Search

Slums and informal settlements have long been a policy concern, particularly in post-independence cities of the global South. Although national and local governments devise public policy seeking to address these habitations, these policy initiatives occur in conversation with the often far less visible global policy discourses of international urban development actors. Positing their ideational influence, this study analyses how global discourses from key multilateral agencies and donors have framed the problem of slums and informal settlements over time, to uncover assumptions and biases that ideationally, if indirectly, contribute to urban inequality, marginalization and socio-spatial othering in the city.

Natural products are known to control diabetes and its associated complications. Leaves of Hedera nepalensis are used to cure diabetes in the folklore system of medicines. The present study was designed to evaluate the in vivo antidiabetic and wound healing potentials of ethanol extract of Hedera nepalensis. Ethanolic extract (Hn.Cr) was prepared by maceration and was chemically characterized by HPLC methods. Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties were assessed in three in vitro models. Toxicity profile of Hn.Cr was evaluated in acute toxicological studies. Alloxan-induced diabetes model was used to access the antidiabetic attributes of Hn.Cr. Excision wound healing model was used to access the wound healing potential of Hn.Cr in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. HPLC analysis of Hn.Cr revealed the presence of phenolic and flavonoids compounds. Data of in vitro antioxidant assays showed that Hn.Cr has moderate radical scavenging potential. In vitro antimicrobial testing results revealed that Hn.Cr was active against bacterial strains (Gram +ve and Gram -ve) while no activity was observed against fungal strains used in the current study. Acute toxicity study results showed that extract was safe up to the dose of 5000 mg/kg. In vivo antidiabetic study revealed that Hn.Cr significantly (p

Puropse We evaluated the efficacy and safety of Nuvastatic™ in improving cancer-related fatigue (CRF) among cancer patients. Methods This multicenter randomized double-blind placebo-controlled phase-2 trial included 110 solid malignant tumor patients (stage I–IV) undergoing chemotherapy. They were randomly selected and provided oral Nuvastatic™ 1000 mg (N = 56) or placebo (N = 54) thrice daily for 9 weeks. The primary outcomes were fatigue (Brief Fatigue Inventory [BFI]) and Visual Analog Scale for Fatigue [VAS-F]) scores measured before and after intervention at baseline and weeks 3, 6, and 9. The secondary outcomes were mean group difference in the vitality subscale of the Medical Outcome Scale Short Form-36 (SF-36) and urinary F2-isoprostane concentration, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scores, and biochemical and hematologic parameters. Clinical outcomes were assessed using two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance on intention-to-treat population. Results The Nuvastatic™ group exhibited an overall decreased fatigue score compared with the placebo group. The BFI estimated mean difference (eMD) was 15.29 (95% CI: 12.77–17.82) and VAS-F eMD was 11.19 (95% CI: 8.06–14.32) were significantly different between two groups at week 9 (p

This study was performed to evaluate the chemical composition of the essential oils of Mentha arvensis and Thymus linearis and their antimicrobial activities. The complexity of the essential oils is a basic challenge for determining their reliable and accurate compositional data. Rapid advances in spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques have resolved this challenge to a large extent by examining essential oils. Essential oils were analyzed through Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) following extraction through steam distillation from their leaves for the first time in Miandam, District Swat, KP, Pakistan. The GC-MS analysis revealed 26 and 25 components in the essential oil of Mentha arvensis and Thymus linearis respectively. The major components were carvone (23.53%), P-Cymen-2-ol (20.35%), and caryophyllene oxide (18.81%) in Mentha arvensis but Thymus linearis has Thymol (2-isopropyl-5-methyl phenol) (40%), O-Cymene (2-Isopropyltoluene) (14.95%) and beta-bisbolene (12.54%). The essential oils of both plants showed bactericidal activities against five different bacterial strains (i.e. Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klesiella pneumonia, Bacillus subtilis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) during disc diffusion method and therefore it is suggested that they may be used as a natural antiseptic and could play important roles in food and pharmaceutical industry.

The aim of this paper is to introduce the notion of linguistic interval-valued q-rung orthopair fuzzy set (LIVq-ROFS) as a generalization of linguistic q-rung orthopair fuzzy set. We develop some basic operations, score and accuracy functions to compare the LIVq-ROF values (LIVq-ROFVs). Based on the proposed operations a series of aggregation techniques to aggregate the LIVq-ROFVs and some of their desirable properties are discussed in detail. Moreover, a TOPSIS method is developed to solve a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problem under LIVq-ROFS setting. Furthermore, a MCDM approach is proposed based on the developed operators and TOPSIS method, then a practical decision making example is given in order to explain the proposed method. To illustrate to effectiveness and application of the proposed method a comparative study is also conducted.

The presence of lanthanide-tellurite "anti-glass" nanocrystalline phases not only affects the transparency in glass-ceramics (GCs) but also influences the emission of a dopant ion. Therefore, a methodical understanding of the crystal growth mechanism and local site symmetry of doped luminescent ions when embedded into the precipitated "anti-glass" phase is crucial, which unfolds the practical applications of GCs. Here, we examined the Ln

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that causes progressive loss of cognitive functions like thinking, memory, reasoning, behavioral abilities, and social skills thus affecting the ability of a person to perform normal daily functions independently. There is no definitive cure for this disease, and treatment options available for the management of the disease are not very effective as well. Based on histopathology, AD is characterized by the accumulation of insoluble deposits of amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Although several molecular events contribute to the formation of these insoluble deposits, the aberrant post-translational modifications (PTMs) of AD-related proteins (like APP, Aβ, tau, and BACE1) are also known to be involved in the onset and progression of this disease. However, early diagnosis of the disease as well as the development of effective therapeutic approaches is impeded by lack of proper clinical biomarkers. In this review, we summarized the current status and clinical relevance of biomarkers from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood and extracellular vesicles involved in onset and progression of AD. Moreover, we highlight the effects of several PTMs on the AD-related proteins, and provide an insight how these modifications impact the structure and function of proteins leading to AD pathology. Finally, for disease-modifying therapeutics, novel approaches, and targets are discussed for the successful treatment and management of AD.

The study explores the particle dynamics, asymptotic behavior, and flatness in Riemann curvature corresponding to the solutions obtained from the Ricci tensor of cylindrical spacetimes. Since these solutions are non-Minkowskian and are proposed to have curvature in almost all the cases, that is why some cylindrically symmetric static vacuum solutions of Einstein Field Equations have been worked out. We explore the Noether symmetries along with their conservation laws of the corresponding static-spacetime and calculate the equation of motions by taking into account Noether symmetries. We study the dynamics of particle in the form of effective potential, effective force.

Since time immemorial, religion has been, and is, a part of society that provides a moral compass and stability in society. It regulates human behavior so that there is conformity to norms and values that are upheld by society. Deviation from these norms and values is subject to sanction, which results in incarceration. At the turn of the 20th century, a more proactive step has been taken for the rehabilitation of those who have come into conflict with the law. The many secular programs that were implemented in the rehabilitation of prisoners 1 provided little to the desired effect, which is highlighted by looking at the rate of recidivism. In this context, the role of religion became increasingly recognized as a way to rehabilitate prisoners. In some instances, faith-based programs have been integrated into secular programs, while in other instances, faith-based organizations (FBOs) volunteer to independently provide their service. Irrespective of the approach used, there is sufficient evidence to support the view that faith-based programs have a positive effect on the rehabilitation of prisoners and helps to reduce recidivism.

The phenomena like gravitational waves, Hawking radiation, and growth of black holes not only change the curvature of spacetime continuously but also affect the thermodynamical properties of the sources over time. The present study explores the effect of time in the thermodynamical properties of the corresponding spacetime. We define a general time conformal factor e𝜖ζ(t) in the Schwarzschild black hole spacetime, where 𝜖 is a small parameter that brings perturbation in the said spacetime. This technique re-defines the energy content of spacetime. Moreover, the effect of time is explored in the thermodynamical properties of the perturbed Schwarzschild black hole. We calculate the event horizon of the spacetime as a function of t. Then we study the effect of time in the surface gravity, pressure, volume, and Hawking temperature of the perturbed Schwarzschild black hole and analyze them graphically.

Syzygium myrtifolium Walp. (Syzygium campanulatum Korth), Myrtaceae, is locally known as “Kelat paya” in Malaysia. Traditionally, it is used as a remedy for stomach pain. The goal of the present study was to investigate the toxicological potential as well as the antidiarrhoeal and antispasmodic activities of betulinic acid, dimethyl cardamonin and standardized non-formulated and nano-formulated ethanol and supercritical fluid extracts prepared from leaves of S. myrtifolium. The standardized extracts did not produce in vivo toxicity. Both the compounds and standardized extracts showed dose-dependent antidiarrhoeal activity by examining changes in the percentage of liquid stools and percentage of defecation frequency. Dimethyl cardamonin and standardized extracts showed antispasmodic activity on the isolated ileum of guinea pigs. Compared with hyoscine-N-butylbromide, dimethyl cardamonin and standardized extracts produced significant, potent antagonizing activity in ileum contractions induced with acetylcholine. Furthermore, the antagonistic potential of S. myrtifolium active markers against muscarinic type M2 and M3 receptors was investigated by molecular docking.

Highly mutable Coronavirus-19 continuously reconstructs its genome and renders prophylactic vaccines ineffective. The objective of the present study was to demonstrate the anti-viral efficacy and safety of the SOLVx therapeutics vaccine. The peptides were designed with Neo7Logix RD and synthesized with Genescript GLP laboratory with 95 % purity. BALB/C mice were used to develop the HCoV-229E mutant coronavirus model and viral mRNA confirmation in the lung tissue was assessed with qPCR. Mice were euthanized and effects of treatment on various parameters (Viral mRNA in lungs, cytokine levels, PBMC differentiation, hematological and biochemical) were assessed with respective biological samples. Immuno-typing analysis of PBMCs by flowcytometry showed marked increase in T cell subsets, % of B cells and NK cell population in mice treated with SOLVx (Series 1) in a dose dependent manner. Serum immunoglobulin G, and M levels were increased significantly (P 0.001). In the peptide treatment groups, there was a dose dependent statistically significant decrease in IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α levels (P 0.001). IFN-γ was elevated in treatment group significantly (P 0.001). In conclusion, the qPCR results suggested that the SOLVx vaccine (Series 1) reduced the SARS-COV2 virus infectivity in a dose dependent manner. The humoral, cellular and functional activity of the SOLVx showed that it worked through multi-mechanistic targeting the virus evolution, offering immune response, defense and eradication of the SARS-COV2 virus.

In view of recent energy crisis and environmental considerations, reductions of melting temperature and CO2 emissions during the production of commercial soda lime silicate (SLS) glass at industrial scale are major intentions. Here we show that this goal can be achieved by using carbonate-free borate minerals such as colemanite (Ca2B6O11·5H2O) and borax penta-hydrate (BPH, Na2B4O7·5H2O) as alternative sources for CaO and Na2O, respectively. The SLS glass melting temperature has decreased successively by the incorporation of B2O3 with substitution of equivalent wt% SiO2 resulting from gradual utilization of colemanite and BPH. Hot Stage Microscopy (HSM) revealed that the melting temperature was decreased from 1650 °C, for the parent commercial SLS glass, to 1528 °C on use of colemanite and further down to 1072 °C on utilization of both colemanite and appropriate quantity of BPH up to which the properties of the pristine glass can be retained. Thus, energy consumption equivalent to reduction in melting temperature could be minimized during the glass production. Another important environmental benefit achieved by using carbonate free minerals is significant reduction (12%) of CO2 emissions during thermal decomposition in glass melting which could minimize greenhouse gas to the atmosphere at a great extent. Further, the addition of colemanite improved micro-hardness, elastic modulus and thermal properties of the pristine glass through polymerization of glass network structure. In contrast to the use of BPH as a source of more than 8 wt% Na2O deteriorated glass properties with the formation of non-bridging oxygens into the glass network.

Barrow in Furness, UHMBT, LA14 4LF, Cumbria, UK Coronavirus disease 2019 is the outbreak caused by a new strain of coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 1. The outbreak that leads to a global pandemic originated from the city of Wuhan in China 2. According to a CDC report, the commonest underlying conditions among those hospitalized with COVID-19 were diabetes, chronic lung disease, and cardiovascular disease 1. Obesity is a common denominator for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Previous experience with the H1N1 epidemic showed that obesity is associated with high mortality 3. All of these observations have raised concerns about the impacts that obesity could have on COVID-19.