Hasil untuk "Special types of environment"

Marija Janevska, Wojciech Witkowski, Jolien Vermeire et al.

ABSTRACT HIV-1 infects several types of CD4+ cells. Among these, dendritic cells (DCs) are considered one of the first to encounter the virus upon sexual transmission. Expression of several restriction factors, of which SAMHD1 is well known, limits productive infection. Still, DCs are essential players in shaping adaptive immune responses that contribute heavily to the pathogenesis of HIV. Here, we set out to identify other factors that potentially contribute to the resistance of dendritic cells to HIV infection. Since endocytosis and the cytoskeleton impact HIV infection, we have put special emphasis on proteins implied in these pathways. In a selective, shRNA-mediated knockdown screen in primary monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDCs) infected with HIV in the presence of SAMHD1-disactivating Vpx containing virus-like particles, three proteins hampering HIV-1 infection were identified: FNBP1L, ARHGAP24, and ATP6V1B1. Findings of our research indicate that upon blocking of factors involved in endocytosis, increased viral entry is observed providing supportive evidence for endocytosis mostly being a dead-end entry pathway for HIV infection of MDDCs. Additional experiments show that changes in the cytoskeleton and endosomal pH that lead to impaired fluid-phase endocytosis and phagocytosis are responsible for these shifts in the phenotype observed.IMPORTANCEUnderstanding how HIV-1 interacts with dendritic cells (DCs) is pivotal in deciphering early viral transmission and immune evasion but is subject to a long-standing controversy in HIV virology. Therefore, the identification of endocytosis-related host factors as barriers to productive infection in DCs emphasizes the role of endocytosis as a restrictive pathway for viral entry. By disrupting these processes, we highlight a shift in the cellular environment that could influence viral entry and transmission. These findings challenge existing models of HIV-1 entry into DCs. New insights into how cellular pathways limit viral spread have implications for the development of strategies aimed to curb viral dissemination and reservoir formation. Whether the knockdown of the proteins described simply augments the efficiency of infection via existing pathways or opens additional routes for HIV-1 entry remains to be investigated.

Salma El Meziani, Hafida Agnaou, Hajar El Haddaj et al.

Dye pollutants are a major environmental concern, largely due to their widespread discharge from textile and related industries. Once released into aquatic systems, these dyes significantly deteriorate water quality by reducing light penetration, disrupting photosynthetic activity, and posing toxic risks to both aquatic organisms and human health. As a result, the effective removal of dyes from wastewater is essential for protecting the environment and safeguarding public health. Among the various treatment options available, adsorption has gained prominence as a particularly effective, simple, and eco-friendly method. This review provides an in-depth and comprehensive examination of textile dyes and the various contemporary strategies employed for the treatment of dye-polluted wastewater, with particular focus on adsorption-based methods. It thoroughly explores the key factors affecting the efficiency of the adsorption process, including solution pH, initial dye concentration, contact time, temperature, and the physicochemical characteristics of the adsorbent material. Special attention is given to understanding how these parameters interact to optimize dye removal performance and enhance the sustainability of wastewater treatment practices. Special attention is given to low-cost adsorbents derived from biomass waste, including pretreatment strategies that can significantly improve their adsorption performance. The review also explores regeneration methods aimed at enhancing the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the adsorption process. A dedicated section focuses on magnetic adsorbents, which offer the combined advantages of high adsorption efficiency and easy recovery from aqueous solutions using an external magnetic field. Various types of magnetic materials are examined, including their synthesis, characterization, and performance under different operating conditions. Finally, the review outlines current challenges and highlights future research directions for optimizing magnetic adsorption technologies in practical wastewater treatment applications.

Hao Cai, Jinjian Gao

ObjectivesTo explore the clinical diagnosis and treatment of special types of tracheobronchial foreign bodies in children and provide a reference for clinicians to formulate treatment plans.MethodsClinical data of 29 children with special types of tracheobronchial foreign bodies who were treated at The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University between June 2017 and June 2022 were collected and analyzed, and their diagnosis and treatment processes were reviewed.ResultsAll 29 special types of foreign bodies were successfully removed using rigid bronchoscopy under general anesthesia, with no surgical complications.Conclusions and significanceFor the treatment of special types of tracheobronchial foreign bodies, clinicians should make detailed surgical plans and select appropriate instruments according to different conditions to improve the surgical success rate and reduce the occurrence of complications.

Muh Hizbul Muflihin, Arif Budi Raharjo, Hanif Cahyo Adi Kistoro et al.

Purpose – The Introduction to School Field Program (PLP) in Indonesia is mandatory in universities and designed to produce professional teacher candidate competencies. Each prospective teacher-student is equipped with adequate hard skills and soft skills before becoming a teacher in the school environment. Design/methods/approach – This study used a phenomenological approach that aims to obtain an understanding of the hard skills and soft skills taught in the PLP program. Moreover, the study also explained what types of hard skills and soft skills were trained during the PLP. This phenomenological research explored the experience of prospective teacher students participating in PLP. The research data was taken through in-depth interviews with interview guidelines made for 20 PLP participating students at the two host universities in Purwokerto and the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Data analysis used data reduction, presentation, and interpretation. Findings – The study results found that the teaching of hard skills and soft skills has been integrally applied in the program through the existing curriculum. Methods of mentoring, field practice, evaluation, and improvement have been used in the PLP program. Meanwhile, the types of hard and soft skills provided consist of ethics, communication, learning design, and evaluation making. Research implications/limitations – The respondents of this study were limited to the coverage of two regions, namely Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta, leading to the research limitation. Expanding the research location and using other quantitative research can strengthen the results of this study. Originality/value – Future studies should further overcome the shortcomings of this program and improve to be reference for policy-making by the PLP program organizers.

Chunzhao Chen, Roujia Du, Jian Tang et al.

This study investigated the impacts of light irradiation and polymer types on the leaching behavior of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from microplastics (MPs) in freshwater. Polypropylene had the highest leaching capacity of DOM after photoaging, followed by polystyrene (PS), polyamide (PA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). While similarly low levels of DOM were observed in the remaining 5 MP suspensions under UV irradiation and in almost all MP suspensions (except PA) under darkness. These suggest that the photooxidation of some buoyant plastics may influence the carbon cycling of nature waters. Among 9 MP-derived leachates, PET leachates had the highest chromophoric DOM concentration and aromaticity, probably owing to the special benzene rings and carbonyl groups in PET structures and its fast degradation rate. Protein-like substances were the primary fluorescent DOM in MP suspensions (except PS), especially in darkness no other fluorescent substances were found. Considering the bio-labile properties of proteins together, MPs regardless of floating or suspended in an aquatic environment may have prevalent long-term effects on microbial activities. Besides, from monomers to hexamers with newly formed chemical bonds were identified in UV-irradiated MP suspensions. These results will contribute to a deep insight into the potential ecological effects related to MP degradation.

KONG Yang 1, RUAN Huaining 2, WANG Zhangchun 1

The occurrence environment of special discontinuous columnar jointed basalt in the engineering excavation area often has complex geological conditions and high in-situ stress levels. The basalt block has high uniaxial compressive strength and strong discreteness. Its brittle tensile splitting failure characteristics are obvious. The primary hidden fracture has obvious influences on the strength and deformation of the basalt block. Taking the hard and brittle basalt as the research object, by preparing the model material samples with 5 types of mass ratios, based on the uniaxial compression tests, Brazilian splitting tests and acoustic emission tests and other technical means, and on the principle of similarity ratio, the brittle rock-like model materials that can be used to simulate the mechanical response of columnar jointed basalt blocks are selected in terms of the form of stress-strain curve, failure mode of samples, compression-tensile ratio (brittleness index) and physical and mechanical parameters. The research results can provide technical and material supports for the researches on the physical model test on the anisotropic mechanical response, damage evolution characteristics and seepage-stress coupling characteristics of discontinuous columnar jointed basalt.

O.A. Shchiptsov, O.Yu. Goncharov

The destruction of civil and industrial objects in Ukraine caused by a decade-long armed conflict, especially since February 2022, has led to extensive environmental pollution within the country, particularly in the waterways of the Black Sea basin. The consequences of these actions have also affected the state of the Black Sea, causing concern for the European Union and the global scientific community. Therefore, within the framework of the European program «Horizon Europe», funds were allocated for scientific research into the consequences of pollution in coastal water bodies and the Black Sea as a whole. In the 2023 «Horizon Europe» project competition, a proposal by an intergovernmental consortium of 7 scientific organizations from 5 countries was awarded the grant, including the State Institution «Scientific Hydrophysical Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine». The project aims to create effective monitoring and quality control strategies for water, as well as the implementation of innovative technologies to reduce the impact of pollutants on the ecosystems of the Black Sea. The application of research results is planned for the development of environmentally sound recommendations and strategies for the conservation of the marine environment. The project involves collaboration between countries to address pollution issues and study the Black Sea, as well as the development of scientific approaches to water resource management in the region. Special attention is given to the development of educational programs regarding the impact of military pollution on the water ecosystems of the Black Sea region. This article describes the localization, factors, and types of pollution in waterways and the Black Sea basin, the project’s structure, types of activities, and the investigated water bodies in Ukraine, as well as the participation of SI «Scientific Hydrophysical Center of NAS of Ukraine» as a project participant.

Yitong Lin, Yihe Fang, Jie Wu et al.

In the early summer (June) of 2022, the spatial mean precipitation in northeast China (NEC) was 62% higher than normal and broke the historical record since 1951. Based on the precipitation data of 245 meteorological stations in NEC and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis, this paper analyzes the role of large-scale circulation and sea-surface temperature (SST) associated with anomalous precipitation over NEC in June using singular value decomposition (SVD), correlation analysis, regression analysis, and composite analysis methods, and further investigates the possible cause of the abnormal precipitation in June 2022. Results show that the northeast China cold vortex (NCCV) accompanying the blocking high in the Okhotsk Sea (BHOS) has been the primary mid-to-high latitude atmospheric circulation pattern affecting NEC precipitation in June since 2001. This circulation pattern is closely related to the tripole SST pattern over the North Atlantic (NAT) in March. In June 2022, the NAT SST anomaly in March stimulates eastward-propagating wave energy, resulting in the downstream anomalous circulation pattern in which the NCCV cooperates with the BHOS in the mid-high latitudes of East Asia. Under this background atmospheric circulation favorable for precipitation, the Kuroshio region SST anomaly in June led to a more northward and stronger anomalous anticyclone in the northwestern Pacific through local air–sea interaction, which provides more sufficient water vapor for NEC, resulting in unprecedented precipitation in June 2022.

Bingwen Chai, Bingwen Chai, Yanping Li et al.

Microplastics (MPs) have emerged as a pollutant of significant global concern. The sandy beach is a fragile environment that deserves our special attention with regard to MP contamination, as this area is a hotspot that accumulates large quantities of plastic waste. Notably, our current understanding of the MP distribution on beaches and the scale of contamination is far from sufficient. Hence, this study investigated the occurrence and characteristics of MPs on 14 beaches along the coast of South China. The MPs were ubiquitously distributed in the sand, most were small, less than 1 mm. A total of 18 types of polymers were identified in the sand, suggesting that diverse types of MPs are present on the beaches. Polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene were the dominant types of MPs in most of our sampling sites. The MP abundance was higher in the upper layers (0–20 cm) of the beach than in the deeper layers (20–40 cm) of the sampling site when characterized by depth (Yangjiang beach). Our study demonstrates the extent and severity of MP pollution on the beaches of South China and provides implications for future remediation measures. More effort is needed to clarify the vertical distribution of MPs on beaches, especially for those MPs less than 1 μm.

Ruojun Wang, Ruojun Wang, Weipeng Zhang et al.

Microbes use signal transduction systems in the processes of swarming motility, antibiotic resistance, virulence, conjugal plasmid transfer, and biofilm formation. However, the signal transduction systems in natural marine biofilms have hardly been profiled. Here we analyzed signal transduction genes in 101 marine biofilm and 91 seawater microbial metagenomes. The abundance of almost all signal transduction-related genes in biofilm microbial communities was significantly higher than that in seawater microbial communities, regardless of substrate types, locations, and durations for biofilm development. In addition, the dominant source microbes of signal transduction genes in marine biofilms were different from those in seawater samples. Co-occurrence network analysis on signal communication between microbes in marine biofilms and seawater microbial communities revealed potential inter-phyla interactions between microorganisms from marine biofilms and seawater. Moreover, phylogenetic tree construction and protein identity comparison displayed that proteins related to signal transductions from Red Sea biofilms were highly similar to those from Red Sea seawater microbial communities, revealing a possible biological basis of interspecies interactions between surface-associated and free-living microbial communities in a local marine environment. Our study revealed the special profile and enrichment of signal transduction systems in marine biofilms and suggested that marine biofilms participate in intercellular interactions of the local ecosystem where they were seeded.

Sikandar Rahu, Ali Ghulam, Ali Farman et al.

Олексій Денисович Попов, Анатолій Іванович Долматов, Володимир Федорович Сорокін

The subject of research in this article is the anode-oxide coating of aluminum parts of the hull type of aircraft engine units and aircraft units under the influence of cleaning fluids of different nature and chemical compositions. The purpose of this work is to experimentally test, the effect of different cleaning fluids, under different operating conditions and on different equipment for the stability of the anode-oxide protective coating. Many experiments have been performed on three types of washing machines: jet and immersion washing machine, which works on all types of water-soluble detergents, washing machine cleaning in vacuum or low-pressure environment, uses modified alcohols or hydrocarbon solvents as a washing liquid, and specialized stand for cleaning parts with aviation kerosene, aviation fuel TS-1 or jet A-1. Flushing modes were, covered throughout the range of operation of this equipment. The operating conditions of engines and units and the need to use an anode-oxide coating of parts are determined. The main types of liquids for washing parts are considered. For each of the experiments a special technology of these studies was determined, as technological parameters, parameters that can change and affect the stability of the coating, were set the following temperature, detergent concentration, operating time, operating pressure in the detergent supply system. The change of each of these parameters was, carried out with the fixation of other technological parameters to determine the direct indicators of the impact of each of the parameters and to establish the growth of their impact on the anode-oxide coating. The conditions under which the coating is destroyed and the percentage of its damage from the total surface of the part are determined, and the quality of cleaning the part by particle size distribution and visual method was, also determined. It is determined that the greatest negative effects on the anodic oxide coating in the solution of chromic anhydride are acidic and alkaline water-soluble pore cleaning liquids, so they have the best quality of cleaning from contaminants, for which a range of indicators is determined at which the coating does not deteriorate.

Dziri O, Dziri R, El Salabi AA et al.

Olfa Dziri,1– 3 Raoudha Dziri,1 Allaaeddin A El Salabi,4,5 Alhussain A Alawami,4 Riadh Ksouri,6 Chedly Chouchani1– 3 1Laboratory of Microorganisms and Active Biomolecules, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia; 2Laboratory of Research in Sciences and Technology of Environment, Higher Institute of Sciences and Technologies of Environment of Borj Cédria, University of Carthage, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia; 3Joint Service Unit for Research Genomic Platform, Higher Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technologies of Environment of Borj Cédria, Center of Biotechnology of Borj Cédria, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia; 4Infection Control and Patient Safety Office, New Marwa Hospital, Benghazi, Libya; 5Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Public Health, University of Benghazi, Benghazi, Libya; 6Laboratory of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants, Center of Biotechnology of Borj Cédria, Hammam-Lif, TunisiaCorrespondence: Chedly Chouchani Email chedly.chouchani@gmail.comAbstract: The current global dissemination of polymyxin E resistance constitutes a real public health threat because of the restricted therapeutic options. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of the epidemiology of polymyxin E–resistant bacteria, with special reference to colistin-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in Tunisia and neighboring countries, based on available published data to January 2020. We aimed to determine their prevalence by species and origin, shedding light on the different genes involved and illustrating their genetic support, genetic environment, and geographic distribution. We found that colistin resistance varies considerably among countries. A majority of the research has focused on Algeria (13 of 32), followed by Tunisia (nine of 32), Egypt (nine of 32), and Libya (one of 32). All these reports showed that colistin-resistant Gram-negative bacteria were dramatically disseminated in these countries, as well as in African wildlife. Moreover, high prevalence of these isolates was recorded from various sources (humans, animals, food products, and natural environments). Colistin resistance was mainly reported among Enterobacteriaceae, particularly Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. It was associated with chromosomal mutations and plasmid-mediated genes (mcr). Four mcr variants (mcr 1, mcr 2, mcr 3, and mcr8), mobilized by several plasmid types (IncHI2, IncP, IncFIB, and IncI2), were detected in these countries and were responsible for their rapid spread. Countrywide dissemination of high-risk clones was also observed, including E. coli ST10 and K. pneumoniae ST101 and ST11. Intensified efforts to raise awareness of antibiotic use and legalization thereon are required in order to monitor and minimize the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria.Keywords: Gram-negative bacteria, polymyxin E resistance, chromosomal mutations, mcr genes, plasmids

Joe Pellegrino, Delores Liston, Nikki DiGregorio et al.

15 Years of Predictions and Realities: With this issue we begin our fifteenth year of publication. This decade and a half has certainly seen a number of changes to the field, and to the academy in general. If we compare the present state of the field, and higher education in general, to what was predicted for us 15 years ago, we can get a 30,000-foot view on some interesting advancements and disappointing stalls. We’d like to look at just two of those predictions, where the current state of affairs illustrates just how fluid and nuanced higher education is as we crawl out of the global pandemic. Parsing the field in any way we choose, via institutions, or disciplines, or geographic regions, or modes of instruction, etc., we can see but one commonality: we are not monolithic, and do not move in lockstep. Online / Digital / Remote instruction: Perhaps the most ubiquitous and incessant prediction, one that began in the mid-1990s and which we are still working hard to manifest, is that online education will conquer the digital divide and democratize higher education. We can all point to successful online programs, degrees, and even entire universities. However, as we have learned in the past year, the potential for remote instruction is still high, but other factors, unanticipated fifteen years ago, mitigate against it becoming the panacea for all the ills of higher education. ZOOM fatigue is real, and a student’s success in an online environment relies heavily on their internal locus of control. Remote instruction, we have learned, requires students to be far more responsible for their own time and effort than any face-to-face instruction ever required. We’re not sure if this is the reason why students dislike remote instruction, but the fact is that they do, or at least they did. A survey of undergraduates conducted by SimpsonScarborough in March of 2020 (at the beginning of the lockdown of higher ed here in the US) revealed that 63% of the respondents said that online instruction was worse than the in-person instruction they received at their school. When SimpsonScarborough repeated the same survey just a month later, than number had risen to 70%. But, oh, what a difference a year makes. The Digital Learning Pulse survey of undergraduates in the US, published in April of 2021 by Bay View Analytics (in partnership with a number of entities heavily invested in the use of technology in education), notes that 73% of their respondents either somewhat agreed or strongly agreed that they would like to take some fully online courses in the future.2 Maybe we got better at remote instruction once we had a chance to breathe after the mad scramble to jump online in the spring of 2020. Maybe students rose to the occasion and remained persistent in their coursework. Or maybe the real explanation here is the distinction between being forced to have all your courses online and choosing to take some fully online courses. And there are other reasons why we are not all teaching MOOCs as we sit poolside, relying on ZOOM to make us look engaged with a nicely academic virtual background. Even before the pandemic, the rise (and subsequent fall) of many for-profit online universities painted online instruction with a broad brush, and soured many on it as just a cash grab. Some not-for-profit institutions, looking to cut instructional expenses and get good returns on their investments in large Learning Management Systems, played fast and loose with intellectual property rights, and the professoriate (whom those institutions saw as merely content providers) balked at having their instructional designs and course materials co-opted into turnkey courses that could be taught by adjuncts or teaching assistants. Fortunately, the tide has turned in this matter at least, as many institutions have articulated IP policies that benefit greatly from faculty input. Other enhancements or appendages to online instruction, things like the gamification of learning or the use of virtual reality, have sputtered and seen little penetration in the culture. Big Data: Another prediction that has been proven true, but in unexpected ways, is one bruited about for decades. Decisions in higher education, this prediction states, will rely less on historical models, institutional or disciplinary inertia, and the vagaries of theoretical models. Rather, these decisions will be driven by data. And those data sets are overwhelmingly numerical rather than verbal. Everything from student ratings of instruction to annual reviews of faculty members, from your methodology for evaluating student performance to Comprehensive Administrative Review dashboards, relies on numbers. While the distinction between, say, a score of 4.6 and a score of 4.7 out of 5 may be minute, for many faculty members such fine distinctions matter a great deal, because they are tied to their compensation packages. We can, in good faith, argue both sides of the tendency to boil our professional lives down to a series of numbers, but the movement away from anecdotal evidence and the “it works for me” mentality has, in large part, improved both curricula and instruction. The SoTL field, more than almost any other discipline in higher education, has sorted itself over the period of the last fifteen years, demonstrating a strong preference for data-driven decision-making. IJSoTL itself illustrates this point. If you look at the articles from our first year of publication, you see a far wider variety of article types. There are some articles that follow the social science model--where data is generated then analyzed, but there are a number of other forms, like essays, reflections, and personal narratives. Our most recent issues are almost completely filled with articles that follow the social science model, since what it offers is reliability and repeatability. In other areas, however, this drive toward data has moved in fits and starts. Predictive analytics, where instructors can drill down into huge data sets to predict the success or failure of individual students, has been one of the largest carrots dangled in front of us in recent years. It represents the most enticing promise of data, yet it still cannot offer the level of certainty that the big data sales teams continue to claim. But the efficacy and the possibility of data for transforming higher education is seen at its most engaging in what we might call the rise of assessment culture. As we employ the Continuous Quality Improvement or Total Quality Management cycles first used in the US in the 1950s, honed to their streamlined perfection in Japan in the 1970s, then rediscovered in the west in the 1980s, we participate in the “plan-do-study-act” process that is the foundation for any sound and lasting change in a culture or institution. And the grist for this mill, the fuel for this engine, is the data we generate then analyze. We think we can say with certainty that nothing in higher education has had such a positive impact, or possesses such still-untapped potential, as the data generated through program assessment. A Special Issue: Moving from the past to the very immediate future, we will be celebrating our fifteenth year of publication with a special issue that will come out in January of 2022. That issue will focus on the scholarship of teaching and learning here where the journal is housed, at Georgia Southern University. We would like to show the innovative work that our colleagues are doing here, in the hope that you may be able to use what they’re doing in your own work. We’ll still be publishing our regular issue in May of 2022 so this special issue is a bonus, and this volume will contain three issues rather than two. A Change to the Masthead: Before we show you a variety of our colleagues on our several campuses in our special issue, we’d like to introduce just one, a new addition to our masthead. Nikki DiGregorio is an Associate Professor in the School of Human Ecology and a member of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Executive Board at Georgia Southern. She joins the journal as an Editor-in-Chief. Nikki teaches courses in sexuality and diversity in human development, public policies affecting families, as well as programming and evaluation, and conducts research on the interplay between social policy, language appropriation, and the experiences of gender and sexual minorities. Nikki has published in SoTL, examining especially the effectiveness of teaching strategies centered around concepts including diversity-related issues, homophobia, trauma-informed care, objectification, and sexualization. She is also the current Vice President of the Family Science Association, the premiere teaching-focused organization in the discipline. As many of us head back to face-to-face instruction in the fall of 2021, we hope you all can keep safe, and will find both fulfillment and joy in the new normal, whatever that may be. The Editors Notes: 1. See “Higher Ed and COVID-19: National Student Survey,” SimpsonScarborough, April 2020, available at https://f.hubspotusercontent30.net/hubfs/4254080/SimpsonScarborough%20National%20Student%20Survey%20.pdf, and “Higher Ed and COVID-19: April Replication of the National Student Survey,” SimpsonScarborough, April 2020, available at https://f.hubspotusercontent30.net/ hubfs/4254080/The%20April%20Replication%20of%20the%20National%20Student%20Survey%20by%20SimpsonScarb orough.pdf. 2. For complete results, see https://info.cengage.com/wrec_PulseSurveyResults_1470945, which requires a free registration. For a summary of results, see “Students Want Online Learning Options Post-Pandemic,” by Lindsay McKenzie, in Inside Higher Ed, 27 April 2021, available at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/04/27/survey-reveals-positive-outlook-online-instruction-post-pandemic#:~:text=The%20majority%20of%20students%2C%2073,in%2Dperson%20and%20online%20instruction.

X. J. Chai, K. Deng, C. F. He et al.

Timber pile is an ancient technology applied in soft ground improvement for more than 1000 years. With the rise of many high-rise buildings, many types of modern mechanized-construction piles are widely developed and applied; for example, steel pile, precast concrete pile, sand pile, and gravel pile are widely used instead of timber piles. Yet, in some special conditions, timber piles have certain advantages due to their environment-friendly characteristics, which result in obvious economic benefits and suitability. To overcome the weakness of the traditional timber pile technology and expand its application in engineering practice, a drained-timber pile technique was put forward. This technology is to wrap the permeable filter-type drainage geotextile around the timber pile, so that the timber pile not only has the replacement function to strengthen the foundation but also has the drainage function, can accelerate the pore water discharge, and speeds up the soft soil foundation consolidation. The reduced scale soil-column consolidation model was designed to perform the consolidation tests for the soil column with a drained-timber rod. In total, eight types of soil-column consolidation tests were carried out to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the drained-timber pile technique. The results revealed that, under the same loading and consolidation time, the drained-timber rod can obviously increase the degree of consolidation when compared with traditional timber rod. It can be expected that the drained-timber pile technique has a good application prospect for the construction of medium-small hydraulic structures and for the treatment of super soft clay.

Sangirova Umida, Khafizova Zulfiya, Yunusov Iskandar et al.

The fishing industry has a special role in the development of the agricultural economy. Fish farming in cages is currently very important and is a promising and economically profitable form of growing marketable fish. The fishing industry has many advantages, such as beneficial effects on the health of the population, on the environment, and on the world’s economy. Activities carried out in the fish farming industry provide ample opportunities. These activities are the organization of fish farming clusters, the use of intensive methods and resource-saving technologies, the transportation of compound feed and mineral fertilizers to fish farms. Intensive fish farming can reduce the cost of fish and maintain the existence of many types of commercial fish.

Robert Boschman

The Canadian province of Alberta contains the third-largest proven reserve of oil on earth, yet the disconnect between politics and the sciences has never been more severe or as consequential. A right-wing party given to authoritarianism has recently been elected in Alberta that is taking actions to ensure the continued extraction and transport of bitumen from the tar sands in the north. Despite the three recent warnings by scientists (beginning in 2017) concerning global climate change tipping points—and specifically that fossil fuel reserves must remain in the ground—the government of Jason Kenney continues Alberta’s carbon-intensive extractive activities while waging destructive political engagement with Canada and the world. This essay documents Alberta in terms of the model provided by classical tragedy and highlights three acts: 1. The Great Flood of 2013; 2. The Great Fire of 2016; and 3. The Orphan Wells of 2020. In the tragic denouement currently underway here, Alberta’s reckless actions impact the global commons and affect all earthlings.

Олег Васильович Барабаш

Problem setting. Latin America and the Caribbean traditionally referred to as a large and ambiguous region in an out-side territorial scientific environment. A whole stratum of problems of identities, peculiarities of self-awareness, civilization affiliations of messianic ’appointments ’ in the history of the region and the world, the development of ways of cultural and historical development corresponding to them, the affirmation of the tendencies of state formation is in a scientific researcher focus. Among the many aspects that conceptualize the demandfor research in the region and its implementation, we would like to highlight the following: 1) Latin America and the Caribbean are, to some extent, «a territory of historically significant validation of modern trends» in their speculative lengthening, the field ofdeveloping new ones political and economic novations, including regarding various projections of the correlation of socio-political practices, institutional design and legal technologies, derived from the understanding of nature and the purpose of law. 2) The region ’provides ’ a wide range of heterogeneous materials for analytical work, both concatenate-linear in nature, and combining poly-meaningful multidimensionality, multifaceted coexistence of values generated by contemporary media, the glare of meanings, signs, intentions of conscious transformations, random «breakthroughs» of network travel followers. In the discovery literature thatfollows only the analysis of statistical indicators, it is often noted that Latin America and the Caribbean is a region of polarization (the territory of the intersection of different values, gaps traditions, lifestyles, indicators of the difference between the needful and the wealth, the level of concentration of income, manifestations of crime, corruption, etc.). 3) Considering the full amount of opportunities and perspectives available, Latin America in general, in some associative formulation, is clearly «boxing at levels below its weight and its impact on international canvases», that is, there are some reasons for internal and external character that significantly reduce the region’s role in the world, affecting accents of processes of political, legal and economic worsen the work «for the common good», underestimate «the bar of tasks and results» do not meet the expectations of the significance of the region. Recent research and publications analysis. The paper uses an interdisciplinary approach involving the research of representatives of various sciences. Concerning the approach to certain aspects of the constitutional process in the countries of Latin America and the Carribien was used the researches of Ukrainian authors Yu. M. Todyka, V. P. Kolisnyk, Yu. G. Barabash, M. P. Orzikh, T. M. Slinko, A. G. Kushnirenko, pertaining to in relation to consideration ofpeculiarities ofdevelopment andfunctioning of the model of the presidential state was launched analytical andfunctionality materials I. V. Protsiuk. On the conceptualization within the political science tradition in connection with the problems of the political regimes, their development in the conditions of conflict of the present, in the face of threats and challenges of a multifaceted nature are included the materials of methodological and theoretical importance M. P. Trebin, I. O. Polishchuk, D. Denisenko, G. M. Kutz, O. A. Fisun, M. A. Polovyi and, in the context of regional- geopolitical dimensions, V. Yu. Karasev. Among the foreign authors on the subject area of the study, we note the conceptual vision of the combination ofeconomic cycles and political and legal processes of the present Daniela Campello, the development of the author of the theory of «path dependence effect» by J. Mahoney and researchers of modifications of the development of neo-patrimonialism in Latin America and Karsten Bachle. Focused on the trends and innovations of the constitutional process in the countries of the region are the scientific orientations of Rogelio Nu'nez and P. I. Kostogryzov. A broad analytical and research base on the transformation of political regimes in Latina America and the Caribbean and the peculiarities ofpolitical processes in individual countries are provided by the works of B. Geddes, G. O’Donnell, L. Diamond, D. Ziblatta, S. Levitsky, Z. V. Ivanovsky, T. A. Vorotnikova, P. P. Yakovlev, D. V. Morozov, and others. Paper objective. The purpose of this work is to find out the broad contexts of the relationship between economic and political and legal processes in Latin America and the Carribien countries with attention to the peculiarities of the rule of law formation. The tasks are to analyze a set of approaches to finding the causes of the difficulties of socio-political and institutional-legal development in the region with the involvement of interdisciplinary scientific experience and to identify some essential features of meaning- forming and socio-constructing phenomena in the contextual contours. Paper main body. One of the options for designating the specificity of the current state of affairs is framed in the concept of the so-called «curse of volatility» - the dependence of local, mainly commodity and export-oriented with low internal economy savings from cycles, fluctuations of the world economy. This dependence is a definite structural factor and has been forming for a long time. Also, macroeconomic indicators within the framework of a certain political economy methodology in the projection for the sum ofpolitical and legal events allow us to see the spread of ideology, whether left or right, the rise of populism, the tendency for further democratization of the way of life or vice versa from democracy, the relative calm of the political process or the turbulence ofpolitical events are, after all, tied to basic economic indicators, and often more or less relevant to us and corresponding to figures about the level of safety of life. The trajectory of development was laid down by some decisions at a time of critical juncture when privatization created the basis of the local economy as a structural part of the world capitalist system with its dynamics of development that facilitated the formatting and reproduction of the reactive sequences caused by different types of liberal reforms. Conclusions of the research. The particular attention in Latin America and the Caribbean countries on the expectations and responsibilities of building the future is focused on the development of Constitutional law as a leading sphere in the system of national law. Hence the numerous constitutional changes in the countries of the region, the constitutional reforms of different grades, which are intensively continued today. The lifestyle liberalization, resolving key property issues, attempts at democratization in Latin America and the Carribien countries took place in different ways, but after the foundations ofpublic law that were borrowed in outline in the USA. Between enshrined key provisions in the Constitutions and the coexistence of essentially diverse mass consciousnesses and aspirations on different ’floors’ of the society, has raised multi-dimensional discord, that is emerging from the institutionalization of the liberal-democratic model of the state, generated in the context of understanding freedom as a key concept. Therefore the aspect ofan all-public agreement on coexistence rules does not appear to be fully realized, which gives rise to a search for a constitutional character. The focus remains on the relationship between multiple interests and ideas about the common good, by means of the formation of the general will in the structure and practice of constitutional-democratic regimes. It is inextricably linked to the transformation of the concepts of representation and citizenship. Democratic legitimation is correlated with ideas about the rule of the masses, the will of the majority in the living creation of the norms of life, and with the accompanying active and continuous participation in the political process of large groups, sectors of the population. The constitutional creativity of the countries of the region shows the element of an assertion of messianism, the designation of the special role of the country, its leader, ideology, the Constitution in the processes of historical implementation at the level of regional or the world. This moment of national pride for the country and its contribution to the cultural and civilizational space of history is realized in experimental projects of various expressions.

Nguyen Thi Phuoc Van, Liqiong Tang, Amardeep Singh et al.

Contactless vital signs detection, based on the Doppler radar sensor system, has opened a great opportunity in biomedical applications. The radar sensor system can be used to provide the respiratory information of people without disturbing their comfort. This sensor system promises high accuracy in measuring breathing disorders as it escapes the touching sensors which might cause discomfort to the user and negatively affect their sleeping habits. Moreover, this sensor system does not require any special environment or depend on temperature and light conditions. In this paper, we propose a model to the end users; this model is to be built based on neural networks. Our proposed system can diagnose whether a person has a low, normal, or high breathing rate. This model can also be extended to more specific categories to help doctors to determine breathing disorders in patients. In this paper, a continuous wave radar sensor system, based on a vector network analyzer (VNA), is used to measure the breathing rate remotely. The measured signal from this radar sensor system is then processed for further purposes. Different extracted feature methods are implemented to obtain the breathing rate from the non-contact radar sensor system. A model based on the machine learning technique is investigated to classify the breathing disorder. A total of 31 people who were asked to perform low/normal/high breathing were measured by the $CW$ radar sensor. The measured data were also used to build a machine learning based model. The breathing rate measured by the $CW$ radar sensor system is compared with the reference measurement by the five-point touching Shimmer sensor. The results of the breathing rate are compatible. Two main time-frequency ($TF$ ) extraction feature methods, short-time Fourier transform (STFT) and continuous wavelet transform (CWT), were implemented in the proposed system. Under these extraction techniques, some classification approaches were employed and have shown high accuracy in categorizing the respiratory types. The research shows the possibility of building an artificial intelligence (AI) module for a non-contact radar sensor system to inform the end user of their breathing situation. This research enables a smarter and more friendly remote-detecting vital signs sensor system.

Zaibo Li, Xiaoyan Cui, Xiaoxian Li et al.