This paper examines the influence of informal competition on SMEs innovation in the Eastern European transition economies. It investigates whether credit constraints mediate this relation. SMEs innovation is presented through four measures: Product innovation, Process innovation, Radical innovation and Green innovation. Using the BEEPs VI that covers the period from 2018-2020, we show that informal competition affects positively the product, process and radical innovation. Yet, it has a non-significant effect on green innovation. Besides, the informal sector increases SMEs credit constraints, which indirectly leads to less corporate innovation. The negative indirect effect restrains the positive direct effect. Hence, a partial mediation effect of credit constraints on the informal competition and the innovation proxies is reported with the exception of green innovation.

Many assumptions exist about online learning and its impact on college students. Hitherto, the views of those meant to be the beneficiaries of this technology have been given little consideration despite the fact that students use cyberspace for academic work and beyond. This qualitative case-study report is based on research conducted by college students at a private university in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The aim was to examine the online learning experiences of their peers during the first wave of the coronavirus global pandemic, with a view to understand how prepared their university is for an academic genre located in cyberspace. The findings are based on the perspectives of 2,298 college students responding to a survey administered to the entire student population comprising around 9,000 individuals. They suggest that increasing opportunities for cyberlearning could have positive effects on students. Also provided is cautionary advice about the need to improve teaching pedagogies and combat academic dishonesty.

Background This paper draws learnings and successes based on field implementation experience spanning four years (2016–2019) of implementing CLTS by Prince of Peace Orphans and Widows Vision, a community-based organization located in Kaberamaido district in eastern Uganda. Methods The study aimed to document, disseminate and inform from an evidence-based point of view how adaptation and collaborative engagements triggers learning from mistakes to inform iterative changes from improvements and success.This is a descriptive paper that used project documents review based on field implementation experience. Existing project reports were synthesised, collated and curated for evidence. Data were drawn from project reports and records to inform narratives in writing. Implementation of the project was executed in homogenous rural communities occupied by people of the same dialect, cultural and social settings. Results We note that success in CLTS implementation can hardly be achieved by merely following prescriptions in handbooks and guidelines but rather by devising innovative community engagement and other participatory and community-driven techniques that foster adaptive management, promote ownership, and buy-in.Having learned from our failures, we used data to inform decisions and transformatively deviated from traditional CLTS implementation and introduced high impact and innovative approaches such as the use of CLTS helpdesks and Situation room, the Pamoja approach, learning labs and iterative feedback loops, innovatively tackling slippage and carefully introducing the follow-up mandona approach. These enhanced experiential learning and ultimately resulted in sustained sanitation behaviour. Conclusions The CLTS approach as outlined in the handbook needs to be flexibly adapted to address contextual needs. Reflective and learning sessions reinforced with routine feedback loops from implementers and beneficiaries yields tremendous results, propagates experiential learning, and ultimately results in a transformative deviation from undesirable to desired sanitation behaviours. These innovative approaches once carefully blended have proved to be sustainable, are adaptable and can work in an even larger scale and in a variety of contexts.

The general purpose of the Design Thinking approach (concept taken over in Romanian without its translation and which involves conception-oriented thinking) is to support the conception and design of products, services, processes, strategies, spaces, architecture and experiences ideal for use optimal. Applying the approach leads to the development of practical and innovative solutions to the problems identified in the product and / or technology design departments of companies. As described in the article Design Thinking is a process springing from the user-centered conception-design paradigm. The objective of the article is to highlight the need to combine urban study within Design Thinking, in the case of all areas of conception-design of solutions.

This paper aims to provide the reader with an organic view of the eyewear sector considering both market and quality aspects and evaluating the role of Industry 4.0 in process and product innovation for managing consumer health, analyzing a case study of a leading multinational company in the eyewear and ophthalmic lenses sector. The research has been developed with a qualitative approach. The study is a conceptual development and it uses an exploratory interview to create a single case study. The case study was developed with the realization by the researcher of a semi-structured interview. The selected interlocutor was the Innovation Manager of Alpha Optics. it has been decided to focus the attention on this figure, as it was responsible for the realization and introduction into the company of Industry 4.0 enabling technologies for developing health innovations. From this case study it was possible to observe how the connection with the trends that influence the demand for eyeglasses is a driving factor for product innovation. Products increasingly adapted to the needs of young people and the use of digital devices seem to be the ones on which the greatest number of innovations are concentrated.

The study's motivation is to gauge the nexus between economic policy uncertainty and financial innovation for the period 2004M1 to 2018M12 in BRIC nations. For establishing a long-run cointegration study applied Autoregressive Distributed Lagged (ARDL) and asymmetry effects of economic policy uncertainty investigated following nonlinear framework known as NARDL. Furthermore, directional causality is established by performing a non-granger causality test. Cointegration test results of Fpss, Wpss, and tBDM confirmed the long-run association between EPU and financial innovation. On the other hand, the Wald test results proved asymmetry effects furring from EPU to financial innovation both in the long-run and short-run. Referring to asymmetry effects that positive and negative shocks in financial innovation, the study revealed that negative linkage between shocks in EPU and financial innovation in the long-run but short-run effects are insignificant. Furthermore, financial innovation measured by R&D investment exhibits positive linked with shocks in EPU, implying that uncertainty induces innovation in the economy. Refers to directional causality estimation, the study revealed evidence supporting the feedback hypothesis between EPU and financial innovation in all sample countries.

Climate change and food security are the most relevant issues to be considered in sustainable agricultural development. The FAO’s initiative of climate-smart agriculture has attracted international attention. Since then, the smart agriculture (SA) has been recognized as the most influential trends in contributing to agricultural development. Therefore, encouraging farmers to adopt digital technologies and mobile devices into farming practices becomes a policy priority worldwide. However, there is limited literature available on psychologic factors that drive farmers’ intentions to adopt SA technologies. The purpose of this study is to investigate how farmer’s knowledge and attitude toward SA affects their adoption of smart technologies in Taiwan. A total of 321 farmers participated in the project’s survey in 2017 and 2018, from which the data was used to perform an OLS regression model of SA adoption. This study contributes to a preliminary understanding of relationship between innovation and adoption of SA technologies in a small-scale farming economic context. The findings suggest that the policy makers and R&D institutes need to concentrate on improving market access for well-known and high important SA technologies.

Currently the rapid growth of global economy has the competition among high-tech industries develop from regional to global, and the competition becomes fierce. In face of such fierce competition in global high-tech industry, it is realized that tangible assets could no longer be the differentiation basis, but intangible assets are regarded as the differentiation capital. An enterprise with sustainable innovation would dominate the world market and enhance the international competitiveness of domestic economy. When internal entrepreneurial culture is prevalent, an enterprise would naturally promote the innovation capability. Such a point of view also explains more popular of the innovative products or services of some enterprises than those with larger scales. Aiming at employees in high-tech industry in Guanxi Province, total 500 copies of questionnaire are randomly distributed, and 337 valid copies are retrieved, with the retrieval rate 67%. The research results reveal significantly positive correlations between 1.entrepreneurial culture and sustainable innovation capability, 2.sustainable innovation capability and patent, and 3.entrepreneurial culture and patent. According to the results, suggestions are proposed, expecting to explain how a high-tech business outperforms in the changeable digital era and acquires the sustainable innovation capability and patent to grasp the opportunity.

Recent advances in single-atom catalysis resulted in readily accessible materials whose application in most catalytic reactions mediated by conventional nanoparticle-based catalysts often results in higher activity and selectivity. Can we expect catalysis by atomically dispersed atoms to find practical applications? Which are the hurdles to be overcome prior to widespread uptake of atomically dispersed metals in industrial synthetic processes and in hydrogen fuel cells?

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the biggest group of enterprises in the European Union (EU); they are also characteristic for emerging economies. Given this situation, there is a need to provide instruments such as processes, which allows them to realize a model of sustainable development. The ability to classify processes and occurrences happening inside these processes often affects the condition of the enterprises. The implementation of innovations, as identified process, enables the directions of SME development towards sustainable development. The purpose of this article is to find out if the identification of processes such as innovations, have any influence on the competitiveness and sustainable development of SMEs. This study was based on pilot research, which examined small and medium enterprises at the regional level, at the example of Polish emerging economy region. It was researched under the angle of the identification of processes and changes happening inside enterprises in terms of understanding the sustainable development concept. Research composition allows to present an understanding by the SMEs of the problems analyzed. The novelty was in the new questionnaire, the definition of sustainable development, and matching those processes identified by the enterprises analyzed with the particular sustainable development dimensions suggested by the authors. In light of the analysis of the literature and the results of this research the important contributions of this study are as follows. This approach pointed the understanding and practical meaning of the identification of processes to be understood. The most important finding was that there is a need to make entrepreneurs aware of the fact that innovations are also processes in themselves, which often constitutes the sum of other supporting processes occurring in the enterprise. Support in the form of knowledge transfer from experts to SMEs would also be recommended.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and malaria, caused by infection with Plasmodium spp., are endemic in similar geographical locations. As a result, there is high potential for HIV/Plasmodium co-infection, which increases the pathology of both diseases. However, the immunological mechanisms underlying the exacerbated disease pathology observed in co-infected individuals are poorly understood. Here, we used the rhesus macaque (RM) model to characterize the immunopathogenic impact of Plasmodium fragile co-infection during antiretroviral therapy (ART)-treated simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infection. We observed that P. fragile co-infection resulted in parasitemia and anemia, as well as persistently detectable viral loads (VL) and decreased absolute CD4+ T-cell counts despite daily ART treatment. Notably, P. fragile co-infection was associated with increased levels of inflammatory cytokines linked with neutrophil function, including monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1). P. fragile co-infection was associated with increased levels of neutrophil elastase, a plasma marker of neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation, but significant decreases in markers of neutrophil degranulation, potentially indicating a shift in neutrophil functionality during co-infection. Finally, we characterized levels of plasma markers of gastrointestinal (GI) barrier permeability and microbial translocation and observed significant correlations between indicators of GI dysfunction, clinical markers of SIV and Plasmodium infection, and neutrophil frequency and function. Taken together, these data indicate that neutrophil-driven inflammation and GI dysfunction may underlie heightened SIV/P. fragile co-infection pathogenesis.

Driven by mounting environmental apprehensions stemming from the over dependence on fossil fuels in energy and transportation sectors, extensive exploration into alternative energy sources, particularly biomass, has stimulated profound research on harnessing the potential of computational and mathematical techniques. This comprehensive survey delves into optimal models and strategies, unveiling their pivotal role in the design of biomass gasification processes.of hydrogen through biomass gasification. In this study, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the computational and mathematical techniques employed in optimizing biomass gasification processes, with a specific focus on enhancing hydrogen yield. Through an extensive literature review, various models and strategies will be examined, including thermodynamic analysis, kinetic modeling, reactor design, and process optimization. By uncovering the power of these techniques, we aim to contribute to the advancement of sustainable and efficient biomass utilization for the hydrogen-based future economy.This paper aims to provide an updated and comprehensive coverage of the investigations conducted on the potential of producing hydrogen from biomass through gasification. To achieve this, we incorporate the latest works that have utilized numerical modeling, simulation, optimization techniques, process heat integration, and co-generation in their studies. By encompassing these aspects, we aim to offer a broader and more in-depth re-appraisal of the subject matter. This will ensure that readers gain a holistic understanding of the advances made in the field and the potential for sustainable hydrogen production of biomass gasification.Through a meticulous re-appraisal and analysis of each subject, we can identify their respective strengths and areas that require further research effort. By thoroughly examining numerical modeling, simulation, optimization techniques, process heat integration, and co-generation, we can assess their effectiveness and applicability in the context of biomass gasification for hydrogen production. This analysis shed light on the areas where these techniques excel, as well as pinpoint limitations or gaps in current understanding. By identifying these areas, we can highlight the need for further research and development, enabling us to make significant advancements in biomass gasification processes and pave the way for a sustainable and efficient hydrogen-based future economy..

The COVID-19 pandemic remains a serious public health problem globally. During winter flu seasons, more aggressive SARS-CoV-2 infections with fatalities have been documented, indicating that influenza co-infections may significantly impact the disease outcome of COVID-19. Both influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses share many similarities in their transmission and cellular tropism for their replication in the human respiratory tract. However, it is still unclear how the two pathogens interplay to ensure their survival in the same lung microenvironment. In addition, clinical studies on influenza co-infections in COVID-19 patients do not provide conclusive evidence on how influenza co-infection mechanistically modifies the disease outcome in COVID-19. This mini-review discusses various viral as well as host factors that potentially influence the survival or synergism of these two respiratory pathogens in the infected lung microenvironment.

Objective: The study aimed to characterize the changing landscape of circulating SARS-CoV-2 lineages in the local community of Hong Kong throughout 2022. We examined how adjustments to quarantine arrangements influenced the transmission pattern of Omicron variants in a city with relatively rigorous social distancing measures at that time. Methods: In 2022, a total of 4,684 local SARS-CoV-2 genomes were sequenced using the Oxford Nanopore GridION sequencer. SARS-CoV-2 consensus genomes were generated by MAFFT, and the maximum likelihood phylogeny of these genomes were determined using IQ-TREE. The dynamic changes in lineages were depicted in a time tree created by Nextstrain. Statistical analysis was conducted to assess the correlation between changes in the number of lineages and adjustments to quarantine arrangements. Results: By the end of 2022, a total of 83 SARS-CoV-2 lineages were identified in the community. The increase in the number of new lineages was significantly associated with the relaxation of quarantine arrangements (One-way ANOVA, F(5,47)=18.233, p<0.001)). Over time, Omicron BA.5 sub-lineages replaced BA.2.2 and became the predominant Omicron variants in Hong Kong. The influx of new lineages reshaped the dynamics of Omicron variants in the community without fluctuating the death rate and hospitalization rate (One-way ANOVA, F(5,47)=2.037, p=0.091). Conclusion: The study revealed that even with an extended mandatory quarantine period for incoming travelers, it may not be feasible to completely prevent the introduction and subsequent community spread of highly contagious Omicron variants. Ongoing molecular surveillance of COVID-19 remains essential to monitor the emergence of new recombinant variants.

This study explores how young people’s mental health was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic using artwork and semi-structured interviews. This is important to understand so that policy and practice professionals can support those affected, prepare, and respond to future crises, and support young people who are isolated and restricted in other contexts. Co-designed participatory art workshops and interviews were conducted with 16–18-year-olds (N = 21) from the London-based Longitudinal cohort Study of Cognition, Adolescents and Mobile Phones (SCAMP). Artworks and interview transcripts were qualitatively co-analysed with young people. From interviews, six themes were identified: adaptation, restriction, change, challenges, overcoming adversity, and lockdown life. From artwork, four themes were identified; trapped, negative mental wellbeing, positive emotions, and technology. Everyday factors such as home environment, relationships, hobbies, habits, and education or work were key determinants of how challenged and restricted participants felt, and their capacity to overcome this. This implies that young people’s mental health services should collaborate with other sectors to address wider life determinants in a holistic way, and that clearer guidance and support in these areas could mitigate the negative mental health impacts of major environmental changes on young people.

Combustion power plants emit carbon dioxide (CO₂), a major contributor to climate change. Direct emissions measurement is cost-prohibitive globally, while reporting varies in detail, recency, and granularity. To fill this gap and greatly increase the number of power plants worldwide with independent emissions monitoring, we developed and applied machine learning (ML) models using power plant plumes as proxy signals to estimate electric power generation and CO₂ emissions using Landsat 8, Sentinel-2, and PlanetScope imagery. Our ML models estimated power plant activity on each image snapshot, and then an aggregation model predicted plant utilization over a 30-day period. Lastly, emissions factors specific to region, fuel, and plant technology were used to convert estimated electricity generation to CO₂ emissions. Models were trained with reported hourly generation data in the US, Europe, and Australia and were validated with additional generation and emissions data from the US, Europe, Australia, Türkiye, and India. All results with sufficiently large sample sizes indicate that our models outperformed baseline approaches. In conducting external validation to compare modeled versus reported annual generation and emissions in the countries where available, we calculated the root mean square error overall for modeled countries with validation data as respectively 1.75 TWh (236 plants across 17 countries over 4 years) and 2.04 Mt CO₂ (207 plants across 17 countries over 4 years). Ultimately, we applied our ML method to plants that comprise 32% of global power plant CO₂ emissions averaged over 2015-2022. This dataset is the most comprehensive independent and free-of-cost global power plant point-source emissions monitoring system currently known to the authors and is publicly available at climatetrace.org to support global emissions reduction.

Co-inhibitory receptors (Co-IRs) are essential in controlling the progression of immunopathology in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by limiting T cell activation. The objective of this investigation was to determine the phenotypic expression of Co-IRs T cells and to assess the levels of serum soluble PD-1, PDL-2, and Tim3 in Taiwanese RA patients. Co-IRs T cells were immunophenotyped employing multicolor flow cytometry, and ELISA was utilized for measuring soluble PD-1, PDL-2, and Tim3. Correlations have been detected across the percentage of T cells expressing Co-IRs (MFI) and different indicators in the blood, including ESR, high sensitivity CRP (hsCRP), 28 joint disease activity scores (DAS28), and soluble PD-1/PDL-2/Tim3. In RA patients, we recognized elevated levels of PD-1 (CD279), CTLA-4, and TIGIT on CD4+ T cells; TIGIT, HLA-DR, TIM3, and LAG3 on CD8+ T cells; and CD8+CD279+TIM3+, CD8+HLA-DR+CD38+ T cells. The following tests proved to be correlated with hsCRP: CD4/CD279 MFI, CD4/CD279%, CD4/TIM3%, CD8/TIM3%, CD8/TIM3 MFI, CD8/LAG3%, and CD8+HLA-DR+CD38+%. CD8/LAG3 and CD8/TIM3 MFIs are linked to ESR. DAS28-ESR and DAS28-CRP exhibited relationships with CD4/CD127 MFI, CD8/CD279%, and CD8/CD127 MFI, respectively. CD4+CD279+TIM3+% was correlated with DAS28-ESR (p=0.0084, N=46), DAS28-CRP (p=0.007, N=47), and hsCRP (p=0.002, N=56), respectively. In the serum of patients with RA, levels of soluble PD-1, PDL-2, and Tim3 were extremely elevated. CD4+ TIM3+% (p=0.0089, N=46) and CD8+ TIM3+% (p=0.0305, N=46) were correlated with sTIM3 levels; sPD1 levels were correlated with CD4+CD279+% (p<0.0001, N=31) and CD3+CD279+% (p=0.0084, N=30). Co-IRs expressions on CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, as well as soluble PD-1, PDL-2, and Tim3 levels, could function as indicators of disease activity and potentially play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of RA, in accordance to our findings.

"Chemical absorption is currently the most advanced technique for capturing carbon dioxide after combustion. A fascinating approach within amine-based technology for post-combustion carbon removal is the utilization of aqueous ammonia as a solvent, leading to a method called chilled ammonia capture. This study aims to enhance the performance of chilled ammonia capture through a thermodynamic assessment, focusing on crystalline configuration.""This study explores the development of an improved second generation chilled ammonia capture process, which involves the formation of solids to enhance capturing efficiency. The simulation software ASPEN is employed to model the expanded UNIQUAC Thermodynamics hypothesis. The modeling encompasses both the conventional carbon ammonia capture process and the more advanced carbon ammonia capture system powered by a crystallizerIn this study, the energy costs associated with implementing different technologies for carbon ammonia capture in typical ultra supercritical power plants are evaluated. The introduction of solid formation in the carbon ammonia capture system has yielded promising results. The findings indicate that the energy required for the carbon ammonia capture system, which utilizes a crystallizer, is approximately 10% lower compared to the overall cost associated with the conventional carbon ammonia capture system. These results highlight the potential for significant energy savings and improved efficiency in carbon capture processes

As the worldwide demand for meat per person is continuously increasing, there is a corresponding rise in the number of livestock animals, leading to an increase in livestock manure. Selecting appropriate treatment technologies for livestock manures is still a complex task and considerable debates over this issue persist. To develop a more comprehensive understanding of the manure treatment framework, this review was undertaken to assess the most utilized manure management technologies and underscore their respective challenges. Anaerobic digestion has become a commercial reality for treating livestock manures. However, the mono-digestion of single substrates comes with certain drawbacks associated with manure characteristics. Anaerobic co-digestion, involving the utilization of multiple feedstocks, holds the potential to overcome these limitations. Extensive research and development have underscored numerous intrinsic benefits co-digestion. These include improved digestibility resulting from synergistic effects of co-substrates and enhanced process stability. This review underscores the limitations associated with the mono-digestion of livestock manures and critically evaluates the advantages of their co-digestion with carbon-rich substrates. Additionally, this review delves into key livestock manure management practices globally, emphasizing the significance of co-digesting livestock manures while addressing the progress and challenges in this field.

Alkali-activated materials, sometimes called geopolymers, can be used as alternative cementitious materials to conventional Portland cement. There is a significant current interest in these materials due to their low CO2 footprint. Typical applications of alkali-activated materials are within civil engineering, however, potential applications as well cementing material within oil & gas are also being studied with emerging interest. This paper presents a systematic study of compressive strength development from 1 to 28 days for metakaolin-based alkali-activated cement. The results show that compressive strength is highly dependent upon the initial Si/Al ratio in the mix design, as well as the concentration of the activator solution. Furthermore, due to the relatively low initial reactivity of the used metakaolin material, different types of co-binders were included in the slurry composition to improve early strength development. The two different co-binders tested were another, more reactive metakaolin material and Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS). It was found that both these co-binders performed as intended, by ensuring early strength development via precipitation of K-A-S-H and C-A-S-H gels, respectively, and also by enabling subsequent strength development due to improved dissolution of the low-reactive metakaolin.

Primary central nervous system and brain tumors are one of the global burdens that are continuously increasing in cases and requiring more treatment options. Surgery has been the leading treatment option for tumors, however, the localization of the tumor and its infiltrating nature make this option challenging. DNA microarray expression profiles of different CNS tumors provide insight into potential biomarkers for identifying different tumor types and subtypes. Here, we utilized the differentially expressed genes common in four expression profiles, GSE66354, GSE68848, GSE74195, and GSE43290 to reconstruct the gene co-expression network. In this study, we were able to identify preserved cluster genes, hub genes, co-regulating transcription factors, miRNA families, and candidate repurposed drugs. Fourteen identified hub genes, which were, CACNA1A, DNM1, GABRA1, GRIA2, MAPT, SLC17A7, SNAP25, SNAP91, STXBP1, SYT1, COL1A1, COL6A2, FBN2, and FN1 appeared to play a role in tumor progression and may serve as drug targets. We also reported the DEGs in each tumor type, which were ATRT, EPN, PA, MED, PNET, MEN, ACM, ODG, and GBM. Five identified miRNA families, which were, let-7 family, mir-124 family, mir-1 family, mir-103 family, and mir-27 family described in the literature to have tumor-suppressing characteristics. Drug-gene and drug-transcription factor network revealed 32 candidate repurposed drugs and 13 were validated through connectivity map analysis. Here, two main repurposed drugs fit the regulatory requirement for gene interaction, these were, quercetin and vorinostat. Future validation in experimental studies may utilize the future use of the candidate repurposed drugs. Our study provides insights into drug repurposing prospects and understanding tumor expressions.

In the present study, we implemented species distribution models (SDMs) to determine the potential invasive distribution range of a cichlid fish, Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, in a very sensitive inland water system in the southeastern Arabian Peninsula where it is now established and spreading. By using the “Biomod2” package, and the latest CMIP6 climate data, four single species distribution models and EM were built, and the results were evaluated by operating characteristic (ROC) and the true skill statistic (TSS). Based on the relative importance of climate factor analysis the mean diurnal range and precipitation seasonality were useful predictors of habitat suitability for O. niloticus. The response curve analysis indicated that the presence probability of O. niloticus decreased with increasing mean diurnal range and decreasing precipitation seasonality. The suitable distribution ranges for O. niloticus in the studied area were mainly distributed in the northeast of this region. The ensemble model results specified a significant impact of climate change on O. niloticus distribution, so highly suitable areas for this species will be reduced, while areas with low to moderate suitability increase slightly or remain unchanged. Based on the available data, Nile tilapia fulfills all four criteria to be considered as an invasive species: colonization in a new area, direct or indirect impacts of anthropological activity on its distribution range, geographical discontinuity between its native area (Africa) and the Arabian Peninsula (remote dispersal), and finally, its successful breeding in situ without human assistance resulting establishment of this biopollutant. Species distribution modeling provides insights into the factors that can reduce the risks and negative impacts of this biological pollutant on aquatic ecosystems of the southeastern Arabian Peninsula which harbors about 22 recognized fish species in 16 genera, 10 families, seven orders, and a class including 20 natives (seven endemic) species.

Anthracnose is one of primary diseases in tea plants that affects tea yield and quality. The geographical distribution, occurrence regularity, and agronomic measures of tea plants with anthracnose have been researched for decades. However, the pathogenic cause of anthracnose in tea plants is diverse in different regions of the world. Identifying the specific pathogenic fungi causing tea anthracnose is an essential control measure to mitigate this disease. In this study, 88 Diaporthales and 45 Colletotrichum isolates were obtained from 3 different types of diseased tea leaves. Based on multilocus phylogenetic and morphological analysis, 3 known species, including Discula theae-sinensis, Diaporthe ueckerae, Diaporthe lithocarpus, and 3 indistinguishable species of Diaporthales were identified. In adddition, 8 known species of Colletotrichum, C. fructicola, C. camelliae, C. aenigma, C. siamense, C. henanense, C. karstii, C. tropicicola, C. gigasporum, were identified. This study is the first to report C. tropicicola and C. gigasporum in tea plant in China. Discula theae-sinensis was the most common species in this study and caused disease lesions around wounded areas of tea leaves. The dual trials in vitro indicated Discula theae-sinensis and Colletotrichum were slight inhibition. Co-inoculating Discula theae-sinensis and C. fructicola was superior to single inoculation at low concentration.

The two-component compound formed by codeine and cyclopentobarbital was produced by grinding techniques and by evaporation from alcoholic solutions. The cocrystal nature of this phase was established unequivocally by single crystal X-ray structure determination. The asym-metric unit contains one formula unit. In the cyclopentobarbital molecule, the cyclopentenyl ring is disordered over two positions related by a rotation of approximately 180° about its C‒C bond to the pyrimidine ring. The two NH groups of the cyclopentobarbital molecule form N—H···N and N—H···O bonds to piperidine and hydroxyl groups, respectively, belonging to different codeine molecules. In addition, the hydroxyl and methoxy groups of neighboring codeine molecules are linked by O—H···O interactions, resulting H-bonded framework structure of codeine and cyclo-pentobarbital molecules. The cocrystal was also characterized by thermal analysis, X-ray powder diffraction and IR spectroscopy.

Two novel dsRNA mycoviruses were found in different isolates of Diplodia fraxini, NW FVA 1581 and NW FVA 1706, which were isolated from a root, associated with stem collar necrosis of Fraxinus excelsior L. Both mycelia are infected by a novel fusagravirus, which was named Diplodia fraxini fusagravirus 1 (DfFV1), and isolate NW FVA 1706 is additionally infected by a novel partitivirus, which was denominated as Diplodia fraxini partitivirus 1 (DfPV1). The one-segmented, bicistronic genome of DfFV1 is composed of about 8,500 bp. Their ORFs are connected by a 1 slippery heptamer sequence and the 3’ terminal ORF is coding for the viral RdRp. The genome of DfPV1 is composed of three, monocistronic dsRNA segments ranging from 1,755 bp (dsRNA 1) over 1,588 bp (dsRNA 2) to 1,233 bp (dsRNA 3). Based on genome organization and phylogenetic positions, DfFV1 was assigned to the proposed family of “Fusagraviridae” and DfPV1 to the genus Gammapartitivirus within the family of Partitiviridae. Ultra-structural analysis showed that polysomal structures were stabilized in the single infection and none of these structures could be isolated in the double infection. It is assumed that DfFV1 has an opportunistic lifestyle, being either protected by ribosomes or by transcapsidation from particles of DfPV1.

With the rapid development of electronic and communication technology in military radar, the demand for microwave absorbing materials in low-frequency with thin layer is growing increasingly. In this study, flexible Co3O4/CC (carbon cloth) composites derives from Co-MOFs (metal-organic frameworks)/CC are prepared by hydrothermal and thermal treatment processes. The flexible precursors of Co-MOFs/CC are calcined with different calcination temperatures, which the material structure, dielectric properties and microwave absorption performance are changed. With the increase of calcination temperature, the minimum reflection loss of the corresponding Co3O4/CC composites gradually moves to the lower frequency with thinner thickness. In addition, the Co3O4/CC composites with 25 wt% filler loading ratio exhibit the minimum reflection loss (RL) of -46.59 dB at 6.24 GHz with 4.2 mm thickness. When the thickness is 3.70 mm, the effective absorption bandwidth is 3.04 GHz from 5.84 to 8.88 GHz. This study not only proves that the composite Co3O4/CC is a kind of outstanding microwave absorbing material with better flexibility, but also provides a useful inspiration for the low frequency and broadband microwave absorbing material.

Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, originally used for diabetes mellitus, are gaining more popularity for other indications owing to their positive cardiovascular and renal effects. Initially, SGLT2 inhibitors were shown to reduce heart failure (HF) hospitalization and improve cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. Later, SGLT2 inhibitors were evaluated in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFREF) and had beneficial effects independent of the presence of diabetes. Recently, reduction in cardiovascular outcomes were also observed in patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF). SGLT2 inhibitors also reduced renal outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease. Overall, these drugs have an excellent safety profile with a negligible risk of genitourinary tract infections and ketoacidosis. In this review, we discuss the current data regarding SGLT2 inhibitors in special populations including acute myocardial infarction, acute HF, right ventricular (RV) failure, patients with left ventricular assist device (LVAD), and patients with type1 diabetes. We also discuss the potential mechanisms behind the cardiovascular benefits of these drugs.

Biotin-based proximity labeling approaches, such as BioID, have demonstrated their use for the study of mitochondria proteomes in living cells. The use of genetically engineered BioID cell lines enables the detailed characterization of poorly characterized processes such as mitochondrial co-translational import. In this process, translation is coupled to the translocation of the mitochon-drial proteins, alleviating the energy cost typically associated with the post-translational import relying on chaperone systems. However, the mechanisms are still unclear with only few actors identified but none that have been described in mammals yet. We thus profiled the TOM20 prox-isome using BioID, assuming that some of identified proteins could be molecular actors of the co-translational import in human cells. The obtained results showed a high enrichment of RNA bind-ing proteins close to the TOM complex. However, for the few selected candidates, we could not demonstrate a role in the mitochondrial co-translational import process. Nonetheless, we were able to demonstrate additional uses of our BioID cell line. Indeed, the experimental approach used in this study is thus proposed for the identification of mitochondrial co-translational import effec-tors and for the monitoring of protein entry inside mitochondria with a potential application in the prediction of mitochondrial protein half-life.

By enhancing the bitumen properties with the additives produced from wastes not only can be improved the performance of flexible pavements but also can be contributed to the environment. This research aims to produce a novel pyrolytic char from different wastes and to investigate the usability of this char as an additive in bitumen. In this study, firstly, the pyrolytic char was produced from co-pyrolysis of three different wastes including waste paper cups, polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) wastes. Properties of the char were determined by using CHN (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses. The high temperature rheological properties of binders were evaluated by using DSR (dynamic shear rheometer), RV (rotational viscometer), softening point and penetration tests. Additionally, specific gravity, storage stability, high temperature performance grades (PG) and temperature susceptibilities of binders were determined. Test results showed that this pyrolytic char enhanced the high temperature properties of neat bitumen by increasing softening point, viscosity, rutting resistance and high temperature PG. And, it can be said that the bituminous binder modified with this pyrolytic char had a good storage stability when it was used at 8% ratio in neat bitumen.

Diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC) has been employed in the sulfide ore flotation process, due to its excellent collection performance. Herein, we investigated the interfacial adsorption behavior of DDTC on four mineral phases of high-sulfur residue — sulfur, pyrite, sphalerite and lead sulfate. The adsorption behavior — adsorption structure and energy and electron localization function cross section — of DDTC and H2O were explored using density function theory calculation. The result was helpful to construct a co-adsorption model of DDTC and H2O, which was validated by the pure minerals flotation operation and the characterization of fourier transform infrared spectra. The co-adsorption model indicated that the DDTC adsorption on the sulfur, sphalerite and lead sulfate was weak with physical bonding, while its adsorption on the pyrite was strong with chemical bonding. Practical bench-scale operation of high-sulfur residue flotation was performed, whose result was different from that obtained from the pure mineral flotation. To explain the difference, our developed model predictions and the mineral fugacity pattern analysis on the high-sulfur residue flotation were synergistically used. Overall, this work first proposed the co-adsorption model of DDTC and H2O and provided important insights into the interfacial adsorption in the high-sulfur residue flotation.

Metchnikovellids (Microsporidia: Metchnikovellida) are poorly studied hyperparasitic micro-sporidia that live in gregarines inhabiting the intestines of marine invertebrates, mostly poly-chaetes. Our recent studies showed that the diversity of the metchnikovellids might be signifi-cantly higher than previously thought, even within a single host. Four species of metchnikovellids were found in the gregarines inhabiting the gut of the polychaete Pygospio elegans from littoral populations of the White and Barents Seas: the eugregarine Polyrhabdina pygospionis is the host for Metchnikovella incurvata and M. spiralis, while the archigregarine Selenidium pygospionis is the host for M. dogieli and M. dobrovolskiji. The most common species in the White Sea is M. in-curvata, while M. dobrovolskiji prevails in the Barents Sea. The gregarines within a single worm could be infected with different metchnikovellid species. However, co-infection of one and the same gregarine with several species of metchnikovellids has never been observed. The difference in prevalence and intensity of metchnikovellid invasion apparently depends on the features of the life cycle and on the development strategies of individual species.

New generation antibiotics are needed to combat the development of resistance to antimicrobials. One of the most promising new classes of antibiotics is cannabidiol (CBD). It is a non-toxic and low-resistance chemical that can be used to treat bacterial infections. The antibacterial activity of Cannabis sativa L. byproducts, specifically CBD, has been of growing interest in the field of novel therapeutics. As research continues to define and characterize the antibacterial activity that CBD possesses against a wide variety of bacterial species it is important to examine potential interaction between CBD and common therapeutics such as broad-spectrum antibiotics. Here, we show that CBD-antibiotic co-therapy can effectively fight S. typhimurium via membrane integrity disruption. This research serves to examine the potential synergy between CBD and three broad-spectrum antibiotics for potential antibiotic-CBD co-therapy. In this study, we reveal that Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium) growth is inhibited at very low dosages of CBD-antibiotic. This interesting finding demonstrates that CBD and CBD-antibiotic co-therapies are viable novel alternatives to combating Salmonella typhimurium.

The emergence of the circular economy, and the evolving paradigms in the treatment and management of wastewater, have opened up an opportunity for co-digestion of organic waste (i.e., food waste) with sewage sludges to enhance resource recovery at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This paper reviewed the potential for anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and sewage sludges, as well as alternative sustainable food waste handling systems in South Africa. The promotion of the circular economy by the latest national solid waste management strategy and the ongoing efforts for resource recovery by the wastewater sector suggests that anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and sewage sludge is possible in South Africa. Furthermore, an integrated food waste disposer (FWD) system was identified as a sustainable alternative for food waste handling. To formulate a roadmap for future food waste and sewage sludge co-digestion implementation, a multi-disciplinary investigation is required to bridge the literature gap.

Water is essential for all living things however its pain has become serious. Many industrial activities cause its pollution by the release of polluting byproduct. Waste water treatment is hence necessary. In this context, the waste water of the textile industry containing Red Acid 52 was treated by the solid waste of the washed natural phosphate byproduct. Natural phosphate was also studied. The solid materials were first characterized by chemical analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The phosphate materials were after that, tested in the adsorption of the Red Acid 52. The experimental data indicated that the phosphate waste rock allowed the removal of Red Acid 52. Its maximum retention capacity attained 18.4 mg.g-1. Calcinations of materials inhibits the removal capacity found reduced by 60 to 70%. The adsorption kinetics of the Red Acid 52 on the material is well described by the pseudo second order model while the adsorption isotherms are identified by the Langmuir model. Hereafter, the thermodynamic study revealed that the adsorption process is spontaneous and exothermic. Keywords: Waste water, Phosphate co-product, Adsorption, Red Acid 52.

In recent years, hetero atom incorporated specially structured metal-free carbon nanomaterials have drawn huge attention among researchers. In comparison to the un-doped carbon nanomaterials, hetero atoms like nitrogen, sulphur, boron, phosphorous etc. incorporated nanomaterials become well-accepted as potential electrocatalysts in water splitting, supercapacitors and dye-sensitized solar cells. This review emphasizes on the mostly popular synthetic strategies utilized in last two decades and their excellent performance in electrocatalytic studies.

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are large protein families known to be important in many cellular processes. They are well known for their allosteric activation mechanisms. They are drug targets for several FDA-approved drugs. We have investigated the diversity of the ligand binding site for these class of proteins against their cognate ligands using computational docking, even if their structures are known in the ligand-complexed form. The cognate ligand of some of these receptors dock at allosteric binding site, with better score than the binding at the conservative site. Further, ligands obtained from GLASS database, which consists of experimentally verified GPCR ligands, also show allosteric binding to GPCRs. The allosteric binders show strong affinity to the binding site, though the residues at the binding site are not conserved across GPCR subfamilies.

There is a rising global concern for the ongoing outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 due to its high transmission rate and unavailability of treatment. Through the binding of its spike glycoprotein with angiotensin type 2 (ACE2), SARS-CoV-2 can efficiently get in the cells of patients and start its pandemic cycle. Herein, the biological diversity of SARS-CoV-2 infection was assessed in Babylon province of Iraq by investigating the possible genetic variations of the spike glycoprotein. A specific coding region of 795 bp within the viral spike (S) gene was amplified from 19 patients who suffered from obvious symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Sequencing results identified fifteen novel nucleic acid variations with a variety of distributions within the investigated samples. The electropherograms of all the identified variations showed obvious co-infections with at least two different viral strains per sample. Within these co-infections, the majority of samples exhibited three nonsense single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)s, p.301Cdel, p.380Ydel, and p.436del, which yielded three truncated SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoproteins of 301, 380, and 436 amino acids length, respectively. The network and phylogenetic analyses indicated that for all viral infections were derived from multi-ancestral origins. Results inferred from the specific clade-based tree entailed that some viral strains were derived from European G-clade sequences. In conclusion, our data demonstrated the absence of any single strain infection among all investigated viral samples in the studied area, which may entail a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 in this country. Through the identified high frequency of truncated spike proteins, we suggest that defective SARS-CoV-2 may depend on helper strains having intact spikes in its infection. Alternatively, another putative ACE2-independent route of viral infection way also suggested. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to describe the co-infection of multiple strains of SARS-CoV-2 in patients with COVID-19.

We describe the innate and adaptive immune system trajectory in Multi-system inflammatory syndrome of childhood (MIS-C), at acute(within 72 hours of hospitalization), resolution (at clinical improvement) and convalescent phase. In our cohort, in the acute phase, 68% of the children were SARS-CoV-2 seropositive, with hypercytokinenemia (high interleukin(IL)-1beta,IL-6,IL-8,IL-10,IL-17, interferon gamma), procoagulant state, myocardial dysfunction, activated neutrophils and monocytes; differential T and B cell subset lymphopenia; activated chemokine receptor type-7 positive and gamma-delta T cell subsets; antigen presenting cells had reduced HLA-DR expression; and B-cell class-switch responses occurred with illness resolution. MIS-C is an immunopathogenic illness associated with SARS-CoV-2 infections in children.

Introduction The COVID-19 virus was initially reported in Dec 2019 as the causative agent of a pneumonia breakout in Wuhan China. This virus rapidly spread from China to Europe and the East Coast of the United States eventually reaching the South West United States and indigenous tribes in mid -March. Since, then the indigenous tribes have been devasted by the virus which the Governor of New Mexico has likened as an existential threat. Methodology A PubMed search was performed utilizing the words: Navajo Indian, Indigenous Indian, Wuhan Virus, COVID-19, SARs coronavirus, ACE2, S protein, virulence, clinical presentation, epidemiology, genome, treatment, structure, MERs, pathogenesis and/or pathology alone and in combination with other terms. Each paper was evaluated by three content experts for quality, reproducibility, credibility and reputation of the journal Results: Navajo’s and other indigenous peoples may have elevated levels of ACE2 receptors in their lungs and other tissues allowing greater susceptibility to the COVID-19 virus. Increased levels of diabetes and protein nutrition are directly related to increased morbidity and mortality in this group while obesity, COPD, and heart diseas are not. The increased morbidity and mortality is exasperated by an inability to test for COVID-19 Conclusion: The infectivity rate of Navaho’s on the reservation is 22 times higher than the national average with a death rate near 4%. Comorbidites account for some of the increased morbidity and mortality while lack of access to adequate health care unnecessarily magnifies the poor outcome. The threat to indigenous tribes in the Southwest of COVID-19 is dire.

Carbon dioxide has become a global challenge, where the emissions have become more than what could be handled. In this regard, conversion of CO2 to value added chemicals and thus recycling CO2 became a viable option. One of these options is the use of a process in strong development: oxycombustion. However, the gases resulting from this process contain some traces of impurities that can hinder the recovery of CO2 such as NO and CO. This work has therefore focused on the study of the reaction of NO reduction by CO in an oxidizing medium, using catalytic materials based on various supported noble metals. These materials were extensively characterized by a variety of methods including BET surface area measurements, hydrogen chemisorption, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and H2 temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR). The obtained results show that the catalytic behaviour of M/Al2O3 catalysts in CO oxidation and NO reduction with CO in oxidative conditions depends mainly on the nature of the metal. The best result for these both reactions is obtained with Pt/Al2O3 catalyst. The Pt nanoparticles existing in the metallic form (Pt°) showed by TPR could explain the activity.

On the eve of the Brexit process, in the context of a rising Euroscepticism that fuels the modest confidence of European citizens in their national and European institutions, the article assesses the efficiency and effectiveness of the European Parliament within the framework of the ordinary legislative procedure (co-decision). After defining and formulating the main indicators, the paper analyses the micro- and macro-performance of the European Parliament within the decision-making process from a quantitative-qualitative and a qualitative-quantitative perspective, highlighting the relativizing factors and the responsiveness of the European decision-making process to the Europeans’ needs.

ZnO films with Ti atoms incorporated (TZO) in a wide range (0-18 at. %) have been grown by reactive co-sputtering on silicon and glass substrates. The influence of the titanium incorporation in the ZnO matrix on the structural and optical characteristics of the samples has been determined by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results indicate that the samples with low Ti content (< 4 at. %) exhibit the wurtzite-like structure, with the Ti+4 ions substitutionally incorporated into the ZnO structure, forming Ti-doped ZnO films. In particular, very low concentration of Ti (<0.9 at. %) leads to a significant increase of the crystallinity of the TZO samples. Higher Ti contents give rise to a progressive amorphization of the wurtzite-like structure so samples with high Ti content (≥18at. %), displays an amorphous structure indicating the XPS analysis a predominance of Ti-O-Zn mixed oxides. The energy gap, obtained from absorption spectrophotometry, increases from 3.2 eV for pure ZnO films to 3.6 eV for those with the highest Ti content. Ti incorporation in the ZnO samples below 0.9 at. % rises both, the blue (380 nm) and green (550 nm) bands of the photoluminescence (PL) emission, thereby indicating a significant improvement of PL efficiency of the samples.

Cu,N-TiO₂ nanotube (Cu,N-TNT) is prepared through a novel magnetron sputtering and anodic oxidation method. Then the morphology, structure and physicochemical property of Cu,N-TNT was analyzed by XRD, SEM, TEM, EDX and UV-vis-DR. The results indicate that the evenly doped copper is beneficial to the transformation of the TNT from anatase to rutile and play a key role in the morphology of the Cu,N-TNT. The doped Cu and N in the TNT influence the growth orientation of the TiO₂ crystals, which result in the lattice distortion and wider the interplanar spacing 60s-Cu,N-TNT has less band gap and stronger absorption intensity in visible region than other Cu,N-TNT samples, which make the combination rate of photogenerated electron and photogenerated hole decrease greatly, thus beneficial to its physicochemical property.

Polymer-based piezoelectric biomaterials have already proven their relevance for tissue engineering applications. Further, the morphology of the scaffolds plays also an important role in cell proliferation and differentiation. The present work reports on poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), a biocompatible, biodegradable and piezoelectric biopolymer that has been processed in different morphologies, including films, fibres, microspheres and 3D scaffolds. Further, the corresponding magnetically active PHBV-based composites were also produced. The effect of the morphology on physico-chemical, thermal, magnetic and mechanical properties of pristine and composites samples was evaluated, as well as their cytotoxicity. It was observed that the morphology does not strongly affect the properties of the pristine samples but the introduction of cobalt ferrites induces changes in the degree of crystallinity that could affect the applicability of prepared biomaterials. Young modulus is dependent of the morphology and also increases with the addition of cobalt ferrites. Both, pristine and PHBV/cobalt ferrite composite samples are no cytotoxic, indicating their suitability for tissue engineering applications.

This paper presents a new methodology that provides the analysis of surface texture changes in areas adjacent to the volcano and its impact product of volcanic activity. To do this, algorithms from digital image processing such as the co-occurrence matrix and the wavelet transform are used. These methods are working on images taken by the Landsat satellite platform sensor 5 TM and Landsat 7 ETM + sensor, and implemented with the purpose of evaluating superficial changes that can warn of surface movements of the volcano. The results were evaluated by similarity metrics for grayscale images, and validated in two different scenarios that have the same type of eruption, but differ, essentially, in climate and vegetation. Finally, the proposed algorithm is presented, setting the parameters and constraints for implementation and use.

Avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is the causative agent of infectious bronchitis, which causes considerable economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. It is imperative to develop safe and efficient candidate vaccines to control IBV infection. In the current study, recombinant baculoviruses co-expressing S1 and N proteins, mono-expressing S1 or N proteins alone of IBV were constructed and prepared into subunit vaccines rHBM-S1-N, rHBM-S1 and rHBM-N. The levels of immune protection of these subunit vaccines were evaluated by inoculating specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens at 14 days of age, boosting with the same dose 14 days later, and following challenge with a virulent GX-YL5 strain of IBV 14 days post-booster (dpb). The commercial vaccine strain H120 was used as a control. The IBV-specific antibody levels as well as the percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes were detected within 28 days post-vaccination (dpv). The morbidity, mortality, and re-isolation of virus from the tracheas and kidneys of challenged birds were evaluated at 5 days post-challenge (dpc). The results showed that the IBV-specific antibody levels and the percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte in rHBM-S1-N group were higher than those of rHBM-S1 and rHBM-N groups, especially the cellular immunity response. At 5 dpc, the mortality, morbidity and virus re-isolation rate of rHBM-S1-N were slightly higher than those of H120 group, but were lower than those of rHBM-S1 group and rHBM-N group. The present study demonstrated that the protection of recombinant baculovirus co-expressing S1 and N proteins was better than that of recombinant baculoviruses mono-expressing S1 or N protein alone. Thus, the recombinant baculovirus co-expressing S1 and N proteins could serve as a potential IBV vaccine and this demonstrates that the bivalent subunit vaccine including the S1 and N proteins might be a strategy for the development of an IBV subunit vaccine.

The rehabilitation of abandoned mining sites is an increasingly pressing issue in the context of sustainable development. Recent research has emphasized the need for a holistic approach to the abandoned mining sites and their environmental rehabilitation. Based on field analysis, environmental assessments, satellite imagery processing and geographic information operations, this paper pushes forward the existing knowledge by doing a comprehensive assessment of abandoned mining sites in the Romanian Carpathians and by proposing innovative and sustainable rehabilitation solutions. Our findings highlight that abandoned mining sites and their surrounding territories in the Romanian mountains have significant ecological imbalances and complex socio-economic issues. The findings also suggest that by adopting innovative, integrated, and sustainability-oriented approaches, territories affected by mining can be transformed into valuable and sustainable spaces to meet human needs. We conclude by presenting the importance of innovation in ecological reconstruction and spatial-functional reintegration of mining sites in mountain areas as a useful tool in making fair decisions, both in the context of implementing appropriate development policies as well as for resilience and environmental sustainability of mining-affected mountain areas.

The healthcare situation in Africa is characterized by limited resources and a high burden of disease, presenting significant challenges to the healthcare systems in the region. The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in African healthcare holds immense potential for addressing these challenges and improving health outcomes. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current healthcare landscape in Africa and the urgent need for AI-driven solutions.In addition to discussing the potential applications of AI in African healthcare, such as disease diagnosis, treatment planning, and medical imaging analysis, this manuscript seeks to shed light on the specific challenges hindering the implementation of AI in the region. By providing detailed examples and case studies, we aim to offer insights into the obstacles that need to be overcome and potential solutions that can be pursued.By leveraging AI technologies, Africa has the opportunity to revolutionize its health systems, bridging the gap in access to quality healthcare across the continent. The objective of this review article is to not only highlight the potential benefits that AI can bring to African healthcare but also to emphasize the urgent need for action and collaboration in implementing and scaling up AI innovations in the region. By doing so, African countries can pave the way for improved health outcomes and ensure that their populations receive the healthcare services they deserve.

We review our theory of interdependence applied to autonomous human-machine teams, with which we have made several generalizations based on theory that have led to new discoveries, compared to social science which is struggling to break free of its validation crisis, but also has no generalizations to new discoveries with human teams, let alone to human-machine teams. In this invited article, based around the stability of a team, of our discoveries, we review the uncertainty between a team's structure and its performance, our first finding. We generalize that finding to deception, vulnerability, innovation and fittedness. From there, our next generalization is to the quantum likeness of interdependence and quantum mechanics; we move on to Shannon holes, knowledge, and conclude with the value of debate and the need for boundaries to contain debate, to reduce interference, and to protect states of interdependence. After the introduction, we extend our model in Section 2 to energy and time, and we close with a brief review of innovation and future plans.

The digital economy (DE) has become a major force driving the optimization and upgrading of industrial structures (ISOU), and research on the driving mechanism has yet to be verified. To this end, the driving influence of DE on the ISOU is targeted, and the role played by economic resilience (ER) and innovation is explored. Based on the panel data of 31 provinces in China from 2011 to 2020, the driving influence of the DE on the ISOU is analyzed using a two-way fixed-effects model. The empirical study finds that the DE presents a positive driving effect on both industrial structure advancement and rationalization, and the driving effect is still significant after the addition of control variables and the robust-type test with one period of lag; the DE presents regional differences in ISOU, with the driving effect of the DE on industrial structure advancement in the eastern region having a more significant performance than that of the central and western regions, and the driving influence on the rationalization of industrial structure in the eastern and western regions exceeds that in the central region; the impact of DE on the ISOU has a mediating role through innovation, ER has a moderating role in the process, and innovation as a partial mediator also has a threshold effect, and finally countermeasure suggestions are put forward.

Colleges and universities play a crucial role in fostering innovation, making it essential to explore effective strategies for promoting innovation at the institutional policy level. This paper focuses on the establishment of intellectual property (IP) model cities as a starting point and conducts an empirical analysis using innovation data from 234 cities and 942 colleges and universities between 2007 and 2017. By constructing a multi-temporal double-difference model, this study reveals that the establishment of IP model cities effectively fosters innovation in colleges and universities. Further analysis demonstrates that this promotion effect is particularly significant in the western region, key cities, key colleges and universities, as well as in the fields of invention and utility model patents. These conclusions withstand a series of robustness tests, confirming their validity. In terms of the underlying mechanisms, it is found that the national IP pilot city policy has a substantial impact on university innovation by promoting research and development (R&D) investment and strengthening innovation cooperation. The insights provided by this study offer valuable policy recommendations for leveraging the innovation potential of the IP model city policy, thereby driving economic transformation, upgrading, and fostering innovation development in China.

Amidst China's new economic normal, the real economy faces various domestic and global challenges. Technological innovation, with its capital intensity and uncertain returns, is crucial to rejuvenate emerging industries and revamp the industrial structure. Meanwhile, financial agglomeration plays a dual role: directly fostering real economic development and indirectly affecting it through technological innovation. This study analyzes data from 30 mainland Chinese provinces and cities between 2011 and 2018, utilizing fuzzy matter-element analysis and location entropy method. Relying on a spatial econometric model, we explore the impact of technological innovation and financial clustering on real economic growth, including spatial ripple effects. The conclusions are derived from Chinese evidence and offer valuable insights into the evolving innovation and financial dynamics within the participating nations.

Plasma treatment of livestock slurry and biogas digestate is a method by which the nitrogen content of organic fertilizers can be increased. The resultant nitrogen-enriched organic fertilizer (NEO) contains twice as much plant-available nitrogen, and its pH is reduced, which is known to reduce ammonia volatilization. The current study included 14 spring wheat and barley field trials in Norway fertilized by NEO and other fertilizers over three years. The results showed that 120 kg N ha-1 in NEO yielded the same as 95 kg N ha-1 in mineral fertilizer considering the grain yields and 100 kg N ha-1 regarding the harvested nitrogen yield in the grains. On average, 39 tons ha-1 of untreated slurry supplemented with mineral fertilizers Opti-NS up to 120 kg N ha-1 yielded 5083 kg ha-1 of barley and 5290 kg ha-1 of spring wheat. Filtrating 39 tons of untreated slurry and running it through the N2 Applied unit gave 35 tons of NEO with 120 kg N. 35 tons ha-1 of NEO yielded 5068 kg ha-1 of barley and 5155 kg ha-1 of spring wheat. Filtrating the slurry increased grain yields by 756 and 447 kg ha-1 in spring wheat and barley, respectively, compared to the untreated slurry. 120 kg N ha-1 in mineral fertilizer yielded 5443 kg of barley and 6123 kg of spring wheat. Combining 12 kg N ha-1 in mineral fertilizer at sowing day and 108 kg N ha-1 in NEO at three leaves stage led to a higher yield in spring wheat than 120 kg ha-1 NEO spread at sowing day in two out of three experimental years.

Nature provides plenty of good examples for simple and very efficient joint assemblies. One example is the enormously flexible cervical spine of American barn owls, which consists of 14 cervical vertebrae. Each pair of vertebrae produces a comparatively small individual movement in order to provide a large overall movement of the entire cervical spine. The biomimetic replication of such joints is difficult due to the delicate and geometric unrestricted joint shapes as well as the muscles that have to be mimicked. Using X-ray as well as micro computed tomography images and with the utilisation of additive manufacturing, it is possible to produce the owl neck vertebrae in scaled-up form, to analyse them and then to transfer them into technically usable joint assemblies. The muscle substitution of these joints is realised by smart materials actuators in the form of shape memory alloy wire actuators. This actuator technology is outstanding for its muscle-like movement and for its enormous energy density [1,2]. The disadvantage of this wire actuator technology is the low rate of contraction, which means that a large length of wire has to be installed to generate adequate movement. For this reason, the actuator wires are integrated into additively manufactured carrier components to mimic the biological joints. This results in joint designs that compensate for the disadvantages of the small contraction of the actuators by intelligently installing large wire lengths on comparatively small installation spaces, while also providing a sufficient force output. With the help of a test rig, the developed technical joint variants are examined and evaluated. This demonstrates the technical applicability of this bionic joints.

This study proposes a structure for companies to use when implementing human resource practices in open innovation. Despite the fact that open innovation has received a lot of attention in the innovation management field as companies open their doors to information exchange in an effort to spur creative thinking, there are very few empirical articles that connect this trend to the human resource management literature. Our findings are the result of an extensive qualitative investigation into Julphar Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries Manufacturers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and its open innovation program. Internal, external, and combined are the three primary pillars of human resource management. We also demonstrate how the evolution of the open innovation initiative is linked to the state of the art in HRM and open innovation literature. The framework identifies HRM practices for both internal and external participants in the open innovation effort. Much of this HRM is done off the books, in a setting separate from the host company. By providing actual evidence of how firms use HRM to manage open innovation projects, our research adds to the scant and mostly theoretical literature linking open innovation and HRM.

We present here a five hours experimentation of a didactical path about the electromagnetic induction addressed to students of the last year of an Italian scientific high school and oriented to better understand the physical origin of the induced electromotive force. The expression of the induced electromotive force as the sum of the term linked to the time variation of the magnetic field and of the motional one has been obtained in a detailed way, still suitable for presentation at high school. Many examples have been proposed to the students in order to clarify the conceptual physical knots. The students’ responses to a 6-questions multiple choice questionnaire have been analyzed. It emerged that our approach is concretely feasible although we find the well-known difficulties in calculating flux and circulation of a vector field. Furthermore, it emerged that an integral approach to the problem masks the understanding of the nature of the forces acting locally on the charges. Hence our proposal of a “redefinition” of the induced electric field in terms of the magnetic vector potential is also presented.

Education on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) has increased in the last two decades, specially, through MOOCs. Lately, these reusable online alternatives have tended to be revalorized by HEIs into blended learning activities, posing new challenges for instructors, specially, on how to bridge prior knowledge with in-class activities. Adopting a discursive approach to knowledge, our proposal aims to meet this challenge by identifying student’s ‘representations’, i.e., patterned constructions on disciplinary knowledge. Representations can be found across different cohorts and thus further complemented by instructors. To test this assumption and build our proposal, we analysed student’s representations in two observations. We mapped students’ representations over key I&E definitions (e.g., ‘start-up’) and, to know how prior knowledge may be complemented by instructors, we identified students’ alignment with expert disciplinary knowledge. Firstly, we found that the two cohorts tended to express representations by turning attention to several dimensions, e.g., referring to different types of features or finalities associated with concepts. Secondly, the disciplinary alignment description revealed that students tended to focus on the same components present in experts’ definitions, but with a greater level of generality. Our results have been packaged into a proposal that aims to help instructors scale their blended activities.

The paper summarizes in a step by step ‘recipe’ format a model of developing new ideas (Ideation) that can be used to form a new venture or develop a new product. The proposed ‘recipes’ are widely used and can be applied in tandem with other prevalently available models or tools. The intention of the paper is also to serve as a resource for entrepreneurs and innovators, and the links and references munificently used in the paper are serving this purpose. The author has used the outline and the tools described here in numerous Ideation classes taught for over a decade in several countries around the world. The paper’s intention is not to conduct a systematic review on the subject of new venture creation or propose new research agenda (for that, see for example Shepherd et al., 2021). The purpose is to provide an effective and efficient set of tools, models and techniques that can assist the entrepreneur in her journey to create and achieve her dreams. One such tool is the matrix of Reasonings-Outcomes introduced here for the first time.

Education 4.0 postulates the flexible combining of digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving in training environments linked to real-world scenarios. Therefore, teachers are challenged to find or develop new methods and resources to integrate into their curricula to help students develop these desirable and necessary skills; hence, the question: What are the characteristics of a teacher to consider within the framework of Education 4.0? This article presents a study carried out in a higher education institution in Ecuador. The objective was to identify the teaching profile required in new careers within the framework of Education 4.0. The descriptive, exploratory methodology applied quantitative and qualitative instruments (surveys) to 337 undergraduate students in education careers and 313 graduates. It also included interviews with 20 experts in the educational field and five focus groups with 32 rectors, school principals, university professors and specialists in the educational area. The data was triangulated, and the results were categorized in (a) processes as facilitators (b), soft skills, (c) human sense and (d) use of technologies. This article may be of value to administrators, educational and social entrepreneurs, trainers, and decision-makers interested in implementing innovative training programs.

The paper is to examine the influence of business innovation, business expansion, product and service development, working capital, machinery and equipment on financing choices in the western part of Nigeria. To determine the effect on financing choices, a logistic regression analysis was used. The results in an impressive manner indicate that entrepreneur, essentially with working capital (WC), machinery and equipment (ME) requirement and business innovation (BI) used internal funding sources while business expansion (BE) and product and service development (PS) lean toward external funding sources and the more established and larger firm utilizes debt financing. The approach and the experiential findings offer an unprecedented degree of investigation from an academic point of view through the previous study on Nigeria entrepreneur. Similarly, the experimental results will strengthen the entrepreneur's knowledge, awareness and perception. Through the capabilities of the entrepreneurs, they can prepare and adapt in accordance with the business condition they conduct business and to help them in their choice procedure regarding the capital structure of their organization in the midst of an interval when the fuss of entrepreneur funding is gradually elicited in the Nigerian climate.

Service pricing is a bottleneck in the development of innovation services, as it is the issue of most concern between the suppliers and demanders. In this paper, a negotiation pricing model that is based on the multiobjective genetic algorithm is developed for innovation service pricing. Regarding the service pricing process as a multiobjective problem, the objective functions, which include the service price, service efficiency, and service quality, for suppliers and demanders are constructed. As the solution of a multiobjective problem is typically a series of alternatives, another negotiation process is necessary for determining the final decision. A learning strategy is adopted during the negotiation process to simulate reality. Finally, the model is implemented for an innovation service transaction, the objective of which is to identify the optimal price plan. The results demonstrate that the model can provide quantitative decision support for the pricing of an innovation service and ultimately yield a win-win result for both the supplier and demander of the innovation service. Furthermore, the influence of the parameters during the negotiation process is analyzed in detail. The effects of the learning strategy on accelerating the negotiation process, as well as the chosen of reasonable parameters are given.

Cultivating research competencies facilitated by the use of technology in the university is crucial to boost acquisition of knowledge, educational innovation, and successful professional development. The objective of this article is to analyze the evolution and characteristics of scientific production that has had the greatest impact on the momentum of investigative competencies and their articulation within technological scenarios. Applying various selection criteria in the Scopus database, we utilized systematic, bibliometric mapping as a methodological strategy in which 250 articles related to the topic were identified, then analyzed with the semantic analysis software VOSViewer. The results indicate that there is an emerging line of research on the subject since 2016 and point to the underdevelopment of lines that associate research skills with digital literacy, information literacy, digital libraries databases, and the development of critical thinking.

Taking capital, manpower, and natural resources as inputs, regional GDP as expected output, and industrial pollution as undesired output, this study measures the ecological efficiency of various regions in China through the Global-Malmquist model. The results show a trend of an initial sharp decline in ecological efficiency followed by a gradual increase in the time dimension, but there is no significant correlation in the spatial dimension. Using the gravity model to quantify the attractiveness of the regions’ capital and human resources for collaborative innovation, it estimates the impact of collaborative innovation on eco-efficiency through the system-Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) model. The results show that technological innovation capital in other regions has a negative “U” relationship with local ecological efficiency, while scientific and technological innovation human resources have a positive “U” relationship. In addition, government financial support in science and technology and the ecological efficiency of the previous period serve as promoting factors of the current local ecological efficiency, while the introduction of foreign technological innovation is likely to inhibit improvements in ecological efficiency. Based on these findings, this study puts forward corresponding policy recommendations for local governments to advance their development agendas alongside their environmental priorities in line with their specific circumstances.

Nowadays, environmental circumstances and business rules of organizations are complicate, active and uncertain, so, they cannot assurance their long- term survival through some actions such as, structural changes and methods or relying on creativity of some people in organization. Companies and organizations should prepare conditions to institutionalize entrepreneurial culture in their organization. Corporate entrepreneurship can improve the value of the organization. The entrepreneurial oriented organizations are more responsive for environment and market changes. Opportunity recognition is the base of being successful. The research is applied and in terms of method is descriptive. Data were analyzed, using Linear Regression and Multiple Moderated Regression (MMR) and SPSS software. In this research the effects of organizational entrepreneurship (innovation, proactiveness and risk-taking) on performance of the centers influenced by environmental factors (government’s strategies, competitiveness and technology) as moderating variables, were studied. Furthermore, the study presents that there is a significant positive relationship between organizational entrepreneurship and performance. Although the study does not show any significant moderating effect of environmental factors (Government’s strategies, competitiveness and technology) on the relationship between organizational entrepreneurship and performance, however, the result of the study manifests direct relationship between environmental factors and performance of such centers.

Abstract: Guanxi, a Chinese term that defines social networks of power and benefits, can be divided into inter-personal and inter-organizational relationships, and guanxi significantly influences construction innovation in China. Many studies have examined the relationship between guanxi and construction innovation at the project or organizational level. However, few of these studies explained how guanxi could affect an individual’s innovative behaviour from a double-level perspective. This paper builds on social capital theory and social exchange theory to examine guanxi’s role in motivating innovative behaviour in a China-specific construction context. It investigates the main effects of inter-personal relationships on innovative behaviour, the mediating effects of knowledge sharing, and the cross-level moderating effects of inter-organizational relationships. These elements were tested using a survey that received 178 responses from 35 different organizations. The results were analysed using Hierarchical Linear Modelling (HLM) and revealed that inter-personal relationships have positive influences on innovative behaviour, thus highlighting the partial mediating effects of knowledge sharing. In addition, the analyses showed that inter-organizational relationships augment inter-personal relationships and knowledge sharing on innovative behaviour by cross-level interaction. The research findings enhance an understanding of guanxi and innovative behaviour in China-specific construction project settings, as well as verifying the significance of guanxi in stimulating innovative behaviour.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the timing of innovative investment in technology product life cycles using a compound binomial option with management flexibility. Considering the business cycles changes in the macroeconomic will affect consumer purchasing power. The focus is how to evaluate the optimal investment strategy and the project value. It was applied to different product stages (three stages including production innovation, manufacture innovation, and operation innovation) and factored to different risks to build a technology innovation strategy model. An aim of this study is the options premium of the best strategy timing for each innovation stage. Its application of the compound binomial options for the manufacture innovation will only be considered after the execution of the production innovation. The same condition is applied to the operation innovation, which will only be considered after the execution of the manufacture innovation. Then, this paper constructs the dynamic investment sequential decision model, assesses the feasibility of an investment strategy, and makes a decision on the appropriate project value and options premium for each stage under the possible change of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This paper investigates the product life cycle innovation investment topic by using the compound binomial options method and will provide a more flexible strategy decision compared with other trend forecast criteria.

Addressing the urgent sustainability challenges in the wine industry, this study explores the efficacy of sustainability-oriented innovations (SOIs) and smart farming technologies (SFTs) across wine value chains in Cyprus and Italy. Employing KPIs for a rigorous assessment, the research delves into the environmental, economic, and social impacts of these technologies. In Cyprus (SIP7), the integration of digital labelling and smart farming solutions led to a substantial reduction in pesticide usage by up to 75% and enhanced the perceived quality of wine by an average of 8%. Italy's SIP10 witnessed a 33.4% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions, with an additional benefit of a 5.3% improvement in intrinsic product quality. Notably, SIP10 also introduced a carbon credit system, potentially generating an average annual revenue of €4,140 per farm. These findings highlight the transformative potential of SOIs and SFTs in promoting sustainable practices within the wine industry, demonstrating significant advancements in reducing environmental impact, improving product quality, and enhancing economic viability. The study underscores the critical role of innovative technologies in achieving sustainability goals and provides a compelling case for wider adoption within the agricultural sector.

This study represents a significant stride in advancing furan chemistry, presenting the synthesis of high-molecular-weight polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) resin (Mw = 118,959 g/mol) from furfuryl alcohol (FA) using a co-catalytic system as against the conventional single-catalytic methods. The resulting PFA resin is fully characterised, and we conclude that it exhibits good shelf life and potential in diverse applications, serving as a standalone moulded material or contributing to composites, coatings, adhesives, and nanostructured carbons.

Decarbonization of air mobility requires the decarbonization of its energy. While biofuels will play an important role, other low carbon energy carriers based on electricity are considered: battery electrification, liquid hydrogen (LH₂) or eFuel, a hydrogen-based energy carrier. Each energy carrier has its own conversion steps and losses and its own integration effects with the aircraft. These combinations lead to different energy requirements and must be understood to compare their cost and CO₂ emissions. Since they are all electricity-based, this study compares these energy carriers using the well to rotor methodology when applied to a standard Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) air mobility mission. This novel approach allows one to understand that the choice of the energy carrier dictates the propulsive system architecture, leading to integration effects with the aircraft which can significantly change the energy required, from 400 to 2665 kWh for the same mission. These deviations lead significant differences in CO₂ emissions and costs. Battery electrification is impacted by the battery manufacturing but has the lowest electricity consumption. It is an optimum solution but only until the battery weight can be lifted. In all scenarios eFuel is more efficient than LH₂. We conclude that carrying the most efficient molecule in an aircraft pays the extra energy cost spent on the ground. Finally, we found that for each of these energy carriers, it is the electricity carbon intensity and price which will dictate the cost and CO₂ emissions of an air mobility mission.

Three different populations of sulfated polysaccharides can be found in the cell wall of the red alga Botryocladia occidentalis. In a previous work, the structures of the two more sulfated polysaccharides were revised. In this work, NMR-based structural analysis was performed on the least sulfated polysaccharide and its chemically modified derivatives. Results have revealed the presence of both 4-linked α- and 3-linked β-galactose units having the following chemical features: more than half of the total galactose units are not sulfated, the α-units occur primarily as 3,6-anhydro-galactose units either 2-O-methylated or 2-O-sulfated, and the β-galactose units can be 4-O-sulfated or 2,4-O-disulfated. SPR-based results indicated weaker binding of the least sulfated galactan to thrombin, factor Xa, and antithrombin, but stronger binding to heparin cofactor II than unfractionated heparin. This report together with our previous publication completes the structural characterization of the three polysaccharides found in the cell wall of the red alga B. occidentalis and correlates the impact of their composing chemical groups with the levels of interaction with the blood co-factors.

Reflux esophagitis, a treatment for gastric ulcers known as Ilaprazole (Ila), is not stable during storage and handling at room temperature, requiring storage at 5 degrees celsius. In this study, to address these issues with Ila, coformers rich in oxygen (O) and hydroxyl (OH) groups capable of forming hydrogen bonds with were selected. These coformers included Xylitol (Xyl), Meglumine (Meg), Nicotinic acid (Nic), L-Aspartic acid (Asp), and L-Glutamic acid (Glu). A 1:1 physical mixture of Ila and each coformer was prepared, and the potential for cocrystal for-mation was predicted using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) screening. The results indi-cated the potential for cocrystal formation in the Ila/Xyl physical mixture. Subsequently, Ila and Xyl were mixed in ethyl acetate (EA) in a 1:1 ratio, and after 28 hours of slurry, the formation of Ila/Xyl cocrystal was confirmed through solid-state CP/MAS 13C NMR spectrum analysis, showing intermolecular hydrogen bonding and conformational changes. Furthermore, the 1:1 ratio of Ila/Xyl cocrystal was confirmed through solution-state NMR (1H, 13C, and 2D) molecular structure analysis. To assess the stability of Ila/Xyl cocrystal at room temperature, it was stored and com-pared with Ila at 25±2°C and relative humidity (RH) of 65±5% over three months. The results showed that the purity of Ila/Xyl cocrystal remained at 99.8% from the initial purity of 99.75% over the three months, while Ila was predicted to decrease from an initial 99.8% purity to 90% after three months. Additionally, at 25±2°C and RH 65±5%, a specific impurity B in Ila/Xyl cocrystal was observed to be 0.03% over three months, whereas Ila was predicted to increase from an initial 0.032% to 2.28% after three months. To evaluate the dissolution rate of Ila/Xyl cocrystal, a formulation was prepared and compared with Ila at pH 10, with a dosage equivalent to 10mg of Ila. The results showed that Ila/Xyl cocrystal reached 55% within 15 minutes and 100% within 45 minutes, while Ila was predicted to reach 32% at 15 minutes and 100% only after 60 minutes. However, overall, the Ila/Xyl cocrystal showed results equivalent to or exceeding the dissolution rate of Ila. Therefore, it is predicted that the Ila/Xyl cocrystal will maximize its effectiveness as a more convenient crystal structure for formulation development, allowing storage and preservation at room temperature without the need for the problematic 5°C refrigeration during ambient con-ditions and storage, addressing the issues associated with Ila.

The effects of co-addition CeO2 and SiC particles on the morphology, surface cracks, microstructure, precipitated phases and wear property of plasma beam spraying Fe55-based coatings on 1025 steel were investigated by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), ultra-deep field microscope and wet sand rubber wheel friction tester, respectively. The results showed that the dendrite exhibited a directional growth pattern perpendicular to the substrate and the transitional states of microstructure with the co-addition CeO2 and SiC particles. With addition of CeO2 or SiC affected the flowability of molten steel at macro level, leading to a reduction in the liquid phase diffusion coefficient DL of Cr and C and resulted in a decrease in the G/R ratio. The dendrites changed into equiaxed grains. The main phase composition of Fe55 welding layer is Cr7C3, γ-Fe. The grain boundaries consisted mainly of a reticular eutectic structure. The worn-out uniformly surface of the Fe55+1.5 wt% SiC+0.01wt% CeO2 with Ra was 0.28 μm was smoother than that of other samples. The sub-wear mechanisms during the friction process were microploughing and microcutting. The hardness and toughness of Fe55+1.5 wt% SiC+0.01wt% CeO2 were well-matched, avoiding excessive microcutting and microplastic deformation.

A new copper(I) complex, [Cu2(L)2dppm](PF6)2 (1) [L = 3-(2-Pyridyl)-5,6-diphenyl-1,2,4-triazine and dppm: Bis(diphenylphosphino)methane] was prepared and characterized by IR, 1H-NMR, 31P-NMR spectroscopy, elemental and thermogravimetric analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique. Complex 1 is a dinuclear compound, showing that L and dppm act as tridentate and bidentate chelating ligands, respectively. The two Cu(I) atoms exhibit a distorted tetrahedral coordination sphere embedded in N3P environments. The supramolecular interactions in the solid-state structure are characterized by C−H···N, C−H···F, C-H···π and π···π intermolecular interactions that were analyzed by inspection of the Hirshfeld surface and fingerprint plots. Additionally, the complex was studied experimentally in solution by UV–Vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry; also, theoretical studies with Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TD-DFT) were performed. Moreover, the optical and electrochemical properties have been studied, focusing on the band gap. Compound 1 has been used as a co-sensitizer in a dye-sensitized solar cell, showing good activity.

The major challenge for membrane distillation (MD) is membrane wetting resistance induced by pollutants in the feed solution. The proposed solution for this issue was to fabricate membranes with hydrophobic properties. Hydrophobic electrospun Poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) nanofibers membranes were produced for brine treatment using the direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) technique. These nanofibers membranes were prepared from three different polymeric solution compositions to study the effect of solvent composition in the electrospinning process. Further, the effect of the polymer concentration was investigated by preparing polymeric solutions with three different polymer percentages: 6, 8, and 10%. All nanofibers membranes obtained from electrospinning were post-treated at varying temperatures. The effects of thickness, porosity, pore size, and LEP were studied. The hydrophobicity was determined by contact angle measurements, which were investigated by optical contact angle goniometry. The crystallinity and thermal properties were studied by DCS and XRD, while the functional groups were studied by FTIR. The morphological study was performed by AMF and described the roughness of nanofibers membranes. Finally, all nanofibers membranes have enough of a hydrophobic nature to be used in DCMD. PVDF membrane filter disc and all nanofibers membranes were applied in DCMD to treat brine water. The resulting water flux and permeate water quality were compared, and it was discovered that all produced nanofibers membranes showed good behavior with varying water flux, but the salt rejection was greater than 90%. A membrane prepared from DMF/acetone 5-5 with 10% PVDF-HFP provided perfect performance, with an average water flux of 44 kg.m-2.h-1 and salt rejection of 99.8%.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a potentially serious acute respiratory infection caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, the virus has spread to more than 200 countries with more than 500 million cases and more than 6 million deaths reported globally. It has long been known that viral respiratory tract infections predispose patients to bacterial infections and that these co-infections often have an unfavourable clinical outcome. Moreover, nosocomial infections, also known as health care-associated infections (HAIs), are those infections that are absent at the time of admission and acquired after hospitalization. However, the impact of coinfections or secondary infections on the progression of COVID-19 disease and its lethal outcome is still debated. The aim of this review was to assess the literature on the incidence of bacterial co-infections and superinfections in patients with COVID-19. The review also highlights the importance of the rational use of antibiotics in patients with COVID-19 and the need to implement antimicrobial stewardship principles to prevent the transmission of drug-resistant organisms in healthcare settings. Finally, alternative antimicrobial agents to counter the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria causing healthcare-associated infections in COVID-19 patients will also be discussed.

The reliability of Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs) is measured in terms of energy consumption (EC), end-to-end delay(E2E) and packet delivery ratio (PDR). The adverse effects of channel may cause data loss. Reducing delay up to possible extend improves the reliability of the network, also increasing the number of nodes in a particular network increase reliability. Besides, increasing the number of nodes improve reliability but also increase power consumption. In order to overcome these shortcomings, the two routing protocols are proposed in this paper, namely Delay and Reliability Aware Routing (DRAR) protocol and Cooperative Delay and Reliability Aware Routing (Co-DRAR) protocol for UWSNs. In DRAR protocol, network is divided into two equal regions where two sink nodes(SNs) are positioned at upper region of the network and two SNs are placed at the mid region of the network. The protocol choose the relay node based on residual energy (RE), distance and Bit Error Rate (BER). These parameters protect the data packets from corruption and also provide stable path (where nodes remain active for longer period and do not die quickly). The protocol uses single link and may get worse sometimes while changing channel circumstances. To address this problem, cooperative routing scheme is added to DRAR protocol in order to developed its enhanced version known as Co-DRAR protocol. The protocol works by allowing the destination to receive multiple copies of data packets in order to decide the quality of packets. The proposed protocols DRAR and Co-DRAR perform routing irrespective to geographical position of sensors nodes conversely to the some of conventional routing protocols that's way our propose protocol better perform than the well-known protocol i.e. Depth base routing (DBR) in terms of EC, E2E, PDR, dead nodes, packet drop ratio and number of alive nodes (ANs).

The management of urban water has evolved from single-function systems to more sustainable designs promoting society and nature as inputs to engineer novel infrastructure. In transdisciplinary research, co-design refers to a design thinking strategy in which people jointly frame a problem-solution. This article presents a conceptual framework to assess a case study focusing on the process of co-design and implementation of green infrastructure as a prototype for stormwater management. The evaluation is carried out from a self-reflective post-implementation perspective. Research activities are translated into the framework to evaluate conditions shaping the trajectory of the prototype. As a result, key aspects driving the research regarding levels of stakeholder participation and dimensions of power are identified. Planning resilient co-design strategies to retrofit urban spaces is necessary to avoid unintended consequences, especially at the initial experimental stages. This study aims to contribute to the continuous improvement of pilot strategies in urban spaces by providing a framework for a structured evaluation of research experiences.

Background. To improve maternal and child health, it is essential to adhere to health-promoting and preventive measures. However, reliable information as well as effective tools are not easy to identify in this field. Our cross-sectional study investigated the needs and expectations of expectant and new mothers and fathers -primary users of an app supporting the first 1000 days of life. Methods. Between May and August 2022, we recruited expectant and new parents by administering a 71-item 5-point Likert scale questionnaire related to content, functionalities, and technical features of a hypothetical app. We stratified responses by sociodemographic characteristics and then performed ward hierarchical clustering. Results. The 94 women and 69 men involved in our study generally agreed with the proposed content, but expressed low interest in certain app functionalities, especially those related to interaction mechanism and interactivity. Women were generally more demanding than men, and family income declined as the needs and expectations increased. Conclusions. Our findings, resulting from the engagement of end-users, may be useful for designers and technology providers to implement mHealth solutions that, in addition to conveying reliable information, are tailored to the needs and preferences of end-users in the first 1000 days of life.

Pharmaceutically active compounds and organic pollutants are becoming a major environmental dispute possessing serious threat to the water bodies and terrestrial ecosystem. Microorganisms are capable of the self-purification process, and hence the microbial degradation is considered a lucrative method to counteract the therapeutic and recalcitrant pollutants. Pharmaceutical toxicants in aquatic system can be treated by conventional wastewater treatment, but slow sludge settling, presence of mixture of pharmaceuticals and recalcitrant compounds often pose a potential ecological risk. Some microbial strains are very effective in reducing the chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), total dissolved solids (TDS), and turbidity in pharmaceutical industrial wastewater treatment. The natural microbial community has a significant role in the ecological processes of pharmaceutical and organic compounds, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, blood lipid regulators and other micropollutants. Specific bacterial isolates can act as biodegraders, and fungal treatment could offer protection to the ecosystem. These microorganisms use the pollutants as their sole carbon source and transform the contaminants by co-metabolic pathways. Natural attenuation by native microorganisms, biostimulation and bioaugmentation are the processes employed to degrade the target contaminant. Microorganisms may also be genetically engineered to improve the neutralization efficiency, which would assist in the mineralization of the pollutants. Thus, employing microorganisms to detoxify the pollutants probably enhances the sustainable potential biodegradability, improves water quality standards and ensures eco-friendly alternative bioremediation strategy.

There are two contrary opinions regarding the risk if mainland China (MC) moves away from its zero-COVID policy. Some experts think the risk shall be much lower than influenza as per MC’s own COVID-19 case fatality rate (CFR), while some other experts think the risk shall be much higher than influenza as per the COVID-19 CFRs of other regions. We elucidate here that this and multiple other striking differences in the CFR between various scenarios all support and substantially resulted from the view that good IDM is highly powerful to mitigate COVID-19, where IDM (isolation-disinfection-maintenance) means isolation of COVID-19 cases from other people, disinfection of their living environments, and health maintenance (e.g., rest, nutrition, breathing). The high effect of good IDM is also supported by the theoretic functions of IDM in minimizing co-infections and maintaining body functions, and the fact that all the 505 COVID-19 deaths reported in MC in 2022 before May 5 died directly of severe underlying diseases with COVID-19. Although it is tough for people in poverty to obtain good IDM, good IDM can be feasible at home for the most mild cases and in hospitals for the most severe cases. Therefore, good IDM can be crucial to mitigating COVID-19 worldwide. It also suggests that the risk for China to end its zero-COVID policy depends on China’s control policies or measures. Based on the effect of IDM, the cautious co-existence policy was proposed for COVID-19 control. This policy could reduce the whole death toll in MC because good IDM is non-specific and can reduce deaths of various other diseases. The cautious co-existence policy (non-specific) and the vaccination policy (specific) aid each other to mitigate COVID-19, and they cannot replace each other. Those who are qualified in health for vaccination should be vaccinated against COVID-19 timely.

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that affect the mortality among adult HIV/TB co-infected patients and to see the nutritional difference among mortality in residence level. Retrospective cohort studies of 417 patients which fulfill our criteria were included. Multilevel logistic regression models were used. MLwiN and SPSS software are used to estimate the parameter. The variance of the random factor in the empty model was significant which indicates that there were residential differences in TB-HIV co-infected mortality and it shows multilevel analysis was an appropriate approach for further analysis. The prevalence of HIV/TB co-infected patients' death was 12.9% in study time. Functional status, age of patients, WHO clinical stages, nutritional status, CD4 counts, regimen, and BMI were found to be significant determinants of HIV/TB co-infected mortality. In our study, patients with the bedridden category of functional status, the fourth stages of WHO clinical stages (stage IV), patients with higher age, patients whose treatments were second-line regimen and low CD4 cell counts were more at risk of death. The study also revealed that; poor nutritional status increased the risk of mortality among HIV/TB co-infected patients and it varies among the residence of the patients (rural area were more at risk).

Threats emerging from microplastics pollution in the marine environment have received much global attention. This review assessed sources, fate, and impacts of microplastics in marine ecosystems and identified gaps. Most studies document ubiquity of microplastics and associated environmental effects. Effects include impacts to marine ecosystems, risks to biodiversity, and threats to human health. Microplastic leakage into marine ecosystems arises from plastic waste mismanagement and a lack of effective mitigative strategies. This review identified a scarcity of microplastics mitigation strategies across different stakeholders. Lack of community involvement in microplastic monitoring or ecosystem conservation exists due to limited existence of stakeholder co-management initiatives. Although some management strategies exist for controlling the effects of microplastics (often implemented by local and global environmental groups); a standardized management strategy to mitigate microplastics in coastal areas is urgently required. There is a need to identify focal causes of microplastic pollution in the marine environment through further environmental research. This would extend to creating more effective policies as well as harmonized and extended efforts of educational campaigns and incentives for counteraction and plastic waste reduction, while mandating stringent penalties for polluting the marine environment. This will help reduce microplastic leakage into the environment.

It was recently demonstrated that a co-planar capacitive sensor could be applied to the evaluation of materials without the disadvantages associated with the other techniques. This technique effectively detects changes in the dielectric properties of the materials due to, for instance, imperfections or variations in the internal structure, by moving a set of simple electrodes on the surface of the specimen. An AC voltage is applied to one or more electrodes and signals are detected by others. This is a promising inspection method for imaging the interior structure of the numerous materials, without the necessity to be in contact with the surface of the sample. In this paper, Finite Element (FE) modelling was employed to simulate the electric field distribution from a co-planar capacitive sensor and the way it interacts with a non-conducting sample. Physical experiments with a prototype capacitive sensor were also performed on a Plexiglas sample with sub-surface defects, to assess the imaging performance of the sensor. A good qualitative agreement was observed between the numerical simulation and experimental result.

Currently, one of the biggest issues when developing an ODS alloy is the competition established between the different oxide precursors during the precipitation of oxides which nature depends on their chemical composition. In the presence of various precursors, usually the one with the highest affinity to oxygen leads to the absence of the other oxides. In this work, a new process to equilibrate the local concentration of species and to decrease the competition among them is explained. A unique compound, containing the diverse oxide precursors as one complex oxide, is introduced in a prealloyed 14Cr Steel powder via mechanical alloying. Thus, generating environments enriched in Y, Ti and Zr which, after consolidation, refine the oxides precipitation improving the thermal stability of the alloy. SPS were used as consolidation technique to guarantee shorter sintering times and to maintain the nanostructure obtained. Mechanical properties were tested by tensile tests and Vickers microhardness.

Background: Co-infections of SARS-CoV-2 with respiratory viruses, bacteria and fungi have been reported to cause a wide range of illness. Objectives: We asses s the prevalence of co-infection of SARS-CoV-2 with seasonal respiratory viruses, document the respiratory viruses detected among individuals tested for SARS-CoV-2, and describe characteristics of individuals with respiratory virus co-infection detected. Methods: Specimens included in this study were submitted as part of routine clinical testing to Public Health Ontario Laboratory from individuals requiring testing for SARS-CoV-2 and/or seasonal respiratory viruses. Results: Co-infection was detected in a smaller proportion (2.5%) of individuals with laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 than those with seasonal respiratory viruses (4.3%); this difference was not significant. Individuals with any respiratory virus co-infection were more likely to be younger than 65 years of age and male than those with single infection. Those with SARS-CoV-2 co-infection manifested mostly mild respiratory symptoms. Conclusions: Findings of this study may not support routine testing for seasonal respiratory viruses among all individuals tested for SARS-CoV-2, as they were rare during the study period nor associated with severe disease. However, testing for seasonal respiratory viruses should be performed in severely ill individuals, in which detection of other viruses may assist with patient management.

The complex interplay among pathogens, host factors, and the integrity and composition of the endogenous microbiome determine the course and outcome of gastrointestinal infections. The model organism Yersinia entercolitica (Ye) is one of the five top frequent causes of bacterial gastroenteritis based on the Epidemiological Bulletin of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) published on September 10, 2020. A fundamental challenge in predicting the course of an infection is to understand whether co-infection with two Yersinia strains differing only in their capacity to resist killing by the host immune system may decrease the overall virulence by competitive exclusion or increase it by acting cooperatively. Herein, we study the primary interactions among Ye, the host immune system and the microbiota, and their influence on Yersinia population dynamics. The employed model considers two host compartments, the intestinal mucosa and lumen, commensal bacteria, the co-existence of wild-type and mutant Yersinia strains, as well the host immune responses. We determine four possible equilibria: the disease-free, wild-type-free, mutant-free, and co-existence of wild-type and mutant equilibrium. We also calculate the reproduction number for each strain as a threshold parameter to determine if the population may either be eradicated or persist within the host. We conclude that the infection should disappear if the reproduction numbers for each strain fall below one, and the commensal bacteria’s growth rate exceeds the pathogens’ growth rates. These findings will help inform public health control strategies. The supplement includes MATLAB source script, Maple workbook, and figures.

MicroRNAs are used as biomarkers for classification of cancer subtypes since certain miRNAs are differentially expressed in normal and patient samples. Moreover, miRNAs target mRNAs and can heavily influence Gene Expressions. Thus, deregulation of miRNAs is linked to various disorders. Thus, miRNAs can be used for prognosis and developing personalized health solutions for patients. Given the importance of miRNAs, there has been substantial work done in the field. In this paper, recent works in the field of using miRNAs expressions of patients were considered. A total of 20 papers were surveyed which utilized feature selection ensembles, fuzzy logic as well as deep learning. 10 papers have been reported which offer insight into how miRNAs can be utilized for subtype-specific or generalized cancer diagnosis.

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has tremendously affected the African continent and the rest of the world. Most businesses have closed and a lot of people have lost their jobs. The aviation industry has been shaken to the core with airlines losing millions of dollars and flights being cancelled. The tourism industry has consequently been affected due to restricted travel of tourists, impacting wildlife conservation and livelihoods. Schools, colleges and universities have been closed. The virus has infected millions of people and hundreds of thousands of people have died globally putting strain on health systems especially those of hard hit countries. Various countries all over the world have put measures to control the spread of the virus through lockdowns and social distancing policies. The reduced economic activities and mobility of people has resulted in improved air quality, cleaner water and beaches in some countries. However there are also negative impacts such as challenges in waste management, increased pharmaceutical and household waste and discovery of the corona virus in wastewater, a potential threat to public health. A considerable amount of research has been done on the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 in Africa but there is still limited research on its impact on the environment. This paper serves to highlight the observed and potential environmental impacts of COVID-19 in Africa.

Hydrogen is useful as a fuel and could be produced by a variety of means. One approach uses artificial photosynthesis where energy from sunlight powers the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen. But, biological methods for producing hydrogen has emerged strongly over the past decades. In particular, specific microorganisms could use different substrates to produce hydrogen at differing yields. Such fundamental discoveries with industrial applications thus motivated the use of metabolic engineering approaches and methodologies in enhancing biological hydrogen production through a series of enzyme over-expression, pathway debottlenecking, and gene deletion. However, such approaches heavily rely on the selection of an appropriate microbial chassis for biohydrogen production. With the proper strain in hand, use of alternative substrates may engender greater hydrogen productivities. But learning from the bioprocessing field, co-culture of two compatible microorganisms have been sought after for improving biohydrogen production. In addition, thermophilic microbes may also be useful candidates for exploiting hydrogen production from composting. Future outlook in the field looks into filling our gaps in understanding of the metabolic network that feeds into hydrogen production in different organisms. But, more importantly, problems such as reduced growth rate in engineered microbes point to fundamental issues with using genetically engineered microorganisms for improved biohydrogen production, to which clever bioprocess engineering may yield solutions.

Biofilm-mediated infection is a major cause of bone prosthesis failure. The lack of molecules able to act in biofilms has driven research aimed at identifying new anti-biofilm agents via chemical screens. However, to be able to accommodate a large number of compounds, the testing conditions of these screenings end up being typically far from the clinical scenario. In this study, we assess the potential applicability of three anti-biofilm compounds (based on natural compounds) as part of implanted medical devices by testing them on in vitro systems that more faithfully resemble the clinical scenario. To that end, we used a competition model based on the co-culture of SaOS-2 mammalian cells and Staphylococcus aureus (collection and clinical strains) on a titanium surface. Additionally, we studied whether these derivatives of natural compounds enhance the previously proven protective effect of pre-incubating the titanium surface with SaOS-2 cells. Out of the three tested leads, one showed the highest potential, and can be regarded as a promising agent for incorporation into bone implants. This study emphasizes and demonstrates the importance of using meaningful experimental models, where potential antimicrobials ought to be tested for protection of biomaterials in translational applications.

In the present paper, Co-B/SiC composite coatings were obtained via electrodeposition from colloidal suspensions with different concentrations of SiC particles and subsequent heat treatments at 350 °C. The composition, morphology and structure of the Co-B/SiC composite coatings were analyzed using glow discharge spectrometry (GDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Hardness and tribological properties were also studied. The results showed that an increase in the SiC concentration in the colloidal suspensions resulted in both an increase in the SiC content and a decrease in the B content in the obtained Co-B/SiC coatings. The Co-B/SiC coatings were adherent, glossy and soft and exhibited a homogeneous composition in all thicknesses. By contrast, an increase in the SiC particle content of the Co-B/SiC composite coating from 0 to 2.56 at.% SiC reduced the hardness of the film from 680 to 360 HV and decreased the wear volume values from 1180 to 23 mm³ N^-1 m^-1, respectively (that is, the wear resistance increased). Moreover, when the Co-B/SiC coatings with SiC content ranging from 0 to 2.56 at.% SiC were subjected to a heat treatment process, the obtained coating hardness values were in the range of 1200 to 1500 HV and the wear volume values were in the range of 382 to 19 mm³ N^-1 m^-1.

Renewable sources and electric distribution network can produce or make available a surplus of electric and thermal energies. The Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Electrolyzer (IT-SOE) fed by CO2-steam mixtures can store these electric and thermal energies producing CO-H2 mixtures with high conversion efficiency. Inside the IT-SOE, the CO2-steam mixtures are converted to CO-H2 mixtures and O2 through the cathode and anode electrochemical reactions and reverse water gas shift chemical reaction. In this article an IT-SOE stack fed by different types of steam mixtures was tested at different operating temperatures and the stack polarization and electric power curves were detected experimentally. At the highest hydrogen production operating temperature of the stack fed by steam mixtures, the experimental polarization and electric power curves of the stack fed by steam and CO2-steam mixtures were compared. A simulation model of the IT-SOE system (stack and furnace) fed by CO2-steam mixtures was formulated ad hoc and implemented in a Matlab environment and experimentally validated. At the highest hydrogen production stack operating temperature, the IT-SOE system thermal equilibrium current was evaluated through the simulation model. Moreover, the influence of this current on the IT-SOE system efficiency and the CO-H2 mixture degree of purity was highlighted.

The aim of this study was synthesize and evaluate the effects of Poly (D, L-Lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) Nanoparticles (NPs) of metformin (PLGA+ Met) on inflammation, and bone loss in a ligature-induced periodontitis rat model. The prepared NPs were characterized by mean diameter, size particle, polydispensity index and encapsulation efficiency by Atomic force microscopy (AFM). Male albino Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups of 20 rats in each group, and given the following treatments for 10 days to evaluate in vivo activity: (1) Sham: no ligature + water; (2) Positive control: ligature + water (with Periodontal disease and Diabetes); (3) ligature + PLGA+ 10 mg/kg Met (With Periodontal disease and Diabetes); and (4) ligature + PLGA+ 100 mg/kg Met (with Periodontal disease and Diabetes). Water or PLGA + Met was administered orally by gavage. Maxillae were fixed and scanned using Micro-computed Tomography (μCT) to quantify linear of bone loss. Histopathological characteristics were assessed through immunohistochemical staining for Osteocalcin, Cathepsyn K, RANKL/RANK/OPG pathway. IL-1β and TNF-α from gingival tissues were analysed by Elisa immunoassay. Quantitative RT-PCR reaction was used to evaluate gene expression of AMPK, NF-κB p-65, Hmgb1 and TAK-1 from gingival tissues. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA at 5% significance. The mean diameter of MET-loaded PLGA nanoparticles was in a range of 457.1 ± 48.9 nm with a polydispersity index of 0.285, zeta potential: 8.16 ± 1.1 mV and entrapment efficiency (EE) was 70%. The results suggest that the addition of MET in the core slightly affected the particle sizes. Treatment with PLGA+ 10 mg/kg Met showed low inflammatory cells, decreased bone loss and integrity cement and levels of IL-1β, and TNF-α (p < 0.05) were significantly reduced. Additionally, weak staining was shown by RANKL, Cathepsyn K, OPG, and osteocalcin. Radiographically, linear measurements showed a statistically significant reduction in bone loss after treatment with PLGA+ 10 mg/kg Met compared to the positive control (p < 0.05). RT-PCR showed increased AMPK expression (p < 0.05) and decreased expression of NF-κB P65, HMGB1 and TAK-1 after PLGA+ 10 mg/kg Met (p < 0.05). The PLGA nanoparticle + 10 mg/kg Met decreased glucose levels and also decreased the inflammatory response, and bone loss in ligature-induced periodontitis in rats.

Logistics Engineering has transcended over the decades into an approach for competitive benefits in organisational performance and logistics efficiency. Most industries are recognising that significant savings are available to companies that are able to ordinate and improve within their logistics operations. Companies today face great challenges because the successful supply of many products and services needs to the effective integration of logistics activities across a prolongation supply chain and an increasing geographical separation. Moreover, logistics integration approach involves both internal integration for an ordinated, unified process as well as relationships to react flexibly, changeability, and responsibility to customer's demands. In this study, by using of Fuzzy Vikor (F-Vikor), the best combination of RIR was selected and RIR Locating was done. The main aim of this paper is survey and design of the integrated operational logistics network (IOLN) and also, a proposed IOLN to integration of the Iran Khodro Co Supply Network.

Biocompatible and biodegradable poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA)/hexadecylamine-modified PPZn (m-PPZn) nanocomposites were prepared using a melt mixing process. Experimental results of wide-angle X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the stacking layers of the m-PPZn were partially intercalated and partially exfoliated into the PBSA polymer matrix. The isothermal crystallization kinetics of PBSA/m-PPZn nanocomposites were studied at the temperature range of 62−70 °C and the half-time for crystallization of 3 wt % PBSA/m-PPZn nanocomposite was reduced by 27−35% compared with that of pure PBSA. This finding suggests that the incorporation of m-PPZn might cause the heterogeneous nucleation and the subsequent crystallization growth, which enhances the isothermal crystallization rate of PBSA/m-PPZn nanocomposite. The biodegradation rates of PBSA using Lipase from Pseudomonas sp. increase as the contents of m-PPZn increase. The degradation behavior of the neat PBSA investigated using the change of weight-average molecular weight belongs to exo-type hydrolysis activity. It is necessary to point out that the change of degree of crystallinity and degradation rate are almost linearly proportional to the loading of hexadecylamine-modified PPZn. This finding would provide an important information for the manufacturing biodegradable PBSA nanocomposites.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of psychological pressure on corticospinal excitability, the spinal reflex, lower limb muscular activity, and reaction times during a task involving dominant leg movements. Ten healthy participants performed a simple reaction time task by raising the heel of their dominant foot from a switch. After 20 practice trials, participants performed 20 non-pressure and 20 pressure trials in a counterbalanced order. Stress responses were successfully induced, as indexed by significant increases in state anxiety, mental effort, and heart rates under pressure. Significant increases in motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude of the tibialis anterior muscle (TA) occurred under pressure. In terms of task-related EMG amplitude, the co-contraction rate between the soleus (SOL) and TA muscles significantly increased along with SOL and TA EMG amplitudes under pressure. Hoffmann reflexes for SOL and reaction times did not change under pressure. These results indicate that corticospinal excitability and leg muscle-related EMG activity increase homogeneously during lower limb movements that are performed under psychological pressure.

Under the development mode of deep blending of emerging technologies, major projects are important for enhancing China's comprehensive national strength and independent innovation capability. Based on the social benefits of major projects, and considering the influence of reputation factors, an evolutionary game model composed of a general contractor and subcontractor of major projects is established. This paper studies the influence of various factors including the income distribution coefficient of collaborative innovation, and MATLAB simulation software is analyzed the influence of factors on an evolutionary path. The results show that a reasonable income distribution coefficient can promote the game behavior of both parties to the direction of active collaborative innovation; The reduction of innovation cost and the improvement of spillover technology absorption capacity can make innovation subjects tend to choose active collaborative innovation strategies. In addition, reputation loss above a specific threshold can effectively inhibit free-riding behavior and encourage innovation subjects to choose active collaborative innovation strategies. The research results provide reference for promoting major projects' technology innovation.

The level of development of the innovation factor plays a crucial role in supporting the high-quality development of China's economy. To advance the development of regional innovation factor allocation efficiency along the Belt and Road. This article introduces the super-efficiency SBM-DEA-Malmquist model for the static and dynamic analysis of innovation factor allocation efficiency in 17 provinces along the Belt and Road from 2012 to 2021. The Moran index model analyzes the spatial correlation. The results show that: (1) The overall innovation factor allocation efficiency along the Belt and Road is not high, and there are obvious differences among different regions. The eastern region is the highest compared to other regions. (2) According to the efficiency decomposition results, pure technical efficiency is the main reason for the low innovation factor allocation efficiency. (3) Through the Malmquist index and decomposition index, it is found that pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency are key factors in improving technical efficiency. (4) The analysis of spatial correlation reveals a strong spatial agglomeration feature among the provinces along the Belt and Road. The innovation factor allocation efficiency is mainly manifested in the L-L type. Finally, according to the analysis results, suggestions and policies are put forward to improve the innovation factor allocation efficiency in the regions along the Belt and Road.

This study focuses on understanding how global auto parts companies manage innovation by analyzing keywords in CEO messages from their reports. The study involved three key phases: (1) extraction of innovation-related keywords emphasized in CEO messages, (2) comparison of innovation-related keyword usage between high-performing (upper group) and low-performing (lower group) companies, and (3) analysis of the characteristics of innovation management via internal meaning and the structural interpretation of keywords. A comparison between the upper and lower groups revealed distinct differences in the emphasized keywords. The mapping of open innovation success factors, based on keywords extracted according to eigenvector centrality, identified Provision of Resources and Governance as central to innovation management in the upper group. These findings serve as a benchmark for establishing the direction, vision, and strategy of innovation management in the lower group.

Accelerating the green transformation of the economic development mode and promoting high-quality economic development is an international trend and the general direction. This article utilizes data from manufacturing companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2011 to 2021, based on dynamic capability theory, to explore the impact of enterprise digital transformation on green technological innovation. Furthermore, dynamic capabilities are further subdivided into absorptive capacity, innovative capacity, and adaptive capacity to investigate their mediating role. The research findings demonstrate that enterprise digital transformation has a significant positive impact on green technological innovation. Moreover, enterprise digital transformation positively influences the absorptive capacity, innovative capacity, and adaptive capacity, with these three factors playing a mediating role in the impact of enterprise digital transformation on green technological innovation. The results of the bootstrap test confirm this mediating effect. The conclusions of this study are validated through a series of robustness tests. This research not only provides theoretical support for the impact mechanism of digital transformation on green technological innovation but also offers practical insights for enterprises to achieve sustainable development.