mechanism. This trajectory indicates our body is more adapted to starvation and eating animal meat and marrow. Here has been recommended a model that takes into account three important factors: frequent eating, meal composition, and circadian rhythm, which may offer a promising intervention for obesity, inflammation, cardiovascular, autoimmune disorder, type-2 diabetes, insulin resistance, infertility, and cancer through intensifying autophagy-mechanism and eliminate medical costs.

Keywords: metabolic disease, anti-aging, type-2 diabetes, autophagy

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Authors: Ebuwa Osagie, Chet Biliyok, Yeung Hoi

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Regeneration energy requirement and ways to reduce it is the main aim of most CO2 capture researches currently being performed and thus, post-combustion carbon capture (PCC) option is identified to be the most suitable for the natural gas-fired power plants. From current research and development (R&D) activities worldwide, two main areas are being examined in order to reduce the regeneration energy requirement of amine-based PCC, namely: (a) development of new solvents with better overall performance than 30wt% monoethanolamine (MEA) aqueous solution, which is considered as the base-line solvent for solvent-based PCC, (b) Integration of the PCC Plant to the power plant. In scaling-up a PCC pilot plant to the size required for a commercial-scale natural gas-fired power plant, process modelling and simulation is very essential. In this work, an integrated process made up of a 482MWe natural gas-fired power plant, an MEA-based PCC plant which is developed and validated has been modelled and simulated. The PCC plant has four absorber columns and a single stripper column, the modelling and simulation was performed with Aspen Plus® V8.4. The gas turbine, the heat recovery steam generator and the steam cycle were modelled based on a 2010 US DOE report, while the MEA-based PCC plant was modelled as a rate-based process. The scaling of the amine plant was performed using a rate based calculation in preference to the equilibrium based approach for 90% CO2 capture. The power plant was integrated to the PCC plant in three ways: (i) flue gas stream from the power plant which is divided equally into four stream and each stream is fed into one of the four absorbers in the PCC plant. (ii) Steam draw-off from the IP/LP cross-over pipe in the steam cycle of the power plant used to regenerate solvent in the reboiler. (iii) Condensate returns from the reboiler to the power plant. The integration of a PCC plant to the NGCC plant resulted in a reduction of the power plant output by 73.56 MWe and the net efficiency of the integrated system is reduced by 7.3 % point efficiency. A secondary aim of this study is the parametric studies which have been performed to assess the impacts of natural gas on the overall performance of the integrated process and this is achieved through investigation of the capture efficiencies.

Keywords: natural gas-fired, power plant, MEA, CO2 capture, modelling, simulation

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Authors: Meenu Joshi, Natalie Naidoo, Farzeen Kader

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Identification of body fluids is an essential step in forensic investigation to aid in crime reconstruction. Tissue-specific differentially methylated regions (tDMRs) of the human genome can be targeted to be used as biomarkers to differentiate between body fluids. The present study was undertaken to establish the methylation status of potential tDMRs in blood, semen, saliva, and vaginal fluid by using methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and bisulfite sequencing (BS). The methylation statuses of 3 potential tDMRS in genes ZNF282, PTPRS, and HPCAL1 were analysed in 10 samples of each body fluid. With MSP analysis, the ZNF282, and PTPRS1 tDMR displayed semen-specific hypomethylation while HPCAL1 tDMR showed saliva-specific hypomethylation. With quantitative analysis by BS, the ZNF282 tDMR showed statistically significant difference in overall methylation between semen and all other body fluids as well as at individual CpG sites (p < 0.05). To evaluate the effect of environmental conditions on the stability of methylation profiles of the ZNF282 tDMR, five samples of each body fluid were subjected to five different forensic simulated conditions (dry at room temperature, wet in an exsiccator, outside on the ground, sprayed with alcohol, and sprayed with bleach) for 50 days. Vaginal fluid showed highest DNA recovery under all conditions while semen had least DNA quantity. Under outside on the ground condition, all body fluids except semen showed a decrease in methylation level; however, a significant decrease in methylation level was observed for saliva. A statistical significant difference was observed for saliva and semen (p < 0.05) for outside on the ground condition. No differences in methylation level were observed for the ZNF282 tDMR under all conditions for vaginal fluid samples. Thus, in the present study ZNF282 tDMR has been identified as a novel and stable semen-specific hypomethylation marker.

Keywords: body fluids, bisulphite sequencing, forensics, tDMRs, MSP

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Authors: Antonios Paraskevas, Michael Madas

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For a university to maintain its international competitiveness in education, it is essential to recruit qualitative academic staff as it constitutes its most valuable asset. This selection demonstrates a significant role in achieving strategic objectives, particularly by emphasizing a firm commitment to the exceptional student experience and innovative teaching and learning practices of high quality. In this vein, the appropriate selection of academic staff establishes a very important factor of competitiveness, efficiency and reputation of an academic institute. Within this framework, our work demonstrates a comprehensive methodological concept that emphasizes the multi-criteria nature of the problem and how decision-makers could utilize our approach in order to proceed to the appropriate judgment. The conceptual framework introduced in this paper is built upon a hybrid neutrosophic method based on the Neutrosophic Analytical Hierarchy Process (N-AHP), which uses the theory of neutrosophy sets and is considered suitable in terms of a significant degree of ambiguity and indeterminacy observed in the decision-making process. To this end, our framework extends the N-AHP by incorporating the Neutrosophic Delphi Method (N-DM). By applying the N-DM, we can take into consideration the importance of each decision-maker and their preferences per evaluation criterion. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed model is the first which applies the Neutrosophic Delphi Method in the selection of academic staff. As a case study, it was decided to use our method for a real problem of academic personnel selection, having as the main goal to enhance the algorithm proposed in previous scholars’ work, and thus taking care of the inherent ineffectiveness which becomes apparent in traditional multi-criteria decision-making methods when dealing with situations alike. As a further result, we prove that our method demonstrates greater applicability and reliability when compared to other decision models.

Keywords: multi-criteria decision making methods, analytical hierarchy process, delphi method, personnel recruitment, neutrosophic set theory

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Authors: M. Ghosh, A. Miroux, L. A. I. Kestens

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At molecular or micrometre scale, practically all materials are neither homogeneous nor isotropic. The concept of texture is used to identify the structural features that cause the properties of a material to be anisotropic. For metallic materials, the anisotropy of the mechanical behaviour originates from the crystallographic nature of plastic deformation, and is therefore controlled by the crystallographic texture. Anisotropy in mechanical properties often constitutes a disadvantage in the application of materials, as it is often illustrated by the earing phenomena during drawing. However, advantages may also be attained when considering other properties (e.g. optimization of magnetic behaviour to a specific direction) by controlling texture through thermo-mechanical processing). Nevertheless, in order to have better control over the final properties it is essential to relate texture with materials processing route and subsequently optimise their performance. However, up to date, few studies have been reported about the evolution of texture in 6061 aluminium alloy during warm processing (from room temperature to 250ºC). In present investigation, recrystallized 6061 aluminium alloy samples were subjected to tensile and plane strain compression (PSC) at room and warm temperatures. The gradual change of texture following both deformation modes were measured and discussed. Tensile tests demonstrate the mechanism at low strain while PSC does the same at high strain and eventually simulate the condition of rolling. Cube dominated texture of the initial rolled and recrystallized AA6061 sheets were replaced by domination of S and R components after PSC at room temperature, warm temperature (250ºC) though did not reflect any noticeable deviation from room temperature observation. It was also noticed that temperature has no significant effect on the evolution of grain morphology during PSC. The band contrast map revealed that after 30% deformation the substructure inside the grain is mainly made of series of parallel bands. A tendency for decrease of Cube and increase of Goss was noticed after tensile deformation compared to as-received material. Like PSC, texture does not change after deformation at warm temperature though. n-fibre was noticed for all the three textures from Goss to Cube.

Keywords: AA 6061, deformation, temperature, tensile, PSC, texture

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Authors: Touhami Tahenni

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Excessively wide cracks are harmful to the serviceability of reinforced concrete (RC) beams and may lead to durability problems in the longer term. They also reduce the rigidity of RC sections, rendering the tensile concrete ineffective structurally. To reduce the negative effects of cracks, steel fibers are added to concrete mixes in the same manner as aggregates. In the present work, steel fibers reinforced concrete (SFRC) beams, made of normal strength and high strength concretes, were tested in a four-point bending test using a digital image correlation technique. The beams had different volume fractions of fibres and different aspect ratios (fiber length/fiber diameter). The evaluation of flexural cracking widths was determined using Gom-Aramis software. The experimental crack widths were compared with theoretical values predicted by the technical document of Rilem TC 162-TDF. The model proposed in this document seems to be the only one that considers the efficiency of steel fibres in restraining the crack widths. However, the model of Rilem takes into account only the aspect ratio of steel fibres to predict the crack width of SFRC beams. It has been reported in several pieces of research that the contribution of steel fibres to the limitation of flexural cracking widths is based on three essential parameters namely, the volume fraction, the orientation and the aspect ratio of fibres. Referring to the literature on the flexural cracking behavior of SFRC beams and the experimental observations of the present work, a correction of the Rilem model by the introduction of these parameters in the formula is proposed. The crack widths predicted by the new empirical model were compared with the experimental results and assessed against other test data on SFRC beams taken from the literature. The modified Rilem model gives better results and is found more satisfactory in predicting the crack widths of fibres concrete.

Keywords: stee fibres, reinforced concrete, flexural cracking, tensile strength, crack width

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Authors: Oluwafemi Samuel Oyamakin

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The forest in Nigeria is currently estimated to extend to around 9.6 million hectares, but used to expand over central and southern Nigeria decades ago. The forest estate is shrinking due to long-term human exploitation for agricultural development, fuel wood demand, uncontrolled forest harvesting and urbanization, amongst other factors, compounded by population growth in rural areas. Nigeria has lost more than 50% of its forest cover since 1990 and currently less than 10% of the country is forested. The current deforestation rate is estimated at 3.7%, which is one of the highest in the world. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation plus conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks constituted what is referred to as REDD+. This study evaluated some of the existing way of computing carbon stocks using eight indigenous tree species like Mansonia, Shorea, Bombax, Terminalia superba, Khaya grandifolia, Khaya senegalenses, Pines and Gmelina arborea. While these components are the essential elements of REDD+ programme, they can be brought under a broader framework of systems analysis designed to arrive at optimal solutions for future predictions through statistical distribution pattern of carbon sequestrated by various species of tree. Available data on height and diameter of trees in Ibadan were studied and their respective potentials of carbon sequestration level were assessed and subjected to tests so as to determine the best statistical distribution that would describe the carbon sequestration pattern of trees. The result of this study suggests a reasonable statistical distribution for carbons sequestered in simulation studies and hence, allow planners and government in determining resources forecast for sustainable development especially where experiments with real-life systems are infeasible. Sustainable management of forest can then be achieved by projecting future condition of forests under different management regimes thereby supporting conservation and REDD+ programmes in Nigeria.

Keywords: REDD+, carbon, climate change, height and diameter

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Authors: N. Ismail, O. Thammajinda, U. Thongpanya

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Games-based learning (GBL) has become increasingly important in teaching and learning. This paper explains the first two phases (analysis and design) of a GBL development project, ending up with a prototype design based on students’ and teachers’ perceptions. The two phases are part of a full cycle GBL project aiming to help secondary school students in Thailand in their study of Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE). In the course of the study, we invited 1,152 students to complete questionnaires and interviewed 12 secondary school teachers in focus groups. This paper found that GBL can serve students in their learning about CSE, enabling them to gain understanding of their sexuality, develop skills, including critical thinking skills and interact with others (peers, teachers, etc.) in a safe environment. The objectives of this paper are to outline the development of GBL variables from the research question(s) into the developers’ flow chart, to be responsive to the GBL beneficiaries’ preferences and expectations, and to help in answering the research questions. This paper details the steps applied to generate GBL variables that can feed into a game flow chart to develop a GBL prototype. In our approach, we detailed two models: (1) Game Elements Model (GEM) and (2) Game Object Model (GOM). There are three outcomes of this research – first, to achieve the objectives and benefits of GBL in learning, game design has to start with the research question(s) and the challenges to be resolved as research outcomes. Second, aligning the educational aims with engaging GBL end users (students) within the data collection phase to inform the game prototype with the game variables is essential to address the answer/solution to the research question(s). Third, for efficient GBL to bridge the gap between pedagogy and technology and in order to answer the research questions via technology (i.e. GBL) and to minimise the isolation between the pedagogists “P” and technologist “T”, several meetings and discussions need to take place within the team.

Keywords: games-based learning, engagement, pedagogy, preferences, prototype

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Authors: Nneka Evelyn Udeh

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Women’s economic participation and empowerment are fundamental to strengthening women’s rights and enabling women to have control over their lives and exert influence in the society. The economic empowerment of women is a prerequisite for sustainable development, pro-poor growth and the achievement of all the millennium development Goals (MDGs). For women to be in development they need to be empowered morally, socially, economically, and financially and this is why women in Udi Local Government Area of Nigeria meet every August, the eighth month of the year to discuss matters relating to the pursuit of women empowerment, community welfare, and national development. This exploratory study depicts how annual august meetings serve as a stimulator for female empowerment with a case study Udi Local Government area of Enugu state, Nigeria. The paper finds that ‘August Meeting’ is a regular annual occurrence in Udi Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria particularly for married women and is designed to better the lot of women, the child, family, the church, and the Community. Through this forum, with its seminars and workshops, women have the opportunity to learn everything about womanhood and how to chart new courses of action and sources of empowerment. The gathering gives women the opportunity to be integrated into their community development projects, and having women as stakeholders and not mere observers helps guarantee a speedy and steady community and overall national development progress. Funds are raised for community development projects through annual dues, levies, donations, fines, sales, income from money-yielding ventures, endowment and investiture. Annual August meeting also known as ‘Mothers Summit’ is indeed a powerful stimulator for female empowerment. Support and invigoration of this women initiative is essential for sustainable emancipation of female gender, not just in Udi Local Government Area of Nigeria but globally.

Keywords: women empowerment, annual august meeting, Udi Lga, mothers' summit, stimulator, emancipation, sustainability, community welfare, national development, millennium development goal

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Authors: Nayab Kanwal, Noor Us Saher

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The management and utilization of food resources is becoming a big issue due to rapid urbanization, wastage and non-sustainable use of food, especially in developing countries. Therefore, the use of seafood as alternative sources is strongly promoted worldwide. Marine pollution strongly affects marine organisms, which ultimately decreases their export quality. The monitoring of contamination in marine organisms is a good indicator of the environmental quality as well as seafood quality. Monitoring the accumulation of chemical elements within various tissues of organisms has become a useful tool to survey current or chronic levels of heavy metal exposure within an environment. In this perspective, this study was carried out to compare the previous and current levels (Year 2012 and 2014) of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cr, Cu and Zn) in crabs marketed in Karachi and to estimate the toxicological risk associated with their intake. The accumulation of metals in marine organisms, both essential (Cu and Zn) and toxic (Pb, Cd and Cr), natural and anthropogenic, is an actual food safety issue. Significant (p>0.05) variations in metal concentrations were found in all crab species between the two years, with most of the metals showing high accumulation in 2012. For toxicological risk assessment, EWI (Estimated weekly intake), Target Hazard quotient (THQ) and cancer risk (CR) were also assessed and high EWI, Non- cancer risk (THQ < 1) showed that there is no serious threat associated with the consumption of shellfish species on Karachi coast. The Cancer risk showed the highest risk from Cd and Pb pollution if consumed in excess. We summarize key environmental health research on health effects associated with exposure to contaminated seafood. It could be concluded that considering the Pakistan coast, these edible species may be sensitive and vulnerable to the adverse effects of environmental contaminants; more attention should be paid to the Pb and Cd metal bioaccumulation and to toxicological risks to seafood and consumers.

Keywords: cancer risk, edible crabs, heavy metals pollution, risk assessment

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Authors: Abdelkrim Khadir, Sina Kavalakatt, Preethi Cherian, Ali Tiss

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Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is an emerging therapeutic target in several chronic states that have inflammation as a common underlying cause such as immunometabolic diseases. Indeed, sEH is known to play a pro-inflammatory role by metabolizing anti-inflammatory, epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) to pro-inflammatory diols. Recently, it was shown sEH to be linked to diet and microbiota interaction in rat models of obesity. Nevertheless, the functional contribution of sEH and its anti-inflammatory substrates EETs in obesity remain poorly understood. In the current study, we compared the expression pattern of sEH between lean and obese nondiabetic human subjects using subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Using RT-PCR, western blot and immunofluorescence confocal microscopy, we show here that the level of sEH mRNA and protein to be significantly increased in obese subjects with concomitant increase in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress components (GRP78 and ATF6α) and inflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-6) when compared to lean controls. The observation that sEH was overexpressed in obese subjects’ prompt us to investigate whether physical exercise could reduce its expression. In this study, we report here 3-months supervised physical exercise significantly attenuated the expression of sEH in both the SAT and PBMCs, with a parallel decrease in the expression of ER stress markers along with attenuated inflammatory response. On the other hand, homocysteine, a sulfur containing amino acid deriving from the essential amino acid methionine was shown to be directly associated with insulin resistance. When 3T3-L1 preadipocytes cells were treated with homocysteine our results show increased sEH levels along with ER stress markers. Collectively, our data suggest that sEH upregulation is strongly linked to ER stress in adiposity and that physical exercise modulates its expression. This gives further evidence that exercise might be useful as a strategy for managing obesity and preventing its associated complications.

Keywords: obesity, adipose tissue, epoxide hydrolase, ER stress

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Authors: Arda Ozkurt, Ozlem Bozkurt

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Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are devices that output commands by interpreting the data collected from the brain. Electroencephalography (EEG) is a non-invasive method to measure the brain's electrical activity. Since it was invented by Hans Berger in 1929, it has led to many neurological discoveries and has become one of the essential components of non-invasive measuring methods. Despite the fact that it has a low spatial resolution -meaning it is able to detect when a group of neurons fires at the same time-, it is a non-invasive method, making it easy to use without possessing any risks. In EEG, electrodes are placed on the scalp, and the voltage difference between a minimum of two electrodes is recorded, which is then used to accomplish the intended task. The recordings of EEGs include, but are not limited to, the currents along dendrites from synapses to the soma, the action potentials along the axons connecting neurons, and the currents through the synaptic clefts connecting axons with dendrites. However, there are some sources of noise that may affect the reliability of the EEG signals as it is a non-invasive method. For instance, the noise from the EEG equipment, the leads, and the signals coming from the subject -such as the activity of the heart or muscle movements- affect the signals detected by the electrodes of the EEG. However, new techniques have been developed to differentiate between those signals and the intended ones. Furthermore, an EEG device is not enough to analyze the data from the brain to be used by the BCI implication. Because the EEG signal is very complex, to analyze it, artificial intelligence algorithms are required. These algorithms convert complex data into meaningful and useful information for neuroscientists to use the data to design BCI devices. Even though for neurological diseases which require highly precise data, invasive BCIs are needed; non-invasive BCIs - such as EEGs - are used in many cases to help disabled people's lives or even to ease people's lives by helping them with basic tasks. For example, EEG is used to detect before a seizure occurs in epilepsy patients, which can then prevent the seizure with the help of a BCI device. Overall, EEG is a commonly used non-invasive BCI technique that has helped develop BCIs and will continue to be used to detect data to ease people's lives as more BCI techniques will be developed in the future.

Keywords: BCI, EEG, non-invasive, spatial resolution

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Authors: Chitra Rajagopal, Indra Deo Kumar, Ila Chauhan, Ruchi Joshi, Binoy Bhargavan

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Reliability and safety are essential for the success of mission-critical and safety-critical defense systems. Humans are part of the entire life cycle of defense systems development and deployment. The majority of industrial accidents or disasters are attributed to human errors. Therefore, considerations of human performance and human reliability are critical in all complex systems, including defense systems. Defense systems are operating from the ground, naval and aerial platforms in diverse conditions impose unique physical and psychological challenges to the human operators. Some of the safety and mission-critical defense systems with human-machine interactions are fighter planes, submarines, warships, combat vehicles, aerial and naval platforms based missiles, etc. Human roles and responsibilities are also going through a transition due to the infusion of artificial intelligence and cyber technologies. Human operators, not accustomed to such challenges, are more likely to commit errors, which may lead to accidents or loss events. In such a scenario, it is imperative to understand the human factors in defense systems for better systems performance, safety, and cost-effectiveness. A case study using Task Analysis (TA) based methodology for assessment and reduction of human errors in the Air and Missile Defense System in the context of emerging technologies were presented. Action-oriented task analysis techniques such as Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) and Operator Action Event Tree (OAET) along with Critical Action and Decision Event Tree (CADET) for cognitive task analysis was used. Human factors assessment based on the task analysis helps in realizing safe and reliable defense systems. These techniques helped in the identification of human errors during different phases of Air and Missile Defence operations, leading to meet the requirement of a safe, reliable and cost-effective mission.

Keywords: defence systems, reliability, risk, safety

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Authors: Hassan Nour, Nouh Mounadi, Oussama Abchir, Belaidi Salah, Samir Chtita

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Cholinesterase enzymes are biological catalysts essential for the transformation of acetylcholine, which is a neurotransmitter implicated in memory and learning, into acetic acid and choline, altering the neurotransmission process in Alzheimer’s disease patients. Therefore, inhibition of cholinesterase enzymes is a relevant strategy for the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The current investigation aims to explore potential cholinesterase (ChE) inhibitors through a comprehensive computational approach. Forty-nine phytoconstituents extracted from Cannabis sativa L. were in-silico screened using molecular docking and pharmacokinetic and toxicological analysis to evaluate their possible inhibitory effect on the cholinesterase enzymes. Two phytoconstituents belonging to cannabinoid derivatives were revealed to be promising candidates for Alzheimer's therapy by acting as cholinesterase inhibitors. They have exhibited high binding affinities towards the cholinesterase enzymes and showed their ability to interact with key residues involved in cholinesterase enzymatic activity. In addition, they presented good ADMET profiles allowing them to be promising oral drug candidates. Furthermore, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were executed to explore their interaction stability under mimetic biological conditions and thus support our findings. To corroborate the docking results, the binding free energy corresponding to the more stable ligand-ChE complexes was re-estimated by applying the MM-PBSA method. MD and MM-PBSA studies affirmed that the ligand-ChE recognition is a spontaneous reaction leading to stable complexes. The conducted investigations have led to great findings that would strongly guide the pharmaceutical industries toward the rational development of potent anti-Alzheimer agents.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, molecular docking, Cannabis sativa L., cholinesterase inhibitors, molecular dynamics, ADMET, MM-PBSA

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Authors: Hi̇lal Surat

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People who want to get rid of stress and intensive working tempo for a while head for recreation operations in order to get rest and have fun. Therefore, planning recreation operation makes contributions to social, physiological, economic and psychological development of an individual and the community in a way that the needs of people meet regularly and constantly. The rapid increase of world population rate makes necessary of benefit from natural or man-made resources in a multiple way. Dams and reservoirs which are built near urban area with the aim of electrical energy conversion and agricultural irrigation are considered as natural area providing various opportunities such as recreation operations. Dams have a great importance regarding to protection and improvement of water resources and coming into service of community. There should be a priority to protect these water resources, which are essential for nature and living organisms. It should be taken into consideration that these water resources are the most important input in the area and have high nature value to make sustainability of recreation effectiveness. The Deriner reservoir that has been built yet near the province of Artvin with natural and cultural properties is considered as an alternative option for meeting the needs of people for sportive and recreation activities and as a potential for planning of water-based recreation activities. Hence, in this study, activities that meet the expectations of people who get benefit from the area considering to natural, cultural and sportive recreation opportunities will be developed. In the first place, planning criteria for some sportive and water-based recreation operations will be defined in order to use the area for recreation and sportive activities and these criteria will be a base for a macro planning work within the holistic perspective of natural, cultural, and economical structure of the area. After this time, necessities of local people and evaluation of reservoir recreational potential will be determined, end then different socio-economic groups according to their in-come, age groups will be chosen and the questionnaire which has already prepared will be done these groups, as a result of these questionnaire recreational activities in water necessities will determine and we are going to develop different suggestion for this reservoir.

Keywords: dam, dam lakes, Deriner, recreation, water based activities

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Authors: Javeria Arain, Saad Malik

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The management of solid waste is a crucial and essential aspect of urban environmental management especially in a city with an ever increasing population such as Karachi. The total amount of municipal solid waste generated from Gulshan e Iqbal town on average is 444.48 tons per day and landfill sites are a widely accepted solution for final disposal of this waste. However, an improperly selected site can have immense environmental, economical and ecological impacts. To select an appropriate landfill site a number of factors should be kept into consideration to minimize the potential hazards of solid waste. The purpose of this research is to analyse the study area for the construction of an appropriate landfill site for disposal of municipal solid waste generated from Gulshan e-Iqbal Town by using geospatial techniques considering hydrological, geological, social and geomorphological factors. This was achieved using analytical hierarchy process and fuzzy analysis as a decision support tool with integration of geographic information sciences techniques. Eight most critical parameters, relevant to the study area, were selected. After generation of thematic layers for each parameter, overlay analysis was performed in ArcGIS 10.0 software. The results produced by both methods were then compared with each other and the final suitability map using AHP shows that 19% of the total area is Least Suitable, 6% is Suitable but avoided, 46% is Moderately Suitable, 26% is Suitable, 2% is Most Suitable and 1% is Restricted. In comparison the output map of fuzzy set theory is not in crisp logic rather it provides an output map with a range of 0-1, where 0 indicates least suitable and 1 indicates most suitable site. Considering the results it is deduced that the northern part of the city is appropriate for constructing the landfill site though a final decision for an optimal site could be made after field survey and considering economical and political factors.

Keywords: Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), fuzzy set theory, Geographic Information Sciences (GIS), Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA)

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Authors: Prerna Kalra, Surender Singh

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Cisplatin is the most common chemotherapeutic agent used in different solid tumors, but its main limiting factor is dose-dependent nephrotoxicity by generating reactive oxygen species, by stimulating inflammatory and apoptotic pathways. Additional adjuvant therapies to decrease the toxicity of this chemotherapeutic drug are essential. This study was designed to evaluate the protective role of Emblica officinalis Geartn (Indian gooseberry) against cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity. Emblica officinalis was orally administered to Wistar rats (n=6) for 10 days in 50, 100 and 200mg/kg body weight. On day 7, 8mg/kg of cisplatin was administered intra-peritoneally to rats in all groups. Serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and antioxidant levels were measured on day10. The renal damage was evaluated by histopathological and transmission electron microscopy. We found that 200mg/kg dose of Emblica officinalis significantly inhibited the elevation of biochemical parameters i.e. serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, oxidant stress marker (malondialdehyde) and increased the reduced levels of antioxidant marker (endogenous glutathione and superoxide dismutase). Cisplatin treated rats have shown acute tubular necrosis and infiltration of inflammatory cells in rat kidney which was reversed after treating the animals with Emblica officinalis in the treatment group. In ultrastructural changes cisplatin treated group showed the damaged mitochondria (M) with dissolved cristae and large number of lysosomes (L) and vacuole (V) formation in tubular epithelial cells. EOE administered group showed visible cristae formation and sign of autophagy vacuoles at a dose of 200mg/kg. Further in-silico studies revealed that ellagic acid is responsible for its nephroprotective effect. The above findings conclude that the Emblica officinalis may be used as an adjuvant therapy in cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity.

Keywords: antioxidant, cisplatin, Emblica officinalis, in silico, nephrotoxicity

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Authors: Tomasz Zarebski

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A very important element of the education system is its evaluation procedure. Each education system should be systematically evaluated and improved. Among the criteria subject to evaluation, attention should be paid to the following: structure of the study programme, implementation of the study programme, admission to studies, verification of learning outcomes achievement by students, giving credit for individual semesters and years, and awarding diplomas, competence, experience, qualifications and the number of staff providing education, staff development, and in-service training, education infrastructure, cooperation with social and economic stakeholders on the development, conditions for and methods of improving the internationalisation of education provided as part of the degree programme, supporting learning, social, academic or professional development of students and their entry on the labour market, public access to information about the study programme and quality assurance policy. Concerning the assessment process and the individual assessment indicators, the participation of students in these processes is essential. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the rules of student participation in accreditation processes on the example of individual countries in Europe. The rules of students' participation in the work of accreditation committees and their influence on the final grade of the committee were analysed. Most of the higher education institutions follow similar rules for accreditation. The general model gives the individual institution freedom to organize its own quality assurance, as long as the system lives up to the criteria for quality and relevance laid down in the particular provisions. This point also applies to students. The regulations of the following countries were examined in the legal-comparative aspect: Poland (Polish Accreditation Committee), Denmark (The Danish Accreditation Institution), France (High Council for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education), Germany (Agency for Quality Assurance through Accreditation of Study Programmes) and Italy (National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes).

Keywords: accreditation, student, study programme, quality assurance in higher education

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Authors: Debabrata Biswas

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The current trend in the development of antibiotic resistance by multiple bacterial pathogens has resulted in a troubling loss of effective antibiotic options for human. The emergence of multi-drug-resistant pathogens has necessitated higher dosages and combinations of multiple antibiotics, further exacerbating the problem of antibiotic resistance. Zoonotic bacterial pathogens, such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (such as enterohaemorrhagic E. coli or EHEC), and Listeria are the most common and predominant foodborne enteric infectious agents. It was observed that these pathogens gained/developed their ability to survive in the presence of antibiotics either in farm animal gut or farm environment and researchers believe that therapeutic and sub-therapeutic antibiotic use in farm animal production might play an important role in it. The mechanism of action of antimicrobial components used in farm animal production in genomic interplay in the gut and farm environment, has not been fully characterized. Even the risk of promoting the exchange of mobile genetic elements between microbes specifically pathogens needs to be evaluated in depth, to ensure sustainable farm animal production, safety of our food and to mitigate/limit the enteric infection with multiple antibiotic resistant bacterial pathogens. Due to the consumer’s demand and considering the current emerging situation, many countries are in process to withdraw antibiotic use in farm animal production. Before withdrawing use of the sub-therapeutic antibiotic or restricting the use of therapeutic antibiotics in farm animal production, it is essential to find alternative natural antimicrobials for promoting the growth of farm animal and/or treating animal diseases. Further, it is also necessary to consider whether that compound(s) has the potential to trigger the acquisition or loss of genetic materials in zoonotic and any other bacterial pathogens. Development of alternative therapeutic and sub-therapeutic antimicrobials for farm animal production and food processing and preservation and their effective implementation for sustainable strategies for farm animal production as well as the possible risk for horizontal gene transfer in major enteric pathogens will be focus in the study.

Keywords: food safety, natural antimicrobial, sustainable farming, antibiotic resistance

Procedia PDF Downloads 270

Authors: W. Assaad, D. Wilmink, H. R. Pasaribu, H. J. M. Geijselaers

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Shell has developed a mono-diameter well concept for oil and gas wells as opposed to the traditional telescopic well design. A Mono-diameter well design allows well to have a single inner diameter from the surface all the way down to reservoir to increase production capacity, reduce material cost and reduce environmental footprint. This is achieved by expansion of liners (casing string) concerned using an expansion tool (e.g. a cone). Since the well is drilled in stages and liners are inserted to support the borehole, overlap sections between consecutive liners exist which should be expanded. At overlap, the previously inserted casing which can be expanded or unexpanded is called the host casing and the newly inserted casing is called the expandable casing. When the cone enters the overlap section, an expandable casing is expanded against a host casing, a cured cement layer and formation. In overlap expansion, ironing or lengthening may appear instead of shortening in the expandable casing when the pressure exerted by the host casing, cured cement layer and formation exceeds a certain limit. This pressure is related to cement strength, thickness of cement layer, host casing material mechanical properties, host casing thickness, formation type and formation strength. Ironing can cause implications that hinder the deployment of the technology. Therefore, the understanding of ironing becomes essential. A physical model is built in-house to calculate expansion forces, stresses, strains and post expansion casing dimensions under different conditions. In this study, only free casing and overlap expansion of two casings are addressed while the cement and formation will be incorporated in future study. Since the axial strain can be predicted by the physical model, the onset of ironing can be confirmed. In addition, this model helps in understanding ironing and the parameters influencing it. Finally, the physical model is validated with Finite Element (FE) simulations and small-scale experiments. The results of the study confirm that high pressure leads to ironing when the casing is expanded in tension mode.

Keywords: casing expansion, cement, formation, metal forming, plasticity, well design

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Authors: Zeynep Aksoy

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Since global mobility of capital, information and people increase more and more, intercultural communication and management become a growing study field of investigating various aspects of the interaction between people from different cultural backgrounds. Human mobility, caused by several intentions from tourism to forced migration, often put people in facing communication barriers, issues or sometimes conflicts. This reality naturally enforces education institutions to develop international policies and programs for students in order to improve their intercultural experiences along with the educative objectives. Study-abroad programs, particularly the student exchanges in higher education provide an environment for participants to encounter with cultural differences. Therefore, international exchange programs (i.e. Erasmus Student Mobility, Global Exchange Program) are accepted to bring opportunities for intergroup contact, which may lead students to obtain new perspectives about the host culture, either in positive or negative ways, and new intercultural communication skills. This study aims to explore the role of short-term study abroad experience on intercultural communication competence with a qualitative approach. It attempts to reveal a comparative analysis, which is derived from two field studies conducted in Izmir (Turkey) and in Amsterdam (the Netherlands) in 2015 and 2016. They were both organized in two phases as pre-and-posttest to gain an insight into the changes (if any) in students’ attitudes and knowledge regarding the host culture, and their further motivations towards cross-cultural interactions. With this aim, focus group sessions and in-depth interviews have been taken place with participants at the beginning of their stay and at the end of the semester. The sample covers students mainly from Erasmus program (20 students in Izmir and 14 students in Amsterdam), and few from Global Exchange Program (5 students in Amsterdam). Data obtained from both studies were thematically analyzed and essential themes were identified within the framework of intercultural communication competence.

Keywords: Erasmus student mobility, intercultural communication competence, student exchange, short-term study abroad

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Authors: Muhammad Rizwan Tariq, Muhammad Issa Khan, Zulfiqar Ahmad, Muhammad Adnan Nasir, Muhammad Sameem Javed, Sheraz Ahmed

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Functional foods may be a good tool that can be simply utilized in reducing community health expenses. Regular consumption of rabbit meat can offer patrons with bioactive components because the manipulation in rabbit feed is much successful to raise the levels of conjugated linoleic acid, ecosapentaenoic acid, decosahexaenoic acid, polyunsaturated fatty acids, selenium, tocopherol etc. and to reduce the ω-3/ω-6 ratio which is performing a major role in curing of cardiovascular and several other diseases. In comparison to the meats of other species, rabbit meat has higher amounts of protein with essential amino acids, especially in the muscles and low cholesterol contents that also have elevated digestibility. The present study was carried out to develop the functional rabbit meat by modifying feed ingredient of rabbit diet. Thirty-day old rabbits were fed with feeds containing 2 % and 4 % oat. The feeding trial was carried out for eight weeks. Rabbits were divided into three different groups and reared for the period of two months. T0 rabbits were considered control group while T1 rabbits were reared on 4% oat, and T2 were on 2% oat in the feed. At the end of the 8 weeks, the rabbits were slaughtered. Results presented in this study concluded that 4 % oat seed supplementation enhanced n-3 PUFA in meat. It was observed that oat seed supplementation also reduced fat percentage in the meat. Utilization of oat in the feed of rabbits significantly affected the pH, protein, fat, textural and concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids. A study trial was conducted in order to examine the impact of functional meat on the blood lipid profile of human subjects. They were given rabbit meat in comparison to the chicken meat for the period of one month. The cholesterol, triglycerides and low density lipoprotein were found to be lower in blood serum of human subject group treated with 4 % oat meat.

Keywords: functional food, functional rabbit meat, meat quality, rabbit

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Authors: Fazl Ullah, Rahmat Ullah

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This paper shows a comprehensive learning focused on the optimization of gas production in shale gas reservoirs through hydraulic fracturing. Shale gas has emerged as an important unconventional vigor resource, necessitating innovative techniques to enhance its extraction. The key objective of this study is to examine the influence of fracture parameters on reservoir productivity and formulate strategies for production optimization. A sophisticated model integrating gas flow dynamics and real stress considerations is developed for hydraulic fracturing in multi-stage shale gas reservoirs. This model encompasses distinct zones: a single-porosity medium region, a dual-porosity average region, and a hydraulic fracture region. The apparent permeability of the matrix and fracture system is modeled using principles like effective stress mechanics, porous elastic medium theory, fractal dimension evolution, and fluid transport apparatuses. The developed model is then validated using field data from the Barnett and Marcellus formations, enhancing its reliability and accuracy. By solving the partial differential equation by means of COMSOL software, the research yields valuable insights into optimal fracture parameters. The findings reveal the influence of fracture length, diversion capacity, and width on gas production. For reservoirs with higher permeability, extending hydraulic fracture lengths proves beneficial, while complex fracture geometries offer potential for low-permeability reservoirs. Overall, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of hydraulic cracking dynamics in shale gas reservoirs and provides essential guidance for optimizing gas production. The research findings are instrumental for energy industry professionals, researchers, and policymakers alike, shaping the future of sustainable energy extraction from unconventional resources.

Keywords: fluid-solid coupling, apparent permeability, shale gas reservoir, fracture property, numerical simulation

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Authors: Antonios Paraskevas, Michael Madas

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For a university to maintain its international competitiveness in education, it is essential to recruit qualitative academic staff as it constitutes its most valuable asset. This selection demonstrates a significant role in achieving strategic objectives, particularly by emphasizing a firm commitment to exceptional student experience and innovative teaching and learning practices of high quality. In this vein, the appropriate selection of academic staff establishes a very important factor of competitiveness, efficiency and reputation of an academic institute. Within this framework, our work demonstrates a comprehensive methodological concept that emphasizes on the multi-criteria nature of the problem and on how decision makers could utilize our approach in order to proceed to the appropriate judgment. The conceptual framework introduced in this paper is built upon a hybrid neutrosophic method based on the Neutrosophic Analytical Hierarchy Process (N-AHP), which uses the theory of neutrosophy sets and is considered suitable in terms of significant degree of ambiguity and indeterminacy observed in decision-making process. To this end, our framework extends the N-AHP by incorporating the Neutrosophic Delphi Method (N-DM). By applying the N-DM, we can take into consideration the importance of each decision-maker and their preferences per evaluation criterion. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed model is the first which applies Neutrosophic Delphi Method in the selection of academic staff. As a case study, it was decided to use our method to a real problem of academic personnel selection, having as main goal to enhance the algorithm proposed in previous scholars’ work, and thus taking care of the inherit ineffectiveness which becomes apparent in traditional multi-criteria decision-making methods when dealing with situations alike. As a further result, we prove that our method demonstrates greater applicability and reliability when compared to other decision models.

Keywords: analytical hierarchy process, delphi method, multi-criteria decision maiking method, neutrosophic set theory, personnel recruitment

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Authors: Vinti Davar

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Background: Worldwide, at least 2.8 million people die each year as a result of being overweight or obese, and 35.8 million (2.3%) of global DALYs are caused by overweight or obesity. Obesity is acknowledged as one of the burning public health problems reducing life expectancy and quality of life. The body composition analysis of the university population is essential in assessing the nutritional status, as well as the risk of developing diseases associated with abnormal body fat content so as to make nutritional recommendations. Objectives: The main aim was to determine the prevalence of obesity and overweight in University students using Anthropometric analysis and BIA methods Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 283 university students participated. The body composition analysis was undertaken by using mainly: i) Anthropometric Measurement: Height, Weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference and skin fold thickness, ii) Bio-electrical impedance was used for analysis of body fat mass, fat percent and visceral fat which was measured by Tanita SC-330P Professional Body Composition Analyzer. The data so collected were compiled in MS Excel and analyzed for males and females using SPSS 16.Results and Discussion: The mean age of the male (n= 153) studied subjects was 25.37 ±2.39 year and females (n=130) was 22.53 ±2.31. The data of BIA revealed very high mean fat per cent of the female subjects i.e. 30.3±6.5 per cent whereas mean fat per cent of the male subjects was 15.60±6.02 per cent indicating a normal body fat range. The findings showed high visceral fat of both males (12.92±3.02) and females (16.86±4.98). BMI, BF% and WHR were higher among females, and BMI was higher among males. The most evident correlation was verified between BF% and WHR for female students (r=0.902; p<0.001). The correlation of BFM and BF% with thickness of triceps, sub scapular and abdominal skin folds and BMI was significant (P<0.001). Conclusion: The studied data made it obvious that there is a need to initiate lifestyle changing strategies especially for adult females and encourage them to improve their dietary intake to prevent incidence of non communicable diseases due to obesity and high fat percentage.

Keywords: anthropometry, bioelectrical impedance, body fat percentage, obesity

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Authors: Yazdan Moradi

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Spirulina platensis is a blue-green microalga with unique nutrient content and has many nutritional and therapeutic effects that are used to enrich various foods. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of Spirulina platensis microalgae on the nutritional value and sensory and physical properties of four different cereal-based products. For this purpose, spirulina microalgae dry powder with amounts of 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 is added to the formula of pasta, bulk bread, layered sweets, and cupcakes. A sample without microalgae powder of each product is also considered as a control. The results showed that adding Spirulina powder to the formulation of selected foods significantly changed the nutrition value and sensory and physical characteristics. Comparison to control protein increased in the samples containing spirulina powder. The increase in protein was about 1, 0.6, 1.2 and 1.1 percent in bread, cake, layered sweets and Pasta, respectively. The iron content of samples, including Spirulina, also increased. The increase was 0.6, 2, 5 and 18 percent in bread, cake, layered sweets and Pasta respectively. Sensory evaluation analysis showed that all products had an acceptable acceptance score. The instrumental analysis of L*, a*, and b* color indices showed that the increase of spirulina caused green color in the treatments, and this color change is more significant in the bread and pasta samples. The results of texture analysis showed that adding spirulina to selected food products reduces the hardness of the samples. No significant differences were observed in fat content in samples, including spirulina samples and control. However, fatty acid content and a trace amount of EPA found in samples included 1% spirulina. Added spirulina powder to food ingredients also changed the amino acid profile, especially essential amino acids. An increase of histidine, isoleucine, leucine, tryptophan, and valine in samples, including Spirulina was observed.

Keywords: spirulina, nutrition, Alge, iron, food

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Authors: Majed Zobairy, Payam Mohammadpanahi

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Introduction: Skill movement education is one of extremely important duty for sport coaches and sport teachers. Researchers have done lots of studies in this filed to gain the best methodology in movement learning. One of the essential aspects in skill movement education is observational learning. Observational learning, or learning by watching demonstrations, has been characterized as one of the most important methods by which people learn variety of skill and behaviours.The purpose of this study was determined the effect of observational practice on the volleyball service learning with emphasis on the Role of Self–Efficacy. Methods: The Sample consisted of100 male students was assigned accessible sampling technique and homogeneous manner with emphasis on the Role of Self–Efficacy level to 4 groups. The first group performed physical training, the second group performed observational practice task, the third practiced physically and observationally and the fourth group served as the control group. The experimental groups practiced in a one day acquisition and performed the retention task, after 72 hours. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and independent t-test were used for Statistical analyses. Results and Discussion: Results shows that observation practice task group can significantly improve volleyball services skills acquisition (T=7.73). Also mixed group (physically and observationally) is significantly better than control group regarding to volleyball services skills acquisition (T=7.04). Conclusion: Results have shown observation practice task group and mixed group are significantly better than control group in acquisition test. The present results are in line with previous studies, suggesting that observation learning can improve performance. On the other hand, results shows that self-efficacy level significantly effect on acquisition movement skill. In other words, high self-efficacy is important factor in skill learning level in volleyball service.

Keywords: observational practice, volleyball service, self–efficacy, sport science

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Authors: Philip T. Broughton, Mark P. Bettney, Isla L. Smail

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Effective treatment of ground instability is essential when managing the impacts associated with historic mining. A field trial was undertaken by the Coal Authority to investigate the geotechnical performance and potential use of composite materials comprising resin and fill or stone to safely treat surface collapses, such as crown-holes, associated with shallow mining. Test pits were loosely filled with various granular fill materials. The fill material was injected with commercially available silicate and polyurethane resin foam products. In situ and laboratory testing was undertaken to assess the geotechnical properties of the resultant composite materials. The test pits were subsequently excavated to assess resin permeation. Drilling and resin injection was easiest through clean limestone fill materials. Recycled building waste fill material proved difficult to inject with resin; this material is thus considered unsuitable for use in resin composites. Incomplete resin permeation in several of the test pits created irregular ‘blocks’ of composite. Injected resin foams significantly improve the stiffness and resistance (strength) of the un-compacted fill material. The stiffness of the treated fill material appears to be a function of the stone particle size, its associated compaction characteristics (under loose tipping) and the proportion of resin foam matrix. The type of fill material is more critical than the type of resin to the geotechnical properties of the composite materials. Resin composites can effectively support typical design imposed loads. Compared to other traditional treatment options, such as cement grouting, the use of resin composites is potentially less disruptive, particularly for sites with limited access, and thus likely to achieve significant reinstatement cost savings. The use of resin composites is considered a suitable option for the future treatment of shallow mining collapses.

Keywords: composite material, ground improvement, mining legacy, resin

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Authors: Zerrin Akter Anni

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The media's role in shaping perceptions of violence against women (VAW) and their portrayal in news reporting significantly influences our understanding of this critical issue. My research delves into the portrayal of violence against women in mainstream media, using the prominent case of Dr. Rumana Manzur, a former UBC Fulbright Scholar from Bangladesh who suffered a brutal assault by her ex-husband in June 2011. Employing a qualitative research approach, this study uses an ethnographic media analysis method to scrutinize news reports of the aforementioned case from selected newspapers in Bangladesh. The primary objectives are to investigate how the popular news media in Bangladesh addresses the issue of violence against women and frames the victims of such violence. The findings of this research highlight that news media can perpetuate gender stereotypes and subtly shift blame onto the victim through various techniques, creating intricate interactions between the reader and the text. These techniques include sensationalized headlines, textual content, and graphic images. This victim-blaming process not only retraumatizes the survivor but also distorts the actual facts when presenting the case to a larger audience. Consequently, the representation of violence against women cases in media, particularly the portrayal of women as victims during reporting, significantly impacts our collective comprehension of this issue. In conclusion, this paper asserts that the Bangladeshi media, particularly news outlets, in conjunction with society, continue to follow a pattern of depicting gender-based violence in ways that devalue the image of women. This research underscores the need for critical analysis of media representations of violence against women cases, as they can perpetuate harmful stereotypes and hinder efforts to combat this pervasive problem. Therefore, the outcome of this research is to comprehend the complex dynamics between media and violence against women, which is essential for fostering a more empathetic and informed society that actively works towards eradicating this problem from our society.

Keywords: media representation, violence against women (vaw), ethnographic media analysis, victim-blaming, sensationalized headline

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Authors: Noah Emil Glisik

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Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, immune-mediated disorder characterized by neurodegenerative processes and a highly variable disease course. Recent research highlights a complex interplay between psychological stress and MS progression, with both acute and chronic stressors linked to heightened inflammatory activity, increased relapse risk, and accelerated disability. This review synthesizes findings from systematic analyses, cohort studies, and neuroimaging investigations to examine how stress contributes to disease dynamics in MS. Evidence suggests that psychological stress influences MS progression through neural and physiological pathways, including dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and heightened activity in specific brain regions, such as the insular cortex. Notably, functional MRI studies indicate that stress-induced neural activity may predict future atrophy in gray matter regions implicated in motor and cognitive function, thus supporting a neurobiological link between stress and neurodegeneration in MS. Longitudinal studies further associate chronic stress with reduced quality of life and higher relapse frequency, emphasizing the need for a multifaceted therapeutic approach that addresses both the physical and psychological dimensions of MS. Evidence from intervention studies suggests that stress management strategies, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based programs, may reduce relapse rates and mitigate lesion formation in MS patients. These findings underscore the importance of integrating stress-reducing interventions into standard MS care, with potential to improve disease outcomes and patient well-being. Further research is essential to clarify the causal pathways and develop targeted interventions that could modify the stress response in MS, offering an avenue to address disease progression and enhance quality of life.

Keywords: multiple sclerosis, psychological stress, disease progression, neuroimaging, stress management

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