bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anticancer, antioxidant and antimicrobial screening of extracts from selected medicinal plants from Oshikoto, Namibia
Authors: ILONGA SECILIA KAENDA , KANDAWA-SCHULZ MARTHA , EL-SAYED LOFTY HESHAM , LYANTAGAYE SYLVESTER
Published: February 2025

Abstract. Ilonga SK, Kandawa-Schulz M, El-Sayed Lofty H, Lyantagaye S. 2018. Anticancer, antioxidant and antimicrobial screening of extracts from selected medicinal plants from Oshikoto, Namibia. Bioteknologi 15: 55-69. Plants have been explored for years to treat ailments such as headaches, stomach-ache, diarrhea, tumors, wounds, and sexually transmitted diseases. Heliotropium ciliatum, Ziziphus mucronata, and Gnidia polycephala are traditionally utilized to treat tumors and wound-related illnesses. Tumors and persistent wounds can be an indication of cancer. Microbial wound infections can lead to fatal consequences, if unattended. This study evaluates the anticancer, antioxidant, and antimicrobial potential of extracts of these three medicinal plants. The leaves (Z. mucronata) and the aerial parts (G. polycephala and H. ciliatum) were ground and subsequently extracted with hexane, dichloromethane, ethanol and methanol, and water. The Brine shrimp lethality test (BST), 3- (4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromine (MTT) assay and APOPercentageTM flow cytometry assay were employed to evaluate the anticancer potential of the extracts, whereas the antioxidant activity was evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay evaluated. The antimicrobial potential of the plant extracts was evaluated using the broth microdilution method against eight wound pathogens: Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, Clostridium tetani, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Mycobacterium terrae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Streptococcus A. Methanol extracts of Z. mucronata and G. polycephala showed good antioxidant activity, compared to that of butylated hydroxyl toluene which served as control. High cytotoxicity is shown by dichloromethane and hexane extracts of Z. mucronata and H. ciliatum, as well as ethanol extracts of H. ciliatum, with LC50 values < 250 µg/mL. Meanwhile, water extracts showed the least cytotoxic activity. Dichloromethane extract of Z. mucronata also demonstrated a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, achieving MIC values ? 1 mg/mL against six out of eight tested microbes. The low toxicity of aqueous extracts of the three plants and the antimicrobial activity observed validates the use of these extracts in conventional medicine. Some extracts appear to be good sources of potential antioxidant and anticancer agents. However, further studies need to be conducted the isolation of potentially valuable drugs from these extracts.
Biological characterization of Fusarium sp. isolates on red chili plants (Capsicum annuum) from Boyolali, Central Java, Indonesia
Authors: NUGRAHENI ENDAH SULISTYO , WIDADI SRI , SUPYANI SUPYANI
Published: February 2025

Abstract. Nugraheni ES, Widadi S, Supyani. 2018. Biological characterization of Fusarium sp. isolates on red chili plants (Capsicum annuum) from Boyolali, Central Java, Indonesia. Bioteknologi 15: 92-98. This study examines the biological character, and virulence diversity of Fusarium sp. isolates in red chili plants (Capsicum annuum L.) from Boyolali, Central Java, Indonesia. This study was conducted from October 2009 to May 2010 at the Laboratory of Plant Pests and Diseases, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. This study was designed as exploratory research in the field and an experiment in the laboratory. Observation variables included colony growth rate, colony phenotype, sporulation, and virulence test. Data from growth rate observations, colony phenotype, and sporulation were presented in descriptive form. Meanwhile, data from the virulence test were analyzed for variance with the F test at a 5% level. If the treatment has a significant effect, it is continued with Duncan's Multiple Distance Test (DMRT) at a 5% level. The results showed that the fungus of Fusarium sp. on red chili plants from Boyolali had distinguished macroscopic and microscopic diversity, with different levels of virulence. The colony group of Fusarium sp. isolates that had a low virulence level was the isolate of group D. In contrast, the biological characters of isolate D showed white mycelium like cotton, long macroconidia shape with a tapered tip, macroconidia with 3-6 septa, microconidia with 0-1 septa, size [(±5.35x3.15)-(±4.75x2.5)] µm x [(±27.36x4.10)] µm, spore density between 25.64x106-27.76x106 spores/ml. This isolate has the potential as a hypovirulent isolate that can be used as an environmentally friendly biological control agent, particularly by applying the hypovirulent isolate in a biological control system with induced resistance and virocontrol with mycovirus methods.
A’joot : Ethics, Rights and Values Spoken from the Stomach and Heart
Authors: Rojas Araceli
Published: February 2025

This article examines the meaning of human rights. First, it describes the notions that are generally understood only from a Euro-Western view and position, which has created a universalising list of rights, reproducing paternalising and vertical power relations. Second, this text discusses double standards practices from the West that have unfairly divided the world into people with rights and those without merit. Third, this article attempts to raise new ways to conceive and address human values that are inspired by the philosophies and ways of relating to the world among Indigenous peoples. Some examples will be given which come from the Ayöök people of Oaxaca, such as the a’joot expression which asks for speaking from the stomach and heart, and where the human cannot exist as an individual-self without the presence of others in society. Emphasis is given to the concept of dignity developed by the Zapatistas (Zapatista Army of National Liberation), which entails the recognition of present living without dignity while fighting to achieve it, as a scream-protest against invisibilisation and an ongoing development of its meaning.
Decolonisation, Globalisation and South Africa
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Authors: Pheko Liepollo
Published: February 2025

This article analyses whether South Africa can decolonise its economic architecture in the era of globalisation. It further argues that South Africa’s 1994 debut into global economic polity is hampered by Western-framed globalisation, which further re-inscribes evolving colonial constructs. However, this article presents the theoretical frameworks of Afrikanisation and Pan-Afrikanisation as strategies which offer South Africa the difficult possibility of reclamation. Whilst there are challenges in pursuing this, the article suggests that a reorientation away from capitalist globalisation will be better facilitated by inward-looking Afrikan epistemologies through which the ongoing work of decolonisation is a crucial anchor. These include humanism conceptualised by Kenneth, Scientific Socialism conceptualised by Kwame Nkrumah and the Arusha Declaration spearheaded by Julius Nyerere (Kanu, 2014).

This article further discusses the concepts of global capitalism and decolonisation and centres them under the rubric of globalisation studies, including the neo-liberalisation of that field. Within this discourse, this article explores whether a contemporary Afrikan
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state like South Africa can be delinked from economic globalisation, which represents another complex colonial stronghold. It explores the logic of racialised colonialism and its impact on South Africa and draws on the works of decolonial theorists of the twentieth-century anti-imperialist era.
A Single Bangle Does Not Jingle: The Twinning Imperative of Ubuntu
Authors: Hlabangane Nokuthula
Published: February 2025

Humanity is beset by a number of intractable challenges, most of which can be attributed to the underlying ethos of capitalism. Characterised as “cultures of cruelty” that, together, have wrought untold suffering across the epochs, Ani’s (1993) notion of Yurugu is deployed to begin to account for the proclivity towards this destruction. In a bid to account for resilience against the unyielding odds integral to the notion of the “survival of the fittest”, this paper posits ubuntu and the ethos of interconnection as the bedrock of said resilience. The paper taps into the lived ethos of abantu to argue that decolonisation as a reflection of the lifeways central to the cosmic rhythm is not far off even within the patriarchal, western-centric, colonial Africa. In this way, the ubiquity of the capitalist, instrumentalist, rational reason is routinely undermined as higher ideals are lived, heralding beauty in the desert.
African Approaches to Intellectual Property: Intellectual Property, Development and the Contested Meanings of Decolonisation
Authors: Dladla Ntokozo
Published: February 2025

The term “decolonisation” has been revived more recently in intellectual property (IP) jurisprudence. This article attempts to trace the evolution of its usage in the work of two prominent IP scholars, Ruth L. Okediji and Caroline B. Ncube. I argue that in the work of Okediji, the term is used to renew the radical debates of the 1970s on the right to development in order to undo international law and IP’s imperialist correlates. In the work of Ncube, on the other hand, the term is used to disarticulate the “literal” meaning of decolonisation (1955–1975) from the historical exigencies which necessitated the emergence of African approaches to international law. Whereas “decolonisation” in the work of Okediji is applied to expand the disciplinary framework of African approaches to international law within the field of IP, Ncube idealises the term in order to redeem the development enterprise and obfuscate its racialising discourse of Africa. Ultimately, this article aims to provide a contribution to the historiography of African international legal scholarship by examining the contested meanings of “decolonisation” within IP’s disciplinary present.

“Each new concept bristles with its own complications, and it is not to be imagined that the mere resort to certain terminology is the answer to everything” (Rodney, 1972, p. 13).
People’s Network for Land and Liberation (Commentary)
Authors: Bush Melanie E. L.
Published: February 2025

In the context of end-stage capitalism, with intensifying global, economic, ecological, political and social crises this article discusses a formation in the United States that seeks to resist this trend, and imagine and build the new world centred on cooperative, regenerative and balanced systems. The People’s Network for Land and Liberation includes six organisations that have come together based on shared vision, values and program..
Interview with Ramon Grosfoguel, 30 August 2023
Authors: Bush Melanie E. L.
Published: February 2025

This commentary takes the form of an interview with Ramon Grosfoguel, who is an internationally renowned Puerto Rican intellectual, and scholar of decoloniality and coloniality. Dr Grosfoguel speaks to the historical context and contemporary manifestations of coloniality, white supremacy, capitalism and cis-gendered-heteronormative patriarchy. He discusses three temporal crises being faced globally and several forms of resistance evident today.
Association between timing of motherhood and prospective cardiovascular biomarker risk factors: a twin study
Authors: Schneider Verena , Lacey Rebecca , Di Gessa Giorgio , Bowyer Ruth , Steves Claire , McMunn Anne
Published: February 2025

Background:

Evidence suggests that transitioning to motherhood at a younger age is associated with higher levels of cardiovascular biomarker risk factors later in life. While early-life confounding factors alongside social and behavioural pathways contribute to this association, residual confounding may remain.

Objective:

To investigate the relationship between age at first childbirth and later life cardiovascular biomarker risk factors (BMI, android/gynoid fat ratio, blood pressure, lipid profile), and environmental and genetic confounding in female twins.

Participants and setting:

Participants were 2,204 mothers from the TwinsUK cohort (549 di-, 553 monozygotic twin pairs) who were 50 years or older and had data on age at first birth, at least one outcome, and selected covariates.

Methods:

Generalised estimation equations were used to analyse (1) individual-level crude associations of age at first birth with the outcomes, (2) di- and monozygotic between and within-family estimates, and (3) covariate-adjusted associations.

Results:

Individual-level analyses suggest that women with age at first birth <20 years (compared to 25–29 years) had higher mean BMI, android/gynoid fat ratio, and triglyceride levels after age 50. However, confidence intervals were wide. Considering within-family estimates, effect size reductions suggest partial confounding by early environmental factors, with associations for android/gynoid fat ratio persisting.

Conclusion:

Family-level confounding plays a role in the link between age at first birth and cardiovascular biomarker risk factors. Age at first birth <20 may be associated with increased cardiovascular biomarker risk. Larger representative and/or twin studies are needed to assess these findings’ significance, robustness to confounding, and specific pathways.
‘Risky visibility’: the online harassment of queer politicians
Authors: Stephenson Elise , Williams Blair , Mikolajczak Gosia , Hayes Jack
Published: February 2025

Politicians face high levels of public scrutiny and abuse online, with minoritised candidates experiencing qualitatively different treatment. Queer politicians, in particular, face ‘risky visibility’, where their sexuality, combined with other intersecting factors, leads to more personal harassment. Using queer and feminist theory, this article examines online harassment through two case studies focusing on (1) openly out Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, queer+ (LGBTIQ+) politicians from Australia’s 2022 federal election (N = 8) and (2) survey data from politically engaged young gender and sexually minoritised groups (N = 98). The analysis reveals that, unlike straight politicians, queer politicians receive more personal harassment (focused on appearance, sexual identity and gender performance) than political harassment (focused on party or policy issues). This harassment negatively impacts the political pipeline, creating a double bind for queer politicians and distracting from genuine political issues, with implications for democracy.
Correcting imposed institutions: default and reparations?
Authors: Levy David M. , Peart Sandra J.
Published: February 2025

James Buchanan's normative theory of political exchange would justify debt repudiation when debt finances the consumption of a majority. He also insisted that each generation, as a group, deserves an equal starting point. Would this theory of political exchange justify reparations to Black Americans for state actions that caused intergenerational harm? We see many similarities between the cases.
The burden of Southern public finance: Benjamin Ratchford, David McCord Wright, and James M. Buchanan on public debt
Authors: Kuehn Daniel
Published: February 2025

At a time when the American South played a marginal role in the economics profession, three of the four most prominent critics of Abba Lerner and Alvin Hansen’s analysis of the burden of public debt were born, raised, and working in the South. Benjamin Ratchford (North Carolina) and David McCord Wright (Georgia), along with James Meade of Great Britain, constituted the first wave of criticism in the 1940s. They were later joined by James M. Buchanan (Tennessee), who praised their contributions as “instrumental in forcing a recognition” of the burden of public debt. To understand the contributions of these economists, I draw on C. Vann Woodward’s “burden of Southern history” thesis, which holds that Southerners’ historical experiences gave them a unique perspective on national problems. I argue that Ratchford, Wright, and Buchanan’s research on and experience with Southern public finance shaped their response to the debt theory of their non-Southern peers.
Everyday circularities: perspectives from the Global South
Authors: Dias Sonia , Anantharaman Manisha , Hobson Kersty , Greene Mary
Published: February 2025

To highlight critical perspectives on the Circular Economy (CE) this conversation with Manisha Anantharaman and Sonia Dias considers often-overlooked Global South perspectives on everyday dynamics of circular transformation. In this conversation, we, Mary and Kersty, chat with Manisha (Sciences Po), a scholar in critical approaches to sustainability and circularity, and Sonia, a sociologist who works for WIEGO (Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing), about key issues and debates concerning circular change that emerge from their work in India and Latin America.

Our conversation spans the broader political and economic contexts of the CE and the necessity of situating everyday circular practices within this framework of unequal access. Beginning with an exploration of the ‘circularity divide’ (Barrie et al, 2022), in which CE initiatives can deepen inequalities if not carefully approached, we discuss the crucial role of informal workers in the Global South and the importance of inclusive, context-specific approaches to circularity.

We then explore the differences and similarities in consumption dynamics across settings; the role of the household as a critical scale of analysis; and the diverse domestic experiences within these settings. Finally, we discuss the significance of DIY infrastructures and the informal economy in creating and sustaining the systems of provision essential for enacting circularity, as well as the role of scholarship in supporting political action for inclusive circular change.
Factors and consequences of information and communication technologies in social work practice: a literature review
Authors: Kozica Belma , Malmberg-Heimonen Ira
Published: February 2025

The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in social work has accelerated over the past few years, especially with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This development has had significant consequences for the field. As the use of ICTs has expanded, understanding the impact on social work practice has become crucial. This study’s aim is to synthesise the existing knowledge of ICT use in social work by presenting an overview of the current literature, including studies that have examined the use of ICTs and their identified consequences. A literature review of studies published from 2015 to 2024 was conducted within several databases. The initial search yielded 7,947 studies, 29 of which were included in the final review. The findings illustrate how the integration of ICTs into social work, shaped by organisational policies, client preferences, generational differences and external factors like the COVID-19 pandemic, offers such benefits as enhanced communication and improved time management. However, the incorporation of ICTs also introduces challenges related to professional boundaries, privacy and autonomy. We advocate carefully balancing the challenges of ICT use against core social work principles and conducting further research to bridge the gap between evolving technologies and ethical social work practices.
Captive and Captivated Audiences: Native American Film Exhibition, 1903–1929
Authors: Caddoo Cara
Published: February 2025

abstract: This article considers the history of Native American film exhibition and filmgoing in the silent era. During this time, Native Americans were forced to watch films on reservations and in US government–sponsored day and boarding schools—an important but overlooked chapter in the development of non-theatrical and educational film. Simultaneously, they also developed their own cinema practices. From at least 1903, Native Americans attended and exhibited films across Indian Country. Whether procuring their own film projectors, opening their own theaters, or attending Native-operated film exhibitions, their activities frequently expressed desires for autonomy, community building, and survivance.
The Guild and the Laboratory: Shifting Sensory Regimes at Stockholms Bryggerier in the Early Twentieth Century
Authors: Pettersson Ingemar , Normark Daniel
Published: February 2025

abstract: This article engages with scholarship on sensory history, techno-science, and the political economy of taste, illustrating how flavor evaluation became an industrialized, professionalized practice through a case study of Stockholms bryggerier, a Swedish brewer. Through these shifts, the brewing industry redefined taste as a techno-scientific concern, reshaping professional roles and positioning sensory assessment as a critical site of negotiation between traditional craftsmanship and scientific authority in twentieth-century food industries. From the late nineteenth century to the 1930s, Stockholms bryggerier shifted from a "guild regime" of sensory judgment, led by traditionally trained brewmasters, to a "laboratory regime" grounded in techno-scientific methods. Central to this transformation was the difference test, which standardized flavor assessment amid political tensions between Sweden's temperance movement and the brewing industry over beer's alcohol content and sensory appeal. This article shows how the difference test transformed sensory practices into a politically and scientifically mediated process.
Differentiable wave propagation method for shape optimization of freeform optics beyond the paraxial approximation
Authors: BARRE Nicolas , Brunel Marc
Published: February 2025

Freeform optics provides precise control of light for beam shaping and mode conversion, but designing volumetric micro-optical elements requires efficient, low-runtime simulation methods. The wave propagation method (WPM) offers a fast alternative to full-wave solvers for high-index-contrast and non-paraxial systems but lacks differentiability, preventing its use with gradient descent methods for inverse design. We propose a differentiable formulation of WPM using smoothstep functions to create a soft partition of the spatial domain, allowing for gradient-based optimization. This crucial modification enables a general and computationally efficient framework for solving inverse design problems in micro-optics. We demonstrate its effectiveness through the simulation of a freeform hologram exhibiting high diffraction angles, highlighting the limitations of traditional paraxial methods.
New Evidence of High-Temperature, High-Pressure Processes at the Site of the 1908 Tunguska Event: Implications for Impact and Airburst Phenomena
Authors: Kletetschka Gunther , Takac Marian , Smrcinova Lucie , Kavkova Radana , Abbott Dallas , LeCompte Malcolm A. , Moore Christopher R. , Kennett James P. , Adedeji Victor , Witwer Timothy , Langworthy Kurt , Razink Joshua J. , Brogden Valerie , Devener Brian van , Perez Jesus Paulo , Polson Randy , Eaton Teresa M. , Valente Matthew J. , Lanning David B. , Rapoport Yoav , Reyes Argyro , Holladay Ravi , Madrigal Michelle , Kiselev Aleksei , West Allen
Published: February 2025

We report diverse shock-metamorphosed and melted grains from the 1908 airburst site in Russia, one of history’s most significant and enigmatic cosmic events. Analysis of samples from a rimmed crater-like feature near the epicenter using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and cathodoluminescence (CL) revealed evidence of extreme conditions. Our findings indicate heterogeneous shock pressures (~≥2 GPa) and temperatures (~≥1710°C) produced various microparticles, including FeO and aluminosilicate glass microspherules, melted quartz microspherules, carbon spherules, glass-like carbon, and melted minerals. Notably, quartz grains exhibit high-temperature melting and shock metamorphism, including planar deformation features (PDFs) and planar fractures (PFs), with some showing glass-lined internal fractures and melted silica coatings. Similarly, some feldspar grains display melted feldspar coatings. While multiple origins for these materials are possible – including an older crater and volcanism – the evidence best supports the 1908 Tunguska airburst hypothesis. The abundance of melted, shocked materials in the biomass-burning layer aligns with proposals that airburst fragments struck the Earth’s surface at velocities sufficient to produce shocked quartz. The coexistence of melted particles, shock-metamorphosed minerals, and unaltered grains suggests a heterogeneous energy distribution that created shallow craters and melted surface materials. These findings advance our understanding of airburst/impact mechanics, but few people have ever observed a dangerous airburst like Tunguska, so very little is known about them. Lacking sufficient real-world data, scientists should continue modeling these dangerous low-altitude airbursts to understand them better. The Tunguska event is a valuable case study demonstrating the urgent need to improve our planetary defense strategies.
Privacy-preserving machine learning: a review of federated learning techniques and ‎applications
Authors: Saber Rashid Nazik , Maseeh Yasin Hajar
Published: February 2025

Federated Learning (FL), which permits decentralized model training without sharing raw data, guarantees ‎adherence to privacy laws like GDPR and HIPAA. This study offers a thorough analysis of FL with an ‎emphasis on its exceptional capacity to strike a balance between data value and privacy in industries ‎including healthcare, the Internet of Things, and finance. In contrast to previous evaluations, this study ‎explores sophisticated privacy-preserving techniques, such as differential privacy and homomorphic ‎encryption, and assesses how well they work to handle issues like adversarial threats, non-IID data ‎distributions, and communication overhead. The study also discusses the practical uses of optimization ‎techniques like Federated Proximal (FedProx) and Federated Averaging (FedAvg). This paper provides ‎practical insights and future approaches to promote the use of FL in privacy-sensitive AI applications by ‎comparing and contrasting current methods and pointing out research gaps. FL is positioned as a ‎revolutionary method for privacy-conscious machine learning because to this fresh viewpoint.
This update highlights the paper's distinctive features that set it apart from prior reviews, including the ‎thorough examination of privacy mechanisms, assessment of optimization techniques, and identification ‎of research needs‎.
Bridging algebra and geometry: a statistical analysis of algebraic applications in geometrical concepts
Authors: Paul Ranjit , Sahidullah Md.
Published: February 2025

To this purpose, the current research studied spatial reasoning considering geometry with a special emphasis on how algebra may play into ‎impacting students' geometric comprehension. A mixed-methods strategy was adopted, including questionnaires and evaluations to obtain ‎data from students about both their algebraic abilities as well as spatial reasoning competence. The findings reveal a direct association be-‎tween algebraic equation performance and spatial thinking, with a r = 0.65 correlation in the Pearson coefficient. Moreover, the multiple ‎regression analysis suggests that algebraic ideas strongly predict problem-solving performance (R² = 0.78 (p≤.000). Overall, the findings ‎underline algebra as a doorway to geometric reason and so bolster a justification for integrating algebra with geometry in education. ‎Through interdisciplinary teaching approaches, educators may create a more integrated mathematical framework among pupils, consequently ‎increasing spatial thinking and overall results in mathematics. The implications for mathematics education are substantial, demonstrating that ‎a more thorough knowledge of algebra may enhance geometric problem-solving. but is not only a driver for improved educational results, ‎but will also mean our students are being appropriately equipped to take the advanced applications in sectors such as engineering and computer science, where both algebraic and geometric thinking matter immensely. The findings underscore the relevance of educational techniques that offer a clear, cohesive depiction of mathematics for supporting student learning gains‎.
Applications of the artificial bee colony algorithm in medical ‎imaging and diagnostics: a review
Authors: Ahmed Shaban Awaz , Yasin Hajar Maseeh
Published: February 2025

The Artificial Bee Colony algorithm is an innovative optimization technique inspired by the foraging behavior of honeybees. Its ability to ‎balance exploration and exploitation makes it effective for addressing complex challenges, particularly in medicine. This paper explores its ‎applications in medical image segmentation, disease detection, and biomedical signal processing. Notable achievements include improving ‎tumor segmentation in noisy MRI scans and enhancing disease classification. However, challenges like high computational demands and ‎scalability remain. Hybrid approaches, such as combining ABC with neural networks, show promise. Future research could focus on real-‎time healthcare applications and integrating ABC with the Internet of Medical Things. This study underscores the potential of ABC to drive ‎significant advancements in healthcare‎.
Beyond traditional note-taking: Comparing the effects of collaboratively-generated versus instructor-provided notes on recall and writing performance
Authors: Fanguy Mik
Published: February 2025

Note-taking is generally regarded as an effective learning strategy, but it is also cognitively demanding. Students often omit salient information in their notes due to the burden of trying to listen while writing down what they hear. Two alternative forms to traditional note-taking are online collaborative note-taking and instructor-provided notes. The former strategy allows students to work together online in small groups to share the burden of note-taking as well as the benefits of the collaborative document they produce together. The latter strategy involves the course instructor providing students with a complete set of notes, freeing students cognitively to listen and make connections with the lecture content. However, research on these two approaches remains sparse, and thus far, no study has compared their effects on learning performance. Therefore, the present study compared the learning performances of 161 students divided into two treatment conditions within a flipped learning environment: one where students took collaborative notes and another where students received notes provided by the instructor. Quiz scores showed no differences between the two conditions, but measures of both group and individual writing quality were significantly higher in the online collaborative note-taking condition than with the instructor-provided notes.
 
Implications for practice or policy:

To enhance students’ recall, instructors should provide notes to students.
To bolster students’ ability to collaborate, instructors should have students take online collaborative notes.
To enable students to improve and apply a skill, such as writing, instructors should have students take online collaborative notes.
Data-efficient prediction of OLED optical properties enabled by transfer learning
Authors: Shin Jeong Min , Kim Sanmun , Menabde Sergey G. , Park Sehong , Lee In-Goo , Kim Injue , Jang Min Seok
Published: February 2025

It has long been desired to enable global structural optimization of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) for maximal light extraction. The most critical obstacles to achieving this goal are time-consuming optical simulations and discrepancies between simulation and experiment. In this work, by leveraging transfer learning, we demonstrate that fast and reliable prediction of OLED optical properties is possible with several times higher data efficiency compared to previously demonstrated surrogate solvers based on artificial neural networks. Once a neural network is trained for a base OLED structure, it can be transferred to predict the properties of modified structures with additional layers with a relatively small number of additional training samples. Moreover, we demonstrate that, with only a few tenths of experimental data sets, a neural network can be trained to accurately predict experimental measurements of OLEDs, which often differ from simulation results due to fabrication and measurement errors. This is enabled by transferring a pre-trained network, built with a large amount of simulated data, to a new network capable of correcting systematic errors in experiment. Our work proposes a practical approach to designing and optimizing OLED structures with a large number of design parameters to achieve high optical efficiency.
Electrochemically modulated single-molecule localization microscopy for in vitro imaging cytoskeletal protein structures
Authors: Lei Chenghong , Hu Dehong
Published: February 2025

A new concept of electrochemically modulated single-molecule localization super-resolution imaging is developed. Applications of single-molecule localization super-resolution microscopy have been limited due to insufficient availability of qualified fluorophores with favorable low duty cycles. The key for the new concept is that the “On” state of a redox-active fluorophore with unfavorable high duty cycle could be driven to “Off” state by electrochemical potential modulation and thus become available for single-molecule localization imaging. The new concept was carried out using redox-active cresyl violet with unfavorable high duty cycle as a model fluorophore by synchronizing electrochemical potential scanning with a single-molecule localization microscope. The two cytoskeletal protein structures, the microtubules from porcine brain and the actins from rabbit muscle, were selected as the model target structures for the conceptual imaging in vitro. The super-resolution images of microtubules and actins were obtained from precise single-molecule localizations determined by modulating the On/Off states of single fluorophore molecules on the cytoskeletal proteins via electrochemical potential scanning. Importantly, this method could allow more fluorophores even with unfavorable photophysical properties to become available for a wider and more extensive application of single-molecule localization microscopy.
Pandemic Intensity Estimation using Dynamic Factor Modeling
Authors: Cooke Aaron , Vivian John
Published: February 2025

Individual and policy reactions to the coronavirus pandemic had disparate impacts on viral transmission and were heterogeneous in their influence on economic activity and personal outcomes (Kerpen, Phil, Stephen Moore, and Casey B. Mulligan. 2022. A Final Report Card on the States’ Response to Covid-19. Working Paper 29928. National Bureau of Economic Research). Pandemic researchers struggle with choosing from multiple measurements of disease intensity. This paper is the first to suggest using a restricted data-rich dynamic factor model, generated from a variety of economic and pandemic data series to provide a comprehensive measurement of disease intensity. We use this approach to evaluate vaccination efficacy. We also provide future researchers with an open-source Python package that can run a restricted dynamic factor model with bespoke data input. By using the information generated by this specification, policy makers can choose how to respond to future pandemics with a deeper understanding of the costs and benefits of their choices. This paper concentrates on the United States, and exploits variation between U.S. states, but this approach is generalizable for any populations with similar data availability.
The Effect of Grit, Proactive Personality, Supervisor Support, Organizational Support on Employee Work Engagement
Authors: Ingarianti Tri Muji , Panggabean Aninda Namira , Khotimah Khusnul , Silfiasari Silfiasari
Published: February 2025

Each employee may have different level of work engagement. A company must wants its employees to have high level of work engagement so they can work vigorously, with good dedication and get fully immersed in the work. The grit, proactive personality, supervisor support and organizational support factors can be predicted to to be able to influence work engagement of the employees. This study aims to discover the effect of grit, proactive personality, supervisor support, and organizational support on work engagement on employees. The subject of this study was employees who work at companies in East Java. Quantitative method was applied in this study with 197 subjects in total using simple random sampling technique. Grit Scale, Proactive Personality Scale (PPS), Surveys of Perceived Supervisor Support, Perceived Organizational Support (POS), and Utrech Work Engagement Scale - 9 (UWES-9) were the instruments used in this study. The results of the analysis explain there was an effect of grit on work engagement on employees (p<.05), there was an effect of supervisor support on work engagement on employees (p<.05), there was an effect of organization support on work engagement on employees (p<.05), and there wasn’t an effect of proactive personality on work engagement on employees (p>.05). As for suggestions for further research, paying more attention to completeness and suitability when distributing questionnaires to respondent, and it is necessary to pay more attention to the characteristics of the research subjects and other factors that might affect employee engagement such as social welfare, quality of work life, and organizational culture.
Work-Family Interface, Workplace Well-Being and Psychological Detachment on Work from Home System
Authors: Michael Michael , Zamralita Zamralita
Published: February 2025

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted employees in numerous ways, notably through the shift to work-from-home (WFH) arrangements. This transition has disrupted employees’ workplace well-being (WWB), with blurred boundaries between family and work life becoming more common. The challenge of balancing work and family demands under WFH conditions is referred to as the work-family interface (WFI). This study explores the effect of WFI on WWB and examines whether psychological detachment—defined as a recovery experience that allows individuals to mentally disengage from work to restore personal resources—moderates this relationship. The implementation of WFH during COVID-19 pandemic has posed a challenge of balancing the interaction between work and family or can be known as work-family interface (WFI). Psychological detachment as a form of recovery experience to replenish an individual's resource is assumed to moderate the relationship between WFI and WWB. So this study aims to look at the impact from WFI to WWB and also the moderation effect of psychological detachment. The study was conducted on 143 employees using convenience sampling, a non-probability sampling method. The instruments utilized in this study are the Work Family Interface from the Work-Family Interface Scale, with a reliability score of α = .728; the Workplace Well-being from the Workplace Well-being Questionnaire, with a reliability score of α = .893; and the Psychological Detachment from the Recovery Experience Questionnaire, with a reliability score of α = .825 and ω = .828. The results demonstrated that the Work-Family Interface (WFI) exerts a significant influence on workplace well-being (WWB) (p = .000). Furthermore, the findings substantiated that the four dimensions of the WFI markedly impact WWB (p = .000). However, the hypothesis that psychological detachment acts as a moderator in the relationship between WFI and WWB was not supported (p = .263, p > .05).
HEAVY METAL ANALYSIS AND HISTOPATHOLOGICAL STUDIES OF BUBULCUS IBIS (CATTLE EGRETS) IN OKO-OBA, ALIMOSHO, LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA
Authors:   Biological Science Department, University of Delta, Agbor, Delta –State., OKOH EDITH UNOMA , AKINPELU MOPEOLA ,   Zoology Department, University of Lagos, ODUMA EWOMA O ,   University of Delta, Agbor, Delta-state
Published: February 2025

Heavy metal pollution poses a significant threat to ecosystems and organisms, including avian species that serve as bio indicator due to its bioaccumulation and toxic effects on living organisms. This study examined the levels of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), and mercury (Hg) in the feathers, liver, and chest muscles of Bubulcus ibis (Cattle Egrets) collected from Oko-Oba, Lagos State, Nigeria . Utilizing feathers, liver, and chest muscles, alongside environmental samples from sediment and water, we performed physicochemical, histopathological, and atomic absorption spectroscopic analyses to determine contamination levels .The highest mean concentrations of heavy metals in feathers were observed for Pb (4.40 ± 0.69 mg/kg) and Cu (4.13 ± 0.85 mg/kg), while Hg showed the highest mean in liver tissues (0.40 ± 0.27 mg/kg). In water samples, Pb recorded a mean concentration of 2.76 ± 0.45 mg/L, and Hg was detected at 0.97 ± 0.14 mg/L. Sediment samples exhibited maximum mean concentrations for Pb (2.37 ± 0.66 mg/kg) and Cd (0.89 ± 0.40 mg/kg). Results revealed substantial bioaccumulation of Pb and Cu, particularly in chest muscles, and elevated Hg concentrations in feathers. Histopathological analyses revealed significant tissue damage, including sloughing and lymphocytic infiltration in intestinal tissues. The results indicate a significant bioaccumulation of Pb and Cu in avian tissues and highlight the role of Bubulcus ibis as a bio indicator of heavy metal contamination. These findings underscore the ecological health risks associated with heavy metal contamination, reinforcing the importance of periodic monitoring and conservation strategies to mitigate the effects on local avian populations and ecosystem health.
ASSESSING THE MOLLUSCICIDAL POTENTIAL OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF ZINGIBER OFFICINALE ON BULINUS WRIGHTI, A CARRIER OF BILHARZIA
Authors:   Department of Biology, Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, Nigeria., YALLI A.A. , ARMIYA’U M.A. ,   Department of Biology, Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, Nigeria., LAWAL H.M ,   Department of Biology, Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, Nigeria.
Published: February 2025

This study assess the molluscicidal potential of various preparations of Zingiber officinale (ginger) against Bulinus wrighti, a freshwater snail vector for schistosomiasis. Snails were exposed to different concentrations of Z. officinale extracts, with mortality recorded at intervals of 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours. To assess environmental safety, Oreochromis niloticus (tilapia) fish were also exposed to the 24-hour LC90 concentration of the molluscicidal formulations over a 96-hour period to observe potential toxicity to non-target species. Results indicate that molluscicidal efficacy of the plant-derived formulations, particularly those using ethanolic extraction, is both time- and concentration-dependent. The ethanolic extract of Z. officinale oleoresin showed a significant decrease in LC50 from 176.10 mg/L at 24 hours to 38.65 mg/L at 96 hours, highlighting its increased potency with prolonged exposure. These findings confirmed that ethanol-based plant extracts of Z. officinale, showed promising molluscicidal activity against B. wrighti. The absence of observed toxicity in tilapia suggests this extract may offer an environmentally friendly option for controlling schistosomiasis vectors in aquatic environments, supporting their potential use in integrated pest management strategies.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF PESTICIDE RESIDUES: FROM SOIL CONTAMINATION TO POLICY INTERVENTIONS
Authors:   African Institute for Science Policy and Innovation, Faculty of Technology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria., ONWUDIEGWU CHINWE , NABEBE GODGIFT ,   Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, Nigeria., IZAH SYLVESTER CHIBUEZE ,   Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Bayelsa Medical University, Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, Nigeria.
Published: February 2025

The extensive use of pesticides in modern agriculture has sparked serious concerns regarding environmental and public health, primarily due to the accumulation of pesticide residues in soil, water, and food. This paper examines the ecological and public health ramifications of these residues, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable agricultural practices, targeted public health initiatives, and policy reforms aimed at reducing the risks posed by pesticide exposure. The paper found that soil contamination from pesticide residues disrupts microbial ecosystems, compromises soil health, and leads to water pollution, ultimately contributing to biodiversity loss. Pesticide exposure, whether through direct contact or contaminated food, poses significant risks to farm workers and consumers. Public health strategies such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and biological control methods offer sustainable alternatives that help reduce dependency on chemical pesticides. Adopting organic farming methods, enhancing public knowledge of the safe use of pesticides, and providing comprehensive education on related risks are key strategies for reducing exposure and ensuring public health protection. Collaboration among stakeholders, including policy makers, farmers, industry leaders, and consumers, is essential for building a safer and more sustainable agricultural system. Additionally, bridging research gaps—particularly those related to the long-term health effects of pesticide exposure and the development of safer alternatives—is crucial for guiding informed policy decisions. As the global demand for safer food continues to increase, cohesive and strategic efforts are imperative to establish a resilient food production system that emphasizes environmental sustainability and human health. Policy makers must prioritize the creation and enforcement of robust regulations while fostering incentives for sustainable agricultural practices. Such measures are essential to safeguard public health and preserve environmental integrity, ensuring that food systems can meet present and future challenges effectively.
COMPARATIVE STUDY ON FLAVOR, TEXTURE, AND QUALITY PRESERVATION IN ONION BULBS (ALLIUM CEPA L.) UNDER TWO STORAGE METHODS
Authors:   Department of Biology, Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, Nigeria., LAWAL HM , SALAU IA ,   Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University Gusau, Nigeria., SUFIYANU S. ,   Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University Gusau, Nigeria.
Published: February 2025

Onion bulbs (Allium cepa L.), a staple in global cuisine, are valued for their distinctive flavor, texture, and nutritional benefits. However, maintaining their quality during storage presents challenges, particularly under conventional methods used in regions like northern Nigeria. This study compares the effects of two storage techniques wooden platforms and cemented floors on key quality parameters of onion bulbs, including storage loss, dry matter (DM) content, total soluble solids (TSS), firmness, pungency, and yield. A systematic evaluation was conducted, measuring parameters such as DM content, TSS (via hand refract meter), firmness (subjective scale), pungency (sensory evaluation), and storage loss over six months. Statistical analyses determined significant variations between storage methods. Wooden platforms demonstrated superior quality preservation, with lower storage loss (21.8%), higher firmness (8.00), greater DM content (17.7%), elevated TSS (17.3 °Brix), and enhanced pungency (3.00). Conversely, cemented floors yielded a higher bulb dry yield (2.27 t/ha), highlighting its productivity potential. These findings emphasize the critical role of storage techniques in preserving onion quality and ensuring market value. Wooden platforms are recommended for their ability to retain quality attributes crucial for consumer satisfaction and extended shelf life, while cemented floors are better suited for maximizing yield. This research provides practical insights for optimizing onion storage strategies to meet diverse agricultural and market demands.