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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Having as objective to reach a circular economy, it is important to maximize the Physical Asset’s Life Cycle. The evaluation of Physical Assets Life Cycle may have several approaches which may provide different results. These differences may not be very significant, but must be taken into consideration, because they have consequences in the manager decision. This permits to have a wider time interval to decide when to withdrawal the Physical Asset or to renewal it, and or if this ought to continue functioning because the profits are higher than the expenses, what allows to diminish waste and increase sustainability. These are some aspects that are discussed in this paper, which presents several models to evaluate the Physical Assets Life Cycle, considering the market value, devaluations methods and a more generalized way of Fisher’s Equation, which can include the Risk tax, among others. The results are discussed supported in data for simulation, which are used for each Econometric Model aiming to evaluate the differences among them. In all Models they are considered not only the expenses, namely of Investment and Functioning, but also the Profits, which permit to evaluate the Physical Asset Life Cycle in a holistic way. The models are very versatile, allowing to evaluate quantitatively the changing in the maintenance policies, the energy prices variations, the risk evaluation, the variation of profits according to the real market, and so on. The results demonstrated the robustness of the approach described and that maximize the Physical Assets Life Cycle allowing to minimize the consumption of world resources and, by consequence, it contributes for a more sustainable world.

In this paper, we consider a pursuit-evasion game of inertial players, where pursuer’s control is subject to integral constraint, and evader’s control is subject to geometric constraint. In the pursuit problem, the main tool is the strategy of parallel pursuit. Sufficient conditions are obtained for the solvability of pursuit-evasion problems. Also, the main lemma describing the monotonicity of an attainability domain of the evader is proved and an explicit analytical formula for this domain is given. As one of the important results of our paper, the Isaacs Life-line game is solved for a special case.

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

Background: Valid questionnaires to assess dogs’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in veterinary practice can improve canine health outcomes and communications between veterinarians and dog caretakers. The Canine HRQoL Questionnaire (HRQoL-Q) and the Human-Canine Bond Questionnaire (HCBQ) were developed and validated to fulfill this need. Methods: A literature review, interviews with veterinarians, and focus groups with caretakers were conducted to generate questionnaire items to develop draft questionnaires, piloted with caretakers to establish content validity. Measurement properties were evaluated using data from a prospective survey study (N = 327). Results: Draft Canine HRQoL-Q and HCBQ measures were developed, including a domain structure, items, recall period, and scale/response options. Refinements were made via iterative cognitive interviews with caretakers. When no additional revisions were indicated and content validity established, the questionnaires were psychometrically tested. Ceiling effects were observed for all items, and factor analyses indicated that pre-specified domains are appropriate. Internal consistency was demonstrated for the HCBQ (α = 0.79–0.86) and all but the canine HRQoL-Q social functioning domain (α = 0.60)). Test-retest reliability for the canine HRQoL-Q was generally moderate-to-good (intraclass correlation coefficients [ICCs] > 0.79). Test-retest reliability for the HCBQ was moderate (ICCs: 0.70–0.79), except the trust domain (ICC: 0.58). Known-groups validity was demonstrated by significant differences (p < 0.05) in scores by health/bonding groups. Convergent validity was supported (r > 0.40) between all domains and the total score for both questionnaires. Conclusions: The Canine HRQoL-Q and the HCBQ are valid, reliable measures of canine HRQoL for use in veterinary clinics and appear to measure related but distinct concepts that contribute to canine health and wellness.

The paper deals with the reverse engineering, namely the as built documentation of the actual construction. The input is data measured in field using geodetic methods. In addition to modern methods of surveying 3D objects, such as laser scanning, it is still necessary to use classic surveying using a total station. The bottle neck of the process is the creation of documentation of the construction, which is still created manually in the appropriate CAD/BIM software. The goal of the research was to find a method that would reduce the amount of manual work when drawing documentation in CAD/BIM to a minimum. The core of the solution is the use of a topology that interconnects the points measured in field. The entire procedure has 2 parts: 1. Creating a topo-logical drawing template in a suitable CAD/GIS software (digital sketch), 2. Adding geometry to this sketch and creating a drawing using topological codes. The method was verified in practice by applying it to several specific buildings in the Czech Republic. The practical application of the method demonstrated a 30% time saving, a reduction in work and error rate in the entire process.

Background: Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is one of the most serious side effects of cancer that negatively impact the quality of life of cancer patients and survivors. There is evidence of CRCI in Hodgkin lymphoma patients (HL); however, there is a lack of studies examining the presence of cognitive deficits before starting any treatment in HL patients. Methods: Forty patients (N=40) newly diagnosed with HL (with no previous cancer diagnoses) and 40 healthy controls (N=40) matched for age, sex, education, and premorbid intellect completed the neuropsychological battery and subjective and objective measures of affective distress and quality of life. Results: The results showed impairment in three out of six cognitive domains: verbal memory and learning, speed of processing/ psychomotor speed, and abstraction/executive functions in the HL patients before the initiation of any treatment. Speed of processing/psychomotor speed domain negatively correlated with depression. Conclusion: Impairment in verbal memory and learning and abstraction/executive functions domains in HL patients seems to occur before the initiation of treatment independently of anxiety, depression, or physical symptoms. This suggests that HL itself may cause cognitive deficits in these cognitive domains. However, the underlying causes of CRCI still remain unclear.

Background: Trans-septal endocardial left ventricle lead placement is an alternative technique used capture the left ventricular endocardially but it is use is limited due lack of evidence, practice uptake and clinical trials. we evaluated the efficiency of the procedure, post procedural complication rate, rate of thromboembolic events as well as changes in echocardiographic parameters, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level and the New York Heart Association (NYHA) class. Results: TSLV lead implant is safe, improves ejection fraction, LVEDV, LVESV, LVIDd. Significantly reduces NTproBNP levels and NYHA class. Stroke rate was reported only in one patient (9%), noticeably, this particular patient was on DOAC rather than anti-vitamin K antagonists. In this group, patients, who were on Warfarin , were not reported to have any thrombo-embolic events. Discussion: Trans-septal endocardial LV lead implant in patients with a failed CS approach remains a viable alternative however, there is a higher risk of stroke amongst these patients, as well as more procedure related risk of complications compared to conventional CRT. The data analysis demonstrates that patients undergoing a TSLV lead implant due to a failed trans-venous approach have more advanced heart failure, defined by their higher NYHA class compared to conventional trans-venous CRT implant groups. Their pre TSLV implant, echocardiographic parameters are also worse compared to trans-venous CRT implant group

Hardaliye, a traditional non-alcoholic beverage, made from red grape pomace from wine production and produced by lactic acid fermentation with addition of different concentrations of whole/ground or heat-treated mustard seeds and of sour cherry leaves. Short shelf life of hardaliye limits its consumption and search in trend to process hardaliye to extend its shelf life. Thus, high hydrostatic pressure treatment of hardaliye drink with determination of changes in physicochemical and sensory properties in addition to microbial inactivation were studied according to Box-Behnken design. Maximum 5.10±0.00, 4.21±0.00, 5.38±0.59 and 5.05±0.22 log reductions were obtained in total mesophilic aerobic bacteria, total mold and yeast, Brettanomyces bruxellensis and Lactobacillus brevis by HHP. Shelf-life studies of the hardaliye samples were conducted with optimum processing parameters of 490 MPa, 29 oC for 15 min with the response variables of OD520 and inactivation of L. brevis. Both control and HHP treated samples were stored at 4 and 22 C for shelf-life studies. While control samples at 4 and 22 °C were spoiled at the 15th and 3rd days, HHP treated samples were spoiled after 108th and 228th days, respectively.

Raw rubber production is the sole foundation for the rubber product industry, rendering raw rubber to manufacture essential commodities to mankind such as tires, condoms, surgical gloves, and so forth. Raw rubber production involves various stakeholders; however, literature focusing on the social impacts of raw rubber production and its supply chain has hereto been limited. Social life cycle assessment, a popular tool to assess the social impacts of a product or process and was deployed herein to assess the social profiles of three Sri Lankan raw rubber supply chains (crepe rubber, concentrated latex, and ribbed smoked sheets). The Social Hotspots Database v4 on Sima Pro v9.3 was used for the analysis. Results indicated that Governance and Labour rights & decent work had been affected in its supply chain of fertilizers due to Corruption and Freedom of association & collective bargaining issues, mainly in Belarus, and China. Proposed improvement options to address these touchpoints were found to be effective. For instance, if the importation of K-fertilizer shifted into low risk countries, overall social risks associated with Corruption and Freedom of association & collective bargaining in the supply chains could be reduced by ca. 36% and 25%, respectively. As a result, social risks in the aforesaid impact categories, i.e., Governance and Labor rights & decent work, were reduced by ca. 35-41% and ca. 17-20%, respectively. Such improvements may help positioning the Sri Lankan rubber industry in the sustainability-conscious-world rubber market. Further, the methodical hierarchy developed herein is suggested to adopt in any industry to measure social sustainability subjected to the relevant refinements to the supply chains.

Among Crustacea, Decapoda Brachyura represent a good candidate for studies on the dispersal capability of coastal benthos by means of larvae. One oceanographic cruise allowed us to describe larvae dispersal routes in the South Adriatic Sea thanks to a multidisciplinary approach. In May 2013 a swarm of zoeae (11 Brachyura taxa, mostly at first instar, with Xantho granulicarpus at 87%) was recorded in the neuston of the Italian side of the basin. Complementary collections of zooplankton, in the same cruise, demonstrated that Decapoda larvae were not abundant below the neuston and concentrated in the first 20-30 m surface layer, with which probably they drift together. The availability of four satellite-tracked surface drifters in the same area and period of the larvae presence, represented a possibility to discuss the geographic dispersal of larvae on the basis of the surface circulation in successive days. During the studied period, only one drifter crossed the south Adriatic passing from the Italian to the Balkan neritic area, employing about 40 days. The daily vertical migration of larvae suggest that they can only employ more time to cross the basin, subtracting and re-entering the surface moving waters. The actual genetic homogeneity of populations of many Brachyura coastal species on the opposite sides of the Adriatic Sea suggests the existence of a genetic connection which, however, should not rely exclusively upon larvae circulation and needs to be fueled by additional strategies of biological communication.

Colorectal cancer remains one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers. Advanced rectal cancer patients receive neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy as well as surgery and suffer under reduced health-related quality of life due to various side effects. We were interested in the role of the COVID-19 pandemic and how it affected those patients’ quality of life. A total of 489 advanced rectal cancer patients from the University Hospital Erlangen in Germany were surveyed between May 2010 and March 2022 and asked to fill out the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-CR38 questionnaire over eight different time points: in the beginning, during and after radiochemotherapy, right before surgery and in yearly intervals after surgery for up to four years. Answers were converted to scores to compare the COVID-19 period to the time before March 2020 focusing on the follow-ups, the developments over time – including by sex and age - and the influence of the TNM cT-stage. Overall, a trend of impaired functional and symptom scores was found across all surveys with few significances (body image -10.6 percentage points (pp) after one year; defecation problems +13.5 pp, insomnia +10.2 pp and weight loss +9.8 pp after three years; defecation problems +11.3 pp after four years). cT4-stage patients lost significantly more weight than their cT1-3-stage counterparts (+10.7 to 13.7 pp). Further studies should be conducted to find possible causes and develop countermeasures for future major infectious diseases.

There is a general lack of research involving older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) people. This systematic review aimed to synthesize Japanese and Swedish qualitative research on LGBTQ people aged 60 years or older. PRISMA guidelines were followed. Japanese and Swedish articles, published in English-language journals, were searched across PsychINFO, Medline, CINAHL, and Sociological Abstracts databases. Additional searches were carried out to include studies written in Japanese or Swedish. There were no papers from Japan, and five from Sweden were reviewed. Four articles were included, including 48 participants aged 60–94 years. We summarized the findings using a deductive thematic synthesis. Two major themes emerged: (a) quality of life, minority joy, and resilience (positive aspects), and (b) experiences of discrimination, stigmatization, and minority stress (negative aspects). The participants described a wish to be acknowledged for their own assets and unique life histories, and to be treated as everyone else. They emphasized the importance of knowledge of LGBTQ issues among nursing staff, so that older LGBTQ people are treated in a competent and affirmative way. The study revealed several important topics for understanding older LGBTQ people’s life circumstances and the severe lack of qualitative studies in Japan and Sweden.

The genetic code conceals a ‘code within the codons’, which hints at biophysical interactions between amino acids and their cognate nucleotides. But research over decades has failed to corroborate systematic biophysical interactions across the code. Using molecular dynamics simulations and NMR, we have analysed interactions between the 20 standard proteinogenic amino acids and four RNA mononucleotides in three charge states. Our simulations show that 50% of amino acids bind best with their anticodonic middle base in the -1 charge state common to the backbone of RNA, while 95% of amino acids interact most strongly with at least one of their codonic or anticodonic bases. Preference for the cognate anticodonic middle base was greater than 99% of randomized assignments. We verify a selection of our results using NMR, and highlight challenges with both techniques for interrogating large numbers of weak interactions. Finally, we extend our simulations to a range of amino acids and dinucleotides, and corroborate similar preferences for cognate nucleotides. Despite some discrepancies between the predicted patterns and those observed in biology, the existence of weak stereochemical interactions means that random RNA sequences could template non-random peptides. This offers a compelling explanation for the emergence of genetic information in biology.

Objective: To investigate the correlation between engagement and quality of life at work in nursing professionals, from a public hospital in the interior of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods: Cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational study, with nursing professionals, conducted between December 2020 and January 2021. We used the Brazilian versions of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and the Walton Model scale. Results: The nursing professionals obtained a strong and positive correlation (r≥0.70) between the social integration domain of QWL and vigor dimension of work engagement (r=0.88; p=<0.001); moderate positive correlation (r≥0.40≤0.69) between QWL working conditions and vigor (r=0.40; p=<0.001), dedication (r=0.40; p=<0.001) and overall score (r=0.41; p=<0.001) of the work engagement. The correlations were positive and weak (r≤0.39) for the other domains of QWL and dimensions of work engagement. Conclusion: Professionals with satisfactory levels of quality of life tended to have higher levels of engagement at work. Professionals were strongly engaged and satisfied with their quality of life at work at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The fatigue life of concrete is affected by many interwoven factors whose effect is nonlinear. Be-cause of its unique self-learning ability and strong generalization capability, the Bayesian regu-larized backpropagation neural network (BR-BPNN) is proposed to predict concrete behavior in tensile fatigue. The optimal model was determined through various combinations of network parameters. The average relative impact value (ARIV) was constructed to evaluate the correla-tion between fatigue life and its influencing parameters (maximum stress level Smax, stress ratio R, static strength f, failure probability P). ARIV results were also compared with other factor as-sessment methods (weight equation and multiple linear regression analyses). Using BR-BPNN, S-N curves were then obtained for the combinations of R=0.1, 0.2, 0.5; f=5, 6, 7MPa; P=5%, 50%, 95%. The tensile fatigue results under different testing conditions were finally compared for compatibility. It was concluded that Smax has the most significant negative effect on fatigue life; the degree of influence of R, P, and f, which positively correlate with fatigue life, decreases suc-cessively. ARIV is confirmed as a feasible way to analyze the importance of parameters and could be recommended for future applications. The tensile fatigue performance of plain concrete under different stress states (flexural tension, axial tension, splitting tension) does not differ sig-nificantly. Besides utilizing the valuable fatigue test data scattered in the literature, insights gained from this work could provide a reference for subsequent fatigue test program design and fatigue evaluation.

Current bridge inspection practices rely on paper-based data acquisition, digitization, and multiple conversions in between incompatible formats to facilitate data exchange. This practice is time-consuming, error-prone, cumbersome, and leads to information loss. One aim for future inspection procedures is to have a fully digitized workflow that achieves loss-free data exchange, which lowers costs and offers higher efficiency. On the one hand, existing studies proposed methods to automatize data acquisition and visualization for inspections. These studies lack an open standard to make the gathered data available for other processes. On the other hand, several studies discuss data structures for exchanging damage information through out different stakeholders. However, those studies do not cover the process of automatic data acquisition and transfer. This study focused on a framework that incorporates automatic damage data acquisition, transfer, and a damage information model for data exchange. This enables inspectors to use damage data for subsequent analyses and simulations. The proposed framework shows the potentials for a comprehensive damage information model and related (semi-)automatic data acquisition and processing.

Background: The concept of Quality of Work Life (QWL) has been built multidimensionally through social reproduction; it is impacted by the perceptions of each individual and by the relationship between workers and the work environment. Objective: to analyze the Work Process and QWL of assisting nurses in public health. Methods: Research in a critical paradigm, descriptive, exploratory with a qualitative approach. The population corresponds to Nurses who work in care work. Semi-structured guiding questions were applied and were analyzed with content analysis. Results: seven participants declared female; all Chilean; seven are young adults; six singles; only one has children, and one has a person dependent on her care; six are heads of household, and five receive help with housework. All have a nursing degree, five have a diploma, but none have a postgraduate. Work Process has three subcategories: work object, instrument, organization, and work conditions; the QWL category has six subcategories: definition and perception of QWL, QWL potentiating factors, QWL exhausting factors, QWL improvement strategies, the emotional burden associated with QWL, and Health problems. Conclusions: In this way, the lifestyle built by the assistance in the health area has repercussions on the quality of life and health in general.

The circumstances arising from the exceptional situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have affected all socioeconomic areas in the last two years. The field of Education has not been an exception and the management of the situation seems to have caused an increase in the level of perceived stress of university students. On this basis, this research that aims, first, to analyze the student’s level of perceived stress during the de-escalation and return to normality period, secondly, to evaluate its relationship with life satisfaction and, finally, to detect the students' needs in stress management, has been developed. An exploratory-descriptive study of quantitative and cross-sectional nature has been carried out. 222 university students of the Childhood and Primary Education Degrees of the University of Jaén (Spain) have participated. The instruments, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) have been used. The results show a moderate and partial relationship among the dimensions of the used instruments. The obtained coefficients of determination are, Academic Performance (r² = .019) and Life Satisfaction (r² = .402), with a mean square error (SRMR) of .079. These findings show the need to develop actions within the university training program in effective stress management strategies.

Multiaxial fatigue experiments under asynchronous loadings with four different loading frequency ratios were carried out on 30CrMnSiA steel. The experimental results show that the fatigue life decreases when the axial or torsion frequency increases from 1 to 2, while there is no significant change when the axial or torsion frequency increases from 2 to 4. The surface crack paths are observed and show that cracks initiate on the maximum shear stress amplitude planes, propagate approximately tens of microns, and then turn to propagate along the maximum normal stress planes. The number of secondary cracks increases when the axial or torsion frequency increases. Subsequently, the Bannantine-Socie and Wang-Brown cycle counting methods along with various multiaxial fatigue criteria and Palmgren-Miner’s cumulative damage rule were used for fatigue life prediction. The experimental results are consistent with the fatigue life predicted by the Bannantine-Socie method with the section critical plane criterion for 30CrMnSiA steel under asynchronous loading paths.

The aim of this study was to determine whether a rowing training program improved the quantity and quality of physical activity and quality of life in female breast cancer survivors (stage I - 4.35%; II - 30.43%; III - 52.17%; and IV - 8.7%) diagnosed 6.57 ± 5.02 years previously, who had undergone a subsequent intervention (preservation 53.52%; total mastectomy 39.13% and double mastectomy 4.35%) and had a current mean age of 53.70 ± 7.88 years. The participants (N = 30) engaged in a 12-week training program, each week comprising three sessions and each session lasting 60-90 minutes. An anthropometric evaluation was performed before and after the program. The short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF) and the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) were also administered. The results showed statistically significant improvements in levels of physical activity and in the dimensions of quality of life. We can conclude that a 12-week rowing training program tailored to women who have had breast cancer increases physical activity levels, leading to improved health status and quality of life.

The World Health Organization has developed the Integrated Care of Older People (ICOPE) strategy, a program based on the measurement of intrinsic capacity (IC) as “the composite of all physical and mental attributes on which an individual can draw”. Multicomponent interventions appear to be the most effective approach to enhance IC and to prevent frailty and disability, since adapted physical activity is the preventive intervention that has shown most evidence in the treatment of frailty and risk of falls. Our paper describes the development of a multi-domain group-based intervention addressed to older people living in the community, aimed at improving and/or maintaining intrinsic capacity by means of promoting physical activity, healthy nutrition, and psychological wellbeing in older people. The process of intervention development is described following the Guidance for reporting intervention development studies in health research (GUIDED. The result of this study is the AMICOPE intervention (Aptitude Multi-domain group-based intervention to improve and/or maintain IC in Older PEople) built upon the ICOPE framework and described following the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) guidelines. This study represents the first stage of the UK Medical Research Council framework for developing and evaluating a complex intervention. The next step should be carrying out a feasibility study for the AMICOPE intervention, and in a later stage, assessing the effectiveness in a randomized controlled trial.

A good management of diabetes requires at the same time self-regulation behaviour and a balanced involvement of family components. This study’s aims were: understanding fear of injections and perceptions of family conflicts in preadolescents and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus and their mothers, comparing their perceptions, and identifying the risk factors impacting patients’ quality of life. Participants were one hundred and two patients (Mean age = 14.63, SD = 2.43; age range = 10-19 years; Females = 52) and their mothers (Mean age = 46.94, SD = 6.2, age range = 27-63 years), who filled in self and proxy-report questionnaires. Twenty % of patients and 14.7% of their mothers reported clinical score for fear of self-injection and blood testing. Mothers reported higher fear of injecting and family conflicts compared with the patients. Age, fear of injecting and family conflicts impacted significantly on patients’ quality of life perceptions. Clinical consideration and recommendations are given basing on the empirical results.

Sustainable urban design or planning is not a LEGO-like assembly of prefabricated elements, but an embryo-like growth with persistent differentiation and adaptation towards a coherent whole. The coherent whole has a striking character – called living structure – that consists of far more small substructures than large ones. To detect the living structure, natural streets or axial lines have been previously adopted to be topologically represent an urban environment as a coherent whole. This paper develops a new approach to detecting the underlying living structure of urban environments. The approach takes an urban environment as a whole and recursively decomposes it into meaningful subwholes at different levels of hierarchy or scale ranging from the largest to the smallest. We compared the new approach to natural street and axial line approaches and demonstrated, through four case studies, that the new approach is better and more powerful. Based on the study, we further discuss how the new approach can be used not only for understanding, but also for effectively designing or planning the living structure of an urban environment to be more living or more livable.

Early Life Adversity (ELA) is closely associated with the risk for developing diseases later in life, such as autoimmune diseases, type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In humans, early parental separation, physical and sexual abuse or low social-economic status during childhood are known to have great impact on brain development, in the hormonal system and immune responses. Maternal deprivation (MD), the closest animal model available to the human situation, is known to similarly induce long lasting behavioural effects, to cause changes in the HPA axis and to have an impact in the immune system. Even though the immune responses to potential pathogens after early stress have been somehow documented, the mechanisms by which they occur are still not fully understood. Here, we have demonstrated that maternal separation, in both humans and rats, significantly affects the sensitivity of the immune system in adulthood. Particularly, NK cells’ profile and response to target cell lines are significantly changed after childhood adversity. These immune cells in rats are not only less cytotoxic towards YAC-1 cells, but also show a clear increase in the expression of maturation markers after 3h of maternal separation. Similarly, individuals who suffered from ELA display significant changes in the cytotoxic profile of NK cells together with decreased degranulation capacity. Altogether, these results lead us to conclude that one of the key mechanisms by which the immune system becomes impaired after ELA might be due to a shift on the senescent state of the cells, specifically NK cells. Elucidation of such a mechanism highlights the importance of ELA prevention and how NK targeted immunotherapy might help attenuating ELA consequences.

The aim of this study was to determine whether a rowing training program improved the quantity and quality of physical activity and quality of life in female breast cancer survivors (stage I - 4.35%; II - 30.43%; III - 52.17%; and IV - 8.7%) diagnosed 6.57 ± 5.02 years previously, who had undergone a subsequent intervention (preservation 53.52%; total mastectomy 39.13% and double mastectomy 4.35%) and had a current mean age of 53.70 ± 7.88 years. The participants (N = 30) engaged in a 12-week training program, each week comprising three sessions and each session lasting 60-90 minutes. An anthropometric evaluation was performed before and after the program. The short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF) and the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) were also administered. The results showed statistically significant improvements in levels of physical activity and in the dimensions of quality of life. We can conclude that a 12-week rowing training program tailored to women who have had breast cancer increases physical activity levels, leading to improved health status and quality of life.

Overweight and obesity adversely affect health-related quality of life (HRQOL) through day-to-day impairments of both mental and physical functioning. It is assumed that polyphenols within the Mediterranean diet may contribute to improve HRQOL. This investigation aimed at studying the effects of a polyphenol-rich ingredient on HRQOL in overweight and obese but otherwise healthy individuals. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study including 72 volunteers was conducted. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive for a 16-week period either 900 mg/day of the supplement or a placebo. Dietary recommendations were individually determined, and intakes were recorded; daily physical mobility was monitored. Improvement of HRQOL was set as the primary outcome and assessed at baseline and at the end of the investigation, using the Short-Form 36 (SF-36) Health survey. Body composition was analyzed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Physical activity level was calculated using International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). After 16 weeks, despite there was no adherence to the Mediterranean Diet Serving Score (MDSS), supplemented individuals experienced significant HRQOL improvement (+5.3%; P=0.001), including enhanced perceived physical (+11.2%; P=0.002) and mental health (+4.1%; P=0.021) components; bodily pain, vitality, and general health, being the greatest contributors. Besides, body fat mass significantly decreased (-1.2 kg; P=0.033), mainly within trunk area (-1.0 kg; P=0.002). Engagement in physical activity significantly increased (+1308 Met-min/week; P=0.050). Hence, chronic supplementation with a nutritional diversity and dose of a Mediterranean diet-inspired polyphenol-rich ingredient resulted in a significant amelioration in both perceived physical and mental health, concomitant with the improvement of body composition, in healthy subjects with excessive adiposity.

Denture wearers often complain about jeopardized function and reduced quality of life due to lack of prosthesis’ retention. Implant retained mandibular overdentures, on 2 non-connected implants (2IOD) are well-proven solutions to overcome these issues. We prospectively assessed 69 patients and scrutinized clinical records until at least 7 years of function. Thirty-six were retained on Locator ® Abutments (LA) and thirty-tree on Ball Abutments (BA). Both systems were compared regarding the type, amount and total cost of required maintenance. One implants was lost, yielding 98.7% survival after 7 years. In total 438 technical issues occurred: 121 (27.35%) in BA and 317 (72.4%) in LA. Out of these, 343 events (78%) were solved chairside: 191 (43.6%) were replacements of retention caps, 113 (25.8%) were minor acrylic repairs, in 26 (5.9%) pressure ulcers had to be relieved and 13 (3%) related to abutments. LA required 179 insert replacements compared to 12 in the BA group. The overall initial treatment cost was 3850 euro. The average total maintenance cost in relation to the initial cost for the LA and BA groups was 19.11% (range 0% - 82.24%) and 18.91% (range 0% - 113.26%) respectively (P=0.540). Conclusions: The 7-years maintenance costs for a 2IOD is acceptable when the patient is regularly checked and professionally maintained. Most events are easily solvable chairside, but a few patients required more expensive interventions, regardless of the type of attachment used.

COVID‑19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, has spread rapidly across the globe since the end of 2019 and brought impressive changes in our life and living through partial or full lockdown and reduced anthropogenic activities. Hence, it is imperative to investigate the impacts and consequences of COVID-19 on global eco-system and environment. The present study accordingly addresses the impacts and consequences of COVID-19 by ten environmental indicators; viz., global warming (or greenhouse gas emission), stratospheric ozone depletion, ozone formation (on human health), fine particulate matter formation, smog, ionizing radiation, human carcinogenic toxicity, human non-carcinogenic toxicity, water resource consumption, and effect on human health. The overall study has been performed in agreement with the standard principle and guidelines of life cycle assessment. Worldwide changes in consumption of fossil fuels, viz., petroleum, coal and natural gas, as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, has been the core theme of the study. Outcomes from the study show that COVID-19 has been a ‘blessing in disguise’ for the global environment with most of the above-mentioned indicators declining by approximately 20-30% in 2020 in comparison to the 2019 level.

The European Union green deal has proposed the “organic farming action plan” to render this farming system more sustainable for climate mitigation and adaptation and to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs). While this policy instrument is fundamental to reach sustainable agriculture, there is still no agreement on what sustainable agriculture is and how to measure it. This opinion paper proposes an ecosystem-based framework on the crop life-cycle to determine the balance between economic, social and environmental pillars of sustainability to support decision-making.

Flax fiber appears as a suitable feedstock in the endeavor of deploying a sustainable biobased economy. Its environmental performance as reinforcement in composite materials has been studied in previous Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs). However, these studies only present a coarse Life cycle Inventory (LCI) and often fail to detail all processes of the supply chain or to represent the co-products. This paper aims to bridge this gap and provide data for future LCAs on flax fiber production and transformation.The study focuses on the impacts of producing a bio-based reinforcement material (a fabric product for non-aesthetic purposes) with a system expansion perspective. The functional unit is defined as the production of 2400 m² flax-based technical textile per year, this corresponds to one hectare of cultivated land. The geographical scope considers that the production occurs in France and that some manufacturing process are outsourced in China. A Sensitivity Analysis was carried out to assess the influence of the electricity mix in the various countries involved in the manufacturing cycle.A detailed life cycle inventory for flax fiber production and transformation was built and the environmental performance of a flax technical textile was assessed as a cradle-to-gate LCA. The fate of co-products was documented and was shown to contribute to the reduction of the generated environmental impacts. Through a cradle-to-gate LCA, a broader understanding of the environmental performance of a flax-based technical textile was presented by including the valorization of co-products and a wider set of analyzed impact categories, going therefore beyond the existing state-of-the-art. Results show agricultural activities and electricity production to be the biggest contributors to the environmental impacts of flax technical textile; contributions due to land use changes were minor in comparison. Very specifically for this case study, a sensibility analysis showed the influence of an all-French production to be more efficient from an environmental point of view.

World statistics demonstrate that around 970 million people around the globe suffer from mental health problems (Ritchie & Roser, 2019), a major proportion of which comprised of adolescents and young adults (UNODC, 2018). Also, because of increased mental health issues the problems like substance use, suicide, depression, anxiety, and stress are also increasing (Armstrong, 2019; Bandelow & Michaelis, 2015; Ritchie & Roser, 2018; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [UNODC], 2019). It is thus a dire need to address the issue. The present coneptual paper proposed the role of transpersonal gratitude, emotional intelligence, and life contentment for reducing mental health risk among the adolescents and young adults.

Abstract The aim of this research is to conduct a systematic review analysing the role of the physiotherapy interventions in palliative care. PRISMA as a critical appraisal tool was utilised for the selection of the research articles. The inclusion criteria were based on the year of publication, ease of availability, language, geographical location, and study type. To ensure the credibility, databases such as Elsevier, Proquest, and EBSCO Host were used to filter the grey content. Data published in the past ten years (2009-onwards) was only included to ensure the selection of the most recent interventions used by the physiotherapists. A total of 11 articles were selected which determined that physiotherapy interventions involving breathing exercises, aerobic exercises, manual therapies, and educational awareness were critical to promoting the functional capability and empower the patients.

How did life begin on Earth? And is there life elsewhere in the Cosmos? Challenging questions, indeed. The series of conferences established by NoR CEL in 2013, addresses these very same questions. The basis for this paper is the summary report of oral presentations that were delivered by NoR CEL’s network members during the 2018 Athens conference and, as such, disseminates the latest research which they have put forward. More in depth material can be found by consulting the contributors referenced papers. Overall, the outcome of this conspectus on the conference demonstrates a case for the existence of “probable chemistry” during the prebiotic epoch.

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

In this paper, we introduce the Prognostics and Health Management of gear bearing system using autoencoder neural networks. Bearings and gears are the most common mechanical components in rotating machines, and their health conditions are of great concern in practice. This study presents an outlier modeling method for forecasting the gear bearing system failure using the health indicators constructed from mechanical signal processing and modeling. Outlier modeling aims to find patterns in data that are significantly different from what is defined as normal. In the unsupervised outlier modeling setting, prior labels about the anomalousness of data points are not available. In such cases, the most common techniques for scoring data points for outlyingness include distance-based methods density-based methods, and linear methods. The conventional outlier modeling methods have been used for a long time to detect anomalous observations in data. However, this paper shows that autoencoders are a very competitive technique compared to other existing methods. The developed method is demonstrated using the IMS bearing data from NASA Acoustics and Vibration Database.

A possible way to valorize citrus peels, which are byproducts of the juice extraction industry, is to use them as natural biopreservatives. In this paper we present early results from a compared Solvent Free Microwave Extraction (SFME) with Hydro-Distillation (HD) and Cold Pressing (CP) of essential oils (EOs) using fresh orange peel (Citrus sinensis L. var. Valencia late), a by-product in the production of orange juice in Algeria. The EOs were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). All extracted C. sinensis EOs were chemotype limonene (94.64 to 95.48%). SFME is performed without added any solvent or water. SFME increases EO yield and eliminate wastewater treatment, resulting in a great progress in terms of time and cost efficiency. In its second part, the present study was conducted to evaluate “in vitro”, the antioxidant activities of Solvent Free Microwave (SFM) extracted orange EO by using the DPPH• (2,2-di-phenyl-1-picrilhydrazyl) free radical scavenging assay. The ability of orange EO to scavenge the free radical DPPH• was high, exceeding 80%. The result of the DPPH assay gives an IC₅₀ range value of 89.25 μg/mL (0.09 mg/mL) for the studied sample. Accordingly to the scientific literature, C. sinensis EO tested in the present study presented strong antioxidant activity, when looking to its values of AAI = 1.12 μg/mL. The feasibility of biopreservation used EOs as an alternative to synthetic techniques for liquid whole egg (LWE) stored under commercial retail conditions was investigated. The orange EO extracted by SFM was screened for its antibacterial and antioxidant activities in LWE at concentrations of 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5%. The TBA-RS results showed that the EO treatments significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the lipid oxidation in LWE. The long term oxidative, microbial and organoleptical stability of the LWE during display was positively influenced by orange EO treatments. Therefore, the results obtained here confirm that EO treatment as a promising technology to extend the commercial shelf-life of liquid egg products during retail/display.

Phosphorylation reactions of glycerol were studied using different inorganic phosphates such as sodium phosphate, trimetaphosphate (a condensed phosphate), and struvite. The reactions were carried out in two non-aqueous solvents: formamide and a eutectic solvent consisting of choline chloride and glycerol in a ratio of 1:2.5. The glycerol reacted in formamide and in the eutectic solvent with phosphate to yield its phosphorylated derivatives in the presence of silicates such as quartz sand and kaolinite clay. The reactions were carried out by heating glycerol with a phosphate source at 85 °C for one week and were analyzed by 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS). The yield of the phosphorylated glycerol was improved by the presence of silicates, and reached 90% in some experiments. Our findings further support the proposal that non-aqueous solvents are advantageous for the prebiotic synthesis of biomolecules, and suggest that silicates may have aided in the formation of organophosphates on the prebiotic earth.

The study´s goals were to determine the health status of a group of heart transplant recipients (HTR) and their level of physical activity and to compare the health status among them and with a group of healthy sedentary individuals. Fifty-four HTR and eighteen S were assigned to four groups, according to their level of physical activity (determined with The International Physical Activity Questionnaire); patients with a low, a moderate and a high level of physical activity (HTRL, HTRM and HTRH, respectively) and sedentary individuals (S). Participants underwent a basic blood analysis and several tests to assess their cardiovascular, neuromuscular, functional mobility condition and their quality of life. The S and HTRH were very similar in terms of BP, HR and blood analysis while HTRM and HTRL differed from both S and HTRH in these parameters. Regarding the cardiovascular, neuromuscular, functional mobility, and quality of life variables assessed in this study, HTRH showed the best results across all of them, followed by S, HTRM, and HTRL. It is suggested that the weekly level of physical activity of HTR should be high, what might help them to enhance their health and quality of life.

The impulse of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is triggering the demand for few specific metals. These include copper, silver, gold, and platinum group metals (PGMs), with important applications in renewable energies, green hydrogen, and electronic products. However, the continuous extraction of these metals is leading to a rapid decline in their ore grades and, consequently, increasing the environmental impact of extraction. Hence, obtaining metals from secondary sources, such as waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), becomes imperative for both environmental sustainability and ensuring availability. This recovery entails few problems such as allocation due to the simultaneous production of several metals, the use of non-renewable resources, and the exergy destruction during the life cycle of the metals. Therefore, this work analyses the waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) recycling process by proposing different exergy-based cost allocations for the mentioned metals, disaggregating the exergy cost into non-renewable and renewable, and considering the complete life cycle of metals with the Circular Thermoeconomics methodology. The results show a significant saving of non-renewable energy by using renewable energies in primary extraction (67-87%), recycling (97.6-98.5%), and renewable energies in recycling (98.7%, 99.0%), compared to conventional primary extraction. However, when considering the entire life cycle, between 47% and 53% of the non-renewable exergy is destroyed during recycling. Therefore, delaying recycling as much as possible would be the most desirable option for maximizing the use of non-renewable resources, which nature cannot replace in a short time.

Countless disasters have resulted from climate change, with severe damage to infrastructure and the economy. Their societal impacts require mental health services for the millions affected. To prepare for and respond effectively to these events, it is important to understand people’s emotions and incidents both before and after a disaster strikes. The emotions and other life incidents expressed on Twitter during the 2017 Hurricane Harvey were mined in this case study. Between August 20 and August 30, we collected a dataset of approximately 400,000 public tweets that related to the storm. Using a BERT-based model, we predicted the emotions attached to each tweet. After that, we used various natural language processing techniques to analyze the tweets themselves to understand what kind of ’topics’ were being discussed when people expressed certain ’emotions’. Applying the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) technique for topic modeling sidesteps the need for manual content analysis and allows us to find meaningful patterns in the data. Results show that there is a significant change of emotions occurred when the hurricane is at most devastating and many of life incidents become pressing demands/concerns from population such as evacuation plan, animal safety, safety update, public policy, helps, flood, and fake news.

With more companies entering the realm of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL), and governments enacting policies to support the development of low-altitude economies, the commercial potential of eVTOL is being recognized by the public. However, true commercialization is still a long way off. This article analyzes the technologies, product features, potential markets, and government policies related to eVTOL, and constructs a four-stage, four-layer Policy-Technology Roadmap (P-TRM) model to guide the R&D process of eVTOL. Then transform it into a system structural model, and the Decision-making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method is used to identify several key nodes in the R&D process. Utilizing the Technology Adoption Life Cycle (TALC) theory for interpretation and analysis, the article concludes by proposing strategies in product, technology, and policy support for how eVTOL can successfully cross the chasm. This preliminary analysis of the development path, key nodes, and necessary measures for crossing the chasm provides insights for the R&D and commercialization of eVTOL.

Big Data and blockchain technology are coming together to revolutionize how decisions are made in a decentralized way across various industries. This review looks at how these technologies, along with distributed systems, can improve data security, transparency, and real-time processing, making decision-making more efficient and informed. The integration enhances data security with unchangeable records, increases transparency and traceability, and supports real-time data analysis. However, there are challenges to overcome, including scalability, data privacy, interoperability, regulatory compliance, and high costs. By examining case studies such as Estonia's healthcare system, IBM and Walmart's Food Trust, and the Brooklyn Microgrid project, we explore the practical applications and benefits of combining Big Data with blockchain. Despite these hurdles, the review finds that the ongoing advancements and innovative solutions in these technologies offer significant promise. They are set to drive the adoption and effectiveness of decentralized decision-making, ultimately leading to better efficiency and outcomes across multiple sectors.

Background: The work and life of a junior doctor has changed dramatically over the past 50 years. Descriptions of historic working conditions are usually anecdotal and tinted with nostalgia. But presented with the facts, do heath care professionals feel working conditions things have improved or declined in the last 50 years? Methods: An interview was conducted with a retired surgeon who, in 1970, worked as a house surgeon (Foundation Year 2, FY2 equivalent) at a regional burns service. This was compared with a review of available literature to assess objectively working conditions in that period. The information generated from this produced a poster summarizing the key differences over a 53-year timeframe. This information was presented to the current medical work force and a survey was conducted to determine their preference. Statistical analysis including binary logistic regression was performed. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 76 respondent healthcare workers of mixed grades and backgrounds. The majority of respondents (64%) would choose to work in today’s burns unit. The age of the respondent was the best predictor for preference of working conditions (p = 0.043). Conclusions: Multiple changes in the working conditions were identified. The majority of respondents consider today’s working conditions to be better than that of the past. However, more senior clinicians were more likely to prefer the conditions of 1970 to present day, suggesting a generational shift in opinion.

Background: Atopic dermatitis is a chronic condition that significantly affects the daily life of those who suffer from it, requiring complex and personalized management with active participation of the patient in the management of their disease. Objective: to describe the design and development process of a mobile application, using the Design Thinking method, for the follow-up of patients with atopic dermatitis. Methods: User-centered design and prototype creation method, differentiating the phases of the empathize, define, idea, prototype, and test. A purposive snowball sampling was used to recruit patients with atopic dermatitis, family members, and health professionals. Three two-hour workshops were held, attended by 25 people. Results: the parameters to be monitored will include objective data (physical, behavioral, treatments, environmental, integration of daily routines) and subjective data (user experience). On the other hand, it will figure out behavior patterns, set up rewards, foster a feeling of community, and use notifications and a chatbot. Conclusion: The active integration of all stakeholders at each stage of the design and development of the digital solution has improved its relevance and acceptance, resulting in a tool that is expected to significantly improve the management of atopic dermatitis.

With buildings accounting for a significant portion of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) holds promise for enhancing sustainability in the building lifecycle. This systematic literature review addresses the current understanding of AI's potential to optimize energy efficiency and minimize environmental impact in building design, construction, and operation. A comprehensive literature review and synthesis were conducted to identify AI technologies applicable to sustainable building practices, examine their influence, and analyze the challenges of implementation. The review was guided by a meticulous search strategy utilizing keywords related to AI application in sustainable building design, construction, and operation. The findings reveal AI's capabilities in optimizing energy efficiency through intelligent control systems, enabling predictive maintenance, and aiding design simulation. Advanced machine learning algorithms facilitate data-driven analysis and prediction, while digital twins provide real-time insights for informed decision-making. Furthermore, the review identifies barriers to AI adoption, including cost concerns, data security risks, and challenges in implementation. AI presents a transformative opportunity to enhance sustainability in the built environment, offering innovative solutions for energy optimization and environmentally conscious practices. However, addressing technical and practical challenges will be crucial for the successful integration of AI in sustainable building practices.

We hypothesize that the first ancestral "ante-cell" molecular structures, i.e., first RNAs and peptides which gradually transformed into real cells once the Earth had cooled sufficiently for organic molecules to appear there, have leaved traces in RNAs and genes of present cells. We propose a circular RNA which could have been one of these ancestral structures whose vestigial pentameric subsequences would mark the evolution from this key moment when the ante-cells have begun to join the living organisms. In particular, we propose that in present RNAs (ribosomal or messenger) playing an important role in the metabolism of current cells, we look for traces of the proposed primitive structure in the form of pentamers (or longer fragments) belonging to their nucleotide sequence. The result obtained can be summarized in the existence of a gradient of occurrence of such pentamers, with a high frequency for the most vital functions (protein synthesis, nucleic synthesis, cell respiration, etc.). This gradient is also visible between organisms, from the oldest (Archaea) to the most recent (Eukaryotes) in evolution of species.

The institutionalization of people with intellectual disabilities has been a common international response across cultures and generations that persists to this day. This chapter recounts its inheritance and manifestation in modern service provision. An institutional mind-set persists among clinicians and managers despite policies that emphasise the rights of persons with intellectual disability and anti-discriminatory practice. Alternative provision is rooted in person-centred practice; with a growing body of evidence for the improved quality of life that results from it. A reflective activity encourages readers to examine a recent case when they were associated with an institutional placement and what alternatives might have been sought. Yet alliances with other professionals, self-advocates and family carers will be needed to effect real and lasting changes in our service cultures and even then, the long shadows of institutional care may still persist.

Membrane gas absorption technology has been considered as a promising approach to mitigate CO2 emissions from power plants. The aim of this study is to evaluate the environmental impacts of CO2 absorption and desorption processes by hollow fiber membrane contactors using life cycle assessment methodology. On the basis of ReCipe 2016 Midpoint and ReCipe 2016 Endpoint methods, the research results show that, membrane gas absorption system exhibits the lowest environmental impacts across the majority assessed categories in comparison with chemical absorption and membrane gas separation systems. The CO2 capture process via membrane gas absorption has the most significant impact on METP category, with heat consumption as the primary contributing factor accounting for 55%, followed by electricity consumption accounting for 43.1%. According to the sensitivity analysis, heating by natural gas shows a better performance than other heat supply sources in improving overall environmental impacts. In addition, the increasing utilization of renewable energy in electricity supply reduces the global warming potential, fossil resource consumption and ozone formation.

The growing urgency for sustainable energy solutions necessitates a deeper understanding of the environmental impacts of renewable technologies. This article aims to synthesize and analyze Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) in this domain, providing a comprehensive perspective. We systematically categorize 2,923 articles into four communities: (1) Photovoltaic systems, (2) Wind energy systems, (3) Materials for auxiliary industry of photovoltaic and wind systems, and (4) Solar thermal systems. A comparative analysis is conducted to identify methodological consistencies and disparities across these communities. The findings reveal diverse methodological approaches and a range of environmental impacts, highlighting the complexities in assessing renewable energy systems. The article underscores the significance of material selection in photovoltaic and wind systems, providing a critical overview of the current state of LCA research in renewable energy and stressing the need for standardized methodologies. It also identifies gaps in recent research, offering insights for future studies focused on integrating environmental, economic, and social considerations in renewable energy assessments.As a case study, an LCA was used to evaluate two energy supply methods for a sensor network: one connected to the public grid and another powered by a photovoltaic panel. The off-grid system, while more environmentally friendly by reducing reliance on non-renewable energy sources, posed challenges due to the high environmental impact of battery production and disposal. Integrating environmental assessments provides a robust framework for making informed decisions on sustainable technologies. The findings are critical for projects that balance technological needs with sustainability goals.

This research addresses a gap in the literature by conducting a comprehensive analysis of patients’ level of satisfaction with dental care. Methods: By combining quantitative and qualitative survey methods with the PSQ questionnaire this study aims to augment ongoing initiatives to enhance dental patients’ experiences by painting a more comprehensive depiction of patients' level of satisfaction; Results: When asked about their overall level of satisfaction 77,1% of the patients said they received excellent services from the office personnel and 72,2% said they trust their doctors; Conclusions: Assessing patient satisfaction in the realm of dental services quality is crucial for enhancing service quality and accuracy, benefiting both patients and dentists, and ultimately improving public health.

For a long time, a company's Product Development Process (PDP) was seen as supporting the operations department, although PDP decisions and mistakes have a considerable impact on market performance. This is critical even in agriculture where bad habits and practices in the PDP can lead rural producers to great losses. Therefore, this research investigated the effect on the market performance of rural products (banana) in the southern region of Brazil, based on two analyses: (i) how sustainability practices support the PDP phases and (ii) how the phases of the Product Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) mediate sustainability practices and PDP phases. This study presents a quantitative analysis using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and hierarchical ordinary least squares (OLS) regression of data obtained from a survey of 110 rural producers who directly participate in the banana production and planning process in southern Brazil. Our results shows that sustainability practices support the PDP, and we confirm that the product development and post-development phase has an effect on market performance. In addition, we identified that in the pre-development phase of the PDP, dealing with rural products (bananas), the maturity stage of the LCA mediates sustainability. In the PDP development phase, we concluded that rural families that develop economic and environmental practices with their products in the market growth phase may have reduced results. As for the post-development phase of the PDP, we conclude that when companies invest in environmental and social practices, there is a complete mediation of the effect, where these practices lose strength if the product is in the introduction and maturity phases in the market. As originality, our study contributed to demonstrate value on the product life cycle for the product development process in agriculture using sustainability practices through a systemic approach, filling the gap in the literature due to the lack of research on these areas seen in an integrated way.

The assessment of concrete structures' durability in chlorine environments is significantly impacted by the uncertainty inherent in existing durability models. It introduce an integrated approach for updating these models, based on detection information of existing structures. This approach narrows the gap between theoretical predictions and observed structural durability. Specifically, we refine the probability model of critical chloride content by analyzing steel bar corrosion sample proportions, using Bayesian theory for greater accuracy. The enhanced model enables more reliable life expectancy prediction, forming a solid foundation for maintaining and strengthening existing structures.This method was demonstrated through a case study of a reinforced concrete industrial building with a service life of 12 years.

Reconstructing the Tree of Life remains a central goal in biology. Early methods, relying on small numbers of morphological or genetic characters, often yielded conflicting evolutionary histories, undermining confidence in the results. Investigations based on phylogenomics, which use hundreds to thousands of loci for phylogenetic inquiry, have provided a clearer picture of life's history, but certain branches remain problematic. To resolve difficult nodes on the Tree of Life, two recent studies tested the utility of synteny, the conserved collinearity of orthologous genetic loci in two or more organisms, for phylogenetics. Synteny exhibits compelling phylogenomic potential while also raising new challenges. We identify and discuss specific opportunities and challenges that bear on the value of synteny data and other rare genomic changes for phylogenomic studies. Synteny-based analyses of highly contiguous genome assemblies mark a new chapter in the phylogenomic era and the quest to reconstruct the Tree of Life.

The aim of the study is to explore how sharing status updated and receiving Likes on Facebook, as a form of positive social feedback, correlates with current and perceived changes in Quality of Life (QoL) Sample consisted of 1577 adult Facebook users (76.3% females; 65.9% aged 18-24, 21.9% aged 25-30, 12.3% aged &gt; 30 years old). The study employed a longitudinal approach, collecting Facebook data from adult users over a 12-month period using the Graph API. Data were divided into 12 monthly segments. Two monthly indicators were calculated: the percentage of textual status updates and the average number of Likes per post. Current and perceived changes in Quality of Life (QoL) were administered as self-report measures. The findings indicated a positive correlation between the frequency of textual Facebook posts and the average received Likes. Furthermore, receivign more Likes was positively associated with a higher current QoL, and perceived improvements in QoL correlated with an increase in Likes over time. The study suggests that online positive social feedback, measured through Likes on Facebook, is associated with both current QoL and perceived improvements in QoL among adult Facebook users. This highlights the potential impact of online social interactions on individual well-being.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mechanical circulatory support has proven effective in managing postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock by stabilizing patients' hemodynamics and ensuring adequate organ perfusion. Among the available device modalities, the combination of extracorporeal life support and a microaxial flow pump for left ventricular unloading has emerged as a valuable tool in the surgical arma-mentarium. In this publication, we provide recommendations for the application and weaning of temporary mechanical circulatory support in cardiogenic shock patients, derived from a con-sensus among leading cardiac centers in German-speaking countrie

In the food sector, packaging is one of the important steps that ensures the safe, unspoiled, min-imum cost of storing, transporting and delivering the food that goes into production to the con-sumer. Food spoilage caused by foodborne pathogens and microorganisms is a serious problem in the food chain, reducing the shelf life of foods. Therefore, consumers' demands for more natural, disposable, biodegradable and recyclable antibacterial food packaging materials have considera-bly increased. This review covers a comprehensive current literature review of antibacterial food packaging, which includes with titles antibacterial agents, organic acids and other compounds, enzymes, bacteriocins, natural extracts, essential oils, application of encapsulation and antimi-crobial packaging. Research findings on antimicrobial food packaging used to extend the shelf life of foods were collected from online databases such as PubMed/MedLine, Wiley Online Li-brary, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. In this review, the activities of different bio-materials and compounds used to extend the shelf life of foods were compared

Background: Micronutrient deficiencies are common at the time of cancer diagnosis and are associated with worse prognosis. Little is known about them in cancer rehabilitation. Methods: Data from routine health related quality of life (HRQOL) were analyzed at an inpatient cancer rehabilitation center. Rehabilitation patients completed the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire before and after multidisciplinary rehabilitation treatment, and three month after discharge. Selenium and zinc status was measured in whole blood at these three time points. In case of selenium deficiency up to 600 µg selenium per day as sodium selenite was supplemented. Results: A total of 271 patients (breast, colon, and pancreatic cancer) were included in the analysis. There was clinically meaningful improvement in many domains of the EORTC QLQ-C30 during rehabilitation. However, effect often waned in the three months after. Prevalence for selenium deficiency varied between 34 to 90 percent depending on cancer type (breast &lt; colon &lt; pancreas). In contrast, zinc deficiency was rare. Daily selenium supplementation of 600 µg was more efficient to correct selenium deficiency compared to 300 µg selenium per day. Rehabilitation and increasing selenium status after rehabilitation were associated with improved global quality of life, physical and emotional functioning, and fatigue. In cancer patients with decreasing selenium status, values of global quality of life, physical and emotional functioning, and fatigue were back to the values at the beginning of rehabilitation. Conclusions: Selenium deficiency is common in cancer patients admitted to a cancer rehabilitation clinic. Selenium supplementation during rehabilitation effectively corrected selenium deficiency in most cases. The positive effects of rehabilitation persisted longer, when selenium status did not decrease after rehabilitation.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition, characterized by persistent deficits in communication/social interaction and restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or activities. It is usually identified in childhood, despite late diagnoses in cases of greater functionality. Havighurst proposes a set of fundamental tasks throughout the life cycle, whose achievement is probably compromised in the ASD, even though it lacks scientific evidence. This study innovates, as it is based on Havighurst's theoretical model for understanding the development process of three adults and one young person, diagnosed with ASD level I, at different life stages. Through the methodology of life histories, interviews were subject to content analysis. Results pointed out the early detection and interventions importance, minimizing adversities, above all by those who had late diagnoses. Self-perceived success, not expected, was found in some development tasks (e.g. conscience and morality development). Also were noticed expected limitations related to ASD (e.g. difficulties in relationships with peers and in the labor market inclusion). Probably, in cases of greater severity and less functionality/autonomy, there would be greater failure in development tasks. It is crucial to improve research on this developmental model and on the factors that delay the diagnosis, including cases of different levels of severity.

Kenya’s construction industry is experiencing exponential growth in tandem with construction trends globally. With the growth experienced in the industry, there has been significant growth in the economy and a 50% contribution to the world’s landfill waste and pollution to the adjacent environment. Globally, the construction industry is among the largest consumers of natural resources and significant contributors to pollution. This has given rise to high pressure to adopt environmentally sensitive approaches in the construction industry to present a competitive advantage. It is, therefore, crucial to address the need for sustainability measures for Landscape Architecture projects to increase knowledge and awareness, create incentives geared towards supporting sustainable practices, and leverage legal instruments and policies. Green construction practices and strategies have positively impacted the environment and the Kenyan construction industry’s social and economic performance. However, there are several barriers to the adoption and improvement of monitoring and evaluation of sustainable practices, thus slowing down the industry in taking charge of sustainability.

Biomass-derived carbon dots (CDs) are gaining much interest in recent times as it is a sustainable option with abundant availability, low cost, and tunable luminescence. Herein, we report a simple green synthesis method to produce highly fluorescent CDs from Eucalyptus globulus leaves using the one-pot hydrothermal approach. The fabricated CDs exhibit strong blue fluorescence with an excitation and emission maxima of 340 nm and 442 nm respectively. The highest quantum yield (QY) obtained was 60.7%. Due to its promising optical properties and biocompatibility, CDs can be a potential candidate for biosensing applications. Moreover, we employed a life cycle assessment (LCA) cradle-to-gate approach to study the environmental impacts of the synthesis strategy used for the fabrication of CDs. The results point out that citric acid is a main hotspot in CDs synthesis, regarding environmental impacts in most categories. This justifies the introduction of biomass, which reduces the amount of citric acid, thus leading to a more sustainable synthesis strategy for fabricating CDs.

In recent years, due to the low energy utilization of the whole life-cycle of buildings and the di-minished indoor and outdoor comfort of buildings and the impact on the surrounding environ-ment caused by the carbon emissions of the building life-cycle, the establishment of a whole life- cycle carbon emission model for buildings to improve their energy utilization at all stages of their life-cycle has received unprecedented attention. In China, the construction industry has become a major carbon emitter, and traditional houses, as a green development building type, are an effec-tive way to achieve carbon neutrality in buildings, but the existing green building evaluation system lacks quantitative indicators of carbon emissions in the building life-cycle. The exclusive evaluation indexes for regional and characteristic buildings, such as traditional houses, are ne-glected; This study explored the formula for calculating the life-cycle carbon emissions model of traditional residential houses under a carbon emission intervention and used real measurements of the physical environment and comparative analysis of the limitations of existing local stand-ards; The results showed that the carbon emission calculation formulas for each stage of the life-cycle of traditional residential houses must be established by combining the selection of local building materials, and the materials for sustainable energy and carbon sinks of green systems. Based on the results of indoor and outdoor heat and humidity environmental tests of residential houses and an analysis of the limitations of existing evaluation indexes due to locality, four im-portant factors affecting locality green buildings in terms of energy utilization, site ecology and landscape, land saving and material saving were extracted; on this basis, the whole life-cycle carbon emission model of traditional residential houses is constructed by combining the existing green building evaluation standards with the carbon emission indexes of the life-cycle of tradi-tional residential houses.

For children born with congenital heart defects (CHD), extracorporeal life support may be necessary. This study aimed to investigate the outcomes of children on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), focusing on various risk factors, including the type of CHD. The study was conducted as a retrospective single-center analysis at the Children's Hospital Zurich. All patients with CHD who required ECMO (veno-arterial or veno-venous) between 2009 and 2019 were included. Among the 88 patients, 36 (41%) had a single ventricle heart defect while 52 (59%) had a biventricular heart defect. Out of the total patients, 25 (28%) survived, with 7 (8%) having a single ventricle heart defect and 18 (20%) having a biventricular heart defect. Statistical analysis with a p-value of 0.19 revealed no significant difference in survival rates between the two groups. At the one-year follow-up, all children who survived to discharge were still alive. The rate of complications on ECMO was higher in children with a single ventricle (odds ratio [OR] 1.57, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.67 - 3.7). The occurrence of a second ECMO run was more frequent in patients with a single ventricle compared to those with a biventricular physiology (22% vs. 9.6%). Although the study did not identify a significant difference in survival rates, it did indicate that patients with a single ventricle faced a higher risk of complications during ECMO and a greater likelihood of requiring a second ECMO run.

For a long time, there has been interest in the relationship between personality traits and life satisfaction. However, many previous studies suffer from small sample sizes or selective sampling, sometimes leading to biased or imprecise results. The current study, which focuses on the trait of extraversion, attempts to overcome these limitations by using a large-scale German survey of more than 40,000 individuals aged 10 to 72. As the descriptive and regression results clearly show, there is a statistically significant relationship between extraversion and several dimensions of current life satisfaction. Depending on the type of satisfaction, the unstandardized regression coefficients range from 0.18 to 0.33. To gain further insight, age is added as an explanatory variable to test whether these associations change as a person ages. The results show that the effect sizes sometimes differ by age but remain robust and statistically significant. In conclusion, the study adds to the literature by providing convincing evidence that extraversion and life satisfaction are positively associated, at least in Western and industrialized countries, and that there are interaction effects with age.

Evolutionary theory suggests that the origin, persistence, and evolution of biology is driven by the “natural selection” of characteristics improving the differential reproductive success of the organism in the given environment. The theory, however, lacks physical foundation, and, therefore, at best, can only be considered a heuristic narrative, of some utility for assimilating the biological and paleontological data at the level of the organism. On deeper analysis, it becomes apparent that this narrative is plagued with problems and paradoxes. Alternatively, non-equilibrium thermodynamic theory, derived from physical law, provides a physical foundation for describing material interaction with its environment at all scales. Here we describe a “natural thermodynamic selection” of characteristics of structures (or processes), based stochastically on increases in the global rate of dissipation of the prevailing solar spectrum. The different mechanisms of thermodynamic selection are delineated for the different biotic-abiotic levels, from the molecular level at the origin of life, up to the level of the present biosphere with non-linear coupling of biotic and abiotic processes. At the levels of the organism and the biosphere, the non-equilibrium thermodynamic description of evolution resembles, respectively, Darwinian and Gaia descriptions, although the underlying mechanisms and the objective function of selection are fundamentally very different.

Accurate detection and quantification of regional vegetation trends is essential for understanding the dynamics of landscape ecology and vegetation distribution. We applied a comprehensive trend analysis to satellite data to describe geo-spatial changes in vegetation along the Pacific slope of Peru and northern Chile, from sea level to the continental divide, a region characterised by biologically unique and highly sensitive arid and semi-arid environments. Our statistical analyses show broad regional patterns of positive trends in EVI, called “greening” alongside patterns of “browning” where trends are negative between 2000 and 2020. The coastal plain and foothills, up 1000m, contain notable greening of the coastal Lomas and newly irrigated agricultural lands occurring alongside browning trends related to changes in land use practices and urban development. Strikingly, the precordilleras show a distinct ’greening strip’ which extends from approximately 6°S to 22°S, with an altitudinal trend; ascending from the tropical lowlands (170-780 m) in northern Peru, to the subtropics (1000-2800 m) in central Peru, and temperate zone (2600-4300 m) in southern Peru and northern Chile. We find that the geographical characteristics of the greening strip do not match climate zones previously established by Köppen and Geiger. Greening and browning trends in the coastal deserts and the high Andes lie within well defined climatic and life zones, producing variable but identifiable trends. However, the distinct Pacific slope greening presents an unexpected distribution with respect to the regional Köppen-Geiger climate and life zones. This work provides insights on understanding the effects of climate change on Peru’s diverse ecosystems in highly sensitive, biologically rich arid and semi-arid environments on the Pacific slope.

Growth-preserving instrumentation techniques are utilized in early-onset scoliosis (EOS) cases requiring surgical intervention. Shilla technique corrects the deformity and may reduce the need for surgical treatment with its growth-directing effect. As with other techniques, various prob-lems can be encountered following the administration of the Shilla technique. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of complications encountered with Shilla treatment on correction and growth. Sixteen patients with a follow-up period of at least 1 year who received Shilla growth guidance for EOS were included in the study. No complications occurred in 50% cases and no unplanned surgery was required. Of the remaining 8 patients with postoperative im-plant-related complications (50%), 6 (37.5%) required unplanned surgery; this consequently caused implant failure in the proximal region in 5 cases (31.25%) and deep tissue infection around the implant in 1 case (6.25%). Deformity correction, spine length, and quality-of-life scores significantly improved in EOS through Shilla growth guidance. Although implant-related com-plications were observed and related unplanned surgeries were required with Shilla growth guidance in our patients, these complications did not have a significant negative effect on correc-tion and spine growth.

Japan is experiencing a super-aging society faster than is anywhere else worldwide. Consequently, extending healthy life expectancy is an urgent social issue. To understand diet that supports the extension of healthy life expectancy, we studied the relationships among quality of life (QOL: SF-36 questionnaire), physical activity (number of steps and activity calculated using an accelerometer), physical function (muscle strength, movement function, agility, static balance, dynamic balance, and walking function) and dietary intake among 469 older adults living in the Tokyo metropolitan area (65–75 years old, men/women = 166/303) from February 23, 2017, to March 31, 2018. There was a significant positive association between physical QOL and steps, moderate-intensity activity, and high-intensity activity (p &lt; 0.05), and a significant positive association (p &lt; 0.05) between physical activity and movement, static balance, and walking functions, but no association with muscle strength. These three body functions were significantly positively correlated with intake of vegetables, seeds, fruits, and milk, and with magnesium, potassium, vitamin B6, and the dietary fibre/carbohydrate ratio and composition ratios (p &lt; 0.05). Balancing food and nutrition may improve QOL in older adults through increased physical function and physical activity. Future verification of interventions is needed.

The preparation of sulfur-single walled carbon nanohorns active material via a simple and sustainable evaporation method for application as cathode in lithium-sulfur batteries is reported. We show that the synthesis process enables the infiltration of elemental sulfur within the carbon nanohorns thus obtaining a morphology responsible for the ameliorating of the shuttle effect. The sulfur-carbon composite is characterized in terms of structure, morphology, and composition through x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analyses. From the electrochemical point of view, cyclic voltammetry, rate capability, and galvanostatic cycling tests are performed employing a solution of bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide lithium salt and lithium nitrate in a mixture of 1,2-dimethoxyethane and 1,3-dioxolane in order to evaluate the electrode design applicability within lithium-sulfur cells. In this respect, further insights are provided by the estimation of the lithium-ion diffusion coefficient through the Randles-Sevcik equation, and by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The obtained results reveal a remarkable cycle life lasting around 800 cycles with a stable capacity of 520 mA h g-1 for the first 400 cycles at C/4, while reaching a value around 300 mA h g-1 at the 750th cycle. These results suggest sulfur-carbon nanohorns active material as a potential candidate for the next-generation battery technology.

Molecular autism research is evolving towards a biopsychosocial framework that is more informed by autistic experiences. In this context, research aims are moving away from correcting external autistic behaviors and towards alleviating internal distress. Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASCs) are associated with high rates of depression, suicidality and other comorbid psychopathologies, but this relationship is poorly understood. Here, we integrate emerging characterizations of internal autistic experiences within a molecular framework to yield insight into the prevalence of psychopathology in ASC. We demonstrate that descriptions of social camouflaging and autistic burnout resonate closely with the accepted definitions for early life stress (ELS) and chronic adolescent stress (CAS). We propose that social camouflaging could be considered a distinct form of CAS that contributes to allostatic overload, culminating in a pathophysiological state that is experienced as autistic burnout. Autistic burnout is thought to contribute to psychopathology via psychological and physiological mechanisms, but these remain largely unexplored by molecular researchers. Building on converging fields in molecular neuroscience, we discuss the substantial evidence implicating mitochondrial dysfunction in ASC to propose a novel role for mitochondrial allostatic load in the relationship between autism and psychopathology. An interplay between mitochondrial, neuroimmune and neuroendocrine signaling is increasingly implicated in stress-related psychopathologies, and these molecular players are also associated with neurodevelopmental, neurophysiological and neurochemical aspects of ASC etiology. Together, this suggests an increased exposure and underlying molecular susceptibility to ELS that increases the risk of psychopathology in ASC. This article describes an integrative framework shaped by autistic experiences that highlights novel avenues for molecular research into mechanisms that directly affect the quality of life and well-being of autistic individuals. Moreover, this framework emphasizes the need for increased access to diagnoses, accommodations, and resources to improve mental health outcomes in autism.

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

Ofloxacin is a highly efficient and widely used antibiotic drug. It is classified as a refractory pollutant due to its poor biodegradability. Consequently, it is commonly found in water sources, requiring efficient methods for its removal. Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) offer efficient alternatives since those yield complete degradation not achieved in adsorption or membrane processes. Previous studies suggest ofloxacin degradation follows a pseudo-first or -second order processes, whereas for full removal of refractory pollutants – lower pseudo-orders are required. Monitoring the actual “pseudo-order” degradation kinetics of ofloxacin is needed to evaluate any proposed AOP process. This study presents a simple procedure to evaluate pseudo-orders of AOPs. Photolysis of 20 mM ofloxacin solutions follow pseudo-zero order kinetics, with half-life times (t_1/2) of approx. 60 min. TiO₂ heterogenous catalyst show to have no influence at low concentration (0.2 mg L^-1) but a significant reduction of half-life time (t_1/2 = 20 min) and increase in pseudo-order (0.8) is measured at 2.0 mg L^-1. Similar results are obtained with homogenous catalysis by 2.0 mg L^-1 H₂O₂. The combination of H₂O₂ and TiO₂ catalysts shows additional reduction in half-time life with increase in the pseudo-order to 1.2. The conclusions are (1) heterogenous and homogenous photocatalysis can effectively degrade ofloxacin, (2) combined photocatalysis yields higher pseudo-order, being less prone to achieve full removal, (3) analysis of specific pseudo-orders in AOPs of refractory pollutants helps to further elucidate the efficiency of the processes.

Current commitments by European governments seek to improve energy consumption as a means to reduce carbon emissions from building stock by 2050. Within such context, retrieving reliable three-dimensional contours from point clouds becomes an important step in developing facade retrofitting solutions since facade retrofitting projects often make use of as-built 3D models to help reduce inaccuracies by narrowing interpretation and measurement errors. This work aims to provide a method that uses topology-based parametric modelling for reconstructing building envelopes from point clouds. Through a semi-automated process that gives permanent visual feedback, the user adjusts parameters to custom standards of acceptability. A solution under the form of a Grasshopper definition delivers building envelope 3D contours in various file formats as a means for increasing interoperability. The main contributions of this work consist of a parametric reconstruction workflow capable of solving building topology for retrieving 3D contours, a strategy to bypass point cloud occlusion, and a strategy for converting those contours into an IFC model directly from the parametric modelling environment.

Wearable cardiac sensors pave the way to advanced cardiac monitoring applications based on heart rate variability (HRV). In real-life settings, heart rate (HR) measurements are subject to mo-tion artifacts that can be timely removed from the recordings. This leads to frequent data loss in the HR signal, especially for commercial devices based on photoplethysmography (PPG). The cur-rent study had two main goals: (i) to provide a white-box quality index that estimates the amount of missing samples in any piece of HR signal; and (ii) to quantify the impact of data loss on feature extraction in a PPG-based HR signal. This was done by comparing real-life recordings from com-mercial sensors featuring both PPG (Empatica E4) and ECG (Zephyr BioHarness 3). After an out-lier rejection process, our quality index was used to isolate portions of ECG-based HR signal that could be used as benchmark, to validate the output of Empatica E4 at the signal level and at the feature level. Our results showed high accuracy for estimating the mean HR, poor accuracy for short-term HRV features and moderate accuracy for longer-term HRV features. Levels of error could be substantially reduced by using our quality index to identify time windows with few or no missing data.

Background: Adolescence is a developmental stage when there is a high risk of engaging in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). There is recent interest in the study of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensome as variables associated with the frequency of NSSI in adolescents. Meaning in life (MIL) could be negatively associated with thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensome. To date, no studies have analyzed whether thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness could be associated with the frequency of NSSI in adolescents. On the other hand, no studies have analyzed the buffering role of MIL in the association between thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness and the frequency of NSSI. Aims: a) to test whether thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness are associated with NSSI frequency; b) to test whether MIL moderates the association between thwarted belongingness and NSSI frequency; and c) to test whether MIL moderates the association between perceived burdensomeness and NSSI frequency. Method: The sample consisted of N = 1531 participants between 12 and 18 years old from Spain. The participants filled out the Inventory of Statements about Self-Injury, Purpose-In-Life Test-Adolescents Version, and Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire. Moderation analysis were performed. Results: Thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness were positively associated with the frequency of NSSI in Spanish adolescents. MIL was a moderating variable between thwarted belongingness and the frequency of NSSI, and between perceived burdensomeness and the frequency of NSSI. Conclusion: Thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness could be a risk factor for NSSI and MIL could be a protective factor against NSSI, and adding these variables to current descriptive theories of NSSI in adolescents would allow us to improve the assessment and treatment protocols for adolescents with NSSI.

Mosquitoes are considered one of the most important threats worldwide due to their ability to vector pathogens. They are responsible for the transmission of major pathogens such as Malaria, dengue, Zika or Chikungunya. Due to the lack of treatments or prophylaxis against many of the transmitted pathogens and an increasing prevalence of mosquito resistance to insecticides and drugs available, alternative strategies are now being explored. Some of these involve the use of microorganisms as promising agent to limit the fitness of mosquitoes, attract or repel them and decrease the replication and transmission of pathogenic agents. In recent years, the importance of microorganisms colonizing the habitat of mosquitoes has particularly been investigated since they appeared to play major roles in their development and diseases transmission. In this issue we will synthesize researches investigating how microorganisms present within water habitats may influence breeding site selection and oviposition strategy of gravid mosquito females. We will also highlight the impact, effect of such microbes on the fate of females’ progeny during their immature stages with a specific focus on egg hatching, development rate and larvae of pupae survival.

Adolescents’ daily life has dramatically changed during the COVID-19 era due to the social restrictions that have been imposed, including closures of schools, leisure centers and sport facilities. The purpose of this study was to examine levels of well-being and mood and their relations with physical (in)-activity and eating behaviors in adolescents during a lockdown period in Greece. A total of 950 adolescents (Mean Age = 14.41years ± 1.63) participated in a web-based survey while education was online and organized sport activities were interrupted. Participants showed poor well-being, insufficient physical activity levels and moderate scores of healthy eating behavior. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that, after controlling for the effect of gender and body mass index, increased physical activity and healthier eating behavior predicted better well-being, whereas sedentariness predicted worse well-being. Furthermore, it was revealed that days of physical activity per week was a stronger predictor of well-being than minutes of physical activity per week, and that both in-house and out-of-house physical activity were beneficial. Considering that well-being was below the threshold recommended by the WHO as indicative of possible depressive symptoms, measures to increase physical activity and improve eating behavior should become a priority for communities and policy makers.

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex, multisystem, and profoundly debilitating condition, probably of multifactorial etiology. No effective approved drugs are currently available for its treatment. Several studies have proposed symptomatic treatment with melatonin and zinc supplementation in chronic illnesses; however, little is known about the synergistic effect of this treatment on fatigue-related symptoms in ME/CFS. The primary endpoint of the study was to assess the effect of oral melatonin plus zinc supplementation on fatigue in ME/CFS. Secondary measures included participants’ sleep disturbances, anxiety/depression, and health-related quality of life. A proof-of-concept, 16-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial was conducted in 50 ME/CFS patients assigned to receive either oral melatonin (1 mg) plus zinc (10 mg) supplementation (n = 24) or matching placebo (n = 26) once daily. Endpoint outcomes were evaluated at baseline and then reassessed at 8 and 16 weeks of treatment and 4 weeks after treatment cessation, using self-reported outcome measures. Treatment was safe and well-tolerated. The most relevant results were the significant reduction in the perception of physical fatigue in the active group at the final follow-up versus placebo (p < 0.05), and the significant improvement in the physical component summary at all follow-up visits in the experimental group. Our findings suggest that oral melatonin plus zinc supplementation for 16 weeks is safe and potentially effective in reducing fatigue and improving the quality of life in ME/CFS. This clinical study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03000777).

This paper aims to provide an overall review of degradation, damage evolution and fatigue models in the literature of various engineering materials, mostly metals, and composites.

Background. To determine the effectiveness and safety of meropenem in routine clinical practice, in terms of clinical and microbiological response. Methods. A real-world, observational, descriptive, longitudinal study with daily monitoring of clinical history records was conducted on all patients who were medically prescribed meropenem during a period between October 2015 and March 2016 at a university hospital in Bucaramanga (Colombia). Results. The study evaluated 84 patients with an average age of 63.2 years, mostly older adults with multiple comorbidities, of whom 54.8% were men. A positive clinical or microbiological response was obtained in 98.8% of the patients. At the end of the treatments, significant improvements in dysthermia (0% vs 29% at the beginning, p = 0.000), tachycardia (13% vs 47%, p = 0.049) and leukocytosis (39% vs 15% at the beginning, p = 0.008) were evidenced. The improvement in the indicator that combines all the SIRS criteria was also significant (p = 0.000). The treatment was well tolerated, although we identified some non-serious and expected adverse reactions. Conclusions. Generic meropenem proved to be effective and well tolerated for different types of infection in routine clinical practice. The results are consistent with the findings of the clinical studies with the innovator drug.

As part of the efforts to reduce the environmental impacts caused by the aviation sector, the use of bio-based instead of fossil-based materials has been assessed as a possible mitigation option. Natural Fibre Polymer Composites have proven to have a higher environmental performance in the automotive sector and are emerging as an option for weight reduction in aircraft. This study quantifies, though Life Cycle Assessment, the environmental performance of specific flax-based composite panels intended for aircrafts as interior fitting elements (i.e. partition panels, tray tables, baggage compartments) compared to a glass fibre/epoxy composite with a honeycomb core. Through system expansion, the fate of co-products issued from the production of the flax fibre technical textile used as reinforcement in the biocomposite material were considered in the assessment. Results showed that for an application in the aeronautics sector, the weight of the panels is the upmost critical parameter shaping the overall environmental performance of panels. Focusing on the panel production only, the biocomposite panel showed a higher environmental performance in the categories of climate change and marine eutrophication compared to the conventional panel, and the fire suppressant agent was identified as the main contributor to the environmental impacts of the bio-based panel. Yet these gains were negligible when considering the full life cycle of the panels, due to the higher weight (14%) of the bio-based panels; which is linked to the bio-based panel being at a prototype stage.In order to improve the environmental performance of the biocomposite panel and thus reduce its weight, it was shown relevant to optimize geometry of the panel itself, especially its core, so less resin could be used.