To define and evaluate the areas of consideration concerning in identifying the critical factors that top universities in Nueva Ecija, Philippines can be used for triangulating the courses of actions that can be applied to improve the current practices of universities towards its combat to the COVID–19 disease is the primary objective of this study. The researchers used a descriptive design of methodology by using questionnaire–checklist to scientifically describe the situation, problems, phenomenon, or program, or provide information about certain issues related to the virus outbreak. The respondents of the study were faculty and staff of five established universities in Nueva Ecija, Philippines wherein the researchers employed a non–probability sampling technique to be logically assumed as the representative of the entire population. The results of the study shown that the top universities in Nueva Ecija have made efforts to ensure the safety of university workers by complying with the Inter–Agency Task Force (IATF) protocols. It can be inferred, in reality, that there are some areas that must be improved especially when it comes to ensuring the welfare of the personnel who are still reporting to work even in this time of the pandemic. The researchers suggested an enhancement plan that can be adapted by these universities to resolve the concerns of the faculty and staff especially in reducing the spread of the virus without sacrificing the day–to–day transactions of the academic institutions.

Social media has revolutionized the way we communicate and interact with each other. While it has brought many benefits, it has also presented many ethical challenges. Social media platforms have access to an enormous amount of personal data, and there are concerns about how this data is being stored, collected, and used. Users often need to fully understand the risks of sharing sensitive information. Social media platforms have made it easy for fake news to spread rapidly, which can be dangerous and have serious consequences. Misinformation and propaganda can influence people's decisions and beliefs. In this paper, we will analyze the issues and challenges that may arise, and it will be necessary for individuals and society to address these challenges ethically and responsibly.

Brain is the most complex organ in the human body and it is divided into two hemispheres - left and right hemispheres. Left hemisphere is responsible for control of right side of our body whereas right hemisphere is responsible for control of left side of our body. Brain image segmentation from different neuroimaging modalities is one of the important parts in clinical diagnostic tools. Neuroimaging based digital imagery generally contain noise, inhomogeneity, aliasing artifacts, and orientational deviations. Therefore, accurate segmentation of brain images is a very difficult task. However, the development of accurate segmentation of brain images is very important and crucial for a correct diagnosis of any brain related diseases. One of the fundamental segmentation tasks is to identify and segment inter-hemispheric fissure/mid-sagittal plane, which separate the two hemispheres of the brain. Moreover, the symmetric/asymmetric analyses of left and right hemispheres of brain structures are important for radiologists to analyze diseases such as Alzheimer's, Autism, Schizophrenia, Lesions and Epilepsy. Therefore, in this paper we have analyzed the existing computational techniques used to find brain symmetric/asymmetric analysis in various neuroimaging techniques (MRI/CT/PET/SPECT), which are utilized for detecting various brain related disorders.

The enormous growth in the penetration of electric vehicles (EVs), has laid the path to advancements in the charging infrastructure. Connectivity between charging stations is an essential prerequisite for future EV adoption to alleviate users’ “range anxiety”. The existing charging stations fail to adopt power provision allocation and scheduling management. To improve the existing charging infrastructure data based on real-time information and availability of reserves at charging stations could be uploaded to the users to help them locate the nearest charging station for an EV. This research article focuses on an a interactive user application developed through SQL and PHP platform to allocate the charging slots based on estimated battery parameters, which uses data communication with charging stations to receive the slot availability information. The proposed server-based real-time forecast charging infrastructure avoids waiting times and its scheduling management efficiently prevents the EV from halting on road due to battery drain out. The proposed model is implemented using a low-cost microcontroller and the system etiquette tested.

As a combination of both concepts of innovation and environmental development, green innovation is of great significance to the sustainable development of the country and industry. Previous literatures have found the separate roles of green entrepreneurial orientation and inter-organizational learning in understanding green innovation issues. However, few studies have done a comprehensive analysis of integrating three streams of research: green entrepreneurial orientation, green innovation and supply chain learning capability. Based on the resource-based view and dynamic capability theory, we examine the direct of green entrepreneurial orientation on green innovation as well as indirect effect through the mediation of supply chain learning capability. Meanwhile, an empirical data set of 228 manufacturing companies in China (Shaanxi, Guangdong, Hebei, Jiangsu, and Shandong) was used to test our hypotheses. Findings from our empirical study suggest that supply chain learning capability partially mediates the positive relationships between green entrepreneurial orientation and its two consequences—green incremental innovation and green radical innovation. In addition, this research implies that when enterprise has a strong green entrepreneurial orientation, the enterprise should make an effort to enhance the level of supply chain learning capability so as to fully develop their green innovation.

The study investigates the determinants of mobile Internet banking adoption among Gen-Y in Malaysia. Align the issue of the study and research objectives, and the study underpinned Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as the main guideline or a blueprint to analyze the research model. The study applied survey research design and analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) under the PLS-SEM technique with SmartPLS 2.0. A total of 358 mobile internet banking users in Malaysia were random proportional selected as respondents and analyzed. Results from the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) revealed that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, facilitating condition, and personal innovativeness in IT have significantly influenced the attitude of mobile internet banking adoption in Malaysia. Additionally, perceived ease of use and facilitating conditions found to have a significant influence on the perceived usefulness of Mobile Internet Banking. Lastly, facilitating conditions and personal innovativeness in IT are significantly influence the perceived ease of use of mobile internet banking among Gen-Y in Malaysia

Background: The COVID-19 transmission has been established to occur through respiratory droplets from coughing and sneezing. Health agencies have strongly recommended the use of facemask as a precaution from cross-transmission. Objective: This study investigated the prevalence of facemask use among visitors to the hospital. This study also investigated the demographic factors contributing to unacceptable facemask practice. Setting: This prospective observational study was done among hospital visitors to a district specialist hospital during COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. Methods: Individuals entering through dedicated entry point were observed for the type, category and practice of wearing personal protective equipment. Inclusion criteria for this study were any individual's ≥ 2 years old entering the treatment facility from selected entry points. Patients were categorized into two groups of acceptable and unacceptable facemask practice. The Pearson chi-square was used to test for differences in investigated variables in the univariate setting and Binary Logistic regression model was used in the multivariate setting. Main Outcome Measure: Prevalence, acceptance practice and odds ratio of unacceptance of facemask use. Results: Among 1652 individuals included in the final analysis, 1574 (96.9%) was observed wearing facemask with 1269 (72.0%) of individuals worn medical-grade facemask. However, among them, only 1397 (88.8%) individuals' facemask practice was acceptable while the reaming 177 (11.2) individuals were perceived with unacceptable facemask practice. Male individuals, Malay ethnic and high risk age group are 1.47 times (Odds Ratio: OR=1.47; 95% CI, 1.06-2.06; p=.023), 2.18 times (OR=2.18; 95% CI, 1.55-3.08; p<.001) and 1.99 times (OR=2.18; 95% CI, 1.42 - 2.77; p<.001) more likely to exhibit unacceptable facemask practice respectively. Conclusion: Extensive use of facemasks coupled with environmental hygiene measures is a public health strategy which can help to mitigate the COVID-19 epidemic impact. However, a targeted comprehensive strategy to improve compliance to proper facemask practice among the high-risk population is needed to achieve maximal protective benefit.

The exposure to extreme temperatures in workplaces involves physical hazards for workers. A poorly acclimated worker may have lower performance and vigilance and may therefore be more exposed to accidents and injuries. Due to the incompatibility of the existing standards implemented in some workplaces and the lack of thermoregulation in many protective equipment, thermal stress remains one of the most frequent physical hazards in many work sectors. However, many of these problems can be overcome with the use of smart textile technologies that enable intelligent thermoregulation in personal protective equipment. Smart textiles can detect, react and adapt to many external stimuli. Interconnected sensors and actuators that interact and react to existing risks can provide the wearer with increased safety, protection and comfort. Thus, the skills of smart protective equipment can contribute to the reduction of errors and the number and severity of accidents in the workplace, and thus promote improved performance, efficiency and productivity.This review provides an overview and opinions of authors on the current state of knowledge on these types of technologies by reviewing and discussing the state of the art of commercially available systems and the advances made in previous research works.

The COVID-19 crisis has resulted in a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) [1]. COVID-19 is currently the leading cause of death in the United States[2]. Health care providers caring for COVID-19 patients or at high risk of being exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus benefit from a face shield to protect against aerosol droplets that could hit the face and minimize the chance of inadvertently touching the face with contaminated hands, and air filtration to filter out aerosolized SARS-CoV-2. Adapting commercially available full-faced snorkel masks has been proposed as an alternative to narrow the gap in PPE [3]. Here we explore a full-faced snorkel mask with commercially available particulate filters.

The critical period (CP) phenomenon in language development ranks among the 125 conundrums facing scientists in the 21st century, according to Science. While the phenomenon itself has been noncontroversial in first language acquisition, it still warrants an adequate explanation. Predicated on language acquisition as a complex process, questions among the first to be raised include: How do children accomplish this remarkable feat in such a short amount of time? And how do nature and nurture come together to influence language learning? In second language acquisition, however, both the notion of CP, albeit popular, and its empirical evidence have remained contested to this date - among the questions, whether the observed evidence counts as CP-specific and/or whether or not it warrants an isomorphic attribution to maturational constraints. Entwined in this debate are two well-established facets of inter-learner differential attainment. The first is that there exists a stark difference in ultimate attainment between younger and older learners. A second facet is the vast differences in ultimate attainment among older learners. In this article, adopting a social physics approach, we mathematically establish both the relationship between nature and nurture contributions and the presence of a critical period, and, at once, tender a parsimonious and probable theory for the twin phenomena of inter-learner differential attainment.

Preconception lifestyle modification and reducing several known risk factors may have an influence on the future pregnancy outcome. The aim of the study was to analyse health behaviour and personal values, as well as to assess the relationship of these factors in women without children, in pregnant ones and in women who had already delivered babies. The questionnaire survey included Health Behaviour Inventory (HBI), Personal Value List (PVL) and the sociodemographic data and was conducted in 538 women. These women were divided into 3 groups: women who recently delivered (n = 235), pregnant women (n = 121) and childless women (n = 182). Pregnant women demonstrated a significantly higher level of declared health behaviours and also they rated higher subscales values "positive mental attitude" and "health practices" in comparison to women who recently delivered and to childless women. In all tested groups the highest rated personal value was "a successful family life", while the most appreciated symbol of happiness was "love and friendship". Our results suggest that the system of values and the perception of happiness symbols may influence women's health behaviours. Positioning “health” in the hierarchy of personal values as the most important one may facilitate introduction of healthy behaviours. This in turn could reduce several adverse pregnancy outcomes that are potentially modifiable with changing preconception health attitudes. Our results also identify several unanswered questions and highlights areas where new research is needed.

As a mediator variable, self-confidence is one of the most effective elements of the decision-making process of consumer behaviour. This research has studied the effects of different aspects of consuming fashion on the self-confidence and behaviour of consumers in Tehran’s clothing market. This study has considered the acceptance of new products, interest in mode and fashion, utilitarianism, and personal taste in its analysis. This research aims to understand the fashion buying behaviour amongst Iranian consumers in consideration of their attitude towards self-confidence and aspects of fashion consumption. The statistic sample is 400 consumers from Tehran’s clothing market who have been chosen based on the random availability procedure. The primary tool in this research was a questionary used to testify the assumptions and a model fit created by using structural equations and factor analysis. This research showed that the interest in mode and fashion, personal taste, utilitarianism, and new products positively impact self-confidence. In addition, the positive impact of self-confidence on fashion buying behaviour was confirmed.

The demand of high data rate and ubiquitous coverage in heterogeneous cellular (HetNets) is increasing progressively. In order to meet this demand, sophisticated model having applied interference reduction scheme and cell association technique is needed. The small base station (sBS)are deployed inside the broadcasting area of macro base station (mBS), in heterogeneous cellular networks (HetNets). Since mBS has high transmission power therefore a large number of users get connected with mBS. This causes disproportion of load distribution across the HetNets. For load balancing users from high power mBS are migrated to low power sBS to increase network capacity and to decrease the load from mBS. This results in interference in the communication signal because of strong mBS Interference. Hence, we need interference management technique to mitigate interference and user association and to efficiently use sBSs’ resources. Inter-cell interference (ICI) limit the HetNets’ performance. Additionally, there exist deliberate jamming interference which depends on jammers transmission power and its proximity with the target, which notably degrades the network performance. In this paper, we employ reverse frequency allocation scheme (RFA) to reduce inter cell interference, deliberate jamming interference and to accomplish load balancing. The proposed setup is analyzed inquisitively and with the help of simulations. The result shows reduction in interferences as well as balance of load distribution in the network achieved by employing RFA scheme together with cell association.

Misuse and poor handling of chemical pesticides in agriculture is hazardous to the health of farmers, consumers and the environment. We studied the pest and disease management practices and the type of pesticides used in four root, tuber and banana (RTB) crops in Burundi and Rwanda through in-depth interviews with a total of 811 smallholder farmers. No chemical pesticides were used in banana in either Rwanda and Burundi, whereas the use of insecticides and fungicides in potato is quite frequent. Nearly all insecticides and about one third of the fungicides used are moderately hazardous. Personal protective equipment is used by less than a half of the interviewed farmers in both countries. Reported cases of death due to self- or accidental poisoning among humans and domestic animals in the previous 12 months were substantial in both countries. Training of farmers and agrochemical retailers in safe use of pesticide and handling, and use of integrated pest management approaches to reduce pest and disease damage is recommended.

Reciprocal Personal/Public Protection (RPPP) featured with source control is introduced, Mask Discriminating Mouth and Nose (MDMN) is employed to serve the purpose, which includes polymer based mouth cover with optional nose cover. The new knowledge that mouth is a primary, active and dominant source of the virus has been well established, which is the base of MDMN. Source classification and related source control tools are discussed, mouth cover is recommended as the tool prioritized to use. Liquid droplets is identified as a hard issue related to mask, liquid droplets, mask fitting, comfort and facial recognition constitute real challenges of mask in addition to efficiency, All of these have been addressed with MDMN. Comparisons between MDMN and masks/face covering are taken on four aspects: efficiency and efficacy, tolerance and comfort, cost and waste, and civil rights and public interest. Mouth cover is recommended to replace the face covering and act as both a personal tool and a public utensil, mouth cover with nose cover can provide better protection than N95 etc. RPPP with MDMN, could be an alternative for lockdown, a parallel strategy to vaccine, and a collectively living way during the pandemic era. MDMN, featured with high efficiency protection, high degree comfort, easy wearing, tight-fitting, easy facial recognition & communication, reusability, cost-effective, environment friendly and scale manufacturing more readily and widely etc., is a simple and sustainable solution, which is essential for ordinary people to keep wearing it properly for protection.

Although floods, as well as other natural disasters, can be considered relevant causes of intra-generational inequalities, the frequent catastrophes and the resulting damages to territory reflect the generalized indifference about inter-generational justice. Societal concerns, such as land protection, typically involve the administrative system performing proactive policies in the perspective of inter-generational solidarity, but subsidiarity has made more and more independent the local communities. As a consequence, the attention toward the long run effects – typically concerning the territorial system, as a whole, at the geographical scale – has been dispersed, and the proactive policies coming from the central government has became more ineffective. Regarding the case of the flood happened in 2009 in the Fiumedinisi-Capo Peloro hydraulic basin, in the northeastern part of Sicily, Italy, we propose an economic valuation – carried out by performing the method of the imputed preferences – in order to compare the expenses incurred by the public authorities responsible for protecting the territory to the costs of the rehabilitation of the damaged areas. Some considerations about the economic significance of the proactive policies for the arrangement of territory are addressed according to the role played by the social discount rate in the inter-temporal economic calculation.

Personal health data is acquired, processed, stored, and accessed using a variety of different devices, applications, and services. These are often complex and highly connected. Therefore, use or misuse of the data is hard to detect for people, if they are not capable to understand the trace (i.e., the provenance) of that data. We present a visualization technique for personal health data provenance using comics strips. Each strip of the comic represents a certain activity, such as entering data using a smartphone application, storing or retrieving data on a cloud service, or generating a diagram from the data. The comic strips are generated automatically using recorded provenance graphs. The easy-to-understand comics enable all people to notice crucial points regarding their data such as, for example, privacy violations.

The disruption of conventional manufacturing, supply, and distribution channels for medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread shortages and catalyzed local efforts to use nontraditional, rapid manufacturing to meet urgent healthcare needs. Here we present a crisis-responsive design framework designed to assist with product development under pandemic conditions. The framework utilizes extensive stakeholder engagement, comprehensive and dynamic needs assessment, local manufacturing, and product testing for the accelerated development of healthcare products. We contrast this framework with traditional medical device manufacturing and discuss relevant regulatory policies. We highlight the applicability of the crisis-responsive framework to a successful local program that designed and supplied face shields for a large US academic hospital. Finally, we make recommendations aimed at improving future resilience to healthcare emergencies. These include continued development of open source designs suitable for rapid manufacturing and changes in regulatory policy that strike a balance between rigidity and uncontrolled innovation.

The intensive care units in North West London are part of one of the oldest critical carenetworks in the UK, forming a mature and established strategic alliance to shareresources, experience and knowledge for the benefit of its patients. North WestLondon saw an early surge in COVID-19 admissions, which urgently threatened thecapacity of some of its intensive care units even before the UK government announcedlockdown. The pre-existing relationships and culture within the network allowed itsmembers to unite and work rapidly to develop agile and innovative solutions, protectingany individual unit from becoming overwhelmed, and ultimately protecting its patients.Within a short 50-day period 223 patients were transferred within the network todistribute pressures. This unprecedented number of critical care transfers, combinedwith the creation of extra capacity and new pathways, allowed the region to continue tooffer timely and unrationed access to critical care for all patients who would benefitfrom admission. This extraordinary response is a testament to the power and benefitsof a regionally networked approach to critical care, and the lessons learned maybenefit other healthcare providers, managers and policy makers, especially in regionscurrently facing new outbreaks of COVID-19.

Several long-term monitoring of aerosol datasets from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board Terra/Aqua, Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR), Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) are used to derive the dust aerosol optical depth (DOD) in Central Asia based on the Angstrom exponent parameter and/or the particle shape. All sensors agree very well on the interannual variability of DOD. The seasonal analysis of DOD and dust occurrences identified the largest dust loading and the most frequent dust occurrence in the spring and summer, respectively. No significant trend is found during the research period in terms of both DOD and the dust occurrence. Further analysis of Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) aerosol products on a case-by-case basis in most dust months of 2007 suggested that the vertical structure is varying in terms of the extension and the dust loading from one event to another, although dust particles of most episodes have similar physical characteristics (the particle shape and size). Our analysis on the vertical structure of dust plumes, the layer-integrated color ratio and depolarization ratio indicates a varied climate effect (e.g., the direct radiative impact) by mineral dust, dependent on the event being observed in Central Asia.

Recently emerging data-driven citizen sciences need to harness increasing amount of massive data with varying quality. This paper develops essential theoretical frameworks and example models and examine its computational complexity for interactive data-driven citizen science within the context of guided self-organization. We first define a conceptual model that incorporates quality of observation in terms of accuracy and reproducibility, ranging between subjectivity, inter-subjectivity, and objectivity. Next, we examine the database's algebraic and topological structure in relation to informational complexity measures, and evaluate its computational complexities with respect to exhaustive optimization. Conjectures of criticality are obtained on self-organizing processes of observation and dynamical model development. Example analysis is demonstrated with the use of biodiversity assessment database, the process that inevitably involves human subjectivity for the management in open complex systems.

In this paper, we are proposing a bio-inspired location management (LM) technique for personal communication system (PSC). It is based on artificial immune system (AIS), with self-adaptation and self-updates attributes in order to perform the location management, and work helps to achieve the better quality of service (QoS) and quality of experience (QoE) for the mobile users. Here, we are suggesting a modified mobile switching center (MSC) architecture, and an adaptive self-modified location management procedure. The proposed mobile switching centre architecture has an advantage of rule-based and fact-based system to store the rules and fact related to location management procedure, and it shows the intelligent behavior of system. The mobile switching centre calculates the best method for location management and rule-base system trigged the rules to perform the techniques. The system stores the result (techniques for location management) in fact-base system for future use. The efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed techniques been analyzed, and it observed that the proposed system has 45-50% improvement in performance over the current location management techniques. Here, we are taking the performance parameters such as signaling cost, database update cost, overhead measurement, mobility management cost.

Background: The healthcare workers are exposed to dangerous pathogen agents during the outbreak of the new coronavirus COVID-19. To minimize the risk of becoming infected by this virus, healthcare workers need to wear the most appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the guidelines that the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend for the rational use of EPP to protect healthcare workers against the novel coronavirus COVID-19.Methodology: To learn how to effectively protect healthcare workers against the COVID-19, a detailed analysis and comparison of the WHO and CDC guidelines related to the proper use of personal protection equipment (PPE) in different healthcare settings was carried out. Results: The results of this study based on an analysis of PPE recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated that the safety and protection of healthcare workers can be maximized if the guidelines suggested by these institutions are followed. In general, the WHO and CDC recommendations based on medical practices are similar, and depending on the healthcare activities and settings where the healthcare workers perform their work, suggest wearing medical/surgical facemasks, respirators, googles and face shields (eye protection), gloves, gowns and aprons. Conclusions: The protection and safety of the healthcare workers can be maximized during the outbreak of COVID-19 by following the WHO and CDC recommendations described in this study. The general guidelines offered by these institutions are similar and based on medical practices.

How can neuroscience help everyone to live and care for our confined brains? Understanding and studying human behaviour allows us to measure the impact of such confinement on each of us and to identify those who need help. The challenges are to understand the psychological repercussions following confinement and to understand how neuroscience and neurotechnology can be very interesting tools for dealing with the health crisis. Neuroscience is changing our traditional philosophical and ethical views by providing information about the biological basis of our moral behaviour. The exception of the brain is at the heart of neuroethical thinking and discourse. Neuroethics is an interdisciplinary discipline placed at the intersection between the human sciences and the neurosciences, and aims to help understand how knowledge and research in neurosciences and neurotechnologies will affect the future of society, their impact on humans, relationships, daily life, the labour market ... but also how they can help and provide solutions and answers to the questions of citizens in a health crisis. But it's a double-edged sword, collecting and analyzing brain data in real time seems to be increasingly simple and within everyone's reach, without having the hindsight of the real meaning of these data, allowing one day to read people's thoughts, control them and manipulate them. It is becoming clear that the boundaries between medical and non-medical uses of neuroscience and neurotechnology are becoming very porous, inviting us to reflect on neuroethical issues in order to put safeguards on these uses.

The PILAR model provides a dynamical systems perspective on collaboration. Two studies are performed using peer assessment data, both testing empirical support for the five Pillars (prospects, involved, liked, agency, respect) that constitute member’s perceptions of collaboration viability. The first study analyses peer-assessment data collected online from 458 first-year engineering students (404 males; 54 females). A nine-item instrument was inherited from past year’s usage in the course, expanded with four additional items to elaborate upon the agency and liked Pillars. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on student responses to test whether they thematically aligned to constructs consistent with the five Pillars. As anticipated, twelve of the thirteen items grouped into five components, each aligned with a Pillar, providing empirical evidence that the five Pillars represent perceptions of collaboration. The second study replicated the first study using a retrospective analysis of 87 items included in the Comprehensive Assessment of Team Member Effectiveness (CATME) peer-assessment tool. The associated factor analyses resulted in five components and conceptual alignment of these components with Pillars was evident for three of five CATME components. We recommend a peer-assessment instrument based upon PILAR as potentially more parsimonious and reliable than an extensive list of behaviours, such as employed by CATME. We also recommend including items that target inter-rater bias, which is aligned with the liked Pillar, that instruments such as CATME exclude.

The Science-Sustainability poses an interdisciplinary paradox. On the one hand, the science for sustainability has increased in OECD economies in and in China as well as in the US in particular; on the other hand; the sustainability situation has worsened (Co2 emission has risen). On the face value, the adverse correlation shows a paradox. However, without explicating the science-sustainability relationship, it leads to a premature conclusion. In this study, we have drawn on three concrete questions for concrete answers. First, whether and how interdisciplinary sciences—energy science and environmental science—contribute to the sustainability. Second, whether and how the Sino-US inter-institutional analysis varies in the science-sustainability paradox. The empirical analysis from a panel data in the interdisciplinary and inter-institutional context show mixed patterns in three ways. First, the increase in the environmental science shows an improvement in the sustainability; the energy science shows a decline in the sustainability. Second, the Chinese environmental science has a comparative advantage to American environment science for the sustainability development, and the Chinese energy science has a comparative disadvantage to the US in the sustainability development. Third, the environmental science mediates the energy science in the science-sustainability relationships. Standing alone, the increase in the energy science harms sustainability; mediated by environmental science, it benefits sustainability. The study explains the adverse role of energy science in Jevons Paradox. The study also offers some policy paths for further research how capitalisms differently innovate, form strategies, and implement the practice.

We describe how clinical researchers can exploit the Android cell phone as an economic platform for the gathering of data from clinical trial participants. The aim was to provide a solution with the shortest possible learning curve for researchers who are comfortable with setting up web pages. The additional requirement is that they extend their skills to the installation of a local webserver on the cell phone and then use four simple PHP templates to construct the clinical research data collection and processing forms. Data so collected is automatically written to local csv files on the cell phone. These csv phones can be retrieved from the device by the researcher simply by plugging the cell phone into their desktop PC and accessing the cell phone memory in just the same way as they would a USB memory stick. The results are presented as a list of recommended Android Apps along with settings that have proved to provide a stable combination likely to be easily used by clinical research participants. We have made a limited ‘user trial’ of this approach with satisfactory feedback received. We have concluded that this approach will reward researchers with a solution that is user friendly, will provide transcription free data and that is more than cost competitive with the conventional error prone/poor compliance ‘paper based participant form – researcher transcription’ cycle.

Introduction: The SARS-CoV2 pandemic has led to an worldwide shortage of Personal Protection Devices (PPD) for medical and paramedical personnel. Adaptation of commercially available snorkel masks to serve as full face masks has been proposed. Even not formally approved as PPD, they are publicized on social media as suitable for this use. Concerns about actual protection levels and risk of carbon dioxide (CO₂) accumulation while wearing them for extended periods made us perform a systematic testing of various brands, in order to verify whether they are as safe and effective as claimed. Methods: A ‘fit’ test was performed, analogous to gas mask testing. Respiratory safety was evaluated by measuring end-tidal CO₂ and oxygen saturation while wearing the masks in rest and during physical exercise. Masks were tested with 3D adaptors to mount regular bacterial-viral ventilator filters when available, or with snorkel openings covered with N95/FFP2 cloth. Results: Modified masks performed reasonably well on the fit test, comparable to regular N95/FFP2 masks. Not all ventilator filters are equally protective. For all masks, a small initial increase in end-tidal CO₂ was noted, remaining within physiological limits. Masks with specific adaptors (3D printed or provided by the manufacturer) are safer, have more flexibility and reliability than makeshift adaptations. Conclusions: These masks can offer benefit as a substitute for complete protective gear as they are easier to don and remove and offer full-face protection. They may be more comfortable to wear for extended periods. Proper selection of mask size, fit testing, quality of 3D printed parts and choice of filter are important.

Levels of synthetic musk fragrances (SMFs) and various personal care products (PCPs) were measured in the Han River and its tributaries in Seoul, Korea. The most abundant SMF in all river and PCP samples was 4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethyl-1,3,4,7-tetrahydrocyclopenta[g]isochromene (HHCB), followed by 1-(3,5,5,6,8,8-hexamethyl-6,7-dihydronaphthalen-2-yl)ethanone (AHTN), musk ketone (MK), and 1,1,2,3,3-pentamethyl-2,5,6,7-tetrahydroinden-4-one (DPMI). There was a significant correlation between the SMF concentration in the PCPs and the Han River samples. Moving from upstream to downstream in the Han River, the median SMF concentration was 6.756, 2.945, 0.304, and 0.141 μg/L in the sewage treatment plant (STP) influent, effluent, tributaries, and mainstream, respectively, implying that effective SMF removal was achieved during the sewage treatment process, followed by dilution in the receiving water. Four STPs using advanced biological treatment processes had removal efficiencies of 55.8%, 50.6%, 43.3% for HHCB, AHTN, and MK, respectively. The highest SMF concentrations in the tributaries were observed at locations close to the STPs. Our study confirmed that the main source of SMFs in the receiving water were sewage effluent containing untreated SMFs, which are largely originated from household PCPs, especially hair care products (e.g., shampoo) and perfumes.

There is little understanding of patients' experiences and perceptions with satisfaction by health professionals such as medical and dental clinicians. Furthermore, patient satisfaction is not well understood. The objective of this article is to better understand patients' satisfaction with their medical and dental care. The methods of the current article are based on a narrative review of the literature strategy. Patient satisfaction's multidimensional nature has been established since the perceived reasons for satisfaction varied widely among patients. Many aspects of the treatment influence participant satisfaction at different stages of the intervention's process. An improved understanding of the basis for managing patients' expectations with information reiteratively and efficiently may ultimately reduce patients' potential for negative feelings toward the medical and dental treatment experience. The consumerist method may misrepresent the concept of satisfaction in health service.

Bayesian nonlinear mixed effects models for data in the form of continuous, repeated measurements from a population, also known as Bayesian hierarchical nonlinear models, are a popular platform for analysis when interest focuses on individual specific characteristics and relevant uncertainty quantification. Due to the limitation of computational power, this framework was relatively dormant until the late 1980s, but in recent years, the statistical research community saw vigorous development of new methodological and computational techniques for these models, the emergence of software, and wide application of the models in numerous industrial and academic fields. This article presents an overview of the formulation, interpretation, and implementation of Bayesian nonlinear mixed effects models and surveys recent advances and applications.

The hybrid personal cooling system (HPCS) consisted of ventilation fans and phase change materials (PCMs) covered with insulation pads is a promising wearable cooling system to mitigate heat strain and heat-related illnesses of occupational workers with heavy labor in hot environments. Effects of clothing characteristics (e.g., thermal resistance of insulation pads, latent heat and melting temperature of PCMs) on the thermal performance of the HPCS have been investigated in detail in our previous study. Apart from the aforementioned factors, environmental conditions, i.e., environmental temperature and relative humidity, also significantly affect the thermal performance of the HPCS. In this paper, a numerical parametric study was performed to investigate the effects of the environmental temperature and relative humidity (RH) on the thermal management of the HPCS. Five levels of air temperature under environmental RH=50% were chosen (i.e., 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40 ºC) to study the impact of environmental temperature on the HPCS’s cooling performance. In addition, four levels of environmental RH at ambient temperatures of 36 and 40 ºC were selected (i.e., 30, 50, 70 and 90%) to examine the effect of RH on cooling performance of the HPCS. Results show that high environmental temperatures could accelerate the PCM melting process and thereby weaken the cooling performance of HPCS. In the moderately hot environment (36 °C), the HPCS presented good cooling performance with the maximum core temperature at around 37.5 °C during excise when the ambient RH≤70%, whereas good cooling performance could be only seen under RH≤50% in the extremely hot environment (40 °C). Thus, it may be concluded that the maximum environmental RH for the HPCS exhibiting good cooling performance decreases with the increase in the environmental temperature.

To assist firefighters and other first responders to use their existing equipment for respiration during the COVID-19 pandemic without using single-use, low-supply, masks, this study outlines an open source kit to convert a 3M-manufactured Scott Safety self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) into a powered air-purifying particulate respirator (PAPR). The open source PAPR can be fabricated with a low-cost 3-D printer and widely available components for less than $150, replacing commercial conversion kits saving 85% or full-fledged proprietary PAPRs saving over 90%. The parametric designs allow for adaptation to other core components and can be custom fit specifically to fire-fighter equipment, including their suspenders. The open source PAPR has controllable air flow and its design enables breathing even if the fan is disconnected or if the battery dies. The open source PAPR was tested for air flow as a function of battery life and was found to meet NIOSH air flow requirements for 4 hours, which is 300% over expected regular use.

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies aim to predict the risks of complex diseases using proprietary algorithms. Companies keep algorithms as trade secrets for competitive advantage, but a market that thrives on the premise that customers can make their own decisions about genetic testing should respect customer autonomy and informed decision making and maximize opportunities for transparency. The algorithm itself is only one piece of the information that is deemed essential for understanding how prediction algorithms are developed and evaluated. Companies should be encouraged to disclose everything else, including the expected risk distribution of the algorithm when applied in the population, using a benchmark DNA dataset. A standardized presentation of information and risk distributions allows customers to compare test offers and scientists to verify whether the undisclosed algorithms could be valid. A new model of oversight in which stakeholders collaboratively keep a check on the commercial market is needed.

Facing the tasks and challenges going forward, a pilot of the Indonesian Naval Aviation Center was required to be brave in taking risks, especially in carrying out its main tasks, so it was expected that a pilot of the Indonesian Naval Aviation Center had intelligence, especially in finding appropriate solutions and alternatives to address every task challenges dynamics in situations that often changed quickly. The purpose of this study was to identify the personal character and performance that should be owned by the pilot of the Indonesian Naval Aviation Center. This research used a qualitative approach with a contextual and constructional meta-analysis study method. The results of this meta-analysis study concluded that in line with the essence of personal character that is defined as the personal aspects of a work that allows workers to achieve superior performance. These personal aspects include nature, emotive-motives, value systems, attitudes, knowledge, and skills, where the personal character would produce an optimal performance on a pilot of the Indonesian Naval Aviation Center.

To keep the global navigation satellite system functional during extreme conditions, it is a trend to employ autonomous navigation technology with inter-satellite link. As in the newly built BeiDou system (BDS-3) equipped with Ka-band inter-satellite links, every individual satellite has the ability of communicating and measuring distances among each other. The system also has less dependence on the ground stations and improved navigation performance. Because of the huge amount of measurement data, centralized data processing algorithm for orbit determination is suggested to be replaced by a distributed one in which each satellite in the constellation is required to finish a partial computation task. In current paper, the balanced extended Kalman filter algorithm for distributed orbit determination is proposed and compared with whole-constellation centralized extended Kalman filter, iterative cascade extended Kalman filter, and increasing measurement covariance extended Kalman filter. The proposed method demands a lower computation power however yields results with a relatively good accuracy.

Policing duties may inherently be dangerous due to stab, blunt trauma and ballistic threats. The addition of individual light armour vests (ILAVs) has been suggested as a means to protect officers. However, the addition of the extra load of the ILAV may affect officer ability to conduct occupational tasks. The purpose of this study was to determine if wearing any of 3 different ILAVs (ILAV A, ILAV B, & ILAV C) affected occupational task performance when compared to that in normal station wear. A prospective, within-subjects repeated measures design was employed, using a counterbalanced randomization in which each ILAV was worn for an entire day while officers completed a variety of occupationally relevant tasks. These tasks included a victim drag, car exit and 5 meter sprint, step down and marksmanship task. Results showed that performance in each task did not vary between any of the ILAV or normal station wear conditions. There was less variability in the marksmanship task with ILAV B, however. The results suggest that none of the ILAVs used in this study were heavy enough to significantly affect task performance in the assessed tasks when compared to wearing normal station wear.

Ecologists use the net biotic interactions among plants to predict fundamental ecosystem features. Following this approach, ecologists have built a giant body of theory founded on observational evidence. However, due to the limitations that a phenomenological approach raises both in empirical and theoretical studies, an increasing number of scientists claim the need for a mechanistic understanding of plant interaction outcomes, and a few studies have taken such a mechanistic approach. In this synthesis, we propose a modeling framework to study the plant interaction mechanistically. We first establish a conceptual ground to frame plant-plant interactions, and then, we propose to formalize this research line theoretically developing a family of individual-based, spatially-explicit models in which biotic interactions are an emergent property mediated by the interaction between plants’ functional traits and the environment. These models allow researchers to evaluate the strength and sign of biotic interactions under different environmental scenarios and thus constitute a powerful tool to investigate the mechanisms underlying facilitation, species coexistence, or the formation of vegetation spatial patterns.

Although food retailers have embraced organic certified food products as a way to reduce their environmental loading, organic sales only make up a small proportion of total sales worldwide. Most consumers have positive attitudes towards organic food, but attitudes are not reflected in behaviour. This article addresses consumers’ attitude-behaviour gap regarding their purchase organic food and reports on how visualization of personal shopping data may encourage them to buy more organic food. Through the design of the visualization tool, the EcoPanel, and through an empirical study of its use, we provide evidence on the potential of the tool to promote sustainable food shopping practices. Sixty-five users tested the EcoPanel for five months and interviews were made with ten of these. The test users increased their purchase of organic food with 23%. The informants used the EcoPanel to reflect on their shopping behaviour and to increase their organic shopping. We conclude that the visualization of food purchases stimulates critical reflection and the formation of new food shopping practices. This implies that food retailers may increase sales of organic food through using a visualization tool available for their customers. In this way these retailers may decrease their environmental impact.

Five years after the introduction of the Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) in the UK, the role pharmacists play to help prepare medical students for this challenge is uncertain. Our study explored pharmacists’ perceptions about their role in undergraduate medical training for the Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA). Study participants were emailed a qualitative questionnaire aimed at ascertaining their current involvement in undergraduate medical education, particularly the preparation for PSA. Responses received were thematically-analysed. A total of 27 UK hospital pharmacists and 3 pharmacists from local education and training boards completed the questionnaire. Pharmacists were positive about their involvement in medical student training, recognising the added value they could provide in prescribing practice. However, respondents expressed concerns in relation to resource availability and the need for formal educational practice mentoring. This research highlights the potential value of pharmacists’ input into medical education and the need for a discussion on strategies to expand this role to maximise the benefit from pharmacist skill mix in teaching safe prescribing.

Corruption is a legal and moral contravention that generates great concern among nations due to its erosive effects on economic growth, democracy, governance, social equity and the integrity of culture. Therefore, it is necessary to know more about the multiple variables that produce and maintain this phenomenon. This article reports the results of an experimental investigation that sought to provide elements of judgment on the influence of the structure of personal values ​​on the willingness to bribe. For this, 12 couples of young university students of both sexes interacted through a game that simulated a relationship between a corrupter and a corruptible agent, with the help of a real-time communication system, mediated by an online platform, which allowed instant and bidirectional interaction. The couples were randomly constituted and played with each other under double blind. However, the interacting members of the dyad could share values ​​or vary in their axiological structure in such a way that, while one of them could manifest anti-corruption principles, the other's commitment was not so obvious. The results confirm the importance of the axiological structure of people in the facilitation or containment of the corrupt behavior. This article also reflects on the theoretical connotations of the relationships shown.

The aim of this study was to assess if the ovine articular cartilage serine proteinase inhibitors (SPIs) were related to the Kunitz inter-α-trypsin inhibitor (ITI) family. Ovine articular cartilage was finely diced and extracted in 6M urea and SPIs isolated by sequential anion exchange, HA affinity and Sephadex G100 gel permeation chromatography. Selected samples were also subjected to chymotrypsin and concanavalin-A affinity chromatography. Eluant fractions from these isolation steps were monitored for protein and trypsin inhibitory activity and pooled fractions assessed by affinity blotting using biotinylated trypsin to detect active SPIs and by Western blotting using antibodies to α1-microglobulin, bikunin, TSG-6 and 2-B-6 (+) CS stub epitope generated by chondroitinase-ABC digestion. This identified 2-B-6 (+) positive 220-250,120, 58 and 36 kDa SPIs. The 58 kDa SPI contained α1-microglobulin, bikunin and chondroitin-4-sulphate stub epitope consistent with its identity as the α1-microglobulin-bikunin (AMBP) precursor and was also isolated by concanavalin-A lectin affinity chromatography indicating it had N-glycosylation. Kunitz protease inhibitor (KPI) species of 36, 26, 12 and 6 kDa could be autolytically generated by prolonged storage of the aforementioned 120 and 58 kDa SPIs; chymotrypsin affinity chromatography also generated the 6kDa SPI. KPI domain 1 and 2 SPIs were separated by concanavalin lectin affinity chromatography, domain 1 displayed affinity for this lectin indicating it had N-glycosylation. KPI 1 and 2 both displayed potent inhibitory activity towards trypsin, chymotrypsin, kallikrein, leucocyte elastase and cathepsin G. Localisation of versican, lubricin and HA in the surface regions of articular cartilage represented probable binding sites for the ITI SPs with likely importance in the preservation of joint function.

COVID-19 pandemic provoked a number of restrictive measures, such as the closure or severe restriction of border transit for international trading traffic, quarantines and self-isolation. This caused a series of interrelated consequences that not only prevent or slow down the spread of disease, but also impact the medical systems’ capability to treat the patients and help their recovery. In particular, steeply growing demand for medical safety goods cannot be satisfied by regular suppliers due to the shortage of raw materials originating from other countries or remotely located national sources, under conditions of quarantined manpower. The current context inevitably brings back memories (and records!) of the situation 80 years ago, when WWII necessitated major effort directed at the rapid build-up of low cost mass production to satisfy all aspects of war-time need. In the present short report we document a successful case of fast mass-production of light transparent medical safety face shields (thousands per day) realized in Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) fabrication laboratory (FabLab). The demand for safety face shields by tens of hospitals in Moscow City and Region rapidly ramped up due to the need to protect medical staff during patient collection and transportation to hospitals, and within both the infected (“red”) and uninfected (“green”) zones. Materials selection for sterilizable transparent materials was conducted based on the analysis of merit indices, namely, minimal weight at given stiffness and minimal cost at given stiffness. Due to the need for permanent wear, design was motivated by low weight and comfortable head fixation, along with high production efficiency. The selection of minimal tooling in University fabrication workshops and the use of distributed volunteer labor are discussed.

Nowadays, frameworks and models are critical to enabling organizations to identify their current sustainability integration into business and to follow up on these initiatives over time. In this context, the maturity models offer a structured way of analyzing how a supply chain meets specific sustainability requirements and which areas demand attention to reach maturity levels. This study proposes a five-level maturity model to help supply chains identify their level of engagement with sustainability practices combining three perspectives: intra and inter-organizational sustainability practices, triple-bottom-line approach and critical areas for sustainability. All the steps followed in constructing the maturity model were based on a literature review, and case studies supported its improvement, application, and testing. The proposed model presents many advantages, such as being used as a self-assessment tool, a roadmap for sustainability behaviour improvement, and a benchmarking tool to evaluate and compare standards and best practices among organizations and supply chains.

Repetitive nature of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene makes the sequencing of hundreds copies of mammalian 45S rDNA (about 45-kb per copy) extremely difficult and its assembly is often excluded. Increasing evidence shows that 45S rDNA variations (copy number or single nucleotide), structural ribosomal RNA (rRNA) transcript variants, and non-structural rRNA transcripts (sense and anti-sense long noncoding rRNAs that include promoter rRNAs, and rRNA-derived fragments) play essential roles in mammalian development and diseases. Complete pictures of the hundreds copies of 45S rDNA and their rRNA transcripts require further innovation in sequencing techniques that include bioinformatics. The advancements in mammalian rDNA and rRNA sequencings and the discoveries of novel functions of the rDNA variants and rRNA transcripts are discussed here.

Emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) of anthropogenic origins are ubiquitous in environmental compartments, including aquatic systems. Thus, EOCs have attracted considerable research and public attention due to their potential human and ecological health risks. However, compared to other aquatic environments such as wastewater systems, comprehensive reviews focussing on the occurrence and human health risks of EOCs in drinking water systems are still lacking. Therefore, to address this knowledge gap, the current review posits that drinking water systems harbour a cocktail of toxic EOCs, which pose public health risks via multiple exposure routes. In the present review, global evidence is examined to track EOCs along the source-pathway-receptor-impact-mitigation (SPRIM) continuum. Evidence shows that, various groups of EOCs, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products, solvents, plasticizers, endocrine disrupting compounds, gasoline additives, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), food colourants, artificial sweeteners, and musks and fragrances, have been detected in drinking water systems. The anthropogenic sources of EOCs detected in drinking water systems, including wastewater systems and industrial emissions, are summarized. Further, the behaviour and fate of EOCs in the drinking water systems, including removal processes are discussed. Once in drinking water systems, human exposure to EOCs may occur via ingestion of contaminated drinking water and cooked foods, and possibly dermal contact and inhalation. The high-risk environments, and risk factors and behaviours predisposing humans to EOC exposure are discussed. Evidence on the human health risks of the various EOCs and a critique of the data are presented. Notably, besides inferential data, quantitative epidemiological evidence directly relating the occurrence of EOCs in drinking water systems to specific adverse human health outcomes is still scarce. Lastly, future research directions, including the need for quantitative public health risk assessment, and the application of emerging detection tools are discussed.

The study is to identify motivational factors that lead to collective intelligence and to understand how these factors relate to each other and to innovation capabilities in enterprises. The relationships between each of the sub-factors of the collective intelligence construct with the sub-factor of incremental innovation were examined. The study used the convenience sampling of corporate employees who use collective intelligence from corporate panel members (n=1500). Collective intelligence was found to affect work process, operations, and service innovation. This suggests that as work processes are made more innovative, the more actively collective intelligence is pursued, the greater the improvement in the performance of work processes, work procedures, work efficiency, customer satisfaction, and services. This study provides significant implications for corporations operating collective intelligence services such as online communities. First, such corporations vitalize their services by raising the quality of information and knowledge shared in their communities. Additionally, contribution motivations that take the characteristics of knowledge and information contributors into consideration require further development.The sample for this study was identified through convenience sampling of corporate employees who use collective intelligence from corporate panel members (n=1500). Collective intelligence was found to affect work process, operations, and service innovation. This suggests that as work processes are made more innovative, the more actively collective intelligence is pursued, the greater the improvement in the performance of work processes, work procedures, work efficiency, customer satisfaction, and services. This study provides significant implications for corporations operating collective intelligence services such as online communities. First, such corporations vitalize their services by raising the quality of information and knowledge shared in their communities. Additionally, contribution motivations that take the characteristics of knowledge and information contributors into consideration require further development.

The accurate virus detection, strain discrimination, and source attribution of contaminated food items remains a persistent challenge because of the high mutation rates anticipated to occur in foodborne RNA viruses, such as Hepatitis A virus (HAV). This has led to predictions of the existence of more than one sequence variant between the hosts (inter-host) or within an individual host (intra-host). However, there have been no reports of intra-host variants from an infected single individual, and little is known about the accuracy of the single nucleotide variations (SNVs) calling with various methods. In this study, the presence and identity of viral SNVs, either between HAV clinical specimens or among a series of samples derived from HAV clone1-infected FRhK4 cells, were determined following analyses of nucleotide sequences generated using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and pyrosequencing methods. The results demonstrate the co-existence of inter- and intra-host variants both in the clinical specimens and the cultured samples. The discovery and confirmation of multi-viral RNAs in an infected individual is dependent on the strain discrimination at the SNV level, and critical for successful outbreak traceback and source attribution investigations. The detection of SNVs in a time series of HAV infected FRhK4 cells improved our understanding on the mutation dynamics determined probably by different selective pressures. Additionally, it demonstrated that NGS could potentially provide a valuable investigative approach toward SNV detection and identification for other RNA viruses.

Fabric material was coated with Viruferrin™ and tested for its inactivating properties against the pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza A viruses. A statistically significant (p<0.0001) decrease in the number of infectious virus particles exposed to Viruferrin-treated fabric when compared with the cotton control for both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A viruses was observed. For both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A, Viruferrin-treated fabrics experienced a > 99% virus reduction without saliva after five minutes of contact when compared to the positive control at time point 0. Furthermore, the reusability of the Viruferrin treated fabric was demonstrated by stability for up to 10 washes. The level of anti-viral (SARS-CoV-2) activity remained constant from 5 to 10 washes and demonstrated a significant difference (p<0.0001) from the unwashed untreated material. Applications for this treated fabric are far-reaching, and as a biological face covering offers not only a unique 2-way protection but also is unlikely to cause onward touch transmission.

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.

We investigated and quantified bacterial accumulation in facemasks used by the general population, using 16S rRNA (Sanger Sequencing), culture and biochemical analysis along with Rose Bengal staining. Additionally, a systematic overview of the literature on face mask contamination was undertaken. We found an average bacterial load of 4.24 × 10⁴ CFU recovered/mask, with a maximum load of 2.85 × 10⁵ CFU. This maximum is 310 times higher than the limit value for contamination of ventilation system outlet surfaces specified by the German standard VDI 6022. Biochemical and molecular identification predominantly found Staphylococcus species (80%), including Staphylococcus aureus, along with endospore-forming Bacillus spp. Literature reports also indicate contamination of masks by bacterial and fungal opportunists of the genera Acinetobacter, Aspergillus, Alternaria, Bacillus, Cadosporium, Candida, Escherichia, Enterobacter, Enterococcus, Klebsiella (including K. pneumoniae), Micrococcus, Microsporum, Mucor, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus. Bacterial counts increase linearly with wearing duration, and prolonged use may affect the skin and respiratory microbiomes, promoting consequential eye, skin, oral and airway conditions. These aspects underscore the urgent need for further research and a risk-benefit analysis in respect of mask use, particularly given their unproven efficacy in disrupting the transmission of respiratory viruses and their adverse social consequences.

The practice of quantified-self sleep tracking is increasingly common nowadays among healthy individuals as well as patients with sleep problems. However, existing sleep-tracking technologies only support simple data collection and visualization, and are incapable of providing actionable recommendations that are tailored to users' physical, behavioral and environmental context. Here we coined the term context-aware sleep health recommender system (CASHRS) as an emerging multidisciplinary research field that bridges ubiquitous sleep computing and context-aware recommender systems. In this paper, we presented a narrative review to analyze the type of contextual information, the recommendation algorithms, the context filtering techniques, the behavior change techniques, the system evaluation, and the challenges in peer-reviewed publications that meet the characteristics of CASHRS. Analysis results identified current research trends, the knowledge gap, and future research opportunities in CASHRS.

Wearable computing is a fast evolving segment of computing that includes smart watches, head mounted wearables such as Magic Leap headsets, Microsoft Hololens, and VR goggles from various vendors. In this report, we present ideas for a smart wearable device that also doubles as a virus protection device. Instead of using the filtering approach that is predominantly used by virus protection equipments such as face masks, we propose to use a computational approach where the device maintains an awareness of the real-time virus spread and use that information to steer the wearer away from the virus. As the wearable has a head enclosing design, viral infection can only happen through the air that is inhaled by the wearer. The objective of the smart wearable is to maintain a repository for clean air and switch the operating modes between stored and fresh air modes depending on the environmental conditions. It can augment this basic operating procedure by recycling the exhaled air to maximize it operating capacity (i.e., time duration for which it could supply the wearer with safe air) and by cleaning the stored air using UVC to further reduces the chance of infection. To maintain an awareness of the virus spread in the environment, the smart wearable will rely on an edge computing framework that will be distributed to cover areas frequented by people. The smart wearable will have modular design so that it can be reconfigured to add or subtract functionality that the wearer wants for a particular situation so that the design remains relevant even after the virus threat recedes.

Food safety is a persistent global health challenge. Improper handling of foods increases the chances of food contamination, which may endanger the consumers’ health. The knowledge gap and improper hygienic practices of food handlers are the key factors for the transmission of foodborne diseases. This study aimed to investigate the level of food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices among street food vendors in Dhaka City, Bangladesh. In this cross-sectional study, a randomly selected 350 street vendors from seven locations in Dhaka City were enrolled. Data were collected by trained interviewers using a questionnaire. Only 36.5% of the respondents had primary, and 48% had secondary education. The majority of the vendors who handled food in front of observers showed good handwashing practice. However, very few vendors showed positive attitudes for washing hands before handling raw or cooked food (3.7%), practicing good personal hygiene (1.2%), and other food safety attitudes (less than 1%). This study showed a significant correlation between the education level of the participants, work experience, and qualification of the head chef with knowledge about hand washing, wearing gloves, and food-borne illnesses. The study demonstrated that formal education played a significant role in vendors’ knowledge and practice of health safety measures of food handlers in preventing foodborne illness.

Satellite altimetry is successfully developing during the past three decades for the sea level, ocean dynamics, coastal oceanography, planetary waves, ocean tides, wind and wave, ice cover, Earth’s gravity field, and climatology research. We propose a new essential add-on of satellite altimetry related to the peculiarities of the orbits of the Topex/Poseidon and Jasons’ satellite missions which were not mentioned before in the scientific publications. Derived subsets of “self-crossover” and “inter-crossover” points in sub-polar latitudes are discussed in detail in the context of water exchange, and wind-wave dynamics, and potential challenges to be solved. The relatively short time lags between measurements at these crossovers provide additional information on anomalies of magnitudes and directions of ocean currents, and characteristics of wind-driven waves. Resulting data snapshots with constant space and time intervals can be regarded as time series of virtual buoys, an analog of continuous buoy measurements of the sea level, wind speed, and wave height. Areas of the World Ocean where these specific crossovers occur are described in the context of water exchange, wind wave studies, and potential challenges to be solved. The value of these special crossovers for studies and monitoring of the sub-polar seas is illustrated by a case study.

Children’s beneficial relationships with animals are well known. Companion animals, particularly dogs have become an integral part of family life and children’s material culture. Aside the proven physiological benefits there is little research about what children say about their relationships with animals and how they describe them. In this paper we bring together both horse-human and dog-human interactions, finding common ground for understanding the complexity of human development, well-being and flourishing. Dogs in schools are fast becoming a trend in helping support and enhance children’s learning as well as their social and emotional well-being. Studies have shown that the very presence of a dog can increase children’s concentration, executive function and behavior. Also, equine therapy is gaining momentum and empirical studies are showing noteworthy benefits to children and young people. However, the lack of children’s voices means that the mechanisms for these benefits are somewhat unknown and unclear. In seeking to explore this, the authors utilize a visual, sensory and diffractive ethnographic approach to illuminate and illustrate, experiment and re-enact, how the children relate, share spaces and multiple subjectivities with their classroom canine, “Ted” and companion horse “Henry”. ”Henry” is part of a programme in which youngsters care for and engage in activities with horses.

Extraversion, a Big Five personality trait, has been identified as a significant factor in COVID-19 positive coping—yet, relevant research is conflicting. Studies have not situated the influence of extraversion within a geographical and historical context. Thus, a sound base is lacking for assessing when opposing results regarding extraversion and COVID-19 positive coping are likely to result. Furthermore, extraversion with respect to COVID-19 coping has not been considered concerning other-directed learning in contrast to self-directed learning. To establish a sufficiently sound base, an examination of the range of high-ranking Google Scholar results on extraversion and COVID-19 coping from different countries during the pandemic’s various waves—pre and post vaccine introduction—is undertaken. The same are then considered for insights into public opinion. Following, extraversion is compared with other-directed learning and differentiated from self-directed learning. An understanding is thus presented for assessing when extraversion will necessarily be an effective personality trait for COVID-19 positive coping and when it will not. Extraversion’s effect will be found inherently inconsistent for identifying COVID-19 positive coping as a result, because of its dependence on other-directed learning. The conclusion: COVID-19 positive coping stability is contingent on personal values that guide self-directed learning, rather than other-directed extraversion.

To predict how the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, we developed a systematic method for predicting disease outcomes. In the method, we evaluate how personal disease outcomes are mainly affected by viral concentration and exposure time and four defense mechanisms: human innate immunity/host response, acquired immune response, inflammation resolution and micro circulation, and the available space in the thorax cage. By considering how pandemic measures affect viral exposure and those mechanisms, we found many pandemic measures are misused or abused to deliver long-term adverse impacts. We noted that lifestyles have been changed as a result of movement restriction measures. By using the method, we found that altered lifestyles are predicted to raise infection rate, disability and death risks in the future. We show that a person can use personal, environmental, emotional factors to reduce infection rate and death risk. To prove the validity of this finding, we extensively examined medical research models, holistic and reductionist models, epidemiological models, disease risk factors, etc, and found that population methods are unfit for studying holistic health, statistical population does not exist in most clinical trials, mathematical models were misused for studying disease properties for a population, mathematical equations for modeling personal diseases are beyond human ability to solve, statistical models are misused, population-derived treatments are inherently dangerous to patients, vaccines have limited benefits due to unique lung structure and rapid RNA mutation, and immune system damage is caused by fast viral replication rate. We found that altering biological properties to improve the defense mechanisms could prevent a super majority of deaths and prevent the virus from reaching a point to damage the immune system. For vulnerable persons, such measure is a viable strategy for surviving from the pandemic. As a whole, holistic personalized medicine is more powerful than population-based reductionist treatment by one to several orders of magnitudes. We urge people do their parts to force the medical establishment to abandon population treatment models that are responsible for failure of medicine and dissemination of misleading and factually wrong information on the effectiveness of medical treatments.

Emerging pollutants pose significant threats to Uganda's ecosystems and public health amidst rapid urbanization, industrial growth, and intensified agriculture. This systematic review comprehensively assessed these pollutants by analyzing existing Ugandan literature and research studies, revealing various types in different environmental compartments. These pollutants, including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, industrial chemicals, heavy metals, radionuclides, biotoxins, disinfection byproducts, hydrocarbons, and microplastics, originate from urban, industrial, and agricultural regions. Wastewater and improper waste disposal are major contributors. From an initial search of 794 articles across multiple databases such as PubMed, African Journal Online (AJOL), Web of Science, Science Direct, and Google Scholar, 138 were found relevant. The review underscores potential ecological and health impacts, including antibiotic resistance, endocrine disruption, and carcinogenicity. Existing monitoring and regulation efforts are discussed, alongside the need for specific regulations, improved data collection, and public awareness campaigns. Recommendations include advanced wastewater treatment, sustainable agriculture, and source control measures. Emphasis is placed on further research to address knowledge gaps and develop effective policies and interventions. Uganda can mitigate these risks by implementing comprehensive monitoring, robust regulations, and sustainable practices, safeguarding the environment and public health.

The diverse physical appearances and wide density range of polymer bead foams offer immense potential across various applications and future advancements. The multi-scale and multi-level structural features of bead foams involve many fundamental scientific topics. This review presents a comprehensive overview of recent progress in bead foams preparation and molding techniques. Initially, a comparative analysis is conducted among bead foam characteristics of distinct polymers, based on their unique properties. Subsequently, a summary and comparison of molding processes employed for fabricating bead foam parts are provided. Beyond traditional methods like steam-chest molding (SCM) and adhesive-assisted molding (AAM), emerging techniques like in-mold foaming and molding (IMFM) and microwave selective sintering (MSS) are highlighted. Lastly, the bonding mechanisms behind the diverse molding methods are discussed.

As the COVID-19 pandemic begins to abate and national public health systems are treating the SARS-Cov-2 virus as endemic, many public health measures are no longer mandated, but remain recommended with voluntary participation. One of these is the wearing of fitted face masks, initially mandated to contain, or at least slow, the spread of SARS-CoV-2 which is primarily transmitted via aerosols emitted while breathing, coughing, or sneezing. While the habit of once wearing fitted face masks recedes into memory for much of the population, so does the knowledge of the various types of masks that were once en vogue. To create a record for the future, this paper provides the first comprehensive documentation of the nature and range of fitted facemasks that circulated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) combines technologies of autonomous vehicle (AV) and connected vehicles (CV) to develop quicker, more reliable and safer traffic. Artificial Intelligence (AI) based CAV solutions play significant roles in sustainable city. The convergence imposes stringent security requirements for CAV safety and reliability. In practice, vehicles are developed with increased automation and connectivity. Increased automation increases the reliance on the sensor-based technologies and decreases the reliance on driver; increased connectivity increases the exposures of vehicles vulnerability and increases the risk for an adversary to implement a cyber-attack. Much work has been dedicated to identifying the security vulnerabilities and recommending mitigation techniques associated with different sensors, controllers, and connection mechanisms, respectively. However, there is an absence of comprehensive and in-depth studies to identify how the cyber-attacks exploit the vehicles vulnerabilities to negatively impact the performance and operations of CAV. In this survey, we set out to thoroughly review the security issues introduced by AV and CV technologies, analyze how the cyber-attacks impact the performance of CAV, and summarize the solutions correspondingly. The impact of cyber-attacks on the performance of CAV is elaborated from both viewpoints of intra-vehicle system and inter-vehicle system. We pointed out that securing the perception and operations of CAV would be the top requirement to enable CAV to be applied safely and reliably in practice. Also, we suggested to utilize cloud and new AI methods to defend against smart cyber-attacks on CAV.

Purpose: The study is aimed to quantify the effects of social noise (personal music players (PMP), high-intensity noise exposure events) and road traffic noise exposures in the sample of Slovak university students living and studying in Bratislava. Methods: There were 1,003 university students (306 males and 697 females, average age 23.13±2) enrolled in the study; 347 lived in the student housing facility exposed to road traffic noise (LAeq =67.6 dB) and 656 in the control one (LAeq =53.4 dB). Respondents completed a validated ICBEN 5-grade scale “Noise annoyance questionnaire”. The exposure to PMP was objectified by the conversion of the subjective evaluation of the volume setting and duration. With the cooperation of the ENT specialist, we arranged audiometric examinations on the pilot sample of 41 volunteers. Results: From the total sample of 1,003 students, 794 (79.16 %) of them reported the use of PMP in the course of the last week; average time of 285 minutes. There was a significant difference in PMP use between the exposed (85.59 %) and the control group (75.76 %) (p=0.01). Among PMP users 30.7 % exceeded the LAV (lower action value for industry LAeq,8h = 80 dB). On a pilot sample of volunteers (n=41) audiometry testing was performed indicating a hearing threshold shift at higher frequencies in 22% of subjects. Conclusions: The results of the study on a sample of young healthy individuals showed the importance of exposure to environmental noise from different sources (transportation, neighborhood, construction, entertainment facilities, etc.) as well as social noise and the need for prevention and intervention.

Inter-industry has various capital structures to take advantage of growth opportunities due to agency differences and information asymmetric problems. This research aims to analyze: (1) the differences in leverage between industries; (2) the impact of shareholders-debtholders conflict and information asymmetric on growth opportunities. The findings show that there are differences in leverage between industries. However, they are relatively stable and not excessive for assets to prevent conflicts between managers and shareholders and debtholders. Equity is also not used to utilize growth because it is used to reduce the discretionary power (dilution) of shareholders. As a result, the use of opportunities and growth is limited.

With the rise of powerful computational technologies, healthcare systems are going through a paradigm shift to the era of healthcare 5.0, also known as" smart healthcare". This new-age healthcare system not only enhances the life of patients but also aims to reduce healthcare costs significantly. People's health data collected through various means, including various Internet of Things (IoT) devices, is too sensitive to be regulated by particular organisations owing to increasing privacy and security threats. The sheer size of data makes it difficult for centralised bodies to regulate, due to which third-party involvement is introduced, which again poses threats to the privacy of the data holder. Motivated by the abovementioned gaps, we propose a decentralised approach using Ethereum blockchain technology and Oasis protocol. The patient-driven solution approach effectively solves the privacy problem by providing complete control of data to the owner. Along with this, byproducts such as fine-grained access control and on-chain data processing capabilities are also obtained.

The development of novel coherent and brilliant sources, such as soft X-ray Free Electron Laser (FEL) and High Harmonic Generation (HHG) enables new ultrafast analysis of the electronic and structural dynamics of a wide variety of materials. Soft X-ray FEL delivers high brilliance beams with short pulse duration, high spatial coherence and photon energy tunability. In com-parison with FELs, HHG X-ray sources are characterized by a wide spectral bandwidth and few to sub-femtosecond pulses. The approach will lead to time-resolved reconstruction of molecular dynamics, shedding light on different photochemical pathways. The high peak brilliance of soft X-ray FELs facilitates investigations in nonlinear regime, while the broader spectral bandwidth of the HHG sources may provide the simultaneous probing of multiple components. Significant technical breakthroughs in these novel sources are under way to improve brilliance, pulse dura-tion, and to control spectral bandwidth, spot size, and energy resolution. Therefore, in the next few years, the new generation of soft X-ray sources combined with novel experimental tech-niques, new detectors, and computing capabilities will allow the study of several extremely-fast dynamics, such as vibronic dynamics. In the present review, we shortly discuss recent devel-opments in experiments, performed with soft X-ray FELs and HHG sources, operating near car-bon K-absorption edge, being a key atomic component in biosystems and soft materials. Differ-ent spectroscopy methods such as time-resolved pump-probe techniques, nonlinear spectrosco-pies and photoelectron spectroscopy studies have been addressed in an attempt of a better un-derstanding of fundamental physico-chemical processes

The article is of a research nature. The aim of the article is to identify the role of social media in shaping personal brand. To this end, the first part discusses the concept of personal brand, components of brand capital in case of famous people, including consumer-based capital. Attention was also paid to the great importance of social media and the growing role of their users in the process of shaping personal brand. Based on the analysis of the source literature, a research gap was identified, related to the lack of empirical verification of the relationship between users’ online activity and the brand capital of famous people, also known as celebrities, associated with artistic and cultural activities. The article uses the results of direct research carried out in the years 2019-2020. The second (empirical) part of the article presents research hypotheses, methodology, as well as results and conclusions from the research. Based on 26 in-depth individual interviews that were conducted with people famous in Poland (mainly engaged in artistic and cultural activities) and surveys on a group of 324 social media users, it was shown, among others, that online activity of Internet users stimulates the brand capital of famous people. Statistically significant relationships were observed for such components of the personal brand as awareness / associations with the personal brand and for the relationship regarding the perception of the quality of activities carried out by a famous person.

Due to the rapid developments in aquaculture industry, Artemia franciscana, originally an American species, has been intentionally introduced to the Eurasia, Africa and Australia. In the present study, we used a partial sequence of the mitochondrial DNA Cytochrome Oxidase subunit I (mt-DNA COI) gene and genomic fingerprinting by Inter-Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSRs) to determine the genetic variability and population structure of Artemia populations (indigenous and introduced) from 14 different geographical locations in Western Asia. Based on the haplotype spanning network, Artemia urmiana has exhibited higher genetic variation than native parthenogenetic populations. Although A. urmiana represented a completely private haplotype distribution, no apparent genetic structure was recognized among the native parthenogenetic and invasive A. franciscana populations. Our ISSR findings have documented that despite invasive populations have lower variation than source population in Great Salt Lake (Utah, USA), they have significantly revealed higher genetic variability compare to the native populations in Western Asia. According to the ISSR results, the native populations were not fully differentiated by the PCoA analysis, but the exotic A. franciscana populations were geographically divided in four genetic groups. We believe that during the colonization, invasive populations have experienced substantial genetic divergences, under new ecological conditions in the non-indigenous regions.

The Performance Assessment for California Teachers (PACT) is a high stakes summative assessment that was designed to measure pre-service teacher readiness. We examined the inter-rater reliability (IRR) of trained PACT evaluators who rated 19 candidates. As measured by Cohen’s weighted kappa, the overall IRR estimate was .17 (poor strength of agreement). IRR estimates ranged from -.29 (worse than expected by chance) to .54 (moderate strength of agreement); all were below the standard of .70 for consensus agreement. Follow up interviews of 10 evaluators revealed possible reasons we observed low IRR, such as departures from established PACT scoring protocol, and lack of, or inconsistent, use of a scoring aid document. Evaluators reported difficulties scoring the materials that candidates submitted, particularly the use of Academic Language. Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) is suggested as a method to improve IRR in the PACT and other teacher performance assessments such as the edTPA.

Sport has the potential to support psychosocial development in young people. However, extant studies have tended to evaluate purpose-built interventions, leaving regular organised sport relatively overlooked. Moreover, previous work has tended to concentrated on a narrow range of outcomes. To address these gaps, we conducted a season-long ethnography of a youth performance sport club based on a novel Realist Evaluation approach [1]. We construed the club as a social intervention within a complex system of agents and structures. In this - Part 1 - account we detail the perceptions of former and current club parents, players and coaches, using them to build a set of programme theories. The resulting network of outcomes (i.e. self, emotional, social, moral and cognitive) and generative mechanisms (i.e., the attention factory, the greenhouse for growth, the personal boost, and the real-life simulator) spanning across multiple contextual layers provides a nuanced understanding of stakeholders’ views and experiences. This textured perspective of the multi-faceted process of development provides new insights for administrators, coaches and parents to maximise the developmental properties of youth sport, and signposts new avenues for research in this area.

The intention to repurchase is a key component in relationship marketing. However, minimal attention has been paid to how customers’ habitual behavior moderates the relationship between customers’ evaluation of benefits received from a service provider and the intention to revisit, specifically in a personal service business where customer-service provider interactions likely constitute the core of a sustainable relationship. To address this gap, the current study proposes and tests a comprehensive model to advance the theory of relationship marketing (RM) and additionally contributes to social exchange theory (SET) as well as the theory of repurchase decision-making (TRD) in the business service context. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to examine the relationships of the research model. Based on data collected from 482 customers on their perceptions of hairstylists, the empirical findings revealed that relational benefits significantly affect post-experience behavior-satisfaction, trust and relationship commitment, and subsequently boost the intention to revisit. Furthermore, habit as an unconscious factor moderates the paths between revisit intention and its determinants. Although several limitations exist, the findings practically and theoretically make a contribution to the literature on relationship marketing.

Electrical rotating machines like Induction Motors (IMs) are widely used in several industrial applications since their robust elements, provide high efficiency and give versatility in industrial applications. Nevertheless, the occurrence of faults in IMs is inherent to their operating conditions, hence, Inter-turn short-circuit (ITSC) is one of the most common failures that affect IMs and its appearance is due to electrical stresses leads to the degradation of the stator winding insulation. In this regard, this work proposes a diagnosis methodology for the assessment and detection of incipient ITSC in IMs, the proposed method is based on the processing of vibration, stator currents and magnetic stray-flux signals. Certainly, the novelty and contribution include the characterization of different physical magnitudes by estimating a set of statistical time domain features, as well as, their fusion and reduction through the Linear discriminant Analysis technique within a feature-level fusion approach. Furthermore, the fusion and reduction of information from different physical magnitudes leads to perform the automatic fault detection and identification by a simple Neural-Network (NN) structure. The proposed method is evaluated under a complete set of experimental data and the obtained results demonstrate that the fusion of information from different sources (physical magnitudes) allows to improve the accuracy during the detection of ITSC in IMs , the results make this proposal feasible to be incorporated as a part of condition-based maintenance programs in the industry.

Malaria is one of the leading causes of illnesses and deaths in Africa at large and Nigeria in particular, especially amongst pregnant women and children under the age of five years. Our research revealed that though the government has deployed so many intervention systems to contend with this death-causing vector—the mosquitoes, malaria related deaths (MRDs) have continued to increase. This is because people have not sufficiently adopted those intervention systems to protect themselves. Further enquiries into the ineffective compliance of the people to the intervention systems revealed that the interventions are passive in nature. Based on these, we set up three measurable research outcomes to enable us to determine the appropriateness of persuasive technology in solving the malaria problem. We technically avoided a one-size-fits-all design approach and adopted Participatory System Design (PSD) and User-Centered Design (UCD) approaches in our system design methodologies. Well-structured questionnaires were used to extract information from the participants. The data obtained from the research survey was used in modeling the intervention system. The research was conducted in three phases: baseline, development and deployment of an intervention system—the Malaria Prevention and Control Support System (MPCSS), and an evaluation study to determine the performance of the intervention system. The research led to the following achievements: (1) encouraged an increase in the number of people who participated in malaria prevention and control activities by lowering the rate of malaria cases from 96.9% to 68.5% and increasing ownership of mosquito nets from 54% to 85.5%; (2) demonstrated that persuasive technology could be used to increase public awareness and knowledge of a given subject as noted in our evaluation result; and (3) demonstrated that persuasive technology is a veritable active intervention to combat malaria.

Through an investigation of recently discovered Incantation of Wish-Fulfillment amulets from the Silla kingdom, this paper reveals that early Korea had more diverse forms of dhāraṇī practices than previously assumed. This paper’s analysis of these amulets from Korea contributes toward filling the gap in our current understanding of the material practice pertaining to the Incantation of Wish-Fulfillment widely practiced in medieval East Asia. Based on an interdisciplinary analysis of the two amulet sheets of the Incantation of Wish-Fulfillment from Silla, this paper explored hitherto unknown aspects of early Korean dhāraṇī practice. Previously, the only material dhāraṇī practice in early Korea was thought to be the enshrinement of textual relics in pagodas based on the Pure Light Incantation, which has little connection to contemporaneous Chinese dhāraṇī practice. However, the newly discovered Incantation of Wish-Fulfillment amulets, whose date this paper inferred to be between the eighth and ninth century, show that the Unified Silla also had a dhāraṇī practice closely linked to the Chinese practice. However, unlike the Chinese Incantation of Wish-Fulfillment amulets that were buried in tombs, the Silla amulets were likely enshrined in one of the pagodas erected on Mount Nam, Gyeongju. At the same time, the Silla epigraph from Myogilsang Pagoda at Haeinsa shows that the Incantation of Wish-Fulfillment was placed in the pagoda so as to wish for good afterlives of the soldiers who died at the battle, suggesting that placing the Incantation of Wish-Fulfillment in a pagoda had a function similar to that of burying the Chinese amulet in the tomb.

Molecular communication (MC) is a promising bio-inspired paradigm for exchanging molecule information among nanomachines. This paper proposes a synchronisation-assist photolysis MC system that aims to transmit the bio-sensing signal of the tumour microenvironment, facilitated by mitigating redundant molecules for improved bit error rate (BER) performance. Benefits from bio-compatible MC, biosensors could transmit bio-sensing signals of the tumour in $vivo$ instead of converting them to electrical signals. Due to diffusion motion's slow and stochastic nature, inter-symbol interference (ISI), resulting from previous symbols' residual information molecules, inevitably occurs in diffusion-based MC. ISI is one of the challenges in diffusion-based MC, which significantly impacts signal detection. Inspired by on-off keying (OOK) modulation, the proposed modulation implements a switch of molecules and light alternatively. The light emitted is triggered by a synchronisation signal, and the photolysis reactions could reduce the redundant molecules. An expression for the relevant channel impulse response (CIR) is derived from a hybrid channel model of diffusion and photolysis-reaction. This paper implements the maximum posterior estimation scheme to find the optimal decision threshold and analysis the BER performance in terms of different time intervals of the system. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed method can improve the channel capacity and BER performance. We believe that our work may pave the way for MC application in bio-sensing.

The basic constitutional freedoms and rights of a person and citizen are in principle unlimited: the full scope of their exercise is the rule, and the restriction determined by law can only be an exception based on explicit constitutional authority and the legitimate aim of the restriction determined by the Constitution. That being so, the restrictions - in addition to being based on constitutional authority and pursuing constitutional objectives - should be commensurate with the needs to achieve these objectives. This means that restrictive legal rules must be suitable for achieving the legitimate aim pursued, must not be stricter than necessary and must be balanced between the constitutionally guaranteed subjective right of the individual and the interests of society. In this scholar paper, the authors point out the economic and legal consequences of the violation of individual privacy and data protection rights caused by the public disclosure of personal data of people who, at a certain time, were obliged to self-isolate due to suspicion of Covid-19 virus infection.

We aim to investigate if serum levels of microRNAs: miR-126, mir-197 and mir-223, previously implicated in cardiometabolic disease, are reproducibly associated with incident-diabetes (inc-DM), incident-cardiovascular disease (inc-CVD) and with carotid atherosclerosis (measured for the maximum thickness of the intima-media of the carotid bulb (IMT)). The microRNAs were measured, one: in serum of 553 subjects from the baseline exam of the Swedish prospective cohort, Malmö Diet and Cancer Study (MDC-CC), with 169 subjects who developed CVD and 140 DM (16 years follow-up) and, two: in 1221 subjects from the Malmö Offspring Study (MOS), with 14 de-veloped CVD and 12 DM (3.7 years follow-up). Multivariate logistic and linear regression models were used to investigate the relationship of serum-concentrations of the microRNAs and inc-DM, inc-CVD, IMT-bulb respectively. In MDC-CC, miR-126 showed significant positive association with inc-DM (p= 0.01) whereas in fully adjusted model, the association was borderline significant (p= 0.05). The results were not replicated in MOS. There was no consistent significant association between the microRNAs with IMT or inc-CVD in any cohort. Our results do not support previous reports on significant associations between these microRNAs and the risk of CMD, as they were not reproducible in our cohorts. In addition, the directionality of any associations found were not consistent with those previously reported.

The easternmost Mediterranean is a distinct transition zone from the ocean to the continent located at the junction between the largest Earth's lithospheric segments: Eurasian and African. The methodology of paleomagnetic mapping of such transition zones is based on integrating the mapping techniques for both continental and oceanic platforms: paleomagnetic reconstructions, results of radiometric dating of magnetized rocks, tectonic-structural reconstructions, biogeography, and utilization of the results of various geophysical surveys. The geodynamic-paleomagnetic mapping makes it possible to reveal the multilevel structural heterogeneity and display complex elements of the geodynamics of different ages inherent in this transition zone. Northern Israel is obviously the most complex area in the easternmost Mediterranean. For the combined paleomagnetic mapping, well-studied paleomagnetically and radiometrically areas were selected: (1) the Carmel area, (2) the Atlit area (internal part of the Carmel area), (3) the Sea of Galilee with the adjoining zones (primarily, the Kinnarot Valley), and (4) the area of the Hula Basin with adjacent areas of the Golan Plateau, Hermon Mt., and Galilea uplift. The constructed paleomagnetic profiles for the Carmel area (on the top of the accumulative surface of the Lower Cretaceous traps), and the Kinnarot Valley – Sea of Galilee – Hula Basin, evidently indicate the complex history of the paleogeodynamic evolution of the region. These studies demonstrate the effectiveness of paleomagnetic mapping interated with paleomagnetic profiling, which crosses these geologically complex areas.

Recently, inter-vehicle communication, which helps to avoid collision accidents (by driving safety support system) and facilitate self-driving (by dissemination of road and traffic information), has attracted much attention. In this paper, in order to efficiently collect road / traffic information in the request / response manner, first a basic method, Content-centric network (CCN) for Vehicular network (CV), is proposed, which applies CCN cache function to inter-vehicle communication. Content naming and routing, which take vehicle mobility into account, are investigated. On this basis, the CV method is extended (named as ECV) to avoid the cache miss problem caused by vehicle movement, and is further enhanced (named as ECV+) to more efficiently exploit cache buffer in vehicles, caching content according to a probability decided by channel usage rate. Extensive evaluations on network simulator Scenargie, with realistic open street map, confirm that the CV method and its extensions (ECV, ECV+) effectively reduce the average number of hops of data packets (by up to 47%, 63%, 83% respectively) and greatly improve the content acquisition success rate (by up to 356%, 444%, 689%, respectively), compared to the method without cache mechanism.

Part 1 of this 2-paper series identified a wide and deep network of context, generative mechanisms and outcomes responsible for psychosocial development in a performance basketball club. In this – part 2 – study, the stakeholder’s programme theories were tested during a full-season ethnography of the same club. The findings confirm the highly individualised nature of each young person’s journey. Methodologically, immersion in the day-to-day environment generated a fine-grain analysis of the processes involved, including: i) sustained attentional focus; ii) structured and unstructured skill building activities; iii) deliberate and incidental support; and iv) feelings indicating personal growth. Personal development in and through sport is thus shown to be conditional, multi-faceted, time-sensitive and idiosyncratic. The findings of this two-part study are considered to propose a model of psychosocial development in and through sport. This heuristic tool is presented to support sport psychologists, coaches, club administrators and parents to deliberately create and optimise developmental environments.

Personal Information Management Systems (PIMS) are acquiring a prominent role in the data economy by promoting services that help individuals to have more control over the processing of their personal data, in line with the European data protection law. One of the highlighted solutions in this area is Solid, a new protocol that is decentralizing the storage of data, through the usage of interoperable Web standards and semantic vocabularies, to empower its users to have more control over the processing of data by agents and applications. However, to fulfill this vision and gather widespread adoption, Solid needs to be aligned with the law governing the processing of personal data in Europe, the main piece of legislation being the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). To assist with this process, we analyze the current efforts to introduce a policy layer in the Solid ecosystem, in particular, related to the challenge of obtaining consent for processing personal data, focusing on the GDPR. Furthermore, we investigate if, in the context of using personal data for biomedical research, consent can be expressed in advance, discuss the conditions for valid consent and how it can be obtained in this decentralized setting, namely through the matching of privacy preferences, set by the user, with requests for data and whether this can signify informed consent. Finally, we discuss the technical challenges of an implementation that caters to the previously-identified legal requirements.

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic abruptly disrupted global healthcare systems, necessitating rapid adaptations. This study evaluates the impact on health systems and services in the aftermath of the first wave in the Indian context. It analyses the disruptions, adaptive measures, and changes made, as well as the challenges faced by healthcare providers and seekers. Valuable insights from this study will enhance the resilience and preparedness of healthcare systems for future challenges. Methods: The eligible studies included primary studies conducted in the Indian context that explore the impact of COVID-19 on health services provision, utilisation, and the well-being of healthcare providers and seekers. Electronic searches were conducted in six databases: PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Global Health, CINAHL, and the WHO database on COVID-19. The results were analysed using detailed narrative synthesis. Results: The review includes 38 articles, incorporating a total of 22,502 subjects. There has been a substantial impact on health service provision, particularly in outpatient departments (OPD) (n=19) and elective services (n=16), while emergency services continued at sub-optimal levels (n=20). Various adaptations and changes were implemented in precautionary measures, protocols, staff allocation and training, usage of personal protective equipment (PPE), preoperative, operative, and postoperative measures, as well as physical infrastructure and resources. Depression and stress (n=14), fear of contracting the infection (n=6), stigmatisation (n=5), and financial repercussions (n=5) significantly affected the mental health of healthcare providers, and healthcare seekers also faced significant challenges (n=11). Conclusion: The study reveals COVID-19's substantial impact on health services. The healthcare system responded by quickly adjusting staff management, resource allocation, and infection prevention measures. The study also highlights the mental health challenges faced by healthcare providers and the concerns of healthcare seekers regarding delays and suboptimal care. Looking ahead, the findings underscore the importance of preparedness for future pandemics, including improved healthcare infrastructure, resource optimisation, and comprehensive protocols. Lessons learned from COVID-19 should inform strategies to mitigate disruptions and ensure the well-being of healthcare providers and seekers in future outbreaks.

Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) are formed whenever disinfectant ingredients are in contact with organic matter. Due to widespread increase in production and use of disinfectants and antiseptics, the presence of their components in coastal environments is increasing. However, very limited scientific literature is available in regard to the occurrence of DBPs and related compounds in the coastal zone and particularly in seawater. In this context, the aim of this preliminary compilation is to outline the main up-to-date findings and raise awareness on their increasing occurrence in coastal environments. Sampling and analysis of marine samples in the USA, Spain, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Korea, Kuwait and Hong-Kong revealed the presence of several categories of DBPs and related compounds in coastal environments, with the highest levels being detected in urban areas, probably related to the nearby wastewater treatment plants. The investigations considered in this preliminary compilation, report the detection of DBPs and related compounds as well as the formation of toxic brominated and iodinated DBPs in high levels due to chlorination of wastewater, especially after use of seawater for flushing in toilets. New DBP groups have also been detected, namely halogenated phenolic DBPs and halopyrroles.

There are increasing calls in education for deeper integration of disciplines and better preparation for the personal and job challenges of a fast-changing and smarter society. Thus, we need to search for new effective didactic strategies. However, current classrooms are isolated. They practically never connect. This hinders the exchange of ideas. It inhibits imitation and recombination, the basic blocks of cultural evolution and innovation. In this paper, we analyze online inter-class tournaments. These are lessons where entire elementary or middle school classes interconnect synchronously and play an educational game. These are new types of academic activities, and only possible thanks to digital communication technology. In this paper, we examine four online tournaments, we analyze how feasible it is to carry them out and the benefits they bring. One tournament is for teaching machine learning and statistics. The second one teaches the conservation of momentum in physics and an engineering optimization challenge. The third tournament is for learning to solve word problems. The fourth one is for teaching natural and sexual selection along with developing statistical and population thinking. We found that these inter-class tournaments are feasible to implement in schools and that they are a promising mechanism to facilitate imitation, recombination, and innovation of teaching strategies.

One of the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic is that it has lent urgency to ongoing discussions on mental well-being. While standard techniques are available to diagnose mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, and stress, ambiguity persists regarding the emotional aspect of well-being. Emotional well-being (EWB) is a recently developed concept that seeks to understand the contribution of emotions to one’s well-being. Interactive approaches for such investigations are recommended to understand people’s contextual experiences. In this study, we use a qualitative approach to examine the psychological impact of the built environment on its residents to formulate the desiderata for an ideal place based on their perceptions. We use personal construct theory and the associated qualitative repertory grid technique. We recruited 15 students from the United Arab Emirates University and obtained information on their perceptions of three built environments they experienced. The findings revealed information on the students’ emotional constructs that were associated with a set of design-related factors, and the way the ideal hostel should be characterized in response to these associations. These findings enrich our knowledge of EWB within built environments and can inform their future design by considering the emotional aspect of the well-being of residents.

This paper introduces the AltumView Sentinare smart activity sensor for senior care and patient monitoring. The sensor uses an AI chip and deep learning algorithms to monitor the activity of people, collect activity statistics, and notify caregivers when emergencies such as falls are detected. To protect privacy, only skeleton (stick figure) animations are transmitted instead of videos. The sensor is highly affordable, accessible, and versatile. It was a CES 2021 Innovation Award Honoree, and has been selected by Amazon as one of only three fall detection devices integrated into its Alexa Together urgent response service, and has received very positive reviews from Amazon customers. It has also been used in different senior care settings in about ten different countries. The paper presents the main features of the system, the evidences and lessons learned from its practical applications, and future directions.

The years 2019 to 2022 are being marked by the pandemic resulting from a viral infection, COVID-19. The demand and use of PPE has never been so high and it is often discarded without considering the correct disposal route and the environmental impact that this type and volume of waste can generate. The aim of this study was to analyze the increased demand for PPE used during the pandemic and, consequently, the generation of these wastes. In addition to this analysis, it is extremely important to raise the discussion about the treatment of these residues and the possibilities of more ecological personal protection equipment, such as biodegradable or reusable ones. The extensive use of PPE, which is mostly plastics and is not easily degraded, mainly leads to its accumulation in landfills but, if disposed of incorrectly, it could reach marine environments, contributing to the formation of microplastics in the oceans. Therefore, this article also aims to relate these themes to the Sustainable Development Goals, as efficient management aligned with sustainable development goals is essential to mitigate these anticipated problems and ensure a more sustainable future.

Personal Mobility Vehicle (PMV) which has an inward tilting angle turns with the lateral force due to large camber angle, so it is necessary to consider the lateral movement of the tire vertical load axis during turning. Although the steering torque mechanism are very different from those of automobiles, there are not many examples which studied the steering torque mechanism of PMV. In this paper, based on the effects of six components force acting on the tires, a method for setting the steering axis specifications is derived, including the geometrical minimization of steering moment disturbance due to the vertical load reaction force during turning. Although, automobile tires have a significant ground camber angle when traveling on rutted roads, they do not have it on slant roads because the vehicle body tilts along the road surface. On the other hand, in PMV, the vehicle body always keeps upright when traveling both on slanted roads and on rutted roads. Therefore, the tires have ground camber angles on both types of road surface. We study the straight running ability under such road surface disturbances based on the geometrical minimization of steering moment disturbance due to the vertical load reaction force during turning. This straight running ability can be a remarkable strong point of PMV with an inward tilt mechanism.

Earthworm invasions often reduce biodiversity and affect the ability of ecosystems to perform ecosystem functions. Over the past few decades, European lumbricide species have spread widely in natural habitats in Western Siberia, without completely displacing the native species. The aim of the present experiment is to study the survival, reproductive potential, vertical distribution, abundance, and biomass of Aporrectodea caliginosa and Lumbricus rubellus invasive for the region and the native species Eisenia nordenskioldi and their influence on each other. For this purpose, winter and vegetation experiments were conducted in mesocosms simulating the real situation of invasions in the same communities on the same types of soils with the same amount and composition of litter. The authors found that the native species was significantly inferior to A. caliginosa in reproduction rate, number of offspring, and final biomass, but had an advantage over L. rubellus. The native species was positively influenced by the presence of A. caliginosa. In the experiment, there was a significant rejuvenation of the populations of the studied species, an increase in abundance and relative mass under interaction conditions compared to mono variants. The native species had advantages over the invasive species in terms of winter survival. The natural volume of litter used in the experiment was insufficient for L. rubellus. According to the results of the experiment, it can be assumed that the spread of L. rubellus will continue to be limited to non-freezing biotopes rich in organic matter. A. caliginosa will spread in natural communities and agrocenoses of Western Siberia.

Low-cost personal exposure monitors (PEMs) to measure personal exposure to air pollution are potentially promising tools for health research. However, their adoption requires robust validation. This study evaluated the performance of twenty-one Plume Lab Flow2 (PLF) by comparing its air pollutant measurements, particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5), 10 μm or less (PM10), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), against several high-quality air pollution monitors under field conditions (at indoor, outdoor, and roadside locations). Correlation and regression analysis were used to evaluate measurements obtained by different PLFs against reference instrumentation. For all measured pollutants, the overall correlation coefficient between the PLFs and the reference instruments was often weak (r<0.4). Moderate correlation was observed for one PLF unit at indoor location and two units at roadside location, when measuring PM2.5, but not for PM10 and NO2 concentration. During periods of particularly higher pollution, 11 PLF tools showed stronger regression results (R2 values > 0.5) with one-hour and 9 PLF units with one-minute time interval. Results show that the PLF cannot be used robustly to determine high and low exposure to poor air. Therefore, the use of PLFs in research studies should be approached with caution if data quality is important to the research outputs.

Clinicians are key in reclaiming the medical arts ceded to clinically irrelevant technology and thereby aligning patient with fast-changing biological realities. Narrowing the chasm between virtual and real perceptions of health hazards requires: 1) becoming acutely aware of the habitat loss aggravating the pervasive dissemination of chemicals via conventional food, air, and consumer products and the proliferation of non-ionizing radiation; and 2) making strategic use of slow, system 2 thinking so as to respond wisely to the rampant epidemics of chronic low-dose toxicity disregarded or misdiagnosed for half a century. To respond adaptively, take a moment during each patient encounter to add chronic ambient poisoning to the differential diagnosis and investigate subtle symptoms and signs of irritation in vulnerable organ systems. Enacting adaptive response across our profession could ease the suffering of millions, help avert the sixth extinction, and contribute to continuation of evolved life as we know it.

(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on the world, causing widespread illness and death. It is essential to focus on prevention strategies to limit the spread of the disease. Despite the advent of vaccines, maintaining a vigilant approach to prevention remains paramount. While vaccines are essential, they do not guarantee absolute immunity, and their protective effect may diminish over time; (2) Methods: We reviewed effective strategies to prevent COVID-19 transmission. We focused on me-ta-analyses (MA), literature reviews (LR) and the health care context. Various prevention measures and interventions were reviewed. Both es-tablished practices and unresolved issues were considered; (3) Results: Standard precautions (SP) as the cornerstone of infection control, with hand hygiene and mask use as key components. Debate about the relative importance of droplet versus aerosol transmission led to differences in recommendations between agencies at the onset of the pandemic. We have clarified the role of personal protective equipment (PPE), including eye protection. The effectiveness of masks in pre-venting transmission is reviewed. The use of surgical masks is recommended to prevent droplet transmission, while eye protection is recommended in combination with masks. Although data show some risk reduction, the clear superiority of N95/FFP2 over surgical masks remains unproven. In terms of room occupancy, ventilation is critical in reducing the risk of transmission in poorly ventilated environments. The use of negative pressure isolation rooms (NPIRs) is being investigated. The presence of viral RNA on surfaces does not necessarily indicate infectivity, and the risk of transmission by surface contact is low if surfaces are properly maintained and hand hygiene is practised regularly. Testing for SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic persons in healthcare settings may help prevent transmission; (4) Conclusions: Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 transmission requires a multifaceted approach, including reducing particle emissions from infected persons by wearing masks, eliminating aerosols by ventilation, ensuring physical separation, and protecting exposed persons with masks and eye protection.

With the growing demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) in the face of the pandemic events caused by SARS-COV-2, the opportunity arises for the development of materials with characteristics such as antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal activity, etc. The use of polymeric nanocomposites based on polyester/copper offers an alternative of great interest due to the versatility of the raw material and the high efficiency of copper as an antimicrobial additive. In this study, textile fibers prototypes with different Cu nanoparticles (CuNP) content were produced using melt-spinning to obtain bi-component multifilament fibers, and melt-blowing to obtain non-woven fabrics. The prototypes were tested against different pathogenic microorganisms such as S. aureus, E. coli, and C. albicans. It was shown that bi-component fibers offer more excellent protection against pathogens, while non-woven fabric only shows activity against E. coli. It was possible to identify that the CuNP were confined exclusively in the outer cover of the bi-component fibers, using different analytical techniques, which may be associated with the increase in antimicrobial activity, compared to the fibers present in the non-woven fabric, even when they present the same CuNP content.

Present work investigates, in photon energy domains of specific interest for medical imaging, the effect of the escape of X-ray fluorescence from the scintillator materials on the energy resolution of scintillation detector itself. Monolithic as well as pixelated crystals differently sized are considered, in the case of the NaI because it is the gold standard in the field. The volumetric ratio is introduced, as a figure of merit, taking into account, alongside the surface-to-volume ratio, the geometric shape, the elemental composition and also the mean-free-path for the given scintillator and energy. The inter-crystal XRF escape is finally suggested to be considered among the effects producing image blurring in segmented scintillatros due to the spread of events between the primary pixel and the first neighbors ones.

Introduction: Interest in infection prevention in healthcare facilities has been renewed with the advent of the COVID – 19 pandemic. Accidental exposures to body fluids occurs under work environments that do not meet occupational safety standards. The aim of the present study was to assess the level of observance of standard precautions including adherence to required vaccinations to prevent healthcare related infections. Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was carried out from January to April 2022 in six District Hospitals in Yaounde. An auto-administered questionnaire was addressed to consenting healthcare workers. Data were analysed using R statistic version 4.2.3. A p-value < 5% was considered significant. Results: Out of a total of 217 HCW who were enrolled, nearly a quarter (17%) claimed to wash the scalpel blades for reuse. More than half of the participants (53.5%) did not wash their hands after each care. Reasons for not washing hands after each procedure were the perception that the patient care for was risk free (36 %), high workload (35.3 %), distant washing point (20 %). Almost half of HCW (46,5%) experienced a splash during the last 12 month. PPE were always available for only 43.56% of participants. Immunization coverage for COVID-19 was low 44.8 %. Poor vaccine compliance was related to doubts on vaccine content (42 %) and fear of adverse events (39.3 %). Conclusion: Strategies should be implemented to alleviate the AEB burden among healthcare workers and increase compliance with COVID-19 and other vaccines required for healthcare practice.

This study presents the interaction with human host metabolism of SARS-CoV-2 ORF7b protein (43 aa), using a Protein-Protein-Interaction Networks analysis. After pruning, we selected from BioGRID the 51 most significant proteins among 2,753 proven interactions and 1,708 interactors, specific to ORF7b. We used these proteins as functional seeds and we got a significant network of 551 nodes via STRING. We performed topological analysis and calculated topological distributions by Cytoscape. Seven high ranked proteins as hub and seven as bottleneck following a hub-and-spoke network-architectural-model were found. Through this interaction model, we identified significant GO-processes (5,057 terms in 15 categories) induced in human metabolism by ORF7b. High statistical significance processes of dysregulated molecular cell mechanisms by the action of ORF7b were discovered. We detected disease-related human proteins and their involvement in metabolic roles, how they relate in a distorted way to signaling and/or functional systems, in particular intra- and inter-cellular signaling systems and the molecular mechanisms that supervise to programmed cell death, with mechanisms similar to that of cancer metastasis diffusion. A cluster analysis showed 10 compact and significant functional clusters, where two of them overlap in a Giant-Connected-Components core of 206 total nodes. These two clusters contain most of the high-rank nodes. ORF7b mainly acts through these two clusters, inducing most of the metabolic dysregulation. We conducted a co-regulation, transcriptional analysis by hub and bottleneck proteins. This analysis allowed us to define the transcription factors and miRNAs that control the high-ranking proteins and the dysregulated processes, within the limits of the poor knowledge that these sectors still impose.

Following the well-known pandemic, declared on 30 January 2020 by the World Health Organi-zation, the request for new global strategies for the prevention and mitigation of the spread of the infection has come to the attention of the scientific community. Nanotechnology has often managed to provide solutions, effective responses, and valid strategies to support the fight against SARS-CoV-2. This work reports a collection of information on nanomaterials that have been used to counter the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In particular, the objective of this work is to illustrate the strategies that have made it possible to use the particular properties of nanomaterials, for the production of personal protective equipment (DIP) for the defense against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Our aim was to compare the inter-rater agreement of Transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS) with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) regarding diagnosing adenomyosis and for various predefined imaging features of adenomyosis in the same set of women. MRIs were assessed by four experienced radiologists and 2D TVS videoclips and 3D ultrasound volumes were assessed by five experienced sonographers. Each rater subjectively evaluated the presence or absence of adenomyosis, assessed various imaging. Fleiss kappa (κ) was used to reflect inter-rater agreement for categorical data and the Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) to reflect the reliability of quantitative data. Agreement between raters for diagnosing adenomyosis was higher for TVS than for MRI (κ =0.42 vs.0.28). MRI had a higher inter-rater agreement in assessing wall asymmetry irregular Junctional Zone (JZ) presence of myometrial cysts, while TVU had a better agreement for globular shape. MRI showed a moderate-good reliability for measuring the JZ (ICC=0.57-0.82). For TVS, JZ was unmeasurable in &gt; 50% of cases and the remaining cases had a low reliability (ICC=-0.31-0.08). We found that Inter-rater agreement for diagnosing adenomyosis was higher for TVS than for MRI, despite that MRI showed a higher inter-rater agreement in most specific features. Measurements of JZ in the coronal plane with 3D TVS were unreliable and thus unlikely to be useful for diagnosing adenomyosis.

With the abundance of conversations happening everywhere, dialogue summarization plays an increasingly important role in the real world. However, dialogues inevitably involve lots of personal pronouns, which hinder the performance of existing dialogue summarization models. This work proposes a framework named WHORU to inject external personal pronoun resolution (PPR) information into abstractive dialogue summarization models. To reduce time and space consumption, we further propose a simple and effective PPR method for the dialogue domain. Experiments demonstrated the superiority of the proposed methods. More importantly, we achieve new SOTA results on SAMSum and AMI datasets.

In a dynamic production processes, mechanical degradation poses a significant challenge, impacting product quality and process efficiency. This paper explores a novel approach for monitoring degradation in the context of viscose fiber production, a highly dynamic manufacturing process. Using causal discovery techniques, our method allows domain experts to incorporate background knowledge into the creation of causal graphs. Further, it enhances the interpretability and increases the ability to identify potential problems via changes in causal relations over time. The case study employs a comprehensive analysis of the viscose fiber production process within a prominent textile industry, emphasizing the advantages of causal discovery for monitoring degradation. The results are compared with state-of-the-art methods, which are not considered to be interpretable, specifically LSTM-based autoencoders, showcasing the alignment and validation of our approach. This paper provides valuable information on degradation monitoring strategies, demonstrating the efficacy of causal discovery in dynamic manufacturing environments. The findings contribute to the evolving landscape of process optimization and quality control.