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Morin is a bioflavonoid widely found in fruits and vegetables, which possesses the protective activity to various neurological diseases. An earlier report showed that the administration of morin had antidepressant-like effect against acute stress conditions. Acute stress induces only transient changes in the brain while the prolonged stress increases vulnerability to mental disorders. To better understand its anti depressive activity, we explored the neuroprotective role of morin against unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) induced rats. Male Wistar rats were randomized and grouped into control, UCMS exposed (different stressors) UCMS and morin (30 & 60 mg/kg) co-treated and morin alone treated (60 mg/kg). Morris water maze test (MWMT) and sucrose preference test (SPT) were employed to study the effect of morin on learning, memory and anhedonia of rats. In addition, the levels of thiobarbituric acid (TBARS) and reduced glutathione (GSH) and the activities of super oxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were estimated. Behavior studies indicated that morin treatment significantly increased the memory and sucrose intake as shown by MWMT and SPT respectively. Moreover, it exhibited the antioxidant activity by reducing the amount of lipid peroxidation products (TBARS) and GSH and activities of enzymatic antioxidants in UCMS rats. Our experiment suggested that the antidepressant-like actions of morin could be due to its potent antioxidant property.

Objectives : Missed abortion is a common problem in obstetrics and gynecology. This study aims to study the efficacy of vaginal misoprostol in termination of first and second trimester missed abortions. Materials and Methods: Fifty women with missed abortions were included in the study, out of which 30 patients were in first trimester comprised of group I, other 20 patients in second trimester were designated as group II. After getting informed consent, 200 mcg misoprostol was kept in posterior fornix, every 4 hours 200 mcg was repeated until the patient expelled. Parameters analyzed were induction abortion interval, change in PCV, success rate. Results : In the present study out of the 70% (21/30) cases belonging to group I – the mean induction abortion interval was between 12-16 hrs. In group II category in (19/20) 95% of women , the mean induction abortion interval was less than 8 hrs. One patient failed to expel even after maximum of 4 dose and hence underwent surgical termination giving a failure rate of 5%, ‘P’ value is also significant. Conclusion : Vaginal Prostoglandin E analogue (misoprostol) is a very safe and effective method to be used in missed abortion. It was more effective and successful in II trimester compared to I trimester. The failure rate was very minimum and complications were almost nil with very few side effects

The topic of the alternative use of the pedagogies in the teaching system of Malaysia deals about the pedagogies used by the teachers help in the proper understanding of students and help them study in a more focused and distinct way. The teachers use the methods of reviewing the systems and analyzing the data that has been published, critically, to provide a deep learning knowledge to the students. The research has been done on the alternative pedagogies used in teaching processes and the impacts of these alternative pedagogies in the student motivation. In the findings and discussions, the research has been done based on the primary qualitative data that has been collected according to which the surveys have been conducted. After the completion of all the necessary practices and strategies of the teachers, a feedback round is conducted where the students are required to fill in the forms and answer about the various learning processes that impacted them and helped them grasp the desired knowledge. In case of primary data collection method, an interview has been where the history of pedagogical approach is analyzed. In summary part, the overall view of the study is discussed which fulfils the approaches of pedagogy by the teachers in the covid. This provides a continuity of education process and motivates the students to develop their skills and make a sustainable develop in future. The study provides an outcome of student’s satisfaction in their education in covid which also provide them psychological balance in learning.

The current research work focuses on the optimization of the process variables of abrasive water jet machining (AWJM) process on Nimonic C-263 alloy by using the Taguchi method. The design and experiments are conducted by Taguchi L-27 orthogonal array technique. The three process variables: water jet pressure (WJP), transverse speed (TS) and standoff distance (SOD) are considered at three different levels. The considered output responses are: Kerf Taper (KT), material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness (SR). The surface morphology of machined surface is analyzed by using the scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to analyze the significant impact of each variable. From the analysis of all the responses, it is evident that all the responses are greatly influenced by transverse speed. The SEM images have revealed the micro-cuts and plastic deformation at various locations of the machined surface.

Soil was collected and serially diluted using sterile distilled water. Totally 5 bacterial colonies are isolated, all the 5 strains showed clear zone in protease plate assay, particularly the strain SM3 exhibited clear zone around the colony on skim agar plates. On amylase assay the activity was found to be 0.99 U/min/ml. Considering the macroscopic, microscopic, biochemical and physiological characteristics the strain was identified as Bacillus clausiii SM3. It was seen that protease produced by Bacillus clausii SM3 had high capability of removing the blood stain, which indicates its potential in detergent industries. From this study it was came to be know that the study organism (Bacillus clausiii SM3) isolated from soil can be used as an effective source for the production of protease enzyme.

Cobalt precipitation tube synthesized through “silica garden” route was characterized using a number of analytical techniques. One of the prominent phases was identified as hydrated β-Co2SiO4. Particle clusters with diameter smaller than 40 nm could be observed. Chemical composition of the exterior and interior wall of the tube was remarkably different with distinct concentration gradient for O, Na, Si, Cl and Co. Synthesized tube was weakly magnetic with low retentivity and coercivity. Chemical analyses confirmed presence of non stoichiometric compositions. Cobalt precipitation tube was hygroscopic and contained both physically and chemically bound moisture.

Newspaper pulp was found to be a potential adsorbent for removal of copper from aqueous medium. Detail adsorption study of Cu on newspaper pulp was investigated. Batch adsorption study was carried out as a function of contact time, adsorbent dose, temperature (303-323 K). The experimental data was analyzed using Freundlich, Langmuir, Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) and Redlich-Peterson (R-P) isotherm models. It was found that Freundlich, Langmuir and R-P models fitted well. pH variation study revealed that the adsorption increased with increase in pH of the solution. Maximum loading capacity was found to be 30 mg g(-1) at 20 mg L(-1) of initial Cu concentration. Adsorption data were analyzed using two kinetic models, Lagergren first order and pseudo second order. It was observed that pseudo second order represented the best correlation. Langmuir isotherm was used to obtain the thermodynamic parameters such as free energy (DeltaG degrees ), enthalpy (DeltaH degrees ) and entropy (DeltaS degrees ) of adsorption. The negative value of free energy and positive value of enthalpy change indicate that the adsorption of Cu on newspaper pulp is a spontaneous process and endothermic. The results of activation energy also confirmed that the adsorption of Cu on newspaper pulp is physical in nature. Present investigation emphasized that newspaper pulp may be utilized as a low cost adsorbent for copper removal.

Adsorption of zinc was studied using chemically modified newspaper pulp as an adsorbent in the aqueous medium. Quantitative chemical analysis showed the presence of trace quantities of some inorganic elements along with phosphorous in TNP. The experimental adsorption data fitted reasonably well to both Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm. pHzpc of TNP was 5.1, which indicated that the adsorbent was more potential for cationic adsorption. The adsorption kinetic data followed a pseudo-second order model for zinc. Optimum Zn(2+) loading was 9.20 mg/g for 10.31 mg/l initial zinc concentration at pH 5.80. Zn(2+) loading on TNP was dependent on initial zinc concentration. TNP was a potential adsorbent for the removal of Zn from the effluent of electroplating industry.

Background Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder. The diagnosis of Parkinsonism is challenging because currently none of the clinical tests have been proven to help in diagnosis. PD may produce characteristic perturbations in the metabolome and such variations can be used as the marker for detection of disease. To test this hypothesis, we used proton NMR and multivariate analysis followed by neural network pattern detection. Methods & Results 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy analysis was carried out on plasma samples of 37 healthy controls and 43 drug-naive patients with PD. Focus on 22 targeted metabolites, 17 were decreased and 5 were elevated in PD patients (p < 0.05). Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) showed that pyruvate is the key metabolite, which contributes to the separation of PD from control samples. Furthermore, gene expression analysis shows significant (p < 0.05) change in expression of PDHB and NPFF genes leading to increased pyruvate concentration in blood plasma. Moreover, the implementation of 1H- NMR spectral pattern in neural network algorithm shows 97.14% accuracy in the detection of disease progression. Conclusion The results increase the prospect of a robust molecular definition in detection of PD through the early symptomatic phase of the disease. This is an ultimate opening for therapeutic intervention. If validated in a genuinely prospective fashion in larger samples, the biomarker trajectories described here will go a long way to facilitate the development of useful therapies. Moreover, implementation of neural network will be a breakthrough in clinical screening and rapid detection of PD.

39 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, This paper presents major gaps and challenges for implementing the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) in the Mediterranean region. The authors make recommendations on the scientific knowledge needs and co-design actions identified during two consultations, part of the Decade preparatory-phase, framing them in the Mediterranean Sea’s unique environmental and socio-economic perspectives. According to the ‘Mediterranean State of the Environment and Development Report 2020’ by the United Nations Environment Programme Mediterranean Action Plan and despite notable progress, the Mediterranean region is not on track to achieve and fully implement the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030. Key factors are the cumulative effect of multiple human-induced pressures that threaten the ecosystem resources and services in the global change scenario. The basin, identified as a climate change vulnerability hotspot, is exposed to pollution and rising impacts of climate change. This affects mainly the coastal zones, at increasing risk of extreme events and their negative effects of unsustainable management of key economic assets. Transitioning to a sustainable blue economy is the key for the marine environment’s health and the nourishment of future generations. This challenging context, offering the opportunity of enhancing the knowledge to define science-based measures as well as narrowing the gaps between the Northen and Southern shores, calls for a joint (re)action. The paper reviews the state of the art of Mediterranean Sea science knowledge, sets of trends, capacity development needs, specific challenges, and recommendations for each Decade’s societal outcome. In the conclusions, the proposal for a Mediterranean regional programme in the framework of the Ocean Decade is addressed. The core objective relies on integrating and improving the existing ocean-knowledge, Ocean Literacy, and ocean observing capacities building on international cooperation to reach the “Mediterranean Sea that we want”, With the institutional support of the ‘Severo OchoaCentre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S)

Component: C 1.3 Support for Member States' implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning Sub‐component: C 1.3.6. Establish Case Studies on Approaches to MSP Implementation Deliverable: Tyrrhenian Case Study The Tyrrhenian case study comprehends portions of internal, territorial and international waters and the entire study area is included within the Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI) of the Pelagos Sanctuary for the Conservation of Marine Mammals, a transboundary Sanctuary established through an international agreement signed between three different countries (Italy, France and Principality of Monaco). It includes key areas in the context of Western Mediterranean in terms of ecological and socio-economic value, in particular three Italian National Parks, Asinara Island, La Maddalena Archipelago and the whole Tuscan Archipelago; the Corsica Channel, an area characterised by a great environmental sensitivity, subject to increased anthropic pressure for which the Italian and French Governments have signed a MoU concerning the regulation of international maritime traffic; the Bonifacio Strait, an international strait shared between French and Italian jurisdictions; and the only Particularly Sensitive Sea Area declared by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in the Mediterranean Sea. Several human activities take place and interact dynamically with local uses and the marine environment components. Among these activities some are expected to increase in coming years. Thus, it will be fundamental to effectively organize their spatial distribution and mutual interactions in balance with the protection and sustainable management of the natural resources, taking in consideration the priority of avoiding impacts on marine mammals due to their great conservation relevance. In order to address specific details of the SIMWESTMED Tyrrhenian case study, the analysis process was directed through two main foci: a thematic focus (in the whole area) on the processes and instruments for the transboundary cooperation on MSP, coordinated by UNEP PAP/RAC; and a management focus on the Tuscan Archipelago, coordinated by CORILA. To address the thematic focus in the whole area, processes and instruments for transboundary cooperation on MSP were exhaustively and thoroughly analysed in depth, at different levels (international, EU, national), together with the different governance levels and requirements for a comprehensive application of MSP. In particular, the relevant legal framework and/or concerning the formal planning systems, and cross-border cooperation processes, governance context, relevant for the particularities of preservation of marine mammals as well as existing institutional regional cooperation structures were assessed. Based on these, the proposals on the MSP approach, addressing the appropriate measures in order to achieve greater protection of marine mammals in the Mediterranean, were developed., This report/document was produced as part of the SIMWESTMED Project (Grant Agreement N0. EASME/EMFF/2015/1.2.1.3/02/SI2.742101). PROJECT: Supporting Implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning in the Western Mediterranean region (SIMWESTMED) Competition for maritime space – for renewable energy equipment, aquaculture and other uses – has highlighted the need to manage our waters more coherently. Maritime spatial planning (MSP) works across borders and sectors to ensure human activities at sea take place in an efficient, safe and sustainable way. That is why the European Parliament and the Council have adopted a legislation to create a common framework for maritime spatial planning in Europe. The Directive 2014/89/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 (said Maritime Spatial Planning Directive) establishes a framework in order to reduce conflicts between sectors and create synergies between different activities, to encourage investment – by creating predictability, transparency and clearer rules, to increase cross-border cooperation – between EU countries to develop energy grids, shipping lanes, pipelines, submarine cables and other activities, but also to develop coherent networks of protected areas, and to protect the environment – through early identification of impact and opportunities for multiple use of space. The SIMWESTMED project (Supporting Implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning in the Western Mediterranean region) is an EU/DG Mare co-funded cross-border project. It was launched on 1st of January 2017 and involves Spain, France, Italy and Malta, while these countries had just designated their Competent Authorities and transposed the Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) Directive. SIMWESTMED aims to support the implementation of the MSP Directive in the waters of Spain, France, Italy and Malta, as well as to establish cross-border cooperation mechanisms between these Member States, to contribute to the coherence of their marine spatial plans to be established by 2021. The action ran until 31st of December 2018 and was based on a partnership of public bodies of the countries and two international organisations. It was composed of CEDEX, IEO, AFB, CEREMA, Shom, CORILA and its affiliated entities IUAV and CNR-ISMAR, MIT, IMELS, PA, CPMR, UNEP-MAP and its affiliated entity UNEP-MAP/PAP-RAC. Shom acted as coordinator. The objectives of the SIMWESTMED project were addressed through a variety of activities and desktop or case studies. They are dedicated to identifying the methodology steps, and explore the challenges and opportunities of the MSP implementation in the Western Mediterranean area, including thus related to transboundary issues (Ecosystem based approach, marine policies, Barcelona Convention, Land Sea Interactions, geographical scale of the plans, data interoperability, tools to support MSP). The project led to a multiplicity of outputs including overviews of MSP relevant information related to the countries and on more focus areas, to a number of interviews and meetings where stakeholder views were collected to feed the reasoning, and to guidelines and good practices to be shared at a national and transnational level with marine stakeholders, scientists as well as planners, administrations and authorities. In addition, SIMWESTMED permitted a lot of progression internally in the countries and regarding transboundary cooperation. It led to establish and develop new dialogues and to connect the technical or scientific actors, the stakeholders, the administrations of the countries of a same sea basin, and the administrations within the countries, including the representative of Regions. It allowed to better understand Maritime Spatial Planning mechanisms, to share knowledge and as such reached to build capacities, which is of importance as there is such a need in the Mediterranean area compared to more Northern countries. The project also permitted to address topics which have never been addressed before. The involvement of some countries in SIMWESTMED and in the EU-DG Mare "brother" projects SUPREME, SIMNORAT and SIMCelt was useful for them to develop a global vision with their neighbours through the East and West side of the Mediterranean and in the Atlantic sea basin. At the end of this exercise, it is stated the need of pursuing the work and dialogue in particular through common tools, but at this stage, the SIMWESTMED has constituted a common knowledge and background. Disclaimer: The contents and conclusions of this report, including the maps and figures, do not imply the expression of any opinion or endorsement of the participating partners concerning the legal status of any country, territory, area, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The depiction and use of boundaries, geographic names and related data shown on maps included in this report are not warranted to be error free nor do they imply official endorsement or acceptance by any of the participating partners. This report is a working document and may rely on data from sources external to the SIMWESTMED project Consortium and, in addition to this, it may contain some information gaps. Neither the European Commission or Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises nor UN Environment/MAP Barcelona Convention Secretariat may be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained in this report.

Component: C 1.3 Support for Member States' implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning Sub‐component: C 1.3.1 Develop and propose a conceptual methodology for transboundary MSP in the Western MED, with operational details on selected aspects Deliverable: Recommendations to support common understanding on a regional scale on MSP, including synergic implementation of regionally relevant policy instruments Objectives: This document identifies a number of key issues considered particularly relevant for the implementation of MSP in the Western Mediterranean. Preliminary contents were presented and discussed at the “SIMWESTMED regional meeting” held on the 5th of October 2017 in Hyeres (France). Outcomes of the discussion have been used to integrate and detail the preliminary identified issues and develop the current version of the document. The main goal is to identify common issues driving or hindering MSP implementation in the Western Mediterranean and provide suggestions to strengthen drivers and/or remove obstacles, taking into consideration the framework provided by the Barcelona Convention (including its Protocols, in particular the one dealing with ICZM) and the Directive 2014/89/EU on MSP. Some of the identified issues are common also to the Eastern Mediterranean, thus applying to the entire Mediterranean Basin. In the following pages, the document briefly describes the current state of MSP implementation in the Western Mediterranean, with particular focus on EU countries, mainly referring to the information included in the EU MSP Platform and the eight major issues identified, including for each of them a number of specific suggestions. Besides considering the results of the Hyeres workshop, the issues and related suggestions have been defined capitalizing the work done for the elaboration of the Conceptual Framework for MSP in the Mediterranean., This report/document was produced as part of the SIMWESTMED Project (Grant Agreement N0. EASME/EMFF/2015/1.2.1.3/02/SI2.742101). PROJECT: Supporting Implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning in the Western Mediterranean region (SIMWESTMED) Competition for maritime space – for renewable energy equipment, aquaculture and other uses – has highlighted the need to manage our waters more coherently. Maritime spatial planning (MSP) works across borders and sectors to ensure human activities at sea take place in an efficient, safe and sustainable way. That is why the European Parliament and the Council have adopted a legislation to create a common framework for maritime spatial planning in Europe. The Directive 2014/89/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 (said Maritime Spatial Planning Directive) establishes a framework in order to reduce conflicts between sectors and create synergies between different activities, to encourage investment – by creating predictability, transparency and clearer rules, to increase cross-border cooperation – between EU countries to develop energy grids, shipping lanes, pipelines, submarine cables and other activities, but also to develop coherent networks of protected areas, and to protect the environment – through early identification of impact and opportunities for multiple use of space. SIMWESTMED project (Supporting Implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning in the Western Mediterranean region) is a EU/DG Mare co-funded cross-border project. It was launched on 1st of January 2017 and involves Spain, France, Italy and Malta, while these countries had just designated their Competent Authorities and transposed the Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) Directive. SIMWESTMED aims to support the implementation of the MSP Directive in the waters of Spain, France, Italy and Malta, as well as to establish cross-border cooperation mechanisms between these Member States, to contribute to the coherence of their marine spatial plans to be established in 2021. The action ran until 31st of December 2018 and was based on a partnership of public bodies of the countries and two international organisations. It was composed of CEDEX, IEO, AFB, CEREMA, Shom, CORILA and its affiliated entities IUAV and CNR-ISMAR, MIT, IMELS, PA, CPMR, UNEP-MAP and its affiliated entity UNEP-MAP/PAP-RAC. Shom acted as coordinator. The objectives of SIMWESTMED project were addressed through a variety of activities and desktop or case studies. They are dedicated to identify the methodology steps, and explore the challenges and opportunities of the MSP implementation in the Western Mediterranean area, including thus related to transboundary issues (Ecosystem based approach, marine policies, Barcelona Convention, Land Sea Interactions, geographical scale of the plans, data interoperability, tools to support MSP). The project led to a multiplicity of outputs including overviews of MSP relevant information related to the countries and on more focus areas, to a number of interviews and meetings where stakeholder views were collected to feed the reasoning, and to guidelines and good practices to be shared at a national and transnational level with marine stakeholders, scientific as well as planners, administrations and authorities. In addition, SIMWESTMED permitted a lot of progression internally in the countries and regarding transboundary cooperation. It led to establish and develop new dialogues and to connect the technical or scientific actors, the stakeholders, the administrations of the countries of a same sea basin, and the administrations within the countries, including the representative of Regions. It allowed to better understand Maritime Spatial Planning mechanisms, to share knowledge and as such reached to build capacities, which is of importance as there is such a need in the Mediterranean area compared to more North countries. The project also permitted to address topics which have never been before. The involvement of some countries in SIMWESTMED and in the EU-DG Mare "brother" projects SUPREME, SIMNORAT and SIMCelt was useful for them to develop a global vision with their neighbours through the East and West side of the Mediterranean and in the Atlantic sea basin. At the end of this exercise, it is stated the need of pursuing the work and dialogue in particular through common tools, but at this stage, the SIMWESTMED has constituted a common knowledge and background. Disclaimer: The contents and conclusions of this report, including the maps and figures, do not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of the participating partners concerning the legal status of any country, territory, area, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The depiction and use of boundaries, geographic names and related data shown on maps included in this report are not warranted to be error free nor do they imply official endorsement or acceptance by any of the participating partners. This report is a working document and may rely on data from sources external to the SIMWESTMED project Consortium and, in addition to this, it may contain some information gaps. Neither the European Commission or Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises nor UN Environment/MAP Barcelona Convention Secretariat may be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained in this report.