Chief Role Research Articles

José F. A. Oliver zwischen Politik und Literatur: von Häusern, Müttern und Muttersprachen

José F. A. Oliver between Politics and Literature: of Houses, Mothers and Mother Tongues. Born in the Black Forest to Andalusian parents, the poet José F. A. Oliver has developed in recent decades a complex oeuvre in which multiple languages (German, Spanish, Alemannic and Andalusian) and plural kinships play a chief role. The present paper analyses the prose works of José F. A. Oliver as a fragmentary “language memoir” (Kaplan/Kramsch) while at the same time trying to reconstruct his nomadic identity between and across regions and languages. Special attention will be paid to José F. A. Oliver’s use of the metaphors of multiple mothers and the two-storey house when referring to his own multilingual upbringing and literary habitus. In stark contrast to conceptual models of monolingualism which posit the mother tongue as the unique and irreplaceable buttress of national loyalties and literary creativity, José F. A. Oliver’s work pleads for an alternative affective relationship to a multiplicity of mother tongues (in plural). In so doing, the present paper underscores the political dimension of José F. A. Oliver’s metaphors for multilingualism. His alternative vision allowing the peaceful coexistence of multiple affective loci expressed in very different mother tongues questions the rigid exclusivity of German citizenship politics while simultaneously bringing to light the emancipatory and democratic potential of transregional and multilingual (e.g. Black Forest – Andalusia / Alemannic – Andalusian) identities beyond a national monolingual rationale.

Assessing the Role and Significance of Chiefs in the Governance of Cape Coast, Teshie and Kumasi Societies in Ghana

Assessing the Role and Significance of Chiefs in the Governance of Cape Coast, Teshie and Kumasi Societies in Ghana

Level of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Dental Caries Among Visitors Visiting the Dental Department of Teaching Hospitals in Lahore

Knowledge, attitude and practice regarding dental caries are major risk factors in the occurrence of dental problems and their awareness has a chief role in the prevention, control and treatment of the diseaseand thus the overall health of the population.

Finite Element Analysis of Automotive Truck Chassis

The transportation industries at present world play a chief role in field of current commercial economy and developed countries. The usage of trucks is intensely increasing to carry the loads and materials. To enterprise a truck chassis many features to be considered including material selection, packaging, strength-to-weight ratio, stiffness. This paper mostly reviews on most research works and focuses on stress study of the truck chassis using four Finite Element Analysis (FEA) namely ANSYS. The result of this research paper gives the researcher instantaneous solution on modern and present developments in truck chassis field using FEA.

The role of chief and senior nurses in labor motivation of nursing staff. Intangible methods of motivation

The role of chief and senior nurses in labor motivation of nursing staff. Intangible methods of motivation

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors as Molecular Links between Caloric Restriction and Circadian Rhythm.

The circadian rhythm plays a chief role in the adaptation of all bodily processes to internal and environmental changes on the daily basis. Next to light/dark phases, feeding patterns constitute the most essential element entraining daily oscillations, and therefore, timely and appropriate restrictive diets have a great capacity to restore the circadian rhythm. One of the restrictive nutritional approaches, caloric restriction (CR) achieves stunning results in extending health span and life span via coordinated changes in multiple biological functions from the molecular, cellular, to the whole–body levels. The main molecular pathways affected by CR include mTOR, insulin signaling, AMPK, and sirtuins. Members of the family of nuclear receptors, the three peroxisome proliferator–activated receptors (PPARs), PPARα, PPARβ/δ, and PPARγ take part in the modulation of these pathways. In this non-systematic review, we describe the molecular interconnection between circadian rhythm, CR–associated pathways, and PPARs. Further, we identify a link between circadian rhythm and the outcomes of CR on the whole–body level including oxidative stress, inflammation, and aging. Since PPARs contribute to many changes triggered by CR, we discuss the potential involvement of PPARs in bridging CR and circadian rhythm.

The role of miR-125b-5p- AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 axis in osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is a most frequent primary solid malignant disease of bone, mainly affecting children and adolescents. Although several factors are involved in osteosarcoma development, genetic factors seem to play a chief role in the induction and advancement of osteosarcoma. AKT1 is an oncogenic protein that is highly deregulated in a variety of human malignancies including osteosarcoma. By the discovery of small RNA molecules called miRNAs, our understanding of post-transcriptional regulation of molecular mechanisms is considerably evolved. Also, the role of miR-125b-5p in osteosarcoma still muchly remains controversial. Specifically, miR-125b-5p- AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT1) axis has not been previously reported in osteosarcoma. Accordingly, in this particular study, for the first time, we reveal the miR-125b-5p-mediated regulation of AKT1 in osteosarcoma development. U2-OS osteosarcoma cells were used as an osteosarcoma cell line model. To ectopically overexpress miR-125b-5p in U2-OS osteosarcoma cells, synthetic miRNA mimics targeting miR-125b-5p were used. Quantitative RT-PCR method was used for the analysis of gene expressions. Significant overexpression of miR-125b-5p was observed following 72 h of mimic transfections (p < 0.0001). As a result, expression of AKT1 gene was found to be differentially reduced in cells treated with miR-125b-5p mimics in contrast to cells treated with scramble control and/or blank (p = 0.0205). Collectively, present findings suggest that miR-125b-5p is a strong tumor suppressor miRNA for osteosarcoma tumorigenesis as it regulates the -expression of tumor promotor AKT1 gene and might be used further therapeutic intervention to osteosarcoma.

Anti-cancer applications of Zr, Co, Ni-doped ZnO thin nanoplates

Nanostructured zinc oxide received much attention with its distinctive properties. Undoped and doped ZnO formation by hydrothermal route was summarized. ZnO hexagonal structure was confirmed by sharp X-ray diffraction peak corresponding to crystalline plane (101), and doped ZnO diffraction peaks have a minor shift to inferior angle by 0.6˚. FTIR confirmed Zn-O vibration band observed at 422 cm−1. The doping concentration played a vital role in materials morphology and optical properties. SEM confirmed the existence of thin uniform nanoplate surface morphology. ZnO oxygen vacancies were revealed by PL spectra, which exhibited a chief role in anticancer mechanism and activity with green emission (491 nm, 2.52 eV) originated from electrons shift between ionized oxygen vacancy and valence band. Prepared ZnO with and without dopants have been explored to reveal anticancer applications, and obtained results are more suitable for real-time applications.

Developing Committed Resident Leaders: A Survey of the Administrative Chief Resident Experience in Surgical Fields

Administrative chief residents (ACRs) are integral to residency programs, however little research has been done on the experiences, training, and support of ACRs in surgical fields. The objective of this study was to define the challenges and experiences of surgical ACRs and identify support needed to make them successful. A Qualtrics survey was electronically distributed to participants. Response styles included multiple choice questions, yes/no, Likert scales, and short answers. Question topics included demographics, ACR duties, support, and experiences. Obstetrics & Gynecology and General Surgery residency programs in the United States. Current and past administrative chief residents (2019-2020; 2018-2019) and program directors from Obstetrics & Gynecology and General Surgery residency programs. Seventy-nine surveys were completed by 48 (61%) ACRs and 31 (39%) program directors. The majority (52%) were from academic programs with a median of 6 residents and 2 ACRs per year. On a 10-point Likert scale, mean perceived support from faculty, program director, administration, and other residents was 7.0, 8.8, 6.7, and 7.7 respectively; however, mean stress level was also perceived to be high. Regarding preparation for the role, 56% of administrative chief residents do not receive a job description, 41% do not have a formal handoff process, 42% do not have formal leadership training, and only 61% agreed or strongly agreed that the administrative chief role was clear prior to starting. Common challenges reported by ACR's are limited preparation and training, conflict resolution, and workload management. Many ACRs felt they would benefit from formal leadership training and protected time. These results summarize the experiences of ACRs in surgical residencies. Best practices and formal training in identified challenge areas should be added to residency curriculum and used to develop toolkits to support ACRs nationwide.

Restitution and return of looted royal heritage: the role of Ghanaian chiefs and queens in sustaining heritage traditions

In interrogating this discourse on the restitution and return of looted royal objects, ourrole and input in this conversation as traditional leaders in Ghanaian communities areinevitable. This is in the light of the fact that the source of most of these looted royalart objects unlawfully placed in German and some European museums are from theVolta Basin area of Ghana, formerly part of German Togoland. We argue that factoringin the views of chiefs and queens, being traditional leaders of communities inAfrica, provides a better understanding of the origin and contexts of the use of mostof these pirated cultural objects highlighted in the restitution and repatriation debates.

The economic synergies of modelling the renewable energy-water nexus towards sustainability

This study investigates the role of the water-energy-nexus in transition plans to achieve a future system with a higher share of renewable energy and lower excess water extraction. Applying a novel nexus approach, an interactive multi-period model is proposed to study the synergies of sustainable water and energy supply planning, taking into account operational flexibility of the water sector and its compatibility with inherent intermittency of variable renewable resources. For investigating synergies in designing both energy systems and water systems together, the path of technology cost reduction is assumed to be a function of experience and knowledge and estimated using two-factor learning curves. The learning-by-searching rate was higher than the learning-by-doing rate for utility-scale wind, photovoltaic and reverse osmosis desalination technologies, ensuring research & development investment can play a chief role in the development of these industries. The levelized cost and capacity factor of photovoltaic and wind resources in the Middle East were calculated using data from 81 projects. The results showed that planning the water and energy sectors as endogenous parts of one integrated system brings potential synergies. The levelized cost of variable renewable energy decreased by 20% and the levelized cost of desalinated water dropped 4%.

Essential and sex-specific effects of mGluR5 in ventromedial hypothalamus regulating estrogen signaling and glucose balance

The ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) plays chief roles regulating energy and glucose homeostasis and is sexually dimorphic. We discovered that expression of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5) in the VMH is regulated by caloric status in normal mice and reduced in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mutants, which are severely obese and have diminished glucose balance control. These findings led us to investigate whether mGluR5 might act downstream of BDNF to critically regulate VMH neuronal activity and metabolic function. We found that mGluR5 depletion in VMH SF1 neurons did not affect energy balance regulation. However, it significantly impaired insulin sensitivity, glycemic control, lipid metabolism, and sympathetic output in females but not in males. These sex-specific deficits are linked to reductions in intrinsic excitability and firing rate of SF1 neurons. Abnormal excitatory and inhibitory synapse assembly and elevated expression of the GABAergic synthetic enzyme GAD67 also cooperate to decrease and potentiate the synaptic excitatory and inhibitory tone onto mutant SF1 neurons, respectively. Notably, these alterations arise from disrupted functional interactions of mGluR5 with estrogen receptors that switch the normally positive effects of estrogen on SF1 neuronal activity and glucose balance control to paradoxical and detrimental. The collective data inform an essential central mechanism regulating metabolic function in females and underlying the protective effects of estrogen against metabolic disease.

Interview With Cathleen Wheatley, DNP, RN, CENP

There are interviews with colleagues that are intriguing. Then there are interviews that raise the level of nursing’s collective consciousness. Cathleen Wheatley, DNP, RN, CENP, does both. As president of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and system chief nurse executive of Wake Forest Baptist Health System, her impact and influence not only benefit those in her care, but those nursing professionals aspiring to effect lasting change. She humbly shares her thoughts and ideas about the changing health care milieu, never realizing how relevant they truly are.

Effectiveness of implementing evidence based practices guidelines regarding blood transfusion on quality of nursing care and patients' safety in Pediatric Units

Background and objective: The new trend that widely accepted in health care institutions is to implement an evidence-based practice. Health facilities frequently integrate standards of practice that reveal current best evidence to increase patients’ outcomes and consequently decrease hospital cost. Transfusion of blood is a cornerstone in managing many critically ill children. However, nurses have a chief role in transfusing blood and their knowledge and performance are important for them to transfuse blood safely and efficiently. Aim: Evaluate the effectiveness of implementing evidence based nursing practices guidelines on quality of nursing care and patients' safety as regards blood transfusion to improve transfusion practices and ensure safety.Methods: A quasi-experimental design. Settings: This study was conducted at Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Room, Medical and Surgical Wards, Hematology/Oncology Units in Children Hospital affiliated to Ain Shams University Hospitals. Sample: A convenience sample composed of 95 pediatric nurses, whom were willingness to participate in the study and 78 children whom were receiving blood transfusion. Tools: I. A Self-Administered Questionnaire Sheet to assess nurses’ knowledge regarding blood transfusion; II. Child’s Medical Record to collect data about child’s health status; III. An Observational Competence Checklist to assess the quality of actual nurses’ practices about Blood Transfusion; and IV. Evidence Based Nursing Practices Guidelines of Blood Transfusion that was described the EBNP guidelines that provide a standardized approach for transfusion (before and after).Results: The studied nurses’ knowledge and practices regarding to blood transfusion were improved and reflected a highly significant differences before and after guidelines implementation.Conclusions: The present study concluded that studied nurses showed an improvement in their knowledge and practices regarding blood transfusion after implementation of evidence based nursing practices guidelines. Recommendation: It is essential that all nurses who administer blood transfusion for children should complete periodic in-services training programs to keep them up to date regarding to safe and efficient administration of blood transfusion.

Recent Developments in Medicinal Chemistry of Allosteric Activators of Human Glucokinase for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Therapeutics.

Glucokinase (GK), a cytoplasmic enzyme catalyzes the metabolism of glucose to glucose- 6-phosphate with the help of ATP and aids in the controlling of blood glucose levels within the normal range in humans. In pancreatic β-cells, it plays a chief role by controlling the glucose-stimulated secretion of insulin and in liver hepatocyte cells, it controls the metabolism of carbohydrates. GK acts as a promising drug target for the pharmacological treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) as it plays an important role in the control of carbohydrate metabolism. Data used for this review was based on the search from several science databases as well as various patent databases. The main data search terms used were allosteric GK activators, diabetes mellitus, type 2 diabetes, glucokinase, glucokinase activators and human glucokinase. This article discusses an overview of T2DM, the biology of GK, the role of GK in T2DM, recent updates in the development of small molecule GK activators reported in recent literature, mechanism of action of GK activators and their clinical status. GK activators are the novel class of pharmacological agents that enhance the catalytic activity of GK enzyme and display their antihyperglycemic effects. Broad diversity of chemical entities including benzamide analogues, carboxamides, acrylamides, benzimidazoles, quinazolines, thiazoles, pyrimidines, pyridines, orotic acid amides, amino acid derivatives, amino phosphates and urea derivatives have been synthesized in past two decades as potent allosteric activators of GK. Presently, the pharmaceutical companies and researchers are focusing on the design and development of liver-selective GK activators for preventing the possible adverse effects associated with GK activators for the long-term treatment of T2DM.

What would Sérgio Ferreira say to your physician in this war against COVID-19: How about kallikrein/kinin system?

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease with fast spreading all over the world caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus which can culminate in a severe acute respiratory syndrome by the injury caused in the lungs. However, other organs can be also damaged. SARS-CoV-2 enter into the host cells using the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as receptor, like its ancestor SARS-CoV. ACE2 is then downregulated in lung tissues with augmented serum levels of ACE2 in SARS-CoV-2 patients. Interestingly, ACE2+ organs reveal the symptomatic repercussions, which are signals of the infection such as dry cough, shortness of breath, heart failure, liver and kidney damage, anosmia or hyposmia, and diarrhea. ACE2 exerts a chief role in the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) by converting angiotensin II to angiotensin-(1–7) that activates Mas receptor, inhibits ACE1, and modulates bradykinin (BK) receptor sensitivity, especially the BK type 2 receptor (BKB2R). ACE2 also hydrolizes des-Arg9-bradykinin (DABK), an active BK metabolite, agonist at BK type 1 receptors (BKB1R), which is upregulated by inflammation. In this opinion article, we conjecture a dialogue by the figure of Sérgio Ferreira which brought together basic science of classical pharmacology and clinical repercussions in COVID-19, then we propose that in the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection: i) downregulation of ACE2 impairs the angiotensin II and DABK inactivation; ii) BK and its metabolite DABK seems to be in elevated levels in tissues by interferences in kallikrein/kinin system; iii) BK1 receptor contributes to the outbreak and maintenance of the inflammatory response; iv) kallikrein/kinin system crosstalks to RAS and coagulation system, linking inflammation to thrombosis and organ injury. We hypothesize that targeting the kallikrein/kinin system and BKB1R pathway may be beneficial in SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially on early stages. This route of inference should be experimentally verified by SARS-CoV-2 infected mice.

Different impacts of plant proteins and animal proteins on human health through altering gut microbiotaant proteins and animal proteins on human health through altering gut microbiota

Dietary proteins exert a wide range of nutritional and biological functions. Apart from their nutritional roles as the source of amino acids for protein synthesis, they take part mainly in the regulation of food intake, blood pressure, bone metabolism, glucose and lipid metabolism, and immune functions. The interaction of dietary proteins with the gastrointestinal (GI) tract plays a chief role in determining the physiological properties of proteins. The enzymes protease and peptidase hydrolyze dietary protein to generate dipeptides, tripeptides, and amino acids in the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract. These products digested from dietary proteins are utilized in the small intestine by microbes. Moreover, the microbes also convert the macro and micronutrients from the diet into an enormous number of compounds that may have either beneficial or adverse effects on human health. The present review discusses the various impacts caused by both dietary plant and animal protein sources on microbiota in the GI tract.Keywords: Animal protein; Plant protein; Dietary proteins; Gut microbiota; Human health.

Risperidone (I) in some aqueous mixtures of low alcohols: Solubility, preferential solvation and solvent effect analysis

Using the saturation shake-flask technique, the equilibrium solubility of risperidone (I) in co-solvent mixtures of methanol (1) + water (2), ethanol (1) + water (2), isopropanol (1) + water (2) and n-propanol (1) + water (2) was obtained at the temperatures from 283.15 K to 328.15 K. The solubility values in mole fraction were maximum in the neat solvents of methanol/ethanol/n-propanol/isopropanol for the four mixtures. At the same alcohol compositions and temperature, the risperidone solubility was greater in (methanol + water) mixture than in the other alcohol mixtures. They were mathematically correlated by the van’t Hoff-Jouyban-Acree and Jouyban-Acree models, obtaining relative average deviations smaller than 6.39% and root-mean-square deviations smaller than 9.74 × 10−5, respectively. The local mole fractions of methanol (ethanol, n-propanol or isopropanol) and water around the risperidone (I) were quantitatively studied with the help of Inverse Kirkwood–Buff integrals method in terms of the solubility data determined. Risperidone (I) was preferentially solvated by methanol (ethanol, n-propanol or isopropanol) in the mixtures studied in alcohol-rich and intermediate compositions; while in water-rich compositions, risperidone (I) was preferentially solvated by water. The main factors describing solvent effect were examined through by Kamlet and Taft linear solvation energy relationships applied to the experimental solubility data, indicating that the change in cavity formation energy and dipolarity-polarizability of the solvents played the chief role upon the variation of risperidone (I) solubility.

6-Phenyl-3(2H)-pyridazinone dissolved in some aqueous co-solvent mixtures of alcohols: Equilibrium solubility, solvent effect and preferential solvation

The saturated solubility of 6-phenyl-3(2H)-pyridazinone in aqueous co-solvent mixtures of methanol, ethanol, isopropanol and ethylene glycol (EG) was determined through experiment by employing the saturation shake-flask method at temperatures from 278.15 to 318.15 K and local atmospheric pressure. For all the co-solvent mixtures, the maximum value of solubility was observed in neat methanol (ethanol, isopropanol or EG). The 6-phenyl-3(2H)-pyridazinone solubility in mole fraction scale was well correlated by using the Jouyban-Acree model and van’t Hoff-Jouyban-Acree model, obtaining the values of relative average deviations smaller than 3.98%; and root-mean-square deviation, lower than 7.81 × 10−5. The local mole fractions of methanol (ethanol, isopropanol or EG) and water nearby the 6-phenyl-3(2H)-pyridazinone were quantitatively calculated by means of the Inverse Kirkwood-Buff integrals method. 6-Phenyl-3(2H)-pyridazinone was preferentially solvated by the solvent of water in water-rich compositions; while within the regions of co-solvent-rich and intermediate compositions, 6-phenyl-3(2H)-pyridazinone was preferentially solvated by the solvent of methanol (ethanol, isopropanol or EG). The mole fraction solubility was fitted by using the Kamlet and Taft linear solvation energy relationships to inspect the key factors describing solvent effect. The variation in cavity formation energy and hydrogen-bond acidity played the chief role upon the 6-phenyl-3(2H)-pyridazinone solubility in aqueous solutions of methanol and ethanol; and the hydrogen bond acidity and dipolarity/polarizability term, in the aqueous of mixtures isopropanol and EG .

Effects of dynamic variables on industrial output in one of the world\u2019s fastest-growing countries: case evidence from India

Increase in industrial output is an important indicator to identify the socio-economic development of a nation. India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world; using its comparative advantage and capitalizing its educated youths, it tries to be as a hub of manufacturing in the world map. Under these circumstances, the present study attempts to identify the effects of dynamic macroeconomic variables on manufacturing output in India using secondary data from 1990Q1 to 2017Q4 sourced from the World Bank, and IMF, RBI, ASI and published materials are other source of information. This study considered variables such as industrial production, population, agricultural output, exchange rate, export, oil price, and gross fixed capital formation. We employed ADF and PP unit root tests, Johansen co-integration test, and error correction model based on Granger causality test. This study found that manufacturing output was driven by agricultural output, export and population. The chief role played by the agricultural output in affecting the manufacturing output suggested that the agricultural sector is still serving as engine of economic development in general and manufacturing output in particular in the case of fast-growing Indian economy. Further, investment on education, health, trainings and other capacity building in the form of human capital on population will lead the industrial sector to get strengthened through observing entrepreneurial spirit, high skilled labours, technicians, and managers. Finally, it is suggested that the superior focus on tapping the potential market on the planet, research and development, mechanization, proper quality control, skill development, better management, and effective marketing will give a new life to the manufacturing sector of the fast-growing Indian economy.