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AbstractThe importance of this study is to investigate thoroughly the important design parameter “Erosion wear”. Since erosion wear is a serious phenomenon in which material loss occurs due to the impact of the flow, research is going on experimentally and also computationally. Through the extensive study, various important parameters and flow characteristics were drawn and also discussed the importance given to that parameter which affects erosion wear. Thus, this analysis is useful for the researcher to take care of the important parameter either by the geometrical modification or adding the sacrificial element to the device or etc., to reduce the erosion wear which is taken care of and discussed in this paper. Various erosion test rigs developed by the researchers that can replicate the industrial environment were studied and the overview was given and also the author’s point of view was briefly discussed in this paper. In addition to disseminating best practices and conducting an extensive review of the literature on experimental, computational, and mathematical investigations, the work’s main accomplishments include the identification of certain research gaps and loose ends and the provision of future research directions was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India agricultural and packaging technology practices are constantly evolving to enhance crop production by improving soil quality and creating suitable environments, respectively. Mulching and improved packaging films have emerged as popular methods, but the use of non-biodegradable polyethylene (PE) for both poses disposal challenges. To address this, the focus has shifted to the biodegradable polymer, polylactic acid (PLA), in combination with fruit peel waste powder as filler. This literature review paper was written to describe a detailed survey about PLA with the incorporation of increasing amounts of fruit peel waste to enhance the properties of the PLA film. The primary aim was to explore the potential of PLA mulch film with the incorporation of fruit peel waste as an environmentally friendly alternative for mulching application in agriculture. To date we know of no review article published regarding the incorporation of fruit peel waste as a filler within the PLA matrix to enhance the properties of the films used in agriculture and the packaging industry. Moreover, this review paper also describes recent trends in the application and methods of preparation of PLA mulch films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The short report aims to examine differences in self-rated general health across racialized post-secondary students at a university in Ontario, Canada. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to examine poor health as an outcome among racialized students as whole, as well as across Asian, South Asian, Afro-Caribbean and Middle Eastern student groups in comparison to white Caucasian post-secondary students. After adjusting for several covariates, racialized students as a whole had 2.43 times the odds of reporting poor general health compared to white Caucasian students. Asian (OR = 2.77; CI = 1.84-4.18; p < 0.05) and South Asian (OR = 2.52; CI = 1.56-4.08; p < 0.05) students were significantly more likely to report poor health compared to white Caucasian students. The findings call for further attention to the health needs of racialized post-secondary students living in Canada and creating campuses where diverse student populations feel safe and systemically included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palladium-reduced Graphene oxide nanocomposite is of interest for H2 storage and H2 sensor applications. The present work reports its synthesis by hydrothermal method and the effect of temperature to test its thermal stability. The samples underwent characterisation through in-situ X-ray diffraction at high temperatures performed by synchrotron radiation at the Photon factory in KEK, Japan at different temperatures from room temperature to 300°C to determine their particle size and crystal structure. The temperature effect causes an increase in the peak intensities and a shift towards a lower 2θ value, which shows improvement in crystallinity. The investigation of the temperature dependence of lattice parameters shows an increase in lattice spacing with temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractLately, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is increasing at an exponential rate making it important to search alternatives to antibiotics in order to combat multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacterial infections. Out of the several antibacterial and antibiofilm strategies being tested, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have shown to give better hopes in terms of a long-lasting solution to the problem. To select a desired AMP, it is important to make right use of available tools and databases that aid in identification, classification, and analysis of the physiochemical properties of AMPs. To identify the targets of these AMPs, it becomes crucial to understand their mode-of-action. AMPs can also be used in combination with other antibacterial and antibiofilm agents so as to achieve enhanced efficacy against bacteria and their biofilms. Due to concerns regarding toxicity, stability, and bioavailability, strategizing drug formulation at an early-stage becomes crucial. Although there are few concerns regarding development of bacterial resistance to AMPs, the evolution of resistance to AMPs occurs extremely slowly. This comprehensive review gives a deep insight into the selection of the right AMP, deciding the right target and combination strategy along with the type of formulation needed, and the possible resistance that bacteria can develop to these AMPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hotels across the globe are trying to adopt green technologies for reducing the negative impact of the hospitality segment on the environment. However, the implementation of green technologies in hotels can be affected by the perspectives of managers. There is a need to assess the views of managers regarding the enablers, barriers and skill-sets that affect the adoption of green technologies in hotels. Existing studies fail to draw a proper link between the factors that affect green technology use in hotels and the website content of green hotels. Semi-structured interviews of fifteen managers and topic-modeling of the website content of forty-one Indian green hotels reveal that there is a gap in communications and awareness. The qualitative study using a grounded theory and phenomenology approach has found motivators like, cost reduction, value-for-nature, and barriers like, misperception of customers, high cost. The study highlighted the importance of green skills as a moderator. 全球的酒店都在尝试采用绿色技术来减少酒店业对环境的负面影响. 然而，酒店绿色技术的实施可能会受到管理者观点的影响. 有必要评估管理人员对影响酒店采用绿色技术的推动因素、障碍和技能的看法. 现有研究未能在影响酒店绿色技术使用的因素与绿色酒店网站内容之间建立适当的联系. 对 15 名经理的半结构化访谈和对 41 家印度绿色酒店网站内容的主题建模表明，在沟通和意识方面存在差距. 使用扎根理论和现象学方法的定性研究发现了诸如降低成本、保护自然价值等激励因素，以及诸如对客户的误解、高成本等障碍. 该研究强调了绿色技能作为主持人的重要性. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally two billion population is under micronutrient malnutrition due to poor quality food intake. Foliar fertilization of micronutrients is a deliberate attempt to increase its concentration in edible portion of crop and to enhance consumer diet with targeted elements. A two-year field experiment was designed to validate whether foliar application is effective for biofortification of iron (Fe) and Zinc (Zn) in lathyrus and its bioavailability as well. The experiment was carried out following split plot design taking three lathyrus varieties in main plot (V1: Nirmal, V2: Prateek, and V3: Ratan) and four foliar sprays at pre-flowering and pod development stages in sub plot (F1: Control, F2: 0.5% FeSO4, F3: 0.5% ZnSO4, and F4: 0.5% FeSO4 + 0.5% ZnSO4) with three replications. Zn (highest 3.73 ppm vs. 3.51 ppm in control), Fe (highest 6.68 ppm vs. 6.34 ppm in control) and protein concentration of lathyrus grain consistently increased with foliar fertilization of micronutrients either alone or in combination for all three varieties. F4 treated lathyrus had 21% reduction of phytic acid (PA) concentration, the main inhibitor of mineral absorption in human. With decreased PA concentration PA:Zn and PA:Fe molar ratio were reduced significantly. A maximum of 13% yield increase was also noticed with foliar fertilization as compare to control and the trend can be explained as F4 (13%) > F3 (12%) > F2 (10%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substantial use of plastics as packaging material has become a global concern due to their limited recycling or incineration options and requires periodic degradation to avoid accumulation as a pollutant in the environment. Several chemical and physical properties such as surface area, hydrophobicity, chemical structure, molecular weight, melting temperature, crystallinity, and so on influence their biodegradation. Previously, hydrolases from Thermobifida fusca were reported to have higher degradability until Polyethylene terephthalate hydrolase (PETase) from Ideonella sakaiensis was discovered that showed better specificity for PET. The catalytic triad contains Ser160, Asp206 and His237 along with conserved serine hydrolase motif "Gly-X1-Ser-X2-Gly" having tryptophan at X1 for extending the hydrophobic surface of the active site and cysteine in the vicinity providing thermal stability via additional disulfide bonds. Here, we employed in silico screening techniques for the identification of potential plastic degrading PETases, initiating with sequence similarity search using IsPETase, scrutinizing for the presence of the conserved serine hydrolase motif containing tryptophan at X1 position and cysteine in the vicinity. Five PETases belonging to the diene-lactone hydrolase protein family from different bacterial species were identified in the initial screening, which was further confirmed by molecular docking studies indicating their capacity to bind MHET as substrate for degradation. Our study provides a reliable framework for identification and characterization of PETases involved in biodegradation of plastics which can be further explored for improving their efficiency and suitability under different conditions. This is extremely beneficial approach considering that the increasing demand for microbial enzymes due to the continued accumulation of plastics in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To compare effect of topical cyclosporine-A 0.05% (CsA) and chloroquine phosphate 0.03% (CHQ) as an adjunct to standard therapy in maintaining post-laser assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) ocular surface stability. Randomized controlled trial on 100 eyes undergoing femtosecond-LASIK randomized into three groups: 33 eyes in Group I (Standard Treatment group), 34 eyes in Group II (CsA group) and 33 eyes in Group III (CHQ group). Standard treatment included topical moxifloxacin, topical prednisolone and carboxymethyl cellulose. Group II received topical CsA 0.05% twice daily for three months and group III received topical CHQ 0.03% twice daily for three months in addition to standard treatment. Primary outcome measure was change in ocular surface disease index (OSDI) at 6 months. Secondary outcome measures were tear break up time (TBUT), Schirmer-I score, tear film osmolarity, tear film MMP-9 and visual acuity. Follow-up was performed at postoperative 1, 3 and 6 months. At 6 months, OSDI score, MMP-9, tear osmolarity, TBUT and Schirmer score were significantly better in both CsA and CHQ groups as compared with controls (p < 0.001). OSDI, Tear osmolarity, TBUT, MMP-9 levels were comparable in CsA and CHQ group (p > 0.05). In CsA group, tear film MMP-9 levels at 6 months were comparable to preoperative baseline (p = 0.09). There was no significant change in the Schirmer score from baseline in the CsA group; in addition, the Schirmer score was significantly better than the CHQ group at 6 months (p = 0.02). Visual acuity was comparable in all three groups. Adverse effects including burning sensation, stinging, pain and redness were reported by ten patients (CsA group- 3, CHQ group-7; p = 0.28). Both CsA and CHQ are useful adjuncts to standard therapy in maintaining ocular surface stability after refractive surgery. Cyclosporine A has more potent and sustained anti-inflammatory effect with less ocular irritative effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the frequent claim that planning is a 'barrier' to developing digital networks (mobile telephony and broadband), causing 'delay' and deficits in rural network coverage. It draws on planning applications data and expert interviews gathered in Wales. It found only a relatively small proportion of infrastructure applications failing to gain consent but that developers did perceive planning uncertainty and constraints to adversely affect network roll out. However, economics rather than planning has been the central factor limiting rural network coverage. More fundamentally, framing planning as a 'barrier' to infrastructure delivery ignores how planning mediates between alternative technological pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rectangular patch antenna with π shaped slot is proposed as a miniaturized antenna element with a gain of 5.83 dB for WLAN (5.2 GHz) application. This compact π shaped slot antenna is used as a radiating element for the design of a 2 × 1 MIMO system for WLAN application. A near field passive parasitic element is used in the proposed MIMO antenna to improve the isolation. The MIMO system has a surface area of 0.29λ2 with a measured gain of 6 dBi and impedance bandwidth of 110 MHz. The diversity characteristics of MIMO are quantified with envelop correlation coefficient of 0.004, capacity loss of 0.35 bits/s/Hz, mean effective gain ratio (less than 1), mutual coupling around −20 dB, and TARC is −14.5 dB. The measured results are in good agreement with the simulation results and validate the proposed design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that the development of highly patterned 'African print' textiles known as Dutch Wax print, which bring together designs from Indonesian batik, Indian ornamental protocols and West African chromatics with European fabric finishing techniques (often transferred from paper-making), is also the story of how Dutch mercantilism shaped commodities and taste across continents and cultures. I combine a symptomatic reading of the archives and design work at the Helmond headquarters of Vlisco, the most prestigious producer of Dutch wax, with an investigation into the relationship between mercantilism, religious wars and ornamentalism in the Low Countries. A thanatal, hallucinatory transoceanic design history emerges, attesting to Europe's fraught relationship to African and Asian material culture. It asks us to read the textiles on which design coagulates as the very ground for the (re)ordered inscription of violence, guilt, trauma and material excess which the disorderly cornucopia of the design archive keeps generating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work concentrates on developing an Indian sign language (ISL) recognition system using a forearm-worn wearable device to assist hearing-impaired persons. A novel ensemble of convolution neural networks (CNN) is proposed for robust ISL recognition using multi-sensor data. The accuracy for classification of 50 ISL signs improved from 92.5% obtained using a single CNN to 94.2% with 10 ensemble members created using the bagging approach and soft-voting for decision aggregation. Then, the ensemble of CNNs was optimized using weighted voting, where the weights were determined using a differential evolution algorithm. This further improved the classification accuracy to 96.6% with 10 ensemble members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There was an average of 45,753 cancer diagnoses each year in Ireland from 2018 to 2020. Estimates state that by the year 2045, this average could increase by 50-100%. There are over 170,000 cancer survivors living in Ireland. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a prevalent and debilitating side effect of cancer and cancer treatment. Research has demonstrated that exercise is an effective intervention to combat CRF. This review will examine the scope of CRF and critically analyse exercise interventions to combat CRF in cancer patients undergoing treatment. Aerobic exercise interventions and multimodal exercise (aerobic exercise, resistance exercise and flexibility exercise) interventions have been shown to improve symptoms of fatigue in cancer patients undergoing treatment. The effect of resistance training on CRF in cancer patients during treatment is not well understood. Aerobic exercise and multimodal exercise appear to combat CRF by improving one or more of the following health-related fitness parameters; aerobic capacity, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition. A standardized process of recording the intensity and volume of aerobic, resistance and flexibility exercise should be developed. Future studies should investigate in greater detail the role of resistance training in reducing CRF among cancer patients. Qualitative methods should be developed to investigate the role the group dynamic has on cancer patients during group-based interventions. These qualitative methods may be able to determine the importance the delivery of exercise plays in reducing CRF. Biomarkers of CRF should be investigated and examined in relation to the specific dose of exercise that patients perform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instructional scaffolds may promote science learning, particularly for topics that are controversial. Scaffolding may also need to be autonomy supportive, particularly for adolescents, and designed to facilitate scientific discourse and agency. The purpose of the present study was to investigate differences in middle school students' discourse and agency across two scaffold forms: one more autonomy-supportive and one less autonomy-supportive. We designed both to facilitate scientific evaluations about the connections between lines of evidence and alternative explanations about two geological phenomena: relations between hydraulic fracturing and earthquakes (less autonomy-supportive) and reliability of fossil evidence for inferring past surface changes (more autonomy-supportive). Integration of qualitative and quantitative findings revealed meaningful differences, with greater collective disciplinary agency expressed during the more autonomy-supportive form. Results support a burgeoning area of research suggesting that productive discourse and agency are necessary to prepare students to participate in a civically minded and inclusive society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metals are necessary for plants and animals to function biologically, but presence of massive quantities can disrupt the metabolic activities in an organism's systems. Chromium has been classified between the top 20 harmful toxic material by the Agency for Toxic Compounds and Disease Registry. So a continuous environmental monitoring and a thorough understanding about chromium are highly essential particularly against soil-plant system. Bioremediation is gradually becoming the common practise for heavy-metal-contaminated soils restoration as it is cost active and environmentally friendly than that of traditional physical and chemical procedures, that are very ineffective as well as quite expensive especially when the concentrations of metal are low, which produces toxic sludge in a very significant amounts. So this is a comparative review on bioremediation of chromium by bacterial, fungal, algal and microbial consortia to check the bioremediation caused by different organism so that it will help further. This might be useful in designing new understanding into the growth and advancement of forthcoming technologies for upcoming research about bioremediation of chromium by the industrial scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L-DOPA, a precursor of dopamine, is the drug of choice for Parkinson's disease, which persists due to decreased levels of dopamine in the brain. Present study emphasis the microbial production of L-DOPA rather than the biotransformation of L-DOPA by L-tyrosine. The production of L-DOPA by bacterial isolates had gained more acceptance due to its more straightforward extraction and downstream processes. Pseudomonas fluorescens was used to produce the L-DOPA in a bioreactor system under submerged condition. The design of experiment-based Taguchi orthogonal array method was adopted for the optimization of production. L-9 orthogonal array using the analysis of mean approach was used to study the effect of different factors viz NaCl, lactose, tryptone, and inducer on the microbial production of L-DOPA. The method mentioned above is less time consuming and does not require any harsh chemicals, proving it to be an eco-friendly process. After optimizing selected factors, i.e., NaCl (1.2 g/l), lactose (1.5 g/l), tryptone (4 g/l), and inducer (0.1 g/l), 16.9 % of enhancement in L-DOPA production with 66.6% of process cost saving was observed. The production of L-DOPA was increased from 3.426 ± 0.08 g/l to 4.123 ± 0.05 g/l after optimization. Subsequently, unstructured kinetic models were adopted to simulate the fermentation kinetics and understand the metabolic process. Fisher' F test and determination coefficients (R2) confirmed that the Velhurst–Pearl logistic equation, Luedeking–Piret equation, and modified Luedeking–Piret equation was best fitted with the biomass production, product formation, and substrate utilization, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Facebook Messenger (FBM) is one of the most popular instant messaging social apps, launched by Facebook in 2010. As of October 2019, there were about 1.3 billion FBM users worldwide. In this study, we analyzed periodicities in the online activity patterns of users in FBM. We did not recruit any subjects in this study; rather four of us used our own FBM accounts to reveal the presence of any rhythms with τ = 12 h or τ = 24 h or τ = 168 h in the patterns FBM usage among our FB friends. We log-transformed the time series data and subjected those to Cosinor rhythmometry. The peaks in the daily pattern of FBM usages, revealed from Cosinor analyses, and harmonics curve fittings validated the presence of multi-frequency rhythms in the longitudinal time-series data captured over a period of 16 days. The underlying basis of the observed multi-frequency rhythms could be attributed to the phenomenon of social synchronization. The current findings might bear commercial applications with special reference to targeted content advertising (TCA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the structural properties of Fe 1 − x Ni x /Cu/Fe 1 − x Ni x (x=0.5, non-Invar and x=0.36, Invar) trilayers deposited on Si(100) at room temperature using the dc magnetron sputtering technique in ultra high vacuum conditions taking high-purity Fe, Ni and Cu metals with Cu layer thickness 4, 6 and 8 nm for each alloy composition. The structure of the alloy films of the trilayers was investigated using x-ray diffraction and the thickness and roughness of the layers were obtained by x-ray reflectivity measurement. Both the as-prepared and annealed trilayers exhibit layered structure. The as-deposited Fe–Ni alloy in non-Invar trilayer exhibits only the fcc structure. whereas in the Invar alloy it exhibits a mixed fcc and bcc phases. Interestingly after annealing at 425 ∘ C in ultra high vacuum, the Invar alloy completely transformed to the fcc structure for all Cu thicknesses. In both Invar and non-Invar trilayers, the Bragg reflections corresponding to Fe–Ni alloy layers become sharp after annealing. The induced structural transformation in the Invar trilayer is explained using enhanced diffusion of Fe and Ni atoms at high temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of providing multi satellite-based chlorophyll-a in an ocean model for accurate representation of penetrative shortwave radiation is demonstrated in this study using Modular Ocean Model. It questions the traditional usage of chlorophyll-a climatology in models. The model sensitivity experiments Chl_IA (with interannually varying multi satellite-based chlorophyll-a) and Chl_Clim (with chlorophyll-a climatology) during 1998–2016 reveals the importance of using the interannual chlorophyll. The maximum difference between the two chlorophyll-a products is found during the peak phase of strong El Niño (January-March 1998 and 2016) in the Niño1 + 2 region, allowing 5–11 W m−2 more shortwave radiation to penetrate below 25 m in Chl_IA, effectively warming the subsurface temperature and cooling the sea surface temperature (SST) by ~0.4°C in the Niño1 + 2 region. The reduction in SST bias (warm) by 0.5°C, deepening of mixed layer and isothermal layer, enhancement of upwelling, reduction of upper ocean stability with realistic distribution of upper ocean heat content are some of the major improvements in Chl_IA. The interannual chlorophyll-a variability in fact rectifies the warm (cold) bias in surface (subsurface) temperature commonly found in ocean models especially in the eastern Pacific region during the peak phase of strong El Niño. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth mindset plays an important role in students' motivation for learning. Students who believe that their abilities are malleable are more likely to set mastery goals and to persist when encountering difficulties. Design-based makerspace – or a makerspace structured with design-based learning components – has many features known to improve growth mindset. The present study examined how growth mindset of 3rd–6th grade students developed over 2 years in a design-based makerspace course. Growth modeling was used to examine trajectories of students' growth mindset as well as its two associative factors – self-efficacy and creative mindset. Results showed that students' growth mindset initially decreased slightly in the first year, but significantly improved during the intervening period and remained high throughout the second year. Students with higher creative mindset showed more adaptive growth mindset trends. Our study contributes to an understanding about how makerspace experiences may contribute to growth mindset development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adenosine deaminases that act on RNA (ADARs) are present in all animals and function to both bind double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and catalyze the deamination of adenosine (A) to inosine (I). As inosine is a biological mimic of guanosine, deamination by ADARs changes the genetic information in the RNA sequence and is commonly referred to as RNA editing. Millions of A-to-I editing events have been reported for metazoan transcriptomes, indicating that RNA editing is a widespread mechanism used to generate molecular and phenotypic diversity. Loss of ADARs results in lethality in mice and behavioral phenotypes in worm and fly model systems. Furthermore, alterations in RNA editing occur in over 35 human pathologies, including several neurological disorders, metabolic diseases, and cancers. In this review, a basic introduction to ADAR structure and target recognition will be provided before summarizing how ADARs affect the fate of cellular RNAs and how researchers are using this knowledge to engineer ADARs for personalized medicine. In addition, we will highlight the important roles of ADARs and RNA editing in innate immunity and cancer biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the early hours of this new decade were greeted by a devastating bushfire in Australia, killing over one billion wildlife, destroying ecologically significant landscapes, and producing toxic air quality in Australia's two largest cities, Australia's Commonwealth Government continued governing without a credible climate policy. In the same cruel twist, housing policy can enable futures or extinguish livelihoods. To move beyond a critical practice, ignited when triggered by an exceptional event, towards something that might give new shape to the institutions that support practice, may require from planners new ways of performing our practice (see Chapman, this issue), as well as new ways I of thinking from i our practice and alternative ways of I being in i practice. Domestic students with existing support networks retreated to the family home, while others queued at government welfare offices seeking financial support, as international students lined up on University campuses and elsewhere for food. It outlined troubling behaviour, amounting to a "criticism of government policy" and "advocacy for public housing". [Extracted from the article]

This study analyzes the impact of customer segmentation, customer acquisition and retention, and customer behavior on entrepreneurial productivity and quality of the startup enterprises in Mexico. These enterprises tend to gain higher market share by implementing customer-centric approach through various variables such as demand stimulation, promoting their brand in ambidextrous market segments, product referrals, and cognitive variables such as psychodynamics, anthropomorphic attitude, and repeat buying behavior. Information gathered from 308 respondents was admitted to data analysis process. In all, information from 88% of the respondents was considered for data analysis. In view of the findings discussed in the study, it can be stated that the customer-centric approach of startup enterprises leads to anthropomorphic orientation among customers who are oriented toward technology and innovation. Startup enterprises encourage these customers to actively interact on digital platforms and inter-personal forums to promote a positive word-of-mouth leading to an increase in the purchase intentions by the potential customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The town of Elmina in Cape Coast, Ghana, is usually associated with the Elmina Castle as a key site within UNESCO's Slave Route project, whereby tourism becomes the vehicle for remembering and mourning the memorial consequences of the Atlantic slave trade. Abutting the tourist-oriented Castle, however, is a crumbling yet lived-in urban space, in whose town planning and architecture we see evidence of another shaping force: creolization as the occluded other to slavery and colonialism within the story of Western Africa. Moreover, the town is also home to the Elmina Java Museum, which memorializes Elmina's links to the Indian Ocean world, especially as invested in the textiles that moved between Africa and Asia during different phases of world history. Through this variegated postcolonial space of Elmina, I excavate sedimented histories of transoceanic creolization that connect the continent to both Atlantic and Indian Oceans. From this reading of Elmina through the lens of a transoceanic creolized past and its relationship to the present, I prise open the contours of postcolonial spatiality to propose for it a genealogy both radically compromised and promisingly porous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Poor postnatal weight gain has been associated with low serum IGF-1, a key factor in the pathogenesis of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Aim: To investigate an association between relative weight gain (RWG) and severe ROP in very low-birthweight (VLBW) Thai infants. Methods: The medical records of VLBW infants who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit in Chiang Mai University Hospital from June 2014 to December 2016 and screened for ROP were reviewed. RWG and total calorie intake (TCI) in the 2nd, 4rth and 6th week of age were calculated and those with no ROP/mild ROP and severe ROP requiring laser treatment were compared. Results: The study included 139 VLBW infants, 24 (17.3%) of whom had ROP requiring laser treatment. Infants with severe ROP requiring laser treatment had a lower median birthweight (840 vs 1,195 g, p < 0.001) and median gestational age (GA) (27 vs 30 wk, p < 0.001) than those with no ROP/mild ROP. When RWG and TCI were compared, the infants with severe ROP requiring laser treatment had a lower RWG at the 2nd (p < 0.01) and 4th weeks of age (p < 0.05) and had a lower TCI at the 2nd week of age (p < 0.001) than those with no ROP/mild ROP. Multivariate logistic analysis demonstrated that GA <29.5 w (p < 0.01), hypotension (p < 0.05), RWG <2.9 g/kg/d (p < 0.05) and TCI <98.5 kcal/kg/day (p < 0.001) at the 2nd week of age were independent risk factors for severe ROP requiring laser treatment. Conclusions: Poor weight gain and low calorie intake at the 2nd week of age were associated with severe ROP requiring laser treatment in VLBW infants. Monitoring weight gain and calorie intake during this period are essential and may improve the outcome of ROP. Abbreviations: BPD, bronchopulmonary dysplasia; IVH, intraventricular haemorrhage; NEC, necrotising enterocolitis; PDA, patent ductus arteriosus; PRC, packed red cells; PVL, periventricular leucomalacia; RDS, respiratory distress syndrome; ROP, retinopathy of prematurity; RWG, relative weight gain; SGA, small for gestational age; TCI, total calorie intake; VLBW, very low birthweight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the impact of leadership, employee-engagement, market-oriented approach, and co-creation on the business design of the SUEs in Mexico. This study aims at presenting new insights on effect of leadership on employee engagement and transformation of marketing strategies through co-creation, identification of minimum viable segment and improving organizational design to achieve market competitiveness. The information of 364 respondents was admitted to the data analysis process. In all, information of 91% of respondents was considered for data analysis. In view of the findings discussed in the study, it can be stated that SUEs tend to develop effective entrepreneurial leadership that is based on family-based-firms organizational design. Co-design and co-creation of products and services are the attributes of SUEs that lead to an increase in organizational performance. Effective leadership in SUEs play a significant role in developing market-oriented strategies within the niche markets by catering the needs of consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a methodology that I term 'embodied philology', I trace a genealogy of mazaa as an understanding of enjoyment calibrated through the indices of taste and time. Using this genealogy to mark out an 'alegropolitics', or a politics of happiness, I extract its political potential in two ways: first, by assessing it through scholarship on the archive, repertoire, and what Spanish calls sabor, and, second, by applying these ideas, gleaned largely through scholarship from Latin America, to the assessment of Bollywood's masala repertoire and film star Govinda's role therein. Govinda's subscription to a Bhojpuri performativity leads me to relocate mazaa within a decolonising agenda for pleasure formed through transnational and cross-border communities united by an embodied memory of collective enjoyment. A vignette from the 2018–19 Kochi-Muziris Biennale allows me to demonstrate how such memory may be activated to transform the present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is characterized by insufficient insulin secretion by the pancreatic beta cells and insulin resistance in liver, skeletal muscle, and white adipose tissue. Adipose tissue plays a major role in glucose homeostasis and lipid metabolism. Dietary antioxidants such as resveratrol and mangiferin may offer some protection against the early stage of diabetes mellitus. Therefore, an attempt has been made to investigate the effects of resveratrol and mangiferin on biochemical parameters and molecular mechanism of PPARγ and FALDH gene expression in adipose tissue of streptozotocin- (STZ-) nicotinamide- (NA-) induced diabetic rats. Albino Wister rats were randomly divided into five groups: control rats (Group 1), diabetic control rats (Group 2), diabetic rats given resveratrol (40 mg/kg body weight per day; Group 3), diabetic rats given mangiferin (40 mg/kg body weight per day; Group 4), diabetic rats given glibenclamide (0.6 mg/kg body weight per day; Group 5). Serum biochemical parameters—total cholesterol (TC), total triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), urea, and uric acid were analyzed. We found that the oral administration of resveratrol and mangiferin to STZ-NA-induced diabetic rats for 30 days showed the significant protective effect on all the biochemical parameters. A significant reduction in blood glucose and HbA1c levels was observed in rats treated with 40 mg/kg body weight per day of resveratrol or mangiferin. Moreover, both these antioxidants showed significant enhancement of PPARγ and FALDH gene expression in rat adipose tissue compared to control rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A family of lifetime distributions is considered which covers many distributions as its special cases. Two measures of reliability are studied, and. Assuming the availability of some prior information on the parameter of interest, shrinkage estimators are developed for the powers of the scale parameter and reliability functions based on records. These proposed estimators are compared with the maximum likelihood estimators and uniformly minimum variance unbiased estimators of the parametric functions in terms of their relative efficiency. We establish that all the proposed estimators outperform the usual estimators as the true value of parameters approaches their hypothesized value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Double-resonance excitation of molecular nitrogen, N2, via selected rotational levels of the , v′ = 0 state has been used to probe the first two bands in the new Ogawa series [M. Ogawa, Can. J. Phys. 42, 1087 (1964)], which lie above the first ionisation threshold of the molecule. These bands are rotationally unresolved in room-temperature and jet-cooled absorption spectra, but the double-resonance technique allows a rotational analysis and first confirmation of the assignment as transitions to n = 4 members of the (A2Πu)ndπ, v Rydberg series. In principle, the probe transition from the , v = 0 level to these Rydberg states corresponds to a two-electron transition, and this aspect of the results is explored. Finally, velocity map imaging allows a determination of the photoelectron branching fractions and angular distributions, providing insight into the electronic autoionisation dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation of the modulatory effect of ethanolic extract of Alocasia indica tuber (EEAIT) against γ-irradiation induced ovarian and uterine toxicity. Extract preparation was done by 80% hydro-ethanol using Soxhlet apparatus. EEAIT was administered to female Swiss albino mice (n = 5) daily (200 and 400 mg/kg body weight/d) for 7 days before γ-irradiation exposure (2.9 Gy). FSH, LH, estrogen, progesterone, cytokine levels, and oxidative stress parameters were measured after 24 hours of γ-irradiation. Histology, folliculogenesis, viability of granulosa cells, ROS measurement by flow cytometry, western blot of P450scc, P45017A1, 3β HSD and SF 1 were also performed. In addition, fertility status was assessed by fecundability and fecundity. The results showed that EEAIT exhibit a strong radioprotective activity by reducing the oxidative stress and thereby restored the ovarian and uterine alterations. EEAIT also improved the abnormality in follicle development, restored altered gonadal hormones and cytokines levels, increase the fertility status, reducing ROS level of granulosa cells with increasing granulosa cells viability and steroidogenic enzyme activity as compared to control. So EEAIT showed a radioprotective effect on γ-irradiation induced ovarian and uterine damage. Our results suggested that Alocasia indica tuber can be a potential radioprotector to prevent female infertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay examines the dance practice of the Lisbon-based artiste Kwenda Lima (born 1977 at Sal, Cabo Verde), as manifested on three levels: the pedagogy of the Luso-African social dance, kizomba; a form of dance therapy, which he calls 'Kaizen dance'; and the choreography of 'Afro-contemporary' dance. Through the interplay of these levels Lima responds to the specific characteristics of Lusophone (post)colonialism as well as the general problems of modernity involving time, work, and materialism. These responses are shaped by the post-imperial urban space of Lisbon, the transnational world of social dance, as well as his personal networks linking Cabo Verde, continental West Africa, and Europe. Moreover, Lima's dance incorporates references to Cabo Verde's history of creolization and various non-Lusophone postcolonial cultural influences. An affiliative afromodernity is generated, which reconfigures the relationship between race, authenticity, and appropriation while decolonizing time through dance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre company, founded by American choreographer and activist Alvin Ailey, which toured Brazil in 1963, allowing Ailey to encounter Afro-Brazilian culture as manifested in dance, music and spirituality. Explored is activist and dramaturge Solano Trindade's gift to Ailey, a dossier of handwritten, typewritten and printed texts. Other topics discussed include how their is a lack of research on Ailey's Brazil tour of 1963 and details on Ailey's Afro-Brazilian encounter.

As social media becomes increasingly popular, human subjects researchers are able to use these platforms to locate, track, and communicate with study participants, thereby increasing participant retention and the generalizability and validity of research. The use of social media; however, raises novel ethical and regulatory issues that have received limited attention in the literature and federal regulations. We review research ethics and regulations and outline the implications for maintaining participant privacy, respecting participant autonomy, and promoting researcher transparency when using social media to locate and track participants. We offer a rubric that can be used in future studies to determine ethical and regulation-consistent use of social media platforms and illustrate the rubric using our study team's experience with Facebook. We also offer recommendations for both researchers and institutional review boards that emphasize the importance of well-described procedures for social media use as part of informed consent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article serves as an epilogue to the special issue curated by Claire Bénit-Gbaffou and Sarah Charlton with a focus on state power and the concept of informality. In my reflection, I examine the specificity of statecraft in the context of postcolonial government. In particular, I analyse political potency as a relationship between the state and subaltern subjects. Also at stake in this paper is the question of comparative and transnational analysis. In what ways can concepts generated through the study of processes of urban informality in India speak to the production of illegality and the reproduction of rule in South Africa? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The short-lived geopolitical entity, East Pakistan (1947-71), left a deep impact on its successor state, Bangladesh, through the networks of intellectual kinship it enabled for its young elites who subsequently became Bangladesh's nation-builders. Drawing on memory studies and literary critical reading methods, I examine the testimonies of nine such elites interviewed by the 'Bengali Intellectuals Oral History Project' (BIOHP), alongside their writings published before and after the creation of Bangladesh. This first sustained account of East Pakistan's intellectual legacy thus also illustrates how a post-colonial intellectual history may be extracted from oral histories as the private and inchoate domain of memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two water-soluble zinc(II) complexes of b-cyclodextrin-based Schiff bases, viz., mono-6-deoxy-6-(4-(5-chloro-2-hydroxybenzylideneamino)-3,4-diaminotolune)-β-cyclodextrin (4a) and mono-6-deoxy-6-(4-(5-nitro-2-hydroxybenzylideneamino)-3,4-diaminotolune)-β-cyclodextrin (4b) have been synthesized and characterized by different analytical and spectroscopic techniques. These Zn(II) complexes were analyzed for their possible activity against oxidative stress through various biochemical methods. A detailed antioxidant profile directly associated with inflammation related carcinogenesis and several oxidative stress related disorders have been prepared with a motive to evaluate the free radical scavenging activities of the synthesized complexes. The immune cell cytotoxic properties (through MTT assay) and in vitro assay for the evaluation of their antioxidant activities against hydroxyl radical, nitric oxide, singlet oxygen, peroxynitrate and hydrogen peroxide, etc. were investigated. Obtained results clearly demonstrated the role of reactive oxygen species in various phases of oxidative stress related diseases; thus, the antioxidant and free radical scavenging capacities of the two synthesized Zn(II) complexes seem to stand in support of their beneficial effects and novelty for the immune system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjectiveMethodsResultsConclusionsTo estimate demand for medication abortion (MAB) among North Carolina (NC) college students and describe access to nearest clinics offering MAB to each campus.We calculated demand using 2019-2020 campus demographics and NC abortion statistics. We used a mystery client technique to gather MAB cost and appointment wait times at the closest clinics and calculated travel distances and times.We estimated that 2,517 NC students seek MAB annually. Twenty-one clinics were closest to NC’s 111 colleges and universities, including five in neighboring states. Mean cost was $450, with an average wait time of six days to appointment. The average round-trip travel distance was 58 miles and time to the nearest clinic was 84 min by car.Many NC college students likely obtain MAB every year and face high costs, long wait times and distances to care, which has likely worsened after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumer education and brand knowledge have emerged as the dynamic tool in the complex marketplace today that actively stimulate the cognitive behavior of consumers toward developing purchase intentions and buying decisions. The general objective of this study is to critically review the previous studies on the role of brand literacy, transfer and perceptions of knowledge, purchase intention, shopping ambiance and customer satisfaction, and illustrate the consumer decision making process induced by the above factors. The literature review reveals that brand education plays significant role as a driver of decision making among consumers, which not only empowers consumers in developing perceptions on the brand but also helps the companies on brand co-designing and knowledge dissemination process. Consumer literacy and brand knowledge helps the consumers in assessing the brand value, competitive advantage, and operational efficiency of the brand toward building purchase intentions. The effects of the increasing levels of customer expertise in the marketplace today is seen as the outcome of consumer education and perceived brand knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular assembly has become a promising strategy for designing new polydentate ligands. But very often such ligands and their complexes are sparingly soluble in aqueous phase due to their intrinsic hydrophobic character. Pd(II) complexes are good homogeneous catalysts but their poor solubility in aqueous phase may limit their catalytic efficacy in the universal green solvent water. However, solubility related challenges especially in aqueous phase can be mitigated through the formation of inclusion complexes by exploiting the hydrophobic nature of the β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) cavity. Hence, an ionic liquid ChCD (1) was synthesized from β-CD and Choline bromide (ChBr). Next a supramolecular N, N′, O-tridentate ligand 1⊂2 (3) was synthesized by the inclusion of 2,6-diaminopyridine (2) in the hydrophobic β-CD cavity of the ionic liquid ChCD (1) and was well characterized by elemental analysis, UV-visible, FTIR, 1H NMR spectroscopy, etc. The stoichiometry of the inclusion complex 1⊂2 (3) was found to be 1:1 based on UV-visible spectrophotometric study. A new air stable, highly water soluble Pd2+-complex [κ3-N, N′, O-Pd(1⊂2)H2O]OAc (4) was then synthesized from the supramolecular ligand (3) with 1:1 stoichiometry and used as a catalyst for Suzuki cross-coupling reactions in water at ambient temperature with good to excellent yields. The catalyst can be removed and recycled. Additionally, the use of non-toxic solvent water makes the methodology green, sustainable, and economically viable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including Afropolitan aesthetics, literary representations of Afropolitan subjectivities and writing and self-identification.

The curriculum, Hot Wheels Speedometry (Mattel, El Segundo, CA, USA), was designed to align with the Next Generation Science Standards for science and the Common Core State Standards for mathematics. Our objective was to develop, implement, and evaluate the impact of this integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum on students' knowledge, interest, and engagement. The authors conducted the study in a district where students were predominantly from communities under-represented in STEM fields. The findings indicate that student individual interest developed. Furthermore, students demonstrated affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement along their progression of interest development. The study shows promise for the development of interest and engagement in under-represented groups through the use of an integrated STEM curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Pods of okra(Abelmoschus esculentusL Moench) ‘BARI Dherosh-1ʹ cultivated in a farmer’s field in Gazipur District, Bangladesh, were found rotted in December 2014. A fungus having fluffy mycelium and large sclerotia was isolated from affected pods. Combined results of morphological, molecular and pathological analyses identified the fungus asSclerotinia sclerotiorum(Lib) de Bary. Inoculating the fungus on healthy okra pods reproduced the symptoms previously observed in the field. This is the first report ofS. sclerotiorumcausing disease of okra in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Aphasia - loss of comprehension or expression of language - is a devastating functional sequela of stroke. There are as yet no effective methods for rehabilitation of aphasia. An assistive device that allows aphasia patients to communicate and interact at speeds approaching real time is urgently needed. Methods: Behavioral and linguistic studies of aphasia patients show that they retain normal thinking processes and most aspects of language. They lack only phonology: the ability to translate (input) and/or output sounds (or written words) such as ''ta-ble'' into the image of a four-legged object with a top at which one works or eats. Results: We have made a phonology-free communication mobile app that may be useful for patients with aphasia and other communication disorders. Particular innovations of our app include calling Google Images as a ''subroutine'' to allow a near-infinite number of choices (e.g. food or clothing items) for patients without having to make countless images, and by the use of animation for words, phrases or concepts that cannot be represented by a single image. We have tested our app successfully in one patient. Conclusions: The app may be of great benefit to patients with aphasia and other communication disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]