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Developing a climate-resilient investment protocol: lessons from the final draft protocol on investment to the agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area
Get PDFThis article explores the draft Protocol on Investment under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) agreement, with a view to examining the Protocol’s implications for climate change objectives in Africa. It explores how the Phase II Protocol on Investment under the AFCFTA could draw from the Paris Agreement. In particular, it suggests that the Protocol on Investment under the AFCFTA can incorporate arrangements to address state and direct investor rights and obligations in relation to climate change action. However, the article proposes that climate change objectives should be addressed in the Protocol in more detail. The article also proposes a strong mechanism of liability and accountability of states and investors under the Investment Protocol, embracing liability for parent multinational corporations (MNCs) in their home states even when such liability is not the law of the investor’s home state
Stress and work performance responses to a multicomponent intervention for reducing and breaking up sitting in office workers: a cluster randomized controlled trial
No full textObjective: The aim of the study is to explore the potential of a sitting reduction workplace intervention for improving stress and work performance. Methods: A cluster randomized controlled trial evaluated an intervention to reduce and break up occupational sitting in 12 clusters ( n = 89 office workers) over 8 weeks. Outcomes were physiological stress (cortisol concentrations), perceived stress, and work performance. Results: Linear mixed model group × time interaction effects were nonsignificant. Exploratory analyses showed a trend, with a large effect, for lower cortisol concentrations over the day in the intervention group relative to controls at 8 weeks (-0.85; 95% confidence interval, -1.70 to 0.03 nmol·L -1 ; P = 0.06, d = 0.79). The intervention group had higher vigor and cognitive liveliness at 8 weeks relative to controls ( P ≤ 0.05). Conclusions: This exploratory study suggests that there could be meaningful changes in physiological stress and work-related outcomes that should be investigated in future studies
Sustainable development: influence of economic decisions taken at the state level in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
No full textInvestigation of quantum-inspired modelling in interactive search based on information foraging theory
No full textReporting the impact of public and patient involvement in midwife-led care study on reproductive age group women in India
No full textAgile human resources practices in decentralized autonomous organizations: a conceptual study
Get PDFHuman fetal cartilage-derived chondrocytes and chondroprogenitors display a greater commitment to chondrogenesis than adult cartilage resident cells
Get PDFObtaining regeneration-competent cells and generating high-quality neocartilage are still challenges in articular cartilage tissue engineering. Although chondroprogenitor cells are a resident subpopulation of native cartilage and possess a high capacity for proliferation and cartilage formation, their potential for regenerative medicine has not been adequately explored. Fetal cartilage, another potential source with greater cellularity and a higher cell-matrix ratio than adult tissue, has been evaluated for sourcing cells to treat articular disorders. This study aimed to compare cartilage resident cells, namely chondrocytes, fibronectin adhesion assay-derived chondroprogenitors (FAA-CPCs) and migratory chondroprogenitors (MCPs) isolated from fetal and adult cartilage, to evaluate differences in their biological properties and their potential for cartilage repair. Following informed consent, three human fetal and three adult osteoarthritic knee joints were used to harvest the cartilage samples, from which the three cell types a) chondrocytes, b) FAA-CPCs, and MCPs were isolated. Assessment parameters consisted of flow cytometry analysis for percentage expression of cell surface markers, population doubling time and cell cycle analyses, qRT-PCR for markers of chondrogenesis and hypertrophy, trilineage differentiation potential and biochemical analysis of differentiated chondrogenic pellets for total GAG/DNA content. Compared to their adult counterparts, fetal cartilage-derived cells displayed significantly lower CD106 and higher levels of CD146 expression, indicative of their superior chondrogenic capacity. Moreover, all fetal groups demonstrated significantly higher levels of GAG/DNA ratio with enhanced uptake of collagen type 2 and GAG stains on histology. It was also noted that fetal FAA CPCs had a greater proliferative ability with significantly higher levels of the primary transcription factor SOX-9. Fetal chondrocytes and chondroprogenitors displayed a superior propensity for chondrogenesis when compared to their adult counterparts. To understand their therapeutic potential and provide an important solution to long-standing challenges in cartilage tissue engineering, focused research into its regenerative properties using in-vivo models is warranted.</p
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