Search results for: bioactive compounds interaction

Authors: Akinola Helen Olufunke, Soetan Olatunbosun Jonathan, Adeleye Oludamola

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Introduction: Antibiotic resistance has grown significantly, which is a major cause for concern. There have not been many significant developments in antibiotics over the past few decades, and practically all of the ones that are currently in use are losing effectiveness against pathogenic germs. Researchers are starting to focus more on the physiologically active compounds found in plants, particularly phytobiotics in poultry production. Consumption of chicken products is among the greatest in the country, but numerous nations, including Nigeria, use excessive amounts of necessary antibiotics in poultry farming, endangering the safety of such goods (through antimicrobial residues). Drug resistance has become a widespread issue as a result of the risky use of antibiotics in the chicken production industry. In order to replace antibiotics, biotic or natural products like phytobiotics (also known as botanicals or phytogenics) have drawn a lot of interest. Phytobiotics or their components are thought to be a relatively recent category of natural herbs that have acquired acceptance and favor among chicken farmers. The addition of several phytobiotic additions to poultry feed has demonstrated its capacity to improve both the broiler and layer populations' productivity. Design: Experimental research design and cross-sectional study was carried out at every 300 purposively selected farming household in the six-geopolitical zone in Nigeria. Data Analysis: A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to each farmer, and quantitative data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) while the Chi-square test was used to analyze factors mitigating the use of Phytobiotics. Result: The result shows that the benefits associated with the use of phytobiotics are contributed to growth promotion in chickens and enhancement of productive performance of broiler and layer, which could be attributed to their antioxidant activity. The result further revealed that factors mitigating the use of phytobiotics were lack of knowledge in the use of phytobiotics, overdose or underdose usage, and seasonal availability of the phytobiotics. Others are the educational level of the farmers, intrinsic motivation, income poultry farming experience, price of phytobiotics based additives feeds, and intensity of extension agents in visiting them. Conclusion: The difficulties associated with using phytobiotics in chicken farms limit their willingness to boost productivity. The study found that most farmers were ignorant, which prevented them from handling this notion and turning their poultry into a viable enterprise while also allowing them to be creative. They believed that packing phytobiotics-based additive feed was expensive, and lastly, the seasonal availability of some phytobiotics. Recommendation: Further research in phytobiotics use in Nigeria should be carried out in order to establish its efficiency, safety, and awareness.

Keywords: mitigating, antibiotics, phytobiotics, poultry farming

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Authors: Farzaneh Badinlou, Reza Kormi-Nouri, Monika Knopf

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Studies of adults' episodic memory have found that enacted encoding not only improve recall performance but also retrieve faster during the recall period. The current study focused on exploring the temporal progression of different encoding conditions in younger and older school children. 204 students from two age group of 8 and 14 participated in this study. During the study phase, we studied action encoding in two forms; participants performed the phrases by themselves (SPT), and observed the performance of the experimenter (EPT), which were compared with verbal encoding; participants listened to verbal action phrases (VT). At test phase, we used immediate and delayed free recall tests. We observed significant differences in memory performance as function of age group, and encoding conditions in both immediate and delayed free recall tests. Moreover, temporal progression of recall was faster in older children when compared with younger ones. The interaction of age-group and encoding condition was only significant in delayed recall displaying that younger children performed better in EPT whereas older children outperformed in SPT. It was proposed that enactment effect in form of SPT enhances item-specific processing, whereas EPT improves relational information processing and this differential processes are responsible for the results achieved in younger and older children. The role of memory strategies and information processing methods in younger and older children were considered in this study. Moreover, the temporal progression of recall was faster in action encoding in the form of SPT and EPT compared with verbal encoding in both immediate and delayed free recall and size of enactment effect was constantly increased throughout the recall period. The results of the present study provide further evidence that the action memory is explained with an emphasis on the notion of information processing and strategic views. These results also reveal the temporal progression of recall as a new dimension of episodic memory in children.

Keywords: action memory, enactment effect, episodic memory, school-aged children, temporal progression

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Authors: Gulmira Zhakupova, Tamara Tultabayeva, Aknur Muldasheva, Assem Sagandyk

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The development of technology and production of products with increased biological value based on the use of natural food raw materials are important tasks in the policy of the food market of the Republic of Kazakhstan. For Kazakhstan, livestock farming, in particular sheep farming, is the most ancient and developed industry and way of life. The history of the Kazakh people is largely connected with this type of agricultural production, with established traditions using dairy products from sheep's milk. Therefore, the development of new technologies from sheep’s milk remains relevant. In addition, one of the most promising areas for the development of food technology for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes is sheep milk products as a source of protein, immunoglobulins, minerals, vitamins, and other biologically active compounds. This article presents the results of research on the study of milk processing technology. The objective of the study is to study the possibilities of processing sheep milk and its role in human nutrition, as well as the results of research to improve the technology of sheep milk products. The studies were carried out on the basis of sanitary and hygienic requirements for dairy products in accordance with the following test methods. To perform microbiological analysis, we used the method for identifying Salmonella bacteria (Horizontal method for identifying, counting, and serotyping Salmonella) in a certain mass or volume of product. Nutritional value is a complex of properties of food products that meet human physiological needs for energy and basic nutrients. The protein mass fraction was determined by the Kjeldahl method. This method is based on the mineralization of a milk sample with concentrated sulfuric acid in the presence of an oxidizing agent, an inert salt - potassium sulfate, and a catalyst - copper sulfate. In this case, the amino groups of the protein are converted into ammonium sulfate dissolved in sulfuric acid. The vitamin composition was determined by HPLC. To determine the content of mineral substances in the studied samples, the method of atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used. The study identified the technological parameters of sheep milk products and determined the prospects for researching sheep milk products. Microbiological studies were used to determine the safety of the study product. According to the results of the microbiological analysis, no deviations from the norm were identified. This means high safety of the products under study. In terms of nutritional value, the resulting products are high in protein. Data on the positive content of amino acids were also obtained. The results obtained will be used in the food industry and will serve as recommendations for manufacturers.

Keywords: dairy, milk processing, nutrition, colostrum

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Authors: Luana Guerra, Silvio C. Sampaio, Vladimir Pavan Margarido, Ralpho R. Reis

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Brazil is the world's largest consumer of pesticides. The excessive use of these compounds has negative impacts on animal and human life, the environment, and food security. Bees, crucial for pollination, are exposed to pesticides during the collection of nectar and pollen, posing risks to their health and the food chain, including honey contamination. Aquatic sediments are also affected, impacting water quality and the microbiota. Therefore, the analysis of aquatic sediments and bee honey is essential to identify environmental contamination and monitor ecosystems. The aim of this study was to use samples of honey from honeybees (Apis mellifera) and aquatic sediment as bioindicators of environmental contamination by pesticides and their relationship with agricultural use in the surrounding areas. The sample collections of sediment and honey were carried out in two stages. The first stage was conducted in the Bituruna municipality region in the second half of the year 2022, and the second stage took place in the regions of Laranjeiras do Sul, Quedas do Iguaçu, and Nova Laranjeiras in the first half of the year 2023. In total, 10 collection points were selected, with 5 points in the first stage and 5 points in the second stage, where one sediment sample and one honey sample were collected for each point, totaling 20 samples. The honey and sediment samples were analyzed at the Laboratory of the Paraná Institute of Technology, with ten samples of honey and ten samples of sediment. The selected extraction method was QuEChERS, and the analysis of the components present in the sample was performed using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The pesticides Azoxystrobin, Epoxiconazole, Boscalid, Carbendazim, Haloxifope, Fomesafen, Fipronil, Chlorantraniliprole, Imidacloprid, and Bifenthrin were detected in the sediment samples from the study area in Laranjeiras do Sul, Paraná, with Carbendazim being the compound with the highest concentration (0.47 mg/kg). The honey samples obtained from the apiaries showed satisfactory results, as they did not show any detection or quantification of the analyzed pesticides, except for Point 9, which had the fungicide tebuconazole but with a concentration Keywords: contamination, water research, agrochemicals, beekeeping activity

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Authors: Marine Regnier, Pascal Bost, Matthieu Horgnies

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Some of the problems to be solved for the concrete industry are linked to the use of low-reactivity cement, the hardening of concrete under cold-weather and the manufacture of pre-casted concrete without costly heating step. The development of these applications needs to accelerate the hydration kinetics, in order to decrease the setting time and to obtain significant compressive strengths as soon as possible. The mechanisms enhancing the hydration kinetics of alite or Portland cement (e.g. the creation of nucleation sites) were already studied in literature (e.g. by using distinct additions such as titanium dioxide nanoparticles, calcium carbonate fillers, water-soluble polymers, C-S-H, etc.). However, the goal of this study was to establish a clear ranking of the efficiency of several types of additions by using a robust and reproducible methodology based on isothermal calorimetry (performed at 20°C). The cement was a CEM I 52.5N PM-ES (Blaine fineness of 455 m²/kg). To ensure the reproducibility of the experiments and avoid any decrease of the reactivity before use, the cement was stored in waterproof and sealed bags to avoid any contact with moisture and carbon dioxide. The experiments were performed on Portland cement pastes by using a water-to-cement ratio of 0.45, and incorporating different compounds (industrially available or laboratory-synthesized) that were selected according to their main composition and their specific surface area (SSA, calculated using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) model and nitrogen adsorption isotherms performed at 77K). The intrinsic effects of (i) dry powders (e.g. fumed silica, activated charcoal, nano-precipitates of calcium carbonate, afwillite germs, nanoparticles of iron and iron oxides , etc.), and (ii) aqueous solutions (e.g. containing calcium chloride, hydrated Portland cement or Master X-SEED 100, etc.) were investigated. The influence of the amount of addition, calculated relatively to the dry extract of each addition compared to cement (and by conserving the same water-to-cement ratio) was also studied. The results demonstrated that the X-SEED®, the hydrated calcium nitrate, the calcium chloride (and, at a minor level, a solution of hydrated Portland cement) were able to accelerate the hydration kinetics of Portland cement, even at low concentration (e.g. 1%wt. of dry extract compared to cement). By using higher rates of additions, the fumed silica, the precipitated calcium carbonate and the titanium dioxide can also accelerate the hydration. In the case of the nano-precipitates of calcium carbonate, a correlation was established between the SSA and the accelerating effect. On the contrary, the nanoparticles of iron or iron oxides, the activated charcoal and the dried crystallised hydrates did not show any accelerating effect. Future experiments will be scheduled to establish the ranking of these additions, in terms of accelerating effect, by using low-reactivity cements and other water to cement ratios.

Keywords: acceleration, hydration kinetics, isothermal calorimetry, Portland cement

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Authors: Yueying Chen

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A city can be developed through memory, and memory is one of the most important elements for urban contexts. Collective memory is a collection of personal memories that can be preserved with objects, places, and events of heritage, expressing culture through spatial changes. These preserved forms can evoke a sense of community and certain emotions. Collective memory in cities reflects urban spatial alterations and historical developments. It can be preserved and reflected by revitalisation projects. A major current focus in collective memory research is how to identify and preserve memory in an intangible way. The influential elements within the preservation of collective memory mainly include institutions and objects. However, current research lacks the assessment of the collective memory after alterations of urban heritage. The assessment of urban heritage lacks visualization and qualitative methods. The emergence of the application of space syntax can fill in this gap. Hengshan Mansions was a new project in 2015. The original residential area has been replaced with a comprehensive commercial area integrating boutique shopping, upscale restaurants, and creative offices. Hengshan Mansions is located in the largest historic area in Shanghai, and its development is the epitome of the traditional culture in Shanghai. Its alteration is the newest project in this area and presents the new concept of revitalisation of urban heritage. For its physical parts, modern vitality is created, and historical information is preserved at the same time. However, most of the local people are moved away, and its functions are altered a lot. The preservation of its collective memory needs to discuss furtherly. Thus, the article builds a framework to assess the collective memory of urban heritage, including spatial configuration, spatial interaction, and cultural cognition. Then, it selects Hengshan Mansions in Shanghai as a case to analyse the assessed framework. Space syntax can be applied to visualize the assessment. Based on the analysis, the article will explore the influential reasons for the collective memory after alterations and proposes relevant advice for the preservation of the collective memory of urban heritage.

Keywords: collective memory, alternation of urban heritage, space syntax, Hengshan Mansions

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Authors: Priscilla Echeverria

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For us grown up in neoliberal societies, it is not always clear that we have not only incorporated an economic logic into our subjectivities, but a technical reason, an instrumental way of relationship with the environment inspired in a control interest that constantly dehumanizes us as takes away our capacity of action, becoming mere objects or bureaucrats, stripped of our citizen dimension to participate in social and political issues responsibly and creatively. To restore the capacity of action -agency- is urgent in our societies to strengthen better democracies. On this, the formal educational system plays a crucial role, which in turn needs teachers prepared to understand their role as integral educators instead of mere curriculum managers. For this reason, initial teacher formation (ITF) programs must assume the responsibility of helping them to develop an ethical/political/epistemic pedagogical agency to deal with a technical school culture and, in turn, able to relate to their students in democratic ways to help them to develop their agency capacities. By highlighting a perspective of education as the opposite of technocracy and bureaucracy, this talk precisely addresses ITF as a crucial and formative space to restore a perspective of what a critical education can look like, enabling pedagogy students with pedagogical agency capacities to, in turn, allow their future students to develop it. This discussion is part of my doctoral research, "The importance of developing the capacity for ethical-political-epistemic agency in novice teachers during initial teacher formation to contribute to social justice", which I currently develop in the Educational Research program of the University of Lancaster, United Kingdom, as a Conicyt fellow for the 2019 cohort. This presentation specifically offers preliminary results of the analysis of critical incidents as a research methodological tool to analyse the capacity of pedagogical agency deployed by novice teachers in their first pedagogical experiences in the Chilean context.

Keywords: initial teacher formation, pedagogical agency, pedagogical interaction, hidden curriculum, critical pedagogy, social justice

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Authors: Jorge Rodriguez-Guerra, Carlos Calleja, Aron Pujana, Iker Elorza, Ana Maria Macarulla

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Society demands more reliable manufacturing processes capable of producing high quality products in shorter production cycles. New control algorithms have been studied to satisfy this paradigm, in which Fault-Tolerant Control (FTC) plays a significant role. It is suitable to detect, isolate and adapt a system when a harmful or faulty situation appears. In this paper, a general overview about FTC characteristics are exposed; highlighting the properties a system must ensure to be considered faultless. In addition, a research to identify which are the main FTC techniques and a classification based on their characteristics is presented in two main groups: Active Fault-Tolerant Controllers (AFTCs) and Passive Fault-Tolerant Controllers (PFTCs). AFTC encompasses the techniques capable of re-configuring the process control algorithm after the fault has been detected, while PFTC comprehends the algorithms robust enough to bypass the fault without further modifications. The mentioned re-configuration requires two stages, one focused on detection, isolation and identification of the fault source and the other one in charge of re-designing the control algorithm by two approaches: fault accommodation and control re-design. From the algorithms studied, one has been selected and applied to a case study based on an industrial hydraulic-press. The developed model has been embedded under a real-time validation platform, which allows testing the FTC algorithms and analyse how the system will respond when a fault arises in similar conditions as a machine will have on factory. One AFTC approach has been picked up as the methodology the system will follow in the fault recovery process. In a first instance, the fault will be detected, isolated and identified by means of a neural network. In a second instance, the control algorithm will be re-configured to overcome the fault and continue working without human interaction.

Keywords: fault-tolerant control, electro-hydraulic actuator, fault detection and isolation, control re-design, real-time

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Authors: Priyanka Tiwari, Uma Devi Ranjit, Ritesh Thapa

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Background and Significance: Cerebral Palsy (CP) influences not only the child's everyday functioning but also the functioning of whole family. Application of study findings can be used in clinical or community setting to screen the parents of children with cerebral palsy in order to identify the compromised domain of stress which in turn will help to improve the interaction between parent and child with disability and thus ultimately affect the progress that a child makes in his or her therapeutic or educational programs. Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the level of stress in mothers of children with CP by adopting mixed method design. Methodology: Cross-sectional descriptive design was adopted in the quantitative design where Parental Stress Scale (PSS) was utilized to collect data from a convenient sample of 40 mothers of children with CP who were under regular follow-up by home visitor of Self-help Group for Cerebral Palsy while embedded qualitative design was used to explore the stress of mothers of CP affected children. From the parent population of quantitative sample 4 mothers were chosen for in-depth exploration, regarding their stress by means of case study method. Descriptive statistics like frequency, percentage, mean, median, standard deviation, correlation and inferential statistics like Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis H test were used to describe and assess relationship between variables. Findings: The mean stress experienced by mothers of children with cerebral palsy was 53.62±9.53 with 15% percent of the mothers experiencing severe stress. There was significant association between age group of mother and total stress score and negative themes of stress. Similarly, signification association was found between educational status of the mother and positive themes of stress which was convergent with the qualitative finding as well, where literate mothers had more positive view of their child's disability which could be attributed to their educational level as education provides us with a broad perspective to look at a situation. Conclusions: Still one-sixth of the mothers experienced severe stress so if we want to ensure the well-being of the children affected by cerebral palsy, then parents caring for them need to be looked after as well.

Keywords: stress, cerebral palsy, mothers, mixed method

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Authors: Ali Jibran

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China was considered as a revisionist state by the countries of East Asia during Maoist era; but China’s role changed from a revisionist state to a constructive member of East Asian Community in post-Maoist era. This research will mainly investigate the two phenomena: what were reasons of behavioral change of China in East Asia and what role has China played to promote regionalism in East Asia since Open Door Policy of Deng Xiaoping. To understand these two phenomena, this study applies the international relations theory of Uneven and Combined Development (U&CD). The central finding of this study is that ‘whip of external necessity’ posed by the Western dominance during the Chinese ‘century of ignominy’ resulted in a Maoist regime in China in 1948 which was hostile to its neighbors due to ideological tensions. Maoist regime in China could not solve the challenges posed by the ‘international’; therefore after Mao’s death, a new economic approach was introduced in China to deal with the challenges postured by the ‘international’. Due to Deng Xiaoping’s 'Open Door Policy' era, China used its ‘privilege of historic backwardness’ and witnessed unprecedented economic growth. As the societies are multiple and exist in real time, therefore interaction among societies is pertinent. Export oriented domestic policy pushed China to concentrate less on class struggle and improve its relations with its neighbors in East Asia. As China soon become a global hub of trade after market oriented reforms, therefore friendly relations with the states of East Asia was pertinent. This study will investigate Chinese role in regionalism in East Asia in three area: Chinese role in promoting regionalism in East Asia, China’s role in economic integration in East Asia and China’s role in combatting terrorism in East Asia. This study will be divided in two section. The first section will deal with the transformation in Chinese behavior in East Asia in post Maoist era, and the second section will analyze China’s role in East Asia by looking at Chinese role in institutional mechanism, economic integration and combatting terrorism in East Asia.

Keywords: East Asia, regionalism, institutionlism, economic integration

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Authors: Myriam Roy

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The perspectives of the Togolese public towards mental illness were assessed, looking at religious affiliation, personal knowledge of someone with a mental illness, and education level as influencers. The goal was to observe which factors influenced most strongly the general public’s attitudes towards mental illness. The Togolese population was surveyed within the context of mental health awareness workshops and involved college and university students, rural community members, and company employees. Taylor and Dear’s Community Attitudes towards the Mentally Ill (CAMI) questionnaire was used to assess these influencers and includes four dimensions of community attitudes towards mental illness: authoritarianism, benevolence, social restrictiveness, and community mental health ideology (CMHI). Demographic questions were also included, tailored to the various realities of the Togolese population. These questions looked, among others, at religious, ethnical (region of origin within Togo), and educational background. It was found that religious affiliation and personal knowledge did not correlate significantly with changes in the four dimensions of the CAMI scale. It suggests that public perspectives towards mental illness might not be as associated with these variables as was previously thought. The dimensions, however, did correlate with themselves as was expected. Authoritarianism was associated positively with social restrictiveness, benevolence was associated negatively with social restrictiveness and positively with CMHI, and CMHI was associated negatively with social restrictiveness, indicating the CAMI did not suffer from reliability and validity issues when used with this population. Interestingly, level of education significantly impacted authoritarianism level, with higher education associated with a decrease in authoritarianism. This finding would support the notion that education is likely to provide access to a wide array of information as well as interaction with people from various backgrounds and situations. Providing increased awareness regarding mental health and illness in schools could be beneficial to favor the impact that education appears to have on public perspectives towards mental illness in Togo. Future studies could assess which mental health interventions in schools would be the most useful in Togo.

Keywords: CAMI questionnaire, cross-cultural psychology, stigma towards mental illness, West African psychology

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Authors: Zain Ul Abadeen, Muhammad Zargham Khan, Muhammad Kashif Saleemi, Ahrar Khan, Ijaz Javed Hassan, Aisha Khatoon, Qasim Altaf

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Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites produced by toxigenic fungi, and there are four types of aflatoxins include AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is considered as most toxic form. It is mainly responsible for the contamination of poultry feed and produces a condition called aflatoxicosis leads to immunosuppression in poultry birds. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a single cell microorganism and acts as a source of growth factors, minerals and amino acids which improve the immunity and digestibility in poultry birds as probiotics. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is well recognized to cause the biological degradation of mycotoxins (toxin binder) because its cell wall contains β-glucans and mannans which specifically bind with aflatoxins and reduce their absorption or transfer them to some non-toxic compounds. The present study was designed to investigate the immunosuppressive effects of aflatoxins in broiler chicks and the reduction of severity of these effects by the use of Baker’s Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). One-day-old broiler chicks were procured from local hatchery and were divided into various groups (A-I). These groups were treated with different levels of AFB1 @ 400 µg/kg and 600 µg/kg along with different levels of Baker’s Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) 0.1% and 0.5 % in the feed. The total duration of the experiment was six weeks and different immunological parameters including the cellular immune response by injecting PHA-P (Phytohemagglutinin-P) in the skin of the birds, phagocytic function of mononuclear cells by Carbon clearance assay from blood samples and humoral immune response against intravenously injected sheep RBCs from the serum samples were determined. The birds from each group were slaughtered at the end of the experiment to determine the presence of gross lesions in the immune organs and these tissues were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin for histological investigations. The results showed that AFB1 intoxicated groups had reduced body weight gain, feed intake, organs weight and immunological responses compared to the control and Baker’s Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) treated groups. Different gross and histological degenerative changes were recorded in the immune organs of AFB1 intoxicated groups compared to control and Baker’s Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) treated groups. The present study concluded that Baker’s Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) addition in the feed helps to ameliorate the immunotoxigenic effects produced by AFB1 in broiler chicks.

Keywords: aflatoxins, body weight gain, feed intake, immunological response, toxigenic effect

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Authors: Akhil Raj Pushparajan, Ranjit Ramachandran, Jijimole Gopi Reji, Ajay Kumar Ramakrishnan

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Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), is one of the leading causes of death by an infectious disease. In spite of the availability of effective drugs and a vaccine, TB is a major health concern and was declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO). The success of intracellular pathogens like Mtb depends on its ability to overcome the challenging environment in the host. Gene regulation controlled by transcriptional regulators (TRs) plays a crucial role for the bacteria to adapt to the host environment. In vitro studies on gene regulatory mechanisms during dormancy and reactivation have provided insights into the adaptations employed by Mtb to survive in the host. Here we present our efforts to functionally characterize Rv1019, a putative TR of Mtb H37Rv which was found to be present at significantly varying levels during dormancy and reactivation in vitro. The expression of this protein in the dormancy-reactivation model was validated by qRT-PCR and western blot. By DNA- protein interaction studies and reporter assays we found that under normal laboratory conditions of growth this protein behaves as an auto-repressor and tetracycline was found to abrogate this repression by interfering with its ability to bind DNA. Further, by cDNA analysis, we found that this TR is co-transcribed with its downstream genes Rv1020 (mfd) and Rv1021 (mazG) which are involved in DNA damage response in Mtb. Constitutive expression of this regulator in the surrogate host M. smegmatis showed downregulation of the orthologues of downstream genes suggested that Rv1019 could negatively regulate these genes. Our finds also show that M. smegmatis expressing Rv1019 is sensitive to DNA damage suggests the role of this protein in regulating DNA damage response induced by oxidative stress. Because of its role in regulating DNA damage response which may help in the persistence of Mtb, Rv1019 could be used as a prospective target for therapeutic intervention to fight TB.

Keywords: auto-repressor, DNA repair, mycobacterium smegmatis, mycobacterium tuberculosis, tuberculosis

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Authors: Paulomi (Polly) Burey, Zoe Lynch

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In STEM education, students often have difficulty linking static images and words from textbooks or online resources, to the underlying mechanisms of the topic of study. This can often dissuade some students from pursuing study in the physical and chemical sciences. A growing movement in current day students demonstrates that the YouTube generation feel they learn best from video or dynamic, interactive learning tools, and will seek these out as alternatives to their textbooks and the classroom learning environment. Chemistry, and in particular visualization of molecular structures in everyday materials, can prove difficult to comprehend without significant interaction with the teacher of the content and concepts, beyond the timeframe of a typical class. This can cause a learning hurdle for distance education students, and so it is necessary to provide strong electronic tools and resources to aid their learning. As one of the electronic resources, an animation design approach to link everyday materials to their underlying chemistry would be beneficial for student learning, with the focus here being on food. These animations were designed and storyboarded with a scaling approach and commence with a focus on the food material itself and its component parts. This is followed by animated transitions to its underlying microstructure and identifying features, and finally showing the molecules responsible for these microstructural features. The animation ends with a reverse transition back through the molecular structure, microstructure, all the way back to the original food material, and also animates some reactions that may occur during food processing to demonstrate the purpose of the underlying chemistry and how it affects the food we eat. Using this cyclical approach of linking students’ existing knowledge of food to help guide them to understanding more complex knowledge, and then reinforcing their learning by linking back to their prior knowledge again, enhances student understanding. Food is also an ideal material system for students to interact with, in a hands-on manner to further reinforce their learning. These animations were launched this year in a 2nd year University Food Chemistry course with improved learning outcomes for the cohort.

Keywords: chemistry, food science, future pedagogy, STEM Education

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Authors: Elnaz Kanani-Kuchesfehani, Andrea Schiffauerova

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Due to the novelty of the nanotechnology science, its highly knowledge intensive content, and its invaluable application in almost all technological fields, the close interaction between university and industry is essential. A possible gap between academic strengths to generate good nanotechnology ideas and industrial capacity to receive them can thus have far-reaching consequences. In order to be able to enhance the collaboration between the two parties, a better understanding of knowledge transfer within the university-industry relationship is needed. The objective of this research is to investigate the research collaboration between academia and industry in Canadian nanotechnology and to propose the best cooperative strategy to maximize the quality of the produced knowledge. First, a network of all Canadian academic and industrial nanotechnology inventors is constructed using the patent data from the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office), and it is analyzed with social network analysis software. The actual level of university-industry collaboration in Canadian nanotechnology is determined and the significance of each group of actors in the network (academic vs. industrial inventors) is assessed. Second, a novel methodology is proposed, in which the network of nanotechnology inventors is assessed from a game theoretic perspective. It involves studying a cooperative game with n players each having at most n-1 decisions to choose from. The equilibrium leads to a strategy for all the players to choose their co-worker in the next period in order to maximize the correlated payoff of the game. The payoffs of the game represent the quality of the produced knowledge based on the citations of the patents. The best suggestion for the next collaborative relationship is provided for each actor from a game theoretic point of view in order to maximize the quality of the produced knowledge. One of the major contributions of this work is the novel approach which combines game theory and social network analysis for the case of large networks. This approach can serve as a powerful tool in the analysis of the strategic interactions of the network actors within the innovation systems and other large scale networks.

Keywords: cooperative strategy, game theory, industry-university collaboration, knowledge production, social network analysis

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Authors: Fang Tang

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A major Confucian masterpiece and the earliest-known poetry anthology (composed approximately 1046-771 BCE), The Classic of Poetry, reflects different cultures in ancient China. It is regarded as a Chinese classic and one of the world’s most significant written works, an essential part of our global cultural heritage. This paper explores how the ancient Chinese classic became transformed into part of popular culture, found in folk songs circulated in Fangxian county, a mountainous location in Hubei province in central mainland China. It is the hometown of one of the most well-known authors of The Classic of Poetry, whose name is Yin Jifu. Local villagers process, refine, and recreate these poems into popular folk songs, which have been handed down from generation to generation. The folk songs based on The Classic of Poetry vividly reflect local customs, life styles, and various cultural activities. After thousands of years of singing these traditional songs, the region has become an important area to maintain part of Chinese cultural heritages; here, the original high culture is converted into a popular culture that is absorbed into people’s daily life. Based on a year’s field research and many interviews with local singers, this paper explores the ways in which locals have transformed the contents of The Classic of Poetry. It examines how today these popular folk songs become part of much-treasured culture heritage, illustrating the transformation of traditional high culture into popular culture. The paper argues that the modern adaptations of the traditional poems of The Classic of Poetry combine both oral and written cultural heritage and reflects the interaction between ancient Chinese official literature and folk literature. The paper also explores the reasons why the folk songs of The Classic of Poetry are so popular in the area, including the influences of its author Yin Jifu, the impact of ancient diasporic culture from the political centre to remote rural areas, and the interactions of local cultures (famous as Chu culture) and Chinese mainstream cultural policies.

Keywords: high/low culture, The Classic of Poetry, the functions of media, cultural policy

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Authors: Laura Helena Caicedo Lopez, Luis Miguel Contreras Medina, Ramon Gerardo Guevara Gonzales, Juan E. Andrade

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In this study, we evaluated the effect of three different hydric stress conditions: Low (LHS), medium (MHS), and high (HHS) on capsaicinoid content and enzyme regulation of C. annuum plants. Five main peaks were detected using a 2 Hz resolution vibrometer laser (Polytec-B&K). These peaks or “characteristic frequencies” were used as acoustic emissions (AEs) treatment, transforming these signals into audible sound with the frequency (Hz) content of each hydric stress. Capsaicinoids (CAPs) are the main, secondary metabolites of chili pepper plants and are known to increase during hydric stress conditions or short drought-periods. The AEs treatments were applied in two plant stages: the first one was in the pre-anthesis stage to evaluate the genes that encode the transcription of enzymes responsible for diverse metabolic activities of C. annuum plants. For example, the antioxidant responses such as peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD). Also, phenyl-alanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) involved in the biosynthesis of the phenylpropanoid compounds. The chalcone synthase (CHS) related to the natural defense mechanisms and species-specific aquaporin (CAPIP-1) that regulate the flow of water into and out of cells. The second stage was at 40 days after flowering (DAF) to evaluate the biochemical effect of AEs related to hydric stress on capsaicinoids production. These two experiments were conducted to identify the molecular responses of C. annuum plants to AE. Moreover, to define AEs could elicit any increase in the capsaicinoids content after a one-week exposition to AEs treatments. The results show that all AEs treatment signals (LHS, MHS, and HHS) were significantly different compared to the non-acoustic emission control (NAE). Also, the AEs induced the up-regulation of POD (~2.8, 2.9, and 3.6, respectively). The gene expression of another antioxidant response was particularly treatment-dependent. The HHS induced and overexpression of Mn-SOD (~0.23) and PAL (~0.33). As well, the MHS only induced an up-regulation of the CHs gene (~0.63). On the other hand, CAPIP-1 gene gas down-regulated by all AEs treatments LHS, MHS, and HHS ~ (-2.4, -0.43 and -6.4, respectively). Likewise, the down-regulation showed particularities depending on the treatment. LHS and MHS induced downregulation of the SOD gene ~ (-1.26 and -1.20 respectively) and PAL (-4.36 and 2.05, respectively). Correspondingly, the LHS and HHS showed the same tendency in the CHs gene, respectively ~ (-1.12 and -1.02, respectively). Regarding the elicitation effect of AE on the capsaicinoids content, additional treatment controls were included. A white noise treatment (WN) to prove the frequency-selectiveness of signals and a hydric stressed group (HS) to compare the CAPs content. Our findings suggest that WN and NAE did not present differences statically. Conversely, HS and all AEs treatments induced a significant increase of capsaicin (Cap) and dihydrocapsaicin (Dcap) after one-week of a treatment. Specifically, the HS plants showed an increase of 8.33 times compared to the NAE and WN treatments and 1.4 times higher than the MHS, which was the AEs treatment with a larger induction of Capsaicinoids among treatments (5.88) and compared to the controls.

Keywords: acoustic emission, capsaicinoids, elicitors, hydric stress, plant signaling

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Authors: Daniel Osieko Okach, Joseph Otieno Ondier, Gerhard Rambold, John Tenhunen, Bernd Huwe, Dennis Otieno

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Increased human activities such as grazing, logging, and agriculture alongside unpredictable rainfall patterns have been detrimental to the ecosystem service delivery, therefore compromising its productivity potential. This study aimed at simulating the impact of drought (50%) and enhanced rainfall (150%) on the future herbaceous CO2 uptake, biomass production and soil C:N dynamics in a humid savanna ecosystem influenced by livestock grazing. Rainfall pattern was predicted using manipulation experiments set up to reduce (50%) and increase (150%) ambient (100%) rainfall amounts in grazed and non-grazed plots. The impact of manipulated rainfall regime on herbaceous CO2 fluxes, biomass production and soil C:N dynamics was measured against volumetric soil water content (VWC) logged every 30 minutes using the 5TE (Decagon Devices Inc., Washington, USA) soil moisture sensors installed (at 20 cm soil depth) in every plots. Herbaceous biomass was estimated using destructive method augmented by standardized photographic imaging. CO2 fluxes were measured using the ecosystem chamber method and the gas analysed using LI-820 gas analyzer (USA). C:N ratio was calculated from the soil carbon and Nitrogen contents (analyzed using EA2400CHNS/O and EA2410 N elemental analyzers respectively) of different plots under study. The patterning of VWC was directly influenced by the rainfall amount with lower VWC observed in the grazed compared to the non-grazed plots. Rainfall variability, grazing and their interaction significantly affected changes in VWC (p < 0.05) and subsequently total biomass and CO2 fluxes. VWC had a strong influence on CO2 fluxes under 50% rainfall reduction in the grazed (r2 = 0.91; p < 0.05) and ambient rainfall in the ungrazed (r2 = 0.77; p < 0.05). The dependence of biomass on VWC across plots was enhanced under grazed (r2 = 0.78 - 0.87; p < 0.05) condition as compared to ungrazed (r2 = 0.44 - 0.85; p < 0.05). The C:N ratio was however not correlated to VWC across plots. This study provides insight on how the predicted trends in humid savanna will respond to changes influenced by rainfall variability and livestock grazing and consequently the sustainable management of such ecosystems.

Keywords: CO2 fluxes, rainfall manipulation, soil properties, sustainability

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Authors: Berkas Khaoula, Chaoui Kamel

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Polyethylene (PE) pipes are one of the best options for water and gas transmission networks. The main reason for such a choice is its high-quality performance in service conditions over long periods of time. PE pipes are installed in contact with different soils having various chemical compositions with confirmed aggressiveness. As a result, PE pipe surfaces undergo unwanted oxidation reactions. Usually, the polymer mixture is designed to include some additives, such as anti-oxidants, to inhibit or reduce the degradation effects. Some other additives are intended to increase resistance to the ESC phenomenon associated with polymers (ESC: Environmental Stress Cracking). This situation occurs in contact with aggressive external environments following different contaminations of soil, groundwater and transported fluids. In addition, bacterial activity and other physical or chemical media, such as temperature and humidity, can play an enhancing role. These conditions contribute to modifying the PE pipe structure and degrade its properties during exposure. In this work, the effect of distilled water, sodium hypochlorite (bleach), diluted sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and toluene-methanol (TM) mixture are studied when extruded PE samples are exposed to those environments for given periods. The chosen exposure periods are 7, 14 and 28 days at room temperature and in sealed glass containers. Post-exposure observations and ISO impact tests are presented as a function of time and chemical medium. Water effects are observed to be limited in explaining such use in real applications, whereas the changes in TM and acidic media are very significant. For the TM medium, the polymer toughness increased drastically (from 15.95 kJ/m² up to 32.01 kJ/m²), while sulfuric acid showed a steady augmentation over time. This situation may correspond to a hardening phenomenon of PE increasing its brittleness and its ability for structural degradation because of localized oxidation reactions and changes in crystallinity.

Keywords: polyethylene, toluene-methanol mixture, environmental stress cracking, degradation, impact resistance

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Authors: Ziyad S. Haidar

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Background: Saliva plays a major role in maintaining oral, dental, and general health and well-being; where it normally bathes the oral cavity acting as a clearing agent. This becomes more apparent when the amount and quality of saliva are significantly reduced due to medications, salivary gland neoplasms, disorders such as Sjögren’s syndrome, and especially ionizing radiation therapy for tumors of the head and neck, the 5th most common malignancy worldwide, during which the salivary glands are included within the radiation field/zone. Clinically, patients affected by salivary gland dysfunction often opt to terminate their radiotherapy course prematurely as they become malnourished and experience a significant decrease in their QoL. Accordingly, the formulation of a radio-protection/-prevention modality and development of an alternative Rx to restore damaged salivary gland tissue is eagerly awaited and highly desirable. Objectives: Assess the pre-clinical radio-protective effect and reparative/regenerative potential of layer-by-layer self-assembled lipid-polymer-based core-shell nanocapsules designed and fine-tuned for the sequential (ordered) release of dual cytokines, following a single local administration (direct injection) into a murine sub-mandibular salivary gland model of irradiation. Methods: The formulated core-shell nanocapsules were characterized by physical-chemical-mechanically pre-/post-loading with the drugs, followed by optimizing the pharmaco-kinetic profile. Then, nanosuspensions were administered directly into the salivary glands, 24hrs pre-irradiation (PBS, un-loaded nanocapsules, and individual and combined vehicle-free cytokines were injected into the control glands for an in-depth comparative analysis). External irradiation at an elevated dose of 18Gy was exposed to the head-and-neck region of C57BL/6 mice. Salivary flow rate (un-stimulated) and salivary protein content/excretion were regularly assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (3-month period). Histological and histomorphometric evaluation and apoptosis/proliferation analysis followed by local versus systemic bio-distribution and immuno-histochemical assays were then performed on all harvested major organs (at the distinct experimental end-points). Results: Monodisperse, stable, and cytocompatible nanocapsules capable of maintaining the bioactivity of the encapsulant within the different compartments with the core and shell and with controlled/customizable pharmaco-kinetics, resulted, as is illustrated in the graphical abstract (Figure) below. The experimental animals demonstrated a significant increase in salivary flow rates when compared to the controls. Herein, salivary protein content was comparable to the pre-irradiation (baseline) level. Histomorphometry further confirmed the biocompatibility and localization of the nanocapsules, in vivo, into the site of injection. Acinar cells showed fewer vacuoles and nuclear aberration in the experimental group, while the amount of mucin was higher in controls. Overall, fewer apoptotic activities were detected by a Terminal deoxynucleotidyl Transferase (TdT) dUTP Nick-End Labeling (TUNEL) assay and proliferative rates were similar to the controls, suggesting an interesting reparative and regenerative potential of irradiation-damaged/-dysfunctional salivary glands. The Figure below exemplifies some of these findings. Conclusions: Biocompatible, reproducible, and customizable self-assembling layer-by-layer core-shell delivery system is formulated and presented. Our findings suggest that localized sequential bioactive delivery of dual cytokines (in specific dose and order) can prevent irradiation-induced damage via reducing apoptosis and also has the potential to promote in situ proliferation of salivary gland cells; maxSALIVA is scalable (Good Manufacturing Practice or GMP production for human clinical trials) and patent-pending.

Keywords: cancer, head and neck, oncology, drug development, drug delivery systems, nanotechnology, nanoncology

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Authors: Margarita Gáfaro, Karelys Guzmán, Paola Poveda

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This paper establishes the theoretical aspects that explain the barriers to accessing credit for small agricultural producers in developing countries and identifies successful policy experiences to mitigate them. We will test two hypotheses. The first one is that information asymmetries, high transaction costs and high-risk exposure limit the supply of credit to small agricultural producers in developing countries. The second hypothesis is that low levels of financial education and productivity and high uncertainty about the returns of agricultural activity limit the demand for credit. To test these hypotheses, a review of the theoretical and empirical literature on access to rural credit in developing countries will be carried out. The first part of this review focuses on theoretical models that incorporate information asymmetries in the credit market and analyzes the interaction between these asymmetries and the characteristics of the agricultural sector in developing countries. Some of the characteristics we will focus on are the absence of collateral, the underdevelopment of the judicial systems and insurance markets, and the high dependence on climatic factors of production technologies. The second part of this review focuses on the determinants of credit demand by small agricultural producers, including the profitability of productive projects, security conditions, risk aversion or loss, financial education, and cognitive biases, among others. There are policies that focus on resolving these supply and demand constraints and managing to improve credit access. Therefore, another objective of this paper is to present a review of effective policies that have promoted access to credit for smallholders in the world. For this, information available in policy documents will be collected. This information will be complemented by interviews with officials in charge of the design and execution of these policies in a subset of selected countries. The information collected will be analyzed in light of the conceptual framework proposed in the first two parts of this section. The barriers to access to credit that each policy attempts to resolve and the factors that could explain its effectiveness will be identified.

Keywords: agricultural economics, credit access, smallholder, developing countries

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Authors: Z. Kolacinski, L. Szymanski. G. Raniszewski, D. Koza, L. Pietrzak

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Magnetic Bio-Nano-Fluid (BNF) can be composed of a buffer fluid such as plasma and magnetic nanoparticles such as iron, nickel, cobalt and their oxides. However iron is one of the best elements for magnetization by electromagnetic radiation. It can be used as a tool for medical diagnosis and treatment. Radio frequency (RF) radiation is able to heat iron nanoparticles due to magnetic hysteresis. Electromagnetic heating of iron nanoparticles and ferro-fluids BNF can be successfully used for non-invasive thermal ablation of cancer cells. Moreover iron atoms can be carried by carbon nanotubes (CNTs) if iron is used as catalyst for CNTs synthesis. Then CNTs became the iron containers and they screen the iron content against oxidation. We will present a method of CNTs addressing to the required cells. For thermal ablation of cancer cells we use radio frequencies for which the interaction with human body should be limited to minimum. Generally, the application of RF energy fields for medical treatment is justified by deep tissue penetration. The highly iron doped CNTs as the carriers creating magnetic fluid will be presented. An excessive catalyst injection method using electrical furnace and microwave plasma reactor will be presented. This way it is possible to grow the Fe filled CNTs on a moving surface in continuous synthesis process. This also allows producing uniform carpet of the Fe filled CNTs carriers. For the experimental work targeted to cell ablation we used RF generator to measure the increase in temperature for some samples like: solution of Fe2O3 in BNF which can be plasma-like buffer, solutions of pure iron of different concentrations in plasma-like buffer and in buffer used for a cell culture, solutions of carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) of different concentrations in plasma-like buffer and in buffer used for a cell culture. Then the targeted therapies which can be effective if the carriers are able to distinguish the difference between cancerous and healthy cell’s physiology are considered. We have developed an approach based on ligand-receptor or antibody-antigen interactions for the case of colon cancer.

Keywords: cancer treatment, carbon nano tubes, drag delivery, hyperthermia, iron

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Authors: Hafizah Harun, Habibah Harun, Azlina Kamaruddin

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Virtual reality has become a powerful and promising tool in education because of their unique technological characteristics that differentiate them from the other ICT applications. Despite the numerous interpretations of its definition, virtual reality can be concisely and precisely described as the integration of computer graphics and various input and display technologies to create the illusion of immersion in a computer generated reality. Generally, there are two major types based on the level of interaction and immersive environment that are immersive and non-immersive virtual reality. In the study of the role of virtual reality in built environment education, Horne and Thompson were reported as saying that the benefits of using visualization technologies were seen as having the potential to improve and extend the learning process, increase student motivation and awareness, and add to the diversity of teaching methods. Youngblut reported that students enjoy working with virtual worlds and this experience can be highly motivating. The impact of virtual reality on youth learning in Malaysia is currently not well explored because the technology is still not widely used here. Only a handful of the universities, such as University Malaya, MMU, and Unimas are applying virtual reality strategy in some of their undergraduate programs. From the literature, it has been identified that there are several virtual reality learning strategies currently available. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of Virtual Reality strategy on Youth Learning Motivation in Malaysian higher learning institutions. We will explore the relationship between virtual reality (gaming, laboratory, simulation) and youth leaning motivation. Another aspect that we will explore is the framework for virtual reality implementation at higher learning institution in Malaysia. This study will be carried out quantitatively by distributing questionnaires to respondents from sample universities. Data analysis are descriptive and multiple regression. Researcher will carry out a pilot test prior to distributing the questionnaires to 300 undergraduate students who are undergoing their courses in virtual reality environment. The respondents come from two universities, MMU CyberJaya and University Malaya. The expected outcomes from this study are the identification of which virtual reality strategy has most impact on students’ motivation in learning and a proposed framework of virtual reality implementation at higher learning.

Keywords: virtual reality, learning strategy, youth learning, motivation

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Authors: Sung-Chun Tsai, Li-Fang Chou, Chun-Jung Tseng

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How relational identity of leader-subordinate relationship affects behavior of both parties is getting more and more attentions in recent years. Different from past studies on leader-subordinate relationship taking viewpoint of self-concept or interaction between categories, we took perspective of social cognitive schema with special focus on the cognition structure and category content of the vertical leader-subordinate relationship. This study firstly clarified the dimensions and contents of cognitive structure of vertical leader-subordinate relationship. By using two dimensions of “equal/unequal” and “close/distant”, the contents of the leader-subordinate relational identity (LSRI) are classified into four categories: communal affection RI (equal and close), instrumental exchange RI (equal but distant), care-repay RI (unequal but close), and authority-obedience RI (unequal and distant). Furthermore, according to the four dimensions of leader-subordinate relational identity, we explored: (1) how a leader’s LSRI leads to paternalistic leadership; and (2) how paternalistic leadership affects subordinate’s LSRI. Using 59 work group as sample (59 leaders and 251 subordinates), the results of HLM and regression analysis showed: (1) leader’s LSRI significantly affects leadership behavior: instrumental exchange RI is positively relates to authoritarian leadership behavior, but significantly has negative relationship with benevolent leadership; care-repay RI has significantly positive relationship with authoritative leadership; authority-obedience RI has significantly positive relationship with authoritarian leadership; (2) paternalistic leadership is significantly related to subordinates’ LSRI: benevolent leadership is positively related to subordinate’s communal affection and care-repay RI; authoritative leadership has significantly positive relationship with care-repay and authority-obedience RI; authoritarian leadership has significantly positive relationship with subordinate’s instrumental exchange RI. Finally, the main findings, contributions and limits, future research directions, and implications were also discussed.

Keywords: relational identity, leader-subordinate relational identity (LSRI), relational schema, paternalistic leadership

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Authors: J. Tirano, H. Zea, C. Luhrs

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Photocatalysis has established as viable option in the development of processes for the treatment of pollutants and clean energy production. This option is based on the ability of semiconductors to generate an electron flow by means of the interaction with solar radiation. Owing to its electronic structure, TiO₂ is the most frequently used semiconductors in photocatalysis, although it has a high recombination of photogenerated charges and low solar energy absorption. An alternative to reduce these limitations is the use of nanostructured morphologies which can be produced during the synthesis of TiO₂ nanotubes (TNTs). Therefore, if possible to produce vertically oriented nanostructures it will be possible to generate a greater contact area with electrolyte and better charge transfer. At present, however, the development of these innovative structures still presents an important challenge for the development of competitive photoelectrochemical devices. This research focuses on established correlations between synthesis variables and 1D nanostructure morphology which has a direct effect on the photocatalytic performance. TNTs with controlled morphology were synthesized by two-step potentiostatic anodization of titanium foil. The anodization was carried out at room temperature in an electrolyte composed of ammonium fluoride, deionized water and ethylene glycol. Consequent thermal annealing of as-prepared TNTs was conducted in the air between 450 °C-550 °C. Morphology and crystalline phase of the TNTs were carried out by SEM, EDS and XRD analysis. As results, the synthesis conditions were established to produce nanostructures with specific morphological characteristics. Anatase was the predominant phase of TNTs after thermal treatment. Nanotubes with 10 μm in length, 40 nm in pore diameter and a surface-volume ratio of 50 are important in photoelectrochemical applications based on TiO₂ due to their 1D characteristics, high surface-volume ratio, reduced radial dimensions and high oxide/electrolyte interface. Finally, this knowledge can be used to improve the photocatalytic activity of TNTs by making additional surface modifications with dopants that improve their efficiency.

Keywords: electrochemical anodization, morphology, self-organized nanotubes, TiO₂ nanotubes

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Authors: Azizul Baten, Kamrul Hossain, Abdullah-Al-Zabir

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The objective of this study is to develop an appropriate stochastic frontier secondary schools efficiency model by ICT Intervention and to examine the impact of ICT challenges on secondary schools efficiency in the Sylhet division in Bangladesh using stochastic frontier analysis. The Translog stochastic frontier model was found an appropriate than the Cobb-Douglas model in secondary schools efficiency by ICT Intervention. Based on the results of the Cobb-Douglas model, it is found that the coefficient of the number of teachers, the number of students, and teaching ability had a positive effect on increasing the level of efficiency. It indicated that these are related to technical efficiency. In the case of inefficiency effects for both Cobb-Douglas and Translog models, the coefficient of the ICT lab decreased secondary school inefficiency, but the online class in school was found to increase the level of inefficiency. The coefficients of teacher’s preference for ICT tools like multimedia projectors played a contributor role in decreasing the secondary school inefficiency in the Sylhet division of Bangladesh. The interaction effects of the number of teachers and the classrooms, and the number of students and the number of classrooms, the number of students and teaching ability, and the classrooms and teaching ability of the teachers were recorded with the positive values and these have a positive impact on increasing the secondary school efficiency. The overall mean efficiency of urban secondary schools was found at 84.66% for the Translog model, while it was 83.63% for the Cobb-Douglas model. The overall mean efficiency of rural secondary schools was found at 80.98% for the Translog model, while it was 81.24% for the Cobb-Douglas model. So, the urban secondary schools performed better than the rural secondary schools in the Sylhet division. It is observed from the results of the Tobit model that the teacher-student ratio had a positive influence on secondary school efficiency. The teaching experiences of those who have 1 to 5 years and 10 years above, MPO type school, conventional teaching method have had a negative and significant influence on secondary school efficiency. The estimated value of σ-square (0.0625) was different from Zero, indicating a good fit. The value of γ (0.9872) was recorded as positive and it can be interpreted as follows: 98.72 percent of random variation around in secondary school outcomes due to inefficiency.

Keywords: efficiency, secondary schools, ICT, stochastic frontier analysis

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Authors: Jordan Chamarande, Lisiane Cunat, Corentine Alauzet, Catherine Cailliez-Grimal

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Gut microbiota (GM) is now considered a new organ mainly due to the microorganism’s specific biochemical interaction with its host. Although mechanisms underlying host-microbiota interactions are not fully described, it is now well-defined that cell surface molecules and structures of the GM play a key role in such relation. The study of surface structures of GM members is also fundamental for their role in the establishment of species in the versatile and competitive environment of the digestive tract and as a potential virulence factor. Among these structures are capsular polysaccharides (CPS), fimbriae, pili and lipopolysaccharides (LPS), all well-described for their central role in microorganism colonization and communication with host epithelium. The health-promoting Parabacteroides distasonis, which is part of the core microbiome, has recently received a lot of attention, showing beneficial properties for its host and as a new potential biotherapeutic product. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the cell surface molecules and structures of P. distasonis that allow its maintain within the GM are not identified. Moreover, although P. distasonis is strongly recognized as intestinal commensal species with benefits for its host, it has also been recognized as an opportunistic pathogen. In this study, we reported gene clusters potentially involved in the synthesis of the capsule, fimbriae-like and pili-like cell surface structures in 26 P. distasonis genomes and applied the new RfbA-Typing classification in order to better understand and characterize the beneficial/pathogenic behaviour related to P. distasonis strains. In context, 2 different types of fimbriae, 3 of pilus and up to 14 capsular polysaccharide loci, have been identified over the 26 genomes studied. Moreover, the addition of data to the rfbA-Type classification modified the outcome by rearranging rfbA genes and adding a fifth group to the classification. In conclusion, the strain variability in terms of external proteinaceous structure could explain the inter-strain differences previously observed in P. distasonis adhesion capacities and its potential pathogenicity.

Keywords: gut microbiota, Parabacteroides distasonis, capsular polysaccharide, fimbriae, pilus, O-antigen, pathogenicity, probiotic, comparative genomics

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Authors: Pavitra Sharma, Anuradha Singh, Nupur Mathur

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There exist more than 100 trillion bacteria in the digestive system of human-beings. Such bacteria are referred to as gut microbiota. Gut microbiota comprises around 75% of our immune system. The bacteria that comprise the gut microbiota are unique to every individual and their composition keeps changing with time owing to factors such as the host’s age, diet, genes, environment, and external medication. Of these factors, the variable easiest to control is one’s diet. By modulating one’s diet, one can ensure an optimal composition of the gut microbiota yielding several health benefits. Prebiotics and probiotics are two compounds that have been considered as viable options to modulate the host’s diet. Prebiotics are basically plant products that support the growth of good bacteria in the host’s gut. Examples include garden asparagus, aloe vera etc. Probiotics are living microorganisms that exist in our intestines and play an integral role in promoting digestive health and supporting our immune system in general. Examples include yogurt, kimchi, kombucha etc. In the context of modulating the host’s diet, the key attribute of prebiotics is that they support the growth of probiotics. By developing the right combination of prebiotics and probiotics, food products or supplements can be created to enhance the host’s health. An effective combination of prebiotics and probiotics that yields health benefits to the host is referred to as synbiotics. Synbiotics comprise of an optimal proportion of prebiotics and probiotics, their application benefits the host’s health more than the application of prebiotics and probiotics used in isolation. When applied to food supplements, synbiotics preserve the beneficial probiotic bacteria during storage period and during the bacteria’s passage through the intestinal tract. When applied to the gastrointestinal tract, the composition of the synbiotics assumes paramount importance. Reason being that for synbiotics to be effective in the gastrointestinal tract, the chosen probiotic must be able to survive in the stomach’s acidic environment and manifest tolerance towards bile and pancreatic secretions. Further, not every prebiotic stimulates the growth of a particular probiotic. The prebiotic chosen should be one that not only maintains 2 balance in the host’s digestive system, but also provides the required nutrition to probiotics. Hence in each application of synbiotics, the prebiotic-probiotic combination needs to be carefully selected. Once the combination is finalized, the exact proportion of prebiotics and probiotics to be used needs to be considered. When determining this proportion, only that amount of a prebiotic should be used that activates metabolism of the required number of probiotics. It was observed that while probiotics are active is both the small and large intestine, the effect of prebiotics is observed primarily in the large intestine. Hence in the host’s small intestine, synbiotics are likely to have the maximum efficacy. In small intestine, prebiotics not only assist in the growth of probiotics, but they also enable probiotics to exhibit a higher tolerance to pH levels, oxygenation, and intestinal temperature

Keywords: microbiota, probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics

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Authors: Bărbuță Alina

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The inter-causal relationship between social inequalities and the digital divide raises the relation issue of gender and information and communication technologies (ICT) - a key element in achieving sustainable development. In preparing generations as future digital citizens and for active socio-economic participation, ICT plays a key role in respecting gender equality. Although several studies over the years have shown that gender plays an important role in digital exclusion, in recent years, many studies with a focus on economically developed or developing countries identify an improvement in these aspects and a gap narrowing. By measuring students' digital competencies level, this paper aims to identify and analyse the existing gender digital inequalities among students. Our analyses are based on a sample of 1526 middle school students residing in rural areas from Republic of Moldova (54.2% girls, mean age 14,00, SD = 1.02). During the online survey they filled in a questionnaire adapted from the (yDSI) ”The Youth Digital Skills Indicator”. The instrument measures the level of five digital competence areas indicated in The European Digital Competence Framework (DigiCom 2.3.). Our results, based on t-test, indicate that depending on gender, there are no statistically significant differences regarding the levels of digital skills in 3 areas: Information navigation and processing; Communication and interaction; Problem solving. However, were identified significant differences in the level of digital skills in the area of ”Digital content creation” [t(1425) = 4.20, p = .000] and ”Safety” [t(1421) = 2.49, p = .000], with higher scores recorded by girls. Our results contradicts the general stereotype regarding the low level of digital competence among girls, in our sample girls scores being on pear with boys and even bigger in knowledge related to digital content creation and online safety skills. Additional investigations related to boys competence on digital safety are necessary as the implication of their low scores on this dimension may suggest boys exposure to digital threats.

Keywords: digital divide, education, gender digital divide, digital literacy, remote learning

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Authors: Li Yang, Yang Song, Martin Y. M. Chiang

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Objective: To experimentally substantiate the micromechanical compatibility between cell and scaffold, in the regenerative medicine approach for restoring bone volume, is essential for phenotypic transitions Methods: Through nanotechnology and electrospinning process, nanofibrous scaffolds were fabricated to host dental follicle stem cells (DFSCs). Blends (50:50) of polycaprolactone (PCL) and silk fibroin (SF), mixed with various content of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC, up to 5% in weight), were electrospun to prepare nanofibrous scaffolds with heterogeneous microstructure in terms of fiber size. Colloidal probe atomic force microscopy (AFM) and conventional uniaxial tensile tests measured the scaffold stiffness at the micro-and macro-scale, respectively. The cell elastic modulus and cell-scaffold adhesive interaction (i.e., a chemical function) were examined through single-cell force spectroscopy using AFM. The quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to determine if the mechanotransduction signal (i.e., Yap1, Wwr2, Rac1, MAPK8, Ptk2 and Wnt5a) is upregulated by the scaffold stiffness at the micro-scale (cellular scale). Results: The presence of CNC produces fibrous scaffolds with a bimodal distribution of fiber diameter. This structural heterogeneity, which is CNC-composition dependent, remarkably modulates the mechanical functionality of scaffolds at microscale and macroscale simultaneously, but not the chemical functionality (i.e., only a single material property is varied). In in vitro tests, the osteogenic differentiation and gene expression associated with mechano-sensitive cell markers correlate to the degree of micromechanical compatibility between DFSCs and the scaffold. Conclusion: Cells require compliant scaffolds to encourage energetically favorable interactions for mechanotransduction, which are converted into changes in cellular biochemistry to direct the phenotypic evolution. The micromechanical compatibility is indeed important to the efficacy of regenerative medicine.

Keywords: phenotype transition, scaffold stiffness, electrospinning, cellulose nanocrystals, single-cell force spectroscopy

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