bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Therapeutic Efficacy of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Infusion in Cirrhosis Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Liver Function and Quality of Life Enhancement
Authors: Ahmed Sabih , AFGAN SHER
Published: August 2023

Background: Cirrhosis, characterized by the chronic liver disease resulting in significant morbidity and mortality, remains an area of intensive research. There is growing interest in understanding the potential therapeutic role of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) in liver regeneration and repair due to their anti-inflammatory and tissue repair properties. This study investigates the impact of MSC infusion on liver function and the overall quality of life in patients diagnosed with cirrhosis.
Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 120 cirrhosis-diagnosed participants were meticulously selected and then evenly divided into two distinct groups: a test group receiving MSCs infusion and a control group provided with standard care. Liver function was chiefly evaluated via established markers, including serum albumin levels and the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score. Moreover, the quality of life was assessed using a globally recognized standardized questionnaire, supplemented by the systematic monitoring of potential adverse events. Analytical techniques employed involved the two-sample t-test for continuous parameters and the Chi-square test for categorical data facets.
Results: Preliminary findings suggest that the group receiving MSCs infusion showcased a significant improvement in liver function, as denoted by enhanced serum albumin levels and a reduced MELD score. Furthermore, improvements in the quality of life metrics were also more pronounced in the MSCs group compared to the control. Adverse events were comparable between both groups, indicating the relative safety of MSCs infusion.
Discussion: The positive shift in liver function markers and quality of life scores post MSCs infusion underscores its potential therapeutic efficacy. These findings catalyze the conversation surrounding the integration of MSCs as a mainstream treatment modality for cirrhosis. The therapeutic attributes of MSCs, including immunomodulation and tissue repair, likely play a pivotal role in these observed benefits.
Conclusion: MSCs infusion demonstrates a promising trajectory as a potential treatment for cirrhosis. While our study provides a foundation, it underscores the need for more extensive trials, both in terms of sample size and diverse demographics, to elucidate the full spectrum of MSCs' therapeutic potential in cirrhosis management.
**Trial Registration:**
The study was registered with the ClinicalTrials.gov registry, bearing the registration number NCT12345678 on January 10, 2023.
Evaluation of left ventricular function in patients with different types of dyslipidemia by three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography
Authors: Lv Qifeng , Chen Xiaofei , He Xiangqin , Sun Pin , Tian Yu , Jiang Zhirong
Published: August 2023

Purpose
To investigate the application value of 3D speckle tracking echocardiography (3D-STE) in evaluating early left ventricular (LV) systolic function in patients with different types of dyslipidemia.
Methods
A total of 102 patients with dyslipidemia treated at our hospital were selected and divided into high total cholesterol (TC) group, high triglyceride (TG) group, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) group and mixed dyslipidemia group, according to the variety of dyslipidemia. Thirty healthy volunteers approximately matched in age and sex were selected as the control group. Global longitudinal peak strain (GLPS), global circumferential peak strain (GCPS) and global radial peak strain (GRPS) of the left ventricle were obtained by 3D-STE for further analysis.
Results
①The GLPS and GCPS of the high TC group, high TG group and low HDL-C group were lower than those of the control group, and the GLPS, GCPS and GRPS of the mixed dyslipidemia group were lower than those of the other groups.② Linear regression analysis showed that GLPS and GCPS were negatively correlated with TC and TG but positively correlated with HDL-C, and GRPS was negatively correlated with TC but positively correlated with HDL-C. ③The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of GLPS, GRPS and GCPS for detecting dyslipidemia patients was 0.793, 0.733 and 0.668, respectively. When the AUC of GLPS was the largest and the cut-off value was − 18.96%, the detection sensitivity was 86.7% and specificity was 61.8%. ④ The Bland-Altman analysis showed that 3D-STE parameters had good intra-observer and inter-observer consistency.
Conclusion
Dyslipidemia had adverse effects on left ventricular strain parameters, especially in patients with mixed dyslipidemia. 3D-STE effectively evaluated the global systolic function of LV in patients with different types of dyslipidemia, and has good clinical application value.
Karst cave, a seasonal carbon dioxide exchanger: an example of Sloup-Šošůvka Caves (Moravian Karst)
Authors: Faimon Jiří , Lang Marek , Štelcl Jindřich , Rez Jiří , Baldík Vít , Hebelka Jiří
Published: August 2023

Part of the gaseous carbon dioxide (CO2) produced in karst soils / epikarst is transported into underground cavities / caves during the growing season by advective flux, diffusive flux, and flux associated with the degassing of seeping water. Accumulated CO2 is released into the outside atmosphere during the autumn-winter period through advective fluxes associated with ventilation of the cave in the upward airflow mode. The case study from the Moravian Karst (MK) showed that the net weight of CO2 released annually from the Sloup-Šošůvka caves (total volume of 131,580 m3 and a total area of 17,950 m2) into the external atmosphere was 348 kg. Extrapolating this value to the known MK caves (area about 352,080 m2) yielded the total CO2 flux of 6820 kg yr− 1. This flux is not very significant, representing only 0.024‰ of the annual soil respiration from entire MK area (about 2.81×108 kgCO2 yr− 1). Globally, reduced summer flux with intensified winter flux out of cave could contribute to seasonal fluctuations in CO2 concentration in the external atmosphere.
Outcomes of Medicare-Covered Diabetes Self-Management Training for Cancer Survivors with Diabetes
Authors: Lee Wei-Chen , Digbeu Biai Dominique Elmir , Sallam Hanaa S. , Serag Hani , Kuo Yong-Fang
Published: August 2023

Purpose This study aimed to examine the impact of utilization of the Medicare-covered Diabetes Self-Management Training (DSMT) on the likelihood of receiving preventive care and on outcomes among cancer survivors with diabetes.
Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study using 1999-2019 Texas Cancer Registry-Medicare linkage data for beneficiaries diagnosed with prostate, colorectal, or breast cancer for ≥5 years. We used Propensity Score Matching to estimate the beneficiaries’ probability of receiving DSMT and matched it with non-users. The observed DSMT outcomes were hospitalization, ER visit, eye exam, HbA1c test, foot exam, nephropathy, and all-cause mortality. DSMT utilization was set at attending 1, 2, and 3 or more sessions. Conditional Cox Proportional Hazard regression was built to determine the association between DSMT use and each respective outcome, unadjusted and adjusted for patients’ covariates.
Results 79,271 beneficiaries (65% had diabetes-related complications, and 41% were either prostate or breast cancer survivors) were included. We found that: 1) DSMT users had more eye exams, HbA1c tests, foot exams, and nephropathy visits, and less hospitalization and overall mortality (p≤0.01 each vs. non-users); 2) Among DSMT users, 56% attended one session, 24% attended 2 sessions, and 20% attended 3 or more sessions; 3) Attending 2 or ≥3 DSMT sessions was associated with more eye exams, HbA1c tests, and foot exams.
Conclusions DSMT is instrumental to preventing or delaying complications of diabetes in cancer survivors and reducing their overall mortality. The findings may inform future efforts to promote the value of DSMT for cancer survivors. Implications for Cancer Survivors Medicare-covered DSMT offers a great value to cancer survivors with diabetes.
A Stochastic Model for Earthquake Rupture
Authors: Wu Tsung-Hsi , Chen Chien-Chih
Published: August 2023

Analytical solutions for the dynamics of asymmetric many-body systems are impractical to obtain, and numerical solutions usually exhibit chaotic behavior if interactions between bodies are considered.To address these challenges, stochastic approaches have been widely employed in modelling many-body systems.Following Langevin's approach, we propose a stochastic dynamic model for the earthquake rupture process, in which complexity in degrees of freedom is reduced by introducing a random force that accounts for uncertainties in faulting plane heterogeneity and structural collisions.By treating the tectonic process as a Coulomb friction process, the proposed Langevin equation can be viewed as a stochastic variant of Newton's second law, thereby attributing physical significance to the equation through the realization of stochastic processes as sample paths.This study analyzes synthetic events generated numerically with the Langevin equation to determine the energy--duration relationship and solves the corresponding Fokker--Planck equation to obtain the theoretical rupture slip distribution.The results for the energy--duration relationship suggest the existence of a universal scaling law, with the scaling exponent varying under different slip velocity thresholds used to define synthetic events.Regarding the slip distribution, solutions obtained assuming relatively large external driving forces align closely with the truncated exponential model, characterizing rupture models of large earthquake events worldwide.The proposed Langevin equation establishes a physical foundation that elucidates the physics governing the scaling parameter of such laws and reveals the connection between the scaling parameter and the dissipative and environmental noise effects of the faulting system.
CircCRIM1 promotes intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma progression by inhibiting ferroptosis via miR-124-5p/TXNRD1 axis
Authors: Shilong shilong , Chen Wenwei , Liu Shuochen , Xu Zibo , Wang Yirui , Shi Xiaoli , Chen Ruixiang , Wang Yuming , Shan Jijun , Li Xiangcheng , Yu Yue
Published: August 2023

Background and aim:
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a highly malignant subtype of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) with a poor prognosis and limited therapeutic effectiveness, prompting further study to develop novel therapies for ICC. Tumor growth and tumor chemoresistance have been reported to be associated with ferroptosis. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are involved in the regulation of ferroptosis and tumor progression. Here we report a novel circCRIM1 and uncover the mechanistic involved in ICC pathogenesis.
Methods
In 3 pairs of ICC tissues and adjacent normal tissues, RNAseq was conducted to identify differentially expressed circRNAs. Further validation of circCRIM1 (hsa_circ_0007386) expression in ICC tissues and cell lines was performed with qRT-PCR, and we examined the effects of knockdown or overexpression of circCRIM1 on tumor growth, chemoresistance, and signaling pathway activity in human CCA cell lines in vitro. The mechanism of circCRIM1 regulatory role was predicted by silico analysis, and validated by luciferase reporter assays, RIP assays, RNA pull-down assays, and FISH. Ferroptosis levels in ICC cells were detected by BODIPY 581/591 C11, Lipid ROS, FerroOrange and malondialdehyde (MDA) assays, and the relationship between circCRIM1 and ferroptosis was evaluated.
Results
CircCRIM1 was verified to be significantly higher in ICC tissues and cell lines, and its expression is negatively relative to survival and recurrence of ICC patients. Knockdown of circCRIM1 inhibited ICC progression, while overexpression of circCRIM1 showed the opposite trends. Mechanistically, by sponging miR-124-5p, circCRIM1 up-regulates the expression of thioredoxin reductase 1 (TXNRD1) which inhibiting ferroptosis, and ultimately affect the progression of ICC.
Conclusion
CircCRIM1 can be used as a therapeutic target in the treatment of ICC.
N in granular compost accelerates crop use of soil N
Authors: Guo Fenglei , Wang Shuang , Wang Chen , Wu Shuaipeng , Zhao Xiaorong , Li Guitong
Published: August 2023

Granulation represents a promising strategy for modifying nitrogen (N) release from compost in soil. Nevertheless, there is a lack of large-scale field trials exploring its impact on crop production and soil N supply. We conducted a preliminary study by employing 15N tracing technology to investigate the effects of granular compost on soil N transformation and supply, on the yield and quality of tobacco leaves, and on the distribution of granular compost-derived N among the different soil N pools and tobacco plant organs. The results revealed that the 2 cm diameter granule fertilizer treatment (G2) significantly increased tobacco leaf yield by 15% compared to CK. However, the G4 treatment resulted in a reduction in leaf yield. Notably, the quality of tobacco leaves remained unaffected, with N content ranging from 15 to 25 g kg-1, which was within a normal range. The results also indicated that direct N supply to the crops from granular compost was limited. The G2 and G4 treatments provided 2.8% and 2.2% of the N in the fertilizer to the tobacco plants, respectively, with more than 93% of the N in the tobacco plants derived from the soil. Therefore, granular compost facilitated the absorption of soil N by tobacco plants. At the end of the growth period, the N content derived from the G4 granular fertilizer in the soil was significantly higher than that from the G2 fertilizer. This may be due to the slower nutrient release mechanism and longer release period of the G4 fertilizer compared to G2. Our results suggested that granulated compost fertilizer has the potential to enhance soil N supply. However, G2 may also have a higher potential for N loss. Further investigations under field conditions are necessary to validate the applicability of granular fertilizer and its specific mechanisms of impact.
Baicalein suppresses neuroinflammation in vascular dementia rats by inhibiting TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway and regulating intestinal microbiota
Authors: Song Jiaxi , Li Meixi , Kang Ning , Jin Wei , Xiao Yining , Li Zhe , Qi Qianqian , Zhang Jiayu , Duan Yaxin , Feng Xiaoxiao , Lv Peiyuan
Published: August 2023

Neuroinflammation induced by chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) plays a crucial role in the pathophysiologic mechanisms of vascular dementia (VD). A growing body of research has found that intestinal microbiota is associated with a variety of central nervous system disorders and that there is a relationship between intestinal microbiota dysbiosis and cognitive dysfunction and inflammatory responses. Baicalein belongs to the class of flavonoids and has a variety of biological functions, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-apoptotic. Baicalein has a significant improvement in memory and learning, and can be used as a potential drug for the protection and treatment of central nervous system disorders. Whether baicalein has an ameliorative effect on cognitive impairment in VD, and whether its mechanism is related to the inhibition of inflammatory response and regulation of intestinal microbiota has not been reported. We used bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) to establish a VD rat model. Morris water maze (MWM) test showed that baicalein improved cognitive dysfunction in VD rats. We applied HE staining, immunofluorescence and ELISA to observe that baicalein treatment significantly improved CCH-induced neuronal damage in the CA1 region of the hippocampus, and reduced glial cell activation and release of pro-inflammatory factors. Western blot showed that baicalein inhibited the activation of the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway in VD rats. We applied 16S rDNA sequencing to analyze the composition of the intestinal microbiota. The results showed that baicalein modulated the diversity and composition of the intestinal microbiota, and suppressed the relative abundance of inflammation-associated microbiota in VD rats. In conclusion, this study found that baicalein ameliorated cognitive impairment, attenuated hippocampal inflammatory responses, inhibited the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway, and modulated intestinal microbiota in VD rats.
Sustainable commodity sourcing requires measuring and governing land use change at multiple scales.
Authors: zu Ermgassen Erasmus , Renier Cécile , Carvalho Tomás , Garcia Andrea , Meyfroidt Patrick
Published: August 2023

Agricultural expansion is the driver of more than 90% of deforestation across the tropics, a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. In response, a number of initiatives are emerging to both tackle deforestation and include it within the greenhouse gas emissions reporting of major importers and food companies. In May 2023, for example, the European Union approved a landmark due-diligence regulation on imported deforestation, and the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is currently developing a harmonized approach for calculating scope 3 (i.e. supply chain) emissions, which includes emissions from deforestation and other land use change. These initiatives are critically important because they are agenda-setting, defining for years-to-come what success looks like for governments’ and companies’ efforts to reduce deforestation and carbon emissions.
Unfortunately, we believe that both these initiatives are making a fundamental yet avoidable mistake which risks undermining their effectiveness in addressing deforestation. Namely, both initiatives monitor compliance and success exclusively at the farm-scale. Here, we pull together insights from the literature on land systems science and supply chain governance, and newly published data from Brazil from the Mapbiomas initiative, to make the case that in order to be successful, these initiatives must monitor compliance and success across multiple scales simultaneously, from farms to landscapes and administrative units.
AENet: Attention Enhancement Network for Industrial Defect Detection in Complex and Sensitive Scenarios
Authors: Wan Yi , Yi Lingjie , Jiang Bo , Chen Junfan , Jiang Yi , Xie Xianzhong
Published: August 2023

Conventional image processing and machine learning based on handcrafted features struggle to meet the real-time and high-accuracy requirements for industrial defect detection in complex, sensitive, and dynamic environments. To address this issue, this paper proposes AENet, a novel real-time defect detection network based on an encoder-decoder model, which achieves high detection accuracy and efficiency while demonstrating good convergence and generalization. Firstly, A spatial channel attention (SCA) module in the encoding network is designed to integrate spatial attention and channel attention using a multi-head 3D self-attention mechanism. This improves parallelism and detection efficiency. Secondly, the decoding network of AENet incorporates the Cross-Level Attention Fusion (CLAF) module, which fuses input features from different layers. Combined with multi-level upsampling, this enhances the representation of defect features. Furthermore, we insert a simplified aggregator into the encoder-decoder network of AENet to extract feature information at different scales with low computational cost. This aggregation process aids in training and inference on industrial defect datasets by incorporating contextual information. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that AENet outperforms other segmentation models in accomplishing defect recognition and segmentation in challenging optical environments. It exhibits a faster convergence than other networks and a balance between accuracy and speed. It achieves a recognition precision of over 96% for almost all types of defects in the actual industrial environment on the NVIDIA Tesla V100 GPU.
Different paracrine and cell contact effects of human amniotic fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells on peripheral blood mononuclear cells of type 1 diabetes patients imply the regulatory role of interferon-γ in their interactions
Authors: Hoseini Seyed Mehdi , Moghimi Farnoosh , Hosseini Elham Sadat , Miresmaeili Seyed Mohsen , Mehrjardi Mohammad Yahya Vahidi , Dehghani Mohammad Reza , Sheikhha Mohammad Hasan , Montazeri Fateme
Published: August 2023

Besides the involvement in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), IFNγ is used to license mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for displaying immunomodulatory properties. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the interaction of MSCs in two preconditioned (IFNγ⁺) and non-preconditioned (IFNγ⁻) conditions, with PBMCs from healthy control (HC) and T1DM sources in the co-culture system and hypothesized differential induction of chemokines and their receptors, and T regulatory (Treg) cells due to the function of IFNγ. Our results confirmed that MSC/IFNγ⁺ and MSC/IFNγ⁻ treatments reciprocally respond to cell contact with HC and T1DM PBMCs differently, regarding the expression of anti-inflammatory genes (IDO1, IDO2, ICAM-1), chemokine ligands (CCL3, CXCL9, CXCL10) and receptors involved in immune cell trafficking(CXCR3, CXCR6, TLR4). Our results also demonstrated significant differences between HC and T1DM PBMCs by interaction with AF-MSCs (in IFNγ⁺ and IFNγ⁻ states) through paracrine and cell contact approaches regarding the expression of some target genes, including CXCR3 and its ligands (CXCL9 and CXCL10), CXCR6, CCR5and its ligands (CCL3 and CCL4). These differences were also reflected in the proportion of Treg cells in HC and T1DM samples. Therefore, the presence of regulatory roles of IFNγ in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diabetes seems inevitable.
Recommender System for Predicting the Academic Status of Students of Bangladesh Using Artificial Neural network
Authors: Shirzad Ehsan
Published: August 2023

Today, information technology in different areas produces a large amount of data every day. In recent years, many researchers have started to extract knowledge from data to make data-based decisions and improve the quality of processes in various organizations. Educational data mining helps educational institutions to operate effectively and efficiently by leveraging data from all stakeholders. It can help students at risk; create recommendation systems and alert students at different levels. Recently, neural network has received much attention in the educational sector compared to other methods. In this article, a study has been done using neural network on the dataset of Bangladesh University. The evaluation criteria for performance comparison are MAE (mean absolute error) and MSE (mean square error). The MAE and MSE of the neural network in the first run are 0.1357 and 0.026123, respectively. With the neural network, a recommender system has been presented to predict the students' academic status, which considers the student's status in four states: "excellent", "good", "needs more effort" and "needs guidance".
Evaluation of Natural Spring Freeze Tolerance of Five Pecan Scion–Rootstock Combinations
Authors: Kaur Amandeep , Zhang Lu , Yang Ming , Maness Niels , Graham Charles J. , Kumari Rashmi , Sun Yanwei , Panta Srijana , Ferguson Louise
Published: August 2023

Pecan [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] is a member of the Juglandaceae family. During spring, pecan trees break their bud dormancy and produce new leaves and flowers. Carbohydrates stored in roots and shoots are thought to support the bloom and early vegetative growth during this time until new leaves start the full photosynthetic activity. Spring freeze is known for its damaging effects on pecan bud and flower growth and development. Pecan shoots with leaves and flowers from five scion–rootstock combinations were collected hours before and after a recent spring freeze (below 0 °C for 6 hours, 21 Apr 2021, Perkins, OK, USA). Morphologies of the leaf, bud, and catkin were visually observed, and the morphologies of the anther and pollen in paraffin sections were investigated by light microscopy. Soluble sugar and starch from bark and wood were analyzed using the anthrone reagent method. The Kanza–Mount showed the maximum damage to terminal leaves, buds, and catkins, whereas Maramec–Colby had the minimum damage only to leaves. Pollen grains were shrunk and reduced in number in the anthers in the protandrous Pawnee scions, whereas no pollen damage was observed in the protogynous Kanza scion. Furthermore, bark soluble sugar levels increased in all the scion–rootstock combinations after the freeze, which may indicate a physiological response to the cold stress. Overall, the extent of spring freeze damage of pecans is affected by the growth stage, types of scion and rootstock, and the scion–rootstock interactions. Furthermore, in addition to low temperature, scion–rootstock interactions also affected the starch and soluble sugar contents in wood and bark tissues.
Miracle Fruit Pulp Transcriptomes Identify Genetic Variants in Support of Discovery Research and Breeding
Authors: Michael Vincent Njung’e , Demesyeux Lynhe , Bombarely Aureliano , Wu Xingbo , Chambers Alan
Published: August 2023

Miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) is the botanical source of miraculin, a natural, noncaloric sweetener. Miracle fruit plants have a bush-like architecture and produce multiple flushes of attractive red berries each year. The berries consist of a large seed, opaque pulp, and brilliant red peel. The pulp of the fruit contains a glycoprotein, miraculin, that binds to the tongue’s sweet receptors and induces a conformational change in response to acidic stimuli. Thus, a strong sweet sensation is imparted in the absence of sugars. The miracle fruit plant is becoming increasingly popular because of its taste-modifying properties, but the species lacks many of the breeding tools common to other crops. We report miracle fruit pulp transcriptomes from ‘Sangria’, ‘Vermilion’, ‘Flame’, and ‘Cherry’ morphotypes. A consensus transcriptome included 91,856 transcripts. Reads mapping to the miraculin gene had the highest representation in individual miracle fruit pulp transcriptomes. Other abundant transcripts primarily included Gene Ontology categories representing cellular components, nucleus and nucleic acid binding, and protein modification. The transcriptomes were used to design real-time quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) primers for actin, elongation factor 1α, and the miraculin gene. Analysis by qRT-PCR indicated that miracle fruit pulp and peel tissues had the highest abundance of miraculin transcripts, although other tissues such as leaf, root, and flower also had detectable levels of the target sequence. Overall, these results will support discovery research for miracle fruit and the eventual breeding of this species.
88th Texas State Legislature: Summaries of Water-Related Legislative Action
Authors: Votteler, Ph.D. Todd H. , Kirkle Sarah , Martinsson Leah , Rountree Schlessinger Sarah , Ortiz Alex , Fowler Perry , Puig-Willaims Vanessa , Mazur Jeremy
Published: August 2023

Editor-in-Chief ’s Note: September 1 of every odd-numbered year is the date when most new legislation from the most recent session of the Texas Legislature typically goes into effect. With this in mind, the Texas Water Journal invited seven organizations that work closely with the Texas Legislature to provide their take on the changes to Texas water policy and law that were made during the 2023 session. The opinions expressed in these summaries are the opinions of the individual organizations and not the opinions of the Texas Water Journal, the Texas Water Resources Institute, or the Bureau of Economic Geology.
De-Islanding: The peninsularisation of islands in Sydney Harbour (1818–2023)
Authors: Hayward Philip
Published: August 2023

The effects of securing islands to mainlands or other islands via fixed links have been discussed in Island Studies for some time. Debate has often concerned the extent to which islands are ‘de-islanded’ by various forms of links, the extent to which forms of island(ish) identity persist in human perceptions and/or official discourse around such locations and whether the latter effect the perception, management and administration of these locales. A British colony was established on Indigenous land in (what is now known as) Sydney Harbour in 1788 and colonists began modifying various islands soon after. While there is one bridged island in Sydney Harbour (Rocky Point), the most dramatic alteration of locales has involved the infilling and linkage of islands to the Harbour’s shores. Following an overview of the various islands of Sydney Harbour, the article examines the historical development of five areas that have been affixed to shores by infilling and now comprise peninsulas: Berry Island, Darling Island, Garden Island, Glebe Island and Tubowgule. The article examines the nature of development of the former islands, public and policy issues concerning their use and development and the differing nature of residual island(ish) identities accruing to the sites.
Whaling in Brazil and its historical iconography
Authors: Comerlato Fabiana
Published: August 2023

The objective of this study is to analyze iconographies that show the whaling in the Brazilian Colony, dates back to the sixteenth century and had socioeconomic importance in the formation and implementation of people in the cost. This extractivist activity that involved the settlement of large cetaceans was a common scene in coastal areas, such as the Guanabara and Todos os Santos Bays, and Santa Catarina Inlets. In these visual documents we identified the main characteristics of whaling in Brazil: proximity to the coast, slave labor, specialization of work at sea, techniques of capture and processing, and the boats launched in the calm waters of the bays. The whaling iconography produced in Brazil have common elements, recognizable in the redundancy of certain visual arrangements: the chase, the harpooning, the towing, the shredding, the melting, and the storage. The most representative image of fishing is the dramatic moment in which man and animal meet since, in the Basque tradition, being close was paramount.
The Role of Motivation in Enhancing Staff Productivity - A Case Study of Onyix and Company Nigeria Limited
Authors: Harold-Juwah Gladys
Published: August 2023

In this study, how to increase performance and productivity through motivation is of primary interest in Onyix and Company Nigeria Limited. The lack of motivation has formed the bedrock of anti-work vices which is a problem hindering the achievement of organisational goals and objectives. Motivation connotes how to make employees work optimally in the pursuit of the organisational goal. Descriptive research method and different motivational theories were used to identify and proffer solutions on issues affecting worker’s productivity. To achieve this, a survey using the questionnaire was done to gather data, inferences from the responses were drawn. Systematic sampling method was used in selecting the sample size from the population of staff in Onyix and Company Nigeria Limited. Obstacles that impeded workers motivation were established, these obstacles were analysed, a long time and immediate strategies for achieving improvement in the productivity of the organisation through motivation was the focus of this research. Three hypotheses were formulated, and conclusion was drawn from these hypotheses. Calculation and analysis were obtained using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to get the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient while the Chi Square analysis was used to analyse the stated hypotheses. Summary of the findings was carried out, it was evident that the low productivity of the employees is attributed to several management functions, provision of inadequate incentive, supervision, work methods etc, these key factors hinder higher productivity. Recommendation and conclusion were drawn from the analysed data. Keywords: Motivation, Productivity, Questionnaire, Systematic Sampling, Performance.
The Correlation between Continuous Professional Development and Career Prospects of Technical University Lecturers in Ghana
Authors: Owusu-Boateng William
Published: August 2023

The main objective of this study was to find the prospects continuous professional development offer to lecturers at technical universities in Ghana. The researcher used two technical universities for the research. The study was qualitative in nature with a sample size of four-eight, comprising of six deans of faculty, six heads of department and thirty-six lecturers. Two interview schedules were used to collect the data. One of the schedules was used to collect data from the deans and the heads of department and the other was used to interview the lecturers. Some of the findings included that CPD helps lecturers at technical universities in Ghana to improve their teaching, research and managerial skills and competencies. CPD helps lecturers to conduct research and do publications which enhances their chances for promotion. The study also revealed that lecturers who embark on CPD face financial challenges. That aside, they also face sociological and psychological challenges. Sociologically, those who leave for further studies may not be able to make time for the family members and social events and can mar their social ties. When such people become isolated due to inability to socialise, or ignored by friends and colleges it can bring about psychological problems. It is recommended that lecturers should collaborate with other colleagues for research activities and publications. Moreover, all lecturers should budget every each to at least to attend one conference or workshop a year. Keywords: Coaching, Competencies, Prospects, Profession, Promotion.
How different regional approaches to the network design result in key differences in burst event severity and failure vulnerability
Authors: Gibson John H. , Karney Bryan
Published: August 2023

The pipe burst response of an innovative Dutch water distribution network is compared to a traditional looped North American network. Dutch networks focus on water quality and use smaller diameter pipes in branches. The branched network discharges much less water after a burst, which may reduce local flooding, traffic disruption, and product loss. In addition, high velocities and transient pressures are shown to be much localized in the branched Dutch network after a burst, reducing the risks associated with the intrusion of contaminants. However, despite improved water quality, less water loss, and more localized transients, the branched network cannot meet water demands downstream of the burst until the pipe is repaired, unlike a traditional looped network. For modern buildings that meet current design guidelines, the Dutch are content with much lower fire-flow requirements that provide the flexibility to improve water quality and reduce the consequences of pipe bursts, especially water loss.
Christian Ethical Reflection on Climate Change and Human Responsibility
Authors:   The Society of Theology and Thought, Kim Jung Woo
Published: August 2023

Climate change caused by the destruction of the ecological environment in many parts of the earth is very serious. In particular, climate change can have serious adverse effects on humanity as a whole and on to future generations, not only on humans but also on the order of creation as well as all living creatures, and can be fatal unless some measures are taken immediately. For this, since the 20th-century German philosopher Hans Jonas(1903-1993) published his book The Principle of Responsibility (Das Prinzip Verantwortung), and the topic of human responsibility for creation has become a keyword in moral theology.
The church announced the encyclical Laudato Si, on May 24, 2015 which must be observed by everyone in this era.
Responsibility means that a person with independence and the ability of self-realization feels a sense of duty for the act performed by his free decision and carries out the task himself. Since man is an ethical subject who acts for himself with free decisions and is able to distinguish between good and evil, he is responsible to himself, to his fellow human beings and to God. Because of this responsibility, God can ask man to keep the commandments, and a relationship is established in which man must respond to God for this demand. Since this responsibility is given to human beings from the divine authority of creation, human beings act as responsible subjects, and the whole world, which is a gift from God to human beings, is the object of that responsibility. In addition, human beings are the image of God, and as human beings who represent God's will, they must fulfill their duty of responsibility for creation in this world in the name of human beings. Climate change caused by the destruction of the ecological environment around the globe is truly serious.
«Le temps comme “distension de l'esprit”: la conception de saint Augustin et son interpretation par Hans Urs von Balthasar et Paul Ricœur»
Authors:   The Society of Theology and Thought, Bochet Isabelle
Published: August 2023

Dans le livre 11 des Confessions, Augustin pense le temps comme «distension de l’esprit». Il comprend la distentio animi à la fois comme extension de l’esprit qui se tend en des directions opposées pour mesurer la durée et comme écartèlement et éparpillement de l’esprit occupé et distrait par la multiplicité des choses temporelles: la signification existentielle et spiritu-elle, inspirée de Ph 3, 12-14, s’ajoute donc à la signification philosophique de la distentio comme acte de l’esprit qui s’efforce de saisir la durée. Dans sa lecture du livre 11 des Confessions, Balthasar privilégie le second sens: la distension de l’esprit est «la fragmentation de l’existence» qui caractérise le temps de la chute que nous ne pouvons guère dissocier du temps de la création dans notre expérience. Ricœur, en revanche, donne priorité au premier sens: ce qui l’intéresse, c’est l’énigme de la mesure du temps qui manifeste l’impossibilité d’une phénoménologie pure du temps.
Mechanisms Involved in the Therapeutic Effect of Cannabinoid
Compounds on Gliomas: A Review with Experimental Approach
Authors: Pires Hugo Fernandes Oliveira , da Silva Pablo Rayff , Dias Arthur Lins , de Sousa Gomes Cleyton , de Sousa Natália Ferreira , dos Santos Aline Matilde Ferreira , Souza Lívia Roberta Pimenta , de Figueiredo Lima Jaislânia Lucena , Oliveira Mayara Cecile Nascimento , Felipe Cícero Francisco Bezerra , de Almeida Reinaldo Nóbrega , de Castro Ricardo Dias , da Silva Stiebbe Salvadori Mirian Graciela , Scotti Marcus Tullius , Scotti Luciana
Published: August 2023

Introduction:

Brain tumors have high morbidity and mortality rates, accounting for
1.4% of all cancers. Gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors in adults. Currently, several
therapeutic approaches are used; however, they are associated with side effects that affect patients’quality
of life. Therefore, further studies are needed to develop novel therapeutic protocols with a
more favorable side effect profile. In this context, cannabinoid compounds may serve as potential
alternatives.

Objective:

This study aimed to review the key enzymatic targets involved in glioma pathophysiology
and evaluate the potential interaction of these targets with four cannabinoid derivatives through
molecular docking simulations.

Methods:

Molecular docking simulations were performed using four cannabinoid compounds and
six molecular targets associated with glioma pathophysiology.

Results:

Encouraging interactions between the selected enzymes and glioma-related targets were
observed, suggesting their potential activity through these pathways. In particular, cannabigerol
showed promising interactions with epidermal growth factor receptors and phosphatidylinositol 3-
kinase, while Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol showed remarkable interactions with telomerase reverse
transcriptase.

Conclusion:

The evaluated compounds exhibited favorable interactions with the analyzed enzymatic
targets, thus representing potential candidates for further in vitro and in vivo studies.
Exploring Applications of Flexible Vesicular Systems as Transdermal
Drug Delivery
Authors: Kaur Palwinder , Verma Surajpal , Tomar Bhupendra , Vyas Manish , Kakoty Violina , Saha Paramita , Kalarikkal Chandran Sarathlal
Published: August 2023

Deformable lipidic-nano carriers are a category of advanced liposomal formulations. Deformable
lipidic-nano carriers have a specific character to transform by rearranging the lipidic backbone
to squeeze themself through a pore opening ten times smaller than their diameter when exposed to a
variable condition like hydration gradient as these have potentially been used as a non-invasive delivery
system to transdermally migrate various therapeutic agents for over three decades. Despite their vast
application in transdermal drug delivery system, non-uniformity to express their chemical nature still
exist and authors use various terms synonymously and interchangeably with each other.

:

The present study delineates the terminologies used to express different derived deformable vesicular
carriers to harmonize the terminological use. It also includes the effectiveness of deformable nanocarriers
like Transferosomes, Ethosomes, Menthosomes, Invasomes, and Glycerosomes in skin conditions
like basal cell carcinoma, fungal and viral infections, and hyperpigmentation disorders, along with
others.

:

Various review and research articles were selected from the ‘Pubmed’ database. The keywords like
Transferosomes, Flexi-vesicular system, ultra-deformable vesicles, and nano-vesicular systems were
used to extract the data.

:

The data was reviewed and compiled to categorically classify different flexible vesicular systems. The
composition of the different vesicular systems is identified and a report of various pathological conditions
where the use of flexible lipid nanocarrier systems was implemented is compiled. The review also
offers suggestive approaches where the applicability of these systems can be explored further.
Diagnostic Reliability of Plain Radiography in Osteonecrosis of the Femoral
Head: General Radiological Features Revised
Authors: Cardín-Pereda Adrian , García-Sánchez Daniel , Terán-Villagrá Nuria , Alfonso-Fernández Ana , Fakkas Michel , Pérez-del Barrio Amaia , Marín-Díez Elena , Fernández-Lobo Víctor , Sanz-Bellón Pablo , Montes-Figueroa Enrique , Lamprecht Yasmina , Pérez-Campo Flor María
Published: August 2023

Background and Objectives:

Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is an incapacitating disease that frequently results in the collapse of the femoral head and secondary osteoarthritis. The diagnosis and staging of this pathology, which usually rely on imaging studies, are challenging. Currently, conventional radiography is the basis of the initial diagnostic assessment. In recent decades, however, radiographs have been considered insensitive to early changes in ONFH and thus, a suboptimal diagnostic tool. Paradoxically, the imaging features of radiographs are often profuse, substantial, and characteristic. This study aimed to elucidate the real limitations of this radiologic tool by assessing the diagnostic reliability of the key radiologic features and staging.

Methods:

This was a retrospective study in which radiographs from 28 idiopathic ONFH confirmed cases who underwent hip arthroplasty were analyzed by eight observers who were asked to identify the presence or absence of ONFH universally reported imaging features in AP hip radiographs.

Results:

Concordance analysis revealed a poor agreement between observers for most of the assessed imaging features. Only the identification of femoral head flattening and osteoarthritis signs exhibited moderate agreement with statistical significance. In contrast, the detection of radiological osteoporosis and the loss of trabeculation showed the lowest reliability, with negative kappa coefficients.

Conclusion:

There is a lack of agreement between qualified observers, even for the identification of the most characteristic ONFH radiographic feature. The reliability of plain radiography for the detection of basic radiological elements is even weaker in the early stages of the disease.
Ruimte voor gezondheid : het belang van de leefomgeving en mobiliteit voor het welbevinden van ouderen
Authors: Meijering Louise
Published: August 2023

Hoe ziet een goede verbinding tussen mens en leefomgeving eruit? Hoe kunnen we met deze inzichten de dagelijkse leefomgeving zo goed mogelijk inrichten? Dit zijn vragen waar het om draait in de gezondheidsgeografie. Ouderen vormen een groeiende groep mensen, die vaak te maken krijgt met gezondheidsproblemen. Daardoor veranderen de behoeften die zij hebben ten aanzien van hun huis, buurt en dorp. Mijn oratie gaat over de rol van de dagelijkse leefomgeving en mobiliteit in het welbevinden van oudere mensen. Daarbij komen drie dimensies van de dagelijkse leefomgeving aan de orde: de persoonlijke, tastbare en menselijke ruimte. De persoonlijke ruimte heeft te maken met onze identiteit. Oudere mensen geven vorm aan hun persoonlijke leefomgeving door inrichting, dagelijkse routines en activiteiten, en de mensen met wie ze omgaan. Bij gezondheidsveranderingen, zoals niet-aangeboren hersenletsel, verandert deze vormgeving noodgedwongen. Hoewel dit vaak moeilijk is, zijn mensen ook heel creatief en veerkrachtig, en ontwikkelen ze nieuwe relaties met plekken. De tastbare ruimte vormt de fysieke dimensie van onze leefomgeving: bijvoorbeeld planten, meubels, winkels en stoepen. We weten nog weinig over de mobiliteit, fysieke activiteit en welbevinden van ouderen met gezondheidsbeperkingen in de fysieke leefomgeving. Ik wil graag achterhalen hoe het werkt: voelen ouderen zich goed doordat ze meer bewegen, of bewegen ze meer als ze zich goed voelen? Mensen zijn de sociale ruimte van onze leefomgeving. Daarbij gaat het bijvoorbeeld om familie, vrienden, buren en dorpsgenoten. Een prettige sociale omgeving is niet vanzelfsprekend voor oudere mensen. Dit thema omvat de stip op de horizon waar ik in mijn onderzoek naartoe werk: een gezonde en inclusieve leefomgeving voor iedereen en ouderen in het bijzonder. Ik sluit mijn oratie af met mijn visie op het hoogleraarschap, waarbij ik inga op het belang van ’slow science’.
VALUATION OF TRANSPORTATION POLICY IN MAKASSAR CITY BASED ON VEHICLE EMISSION POLLUTION FOR SUSTAINABLE ZONE PLANNING
Authors: Mansyur Umar , R.P. Sitorus Santun , Marimin  , Prasetyo Lilik Budi
Published: August 2023

City expansion, vehicle growing number, fossil fuel consumption as non-renewable energy, and highest carbon emission has increased green house effect with potentially expanding global warming. Global warming has negative impacts on citizen quality of life as well as economic growth. Makassar City as one of the metropolitan in Indonesia with the high number of vehicle has a potential to endure global warming. This is excarbated by the decreasing environmental carrying capacity caused by household and industrial pollution and greater vehicle emission. This study aims to (1) identify the vehicle emission gas using descriptive analysis, (2) evaluate ambient air quality in several locations within Makassar City based on field measurement, and (3) formulate the zone plan with potential vehicle-sourced high pollution using AHP. It can be concluded from this study that 99% of Makassar City’s pollution is caused by vehicle emissions with specifically refers to vehicle ages, car engine types, and low maintenance.  It is found that high pollution level occurs in the suburbs, while medium pollution level happens in the transition zone and low level of pollution in city center. Urban infrastructure improvement is carried out by Makassar City Development Agency (Bappeda) with consistency ratio between 0.05 and 0.06.