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T. BOUDIERI EXTRACT POTENTIATES THE EFFECTS OF CAPECITABINE TREATMENT IN HUMAN COLON CANCER CELLS
Full text linkResistance to chemotherapy remains a major challenge for colorectal cancer patients worldwide, hence the persistent need to uncover alternative treatments as well as new adjunct therapies in the fight against cancer. Natural extracts constitute an excellent source of bioactive substances that have a promising potential in that regard, with minimal negative side effects. We have previously demonstrated that both the ethanolic as well as the water extracts of Terfezia boudieri, a black desert truffle abundant in and part of the cuisine of the Mediterranean region, have significant antiproliferative effects against colon cancer cells. Our aim in this study was to investigate if this effect can be translated into one that enhances the efficacy of capecitabine, an antimetabolite used as a first line of treatment drug in colorectal patients. We treated human colon cancer cells HCT-116 with a water extract of T. boudieri that we have prepared and employed the MTT cell viability assay to measure the cell viability at different concentrations of treatment either with the extract alone or in combination with different concentrations of capecitabine vs those with capecitabine alone. The combination index (CI) calculated using the Chou and Talalay\u27s equation as well as the morphological changes observed in the HCT-116 cell line utilizing the Crystal Violet assay showed a clear potential for the extract to act in synergy with capecitabine, enhancing its anti-cancer effects
MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FIELD OF CLIMATE LITIGATION
Full text linkThe year 2023 has not ended without bringing us very important developments related to the issue of climate disputes in the world.
One of the most prominent of these developments is the third report of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Sabin Climate Law Centre at Columbia University in the United States of America on the state of climate disputes in the world. This report is of great importance because it provides a comprehensive study of the developments of climate issues in the world after the first report issued in 2017, and the second report issued in 2020.
Climate lawsuits in the period from 2022 to 2024 resulted in major developments in the judicial arena, as these lawsuits continued to flow into the judiciary thanks to non-governmental organizations. This is quantitatively.
As for the qualitative aspect, these lawsuits witnessed unprecedented developments, both with regard to the courts that intervened. For the first time, international law courts intervened to adjudicate on the climate obligations of countries, even if this adjudication was through advisory opinions.
In addition, lawsuits are no longer filed against states, regional authorities, or petroleum projects, but for the first time they are filed against other people, such as financial institutions. The development was not limited to this point, but extended to include other topics such as climate disclosure and greenwashing.
This period is extremely rich in judicial rulings that will be presented in this research
CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS EFFECT ON THE ACTION OF THE ARTICAL CHARACTERS “SELECTED SAMPLES FROM INTERNATIONAL PLAYS
Full text linkThis paper deals with a vital issue, which is the climate as a global issue, by linking cultural reality and the arts. Considering theater is the father of the arts, this study may be an attempt to understand the characters and explain their psychological transformations according to the climate and general environment surrounding them. So, the problem of the study is” what extent has climate change affected the actions of theatrical characters” This working paper attempts to support or refute this idea by re-reading theatrical characters written and created since the beginning of the last century they are: The SEAGULL by Antoine Chekov, and the play YERMA by Federico Garcia Lorca. This paper sheds light on three main elements, the first of which is the definition of both the character and the theatrical character and their relationship with each other. and the second element is the relationship of the behavior of the real character to climate changes in our life. And the third element is the analysis of the actions of the theatrical characters and their relationship to climate variables
WORLD WITHOUT END: THE ALLIANCE OF SCIENCE, FICTION, AND IMAGES IN WARNING OF GLOBAL WARMING
Full text linkOur planet is currently experiencing a climate crisis due to global warming. Scientists have begun to sound the alarm about this phenomenon, which will have disastrous consequences at every level. Literature is also affected by this phenomenon. As a result, we are witnessing an influx of literary works of all kinds with the aim of warning people of the dangers of this phenomenon and explaining its causes and impacts. And comics are no exception. In a hugely successful comic book, not only in France but worldwide, comic book artist Christophe Blain teams up with engineer Jean-Marc Jancovici to create Le Monde sans fin, the best-selling book of 2022 in France, which has been translated into numerous languages. The book has provoked controversy, especially in the scientific field. Is it a scientific documentary or a work of literary fiction? Are comics considered a literary genre, or are they simply a form of entertainment for young readers? Le Monde sans fin, with its important themes, offers a new perspective on the issue of global warming. This perspective is both original and perhaps more accessible to the public, while being rich in scientific, historical, economic information and philosophical thoughts. This paper aims to examine the place of comics in contemporary literature, and the important themes addressed by this literary genre, such as global warming
BIM-GIS INTEGRATION AN INNOVATIVE TOOL TO ENHANCE URBAN HERITAGE MANAGEMENT IN THE DIGITAL ERA
Full text linkDue to the great loss of the cities’ ancient monuments and urban heritage resulting from either natural disasters or irresponsible human actions, it has become very urgent to find an innovative tool for restoring and conserving historical buildings in a smart and sustainable way. Furthermore, this tool can help in decision making regarding the selection of appropriate materials and intervention works. Such objectives have been realized through innovative integration of BIM & GIS to enhance urban heritage management. BIM data has been imported into the GIS environment to be visualized in 3D and analyse different scenarios for buildings’ sustainable development. Data has been obtained by using Laser Scan, Photogrammetry and Surveys to help in the preservation of historical buildings and to provide useful insights into the management of these monuments. This paper discusses the development of the BIM and GIS integration which will contribute to obtain digital models for urban heritage cities and significantly to support the decision-making process in addition to developing urban planning processes for cities. Moreover, these models will form the base for the creation of digital twins that will later constitute a new form for heritage smart city. In this research paper, a new approach based on integrating BIM and GIS is used to create an opensource model using BIM 3D data (IFC) and 3D cadastral information (City GML) formats, and taking a small region in Beirut, Armenia Street at Rmeil and Medawar zones that were affected by the 2020’S POB blocks Rmeil (695,698,722) and Medawar (479, 479) as a case study. This paper also demonstrates the critical significance of civil society involvement, the multiple social and economic advantages, and enhancement of urban historical values. It is a more sustainable and equitable approach to urban heritage management, which benefits the stakeholders, the government, decision makers, urban planners, and the local community. The result of this study is a digital model that preserves the features of 3D BIM models
BEYOND EASE OF DOING BUSINESS: THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL INTEGRATION ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE ARAB WORLD
Full text linkThe Digital Quality of Business Index is an innovative tool for assessing the impact of digital transformation on economic growth in the Arab world, it has been introduced as part of this research. The DQOB index combines other critical elements to the ease of doing business, such as the Human Development Index (HDI), Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and E-Government initiatives, unlike traditional metrics that focus solely on ease of doing business. The study reveals exceptional findings, based on analysis of panel data from 2004 to 2022 in a selection of countries across the Middle East using both fixed and unpredictable effects models. On one hand, the Hausman test confirms that the appropriate model is the fixed effect model, as it shows a positive correlation between the DQOB index, population, labor, and technology on economic growth. Conversely, there is a negative effect of ease of doing business, governance, and gross fixed capital formation on economic growth. These findings emphasize the importance of the DQOB index as a strategic tool for policymakers in the Arab World, underscoring the critical importance of leveraging digital transformation for the benefit of economic development and opening the floor to identify key areas to target resource allocation and improve on resource management
BIVARIATE POLYNOMIALS OF LOW DEGREE AND SMALL MAHLER MEASURE
Full text linkIn this work, we highlight that many of the known limit points of the Mahler measure of univariate polynomials can be obtained as the Mahler measure of low-degree bivariate polynomials. To this end, we provide for each relevant measure the corresponding original bivariate polynomial found in the literature, along with the corresponding low-degree polynomial with an analogous measure
LEGAL PROSECUTION OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Full text linkThe phenomenon of migration has witnessed an unprecedented development in recent years, due to the political, economic and social crises witnessed by many countries in the Middle East. However, as countries moved to impose visas and control borders, talk began about legal and illegal immigration, in contravention of international charters and agreements that support freedom of movement and transfer. Combating the phenomenon of illegal immigration requires addressing it through international conventions and treaties, as well as looking deeper into the extent of commitment to implementing the United Nations Convention and its Protocol in combating the smuggling of illegal immigrants, and the effectiveness of national legislation to combat illegal immigration through studying the forms of criminalization of illegal immigration represented by The crime of smuggling migrants and the crimes of facilitating the smuggling of migrants and enabling illegal residence, in addition to clarifying the relationship between illegal immigration and cross-border organized crimes
NATURE FEARS EMPTINESS : AN ANALYTICAL READING OF EMOTIONAL EMPTINESS
Full text linkNature does things well, but sometimes it takes crooked paths... In psychoanalysis, the role of the psychoanalyst, as of any other therapist, is not only to set clinical goals, to understand the psychic work of the patient and to accompany him in his self-discovery. Above all, it is supposed to manage the internal conflicts of the suffering subject. To do this, he seeks to shed light on his unconscious journey and detect the vagaries of his psychic functioning. He try to act on his commitment, motivation and adherence to the values of the society in which he lives, without hindering his subjectivity. This human mission is often complex because individuals are free and autonomous beings. They should not be treated as if they were instruments of any society. These people are also specific: they each have a particular childhood and social background. They have a different history and heritage, do not have the same ambitions, the same responsibilities, or the same dreams or professional goals. In short, individuals are very heterogeneous. This increases the difficulty of supporting them therapeutically and requires helping them to flourish despite their traumas. However, the trauma and the emotional emptiness it causes, added to the pain it causes, create a strong internal uncertainty in the patient. The psychoanalyst must endeavour to take this into account. The effectiveness of the intervention depends on the psychoanalyst\u27s ability to understand and analyze the patient\u27s behaviour in light of the psychological evidence. In this article, we will look at clinical cases representing essential facets of human behavior as well as the theories behind them. The approach is quintessentially Freudian. These conceptual foundations provide the clinic with levers for action to heal people. We analyze human behavior according to the social environment with which it interacts and which will cause its pathology to evolve... thus forging one\u27s own nature
CROPSYNC: AI-POWERED SUSTAINABLE CROP MANAGEMENT
Full text linkCropSync is a smart agriculture system that uses AI and IoT technologies to enable sustain- able crop management and precision farming. The system aims to address the challenges faced by the agriculture sector, such as increasing food production to meet global population demands while minimizing environmental impact. CropSync integrates sensors, cameras, and cloud-based analytics to provide farmers with real-time insights and recommendations for optimizing crop cul- tivation. The system upholds engineering professional and ethical standards, considering broader social, environmental, and economic implications. From a social perspective, CropSync improves food security and enhances farmers’ livelihoods through increased productivity and efficient re- source utilization. The environmental impact is mitigated through sustainable farming practices that reduce water consumption, minimize chemical fertilizer use, and optimize agricultural inputs. Economically, CropSync helps farmers make informed decisions, reduce operational costs, and increase profitability, contributing to the overall viability and resilience of the agricultural sec- tor. The project report details the technical aspects of the CropSync system, including hardware and software components, AI-powered crop recommendation and disease detection models, and a user-friendly mobile application. This paper delves into the AI model development aspect of Cropsync