bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long-term monitoring of fatty acid oxidation defects - Results from a MetabERN survey
Authors: Schwantje Marit , Grünert Sarah C. , Fuchs Sabine A.
Published: July 2023

Background Implementation of long-chain fatty acid oxidation defects (lcFAOD) in newborn screening (NBS) programs allows for pre-symptomatic diagnosis and treatment. The long-term natural history of NBS lcFAOD patients is largely unknown and may differ from clinically diagnosed pre-NBS patients. This complicates long-term monitoring of lcFAOD and may cause high monitoring variability. To gain insight in current clinical practice, we performed a web-based questionnaire among all metabolic members of the European Reference Network for Hereditary Metabolic Disorders (MetabERN).Results Thirty-seven colleagues representing at least 35 European metabolic centres shared their experience and results were discussed at the European Metabolic Group (EMG) meeting 2022. The centres concurred in many aspects of long-term monitoring of lcFAOD including the frequency of clinical visits, determination of laboratory parameters, cardiac monitoring and retinopathy screening. Main discrepancies comprised hepatic imaging, glucose monitoring and electrophysiological investigations.Conclusions Discrepancies may reflect differences in local availability of monitoring tools, the inclusion of lcFAOD in NBS programs as well as differences in local genotypes and phenotypes. Because monitoring strategies are largely based on the natural disease course of clinically identified patients, there might be over-monitoring of some NBS patients. Nevertheless, we advocate long-term monitoring because resulting information is essential to further characterize the natural disease course, develop evidence-based guidelines and provide a basis for evaluation of future therapies.
Alginate-zein composite modified with metal organic framework for sulfasalazine delivery
Authors: Asadollahi Tannaz , Motakef-Kazemi Negar , Hallajian Sara
Published: July 2023

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have promising prospects as drug nanocarrier, but are more limited in biomedical applications due to their poor stability and biocompatibility. To address this issue, sodium alginate-zein (MOF/SA-ZN) nanocomposites modified metal-organic framework was developed and used as an effective nanocarrier for sulfasalazine (SSZ) delivery. The obtained nanocomposite was structurally and morphologically characterized using different physicochemical techniques including Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Based on the results, the Zn2(BDC)2(DABCO) MOF were dispersed in biopolymers. The proposed nanocarrier leads to increased drug encapsulation and reduced side effects of SSZ, thus improving its bioavailability. In addition, the antibacterial properties of samples have been studied against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The results showed that the drug-loaded Zn-MOF/SA-ZN has a higher antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus gram positive bacteria compared to SSZ. The current research provides a promising insight into the fabrication of polymer modified MOF based drug delivery platforms and antibacterial agents.
A Retrospective Study of the Clinical Outcomes of Pilon Variant Posterior Malleolar Fracture involving Intra-Articular Impacted Fragments
Authors: You Mengzhen , Chen Cheng , Sun Yihao , Sun Xiaoting , Gao Yun , Wang Lei
Published: July 2023

INTRODUCTION
Intra-articular impacted fragment (IAIF) is commonly found in the Pilon variant posterior malleolar (PVPM) fracture. Poor quality of reduction may result in articular incongruity, leading to ankle function impairment and ultimately traumatic arthritis. However, the debating remains on if the IAIF must be reduced, and how the presence or malreduction of the IAIF influences the prognosis in PVPM fractures. This retrospective study is to evaluate the prognostic effect of the IAIF reduction in the PVPM fractures.
METHODS
We studied 22 patients with PVPM fractures admitted to our hospital between June 2020 and June 2021, who were treated with open surgery and followed-up for 12 months retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups: six patients without IAIF (No-IAIF group) and 16 patients with IAIF (IAIF group). Burwell-Charnley scoring system and ankle CT scan were used to evaluate the radiographic outcomes. At postoperative 12 months, American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Score (AOFAS) was set as primary outcome. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain score, the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) were secondary outcomes and associated complications were recorded. Postoperative articular stepping ≥2mm or articular incongruity on the sagittal view of CT scans was considered “poor” reduction, otherwise “anatomical”. The study abided by the Declaration of Helsinki and is approved by Human Ethics Committee of our hospital. All persons gave their informed consent prior to their inclusion in the study.
RESULTS
The articular surface of five of six patients in No-IAIF group and eight of 16 patients in IAIF group were considered “anatomically” reduced. Statistical difference of AOFAS, SF-36 and VAS was found significant between the No-IAIF and IAIF groups at postoperative 12 months. In the fractures considered with “anatomical” reduction, significant difference was only seen in SF-36 between the patients with and without IAIF. Three of 22 patients received syndesmotic fixations. No difference of associated complications was noted.
DISCUSSION
The results of this study indicated that the short-term clinical effect was dependent of the presence the IAIF. Importantly, the reduction satisfactory was statistically associated with improved clinical outcomes at 12 months postoperatively.
SIGNIFICANCE
The presence of the IAIF negatively affect the clinical outcome and the anatomical reduction of the articular congruity will positively affect the prognosis of PVPM fracture.
Resilient water infrastructure partnerships in institutionally complex systems face challenging supply and financial risk tradeoffs
Authors: Hamilton Andrew , Reed Patrick , Gupta Rohini , Zeff Harrison , Characklis Gregory
Published: July 2023

As regions around the world invest billions in new infrastructure to overcome increasing water scarcity, better guidance is needed to facilitate cooperative planning and investment in institutionally complex and interconnected water supply systems. This work combines detailed water resource system ensemble modeling with multiobjective intelligent search to explore highly uncertain infrastructure investment partnership design tradeoffs in the context of ongoing canal rehabilitation and groundwater banking in California. We highlight that severe tradeoffs can emerge between conflicting goals related to water supply deliveries, partnership size, and the underlying financial risks associated with cooperative infrastructure investments. We demonstrate how hydroclimatic variability and institutional complexity create significant uncertainty in realized water supply benefits and the potential for strong heterogeneity in partners’ financial risks that threaten infrastructure investment partnership viability. Importantly, the partnerships discovered by our multiobjective intelligent search framework are found to deliver substantially higher water supply benefits with a fraction of the financial risk compared to status quo planning processes. This work has important implications globally for efforts to use cooperative infrastructure investments to enhance the resilience and financial stability of water supply systems confronting increasing competition for scarce resources.
Biological Significance of Steroids
Authors: Devi Sushma , Kumar Parveen , Kaur Gagandeep
Published: July 2023

Steroids display varied biological functions and play a crucial role in the
fascinating fields of biology, chemistry, and medicine.Steroids encompass wide.ranging natural products which are abundantly encountered in eukaryotic organisms.
These exhibit a pivotal role in regulating the cellular functions of animals, plants, and
fungi. Furthermore, they act as chemical messengers in the human body and get
secreted in the systemic circulation and extracellular fluids, where they regulate
metabolic, immune, and reproductive functions. Steroids are the fundamental
components of cell membranes and serve primarily as signalling molecules. This
chapter gives a comprehensive overview of physiologically active steroids in various
organisms.The biological activities of various steroid classes have been discussed in
detail. Glucocorticoids are a class of steroid hormones that regulate the metabolic
processes involving the formation of glucose from amino acids and fatty acid
deposition of glycogen in the liver. Another important group of hormones, called
mineralocorticoids, helps in balancing water and electrolyte content in the body and
primarily affects the kidney. The principal class of steroids viz. the sex hormones are
essentially crucial for the development and maintenance of reproductive function and
cause stimulation of secondary sexual characteristics in humans. To summarize,
steroids stabilize and regulate the structure and functions of cellular membranes and
play a crucial role in regulating growth and development.
Plant Cardenolides: Multifunctional Medicinal Agents
Authors: Joshi Veenu , Sahu Akanksha , James Ajay , Vyas Amber , Joshi Neelu
Published: July 2023

Cardenolides are a class of compounds steroidal in nature, belonging to the
cardiac glycoside group of secondary metabolites. They consist of a sugar part and a
non-sugar part consisting of a steroidal cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene ring with
lactone substitution at the β-17 position. Cardenolides are found in angiosperm plant
families like Plantiginaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Apocynaceae, Brassicaceae, Cruciferae,
Liliaceae, Moraceae, Ranunculaceae, and Scrophulariaceae. These include some
important glycosides, such as digitoxin, digoxin, Ouabain, Calotropin, etc. with
profound pharmacological potential. Moreover, cardenolides have toxic effects for
which these have been used in poison arrows and for self-harm purposes. Traditionally,
these were used to treat congestive heart failure. However, recently they have emerged
as promising agents to exhibit anticancer, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective,
and various other therapeutic roles. Cardenolides like Digoxin and Digitoxin have been
used in the treatment of heart failure and atrial fibrillation. Toxicarioside A, and
Calotropin have been reported to suppress tumor growth and are used as anticancer
agents, Strophalloside and Oubain are reported to be involved in apoptosis. Oleandrin
is an antiproliferative agent and can inhibit IL-8 which is responsible for cystic fibrosis.
Papillary thyroid carcinoma coexisting with benign thyroid and parathyroid pathology: clinical and pathomorphological features
Authors: Dinets A. , Gorobeiko M. , Hoperia V. , Lovin A. , Tarasenko S.
Published: July 2023

Background. Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most frequent malignant neoplasm originating from follicular cells of thyroid gland. PTC is often coexisting with other benign thyroid pathology such as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, follicular thyroid adenoma, toxic thyroid adenoma, Graves’ disease, non-toxic multinodular goiter. PTC can be diagnosed in patients undergoing surgical treatment for hyperparathyroidism. However, the clinical and pathomorphological features of PTC in the presence of other benign thyroid or parathyroid pathology, as well as possible differences in surgical tactics, remain relevant as evidenced by previously published reports. The purpose of the study is to assess the prevalence and determine the differences in the clinical and pathomorphological parameters of PTC in the presence of benign thyroid and parathyroid pathology. Materials and methods. There were identified 91 patients with PTC, who underwent surgical treatment at the clinical bases of the Department of Surgery of the NSC “Institute of Biology and Medicine” of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Results. In the studied PTC cohort, 31 (35 %) patients were without coexisted benign thyroid pathology and 60 (35 %) patients had it (PTC/coexisted). A statistically significantly higher number of mitoses per 10 high power fields in the PTC group were identified in 3 (10 %) patients, as compared to the absence of this pathohistological parameter in the PTC/coexisted (p = 0.037). Further analysis of these 3 cases showed that 4 mitotic figures were found in one PTC, and one mitotic figure in the other two cases per 10 high power fields (400×). Conclusions. Papillary thyroid carcinoma in patients with other benign thyroid pathology is associated with lower biological aggressiveness than PTC without comorbidity as evidenced by a lower frequency of mitotic figures per 10 high power fields. The presence of concomitant benign thyroid pathology can be considered as a favorable prognostic factor for patients with PTC.
Narratives of Self-Discovery: Examining Kamala Das's Autobiography in the Context of Women's Empowerment
Authors: Sujitha Dr. S. , Daves Dr. A. Arun
Published: July 2023

This research article examines the significance of autobiographical works as a means of self-expression and self-portrayal in contemporary society. The study explores the genre of autobiography, its historical development, and its psychological implications. The research focuses on Kamala Das's autobiography, "My Story," as a case study to analyze the themes of self-realization, self-assertion, and the struggles of Indian womanhood. The article highlights the role of autobiographies in challenging societal norms and advocating for women's rights and individuality. It explores how Kamala Das's autobiography defies patriarchal expectations and explores themes of love, sexuality, and personal growth. The research also addresses the impact of Kamala Das's work in reshaping feminine personas in Indian English fiction. Overall, the article contributes to the understanding of autobiographical literature as a powerful medium for self-exploration and social critique.
The Relationship between Parents Parenting Style and Self-Directed Learning Readiness in Middle School Students
Authors:   Korean Association For Learner-Centered Curriculum And Instruction, Park Ji hyun , Seo Sang wan , chung Ji hee , Li sha sha , Jang Sung Hwa
Published: July 2023

The proposes of this research are to ascertain parents' rearing attitude which middle school students perceive and difference of self-directed learning ability by gender, academic year and to analyze what relation there's between parents' rearing attitude and self-directed learning. I selected 250 testees out of middle school students who live in Seoul and performed statistical analysis with 241 testees except for 9 respondent who answered insincerely by means of SPSS WIN 14.0.
Results of this research follow. In the first place, as for self-directed learning ability statistically important differences emerged by gender and academic year. In the second place, the differences of parents' rearing attitude by low field has shown significant point by gender but did't in academic year. In the third place, as a result of looking into differences between self-directed learning ability in low field and parents' rearing attitude, passive correlation was founded in every low field except for originality and self-control. In addition, the result of multiple regression analysis which was conducted to find out relative contribution degree by low independent variables of parents' rearing attitude towards self-directed learning was that parents' rearing attitude explained 37.2% out of all variance of self-directed learning ability. We proposed implication to improve parents' rearing attitude towards about school student and self-directed ability on the basis of this results.
The Comparative Study on the Instruction Time in the Elementary School Systems
Authors:   Korean Association For Learner-Centered Curriculum And Instruction, Park Changun , Min Yongseong , Oh Eunjoo
Published: July 2023

The Korean government has been seeking ways to reduce instruction time in public school systems so that students can spend more time for their extra curricular activities. Since 2006, Korean public schools provide classes on Saturdays bi-weekly. Recently, however, the government is considering stopping classes on Saturdays altogether. However, educators and parents have expressed big concerns about lowering the quality of education and decreasing the amount of study time when the school days are reduced. The purpose of this paper was to explore the ways to adjust the school curriculum without affecting students' learning when the public schools do not provide classes on Saturday. In particular, this study focuses on the elementary school curriculum. In order to suggest ways to adjust the school curriculum, the public school curriculum of 5 foreign countries such as the United States, France, Japan, China, and Australia were analyzed and compared with the case of Korea. Along with the curriculum, extra-curricular activities, after-school activities, and week-end programs were also analyzed. The study found that the Korean public schools have longer instruction time and more compulsory subjects than comparative countries. In addition, it was found that Korean public schools consider the extra-curricular hours as regular instruction time while other countries do not. The suggestions were made accordingly based on the research findings.
Critical review on the research trends and tasks of multicultural education in Korea
Authors:   Korean Association For Learner-Centered Curriculum And Instruction, Kim Min-Hwan
Published: July 2023

The purpose of this study is to examine research trends of multicultural education in Korea and suggest some directions and tasks for further study. For this purpose, I reviewed abundant research resources in the multicultural education area which were published during 1995-2009.
The study of multicultural education has been increased rapidly from 2006 in Korea. However, most of studies were initiated by researchers who worked in subject matter rather than educationist. Furthermore, many meanings of multicultural education were limited as an assimilation or adjustment of foreigners. Also, many studies for multicultural education were focused mostly on the realities, contents, methods, and perceptions of teachers.
With these research trends of multicultural education, I'd like to suggest some directions and tasks for the further study.
First, the target of multicultural education should be aimed at not only foreign students, but also Korean students. Second, it is also need to establish multicultural education system for students who escaped from North Korea. Third, it should examine the effect of diverse programs of the multicultural education. Fourth, multicultural education researchers should have more concerns for the need or requisition of students and parents. Fifth, it is necessary to break from the some subject matter-centered research trend. Sixth, it needs development of bilingual education program. Finally, it is necessary to define the meaning of multicultural education relevant to the Korean society.
The mediative effect of educational goal between principal's leadership and teacher's culture
Authors:   Korean Association For Learner-Centered Curriculum And Instruction, Ahn Se Keun , Kwon Dong Taik , Kim Hyun Wook
Published: July 2023

The purpose of this study was to analysis about the mediative effect of educational goal between principal's leadership and teacher's culture by using Longitudinal Study of Korean Education data. Base on the selected data, Structural Equation Modeling was used to examine the relationship between educational goal factor, principal's leadership factor, teacher's culture factor.
The main results of the research were as follow : First, the principal's leadership was main effect on the teacher's culture. The principal's leadership was more influential variable than educational goal factor. Second, the mediative effect of educational goal was significant. Third, the model fit, 440.73(p<.01), TLI .944, RMSEA .099, CFI .966, RMR .024 was relatively satisfied with the standard using structural equation model. As Sobel verificational methods, the mediative effect verification, 13.783(p<.05) was significant. As based on this results, succeeding study can be more helpful with elaborate factor about teacher's culture.
The Effects of Educational Service at University on Student Satisfaction, Commitment, Word of Mouth, and Fund-Rising Intention
Authors:   Korean Association For Learner-Centered Curriculum And Instruction, Chung Kihan , Jung Hyunhwa , Shin Jaeik
Published: July 2023

Today the environment of educational service at university has been rapidly changing. The quantitative growth of universities and the number of students' reduction bring a new challenge to some universities. The survival of many universities is dependent on their capacity to maintain or increase the university's market share of students, results and resources and to market their university to the external environment. Indeed, the establishment of educational markets urged universities to incorporate various forms of marketing perspective into their strategy in order to successfully recruit students in the new competitive environment.
The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship among educational service quality, student satisfaction, student commitment, word of mouth, and fund-rising intention and to provide the implications of marketing strategies for university. The results of this paper are as follows: first, technical quality, functional quality, physical internal environment, and physical external environment affect positively student satisfaction. Second, functional quality affects positively student commitment. Third, student satisfaction affects positively word of mouth and fund-rising intention. Fourth, student commitment affects positively word of mouth and fund-rising intention. Therefore, managers should enhance educational service quality of university for long-term survival.
Phenolic Profile and Antioxidant Potential of Aqueous Extracts of Selected Traditional Anti-cough Plants
Authors: Osuagwu Olachi Lilian , Igwe Chidi Uzoma , Nzebude Chiamaka Perpetua , Njoku Onyinyechi Chijioke , Ejiofor Juliet Chioma
Published: July 2023

The recent surge in attention towards plant-based antioxidants can be attributed to their perceived advantageous impact on human health. The present study assessed the phenolic profile, antioxidant potential, and free radical scavenging ability of hot aqueous leaf extracts obtained from Vernonia amygdalina, Piper guineense, and Gongronema latifolium. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used to examine phenolic profile.  Antioxidant capacity was conducted using total flavonoid content (TFC), total phenol content (TPC), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity, while ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), nitric oxide (NO), hydroxyl (OH), and 2, 2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) were analysed for their radicals scavenging activities. G. latifolium displayed notable phenolic compounds, such as lunamarin (76.32mg/ml), ribalinidine (64.08 mg/ml), gallocatechin (48.58mg/ml), aglycone (41.69 mg/ml), flavonone (33.45mg/ml), and flavan-3-ol (30.49mg/ml). The plant extracts contained resveratol, kaempferol, and ribalinidine in a consistent manner across all samples. The findings suggest that the plants exhibits noteworthy antioxidant potential, with  G. latifolium displaying the highest antioxidant capacity (96.18 ± 0.11µg/mL) and total phenolic content (28.50 ± 0.04 µg/mL). V. amgydalina  showed highest polyphenol oxidase activity,  at 7.14 ± 0.10 µg/mL G. latifolium as well showed high •NO scavenging radicals and FRAP activity, while exhibiting the least efficacy in •OH scavenging radicals. The results indicate that all three samples demonstrated a noteworthy increase in DPPH scavenging activity, which was statistically significant at  p<0.05 compared to standard. Results reveals that plant extracts showed significant phenolic compounds,  antioxidant and free radicals property. These observations provides a rationale for the traditional use of these extracts in folk medicine for management and treatment of cough.

Keywords. Gongronema latifoluim, Veronia amygdalina, Piper guineense, Phenolic profile, Antioxidant capacity, Free Radical, cough.
Exploring Drug Prescription Patterns in the Neurology Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Comprehensive Analysis
Authors: Nithya R , Neesha Solanky K , Narmadha UDHAYAKUMAR , Redlin R. R. , Ramya A , Manisha B
Published: July 2023

Objective: Neurological disorders are a major cause of morbidity, mortality and disability. These adversely affect the quality of life among all age group patients. Majority of neurological disorders include Epilepsy, Headache, Cerebrovascular disorders with hemiparesis, Neuropathic pain, Extrapyramidal syndrome, Cervical myelopathy and Parkinson’s disease. This study was done with aim to evaluate the prescription pattern of various drugs in different types of neurological disorders and to use the WHO / INRUD prescribing indicators to assess the rational drug prescribing.

Materials and Methods: A Prescription-based, Observational prospective study was carried out in a tertiary care hospital at South India. The prescription data of patients attending the neurology outpatient department was analysed over a period of 2 months. Rational use of drugs was analysed by the INRUD Scale.

Results:  Out of these, 166 patients were male, whereas 134 patients were female. Most prevalent neurological disorders were Trigeminal neuralgia (25.66%), 9.97% of the patient population received injections, with 4% receiving Inj. Dexamethasone 8mg. Overall drug prescribing performance scoring was 3.55.

Conclusion: Our study revealed good Prescribing pattern as shown by WHO scale- IRUD/INRUD. Further such studies with large sample size are needed so as to guide clinicians toward rationale drug.

Keywords: Neurological; International Network of Rational Use of Drugs; Drug Utilisation, Rational Use.
Sytuacja ekonomiczno-finansowa producentów a zmiany podażowo-popytowe na rynku nawozów mineralnych w Polsce
Authors: Piwowar Arkadiusz
Published: July 2023

Rynek nawozów mineralnych jest jednym z najważniejszych rynków środków produkcji rolnej. Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie sytuacji ekonomiczno-finansowej wybranych przedsiębiorstw produkcyjnych na rynku nawozów mineralnych w Polsce po akcesji do UE. Krajowy przemysł nawozowy jest głównym dostawcą nawozów na rynek polski, a ceny nawozów mineralnych w Polsce po 2004 r. gwałtownie wzrosły. Jak wynika z badań, sytuacja ekonomiczno-finansowa sektora nawozowego znacznie poprawiła się w badanych latach. Odzwierciedleniem poprawy jest wzrost przychodów i rentowności wszystkich największych producentów nawozów mineralnych w Polsce. W latach 2004-2011 w największych w Polsce wytwórniach nawozów azotowych i wieloskładnikowych odnotowano wysoki wzrost zysków.
Wydajność pracy jako jeden z elementów decydujących o międzynarodowej konkurencyjności polskiego przemysłu spożywczego
Authors: Mroczek Robert , Tereszczuk Mirosława
Published: July 2023

W artykule pokazano zmiany wydajności pracy, jakie nastąpiły w minionej dekadzie, tj. w latach 2000-2010, w polskim przemyśle spożywczym i jego poszczególnych branżach, mierzonej wartością produkcji sprzedanej na zatrudnionego. Poprawa wydajności pracy była zjawiskiem powszechnym i dotyczyła wszystkich branż przemysłu spożywczego, aczkolwiek tempo tych zmian było różne. Tempo wzrostu wydajności pracy w polskim przemyśle spożywczym należało do jednego z najwyższych wśród krajów Wspólnoty, zwłaszcza w odniesieniu do krajów najbardziej rozwiniętych, tj. UE-15. Oznacza to, że sukcesywnie zmniejszamy dzielący nas dystans w tym obszarze, a tym samym stajemy się bardziej konkurencyjni. Jest to o tyle ważne, że tracimy inne przewagi komparatywne w postaci m.in. niższych cen surowców rolnych czy mediów, np. prądu, wody.
Risks and Risk Management in Agriculture
Authors: Theuvsen Ludwig
Published: July 2023

Agriculture has always been exposed to a wide spectrum of risks. But it is largely undisputed that farmers have faced growing risks in recent years. More volatile agricultural and input prices, climate change, ongoing discussions about the future of the Common Agricultural Policy, increasing difficulty in finding qualified farm workers, and growing criticism of modern intensive agriculture from the wider public and the mass media are just a few of the risks farmers have to cope with. Therefore, risk management has become highly relevant in agriculture. In this paper, we highlight the need for systematic risk management and outline a systematic agricultural risk management approach. Empirical results illustrate farmers’ risk perceptions and their preferred risk management strategies.
Natur- og gårdsbarnehager – en arena for helhetlig læring og bærekraftig utvikling
Authors: Lynngård Anne M. , Nappen Kari G.
Published: July 2023

Children in kindergartens with a focus on gardening and farming participate to a large extent in practical work. In this article, we discuss why practical work can be important for children’s connection to nature, and to what extent this can be linked to education for sustainability. The empirical material in this study derives from semi-structural interviews with three kindergarten teachers working in kindergartens where there is an emphasis on farming and gardening activities, as well as an interview with Linda Jolly, who is an expert on this topic. The questions were related to specific experiences with children in the garden and on the farm, communication and conversations with children, and how they link this work to sustainable development. Our results indicate that there is a unique pedagogical practice in these kindergartens. This practice is based on participation in practical learning, meaningful work, sensory experiences, master teaching, responsibility, community and care, and forms the basis for the child’s development and learning. The educators’ roles are facilitators and present supervisors with a lot of engagement. In this way, children can learn about themselves and relationships in the community. Our study also indicates that children who participate in farm and gardening activities can gain a stronger connection to and understanding of nature.
Klimaundervisning som eige fag i skulen: Erfaringar med klima- og miljøfaget som prøvefag
Authors: Sætre Per Jarle
Published: July 2023

To learn about climate and climate change is an important goal in the curriculum for Norwegian schools. Received with permission from the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training, Firda upper secondary school began offering a pilot version of a new subject called Climate and the environment in 2016. The motivation behind the pilot program has been to develop an in-depth subject about climate change, its reasons and consequences. This study presents different challenges faced by teachers and students in the development of a new school subject. The article approaches the following questions: Why did the students choose this subject? What do they think about climate and environmental issues? What are the challenges with cross-curricular teaching and the lack of a textbook? The article also discusses Climate and the environment as a new subject in the Norwegian curriculum.
Friluftsliv i lærarutdanning – utvikling av respekt for natur og miljømedvit for ei berekraftig framtid
Authors: Nerland Jørgen , Aadland Helga
Published: July 2023

The intention of this chapter is to investigate how ecocentric friluftsliv (outdoor life) works within an interdisciplinary pedagogical framework as didactic practice in educational activities focusing on environmental topics in teacher education. We explore the theoretical and ecophilosophical foundation of our ecocentric, pedagogical friluftsliv perspective and how it can contribute to developing respect for nature and environmental awareness for a sustainable future. The theoretical and ecophilosophical foundation is then discussed in comparison with empirical data from teacher education students who have completed a course emphasising ecocentric friluftsliv. We have chosen an instrumental case study as the methodological approach in our work. This method is applied to analyse the ecocentric friluftsliv perspective in relation to how students express their response to the educational activity. The results indicate theoretical and empirical grounds to claim that educational activities with an emphasis on ecocentric friluftsliv can be a positive contribution when working with environmental topics in teacher education, affecting pedagogical competence, the relationship with nature and environmental awareness.
Differential expression of hsa_circ_0064357 and hsa_circ_0064358 between oral squamous cell carcinoma and oral lichen planus
Authors:   Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, East Tehran Branch (Ghiamdasht), Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. Corresponding author: faranak.jamshidian@gmail.com., Naderi Roxana , Jamshidian Faranak ,   Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, East Tehran Branch (Ghiamdasht), Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. Email: faranak.jamshidian@gmail.com.
Published: July 2023

"Background/aims: Reliable biomarkers with high specificity and sensitivity and the potential to discriminate precancerous or early lesions from oral cancer improve scientific assessment and early detection. Dysregulated circRNAs play a critical role in the occurrence and progression of malignant biological behaviors of OSCC. The study of potential diagnostic roles of hsa_circ_0064357 and hsa_circ_0064358 in early diagnostic of precancerous lesions such as OLP to OSCC as the most common type of head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) was the focus of present research. Methods: The differential expression of hsa_circ_0064357, hsa_circ_0064358, and RAF1 target gene predicted using CircInteractome and Circbase databases between OSCC (n=30), OLP (n=10) tissues and their adjacent normal tissues were evaluated by qRT-PCR. The potential diagnostic value of circRNAs was identified by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: hsa_circ_0064357 and hsa_circ_0064358 were identified to be lowly expressed, while RAF1 was upregulated in OSCC and OLP tissues more than adjacent normal tissues. Low expression of circRNAs was markedly correlated with TNM stages of OSCC patients. ROC analysis revealed AUC of 0.962 and 0.965 for hsa_circ_0064357 and hsa_circ_0064358, respectively, suggesting that circRNAs can serve as novel diagnostic biomarkers for early detection of OSCC. Conclusion: hsa_circ_0064357 and hsa_circ_0064358 might be involved in the progression and metastasis of OSCC and could be used as promising novel biomarkers for early diagnosis and the clinical monitoring of the malignant transformation of OLP into OSCC. Keywords: hsa_circ_0064357, hsa_circ_0064358, OSCC, OLP, RAF1 gene"
Phylogenetic analyses of the proteins involved in encapsulation signaling pathways in ants
Authors:   Department of Biology and Ecology, Hungarian Line of Study, Babeș-Bolyai University, Orbán-Bakk Kincső ,   Center for Systems Biology, Biodiversity and Bioresources, Sociobiology and Insect Ecology Laboratory, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Email: kincso.orban@ubbcluj.ro., Csata Enikő ,   Institute for Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany. Email: eniko.csata@biologie.uni-regensburg.de., Markó Bálint ,   Department of Biology and Ecology, Hungarian Line of Study, Babeș-Bolyai University; Institute for Research, Development and Innovation in Applied Natural Sciences, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Email: marko.balint@ubbcluj.ro., Kósa Ferencz ,   Department of Biology and Ecology, Hungarian Line of Study, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Email: ferencz.kosa@ubbcluj.ro.
Published: July 2023

"One of the major evolutionary transitions is the shift from solitary to social lifestyle, which involved a plethora of behavioral and physiological changes in social entities. Group living has several advantages as the evolution of collective defense mechanisms. It may also affect the individual immune system either due to the efficiency of social immune defenses or because of the high transmission frequency of pathogens. Individual defense consists of the innate and acquired immune components. In insects, there are two signaling pathways (Toll and Jak/Stat) that result in the expression of specific immune genes, which, in their turn, encode peptides, proteins and activate innate immune responses like encapsulation. The main aim of our study was to verify whether transition to eusocial lifestyle is reflected in proteins involved in immune responses. We carried out phylogenetic analyses of 15 proteins involved in encapsulation signaling pathways in ants. We also included four other social insect groups, bees, sweat bees, social wasps, and termites, and three solitary insect groups, as fruit flies, braconid wasps, and megachilid bees. Ants grouped separately from other insect groups in most cases, however, there were some notable exceptions mostly in the case of pattern recognition proteins, probably correlating with differences in potential pathogens. No major differences were revealed though between solitary and social insects with respect to proteins involved in encapsulation. Keywords: eusociality, evolution, immune response, innate immunity, insects, social immunity"
Outdoor Sports and Environmental Protection in Mountainous Areas Under Ecological Civilisation
Authors: Lu Zhihai
Published: July 2023

Since the mid and late 19th century, people have paid more and more attention to the ecological environment, and environmental awareness and behaviour have been gradually strengthened. The global environmental protection movement is rising daily, and environmental protection will become the focus of human attention in the 21st century. Accelerate the establishment and improvement of the system and mechanism of land and space development, resource conservation and utilisation, and ecological preservation of the environment in the system of ecological civilisation, and promote the formation of a new pattern of harmonious development between man and nature and modernisation. Although China has formulated policies and regulations on environmental protection in outdoor sports development, environmental protection is grim due to problems such as insufficient government supervision, weak public awareness of environmental protection, and relatively backward environmental protection concepts and management methods. During the visit, outdoor sports lovers and club leaders were interviewed. In this context, with the continuous development of outdoor mountain sports driven by the improvement of people’s pursuit of life, there began to be contradictions between outdoor mountain sports and the ecological preservation of the environment, which also became the cause of the author’s concern and research.
One Belt and One Road Impact on Environment, Economy & Health in Western China Through Industry Transfer
Authors: Wang Kai , Wang Ao
Published: July 2023

Based on fully absorbing and learning from the relevant research results at home and abroad, this paper focuses on four aspects: the transfer of polluting industries in the central and western regions and residents’ health problems. Firstly, the current pattern and development trend of regional pollution transfer in China; secondly, the economic effect of the transfer of polluting industries on the western undertaking areas; finally, from the micro and macro perspectives, the paper investigates the impact of the transfer of polluting industries on the individual health and health expenditure of residents in western China. The results show that the gap between industrial environmental and economic efficiency in the western region narrowed and gradually stabilised from 2008 to 2017. However, the gap between industrial environmental efficiency and economic efficiency in the western region widened from 2017 to 2020. The impact of environmental pollution on industrial environmental efficiency in the western provinces and regions has regional differences. Secondly, the present situation and trend of pollution control in western China are macroscopically investigated by comparing the output of general industrial solid waste and the investment in pollution control in different regions. Finally, this paper reveals the impact of the transfer of polluting industries on the health of residents in western China. Based on the characteristics of household category, age, and income of interviewees, the income growth effect of the transfer of polluting industries is less than the health loss caused by the transfer of pollution. It can be found that the transfer of polluting industries has a significant impact on the environment, economy, and the health of residents in western China.
Financial Development and Environmental Pollution Control - An Analysis of Intermediary Effect Based on Technological Innovation
Authors: Han Li , Li Ting
Published: July 2023

Based on the rapid development of green finance and the panel data of 30 provinces in China (excluding Tibet, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao) from 2007 to 2020, to deeply discuss the relationship between financial development (FD), technological innovation and environmental pollution (EP) control is the centre of this article by using panel fixed-effect and intermediary effect model. The influence of FD on EP is tested by building a benchmark regression model. In addition, the intermediary effect model is adopted to explore how FD affects EP control through technological innovation mechanism. The conclusions show that China’s FD can effectively promote regional EP control on the whole, and FD can improve EP through technological innovation mechanism, but there is significant regional heterogeneity: compared with high government intervention areas, FD can promote EP control through technological innovation in low government intervention areas. Therefore, it is suggested that all regions promote the construction of financial infrastructure, upgrade the level of regional financial marketisation, speed up the realisation of regional technological innovation and EP control. This work is conducive to the formulation of appropriate government policies to promote the improvement of the financial system and the establishment of innovative mechanisms, and the reasonable reduction of government intervention and the improvement of the efficiency of financial resource allocation based on the needs of financial market players.
New data on the parasitization of Aleurothrixus floccosus (Maskell) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in Greece
Authors: Stathas G.J. , Kavallieratos N.G. , Cheliotis L.N. , Skouras P.J. , Giakoumaki M.V. , Milonas P.G.
Published: July 2023

Signiphora flavella (Girault) (Hymenoptera: Signiphoridae) was recorded in 2022 as a new parasitoid species of the serious pest of citrus Aleurothrixus floccosus (Maskell) in Greece, in two different areas, i.e., the provinces of Laconia and Messinia. Previously, Signiphora flavella was recorded in Greece parasitizing Hemiberlesia rapax (Comstock) and H. lataniae (Signoret) in early 60s. It is mainly a parasitoid species of scale insects belonging to Diaspididae (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha), whiteflies, or a hyperparasitoid of aphelinids.
A Study Regarding the Impact of Navigation Data Manipulation on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle GNSS Sensors
Authors: Romaniuc Alexandru-Gabriel , Vasile Vlad-Cosmin , Borda Elena-Monica
Published: July 2023

Nowadays, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle systems have proven to be very useful in a variety of applications, such as monitoring and surveying an area of interest, mapping inaccessible terrain, real-time traffic monitoring, reconnaissance missions, transport of loads, and also for military purposes. The movement and stability in the air of these systems is dependent on the on-board sensors such as GNSS sensors, proximity sensors, accelerometer, gyroscope, light and temperature sensors. GNSS sensors are vital devices capable of processing navigation signals to determine the position, orientation and speed of the UAV system during operation. GNSS sensors are also used in many applications that require navigation data as well as highly accurate synchronization data. Both GNSS systems and the sensors that process their data have been shown to be vulnerable to jamming and spoofing attacks. GNSS sensors are of particular importance and the information provided by them requires protection. Considering these things, this paper aims to carry out a study in which several UAV systems will be exposed to signal samples with manipulated navigation data. This study will help us to assess the impact of exploiting GNSS sensor vulnerabilities and the effects it can have during the operation of UAV systems.
An Alternative Application to CHATGPT that Uses Reliable Sources to Enhance the Learning Process
Authors: Șorecău Mirela , Șorecău Emil
Published: July 2023

ChatGPT is a type of language model that uses machine learning algorithms to generate responses to natural language input. Its advanced technology can revolutionize the way humans interact with machines by creating more natural and intuitive communication. However, the accuracy of ChatGPT’s responses may be compromised by biased or inaccurate data, which highlights the importance of carefully evaluating its output. Furthermore, early versions of ChatGPT were found to produce academic papers with missing references, which may compromise the credibility of research in the academic publishing industry. This underscores the need to establish regulations and guidelines that ensure the ethical and transparent use of these technologies, and to avoid relying solely on automated tools like ChatGPT without thoroughly reviewing the literature. In order to minimise the potential for inaccurate information in the classroom, an intuitive application based on the AI language (OpenAI - also used by ChatGPT) has been implemented. The application has been designed in such a way that it does not use internet databases as a search source and the answers to the questions are based on pre-established documentation that has been checked/certified by the educational institution/professors. The developed application can be installed either locally on a personal computer or on a file server/online library etc. and does not require access to a reliable Internet connection as in the case of ChatGPT.
Combined Imaging and Chromatic Confocal Microscopy Technique to Characterize Size and Shape of Ensembles of Cuboidal Particles
Authors: Neoptolemou Petros , Vetter Thomas , Cruz-Cabeza Aurora , Rajagopalan Ashwin Kumar
Published: July 2023

The presence of needle- and plate-like particles has detrimental consequences on their downstream processing in the fine chemicals sector. Therefore, the ability to accurately characterize the particle size and shape of the powder is essential to quantify and predict their impact on the product processability. Nonetheless, tools able to characterize the size and -- most importantly -- the shape, of ensembles of cuboidal crystals are seldom available. Thus, the overarching goal of this work is to provide a fast and accurate offline size and shape characterization tool. To this aim, we have designed and experimentally validated a combined imaging and chromatic confocal microscopy technique. We propose two modes of operation: one that facilitates the 3D reconstruction of particles at the expense of characterization time; and the other that facilitates rapid characterization without the need to 3D reconstruct the particles. We evaluate and validate the performance of our technique, using a commercial technique as a reference, by characterizing particles that exhibit differences in size and shape characteristics and optical properties. We show that our technique can be used to accurately obtain three characteristic lengths (length, width, and thickness) for thousands of particles, making it a valuable addition to existing process analytical technology.