K. Białkowska, P. Komorowski, M. Bryszewska
et al.
Cell cultures are very important for testing materials and drugs, and in the examination of cell biology and special cell mechanisms. The most popular models of cell culture are two-dimensional (2D) as monolayers, but this does not mimic the natural cell environment. Cells are mostly deprived of cell–cell and cell–extracellular matrix interactions. A much better in vitro model is three-dimensional (3D) culture. Because many cell lines have the ability to self-assemble, one 3D culturing method is to produce spheroids. There are several systems for culturing cells in spheroids, e.g., hanging drop, scaffolds and hydrogels, and these cultures have their applications in drug and nanoparticles testing, and disease modeling. In this paper we would like to present methods of preparation of spheroids in general and emphasize the most important applications.
In this overview (introductory article to a special issue including 14 papers), we consider all main types of natural and artificial inland freshwater habitas (fwh). For each type, we identify the main biodiversity patterns and ecological features, human impacts on the system and environmental issues, and discuss ways to use this information to improve stewardship. Examples of selected key biodiversity/ecological features (habitat type): narrow endemics, sensitive (groundwater and GDEs); crenobionts, LIHRes (springs); unidirectional flow, nutrient spiraling (streams); naturally turbid, floodplains, large-bodied species (large rivers); depth-variation in benthic communities (lakes); endemism and diversity (ancient lakes); threatened, sensitive species (oxbow lakes, SWE); diverse, reduced littoral (reservoirs); cold-adapted species (Boreal and Arctic fwh); endemism, depauperate (Antarctic fwh); flood pulse, intermittent wetlands, biggest river basins (tropical fwh); variable hydrologic regime—periods of drying, flash floods (arid-climate fwh). Selected impacts: eutrophication and other pollution, hydrologic modifications, overexploitation, habitat destruction, invasive species, salinization. Climate change is a threat multiplier, and it is important to quantify resistance, resilience, and recovery to assess the strategic role of the different types of freshwater ecosystems and their value for biodiversity conservation. Effective conservation solutions are dependent on an understanding of connectivity between different freshwater ecosystems (including related terrestrial, coastal and marine systems).
Sébastien Sart, Gustave Ronteix, Shreyansh Jain
et al.
Cell manipulation in droplets has emerged as one of the great successes of microfluidic technologies, with the development of single-cell screening. However, the droplet format has also served to go beyond single-cell studies, namely by considering the interactions between different cells or between cells and their physical or chemical environment. These studies pose specific challenges linked to the need for long-term culture of adherent cells or the diverse types of measurements associated with complex biological phenomena. Here we review the emergence of droplet microfluidic methods for culturing cells and studying their interactions. We begin by characterizing the quantitative aspects that determine the ability to encapsulate cells, transport molecules, and provide sufficient nutrients within the droplets. This is followed by an evaluation of the biological constraints such as the control of the biochemical environment and promoting the anchorage of adherent cells. This first part ends with a description of measurement methods that have been developed. The second part of the manuscript focuses on applications of these technologies for cancer studies, immunology, and stem cells while paying special attention to the biological relevance of the cellular assays and providing guidelines on improving this relevance.
Ahmet Serhat Uçar, Tüncay Tutuk, Havva Aysun Karabulut
et al.
Background/purpose. Peer bullying is considered to be the most common type of violence in schools. Individuals with special needs are exposed to peer bullying more than their typically developing peers. For individuals with special needs, this situation can lead to more complex and destructive consequences. In this study, it was aimed to determine the peer bullying experiences of individuals with special needs in the school environment in line with the views of the participants.
Materials/methods. Phenomenology, one of the qualitative research designs that focuses on explaining the participants' experiences in the context of the research topic, was used in the study. Five parents of individuals with special needs and five classroom teachers participated in the study. The research data collected through two focus group interviews were analyzed using content analysis.
Results. The findings of the research reveal that they are frequently exposed to various types of peer bullying in the school environment and that they have difficulty coping with peer bullying. It was determined that peer bullying negatively affects individuals with special needs, the classroom environment, and the family environment. While the participants utilize different strategies at home and school to prevent peer bullying, they suggest that detailed information on the subject should be included in parent and teacher training to reduce it.
Conclusion. As a result, peer bullying experiences frequently encountered by individuals with special needs should be reduced. In this process, it is important to increase the knowledge of classroom teachers, school counselors, and legal sanctions.
ConspectusChemical separations, mostly based on heat-driven techniques such as distillation, account for a large portion of the world's energy consumption. In principle, differential adsorption is a more energy-efficient separation method, but conventional adsorbent materials are still not effective for many industry-relevant mixtures. Porous coordination polymers (PCPs), or metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), are attractive for their well-defined, designable, modifiable, and flexible structures connecting to various potential applications. While the importance of the structural flexibility of MOFs in adsorption-based functions has been demonstrated, the understanding of this special feature is still in its infancy and mostly stays at the periodic structural transformation at the equilibrium state and the special shapes of single-component adsorption isotherms. There are many confusions about the categorization and roles of various types of flexibility. This Account discusses the role of flexibility of MOFs for adsorptive separation, mainly from the thermodynamic and kinetic points of view.As the classic type of framework flexibility, guest-driven structural transformations and the corresponding adsorption isotherms can be thermodynamically described by the energies of the host-guest system. The highly guest-specific pore-opening action showing contrasting single-component adsorption isotherms is regarded as a strategy for achieving molecular sieving without the need for aperture size control, but its effect and role for mixture separation are still controversial. Quantitative mixture adsorption/separation experiments showed that the common periodic (cooperative) pore-opening action leads to coadsorption of molecules smaller than the opened aperture, while the aperiodic (noncooperative) one can achieve inversed molecular sieving under a thermodynamic mechanism.The energy barrier and structure in the nonequilibrium state are also important for flexibility and adsorption/separation. With suitable energy barriers between metastable structures, new types of framework flexibility such as aperture gating can be realized. While kinetically controlled gating flexibility is usually ignored because of the difficulty of characterization or considered as disadvantageous for separation because of the variable aperture size, it plays a critical role in most kinetic separation systems, including adsorbents conventionally regarded as rigid. With the concept of gating flexibility, the meanings of aperture and guest sizes for judging molecular sieving need to be reconsidered. Gating flexibility depends on not only the host itself but also the guest, the host-guest interaction, and the external environment such as temperature, which can be rationally tuned to achieve special adsorption/separation behaviors such as inversed temperature dependence, molecular sieving, and even inversed thermodynamic selectivity. The comprehensive understanding of the thermodynamic and kinetic bases of flexibility will give a new horizon for next-generation separation materials beyond MOFs and adsorbents.
Bolanle Wahab, Waheed Kadiri, Ayobami Popoola
et al.
Urbanisation remains a topical discussion across the globe. According to the United Nations (2022), 68% of the world's population will be absorbed in urban areas by 2050. The envisaged rapid urbanisation in cities by 2050 is believed to be accompanied by various planning problems, which include accelerated climate change, urban slums, urban sprawl, poor sanitation, inadequate infrastructure, overcrowding, housing deficiency and transportation issues. To mitigate these planning problems, the role of effective urban planning cannot be overemphasised. Urban planning provides a pathway for overcoming the various challenges posed by urbanisation both in the present and in the future.
Urban planning is the process of guiding and directing land use for physical development to ensure a high quality of life and well-being of residents through the improvement of infrastructures and facilities, optimal economic development, and efficient operations and services (Bibri, 2018). Also, urban planning plays a significant role in actualising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 11, which seeks to make human settlement inclusive and sustainable (RELX, 2024). This implies that with efficient urban planning, access to a high quality of life for all city dwellers can be ensured amidst the present and forecast rapid urbanisation that would be experienced by cities of the world.
Planning as an ancient, multi-sectoral, and multidisciplinary discipline that is focused on the sustainable functioning and arrangement of space cannot be over-emphasized. As a discipline that is influenced by human habits, actions, policies and professional practices, planning (whether traditional or modern) is perceptual and suggests the role of humans in shaping settlements. Recognising this, the writing of Jagannath (2019) drawing on Clarence Perry neighbourhood ideology suggests that the need for planning is to be considered along a micro-level.
The liveability of workplace and place of resident emerged from the view that NP was both a response to placelessness (along the micro planning unit of space) and response to the degenerated social and environmental conditions that emerged out of the industrial revolution. Neighbourhood planning according to Parker (2012) allows for a community based radical strategy to emerging spatial problem. The writer documented that neighbourhood planning provides a room for the merging of formal (government and agencies) ideas with the local or informal (community resident), such that a cooperation is able to achieve an inclusive neighbourhood defined solution to identified problems. Recognising this, Bradley (2018) wrote that where development policy may privilege the supposed objectivity of technocratic rationalism, participation brings other ways of knowing and different types of evidence and methods of evidence gathering to the understanding of place (p.2). He further wrote that participatory planning practice has been seen as a touchstone for the ability of technocratic knowledge to accommodate lay perspectives of lived space. The incorporation of place-based knowledge in development planning becomes integral to the epistemology through which abstract space is produced (p.24).
In this special issue, the diverse nature of planning (with focus on urban and neighbourhoods) and environmental problems were addressed. The authors in the special issue provided a multi- and interdisciplinary approach to understanding planning and in fact neighbourhood planning as a tool to managing and achieving liveability amidst rapid urbanisation.
In this special issue, from the twenty-one submissions and proposals, only thirteen were considered for publication. All the manuscript underwent a two expert blind review, plagiarism check and editorial reviews. The focus on the articles accepted for publication drew on local context to planning and responding wicked problems within local areas and the process of adopting immediate built-environment principles as captured in neighbourhood planning to managing these challenges that limits communal liveability. The importance of local context and ‘neighbourhood-ness’ of research draws on the position of Lee et al. (2022), that neighbourhood planning remains an under-utilised ideology, approach, and process of achieving community liveability.
This issue, as presented in the section below, provides a critical eye and/or perception on the inter- and multidisciplinary prisms of neighbourhood planning as a sustainable approach to achieving liveable communities.
A. A. Kerimbayeva, A. A. Akhmetzhanova, A. I. Iztayev
et al.
Given the highly competitive environment of brewing industry today, businesses need to constantly develop new products of high quality and nutritional value that meet consumer and sanitary requirements. Therefore, the production of beer-based mixed beverages using nontraditional raw plant materials is gaining popularity. It is quite possible to produce these types of beverages at brewing facilities of Almaty and the Almaty region since it presents a favorable climate to develop agricultural businesses producing fruits and berries and has a large potential for using wild crops. Using of these plants will keep the enterprise economically viable by expanding the assortment of products and increasing the share of low-alcohol beverages in total production. In this study, the purpose is to select the optimum method for the production of special beer based on apple and grape juice. The choice of these particular types of raw plant materials was due to their wide availability and suitability for juice processing. The methods of introducing juice into young beer after the post-fermentation stage, as well as the introduction of fermented juice into young beer, were applied in the production of a mixed beverage. The organoleptic, physicochemical properties of the finished beer made using two methods have been studied. As a result, the optimal beer to juice ratio of 70:30 was selected according to the first method. This method resulted in the most balanced combination in terms of organoleptic characteristics, but colloidal instability was observed. For the second method of special beer production, the Oettinger Pils yeast race was used for fermentation of the juice base that was introduced into young beer after the post-fermentation stage. The resulting beverage at the 50:50 ratio of beer to juice was highly stable and had the highest organoleptic and physicochemical qualities.
Olalekan Chris Akinsulie, Sammuel Shahzad, Seto Charles Ogunleye
et al.
There are overwhelming reports on the promotional effect of hypoxia on the malignant behavior of various forms of cancer cells. This has been proposed and tested exhaustively in the light of cancer immunotherapy. However, there could be more interesting functions of a hypoxic cellular micro-environment than malignancy. There is a highly intricate crosstalk between hypoxia inducible factor (HIF), a transcriptional factor produced during hypoxia, and nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB) which has been well characterized in various immune cell types. This important crosstalk shares common activating and inhibitory stimuli, regulators, and molecular targets. Impaired hydroxylase activity contributes to the activation of HIFs. Inflammatory ligands activate NF-κB activity, which leads to the expression of inflammatory and anti-apoptotic genes. The eventual sequelae of the interaction between these two molecular players in immune cells, either bolstering or abrogating functions, is largely cell-type dependent. Importantly, this holds promise for interesting therapeutic interventions against several infectious diseases, as some HIF agonists have helped prevent immune‐related diseases. Hypoxia and inflammation are common features of infectious diseases. Here, we highlighted the role of this crosstalk in the light of functional immunity against infection and inflammation, with special focus on various innate and adaptive immune cells. Particularly, we discussed the bidirectional effects of this crosstalk in the regulation of immune responses by monocytes/macrophages, dendritic cells, neutrophils, B cells, and T cells. We believe an advanced understanding of the interplay between HIFs and NF-kB could reveal novel therapeutic targets for various infectious diseases with limited treatment options.
In order to control the spread of Covid-19, authorities provide various prevention guidelines and recommendations for health workers and the public. Personal protection equipment (PPE) and physical barrier are the most widely applied prevention measures in practice due to their affordability and ease of implementation. This study aims to investigate the effect of PPE and physical barriers on mitigating the short-range airborne transmission between two people in a ventilated environment. Four types of PPE (surgical mask, two types of face shield, and mouth visor), and two different sizes of the physical barrier were tested in a controlled environment with two life-size breathing thermal manikins. The PPE was worn by the source manikin to test the efficiency of source control. The measurement results revealed that the principles of PPE on preventing short-range droplet and airborne transmission are different. Instead of filtering the fine droplet nuclei, they mainly redirect the virus-laden exhalation jet and avoid the exhaled flow entering the target's inhalation region. Physical barriers can block the spreading of droplet nuclei and create a good micro environment at short distances between persons. However, special attention should be paid to arranging the physical barrier and operating the ventilation system to avoid the stagnant zone where the contaminant accumulates.
The current problem field of modern education is revealed through the need to ensure the accessibility and quality of education and upbringing of children with different educational needs. Among them, children with special health needs should be identified as needing serious adaptation of all components of the educational system: goals and objectives, content, conditions, forms and methods, means of education. Monitoring of individual psychosocial development of students is considered by us as the most effective tool for quality control and timely correction of content and organization of educational process in conditions of inclusion. The article reveals the author’s approach, which considers the resources of interaction of school specialists as the basis for achieving such changes. The study presented in the article is aimed at studying the professional behavior of a teacher and psychologist at different stages of monitoring the individual psychosocial development of a student with special health needs. The types of professional behavior of a teacher and a psychologist during their interaction (“isolation”, “chaotic movement”, “forced interaction”, “purposeful interaction”, “real cooperation”) are distinguished. The need is justified and an adaptive lesson strategy is developed, which involves professionally valuable formats of interaction between a teacher and a psychologist at different stages of its design. Effective ways of overcoming meaning, operational and targeting barriers are defined on the basis of new dialogic formats of such interaction between specialists providing individualization of educational environment for students with different educational needs. The scale of the problem is determined, first of all, by the fact that the development of a scientific justification and the practical operationalization of the adapting lesson methods contributes to ensuring the inclusion of a student with special health needs in educational activities and increases its both academic and social success.
Muhammad Shamil Soffian, Faezrul Zackry Abdul Halim, Farhana Aziz
et al.
Biomass waste has known as a new precursor for the production of carbon-based materials due to its carbon richness, low cost, ease to access, ubiquitous, renewable and environmental-friendliness. In this publication, the study on the availability of biomass waste and the carbon-based materials (CBMs) for wastewater treatment application is reviewed and addressed. This paper discussed several types of CBMs such as activated carbon, graphene, carbon nanotubes, biochar, and carbon aerogel. The production of these different CBMs and their modification are given special attention. As harmful organic, dyes, and inorganic pollutants emerging from the wastewater has caused damage to the environment and water supplies, adsorption is the most widely utilised conventional technology for the removal of hazardous pollutants due to its ease of use and relatively cheap in comparison with other emerging methods. This corresponds to the CBMs which mainly works on the adsorption mechanism to perform the wastewater treatment. There are three kinds of biomass waste being explained which are sewage sludge, lignocellulosic, and cotton-based waste. This paper also extensively summarised a multitude of aspects regarding the biomass waste and the CBMs derivation from biomass waste. The challenges on the synthesis of CBMs from biomass was also included. In summary, the conclusion and future direction of the research were also discussed.
Metal roofs have always been in the focus of stormwater runoff contamination. However, other roofing materials are also suspected of releasing metals and other inorganic substances with stormwater runoff. Hence, this review focuses on the impact of commonly used non-metal roofs - vegetated and non-vegetated - on stormwater runoff quality. Results from 42 studies were compiled and assessed to gain an overview of substances in runoff from nine roofing types with a special focus on green roofs. Concentrations of 27 substances including nutrients, heavy metals, and other inorganic substances were compared. Results show that the nine roof types that were assessed can be a potential source for inorganic substances in the runoff. Threshold values for groundwater protection are exceeded especially for PO43-, Cu, Pb, and Zn for some roofing materials. As the concentrations vary strongly for different parameters, no roofing material can be identified as clearly superior or inferior to the others. Gravel roofs act as a sink for NH4+ and can retain some heavy metals. Elevated heavy metal concentrations were found in runoff from wood shingle roofs treated with preservative chemicals and in runoff from most roofing types usually due to the used gutter materials. Green roof runoff shows increased concentrations of Ptot, PO43-, Na, K, Ca, and Mg. The concentrations depend strongly on the green roof age, the growth substrate, and applied fertilizers. In addition to the roofing materials, external factors dependent on the location (rural or urban site) influence the runoff quality. Runoff from the analyzed roofs must be seen as a diffuse source of environmental pollution and requires appropriate treatment before it is released into the environment or used for further applications. Overall, there are only a few studies on the topic so it is not possible to make statistically significant statements. More serious in-depth studies are urgently needed.