Search results for: advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs)

Authors: Güler Duru Aşiret

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Introduction: Poor sleep quality is a common problem among the older people living in nursing homes. Our study aimed at assessing the effect of individual reminiscence therapy on the sleep quality of the elderly living in nursing homes. Methods: The study had 22 people in the intervention group and 24 people in the control group. The intervention group had reminiscence therapy once a week for 12 weeks in the form of individual sessions of 25-30 minutes. In our study, we first determined the dates suitable for the intervention group and researcher and planned the date and time of individual reminiscence therapies, which would take 12 weeks. While preparing this schedule, we considered subjects’ time schedules for their regular visits to health facilities and the arrival of their visitors. At this stage, the researcher informed the participants that their regular attendance in sessions would affect the intervention outcome. One topic was discussed every week. Weekly topics included: introduction in the first week; childhood and family life, school days, starting work and work life (a day at home for housewives), a fun day out of home, marriage (friendship for the singles), plants and animals they loved, babies and children, food and cooking, holidays and travelling, special days and celebrations, assessment and closure, in the following weeks respectively. The control group had no intervention. Study data was collected by using an introductory information form and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Results: In our study, participants’ average age was 76.02 ± 7.31. 58.7% of them were male and 84.8% were single. All of them had at least one chronic disease. 76.1% did not need help for performing their daily life activities. The length of stay in the institution was 6.32 ± 3.85 years. According to the participants’ descriptive characteristics, there was no difference between groups. While there was no statistically significant difference between the pretest PSQI median scores (p > 0.05) of both groups, PSQI median score had a statistically significant decrease after 12 weeks of reminiscence therapy (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant change in the median scores of the subcomponents of sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbance and use of sleep medication before and after reminiscence therapy. After the 12-weeks reminiscence therapy, there was a statistically significant change in the median scores for the PSQI subcomponents of subjective sleep quality (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our study found that reminiscence therapy increased the sleep quality of the elderly living in nursing homes. Acknowledgment: This study (project no 2017-037) was supported by the Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit of Aksaray University. We thank the elderly subjects for their kind participation.

Keywords: nursing, older people, reminiscence therapy, sleep

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Authors: Waqas Mehdi, Muhammad Umar Hassan, Khadeeja Mustafa

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Objective: Post-concussion syndrome (PCS) is a medical term used to point out the complicated combination of physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioral signs and symptoms associated with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury(mTBI). This study was conducted to assess the improvement or debilitating effect of behavioral therapy in addition to the conventional treatment and to document these results for increasing the efficiency of treatment provided to such cases. Method: This was primarily an interventional prospective cohort study which was conducted in the Department of Neurosurgery, Mayo Hospital Lahore. The sample size was 200 patients who were randomly distributed into two groups. The interventional group with Cognitive behavioral therapy was added in addition to the conventional treatment regimen and the Control group receiving only conventional treatment. Results were noted initially as well as after two weeks of the follow-up period. Data were subsequently analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software and associations worked out. Result and conclusion: Among the patients that were given therapy sessions along with conventional medicine, there was a significant improvement in the symptoms and their overall quality of life. It is also important to notice that the time period taken for these effects to wane is cut down by psychiatric solutions too. So we can conclude that CBT sessions not only speed up recovery in patients with post-concussion syndrome they also aid in the efficiency improvement in functional capability and quality of life.

Keywords: neurosurgery, CBT, PCS, mTBI

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Authors: Allulu Yousef Alturki, Raghad Abdullah Alshafi, Sara Abdulaziz Alghashem, Sahar Saleh Alghamdi, Rasha Saad Suliman, Zeyad Alehaideb, Rizwan Ali

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Cancer is recognized as a worldwide public health concern. Therefore, there is a continuous quest to discover new effective medications with less side-effects. In recent years, researchers have shown an increased interest in medicinal plants as several plant species have shown promising biological activities. Thus, we seek to investigate three medicinal herbs that are commonly-found in the Middle Easternregion and yet have not been explored in depth, including plants belonging to the Rhamnaceae, Polygonaceae, and Apocynaceaeplant families. Initially, we investigated using three types of cancer cell lines for breast, colorectal, and liver cancers. We performed high Content Imaging (HCI)-Apoptosis Assay and ApoTox-Glo™ Triplex Assay on KAIMRC2 and HCT8 cell lines. The highest activity of HCI-Apoptosis Assay was with Calligonumcomosum and Ziziphusnummularia in ethanol, followed by Calotropis procera and Ziziphusnummularia in ethyl acetate. The IC50values for the families of Rhamnaceae, Polygonaceae, and Apocynaceae in HepG2 and HCT8 cell lines ranged from 0.089 to 9.84mg/mL and 0.080to 15.08mg/mL, respectively. Further screening was conducted on an additional two cell lines, namely the MDA-MB-231 and KAIMRC2, for selected seven extracts with the highest activity having IC50values ranged from 0.058 to0.51mg/mL and 0.029 to0.19mg/mL, respectively. Continuous scientific investigations to isolate and characterize the potent bioactive phytochemical(s) are warranted. Funding: The authors acknowledge financial support from King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Institutional Review Board Statement: The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Institutional Review Board of King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (SP21R/463/12, 24 January 2022). Acknowledgments: The authors want to express their gratitude to the College of Pharmacy (COP) at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) and King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC) for their continued support.

Keywords: rhamnaceae, polygonaceae, apocynaceae, natural products

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Authors: H. C. Chang, J. R. Wang, A. L. Ho, S. W. Chen, J. H. Yang, C. Shih, L. C. Wang

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To confirm the reactor and containment integrity of the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR), we perform the analysis of main steamline break (MSLB) transient by using the TRACE, PARCS, and SNAP codes. The process of the research has four steps. First, the ABWR nuclear power plant (NPP) model is developed by using the above codes. Second, the steady state analysis is performed by using this model. Third, the ABWR model is used to run the analysis of MSLB transient. Fourth, the predictions of TRACE and PARCS are compared with the data of FSAR. The results of TRACE/PARCS and FSAR are similar. According to the TRACE/PARCS results, the reactor and containment integrity of ABWR can be maintained in a safe condition for MSLB.

Keywords: advanced boiling water reactor, TRACE, PARCS, SNAP

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Authors: Ashoke Priyadarshana Premananda

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As per the suggestions of previously conducted research in Counseling Psychology, the necessity of forming culture- friendly approaches has been strongly emphasized by a number of scholars in the field. In response to that, Multicultural-model of Buddhist Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MMBCBT) has been formed as a culture-friendly therapeutic approach to address psychological disturbances (depression) in late adulthood. Elderly population in the world is on the rise by leaps and bounds, and forming a culture-based therapeutic model which is blended with Buddhist teachings has been the major objective of the study. Buddhist teachings and cultural applications, which were mapped onto Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in the West, ultimately resulted in MMBCBT. Therefore, MMBCBT is a blend of cultural therapeutic techniques and the essence of certain Buddhist teachings extracted from five crucial suttas, which include CBT principles. In the process of mapping, MeghiyaSutta, GirimānandaSutta, SallekhaSutta, DvedhāvitakkaSutta, and Vitakka- SaṇṭhānaSutta have been taken into consideration mainly because of their cognitive behavioral content. The practical components of Vitakka- Saṇṭhānasutta (Aññanimittapabbaṃ) and Sallekhasutta (SallekhaPariyāya and CittuppādaPariyāya) have been used in the model while mindfulness of breathing was also carried out with the participants. Basically, multi-cultural therapeutic approaches of MMBCBT aim at modifying behavior (behavioral modification), whereas the rest is centered to the cognitive restructuring process. Therefore, MMBCBT is endowed with Behavioral Therapy (BT) and Cognitive Therapy(CT). In order to find out the validation of MMBCBT as a newly formed approach, it was then followed by mixed research (quantitative and qualitative research) with a sample selected from the elderly population following the purposive sampling technique. 40 individuals were selected from three elderly homes as per the purposive sampling technique. Elderly people identified to be depressed via Geriatric Depression Scale underwent MMBCBT for two weeks continuously while action research was being conducted simultaneously. Additionally, a Focus Group interview was carried out to support the action research. As per the research findings, people who identified depressed prior to the exposure to MMBCBT were found to be showing positive changes after they were exposed to the model. “Paired Sample t test” showed that the Multicultural Model of Buddhist based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy reduced depression of elderly people (The mean value (x̄) of the sample (level of depression) before the model was 10.7 whereas the mean value after the model was 7.5.). Most importantly, MMBCBT has been found to be effectively used with people from all walks of life despite religious diversities.

Keywords: buddhist psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy in buddhism, counseling in cultural context, gerontology, and buddhism

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Authors: K. Sunitra, T. Srisuda

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Centella asiatica, asiatic pennywort is a medicinal herb plant used widely which held in herbal health care group. The problem of asiatic pennywort production is the outbreak of Sclerotium rolfsii causing a damp-off disease which caused plant stem turn yellowish, finally they begin to die and result in extremely damaging to growers. Therefore, the studies were caried out to control damping off with Trichoderma sp., Bacillus subtilis and fermented banana as compared to the control to suppress with bi-culture under the laboratory condition. It was found that Trichoderma harzianum showed the highest percentage of inbihition, 69.44%. The pot experiments in greenhouse condition showed that chemical had minimum of damping-off (31.54%) and highest yield (1.20 tons/rai) and following by Trichoderma harzianum and Bacillus subtilis treatment. Due to the chemical usage leaving toxic residues on plants and affect the human bodies. Trichoderma harzianum and Bacillus subtilis should be considered as alternatives which have percent of damp-off disease and yields as follows: 45.50 and 43.75%, and 1.12 and 1.09 tons/rai, respectively. These two products are known that they have no health risk for growers and consumers in the future.

Keywords: Centella asiatica, Sclerotium rolfsii, Trichoderma harzianum, Bacillus subtilis

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Authors: Chutikarn Sriwiboon, Suwaree Yordchim

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Benjarong handicraft product is one of the most important handicraft products from Thailand. It involves the management of traditional wisdom of arts and Thai culture. This paper drew upon data collection from local communities by using an in-depth interview technique which was conducted in Thailand during summer of 2014. The survey was structured primarily to obtain local wisdom and concerns toward their career development. This research paper was a qualitative research conducted by focus groups with a total of 51 cooperative women and occupational groups around Thailand which produced the Benjarong products. The data were significantly collected from many sources and many communities, which totaled 24,430 handicraft products, in which the 668 different patterns of Benjarong products were produced by 51 local community network groups in Thailand. The findings revealed that after applying the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy, there was a significantly positive change in their career development and the process of knowledge management enables local community to enhance their personal development and career.

Keywords: Benjarong, career development, community, handicraft

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Authors: Badli Shah Mohd Yusoff, Khairur Rijal Jamaludin, Rozetta Dollah

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The emerging of reverse logistics and product recovery management is an important concept in reconciling economic and environmental objectives through recapturing values of the end of life product returns. End of life products contains valuable modules, parts, residues and materials that can create value if recovered efficiently. The main objective of this study is to explore and develop a model to recover as much of the economic value as reasonably possible to find the optimality of return acquisition and sorting to meet demand and maximize profits over time. In this study, the benefits that can be obtained for remanufacturer is to develop demand forecasting of used products in the future with uncertainty of returns and quality of products. Formulated based on a generic disassembly tree, the proposed model focused on three reverse logistics activity, namely refurbish, remanufacture and disposal incorporating all plausible means quality levels of the returns. While stricter sorting policy, constitute to the decrease amount of products to be refurbished or remanufactured and increases the level of discarded products. Numerical experiments carried out to investigate the characteristics and behaviour of the proposed model with mathematical programming model using Lingo 16.0 for medium-term planning of return acquisition, disassembly (refurbish or remanufacture) and disposal activities. Moreover, the model seeks an analysis a number of decisions relating to trade off management system to maximize revenue from the collection of use products reverse logistics services through refurbish and remanufacture recovery options. The results showed that full utilization in the sorting process leads the system to obtain less quantity from acquisition with minimal overall cost. Further, sensitivity analysis provides a range of possible scenarios to consider in optimizing the overall cost of refurbished and remanufactured products.

Keywords: core acquisition, end of life, reverse logistics, quality uncertainty

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Authors: Tamar Lazariashvili

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The paper examines the market of bioproducts in the world and in Georgia. The experience of European countries in the field of production of bioproducts is shown, the level of interest of the population in these products is presented, and the tendency of the demand for them to grow is evaluated. Objectives. The purpose of the research is to identify modern challenges and develop recommendations for development opportunities based on the analysis of the European and local market of organic products. Methodologies. General and specific methods are used in the research process: comparative analysis, induction, deduction. A desk study has been conducted. Findings. It has been revealed that the production of organic products in Georgia is significantly behind the European requirements, in the market of organic products of Georgia there is a formation of a layer of consumers who are in favor of healthy food and are ready to pay a different price. Conclusions. Based on the analysis of the bioproducts market, appropriate recommendations are proposed, namely, the introduction of innovative technologies; financial and legal support by the state; provision of consulting services on the tax system; Elimination of asymmetric information in the market and others.

Keywords: bioproducts market, European experience, production of bioproducts, layer of consumers.

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Authors: Saeed S. Al-Sokari, Nasser A. Awadh Ali, Lianet Monzote

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Leishmaniasis (CL) is endemic in at least 82 countries and considered to be a major public-health problem (1). The annual incidence of CL is 1–1.5 million cases of which 90% occur in only seven countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Brazil, Iran, Peru, Saudi Arabia and Syria (2). In Saudi Arabia, the disease was first described in 1973 by Moursy and Shoura (3). Currently, CL is common in the human population in different localities, including the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and in particular the Al-Hassa Oasis that is a known endemic area for CL (4). Five methanolic extracts obtained from Achillea biebersteinii (flower leaf), Euphorbia antiquorm, Solanum incanum (leaf and fruit extracts), collected from Albaha region and selected from ethno-botanical data, were screened for their anti-leishmanial activity against Leishmania amazonensis (6). The cytotoxic activity against normal peritoneal macrophages from normal BALB/c mice was also determined (6). The five extracts had IC50 values ranging from < 12.5 to 37.8 µg/ml against promastigotes. Achillea biebersteinii flower, Euphorbia antiquorm, Solanum incanum leaf extracts showed anti-leishmanial activities with IC50 between < 12.5 - 26.9µg/mL and acceptable selectivity indices of 8 - 5.

Keywords: plant extracts, Albaha, Leishmania amazonensis, Medicinal

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Authors: Sheriff Muhammad Ibrahim, Tijjani Muhammad

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The study assesses the Islamic Microfinance Bank's role in promoting customers' social welfare, using the newly developed products of Yobe Microfinance Bank to encourage inclusion and alleviate poverty in the Yobe communities. Yobe state is ranked bottom as the poorest in the region and scores low on human development and poverty alleviation. It is clearly indicated low education rates, poor implementation of government policies on poverty, and a high rate of financial exclusion. The study adopted a qualitative approach using random sampling to collect data from customers of Yobe Microfinance Bank. Using the acceptability of the newly introduced sharia complaint products of Yobe Microfinance among the people in Yobe state, using the Structural Equation Modelling, a total of 300 respondents completed the survey using a Likert scale. The study employed Structural Equation Modeling to analyze and test reliability and validity to provide accuracy of respondents' information. The finding indicates the positive relationship between Islamic banking products and customer satisfaction. The study concludes that introducing and consistently managing Islamic products can improve social welfare and reduce poverty through financial inclusion in the state.

Keywords: islamic microfinance, social welfare, products, poverty

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Authors: Rana Alaa El-Deen Ahmed, M. Elemam Shehab, Shereen Morsy, Nermeen Mekawie

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With the growing popularity and acceptance of e-commerce platforms, users face an ever increasing burden in actually choosing the right product from the large number of online offers. Thus, techniques for personalization and shopping guides are needed by users. For a pleasant and successful shopping experience, users need to know easily which products to buy with high confidence. Since selling a wide variety of products has become easier due to the popularity of online stores, online retailers are able to sell more products than a physical store. The disadvantage is that the customers might not find products they need. In this research the customer will be able to find the products he is searching for, because recommender systems are used in some ecommerce web sites. Recommender system learns from the information about customers and products and provides appropriate personalized recommendations to customers to find the needed product. In this paper eleven classification algorithms are comparatively tested to find the best classifier fit for consumer online shopping attitudes and behavior in the experimented dataset. The WEKA knowledge analysis tool, which is an open source data mining workbench software used in comparing conventional classifiers to get the best classifier was used in this research. In this research by using the data mining tool (WEKA) with the experimented classifiers the results show that decision table and filtered classifier gives the highest accuracy and the lowest accuracy classification via clustering and simple cart.

Keywords: classification, data mining, machine learning, online shopping, WEKA

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Authors: Najmeh Hamid, Vajiheh Hamedy , Zahra Rostamianasl

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Background: Cancer is one of the medical problems that have been associated with pain. Moreover, the pain is combined with negative emotions such as anxiety, depression and anger. Poor pain management causes negative effects on the quality of life, which results in negative effects that continue a long time after the painful experiences. Objectives: The aim of this research was to compare the effectiveness of Common Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Pain and its computerized version on the reduction of pain intensity, depression, anger and anxiety in children with cancer. Methods: The research method of this “Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial” was a pre, post-test and follow-up with a control group. In this research, we have examined the effectiveness of Common Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Pain and its computerized version on the reduction of pain intensity, anxiety, depression and anger in children with cancer in Ahvaz. Two psychological interventions (cognitive behavioral therapy for pain and the computerized version) were compared with the control group. The sample consisted of 60 children aged 8 to 12 years old with different types of cancer at Shafa hospital in Ahwaz. According to the including and excluding criteria such as age, socioeconomic status, clinical diagnostic interview and other criteria, 60 subjects were selected. Then, randomly, 45 subjects were selected. The subjects were randomly divided into three groups of 15 (two experimental and one control group). The research instruments included Spielberger Anxiety Inventory (STAY-2) and International Pain Measurement Scale. The first experimental group received 6 sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy for 6 weeks, and the second group was subjected to a computerized version of cognitive-behavioral therapy for 6 weeks, but the control group did not receive any interventions. For ethical considerations, a version of computerized cognitive-behavioral therapy was provided to them. After 6 weeks, all three groups were evaluated as post-test and eventually after a one-month follow-up. Results: The findings of this study indicated that both interventions could reduce the negative emotions (pain, anger, anxiety, depression) associated with cancer in children in comparison with a control group (p<0.0001). In addition, there were no significant differences between the two interventions (p<0.01). It means both interventions are useful for reducing the negative effects of pain and enhancing adjustment. Conclusion: we can use CBT in situations in which there is no access to psychologists and psychological services. In addition, it can be a useful alternative to conventional psychological interventions.

Keywords: pain, children, psychological intervention, cancer, anger, anxiety, depression

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Authors: Martina Curtin, Rosalind Herman

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Background: Deaf children can experience difficulties with understanding how social interaction works, particularly when communicating with unfamiliar hearing people. Deaf children often struggle with integrating into a mainstream, hearing environments. These negative experiences can lead to social isolation, depression and other mental health difficulties later in life. smiLE Therapy (Schamroth, 2015) is a video-based social communication intervention that aims to teach deaf children skills to confidently communicate with unfamiliar hearing people. Although two previous studies have reported improvements in communication skills immediately post intervention, evidence for maintenance of gains or generalisation of skills (i.e., the transfer of newly learnt skills to untrained situations) has not to date been demonstrated. Parental involvement has been shown to support deaf children’s therapy outcomes. Therefore, this study added parent training to the therapy children received to investigate the benefits to generalisation of children’s skills. Parents were also invited to present their perspective on the training they received. Aims: (1) To assess pupils’ progress from pre- to post-intervention in trained and untrained tasks, (2) to investigate if training parents improved their (a) understanding of their child’s needs and (b) their skills in supporting their child appropriately in smiLE Therapy tasks, (3) to assess if parent training had an impact on the pupil’s ability to (a) maintain their skills in trained tasks post-therapy, and (b) generalise their skills in untrained, community tasks. Methods: This was a mixed-methods, repeated measures study. 31 deaf pupils (aged between 7 and 14) received an hour of smiLE Therapy per week, for 6 weeks. Communication skills were assessed pre-, post- and 3-months post-intervention using the Communication Skills Checklist. Parents were then invited to attend two training sessions and asked to bring a video of their child communicating in a shop or café. These videos were used to assess whether, after parent training, the child was able to generalise their skills to a new situation. Finally, parents attended a focus group to discuss the effectiveness of the therapy, particularly the wider impact, i.e., more child participation within the hearing community. Results: All children significantly improved their scores following smiLE therapy and maintained these skills to high level. Children generalised a high percentage of their newly learnt skills to an untrained situation. Parents reported improved understanding of their child’s needs, their child’s potential and in how to support them in real-life situations. Parents observed that their children were more confident and independent when carrying out communication tasks with unfamiliar hearing people. Parents realised they needed to ‘let go’ and embrace their child’s independence and provide more opportunities for them to participate in their community. Conclusions: This study adds to the evidence base on smiLE Therapy; it is an effective intervention that develops deaf children’s ability to interact competently with unfamiliar, hearing, communication partners. It also provides preliminary evidence of the benefits of parent training in helping children to generalise their skills to other situations. These findings will be of value to therapists wishing to develop deaf children’s communication skills beyond the therapy setting.

Keywords: deaf children, generalisation, parent involvement, social communication

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Authors: David Lynch Steinicke, Citlali Aguilera Lira, Andrea León García

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The proposal posed in this work comes from a researching-action approach. In Mexico, a dialogue of knowledge may function as a link between traditional, local, pragmatic knowledge, and technological, scientific knowledge. The advantage of generating this nexus lies on the positive impact in the environment, in society and economy. This work attempts to combine, on the one hand the traditional Mexican knowledge such as the usage of medicinal herb and the agroecosystem milpa; and on the other hand make use of a newly created agricultural ecotechnology which main function is to take advantage of the urban space and to save water. This ecotechnology is the wicking bed. In a globalized world, is relevant to have a proposal where the most important aspect is to revalorize the culture through the acquisition of traditional knowledge but at the same time adapting them to the new social and urbanized structures without threatening the environment. The methodology used in this work comes from a researching-action approach combined with a practical dimension where an experimental model made of three wickingbeds was implemented. In this model, there were cultivated medicinal herb and milpa components. The water efficiency and the social acceptance were compared with a traditional ground crop, all this practice was made in an urban social context. The implementation of agricultural ecotechnology has had great social acceptance as its irrigation involves minimal effort and it is economically feasible for low-income people. The wicking bed system raised in this project is attainable to be implemented in schools, urban and peri-urban environments, homemade gardens and public areas. The proposal managed to carry out an innovative and sustainable knowledge-based traditional Mexican agricultural technology, allowing regain Milpa agroecosystem in urban environments to strengthen food security in favour of nutritional and protein benefits for the Mexican fare.

Keywords: milpa, traditional medicine, urban agriculture, wicking bed

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Authors: Ionela-Daniela Carja, Diana Serbezeanu, Tachita Vlad-Bubulac, Corneliu Hamciuc

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Nowadays, epoxy materials are extensively used in ever more areas and under ever more demanding environmental conditions due to their remarkable combination of properties, light weight and ease of processing. However, these materials greatly increase the fire risk due to their flammability and possible release of toxic by-products as a result of their chemical composition which consists mainly from carbon and hydrogen atoms. Therefore, improving the fire retardant behaviour to prevent the loss of life and property is of particular concern among government regulatory bodies, consumers and manufacturers alike. Modification of epoxy resins with organophosphorus compounds, as reactive flame retardants or additives, is the key to achieving non-flammable advanced epoxy materials. Herein, a detailed characterization of fire behaviour for a series of phosphorus-containing epoxy thermosets is reported. A carefully designed phosphorus flame retardant additive was simply blended with a bifunctional bisphenol-A based epoxy resin. Further thermal cross-linking in the presence of various aminic hardeners led to eco-friendly flame retardant epoxy resins. The type of hardener, concentration of flame retardant additive, compatibility between the components of the mixture, char formation and morphology, thermal stability, flame retardant mechanisms were investigated. It was found that even a very low content of phosphorus introduced into the epoxy matrix increased the limiting oxygen index value to about 30%. In addition, the peak of the heat release rate value decreased up to 45% as compared to the one of the neat epoxy system. The main flame retardant mechanism was the condensed-phase one as revealed by SEM and XPS measurements.

Keywords: condensed-phase mechanism, eco-friendly phosphorus flame retardant, epoxy resin, thermal stability

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Authors: Jenny Jin

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Background: The therapeutic use of cannabis for cancer symptom control in Australia is gaining momentum, reflecting a broader global acceptance of its medicinal potential. Objective: This overview examines the historical context, current regulations, and clinical applications of cannabis in oncology within Australia. Methods: A historical analysis outlines the ancient and 19th-century medicinal uses of cannabis, followed by its prohibition in the early 20th century and subsequent resurgence in the late 20th century. The current legal framework under the therapeutic gods administration (TGA) is discussed. Results: Research indicates that cannabinoids, particularly THC and CBD, effectively alleviate pain, reduce chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, stimulate appetite, and enhance overall quality of life for cancer patients. Despite these benefits, challenges such as dosing standardization, stigma, and access barriers persist. Conclusion: Continued clinical research, policy development, and educational initiatives are essential to optimize the use of cannabis in cancer care. A patient-centred approach, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration and informed decision-making, is crucial for improving therapeutic outcomes in this evolving field.

Keywords: historical context of cannabis, symptom control in oncology patients, therapeutic benefits, outcome and future

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Authors: Laxuman Thakuri

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Community-based forest management is often glorified as one of the best forest management alternatives in the developing countries like Nepal. It is also believed that the transfer of forest management authorities to local communities is decisive to take efficient decisions, maximize the forest benefits and improve the people’s livelihood. The community forestry of Nepal also aims to maximize the forest benefits; share them among the user households and improve their livelihood. However, how the local communities fix the price of forest products and local pricing made by the forest user groups affects to equitable forest benefits-sharing among the user households and their livelihood improvement objectives, the answer is largely silent among the researchers and policy-makers alike. This study examines local pricing system of forest products in the lowland community forestry and its effects on equitable benefit-sharing and livelihood improvement objectives. The study discovered that forest user groups fixed the price of forest products based on three criteria: i) costs incur in harvesting, ii) office operation costs, and iii) livelihood improvement costs through community development and income generating activities. Since user households have heterogeneous socio-economic conditions, the forest user groups have been applied low pricing strategy even for high-value forest products that the access of socio-economically worse-off households can be increased. However, the results of forest products distribution showed that as a result of low pricing strategy the access of socio-economically better-off households has been increasing at higher rate than worse-off and an inequality situation has been created. Similarly, the low pricing strategy is also found defective to livelihood improvement objectives. The study suggests for revising the forest products pricing system in community forest management and reforming the community forestry policy as well.

Keywords: community forestry, forest products pricing, equitable benefit-sharing, livelihood improvement, Nepal

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Authors: Jinyong Yao, Hongzhi Li, Chao Du, Jiao Li

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Reliability of long-term storage products is related to the availability of the whole system, and the evaluation of storage life is of great necessity. These products are usually highly reliable and little failure information can be collected. In this paper, an analytical method based on data from accelerated storage life test is proposed to evaluate the reliability index of the long-term storage products. Firstly, singularities are eliminated by data normalization and residual analysis. Secondly, with the pre-processed data, the degradation path model is built to obtain the pseudo life values. Then by life distribution hypothesis, we can get the estimator of parameters in high stress levels and verify failure mechanisms consistency. Finally, the life distribution under the normal stress level is extrapolated via the acceleration model and evaluation of the true average life available. An application example with the camera stabilization device is provided to illustrate the methodology we proposed.

Keywords: accelerated storage life test, failure mechanisms consistency, life distribution, reliability

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Authors: Kathaleeya Chanda

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The objectives of the research on the development of printed media for public relations of community products in Bang Khonthi District, Samut Songkram Province were to; 1) develop printed media for public relations of community products in Bang Khonthi District, Samut Songkram Province and 2) study the satisfaction towards the printed media for public relations of community products in Bang Khonthi District, Samut Songkram Province. The study was on the satisfaction focused on content, illustration, design, and quality. The sampling group of this study included 30 local community producers selected by probability sampling and simple random sampling. The research procedure consisted of 4 phases; 1) problem and situation study, 2) the development of printed media for public relations, 3) research tool development, and 4) data collection. Questionnaires to evaluate the satisfaction of local community producers towards the printed media for public relation were used to collect data which were analysed to find percentage, arithmetic means, and standard deviation. The results showed that the informants reported their satisfaction on 4 aspects as follows: 1) very high satisfaction on the content, 2) high satisfaction on the illustration, 3) very high satisfaction on the design, and 4) very high satisfaction on the product quality. This can be concluded that the developed printed media for public relations of community products can be used effectively with high satisfaction.

Keywords: printed media, public relations, community products in Bang Khonthi district, Samut Songkram Province

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Authors: Katarzyna Miśkiewicz, Magdalena Lasoń-Rydel, Małgorzata Krępska, Katarzyna Sieczyńska, Iwona Masłowska-Lipowicz, Katarzyna Ławińska

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The aim of the study was to analyse a selection of 12 pasteurised products made from fruit and vegetables, such as fruit juices, fruit drinks, jams, marmalades and jam produced by small regional factories as well as large food corporations. The research was carried out as part of the project "Innovative system of healthy and regional food distribution", funded by the Ministry of Education and Science (Poland), which aims to create an economically and organisationally strong agri-food industry in Poland through effective cooperation between scientific and socio-economic actors. The main activities of the project include support for the creation of new distribution channels for regional food products and their easy access to a wide group of potential customers while maintaining the highest quality standards. One of the key areas of the project is food quality analyses conducted to indicate the competitive advantage of regional products. Presented here are studies on the content of sugars, vitamin C, preservatives, synthetic colours, sweeteners, sodium and potassium, as well as studies on the microbiological purity of selected products made from fruit and vegetables. The composition of products made from fruit and vegetables varies greatly and depends on both the type of raw material and the way it is processed. Of the samples tested, fruit drinks contained the least amount of sugars, and jam and marmalade made by large producers and bought in large chain stores contained the most. However, the low sugar content of some fruit drinks is due to the presence of the sweetener sucralose in their composition. The vitamin C content of the samples varied, being higher in products where it was added during production. All products made in small local factories were free of food additives such as preservatives, sweeteners and synthetic colours, indicating their superiority over products made by large producers. Products made in small local factories were characterised by a relatively high potassium content. The microbiological purity of commercial products was confirmed - no Salmonella spp. were detected, and the number of mesophilic bacteria, moulds, yeasts, and β-glucuronidase-positive E. coli was below the limit of quantification.

Keywords: fruit and vegetable products, sugars, food additives, HPLC, ICP-OES

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Authors: Maryam Alimardani, Kazuo Hiraki

Abstract:

This study presents a framework for development of a new generation of therapy robots that can interact with users by monitoring their physiological and mental states. Here, we focused on one of the controversial methods of therapy, hypnotherapy. Hypnosis has shown to be useful in treatment of many clinical conditions. But, even for healthy people, it can be used as an effective technique for relaxation or enhancement of memory and concentration. Our aim is to develop a robot that collects information about user’s mental and physical states using electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) signals and performs costeffective hypnosis at the comfort of user’s house. The presented framework consists of three main steps: (1) Find the EEG-correlates of mind state before, during, and after hypnosis and establish a cognitive model for state changes, (2) Develop a system that can track the changes in EEG and EMG activities in real time and determines if the user is ready for suggestion, and (3) Implement our system in a humanoid robot that will talk and conduct hypnosis on users based on their mental states. This paper presents a pilot study in regard to the first stage, detection of EEG and EMG features during hypnosis.

Keywords: hypnosis, EEG, robotherapy, brain-computer interface (BCI)

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Authors: Arunima Datta, Prathama Guha Chaudhuri, Ashis Mukhopadhyay

Abstract:

Background: Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is one of the newer forms (third wave) therapy. This therapy helps a cancer patient to increase acceptance level about their disease as well as their present situation. Breast cancer patients are known to suffer from depression and mild cognitive impairment; both affect their quality of life. Objectives:The present study had assessed effect of structured ACT intervention on cognitive function and acceptance level among breast cancer patients who were undergoing chemotherapy. Method: Data was collected from 123 breast cancer patients those who were undergoing chemotherapy were willing to undergo psychological treatment, with no history of past psychiatric illness. Their baseline of cognitive function and acceptance levels were assessed using validated tools. The effect of sociodemographic factors and clinical factors on cognitive function was determined at baseline.The participants were randomly divided into two groups: experimental (ACT, 4 sessions over 2 months) and control group. Cognitive function and acceptance level were measured during post intervention on 2months follow-up. Appropriate statistical analyses were performed to determine the effect on cognitive function and acceptance level in two groups. Result: At baseline, the factors that significantly influenced slower speed of task performance were ER PR HER2 status; number of chemo cycle, treatment type (Adjuvant and neo-adjuvant) was related with that. Sociodemographic characteristics did not show any significant difference between slow and fast performance. Per and post intervention analysis showed that ACT intervention resulted in significant difference both in terms of speed of cognitive performance and acceptance level. Conclusion: ACT is an effective therapeutic option for treating mild cognitive impairment and improve acceptance level among breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Keywords: acceptance and commitment therapy, breast cancer, quality of life, cognitive function

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Authors: Nneka M. Chidieber-Mark, Roseline D. Ejike

Abstract:

Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) have been described as all biological materials, other than timber extracted from natural and managed forests for human subsistence and economic activities. This study focused on the production, utilization and marketing of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was adopted in the selection of respondents for the study. Data were from primary sources only. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistical tools as well as Net Income Analysis. Results show that a vast number of plant based and animal based NTFPs exist in the study area. They are harvested and used for multiple purposes. NTFPs are a source of income for the indigenes that depend on it for their livelihood. Unsustainable production and harvesting as well as poor marketing information was among the constraints impeding the growth and development of NTFPs sub-sector in the study area.

Keywords: non-timber forest products, production, utilization, marketing

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Authors: Özlem Ateş Sönmezoğlu, Begüm Terzi, Ahmet Yıldırım, Leyla Gündüz

Abstract:

Durum wheat quality is defined as its suitability for pasta processing, that is pasta making quality. Another factor that determines the quality of durum wheat is the nutritional value of wheat or its final products. Wheat is a basic source of calories, proteins and minerals for humans in many countries of the world. For this reason, improvement of wheat nutritional value is of great importance. In recent years, deficiencies in protein and micronutrients, particularly in iron and zinc, have seriously increased. Therefore, basic foods such as wheat must be improved for micronutrient content. The effects of some major genes for grain quality established. Gpc-B1 locus is one of the genes increased protein and micronutrients content, and used in improvement studies of durum wheat nutritional value. The aim of this study was to increase the protein content and the micronutrient (Fe, Zn ve Mn) contents of an advanced durum wheat line (TMB 1) that was previously improved for its protein quality. For this purpose, TMB1 advanced durum wheat line were used as the recurrent parent and also, UC1113-Gpc-B1 line containing the Gpc-B1 gene was used as the gene source. In all of the generations, backcrossed plants carrying the targeted gene region were selected by marker assisted selection (MAS). BC4F1 plants MAS method was employed in combination with embryo culture and rapid plant growth in a controlled greenhouse conditions in order to shorten the duration of the transition between generations in backcross breeding. The Gpc-B1 gene was selected specific molecular markers. Since Yr-36 gene associated with Gpc-B1 allele, it was also transferred to the Gpc-B1 transferred lines. Thus, the backcrossed plants selected by MAS are resistance to yellow rust disease. This research has been financially supported by TÜBİTAK (112T910).

Keywords: Durum wheat, Gpc-B1, MAS, Triticum durum, Yr-36

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Authors: Madhuresh Dwivedi, Navneet Singh Deora, H. N. Mishra

Abstract:

In the context of bakery products, the gluten component of wheat has a crucial role in stabilizing the gas-cell and crumb structures, appearance, mouth feel and maintaining the rheological properties, thus the acceptability of these products. However, because of coeliac disease, some individuals cannot tolerate the protein gliadin present in the gluten fraction of wheat flour. Also termed as gluten-sensitive enteropathy, it is a common chronicle disorder in populations throughout the world with average prevalence of 0.37%. The safest way for celiac sufferers is to stay away from gluten-containing foods such as wheat, rye, barley as well as durum wheat, spelt wheat, and triticale. Thus, in view of the current increasing incidence of gluten intolerant sufferers (due to improved diagnostic procedures), the development of gluten-free cereal-based bakery products suitable for celiac patients represents a challenging and serious task, but also very demanding call for food technologists as well as for the bakers. The use of alternative cereal starches (like rice, soy, maize, potato and so on), gums, hydrocolloids, dietary fibres, alternative protein sources, prebiotics and combinations of them represent the most widespread approach used as replacement to mimic gluten in the manufacture of industrial processable gluten-free bakery products due to their structure-building and water binding properties.

Keywords: gluten-free, coeliac disease, alternative flour, hydrocolloid, crumb structure

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Authors: S. M. Khairul Halim, Mojtaba Ghodsi, Morteza Mohammadzaheri

Abstract:

Gait analysis is essential for diagnosing musculoskeletal and neurological conditions. However, current methods are often complex and expensive. This paper introduces a methodology for analysing gait parameters using a smart insole with a built-in accelerometer. The system measures stance time, swing time, step count, and cadence and wirelessly transmits data to a user-friendly IoT dashboard for centralized processing. This setup enables remote monitoring and advanced data analytics, making it a versatile tool for medical diagnostics and everyday usage. Integration with IoT enhances the portability and connectivity of the device, allowing for secure, encrypted data access over the Internet. This feature supports telemedicine and enables personalized treatment plans tailored to individual needs. Overall, the approach provides a cost-effective (almost 25 GBP), accurate, and user-friendly solution for gait analysis, facilitating remote tracking and customized therapy.

Keywords: gait analysis, IoT, smart insole, accelerometer sensor

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Authors: Ahmed Elhussein, Hossam El-Zomor, Adel Alieldin, Mahmoud A. Afifi, Abdullah Elhusseiny, Hala Taha, Amal Refaat, Soha Ahmed, Mohamed S. Zagloul

Abstract:

Background: A majority of children with retinoblastoma (60%) have a disease in one eye only (unilateral disease). This is a retrospective study to evaluate two different treatment modalities in those patients for saving their lives and vision. Methods: Four hundred and four patients were diagnosed with unilateral intraocular retinoblastoma at Children’s Cancer, Hospital Egypt (CCHE) through the period of July/2007 until December/2017. Management strategies included primary enucleation versus ocular salvage treatment. Results: Patients presented with mean age 24.5 months with range (1.2-154.3 months). According to the international retinoblastoma classification, Group D (n=172, 42%) was the most common, followed by group E (n=142, 35%), group C (n=63, 16%), and group B (n=27, 7%). All patients were alive at the end of the study except four patients who died, with 5-years overall survival 98.3% [CI, (96.5-100%)]. Patients presented with advanced disease and poor visual prognosis (n=241, 59.6%) underwent primary enucleation with 6 cycles adjuvant chemotherapy if they had high-risk features in the enucleated eye; only four patients out of 241 ended-up either with extraocular metastasis (n=3) or death (n=1). While systemic chemotherapy and focal therapy were the primary treatment for those who presented with favorable disease status and good visual prognosis (n=163, 40.4%); seventy-seven patients of them (47%) ended up with a pre-defined event (enucleation, EBRT, off protocol chemotherapy or 2ry malignancy). Ocular survival for patients received primary chemotherapy + focal therapy was [50.9% (CI, 43.5-59.6%)] at 3 years and [46.9% (CI,39.3-56%)] at 5 years. Comparison between upfront enucleation and primary chemotherapy for occurrence of extraocular metastasis revealed that there was no statistical difference between them except in group D (p value). While for occurrence of death, no statistical difference in all classification groups. Conclusion: In retinoblastoma, primary chemotherapy is a reasonable option and has a good probability for ocular salvage without increasing the risk of metastasis in comparison to upfront enucleation except in group D.

Keywords: CCHE, chemotherapy, enucleation, retinoblastoma

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Authors: Prem Mohan, Namrata Jariwala

Abstract:

In recent years 10000 dyes are approximately used by dying industry which makes dyeing wastewater more complex in nature. It is very difficult to treat dyeing wastewater by conventional methods. Here an attempt has been made to treat dyeing wastewater by the conventional and advanced method for removal of COD. Fenton process is the advanced method and activated carbon treatment is the conventional method. Experiments have been done on synthetic wastewater prepared from three different dyes; acidic, disperse and reactive. Experiments have also been conducted on real effluent obtained from industry. The optimum dose of catalyst and hydrogen peroxide in Fenton process and optimum activated carbon dose for each of these wastewaters were obtained. In Fenton treatment, COD removal was obtained up to 95% whereas 70% removal was obtained with activated carbon treatment.

Keywords: activated carbon, advanced oxidation process, dyeing waste water, fenton oxidation process

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Authors: Mahendran Ganesan, Sanjeet Kumar Verma, Zafar Iqbal, Ashish Chandran, Zakir Husain, Shama Afroz, Sana Shahid, Laiq Ur Rahman

Abstract:

Highly efficient in vitro regeneration system has been developed for Swertia chirayita (Roxb. ex Fleming) H. Karst, a high prized traditional medicinal plant to treat numerous ailments such as liver disorders, malaria and diabetes and are reported to have a wide spectrum of pharmacological properties. Its medicinal usage is well-documented in Indian pharmaceutical codex, the British and the American pharmacopeias, and in different traditional medicine such as the Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha medical systems. Nodal explants were cultured on MS medium supplemented with various phytohormones for multiple shoot induction. The nodal segments failed to respond in growth regulator free medium. All the concentrations of BAP, Kin and TDZ facilitated shoot bud break and multiple shoot induction. Among the various cytokinins tested, BAP was found to be more effective with respect to initiation and subsequent development of shoots. Of the various concentrations BAP tested, BAP at 4.0 mg/L showed the higher average number of shoot regeneration (10.80 shoots per explant). Kin at 4 mg/L and TDZ at 4 mg/L induced 5.70 and 04.5+0 shoots per explant, respectively. Further increase in concentration did not favour an increase in the number of shoots. However, these shoots failed to elongate further. Hence, addition of GA₃ (1 mg/L) was added to the above medium. This treatment resulted in the elongation of shoots (2.50 cm) and a further increase in the number of microshoots (34.20 shoots/explant). Roots were also induced in the same medium containing BAP (4 mg/L) + GA₃ (1 mg/L) + NAA (0.5 mg/L). In vitro derived plantlets with well-developed roots were transferred to the potting media containing garden soil: sand: vermicompost (2:1:1). Plantlets were covered with a polyethylene bag and irrigated with water. The pots were maintained at 25 ± 2ºC, and then the polyethylene cover was gradually loosened, thus dropping the humidity (65–70%). This procedure subsequently resulted in in vitro hardening of the plantlet.

Keywords: micropropagation, nodal explant, plant growth regulators, Swertia chirayita

Procedia PDF Downloads 120