Protective Index Research Articles

Protective effects of esomeprazole, curcumin, chitosan, and curcumin-chitosan mixture on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injuries in female rats

Gastric ulcer is the most common health concern due to alcohol consumption, smoking, and physiological stress. An ethanol-induced gastric ulcer in an animal model resembles the pathophysiology of the human ulcer. The present study attempted to detect the protective effects of esomeprazole, curcumin, chitosan, and a mixture of curcumin and chitosan on ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in female rats. The present study included 60 rats with an average weight between 179.1 and 180.3 g, divided into two control groups and four treated groups (esomeprazole, curcumin, chi¬tosan, and mixture), where each group included 10 rats. All groups were treated for 30 days. In order to induce a gastric ulcer, absolute ethanol (2 mL/rat) was given orally to all groups (except the negative control ones) after a period of fasting of 20 h. All animals were sacrificed 5 h later. The gastric ulceration was studied by comparing the volume and the pH of the gastric juice, the ulcer index as well as the protective index. Our results revealed a significant decrease (P<0.05) in the values of the ulcer index and the volume of gastric juice in the esomeprazole-, curcumin-, chitosan-, and mixture-treated rats as compared to those of the positive control group. The value of the gastric juice pH exhibited a significant increase (P<0.05) in these same groups.

Cirights: Quantifying Respect for All Human Rights

ABSTRACT: The CIRIGHTS Data Project scores a representative sample of all internationally recognized human rights. In this article, we use CIRIGHTS scores to discover global patterns in government respect for human rights. The findings show that worker rights, including the right to form a trade union and bargain collectively, are among the least protected human rights. The right to be protected from torture is also among the least protected rights, but, on average, other physical integrity rights—protection from extrajudicial killing, political imprisonment, and disappearance—are among the most protected rights. We introduce an Overall Human Rights Protection Index for all countries, which shows that nearly two-thirds of the world's countries score less than 65 on the 100-point scale. A heat map shows that countries tend to have similar index scores if they share an international border. We discuss the implications of these patterns for future research and policymaking.

Spatial analysis of leachate penetration at Lemna dumpsite, Calabar: Implications for sustainable waste management in Cross River State

This study rigorously investigated the spatial analysis of leachate penetration at Lemna dumpsite, located in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. Purposeful soil sampling, performed at specific intervals (5 m, 25 m, and 50 m) along the Electrical Resistivity profile line within the dumpsite, was augmented by water sample collection from five boreholes near Lemna dumpsite. Utilizing Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) and Vertical Electric Sounding (VES) survey techniques, resistivity data were systematically gathered to comprehensively analyze the Leachate Penetration in the Lemna dumpsite. Laboratory analysis of soil and borehole water quality focused on Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene (BTEX), with paired sample t-tests applied for statistical scrutiny. Analyzing the ERT and VES data employed sophisticated techniques embedded in Resistivity Two Dimension Invasion software and Advanced Geosciences Incorporation Earth Imager software. Substantial disparities (p < 0.05) emerged in the paired sample t-tests for BTEX in soil compared to National Environmental Standard Regulation and Enforcement Agency (NESREA) limits. Similarly, BTEX in borehole water displayed significant differences (p < 0.05) when compared to World Health Organization (WHO) standards, raising alarming concerns about the safety and portability of groundwater in the area. The examination of dumpsite leachate penetration revealed a resistivity anomaly of 8.01 Ωm and an inverse depth of 12.4 m, underscoring profound environmental implications and necessitating immediate remediation efforts. Additionally, Vulnerability and Aquifer Protective Capacity Index (VES) results, with a rating of <0.1, indicated severely compromised aquifer protective capacity, emphasizing the vulnerability of groundwater resources to further contamination. Our study advocates for strategic management, remediation, and monitoring measures to prevent contamination and safeguard water quality in the region.

A performance evaluation method for energy storage systems adapted to new power system interaction requirements

In recent years, China’s new energy storage application on a large scale has shown a good development trend; a variety of energy storage technologies are widely used in renewable energy development, consumption, integrated intelligent energy systems, distribution grids, and microgrids; and substantial progress has been made in the research and development of technology and equipment, construction of demonstration projects, exploration of business models, and construction of standard systems. Up to now, a unified statistical index system and evaluation method standard for new energy storage has not yet been formed domestically or even internationally. The work takes the status quo of the new power system construction of the Hebei South Network as the research object and carries out research on the new energy storage statistical index system and evaluation method. It constructs a new energy storage power station statistical index system centered on five primary indexes: energy efficiency index, reliability index, regulation index, economic index, and environmental protection index; proposes Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)–coefficient of variation combination assignment method; and evaluates the development level of the new energy storage power station by adopting a comprehensive evaluation model based on the object element topology method. The new energy storage statistical index system and evaluation method are designed to provide a scientific index system and evaluation method for comprehensively monitoring, assessing and measuring the comprehensive performance and effect of new energy storage power plants in the process of operation and development, and optimizing the operation strategy of new energy storage power plants as well as the development and promotion of energy storage technology.

Study on River Protection and Improvement Based on a Comprehensive Statistical Model in a Coastal Plain River Network

When considering the contradictions between river management and protection in a typical plain river network, it is always confirmed that the river area has usually been encroached upon due to the development of human society. Based on the analysis of multiple attributes of the river network, a statistical model has been proposed in this study in order to determine the river network protection indices such as river area ratio, storage capacity and flux. In this study, a numerical method is proposed to improve the structure and connectivity of the river network by calculating the occupation and supplement balance. According to the principle of water area dynamic balance, the river network structure and its connectivity are improved through water area adjustment in a typical coastal city. As the simulation results show, the water surface ratio equals 8.17%, the storage capacity equals 112.6 million m3 and the water flux equals to 656.06 m3/s in the selected study area. The flood drainage capacity is introduced as the priority function, other functions are also improved due to river management and protection. The harmonious and sustainable coexistence between human society and the river network is then promoted. This comprehensive statistical model proved to be a good tool for the coastal area to enhance the comprehensive attributes of the coastal plain river network and the sustainable development of the local area in the future.

A novel sequence component based fault detection index for microgrid protection

The paper introduces a novel protective relaying method using symmetrical components of current to detect asymmetrical faults in microgrid. This approach is focused on utilizing the complex magnitude-phase plane (MPP) of the fault detection index (FDI), which is computed using the positive and negative sequence components of the current signal retrieved at one end of the faulty line. The MPP obtained from the settling values of the FDI's magnitude (MFDI) and FDI's angle (AFDI) after the fault inception, is considered as the key indicator for fault detection. The scheme is comprehensively evaluated for a wide range of fault situations including variations in fault types, fault locations, fault resistances and DG penetrations in grid-connected (GC) and non-grid-connected (NGC) modes of operation. Several critical no fault cases are also tested to show the efficacy of the proposed logic for false operation. The fault study is conducted extensively on a modified low voltage standard Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions (CERTS) microgrid and a standard IEEE-34 bus distribution system including DGs. Furthermore, the proposed FDI-based scheme is tested on MATLAB/Simulink platform and validated on Typhoon HIL platform to assess the real-time performance. The test results show that this FDI-based scheme using the MPP concept can be a potent solution for the protection of microgrid.

Hunter risk sensitivity to ticks and tick-borne disease in Illinois

ABSTRACT Tick-borne disease (TBD) is a public health issue, especially for hunters. Data were obtained from a mailed survey (n = 2,948, response rate = 59%) of Illinois adult resident hunters. Consistent with earlier work, hunter perception of vector-borne diseases could be categorized into an overall risk sensitivity index consisting of three clusters of respondents: no risk (40%), slight risk (45%), and moderate risk (15%). As predicted, individuals in the no-risk cluster consistently reported the lowest mean scores for the awareness of ticks, prior experience with ticks, perceived risks with ticks, and protective behavior indices. People in the moderate risk cluster reported the highest means on these indices. In contrast, means for those in the slight risk cluster were consistently between individuals in the no-risk and moderate risk clusters. Results underscore the need for identifying strategies to improve personal protective adoption measures by hunters with low-risk perception.

Consumer Protection in India: With Special Reference to the Consumer Protection Act, 1986

Consumer Protection in India: With Special Reference to the Consumer Protection Act, 1986

Pharmacological Screening of Cholinergic Drugs Using &lt;i&gt;Daphnia magna Straus&lt;/i&gt; Hydrobionts as a Biological Test Object

This work presents the results of primary pharmacological screening of anticholinergic drugs and comparative evaluation of their specific activity in equitoxic concentrations using Daphnia magna Straus hydrobionts as a biological test object. We determine the protective index and the minimum effective concentration in terms of preventing atypical motor hyperactivity of pharmacological substances when poisoning with a reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. On the basis of the results obtained, the list of promising candidates for further research in warm-blooded animals is extended by all of the anticholinergic drugs previously selected in experiments on mammals.

Unveiling the ESG-dividend nexus: the moderating role of investor protection and regulatory enforcement

PurposeThe mounting focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in business has sparked substantial curiosity in understanding the nexus between ESG and the companies’ strategic decisions. This study aims to investigate the influence of firms’ ESG disclosure scores on their dividend payout. Furthermore, it examines the nuanced dynamics of this relationship by exploring the moderating role of the country’s investor protection regulations and regulatory enforcement.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses pooled ordinary least square regression with year, industry and country effects. It analyzes a balanced panel data set of 192 non-financial firms drawn from the primary equity indices of BRICS nations. This study examined the data of six years spanning 2015–2020.FindingsThe findings discover a significantly positive relationship between ESG scores and dividend payout ratio, conveying that firms with higher ESG scores allocate more of their profits as dividends. Furthermore, the finding reveals that country-level robust investor protection and effective regulatory enforcement mechanisms undermine the positive association between ESG ratings and payouts of dividends, suggesting that the ESG disclosure of firms operating in a setting characterized by enhanced investor safeguards and stricter regulatory oversight will exert less influence on their dividend decisions.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to concentrate on the ESG–dividend nexus in the BRICS countries. Furthermore, this study used each country’s investor protection index and regulatory enforcement scores to comprehend the influence of country-level legal frameworks in shaping the relationship between ESG and dividend decisions, thus adding value to the existing literature on corporate sustainability.

Immunological properties of inactivated vaccines against Newcastle disease based on virus antigens VII and II the genotype

Newcastle disease (ND) is now widely spread in many countries of Eurasia, Africa and the Americas and causes significant economic damage to poultry farming. New NDinfected localities are reported in the Russian Federation every year; besides, the number of farms with vaccinated poultry demonstrating high specific antibody titres, decreased performance and survivability while being asymptomatic has increased. This is attributed to the virus evolution leading to the emergence of new genotypes represented by highly virulent strains. Since 2019, subgenotype VII-L has been isolated from Newcastle disease outbreaks in Russia. The vaccines currently available on the market do not confer appropriate protection against it due to the lack of antigenic matching between vaccine strains and this subgenotype. The development of a vaccine based on subgenotype VII -L will allow to ensure protection of poultry flocks against Newcastle disease caused by new NDV isolates. The immunological properties of emulsion inactivated vaccine against Newcastle disease based on genotype VII NDV (ARRIAH G7 strain) antigen were studied in 30-day-old Hisex Brown chickens. A similar vaccine based on genotype II NDV LaSota strain antigen was used as control. Tests of different immunizing antigen doses were carried out. The vaccines were tested for induced humoral immunity level (HI antibody titres), as well as for protective effect (protective index) after challenge with a highly virulent genotype VII NDV strain. The tests revealed that the antigenic activity and protective effect of both vaccines depended on the antigen concentration in the inoculation volume. Antibody titres were always higher when homologous antigens were used in HI tests. The vaccine based on the antigen of ARRIAH G7 strain (homologous to the challenge strain) was more effective than the control vaccine. Less ARRIAH G7 strain antigen was required to protect 50% of vaccinated poultry, compared with LaSota strain antigen. The comparative assessment of the same doses of the antigens showed that the vaccine based on ARRIAH G7 strain antigen had better immunological properties. The tested antigens demonstrated 18.3% bilateral affinity.

A Structural Model of Future-Oriented Climate Change Optimism in Science Education: PISA Evidence from Countries with Top Environmental Protection Index

The purpose of this study is to examine the predictive effects of epistemological beliefs about science and informal reading of scientific texts on students’ future-oriented optimism on the issue of climate change. Future-oriented climate change optimism is defined as encompassing hope and anticipation about the climate future. To identify the relationships among variables, structural equation modelling was conducted on the PISA dataset on 15-year-old students from Denmark, the UK and Finland which have the top three Environmental Protection Index. Students of all three countries demonstrated a consistently low optimism about the future of climate change. Also, the findings indicated that students’ epistemological beliefs about science had a significantly negative predicting effect on their future-oriented climate change optimism across all three countries, while their informal reading of scientific texts had a significantly positive predictive effect on their future-oriented climate change optimism in Denmark and the UK. Across all three countries, 15-year-old students’ awareness of the issue of climate change plays a significantly negative mediating role between their epistemological beliefs about science and their optimism in the future climate, as well as their informal reading of scientific texts and their optimism in the future climate. This calls for a new curricular environmental-science education model that addresses how students’ informal science reading and epistemological beliefs about science can address future-oriented climate change optimism which might in turn impact young people’s action competence to address the issues of climate change.

Carbon efficiency evaluation method for urban energy system with multiple energy complementary

Urban energy systems (UESs) play a pivotal role in the consumption of clean energy and the promotion of energy cascade utilization. In the context of the construction and operation strategy of UESs with multiple complementary energy resources, a comprehensive assessment of the energy efficiency is of paramount importance. First, a multi-dimensional evaluation system with four primary indexes of energy utilization, environmental protection, system operation, and economic efficiency and 21 secondary indexes is constructed to comprehensively portray the UES. Considering that the evaluation system may contain a large number of indexes and that there is overlapping information among them, an energy efficiency evaluation method based on data processing, dimensionality reduction, integration of combined weights, and gray correlation analysis is proposed. This method can effectively reduce the number of calculations and improve the accuracy of energy efficiency assessments. Third, a demonstration project for a UES in China is presented. The energy efficiency of each scenario is assessed using six operational scenarios. The results show that Scenario 5, in which parks operate independently and investors build shared energy-storage equipment, has the best results and is best suited for green and low-carbon development. The results of the comparative assessment methods show that the proposed method provides a good energy efficiency assessment. This study provides a reference for the optimal planning, construction, and operation of UESs with multiple energy sources.

Modeling and Simulation of Power Cell Capacity Configuration and Large-Scale Echelon Utilization in Photovoltaic Energy Storage Power Station

The muscle element is an part and parcel of the photovoltaic stored energy substation. In an effort to upgrade the availability of the muscle element and the availability of the muscle generation of the photovoltaic stored energy substation, the muscle element volume arrange and large-scale cascade utilization pattern of the photovoltaic stored energy substation are studied. On the basis of the structure of the photovoltaic stored energy substation, the capabilities exchange policy of the photovoltaic stored capabilities substation is analyzed. Based on the correlation between the muscle element volume retention proportion and the number of circulates, the Monte Carlo simulation method is selected to calculate the muscle element cascade utilization volume. On the basis of the volume count outcomes, the muscle element volume arrange based on large-scale cascade utilization is designed. Combined with the muscle element volume arrange based on the enterprise environmental protection index and the muscle element volume arrange based on capabilities loss, the multi-objective function of volume arrange is constructed, and the goal function is solved using the glowworm algorithm. The experimental outcomes show that the cascade utilization volume of muscle batteries becomes stable with the extension of service years, and some batteries in the stored capabilities system can use degraded muscle batteries, thereby improving the availability of muscle batteries; The monthly average availability of photovoltaic muscle generation system increased from 55% to more than 85%.

Promoting Effective Refugee Protection in India: Balancing National Interests and International Obligations

This paper explores the situation of refugees in India, particularly Sri Lankan and Rohingya refugees who are seeking asylum in India and face the issue of statelessness due to the lack of a concrete refugee law in India. The Foreigners Act 1946 of India defines foreigners as individuals who are not Indian citizens and requires non-citizens to possess government-issued documentation. Failure to possess such documents exposes individuals to penalties outlined in section 14 of the Act, including potential imprisonment and fines. The Act also grants the government the authority to detain and deport foreign nationals residing unlawfully in India. Furthermore, the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (“CAA”) addresses the plight of religious minorities, excluding Sri Lankan, Rohingya and other refugees, as it only applies to refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. The CAA allows eligible Hindu refugees who entered India before December 31, 2014, to obtain Indian citizenship. The absence of a concrete refugee law in India, coupled with concerns over the potential impact of the CAA on India’s secular constitutional fabric, has raised international apprehension. It is important to note that India is not a party to the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1951, and its 1967 protocol, limiting its refugee protection obligations. By analysing relevant legal sources, judicial decisions and international standards, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the legal complexities surrounding refugee protection in India and the implications of the CAA within the context of India's international obligations. Keywords: Refugee; International Law; India; Secularism; Domestic Law.

Promoting Effective Refugee Protection in India: Balancing National Interests and International Obligations

In the background of the climate change, we estimate that one of the problems that humanity is to face in the near future concerns natural resources. In our view, water is one of the resources that will become increasingly important in the coming years by being on the way to diminishing. Force majeure events such as the vegetation fires or floods in the summer of 2023 show us that people and nature must be friends. Given that drinking water is vital for human existence, we believe that the proposed topic is of general interest and should be of concern not only to public authorities, but to the entire scientific community and to individuals, which makes it topical and important. The scope of the study is to analyse the issue of water, which means that, on the one hand, we will investigate the national regulatory framework but also comparative law to know how the legislator relates to water and, on the other hand, we will capture the current international trends in this field. By using research methods specific to law, we will underline the conclusion of our paperwork, that the protection of water resources is the responsibility of all of us: individuals, authorities, states, taking into consideration present and future generations. Keywords: public authorities; water; public good; Administrative Code; case-law.

Update of Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) and harmonization of health protection and climate mitigation

Hong Kong has used a risk-based Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) system for nearly a decade, which aggregates hospitalization risks associated with short-term exposure to pollutants. Serving as an air pollution risk communication tool, it keeps the public informed about the current air quality, anchoring around the World Health Organization's (WHO) 2005 Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs). Given the WHO's recent update to the AQGs in 2021, it is pertinent to examine how Hong Kong's air quality risk communication might be enhanced using these updated guidelines.The AQHI currently focuses only on short-term health risks, potentially leading to an underestimation of cumulative impacts. To address this, we propose enhancing the AQHI to include both long-term and short-term health risks. Short-term risks are estimated based on excess hospitalization risks from various pollutants using local data, while long-term risks are estimated using beta coefficients from the WHO due to limited local data. We further suggest using the WHO's Interim Targets (ITs) as thresholds for health risk categories, eliminating arbitrary cut-points.Promoting both public health protection and climate mitigation is important but challenging, particularly with the surge in ozone levels due to enhanced NOx controls in VOC-limited regions like Hong Kong and Guangdong. Nevertheless, despite the rise in ozone, combined health risks in these areas have decreased due to reductions in NO2 and PM concentrations. Shifting to an AQHI-like total health risk assessment emphasizes the harmonization of health protection and climate mitigation goals. This health-focused framework posits that rigorous NOx controls can effectively serve both policy objectives in tandem.

Beyond the Tropics: Unraveling the Complex Relationship between Sun Exposure, Dietary Intake, and Vitamin D Deficiency in Coastal Malaysians.

Despite Malaysia's year-round sunny climate, vitamin D deficiency is surprisingly common among Malaysians. However, we hypothesise that vitamin D levels among coastal populations are above average. Thus, we aim to investigate vitamin D levels and correlate them with the potential contributing factors from three selected coastal villages in Johor, Melaka, and Negeri Sembilan. Convenient sampling was employed to recruit 120 Malay male and female participants, and dried blood spots (DBS) were obtained to measure 25 (OH) vitamin D3 levels via immunoassay. Participants also completed two questionnaires: the Sun Exposure and Protection Index (SEPI) and a validated food frequency questionnaire for Malaysians. The participant pool comprised 35.20% males and 64.80% females who completed all questionnaires and underwent DBS sampling. Our analysis revealed a significant difference (p < 0.05) based on skin tones, impacting various facets of the SEPI, including sunscreen usage, protective clothing utilisation, and the adoption of protective headwear. Furthermore, gender emerged as another pivotal factor, demonstrating significant distinctions in these SEPI components. Nevertheless, there is a weak correlation between SEPI scores and vitamin D levels. Subsequent regression analysis did produce statistically significant results (p = 0.018), yet the associated low R2 value indicated a weak correlation between dietary vitamin D intake that impacts vitamin D levels. In conclusion, our preliminary findings indicate that sun exposure and dietary factors are not the sole determinants of 25-OH vitamin D3 levels. However, we require more samples from various coastal locations for a definitive justification.

An Examination of Inter-State Variation in Utilization of Healthcare Services, Associated Financial Burden and Inequality: Evidence from Nationally Representative Survey in India.

This study examines the health care utilization pattern, associated financial catastrophes, and inequality across Indian states to understand the subnational variations and aid the policy makers in this regard. Data from recent National Sample Survey (2017-2018), titled, "Household Social Consumption: Health," covering 113,823 households, was employed in the study. Descriptive statistics, Erreygers concentration index (CI), and recentered influence function decomposition were applied in the study. We found that, in India, 7 percent of households experienced catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) and 1.9 percent of households were pushed below poverty line due to out-of-pocket expenditure on hospitalization. Notably, outpatient care was more burdensome (CHE: 12.1%; impoverishment: 4%). Substantial interstate variations were observed, with high financial burden in poorer states. Utilization of health care services from private health care providers was pro-rich (hospitalization CI 0.31; outpatient CI 0.10), while the occurrence of CHE incidence was pro-poor (hospitalization CI -0.10; outpatient CI -0.14). Education level, economic status, health insurance, and area of residence contributed significantly to inequalities in utilization of health care services from private providers and financial burden. The high financial burden of seeking health care necessitates the need to increase public health spending and strengthen public health infrastructure. Also, concerted efforts directed towards increasing awareness about health insurance and introducing comprehensive health insurance products (covering both inpatient and outpatient services) are imperative to augment financial risk protection in India.

Does Trust Beneficiary Protection Affect the Performance of Trust Companies? An Analysis Based on the Theory of Law and Finance

&lt;p&gt;Trust beneficiary protection constitutes an important legal system in the trust industry. This paper, based upon the study approach of the &amp;ldquo;Theory of Law and Finance&amp;rdquo;, establishes the trust beneficiary protection index of China. We also test the influence of trust beneficiary protection on the performance of trust companies. As indicated by our study&amp;rsquo;s results, an &amp;ldquo;inverted U-shaped&amp;rdquo; relationship exists between the degree of trust beneficiary protection and the performance of trust companies. In a period when the trust law system has not yet been well established, strengthening trust beneficiary protection could help facilitate the growth of trust company performance. However, this facilitation effect gradually diminishes as the trust law system becomes more perfect. This in turn means that, after reaching a certain peak, conferring the beneficiary with more rights of supervision and participation would cause the performance of trust companies to decline. Improving regional legal environments could also help facilitate the growth of trust company performance. In addition, this facilitation effect is subject to the influence of the nature of trust company controllers. In trust companies controlled by local state-owned capitals, we find that the facilitation effect of the improvement of regional legal environments on trust company performance is inhibited. In trust companies controlled by non-state-owned capitals, however, the facilitation effect of the improvement of regional legal environments on trust company performance is enhanced.&lt;/p&gt;