Search results for: effective atomic number

Authors: Francesca Nardi, Kashish Aneja, Katherine Ginsbach

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The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated both a need for evidence-based and rights-based public health policy and how challenging it can be to make effective decisions with limited information, evidence, and data. The O’Neill Institute, in conjunction with several partners, has been working since the beginning of the pandemic to collect, analyze, and distribute critical data on public health policies enacted in response to COVID-19 around the world in the COVID-19 Law Lab. Well-designed laws and policies can help build strong health systems, implement necessary measures to combat viral transmission, enforce actions that promote public health and safety for everyone, and on the individual level have a direct impact on health outcomes. Poorly designed laws and policies, on the other hand, can fail to achieve the intended results and/or obstruct the realization of fundamental human rights, further disease spread, or cause unintended collateral harms. When done properly, laws can provide the foundation that brings clarity to complexity, embrace nuance, and identifies gaps of uncertainty. However, laws can also shape the societal factors that make disease possible. Law is inseparable from the rest of society, and COVID-19 has exposed just how much laws and policies intersects all facets of society. In the COVID-19 context, evidence-based and well-informed law and policy decisions—made at the right time and in the right place—can and have meant the difference between life or death for many. Having a solid evidentiary base of legal information can promote the understanding of what works well and where, and it can drive resources and action to where they are needed most. We know that legal mechanisms can enable nations to reduce inequities and prepare for emerging threats, like novel pathogens that result in deadly disease outbreaks or antibiotic resistance. The collection and analysis of data on these legal mechanisms is a critical step towards ensuring that legal interventions and legal landscapes are effectively incorporated into more traditional kinds of health science data analyses. The COVID-19 Law Labs see a unique opportunity to collect and analyze this kind of non-traditional data to inform policy using laws and policies from across the globe and across diseases. This global view is critical to assessing the efficacy of policies in a wide range of cultural, economic, and demographic circumstances. The COVID-19 Law Lab is not just a collection of legal texts relating to COVID-19; it is a dataset of concise and actionable legal information that can be used by health researchers, social scientists, academics, human rights advocates, law and policymakers, government decision-makers, and others for cross-disciplinary quantitative and qualitative analysis to identify best practices from this outbreak, and previous ones, to be better prepared for potential future public health events.

Keywords: public health law, surveillance, policy, legal, data

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Authors: Hasmithaa Neha, Atul Kumar Patidar, Girish Ch Kothyari

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The northward convergence of the Indian plate has a dominating influence over the structural and geomorphic development of the Himalayan region. The highly deformed and complex stratigraphy in the area arises from a confluence of exogenic and endogenetic geological processes. This region frequently experiences natural hazards such as debris flows, flash floods, avalanches, landslides, and earthquakes due to its harsh and steep topography and fragile rock formations. Therefore, remote sensing technique-based examination and real-time monitoring of tectonically sensitive regions may provide crucial early warnings and invaluable data for effective hazard mitigation strategies. In order to identify unusual changes in the river gradients, the current study demonstrates a spatial quantitative geomorphic analysis of the upper Alaknanda River basin, Uttarakhand Himalaya, India, using gradient length anomaly analysis (GLAA). This basin is highly vulnerable to ground creeping and landslides due to the presence of active faults/thrusts, toe-cutting of slopes for road widening, development of heavy engineering projects on the highly sheared bedrock, and periodic earthquakes. The intersecting joint sets developed in the bedrocks have formed wedges that have facilitated the recurrence of several landslides. The main objective of current research is to identify abnormal gradient lengths, indicating potential landslide-prone zones. High-resolution digital elevation data and geospatial techniques are used to perform this analysis. The results of GLAA are corroborated with the historical landslide events and ultimately used for the generation of landslide susceptibility maps of the current study area. The preliminary results indicate that approximately 3.97% of the basin is stable, while about 8.54% is classified as moderately stable and suitable for human habitation. However, roughly 19.89% fall within the zone of moderate vulnerability, 38.06% are classified as vulnerable, and 29% fall within the highly vulnerable zones, posing risks for geohazards, including landslides, glacial avalanches, and earthquakes. This research provides valuable insights into the spatial distribution of landslide-prone areas. It offers a basis for implementing proactive measures for landslide risk reduction, including land-use planning, early warning systems, and infrastructure development techniques.

Keywords: landslide vulnerability, geohazard, GLA, upper Alaknanda Basin, Uttarakhand Himalaya

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Authors: Zafar Iqbal Bhatti

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The present research aims to examine and evaluate the frequencies and practices of verb complementation patterns in English newspaper social columns published in Pakistan and Britain. The research will demonstrate that Pakistani English is a non-native variety of English having its own unique usual and logical characteristics, affected by way of the native languages and the culture, upon syntactic levels, making the variety users aware that any differences from British or American English that are systematic and regular, or another English language, are not even if they are unique, erroneous forms and typical characteristics of several kinds. The objectives are to examine the verb complementation patterns that British and Pakistani social columnists use in relation to their syntactic categories. Secondly, to compare the verb complementation patterns used in Pakistani and British English newspapers social columns. This study will figure out various verb complementation patterns in Pakistani and British English newspaper social columns and their occurrence and distribution. The word classes express different functions of words, such as action, event, or state of being. This research aims to evaluate whether there are any appreciable differences in the verb complementation patterns used in Pakistani and British English newspaper social columns. The results will show the number of varieties of verb complementation patterns in selected English newspapers social columns. This study will fill the gap of previous studies conducted in this field as they only explore a little about the differences between Pakistani and British English newspapers. It will also figure out a variety of languages used in Pakistani and British English journals, as well as regional and cultural values and variations. The researcher will use AntConc software in this study to extract the data for analysis. The researcher will use a concordance tool to identify verb complementation patterns in selected data. Then the researcher will manually categorize them because the same type of adverb can sometimes be used for various purposes. From 1st June 2022 to 30th Sep. 2022, a four-month written corpus of the social columns of PE and BE newspapers will be collected and analyzed. For the analysis of the research questions, 50 social columns will be selected from Pakistani newspapers and 50 from British newspapers. The researcher will collect a representative sample of data from Pakistani and British English newspaper social columns. The researcher will manually analyze the complementation patterns of each verb in each sentence, and then the researcher will determine how frequently each pattern occurs. The researcher will use syntactic characteristics of the verb complementation elements according to the description by Downing and Locke (2006). The researcher will examine all of the verb complementation patterns in the data, and the frequency and distribution of each verb complementation pattern will be evaluated using the software. The researcher will explore every possible verb complementation pattern in Pakistani and British English before calculating the occurrence and abundance of each verb pattern. The researcher will explore every possible verb complementation pattern in Pakistani English before calculating the frequency and distribution of each pattern.

Keywords: verb complementation, syntactic categories, newspaper social columns, corpus

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Authors: Melissa K. Hord, Stephen P. Whiteside

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With lifetime prevalence rates ranging from 6% to 15%, anxiety disorders are among the most common childhood mental health diagnoses. Anxiety disorders diagnosed in childhood generally show an unremitting course, lead to additional psychopathology and interfere with social, emotional, and academic development. Effective evidence-based treatments include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s). However, if anxious children receive any treatment, it is usually through primary care, typically consists of medication, and very rarely includes evidence-based psychotherapy. Despite the high prevalence of anxiety disorders, there have only been two independent research labs that have investigated long-term results for CBT treatment for all childhood anxiety disorders and two for specific anxiety disorders. Generally, the studies indicate that the majority of youth maintain gains up to 7.4 years after treatment. These studies have not been replicated. In addition, little is known about the additional mental health care received by these patients in the intervening years after anxiety treatment, which seems likely to influence maintenance of gains for anxiety symptoms as well as the development of additional psychopathology during the subsequent years. The original sample consisted of 335 children ages 7 to 17 years (mean 13.09, 53% female) diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in 2010. Medical record review included provider billing records for mental health appointments during the five years after anxiety treatment. The subsample for this study was classified into three groups: 64 children who received CBT in an anxiety disorders clinic, 56 who received treatment from a psychiatrist, and 10 who were seen in a primary care setting. Chi-square analyses resulted in significant differences in mental health care utilization across the five years after treatment. Youth receiving treatment in primary care averaged less than one appointment each year and the appointments continued at the same rate across time. Children treated by a psychiatrist averaged approximately 3 appointments in the first two years and 2 in the subsequent three years. Importantly, youth treated in the anxiety clinic demonstrated a gradual decrease in mental health appointments across time. The nuanced differences will be presented in greater detail. The results of the current study have important implications for developing dissemination materials to help guide parents when they are selecting treatment for their children. By including all mental health appointments, this study recognizes that anxiety is often comorbid with additional diagnoses and that receiving evidence-based treatment may have long-term benefits that are associated with improvements in broader mental health. One important caveat might be that the acuity of mental health influenced the level of care sought by patients included in this study; however, taking this possibility into account, it seems those seeking care in a primary care setting continued to require similar care at the end of the study, indicating little improvement in symptoms was experienced.

Keywords: anxiety, children, mental health, outcomes

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Authors: Paula I. Buonfiglio, Carlos David Bruque, Lucia Salatino, Vanesa Lotersztein, Sebastián Menazzi, Paola Plazas, Ana Belén Elgoyhen, Viviana Dalamón

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Hearing loss (HL) is the most prevalent sensorineural disorder affecting about 10% of the global population, with more than half due to genetic causes. About 1 in 500-1000 newborns present congenital HL. Most of the patients are non-syndromic with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. To date, more than 100 genes are related to HL. Therefore, the Whole-exome sequencing (WES) technique has become a cost-effective alternative approach for molecular diagnosis. Nevertheless, new challenges arise from the detection of novel variants, in particular missense changes, which can lead to a spectrum of genotype-to-phenotype correlations, which is not always straightforward. In this work, we aimed to identify the genetic causes of HL in isolated and familial cases by designing a multistep approach to analyze target genes related to hearing impairment. Moreover, we performed in silico and in vivo analyses in order to further study the effect of some of the novel variants identified in the hair cell function using the zebrafish model. A total of 650 patients were studied by Sanger Sequencing and Gap-PCR in GJB2 and GJB6 genes, respectively, diagnosing 15.5% of sporadic cases and 36% of familial ones. Overall, 50 different sequence variants were detected. Fifty of the undiagnosed patients with moderate HL were tested for deletions in STRC gene by Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification technique (MLPA), leading to 6% of diagnosis. After this initial screening, 50 families were selected to be analyzed by WES, achieving diagnosis in 44% of them. Half of the identified variants were novel. A missense variant in MYO6 gene detected in a family with postlingual HL was selected to be further analyzed. A protein modeling with AlphaFold2 software was performed, proving its pathogenic effect. In order to functionally validate this novel variant, a knockdown phenotype rescue assay in zebrafish was carried out. Injection of wild-type MYO6 mRNA in embryos rescued the phenotype, whereas using the mutant MYO6 mRNA (carrying c.2782C>A variant) had no effect. These results strongly suggest the deleterious effect of this variant on the mobility of stereocilia in zebrafish neuromasts, and hence on the auditory system. In the present work, we demonstrated that our algorithm is suitable for the sequential multigenic approach to HL in our cohort. These results highlight the importance of a combined strategy in order to identify candidate variants as well as the in silico and in vivo studies to analyze and prove their pathogenicity and accomplish a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the physiopathology of the hearing impairment.

Keywords: diagnosis, genetics, hearing loss, in silico analysis, in vivo analysis, WES, zebrafish

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Authors: João Costa, Francisco Albuquerque, Ricardo J. Santos, Madalena M. Dias, José Carlos B. Lopes, Marcelo Costa

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Nowadays, it is well recognized that carbon dioxide emissions, together with other greenhouse gases, are responsible for the dramatic climate changes that have been occurring over the past decades. Gas hydrates are currently seen as a promising and disruptive set of materials that can be used as a basis for developing new technologies for CO₂ capture and storage. Its potential as a clean and safe pathway for CCS is tremendous since it requires only water and gas to be mixed under favorable temperatures and mild high pressures. However, the hydrates formation process is highly exothermic; it releases about 2 MJ per kilogram of CO₂, and it only occurs in a narrow window of operational temperatures (0 - 10 °C) and pressures (15 to 40 bar). Efficient continuous hydrate production at a specific temperature range necessitates high heat transfer rates in mixing processes. Past technologies often struggled to meet this requirement, resulting in low productivity or extended mixing/contact times due to inadequate heat transfer rates, which consistently posed a limitation. Consequently, there is a need for more effective continuous hydrate production technologies in industrial applications. In this work, a network mixing continuous production technology has been shown to be viable for producing CO₂ hydrates. The structured mixer used throughout this work consists of a network of unit cells comprising mixing chambers interconnected by transport channels. These mixing features result in enhanced heat and mass transfer rates and high interfacial surface area. The mixer capacity emerges from the fact that, under proper hydrodynamic conditions, the flow inside the mixing chambers becomes fully chaotic and self-sustained oscillatory flow, inducing intense local laminar mixing. The device presents specific heat transfer rates ranging from 107 to 108 W⋅m⁻³⋅K⁻¹. A laboratory scale pilot installation was built using a device capable of continuously capturing 1 kg⋅h⁻¹ of CO₂, in an aqueous slurry of up to 20% in mass. The strong mixing intensity has proven to be sufficient to enhance dissolution and initiate hydrate crystallization without the need for external seeding mechanisms and to achieve, at the device outlet, conversions of 99% in CO₂. CO₂ dissolution experiments revealed that the overall liquid mass transfer coefficient is orders of magnitude larger than in similar devices with the same purpose, ranging from 1 000 to 12 000 h⁻¹. The present technology has shown itself to be capable of continuously producing CO₂ hydrates. Furthermore, the modular characteristics of the technology, where scalability is straightforward, underline the potential development of a modular hydrate-based CO₂ capture process for large-scale applications.

Keywords: network, mixing, hydrates, continuous process, carbon dioxide

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Authors: Priyanshu Sharma

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Urban development mechanism has evolved over the years in India, and various planning models and tools have been adopted by different states. Large cities have been able to make and implement plans with the varied degree. However, it has been observed these mechanisms face challenges to gain the momentum in small and medium towns. Gujarat has a very robust legislation that empowers planning authorities to prepare development plans (DP) and town planning scheme (TPS). The DP- TPS planning methods are quite popular for large cities in Gujarat. However, it has been observed that in the smaller towns these methods of plan preparation are facing severe agitations. Recently, development authorities of many small towns like Himmatnagar, Nadiad, and Junagadh, etc. have faced serious protest from local residents. This is because of the large amount of land deduction under the provisions of DP and TPS. And this number of opposition has been increasing since 2012 in Gujarat. This study aims to understand in detail the reasons for agitation against the plans prepared by smaller towns. It will further try to see whether the current framework of urban planning (DP and TPS) are really suitable for these towns. After understanding the development concerns and background, the aim and objectives of the study were outlined: Aim: To evaluate the suitability and acceptability of the current urban development mechanism for the small and medium towns. Objectives: (i) To review the GTPUD Act and identify the provision related to small and medium towns (ii) To understand preparation process of development plan and town planning scheme and issues related to it (iii) To understand the issues raised by the different stakeholder w.r.t plan because of which the plan and authority was agitated (iv) To find out the possible option through which these plans can be made suitable and acceptable to the stakeholder. The approach of this study is more qualitative based with the intention to understand the time frame process of preparation of development plan and town planning scheme and issues related to it. On the basis of literature study, the three towns were selected, and the detailed questionnaire was prepared for the stakeholders (development authorities and local residents) which include the time process taken in the preparation of DP and TPS and what were issues faced during the process and who all were involved. Lastly, the study looks into aspects of the land value of original plots and readjusted plots by concluding the argument whether this TP scheme model really worked in small and medium towns. Because the land deduction under TP scheme is allowed up to 50% as per the act and there is no distinct provision for small and medium towns under the act, so how this could be justified to smaller towns where the market value have not changed over the years. After analyzing the issues and reason behind the agitation against the DP and TPS in these small and medium towns. The broader recommendation has been given which can make these plans acceptable and suitable for the stakeholder.

Keywords: development plans, medium towns, small towns, town planning schemes

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Authors: Navneet Kalia, Lalit Mohan Verma, Vinay Guleria

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Introduction: Design Flood studies are essential for effective planning and functioning of water resource projects. Design flood estimation for Sunni Dam Hydro Electric Project located in State of Himachal Pradesh, India, on the river Satluj, was a big challenge in view of the river flowing in the Himalayan region from Tibet to India, having a large catchment area of varying topography, climate, and vegetation. No Discharge data was available for the part of the river in Tibet, whereas, for India, it was available only at Khab, Rampur, and Luhri. The estimation of Design Flood using standard methods was not possible. This challenge was met using two different approaches for upper (snow-fed) and lower (rainfed) catchment using Flood Frequency Approach and Hydro-metrological approach. i) For catchment up to Khab Gauging site (Sub-Catchment, C1), Flood Frequency approach was used. Around 90% of the catchment area (46300 sqkm) up to Khab is snow-fed which lies above 4200m. In view of the predominant area being snow-fed area, 1 in 10000 years return period flood estimated using Flood Frequency analysis at Khab was considered as Probable Maximum Flood (PMF). The flood peaks were taken from daily observed discharges at Khab, which were increased by 10% to make them instantaneous. Design Flood of 4184 cumec thus obtained was considered as PMF at Khab. ii) For catchment between Khab and Sunni Dam (Sub-Catchment, C2), Hydro-metrological approach was used. This method is based upon the catchment response to the rainfall pattern observed (Probable Maximum Precipitation - PMP) in a particular catchment area. The design flood computation mainly involves the estimation of a design storm hyetograph and derivation of the catchment response function. A unit hydrograph is assumed to represent the response of the entire catchment area to a unit rainfall. The main advantage of the hydro-metrological approach is that it gives a complete flood hydrograph which allows us to make a realistic determination of its moderation effect while passing through a reservoir or a river reach. These studies were carried out to derive PMF for the catchment area between Khab and Sunni Dam site using a 1-day and 2-day PMP values of 232 and 416 cm respectively. The PMF so obtained was 12920.60 cumec. Final Result: As the Catchment area up to Sunni Dam has been divided into 2 sub-catchments, the Flood Hydrograph for the Catchment C1 has been routed through the connecting channel reach (River Satluj) using Muskingum method and accordingly, the Design Flood was computed after adding the routed flood ordinates with flood ordinates of catchment C2. The total Design Flood (i.e. 2-Day PMF) with a peak of 15473 cumec was obtained. Conclusion: Even though, several factors are relevant while deciding the method to be used for design flood estimation, data availability and the purpose of study are the most important factors. Since, generally, we cannot wait for the hydrological data of adequate quality and quantity to be available, flood estimation has to be done using whatever data is available. Depending upon the type of data available for a particular catchment, the method to be used is to be selected.

Keywords: design flood, design storm, flood frequency, PMF, PMP, unit hydrograph

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Authors: Laila Albughayl

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The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore Saudi females’ leadership journeys as they navigate the labyrinth of leadership in higher education. To gain a better understanding of how these leaders overcame challenges and accessed support as they progressed through the labyrinth to top positions in Saudi higher education. The significance of this research derived from the premise that leaders need to acquire essential leadership competencies such as knowledge, skills, and practices to effectively lead through economic transformation, growing globalism, and rapidly developing technology in an increasingly diverse world. In addition, understanding Saudi women’s challenges in the labyrinth will encourage policymakers to improve the situation under which these women work. The metaphor ‘labyrinth’ for Eagly and Carli (2007) encapsulates the winding paths, dead ends, and maze-like pathways that are full of challenges and supports that women traverse to access and maintain leadership positions was used. In this study, ‘labyrinth’ was used as the conceptual framework to explore women leaders’ challenges and opportunities in leadership in Saudi higher education. A proposed model for efficient navigation of the labyrinth of leadership was used. This model focused on knowledge, skills, and behaviours (KSB) as the analytical framework for examining responses to the research questions. This research was conducted using an interpretivist qualitative approach. A case study was the methodology used. Semi-structured interviews were the main data collection method. Purposive sampling was used to select ten Saudi leaders in three public universities. In coding, the 6-step framework of thematic analysis for Braun and Clarke was used to identify, analyze, and report themes within the data. NVivo software was also used as a tool to assist with managing and organizing the data. The resultant findings showed that the challenges identified by participants in navigating the labyrinth of leadership in Saudi higher education replicated some of those identified in the literature. The onset findings also revealed that the organizational barriers in Saudi higher education came as the top hindrance to women’s advancement in the labyrinth of leadership, followed by societal barriers. The findings also showed that women’s paths in the labyrinth of leadership in higher education were still convoluted and tedious compared to their male counterparts. In addition, the findings revealed that Saudi women leaders use significant strategies to access leadership posts and effectively navigate the labyrinth; this was not indicated in the literature. In addition, the resultant findings revealed that there are keys that assisted Saudi female leaders in effectively navigating the labyrinth of leadership. For example, the findings indicated that spirituality (religion) was a powerful key that enabled Saudi women leaders to pursue and persist in their leadership paths. Based on participants' experiences, a compass for effective navigation of the labyrinth of leadership in higher education was created for current and aspirant Saudi women leaders to follow. Finally, the findings had several significant implications for practice, policy, theory, and future research.

Keywords: women, leadership, labyrinth, higher education

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Authors: Kyohei Yoshino, Masahiko Matsumiya, Yuji Sasaki

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Recently, studies have been conducted on Au(III) extraction using ionic liquids (ILs) as extractants or diluents. ILs such as piperidinium, pyrrolidinium, and pyridinium have been studied as extractants for noble metal extractions. Furthermore, the polarity, hydrophobicity, and solvent miscibility of these ILs can be adjusted depending on their intended use. Therefore, the unique properties of ILs make them functional extraction media. The extraction mechanism of Au(III) using phosphonium-based ILs and relevant thermodynamic studies are yet to be reported. In the present work, we focused on the mechanism of Au(III) extraction and related thermodynamic analyses using phosphonium-based ILs. Triethyl-n-pentyl, triethyl-n-octyl, and triethyl-n-dodecyl phosphonium bis(trifluoromethyl-sulfonyl)amide, [P₂₂₂ₓ][NTf₂], (X = 5, 8, and 12) were investigated for Au(III) extraction. The IL–Au complex was identified as [P₂₂₂₅][AuCl₄] using UV–Vis–NIR and Raman spectroscopic analyses. The extraction behavior of Au(III) was investigated with a change in the [P₂₂₂ₓ][NTf₂]IL concentration from 1.0 × 10–4 to 1.0 × 10–1 mol dm−3. The results indicate that Au(III) can be easily extracted by the anion-exchange reaction in the [P₂₂₂ₓ][NTf₂]IL. The slope range 0.96–1.01 on the plot of log D vs log[P₂₂₂ₓ][NTf2]IL indicates the association of one mole of IL with one mole of [AuCl4−] during extraction. Consequently, [P₂₂₂ₓ][NTf₂] is an anion-exchange extractant for the extraction of Au(III) in the form of anions from chloride media. Thus, this type of phosphonium-based IL proceeds via an anion exchange reaction with Au(III). In order to evaluate the thermodynamic parameters on the Au(III) extraction, the equilibrium constant (logKₑₓ’) was determined from the temperature dependence. The plot of the natural logarithm of Kₑₓ’ vs the inverse of the absolute temperature (T–1) yields a slope proportional to the enthalpy (ΔH). By plotting T–1 vs lnKₑₓ’, a line with a slope range 1.129–1.421 was obtained. Thus, the result indicated that the extraction reaction of Au(III) using the [P₂₂₂ₓ][NTf₂]IL (X=5, 8, and 12) was exothermic (ΔH=-9.39〜-11.81 kJ mol-1). The negative value of TΔS (-4.20〜-5.27 kJ mol-1) indicates that microscopic randomness is preferred in the [P₂₂₂₅][NTf₂]IL extraction system over [P₂₂₂₁₂][NTf₂]IL. The total negative alternation in Gibbs energy (-5.19〜-6.55 kJ mol-1) for the extraction reaction would thus be relatively influenced by the TΔS value on the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl side length, even if the efficiency of ΔH is significantly influenced by the total negative alternations in Gibbs energy. Electrochemical analysis revealed that extracted Au(III) can be reduced in two steps: (i) Au(III)/Au(I) and (ii) Au(I)/Au(0). The diffusion coefficients of the extracted Au(III) species in [P₂₂₂ₓ][NTf₂] (X = 5, 8, and 12) were evaluated from 323 to 373 K using semi-integral and semi-differential analyses. Because of the viscosity of the IL medium, the diffusion coefficient of the extracted Au(III) increases with increasing alkyl chain length. The 4f7/2 spectrum based on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the Au electrodeposits obtained after 10 cycles of continuous extraction and electrodeposition were in the metallic state.

Keywords: au(III), electrodeposition, phosphonium-based ionic liquids, solvent extraction

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Authors: Tania Chalton

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In June 2013, an independent review of the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) identified a number of problems with the implementation of the LCP in the UK and recommended that it be replaced by individual care plans for each patient. As a result of the UK findings, in November 2013 the Ministry of Health (MOH) commissioned the Palliative Care Council to initiate a programme of work to investigate an appropriate approach for the care of people in their last days of life in New Zealand (NZ). The Last Days of Life Working Group commenced a process to develop national consensus on the care of people in their last days of life in April 2014. In order to develop its advice for the future provision of care to people in their last days of life, the Working Group (WG) established a comprehensive work programme and as a result has developed a series of working papers. Specific areas of focus included: An analysis of the UK Independent Review findings and an assessment of these findings to the NZ context. A stocktake of services providing care to people in their last days of life, including aged residential care (ARC); hospices; hospitals; and primary care. International and NZ literature reviews of evidence and best practice. Survey of family to understand the consumer perspective on the care of people in their last days of life. Key aspects of care that required further considerations for NZ were: Terminology: clarify terminology used in the last days of life and in relation to death and dying. Evidenced based: including specific review of evidence regarding, spiritual, culturally appropriate care as well as dementia care. Diagnosis of dying: need for both guidance around the diagnosis of dying and communication with family. Workforce issues: access to an appropriate workforce after hours. Nutrition and hydration: guidance around appropriate approaches to nutrition and hydration. Symptom and pain management: guidance around symptom management. Documentation: documentation of the person’s care which is robust enough for data collection and auditing requirements, not ‘tick box’ approach to care. Education and training: improved consistency and access to appropriate education and training. Leadership: A dedicated team or person to support and coordinate the introduction and implementation of any last days of life model of care. Quality indicators and data collection: model of care to enable auditing and regular reviews to ensure on-going quality improvement. Cultural and spiritual: address and incorporate any cultural and spiritual aspects. A final document was developed incorporating all the evidence which provides guidance to the health sector on best practice for people at end of life: “Principles and guidance for the last days of life: Te Ara Whakapiri”.

Keywords: end of life, guidelines, New Zealand, palliative care

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Authors: Amit Gill, Lalith Wijerathne, Sebastian Poledna

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This research presents the details of the implementation of high performance computing (HPC) extension of agent-based economic models (ABEMs) to simulate hundreds of millions of heterogeneous agents. ABEMs offer an alternative approach to study the economy as a dynamic system of interacting heterogeneous agents, and are gaining popularity as an alternative to standard economic models. Over the last decade, ABEMs have been increasingly applied to study various problems related to monetary policy, bank regulations, etc. When it comes to predicting the effects of local economic disruptions, like major disasters, changes in policies, exogenous shocks, etc., on the economy of the country or the region, it is pertinent to study how the disruptions cascade through every single economic entity affecting its decisions and interactions, and eventually affect the economic macro parameters. However, such simulations with hundreds of millions of agents are hindered by the lack of HPC enhanced ABEMs. In order to address this, a scalable Distributed Memory Parallel (DMP) implementation of ABEMs has been developed using message passing interface (MPI). A balanced distribution of computational load among MPI-processes (i.e. CPU cores) of computer clusters while taking all the interactions among agents into account is a major challenge for scalable DMP implementations. Economic agents interact on several random graphs, some of which are centralized (e.g. credit networks, etc.) whereas others are dense with random links (e.g. consumption markets, etc.). The agents are partitioned into mutually-exclusive subsets based on a representative employer-employee interaction graph, while the remaining graphs are made available at a minimum communication cost. To minimize the number of communications among MPI processes, real-life solutions like the introduction of recruitment agencies, sales outlets, local banks, and local branches of government in each MPI-process, are adopted. Efficient communication among MPI-processes is achieved by combining MPI derived data types with the new features of the latest MPI functions. Most of the communications are overlapped with computations, thereby significantly reducing the communication overhead. The current implementation is capable of simulating a small open economy. As an example, a single time step of a 1:1 scale model of Austria (i.e. about 9 million inhabitants and 600,000 businesses) can be simulated in 15 seconds. The implementation is further being enhanced to simulate 1:1 model of Euro-zone (i.e. 322 million agents).

Keywords: agent-based economic model, high performance computing, MPI-communication, MPI-process

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Authors: A. R. Shokoohi, E. A. M. Bulder, C. Th. van Alphen, D. F. den Hertog, E. J. Hin

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The Northern region of the Netherlands has beautiful landscapes, a nice diversity of green and blue areas, and dispersed settlements. However, some recent population changes can become threats to health and wellbeing in these areas. The rural areas in the three northern provinces -Groningen, Friesland, and Drenthe, see youngsters leave the region for which reason they are aging faster than other regions in the Netherlands. As a result, some villages have faced major population decline that is leading to loss of facilities/amenities and a decrease in accessibility and social cohesion. Those who still live in these villages are relatively old, low educated and have low-income. To develop a deeper understanding of the health status of the people living in these areas, and help them to improve their living environment, the GO!-Method is being applied in this study. This method has been developed by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) of the Netherlands and is inspired by the broad definition of health by Machteld Huber: the ability to adapt and direct control, in terms of the physical, emotional and social challenges of life, while paying extra attention to vulnerable groups. A healthy living environment is defined as an environment that residents find it pleasant and encourages and supports healthy behavior. The GO!-method integrates six domains that constitute a healthy living environment: health and lifestyle, facilities and development, safety and hygiene, social cohesion and active citizens, green areas, and air and noise pollution. First of all, this method will identify opportunities for a healthier living environment using existing information and perceptions of residents and other local stakeholders in order to strengthen social participation and quality of life in these rural areas. Second, this approach will connect identified opportunities with available and effective evidence-based interventions in order to develop an action plan from the residents and local authorities perspective which will help them to design their municipalities healthier and more resilient. This method is being used for the first time in rural areas to our best knowledge, in close collaboration with the residents and local authorities of the three provinces to create a sustainable process and stimulate social participation. Our paper will present the outcomes of the first phase of this project in collaboration with the municipality of Westerkwartier, located in the northwest of the province of Groningen. And will describe the current situation, and identify local assets, opportunities, and policies relating to healthier environment; as well as needs and challenges to achieve goals. The preliminary results show that rural demographic changes in the northern Netherlands have negative impacts on service provisions and social cohesion, and there is a need to understand this complicated situation and improve the quality of life in those areas.

Keywords: population decline, rural areas, healthy environment, Netherlands

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Authors: Orkide Donma, Mustafa M. Donma

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Association between insulin resistance (IR) and hematological parameters has long been a matter of interest. Within this context, body mass index (BMI), red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets were involved in this discussion. Parameters related to platelets associated with IR may be useful indicators for the identification of IR. Platelet indices such as mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW) and plateletcrit (PCT) are being questioned for their possible association with IR. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between platelet (PLT) count as well as PLT indices and the surrogate indices used to determine IR in morbid obese (MO) children. A total of 167 children participated in the study. Three groups were constituted. The number of cases was 34, 97 and 36 children in the normal BMI, MO and metabolic syndrome (MetS) groups, respectively. Sex- and age-dependent BMI-based percentile tables prepared by World Health Organization were used for the definition of morbid obesity. MetS criteria were determined. BMI values, homeostatic model assessment for IR (HOMA-IR), alanine transaminase-to-aspartate transaminase ratio (ALT/AST) and diagnostic obesity notation model assessment laboratory (DONMA-lab) index values were computed. PLT count and indices were analyzed using automated hematology analyzer. Data were collected for statistical analysis using SPSS for Windows. Arithmetic mean and standard deviation were calculated. Mean values of PLT-related parameters in both control and study groups were compared by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey post hoc tests to determine whether a significant difference exists among the groups. The correlation analyses between PLT as well as IR indices were performed. Statistically significant difference was accepted as p-value < 0.05. Increased values were detected for PLT (p < 0.01) and PCT (p > 0.05) in MO group compared to those observed in children with N-BMI. Significant increases for PLT (p < 0.01) and PCT (p < 0.05) were observed in MetS group in comparison with the values obtained in children with N-BMI (p < 0.01). Significantly lower MPV and PDW values were obtained in MO group compared to the control group (p < 0.01). HOMA-IR (p < 0.05), DONMA-lab index (p < 0.001) and ALT/AST (p < 0.001) values in MO and MetS groups were significantly increased compared to the N-BMI group. On the other hand, DONMA-lab index values also differed between MO and MetS groups (p < 0.001). In the MO group, PLT was negatively correlated with MPV and PDW values. These correlations were not observed in the N-BMI group. None of the IR indices exhibited a correlation with PLT and PLT indices in the N-BMI group. HOMA-IR showed significant correlations both with PLT and PCT in the MO group. All of the three IR indices were well-correlated with each other in all groups. These findings point out the missing link between IR and PLT activation. In conclusion, PLT and PCT may be related to IR in addition to their identities as hemostasis markers during morbid obesity. Our findings have suggested that DONMA-lab index appears as the best surrogate marker for IR due to its discriminative feature between morbid obesity and MetS.

Keywords: children, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, plateletcrit, platelet indices

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Authors: B. Kriheli, E. Levner, T. C. E. Cheng, C. T. Ng

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During the last decades, research interest in planning, scheduling, and control of emergency response operations, especially people rescue and evacuation from the dangerous zone of marine accidents, has increased dramatically. Until the survivors (called ‘targets’) are found and saved, it may cause loss or damage whose extent depends on the location of the targets and the search duration. The problem is to efficiently search for and detect/rescue the targets as soon as possible with the help of intelligent mobile robots so as to maximize the number of saved people and/or minimize the search cost under restrictions on the amount of saved people within the allowable response time. We consider a special situation when the autonomous mobile robots (AMR), e.g., unmanned aerial vehicles and remote-controlled robo-ships have no operator on board as they are guided and completely controlled by on-board sensors and computer programs. We construct a mathematical model for the search process in an uncertain environment and provide a new fast algorithm for scheduling the activities of the autonomous robots during the search-and rescue missions after an accident at sea. We presume that in the unknown environments, the AMR’s search-and-rescue activity is subject to two types of error: (i) a 'false-negative' detection error where a target object is not discovered (‘overlooked') by the AMR’s sensors in spite that the AMR is in a close neighborhood of the latter and (ii) a 'false-positive' detection error, also known as ‘a false alarm’, in which a clean place or area is wrongly classified by the AMR’s sensors as a correct target. As the general resource-constrained discrete search problem is NP-hard, we restrict our study to finding local-optimal strategies. A specificity of the considered operational research problem in comparison with the traditional Kadane-De Groot-Stone search models is that in our model the probability of the successful search outcome depends not only on cost/time/probability parameters assigned to each individual location but, as well, on parameters characterizing the entire history of (unsuccessful) search before selecting any next location. We provide a fast approximation algorithm for finding the AMR route adopting a greedy search strategy in which, in each step, the on-board computer computes a current search effectiveness value for each location in the zone and sequentially searches for a location with the highest search effectiveness value. Extensive experiments with random and real-life data provide strong evidence in favor of the suggested operations research model and corresponding algorithm.

Keywords: disaster management, intelligent robots, scheduling algorithm, search-and-rescue at sea

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Authors: Sepideh Mirzaee

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Gender-transformative (G-TE) education is a challenging concept in the field of education and it is a matter of hot debate in the contemporary world. Paulo Freire as the prominent advocate of transformative education considers it as an alternative to conventional banking model of education. Besides, a more inclusive concept has been introduced, namely, G-TE, as an unbiased education fostering an environment of gender justice. As its main tenet, G-TE eliminates obstacles to education and improves social shifts. A plethora of contemporary research indicates that G-TE could completely revolutionize education systems by displacing inequalities and changing gender stereotypes. Despite significant progress in female education and its effects on gender equality in Iran, challenges persist. There are some deficiencies regarding gender disparities in the society and, education, specifically. As an example, the number of women with university degrees is on the rise; thus, there will be an increasing demand for employment in the society by them. Instead, many job opportunities remain occupied by men and it is seen as intolerable for the society to assign such occupations to women. In fact, Iran is regarded as a patriarchal society where educational contexts can play a critical role to assign gender ideology to its learners. Thus, such gender ideologies in the education can become the prevailing ideologies in the entire society. Therefore, improving education in this regard, can lead to a significant change in a society subsequently influencing the status of women not only within their own country but also on a global scale. Notably, higher education plays a vital role in this empowerment and social change. Particularly higher education can have a crucial part in imparting gender neutral ideologies to its learners and bringing about substantial change. It has the potential to alleviate the detrimental effects of gender inequalities. Therefore, this study aims to conceptualize the pivotal role of G-TE and its potential power in developing gender equality within the higher educational system of Iran presented within a theoretical framework. The study emphasizes the necessity of stablishing a theoretical grounding for citizenship, and transformative education while distinguishing gender related issues including gender equality, equity and parity. This theoretical foundation will shed lights on the decisions made by policy-makers, syllabus designers, material developers, and specifically professors and students. By doing so, they will be able to promote and implement gender equality recognizing the determinants, obstacles, and consequences of sustaining gender-transformative approaches in their classes within the Iranian higher education system. The expected outcomes include the eradication of gender inequality, transformation of gender stereotypes and provision of equal opportunities for both males and females in education.

Keywords: citizenship education, gender inequality, higher education, patriarchal society, transformative education

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Authors: Bagireanu Astrid, Bros-Williamson Julio, Duncheva Mila, Currie John

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Digital Twins (DT) are an innovative concept of cyber-physical integration of data between an asset and its virtual replica. They have originated in established industries such as manufacturing and aviation and have garnered increasing attention as a potentially transformative technology within the built environment. With the potential to support decision-making, real-time simulations, forecasting abilities and managing operations, DT do not fall under a singular scope. This makes defining and leveraging the potential uses of DT a potential missed opportunity. Despite its recognised potential in established industries, literature on DT in the built environment remains limited. Inadequate attention has been given to the implementation of DT in construction projects, as opposed to its operational stage applications. Additionally, the absence of a standardised definition has resulted in inconsistent interpretations of DT in both industry and academia. There is a need to consolidate research to foster a unified understanding of the DT. Such consolidation is indispensable to ensure that future research is undertaken with a solid foundation. This paper aims to present a comprehensive systematic literature review on the role of DT in the built environment. To accomplish this objective, a review and thematic analysis was conducted, encompassing relevant papers from the last five years. The identified papers are categorised based on their specific areas of focus, and the content of these papers was translated into a through classification of DT. In characterising DT and the associated data processes identified, this systematic literature review has identified 6 DT opportunities specifically relevant to the built environment: Facilitating collaborative procurement methods, Supporting net-zero and decarbonization goals, Supporting Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and off-site manufacturing (OSM), Providing increased transparency and stakeholders collaboration, Supporting complex decision making (real-time simulations and forecasting abilities) and Seamless integration with Internet of Things (IoT), data analytics and other DT. Finally, a discussion of each area of research is provided. A table of definitions of DT across the reviewed literature is provided, seeking to delineate the current state of DT implementation in the built environment context. Gaps in knowledge are identified, as well as research challenges and opportunities for further advancements in the implementation of DT within the built environment. This paper critically assesses the existing literature to identify the potential of DT applications, aiming to harness the transformative capabilities of data in the built environment. By fostering a unified comprehension of DT, this paper contributes to advancing the effective adoption and utilisation of this technology, accelerating progress towards the realisation of smart cities, decarbonisation, and other envisioned roles for DT in the construction domain.

Keywords: built environment, design, digital twins, literature review

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Authors: Wai Yan Shih, Sau Man Wong, Wing Chung Chang, Wai Chi Chan

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Background: Late-life depression is associated with significant consequences. Although symptomatic reduction is achievable through pharmacological interventions, older adults are more vulnerable to the side effects than their younger counterparts. In addition, drugs do not address underlying cognitive dysfunctions such as rumination and reduced autobiographical memory specificity (AMS), both shown to be maladaptive coping styles that are associated with a poorer prognosis in depression. Considering how aging is accompanied by cognitive, psychological and physical changes, the interplay of these age-related factors may potentially aggravate and interfere with these depressive cognitive dysfunctions in late-life depression. Special care should, therefore, be drawn to ensure these cognitive dysfunctions are adequately addressed. Aim: This randomized controlled trial aims to examine the effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) on depressed older adults, and whether the potential benefits of MBCT are mediated by improvements in rumination and AMS. Method: Fifty-seven participants with an average age of 70 years old were recruited from multiple elderly centers and online mailing lists. Participants were assessed with: (1) Hamilton depression scale, (2) ruminative response scale, (3) autobiographical memory test, (4) mindful attention awareness scale, and (5) Montreal cognitive assessment. Eligible participants with mild to moderate depressive symptoms and normal cognitive functioning were randomly allocated to an 8-week MBCT group or active control group consisting of a low-intensity exercise program and health education. Post-intervention assessments were conducted after the 8-week program. Ethics approval was given by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Hong Kong/Hospital Authority. Results: Mixed-factorials ANOVAs demonstrated significant time x group interaction effects for depressive symptoms, AMS, and dispositional mindfulness. A marginally significant interaction effect was found for rumination. Simple effect analyses revealed a significant reduction in depressive symptoms for the both the MBCT group (mean difference = 7.1, p = .000), and control group (mean difference = 2.7, p = .023). However, only participants in the MBCT group demonstrated improvements in rumination, AMS, and dispositional mindfulness. Bootstrapping-based mediation analyses showed that the effect of MBCT in alleviating depressive symptoms was only mediated by the reduction in rumination. Conclusions: The findings support the use of MBCT as an effective intervention for depressed older adults, considering the improvements in depressive symptoms, rumination, AMS and dispositional mindfulness despite their age. Reduction in ruminative tendencies plays a major role in the cognitive mechanism of MBCT.

Keywords: mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, depression, older adults, rumination, autobiographical memory specificity

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Authors: Desta Kebede Ayana, Lies Sercu, Demelash Mengistu

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The study is set in Ethiopia, a sub-Saharan multilingual, multiethnic African country, which has seen a significant increase in the number of universities in recent years. The aim of this growth is to provide access to education for all cultural and linguistic groups across the country. However, there are challenges in promoting intercultural competence among students in this diverse context. The aim of the study is to investigate the interculturalization of Ethiopian Higher Education Institutions as perceived by university lecturers and administrators. In particular, the study aims to determine the level of support for this educational innovation and gather suggestions for its implementation and institutionalization. The researchers employed semi-structured interviews with administrators and lecturers from two large Ethiopian universities to gather data. Thematic analysis was utilized for coding and analyzing the interview data, with the assistance of the NVIVO software. The findings obtained from the grounded analysis of the interview data reveal that while there are opportunities for interculturalization in the curriculum and campus life, support for educational innovation remains low. Administrators and lecturers also emphasize the government's responsibility to prioritize interculturalization over other educational innovation goals. The study contributes to the existing literature by examining an under-researched population in an under-researched context. Additionally, the study explores whether Western perspectives of intercultural competence align with the African context, adding to the theoretical understanding of intercultural education. The data for this study was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with administrators and lecturers from two large Ethiopian universities. The interviews allowed for an in-depth exploration of the participants' views on interculturalization in higher education. Thematic analysis was applied to the interview data, allowing for the identification and organization of recurring themes and patterns. The analysis was conducted using the NVIVO software, which aided in coding and analyzing the data. The study addresses the extent to which administrators and lecturers support the interculturalization of Ethiopian Higher Education Institutions. It also explores their suggestions for implementing and institutionalizing intercultural education, as well as their perspectives on the current level of institutionalization. The study highlights the challenges in interculturalizing Ethiopian universities and emphasizes the need for greater support and prioritization of intercultural education. It also underscores the importance of considering the African context when conceptualizing intercultural competence. This research contributes to the understanding of intercultural education in diverse contexts and provides valuable insights for policymakers and educational institutions aiming to promote intercultural competence in higher education settings.

Keywords: administrators, educational change, Ethiopia, intercultural competence, lecturers

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Authors: Mike Wei, Mario Cedillo, Jiahui Lin, Carol Lorraine Storey-Johnson, Carla Boutin-Foster

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Purpose: The extent to which health insurance enrollment succeeds under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) rests heavily on the ability to reach the uninsured and motivate them to enroll. We sought to identify perceptions about the ACA among uninsured patients at a free clinic in New York City. Background: The ACA holds tremendous promise for reducing the number of uninsured Americans. As of April 2014, nearly 8 million people had signed up for health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Despite this early success, future and continued enrollment rests heavily on the degree of public awareness. Reaching eligible individuals and increasing their awareness and understanding remains a fundamental challenge to realizing the full potential of the ACA. Reaching out to uninsured patients who are seeking care through safety net facilities such as free clinics may provide important avenues for reaching potential enrollees. This project focuses on the experience at the free clinic at Weill Cornell Medical College, the Weill Cornell Community Clinic (WCCC), and seeks to understand perceptions about the ACA among its patient population. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of all patients who visited the free clinic at Weill Cornell Medical College, the Weill Cornell Community Clinic, from July 2013 to May 2014. Patients who provided informed consent at their visit and completed a semi-structured questionnaire were included (N=62). The questionnaire comprised of questions about demographic characteristics and open-ended questions about their knowledge and perception of the impact of the ACA. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the population demographics. Qualitative coding techniques were used for open-ended items. Results: Approximately one third of patients surveyed never had health insurance. Of the remaining 65%, 20% lost their insurance within the past year. Only 55% had heard about the ACA, and only 10% knew about the Health Benefits Exchange. Of those who had heard about the ACA, sentiments were tinged with optimistic misperceptions, such as “it will be free health care for all.” While optimistic, most of the responses focused on the economic implications of the ACA. Conclusions: These findings reveal the immense amount of misconception and lack of understanding with regards to the ACA. As such, the study highlights the need to educate and address the concerns of those who remain skeptical or uncertain about the implications of the ACA.

Keywords: Affordable Care Act, demographics, free clinics, underserved.

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Authors: Zaima Umar, Anas S. Qureshi, Adeel Sarfraz, Saqib Umar, Talha Umar, Muhammad Usman

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Ostrich has been a good source of food and income for people across the world. To get a better understanding of health and health-related problems, the knowledge of its digestive system is of utmost importance. The present study was conducted to determine the morphological and histometrical variations in the digestive system and associated glands of ostrich (Struthio camelus) as regard to the gender and progressive age. A total of 40 apparently healthy ostriches of both genders and two progressive age groups; young one (less than two year, group A); and adult (2-15 years, group B) in equal number were used in this study. Digestive organs including tongue, esophagus, proventriculus, gizzard, small and large intestines and associated glands like liver and pancreas were collected immediately after slaughtering the birds. The organs of the digestive system and associated glands of each group were studied grossly and histologically. Grossly colour, shape consistency, weight and various dimensions (length, width, and circumference) of organs of the digestive tract and associated glands were recorded. The mean (± SEM) of all gross anatomical parameters in group A were significantly (p ≤ 0.01) different from that of group B. For microscopic studies, 1-2 cm tissue samples of organs of the digestive system and associated glands were taken. The tissue was marked and fixed in the neutral buffer formaldehyde solution for histological studies. After fixation, the sections of 5-7 µm were cut and stained by haematoxylin and eosin stain. All the layers (epithelium, lamina propria, lamina muscularis, submucosa and tunica muscularis) were measured (µm) with the help of automated computer software Image J®. The results of this study provide valuable information on the gender and age-related histological and histometrical variations in the digestive organs of ostrich (Struthio camelus). The microscopic studies of different parts of the digestive system revealed highly significant differences (p ≤ 0.01) among the two groups. The esophagus was lined by non-keratinized stratified squamous epithelium. The duodenum, jejunum, and ileum showed similar histological structures. Statistical analysis revealed significant (p ≤ 0.05) increase in the thickness of different tunics of the gastrointestinal tract in adult birds (up to 15 years) as compared with young ones (less than two years). Therefore, it can be concluded that there is a gradual but consistent growth in the observed digestive organs mimicking that of other poultry species and may be helpful in determining the growth pattern in this bird. However, there is a need to record the changes at closer time intervals.

Keywords: ostrich, digestive system, histomorphometry, grossly

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Authors: Ian Christopher Rocha

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This study aimed to determine the association of the quality of life (QOL) of the caregivers of children in need of special protection (CNSP) in child-caring institutions in Metro Manila with the levels of their role overload (RO) and role distress (RD). The CNSP in this study covered the orphaned, abandoned, abused, neglected, exploited, and mentally-challenged children. In this study, the domains of QOL included physical health (PH), psychological health, social health (SH), and living conditions (LC). It also intended to ascertain the association of their personal and work-related characteristics with their RO and RD levels. The respondents of this study were 130 CNSP caregivers in 17 residential child-rearing institutions in Metro Manila. A purposive non-probability sampling was used. Using a quantitative methodological approach, the survey method was utilized to gather data with the use of a self-administered structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Results revealed that the level of RO, the level of RD, and the QOL of the CNSP caregivers were all moderate. Data also suggested that there were significant positive relationships between the RO level and the caregivers’ characteristics, such as age, the number of training, and years of service in the institution. At the same time, the findings revealed that there were significant positive relationships between the RD level and the caregivers’ characteristics, such as age and hours of care rendered to their care recipients. In addition, the findings suggested that all domains of their QOL obtained significant relationships with their RO level. For the correlations of their level of RO and their QOL domains, the PH and the LC obtained a moderate negative correlation with the RO level while the rest of the domains obtained weak negative correlations with RO level. For the correlations of their level of RD and the QOL domains, all domains, except SH, obtained strong negative correlations with the level of RD. The SH revealed to have a moderate negative correlation with RD level. In conclusion, caregivers who are older experience higher levels of RO and RD; caregivers who have more training and years of service experience the higher level of RO; and caregivers who have longer hours of rendered care experience the higher level of RD. In addition, the study affirmed that if the levels of RO and RD are high, the QOL is low, and vice versa. Therefore, the RO and RD levels are reliable predictors of the caregivers’ QOL. In relation, the caregiving situation in the Philippines revealed to be unique and distinct from other countries because the levels of RO and RD and the QOL of Filipino CNSP caregivers were all moderate in contrast with their foreign counterparts who experience high caregiving RO and RD leading to low QOL.

Keywords: quality of life, caregivers, children in need of special protection, physical health, psychological health, social health, living conditions, role overload, role distress

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Authors: Evrim Colak, Andriy E. Serebryannikov, Pavel V. Usik, Ekmel Ozbay

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Working with a dielectric photonic crystal (PC) structure which does not include surface corrugations, unidirectional transmission and dual-beam splitting are observed under normal incidence as a result of the strong diffractions caused by the embedded defect layer. The defect layer has twice the period of the regular PC segments which sandwich the defect layer. Although the PC has even number of rows, the structural symmetry is broken due to the asymmetric placement of the defect layer with respect to the symmetry axis of the regular PC. The simulations verify that efficient splitting and occurrence of strong diffractions are related to the dispersion properties of the Floquet-Bloch modes of the photonic crystal. Unidirectional and bi-directional splitting, which are associated with asymmetric transmission, arise due to the dominant contribution of the first positive and first negative diffraction orders. The effect of the depth of the defect layer is examined by placing single defect layer in varying rows, preserving the asymmetry of PC. Even for deeply buried defect layer, asymmetric transmission is still valid even if the zeroth order is not coupled. This transmission is due to evanescent waves which reach to the deeply embedded defect layer and couple to higher order modes. In an additional selected performance, whichever surface is illuminated, i.e., in both upper and lower surface illumination cases, incident beam is split into two beams of equal intensity at the output surface where the intensity of the out-going beams are equal for both illumination cases. That is, although the structure is asymmetric, symmetric bidirectional transmission with equal transmission values is demonstrated and the structure mimics the behavior of symmetric structures. Finally, simulation studies including the examination of a coupled-cavity defect for two different permittivity values (close to the permittivity values of GaAs or Si and alumina) reveal unidirectional splitting for a wider band of operation in comparison to the bandwidth obtained in the case of a single embedded defect layer. Since the dielectric materials that are utilized are low-loss and weakly dispersive in a wide frequency range including microwave and optical frequencies, the studied structures should be scalable to the mentioned ranges.

Keywords: asymmetric transmission, beam deflection, blazing, bi-directional splitting, defect layer, dual beam splitting, Floquet-Bloch modes, isofrequency contours, line defect, oblique incidence, photonic crystal, unidirectionality

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Authors: Daniel Todorov, Anton Hinkov, Petya Angelova, Kalina Shishkova, Venelin Tsvetkov, Stoyan Shishkov

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Human herpes viruses (HHV) are ubiquitous pathogens with a pandemic spread across the globe. HHV type 1 is the main causative agent of cold sores and fever blisters around the mouth and on the face, whereas HHV type 2 is generally responsible for genital herpes outbreaks. The treatment of both viruses is more or less successful with antivirals from the nucleoside analogues group. Their wide application increasingly leads to the emergence of resistant mutants In the past, medicinal plants have been used to treat a number of infectious and non-infectious diseases. Their diversity and ability to produce the vast variety of secondary metabolites according to the characteristics of the environment give them the potential to help us in our warfare with viral infections. The variable chemical characteristics and complex composition is an advantage in the treatment of herpes since the emergence of resistant mutants is significantly complicated. The screening process is difficult due to the lack of standardization. That is why it is especially important to follow the mechanism of antiviral action of plants. On the one hand, it may be expected to interact with its compounds, resulting in enhanced antiviral effects, and the most appropriate environmental conditions can be chosen to maximize the amount of active secondary metabolites. During our study, we followed the activity of various plant extracts on the viral replication cycle as well as their effect on the extracellular virion. We obtained our results following the logical sequence of the experimental settings - determining the cytotoxicity of the extracts, evaluating the overall effect on viral replication and extracellular virion.During our research, we have screened a variety of plant extracts for their antiviral activity against both virus replication and the virion itself. We investigated the effect of the extracts on the individual stages of the viral replication cycle - viral adsorption, penetration and the effect on replication depending on the time of addition. If there are positive results in the later experiments, we had studied the activity over viral adsorption, penetration and the effect of replication according to the time of addition. Our results indicate that some of the extracts from the Lamium album have several targets. The first stages of the viral life cycle are most affected. Several of our active antiviral agents have shown an effect on extracellular virion and adsorption and penetration processes. Our research over the last decade has shown several curative antiviral plants - some of which are from the Lamiacea family. The rich set of active ingredients of the plants in this family makes them a good source of antiviral preparation.

Keywords: human herpes virus, antiviral activity, Lamium album, Nepeta nuda

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Authors: Monica Jong, Antonios Banos, Tom Scott, Chris Webster, David Fletcher

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Hydrogen, as a clean alternative to methane, is relatively easy to make, either from water using electrolysis or from methane using steam reformation. However, hydrogen is much trickier to store than methane, and without effective storage, it simply won’t pass muster as a suitable methane substitute. Physical storage of hydrogen is quite inefficient. Storing hydrogen as a compressed gas at pressures up to 900 times atmospheric is volumetrically inefficient and carries safety implications, whilst storing it as a liquid requires costly and constant cryogenic cooling to minus 253°C. This is where DU steps in as a possible solution. Across the periodic table, there are many different metallic elements that will react with hydrogen to form a chemical compound known as a hydride (or metal hydride). From a chemical perspective, the ‘king’ of the hydride forming metals is palladium because it offers the highest hydrogen storage volumetric capacity. However, this material is simply too expensive and scarce to be used in a scaled-up bulk hydrogen storage solution. Depleted Uranium is the second most volumetrically efficient hydride-forming metal after palladium. The UK has accrued a significant amount of DU because of manufacturing nuclear fuel for many decades, and that is currently without real commercial use. Uranium trihydride (UH3) contains three hydrogen atoms for every uranium atom and can chemically store hydrogen at ambient pressure and temperature at more than twice the density of pure liquid hydrogen for the same volume. To release the hydrogen from the hydride, all you do is heat it up. At temperatures above 250°C, the hydride starts to thermally decompose, releasing hydrogen as a gas and leaving the Uranium as a metal again. The reversible nature of this reaction allows the hydride to be formed and unformed again and again, enabling its use as a high-density hydrogen storage material which is already available in large quantities because of its stockpiling as a ‘waste’ by-product. Whilst the tritium storage credentials of Uranium have been rigorously proven at the laboratory scale and at the fusion demonstrator JET for over 30 years, there is a need to prove the concept for depleted uranium hydrogen storage (HyDUS) at scales towards that which is needed to flexibly supply our national power grid with energy. This is exactly the purpose of the HyDUS project, a collaborative venture involving EDF as the interested energy vendor, Urenco as the owner of the waste DU, and the University of Bristol with the UKAEA as the architects of the technology. The team will embark on building and proving the world’s first pilot scale demonstrator of bulk chemical hydrogen storage using depleted Uranium. Within 24 months, the team will attempt to prove both the technical and commercial viability of this technology as a longer duration energy storage solution for the UK. The HyDUS project seeks to enable a true by-product to wonder material story for depleted Uranium, demonstrating that we can think sustainably about unlocking the potential value trapped inside nuclear waste materials.

Keywords: hydrogen, long duration storage, storage, depleted uranium, HyDUS

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Authors: Agnieszka Markowska-Radomska, Ewa Dluska

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Maintaining a bioactive substances dense diet is important for the elderly, especially to prevent diseases and to support healthy ageing. Adequate bioactive substances intake can reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases (e.g. cardiovascular, osteoporosis, neurodegenerative syndromes, diseases of the oral cavity, gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, diabetes, and cancer). This can be achieved by introducing a comprehensive supplementation of components necessary for the proper functioning of the ageing body. The paper proposes the multiple emulsions of the W1/O/W2 (water-in-oil-in-water) type as carriers for effective co-encapsulation and co-delivery of bioactive substances in supplementation of the elderly. Multiple emulsions are complex structured systems ("drops in drops"). The functional structure of the W1/O/W2 emulsion enables (i) incorporation of one or more bioactive components (lipophilic and hydrophilic); (ii) enhancement of stability and bioavailability of encapsulated substances; (iii) prevention of interactions between substances, as well as with the external environment, delivery to a specific location; and (iv) release in a controlled manner. The multiple emulsions were prepared by a one-step method in the Couette-Taylor flow (CTF) contactor in a continuous manner. In general, a two-step emulsification process is used to obtain multiple emulsions. The paper contains a proposal of emulsion functionalization by introducing pH-responsive biopolymer—carboxymethylcellulose sodium salt (CMC-Na) to the external phase, which made it possible to achieve a release of components controlled by the pH of the gastrointestinal environment. The membrane phase of emulsions was soybean oil. The W1/O/W2 emulsions were evaluated for their characteristics (drops size/drop size distribution, volume packing fraction), encapsulation efficiency and stability during storage (to 30 days) at 4ºC and 25ºC. Also, the in vitro multi-substance co-release process were investigated in a simulated gastrointestinal environment (different pH and composition of release medium). Three groups of stable multiple emulsions were obtained: emulsions I with co-encapsulated vitamins B12, B6 and resveratrol; emulsions II with vitamin A and β-carotene; and emulsions III with vitamins C, E and D3. The substances were encapsulated in the appropriate emulsion phases depending on the solubility. For all emulsions, high encapsulation efficience (over 95%) and high volume packing fraction of internal droplets (0.54-0.76) were reached. In addition, due to the presence of a polymer (CMC-Na) with adhesive properties, high encapsulation stability during emulsions storage were achieved. The co-release study of encapsulated bioactive substances confirmed the possibility to modify the release profiles. It was found that the releasing process can be controlled through the composition, structure, physicochemical parameters of emulsions and pH of the release medium. The results showed that the obtained multiple emulsions might be used as potential liquid complex carriers for controlled/modified/site-specific co-delivery of bioactive substances in dietary supplementation in the elderly.

Keywords: bioactive substance co-release, co-encapsulation, elderly supplementation, multiple emulsion

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Authors: Abdullah S. Alghamdi, Khaled Alghamdi, Richard O. Jenkins, Parvez I. Haris

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Background: Physical activity is an important factor in the treatment and prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Reduction in HbA1c level, an important diabetes biomarker, was reported in patients who increased their daily physical activity. Although the ambient temperature was reported to be positively correlated to a negative impact on health and increase the incidences of diabetes, the exposure to bright sunlight was recently found to be associated with enhanced insulin sensitivity and improved beta-cell function. How Ramadan alters physical activity, and especially sunlight exposure, has not been adequately investigated. Aim: This study aimed to assess the physical activity and sun exposure of Saudis with T2DM over different periods (before, during, and after Ramadan) and related this to HbA1c levels. Methods: This study recruited 82 Saudis with T2DM, who chose to fast during Ramadan, from the Endocrine and Diabetic Centre of Al Iman General Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Ethical approvals for this study were obtained from De Montfort University and Saudi Ministry of Health. Physical activity and sun exposure were assessed by a self-administered questionnaire. Physical activity was estimated using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), while the sun exposure was assessed by asking the patients about their hours per week of direct exposure to the sun, and daily hours spent outdoors. Blood samples were collected in each period for measuring HbA1c. Results: Low physical activity was observed in more than 60% of the patients, with no significant changes between periods. There were no significant variances between periods in the daily hours spent outdoors and the total number of weekly hours of direct exposure to the sun. The majority of patients reported only few hours of exposure to the sun (1h or less per week) and time spent outdoors (1h or less per day). The mean HbA1c significantly changed between periods (P = 0.001), with lowest level during Ramadan. There were significant differences in the mean HbA1c between the groups for the level of physical activity (P < 0.001), with significant lower mean HbA1c in the higher-level group. There were no significant variances in the mean of HbA1c between the groups for the daily hours spent outdoors. The mean HbA1c of the patients, who reported never in their total weekly hours of exposure to the sun, was significantly lower than the mean HbA1c of those who reported 1 hour or less (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Physical inactivity was prevalent among the study population with very little exposure to the sun or time spent outdoors. Higher level of physical activity was associated with lower mean HbA1c levels. Encouraging T2DM patients to achieve the recommended levels of physical activity may help them to obtain greater benefits of Ramadan fasting, such as reducing their HbA1c levels. The impact of low direct exposure to the sun and the time spent outdoors needs to be further investigated in both healthy and diabetic patients.

Keywords: diabetes, fasting, physical activity, sunlight, Ramadan

Procedia PDF Downloads 159

Authors: Aoxue Yang, Weili Tian, Haikun Liu

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Brain tumor stem cells (BTSCs) are resistant to therapy and give rise to recurrent tumors. These rare and elusive cells are likely to disseminate during cancer progression, and some may enter dormancy, remaining viable but not increasing. The identification of dormant BTSCs is thus necessary to design effective therapies for glioblastoma (GBM) patients. Glucocorticoids (GCs) are used to treat GBM-associated edema. However, glucocorticoids participate in the physiological response to psychosocial stress, linked to poor cancer prognosis. This raises concern that glucocorticoids affect the tumor and BTSCs. Identifying markers specifically expressed by brain tumor stem cells (BTSCs) may enable specific therapies that spare their regular tissue-resident counterparts. By ribosome profiling analysis, we have identified that glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1 (GPD1) is expressed by dormant BTSCs but not by NSCs. Through different stress-induced experiments in vitro, we found that only dexamethasone (DEXA) can significantly increase the expression of GPD1 in NSCs. Adversely, mifepristone (MIFE) which is classified as glucocorticoid receptors antagonists, could decrease GPD1 protein level and weaken the proliferation and stemness in BTSCs. Furthermore, DEXA can induce GPD1 expression in tumor-bearing mice brains and shorten animal survival, whereas MIFE has a distinct adverse effect that prolonged mice lifespan. Knocking out GR in NSC can block the upregulation of GPD1 inducing by DEXA, and we find the specific sequences on GPD1 promotor combined with GR, thus improving the efficiency of GPD1 transcription from CHIP-Seq. Moreover, GR and GPD1 are highly co-stained on GBM sections obtained from patients and mice. All these findings confirmed that GR could regulate GPD1 and loss of GPD1 Impairs Multiple Pathways Important for BTSCs Maintenance GPD1 is also a critical enzyme regulating glycolysis and lipid synthesis. We observed that DEXA and MIFE could change the metabolic profiles of BTSCs by regulating GPD1 to shift the transition of cell dormancy. Our transcriptome and lipidomics analysis demonstrated that cell cycle signaling and phosphoglycerides synthesis pathways contributed a lot to the inhibition of GPD1 caused by MIFE. In conclusion, our findings raise concern that treatment of GBM with GCs may compromise the efficacy of chemotherapy and contribute to BTSC dormancy. Inhibition of GR can dramatically reduce GPD1 and extend the survival duration of GBM-bearing mice. The molecular link between GPD1 and GR may give us an attractive therapeutic target for glioblastoma.

Keywords: cancer stem cell, dormancy, glioblastoma, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1, glucocorticoid receptor, dexamethasone, RNA-sequencing, phosphoglycerides

Procedia PDF Downloads 131

Authors: G. Zakharov, Z. Aslamazashvili, M. Chikhradze, D. Kvaskhvadze, N. Khidasheli, S. Gvazava

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Traditional technologies for processing iron-containing industrial waste, including steel-rolling production, are associated with significant energy costs, the long duration of processes, and the need to use complex and expensive equipment. Waste generated during the industrial process negatively affects the environment, but at the same time, it is a valuable raw material and can be used to produce new marketable products. The study of the effectiveness of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) methods, which are characterized by the simplicity of the necessary equipment, the purity of the final product, and the high processing speed, is under the wide scientific and practical interest to solve the set problem. The work presents technological aspects of the production of Ferro boron by the method of SHS - metallurgy from iron-containing wastes of rolled production for alloying of cast iron and results of the effect of alloying element on the degree of boron assimilation with liquid cast iron. Features of Fe-B system combustion have been investigated, and the main parameters to control the phase composition of synthesis products have been experimentally established. Effect of overloads on patterns of cast ligatures formation and mechanisms structure formation of SHS products was studied. It has been shown that an increase in the content of hematite Fe₂O₃ in iron-containing waste leads to an increase in the content of phase FeB and, accordingly, the amount of boron in the ligature. Boron content in ligature is within 3-14%, and the phase composition of obtained ligatures consists of Fe₂B and FeB phases. Depending on the initial composition of the wastes, the yield of the end product reaches 91 - 94%, and the extraction of boron is 70 - 88%. Combustion processes of high exothermic mixtures allow to obtain a wide range of boron-containing ligatures from industrial wastes. In view of the relatively low melting point of the obtained SHS-ligature, the positive dynamics of boron absorption by liquid iron is established. According to the obtained data, the degree of absorption of the ligature by alloying gray cast iron at 1450°C is 80-85%. When combined with the treatment of liquid cast iron with magnesium, followed by alloying with the developed ligature, boron losses are reduced by 5-7%. At that, uniform distribution of boron micro-additives in the volume of treated liquid metal is provided. Acknowledgment: This work was supported by Shota Rustaveli Georgian National Science Foundation of Georgia (SRGNSFG) under the GENIE project (grant number № CARYS-19-802).

Keywords: self-propagating high-temperature synthesis, cast iron, industrial waste, ductile iron, structure formation

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Authors: Tobias Milz, L. Macpherson, Varvara Vetrova

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The law is a fundamental pillar of human societies as it shapes, controls and governs how humans conduct business, behave and interact with each other. Recent advances in computer-assisted technologies such as NLP, data science and AI are creating opportunities to support the practice, research and study of this pervasive domain. It is therefore not surprising that there has been an increase in investments into supporting technologies for the legal industry (also known as “legal tech” or “law tech”) over the last decade. A sub-discipline of particular appeal is concerned with assisted legal research. Supporting law researchers and practitioners to retrieve information from the vast amount of ever-growing legal documentation is of natural interest to the legal research community. One tool that has been in use for this purpose since the early nineteenth century is legal citation indexing. Among other use cases, they provided an effective means to discover new precedent cases. Nowadays, computer-assisted network analysis tools can allow for new and more efficient ways to reveal the “hidden” information that is conveyed through citation behavior. Unfortunately, access to openly available legal data is still lacking in New Zealand and access to such networks is only commercially available via providers such as LexisNexis. Consequently, there is a need to create, analyze and provide a legal citation network with sufficient data to support legal research tasks. This paper describes the development and analysis of a legal citation Network for New Zealand containing over 300.000 decisions from 125 different courts of all areas of law and jurisdiction. Using python, the authors assembled web crawlers, scrapers and an OCR pipeline to collect and convert court decisions from openly available sources such as NZLII into uniform and machine-readable text. This facilitated the use of regular expressions to identify references to other court decisions from within the decision text. The data was then imported into a graph-based database (Neo4j) with the courts and their respective cases represented as nodes and the extracted citations as links. Furthermore, additional links between courts of connected cases were added to indicate an indirect citation between the courts. Neo4j, as a graph-based database, allows efficient querying and use of network algorithms such as PageRank to reveal the most influential/most cited courts and court decisions over time. This paper shows that the in-degree distribution of the New Zealand legal citation network resembles a power-law distribution, which indicates a possible scale-free behavior of the network. This is in line with findings of the respective citation networks of the U.S. Supreme Court, Austria and Germany. The authors of this paper provide the database as an openly available data source to support further legal research. The decision texts can be exported from the database to be used for NLP-related legal research, while the network can be used for in-depth analysis. For example, users of the database can specify the network algorithms and metrics to only include specific courts to filter the results to the area of law of interest.

Keywords: case citation network, citation analysis, network analysis, Neo4j

Procedia PDF Downloads 106