Preprints are regularly cited in peer reviewed journal articles, books and conference paper. Are preprint citations somehow less important than citations to peer reviewed research papers? This study investigates citation patterns between 2017 and 2020 for preprints published in three preprint servers, one specializing in biology (bioRxiv), one in chemistry (ChemRxiv), and another hosting preprints in all disciplines (Research Square). As evaluation of scholarship continues to largely rely on citation-based metrics, this analysis and its outcomes will be useful to inform new research-based education in today’s scholarly communication.

This review critically assesses the body of research about Measles-Mumps-and-Rubella (MMR) vaccine attitudes and uptake in the United Kingdom (UK) over the past 10 years. We searched PubMed and Scopus, with terms aimed at capturing relevant literature on attitudes, uptake, decision-making, and beliefs about the MMR vaccine. Two researchers screened for abstract eligibility and after de-duplication 934 studies were selected. After screening, 40 references were included for full-text review and thematic synthesis by three researchers. We were interested in the methodologies employed, and grouped findings by whether studies concerned: (1) Uptake and Demographics; (2) Beliefs and Attitudes; (3) Healthcare Worker Focus; (4) Experimental and Psychometric Intervention; (5) Mixed Methods. We identified group and individual level determinants for attitudes, operating directly and indirectly, that influence vaccine uptake. We found that access issues, often ignored within the public “anti-vax” debate, remain highly pertinent. Finally, a consistent theme was the effect of misinformation and lack of knowledge or trust in healthcare, often stemming from the Wakefield controversy. Future COVID-19 immunisation campaigns for children should consider both access and attitudinal aspects of vaccination, and incorporate a range of methodologies to assess progress, taking into account socio-economic variables and the needs of disadvantaged groups.

A diet high in polyphenols is associated with a diversified gut microbiome. Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world, after water. The health benefits of tea might be attributed to the presence of polyphenol compounds such as catechins, theaflavins, tannins, and flavonoids. Although many studies are on tea, little is known of its effects on trillions of gut microbiota. Hence, this review is aimed at systematically studying the effect of tea polyphenols on the stimulation or suppression of gut microbiota in humans and animals. It was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol. Articles were retrieved from PubMed and Scopus databases, and data were extracted from 6 human trials and 15 animal studies. Overall, huge variations were observed in terms of microbiota composition between humans and animals. A more consistent pattern of diversified microbiota was observed in animal studies. Tea alleviated the gut microbiota imbalance caused by high-fat diet-induced obesity, diabetes, and ultraviolet-induced damage. Overall changes in microbiota composition measured by beta diversity analysis showed that tea had shifted the microbiota from the pattern seen in animals that received tea-free intervention. In humans, the prebiotic-like effect was observed towards gut microbiota, but these results appear in lower-quality studies. Beta diversity in human microbiota remains intact despite tea intervention; supplementation with different teas affected different types of bacterial taxa in the gut. These studies suggest that tea polyphenols may have a prebiotic effect in disease-induced animals and in a limited number of human interventions. Further intervention is needed to identify the mechanisms of action underlying the effects of tea on gut microbiota.

Studies on human mobility have a long history with increasingly strong connections to multi-disciplines across social science, environmental science, information and technology, computer science, engineering, and health science. However, what is lacking in the current research is a summary of studies on human mobility to identify the evolutional pathway and future research directions. To address this gap, we conduct a systematic review of human mobility-related studies published from 1990 to 2020. Drawing on the selected publications retrieved from the Web of Science, we conduct a bibliometric analysis and network visualisation by CiteSpace and VOSviewer on publication years and numbers, authors and their countries and afflictions, citations, topics, abstracts, keyword, and journals. Our findings show that human mobility-related studies have become increasingly interdisciplinary and multi-dimensional, enhanced by the involvement of multi-source big data, the development of technologies, the innovation of modelling approaches, and the novel applications in various areas. We also summarise four future research directions proposed by top cited authors and mobility studies, in terms of data sources, modelling methods, applications, and technologies. We advocate in-depth research on human mobility to address real-world problems and contribute to social good as promising future orientations through integrating multi-source big data and advanced modelling methods facilitated by artificial intelligence, and machine and deep learning.

A number of studies have been conducted to improve the accessibility of images using touchscreen devices for screen reader users. In this study, we conducted a systematic review of 33 papers to get a holistic understanding of existing approaches and to suggest a research road map given identified gaps. As a result, we identified types of images, visual information, input device and feedback modalities that were studied for improving image accessibility using touchscreen devices. Findings also revealed that little has studied how to automate the generation of image-related information, and that screen reader users play important roles during the evaluation but the design process. Then we introduce two of our recent studies on the accessibility of artwork and comics, AccessArt and AccessComics respectively. Based on the identified key challenges, we suggest a research agenda for improving image accessibility for screen reader users.

This scoping study aims to explore the relationships between urban green spaces (UGSs) and cancer. We followed the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (protocol published in 2018). Eligibility criteria for papers were: 1) to be concerned with UGSs, 2) reporting effects of UGSs on cancer-related outcomes including direct or indirect measures, 3) reporting randomized controlled trials, prospective cohort studies, case studies, observational studies, non-comparative studies, 4) in English or French. The search covered primary studies in the published and unpublished (grey) literatures searching by hand and electronic databases (MEDLINE, Green File, CINAHL and ScienceDirect). Among 1703 records screened by two reviewers independently, 29 were included for qualitative synthesis. We classify the cancers concerned and the effects reported i.e. protective effect, risk or without association. The most investigated cancers are bladder, breast and lung cancer. Our study also identified contributing factors and their mediating effects between UGSs and cancer. Results highlight the wide variety of possible mediating factors between the use of green spaces and cancer occurrence, remission and/or prevention. Knowledge gaps and future research perspectives should be oriented to qualitative research on protective factors, the role of mental health in recovering from cancer and health inequalities.

In the last decade, the objectives outlined by the needs of personal robotics have led to the rise of new biologically-inspired techniques for arm motion planning. This paper presents a literature review of the most recent research on the generation of human-like arm movements in humanoid and manipulation robotic systems. Search methods and inclusion criteria are described. The studies are analysed taking into consideration the sources of publication, the experimental settings, the type of movements, the technical approach, and the human motor principles that have been used to inspire and assess human-likeness. Results show that there is a strong focus on the generation of single-arm reaching movements and biomimetic-based methods. However, there has been poor attention to manipulation, obstacle-avoidance mechanisms, and dual-arm motion generation. For these reasons, human-like arm motion generation may not fully respect human behavioural and neurological key features and may result restricted to specific tasks of human-robot interaction. Limitations and challenges are discussed to provide meaningful directions for future investigations.

Electric field assisted combustion is an important means to improve fuel combustion efficiency. This paper conducts extensive research on flame characteristics under different forms and different application methods of electric fields, emission of soot particles and simulation status. Different flame parameter measurement methods will lead to different degrees of error, and perfect numerical simulation can make simple predictions on experimental data. Most of the current numerical simulations are in two dimensions, and it is necessary to develop a complete and accurate three-dimensional model to simulate and predict the characteristics of the flame under an electric field. The emission of soot particles is also affected by the electric field, and reasonable electric field parameters can greatly reduce the emission of soot particles. It is recommended to conduct centralized measurement of different fuels under the electric field under high pressure and temperature conditions, so as to be able to develop a wider and more accurate flame dynamics and chemical model under the electric field.

We reviewed the association between seasonal influenza vaccination and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection or complicated illness or poor outcome (e.g. severe disease, need for hospitalization or ventilatory support, or death) among COVID-19 patients. None of the studies that were reviewed (n=12) found a significant increase in the risk of infection or in the illness severity or lethality, while some reported significantly inverse associations. Our findings support measures aimed at raising influenza vaccination coverage in the coming months.

The shipbreaking industry is located predominantly in South Asian countries, and dismantles end-of-life ships to meet national steel demand. There are charges that this industry exploits local environmental, economic and social conditions to boost profits. The majority of this previous research often draws from a single disciplinary point of view that ignores or downplays complexities and trade-offs, precluding realistic policy improvement. Here we review 110 shipbreaking papers published in international peer reviewed journals that are indexed in SCOPUS, Science Direct and Google Scholar. We found that to date, shipbreaking research revolves around the coastal contamination of end-of-life ships waste over many other topics, and lacks critical interdisciplinary studies that explain trade-offs between environmental, social and economic factors that would better inform policy formulations for improvement of worker safety and environmental conditions. We propose a Life Cycle Sustainability assessment (LCSA) framework that could incorporate these trade-offs in a single analysis. We hope this review guides future studies towards more comprehensive sustainability measurement of shipbreaking activities.

Ammonia (NH3), the most prevalent alkaline gas in the atmosphere, plays a significant role in PM2.5 formation, atmospheric chemistry, and new particle formation. This paper reviews quantification of [NH3] through measurements, satellite-remote-sensing, and modeling reported in over 500 publications towards synthesizing current knowledge of [NH3], focusing on spatiotemporal variations, controlling processes, and quantification issues. Most measurements are through regional passive sampler networks. [NH3] hotspots are typically over agricultural regions like the Midwest US and North China Plain, with elevated concentrations reaching monthly averages of 20 and 74 ppbv, respectively. Topographical effects dramatically increase [NH3] over the Indo-Gangetic Plains, North India and San Joaquin Valley, US. Measurements are sparse over oceans, where [NH3] ≈ few tens of ppbv, variations of which can affect aerosol formation. Satellite-remote-sensing (AIRS, CrIS, IASI, TANSO-FTS, TES) provides global [NH3] quantification in the column and at surface since 2002. Modeling is crucial for improving understanding of NH3 chemistry and transport, its spatiotemporal variations, source apportionment, exploring physicochemical mechanisms, and predicting future scenarios. GEOS-Chem (global) and FRAME (UK) models are commonly applied for this. A synergistic approach of measurements↔satellite-inference↔modeling is needed towards improved understanding of atmospheric ammonia, of concern from the standpoint of human health and the ecosystem.

Introduction: Differentiated service delivery (DSD) models for antiretroviral treatment (ART) for HIV are being scaled up in the expectation that they will improve the quality and efficiency of treatment delivery and reduce costs while maintaining at least equivalent clinical outcomes. Even this minimum requirement of equivalent clinical outcomes is poorly documented for most models and settings, however. We reviewed the recent literature on DSD models to describe what is known about clinical outcomes. Methods: We conducted a rapid systematic review of peer-reviewed publications in PubMed, Embase, and the Web of Science and major international conference abstracts that reported outcomes of DSD models for the provision of ART in sub-Saharan Africa from January 1, 2016 to September 12, 2019. Sources reporting standard clinical HIV treatment metrics, primarily retention in care and viral load suppression, were reviewed and categorized by DSD model and source quality assessed. Results and Discussion: Twenty-nine papers and abstracts describing 37 DSD models and reporting 52 discrete outcomes met search inclusion criteria. Of the 37 models, 7 (19%) were facility-based individual models, 12 (32%) out-of-facility based individual models, 5 (14%) client-led groups, and 13 (35%) healthcare worker-led groups. Retention was reported for 73% of the models and viral suppression for 57%. Where a comparison with conventional care was provided, retention in most DSD models was within 5% of that for conventional care; where no comparison was provided, retention generally exceeded 80%. For viral suppression, all those with a comparison to conventional care reported a small increase in suppression in the DSD model; reported suppression exceeded 90% in 11/21 models. Analysis was limited by the extensive heterogeneity of study designs, outcomes, models, and populations. Most sources did not provide comparisons with conventional care, and metrics for assessing outcomes varied widely and were in many cases poorly defined. Conclusion: Existing evidence on the clinical outcomes of DSD models for HIV treatment in sub-Saharan Africa is limited in both quantity and quality but suggests that retention in care and viral suppression are roughly equivalent to those in conventional models of care.

Gross strap muscle invasion (gSMI) in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) was defined as high-risk recurrent group in the 2015 American Thyroid Association guidelines. However, controversy persists because several studies suggested gSMI had little effect on disease outcome. Herein, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate impact of gSMI on outcome of DTC. Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and MEDLINE) for studies published until February 2020 was performed. Case-control studies and randomized controlled trials that studied the impact of gSMI on outcome of DTC were included. Results: Six studies (all retrospective studies) involving 13639 patients met final inclusion criteria. Compared with no extrathyroidal extension (ETE), patients with gSMI were associated with increased risk of recurrence (P=0.0004,OR, 1.46; 95% CI: 1.18 to 1.80) and lymph node metastasis (LNM) (P<0.00001,OR 4.19;95% CI. 2.53 to 6.96). For mortality (P=0.34,OR 1.47;95% CI:0.67 to 3.25), ten-year disease-specific survival (P=0.80, OR 0.91;95% CI:0.44 to 1.88) and distant metastasis (DM) (P=0.21, OR 2.94;95% CI. 0.54 to 15.93), there was no significant difference between gSMI and no ETE group. In contrast with maximal ETE, patients with gSMI were associated with decreased risk of recurrence (P<0.0001,OR, 0.58; 95% CI: 0.44 to 0.76) , mortality (P=0.0003,OR 0.20;95% CI:0.08 to 0.48), LNM (P=0.0003,OR 0.64;95% CI. 0.50 to 0.81) and DM (P=0.0009,OR 0.28;95% CI. 0.13 to 0.59). Conclusions: DTC patients with gSMI had a higher risk of recurrence and LNM than those without ETE. However, in contrast with maximal ETE, a much better prognosis was observed in DTC patients with only gSMI. The findings of our meta-analysis provide supportive evidence for the validity of the T category changes in the 8th edition American Joint Committee on Cancer system. The actual impact of gSMI should be re-evaluated and revised in the recurrent risk stratification system in the future.

The history of Artificial Intelligence (AI) development dates to the 40s. The researchers showed strong expectations until the 70s, when they began to encounter serious difficulties and investments were greatly, reduced. With the introduction of the Industry 4.0, one of the techniques adopted for AI implementation is Machine Learning (ML) that focuses on the machines ability to receive data series and learn on their own. Given the considerable importance of the subject, researchers have completed many studies on ML to ensure that machines are able to replace or relieve human tasks. This research aims to analyze, systematically, the literature on several aspects, including publication year, authors, scientific sector, country, institution, keywords. Analyzing existing literature on AI is a necessary stage to recommend policy on the matter. The analysis has been done using Web of Science and SCOPUS database. Furthermore, UCINET and NVivo 12 software have been used to complete them. Literature review on ML and AI empirical studies published in the last century was carried out to highlight the evolution of the topic before and after Industry 4.0 introduction, from 1999 to now. Eighty-two articles were reviewed and classified. A first interesting result is the greater number of works published by USA and the increasing interest after the birth of Industry 4.0.

Corporate Sustainability (CS) literature has gone through a period of intense development. The moment is favorable to gathering these contributions to consistently advance the state of the art in CS and, also, discuss them to apply in real contexts. The main objective of the paper is to systematize, through a systematic literature review using content analysis of the 30 most cited articles from 2007 to 2017, the guiding pillars of CS management. The systematic search for papers was carried out in Scopus and Web of Science and the initial screening of the papers was assisted by the coding software MAXQDA 2018, through which the authors structured and analyzed their main insights, contributions and conclusions. After getting acquainted with the sample, an in-depth reading of the texts was conducted and 60 CS elements were identified. The elements cited in the relevant literature were grouped into 6 pillars related to Corporate sustainability strategy; Corporate governance; Human resources management; Knowledge and innovation management; Measurement, disclosure and independent assurance; and Management systems and Integrated management systems. The discussion of CS management pillars presented in this study provides understanding to researchers and managers on the main aspects that make up the integration of this construct in the companies, especially from a management point of view.

The variations in socioeconomic status (SES) between different social classes of a population correspond to differences in accessibility to all resources available and able to improve global health. SES can influence global health trajectory for an individual or a community, depending if SES is low or high. Sleep is sensitive to environmental stimuli, as well as living conditions. Plenty of studies linked sleep complaints with mood disorders, allostatic load or circadian disruption; but very few or none investigated deeply what happened earlier to sleep depending of SES. While SES is now known as one of the main determinants for a good health and a good aging, its influence on sleep disorders (SD) is not well understood. SES is a concept, not directly observable but estimated using indicators like income, education, occupational status and area of living. Even if recent evidence suggested that few of SES indicators like occupational status are linked with sleep disturbances, the relation between SES and health in general with sleep as an outcome or a mediator is not well documented. This scoping review synthetized studies which investigated physiological and psychological mechanisms resulting from a low SES and linked them with sleep disturbances as consequences or as mediators. This review also explore a possible role played by sleep in the relation between socioeconomic status and health inequalities.

The digital format opens up new possibilities for interaction with monographic publications. In particular, annotation tools make it possible to broaden the discussion on the content of a book, to suggest new ideas, to report errors or inaccuracies, and to conduct open peer reviews. However, this requires the support of the users who might not yet be familiar with the annotation of digital documents. This paper will give concrete examples and recommendations for exploiting the potential of annotation in academic research and teaching. After presenting the annotation tool of Hypothesis, the article focuses on its use in the context of HIRMEOS (High Integration of Research Monographs in the European Open Science Infrastructure), a project aimed to improve the Open Access digital monograph. The general line and the aims of a post-peer review experiment with the annotation tool, as well as its usage in didactic activities concerning monographic publications are presented and proposed as potential best practices for similar annotation activities.

Bacteriophages, viruses that are widespread throughout the world, are highly specific for bacteria, usually of a single species and often of a particular strain. After being discovered and isolated 100 years ago, their use, called phage therapy, was instituted in medicine two years later and quickly used around the world to treat various bacterial infections. In the West, phage therapy was overshadowed in the second half of the 20th century by antibiotic therapy, which was then thought to be the definitive solution. But because of the increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics, the idea of using bacteriophages in medicine has been reawakened. The innumerable observations reported over the years in the literature constitute an invaluable experience. We and some of our colleagues have, in the last decade treated some patients compassionately. With the available documentation and our own experience we discuss the potential indications and limitations of phage therapy. The observation of the increasing number of therapeutic failures in the announced perspective of a post-antibiotic era, we believe, that the introduction of bacteriophages into the therapeutic arsenal seems conceivable today to two preconditions: that their production as biologic drug meets current regulatory standards and that the benefit-risk assessment was conducted in a modern setting. Phage therapy could be applied as a substitution or supplement to antibiotic therapy under multiple circumstances in different modes, precise indications and limits.

There is increasing evidence that the impact of climate change on the productivity of grasslands will at least partly depend on their biodiversity. A high level of biodiversity may confer stability to grassland ecosystems against environmental change, but there are also direct effects of biodiversity on the quantity and quality of grassland productivity. To explain the manifold interactions, and to predict future climatic responses, models may be used. However, models designed for studying the interaction between biodiversity and productivity tend to be structurally different from models for studying the effects of climatic impacts. Here we review the literature on the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and productivity of grasslands. We first discuss the availability of data for model development. Then we analyse strengths and weaknesses of three types of model: ecological, process-based and integrated. We discuss the merits of this model diversity and the scope for merging different model types.

Food insecurity is an economic and social condition that involves individuals having limited or uncertain access to healthy food. Despite the well-intentioned efforts of both governmental and not-for-profit organizations in addressing food insecurity, well over one-in-ten households in the U.S., the wealthiest nation in the world, experience food insecurity every year. This literature review covered several government programs and research interventions designed to address food insecurity. Results from the review highlight how the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and not-for profit food banks have demonstrated success in improving food insecurity. However, the prevalence of food insecurity among U.S. households has fluctuated without any sustained decreases that achieve a food insecurity rate that remains below 10 percent of the population. Food waste, which refers to food that is edible yet discarded at the retail or consumption phases, is rampant in the U.S., as approximately 30 percent (66.5 million tons) of edible food is wasted after leaving the farm every year. Food waste prevention efforts that involve rescuing edible, nutritious food and redistributing it to individuals who are food insecure can promote both environmental- and public health through simultaneous reductions in food waste and food insecurity.

The changes in body composition during androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in patients suffer from prostate cancer (PCa) are recognized by professionals more often as key for effective treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of ADT on the sarcopenia development in PCa. The following databases were used: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Scopus databases. Out of 2183 studies, 7 were included in this review. The fixed-effect model was used in the meta-analysis. Significant increase in SATI: 0.32 (95%CI: 0.13-0.51) p= 0.001, de-crease in SMI: -0.38 (95% CI: -0.57 to -0.19) p &lt; 0.0001 and SMD: -0.46 (95% CI: -0.69 to -0.24) p &lt; 0.0001 was observed. No statistical association was visible between ADT and changes in BMI: 0.05 (95%CI: -0.18-0.28), p= 0.686 and VATI: 0.17 (95% CI: -0.02 to 0.37), p=0.074. In conclusion, the ADT significantly contributes to the body composition changes and sarcopenia development.

Walnut (Juglans regia L.) is a monoecious species and although it exhibits self-compatibility, presents incomplete overlap of pollen shed and female receptivity. Thus, cross-pollination is prerequisite for optimal fruit production. Cross-pollination can occur naturally by the wind, the insects, artificially, or by hand. Pollen has been recognized as one possible pathway for Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis infection, a pathogenic bacterium responsible for walnut blight disease. Other than the well-known cultural and chemical control practices, artificial pollination technologies with the use of drones could be a successful tool for walnut blight disease management of orchards. Drones may carry pollen and release it over crops or mimic the action of bees or other pollinators. Although this new pollination technology could be regarded as a promising tool, pollen germination and knowledge of pollen as a possible pathway for the dissemination of bacterial diseases remain crucial information for design and manufacture of aerial pollinator robot for walnut trees. Thus, our purpose was to describe a pollination model with fundamental components, the identification of the “core” pollen microbiota, specify an appropriate flower pollination algorithm, design an autonomous precision pollination robot, and minimize the average errors of flower pollination algorithm parameters through machine learning and meta-heuristic algorithms.

The classification and summarization of online reviews using machine learning and deep learningbased approaches are the subject of this systematic literature review. Consumers, companies, and researchers can now find vital information from online reviews. Automatically categorizing and summarizing these reviews can offer useful information and facilitate decision-making. The purpose of this study is to offer a thorough overview of the current methodology, approaches, and developments in this area. The review concentrates on machine learning-based methods for categorization and summarizing tasks, highlighting their advantages, drawbacks, and new developments. This systematic review provides insights into the most recent methodologies and indicates prospective directions for further investigation by synthesizing the data from a wide range of pertinent research publications

The study aimed to determine, through a systematic review, the relationship between Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and the presence of psychopathology in children and adolescents and to determine the existence of differences about the presence of internalising and externalising psychological problems between the RAD group and groups with other disorders or with typical development. Following the PRISMA methodology, a search was carried out in the Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus databases. The search yielded 770 results, of which only 25 met the inclusion criteria. The results, indicate a relationship between the presence of RAD and/or Disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED) with the presence of internalising and externalising problems. These difficulties are more present in children with RAD compared to children without personal difficulties, or children with DSED, children with autism, children with intellectual disabilities or children with hyperactivity. It can be concluded that the presence of RAD has negative consequences on the mental health of children and adolescents, with these being greater in the inhibited group than in the disinhibited group, and with respect to children with autism or hyperactivity.

Neonatal diffuse cutaneous mastocytosis (NDCM) is defined as the infiltration of the epidermis by a clonal proliferation of mast cells, observed at birth, without initial signs of systemic involvement. The typical driver mutation is located in the KIT gene. We report a rare case of a boy, born at term, presenting already at birth with generalized subcutaneous nodules, on the face, scalp, trunk, back, hands, and feet. The spleen, liver and inflammatory markers were normal at birth. Tryptase was significantly elevated. Bone marrow biopsy showed no mast cell involvement at age 2 months. A punch biopsy at age 2 months revealed CD117-positive cells diffusely infiltrating the skin, with subsequent DNA NGS sequencing for the formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue (FFPE) identifying the pathogenic NM_000222.3:c.1504_1509dup; p.(Ala502_Tyr503dup) variant in the KIT gene previously associated with cutaneous mastocytosis. At 2 years follow-up, he had splenomegaly and multiple cervical, and inguinal adenopathy while the skin nodules persisted especially on the scalp with accompanying pruritus. He received oral and local sodium cromoglycate, oral antihistamines, antibiotic cream for skin infection, and iron supplementation, however compliance to treatment was relatively low. The prognosis is difficult to predict, as he developed systemic involvement, failure to thrive and mild psychomotor delay. A case aggregation of NDCM reported in the literature was performed to provide a comprehensive overview of this rare pathology, to better understand the prognosis. NDCM is a life-threatening disease with severe complications. Almost half had severe complications, such as mast hepatosplenomegaly, adenopathy, bacterial infections, mast cell leukaemia, and systemic involvement.

Pharmaceutical poisoning is a significant global public health concern, causing approximately 190,000 deaths yearly. This scoping review aims to comprehensively map the available literature on pharmaceutical poisoning and compare patterns between high-income countries (HICs) and low-middle-income countries (LMICs). A systematic search was performed across the following databases: Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and CINAHL. Studies included were from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2020, in English, with full text available. Seventy-nine articles were included in the study; 21 were from LMICs and 58 were from HICs. The toxic exposure was largely intentional (77%) in LMICs and accidental (68%) in HICs. Drugs acting on the nervous system were responsible for 95% of toxicities worldwide with analgesics accounting for the largest subtherapeutic group in both LMICs (40%) and HICs (58%). Notable statistics were that HICs accounted for 99% of opioid overdoses, and LMICs accounted for 19% of anti-epileptic-induced toxicities. Overall, the medical outcomes of poisonings were generally worse in LMICs. The review provides possible interventions to target specific geographic locations, based on the trends identified, to reduce the burden worldwide. Many gaps within the literature were recognised, calling for more robust analytical research.

Image registration (IR) is a process that deforms images to align them with respect to a reference space, making it easier for medical practitioners to examine various medical images in a standardized reference frame, such as having the same rotation and scale. This document introduces image registration using a simple numeric example. It provides a definition of image registration along with a space-oriented symbolic representation. This review covers various aspects of image transformations, including affine, deformable, invertible, and bidirectional transformations, as well as medical image registration algorithms such as Voxelmorph, Demons, SyN, Iterative Closest Point, and SynthMorph. It also explores atlas-based registration and multistage image registration techniques, including coarse-fine and pyramid approaches. Furthermore, this survey paper discusses medical image registration taxonomies, datasets, evaluation measures, such as correlation-based metrics, segmentation-based metrics, processing time, and model size. It also explores applications in image-guided surgery, motion tracking, and tumor diagnosis. Finally, the document addresses future research directions, including the further development of transformers.

Surgical neurolysis is a procedure designed to liberate an injured nerve from scar tissue or adjacent structure, thereby facilitating nerve regeneration in cases of brachial plexus neuropathy (BPN). This study presents a case series of patients diagnosed with BPN who underwent surgical neurolysis. The primary focus was on the clinical assessment of recovery using the British Medical Research Council motor grading scale (BMRC). Additionally, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to analyze motor recovery outcomes related to surgical neurolysis for BPN. 18 patients with BPN who underwent surgical neurolysis where included. The results experienced a notable increase of 58% in muscle strength as assessed by the BMRC. The average preoperative state of 2.17±1.15 improved significantly to a postoperative condition of 3.44±1.34 (p = 0.003, d= 0.913) The systematic review identified 2298 articles which were selected for qualitative analysis, demonstrated that surgical neurolysis was associated with favorable motor recovery outcomes in 75.82% of the patients. Both the case series and the literature review reveal significant motor recovery following surgical neurolysis. It is crucial to conduct well-designed, adequately powered, randomized, and blinded clinical trials. Such studies will provide robust evidence to support or refute the utility of this approach in motor recovery.

The perceived poor performance of publicly traded companies on their sustainability commitments and the quality of sustainability reporting has prompted stakeholders to consider the economic, environmental, and social impacts of corporate activities. Economic activities have led to various threats in the form of climate change, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, natural disasters, and other issues that have negatively impacted the environment and stakeholders. Companies are expected to report to stakeholders on their sustainability performance, but reality proves that present reporting falls below stakeholders’ expectations mainly due to its still voluntary nature. The present study aims to provide a literature review of the relationship between sustainability reporting and the role of companies governance, especially observing if climate change requirements and energy-needed changes are being accounted. Results highlight mixed evidence for the influence of board governance attributes, providing interesting insights for research advancement. The study has practical implications for businesses, regulators, governments, and other stakeholders in their policy deliberations and investment decisions. Further empirical studies are recommended to re-examine sustainability reporting using the variables identified as important factors and gaps in this study and other board characteristics to improve the generalizability of the results.

This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic roles of various immunohistochemical markers in urothelial carcinoma in situ (uCIS) through a meta-analysis and review of diagnostic test accuracy. Immunohistochemical markers CK20, CD44, AMACR, and p53 were evaluated in the present study. We analyzed the expression rates of immunohistochemical markers and compared their diagnostic accuracies. The estimated expression rates were 0.803 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.726–0.862), 0.142 (95% CI: 0.033–0.449), 0.824 (95% CI: 0.720–0.895), and 0.600 (95% CI: 0.510–0.683) for CK20, CD44, AMACR, and p53, respectively. In the comparison between uCIS and reactive/normal urothelium, the expression of CK20, AMACR, and p53 in uCIS was significantly higher than in reactive/normal urothelium. CD44 showed significantly lower expression in uCIS than in the reactive/normal urothelium. Among the markers, AMACR had the highest sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio. The AUC on SROC was the highest for CK20. In conclusion, immunohistochemical markers, such as CK20, CD44, AMACR, and p53, can be useful in differentiating uCIS from reactive/normal urothelium.

In recent years, Machine Learning (ML) has become a buzzword in the petroleum industry with numerous applications which guide engineers in better decision-making. The most powerful tool that most production development decisions rely on is reservoir simulation with applications in numerous modeling procedures, such as individual simulation runs, history matching and production forecast and optimization. However, all these applications lead to considerable computational time and computer resources associated costs, rendering reservoir simulators as not fast and robust enough, thus introducing the need for more time-efficient and smart tools, like ML models which are able to adapt and provide fast and competent results that mimic the simulator’s performance within an acceptable error margin. The first part of the present study (Part I) offers a detailed review of ML techniques in the petroleum industry, specifically in subsurface reservoir simulation, for the cases of individual simulation runs and history matching, whereas the ML-based Production Forecast Optimization applications will be presented in Part II. This review can assist engineers as a complete source for applied ML techniques since, with the generation of large-scale data in everyday activities, ML is becoming a necessity for future and more efficient applications.

Background: There is considerable evidence to support the association between environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure and children’s burden of disease. However, literature on the health outcomes of prenatal ETS exposure among Chinese children has not yet been comprehensively reviewed. Objective: This systematic scoping review examines the currently available evidence and identifies gaps for further research on the health consequences of prenatal ETS exposure among Chinese children. Methods: Following the JBI scoping review methodological framework, we conducted a computer-aid search of three electronic databases-- PubMed, EBSCOhost, and ProQuest to include studies from January 2011 to May 2023 that addressed the health outcomes of Chinese children whose mothers were exposed to ETS at any stage of the pregnancy. Further, a methodological quality assessment of the selected articles was conducted, using JBI Critical Appraisal Checklists. Results: A total of 30 articles were reviewed, including eleven high-quality studies and nineteen moderate-quality studies. Five main themes, including hypertension, foetal and children’s development, behavioural disorders, respiratory outcomes, and other health outcomes. Majority of studies showed positive link between prenatal ETS exposure and increase risk of preterm birth, and moderately, foetal growth restriction. Few studies explored other potential adverse outcome of ETS, including hypertension, respiratory morbidity, lung function and asthma in their children. Conclusion: The current available evidence on prenatal ETS exposure in Chinese children has unveiled a wide range of health outcomes, including preterm birth, foetal development, behavioural disorders and much more. However, Chinese studies in this area are still lacking and a gap still exists in relation to the strength of association between prenatal ETS exposure and some health risks. Efficient anti-smoking policies and smoking cessation programs should be developed to promote maternal and child health. Further research is also needed to provide better evidence in this field.

Globally, gastric cancer is a major cause of cancer mortality, with a 5-year survival rate of 32% for locally advanced and metastatic gastric cancer. This systematic literature review summarized the clinical, safety, and humanistic outcomes associated with systemic regimens given as first line therapy for locally advanced and metastatic gastric cancer. The search included articles published in English in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting library, from inception to April 2022. Phase II and III randomized controlled trials conducted among western populations diagnosed with stage III and IV locally advanced and metastatic gastric cancer were included. Two investigators independently reviewed the studies, conducted data extraction, and assessed risk of bias in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Twenty-four randomized controlled trials totaling 8,705 patients were included. Median overall survival ranged from 5.0-13.1 months, median progression-free survival ranged from 2.0-7.7 months, and objective response ranged from 13.0-64.1%. Two studies reported higher quality of life outcomes. Grade 3 and 4 adverse events were reported in most studies. Improvement in clinical outcomes can be seen in recently published randomized controlled trials for locally advanced and metastatic gastric cancer.

Design guidelines and the Design Review Panel (DRP) are crucial components in ensuring consistent and high-quality design within masterplan sites. This study focuses on New Zealand, examining the challenges faced by industry partners in adapting to masterplanned design guidelines. The case study centers on Hobsonville Point, the largest Government lead masterplan community in New Zealand, which promotes sustainable and higher-density living—an uncommon concept in the country. We conducted interviews with 18 key stakeholders involved in the development of Hobsonville Point. The results show that the DRP provides flexible judgments and insightful information that better accommodates individual development characteristics than the strict numerical standards specified in design guidelines. This study underscores the importance of DRP in producing good design outcomes, especially when they are involved at the very beginning of the design process. Additionally, we took note of stakeholder concerns about DRP members' expertise and the possible effects of high turnover rates on the design process. To strive for continual improvement, future empirical studies on the DRP process are encouraged to enhance proficiency and dependability. Design guidance should be prioritised to ensure climate-related design is implemented to promote sustainable urban development.

Background Dietary guidelines typically recommend limiting the intake of fresh red meat, yet evidence linking red meat consumption with adverse health outcomes is inconsistent. Objective To assess the level of evidence from existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses and analyze the association between high consumption of red meat and cancer risk and adverse health outcomes. Methods Eight databases were searched to collect systematic reviews and meta-analyses from database inception to December 2022. Two independent reviewers screened and extracted data and used the AMSTAR 2 tool to evaluate methodological quality of the included studies. Meta-analysis was conducted using STATA 17.0. Results A total of 18 studies were included, of which 5 were rated as high quality, 4 as medium quality, 6 as low quality, and 3 as extremely low quality. Of the 9 SRs/MAs included, primary studies with overlap were identified, and 14 studies were eventually included. The meta-analysis results showed that compared with the lowest intake of red meat, the highest intake of red meat was associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.07-1.37), gastric cancer (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.18-1.59), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (OR 1.10.95% CI 1.02-1.19), stroke (RR 1.11, 95% CI 1.03-1.20), type 2 diabetes (RR 1.19 95% CI 1.04-1.37), and ischemic heart disease (RR 1.09, 95% CI 1.06-1.12), as well as a negative effect on total cholesterol (WMD 0.264, 95% CI 0.144-0.383), triglycerides (WMD -0.181, 95% CI -0.349 to -0.013), low-density lipoprotein (WMD 0.198, 95% CI 0.065-0.330), and high-density lipoprotein (WMD -0.065, 95% CI -0.109 to -0.020). However, the associations with breast cancer (RR 1.05 95% CI 1.00-1.11), glycemic control (WMD 0.040, 95% CI 0.049-0.129), and changes in body weight status [overweight (β 0.89, 95% CI 0.48-1.64); obesity (β 1.06, 95% CI 0.30-3.71)] were not significant. Conclusions This comprehensive umbrella review suggests that high consumption of red meat may increase the risk of colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, and that reducing red meat intake is a key modifiable dietary factor for reducing risk. However, there was no significant correlation with breast cancer, kidney stones, age-related eye disease or changes in body weight.

This paper presents a systematic literature review that identifies critical factors impacting the implementation of advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) worldwide. The study utilizes two databases, ProQuest and Compendex, as well as Google Scholar. The study identified eight dimensions that illustrate the critical factors of AMT adoption and implementation: education, planning, top management know-how, technical know-how, business, economic impact, regulations, and social impact. The results highlight a research gap in understanding the need for effective integration among these eight dimensions in developed and developing economies. Consequently, the study recommends the adoption of a broader perspective that considers the role of integration and interaction between critical factors in each category and their impact on AMT implementation. The systematic literature review conducted in this study reviews several critical factors related to the adoption and implementation of AMT.

The digital twin (DT) research field is experiencing rapid expansion, yet the research in industrial practices in this area remains poorly understood. This paper aims to address this knowledge gap by sharing feedback and future requirements from the manufacturing industry. The methodology employed in this study involves an examination of a survey that received 99 responses and interviews with 14 experts from 10 prominent UK organisations, most of which are in the defence industry in the UK. The survey and interviews explored topics such as DT design, return on investment, drivers, inhibitors, and future directions for DT development in manufacturing. The study findings indicate that DTs should possess characteristics such as adaptability, scalability, interoperability, and the ability to support assets throughout their entire life cycle. On average, completed DT projects reach the break-even point in less than two years. The primary motivators behind DT development were identified to be autonomy, customer satisfaction, safety, awareness, optimisation, and sustainability. Meanwhile, the main obstacles include a lack of expertise, funding, and interoperability. The study concludes that the federation of twins and a paradigm shift in industrial thinking are essential components for the future of DT development.

This study aims to determine the role of Industry 4.0 sensors in digital transformation. Using a systematic literature review with a bibliometric analysis, we examine a sample of 52 studies from the SCOPUS database to identify research activity on this topic until December 2022. We find that 2022 was the year with the highest number of peer-reviewed documents on the subject, with 18 publications. We also examine current themes and find that sensors can connect multiple systems and devices, thus enabling machine-to-machine communication and facilitating great precision during product designing, development, and production, thus enabling customization and improving quality. However, despite these benefits, the current sensor technologies face multiple challenges that undermine their maximum adoption.

Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) in architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry is attracting the attention of designers, practitioners, and construction project stakeholders. Digital fabrication (Dfab) and design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) practices are found in current needs for further research and development. The DfMA's conceptual function is to maximize the process efficiency of Dfab and AM building projects. This work reviewed 171 relevant research articles over the past few decades. The concept of DfMA and the fundamentals of DfMA in building and construction were explored. In addition, DfMA procedures associated with Dfab and DfAM, as well as its AM assembly process, were discussed. Lastly, the current machine learning research on DfMA in construction was also highlighted. Large research gaps in the DfMA for Dfab and DfAM can be filled to increase operational efficiency and sustainable practices.

Digital wellbeing concerns the balance and health we may experience in digital use, and the existing studies have focused on adolescents and adults. However, young children are more vulnerable to digital overuse and addiction than adults; thus, their digital wellbeing deserves empirical exploration. This scoping review synthesized and evaluated 35 collected studies on young children’s digital use and their wellbeing that were published until October of 2022 to understand the definitions, measurements, contributors, and interventions. The synthesis of evidence revealed that: (1) there was no consensus about its definition; (2) there were no effective measurements of young children’s digital wellbeing; (3) both child factors (duration and place of digital use, child demographic characteristics) and parent factors (digital use, parental perception, and mediation) contribute to young children’s wellbeing; and (4) there were some effective applications and interventions. This review contributes to the theoretical development by mapping the existing work on young children's digital wellbeing, proposing a model, and identifying the research gaps for future studies.

Pneumoparotid describes the presence of retrogradely insufflated air within the Stensen's duct and/or parotid gland. It is a rare condition with variable causative factors. This study aimed to clarify the clinical characteristics of pneumoparotid; reports in all languages were evaluated fol-lowing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement 2020. A literature search was conducted using electronic medical databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO, Ovid, Google Scholar, SciElo, LILIACS, and others) from 1890 to June 30, 2022. One hundred and seventy patients (mean age; 28.4 years) from 126 studies were reviewed. Common symptoms included swelling (84.7%) and pain (35.9%). Characteristic findings were crepitus in the parotid region (40%) and frothy saliva from the orifice (39.4%). Common etiologies included abnormal habits such as blowing out the cheeks (23.5%), idiopathic (20%), self-induced (15.9%), playing wind instruments such as trumpets or flutes (8.8%), and diseases inducing coughing or sneezing (8.2%). Treatments included antibiotic therapy (30%), behavioral therapy to avoid continuing causative habits (25.9%), psychiatric therapy (8.2%), and surgical procedures (8.2%). Treatment should be individualized based on the etiology. However, the etiology was not identified in 20% of patients. Further detailed data from larger samples are necessary to better understand and improve the recognition of this entity.

Background: Digital clinical measures collected via various digital sensing technologies such as smartphones, smartwatches, wearables, ingestible, and implantable are increasingly used by individuals and clinicians to capture health outcomes or behavioral and physiological characteristics of individuals. Time series classification (TSC) is very commonly used in modeling digital clinical measures. While deep learning models for TSC are very common and powerful, there exist some fundamental challenges. This review presents non-deep learning models commonly used for time series classification in biomedical applications that achieve high performance. Objective: We performed a systematic review to characterize the techniques used in time series classification of digital clinical measures throughout all stages of data processing and model building. Methods: We conducted a literature search on PubMed, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Web of Science, and SCOPUS databases using a range of search terms to retrieve peer-reviewed articles reporting academic research on digital clinical measures in the five year period between June 2016 and June 2021. We identified and categorized research studies based on the types of classification algorithms and sensor input types. Results: We found 452 papers in total from four different databases: PubMed, IEEE, Web of Science Database, and SCOPUS. After removing duplicates and irrelevant papers, 135 articles remained for detailed review and data extraction. Among these, engineered features using time series methods that were subsequently fed into widely-used machine learning classifiers was the most commonly used technique and also most frequently achieved the best performance metrics (77 out of 135 articles). Statistical modeling (24 out of 135 articles) algorithms were the second most common and also second best classification technique. Wavelet-based classification models (8 out of 135 articles) were also common. Electroencephalogram (29 out of 135 articles) was the most common data type used as an input. Accuracy was the most commonly reported performance metric, with 67.65% of articles reporting on accuracy. In this review paper, we provide summaries of signal pre-processing methods, feature engineering and selection methods, time series models, as well as model interpretations. Importantly, we found that about 50% of the papers only report one performance metric, which may result in a skewed view of overall performance. Conclusion: While high time series classification performance has been achieved in digital clinical, physiological, or biomedical measures, no standard benchmark datasets, modeling methods, or reporting methodology exist. There is no single widely used method for time series model development or feature interpretation– many different methods have proven successful.

Background Nitrous Oxide (N₂O) is a dissociative anaesthetic that is sometimes used recreationally. The prevalence of N₂O use is difficult to quantify but appears to be increasing. Research on N₂O harms and application of harm reduction strategies are limited. The aim of this mixed method systematic review was to collate and synthesise the disparate body of research on recreational nitrous oxide use to inform harm reduction approaches tailored for young people. Methods To identify publications reporting recreational use of N₂O, a search of public health, psychology and social science databases was conducted. Databases included PubMed, CIHNAL, PsycINFO, Scopus and Web of Science. Gray literature and Google advanced search were also used. Due to limited published literature on the recreational use of N₂O, no limit was placed on publication date or study type. A thematic synthesis extracted descriptive and analytical themes from the selected studies. Quality appraisal was conducted using the CASP Tool for Qualitative studies and the Joanna Briggs Institute case report assessment tool Results The search retrieved 407 reports. Thirty-four were included in the final analysis including sixteen case reports. The included studies were primarily concerned with raising awareness of the apparently increasing use and subsequently increasing harms of recreational N₂O use. There was limited reference to policy or legislative responses in any published studies, no suggestions for harm reduction strategies or application of service level responses. In general, individuals lack awareness of N2O related harms. Conclusion The review found three key areas that deserve further consideration including: 1) policy, 2) service delivery, and 3) harm associated with N₂O use. We recommend a top-down (policy) and bottom-up (services delivery/services users) approach to harm reduction for N₂O use which also includes further consultation and research with both groups. Future research could explore young people’s experience of N₂O use including benefits and problems to inform contextually relevant harm reduction strategies.

Fifth Generation (5G) communication technology is intended to offer higher data rates, outstanding user exposure, power consumption, and extremely short latency. Such cellular networks will implement a diverse multi-layer model comprising of device-to-device networks, macro-cells, and dissimilar categories of small-cells to assist customers with desired quality-of-service (QoS). This multi-layer model affects several studies that confront utilizing interference management and resource allocation in 5G networks. With the growing need and the lack of resources, the resource distribution problem desires to be focused capably to accomplish the traffic and to enhance network working. One of the utmost serious problems is to alleviate the jamming from the network in support of having a better QoS. However, there are limited review papers written on resource distribution, there is no particularize and organized review carry out in 5G resource allocation. Hence, this article covers and evaluates the argument using a classification of existing developing resource allocation schemes in 5G thoroughly by classifying the schemes to enhance the service quality. This survey comprises the discussion based on metrics used to evaluate the performance. It would also permit ahead beyond evidence on resource allocation methods in 5G and empowers the scholars to meet the present research areas to focus on.

Background: The abrupt implementation of COVID-19 lockdown had impacted the management of diabetes mellitus. Limited access to health facilities and alterations in daily lifestyle put metabolic control among patients at risk. Thus, we observed the differences in metabolic control parameters in diabetic patients before and during the lockdown. Methods: We performed searches from five databases. Meta-analyses were done using random or fixed-effect approaches with glycemic control parameters (HbA1c, RBG, FBG, TIR, TAR, TBR) as primary outcomes. Mean difference (MD), Confidence Interval (CI), and p-value were calculated. Lipid profile presented as secondary outcome. Results: 21 studies with 3992 diabetic patients were included in the study. Meta-analysis presented an increase on HbA1c of T1D and T2D patients [MD=+0.06% (95%CI -0.10–0.23), I²=77%, p=0.45], TBR of T1D patients [MD=-0.05% (95%CI -0.38–0.28), I²=0%, p=0.77], FBG of T2D patients [MD=+3,47 mg/dL (95%CI 1.22–5.73), I²=0%, p=0.002], and lipid profile on qualitative analysis. However, TIR, TAR, and RBG of T1D patients were improved [MD=+3.52% (95%CI 0.29–6.74), I²=76%, p=0.03; MD=-3.36% (95%CI -6.48–-0.25), I²=75%, p=0.03; MD=-0.91 mg/dL (95%CI -4.52–6.34), I²=88%, p=0.74]. Conclusion: Lockdown enforcement did not worsen the glycemic control parameter in diabetic patients. Particular parameters inclined to improve during the lockdown.

Objectives: This meta-analysis was designed to assess the effect of addition of a bead-beating step during DNA extraction to effectively isolate Trichuris trichura DNA for quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR)-based diagnosis. Abstract was reported according to PRISMA-DTA abstract checklist. Methods: Eligibility criteria: qPCR-based molecular studies comparing the inclusion of bead-beating step during the DNA extraction from stool samples with extraction without the step were included in the analysis. Information sources: Studies using real patient samples in community settings were included. PubMed and Google search engine were searched in December 2019. Risk of bias and applicability: Risk of bias and applicability were assessed using QUADAS-2 checklist. Synthesis of results: Odds ratio for individual studies were combined to estimate Random Effects Model odds ratio. Additional literature were searched to discuss biochemical nature of helminth eggs. Results:Included studies: A total of six independent sub-studies were gathered from two published original articles. Division of the two major studies into six sub-studies was indispensable due to natures of the study carried. 128 of total 192 samples (in all studies) were positive for Trichiuris trichiura when bead-beating was used during DNA extraction compared to 108/192 when bead-beating was excluded. Combined odds ratio was 1.66 (95% CI: 1.059 to 2.602). Biochemical nature of helminth eggs was discussed. Discussions: Strengths and limitations: Though only two article were included in the study, six exclusive individual sub-studies were analyzed. Inherent differences in the background prevalence of helminth in study population could impact sensitivity of qPCR. Interpretation: It was found that the inclusion of the bead-beating step during DNA extraction significantly increased the sensitivity of the test.

Background: In the midst of a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic music therapists previously not involved in telehealth had to develop effective remote forms of music therapy. The objective of this review was to systematically explore how music therapists previously working in-person adapted to the transfer to remote forms of therapy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. Methods: We searched Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, CINAHL, Medline, ProQuest Central, PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and PsyARTICLES, grey literature (October 2020), and websites of professional organizations. We followed the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Results: Out of the 194 screened texts, we included ten very heterogenous articles with an overall very low quality. Most texts described remote therapy in the form of synchronous video calls using the Internet, one paper described a concert in a patio of a residential home. We report the authors´ experience with the adaptation and activities, challenges and benefits of remote forms of therapy, recommendations of organizations, and examples and tips for online therapies. Conclusions: Music therapists have adapted the musical instruments, the hours, the technology used, the therapeutic goals, the way they prepared their clients for sessions, and other aspects. They needed to be more flexible, consult with colleagues more, and mind the client-therapist relationship's boundaries. It seems, when taken as a necessary short-term measure, online music therapy works sufficiently well. The majority of papers stated that benefits outweighed the challenges, although many benefits were directly linked with the pandemic context.

Objective: (1) Describe the current literature on the relationship between EDS and SEP and (2) provide recommendations for consideration of SEP in sleep medicine and biomedical research. Methods: Databases Medline/Pubmed, Web of Science, Google scholar and Scopus were screened using PRISMA guidelines and 19 articles were included in the final synthesis. Results: All studies were cross-sectional. Among these studies, 21.05% (n = 4) are focused on children and adolescent and the lasting 88.95% (n = 15) focused on adults and old people. Age ranged between 8 and 17 years old for children/adolescent and ranged from 18 until 102 years old for adults. Main SEP measures presented in these studies were education, income, perceived socioeconomic status and employment. Sample size in these studies varied from N = 90 participants until N = 33865 participants. Overall, a lower educational level, a lower income and full-time employment were associated with EDS. EDS symptoms are prevalent in women, especially those with a low income or no job; and children and adolescents with difficult living conditions or people working part-time reported more sleep disturbances. Conclusions: SEP is already considered as an important determinant for many health outcomes, but if SEP is embedded in experimental design in psychosomatic research, biomedical research and clinical practice as a constant variable regardless of outcome; it will move forward future investigations.

Treating a patient with traumatic brain injury requires an interdisciplinary approach because of the pervasive, profound and protean manifestations of this condition. In this review, key aspects of the medical history and review of systems will be described in order to highlight how the role of any provider must evolve to become a better patient advocate. Although this review is written from the vantage point of a vision care provider, it is hoped that patients, caregivers and providers will recognize the need for the team approach; it truly takes a village.

Dendroclimatology has gained relevance during the XXI century. We analyze the state of-the-art of dendroclimatology in Latin America during the past 28 years (1990 to 2019), identifying the current state and recent advances in the application of dendroclimatology in this region. We carried out a systematic review in ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Scopus databases using Boolean operators to logically connect the keywords “dendrochronology,” “dendroclimatology,” “trend,” “climatic variability,” and “climatic variability trend”, for each country. Dendroclimatological research conducted in the region focused on climatic reconstruction and the evaluation of new tree species with dendrochronological potential, which increase in 2010, then there was a gap between 1995 and 1996, later increase to present. Dendroclimatological studies in Latin America have been mainly developed in temperate climate zones (82.4 %) followed by tropical or subtropical areas (17.6 %). Dendroclimatological research in Latin America has provided advances in the study of climate variability by defining response functions of tree rings to climate. The generated information allows for a better understanding of the spatial and temporal dynamics of climatic variability and about its effects on ecosystems and society. We also call for increased dendroclimatological research based on subtropical and tropical forests limited studied until today.

Recent preclinical studies have shown the potential benefits of short-term calorie reduction (SCR) on cancer treatment. In this integrative review, we aimed to identify and synthesize current evidence regarding the feasibility, process, and effects of SCR in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Ovid Medline, PsychINFO, and Embase were searched for original research articles using various combinations of Medical Subject Heading terms. Among the 311 articles identified, seven studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority of the reviewed studies was small randomized controlled trials or cohort study with fair quality. The results suggest that SCR is safe and feasible. SCR is typically arranged around the chemotherapy with the duration ranging from 24 to 96 hours. Most studies examined the protective effects of SCR on normal cells during chemotherapy. The evidence supports that SCR had the potential to enhance both physical and psychological wellbeing of patients during chemotherapy. SCR is a cost-effective intervention with great potential. Future well-controlled studies with sufficient sample sizes are needed to examine the full and long-term effects of SCR and its mechanism of action.

Purpose: to assess any differences on marginal bone loss between bone-level or tissue-level dental implants through a review of literature until September 2019. Materials and methods: MEDLINE, Embase and other database were searched by two independent authors. The search was limited to articles in English. Results: The search provided 1028 records and, after removing the duplicates through titles and abstracts screening, 45 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. For qualitative analysis 20 articles were included, 17 articles of them for quantitative analysis. A total of 1161 patients (mean age 54,4 years) and 2933 implants were observed, 1427 (Tissue-level) and 1506 (Bone-level). The survival rate and the success rate were more than 90%, except for 2 studies with a success rate of 88% and 86.2%. No studies reported any differences between groups in term of success and survival rates. Three studies showed that BL-implants had statistically less marginal bone loss (P< 0.05). Only one study reported statistically less marginal bone loss in TL-implants (P< 0.05). In the most part of the studies, differences between implant types in marginal bone loss were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Despite to the peri-implant tissue around transmucosal implants has been reported to be inflammation-free because of the absence of bacterial infiltration in the micro-gap between the fixture and abutment, no clinical and radiological differences were highlighted between groups from the included studies after a variable period of follow-up ranged between 1 to 5 years.

The state of community lock-down due to COVID-19 pandemic caused restricted movements of people. There are existing evidence of the negative impact of quarantine and isolation to the mental health of a person in different contexts. A scoping review of literature using Google Scholar was conducted to discover records about the public mental health while in a community quarantine due to COVID-19 pandemic. A methodological approach suggested by Arksey and O’Malley was utilized. It comprised (a) identifying the research questions, (b) identifying relevant literatures, (c) selecting literature, (d) charting the extracted data, and (e) summarizing, analyzing, and reporting the results. As of April 17, 2020, there were only 4 original articles found that discuss psychosocial aspect of the COVID-19 crisis. After an online survey, they present evidence that (1) there is an outward change in the people’s behavior toward self-care during the pandemic and (2) trusting the community governing bodies can minimize the level of anxiety and stress. Other literatures found are original articles in preprint (n=8), letters, commentaries, editorial (n=6), review paper (n=4), and WHO guideline (n=1). It is evident that the psychosocial aspect of COVID-19 crisis needs more attention from the scholars and a large research gap can be lessened trough expansion of online platforms.

A systematic review of the potential of implementing augmented reality (AR) in inquiry-based learning was conducted. We considered the purposes, potential advantages, application characteristics and the effects of using AR in inquiry-based learning. The findings reveal that AR, in the context of inquiry-based learning, is mostly implemented successfully to achieve cognitive and, less often, motivational and emotional learning goals. The AR solutions have mainly been applied in the Conceptualization and less in the Investigation phase. The affordances of AR in the Orientation, Conclusion and Discussion phase need to be applied in further studies.

Academic publishing is undergoing a highly transformative process, and many rules and value systems that were in place for years are being challenged in unprecedented forms leading to the evolution of novel ways of dealing with new pressures. One of the most important aspects of an integrated and valid academic literature is the ability to screen publications for errors during peer review to weed out mistakes, fraud and inconsistencies, such that the final published product represents a product that has value, intellectually, and otherwise. It is difficult to claim the existence of perfect manuscripts. The level of errors that exist in a manuscript will depend on the rigor of the research group and of the peer review process that was used to screen that paper. When errors slip into a final published paper, either through honest error or misconduct, and are not detected during peer review and editorial screening, but are spotted during post-publication peer review, an opportunity is created to set the record straight, and to correct it. To date, the most common forms of correcting the literature have been errata, corrigenda, expressions of concern, and retractions. Despite this range of corrective measures, which represent artificially created corrals around pockets of imperfect literature, certain cases do not quite fit this mold, and new suggested measures for correcting the literature have been proposed, including manuscript versioning, amendments, partial retractions and retract and replace. In this commentary, a discussion of the evolving correction of the literature is provided, as are perspectives of the risks and benefits of such new measures to improve it.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disease mediated by the immune system and characterized by the inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. This study is to understand how the use of parenteral nutrition (PN) can affect the adult population diagnosed with IBD. We conducted a systematic review, meta-analysis and a meta-regression. On the different databases, (MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane, LILACS, CINAHL, WOS) we found 119 registers, the accuracy was 16% (19 registers); After a Full-text review, only 15 research studies were selected for qualitative synthesis and 10 for Meta-analysis and Meta-regression. The variables used were Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (CDAI), albumin, body weight (BW) and post-operative complications (COM). PN has shown to have efficacy for the treatment of IBD and is compatible with other medicines. The CDAI and albumin improve although the effect of PN are greater after a while. However, the effect on the albumin could be less than the observed value in the meta-analysis, due to a possible publication bias. The BW does not change after intervention. COM utilizing PN has been observed, although the proportion is low.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disease mediated by the immune system and characterized by the inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. One of the possible treatments for this pathology is a change in the type of diet, the enteral nutrition (EN) is one of them. This study is to understand how the use of EN can affect the adult population diagnosed with IBD. We conducted a systematic review, meta-analysis and a meta-regression. On the different databases, (MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane, LILACS, Cinhal, WOS) we found 363 registers, the accuracy was 12% (44 registers); After a Full-text review, only 30 research studies were selected for qualitative synthesis and 11 for Meta-analysis and Meta-regression. The variables used were Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (CDAI), C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR). EN has shown to have efficacy for the treatment of Crohn’s Disease and is compatible with other medicines. As for the CDAI or the rates of remission, there were no differences between enteral and parenteral nutrition. Polymeric formulas, have shown better results with respect to the CRP. The long-term treatment could dilute the good CDAI results that are obtained at the start of the EN treatment.

In the recent decade, Building Information Modelling (BIM) has widely been adopted in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry and completely upended the way we build. While BIM continues gain momentum in the industry, it has also attracted increasing attentions from researchers. However, most of the current study focuses on reviewing BIM for management, BIM for green building, BIM for infrastructure and BIM for Facilities Management (FM). There are few studies about Global BIM review and to discuss their complex inter-connections. In this study, we adopted a scientometric analysis method to review global BIM research from 2004-2019. A total of 1455 scholarly bibliographic records obtained from Web of Science Core Collection databased were established for the analysis. This study has identified the top productive and influential researchers, research institutes, regions/countries, subject categories and journals in the BIM field. In addition, 11 clusters of Global BIM research were also identified including construction project, green BIM, construction safety planning, automated IFC-based workflow and so on. Authors distinguished 11 clusters of global BIM research into 3 stages, namely formulating stage, accelerating stage and transforming stage. Furthermore, authors reviewed the BIM policy of Singapore and observed there is a co-production relationship between evolution of BIM policy and global BIM research. These findings provide valuable information for researchers, practitioners and policy makers by visualizing the current progress in the research field of BIM and highlighting future research needs.

Introduction: The purposes of this study were to seek for overall ratio (OR) and anterior ratio (AR) patients data in normal occlusion and Angle’s malocclusion studies, and to assess if such results support Bolton’s standards as general references. Methods: Pubmed, Medline, CENTRAL and Scholar databases were searched up to February 2018 (CRD42018088438). Gray literature was explored through OpenGray. Non-randomized clinical studies, published in English and assessing Bolton’s OR and AR in normal occlusion and Angle’s malocclusion groups (Class I, Class II, Class II division 1, Class 2 division 2, Class III) patients were included. OR and AR means and standard deviations (SD) were collected. Potential covariates (study design, publication year, country where the study was conducted, number of cases, gender, mesiodistal measurement method, and calibration method) were also extracted. The National Health Heart Lung, and Blood Institute’s Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies was used to assess each included studies quality. Pairwise Random-Effects and Multilevel Bayesian Network Meta-Analyses were used to synthesize available data. Results: Fifty-two observational studies were included (8872 participants; male/females 2674/3272; 16 studies lacked gender information). For normal occlusion, global pooled estimates for OR and AR means were 91.74% (95% CI: 91.37-92.10) and 78.24% (95% CI: 77.85-78.63), respectively. We could identify on Angle’s Class III patients meaningful OR and AR mean deviations from normal occlusion (0.89, 95% credible interval [CrI], 0.66-1.12, and 0.66, 95% CrI, 0.38-0.94, respectively), while on Class I patients we found a meaningful mean deviation from normal occlusion only for OR (0.25, 95% CrI, 0.03-0.47). Concerning gender impact, male patients presented higher OR (0.30, 95% CI 0.00-0.59) and AR (0.41, 95% CI 0.00-0.83) mean values than females in Class I. Conclusions: The results show that global pooled OR and AR mean values for normal occlusion patients are slightly above Bolton’s original values. Class I, for OR mean values, and Class III, for both OR and AR, are proportionally larger than normal occlusion patients. Gender had almost no impact on teeth mesiodistal proportion.

Many pilot-based initiatives have been developed to promote awareness and use of climate information services among vulnerable smallholder farmers in Africa through million-dollar investments. However, despite their experimental nature, these pilot projects have been successful in raising participating farmers’ awareness and use of climate information services and they can inform transferrable good practices. Through a systematic literature review approach, this review sought to understand ways in which these past pilot projects have contributed to climate risk management in the context of smallholder farming and the factors that led to their success. Results showed that climate information services main contribution to climate risk management has been through facilitating farm level decision making. Factors that led to success of the pilots include: use of downscaled information; building institutional partnerships to add value to climate information; involving farmers through the co-designing and co-developing process; face-to-face way of communication; embedding pre-seasonal workshops in the activities of local institutions for sustainability; using diversity of communication channels to enhance reach among others. These factors can be borrowed as good practices to inform future efforts focused on increasing adoption of climate information services among a wider population beyond pilot project reach.

The impact of instructional guidance on learning outcomes in higher biomedical education is subject of intense debate. There is the teacher-centered or traditional way of teaching (TT) and, on the other side, the notion that students learn best under minimal guidance (problem-based learning, PBL). Although the benefits of PBL are well-known, there are aspects susceptible to improvement. Hence, a format merging TT and PBL (hybrid-PBL, h-PBL) may advance education in biomedical sciences. Here, we systematically reviewed studies that employed h-PBL in higher biomedical education compared to TT and/or pure PBL. We found that h-PBL resulted in better overall students’ performance and perception than TT or pure PBL. These findings encourage more research on investigating the pedagogical benefits of h-PBL and posit an eclectic system in which the pedagogical tools from TT and PBL are used cooperatively in the best interest of the education and satisfaction of the students.

With recent focus on deep neural network architectures for development of algorithms for computer-aided diagnosis (CAD), we provide a review of studies within the last 3 years (2015-2017) reported in selected top journals and conferences. 29 studies that met our inclusion criteria were reviewed to identify trends in this field and to inform future development. Studies have focused mostly on cancer-related diseases within internal medicine while diseases within gender-/age-focused fields like gynaecology/pediatrics have not received much focus. All reviewed studies employed image datasets, mostly sourced from publicly available databases (55.2%) and few based on data from human subjects (31%) and non-medical datasets (13.8%), while CNN architecture was employed in most (70%) of the studies. Confirmation of the effect of data manipulation on quality of output and adoption of multi-class rather than binary classification also require more focus. Future studies should leverage collaborations with medical experts to aid future with actual clinical testing with reporting based on some generally applicable index to enable comparison. Our next steps on plans for CAD development for osteoarthritis (OA), with plans to consider multi-class classification and comparison across deep learning approaches and unsupervised architectures were also highlighted.

Observing customers is one of the methods to uncover their needs. By closely observing how customers use products, we can indirectly experience their interactions and gain a deep understanding of their feelings and preferences. Through this process, companies can design new products that have the potential to succeed in the market. However, traditional methods of customer observation are time-consuming and labor-intensive. In this study, we propose a method that leverages the analysis of online customer reviews as a substitute for direct customer observations. By correlating Customer Journey Map (CJM) with online reviews, this research establishes a verb-centric analysis that produces a CJM based on online review data. Various Text analysis techniques were utilized in this process. Through empirical data analysis, we validated that indirect observation based on customer reviews can be performed more efficiently than traditional methods. Additionally, we observed that the customer behavior VOC (Voice of Customer) identified during the CJM mapping process offers unique insights that are distinct from traditional product feature-centric review analyses. To verify the usefulness of these behavior VOC, we evaluated the quantitative analysis results of the same reviews through product development experts. Experts recognized these customer behavior VOC as useful information for developing new products.

With the rapid development of tumor immunotherapy, nanoparticle vaccines have attracted much attention as a potential therapeutic strategy. The potential role of the mannose-modified lipid calcium phosphate nanoparticle vaccine in enhancing the anti-tumor immune response was investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of mannose modification on the immune response of nanoparticles in regulating the tumor microenvironment through systematic review and analysis and to explore its potential clinical application in tumor therapy. Currently, despite the potential advantages of nanoparticle vaccines in immunotherapy, achieving an effective immune response in the tumor microenvironment remains a challenge. Tumor immune escape and overexpression of immunosuppressive factors limit its clinical application. Therefore, this study will explore how to intervene in the immunosuppressive mechanism in the tumor microenvironment through mannose-modified lipid calcium phosphate nanoparticle vaccines so as to improve the immunotherapy effect of tumor patients and provide new ideas and strategies for the field of tumor therapy.

External audit reliance issues on the internal audit function (IAF) are increasingly important in financial auditing, yet its application in audit engagements lags behind other applications. Despite the belief that audit reliance will shape auditing in the future, limited and intervalley publications explore this transformative potential. This paper investigates the increasing importance of external audit reliance issues in financial auditing. It investigates the use of the IAF in external audit reliance decisions and its potential to enhance audit quality, process transparency, and stakeholders' credibility. Through a systematic literature review of 68 scientific articles from 1984 to 2022, factors influencing external auditors' dependence on the IAF are analyzed, including IAF work quality, assistance type, organizational factors, customer pressure, and business risk. The review highlights the IAF's crucial role in improving financial reporting integrity and external audit effectiveness. However, the challenges that allowed external auditors to decide whether to rely on the works of IAF like limited disclosures and accessible data hinder assessing IAF reliance effects, leading to information asymmetry that may impact stakeholder confidence. The paper discusses implications, limitations, and future research directions to explore technology adoption and optimize audit practices, promoting transparency in the audit process.

Due to environmental concerns, natural refrigerants and their use in refrigeration and air conditioning systems are receiving more attention from manufacturers, end users and the scientific community. The study of heat transfer and pressure drop is essential for accurate design and more energy efficient cycles using natural refrigerants. The aim of this work is to provide an overview of the latest outcomes related to heat transfer and pressure drop correlations for ammonia, propane, isobutane and propylene and to investigate the current state of the art in terms of operating conditions. Available data on the existing correlations of heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop for natural refrigerants have been collected through a systematic search. Whenever possible, validity intervals are given for each correlation and the error is quantified. It is the intention of the authors that this could be a valuable support for researchers and an aid to design, with particular reference to heat pumps. A procedure based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was adopted, and the Scopus database was used to query the relevant literature. A total of 135 publications qualified for inclusion in the survey; 34 articles report experimental investigations for not usual geometric conditions. Of the 101 selected papers related to usual geometric conditions, N = 50 deal only with HTC, N = 16 deal only with pressure drop and the remainder (N = 35) analyse both HTC and pressure drop. Among the 85 HTC papers (N = 53) deal with the evaporating condition, N = 30 with condensation and only N = 2 with the heat transfer correlations under both conditions. Most of the 101 articles concern propane and isobutane. The high temperatures are less widely investigated.

(1) Background: Burnout syndrome results from chronic stress in the work-place. The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a heavy workload on health professionals, doctors and nurses to respond to first-line health care during the first two years of an emergency caused by this virus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of burnout in healthcare personnel, doctors and nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) Methods: This was a review of reviews on the prevalence of professional burnout syndrome in healthcare personnel, doctors and nurses before or during the COVID-19 pandemic, without language restrictions or missing data from the Cochrane Library electronic databases. In total, 48,657 articles were obtained from Pub-Med/MEDLINE and the Web of Science. (3) Results: After completing the examination, 20 articles were included in the review. Of these articles, 7% included nurses in their study population, 72% interviewed doctors from different specialties, and the remaining 21% reported personnel data. Healthcare as a whole: In total, 624 articles with 233,087 participants were included. Regarding the prevalence by subscale, a PD of 33% (95% CI; 33%- 34%), an AE of 37% (95% CI; 37%- 37%) and a PR of 29% (95% CI) were found. %; 29% and 29%). ; (4) Conclusions: The incidences of DP and AE are high, and that of RP is low. These findings demonstrate the high prevalence of burnout according to subscale. Burnout is a problem of great magnitude, and as such, interventions must be implemented immediately at the individual and group levels by institutions and health systems.

The present review compared the efficacy of soft tissue substitutes (STS) and autogenous free gingival graft (FGG) or connective tissue graft (CTG) in mucogingival procedures to increase keratinized tissue (KT) width around teeth and implants. Two independent examiners performed the electronic search on Medline and Cochrane Library based on the following PICO’s format: (P) adult patients; (I) soft tissue substitutes and FGG/CTG; (C) STS vs CTG; STS vs FGG; STS vs CTR; (O) KT width gain; (S) Systematic Reviews, Randomized Controlled Trials. Results showed that around teeth, all biomaterials showed superior performance compared to CAF alone for treating gingival recessions. However, when compared to CTG, ADM yields the most similar outcomes to the gold standard (CTG), even though in multiple recessions CTG still continue to be considered the most favorable approach. Use of STSs (acellular matrix or tissue engineered) in combination with an apically positioned flap resulted in a significantly less gain of KTW compared to what achieved with FGG and APF. Around dental implants, free gingival grafts were deemed more effective than soft tissue substitutes in enhancing keratinized mucosa width.

We conducted this systematic review with the objective to understand the efficacy and safety of proton pump inhibitors [PPIs] in the pediatric population. We have used PubMed to identify randomized controlled trials [RCTs] published between 1st June 2010 and 30th June 2023, in patients from birth to 18 years old, with gastroesophageal reflux disease [GERD], who received treatment with any PPI. The literature yielded 76 articles and 13 met inclusion criteria. For infants, PPIs were equal to placebo in reducing GERD symptoms in 4 articles. In 1, the number of GER episodes and esophageal acid exposure were lower in infants who received PPIs and left lateral position, but there was no significant improvement in symptoms. In another publication, the combination of PPIs and feeding modifications [FM] was not more effective than PPIs alone. For children and adolescents, PPIs were effective in improving symptoms and achieving mucosal and histological healing, which was subsequently maintained. To conclude, PPIs are not effective to reduce symptoms related to GERD in infants, but are effective in older children, along with histological remission. Generally, PPIs are well tolerated, but it is important to not forget the possible adverse events [AE], especially if they are used for a long time.

Cultures in Mediterranean climate zones (MCZs) around the world have long been reliant on groundwater and springs as freshwater sources. While their ecology and cultural sustainability are recognized as critically important, inter-relationships between springs and culture in MCZs has received little attention. Here we augmented a global literature review with case studies in MCZ cultural landscapes to examine the intensity of cultural and socio-economic impacts on springs ecohydrogeology. MCZs are often oriented on the west and southern coasts in tectonically active landscapes, which control aquifer structure, the prevalence of westerly winds, and aridity, and generally expose associated habitats to harsh, afternoon sunlight. Cultural appreciation and appropriation of springs ranges widely, from their use as subsitence supplies to profound traditions, such as Greco-Roman nymphs, and Asian and Abrahamic spiritual cleansing and baptism. Commoditization of water resources for agriculture, industry (e.g., mining, water bottling, geothermal resorts), and urban needs is placing ever-increasing, non-sustainable demands on aquifers and springs. When economic values approach or exceed cultural values, these irreplaceable aquatic resources are degraded and lost. Sustainable stewardship of springs and the aquifers that support them are a little-recognized, but central conservation challenge for modern society facing global climate changes.

The emergence of digital twins (DTs) represents a recent advancement in technological processes that support the planning, construction, and oversight of constructed assets. A DT is essentially a digital model that facilitates simulations and two-way information exchange with its real-world counterpart (a physical twin), creating opportunities for data-driven decision-making. Despite the promising prospects of DTs, both the technology and the methodologies for developing them, as well as their potential applications, remain not fully understood in both academic and industrial contexts. This research explores the applications of DTs for the management of existing assets within the AEC/FM industry. The study presents the results of a comprehensive literature review that explores existing knowledge in this domain. The findings reveal that procedures for creating DTs are still in their early stages, emphasizing potential applications in asset management throughout their lifespan, facilitating sustainability upgrades, and supporting the maintenance and restoration of heritage assets. The review concludes by providing recommendations for future research in this evolving field.

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a disease of colon or rectum the part of digestive system. DNA methylation is a process of gene expression by recruiting protein which involve in gene repression, or inhibiting the binding of transcription factors to DNA. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been attracting major interest as potential biomarker in cancer. Hereditary nonpolyposis of colorecta cancer (HNPCC) is a type of genetic change (mutation) in a family. Our aims to do a systematic review on DNA methylation and miRNAs serve as candidate clinical biomarkers in HNPCC. Materials and methods: Electronic databases (Medline, PubMed and Scopus data bases). We searched to identify publication all over the world related colorectal cancer and miRNA. Selection was based on the design (CRC, invasive CRC, Colon or rectum, HNPCC, microRNA, circulating miRNA, non-coding RNA), 87 papers from PubMed and 15 papers from Scopus were selected all over the world. CRC, target antigens, methodologies used for detection and miRNA expression were identified and summarized. Results: A total of 96 articles were searched, 87 articles from scopus and 9 articles from PubMed. 20 duplicates removed and remain 76, 52 excluded after screened the titles and abstracts; and remain 24, 10 full texts articles were excluded with reason, and 14 identifications were included in the studies. Conclusion: The findings of this systematic review showed that DNA methylation and mircroRNA in HNCC patients as a genetic mutation or a promoter in colorectal cancer.

The COVID-19 virus is spread to the respiratory system by minute airborne particles in contrast to large particle fomite transmission. Yet, an often-repeated health directive during the COVID-19 pandemic was to improve handwashing to limit the spread of the virus. Persistent handwashing can aggravate obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), diminishing mental health. Given that handwashing is unlikely to control the spread of COVID-19, it is pertinent to determine if the directive for handwashing to eradicate the COVID-19 virus increased the incidence of OCD and, as such, promoted negative mental health. This scoping review of the parameter, “handwashing, mental health, COVID-19, OCD”, conducted during July 2023, searched six relevant databases. The result was that negative mental health related to increased handwashing was evident both for those already diagnosed with OCD and regarding new cases of OCD throughout the duration of the pandemic. The conclusion is that health officials should update details of their health directives as information becomes available during a pandemic and, concerning COVID-19, the directive to concentrate on handwashing should have been relaxed once it was known that spread of the virus by fomite transmission was improbable. This likely would have reduced the incidence of OCD and improved mental health.

In order to cope with the challenges of physical and psychological aging in the indigenous people in Taiwan, most of the tribes in Taiwan set up cultural health stations for indigenous elderly. These community care facilities have practiced many health promotion activities, such as the reminiscence, life review, and arts activity. However, there was little exploration into the benefit of indigenous people’s practice the life review activity in Taiwan—the gap this study aimed to fill. This study adopts life review therapy through a set of innovative life review activity designs in indigenous older adults, including activity planning, and indigenous cultural elements. A qualitative study design using semi-structured interviews was used to obtain data from a purposive sample. Ten participants who assessed to the cultural health stations services and participated in the life review activities of the indigenous older adults in southern Taiwan were interviewed individually. The data were analyzed using Graneheim and Lundman’s qualitative content analysis. The theme—“experiences and benefits of participating”—and two categories with six subcategories emerged. The results demonstrated that the participation of the indigenous elderly in life review activities with cultural elements had obvious benefits for their mental health. Life review therapy can be incorporated as a supplementary LTC treatment for the indigenous people, thereby, promoting the positive emotions of the indigenous elderly.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy and the second cause of cancer specific death in women from high-income countries. More than 70% of all breast cancer are hormone receptor-positive BC, and elevated estrogen circulating in blood has been proved to be a strong risk for BC development. This is due to its contribution to enhance proliferation of cancerous cells, angiogenesis and metastasis stimulation and therapy resistance. The estrogen (E) metabolism–gut microbiome axis is functional with underlying individual variations in E levels. It is reasonable that the estrobolome (bacterial genes whose products are capable of metabolizing E) could contribute to the risk of hormone-driven malignancies including BC and may serve as a potential biomarker and target. Gut microbial β -glucuronidase (GUS) enzymes have been suggested to be involved in the estrobolome. Furthermore, bacterial GUS enzymes within the gastrointestinal tract have been postulated to contribute to hormone breast cancer. In this review, we discuss the recent knowledge about the role of GUS enzyme in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. We focus on the role of GUS in (i)-the microbioma and estrogen metabolism, (ii) diet, estrobolome, and the BC development, (iii) other activities of the bacterial β-glucuronidase, and (iv) the new molecular target for BC therapeutic application.

The abnormal accumulation of cells in the human brain, if left untreated, may cause brain damage. Management and treatment of these tumours require an early and accurate diagnosis, while their prognostic characterisation can also be beneficial in the choice of care planning for the patient. CDSSs are being continuously developed and integrated into routine clinical practice as they assist clinicians and radiologists to deal with an enormous amount of medical data, reduce clinical errors, and improve diagnostic capabilities. They assist detection, classification, and grading of brain tumours as well as alerting physicians of requirement of change in treatment plans. The aim of this systematic review is to identify various CDSSs used in brain tumour diagnosis and prognosis, that rely on data captured by any imaging modality. Based on the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, the literature search was conducted in PubMed and Engineering Village Compendex databases. This review examines various CDSS tool types, system features, techniques used, accuracy, and outcome, to provide the latest evidence available in the field of neuro-oncology. An overview of different types of CDSSs used to support clinical decision-making in the management and treatment of brain tumours, along with highlighting their benefits, challenges, and future perspectives has been provided.

Remittances are essential to economies in mountainous regions that face massive labour migration due to limited income generation and employment opportunities. In 2021, the share of remittances to GDP in the top 10 mountainous economies in the world was over 20%. Nonetheless, most are characterized by relatively lower GDP per capita and high poverty levels. Drawing a comparison with other mountainous areas, Phuthadjthaba, an emerging mountainous and border city of South Africa with Lesotho, faces similar out-migration and inferior socio-economic parameters. A global systematic literature review on the impact of remittances on livelihoods specifically targeting mountainous areas is missing. We, therefore, interrogate the role remittances can play in Phuthadijthaba. To inform our intended research, we seek to draw lessons from evidence on how migration and remittances affect mountainous communities globally. Accordingly, we carry out a systematic literature review (SLR) based on an updated Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) 2020 statement supported by Bibliometric (co-word) Analysis (BA) in VOSViewer. We collected data from Scopus and Dimensions websites and drew 165 publications, of which only 88 were included after exclusion and inclusion assessments. PRISMA results show that Mountain Research and Development, King Russell, and Nepal is the most productive and cited journal, the most productive and cited author, and the most researched country, respectively. Bibliometric analysis on keyword co-occurrences reveals women, agriculture, labour migration, land management, forest, and poverty, to be the research hotspots. In light of these findings, we proffer important recommendations to future researchers and policymakers.

Consumption is thus fundamentally related to sustainably because every decision pertaining to what to buy, what quantity the buy, how many to consume, or how to dispose of things has a direct influence on the natural world and the generations to come, and the overall impact of every single the customer's purchase is disastrous. A framework-based systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to better comprehend the body of research on digital innovation and sustainability driving consumer behavior. This was done in order to acquire a deeper understanding of the studies that have already been done in this area. to provide (i) a comprehensive review of the current research landscape and (ii) a rich roadmap for future research. This study evaluated the literature especially in terms of theory, context, traits, and methodology. A total of 107 research articles published between 2013 and 2022 were found using scientific methods in the Scopus database. The findings showed that most research appears to have employed qualitative methodologies and was grounded in the setting of China and Italy. This review could help scholars better grasp the relationship between digital innovation and sustainability, opening the door for additional study and advancement in the field. Additionally, by extending the literature study and emphasizing the elements that can improve digital innovation and sustainability, practitioners will be given a better overall understanding of how to approach the problem.

Introduction: Periodontitis is a severe oral infection that can contribute to systemic inflammation. A large body of evidence suggests a role for systemic inflammation in the initiation of neurodegenerative disease. This systematic review synthesized data from observational studies to investigate the association between periodontitis and neuroinflammation in adults. Methods and materials: A systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) was performed for studies published from the date of inception up to September 2021. Search terms for the exposure “oral disease” and outcome “dementia”, “neuroinflammation” and “cognitive decline” were used. Study selection and data extraction were independently undertaken by two reviewers. The final eligible articles were included only if the exposure is periodontitis and the outcome is cognitive impairment or dementia or a topic related to this condition, and if the study was conducted in an adult population. The quality and risk of bias were assessed by Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS). Qualitative synthesis was used to narratively synthesize the results. Six cohort studies, three cross-sectional studies, and two case-control studies met the inclusion criteria. These eleven studies were only narratively synthesized. Meta-analysis was not performed due to the methodological heterogeneity of the studies. Results: All the included studies show evidence of an association between periodontitis and cognitive im-pairment or dementia and Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Conclusion: Nonetheless, the mechanisms responsible for the association between periodontitis and dementia are still unclear.

Melasma is a challenging chronic skin condition associated with hyperpigmentation and un-known etiology. This scoping review mapped evidence of available treatments and their effectiveness in darker skin types. A comprehensive, systematic online search was conducted in Scopus, PubMed, CINAHL Complete, Cochrane, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science Core Collection. All eligible titles were exported to an Endnote20 library. Thematic content analysis was performed to summarise data on current melasma treatments for darker skin types. The quality of included articles was appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) 2018 version. A total of 2863 articles were retrieved from the databases, and 10 met the eligibility criteria following abstract and full-text screening. Our findings demonstrate that topical treatments, chemical peels, lasers, and tranexamic acid are common treatment modalities used in darker skin types. Although these treatments may be effective in the short term, they bring about un-desirable side effects and sometimes worsen or result in reoccurrences of melasma. Based on the evidence mapped, current treatment modalities are not suitable for darker skin types. There are very few studies conducted on individuals of African descent. Further research is necessary to investigate treatment interventions which may be user-friendly when dealing with darker skin types.

Coumarin is an effective treatment for primary lymphoedema, as well as lymphoedema related to breast cancer radiotherapy or surgery. However, its clinical use is limited in several countries due to the possible occurrence of hepatotoxicity, mainly in the form of mild to moderate transaminase elevation. Noteworthy, only few cases of severe hepatotoxicity have been described in literature, with no reported cases of liver failure. Data available on coumarin absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion have been reviewed, focusing on hepatotoxicity studies carried out in vitro and in vivo. Finally, safety and tolerability data from clinical trials have been thoroughly discussed. On the basis of these data, coumarin-induced hepatotoxicity seems to be restricted to a small subset of patients, probably due to the expression of specific alleles of CYP450 isoform not yet well characterized. In summary, more research is needed in order to identify patients at risk of developing hepatotoxicity following coumarin treatment, in order to improve the risk/benefit ratio of the product and allow more patients to benefit from its therapeutic properties.

Bus services play a significant role as the main public transportation, especially in urban areas throughout the years. Since bus services compete greatly with other types of public transportation, such as e-hailing service and private vehicles, they have recently attracted scholars to conduct many relevant studies. However, most past research studies in the Asian region were not focused on engineering, social science, and Internet of Things (IOT). This present study concentrated on the service quality of bus services in Asia by using systematic literature review of articles. This study conducted a review based on previous studies, specifically on the service quality of performance. Several previous studies were selected by using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRIMSA) approach. SCOPUS and Science Direct were chosen as the main journal database. By using this method, 41 articles were selected for further analysis. This study was merely focused on three primary themes, such as study approach, stakeholder, and service quality attributes. Advanced analysis on these primary themes was used to formulate another 18 sub-themes. All themes and sub-themes which reflected the significant impacts of service quality towards bus services were discussed in detail. This study had addressed several qualities of bus services of bus performance towards improvement of urban transportation polices. Lastly, several recommendations that could provide necessary knowledge and information for future research were presented.

We performed Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA) to suggest frontline treatments for patients with high PD-L1 expression (at least 50%). A total of 5,237 patients from 22 studies were included in this NMA. In terms of progression-free survival, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) plus bevacizumab plus chemotherapy had the highest surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) value (98.1%), followed by ICI plus chemotherapy (82.9%). In terms of overall survival (OS), dual immunotherapy plus chemotherapy had the highest SUCRA value (79.1%), followed by ICI plus bevacizumab plus chemotherapy (73.4%). However, there was no significant difference of survival outcomes among treatment regimens combined with immunotherapy. Moreover, ICI plus chemotherapy failed to reveal a significant OS superiority to ICI monotherapy (hazard ratio = 0.978, 95% credible internal: 0.771-1.259). In conclusion, this NMA indicates that ICI plus chemotherapy with/without bevacizumab might to be the best options in terms of OS for NSCLC with high PD-L1 expression. Considering there was no significant difference of survival outcomes among treatment regimens incorporating immunotherapy and ICI plus chemotherapy failed to show significant survival benefits over ICI monotherapy, however, ICI monotherapy may be reasonable as first-line treatment for advanced NSCLC with high PD-L1 expression and no targetable aberrations.

Abstract. The purpose of this review is to investigate the nature of privacy concerns in the context of Smart Local Energy Systems (SLES) to understand how SLES providers can minimize both users’ concern, and cause for concern, around privacy. We conducted a rapid realist review and thematic framework analysis against Bronfrenbrenner’s socio-ecological model to understand privacy concerns in different contexts. A common privacy concern was that sharing detailed energy use data had the potential to reveal information about home life, and to intrude upon people’s sense of autonomy, choice and control. Evidence suggests that people are willing to accept newdata sharing technologies if the benefits of doing so are clear, anticipated, and mutually beneficial. Building trust, through increasing knowledge and understanding was a mechanism for overcoming privacy concerns, but this was mediated by the organization providing the information. Non-profit organizations were more trusted to ensure appropriate safeguards to privacy were in place. One key barrier to participation with good supporting evidence was that people can resist perceived intrusions on their privacy. This could be actively resisted by refusing to install data collection technologies or passively by non-participation in adapting energy use behaviors: both of which are necessary for SLES to achieve their goals of managing energy demand and building resilience in smart grids.

Background: Strong nursing faculty is paramount to promote disciplinary leadership and to prepare future nurses for practice. Our understanding of the factors associated with or predictive of nurse faculty retention and/or turnover is lacking. Purpose: The aim of this review is to identify and synthesize the existing literature on factors contributing to nurse faculty shortage in Canada and implications on nursing practice. Methods: A scoping review based on the Arskey and O’Malley’s five stage framework for scoping reviews was undertaken. Utilising the PRISMA protocol, a comprehensive and structured literature search was conducted in five databases of studies published in English.Findings: Limited through search inclusion and relevance of research, nine studies out of 220 papers met the criteria for this review and were thematically analyzed. Identified themes were: supply versus demand; employment conditions; organizational support; and personal factors.Discussion: Impending retirement of faculty, unsupportive leadership, and stressful work environments were frequently reported as significant contributing factors to the faculty shortage.Conclusions: This scoping review provide insights into how Canada’s schools of nursing could engage in grounded efforts to lessen nursing faculty shortage, both nationally and globally. We identified a gap in the literature that indicates that foundational work is needed to create context-specific solutions. The limited studies published in Canada suggests that this is a critical area for future research and funding.

Background/Purpose: In recent times, Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) had been rated by the World Health Organization, (WHO), as the most malaria endemic region in the world. Evidence synthesis of the risk factors associated with malaria among children aged under-five in SSA is urgently needed. This would help to inform decisions that policy makers and executors in the region need to make for the effective distribution of scare palliative resources to curb the spread of the illness. This scoping review is aimed to identify studies that have used multivariate classical regression analysis to determine risk factors associated with malaria among children under-five years old in SSA. Methods/Design: The search terms followed PICOTS, (Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome, Timing, Setting), and were used in searching through the following databases: PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Scopus, and MeasureDHS. The databases were searched for published articles from January 1990 to December 2020. Results: Among the 1154 studies identified, only thirteen (13) studies met the study’s inclusion/exclusion criteria. Narrative syntheses were performed on the selected papers to synchronise the various risk factors identified. Factors ranging from child-related, (age, birth order and use of bed net), parental/household-related, (maternal age and education status, household wealth index) and community-related variables, (community wealth status, free bed net distribution), were some of the identified significant risk factors. Conclusion: It is timely to have a synthesis of risk factors that influence the malaria status of children under-five in SSA. The outcome of the review will increase the knowledge of the epidemiology of morbidity that will form the basis for designing efficient and cost-effective distribution of palliatives and controls of malaria in SSA.

Peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading – where energy prosumers transact directly between each other – could help enable transition to a low-carbon energy system. If it is to be supported in policy and regulation, it is important to anticipate the distributional impacts (or how it might impact segments of society differently). However, real-world evidence on P2P energy trading is currently extremely limited. To address this challenge in the short- to medium-term, this study aimed to explore what might be learned from the extensive body of research on a comparable offering in the accommodation sector: Airbnb. A realist review approach was employed to maximise transferability of findings, focused on what mechanisms are thought to lead to what distributional outcomes, in what contexts. On the basis of the review, participation in (and receipt of benefits of) P2P energy trading schemes would be expected to represent disproportionately those living in areas with network management challenges, who are younger and more highly educated. The review also raised the prospect of discrimination on the basis of characteristics such as race and gender where there are high levels of individual choice over who to trade with. Recommendations include monitoring, incentivising diversity, anonymization, and limiting trading choices.

The recent legalization of Cannabis sativa L. in many regions has revealed a need for effective propagation and biotechnologies for the species. Micropropagation affords researchers and producers methods to rapidly propagate insect/disease/virus free clonal plants, store germplasm, and forms the basis for other biotechnologies. Despite this need, research in the area is limited due to the long history or prohibitions and restrictions. Existing literature has multiple limitation: many publications use hemp as a proxy for drug-type Cannabis when it is well established that there is significant genotype specificity, studies using drug-type cultivars are predominantly op-timized using a single cultivar, most protocols have not been replicated by independent groups, and some attempts demonstrate a lack of reproducibility across genotypes. Due to culture decline and other problems the multiplication phase of micropropagation (stage 2) has not been fully developed in many reports. This review will provide a brief background on the history and botany of Cannabis as well as a comprehensive and critical summary of Cannabis tissue culture. Special attention will be paid to current challenges faced by researchers, the limitations of existing Cannabis micropropagation studies, and recent developments and future directions of Cannabis tissue culture technologies.

This article argues that despite a citation review is a rarely used research tool, this can be very useful to assess the impact of new research topics, both from the future research direction and the bibliometric perspectives. An explorative study is presented around the research area marked as Industry 4.0 with the conference paper mentioned in the title of this citation review. Even though the given reference paper is relatively recent, there are already twenty-seven citations listed among three different scholar databases. These are Google Scholar, ResearchGate and Semantic Scholar. In light of this, the article provides a bibliometric confirmation and analysis for the progression of the line of research adopted by de Giorgio et al. in the exploration of non-traditional methods using virtual reality technology and human-robot collaboration for adaptive applications in Industry 4.0. Furthermore, it represents a model for the authors’ self-development and an example of an unconventional approach to scientific work that may help improve related bibliometric research and scholar database strategies to index new articles and topics in the future.

The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an ongoing pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Although COVID-19 pandemic is not a direct surgical problem, its impact on the surgical units has been substantial. Many operations have been cancelled or deferred due to risk of disease spread and staff shortages. Operating theatres are identified as areas of high risk of disease transmission due to aerosol generation during the surgical procedures and prolonged patient contact. Resource limitations, including lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and limited availability of testing, continue to expose the surgical community to COVID-19. In this review, evidence and consensus guidelines on surgical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic are summarised and described. Immediate action is deemed essential to ensure unhindered provision of surgical care while optimizing the use of limited resources and ensuring staff safety.

Objectives: The purpose of this systematic review was to ascertain critical care nurses’ understanding and experiences of patient advocacy in adult critical care settings. The specific objectives were to identify how critical care nurses define patient advocacy, to explore the understanding and experiences of critical care nurses regarding patient advocacy, to explore critical care nurses’ role in patient advocacy, and to ascertain the barriers to encouraging advocacy in the critical care setting. Research design: Systematic literature search of CINAHL and Medline databases, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, as well as grey literature search, was conducted. Search dates were restricted from January 2005 to 2015 in both CINAHL and Medline. Findings: 62 studies were identified, of which 6 qualitative research papers were included. Nurses gave varied definitions of patient advocacy, which were categorized into three themes: communication, protection, and doing. Nurses perceive advocacy as truly listening to patients and their families. Conclusion: For critical care nurses to be effective advocates, there must be support, collaboration, and improved working relationship between professional groups. Moreover, nurses must be empowered to be able to give power to patients and family.

The concept of genetic improvement in relation to biological control involves the exploitation of natural genetic variation for the benefit of existing biological control agents (BCAs). Despite recent calls for this process to be adopted in biological control research, there is no clear overview of the current state of research into genetic variation within a biological control context, including quantifiable estimates such as narrow-sense heritability (h²). In this systematic review, we aim to determine the current state of research on the genetic variation of biological control traits in natural enemies. After the searching process, screening for papers that can deliver on our research question reduced the initial 2,927 search hits to only a mere 69 papers for data extraction. Of these, the majority (73.6%) did not report quantitative values for genetic variation. Extracting the traits measured in these papers, we categorized them according to two approaches; the first related to fitness components, and the second related to biological control importance. This systematic review highlights the need for more rigorous reporting of the quantitative values of genetic variation to enable the successful genetic improvement of biological control agents.

The purpose of this systematic review is to provide second language acquisition (SLA) researchers with an overview of research trends in this field in the last ten years (2009-2019). In doing so, three international peer-reviewed journals, Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Language Teaching Research, and The Modern Language Journal, were selected. 150 articles were systematically selected and analyzed. The analysis of data resulted in identifying six descriptive themes. Results showed that some areas of second language acquisition still need further exploration while some areas are of great interest for researchers. Some suggestions for future research as well as implications of the study were discussed in detail.

Opportunistic routing is the latest technique that uses the broadcasting nature of the wireless medium to increase the number of potential forwarding nodes in the network. This, in turn improves the delivery rate and reliability of data transmission in the network. Compared to all previous classes of routing protocols, opportunistic routing offers numerous advantages which is exploited by the latest applications for efficient communication and resource sharing in dynamic ad hoc networks. These applications provide dynamic communication in disaster recovery environments. The objective of this research work is to review and classify all the major opportunistic routing protocols proposed for dynamic ad hoc networks. Further the issues and challenges with each of these existing protocol is discussed and future research directions are put forward

Opportunistic routing uses the broadcasting nature of the wireless medium to increase the number of potential forwarding nodes in the network. This, in turn improves the delivery rate and reliability of data transmission in the network. Compared to all previous classes of protocols, opportunistic routing offers numerous advantages which is exploited by the latest applications for efficient communication and resource sharing in dynamic ad hoc networks. The objective of this research work is to review and classify all the major opportunistic routing protocols proposed for dynamic ad hoc networks. Further the issues and challenges with each of these existing protocol is discussed and future research directions are put forward.

Migrants are mainly employed in "3D Jobs" dirty, dangerous, difficult, characterized by monotony, intense rhythms, in sectors at higher risk as construction, heavy industry, agriculture. Aim of this study is to elaborate a systematic review, in order to identify the main occupational risks and occupational diseases of this category. Research included articles published from 2013 to 2018 on the major online databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library and Scopus), using a combination of some keywords (migrant workers, expatriates, physical health, diseases, illnesses, travel, travelers, work and occupational). The online search indicated 1.109 references. We excluded 977 studies, because unrelated to physical health and 64 due to duplication. They were analyzed 68 articles, including 6 reviews and 62 original article. The main risk emerged are to developing infectious diseases, metabolic cardiovascular diseases and to manifesting a lower quality of life, in particular due to difficulties in accessing local health services. It will be crucial to implement the role of occupational medicine in order to introduce multilevel interventions designed to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses and to promote healthier working environments.

Abstract Background: Diabetes mellitus is dramatically increasing in the wide world. The managing of diabetes care emphasized the self-management education and support into patients’ care and family care. Objective: to review and synthesizes the effectiveness of DSME strategies involving family as a key person to provide social support for diabetes mellitus self-management of glycemic uncontrolled patients Method: Three databases through PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus were reviewed to assess the relevant articles. The following search terms: “type 2 diabetes,” “self-management,” “family support,” and “glycemic uncontrolled.” We summarized details of family support on self-management among glycemic uncontrolled patients for 14 existing studies. Results: A total of 22 intervention studies were identified. Those studies have a heterogeneous of the education strategies, support perceived, follow-ups strategies and outcomes among type 2 DM. Family integration on diabetes self-management education (DSME) has a positive impact on several outcomes including, self-care behaviors, psychological outcomes, self-efficacy and clinical outcomes Conclusions: This systematic review found robust data related to the integration of family support on diabetes self-management among glycemic uncontrolled patients. Consequently, the improvement in outcomes was identified. Implications: The findings suggest model of family engagement is better and needed for sustaining the diabetes care in the long-term care

This study explores the public library service evaluation domain through user-generated content on Google Maps, highlighting digital feedback's significant yet underexplored potential in understanding public library patronage across Taiwan's six major cities. Utilizing a mixed-methods research design, this study integrates Google Maps review content analysis with Social Network Analysis to delineate public perceptions and identify areas for service enhancement in public libraries. It innovatively leverages personal experiences extracted from over 60,000 Google Maps reviews to evaluate public library services in cities such as Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung. The research taps into the National Library of Taiwan's National Library Statistics System to provide a robust analysis of library performance and user satisfaction, offering a novel perspective by emphasizing user-centric feedback from Google Maps as a primary data source. This approach provides quantitative data on library usage and geographic distribution and enriches our understanding of the qualitative experiences of library users. In analyzing the keywords from Google Maps reviews of public libraries, we categorize and interpret these under the three core LibQUAL+ dimensions—Affect of Service, Information Control, and Library as Place. The findings expose variances in perceived service quality among the cities, with Kaohsiung and Taichung receiving the highest accolades for service satisfaction. Simultaneously, the study identifies potential areas for improvement, particularly in cities with lower satisfaction ratings like Taipei. This personalized feedback illustrates the intimate relationship between public libraries and their communities, offering invaluable insights for policymakers and library management to enhance service delivery and user experience.

This study presents a critical literature review on the models of users' adoption of blockchain applications in supply chains. This review pertaining to blockchain technology adoption by supply chain stakeholders is significant as it is a pre-requisite for the technical sustainability of blockchain technology in supply chains. Through a critical literature review, the previous studies related to technology adoption models were analyzed to explore practices brought about by blockchain applications for supply chain management. This study examined the suitability of the existing models (e.g., the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework, task technology fit (TTF), unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT)) of technology adoption for blockchain applications in supply chains and came up with a new unified model, namely, TOE-TTF-UTAUT. This review provides implications for a more appropriate research design using mixed methods. When adopting the TOE-TTF-UTAUT model in a study, two phases of research using mixed methods can be performed. The first phase is an exploratory sequential design in which a qualitative approach to explore the TOE and supply chain task constructs is followed by a quantitative approach using a survey and quantitative analyses to investigate the factors affecting blockchain adoption in supply chains. The second phase adopts explanatory sequential design in which the quantitative findings from the first phase are reviewed for follow-up by qualitative interviews to obtain explanations.

Recent years have witnessed significant advances in reinforcement learning (RL), which has registered remarkable success in solving various sequential decision-making problems in machine learning. Most of the successful RL applications, e.g., the games of Go and Poker, robotics, and autonomous driving, involve the participation of more than one single agent, which naturally fall into the realm of multi-agent RL (MARL), a domain with a relatively long history, and has recently re-emerged due to advances in single-agent RL techniques. Although, typically, the communication protocol between agents is manually specified and not altered during training, recently, some papers have shown signs of trying to emerge a communication between agents on the one hand and, on the other hand, to understand what is exchanged between agents. So, there is a growing body of literature on this topic which includes qualitative and quantitative studies and the ones that apply mixed methods. This study presents the scoping review of the methodological strategies undertaken in a total of 16 research articles. The results present the critical appraisal of quantitative methods in terms of validity and reliability and for qualitative methods considering four trustworthiness factors. In the end, relevant insights are further explored with implications and reflections on how they can benefit one's research in the field.