Keywords: Green human resource management1; Green supply chain management2; Regulation and legislation3; Sustainable development goals4.

Renewable jet fuel (RJF) production has been recognized as a promising approach for reducing the aviation sector's carbon footprint. Over the last decade, commercial production of RJF has piqued the interest of airlines and governments around the world. However, RJF production can be challenging due to its dispersed supply resources. Furthermore, the production of RJF is more costly compared to producing conventional jet fuel. In this study, using a mixed integer linear program (MILP), we design an RJF supply chain network in which we obtain an optimized configuration of the supply chain and determine operational decisions required to meet RJF demand at airports. To accelerate commercialization of RJF production, we considered four different monetary incentive programs, which could cover the supply chain’s costs. This study is validated by employing the model to design an RJF supply chain in the Midwestern US. Results from this study are promising as they show the supply chain can achieve commercialization with partial financial coverage from the incentive programs. Based on the findings of this study, policymakers can devise policies to commercialize RJF production and accelerate its adoption by industry.

Urban growth in various cities across the world, especially in developing countries, leads to land use change. Thus, predicting future urban growth in the most rapidly growing region of Nigeria becomes a significant endeavor. This study analyzes land use and land cover (LULC) change and predicts the future urban growth of the Lagos metropolitan region, using Cellular Automata (CA) model. To achieve this, the GlobeLand30 datasets from years 2000 and 2010 were used to obtain LULC maps, which were utilized for modeling and prediction. Change analysis and prediction for LULC scenario for 2030 were performed using LCM and CA_Markov chain modeling. The results show a substantial growth of artificial surfaces, which will cause further reductions in cultivated land, grassland, shrubland, wetland, and waterbodies. There was no appreciable impact of change for bare land, as its initial extent of cover later disappeared completely. Additionally, artificial surfaces/urban growth in Lagos expanded to the neighboring towns and localities in Ogun State during the study period, and it is expected that such growth will be higher in 2030. Lastly, the study findings will be beneficial to urban planners and land use managers in making key decisions regarding urban growth and improved land use management in Nigeria.

Water resource is considered as a significant factor in development of regional environment and society. Water consumption prediction can provide important decision basis for the regional water supply scheduling optimisations. According to the periodicity and randomness nature of the daily water consumption data, a Markov modified autoregressive moving average (ARIMA) model is proposed in this study. The proposed model, combined with the Markov chain, can correct the prediction error, reduce the continuous superposition of prediction error, and improve the prediction accuracy of future daily water consumption data. The daily water consumption data of different monitoring points are used to verify the effectiveness of the model, and the future water consumption is predicted, in the study area. The results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively reduce the prediction error compared to the ARIMA.

The final assembly of appliances and automotive industries is a rigorous process, that has limited capabilities of full traceability associated with: (1) the parts installed, (2) their fabrication processes, and (3) the assembly work. This is also the case for each of its sub-assemblies The many parts and sub-assemblies that compose the final assembly, make full traceability a challenging fit, that is almost unsurmountable. Such full traceability along the entire supply-chain is not existent today and must be based on documentation of most assembled parts, assembly tasks, and inspection tasks that compose the full assembled product. In addition, security measures are needed to prevent hostile hacking and unauthorized approach to the assembly documentation throughout the entire supply chain. The related documentation and repeated verifications require considerable effort and have many chances for human errors. So, automating these processes has a great value. This article expounds a framework that harnesses block-chain and smart-contract technology to offer traceable and protected documentation of the assembly process. We expand the concept of a Bill-Of-Assembly (BOA) to incorporate data from the bill of materials (BOM), the associated assembly activities, the associated activities’ specification parameters and materials, and the associated assembly resources (machines and/or operators). The paper defines the operation of the BOA with blockchain and smart-contract technology, for attaining full traceability, safety, and security, for the entire assembled product. Future research could extend the proposed approach to facilitate the usage of the BOA data structure in constructing a digital twin of the entire simulated system.

A new mesogenic non-symmetric dimeric monomer with a terminal olefin function, forming a twist bend nematic (Ntb) as well as a nematic (N) phase was synthesized, using an enhanced synthetic methodology, which avoids isomerization of the terminal double bond in the preparation of the dimer. This monomer was attached to a pentamethyldisiloxane group, resulting in SmA LC phase behaviour of the ensuing material. Linking the monomer to a siloxane main chain resulted in nematic phase behaviour. Detailed studies with the Ntb phase forming dimer DTC5C7 show full miscibility of the dimer and the new LC polymer in the LC state, suggesting that the side-chain LC polymer forms a Ntb phase as the low temperature nematic phase. Copolymerizing the monomer with a cyanobiphenyl based monomer allows to tune the glass transition and phase behavior further.

To contribute to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sustainable transition into the circular economy, the study proposes the activation of organizational learning (OL) processes – denoted here as multi-level knowledge creation, transfer, and retention processes – as a key phase in introducing circular business models (CBMs) at SME and supply chain (SC) level. The research employs a mixed-method approach, using the focus group methodology to identify contextual elements impacting on CBM-related OL processes, and a survey-based evaluation to single out the most frequently used OL processes inside Italian construction SMEs. As main result, a CBM-oriented OL multi-level model offers a fine-grained understanding of contextual elements acting mutually as barriers and drivers for OL processes, as possible OL dynamics among them. The multi-level culture construct – composed of external stakeholders’, SC stakeholders’, and organizational culture – identify the key element to activate CBM-oriented OL processes. Main implications are related to the identification of cultural, structural, regulatory, and process contextual elements across the external, SC, and organizational levels, and their interrelation with applicable intraorganizational and interorganizational learning processes. The proposed model would contribute to an improved implementation of transitioning into the circular economy utilizing sustainable business models in the construction SMEs.

Spiritual intelligence had an impact on different biblical leaders, and in this text, we see some cases to serve as a sample (Joseph, Bezalel, and Daniel). In the Bible, this impact is demonstrated in innovations introduced by Joseph in Egypt, Bezalel the manager of the macro project of building in crisis time, Daniel the politician. It is the supreme intelligence and leaders are invited to make a shift from rationality to spirituality. The more leaders of organizations will use spiritual intelligence, the more leaders and followers will experience satisfaction, joy, accomplishment.

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2. In Colombia, many commercial methods are now available to perform the RT-qPCR assays, and the laboratories must evaluate its diagnostic accuracy to ensure reliable results to suspected COVID-19 patients. The purpose of the study was to compare four commercial RT-qPCR assays for detection of SARS-CoV2 virus, from nasopharyngeal swab samples referred to Laboratorio Carvajal IPS, SAS of Tunja, Boyacá - Colombia. Methods: This prospective study was conducted on 152 samples of respiratory tract samples (Nasopharyngeal Swab) from patients with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection. Diagnostic accuracy of GeneFinderTM COVID-19 Plus RealAmp (In Vitro diagnostic), One-Step Real-Time RT-PCR (Vitro Master diagnostica), Berlin modified protocol and gold standard Berlin protocol (Berlin Charite Probe One-Step RT-qPCR Kit, New England Biolabs) as reference was assessed. Operational characteristics were estimated in terms of sensitivity, specificity, agreement, and predictive values. Results: Using Berlin Charite Probe One-Step RT-qPCR Kit as reference, the sensitivity/specificity for the diagnostic tests were found to be GeneFinderTM COVID-19 Plus RealAmp Kit 100%/92.7%, One-Step Real-Time RT-PCR, One-Step Real-Time RT-PCR 92.75%/67.47%, and Berlin modified protocol 100%/96.39%. The results of four commercially available methods were found to be consistent with those obtained from Berlin Modified protocol analysis for % of the samples and showed good agreement (κ= 0.96). Concordant SARS-CoV2 negative and positive RT-qPCR results were reported for xxx and xxx samples, respectively. Summarize something about the Ct. Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that all commercially available methods are rapid and reliable for the identification of SARS-CoV-2 virus associated with COVID-19. One-Step RT-qPCR Kit and GeneFinderTM COVID-19 Plus RealAmp assay show optimal sensitivity compared with Belin modified protocol. In addition, there is no significant correlation between xxxxx

We discuss the role of water bridging the DNA-enzyme interaction by resorting to recent 1 results showing that London dispersion forces between delocalized electrons of base pairs of DNA 2 are responsible for the formation of dipole modes that can be recognized by Taq polymerase. 3 We describe the dynamical origin of the high efficiency and precise targeting of Taq activity in 4 PCR. The spatiotemporal distribution of interaction couplings, frequencies, amplitudes, and phase 5 modulations comprise a pattern of fields instantiating the electromagnetic image of DNA in its 6 water environment, which is what the polymerase enzyme actually recognizes at long range. The 7 experimental realization of PCR amplification, achieved through replacement of the DNA template 8 by the treatment of pure water with electromagnetic signals recorded from viral and bacterial DNA 9 solutions, is found consistent with the gauge theory paradigm of quantum fields.

Background: Infectious disease is a major challenge in aquaculture and poses a constraint for development of farming of new species. In 2017, Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) juveniles were imported from Italy to a Swedish farm. Due to stressful conditions, 30% died during transport and in the first days after arrival. Ten days after arrival, mortalities started to occur again. Within two months, only 5% of the juveniles were still alive. Methods: Diseased fish were transported live to the National Veterinary Institute (SVA) for necropsy and further analysis. Pathological and histopathological investigation was conducted. Virology was performed on gills and internal organs by cell culture isolation and specific PCR protocols. Results: The juveniles displayed neurological signs such as lethargy, inability to maintain upright position and erratic swimming. Body condition was low. Gills were pale. One fish had petechial hemorrhage on the abdomen and the snout. The ventricles were air-filled with, but swim bladders were deflated. One specimen had intestinal hemorrhage. Viral cell cultures were negative, but PCR of gills and internal organs detected the presence of Acipenser Iridovirus European (AcIV-E). Conclusions: AcIV-E was associated with disease and high mortality in the sturgeon juveniles. Stress probably aggravated the course of the infection.

Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was used for genomic characterization of 110 strains of Listeria innocua isolated from 23 cattle farms, 8 beef abattoirs, and 48 retail outlets in Gauteng province, South Africa. In silico multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was used to identify the isolates' sequence types (STs). BLAST-based analyses were used to identify antimicrobial and virulence genes. The study also linked the detection of the genes to the origin (sources and types of samples) of the L. innocua isolates. The study detected 12 STs, 13 resistance genes, and 23 virulence genes. Of the 12 STs de-tected, ST637 (26.4%), ST448 (20%), 537 (13.6%), and 1085 (12.7%) were predominant, and the frequency varied significantly (P<0.05). All 110 isolates of L. innocua were car-riers of one or more antimicrobial resistance genes, with resistance genes lin (100%), fosX (100%), and tet(M) (30%) being the most frequently detected (P<0.05). Of the 23 virulence genes recognized, 13 (clpC, clpE, clpP, hbp1.svpA, hbp2, iap/cwhA, lap, lpeA, lplA1, lspA, oatA, pdgA, and prsA2) were found in all 110 isolates of L. innocua. Overall, diversity and significant differences were detected in the frequencies of STs, resistance, and virulence genes according to the origins (source and sample type) of the L. innocua isolates. This, being the first genomic characterization of L. innocua recovered from the three levels (farm, abattoir, and retail outlets) of the beef production system in South Africa, provides data on the organism's distribution and potential food safety implications..

(1) Background: The stylohyoid syndrome, known as classical Eagle Syndrome (cES), is characterized by calcificatication of the stylohyoid chain with numerous nonspecific symptoms, mainly pain. This study introduces Minimally Invasive Cervical Styloidectomy (MICS). (2) Methods: MICS was performed on sixty-five patients diagnosed with classical Eagle syndrome. Patients underwent meticulous differential diagnosis. Surgical plans were established based on the findings from neck angioCT. (3) Results: The healing process was uneventful without significant complications. The overall success rate was 97.0%, with a follow-up of a minimum of six months. In one case, the surgery did not yield the desired improvement. In one case, a partial relapse of symptoms was observed. (4) Conclusions: MICS is a straightforward and efficient surgical treatment technique for stylohyoid syndrome.

Cross-species investigations on cancer invasiveness are a new approach that identified new biomarkers potentially useful for improving tumor diagnosis and prognosis in clinical medicine and veterinary science. In this study, we combined proteomic analysis of four experimental rat malignant mesothelioma (MM) tumors with analysis of ten patient-derived cell lines to identify common features associated to mitochondrial proteome rewiring. The comparison of significant abundance changes between invasive and non-invasive rat tumors rat tumors gave a list of 433 proteins, including twenty-six proteins reported to be exclusively located in mitochondria. Next, we analyzed the differential expression of genes encoding the mitochondrial proteins of interest in five primary epithelioid and five primary sarcomatoid human MM cell lines, and the most impressive increase was observed in the expression of the long-chain acyl coenzyme A dehydrogenase (ACADL). To evaluate the role of this enzyme in the migration/invasiveness, two epithelioid and two sarcomatoid human MM cell lines derived from patients with the highest and lowest overall survival were studied. Interestingly, sarcomatoid vs epithelioid cell lines were characterized by higher migration and fatty oxidation rates, in agreement with ACADL findings. These results suggest that evaluating mitochondrial proteins in MM specimens might identify tumors with higher invasiveness.

The early diagnosis of mastitis represents an essential factor for a prompt detection of the animal for further actions. In fact, if not culled, infected cows must be segregated from the milking herd and milked last, or milked with separate milking units. Besides microbiological analysis, the somatic cell count (SCC) commonly used as predictor of intramammary infection, frequently lead to a misclassification of milk samples. To overcome these limitations, more specific biomarkers are continuously evaluated. Total amino acid content increases significantly in mastitic milk compared to normal one. Bovine mastitis can arise as a result of infection of the mammary gland by Staphylococcus aureus. Multiplication of this bacterium within the mammary gland is required for infection to persist. S. aureus requires branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs: isoleucine, leucine, valine) for protein synthesis, branched-chain fatty acids synthesis and environmental adaptation by responding to their availability via transcriptional regulators. The importance of BCAAs for S. aureus physiology necessitates that it either synthesize them or scavenge them from the environment. Increase of BCAAs in composite milk has been postulated to be linked to mammary infection by S. aureus. In the present work, we demonstrated, by a direct ion-pairing reversed-phase method based on the use of the evaporative light-scattering detector (IP-RP-HPLC-ELSD), applied to 65 composite cow milk samples, a correlation between the concentration of isoleucine and leucine and S. aureus load.

In recent years, local governments have been using transportation card data to monitor the use of public transport and improve the service. However, local governments that are applying a single-fare scheme are experiencing difficulties in using data for accurate identification of real travel patterns, policy decision support, etc. because the information on alighting stops of users is missing. This policy limits its functionality of utilizing data such as accurate identification of real travel patterns, policy decision support, etc. Various studies to overcome this limitation have been conducted in South Korea and other countries to develop es-timation methodologies of alighting stops. Even existing studies introduce an advanced method, we found the margin for better accuracy by combining various estimation methodologies for estimating alighting stops. This study reviewed previously conducted studies to classify data with missing alighting stop information into trip types and then applied an appropriate alighting stop estimation methodology for the characteristics of each trip type by stage. The proposed method is evaluated by utilizing transportation card data of the Seoul metropolitan area and checked the accuracy for each standard of allowable error for sensitivity analysis. Furthermore, the number of trips, accuracy, and valid tag rate were checked for each type to examine the need for classifying the trip types. Finally, our evaluation also examines the impact of classifying trip types on estimation accuracy. The evaluation criteria are accuracy of the number of trips and valid tag rate. The analysis shows that the stage-by-stage estimation methodology based on the trip type proposed in this study can es-timate users’ destinations more accurately than previous studies. Furthermore, based on the construction of nearly 100% valid tag data, this study differs from prior studies.

There have been many discussions on the globalisation of SMEs, but it is true that there is not enough academic achievement after such the study of Born global (BG) ventures. The internationalisation of SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) is not easy because they lack resources or capabilities compared to multinational corporations. This study investigated the role of government in assisting the internationalisation of SMEs. In particular, SMEs lacked the ability to acquire market-oriented information, so we’ve established the scheme of efficient information support system for the internationalisation of SMEs. In other words, we proposed an information analysis system through the establishment of a relational database constructed for market-oriented information support. KISTI (Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information), which is one of the government-funded research institutes in the Republic of Korea, provided information support to the SMEs dealing with hydrazine related products. This study suggests this case for the market-oriented information support of the government in the internationalisation of SMEs. The research on information support of the government is meaningful in that it suggests a way to support SMEs in practical level.

The term Air Quality (AQ) pertains to the standard of air, which has a direct impact on the health and well-being of individuals. It is crucial to maintain high Air Quality (AQ), for better health and productivity. Though most of people spend more time indoors nowadays, it is not to be overlooked that the pollutant concentration in indoor air is directly linked to the outdoor air quality. Due to the changes in occupancy patterns, outdated maintenance of ventilation systems, and structural flaws in buildings, the indoor air is significantly polluted; pollutants emitted outdoors enter indoor air through open windows, ventilation systems and infiltration. In this paper, we have proposed a new technique, DTMCPM (discrete-time Markov chain (DTMC) model for the analysis and forecasting of AQ, using the power method). Specialized sensors and equipment to measure different pollutants, such as particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, benzene and toluene, are used to collect data by the Institute of Pakistan Air Quality Monitor in various cities; the data is converted to US EPA standard for all pollutant species. This data is used to calculate the transition matrix, steady-state values and mean return rate for the analysis of IAQ. The calculated and actual return rates have been compared and the proposed model is found to have a low average prediction error of 2.356%.

Microalgae are abundant components of biosphere rich in low molecular weight carbohy-drate-containing natural products (glycoconjugates). Glycoconjugates take a part in processes of photosynthesis, provide producers with important biological properties, influence other organ-isms and known by biological activities. Some of them, for example glycosylated toxins and ar-senicals, are detrimental and can be transferring via food chains into higher organisms including humans. So far, the studies on a series of particular groups of microalgal glycoconjugates were not comprehensively discussed in special reviews. In this review, a special focus was made on the isolation, structure determination, properties and approaches to the search for new bioactive metabolites. Analysis of literature data concerning structures, functions and biological activities of ribosylated arsenicals, galactosylated and sulfoquinovosylated lipids, phosphoglycolipids, gly-coside derivatives of toxins, and other groups of glycoconjugates was carried out and discussed. The discovery of a great variety of new carbohydrate-containing metabolites, important biological roles some of them, participation in regulation of microalgal blooms via viral infections as well as the detection of potent immunomodulatory activity, shown by these type metabolites could be attributed to the most interesting recent achievements. Structures, properties and biological roles of glycoconjugates from microalgae attract a great attention growing year to year.

Predictive maintenance technologies have emerged as a transformative force in retail supply chain management, offering the potential to significantly enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction. This study explores the implementation and impact of predictive maintenance within the retail sector, focusing on its benefits, challenges, technological tools, and future directions. The findings indicate that predictive maintenance enables a proactive approach to equipment management, leading to substantial reductions in downtime and maintenance costs, extended equipment lifespan, and enhanced sustainability through reduced energy consumption and waste. However, the adoption of these technologies is not without challenges. High initial costs, the need for specialized skills in data analytics and IoT, issues with data quality and reliability, organizational resistance, and cybersecurity concerns present significant barriers to successful implementation. Technological tools such as IoT sensors, data analytics platforms, machine learning algorithms, and digital twins are crucial for the effective functioning of predictive maintenance systems, providing real-time data monitoring and analysis that improve decision-making and maintenance planning. The study also highlights promising future trends, including advancements in AI, machine learning, IoT, and blockchain technologies, which are expected to further enhance predictive maintenance capabilities. To fully realize the potential of predictive maintenance, companies must address the identified challenges, invest in workforce development, and implement robust data security measures. Future research should focus on exploring these advancements, understanding the broader environmental impacts, and conducting cross-industry analyses to identify best practices. Overall, while predictive maintenance offers substantial benefits, its successful integration requires a nuanced approach that balances technological innovation with strategic and operational considerations.

This review article aims at improving understanding of the theoretical discussion on technonationalism. Reviewing conventional works of the literature proposes protectionist, innovationist, and strategic industrial approaches toward high-tech industries. The findings show that technonationalism is a concept linking technology and national security, seeking geoeconomic interests in the integrated global market to exert state power for economic statecraft. The nature of industry highly relies on the global value chain, and technological innovation in the high-tech sectors occurs mainly in the private sector; thus, this article points out the issue of embracing business interests into the state’s strategic addenda as a critical criterion of technonationalism. Also, technonationalism is a narrowly defined concept with state actors involved in national security affairs and high-tech business actors.

Probiotics have been used to ameliorate gastrointestinal symptoms since ancient times. Over the past 40 years, probiotics have been shown to exert major effects on the immune system, both in vivo and in vitro. This interaction is clearly linked to gut microbes, their polysaccharide antigens, and key metabolites produced by these bacteria. At least four metabolic pathways have been implicated in mechanistic studies of probiotics, based on carefully studied animal models. Microbial-immune system crosstalk has been linked to short chain fatty acid production and signaling, tryptophan metabolism and the activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptors, nucleoside signaling in the gut, and activation of the intestinal histamine-2 receptor. Several randomized controlled trials have now shown that microbial modification by probiotics may improve gastrointestinal symptoms and multi-organ inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and multiple sclerosis. Future work will need to carefully assess safety issues, selection of optimal strains and combinations, and attempts to prolong the duration of colonization of beneficial microbes.

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

Flails are one of the more contentious and misunderstood classes of medieval weaponry, despite their prevalence in popular media: some researchers question their existence entirely and the bulk of historians are sceptical of widespread temporal and geographical prevalence while others, and a significant volume of period evidence, would argue the contrary. While the expansive use of flails in Eastern Europe and Byzantium is familiar, many Central, Western, and Southern European sources are less well-known or largely forgotten, especially those stemming from the later-early and early-high medieval eras (up to 1250). In this work, I collate and discuss the bulk of the available literary references and artistic depictions of flails and their use alongside some of the archaeological finds from Western, Central, and Southern Europe, with an emphasis on the 12^th and 13^th Centuries. The significance of this volume of evidence is examined, and an assessment of flails as a part of medieval culture and warfare is considered. Collectively, this would suggest that knowledge of flails as instruments of war and associated cultural connotations, if not their actual prevalence and use in warfare, was far more widespread across Europe this time period than has been previously estimated.

In this paper, we will use the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) and the Bayes methods to perform estimation procedures for the reliability of stress-strength ℜ=P[X>Y] based on independent adaptive progressive censored samples that were taken from the Chen distributions. An approximate confidence interval of ℜ is constructed using a variety of classical techniques, such as the normal approximation of the MLE, the normal approximation of the log-transformed MLE, and the percentile bootstrap (Boot-p) procedure. The Bayesian estimation of ℜ is obtained based on the balanced loss function, which comes in two versions here, the symmetric balanced squared error (BSE) loss function and the asymmetric balanced linear exponential (BLINEX) loss function. When estimating ℜ using the Bayesian approach, all the unknown parameters of the Chen distributions are assumed to be independently distributed and to have informative gamma priors. Further, a mixture of Gibbs sampling algorithm and Metropolis-Hastings algorithm is used to compute the Bayes estimate of ℜ and the associated highest posterior density credible interval. In the end, simulation research are used to assess the general overall performance of the proposed estimators and a real data set is provided to exemplify the theoretical results.

COVID-19 has affected 212 countries around the world, killing nearly 300,000 and infecting more than 4.4 million by May 14, 2020. Bangladesh, a South Asian low-middle-income economy, has experienced a demographic and epidemiological transition with rapid urbanization and a gradual increase in life expectancy. It is the seventh most populous country in the world and population of the country is expected to be nearly double by 2050. The increasing burden of communicable diseases in Bangladesh can be attributable to rapid urbanization and nearly 50% of all slum dwellers of the country live in Dhaka division. In 2017, National Rapid Response Team of IEDCR investigated 26 incidents of disease outbreak. The joint survey of the Power and Participation Research Centre and BRAC Institute of Governance and Development reveals that per capita daily income of urban slum and rural poor drops by 80% due to present countrywide shutdown enforced by the government to halt the spread of Covid-19. 40%-50% of these population took loans to meet the daily expenses. However, the country has just 127,000 hospital beds, 91,000 of them in government-run hospitals. Researchers say, the country’s economy is economy is losing BDT 33 billion every day from its service and agriculture sectors during the nationwide shutdown.

This paper presents a limited scope dynamic probabilistic risk assessment (D-PRA) on the survivability of commercial of the shelf (COTS) drones tasked with surveilling areas with varying radiation levels after a nuclear accident. The D-PRA is based on a discrete-dynamic event tree (D-DET) approach, which couples with the OpenEPL error propagation framework to model sequences leading to Loss of Mission (LOM) scenarios due to component failures in the drone’s navigation system. Radiation effects are simulated by calculating the total ionizing dose (TID) against the permissible limit per component, and errors are propagated within the electronic hardware and software blocks to quantify navigation system availability per radiation zone. The proposed methods are integrated into the traditional event tree/fault tree approach and the most vulnerable components are radiation-hardened (RAD-HARD) to the extent specified by a predefined mission success criterion. The results demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed approach in performing trade studies for incorporating COTS components into RAD-HARD drone designs.

Technological advances such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, big data, social media, geographic information systems represent a building block of the digital transformation that supports the resilience of the food supply chain (FSC) and increases its efficiency. This paper reviews the literature surrounding digitalization in FSCs. A bibliometric and key-route main path analysis was carried out to objectively and analytically uncover the knowledge development in digitalization within the context of sustainable FSCs. The research began with the selection of 2140 articles published nearly over five decades. Then, the articles were examined according to several bibliometric metrics such as year of publication, countries, institutions, sources, authors, and keywords frequency. A keyword co-occurrence network was generated to cluster the relevant literature. Findings of the review and bibliometric analysis indicate that research at the intersection of technology and the FSC has gained substantial interest from scholars. On the basis of keyword co-occurrence network, the literature is focused on the role of information communication technology for agriculture and food security, food waste and circular economy, and the merge of the Internet of Things and blockchain in the FSC. The analysis of the key-route main path uncovers three critical periods marking the development of technology-enabled FSCs. The study offers scholars a better understanding of digitalization within the agri-food industry and the current knowledge gaps for future research. Practitioners may find the review useful to remain ahead of the latest discussions of technology-enabled FSCs. To the authors’ best knowledge, the current study is one of the few endeavors to explore technology-enabled FSCs using a comprehensive sample of journals articles published during the past five decades.

Supplier selection (SC) product life cycle cost (SCPLCC) is an important consideration among corporations, SCPLCC problem has become associated with deciding how one supplier should be selected from possible alternatives. In this study, we applied two types of goal programming, multiobjective linear programming and revised multichoice goal programming to develop a PLCC-based concept to solve the SCPLCC problem and construct a decision-making tool for application to a case of supply chain management in a Taiwanese light-emitting diode company in the high-tech industry. Our study main contribution Company managers can easily use the two approaches of the SCPLCC model with different parameters to solve SCPLCC model problems. Finally, we comparing five models found RMCGP with weighted linear goal programming had an adequate effect for application to the PLCC concept for high-technology company; this cloud makes company decision–makers focus on low PLCC and select a better supplier in sustainable supply chains goal.

Much evidence has accumulated over the past decade in favor of a significant association between dysbiosis, neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Presently, the pathogenetic mechanisms triggered by molecules produced by the altered microbiota, also responsible for the onset and evolution of Alzheimer Disease will be described. Our attention will be focused on the role of astrocytes and microglia. Numerous studies have progressively demonstrated how these glial cells are important to ensure an adequate environment for neuronal activity in healthy conditions. Furthermore, it is becoming evident how both cell types can mediate the onset of neuroinflammation and lead to neurodegeneration when subjected to pathological stimuli. Based on this information, the role of major microbiota products in shifting the activation profiles of astrocytes and microglia from a healthy to a diseased state will be discussed focussing on Alzheimer Disease pathogenesis.

Mitochondrial disorders, although heterogeneous, are traditionally described as conditions characterized by encephalomyopathy, hypotonia and progressive postnatal organ failure. Here we provide a systematic review of Linear Skin Defects with Multiple Congenital Anomalies (LSDMCA), a rare unconventional mitochondrial disorder which presents as a developmental disease; its main clinical features include microphthalmia with different degrees of severity, linear skin lesions, and central nervous system malformations. The molecular basis of this disorder has been elusive for several years. Mutations were eventually identified in three X-linked genes, i.e., HCCS, COX7B, and NDUFB11, which are all endowed with defined roles in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. A peculiar feature of this condition is its inheritance pattern: X-linked dominant male-lethal. Only female or XX male individuals can be observed, implying that nullisomy for these transcripts is incompatible with normal embryonic development in mammals. All three genes undergo X-inactivation that, according to our hypothesis, may contribute to the extreme variable expressivity observed in this condition. We propose that mitochondrial dysfunction should be considered as an underlying cause in developmental disorders. Moreover, LSDMCA should be taken into consideration by clinicians when dealing with patients with microphthalmia with or without associated skin phenotypes.

Ribosomes are macromolecular complexes important to protein translation, and thus, essential to life. Comprising an ensemble of ribosomal proteins and RNA molecules, ribosomes are conserved in structure and function across all domains of life, but recent structural studies have revealed differentiated structures of ribosomes from bacterial, archaea and eukaryotes. Additionally, unique ribosomal protein mass fingerprints have been found for individual species; thereby, indicating that ribosomes are differentiated in structure amongst different species. Given that structure defines function, differentiated function likely exists amongst ribosomes of different species, which could manifest as differences in translation efficiency that could impact on cell growth rate. But ribosomal proteins also hold phylogenetic significance in informing the evolutionary trajectory of each species. Such ribosomal proteins are thus not highly conserved and offers sufficient sequence space for the evolution of differentiated structure and function in different species. Using ribosomal proteins that hold phylogenetic significance as templates, this study sought to understand the mutational and conformational limits that define functional ribosomes. Specifically, ribosomal proteins in Bacillus subtilis that hold phylogenetic cues would be mutated through error-prone polymerase chain reaction to generate variants that are subsequently transformed into Escherichia coli. To help assess the functional properties of the heterologous ribosomal proteins, endogenous ribosomal protein genes would be inactivated by multiplex CRISPR interference. Since variants in ribosomal proteins would likely impact on ribosome function and translation efficiency, live/dead screening on LB agar would be effective as a preliminary screen for functional mutants. These mutants would subsequently be inoculated into liquid LB medium in 96 well plates to quantify relative growth rates between different strains harbouring different heterologous variants of ribosomal proteins. Plasmids containing different ribosomal protein mutants would be extracted from each functional strain and subjected to Sanger sequencing for determining the specific mutations involved. Collection of such mutations would provide a comprehensive mutational map that define the limits of ribosomal protein sequence space important to ribosome function. Furthermore, biochemical isolation of ribosomal proteins and their structural characterization by X-ray crystallography or cryo-electron microscopy would further illuminate the structural significance of each mutation on ribosome structure and function; thereby, elucidating the structural tolerance space for functional ribosomes. Overall, generating a diverse pool of mutant ribosomal proteins in viability assays followed by sequencing and structural characterization would help define the mutational and conformational limits of a functional and efficient ribosome.

This investigation introduces an efficient method for assessing the reliability of semi-rigid steel frame connections in existing buildings, explicitly targeting the Top Angle and Seat Pad (TA-SP) semi-rigid connection commonly used in Australian cities' high-rise buildings. The moment capacity of these connections was examined through parameter power model testing, meticulously considering the bending, shear, and prying forces actions to determine the weakest elements in the connection system. A plastic hinge model was applied to ensure computational efficiency and accuracy in assessing the connections' ultimate strength. Comparatively, the finite element (F.E) method M−θ curves were introduced to scrutinise the nonlinear behaviour of the connection, providing validation for the predicted analytical approach. Further emphasis was placed on identifying the reliability of the weakest elements in the connection system, employing the First-Order and Second-Order Reliability Methods models to estimate their reliability index. The correlation between the model's failure probability and a percentile error was also explored, utilising Monte Carlo simulation reference for refined validation. Novel formulas and methodologies were introduced to compute the locked-chain-series system reliability, which accounts for the inherent material and geometric variability. The findings highlight the critical significance of the weakest element in determining the overall reliability of the existing TA-SP connection.

Fatty acid desaturase 2 (Fads2) is the key enzyme of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) biosynthesis. Endogenous production of these biomolecules in vertebrates, if present, is insufficient to meet demand. Hence, LC-PUFA are considered as conditionally-essential. At present however, LC-PUFA are globally-limited nutrients due to anthropogenic factors. Attention of research is given therefore to find ways to maximize endogenous LC-PUFA production especially in production species, whereby deeper knowledge on molecular mechanisms of enzymatic steps involved is being generated. This review first briefly informs about the milestones in the history of LC-PUFA essentiality exploration before it focuses on the main aim – to highlight the fascinating Fads2 potential to play roles fundamental to adaptation to novel environmental conditions. Investigations are summarized, which elucidate the evolutionary history of fish Fads2 providing an explanation for the remarkable plasticity of this enzyme in fish. Further, structural implications of Fads2 substrate specificity are discussed and some relevant studies performed on organisms other than fish are mentioned in cases when such studies have so far not been conducted on fish models. The importance of Fads2 in the context of growing aquaculture demand and dwindling LC-PUFA supply is depicted and a few remedies in the form of genetic engineering to improve endogenous production of these biomolecules are outlined.

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, many virus-binding monoclonal antibodies have been developed for clinical and diagnostic purposes. This underlines the importance of antibodies as universal bioanalytical reagents. However, little attention is given to the reproducibility crisis that scientific studies are still facing to date. In a recent study, not even half of all research antibodies mentioned in publications could be identified at all. This should spark more efforts in the search for practical solutions for the traceability of antibodies. For this purpose, we used thirty-five monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 to demonstrate how sequence-independent antibody identification can be achieved by simple means applied onto the protein. First, we examined the intact and light chain masses of the antibodies relative to the reference material NIST-mAb 8671. Already half of the antibodies could be identified based solely on these two parameters. In addition, we developed two complementary peptide mass fingerprinting methods with MALDI-TOF-MS that can be performed in 45 minutes and had a combined sequence coverage of over 80%. One method is based on the partial acidic hydrolysis of the protein by 5 mM of sulfuric acid at 99 °C. Furthermore, we established a fast way for a tryptic digest without an alkylation step. We were able to show that the distinction of clones is possible simply by a brief visual comparison of the mass spectra. In this work, two clones originating from the same immunization gave the same fingerprints. Later, a hybridoma sequencing confirmed the sequence identity of these sister clones. In order to automate the spectral comparison for larger libraries of antibodies, we developed the online software ABID 2.0 (https://gets.shinyapps.io/ABID/). This open-source software determines the number of matching peptides in the fingerprint spectra. We propose that publications and other documents critically relying on monoclonal antibodies with unknown amino acid sequences should include at least one antibody fingerprint. By fingerprinting an antibody in question, its identity can be confirmed by comparison with a library spectrum at any time and context.

The role of γδ T cells in vertebrate immunity is still an unsolved puzzle. Species such as humans and mice display a low percentage of these T lymphocytes (i.e., “γδ low species”) with a restricted diversity of γδ T cell receptors (TR). Conversely, artiodactyl species (i.e., “γδ high species”) ac-count for a high proportion of γδ T cells with large γ and δ chain repertoires. The genomic organisation of the TR γ (TRG) and δ (TRD) loci has been determined in sheep and cattle, noting that a wide number of germline genes that encode for γ and δ chains characterise their genomes. Taking advantage from the current improved version of the genome assembly, we have investigated the genomic structure and gene content of the dromedary TRD locus, which, as in the other mammalian species, is nested within the TR alpha (TRA) genes. The most remarkable finding was the identification of a very limited number of variable germline genes (TRDV) compared to sheep and cattle, which supports our previous expression analyses for which the somatic hypermutation mechanism is able to enlarge and diversify the primary repertoire of dromedary δ chains. Furthermore, the comparison between genomic and expressed sequences reveals that D genes, up to four incorporated in a transcript, greatly contribute to the increased diversity of the dromedary δ chain antigen binding-site.

The traditional sequent peak algorithm (SPA) was used to assess the reservoir volume (VR) for comparison with deficit volume, DT, (subscript T representing the return period) obtained from the drought magnitude (DM) based method with draft level set at the mean annual flow on 15 rivers across Canada. At an annual scale, the SPA based estimates were found to be larger with an average of nearly 70% compared to DM based estimates. To ramp up DM based estimates to be in parity with SPA based values, the analysis was carried out through the counting and the analytical procedures involving only the annual SHI (standardized hydrological index, i.e. standardized values of annual flows) sequences. It was found that MA2 or MA3 (moving average of 2 or 3 consecutive values) of SHI sequences were required to match the counted values of DT to VR. Further, the inclusion of mean, as well as the variance of the drought intensity in the analytical procedure, with aforesaid smoothing led DT comparable to VR. The distinctive point in the DM based method is that no assumption is necessary such as the reservoir being full at the beginning of the analysis - as is the case with SPA.

Human milk fat is a concentrated source of energy and provides essential and long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. According to previous experiments, human milk fat is partially lost during continuous enteral nutrition. However, these experiments were done over relatively short infusion times, and a complete profile of the lost fatty acids was never measured. Whether this lost happens considering longer infusion times or if some fatty acids are lost more than others remain unknown. Pooled breast milk was infused through a feeding tube by a peristaltic pump over a period of 30 minutes and 4, 12 and 24 hours at 2 ml/hour. Adsorbed fat was extracted from the tubes, and the fatty acid composition was analyzed by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Total fat loss (average fatty acid loss) after 24 hours was 0.6 ± 0.1%. Short-medium chain (0.7%, p=0.15), long chain (0.6%, p=0.56) saturated (0.7%, p=0.4), monounsaturated (0.5%, p=0.15), polyunsaturated fatty (0.7%, p=0.15), linoleic (0.7%, p=0.25), and docosahexaenoic acids (0.6%, p=0.56) were not selectively adsorbed to the tube. However, very long chain fatty (0.9%, p=0.04), alpha-linolenic (1.6%, p=0.02) and arachidonic acids (1%, p=0.02) were selectively adsorbed and therefore lost in a greater proportion than other fatty acids. In all cases, the magnitude of the loss was clinically low.

Understanding the energy metabolism and its regulation is one of the clues to metabolic engineering of stress-resistant lignocellulose-converting microbial strains, including also the promising ethanologen Zymomonas mobilis. Z. mobilis is an obligately fermentative, facultatively anaerobic bacterium, carrying an active respiratory chain with a low energy-coupling efficiency. Its respiration does not supply energy to aerobically growing culture on sugary media, yet oxidative phosphorylation has been demonstrated in non-growing cells with ethanol. In the present work we show that in respiring, non-growing Z. mobilis cells, receiving regular small amounts of ethanol, oxidative phosphorylation significantly contributes to the maintenance of their viability. Accordingly, no improvement of viability is seen in the NADH dehydrogenase (ndh)-deficient respiratory mutant, unable to oxidize ethanol. The ethanol effect is hampered also by the protonophoric uncoupler CCCP, or the inhibitor of ATP synthase, DCCD. At higher concentrations (6% v/v) ethanol causes stress that slows down culture growth. By monitoring the activity of several respiratory gene promoters in aerobically growing culture under ethanol stress with the green fluorescent protein reporter system, we demonstrate downregulation of these promoters, in particular the ndh promoter. We speculate that the decrease of the respiratory chain activity mitigates the production of reactive oxygen species.

Arf-like protein 2 (ARL2) is a ubiquitously expressed small GTPase with multiple functions. In cell culture, ARL2 participates with tubulin cofactor D (TBCD) in the neogenesis of tubulin αβ-heterodimers, the building blocks of microtubules. To evaluate this function in retina, we conditionally deleted ARL2 in mouse retina at two distinct stages, either during embryonic development (retArl2-/-) or after ciliogenesis specifically in rods (rodArl2-/-). retArl2-/- retina sections displayed distorted nuclear layers and a disrupted microtubule cytoskeleton (MTC) as early as postnatal day 6 (P6). Rod and cone outer segments (OS) did not form. By contrast, rod ARL2 knockouts were stable at postnatal day 35 and revealed normal ERG responses. Cytoplasmic dynein is reduced in retArl2-/- inner segments (IS), suggesting that dynein may be unstable in the absence of a normal MTC. We investigated microtubular stability in the absence of either ARL2 (retARL2-/-) or DYNC1H1 (retDync1h1-/-), the dynein heavy chain, and found that both the retArl2-/- and retDync1h1-/- retinas exhibited reduced microtubules and nuclear layer distortion. The results suggest that ARL2 and dynein depend on each other to generate a functional MTC during early photoreceptor development.

Though innovations for sustainable management of natural resources have emerged over time, the rising demand for nature based health solutions and integration of endemic flora into global value chains could have adverse impacts on ecosystems. The ecological risks in the exploitation of wild medicinal plant resources are exacerbated by a myriad of agrotechnological risks and challenges that highly constrain their domestication. Successful exploitation and commercialization of medicinal plants thus require a clear understanding of their demand and production systems or value chain analysis. Accordingly there is need for innovative approaches towards their integration into global value chains. Since quality and safety, traceability, certification, as well as, consumer tastes and preferences are critical drivers in purchasing decisions by global consumers, they are inadvertently exploited to weaken Indigenous knowledge (IK), undermine common property rights and entrench value chains that favour a few elite buyers. This tend to create pervasive incentives for overexploitation of medicinal plant resources and environmental degradation. Potential solution lies in the recognition of drivers of vulnerability to environmental degradation and the innovative use of policy bricolage, feedback loops and interactions between knowledge, power and agency on one hand, and collective action and property rights institutions on the other hand. We conceptualise a framework that can mediate a transformational agenda and enhance systematic understanding of sustainability lenses in endemic medicinal plant resources value chains. This could in turn strengthen IK, enhance collective action and promote participation of local actors with positive impact on the utilisation and integration of endemic medicinal plant resources into global value chains.

Insufficient mixing in large-scale bioreactors, provokes gradient zones of substrate, dissolved oxygen, pH and other parameters. E. coli responds to a high glucose, low oxygen feeding zone with the accumulation of mixed acid fermentation products, especially formate, but also with the synthesis of non-canonical amino acids, such as norvaline, norleucine and -methyl-norleucine. These amino acids can be mis-incorporated into recombinant products, which causes a problem for pharmaceutical production whose solution is not trivial. While these effects can also be observed in scale down bioreactor systems, these are challenging to operate. Especially the high-throughput screening of clone libraries is not easy, as fed-batch cultivations would need to be controlled via repeated glucose pulses with simultaneous oxygen limitation, as has been demonstrated in well controlled robotic systems. Here we show that not only glucose pulses in combination with oxygen limitation can provoke the synthesis of these non-canonical branched-chain amino acids, but also that pyruvate pulses produce the same effect. Therefore we combined the enzyme based glucose delivery method Enbase® in a PALL24 mini-bioreactor system and combined repeated pyruvate pulses with simultaneous reduction of the aeration rate. These cultivation conditions, produced an increase in the non-canonical branched chain amino acids norvaline and norleucine in both the intracellular soluble protein and inclusion body fractions with mini-proinsulin as an example product, and this effect was verified in a 15 L stirred tank bioreactor. To our opinion this cultivation strategy is easy to apply for the screening of strain libraries under standard laboratory conditions if no complex robotic and well controlled parallel cultivation devices are available.

The most extensive urban growths in the next 30 years are expected to occur in developing countries. Lagos, Nigeria - Africa’s second most populous megacity- is a prime example. To achieve more sustainable and resilient cities, there is a need for modeling the urban growth patterns of major cities and analyzing their implications. In this study, the urban growth of Lagos state was modeled using the Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) neural network for the transition modeling and the Markov Chain analysis for the change prediction, achieving a model accuracy of 81.8%. An innovative visual validation of the model results using the ArcGIS was combined with kappa correlation statistics. The results show that by 2031, built-up areas will be the most spatially extensive LULC class in the study area with percentage coverage of 34.1% as opposed to 9% in 1986. The coverage of bare areas is also expected to increase by 53% between 2016 and 2031. Conversely, 24.9% and 68.3% loss of forestlands and wetlands respectively, are expected between 2016 and 2031. In view of the 11^th goal of SDGs which focuses on achieving sustainable cities and communities, the objectives of African Union’s Agenda 2063, and based on the urban growth trends observed, the study recommends a prioritization of vertical expansion as opposed to the current horizontal urban growth trends in the study area.

The lack of accurate and feasible diagnostic tests poses a significant challenge to visceral leish-maniasis (VL) healthcare services in endemic areas. To date, various VL diagnostic tests have been or are being developed, and their diagnostic performance needs to be assessed.. In the present study, the diagnostic performance of rk39RDT, Direct Agglutination Test (DAT), Microscopy, Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP), and miniature direct-on-blood polymerase chain reaction - nucleic acid lateral flow immunoassay (mini-dbPCR-NALFIA) was assessed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) as reference test in an endemic region of Ethiopia. In this study, 235 patients VL suspected patients and 104 non-endemic healthy controls (NEHC) were recruited. Among the VL-suspected patients, 144(61.28%) tested positive with qPCR. Sensi-tivities for rk39 RDT, DAT, Microscopy, LAMP assay, and mini-dbPCR-NALFIA were 88.11%, 96.50%, 76.58%, 94.33%, and 95.80%, respectively. Specificities were 83.33%, 97.96%, 100%, 97.38%, and 98.92% for rk39 RDT, DAT, Microscopy, LAMP assay, and mini-dbPCR-NALFIA, respectively. In conclusion, Rk39 RDT and microscopy exhibited lower sensitivity, while DAT demonstrated excellent performance. LAMP and mini-dbPCR-NALFIA showed excellent perfor-mance with feasibility to implement in remote endemic areas, although the latter requires further evaluation in such regions.

The enteric nervous system is affected by inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Gut microbiota ferment dietary fibers and produce short-chain fatty acids, such as Butyrate, which bind to G protein-coupled receptors, such as GPR41, and contribute to maintaining intestinal health. This work aimed to study the GPR41 in myenteric neurons and analyze the effect of Butyrate in mice submitted to experimental ulcerative colitis. The 2, 4, 6 trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) was injected intrarectally in C57BL/6 mice (Colitis). Sham group received ethanol (vehicle). One group was treated with 100mg/kg of Sodium Butyrate (Butyrate), and the other groups received saline. Animals were euthanized 7 days after colitis induction. Analyzes demonstrated colocalization of GPR41 with neurons immunoreactive (-ir) to nNOS and ChAT-ir, and absence of colocalization of the GPR41 with GFAP-ir glia. Quantitative results demonstrated losses of nNOS-ir, ChAT-ir, and GPR41-ir neurons in Colitis group, and Butyrate treatment attenuated neuronal loss. The number of GFAP-ir glia increased in Colitis group, whereas Butyrate reduced the number of these cells. In addition, morphological alterations observed in Colitis group were attenuated in Butyrate group. The presence of GPR41 in myenteric neurons was identified and the treatment with Butyrate attenuated the damage caused by experimental ulcerative colitis.

Inhibition of amyloid fibril formation could benefit patients with systemic amyloidosis. In this group of diseases, deposition of amyloid fibrils derived from normally soluble proteins leads to progressive tissue damage and organ failure. Although many small molecules have been proposed as inhibitors of amyloid formation, few have been successful in clinical trials. Amyloid formation is complex and several individual steps could be targeted by small molecules. However, the exact mechanism of action for a molecule is often not known, which impedes medicinal chemistry efforts to develop more potent molecules. Furthermore, commonly used assays are prone to artifacts that must be controlled for. Here, potential mechanisms by which small molecules could inhibit aggregation of immunoglobulin light chain dimers, the precursor proteins for AL amyloidosis are studied in assays that recapitulate different aspects of amyloidogenesis in vitro. One molecule reduced unfolding-coupled proteolysis of light chains, but no molecules inhibited aggregation of light chains or disrupted pre-formed amyloid fibrils. This work demonstrates the challenges associated with drug development for amyloidosis, but also highlights the potential to combine therapies that target different aspects of amyloidogenesis.

Integrating triple bottom line (TBL) goals into supply chains (SCs) is a challenging task which necessitates the careful coordination of numerous stakeholders’ individual interests. Recent technological advancements can impact TBL sustainability by changing the design, structure and management of modern SCs. Blockchain technology enables immutable data records and facilitates a shared data view along the supply chain. The Physical Internet (PI) is an overarching framework that can be applied to create a layered and comprehensive view of the SC. In this conceptual paper I define and combine these technologies and derive several high-level research areas and research questions to investigate adoption, management as well as structural SC issues. I suggest a theory-based research agenda for the years to come that exploits the strengths of rigorous academic research, while remaining relevant for the industry. Furthermore, I suggest various well-established theories to tackle the respective research questions and provide specific directions for future research.

Fixed offshore wind turbines continue to be developed for high latitude areas where not only wind and wave loads need to be considered, but also moving sea ice. Current rules and regulations for the design of fixed offshore structures in ice-covered waters do not adequately consider effects of ice loading and its stochastic nature on fatigue life of the structure. Ice crushing on such structures results in ice-induced vibrations, which can be represented by loading the structure using a variable-amplitude loading (VAL) sequence. Typical offshore load spectra are developed for wave and wind loading. Thus, a combined VAL spectrum is developed for wind, wave, and ice action. To this goal, numerical models are used to simulate the dynamic ice-, wind-, and wave-structure interaction. The stress time-history at an exemplarily selected critical point in an offshore wind energy monopile support structure is extracted from the model and translated into a VAL sequence, which can then be used as a loading sequence for the fatigue assessment or fatigue testing of welded joints of offshore wind turbine support structures. This study presents the approach to determine combined load spectra and standardized time series for wind, wave, and ice action.

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

Long-chain omega-3 fatty acid status during pregnancy may influence newborn anthropometry and duration of gestation. Evidence from high-quality trials from LMICs is limited. We conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial among 957 pregnant women (singleton gestation, 14-20 weeks’ gestation at enrollment) in India to test the effectiveness of 400 mg/d algal docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) compared to placebo provided from enrollment through delivery. Among 3379 women who were screened, 1171 were found eligible; 957 enrolled and were randomized. The intervention was two microencapsulated algal DHA (200 X 2= 400 mg/d) or two microencapsulated soy and corn oil placebo tablets to be consumed daily from enrollment (20 weeks) through delivery. The primary outcome was newborn anthropometry (birth weight, length, head circumference). Secondary outcomes were gestational age and 1 and 5 min Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration (APGAR) score. The groups (DHA; n=478 and placebo; n=479) were well balanced at baseline. There were 902 live births. Compliance with the intervention was similar across groups (DHA: 88.5%; placebo: 87.1%). There were no significant differences between DHA and placebo group for birth weight (2750.6 ± 421.5 vs. 2768.2 ± 436.6 g, p=0.54), length (47.3 ± 2.0 vs. 47.5 ±2.0 cm, p=0.13) or head circumference (33.7 ± 1.4 vs 33.8 ± 1.4 cm, p=0.15). The mean gestational age at delivery was similar between groups (DHA: 38.8 ± 1.7 placebo: 38.8 ± 1.7 wk, p= 0.54) as were APGAR scores at 1 and 5 min. Supplementing mothers through pregnancy with 400mg/d DHA did not impact the offspring birthweight, length or head circumference.

Polymers in highly confined geometries can display complex morphologies including ordered phases. A basic component of a theoretical analysis of their phase behavior in confined geometries is the knowledge of the number of possible single-chain conformations compatible with the geometrical restrictions and the established crystalline morphology. While the statistical properties of unrestricted self-avoiding random walks (SAWs) both on and off-lattice are very well known, the same is not true for SAWs in confined geometries. The purpose of this contribution is a) to enumerate the number of SAWs on the simple cubic (SC) and face-centered cubic (FCC) lattices under confinement for moderate SAW lengths, and b) to obtain an approximate expression for their behavior as a function of chain length, type of lattice, and degree of confinement. This information is an essential requirement for the understanding and prediction of entropy-driven phase transitions of model polymer chains under confinement. In addition, a simple geometric argument is presented that explains, to first order, the dependence of the number of restricted SAWs on the type of SAW origin.

UN Convention on Climate Change 2015 mandates reducing carbon footprint to reduce global warming. Considering environmental concerns, Electric Vehicles (EVs) spearhead the move towards green mobility. Niti Aayog (Indian Government) has envisaged an “EV only” scenario by 2030. Two wheelers dominate the Indian automobile industry with almost 80% market share. With the transportation sector accounting for 70% of world’s fossil fuels use, the need for a sustainable supply chain which addresses environment, economy and societal issues, has, of late, aroused interest in the business academic community and industries. Sustainability in business decision-making promotes efficiency, controls expenditure, enhances customer delight, increases sales and market share, optimises risk management strategy, and promotes profitability. This study intends to develop a conceptual framework after examining research gaps in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) and allied topics like sustainability, green supply chain management, and vendor partnerships through collaborative efforts. Even the UN vide Goal 9 of sustainable goals pertaining to industry, highlights the importance of this framework.

Mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC) is essential for the brain glucose and neurotransmitter metabolism, dysregulated in many pathologies. Using specific inhibitors of PDHC in vivo, we determine biochemical and physiological responses to PDHC dysfunction. Dose dependence of the responses to membrane-permeable dimethyl acetylphosphonate (Ac-PMe2) is non-monotonous. Primary decreases in glutathione and its redox potential, methionine and ethanolamine are alleviated with increasing PDHC inhibition, the alleviation accompanied by physiological changes. Comparison of 39 brain biochemical parameters after administration of four phosphinate and phosphonate analogs of pyruvate at a fixed dose of 0.1 mmol/kg reveals no primary, but the secondary changes, such as activation of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (OGDHC) and decreased levels of glutamate, isoleucine and leucine. The accompanying decreases in RMSSD of ECG and freezing time are most pronounced after administration of me-thyl acetylphosphinate and dimethyl acetylphosphonate. The levels of PDHA1 expression and phosphorylation, sirtuin 3 and total protein acetylation are not significantly changed by the PDHC inhibitors that affect the brain protein succinylation and glutarylation. Thus, decreased production of the tricarboxylic acid cycle substrate acetyl-CoA by inhibited PDHC is compen-sated by increased degradation of amino acids through the cycle with activated OGDHC, increas-ing total protein succinylation and decreasing anxiety indicators.

Since there is not a clear consensus about the possibility for COVID-19 to be an airborne disease, exists a controversy regarding the need to use surgical masks to prevent its spread. Here, using the Kepler conjecture for ideal packaging, the number of virions of different sizes that can be accommodated inside droplets was calculated and are proportional to the 3^rd potency of the droplet/virion diameter. The differences between particles of 5 um and 100 μm are around four orders of magnitude, explaining why the airborne spread is much more difficult but still possible. There is no solid evidence yet that the airborne coronaviruses may reach enough concentration to infect, but this may be the case under certain circumstances. The WHO partially recognizes now this fact in a warning to health workers (from my point of view too late, as it was the declaration of a pandemic). Another issue is whether the virus stays infective in aerosols generated from patients. This has not been directly proved yet except with artificial aerosols, but there are no reasons why the virus cannot remain in the air and be infective if the viral charge and time of exposure are enough. We must also consider whether the virus can infect the intestine; there are some signs in this sense. Finally, and most importantly, we need to reduce interactions by using surgical masks to flatten the curve, leave the quarantine and avoid a rebound. For cultural reasons, a social distance of 2 meters (2M) is extremely hard to manage. Surgical masks do reduce the interactions in conditions of proximity and, therefore, help to “flatten the curve”. The WHO and CDC “laissez-faire” on this matter do not help and we are running out of time. Anticipated actions, such as the use of surgical masks for the general population, are critical.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuropsychiatric condition characterized by impaired social interactions and repetitive stereotyped behaviors. Growing evidence highlights an important role of the gut-brain-microbiome axis in the pathogenesis of ASD. Research indicates an abnormal composition of the gut microbiome and the potential involvement of bacterial molecules in neuroinflammation and brain development disruptions. Concurrently, attention is directed towards the role of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and impaired intestinal tightness. This comprehensive review emphasizes the potential impact of maternal gut microbiota changes on the development of autism in children, especially considering maternal immune activation (MIA). The following paper evaluates the impact of the birth route on the colonization of the child with bacteria in the first weeks of life. Furthermore, it explores the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6 and IL-17a and mother’s obesity as potentially environmental factors of ASD. The purpose of the present analysis is to advance our understanding of ASD pathogenesis, while also searching for the positive implications of the latest therapies, such as probiotics, prebiotics or fecal microbiota transplantation, targeting the gut microbiota and reducing inflammation. This review aims to provide valuable insights that could instruct future studies and treatments for individuals affected by ASD.

Textile and clothing is one of the most important industrial sectors, not only due to the significant number of jobs generated, but also because it addresses one of the people’s fundamental needs (clothing). It is, however, a sector with a huge environmental impact, all over the world, and also an important social impact, especially in developing countries. Sustainability in the Textile &amp; Clothing value chain is a known issue, concerning both environmental, and economical-social facets of sustainability. One way to improve sustainability in this sector is by measuring the environmental, economic and social impacts of value chain activities and, ultimately, computing an Environmental and Circular score for each batch of textile and clothing product, and an Economical and Social score for each involved firm, reflected in their products. The consumer will then have the opportunity and responsibility for selecting products with the least negative environmental, economical and social impact. This article presents the results of STVgoDigital project - PPS1, developed in Portugal with the aim of implementing the traceability of textile and clothing products, boosting sustainability in this sector, and preparing the ground for the implementation of the circular economy. More exactly, a blockchain-based textile and clothing value-chain traceability platform is presented, for tracing textile product lots and activities, along the value chain, classifying them with a score, which measures their environmental and social impact. The environmental, economic and social impact scores are based on a set of proposed indicators. The results are assessed through the presentation of a case study of a face towel (home textile) and a case study of a T-shirt (clothing).

This paper extends the application of the ROTASE model for the formation of spiral arms of disc galaxies, questions and confusions from readers about this model are addressed. The optical trail effect behind the spiral arm rotation is the natural consequence of the model. The morphologies of ring-galaxies are classified into four categories: type I: single ring; type II: 8-shaped double ring; type III: 8-shaped double ring wrapped by a larger outer ring; type IV: single ring without spiral and bar. All four types of ring galaxies can be described by the ROTASE model. The ROTASE model predicts that the false impression of spiral arm rotating ahead of the galactic bar in the galaxy MCG+00-04-051 will change with time, it will look like a normal galaxy with about 30° to 40° bar rotation in the future and the galactic bar ends will look like rotating ahead of the spiral arms with further 10 ° to 15 °bar rotation. The formation of one arm galaxies is due to X-matter at one side of supermassive black hole is much stronger than other side. More evidence is found to support the explanation of the formation and the evolution of the Hoag’s object. The possible evolution of spiral pattern of galaxies is illustrated by UGC 6093. The winding of the Milky Way could be tighter in the future based on the ROTASE model.

Smart, reliable, and connected multi-modal mobility has been a long-standing goal of transit services. This paper focuses on the smart, seamless, and multi-modal mobility service in the context of “Mobility as a Service” (MaaS). Intelligent mobility is the smarter, greener, and more efficient movement of passengers around the world. Increasingly, mobility is approached as a service. This study first conducts an extensive literature review on mobility behavior and demand pattern of MaaS end-users. It then extends the mechanism of supply chain, MaaS, synergy (i.e., vertical cooperation synergy, horizontal competition synergy), and coopetition to develop the multi-tier closed-loop intelligent mobility service supply chain network. This paper explains the intelligent mobility service supply chain network from following perspectives: (i) mobility service taxonomy of MaaS; (ii) aims of intelligent mobility service supply chain network; (iii) urban rail transit (URT)-centered alternatives for integrated multimodal journey planning, i.e. access + URT + egress, and both access and egress can be served by Mobility-On-Demand (MOD) transport; (iv) node member imperatives. From a synthesis of insights from the ‘during’ journey, this study puts forward the synergetic design of intelligent mobility service supply chain network, including: (i) multi-tier closed-loop structure; (ii) key nodes identification for the physical multimodal transport network in the supply chain; (iii) hybrid synergy mechanisms among the partners, i.e., synergy principle, temporal splitting approach for coopetition synergy; (iv) index systems and evaluation methods for synergy measurement. This study also contributes to the integrated multimodal journey planning. In concluding, the paper highlights the important implications of the proposed intelligent mobility service supply chain network for MaaS bundle design and adverse effects reduction, resulting from 1 + 1 > 2 synergy effects.

The literature lacks consensus on the minimum microbial density required for diagnosing urinary tract infections (UTIs). This study categorized the microbial densities of urine specimens from symptomatic presumptive UTI patients and correlated them with detected levels of immune response biomarkers NGAL, IL-8, and IL-1β. The objective was to identify changes in immune response at different microbial densities and determine an optimal threshold for diagnosing symptomatic UTIs. Midstream clean-catch urine samples were analyzed for microbial identification and quantification using SUC and M-PCR, while NGAL, IL-8, and IL-1β levels were measured with ELISA. NGAL, IL-8, and IL-1β levels were all significantly higher in symptomatic subjects with microbial densities ≥ 10,000 cells/mL by M-PCR (p < 0.0069) or equivalent CFUs/mL by SUC (p < 0.0104) compared to samples with no detectable microbes. With both PCR and SUC, a consensus of two or more elevated biomarkers correlated well with microbial densities > 10,000 cells/mL or CFU/mL, respectively. The association between ≥ 10,000 cells and CFU per mL with elevated biomarkers in symptomatic patients suggests that this lower threshold may be more suitable for diagnosing UTIs. These findings challenge the widely used threshold of 100,000 CFU per mL, which may overlook many active UTI cases.

The aggregate aftermath of persistent inflammation in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) places them at increased risk for the advancement to colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CACRC). CACRC is preceded by IBD, the highly heterogenous, pharmacologically incurable, pertinacious, reverting/worsening, and immune-mediated inflammatory pathologies of the colon and rectum. The molecular and immunological basis of CACRC is highly correlated with the length/duration and stringency/severity of colon inflammation predisposed by the exogenous/free hemoglobin alpha chain (HbαC) the byproduct of infiltrating immune cells, extravasated erythrocytes, and macrophage erythrophagocytosis. The exogenous free HbαC prompts oxygen-free radical-arbitrated DNA damage (DNAD) through increased cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) exacerbated by decreased tissue antioxidant defenses. Mitigation of Fenton reaction via pharmaceutical therapy would attenuate the ROS, promote apoptosis, DNAD repair, and subsequent prevent the incidence of CACRC. Three pharmaceutical options that attenuate hemoglobin toxicity include haptoglobin, deferoxamine, and flavonoids (vitamins C/E). Haptoglobin’s clearance rare from plasma is inversely correlated with its size; the smaller the size, the faster the clearance. Thus, the administration of Hp1-1 may prove to be beneficial. Furthermore, deferoxamine’s hydrophilic structure limits its ability to cross cell membranes. Thus, it may be beneficial if administered intracellularly to avoid the higher plasma concentrations and longer incubation periods associated with extracellular administration. Finally, the effectiveness of flavonoids and natural herb antioxidants is associated with high reactivity of hydroxyl substituents. Multiple analyses are currently underway to assess the clinical context of CACRC and outline the molecular basis of HbαC-induced ROS pathogenesis by exposing colonocytes and/or colonoids to HbαC. These cells are then treated with haptoglobin, deferoxamine (DFO), and flavonoids in order to separate free HbαC and measure their impact on hydroxyl radical formation therapies. The molecular pathogenesis of sporadic colorectal cancer (SCRC) i.e., “inflammation-dysplasia-carcinoma” progression sequence is well described, but the immunopathogenesis of CACRC herein reviewed is broadly still in prodromal stage/phase to be validated and understood. Therefore this timely review outlines the molecular and immunological basis of disease pathogenesis and the pharmaceutical intervention as a protective measure for CACRC.

One of the most burning topics in cybersecurity in 2023 will undoubtedly be the compliance with the Software Bill of Materials. Since the US president issued the Executive Order 14028 on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity, software developers have prepared and bills are transmitted to vendors, customers, and users, but they don’t know what to do with the reports they are getting. In addition, since software developers have identified the values of the Software Bill of Materials, they have been using the reports extensively. This article presents an estimate of 270 million requests per month, just from form one popular tool to one vulnerability index. This number is expected to double every year and a half. This simple estimate explains the urgency for automating the process. We propose solutions based on artificial intelligence and machine learning, and we base our tools on the existing FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable). This methodology is supported with a case study research and Grounded theory, for categorising data into axis, and for verifying the values of the tools with experts in the field. We showcase how to create, and share Vulnerability Exploitability eXchange data, and automate the Software Bill of Materials compliance process with AI models and a unified computational framework combining solutions for the following problems: (1) the data utilisation problem, (2) the automation and scaling problem, (3) the naming problem, (4) the alignment problem, (5) the pedigree, and provenance problem, and many other problems that are on the top of mind for many security engineers at present. The uptake of these findings will depend on collaborations with government and industry, and on the availability and the ease of use of automated tools.

The local and global order in dense packings of linear, semi-flexible polymers of tangent hard spheres are studied by employing extensive Monte Carlo simulations at increasing volume fractions. Chain stiffness is controlled by a tunable harmonic potential for the bending angle whose intensity dictates the rigidity of the polymer backbone as a function of the bending constant and equilibrium angle. The studied angles range from acute to obtuse ones, reaching the limit of rod-like polymers. We analyze how packing density and chain stiffness affect the ability of chains to self-organize at the local and global levels. The former corresponds to crystallinity as quantified by the Characteristic Crystallographic Element (CCE) norm descriptor, while the latter is computed through the scalar orientational order parameter. In all cases, we identify the critical volume fraction for the phase transition and gauge the established crystal morphologies, developing a complete phase diagram as a function of packing density and equilibrium bending angle. A plethora of structures is obtained, ranging from random hexagonal closed packed morphologies of mixed character and almost perfect face centered cubic (FCC) and hexagonal close-packed (HCP) crystals at the level of monomers, to nematic mesophases, with prolate and oblate mesogens at the level of chains. For rod-like chains, hysteresis is observed between the establishment of long-range nematic order and crystallization, while for right-angle chains both transitions are synchronized. A comparison is also provided against the analogous packings of monomeric and fully flexible chains of hard spheres.

Forest carbon sequestration is a widely accepted natural climate solution, however, methods to determine net carbon offsets are limited to commercial carbon proxies and CO2 eddy covariance research. Non-CO2 greenhouse gases (GHG) (e.g., CH4, N2O) receive less attention in the context of forests, in part, due to emphasis on CO2 and the operational requirements and cost for three-gas eddy covariance platforms. In this study, Howland forest flux tower (CO2, CH4) and soil flux data (CO2, CH4, N2O), representing net emission reductions, are linked to their respective social costs to estimate commercial revenue if sold as a GHG social cost forest offset product (GHG-SCF). Estimated annual revenue for GHG-SCF products, applicable to realization of a Green New Deal, range from 120,000 covering the site area of 557 acres in 2021, to 12,000,000 for extrapolation to 40,000 acres in 2040, assuming a 3% discount rate. The Howland Forest CO2 flux record for two adjacent towers is compared to California Air Resources Board forest carbon proxy data for compliance sequestration offsets, the only project site where these approaches overlap. Overcrediting, incomplete carbon accounting with annual errors of up to 2,256%, inadequate third-party verification, and limited application to non-CO2 GHG’s are established. In contrast, direct measurement of one or more GHG’s offers new forest products and revenue incentives to restore and conserve forests worldwide.

BTB domain and CNC homology 1 (BACH1) is a highly expressed transcription factor in tumors including breast and lung, relative to their non-tumor tissues. BACH1 is known to regulate multiple physiological processes including heme homeostasis, oxidative stress response, senescence, cell cycle, and mitosis. In a tumor, BACH1 promotes invasion and metastasis of cancer cells, and the expression of BACH1 presents a poor outcome for cancer patients including breast cancer patients. Recent studies identified novel functional roles of BACH1 in the regulation of metabolic pathways in cancer cells. BACH1 inhibits mitochondrial metabolism through transcriptional suppression of mitochondrial membrane genes. In addition, BACH1 suppresses activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), a key enzyme that converts pyruvate to acetyl-CoA for the citric acid (TCA) cycle through transcriptional activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK). Moreover, BACH1 increases glucose uptake and lactate secretion in aerobic glycolysis through the expression of metabolic enzymes involved such as hexokinase 2 (HK2) and glyceraldehyde 3- phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). Pharmacological or genetic inhibition of BACH1 could reprogramme metabolic pathways, subsequently rendering metabolic vulnerability of cancer cells. Furthermore, inhibition of BACH1 decreased antioxidant-induced glycolysis rates as well as reduced migration and invasion of cancer cells, suggesting BACH1 as a potentially useful cancer therapeutic target.

Abstract:The digital landscape is rapidly reshaping under the influence of AI-powered cloud-based e-commerce platforms (PCEPs). These platforms leverage the transformative power of AI to personalize customer experiences, optimize pricing strategies, enhance security, and streamline operations, offering businesses a significant competitive edge. However, challenges surrounding data privacy, algorithmic bias, and potential job displacement raise crucial ethical questions regarding widespread AI adoption in e-commerce.This study delves into the untapped potential and ethical considerations of PCEPs, distinguishing itself by proposing practical strategies for responsible development and ethical implementation.Objectives: Investigate the transformative potential of PCEPs: Personalized product recommendations:Analyze effectiveness and potential bias. Dynamic pricing strategies:Explore impact on consumer fairness and market stability. Enhanced fraud detection:Evaluate accuracy and privacy implications. Optimized supply chain management:Assess efficiency gains and job displacement risks. Critically analyze the ethical considerations of AI in e-commerce: Data privacy:Assess current practices and develop mitigation strategies. Algorithmic bias:Identify potential sources and propose solutions for fairer decision-making. Job displacement:Evaluate impacts and propose reskilling initiatives. Propose comprehensive and practical strategies for responsible PCEP development and implementation: Transparency:Enhance user awareness and control over data usage. Fairness:Design AI systems to mitigate bias and uphold consumer rights. Accountability:Establish clear guidelines and oversight mechanisms for ethical AI development.Conclusion: While PCEPs offer a plethora of transformative benefits, their ethical implementation is paramount. By adhering to principles of transparency, fairness, and accountability, businesses can unlock the full potential of PCEPs while minimizing potential risks and shaping the future of online commerce in a sustainable and equitable manner

This paper introduces an innovative nanotechnology-based approach that provides a pathway to enhance the energy release efficiency of nanoenergetic materials (nEMs) by harnessing self-synchronized collective atomic vibrations and phonon wave resonance within the transition domains between nanocomponents, without altering the material composition. The key innovation involves incorporating finely-tuned 2D-ordered linear-chain carbon-based multilayer nano-enhanced interfaces as programmable nanodevices into the transition domains using advanced multistage processing and assembly techniques. These programmable nanodevices enable precise control over self-synchronized collective atomic vibrations and phonon wave propagation, leading to synergistic effects. To activate and optimize these effects, a combination of various methods is employed, including energy-driven initiation of allotropic phase transformations, surface acoustic wave-assisted micro/nano-manipulation, heteroatom doping, directed self-assembly using high-frequency electromagnetic fields, and data-driven inverse design approaches. By leveraging a data-driven inverse design strategy and uncovering hidden structure-property relationships, we maximize energy release efficiency using the carbon nano-materials genome approach derived from multifactorial neural network-based predictive models. This approach not only unlocks new functionalities in nEMs but also improves environmental performance and safety levels. By pioneering transformative pathways for nEMs through harnessing phonon wave resonance in low-dimensional nanocarbon transition interfaces, this research brings significant advancements in the field.

The document sets out three differentiated proposals for the transport of medicines through RPAS with their respective regulations, adapted to different operational categories: open category, special category and military scope. In the open category, an economical and efficient solution is prioritized for urban and rural areas, complying with weight and height regulations, in addition to guaranteeing the stability and quality of medications during transportation. The special category allows more complex operations and in more adverse conditions, such as densely populated areas and long routes, incorporating advanced security measures and training for personnel. In the military field, RPAS are used in conflict zones and hard-to-reach areas, ensuring the safe and rapid delivery of medical supplies under extreme conditions. Success stories in different countries are highlighted, demonstrating significant improvements in delivery times and risk reduction for health personnel.

Power sources that can consistently deliver high levels of energy over extended periods are crucial for various space applications. Among the many methods of energy generation, direct heat-to-electricity conversion without intermediate steps or moving components shows particular promise but also presents significant challenges. The aim of this research is to address these challenges by enhancing the energy efficiency of thermionic conversion, which transforms thermal energy into electrical energy, through the development and utilization of a novel class of emission nanomaterials known as multilayer carbyne-enriched 3D-shaped nano-interfaces. By manipulating the topological, physicochemical, and functional characteristics of these interfaces, we seek to optimize their thermionic conversion capabilities. Building on the recent discovery of collective atomic vibrations called phonon waves within transition domains of multilayer nanostructures, we have devised a new approach to enhance the efficiency of thermionic energy converters. This involves unlocking the predictive functionality of 2D-ordered linear-chain carbon-based multilayer emitters through the excitation and fine-tuning of collective atomic vibrations and nanoarchitecture. To achieve this, we propose employing a combination of techniques that leverage interface effects, enable phonon wave propagation, facilitate energy exchange, and capitalize on synergistic effects offered by the multilayer nano-enhanced interfaces. The resulting devices for thermionic energy conversion have the potential to significantly surpass the efficiency of existing plasma thermionic converters by several orders of magnitude. Moreover, these electricity-generating sources based on thermionic conversion represent fundamental options for the advancement of Lunar and Martian research missions, opening up possibilities for sustainable energy production in extraterrestrial environments.