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Effects of Zingiber Offcianille on shear bond strength of orthodontic bracket adhered into re-bonded tooth surface
Get PDFBACKGROUND: One of the most practical, basic and commonly used tests for evaluating the adhesion resistance of bonded orthodontic brackets is shear bond strength. The ideal shear bond strength of the bracket to enamel is anticipated to resist bracket failure during the orthodontic treatment, while not causing enamel damage during de-bonding and maintaining the enamel integrity after finishing treatment.AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the shear bond strength of the brackets adhered into bonded and re-bonded teeth surfaces of fluorescent orthodontic adhesive modified by incorporation of Zingiber officinale essential oil.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty recently extracted human lower first premolars caries-free teeth were used in this study. The teeth were randomly divided into 6 groups. The bonding control, bonding with a fluorescent orthodontic adhesive modified with 1%, 2% Zingiber officinale essential oil, control after re-bonding, and re-bonding with a fluorescent orthodontic adhesive modified with 1%, 2% Zingiber officinale essential oil. In the re-bonding three groups, they were de-bonded by the bracket removing plier (base method) and the remaining adhesive was removed. Then anew bracket was re-bonded in the same protocol. The shear bond strength was measured in Mega Pascal at cross head speed 1 mm/min. Then, adhesive remnant index was evaluated by a stereomicroscope 10X. Statistical analysis was with p value at p<0.05.RESULTS: The shear bond strength of the control bonding group was significantly higher than the modified bonding groups with 2% Zingiber officinale essential oil. Whereas, the control after re-bonding group was higher than the modified re-bonding groups with no statistical significant difference. The distribution of the adhesive remnants index scores was significantly different among the study groups.CONCLUSION: Generally, Zingiber officinale essential oil addition into fluorescent orthodontic adhesive reduced the shear bond strength in the bonded and re-bonded groups, particularly in the bonding modified with 2% concentration.peer-reviewe
Ethical self-understanding as a dimension of personal autonomy
Get PDFOver the course of his career, Jürgen Habermas has developed several conceptions
of autonomy, most notably moral, private, and public autonomy.. Despite this
interest, he has never engaged methodically with the idea of personal autonomy.
Notwithstanding this absence, his work contains some ideas that are suggestive
of the idea of personal autonomy and that can be developed into a coherent and
comprehensive theory. As I state below, his underdeveloped idea of a conscious
conduct of life (bewuβte Lebensführung) approximates significantly contemporary
conceptions of personal autonomy. A close reading of his work suggests that the
idea of a consciously lived life is composed of three interrelated ideas: ethical
self-understanding, strong evaluation, and the recognition of participants in
communication as competent communicative agents who are expected to speak
for themselves. The idea of a conscious conduct of life can be developed into a
multidimensional theory of personal autonomy, with each of the three constitutive
ideas developed into specific dimensions.In this article, I will develop Habermas’s idea of ethical self-understanding,
understood as a dimension of a Habermas-inspired theory of personal autonomy
as a conscious conduct of life. I will start by first situating the idea of a conscious
conduct of life within Habermas’s framework of practical reason and briefly explain
the above-proposed three dimensions of a conscious conduct of life. Following this,
I will then explain what Habermas understands by ethical self-understanding, and by
drawing from the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer, whom Habermas cites in one of his
brief explications of ethical self-understanding, I will then develop the idea of ethical
self-understanding in more detail. Finally, by drawing from the work of Rahel Jaeggi,
I will develop two conceptions of two defective modes of ethical self-understanding
that tend to close off the possibility of leading a conscious conduct of life.peer-reviewe
Labour productivity and employment in agriculture in the European Union
Get PDFPURPOSE: The aim of the study is to estimate the level of agricultural employment at which
labour input productivity is equal to non-agricultural productivity, i.e. in a situation of
intersectoral labour productivity equilibrium.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This paper considers agricultural labour inputs in the
context of their productivity as measured by gross value added (GVA) per AWU. The level of
agricultural employment at which GVA per AWU in agriculture will equal the GVA created
by 1 AWU outside agriculture is sought. This is conventionally referred to in the article as
'optimal' employment. Excess employment above this level is called "unproductive"
employment in the article. The calculated employment level does not take into account the
actual demand for labour. It is therefore a reference point in the formulation of policies for
the evolution of the sectoral structure of employment and not its objective sensu stricto.FINDINGS: The existence of potential over-employment is a common phenomenon in the EU,
but it places more of a burden on less developed and less prosperous countries. The situation
varies between countries. The relatively largest scale of overemployment in agriculture
concerns Romania, Bulgaria and Poland, so the pursuit of optimal employment will be most
difficult in these countries. The technologically determined labour demand in EU agriculture
is higher than the calculated "optimal" level and varies seasonally. It is therefore necessary
to strive in parallel to reduce labour demand and shape the "flexibility" of agriculturerelated workers so that they can earn income from outside agriculture at times when their
work is not necessary on the farms, and make up for labour shortages at times when work on
the farms is concentrated.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Modernisation and structural transformation processes in
agriculture should continue to be supported. Support mechanisms should include, above all,
the modernisation of production technologies, the implementation of innovations replacing
human labour, including digitisation and artificial intelligence solutions, land concentration
and complementary measures, i.e. the increase in the importance of services in production
processes and the merging of farmers into production cooperatives and producer groups.
Vocational education in rural areas should also be promoted, aimed at better matching the
skills of the agricultural population with the needs of the non-agricultural labour market,
and communication barriers should be countered so that reaching non-agricultural jobs does
not mean having to move to the city or make long and costly commutes. Another area is the
stimulation of non-agricultural or agriculture-related economic activities.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The contribution of the article comes from setting a benchmark for the
'optimal' level of employment in EU agriculture and from estimating the distance between
agricultural labour productivity in individual EU countries and non-agricultural sectors. The
article also shows the differences that exist in this respect between the countries studied and
points out the resulting practical implications.The publication was financed by the Polish Minister of Science and
Higher Education as part of the Strategy of the Poznan University of Life Sciences for 2024-
2026 in the field of improving scientific research and development work in priority research
areas.peer-reviewe
Level of serum melatonin and sialic acid in patients with beta-thalassemia versus normal individuals
No full textSymptoms of thalassemia minor may begin to manifest as early as infancy or later in life. In addition to mild to severe anemia, patients with this disorder may also present with developmental delays and skeletal abnormalities. The main objective of the subsequent investigation was to assess and compare blood levels of melatonin and sialic acid in patients with Beta-thalassemia and healthy individuals. This case-control study compared the serum levels of healthy individuals with those of Beta-thalassemia patients. The total sample size of the study was 104. Out of these 52 individuals were grouped under the category of control group which had healthy individuals. The other group also consisted of 52 individuals who were diagnosed with Beta-thalassemia. These results indicated that there was a significant decrease in serum melatonin as in the controlled group it was 12.07 pg/ml and in the case group it was found as 7 pg/ml, p < 0.01. The value of Ceruloplasmin was also seen significantly different, as the level of Ceruloplasmin increased in the case group (34.13 mg/ml) as compared to the healthy individuals (51.08 mg/ml). Additionally, the other major findings were the fall of Hb in the case group which was 7 g/dL as compared to the control group where the means was 12.56 g/dL. In conclusion melatonin and sialic acid could be added to the list of measured parameters in patient with beta-thalassemia and might be served as a marker for diagnosis and prognosis.peer-reviewe
Il-verbi Maltin onlajn : gwida għall-istudenti u l-għalliema tal-Malti u tal-Malti bħala lingwa barranija
No full textDan il-ktejjeb jispjega proġett imsejjaħ ‘Maltitek’ li sar fl-Università ta’ Malta sabiex jiġi stabbilit sit tal-verbi Maltin li jkun jista’ jintuża fit-tagħlim tal-Malti mill-għalliema u mill-istudenti, kif ukoll minn kull min jikteb bil-Malti. L-idea ta’ dan il-proġett ħarġet mill-ħtieġa li l-lingwa Maltija tkompli dejjem tistagħna b’riżorsi li jgħinu lil kull student u utent fil-ħtiġijiet ta’ tagħrif u tiftix dwarha. Mhux l-ewwel darba li bħala edukaturi tal-Malti ntlabna minn diversi persuni, anke minn uħud li ma kellhom x’jaqsmu xejn mas-sistema edukattiva, biex infissrulhom xi ħaġa dwar il-verb, speċjalment kif jinkitbu l-verbi bil-għ. Meta mbagħad beda jiżdied it-tagħlim tal-Malti bħala Lingwa Barranija, aktar kibret il-ħtieġa li jkollna għodda li tħaffef it-tagħlim tal-verb bil-Malti. Fost oħrajn, dan għaliex il-verb, b’mod partikolari, joffri sfidi ta’ natura partikolari.peer-reviewe
Heart rate variability in the medium term following COVID-19 : a case–control study
Get PDFAcute coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) infection is known to be associated
with adverse cardiovascular complications. However, data on its longer-term cardiovascular effects remain limited. This case–control study aims to investigate potential medium-term cardiovascular sequelae of COVID-19. A random selection of patients who tested positive for COVID-19 through nasopharyngeal swabbing constituted the case group, while the control group comprised individuals who tested negative for both swab and COVID-19 immunoglobulin G antibodies. A total of 233 subjects were recruited, including 161 cases and 72 controls. The median age was 45 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 35 – 57 years). The median follow-up duration was 173.5 (IQR: 129.0 – 193.3) days. There were no significant differences between cases and controls with respect to age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors, and comorbidities. The levels of N-terminal pro-B natriuretic peptide and troponin I at follow-up did not differ significantly between the two groups. However, the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) of R-R intervals was significantly lower in some cases. Neither of the groups had significant arrhythmias. There were no significant differences between the two groups in both awake and asleep blood pressure levels as well as in dipping blood pressure status. In conclusion, COVID-19 infection was associated with reduced heart rate variability (HRV) as manifested by low RMSSD. Given the established link between reduced HRV and increased risks of mortality and sudden cardiac death, these findings warrant further investigation into the long-term cardiovascular impact of COVID-19.peer-reviewe
Sustainable blue economy practices in seaweed farming, Belize : cultural heritage and climate resilience in a Small Island Developing State
Get PDFThis paper delves into the intricate connections between cultural heritage, climate resilience, and sustainable blue economy practices within the seaweed farming industry in Belize, a Small Island Developing State (SIDS). Using a mixed-methods approach, the research draws from participatory focus group discussions (N=4) and household surveys (N=18) conducted across key coastal communities, providing valuable insights into how traditional knowledge and cultural practices contribute to climate adaptation strategies. Findings reveal that indigenous knowledge systems, passed down through generations, have enabled seaweed farmers to adapt to changing environmental conditions through site selection, seasonal planning, and sustainable harvesting techniques. Additionally, cultural heritage fosters strong community cohesion, with collaborative efforts and resource-sharing initiatives enhancing social resilience to environmental and economic challenges. Despite facing climate-related threats such as rising sea temperatures, disease outbreaks, and regulatory gaps, the study highlights the resilience of seaweed farming communities, who continue to integrate traditional and modern techniques to sustain their livelihoods. Furthermore, environmental stewardship practices rooted in cultural values, including sustainable resource management and conservation initiatives, align with Belize's broader blue economy goals and contribute to the preservation of marine biodiversity. The research highlights the need for policies that institutionalize traditional knowledge within national climate adaptation frameworks and educational curricula, ensuring intergenerational knowledge transfer and long-term sustainability. By drawing on lessons from Belize's seaweed farming experience, this study offers a valuable blueprint for other SIDS seeking to leverage cultural heritage as a key driver of sustainable development and climate resilience.peer-reviewe
Enhancing reflective practice in language teacher education : technology as a critical reflective partner
Get PDFThis article explores how technology can serve as a critical partner in enhancing reflective practice in language teacher education. Drawing on recent studies, it examines the potential of AI tools, digital portfolios, video-based analysis, and online collaborative platforms. The argument hinges on the need to move toward a human-centred integration of digital tools that support metacognitive growth, emotional resilience, and professional identity development. The article proposes a five-principle framework for technology-enhanced reflection, emphasising pedagogical alignment, depth, collaboration, transparency, and teacher agency. While acknowledging risks related to over-automation and ethical ambiguity, the article contends that well-designed technologies, when critically embedded in reflective ecosystems, can deepen inquiry, foster contextualised insight, and support more dialogic and sustainable teacher learning. Ultimately, it advocates for technology that amplifies human reflection, positioning language educators as co-constructors of meaning in digitally mediated learning environments.peer-reviewe
Changing transport behaviour for sustainable urban mobility
No full textPURPOSE: The paper aims to analyze residents’ current transport habits and their willingness
to change mobility behaviour within the Warsaw West functional area (Mazovian
Voivodship, Poland). The study supports the preparation of a Sustainable Urban Mobility
Plan (SUMP) by identifying behavioural patterns, challenges, and expectations related to
sustainable transport.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: An online survey conducted in 2021 among 177 residents
from seven municipalities and three counties collected data on travel modes, frequency, and
preferences. Descriptive statistics and comparative analysis were used to assess current
mobility behaviours and respondents’ readiness to adopt sustainable alternatives. The study
focuses on citizens’ perceptions of road safety, public transport accessibility, and
infrastructure for vulnerable road users.FINDINGS: The results show that 83% of respondents are willing to change their mobility
habits, provided that improvements in public transport, multimodal integration, and active
travel infrastructure are made. Only 17% expressed no intention to modify their travel
behaviours. Car dependency remains dominant—used by over half of residents for local
trips—while walking and cycling are popular only within municipal boundaries. Improved
public transport connections and safe cycling routes are key motivators for change. The
findings provide a diagnostic basis for long-term implementation of the SUMP in the
Warsaw West area.PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS: Local governments should prioritize integrated public
transport systems, safe pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, and community engagement to
promote behavioural change. Implementing SUMP principles will reduce congestion,
pollution, and accident risks, contributing to improved quality of life and road safety.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This study provides one of the first empirical analyses of residents’
readiness to shift toward sustainable transport modes in the Warsaw West functional area. It
highlights behavioural aspects often overlooked in technical mobility planning, offering
practical insights for SUMP implementation in medium-sized urban regions.peer-reviewe
Impact of ESG risks on bank financing business
No full textPURPOSE: The aim of the study is to assess the effects of ESG information on the assessment
of the risk of financing business entities by banks.DESIGN/METHODOOGY/APPROACH: The article uses a critical analysis of literature and legal
acts. An assessment was made of internal regulations of banking institutions in the studied
scope as well as few industry reports. The scope of the article refers to the impact of ESG
risk on the assessment of the creditworthiness of business entities and the assessment of the
possible loss of value of accepted collateral (e.g. real estate).FINDINGS: The thesis that information disclosed in the field of ESG may be crucial for
assessing the possibility of providing financing to business entities by banking institutions
was verified in the paper.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The research results allow us to conclude that ESG risk
management, depending on the efficiency of this process, may limit the negative impact on
the assessment of the creditworthiness of the entity.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The topic of sustainable development is present in the literature on a wide
scale, due to the implementation of legal regulations at the European level in the field of
reporting and auditing reports on the environment, social and management aspects of
activities (ESG). There is a research gap in the literature in the area of assessing the impact
of ESG information on individual stakeholder groups.peer-reviewe