Search results for: vertical growth index

Authors: Ghulam Rasool Madni

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Global economies are prioritizing the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for well-being of their people. An emphasis lies on the concept of metagovernance when contemplating the role of government in SDGs, especially in the context of its influence and guidance. Existing literature acknowledges the pivotal role of metagovernance in achieving the SDGs, but aspects of metagovernance unclear that are important for 17 SDGs. Using data from 41 countries, a comparative analysis is conducted for the year 2022. Utilizing a multiple regression analysis, the impact of different dimensions of metagovernance to achieve SDGs is explored, with a particular focus on sustainable policies, strategic capacity, policy coherence, democratic institutions, reflexivity, and adaptation. It is found that sustainable policies have a positive and significant relationship with different SDGs, including no poverty, zero hunger, health, sanitation and clean water, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure, reduced inequalities while democratic institutions also have a positive relationship with no poverty, good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, clean and affordable energy, and peace, justice, and strong institutions in these countries. Policymakers are suggested to ensure that sustainable policies are backed by legislation to provide them with a strong legal foundation. It is suggested to develop a long-term vision for sustainability that goes beyond short-term political cycles. Economies are encouraged to invest in building the capacity of government agencies, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to effectively implement sustainable policies. Moreover, democratic institutions may be established through a constitution providing a solid foundation for democratic governance, including protection of human rights, separation of powers, and mechanisms for accountability and transparency.

Keywords: metagovernance, sustainable development goals, sustainable policies, democratic institutions

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Authors: Cheng Sim Quah, Sandra Phek Lin Sim

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This study examined how individuals in their respective teams contributed to innovation performance besides defining the term of innovation in their own respective views. This study also identified factors that motivated University staff to contribute to the innovation products. In addition, it examined whether there is a significant relationship between professional training level and the length of service among university staff towards innovation and to what extent do the two variables contributed towards innovative products. The significance of this study is that it revealed the strengths and weaknesses of the university staff when contributing to innovation performance. Stratified-random sampling was employed to determine the samples representing the population of lecturers in the study, involving 123 lecturers in one of the local universities in Malaysia. The method employed to analyze the data is through categorizing into themes for the open-ended questions besides using descriptive and inferential statistics for the quantitative data. This study revealed that two types of definition for the term “innovation” exist among the university staff, namely, creation of new product or new approach to do things as well as value-added creative way to upgrade or improve existing process and service to be more efficient. This study found that the most prominent factor that propel them towards innovation is to improve the product in order to benefit users, followed by self-satisfaction and recognition. This implies that the staff in the organization viewed the creation of innovative products as a process of growth to fulfill the needs of others and also to realize their personal potential. This study also found that there was only a significant relationship between the professional training level and the length of service of 4-6 years among the university staff. The rest of the groups based on the length of service showed that there was no significant relationship with the professional training level towards innovation. Moreover, results of the study on directional measures depicted that the relationship for the length of service of 4 - 6 years with professional training level among the university staff is quite weak. This implies that good organization management lies on the shoulders of the key leaders who enlighten the path to be followed by the staff.

Keywords: innovation, length of service, performance, professional training level, motivation

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Authors: Ghazala Yasmeen, Zahid Yousaf

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Frequent social media use has significantly changed people's life and communication styles during the last two decades. Social media use has multiple dimensions, and there are nuanced relationships between it and how it affects different societal subgroups. With the increased popularity and rapid growth of social networking sites, people are experiencing potential social media addiction, which causes severe mental health problems. How social media is dramatically influencing the lives and mental health of its users, and particularly of the students, creating psychological issues, e.g., isolation, depression, and anxiety, will be the primary objective of this study. This research will address the problems confronted by many students who are regular social media users and can undergo mental distress. This study aims to explore how social media use can lead to isolation, depression, and anxiety. This research will also investigate the effects of cyber-bullying on social, emotional, and psychological wellbeing. For this purpose, the researcher will use the survey technique as a method of inquiry. Ryff's theory of Psychological wellbeing will be used as a theoretical framework to explore the association between social media addiction and psychological effects among users. For data collection, the researcher will use the quantitative research method through a survey questionnaire from three universities in Pakistan from the public and private sectors. This study will imply a two-stage random sampling technique. At first, the researcher will select 20% of students from universities. In the second stage, 20% of students using different social networking sites will be chosen, and draw a representative sample from these will be. The intended study will use questionnaires comprising two portions. The first section will consist of social media engagement by the students, following impacts on their mental health and reported attitude towards psychological wellbeing. This study will spotlight the considerations of parents, educationists, and policymakers to take measures against the devastating effects of cyber-crimes on young adults.

Keywords: anxiety, depression, isolation, social media, wellbeing

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Authors: Miroslav Mrlik, Marketa Ilcikova, Martin Cvek, Josef Osicka, Michal Sedlacik, Vladimir Pavlinek, Jaroslav Mosnacek

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Magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) are a unique type of materials consisting of two components, magnetic filler, and elastomeric matrix. Their properties can be tailored upon application of an external magnetic field strength. In this case, the change of the viscoelastic properties (viscoelastic moduli, complex viscosity) are influenced by two crucial factors. The first one is magnetic performance of the particles and the second one is off-state stiffness of the elastomeric matrix. The former factor strongly depends on the intended applications; however general rule is that higher magnetic performance of the particles provides higher MR performance of the MRE. Since magnetic particles possess low stability properties against temperature and acidic environment, several methods how to improve these drawbacks have been developed. In the most cases, the preparation of the core-shell structures was employed as a suitable method for preservation of the magnetic particles against thermal and chemical oxidations. However, if the shell material is not single-layer substance, but polymer material, the magnetic performance is significantly suppressed, due to the in situ polymerization technique, when it is very difficult to control the polymerization rate and the polymer shell is too thick. The second factor is the off-state stiffness of the elastomeric matrix. Since the MR effectivity is calculated as the relative value of the elastic modulus upon magnetic field application divided by elastic modulus in the absence of the external field, also the tuneability of the cross-linking reaction is highly desired. Therefore, this study is focused on the controllable modification of magnetic particles using a novel monomeric system based on 2-(1H-pyrrol-1-yl)ethyl methacrylate. In this case, the short polymer chains of different chain lengths and low polydispersity index will be prepared, and thus tailorable stability properties can be achieved. Since the relatively thin polymer chains will be grafted on the surface of magnetic particles, their magnetic performance will be affected only slightly. Furthermore, also the cross-linking density will be affected, due to the presence of the short polymer chains. From the application point of view, such MREs can be utilized for, magneto-resistors, piezoresistors or pressure sensors especially, when the conducting shell on the magnetic particles will be created. Therefore, the selection of the pyrrole-based monomer is very crucial and controllably thin layer of conducting polymer can be prepared. Finally, such composite particle consisting of magnetic core and conducting shell dispersed in elastomeric matrix can find also the utilization in shielding application of electromagnetic waves.

Keywords: atom transfer radical polymerization, core-shell, particle modification, electromagnetic waves shielding

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Authors: C. F. Alegretti, F. R. Cunha, R. G. Gontijo

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This work investigates the effects of an applied magnetic field on the geometry-driven boundary layer detachment flow of a ferrofluid over a sudden expansion. Both constitutive equation and global magnetization equation for a ferrofluid are considered. Therefore, the proposed formulation consists in a coupled magnetic-hydrodynamic problem. Computational simulations are carried out in order to explore, not only the viability to control flow instabilities, but also to evaluate the consistency of theoretical aspects. The unidirectional sudden expansion in a ferrofluid flow is investigated numerically under the perspective of Ferrohydrodynamics in a two-dimensional domain using a Finite Differences Method. The boundary layer detachment induced by the sudden expansion results in a recirculating zone, which has been extensively studied in non-magnetic hydrodynamic problems for a wide range of Reynolds numbers. Similar investigations can be found in literature regarding the sudden expansion under the magnetohydrodynamics framework, but none considering a colloidal suspension of magnetic particles out of the superparamagnetic regime. The vorticity-stream function formulation is implemented and results in a clear coupling between the flow vorticity and its magnetization field. Our simulations indicate a systematic decay on the length of the recirculation zone as increasing physical parameters of the flow, such as the intensity of the applied field and the volume fraction of particles. The results all are discussed from a physical point of view in terms of the dynamical non-dimensional parameters. We argue that the decrease/reduction in the recirculation region of the flow is a direct consequence of the magnetic torque balancing the action of the torque produced by viscous and inertial forces of the flow. For the limit of small Reynolds and magnetic Reynolds parameters, the diffusion of vorticity balances the diffusion of the magnetic torque on the flow. These mechanics control the growth of the recirculation region.

Keywords: boundary layer detachment, ferrofluid, ferrohydrodynamics, magnetization, sudden expansion

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Authors: Satender Saraswat, Dharmendra Prasad Singh, Rajesh Kumar Verma, Swati Sarswat

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Background and Purpose: The predominant cause of candidiasis was Candida albicans which has shifted towards non-Candida albicans Candida (NCAC) (Candida species other than the C. albicans). NCAC, earlier considered non-pathogenic or minimally virulent, are now considered a primary cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised. With the NCAC spp. gaining weightage in the clinical cases, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence of NCAC spp. in different clinical specimens and to assess a few of their virulence factors. Material and Methods: Routine samples for bacterial culture and sensitivity, showing colony characteristics like Candida on Blood Agar and microscopic features resembling Candida spp. were processed further. Candida isolates were tested for chlamydospore formation, biochemical tests including sugar fermentation and sugar assimilation tests, and growth at 42oC, colony colour on HiCrome™ Candida Differential Agar, HiCandida Identification Kit and VITEK-2 Compact. Virulence factors like adherence to buccal epithelial cells (ABEC), biofilm formation, hemolytic activity, and production of coagulase enzyme were also tested. Results: Mean age of the patients was 38.46 with a male-female ratio of 1.36:1. 137 Candida isolates were recovered. 45.3% isolates were isolated from urine, 19.7% from vaginal swabs and 13.9% from oropharyngeal swabs. 55 (40.1%) isolates of C. albicans and 82 (59.9%) of NCAC spp. were identified, with C. tropicalis (23.4%) in NCAC. C. albicans (3; 50%) was the commonest species in cases of candidemia. Haemolysin production (85.5%) and ABEC (78.2%) were the major virulence factors in C. albicans. C. tropicalis (59.4%) and C. dubliniensis (50%) showed maximum ABEC. Biofilm forming capacity was higher in C. tropicalis (78.1%) than C. albicans (67%). Conclusion: This study suggests varied prevalence and virulence based on geographical locations, even within a subcontinent. It clearly demarcates the emergence of NCAC and their predominance in different body fluids. Identification of Candida to species level should become a routine in all the laboratories.

Keywords: ABEC, NCAC, non-Candida albicans Candida, Vitek-2TM compact

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Authors: Mateusz Meserszmit, Mariusz Chrabąszcz, Adriana Trojanowska-Olichwer, Zygmunt Kącki

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Semi-natural meadows are valuable communities from the point of view of biodiversity, but their survival is strongly related to human activity. Unfortunately, the current status of preservation of extensively used meadows in Europe is frequently assessed as “unfavorable”. This is due to agricultural activity, in particular the lack of appropriate conservation procedures such as the cutting of meadows or livestock grazing. However, for more effective protective measures, the preservation of the biological diversity of meadows requires an interdisciplinary approach from both scientists and practitioners from many fields. Our research aimed to present the possibility of conservation of semi-natural meadows using cut biomass for the production of bioenergy – biogas, taking into consideration the botanical characteristics of the studied habitat and the chemical properties of biomass. A field study was conducted in Poland, within an area covered by the European Union's nature conservation programme. The samples were collected on four dates (May 24th, July 1st, July 23rd, and September 1st) from a study site established within a Molinion meadow. The biomass collected at the earliest date mostly consisted of plants with flowers in bud or fully open flowers. At the later harvest dates, most plants were at the fruiting or seed shed stage. An earlier stage of plant growth contributed to a lower biomass yield, which also resulted in a lower methane yield per hectare. The methane yield per hectare was at the end of May 482 m3 CH4 ha-1, at the beginning of July 867 m3 CH4 ha-1, at the end of July 759 m3 CH4 ha-1 and at the beginning of September 730 m3 CH4 ha-1. The biomass harvested in May demonstrated a significantly higher content of the elements: N, P, and K, but a lower Ca content compared to later harvested biomass, which may affect the biogas production process. The use of hay as a source of renewable energy can become an important element of conservation adapted for this type of habitat.

Keywords: nature conservation, biomass, bioenergy, grassland

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Authors: M. H. Rajikin, S. M. M. Syairah, A. R. Sharaniza

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Effects of nicotine on pre-partum body weight and preimplantation embryonic development has been reported previously. Present study was conducted to determine the effects of annatto (Bixa orellana)-derived delta-tocotrienol (TCT) (with presence of 10% gamma-TCT isomer) on the nicotine-induced reduction in body weight and 8-cell embryonic growth in mice. Twenty four 6-8 weeks old (23-25g) female balb/c mice were randomly divided into four groups (G1-G4; n=6). Those groups were subjected to the following treatments for 7 consecutive days: G1 (control) were gavaged with 0.1 ml tocopherol stripped corn oil, G2 was subcutaneously (s.c.) injected with 3 mg/kg/day of nicotine, G3 received concurrent treatment of nicotine (3 mg/kg/day) and 60 mg/kg/day of δ-TCT mixture (contains 90% delta & 10% gamma isomers) and G4 was given 60 mg/kg/day of δ-TCT mixture alone. Body weights were recorded daily during the treatment. On Day 8, females were superovulated with 5 IU Pregnant Mare’s Serum Gonadotropin (PMSG) for 48 hours followed with 5 IU human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) before mated with males at the ratio of 1:1. Females were sacrificed by cervical dislocation for embryo collection 48 hours post-coitum. Collected embryos were cultured in vitro. Results showed that throughout Day 1 to Day 7, the body weight of nicotine treated group (G2) was significantly lower (p<0.05) than that of G1, G3 and G4. Intervention with δ-TCT mixture (G3) managed to increase the body weight close to the control group. This is also observed in the group treated with δ-TCT mixture alone (G4). The development of 8-cell embryos following in vitro culture (IVC) was totally inhibited in G2. Intervention with δ-TCT mixture (G3) resulted in the production of 8-cell embryos, although it was not up to that of the control group. Treatment with δ-TCT mixture alone (G4) caused significant increase in the average number of produced 8-cell embryo compared to G1. Present data indicated that δ-TCT mixture was able to reverse the body weight loss in nicotine treated mice and the development of 8-cell embryos was also improved.

Keywords: δ-tocotrienol, body weight, nicotine, preimplantation embryonic development

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Authors: M. Varmaziar

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Magnesium (Mg) is an essential mineral that plays a crucial role in the human body. Certain types of foods, including nuts, grains, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, are rich sources of magnesium. Mg serves as an essential cofactor for numerous enzymatic reactions, including energy metabolism, cellular growth, glycolysis, and protein synthesis. The Mg-ATP complex serves as an energy source and is vital for many physiological functions, including nerve conduction, muscle contraction, and blood pressure regulation. Despite the vital role of magnesium in energy metabolism, maintaining adequate magnesium intake is often overlooked among the general population and athletes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of magnesium supplementation on the physical activities of field athletes. Field athletes were divided into two groups: those who consumed magnesium supplements and those who received a placebo. These two groups received either 500 mg of magnesium oxide or a placebo daily for 8 weeks. At the beginning and end of the study, athletes completed ISI questionnaires and physical activity assessments. Nutritional analyses were performed using N4 software, and statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS19 software. The results of this study revealed a significant difference between the two study groups. Athletes who received magnesium supplements experienced less fatigue related to field athletic activities and muscle soreness. In contrast, athletes who received the placebo reported more significant fatigue and muscle soreness. A concerning finding in these results is that the performance of athletic activities may be at risk with low magnesium levels. Therefore, magnesium is essential for maintaining health and plays a crucial role in athletic performance. Consuming a variety of magnesium-rich foods ensures that individuals receive an adequate amount of this essential nutrient in their diet. The consumption of these foods improves performance parameters in athletic exercises.

Keywords: athletic performance, effect, field athletes, magnesium supplement

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Authors: Hardik Goswami, Gayatri Swarnakar

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-Mastitis disease has been known as one of the most costly diseases of dairy cattle and observed as an inflammatory disease of cow and buffalo udder. Mastitis badly affected animal health, quality of milk and economics of milk production along with cause’s great economic loss. Bacteria have been representing the most common etiological agents of mastitis. The antibiotic sensitivity test was important to attain accurate treatment of mastitis. The aim of present research work was to explore prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of bacterial isolates recovered from cow and buffalo clinical mastitis milk sample. During the period of April 2010 to April 2014, total 1487 clinical mastitis milk samples of cow and buffalo were tested to check the prevalence of mastitis causing bacterial isolates. Milk samples were collected aseptically from the udder at the time of morning milking. The most prevalent bacterial isolates were Staphylococcus aureus (24.34%) followed by coliform bacteria (15.87%), coagulase negative Staphylococcus aureus (13.85%), non-coliform bacteria (13.05%), mixed infection (12.51%), Streptococcus spp. (10.96%). Out of 1487, 140 (9.42%) mastitis milk samples showed no growth on culture media. Identification of bacteria made on the basis of Standard Microbial features and procedures. Antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial isolates was investigated by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. In vitro Antibiotic susceptibility test of bacterial isolates revealed higher sensitivity to Gentamicin (74.6%), Ciprofloxacin (62.1%) and Amikacin (59.4%). The lower susceptibility was shown to Amoxicillin (21.6%), Erythromycin (26.4%) and Ceftizoxime (29.9%). Antibiotic sensitivity pattern revealed Gentamicin are the possible effective antibiotic against the major prevalent mastitis pathogens. Present research work would be helpful in increase production, quality and quantity of milk, increase annual income of dairy owners and improve health of cow and buffaloes.

Keywords: antibiotic, buffalo, cow, mastitis, prevalence

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Authors: Dawit Chankaye

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Background: Azadirachta indica is the most versatile medicinal plant known as “the village pharmacy”. The plant is known for its broad spectrum of biological activity in India and various countries throughout history by many different human cultures. The present study was undertaken to determine the antimalarial and antidiabetic properties of the leaf extracts of A. indica grown in Ethiopia when treated in vivo. This work has also been concerned with determining essential oil composition and the antimicrobial activity of the plant in vitro. Methods: Leaf extracts were prepared using three different selected solvents. Standard and clinical isolates were treated with extracts of the leaves of A. indica using the agar well diffusion method. The antimalarial and antidiabetic tests were conducted in vivo in mice. Phytochemical screening was done using various chemical tests, and the volatile oil constituents were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Results: In vivo antimalarial activity studies showed 85.23%, 69.01%, and 81.54% suppression of parasitemia for 70% ethanol, acetone, and water extracts, respectively. The extracts collected from the leaves also showed reduced blood sugar levels in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. In addition, the solvent extracts were shown to have an inhibitory effect on the growth of microorganisms under the study. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranged from 850 to 1050 µg/ml. Notably, the phytochemical investigation of the ethanol extracts showed the presence of secondary metabolites. Seventeen compounds (mainly sesquiterpenes) that represent 75.45% of the essential oil were characterized by GC/MS analysis. Conclusion: Extracts examined in this study indicated that the leaf of A. indica grown in Ethiopia retained the biological activities demonstrating the extent equivalent to when it was grown in its natural habitat. In addition, phytochemical investigation and GC/MS analysis of volatile oil constituents showed comparable results to those presented in India and elsewhere.

Keywords: Azadirachta indica, vivo, antimalarial activity, antidiabetic activity, alloxan, mice, phytochemical

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Authors: Khawaja A. Wahaj Wani, Aykut Erkal

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Pakistan's construction industry, a key player in economic development, has experienced remarkable growth. However, the surge in activities has been accompanied by dangerous working conditions, attributed to legislative gaps and flaws. Unhealthy construction practices, uncertain site conditions, and hazardous environments contribute to a concerning rate of injuries and fatalities. The principal aim of this research study is to undertake a thorough evaluation based on the assessment of the current situation of Health & Safety policies and the surveys performed by stakeholders of Pakistan with the aim of providing solution-centric methodologies for the enforcement of health and safety regulations within construction companies operating on project sites. Recognizing the pivotal role that the construction industry plays in bolstering a nation's economy, it is imperative to address the pressing need for heightened awareness among site engineers and laborers. The study adopts a robust approach, utilizing questionnaire surveys and interviews. As an exclusive investigative study, it encompasses all stakeholders: clients, consultants, contractors, and subcontractors. Targeting PEC-registered companies. Safety performance was assessed through the examination of sixty safety procedures using SPSS-18. A high Cronbach's alpha value of 0.958 ensures data reliability, and non-parametric tests were employed due to the non-normal distribution of data. The safety performance evaluation revealed significant insights. "Using Hoists and Cranes" and "Precautionary Measures (Shoring and Excavation)" exhibited commendable safety levels. Conversely, "Trainings on Safety" displayed a lower safety performance, alongside areas such as "Safety in Contract Documentation," "Meetings for Safety," and "Worker Participation," indicating room for improvement. These findings provide stakeholders with a detailed understanding of current safety measures within Pakistan's construction industry.

Keywords: construction industry, health and safety regulations, Pakistan, risk management

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Authors: Samuel Kaspi, Sitalakshmi Venkatraman

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In-memory database systems are becoming popular due to the availability and affordability of sufficiently large RAM and processors in modern high-end servers with the capacity to manage large in-memory database transactions. While fast and reliable in-memory systems are still being developed to overcome cache misses, CPU/IO bottlenecks and distributed transaction costs, disk-based data stores still serve as the primary persistence. In addition, with the recent growth in multi-tenancy cloud applications and associated security concerns, many organisations consider the trade-offs and continue to require fast and reliable transaction processing of disk-based database systems as an available choice. For these organizations, the only way of increasing throughput is by improving the performance of disk-based concurrency control. This warrants a hybrid database system with the ability to selectively apply an enhanced disk-based data management within the context of in-memory systems that would help improve overall throughput. The general view is that in-memory systems substantially outperform disk-based systems. We question this assumption and examine how a modified variation of access invariance that we call enhanced memory access, (EMA) can be used to allow very high levels of concurrency in the pre-fetching of data in disk-based systems. We demonstrate how this prefetching in disk-based systems can yield close to in-memory performance, which paves the way for improved hybrid database systems. This paper proposes a novel EMA technique and presents a comparative study between disk-based EMA systems and in-memory systems running on hardware configurations of equivalent power in terms of the number of processors and their speeds. The results of the experiments conducted clearly substantiate that when used in conjunction with all concurrency control mechanisms, EMA can increase the throughput of disk-based systems to levels quite close to those achieved by in-memory system. The promising results of this work show that enhanced disk-based systems facilitate in improving hybrid data management within the broader context of in-memory systems.

Keywords: in-memory database, disk-based system, hybrid database, concurrency control

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Authors: Maryam Parsian, Pelin Mutlu, Ufuk Gunduz

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Two-dimensional cell culture affords simplicity and low cost, but it has serious limitations; lacking cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions that are present in tissues. Cancer cells grown in 3D culture systems have distinct phenotypes of adhesion, growth, migration, invasion as well as profiles of gene and protein expression. These interactions cause the 3D-cultured cells to acquire morphological and cellular characteristics relevant to in vivo tumors. Palbociclib is a chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of ER-positive and HER-negative metastatic breast cancer. Poly-amidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer is a well-defined, special three-dimensional structure and has a multivalent surface and internal cavities that can play an essential role in drug delivery systems. In this study, palbociclib is loaded onto the magnetic PAMAM dendrimer. Hanging droplet method was used in order to form 3D spheroids. The possible toxic effects of both free drug and drug loaded nanoparticles were evaluated in 2D and 3D MCF-7, MD-MB-231 and SKBR-3 breast cancer cell culture models by performing MTT cell viability and Alamar Blue assays. MTT analysis was performed with six different doses from 1000 µg/ml to 25 µg/ml. Drug unloaded PAMAM dendrimer did not demonstrate significant toxicity on all breast cancer cell lines. The results showed that 3D spheroids are clearly less sensitive than 2D cell cultures to free palbociclib. Also, palbociclib loaded PAMAM dendrimers showed more toxic effect than free palbociclib in all cell lines at 2D and 3D cultures. The results suggest that the traditional cell culture method (2D) is insufficient for mimicking the actual tumor tissue. The response of the cancer cells to anticancer drugs is different in the 2D and 3D culture conditions. This study showed that breast cancer cells are more resistant to free palbociclib in 3D cultures than in 2D cultures. However, nanoparticle loaded drugs can be more cytotoxic when compared to free drug.

Keywords: 2D and 3D cell culture, breast cancer, palbociclibe, PAMAM magnetic nanoparticles

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Authors: Komal Vig

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Cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related deaths occur in 17.3 million people globally each year, accounting for 30% of all deaths worldwide, with a predicted annual incidence of deaths to reach 23.3 million globally by 2030. Autologous bypass grafts remain an important therapeutic option for the treatment of CVD, but the poor quality of the donor patient’s blood vessels, the invasiveness of the resection surgery, and postoperative movement restrictions create issues. The present study is aimed to improve the endothelialization of intimal surface of graft by using low temperature plasma (LTP) to increase the cell attachment and proliferation. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was treated with LTP. Air was used as the feed-gas, and the pressure in the plasma chamber was kept at 800 mTorr. Scaffolds were also modified with gelatin and collagen by dipping method. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were plated on the developed scaffolds, and cell proliferation was determined by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and by microscopy. mRNA expressions levels of different cell markers were investigated using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). XPS confirmed the introduction of oxygenated functionalities from LTP. HUVEC cells showed 80% seeding efficiency on the scaffold. Microscopic and MTT assays indicated increase in cell viability in LTP treated scaffolds, especially when treated with gelatin or collagen, compared to untreated scaffolds. Gene expression studies shows enhanced expression of cell adhesion marker Integrin- α 5 gene after LTP treatment. LTP treated scaffolds exhibited better cell proliferation and viability compared to untreated scaffolds. Protein treatment of scaffold increased cell proliferation. Based on our initial results, more scaffolds alternatives will be developed and investigated for cell growth and vascularization studies. Acknowledgments: This work is supported by the NSF EPSCoR RII-Track-1 Cooperative Agreement OIA-2148653.

Keywords: LTP, HUVEC cells, vascular graft, endothelialization

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Authors: Mohammad Altaf Hossain

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A growing body of literature in urban studies has presented that urban precarity has been a lived experience for low-income groups of people in the cities of the Global South. It does not necessarily mean that cities in the Global North, where advanced capitalist economies exist, avoided the adverse realities of urban precarity. As a multifaceted condition, it creates other associated precariousness in lives -for example, economic deprivation, mental stress, and housing precarity. The interrelations between urbanity and precarity have been ubiquitous regardless of the developed and developing countries. People, mainly manual labourers with low incomes, go through uncertainties in every aspect of life. By analysing qualitative data and embracing structure-agency interaction, this paper intends to present how Bangladeshi migrants experience housing precarity in Dublin. Continued population growth and political economy factors such as labour market inequality, financialisation of the private rental sector, and the impact of cuts to government funding for social housing provision are combined to produce a housing supply crisis, affordability, and access in the city. As a result, low-income people practice informality in securing jobs and housing. The macro-structural components of this analysis include the Irish housing policy, the European labour market, the immigration policy, and the financialised housing market. The micro-structural components of South Asian communities’ experiences include social networks and social class. Access to social networks and practices of informality play a significant role in enabling them to negotiate urban precarity, including housing crises and income insecurity. In some cases, the collective agency of ethnic diaspora communities plays a vital role in negotiating with structural constraints.

Keywords: housing precarity, housing pathways, migration, agency, Dublin

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Authors: Ayobami Kehinde

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The literary representations of the family, tradition and change in African literature offer an immense, and as yet little theorised area of literary scholarship. Therefore, this paper explores the nexus among the family, tradition and change in five purposively selected post-colonial African fiction: Chimamanda Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus, Wale Okediran’s Tenants of the House, J. M. Coetzee’s In the Heart of the Country, Tsitsi Dangrembga’s Nervous Condition and Meja Mwangi’s Striving for the Wind. The methodology centres on analysing, questioning, undermining and celebrating the family and its contemporary vicissitudes as depicted in the texts. This is with a view to exploring the postcolonial novel with references to concepts developed by major theorists in the field of postcolonial studies, including Frantz Fanon, Edward Said, Gayatri Spivak, Homi Bhabha, Kwame Appiah and Achille Mbembe. It is revealed that in spite of the fact that the family is a vital institution, the primary social unit in any community, an agent of acculturation and the first focus of development, independence and growth, the texts reflect a diversity of problems confronting the family unit in Africa. These include the multiple problems of disrupted family lives, enforced family separation, political and personal violence with the domestic environment. It is concluded that the post-colonial African novel is a quintessential weapon to analyse the continent, opening up to the reader the specific expressions and experiences of human lives and their wider contexts. Therefore, the post-colonial African novel is a primary socio-cultural indicator representing an immense variety of lived realities in the continent. The study, therefore, suggests a concerted concern with the preservation of traditional family structures and other related aspects, such as cultural values, spirituality, gender roles and mutual trust.

Keywords: family, African fiction, postcolonialism, African tradition, domestic dissonance

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Authors: Ajay Gogia, Svs Deo, Dn Sharma, Atul Batra, Ashutash Mishra

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Background and Aims: Breast cancer in women aged less than 25 years (defined as very young breast cancer, VYBC) is rare and accounts for 0.25% of all breast cancer in the West. There is no data available on VYBC from developing countries. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical, pathological, and prognostic factors and outcomes in VYBC. Methods: This retrospective analysis was performed on 80 patients aged 25 years or less (screened 8000 files of female BC) who were registered at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India, over a 15-year period between 2011 and 2023. Results: The median age was 21.5 years (range 16-25). A positive family history (siblings and parents) was elicited in 30% of cases, and breast cancer gene (BRCA1/2) mutation was found in 33% of cases patients. Ten patients (12.5%) patients have pregnancy-associated breast cancer (BC detected during pregnancy or 1 year after postpartum period). The TNM stage distribution was Stage I was 0, stage II -30%, stage III –60% and Stage IV -10 %patients. Seventy percent of tumors were high grade, and 90% had pathological node-positive disease. Estrogen, Progesterone, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)/neu positivity were 25%,25% and 35%, respectively. Triple-negative breast cancer constituted 40% of patients. With a median follow-up of 42 months, 3 years, relapse-free survival (nonmetastatic disease), progression-free survival (metastatic disease) and overall survival were 30%, 15% and 50%, respectively. Conclusions: Very young women constituted 1% of all breast cancer cases. Advanced disease at presentation and high-risk pathological features result in poor outcomes. One-third of VYBCs are associated with BRCA mutation, which requires genetic counseling and risk reduction surgery if required. Due to the aggressive behavior of BC in this age group, need early diagnosis and prompt treatment

Keywords: very young, breast cancer, outcome, developing country, India

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Authors: Gururaj Bhajantri

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Financial sector is the backbone of any economy and it plays a crucial role in the mobilisation and allocation of resources. One of the main objectives of financial sector is inclusive growth. The constituents of the financial sector are banks, and financial Institutions, which mobilise the resources from the surplus sector and channelize the same to the different needful sectors in the economy. Micro Small and the Medium Enterprises sector in India cover a wide range of economic activities. These enterprises are divided on the basis of investment on equipment. The micro enterprises are divided into manufacturing and services sector. Micro Service enterprises have investment limit up to ten lakhs on equipment. Hairdresser is one who not only cuts and shaves but also provides different types of hair cut, hairstyles, trimming, hair-dye, massage, manicure, pedicure, nail services, colouring, facial, makeup application, waxing, tanning and other beauty treatments etc., hairdressing salons provide these services with the help of equipment. They need investment on equipment not more than ten lakhs. Hence, they can be considered as Micro service enterprises. Hairdressing salons require more than Rs 2.50,000 to start a moderate salon. Moreover, hairdressers are unable to access the organised finance. Still these individuals access finance from money lenders with high rate of interest to lead life. The socio economic conditions of hairdressers are not known properly. Hence, the present study brings a light on the role of financial institutions in promoting hairdressing salons. The study also focuses the socio-economic background of individuals in hairdressings salons, problems faced by them. The present study is based on primary and secondary data. Primary data collected among hairdressing salons in Davangere city. Samples selected with the help of simple random sampling techniques. Collected data analysed and interpreted with the help of simple statistical tools.

Keywords: micro service enterprises, financial institutions, hairdressing salons, financial sector

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Authors: Bikram K. Das, Kalyan K. Chattopadhyay

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The advent of 2-D materials in the last decade has induced a fresh spur of growth in fuel cell technology as these materials have some highly promising traits that can be exploited to felicitate Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) in an efficient way. Among the various 2-D carbon materials, graphyne (Gy) and graphdiyne (Gdy)1 with their intrinsic non-uniform charge distribution holds promises in this purpose and it is expected2 that substitutional Nitrogen (N) doping could further enhance their efficiency. In this regard, dispersive force corrected density functional theory is used to map the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics of five different kinds of N doped graphyne and graphdiyne systems (namely αGy, βGy, γGy, RGy and 6,6,12Gy and Gdy) in alkaline medium. The best doping site for each of the Gy/ Gdy system is determined comparing the formation energies of the possible doping configurations. Similarly, the best di-oxygen (O₂) adsorption sites for the doped systems are identified by comparing the adsorption energies. O₂ adsorption on all N doped Gy/ Gdy systems is found to be energetically favorable. ORR on a catalyst surface may occur either via the Eley-Rideal (ER) or the Langmuir–Hinschelwood (LH) pathway. Systematic studies performed on the considered systems reveal that all of them favor the ER pathway. Further, depending on the nature of di-oxygen adsorption ORR can follow either associative or dissociative mechanism; the possibility of occurrence of both the mechanisms is tested thoroughly for each N doped Gy/ Gdy. For the ORR process, all the Gy/Gdy systems are observed to prefer the efficient four-electron pathway but the expected monotonically exothermic reaction pathway is found only for N doped 6,6,12Gy and RGy following the associative pathway and for N doped βGy, γGy and Gdy following the dissociative pathway. Further computation performed for these systems reveals that for N doped 6,6,12Gy, RGy, βGy, γGy and Gdy the overpotentials are 1.08 V, 0.94 V, 1.17 V, 1.21 V and 1.04 V respectively depicting N doped RGy is the most promising material, to carry out ORR in alkaline medium, among the considered ones. The stability of the ORR intermediate states with the variation of pH and electrode potentials is further explored with Pourbiax diagrams and the activities of these systems in the alkaline medium are compared with the prior reported B/N doped identical systems for ORR in an acidic medium in terms of a common descriptor.

Keywords: graphdiyne, graphyne, nitrogen-doped, ORR

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Authors: Hannes Groeneweg

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Myanmar is considered one of the largest fishing nations in the world. The country’s rapid economic and political reform process since 2011 entails both challenges and opportunities for its marine fishing sector. The development pathway of the sector remains unclear. Which future will eventually materialize is shaped and determined by the various visions and actions of the stakeholders engaging in political debates and decision-making. These visions can be conceptualized through the Science and Technology Studies (STS) concept of sociotechnical imaginaries. The research of this article is guided by the question of which imaginaries are currently relevant, who is propagating these imaginaries, and how are these imaginaries produced and contested. Using qualitative documentary analysis of policy documents, reports, and media articles as well as in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, three archetypical national sociotechnical imaginaries of Myanmar’s future marine fisheries were identified: The industrial scale extractivism imaginary views marine fishing sector as a driver for national economic growth and focuses on the industrial and technological development of the production chain, increasing yield and exports. Sustainable fishing management encompasses the vulnerability of marine ecosystems and views increasing efficient sustainability governance, planning, and management into existing fishing practices. In the traditional sufficiency fishing imaginary, small-scale fishing practices are viewed as an important livelihood practice for millions of coastal dwellers. The need to conserve them through strengthening the self-reliance, autonomy, and resilience of these communities is stressed. In national debates, the first two imaginaries are currently dominant. The imaginaries, as well as their contestations, are also linked to other critical political issues. The paper suggests that participatory decision-making processes are needed to create an inclusive imaginary of the future marine fishing sector.

Keywords: science and technology studies, sociotechnical imaginaries, marine fishing, knowledge coproduction, Myanmar

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Authors: Muhammad Nouman, Fahad Tiwana, Muhammad Irfan, Mohsin Tiwana

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Traffic congestion has been increasing significantly in major metropolitan areas as a result of increased motorization, urbanization, population growth and changes in the urban density. Traffic congestion compromises efficiency of transport infrastructure and causes multiple traffic concerns; including but not limited to increase of travel time, safety hazards, air pollution, and fuel consumption. Traffic management has become a serious challenge for federal and provincial governments, as well as exasperated commuters. Effective, flexible, efficient and user-friendly traffic information/database management systems characterize traffic conditions by making use of traffic counts for storage, processing, and visualization. While, the emerging data collection technologies continue to proliferate, its accuracy can be guaranteed through the comparison of observed data with the manual handheld counters. This paper presents the design of tablet based manual traffic counting application and framework for development of traffic database management system for Pakistan. The database management system comprises of three components including traffic counting android application; establishing online database and its visualization using Google maps. Oracle relational database was chosen to develop the data structure whereas structured query language (SQL) was adopted to program the system architecture. The GIS application links the data from the database and projects it onto a dynamic map for traffic conditions visualization. The traffic counting device and example of a database application in the real-world problem provided a creative outlet to visualize the uses and advantages of a database management system in real time. Also, traffic data counts by means of handheld tablet/ mobile application can be used for transportation planning and forecasting.

Keywords: manual count, emerging data sources, traffic information quality, traffic surveillance, traffic counting device, android; data visualization, traffic management

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Authors: Ouassila Bekkal Brikci Benhabib, Zahia Boucherit Otmani, Kebir Boucherit, A. Seghir

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The establishment of intravenous catheters in hospitalized patient is an act common in many clinical situations. These therapeutic tools, from their insertion in the body, represent gateways including fungal germs prone. The latter can generate the growth of biofilms, which can be the cause of fungal infection. Faced with this problem, we conducted a study at the University Hospital of Tlemcen in the neurosurgery unit and aims to isolate and identify Candida yeasts from intravenous catheters. Then test their ability to form biofilms. Materials and methods: 256 patient hospitalized in surgery of the hospital in west Algeria were submitted to this study. All samples were taken from peripheral venous catheters implanted for 72 hours or more days. A total of 31 isolates of Candida species were isolated. MIC and SMIC are determined at 80% inhibition by the test XTT tetrazolium measured at 490 nm. The final concentrations of antifungal agent being between 0.03 and 16 mg / ml for amphotericin B and from 0.015 to 8 mg / mL caspofungin. Results: 31 Candida species isolates from catheters including 14 Candida albicans and 17 Candida non albicans . 21 strains of all the isolates were able to form biofilms. In their form of Planktonic cells, all isolates are 100% susceptible to antifungal agents tested. However, in their state of biofilms, more isolates have become tolerant to the tested antifungals. Conclusion: Candida yeasts isolated from intravascular catheters are considered an important virulence factor in the pathogenesis of infections. Their involvement in catheter-related infections can be disastrous for their potential to generate biofilms. They survive high concentrations of antifungal where treatment failure. Pending the development of a therapeutic approach antibiofilm related to catheters, their mastery is going through: -The risk of infection prevention based on the training and awareness of medical staff, -Strict hygiene and maximum asepsis, and -The choice of material limiting microbial colonization.

Keywords: candida, biofilm, hospital, infection, amphotericin B, caspofungin

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Authors: Snezana Rajkovic, Miroslava Markovic, Ljubinko Rakonjac, Aleksandar Lucic, Radoslav Rajkovic

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Woolly apple aphid, Eriosoma lanigerum (Hausmann) is a widely distributed pest of apple trees, especially where its parasites have been killed by insecticides. It can also be found on pear, hawthorn, mountain ash, and elm trees. Relatively small to medium-sized aphids, characterized by a reddish-brown body, a blood-red stain when crushed and a fluffy, flocculent wax covering. Specialized dermal glands produce the characteristic fluffy or powdery wax, which gives E. lanigerum its characteristic 'woolly' appearance. Also, woolly apple aphid is a problemm in nursery production of spure.The experiments were carried out in the nursery “Nevade” in Gornji Milanovac, "Srbijasume" on the spruce seedlings, aged 2 years. In this study, organic insecticide King Bo, aqueous solution (a. i. oxymatrine 0.2% + psoralen 0.4%), manufacturer Beijing Kingbo Biotech Co. Ltd., Beijing, China. extracted from plants and used as pesticides in nursery production were investigated. King Bo, bioinsecticide is manufactured from refined natural herbal extract several wild medicinal plants, such as Sophora flavescens Ait, Veratrum nigrum L, A. Carmichael, etc. Oxymatrine 2.4 SL is a stomach poison that has antifeeding and repellent action. This substance stimulates development and growth in a host plant and also controls the appearance of downy mildew.The trials were set according to instructions of methods-monitoring of changes in the number of larvae and adults compared to before treatment. The treatment plan was made according to fully randomized block design. The experiment was conducted in four repetitions. The basic plot had the area of 25 m2. Phytotoxicity was estimated by PP methods 1/135 (2), the intensity of infection according to Towsend-Heuberger, the efficiency by Abbott, the analysis of variance with Ducan test and PP/181 (2).

Keywords: bioinsecticide, efficacy, nurssery production, woolly apple aphid

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Authors: Naveed Zahra, Zahid Kamran, Shakeel Ahmad

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Heat stress is one of the most important environmental stressors challenging poultry production worldwide. The detrimental effect of heat stress results in reduction in the productive performance of poultry with high incidences of mortality. Researchers have made efforts to prevent such damage to poultry production through dietary manipulation. Supplementation with Chromium (Cr) might have some positive effects on some aspect of blood parameters and broilers performance. Chromium (Cr) the element whose trivalent Cr (III) organic state is present in trace amounts in animal feed and water is found to be a key element in evading heat stress and thus cutting down the heavy expenditure on air conditioning in broiler sheds. Chromium, along with other essential minerals is lost due to increased excretion during heat stress and thus its inclusion in broiler diet is kind of mandatory in areas of hot climate. Chromium picolinate in broiler diet has shown a hike in growth rate including muscle gain with body fat reduction under environmental stress. Fat reduction is probably linked to the ability of chromium to increase the sensitivity of the insulin receptors on tissues and thus the uptake of sugar from blood increases which decreases the amount of glucose to be converted to amino acids and stored in adipose tissue as triglycerides. Organic chromium has also shown to increase lymphocyte proliferation rate and antioxidant levels. So, the immune competency, muscle gain and fat reduction along with evasion of heat stress are good enough signs that indicate the fruitful inclusion of dietary chromium for broiler. This promising element may bring the much needed break in the local poultry industry. The task is now to set the exact dose of the element in the diet that would be useful enough and still not toxic to broiler. In conclusion there is a growing body of evidence which suggest that chromium may be an essential trace element for livestock and poultry. The nutritional requirement for chromium may vary with different species and physiological state within a species.

Keywords: broiler, chromium, heat stress, performance

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Authors: Sahar M. El-Gowilly, Mai M. Helmy, Hanan M. El-Gowelli

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Methotrexate (MTX) is widely used in treatment of cancers and autoimmune diseases. However, nephrotoxicity is one of the most important side effects of MTX. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonist, pioglitazone (PIO), is known to exert anti-inflammatory and reno-protective effects in various kidney injuries. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential involvement of endothelial damage in MTX-induced renal injury and to elaborate the possible protective effect of PIO against MTX-induced nephropathy. Compared with saline-treated rats, treatment with MTX (7 mg/kg for 3 day) caused significant elevations in serum levels of urea and creatinine, increased renal nitrate/nitrite level and impaired renovascular responsiveness of isolated perfused kidney to endothelium-dependent vasodilations induced by acetylcholine (0.01-2.43 nmol) and isoprenaline (1µmol). These effects were abolished by concurrent treatment with PIO (2.5 mg/kg, for 5 days starting two days before MTX). Alternatively, MTX treatment did not affect endothelium-independent renovascular relaxation induced by sodium nitroprusside (1-30 μmole). The possibility that alterations in renal antioxidants, circulating cytokine and apoptotic factor (Fas) levels contributed to MTX-PIO interaction was assessed. PIO treatment abrogated renal oxidative stress (decreased reduced glutathione and catalase activity and increased malondialdehyde), elevated serum cytokine (interleukin-6, interleukin-10, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and transforming growth factor-beta1) and Fas induced by MTX. Histologically, MTX caused defused tubular cells swelling and vacuolization associated with endothelial damage in renal arterioles. These effects disappeared upon co-treated with PIO. Collectively, PIO abolished MTX-induced endothelium dysfunction and nephrotoxicity via ameliorating oxidative stress and rectifying cytokines and Fas abnormalities caused by MTX.

Keywords: methotrexate, pioglitazone, endothelium, kidney

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Authors: Mohamed Abdalla Khalil Mahmoud, Omnia Haidar Suliman

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Information and Communication technologies have revolutionized the way services are developed and offered to customers and have achieved evident success in a variety of vital sectors and widely contributed to the growth and resilience of the economy worldwide. Consequently, governments, especially of developing countries, have turned their attention to examine possible ways to utilize contemporary technology advances to offer essential governmental services to citizens, especially in areas where government agencies are not present. This paper investigates the challenges that impede governments of developing countries to provide basic services to its constituents nationwide. Sudan, as a case study, has taken major steps to provide essential governmental services via electronic channels. However, these services are still not widely used by the citizens, resulting in waste of financial and human resources and efforts that could have been invested more appropriately. This paper examines the challenges that hinder the Sudan’s government in their pursuit of availing its services via electronic channels. Different categories of e-government challenges, such as organizational, technological, social and, demographic, and financial and economic, have been explored in order to pinpoint the major challenges. A structured questionnaire is used to survey the target population of e-government professionals and executives who have direct involvement in the implementation of this nationwide endeavor in Sudan. The survey has successfully identified the main challenges that have high impact on the government’s effort to offer its services via electronic channels, such as Lack of coordination between public and private sectors and Lack of the benefits recognition of the e-government program. The findings of this paper can be used as a solid foundation for improving the way governmental services are offered to citizens in Sudan, resulting in a successful investment of financial and human resources and benefiting the targeted customers of all types.

Keywords: citizen, digital, e-channels, public sector, Sudan, technology

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Authors: Katri K. Cornelissen, Lise Gulli Brokjob, Kristofor McCarty, Jiri Gumancik, Martin J. Tovee, Piers L. Cornelissen

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Recent research has shown that body size estimation of healthy women is driven by independent attitudinal and perceptual components. The attitudinal component represents psychological concerns about body, coupled to low self-esteem and a tendency towards depressive symptomatology, leading to over-estimation of body size, independent of the Body Mass Index (BMI) someone actually has. The perceptual component is a normal bias known as contraction bias, which, for bodies is dependent on actual BMI. Women with a BMI less than the population norm tend to overestimate their size, while women with a BMI greater than the population norm tend to underestimate their size. Women whose BMI is close to the population mean are most accurate. This is indexed by a regression of estimated BMI on actual BMI with a slope less than one. It is well established that body dissatisfaction, i.e. an attitudinal distortion, leads to body size overestimation in eating disordered individuals. However, debate persists as to whether women with eating disorders may also suffer a perceptual body distortion. Therefore, the current study was set to ask whether women with eating disorders exhibit the normal contraction bias when they estimate their own body size. If they do not, this would suggest differences in the way that women with eating disorders process the perceptual aspects of body shape and size in comparison to healthy controls. 100 healthy controls and 33 women with a history of eating disorders were recruited. Critically, it was ensured that both groups of participants represented comparable and adequate ranges of actual BMI (e.g. ~18 to ~40). Of those with eating disorders, 19 had a history of anorexia nervosa, 6 bulimia nervosa, and 8 OSFED. 87.5% of the women with a history of eating disorders self-reported that they were either recovered or recovering, and 89.7% of them self-reported that they had had one or more instances of relapse. The mean time lapsed since first diagnosis was 5 years and on average participants had experienced two relapses. Participants were asked to fill number of psychometric measures (EDE-Q, BSQ, RSE, BDI) to establish the attitudinal component of their body image as well as their tendency to internalize socio-cultural body ideals. Additionally, participants completed a method of adjustment psychophysical task, using photorealistic avatars calibrated for BMI, in order to provide an estimate of their own body size and shape. The data from the healthy controls replicate previous findings, revealing independent contributions to body size estimation from both attitudinal and perceptual (i.e. contraction bias) body image components, as described above. For the eating disorder group, once the adequacy of their actual BMI ranges was established, a regression of estimated BMI on actual BMI had a slope greater than 1, significantly different to that from controls. This suggests that (some) eating disordered individuals process the perceptual aspects of body image differently from healthy controls. It therefore is necessary to develop interventions which are specific to the perceptual processing of body shape and size for the management of (some) individuals with eating disorders.

Keywords: body image distortion, perception, recovery, relapse, BMI, eating disorders

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Authors: I. Elrouby

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The continued growth of tourism in the future relies on maintaining a clean environment by achieving sustainable development. The erosion and degradation of beaches, the deterioration of coastal water quality, visual pollution of coastlines by massive developments, all this has contributed heavily to the loss of the natural attractiveness for tourism. In light of this, promoting the concept of sustainable coastal development is becoming a central goal for governments and private sector. An ecolodge is a small hotel or guesthouse that incorporates local architectural, cultural and natural characteristics, promotes environmental conservation through minimizing the use of waste and energy and produces social and economic benefits for local communities. Egypt has some scattered attempts in some areas like Sinai in the field of ecolodging. This research tends to investigate the potentials of the North West Coast (NWC) in Alexandria as a new candidate for ecolodging investments. The area is full of primitive natural and man-made resources. These, if used in an environmental-friendly way could achieve cost reductions as a result of successful resource management for investors on the one hand, and coastal preservation on the other hand. In-depth interviews will be conducted with stakeholders in the tourism sector to examine their opinion about the potentials of the research area for ecolodging developments. The candidates will be also asked to rate the importance of the availability of certain environmental aspects in such establishments such as the uses of resources that originate from local communities, uses of natural power sources, uses of an environmental-friendly sewage disposal, forbidding the use of materials of endangered species and enhancing cultural heritage conservation. The results show that the area is full of potentials that could be effectively used for ecolodging investments. This if efficiently used could attract ecotourism as a supplementary type of tourism that could be promoted in Alexandria aside cultural, recreational and religious tourism.

Keywords: Alexandria, ecolodging, ecotourism, sustainability

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Authors: Sitaram Dahal

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Sustainable Development, a universal need for the present generation and the future generation, is an accepted way to assure intra and inter-generational equity. International movements like Rio Earth Summit 1992, Stockholm Conference 1972, Kyoto Protocol, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proclaim the need of sustainable globe. The socio- economic disparity prevailing in the society shows that the indigenous peoples are living life far below poverty line. These indigenous people, aboriginal social groups sharing common cultural values and with a unique identity, are away from development being merely focused on the growth. Though studies suggest that most of the indigenous practices are often environment-friendly, alert about the plunging trend of the practices. This study explores the trend of intergenerational transmission of indigenous profession of pottery making of Kumal community (Meghauli Village Development Committee of Chitwan district) and factors affecting the trend. The SD indicators - contribution of IP to well-being of pottery makers had been query in the study. The study reveals that the pottery making profession can stand sustainable in terms of environment and socio-economic capital compared to modern technologies. However, the number of practitioners has been decreasing and youths hardly show interest to continue their indigenous profession. The new generations are not in a stage of accepting pottery in complete profession, that challenges the social and cultural sustainability of the profession. Indigenous profession demand people investments over modern technology and innovations. The relative investment of human labour is dramatically high with the indigenous profession. In addition, the fashion and innovations of market rule challenge the sustainability of the pottery making profession. The practice is limited to small cluster as a show piece at present. The study illustrates the market driven unsustainability of indigenous profession of Kumal community.

Keywords: professional unsustainability, pottery making, Kumal Community, Indigenous Professoin

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