We report a study of the relationship between oxide microstructure at the scale of tens of nanometres and resistance switching behaviour in silicon oxide. In the case of sputtered amorphous oxides, the presence of columnar structure enables efficient resistance switching by providing an initial structured distribution of defects that can act as precursors for the formation of chains of conductive oxygen vacancies under the application of appropriate electrical bias. Increasing electrode interface roughness decreases electroforming voltages and reduces the distribution of switching voltages. Any contribution to these effects from field enhancement at rough interfaces is secondary to changes in oxide microstructure templated by interface structure.

This research suggests a framework, Digital Humanities Readiness Assessment Framework (DHuRAF), to assess the maturity level of the required infrastructure for Digital Humanities studies (DH) in different communities. We use a similar approach to the Basic Language Resource Kit (BLARK) in developing the suggested framework. DH as a fairly new field, which has emerged at an intersection of digital technologies and humanities, currently has no framework based on which one could assess the status of the essential elements required for conducting research in a specific language or community. DH offers new research opportunities and challenges in the humanities, computer science and its relevant technologies, hence such a framework could provide a starting point for educational strategists, researchers, and software developers to understand the prerequisites for their tasks and to have a statistical base for their decisions and plans. The suggested framework has been applied in the context of Kurdish DH, considering Kurdish as a less-resourced language. We have also applied the method to the Gaelic language in the Scottish community. Although the research has focused on less-resourced and minority languages, it concludes that DHuRAF has the potential to be generalized in a variety of different contexts. Furthermore, despite significant reliance on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and computational utilities, the research showed that DH could also be used as an essential resource pool to leverage the NLP study of less-resourced and minority languages.

Abstract The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential of Mentha aquatica L. for phytoremediation of water contaminated with heavy metals and fecal pathogens from Bosna river. The water was treated with M. aquatica for 5, 10, and 15 days consecutively after which it was analyzed for the various physicochemical and microbiological parameters. The initial concentration of cadmium (Cd) ranged from 3.644 to 6.108 µg/l, while lead (Pb) varied between 0.1 and 1.386 µg/l. After treatment, M. aquatica accumulated significant amounts of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) with the highest removal rates of 96.49% for Cd and 45.72% for Pb. Values of several physicochemical parameters were decreased after 15 days treatment period. All water samples were analyzed for enumeration of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria, total coliforms, and fecal coliforms by the membrane filtration. Removal efficiency was greater than 80% for microbiological parameters. The concentration of heavy metals was determined in different plant parts and subsequently, the translocation factor was determined. In M. aquatica plant parts, concentrations of Pb and Cd were increased after 15 days of treatment. Our results demonstrated that M. aquatica could be good candidates for the removal of fecal pathogens and heavy metals present in surface water.

Social responsibility has become increasingly important in recent times. The term “corporate social responsibility” (CSR) is also found in the literature, treated by the Islamic economy and finance. Islamic CSR is based on the principles of Shariah. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to study CSR approaches of Islamic and Conventional Economics. Financial institutions, corporations and enterprises need much more to do CSR practices, to promote CSR that underpinned under the principles of Shariah. The main goal of the paper is to analyse and explore the theoretical and practical aspects of social responsibility from the aspect of Islamic economy and finance. The conducted research showed that there is no significant deviation of the principles of Islamic economy and finances versus the traditional principles of social responsibility. The only difference is that the principles of Islamic economy and finances include a higher degree of application of ethical principles, which should result in moral and ethical economic development of society.

Summary This paper presents a unified formulation for the kinematics, singularity and workspace analyses of parallel delta robots with prismatic actuation. Unlike the existing studies, the derivations presented in this paper are made by assuming variable angles and variable link lengths. Thus, the presented scheme can be used for all of the possible linear delta robot configurations including the ones with asymmetric kinematic chains. Referring to a geometry-based derivation, the paper first formulates the position and the velocity kinematics of linear delta robots with non-iterative exact solutions. Then, all of the singular configurations are identified assuming a parametric content for the Jacobian matrix derived in the velocity kinematics section. Furthermore, a benchmark study is carried out to determine the linear delta robot configuration with the maximum cubic workspace among symmetric and semi-symmetric kinematic chains. In order to show the validity of the proposed approach, two sets of experiments are made, respectively, on the horizontal and the Keops type of linear delta robots. The experiment results for the confirmation of the presented kinematic analysis and the simulation results for the determination of the maximum cubic workspace illustrate the efficacy and the flexible applicability of the proposed framework.

Transition period from preschool years to school years is a time of rapid changes in children’s development. Children with intellectual disability lag behind their peers without disabilities in their school readiness skills, especially in math skills. Thus, there is a great importance of school preparation programs for children with intellectual disability in improving their math abilities. The aim of the present research was to compare the effectiveness of two preschool programs in improving math abilities of children prior to their enrollment in elementary schools. The sample for this research comprised 90 children aged 60-72 months. Of those, there were 60 children with intellectual disability and 30 typically developing children. Math abilities were assessed with a subscale from Peabody Individual Achievement Test. The results of this research indicated that children with intellectual disability attending special education preschool program achieved significantly better math results than children with intellectual disability attending inclusive preschool program. Some suggestions to preschool teachers on how to improve the effectiveness of their work with children with intellectual disability were given. Keywords: children with intellectual disability, inclusive education preschool programs, math abilities, quasi-experimental design, school readiness, special education preschool programs.

: In this paper, the extraction of phenolics from sage (Salvia Officinalis L.) which was grown in the plantations of MP Ljekobilje Trebinje, was carried out by maceration at different extraction time periods (30, 60, 90 , 120, 150 and 180 min), using different organic solvents (40%, 50% and 60% ethanol, 40%, 50% and 60% methanol) and water. The influence of each solvent on the extraction of total phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidative activity of obtained extracts was evaluated. The effect of solid-to-solvent ratio (1:7, 1:10 and 1:15) on the extraction yield of total phenolics was investigated. The influence of different extraction temperatures (room temperature, 30, 40, 50 and 60 ºC) on the content of total phenolics and flavonoids and antioxidative activity of the extract was also investigated. The content of total phenolics and flavonoids in the obtained sage extracts was determined spectrophotometrically. The radical scavenging capacity was determined by the DPPH method, wherein the extract concentration required to neutralize 50% of the initial DPPH radical concentration was also determined. The aqueous solutions of ethanol gave the highest yield of the extract, ie. the highest content of total phenolics and flavonoids in extracts obtained at room temperature and optimal extraction time of 60 minutes. Increasing the time of extraction has increased the content of the total phenolics and flavonoids in extracts, while the excessive time and temperature of the extraction had a negative effect on total phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidative activity of sage extracts.

ABSTRACT Introduction: In January 2018 the European Commission published a Proposal for a Regulation on Health Technology Assessment (HTA): ‘Proposal for a Regulation on health technology assessment and amending Directive 2011/24/EU’. A number of stakeholders, including some Member States, welcomed this initiative as it was considered to improve collaboration, reduce duplication and improve efficiency. There were however a number of concerns including its legal basis, the establishment of a single managing authority, the preservation of national jurisdiction over HTA decision-making and the voluntary/mandatory uptake of joint assessments by Member States. Areas covered: This paper presents the consolidated views and considerations on the original Proposal as set by the European Commission of a number of policy makers, payers, experts from pricing and reimbursement authorities and academics from across Europe. Expert commentary: The Proposal has since been extensively discussed at Council and while good progress has been achieved, there are still divergent positions. The European Parliament gave a number of recommendations for amendments. If the Proposal is approved, it is important that a balanced, improved outcome is achieved for all stakeholders. If not approved, the extensive contribution and progress attained should be sustained and preserved, and the best alternative solutions found.

Endotoxemia is associated by dysregulated apoptosis of immune and non-immune cells. We investigated whether simvastatin has anti-apoptotic effects, and induces hepatocytes and lymphocytes survival signaling in endotoxin-induced liver and spleen injuries. Wistar rats were divided into the groups pretreated with simvastatin (20 or 40 mg/kg, orally) prior to a non-lethal dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the LPS group, and the control. The severity of tissue inflammatory injuries was expressed as hepatic damage scores (HDS) and spleen damage scores (SDS), respectively. The apoptotic cell was detected by TUNEL (Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP Nick End Labeling) and immunohistochemical staining (expression of cleaved caspase-3, and anti-apoptotic Bcl-xL, survivin and NF-κB/p65). Simvastatin dose-dependently abolished HDS and SDS induced by LPS (p < 0.01), respectively. Simvastatin 40 mg/kg significantly decreased apoptotic index and caspase-3 cleavage in hepatocytes and lymphocytes (p < 0.01 vs. LPS group, respectively), while Bcl-XL markedly increased accordingly with simvastatin doses. In the simvastatin, groups were determined markedly increased cytoplasmic expression of survivin associated with nuclear positivity of NF-κB, in both hepatocytes and lymphocytes (p < 0.01 vs. LPS group). Cell-protective effects of simvastatin against LPS seemed to be mediated by up-regulation of survivin, which leads to reduced caspase-3 activation and inhibition of hepatocytes and lymphocytes apoptosis.

BackgroundStigma is associated with health conditions that drive disease burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including HIV, tuberculosis, mental health problems, epilepsy, and substance use disorders. However, the literature discussing the relationship between stigma and health outcomes is largely fragmented within disease-specific siloes, thus limiting the identification of common moderators or mechanisms through which stigma potentiates adverse health outcomes as well as the development of broadly relevant stigma mitigation interventions.MethodsWe conducted a scoping review to provide a critical overview of the breadth of research on stigma for each of the five aforementioned conditions in LMICs, including their methodological strengths and limitations.ResultsAcross the range of diseases and disorders studied, stigma is associated with poor health outcomes, including help- and treatment-seeking behaviors. Common methodological limitations include a lack of prospective studies, non-representative samples resulting in limited generalizability, and a dearth of data on mediators and moderators of the relationship between stigma and health outcomes.ConclusionsImplementing effective stigma mitigation interventions at scale necessitates transdisciplinary longitudinal studies that examine how stigma potentiates the risk for adverse outcomes for high-burden health conditions in community-based samples in LMICs.