Search results for: Latin American pipe organs

Authors: Supriya Ambawat, Subaran Singh, C. Tara Satyavathi, B. S. Rajpurohit, Ummed Singh, Balraj Singh

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Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] is an important staple food of the arid and semiarid tropical regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It is rightly termed as nutricereal as it has high nutrition value and a good source of carbohydrate, protein, fat, ash, dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, etc. Pearl millet has low prolamine fraction and is gluten free which is useful for people having a gluten allergy. It has several health benefits like reduction in blood pressure, thyroid, diabe¬tes, cardiovascular and celiac diseases but its direct consumption as food has significantly declined due to several reasons. Keeping this in view, it is important to reorient the ef¬forts to generate demand through value-addition and quality improvement and create awareness on the nutritional merits of pearl millet. In India, through Indian Council of Agricultural Research-All India Coordinated Research Project on Pearl millet, multilocational coordinated trials for developed hybrids were conducted at various centers. The gene banks of pearl millet contain varieties with high levels of iron and zinc which were used to produce new pearl millet varieties with elevated iron levels bred with the high‐yielding varieties. Thus, using breeding approaches and biochemical analysis, a total of 167 hybrids and 61 varieties were identified and released for cultivation in different agro-ecological zones of the country which also includes some biofortified hybrids rich in Fe and Zn. Further, using several biotechnological interventions such as molecular markers, next-generation sequencing (NGS), association mapping, nested association mapping (NAM), MAGIC populations, genome editing, genotyping by sequencing (GBS), genome wide association studies (GWAS) advancement in millet improvement has become possible by identifying and tagging of genes underlying a trait in the genome. Using DArT markers very high density linkage maps were constructed for pearl millet. Improved HHB67 has been released using marker assisted selection (MAS) strategies, and genomic tools were used to identify Fe-Zn Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL). The draft genome sequence of millet has also opened various ways to explore pearl millet. Further, genomic positions of significantly associated simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers with iron and zinc content in the consensus map is being identified and research is in progress towards mapping QTLs for flour rancidity. The sequence information is being used to explore genes and enzymatic pathways responsible for rancidity of flour. Thus, development and application of several biotechnological approaches along with biofortification can accelerate the genetic gain targets for pearl millet improvement and help improve its quality.

Keywords: Biotechnological approaches, genomic tools, malnutrition, MAS, nutricereal, pearl millet, sequencing.

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Authors: Maturin Désiré Sop Sop, Didien Njumba Besende, Samuel Fosso Wamba

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This study seeks to examine the nexus between drinking water sources in the Kumba municipality and its related health implications vis-à-vis the recurrent incidences of waterborne diseases such as Typhoid, Cholera, Diarrhea, Dysentery, Hepatitis A and malaria. The study adopted a purposive sampling technique in which surveys were conducted between the months of June to December 2022. 150 questionnaires were retrieved from the 210 administered to the affected population of Kosala, Buea Road and Mambanda. Information for the study was collected using surveys, questionnaires, key informant interviews, the laboratory analysis of collected drinking water samples, the researcher’s direct observation as well and hospital reports on the prevalence of waterborne diseases. Water samples from the nearby streams and wells, which were communally used by the local population for drinking, and five slaughterhouses within the affected areas were laboratory tested to determine alterations in their chemical, physical and microbiological characteristics. The collected water samples from all the streams and wells used for drinking were tested for changes in properties such as temperature, turbidity, EC, pH, TDS, TSS, Cl, SO42-, PO43-, NO3-, Fe, Na, BOD, COD, DO, E.coli and total coliform concentration. These results were then compared with the WHO regulations for water quality. The results from the laboratory analysis of drinking water sources, which were at the same time used by the surrounding abattoirs revealed significant alterations in the water quality parameters such as temperature, turbidity, EC, pH, TDS, TSS, Cl, SO42-, PO43-, NO3-, Fe, Na, BOD, COD, DO, E.coli and total coliform concentration. This is due to the channeling of untreated wastes into the different drinking water points as well as the inter-use of dirty utensils such as buckets from slaughterhouses to fetch water from the streams and wells that serve as drinking water sources for the local population. On the human health aspect, the results were later compared with hospital data, and they revealed that the consumption of such contaminated water in the localities of Kosala, Mambanda, and Buea road negatively affected the local population because of the high incidences of Typhoid Cholera, Diarrhea, Dysentery, Hepatitis A and malaria. The poor management of drinking water sources pollutes streams and significantly exposes the local population to lots of waterborne diseases. Efforts should be made to provide clean pipe-borne water to the affected localities of Kumba as well as to ensure the proper management of wastes.

Keywords: drinking water, diseases, Kumba, municipality

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Authors: Gaweł Magdalena, Lipkowska Anna, Olbert Magdalena, Frąckiewicz Ewelina, Librowski Tadeusz, Nowak Gabriel, Pilc Andrzej

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Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), also known as heat shock protein 32 (HSP32), has been shown to be implicated in cytoprotection in various organs. Its activation plays a significant role in acute and chronic inflammation, protecting cells from oxidative injury and apoptosis. This inducible isoform of HO catalyzes the first and rate-limiting step in heme degradation to produce equimolar quantities of biologically active products: carbon monoxide (CO), free iron and biliverdin. CO has been reported to possess anti-apoptotic properties. Moreover, it inhibits the production of proinflammatory cytokines and stimulates the synthesis of the anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 (IL-10), as well as promotes vasodilatation at sites of inflammation. The second product of catalytic HO-1 activity, free cytotoxic iron, is promptly sequestered into the iron storage protein ferritin, which lowers the pro-oxidant state of the cell. The third product, biliverdin, is subsequently converted by biliverdin reductase into the bile pigment bilirubin, the most potent endogenous antioxidant among the constituents of human serum, which modulates immune effector functions and suppresses inflammatory response. Furthermore, being one of the so-called stress proteins, HO-1 adaptively responds to different stressors, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), inflammatory cytokines and heavy metals and thus protects cells against such conditions as ischemia, hemorrhagic shock, heat shock or hypoxia. It is suggested that pharmacologic modulation of HO-1 may represent an effective strategy for prevention of stress and drug-induced gastrointestinal toxicity. HO-1 is constitutively expressed in normal gastric, intestinal and colonic mucosa and up-regulated during inflammation. It has been proven that HO-1 up-regulated by hemin, heme and cobalt-protoporphyrin ameliorates experimental colitis. In addition, the up-regulation of HO-1 partially explains the mechanism of action of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA), which is used clinically as an anti-colitis agent. In 2009 Ueda et al. has reported for the first time that mucosal protection by Polaprezinc, a chelate compound of zinc and L-carnosine used as an anti-ulcer drug in Japan, is also attributed to induction of HO-1 in the stomach. Since then, inducers of HO-1 are desired subject of research, as they may constitute therapeutically effective anti-ulcer drugs.

Keywords: heme oxygenase-1, gastric lesions, gastroprotection, Polaprezinc

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Authors: Pongthep Bunrueng

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This action research accentuates the outcome of a development in English pronunciation, using principles of phonetics for English major students at Loei Rajabhat University. The research is split into 5 separate modules: 1) Organs of Speech and How to Produce Sounds, 2) Monopthongs, 3) Diphthongs, 4) Consonant sounds, and 5) Suprasegmental Features. Each module followed a 4 step action research process, 1) Planning, 2) Acting, 3) Observing, and 4) Reflecting. The research targeted 2nd year students who were majoring in English Education at Loei Rajabhat University during the academic year of 2011. A mixed methodology employing both quantitative and qualitative research was used, which put theory into action, taking segmental features up to suprasegmental features. Multiple tools were employed which included the following documents: pre-test and post-test papers, evaluation and assessment papers, group work assessment forms, a presentation grading form, an observation of participants form and a participant self-reflection form. All 5 modules for the target group showed that results from the post-tests were higher than those of the pre-tests, with 0.01 statistical significance. All target groups attained results ranging from low to moderate and from moderate to high performance. The participants who attained low to moderate results had to re-sit the second round. During the first development stage, participants attended classes with group participation, in which they addressed planning through mutual co-operation and sharing of responsibility. Analytic induction of strong points for this operation illustrated that learner cognition, comprehension, application, and group practices were all present whereas the participants with weak results could be attributed to biological differences, differences in life and learning, or individual differences in responsiveness and self-discipline. Participants who were required to be re-treated in Spiral 2 received the same treatment again. Results of tests from the 5 modules after the 2nd treatment were that the participants attained higher scores than those attained in the pre-test. Their assessment and development stages also showed improved results. They showed greater confidence at participating in activities, produced higher quality work, and correctly followed instructions for each activity. Analytic induction of strong and weak points for this operation remains the same as for Spiral 1, though there were improvements to problems which existed prior to undertaking the second treatment.

Keywords: action research, English pronunciation, phonetics, segmental features, suprasegmental features

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Authors: Salah A. Aly, Mohammed A. Ibrahim, Mostafa M. khttab

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The amount of construction and demolition (C&D) waste has increased considerably over the last few decades. From the viewpoint of environmental preservation and effective utilization of resources, crushing C&D concrete waste to produce coarse aggregate (CA) with different replacement percentage for the production of new concrete is one common means for achieving a more environment-friendly concrete. In the study presented herein, the investigation was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, the selection of the materials was carried out and the physical, mechanical and chemical characteristics of these materials were evaluated. Different concrete mixes were designed. The investigation parameter was Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) ratios. The mechanical properties of all mixes were evaluated based on compressive strength and workability results. Accordingly, two mixes have been chosen to be used in the next phase. In the second phase, the study of the structural behavior of the concrete beams was developed. Sixteen beams were casted to investigate the effect of RCA ratios, the shear span to depth ratios and the effect of different locations and reinforcement of openings on the shear behavior of the tested specimens. All these beams were designed to fail in shear. Test results of the compressive strength of concrete indicated that, replacement of natural aggregate by up to 50% recycled concrete aggregates in mixtures with 350 Kg/m3 cement content led to increase of concrete compressive strength. Moreover, the tensile strength and the modulus of elasticity of the specimens with RCA have very close values to those with natural aggregates. The ultimate shear strength of beams with RCA is very close to those with natural aggregates indicating the possibility of using RCA as partial replacement to produce structural concrete elements. The validity of both the Egyptian Code for the design and implementation of Concrete Structures (ECCS) 203-2007 and American Concrete Institute (ACI) 318-2011Codes for estimating the shear strength of the tested RCA beams was investigated. It was found that the codes procedures gives conservative estimates for shear strength.

Keywords: construction and demolition (C&D) waste, coarse aggregate (CA), recycled coarse aggregates (RCA), opening

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Authors: Andreea Molnar, Amalia Ardeljan, Lexi Frankel, Marissa Dallara, Brittany Nagel, Omar Rashid

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Background: Escherichia coli is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic bacteria that belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae and resides in the intestinal tracts of individuals. E.Coli has numerous strains grouped into serogroups and serotypes based on differences in antigens in their cell walls (somatic, or “O” antigens) and flagella (“H” antigens). More than 700 serotypes of E. coli have been identified. Although most strains of E. coli are harmless, a few strains, such as E. coli O157:H7 which produces Shiga toxin, can cause intestinal infection with symptoms of severe abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea, and vomiting. Infection with E. Coli can lead to the development of systemic inflammation as the toxin exerts its effects. Chronic inflammation is now known to contribute to cancer development in several organs, including the prostate. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between E. Coli and the incidence of prostate cancer. Methods: Data collected in this cohort study was provided by a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant national database to evaluate patients infected with E.Coli infection and prostate cancer using the International Classification of Disease (ICD-10 and ICD-9 codes). Permission to use the database was granted by Holy Cross Health, Fort Lauderdale for the purpose of academic research. Data analysis was conducted through the use of standard statistical methods. Results: Between January 2010 and December 2019, the query was analyzed and resulted in 81, 037 patients after matching in both infected and control groups, respectively. The two groups were matched by Age Range and CCI score. The incidence of prostate cancer was 2.07% and 1,680 patients in the E. Coli group compared to 5.19% and 4,206 patients in the control group. The difference was statistically significant by a p-value p<2.2x10-16 with an Odds Ratio of 0.53 and a 95% CI. Based on the specific treatment for E.Coli, the infected group vs control group were matched again with a result of 31,696 patients in each group. 827 out of 31,696 (2.60%) patients with a prior E.coli infection and treated with antibiotics were compared to 1634 out of 31,696 (5.15%) patients with no history of E.coli infection (control) and received antibiotic treatment. Both populations subsequently developed prostate carcinoma. Results remained statistically significant (p<2.2x10-16), Odds Ratio=0.55 (95% CI 0.51-0.59). Conclusion: This retrospective study shows a statistically significant correlation between E.Coli infection and a decreased incidence of prostate cancer. Further evaluation is needed in order to identify the impact of E.Coli infection and prostate cancer development.

Keywords: E. Coli, prostate cancer, protective, microbiology

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Authors: Adedapo Jepson Olumide, Kurowska Ewa, K. Schoeneich, Ikpokonte A. Enoch

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In this paper, subsurface temperature measured from continuous temperature logs were used to determine the geothermal gradient of NigerDelta sedimentary basin. The measured temperatures were corrected to the true subsurface temperatures by applying the American Association of Petroleum Resources (AAPG) correction factor, borehole temperature correction factor with La Max’s correction factor and Zeta Utilities borehole correction factor. Geothermal gradient in this basin ranges from 1.20C to 7.560C/100m. Six geothermal anomalies centres were observed at depth in the southern parts of the Abakaliki anticlinorium around Onitsha, Ihiala, Umuaha area and named A1 to A6 while two more centre appeared at depth of 3500m and 4000m named A7 and A8 respectively. Anomaly A1 describes the southern end of the Abakaliki anticlinorium and extends southwards, anomaly A2 to A5 were found associated with a NW-SE structural alignment of the Calabar hinge line with structures describing the edge of the Niger Delta basin with the basement block of the Oban massif. Anomaly A6 locates in the south-eastern part of the basin offshore while A7 and A8 are located in the south western part of the basin offshore. At the average exploratory depth of 3500m, the geothermal gradient values for these anomalies A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, and A8 are 6.50C/100m, 1.750C/100m, 7.50C/100m, 1.250C/100m, 6.50C/100m, 5.50C/100m, 60C/100m, and 2.250C/100m respectively. Anomaly A8 area may yield higher thermal value at greater depth than 3500m. These results show that anomalies areas of A1, A3, A5, A6 and A7 are potentially prospective and explorable for geothermal energy using abandoned oil wells in the study area. Anomalies A1, A3.A5, A6 occur at areas where drilled boreholes were not exploitable for oil and gas but for the remaining areas where wells are so exploitable there appears no geothermal anomaly. Geothermal energy is environmentally friendly, clean and reversible.

Keywords: temperature logs, geothermal gradient anomalies, alternative energy, Niger delta basin

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Authors: Álvaro Turriago-Hoyos

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Most research tends to see innovation as an explanatory factor in achieving high levels of competitiveness and productivity. More recent studies have begun to analyze the determinants of innovation in the services sector as opposed to the much-discussed industrial sector of a country’s economy. This research paper focuses on the services sector in Colombia, one of Latin America’s fastest growing and biggest economies. Over the past decade, much of Colombia’s economic expansion has relied on commodity exports (mainly oil and coffee) whilst the industrial sector has performed relatively poorly. Such developments highlight the potential of the innovative role played by the services sector of the Colombian economy and its future growth prospects. This research paper analyzes the relationship between inputs, which at the same time are internal sources of innovation (such as R&D activities), and external sources that are improved by technology acquisition. The outputs are basically the four kinds of innovation that the OECD Oslo Manual recognizes: product, process, marketing and organizational innovations. The instrument used to measure this input-output relationship is based on Knowledge Production Function approaches. We run Probit models in order to identify the existing relationships between the above inputs and outputs, but also to identify spill-overs derived from interactions of the components of the value chain of the services firms analyzed: customers, suppliers, competitors, and complementary firms. Data are obtained from the Colombian National Administrative Department of Statistics for the period 2008 to 2013 published in the II and III Colombian National Innovation Survey. A short summary of the results obtained lead to conclude that firm size and a firm’s level of technological development turn out to be important discriminating factors for the description of the innovative process at the firm level. The model’s outcomes show a positive impact on the probability of introducing any kind of innovation both on R&D and Technology Acquisition investment. Also, cooperation agreements with customers, research institutes, competitors, and the suppliers are significant. Belonging to a particular industrial group is an important determinant but only to product and organizational innovation. It is possible to establish that Health Services, Education, Computer, Wholesale trade, and Financial Intermediation are the ISIC sectors, which report the highest number of frequencies of the considered set of firms. Those five sectors of the sixteen considered, in all cases, explained more than half of the total of all kinds of innovations. Product Innovation, which is followed by Marketing Innovation, gets the highest results. Displaying the same set of firms distinguishing by size, and belonging to high and low tech services sector shows that the larger the firms the larger a number of innovations, but also that always high-tech firms show a better innovation performance.

Keywords: Colombia, determinants of innovation, innovation, services sector

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Authors: K. J. Keerthi, Vasundhara Kamineni, A. Ravi Shanker, T. Rammurthy, A. Vijaya Lakshmi, Q. Hasan

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Pancreatic β-cells are the predominant insulin-producing cell types within the Islets of Langerhans and insulin is the primary hormone which regulates carbohydrate and fat metabolism. Apoptosis of β-cells or insufficient insulin production leads to Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Current therapy for diabetes includes either medical management or insulin replacement and regular monitoring. Replacement of β- cells is an attractive treatment option for both Type-1 and Type-2 DM in view of the recent paper which indicates that β-cells apoptosis is the common underlying cause for both the Types of DM. With the development of Edmonton protocol, pancreatic β-cells allo-transplantation became possible, but this is still not considered as standard of care due to subsequent requirement of lifelong immunosuppression and the scarcity of suitable healthy organs to retrieve pancreatic β-cell. Fetal pancreatic cells from abortuses were developed as a possible therapeutic option for Diabetes, however, this posed several ethical issues. Hence, in the present study Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were differentiated into insulin producing cells which were isolated from Human Umbilical cord (HUC) tissue. MSCs have already made their mark in the growing field of regenerative medicine, and their therapeutic worth has already been validated for a number of conditions. HUC samples were collected with prior informed consent as approved by the Institutional ethical committee. HUC (n=26) were processed using a combination of both mechanical and enzymatic (collagenase-II, 100 U/ml, Gibco ) methods to obtain MSCs which were cultured in-vitro in L-DMEM (Low glucose Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium, Sigma, 4.5 mM glucose/L), 10% FBS in 5% CO2 incubator at 37°C. After reaching 80-90% confluency, MSCs were characterized with Flowcytometry and Immunocytochemistry for specific cell surface antigens. Cells expressed CD90+, CD73+, CD105+, CD34-, CD45-, HLA-DR-/Low and Vimentin+. These cells were differentiated to β-cells by using H-DMEM (High glucose Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium,25 mM glucose/L, Gibco), β-Mercaptoethanol (0.1mM, Hi-Media), basic Fibroblast growth factor (10 µg /L,Gibco), and Nicotinamide (10 mmol/L, Hi-Media). Pancreatic β-cells were confirmed by positive Dithizone staining and were found to be functionally active as they released 8 IU/ml insulin on glucose stimulation. Isolating MSCs from usually discarded, abundantly available HUC tissue, expanding and differentiating to β-cells may be the most feasible cell therapy option for the millions of people suffering from DM globally.

Keywords: diabetes mellitus, human umbilical cord, mesenchymal stem cells, differentiation

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Authors: C. A. Sharma, Birendra P. Singh

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Ichnofacies analysis is considered the best paleontological tool for interpreting ancient depositional environments. Nineteen (19) ichnogenera (namely: Bergaueria, Catenichnus, Cochlichnus, Cruziana, Diplichnites, Dimorphichnus, Diplocraterion, Gordia, Guanshanichnus, Lockeia, Merostomichnites, Monomorphichnus, Palaeophycus, Phycodes, Planolites, Psammichnites, Rusophycus, Skolithos and Treptichnus) are recocered from the Tal Group (Cambrian) of the Nigalidhar Syncline. The stratigraphic occurrences of these ichnogenera represent alternating proximal Cruziana and Skolithos ichnofacies along the contact of Sankholi and Koti-Dhaman formations of the Tal Group. Five ichnogenera namely Catenichnus, Guanshanichnus, Lockeia, Merostomichnites and Psammichnites are recorded for the first time from the Nigalidhar Syncline. Cruziana ichnofacies is found in the upper part of the Sankholi Formation to the lower part of the Koti Dhaman Formation in the NigaliDhar Syncline. The preservational characters here indicate a subtidal environmental condition with poorly sorted, unconsolidated substrate. Depositional condition ranging from moderate to high energy levels below the fair weather base but above the storm wave base under nearshore to foreshore setting in a wave dominated shallow water environment is also indicated. The proximal Cruziana-ichnofacies is interrupted by the Skolithos ichnofacies in the Tal Group of the Nigalidhar Syncline which indicate fluctuating high energy condition which was unfavorable for the opportunistic organism which were dominant during the proximal Cruziana ichnofacies. The excursion of Skolithos ichnofacies (as a pipe rock in the upper part of Sankholi Formation) into the proximal Cruziana ichnofacies in the Tal Group indicate that increased energy and allied parameters attributed to the high rate of sedimentation near the proximal part of the basin. The level bearing the Skolithos ichnofacies in the Nigalidhar Syncline at the juncture of Sankholi and Koti-Dhaman formations can be correlated to the level marked as unconformity in between the Deo-Ka-Tibba and the Dhaulagiri formations by the conglomeratic horizon in the Mussoorie Syncline, Lesser Himalaya, India. Thus, the Tal Group of the Nigalidhar syncline at this stratigraphic level represent slightly deeper water condition than the Mussoorie Syncline, where in the later the aerial exposure dominated which leads to the deposition of conglomeratic horizon and subsequent formation of unconformity. The overall ichnological and sedimentological dataset allow us to infer that the Cambrian successions of Nigalidhar Syncline were deposited in a wave-dominated proximal part of the basin under the foreshore to close to upper shoreface regimes of the shallow marine setting.

Keywords: Cambrian, Ichnofacies, Lesser Himalaya, Nigalidhar, Tal Group

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Authors: Naum Simanovsky, Vladimir Goldman, Michael Zaidman

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Background: The optimal algorithm for the management of symptomatic tarsal coalition is still under discussion in pediatric literature. It's debatable what surgical steps are essential to achieve the best outcome. Method: The investigators retrospectively reviewed the records of twelve patients with symptomatic tarsal coalition that were treated operatively between 2017 and 2019. Only painful flat feet were operated. Two patients were excluded from the study due to lack of sufficient follow-up. Ten of eleven feet were treated with the combination of calcaneal lengthening osteotomy (CLO) and resection of coalition (RC). Only one foot was operated with CLO alone. In half of our patients, Achilles lengthening was performed. For two children, medial plication was added. Short leg cast was applied to all children for 6-8 weeks, and soft shoe insoles for medial arch support were prescribed after. Demographic, clinical, and radiographic records were reviewed. The outcome was evaluated using American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle Hindfoot Score. Results: There were seven boys and three girls. The mean age at the time of surgery was 13.9 (range 12 to 17) years, and the mean follow-up was 18 (range 8 to 34) months. The early complications included one superficial wound infection and dehiscence. Late complication includes two children with residual forefoot supination. None of our patients required additional operations during the follow-up period. All feet achieved complete deformity correction or dramatic improvement. In the last follow-up, seven feet were painless, and four children had some mild pain after intensive activities. All feet achieved excellent and good scoring on AOFAS. Conclusions: Many patients with talocalcaneal coalition also have rigid or stiff, painful, flat feet. For these patients, the resection of coalition with concomitant CLO can be safely recommended.

Keywords: Tarsal coalition, calcaneal lengthening osteotomy., flat foot, coalition resection

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Authors: Fatemeh Mohsennezhad

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Air pollution is one of major problems for environment. Providing healthy food and protecting water sources from pollution has been one of the concerns of human societies and decision-making centers so that protecting food from pollution, detecting sources of pollution and measuring them become important. Nutritive and political significance of grape in this area, extensive use of leaf and fruit of this plant and development of urban areas around grape gardens and construction of Tabriz – Miandoab road, which is the most important link between East and West Azarbaijan, led us to examine the impact of this road construction and urban environment pollutants such as lead chromium and cadmium on the quality of this valuable crop. First, the samples were taken from different adjacent places and medium distances from the road, each place being located exactly by Google earth and GPS. Digestion was done through burning dry material and hydrochloric acid and their ashes were analyzed by atomic absorption to determine (Pb, Cr, Cd) accumulations. In this experiments effects of 2 following factors were examined as a variable: Garden distance from the main road with levels 1: For 50 meters, 2: For 120-200 meters, 3: For above 800 meters, and plant organ with levels 1: For fruit, 2: For leaves. At the end, the results were processed by SPSS software. 3.54 ppm, the most lead quantity, was at sample No. 54 in fruits with 800 meters distance from the road and 1.00 ppm was the least lead quantity at sample No. 50 in fruits with 1000 meters from the road. In leaves, the most lead quantity was 19.16 ppm at sample No. 15 with 50 meters distance from the road and the least quantity was 1.41 ppm at sample No. 31 with 50 meters from the road. Pb uptake is significantly different at 50 meters and 200 meters distance. It means that Pb uptake near the main road is the highest. But this result is not true for others elements. Distance has not a meaningful effect on Cr uptake. The result of analysis of variation in distance and plant organ for Cd showed that between fruit and leaf, Cd uptake is significantly different. But distance and interaction between distance and plant organ is not meaningful. There is neither meaningful interaction between these elements uptakes in fruits nor in leaves. If leaves and fruits, assumed all together, showed a very meaningful integration between heavy metal accumulations. It means that each of these elements causes uptake others without considering special organs. In the tested area, it became clear that, from the accumulation of heavy metals perspective, there is no meaningful difference in existing distance between road and garden. There is a meaningful difference among heavy metals accumulation. In other words, increase ratio of one metal to another was different from the resulted differences shown in corresponding graphs. Interaction among elements and distance between garden and road was not meaningful.

Keywords: Vitis vinifera L., phytoremediation, heavy metals accumulation, lead, chromium, cadmium

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Authors: Angkayarkan Vinayakaselvi

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This paper aims at unpacking the questions of subjectivity and their role in altering and redefining the constructed images of self and community as represented in chosen Indian women’s autobiographies. India is a country of plurality and this plurality is further extended by diasporic explorations. As the third world feminism questioned the Euro-American views on homogenizing the socio-cultural condition of women of all over the world, Indian feminism needs to critique the view that all Indian women are one and the same. Similar to the plural nature of nation, the nature and condition of women, too, are plural in India. Indian women are differentiated by caste, class, and region. A critical scrutiny of autobiographies written by Indian women belong to different socio-cultural groups – Northeast Indian, Dalit and Diasporic categories – will assess the impact of education, profession and socio-cultural and economic status on Indian Women. Such a critique would highlight the heterogeneous subjectivity of Indian women. The images/selves of women as represented through these autobiographies are chosen with an aim to unmask and challenge, through ordering and positioning, the capitalist politics of literary representations of Indian women’s formation of 'her-self'. Methodologies and subjects associated with literature are considered essential for understanding and combating women’s oppression and empowerment. The representation of self in personal autobiographical history could be treated as the history of entire nation as personal is always political in feminist writings. The chosen narrators who are well-educated, well-settled, professional women of letters are capable of assessing, critiquing and re/articulating the shifting paradigms of women’s lives. Despite these factors, the textual spaces possess evidences to establish the facts that these women undergo sufferings, and they counter design cultural specific strategies for their empowerment. These metafictional self-conscious synecdoches extend to include the world of entire women. Thus these autobiographical texts could be reinterpreted as a searing critique of Indian society based on woman’s personal life.

Keywords: ethnicity and diversity, gender studies, Indian women’s autobiographies, subjectivity

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Authors: Tony Jehi, Sujatha Rajaram, Nader majzoub, Joan Sabate

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Aging significantly increases the incidence of various cardiometabolic diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). To combat CVD and its associated risk factors, it is imperative to adopt a healthy dietary pattern that is rife with beneficial nutrient and non-nutrient compounds. Unsaturated fats, specifically n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), have cardio-protective effects; the opposite is true for saturated fatty acids. What role, if any, does the biomarker of fatty acid intake (specific fatty acids in the erythrocyte) play in predicting cardiometabolic risk among the elderly, a population highly susceptible to increased mortality and morbidity from CVD risk factors, remains unclear. This was a secondary analysis of the Walnuts and Healthy Aging Study. Briefly, elderly (n=192, mean age 69 y) participants followed their usual diet and were randomized into two groups to either eat walnuts daily or abstain from eating walnuts for a period of 2 years. The purpose was to identify potential associations between erythrocyte membrane fatty acids and cardiometabolic risk factors (body weight, blood pressure, blood lipids, and fasting glucose). Erythrocyte n-3 PUFA were inversely associated with total cholesterol (ß = -3.83; p= 0.02), triglycerides (ß = -7.66; p= <0.01), and fasting glucose (ß = -0.19; p=0.03). Specifically, erythrocyte ALA (ß= -1.59; P = 0.04) and DPA (ß= -0.62; P=0.04) were inversely associated with diastolic blood pressure and fasting glucose, respectively. N-6 PUFAs were positively associated with systolic blood pressure (ß=1.10; P=0.02). Mono-unsaturated fatty acids were positively associated with TAG (ß = 4.16; P=0.03). Total saturated fatty acids were not associated with any cardiometabolic risk factors. No association was found between any erythrocyte fatty acid and body weight. In conclusion, erythrocyte n-3 PUFA may be used as a biomarker to predict the cardiometabolic risk among healthy elders, providing support for the American Heart Association guidelines for including n-3 PUFA for preventing CVD.

Keywords: cardiometabolic diseases, erythrocyte fatty acids, elderly, n-3 PUFA

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Authors: Siamak Yaghoubi, Vahideh Rashtchi, Marzieh Khezri, Hamid Kayalha, Monadi Hamidfar

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Background and objectives: Effective postoperative pain management in abdominal surgeries, which are painful procedures, plays an important role in reducing postoperative complications and increasing patient’s satisfaction. There are many techniques for pain control, one of which is Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA). The aim of this study was to compare the analgesic effects of morphine, paracetamol and ketorolac in the patients undergoing open cholecystectomy, using PCA method. Material and Methods: This randomized controlled trial was performed on 330 ASA (American Society of Anesthesiology) I-II patients ( three equal groups, n=110) who were scheduled for elective open cholecystectomy in Shahid Rjaee hospital of Qazvin, Iran from August 2013 until September 2015. All patients were managed by general anesthesia with TIVA (Total Intra Venous Anesthesia) technique. The control group received morphine with maximum dose of 0.02mg/kg/h, the paracetamol group received paracetamol with maximum dose of 1mg/kg/h, and the ketorolac group received ketorolac with maximum daily dose of 60mg using IV-PCA method. The parameters of pain, nausea, hemodynamic variables (BP and HR), pruritus, arterial oxygen desaturation, patient’s satisfaction and pain score were measured every two hours for 8 hours following operation in all groups. Results: There were no significant differences in demographic data between the three groups. there was a statistically significant difference with regard to the mean pain score at all times between morphine and paracetamol, morphine and ketorolac, and paracetamol and ketorolac groups (P<0.001). Results indicated a reduction with time in the mean level of postoperative pain in all three groups. At all times the mean level of pain in ketorolac group was less than that in the other two groups (p<0.001). Conclusion: According to the results of this study ketorolac is more effective than morphine and paracetamol in postoperative pain control in the patients undergoing open cholecystectomy, using PCA method.

Keywords: analgesia, cholecystectomy, ketorolac, morphine, paracetamol

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Authors: Sarai Alvarado Pineda, Ricardo Maldonado Soto

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The acquisition of Verb Particle Constructions is a challenge for Spanish speakers learning English. The acquisition is particularly difficult for speakers of languages with no verb particle constructions. The purpose of the current study is to define the procedural steps in the acquisition of constructions with the particle on. There are three outstanding meanings for the particle on; Surface: The movie is based on a true story, Activation: John turn on the light, Continuity: The band played on all night. The central aim of this study is to measure how Mexican Spanish participants respond to both the three meanings mentioned above and the degree of meaning transparency/opacity of on verb particle constructions. Forty Mexican Spanish learners of English (20 basic and 20 advanced) are compared against a control group of 20 American native English speakers through a reaction time test (PsychoPy2 2015). The participants were asked to discriminate 90 items based on their knowledge of these constructions. There are 30 items per meaning divided into two groups of transparent and opaque meaning. Results revealed three major findings: Advanced students have a reaction time similar to that of native speakers (advanced 4.5s versus native 3.7s), while students with a lower level of English proficiency, show a high reaction time (7s). Likewise, there is a shorter reaction time in constructions with lower opacity in the three groups of participants, with differences between each level (basic 6.7s, advanced 4.3s, and native 3.4s). Finally, a difference in reaction time can be identified according to the meaning provided by the construction. The reaction time for the activation category (5.27s) is greater than continuity (5.04s), and this category is also slower than the surface (4.94s). The study shows that the level of sensitivity of English learners increases significantly aiming towards native speaker patterns as determined by the level of transparency of meaning of each construction as well as the degree of entrenchment of each constructional meaning.

Keywords: meaning of the particle, opacity, reaction time, verb particle constructions

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Authors: Ebraheem Al-Jouri, Youssef Abu-Ahmad, Ramasamy Srinivasan

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The parasitoid, Diadegma semiclausum (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) is one of the most effective exotic parasitoids of diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella in the lowland areas of Homs, Syria. Molecular evolution studies are useful tools to shed light on the molecular bases of insect geographical spread and adaptation to new hosts and environment and for designing better control strategies. In this study, molecular evolution analysis was performed based on the 42 nuclear internal transcribed spacer-2 (ITS2) sequences representing the D. semiclausum and eight other Diadegma spp. from Syria and worldwide. Possible recombination events were identified by RDP4 program. Four potential recombinants of the American D. insulare and D. fenestrale (Jeju) were detected. After detecting and removing recombinant sequences, the ratio of non-synonymous (dN) to synonymous (dS) substitutions per site (dN/dS=ɷ) has been used to identify codon positions involved in adaptive processes. Bayesian techniques were applied to detect selective pressures at a codon level by using five different approaches including: fixed effects likelihood (FEL), internal fixed effects likelihood (IFEL), random effects method (REL), mixed effects model of evolution (MEME) and Program analysis of maximum liklehood (PAML). Among the 40 positively selected amino acids (aa) that differed significantly between clades of Diadegma species, three aa under positive selection were only identified in D. semiclausum. Additionally, all D. semiclausum branches tree were highly found under episodic diversifying selection (EDS) at p≤0.05. Our study provide evidence that both recombination and positive selection have contributed to the molecular diversity of Diadegma spp. and highlights the significant contribution of D. semiclausum in adaptive evolution and influence the fitness in the DBM parasitoid.

Keywords: diadegma sp, DBM, ITS2, phylogeny, recombination, dN/dS, evolution, positive selection

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Authors: Michael Zaidman, Naum Simanovsky

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Introduction. Symptomatic tarsal coalition with rigid flat foot often demands operative solution. An isolated coalition resection does not guarantee pain relief; correction of co-existing foot deformity may be required. The objective of the study was to analyze the results of combination of tarsal coalition resection and arthroereisis. Patients and methods. We retrospectively reviewed medical records and radiographs of children operatively treated in our institution for symptomatic calcaneonavicular or talocalcaneal coalition between the years 2019 and 2022. Eight patients (twelve feet), 4 boys and 4 girls with mean age 11.2 years, were included in the study. In six patients (10 feet) calcaneonavicular coalition was diagnosed, two patients (two feet) sustained talonavicular coalition. To quantify degrees of foot deformity, we used calcaneal pitch angle, lateral talar-first metatarsal (Meary's) angle, and talonavicular coverage angle. The clinical results were assessed using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle Hindfoot Score. Results. The mean follow-up was 28 month. The preoperative mean talonavicular coverage angle was 17,75º as compared with postoperative mean angle of 5.4º. The calcaneal pitch angle improved from mean 6,8º to 16,4º. The mean preoperative Meary’s angle of -11.3º improved to mean 2.8º. The preoperative mean AOFAS score improved from 54.7 to 93.1 points post-operatively. In nine of twelve feet, overall clinical outcome judged by AOFAS scale was excellent (90-100 points), in three feet was good (80-90 points). Six patients (ten feet) obviously improved their subtalar range of motion. Conclusion. For symptomatic stiff or rigid flat feet associated with tarsal coalition, the combination of coalition resection and arthroereisis leads to normalization of radiographic parameters, clinical and functional improvement with good patient’s satisfaction and likely to be more effective than the isolated procedures.

Keywords: rigid flat foot, tarsal coalition resection, arthroereisis, outcome

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Authors: Nina Ivanova

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More than one third of the population and animals are infected with parasitic helminths. It is especially difficult to cure the larval forms of parasites. The larvae of Hymenolepis nana invade the villi of the intestinal mucosa. Toxocara larvae can live in the liver, heart, lungs, brain, eyes, and pancreas. Commercial antiparasitic drugs cannot guarantee a 100% cure after a single course of treatment, because parasite larvae invade the villi of the intestinal mucosa and the anthelmintics do not reach and kill cestode larvae. The aim of this work was to conduct a study of liposomal antihelminthics on the laboratory animals under the certification received from the Committee on Bioethics and Deontology. It has been checked: 1) anthelmintic activity of the liposomal form of fenasal in experimental hymenolepidosis of white mice (larval stage - Hymenolepis nana). 2) anthelmintic activity of the liposomal form of albendazole in experimental toxocariasis of white mice (in the lungs at the stage of larval migration). Since some helminths cause hemolysis of erythrocytes as we used a mixture of polar lipids developed by us with antihemolytic activity to obtain liposomes Fenasal and albendazole were included in the liposome membrane in the ratio of anthelmintic: lipids 1:10. . The average size of liposomes was 180 nm, and the concentration of lipids in liposomes was 1%. The researches were carried out on white male mice who were infected with Hymenolepis Nana invasional eggs in a peroral way with a doze of 100 eggs per animal. On the 5th day after infection, a liposomal fenasal and commercial fenasal were administered orally for comparison. The animals were observed for 15 days. Before the introduction of liposomes and on the 3rd, 5th, 15th day after the administration of the drug, studies were carried out on the presence of helminths in the organs of animals. The liposomal fenasal, when administered orally, had an anthelmintic effect on Hymenolepis Nana cysticercoids at a dose of 25 mg/kg. The percentage of efficiency was 90.06, 91.36 96.85% on days 3, 5, 15, respectively. For comparison, the commercial activity was at a dose of 200 mg/ml, which is 8 times higher than the dose of liposomal fenasal. To evaluate the anthelmintic effect of the liposomal form of albendazole in experimental toxocariasis of white mice (toxascaris in the lungs at the stage of larval migration), studies were also carried out on white mice. The animals were infected with invasive eggs of Toxocara canis, orally, at a dose of 100 eggs per animal. On the 5th day after infection, the liposomal albendazole was administered orally. The efficacy of the study dosage form was determined by counting Larva mirgans larvae in the lungs. The results obtained showed that the liposomal albendazole had the greatest anthelmintic effect on Toxocara larvae at a dose of 2.0 mg/kg, which was 3.75 times less than the therapeutic one. At the same time, the percentage of efficiency was 93.75% on the 3rd day, and 98.66% on the 5th day.

Keywords: hymenolepis, Toxocara, larvae, liposomes

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Authors: M. Duk, L. Grabowski, P. Magryta

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Today's very important element relating to air transport is the environment impact issues. Nowadays there are no emissions standards for turbine and piston engines used in air transport. However, it should be noticed that the environmental effect in the form of exhaust gases from aircraft engines should be as small as possible. For this purpose, R&D centers often use special software to simulate and to estimate the negative effect of engine working process. For cooperation between the Lublin University of Technology and the Polish aviation company WSK "PZL-KALISZ" S.A., to achieve more effective operation of the ASz62IR engine, one of such tools have been used. The AVL Boost software allows to perform 1D simulations of combustion process of piston engines. ASz62IR is a nine-cylinder aircraft engine in a radial configuration. In order to analyze the impact of its working process on the environment, the mathematical model in the AVL Boost software have been made. This model contains, among others, model of the operation cycle of the cylinders. This model was based on a volume change in combustion chamber according to the reciprocating movement of a piston. The simplifications that all of the pistons move identically was assumed. The changes in cylinder volume during an operating cycle were specified. Those changes were important to determine the energy balance of a cylinder in an internal combustion engine which is fundamental for a model of the operating cycle. The calculations for cylinder thermodynamic state were based on the first law of thermodynamics. The change in the mass in the cylinder was calculated from the sum of inflowing and outflowing masses including: cylinder internal energy, heat from the fuel, heat losses, mass in cylinder, cylinder pressure and volume, blowdown enthalpy, evaporation heat etc. The model assumed that the amount of heat released in combustion process was calculated from the pace of combustion, using Vibe model. For gas exchange, it was also important to consider heat transfer in inlet and outlet channels because of much higher values there than for flow in a straight pipe. This results from high values of heat exchange coefficients and temperature coefficients near valves and valve seats. A Zapf modified model of heat exchange was used. To use the model with the flight scenarios, the impact of flight altitude on engine performance has been analyze. It was assumed that the pressure and temperature at the inlet and outlet correspond to the values resulting from the model for International Standard Atmosphere (ISA). Comparing this model of operation cycle with the others submodels of the ASz62IR engine, it could be noticed, that a full analysis of the performance of the engine, according to the ISA conditions, can be made. This work has been financed by the Polish National Centre for Research and Development, INNOLOT, under

Keywords: aviation propulsion, AVL Boost, engine model, operation cycle, aircraft engine

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Authors: Giovana Perini-Loureiro

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The purpose of this research was to identify whether the nominalizations terminating in -TION in the academic discourse of native English speakers contain the arguments required by their input verbs. In the perspective of functional linguistics, ideational metaphors, with nominalization as their most pervasive realization, are lexically dense, and therefore frequent in formal texts. Ideational metaphors allow the academic genre to instantiate objectification, de-personalization, and the ability to construct a chain of arguments. The valence of those nouns present in nominalizations tends to maintain the same elements of the valence from its original verbs, but these arguments are not always expressed. The initial hypothesis was that these arguments would also be present alongside the nominalizations, through anaphora or cataphora. In this study, a qualitative analysis of the occurrences of the five more frequent nominalized terminations in -TION in academic texts was accomplished, and thus a verification of the occurrences of the arguments required by the original verbs. The assembling of the concordance lines was done through COCA (Corpus of Contemporary American English). After identifying the five most frequent nominalizations (attention, action, participation, instruction, intervention), the concordance lines were selected at random to be analyzed, assuring the representativeness and reliability of the sample. It was possible to verify, in all the analyzed instances, the presence of arguments. In most instances, the arguments were not expressed, but recoverable, either in the context or in the shared knowledge among the interactants. It was concluded that the realizations of the arguments which were not expressed alongside the nominalizations are part of a continuum, starting from the immediate context with anaphora and cataphora; up to a knowledge shared outside the text, such as specific area knowledge. The study also has implications for the teaching of academic writing, especially with regards to the impact of nominalizations on the thematic and informational flow of the text. Grammatical metaphors are essential to academic writing, hence acknowledging the occurrence of its arguments is paramount to achieve linguistic awareness and the writing prestige required by the academy.

Keywords: corpus, functional linguistics, grammatical metaphors, nominalizations, academic English

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Authors: T. Bryan , V. Kepuska, I. Kostnaic

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A method of data compression and denoising is introduced that is based on atomic decomposition of audio data using “basis vectors” that are learned from the audio data itself. The basis vectors are shown to have higher data compression and better signal-to-noise enhancement than the Gabor and gammatone “seed atoms” that were used to generate them. The basis vectors are the input weights of a Sparse AutoEncoder (SAE) that is trained using “envelope samples” of windowed segments of the audio data. The envelope samples are extracted from the audio data by performing atomic decomposition with Gabor or gammatone seed atoms. This process identifies segments of audio data that are locally coherent with the seed atoms. Envelope samples are extracted by identifying locally coherent audio data segments with Gabor or gammatone seed atoms, found by matching pursuit. The envelope samples are formed by taking the kronecker products of the atomic envelopes with the locally coherent data segments. Oracle signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) verses data compression curves are generated for the seed atoms as well as the basis vectors learned from Gabor and gammatone seed atoms. SNR data compression curves are generated for speech signals as well as early American music recordings. The basis vectors are shown to have higher denoising capability for data compression rates ranging from 90% to 99.84% for speech as well as music. Envelope samples are displayed as images by folding the time series into column vectors. This display method is used to compare of the output of the SAE with the envelope samples that produced them. The basis vectors are also displayed as images. Sparsity is shown to play an important role in producing the highest denoising basis vectors.

Keywords: sparse dictionary learning, autoencoder, sparse autoencoder, basis vectors, atomic decomposition, envelope sampling, envelope samples, Gabor, gammatone, matching pursuit

Procedia PDF Downloads 254

Authors: Yuliya Huseva

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To investigate the contents of tears to determine latent blood. Methods: Tear samples from 72 women were studied with the microscopy of tears aspirated with a capillary and stained by Nocht and with a chemical method of test strips with chromogen. Statistical data processing was carried out using statistical packages Statistica 10.0 for Windows, calculation of Pearson's chi-square test, Yule association coefficient, the method of determining sensitivity and specificity. Results:, In 30.6% (22) of tear samples erythrocytes were revealed microscopically. Correlations between the presence of erythrocytes in the tear and the phase of the menstrual cycle has been discovered. In the follicular phase of the cycle, erythrocytes were found in 59.1% (13) people, which is significantly more (x2=4.2, p=0.041) compared to the luteal phase - in 40.9% (9) women. In the first seven days of the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle the erythrocytes were predominanted of in the tears of women examined testifies in favour of the vicarious bleeding from the mucous membranes of extragenital organs in sync with menstruation. Of the other cellular elements in tear samples with latent haemolacria, neutrophils prevailed - in 45.5% (10), while lymphocytes were less common - in 27.3% (6), because neutrophil exudation is accompanied by vasodilatation of the conjunctiva and the release of erythrocytes into the conjunctival cavity. It was found that the prognostic significance of the chemical method was 0.53 of the microscopic method. In contrast to microscopy, which detected blood in tear samples from 30.6% (22) of women, blood was detected chemically in tears of 16.7% (12). An association between latent haemolacria and endometriosis was found (k=0.75, p≤0.05). Microscopically, in the tears of patients with endometriosis, erythrocytes were detected in 70% of cases, while in healthy women without endometriosis - in 25% of cases. The proportion of women with erythrocytes in tears, determined by a chemical method, was 41.7% among patients with endometriosis, which is significantly more (x2=6.5, p=0.011) than 11.7% among women without endometriosis. The data obtained can be explained by the etiopathogenesis of the extragenital endometriosis which is caused by hematogenous spread of endometrial tissue into the orbit. In endometriosis, erythrocytes are found against the background of accumulations of epithelial cells. In the tear samples of 4 women with endometriosis, glandular cuboidal epithelial cells, morphologically similar to endometrial cells, were found, which may indicate a generalization of the disease. Conclusions: Single erythrocytes can normally be found in the tears, their number depends on the phase of the menstrual cycle, increasing in the follicular phase. Erythrocytes found in tears against the background of accumulations of epitheliocytes and their glandular atypia may indicate a manifestation of extragenital endometriosis. Both used methods (microscopic and chemical) are informative in revealing latent haemolacria. The microscopic method is more sensitive, reveals intact erythrocytes, and besides, it provides information about other cells. At the same time, the chemical method is faster and technically simpler, it determines the presence of haemoglobin and its metabolic products, and can be used as a screening.

Keywords: tear, blood, microscopy, epitheliocytes

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Authors: Nada Abdelsadig Moahamed Saied

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Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and other similar traditional cultural practices pose a significant problem for Sudanese society. Such actions are severe and seriously detrimental to people's health since they are based on false social perceptions. To address these problems, numerous institutions and organizations were compelled to act rapidly. Female circumcision, or FGM, is one of the riskiest practices. It is referred to as the excision of the genitalia. Any surgeries involving the total or partial removal of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons fall under this category. The results of FGM can vary depending on the kind and degree of the operation. These can be categorized as short-term, mid-term, or long-term issues. Infections, including the Human, blood, discomfort, and difficulty urinating are the immediate effects. FGM is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as practices that purposefully damage or modify female genital organs for non-medical purposes. It often takes place between the ages of one and fifteen. The girl's right to decide on important choices affecting her sexual and reproductive health is violated because the act is usually performed without her consent and frequently against her will. UNICEF, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, aggressively combats the issue of FGM in Sudan. Numerous programs were started by NGOs to stop the practice. To our knowledge, no scientific study has been conducted to evaluate the effects of such social marketing techniques on simulating and comprehending society’s feelings surrounding FGM. This study proposes the development of a structural equation model aiming to determine the impact of awareness programs on people’s intentions to adopt the behavior of abandoning FGM based on theoretical models of behavior change. The model incorporates all the relevant factors that contribute to FGM and possible strategic actions to tackle this problem. The theoretical backdrop for FGM is presented in the next section, which also explains the practice's history, justifications, and potential treatments. The methodology section that follows describes the structural equation model. The proposed model, which compiles all the pertinent elements into a single image, is presented in the fourth part. Finally, conclusions are reached, and suggestions for further research are made.

Keywords: social marketing, policy-making, behavioral change, female genital mutilation, culture

Procedia PDF Downloads 76

Authors: Isabella Lobo Sasaoka, Felipe Q. da Luz, Zubeyir Salis, Phillipa Hay, Tamiris Gaeta, Paula Costa Teixeira, Táki Cordás, Amanda Sainsbury

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Background: A significant number of people with obesity that seek weight loss treatments experience binge eating episodes. Nonetheless, it is unknown whether binge eating episodes can hinder weight loss outcomes. Objective: To compare weight change in people with or without binge eating submitted to bariatric surgery, pharmacotherapy, nutritional orientation, and/or psychological therapies. Method: We conducted a systematic review with meta-analyses by searching studies in PubMed, American Psychological Association (APA), and Embase. Results: Thirty-four studies were included in our systematic review, and 17 studies were included in the meta-analyses. Overall, we found no significant difference in weight loss between people with or without binge eating submitted to any type of weight loss treatment. Additionally, we found no statistically significant differences in body weight between people with or without binge eating at short and long follow-up assessments following any type of weight loss treatment. We also examined changes in body weight in people with or without binge eating in three additional meta-analyses categorized by the type of weight loss treatment (i.e., behavioural and/or nutritional interventions; bariatric surgery; pharmacotherapy isolated or combined with behavior interventions) and found no difference in weight loss. Eleven out of the 17 studies that were assessed qualitatively (i.e., not included in meta-analyses) did not show differences in weight loss in people with or without binge eating submitted to any type of weight loss treatment. Conclusion: This systematic review with meta-analyses showed no difference in weight loss in people with or without binge eating submitted to a variety of weight loss treatments. Nonetheless, specialized therapies can be required to address eating disorder psychopathology and recurrent binge eating in people with obesity that seek weight loss.

Keywords: obesity, binge eating, weight loss, systematic review, meta-analysis

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Authors: Valeria Cotza

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School drop-out is a multifactorial phenomenon that in Italy concerns all those underage students who, at different school stages (up to 16 years old) or training (up to 18 years old), manifest educational difficulties from dropping out of compulsory education without obtaining a qualification to repetition rates and absenteeism. From the 1980s to the 2000s, there was a progressive attenuation of the economic and social model towards a multifactorial reading of the phenomenon, and the European Commission noted the importance of learning about the phenomenon through approaches able to integrate large-scale quantitative surveys with qualitative analyses. It is not a matter of identifying the contextual factors affecting the phenomenon but problematising them by means of systemic and comprehensive in-depth analysis. So, a privileged point of observation and field of intervention are those schools that propose alternative models of teaching and learning to the traditional ones, such as popular and second-chance schools. Alternative schools and interventions grew in these years in Europe as well as in the US and Latin America, working in the direction of greater equity to create the conditions (often absent in conventional schools) for everyone to achieve educational goals. Against extensive Anglo-Saxon and US literature on this topic, there is yet no unambiguous definition of alternative education, especially in Europe, where second-chance education has been most studied. There is little literature on a second chance in Italy and almost none on alternative education (with the exception of method schools, to which in Italy the concept of “alternative” is linked). This research aims to fill the gap by systematically surveying the alternative interventions in the area and beginning to explore some models of popular and second-chance schools and experiences through a mixed methods approach. So, the main research objectives concern the spread of alternative education in the Lombardy region, the main characteristics of these schools and interventions, and their effectiveness in terms of students’ well-being and school results. This paper seeks to answer the first point by presenting the preliminary results of the first phase of the project dedicated to mapping. Through the Google Forms platform, a questionnaire is being distributed to all schools in Lombardy and some schools in the rest of Italy to map the presence of alternative schools and interventions and their main characteristics. The distribution is also taking place thanks to the support of the Milan Territorial and Lombardy Regional School Offices. Moreover, other social realities outside the school system (such as cooperatives and cultural associations) can be questioned. The schools and other realities to be questioned outside Lombardy will also be identified with the support of INDIRE (Istituto Nazionale per Documentazione, Innovazione e Ricerca Educativa, “National Institute for Documentation, Innovation and Educational Research”) and based on existing literature and the indicators of “Futura” Plan of the PNRR (Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza, “National Recovery and Resilience Plan”). Mapping will be crucial and functional for the subsequent qualitative and quantitative phase, which will make use of statistical analysis and constructivist grounded theory.

Keywords: school drop-out, alternative education, popular and second-chance schools, map

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Authors: Mohsen Rabbani, Trista McLaughlin, Ehsan Vahidi

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the remediation of polluted sites with heavy metals, such as rare earth elements (REEs), has been a primary concern of researchers to decontaminate the soil. Among all developed methods to address this concern, phytoremediation has been established as efficient, cost-effective, easy-to-use, and environmentally friendly way, providing a long-term solution for addressing this global concern. Furthermore, this technology has another great potential application in the metals production sector through returning metals buried in soil via metals cropping. Considering the significant metal concentration in hyper-accumulators, the utilization of bioaccumulated metals to extract metals from plant matter has been proposed as a sub-economic area called phytomining. As a recent, more advanced technology to eliminate such pollutants from the soil and produce critical metals, bioharvesting (phytomining/agromining) has been considered another compromising way to produce metals and meet the global demand for critical/target metals. The bio-ore obtained from phytomining can be safely disposed of or introduced to metal production pathways to obtain the most demanded metals, such as REEs. It is well-known that some hyperaccumulators, e.g., fern Dicranopteris linearis, can be used to absorb REE metals from the polluted soils and accumulate them in plant organs, such as leaves and stems. After soil remediation, the plant species can be harvested and introduced to the downstream steps, namely crushing/grinding, leaching, and purification processes, to extract REEs from plant matter. This novel interdisciplinary field can fill the gap between agriculture, mining, metallurgy, and the environment. Despite the advantages of agromining for the REEs production industry, key issues related to the environmental sustainability of the entire life cycle of this new concept have not been assessed yet. Hence, a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) study was conducted to quantify the environmental footprints of REEs phytomining. The current LCA study aims to estimate and calculate environmental effects associated with phytomining by considering critical factors, such as climate change, land use, and ozone depletion. The results revealed that phytomining is an easy-to-use and environmentally sustainable approach to either eliminate REEs from polluted sites or produce REEs, offering a new source of such metals production. This LCA research provides guidelines for researchers active in developing a reliable relationship between agriculture, mining, metallurgy, and the environment to encounter soil pollution and keep the earth green and clean.

Keywords: phytoremediation, phytomining, life cycle assessment, environmental impacts, rare earth elements, hyperaccumulator

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Authors: Anna Wolowicz, Katarzyna Staszak, Zbigniew Hubicki

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Nowadays heavy metal ions as well as surfactants are widely used throughout the world due to their useful properties. The consequence of such widespread use is their significant production. On the other hand, the increasing demand for surfactants and heavy metal ions results in production of large amounts of wastewaters which are discharged to the environment from mining, metal plating, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, fertilizer, paper, pesticide and electronic industries, pigments producing, petroleum refining and from autocatalyst, fibers, food, polymer industries etc. Heavy metal ions are non-biodegradable in the environment, cable of accumulation in living organisms and organs, toxic and carcinogenic. On the other hand, not only heavy metal ions but also surfactants affect the purity of water and soils. Some of surfactants are also toxic, harmful and dangerous because they are able to penetrate into surface waters causing foaming, blocked diffusion of oxygen from the atmosphere and act as emulsifiers of hydrophobic substances and increase solubility of many the dangerous pollutants. Among surfactants the anionic ones dominate and their share in the global production of surfactants is around 50 ÷ 60%. Due to the negative impact of heavy metals and surfactants on aquatic ecosystems and living organisms, removal and monitoring of their concentration in the environment is extremely important. Surfactants and heavy metal ions removal can be achieved by different biological and physicochemical methods. The adsorption as well as the ion-exchange methods play here a significant role. The aim of this study was heavy metal ions removal from aqueous solutions using different types of ion exchangers in the presence of anionic surfactants. Preliminary studies of copper(II), nickel(II), zinc(II) and cobalt(II) removal from acidic solutions using ion exchangers (Lewatit MonoPlus TP 220, Lewatit MonoPlus SR 7, Purolite A 400 TL, Purolite A 830, Purolite S 984, Dowex PSR 2, Dowex PSR3, Lewatit AF-5) allowed to select the most effective ones for the above mentioned sorbates and then to checking their removal efficiency in the presence of anionic surfactants. As it was found out Lewatit MonoPlus TP 220 of the chelating type, show the highest sorption capacities for copper(II) ions in comparison with the other ion exchangers under discussion, e.g. 9.98 mg/g (0.1 M HCl); 9.12 mg/g (6 M HCl). Moreover, cobalt(II) removal efficiency was the highest in 0.1 M HCl using also Lewatit MonoPlus TP 220 (6.9 mg/g) similar to zinc(II) (9.1 mg/g) and nickiel(II) (6.2 mg/g). As the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) was used and surfactant parameters such as viscosity (η), density (ρ) and critical micelle concentration (CMC) were obtained: η = 1.13 ± 0,01 mPa·s; ρ = 999.76 mg/cm3; CMC = 2.26 g/cm3. The studies of copper(II) removal from acidic solutions in the presence of SDS of different concentration show negligible effects on copper(II) removal efficiency. The sorption capacity of Cu(II) from 0.1 M acidic solution of 500 mg/L initial concentration was equal to 46.8 mg/g whereas in the presence of SDS 45.3 mg/g (0.1 mg SDS/L), 47.1 mg/g (0.5 mg SDS/L), 46.6 mg/g (1 mg SDS/L).

Keywords: anionic surfactant, heavy metal ions, ion exchanger, removal

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Authors: Didarul Islam Manik

Abstract:

The study was conducted to determine social media usage by the Millennial/young-adult generation in the U.S. and Bangladesh. It investigated what types of social media Millennials/young-adults use in their everyday lives; for what purpose they use social media; what are the significant differences between the two cultures in terms of social media use; and how the age of the respondents correlates with differences in social media use. Among the 409 respondents, 200 were selected from the University of South Dakota and 209 from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The convenience sampling method was used to select the samples. A four-page questionnaire instrument was constructed with 19 closed-ended questions that collected 87 data points. The study considered the uses and gratifications and domestication of technology models as theoretical frameworks. The study found that the Millennials spend an average of 4.5 hours on the Internet daily. They spend an average of 134 minutes on social media every day. However, the U.S. Millennials spend more time (141 minutes) on social media than the Bangladeshis (127 minutes). The U.S. Millennials use various types of social media including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, SnapChat, Reddit, Imgur, etc. In contrast, Bangladeshis use Facebook, YouTube, and Google plus+. The Bangladeshis tended to spend more time on Facebook (107 minutes) than the Americans (57 minutes). The study found that the Millennials of the two countries use Facebook to fill their free time, acquire information, seek entertainment, and maintain existing relationships. However, Bangladeshis are more likely to use Facebook for the acquisition of information, entertainment, educational purposes, and connecting with the people closest to them. Millennials also use Twitter to fill their free time, acquire information, and for entertainment. The study found a statistically significant difference between female and male social media use. It also found a significant correlation between age and using Facebook for educational purposes; age and discussing and posting religious issues; and age and meeting with new people. There is also a correlation between age and the use of Twitter for spending time and seeking entertainment.

Keywords: American study, social media, millennial generation, South Asian studies

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Authors: Neeraj Shetye

Abstract:

A common phenomenon between the rise of leaders like Mussolini and Adolf Hitler in the 20th century is their 'charisma'. They possessed the ability to seduce the crowd not just by the things they said but also by the way they said it. Aristotle defined rhetoric as an art of persuasion and reasoning which is how social scientists understand the concept. Political rhetoric in a modern democracy has several complexities including the huge number of speakers, quantity of information, diverse viewpoints, number of candidates and the impact of digital age. Politics in India since the seventies have been 'visibly dominated' by uses of rhetorical language and with a number of slogans. This idea of how language can steer an individual to establish or adopt a certain viewpoint has not been a focus of study in the Indian discourse. In a linguistically diverse region such as India, the idea of political rhetoric is vast and may not be accomplished in a year. There are in-depth studies by western thinkers on European or American political rhetoric unlike their Asian counterparts such as China, India or any of the Pacific nations. India saw an integration of states based on languages. Keeping this idea in mind, this paper aims to cover one political party that rose to its prominence over five decades and most significantly known for its conservative expression: Shivsena. Shivsena’s rise during the eighties and eventually establishing their government in the nineties are two fascinating periods to focus especially with a simultaneous rise of Bombay underworld, Babri demolition and major economic policy changes in the form of liberalisation (1991) and globalization (1995). This project attempts to study this with a two-fold methodology: literature review and fieldwork. There is an immense literature on Shivsena by both its admirers and critiques, contributing to both sides of the debate. Scholars have been writing about this party over these years and have keenly observed its growing popularity amongst the masses. There is just one intention behind this project, and it is to connect and analyse the vast, dispersed literature that is available and contribute to a field that has not been adequately analysed in the academic discourse.

Keywords: India, language, political rhetoric, Shivsena, slogans

Procedia PDF Downloads 128