Green Transition through Energy Inclusion Communities and DAOs (with appended list of exemplary organizations)

This paper questions the ‘prosumeristic’ participation of individuals, communities, consumers and citizens in the green energy transition. That is, as often called for, consumers, citizens, individuals, and their groups and communities could become influential decision‐makers in energy production systems alongside the traditional model of large energy production and distribution companies. This paper defines a virtual energy inclusion community (VEICO) as a collective entity that leverages Web3‐innovations such as decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) with the purpose of facilitating equitable participation in energy production and consumption across different socio‐economic and geographical landscapes. Such communities purport to align with global sustainability goals and transcend traditional barriers, and to offer a more holistic and democratic approach to energy management. Although energy communities and energy‐DAOs, may not result in the achievement all of the renewable energy goals, their potential as catalysts for a more participatory energy market structure may be quite significant. The long‐term economic, market and societal potential of energy communities and their role in decentralization merits to be explored. The paper presents the example of Mari, a participant in an hypothetical VEICO, and includes an appendix listing energy‐community‐enabling DAOs. Keywords: green energy transition, energy communities, democratic participation, DAO, decentralized autonomous organizations, governance, energy market, technology, smart contracts, renewable energy, climate, community, Virtual Energy Inclusion communit

HRD on the Margins: Exploring Resistance to HRD in Adult Education

This paper examines the debates and critiques surrounding HRD and confronts myths about HRD philosophy and practice. We argue that the HRD field is marginalized in adult education and reflect on both the problems this situation creates and the possibilities of ever bridging these two fields

Progress and prospects of glucosinolate pathogen resistance in some brassica plants

Plants are constantly defending themselves against an array of assaults by pathogenic organisms. This has led to the evolution of precise and elaborate chemical defense systems involving glucosinolates (GSLs) in cruciferous plants. These GSLs and their hydrolysis products are biologically active and are implicated as enabling formidable plant defense processes in certain economically important members of Brassicaceae like broccoli, cabbage and mustard seed. This review provides a comprehensive report of how indole and aliphatic GSLs mitigate incidents of plant pathogenesis. By evaluating the roles of GSLs in plant-pathogen interaction of some brassica plants, this review highlights the associated mechanism that culminates in disease suppression. Moreover, seven economically important brassica pathogens were reviewed in terms of their ability to disrupt proper plant functioning as well as the mechanisms by which GSLs and their hydrolysis products in Brassica lower the susceptibility to them. Future perspectives of the application of GSLs in plant pathogen resistance using advanced molecular techniques are also discussed

Analysis of the Composition of Fatty Acids and the Effect of Storage Time on the Fatty Fcids in Edible Cassava Flour

The composition and content of fatty acids in edible cassava flour not only affect its shelf life but also serve as important indicators for evaluating the nutritional quality of cassava flour. In this experiment, edible cassava flour was used as the sample. By optimizing the fatty acid methyl esterification method and gas chromatography conditions, a qualitative and quantitative detection method for fatty acids in edible cassava flour was established. The fatty acid composition in edible cassava flour of different varieties (strains) and different storage times was analyzed and detected. The results showed that gas chromatography could accurately analyze and quantify various fatty acids in edible cassava flour. There was a good linear relationship between the concentrations of palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid in the ranges of 20.0~1000.0, 4.0~400.0, 30.0~1500.0, 10.0~500.0 and 2.0~100.0 μg/mL, respectively, with coefficient of determination (R2) ranging from 0.9992 to 0.9999. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of sample repeatability ranged from 0.5% to 3.2%. The RSDs of concentration changes after 24 hours of storage at room temperature ranged from 0.7% to 1.1%. The average recovery rates of the five fatty acids in the samples ranged from 88.0% to 105.4%, with average recovery rate RSD ranging from 3.4% to 10.4%, indicating good sample stability, method repeatability, and accuracy. The cassava flour prepared from different edible cassava varieties mainly contained palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid. There were significant differences in fatty acid content among different varieties, and the proportions of the five cassava flour fatty acids (SFA/MUFA/PUFA) were 1:(0.91~1.35):(0.12~0.39). Among them, the content of palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid in 'Huanan 9' cassava flour was significantly higher than other varieties (P<0.05). The content reached 0.7818, 1.088, 0.2967 and 0.0398 mg/g, respectively. However, the content of stearic acid in this variety was the lowest, only 0.0868 mg/g. Ambient temperature storage experiments showed a negative correlation between the content of the five fatty acids and storage time, with oleic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid showing a highly significant negative correlation (P<0.01). The content of five fatty acids reached its lowest level after 12 weeks of storage, and the changes tended to be gradual in the later storage stages. The research results provide a basis for evaluating the composition of fatty acids in edible cassava flour of different varieties (strains) and the changes in fatty acids during the storage process

Impact of Various Pickling Techniques on the Processing Quality of Cassava Tender Shoots

This study explored the differences in the chemical and elemental composition, anti-nutritional factors, and nitrate content of cassava tender shoots (CTS) pickled vegetables under various traditional processes, such as Kimchi (KIM), sprouts pickles (SPP), vegetable pickled in sauce (SP), olives pickles (OP), hot Kimchi (HK) and salted pickles (SAP), using sensory evaluation, the index of nutritional quality (INQ), and principal component analysis (PCA). The aim was to identify the optimal process for producing high-quality CTS pickled vegetables. Results indicated that different pickling processes significantly affect the quality of CTS pickled vegetables. SPP had the highest protein content at 35.29 g/100 g, while SAP had relatively lower chemical composition. The mineral content in the CTS pickled vegetables decreased to varying degrees, with SPP having the most significant decrease (71.91% in Mn content, 70.72% in Zn, 59.20% in K, and 60.84% in Mg). The cyanide content of CTS pickled vegetables ranged from 32.62 mg/kg to 82.41 mg/kg, while tannin content ranged from 1.07 g tannic acid/100 g to 2.33 g tannic acid/100 g, with nitrate content lower than the national standard at 0.37 mg/kg to 1.02 mg/kg. Sensory evaluation showed that KIM had satisfactory freshness, texture, and appearance, ranking the highest among all. INQ evaluation indicated that SAP, KIM, and HK had higher nutritional value. PCA analysis showed that the cumulative contribution rate of the first three principal components was 83.949%, and the overall score showed that KIM, OP and HK had higher quality. After comprehensive evaluation of sensory evaluation, INQ evaluation, and PCA analysis, KIM using the pickle-making process was determined to be the best method, followed by HK and SAP

Tanshinone IIA Inhibits Glutamate-Induced Oxidative Toxicity through Prevention of Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Suppression of MAPK Activation in SH-SY5Y Human Neuroblastoma Cells

Glutamate excitotoxicity is associated with many neurological diseases, including cerebral ischemia and neurodegenerative diseases. Tanshinone IIA, a diterpenoid naphthoquinone from Salvia miltiorrhiza, has been shown to suppress presynaptic glutamate release, but its protective mechanism against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity is lacking. Using SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells, we show here that excessive glutamate exposure decreases cell viability and proliferation and increases LDH release. Pretreatment with tanshinone IIA, however, prevents the decrease in cell viability and proliferation and the increase in LDH release induced by glutamate. Tanshinone IIA also attenuates glutamate-induced oxidative stress by reducing reactive oxygen species level and malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl contents and by enhancing activities and protein levels of superoxide dismutase and catalase. We then show that tanshinone IIA prevents glutamate-induced mitochondrial dysfunction by increasing mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP content and by reducing mitochondrial protein carbonyl content. Moreover, tanshinone IIA can inhibit glutamate-induced apoptosis through regulation of apoptosis-related protein expression and MAPK activation, including elevation of Bcl-2 protein level, decrease in Bax and cleaved caspase-3 levels, and suppression of JNK and p38 MAPK activation. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that tanshinone IIA protects SH-SY5Y cells against glutamate toxicity by reducing oxidative stress and regulating apoptosis and MAPK pathways

Toward mature talent management: beyond shareholder value

Talent management has become one of the most prevalent topics in the field of people management and development for practitioners and academics alike. However, while managers do appear to appreciate the importance of talent management, they often fail to manage it effectively, and the linkages between talent management and organizational performance remain unclear. In this invited feature article, I argue that the failure to effectively manage and develop talent can be traced, in part, to a narrow conceptualization of performance in much thinking on talent management. At an organizational level, this means that performance is generally considered solely in terms of shareholder returns while ignoring other stakeholders. This translates into HR systems that fail to effectively align individuals and organizations in the generation of value. This article foregrounds employees as stakeholders and argues that organizations that are defined by a sense of purpose and that prioritize employees as stakeholders generally have higher levels of alignment between organizational and employee goals with more highly motivated employees and ultimately more sustainable performance. Some implications for research on talent management are developed

The effect of improvisational music therapy on the treatment of depression: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background. Music therapy is frequently offered to individuals suffering from depression. Despite the lack of research into the effects of music therapy on this population, anecdotal evidence suggests that the results are rather promising. The aim of this study is to examine whether improvisational, psychodynamically orientated music therapy in an individual setting helps reduce symptoms of depression and improve other health-related outcomes. In particular, attention will be given to mediator agents, such as musical expression and interaction in the sessions, as well as to the explanatory potential of EEG recordings in investigating emotion related music perception of individuals with depression. Methods. 85 adults (18&#8211;50 years of age) with depression (ICD-10: F 32 or F33) will be randomly assigned to an experimental or a control condition. All participants will receive standard care, but the experimental group will be offered biweekly sessions of improvisational music therapy over a period of 3 months. A blind assessor will measure outcomes before testing, after 3 months, and after 6 months. Discussion. This study aims to fill a gap in knowledge as to whether active (improvisational) music therapy applied to people with depression improves their condition. For the first time in this context, the mediating processes, such as changes in musical expression and interaction during the course of therapy, will be objectively investigated, and it is expected that the results will provide new insights into these processes. Furthermore, the findings are expected to reveal whether music related emotional experiences, as measured by EEG, can be utilized in assessing a depressive client's improvement in the therapy. The size and the comprehensiveness of the study are sufficient for generalizing its findings to clinical practice as well as to further music therapy research. Trial registration. ISRCTN84185937peerReviewe