The Impact of the Syrian Civil War on its Education Sector

The Syrian Civil War that started in the year 2011 has left many negative implications on the country, its civilians, and the region as a whole. This paper delves into the current status of the education sector in Syria and proposes potential policy recommendations to prevent the sector from a complete collapse. Through examining the current economic status in Syria, alongside the main negative impacts of the Syrian Civil war on the education sector, this paper argues for the necessity of collaboration between the Syrian government and international organizations by increasing funding, providing more resources, and increasing online learning modalities to strengthen the country’s overall education system

Development of a skin-on-a-chip platform for the study of wound healing

Wound healing abnormalities and non-healing chronic wounds are a major clinical problem, primarily affecting diabetic and elderly patients. Wound management associated costs resulted in a £5.3 billion financial burden to the NHS between 2012 and 2013. These serious medical states are being recognised as mortal disease, with the fatality rates often higher than those of common cancers. Half of all patients undergoing chronic-wound associated amputation related to diabetes are expected to die within 5 years. The current chronic wound treatments are inadequate, and more sophisticated models are needed to advance this field, leading to better therapies. The aim of this work was to design, manufacture, and test a microfluidic device that would address the need for a physiologically accurate model of wound healing with improved assay lifespan, when compared to the classical static models. Here we present a new microfluidic device optimised for maintaining human skin samples for prolonged period of time, and wound healing analysis. Briefly, full thickness human skin explant samples were cultured on custom-made microfluidic devices, and in static culture. The skin samples were collected at the end of the culture period, fixed, sectioned and either stained using fluorescent TUNEL assay to analyse the tissue apoptosis, or using IHC, for K6 and K14 to study tissue architecture. Wound healing outcome was measured using wound samples wholemount-stained for K1 and K14. FACS analysis was performed on digested samples to study the immunological profile in the cultured samples. The final version of the skin-on-a-chip device (V4.0) was found to be successful at prolonging tissue survival. After the seven day culture period, four-fold decrease in the epidermal apoptotic cell death (1.4% apoptosis for the on-chip sample vs. 6.1% for the static control), and two-fold decrease in the dermal apoptosis (4.1% cell death in the flow-chip samples vs. 8.3% in the static controls) were observed. Day 7 samples maintained on the V4.0 device significantly outperformed the static control samples (p = 0.007). Furthermore, the average dermal cell death for the control samples collected on day 14 was 38.1% whilst the on-chip samples exhibited dermal cell death averaging 8.3%. V4.0 samples contain significantly less apoptotic cells in the dermal section when compared to the static controls on day 14 (p = 0.0433675). The improved tissue viability makes the model more suitable for prolonged culture experiments. Next, it was observed that the wound area is reducing in size over the period of seven days, in both cases of the V4.0 samples and the control samples. The on-chip samples yield reduced wound perimeter when compared to the static controls from the same day. the culture method has a very significant influence on the wound size (f(1) = 75.684, p=5.61x10-6). Interestingly, the same analysis showed that the culture method does have a greater impact on the wound closure that the assay day (f(2) = 24.615, p = 0.012). The on-chip samples produced a significantly different smaller wounds on day seven of the assay than the control static culture samples (p = 0.012). In addition, the overall theme seen from the FACS data demonstrated that the wounded skin samples cultured on the V4.0 microfluidic devices yielded higher levels of immune cells than the static control samples collected on the corresponding days. Overall, The V4.0 device allowed for an increased number of cells to be collected on day seven in every single marker group, apart from in the CD56+ CD3+ group, where the levels dropped more in the V4.0 samples than in the control samples. The same relationship was noted on day three. This indicates that maintaining samples on the V4.0 device helps to improve the immune cell retention, making the microfluidic model’s immune microenvironment more comparable to the real human skin microenvironment

On cubic-line arrangements with simple singularities

In the present note we study combinatorial and algebraic properties of cubic-line arrangements in the complex projective plane admitting nodes, ordinary triple and $A_{5}$ singular points. We deliver a Hirzebruch-type inequality for such arrangement and we study the freeness of such arrangements providing an almost complete classification.Comment: 8 pages, comments welcom

FAMILY-SUPPORTIVE SUPERVISOR BEHAVIOR AND FATHERS’ WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT

Research on fathers\u27 work-family conflict has been minimal compared to mothers. However, the view of fatherhood and fathers’ involvement with their families has changed dramatically throughout the years. Unfortunately, many fathers do not take advantage of their organizational policies or other family benefits offered by their organizations. The purpose of this study was to examine the roles of family-supportive supervisor behaviors and organizational policy utilization on fathers’ work-family conflict and mental health. In a sample of 311 fathers participating in a survey-based study, findings indicated that family-supportive supervisor behavior significantly reduces WFC, and policy utilization also greatly reduces WFC. Fathers’ gender role beliefs moderated the relationship between FSSB and policy utilization. We hope this study helps in findings better ways to increase fathers’ work-family balance

Do Kurds Constitute a Nation?

This paper is an analytical and theoretical study of Kurdish nationalism. In this study, I looked to find justification or rejection for long held Kurdish desire of independence by simply observing its nation formation process. With the argument of Anthony D smith about the dimensions for an ethnie (nation), I scrutinized the Kurdish attempts and efforts steered toward its nation building. I also explored the roots of Kurdish nationalism, which fall into two categories of essentialists and constructionists. As a result of this study, I argue that Kurdish nation has been built on the previous traits of pre-modern Kurdish nation. By applying the concept of Anthony D. Smith about the formation of nations, I argue that Kurdish nationalists have managed to promote the idea of Kurdish nationalism despite the savage campaigns of Kurdish suppression by the newly formed national states of Middle East. Keywords: Essentialism, Constructivism, Nationalism, Nation Formation, Culture, and Histor

Finish machining of hardened gears wheels using cubic boron nitride (CBN) inserts

The paper presents some results of investigation of finish machining of hardened bearing surfaces of cylindrical gear wheels. Finish machining has been performed with wedges of defined geometry made of CBN. The presented investigation results are related mainly to the wear processes of the cutting wedges. Additional results of quality examination of finish machined gear wheels have been presented, too

Student retention in Indonesian private university

Private universities require more effort to retain student students so that these students can complete their studies and then work in the community. Through this research, input will be given to the study program regarding the improvement that must be made so that the private university can compete with the public university and educate the nation's children. Data collection was obtained through questionnaires and observations to 209 students. Data processed by Discriminant Analysis, Crosstabulations, and Correlations Analysis dan statistical descriptive methods. Independent variables that significantly affect student retention are satisfaction with the closeness of social relationships with fellow students, student confidence to graduate on time, student confidence to get a good career after graduation, and college attendance. Study program still has to work hard to make improvements to increase satisfaction and students' engagement level

Završna obrada zakaljenih zupčanika pomoću kubično borovih nitridnih (KBN) oštrica

The paper presents some results of investigation of finish machining of hardened bearing surfaces of cylindrical gear wheels. Finish machining has been performed with wedges of defined geometry made of CBN. The presented investigation results are related mainly to the wear processes of the cutting wedges. Additional results of quality examination of finish machined gear wheels have been presented, too.Rad prikazuje rezultate istraživanja završne obrade zakaljenih površina cilindričnih zupčanika. Završna obrada se ostvaruje oštricama definirane geometrije izrađene iz KBN. Prikazani rezultati istraživanja odnose se uglavnom na process trošenja reznih oštrica. Dodatno su prikazani rezultati ispitivanja kvalitete obrađene površine zupčanika

The effects of aerobic exercise and transcranial direct current stimulation on cognitive function in older adults with and without cognitive impairment: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Aerobic exercise (AE) may slow age-related cognitive decline. However, such cognition-sparing effects are not uniform across cognitive domains and studies. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a form of non-invasive brain stimulation and is also emerging as a potential alternative to pharmaceutical therapies. Like AE, the effectiveness of tDCS is also inconsistent for reducing cognitive impairment in ageing. The unexplored possibility exists that pairing AE and tDCS could produce synergistic effects and reciprocally augment cognition-improving effects in older individuals with and without cognitive impairments. Previous research found such synergistic effects on cognition when cognitive training is paired with tDCS in older individuals with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. Aim: The purpose of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to explore if pairing AE with tDCS could augment singular effects of AE and tDCS on global cognition (GC), working memory (WM) and executive function (EF) in older individuals with or without MCI and dementia. Methods: Using a PRISMA-based systematic review, we compiled studies that examined the effects of AE alone, tDCS alone, and AE and tDCS combined on cognitive function in older individuals with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. Using a PICOS approach, we systematically searched PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science searches up to December 2021, we focused on ‘MoCA’, ‘MMSE’, ‘Mini-Cog’ (measures) and ‘cognition’, ‘cognitive function’, ‘cognitive’, ‘cognitive performance’, ‘executive function’, ‘executive process’, ‘attention’, ‘memory’, ‘memory performance’ (outcome terms). We included only randomized controlled trials (RTC) in humans if available in English full text over the past 20 years, with participants’ age over 60. We assessed the methodological quality of the included studies (RTC) by the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. Results: Overall, 68 studies were included in the meta-analyses. AE (ES = 0.56 [95% CI: 0.28–0.83], p = 0.01) and tDCS (ES = 0.69 [95% CI: 0.12–1.26], p = 0.02) improved GC in all three groups of older adults combined (healthy, MCI, demented). In healthy population, AE improved GC (ES = 0.46 [95% CI: 0.22–0.69], p = 0.01) and EF (ES = 0.27 [95% CI: 0.05–0.49], p = 0.02). AE improved GC in older adults with MCI (ES = 0.76 [95% CI: 0.21–1.32], p = 0.01). tDCS improved GC (ES = 0.69 [90% CI: 0.12–1.26], p = 0.02), all three cognitive function (GC, WM and EF) combined in older adults with dementia (ES = 1.12 [95% CI: 0.04–2.19], p = 0.04) and improved cognitive function in older adults overall (ES = 0.69 [95% CI: 0.20–1,18], p = 0.01). Conclusion: Our systematic review with meta-analysis provided evidence that beyond the cardiovascular and fitness benefits of AE, pairing AE with tDCS may have the potential to slow symptom progression of cognitive decline in MCI and dementia. Future studies will examine the hypothesis of this present review that a potentiating effect would incrementally improve cognition with increasing severity of cognitive impairment.Charles University Q4