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Vietnam's coastal zone provides a diverse range of natural resources and favourable conditions for social and economic development. However, its coastal ecosystems are highly vulnerable, due to several natural coastal hazards, over-exploitation and other human activities. In spite of diverse interventions, Vietnam's coastal zone continues to experience significant damage from floods, erosion and typhoons. These hazards are being intensified by climate change and associated rising sea levels. This paper assesses the potential vulnerability of Vietnam's coast to climate change and discusses possible adaptation policies and plan to reduce the impacts. GIS analysis was used for the assessment of coastal vulnerability. Related literature was reviewed to develop detailed understanding of coastal adaptation to climate change. Adaptation policies and plans were appraised to identify potential coastal adaptation policies and plans that could be adapted by Vietnam. It was identified that vulnerability of the coastal zone of Vietnam could not be attributed only to climatic factors, but also to the physical condition of the coastline. Much of Vietnam's coastline, particularly, areas around the Red River delta and the Mekong River have elevations below 1 m. These coastlines are largely developed and serve as economic centres of the country, which makes the coast more vulnerable to climate change and the rising sea level. The paper concluded that a non-structural approach (coastal buffer zones, building houses on stilts, storm warning systems, growing of flood-resistant crops and elevated storm shelters with medicine and food storage) could be used by Vietnam to adapt her low-lying coastline around the two deltas to climate change as this strategy enables vulnerable areas to be occupied for longer before eventual retreat. However, for these policies to be successful, it should be planned, implemented well in advance, monitored and evaluated over time.

The integration of knowledge management (KM) with total quality management (TQM) has a significant impact on project and organization performance. While previous literature has linked KM with TQM within the broader concept of organizational development and project performance, there was a notable gap concerning their application to construction projects in developing countries like Ghana. Thus, there is little information on the variables that contribute to their relationship. This study aimed to fill these gaps by investigating the integration of KM practices with TQM principles specifically in the Ghanaian construction industry, and identifying essential factors for this integration. A cross-sectional survey design was used and the population considered in this study consisted of architects, quantity surveyors, and civil engineers in the Ghanaian construction industry. The study adopted a purposive sampling technique. Quantitative data were collected from 256 professionals. Descriptive statistical techniques and the partial least squares structural equation modeling techniques were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that a one- unit rise in knowledge management processes (KMPs) corresponds to a roughly 0.839-standard deviation increase in TQM, suggesting that implementing KM will potentially improve the implementation of TQM principles during the delivery of construction projects. Conversely, a decrease in KMP is associated with a decrease in TQM. This can be implemented practically when there is leadership competence and commitment to ensure a culture of KM processes and TQM practices for the project to perform effectively. Theoretically, the study contributes to current discourse on KM and TQM from a fresh perspective.

Waste management and Climate Change have become concomitant challenges in many developing countries. This paper analysed the moderating role of public education on the relationship between household waste management practices and climate change severity in the Kumasi Metropolis. Based on a cross-sectional research study, multiple sampling techniques were used on 1989 households. The descriptive statistics, correlation, and structural equation modelling (SEM) were used to analyse the data. The findings indicated that separation of waste had a significant impact on climate change severity (separation of waste, 0.321, p < 0.001) and waste reduction (reduction of waste, 0.284, p < 0.01) as well. Storage, disposal, and reuse had a minor direct effect. Separation (β = − 0.214, p < 0.05), storage (β = − 0.198, p < 0.05), and reduction (β = − 0.201, p < 0.05) were significantly negated by public education, thereby enhancing their potential to prevent climate change severity. The study proposes prioritising reduction and separation of solid waste, along with continuous public education to ensure reduction of greenhouse gases in urban areas. There is a further need to incorporate waste management practices in the Metropolitan climate action plans.

This review presents a comprehensive analysis of plant-based proteins from soybeans, pulses, cereals, and pseudo-cereals by examining their structural properties, modification techniques, bioactivities, and applicability in food systems. It addresses the critical need for a proper utilization strategy of proteins from various plant sources amidst the rising environmental footprint of animal protein production. The inherent composition diversity among plant proteins, their nutritional profiles, digestibility, environmental impacts, and consumer acceptance are compared. The innovative modification techniques to enhance the functional properties of plant proteins are also discussed. The review also investigates the bioactive properties of plant proteins, including their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antitumoral activities, and their role in developing meat analogs, dairy alternatives, baked goods, and 3D-printed foods. It underscores the consideration parameters of using plant proteins as sustainable, nutritious, and functional ingredients and advocates for research to overcome sensory and functional challenges for improved consumer acceptance and marketability.

Poorly controlled postoperative pain has been known to be characterized by longer post-operative care, longer hospital stays with increased readmission rates, and decreased patient satisfaction. Post-operative pain has been continuously addressed in the past three (3) to four (4) decades and has been shown that 20 to 80% of post-operative patients suffer ineffective pain management. The study was aimed at assessing the factors that may predict the satisfaction of patients with early postoperative pain management following abdominal surgeries at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among patients who had undergone abdominal surgeries between October 2019 and December 2019 at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. Structured questionnaires based on the IPO-Q were used to obtain responses from the patients. Descriptive and Inferential statistical analysis were employed in analyzing the data obtained from the respondents of the study. 138 patients were involved in this study. The mean age of patients in the study was 45.81 (±16.81) years. A higher percentage, 58.7% of the patients were males. 39.1% had completed their tertiary level of education. The majority (50.7%) of the patients had had persistent pain for more than three (3) months. The satisfaction of the patients with the post-operative pain management received was generally high among a significant majority of the patients. Meanwhile, among the factors that influence the satisfaction of the patients with the post-operative pain management received, type of analgesia and pain relief methods (Pearson Coefficient = 0.523, p-value <0.05), patient's ability to request more pain relief, (Pearson Coefficient = 0.29, p-value <0.05), patient's access to information about their pain treatment options from the Nurses (Pearson coefficient = -0.22, p<0.05), were the only predictors of satisfaction in patients. This study found out that patients were generally satisfied with the post-operative pain management offered by their healthcare providers although the degree of satisfaction depended largely on the type of analgesia and pain relief methods, the ability to request for more pain relief, and access to information on pain treatment.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a critical global health challenge, ranking second in cancer-related mortality and third in cancer incidence as of 2018, with risk increasing with age. Addressing its rising burden requires early diagnosis, prognostic biomarkers, and effective therapeutic strategies. Emerging evidence suggests that calorie restriction may mitigate aging-related functional decline and influence CRC progression, yet the molecular markers and mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed the GSE24432 dataset, using multiple computational databases to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with calorie restriction in CRC. Functional annotations, including Gene Ontology (GO), KEGG pathway analysis, and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), were undertaken to explore potential underlying mechanisms and pathways in CRC pathogenesis. Kaplan Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were conducted to establish the diagnostic and prognostic significance of the hub genes. The validation test was conducted via multiple databases. Our investigation identified 50 DEGs, using the cutoff criteria, p . adj < 0.05, |log2FC|> 0.3. GO and functional analysis results revealed extensive crosstalk of cellular and molecular components and pathways associated with mRNA and ribosome biogenesis, AMPK signaling, and p53 signaling pathway following calorie restriction. To understand how these DEGs drive biological reactions, we sorted the genes according to gene score > 3 and GO term > 3 and obtained 14 DEGs most relevant to the GO terms. Further analysis with GO CHORD showed that most genes are enriched in ribosome biogenesis and protein synthesis. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed the involvement of the hub genes in several hallmarks, such as tissue invasion and metastasis ( p  < 0.001), tumor-promoting inflammation ( p  < 0.001), resisting cell death ( p  < 0.01), and replicative immortality ( p  < 0.05). Survival analysis showed that higher expression of 7 hub genes, CDKN2A ( p  < 0.05), RPL9 ( p  < 0.02), TUBB6 ( p  < 0.01), and RPS15A ( p  < 0.01), and lower expression of CDKN1B ( p  < 0.01), NPM1 ( p  < 0.01), and RALA ( p  < 0.01), correlated to shorter survival of colon cancer. However, cross-reference of these genes revealed that calorie restriction decreased the expressions of CDKN2A and TUBB6 while CDKN1B and NPM1 were increased ( p  < 0.05). Several validation tests from multiple databases showed that high CDKN2A is associated with shorter overall survival rates, indicating CDKN2A is a therapeutic target and could serve as a more reliable biomarker for CRC prognosis. These findings could potentially facilitate the development of precision-based energy restriction interventions for CRC management, offering promising prospects for targeted therapeutic strategies for CRC patients.

The agro-food industries produce substantial waste that has an adverse effect on the ecosystem. Nevertheless, these byproducts have abundant polyphenols with various bioactivities. Although conventional extractions (CE) are used for extraction, they require a long extraction time and more solvents, affecting product quality. Hence, this article reviewed emerging thermal extraction technologies (subcritical water, supercritical fluid, microwave, high pressurized liquid extraction, etc.) and their combinative effects (for instance, integrated subcritical-microwave, integrated supercritical fluid-hot-pressurized liquid extraction) that have been applied to extract polyphenols from agro-byproducts in the last 5 years. The fundamental mechanisms, their applications, shortcomings, and future investigations on augmenting these technologies are presented. The review showed that integrating cutting-edge technology could facilitate the development of more polyphenol extraction from agro-byproducts as there are many benefits, including increased extractability, reduced impurities, preserved thermosensitive compounds, and consume low energy. Hence, it is proposed that the next 5 years should explore combined novel thermal extraction technologies. The techno-economic analysis must be considered to fully investigate the implementation of these technologies in the polyphenol extraction from byproducts. Finally, waste valorization can inspire creativity and agro-business creation, particularly when integrated with food industry 4.0.

Ginkgols are active constituents from Ginkgo biloba L. (GB) and have pharmacological activities, such as antibacterial and antioxidant activities. In our previous report, only five ginkgols were separated. However, ginkgol C17:1 had two isomers, for which their separation, identification, and bioactivities have not yet been investigated. Hence, this research reports the successful isolation of six ginkgol homologs with alkyl substituents—C17:1-Δ12, C15:1-Δ8, C13:0, C17:2, C17:1-Δ10, and C15:0—for the first time using HPLC. This was followed by the identification of their chemical structures using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), ultraviolet (UV), gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS), carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-NMR), and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) analysis. The results showed that two ginkgol isomers, C17:1-Δ12 and C17:1-Δ10, were obtained simultaneously from the ginkgol C17:1 mixture and identified entirely for the first time. That aside, the 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay showed that the six ginkgol homologs possessed significant antiproliferation effects against HGC and HepG2 cells. Furthermore, the ginkgols with unsaturated side chains (C17:2, C15:1-Δ8, C17:1-Δ12, and C17:1-Δ10) exhibited more potent inhibitory effects than ginkgols with saturated side chains (C13:0, C15:0). In addition, unsaturated ginkgol C15:1-Δ8 showed the most potent cytotoxicity on HepG2 and HGC cells, of which the half-maximal inhibition concentrations (IC50) were 18.84 ± 2.58 and 13.15 ± 2.91 μM, respectively. The IC50 for HepG2 and HGC cells for the three unsaturated ginkgols (C17:1-Δ10, C17:2 and C17:1-Δ12) were ~59.97, ~60.82, and ~68.97 μM for HepG2 and ~30.97, ~33.81, and ~34.55 μM for HGC cells, respectively. Comparing the ginkgols’ structure–activity relations, the findings revealed that the position and number of the double bonds of the ginkgols with 17 side chain carbons in length had no significant difference in anticancer activity.

The vibration perception threshold (VPT) helps evaluate human somatosensory function and diagnose peripheral neuropathy. To optimize its use as a primary neurologic tool, it is imperative to establish its typical values in healthy subjects and assess the factors affecting its variability in an individual to ensure consistency in its application. Demographic data and a brief medical history were collected from 391 non-diabetic adults aged 30-80 at Kpone-on-Sea in Ghana. The VPT was measured at the tip of the big toe, the medial malleolus, the tip of the middle finger, and the head of the ulna of each participant using a Horwell Neurothesiometer. The variability of VPT was assessed vis-à-vis the following factors: gender, age, fasting plasma sugar and body mass index. The mean age of participants was 48.4 ± 0.7 years, and the female-to-male ratio was 1.46. The overall VPT values ranged from 5.74 ± 0.14 volts to 8.55 ± 0.18 volts in the lower limbs and 3.61 ± 0.06 volts to 5.00 ± 0.08 volts in the upper limbs. Age was found to be the only factor that could predict VPT for both the lower and upper limbs (P < 0.001). One-Way Analysis of Variance with Tukey's posthoc showed that the VPT in the feet was significantly higher than that in the hands. Generally, the VPT was high on proximal sites and low on distal sites indicating that the vibration sensation increased from proximal to distal direction. Therefore, distal areas should be used for VPT testing with a Neurothesiomer. Age was found to be the only factor that affected VPT variability. Hence, the practical application of VPT will require age-specific reference ranges to cater for older adults.

Phellinus igniarius is a medicinal fungus. Nonetheless, research on its water-soluble intracellular polysaccharides (IPSW-2 to 4) fractionation, structural elucidation, and antioxidant activity is limited. In this study, water-soluble intracellular polysaccharides (IPSW-2 to 4) were extracted and fractionated from P. igniarius mycelia, and their antioxidant and structural properties were assessed using GC-FID, GC-MS, FTIR, and NMR spectroscopy (1H and 13C). In the water-eluted P. igniarius polysaccharide fractions (IPS30W, IPS60W, and IPS80W) of anion-exchange chromatography, the polysaccharide content was 79.05%, 68.25%, and 62.06%, with higher yields of 25.07%, 21.38%, and 20.34%, respectively. In contrast, the salt (NaCl) elution fractions (IPS30S1, IPS60S1, IPS60S2, and IPS80S1) of anion-exchange chromatography had lower polysaccharide content and yield. Hence, water elution fractions (IPS30W, IPS60W, and IPS80W) were selected for further purification. After repeated purification using size-exclusion chromatography, IPSW-2 to 4 were obtained with a yield of 8% to 15.83%. The IPSW-2 to IPSW-4 structures were elucidated, and they showed no triple helical conformation. Based on periodate oxidation, Smith degradation, methylation analysis, and 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, the primary structures of IPSW-2, IPSW-3, and IPSW-4 were all glucan, with the main chain consisting of (1→6)-α-D-Glcp, (1→3,4)-α-D-Glcp, and (1→3, 6)-α-D-Glcp, with α-D-Glcp as a side chain. Finally, antioxidant analysis showed that IPS30W, IPS60W, and IPS80W were all more capable of scavenging superoxide anions than the polysaccharides of Phyllostachys (13.8%) and floribunda (15.1%) at the same concentration (0.40 mg/mL). This will serve as a guide for the development of functional foods.