Collagen-Based Nanofibers for Skin Regeneration and Wound Dressing Applications

Skin regeneration after an injury is very vital, but this process can be impeded by several factors. Regenerative medicine is a developing biomedical field with the potential to decrease the need for an organ transplant. Wound management is challenging, particularly for chronic injuries, despite the availability of various types of wound dressing scaffolds in the market. Some of the wound dressings that are in clinical practice have various drawbacks such as poor antibacterial and antioxidant efficacy, poor mechanical properties, inability to absorb excess wound exudates, require frequent change of dressing and fails to offer a suitable moist environment to accelerate the wound healing process. Collagen is a biopolymer and a major constituent of the extracellular matrix (ECM), making it an interesting polymer for the development of wound dressings. Collagen-based nanofibers have demonstrated interesting properties that are advantageous both in the arena of skin regeneration and wound dressings, such as low antigenicity, good biocompatibility, hemostatic properties, capability to promote cellular proliferation and adhesion, and non-toxicity. Hence, this review will discuss the outcomes of collagen-based nanofibers reported from the series of preclinical trials of skin regeneration and wound healing.

Cat management in an unregulated shelter environment: Relationship between care provision and cat health in Hong Kong

Cat (Felis silvestris catus) shelter practices may have important implications for cats' health and well-being. This study explored the relationship between husbandry practices and cat health in Hong Kong's shelters which are unregulated. Cat health was measured via body condition score (BCS), coat condition and signs of oculo-nasal discharge. A total of 314 cats in 24 cat shelters were assessed. A satisfactory BCS was associated with regular veterinary input, more than once per day disinfection and more than once per day change of water. The presence of oculo-nasal discharge — as a marker for upper respiratory tract infection — was associated with a lack of regular veterinary input and less frequent change of water within the shelter. A lack of regular feeding was the only factor associated with a dull coat. In summary, this study showed that certain husbandry practices had important associations with different aspects of cats' health for cats housed in an unregulated shelter environment in Hong Kong. These findings provide evidence-based support for husbandry guidelines or regulations for cat shelters which could have a positive impact on shelter cats' health and welfare.

Ammonia Recovery from Digestate Using Gas-Permeable Membranes: A Pilot-Scale Study

The reduction and recovery of nitrogen (N) from anaerobically digested manure (digestate) is desirable to mitigate N-related emissions, mainly ammonia and nitrate, derived from digestate land application in nutrient-saturated zones. This work reports the results of a gas-permeable membrane (GPM) pilot-scale plant to recover ammonia from digestate in the framework of the EU project Ammonia Trapping. The total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) concentration in digestate was reduced by 34.2% on average (range 9.4–57.4%). The recovery of TAN in the trapping solution in the form of a (NH4)2SO4 solution averaged 55.3% of the removed TAN, with a TAN recovery rate of 16.2 g N m−2 d−1 (range between 14.5 and 21.0 g N m−2 d−1). The TAN concentration in the trapping solution achieved a value of up to 35,000 mg N L−1. The frequent change of the trapping solution has been proven as an efficient strategy to improve the overall performance of the GPM technology.

Punctuated evolution in the learned songs of African sunbirds

Learned traits are thought to be subject to different evolutionary dynamics than other phenotypes, but their evolutionary tempo and mode has received little attention. Learned bird song has been thought to be subject to rapid and constant evolution. However, we know little about the evolutionary modes of learned song divergence over long timescales. Here, we provide evidence that aspects of the territorial songs of Eastern Afromontane sky island sunbirds Cinnyris evolve in a punctuated fashion, with periods of stasis of the order of hundreds of thousands of years or more, broken up by evolutionary pulses. Stasis in learned songs is inconsistent with learned traits being subject to constant or frequent change, as would be expected if selection does not constrain song phenotypes over evolutionary timescales. Learned song may instead follow a process resembling peak shifts on adaptive landscapes. While much research has focused on the potential for rapid evolution in bird song, our results suggest that selection can tightly constrain the evolution of learned songs over long timescales. More broadly, these results demonstrate that some aspects of highly variable, plastic traits can exhibit punctuated evolution, with stasis over long time periods.

The system of points of view in Vasily Shukshin's short stories

The purpose of the work is to explore the point of view in Vasily Shukshin's short stories in its systematic and diverse manifestation. Topicality is provided by the exceptional significance of this category in narratology. The study of the point of view based on the material of short stories by Vasily Shukshin has been conducted for the first time. The article briefly traces the history of scientific understanding of the category of point of view in foreign and Russian philology and notes the variety of approaches and definitions in the formulation of the concept. The authors use the classification of Boris Uspenskij for analysis and consider the point of view in Vasily Shukshin's short stories in psychological, ideological (evaluative), spatial-temporal and phraseological terms. The positions of Boris Korman, Yuri Lotman, Wolf Schmid and Franz Karl Stanzel also take into account. The authors note the features of Vasily Shukshin's narration that affect the expression of the point of view in the text. Vasily Shukshin's short stories are characterised by a dynamic and frequent change of points of view, which indicates the technique of “montageˮ and similarities in this regard with cinematic techniques. The conclusions generalise the variety of ways and forms of expression of the point of view in the studied artistic material. The point of view in the considered stories is characterised by variability in the correlation of subjects of speech and subjects of consciousness, alternation of external and internal points of view, mutual transitions from one to the other, text interference and other hybrid phenomena.

Biological dressing is a paradigm shift in children’s scald burn: our experience

Background: Burn injury has multiple causes but scald burn is the most common type of burn in children. Prototype of scald burn is hot water burn. Change of burn dressing in children is challenging. Biological collagen dressing has totally changed the management of scald burn or it is a paradigm shift in the management of scald burn in children. Aim of this study was to achieve early wound healing with less complication and to prevent change of frequent dressings in children.Methods: A prospective study was done in 30 patients of scald burn under 12 years of age between November 2020 to July 2021. Meticulous debridement and deroofing of all blisters and removal of dead skin were performed. Bovine meshed wet collagen dressing was thoroughly rinsed with normal saline three times to remove the preservative isopropyl alcohol. After that collagen dressing applied over the raw area. Paraffin with chlorhexidine impregnated gauze dressing applied over the collagen. First dressing was changed at post operative day five.Results: All burn wounds healed well between 10-14 days without any complications. In follow up no hypertrophy of skin and almost same skin color had noted.Conclusions: We conclude that collagen dressing is a paradigm shift in the management of scald burn. It is cost effective, pain less, requires less frequent change of dressing with good match of skin color.

Assessing the Inclusiveness of Housing Conditions in Ogbomoso Township, Nigeria

It is against the background of deficit in housing stock in Nigeria major cities and its associated exclusion in that this study evaluates housing condition in Ogbomoso Township. This is with a view to proffering recommendations that will aid the achievement of sustainable and inclusive housing in the town, and other ones with similar socioeconomic characteristics. Assessed were the socioeconomic characteristics of residents in the study area, characteristics and condition of housing units and impact of the identified condition on residents. The study utilized a multistage sampling approach to sample 150 buildings, and questionnaire administered to an adult resident in each of the sampled building. Data obtained were summarized using tables and percentages while analysis of variance was used to evaluate variation in the condition of housing units across political wards in the study area. The study discovered that 50.7% of the residents are male, and 52.7% are youths. Also, 50.7% of the respondents are single as about 29.3% are students, and 46% of the residents earn below N18, 000 monthly. About 44.7% of the residents have been living in their residences for less than 5 years, 26.7% have used 6-10 years in their residence while about 8% have used 16-20 years in their residences. Thus suggesting frequent change of residences by residents to adjust and readjust to various exclusion tendencies. The predominant housing type in the study area is flat (58.7%), and 69.3% of the housing units were constructed between 1 and 3 years. Meanwhile, 78.7% of the housing units have good roof, 12.0% are leaking and 9.3% are sagging. 48.7% of the housing units were perceived to be substandard, 45.8% were standard building while 5.5% were dilapidated. With F=13.050, p=0.000; there is variation in the condition of housing units across political ward in the town. Urban renewal, granting of loans for housing renovations as well as subsidizing of building materials were therefore recommended. The study concluded that sustainable and inclusive housing can only be achieved with conscious policy and planning intervention.

PREVALENCE OF PREMENSTRUAL SYMPTOMS AMONG BULGARIAN WOMEN

INTRODUCTION: Premenstrual symptoms are common and can worsen women's quality of life. This study examines the prevalence of premenstrual symptoms such as weight gain; swelling of ankles, feet, and hands; frequent change of mood; fatigue; difficulty concentrating; depression; nervousness and irritability; and nausea. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study are: (1) to reveal the prevalence of premenstrual symptoms among Bulgarian women and (2) to establish how the presence of premenstrual symptoms affects the Emotional well-being of women. METHODS: The applied methodology includes an online-based anonymous study, which focuses on the prevalence of premenstrual symptoms among Bulgarian women and their emotional health. A characteristic of the studied contingent on age, BMI, and physical activity was made. RESULTS: The results of 126 women surveyed were analyzed. Of these, 96.8% have at least one premenstrual symptom. 30.2% have one or two symptoms, 43.7% have 3-4 symptoms and 23% have 5-8 symptoms. 14.8% of women with symptoms reported worsening of their symptoms because of increased stress associated with COVID-19. There is a statistically significant correlation between the number of symptoms and the emotional well-being of women. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of premenstrual symptoms is common among the studied Bulgarian women. A greater number of symptoms has a negative effect on women's emotional well-being. We consider it appropriate to introduce the application of physiotherapeutic methods as well as alternative therapies for the treatment and prevention of premenstrual syndrome.

Constructing the Ideology of the Right-Wing Radical Party in Modern United Kingdom: The Case of the United Kingdom Independence Party

This article examines the update of ideological foundations of the largest right-wing radical party in Britain (and in the whole of Europe) - the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP). The subject of the research is the partys programmatic text, Manifesto for Brexit and Beyond, a document that is not limited to the discussion of Brexit alone. This document appeared at the end of 2019 and, despite the frequent change of leadership in the party during 2020, remained the ideological foundation of the organization after Brexit. The aim of the article is to analyze how the ideological base of the right-wing British radical party was formed in the socio-political realities of the initial period after the states exit from the European Union. The paper presents a discursive analysis of the main ideological document of one of UKIP, as well as identifies the ideological positions of British right-wing radicals at the present stage. Since the research is mainly practice-oriented, the main results are presented the data obtained through discourse analysis using to the method of R. Wodak. The data testify the changes that have been taking place in the discourse of the extreme right in Britain in recent years, as well as the prospects for its evolution in the coming years after Brexit. Studying UKIPs discourse, the author concludes that it forms depending on the political, social and cultural conditions that prevail in modern British society, as well as on the general European context. The article also shows how a modern right-wing radical party constructs its discourse using the most painful issues for the society within the framework of political struggle.

Dynamic Routing and Coordination of Cluster for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Swarms

The flying networks provide an efficient solution for a wide range of military and commercial purposes. The demand for portable and flexible communication is directed towards a quick growth in interaction among unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Due to the frequent change in topology and high mobility of vehicles, routing and coordination becomes a challenging task. To maximize the throughput of the network, this study addresses the UAV swarm’s problems related to the coordination and routing and defines the proposed solution to solve these issues. For this, a network is assumed which contains an equal number of dynamic vehicles. It also presents the communication graph concept of UAVs and designs a fixed-wing UAV model to improve the efficiency of the network in terms of throughput. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm based on Cauchy particle swarm optimization (CPSO) aims towards the better performance of UAV swarms and aims to solve the combinatorial problem. The simulation results show and confirm the performance of the proposed algorithm.