DNA Topoisomerase IIa (Top2A) is a nuclear enzyme that is a cancer drug target, and there is interest in identifying novel sites on the enzyme to inhibit cancer cells more selectively and to reduce off-target toxicity. The C-terminal domain (CTD) is one potential target, but it is an intrinsically disordered domain, which prevents structural analysis. Therefore, we set out to analyze the sequence of Top2A from 105 species using bioinformatic analysis including the PSICalc algorithm, entropy analysis, and other approaches. Our results demonstrate that large (10th-order) interdependent clusters are found including non-proximal positions across the major domains of Top2A. Further, CTD-specific clusters of 3rd, 4th, and 5th-order were identified that included positions that had been previously analyzed via mutation and biochemical assays. Some of these clusters coincided with positions that when mutated either increased or decreased relaxation activity. Finally, sites of low entropy (i.e., high information content) were identified and mapped as key positions in the CTD. Included in the low entropy sites are phosphorylation sites and charged positions. Together, these results help to build a clearer picture of the critical positions in the CTD and provide potential sites/regions for further analysis.

Disease, trauma, and aging account for a significant number of clinical disorders. Regenerative medicine is emerging as a very promising therapeutic option. The design and development of new cell-customized biomaterials able to mimic ECM functionalities represent one of the major strategy to control the cell fate and stimulate tissue regeneration. Recently, hydrogels have received a considerable interest for their use in the modulation and control of cell fate during regeneration processes. Several synthetic bioresponsive hydrogels are being developed in order to facilitate cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions. In this review new strategies and future perspectives of such synthetic cell microenvironment will be highlighted.

Agriculture is an industry that heavily relies on the environment. The increasing frequency of ex-treme disasters attributable to climate change has adversely affected agricultural land and dis-rupted the stability of the supply of agricultural products. Therefore, we implemented a research program focused on current strategies for adapting to agricultural meteorological disasters. The primary goal was to actively promote disaster prevention information and techniques through information platforms and applications and to provide refined forecasting and an early warning system to enhance preparedness for and recovery from agricultural disasters. This initiative can transform passive mitigation into dynamic action by disseminating crucial information to farmers. We integrated meteorological data and crop characteristics to develop disaster prevention strate-gies for the predisaster, during-disaster, and postdisaster stages to empower farmers to implement autonomous disaster prevention, ensuring their profitability and minimizing the impact of disas-ters. This paper presents an agricultural disaster prevention system involving cross-disciplinary collaboration to establish an early warning system for crop disasters. However, the effectiveness of the early warning system relies on the availability of complete meteorological and crop infor-mation, necessitating high-density agricultural meteorological stations, refined weather forecast services, historical crop damage data, and ongoing research and development on disaster preven-tion technology. In the system, a diversified social media interface is used to provide local farmers with weather forecast information. When impending disasters are identified, the platform acti-vates disaster prevention measures to reduce agricultural losses. This article paper introduces Taiwan’s agricultural disaster prevention system as a complete disaster prevention strategy.

The aim of this work was to describe the physiological limitations induced under drought conditions in young sweet orange trees, including the crop capability to recuperate its physiological status once re-watering, and after a water withholding. The trial was conducted during two consecutive months (July and August) in two-years old sweet orange trees. Three irrigation treatments were arranged: A full irrigation treatment; (FI); a low-frequency deficit-irrigation treatment (LFDI); and a sustained-deficit irrigation (SDI) treatment. The obtained results showed that for Stem values below -1.5 MPa, significant decreases in gas exchange rates, evidencing diffusive limitations to drought stress. Additionally, there was evidence of increased osmolyte synthesis, compatible as a defensive response to prevent oxidative damage. Likewise, the isohydric behaviour observed also resulted in significant decreases in gs even for moderate stress situations. In addition, it was observed that in the LFDI treatment, the stress levels reached caused a significant increase in the levels of Pro and MDA, which were not equal to those detected in FI during the recovery periods, which leads us to assume that potential values below -1.8 MPa would be causing significant oxidative damage with no capacity for subsequent recovery, and probably affecting the final yield.

Cancer, characterized by abnormal cell proliferation driven by genetic mutations, remains a significant health challenge. Tailoring effective therapies depends on factors like tumor location, grade, and stage, alongside patient condition. Leveraging Nano-carrier encapsulated drugs offers a promising avenue, as they accumulate preferentially at tumor sites, enhancing therapeutic efficacy while mitigating side effects. Polymeric Nano-carriers, with their customizable properties, further optimize drug delivery efficiency and specificity. Incorporating active targeting ligands such as antibodies, carbohydrates, peptides, folates, and aptamers-onto polymeric nanoparticle surfaces through techniques like functionalization, adsorption, and conjugation plays a pivotal role in directing therapeutic agents to tumor cells. Consequently, polymeric nanoparticles emerge as the carrier of choice for delivering drugs to various tumor types, including breast, colon, lung, prostate, liver, and spleen tumors.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) is potentially a useful tool that can be employed to increase the efficacy and decrease the toxicity of antifungal drugs. The aim of this narrative review is to provide an overview of the current use of TDM in clinical practice, and to present the evidence available regarding its use in proactive clinical settings for preventing and managing treatment failure. This review also presents the existing evidence regarding the association of various clinical outcomes with specific thresholds of drug concentrations in everyday practice. Articles concerning the use of TDM of triazoles in the treatment of fungal infections were retrieved through an electronic search using PubMed. In clinical practice, TDM has an increasingly important role in the management of antifungal drugs as a consequence of the improvement in the knowledge of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of these drugs. The currently available evidence shows a direct exposure-response relationship for triazoles, though the PK/PD profile is unpredictable. Current guidelines and treatment consensus statements recommend the proactive TDM of voriconazole, posaconazole, and itraconazole to optimize dosage regimens and improve outcomes for adult and pediatric patients.

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.

Extraction techniques of important bioactive molecules from the major concern of Seafood byproducts are getting emphasis for better valorization. Employing green extraction technologies for efficient and quality production of these bioactive molecules is also strictly required. Hence, understanding the extraction process parameters to effectively design an applicable optimization strategy could make this real. In this review, statistical optimization strategies applied for the extraction process parameters of bioactive molecules from Seafood byproducts are focused. The type of experimental designs, and techniques applied to criticize and validate the effects of independent variables on the extraction output was addressed. Dominant parameters studied were enzyme/substrate ratio, pH, time, temperature and power of extraction instruments. The yield of bioactive compounds, chitin and chitosan, proteins and peptides, enzymes and carotenoids (Astaxanthins) were the most studied responses. Efficiency and/or economic and quality considerations and their selected optimization strategies that favour the production of potential bioactive molecules were also reviewed.

As the most serious of the many worse new pathological changes caused by diabetes, there are many risk factors for the occurrence and development of DR. It mainly includes hyperglycemia, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and so on. Among them, hyperglycemia is the most critical cause, which plays a key role in the pathological changes of DR.High-sucrose diets(HSDs) lead to elevated blood glucose levels in vivo, which, through oxidative stress, inflammation, the production of AGEs and VEGF, causes plenty of pathological damages to the retina and ultimately bring about loss of vision. The existing therapies for DR primarily target the terminal stage of the disease, when irreversible visual impairment has appeared. Therefore, early prevention is particularly critical. Early prevention of DR-related vision loss requires adjustments to dietary habits, mainly by reducing sugar intake. This article primarily discusses the risk factors, pathophysiological processes, and molecular mechanisms associated with the development of DR caused by HSDs. It aims to raise awareness of the crucial role of diet in the occurrence and progression of DR, promote timely changes in dietary habits, prevent vision loss, and improve the quality of life. The aim is to make people aware of the importance of diet in the occurrence and progression of DR. According to the dietary modification strategies we give, patients can change their poor eating habits timely, avoid the retinopathy that can be avoided theoretically, and obtain a excellent outcome.

While genetic testing is becoming mainstream in the management of patients with potentially inherited cardiovascular disease, the prevalence of uncertain results severely limits its utility. One promising approach is to generate variant effect maps that report the function of all possible variants in a gene prospectively. The proactive clinical application of these maps is nascent, and it requires careful integration with current American College of Medical Genetics guidelines for variant interpretation. Here, we describe three pediatric cases of cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death with variants of uncertain significance in calmodulin genes. We demonstrate the prospective clinical utility of a calmodulin variant effect map to inform variant interpretation, and therefore diagnosis and family care, in each case. This study was approved by the Stanford University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center IRBs. Consent was waived based on low risk of de-identified retrospective data collection per the IRB.

Abstract: Dispersal strategies of a species can affect its invasion success. Investigation into the dispersal strategies of invasive species in relation to different factors helps our understanding of the invasion mechanisms and provides knowledge for population management and invasion evaluation. Tetranychus ludeni Zacher (Acari: Tetranychidae) is an invasive species, which is native to Europe but now cosmopolitan. Here, we examined the effects of age and density on dispersal in mated females. Our results show that older females with more eggs were more likely to disperse and moved longer distances than younger ones with fewer eggs. Older females spread most of their eggs out of the natal habitats and over longer distances, which reduced competition and increased offspring fitness. Females significantly increased dispersal probability and distance with the increase of population density to avoid crowding. The synchronization of dispersal and reproduction, along with the positive density-dependent dispersal strategy, may facilitate habitat colonization and invasion speed of T. ludeni.

In the intricate landscape of software development, the distinction between average and exceptional outcomes often hinges on the approach taken by the engineers involved. This paper explores the core aspects that characterize responsible and professional software engineering, emphasizing the importance of stakeholder engagement, innovative problem-solving, and adherence to standards and best practices. Through detailed real-life examples, we illustrate how professional engineers ensure the creation of robust, efficient, and adaptable software solutions. Additionally, the paper delves into advanced strategies for enhancing database security, including the implementation of Sealed Secrets in Kubernetes environments, continuous improvement, and future enhancements. The goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of professional software engineering practices and their impact on delivering superior value to projects and organizations.

Radiator reliability is crucial in environments characterized by high temperatures and friction, where prompt interventions are often required to prevent system failures. This study introduces a proactive approach to radiator fault diagnosis, leveraging the integration of Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) and Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) autoencoders. Vibration signals from radiators were systematically collected through randomized durability vibration bench tests, resulting in four operating states—two normal, one unknown, and one faulty. Time-domain statistical features of these signals were extracted and subjected to Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to facilitate efficient data interpretation. Subsequently, this study discusses the comparative effectiveness of GMM and LSTM in fault detection. GMMs are deployed for initial fault classification, leveraging their clustering capabilities, while LSTM autoencoders excel in capturing time-dependent sequences, facilitating advanced anomaly detection for previously unencountered faults. This alignment offers a potent and adaptable solution for radiator fault diagnosis, particularly in challenging high-temperature or high-friction environments. Consequently, the proposed methodology not only provides a robust framework for early-stage fault diagnosis but also effectively balances diagnostic capabilities during operation. Additionally, this study presents the foundation for advancing reliability life assessment in accelerated life testing, achieved through dynamic threshold adjustments using both the absolute log-likelihood distribution of the GMM and the reconstruction error distribution of the LSTM autoencoder model.

Retiring coal power plants can reduce air pollution and health damages. However, the spatial distribution of those impacts remains unclear due to complex power system adjustments and pollution chemistry and transport. Focusing on coal retirements in Pennsylvania (PA), we analyze six counterfactual scenarios for 2019 that differ in retirement targets (e.g., reducing 50% of coal-based installed capacity vs. generation) and priorities (e.g., closing plants with higher cost, closer to Environmental Justice Areas, or with higher CO₂ emissions). Using a power system model of the PJM Interconnection, we find that coal retirements in PA shift power generation across PA and the Rest of PJM region leading to scenario-varying changes in the plant-level release of several air pollutants. Due to air pollution chemistry and transport and socio-demographics, these changes in turn give rise to a reduction of 10 to 182 PM_2.5-attributable deaths in PJM across the six scenarios, with most reductions occurring in PA. Scenarios that reduce more coal power generation yield greater aggregate health benefits due to air quality improvements in PA and adjacent downwind regions. In addition, vulnerable populations—in both PA and Rest of PJM—benefit most in scenarios that prioritize plant closures in PA near Environmental Justice Areas. These results demonstrate the importance of considering cross-regional linkages and socio-demographics in designing equitable retirement strategies.

Direct Energy Deposition (DED) is a versatile and efficient method in metal additive manufacturing. However, humping, caused by abnormal dynamics in the melt pool (MP), poses a significant threat to the geometric integrity of manufactured products. Current state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods primarily detect humping by analyzing late-stage spatial abnormalities, such as MP detachment. This approach is fundamentally reactive, leading to a tendency to miss early humping spatiotemporal dynamics, like cyclic elongation of the MP. This study introduces a novel, proactive indicator named VIMPS (Variability of Instantaneous MP Solidification-Front Speed), a physics-based tool designed to quantify early abnormal fluctuations in MP solidification speed. The experiments demonstrate VIMPS correlation with humping-induced geometric inaccuracies. By capturing early spatiotemporal dynamics of the MP, VIMPS reduces detection latency by 30 seconds compared to existing SOTAs that focus solely on spatial abnormalities. This significant improvement transforms detection from reactive to proactive, providing the time needed for corrective actions to enhance the overall productivity and quality of the DED process.

Although floods, as well as other natural disasters, can be considered relevant causes of intra-generational inequalities, the frequent catastrophes and the resulting damages to territory reflect the generalized indifference about inter-generational justice. Societal concerns, such as land protection, typically involve the administrative system performing proactive policies in the perspective of inter-generational solidarity, but subsidiarity has made more and more independent the local communities. As a consequence, the attention toward the long run effects – typically concerning the territorial system, as a whole, at the geographical scale – has been dispersed, and the proactive policies coming from the central government has became more ineffective. Regarding the case of the flood happened in 2009 in the Fiumedinisi-Capo Peloro hydraulic basin, in the northeastern part of Sicily, Italy, we propose an economic valuation – carried out by performing the method of the imputed preferences – in order to compare the expenses incurred by the public authorities responsible for protecting the territory to the costs of the rehabilitation of the damaged areas. Some considerations about the economic significance of the proactive policies for the arrangement of territory are addressed according to the role played by the social discount rate in the inter-temporal economic calculation.

Mangrove plant seedling cultivation is crucial for the protection, management and restoration of mangrove ecosystem. In this study, we focused on Kandelia obovata, a typical mangrove, and evaluated nursery cultivation with different combinations of three salinity levels (S1: 0 ppt, S2: 10 ppt, and S3: 20 ppt), three genealogies (EZD, JX, and YZ), and five growth media (M1: 100% loess, M2: 100% sandy, M3: 50% loess + 50% sandy, M4: 40% loess + 40% sandy + 20% peat, and M5: 40% loess + 40% sandy + 20% coir), by measuring the growth parameters such as mortality rate, seedling height, diameter, and biomass partition. These growth indexes were significantly affected by salinity and medium, and genealogies also had significant effects on mortality rate and biomass accumulation. S2 or S3 both had lower mortality and higher growth indexes than S1. M1 was the medium that increased seedlings height, diameter and biomass the most and had the lowest death rate. EZD and JX were also higher levels than YZ in these indicators, but the difference between them was not obvious. S3, M1, and EZD consistently performed well in fuzzy evaluation and quality assessment. Furthermore, combinations involving these treatments also produced highly favorable results. These results furnish both a theoretical and practical foundation for advancing nursery cultivation techniques and germplasm breeding of K. obovata in mangroves.

The retinoblastoma (RB) transcriptional corepressor 1 (RB1) is a critical tumor suppressor gene, governing diverse cellular processes implicated in cancer biology. Dysregulation or deletion in RB1 contributes to the development and progression of various cancers, making it a prime target for therapeutic intervention. RB1's canonical function in cell cycle control and DNA repair mechanisms underscores its significance in restraining aberrant cell growth and maintaining genomic stability. Understanding the complex interplay between RB1 and cellular pathways is beneficial to fully elucidate its tumor-suppressive role across different cancer types and for therapeutic development. As a result, investigating vulnerabilities arising from RB1 deletion-associated mechanisms offers promising avenues for targeted therapy. Recently, several findings highlighted multiple methods as a promising strategy for combating tumor growth driven by RB1 loss, offering potential clinical benefits in various cancer types. This review summarizes the multifaceted role of RB1 in cancer biology and its implications for targeted therapy.

This work aims to develop an autonomous system for the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to land on a moving platform such as the automobile or marine vessels, providing a promising solution for a long-endurance flight operation, a large mission coverage range, and a convenient recharging ground station. Different from most state-of-the-art UAV landing frameworks which rely on UAV’s onboard computers and sensors, the proposed system fully depends on the computation unit situated on the ground vehicle/marine vessel to serve as a landing guidance system. Such novel configuration can therefore lighten the burden of the UAV and computation power on the ground vehicle/marine vessel could be enhanced. In particular, we exploit a sensor fusion-based algorithm for the guidance system to perform UAV localization, whilst a control method based upon trajectory optimization is integrated. Indoor and outdoor experiments are conducted and the result shows that a precise autonomous landing on a 43 X 43 cm platform could be performed.

Background: The Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) combines standardized terminology with a classification system for imaging findings in patients with HCC, therefore rendering diagnostic biopsy unnecessary in many cases. This retrospective study included 23 patients with a biopsy diagnosis of HCC, performed either before or after local interventional procedures, in order to evaluate the histopathologic changes induced by previous procedures and their potential influence on the response to immune therapy. Material and Methods: The study encompassed a cohort of patients diagnosed with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). Diagnosis was established through contrast-enhanced computer tomography or magnetic resonance imaging that identified LI-RADS-5 nodules in conjunction with historical liver disease and elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels, or through histological examination confirming positivity for glypican3, heat shock protein70, and glutamine synthetase. The study detailed the liver disease etiology, LI-RADS scores, characteristics and dimensions of HCC nodules, serum AFP concentrations, Edmondson-Steiner grading, and the expression of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in the tumor cells. Results: Among the study's cohort of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) patients, a portion had not received any prior treatments, while the remainder experienced local HCC recurrence following trans-arterial chemoembolization or radiofrequency ablation. Observations indicated elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels in those who had not undergone any previous interventions, showing statistical significance. The Edmondson-Steiner classification predominantly identified grade III differentiation across patients, irrespective of their treatment history. Furthermore, an increase in intra-tumoral programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression was noted in patients who had not been subjected to previous therapies. Conclusion: Liver biopsy offers valuable insights for patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), assisting in the tailoring of immune therapy strategies, particularly in cases of recurrence following prior local interventions.

Gastric cancer is an aggressive disease with increasing global incidence in recent years. Human epidermal growth receptor 2 (HER2) is overexpressed in approximately 10-20% of gastric cancers. The implementation of targeted therapy against HER2 as part of the standard of care treatment in metastatic disease has improved the prognosis of this subset of patients. However, gastric cancer still has high mortality rates and urgently requires new treatment strategies. The combination of immunotherapy with HER2-targeted therapies has shown synergistic effects in preclinical models, being the rationale behind exploring this combination in clinical trials in locally advanced and metastatic settings. Additionally, the irruption of antibody-drug conjugates and other novel HER2-targeted agents has led to the development of numerous clinical trials showing promising results. This review presents the molecular mechanisms supporting the use of HER2-targeted drugs in combination with immunotherapy and provides an overview of the therapeutic scenario of HER2-positive disease. We focus on the role of immunotherapy but also summarize emerging therapies and combinations under clinical research that may change the standard treatment in HER-2 positive disease in the future.

This study investigates the effectiveness of a range of timber-based solutions for seismic and energy retrofitting of existing masonry buildings. These solutions are designed not only to prevent structural collapse during earthquakes but also to create integrated interventions that enhance thermo-physical performance and reduce emissions in existing buildings. Various case scenarios were considered and both mechanical and energetic behavior post-intervention were evaluated. Timber-engineered products serve as foundational components for the retrofit approach, encompassing one-dimensional vertical elements (strong-backs) and various types of panels (cross-laminated timber panels, laminated veneer lumber panels, and oriented strand board panels). The analyzed retrofit techniques share a common principle, involving the attachment of these timber-based elements to the building's wall surfaces through mechanical point-to-point connections. The proposed solutions integrate strong-backs and timber panels with membranes and insulation layers, yielding cohesive and highly effective interventions. Finite element modeling was employed to analyze the mechanical and thermal responses of the retrofitted walls. A comprehensive comparative analysis of various techniques was conducted to determine the most effective solution for each specific scenario.

The industry is in a continuous evolution in the context of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0 requirements and expected benefits. Some sectors allow a higher reconfiguration dynamics considering the interference capabilities and process/equipment renewals, but others have considerable inertia that is many times justified. In most encountered situations, the reality confirms that the industry is struggling with new demands as interoperation and efficiency improvements. The water industry makes no difference, being a sector with critical infrastructures and highly varied subsystems, where invasive interference in legacy solutions tends to be avoided. Following previous successful footsteps in researching a proactive decentralized historian, the current work focuses on a case-study that refers to a water treatment and distribution facility that is operated for several years and the current operating regime was established by local operators following accumulated observations, restrictions and response strategies. The proactive historian was tailored for the current case-study and it was applied and tested in the suboptimal functioning scenario where the water sources configuration was manually selected and used for water availability and energy efficiency, but without assuming current/future failures or different water demands. The proposed low-cost historian targeted to improve the functioning and operation of the water facility considering energy efficiency and other impacting outcomes of the current strategy, and to establish an automatic functioning regime in a completely non-invasive manner towards the local legacy solution. The results were satisfactory, proving that the historian is able to adapt to a particular and suboptimal functioning real industrial scenario, to establish recipes in a process-aware manner, and to interoperate with the local legacy solution in order to apply improving actions.

The popularity of electronic cigarettes in the United States and around the world has led to a startling rise in youth nicotine use. The Juul e-cigarette was introduced in the U.S. market in 2015 and had captured approximately 13% of the U.S. market by 2017. Unlike many other contemporary electronic cigarette companies, the founders behind the Juul® e-cigarette approached their product launch like a traditional high-tech start-up company, not like a tobacco company. This article presents a case study of Juul’s corporate and product development history in the context of US regulatory actions. The objective of this article is to demonstrate the value of government-curated archives as leading indicators which can (a) provide insight into emergent technologies and (b) inform emergent regulatory science research questions. A variety of sources were used to gather data about the Juul e-cigarette and the corporations that surround it. Sources included government agencies, published academic literature, non-profit organizations, corporate and retail websites, and the popular press. Data was disambiguated, authenticated, and categorized prior to being placed on a timeline of events. A timeline of four significant milestones, nineteen corporate filings and events, twelve US regulatory actions, sixty four patent applications, eighty seven trademark applications, twenty three design patents and thirty two utility patents related to Juul Labs and its associates is presented spanning the years 2004 thought 2020. This work demonstrates the probative value of findings from patent, trademark, and SEC filing literature in establishing a premise for emergent regulatory science research questions which may not yet be supported by traditional archival research literature. The methods presented here can be used to identify key aspects of emerging technologies before products actually enter the market, this shifting policy formulation and problem identification from a paradigm of being reactive in favor of becoming proactive. Such a proactive approach may permit anticipatory regulatory science research and ultimately shorten the elapsed time between market technology innovation and regulatory response.

Workplace bullying is common among nurses affecting negatively several work-related variables, such as job burnout and job satisfaction. However, no study until now has examined the impact of workplace bullying on quiet quitting among nurses. Thus, our aim was to examine the direct effect of workplace bullying on quiet quitting and to investigate the mediating effect of coping strategies on the relationship between workplace bullying and quiet quitting in nurses. We conducted a cross-sectional study with a convenience sample of 650 nurses in Greece. We collected our data during February 2024. We used the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised, the Quiet Quitting Scale and the Brief COPE to measure workplace bullying, quiet quitting and coping strategies, respectively. We found that workplace bullying and negative coping strategies were positive predictors of quiet quitting, while positive coping strategies was a negative predictor of quiet quitting. Our mediation analysis showed that positive and negative coping strategies partially mediated the relationship between workplace bullying and quiet quitting. In particular, positive coping strategies caused competitive mediation, while negative coping strategies caused complimentary mediation. Nurses’ managers and policy makers should improve working conditions by reducing workplace bullying and strengthening positive coping strategies among nurses.

The clinical features of increasing muscle weakening are shared by a diverse set of illnesses known as muscular dystrophies. In early childhood, males with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) exhibit proximal muscle weakening and calf enlargement, making it the most frequent X-linked disease of muscular dystrophy in children. Development of motor skills is typically delayed, and wheelchair confinement eventually leads to early death from heart or lung problems. In terms of function, ambulation, quality of life, and life expectancy, treatment approaches like corticosteroid therapy and intermittent positive pressure breathing have improved. This is a case report of a 6-year-old kid who had early ambulatory stage Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and complained to the neuro-physiotherapy department about frequent falls, walking difficulties, and dyspnea when walking. Other grievances included being unable to get off the ground and having trouble ascending stairs. He had physiotherapy and dynamic neuromuscular stabilization for his complaints. The main goals of treatment were educating the family, respiratory training, preventing ankle plantar flexors, maintaining strength, balance and gait training.

The ongoing challenge to ensure a sustainable and affordable energy supply forces industrial companies to implement appropriate measures. These measures typically lead to an increased system complexity, which has to be addressed during operation. Whereas existing approaches from the field of supervisory and optimal control appear to be capable of mastering this issue, these are still not adopted in industry. Therefore, this work presents a procedure model for the systematic development of application-oriented operating strategies for industrial energy supply systems. The procedure model combines research approaches from the fields of sequencing control and approximate MPC to extract rule-based operating strategies. By splitting the procedure model into five phases, expert knowledge can be integrated in a target-oriented manner. Subsequently to the description, the procedure model is exemplary applied to the example of an industrial heating supply system. Throughout an optimization study, the developed operating strategy is compared to a MPC strategy as well as a baseline strategy. Whereas the conventional MPC approach is the upper bound with regard to optimality, the developed operating strategy is able to generate comparable results. Compared to the baseline strategy, a relative reduction in operating expenses of 5.4 % to 37.0 % are achieved in this specific use case.

During public health events, Active Mobility (walking and cycling) plays an important role in securing residents' travel. To enhance the resilience of urban transportation, this article integrates the travel environment elements for walking and cycling and constructs a travel environment for Active Mobility evaluation index system. This article uses survey data from the main urban area of Harbin in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2022, and combines the Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT) and Impact-Asymmetry Analysis (IAA) methods to analyze the satisfaction of the travel environment for Active Mobility. It proposes strategies for optimizing the travel environment for Active Mobility, ensuring residents' travel during public health events, guiding them to adopt Active Mobility, and improving urban transportation resilience. This research shows that Active Mobility can enhance urban transportation resilience. In addition, there are differences in resident demand for walking and cycling environments in the travel environment for Active Mobility. Residents are more concerned about the comfort of the walking environment, while they prioritize the convenience of the cycling environment.

A single tree topology is a commonly employed topology for wireless sensor networks (WSN) to connect sensors to one or more remote gateways. However, its many-to-one traffic routing pattern imposes heavy burden on downstream nodes, as the same routes are repeatedly used for packet transfer, from one or more upstream branches. The challenge is how to choose the most optimal routing paths that minimizes energy consumption across the entire network. This paper proposes a proactive energy awareness-based many-to-one traffic routing scheme to alleviate the above said problem referred to as Energy Balance-Based Energy Hole Alleviation in tree topology (EBEHA-T). This protocol combines updated status of variations in energy consumption pattern around sink-hole zones and distribution of joint nodes among the trees. With this approach, EBEHA-T proactively prevents sink-hole formation instead of just a reactive response after they have occurred. Performance evaluation of EBEHA-T against benchmark method RaSMaLai shows increased energy saving across the entire network and a marked improvement in energy consumption balance in energy-hole zones. This precludes energy hole formation and the consequent network partitioning, leading to improved network lifetime beyond that of the RasMaLai. OMNET++ network simulation software has been used for the evaluation.

Beaches are among the habitats most frequented by migratory birds for breeding and/or wintering. However, threats such as human pressure and sea level rise can reduce the availability of these habitats for different species. The presence of alternative areas, such as salt pans and brackish habitats, is essential for many migratory shorebird populations. This study addresses the post-breeding dispersal of the Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) in the Iberian Peninsula by analysing C and N isotopes in feathers. The study was conducted at six locations along the Iberian coast, which were categorized in three areas: NW Atlantic coast, the Atlantic coast of Andalusia and the Mediterranean coast. Although linear mixed models did not reveal any significant effects of sex or coastal area on isotopic levels, the variability in the data suggests different habitat-use strategies in the post-reproductive period. Birds from the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula exhibit greater fidelity to a single habitat type, i.e. coastal beaches, while populations from the Mediterranean coast and the Atlantic coast of Andalusia show different individual dispersal strategies, occupying coastal habitats and freshwater wetlands. The lack of alternative habitats for the northwest Iberian population, the reduction in available habitat due to rising sea levels and human pressure together pose a serious threat to the survival of this species, already with an unfavourable conservation status.

The emergence of the H3N2 influenza virus in 1968 marked a significant event as it crossed the species barrier. Since then, ongoing mutational dynamics have led to the formation of antigenic clusters, prompting the World Health Organization to advocate for regular updates to H3N2 vaccines. Research in the Western Pacific region underscores the necessity for heightened awareness and effective control strategies. Stemming from avian influenza A, the 1968 H3N2 influenza pandemic resulted in the deaths of one million people globally, with its seasonal variants primarily affecting older individuals and causing severe illness due to antigenic drift. To address the challenge of vaccine efficacy against H3N2 mutations, researchers are exploring innovative strategies such as precise antigenic material administration, controlled release patterns, understanding immune system mechanisms, and glycan engineering. This review comprehensively examines various aspects of the Influenza A (H3N2) virus, encompassing its virological characteristics, evolutionary trends, global epidemiology, vaccination strategies, antiviral interventions, and emerging diagnostic approaches. It underscores the impact of antigenic variation on vaccine design and effectiveness, seasonal outbreak patterns, pandemic potential, and the interplay between viral factors and host immune responses. Moreover, the review evaluates antiviral therapies and the issue of drug resistance, emphasising the necessity for multidisciplinary approaches involving researchers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers to comprehend H3N2 and enhance public health interventions.

This theoretical article reviews the model describing processes in social systems based on the analysis of their resource base. Application of the system theory can help to explain why some systems are aimed at prevention of type I errors, while other seek to decrease quantity of type II errors. Such differences are manifested in investment of resources either into deep interaction or into wide coverage. Some examples of such strategies in economic, market and production systems are provided in the article. The article introduces some provisions of the system theory in the context of the resource flows. The main indicators that are considered in this article are the characteristics of the sources of the exchanging flows of resources. Their relative frequency and quality are investigated, on the basis of which the most effective strategy of the system is derived, as a mechanism for redistributing resources. The rigor of the system's strategy depends on the magnitude of the difference in characteristics. It is explained how exactly it influences the exchange processes, that in reality systems do not interact simultaneously, and one of the opposite resource flows is always delayed. It is shown how the system strategy depends on the risks linked with interactions. Also, there are grounds for the need to accumulate resources, including in the situation of their surplus. The model helps also explain shift of economic centers throughout history. Additionally, there is an analogy between systems strategies and the competitive strategies described by M. Porter, and outsourcing versus integration.

In August 4 2011, United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) submitted an unprecedented, scientific, groundbreaking Environmental Assessment Report (EAR) of Ogoniland, to the Nigerian government. This was the outcome of a 14–month intensive evaluation of the extent of pollution. It was intended that UNEP’s recommendations would be implemented to restore the devastated environment, on the one hand, and on the other, counteract the numerous environmental health issues that have for decades, plagued Ogoniland. However, five years post EAR, and, despite the seriousness of the situation, no significant resolution has occurred, both on the part of the government, and on the part of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) or Shell. To date, millions of Niger Delta residents, particularly those living in the oil-bearing communities, continue to suffer severe consequences. Although, the assessment was conducted in Ogoniland, other communities in the Niger Delta are also affected. This article explores prevailing issues, using Ogoniland (a microcosm of the Niger Delta) as an example. A multidisciplinary approach for sustainable mitigation of environmental health risks in the Niger Delta is paramount, and Environmental Management tools offer valuable strategies. Adopting UNEP’s recommendations for addressing environmental health problems requires implementing the Environmental Management/Environmental Management System (EM/EMS) model.

Background and Objectives: The purpose of the study was to analyze the relationships between several clinical and biological factors, but also the tumor topography and surgical strategies used in patients with colorectal cancer. Materials and Methods: We designed an analytical, observational, retrospective study that included patients admitted to our emergency surgical department and diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The study group inclusion criteria were: patients admitted during 2020-2022; patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer (including the ileocecal valve); patients who benefited from a surgical procedure, either in emergency or elective. Results: In our study group, consisting of 153 patients, we accounted for 56.9% male patients and 43.1% female patients. The most common clinical manifestations were pain (73.2% of the study group), followed by abdominal distension (69.3% of the study group) and absence of intestinal transit (38.6% of the study group). A number of 69 patients were operated in emergency (45.1%), while 84 patients (54.9%) benefited from elective surgery. The most frequent topography of the tumor was the sigmoid colon, with 19.60% of the patients, followed by the colorectal junction, with 15.68% of the patients and superior rectum and inferior rectum, with 11.11% of the patients in each subcategory. The most frequent type of procedure was right hemicolectomy (21.6% of the study group), followed by rectosigmoid resection (20.9% of the study group). The surgical procedure was finished by performing an anastomosis in 49% of the patients, an ostomy in 43.1% of the patients, while for 7.8% of the patients, a tumoral biopsy was performed. Conclusions: Colorectal cancer remains one of the most frequent cancers in the world, with a heavy burden that involves high mortality, alterations in the quality of life of the patients and their families, and also the financial costs of the medical systems.

Global rapidly evolving events, e.g., COVID-19, are usually followed by countermeasures and policies. As a reaction, the public tends to express their emotions on social media platforms. Therefore, predicting emotional responses to events is critical to put a plan to avoid risky behaviors. This paper proposes a machine learning-based framework to detect public emotions based on social media posts in response to specific events. It presents a precise measurement of population-level emotions which can aid governance in monitoring public response and guide it to put in place strategies such as targeted monitoring of mental health, to react to a rise in negative emotions in response to lockdowns, or information campaigns, for instance in response to elevated rates of fear in response to vaccination programs. We evaluate our framework by extracting 15,455 tweets. We annotate and categorize the emotions into 11 categories based on Plutchik’s study of emotion and extract the features using a combination of Bag of Words and Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency. We filter 813 COVID-19 vaccine-related tweets and use them to demonstrate our framework’s effectiveness. Numerical evaluation of emotions prediction using Random Forest and Logistic Regression shows that our framework predicts emotions with an accuracy up to 95%.

The primary focus of this review is to explore the application and significance of coping strategies within the domains of clinical psychology and neuropsychology. These strategies consist of a variety of techniques, behaviors, and cognitive interventions, and their critical role in reinforcing resilience and facilitating adaptive responses to stressors has been highlighted. At the core of this exploration, the intricate neuropsychological relationship between brain stress pathways and the application of coping mechanisms has been analyzed. The neural aspects of stress, and how they can be influenced by adaptive strategies, are detailed, illustrating the profound impact these coping mechanisms have at a neurobiological level. Delving into the neuropsychological underpinnings, this review will shed light on how stress response pathways in the brain interact with, and can be modulated by, various coping strategies. These mechanisms are particularly salient when addressing the multifaceted challenges faced by individuals with neuropsychological or mental health issues. While these strategies span a broad spectrum, from introspection and cognitive reframing to behavioral activation and social support seeking, their integration and application remain diverse within clinical contexts. This review endeavors to elucidate the theoretical underpinnings of these strategies, their empirical support, and their practical implications within therapeutic interventions. Furthermore, the intricate interplay between individualized coping techniques and structured therapeutic methodologies will be examined, emphasizing the potential for a holistic treatment paradigm, thereby enhancing therapeutic outcomes and fostering individual resilience.

Neisseria meningitidis causes most cases of bacterial meningitis. Meningococcal meningitis is a public health burden to both developed and developing countries throughout the world. There are a number of vaccines (polysaccharide-based, glycoconjugate, protein-based and combined conjugate vaccines) that are approved to target five of the six disease-causing serogroups of the pathogen. Immunization strategies have been effective at helping to decrease the global incidence of meningococcal meningitis. Researchers continue to enhance these efforts through discovery of new antigen targets that may lead to a broadly protective vaccine and development of new methods of homogenous vaccine production. This review describes current meningococcal vaccines and discusses some recent research discoveries that may transform vaccine development against N. meningitidis in the future.

The pollution of the bays in Abidjan is a major concern for the Ivorian policy makers. In fact, the pollution of the bays induce high costs to the society while impacting population health dramatically. As a result, pollution reduction management of production activities has been undertaken in the Cocody Bay area. To our knowledge, no study has yet proposed a model to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of these pollution management strategies. A cost-effectiveness model, based on Monte Carlo simulation, was developed to assess the economic and environmental impacts of various scenarios characterized by a set of production practices, both in the short term and in the long term. The authors discuss the steps and input parameters of the model presented. The proposed model may serve as the basis for identifying an optimal production scenario defined as the scenario with the best incremental cost-effectiveness ratio considering a willingness to pay (WTP) threshold. The WTP, to be estimated based on the gross domestic product of Côte d’Ivoire, represents the opportunity costs associated with selecting the optimal scenario. The current framework can also be applied to other settings facing similar challenge.

Despite limited research on the effects of a combined physical exercises on static and proactive postural control and neuromuscular functions in older adults with sarcopenic obesity (SO), this study addresses the gap by examining the efficacy of a 4-month Total Mobility Plus (TMP) regimen. The study enrolled 40 older adults with SO, split into an intervention group (n=25, mean age = 76.1 ± 3.5 years; mean BMI = 34.4 ± 4.0 kg/m²) and a control group (n=25, mean age = 75.9 ± 5.4 years; mean BMI = 32.9 ± 2.3 kg/m²). Participants in the IG engaged in 60-minute TMP sessions three times a week for four months, while the CG maintained their typical daily activities. Standardized evaluations were performed before and after the intervention, including the Romberg and Timed Up and Go (TUG) tests, Center of pressure (CoP) parameters during different conditions, muscle activation and strength of plantar and dorsal flexors. Post-intervention results revealed significant reduction of the standing time measured in the Romberg (-15.6%, p<0.05), and TUG (-34.6%, p<0.05) tests. Additionally, CoP area and velocity, were notably reduced in various conditions (p<0.05). Postural control improvements were associated with an increase of strength and decrease of ankle muscle activation. These findings validate the TMP program as a safe and effective method for enhancing static and proactive postural control and neuromuscular capabilities in older adults with SO.

This paper investigates portfolio optimization methodologies and short-term investment strate-gies in the context of the cryptocurrency market, focusing on ten major cryptocurrencies from January 2020 to November 2023. We employ high frequency data and utilize the Kurtosis Mini-mization methodology, alongside other optimization strategies, to construct and evaluate port-folios under different rebalancing frequencies. The empirical analysis reveals that cryptocurren-cies exhibit significant volatility, skewness, and kurtosis, necessitating sophisticated portfolio management techniques. We find that the Kurtosis Minimization methodology consistently outperforms other optimization strategies, delivering optimal returns to investors, particularly in shorter-term investment horizons. We demonstrate the diversification benefits of integrating cryptocurrencies into multi-asset portfolios and emphasize the importance of regular portfolio rebalancing in the volatile cryptocurrency market. Our findings offer insights for portfolio man-agers and investors seeking to optimize their investment outcomes in the cryptocurrency market, highlighting the importance of risk management, diversification, and dynamic portfolio man-agement strategies.

An optimal withdrawal strategy beginning at age 65 provides a lifetime income from a portfolio, adjusted annually for inflation, while reducing the probability of living in financial ruin to an ac-ceptable level. This paper analyzes the probability of living in financial ruin, potentially for multiple years, rather than just the event of ruin. A stochastic Excel model was developed to simulate the effect of varying investment returns on a portfolio with two asset classes; large company stocks and long-term government bonds. A stochastic model is also applied to retiree mortality. The following variables were analyzed to determine their relative impact on withdrawal strategies: • Withdrawing a constant percentage of the portfolio, • Gender, • Initial asset allocation, • Asset allocation rebalancing methods, and • Low investment return environments. For both genders and most withdrawal rates, an approximately equal initial asset allocation of stocks and bonds, combined with a level rebalancing function, provided the lowest probability of living in financial ruin. Because each investment return followed its own probability distribution function, some retirees experienced financial ruin even in the most conservative simulations.

In recent years, the rise of advanced artificial intelligence technologies has had a profound impact on many fields, including education and research. One such technology is ChatGPT, a powerful large language model developed by OpenAI. This technology offers exciting opportunities for students and educators, including personalized feedback, increased accessibility, interactive conversations, lesson preparation, evaluation, and new ways to teach complex concepts. However, ChatGPT poses different threats to the traditional education and research system, including the possibility of cheating on online exams, human-like text generation, diminished critical thinking skills, and difficulties in evaluating information generated by ChatGPT. This study explores potential opportunities and threats that ChatGPT poses to overall education from the perspective of students and educators. Furthermore, for programming learning, we explore how ChatGPT helps students improve their programming skills. To demonstrate this, we conducted different coding-related experiments with ChatGPT, including code generation from problem descriptions, pseudocode generation of algorithms from texts, and code correction. We also verified the generated codes with an online judge system to evaluate their accuracy.

Childhood obesity has become a global epidemic, with significant increases in prevalence over recent decades. While excessive calorie consumption and physical inactivity are known factors, emerging research highlights the role of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs), particularly obesogens, in obesity's pathogenesis. This review explores the historical context of the environmental obesogens hypothesis, their sources, mechanism of action, impact on prenatal and postnatal development and epigenetics. Additionally, it discusses the long-term consequences of childhood obesity and proposes prevention strategies that will mitigate the negative health effects. Obesogens were found to disrupt hormonal balance and metabolic processes through various mechanisms such as altering gene expression, hormonal interference, and inflammation. Especially significant, was exposure during critical windows of development which correlates with increased risk of obesity in childhood or adolescence. Long-term effects of childhood obesity include chronic health conditions and psychosocial issues. A comprehensive approach is necessary to address childhood obesity, encompassing genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Prevention strategies should focus on reducing obesogens exposure, promoting healthy lifestyles, and implementing regulatory policies. Future research should investigate obesogens-diet interactions, microbiome impacts, and combined obesogens effects. Long-term human studies are also crucial for validating findings from animal models and allow for inform decision-making to combat the obesity pandemic.

Intratumoral immune cytolytic activity (CYT), measured as the geometric mean of the expression of Granzyme-A (GZMA) and Perforin-1 (PRF1), has emerged as a critical factor in cancer immunotherapy, with significant implications for patient prognosis and treatment outcomes. Here, we review how different immune checkpoint pathways, the composition of Tumor Microenvironment (TME), antigen presentation and metabolic pathways, all regulate CYT. We also discuss the various methods through which CYT can be assessed. The detection and analysis of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes using flow cytometry or immunohistochemistry provide important information on the immune cell populations within the TME. Gene expression profiling and spatial analysis techniques, such as multiplex immunofluorescence and imaging mass cytometry, allow researchers to study CYT in the context of the TME. We further report the significant clinical implications that CYT has, as its increased levels are associated with positive clinical outcomes and a favorable prognosis. Moreover, CYT can be used as a prognostic biomarker and aid in patient stratification. Measuring CYT through different methods offers promising paths for improving treatment responses. Overall, we highlight that the understanding and modulation of CYT levels is critical for improving cancer immunotherapy. Research into CYT and the factors that influence it has the potential to transform cancer treatment and improve patient outcomes.

Supramolecular structures are of great interest due to their applicability in various scientific and industrial fields. These fields of scientific action include promising applications i biomedical areas, in sensing, and in conductive and electrical phases. The sensible definition of supramolecular molecules is being set by investigators, who, because of the different sensitivities of their methods and observational timescales, may have different views as to what constitute these supramolecular structures. Besides, diverse polymers can be found to offer unique avenues for multifunctional systems with properties in medicine industrial applications. Aspects of this review provide different conceptual strategies to address molecular design, properties, and potential applications of self-assembly materials and the use of metal coordination as a feasible and useful strategy for constructing complex supramolecular structures. In this order of appreciations and ideas order, it is that this review report involves classic topics such as hydrogels that range from their relationship with drug delivery systems, to metallo-supramolecular materials, through applications in ophthalmic systems, in applications that require adhesiveness and electrically conductive hydrogels. This review also addresses systems that are largely based on hydrogel chemistry and the enormous opportunities to design very specific structures for applications that demand enormous specificity.

Modeling what makes an advertisement persuasive, i.e., eliciting the desired response from consumer, is critical to the study of propaganda, social psychology, and marketing. Despite its importance, computational modeling of per- suasion in computer vision is still in its infancy, primarily due to the lack of benchmark datasets that can provide persuasion-strategy labels associated with ads. Motivated by persuasion literature in social psychology and marketing, we introduce an extensive vocabulary of persuasion strategies and build the first ad image corpus annotated with persuasion strategies. We then formulate the task of persuasion strategy prediction with multi-modal learning, where we design a multi-task attention fusion model that can leverage other ad-understanding tasks to predict persuasion strategies. Further, we conduct a real-world case study on 1600 advertising campaigns of 30 Fortune-500 companies where we use our model’s predictions to analyze which strategies work with different demographics (age and gender). The dataset also provides image segmentation masks, which labels persuasion strategies in the corresponding ad images on the test split. We publicly release our code and dataset: https://midas-research.github.io/persuasion-advertisements/

From a strategic and an economic point of view, patent prior art searches are very useful for several reasons such as avoiding the infringement of third parties’ rights, reinventing something already new in the state of the art, speeding up the prosecution of a patent application, and getting a patent granted with a lower associated cost. A prior art search is carried out in patent databases (free of charge or fee-based) through keywords or classification symbols, indexing codes (IPC – International Patent Classification or CPC – Cooperative Patent Classification), or a combination of these, using Boolean or proximity operators. The classification codes are independent of the language used and can increase the number of relevant documents retrieved. Patent databases are all incomplete and therefore a search in multiple sources is suggested.

The paper presents the design and the implementation of different advanced control strategies that are applied to a nonlinear model of a thermal unit. A data–driven grey–box identification approach provided the physically meaningful nonlinear continuous–time model, which represents the benchmark exploited in this work. The control problem of this thermal unit is important since it constitutes the key element of passive air conditioning systems. The advanced control schemes analysed in this paper are used to regulate the outflow air temperature of the thermal unit by exploiting the inflow air speed, whilst the inflow air temperature is considered as an external disturbance. The reliability and robustness issues of the suggested control methodologies are verified with a Monte–Carlo analysis for simulating modelling uncertainty, disturbance and measurement errors. The achieved results serve to demonstrate the effectiveness and the viable application the suggested control solutions to air conditioning systems. The benchmark model represents one of the key issues of this study, which is exploited for benchmarking different model–based and data–driven advanced control methodologies through extensive simulations. Moreover, this work highlights the main features of the proposed control schemes, while providing practitioners and heating, ventilating and air conditioning engineers with tools to design robust control strategies for air conditioning systems.

This article aims to delve into the Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) issues prevalent in the engineering disciplines in Canada and Spain, shedding light on the common obstacles faced by underrepresented individuals and highlighting potential strategies to foster a more inclusive and diverse engineering community in these nations. Two strategic lines have been identified: (a) facilitating university education access to underrepresented and minority groups, and (b) Accompanying and guiding such students during university training, setting them up for successful future careers. The article also shows the sets of strategies employed in Canada and Spain, clearly distinguishing the approach taken in the two countries. While in Canada, there is a more decentralized approach wherein the universities device their strategies and agenda to address EDI issues, in Spain there is a stronger and direct involvement of the government to ensure a comprehensive, system-wide approach to tackling EDI issues in academia.

COVID-19 has brought unprecedented challenges and exacerbated existing work-related struggles resulting in heightened occupational stress and impacted work performance among health caregivers. This study utilised the transactional model of stress and coping to explore the coping strategies adopted by radiology health caregivers during the pandemic with the aim to provide baseline data for enhancing preparedness and development of interventions to support staff during future health crises. A qualitative, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) methodology coupled with constructivist and interpretivist philosophical views were utilised in a multi-method context to conduct semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions among 24 radiology health caregivers in the eThekwini district of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Data were transcribed verbatim and manually analysed using the IPA framework. The radiology health caregivers highlighted resilience, adaptability and identified emotion-focused and problem-focused coping as their mostly preferred strategies of dealing with COVID-19 related mental distress. These included accepting professional responsibilities and duties, social coping, spiritual therapy, adaptive behavioural coping, escape-avoidance and solution-oriented approaches. The findings can guide radiology departments in developing bespoke mental health interventions to support radiology health caregivers during any future health crises.

Prostate cancer lung metastasis represents a clinical conundrum due to their implication of advanced disease progression and the complexities they introduce in treatment planning. As the disease progresses to distant sites such as the lung, the clinical management becomes increasingly intricate, requiring tailored therapeutic strategies to address the unique characteristics of metastatic lesions. This review seeks to synthesize the current state of knowledge surrounding prostate cancer metastasis to the lung, shedding light on the diverse array of clinical presentations encountered, ranging from subtle radiological findings to overt symptomatic manifestations. By examining the diagnostic modalities utilized in identifying this metastasis, including advanced imaging techniques and histopathological analyses, the review aims to provide insights into the diagnostic landscape and the challenges associated with accurately characterizing lung metastatic lesions in prostate cancer patients. Moreover, the review delves into the nuances of therapeutic interventions employed in managing prostate cancer lung metastasis, encompassing systemic treatments such as hormonal therapies and chemotherapy, as well as metastasis-directed therapies including surgery and radiotherapy.

Pain is frequently reported during cancer disease, and still remains poorly controlled in 40% of patients. Recent developments in oncology have helped to better control pain. Targeted treatments may cure cancer disease and significantly increase survival. Thereby, a novel population of patients (cancer survivors) has emerged, also enduring chronic pain (27.6% moderate to severe pain). The present review discuss the different options currently available to manage pain in (former) cancer patients in the light of progress made in the last decade. Major progress in the field are recent development of a chronic cancer pain taxonomy now included in International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) and update of WHO analgesic ladder. Until recently, cancer pain management has mostly relied on pharmacotherapy, opioids being considered as mainstay. The opioids crisis has prompted the reassessment of opioids use, both in cancer patients and cancer survivors. The review focuses on the current utilization of opioids, on the neuropathic pain component often neglected and on techniques and non-pharmacological strategies available which help to personalize patient’s treatment. Cancer pain management is now closer to the management of chronic non-cancer pain i.e. “an integrative pain care” aiming to improve patient’s quality of life.

Understanding of the molecular mechanisms of prostate cancer has led to development of therapeutic strategies targeting androgen receptor (AR). These androgen-receptor signaling inhibitors (ARSI) include androgen synthesis inhibitor- abiraterone and androgen receptor antagonists- enzalutamide, apalutamide, and darolutamide. Although these medications provide significant improvement in survival among men with prostate cancer, drug resistance develops in nearly all patients with time. This could be through androgen-dependent or androgen-independent mechanisms. Even weaker signals and non-canonical steroid ligands can activate AR in the presence of truncated AR-splice variants, AR overexpression, or activating mutations in AR. AR splice variant, AR-V7 is the most studied among these and is not targeted by available ARSIs. Non-androgen receptor dependent resistance mechanisms are mediated by activation of an alternative signaling pathway when AR is inhibited. DNA repair pathway, PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, BRAF-MAPK and Wnt signaling pathway and activation by glucocorticoid receptors can restore downstream signaling in prostate cancer by alternative proteins. Multiple clinical trials are underway exploring therapeutic strategies to overcome these resistance mechanisms.

Thalassemia is genetic blood disease cause by absence or decrease of one or more of the globin chain synthesis. Beta thalassemia is characterized by one or more mutations in beta globin gene. Absence or reduced amount the of beta globin chains cause ineffective erythropoiesis which leads to anemia. Beta thalassemia has been further divided into three main forms: Thalassemia minor/silent carrier, major and intermedia. More severe form is thalassemia major in which patients depend upon blood transfusion for survival and high level of iron occur as a consequence of consistent blood transfusion. Over loaded iron invokes the synthesis of reactive oxygen species that are toxic in redundancy and triggering the impairment to vascular, endocrine and hepatic system. Thalassemia can be diagnosed and detected through various laboratory tests such as blood smear, prenatal testing (genetic testing of amniotic fluid), DNA analysis (genetic testing) and complete blood count. Treatment of thalassemia intermedia is symptomatic but it can also be managed by splenectomy and folic supplementation. While thalassemia major can be treated by transplantation of bone marrow, regular transfusion of blood and iron chelation treatment, stimulation of fetal hemoglobin production, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and gene therapy.

Amyloids result from the aggregation of several unrelated proteins, due to either specific mutations or promoting intra- or extra-cellular conditions. Structurally, they are rich in intermolecular β-sheets and are the causative agents of several diseases, both neurodegenerative and systemic. It is believed that the most toxic species are small aggregates, referred to as oligomers, rather than the final fibrillar assemblies. Their mechanisms of toxicity are mostly mediated by aberrant interactions with the cell membranes, with resulting derangement of membrane-related functions. Much effort is being put in the search for natural antiamyloid agents, and/or in the development of synthetic molecules. Actually, it is well documented that the prevention of amyloid aggregation results in several cytoprotective effects. Here, we portray the state of the art in the field. Several natural compounds are effective antiamyloid agents, notably tetracyclines and polyphenols. They are generally non-specific, as documented by their partially overlapping mechanisms, and the capability to interfere with the aggregation of several unrelated proteins. Among rationally designed molecules, we mention the prominent examples of β-breakers peptides, whole antibodies and fragments thereof, and the special case of drugs contrasting transthyretin aggregation. In this framework, we stress the pivotal role of the computational approaches. When combined with biophysical methods, in several cases they have helped clarify in detail the protein/drug modes of interaction, which make it plausible that more effective drugs will be developed in the future.

Our study essentially concerns the dynamic behavior of an SIRS epidemic model in discrete time. Two equilibrium points are obtained; one is disease-free while the other is endemic. We are interested in the endemic fixed point as well as its asymptotic stability. Depending on the parameters which are estimated using the data from US Department of health and SIRS modelling with optimization, two Flip and Transcritical bifurcations appear. We illustrate their diagrams, as well as their bifurcation curves using the method of Carcasses \cite{carcasses1993determination,carcasses1995singularities} for the Flip bifurcation and by an implicit function deduced from such an equation for the Transcritical bifurcation. We use the scanning of the parametric plane to have a global view of the behavior of the model and to highlight the zones of stability of the existing singularities. A superposition of the bifurcation curves with the parametric plane can show the overlap of the curves with the boundaries of the stability domains, which confirms the smooth running of the simulation and its correspondence with the theory, we finish this article with constrained optimal control applied to infection rate and recruitment rate for an SIRS discrete epidemic model. Pontryagin's maximum principle is used to determine these optimal controls. Finally using COVID-19 data in the USA, we obtain results that demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy to mitigate the spread of the pandemic.

Mining is an important industry, accounting for 6.9% of global GDP. However, global development promotes accelerated demand, resulting in the accumulation of hazardous waste in land, sea, and air environments. It reached 7 billion tonnes of mine tailings generated yearly worldwide, and 19 billion solid tailings will be accumulated by 2025. Adding to this, the legacy of environmental damage from abandoned mines is worrying; in Canada there are around 10,000 abandoned mines, 50,000 in Australia, 6,000 in South Africa, and 9,500 coal mines in China, reaching 15,000 by 2050. In this scenario, restoration techniques from mining tailing have become increasingly discussed among scholars due to their potential to offer benefits towards reducing tailings levels, thereby reducing environmental pressure for the correct management and adding value to previously discarded waste. This review paper explores available literature on the main techniques of mining tailing recycling and reuse and discusses leading technologies, including the benefits and limitations, as well as emerging prospects. The findings of this review serve as a supporting reference for decision-makers concerning the related sustainability issues associated with mining, mineral processing, and solid waste management.

Applications in high-performance computing (HPC) may not use all available computational resources, leaving some of them underutilized. By co-scheduling, i.e. running more than one application on the same computational node, it is possible to improve resource utilization and overall throughput. Some applications may have conflicting requirements on resources and co-scheduling may cause performance degradation, so it is important to take it into account in scheduling decisions. In this paper, we formalized co-scheduling problem and proposed multiple scheduling strategies to solve it: an optimal strategy, an online strategy and heuristic strategies. These strategies vary in terms of the optimality of the solution they produce and a priori information about the system they require. We showed theoretically that the online strategy provides schedules with a competitive ratio that has a constant upper limit. This allowed us to solve the co-scheduling problem using heuristic strategies that approximate this online strategy. Numerical simulations showed how heuristic strategies compare to the optimal strategy for different input systems. We proposed a method for measuring input parameters of the model in practice and evaluated this method on HPC benchmark applications. We showed high accuracy of measurement method, which allows to apply proposed scheduling strategies in scheduler implementation.

Background: Sexual dysfunction is the most common side effect encountered by cervical cancer patients during and after treatment, and rehabilitation strategies are needed to improve their quality of life. A variety of rehabilitation strategies have been reported in previous studies, varying by country, race and even continent. However, the common rehabilitation strategies used by cervical cancer survivors in Tanzania and their outcomes are unknown. The study aimed to unfold sexual rehabilitation strategies and outcome practiced by cervical cancer survivors who experienced sexual dysfunction during and after treatment in North-western Tanzania. Methods: Descriptive qualitative study were employed. Phenomenology study design used with a sample of 7 participants and data corrected via in-depth interview guided by 11 questions. Audiotaped and transcribed to get main themes and sub themes through deductive analysis. Results: Most participants reported inability to achieve an orgasm and low libido and dyspareunia after treatment. Most participants were eagerly to have their sexual activity recovered. However, they were not familiar with any rehabilitation strategy after the experience of sexual dysfunction. Even though, some of the participants attempted various interventions, but all were unsatisfactory leading to a significant decline in sexual interest and activity. Conclusion: Cervical cancer survivors are not familiar with any sexual rehabilitation strategies. Health education concerning various sexual rehabilitation strategies should be provided to survivors during and even after treatment.

Parasomnias are a group of sleep disorders characterized by abnormal and unpleasant motor, verbal or behavioral events that occur during sleep or during transitions between wake and sleep states. They disrupt sleep and can have a detrimental impact on the individual experiencing them. Our goal was to identify types of parasomnias and their prevalence in the post-secondary student population and to explore students' coping strategies for parasomnias they found distressing. Seventy-seven post-secondary students completed the 21-item Munich Parasomnia Screening (MUPS) frequency scale. They also rated, on a 10-point scale, how disturbing each parasomnia was. Not only did 92% percent of students report at least one parasomnia, but our results also indicate that the vast majority of students experienced more than one parasomnia. This led us to investigate the likelihood of the co-occurrence of different parasomnias. With respect to the level of subjectively experienced distress, the most prevalent parasomnias were not always the more disturbing ones. Coded open-ended responses about what students do about the disturbing parasomnias indicate that grounding strategies and physical manipulation of one’s body were the most common, although most participants indicated that in spite of distress, they do nothing to cope. In conclusion, our study found a strikingly high prevalence of parasomnias in this sample of young adults and a lack of knowledge about effective means of dealing with these.

Studies on social media (SM) and disaster management (DM) have mainly focused on the adap-tation, application and use of SM in each stage of DM. With the widespread availability and use of SM, the effective utilisation of SM in DM is impeded by various challenges, but not yet com-prehensively researched. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the challenges, as well as the strategies to overcome the challenges and categorises them into a classified model. The study adopts a systematic literature review to present and analyse the challenges and strategies for us-ing SM in DM. Utilising prominent databases, 72 publications were carefully selected and ana-lysed qualitatively using content analysis. The findings revealed four key challenges to its users: spread of misinformation; insufficient human resources to manage SM use; lack of trust in infor-mation and authorities; and, poor information quality and content of messages. The study identi-fied several strategies to overcome challenges, which can be classified into three sectors of the SM community: individuals, organisations, and SM companies. These findings contribute to enhanc-ing the effective utilisation of SM in DM by community practitioners. Furthermore, this study provides insight into the current status of knowledge and identifies the research gaps around SM in DM for future research.

In this study on volume determination in waste sorting facilities, we evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasonic sensors and address waste-material-specific challenges. Although ultrasonic sensors offer a cost-effective automation solution, their accuracy is affected by irregular waste shapes, varied compositions, and environmental factors. Notable inconsistencies in volume measurements between storage bunkers and conveyor belts underscore the need for a comprehensive approach to standardize bale production. With prediction reliability being constrained by limited data sets, undocumented modifications to machine-settings and sensor failures, this task renders a challenging application area for Machine Learning. We explore related research and present dataset analyses from three distinct waste sorting facilities in Europe, addressing issues as sensor usability, data quality and material specifics. Our analysis suggests promising strategies and future directions for enhancing waste volume measurement accuracy, ultimately aiming to advance sustainable waste management.

Mass customization, small batch sizes, high variability of product types and a changing product portfolio during the life cycle of an industrial plant are current trends in the industry. Due to an increasing decoupling of the development of software and hardware components in an industrial context, compatibility problems within industrial control systems arise more and more frequently. In this publication, a strategy concept for compatibility testing is derived and discussed by means of literature review and applied research. This 4-phased strategy concept identifies incompatibilities between software and hardware components in the industrial control environment and enables test engineers to detect problems at an early stage. By automating the compatibility test on an external I-PC, the test can be run both when new software is installed on the industrial controller and when the controller is restarted. Thus, changes to the components are constantly detected and incompatibilities are avoided. Furthermore, early incompatibility detection can ensure that a system remains permanently operational. Based on a discussion, additionally strategies are identified to consolidate the robustness and applicability of the presented concept.

Animal trypanosomiasis (AT) is a complex of veterinary diseases known under various names such as nagana, surra, dourine and mal de caderas, depending on the country, the infecting trypanosome species and the host. AT is caused by parasites of the genus Trypanosoma, and the main species infecting domesticated animals are T. brucei brucei, T. b. rhodesiense, T. congolense, T. vivax, T. evansi and T. equiperdum. AT transmission, again depending on species, is through tsetse flies or common Stomoxys and tabanid flies or through copulation. Therefore, the geographical spread of all forms of AT together is not restricted to the habitat of a single vector like the tsetse fly and currently includes almost all of Africa, and most of South America and Asia. The disease is a threat to millions of companion and farm animals in these regions, creating a financial burden in the billions of dollars to developing economies as well as serious impacts on livestock rearing and food production. Despite the scale of these impacts, control of AT is neglected and under-resourced, with diagnosis and treatments being woefully inadequate and not improving for decades. As a result, neither the incidence of the disease, nor the effectiveness of treatment is documented in most endemic countries, although it is clear that there are serious issues of resistance to the few old drugs that are available. In this review we particularly look at the drugs, their application to the various forms of AT, and their mechanisms of action and resistance. We also discuss the spread of veterinary trypanocide resistance and its drivers, and highlight current and future strategies to combat it.

The important topic of climate change is discussed in this article, with a focus on the historical background and present effects. It draws attention to the differences between climate change and global warming and attributes the faster pace of climate change to human activity, specifically the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Agricultural practices, deforestation, and the combustion of fossil fuels are examined in conjunction with natural contributors like volcanic emissions. There is discussion of the far-reaching effects of climate change, such as increased temperatures, rising sea levels, harsh weather, and effects on water supplies. The article emphasizes how crucial it is to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change by putting in place climate-resilient infrastructure, switching to renewable energy sources, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. While recognizing the difficulties involved, it examines several approaches, including nuclear energy, wind power, carbon capture and storage, and green building techniques. To successfully address the global challenge of climate change, the conclusion emphasizes the urgent need for joint efforts by scientists, environmentalists, communities, and governments.

The use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for biodiversity monitoring and conservation, shortened to Conservation GIS, is an influential tool that has revolutionized conservation efforts by providing spatially explicit data to inform conservation decision-making. However, Conservation GIS also faces challenges related to data quality and availability, technical limitations, as well as policy and governance issues. The diverse and rising uses of GIS for conservation has resulted in a need for continued research and development of Conservation GIS, including advancements in technology and data collection, integration with other fields such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, and collaborative approaches to Conservation GIS. Conservation GIS has the potential to make a significant impact on conservation efforts, and this article emphasizes the importance of its implementation to achieve the broader goal of biodiversity conservation for planetary health. In this review, we discuss the various applications of Conservation GIS, including biodiversity conservation and monitoring, habitat mapping and restoration, climate change mitigation and adaptation, wildlife tracking and management, and protected area management. We highlight some of the key knowledge gaps or research questions that need to be addressed in the future to further advance the field of Conservation GIS. By addressing these challenges and knowledge gaps, Conservation GIS can become a powerful tool for addressing the challenges facing biodiversity and ecosystems worldwide, and for promoting sustainable land-use practices.

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare cancer arising in skeletal muscle that typically impacts children and young adults. It is a worldwide challenge in child health as treatment outcomes for metastatic and recurrent disease still pose a major concern for both basic and clinical scientists. The treatment strategies for rhabdomyosarcoma include multi-agent chemotherapies after surgical resection with or without ionization radiotherapy. In this comprehensive review, we first provide a detailed clinical understanding of rhabdomyosarcoma including its classification and subtypes, diagnosis, and treatment strategies. Later we focus on chemotherapy strategies for this childhood sarcoma and discuss the impact of three mechanisms that are involved in chemotherapy response including apoptosis, macro-autophagy, and the unfolded protein response. Finally, we discuss in vivo mouse and zebrafish models, and in vitro 3-dimensional bioengineering models of Rhabdomyosarcoma to screen future therapeutic approaches and promote muscle regeneration.

E-commerce is a rapidly evolving global trend that is having a significant impact on consumer behavior and business strategies. Despite its growing impact, e-commerce adoption by Moroccan firms remains low and research on this topic in this context is scarce. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating the main determinants influencing e-commerce adoption by Moroccan firms. We use logit, probit, and conditional mixed process-probit models to identify the critical factors driving e-commerce adoption. Our results reveal five key findings. First, newer firms that are more open to innovation and change are more likely to adopt e-commerce. Second, firms with a higher proportion of highly educated employees are more likely to adopt e-commerce. Third, the digital skills of new employees do not directly influence the likelihood of e-commerce adoption. Fourth, being listed on digital platforms increases the likelihood of e-commerce adoption. Finally, there is a positive relationship between firms engaged in innovation activities and e-commerce adoption. These findings highlight the need for additional investment in promoting modern organizational practices, reskilling workers, and implementing advanced technologies to facilitate effective e-commerce integration among Moroccan SMEs. By addressing these challenges, Moroccan firms can harness the full potential of e-commerce and contribute to the country’s economic growth and digital transformation.

Increasingly, systems biology is gaining relevance in basic and applied research. The combination of computational biology with wet lab produces a synergy that results in an exponential increase in knowledge of biological systems. The study of microorganisms such as Staphylococcus epidermidis RP62A enables the researcher to understand better its metabolic network, which allows the design of effective strategies to treat infections caused by this species or others. S. epidermidis is the second cause of infection in patients with joint implants, so treating its proliferation seems vital for public health. There are different approaches to the analysis of metabolic networks. Flux Balance Analysis (FBA) is one of the most widespread streams. It allows the study of large metabolic networks, their structural properties, the optimization of metabolic flux, and the search for intervention strategies to modify the state of the metabolic network. This work presents the validation of the Staphylococcus epidermidis RP62A metabolic network model elaborated by Díaz-Calvo et al.. Then, we elaborate further on the network analysis’s essential reactions, classifying them. Finally, we introduce some proposals to intervene in the network and design knock-outs.

The production and consumption of nuts are increasing in the world due to strong economic returns and the nutritional value of their products. With the increasing role and importance given to nuts (i.e., walnuts, hazelnut, pistachio, pecan, almond) in a balanced and healthy diet and in the prevention of various diseases, breeding of the nuts species has also been stepped up. Most recent fruit breeding programs have focused on scion genetic improvement. However, the use of locally adapted grafted rootstocks also enhanced the productivity and quality of tree fruit crops. Grafting is an ancient horticultural practice use in nut crops to manipulate scion phenotype and productivity and overcome biotic and abiotic stresses. There are complex rootstock breeding objectives and physiological and molecular aspects of rootstock–scion interactions in nut crops. In this review, we provide an overview of these, considering the mechanisms involved in nutrient and water uptake, regulation of phytohormones, and rootstock influences on the scion molecular processes, including long-distance gene silencing and trans-grafting. Understanding the mechanisms resulting from rootstock × scion × environmental interactions will contribute to developing new rootstocks with resilience in the face of climate change, but also of the multitude of diseases and pests and of the possible increase of their aggressiveness. They will also have to offer the premises of economic production, respectively yield and the quality, according to multiple destinations of nuts in the current consumption and food industry, but also the increasing exigencies of the consumer market and the profile industry.

The coronavirus pandemic will deeply affect the tourism and travel sector. It is already clear now that its economic impact would be more severe that in the case of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2002-2003. Although not as deadly as SARS, coronavirus infection has a longer incubation period and leaves about 85% of the infected without any (or with just mild) symptoms which makes it more difficult to track and to contain. Moreover, it appears to be much more contagious than its predecessor. The goods news is that most people recover from the disease and develop antibodies that can protect them from getting infected again (natural vaccination). Those cured might become the key element for the post-virus recovery strategies of tourism organisations. People with the acquired immunity to the virus would be capable of travelling freely without spreading the disease. Airlines, hotels and gastronomy should aim at this group offering them discounts and special offers. However, the problem is how to effectively ensure that everyone who claims to be cured from COVID-19 is telling the truth. Health tracking bracelets, apps, and other advanced technological solutions should be put in place. Recent best practices from Hong Kong, mainland China, or India might be applied.

Bodybuilders utilize peaking strategies in a bid to fine-tune their aesthetics for competition day. The most prevalent peaking strategies utilized by natural bodybuilders are unreported in the current literature. Eighty-one (M - 59, F - 22) natural bodybuilders were recruited from competitions during the 2016 and 2017 British Natural Bodybuilder Federation seasons. Competitors completed a 34-item questionnaire designed to investigate peaking and contest day strategies. The questionnaire listed commonly utilized peaking strategies and provided additional space for qualitative information. Analysis of the data indicated that carbohydrate (CHO), water and sodium manipulation were the most commonly utilized peak week strategies. The consumption of high glycemic index CHO was the most common competition day strategy. Only 6.2 % of competitors reported following their regular diet the week prior to competition. The CHO manipulation strategies were similar to classical CHO loading, whereby bodybuilders attempt to maximize muscle glycogen concentrations. Furthermore, bodybuilders attempted to remove superfluous water by exploiting the diuretic/polyuria effect associated with water loading/restriction. The potentially deleterious effects of peaking on bodybuilders' health is considered and the efficacy of these strategies to enhance appearance is discussed. The findings of the present investigation are likely to be of interest to bodybuilders and their coaches.

Abstract Termites are eusocial arthropod decomposers that increase crop productivity and soil fertility. Because of the various benefits they possess, they are being exploited by humans. Termite infestations cause significant damage to structures and ecosystems. There are various physical and chemical methods for termite removal and control, but the use of chemical insecticides has a detrimental effect on human health and the environment, so efforts are directed towards the development of biological approaches to reduce their presence. Various effective and dependable biological approaches focused on using bacteria, fungi, and viruses have been explored, but termites continue to pose a major global threat. Recent advancements in molecular biology may provide a better solution for termites control. This review summarizes various biological methods to reduce the presence of termites in a sustainable manner.

Electromobility has gained significant attention in the auto- motive industry, with car manufacturers striving to improve the charging experience for their users. In this study, we compare multiple realistic charging strategies in order to quantify the benefits arising from better planning of charging sessions. We base our evaluation on electricity price data from three regions: Sweden (SE3 region), Germany (DE region), and Denmark (DK2 region). This data is obtained from the ENTSO-E Transparency Platform, covering the two full years 2021 and 2022. We enhance this dataset with commercial price forecasts from the company StormGeo and benchmark it against a naive forecasting method. The primary aim of our work is to compare how the strategies of varying levels of complexity perform across the three different countries in terms of minimizing energy costs for electric car users.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a leading gastrointestinal disease that cause hospitalization. Initial management in the first 72 h after the diagnosis of AP is pivotal, which can influence the clinical outcomes of the disease. Initial management, including fluid resuscitation, pain control, nutritional support, antibiotic use, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in gallstone pancreatitis, plays a fundamental role in AP treatment. Recent updates for fluid resuscitation, including treatment goals, the type, rate, volume, and duration, have triggered a paradigm shift from aggressive hydration with normal saline to goal-directed and non-aggressive hydration with lactated Ringer’s solution. Evidence of the clinical benefit of early enteral feeding is becoming definitive. Routine use of prophylactic antibiotics is generally limited, and the procalcitonin based algorithm of antibiotic use has recently been investigated to distinguish between inflammation and infection in patients with AP. Although urgent ERCP (within 24 h) should be performed for patients with gallstone pancreatitis and cholangitis, urgent ERCP is not indicated in patients without cholangitis. Furthermore, convalescent treatment, including cholecystectomy in gallstone pancreatitis and alcohol intervention in alcoholic pancreatitis, is also important for improving the prognosis and prevent recurrence in patients with AP. This review focuses on recent updates on the initial and convalescent management strategies for AP.

Food security has become a major concern worldwide in recent years due to ever increasing population. Providing food for the growing billions without disturbing environmental balance is incessantly required in the current scenario. In view of this, sustainable modes of agricultural practices offer better promise and hence are gaining prominence recently. Moreover, these methods have taken precedence currently over chemical-based methods of pest restriction and pathogen control. Adoption of Biological Control is one such crucial technique that is currently in the forefront. Over a period of time, various biocontrol strategies have been experimented with and some have exhibited great success and promise. This review highlights the different methods of plant-pathogen control, types of plant pathogens, their modus operandi and various biocontrol approaches employing a range of microorganisms and their byproducts. The study lays emphasis on the use of upcoming methodologies like microbiome management and engineering, phage cocktails, genetically modified biocontrol agents and microbial volatilome as available strategies to sustainable agricultural practices. More importantly, a critical analysis of the various methods enumerated in the paper indicates the need to amalgamate these techniques in order to improve the degree of biocontrol offered by them.

The retina is a complex and fragile photosensitive part of the central nervous system which is prone to degenerative diseases leading to permanent vision loss. No proven treatment strategies exist to treat or reverse the degenerative conditions. Recent investigations demonstrate that cell transplantation therapies to replace the dysfunctional retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and or the degenerating photoreceptors (PRs) are viable options to restore vision. Pluripotent stem cells, retinal progenitor cells and somatic stem cells are the main cell sources used for cell transplantation therapies. The success of retinal transplantation based on cell suspension injection is hindered by limited cell survival and lack of cellular integration. Recent advances in material science helped to develop strategies to grow cells as intact monolayers or as sheets on biomaterial scaffolds for transplantation into the eyes. Such implants are found to be more promising than the bolus injection approach. Tissue engineering techniques are specifically designed to construct biodegradable or non-degradable polymer scaffolds to grow cells as a monolayer and construct implantable grafts. The engineered cell construct along with the extracellular matrix formed, can hold the cells in place to enable easy survival, better integration and improved visual function. This article reviews the advances in the use of scaffolds for transplantation studies in animal models and its application in current clinical trials.

Antibiotic failure is one of the most worrying health problems worldwide. Nowadays we are facing an international crisis where several issues are involved: new antibiotics are not being discovered any longer, resistance mechanisms become spread in nearly every clinical isolate of bacteria and the appearance of recurrent infections caused by persistent bacteria complicates the overcoming of infections. In this context, it has been explored new anti-infectious strategies against MDR and persistent bacteria as well as the rescue of FDA-approved compounds (drug repurposing). Among the highlighted new anti-infectious strategies we find anti-microbial peptides, anti-virulence compounds, phage therapy and new molecules. On the other hand, as drugs of repurposing that have been described, we have anti-inflammatory compounds, anti-psychotics, anti-helmintic drugs, anti-cancerous and statins.

Efficiency improvement is the new challenge in all fields of design. In this scenario the reduction of power losses is becoming more and more a main concern also in the design of power transmissions. Appropriate models to predict power losses are therefore from the earliest stages of the design phase. The aim of the project is to carry on lubrication simulations of several variants of a cylindrical-roller-bearing to understand the lubricant distribution and the related churning power losses. Several strategies to reduce the computational effort have been used. Among them the sectorial symmetry and three innovative meshing strategies (purely analytical with and without interfaces and analytical/subtractive) that have been implemented in the OpenFOAM® environment. The results of the different approaches were compared among them and with experimental observations showing good agreement and reasonable savings in terms of computational effort.

This study examines the effects of working capital management strategies on firm’s financial performance of Indian cement companies using 11-year (2010-2020) financial data of 31 companies listed in Bombay Stock Exchange. It is intended to find out whether the strategies made by finance managers with respect to the components of working capital such as average receivable period, inventory conversion period, average payment period and cash conversion cycle, etc. affects the firm’s performances individually and in total. The results of Pearson’s correlation coefficient and random effect regression model shows that there exists a negative relationship between financial performance measured in terms of return on assets (ROA) and inventory turnover period (ITP) as well as accounts payable period (APP), whereas firm’s performance is not significantly affected by accounts receivable period (ARP) and cash conversion cycle (CCC). Similarly, it has been observed that the liquidity measures such as current ratio (CR) and quick ratio (QR) have a significant positive association with ROA. Moreover, the size of the firms and leverage are inversely related to ROA but the age of the firms is not significantly affecting their financial performances. Hence, it can be concluded that how an organisation designs its working capital strategy do have an impact on its performances.

Adenomyosis, a benign gynecological condition characterized by the infiltration of endometrial tissue into the myometrium, poses significant challenges to women's reproductive health. Recently, the landscape of adenomyosis diagnosis transformed significantly, thanks to advancements in imaging technologies such as transvaginal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. This lead to a noticeable shift in the demographic profile of patients diagnosed with adenomyosis, including younger women of reproductive age who frequently present with a diverse array of symptoms. Approximately 20% of women are affected by adenomyosis. Adenomyosis manifests with various subtypes, distinct epidemiological profiles, symptomatology, and treatment responses, necessitating tailored approaches for optimal management. Despite its clinical significance, adenomyosis remains understudied, resulting in a significant disparity in research and literature compared to other gynecological conditions. The severity of adenomyosis is compounded when coexisting with endometriosis, particularly deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE), leading to exacerbated fertility issues and severe symptomatology. The wide range of symptoms, including adverse pregnancy outcomes such as pre-eclampsia, highlights its wider impact and emphasizes the need for increased awareness of the condition. Furthermore, Adenomyosis is frequently associated with treatment failure in endometriosis, contributing to dienogest resistance, elevated discontinuation rates, and persistent pain post endometriosis surgery. Additionally, the lack of specific treatments tailored to adenomyosis poses a considerable challenge in clinical management.

Metformin, a widely used anti-diabetic drug, has garnered attention for its potential in cancer management, particularly in breast and colorectal cancer. It is established that metformin reduces mitochondrial respiration, but its specific molecular targets within mitochondria vary. Proposed mechanisms include inhibiting mitochondrial respiratory chain Complex I and/or Complex IV, and mitochondrial glycerophosphate dehydrogenase, among others. These actions lead to cellular energy deficits, redox state changes, and several molecular changes that reduce hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetic patients. Clinical evidence supports metformin’s role in cancer prevention in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. Moreover, in these patients with breast and colorectal cancer, metformin consumption leads to an improvement of survival outcomes and prognosis. The synergistic effects of metformin with chemotherapy and immunotherapy highlights its potential as an adjunctive therapy for breast and colorectal cancer. However, nuanced findings underscore the need for further research and stratification by molecular subtype, particularly for breast cancer. This comprehensive review integrates metformin-related findings from epidemiological, clinical, and preclinical studies in breast and colorectal cancer. Here, we discuss current research addressed to define metformin's bioavailability and efficacy, exploring novel metformin-based compounds and drug delivery systems, including derivatives targeting mitochondria, combination therapies, and novel nanoformulations, showing enhanced anticancer effects.

This comprehensive review traces the transformative journey of genomic mapping, ushering in the era of "Genomic Atlas 2.0," characterized by advanced strategies and cutting-edge technologies. Beginning with a historical overview, it highlights the evolution from early linkage analysis to the current landscape shaped by high-throughput sequencing. Key breakthroughs are emphasized, showcasing the pivotal role of platforms such as Illumina and Oxford Nanopore in accelerating the identification of genetic variations. Long-read sequencing technologies, including PacBio and Oxford Nanopore, are explored as transformative elements overcoming limitations associated with short-read sequencing. The review delves into spatial genomics and chromatin conformation capture techniques, revealing the three-dimensional intricacies of the genome, with a particular focus on the revolutionary impact of Hi-C in understanding chromatin interactions. CRISPR technologies emerge as indispensable tools in Genomic Atlas 2.0, enabling targeted genome editing and the generation of precise genetic models. Functional genomics screens, utilizing RNA interference and CRISPR-based techniques, are discussed for their scalable precision in deciphering genome functions. Navigating challenges, the review addresses complexities in data integration and ethical considerations, offering strategies to ensure the robustness and ethical conduct of genetic mapping. Looking optimistically towards the future, it explores opportunities such as improved sequencing accuracy and novel applications of CRISPR technologies. Envisioning the expansion of genomics into personalized medicine, agriculture, and conservation biology, the review serves as a guiding resource for researchers, scientists, and students navigating the intricate terrain of Genomic Atlas 2.0.

Lump sum contracts are specific contracts used in the construction industry to give owners financial certainty and decrease risk while incentivizing contractors to finish projects on schedule and within budget. This article discusses the usage of lump sum contracts in construction projects, covering the types of projects appropriate for lump sum contracts, critical considerations for entering a lump sum contract, and the tender and preliminary expenses involved. The article also covers lump sum contracts' benefits and drawbacks and how owners and contractors allocate risk. Finally, the difficulties of implementing lump sum contracts, such as potential disagreements over scope changes and quality issues, are investigated. In general, lump sum contracts can be a valuable tool for managing construction projects, but their execution necessitates careful planning and collaboration to ensure successful completion.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a Gram-negative bacterium that colonizes the gastric mucosa and is associated with various gastrointestinal disorders. H. pylori is a pervasive pathogen, infecting nearly 50% of the world's population, and presents a substantial concern due to its link with gastric cancer, ranking as the third most common cause of global cancer-related mortality. This review article provides an updated and comprehensive overview of the current understanding of H. pylori infection, focusing on its pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment strategies. The intricate mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis, including virulence factors and host interactions, are discussed in detail. Diagnostic methods, ranging from traditional techniques to advanced molecular approaches, are explored, highlighting their strengths and limitations. The evolving landscape of treatment strategies, including antibiotic regimens and emerging therapeutic approaches, is thoroughly examined. Through a critical synthesis of recent research findings, this article offers valuable insights into the contemporary knowledge of Helicobacter pylori infection, guiding both clinicians and researchers toward effective management and future directions in combating this global health challenge.

Over recent years, nanocarriers have played an ever-increasing role in clinical and biomedical applications owing to their unique physicochemical properties and surface functionalities. Lately, much effort has been directed towards the development of smart, stimuli-responsive nanocarriers that are capable of releasing their cargos in response to specific stimulus. These intelligent-responsive nanocarriers can be further surface-functionalized so as to achieve active tumor targeting in a sequential manner, which can be simply modulated by the stimuli. By applying this methodological approach, these intelligent-responsive nanocarriers can be directed to different target-specific organs, tissues or cells, and exhibit on-demand controlled drug release that may enhance therapeutic effectiveness and reduce systemic toxicity. Light, an external stimulus, is one of the most promising triggers for use in nanomedicine to stimulate on-demand drug release from nanocarriers. Light-triggered drug release can be achieved by light irradiation at different wavelengths, either in UV, visible or even NIR region, depending on the photophysical properties of the photo-responsive molecule embedded in the nanocarrier system, the structural characteristics and material composition of the nanocarrier system. In this review, we highlighted the emerging functional role of light in nanocarriers, with emphasis on light-responsive liposomes and dual-targeted stimuli-responsive liposomes. Moreover, we provided the up-to-date phototriggered targeting strategies and mechanisms of light-triggered drug release from liposomes and NIR-responsive nanocarriers. Lastly, we addressed the current challenges, advances, and future perspectives for the deployment of light-responsive liposomes in targeted drug delivery and therapy.

Sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) are transcription factors that regulate genes involved in the biogenesis of cholesterol, fatty acids, and triglycerides. SREBPs are involved in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We review the mechanisms by which SREBPs regulate lipogenesis, the alterations in these processes associated with liver diseases, and therapeutic strategies to target these pathways.

Background: There is limited data on gender-based differences in atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment and prognosis. Our aim was to examine gender-related differences in medical attention in emergency department (ED) and follow-up (FU) among patients diagnosed with an AF episode and to determine whether there are gender-related differences in clinical characteristics, therapeutic strategies and long-term adverse events in this population. Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study of patients who presented to a tertiary hospital ER for AF from 2010-2015, with a minimum FU of one year. Data on medical attention received, mortality and other adverse outcomes were collected and analyzed. Results: Among the 2 013 patients selected, 1232 (60%) was female. Women were less likely than men to be evaluated by a cardiologist during the ED visit (11.5% vs. 16.6%, p=0.001) and were less likely to be admitted (5.9% vs. 9.5%, p<0.05). Electrical cardioversion was performed more frequently in men, both during the first episode (3.4% vs. 1.2%, p=0.001) and during FU (15.9% vs. 10.6%, p<0.001), in spite of a lower AF recurrence rate in women (9.9% vs 18.1%). During FU, women had more hospitalizations for heart failure (26.2% vs. 16.1%, p<0.001). Conclusions: In patients with AF, although no gender differences in mortality, there were significant differences in clinical outcomes, medical attention received, and therapeutic strategies. Women underwent fewer attempts at cardioversion, had a lower probability of being evaluated by cardiologists and showed a higher probability of hospitalization for heart failure. Being alert to these iniquities should facilitate to adopt measures to correct them.

Caffeine is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in various plants. It acts as a stimulant, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and even an aid in pain management, and is found in several over-the-counter medications. This naturally derived bioactive compound is the best-known ingredient in coffee and other beverages, such as tea, soft drinks, and energy drinks, and is the most widely consumed substance worldwide. Therefore, it is extremely important to research the effects of this substance on the human body. With this in mind, caffeine and its derivatives have been extensively studied to evaluate its ability to prevent diseases and exert anti-aging and neuroprotective effects. This review is intended to provide an overview of the effects of caffeine on cancer, cardiovascular, immunological, inflammatory, and neurological diseases, among others. The heavily researched area of caffeine in sports will also be discussed. Finally, recent advances in the development of novel formulations, in the form of dietary supplements of caffeine and nanocarriers, to enhance the bioavailability of caffeine and its beneficial effects will be discussed. On the other hand, caffeine may contribute to elevated blood pressure, anemia, and migraine.

Neutrophils are the most abundant immune cells and make up about 70% of white blood cells in human blood and play a critical role as the first line of defense in the innate immune response. They also help regulate the inflammatory environment to promote tissue repair. However, in cancer, neutrophils can be manipulated by tumors to either promote or hinder tumor growth depending on the cytokine pool. Studies have shown that tumor-bearing mice have increased levels of neutrophils in peripheral circulation, and that neutrophil-derived exosomes can deliver various cargos, including lncRNA and miRNA, which contribute to tumor growth and degradation of extracellular matrix. Exosomes derived from immune cells generally possess anti-tumor activities and induce tumor-cell apoptosis by delivering cytotoxic proteins, ROS generation, H2O2 or activation of Fas-mediated apoptosis in target cells. Engineered exosome-like nanovesicles have been developed to deliver chemotherapeutic drugs precisely to tumor cells. However, tumor-derived exosomes can aggravate cancer-associated thrombosis through the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps. Despite the advancements in neutrophil-related research, a detailed understanding of tumor-neutrophil crosstalk is still lacking and remains a major barrier in developing neutrophil-based or targeted therapy. This review will focus on the communication pathways between tumors and neutrophils, and the role of neutrophil-derived exosomes (NDEs) in tumor growth. Additionally, potential strategies to manipulate NDEs for therapeutic purposes will be discussed.

In past years, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) can be found in every aspect of life, and batteries, as energy storage systems (ESSs), need to offer electric vehicles (EVs) more competition to be accepted in markets for automobiles. Thick electrode design could reduce the use of non-active materials in batteries that its energy density would be improved and its cost would be cut. However, thick electrodes are limited by their weak mechanical stability and poor electrochemical performance, these limitations could be classified as the critical cracking thickness (CCT) and the limited penetration depth (LPD). The understanding of the CCT and the LPD have been proposed and the recent works on breaking the CCT and improving the LPD are listed in this article. By comprising these attempts, some thick electrodes could not offer higher mass loading or higher accessible areal capacity that would defeat the purpose.

Existing research has focused on discussing various issues in isolation, e.g., climate change or deglobalisation, without capturing the geo-political, legal, socio-economic, and technological implications in a holistic manner, especially in China and Southeast Asia. This has hindered the derivation of clear guidelines to navigate the business environment in the next decade, thus leaving the business world with fragmented theories and concepts that are hard to amalgamate and turn into tangible business strategies. Thus, this study illustrates the key challenges that are likely to influence the stability and sustainability of the global business environment by 2030, as well as suggests the main business strategies to leverage to mitigate them. This contribution, for the first time, proposes an alternative holistic approach by highlighting the key threats to global business in the next decade, as well as suggesting clear action points to account for the main ones from geo-political, legal, socio-economic, and technological standpoints in a unified theory. Local and more tailored strategies are described and discussed as referred to various industries to help in navigating a deglobalised and more competitive market by 2030.

Within the framework of multiblock data analysis, a unified approach of supervised methods is discussed. It encompasses multiblock redundancy analysis (MB-RA) and multiblock partial least squares (MB-PLS) regression. Moreover, we develop new supervised strategies of multiblock data analysis, which can be seen as variants of one or the other of these two methods. They are respectively refered to as multiblock weighted redundancy analysis (MB-WRA) and multiblock weighted covariate analysis (MB-WCov). The four methods are based on the determination of latent variables associated with the various blocks of variables. They are derived from clear optimization criteria whose aim is to maximize either the sum of the covariances or the sum of squared covariances between the latent variable associated with the response block of variables and the block latent variables associated with the various explanatory blocks of variables. We also propose indices to help better interpreting the outcomes of the analyses. The methods are illustrated and compared based on simulated and real datasets.

Thermoelectrics, in particular solid-state conversion of heat to electricity and vice versa, is expected to be a key energy harvesting and temperature management solution in coming years. There has been a resurgence in the search for new materials for advanced thermoelectric energy conversion applications and to enhance the properties of existing materials. In this paper, we review recent efforts on improving figure-of-merit (ZT) through alloying and nano structuring. As heatsink characteristics dictate the performance of thermoelectric modules, various types of heatsink designs has been investigated. Several reported strategies for improving ZT are critically assessed. A notable increase in figure-of-merit of thermoelectric materials (TE) has opened up new areas of applications especially in the medical field. Peltier cooling devices are widely employed for patient core temperature control, skin cooling, medical device and laboratory equipment cooling. Application of these devices in the medical field both in temperature control and power generation has been studied in detail. It is envisioned that this study will provide profound knowledge on the thermoelectric based materials and its role in medical applications.

This paper presents the results of aerodynamical performance research focused on maintaining the thermal comfort and increasing the energy efficiency of a typical social housing unit located in a high-density urban area. Bioclimatic design strategies are used to develop a sustainable and economic technology in existing housing clusters in Mexico City. A full-scale prototype, built on campus facilities, was used to study the flow conditions around the design. All scaled prototypes implement similar criterion. Furthermore, a scaled prototype is evaluated within a low speed wind tunnel installation. Additionally, numerical simulations were performed at transient state based on previous physical measurements and historical local climatic conditions to determine preferable modifications.

Children of imprisoned parents have a two times greater risk for health problems, including difficulties in their environment, academic and behavioural problems as well as social stigma. Focusing on children who have parents in prison has not been a priority for research. This review aims to describe current knowledge on children who have imprisoned parents in a global context and highlight areas for additional research. This review highlights the coping strategies that children of imprisoned parents use and explore interventions that exist to support children of imprisoned parents. This review employed a qualitative narrative synthesis. The database search yielded 1989 articles, of which 11 met inclusion and quality criteria. Stigmatizing children due to parental imprisonment was a widespread problem. Children’s coping strategies included maintaining distance from the imprisoned parent, normalizing the parent’s situation and taking better control over their lives through distraction, sports, supportive people and therapy. Children received the best support in school-based interventions or mentoring programmes. The overall low quality of the included studies indicates a need for further research.

Public Health Officers' (PHO) experiences in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic can be based on whether the PHO is passive or active. Therefore, the study’s objectives are to identify the types of experiences and analyse the predictors of proactive practical experiences in solving COVID-19 among PHOs in the upper southern region of Thailand. Methods: An explanatory mixed-methods approach was used to collect data, through questionnaires and online in-depth interviews. The study was conducted from August 4, 2020, to August 3, 2021. Results: The results included 60 PHOs from 60 PCUs in 6 provinces, with 41 (68.3%) females and an average age of 35.57 years (SD = 11.61). The PHOs’ knowledge, understanding, and participation experience aspects were mostly proactive rather than passive. Factors that significantly predicted proactive practical experiences included sex (ORadj = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.04–2.21), age (ORadj = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.16-2.48), married status (ORadj = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.16-2.48), education level (ORadj = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.02–2.20), and position for work (ORadj = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.16-2.48). Conclusions: PHOs’ knowledge, understanding, opinion, and participation experiences were significant predictors of practical experience. Primary health care systems should promote proactive experiences in all four aspects to increase proactive practical experiences.

This study investigates effective strategies for second language education in primary schools, analyzing the efficacy of immersive and interactive methods, digital literacy tools, and mixed-method approaches. The findings reveal significant improvements in language proficiency and student engagement through these methodologies, with immersive and interactive strategies showing substantial benefits in oral proficiency and engagement, digital tools enhancing accessibility and engagement, and mixed-method approaches yielding the highest overall effectiveness. The study underscores the importance of a balanced, flexible approach to language education, integrating traditional and modern methods to cater to diverse learner needs. These strategies not only advance linguistic skills but also contribute to the broader cognitive and emotional development of young learners, emphasizing the critical role of effective language education in preparing students for a globalized world.

This article provides a systematic review of the crosslinking strategies used to produce microgel particles in microfluidic chips. Various ionic crosslinking methods for gelation of charged pol-ymers are discussed, including external gelation via crosslinkers dissolved or dispersed in the oil phase, internal gelation methods using crosslinkers added to the dispersed phase in their non-active forms, such as chelating agents, photo-acid generators, sparingly soluble or slowly hydrolyzing compounds, and methods involving competitive ligand exchange, rapid mixing of polymer and crosslinking streams, and merging polymer and crosslinker droplets. Covalent crosslinking methods using enzymatic oxidation of modified biopolymers, photo-polymerization of crosslinkable monomers or polymers, and thiol-ene “click” reactions are also discussed, as well as the methods based on sol-gel transitions of stimuli responsive polymers triggered by pH or temperature change. In addition to homogeneous microgel particles, the production of structurally heterogeneous particles such as composite hydrogel particles entrapping droplet interface bi-layers, core-shell particles, organoids, and Janus particles are also discussed. Microfluidics offers the ability to precisely tune chemical composition, size, shape, surface morphology, and internal structure of microgels by bringing in contact multiple fluid streams in a highly controlled fashion using versatile channel geometries and flow configurations and allowing controlled crosslinking.

Proteins and DNA exhibit key physical chemical properties that make them advantageous for building nanostructures with outstanding features. Both DNA and protein nanotechnology have growth notably and proved to be fertile disciplines. The combination of both types of nanotechnologies is helpful to overcome the individual weaknesses and limitations of each one, paving the way for the continuing diversification of the structural nanotechnologies. Recent studies have implemented a synergistic combination of both biomolecules to assemble unique and sophisticate protein-DNA nanostructures. These hybrid nanostructures are highly programmable and display remarkable features that create new opportunities to build in the nanoscale. This review focuses on the strategies deployed to create hybrid protein-DNA nanostructures. Here, we will discuss strategies such as polymerization, spatial directing and organizing, coating, rigidizing or folding DNA into particular shapes or moving parts. The enrichment of structural DNA nanotechnology by incorporating protein nanotechnology has been clearly demonstrated and still shows a large potential to create useful and advanced materials with cell-like properties or dynamic systems. It can be expected that structural protein-DNA nanotechnology will open new avenues in the fabrication of nano-assemblies with unique functional applications and enrich the toolbox of bionanotechnology.