The problems of operating range and costs are the two most critical bottlenecks restricting the extensive application of electric vehicles at home and abroad. There are also some prominent problems in China's electric vehicles, such as slow improvement of electric vehicle's operating range, difficulty in charging, slow charging, low utilization efficiency of charging resources, and high battery cost for electric vehicles, which lead to poor competitiveness of electric vehicles compared with traditional internal combustion engine (I.C.E.) vehicles. This paper analyzes the key factors restricting the development and popularization of electric vehicles in China from the aspects of strategic policy, sales situation and self problems. Through summarizing the experience and lessons of French standardization development strategy and electric vehicle development mode, this paper puts forward the hypothesis leading the development of electric vehicles through standardization to enhance their competitiveness, gives the specific suggestions, and briefly analyzes the feasibility from the aspects of product situation. The research content of this paper provides a certain basis and ideas for the future research work.

Despite the impact that climate change is having on our planet and considering its consequences for future generations, much of the academic literature focuses on adolescent and adult percep-tions, giving little relevance to children's perceptions. Children's voices have the potential to in-fluence public opinion, which may in turn determine the direction of a new policy on the cli-mate crisis. In this context, it is urgent that we understand how children perceive this problem. This quantitative study was based on the application of 245 questionnaires to children aged be-tween 9 and 13 years old from five schools in north-eastern Portugal, more specifically in the region of Trás-os-Montes. To collect the data, we used a questionnaire with 26 questions, being 24 of closed response, Likert type, one of them open response, and one multiple choices. The da-ta were statistically treated using SPSS software. The results show that most of the children ex-press concern about the study's potential problem. However, they show some doubts and a lack of knowledge about some of the themes. We found differences between the two study cycles, with children in the 6th grade having a higher average in the understanding of the phenomenon, as well as the level of education of the parents being positively correlated with a more ecocen-tric posture. The female students also showed a slightly more ecological posture, i.e., an eco-friendlier posture. From the results obtained, we can open new paths for future research and contribute to the definition of policies and educational practices since the school has the respon-sibility to cooperate in the production of values, attitudes, and pro-environmental behaviours.

This study provides an insightful overview of community-participatory governance and conflict management as instruments for utilizing resources for development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). SSA is a region rich in natural resources but prone to conflict. The study is conceptual and critically engages the application of community governance and conflict management strategies that SSA countries need to adopt. The study praises the notion that community governance is characterized by recognizing and accepting intercultural diversity and creating a democratic institution for promoting good governance and conflict management in SSA. The study recommends that good community governance is required to drive local communities' development, growth, and transformation into a sturdy, innovative, and productive society capitalizing on opportunities. The study voice for the amalgamation of appropriate models and theories of governance cogently in the context of SSA due to the heterogeneity of communities. Therefore, to resolve conflict, conflict management, resolution, and transformation strategies are necessarily needed to accomplish a viable peace to maintain and sustain development.

The last few years have witnessed an explosion of research on Sustainable development. Most of this research is concentrated on the developed countries related to the issues not compatible with developing countries. This paper fills the gap and reviews the literature related to developing and emerging economies and their environmental and social constraints under Renewable energy and sustainable development (RESD). It also investigates how RESD can be implemented in the presence of serious issues pertaining to population increase, shortage of energy supply, lack of transportation, shortage of clean water, less food production and bad environmental systems and these are coupled with war, and hunger and political instability. The main contribution of this paper is to present extensive discussion in the context of hypotheses of economic growth and its association with energy consumption, and renewable energy options for sustainable development.

Abstract: Background: Stunting is primarily a public health concern in LMIC. The involvement of Integrated Service Post cadres is one of the strategies to combat stunting in Indonesia. Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of a short course on cadres knowledge. Method: A single group pre-post test design was conducted in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, from March to May 2022. Thirty cadres were selected based on the following criteria: willingness to participate, the number of stunted children in their Integrated Service Post (Posyandu), and full attendance at short course. The knowledge scores were measured by a structured questionnaire after short course (post-test 1) and 4 weeks later (post-test 2). We apply STATA 16 to calculate the mean difference (MD) using a t-test and Generalized Estimated Equation (GEE). Furthermore, the adequacy of the short course was evaluated with in-depth interviews. Result: On post-tests 1 and 2, cadres' knowledge of IYCF, children growth monitoring (CGM) and children development monitoring (CDM) significantly improved. The GEE analysis showed that a short course significantly improves cadres' knowledge after age control, education, occupation, and years of experience. Conclusion: Short course in-creased their affection, self-efficacy, and confidence, hence, they are capable of assisting children through home visits.

This study analyses the papers published by Spanish social psychologists to determine whether they address topics related with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Publications by Spanish institutions indexed by the Web of Science in the thematic category of “Social Psychology” were subjected to bibliometric analysis. The publications were classified by their relationship with the SDGs using OSDG, an open-source labelling tool, and an in-depth content analysis was performed to validate the results. A corpus of 1632 papers published by Spanish institutions between 1980 and 2020 was identified. Thirty-four percent of the papers address matters related with the SDGs; 23 % concern matters related with Goal 3 (good health and well-being), and 5 %, with Goal 5 (gender equality). Only 3 % are interventions to modify behaviour or change social environments. Conclusions: The review of these papers allows detecting to what extent the research conducted in Social Psychology contributes to achieving the goals proposed in each of the SDGs. Also, the content analysis of this publications identifies several factors (cognitive, emotional, social or cultural) which should be investigated to improve knowledge on how to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Metamorphosis is a critical process for most anurans to transition from water to land. The appearance of air-breathing lungs occurs during the change in oxygen medium from water to air. Revealing the structural construction and molecular switches of lung organogenesis is essential to understand the realization of air-breathing function. In this study, histology and transcriptomics were combinedly conducted to explore these issues in Microhyla fissipes lungs during metamorphosis. During the pro-metamorphic phase, histological structure improving of the alveolar wall was accompanied by robust substrate metabolism and protein turnover. The lungs, at the metamorphic climax phase, are characterized by an increased number of cilia in the alveolar epithelial cells and collagenous fibers in the connective tissues, corresponding to the transcriptional upregulation of cilia and extracellular matrix-related genes. The post-metamorphic lungs strengthen the contracting function, as suggested by the thickened muscle layer and the upregulated expression of genes involved in muscle contraction. The blood–gas barrier is fully developed in adult lungs whose transcriptional features are tissue growth and differentiation regulation and immunity. Importantly, significant transcriptional switches of pulmonary surfactant protein and hemoglobin facilitate air-breathing. Our results illuminated four key steps of lung development for amphibians to transition from water to land.

Urban floods are typical urban disasters that threaten the economy and development of cities. Sponge cities can improve the flood resistance ability and reduce the floods by setting low-impact development measures (LID). Evaluating the floods reduction benefits is the basic link in the construction of sponge cities. Therefore, it is of great significance to evaluate the benefits of sponge cities from the perspective of different rain patterns. In this study, we investigated the urban runoff of various rainfall patterns in Mianyang city using the Strom Water Management Model (SWMM). We employed 2–100-year return periods and three different temporal rainfall downscaling methods to evaluate rain patterns and simulate urban runoff in Mianyang, with and without the implementation of sponge city measures. After calibration, model performance was validated using multi-source data concerning flood peaks and inter-annual variations in flood magnitude. Notably, the effects of peak rainfall patterns on historical floods were generally greater than the effects of synthetic rainfalls generated by temporal downscaling. Compared to the rainfall patterns of historical flood events, the flood protection capacities of sponge cities tended to be overestimated when using the synthetic rainfall patterns generated by temporal downscaling. Overall, an earlier flood peak was associated with better flood sponge city protection capacity.

Understanding how species that follow different life-history strategies respond to stressful temperature can be essential to efficient treatments against agricultural pests. Here we focus on how the development and reproduction of C. medinalis is influenced by exposure to different rearing temperatures in the immature stage. We found that low (18 or 22 °C) or high (30 and 34 °C) rearing temperatures negatively affected the immature development and flight performance compared to the normal temperature 26 °C, with higher larval and pupal mortality, lower pupation and eclosion rates and shorter flight duration and distance. Low rearing temperatures significantly slowed down the immature process, but accelerated adult reproduction. However, high rearing temperatures had the opposite impacts. Interestingly, the flight of adults with un-mature rearing low temperatures (18 and 22 °C) significantly decreased their lifetime fecundity and mating frequency, but increased pre-oviposition period of females compared to the control; On contrast, high rearing temperatures (30 and 34 °C) significantly accelerated onset of oviposition and enhanced synchrony of spawning. These results indicate high rearing temperatures in the immature stage are more likely to trigger the onset of migration, but low rearing temperatures induces adults to have a greater resident propensity with stronger reproductive ability.

Folic acid, one of the 13 essential vitamins, plays an important role in cardiovascular development. Mutations in folic acid synthesis gene 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is significantly associated with the occurrence of congenital heart disease. However, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of cardiac development by mthfr gene are poorly understood. Here, we exposed zebrafish embryos to excessive folate or folate metabolism inhibitors. And we established a knock-out mutant of mthfr gene in zebrafish by using CRISPR/Cas9. The zebrafish embryos of insufficient or excessive folic acid, and mthfr-/- mutant all gave rise to early pericardial edema and cardiac defect at 3 days after fertilization(dpf). Furthermore, the folic acid treated embryos showed abnormal movement at 5dpf. The expression levels of cardiac marker genes hand2, gata4 and nppa changed in the abnormality of folate metabolism embryos and mthfr-/- mutant, and there is evidence that they are related to the change of methylation level caused by the change of folate metabolism. In conclusion, our study provides a novel model for the in-depth study of MTHFR gene and folate metabolism. And our results reveal that folic acid has a dose-dependent biphasic effect on early cardiac development.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a complex, multifactorial neurodegenerative disease that constitutes the most common cause of irreversible blindness in the elderly in developed countries. Incomplete knowledge about its pathogenesis prevents the search for effective methods of prevention and treatment of AMD, primarily its “dry” type, which is by far the most common (90% of all AMD cases). In recent years, AMD became younger: late stages of the disease are now detected in relatively young people. It is known that AMD pathogenesis—according to the age-related structural and functional changes in the retina—is linked with inflammation, hypoxia, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and an impairment of neurotrophic support, but the mechanisms that trigger the conversion of normal age-related changes to the pathological process as well as the reason for early AMD development remain unclear. In the adult mammalian retina, de novo neurogenesis is very limited. Therefore, the structural and functional features that arise during its maturation and formation can exert long-term effects on further ontogenesis of this tissue. The aim of this review is to discuss possible contributions of the changes/disturbances in retinal neurogenesis to the early development of AMD.

The COVID-19 pandemic, like previous major crises, such as the 2008 financial crisis, has had a severe negative impact on international trade flows. International institutions are now exploring ways to help their member states recover from the health crisis, and foster the resilience of their economies to future crises. As far as trade is concerned, institutions that deal primarily with trade matters are making effort to help their member states foster the resilience of their trade performance to future shocks. In this context, the World Trade Organization (WTO), which is the only international organization that deals with the global rules of trade between nations, has organized a series of events since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has now planned to hold in September 2021 the 2021 WTO Public Forum whose theme is "Trade Beyond COVID-19: Building Resilience". The present paper aims to contribute to this debate by examining the effect of development aid, i.e., the so-called official development aid, in particular its Aid for Trade (AfT) component, on export resilience. The resilience of exports refers to the capacity of countries' aggregate exports to resist to shocks, whether environmental or external shocks. The core argument of the analysis is that development aid would affect export resilience through its effect on productive capacities. The analysis covers 93 developing countries over the period 2002-2018. The findings indicate that total development aid flows, including both AfT flows and NonAfT flows exert a positive effect on export resilience. Among AfT components, AfT for productive capacities appears to exert a higher positive effect on export resilience than AfT for economic infrastructure and AfT for trade policy and regulation. In addition, development aid (whatever the aid variable considered) exerts the highest positive effect on export resilience in countries (such as Least developed countries - LDCs) that have the lowest level of productive capacities. These findings highlight the need for donor-countries to supply higher development aid flows, in particular AfT flows to countries such as LDCs that have low levels of productive capacities.

The author presents his perspective on the character of science, development, and handedness and relates these to his investigations of the early development of handedness. After presenting some ideas on what hemispheric specialization of function might mean for neural processing and how handedness should be assessed, the neuroscience of control of the arms/hands and interhemispheric communication and coordination are examined for how developmental processes can affect these mechanisms. The author’s work on the development of early handedness is reviewed and placed within a context of cascading events in which different forms of handedness emerge from earlier forms but not in a deterministic manner. This approach supports a continuous rather than categorical distribution of handedness and accounts for the predominance of right-handedness while maintaining a minority of left-handedness. Finally, the relation of the development of handedness to the development of several language and cognitive skills is examined.

The reality of people’s lives has shifted from rural to urban areas, where an ever-increasing proportion of the world’s population lives. Providing infrastructure to serve these areas, especially in the Global South, is a key task of sustainable development. A deep understanding of the spatial arrangement and scales of these urban structures and their temporal evolution can help to develop innovative solutions to issues of energy, water, or transportation infrastructures. For this purpose, in this work we study the temporal evolution of urban built-up structures (Global Artificial Impervious Area) and population distributions (Global Human Settlement Population) in four regions of the Global South (Argentina, India, Egypt, and Nigeria). We qualitatively analyze regularity through the pair correlation function and subsequently identify typical scales within the different interurban systems. In doing so, we identify that especially the large settlement objects arrange themselves in a regular way and thus typical scales exist in urban systems. Thus, settlement objects are usually located about 20 to 40 km apart from each other. This information can be used to develop sustainable infrastructure concepts, for example for passenger transport between settlements.

Brain development during the prenatal period is rapid and unparalleled by any other time during development. Biological systems undergoing rapid development are at higher risk for disorganizing influences. Therefore, certain prenatal exposures impact brain development, increasing risk for negative neurodevelopmental outcome. While prenatal exposures have been associated with cognitive and behavioral outcomes later in life, the underlying macroscopic brain pathways remain unclear. Here, we review studies investigating the association between prenatal exposures and infant brain development focusing on prenatal exposures via maternal physical health factors, maternal mental health factors, and maternal drug and medication use. Further, we discuss the need for studies to consider multiple prenatal exposures in parallel and suggest future directions for this body of research.

This paper analyzes the political and economic changes in the world after the drastic changes in eastern Europe, starting with Chinese President Xi Jinping's viewpoint "the biggest change in a century". Also, the new international situation and new development in the post-epidemic as well as the development path and direction of China in the post-epidemicera are expected.

The aim of this study is to identify the effective institutional factors on the exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities of the sports tourism industry in developing countries. This research is a qualitative study, the systematic method of Strauss and Corbin (1990) has been used to analyze the data. Interviewing is the main method of collecting data in this research, which semi-structured interviews were done with 45 members of the research community. According to Shane and Venkataraman individual-opportunity nexus framework (2000), interview questions were drafted and simultaneously with data collection from interviews, data analysis was performed. Based on the research results, 75 indicators affecting the exploitation of entrepreneurship opportunities in sports tourism were identified. Our research findings show that the necessary institutional arrangements in regulatory/legal/administrative dimensions (rule of law, government policies), normative/cultural (social norms, values and beliefs), cognitive/educational (promotion of elite knowledge, promotion of social knowledge) and guidance measures/supporter (public sector support, private sector support, complementary attraction and information technology) can improve the rate of entrepreneurial behavior in this area by increasing the ability and willingness of entrepreneurs to take advantage of entrepreneurial opportunities in the field of sports tourism. Finally, according to the research results, it can be suggested that for the growth of the sports tourism industry in developing countries, The existence of a legal, normative, supportive and educational environment will affect the ability and desire of market participants to identify and exploit the entrepreneurial opportunities of this emerging industry.

The natural product elaiophylin is a macrodiolide with broad biological activities. However, no direct target of elaiophylin in eukaryotes has been described so far, which hinders a systematic explanation of its astonishing activity range. We recently showed that the related conglobatin A, a protein-protein interface inhibitor of the interaction between the N-terminus of Hsp90 and its cochaperone Cdc37, blocks cancer stem cell properties by selectively inhibiting K-Ras4B but not H-Ras. Here we elaborate that elaiophylin likewise disrupts the Hsp90/ Cdc37 interaction, without affecting the ATP-pocket of Hsp90. Similar to conglobatin A, elaiophylin decreased expression levels of the Hsp90 client HIF1⍺, a transcription factor with various downstream targets, including galectin-3. Galectin-3 is a nanocluster scaffold of K-Ras, which explains the K-Ras selectivity of Hsp90 inhibitors. In agreement with this K-Ras targeting and the potent effect on other Hsp90 clients, we observed with elaiophylin treatment a submicromolar IC50 for MDA-MB-231 3D spheroid formation. Finally, a strong inhibition of the same cells grown in the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) microtumor model was determined. These results suggest that several other macrodiolides may have the Hsp90/ Cdc37 interface as a target site.

Calcineurin B-like proteins (CBL)-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) by interacting with CBLs regulate developmental processes, hormone signalling transduction and mediate stress responses in plants. Although the genome of chickpea is available, information of CIPK gene family has been missing in chickpea. Here, a total of 22 CIPK encoding genes were identified in chickpea and characterized by in silico methods. We found a high structural conservation in chickpea CIPK family. Our analysis showed that chickpea CIPKs have evolved with dicots from common ancestors, and extensive gene duplication events have played an important role in evolution and expansion of CIPK family in chickpea. Most chickpea CIPK proteins localize in cytoplasm and nucleus. Promoter analysis revealed various cis-regulatory elements related to plant development, hormone signaling and abiotic stresses. Expression analysis indicated that CIPKs are significantly expressed in a spectrum of developmental stages, tissue/organs that hinted their important role in plant development. Several CIPK genes had specific and overlapping expressions in different abiotic stresses and seed development stages, suggesting the important role of CIPK family in abiotic stress signaling, and seed development in chickpea. Thus, this study provides the avenue for detailed functional characterization of CIPK family in chickpea and other legume crops.

A recent study from our lab revealed that inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 exclusively reduces the level of PGE2 amongst the prostanoids and hamper the normal development of several structures, strikingly the cranial vault, in chick embryos. In order to unearth the mechanism behind the deviant development of cranial features, the expression pattern of various factors that are known to influence the cranial neural crest cell (CNCC) migration were checked in chick embryo after inhibiting the COX-2 activity using etoricoxib. The compromised level of cell adhesion molecules and their upstream regulators, namely CDH1, CDH2, MSX1, and TGF-β, observed in the etoricoxib treated embryos indicate that COX-2, through its downstream effector PGE2, regulates the expression of these factors perhaps to aid the migration of CNCC. The histological features and levels of FoxD3 as well as PCNA further consolidates the role of COX-2 in migration and survival of CNCC in developing embryo. The results of the current study indicate that the COX-2 plays a pivotal role in orchestrating the proliferation and migration of CNCC during embryonic development of chick.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a global strategy that aims to obtain a more equitable and just world. These objectives are organized in 17 SDGs, which are detailed in 169 targets. Different international institutions have emphasized education's relevance to developing citizens who contribute to the SDGs' achievement for 2030. However, a review focused on Physical Education exclusively has not been performed yet. Therefore, the objective of this work is double. First, to analyze and select the specific goals of the SDGs that can be implemented in the subject of Physical Education. And second, to relate these specific goals to the different models based on Physical Education practices. This review showed how three institutional documents have previously related sport, physical exercise and physical education to the specific goals of the SDGs. Based on the search done, this document selects those goals that could be integrated into the educational context through Physical Education. The bibliographic and narrative analysis carried out in this research shows that of the 169 specific goals proposed in the SDGs, only 24 could be worked on in Physical Education. In addition, after this previous analysis, a proposal for the relationship between the practice-based models and these 24 goals is presented. The contributions made in this paper will allow teachers to establish links between PE sessions and SDGs while raising awareness to develop students who contribute to a more sustainable world.

Community is a veritable ingredient for social change and development in a society. The potentials of individuals and groups in the community are a great source or resource for promoting unity, development and patriotism. The general objective of this study is to examine the influence of diversity in community composition, on the operation of community policing style in Nigeria. The study adopted qualitative research approach to collect and analyze data. In-depth interview is the instrument of data collection while content analysis is the method of data analysis. The study took place in Kwara State, North central Nigeria. Twenty community leaders and youth groups heads were purposefully selected through snowball sampling method. Where this great resource or human capital is adequately galvanized by the leaders and community heads, the community becomes formidable and capable of solving her social problems together. However, these benefits of community are hampered by other socio-cultural and economic variables in its members. Community on its own cannot achieve much until members are mobilized to support and partner with government in any developmental projects.

Over time, the agricultural sector's contribution to the nation's Gross Domestic Product and revenue is declining exponentially; the decline may be attributed to varying problems affecting the agricultural value chain resulting in low productivity. The agricultural value chain comprises a series of activities and value addition processes required to transform raw materials into useable products to maximize the final consumers' utility.¹ The agricultural value chain's marketing activities have been skewed with challenges, thus affecting agricultural productivity and agricultural sector contribution to the economy. The paper critically examines and discuss the impact of agricultural marketing to economic development, a historical review of agricultural marketing in Nigeria, challenges undermining the impact of agricultural marketing, measures to reposition agricultural marketing potential to build back better, policy recommendations to reposition the future of Nigeria's agricultural productivity. The paper aims to promote concerted efforts through knowledge dissemination to build back better through market research and facilitation and boost economic prosperity.

DevOps is an emerging practice to be followed in the Software Development life cycle. The name DevOps indicates that it’s an integration of the Development and Operation team. It is followed to integrate the various stages of the development cycle. DevOps is an extended version of the existing Agile method. DevOps aims at continuous integration, Continuous Delivery, Continuous Improvement, faster feedback and security. This paper reviews the building blocks of DevOps, challenges in adopting DevOps, Models to improve DevOps practices and Future works on DevOps

In this paper, we have analysed the level of advancement in circular economy (CE) in the EU-28 countries. Firstly, we used a synthetic measure to examine CE advancement in EU countries in each of the Eurostat CE distinguished areas, i.e. production and consumption, waste management, secondary raw materials, and competitiveness and innovation. For the empirical analysis, we applied 17 Eurostat indicators to the CE areas. To find the synthetic measure in 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016, we used multidimensional comparative analysis, i.e. a zero unitarisation method. Secondly, based on the synthetic measures of the CE areas, we created a general synthetic measure of the CE advancement of the EU-28 countries as well as the countries’ rankings. Thirdly, we classified the countries into groups according to their level of advancement in CE, i.e. high level, medium-high level, medium-low level, and low level groups. Finally, we applied a similarity measure to evaluate the correlation between obtained rankings in two most extreme moments in the period of analysis (2010, 2016). Our analysis covers all EU member states, as well as "old" and "new" EU countries separately. Our results confirm that highly developed Benelux countries, i.e. Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium, have the highest CE advancement level. Malta, Cyprus, Estonia, and Greece are the least advanced in CE practice. Apart from that, on average, there is some progress in CE implementation, significant disproportions between the EU countries were observed, especially among the "new" member states.

(1) Background: There is robust evidence of an attention bias-anxiety relationship in children, but lack of appropriate methods has limited the number of studies with children younger than 8 years old. This study used eye-tracking as a measure of overt attention in young children. The aim of this study was to assess anxiety related attention bias in children aged 4 to 8 years. Age was considered as a moderator and the influence of effortful control was investigated. (2) Method: A community sample of 104 children were shown pairs of happy-neutral and angry-neutral faces. Growth curve analyses were used to examine patterns of gaze over time. (3) Results: Analyses revealed moderation by age and anxiety, with distinct patterns of anxiety-related biases seen in different age groups in the angry-neutral face trials. Effortful control did not account for age related effects. (4) Conclusions: Results support a moderation model of the development of anxiety in children.

This article analyzes the design of MasterMind, an escape room that served as a means of professional development in the use and implementation of online educational tools in academic teaching. Escape rooms have inspired educators all over the world to adapt the popular entertainment activity for education. The time-constrained and problem-based games require active and collaborative participants, which makes an escape room an interesting setting for educators. As there are differences in the settings and goals of educational and recreational escape rooms, there is a need for description of the design process, taking into account game design and educational aspects. MasterMind was developed by a multidisciplinary team of educators, educational researchers and game researchers. The design analysis of MasterMind focuses on three related challenges that have informed the design process: 1) the participants' transition from the real world to the game world; 2) the alignment of game design aspects and educational aspects in the game world; and 3) the transfer from experiences and knowledge obtained within the game world back into the real world. The description and analysis is guided by frameworks on persuasive games and the alignment of game goals and learning goals. The analysis gives insights in how to balance game and educational aspects in the design, in order for players to reach both persuasive and learning goals. We recommend an integrated approach of the different design challenges. Therefore, we propose a design model combining and aligning the used frameworks, leading to an integrated approach in tackling design challenges in persuasive, serious games.

This research article presents the integration of participatory modeling and system dynamics as a novel methodology for the consolidation of social dynamic models for the subsequent evaluation and prioritization of green projects in Colombian post-conflict communities. In the first instance, through participatory work carried out along with the community, it was possible to identify, evaluate and systematize citizen factors in relation to the problems and needs of the region. Second, based on the results obtained, to calibrate a simulation model based on system dynamics that facilitates decision making with regard to the evaluation of green projects. The proposed methodology leads to the conclusion that, with the participation of the community and with a model based on the dynamics of variables such as supply and demand for natural resources of water and land, it is possible to warn decision makers about the variables that can lead to the maximization of investments and thus prioritize and select the most appropriate environmental, social or economic initiatives, that certainly meet the needs or expectations of the involved community. In the future, the model could be used to facilitate the management, administration and control of water and land resources by creating alerts called reserve margins.

Circular Economy (CE) is a growing topic among scholars, industry and government aiming at decoupling economic growth and development from the consumption of finite resources. CE incorporates different meanings, from reduce, reuse and recycle activities to environmental degradation or resource scarcity, and supported by specific indicators to attain sustainable development. However, so far, there has been no agreement to measure how effective an industry/product is in making the transition from linear to circular approaches, particularly those affected the society. This research work aims to perform a systematic literature review (n=60) to analyze and discuss how social aspects have been considered and integrated in the CE research so far. Moreover, this review provides and overview of the literature on social impact within CE, that resulted in three main outputs: a knowledge map of the CE, an analysis of social aspects within CE, and the theories/frameworks used to evaluate social impact of CE. Finally, this study brings to light how CE implementation can affect society and highlights the importance of social dimension in the domains of CE and policy-making community, which could help moving CE towards a sustainable development.

(1) Background: The importance of this article is to analyze the technological developments in the field of the Internet and Internet technologies and to determine their significance for the sustainable development which will result in the emergence of the Society 5.0; (2) The authors used automated content analysis for the analysis of 552 articles published in 306 scientific journals indexed by SCII and/or SCI - EXPANDED (Web of Science (WOS) platform) between the years 1996 and 4/2020. The goal of the research was to present the relationship between the internet and sustainable development. (3) Results: The results of the analysis show that the top four most important themes in the selected journals were “development”, “information”, “data”, and “business and services”. (4) Conclusions: Our research approach emphasizes the importance of the culmination of scientific innovation with the conceptual, technological and contextual frameworks of the internet and internet technology usage and its impact on sustainable development and emergence of the Society 5.0

A novel software engineering platform called the Dynamic Nuchwezi Architecture Platform (DNAP) is introduced, specified and its novelties explained. The unique features of this platform are explained and several new concepts and abstractions upon which its implementation, usage, and analysis are hinged also elaborately discussed. The motivations for this new approach to building especially tools used in data engineering are spelled out and the platform is contrasted against other existing technologies of a similar kind. Finally, it is shown what known limitations DNAP suffers, as well as what room for further research and improvement there is in this field.

Specialized, reductionist, and linear approaches are applied in clinical research; they are based on linear logic and used towards therapeutic molecule-based targets. However, those approaches do not consider a systemic vision that describes the remote cause of the pathogenic activation. We propose new theoretical and practical methods for the next drug generation development. Self-organization, network structure, hierarchical organization, non-linearity, feedback circuits, reactions to information, and the view of drugs as information clarify the existing pharmacological methods. We suggest a perspective and hierarchical vision of the human organism based on six levels (mechanic and structural; metabolic; bodily dynamic; emotional, cognitive, spiritual). The therapy should restore the self-organization of every level using the “intelligent” modulation of the network responses. Multi-targeted drugs should act on the remote cause of the pathogenic cascade and be administered based on personal variability and networks. This approach may help the development of individualized, precise, and integrated medicine.

The article presents the author's method of land use change assessment in the context of sustainable development and the results of its application based on the transformations that occurred in individual areas of Europe in the years 2012–2018. This method is based on data from the CORINE Land Cover program and local government units presenting the degree of urbanization (DEGURBA). The authors evaluate the transformations taking place in space, reducing them to economic, social and environmental dimensions. They then analyse the results in terms of space (covering the entire Europe) and in terms of division into: large cities, small towns as well as suburbs and rural areas. It has been shown that: development of the economic dimension most often takes place at the expense of natural resources; the higher the population density and more important function in the functional system of a given country, the greater the sustainable development differentiation level in the analysed dimensions, of which the social dimension is characterized by the lowest differentiation and the economic dimension is the highest; development of rural areas is less sustainable than in case of large urban centres. The result interpretation also leads to the conclusion that the areas of Europe are very diverse in terms of sustainable development. However, the method itself, despite the imperfections observed by the authors, may be used in further or similar studies.

The PI3K/AKT pathway is a key target in oncology where most efforts are focussed on phenotypes such as cell proliferation and survival. Comparatively little attention has been paid to PI3K in stemness regulation, despite the emerging link between acquisition of stem cell-like features and therapeutic failure in cancer. The aim of this review is to summarise current known and unknowns of PI3K-dependent stemness regulation, by integrating knowledge from the fields of developmental, signalling and cancer biology. Particular attention is given to the role of the PI3K pathway in pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) and the emerging parallels to dedifferentiated cancer cells with stem cell-like features. Compelling evidence suggests that PI3K/AKT signalling forms part of a ‘core molecular stemness programme’ in both mouse and human PSCs. In cancer, the oncogenic PIK3CA^H1047R variant causes constitutive activation of the PI3K pathway and has recently been linked to increased stemness in a dose-dependent manner, similar to observations in mouse PSCs with heterozygous versus homozygous Pten loss. There is also evidence that the stemness phenotype may become ‘locked’ and thus independent of the original PI3K activation, posing limitations for the success of PI3K monotherapy in cancer.Ongoing therapeutic developments for PI3K-associated cancers may therefore benefit from a better understanding of the pathway’s two-layered and highly context-dependent regulation of cell growth versus stemness.

The sample data are used from Shaanxi Statistical Yearbook （1999-2018）and poverty population in X County of Southern Shaanxi in 2018. By using Eviews and Excel, this report focuses on analyzing the relationship between education investment and economic growth, education for poverty population, per capita income and poverty caused by education in X county, which can explain reasons for the phenomenon of poverty caused by education. The countermeasures are proposed to solve the phenomenon of poverty caused by education, including establishing scientific education view, correctly understanding education investment and benefit, and improving the aid mechanism for poor students to realize the effective connect among poverty alleviation through education, accurate poverty alleviation and rural revitalization.

Sustainability, as well as a concept related to a development model, is becoming a real guide to drive the governance choices of value chains. A sustainable policy has the objective of perpetuating production models over time while maintaining the environmental, economic and social dimensions that characterize a given production process. It is therefore important to measure the sustainability of a production system in its environmental, social and economic components and to understand the ongoing trends under the pressure of agricultural policies, market dynamics and innovation pattern introduced along the time in a production system. The purpose of the article is to assess the evolution of the level of sustainability of Parmigiano Reggiano production system under the effect of 20 years of innovation mechanism which impact on product quality, value chain performance and rural development. To this aim the paper discuss a holistic framework that allows the representation of stakeholder’s role considering the value chain and the territorial dimension. The paper discus also the use of dimensional indicators and propose a use of synthetic indexes to provide an overall picture of the evolution of sustainability of specific production system.

The foreign trade sustainable development index system of Shenzhen City, including the three subsystems of environment, economy, and society, was constructed based on the theory of emergy analysis.The sustainable development of foreign trade in Shenzhen City from 2009 to 2016 was evaluated, and a detailed analysis of changes in the emergy of light and heavy industries was performed. The results showed that the scale of economy has been expanding, and the total volume of imports and exports has turned from a rise to a decline in 2013. The status of sustainable development is not optimistic. The transaction volume of energy is reduced, and the quality of people's living environment is declining. The sustainable development of Shenzhen City is not perfect, but it is in a phase of gradual optimization. Moreover, the proportion of heavy industry in import and export trade is significantly higher than that of light industry, which has caused the outflow of energy to a certain extent. Therefore, to improve the level of foreign trade sustainable development, we must improve the efficiency of resource utilization, increase the import of energy products, strengthen the ability to cope with external interference and adjust the foreign trade industrial structure.

The paper attempts to explore the relationship between federalism and rural development. Federalism is a division of power, responsibility and accountability to bring the administrative and political power closer to the ground and essentially to increase the good governance. On the other hand, rural development is a complex and multidimensional issue- especially much demanding for least developed and developing countries. A descriptive and qualitative approach was carried out to study the complex relationship between rural development and federalism. Similarly, a SWOT analysis was carried out to have a better understanding of the relationship. The study found that there is significant potentiality for accelerated development of rural landscape in federalism if carefully executed. However, on the other hand, federalism may pose several risks on rural development and may restrict the development pace if not executed with appropriate care and understanding. Therefore, the study concludes that cooperation and coordination among the federal structures are crucial for better development of the rural economy.

During the past two decades of e-commerce growth, the concept of a business model has become increasingly popular. More recently, the research on this realm has grown rapidly, with diverse research activity covering a wide range of application areas. Considering the sustainable development goals, the innovative business models have brought a competitive advantage to improve the sustainability performance of organizations. The concept of the sustainable business model describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value, in economic, social, cultural, or other contexts, in a sustainable way. The process of sustainable business model construction forms an innovative part of a business strategy. Different industries and businesses have utilized sustainable business models’ concept to satisfy their economic, environmental, and social goals simultaneously. However, the success, popularity, and progress of sustainable business models in different application domains are not clear. To explore this issue, this research provides a comprehensive review of sustainable business models literature in various application areas. Notable sustainable business models are identified and further classified in fourteen unique categories, and in every category, the progress -either failure or success- has been reviewed, and the research gaps are discussed. Taxonomy of the applications includes innovation, management and marketing, entrepreneurship, energy, fashion, healthcare, agri-food, supply chain management, circular economy, developing countries, engineering, construction and real estate, mobility and transportation, and hospitality. The key contribution of this study is that it provides an insight into the state of the art of sustainable business models in various application areas and future research directions. This paper concludes that popularity and the success rate of sustainable business models in all application domains have been increased along with the increasing use of advanced technologies.

In this working paper we intended to address the emergence of what, potentially, will be a central concept in the very near future, Society 5.0 and that arises politically in (with) following the implementation of the concept of Industry 4.0. Society 5.0 proposes to deepen the potential of the individual-technology relationship in the promotion of the improvement of the quality of life of all people through a super smart society, is an extremely recent concept as a guiding social development that can have a profound impact in societies at all levels, such as quality of life and sustainability. It is a presentation that is based on very recent3 publications, but which also has a prospective component, which always generates some indetermination and uncertainty. Also, for this reason, it is a contribution that seeks above all else to contribute to this very urgent and necessary discussion.

Coastal areas in the South Coast of West Java Province have the potential to develop marine ecotourism, one of which is the Pangandaran area which must be transferred into economic value by not damaging natural resources. Marine ecotourism development is not only intended to raise foreign exchange for local governments, but are also expected to play a role in maintaining natural resources sustainably. This research aims to analyze the sustainable synergistic marine ecotourism development model. The method used in this research using quantitative descriptive method. The Quantitative descriptive method is used to describe the general condition of the research area, using primary and secondary data. The technique of taking respondents using accidental sampling as many as 50 respondents consisting of tourists, public figures, fishermen who have side jobs as a provider of marine ecotourism services. The analysis tool used is through a Rapfish model approach to measuring the synergistic model of sustainable development of marine ecotourism. Based on the results of a research on a sustainable synergistic marine ecotourism development model by measuring the ecological dimensions of environmental services in high conditions, the economic dimension of marine ecotourism is in moderate condition. Marine ecotourism technology in low conditions and social dimensions of marine ecotourism in low conditions. Model development of sustainable marine ecotourism synergistic with regard to the dimension of environmental, economic and social institutions should be able to form integrated from infrastructure to support marine ecotourism up to raise the level of income of fishermen who have a second job as a marine ecotourism providers. The infrastructure and regulatory dimensions are recommended to use the technology information to promote marine ecotourism optimally and regulations need to make marine ecotourism zoning rules and infrastructure improvements.

The paper explores different models of innovation management at the regional level and reasons for the best model considering the specific features of St. Petersburg as the innovative region of Russia. The authors, on the base of their long-time experience in studies of innovative enterprises and elaborating the regional innovation policy in St. Petersburg, propose the tool of creation and measuring the results of the regional innovation policy that promotes the life quality improvement and regional sustainable development. The balanced scorecard is used as a method, based on the methodology of knowledge economy development and adjusted to the specific needs of St. Petersburg innovation eco-system. The authors pay special attention to the implementation of principles of green economy into the realization of the regional innovation policy and the proposed balanced scorecard.

Sustainable development is inconceivable without healthy real estate market. A housing project can be regarded as sustainable only when all the dimensions of sustainability (environmental, economic, and social) are dealt with. There has been an increased interest in using sustainability indicators for evaluating the impacts of the new development projects. Past and recent experiences have shown that sustainability indicators can be useful tools for measuring the outcomes of new construction, when used appropriately and adequately. The aim of this article is to propose an integrated, hierarchically structured system of sustainability indicators to be used for assessment of the new housing development projects in the Baltic States. This aim is achieved through accomplishing three objectives. First, based on a review of literature related to assessing building project performance and sustainable development in construction, the paper proposes a hierarchically structured system of sustainability indicators. Second, based on a survey of experts from the Baltic States, significances of criteria are estimated by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. Finally, paper proposes recommendations to government authorities and real estate developers as to how to enhance the performance of new residential projects according to the principles of sustainability.

The focus of research has mainly been on the life cycle approach to project development, while limited attention has been given to the ageing construction companies that make all these activities/processes happen. This paper examines the organisational factors determining the sustainability and growth of building and civil engineering contractors in South Africa. The paper explores whether there are specific organisational factors that aid the sustainable development and growth of contractors in the South African construction industry. The paper analyses data gathered from face-to-face interviews conducted with four established and twelve upgraded and successful building and civil engineering contractors listed on the Construction Industry Development Board’s (cidb) Register of Contractors. The aim of the study is to identify the organisational factors critical for sustainable contractor development and growth in South Africa. The study found that organizational factors responsible for the sustainable development and growth of construction contractors include the size of the founding team members, management capabilities, strategic decisions made by founders/leaders and the ability of the company to constantly evolve, adapt and respond effectively to threats/challenges whenever they surface, amongst other findings. Capacity to generalise the results of the study to the large cidb registered contractor group is limited by the smallness of the sample size. Future research should make use of a larger sample size to obtain more general findings. The results of the study imply that the founding team size, experience, entrepreneurial and managerial capabilities, capacities and organisational structures that enable the efficient response of companies to external and internal challenges are key components of the definable arrangements that will support the sustainability and growth of construction organisations. The paper is of value to government departments and agencies such as the cidb and contracting firms in the construction industry.

Background: Tourism is one of the prominent industry that has a capability to generate handsome income for developed as well as developing countries. However, the study to investigate specifically the perception of local residents towards tourism is still lacking. The perception of the locals is important since it could determine the extent of their support for tourism development. Plus, previous research found that male residents are more support better towards the tourism development. Thus, this factor is adapted as well in this study to examine whether this gender may influence to the tourism industry. 2) Methods: This study used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique for determining the structural estimates between constructs. 3) Results: The respondents agree that positive perception, negative perception and tourism impact has a significant impact on support for tourism development in which has been recognized as Social Exchange Theory model. Moreover, the finding also revealed that gender has a potential to moderates the causal effect of tourism impact on tourism development. 4) Conclusion: The resident understand the tourism sector could strengthen economic nation but they also want the natural resources should be protected.

The consumption of rice, which recently increases globally, leads to requirement for planning sustainable water management for paddy cultivation. In this research, SWAT model was modified to evaluate sustainability of paddy cultivation. Modifications to simulate paddy cultivation are 1) to equip with a new water balance model of impounded fields, 2) to add an irrigation management option for paddy fields, which is characterized by flood irrigation managed by farmers on a daily basis, 3) to consider puddling operation that influences water quality and infiltration rate of soil. The enhanced model, named SWAT-PADDY, was applied to an agricultural watershed in Japan as a case study. The modified model succeeded in representing paddy cultivation in the study area. However, SWAT-PADDY underestimated base flow in irrigation period. The cause of this is inferred that the modified model doesn’t represent return flow of excess withdrawal of river water. In conclusion, addition of the models of impoundment and management practices in paddy fields to SWAT improved field scale simulation of water balance and irrigation in paddy fields. However, further improvement of the model on irrigation return flow process is needed to better predict hydrology of watersheds dominated by paddy irrigation.

Musabaqah Tilawatil Qurân (MTQ/Al Quran Reciting Competition) is often regarded as a big and important momentum for the process of Islamic preaching in Indonesia. It has even become a tradition for Indonesian people, although Al-Quran reciting is a common activity and a universal phenomenon in the Islamic world. In the MTQ event, the participants compete at various fields, including Tilawah (the art of reciting Al-Quran), Fahmil Qurân (comprehension of Al-Quran contents), and hifzul Qurân (memorization of Al-Quran verses). In 2003, a new field was initiated in the MTQ competition; i.e Musabaqah Makalah Ilmiah Al-Qurân (M2IQ/Al-Qurân Academic Writing Competition). Since its first exhibition on the 2003 Regional MTQ in West Java Province, and later on the 2008 National MTQ, the M2IQ, which is based on written-preach (dakwah bilkitabah), is considered as an innovation of preaching method in Indonesia. Islamic preaching (dakwah) in Indonesia has always been leaning heavily on the oral-preaching (dakwah bilisan) method, as represented by other fields contested in an MTQ. This development warrants a comprehensive study to understand what considerations underlying the emergence of M2IQ, how the process is, and what contributions it provides to the development of Islamic preaching in Indonesia. This study utilizes analytic-descriptive approach to discover the phenomenon. The findings indicate that M2IQ has accentuated the intellectual aspect of MTQ. In addition, M2IQ widens the spectrum of Al-Qurân preaching in Indonesia; opening a new chapter of Islamic preaching (dakwah) in the country.

Teachers’ time resources are becoming increasingly scarce and time poverty will have a direct impact on the long-term sustainability of their professional development. However, the current state of teachers’ time poverty and its potential harmful consequences are unclear. Therefore, this research conducts two cross-sectional studies to investigate the current situation and group differences in time poverty among Chinese teachers (Sample 1), as well as the influence of teachers’ time poverty on job burnout (Sample 2). The results indicate that: (1) there is a high level of time poverty among teachers; (2) there is no significant difference in gender, teaching years, or teaching section, and there is a significant difference in teaching responsibilities; (3) time poverty could positively and significantly predict job burnout, and job burnout could positively and significantly predict mental health; (4) mental health factors (including depression, anxiety and stress) play the mediating role in the relationship between teachers’ time poverty and job burnout. To create a sustainable development environment for teachers, it is suggested that teachers improve time management skills and establish a self-regulation mechanism; schools should clarify the boundaries of teachers’ work and respect their right to rest; and society should provide positive and adequate spiritual support.

This research experiments with a sustainability assessment based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Agenda 2030 through a process of their territorialisation and implementation. This process enables the development of a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) that can be integrated with strategic environmental assessments in urban planning. The assessment takes place on the transversality of the sustainability concept by trying to consider together the three dimensions (environmental, social and economic) into a single assessment through the Spatial Sustainability Assessment Model (SSAM) by integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and multi-criteria analyses. Economic development, social equity, and ecological integrity represent three common visions for rethinking peri-urban edges.

The present paper investigates the effect of poverty on foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in developing countries. It complements the important extant literature on the effect of FDI inflows on poverty by examining the issue the other way around. The analysis is conducted using a sample of 117 countries over the period 1980-2017, and the two-step system Generalized Methods of Moments (GMM) technique. It has relied on two indicators of poverty, namely poverty headcount ratio and poverty gap. Findings indicate that over the full sample, poverty influences negatively FDI inflows, including through its adverse effect on human capital (that is, both education and health). Unsurprisingly, low-income countries (considered as poorest countries in the full sample) experience a higher negative effect of poverty on FDI inflows than other countries. On another note, participation in international trade matters for the effect of poverty on FDI inflows. In fact, an increase in poverty levels results in lower FDI inflows in countries that experience low workers' productivity, a less developed financial sector, and a low level of infrastructure development. Furthermore, the effect of poverty on FDI inflows does not depend on the prevailing economic growth rate. Finally, the analysis has revealed the existence of a non-linear effect of poverty on FDI inflows for the poverty headcount indicator, but not for the poverty gap indicator. The non-linear effect of poverty headcount on FDI inflows is such that a rise in poverty headcount ratio results in lower FDI inflows, but an additional increase in poverty more than further discourages FDI inflows. The conclusion discusses the implications of these findings.

This qualitative study explores the role of supply chain partnerships in enhancing brand value through collaborative marketing efforts. By analyzing diverse cases from industries including consumer electronics, apparel, automotive, and food and beverage, the research examines how different forms of partnerships—strategic alliances, co-marketing, joint ventures, and supplier integrations—contribute to brand value. The study employed a multiple case study design, incorporating semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and participant observations to gather data. The findings reveal that these partnerships enable companies to leverage complementary strengths, resulting in enhanced innovation, product quality, sustainability, market reach, and ethical standards. Collaborative marketing strategies such as joint product launches, sustainable branding campaigns, and co-developed customer programs are identified as key drivers of brand value, effectively increasing brand awareness, customer loyalty, market share, and perceived quality. Despite challenges like coordination complexity, goal misalignment, cultural differences, and cost management issues, the benefits realized—such as improved brand image, faster time-to-market, and reduced costs—demonstrate the substantial value of effective supply chain partnerships. The study underscores the importance of strategic alignment between supply chain activities and brand objectives, highlighting that successful partnerships foster deeper consumer engagement and stronger market positions. This research provides actionable insights for companies seeking to optimize their supply chain collaborations to enhance brand value, offering a foundation for future studies and practical applications in supply chain management and marketing. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how supply chain partnerships can be strategically managed to drive brand excellence in a competitive market environment.

Background: Pediatric forearm fractures represent a substantial proportion of childhood injuries, requiring effective and minimally invasive treatments. Our study investigated the mid-term outcomes of biodegradable poly-L-lactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) intramedullary implants in managing diaphyseal forearm fractures in children. Methods: A follow-up cohort study was conducted with 38 patients treated with PLGA implants. Control examinations were performed one year post-operation, assessing bone healing through radiographic evaluations and functional outcomes using injured and uninjured limb range of motion (ROM) comparisons. Scarring was evaluated employing the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS), and satisfaction via a questionnaire. Results: Children were predominantly female (76.4%), with a mean age of 9.71 (SD: 2.69) years. Effective fracture stabilization and bone healing were found in all patients, with a minor reduction (mean difference of -1.5°, p = 0.282) in elbow flexion on the operated side (139.3°) compared to the intact (140.8°). Elbow extension presented negligible average changes (0.2°, p= 0.098). Forearm movements were slightly reduced on the operated side (mean pronation: 80.8° vs. 83.7°, p= 0.166; average supination: 83.5° vs. 85.7°, p= 0.141). Wrist palmar flexion and dorsiflexion showed no significant differences. VSS ratings indicated minimal scarring (mean guardian and doctor scores were 1.13 and 0.55, respectively, p= 0.020), and all patients reported satisfaction with the treatment outcomes. Conclusion: Biodegradable implants are effective for pediatric forearm fractures, providing stable bone healing while preserving functional ROM with minimal scarring and high patient satisfaction. PLGA proved to be a viable alternative to traditional metal implants, eliminating secondary removal surgeries.

In the global carbon cycle, atmospheric carbon emissions, both ‘natural’ and anthropogenic, are balanced by carbon uptake (i.e. sequestration) that mostly occurs via photosynthesis, plus a much smaller proportion via geological processes. Since the formation of the Earth about 4.54 billion years ago the ratio between emitted and sequestered carbon has varied considerably with atmospheric CO₂ levels ranging from 100,000 ppm to a mere 100 ppm. Over this time, a huge amount of carbon has been sequestered due to photosynthesis and essentially removed from the cycle, being buried as fossil deposits of coal, oil and gas. Relatively low atmospheric CO₂ levels were the norm for the past 10 million years, and during the past million years they averaged about 220 ppm. More recently, the Holocene epoch, starting ~11,700 years ago, has been a period of unusual climatic stability with relatively warm, moist conditions and low atmospheric CO₂ levels of between 260 and 280 ppm. During the Holocene, stable conditions facilitated a social revolution with domestication of crops and livestock leading to urbanisation and development of complex technologies. As part of the latter process, immense quantities of sequestered fossil carbon have recently been used as energy sources, resulting in a particularly rapid increase in CO₂ emissions after 1950 CE to the current value of 424 ppm, with further rises to >800 ppm predicted by 2100. This is already perturbing the previously stable Holocene climate and threatening future food production and social stability. Today, the global carbon cycle has been shifted such that carbon sequestration is no longer keeping up with recent anthropogenic emissions. In order to address this imbalance it is important to understand the roles of high-capacity carbon sequestration systems, such as natural forests and tropical croplands, and to devise strategies to facilitate net CO₂ uptake.

Currently, there is a tenacious need to find new ways to purify water by eliminating bacterial biofilms, textile dyes, and toxic water pollutants. These contaminants pose significant risks to both human health and the environment. To address this issue, in this study, we have developed an eco-friendly approach that involves synthesizing Cobalt-doped Cerium Iron Oxide (CCIO) nanocomposite (NC) using an aqueous extract of Gossypium arboreum L. stalks. The resulting nanoparticles can be used to effectively purify water and tackle the challenges associated with these harmful pollutants. Nanoparticles excel in water pollutant removal by providing high surface area for efficient adsorption, versatile design for simultaneous removal of multiple contaminants, catalytic properties for organic pollutant degradation, and magnetic features for easy separation, offering cost-effective and sustainable water treatment solutions. CCIO nanocomposite has been synthesized by green co-precipitation method due to biomolecules and co-enzymes present in the aqueous extract of Gossypium arboreum L. stalk; a single-step procedure completed in 5 h reaction time. Further, the synthesis of nanocomposites was confirmed by various characterization techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Dynamic light scattering (DLS), and Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX). CCIO NCs were discovered to have a spherical shape and an average size of 40 nm. Based on DLS zeta potential analysis, CCIO NCs were found to be anionic. Also, CCIO NCs showed significant antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. Overall, considering the physical and chemical properties, the application of CCIO NCs in the adsorption of various dyes (~91 %) and water pollutants (chromium = ~ 60 %) has been considered since they exhibit great adsorption capacity owing to their microporous structure which can be a step forward in water purification.

This research explores the behaviors of Generation Z consumers in China, particularly focusing on their interaction with companies through social media for the joint creation of value. Adopting a qualitative methodology, the research initially constructs a scale for assessing co-creation of value on social media platforms. Subsequently, it delves into the motivational aspects of users' engagement in these co-creative activities. The study unveils a range of utilitarian and hedonic motivations that drive Generation Z's value co-creation actions on social media. Insights derived from the findings offer both theoretical and practical implications for the field.

Viral co-infections, where a host is infected by multiple viruses simultaneously, are common in the human population. Human viral co-infections can lead to complex interactions between viruses and the host immune system, affecting the clinical outcome and posing challenges for treatment. Understanding the types, mechanisms, impacts, and identification methods of human viral co-infections is crucial for the prevention and control of viral diseases. In this review, we first introduce the significance of studying human viral co-infections and summarize the current research progress and gaps in this field. We then classify human viral co-infections into four types based on the pathogenic properties and species of the viruses involved. Next, we discuss the molecular mechanisms of viral co-infections, focusing on virus-virus interactions, host immune responses, and clinical manifestations. We also summarize the experimental and computational methods for identifying viral co-infections, emphasizing the latest advances in high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics approaches. Finally, we highlight the challenges and future directions in human viral co-infection research, aiming to provide new insights and strategies for the prevention, control, diagnosis, and treatment of viral diseases. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge and future perspectives on human viral co-infections, and underscores the need for interdisciplinary collaborations to address this complex and important topic.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 is a neurodegenerative disease caused by an abnormal expansion of CAG repeats in the disease gene ATXN3, leading to prolonged polyglutamine (polyQ) tracts in the respective protein ataxin-3. The polyQ-expanded protein forms polyQ-containing aggregates in several brain regions which leads to neuronal cell loss. Autophagy is thought to play a significant role in clearing these polyQ-containing protein aggregates. Therefore, the autophagy mechanism was investigated in SCA3 with focus on the autophagic protein p62/sequestosome-1. Human and mouse RNA sequencing data were analyzed to determine RNA expression level of autophagic genes. Additionally, autophagy was studied in the SCA3 304Q knock-in mouse model and through several cell culture experiments using HEK-293T cells transfected with ATXN3 of differ-ent polyQ lengths. For cell culture experiments, autophagy was induced with rapamycin treat-ment, proteasomal degradation was blocked with MG132 and degradation of autophagic pro-teins was investigated using cycloheximide treatment. Here, we report an increased autophagy impairment with SCA3 disease progression seen in HEK-293T cells transfected with ATXN3 plasmid with expanded polyQ tracts, higher aged 304Q-knock-in mice, or human post-mortem brain material. Furthermore, co-localized aggregation of the autophagic protein p62 and the dis-ease protein ATXN3 was observed in the course of SCA3 disease. Therefore, we suggest a signifi-cant role for p62 in aggregate formation seen in the neurodegenerative disease SCA3.

This study investigates the influence of economic growth on CO2 emissions levels in three developed countries—Argentina, Equatorial Guinea, and South Korea—based on their status as high-income countries. We test the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis using the time series approaches to check the relationship and direction of causality among the variables over a sample spanning 1974–2020. The results show an inverted U-shaped short-run relationship in all three countries. In the long run, only South Korea supports the EKC hypothesis. Further, Granger causality results indicate the existence of causality. These long-run causal relationships between economic growth and emissions recommend one policy implication that wealthy governments must expand investments in renewable clean energy projects and R&D, with regulatory measures to suppress harmful environmental procedures and support environmentally friendly development.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the circulation of non–SARS-CoV-2 respiratory viruses changed throughout the world. This study aimed to analyze the effect of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), metapneumovirus (MPV), rhinovirus (RV), and parainfluenza (PIV)-3 single infection, dual co-infection, and viral load on cytokine and chemokine expression in 300 Mexican patients with ARIs negative for SARS-CoV-2. Molecular detection and viral load were performed by RT-qPCR. Cytokine and chemokine expression was determined in samples positive for single RSV, MPV, RV, or PIV-3 infection, and in the most frequent dual co-infections, by a cytokine panel using a magnetic-bead-based multiplex immunoassay. Of the patients positive for viral infection, 91.7% had a single infection and 8.3% had dual co-infections. In this study, RSV was the respiratory virus with the highest prevalence, and the most common dual co-infection was RV+RSV. On the other hand, RV infections had the highest viral loads compared to the other viruses detected. FGF basic, MIP-1α IL-8, IP-10, MCP-1, IFN-γ, and RANTES showed differential expression between single infections and dual co-infections compared to healthy patients. We report, for the first time, the circulation of non-SARS-CoV-2 viruses in the south of Mexico and the cytokine and chemokine profiles associated with these viruses.

A bridged 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) derivative (PN-DOPO) in combination with aluminum phosphates coated sepiolite (Sep@AlPO4) was used to improve the flame retardancy, thermal stability and mechanical properties of poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO)/poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) blends. The synergistic effects of PN-DOPO and Sep@AlPO4 on the fire resistance, thermal decomposition behavior and mechanical properties of PEO/PBAT composites were investigated systematically. The results indicated that 5 wt % Sep@AlPO4 combined with 10 wt% PN-DOPO into PEO/PBAT achieved a V-1 rating in UL-94 test and the LOI value increased to 23.7%, meanwhile, the peak-heat release rate (p-HRR), av-HRR and total heat release (THR) values of PEO/PBAT/PN10%/Sep5% composites decreased by 35.6%, 11.0% and 23.0% compared with those of PEO/PBAT, respectively. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results confirmed that PN-DOPO/Sep@AlPO4 could enhance the initial thermal stability and char yield of PEO/PBAT matrix, and TGA/Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (TGA-FTIR) results revealed that the composites exhibited the absorption peaks of phosphorous-containing groups and an increase in gas-phase volatiles during the thermal decomposition process. The digital photographs and morphological structures of char residues demonstrated that PN-DOPO and Sep@AlPO4 mixtures benefited to the formation of a more continuous and dense carbon layer on the composites surface during combustion. Rheological behavior revealed that a higher storage modulus, loss modulus and complex viscosity of PEO/PBAT/PN-DOPO/Sep@AlPO4 composites could also promote the cross-linking structure during burning. Furthermore, the PEO/PBAT/PN-DOPO/Sep@AlPO4 composites exhibited excellent mechanical properties in terms of elongation at break and flexural performance than the PEO/PBAT system. All the results demonstrated that PEO/PBAT system modified by the combination of PN-DOPO and Sep@AlPO4 not only exhibited excellent synergistic effect on the flame retardance, but also had good improvement on thermal stability and mechanical properties, indicating the potential application in areas requiring fire safety.

The devastating effects of COVID-19 permeates virtually all aspects of life across geographic boundaries. As the lockdown is eased, and reinstated, across many parts of the world, attention is now shifting towards how to navigate the ‘now normal’ rather than the ‘next normal,’ of doing business with a view to achieving sustainable development. This study highlights some of the challenges and opportunities for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in times of crisis such as COVID-19. Conceptual by orientation, the study provides a broad overview of trends in crises times, drawing upon a range of qualitative accounts. The overarching message is the current direction of travel for MSMEs in sustaining their bottom-line, not after the crisis, but at this particular moment in time. The study highlights some implications for ‘pivoting,’ in order to cushion the impact of the pandemic on efforts to capacitate MSMEs in leveraging value co-creation with the consumers. The implications of the here and now are discussed.

K-Rb-83Kr based atomic co-magnetometer for measuring moving MEGs is theoretically studied in this paper. Parameters such as the spin exchange rates, the spin dephasing rates and the polarization of the nuclear spins are studied to configure the co-magnetometer. Results show that the nuclear spin could generate around 700 nT magnetic field under which the nuclear spin could compensate wide range of magnetic fields. We also showed the hybrid optical pumping vapor cell fabrication process in this paper. Alkali metals were mixed in a glove box and then was connected to the alkali vapor cell fabrication system. The vapor cell fabrication process is illustrated in this paper.

Transition metal alloys have emerged as promising electrocatalysts due to their ability to modulate key parameters such as d-band electron filling, Fermi level energy, and interatomic spacing, thereby influencing their affinity towards reaction intermediates. However, the structural stability of alloy electrocatalysts during alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) remains a subject of debate. In this study, we systematically investigate the structural evolution and catalytic activity of the c-Co/Co3Mo electrocatalyst under alkaline HER conditions. We reveal that the instability of the Co3Mo alloy and H0.9MoO3 during alkaline HER leads to the destruction of the crystal structure, resulting in the formation of hexagonal cobalt (h-Co) from hexagonal Co(OH)2 as an intermediate species. Furthermore, we explore the re-adsorption and surface coordination of the Mo element, which enhances the catalytic activity for alkaline HER. This work provides valuable insights into the dynamic behavior of alloy-based electrocatalysts, shedding light on their structural stability and catalytic activity during electrochemical reduction processes

The pathogenesis of porcine circovirus type 2b (PCV2b) and swine influenza A virus (SwIV) during co-infection in swine respiratory cells is poorly understood. To elucidate the impact of PCV2b/SwIV co-infection, newborn porcine tracheal epithelial cells (NPTr) and immortalized porcine alveolar macrophages (iPAM 3D4/21) were co-infected with PCV2b and SwIV (H1N1 or H3N2 genotype). Viral replication, cell viability and cytokine mRNA expression were determined and compared between single-infected and co-infected cells. Finally, 3’mRNA sequencing was performed to identify the modulation of gene expression and cellular pathways in co-infected cells. It was found that PCV2b significantly decreased and improved SwIV replication, in co-infected NPTr and iPAM 3D4/21 cells respectively, compared to single infected cells. Interestingly, PCV2b/SwIV co-infection synergistically up-regulated IFN expression in NPTr cells whereas in iPAM 3D4/21 cells, PCV2b impaired the SwIV IFN induced response, both correlating with SwIV replication modulation. RNA-sequencing analyses revealed that the modulation of gene expression and enriched cellular pathways during PCV2b/SwIV H1N1 co-infection is regulated in a cell type-dependent-manner. This study revealed different outcomes of PCV2b/SwIV co-infection in porcine epithelial cells and macrophages and provides new insights on porcine viral co-infections pathogenesis.

Drought is one of the most serious abiotic stressors in the environment, restricting agricultural production by reducing plant growth, development, and productivity. To investigate such a complex and multifaceted stressor and its effects on the plants, a systems biology-based approach is necessitated, entailing the generation of co-expression networks, identification of highly-priority transcription factors (TFs) dynamic mathematical modeling, and computational simulations. Here, we studied a high-resolution drought transcriptome of Arabidopsis. We revealed distinct temporal transcriptional signatures and demonstrated the involvement of specific biological pathways. Generation of a large-scale co-expression network followed by network centrality analyses identified 117 TFs that possess critical properties of hubs, bottlenecks, and high clustering coefficients nodes. Dynamic transcriptional regulatory modeling on integrated TF-target and transcriptome datasets uncovered major transcriptional events during the course of drought stress. Mathematical transcriptional simulations allowed us to ascertain the activation status of major TFs as well as the transcriptional intensity and amplitude of their target genes. Finally, we validated our predictions by providing experimental evidence of gene expression under drought stress for a set of four TFs and their major target genes using qRT-PCR. Taken together, we provided a systems-level perspective on the dynamic transcriptional regulation during drought stress in Arabidopsis and uncovered numerous novel TFs that can potentially be used in future genetic crop engineering programs.

Escherichia coli and Shigella are common diarrhea-causing pathogens in children and adults. Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli (EIEC) shares a similar pathogenic mechanism with Shigella. However, EIEC are less virulent than Shigella. The aim of this work was to get a better understanding of the virulence differences between EIEC and S. flexneri. We investigated i) the bacterial gene co-expression networks (GCNs) and ii) the the transcriptional modules (WGCNA) of Caco-2 cells infected with EIEC or with S. flexneri during a three-hour period of bacterial infection. The GCN analysis showed that EIEC and S. flexneri networks presented different topologies. Additionally, the EIEC network revealed that pINV genes are not connected with chromosomal genes. WGCNA and eigengene analysis showed enterocyte gene expression variation along the three-hour bacterial post-infection period. Additionally, at one-hour post-infection EIEC induced a higher number of gene expression changes in Caco-2 cells than S. flexneri. Several of these genes are involved in autophagy. This study showed that the lower virulence of EIEC is associated with a lack of functional cooperation between pINV and chromosomal genes, differently from what was observed in S. flexneri. Consequently, EIEC becomes less efficient in subverting host-cell bacterial recognition as well as defense mechanisms such as autophagy.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a family of molecular chaperones that regulate essential protein refolding and triage decisions to maintaining protein homeostasis. Numerous co-chaperone proteins directly interact and modify the function of HSPs, and these interactions impact the outcome of protein triage, impacting everything from structural proteins to cell signaling mediators. The chaperone/co-chaperone machinery protects against various stressors to ensuring cellular function in the face of stress. However, coding mutations, expression changes, and post-translational modifications of the chaperone/co-chaperone machinery can alter the cellular stress response. Importantly, these dysfunctions appear to contribute to numerous human diseases. Therapeutic targeting of chaperones is an attractive but challenging approach due to the vast functions of HSPs, likely contributing to the off-target effects of these therapies. Current efforts focus on targeting co-chaperones to develop precise treatments for numerous diseases caused by defects in protein quality control. This review focuses on the recent developments regarding selected HSP70/HSP90 co-chaperones, focusing on cardioprotection, neuroprotection, and cancer. We also discuss therapeutic approaches that highlight both the utility and challenges of targeting co-chaperones.

The fusion of "innovation theory" and "ecology" gave birth to a large number of studies on "innovation ecology", which mainly studies how to build an industrial ecological chain at the regional level, focusing on self-evolution, achieving ecological balance, and enabling the regional economy to take the path of sustainable innovation. This type of research borrows a lot of concepts from ecology, and very vividly describes the competition and cooperation relationships formed by various agents in the innovation system, laying a good foundation for qualitative analysis of the inherent dynamics of innovation development. However, many studies focus on the analogous description of ecosystems and economic systems, lacking scientifically and rigorously quantitative empirical research as a support. This paper uses network-based indicators such as degree, cluster coefficient, and betweenness centrality to measure the function and position of high-tech enterprises in the Z-Park in a business environment, so as to clarify the socio-economic meaning of the topological structure of the regional innovation system. On this basis, it provides theoretical references for regional innovation development and sustainable development policy formulation.

We present a normative methodology, for value-pricing B2B services, using a Nash Equilibrium mechanism. Value is fundamental to any service, yet it has defied a definition. The literature is conspicuously silent on how to define value, but abounds in richly descriptive characterizations. To overcome this deficit, we focus on the financial economics of service-value. We formulate an axiomatic definition and a differential equation that embodies the idea of service-value. We specify a set of value axioms and multidisciplinary postulates that coherently form our service-value constructs. Value-pricing is challenging. It is natural that providers desire a high price and customers want a low price. Realistically, both will agree on a win-win price. To uncover this price, we specify an algorithm to reveal the Nash Equilibrium. Once agreed, it validates providers’ and customers’ commitments, and payment obligations. Service value is cocreated by both provider and customer. For a reciprocal process, its treatment is remarkably asymmetric favoring the customer. We argue that one-sided descriptions of value-in-use and value-proposition are limiting mental models. We propose the additional ideas of value-from-use and value-supposition to strengthen the conceptual symmetry of cocreation. Our work reveals a critical gap in service science, metrology. Metrology, the science of measurements, is absent from service-science. Service-value is silent on the questions of quantities, units, scales, measurement principles and instruments. We argue for a call to action for Service Metrology. We sketch a roadmap of actionable suggestions to get started.

Recently, Indium Tin Oxide, a highly transparent, well conductive, and CMOS-compatible material, has been paying strong attention to the thermo-optic controlled silicon photonics industry because it allows a miniature of the gap between the core silicon and the heater, thus enabling reducing the electric power consumption and enhancing the switching speed. In this article, we propose an ultralow loss and small-size ITO microheater for the phase shift tuning. The designated microheater is manipulated in realizing a numerical co-design of compact and high bandwidth three-mode converter and three-mode selective router. Simulation results illustrate the 3-dB bandwidth for the three-mode converter and three-mode selective router as much as 100-nm and 40-nm during crosstalk under -25 dB, respectively. Besides, co-designed devices attain relatively large fabrication tolerances corresponding to width and height tolerances of ±50 nm and ±5 nm. In addition, the proposed devices consumed less than 90 mW total power consumption and took a fast switching time below 8 μs. Moreover, both two co-designs can be integrated into an estimated compact footprint of 8 μm2160 μm. Such excellent performances demonstrate the attractive potential of ITO as low-loss thermo-optic phase shifters and open an alternative way for enabling ultrafast and high-speed mode division multiplexing systems and very large-scale photonic integrated circuits.

The extracts from the aerial parts of Helianthus salicifolius A. Dietr and Helianthus tuberosus L. collected in June were obtained using carbon dioxide supercritical fluid extraction with water as co-solvent. The antimicrobial activity in vitro of these extracts were determined against the reference species of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as fungi, representing by the yeast species of Candida spp. The following parameters were estimated: minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) or minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC). Both extracts were found to possess antimicrobial activity with MIC = 0.62-5 mg mL-1 for bacteria and MIC = 5-10 mg mL-1 for yeasts, showing bactericidal (MBC/MIC = 2-4) or fungicidal effect (MFC/MIC = 1-2 ). The highest activity was observed against S. aureus ATCC 29213 (MIC = 0.62 mg mL-1 for H. salicifolius extract; MIC = 2.5 mg mL-1 for H. tuberosus extract). Bactericidal effect of both extracts against S. aureus ATCC 29213 was confirmed by time-kill assay. Higher antioxidant activity was found for H. tuberosus extract (EC50 = 0.332 mg mL-1) as compared to that of H. salicifolius (EC50 = 0.609 mg mL-1). The total polyphenol content (TPC) expressed as gallic acid equivalents (GAE) was 13.75 ± 0.50 mg GAE (g of H. salicifolius extract)-1 and 33.06 ± 0.80 mg GAE (g of H. tuberosus extract)-1. There was a correlation between the antioxidant potential of both extracts and TPC but not between antistaphylococcal activity and TPC. The obtained data suggest potential application of these extracts as the natural preparations with the biocidal activity, including those with antistaphylococcal activity. Besides, both extracts may be regarded as potential natural conservants in cosmetics as well as natural preservatives in food.

Quebec is the third-largest wine grape producing province in Canada, and the industry is constantly expanding. Traditionally, 90% of the grapevine cultivars grown in Quebec were rustic or semi-rustic and largely dominated by winter hardy interspecific hybrid Vitis sp. cultivars. Over the years, the winter protection techniques adopted by growers and climate changes have offered an opportunity to establish V. vinifera L. cultivars (e.g. Pinot Noir). We characterized the virome of leafroll-infected interspecific hybrid cultivar and compared it to the virome of V. vinifera cultivar to support and facilitate the transition of the industry. A dsRNA sequencing method was used to sequence symptomatic and asymptomatic grapevine leaves of different cultivars. The results suggested a complex virome in terms of composition, abundance, richness, and phylogenetic diversity. Three viruses, grapevine Rupestris stem pitting-associated virus, grapevine leafroll-associated virus (GLR) 3 and 2 and hop stunt viroid (HSVd) largely dominated the virome. However, their presence and abundance varied among grapevine cultivars. The symptomless grapevine cultivar Vidal was frequently infected by multiple virus and viroid species and different strains of the same virus, including GLR virus 3 and 2. Our data shows that viruses and viroids associated with the highest number of grapevines expressing symptoms included HSVd, GLR3 and GLR2, in gradient order. However, co-occurrence analysis revealed that the presence of GLR species was randomly associated with the development of virus-like symptoms. These findings and their implication for grapevine leafroll disease management were discussed.

This study reports on empirical findings of participatory design workshops for the development of a supportive user experience design system in the automotive. Identifying and addressing this area with traditional research methods is problematic due to the different UX design perspectives that might be conflicting and the related automotive domain limitations. To help resolve this problem, we conducted research with 12 User Experience (UX) designers through individual participatory prototyping activities to gain insights on their explicit, observable, tacit and latent needs. These activities allowed us to explore their motivation to use different technologies; the system's architecture; detailed features of interactivity and describe user needs including Efficiency, Effectiveness, Engagement, Naturalness, Ease of Use, Information retrieval, Self-Image awareness, Politeness, and Flexibility. Our analysis led us to design implications that translate participants' needs into UX design goals, informing practitioners on how to develop relevant systems further.

Proper species identification from ancient DNA samples is a difficult task that sheds light on the evolutionary history of pathogenic microorganisms. The field of palaeomicrobiology has undoubtedly benefited from the advent of untargeted metagenomic approaches that use next-generation sequencing methodologies. Nevertheless, assigning ancient DNA at the species level is a challenging process. Recently, the gut microbiome analysis of three pre-Columbian Andean mummies [1](Santiago-Rodriguez et al. 2016) has called into question the identification of Leishmania in South America. Here, the metagenomic data filed in MG-RAST (Metagenomics RAST server) were used for a further attempt to identify members of the Trypanosomatidae family infecting these ancient remains. For this purpose, we used two metagenomic analysis tools. In the first step, data were analysed using the ultrafast metagenomic sequence classifier, based on exact alignment of k-mers (Kraken). In the second step, we used Bowtie2, an ultrafast and memory-efficient tool for aligning sequencing reads to long reference sequences. We then compared the output results. These approaches highlight some interesting findings on potential infections by human pathogenic trypanosomatids in these three pre-Columbian mummies.

Collision avoidance is an important feature in advanced driver-assistance systems, aiming at providing correct, timely and reliable warnings before an imminent collision (objects, vehicles, pedestrians, etc.). A co-simulation framework is proposed in this paper to address the design and evaluation of collision avoidances in a cyber-physical system. The co-simulation framework is supported on the interaction between SCANeR and Matlab/Simulink. From the best of authors’ knowledge, two main contributions are reported in this paper. Firstly, the modelling and simulation of virtual on-chip LIDAR sensors in a cyber-physical system (CPS) considering traffic scenarios is presented. The CPS is designed and implemented in SCANeR. Secondly, an obstacle recognition library with three specific Artificial Intelligence-based methods is also designed based on sensory information database provided by SCANeR. Three methods for collision avoidance detection are considered, i.e.; a multi-layer perceptron neural network, a self-organization map and a support vector machine. Finally, a comparison among these methods for detecting obstacles before different weather conditions is done with very promising results in terms of accuracy. The best results are achieved using the multi-layer perceptron in sunny and fog conditions, the support vector machine in rainy and self-organized map in snowy conditions.

Mass transfer restrictions of scaffolds are currently hindering the development of three-dimensional (3D), clinically viable, and tissue engineered constructs. For this situation, a 3D poly(lactide-co-glycolide)/hydroxyapatite porous scaffold, which was much favorable for transfer of nutrients to and waste products from the cells in the pores, was developed in this study. The 3D scaffold had an innovative structure, including macropores with diameters of 300−450 μm for cell ingrowth and microchannels with diameters of 2−4 μm for nutrition and waste exchange. The mechanical strength in wet state was strong enough to offer the structural support. The typical structure was more beneficial for the attachment, proliferation, and differentiation of rabbit bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs). The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and calcium (Ca) deposition were evaluated on the differentiation of rBMSCs, and the results indicated that the microchannel structure was very favorable for differentiating rBMSCs into maturing osteoblasts. For repairing rabbit radius defects in vivo, there was rapid healing in the defects treated with the 3D porous scaffold with microchannels, where the bridging by a large bony callus was observed at 12 weeks post-surgery. Based on the results, the 3D porous scaffold with microchannels was a promising candidate for bone defect repair.

We are currently facing a potential ‘polycrisis’, a critical inflection point that requires a whole-of-society response aimed at building collective foresight and preparedness for short-, medium-, and long-term risks. The role of higher education institutions and social stakeholders is decisive to make an impact. This paper depicts the alignment of academia, governance, and industry with the aim to challenge, inspire, and encourage universities to go beyond commodified courses and mere employability, enhance student growth and bind macro-scale measures that lead to a sustainable future. A modest teaching innovation project has served as a transforming lever, with the private sector joining in, to create a platform that reaches more than 50 000 undergraduate students and teaching staff. The resulting structure, rooted in the University’s strategic plan, has served to channel local and regional initiatives, establish effective partnerships with broad social members, raise awareness and promote actions to advance in the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals. Chronology, materials and methodology, together with a description of the different courses, programmes and actions are provided. The paper concludes with some recommendations for future research, policy and cooperation among stakeholders. Research methodology posted on clinicaltrials.gov under ID NCT04392869, NCT05598944, and NCT05775978.

We are currently facing a potential ‘polycrisis’, a critical inflection point that requires a whole-of-society response aimed at building collective foresight and preparedness for short-, medium-, and long-term risks. The role of higher education institutions and social stakeholders is decisive to make an impact. This paper depicts the alignment of academia, governance, and industry with the aim to challenge, inspire, and encourage universities to go beyond commodified courses and mere employability, enhance student growth and bind macro-scale measures that lead to a sustainable future. A modest teaching innovation project has served as a transforming lever, with the private sector joining in, to create a platform that reaches more than 50 000 undergraduate students and teaching staff. The resulting structure, rooted in the University’s strategic plan, has served to channel local and regional initiatives, establish effective partnerships with broad social members, raise awareness and promote actions to advance in the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals. Chronology, materials and methodology, together with a description of the different courses, programmes and actions are provided. The paper concludes with some recommendations for future research, policy and cooperation among stakeholders. Research methodology posted on clinicaltrials.gov under ID NCT04392869, NCT05598944, and NCT05775978.

Mountain and pastoralist societies around the world have for centuries sustained their livelihoods and cultures by accumulating specialist knowledge about their local and regional socio-ecological environments. Developing traditional knowledge and customary practices takes time, sometimes spanning across generations. As macro-level changes to social and natural environment are now taking place, such as globalization and climate change, local communities could potentially also benefit from complementary, suitably adapted educational opportunities for sustainable development. However, access to education has often required moving to urban centres, which can weaken community structures and cohesion, and could also foster increased dependence on external specialists, providers or decision-makers. Careful introduction of emerging Educational Technologies could alleviate and possibly reverse such trends as mobile Internet access spreads to remote areas. This paper examines the role of education in sustainable development and specifically explores the potential for two educational innovations, open badges and blockchain, to provide a new construct for transformation in sustainable development amongst mountain and pastoralist societies. These technologies could not only facilitate education through online distance learning, but also allow geographically remote populations to highlight the value of their traditional knowledge and to engage more comprehensively in their changing worlds.

Incorporating substantial sustainable development issues into teaching and learning is the ultimate task of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The purpose of our study is to identify the confused students who have failed to master the skill(s) given by the tutors as a homework using Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS). We have focused ASSISTments, an ITS in this study and scrutinized the skill-builder data using machine learning techniques and methods. We used seven candidate models that include: Naïve Bayes (NB), Generalized Linear Model (GLM), Logistic Regression (LR), Deep Learning (DL), Decision Tree (DT), Random Forest (RF), and Gradient Boosted Trees (XGBoost). We trained, validated and tested learning algorithms, performed stratified cross-validation and measured the performance of the models through various performance metrics i.e., ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic), Accuracy, Precision, Recall, F-Measure, Sensitivity & Specificity. We found GLM, DT & RF are high accuracies achieving classifiers. However, other perceptions such as detection of unexplored features that might be related to the forecasting of outputs can also boost the accuracy of the prediction model. Through machine learning methods, we identified the group of students which were confused attempting the homework exercise and can help students foster their knowledge, and talent to play a vital role in environmental development.

Nanomaterials have shown significant promise for enhancing the performance of composite materials and increasing their functionality for various industrial applications. This review explores the unique properties of nanomaterials, particularly carbon-based nanomaterials, and provides key findings in utilizing them to enhance composite performance. It highlights specific nano-based composite materials and their significant potential in advancing the field of nanocomposites. Challenges associated with nanocomposite production and utilization are also discussed, along with possible solutions to address them. Finally, the study provides recommendations for continued research and innovation in nanocomposites to fully unlock the benefits of these advanced materials for broader future applications.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDMs) is worldly wide pregnancy complication. Gestational Diabetes can significantly impact the fetus development. However, the effects of high glucose on embryological development post-fertilization are yet to be researched. Danio rerio embryos are great model to study the embryonic development. In this study, the effects on embryological (morphological and genetic) development were examined in the presence of a high glucose environment that mimic the developing fetus in pregnant women with GMD. Fertilized Zebrafish embryos were treated with normal media and high glucose for 5 days from 3 hours post-fertilization(hpf) to 96hpf respectively as control and experimental groups. Morphological changes are recorded with Microscope images. Hatch rate and heart rate are compared between groups in set up time points. RNA-Seq is performed to examine the gene changes in experimental group. Glucose delayed the zebrafish embryo development by slowing the hatch rate about 24 hours. The brain, heart, and tail started showing morphology smaller in the glucose group compared to the control group at 24 hpf. Heart rate is faster in the glucose group compared to the control group on day 2 and 3 with a statistically significant difference. Among zebrafish whole genome, the significantly changed genes are 556 genes up-regulated and 1118 genes down-regulated respectively in high glucose group. The metabolic and Wnt pathways are altered under high glucose condition. These conditions contribute to significant physiological differences that may provide insight on functionality post-embryological development.

Agroforestry practices evolve with the development of basic and advanced facilities, changes in natural and artificial factors of land use change. The study aims to examine the socioeconomic characteristics and compare satisfaction levels across forest products and vegetable farming of the agroforestry community in Khost Province. Data were collected from 662 farmers and was analyzed using univariate Analysis of Variances (ANOVA) and Multivariate Analysis of Variances (MANOVA). The results found that forest and vegetable products, including fruits, berries, herbs, mushrooms, wild animals, oils, wood, honey, okra, eggplant, carrot, cucumber, pine nuts, pepper, and timber has different impact in terms of satisfaction with basic and advanced facilities, knowledge about land use and impacts, natural and artificial factors of land use change, and positive and negative impact of land use change. The limitation of the study included an absence of exogenous factors in the model such as climate change, financial conditions, market fluctuations, regulatory system, an area in which the study is selected, research design, and current condition of endogenous factors. Overall, agroforestry practices can improve the socioeconomic development of agroforestry-dependent communities in Khost Province, Afghanistan. This study provided useful insights for policymakers and development practitioners to promote agroforestry practice adoption and improve the socioeconomic development of agroforestry-dependent communities. Future works could explore the implications of agroforestry practices on the socioeconomic development of other dependent communities in Afghanistan.

Objective: To explore the hot spots and development trends of community public health research. Methods: The literature related to this topic was searched in CNKI and PubMed databases, and the trend map of the number of articles was drawn according to the obtained data. The included literature were analyzed with Vosviewer software for keyword and author co-occurrence, and CiteSpace 6.3.R1 Basic software was used for mechanism co-occurrence, key emergence and clustering analysis, and timeline distribution map drawing. Results: 189 Chinese literature and 77 English literature were selected. The Chinese literature focused on “community public health service, emergency management, and community governance”, and the research trend was “community public health emergency management and community governance”; English literature focuses on “nursing education, health education, human qualitative research”. Conclusion: Although the Chinese and English literature shows that scholars in this field have different emphases, the primary community health is the key and difficult point to realize the national public health service project, and improving the basic public health service in the primary community is related to the health of all the people, so it is very important.

This study examines the relationship between entrepreneurship and sustainable devel-opment in Saudi Arabia from 2006 to 2022, focusing on the economic, social, and en-vironmental dimensions. Using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model, the research investigates both short-run and long-run dynamics to understand how entre-preneurial activities influence sustainable development within the framework of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiative. The findings indicate that entrepreneurship significantly contributes to economic growth through job creation and innovation, thereby aiding in the diversification of the economy away from oil dependency. Socially, entrepreneurial ini-tiatives have a positive impact on gender equality and social inclusion by empowering women and integrating youth into the labour market. Environmentally, entrepreneurship helps reduce carbon emissions and promotes sustainable business practices. Despite these positive outcomes, challenges such as regulatory barriers, limited access to finance, and the need for a supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem remain. Recommendations include enhancing entrepreneurial education, providing financial incentives, and streamlining regulatory processes to better support start-ups and SMEs. The study highlights the ne-cessity of addressing these challenges to fully realize the potential of entrepreneurship for sustainable development in Saudi Arabia. By providing empirical evidence on the sig-nificant role of entrepreneurship in driving sustainable development, this research offers actionable insights for policymakers aiming to foster a more resilient and diversified economy in line with Vision 2030. .

The era of digital technology has brought about a substantial shift in language development, especially for younger generations who have grown up surrounded by it. Language development is impacted by digital media exposure in both positive and bad ways. Positively, users can interact with a variety of linguistic communities across the globe by using digital platforms, which offer a wealth of options for linguistic exposure and practice. This exposure can promote imaginative language use, increase vocabulary, and improve reading comprehension. Since the brevity and informality of digital communication frequently stress speed over correctness, there are worries that digital media could encourage shallow communication, shorter attention spans, and a deterioration in professional writing skills. This paper aims to gather literature about language development in the digital age. In order to make sure that technical breakthroughs support language development, standards for the responsible and balanced use of digital media in educational settings must also be developed. Teachers can better support their students' language development in a constantly changing digital environment by remaining knowledgeable and flexible.

⦁ Introduction: The challenging context, resulting from a post-pandemic scenario, wars, and various natural disasters, does not allow for the ideal assurance of efficiency in the Agri-food supply chain. ⦁ Research significance Currently, Agri-food supply chains and Reverse logistics show critical characteristics such as centralization, limited flexibility, distrust, bureaucratization, Border and Documentary Compliance and there are problems about efficiency, security, and safety Agri-Food. using the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) framework, with the purpose of achieving Sustainable Development Goals, promoting transparency, traceability, and non-linearization of the agri-food supply chain. ⦁ Methodology The methodology is combined, the first part uses Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) identifying 72 articles with the principal contribution in the literature. The second part combines the application of Supply Chain Operations References (SCOR) and the Blockchain Technology aiming to decentralize the linear Agri-food Supply Chain and Reverse logistics. ⦁ Results/findings The results revealed a transformation of the traditional Agri-food Supply Chain, transitioning from linear management to a circular one. Additionally, after application it is possible to know a new way to manage the Reverse Logistic with more decentralization, flexibility, traceability, and reducing the unnecessary activities, which include Border and Documentary Compliance. The originality of this research is the novel combination of SCOR Model and Blockchain showing a priority about the key activities that add value and come close to the Sustainable practices. ⦁ Conclusion / Implications Based on the results is possible to conclude that the synergy between Blockchain and SCOR Model enables a new way to manage the Agri-food supply chain, improving efficiency and reducing activities without value. Also, it is possible to ensure that the practices of Reverse Logistics are improved based on terms of cost and time, and the reduction of the exposition on the Defective Product Risk. ⦁ Social Implications This paper could enhance confidence in all operations of the Agri-food supply chain as there are numerous issues regarding the security and safety of food. Additionally, it will aid in diminishing unnecessary activities and inefficient resource consumption practices, thereby accomplishing objectives 2 "zero hunger", 9 "Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure", and 12 "Responsible consumption and production", along with their respective indicators. ⦁ Practical implications Regarding the practical implications, this research could contribute to analyses of the application of technology Blockchain in different sectors and identify the possible limitations when the main objective is to apply it on a big scale.

China’s greenhouse industry has thousands of years of development history, although the development of modern greenhouses has come late. After decades of development of China, its greenhouse industry is in the forefront of the world. China’s greenhouse industry is experiencing rapid development, transformation and upgrading. China ranks first in the world in terms of greenhouse area, used mainly for vegetable cultivation and plays an important role in the utilization of agricultural resources and food production. In 2023, the cumulative area of new greenhouses nationwide was 1835.87 million ha. In this paper we present the latest developments in the greenhouse sector. More specifically, we present a greenhouse market development overview, the greenhouse production, the greenhouse industry, and technology development. Current problems are underpinned, development opportunities and prospects are analyzed, and measures and specific proposals are detailed for the technological development of the greenhouse sector both for increasing product quantity and quality.

The construction industry, a vital sector of the global economy, is projected to grow significantly over the next 15 years. Despite its importance, this industry struggles with inefficiency, high costs, prolonged timelines, and substantial ecological impacts. These challenges have led governments to advocate for Building Information Modeling (BIM) to enhance Efficiency and sustainability through comprehensive digital representations of physical and functional characteristics. The effective integration of BIM technology hinges on the active participation of industry providers, raising the question of how these providers can positively contribute to improving BIM dimen-sions. This study investigates the potential of coopetition networks within the Portuguese Orna-mental Stone industries (OS-PT) to address this challenge. Coopetition networks, which blend competition and cooperation, foster collaborative networks among companies to enhance their re-sponse to digital supply chains. The research employs an Experimental Pilot Network facilitated by an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) artefact to assess the benefits of coopetition networks. The findings demonstrate that transitioning from current practices (CB.P) to coopetition network practices (CN.P) significantly improves operational Efficiency, labour productivity, and sustaina-bility. Specifically, the transition resulted in a 15.6% increase in on-time delivery performance, a 27.38% improvement in labour productivity, and a 21.8% reduction in CO₂ emissions per part produced. These improvements align with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8, 9, 11, and 13, highlighting the strategic value of coopetition in driving innovation and sustainability in the construction industry. Future research should explore the scalability of these findings across different sectors and further refine methodologies to maximize the benefits of coopetition net-works.

This paper investigates the possible failure modes of the product development process in production companies that are active in the B2C markets with a focus on household products. Since these cases require short lead times and are difficult to differentiate, in many instances the end result will not be the desired one and could affect profitability for a season or for good. A model of these possibilities is created and an approach to plan contingencies for their solutioning is proposed in the article. The main guideline is to switch from failure probability determination to accepting failure as inevitable and using digital solutions to reinforce the development process in order to offset its impact. For this goal, an Industry 5.0 Abatement Factor (abbreviated IFAF) is introduced in the contingency planning approach, that factors in the evaluation the low cost of digital instruments and the proper mix of Technology, Humans and AI (abbreviated THAI). The new working procedure based on these concepts and their interlinkages is discussed based on specific examples.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a plyometric training program designed to enhance agility, speed, and social interaction among boys with mild intellectual disability (ID) aged 10-12, within the Special Olympics framework. Participants: Thirty-two boys (mean age = 10.69 ± 0.8 years; mean IQ = 61 ± 7) from three inclusive education centers participated in the study. Methods: The intervention consisted of a 10-week plyometric training program, conducted twice a week. Pre- and post-intervention assessments included the Reaction Time Test, 4-Corner Agility Test, 10-Meter Speed Run, 4x5 Meter Relay Test, and the Friendship Activity Scale (FAS). Results: The study found significant improvements across all measures. Reaction time decreased by 0.83 seconds (t = 7.44, p < 0.001), 4-corner agility improved by 0.77 seconds (t = 11.93, p < 0.001), 4x5 meter speed improved by 0.61 m/s (t = 17.37, p < 0.001), and 10-meter run speed improved by 1.55 m/s (t = -12.76, p < 0.001). Additionally, the FAS score increased by 0.81 points (t = 9.59, p < 0.001), indicating enhanced social interactions. Conclusion: The plyometric training program significantly improved agility, speed, and social interaction in children with mild ID, demonstrating the effectiveness of inclusive, adaptive physical education strategies within the Special Olympics framework.

Infrastructure such as transport, electricity, telecommunications, and sanitation are indispensable drivers for improving the country’s social and economic development. The industrial, agricultural, fisheries and service sectors are also key tools for the country's economic growth. This study aims to analyze the influence of infrastructure development on Djibouti’s economic growth and determine the other economic sectors. This study employs multiple regression analyses from Eviews Software to establish a correlation between these variables and Djibouti’s economic growth, utilizing data spanning from the period 2013 to 2022. The results reveals that mobile cell phone subscriptions, and the people using the health service management, industry, and service have a positive and highly significant influence on Djibouti's economic growth. The study found that access to electricity has a positive influence on economic growth in Djibouti, but is not statistically significant. In addition, the study shows that agriculture, forestry, and fisheries have a negative influence on economic growth in Djibouti, but are statistically significant. Therefore, we recommend that the Government of Djibouti strengthen and ensure the benefit of developing electricity infrastructure in Djibouti and the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sectors to achieve sustainable economic growth in the coming years.

Wellbeing is a multifaceted concept that involves various facets of human condition and experience, including individual and communal spiritual, emotional, intellectual, physical, and social dimensions. To explore the complex facets of sustainable wellbeing, this study utilized an interpretive qualitative research approach, looking at round table (focus group) discussion data obtained from a diverse group of public and private sector representatives, including education, government, non-governmental organizations, and businesses in Qatar. The purpose of this study was to gain a contextualized understanding of how participants perceive and experience wellbeing. A purposive sampling technique was employed to recruit participants representing different sectors of society. To elicit participants’ perspectives on wellbeing, thematic analysis was used to identify recurring themes and patterns that emerged from the focus groups, viewed through the lens of Bronfenbrenner’ Ecological Systems Theory. Findings reveal that wellbeing is a very personal and subjective experience. Key themes extracted from the data include challenges to sustainable wellbeing in Qatar, including technological disruptions and socio-cultural influences. These challenges require proactive measures that reflect educational priorities, promote cultural preservation, and foster resilient communities while emphasizing individual and collective sustainable wellbeing. This research also identified opportunities for enhancing sustainable wellbeing in Qatar.

The Ghana Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF), a government-sponsored initiative, plays a pivotal role in providing patient capital to foster entrepreneurship and spur economic development, particularly in emerging markets where traditional funding avenues may be limited. This study aims to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the VCTF's financial robustness, growth trajectory, and sustainability over a seven-year period from 2016 to 2022. Through an examination of critical financial metrics, growth indicators, and sustainability benchmarks, we scrutinize the fund's financial health, investment strategies, and capacity to bolster the Ghanaian entrepreneurial ecosystem.The analysis reveals nuanced insights into the VCTF's financial performance over the study period. Despite encountering challenges such as negative net profit margins and subdued asset turnover ratios in previous years, the fund showcases resilience and sustainability, particularly as evidenced by notable improvements in 2022. These findings carry implications for management, policymakers, and various stakeholders within the Ghanaian venture capital landscape, offering valuable insights to inform strategic decision-making and policy formulation.

Djibouti shares an exceptional geostrategic position by being close to one of the busiest maritime routes, which makes it possible to have a crucial position for the movement of international trade transported by sea. This study analyses the influence of port development on Djibouti’s economic growth in the case of Doraleh Container Terminal and identifies other significant variable factors. In this paper, we analyze the existence of an influence port development on economic growth and other variables, by applying the perspective of the multiple regression model in the analysis using Eviews software. the selected datasets in the analysis cover the period from 2010 to 2020. The result show that port development has a direct and strongly positive influence on the economic growth of Djibouti. In addition, this study also reveals that imports and exports trade is a mediating variable with a significant influence on economic growth in Djibouti. Furthermore, foreign direct investment has not directly and positive influences on Djibouti's economic growth. Therefore, we recommend that the Government of Djibouti attract and promote the benefits of foreign direct investment to enhance the development of various economic sectors and achieve significant economic growth in the coming years.

Background: The adoption of self-care behaviors among patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) is essential for the management of their health condition. However, there is a lack of tools for estimating self-care in CHF patients. We aim to develop and validate the Hippocratic heart failure self-care scale (HHFSCS). Methods: the scale includes 22 items which are reviewed by a committee of experts. Individuals indicate the frequency at which they follow each self-behavior on a five-point Likert scale. Adult patients with CHF (n=250) from a General Hospital, in Athens, were participated in the study from June 2020 to March 2021. Reliability coefficients and Explanatory Factor Analysis (EFA), using a Varimax rotation and the Principal Components Method were used to assess the psychometric measurements. Results: The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the HHFSCS was 0.807. The exploratory factor analysis identified two domains that accounted for 88.44% of the variance of the scale items; however, each sub-scale could not be used as an independent scale. Finally, the test-retest showed a significant strong correlation (r=0.973, p&lt;0.001). Conclusions: The HHFSCS is a reliable and valid tool for assessing self-behaviors in CHF patients. Health professionals can use it in their clinical practice to improve the management of patient’s health conditions.

Alhagi pseudalhagi in the arid zone of the Atyrau region and an analysis of their current state with an assessment of raw material reserves were studied. Botanical characteristics, ontogenetic spectrum, morphological indicators, productivity, areas of thickets and reserves of raw materials of above-ground organs were assessed. The structural parameters of these coenopopulations in the Zhangyr and Coneu Rivers valleys, the vicinity of Imankara Mountain, and the Taisoigan sands were studied. It was established that the species composition of the populations includes 63 species from 54 genera and 30 families. The most common species include 49 taxa, category II – 17 taxa, category III – 7 species, category IV–V – 2 species. The maximum similarity in species composition was noted between populations in the Zhangyr and Coneu Rivers valleys. The maximum morphometric indicators were observed among the population of the river valley. Coneu and the minima are located on the Taisoigan sands. Analysis of the age spectrum made it possible to determine that the populations in the Zhangyr and Coneu Rivers valleys are characterized as young, in the area of Imankara Mountain and on the Taisoigan sands - as stable and middle-aged.

Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDPs) play crucial roles in signal transduction, cell differentiation, and transcriptional regulation. Many disrupted genes associated with mental disorders are identified as IDPs, and emerging evidence suggests the functional role of IDPs in neuropsychiatric disorders. However, few studies comprehensively explore the functional association between protein disorder properties and different mental diseases. To address this gap, we collected disrupted gene sets for seven mental diseases (MDD, SCZ, BP, ID, AD, ADHD, ASD) and a control gene set from normal brains using DisGeNET and GeneCards databases. The state-of-the-art predictor IUPred2A was then utilized to calculate the disorder properties , followed by a thorough comparison between the disordered proteins in mental diseases and healthy controls. Functional enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction networks were conducted to investigate the IDPs’ functional roles in psychiatric diseases. Additionally, we demonstrated the role of IDPs in protein binding formations through a case study of alpha-synuclein using protein docking. Our findings reveal that differentially expressed proteins in mental disorders, especially in ASD and ADHD, exhibit more IDPs than those in healthy controls. IDPs in psychiatric disorders are significantly enriched in neurodevelopmental pathways and play an important role in in gene expression regulation. Our results indicate distinct functional patterns of disorder proteins among mental diseases and healthy controls. When comparing the IDPs between ASD and ADHD, we observed that IDPs in ADHD are more likely linked to the synaptic signaling and regulation, while IDPs in ASD are more tendentiously related to diverse and complex biological processes. Our work offers valuable insights into the important functions of IDPs in psychiatric disorders, enhancing our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in psychiatric disorders.

Little is known about the effect of nitrogen nutrition on seedling susceptibility to seed-borne pathogens. We have previously shown that seedlings grown under high nitrate (5 mM) conditions are less susceptible than those grown under low nitrate (0.1 mM) and ammonium (5 mM) in the Arabidopsis-Alternaria brassicicola pathosystem. However, it is not known how seedling metabolism is modulated by nitrogen nutrition, nor what is its response to pathogen infection. Here, we addressed this question using the same pathosystem and nutritive conditions, examining germination kinetics, seedling development, but also shoot ion contents, metabolome and selected gene expression. Nitrogen nutrition clearly altered the seedling metabolome. A similar metabolomic profile was observed in inoculated seedlings grown at high nitrate levels and in not inoculated-seedlings. High nitrate levels also led to specific gene expression patterns (e.g. polyamine metabolism), while other genes responded to inoculation regardless of nitrogen supply conditions. Furthermore, the metabolites best correlated with high disease symptoms were coumarate, tyrosine, hemicellulose sugars and polyamines, and those associated with low symptoms were organic acids (tricarboxylic acid pathway, glycerate, shikimate), sugars derivatives and β-alanine. Overall, our results suggest that the beneficial effect of high nitrate nutrition on seedling susceptibility is likely due to nutritive and signaling mechanisms affecting developmental plant processes detrimental to the pathogen. In particular, it may be due to a constitutively high tryptophan metabolism, as well as down regulation of oxidative stress caused by polyamine catabolism.

Previous research showed that intersex people face specific challenges in their sexual development, including uncertainties or confusion about their gender, a negative genital self-image, and hesitance to engage in romantic and sexual relationships. However, in-depth knowledge of a central period of this development, adolescence, is missing. In our qualitative study, we explore which factors influence the relational and sexual development of intersex youth and what elements contribute to a positive development. We interviewed eighteen intersex persons aged 18-38. We identified three main themes: (1) intersex experiences, (2) the described sexual and relational life course, and (3) factors influencing a positive development. Our findings show that intersex youth face many obstacles to their relational and sexual development, many of which related to healthcare. However, their life stories also illuminate how healthcare professionals but also parents, friends, partners, teachers and others can make a substantial difference in intersex lives by breaking normative, binary thinking on sex and gender.