bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of fitness parameters in relation to racing results in 245 Standardbred trotter horses submitted for poor performance examination: A retrospective study
Authors: Lo Feudo Chiara Maria , Stucchi Luca , Stancari Giovanni , Conturba Bianca , Bozzola Chiara , Zucca Enrica , Ferrucci Francesco
Published: October 2023

In racehorses, the associations between physiological parameters obtained by exercise testing and racing results have been questioned. We hypothesized that fitness variables measured during a treadmill incremental test may be related with racing outcomes and lifetime career. Our study aimed to investigate the role of fitness parameters obtained during a treadmill test in performance evaluation and career prediction in poorly performing Standardbreds, through a retrospective review of the clinical records of 245 trotters that underwent an incremental treadmill test. Several fitness parameters were assessed, and their correlations with racing data (number of starts, wins and placings) in the 3 months before and 6 months after examination were evaluated; moreover their associations and predictive power for lifetime racing results and earnings were considered. The associations between fitness parameters and measures of racing performance as well as the associations between racing results over time were evaluated by Spearman’s correlation in the whole population and in different age groups. Multivariate regression models predicting the total number of starts, wins and earnings based on fitness parameters were constructed, controlling for age, weight, and sex. Maximum speed and the speed at the aerobic threshold were the parameters correlated with the most racing results, in the three evaluation periods (3 months before, 6 months after, lifetime). Other parameters predictive of career outcomes were maximum blood lactate concentration and maximum hematocrit. Interestingly, in 2-year-old Standardbreds, the only parameters correlated with racing results were maximum hematocrit and minimum pH, suggesting they may reflect individual potential. Both the racing results obtained before and after examination were predictive of lifetime career, with those following hospitalization being more strongly correlated. In conclusion, parameters obtained during treadmill tests both reflect the racing outcomes and the career potential.
A system dynamics-based synergistic model of urban production-living-ecological systems: An analytical framework and case study
Authors: Wu Jiawei , Huang Junlin
Published: October 2023

Human-land coordination represents urbanization and is a key component of urban modernization. In this study, the theory of system dynamics was introduced, in which a "production-living-ecological" complex system was used based on the human-land coordination concept. Moreover, the characteristics of system dynamics of causal cycle, dynamic and sustainable development, man-land synergy, integrity and openness, and self-organization and adaptability were analyzed by dividing it into three subsystems: urban production, urban living, and urban ecological subsystems. Here, causal feedback and system structure flow diagrams were designed using causal loop diagrams and system structure flow diagrams to evaluate the causal relationships between variables and quantitatively analyzing their interactions between variables and predicting the future development of variables. Changsha City, China was selected as the case study area, where we constructed system dynamics practice equation model was then constructed to determine the interaction between the subsystems. Our findings indicate that by the year 2035 in the future, the overall trend of factors influencing the function of the subsystems such as population, GDP and built-up area are positively correlated with an increasing trend, and there are interactions between. Furthermore, these factors interact with each other, and a mutual correlation was found among the production-living-ecological functions system, Therefore, this study provides a novel perspective and exploratory practice for the study of the synergistic coupling of ecological, production, and living functions of cities and evaluating high-quality development of cities. Thus, the coupling and coordination of urban production, living and ecological functions reflects the coupling and coordination of the "people-land" relationship, which is the key to high-quality urban development.
Oral Chinese herbal medicine in reducing the recurrence of colorectal adenoma after polypectomy: A protocol for the systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Cheng Yi , Di Yuan Ming , Zhang Anthony Lin , Zhang Beiping , Xue Charlie Changli
Published: October 2023

Background

Colorectal adenoma (CRA) is a significant precancerous lesion of sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC). CRA is likely to recur after polypectomy, increasing the risk of CRC. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been used to reduce CRA recurrence. This review aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of oral CHM in reducing CRA recurrence compared to other treatments (placebo, routine care, no treatment, and conventional medicine).

Methods

We will search for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) from nine major biomedical databases in English and Chinese from their inception to July 2023. The RCTs that investigate the effects of oral CHM in reducing CRA recurrence compared to other treatments will be involved. We will exclude trials using CHM extract or external application of CHM, cohort study and cross-section study. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool version 2 will be used to assess the quality of included studies. Data will be analysed using Review Manager software 5.4 and STATA. The random effect model will be used. The heterogeneity of intervention effects will be tested by Chi2 (Cochrane Q) and I2 statistics. Funnel plots will assess publication bias if more than ten studies are included. Subgroup and sensitivity analysis will be conducted when possible.

Discussion

This review will discuss the effectiveness and safety of oral CHM in reducing CRA recurrence. It will show the critical information for clinicians in the decision-making process and countries to develop clinical guidelines on CRA management.

Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42023324197.
Influence of diet quality on nutritional status of school-aged children and adolescents in Zanzibar, Tanzania
Authors: Said Fatma Ali , Khamis Ahmed Gharib , Salmin Asha Hassan , Msellem Shemsa Nassor , Mdachi Kombo , Noor Ramadhani , Leyna Germana , Mchau Geofrey Joseph
Published: October 2023

Background

Malnutrition among young children and adolescents poses a serious health challenge in developing countries which results in many health problems during adulthood. Poor diet quality is known as the root cause of malnutrition which is caused by unhealthy food choices and bad eating habits among young children and adolescents. However, limited evidence is available on diet quality and its association with nutrition status among young children and adolescents in Zanzibar. This study examined the diet quality and its relationship with the nutritional status of school-aged children and adolescents in Zanzibar.

Methods

Data for this study was obtained from the cross-sectional survey of School Health and Nutrition (SHN) conducted in Zanzibar. The survey recruited children aged 5–19 years from 93 schools in Zanzibar. A seven-day food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess dietary intake. Prime Dietary Quality Score (PDQS) consisted of 21 food groups was then constructed to assess the diet quality of school-aged children and adolescents. Body mass index (BMI-for-age Z-score) was used as the indicator of nutrition status. Both linear and logistic regression analysis techniques were used to determine the associations between BMI and PDQS.

Results

A total data of 2,556 children were enrolled in the survey. The prevalence of thinness was 8.1%, normal 82.1%, overweight 7.2% and obesity 2.6%. The mean (SD) PDQS score was 18.8 (3.2) which ranged from 8 to 33. Consumptions of green leafy vegetables (49.3%), yellow or red fruits (37.8%), legumes (38.3%), fish (36.3%), and vegetable oil (31.5%) were up to three times per week, whereas consumptions of white vegetables (77.3%), cooked vegetables (32.6%), citrus fruits (66.8%), other types of fruits (66.2%), nuts (46.4%), poultry (49.6%), whole grains (61%) and eggs (67.8%) were less than once per week. In terms of unhealthy foods, eating fried foods was reported by 26.3% up to three times per week, and 31.5% reported consuming sweets and ice cream up to three times in the past week. High PDQS was significantly associated with a reduction in BMI of children (p< 0.005). For each unit increase in the consumption of unhealthy foods such as fried foods, cooked vegetables and refined grains there is a significant increase in BMI. The odds of being obese decrease significantly as diet quality increases from the first to third quintile of PDQS (AOR = 0.2, 0.04–0.89 95% CI, p = 0.035).

Conclusion

Consumption of high quality diet was found to be associated with a reduction in excessive weight among school-aged children and adolescents in Zanzibar. There is a need for interventions targeting to reduce unhealthy food consumption in school environment. Further research should be conducted to assess diet quality using PDQS among young children and adolescents.
Outside Words
Authors: Krotz Sarah Wylie
Published: October 2023

We read differently outside. Discussing works by two experimental poets, a. rawlings and Christine Stewart, this essay draws on geocritical and ecocritical methodologies alongside Indigenous theories that link language, story, and land to consider how an outdoor pedagogical practice attunes readers not only to the spatial dynamics of language, but also to the linguistic dynamics of place. While the colonial, sedentary structures of traditional classrooms shut out the world, immersing us in literary realms as though they were separate from our physical realities, reading outside makes us viscerally aware of how land and language shape one another. Beyond the walls of our classrooms and homes, we can feel our entanglements with the land, its histories, and other species. In the colonial spaces of Canada, which continues to grapple with considerable ecological and social harms, cultivating such awareness matters: while reading outside is not enough to save us from the environmental crises we are facing or assuage colonial grief and guilt, doing so brings us closer to the living edges of language, which is where new forms of attention might nourish a more mutually sustaining relationship between land and words.
“Significant Otherness” versus Othering in Marian Engel’s Bear
Authors: Hughes Carys
Published: October 2023

This article explores Marian Engel’s portrayal of what Animal Studies scholar Donna J. Haraway terms “significant otherness” (the simultaneous interconnection and mysterious difference between animal and human life/connections) and othering as a form of dismissal and a perpetuation of colonial hierarchies of gendered and racial power. I explore the overlaps of Engel’s othering of Indigenous characters in the novel and the racism present in speciesism, exposing why the character of the bear is more knowable to the protagonist than Lucy Leroy (Cree). I offer a decolonial reading of this seminal Canadian text, drawing on Engel’s desire to disrupt literary utilization of animals as images of nationalism and emblems of patriotic virtue, while simultaneously exposing the prevalence of entrenched gendered and racial hierarchical perceptions of Indigenous women and relationships to nature. In offering this reading, I hope to suggest that decolonial readings offer us the tools to integrate the ideals expressed in Haraway’s “significant otherness” reading of companion-animal relationships with decoloniality and the deconstruction of hierarchies of power as pioneered by Indigenous authors, artists, and activists. This generates hope.
Population evolution after residence in the urban axis Bistrița-Beclean -Năsăud-Sângeorz-Băi in the period 1992-2000-2010-2020-2023
Authors: Tătar Marius Alexandru
Published: October 2023

Inter-urban flows at the level of the geographical axis from internal migration play a crucial role in the evolution of the city system at the national scale, and their analysis is fundamental for understanding the temporal and spatial evolution of cities. Specifically, the structure of internal household migration provides information about regions more likely to grow, usually accompanied by various externalities such as traffic congestion, air pollution and socio-economic inequality. Extreme flows lead to unprecedented population growth, which is usually more expansive than compact, so understanding the structure of internal migration flows at intra- and inter-city scales helps to plan for various unforeseen problems and develop mitigation strategies. This is particularly important and well-known for urbanising suburban and marginal areas with their own planning challenges and peculiarities. The dynamics of city population growth are usually studied at the city level, neglecting the intra-city spatial structure of migratory flows, an important component is the analysis of population evolution over the last thirty years.
The Diagnostic Yield of Genetic Testing in Patients With Multiple Colorectal Adenomas: A Specialist Center Cohort Study
Authors: Mak Sau , Alexander James L. , Clark Susan K. , Hawkins Menna , Cuthill Victoria , Latchford Andrew , Monahan Kevin J.
Published: October 2023

INTRODUCTION:

Adenoma multiplicity is associated with increased colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. The utility of genetic testing in patients with multiple colorectal adenomas (MCRA) remains uncertain. We evaluated the diagnostic yield of mutations in polyposis- and CRC-associated genes in patients with MCRA.

METHODS:

We performed a cross-sectional review of adult patients with 10–99 cumulative adenomas from the prospective database at the St Mark's Hospital Polyposis Registry and Family Cancer Clinic between 1999 and 2021. Genetic testing was performed for adenomatous polyposis–associated genes, hamartomatous polyposis–associated genes, and nonpolyposis colorectal cancer–associated genes. Clinicopathological outcomes were extracted for multiple logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS:

Two hundred fifty-nine patients with MCRA (median age 61 [interquartile range 53–69] years) were identified. Sixty-six patients (25.5%) had a pathogenic variant or likely pathogenic variant, with APC and biallelic MUTYH mutations constituting the majority of identified pathogenic variant/likely pathogenic variants. Diagnostic yields were greater than 10% at any adenoma burden. In univariate analysis, higher adenoma burden and younger age were associated with higher yield (both P < 0.0001). In patients with MCRA with 10–19 adenomas without a relevant personal or family history of CRC, the diagnostic yield was nil. In multiple logistic regression analysis, higher adenoma burden, younger age, personal history of CRC, and first-degree familial history of CRC were associated with higher diagnostic yield.

DISCUSSION:

Diagnostic yield of >10% at any adenoma burden supports current guidance for constitutional genetic testing in patients with MCRA, although the low yield in people older than 60 years with 10–19 adenomas suggests that a stratified approach might be appropriate.
Simplified dynamic thermal models of building constructions in contact with the ground: slab-on-ground
Authors:   , Malík Zdenko
Published: October 2023

This thesis analyses the problematics of the simplified dynamic thermal modelling of slab-on-ground floors. Constructions in contact with the ground are one of the most difficult problems in terms of heat loss calculations due to the large 3D block of soil. The thesis provides an overview of existing solutions of this issue and uses the gathered information to propose a method to construct a surrogate 1D model of a slab-on-ground floor. The values of geometrical properties of the model have been found through fine-tuning in different test cases. The found values have been processed by mathematical regression to find equations describing their dependency on selected input parameters. The model has been tested under different boundary conditions against reference 3D FEM simulations. A possibility to extend the model in order to account for the effects of vertical thermal insulation around the slab’s perimeter has been investigated. The results calculated using the developed surrogate 1D model have matched the reference results with good confidence in all performed tests. The computation time has decreased from several hours needed for 3D FEM calculations to several minutes. This renders the developed model to be a usable tool in early building design phases to ensure the design of energy efficient buildings. The known limitations of the proposed model and topics for further development are outlined at the end of this thesis.
Pressure Based Compressible Solver for Electric Arc-plasma Simulation
Authors: Coseru Sergiu , Tanguy Sebastien , Freton Pierre , Gonzalez Jean-Jacques
Published: October 2023

The electric arc discharge in a liquid medium is used in several applications such as the sterilization of the liquid by UV radiation, the fracturing of rocks by shock wave, the circuit breakers in oil bath or the forming of mechanical parts. Thus, describing the physics of the arc in a liquid and in particular its interaction with a liquid interface is an important issue to better characterize this type of configuration. However, such a challenging task requires to couple high-fidelity solver for compressible two-phase flows with liquid phase change and a plasma solver to describe the plasma and its interaction with the bubble. To study this type of medium, we use a compressible formulation of the fluid equations. For this purpose, a pressure based solver has been developed for the computation of the energy conservation equation. Moreover, our numerical model uses the immersed boundary method to simulate the solid electrodes. The numerical model is briefly described in this paper and the first results of the electric arc discharge in steam water are presented. To our knowledge this pressure based model has never been used to describe plasmas and electric arc discharge.
Das Beuys-Performancefestival in Wuppertal
Authors: Paust Bettina
Published: October 2023

Das Wuppertaler Performancefestival »Die Unendlichkeit des Augenblicks. Aufführungskünste nach Beuys« anlässlich des NRW-weiten Jubiläumsjahres 2021 zum 100sten Geburtstag des Künstlers, das vom Kulturbüro der Stadt Wuppertal veranstaltet wurde, ist Auslöser und Grundlage für die vorliegende Publikation. So stellt der Artikel zusammenfassend das vielgestaltige Programm des Festivals mit seinen 11 künstlerischen Beiträgen und den fünf wissenschaftlichen Panels vor und geht dabei gleichzeitig auf deren Corona-bedingte Transformation ins Digitale ein. Damit fungiert der Artikel als Einstieg in die komplexe Thematik des vorliegenden Buches und macht deren Struktur und Inhalt anhand des Festivalprogramms anschaulich.
Virtuelles Ausstellen. Die Heilkünstlerei von Olaf Reitz und Andy Dino Iussa
Authors: Chernyshova Svetlana
Published: October 2023

Svetlana Chernyshova widmet sich in diesem Beitrag der Frage, was es bedeuten kann, Ausstellungsprojekte im Virtuellen zu realisieren. Ausgehend vom Projekt »Die Heilkünstlerei« (2021) von Olaf Reitz und Andy Dino Iussa verhandelt Chernyshova die Möglichkeiten eines ,Zeigens' und ,Erfahrens' von Kunst, die den Bildschirmmodus für sich beanspruchen und ein ,digitales' Setting entstehen lassen. Damit rückt die Frage in den Fokus, wie ,Präsenz' aber auch ,Partizipation' aufgefasst werden können, insbesondere vor dem Hintergrund der inhaltlichen Ausrichtung des Projekts: dem Zeig- und Hörbarmachen der Wunde.
»Guck dich zwei Wochen um und es kommt zu dir.« Praktiken künstlerischer Wissensproduktion und Stadtgestaltung
Authors: Lüken Heike
Published: October 2023

Heike Lüken beleuchtet in ihrem Beitrag künstlerische Wissensproduktion über Städte und geht der Frage nach, wie Künstler*innen wissen, was sie über Städte wissen. Auf der Basis einer ethnografischen Untersuchung der Recherchepraktiken von zwei Künstlern sowie der des angewandten Bereichs eines Architekturbüros analysiert sie die routinierte Hervorbringung spezifischer Wissensformen und entwickelt die These, dass die künstlerische Wissensproduktion über Stadt multiperspektivisch und -sensorisch in Bewegungen im Stadtraum vollzogen wird und die Bewegungen dabei einen Modus von Wissensproduktion darstellen. Die Wissensproduktion fasst sie als Choreografische Stadtforschung und macht sie als kollaborative Praktiken im Überschneidungsbereich von Kunst, Stadtforschung und Stadtplanung fruchtbar.
Mobile OASE & Die Wüste lebt! Schütze die Flamme — Akademie der Straße
Authors: Raimund Daniela , Brus Roland , Paust Bettina
Published: October 2023

Im Gespräch stellt das Künstlerduo Daniela Raimund und Roland Brus, die sich gemeinsam mit der Künstler:innengruppe »Mobile OASE« über den Open Call für das Wuppertaler Beuys-Performancefestival beworben hatten, nicht nur seinen künstlerischen Beitrag »Schütze die Flamme - Akademie der Straße« vor. Sie erzählen ebenso über ihre langjährige performative Arbeit im öffentlichen Raum der Stadt Wuppertal, ihre Auseinandersetzung mit der Idee der »Sozialen Plastik« von Joseph Beuys, über die Corona-bedingten Veränderungen ihres eingereichten Projektes bis hin zur Realisierung als Fackellauf entlang der Talachse durch die gesamte Stadt und nicht zuletzt über die Wirkkraft künstlerischer Aktionen im Alltag von Bürger:innen Wuppertals.
Selbstoptimierung bis in den Tod
Authors: Mladenova Dorothea
Published: October 2023

Japan gilt als alte Gesellschaft. Eine Lesart dieser Aussage ist: Wo viele Alte sind, da sterben auch viele. Aber wer kümmert sich um die jährlich 1,4 Mio. Verstorbenen und deren Gräber? Geht es nach der japanischen Bestattungsindustrie, dann das Individuum selbst. In einer Gesellschaft, in der sich niemand mehr um einen sorgt, erscheint Eigenvorsorge als letzter Ausweg, um niemandem zur Last zu fallen. Dorothea Mladenova hinterfragt diese Diskurse kritisch und zeigt, wie im Zuge der »aktiven Planung des eigenen Lebensendes« (shukatsu) neoliberale Prinzipien des »unternehmerischen Selbst« auf den Tod übertragen werden: Aus Selbstbestimmung wird gemeinwohlorientierte Selbstverantwortung.
Kolonialismus im Krieg
Authors: Küntzel Sabine
Published: October 2023

Der Kolonialismus prägte die deutsche Gesellschaft nachhaltig. So schlug er sich auch in der Erfahrungsbildung der Menschen zur NS-Zeit nieder. Im Fokus der Studie steht die Kriegserfahrung deutscher Soldaten in Nordafrika, wo die Wehrmacht über zwei Jahre Krieg in einem kolonialen Raum führte. Sabine Küntzel zeichnet anhand von soldatischen Briefen, Tagebüchern, Bildern und anderen Zeugnissen ein vielfältiges Bild von exotistischen und kolonial geprägten Wahrnehmungen des nordafrikanischen Raums und seiner Menschen, die lange Zeit keinen Platz in der Erinnerung hatten. Zugleich wird deutlich, wie rassistische Fremd- und Weltbilder das gewaltvolle Handeln der Soldaten anleiteten. Die Studie liefert damit einen wichtigen Beitrag zu einer Kulturgeschichte des deutschen Militärs an der Schnittstelle von europäischem Kolonialismus und Weltkrieg.
Kritische Bildkonstellationen
Authors: Kaap Henry
Published: October 2023

Henry Kaap geht in diesem Beitrag ausgehend von fünf Kabinettbildern aus der einstigen Sammlung von Manuel García del la Prada Francisco de Goyas ästhetischen Strategien bewusst erzeugter Ambiguität nach. Wenn in den fünf Werken mit dem Stierkampf, der Geißlerprozession, der Inquisition, dem Irrenhaus und dem Karneval Themen zur Anschauung gebracht werden, die im Zentrum des um 1800 in Spanien stattfindenden gesellschaftlichen Aushandlungsprozesses zu verorten sind, so lassen sich innerhalb der Bilderserie multiple und komplexe Bezugnahmen ausmachen. Erst in der Konstellation der Gemälde werden ästhetische und ethische Dimension ihrer Ambiguität ersichtlich, welche das Betrachtersubjekt zur kritischen Reflexion sozialer Normen anzuregen vermögen.
Multilingualism and Local Literacy Practices in Ethiopia: Language contact in regulated and unregulated spaces
Authors:   University of Oslo, Lanza Elizabeth , Woldemariam Hirut ,   University of Addis Ababa
Published: October 2023

The study of the linguistic landscape has provided a new dimension to theories and issues related to multilingualism, including language policy. In this growing field of inquiry, however, not enough attention has been given to the linguistic landscape in sites in the Global South. Since one of the aims of literacy studies is to reveal the variety and social patternings of practices, there is a need to compare linguistic landscape data with other various textual materials. In this article, we present linguistic landscape data from two federal regional capitals in Ethiopia that demonstrate multilingual language use. We also compare the linguistic contact patterns with those found in schoolbooks used in the same region. Such a comparison involves language use in unregulated as well as in regulated spaces (see Sebba 2009). Regional ethnically based languages are now being used in new arenas, including the linguistic landscape and education because of a new language policy promoting the use and development of regional languages. The two regional capitals provide privileged sites for examining the products of local literacy practices, involving values, attitudes, ideologies, and social relationships. We discuss the results in light of various ideologies and argue for the speaker-writer’s active mobilisation of multilingual resources in new language arenas.
The importance of unimportant language
Authors: Blommaert Jan , Varis Piia
Published: October 2023

In a recent paper, the Australian historian, Martyn Lyons (2013), reviews his attempts to study â€˜history from belowâ€™, using what can be called grassroots writing by French and Italian soldiers of the Great War. Lyons remarks that the â€˜First World War produced a flood of letter-writing by peasants whose literary capacity has often been underestimatedâ€™ (Lyons 2013: 5). In France, no less than 10,000 million postal items were dispatched during the war, huge numbers of those being letters and cards written by soldiers from the frontlines to their loved ones.
Common ground and conviviality: Indonesians doing togetherness in Japan
Authors:   La Trobe University/Tilburg University, Goebel Zane
Published: October 2023

While Humanities and Social Science scholars have a long history of trying to understand how people from different backgrounds get along (i.e. to be convivial), typically this work misses much of the work carried out in sociolinguistics and related areas. In building upon work on common ground, small talk, and conviviality, this paper examines how a group of Indonesian students living in Japan go about practicing conviviality. I show how repetition and tiny response tokens are used to build common ground. I argue that this practice is key to building convivial relations amongst this group and that this type of interactional work helps open the possibility of future interactions, some of which are tied with the need to build and maintain support networks in Japan.
La longue durée d’un métier temporaire : travail à la mine et pluriactivité en Sardaigne (XIXe - XXe siècle)
Authors: Sanna Francesca
Published: October 2023

La pluriactivité a été souvent décrite comme un caractère structurel du travail minier, ayant un rapport étroit avec le monde rural et agricole. Cette contribution analyse la pluriactivité en contexte minier comme une forme de travail liée au rapport entre la mine et son territoire, à partir de cas d’études méditerranéens. En s’intéressant plus particulièrement au cas des mineurs de Sardaigne, l’analyse souligne la persistance de la pluriactivité dans le temps long sous l’influence de la configuration agro-foncière du territoire et des crises qui se succèdent de 1890 à l’entre-deux-guerres. Dans ce cadre, la rationalisation représente un facteur de changement fort à partir des années 1920. La morphologie du travail pluriactif dépend donc de la transformation des rapports de complémentarité parmi les activités productives. Cette contribution propose d’éclairer ces changements au prisme d’une analyse socio-économique de la mine comme lieu technique hybride de l’industrie contemporaine.
In Vitro Antiproliferative Efficacy, Antioxidant Activity and LC MS Based Metabolite Profiling of Premna Barbata Stem Bark
Authors: Joshi Bhuwan Chandra , Juyal Vijay , Sah Archana N. , Mukhija Minky
Published: October 2023

Premna barbata Wall. ex Schauer is used traditionally as folkloric medicines for the treatment of differentpathological conditions. The first reported constituent from the bark of the plant was an iridoid glycoside premnosidic acid having antioxidant activity. Other species of this genus i.e., Premna latifolia, Premna tomentosa has shown to have antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. Despite the ethnomedicinal uses, no scientific evidence in support of antitumor activity on the stem bark of Premna barbata is reported so far. Hence, the current work aims to assess anticancer potentiality of different extracts of P. barbata on various cancer cell lines. Different extracts i.e., Petroleum ether extract (PBPE), Chloroform extract (PBCE), Ethyl acetate extract (PBEE) and Alcoholic extract (PBAE) were prepared and on each extract in-vitro antiproliferative activity was performed by using SRB assay. The most potent extract i.e., PBEE was then evaluated for antioxidant activity. Qualitative phytochemical investigation of different extracts indicates the presence of proteins, carbohydrates, steroids/triterpenoids, alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, and phenolic constituents. Ethyl acetate extract of Premna barbata gives potent cytotoxic activity in all cancer cell lines but more selectively to human colon cancer cell line (COLO-205) with GI 50 44.6 μg/ml. The phenolic and flavonoid content in ethyl acetate extract was 3.43±0.09 mg GE/g and 4.28±0.18mg QE/g respectively. Nineteen compounds were observed in positive (+) ESI mode chromatograms when LC-MS analysis was carried out. The LC-MS analysis by positive ionization mode, the predicted compounds such as Geniposidic acid (synonym: Premnosidic acid) and Rutin were detected. The cytotoxicity observed on cancerous cell lines in our study may be due to the presence of observed compounds. So, it can be concluded that Premna barbata stembark has remarkable cytotoxic activity against different tumor cell lines but the effect is more on colon cell lines as compared to others.
Construction and Demolition Waste Management in a Developing Country: A Nigerian Scenario
Authors: Ogunseye Nathaniel Oluwaseun , Ogunseye Omololu David , Ogunseye Abiodun Olanrewaju
Published: October 2023

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) is an important waste composition receiving attention from policymakers and researchers globally due to the negative impacts associated with its management. This paper explores construction and demolition waste management (CDWM) in Nigeria with a view to understanding CDWM’s practices as perceived by the policymakers, waste managers and other stakeholders in the construction industry. A descriptive qualitative research design was adopted with data obtained from secondary sources. Findings revealed that CDWM is not a recent phenomenon in Nigeria but there is a renewed interest in it in the last decade. Findings also revealed that CDW does not receive the deserved attention from the constituted authority and stakeholders in the construction industry. While there is a low level of awareness regarding the negative impacts of CDW on public health and the environment, most construction firms and contractors have resorted to unsustainable disposal methods of open dumping, burning, and landfilling. Further findings revealed the potential for sustainable CDWM of reusing, recycling, and composting. Finally, the paper put forward recommendations that would chart a course for sustainable CDWM in Nigeria if implemented.
A Whole-Institution Approach Towards Sustainability at NOVA University: A Tangled Web of Engagement Schemes
Authors: Seixas J. , Rodrigues J. L.
Published: October 2023

Abstract. NOVA University Lisbon ambition to become a sustainable university following a whole-institution approach raises several challenges, due to the diversity of culture and governance of its nine schools spread over eight campuses in four municipalities. Engaging NOVA community is critical to achieve systemic changes, but very hard to carry coherently and at the same pace across all schools and throughout all its members. Different engagement schemes, interlinking a top-down one from the rector and the board of deans, who leads the vision, with several bottom-up schemes in education, research, value creation and operations are being implemented to carry out different purposes towards the common goal. NOVA for the Globe strategic platform and NOVA zero-waste task force are examples, among others, showing sustainability implementation at the university starts with people cooperation around the same ambition.Keyword: Strategic Thinking, Systemic Change, Engagement, University, Whole-Institution Approach.
The Economic-Financial Viability of Using Eco-Friendly Cups as a Substitute for Diposable Cups at the State Univesity of Northern Paraná
Authors: Brene Paulo Rogério Alves , Silva Bruna Da Conceição Costa , Debiagi Flávia , Oliveira Maria Luiza Motta D’Avila
Published: October 2023

The present work aims to calculate the economic-financial viability of using eco-friendly cups as a substitute for disposable cups, based on data from the State University of Northern Paraná. In Brazil, their recycling is not attractive from a commercial standpoint, and their inadequate disposal contaminates soils and watercourses. Nevertheless, regarding the institution, there is a high consumption of these materials in the exercise of activities and in environments serving external audiences. In this context, the replacement of disposable cups with reusable containers in the higher education institution (HEI) is an alternative to assist both sustainability and economy. The evaluation for the possible substitution consisted of an economic-financial analysis (Net Present Value - NPV) from several scenarios. As a conclusion, it can be said that this study presents an economic and sustainable alternative to the use of disposable cups within a HEI.
A review of approaches to enhance salt stress tolerance in cotton by genetic engineering
Authors: Mirzakamol S Ayubov , Akmal M Asrorov , Mukhtor M. Darmanov , Sardor E. Narmatov , Akramjon Mamajanov , Ilhomjon E Bozorov , Naim N Khusenov , Ildiko Matusikova , Zabardast T Buriev , Ibrokhim Y Abdurakhmonov
Published: October 2023

Due to climate change, deserts are expanding, water reservoirs are drying, soil erosion is becoming more serious, and salinity areas are expanding worldwide. Among these disasters, soil salinization is one of the serious issues that affect agricultural production, with significant effects on plant development. Although plants have a solid adaptation to severe environmental conditions, their vulnerability to some abiotic stresses is still preserved in the plant genome. Cotton is a salt stress-tolerant crop among other main cash crops. However, its tolerance is limited in overwatered soil conditions or water-deficient soil. Several research investigations have been carried out to date to better understand salinity stress responses in various cotton species. The accumulation of salt due to irrigation-dependent practices exerts an adverse impact on crop productivity. However, this deleterious effect can be mitigated through a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms by which certain plants flourish under saline conditions. Over the past few decades, there has been a notable augmentation in mechanistic comprehension, leading to the initiation of discovery-oriented methodologies aimed at discerning the genetic determinants of salt tolerance. Recent studies are showing the results of the manipulation of some important genes and proteins for salt tolerance using modern approaches. The identification of salt-resistance genes from salt-tolerant germplasm resources plays an essential role in improving the yield of cotton in saline soils. In this paper, we reviewed what has been achieved in cotton in terms of the development of its salt tolerance using genetic engineering.
Gestational diabetus mellitus and its complications, role of desynchronosis in pathogenesis (a review)
Authors: Khara М. R. , Korda I. V. , Podilska T. I.
Published: October 2023

Diabetes mellitus is the most common metabolic disorder during pregnancy. The International Diabetes Federation estimates that one in six pregnant women (16.8 %) has diabetes. The prevalence of this disease in the human population is striking and, according to various sources, accounts for 14–25 % of all pregnant women. Most cases of hyperglycemia during pregnancy (75–90 %) is due to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
Risk factors, etiology and pathophysiology of GDM are being actively studied, but there are still some controversial issues. For example, the development of GDM in the aspect of circadian rhythm disorders. This problem is especially relevant in connection with pregnancy. After all, there is a two-way relationship here – circadian rhythm disorders affect the course of pregnancy, and pregnancy can be the cause of these disorders. In addition, this problem is relevant for women with a history of endocrine disorders, including diabetes mellitus, as there is a clear link between circadian rhythms and the production of hormones, including insulin.
The aim of this review was to show the relationship between the development of GDM, its complications, and circadian rhythm disorders in women.
Pregnancy complicated by GDM can have a negative effect on the myocardium and liver. Moreover, this disease has a significant impact on the myocardium of the offspring. GDM also can cause other complications for the mother’s health and fetus or newborn. Scientists have identified a fairly significant number of risk factors for GDM. However, circadian rhythm disorders accompanying pregnancy are often underestimated as a risk factor.
In general, there are many controversies regarding the relationship between long / short sleep duration and quality and the risk of developing diabetes, as well as how melatonin and its precursor serotonin affect metabolism in critical organs. Thus, the role of circadian rhythm disorders in the development of diabetes and its consequences is not yet fully understood. It is likely that solving the problem of circadian rhythm disorders will be the key to overcoming a significant proportion of cases of GDM. Therefore, there is an urgent need for further, larger-scale studies to investigate the causal links between circadian rhythm disorders, diabetes mellitus, and pregnancy.
Long-term restraint stress as a predictor of insulin resistance development in experimental rats
Authors: Romanova K. B. , Hancheva O. V. , Kolesnyk Yu. M.
Published: October 2023

The aim of the work was to define the pattern of changes and pathogenetic mechanisms of glycemic curve shape during a glucose tolerance test in rats at 6, 15, and 21 weeks of environmental space restriction.
Materials and methods. A total of 55 male Wistar rats aged 6–10 months were used and divided into 4 groups (1 – intact control, 10 rats; 2, 3 and 4 of 15 rats each, which were in conditions of restricted environmental space for 6, 15 and 21 weeks, respectively). Fasting plasma levels of glucose (test strips Test Strip II on a Glucocard glucometer (ARKRAY Inc., Japan)), insulin and corticosterone (by an immunoenzymatic method using commercial kits for rats from Monobind, USA) were measured, glucose tolerance tests (GTT) were performed, the HOMA index and the insulin/corticosterone ratio were calculated.
Results. The 6-week environmental space restriction, immobility and complex communication relations resulted in a hypoinsulinemic-hypoglycemic type of the glycemic curve with high tissue glucose sensitivity in animals which were in the conditions described (the HOMA index was significantly decreased to 0.21 versus 0.55 in the control), the characteristic delayed hyperglycemic peak at the 30th min of the test slowly returned to the euglycemic level by only the 90th min against the 30th min in the controls. The 15-week restriction caused a hypoinsulinemic curve with preserved tissue glucose sensitivity (the HOMA index 0.33 versus 0.55 in the controls). Alterations in postprandial glucose absorption were manifested by the highest glucose concentration at the 15th min of the test, a very slow decrease in the glucose level in the post-absorption period not being restored to baseline values by the 90th min. The 21-week restriction shaped a diabetic type of the glycemic curve, impaired tissue glucose sensitivity (a substantial and significant increase in the calculated HOMA index from 0.55 in the controls to 0.95) and resulted in the development of insulin resistance.
Conclusions. The environmental space restriction, immobility and complex communication relations gradually induce a range of disorders in animals and change the glycemic response shape to glucose load, impair prandial insulin secretion, augment hyperglycemic effects of counterinsular hormones (corticosterone), and realize dysfunctional manifestations of prandial/postprandial glycemia. 6 weeks of restrictions and challenges shape the hypoinsulinemic-hypoglycemic type of the glycemic curve with high tissue glucose sensitivity, while 15 weeks result in the hypoinsulinemic curve with preserved tissue glucose sensitivity. 21 weeks show the diabetic type of the glycemic curve with impaired tissue glucose sensitivity and the development of insulin resistance.
Ciała protetyczne w anglosaskich utworach fantastycznonaukowych. Ujęcie posthumanistyczne
Authors: Gajewska Grażyna
Published: October 2023

The author analyzes the images of disability in science fiction literary and film. She begins by identifying areas common to science fiction–disability studies–posthumanism. She goes on to argue that in science fiction we can find stereotypical images of people with disabilities, which are based on a culturally established dichotomy: healthy, functional (as normal) versus disabled (as abnormal), and such performances that escape this dichotomy and normalization. The author distinguishes several approaches to presenting disability in science fiction: hypervisibility combined with the unusual prosthetic abilities of the bodies, the healing of disabilities, elimination, and biodiversity. Particular attention is paid to the latter approach (biodiversity/biocooperation), exemplified by the film Avatar.
Images which are not there. The Representations of the Final Solution in the Examples of Son of Saul and Kornblumenblau
Authors: Jankowska Agata
Published: October 2023

Since the problem of representing the Holocaust first emerged, philosophers, writers and filmmakers have tried to find appropriate aesthetic methods of expression. Two approaches dominate the thinking about the Shoah: Claude Lanzmann’s claim of “the event without images” and George Didi-Huberman’s “images in spite of all”. The author’s analysis deconstructs these two theoretical approaches through the interpretation of two films: the Polish Kornblumenblau and the Hungarian Son of Saul and the notion of “the images which are not there”, that is, the non-existent photographs of the Nazi “Final Solution”. The main thesis of the essay states that cinematic representation and artistic expression can substitute for the lack of historical and visual (mostly photographic) depictions of the Holocaust. With the inspiration of theory (Giorgio Agamben, Siegfried Kracauer), I consider different methods of dealing with the dilemma of “unimaginable Auschwitz” and the concept of “bare life” as an aesthetical problem.
Triada obrazów akwatycznych jako podstawa integralności kompozycji filmu dokumentalnego Ołeksandra Awszarowa i Switłany Rudiuk Wasz Wasyl
Authors: Mychajłowa Tetiana
Published: October 2023

The article is dedicated to analysing the compositional integrity of Oleksandr Avsharov and Svitlana Rudyuk’s documentary Yours, Vasyl (2019) through the prism of key aquatic images, including the city flood from the archival materials of Kyiv from 1970, dirty water from the poet’s sister’s dreams and the flood, stream and sea from Stus’s poetry (Ще до жнив не дожив..., Із циклу «Забуттям», Костомаров у Саратові). On the basis of these aquatic images, represented by key textual messages, the plot of the film is schematically arranged in a triad, which in turn plays the role of a graphic image of a mountain – a symbol of the poet’s steadfastness and victory. Attention is also drawn to the rich symbolism of the images, the skillful intertwining of the visual and auditory, the past and the present, thanks to which the image of the Stus seems alive and modern, which is what the filmmakers wanted to achieve.
From the Era of Print to the Reality of Electronic Publishing
Authors: Warr Wendy
Published: October 2023

In 1998, Michael Bowen summarized an ICSU Press workshop on electronic publishing [1]. It is reprinted below (in this issue of Chemistry International) and I have been invited to give a 2023 perspective on its conclusions.

In 1998, Wendy Warr was chair of the IUPAC Committee on Printed and Electronic Publications (CPEP was the predecessor of the current CPCDS) and Mike Bowen was Secretary. It was an advisory function of the committee to keep-up with how the landscape of electronic publishing was evolving.

Before I address those conclusions more specifically, it is worth mentioning some electronic publishing advances of the 1990s. Carnegie Mellon University advertised an opening for an “electronic librarian” as early as 1991. Some electronic products predate the World Wide Web (e.g., arXiv preprints which were first emailed using TeX in 1991). The Digital Object Identifier (DOI) was launched in October 1997. SpringerLink, Elsevier’s ScienceDirect, and PubMed were all available in 1998. The American Chemical Society (ACS) and Chemical Abstracts Service launched ChemPort in December 1997, in collaboration with seven other publishers. ACS had reinvented its journals for the Web with Articles as Soon as Possible (ASAP), search tools to find specific articles easily, and links to databases, and to cited articles through ChemPort. The scene was clearly set for electronic publishing, and so let’s move to the eight 1998 predictions from the ICSU Press workshop.
High efficiency coupling fibers with different types of photo detectors for the management of noise multiplication and efficient bandwidth
Authors: Prabu Ramachandran Thandaiah , Kumar Chandran Ramesh , Devi Perumal Kalpana , Shibu Soman , Kumar Ata Kishore , Xavier Benisha Maria , Mahmmoud Fawzya Kamel
Published: October 2023

This work has clarified the high efficiency coupling fibers with different types of photo detectors for the management of noise multiplication and efficient bandwidth. As well as the study of the base band signal to noise base band form ratios are clarified with EDFA base band amplifier length variations. Max Q form factor with EDFA amplifier base band length variations is also demonstrated. The optimum base band electrical signal form power is simulated with EDFA base band amplifier length variations. The simulative study of Ge and InGaAs PIN photo-detectors performance evaluation are studied in the presence of the soliton transmission fiber systems. The dispersion management by the soliton technique to reach the value around zero. The max base band signal power form is clarified versus time based Ge and InGaAs PIN photo-detectors. Total base band electrical power form based Ge and InGaAs PIN photo-detectors are demonstrated. Max signal base form power amplitude band is simulated with the spectral base band frequency based Ge and InGaAs PIN photo-detectors. The max signal base form power amplitude band is studied versus time based Ge PIN photo-detectors.