454 research outputs found
Evidence and prospective of plant derived flavonoids as antiplatelet agents: Strong candidates to be drugs of future
No full textPlatelets are involved in hemostasis, inflammation, and thrombosis processes. Following a vascular damage, the endothelium releases protein factors, allowing the adhesion of subendothelium to platelets. Then platelets are activated, leading to the secretion of biologically-active ligands including thromboxane A2, adenosine diphosphate and serotonin. Aspirin, clopidogrel and warfarin are the most common drugs used to meet the challenges of platelet aggregation. However, these agents face issues with aspirin resistance and bleeding. New therapeutically effective and safe agents are therefore strongly needed, and natural substances could be ideal candidates. Flavonoids, a chemically diverse group of polyphenols, might be important in this regard. Consumption of flavonoids is responsible for several health-promoting properties. A number of flavonoids have shown outstanding preclinical antiplatelet effects through various mechanisms. Flavonoids could provide an ideal approach as templates for new, clinically-effective and safe antiplatelet agents due to their inherent safety and multiple useful pharmacological hits. This review aims to report data from literature regarding flavonoids with antiplatelet activity, with a particular focus on possible mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetic profiles and overall safety, thus providing a strong rationale for the design of selective and well-directed antiplatelet agents of natural origin
Optimizing Maize Productivity and Soil Fertility: Insights from Tillage, Nitrogen Management, and Hydrochar Applications
No full textEnhancing soil fertility and maize productivity is crucial for sustainable agriculture. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of tillage practices, nitrogen management strategies, and acidified hydrochar on soil fertility and maize productivity. The experiment used a randomized complete block design with split-split plot arrangement and four replications. Main plots received shallow tillage and deep tillage. Subplots were treated with nitrogen (120 kg ha−1) from farmyard manure (FYM) and urea, including control, 33% FYM + 67% urea (MU), and 80% FYM + 20% urea (MF). Acidified hydrochar treatments H0 (no hydrochar) and H1 (with hydrochar, 2 t ha−1) were applied to sub-sub plots. Deep tillage significantly increased plant height, biological yield, grain yield, ear length, grains ear−1, thousand-grain weight, and nitrogen content compared to shallow tillage. MU and MF improved growth parameters and yield over the control. Hydrochar effects varied; H1 enhanced yield components and soil properties such as soil organic matter and nitrogen availability compared to H0. Canonical discriminant analysis linked deep tillage and MU/MF nitrogen management with improved yield and soil characteristics. In conclusion, deep tillage combined with integrated nitrogen management enhances maize productivity and soil properties. These findings highlight the importance of selecting appropriate tillage and nitrogen strategies for sustainable maize production along with hydrochar addition. These insights guide policymakers, agronomists, and agricultural extension services in adopting evidence-based strategies for sustainable agriculture, enhancing food production, and mitigating environmental impacts. The implication of this study suggests to undertake long-term application of hydrochar for further clarification and validation
Exporting dried fruits and nuts from Afghanistan to Finland : Busniess plan for a new company
Get PDFLaurea University of Applied Sciences Abstract
Laurea Leppävaara
Degree Programme in Business Management
International Business-to-Business Marketing
Ajmal Zarmal
Exporting Dried Fruits and Nuts from Afghanistan to Finland; Business Plan for a New Company
Year 2009 Pages 51
The objective of this thesis is to create a business plan for a small-sized company named Paktia that will be specialised in export of dried fruits and nuts from Afghanistan to Finland.
The main purposes of this study are to define whether this business plan is profitable and to function as a manual for inaugurating and operating a company. The author of the thesis is planning at evaluating different aspects that are related to business planning in international trade organisation. He intends to obtain a wider picture of business planning in general and its practical part. The author’s own learning objective is to use in practice the knowledge obtained during the study in Laurea University of Applied Sciences.
The fundamentals of business planning are outlined in the theoretical framework. This study’s theoretical objective is to define the concepts of business planning, to create a general understanding of the relevant theories of a business plan and the offer a theoretical base for the empirical section. This study’s empirical objective is to construct a business plan for a new company by analyzing the theoretical section, literature, Internet sources and the author’s own knowledge. The thesis represents the main objectives and strategies of business plan, defines the possible competitors and potential customers. The market and industry analysis, financial plan, marketing plan and SWOT-analysis are included in the plan as well.
As this study is a qualitative research, it was operated as a dissertation-type case study. The sources used in the research are formed of interviews, literature and internet sources related to the topic.
As a learning process the study was beneficial to the author. Most possibility the knowledge gathered through analysis of this topic and writing the business plan for a new company will be used by the author in the future when establishing the company.
Key words Business plan, new company, export and import process, international trade, SWOT analysis, customer analysis, strategic analysi
Globalization and the thought of unity in diversity of Badiuzzaman Said Nursi in the light of his magnum opus Risala-i Nur
Get PDFBadiuzzaman Said Nursi had always looked at the world as one component
glorifying the one creator and testifying to His greatness. The universality he
believed in, came into contradiction with the universality that results from
globalization as it is generally understood and illustrated. People of economically
less auspicious countries become themselves agents of globalization in
their own places. This is why the effects of globalization are more harmful
than those of colonialism. Globalization recruits its soldiers from among people
it invades and expands to swallow the remnants of their culture and selfesteem
by making them follow the model of those who are more powerful
and who possess more.
Badiuzzaman Said Nursi selalu memandang dunia sebagai salah satu komponen
untuk memuliakan Sang Pencipta dan menyaksikan kebesaran-Nya. Universalitas
yang dipercayainya, berlawanan dengan universalitas yang dihasilkan dari
globalisasi seperti yang umum dipahami dan digambarkan. Masyarakat dari
Negara-negara yang secara ekonomis kurang beruntung menjadikan diri mereka sendiri sebagai agen globalisasi di negara mereka sendiri. Inilah sebabnya
mengapa efek globalisasi lebih berbahaya daripada kolonialisme. Globalisasi
merekrut tentaranya dari kalangan orang-orang yang menjadi sasaran serangnya
dan menelan sisa-sisa kebudayaan mereka serta harga diri dengan membuat
mereka mengikuti model mereka yang lebih kuat dan memiliki kelebihan
Enhancing floret persistence and bloom duration in gladiolus through foliar-applied calcium: a sustainable approach to floriculture
No full textEnhancing floret persistence and bloom duration in ornamental plants through foliar-applied calcium promotes sustainability by improving nutrient efficiency, reducing environmental impacts, conserving resources, and boosting ornamental and commercial value. This two-year study (2021-2022) evaluated the effects of foliar calcium application on floret persistence and bloom duration in gladiolus (cv. White Prosperity). The experiment followed a Randomized Complete Block Design with a split-plot arrangement, replicated three times. Main plots received different application timings (3rd, 5th, and 7th leaf stages), and subplots were assigned various calcium concentrations (0, 100, 200, 300, and 400 mm). Calcium chloride was applied as a foliar spray. Results showed that applying 300 mm calcium at the 5th leaf stage yielded the longest spike emergence duration (96.63 days), tallest spike length (128.50 cm), and extended both first floret (7.23 days) and last floret (5.34 days) life spans. Additionally, florets in the 300 mm treatment had the highest calcium content (0.853%). These findings demonstrate that precise foliar calcium application enhances the ornamental quality and market value of gladiolus and contributes to sustainable horticulture by optimising nutrient use efficiency, reducing input waste and supporting environmental resilience in floriculture practices
Cannabis Use and Its Health Consequences in Afghanistan: Implication for Intervention and Prevention
Get PDFCannabis is the most widely used illicit drug, worldwide and also in Afghanistan. According to United Nation Office for Drug and crime (UNODC) Afghanistan Cannabis survey (2009), more than half of all drug users interviewed in Afghanistan had used cannabis in their life time. In this survey around 630,000 people, mostly men, were documented as cannabis users. On the other hand, cannabis life time use amongst regular female drug user was 40%. The annual prevalence of cannabis use was 8.1 percent in male and 0.2 percent in female populations (UNODC Afghanistan Cannabis survey 2009). In Afghanistan cannabis is most commonly used amongst various groups of individuals, including public transport and truck drivers, and law enforcement personnel, such as Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army recruits. According to a Government Accountability Report for the United States Congress in March 2010, the percentage of Afghan Police recruits who tested positive for drug use, (i.e., marijuana, hashish and opiates) was 12-40% (Nordland & Wafa, 2010). Cannabis use has been linked to a myriad of adverse health outcome included but not limited to, increased risk of schizophrenia, impairment of cognitive functioning, deterioration of motor skills, weakening of driving skills, adverse pregnancy outcome and increased risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases (Kalant, 2004). The aim of this paper is to highlight cannabis production, use and adverse health outcomes in Afghanistan and to propose recommendations for cannabis control and reversal of its negative health outcomes
According to history of religion sayyid Jamaluddin Afghani's thoughts related to İslam and other faiths
No full textSeyyid Cemaleddin Afgani 19. yüzyılda yaşamış ve tarihe iz düşürmüş olan müslüman fikir adamlarından biridir. İslâm dünyasının yanı sıra batının da ilim ve kültür merkezlerinin çoğunu dolaşmıştır. Yaşadığı hareketli hayatı ve kendine özgü düşünce sistemiyle dikkat çekmeyi başaran Afgani, düşüncelerini yazıdan ziyade irad ettiği nutuklarında dile getirmiştir. Gittiği yerlerde öğrenci yetiştirerek liberal ve özgürlükçü hareketlere zemin hazırlamak suretiyle İslâm düşünce tarihinde yeni bir dönem başlatmıştır. Afgani, emperyalist batının kıskacında olan İslâm ve doğu dünyasına mukavemet ruhu aşılamaya çalışarak İslâm düşünce sistemine tesirleri daha uzun yıllar sürecek olan bir dinamizm kazandırmıştır. İslâm dünyasında liberal devletlerin meydana gelmesi gerektiğini her seferinde dile getiren Afgani Pan-İslâmist yaklaşımları ve batıya karşı koyabilen yekvücut bir müslüman âlemi uğrunda yorulmak bilmeyen çabalarından dolayı müslüman aydınların gönüllerinde taht kurmayı bilmiştir. Afgani'yi mercek altına alan eserler daha ziyade biyografik mahiyettedir. Siyasi, felsefi ve kelami görüşleri araştırma konusu yapıldıysa da iyi düzeyde bir dinler tarihi bilgisine sahip olan Afgani'nin bu alandaki düşüncelerini konu edinen eserlere rastlamak neredeyse mümkün değildir. İşte bu yüzden bizim ?Dinler Tarihine Göre Afgani'nin İslâm ve Diğer Dinler İle İlgili Görüşleri? adlı araştırmamız Afgani'nin bu alandaki bilgisini gözler önüne serme denemesidir. Afgani'nin dinler tarihi sahasındaki bilgisinin tam olarak gün ışığına çıkması için daha fazla araştırmalara ihtiyaç vardır.Sayyid Jamaluddin Afghani is one of those great muslim thinkers who lived in 19. century. In addition to Islamic world he travled to some important westren centers of science and culture. Afghani, who managed to draw all attention through his vibrant life and distinctive thought system, has utteranced his thoughts through his speeches rather than his writings. By training some magnaficent students he has prepared ground for liberal movments in Islamic world and in this way he has made important contributions to the history of Islamic thought. Afghani, by trying to instill the spirit of resistence to both Islamic and eastern world which was in the grip of imperyalist west, has brought a new dynamism to the system of İslamic thoughts which effects will continue to last for many coming years. He worked hard to express that liberal states should emerge as soon as possible in Islamic world. Afghani has won the hearts of muslim intellectuals due to his Pan-Islamic approches and tireless efforts for establishment of a mono-body Islamic world against the west. From one hand most of studies about Afghani own a bibliyographic nature and from other hand the lack of sources researching his thought system and doctrines is drawing attention. Afghani had a remarkable knowledge of history of religions; although some reseaches have been done on his political, philosophical and theological opinions but it is almost impossible to find studies focusing on his thoughts of history of religions. Because of this our research named ?According to History of Religions Sayyid Jamaluddin Afghani?s Thoughts Related to Islam and Other Faiths? is an effort to shed light on Afghani?s knowledge of this field. More researches are required to know more about Afghani?s knowledge related to history of religions
Protein Misfolding and Aggregation in Proteinopathies: Causes, Mechanism and Cellular Response
No full textProteins are central to life functions. Alterations in the structure of proteins are reflected in their function. Misfolded proteins and their aggregates present a significant risk to the cell. Cells have a diverse but integrated network of protection mechanisms. Streams of misfolded proteins that cells are continuously exposed to must be continually monitored by an elaborated network of molecular chaperones and protein degradation factors to control and contain protein misfolding problems. Aggregation inhibition properties of small molecules such as polyphenols are important as they possess other beneficial properties such as antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and pro-autophagic properties and help neuroprotection. A candidate with such desired features is important for any possible treatment development for protein aggregation diseases. There is a need to study the protein misfolding phenomenon so that we can treat some of the worst kinds of human ailments related to protein misfolding and aggregation
Analysis of Traditional Way of Construction of Projects in the Construction Industry of Afghanistan
No full textLong-term war in Afghanistan: Its impacts on the economy, environment, and human resource development
Get PDFWar is a devastating phenomenon that destroys the economic, social, and technological infrastructure of a country, causing civilians to suffer from lost social and economic development opportunities, lost human capital development opportunities, forced migration, hunger, high mortality rates, and massive destruction. Moreover, war causes significant governance vulnerabilities and imposes substantial costs for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure. The principal objective of the present thesis is to examine the symmetric and asymmetric effects of long-term war on three key socioeconomic indicators, the economy, environment, and human resource development in the context of Afghanistan. It also aims to produce statistical evidence on the nature, size, and magnitude of the effects of long-term war on the predictors in order to generate specific policy recommendations to national policymakers and the international community who are engaged in the process of nation-building, peace-building, and market-building in Afghanistan.
To accomplish the objectives, five research articles focusing on the key themes of the thesis were produced to investigate the effects of war on economic growth, unemployment rate, environmental quality, human resource development, and public healthcare services over the period from 2002 to 2020. This thesis employed time-series datasets collected from reliable sources, such as the WDI (World Development Indicators), ADB (Asian Development Bank), IMF (International Monetary Fund), and the United States Defense Budget. To test the newly developed hypotheses (H1–H15) relevant to the research questions informed by the research objectives, complex econometric methods such as the NARDL (non-linear autoregressive distributed lags), MVAR (modified vector autoregressive), and a series of multivariate regression models that have been augmented with sets of well-known predictors were used. In addition to testing the effects, both symmetric and asymmetric causality techniques were also used to determine the link and the direction of the causality from war to the variables of interest and vice versa.
The findings of the thesis are critical and produce important insights into the effects of war on the variables of interest. On the economic front, the results confirm a long-run asymmetric relationship between war and economic growth. It is also indicated that a positive asymmetric shock from war reduces economic growth, while a negative asymmetric shock from war increases growth in the short and long runs.
Moreover, the findings highlight the non-monotonic effects of war on economic growth, both in size and magnitude. Statistical evidence concludes that there is a significant bidirectional causality between economic growth and the war. On the unemployment front, the findings reveal that the positive asymmetric shocks from war decrease the unemployment rate, while their negative asymmetric shocks increase it in the short and long runs. It also demonstrates that enhancing the outreach of financial services plays an important intermediating role in reducing the unemployment rate during wartime in Afghanistan. The findings show that an asymmetric causality runs from both the positive and negative components of war to the unemployment rate, confirming a bidirectional nexus among them. On the environment front, the findings support a long-run relationship between war and environmental degradation. It also reveals bidirectional causal links between environmental degradation and war, while confirming multidimensionality and interdependencies among predictors. Moreover, the findings confirm the existence of an inverted U-shaped relationship, supporting the validity of the EKC hypothesis in Afghanistan. On the human resource front, the findings support a long-run asymmetric relationship between war and human resource development, while the magnitude of the relationship has been confirmed to be asymmetrically negative. It further reveals that the school enrolment rate—a proxy for human resource development—is highly sensitive to and swiftly reacts against the intensity of war. Furthermore, the findings show that both the positive and negative aspects of war have a significant impact on the school enrolment rate. Finally, on the public healthcare front, aging results support a significant long-run relationship between war and public health, showing that war positively impacts health expenditures, whereas child mortality rate and crude death rate have negative impacts. The findings also indicate a statistically significant bidirectional causal nexus between health expenditure and war, while supporting the existence of strong and significant interconnectivity and multidimensionality between war and health expenditure, with a significantly strong feedback response from the control variables.
Considering the statistical evidence, the results of this thesis conclude that the long-term war in Afghanistan had significantly devastating effects on socioeconomic indicators, most specifically on the economy, environment, and human resource development during the period of the study. It concludes that war significantly suppresses economic growth, imposing serious consequences on the well-being of the nation through increased unemployment rates, diminished human resource development processes, and degraded environmental quality, all of which impact both the nation’s lives and its development. The critical findings of the thesis shed light on important policy implications and offer a set of policy recommendations to policymakers
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