Evaluation of two raw Indian and Turkish propolis samples as pre-formualtion study for cosmetic preparations

YesGhaida Mustafa is receiving a scholarship for her PhD study by the Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the future program

Realising Sustainable Access to Water and Sanitation in Africa: Role of Critical Institutions

NoThe current Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report reemphasises the fact that the African continent is particularly vulnerable to the disastrous impact of climate change. The Report highlights the urgent need for countries to adopt critical strategies towards ensuring the actualisation of 1.5 C temperature. Based on low adaptive strategies and geographical location, the impacts of climate change further exacerbate the inherent environmental challenges of the African continent, more so, the struggle to attain poverty-eradication. One of the adverse impacts of climate change is reducing access to water, thus increasing the burden on already water scarce African countries such as South Africa and Nigeria. In cognizance of the fact that access to water and sanitation is critical towards poverty eradication and realising the kind of continent that Africans want by 2063, African countries are increasingly adopting several measures to ensure citizens’ access to water. Taking a regional approach, this paper examines the current institutions and legal framework adopted by regional bodies in Africa, namely the South African Development Community (SADC) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), proffering a practical template that States in sub-Saharan Africa can adopt to resolve this challenge of lack of access to clean, safe drinking water and basic sanitation. The chapter also discusses the existence of an adequate enforcement mechanism that ensures and provides the platform for citizens to assert and protect their right to access clean water and sanitation. Furthermore, the chapter’s focus on South Africa and Nigeria, analyses the extent to which regional frameworks are being adopted, implemented, and sustained at the national level, proffering recommendations which can be adopted by other countries within the sub-Saharan African region

Social choice, agency, inclusiveness and capabilities

NoThe capability approach is a versatile framework rooted on issues of justice and multidimensional assessment of quality of life developed in the 1980s as an alternative approach to prevailing mainstream development ideas focused narrowly on economic development. Most closely associated with the work of Amartya Sen, it has become of great interest to development scholars from a variety of different disciplines. Much has already been done exploring the conceptual foundations of the capability approach and discussing Sen's contribution to the field, but few books have explored the links between social choice (another field with rich contributions by Sen) and human development issues. Featuring many of the world's leading experts on social choice theory and capability indicators, Social Choice, Agency, Inclusiveness and Capabilities combines these interrelated themes into one volume and fully explores the relevance of social choice to human development.British Academ

Home–country technological legitimacy in crowdfunding: The moderating role of positive psychological capital language

YesThis study uses the legitimacy theory as the theoretical lens to investigate how and under what circumstances home-country technological legitimacy affects the performance of crowdfunding campaigns in emerging markets. A dataset of 758 technology crowdfunding campaigns from Kickstarter was analysed. Our findings reveal that higher home-country technological legitimacy (measured by the Global Innovation Index) affects crowdfunding performance (measured by the ratio of funds raised to the pledged goal). We also find that positive psychological capital language (optimism, insistence, and tenacity) plays a crucial moderating role in strengthening this relationship. This study extends the legitimacy theory by demonstrating that country-level technological legitimacy is an external signal that shapes backer perceptions and funding decisions. Our results highlight the importance of campaign narratives in overcoming institutional voids and enhancing entrepreneurial success in global crowdfunding initiatives. These insights offer practical implications for entrepreneurs, policymakers, and investors seeking to navigate the complex dynamics of crowdfunding in emerging economies

Model-based generation of manufacturing process plans through incremental topology formation

YesIn advanced manufacturing systems, the production of complex and highly customisable products requires the preparation of many different product specifications and associated manufacturing process plans. The creation of these plans involves the search for the production resources (e.g. robots, machine tools, inspection devices) that are needed to implement the product specifications and how to orchestrate them. We present a model-based approach to the automatic generation of manufacturing process plans from the models of the target products and available resources. The modelling language is based on labelled transition systems, which are useful to represent sequences of operations that can be executed in parallel by multiple production resources. Some preliminary experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the presented approach.This conference paper will be released for public view at the end of the publisher embargo on 19 May 2025

Do camouflage signals impact performance in reward-based crowdfunding?

Purpose: Reward-based crowdfunding is vital for entrepreneurs who cannot raise funds, but the failure rate to meet funding goals in reward-based crowdfunding is high. Consequently, entrepreneurs try to get backers’ attention and persuade them to pledge funds for their campaigns. Entrepreneurs can provide misleading information in their crowdfunding campaign descriptions, distorting the signals sent to backers. This paper examines how camouflage signals mitigate information asymmetry and its impact on the fundraising ability in reward-based crowdfunding. Design/methodology/approach: The study examines Kickstarter crowdfunding campaigns (n = 100,522) using six established dictionaries for linguistic hedging as proxies for camouflage signals. Findings: The results reveal a significant and varied impact of camouflage signals on mitigating information asymmetry and, consequently, on the performance of crowdfunding campaigns; these findings are robust to alternative, independent variables and different econometric techniques. Originality/value: This study contributes to signalling theory literature through its novel study of camouflage signals. It also contributes to the reward-based crowdfunding literature and provides new insights into how camouflage signals mitigate information asymmetry, thereby persuading or deterring backers from pledging funds

Raman spectroscopy for the discrimination of tephras from the Hekla eruptions AD 1510 and 1947

YesTephrochronology (the dating of sedimentary sequences using volcanic ash layers) is an important tool for the dating and correlation of sedimentary sequences containing archives and proxies of past environmental change. In addition, tephra layers provide valuable information on the frequency and nature of ash fallout from volcanic activity. Successful tephrochronology is usually reliant on the correct geochemical identification of the tephra which has, until now, been based primarily on the analysis of major element oxide composition of glass shards using electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). However, it is often impossible to differentiate key tephra layers using EPMA alone. For example, the Hekla AD 1947 and 1510 tephras (which are found as visible layers in Iceland and also as ‘crypto-tephra’ microscopic layers in NW Europe) are currently indistinguishable using EPMA. Therefore, other stratigraphic or chronological information is needed for their reliable identification. Raman spectroscopy is commonly used in chemistry, since vibrational information is specific to the chemical bonds and symmetry of molecules, and can provide a fingerprint by which these can be identified. Here, we demonstrate how Raman spectroscopy can be used for the successful discrimination of mineral species in tephra through the analysis of individual glass shards. In this study, we obtained spectra from minerals within the glass shards – we analysed the microlites and intratelluric mineral phases that can definitely be attributed to the tephra shards and the glass itself. Phenocrysts were not analysed as they could be sourced locally from near-site erosion. Raman spectroscopy can therefore be considered a valuable tool for both proximal and distal tephrochronology because of its non-destructive nature and can be used to discriminate Hekla 1510 from Hekla 1947

Preventing sport-acquired brain damage in children: ‘If in doubt, sit them out’ on its own is not good enough

Ye

Novel nano-based anti-microbial preparations from propolis

Ye

Analysis of a mouse germ cell tumor model establishes pluripotency-associated miRNAs as conserved serum biomarkers for germ cell cancer detection

YesMalignant testicular germ cells tumors (TGCTs) are the most common solid cancers in young men. Current TGCT diagnostics include conventional serum protein markers, but these lack the sensitivity and specificity to serve as accurate markers across all TGCT subtypes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding regulatory RNAs and informative biomarkers for several diseases. In humans, miRNAs of the miR-371-373 cluster are detectable in the serum of patients with malignant TGCTs and outperform existing serum protein markers for both initial diagnosis and subsequent disease monitoring. We previously developed a genetically engineered mouse model featuring malignant mixed TGCTs consisting of pluripotent embryonal carcinoma (EC) and differentiated teratoma that, like the corresponding human malignancies, originate in utero and are highly chemosensitive. Here, we report that miRNAs in the mouse miR-290-295 cluster, homologs of the human miR-371-373 cluster, were detectable in serum from mice with malignant TGCTs but not from tumor-free control mice or mice with benign teratomas. miR-291-293 were expressed and secreted specifically by pluripotent EC cells, and expression was lost following differentiation induced by the drug thioridazine. Notably, miR-291-293 levels were significantly higher in the serum of pregnant dams carrying tumor-bearing fetuses compared to that of control dams. These findings reveal that expression of the miR-290-295 and miR-371-373 clusters in mice and humans, respectively, is a conserved feature of malignant TGCTs, further validating the mouse model as representative of the human disease. These data also highlight the potential of serum miR-371-373 assays to improve patient outcomes through early TGCT detection, possibly even prenatally