The Effect of Preharvest Factors on Fruit and Nutritional Quality in Strawberry

Strawberries play an essential role in human nutrition and health, especially as a source of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. They also have health-promoting compounds that lower the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. The nutritional value of strawberries varies greatly among cultivars. Traditional and molecular breeding techniques can be used to develop varieties with enhanced nutritional quality and improved flavor to meet consumer preferences. Climatic conditions, such as temperature and light intensity, and other preharvest factors, e.g., soil type, fertilization, irrigation, mulching, and other cultural practices, have a significant effect on strawberry fruit quality. Additionally, the extent of postharvest physical and physiological injury and potential fruit loss is affected by preharvest parameters. In this chapter, the effect of preharvest factors on fruit and nutritional quality of strawberry is discussed

Representations of the postcolonial state in the childhood metaphor in selected postcolonial texts

In the analysis of postcolonial literature, there is no systematic construction of a framework to factor in childhood as a metaphor. Postcolonial criticism has not been engaged further in the enterprise of literary analysis, particularly on form. Consequently, this research fills the need to recast the focus of postcolonial criticism to the analysis of form in literature†(through the use of metaphor of childhood). Hawley picks out one author, Salman Rushdie who is often studied under postcolonial criticism. He singles out that postcolonial critics look only for Rushdie-like characteristics. It is in the interest of this research to apply childhood as a different set of characteristic or criterion to profit the agency of postcoloniality. This research also, therefore, contributes to this critique by establishing further that postcolonial criticism embodies a wider canon and that postcolonial texts are not a ‘handful and recurring’. This research introduces pericolonial zones as well as exposing further ‘the list’ to include the selected texts; Beneath the Lion’s Gaze, in addition to The God of Small Things and Nervous Conditions. A sifting of childhood metaphor, in relation to postcoloniality, engenders further appreciation on the analysis of the literary context and beyond

Novel treatment options in head and neck cancer

The treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has been a medical challenge with limited improvement in overall survival over the past few decades. However, recently, very interesting innovations in the field of immunotherapy have been shown to be beneficial for patients with advanced HNSCC. In this article, the latest medical developments are reviewed with special focus on the clinical achievements and current clinical studies in the field of immunotherapy. The landscape of clinical studies has changed considerably from antibody-based growth factor inhibition towards immune checkpoint modulation, and new indications in the adjuvant and neoadjuvant setting are being tested in large patient cohorts. Even the combination of 2 or more immune modulatory approaches and the correct synchronization with standard cancer therapy is promising and warrants suitable clinical trials

Characterization and differentiation of the tumor microenvironment (TME) of orthotopic and subcutaneously grown head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in immunocompetent mice

For the development and evaluation of new head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) therapeutics, suitable, well-characterized animal models are needed. Thus, by analyzing orthotopic versus subcutaneous models of HNSCC in immunocompetent mice, we evaluated the existence of adenosine-related immunosuppressive B- and T lymphocyte populations within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Applying the SCC VII model for the induction of HNSCC in immunocompetent C3H/HeN mice, the cellular TME was characterized after tumor initiation over time by flow cytometry. The TME in orthotopic grown tumors revealed a larger population of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) with more B cells and CD4+ T cells than the subcutaneously grown tumors. Immune cell populations in the blood and bone marrow showed a rather distinct reaction toward tumor induction and tumor location compared to the spleen, lymph nodes, or thymus. In addition, large numbers of immunosuppressive B- and T cells were identified within the TME but also in secondary lymphoid organs, independently of the tumor initiation site. The altered immunogenic TME may influence the response to any treatment attempt. Moreover, when analyzing the TME and other lymphoid organs of tumor-bearing mice, we observed conditions reflecting largely those of patients suffering from HNSCC suggesting the C3H/HeN mouse model as a suitable tool for studies aiming to target immunosuppression to improve anti-cancer therapies

The Cubic Mile project : workshop overview

The City of London Corporation and the British Geological Survey (BGS) hosted a workshop to conclude the ‘Cubic Mile’ project, an embedded researcher project carried out between November 2021 and October 2022. Focusing on the City of London (Figure 1), the year-long partnership investigated how urban subsurface space could be better utilised to improve the City’s resilience to the impacts of long-term climate change and extreme weather. The workshop event brought together a range of stakeholders to discuss the progress of this project over the past 11 months, and to develop recommendations and next steps in the understanding, and potential development, of the urban subsurface for climate resilience. The project aimed to identify the current gaps and uncertainty in subsurface use and associated data, focussing on five potential subsurface adaptation measures: • Urban greening and tree planting • Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) • Cool spaces below ground • Ground source energy • Resilience of buried utilities networks This document provides a summary of key findings and recommendations from the workshop, as well as a more detailed insight into issues raised during the discussions. Further background information on the project, as well as more information on climate resilience, is available on the UK Climate Resilience Programme website: https://www.ukclimateresilience.org/projects/climate-action-strategy-for-city-of-london-adaptive-design-pathways-for-londons-cubic-mile

The Cubic Mile project : recommendations and guidance for implementation

Subsurface space is regarded as both a key potential future resource that could be utilised to support the resilience of society to climate change, and at the same time a blocker to surface climate resilience measures where areas are perceived as ‘congested’. Understanding the current state of play, as well as available data and legislation, formed a key aspect of the UK Climate Resilience placement for both the City of London Corporation (CoLC) and the British Geological Survey (BGS). Discoveries from the Cubic Mile project have enabled a better understanding of the issues surrounding subsurface information and its relation to climate adaptation/resilience planning. Whilst underground space is regulated to a degree through spatial planning policy (e.g., conversion and subterranean expansion of residential property) and environmental licensing (e.g., water abstraction, mineral extraction, discharge and mining) there are no leading subsurface governing polices at the local level that support climate adaptation. Accessing data about the subsurface is often resource heavy, both in terms of cost and time, and limited by licensing and spatial data coverage. The complex history of the City of London has resulted in a very congested subsurface with a history of around two millennia of development. A key part of the embedded researcher placement involved a review of existing data, identification of gaps and discussions with the City and other stakeholders identifying where improvements or changes could be made for future implementation of subsurface data in climate resilience planning. Whilst some suggestions could be realised as a quick win with regards to storage and sharing of internal information, other recommendations would be much more involved and relate to policy or a wider cultural change. These would require a strategic change implemented at higher level and a lead agency to take forward

The Cubic Mile project : policy summary and overview

The City of London ‘Square Mile’ (Figure 1) is the historic centre of London and the financial and commercial heart of the UK. It is a very high-density urban environment. Specific modelling carried out by the Met Office (UKCP18) for London indicates that overall, winters will be 20% wetter and summers 30% drier, combined with more extreme weather events and sea level rise. Increased rainfall and surface water run-off present a key issue for the City, where the presence of many hard, impermeable surfaces significantly increases the risk of flooding of high-profile commercial premises. The projected increase in temperatures and heatwaves will also lead to overheating and increased mortality for the City’s people and services, which, given its central urban location, is vulnerable to the urban heat island effect. The future resilience of the City to climate change is high on the City of London Corporation’s agenda. The collaborative ‘Cubic Mile’ project with the British Geological Survey under the UK Climate Resilience Programme Embedded Researcher scheme was designed to support the delivery of the City of London’s Climate Action Strategy, by understanding to what extent subsurface space could support climate resilience and adaptation. This policy review forms part of an exercise to determine policy barriers and enablers to urban subsurface climate resilience