Search results for: street level bureaucracy

Authors: Sangyeop Shin, D. C. M. Kulatunga, S. H. S. Dananjaya, Chamilani Nikapitiya, Jehee Lee, Mahanama De Zoysa

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Saprolegniasis is one of the most devastating fungal diseases in freshwater fish which is caused by species in the genus Saprolegnia including Saprolegnia parasitica. In this study, we isolated the strain of S. parasitica from diseased rainbow trout in Korea. Morphological and molecular based identification confirmed that isolated fungi belong to the member of S. parasitica, supported by its typical fungal features including cotton-like whitish mycelium, zoospores (primary and secondary) and phylogenetic analysis with internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Pathogenicity of isolated S. parasitica was developed in embryo, larvae, juvenile and adult zebrafish as a disease model. Up regulation of host genes encoding ZfTnf-α, Zfc-Rel, ZfIl-12, ZfLyz-c, Zfβ-def, and ZfHsp-70 was identified in zebrafish larvae after experimental challenge of S. parasitica showing the host immune responses against the S. parasitica. Survival of the juveniles upon fungal infection might be due to the increased immune protection in the host. Investigation of antifungal susceptibility of S. parasitica with natural lawsone (2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) revealed the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and percentage inhibition of radial growth (PIRG %) as 200 µg/mL and 31.8%, respectively. Lawsone was able to change the membrane permeability, and cause irreversible damage and disintegration to the cellular membranes of S. parasitica which might have effect on fungi growth inhibition. Moreover, the mycelium exposed to lawsone (MIC level) changed the transcriptional responses of S. parasitica genes. Overall results indicate that lawsone could be a potential and novel anti-S. parasitica agent for controlling S. parasitica infection.

Keywords: host-pathogen interactions, lawsone, rainbow trout, Saprolegnia parasitica, Saprolegniasis, zebrafish

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Authors: Sadaf Ambreen, Ayesha Bibi, Sara Rafiq

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Hypertension is a medical condition in which blood pressure in the arteries is elevated than the normal, having systolic blood pressure more than 120mmHg and diastolic blood pressure more than 80 mmHg. It leads to health complications and increase the risk of diseases such as stroke, heart failure, heart attack, and even death. The aim of the current study was to evaluate nutritional status and activity level among hypertensive early adults in District Mardan Data was collected from the subjects of Public Hospital, Mardan Medical Complex, through questionnaire. A complete information about individual sociodemographic, anthropometry and health status were collected, and physical activity was assessed by using IPAQ questionnaire. A total of 150 individuals were included in the study, in which 90% were females, and 10% were males. Data was analyzed through SPSS Version 22. Majority of the study subjects, 88%, were married, 70% having nuclear living system, 43% were having elementary education, and 43% were working as laborer. Body mass index and waist circumference in female counterpart were found to be positively associated with hypertension and was found statistically significant P=<0.01. Results showed that majority of females were fall in hypertension crisis category with mild activity, and males were having hypertension stage 1 with moderate activity. Our study concluded that non-optimal nutritional status and physical inactivity resulted in elevated blood pressure in females, therefore, lifestyle change such as optimal nutritional status and physical activity may play key role in reducing risk of hypertension.

Keywords: obesity/overwight, body mass index, waist circumference, early adulthood

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Authors: Malgorzata Sekulowicz, Krystyna Boron-Krupinska, Paulina Morga, Blazej Cieslik

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Burnout is highly prevalent in health care employees, especially in physicians. It significantly reduces the efficiency of these employees, which can have negative consequences for both physicians and patients. Resilience and mindfulness enhancing positive emotions, leading to sustainable development and personal commitment, can have a significant impact on burnout. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the relationship between burnout symptoms and mindfulness and resilience among physicians. The authors conducted a cross-sectional survey study among seventy-four polish physicians. Participants filled out the following psychometric tools: the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Areas of Work-Life Survey (AWS), International Personality Item Pool (IPIP), the Resilience Assessment Scale (SPP-25) and the Mini-COPE Inventory. The relationship between burnout and resilience and mindfulness was assessed with path analysis. Analyzing the relationship between MBI-HSS components and mindfulness, a significant negative correlation of the FFMQ score with emotional exhaustion (-0.50, p < 0.05) and depersonalization (-0.43, p < 0.05) and a positive correlation with personal accomplishment (0.50, p < 0.05) was demonstrated. Analyzing resilience, a statistically significant relationship of SPP-25 with all tested components of MBI-HSS was demonstrated: emotional exhaustion (-0.54, p < 0.05), depersonalization (-0.31, p < 0.05) and personal accomplishment (0.35, p < 0.05). In the group of medical doctors, the higher the level of mindfulness and resilience, the lower the risk of burnout. Furthermore, the more frequently used active coping strategies (planning, acceptance), the lower the risk of burnout, while the use of passive, evasive strategies increases the risk of burnout. It may be worth considering implementing mindfulness intervention to effectively manage burnout symptoms in this group.

Keywords: burnout, medical doctors, mindfulness, physicians, resilience

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Authors: Mary Joy C. Montenegro, Voltaire M. Mistades

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This action research was implemented to enhance the teaching of linear motion and to improve students' conceptual understanding and engagement using a developed 7R-based module called 'module on vectors and one-dimensional kinematics' (MVOK). MVOK was validated in terms of objectives, contents, format, and language used, presentation, usefulness, and overall presentation. The validation process revealed a value of 4.7 interpreted as 'Very Acceptable' with a substantial agreement (0. 60) from the validators. One intact class of 46 Grade 12 STEM students from one of the public schools in Paranaque City served as the participants of this study. The students were taught using the module during the first semester of the academic year 2019–2020. Employing the mixed-method approach, quantitative data were gathered using pretest/posttest, activity sheets, problem sets, and survey form, while qualitative data were obtained from surveys, interviews, observations, and reflection log. After the implementation, there was a significant difference of 18.4 on students’ conceptual understanding as shown in their pre-test and post-test scores on the 24-item test with a moderate Hake gain equal to 0.45 and an effect size of 0.83. Moreover, the scores on activity and problem sets have a 'very good' to 'excellent' rating, which signifies an increase in the level of students’ conceptual understanding. There also exists a significant difference between the mean scores of students’ engagement overall (t= 4.79, p = 0.000, p < 0.05) and in the dimension of emotion (t = 2.51, p = 0.03) and participation/interaction (t = 5.75, p = 0.001). These findings were supported by gathered qualitative data. Positive views were elicited from the students since it is an accessible tool for learning and has well-detailed explanations and examples. The results of this study may substantiate that using MVOK will lead to better physics content understanding and higher engagement.

Keywords: conceptual understanding, engagement, linear motion, module

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Authors: A. Felimban, A. Prieto, U. Knaack, T. Klein

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This study aims to present an overview of recent research in building energy-retrofitting strategy applications and analyzing them within the context of hot arid climate regions which is in this case study represented by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The main goal of this research is to do an analytical study of recent research approaches to show where the primary gap in knowledge exists and outline which possible strategies are available that can be applied in future research. Also, the paper focuses on energy retrofitting strategies at a building envelop level. The study is limited to specific measures within the hot arid climate region. Scientific articles were carefully chosen as they met the expression criteria, such as retrofitting, energy-retrofitting, hot-arid, energy efficiency, residential buildings, which helped narrow the research scope. Then the papers were explored through descriptive analysis and justified results within the Saudi context in order to draw an overview of future opportunities from the field of study for the last two decades. The conclusions of the analysis of the recent research confirmed that the field of study had a research shortage on investigating actual applications and testing of newly introduced energy efficiency applications, lack of energy cost feasibility studies and there was also a lack of public awareness. In terms of research methods, it was found that simulation software was a major instrument used in energy retrofitting application research. The main knowledge gaps that were identified included the need for certain research regarding actual application testing; energy retrofitting strategies application feasibility; the lack of research on the importance of how strategies apply first followed by the user acceptance of developed scenarios.

Keywords: energy efficiency, energy retrofitting, hot arid, Saudi Arabia

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Authors: William Feng, Qingyu Gao

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Despite the extensive discussions about Hong Kong’s sentiments towards the Chinese Mainland since the sovereignty transfer in 1997, there has been no large-scale empirical analysis of the changing attitudes in the mainstream media, which both reflect and shape sentiments in the society. To address this gap, the present study uses an optimised semantic-based automatic sentiment analysis method to examine a corpus of news about China from 1997 to 2020 in three main Chinese-language newspapers in Hong Kong, namely Apple Daily, Ming Pao, and Oriental Daily News. The analysis shows that although the Hong Kong press had a positive emotional tone toward China in general, the overall trend of sentiment was becoming increasingly negative. Meanwhile, the alignment and antagonism toward China have both increased, providing empirical evidence of attitudinal polarisation in the Hong Kong society. Specifically, Apple Daily’s depictions of China have become increasingly negative, though with some positive turns before 2008, whilst Oriental Daily News has consistently expressed more favourable sentiments. Ming Pao maintained an impartial stance toward China through an increased but balanced representation of positive and negative sentiments, with its subjectivity and sentiment intensity growing to an industry-standard level. The results provide new insights into the complexity of sentiments towards China in the Hong Kong press and media attitudes in general in terms of the “us” and “them” positioning by explicating the cross-newspaper and cross-period variations using an enhanced sentiment analysis method which incorporates sentiment-oriented and semantic role analysis techniques.

Keywords: media attitude, sentiment analysis, Hong Kong press, one country two systems

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Authors: Karla Hrbackova, Anna Petr Safrankova, Jakub Hladik

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Machiavellianism as social phenomenon reveals certain methods of communication that man puts in contact with other people in both personal and working life (and work with clients). Especially at the helping-profession students is honesty, openness or low motivation for personal benefit important part of the profession. The aim of a study is to expose intercultural differences influence of Machiavellianism between Czech and Slovak university students and to determine whether these differences manifest themselves differently among students focusing on management and social profession (by helping degrees). The research involved 1120 university students from the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. The measurement of Machiavellianism used a test Mach IV. The test contained 20 statements divided into four central dimensions of Machiavellianism: flattery, deception and falsehood, immorality and cynicism. We found out, that Czech and Slovak's student expressed a similar attitude toward Machiavellianism as a means of manipulation in the interpersonal relationship, but this is not true in all dimensions. Czech and Slovak's students perceive differently flattery, deception and falsehood and cynicism too. In addition to specific features of cultural conditionality, we found out differences depending on the helping profession. Students focusing on managerial occupation (lower level of helping) tend towards greater acceptance of the use flattery as a means of communication than students specializing in the social profession (high-grade assisting). If they are an intercultural and interdisciplinary influences combined and effect on the perception of Machiavellianism together, then their significant importance for the perception of flattery and cynicism. The result will help us to reveal certain specific traits that students apply communication and with whom we can continue to work during their training.

Keywords: use of manipulative strategies, Machiavellianism, helping-profession students, professional training of students

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Authors: A. Azizi, S. Laidoudi, G. Schmerber, A. Dinia

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Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) is a well-known oxide semiconductor with a band gap of 2.1 eV and a natural p-type conductivity, which is an attractive material for device applications because of its abundant availability, non toxicity, and low production cost. It has a higher absorption coefficient in the visible region and the minority carrier diffusion length is also suitable for use as a solar cell absorber layer and it has been explored in junction with n type ZnO for photovoltaic applications. Cu2O nanostructures have been made by a variety of techniques; the electrodeposition method has emerged as one of the most promising processing routes as it is particularly provides advantages such as a low-cost, low temperature and a high level of purity in the products. In this work, Cu2O nanostructures prepared by electrodeposition from aqueous cupric sulfate solution with citric acid at 65°C onto a fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrates were investigated. The effects of deposition potential on the electrochemical, surface morphology, structural and optical properties of Cu2O thin films were investigated. During cyclic voltammetry experiences, the potential interval where the electrodeposition of Cu2O is carried out was established. The Mott–Schottky (M-S) plot demonstrates that all the films are p-type semiconductors, the flat-band potential and the acceptor density for the Cu2O thin films are determined. AFM images reveal that the applied potential has a very significant influence on the surface morphology and size of the crystallites of thin Cu2O. The XRD measurements indicated that all the obtained films display a Cu2O cubic structure with a strong preferential orientation of the (111) direction. The optical transmission spectra in the UV-Visible domains revealed the highest transmission (75 %), and their calculated gap values increased from 1.93 to 2.24 eV, with increasing potentials.

Keywords: Cu2O, electrodeposition, Mott–Schottky plot, nanostructure, optical properties, XRD

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Authors: Seyed Reza Aghili, Tahereh Shokohi, Lotfollah Davoodi, Zahra Kashi, Azam Moslemi, Mahdi Abastabar, Iman Haghani, Sabah Mayahi, Asoudeh A.

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Introduction: In diabetic foot ulcers, if fungal agents such as Candida species penetrate into the cutaneous or depth of ulcer, can increase the degree of the wound and cause Candia infection and make it more difficult to heal. Material & Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on 100 diabetic foot ulcer patients in 2020 in Sari, Iran. patient's data and wound grade were recorded in a questionnaire. Candida infection was diagnosed with direct microscopic examination and culture of samples. Colony-PCR molecular method was used for ITS region of DNA and then PCR-RFLP with Msp1 enzyme and using HWP1 specific gene to determine species of Candida agent. Results: Of 100 patients, the mean age 62.1 ± 10.8 years, 95% type 2 diabetes, 83%>10 years duration diabetes, 59% male, 66%> poor education level, 99% married, 52% rural, 95% neuropathic symptoms, 88% using antibiotics, 69%HbA1C >9%, and mean ulcer degree 2.6±1.05 were. Candida infection was seen in 13% of the deep tissue of the wound and 7% cutaneous around the wound. The predominant Candida isolated was C. parapsilosis (71.5%), C .albicans (14.3%). Fungal infections caused by mold fungi were not detected. There was a statistically significant relationship between yeast infection and gender, rural, HbA1C and ulcer degree. Conclusion: Mycological evaluations often are ignored. Candida parapsilosis is the most common infectious agent in these patients and may require specific treatment. Therefore, more attention of physicians to Candida infections particularly, early diagnosis and effective treatment can help faster recovery and prevent amputation.

Keywords: diabetic foot ulcer, candida infection, risk factors, c. parapsilosis

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Authors: Nguyen Dang Duc, Nguyen Phuong Sinh, Lam Nguyen Hong Anh

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Superior mesenteric artery (SMA) syndrome is a rare cause of high-section intestinal obstruction. SMA syndrome is characterized by compression of the third segment of the duodenum due to the narrowing of the distance between the superior mesenteric artery and the abdominal aorta. The main clinical signs of SMA syndrome are high intestinal obstruction, such as postprandial vomiting, epigastric pain, early feeling of abdominal fullness, and indigestion. Abdominal computed tomography plays an important role in diagnosis. There are two main methods of treating SMA syndrome that are conservative and surgical treatment. We report a clinical case of an 18-year-old male patient admitted to the hospital because of a Bungarus snake bit in the second hour, to the twelfth day of treatment, the patient developed diarrhea that lasted until the twenty-fourth day of treatment. On the twenty-fifth day of treatment, the patient lost 16 kilograms (from 56 down to 40). The patient had symptoms of vomiting after eating, indigestion, and epigastric pain. On abdominal computed tomography, the angle created by the superior mesenteric artery and the abdominal aorta was 17 degrees, the distance between the two arteries was 3.8 millimeters, light dilation and stagnation of the D1 and D2 segment of the duodenum with gas and watery level inside segment D3 and D4 of the duodenum and this segment was constricted. This patient was diagnosed with superior mesenteric artery syndrome with the Bungarus snake bites. Currently, the patient was treated with feeding through a jejunal tube each other intravenous nutrition. Finally, The patient was discharged and returned to his house on the forty-fifth day of treatment. We reported this clinical case to introduce clinical and paraclinical signs, diagnose, and methods treated for patient having SMA syndrome.

Keywords: superior mesenteric artery syndrome, Bungarus snake bites, loss weight

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Authors: Geetha Baskaran, Andrzej Barjiela, Rong Qu

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Motivation: Nurse scheduling is a complex combinatorial optimization problem. It is also known as NP-hard. It needs an efficient re-scheduling to minimize some trade-off of the measures of violation by reducing selected constraints to soft constraints with measurements of their violations. Problem Statement: In this paper, we extend our novel approach to solve the nurse scheduling problem by transforming it through Information Granulation. Approach: This approach satisfies the rules of a typical hospital environment based on a standard benchmark problem. Generating good work schedules has a great influence on nurses' working conditions which are strongly related to the level of a quality health care. Domain transformation that combines the strengths of operation research and artificial intelligence was proposed for the solution of the problem. Compared to conventional methods, our approach involves judicious grouping (information granulation) of shifts types’ that transforms the original problem into a smaller solution domain. Later these schedules from the smaller problem domain are converted back into the original problem domain by taking into account the constraints that could not be represented in the smaller domain. An Integer Programming (IP) package is used to solve the transformed scheduling problem by expending the branch and bound algorithm. We have used the GNU Octave for Windows to solve this problem. Results: The scheduling problem has been solved in the proposed formalism resulting in a high quality schedule. Conclusion: Domain transformation represents departure from a conventional one-shift-at-a-time scheduling approach. It offers an advantage of efficient and easily understandable solutions as well as offering deterministic reproducibility of the results. We note, however, that it does not guarantee the global optimum.

Keywords: domain transformation, nurse scheduling, information granulation, artificial intelligence, simulation

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Authors: Prangya Ranjan Rout, Rajesh Roshan Dash, Puspendu Bhunia

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With the aim of enhancing the nutrient (ammonium and phosphate) removal from eutrophic wastewater with reduced cost, a novel media based multistage bio filter with drop aeration facility was developed in this work. The bio filter was packed with a discarded sponge iron industry by product, ‘dolochar’ primarily to remove phosphate via physicochemical approach. In the multi stage bio-filter drop, aeration was achieved by the process of percolation of the gravity-fed wastewater through the filter media and dropping down of wastewater from stage to stage. Ammonium present in wastewater got adsorbed by the filter media and biomass grown on the filter media and subsequently, got converted to nitrate through biological nitrification in the aerobic condition, as realized by drop aeration. The performance of the bio-filter in treating real eutrophic wastewater was monitored for a period of about 2 months. The influent phosphate concentration was in the range of 16-19 mg/L, and ammonium concentration was in the range of 65-78 mg/L. The average nutrient removal efficiency observed during the study period were 95.2% for phosphate and 88.7% for ammonium, with mean final effluent concentration of 0.91, and 8.74 mg/L, respectively. Furthermore, the subsequent release of nutrient from the saturated filter media, after completion of treatment process has been undertaken in this study and thin layer funnel analytical test results reveal the slow nutrient release nature of spent dolochar, thereby, recommending its potential agricultural application. Thus, the bio-filter displays immense prospective for treating real eutrophic wastewater, significantly decreasing the level of nutrients and keeping the effluent nutrient concentrations at par with the permissible limit and more importantly, facilitating the conversion of the waste materials into usable ones.

Keywords: ammonium removal, phosphate removal, multi-stage bio-filter, dolochar

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Authors: Adebola Ajayi, Francis B. Aiyeleye, Olakunke M. Makanjuola, Olalekan J. Adebowale

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Cocoyam, a generic term for both xanthoma and colocasia, is a traditional staple root crop in many developing countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. It is mostly cultivated as food crop which is very rich in vitamin B6, magnesium and also in dietary fiber. The cocoyam starch is easily digested and often used for baby food. Drying food is a method of food preservation that removes enough moisture from the food so bacteria, yeast and molds cannot grow. It is a one of the oldest methods of preserving food. The effect of drying methods on the proximate composition and functional properties of extracted cocoyam starch flour were studied. Freshly harvested cocoyam cultivars at matured level were washed with portable water, peeled, washed and grated. The starch in the grated cocoyam was extracted, dried using sun drying, oven and cabinet dryers. The extracted starch flour was milled into flour using Apex mill and packed and sealed in low-density polyethylene film (LDPE) 75 micron thickness with Nylon sealing machine QN5-3200HI and kept for three months under ambient temperature before analysis. The result showed that the moisture content, ash, crude fiber, fat, protein and carbohydrate ranged from 6.28% to 12.8% 2.32% to 3.2%, 0.89% to 2.24%%, 1.89% to 2.91%, 7.30% to 10.2% and 69% to 83% respectively. The functional properties of the cocoyam starch flour ranged from 2.65ml/g to 4.84ml/g water absorption capacity, 1.95ml/g to 3.12ml/g oil absorption capacity, 0.66ml/g to 7.82ml/g bulk density and 3.82% to 5.30ml/g swelling capacity. Significant difference (P≥0.5) was not obtained across the various drying methods used. The drying methods provide extension to the shelf-life of the extracted cocoyam starch flour.

Keywords: cocoyam, extraction, oven dryer, cabinet dryer

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Authors: Marine Segui, Matthieu Mantilla, Ruxandra Mihaela Botez

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This research is the part of a major project at the Research Laboratory in Active Controls, Avionics and Aeroservoelasticity (LARCASE) aiming to improve a Cessna Citation X aircraft cruise performance with an application of the morphing wing technology on its horizontal tail. However, the horizontal stabilizer of the Cessna Citation X turns around its span axis with an angle between -8 and 2 degrees. Within this range, the horizontal stabilizer generates certainly some unwanted drag. To cancel this drag, the LARCASE proposes to trim the aircraft with a horizontal stabilizer equipped by a morphing wing technology. This technology aims to optimize aerodynamic performances by changing the conventional horizontal tail shape during the flight. As a consequence, this technology will be able to generate enough lift on the horizontal tail to balance the aircraft without an unwanted drag generation. To conduct this project, an accurate aerodynamic model of the horizontal tail is firstly required. This aerodynamic model will finally allow precise comparison between a conventional horizontal tail and a morphed horizontal tail results. This paper presents how this aerodynamic model was designed. In this way, it shows how the 2D geometry of the horizontal tail was collected and how the unknown airfoil’s shape of the horizontal tail has been recovered. Finally, the complete horizontal tail airfoil shape was found and a comparison between aerodynamic polar of the real horizontal tail and the horizontal tail found in this paper shows a maximum difference of 0.04 on the lift or the drag coefficient which is very good. Aerodynamic polar data of the aircraft horizontal tail are obtained from the CAE Inc. level D research aircraft flight simulator of the Cessna Citation X.

Keywords: aerodynamic, Cessna, citation, coefficient, Datcom, drag, lift, longitudinal, model, OpenVSP

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Authors: Fouzia Ajmal

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Global Citizenship Education (GCED) could prove to be the best solution to prevent violent extremism as it will sustain a respect for all and build up a feeling of having a place with humankind. To meet the target 4.7 of sustainable development goals, it is important to focus on global citizenship education at all levels of education in general and in pre-service teacher education in particular so that the message and practices reach the young masses. The pre-service education is imperative to develop knowledge, skills and disposition of prospective teachers. The current study was conducted to investigate the integration of GCED in pre-service teacher education curriculum of Pakistan. The study was delimited to B.Ed (hons) Elementary Education programme. The curriculum of B.Ed Elementary developed by Higher Education Commission was analyzed through Curriculum Alignment Matrix. 31 course outlines were analyzed, and percentage was used to analyze the level of integration of GCED in courses. The analyses depicted that the concepts of civic sense, tolerance, duties and rights of citizens and fundamental rights of humans are partially aligned in a few of the courses. The tolerance, active citizenship, and respect for cultural diversity and religious harmony are evident in Pakistan Studies and teaching of social studies courses. The relevant books are also mentioned as resources in these courses. The intercultural understanding is not very evident while globalization is mentioned in a few courses. It is recommended that a deliberate effort may be made to integrate concepts of Global Citizenship Education so as to enable the prospective teachers in developing necessary skills to play their active role in promoting peace and building resilience to extremism in elementary school students.

Keywords: curriculum analysis, global citizenship education, preservice teacher education, resilience building

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Authors: Tom Ryan

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This paper investigates the rural mobility and accessibility challenges of a specific target group - Seniors. The target group is those over 66 years of age who are entitled to use the Public Transport (PT) Free Travel Scheme in rural Ireland. The paper explores at a high level some of the projected rural PT challenges and requirements over the next 10-15 years, noting that statistical predictions show that there will be a significant population demographic shift within the Senior's age profile. Using the PESTEL framework, the literature review explored existing research concerning mobility, accessibility challenges, and the opportunities Seniors face. Twenty-seven qualitative in-depth interviews with stakeholders within the ecosystem were undertaken. The stakeholders included: rural PT customers, Local-Link managers, NTA senior management, a Minister of State, and a European parliament policymaker. Tier 1 interviewee feedback spotlights that the PT network system does not exist for rural patients to access hospital facilities. There was no evidence from the Tier 2 research findings to show that health policymakers and transport planners are working to deliver a national solution to support patients getting access to hospital appointments. Several research interviewees discussed the theme of isolation and the perceived stigma of senior males utilising PT. The findings indicated that MaaS is potentially revolutionary in the PT arena. Finally, this paper suggests several short-, medium- and long-term recommendations based on the research findings. These recommendations are a potential springboard to ensure that rural PT is suitable for future Irish generations.

Keywords: accessibility, active ageing, car dependence, isolation, seniors health issues, behavioural changes, environmental challenges, internet of things, demand responsive, mobility as a service

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Authors: Melanie Moen, Christiaan Bezuidenhout

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Cases of parents murdering their offspring are incomprehensible but sadly as old as humanity itself. The act of killing your own child is known as filicide. Revenge filicide is an act where one parent kills their own offspring for retribution for hurting and upsetting the other parent. The true extent of filicide in South Africa is unknown, but in the United States, filicide constitutes more or less 2.5% of all murders. The focus of this contribution is to extend the knowledge of revenge filicide. Data was collected through court documents and newspaper articles. Newspapers that cover murder cases are between 75% to 100% accurate compared to official sources. Often family-related murders are violent in nature, and for this reason, these crimes receive extensive media coverage. The cases of twenty revenge filicide murderers (14 male and 6 female) were qualitatively analyzed to determine the motivations and offense characteristics of revenge filicide offenders. Findings related to a loss of social identity due to rejection; extreme rage-type anger; external locus of control; sadism; a desire to cause pain, and a need to inflict harm. The initial emotional response may escalate from mild anger to a level of narcissistic rage which eventually culminates in the murdering of the child to punish and hurt the other parent and to restore control. To our knowledge, our study is the first to systematically examine the motivations related to revenge filicides from a South African perspective. Filicide is a complex phenomenon with diverse possibilities and reasons why it occurs. However, it was apparent in this study that the motivations for revenge filicides were often linked to complex personal and interpersonal relationship problems. Further research within this field is imperative.

Keywords: revenge filicide, child murder, rage, anger, narcissistic rage, parent kills child

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Authors: Ernest Nweke

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The work of Professional Accountants and Corporate governance are synonymous and cannot be divorced from each other. Organizations, profit and non-profit alike cannot implement sound corporate practices without inputs from Professional Accountants. In today’s dynamic corporate world, good corporate governance practice is a sine qua non. More so, following the corporate failures of the past decades like Enron and WorldCom, governments around the world, including Mongolia are becoming more proactive in ensuring sound corporate governance mechanisms. In the past fifteen years, the Mongolian government has taken several measures to establish and strengthen internal corporate governance structures in firms. This paper highlights the role of professional accountants and auditors play in ensuring that good corporate governance mechanisms are entrenched in listed companies in Mongolia. Both primary and secondary data are utilized in this research. In collection of primary data, Delphi method was used, securing responses from only knowledgeable senior employees, top managers, and some CEOs. Using this method, a total of 107 top-level company employees and executives randomly selected from 22 companies were surveyed; maximum of 5 and minimum of 4 from each company. These companies cut across several sectors. It was concluded that Professional Accountants play key roles in setting and maintaining firm governance. They do this by ensuring full compliance with all the requirements of good and sound corporate governance, establishing reporting, monitoring and evaluating standards, assisting in the setting up of proper controls, efficient and effective audit systems, sound fraud risk management and putting in place an overall vision for the enterprise. Companies with effective corporate governance mechanisms are usually strong and fraud-resilient. It was also discovered that companies with big 4 audit firms tend to have better governance structures in Mongolia.

Keywords: accountants, corporate disclosure, corporate failure, corporate governance

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Authors: Annur Suhadi, Haris B. Harahap, Zaim Arrosyidi, Epan, Darmapala

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Oilfields under waterflood often face the problem of plugging injectors either by internal filtration or external filter cake built up inside pore throats. The content of suspended solids shall be reduced to required level of filtration since corrective action of plugging is costly expensive. The performance of nutshell filters, where filtration takes place, is good using pecan and walnut shells. Candlenut shells were used instead of pecan and walnut shells since they were abundant in Indonesia, Malaysia, and East Africa. Physical and chemical properties of walnut, pecan, and candlenut shells were tested and the results were compared. Testing, using full-scale nutshell filters, was conducted to determine the oil content, turbidity, and suspended solid removal, which was based on designed flux rate. The performance of candlenut shells, which were deeply bedded in nutshell filters for filtration process, was monitored. Cleaned water outgoing nutshell filters had total suspended solids of 17 ppm, while oil content could be reduced to 15.1 ppm. Turbidity, using candlenut shells, was below the specification for injection water, which was less than 10 Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU). Turbidity of water, outgoing nutshell filter, was ranged from 1.7-5.0 NTU at various dates of operation. Walnut, pecan, and candlenut shells had moisture content of 8.98 wt%, 10.95 wt%, and 9.95 wt%, respectively. The porosity of walnut, pecan, and candlenut shells was significantly affected by moisture content. Candlenut shells had property of toluene solubility of 7.68 wt%, which was much higher than walnut shells, reflecting more crude oil adsorption. The hardness of candlenut shells was 2.5-3 Mohs, which was close to walnut shells’ hardness. It was advantage to guarantee the cleaning filter cake by fluidization process during backwashing.

Keywords: candlenut shells, filtration, nutshell filter, pecan shells, walnut shells

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Authors: Belhaj Mohamed, M. Saidi, I. Bouazizi, M. Soussi, M. Ben Jrad

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The Late Cenomanian-Early Turonian laminated, black, organic-rich limestones were described in Central Tunisia and attributed to the Bahloul Formation. It covers central and northern Tunisia, and the northern part of the Gulf of Gabes. The Bahloul Formation is considered as one of the main source rocks in Tunisia and is composed of outer-shelf to slop-laminated and dark-gray to black-colored limestones and marls. This formation had been deposited in a relatively deep-marine, calm, and anoxic environment. Rock-Eval analysis and vitrinite reflectance (Ro) measurements were performed on the basis of the organic carbon content. Several samples were chosen for molecular organic geochemistry. Saturate and aromatic hydrocarbons were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and GC–mass spectrometry. Geochemical data of the Bahloul Formation in northern and central Tunisia show this level to be a good potential source rock as indicated by the high content of type II organic matter. This formation exhibits high total organic carbon contents (as much as 14%), with an average value of 2% and a good to excellent petroleum potential, ranging between 2 and 50 kg of hydrocarbon/ton of rock. The extracts from the Bahloul Formation are characterized by Pr/Ph ratios ranging between 1.5 and 3, a moderate diasterane content, a C27 sterane approximately equal to C29 sterane, a high C28/C29 ratio, low gammacerane index, a C35/C34 homohopane ratio less than 1 and carbon isotope compositions between -24 and -26‰. The thermal maturity is relatively low, corresponding to the beginning of the oil window in the western area near the Algerian border, in the oil window in the eastern area (Sahel basin) and late mature in northern part.

Keywords: biomarkers, organic geochemistry, source rock, Tunisia

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Authors: Niranjana Soperna, Shivangi Nigam

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Violence against women is linked to their disadvantageous position in the society. It is rooted in unequal power relationships between men and women in society and is a global problem which is not limited to a specific group of women in society. An adolescent girl’s life is often accustomed to the likelihood of violence, and acts of violence exert additional power over girls because the stigma of violence often attaches more to a girl than to her doer. The experience of violence is distressing at the individual emotional and physical level. The field of research and programs for adolescent girls has traditionally focused on sexuality, reproductive health, and behavior, neglecting the broader social issues that underpin adolescent girls’ human rights, overall development, health, and well-being. This paper is an endeavor to address the understated or disguised form of violence which the adolescent girls experience within the social contexts. The parameters exposed under this research had been ignored to a large extent when it came to studying the dimension of violence under the social domain. Hence, the researchers attempted to explore this camouflaged form of violence and discovered some specific parameters such as: Diminished Self Worth and Esteem, Verbal Abuse, Menstruation Taboo and Social Rigidity, Negligence of Medical and Health Facilities and Complexion- A Prime Parameter for Judging Beauty. The study was conducted in the districts of Haryana where personal interviews were taken from both urban and rural adolescent girls (aged 13 to 19 years) based on structured interview schedule. The results revealed that the adolescent girls, both in urban as well as rural areas were quite affected with the above mentioned issues. In urban areas, however, due to the higher literacy rate, which resulted in more rational thinking, the magnitude was comparatively smaller, but the difference was still negligible.

Keywords: adolescent girls, education, social contexts, understated violence

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Authors: Han Chih Feng, Yi-Cheng Hou, Jing-Huei Wu

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Diabetes is a chronic disease. Nutrition knowledge and skills enable individuals with type 2 diabetes to optimize metabolic self-management and quality of life. This research studies the effect of nutritional education on diabetes inpatients in terms of their cognition, behavior, and attitude. The participants are inpatients diagnosed with diabetes at Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital. A total of 103 participants, 58 male, and 45 females, enrolled in the research between January 2018 and July 2018. The research evaluates cognition, behavior, and attitude level before and after nutritional education conducted by dietitians. The result shows significant improvement in actual consumption (2.5 ± 1.4 vs 3.8 ± 0.7; p<.001), diet control motivation (2.7 ± 0.8 vs 3.4 ± 0.6; p<.001), correct nutrition concept (1.2± 0.4 vs 2.4 ± 0.5; p<.001), learning willingness (2.7± 0.9 vs 3.4 ± 0.6; p<.001), cognitive behaviors (1.4 ± 0.5 vs 2.9 ± 0.7; p<.001). AC sugar (278.5 ± 321.5 vs 152.2 ± 49.1; p<.001) and HbA1C (10.3 ± 2.6 vs 8.6 ± 1.9; p<.001) are significant improvement after nutritional education. After nutritional education, participants oral hypoglycemic agents increased from 16 (9.2%) to 33 (19.0%), insulin decreased from 75 (43.1%) to 68 (39.1%), and hypoglycemic drugs combined with insulin decreased from 83 (47.7%) to 73 (42.0%).Further analysis shows that female inpatients have significant improvement in diet control motivation (3.91 ± 0.85 vs 4.44 ± 0.59; p<0.000), correct nutrition concept (3.24± 0.48 vs 4.47± 0.51; p<0.000), learning willingness (3.89 ± 0.86 vs 4.44 ± 0.59; p<0.000) and cognitive behaviors (2.42 ± 0.58 vs 4.02 ± 0.69; p<0.000); male inpatients have significant improvement in actual food intake (4.41± 0.92 vs 3.97 ± 0.42; p<0.000), diet control motivation (3.62 ± 0.86 vs 4.29 ± 0.62; p<0.000), correct nutrition concept (3.26 ± 0.44 vs 4.36 ± 0.49; p<0.000), learning willingness (3.72± 0.93 vs 4.33± 0.63; p<0.000) and cognitive behaviors (2.45± 0.54 vs 4.03± 0.77; p<0.000). In conclusion, nutritional education proves effective, regardless of gender, in improving an inpatient’s cognition, behavior, and attitude toward diabetes self-management.

Keywords: diabetes, nutrition education, actual consumption, diet control motivation, nutrition concept, learning willingness, cognitive behaviors

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Authors: Parvin Goli, Amirhosein Kefayat, Rezvan Goli

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Background: It is well established that parents can influence their offspring's neurodevelopment. It is shown that paternal environment and lifestyle is beneficial for the progeny's fitness and might affect their metabolic mechanisms; however, the effects of paternal exercise on the brain in the offspring have not been explored in detail. Objective: This study aims to review the impact of paternal physical exercise on memory and learning, neuroplasticity, as well as DNA methylation levels in the off-spring's hippocampus. Study design: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, an electronic literature search was conducted in databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Eligible studies were those with an experimental design, including an exercise intervention arm, with the assessment of any type of memory function, learning ability, or any type of brain plasticity as the outcome measures. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed as effect size. Results: The systematic review revealed the important role of environmental enrichment in the behavioral development of the next generation. Also, offspring of exercised fathers displayed higher levels of memory ability and lower level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. A significant effect of paternal exercise on the hippocampal volume was also reported in the few available studies. Conclusion: These results suggest an intergenerational effect of paternal physical activity on cognitive benefit, which may be associated with hippocampal epigenetic programming in offspring. However, the biological mechanisms of this modulation remain to be determined.

Keywords: hippocampal plasticity, learning ability, memory, parental exercise

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Authors: Rania Hanafi Said, Rasha Mohamed Taha

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Background: By using nanoparticles as drug delivery, it may be possible to avoid the drawbacks of systemic antibiotic dosing, including bacterial antibiotic resistance. The goal of this study was to see how well tetracycline loaded on nanochitosan worked to treat gingival inflammation in albino rats caused by Porphyromonas gingivalis. The study analyzed immunohistochemically the localization of the pro-inflammatory cytokine Interleukin-1beta (IL-1β). Material and methods: In this study, fifty mature male albino rats weighing 150 to 180 grams each were used. They were randomly divided into five groups. We checked for weight changes in rats. Ten male albino rats were included in Group I, which served as a negative control group. Ten rats were included in Group II, where they were exposed once to Porphyromonas. Group III contained ten rats, which were treated the same as Group II plus daily injections of diluted tetracycline powder at the infection sites. Ten rats in Group IV received the same procedure as those in Group II before receiving daily injections of nanochitosan at the injection sites. Finally, Group V, which had ten rats. Following the same protocol as Group II, they received localized injections of tetracycline loaded on nanochitosan once daily. Rats' gingivae were extracted and prepared after they were anesthetized. The biopsies were examined histologically and immunohistochemically by light microscopy. Results: Groups I and V had a nearly normal histological appearance of gingival tissue. In Groups II, III, and IV, degeneration was seen because the epithelial cells were bigger, collagen fibers were pulling away from the lamina propria connective tissue, and the basement membranes had come to an end. There was no discernible difference between groups V and I when they were examined immunohistochemically. Conclusion: The use of nano chitosan as a tetracycline carrier is a novel technique to overcome the drug's rising level of resistance.

Keywords: Immunohistochemistry, Nanochitosan, porphyromonas gingivitis, Tetracycline

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Authors: Raghad Abu Salma, Beatrice Szczepek Reed

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Politeness is one of the most researched areas in pragmatics as it is key to interpersonal interactional phenomena. Many studies, particularly in linguistics, have focused on developing politeness theories and exploring linguistic devices used in communication to construct and establish social norms. However, the question of what constitutes polite language remains a point of ongoing debate. Prior research primarily examined politeness in English and its native speaking communities, oversimplifying the notion of politeness and associating it with surface-level language use. There is also a dearth of literature on politeness in Arabic, particularly in the context of Jordanian Arabic. Prior research investigating politeness in Arabic make generalized claims about politeness in Arabic without taking the linguistic variations into account or providing empirical evidence. This proposed research aims to explore how Jordanian Arabic influences its first language users in making and responding to requests, exploring participants' perceptions of politeness and the linguistic choices they make in their interactions. The study focuses on Jordanian expats living in London, UK providing an intercultural perspective that prior research does not consider. This study employs a mixed-methods approach combining discourse completion tasks (DCTs) with semi-structured interviews. While DCTs provide insight into participants’ linguistic choices, semi-structured interviews glean insight into participants' perceptions of politeness and their linguistic choices impacted by cultural norms and diverse experiences. This paper discusses previous research on politeness in Arabic, identifies research gaps, and discusses different methods for data collection. This paper also presents preliminary findings from the ongoing study.

Keywords: politeness, pragmatics, jordanian arabic, intercultural politeness

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Authors: Ashwinder K. Dhaliwal, G. P. S. Dhillon

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Eucalyptus is one of the most important forest tree species that can tolerate and grow well on degraded and unfertile soils which are not suitable for other tree species. Besides this, these trees have a short rotation and good economic value. However, the gall inducing wasp Leptocybe invasa Fisher and La Salle has been reported from many countries throughout the world. The spread of L. invasa is of huge economic concern as more than 20,000 ha of young Eucalyptus trees have already been affected in southern states of India. The host plant resistance being the first line of defense against insect pests demands the screening of different germplasm source against L. invasa. Keeping this in view, fourteen different clones of Eucalyptus spp. were evaluated for their susceptibility to L. invasa from a replicated clonal trial planted at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. The degree of gall infestation was recorded from three plants of each clone in each replication. Three branches selected from the lower, middle and upper canopy of the trees were selected for recording the total number of galls induced by L. invasa. The statistical analysis was done as per the procedure laid down for completely randomised block design (CRBD), analysis of variance (ANOVA), critical difference (CD) and variance components using Proc GLM (SAS software 9.3, SAS Institute Ltd. U.S.A). All possible treatment means were compared with Duncan’s multiple range test (DMRT) at 1 % probability level. The results showed that the clones C-9, C-45 and C-42 were completely free from the infestation of L. invasa. However, there was minor infestation of L. invasa on C-2135, C-413, C-407, C-35, C-72 and C-37 clones. The clone C-6 was severely infested by L. invasa followed by C-11, C-12, F-316 and C-25 clones. The information generated by this study will be helpful for future breeding and use in afforestation programmes.

Keywords: eucalyptus clones, gall wasp, Leptocybe invasa, screening, susceptibility

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Authors: Wadsana Sarakarn, Pimonpan Charoensri, Baliya Chaiyara

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Objectives: To study the outcomes of the developed nursing model to prevent early postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). Materials and Methods: The analytical study was conducted in Sunpasitthiprasong Hospital during October 1st, 2015, until May 31st, 2017. After review the prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes of postpartum hemorrhage of the parturient who gave birth in Sunpasitthiprasong Hospital, the nursing model was developed under research regulation of Kemmis&McTaggart using 4 steps of operating procedures: 1) analyzing problem situation and gathering 2) creating the plan 3) noticing and performing 4) reflecting the result of the operation. The nursing model consisted of the screening tools for risk factors associated with PPH, the clinical nursing practice guideline (CNPG), and the collecting bag for measuring postpartum blood loss. Primary outcome was early postpartum hemorrhage. Secondary outcomes were postpartum hysterectomy, maternal mortality, personnel’s practice, knowledge, and satisfaction of the nursing model. The data were analyzed by using content analysis for qualitative data and descriptive statistics for quantitative data. Results: Before using the nursing model, the prevalence of early postpartum hemorrhage was under estimated (2.97%). There were 5 cases of postpartum hysterectomy and 2 cases of maternal death due to postpartum hemorrhage. During the study period, there was 22.7% prevalence of postpartum hemorrhage among 220 pregnant women who were vaginally delivered at Sunpasitthiprasong Hospital. No maternal death or postpartum hysterectomy was reported after using the nursing model. Among 16 registered nurses at the delivery room who evaluated using of the nursing model, they reported the high level of practice, knowledge, and satisfaction Conclusion: The nursing model for the prevention of early PPH is effective to decrease early PPH and other serious complications.

Keywords: the development of a nursing model, prevention of postpartum hemorrhage, pregnant women, postpartum hemorrhage

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Authors: Samuel Francisco Ngovene

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Mozambique is a country with cultural segregation along its rivers, dividing the main ethnic groups of Machangana, Macena, and Macua, inter alia South, Centre, and North. This division has led to internal conflicts, seemingly rooted in ethnicity. The aim of this study is to analyze the tolerance of the main ethnic groups in Mozambique in terms of cohabitation, sharing opportunities, and political power. The study utilizes participant observation in the field, group discussions, and a questionnaire targeting 150 respondents split into 50 for each ethnic group. The study finds that people in Mozambique are generally tolerant of cohabiting or marrying individuals from different ethnic groups. However, when it comes to sharing opportunities such as employment or business, there is a perception that individuals from different ethnic groups may be taking away opportunities. Similarly, each ethnic group believes that having a president from their own group would lead to better opportunities for their community. The study highlights the importance of addressing this intolerance, as it can be a source of internal political conflicts. The anthropological approach provides a valuable tool for diplomacy channels to ensure long-lasting peace. Analysis procedures: The data collected through participant observation, group discussions are analytically crosschecked, comparing the opinions of people from different ethnic groups, while the data from the questionnaire are analyzed statistically to understand the level of tolerance among the ethnic groups and their perceptions of sharing opportunities and political power. The study addresses the question of whether the main ethnic groups in Mozambique are tolerant of cohabitation, sharing opportunities, and political power among themselves. The study concludes that while there is overall tolerance for cohabitation and marriage across ethnic groups, there is also a perception that individuals from different ethnic groups may take away opportunities. The study suggests that cultural education from a young age may be an effective way to promote tolerance.

Keywords: cohabitation, ethnicities, Mozambique, political conflicts, tolerance

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Authors: K. M. Pratap Shankar, Dattatreya Rao, Sai Prasad

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Background: Skin diseases are among the most common health problems worldwide and are associated with a considerable burden. Eczema is such a skin ailment which cause psychological, social and financial burden on the patient and their families. Management of eczema with antibiotics, antihistamines, steroids etc., are available but even after their use relapses, recurrences and other complications are very common. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of leech application in the management of vicarcikā (Eczema) with Histopathological study. Methods: For the present study 10 patients having the classical symptoms of Vicarcikā, were randomly selected as per the inclusion and exclusion criteria from O.P.D. & I.P.D. sections of Śalya department, S.V. Āyurvedic Hospital, Tirupati. Minimum 4 sittings of Leech application was carried out with seven days interval. Total duration of treatment was 6 weeks. Biopsy samples were collected from the lesion site before and after treatment. Histopathological examination was done by the pathologist. Results: In eczema (dermatitis) the leech application therapy gives excellent response by reducing the inflammatory component, hyperkeratosis, spongiosis, irregular acanthosis and by evoking a granulation tissue response in the dermis and in most of the cases with complete recovery from the lesion. Most of the cases in the study were chronic dermatitis and sebhoric keratosis, almost all local/focal pigmented lesions is totally relieved by leech therapy especially in cases of sebhoric keratosis. Conclusion: In the present study it was found that, leech application evokes significant changes at histological level specifically in reduction of inflammatory component, hyperkeratosis, spongiosis and irregular acanthosis. It was also found that there was a considerable formation of granulation tissue, which helps in formation of healthy new tissues.

Keywords: acanthosis, eczema, hyperkeratosis, leech application, spongiosis

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Authors: Natalia Fijol, Aji P. Mathew

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We present the processing and characterisation of three-dimensional (3D) monolith filters based on polylactic acid (PLA) reinforced with various nature-derived nanospecies such as hydroxyapatite, modified cellulose fibers and chitin fibers. The nanospecies of choice were dispersed in PLA through Thermally Induced Phase Separation (TIPS) method. The biocomposites were developed via solvent-assisted blending and the obtained pellets were further single-screw extruded into 3D-printing filaments and processed into various geometries using Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) technique. The printed prototypes included cubic, cylindrical and hour-glass shapes with diverse patterns of printing infill as well as varying pore structure including uniform and multiple level gradual pore structure. The pores and channel structure as well as overall shape of the prototypes were designed in attempt to optimize the flux and maximize the adsorption-active time. FDM is a cost and energy-efficient method, which does not require expensive tools and elaborated post-processing maintenance. Therefore, FDM offers the possibility to produce customized, highly functional water purification filters with tuned porous structures suitable for removal of wide range of common water pollutants. Moreover, as 3D printing becomes more and more available worldwide, it allows producing portable filters at the place and time where they are most needed. The study demonstrates preparation route for the PLA-based, fully biobased composite and their processing via FDM technique into water purification filters, addressing water treatment challenges on an industrial scale.

Keywords: fused deposition modelling, water treatment, biomaterials, 3D printing, nanocellulose, nanochitin, polylactic acid

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