Search Results (10)

Ongoing therapy for human parasite infections has a few known drugs but with serious side effects and the problem of drug resistance, impelling us to discover novel drug candidates with newer mechanisms of action. Universally, this has boosted the research in the design and development of novel medicinal agents as antiparasitic drugs with a novel mode of action. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) are used in a vast variety of diseases due to their anti-inflammatory properties. Drug repurposing strategies have already approved HDACis as cancer therapeutics and are now under investigation for many parasitic infections. Along with the expression of the gene, histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes also act as a slice of great multi-subunit complexes, targeting many non-histones, changing systemic and cellular levels signaling, and producing different cell-based specified effects. Zinc (Zn²⁺)- and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺)-dependent HDACs of parasites play pivotal roles in the alteration of gene expression of parasites. Some of them are already known to be responsible for the survival of several parasites under odd circumstances; thus, targeting them for therapeutic interventions will be novel for potential antiparasitic targets. This point of view outlines the knowledge of both class-I and class-II HDACis and sirtuin inhibitors that emerged to be the key players in the treatment of human parasitic disorders like Leishmaniasis, Schistosomiasis, Malaria, Trypanosomiasis, and Toxoplasmosis. This review also focuses on repurposing opportunities and challenges in HDAC inhibitors that are preceded by their clinical development as potent new antiparasitic drugs. Full article

The challenges of multistakeholder innovation in smart city projects can be navigated through collaboration and a clear understanding of each organisation’s values, technology, user groups, and potential policy changes. Increasing technology use in urban development projects brings numerous challenges, such as technology redundancy, varying stakeholder expectations, and the required policy changes. This paper aims to discuss the story of the development of Wharf Street smart park in Western Australia and highlights strategies for overcoming the challenges of multistakeholder innovation in smart city projects. It utilises a democratic collaboration tool to map out each organisation’s vision, values, and responsibilities at the initial stage of the project to create an open innovation ecosystem where knowledge can be shared. High collaboration levels using this tool have helped establish common goals, adaptive practices and overcome governance and technical challenges. However, the tool needs further development, as it was found to be insufficient in addressing long-term management issues, risk mapping, and user group identification for big data. Full article

From March to June 2021, India experienced a deadly second wave of COVID-19, with an increased number of post-vaccination breakthrough infections reported across the country. To understand the possible reason for these breakthroughs, we collected 677 clinical samples (throat swab/nasal swabs) of individuals from 17 states/Union Territories of the country who had received two doses (n = 592) and one dose (n = 85) of vaccines and tested positive for COVID-19. These cases were telephonically interviewed and clinical data were analyzed. A total of 511 SARS-CoV-2 genomes were recovered with genome coverage of higher than 98% from both groups. Analysis of both groups determined that 86.69% (n = 443) of them belonged to the Delta variant, along with Alpha, Kappa, Delta AY.1, and Delta AY.2. The Delta variant clustered into four distinct sub-lineages. Sub-lineage I had mutations in ORF1ab A1306S, P2046L, P2287S, V2930L, T3255I, T3446A, G5063S, P5401L, and A6319V, and in N G215C; Sub-lineage II had mutations in ORF1ab P309L, A3209V, V3718A, G5063S, P5401L, and ORF7a L116F; Sub-lineage III had mutations in ORF1ab A3209V, V3718A, T3750I, G5063S, and P5401L and in spike A222V; Sub-lineage IV had mutations in ORF1ab P309L, D2980N, and F3138S and spike K77T. This study indicates that majority of the breakthrough COVID-19 clinical cases were infected with the Delta variant, and only 9.8% cases required hospitalization, while fatality was observed in only 0.4% cases. This clearly suggests that the vaccination does provide reduction in hospital admission and mortality. Full article

The paper aims to reveal the politics of urban governance and the associated impact on the lives of disenfranchised migrants. It critically explores the urban governance structure and the nature of practices involved in the cycle of settlement, eviction, resistance and resettlement. The case of Nonadanga, located at the urban margin of Kolkata, India, was explored for this purpose. An ethnographic methodology comprising observation, semi-structured interviews and oral history was adopted for the research. Twelve squatter dwellers and four experts working in Nonadanga and Kolkata were interviewed for this purpose. A three-step data analysis comprising a narrative approach, thematic network analysis and validation was adopted. A critical review of inclusive practices, together with ethnographic survey findings, demonstrates that migrants live in a condition the paper calls “partial rights”, which is a manifestation of the dialectics of inclusiveness practiced by the urban governance structure and derived from the interaction between urban governance structure and migrants’ agency. By analyzing past development trends, the paper outlines possible future scenarios for migrants’ living conditions and discusses their impact on achieving the targeted Sustainable Development Goal 11 for inclusive cities by 2030. Full article

Although grounded theory (GT) has emerged as a popular research approach across multiple areas of social science, it has been less widely taken up by researchers working in the fields of urban planning and design. The application of GT enables uniquely innovative insights to be gained from qualitative data, but it has attracted criticism and brings its own challenges. This paper proposes a methodology that could be applied by other researchers in the field of urban research. Utilising constructivist GT as a qualitative approach, this research investigates how cultural memory impacts the psychosocial well-being and quality of life (QoL) of users of, and visitors to, historic urban landscapes (HULs). Based on the findings, it can be posited that the application of GT yields a rich and nuanced understanding of how users of HULs experience the settings in which they live, and the impact and significance on human psychosocial well-being of the cultural memories incarnated within such settings. The current paper also contends that GT enables researchers studying the built environment to construct inductively based theories. Lastly, the practical implications of developing GT for application to HUL management are discussed, both in regard to how users experience the contexts in which they live and the impact of such contexts on well-being and quality of life. Full article

A crucial element in the human search for well-being is achieving a sense of identity within, and belonging to, the landscape in which we live. Landscape should be understood as not only the visible environment but the affective values we attach to it and how we shape it in our mind’s eye. These inner reflections of our landscapes constitute one of our richest archives, in particular, in terms of creating and passing down to future generations our cultural memories. The current paper is a review of literature on the concepts of urban heritage conservation, and, in particular, the development of the historic urban landscape (HUL) approach, with reference to the role and contribution of cultural memory and its presence in the urban landscape. We also investigate how the notions of place attachment and identity interrelate with cultural memory to elucidate how such interrelations can contribute to human psychosocial well-being and quality of life (QOL). This review points to the neglected role of cultural memory in the maintenance of psychosocial well-being in HULs, a topic which requires further research to deepen our understanding about its importance in urban environments. Full article

Historic urban landscapes (HULs) are composed of layers of imbedded tangible and intangible features such as cultural memories. As the collective memories of city inhabitants, cultural memories can affect elements of social sustainability such as health, well-being, community identity, place perception and social engagement. Utilising the popular Zanqit Alsitat (also known as ‘Zanket el-Setat’ or ‘Zane’t El-Settat’), the only remaining historical street market in Alexandria, Northern Egypt, this research proposes a theoretical model for recalling and continuity of cultural memory features in HULs, which can be used to achieve social sustainability. The research explored the site by applying a qualitative methodological approach through semi-structured in-person interviews in the study site, along with analysis of comments obtained from a research-purposed social media (Facebook) group. A qualitative data management software (NVivo12 programme) was utilised for interpretation and charting the features of stored cultural memories relating to this place. The study indicates that educing and maintaining the features of cultural memory in HULs contributes to social sustainability through its influence on the formation of place identity, sense of place, civic pride and quality of life. This framework for social sustainability in HULs can be applied by engaging social groups through participatory planning. Full article

Historic urban landscapes (HULs) are composed of layers of history and memories that are embedded in physical monuments, buildings, and memorials. Physical built fabric stores both personal and cultural memory through long association with communities. Rapid changes due to demolition and redevelopment change the nature of these places and, in turn, affect these memory storages. This paper investigates whether historical city inhabitants consider cultural memories important when managing their HULs. It further explores the effectiveness of cultural memory in creating a sense of place and enhancing the quality of life for inhabitants. The context of the demolished theatre ‘Masrah Al Salam’ in Alexandria, Egypt, was studied after city inhabitants angrily protested the theatre’s removal, indicating a strong community attachment to this lost place. A qualitative methodological approach to this study was applied by conducting on-site, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews supplemented by comments gathered from the Facebook group ‘Alexandria’s Spirit’. The QSR NVivo12 program was used as a qualitative tool for data management, analysis, and mapping intangible elements contributing to an assembly of cultural memories of this place. The study demonstrated the importance of cultural memory associated with urban elements such as iconic heritage buildings that create a sense of place and enhance the identity of our urban environments. Full article

Globalization is associated with significant transformations in city forms and cultural and social performances. Governments and cultural heritage organisations increasingly appreciate the importance of preserving diverse physical cultural heritage through rehabilitation and the implementation of conservation plans. Nevertheless, there is a need to evaluate whether these plans understand the importance of cultural memory in societies, as well as how it affects the human psyche. Utilizing Orabi Square, which is one of the richest Historic Urban Landscapes (HUL) in the metropolitan city of Alexandria in Egypt, this study aims to answer the question; to what extent does Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) management present a situation that maintains cultural memory and achieve psychosocial well-being? The research explored the site’s old and new conditions and place experience, applying a qualitative approach through onsite face-to-face semi-structured interviews combined with data from a Facebook group—Alexandria’s Spirit. The QSR Nvivo12 analysis program was used for the data interpretation and for charting the intangible values accompanying cultural memory such as emotions and behaviour. The study indicated that cultural memory is an affective catalyst for emotional attachment to place and is an important factor informing sense of place. Based on our study, inclusion of cultural memories should be an integral element in the future management plans of Orabi Square to enhance place experience and psychosocial well-being. Full article