Search Results (96)

In the Western Anti-Atlas, the stratiform copper mineralisations of the Tabia Member are distinctly hosted within sedimentary rocks, forming deposits comparable to the sediment-hosted stratabound copper (SSC) type. In Tizert, Ouarmdaz, and Talat n’Ouamane, the sandstones and clays host primary sulphides as disseminations and copper carbonates occurring as small continuous or lenticular beds, small geodes, and coatings on clay laminations. In Tiferki, the conglomerates are more mineralised; sulphides are represented by chalcopyrite and bornite, locally altered into chalcocite. Copper carbonates appear as malachite and azurite coating pebbles and deeply impregnate the granular matrix. From a sedimentological and sequence-stratigraphic perspective, the conglomeratic level at Tiferki represents a low-sea-level prism (LST) formed during a stage of maximum platform exposure allowing erosion products to accumulate at the base of the slope. By contrast, the silty–sandy complex known as the “Talat n’ Ouamane level” corresponds to a prograding sedimentary sequence (Highstand Systems Tract, HST) that developed after a relative regression where the platform was only partially exposed. In both cases, relative sea-level fall promoted the emergence of the hinterland and active erosion, supplying the depositional environment with coarse detrital during the maximum drops in sea level and sandy-to-micro-conglomeratic deposits during less pronounced regressions. This detrital supply probably brought copper in the form of grains and especially dissolved copper, which is largely deposited at the bottom of slopes and in marine environments where microbial communities contribute to the precipitation of copper. The selective distribution of sulphides within the Tabia Member shows that only the low-sea-level and high-sea-level prisms are enriched in stratiform copper, while the transgressive and maximum flooding systems tracts lack significant mineralisation. This suggests that sea-level variations played a controlling role in copper deposition. The regressive trend of the high sea-level suite continued until emergence, reflected by the invasion of the environment by red or ochre siltstones from the alluvial plain. The emergence at the transition from sandstones to dolomites, and the “Red Beds”-type mineralisation embedded in these subaerial facies, support the syngenetic origin of the sulphides in the Tabia Member. After this main emplacement of stratiform copper, the sulphides would have undergone remobilisation and alteration during a significant episode of vertical water escape that deformed the host facies and enhanced mineral concentration within permeable sandstones. Even the clays were delaminated and coated with a thin films of copper carbonates on their surfaces. In the Tamjout dolomites, carbonates are percolated by acidic solutions, contributing to the brecciation and silicification of the stromatolitic layers. Copper mineralisation accompanies this silicification and fills the karstification pockets. Full article

Background/Objectives: Shikonin (SKN) is a potential anti-psoriatic agent, yet its clinical application is hindered by poor water solubility and low stratum corneum permeability. This study aimed to develop a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive hydrogel microneedle system encapsulating SKN-loaded polymeric micelles (SKN-M@MN) to enhance transdermal delivery and evaluate its therapeutic effects in psoriasis. Methods: Shikonin-loaded micelles (SKN-M) were optimised using a thin-film hydration method. SKN-M@MN was fabricated via a two-step casting method using phenylboronic acid-modified hyaluronic acid (HA-PBA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone K90 as the tip matrix. Skin penetration, ROS-responsive release, and anti-psoriatic efficacy were assessed in an imiquimod (IMQ)-induced mouse model. Mechanistic studies included RNA-seq, qPCR, and Western blotting. Results: SKN-M achieved an encapsulation efficiency of 93.45 ± 0.24%, a particle size of 62.49 ± 0.92 nm, and a zeta potential of −36.78 ± 1.12 mV. SKN-M@MN showed 100% skin penetration, sustained drug release, and accelerated degradation under high ROS conditions. In psoriatic mice, SKN-M@MN significantly alleviated skin lesions, reduced epidermal hyperplasia (Ki67), and downregulated IL-17A and TNF-α levels both locally and systemically. Mechanistically, it inhibited the PI3K/AKT and NF-κB signalling pathways. Conclusions: The SKN-M@MN microneedle platform integrates physical skin penetration, ROS-responsive drug release, and pathway inhibition, offering an effective strategy for transdermal delivery of poorly soluble drugs in psoriasis therapy. Full article

This essay discusses feminist ideas in connection to the occulture—Christopher Partridge’s term for the re-enchantment of art, popular culture, and everyday life through esoteric and spiritual currents—present in opera, musical theater, and film, focusing on femmes fatales, tricksters and ‘wicked women’ in a transcultural approach to religion, (Western) esotericism, and the performing arts. The spiritual–scientific embodiment of Afro-Brazilian traditions is explored through the figure of Pombagira—a Brazilian occultural creation of a female enchantress with mystical powers connected to healing and sex, often placed in patriarchal opposition to her male counterpart, Exu. Drawing on Partridge’s notions of occulture and Walter Mignolo’s understanding of decoloniality, the Western gendering imposed on Pombagira as a purveyor of evil is discussed as both mythology and potential epistemicide. The thesis statement presented here is that the Pombagira episteme is an underlying emblem throughout art and scholarship invested in queering essential binary categories of womanhood, as seen in staged adaptations of Verdi’s La forza del destino (1862), Bizet’s Carmen (1875), and numerous cinematic Lola incarnations—Marlene Dietrich’s in Der blaue Engel (1930), Gwen Verdon’s in Damn Yankees (1958), and Almodóvar’s in Todo sobre mi madre (1999). This indisciplinary reading connects Gloria Anzaldúa’s queer feminist practice of spiritual mestizaje with the Pombagira as an occultural anti-patriarchal force. Full article

Western societies increasingly treat dogs as sentient family members, but does this reshape cultural production, and can cultural production, in turn, reshape the relationship? We traced this circuit through Good Boy (2025), a horror film with a real, untrained dog as the sole protagonist, combining filmmaker interviews, behavioral coding of eleven sequences (21-behavior repertoire, permutation tests), and thematic analysis of 242 reviews on the Letterboxd website. The filmmaker restructured the production around his dog’s welfare, yet signs of stress persisted. The film’s canine perspective generated formal innovation but remained confined to human perception. Audiences showed concern for the real dog but read his discomfort as devotion—no review mentioned any behavioral indicator of stress. Good Boy reveals not the failure of a single film but the current state of a cultural transition—a society that has moved beyond treating dogs as props yet lacks the tools to act on its own values. Addressing this gap will require welfare monitoring during production, representation that goes beyond human perception, and public literacy in canine body language. Full article

Dry eye disease (DED) is a common ocular surface disorder characterized by instability of the tear film, inflammatory responses, and epithelial damage, and therapeutic interventions directed at these fundamental pathogenetic processes are still insufficient. This research aimed to evaluate the medicinal efficacy of glycyrrhizic acid (GA) and to unravel the underlying molecular pathways through which it exerts its protective role in DED. A benzalkonium chloride-induced mouse model and a hyperosmolarity-induced human corneal epithelial cell model were established. Corneal epithelial injury, tear secretion, and goblet cell density were evaluated in vivo, while cellular responses and related signaling pathways were examined using RT-qPCR, Western blotting, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence. GA treatment alleviated corneal epithelial damage, increased tear secretion, and improved goblet cell density in mice. In vitro, GA reduced inflammatory responses, as evidenced by decreased tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) expression, and helped preserve epithelial barrier integrity, accompanied by reduced matrix metalloprotease 9 (MMP9) levels. Further analysis suggested that GA suppressed pyroptosis through regulation of the high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1)/lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP)/cathepsin B (CTSB) pathway and attenuated oxidative stress via activation of the nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1)/NAD (P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) axis. In addition, GA improved mitochondrial function, as indicated by decreased reactive oxygen species levels, restored membrane potential, and enhanced adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. Taken together, these findings indicate that GA may alleviate hyperosmolarity-induced DED by modulating inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and epithelial barrier damage, underscoring its viability as a remedial candidate. Full article

Cancer poses a serious threat to human life and health, and the number of new cancer and death cases worldwide is substantial, of which breast cancer is the most common among women. p-QM-1h is an organic small molecule with excellent anti-cancer activity, but it has low solubility and requires a high dosage, and it is not a targeted anti-tumor drug. In this study, p-QM-1h was loaded into a nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) using the thin-film dispersion method to construct p-QM-1h-NLC, and its surface was modified with cetuximab (CTX) to construct CTX-p-QM-1h-NLC, which was tested for activity in 4T1 cells and tumor-bearing mice. The construction of CTX-p-QM-1h-NLC used Miglyol 812N as a liquid lipid, which effectively improved the solubility and encapsulation efficiency of p-QM-1h. Nanoparticles were uniform, well dispersed, and had good stability, and the CTX modification of p-QM-1h-NLC exhibited high connection efficiency and ensured antibody integrity. CTX-p-QM-1h-NLC exhibited effective anti-tumor activity in both 4T1 cells and tumor-bearing mice. The construction of CTX-p-QM-1h-NLC effectively improved the solubility of p-QM-1h, enhanced its therapeutic efficacy and reduced its drug dosage. It also had a certain targeting ability, increasing drug aggregation in tumor tissues. Flow cytometry and Western blot results showed that CTX-p-QM-1h-NLC could effectively inhibit the expression of TrxR and increase the expression of Bax and caspase 3 in vivo, which was consistent with the increase in ROS levels and the induction of apoptosis in 4T1 cells. These results indicated that the construction of CTX-p-QM-1h-NLC is worthy of further investigation. Full article

Through the combined lenses of ecofeminism, masculinity studies, and critical animal studies, this article examines the cultural functions of animal metamorphosis in two Walt Disney animated feature films, Beauty and the Beast and The Princess and the Frog. It argues that animality operates as a narrative and symbolic space in which dominant gender norms and human–animal hierarchies are temporarily destabilized and reconfigured. Drawing on film analysis, this study shows how the animal figure enables the emergence of alternative masculinities—sensitive, relational, and ecologically attuned—while simultaneously exposing the structural limits of this apparent subversion. Although these films challenge toxic masculinity and propose more egalitarian interspecific relationships, their narrative resolutions ultimately reinstate anthropocentric and heteronormative frameworks by reasserting human centrality and normative romantic closure. By situating Disney’s representations within broader Western dualistic logics of domination (culture/nature, masculine/feminine, human/animal), I demonstrate that animality functions less as an autonomous mode of existence than as a transitional narrative device facilitating human self-transformation. In doing so, this article contributes to current discussions on how culturally mediated representations of animals shape human social imaginaries, ethical frameworks, and understandings of interspecies relationships. Full article

Against the global push for “carbon peak and carbon neutrality” and Xinjiang’s role as a major arid-region agricultural base in China, balancing agricultural development with low-carbon transitions remains challenging due to its fragile ecology and resource-intensive farming. However, county-scale dynamics of cultivated land carbon emission intensity (CEI) and its drivers in Xinjiang are understudied, limiting targeted mitigation. This study analyzed Xinjiang’s cultivated land CEI (2000–2020) using the Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression and Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology (GTWR-STIRPAT) model, geodetector, and spatiotemporal analysis, with counties as units. Data included 30 m-resolution land use data and socioeconomic statistics. Results showed CEI rose from 0.270 to 0.377 t/hm², with marked spatial differences: northern Xinjiang saw fluctuating growth and a 58.65 km northeastward shift of emission gravity, while southern Xinjiang had lower western CEI (ecological constraints) and higher eastern CEI (agricultural expansion). Key drivers were total sown area (TSAC), agricultural film usage (UAPF), and rural agricultural population (RAP). Factor interactions (machinery power × sown area, q = 0.844) non-linearly amplified CEI. The GTWR-STIRPAT model (R² = 0.97) outperformed OLS and captured heterogeneity—mechanization/area expansion dominated northern CEI, while film use/population mattered more in the south. Region-specific strategies are needed: northern Xinjiang should optimize machinery energy and control area expansion; southern Xinjiang, strengthen ecology and promote low-carbon inputs; eastern Xinjiang, leverage efficient oasis agriculture. This study supports precise carbon management in Xinjiang and similar arid regions globally. Full article

In the context of global climate change and intensified water resource constraints, studying the evolution of the urban–agricultural–ecological spatial structure and the water–heat–vegetation responses driven by large-scale irrigation and drainage projects in arid and semi-arid regions is of great significance. Based on multitemporal remote sensing data from 1985 to 2015, this study takes the Inner Mongolia Hetao Plain as the research area, constructs a “multifunctionality–dynamic evolution” dual-principle classification system for urban–agricultural–ecological space, and adopts the technical process of “separate interpretation of each single land type using the maximum likelihood algorithm followed by merging with conflict pixel resolution” to improve the classification accuracy to 90.82%. Through a land use transfer matrix, a standard deviation ellipse model, surface temperature (LST) inversion, and vegetation fractional coverage (VFC) analysis, this study systematically reveals the spatiotemporal differentiation patterns of spatial structure evolution and surface parameter responses throughout the project’s life cycle. The results show the following: (1) The spatial structure follows the path of “short-term intense disturbance–long-term stable optimization”, with agricultural space stability increasing by 4.8%, the ecological core area retention rate exceeding 90%, and urban space expanding with a shift from external encroachment to internal filling, realizing “stable grain yield with unchanged cultivated land area and improved ecological quality with controlled green space loss”. (2) The overall VFC shows a trend of “central area stable increase (annual growth rate 0.8%), eastern area fluctuating recovery (cyclic amplitude ±12%), and western area local improvement (key patches increased by 18%)”. (3) The LST-VFC relationship presents spatiotemporal misalignment, with a 0.8–1.2 °C anomalous cooling in the central region during the construction period (despite a 15% VFC decrease), driven by irrigation water thermal inertia, and a disrupted linear correlation after completion due to crop phenology changes and plastic film mulching. (4) Irrigation and drainage projects optimize water resource allocation, constructing a hub regulation model integrated with the Water–Energy–Food (WEF) Nexus, providing a replicable paradigm for ecological effect assessment of major water conservancy projects in arid regions. Full article

The function of film grammar in the creation of narrative cinema is a central one when considering the realities of cinema as a global art. Since its birth from a confluence of European scientific and aesthetic principles, cinema has become a ubiquitous art form, but together with this growth has come the spread of those very principles from which cinema sprang. As an example, camera movement in Japanese film typically follows a grammatical pattern to privilege left-to-right, chronological movement as set by western cinema. That is, the camera will introduce information as a visual analogue to the process of reading a written, western text, with the lens operating very much as an eye in its trajectory across the ‘page’ of the screen. Building on work by Jean-Louis Baudry, Brian O’Leary and Jean Louis Comolli, this paper demonstrates this feature of Japanese cinema, using Ichikawa Jun’s 2004 film, Tony Takitani, as a case study. Through a close reading of the film and its pattern of movement, this paper proposes that we may discern a symptom of the persistent inscription of coloniality imposed in and through cinema—the movement of the camera parodies reading but also accepts as natural an ‘unnatural’, western pattern of movement. The act of adaptation, too, both anticipates and supports the conception of cinema as reading-parody, with Murakami Haruki’s short story “Tony Takitani” operating as a meaningful substratum to the process of vision-as-coloniality. Full article

This article reconsiders Yasujiro Ozu’s An Autumn Afternoon (1962) as a cinematic “anti-testament”, a final film that eschews resolution, culmination, or closure in favour of subtle continuity, repetition, and quiet disappearance. Situated between the Japanese aesthetic of mono no aware and Western existential philosophy, Ozu’s final work embodies an ethics of impermanence and restraint, where cinema becomes a contemplative practice rather than a narrative of finality. Through formal strategies such as the low “tatami shot,” fixed camera, and elliptical editing, the film materialises time as presence, not progression. Drawing on Heidegger’s conception of aletheia, Cavell’s ethics of acknowledgment, and Tarkovsky’s reflections on haiku, this study argues that Ozu develops a philosophy of parting grounded in repetition, care, and relationality. Rather than a monument to his oeuvre, An Autumn Afternoon offers a visual ritual of transmission, where the invisible dwells within the visible, and the act of letting go becomes cinema’s most philosophical gesture. In doing so, Ozu dissolves the notion of the cinematic testament, transforming it into a meditative cadence of impermanence. Full article

Background/Objectives: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) therapy efficacy remains limited due to the poor blood-brain barrier-penetrating power of drugs as well as dysregulated cellular signaling pathways of tumor cells leading to drug resistance. Novel drug delivery systems such as liposome-based nanoformulations improve the bioavailability and stability of water-insoluble drugs, while co-delivery of two anti-cancer compounds can further increase their anti-tumor effectiveness due to synergistic effects. Thus, the aim of this study was to obtain liposomal nanoformulations encapsulating cannabidiol (CBD), celecoxib (CELE), and 2,5-dimethylcelecoxib (DMC) and their combinations and to verify their anti-GBM properties. Methods: Five liposomal nanoformulations were obtained using a modified thin-film hydration technique. Two GBM cell lines and non-cancerous astrocytes were used for the biological evaluation of the tested nanoformulations. The cytotoxicity experiments were performed using the MTT assay, whereas flow cytometry-based analysis assessed the effect of the liposomes on apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, and oxidative stress. To determine the impact of the tested nanoformulations on Nrf2, Wnt/β-catenin, and NF-κB signaling pathways, qPCR, Western blot and ELISA techniques were used. Results: The findings of this study demonstrate that liposomal nanoformulations containing CBD, CELE, and DMC exhibit significant anti-GBM activity, particularly through the induction of apoptosis and oxidative stress and modulation of the key signaling pathways. Although no clear synergistic/additive effects were observed between CBD and CELE or DMC when co-loaded in nanoformulations, the combination of CBD and CELE effectively suppressed Wnt/β-catenin and NF-κB signaling and activated the Nrf2 pathway. These results support the therapeutic potential of liposome-based co-delivery of CBD and CELE in GBM therapy. However, further in vivo studies are warranted to determine these nanoformulations’ translational relevance and clinical applicability. Full article

The Western genre has traditionally been associated with American identity and male-dominated narratives. However, recent decades have seen increasing attention to female protagonists, particularly the European woman as a cultural mediator within the frontier context. This study aims to identify the archetypes of the European woman in the Western genre through a diachronic and comparative analysis of the visual language found in European painting from the late 17th to early 19th centuries and in 20th–21st century cinema. The research methodology combines narrative, visual, and semiotic analysis, with a focus on intermedial and intertextual parallels between visual art and film. The study identifies nine archetypal models corresponding to goddesses of the Greek pantheon and traces their transformation across different aesthetic systems. These archetypes, rooted in artistic traditions such as Baroque, Classicism, Romanticism, and others, reappear in Western films through compositional, symbolic, and iconographic strategies, demonstrating their persistence and ability to transcend temporal, medial, and geographical boundaries. The findings suggest that the woman in the Western genre is not merely a central character, but a visual sign that activates cultural memory and engages with deep archetypal structures embedded in the collective unconscious. Full article

Dry eye disease (DED) is characterized by tear film instability and oxidative stress-induced epithelial damage. This study was conducted to compare the therapeutic effects of 2% rebamipide (REB) and 3% diquafosol (DQS) on oxidative stress-related apoptotic damage of the ocular surface in DED. Human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs) were exposed to hyperosmotic stress in vitro and treated with REB or DQS. Cell viability and cleaved caspase-3 expression were evaluated using the MTT assay and Western blotting. DED was induced in vivo in C57BL/6 mice using subcutaneous scopolamine injection. Thereafter, the mice were assigned to normal control (NC), dry eye (DE), DQS-treated (DQS), or REB-treated (REB) groups. Clinical evaluations, including measurement of tear film break-up time, corneal smoothness, and the lipid layer, were performed on days 7 and 14. In addition, CD4⁺ IFN-γ⁺ T cells, inflammatory cytokines, reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation markers, and corneal apoptosis were analyzed on day 14. Glycocalyx integrity and goblet cell density were also evaluated. The results indicate that REB improved HCEC survival and suppressed cleaved caspase-3 expression more effectively than DQS (p < 0.05). Both treatments improved clinical outcomes in the murine dry eye model; however, REB showed superior efficacy in reducing ROS levels, lipid peroxidation, and apoptosis, and in preserving corneal glycocalyx integrity and conjunctival goblet cell density. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential and protective effects of REB against oxidative stress-related damage and apoptosis in DED. Full article

Background/Objectives: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanoscale, membrane-enclosed structures that play key roles in intercellular communication and biological regulation. Among them, Lactobacillus paracasei-derived EVs (Lp-EVs) have attracted attention for their anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties, making them promising candidates for therapeutic and cosmetic use. However, methods for specific detection and quantitative evaluation of Lp-EVs are still limited. This study aims to develop a surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based sensor system for the precise and selective detection of Lp-EVs. Methods: Anti-p40 antibodies were immobilized on gold thin films to construct an SPR sensing platform. The overexpression of the p40 protein on Lp-EVs was confirmed using flow cytometry and Western blotting. For functional evaluation, Lp-EVs were applied to an artificial skin membrane mounted on a Franz diffusion cell, followed by SPR-based quantification and fluorescence imaging to assess their skin penetration behavior. Results: The developed SPR sensor demonstrated high specificity and a detection limit of 0.12 µg/mL, with a linear response range from 0.1 to 0.375 µg/mL. It successfully discriminated Lp-EVs from other bacterial EVs. In the skin diffusion assay, Lp-EVs accumulated predominantly in the epidermal layer without penetrating into the dermis, likely due to their negative surface charge and interaction with the hydrophobic epidermal lipid matrix. Fluorescence imaging confirmed this epidermal confinement, which increased over 24 h. Conclusions: This study presents a sensitive and selective SPR-based platform for detecting Lp-EVs and demonstrates their potential for targeted epidermal delivery. These findings support the use of Lp-EVs in skin-focused therapeutic and cosmetic applications. Future studies will explore strategies such as microneedle-assisted delivery to enhance transdermal penetration and efficacy. Full article