Search results for: induction programme

Authors: J. Wozniak-Holecka, T. Holecki, P. Romaniuk

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Spa facilities are being perceived as the ways of healing treatment in Poland and are guaranteed within the public financing. The universal health insurance (National Health Fund, NFZ), and the disability prevention programme held by Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) are the main sources of financing spa facilities. The dominant public payer of spa services is the NFZ. The Social Insurance Institution covers the cost of health treatment realized in spa facilities as medical rehabilitation, in the field of disability prevention. Health services delivered in the spa resorts are characterized by complexity, and the combination of various methods, typical for health prevention, education, balneotherapy, and physiotherapy. Healing with natural methods, believed to enhance the therapeutic effect, is also involved in health spa treatment. Regardless of the type of facility, each form of spa treatment includes health promotion, health education, prevention at all levels, including rehabilitation. The aim of the study was to determine the optimal organization of health education process. Its efficiency strongly depends on the type of service provider and the funding institution (NFZ vs ZUS). It results from the use of different measures of the effectiveness, the quality and the evaluation of the process being assessed by funding institutions. The methods of the study include a comparative and descriptive quantitative and qualitative analysis. In the empirical part, a questionnaire had been developed. It was then distributed among spa personnel, responsible directly for the health promotion, and among patients who are beneficiaries of health services in spa centers. The quantitative part of the study was based on interviews carried with the use of the online survey (CAWI: Computer-Assisted Web Interview), telephone survey (CATI: Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview) and a conventional questionnaire (PAPI: Paper over Pencil Interview). As a result of the conducted research, it was found that the effectiveness of health education activities in spa resort facilities in Poland is higher when the services are organized using structured tools for managerial control. This applies to formalized procedures implemented by one of the dominant payers covering costs of services (ZUS) and involves the application of health education as one of the mandatory elements of treatment, subjected to the process of control during the course of spa therapy and evaluation after it is completed.

Keywords: effectiveness, health education, public health system, spa treatment

Procedia PDF Downloads 142

Authors: Mina Iskander, Mina Melad, Mourad Yasser, Waleed Abdel Rahim, Amr Mosa, Mohamed El Lahamy, Ezzeldin Sayed-Ahmed, Mohamed Abou-Zeid

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Strengthening of reinforced concrete beams in flexure using externally bonded composite laminate of high tensile strength is easy and of the minimum cost compared to traditional methods such as increasing the concrete section depth or reinforcement that requires formwork and curing which affect the structure usability. One of the main limitations of this technique is debonding of the externally bonded laminate, either by end delamination or by mid-span flexural crack-induced debonding. ACI 440.2-08 suggests that using side-bonded FRP laminate in the flexural strengthening of RC beams may serve to limit the extent and width of flexural cracks. Consequently, this technique may decrease the effect of flexural cracks on initiating the mid-span debonding; i.e. delays the flexural crack-induced debonding. Furthermore, bonding the FRP strips to the side of the beam may offer an attractive, practical solution when the soffit of this beam is not accessible. This paper presents an experimental programme designed to investigate the effect of using externally bonded CFRP laminate on the sides of reinforced concrete beams and compares the results to those of bonding the CFRP laminate to the soffit of the beams. In addition, the paper discusses the effect of using end anchorage by U-wrapping the CFRP strips at their end zones with CFRP sheets for beams strengthened with soffit-bonded and side-bonded CFRP strips. Thus, ten rectangular reinforced concrete beams were tested to failure in order to study the effect of changing the location of the externally bonded laminate on the flexural capacity and ductility of the strengthened beams. Pultruded CFRP strips were bonded to the soffit of the beams or their sides to check the possibility of limiting the flexural cracking in mid-span region, which is the main reason for mid-span debonding. Pre-peg CFRP sheets were used near the support as U-wrap for the beam to act as an end-anchorage for the externally bonded strips in order to delay/prevent the end delamination. Strength gains of 38% and 43% were recorded for the soffit-bonded and the side-bonded composite strips with end U-wrapped sheets, respectively. Furthermore, beams with end sheets applied as an end anchorage showed higher ductility than those without these sheets.

Keywords: flexural strengthening, externally bonded CFRP, side-bonded CFRP, CFRP laminates

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Authors: Ludmila A. Gavriliuc, Jerry McLarty, Heather E. Kleiner, J. Michael Mathis

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Abstract -- Background: The citrus coumarine Auraptene (Aur) is an effective chemopreventive agent, as manifested in many models of diseases and cancer. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) is an important regulator of genes induced by oxidative stress, such as glutathione S-transferases, heme oxygenase-1, and peroxiredoxin 1, by activating the antioxidant response element (ARE). Genetic and biochemical evidence has demonstrated that glutathione (GSH) and glutathione-dependent enzymes, glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidases (GPs), glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are responsible for the control of intracellular reduction-oxidation status and participate in cellular adaptation to oxidative stress. The effect of Aur on the activity of GR, GPs (Se-GP and Se-iGP), and content of GSH in the liver, kidney, and spleen is insufficiently explored. Aim: Our goal was the examination of the Aur influence on the redox-system of GSH in Nrf2 wild type and Nrf2 knockout mice via activation of Nrf2 and ARE. Methods: Twenty female mice, 10 Nrf2 wild-type (WT) and 10 Nrf2 (-/-) knockout (KO), were bred and genotyped for our study. The activity of GR, Se-GP, Se-iGP, GST, G6PD, CytP450 reductase, catalase (Cat), and content of GSH were analyzed in the liver, kidney, and spleen using Spectrophotometry methods. The results of the specific activity of enzymes and the amount of GSH were analyzed with ANOVA and Spearman statistical methods. Results: Aur (200 mg/kg) treatment induced hepatic GST, GR, Se-GP activity and inhibited their activity in the spleen of mice, most likely via activation of the ARE through Nrf2. Activation in kidney Se-GP and G6PD by Aur is also controlled, apparently through Nrf2. Results of the non-parametric Spearman correlation analysis indicated the strong positive correlation between GR and G6PD only in the liver in WT control mice (r=+0.972; p < 0.005) and in the kidney KO control mice (r=+0.958; p < 0.005). The observed low content of GSH in the liver of KO mice indicated an increase in its participation in the neutralization of toxic substances with the absence of induction of GSH-dependent enzymes, such as GST, GR, Se-GP, and Se-iGP. Activation of CytP450 in kidney and spleen and Cat in the liver in KO mice probably revealed another regulatory mechanism for these enzymes. Conclusion: Thereby, obtained results testify that Aur can modulate the activity of genes and antioxidant enzymatic redox-system of GSH, responsible for the control of intracellular reduction-oxidation status.

Keywords: auraptene, glutathione, GST, Nrf2

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Authors: Baluku Nathan

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Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a practical, evidence-based approach that prevents patients and emergency health workers from being harmed by avoidable infections as a result of antimicrobial resistance; all hospital infection control programs put together various practices which, when used appropriately, restrict the spread of infection. A breach in these control practices facilitates the transmission of infections from patients to health workers, other patients, and attendants. It is, therefore important for all emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and patients to strictly adhere to them. It is also imperative for administrators to ensure the implementation of the infection control programme for their facilities. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influencing factors of prevention practices against infection exposure among emergency medical technicians (EMTs) in the emergency department at Mbarara hospital. Methodology: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study that employed a self-reported questionnaire that was filled out by 32 EMTs in the emergency department from 12th February to 3rd march 2022. The questionnaire consisted of items concerning the defensive environment and other factors influencing infection prevention and control practices in the accident and emergency department of Mbarara hospital. Results: From the findings, the majority 16 (50%) always used protective gear when doing clinical work, 14 (43.8%) didn’t use protective gear, citing they were only assisting those performing resuscitations, gumboots were the least used protective gear with only3(9.4%) usage. About disposal techniques of specific products like blood and sharps, results showed 10 (31.3%) said blood is disposed of in red buckets, 5 (15.6%) in yellow buckets, and only 5(15.6%) in black buckets, and 12(37.5%) didn’t respond, however, 28(87.5%) said sharps were disposed of in a sharps container. The majority, 17 (53.1%), were not aware of the infection control guidelines even though they were pinned on walls of the emergency rooms, 15(46.9%) said they have never had quality assurance monitoring events, 14(43.8%) said monitoring was continuous while 15(46.9 %) said it was discrete. Conclusions: The infection control practices at the emergency department were inadequate in view of less than 100% of the EMTs observing the five principles of infection prevention, such as the use of personal protective equipment and proper waste disposal in appropriate color-coded bins. Dysfunctional infection prevention and control committees accompanied by inadequate supervision to ensure infection control remained a big challenge.

Keywords: emergency medical technician, infection prevention, influencing factors, infection control

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Authors: Rahimah Saimin

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Previous research has shown that young children can learn from educational television programmes, videos or other technological media. However, the blending of any of these with traditional printed-based text appears to be omitted. Repeated viewing is an important factor in children's ability to comprehend the content or plot. The present study combined videos with traditional printed-based text and required repeated viewing and is original and distinctive. The first study was a pilot study to explore whether the intervention is implementable in ordinary classrooms. The second study explored whether the curricular embedding is important or whether the video with curricular embedding is effective. The third study explored the effect of “dosage”, i.e. whether a longer/ more intense intervention has a proportionately greater effect on outcomes. Both measured outcomes (comprehension, word sounds, and early word recognition) and unmeasured outcomes (engagement to reading traditional printed-based texts or/and multimodal texts) were obtained from this study. Observation indicated degree of engagement in reading. The theoretical framework was multimodality theory combined with Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s learning theories. An experimental design was used with 4-5-year-old children in nursery schools and primary schools. Six links to video clips exploring non-fiction science content were provided to teachers. The first session is whole-class and subsequent sessions small-group. The teacher then engaged the children in dialogue using supplementary materials. About half of each class was selected randomly for pre-post assessments. Two assessments were used the British Picture Vocabulary Scale (BPVSIII) and the York Assessment of Reading for Comprehension (YARC): Early Reading. Different programme fidelity means were deployed- observations, teacher self-reports attendance logs and post-delivery interviews. Data collection is in progress and results will be available shortly. If this multiphase study show effectiveness in one or other application, then teachers will have other tools which they can use to enhance vocabulary, letter knowledge and word reading. This would be a valuable addition to their repertoire.

Keywords: language skills, literacy skills, multimodality, video

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Authors: Chengcao Sun, Cuili Yang, Shujun Li, Ruilin Xue, Liang Wang, Yongyong Xi, Dejia Li

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Backgrounds: Sulforaphane, one of the most important isothiocyanates in the human diet, is known to have chemopreventive and antioxidant activities in different tissues via activation of NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-mediated induction of antioxidant/phase II enzymes, such as heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1). However, its effects on muscular dystrophy remain unknown. This work was undertaken to evaluate the effects of Sulforaphane on Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Methods: 4-week-old mdx mice were treated with SFN by gavage (2 mg/kg body weight per day) for 8 weeks. Blood was collected from eye socket every week, and tibial anterior, extensor digitorum longus, gastrocnemius, soleus, triceps brachii muscles and heart samples were collected after 8-week gavage. Force measurements and mice exercise capacity assays were detected. GSH/GSSG ratio, TBARS, CK and LDH levels were analyzed by spectrophotometric methods. H&E staining was used to analyze histological and morphometric of skeletal muscles of mdx mice, and Evas blue dye staining was made to detect sarcolemmal integrity of mdx mice. Further, the role of Sulforaphane on Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway was analyzed by ELISA, western blot and qRT-PCR. Results: Our results demonstrated that SFN treatment increased the expression and activity of muscle phase II enzymes NQO1 and HO-1 with Nrf2 dependent manner. SFN significantly increased skeletal muscle mass, muscle force (~30%), running distance (~20%) and GSH/GSSG ratio (~3.2 folds) of mdx mice, and decreased the activities of plasma creatine phosphokinase (CK) (~45%) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (~40%), gastrocnemius hypertrophy (~25%), myocardial hypertrophy (~20%) and MDA levels (~60%). Further, SFN treatment also reduced the central nucleation (~40%), fiber size variability, inflammation and improved the sarcolemmal integrity of mdx mice. Conclusions: Collectively, these results show that SFN can improve muscle function, pathology and protect dystrophic muscle from oxidative damage in mdx mice through Nrf2 signaling pathway, which indicate Nrf2 may have clinical implications for the treatment of patients with muscular dystrophy.

Keywords: sulforaphane, duchenne muscular dystrophy, Nrf2, oxidative stress

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Authors: Sourabh Jain, Parul Madan

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Traffic noise pollution has become a challenging problem for all metro cities of India due to rapid urbanization, growing population and rising number of vehicles and transport development. In Delhi the prime source of noise pollution is vehicular traffic. In Delhi it is found that the ambient noise level (Leq) is exceeding the standard permissible value at all the locations. Noise barriers or enclosures are definitely useful in obtaining effective deduction of traffic noise disturbances in urbanized areas. US’s Federal Highway Administration Model (FHWA) and Calculation of Road Traffic Noise (CORTN) of UK are used to develop spread sheets for noise prediction. Spread sheets are also developed for evaluating effectiveness of existing boundary walls abutting houses in mitigating noise, redesigning them as noise barriers. Study was also carried out to examine the changes in noise level due to designed noise barrier by using both models FHWA and CORTN respectively. During the collection of various data it is found that receivers are located far away from road at Rithala and Moolchand sites and hence extra barrier height needed to meet prescribed limits was less as seen from calculations and most of the noise diminishes by propagation effect.On the basis of overall study and data analysis, it is concluded that FHWA and CORTN models under estimate noise levels. FHWA model predicted noise levels with an average percentage error of -7.33 and CORTN predicted with an average percentage error of -8.5. It was observed that at all sites noise levels at receivers were exceeding the standard limit of 55 dB. It was seen from calculations that existing walls are reducing noise levels. Average noise reduction due to walls at Rithala was 7.41 dB and at Panchsheel was 7.20 dB and lower amount of noise reduction was observed at Friend colony which was only 5.88. It was observed from analysis that Friends colony sites need much greater height of barrier. This was because of residential buildings abutting the road. At friends colony great amount of traffic was observed since it is national highway. At this site diminishing of noise due to propagation effect was very less.As FHWA and CORTN models were developed in excel programme, it eliminates laborious calculations of noise. There was no reflection correction in FHWA models as like in CORTN model.

Keywords: IFHWA, CORTN, Noise Sources, Noise Barriers

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Authors: Wan-Ting Liao, Angela K. Tzeng

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Empathy has been an important issue in psychology, education, as well as cognitive neuroscience. Empathy has two major components: cognitive and emotional. Cognitive component refers to the ability to understand others’ perspectives, thoughts, and actions, whereas emotional component refers to understand how others feel. Empathy can be induced, attitude can then be changed, and with enough attitude change, helping behavior can occur. This finding leads us to two questions: is attitude change really necessary for prosocial behavior? And, what roles cognitive and affective empathy play? For the second question, participants with different psychopathic personality (PP) traits are critical because high PP people were found to suffer only affective empathy deficit. Their cognitive empathy shows no significant difference from the control group. 132 college students voluntarily participated in the current three-stage study. Stage 1 was to collect basic information including Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised (PPI-R), Attitude Scale, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and demographic data. Stage two was for empathy induction with three controversial scenarios, namely domestic violence, depression with a suicide attempt, and an ex-offender. Participants read all three stories and then rewrite the stories by one of two perspectives (empathetic vs. objective). They would then complete the VAS and Attitude Scale one more time for their post-attitude and emotional status. Three IVs were introduced for data analysis: PP (High vs. Low), Responsibility (whether or not the character is responsible for what happened), and Perspective-taking (Empathic vs. Objective). Stage 3 was for the action. Participants were instructed to freely use the 17 tokens they received as donations. They were debriefed and interviewed at the end of the experiment. The major findings were people with higher empathy tend to take more action in helping. Attitude change is not necessary for prosocial behavior. The controversy of the scenarios and how familiar participants are towards target groups play very important roles. Finally, people with high PP tend to show more public prosocial behavior due to their affective empathy deficit. Pre-existing value and belief as well as recent dramatic social events seem to have a big impact and possibly reduce the effect of the independent variables (IV) in our paradigm.

Keywords: empathy, cognitive, emotional, psychopathy

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Authors: I. V. Palamarchuk, N. V. Zaichko

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Background and Aims: Galectin-3 is a marker of subclinical cardiac injury and is elevated in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus; while hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), metabolite of sulfur-containing amino acids, is considered having antifibrogenic effects. This study was designed to investigate whether metformin and its combination with NaHS can influence plasma galectin-3 and cystathionine-γ-lyase/hydrogen sulfide (CSE/H₂S) system in diabetic rat’s heart. Methods: 32 healthy male rats (180-250 g) were divided into 4 groups. To induct diabetes, rats (group 2-4) were injected with streptozotocin (STZ, 40 mg/kg/i.p., 0.1 M citrate buffer (pH 4.5). Rats from 3d (STZ+Metf) and 4th (STZ+Metf+NaHS) groups were given metformin (500 mg/kg/day) orally, and rats from 4th (STZ+Metf+NaHS) group were injected sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS, 3 mg/kg/i.p.) once per day starting from 3 to 28 day after streptozotocin injection. Rats of first group (control) were administered the equivalent volumes of 0.9% NaCl. Plasma galectin-3 was measured by ELISA. Rats’ hearts were sampled for determination of H2S by reaction with N,N-Dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine. Determination of CSE gene expression was performed in real time using PCR in the presence of SYBR Green I, using DT-Light detecting amplifier ('DNA-technology', Russia). Results: Induction of streptozotocin diabetes (STZ-diabetes, group 2) was followed by low myocardial H2S concentration and CSE expression (by 35%, p < 0.05 and 60.5%, p < 0.001 respectively, than that in controls), while plasma galectin-3 in this group was significantly higher than in controls (by 3.8 times, p < 0.05). Administration of metformin (group 3) resulted in significantly higher H₂S concentration (by 28.5%, p < 0.05), whereas CSE expression was only by 6% more than that in STZ-diabetes, as well as plasma galectin-3 was only by 14.8% lower in comparison with untreated diabetic rats. The inhibition of H₂S generation and CSE activity by diabetes was greatly attenuated in STZ+Metf+NaHS group. The combination of metformin with NaHS significantly stimulated H₂S production (by 48%, p < 0.05 and 15%, p < 0.05 more than STZ-diabetes and STZ+Metf respectively) and CSE gene expression (by 64.8%, p < 0.05 compared to STZ-diabetes and by 55.4%,p < 0.05 compared to STZ+Metf). Besides, plasma galectin-3 in rats receiving metformin and NaHS was significantly lower by 42%, p < 0.05 and 32.5%, p < 0.05 compared to STZ-diabetes and STZ+Metf groups respectively. Conclusions: To summarize, dysfunction of CSE/H2S system and galectin-3 stimulation was found in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Metformin and its combination with exogenous H2S effectively prevented the development of metabolic changes induced by diabetes. These findings suggest that CSE/H₂S system can be integrated into pathogenesis of diabetic complications through modulation of pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrogenic mediator galectin-3.

Keywords: cystathionine-γ-lyase, diabetic heart, galectin-3, hydrogen sulfide, metformin, sodium hydrosulfide

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Authors: Husham Bayazed

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Purpose of presentation: Pregnancy represents the most important period for the conservation of the species. The immune system is one of the most important systems protecting the mother against the environment and preventing damage to the fetus. This presentation aims to review and discuss the role of the immune system during pregnancy, the evolutionary inflammatory process through pregnancy, infectious and environmental exposure influences on the mother and the fetus, and the impacts of sexual dimorphism of the placenta on offspring susceptibility to different disorders. Recent Findings: In 1960, Peter Medawar (Nobel Prize Winner) proposed that the fetus, a semi-allograft, is similar to a tissue graft that escapes rejection through a mechanism involving systemic immune suppression (Graft –Host response). However, recent researchers and studies have documented that implantation means inflammation, and the inflammatory process is considered a breach of tolerance in pregnancy with immune induction, which is necessary for the protection of the mother and the fetus against infections and environmental triggers. This inflammatory process should be maintained during different pregnancy phases till parturition, and any block at any phase will be associated with pregnancy complications, including pregnancy failure or loss, miscarriage, and preterm birth subsequently. Maternal immune activation following any trigger can have a positive effect on the fetus. The old concept of the placenta being asexual is inaccurate, and being with sexual dimorphism with clear differences in susceptibility to different factors that stimulate maternal immunity. Summary: The presence of different immune cells ((i.e., T cells, B cells, NK cells, etc.) at the implantation site is considered proof of a strong maternal immune response to the fetus. Therefore, human pregnancy is considered a unique immunological paradigm requiring maternal immune modulation rather than suppression. So Medawar's postulation of maternal systemic immunosuppression is wrong. Maternal immune system activation triggered by infections, stress, diet, and pollution can have a positive effect on the fetus, with the development of fetal-trained immunity necessary for survival. The sexual dimorphism of the placenta seems to have an impact on the differences in sex susceptible to the environment maternal risk stimuli. This link to why the incidence of autism is increasing more among boys than girls.

Keywords: pregnancy, maternal immunity, implantation and inflammation, placenta sexual dimorphism

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Authors: Khadijeh Abhari, Seyed Shahram Shekarforoush, Saeid Hosseinzadeh

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Probiotics have been considered as an approach to treat and prevent a wide range of inflammatory diseases. The spore forming probiotic strain Bacillus coagulans has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating effects in both animals and humans. The prebiotic, inulin, also potentially affects the immune system as a result of the change in the composition or fermentation profile of the gastrointestinal microbiota. An in vivo trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of probiotic B. coagulans, and inulin, either separately or in combination, on down regulate immune responses and progression of rheumatoid arthritis using induced arthritis rat model. Forty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups and fed as follow: 1) control: Normal healthy rats fed by standard diet, 2) Disease control (RA): Arthritic induced (RA) rats fed by standard diet, 3) Prebiotic (PRE): RA+ 5% w/w long chain inulin, 4) Probiotic (PRO): RA+ 109 spores/day B. coagulans by orogastric gavage, 5) Synbiotic (SYN): RA+ 5% w/w long chain inulin and 109 spores/day B. coagulans and 6) Treatment control: (INDO): RA+ 3 mg/kg/day indomethacin by orogastric gavage. Feeding with mentioned diets started on day 0 and continued to the end of study. On day 14, rats were injected with complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) to induce arthritis. Arthritis activity was evaluated by biochemical parameters and paw thickness. Biochemical assay for Fibrinogen (Fn), Serum Amyloid A (SAA), TNF-α and Alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (α1AGp) was performed on day 21, 28 and 35 (1, 2 and 3 weeks post RA induction). Pretreatment with PRE, PRO and SYN diets significantly inhibit SAA and Fn production in arthritic rats (P < 0.001). A significant decrease in production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α, was seen in PRE, PRO and SYN groups (P < 0.001) which was similar to the effect of the anti-inflammatory drug Indomethacin. Further, there were no significant anti-inflammatory effects observed following different treatments using α1AGp as a RA indicator. Pretreatment with all supplied diets significantly inhibited the development of paw swelling induced by CFA (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Results of this study support that oral intake of probiotic B. coagulans and inulin are able to improve biochemical and clinical parameters of induced RA in rat.

Keywords: rheumatoid arthritis, bacillus coagulans, inulin, animal model

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Authors: Siavash Ostovar

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The Iranian national Law on the Ramsar Convention (officially known as the Convention of International Wetlands and Aquatic Birds' Habitat Wetlands) was approved by the Senate and became a law in 1974 after the ratification of the National Council. There are other national laws with the aim of preservation of environment in the country. However, Lake Urmia which is declared a wetland of international importance by the Ramsar Convention in 1971 and designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1976 is now at the brink of total disappearance due mainly to the climate change, water mismanagement, dam construction, and agricultural deficiencies. Lake Urmia is located in the north western corner of Iran. It is the third largest salt water lake in the world and the largest lake in the Middle East. Locally, it is designated as a National Park. It is, indeed, a unique lake both nationally and internationally. This study investigated how effective the national legal regulation of the ecosystem of Lake Urmia is in Iran. To do so, the Iranian national laws as Enforcement of Ramsar Convention in the country including three nationally established laws of (i) Five sets of laws for the programme of economic, social and cultural development of Islamic Republic of Iran, (ii) The Iranian Penal Code, (iii) law of conservation, restoration and management of the country were investigated. Using black letter law methods, it was revealed that (i) regarding the national five sets of laws; the benchmark to force the implementation of the legislations and policies is not set clearly. In other words, there is no clear guarantee to enforce these legislations and policies at the time of deviation and violation; (ii) regarding the Penal Code, there is lack of determining the environmental crimes, determining appropriate penalties for the environmental crimes, implementing those penalties appropriately, monitoring and training programmes precisely; (iii) regarding the law of conservation, restoration and management, implementation of this regulation is adjourned to preparation, announcement and approval of several categories of enactments and guidelines. In fact, this study used a national environmental catastrophe caused by drying up of Lake Urmia as an excuse to direct the attention to the weaknesses of the existing national rules and regulations. Finally, as we all depend on the natural world for our survival, this study recommended further research on every environmental issue including the Lake Urmia.

Keywords: conservation, environmental law, Lake Urmia, national laws, Ramsar Convention, water management, wetlands

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Authors: Stephanie Yun Yu Law

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Background: This study aims to investigate into communication between trainee doctors and patients, especially how doctor’s reaction to patient’s emotional issues expressed in the consultation affect patient’s satisfaction. Objectives: Thus, there are three aims in this study, 1.) how do trainee doctors react to patients emotional cues in OSCE station? 2.) Any differences in the respond type to emotional cues between first year students and third year students? 3.) Is response type (reducing space) related to OSCE outcome (patient satisfaction and expert rating)? Methods: Fifteen OSCE stations was videotaped, in which 9 were stations with first-year students and 6 were with third-year students. OSCE outcomes were measured by Communication Assessment Tool and Examiners Checklist. Analyses: All patient’s cues/concerns and student’s reaction were coded by Verona Coding Definitions of Emotional Sequence. Descriptive data was gathered from Observer XT and logistic regression (two-level) was carried out to see if occurrence of reducing space response can be predicted by OSCE outcomes. Results: Reducing space responses from all students were slightly less than a half in total responses to patient’s cues. The mean percentage of reducing space behaviours was lower among first year students when compared to third year students. Patient’s satisfaction significantly (p<0.05) and negatively predicted reducing space behaviours. Conclusions: Most of the medical students, to some extent, did not provide adequate responses for patient’s emotional cues. But first year students did provide more space for patients to talk about their emotional issues when compared to third year students. Lastly, patients would feel less satisfied if trainee doctors use more reducing space responses in reaction to patient’s expressed emotional cues/concerns. Practical implications: Firstly, medical training programme can be tailored on teaching students how to detect and respond appropriately to emotional cues in order to improve underperformed student’s communication skills in healthcare setting. Furthermore, trainee doctor’s relationship with patients in clinical practice can also be improved by reacting appropriately to patient’s emotive cues in consultations (such as limit the use of reducing space behaviours).

Keywords: doctors-patients communication, applied clinical psychology, health psychology, healthcare professionals

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Authors: Angana Chatterjee

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The feminist scholars point out the various problematic issues in the traditional mainstream western thought and theories. The thought practices behind the discriminatory and oppressive social practices are based on concepts that play a pivotal role in theorisation. Therefore, many feminist philosophers take up reformation or reconceptualisation projects. Such projects have bearings on various aspects of philosophical thought, namely, ontology, epistemology, logic, ethics, social, political thought, and so on. In tune with this spirit, the present paper suggests a well-established thought pattern which is not western but has got the potential to deal with the problems of mainstream western thought culture that are identified by the feminist critics. The Indian thought pattern is theorised in the domain of Indian logic, which is a study of inference patterns. As, in the Indian context, the inference is considered as a source of knowledge, certain epistemological questions are linked with the discussion of inference. One of the key epistemological issues is one regarding justification. The study about the nature of derivation of knowledge from available evidence, and the nature of the evidence itself, are integral parts of the discipline called Indian logic. But if we contrast the western tradition of thought with the Indian one, we can find that the Indian logic has got some peculiar features which may be shown to deal with the problems identified by the feminist scholars in western thought culture more plausibly. The tradition of western logic, starting from Aristotle, has been maintaining sharp differences between two forms of reasoning, namely, deductive and inductive. These two different forms of reasoning have been theorised and dealt with separately within the domain of the study called ‘logic.’ There are various philosophical problems that are raised around concepts and issues regarding both deductive and inductive reasoning. Indian logic does not distinguish between deduction and induction as thought patterns, but their distinction is very usual to make in the western tradition. Though there can be found various interpretations about this peculiarity of Indian thought pattern, these mixed patterns were actually very close to the cross-cultural pattern in which human beings would tend to argue or infer from the available data or evidence. The feminist theories can successfully operate in the domain of lived experience if they make use of such a mixed pattern of reasoning or inference. By offering sound inferential knowledge on contextual evidences, the Indian thought pattern is potent to serve the feminist purposes in a meaningful way.

Keywords: feminist thought, Indian logic, inference, justification, mixed thought pattern

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Authors: Mohit Modi, Rajiv Kumar, Manojraj Saxena, G. Ravi Shankar

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Change detection of coastal ecosystem plays a vital role in monitoring and managing natural resources along the coastal regions. The present study mainly focuses on the decadal change in Kochi islands connecting the urban flatland areas and the coastal regions where sand deposits have taken place. With this, in view, the change detection has been monitored in the Kochi area to apprehend the urban growth and industrialization leading to decrease in the wetland ecosystem. The region lies between 76°11'19.134"E to 76°25'42.193"E and 9°52'35.719"N to 10°5'51.575"N in the south-western coast of India. The IRS LISS-IV satellite image has been processed using a rule-based algorithm to classify the LULC and to interpret the changes between 2005 & 2015. The approach takes two steps, i.e. extracting features as a single GIS vector layer using different parametric values and to dissolve them. The multi-resolution segmentation has been carried out on the scale ranging from 10-30. The different classes like aquaculture, agricultural land, built-up, wetlands etc. were extracted using parameters like NDVI, mean layer values, the texture-based feature with corresponding threshold values using a rule set algorithm. The objects obtained in the segmentation process were visualized to be overlaying the satellite image at a scale of 15. This layer was further segmented using the spectral difference segmentation rule between the objects. These individual class layers were dissolved in the basic segmented layer of the image and were interpreted in vector-based GIS programme to achieve higher accuracy. The result shows a rapid increase in an industrial area of 40% based on industrial area statistics of 2005. There is a decrease in wetlands area which has been converted into built-up. New roads have been constructed which are connecting the islands to urban areas as well as highways. The increase in coastal region has been visualized due to sand depositions. The outcome is well supported by quantitative assessments which will empower rich understanding of land use land cover change for appropriate policy intervention and further monitoring.

Keywords: land use land cover, multiresolution segmentation, NDVI, object based classification

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Authors: Hasan Ustun Basaran

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Diesel engines are widely used in transportation sector due to their high thermal efficiency. However, they also release high rates of NOₓ and PM (particulate matter) emissions into the environment which have hazardous effects on human health. Therefore, environmental protection agencies have issued strict emission regulations on automotive diesel engines. Recently, these regulations are even increasingly strengthened. Engine producers search novel on-engine methods such as advanced combustion techniques, utilization of renewable fuels, exhaust gas recirculation, advanced fuel injection methods or use exhaust after-treatment (EAT) systems in order to reduce emission rates on diesel engines. Although those aforementioned on-engine methods are effective to curb emission rates, they result in inefficiency or cannot decrease emission rates satisfactorily at all operating conditions. Therefore, engine manufacturers apply both on-engine techniques and EAT systems to meet the stringent emission norms. EAT systems are highly effective to diminish emission rates, however, they perform inefficiently at low loads due to low exhaust gas temperatures (below 250°C). Therefore, the objective of this study is to demonstrate that engine-out temperatures can be elevated above 250°C at low-loaded cases via cylinder disablement. The engine studied and modeled via Lotus Engine Simulation (LES) software is a six-cylinder turbocharged and intercooled diesel engine. Exhaust temperatures and mass flow rates are predicted at 1200 rpm engine speed and several low loaded conditions using LES program. It is seen that cylinder deactivation results in a considerable exhaust temperature rise (up to 100°C) at low loads which ensures effective EAT management. The method also improves fuel efficiency through reduced total pumping loss. Decreased total air induction due to inactive cylinders is thought to be responsible for improved engine pumping loss. The technique reduces exhaust gas flow rate as air flow is cut off on disabled cylinders. Still, heat transfer rates to the after-treatment catalyst bed do not decrease that much since exhaust temperatures are increased sufficiently. Simulation results are promising; however, further experimental studies are needed to identify the true potential of the method on fuel consumption and EAT improvement.

Keywords: cylinder disablement, diesel engines, exhaust after-treatment, exhaust temperature, fuel efficiency

Procedia PDF Downloads 176

Authors: N. N. Pandey, Raghvendra Singh, Biju S. Kamlam, Bipin K. Vishwakarma, Preetam Kala

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The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is an exotic salmonid fish, well known for its fast growth, tremendous ability to thrive in diverse conditions, delicious flesh and hard fighting nature in Europe and other countries. Rainbow trout farming has a great potential for its contribution to the mainstream economy of Himalayan states in India and other temperate countries. These characteristics establish them as one of the most widely introduced and cultured fish across the globe, and its farming is also prominent in the cold water regions of India. Nevertheless, genetic fatigue, slow growth, early maturity, and low productivity are limiting the expansion of trout production. Moreover, farms adjacent to natural streams or other water sources are subject to escape of domesticated rainbow trout into the wild, which is a serious environmental concern as the escaped fish is subject to contaminate and disrupt the receiving ecosystem. A decline in production traits due to early maturity prolongs the culture duration and affects the profit margin of rainbow trout farms in India. A viable strategy that could overcome these farming constraints in large scale operation is the production of triploid fish that are sterile and more heterozygous. For better triploidy induction rate (TR), heat shock at 28°C for 10 minutes and pressure shock 9500 psi pressure for 5 minutes is applied to green eggs with 90-100% of triploidy success and 72-80% survival upto swim-up fry stage. There is 20% better growth in aquaculture with triploids rainbow trout over diploids. As compared to wild diploid fish, larger sized and fitter triploid rainbow trout in natural waters attract to trout anglers, and support the development of recreational fisheries by state fisheries departments without the risk of contaminating existing gene pools and disrupting local fish diversity. Overall, enhancement of productivity in rainbow trout farms and trout production in coldwater regions, development of lucrative trout angling and better ecological management is feasible with triploid rainbow trout.

Keywords: rainbow trout, triploids fish, heat shock, pressure shock, trout angling

Procedia PDF Downloads 124

Authors: Rabah Iratni, Husain El Hasasna, Khawlah Athamneh, Halima Al Sameri, Nehla Benhalilou, Asma Al Rashedi

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Background: Cancer therapies have witnessed great advances in the recent past, however, cancer continues to be a leading cause of death, with colorectal cancer being the fourth cause of cancer-related deaths. Colorectal cancer affects both sexes equally with poor survival rate once it metastasizes. Phytochemicals, which are plant derived compounds, have been on a steady rise as anti-cancer drugs due to the accumulation of evidences that support their potential. Here, we investigated the anticancer effect of Rhus coriaria on colon cancer cells. Material and Method: Human colon cancer HT-29 cell line was used. Protein expression and protein phosphorylation were examined using Western blotting. Transcription activity was measure using Quantitative RT-PCR. Human tumoral clonogenic assay was used to assess cell survival. Senescence was assessed by the senescence-associated beta-galactosidase assay. Results: Rhus coriaria extract (RCE) was found to significantly inhibit the viability and colony growth of human HT-29 colon cancer cells. RCE induced senescence and cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. These changes were concomitant with upregulation of p21, p16, downregulation of cyclin D1, p27, c-myc and expression of Senescence-associated-β-Galactosidase activity. Moreover, RCE induced non-canonical beclin-1independent autophagy and subsequent apoptotic cell death through activation of activation caspase 8 and caspase 7. The blocking of autophagy by 3-methyladenine (3-MA) or chloroquine (CQ) reduced RCE-induced cell death. Further, RCE induced DNA damage, reduced mutant p53 protein level and downregulated phospho-AKT and phospho-mTOR, events that preceded autophagy. Mechanistically, we found that RCE inhibited the AKT and mTOR pathway, a regulator of autophagy, by promoting the proteasome-dependent degradation of both AKT and mTOR proteins. Conclusion: Our findings provide strong evidence that Rhus coriaria possesses strong anti-colon cancer activity through induction of senescence and autophagic cell death, making it a promising alternative or adjunct therapeutic candidate against colon cancer.

Keywords: autophagy, proteasome degradation, senescence, mTOR, apoptosis, Beclin-1

Procedia PDF Downloads 262

Authors: Nandhakumar Elumalai, Purushothaman Ayyakannu, Sachidanandam T. Panchanatham

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Background: Understanding the basic mechanisms and factors underlying the tumor growth and invasion has gained attention in recent times. The processes of angiogenesis and apoptosis are known to play a vital role in various stages of cancer. The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is well established as one of the key regulators of tumor angiogenesis while MMPs are known for their exclusive ability to degrade ECM. Objective: The present study was designed to evaluate the pro apoptotic and anti angiogenic activity of the herbal formulation Shemamruthaa. The anticancer activity of Shemamruthaa was tested in breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). Results of MTT, trypan blue and flow cytometric analysis of apoptotis suggested that Shemamruthaa can induce cytotoxicity in cancer cells, in a concentration- and time dependent manner and induce apoptosis. With these results, we further evaluated the antiangiogenic and pro-apoptotic activities of Shemamruthaa in DMBA induced mammary carcinoma in Sprague Dawley rats. Flavono tumour was induced in 8-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats by gastric intubation of 25 mg DMBA in 1ml olive oil. After 90 days of induction period, the rats were orally administered with Shemamruthaa (400 mg/kg body wt) for 45 days. Treatment with the drug SM significantly modulated the expression of p53, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-9 and VEGF by means of its anti angiogenic and protease inhibiting activity. Conclusion: Based on these results, it might be concluded that the formulation, Shemamruthaa, constituted of dried flowers of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, fruits of Emblica officinalis, and honey has been found to exhibit pronounced antiproliferative and apoptotic effects. This enhanced anticancer effect of Shemamruthaa might be attributed to the synergistic action of polyphenols such as flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, glycosides, saponins, steroids, terpenoids, vitamin C, niacin, pyrogallol, hydroxymethylfurfural, trilinolein, and other compounds present in the formulation. Collectively, these results demonstrate that Shemamruthaa holds potential to be developed as a potent chemotherapeutic agent against mammary carcinoma.

Keywords: Shemamruthaa, flavonoids, MCF-7 cell line, mammary cancer

Procedia PDF Downloads 252

Authors: Hana Hanaee-Ahvaz, Monika Cserjan-Puschmann, Christopher Tauer, Gerald Striedner

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Incorporation of noncanonical amino acids (ncAA) into proteins has become an interesting topic as proteins featured with ncAAs offer a wide range of different applications. Nowadays, technologies and systems exist that allow for the site-specific introduction of ncAAs in vivo, but the efficient production of proteins modified this way is still a big challenge. This is especially true for 'hard-to-express' proteins where low yields are encountered even with the native sequence. In this study, site-specific incorporation of azido-ethoxy-carbonyl-Lysin (azk) into an anti-tumor-necrosis-factor-α-Fab (FTN2) was investigated. According to well-established parameters, possible site positions for ncAA incorporation were determined, and corresponding FTN2 genes were constructed. Each of the modified FTN2 variants has one amber codon for azk incorporated either in its heavy or light chain. The expression level for all variants produced was determined by ELISA, and all azk variants could be produced with a satisfactory yield in the range of 50-70% of the original FTN2 variant. In terms of expression yield, neither the azk incorporation position nor the subunit modified (heavy or light chain) had a significant effect. We confirmed correct protein processing and azk incorporation by mass spectrometry analysis, and antigen-antibody interaction was determined by surface plasmon resonance analysis. The next step is to characterize the effect of azk incorporation on protein stability and aggregation tendency via differential scanning calorimetry and light scattering, respectively. In summary, the incorporation of ncAA into our Fab candidate FTN2 worked better than expected. The quantities produced allowed a detailed characterization of the variants in terms of their properties, and we can now turn our attention to potential applications. By using click chemistry, we can equip the Fabs with additional functionalities and make them suitable for a wide range of applications. We will now use this option in a first approach and develop an assay that will allow us to follow the degradation of the recombinant target protein in vivo. Special focus will be laid on the proteolytic activity in the periplasm and how it is influenced by cultivation/induction conditions.

Keywords: degradation, FTN2, hard-to-express protein, non-canonical amino acids

Procedia PDF Downloads 232

Authors: Shahida Mohd Sharif, Norsidah Ujang

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Recent research has shown that many of the urban population in Kuala Lumpur, especially from the lower-income group, suffer from socio-psychological problems. They are reported as experiencing anxiety, depression, and stress, which is made worst by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Much of the population was forced to observe the Movement Control Order (MCO), which is part of pandemic mitigation measures, pushing them to live in isolation as the new normal. The study finds the need to strategize for a better approach to help these people coping with the socio-psychological condition, especially the population from the lower-income group. In Kuala Lumpur, as part of the Local Agenda 21 programme, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall has introduced Green Initiative: Urban Farming, which among the approaches is the community garden. The local authority promotes the engagement to be capable of improving the social environment of the participants. Research has demonstrated that social interaction within community gardens can help the members improve their socio-psychological conditions. Therefore, the study explores the residents’ experience from low-cost flats participating in the community gardening initiative from a social attachment perspective. The study will utilise semi-structured interviews to collect the participants’ experience with community gardening and how the social interaction exchange between the members' forms and develop their ties and trust. For a context, the low-cost flats are part of the government social housing program (Program Perumahan Rakyat dan Perumahan Awam). Meanwhile, the community gardening initiative (Projek Kebun Kejiranan Bandar LA21 KL) is part of the local authority initiative to address the participants’ social, environmental, and economic issues. The study will conduct thematic analysis on the collected data and use the ATLAS.ti software for data organization and management purposes. The findings could help other researchers and stakeholders understand the social interaction experience within community gardens and its relation to ties and trusts. The findings could shed some light on how the participants could improve their social environment, and its report could provide the local authority with evidence-based documentation.

Keywords: community gardening participation, lower-income population, social attachment, social interaction

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Authors: Rubina Jahan, Mohammad Zayeed Bin Alam, Sazzad Chowdhury, Sadia Chowdhury

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Access to mental health services in Bangladesh is a tale of urban privilege and rural struggle. Mental health services in the country are primarily centered in urban medical hospitals, with only 260 psychiatrists for a population of more than 162 million, while rural populations face far more severe and daunting challenges. In alignment with the World Health Organization's perspective on mental health as a basic human right and a crucial component for personal, community, and socioeconomic development; SAJIDA Foundation a value driven non-government organization in Bangladesh has introduced a Community Based Mental Health (CMHI) program to fill critical gaps in mental health care, providing accessible and affordable community-based services to protect and promote mental health, offering support for those grappling with mental health conditions. The CMHI programme is being implemented in 3 districts in Bangladesh, 2 of them are remote and most climate vulnerable areas targeting total 6,797 individual. The intervention plan involves a screening of all participants using a 10-point vulnerability assessment tool to identify vulnerable individuals. The assumption underlying this is that individuals assessed as vulnerable is primarily due to biological, psychological, social and economic factors and they are at an increased risk of developing common mental health issues. Those identified as vulnerable with high risk and emergency conditions will receive Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and undergo further screening with GHQ-12 to be identified as cases and non-cases. The identified cases are then referred to community lay counsellors with basic training and knowledge in providing 4-6 sessions on problem solving or behavior activation. In situations where no improvement occurs post lay counselling or for individuals with severe mental health conditions, a referral process will be initiated, directing individuals to ensure appropriate mental health care. In our presentation, it will present the findings from 6-month pilot implementation focusing on the community-based screening versus outcome of the lay counseling session and barriers and facilitators of implementing community based mental health care in a resource constraint country like Bangladesh.

Keywords: community-based mental health, lay counseling, rural bangladesh, treatment gap

Procedia PDF Downloads 43

Authors: Julius Oluwayomi Oluwadamilare, Michael Olutayo Olatunji

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In the African traditional societies, women have always played the role of a teacher, albeit informally. This is evident in the upbringing of their babies. As mothers, they also serve as the first teachers to teach their wards lessons through day-to-day activities. Furthermore, women always play the role of a musician during naming ceremonies, in the singing of lullabies, during initiation rites of adolescent boys and girls into adulthood, and in preparing their children especially daughters (and sons) for marriage. They also perform this role during religious and cultural activities, chieftaincy title/coronation ceremonies, singing of dirges during funeral ceremonies, and so forth. This traditional role of the African/Nigerian women puts them at a vantage point to contribute maximally to the teaching and learning of music at every level of education. The need for more women in the field of music education in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. Today, gender equality is a major discourse in most countries of the world, Nigeria inclusive. Statistical data in the field of education and music education reveal the high ratio of male teachers/lecturers over their female counterparts in Nigerian tertiary institutions. The percentage is put at 80% Male and a distant 20% Female! This paper, therefore, examines feminine gender in Nigerian music education by tracing the involvement of women in musical practice from the pre-colonial to the post-colonial periods. The study employed both primary and secondary sources of data collection. The primary source included interviews conducted with 19 music lecturers from 8 purposively selected tertiary institutions from 4 geo-political zones of Nigeria. In addition, observation method was employed in the selected institutions. The results show, inter alia, that though there is a remarkable improvement in the rate of admission of female students into the music programme of Nigerian tertiary institutions, there is still an imbalance in the job placement in these institutions especially in the Colleges of Education which is the main focus of this research. Religious and socio-cultural factors are highly traceable to this development. This paper recommends the need for more female music teachers to be employed in the Nigerian tertiary institutions in line with the provisions stated in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Keywords: gender, education, music, women

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Authors: Abdelkader Guendouz, Fatima Zohra Adel

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Even if both the economic and the human development are an axial pillar in its global policy, Algerian government seems to be more and more engaged in the international context aiming to reach of the so called millennium development goals, and this since its beginning. By looking closely at the Algerian economic policy, it is easy to mention the existence of several programs in which both economic and social realisations including among others, poverty reduction, enhancement of education level and conditions, woman statute and gender equity amelioration targets. The efforts of Algerian government in the field of these targets had been acheminated through three main plans, which are: -PSRE (Plan de Soutien à la Relance Economique), for the period of 2001 to 2004, initiated with about 7 billion US dollar, had been focused on three objectives, namely, poverty reduction, job creation and regional equilibrium with rural areas revitalization. -PCSC (le Programme complémentaire de soutien à la croissance économique), for the period of 2005 to 2009, with a starting funding of 114 billion US dollar. This program aims to develop public services and supporting public investments, especially in which concerns social infrastructures. Now, and at the end of the maturity of the MDGs agenda, an important question is to be asked: what are the main realizations regarding these MDGs? In order to answer this question, the present paper tries to examine the Algerian economic policy (but also the social one) by considering the MDGs challenges, for the period from 2000 to 2010, but also until 2015. This examination is focused on three main targets, namely poverty, education, and health. Firstly, statistical assessment for the Algerian economic and social situation shows that almost all MDGs had been reached during the period of 2000 to 2009 and it continues to maintain and improve them. This observation can be endorsed by invoking some achievements. Starting by the reduction of poverty, the proportion of population living with less than 1 US dollar per a day passed from 8.0 % in 2000 to 0.5 % in 2009, and 0.3 % in 2015. For education sphere, the enrolment ratio of six-year child, which is the most significant index for school attendance, is about 98 % for 2009 against 93 % in 1999, and only 43 % in 1966. Concluding with health care and relevant services; the Algerian government has accomplished big steps in providing easy access to this sector for the population. Moreover, the percentage of assisted accouchement had been raised from 91.2 % in 2000 to 97.2 % in 2009.

Keywords: Algerian economic policy, MDGs, poverty, education, health

Procedia PDF Downloads 259

Authors: Elisam Magara

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Like any other property, Intellectual Property (IP) must be regarded, respected, and remunerated to address the historical, ethical, economical and informational needs of society. Article 26 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda 1995, the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights (CNR) Act 2006 and CNR Regulations 2010 guide copyright protection in Uganda. However, an unpredictable environment has negatively impact on certain author/intellectual freedoms; and the infringements on academic works that affect the economic rights of authors that limit authors from fully enjoying the benefits of authorship. Notwithstanding the different licensing systems and copyright protection avenues, educational institutions and custodians of copyright works (libraries, archives) have continued to advocate for open access to information resources, under the legal exceptions of fair use for educational purposes. Thus, a study was conducted in educational institutions, libraries and archives in Uganda to assess the state of copyright infringement in Uganda in an increased use of academic authored works. The study attempted to establish the nature and forms of Copyright Infringement, the circumstances for copyright infringement, assessed the opinions from the custodians on strategies for balancing copyright protection for economic and moral gains by authors and increased access to information for educational purposes and fair-use. Through a survey, using a self-administered questionnaire, interviews and physical visits, the study was conducted in higher education institutions, libraries and archives among the officers that manage and keep copyright works. It established that the uncontrolled reproduction of copyright works in educational institutions and information institutions, have contributed copyright infringement robbing authors of their potential economic earnings and limiting their academic innovativeness and creativity. The study also established that lack of consciousness and awareness on copyright issues by lecturers, universities and libraries has made copyright works in Universities highly susceptible to copyright infringement. Thus the increased access to materials without restrictions has resulted in copyright infringement among the educational institutions, libraries and archives. A strategic alliance by the collecting Society (Uganda Reproduction Rights Organisation (URRO), government, Universities and right holders organisations (UTANA) to work together and institute a programme to address copyright protection and access to information is pertinently required.

Keywords: access to information, academic Writing, copyright, copyright infringement, copyright protection, exemptions of fair use, intellectual property rights

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Authors: Jonny Beirne

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Hydropower developments have come to assume an important role within the Ethiopian government's overall development strategy for the country during the last ten years. The Gilgel Gibe III on the Omo river, due to become operational in September 2014, represents the most ambitious, and controversial, of these projects to date. Further aspects of the government's national development strategy include leasing vast areas of designated 'unused' land for large-scale commercial agricultural projects and 'voluntarily' villagizing scattered, semi-nomadic agro-pastoralist groups to centralized settlements so as to use land and water more efficiently and to better provide essential social services such as education and healthcare. The Lower Omo valley, along the Omo River, is one of the sites of this villagization programme as well as of these large-scale commercial agricultural projects which are made possible owing to the regulation of the river's flow by Gibe III. Though the Ethiopian government cite many positive aspects of these agricultural and hydropower developments there are still expected to be serious regional and transnational effects, including on migration flows, in an area already characterized by increasing climatic vulnerability with attendant population movements and conflicts over scarce resources. The following paper is an attempt to track actual and anticipated migration flows resulting from the construction of Gibe III in the immediate vicinity of the dam, downstream in the Lower Omo Valley and across the border in Kenya around Lake Turkana. In the case of those displaced in the Lower Omo Valley, this will be considered in view of the distinction between voluntary villagization and forced resettlement. The research presented is not primary-source material. Instead, it is drawn from the reports and assessments of the Ethiopian government, rights-based groups, and academic researchers as well as media articles. It is hoped that this will serve to draw greater attention to the issue and encourage further methodological research on the dynamics of dam constructions (and associated large-scale irrigation schemes) on migration flows and on the ultimate experience of displacement and resettlement for environmental migrants in the region.

Keywords: forced displacement, voluntary resettlement, migration, human rights, human security, land grabs, dams, commercial agriculture, pastoralism, ecosystem modification, natural resource conflict, livelihoods, development

Procedia PDF Downloads 381

Authors: Humaira M. Khan, Kanwal Asif

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Ischemic stroke is a neurological disorder with a complex pathophysiology associated with motor, sensory and cognitive deficits. Major approaches developed to treat acute ischemic stroke fall into two categories, thrombolysis and neuroprotection. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the neuroprotective and anti-thrombolytic effects of Olea europaea (olive oil) and Malus domestica (apple cider vinegar) and their combination in rat stroke model. Furthermore, histopathological analysis was also performed to assess the severity of ischemia among treated and reference groups. Male albino rats (12 months age) weighing 300- 350gm were acclimatized and subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion method for stroke induction. Olea europaea and Malus domestica was administered orally in dose of 0.75ml/kg and 3ml/kg and combination was administered at dose of 0.375ml/kg and 1.5ml/kg prophylactically for consecutive 21 days. Negative control group was dosed with normal saline whereas piracetam (250mg/kg) was administered as reference. Neuroprotective activity of standard piracetam, Olea europaea, Malus domestica and their combination was evaluated by performing functional outcome tests i.e. Cylinder, pasta, ladder run, pole and water maize tests. Rats were subjected to surgery after 21 days of treatment for analysis from stroke recovery. Olea europaea and Malus domestica in individual doses of 0.75ml/kg and 3ml/kg respectively showed neuroprotection by significant improvement in ladder run test (121.6± 0.92;128.2 ± 0.73) as compare to reference (125.4 ± 0.74). Both test doses showed significant neuroprotection as compare to reference (9.60 ± 0.50) in pasta test (8.40 ± 0.24;9.80 ± 0.37) whereas with cylinder test, experimental groups showed significant increase in movements (6.60 ± 0.24; 8.40 ± 0.24) in contrast to reference (7.80 ± 0.37).There was a decrease in percentage time taken f to reach the hidden maize in water maize test (56.80 ± 0.58;61.80 ± 0.66) at doses 0.75ml/kg and 3ml/kg respectively as compare to piracetam (59.40 ± 1.07). Olea europaea and Malus domestica individually showed significant reduction in duration of mobility (127.0 ± 0.44; 123.0 ± 0.44) in pole test as compare to piracetam (124.0 ± 0.70). Histopathological analysis revealed the significant extent of protection from ischemia after prophylactic treatments. Hence it is concluded that Olea europaea and Malus domestica are effective neuroprotective agents alone as compare to their combination.

Keywords: ischemia, Malus domestica, neuroprotection, Olea europaea

Procedia PDF Downloads 126

Authors: Davendra Singh Malik

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India is one of the mega-biodiversity countries in the world and contributing about 11.72% of global fish diversity. The Yamuna river is the longest tributary of Ganga river ecosystem, providing a natural habitat for existing fish diversity of Himalayan region of Indian subcontinent. The several hydropower dams and barrages have been constructed on different locations of major rivers in Garhwal region. These dams have caused a major ecological threat to change existing fresh water ecosystems altering water flows, interrupting ecological connectivity, fragmenting habitats and native riverine fish species. Mahseer fishes (Indian carp) of the genus Tor, are large cyprinids endemic to continental Asia popularly known as ‘Game or sport fishes’ have continued to be decimated by fragmented natural habitats due to damming the water flow in riverine system and categorized as threatened fishes of India. The fresh water fish diversity as 24 fish species were recorded from Yamuna river. The present fish catch data has revealed that mahseer fishes (Tor tor and Tor putitora) were contributed about 32.5 %, 25.6 % and 18.2 % in upper, middle and lower riverine stretches of Yaumna river. The length range of mahseer (360-450mm) recorded as dominant size of catch composition. The CPUE (catch per unit effort) of mahseer fishes also indicated about a sharp decline of fish biomass, changing growth pattern, sex ratio and maturity stages of fishes. Only 12.5 – 14.8 % mahseer female brooders have showed only maturity phases in breeding months. The fecundity of mature mahseer female fish brooders ranged from 2500-4500 no. of ova during breeding months. The present status of mahseer fishery has attributed to the over exploitative nature in Yamuna river. The mahseer population is shrinking continuously in down streams of Yamuna river due to cumulative effects of various ecological stress. Mahseer conservation programme have implemented as 'in situ fish conservation' for enhancement of viable population size of mahseer species and restore the genetic loss of mahseer fish germplasm in Yamuna river of Garhwal Himalayan region.

Keywords: conservation practice, population dynamics, tor fish species, Yamuna River

Procedia PDF Downloads 255

Authors: Erwin San Juan Martinez, Miguel Angel Aguilar Mendez, Manuel Sandoval Villa, Libia Iris Trejo Tellez

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Some nanomaterials may improve the vegetal growth in certain concentration intervals, and could be used as nanofertilizers in order to increase crops yield, and decreasing the environmental pollution due to non-controlled use of conventional fertilizers, therefore the present investigation’s objective was to synthetize and characterize gelatin nanoparticles loaded with calcium generated through pulverization technique and be used as nanofertilizers. To obtain these materials, a fractional factorial design 27-4 was used in order to evaluate the largest number of factors (concentration of Ca2+, temperature and agitation time of the solution and calcium concentration, drying temperature, and % spray) with a possible effect on the size, distribution and morphology of nanoparticles. For the formation of nanoparticles, a Nano Spray-Dryer B - 90® (Buchi, Flawil, Switzerland), equipped with a spray cap of 4 µm was used. Size and morphology of the obtained nanoparticles were evaluated using a scanning electron microscope (JOEL JSM-6390LV model; Tokyo, Japan) equipped with an energy dispersive x-ray X (EDS) detector. The total quantification of Ca2+ as well as its release by the nanoparticles was carried out in an equipment of induction atomic emission spectroscopy coupled plasma (ICP-ES 725, Agilent, Mulgrave, Australia). Of the seven factors evaluated, only the concentration of fertilizer, % spray and concentration of polymer presented a statistically significant effect on particle size. Micrographs of SEM from six of the eight conditions evaluated in this research showed particles separated and with a good degree of sphericity, while in the other two particles had amorphous morphology and aggregation. In all treatments, most of the particles showed smooth surfaces. The average size of smallest particle obtained was 492 nm, while EDS results showed an even distribution of Ca2+ in the polymer matrix. The largest concentration of Ca2+ in ICP was 10.5%, which agrees with the theoretical value calculated, while the release kinetics showed an upward trend within 24 h. Using the technique employed in this research, it was possible to obtain nanoparticles loaded with calcium, of good size, sphericity and with release controlled properties. The characteristics of nanoparticles resulted from manipulation of the conditions of synthesis which allow control of the size and shape of the particles, and provides the means to adapt the properties of the materials to an specific application.

Keywords: calcium, controlled release, gelatin, nano spraydryer, nanofertilizer

Procedia PDF Downloads 179

Authors: Alina Beraudi, Simona Catalani, Dalila De Pasquale, Eva Bianconi, Umberto Santoro, Susanna Stea, Pietro Apostoli

Abstract:

Recently the European Community, in line with the international scientific community such as with the Consensus Statement, has determined to stop the use of metal-on-metal big head stemmed hip prosthesis. Among the factors accounted as responsible for the high failure rates of these hip implants are the release and accumulation of metal ions. Many studies have correlated the presence of these ions, besides other factors, with the induction of oxidative stress response. In our study on 12 subjects, we observed the patient specific capability to eliminate metal ions after revision surgery. While for cobalt all the patients were able to completely excrete cobalt ions within 5-7 months after metal-on-metal bearing removal, for chromium ions it didn’t happen. If on the one hand the toxicokinetic differences between the two types of ions are confirmed by toxicological and occupational studies, on the other hand, this peculiar way of exposition represents a novel and important point of view. Thus, two different approaches were performed to better understand the subject specific capability to transport metal ions (albumin study) and to manage the response to them (heme-oxygenase-1 study): - a mutational screening of ALBUMIN gene was conducted in 30 MoM prosthetic patients resulting in the absence of nucleotidic changes compared with the ALB reference sequence. To this study was also added the analysis of expression of modified albumin protein; - a gene and protein expression study on 44 patients of heme-oxygenase-1, that is one of the most important antioxidant enzyme induced by metallic ions, was performed. This study resulted in no statistically significant differences in the expression of the gene and protein heme-oxygenase-1 between prosthetic and non-prosthetic patients, as well as between patients with high and low ions levels. Our results show that the protein studied (albumin and heme-oxygenase-1) seem to be not involved in determining chromium and cobalt ions level. On the other hand, achromium and cobalt elimination rates are different, but similar in all patients analyzed, suggesting that this process could be not patient-related. We support the importance of researching more about ions transport within the organism once released by hip prosthesis, about the chemical species involved, the districts where they are contained and the mechanisms of elimination, not excluding the existence of a subjective susceptibility to these metals ions.

Keywords: chromium, cobalt, hip prosthesis, individual susceptibility

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