Search results for: English and Literary studies

Authors: Hector Liu, Chih-Ming Tsai

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Consumer behaviors in the subscription of over-the-top (OTT) media services have substantially changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic; hence, this study aims to determine the factors affecting subscription intentions. The increased usage of OTT media, particularly in the lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, has intensified the competition between both global and local streaming providers. While studies have discussed antecedents accounting for this change, they have paid limited attention to the psychological factors that shape consumer behavior in using OTT services. Given the changes in consumers’ psychological states during the pandemic, this study seeks to fill the research gap by integrating the expectancy-value model to provide insights into the key gratifications that consumers seek and obtain and that have affected their subscription to OTT services. This study proposes a theoretical model and assesses this framework on data collected from 1,068 OTT service users in Taiwan. The results strengthen the literature by indicating a clear growth in the popularity and subscription of OTT services because of the COVID-19 lockdowns as well as factors such as perceived quality and satisfaction, which influence behavioral intentions for OTT services. Most crucially, however, OTT viewers who acquired a sense of belonging, a sense of being accompanied, and a sense of reduction in anxiety due to being quarantined and in lockdown show a higher tendency to continue their subscriptions to their OTT services of choice during the pandemic. With consumer behavior trends forever changed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the implications from this study provide OTT service platforms with an opportunity to capitalize on their current and potential customers’ changing desires, demands, and factors for a continued subscription.

Keywords: consumer behavior, COVID-19, expectancy-value model, OTT media services

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Authors: Sarita Puri, Tapan K. Chaudhuri

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Chaperonin GroEL is a tetradecameric Escherichia coli protein having identical subunits of 57 kDa. The elucidation of thermodynamic parameters related to stability for the native GroEL is not feasible as it undergoes irreversible unfolding because of its large size (800kDa) and multimeric nature. Nevertheless, it is important to determine the thermodynamic stability parameters for the highly stable GroEL protein as it helps in folding and holding of many substrate proteins during many cellular stresses. Properly folded monomers work as building-block for the formation of native tetradecameric GroEL. Spontaneous refolding behavior of monomeric GroEL makes it suitable for protein-denaturant interactions and thermodynamic stability based studies. The urea mediated unfolding is a three state process which means there is the formation of one intermediate state along with native and unfolded states. The heat mediated denaturation is a two-state process. The unfolding process is reversible as observed by the spontaneous refolding of denatured protein in both urea and head mediated refolding processes. Analysis of folding/unfolding data provides a measure of various thermodynamic stability parameters for the monomeric GroEL. The proposed mechanism of unfolding of monomeric GroEL is a three state process which involves formation of one stable intermediate having folded apical domain and unfolded equatorial, intermediate domains. Research in progress is to demonstrate the importance of specific residues in stability and oligomerization of GroEL protein. Several mutant versions of GroEL are under investigation to resolve the above mentioned issue.

Keywords: equilibrium unfolding, monomeric GroEl, spontaneous refolding, thermodynamic stability

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Authors: Polina Prokopovich

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Disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs (DMOADs) are a new therapeutic class for OA, preventing or inhibiting OA development. Unfortunately, none of the DMOADs have been clinically approved due to their poor therapeutic effects in clinical trials. The joint environment has played a role in the poor clinical performance of these drugs by limiting the amount of drug effectively delivered as well as the time that the drug spends within the joint space. The current study aims to enhance the cartilage uptake and retention time of the DMOADs-model (licofelone), which showed a significant therapeutic effect against OA progression and is currently in phase III. Licofelone will be covalently conjugated to the hydrolysable, cytocompatible, and cationic poly beta-amino ester polymers (PBAE). The cationic polymers (A16 and A87) can be electrostatically attached to the negatively charged cartilage component (glycosaminoglycan), which will increase the drug penetration through the cartilage and extend the drug time within the cartilage. In the cartilage uptake and retention time studies, an increase of 18 to 37 times of the total conjugated licofelone to A87 and A16 was observed when compared to the free licofelone. Furthermore, the conjugated licofelone to A87 was detectable within the cartilage at 120 minutes, while the free licofelone was not detectable after 60 minutes. Additionally, the A87-licofelone conjugate showed no effect on the chondrocyte viability. In conclusion, the cationic A87 and A16 polymers increased the percentage of licofelone within the cartilage, which could potentially enhance the therapeutic effect and pharmacokinetic performance of licofelone or other DMOADs clinically.

Keywords: PBAE, cartilage., osteoarthritis, injectable biomaterials, drug delivery

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Authors: Yu-Chu Yeh, WeiChin Hsu, Chih-Yen Chang

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Substitution, combination, modification, putting to other uses, elimination, and rearrangement (SCAMPER) has been regarded as an effective technique that provides a structured way to help people to produce creative ideas and solutions. Although some neuroscience studies regarding creativity training have been conducted, no study has focused on SCAMPER. This study therefore aimed at examining whether the learning of SCAMPER through video tutorials would result in alternations of neural activation. Thirty college students were randomly assigned to the experimental group or the control group. The experimental group was requested to watch SCAMPER videos, whereas the control group was asked to watch natural-scene videos which were regarded as neutral stimulating materials. Each participant was brain scanned in a Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine while undertaking a creativity test before and after watching the videos. Furthermore, a two-way ANOVA was used to analyze the interaction between groups (the experimental group; the control group) and tasks (C task; M task; X task). The results revealed that the left precuneus significantly activated in the interaction of groups and tasks, as well as in the main effect of group. Furthermore, compared with the control group, the experimental group had greater activation in the default mode network (left precuneus and left inferior parietal cortex) and the motor network (left postcentral gyrus and left supplementary area). The findings suggest that the SCAMPER training may facilitate creativity through the stimulation of the default mode network and the motor network.

Keywords: creativity, default mode network, neural activation, SCAMPER

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Authors: Dimitrios Orfanos, Yannis Maniatis, Alcestis Rodi

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The overconcentration of people in big cities (namely Athens and Thessaloniki) and the tendency to increase their density in the upcoming years cause various problems on a personal, environmental, and social level. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a reversal in urbanism was observed. The counter-urbanization that took place, along with the steady growth of the digital nomad lifestyle, opens up new paths for policies that rejuvenate the non-urban regions in Greece and elsewhere. Promoting actions, either through incentives or through creating organized structures, can transform the Greek rural regions into attractive destinations for those who want to avoid life in big cities permanently or for a short period of time. Subsequently, the gain of the regions that will apply such policies will have a multiplier effect. Greece, being a country with great touristic interest from foreigners, can use the infusion of long-stay visitors as a boost to give way to the Greek urban population that works remotely to move permanently to more rural regions and create the conditions for growth in those regions. The paper studies several cases of such policies, in combination with different options to be explored as to the methods that can be used to take better advantage of these policies. Examples from European and worldwide use cases are presented, noting the parts that can be applied in a country like Greece. An example of an abandoned village is also presented that can be revived through the methods described in the paper. The next possible step in research could be a case study in one of the various locations to determine the level of maturity of the market to pursue such actions.

Keywords: counter-urbanization, digital nomads, rural growth, village revival

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Authors: Felicia Segeth, Florian G. Klein, Lea Berger, Andreas Kolk, Per S. Holm

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The entry of oncolytic viruses (OVs) into clinical application opens groundbreaking changes in current and future treatment regimens. However, despite their potent anti-cancer activity in vitro, clinical studies revealed limitations of OVs as monotherapy. The same applies to CDK 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) targeting cell cycle as well as bromodomain and extra-terminal domain inhibitors (BETi) targeting gene expression. In this study, the anti-tumoral effect of XVir-N-31, an YB-1 dependent oncolytic adenovirus, was evaluated in combination with Ribociclib, a CDK4/6i, and JQ1, a BETi. The head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines Fadu, SAS, and Cal-33 were used. DNA replication and gene expression of XVir-N-31 was measured by RT-qPCR, protein expression by western blotting, and cell lysis by SRB assays. Treatment with CDK4/6i and BETi increased viral gene expression, viral DNA replication, and viral particle formation. The data show that the combination of oncolytic adenovirus XVir-N-31 with CDK4/6i & BETi acts highly synergistic in cancer cell lysis. Furthermore, additional molecular analyses on this subject demonstrate that the positive transcription elongation factor P-TEFb plays a decisive role in this regard, indicating an influence of the combinational therapy on gene transcription control. The combination of CDK4/6i & BETi and XVir-N-31 is an attractive strategy to achieve substantial cancer cell killing and is highly suitable for clinical testing.

Keywords: adenovirus, BET, CDK4/6, HNSCC, P-TEFb, YB-1

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Authors: Abdollah Sobhani, Hossein Vaseghi-Dodaran

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Proteomics is defined as the study of the component of a cell, tissue and biological fluid. This technique has the potential to identify protein biomarkers of a disease states. In this study which was performed on bovine ovarian follicular cysts (BOFC), eight proteins are over expressed in BOFC that these proteins could be useful biomarkers for BOFC. The difference between serum proteome pattern cows affected by postpartum endometritis with healthy cows revealed that concentrations orosomucoid was decreased in endometritis. The comparison proteome of brucella abortus between laboratory adapted strains and clinical isolates could be useful to better understand this disease and vaccine development. Proteomics experiments identified new proteins and pathways that may be important in future hypothesis-driven studies of glucocorticoid-induced immunosuppression. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of effective parameters on male fertility is essential for obtaining high reproductive efficiency by decreasing cost and time. The investigations on proteome of high fertility spermatozoa indicated that expression of some proteins such as casein kinase 2 (CKII) prime poly peptide and tyrosine kinase in high fertility spermatozoa was higher compared to low fertility spermatozoa. Also, some evidence has indicated that variation in protein types and amounts in seminal fluid regulates fertility indexes in dairy bull. In conclusion, proteomics is a useful technique for discovering drugs, vaccine development, and diagnosis disease by biomarkers and improvement of reproduction efficiency.

Keywords: proteomics, reproduction, biomarker, immunity

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Authors: Delphine Duval, Morgan Mangeas, Charlie Huveneers, Adam Barnett, Laurent Vigliola

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The global number of shark bites has increased over the past four decades with, however, high regional variability both in space and time. A systematic review, aligned with the 2020 PRISMA guidelines, explored the peer-reviewed literature published between 1960 and 2023 to identify factors potentially explaining trends in human-shark interactions. Results revealed that variations in the frequency of human-shark interactions could be explained by a plethora of factors, including changes in prey availability, environmental conditions, human and shark population density and behavior, as well as habitat destruction. However, to our best knowledge, only five studies have conducted statistical assessments of the relative contribution of these factors. The increased number in human-shark interactions and the frequent clusters of shark bites within short timeframes offer opportunities to test the causative factors that may explain trends in unprovoked shark bites. it study aims to evaluate the impact of marine protected areas (MPAs) on the number of human-shark interactions, using data from the Global Shark Attack File and the World Database on Protected Areas. Results indicate contrasting effects of MPAs at different spatial scales. Enhancing our understanding of the factors contributing to shark bites is essential for improving risk reduction policies for humans and conservation plans for shark populations.

Keywords: unprovoked shark interactions, marine protected areas, attack risk, human-wildlife interaction

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Authors: Clara Sabbagh, Nura Resh

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The study delves into students’ and teachers’ notions of social justice (social justice judgments or SJJ), examining how they are shaped by both educational globalization and local (nation-state) conditions. Using the Israeli school setting as a case study, we discuss the status of hegemonic Zionism and two influential perspectives of educational globalization – world culture and the post-colonial critique of neo-liberalism – and derive competing hypotheses about the notions of social justice embedded in them. Against this background, we investigate how SJJ are affected by generation – Israeli teachers and students – and by educational sectors that mirror the society’s major divide: Jewish and Israeli Arab. In order to examine these issues, we used a representative sample of 2000 Israeli students, as well as a sample of 800 social studies teachers. We applied MANOVA repeated-measure for examining to what extent SSJ are dependent upon the type of resource that is distributed (repeated measures) and generational (teachers vs students) and sectorial (Jewish vs. Arab) group variables. As expected, findings revealed that the local context does matter. In other words, rather than being consistent with any of the three perspectives above, findings suggest that respondents elaborate the intersection between global and local traditions by creating various forms of mingled notions of social justice. In other words, Israeli (Jewish and Arab) teachers and students can be conceived as agents who play an important role in recreating national heritages and who differently interpret the ways educational globalization impacts their lives.

Keywords: educational globalization, social justice, teachers, Israel, Arab

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Authors: Nita Mitra, Pranab Chanda

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In this paper, the issue of attitude-behavior consistency has been addressed in the context of climate change. Scientists (about 98 percent) opine that human behavior has a significant role in climate change. Such climate changes are harmful for human life. Thus, it is natural to conclude that only change of human behavior can avoid harmful consequences. Government and Non-Government Organizations are taking steps to bring in the desired changes in behavior. However, it seems that although the efforts are achieving changes in the attitudes to some degree, those steps are failing to materialize the corresponding behavioral changes. This has been a great concern for environmentalists. Psychologists have noticed the problem as a particular case of the general psychological problem of making attitude and behavior consistent with each other. The present study is in continuation of a previous work of the same author based upon descriptive research on the status of attitude and behavior of the people of a foot-hill region of the Himalayas in India regarding climate change. The observations confirm the mismatch of attitude and behavior of the people of the region with respect to climate change. While doing so an attitude-behavior mismatch has been noticed with respect to the acceptance of psychological findings by the public. People have been found to be interested in Psychology as an important subject, but they are reluctant to take the observations of psychologists seriously. A comparative study in this regard has been made with similar studies done elsewhere. Finally, an attempt has been made to perceive observations in the framework of observational learning due to Bandura's and behavior change due to Lewin.

Keywords: acceptance of psychological variables, attitude-behavior consistency, behavior change, climate change, observational learning

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Authors: Nazih Ramadan, Manal Mohy-Eldine, Amani Hanoon, Alaa Shehab

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Background and Aims: The study of fingerprints is widely used in providing a clue regarding identity. Age and gender identification from fingerprints is an important step in forensic anthropology in order to minimize the list of suspects search. The aim of this study was to determine finger ridge density and patterns among Egyptians, and to estimate age and gender using ridge densities. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 177 randomly-selected healthy Egyptian subjects (90 males and 87 females). They were divided into three age groups; Group (a): from 6-< 12 years, group (b) from 12-< 18 years and group (c) ≥ 18 years. Bilateral digital prints, from every subject, were obtained by the inking procedure. Ridge count per 25 mm² was determined together with assessment of ridge pattern type. Statistical analysis was done with references to different age and sex groups. Results: There was a statistical significant difference in ridge density between the different age groups; where younger ages had significantly higher ridge density than older ages. Females proved to have significantly higher ridge density than males. Also, there was a statistically significant negative correlation between age and ridge density. Ulnar loops were the most frequent pattern among Egyptians then whorls then arches then radial loops. Finally, different regression models were constructed to estimate age and gender from fingerprints ridge density. Conclusion: fingerprint ridge density can be used to identify both age and sex of subjects. Further studies are recommended on different populations, larger samples or using different methods of fingerprint recording and finger ridge counting.

Keywords: age, sex identification, Egyptian population, fingerprints, ridge density

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Authors: J. Leige Lopes, L. Aparecida Bastos, R. Monteiro da Silva

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The objective of this paper is to study the work of children and adolescents and the vicious circle of poverty from the perspective of Guinar Myrdal’s Theory of Circular Cumulative Causation. The objective is to show that if a person starts working in the juvenile phase of life they will be classified as poor or extremely poor when they are adult, which can to be observed in the case of Brazil, more specifically in the north and northeast. To do this, the methodology used was statistical and econometric analysis by applying a probit model. The main results show that: if people reside in the northeastern region of Brazil, and if they have a low educational level and if they start their professional life before the age 18, they will increase the likelihood that they will be poor or extremely poor. There is a consensus in the literature that one of the causes of the intergenerational transmission of poverty is related to child labor, this because when one starts their professional life while still in the toddler or adolescence stages of life, they end up sacrificing their studies. Because of their low level of education, children or adolescents are forced to perform low-paid functions and abandon school, becoming in the future, people who will be classified as poor or extremely poor. As a result of poverty, parents may be forced to send their children out to work when they are young, so that in the future they will also become poor adults, a process that is characterized as the "vicious circle of poverty."

Keywords: children, adolescents, Gunnar Myrdal, poverty, vicious circle

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Authors: Fan Wei, Tang Yipeng

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Knowledge sharing is of great value to organizational performance and innovation ability. However, the mainstream research has focused largely on the impact of knowledge sharing at the team level on individuals and teams. There is a lack of empirical studies on how employees interact in the exchange of knowledge and its effect on employees’ own creative performance. Based on communication accommodation theory and social exchange theory, this article explores the construction of an employee knowledge interaction mechanism under the moderating of social status and introduces the leader's creativity expectation as a moderating variable to explore its cross-level moderating effect on employee knowledge sharing and their own creative performance. An empirical test was conducted on 36 teaching and research teams in the two primary schools, and the results showed that: (1) Explicit/tacit knowledge of employees is positively correlated with acquisition of explicit/tacit knowledge; (2) Colleagues’ evaluations of employees’ social status play a moderating role between the employees’ explicit/tacit knowledge and the acquisition of explicit/tacit knowledge. (3) The leadership creativity expectation positively regulates the relationship between the employees' explicit knowledge acquisition and creative performance. This research helps to open the "black box" of the interpersonal interaction mechanism of knowledge sharing and also provides an important theoretical basis and practical guidance for organizational managers to effectively stimulate employee knowledge sharing and creative performance.

Keywords: knowledge sharing, knowledge interaction, social status, leadership creativity expectations, creative performance

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Authors: Paraskevi Liosatou

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Climate change is considered to be of global concern being amplified by the fact that by its nature, cannot be spatially limited. This fact makes necessary the intergovernmental decision-making procedures. In the intergovernmental level, the institutions such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change develop efforts, methods, and practices in order to plan and suggest climate mitigation and adaptation measures. These measures are based on specific scientific findings and methods making clear the strong connection between science and policy. In particular, these scientific recommendations offer a series of practices, methods, and choices mitigating the problem by aiming at the indirect mitigation of the causes and the factors amplifying climate change. Moreover, modern production and economic context do not take into consideration the social, political, environmental and spatial dimensions of the problem. This work studies the decision-making process working in international and European level. In this context, this work considers the policy tools that have been implemented by various intergovernmental organizations. The methodology followed is based mainly on the critical study of standards and process concerning the connections and cooperation between science and policy as well as considering the skeptic debates developed. The finding of this work focuses on the links between science and policy developed by the institutional and scientific mechanisms concerning climate change mitigation. It also analyses the dimensions and the factors of the science-policy framework; in this way, it points out the causes that maintain skepticism in current scientific circles.

Keywords: climate change, climate change mitigation, climate change skepticism, IPCC, skepticism

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Authors: Ghulam Murshid

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Carbon dioxide is one of the major greenhouse gas (GHG) contributors. It is an obligation of the industry to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emission to the acceptable limits. Tremendous research and studies are reported in the past and still the quest to find the suitable and economical solution of this problem needed to be explored in order to develop the most plausible absorber for carbon dioxide removal. Amino acids are reported by the researchers as a potential solvent for absorption of carbon dioxide to replace alkanolamines due to its ability to resist oxidative degradation, low volatility due to its ionic structure and higher surface tension. In addition, the introduction of promoter-like piperazine to amino acid helps to further enhance the solubility. In this work, the effect of piperazine on thermophysical properties and solubility of β-Alanine aqueous solutions were studied for various concentrations. The measured physicochemical properties data was correlated as a function of temperature using least-squares method and the correlation parameters are reported together with it respective standard deviations. The effect of activator piperazine on the CO2 loading performance of selected amino acid under high-pressure conditions (1bar to 10bar) at temperature range of (30 to 60)oC was also studied. Solubility of CO2 decreases with increasing temperature and increases with increasing pressure. Quadratic representation of solubility using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) shows that the most important parameter to optimize solubility is system pressure. The addition of promoter increases the solubility effect of the solvent.

Keywords: amino acids, co2, global warming, solubility

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Authors: Lu-Yin Lin

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The morphology of electroactive material is highly related to energy storage ability. Structure-directing agent (SDA) can design electroactive materials with favorable surface properties. Zeolitic imidazolate framework 67 (ZIF67) is one of the potential electroactive materials for energy storage devices. The SDA concept is less applied to designing ZIF67 derivatives in previous studies. An in-situ technique with ammonium fluoride (NH₄F) as SDA is proposed to produce a ZIF67 derivative with highly improved energy storage ability. Attracted by the effective in-situ technique, the NH₄F, ammonium bifluoride (NH₄HF₂), and ammonium tetrafluoroborate (NH₄BF₄) are first used as SDA to synthesize ZIF67 derivatives in one-step solution process as electroactive material of energy storage devices. The mechanisms of forming ZIF67 derivatives synthesized with different SDAs are discussed to explain the SDA effects on physical and electrochemical properties. The largest specific capacitance (CF) of 1527.0 Fg-¹ and the capacity of 296.9 mAhg-¹ are obtained for the ZIF67 derivative prepared using NH₄BF₄ as SDA. The energy storage device composed of the optimal ZIF67 derivative and carbon electrodes presents a maximum energy density of 15.1 Whkg-¹ at the power density of 857 Wkg-¹. The CF retention of 90% and Coulombic efficiency larger than 98% are also obtained after 5000 cycles.

Keywords: ammonium bifluoride, ammonium tetrafluoroborate, energy storage device, one-step solution process, structure-directing agent, zeolitic imidazolate framework 67

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Authors: Fred N. H. Parker, Nicola T. Fear, S. A. M. Stevelink, L. Rafferty

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Purpose Auditory problems, such as hearing loss and tinnitus, have been associated with mental health problems and alcohol misuse in the UK general population and in the US Armed Forces; however, few studies have examined these associations within the UK Armed Forces. The present study examined the association between auditory problems and probable common mental disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol misuse. Methods 5474 serving and ex-service personnel from the UK Armed Forces were examined, selected from those who responded to phase two (data collection 2007–09) and phase three (2014–16) of a military cohort study. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between auditory problems at phase two and mental health problems at phase three. Results 9.7% of participants reported ever experiencing hearing problems alone, 7.9% reported tinnitus within the last month alone, and 7.8% reported hearing problems with tinnitus. After adjustment, hearing problems with tinnitus at phase two was associated with increased odds of probable common mental disorders (AOR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.09–2.08), post-traumatic stress disorder (AOR = 2.30, 95% CI 1.41–3.76), and alcohol misuse (AOR = 1.94, 95% CI 1.28–2.96) at phase three. Tinnitus alone was associated with probable post-traumatic stress disorder (AOR = 1.80, 95% CI 1.03–3.15); however, hearing problems alone were not associated with any outcomes of interest. Conclusions The association between auditory problems and mental health problems emphasizes the importance of the prevention of auditory problems in the Armed Forces: through enhanced audiometric screening, improved hearing protection equipment, and greater levels of utilization of such equipment.

Keywords: armed forces, hearing problems, tinnitus, mental health, alcohol misuse

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Authors: Viruska Jaichand, John Jason Mellem, Viresh Mohanlall

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Malnutrition is a global issue that affects both children and adults, irrespective of their socio-economic status. It is, therefore, important to find various means to tackle malnutrition. This is especially important as undernutrition and overnutrition can be linked to a variety of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This study aimed to gather more insight into the nutritional and phytochemical quality of Momordica balsamina leaves and fruit (fruit pericarp, fruit flesh and seeds). Results showed that Momordica balsamina had a nutritional composition that would be advantageous to the human diet. The nutritional quality is verified by the presence of a high protein percentage across all samples (19.72%-29.08%), with the leaves containing the highest protein content (29.08%±0.77). There was also a low-fat content present across all samples, which ranged from 1.03% to 2.40%. The ash content indicated the presence of total minerals to be adequate (2.93%-21.16%), where the pericarp had the highest ash quantity (21.16%±0.09). The moisture levels were low (7.11%-13.40%). Momordica balsamina seeds had the highest carbohydrate content (67.84%±0.30). Rich in the major phytoconstituents, Momordica balsamina extracts were found to contain alkaloids, saponins, cardiac glycosides, steroids and triterpenoids. Based on these findings, it can thus be said that the incorporation of Momordica balsamina into an individual’s diet could prevent diseases associated with malnutrition, as well as it could be used to supplement the human diet in managing certain NCDs. Even though there were a number of bioactive compounds detected, further studies which would correlate the phytochemical constituents detected in Momordica balsamina and its effectiveness in treating various diseases are recommended.

Keywords: momordica balsamina, nutrients, proximate composition, bioactive compounds, phytoconstituents

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Authors: Muhammad SAFDAR, Mehmet Ozaslan, Musarrat Abbas Khan

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Babesiosis is a haemoparasitic disease due to the multiplication of protozoan’s parasite, Babesia ovis in the red blood cells of the host, and contributes numerous economical losses, including sheep and goat ruminants. The early identification and successful treatment of Babesia Ovis spp. belong to the key steps of control and health management of livestock resources. The objective of this study was to construct a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based method for the detection of Babesia spp. in small ruminants and to determine the risk factors involved in the spreading of babesiosis infections. A total of 100 blood samples were collected from 50 sheep and 50 goats along with different areas of Muzaffargarh, Pakistan, from randomly selected herds. Data on the characteristics of sheep and goats were collected through questionnaires. Of 100 blood samples examined, 18 were positive for Babesia ovis upon microscopic studies, whereas 11 were positive for the presence of Babesia spp. by PCR assay. For the recognition of parasitic DNA, a set of 500bp oligonucleotide was designed by PCR amplification with sequence 18S rRNA gene for B. ovis. The prevalence of babesiosis in small ruminant’s sheep and goat detected by PCR was significantly higher in female animals (28%) than male herds (08%). PCR analysis of the reference samples showed that the detection limit of the PCR assay was 0.01%. Taken together, all data indicated that this PCR assay was a simple, fast, specific detection method for Babesia ovis species in small ruminants compared to other available methods.

Keywords: Babesia ovis, PCR amplification, 18S rRNA, sheep and goat

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Authors: Mohamed Razi Nalim, Shahrzad Ghadiri

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With current concerns regarding global warming, demand for a society with greater environmental awareness significantly increases. With gradual development in hybrid and electric vehicles and the availability of renewable energy resources, increasing efficiency in fossil fuel and combustion engines seems a faster solution toward sustainability and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of recent progress in wave rotor combustor, one of the combustion concepts with considerable potential to improve power output and emission standards. A wave rotor is an oscillatory flow device that uses the unsteady gas dynamic concept to transfer energy by generating pressure waves. From a thermodynamic point of view, unlike conventional positive-displacement piston engines which follow the Brayton cycle, wave rotors offer higher cycle efficiency due to pressure gain during the combustion process based on the Humphrey cycle. First, the paper covers all recent and ongoing computational and experimental studies around the world with a quick look at the milestones in the history of wave rotor development. Second, the main similarity and differences in the ignition system of the wave rotor with piston engines are considered. Also, the comparison is made with another pressure gain device, rotating detonation engines. Next, the main challenges and research needs for wave rotor combustor commercialization are discussed.

Keywords: wave rotor combustor, unsteady gas dynamic, pre-chamber jet ignition, pressure gain combustion, constant-volume combustion

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Authors: Sandra D. Prewitt

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Introduction—The purpose of the extant study was to explore the relationship between religiosity and suicidal ideation. Through this exploration, further knowledge was sought relevant to gaining a better understanding regarding the higher suicide rate continuing to be experienced by young adults. Endeavoring to discover why the suicide rate continues to increase for the subject population, depression and anxiety emerged as major contributory risk factors. Although religiosity has been shown to be related to the reduced risk of suicidal behavior, the curative value of religion relevant to suicide prevention and treatment has not been sufficiently recognized. Considering the enormity of the current suicide problem, pursuits relevant to discovering effective tools enabling impactful prevention and treatment strategies remain essential to reducing suicide deaths. Methodology—The subject study was conducted utilizing a systematic literature review (SLR) which required the researcher to perform searches of appropriate databases, toward the goal of acquiring advanced knowledge based upon existing studies relevant to the subject matter under consideration. Major Findings—Depression and anxiety have been identified as two potential pathways leading to increased suicidal behavior. On the contrary, religiosity emerged as an important protective factor associated with less depression and therefore, fewer instances of suicidal thoughts. The protective nature of religion has been shown to extend to young adults without regard to the presence of identified potential suicidal behavior pathways.

Keywords: anxiety, depression, religion, suicide

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Authors: Anaissia Franca, Julian Fernandez, Curran Crawford, Ned Djilali

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A methodology to estimate the state-of-charge (SOC) of battery electric buses, including degradation effects, for a given driving cycle is presented to support long-term techno-economic analysis integrating electric buses and charging infrastructure. The degradation mechanisms, characterized by both capacity and power fade with time, have been modeled using an electrochemical model for Li-ion batteries. Iterative changes in the negative electrode film resistance and decrease in available lithium as a function of utilization is simulated for every cycle. The cycles are formulated to follow typical transit bus driving patterns. The power and capacity decay resulting from the degradation model are introduced as inputs to a longitudinal chassis dynamic analysis that calculates the power consumption of the bus for a given driving cycle to find the state-of-charge of the battery as a function of time. The method is applied to an in-depot charging scenario, for which the bus is charged exclusively at the depot, overnight and to its full capacity. This scenario is run both with and without including degradation effects over time to illustrate the significant impact of degradation mechanisms on bus performance when doing feasibility studies for a fleet of electric buses. The impact of battery degradation on battery lifetime is also assessed. The modeling tool can be further used to optimize component sizing and charging locations for electric bus deployment projects.

Keywords: battery electric bus, E-bus, in-depot charging, lithium-ion battery, battery degradation, capacity fade, power fade, electric vehicle, SEI, electrochemical models

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Authors: Maria Luisa Nozawa Ribeiro, Maria Teresa Miceli Kerbauy

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This paper aims to present the theories of public participation in order to understand the context of the public GMO (Genetic Modified Organisms) policies in Brazil, highlighting the characteristics of its configuration and the dialog with the experts. As a controversy subject, the commercialization of GMO provoked manifestation of some popular and environmental representative groups questioning the decisions of policy makers and experts on the matter. Many aspects and consequences of the plantation and consumption of this crops emerged and the safety of this technology was questioned. Environmentalists, Civil Right's movement, representatives of rural workers, farmers and organics producers, etc. demonstrated their point of view, also sustained by some experts of medical, genetical, environmental, agronomical sciences, etc. fields. Despite this movement, the precautionary principle (risk management), implemented in 1987, suggested precaution facing new technologies and innovations in the sustainable development society. This principle influenced many legislation and regulation on GMO around the world, including Brazil, which became a reference among the world regulatory GMO systems. The Brazilian legislation ensures the citizens participation on GMO discussion, characteristic that was important to establish the connection between the subject and the participation theory. These deliberation spaces materialized in Brazil through the "Public Audiences", which are managed by the National Biosafety Technical Commission (CTNBio), the department responsible for controlling the research, production and commercialization of GMOs in Brazil.

Keywords: public engagement, public participation, science and technology studies, transgenic politics

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Authors: Fatemeh Sadat Sharifi

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In this research, a barotropic model was employed to consider the tidal studies in the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea, where the only sufficient force was the tidal force. To do that, a finite-difference, free-surface model called Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS), was employed on the data over the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea. To analyze flow patterns of the region, the results of limited size model of The Finite Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM) were appropriated. The two points were determined since both are one of the most critical water body in case of the economy, biology, fishery, Shipping, navigation, and petroleum extraction. The OSU Tidal Prediction Software (OTPS) tide and observation data validated the modeled result. Next, tidal elevation and speed, and tidal analysis were interpreted. Preliminary results determine a significant accuracy in the tidal height compared with observation and OTPS data, declaring that tidal currents are highest in Hormuz Strait and the narrow and shallow region between Iranian coasts and Islands. Furthermore, tidal analysis clarifies that the M_2 component has the most significant value. Finally, the Persian Gulf tidal currents are divided into two branches: the first branch converts from south to Qatar and via United Arab Emirate rotates to Hormuz Strait. The secondary branch, in north and west, extends up to the highest point in the Persian Gulf and in the head of Gulf turns counterclockwise.

Keywords: numerical model, barotropic tide, tidal currents, OSU tidal prediction software, OTPS

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Authors: Michaela Dušková, Kateřina Šimůnková, Martin Hill, Hana Hruškovičová, Hana Pospíšilová, Eva Králíková, Luboslav Stárka

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Smoking represents the most widespread substance dependence in the world. Several studies show the nicotine's ability to alter women hormonal homeostasis. Women smokers have higher testosterone and lower estradiol levels throughout life compared to non-smoker women. We monitored the effect of smoking discontinuation on steroid spectrum with 40 premenopausal and 60 postmenopausal women smokers. These women had been examined before they discontinued smoking and also after 6, 12, 24, and 48 weeks of abstinence. At each examination, blood was collected to determine steroid spectrum (measured by GC-MS), LH, FSH, and SHBG (measured by IRMA). Repeated measures ANOVA model was used for evaluation of the data. The study has been approved by the local Ethics Committee. Given the small number of premenopausal women who endured not to smoke, only the first 6 week period data could be analyzed. A slight increase in androgens after the smoking discontinuation occurred. In postmenopausal women, an increase in testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, and other androgens occurred, too. Nicotine replacement therapy, weight changes, and age does not play any role in the androgen level increase. The higher androgens levels correlated with failure in smoking cessation. Women smokers have higher androgen levels, which might play a role in smoking dependence development. Women successful in smoking cessation, compared to the non-successful ones, have lower androgen levels initially and also after smoking discontinuation. The question is what androgen levels women have before they start smoking.

Keywords: addiction, smoking, cessation, androgens

Procedia PDF Downloads 363

Authors: Taknaz Banihashemi, Jiangang Fei, Peggy Shu-Ling Chen

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Reverse logistics (RL) is a part of the logistics of companies and its aim is to reclaim value from the returned products in an environmentally friendly manner. In recent years, RL has attracted significant attention among both practitioners and academics due to environmental directives and governmental legislation, consumer concerns and social responsibilities for environment, awareness of the limits of natural resources and economic potential. Sustainability development is considered as a critical goal for organisations due to its impact on competitive advantage. With growing environmental concerns and legal regulations related to green and sustainability issues, product disposition through RL can be considered as an environmental, economic and social sound way to achieve sustainable development. When employed properly, RL can help firms to improve their sustainability performance. The aim of this paper is to investigate the sustainability issues in the context of RL in the perspective of the triple-bottom-line approach. Content analysis was used to collect the information. The findings show that there is a research gap to investigate the relationship between RL and sustainability performance. Most of the studies have focused on performance evaluation of RL by considering the factors related to economic and environmental performance. RL can have significant effects on social issues along with economic and environmental issues. The inclusion of the social aspect in the sustainability performance will provide a complete and holistic picture of how RL may impact on the sustainability performance of firms. Generally, there is a lack of research on investigating the relationship between RL and sustainability by integrating the three pillars of triple-bottom-line sustainability performance. This paper provides academics and researchers a broad view of the correlations between RL and sustainability performance.

Keywords: verse Logistics, review, sustainability, sustainability performance

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Authors: Aljon Pangan

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The Philippines being an archipelagic country, is surrounded by coastlines (36,289 km), coastal waters (226,000 km²), oceanic waters (1.93 million km²) and territorial waters (2.2 million km²). Studies show that the Philippine coastal ecosystems are the most productive and biologically diverse in the world, however, plagued by degradation problems due to over-exploitation and illegal activities. The existence of coastal degradation issues in the country led to the emergence of Coastal Resource Management (CRM) as an approach to both national and local government in providing solutions for sustainable coastal resource utilization. CRM applies the idea of planning, implementing and monitoring through the lens of collaborative governance. It utilizes collective action and decision-making to achieve sustainable use of coastal resources. The Municipality of Bagac in Bataan is one of the coastal municipalities in the country who crafts its own CRM Program as a solution to coastal resource degradation and problems. Information and Communications Technology (ICT), particularly Integrated Imaging Management System (IIMS) is one approach that can be applied in the formula of collaborative governance which entails the Government, Private Sector, and Civil Society. IIMS can help policymakers, managers, and citizens in managing coastal resources through analyzed spatial data describing the physical, biological, and socioeconomic characteristics of the coastal areas. Moreover, this study will apply the qualitative approach in deciphering possible impacts of the application of IIMS in the Coastal Resource Management policy making and implementation of the Municipality of Bagac.

Keywords: coastal resource management, collaborative governance, integrated imaging management system, information and communication technology

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Authors: Srikanth Korla, Mahesh Sharnangat

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Composite materials are being widely used in Aerospace, Naval, Defence and other branches of engineering applications. Studies on natural fibers is another emerging research area as they are available in abundance, and also due to their eco-friendly in nature. India being one of the major producer of coir, there is always a scope to study the possibilities of exploring coir as reinforment, and with different combinations of other elements of the composite. In present investigation effort is made to utilize properties possessed by natural fiber and make them enable with polymer/epoxy resin. In natural fiber coconut coir is used as reinforcement fiber in epoxy resin with varying weight percentages of fiber and filler material. Titanium dioxide powder (TiO2) is used as filler material with varying weight percentage including 0%, 2% and 4% are considered for experimentation. Environmental effects on the performance of the composite plate are also studied and presented in this project work; Moisture absorption test for composite specimens is conducted using different solvents including Kerosene, Mineral Water and Saline Water, and its absorption capacity is evaluated. Analysis is carried out in different combinations of Coir as fiber and TiO2 as filler material, and the best suitable composite material considering the strength and environmental effects is identified in this work. Therefore, the significant combination of the composite material is with following composition: 2% TiO2 powder 15% of coir fibre and 83% epoxy, under unique mechanical and environmental conditions considered in the work.

Keywords: composite materials, moisture test, filler material, natural fibre composites

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Authors: Olubajo Olumide Olu

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This paper studies the effect of Metakaolin (MK) and Rice husk ash (RHA) on the compressive strength of ternary cement mortar at replacement level up to 30%. The compressive strength test of the blended cement mortars were conducted using Tonic Technic compression and machine. Nineteen ternary cement mortars were prepared comprising of ordinary Portland cement (OPC), Rice husk ash (RHA) and Metakaolin (MK) at different proportion. Ternary mortar prisms in which Portland cement was replaced by up to 30% were tested at various age; 2, 7, 28 and 60 days. Result showed that the compressive strength of the cement mortars increased as the curing days were lengthened for both OPC and the blended cement samples. The ternary cement’s compressive strengths showed significant improvement compared with the control especially beyond 28 days. This can be attributed to the slow pozzolanic reaction resulting from the formation of additional CSH from the interaction of the residual CH content and the silica available in the Metakaolin and Rice husk ash, thus providing significant strength gain at later age. Results indicated that the addition of metakaolin with rice husk ash kept constant was found to lead to an increment in the compressive strength. This can either be attributed to the high silica/alumina contribution to the matrix or the C/S ratio in the cement matrix. Whereas, increment in the rice husk ash content while metakaolin was held constant led to an increment in the compressive strength, which could be attributed to the reactivity of the rice husk ash followed by decrement owing to the presence of unburnt carbon in the RHA matrix. The best compressive strength results were obtained at 10% cement replacement (5% RHA, 5% MK); 15% cement replacement (10% MK and 5% RHA); 20% cement replacement (15% MK and 5% RHA); 25% cement replacement (20% MK and 5% RHA); 30% cement replacement (10%/20% MK and 20%/10% RHA). With the optimal combination of either 15% and 20% MK with 5% RHA giving the best compressive strength of 40.5MPa.

Keywords: metakaolin, rice husk ash, compressive strength, ternary mortar, curing days

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Authors: Preeti Khanna, Bani T. Aeri

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Background: Recent studies have indicated challenges that hamper health and wellbeing of a vast majority of adolescents in developing countries. Many modifiable factors like behavior and temperament related to food intake among adolescents have not been adequately explored. The aim of the proposed research is to study the impact of behavior and temperament on food intake and diet quality of adolescents. Objectives: In the present study data on dietary behavior and anthropometry of adolescent boys & girls (aged 13-16 years) studying in public schools of Delhi will be gathered to ascertain the quality of diet among adolescent boys and girls and to study the effect of behavior and temperament on diet quality of adolescents. Methods: In total, 400 adolescents will participate in this cross-sectional study. Weight and height of adolescents will be measured and BMI will be calculated. Information will be obtained on their socio-demographic profile and various factors influencing their Food Choices and diet quality such as body image perception, Behavior, temperament, locus of control and parental influence. Expected results: Several direct effects of adolescent traits and behavior on food intake will be observed. Maturational patterns and gender differences in behavior traits will be assessed. By profiling of the behavior and temperament traits, we will have a better understanding of impact of these factors on weight and eating behaviors in overweight/obese or even underweight adolescents. Conclusions: The proposed study will highlight the association of behavioral factors with nutritional status of adolescents. It will also serve as a strategic approach for the obesity prevention and health management policies designed for adolescents.

Keywords: behaviour, temperament, food intake, adolescents

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