Background: Quality of life (QoL) in IC/BPS patients is an evidence gap in guidelines, because studies are limited and outdated. Therefore, guidelines might not reflect the current situation accurately, and no possible improvements in QoL of these patients. Secondly, guidelines suggest multimodal approach in therapy, however unknown is how the efficacy of these therapies are perceived by the patient themselves. The aim of this study is to investigate the perception of IC/BPS patients on their QoL and to determine which treatments they received and how they evaluate the efficacy of these various (alternative) therapies.Methods: Quantitative retrospective database study in IC/BPS patients, compiled of existing patient survey data (n=217) from July 2021. Results: The QoL of patients is affected significantly by IC/BPS. This is evident from the substantial self-reported impact by patients, the various affected domains on EQ-5D 5L. The QoL was not negatively affected by delayed diagnosis, but there were differences between female and males. Secondly, there was the wide array of (alternative) treatments utilized, although some have doubtful results and high dropout rates. Conclusion: QoL is considerably impaired in IC/BPS patients. Coagulation therapy and intravesical GAG therapy were most appreciated treatments. The diverse responses and adherence to various treatments warrant a personalized approach (phenotype-oriented therapy). To achieve improvement in the QoL, it is important to incorporate the patient’s perspective in treatment guidelines.

Accurate estimation of Remaining Useful Life (RUL) for aircraft engines is essential for ensuring safety and uninterrupted operations in the aviation industry. Numerous investigations have leveraged the success of attention-based Transformer architecture in sequence modeling tasks, particularly in its application to RUL prediction. These studies primarily focus on utilizing onboard sensor readings as input predictors. While various Transformer-based approaches have demonstrated improvement in RUL predictions, their exclusive focus on temporal attention within multivariate time series sensor readings, without considering sensor-wise attention, raises concerns about potential inaccuracies in RUL predictions. To address this concern, our paper proposes a novel solution in the form of a two-stage attention based hierarchical transformer (STAR) frame-work. This approach incorporates a two-stage attention mechanism, systematically addressing both temporal and sensor-wise attentions. Furthermore, we enhance the STAR RUL prediction framework by integrate hierarchical encoder-decoder structures to capture valuable information across different time scales. By conducting extensive numerical experiments with the CMAPSS datasets, we demonstrate that our proposed STAR framework significantly outperforms current state-of-the-art models for RUL prediction.

Many quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) utilize ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) as an electron injection layer (EIL). However, the use of ZnO NP ETL material often results in charge imbalance within the quantum dot (QD) emitting layer (EML) and exciton quenching at the interface of QD EML and ZnO NP EIL. To overcome these challenges, we introduced an Arginine (Arg) interlayer (IL) onto the ZnO NP EIL. The Arg IL elevated the work function of ZnO NPs, thereby suppressing electron injection into the QD, leading to improved charge balance within the QDs, Additionally, the inherent insulating nature of the Arg IL prevented direct contact between QDs and ZnO NPs, reducing exciton quenching and consequently improving device efficiency. The inverted QLED (IQLED) utilizing a 20-nm-thick Arg IL on ZnO NP EIL exhibited a 2.22-fold increase in current efficiency and a 2.28-fold increase in EQE and compared to an IQLED without an IL. Likewise, the IQLED with a 20-nm-thick Arg IL on ZnO NP EIL demonstrated a 1.34-fold improvement in current efficiency and a 1.36-fold increase in EQE compared to IQLED with a 5-nm-thick PEI IL on ZnO NPs.

There are several forms of maintenance high-efficiency hemodialysis (HD) including hemodiafiltrations (HDF) in different technic modes and expanded HD using dialyzers with medium cut-off membranes. The aim of the study was to assess the intradialytic tolerance and length of dialysis recovery time (DRT) in these modalities. This is an exploratory, cross-over study in maintenance HD patients with low comorbidity and no clinical indications for the use of high-efficiency HD, who were exposed to five intermittent dialysis in random order: high flux hemodialysis (S-HD), expanded HD (HDx), pre-dilution HDF (PRE-HDF), mix-dilution HDF (MIX-HDF) and post-dilution HDF (POST-HDF). 24 dialysis sessions of each method were included in the analysis. Dialysis parameters including blood flow rate, dialysis fluid flow rate and temperature, and pharmacological treatment were constant. Average total convection volume for post-HDF, pre-HDF and mix-HDF were 25.6 (3.8), 61.5 (7.2) and 47.1 (11.4) l, respectively. During all therapies, patients had similar hydration status monitored using bioimpedance spectroscopy and similar variability over time in systemic blood pressure, cardiac output, and peripheral resistance monitored using impedance cardiography. The lowest frequency of all intradialytic adverse events were observed during HDx. Delayed DRT was the shortest during PRE-HDF. Patients were also more likely to report immediate recovery while receiving PRE-HDF. These differences did not reach statistical significance, however the study results suggest that, intradialytic tolerance and DRT may depend on the dialysis method used. This support the need of taking into account patient preferences and quality of life while individualizing high efficiency therapy in HD patients.

Understanding that organizational communication is crucial for the consistent functioning of any establishment, this research assesses its influence on work-life balance, organizational climate, and job satisfaction among Portuguese firefighters, a rarely studied group. Effective organizational communication is identified as a potential pathway for nurturing a favorable work setting and bolstering employee contentment, essential elements of work-life balance. Data compiled from a group of 102 firefighters, using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Work Social Climate Scale, and Portuguese versions of the ICA Communication Audit Survey Instrument and the Labor Satisfaction Questionnaire S20/23, unveil multiple significant correlations among various dimensions of the ICA, the Work Social Climate Scale, and communication metrics. Explicitly, correlations were discerned between received and sent communications and aspects of implication, support, and cohesion. Links were also evident between desired communications and the control dimension. Positive and statistically significant relationships were further observed between received and sent communications, all five satisfaction dimensions, necessary outgoing communications and the physical environment, and required outgoing communications and benefits, highlighting the pivotal role of adept communication in augmenting work-life balance, organizational climate, and job satisfaction among firefighters.

Triclopyr is an auxin-like herbicide extensively employed to manage weeds in food crops and pastures. Triclopyr has been detected in environmental matrices, with a notable presence within aquatic ecosystems. Given the limited understanding of its fate in the environment, potential implications for environmental and human health, and the lack of adequate monitoring in various environmental compartments, triclopyr is now considered a contaminant of emerging concern (CEC). The present study was undertaken to investigate the impact of triclopyr on zebrafish development, with a specific focus on assessing its embryotoxic, behavioral, and neurotoxic effects at environmentally realistic concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 50 µM on zebrafish embryos. Our results revealed that triclopyr caused sublethal effects on zebrafish embryos, such as delayed hatchability at 50 µM, yolk sac retention at 0.5, 1, 5, and 10 µM, and uninflated swim bladder at 50 µM concentration of triclopyr. Moreover, a subtle alteration in the swimming activity of larvae was observed in the 10 µM triclopyr after 144 hours of exposure. However, the activity of acetylcholinesterase, remained unchanged after triclopyr exposure. Taken together, these comprehensive findings suggest that triclopyr can induce adverse effects on the early development of zebrafish, even at concentrations detected in aquatic environments.

Fastener holes are among the most common natural stress concentrators in metal structures. The life cycles of various structural elements, such as those in aircraft structures, automobiles, and rail-end bolt joints are limited by fatigue damage around the holes. An effective approach to delay the formation and growth of fatigue macrocracks is to introduce residual hoop compressive stresses around the holes. Two methods have become established in the prestressing of fastener holes in aircraft components: split sleeve and split mandrel, which implement one-sided processes. The common disadvantage of both methods is the complex procedure due to the need for high accuracy of the initial holes. This article presents a new modified split mandrel method providing the same tightness (interference fit) with a wide tolerance of the pre-drilled hole diameters reducing the number of technological cycle steps and production costs. То implement the new method, a functionally connected tool and a device with a hydraulic drive were developed. An extensive experimental study of 2024-T3 AA specimens was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the method under a high scattering of the pre-drilled holes. The new method provided a deep zone of residual hoop compressive stresses on both faces of the specimens after cold working and after hole final reaming. The removal of a plastically deformed layer around the hole of suitable thickness during the final reaming decreased the axial gradient of residual hoop stress distribution. Fatigue tests on a tensile pulsating cycle verified the effectiveness of the modified split mandrel method to significantly increase the fatigue life by 6.6 times based on cycle fatigue strength compared to the conventional case of machining the holes. The obtained S-N curves for three groups of samples with initial hole diameters of 8.0, 8.1, and 8.2 mm which were cold worked with the same tightness of 0.32 mm and final reamed, aligned well indicating that the new method can provide constant fatigue strength for a given stress amplitude.

The dessert banana is a popular fruit worldwide, but its ripening process is greatly accelerated by high temperatures, which eventually leads to an unpleasant taste and the appearance of spots on the skin of the fruit. To slow down the ripening of bananas, expensive strategies are used, which are usually not practical for conventional farmers in less developed countries. In this study, we try to find a less costly alternative. Therefore, the effects of coatings of lemon peel extract (2.5 %, 5 %, and 10 %), calcium chloride (4 %), and glycerol (2 %) on the shelf life and postharvest quality of banana fruit (Cavendish) stored at 20 ± 3 °C and 50 – 70 % relative humidity were investigated. Treatment with a mixture of 2.5 % lemon peel extract and 2 % glycerol resulted in an extension of the shelf life of the dessert banana by up to 6 days and no detectable fungal infestation. The mixture is an effective alternative to extend the shelf life and reduce quality losses in bananas.

The assessment of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in Thalassemia offers a holistic approach to the disease and facilitates better communication between physicians and patients. This study aimed to evaluate the HRQoL of Transfusion-Dependent Thalassemia (TDT) patients in Greece. This was a multicentre, cross-sectional study conducted in 2017, involving 283 adult TDT patients. All participants completed a set of two QoL questionnaires, the generic SF-36v2 and the disease-specific TranQol. Demographic and clinical characteristics were used to predefine patient subgroups. Significant factors identified in univariate analysis were entered into a multivariate analysis to assess their effect on HRQoL. The SF-36 scores of TDT patients were consistently lower, compared to the general population in Greece. The mean summary score of TranQol was relatively high (71±14%), exceeding levels observed in national surveys in other countries. Employment emerged as the most significant independent factor associated with better HRQoL, whereas age had the most significant negative effect. This study represents the first comprehensive QoL assessment in a representative sample of the TDT population in Greece. The implementation of TranQol allowed for the quantification of HRQoL in Greece, establishing a baseline for future follow-up, and identifying more vulnerable patient subgroups.

Soft materials bearing rigid, lightweight, and vibration-dampening properties offer distinct advantages over traditional wooden and metal-based fillings for spent fuel transport casks, due to their low density, tunable structure, excellent mechanical properties, and ease of processing. In this study, a novel type of rigid polyurethane foams is prepared using a conventional polycondensation reaction between isocyanate and hydroxy groups. Moreover, the density and size of the pore in these foams are precisely controlled through simultaneous gas generation. The as-prepared polyurethane exhibits high thermal stability exceeding 185 °C. Lifetime predictions based on thermal testing indicate that these polyurethane foams could last up to over 60 years, which is double lifetime of conventional materials of about 30 years. Due to their occlusive structure, the mechanical properties of these polymeric materials meet the design standards for spent fuel transport casks, with maximum compression and tensile stresses of 6.89 and 1.37 MPa, respectively, at a testing temperature of -40 °C. In addition, these polymers exhibit effective flame retardancy; combustion ceased within 2 s after removal of the ignition source. All in all, this study provides a simple strategy for preparing rigid polymeric foams, presenting them as promising prospects for application in spent fuel transport casks.

Background: Catheter ablation (CA) benefits atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with heart failure (HF). Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), a marker of left-ventricular pressure load, may serve as a potential surrogate for predicting quality of life (QOL) in broader range of patients. Methods: Within the multicenter KiCS-AF registry, 491 AF patients underwent CA without clinical HF (e.g. documented history of HF, left ventricular ejection fraction ≤40%, or BNP levels ≥100 pg/mL). Participants, aged 61±10 years, were categorized by baseline BNP quartiles. Atrial Fibrillation Effect on QualiTy-of-Life (AFEQT) questionnaire assessments were assessed at baseline and 1 year. Results: Lower baseline BNP correlated with reduced AFEQT scores. Post-CA, all groups showed significant AFEQT score improvements. Lower BNP group displayed notable enhancements (18.2±1.2, 15.0±1.1, 12.6±1.2, 13.6±1.2, p<0.005), especially in symptom and treatment concern areas. Even those with normal BNP levels (≤18.4 pg/ml) exhibited significant QOL improvements. Comparing PAF and non-PAF groups, the PAF group, especially with higher BNP levels, showed greater AFEQT score improvements. Conclusion: This study establishes BNP as a predictive marker for QOL enhancement in non-HF patients undergoing CA for AF. BNP levels represent AF stages, with individuals in earlier stages, especially within normal BNP levels, experiencing greater QOL improvement.

This study explores the interplay between web-based professional development, teachers' self-efficacy, resilience, and work values in the context of the Davao Region. The investigation reveals significant findings in three key areas: web-based professional development, teachers' resilience, and teachers' work values. The survey indicates that web-based professional development significantly impacts teachers' self-efficacy, with interaction self-efficacy registering the highest mean score. Moreover, teachers' resilience is manifested across emotional, motivational, and social dimensions, with emotional resilience scoring the highest mean. Teachers' work values, encompassing physical facilities, social environment, job security, new challenges, professional growth, personal growth, and interpersonal relationships, all demonstrate high descriptive equivalents. The study establishes a significant positive correlation between web-based professional development and teachers' self-efficacy, as well as a significant relationship between teachers' resilience and their work values. Furthermore, both web-based professional development and teachers' resilience exert a significant influence on teachers' work values.The conclusions drawn from the study highlight the prominence of web-based professional development, teachers' resilience, and work values in the educational landscape of the Davao Region. The findings underscore the interconnectedness of these factors and their crucial role in shaping the teaching profession. In light of these results, recommendations are made to inform policy decisions and enhance professional development programs for teachers in the region. The study encourages a holistic understanding of the relationships between web-based professional development, self-efficacy, resilience, and work values, aiming to contribute to the continuous improvement of education quality in the Davao Region. Additionally, future research is suggested to delve deeper into specific aspects of teachers' general self-efficacy, social resilience, and interpersonal relationships for a more comprehensive understanding.

Background: Caring for individuals with mental disorders poses significant challenges for caregivers, often leading to compromised quality of life and mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression. This study aims to assess the extent of these challenges among caregivers in Greece, identifying which demographic factors influence their well-being. Method: A total of 157 caregivers were surveyed using the SF-12 Health Survey for quality of life assessment and the DASS-21 questionnaire for evaluating stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. T-tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, Pearson correlation coefficients, and regression analyses were applied to understand the associations between demographics, quality of life, and mental health outcomes. Results: The study found that caregivers, especially women and younger individuals, faced high levels of mental health challenges. Marital status, educational level, and employment status also significantly influenced caregivers' well-being. Depression was the most significant factor negatively correlating with the mental component of quality of life. The magnitude of burden experienced by caregivers highlighted the urgency for targeted social and financial support, as well as strategic treatment programs that consider caregiver well-being. Conclusions: Caregivers of individuals with mental disorders endure significant stress, anxiety, and depression, influencing their quality of life. Demographic factors such as age, gender, marital status, education, and employment status have notable impacts. Findings emphasize the need for society-wide recognition of caregivers' roles and the creation of comprehensive support and intervention programs to alleviate their burden, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Online transportation services, initially presented as an innovative employment approach by categorizing workers as 'independent contractors', have come to be recognized for their exploitative nature. The notion of 'flexibility' suggests that workers have the autonomy to tailor their hours and location according to their income goals. However, this disguises the true situation for informal workers who lack rights and protections. This study delves into these issues from a psychological standpoint to uncover the mental and emotional interplay between the motivations and exploitation experienced by online drivers affiliated with multiple platforms. The study adopts a qualitative methodology with a phenomenological lens. Data was gathered through thorough interviews, observations, and document analysis, with Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) employed as the data analysis technique. The study's participants were five male multi-platform online drivers from the Special Region of Yogyakarta, ranging in age from 18 to 64, and had been associated with at least two platforms for more than a year. The findings highlight two primary themes: firstly, the decision to join multiple platforms is chiefly driven by economic reasons, including a decline in orders, daily earnings, bonus incomes, and the conclusion of the initial profitable phase. Secondly, the exploitative conditions are linked to the platforms' algorithms, which exert control and influence the psychological state of the drivers. Nonetheless, the participants have developed effective strategies to manage fatigue, anxiety, and stress.

The application of chitosan and alginate coatings for Ready-to-Eat (RTE) baked fish product were studied. An experimental design was used to investigate the effect of coating polysaccharide concentration and glycerol addition on the safety (microbial growth), and quality (water loss and lipid oxidation) of RTE seafood product under optimal, and abused storage conditions. The results showed that a chitosan coating with 1% (w/v) chitosan in 1% (v/v) acetic acid, and 15% (w/w chitosan) glycerol, or 1% (w/v) alginate coating with no glycerol, and no crosslinking showed the best performance in controlling the tested safety and quality parameters. Desirability method was used to identify the shelf life of chitosan, alginate and double coated RTE products. Whereby, chitosan coated samples showed the best performance with a third fold shelf life extension compared to uncoated products.

Several life contingency agreements are based on the assumption that policyholders have impaired life expectancy attributable to factors such as lifestyle, social class, or preexisting health issues. Quantifying two crucial variables, augmented death probabilities and the discount rate of projected cash flows, is essential for pricing such agreements. Information regarding the correct values of these parameters is subject to vagueness and imprecision, which further intensifies if impairments must be considered. This study proposes modelling mortality and interest rates using a generalization of fuzzy numbers (FNs), known as intuitionistic fuzzy numbers (IFNs). Consequently, this paper extends the literature on life contingency pricing with fuzzy parameters, where uncertainty in variables, such as interest rates and death probabilities, is modelled using FNs. While FNs introduce epistemic uncertainty, the use of IFNs adds bipolarity to the analysis by incorporating both positive and negative information regarding actuarial variables. Our analysis focuses on two agreements involving policyholders with impaired life expectancy: determining the annuity payment in a substandard annuity and pricing a life settlement over a whole life insurance policy. In particular, we emphasize modelling interest rates and survival probabilities using triangular intuitionistic fuzzy numbers (TIFNs) owing to their ease of interpretation and implementation.

The response of building elements during earthquakes has been an area of concern for different researchers around the world. The NSEs are the first elements to attain failure, the buildings after damages in safety priority are classified as in “Life Safety” mode, but in reality, they are in “Collapse Safety” mode and the occupants inside the buildings are in a state of “Non-Life Safety” as a result of falling of the hazardous NSE’s like cladding's, partitions, hanging objects. In addition to the Life Cycle Cost Assessment (LCCA), the Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) is overlooked by the majority of the researchers, the community must be prepared to respond to an event more efficiently without any major casualties or loss of life. It is expected that by the end of 2050, almost double the construction will take place, the embodied energy during the pre-construction, post-construction and demolition generates a lot of CO2s into the environment, hence sustainability should be given due importance, helping in the achievement of Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs).

Children with epilepsy are affected by several factors, including clinical and social variables, which can lead to reductions in quality of life (QOL). Among these variables, factors relating to seizure severity such as frequent seizures and status epilepticus (SE) have been identified as important predictors of QOL. In addition, frequency of interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) on the electroencephalogram (EEG) may also lead to cognitive declines and behavioral disturbances. Moreover, frequent seizures and/or IEDs may play a role in emotional mediators such as stigma and fatigue in childhood epilepsy. Seizure severity and/or IEDs are thus important QOL-related factors in childhood epilepsy. Frontal lobe dysfunctions such as cognitive decline and behavioral disturbances can result in reduced QOL for both the child and their family. Frontal and prefrontal lobe growth disturbances can be present during active-phase epilepsy in some children with neuropsychological impairments. Recovery from prefrontal lobe growth disturbance may depend on the active seizure period. Disturbance of prefrontal lobe growth can recover more rapidly in children with a shorter active seizure period. In contrast, recovery may be delayed in children with a longer active seizure period. Accordingly, severe seizures can lead to neuropsychological impairments in association with prefrontal lobe growth disturbance in children with epilepsy. Moreover, frequent seizures can lead to having seizure-associated headache, perception of self-stigma and parental stigma, and fatigue. In addition, IEDs on EEG, representing persistent pathological neuronal discharges, may be associated with several pathological aspects. Frontal IEDs can be a risk factor for recurrent seizures, cognitive decline, and behavioral disturbances and may also play a role as an emotional mediator similar to stigma. In addition, behavioral disturbances may result in the presence of secondary bilateral synchrony (SBS) on EEG. Behavioral disturbances can be improved in association with reduction of IEDs in children with frontal IED and SBS. Seizure severity and IEDs on EEG may thus be associated with neuropsychological impairments, leading to QOL reduction. Therapeutic management may be desirable to remit seizures and EEG abnormalities such as frontal IED and SBS as soon as possible to improve QOL in children with epilepsy.

Better understanding of the quality of life among nursing home residents with dementia is im-portant for developing interventions. The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to examine factors associated with poor health-related quality of life in older adults with dementia living in nursing homes in Hanoi, Vietnam. In-person interviews were conducted with 140 adults 60 years and older with dementia and information about their quality of life was obtained using the Quality of Life in Alzheimer’s Disease scale (QOL-AD). A number of sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with poor health-related quality of life (lowest tertile) were assessed through the results of physical tests, interviews with nursing home staff, and review of medical records. The average age of the study sample was 78.3 years, 65% were women, and their av-erage QOL-AD total score was 27.3 (SD = 4.4). Malnutrition, total dependence in activities of daily living, and urinary incontinence were associated with poor quality of life after controlling for multiple potentially confounding factors. Our findings show that Vietnamese nursing home residents with dementia have a moderate quality of life and interventions based on comprehen-sive geriatric assessment remain needed to modify risk factors associated with poor health-related quality of life.

This paper presents a concise exploration of the synthetic biology currently to artificially 1 create life, juxtaposed against natural life’s emergence over Earth’s 4.5-billion-year history. It explores 2 the complexities of life’s origins, sustaining factors, and the consequences of synthetic life creation, 3 addressing key scientific milestones such as the Urey-Miller experiment and Jacques Monod’s pro- 4 posals. The narrative navigates through the roles of energy, Maxwell’s demons, bifurcations, and 5 genetic information in the emergence and evolution of complex biological systems. Despite significant 6 strides in genetic engineering, the challenge of creating life from scratch persists, necessitating a deep 7 understanding of diverse scientific disciplines. While synthetic biology holds promise for medicine 8 and biotechnology, the creation of truly autonomous synthetic life forms raises ethical concerns. The 9 paper also stresses the imperative for careful ethical evaluation of the societal and environmental 10 implications arising from these advancements.

This work aims at improving surface integrity and LCF life of machined Inconel 718. The correlation between the LCF life of Inconel 718 and various states of machined surface integrity is explored. In this paper, the surface integrity of Inconel 718 specimens is enhanced by low plasticity burnishing (LPB). The LCF life with different surface integrity specimens is predicted by micro-macro finite element method (FEM). Firstly, the LCF specimens with different surface integrity are machined by turning (turned specimen), polishing (matrix specimen) and LPB process (LPBed specimen). Secondly, the LCF experiment is carried out to reveal the effect of surface integrity on LCF life. Finally, the LCF micro-macro FEM model is proposed to predict the LCF of machined Inconel 718 specimens. The representative volume element (RVE) model is established based on the measured surface integrity and microstructure of Inconel 718 specimens. The effect of surface integrity on LCF life is transformed to equivalent load. The micro-macro FEM model combined with Tanaka-Mura dislocation crack initiation theory and extended finite element method (XFEM) is applied to predict the LCF life the machined specimens. The study results show that the LCF life of LPBed specimens can be improved by 90.5% and 36.1% compared with that of turned specimens and polished matrix specimens, respectively. The errors between FEM prediction results and experimental results are 13.1%, 9.2% and 12.2%, respectively. The proposed micro-macro FEM model could be utilized to predict the LCF life of Inconel 718 with different surface integrity, and further to apply the LCF life prediction in industry.

Lithium-ion batteries are key elements in the development of electrical energy storage solutions. However, due to cycling, environmental and operating conditions, battery capacity tends to degrade over time. Capacity fade is a common indicator of battery state of health (SOH) because it is an indication of how capacity has been degraded. However, battery capacity cannot be measured directly, so there is an urgent need to develop methods for estimating battery capacity in real time. By analyzing the historical data of a battery in detail, it is possible to predict the future state of the battery and forecast its remaining useful life. This paper develops a real-time, simple and fast method to estimate the cycle capacity of a battery during the charge cycle using only data from a short period of each charge cycle. This proposal is attractive because it does not require data from the entire charge period, since batteries are rarely charged from zero to full. The proposed method allows simultaneous and accurate real-time prediction of the health and remaining useful life of the battery over its lifetime. The accuracy of the proposed method has been tested using experimental data from several lithium-ion batteries with different cathode chemistries under various test conditions.

Burden of diseases measured as disability-adjusted life years per 100,000 people can be mined from public domain data, when they are made available by population health surveillance systems. This can be analysed to allow insightful comparisons with the national average, and to understand differences in trends between the sexes, age groups, time periods, geographic regions and sub-regions. In this illustrative case study, we have analysed the Scottish burden of disease database to understand what ailed the population of the Grampian region before the COVID-19 pandemic. We have identified selected cancers, ischaemic heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias amongst the highest contributors to the burden; that drug use disorders and colorectal cancer are showing worsening trends and require health promotion and disease prevention measures from ages 15 and 25 respectively, especially in Aberdeen City; and that males are more vulnerable to atrial fibrillation and flutter, diabetes mellitus and oesophageal cancer, while females are to cerebrovascular disease. We demonstrate the usefulness of our analysis and methodology for the wider health system, allowing targeted medical research investments and coordinated response from public health and health service delivery. We also show the need for up-to-date surveillance data, forecasts and evidence on the impact of interventions to be made available widely.

Calligraphy works have high artistic value, but there is a rampant problem of forgery. Indeed, authentication of traditional calligraphy heavily relies on calligraphers' subjective judgment. Therefore, spurred by the recent development of neural networks, this paper proposes a method for authenticating calligraphy works based on an improved EfficientNet network. Specifically, the developed method utilizes the character box algorithm and the centroid algorithm to extract individual calligraphy characters, which are then augmented and used as the training set for the model. The training process employs CBAM and Self-Attention modules to enhance the attention mechanism of the EfficientNet network. The model is tested on authentic works, imitated works, and works from other calligraphers and is compared with other networks. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method effectively achieves the authentication of calligraphy works, and the improved CBAM-EfficientNet network and SA-EfficientNet network achieve better authentication performance.

The latest life-origin literature is reviewed, along with grouping and classification of the most enduring models of abiogenesis. New trends are identified in origin-of-life thought. Astrobiology continues to deal mostly with inorganic and very elementary organic reactions in extreme environments. Nonequilibrium thermodynamics has received a great deal of attention. Attempts have been made to relate Bejan’s Constructal Law to life and abiogenesis. RNA World preclusions only seem to have grown, while ribozyme/peptide models have expanded. The biosemiotic movement and code biology is gaining influence in refining a more complete description of life. Prof James Tour at Rice University in a fourteen-lecture series lists a number of synthetic biochemical hurtles remaining that still need to be overcome. But the need for some sort of informational recipe, instruction, steering and control now seems to be the most prominent area of focus and concern. Even a protometabolism needed active selection and controls rather than mere constraints or law. The latest literature still does not elucidate how protometabolism was orchestrated in an inanimate, pre-evolutionary environment.

Within the past few decades, thousands of experiments have been performed to characterize waste and biomass to estimate the bioenergy potential and product identification. There is a need to develop an integrated process model based on experimental literature, and simulation to obtain suitable products. In this study municipal solid waste (MSW) characterization and integrated process model have been developed to optimize final products in a reactor system. The process model has two modes R&amp;D and reactor control (RC) to obtain suitable products including bio-oil, char, and gases. A database was integrated based on thermokinetics, machine learning and simulation models to optimize product efficiency. The experimental data includes thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Gas chromatography, and Mass spectrometry, which are linked with pyrolysis experimental setup. Feedstock-product mapping models were incorporated into the database along with the temperature, heating rates, elemental analysis, and final product concentration, which are utilized for pyrolysis reactor setup. Product feasibility is conducted based on lifecycle cost, affordability, and product efficiency. The present work will bridge the gap between experimental study and decision making based on obtained products at several experimental conditions around the world.

Although agricultural crops production systems in subtropical plateau regions currently pose high environmental risks, especially in developing countries, their environmental impacts and emission-reduction potentials remain unclear, and the development potential of such systems is likely huge. We conducted a case study in Yunnan Province, China, to quantify the environmental impacts from crop production during 2002–2021. The life cycle assessment method was employed to identify factors driving the environmental impacts, and potential mitigation strategies were proposed. The yield and total nutrient input of grain crops in Yunnan Province increased over the 20-year period, and environmental footprint of crops production in Yunnan Province was higher than that of other regions. Average annual mean greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and soil acidification potentials (AP) and water eutrophication potentials (EP) of crops production during 2002–2021 were 732 kg CO2-eq·Mg-1, 15.8 kg SO2-eq·Mg-1, and 2.7 kg PO4-eq Mg-1, respectively. GHG emissions from g crops mainly originated from applying agricultural materials during the crop life cycle. There was a significant correlation between surplus nitrogen and environmental impacts. Scenario testing showed that through crop sowing, nutrient regulation, and crop management, the crop yield could be increased and environmental costs could be reduced. The greatest reductions were found in wheat production: 53.1%, 67.9%, and 67.7% for GHG emissions, AP, and EP, respectively. Adopting comprehensive agricultural management measures could reduce the negative impact of crops production on the environment in subtropical plateau areas and achieve sustainable agricultural development.

The recycling of wastes to obtain value-added products is a great challenge in the sustainable economy. In our studies, a mixed precursor containing aluminium scrap from end – of – life vehicles and TiO2 Degussa P25 was used to prepare TiO2 modified Al photocatalyst through solid state reaction. Al scrap and TiO2 Degussa P25 in the ration of n(Ti) / n(Al) = x (x = 0.0 - 2.5%), and acetylacetonate and Tween 80 was mixed under magnetic stirring and sintered using a con-ventional furnance at 550°C. DTA – TG – DTG, X – ray diffraction, Fourier – transform infrared, UV – Vis and photoluminescence spectroscopies were assed to investigate the thermal, structural, optical properties and photocatalytic activity. The effect of aluminium concentration on the characteristics of TiO2 Degussa P25 depending on the above instruments are studied. XRD revealed that the materials have crystal structure of anatase TiO2, rutile TiO2 and aluminium. The opto-electronic properties show that Al addition shifted the absorption spectra toward the visible range. The photocatalytic performance of Al – TiO2 composites was quantified by the degradation of Allura Red solution under a visible condition. The highest photocatalytic activity (79.99%) was achieved for the sample containing 0.5% Al and a higher concentration of Al particles shields the active centres of the semiconductor, thus reducing its photocatalytic activity. Aluminium scrap from end-of-life vehicles can be a source of raw material to be considered in semiconductor production. The spin-trapping technique evidenced that •O2- was the main species generated responsible for the Allura Red degradation.

The aim of this investigation is to offer a data-based scheme for predicting electrode wear in resistance spot welding. Electrode wear and alloying is one of the most significant factors that affect the mechanical properties of spot welds and the variation in weld quality. In this study, Rogowski coils and twisted pairs attached to the top and bottom electrodes were used to obtain the welding current and the inter-electrode voltage in the welding process, thereby calculating the dynamic resistance value during the welding process. The electrode diameter was obtained from the pressure exerted by the upper and lower electrodes on the carbon paper when the current was cut off and was regarded as an indicator of electrode wear. By continuously welding 0.5mm thick BH 340 steel plates until the electrode failed, the dynamic resistance signal was recorded in real time. Simultaneously, the electrode diameter after every 4 welds was also recorded. On this basis, the correlation between electrode diameter and dynamic resistance is studied. In order to quantitatively study the mapping relationship between dynamic resistance and electrode wear, 11 characteristic values were extracted from the dynamic resistance, and the stepwise regression method was used to obtain the regression formula between the characteristic values and the electrode diameter. Using new data to verify the effectiveness of the regression model, the acquired results display that the maximum error between the predicted value of the electrode diameter and the measured value obtained by the regression equation with the interactive quadratic term is 0.3 mm, and the corresponding relative error is 7.69 %. This result demonstrates that the method proposed in this paper can effectively monitor the electrode wear and failure process.

In colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, apart from fatigue, psychological and physical symptoms often converge, affecting their quality of life and ability to work. Our objective was to ascertain symptom clusters within a year following CRC treatment and their longitudinal association with persistent fatigue and reduced work ability at the 3-month follow-up. We used data from MIRANDA, a multicenter cohort study enrolling adult CRC patients who are starting a 3-week in-patient rehabilitation within a year post-curative CRC treatment. Participants completed questionnaires evaluating symptoms at the start of rehabilitation (baseline) and after three months. We performed an exploratory factor analysis to analyze the clustering of symptoms at baseline. Longitudinal analysis was performed using a multivariable linear regression model with dichotomized symptoms at baseline as independent variables, and the change of fatigue and ability to work from baseline to 3-month-follow-up as separate outcomes, adjusted for covariates. We identified six symptom clusters: fatigue, gastrointestinal symptoms, pain, psychosocial symptoms, urinary symptoms, and chemotherapy side effects. At least one symptom from each factor was associated with higher fatigue or reduced ability to work at the 3-month follow-up. This study highlights the interplay of multiple symptoms in influencing fatigue and work ability among CRC patients post rehabilitation.

Green-space resources, in the context of urbanisation, cannot meet the actual needs of residents well, and the study of the balance of green-space resource allocation from the relationship between supply and demand is an urgent problem to be solved. This study quantitatively evaluates the green-space supply level from four dimensions by constructing a framework for assessment in the community life circle. It also evaluates the matching of green space supply and demand, resource distribution fairness, and distribution equilibrium under group differentiation through the supply–demand coupling matrix, Gini coefficient, and the Kruskal–Wallis H non-parametric rank-sum test, respectively. This study shows that (1) a significant spatial imbalance exists in green-space resource allocation in community life circles in different dimensions. (2) The comprehensive green-space supply level in the community life circle matched the total demand of residents to a low degree. (3) There was significant inequality in green-space resource allocation within the community life circle (the Gini coefficient of each evaluation perspective was > 0.4). Based on the study results, we were able to identify community life circles with spatial mismatches, different supply and demand, and other green-space resource allocation problems, which is of great significance to urban green-space research and planning practice under the "green justice" framework.

The principal goal of this current study was to isolate a new potential probiotic strain to prepare contamination-free probiotic dahi in a dosage form with desired shelf life. To achieve our target, firstly, probiotic dahi was prepared by a probiotic strain, Lactobacillus acidophilus JB2CON (OM909067) (identified by 16S sequencing) isolated from natural dahi in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The isolate showed five probiotic features by in vitro test and had an antagonistic effect against five different pathogens. More interestingly, it inhibited Escherichia coli (diameter of zone of inhibition = 15.75±0.35) the most. In the time-kill analysis method, E. coli was killed totally within 5.50 hours of fermentation. Finally, the time duration of 14 days was an ideal shelf life, because the probiotic count increased but a slight change in pH did not affect the taste (sourness/acidity) of dahi. The most significant impact of this research is that the probiotic dahi of our experiment might be used as a cheap option for preventing pathogenic Escherichia coli-related foodborne diseases worldwide, especially in underdeveloped countries like Bangladesh.

By virtue of the knowledge of the beneficial effect of the warm and dry storage, for the growth of the chincuya seed embryo, defined as morphological dormancy. The effect of the same type of storage was studied for the seed viability and germination by soaking gibberellic acid. Also, fatty acids and their kinetics were identified during the warm and dry storage. The following treatments were evaluated: storage time (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months), seed soaking in gibberellic acid at 350 mg L-1, and for the control, imbibition in distilled water, both for 72 h. The seed viability was evaluated through the stain test with tetrazolium chloride. The embedded seeds were germinated on absorbent paper towels and incubated at different temperatures of 30 ° C during the day and 25 ° C at night and 12 hours of photoperiod. The lipid profile was developed by gas chromatography. Seeds were held at constant temperature of 25 ± 3 ° C, in darkness, during the storage time. Results demon-strated that the high initial viability was maintained until the ninth month, when it decreases and is statisti-cally different from the other treatments. The smaller germination percentage (26.1 %) was observed in the freshly harvested seeds and, the higher one corresponded to the six months (65.6 %), with these differences being statistically significant. Regarding the identified fatty acids and their average content, it was found that 33.41 % corresponded to palmitic acid, 7.72 % to stearic acid; the arachidic acid with 1.30 %, making a total of saturated fatty acids of 42.44 %. The detected unsaturated fatty acids were: palmitoleic acid 1.52 %, oleic acid 43.37 % and linoleic acid 7.24 %, in total, 52.15 %. No significative changes were observed in the fatty acids content that are the largest part of the total seed reserves; although the higher concentrations matched with the longest germination (three months), with an average of 92.84 % total fatty acids. Specified regressions indi-cated with statistical robustness that palmitoleic and palmitic acids increased while the oleic acid decreased during the dry storage. The arachidic acid showed a slightly downward trend. Also, the concentrations of fat-ty acids were significatively different between unstored and unincubated seeds (intact) and unstored and in-cubated, but without germinating seeds (dormant), in the latter, the total fatty acids content was significantly lower. Given that the application of gibberellic acid and warm dry storage favored germination, as well as the change in fatty acid content during warm dry storage, added to the results already reported on morphological changes and embryonic growth as an effect of the same type of storage, it is established that Annona purpurea seeds present morphophysiological dormancy, also this is the first identification report of arachidic and pal-mitoleic acids in chincuya seeds and the higher germination percentage reported (65.6 %).

The Sarcoma Assessment Measure (SAM) was developed as a sarcoma-specific patient-reported outcome measure to be used in clinical practice. We have reported in detail how SAM has been developed in collaboration with patients and healthcare professionals. The aim of this paper is to report the preliminary validation of SAM. The 22-item SAM was administered alongside a validated quality of life questionnaire and measure of activities of daily living. Linear modelling was used to build a measure, which had predictive validity in comparison to more established outcome measures. Of the 762 patients who participated in the study, 44.1% identified as male, and participant age ranged from 13-82 years. Clinically, participants presented with a range of soft tissue (82.2%) and bone (21.8%) sarcomas. Our preliminary analysis indicates that SAM accounts for 35% of the Global quality of life scale and 18% of the TESS so psychometrically it overlaps with quality of life and activities of daily living, but also measures distinct concerns. This demonstrates that this measure picks up issues that are important to patients with sarcoma that are not reflected in other measures. We have established the preliminary validity of SAM and believe it has utility as a patient-reported outcome measure both as a research tool and for assessing the impact of symptoms and dysfunction related to sarcoma as part of clinical care. Further validation using a larger and more clinically diverse sample is now needed.

Estimating the Remaining Useful Life (RUL) of aircraft engines holds a pivotal role in enhancing safety, optimizing operations, and promoting sustainability, thus being a crucial component of modern aviation management. Precise RUL predictions offer valuable insights into an engine’s condition, enabling informed decisions regarding maintenance and crew scheduling. In this context, we propose a novel RUL prediction approach in this paper, harnessing the power of Bi-directional LSTM and Transformer architectures, known for their success in sequence modeling, such as natural languages. We adopt the encoder part of the full Transformer as the backbone of our framework, integrating it with a self-supervised denoising autoencoder that utilizes Bidirectional LSTM for improved feature extraction. Within our framework, a sequence of multivariate time series sensor measurements serves as the input, initially processed by the Bidirectional LSTM autoencoder to extract essential features. Subsequently, these feature values are fed into our Transformer encoder backbone for RUL prediction. Notably, our approach simultaneously trains the autoencoder and Transformer encoder, different from the naive sequential training method. Through a series of numerical experiments carried out on the C-MAPSS datasets, we demonstrate that the efficacy of our proposed models either surpasses or stands on par with that of other existing methods.

The first 1000 days of life is a critical period that contributes significantly to the programming of an individual's future health. Among the many changes that occur during this period, there is growing evidence that the establishment of a healthy gut microbiota early in life plays an important role in the prevention of both short- and long-term health problems. Numerous publications suggest that the quality of gut microbiota colonization depends on several dietary factors, including breastfeeding. In this respect, a relationship between breastfeeding and the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been suggested. IBD are chronic intestinal diseases in which perinatal factors may be partly responsible for its onset. We propose to review the existence of links between breastfeeding and IBD, based on experimental and clinical studies. Overall, despite encouraging experimental data in rodents, the association between breastfeeding and the development of IBD remains controversial in humans, partly due to considerable heterogeneity between clinical studies. The duration of exclusive breastfeeding is probably decisive for its lasting effect on IBD. Thus, specific improvements in our knowledge could support dietary interventions targeting the gut microbiome, such as the early use of prebiotics, probiotics or postbiotics in order to prevent the disease.

This study examined the effect of the media usage environment, particularly TV and SNS devices, on advertisement acceptance, lifestyle, and psychological satisfaction. Hypothesis pathways and comparative structural mediating effects were analyzed. Media and Consumer Research public data were used for empirical analysis. A total of 6,640 people who participated in sports activities were included in the study. The results demonstrated that TV and SNS device usage environments had similar effects on advertisement acceptance. While TV did not influence the pursuit of personal life, SNS device use environments affected the pursuit of personal life. SNS device use environments had a greater effect on individual psychological satisfaction than TV. Adoption had a mediating effect on the influence of media usage environments on the pursuit of personal life. The pursuit of a personal life had a significant mediating effect on the influence of media use environments on psychological stability. This study revealed no differences in the effects of new and traditional media on advertisement acceptance, while new media had a greater influence on lifestyle and psychological satisfaction.

Gas turbine installations (GTIs) are widely used to generate electrical and thermal energy mainly by burning gaseous fuels. The use of GTIs to burn hydrogen as part of the development of hydrogen energy technology is currently of particular interest. In order to assess the prospects of using GTIs in such a way, it is necessary, among other things, to understand the carbon footprint of the gas turbine as part of the carbon footprint of the entire life cycle of hydrogen. The article provides an overview of the results of previously published studies on life cycle assessment (LCA) of technically complex devices associated with the production and consumption of fuel and energy, which, from the point of view of the complexity of LCA, are most similar to gas turbine installation. The characteristics of the considered stages and resources used in the assessment of the stages of the life cycle of technically complex equipment are presented, including an analysis of the amount of materials used in production and construction. Taking into account its specific application in Russia, an assessment of greenhouse gas emissions at the stages of the GTI life cycle per MWh of produced capacity was carried out.

A rapid and efficient technique using an electronic nose based on a mass detector combined with headspace sampling (HS-SPME-MS e-nose) and chemometric tools was applied to classify beer samples between fresh and aged and between samples contained in aluminium cans or glass bottles, and to predict the shelf life of beer. The mass spectra obtained from the HS-SPME-MS e-nose contain information on the volatile compounds, recorded as the abundance of each ion at different mass-to-charge (m/z) ratios. The analysis was performed on 53 samples aged naturally for eleven months in the absence of light and with a controlled temperature of around 14° C +/- 0.5° C. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was performed on the data, showing a grouping of samples between fresh and aged. Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) allowed discriminating fresh from aged beers but was not able to discriminate samples packaged in aluminium cans or in glass bottles. Finally, Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) was applied to build a prediction model and showed to be effective to predict beer shelf life.

When disposing of waste metal resources in landfills, environmental issues such as soil contamination may arise. Recycling these resources not only recovers valuable metals but also mitigates environmental pollution. Platinum (Pt), a valuable metal used in fuel cells for its high water production activity, will see increased future demand as a fossil fuel alternative. This study analyzes the environmental and resource reduction effects of recycled Pt, considering the growing emphasis on its recycling for stable supply and demand of Pt. The environmental impact and resource consumption of recycled Pt with primary Pt (from natural mines) were compared and analyzed using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) technique. Results revealed that resource consumption for primary Pt was 8.25E+01 kg Sb-eq./kg, significantly more than the 5.45E+00 kg Sb-eq./kg for recycled Pt. This represents an environmental reduction effect of approximately 93%. In the case of greenhouse gas emissions, primary Pt emitted 1.35E+04 kg CO2-eq./kg, while recycled Pt emitted 6.94E+02 kg CO2-eq./kg, resulting in an environmental reduction effect of approximately 95%. In conclusion, recycling Pt, compared to primary extraction, offers substantial environmental and resource reduction benefits. This study underscores the significance of recycling and highlights the potential environmental improvements achievable through sustainable practices.

Study design: Creating and psychometric testing of a new QoL Questionnaire about Physiotherapeutic Specific Exercises of Scoliosis (Questionnaire of Physiotherapeutic Specific Exercises of Scoliosis -QPSSE). Purpose: The purpose of this study is to create a reliable and valid questionnaire for patients suffering mild and moderate adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) who have been treated with Physiotherapeutic Specific Exercises of Scoliosis (PSSE) in order to evaluate their quality of life. Materials and Methods: The developed questionnaire was based on a thorough literature review as well as on authors experience. It consists of 53 questions, of which 37 have a positive meaning, 15 have a negative meaning, and one is multiple choice question, additionally there are six “open” questions. Except for the multiple choice question, all other questions are answered on a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5 scores. 5 represents a positive meaning or very much, whereas 1 stands for a negative meaning or not at all. Questions were developed by the authors who subsequently categorized the 53 questions into the following 8 domains: physical functioning, self-image, Physiotherapeutic Scoliosis-Specific Exercises (PSSEs), psychosocial functioning, cognitive functioning, compliance, motivation and pain. A pilot study was conducted so that we could calculate Cronbach’s Alpha based on the outcome. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors worked through the Zoom online platform to structure the questionnaire. Results: Pearson's correlation coefficient was used for all correlations evaluated. P values of less than 0.05 were considered to be significant. Internal consistency was evaluated with Cronbach's alpha. Although there were very few missing values, accounting for 0.78% of the total values of the questionnaire, expectation maximization likelihood algorithm was used to impute data. IBM® SPSS® Statistics Software v.25 was used for the analysis. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the overall score was 0.84. Conclusion: This original QPSSE was found to be a reliable and valid tool for AIS treated conservatively with PSSE and for their clinicians.

The research investigated the relationship between burnout syndrome and the variables of mental resilience and quality and enjoyment of life, in Greek private and public sector workers (N=112), with demographic differences. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire which was distributed in the form of an electronic Microsoft forms. The questionnaire contained demographic questions, the psychometric tool Burnout Assessment Tool version 2.0 (Schaufeli et al., 2019), the psychometric tool Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) (Smith et al., 2008), and the psychometric tool Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q) (Endicott et al., 1993) which were used to measure the three variables examined by the research. For statistical analysis, Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were used to test the relationship between two quantitative variables, while linear regression analysis was used to find independent factors. The main research hypothesis was verified, finding a negative correlation between burnout and the variables of mental resilience and quality of life, while it was identified that employees experienced greater exhaustion and spiritual withdrawal compared to freelancers. Hypotheses regarding age, educational level, and public-private job data were not verified as there were no statistically significant differences in demographic results.

Abstract: Extensive research shows nurses’ work environment to be particularly stressful. This study develops, explores, and psychometrically tests a new profession specific ques-tionnaire identifying generalized and specific resistance resources, that make it possible to measure resources to manage work-related stress. An exploratory study design was em-ployed. The questionnaire was developed inspired by the MEASURE approach and the salutogenic theory of health. Building on the results from a literature review of nursing re-search and salutogenesis, supplemented by twelve interviews with hospital nurses, an item pool was generated. A first version was pilot tested in a group of nurses who were studying to become specialist nurses. A second version of the questionnaire was psycho-metrically tested on nurses in close patient care (n = 475), analysed using Principal Com-ponent Analysis as the extracting technique to identify the underlying structure of the questionnaire. The Principal Component Analysis revealed a four-component model of 19 items. “Manageability as a resource for handling the workload” was the strongest compo-nent, accounting for 21 % of the explained variance. “Contacts with patients as resources for nurses’ job satisfaction” (17.8 %). “Professional attitudes are labelled as resources to nursing” (15 %). “Colleagues are important resources for remaining in the nursing profes-sion” (11 %). The structure of the questionnaire indicates its usefulness in clinical practice for measuring resistance resources.

Since the energy sector is the main source of greenhouse gases, it has the highest potential for improvement. Improvements can be achieved by generating energy from renewable sources. Combined with thermal energy storage, concentrating solar power plants represent a promising technology for dispatchable renewable energy, ensuring a stable energy supply even in remote areas without contributing to greenhouse gas emissions during operation. However, it is important to note that greenhouse gases and other polluting emissions may occur during the manufacturing process of concentrating solar power plant components. This work analyses the design of the receiver to produce thermal energy for the existing solar dish CSP plant at the Energy Center of the Politecnico di Torino. The objective of this plant is to produce hot water for a small case study. Considering the average solar irradiance for Turin equal to 800 W/m2, the surface heat flux was obtained from the first part of the analysis, which was used to obtain the maximum internal temperature in the receiver equal to 873.7 °C. The maximum temperature obtained was a constraint for the selection of the material for the solar receiver. Of the various possibilities, copper was chosen. In the second part of the work, a Life Cycle Assessment was carried out to compare the emissions generated during the production of the main components of the CSP plant with the emissions generated by the methane-fuelled water heater that produces the same amount of water as the CSP plant. It can be concluded that the manufacture of the main components of the CSP plant results in lower greenhouse gas emissions than the operational phase of a conventional natural gas-fired water heater (1.6 kg CO2/day).

Physical activity is especially important of children's everyday life with chronic disease. The aim of the study was to show whether asthma is a barrier to physical activity in our society. The correlation between the severity of the disease, body mass index, and physical activity were analyzed, and, parents' opinion whether children should participate in active sports was assessed. Physical activity of children with asthma was analyzed by questionnaires and activity-measuring armbands. 93 parents and their children were involved in the survey, while 20 children were wearing the armband. The age of children was 12.6±3.5 years (mean±SD), 69.9% were boys, 30.1% were girls. 93.4% of the respondents participated in physical education program and 56.5% also attended sporting activities on a regular basis. 61.2% of the children had mild, 37.6% moderate, and 1.2% severe asthma. 6.5% of the respondents stated that their illness had been consistently or frequently limiting the performance concerning their school or home duties over the past 4 weeks. Twelve percent of parents felt that physical activity was not appropriate in the context of this disease. We conclude, that fear of the consequences of physical activity depends largely on education which should involve their parents, teachers and coaches.

Many Western studies have indicated that older women are generally more vulnerable in terms of mobility compared to older men, particularly regarding driving. However, the situation may differ in the context of China. This study, based on activity diaries and semi-structured inter-views, focuses on the spatiotemporal behavior of older adults in Tianjin and explores how the constraints posed by activity companions (in terms of type, size, and composition) shape the mo-bilities of older men and women, including activity locations, travel distances, and transporta-tion modes. The key findings are as follows: First, older women are more engaged with their families due to a higher percentage and longer duration of activities spent with family members. Second, older men tend to have more concentrated travel distances near their homes compared to older women. Third, older women exhibit a broader range of activities in different locations and engage in longer-distance leisure travel with family members when compared to older men. In the context of Western literature, this study discusses older women's enhanced social interactions, their earlier retirement in China, and the impact of COVID-19 as factors that help explain these findings. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of accompanied mobilities among Chinese older adults using geographical theory and methods, emphasizing the importance of flexible work schedules for the workforce and the organization of community-based activities to promote the social interactions and mobilities of older adults.

Combining the Job Demands-Resourses model and the Work Adjustment theory, this research aims to create a theoretical model that considers Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) and Work Adjustment as protective factors, capable of reducing job exhaustion and turnover intention. A convenience sample of 257 Italian employees filled an online self-report questionnaire. A sequential mediation model was tested, which showed that the relationship between LMX and turnover intention is mediated by Work Adjustment and Job Exhaustion. The results show that the higher the LMX, the higher the work adjustment of the workers and the less they will perceive job exhaustion and, consequently, intent to leave the organisation. With a view to primary prevention, the aim was to investigate possible protective factors at work and the risk factors to look out for in order to move in the direction of preventing a malaise phenomenon before it develops with the aim of promoting wellbeing in organisations.

Policing is considered a high-stress occupation due to the demanding nature of the job. Addressing police stress requires a detailed understanding of how psychosocial risk factors influence various aspects of their well-being. Moreover, an analysis of the direct effects of work conditions and the mediating effects of cognitive appraisals is also warranted. Using the Demands-Resources-Individual Effects (DRIVE) model of work-related stress [19], this study investigated the direct effects of work conditions on well-being and also examined the intermediate role of perceived job stress and job satisfaction in the relationship between work conditions and well-being. Five hundred and seventy-eight police officers from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (J.C.F.) completed the questionnaire. Data were analyzed using hierarchical regressions and the Hayes Process tool for mediation analysis. Both perceived job stress and satisfaction mediated the relationship between work conditions and general physical health. Perceived job stress was an indirect pathway through which work conditions influenced psychological distress, whereas job satisfaction was not a significant mediator. In contrast, job satisfaction mediated the relationship between work conditions and positive well-being, but perceived job stress did not. These findings provide significant evidence for periodically monitoring and auditing perceptions of stress and job satisfaction as they are likely precursors to subsequent health problems.

Drowning remains a prominent global pediatric health concern, necessitating preventive measures such as educational initiatives for children and caregivers. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and educational effectiveness of an interactive puppet show centered on water safety for children and parents. A 30-minute original theater performance, featuring two actors and three puppets (a girl, a crab, and a lifeguard), was conducted. Subsequently, 185 children (aged 4 to 8) and their 160 parents (134 mothers and 26 fathers) participated in this quasi-experimental study. Pre- and post-show tests were administered to evaluate knowledge and behaviors in aquatic environments. Prior to the puppet show, 78% of children exhibited basic aquatic competency. Only 33% considered swimming alone risky. Following the intervention, 81.6% of children changed their perception of the risks of solo beach activities, showing improved knowledge of emergency number activation (from 63.2% to 98.9%, p&lt;0.001). The intervention increased parents' intention to visit lifeguard-patrolled beaches and improved their CPR knowledge for drowning victims by 58.8%. In conclusion, a drowning prevention puppet show positively impacts children and parents, potentially enhancing safety behaviors during water-related leisure activities, warranting consideration as part of comprehensive drowning prevention strategies.

Healthcare workers' stress, burnout, and job dissatisfaction were exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, whose mid-term negative effects are still present. The aim of this study was to investigate in healthcare workers the effect of the dimensions of burnout (Psychophysical exhaustion, Relational deterioration, and Professional inefficacy) on Career satisfaction. These relationships were evaluated by considering the direct and mediated effects of Disillusion. For these purposes, the Link Burnout Questionnaire (LBQ) and the Career Satisfaction Scale (Occupational Stress Indicator - OSI) were administered to 295 healthcare professionals working at three Italian public hospitals in Cagliari, Italy. The analyses were conducted using the Partial Least Square Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) method. Findings highlight that healthcare workers were in a condition of work distress, high risk of burnout, and career dissatisfaction. Also recognized was the direct negative effect of burnout dimensions on career satisfaction. Finally, the mediated negative effect of Disillusion in the relationship between burnout and career satisfaction was identified. This study emphasizes the relevance of the dimension of Disillusion, and its “bright side” Fulfilment, in healthcare workers, specifically referring to the disregarded relationship between burnout and career satisfaction.

Partial differential equations (PDEs) are used to describe a wide range of phenomena, such as heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and quantum mechanics. By solving PDEs, we can ob- tain insights into the behavior of the system and make predictions about its future evolution. Conventional numerical methods for obtaining the approximate solutions of PDEs may re- quire extensive computational resources and time, especially for complex PDEs and large- scale problems. The recently developed physics-informed neural network (PINN) has shown promise in a variety of scientific and engineering fields by incorporating physical laws into the loss functions of the neural network (NN). In addition, the training of PINN does not require ground truth data, but it has poor generalization ability to unseen domains. On the other hand, a convolutional neural network (CNN) has fast inference and better generalization ability, but it requires a large amount of training data. Taking the advantages of PINN and CNN by using Legendre multiwavelets (LMWs) as basis functions, we introduce a new method to approach the PDEs in this paper, namely Physics-Informed Legendre Multiwavelets CNN (PiLMWs-CNN), in order to continuously approximate a grid-based state representation that can be handled by a CNN. PiLMWs-CNN enable us to train our models using only physics-informed loss functions without any pre- computed training data, simultaneously providing fast and continuous solutions that gener- alize to previously unknown domains. In particular, the LMWs can simultaneously possess compact support, orthogonality, symmetry, high smoothness, and high approximation order. Compared to orthonormal polynomial (OP) bases, the approximation accuracy can be greatly increased and computation costs can be significantly reduced by using LMWs. We applied PiLMWs-CNN to approximate the damped wave equation, incompressible Navier-Stokes (N- S) equation, and two-dimensional heat conduction equation. The experimental results show that this method provides more accurate, efficient, and fast convergence with better stability when approximating the solution of PDEs.

: Healthcare workers are affected by mental health issues, burnout and turnover, and this burden is even greater during epidemics and pandemics, such as COVID-19. The purpose of this research is to provide an overview of the measures introduced or supported in the institutions of Quebec’s health and social services network during the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim of protecting healthcare workers’ mental health. An online questionnaire survey was administered in 2021 among human resources department personnel in health and social services network institutions involved in workplace mental health in Quebec. A total of 223 key informants representing 31 of the 34 public health and social services institutions in the province of Quebec in Canada responded to the questionnaire. Measures that focus on the needs of staff, involve all levels of authority and the ones that provide flexibility, support and recognition at work were more successful, according to the advisors surveyed. Future research into whether the same measures are considered effective or ineffective outside of a pandemic context is needed.

The Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ) can be defined as the individual be-haviour capable of generating value and competitive advantage for the organization. It is a mul-ti-dimensional construct, consisting of task performance, contextual performance and counter-productive work behavior. Albeit important, a comprehensive measure of individual job per-formance is still lacking in the Italian context. This paper describes the validation of an Italian adaptation of the IWPQ. A back translation procedure was used. To investigate the psychometric properties of the 18-item Italian IWPQ, 1053 participants (502 men, 47.7%; 551 women, 52.3%) were enrolled; the age of participants ranged between 19 and 69 (Mage=34.6, SD= 11.8), and for the oc-cupation, the sample is classified in blue collar 32.5%, pink collar 33% and white collar 34.5%. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and multigroup confirmatory factor analyses were performed to test the structural factor of the IWPQ. The results supported the goodness of the IWPQ in the Italian context and the scales were found consistent with the original structure. One item was omitted due to a low factor loading, resulting in a final 17-item structure. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis showed that the factor solution was invariant across both gender and occupational category and found evidence of metric invariance, uniqueness and scalar invariance, and structural invariance. Convergent and discriminant validity were also tested and showed.

Buildings are subject to intrinsic and extrinsic failures at all stages of the construction process, i.e., design to occupancy (i.e., use) as several failure types can affect them. There are three basic steps for researching building failures: listing, cataloging, and solving/deciding whether highlighting the least invasive and lowest cost intervention. Therefore, this research presents some methods used in construction for the intervention prioritization and seeks to illustrate the most suitable methodology for different settings failure x diagnosis x intervention. Therefore, the most traditional tools are shown: BASICO, SWIFT, FEMEA, AAF, and GUT matrix, where a critical assessment of the strengths and weaknesses is carried out. After that, a case study on maintenance services for the moisture on the building facades was performed. Finally, the GUT matrix and the FMEA method are the best results

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a technique developed to measure possible environmental impacts during the manufacture and use of a given product or service. Additive Manufacturing (AM) has proven to be suitable in several industries, especially wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), offering many advantages such as delivery time and reduction in terms of material waste, energy consumption and equivalent CO₂ emissions (CO₂e). This study aimed to develop a methodology to evaluate environmental indicators during the life cycle assessment, from gate-to-gate, in the production of two low-alloy carbon steel metal parts (flanges) using ER-90 wire and allowed identifying the main stages that most influence environmental indicators. The total energy consumption in the production of flanges 1 and 2 were, respectively, 10,239.0 MJ, 12,754.0 MJ and the total carbon footprint, respectively, 714.1 kgCO₂e kg^-1 and 749.3 kgCO₂e kg^-1.

Understanding the origins of life involves dealing with the unresolved question of how the first informational polymers and cell-like structures emerged from prebiotic chemistry. The formation of thermal proteinoids through the heating of mixtures of amino acids, leading to the spontaneous formation of protocells enclosed by membranes, presents a compelling model for the synthesis of polypeptides in an abiogenic context. Recent research has revealed the presence of electrical excitability and signal processing capacities in proteinoids, indicating the possibility of primitive cognitive functions and problem-solving capabilities. The present study provides a comprehensive examination of the features shown by heat proteinoids and their potential significance in the context of the artificial formation of polypeptides during the early stages of Earth’s development. Experiments showcasing the possibility for unconventional computing with proteinoids as well as modelling proteinoid assemblies into synthetic proto-brains are given. Proteinoids’ robust abiogenic production, biomimetic features, and computational capability shed light on potential phases in the evolution of polypeptides and primitive life from the primordial environment.

The study conducts a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis to assess the environmental impact of two different manufacturing processes used to produce transparent dental aligners. The former method consists of thermoforming a polymeric disc over 3D printed, customized models, while the second, more innovative approach involves the direct printing of aligners using additive manufacturing (AM), specifically applying digital light processing (DLP) technology. The analysis results highlight how adopting direct printing through AM brings significant advantages in terms of environmental sustainability, thanks to the substantial reduction in raw materials and electricity consumption. These drops translate into decreased potential environmental impacts across all impact categories considered within the EF 3.1 method. Furthermore, lowering the amount of raw materials needed in the direct printing process contributes to a notable decrease in the overall volume of waste generated, emphasising the environmental benefits of this innovative technique.

Affected by the COVID-19 and the international development pattern, the international environment has undergone profound changes, and enterprises, as the main body of activities rushing in the front line of production and operation and the main battlefield of market competition, are facing various risk challenges in the domestic and international markets. For theoretical research, the impact of organizational change on employee innovation performance has become a key issue in organizational behavior and human resource management research. However, the influence mechanism of organizational change on employee innovation performance is still unclear. In this study, we examine whether, how, and when organizational change increases employee innovation performance in accordance with job demands-resource theory, as well as the effect of work pressure and work engagement on employee innovation performance. Data from 289 employees at three time points are examined. The results show that: (1) Organizational change negatively affects employee innovation performance through work pressure, i.e., work pressure mediates the impact of organizational change on employee innovation performance. (2) Organizational change positively affects employee innovation performance through work engagement, i.e., work engagement mediates the impact of organizational change on employee innovation performance. (3) Organizational identity plays a moderating role between organizational change and work pressure and work engagement, respectively, and there is a moderating effect in the process of mediation of work pressure and work engagement. The findings of this study provide important insights into how and when organizational change influences employee innovation performance.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology is increasingly prevalent in the quantification of environmental status in the building sector, following new legislative frameworks. Countries need to quantify and assess their environmental impacts as a previous base for regulation and decision making. In this context, standardised national data sets are being developed, based on consensus with manufacturers: sectoral Environmental Product Declarations. This study focuses on assessing these EPDs with the aim of providing relevant information for global decision-making, focusing on consistency and pointing out shortcomings. An assessment has been carried out both at national level, considering all sectoral EPDs and declared products, and at international level, with three common building materials (brick, steel and concrete). The results highlight the lack of traceability in the development and assessment of uncertainty, resulting in substantial discrepancies in reported impacts, especially in the later stages of the life cycle (up to 90% difference). Meanwhile, impacts such as Global Warming Potential or total renewable and non-renewable primary energy use show homogeneous values in the cradle-to-gate stages with differences generally less than 10%. The analysis of sectoral EPDs should be a design guide with environmental sustainability criteria, as the last section of this study attempts to focus on.

Certain services can help avoid environmental impact in larger contexts. However, there is no commonly agreed bottom-up methodology for calculation of the total net reduction effect of specific digital services. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a common denominator for most methodologies. The most common method is the Attributional LCA (ALCA), and recently the emerging handprint ALCA estimating so-called positive environmental impacts. Moreover, Consequential LCA (CLCA) can be used to capture market effects. The third conceptual approach is Input-Output LCA. The purpose is to propose and test a new method based on some of the existing ones. The existing concepts are compared and a synthesis is made to create a practical but still useful method. The new method is applied to two illustrative cases in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) domain; the introduction of a 5G enabled drone for pipe inspection and the 5G enabled health consultation. Compared to simplified ALCA, the difference between the absolute score for the baseline system and the target system changes up to 15% when the proposed simplified CLCA (SCLCA) method is used. The results show that SCLCA, when combined with analytical methods for expressing digital ICT services’ own impact, is a fruitful approach which is both practical and feasible.

The well-being in the people is a key aspect of the field of psychology. Hence, it is important to an-alyse the variables that are related to life satisfaction and happiness as perceived by individuals and that, therefore, increase their overall well-being. The main objective of this study was to ana-lyse the predictive capacity of emotional intelligence and perceived social support on both the level of life satisfaction and perceived happiness. A total of 380 psychology students completed the Trait Meta Mood Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Satisfaction With Life Scale, and the Subjective Happiness Scale. The results show that both emotional intelligence and social support are related to and predictive of subjective happiness and life satisfaction. The importance of developing the components of emotional intelligence and promoting an adequate social network in young people is highlighted.

Several studies have shown that physical activity (PA) is related to physical and mental health. Yet, there are few studies on the frequency of PA as it relates to health and a healthy lifestyle. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the frequency of practicing different types of physical activities (dependent variables), living a healthy lifestyle (BMI, smoking and alcohol consumption), physical health (sum of all doctor visits except psychiatrists) and mental health (a sum of visits to psychiatrists) at different ages (independent variables). We fo-cused on three types of PA: (1) medium to high-intensity aerobic exercises; (2) low to medium intensity relaxing and stretching exercises, (3) outdoor leisure PA. 9,617 participants (ages: 19 -81) were included in the study (with health registries over a period of 10 years prior to a cross-sectional survey). Descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression on frequencies of three types of PA and factors related to health and healthy lifestyles, as well as age and sex, were performed in this study. The results indicate that a higher frequency of practicing PA had a higher probability of association with the following factors: lower BMI, less or non-smoking behavior (types 1 & 3); higher education (types 1 & 2); higher age (types 2 & 3) and better physical health (type 1). Occasional (practicing sometimes) PA, type 2, was positively associated with poorer mental health (higher number of psychiatrist visits). Women were more likely to practice PA type 2, and men – PA types 3 & 1. Conclusion: In general, a higher frequency of PA is related with better health and healthy life styles; with the exception of PA type 2 that is related to poorer mental health.

The human gut microbiota (GM) is a complex and dynamic ecosystem that hosts trillions of commensal and potentially pathogenic microorganisms. It is crucial in protecting humans from pathogens and in maintaining immune and metabolic homeostasis. Numerous studies have demonstrated that GM has a significant impact on health and disease, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by impaired short-term memory and cognitive deficits. Patients with AD have been reported to exhibit abnormalities in GM density and species composition. Oxidative stress (OS) has been implicated in the onset and progression of AD, however, the relationship between OS and gut microbiota in AD onset and progression is not clear. Twendee X®︎ (TwX), an oral supplement consisting of 8 active ingredients, has been shown to prevent dementia in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in humans and substantially improve cognitive impairment in mouse models of AD. This positive effect is achieved through the potency of the combined antioxidants that regulate OS and therefore similar results cannot be achieved by a single antioxidant ingredient. To examine the impact of long-term OS elevation as seen in AD on the body and GM, we examined GM alterations during the initial OS elevation using a rat 2-week OS loading model, and examined the effects of TwX on OS and GM. Furthermore, using a questionnaire survey and fecal samples, we analyzed the impact of TwX on healthy individuals' gut bacteria and the associated effect on their quality of life (QOL). TwX was found to increase the number of bacteria species and their diversity in GM, as well as butyrate-producing bacteria, which tend to be reduced in AD patients. Additionally, TwX improved defecation condition and QOL. The gut bacteria function as part of the homeostatic function during OS elevation, and prophylactic administration of TwX strengthened this function. The results suggests that the preventative effect of TwX on dementia may involve the GM in addition to the other effects previously demonstrated.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) continues to impact the health outcomes and emotional well-being of reproductive-age women, globally. Several studies have provided conflicting evidence concerning the role of dietary approaches in improving PMS symptoms. Accordingly, this study aimed to evaluate the possible influence of a healthy diet and motivational strategies on PMS symptoms and health-related quality of life among Omani adolescents. This open-label, randomized, prospective controlled trial was conducted in two randomly selected secondary schools, in Al Seeb Willayah, in Muscat region. Adolescents with PMS symptoms, who were at grade 10 or 11, aged 16 years or above, had regular menstrual cycles and not known to have psychiatric disorder, were included in this study. Participants in the intervention group received an individual face-to-face dietary consultation and motivational phone consultation. The health outcomes, including the PMS symptoms in both groups, and quality of life, were recorded via a daily record of severity of problems questionnaire (DRSP) and the 14-item Self-Reporting-Based Perceived Stress Scale tools, respectively. The primary outcome was the differences in the mean premenstrual symptom scores between the two groups. Secondary outcomes included the quality of life and stress levels of participants. The study period was from 1 February and ended 30 June 2021. SPSS was used to analyze the data and intention-to-treat analysis was utilized.A total of 72 adolescents with PMS were randomized to the intervention and control groups (n=36 each). Both groups were similar at baseline (P-value&gt;0.05). No significant association was found between healthy-diet and PMS symptoms (P-value&gt;0.05). In addition, no significant association was found between healthy-diet and quality of life at follow-up (P-value=0.216). The outcomes of this study refuted any possible relationships between healthy diet and PMS symptoms. Accordingly, dietary consultations may not facilitate the clinical management of PMS symptoms in adolescent females.

Background: The risk to physicians who worked with patients without confirmed COVID-19 testing during the pandemic has been little studied. However, they were at high risk. Methods: A total of 1285 Romanian physicians completed an online survey. We performed Mann-Whitney comparisons between physicians who reported that they knowingly had direct contact with COVID patients and those who didn't regarding their willingness to work. Results: Compared with their colleagues, physicians who reported not knowingly having direct contact with COVID patients reported less access to protective equipment, less overall willingness to respond when asked to work with infected patients, more likely to work out of fear of losing their jobs, and fear of legal repercussions. They received less training in the use of protective equipment. Conclusions: Physicians who worked with patients not yet diagnosed with COVID-19 were significantly less willing to work. The perception of invisible risk may explain the observed differences.

The purpose of this study was to identify subgroups of quality of life (QOL) changes in breast cancer survivors (BCS) and to determine factors associated with subgroups of consistently low or deteriorated QOL. We enrolled 101 women recently diagnosed with breast cancer in South Korea and asked them to complete a questionnaire at baseline (within 1 month of diagnosis), 1 year later (Year 1), 2 years later (Year 2), and 3 years later (Year 3). We assessed QOL using the global QOL subscale from the EORTC QLQ-C30. We defined low QOL as a global QOL score 10 points below the mean score of the general population. Based on low QOL as defined in this study, we identified subgroups of QOL changes over 3 years. We identified four subgroups of QOL changes: improved (47.4%), stable (30%), continuously low (8.8%), and deteriorated (13.8%) and considered the last two categories (22.6%) as poor QOL. Logistic regression analyses demonstrated that significant determinants of poor QOL were insomnia at Year 1, fatigue and anxiety at Year 2, and fatigue, depression, and comorbidity at Year 3. In conclusion, persistent symptoms of insomnia, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and comorbidity are potential risk factors for poor QOL in BCS.

Venous leg ulcers still pose a significant medical problem worldwide. The complexity of the problem determines the need for further interdisciplinary activities that will improve the quality of life of treated patients. The study compared the quality of life of patients with venous leg ulcers who received local hyperbaric oxygen therapy or local ozone therapy procedures as a part of comprehensive treatment. The study included 129 patients (62 men and 57 women) with venous leg ulcers. Group I underwent local hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), group II - local ozone therapy (OZONE). In both groups, the patients' quality of life was assessed before the start of treatment cycle, as well as 10 weeks and 6 months after the completion of the treatment, by using the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire and the Polish shortened version of the SF-36 scale. After completing the respective therapeutic cycle, both groups showed a statistically significant (p<0.001) improvement the quality of life according to the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire and the SF-36 scale. Differences were noted between 1st examination (before treatment) and 2nd examination (10 weeks after treatment), as well as 3 examination (6 months after treatment). In the EQ-5D-5L assessment of anxiety and depression, self-care and activities of daily living 6 months after the end of treatment, better results were found in the group of patients treated with local hyperbaric oxygen therapy (p<0.001). In this group, 6 months after the end of the treatment, a statistically significantly higher result on the EQ-VAS scale was also obtained (73.09±19.8 points vs. 68.03±17.37 points, p=0.043). However, in the SF-36 assessment 6 months after the end of treatment better results - a statistically significantly lower value of the quality of life index - were recorded in the group of patients treated with local ozone therapy (103.13±15.76 points vs. 109.89±15.42 points, p<0.015). Hyperbaric oxygen therapy and local ozone therapy procedures have a beneficial effect on improving the quality of life of patients with venous leg ulcers.

The Single Site Order – a policy restricting staff from working at multiple long-term care homes – was mandated by the Public Health Agency of Canada to control the spread of COVID-19 in long-term care homes, where nearly 70% of COVID-19-related deaths in Canada occurred. This mixed methods study assesses the impact of Single Site Order on long-term care residents in British Columbia. Interviews were conducted (residents (n=6), family members (n=9), staff (n=18), and leadership (n=10) from long-term care homes (n=4)) and analyzed using thematic analysis. Administrative data was collected between April 2019 – March 2020 and April 2020 – March 2021 and analyzed using descriptive statistics and data visualization. Qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated and demonstrate staffing challenges became worse during implementation of the SSO resulting in the mental and physical health deterioration of LTC residents. Qualitative data demonstrated decreased time for personalized and proactive care, increased communication challenges, and increased loneliness and isolation. Quantitative data showed a decline in activities of daily living, increased antipsychotic medication use, pressure ulcers, behavioural symptoms, and an increase in falls. Addressing staff workload and staffing shortages during SSO-related policy implementation is essential to avoid resident health deterioration.

1960s Europe saw a large number of residential neighborhoods built to house those migrating from the countryside. Today, more than 50 years later, these neighborhoods suffer high levels of functional, social, and technical obsolescence. In response to this, University of Seville developed the Aura Strategy as an intervention methodology to find global solutions to issues in outdated neighborhoods. To provide visibility to this aspect of the Aura strategy, the retrofit proposal presented in this article provides a solution to improve the roofing of buildings in a case study neighborhood (Polígono de San Pablo, Seville) and an analysis of the results in terms of energy and financial savings for local residents. The results show that for a population of roughly 18,000 (in 2018), net savings, including energy and retrofitting costs, ranging from nearly 6.5 to over 8.6 million can be made over the 20-year life cycle span. Likewise, the results obtained on the reduction of thermal loads indicate a 72% decrease in energy consumption, equivalent to a saving of close to 4,500 tons of greenhouse gas emissions for the district and the entire life cycle time period, with the consequent benefits on the impact on air quality and and the fight against climate change. climate change.

Background: we aim to investigate attitudes toward vaccination, by analyzing empirical factors associated with vaccine acceptance in the Lazio region mpox vaccination (MpoxVax) campaign in Italy. Methods: all subjects who accessed to MpoxVax and signed the informed consent were prospectively enrolled in the MPOX-VAC Study and were asked to fill out an anonymous survey. Two endpoints were selected: ‘delayed acceptance’ and ‘early acceptance’, defined as access for vaccination &gt;60 and ≤30 days from the vaccination campaign starting (VCS), respectively. Results: over the study period 1717 individuals underwent vaccination: 129 (7%) &gt;60 [1588 (92.5%) ≤60] and 676 (60%) ≤30 days from VCS. A bisexual orientation, a lower education level and a worse perceived physical and mental health were associated with delayed access to vaccination. Being Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) users and, marginally, HIV positive, having a high perceived risk for mpox infection and reporting high-risk behaviors like the use of recreational drugs/chems, sex under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol and higher number of principal sexual partners, were associated with early access to vaccination. Conclusions: according to our data, risk awareness was a major determinant of early mpox vaccination acceptance. Conversely, worse perceived health status and a low educational level were critical factors associated with delayed vaccination.

The study of coordination practices in health policy and, especially in emergency situations is a central aspect. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for further research on such practices, especially those that are deployed in complex and unforeseen situations to respond quickly while minimising errors. These dialogic coordination practices (DP) have been identified through case studies but have not been validated. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a DP questionnaire for healthcare teams. The development of the items was based on a literature review and the content validation was carried out by means of a Delphi study. A total of 10 experts assessed the clarity and appropriateness of the items and their corresponding measurement scales. Consensus was reached after the second round, with a percentage of agreement greater than or equal to 90% for all items. The validation of these items constitutes a methodological innovation that responds to the call in the literature to open up new avenues for comparative studies, the possibility of generalising the findings obtained and the possibility of bringing together different approaches to the problem of coordination, key in health policy.

In response to new developments of work and employment in high-income countries (HICs), psychosocial aspects of work and health received increased attention. In contrast, middle-income countries (MICs) are mainly concerned with severe challenges of noxious and dangerous material work environments, poor employment conditions, and deficient social policies, leaving psychosocial aspects in a marginal role at best. More recently, differences between these two worlds were even aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, with economic globalisation and growing worldwide interconnectivity, the world of work in MICs is being rapidly transformed, sharing several concerns with modern Western societies. In this process, psychosocial occupational health will become an increasingly pressing issue. This contribution explores to what extent psychosocial aspects of work and health are already addressed in research originating from MICs. A selective focus on recent findings from two regions, Asia Pacific and Latin America, reveals a high degree of awareness of, and inquiry into, work-stress related problems within these countries. Importantly, in addition to incorporating research progress from HICs, these analyses identify new aspects within specific cultural and socio-economic environments, thus enriching the international state of art.

The work analyses the way in which symptoms and life themes manifest in middle-aged adults diagnosed with major recurrent depression. Specifically, the relationships between symptoms, life themes, and life themes - symptoms have been analyzed. For this purpose, Spearman correlation, and the methods of Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) were used. Seven symptoms and twenty-six life themes were identified in the patients analyzed as well as similarities of symptoms/life themes (at patient level), the ranking of the importance of symptoms on each life theme (at the level of the group of patients), the rankings of the similarities of life themes in relation to different symptoms or various groups of symptoms (at the level of the group of patients), and dysfunctional cycles of symptoms and life themes (at patient level). The findings only refer to the patients analyzed. Although our findings cannot be generalized, there is a possibility that some of them may also be encountered in other patients. However, the design of the work can be used to initiate other similar studies.

Coral recruitment is an important factor to coral reefs in maintaining their health. Currently, numerous coral reefs are facing extreme degradation, which protection and therefore rehabilitation practices are required to reverse. The present study explores the potential role of coral recruitment assessment by citizen scientists about the impacts of human influences towards coral reefs through measurement of coral recruitment values. Only a very small number of studies use forms of pre-launch assessment prior to reef restoration. These methods are able to properly guide vital decision-making information for reef rehabilitation methods and locations. In this initial study we observe significant relationships between reefs with higher coral recruitment values and their health. As compared to other average coral reef values, the reef we measured had higher recruitment values on average. Two sections of the reef had noticeably higher mean corals per square meter compared to average values, while a third section of the reef had a lower frequency. This section has been brought to concern through the pre-launch assessment, and has potential for rehabilitation through coral transplantation and a reduction of anthropogenic actions within the area.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has been proving suitable to support or even replace traditional manufacturing in several industries, offering many advantages such as delivery time and reduction in terms of material waste, energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study aimed to carry out a comparative assessment of the life cycle, from gate to gate, in the production of a low alloy carbon steel flange part using ER-90 wire. The methods utilized were Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) and conventional manufacturing (CM) by forging, and comparative factors were energy demands, GHG emissions and generated solid waste. The total energy consumption in WAAM was 10,239.40 MJ, total carbon footprint in CO2 equivalent (CO2e) was 714.1 kgCO2e kg-1, and generated solid waste was 68.6 kg, respectively, 90%, 95% and 76% lower than consumption calculated in conventional manufacturing.

There are no theorems (proven theories) in the biological sciences. We propose that the 3 31 nt minihelix tRNA evolution theorem be universally accepted as one. The 3 31 nt minihelix theorem completely describes evolution of type I and type II tRNAs from ordered precursors (RNA repeats and inverted repeats). Despite diversification of tRNAome sequences, statistical tests overwhelmingly support the theorem. Furthermore, the theorem relates the dominant pathway for the origin of life on Earth, specifically, how tRNAomes and the genetic code may have coevolved. Alternate models for tRNA evolution (i.e., 2 minihelix, convergent and accretion models) are falsified. In the context of the pre-life world, tRNA was a molecule that via mutation could modify anticodon sequences and teach itself to code. We relate the clearest history to date of the chemical evolution of life on Earth. From analysis of tRNA evolution, ribozyme-mediated RNA ligation was a primary driving force in evolution of complexity during the pre-life to life transition on Earth.

In this work, we propose a generalized partially functional linear model, which not only models the relationship between multiple scalar and functional predictors and response, but also automatically estimates the link function. Specifically, we use the functional principal component analysis method to reduce the dimensionality of functional predictors, estimate the regression coefficients using the maximum likelihood estimation method, estimate the link function using the method of local linear regression, iteratively obtain the final estimator, and prove the asymptotic normality of the estimator. The asymptotic normality is illustrated through simulation experiments. Finally, the proposed model is applied to study the influence of environmental, economic, and medical levels on life expectancy in China. In the study functional predictors are the daily air quality index, temperature, and humidity of 58 cities in 2020 and scalar predictors are GDP and number of beds in hospitals.

Melasma is a common skin disorder of acquired hyperpigmentation that appears commonly on the face. Although asymptomatic, melasma causes psychosocial and emotional distress. This study aimed to assess melasma's severity on people with darker skin types, evaluate the effects of melasma on the Quality of Life (QoL), and establish QoL predictors in affected individuals. This was a cross-sectional analytic study that enrolled 150 patients who were diagnosed with melasma from three private dermatology clinics in Durban, South Africa. The severity of melasma and QoL were measured using a Melasma Area and Severity Index (MASI) score, and Melasma Quality of Life scale (MELASQoL), respectively. The factors associated with impaired QoL were also explored using the multivariate method and stepwise regression analysis. MASI score of Masi (β = 0.209, t = 2.628, p < .010), involvement of cheeks (β = -0.268, t = -3.405, p <.001), level of education (β = -0.159, t = -2.029, p =.044) and being menopausal (β = -0.161, t = -2.027, p =.045) were found to be predictors of QoL. A regression model to predict MELASQoL given these four predictors was developed. The significance of the equation can allow remote scoring of MELASQoL based on the four variables.

By definition, a cell is the smallest unit of biological life. This means that every living thing can be fundamentally narrowed down to a composition of cells working together for the furtherance of that being in existence. With the dawn dawn of the evolutionary theory that bespeaks of life commencing some 〜3.8 billion years ago with RNA strands that underwent evolution to become DNA, which led to what we have now as life in the world, or with the Panspermia hypothesis, assuming that life on Earth was seeded from space, what is being considered in this work pertains to the origin of life. In addition to the plethora of intuitive stances that concern the origin story of life, this work will only add to the these. The major hypothesis in this work is that the continuity of life, as pertaining to its procession from parent to offspring provides fundamental links to the origin of life and this is the major consideration that will be given. It is thus apparent that the cells that would be considered are germ cells and not somatic cells. A cursory look at the continuity of life, should give us clues as regards how life originated. We nonetheless, take into consideration the fact that some features due to its non-use have gone extinct, thus taking with them the needed knowledge to breaking even as regards our inquiry. Even at that, we propose that conjectures, hypothetically, can be made based on the physical evidence that is available to us today.

This work is the first part of a series of papers on a comprehensive analysis of the processes of prebiotic self-organization and protophotosynthesis on the surface of semiconductor minerals and in systems of natural dispersed semiconductors. Comprehensive analysis within the framework of the "semiconductor world" concept allows integrating a variety of models on a single physical basis - from ZnS world and FeS world (based on inorganic semiconductors) to the PAH world and aromatic world (including organic semiconductors). Thus, we do not put forward a new alternative hypothesis of chemical evolution - a new "chemical world", but only integrate the evolutionary and geochemical criteria of different "chemical worlds" into a single "physical world", which gives one the opportunity to reconstruct and predict the directions of chemical evolution according to the uniform principles of physical chemistry. In the first part of this series we consider photoinduced self-organization and "photo-controlled" evolution of the early protobiological systems performing solar energy conversion on the surface of dispersed semiconductor minerals capable of (photo)catalyzing and photosensitizing prebiological processes. The latter include a transition from the elementary cycles of photocatalytic reactions on the surface of semiconductors to protophotometabolic cycles and protophotosynthesis, from photophysical processes on the surface of mineral semiconductors to photoinduced membrane potentials, from photocontrolled sorption on the surface of such minerals to the formation of photosensitive protomembranes and selection of photosynthetic structures. The evolutionary approach to the analysis of protobiological mechanisms and protobioenergetics within the framework of the "semiconductor world" concept provides a new approach to the study of the last common point of divergence of protobiological systems, where the emergence principles of different energy supply schemes (like the energy source-specific photoautotrophy and substrate-specific chemoautotrophy) merge at the physicochemical level. The proposed integrating scheme is consistent with most biological, geological, and physicochemical concepts, which ensures its complete cross-checking and internal consistency.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis that affects the axial skeleton, causing intense pain, progressive joint destruction, and a gradual reduction in physical function. It has been recognized not only as affecting the axial skeleton but as a systemic disease. Since it also causes an increase in the rates of inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, acute anterior uveitis, and mental disorders affecting the quality of life. Furthermore, an association with neurological and cardiovascular events is documented. With the advent of biologics, treating AS dramatically changed due to its high efficacy and tolerable safety. AS can be treated with various biological treatments. Nevertheless, there are differences in traits, including rapidity of onset, long-term efficacy, safety profile, and influence on comorbidities. A better understanding of such traits enables clinicians to make the best decision for each patient, increasing persistence, extending medication survival, enhancing patient satisfaction, and reducing the disease effect of ankylosing spondylitis. In this article, we emphasize biologics' efficacy and safety profile in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. In addition, we discuss the impact of biologics on comorbidities and health-related quality of life.

Exposure to quasi-electrostatic field induced currents is a hazard of live-line transmission work. These steady-state induced currents are typically less than 1 mA, and their sensory effects range from imperceptible to painful depending on the person and conditions such as contact area and duration. Permanent injury from these currents is unlikely but they can distract workers, increasing the risk of injury from falls or other dangers. Identifying contact current severity and training workers can help reduce risk of accidents. Measuring induced currents along a climbing route is time consuming and simulation is challenging because of geometric complexity of the worker, transmission structure, conductor bundles, and electric fields in the climbing space. This research explores calculation of worker contact current using a recently developed adaptation of the charge simulation method. The method uses Fourier principles to improve computational efficiency when explicitly modeling all bundle subconductors. The research also examines reasonable simplifications for modeling lattice structures and human geometry. Calculated results compare well to measured currents for a worker climbing a 400 kV lattice structure. This indicates the method is a practical option for calculating the severity of steady-state contact currents. A simple calculation is suggested for estimating these currents.

This study examined the effect of the media usage environment, particularly TV and mobile devices, on advertisement acceptance, lifestyle, and psychological satisfaction. Hypothesis pathways and comparative structural mediating effects were analyzed. Media and Consumer Research public data were used for empirical analysis. A total of 6,640 people who participated in sports activities were included in the study. The results demonstrated that TV and mobile device usage environments had similar effects on advertisement acceptance. While TV did not influence the pursuit of personal life, mobile device use environments affected the pursuit of personal life. Mobile device use environments had a greater effect on individual psychological satisfaction than TV. Adoption had a mediating effect on the influence of media usage environments on the pursuit of personal life. The pursuit of a personal life had a significant mediating effect on the influence of media use environments on psychological stability. This study revealed no differences in the effects of new and traditional media on advertisement acceptance, while new media had a greater influence on lifestyle and psychological satisfaction.

Objective: The objective of our study was to explore the potential benefits of combining moderate alcohol consumption with regular vigorous physical activity on HDL-cholesterol levels and its potential positive impact on cardiovascular health. Material and method: The study comprised two groups: group A (102 patients) who consumed 1 gram of alcohol per day, specifically red wine, and increased their exercise levels in addition to their standard medical treatment, and group B (108 patients) who adhered only to their standard medical treatment. The patients were monitored for a year, during which various clinical parameters were observed. Results:Our study showed that moderate alcohol consumption, particularly red wine, along with increased physical activity levels, was associated with enhancements in exercise tolerance and elevated levels of HDL-cholesterol. Our findings suggest the efficacy of the intervention in improving lipid profiles, with the group that consumed alcohol as part of their treatment scheme, generally experiencing more pronounced positive effects. Statistically significant differences between groups in terms of angina evolution, AMI recurrence, or arrhythmias evolution were not found. However, there were important differences in terms of EF improvement and quality of life, with the alcohol consuming group displaying greater improvements in both aspects. Conclusions:In conclusion, our study emphasizes the potential benefits of combining moderate alcohol consumption, specifically red wine, with increased physical activity levels for improving exercise tolerance and enhancing HDL-cholesterol levels. However, further research and clinical trials are essential to fully understand the mechanisms and optimize the integration of these lifestyle elements for improved cardiovascular health outcomes.

Home enteral nutrition (HEN) is recommended for patients with nutritional requirements who can stay in the familiar environment. HEN guidelines recommend assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) to evaluate the effect of the treatment. NutriQoL® is a specific questionnaire developed to assess HRQoL in patients receiving HEN and validated in Spanish population. An observational, descriptive, and prospective study was carried out in two Spanish hospitals to describe the evolution of HRQoL, nutritional and health status in patients receiving HEN in routine clinical practice. Fifty-seven patients participated in the study, of whom 36 were followed-up after their inclusion. Most of them were at risk or moderate malnutrition (61.1%) or showed severe malnutrition (27.8%) at baseline. Patients with HEN showed an overall good HRQoL with a mean basal NutriQoL® score of 69.4, which increased to 74.3 after 12 months of follow-up; fifteen patients showed a clinically significant difference (≥4 points) after three months. The proportion of at-risk or severely malnourished patients decreased at the end of the follow-up period and, according to the physicians, their health status improved. Additionally, physicians considered useful the HRQoL evaluation in clinical practice. In conclusion, HRQoL is probably related to nutritional status improvement and, thus, should be considered for nutritional evaluation in clinical practice.

The average working person can spend between 35-60 hours a week in the workplace, making it an influential place for mental well-being while also being a place for socio-economic contribution. Workplace incivility can diminish positive mental health outcomes and negatively impact work engagement through increased social anxiety. To investigate this, 118 working adults aged between 19 to 67 years old in Singapore were recruited for a survey comprising of demographics questions, the Workplace Incivility Scale, Brief DSM-5 Social Anxiety Disorder Severity Scale, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9 over the period of November 2022 to April 2023. Correlational, regression and mediation analysis showed workplace incivility scale scores to significantly pre-dict social anxiety after controlling for covariates, supporting our hypothesis that employees exposed to work-place incivility would have higher levels of social anxiety that mediated work engagement after controlling for age and gender. The findings here show workplace incivility to be a possible intervention target for social anx-iety to reduce negative impacts on work engagement in order to improve employee experience and retention for organizations.

This article presents the development of a Faith-Informed Advocacy Model that integrates faith-based principles and values into advocacy efforts within Christian social work. Drawing from the intersection of Christian ethics and social work principles, this model provides a framework for Christian social workers to engage in advocacy work that is grounded in their faith and guided by ethical principles. The article includes case studies that illustrate the application of the model in real-world scenarios.

Quantification of the trade-offs among greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, yield and farmers’ incomes is essential for proposing economic and environment nitrogen (N) management strategies for optimizing agricultural production. A four-year (2017–2020) field experiment (including four treatments: control experiment (CK), suitable utilization of fertilization (SU), emission reduction treatment (ER), and high fertilization (HF)) was conducted on maize (Zea mays L.) in the North China Plain. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method was used in this study to quantify the GHG emissions and farmers’ incomes during the whole maize production process. The total GHG emissions of CK, SU, ER and HF treatments in the process of maize production are 10,755.2, 12,908.7, 11,950.1, and 14,274.5 kg CO2-eq ha−1 respectively, of which the direct emissions account for 84.8%, 76.8%, 74.9%, and 71.0%, respectively. Adding inhibitor significantly reduced direct GHG emissions, and the N2O and CO2 emissions from the maize fields in the ER treatment decreased by 30.0% and 7.9% compared to those in the SU treatment. Insignificant differences in yield were found between the SU and ER treatments, indicating that adding fertilizer inhibitors did not affect farmers’ incomes while reducing GHG emissions. The yield for SU, ER and HF treatments all significantly increased by 12.9%–24.0%, 10.0%–20.7% and 2.1%–17.4% compared to CK, respectively. In comparison with CK, both SU and ER significantly promoted agricultural net profit (ANP) by 16.6% and 12.2% with the mean ANP values of 3,101.0 USD ha-1 and 2,980.0 USD ha-1, respectively. Due to the high agricultural inputs, the ANP values in the HF treatment was 11.2%, 16.6% and 12.4% lower than those in the SU treatment in 2018–2020. In conclusion, the combination of N fertilizer and inhibitors was proved to be an environmentally friendly, high-profit and low-emissions production technology while sustaining or even increasing maize yields in the North China Plain, which was conducive to achieving agricultural sustainability.

In this paper we overview all analytical engineering solutions for corrosion problems in pressure vessels delivered over the past 60 years. We briefly detail strengths and weaknesses of existing approaches, thus demonstrating the need for novel uniform corrosion analysis methods for both current and new applications. To complement the review, we also present a new analytical model allowing to estimate the lifetime of pressured elastic vessels with mechanically assisted corrosion. Both internal/external pressure and internal/external corrosion are captured and dissolution driven corrosion is also considered. The readily implemented method improves existing analytical approaches and is shown to be effective for thin and thick shells, as well as various loading and corrosion intensity and geometrical conditions.

Background: One of the most common occupational health hazard and serious health concern, now a days, recognized is Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The high prevalence among students and teachers is a major cause of decline in their health related quality of life and work performance. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among teachers and students during online education. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among university faculty members and students who were involved in online education during COVID-19. Data collection was carried out electronically through a validated Arabic version of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) which is self reported. A total of 175 respondents responded to the questionnaire (response 60%). Results: The prevalence of any part of the body was 90.3%. The commonest site of MSDs for past 12 months was the low back (65.7%), the neck (58.3%), and shoulders (57.7%). Females (80%) suffered more than males (20%). The students reported slightly higher MSDs as compared to teachers (93.1% vs 90.3). Binominal regression analysis showed association of females with low back pain “OR: 2.24 (95% CI): 1.04-4.83; p = 0.03” and neck pain “OR: 2.7 (95% CI): 1.24–5.84; p = 0.012)” while bad posture was associated with pain in upper back “OR: 3.46 (95% CI): 1.73-6.93; p = 0.001”. Conclusion: The faculty members and students are prone to high MSDs during online classes and significant measures should be taken to reduce the prevalence by addressing associated risk factors.

Objective: The objective of our study was to explore the potential benefits of combining moderate alcohol consumption with regular vigorous physical activity on HDL-cholesterol levels and its potential positive impact on cardiovascular health. Material and method: The study comprised two groups: group A (102 patients) who consumed 1 gram of alcohol per day, specifically red wine, and increased their exercise levels in addition to their standard medical treatment, and group B (108 patients) who adhered only to their standard medical treatment. The patients were monitored for a year, during which various clinical parameters were observed. Results:Our study showed that moderate alcohol consumption, particularly red wine, along with increased physical activity levels, was associated with enhancements in exercise tolerance and elevated levels of HDL-cholesterol. Our findings suggest the efficacy of the intervention in improving lipid profiles, with the group that consumed alcohol as part of their treatment scheme, generally experiencing more pronounced positive effects. Statistically significant differences between groups in terms of angina evolution, AMI recurrence, or arrhythmias evolution were not found. However, there were important differences in terms of EF improvement and quality of life, with the alcohol consuming group displaying greater improvements in both aspects. Conclusions:In conclusion, our study emphasizes the potential benefits of combining moderate alcohol consumption, specifically red wine, with increased physical activity levels for improving exercise tolerance and enhancing HDL-cholesterol levels. However, further research and clinical trials are essential to fully understand the mechanisms and optimize the integration of these lifestyle elements for improved cardiovascular health outcomes.

: This study investigates the workplace experiences of mothers of children with intellectual disabilities. These mothers may face challenges in balancing motherhood, disability, and employment. Therefore, it is important to understand the challenges they are facing and the mechanisms they use to cope with caregiving and work responsibilities in managing the stress that develops throughout this ongoing experience. The purpose of this research was to investigate the workplace experiences of single mothers of children with intellectual disabilities. A review of the literature was conducted. For this research, a qualitative methodology was adopted to gain an in-depth understanding of the mothers’ experiences. A narrative method was used for data collection. Thematic analysis was utilized to obtain a clear understanding. The findings suggest that mothers of children with intellectual disabilities face difficulties in balancing between caregiving for their child with a disability and their job responsibilities, in addition to showing that there is a lack of flexibility in the workplace, less awareness from colleagues and bosses of the challenges these mothers face, and a lack of organizational legislation that supports these mothers. According to our findings, workplaces should provide assistance to mothers of children with intellectual disabilities in order to ensure that they are not disadvantaged in their employment.

(1) Background: The goal of the study was to evaluate psychological tolerance and health-related quality of life (QOL) in head and neck (HN) cancer patients treated with definitive accelerated radiotherapy (DART); (2) Methods: Seventy-six recurrence-free patients eligible for the study, who were treated with DART in the CAIR-2 phase III clinical study (median of follow-up=47 months), completed EORTC QLQ-C30 with H&amp;N35 module, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Visual–Analog Scales (VAS) of pain in HN and the neck / arm area.; (3) Results: The most dominating symptoms measured with QLQ-C30 were: fatigue (44/100), sleeplessness (39/100), financial problems (38/100) and pain (32/100). Within H&amp;N35 the highest scores were reported on the subscales of sticky saliva (60/100), mouth dryness (65/100) and increased intake of painkillers (50/100). Pain (VAS) was reported by 87% (HN area) and 78% (shoulder) of the patients, with a mean score of 3/10. One-third reported depressive mood (HADS≥15 points) with an average score of 12.5/42 p. The depressed group, who smoked more as compared to non-depressed before DART (96% vs 78%) and required steroids treatment (85% vs 58%) during DART, also scored significantly worse on 23 of 35 subscales of QLQ-C30 and H&amp;N35 and experienced more intense pain (VAS). Women, and less advanced patients scored better in several aspects of the quality of life; (4) Conclusions: Patients treated with DART struggle with low quality of life and persisting treatment-related symptoms including constant pain. HNC survivors, especially those, who are depressed, may require additional psychosocial, rehabilitation and medical intervention programs..

Background: The high prevalence of learning disabilities among children confirm that learning disabilities are surprisingly common. In absence of routine screening, many children still go undetected with a huge individual and family burden, while at the same time existing interventions are conflicting. The purpose of the study is to report on the design, implementation and evaluation of an innovative pilot intervention aiming to improve the quality of life of the family of students with specific learning disabilities. Method: For the purposes of this study, we used an experimental research design, using two groups (intervention and control). The intervention included four meetings with parents of children from the intervention group. To assess the quality of life of the students' family and the parenting style, the following measuring tools were used. They conducted at times and locations convenient to each participant. The instruments used to measure outcomes were two standard weighted questionnaires, the parenting style questionnaire and the family quality of life questionnaire. Findings: The results showed that the intervention program had significantly positive effects on both parenting style and children’s quality of life. Specifically, a decrease in parental authoritarianism and an increase in parental support were observed. Also, an increase in child-parent interaction, emotional and general well-being was found. Conclusion: The intervention program did improve the quality of life of the children by increasing all the variables related to the measurement of their quality of life.

The global construction sector contributes a significant share of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In Australia, infrastructure activity alone generates 18% of the GHG emissions budget. The use of low-embodied carbon building materials is crucial to achieving sustainability in the construction sector and to fulfill national and international climate goals. Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is considered a promising feedstock for sustainable construction materials because of its biogenic carbon content, fast-growing cycles with low agricultural input requirements, and technical functionality which is comparable to traditional materials. This study has applied the life cycle assessment (LCA) guideline of ISO 14040:2006 to estimate the carbon footprint (CF) expressed in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) emissions of hemp-based building materials in Western Australia. The functional unit is 1 m2 of hemp-based board, and the system boundary includes cradle-to-gate stages, i.e., pre-farm, on-farm, and post-farm activities. The production of 1 m2 of hemp-based board is estimated to be - 2.302 kgCO2eq. Electricity from the public grid for lignin extraction during the post-farm stage is the main contributor to total CO2eq emissions (26%), followed by urea production (14%) during the pre-farm stage. Overall, the use of electricity from the SWIS during the post-farm stage accounts for 45% of total emissions. Sensitivity analysis shows that the CF of hemp-based boards is highly sensitive to the source of energy, i.e., total replacement of the SWIS by solar power decreases the CF from - 2.30 to -6.07 kgCO2eq (164%). The results suggest that hemp-based boards exhibit lower embodied GHG emissions compared to traditional materials, such as gypsum plasterboards.

The changes in consumer lifestyles have raised awareness of the variety of food options and packaging technologies. Active and smart packaging represents an innovative technology that serves to enhance the safety and quality of products. Smart packaging, as a subset of this technology, entails the integration of additives into packaging materials, thereby facilitating the preservation or extension of product quality and shelf life. This technological approach stimulates a heightened demand for safer food products with prolonged shelf life. Active packaging predominantly relies on the utilization of natural active substances. Therefore, the combination of active substances has a significant impact on the characteristics of active packaging particularly on polymeric blend like Polylactic acid (PLA) as a matrix. So, This review will summarize and explains how the addition of natural active agents influenced the properties related to the performance of active packaging through systematic analysis, providing new insights about the relationship between the types of active agents on physical-mechanical properties, bacterial colony reduction, and applications in foods packaging such as meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables. Through their integration, the market for active and smart packaging systems is expected to have a bright future.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic and relapsing biopsychosocial condition that leads to a wide range of medical, psychological, social, economic, and personal issues. The study investigated the predictors of quality of life (QoL) among male patients seeking treatment for AUD based on attention, cognitive instability, motor impulsiveness, perseverance, and self-control dimensions of trait impulsivity. The study also investigated the potential mediating effect of anxiety and alcohol use severity in this relationship. After an initial assessment, participants underwent comprehensive evaluations, including sociodemographic data, clinical history, and QoL domains. Evaluations also covered AUD severity, impulsivity dimensions, cognitive functions, craving intensity, depression, anxiety and self-efficacy. Multiple linear regressions were employed to identify associations between independent variables and QoL. Attention dimension of impulsivity and anxiety symptoms significantly predicted physical health QoL. Self-control dimension and severity of alcohol use disorder predicted psychological QoL. Indirect effect of attention dimension on physical health was significant [effect =-1.082,95% CI (-2.008, -0.3598)].The significance of impulsivity in influencing QoL for individuals with AUD has profound clinical implications. These findings underscore the importance of addressing anxiety and impulsivity in managing AUD, given their considerable impact, particularly on QoL, ultimately shaping treatment outcomes.

Hundreds of thousands of kilometers of communication and power (umbilical) cables and flowlines lie undersea worldwide. Most of these offshore cables and flowlines have reached or will soon be nearing the end of their service life, necessitating the need for a viable recycling approach to recover some valuable material, e.g., copper. However, separation into constituent materials has proven very challenging due to the highly robust design of the composite cables (and flowlines) to withstand service conditions and the tough external plastic sheaths that protect against seawater corrosion. Here, we summarize the findings of the cryogenic comminution of subsea cables and flowlines for an effective separation and recovery of component materials. Heat transfer analyses of complex multilayer flowlines and umbilicals were conducted to evaluate the time required for these structures to reach their respective critical brittle-transition temperatures. Subsequently, the time was used as a guide to crush the flowline and umbilical cables under cryogenic conditions. The results show that the flowlines and umbilical cables will reach the brittle-transition temperature after approximately 1000s (i.e., 17 min) of submergence in liquid nitrogen (LN). Comminution of the materials at temperatures near the brittle-transition temperature was proven relatively efficient compared to room-temperature processing. The present evaluation of heat transfer and lab-scale crushing will afford accurate process modelling and design of a pilot cryogenic comminution of decommissioned flowlines in an LN-doped atmosphere.

Abstract: Like other plants, every PV power plant will one day reach the end of its service life. Calculations show that 20,400 tons of PV waste will be generated worldwide by 2030 and 60.2 million tons by 2050, not including the mass of the support structure. Such large amounts of waste pose a potential threat to the environment and people if not properly managed. The paper analysed the options for dealing with PV waste, namely reuse, recycling and landfilling. For recycling as the best option in terms of environmental protection and circular economy, an overview of recycling technologies and the percentage of achievable recycling for the materials contained in each PV system component is given. In addition, the current situation of legislation and recycling of PV modules in Europe was examined with special reference to the Balkan countries. There are a small number of factories for recycling PV modules in Europe, but none in the Balkan countries. The main reason for this is the small amount of PV waste in these countries and consequently the economic unprofitability. For this reason, PV modules (after dismantling the aluminum frame and cables) are mostly disposed of as non-hazardous waste in landfills in these countries. Finally, the main barriers to faster implementation of PV module reuse and recycling are listed, along with guidelines for their removal. The cost of recycling Si modules is about ten times higher than the cost of disposal. To change this ratio in favor of recycling, cheaper recycling methods need to be developed and taxes on landfill disposal need to be increased.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (hereafter CRPD) has provided a radical imperative for the reform of mental health and capacity legislation around the world. The interpretation of the CRPD has been controversial, ranging from complete abolition of detention, forcible treatment and substitute decision making, to acceptance that elements of these measures need to be retained but based on non-discriminatory criteria, additional safe-guards and a comprehensive shift towards supported decision-making. While the potential ef-fects of the CRPD on mental health social work and social work generally are considerable given their shared commitment towards social justice, to date there has been no review of research evi-dence exploring their relationship. In addressing this knowledge gap, this study held a prelimi-nary discussion with practitioners and academics at the European Association of Social Work Mental Health Special Interest Group in Amsterdam 2022, followed by a scoping literature re-view on the question: What impact, if any, has the CRPD had on social work practice? The review produced four main findings: impact on legislation; positive impact on practice; limited impact on practice; and impact on social work education and research. In sum, while there were some positive indications of social work and mental health social work practice being influenced by the CRPD, these were scant. Barriers to change included tendencies among some social workers to practise substitute decision-making, in part related to resourcing and policy contexts, and under-standings of disability aligned to individualised/medical rather than social perspectives. The results indicate that legal reform on its own is insufficient to impact social work practice, and that realising the potential of the CRPD will necessitate good quality training, as well as improv-ing social workers’ knowledge of the human rights of people with mental impairment.