Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) remains one of the most aggressive and challenging brain tumors to treat. Even with maximal treatment, the prognosis remains poor with low median survival. Extensive surgical resection is evidenced to increase glioblastoma life expectancy; however, complete resections are not usually achieved due to lack of sensitivity and the accuracy of margin neurosurgical guidance technologies. Recent advancements in fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) and imaging techniques have helped enhance the precision and extent of glioblastoma resections. This study explores the impact of NIR fluorescence imaging on tumor visualization and surgical outcomes, including the extent of resection, cost-effectiveness, and patient survival.  A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Embase identified studies published on the effect of NIR on glioblastoma surgery. A total of 135 studies were included: 10 reviews, 3 clinical studies, 10 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 10 preclinical studies, and 4 case reports, all focusing on the application of NIR fluorescence imaging in glioblastoma resection. Our findings show that NIR fluorescence imaging significantly improved tumor visualization, leading to an 18-22% increase in gross total resection rates across clinical studies. Prolonged fluorescence provided continuous real-time feedback, reducing the need for repeat imaging, and lowering operational costs. Patient outcomes improved, including extended progression-free survival and overall survival, and fewer postoperative neurological deficits. This Review highlights the potential for the use of NIR imaging to become the new standard for intraoperative glioblastoma management.

Study of gross alpha (GA) and gross beta (GB) activity in road and surface deposited sediments were performed in various geographical areas in three Russian cities. To perform radiation measurements, new methods were applied which allow dealing with low mass and low volume dust size (2-100μm) samples obtained after the size fractionation procedure. The 2-10 μm fraction size has the highest gross beta activity concentration (GB)– 1.32Bq/g in Nizhny Novgorod (NN) and Rostov-On-Don (RND) while the 50-100 μm fraction size in Ekaterinburg. This is maybe associated with the subsistence of radionuclides that conveyed through natural processes and anthropogenic applications. The highest gross alpha activity concentration (GA) in fraction sizes was found in Rostov-on-Don city within the 50-100 μm– 0.22Bq/g. The fraction size 50-100 μmhas a higher gross alpha activity concentration than 2-10 and 10-50 μmfraction sizes due to natural partitioning of the main minerals constituting the urban surface deposited sediment (USDS). The geochemical processes that occur during the formation and transportation of USDS are reflected in the observed dependencies.Developed experimental methods of radiation measurements allowed to the extent the methodological base of urban geochemical studies.

Energy imports and the transition to renewable energy sources are of critical importance in the current geopolitical context, which necessitates concrete actions to tackle the energy crisis at the European Union level. The study aims to explore the impact of imported non-renewable energy resources on the EU-27 economy. It examines the correlations and causal relationships between GDP, GVA, R&D investments, and energy imports from 2000 to 2021. Data normality was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, while Pearson's test identified correlations between variables. Linear and multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine the effects of changes in independent variables on dependent variables. The study found a strong association between natural gas imports and GDP, with increases in GDP leading to a more than fourfold rise in imports. Furthermore, multiple regression analysis indicated that a 1% increase in R&D investments results in a 2.21% decrease in fossil fuel imports in 91.7% of cases. This suggests that R&D investments contribute to improved efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources.

A remarkable, unquestioned assumption in studies measuring the association between national average Intellectual Quotients (IQ) and Gross Domestic Products (GDP) per capita is that a supposedly immutable genetic factor (IQ) may be correlated with a markedly fluctuant one (the wealth of nations). Using historical GDP per capita data produced by the Maddison project, we find that, over history, the (Pearson productmoment) correlation coefficient (r) between average IQ and GDP per capita is highly variable and ranges from strong negative values to strong positive values. The correlation between national IQ and GDP per capita is thus a snapshot of the world order at some point in time, and historical data allow us to identify several other eras. Moreover, global GDP at any point in time is never difficult to predict in the first place. We show that arbitrary ad-hoc scores based on a country’s continental location present a more significant correlation with contemporary GDP per capita. We conclude this paper by a call to clarify the purpose of IQ studies in Macroeconomics and for the consideration of GDP as a time-series in this line of research.

This study evaluated the hip joints of the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) through imaging and macroscopic analyses and proposed a surgical approach for arthrotomy procedures in this species. The study used four samples fixed in 10% formaldehyde and six thawed carcasses. Radiographic and ultrasound examinations and anatomical dissection allowed the proposal of a surgical approach for the hip joint. The radiographic evaluation occurred with frog-legged ventrodorsal and lateral projections, and the ultrasound enabled joint soft tissue assessment. The articular elements represented similar characteristics to other domestic species. Some anatomical particularities of muscle groups were the intermuscular septum between the tensor fasciae latae and superficial gluteus muscles at the level of the greater trochanter of the femur, which provides lateral access to the femoral head and neck more conservatively. In conclusion, the anatomical particularities of radiographic positioning, the clinical applications of joint ultrasound, and the arrangement of muscle groups must be considered when evaluating and surgically accessing the hip joint of the giant anteater.

This study delves into the intricate interplay of economic growth components, specifically focusing on Consumption and investment in Saudi Arabia from 2000 to 2022. Employing vector error correction models and cointegration techniques, we analyze the short- and long-term dynamics within the relationship of Consumption, investment, and economic growth. Granger causality analysis is also used to discern these pivotal variables' causal connections. Our empirical analysis reveals a persistent long-term cointegration relationship among the variables, underscoring the enduring nature of their interdependency. Furthermore, our findings highlight Consumption and investment's statistically significant positive impact on economic growth. Notably, the short-term analysis unveils a stable model characterized by an annual adjustment to equilibrium of 100%.Moreover, the Granger causality study demonstrates unidirectional causal linkages between Consumption, investment, and economic growth. These findings hold substantial implications for policy formulation in Saudi Arabia. Policymakers must grasp the ramifications of burgeoning prosperity and evolving private consumption patterns on future environmental outcomes. Achieving sustainable long-term results necessitates equal emphasis on bolstering private Consumption and fostering other facets of economic growth.

One of the most important parameters that characterize the traction-coupling properties of a wheeled tractor is its slip. The more tractor's gross traction, the higher its traction-coupling properties. But, this gross traction should not exceed its maximum possible value, which, in turn out, is to be determined by the maximum permissible slip. This article provides the equation to calculate this crucial parameter and establishes the dependencies between the tractor's slip and soil structure coefficient. It was shown that the value basically depends on such soil characteristics as the bulk deformation coefficient and the coefficient of rolling resistance. Calculations showed that for the average value of the soil bulk deformation coefficient at, the average value of rolling resistance coefficient at 0.16, the ratio value of the maximum permissible soil pressure to the tractor wheel rolling radius at the maximum permitted amount slip of the tractor wheels should not exceed 15%. With more slip, the soil structure deteriorates significantly. In this case, its structure coefficient may be less than critical, equal to 0.4.

Atmospheric CO2 concentration, temperature and precipitation escalate and it is critical to investigate the agricultural practices best suited to face such new conditions. An important aspect is soil management, which alters soil organic matter content, nutrients and structure, and thus soil/atmosphere interactions and ultimately production. This in vitro study addresses greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from two long-term soil management experiments in France. One set of soil columns were managed with either grain legume + cover crops or no grain legumes + bare fallow. The other with either plowed or reduced tillage soils. GHG exchange (CO2, N2O) measurements was conducted under different environmental conditions, before and during growth of barley and eventually with three levels of barley biomass cuts (everything removed, cut halfway, intact). The gas exchange was influenced by time and environmental settings, and to a smaller degree management history, with highly variable emissions of N2O. The environmental treatments induced different patterns of effect depending on the management history of the soils. The gas exchange from soil with grain legume was more responsive to the environmental treatments than the rotation without grain legumes. Depending on the history of tillage, the gas exchange responded likewise differently to the induced environment.

Hydropericardium hepatitis syndrome (HHS) caused by fowl adenovirus-4 have been frequently reported in commercial chickens from several countries causing significant economical losses. In Azerbaijan, fowl adenovirus infections in broiler and layer breeders flocks cause severe disease and mortality. Here we investigated the pathological lesions and the dissemination of fowl adenovirus-4 into the visceral organs of infected birds. Tissue samples containing liver, heart and spleen from 20 necropsied chickens were collected on the FTA cards and presence of fowl adenovirus was analysed by PCR and sequencing. Postmortem findings of both broiler and layer breeder chickens were similar, and the most affected organs were the liver with hepatitis and the heart with hydropericardium lesions. Other postmortem signs include swollen kidneys with haemorrhages and small white foci on the surface of the spleens. In some birds intestinal congestion and ecchymotic hemorrhages were also apparent. The PCR analysis revealed that all collected organs from 20 birds showed presence of fowl adenovirus-4 genome. The sequence analysis showed that fowl adenovirus-4 prevalent in Azerbaijan carry more closer phylogenetic relationship with the viruses prevalent in the Middle East, Far East and Indian subcontinent. However, a distinct diversity was seen from the strains prevalent in Europe, North and South America. This study will provide evidence the impact of fowl adenovirus-4 on the poultry production and improved preventive disease control strategies are required to reduce the HHS disease in chickens in Azerbaijan.

This study examined the link between tax revenue components and economic growth in South Africa, utilizing time series data for the period of 22 years. The stationarity of the variables was established using the Phillips-Perron (PP) unit root test, and the existence of long-run and short-run equilibrium conditions was tested using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model. As a proxy for economic growth, the study used the real GDP growth rate as the dependent variable, with company income tax, personal income tax, taxes on international trade and transactions, taxes on income, profits, and capital gains tax, foreign direct investment, inflation, and gross savings as the independent variables. According to the PP findings, none of the variables are integrated at a higher order than one, i.e. (1). All variables are found to be cointegrated, and all explanatory variables have a long-run link with economic growth. According to the ARDL findings, company income tax, personal income tax, and taxes on international trade and transactions all have a positive long-run and short-run link with economic growth, whereas capital gain tax, foreign direct investment, and gross savings all have a negative long-run and short-run link with economic growth. The long-run coefficient is negatively related to RGDP, while the short-run coefficient revealed a positive link between inflation and economic growth, among other findings. Heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation are not present in our model, according to diagnostic tests. The CUSUM and CUSUMSQ values indicate that the model is structurally sound.

This paper investigates and explores the minor crops production in Pakistan and its association with the agricultural gross domestic product. The agriculture sector of Pakistan has a rich contribution to the economic growth and development. Like major crops; minor crops also have a vital role to boost up the agriculture sector. Time span data was used in this study and it was collected from the Economy Survey of Pakistan annual reports. Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) unit root test and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) method was used to analyze the data and results were interpreted by employing the Johansen co-integration test. Study results reveal that bajra, barely and jowar has a significant impact on the agricultural gross domestic product, while the total cropped area has a negative impact on AGDP. On the basis of the study results, we recommend the policy implications.

Phosphorus is required by laying hens for a variety of biological functions. It is usually provided in excess, in a readily digestible inorganic form in diet formulations. However, this does not represent an efficient use of a finite resource and can result in water pollution. Plant bound phosphorus in phytate, is common in commercial poultry diets, and represents an alternate source of phosphorus, however poultry lacks the enzyme to digest it. By adding enzymes to their diets, the availability of this phytate-bound phosphorus can be increased allowing for the reduced inclusion of inorganic P in the diet formulation. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the effect of a natural enzyme complex that contains phytase and xylanase in layer diets. Novogen Brown Classic layers (n=314) were fed one of two diets: (T1) control diet or (T2) control diet plus a natural mixed-enzyme product with both, phytase and xylanase. Experimental diets were provided for 12 days after which the excreta from each pen were collected for an additional three days to determine total retention and ileal digestibility of phosphorus and gross energy. At the end of the trial the birds were euthanized, and their ileal contents were collected. Productivity parameters were also recorded over the course of the study. The amount of phosphorus detected in the excreta of the control group was significantly higher than the amount detected in the enzyme-supplemented group (P<0.05). Both phosphorus retention and phosphorus ileal digestibility were significantly higher in the enzyme-supplemented birds (P<0.001). Gross energy digestibility was significantly higher in the enzyme-supplemented birds for both the total tract and ileal samples (P<0.001). There were only numerical improvements, not significant, in the layer productivity parameters. This study showed that the enzyme supplement can improve total retention and ileal digestibility of phosphorus and gross energy in older layers.

In the mean-field approximation, the well-known effect of the critical quantum collapse in a 3D gas of particles pulled to the center by potential U(r) = -U_0/(2r^2) is suppressed by repulsive interparticle interactions, which create the otherwise non-existing s-wave ground state. Here, we address excited bound states carrying the angular momentum, with the orbital and magnetic quantum numbers, l and m. They exist above a threshold value of the potential's strength, U_0 > l(l+1). The sectoral, tesseral, and zonal modes, which correspond to m = l, 0 < m < l, and m = 0, respectively, are found in an approximate analytical form for relatively small values of U_0 - l(l + 1). Explicit results are produced for the p- and d-wave states, with l = 1 and 2, respectively. In the general form, the bound states are obtained numerically, confirming the accuracy of the analytical approximation.

This study explores the correlation between payment statistics and sector-wise Gross Value Added (GVA) in the Indian economy from 2011 to 2022, assessing the importance of payment and settlement systems. Through regression analysis, the impact of payment statistics on GVA across diverse sectors is assessed. The results indicate that, during the specified period, payment statistics exhibit a significant influence on sector-wise GVA. These findings underscore the pivotal role of payment and settlement systems in the Indian financial landscape.

In this investigation, we explore the existence and intriguing features of matter wave positons in a nonautonomous one-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) system with attractive interatomic interactions. We focus on the Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation/nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS)-type equation with time-modulated nonlinearity and trap potential, governing nonlinear wave propagation in the BEC. Our approach involves constructing second- and third-order matter wave positons using a similarity transformation technique. We also identify the constraints on the time-modulated system parameters that give rise to these nonlinear localized profiles. The study considers three distinct forms of modulated nonlinearities: (i) kink-like, (ii) localized or -like, and (iii) periodic. By varying the parameters associated with the nonlinearity strengths, we observe a rich variety of evolution behaviors in the matter wave positon profiles. These behaviors include stretching, curving, oscillating, breathing, collapsing, amplification, and suppression. Our comprehensive studies shed light on the intricate dynamics of matter wave positons in BECs, providing valuable insights into their behavior and characteristics in the presence of time-modulated nonlinearity and trap potential effects.

This paper aimed to describe an atlas of the head of the crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata), applying advanced imaging techniques such as MRI. Furthermore, by combining the images acquired through these techniques with anatomical gross sections, we obtained an adequate description of the structures that form the CNS and associated structures of this species. This anatomical information could serve as a valuable diagnostic tool for the clinical evaluation of different pathological processes in porcupines such as abscesses, skull malformations, fractures, and neoplasia.

In this paper, we study the Parisian time of a reflected Brownian motion with drift on a finite collection of rays. We derive the Laplace transform of the Parisian time using a recursive method, and provide an exact simulation algorithm to sample from the distribution of the Parisian time. The paper is motivated by the settlement delay in the real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system. Both the central bank and the participating banks in the system are concerned about the liquidity risk, and are interested in the first time that the duration of settlement delay exceeds a predefined limit, we reduce this problem to the calculation of the Parisian time. The Parisian time is also crucial in the pricing of Parisian type options; to this end, we will compare our results with the existing literature.

It is important for enterprises to decide their environmental policies after carefully examining their future paths based on the relationship between the environment and the economy. This study focused on Japanese minimum administrative divisions (municipalities) and attempted to quantify the annual environmental efficiency of production activities within each division according to the theory of life-cycle impact assessment (LCIA). This study leverages the assessment theory LIME2, which is an endpoint-type LCIA method developed in 2010 that integrates environmental loads for certain impact categories, such as global warming and land use into a simple indicator by monetary unit. First, annual environmental impact assessments were conducted for all Japanese municipalities based on statistical information that was reliable, verifiable, and comparable. Next, the environmental efficiency of productivity for each division was conceptualized by dividing the gross domestic product by the environmental damage amounts as calculated above. Assessment results for each municipality were placed on a map of Japan in order to visualize the regionality of each indicator. The findings revealed in this study will aid public administrators in their decision-making process with respect to environmental policies.

In most econometrics literature, the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model is often applied in many economic analyses to study short and long run relationships. This is because ARDL model can deal with economic variables that are integrated of different order (I(0), I(1) or combination of both) and also it is robust where there is single long-run relationship between the underlying variables in a simple sample size. This study applied the ARDL model to examine the contributions of commercial Banks to GDP growth in Nigeria. To achieve this, annual data covering 1981 to 2015 for loans and advances, savings, lending rates and GDP of Financial Institutions were collected from CBN bulletin. The ADF test revealed that the variables are I(1) except for lending rate which was of I(0) order. The ARDL(1,1,1,2) model revealed that loans and advances, and lending rates are significantly positively related to GDP in Nigeria but savings was not significant in the model. The model revealed some evidence of short run relationships while the ecm(-1) was -0.6156 (P-value=0.0038<0.05) which means that the rate of the speed of adjustment to equilibrium is 61.56% annually. The estimated model is free from serial correlation, multicollinearity, heteroscedasticity while the model is stable and the residuals are normally distributed. The study recommends that savings and savings culture should be encouraged in Nigeria since economic theory states that savings and investment are related in any economic development.

Cerebral palsy is a group of nonprogressive conditions that affect movement and posture caused by damage to the central nervous system at an early stage of a child's development. Among this group of patients, there is a higher risk of the appearance and progression of neurogenic scoliosis, which unlike idiopathic scoliosis, progresses after skeletal maturity. The aim of the study was to analyze the association of comorbid factors with the risk of development and progression of neurogenic scoliosis. The study included 133 patients with cerebral palsy. The relationship between comorbidities in children with cerebral palsy and the risk of developing neurogenic scoliosis was demonstrated and proven.

A crop-weed simulation model is presented to compare and evaluate Integrated Weed Management (IWM) strategies. Specifically, the model was parameterized for soybean crops in competition with Euphorbia davidii Subils. We used both, weed and crop demographic data surveyed in agronomic fields of the central zone of the Buenos Aires province, Argentina, throughout two crop cycles (2011/2012 and 2013/2014). The proposed model underwent a calibration process and subsequent validation with 70/30 % data split respectively (N=37). Two annual-based and one multiannual-based case studies were simulated to demonstrate the performance of the model. Different IWM strategies were compared under both, operational and tactical planning horizons through the evaluation of different model outcomes (i.e. crop yield, interspecific competition, economic return, and environmental impact). Our case studies results suggest that the inclusion of cultural management practices could reduce weed interspecific competition by 46 to 97 % and weed seed production by 40 to 89%. An increment in both expected crop yield, by 6 to 20%, and annual gross margin, by 44 to 199 US$.ha-1, were obtained in silico for similar levels of environmental impact.

The universal health insurance system in Taiwan was formed with good intentions to help vulnerable groups. However, the possibility of bankrupting the system due to wasted medical resources. In this study, using the medical expenditures of the Taiwanese Government and gross domestic product (GDP) as variables, the wavelet analysis method was used to empirically study the correlations and leading-lagging relationships in quarterly data in the period from 1996 to 2016. In addition, the dependent population of the insured was used as the control variable. This population had no income and had high medical demands. Results: After the dependent population was included as a control variable, there was a period of low-frequency (one to four years short-term) linkage correlation, as well as a period of high-frequency (four to eight years long-term) linkage correlation. In addition, for more than eight years, there was also a high degree of linkage correlation, indicating that the linkage between medical expenditures and GDP occurred over the long term. Moreover, since medical expenditures positively affected GDP, one-way causality was observed. However, after 2008, regardless of whether a long or short term was examined, there was almost no linkage correlation. Before 2008, the medical expenditures of the government were positively correlated with economic growth; i.e., they enhanced economic growth. But, after 2008, this effect had already disappeared. The universal health insurance system has long been denounced as a waste of medical resources, and the waste must be immediately stopped. The government urgently needs to find a new solution.

This paper based on systems - theoretic approach to the definition of a country's GDP as not directly observable characteristic of system state. Leontief dynamic model is generalized to take into account the stimulating effect of consumption on GDP growth. In consumption, apart from final consumption, terms are considered: balance of foreign trade, fictitious investments and hidden costs. The Kalman filter uses Rosstat's gross output (for system output) and final consumption (for system control) data from 1995 to 2015. It is concluded that if in the years 2014, 2015 it was possible to increase consumption by 5% by, say, price cuts or some increase in money supply, then GDP would be greater by about 2.5%. GDP real values in recent years are most likely greater than official values. Fictitious investments and hidden costs are found in the amount of up to third the value of final consumption. The accuracy of one-year forecasts of true GDP by the methodology of this article is approximately 1.5%.

Urban stormwater runoff from a medium-density residential development in southeast Queensland has been monitored in the field since November 2013. A treatment train installed on the site includes rainwater tanks collecting roofwater, 200-micron mesh baskets installed in grated gully pits and two 850 mm high media filtration cartridges installed in an underground 4 m³ vault. A monitoring protocol developed by research partners, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), guided the monitoring process over a 4.5-year period. Heavy metals were included in the list of analytes during the monitoring period as the catchment is within 1 km of the environmentally-sensitive Moreton Bay, Queensland. Removal efficiencies observed at this site for the regulated pollutants; total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) for the pit baskets were 61%, 28% and 45% respectively. The cartridge filters removed 78% TSS, 59% TP, 42% TN, 40% total copper and 51% total zinc. As the measured influent concentrations to the cartridge filters were low when compared to industry guidelines, the dataset was merged with international field results for TSS (n=39) and TP (n=32) but truncated within anticipated guideline levels. The combined dataset for the media filter demonstrates performance at 89% TSS, 66% TP and 42% TN. The total gross pollutant generation rate from the medium-density residential catchment was observed to be 0.24 m³/Ha/year, with a corresponding air-dried mass of 142.5 kg/Ha/year. Less than 2% of the gross pollutant mass was anthropogenic. The findings of this research suggest that the treatment train, and in particular the media filter, holds promise for the removal of total copper and total zinc, in addition to TSS, TP and TN, from urban stormwater runoff. Based on a maximum, low risk trigger TN concentration of 1.5 mg/L, the field test data from 4.5 years of operation and standard maintenance, suggests a 5.5-year replacement interval for the media filters.

Student mobility is one of the most important indicators to reflect institutional internationalization in a sustainable higher education system. While student mobility issues have been addressed persistently, the phenomenon is rarely discussed in association with higher education expansion. Since higher education sustainable development has received much scholarly attention, monitoring student mobility flows to adjust international strategies is necessary. This study explored practical approaches to detect student mobility flows in the process of higher education expansion. Targeting Taiwan’s higher education system as an example, we addressed the topic of system expansion and the core issues of student mobility. Target series data were collected from 1950 to 2021, including higher education enrollment, gross enrollment ratio (GER), and number of inbound and outbound students. The data were transformed with index formats, for example enrollment increasing ratio (IR) and net flow ratio. The cross-correlation function (CCF) and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) were used to determine the correlations of the series data and their future trends. The findings suggested that the effect of system expansion, with GER and IR, might influence the mobility ratios significantly in the process of higher education expansion. This study confirmed that the time series approaches work well in detecting the phenomena of higher education expansion and their effects on student mobility flows in the future.

The present reality of the Nigerian economy is the fact that inflation has remained unabated in spite of all exchange rate measures that have been adopted by the monetary authority. This calls for investigation into the extent to which exchange rate impact on inflation in Nigeria. The research paper examined the impact of exchange rate depreciation on inflation in Nigeria for the period 1981–2017, using Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Bounds Test Cointegration Procedure. The research shows that inflation rate in Nigeria is highly susceptible to lagged inflation rate, exchange rate, lagged exchange rate, lagged broad money, and lagged gross domestic product at 5% level of significance. A long run relationship was also found to exist between inflation rate, gross domestic product and general government expenditure, indicating that the model has a self-adjusting mechanism for correcting any deviation of the variables from equilibrium. Therefore, this study concludes that exchange rate is an important tool to manage inflation in the country; thus, this paper recommends that policies that have direct influence on inflation as well as exchange rate policies that would checkmate inflation movement in the country, should be used by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Also, monetary growth and import management policies should be put in place to encourage domestic production of export commodities, which are currently short-supplied. In addition, policy makers should not rely on this instrument totally to control inflation, but should use it as a complement to other macro-economic policies.

In the present study, a hybrid optimizing algorithm has been proposed using Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) for Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to improve the estimation of electricity demand of the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The GA-PSO model optimizes the coefficients of factors of gross state domestic product (GSDP), per capita demand, income and consumer price index (CPI) that affect the electricity demand. Based on historical data of 25 years from 1991 till 2015 , the simulation results of GA-PSO models are having greater accuracy and reliability than single optimization methods based on either PSO or GA. The forecasting results of ANN-GA-PSO are better than models based on single optimization such as ANN-BP, ANN-GA, ANN-PSO models. Further the paper also forecasts the electricity demand of Tamil Nadu based on two scenarios. First scenario is the "as-it-is" scenario , the second scenario is based on milestones set for achieving goals of "Vision 2023" document for the state. The present research also explores the causality between the economic growth and electricity demand in case of Tamil Nadu. The research indicates that the direct causality exists between GSDP and the electricity demand of the state.

The antibiotic residues and pathogenic resistance against the drug are very common in poultry due to usage of antibiotics in their feed. It is the need of the time to use natural feed additives as effective alternatives instead of synthetic antibiotic. The aim of this study was to investigate the immune response of Nigella sativa and Curcuma longa in broilers under biological stress against Pasteurella multocida. The total 100, one-day old chicks were divided into 5 groups. The Groups 1 and 2 were served as control negative and control positive. Both control groups were receiving simple diet without any natural feed additives but infection was given in Group 2 at day 28 with the dose of 5.14×107 CFU by IV. Groups 3A & 3B were offered 2% seed powder of Nigella sativa, Groups 4A & 4B were offered Curcuma longa 1% in powdered form and Group 5A & 5B were offered both Curcuma longa 1% & Nigella sativa 2% in feed from day 1 and groups 3B, 4B and 5B were challenged with Pasteurella multocida. The Haemagglutination inhibition titter against Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV), feed conversion ratio, mortality, gross and histopathology were studied. The results of this study revealed that haemagglutination inhibition titers against NDV were highly significant (P< 0.05) in treated groups, highest titers (3A 6.8, 3B 6.4 and 5A 7.2) were obtained from treated Group. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) of Nigella sativa + Curcuma longa treated Groups (5A 1.57 and 3A 1.76) were higher as compared to other non-treated groups. The gross and histopathological changes were much severe in control positive, but less changes were seen in treated groups. Therefore, we recommend that natural feed additives; black cumin (Nigella sativa) and turmeric (Curcuma longa) act as immune enhancer in broilers against Pasteurella multocida.

We introduce a class of logarithmic wave equation. We study the global existence of week solution for this class of equation. We deal with the initial boundary value problem of this class. Using the Galerkin method and the Gross logarithmic Sobolev inequality we establish the main theorem of existence of week solution for this class of equation arising from Q-Ball Dynamic in particular.

The regions with the best economy have a greater capacity to develop low-income or social impact housing, thus contributing to the reduction of poverty, and therefore, to the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals. This is observed in fewer people living in extreme poverty and with fewer unmet basic needs. The present article analyzes the correlation between development by the main economic sectors in the different regions (departments) of Colombia, and the offer of low-income housing. The valid relationship found is between the economic condition of the regions (GDP) and non-social housing (more expensive commercial value) (Spearman´s Rho: 0.9). That means that there is an imbalance between regional economic capacity and the low-income housing offer because their economic potential allows them to have less of a demanding population, that is, living in poverty. This correlation is higher with activities that are mostly developed in an urban environment, such as manufacturing, construction, real estate, and finance and insurance. On the contrary, the correlation is lower with industries such as mining and agriculture, which mostly operate in rural areas. The analysis for low-income housing and economic sectors GDP yields low correlations, but are especially dismissible for more rural industries, such as mining and agriculture. The analysis shows the change of trend in the correlations for the year 2021, the beginning of the post-pandemic economic recovery.

We evaluated epidemiological evolution and economic impact of COVID-19 pandemic in the European Union (EU) and worldwide, and the effects of control strategies on them. We collected incidence, mortality, and gross domestic product (GDP) data between the first quarter of 2020 and of 2023. Then, we reviewed the effectiveness of the mitigation and zero-COVID control strategies. The statistical analysis was done calculating the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of two rates and its 95% confidence interval (CI). In the EU, COVID-19 presented six epidemic waves. The sixth one at the beginning of 2022 was the biggest. Globally, the biggest wave occurred at the beginning of 2023. Highest mortality rates were observed in the EU during 2020-2021 and globally at the beginning of 2021. In mitigation countries, mortality was much higher than in zero-COVID countries (IRR= 6.82; CI:6.14-7.60; p<0.001). A GDP reduction was observed worldwide, except in Asia. None of the eight zero-COVID countries presented a GDP growth percentage lower than the EU percentage in 2020, and 3/8 in 2022 (p=0.054). COVID-19 pandemic caused epidemic waves with high mortality rates and a negative impact on GDP. The zero-COVID strategy was more effective in avoiding mortality and potentially had less impact on GDP.

Ensuring equal access to affordable higher education for women and men has become a crucial target of UNESCO’s SDG4-Education 2030. Currently, about one-third of the world's college-age population participates in higher education, while the gender disparity persists in various systems. This study employed GDP per capita, gross enrollment ratio (GER), and the gender parity index (GPI) to demonstrate how the education systems have expanded resulting in the transformation of gender parity. We selected Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and the UK as research targets using a cross-correlation function and trend analysis to detect concurrent relationships and future trends with GDP per capita, GER, and GPI. The findings suggest Japan, Korea, and the UK continue to show gender disparity and need to respond to this issue in their policy intervention for SDG4-Education 2030. The results reveal a potential problem in the UK when GPI growth might become unlimited with females dominated. This study suggests the higher education expansion phenomenon and gender diversity in mass and universal systems can be detected by the trend analysis with GDP per capita, GER, and GPI in different settings. The design of the study provides an example to explore the gender diversity patterns in higher education systems for sustainable development.

The study uses annual time series data from the South Africa Reverse Bank (SARB) from 1980 to 2020 to examine the effectiveness of fiscal policy on economic growth in South Africa. The Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) and Phillips-Perron (PP) unit root tests, as well as the Johansen Co-integration test, Granger causality test, and Vector Auto-Regression (VAR) method, were used in the study. Real GDP per capita (RGDP) is used as proxy of economic growth and gross fixed capital formation (GFCF), government expenditure (GEXP) and government deficit (GOVD) as the proxies of fiscal policy. The ADF test results show that all variables are stationary at the first difference, with the exception of GFCF and GEXP, which are stationary at I(0), whereas the PP test results show that all variables are stationary at I(1), with the exception of GEXP, which is stationary at I(0). At Maximum Eigenvalue, the four variables are not cointegrated. The findings of the Granger causality test demonstrated a unidirectional causation from GOVD to RGDP, as well as a bidirectional causality from RGDP to GFCF and GEXP. Error Correction Model Estimated using VAR shows that GFCF, GEXP have positive effect on RGDP whereas GOVD has a negative effect on RGDP in the short run. The findings also presented that the VAR's residuals are homoscedastic, which means they are normally distributed and have no serial correlation.

We study the μ-μ45-T phase diagram of the 2+1-dimensional Gross-Neveu model, where μ denotes the ordinary chemical potential, μ45 the chiral chemical potential and T the temperature. We use the mean-field approximation and two different lattice regularizations with naive chiral fermions. An inhomogeneous phase at finite lattice spacing is found for one of the two regularizations. Our results suggest that there is no inhomogeneous phase in the continuum limit. We show that a chiral chemical potential is equivalent to an isospin chemical potential. Thus, all results presented in this work can also be interpreted in the context of isospin imbalance.

Low-cost miniature hyperspectral and thermal cameras onboard lightweight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) bring new opportunities for monitoring land surface variables at unprecedented fine spatial resolution with acceptable accuracy. This research applies hyperspectral and thermal imagery from a drone to quantify upland rice growth and water use efficiency (WUE) after biochar application in a Costa Rican dry region. The field flights were conducted over two experimental groups with bamboo biochar and sugarcane biochar amendments and one control group without biochar application. Rice canopy biophysical variables were estimated by inversion of a canopy radiative transfer model on hyperspectral reflectance. Variations in gross primary production (GPP) and WUE across treatments were estimated from the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), canopy chlorophyll content (CCC), and evapotranspiration. We found that GPP was increased by 41.9±3.4 % when using bamboo biochar and 17.5±3.4 % when using sugarcane biochar, which was probably due to higher soil moisture in the biochar-amended plots and led to significantly higher WUE by 40.8±3.5 % in bamboo biochar and 13.4±3.5 % in sugarcane biochar. This study demonstrated the use of hyperspectral and thermal imagery from drone to provide indicators for quantifying biochar effects on tropical dry cropland by integrating with ground point samples and physical models.

Hong Kong is the biggest consumer of eggs in the world and ranks on the top with an average consumption of 24.52kg/capita/year. The egg consumption trend in Hong Kong has been increasing specifically; a drastic increase of about 100% has been observed from 2008 to 2020. One of the reasons behind this significant increase is the increase in the gross national income of Hong Kong in addition to the population growth rate. However, there was a slight decline in egg consumption trend in the year 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been estimated that there was a bulk of 17,100 tons of recoverable waste eggshells in 2019 (pre-COVID-19 situation), having a daily yield of 47 tons per day. Based on the linear regression, it may be expected that if the pre-COVID-19 trend of egg consumption remains sustained, there will be a big bulk of more than 45,000 tons per year and up to 125 tons per day of waste eggshells till 2050. In addition, a public survey was conducted across the city targeting individuals, families, and restaurants majorly on egg consumption and reuse. The survey outcomes revealed that Chinese eggs have an extensive market in Hong Kong, and people have a positive attitude towards eggshell recycling. Also, a massive population disposes of the waste eggshells while only a trace population reuses them. Therefore, Hong Kong has a very high potential to improve the circular economy by reusing waste eggshells on a commercial level in cementitious products.

Kluyveromyces marxianus (K. marxianus) is a newly emerging industrially relevant yeast. It is known to possess a highly efficient Non-Homologous End Joining (NHEJ) pathway that promotes random integration of non-homologous DNA fragments into its genome. The nature of the integration events was traditionally analyzed by Southern blot hybridization. However, the precise DNA sequence at the insertion sites were not fully explored. We transformed a PCR product of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae URA3 gene (ScURA3) into an uracil auxotroph K. marxianus wildtype strain and picked 24 stable Ura+ transformants for sequencing analysis. We took advantage of rapid advances in DNA sequencing technologies and developed a method using a combination of Illumina MiSeq and Oxford Nanopore sequencing. This approach enables us to uncover the Gross Chromosomal Rearrangements (GCRs) that are associated with the ScURA3 random integration. Moreover, it will shine a light on understanding DNA repair mechanisms in Eukaryotes, which could potentially provide insights for cancer research.

The present reality about the Nigerian economy calls for investment and development in the non-oil sector. This becomes necessary as a result of fall in the oil price in the global market. This paper examined the Bayesian Vector Autoregression (BVAR) modeling and forecasting of the dynamic interrelationship between Economic growth and revenue from the oil and non-oil sectors in Nigeria. To achieve this, annual data on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), revenue from oil and non-oil sectors were collected from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) bulletin, the sample from 1981 to 2008 was used for analysis, while sample from 2009 to 2014 was used for model validation. Six (6) versions of Sims-Zha BVAR models were compared for out-of-sample forecast, the result revealed the superiority of the BVAR6 model over the other BVAR models. Lastly, evidence from the decomposition forecast errors revealed that revenue of oil sector contributed 7.69% to GDP while revenue from non-oil sector contributed 0.12% to GDP in Nigeria. This paper therefore recommended that the present government should encourage investment that is geared toward development in the non-oil sector, of which it has the capacity to improve the Economic growth of the Nigerian economy.

Acute pancreatitis is a complex inflammatory disorder with significant morbidity and mortality. This review aims to integrate current knowledge of pancreatic morphology and immunology with the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis, providing a comprehensive understanding of this critical condition. We conducted an extensive literature review, synthesizing data from recent studies and authoritative sources on pancreatic anatomy, histology, immunology, and the pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis. We also incorporated epidemiological data, clinical features, diagnostic criteria, and prognostic factors. The pancreas exhibits a complex morphology with intricate interactions between its exocrine and endocrine components. Its unique immunological landscape plays a crucial role in maintaining homeostasis and orchestrating responses to pathological conditions. In acute pancreatitis, disruption of intracellular calcium signaling leads to premature enzyme activation, triggering a cascade of events including mitochondrial dysfunction, ATP depletion, and release of pro-inflammatory mediators. This process can escalate from localized inflammation to systemic complications. The interplay between pancreatic morphology, immune responses, and pathophysiological mechanisms contributes to the varied clinical presentations and outcomes observed in acute pancreatitis. Understanding the intricate relationships between pancreatic morphology, immunology, and the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis is crucial for developing more effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. This integrated approach provides new insights into the complex nature of acute pancreatitis and may guide future research directions in pancreatic disorders.

Global attention to climate change has surged since the advent of the Paris Agreement, intensifying the importance of measuring and managing carbon productivity indicators on a national level. Nevertheless, concerns persist regarding the reliability of such measurements because of inherent discrepancies in implementing and operating national-level carbon productivity indicators, coupled with their inherent uncertainty. This study proposes a multiple regression model to address these issues aimed at refining national-level carbon productivity indicators metrics, accounting for factors such as the gross domestic product and total greenhouse gas emissions by sectors. The objective was to offer insights into enhancing and effectively utilizing current indicators, enabling a more nuanced interpretation of the variation in the carbon productivity indicators across diverse industrial landscapes. This study showed that adjustments of the carbon productivity metrics reflect disparities in emissions across industrial structures, with countries characterized by high emissions from non-service industries showing improving trends. In addition, this paper proposes an auxiliary indicator estimating method for carbon productivity, emphasizing its utility in interpreting productivity indicators within the context of varying industrial compositions across OECD countries. This study underscores the inadequacies of the current national productivity estimating method, pinpointing areas requiring refinement. Specifically, the method for estimating the auxiliary indicator for carbon productivity guarantees enhanced rationality when integrated with current methodologies. Moreover, by elucidating the nuances of industrial structures, this study advocates for more sophisticated approaches to interpreting and managing the productivity indicators tailored to each unique economic landscape of each country. Nevertheless, the limitations stemming from data availability underscore the need for further research, particularly in refining the national-level carbon resource productivity indicators analyses and exploring the thematic productivity variations in greater depth. By addressing these gaps, future studies will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of national-level carbon resource productivity indicators dynamics and reveal targeted strategies for sustainable development.

Mirror Therapy (MT) and Cognitive Therapeutic Exercise (CTE) are two neurorehabilitation techniques based on neuroplasticity and designed to enhance the functionality of the upper limb. Therefore, the aim is to assess the effectiveness of the combination of CTE and MT with task-oriented training (TOT) on fine and gross motor skills of the affected hand, as well as the functionality of the affected upper limb, autonomy, independence, and quality of life (QoL) in patients with acute stroke. This longitudinal and multicenter study involved a sample of 120 participants selected randomly and consecutively. Three groups were formed, including a control group (CG) and two treatment groups, one with MT and the other with CTE. The functionality of the upper limb, fine and gross motor skills, the quantity and quality of use of the affected upper limb, autonomy, and QoL were evaluated using various scales validated in the Spanish population at the baseline, after 20 treatment sessions, and at three months of follow-up. ANCOVA analysis was conducted, revealing statistically significant differences between assessments in the CG compared to the experimental groups (GEs), indicating a notable improvement in overall functionality, fine and gross motor skills, autonomy, and QoL in the latter. However, there were no significant differences between the GEs. Therefore, the application of either of these experimental combinations is crucial for the motor recovery, functionality, and improvement of the quality of life of individuals who have suffered a stroke.

The complex adaptive systems (CAS) research study investigates into the theoretical link of a sustained economic growth as a critical pathway to lift people out of poverty and improve their quality of life. The results show a left-skewed global behavior of an economy-driven human development of 189 countries with 20% or 27 countries obtaining low human development; 80% or 162 countries obtaining medium to very high human development of which 21.16% or 39 countries with medium HDI, 53 or 28.04% or 53 countries with high HDI, and 31.22% or 59 countries with very high HDI. Using the Log (GDP) for visual transformation, closer investigation into the scatterplot diagram reveals that there are also bimodal patterns where countries in the high amplitude and low amplitude groups obtained different human development outcomes despite less or more on economic growth variances mirror on the government policy priorities resulting in four differentiating conditions. Very few countries experience virtuous cycles where both growth and human development are successful; few countries with vicious cycles where both are weak; and many countries with lopsided conditions where the economy is strong but human development is weak, or conversely ones where human development is strong but the economy is weak. The global pattern of economy and human development illustrated by an upward sinusoid or sine wave refutes the conventional linear approach. Uniquely and most importantly, the sinusoidal wave illustrates a decreasing amplitude and decreasing periods as countries manifest apparently complex behaviors that emerge as a result of often nonlinear spatio-temporal interactions among a large number of component systems at different levels of organizations and governments leading to an emergence of a behavior characterizing of a complex adaptive system.

The aim of this study is to empirically examine the link between foreign direct investment (FDI) and domestic investment (DI) in South Africa over the period of 41 years (1975-2016). Accurately, it attempts to determine whether FDI crowds in or crowds out DI in South Africa. DI is sub-divided into private domestic investment (credit to domestic private sector) and public corporation investment (state owned enterprises). We used the Autoregressive Distributed Lag-Error Correction Model (ARDL-ECM) technique to ascertain long run and short run effects concurrently after establishing that the variables were stationary (using the PP test). The results of the unit root test shows that all variables are integrated of order zero I(0) or integrated of order one I(1), indicating that the series of variables are stationary in the level or first difference form. The findings revealed that variables are cointegrated in the long run. The ARDL model found a negative link between FDI and domestic investment. The result implies that FDI crowds out domestic investment. Moreover, the long run estimate revealed that domestic investment is crowded in by government investment expenditure (GINV). Other findings uncovered that, GDP crowds out private domestic investment while crowding in public corporation investment. Moreover, the long run estimate revealed that domestic investment is crowded in by gross domestic savings (SAV). On the other hand, the real exchange rate (EXCR) crowds out private domestic investment while crowding in public corporation investment. Trade openness (TRA) crowds out domestic investment. Additionally, the short run estimate uncovered that private domestic investment is crowded out by FDI, EXCR, and TRA whereas GINV, GDP and SAV is crowding in private domestic investment. Other findings discovered that, in the short run, public corporation investment is crowded out by FDI, GDP, EXCR and TRA, while GINV and SAV crowd in public corporation investment. The CUSUM confirms that the models are structurally firmness.

Objective: In this pilot study, we described the gross motor development of infants aged 4 to 24 months with congenital heart disease (CHD) and assessed through a systematic develop­mental screening programme, with individualised motor interventions. Methods: Thirty infants who had cardiac repair underwent gross motor evaluations using the AIMS at 4 months, and the Bayley-III at 12 and 24 months. Results: Based on AIMS, 80% of 4-month-old infants had a delay in gross motor development and required physical therapy. Gross motor abilities significantly improved by 24 months. Infants who benefited from regular physiotherapy tended to show better improvement in motor scores. Conclusion: Our study highlights the importance of early motor screening in infants with CHD and suggests a potential benefit of early physical therapy in those at-risk. Further research is needed to assess the effectiveness of systematic developmental screening and individualized inter­vention programmes at identifying at risk patients, and their impact on developmental outcomes.

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is in crisis, in part due to bad methods, which are understood as misuse of statistics that is considered correct in itself. This article exposes two related common misconceptions in statistics, the effect size (ES) based on correlation (CBES) and a misconception of contingency tables (MCT). CBES is a fallacy based on misunderstanding of correlation and ES and confusion with 2 × 2 tables, which makes no distinction between gross crosstabs (GCTs) and contingency tables (CTs). This leads to misapplication of Pearson’s Phi, designed for CTs, to GCTs and confusion of the resulting gross Pearson Phi, or mean-square effect half-size, with the implied Pearson mean square contingency coefficient. Generalizing this binary fallacy to continuous data and the correlation in general (Pearson’s r) resulted in flawed equations directly expressing ES in terms of the correlation coefficient, which is impossible without including covariance, so these equations and the whole CBES concept are fundamentally wrong. MCT is a series of related misconceptions due to confusion with 2 × 2 tables and misapplication of related statistics. The misconceptions are threatening because most of the findings from contingency tables, including CBES-based meta-analyses, can be misleading. Problems arising from these fallacies are discussed and the necessary changes to the corpus of statistics are proposed resolving the problem of correlation and ES in paired binary data. Since exposing these fallacies casts doubt on the reliability of the statistical foundations of EBM in general, we urgently need to revise them.