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Plants often encounter challenging environmental factors, including intense sunlight, drought, extreme heat, cold temperatures, salinity, excessive metals, and nutrient shortages, which can heavily affect their growth and survival. In this regard, L-ascorbic acid (AsA) is not only an essential nutrient for human health but also plays a significant role in plant responses to environmental stresses, regulating various functions during growth and development, redox signaling, and phytohormone biosynthesis. The growing need to cope with climate change, together with the advancement of CRISPR/Cas9-editing technologies, stimulated new opportunities to enhance AsA biosynthesis to improve crop stress tolerance. In this review, we discuss the biosynthesis and regulation of AsA in abiotic stress response mechanisms. We also explore the latest advancements of CRISPR/Cas9 technologies, their applications, and their challenges as tools for modifying genes associated with AsA metabolism, aiming to develop crops more tolerant and resilient to environmental changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The imperative of sustainability in healthcare is becoming more pressing due to global health crises, climate change, and the rising burden of chronic diseases. Sustainability in healthcare involves social, economic, and environmental dimensions, each important for equitable and robust healthcare delivery. Health literacy may play a central role in embracing all three dimensions, bridging the gap between complex health information and individuals' capability to understand and use it effectively: In fact, as a factor influencing the link between adverse social and economic conditions and subsequent health issues, health literacy could represent a practical target for mitigating health disparities within various demographic groups, thereby enhancing social sustainability. Furthermore, when people possess a solid understanding of their health conditions and the necessary steps for health management, they can contribute to a reduction in generated healthcare costs. Finally, health literacy and environmental health literacy equips individuals and communities with the knowledge and skills to understand how environmental factors affect health and empowers them to take proactive measures to protect the environment, potentially reducing the environmental impact of healthcare services. Therefore, integrating health literacy into education curricula and healthcare professional training is crucial for promoting sustainability. Despite some known barriers to the advancement and improvement of health literacy, such as limited awareness of its importance, the collaboration between academia, healthcare institutions, and community organizations is a path to follow to overcome these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pandemic crisis and the resulting global uncertainties have obviously had a severe impact on the healthcare supply chain (HSC), leading scholars, healthcare executives, and policymakers to focus on the sustainability of the HSC. Technologies have emerged and developed rapidly in recent years, especially in the healthcare industry, for coping with the pandemic crisis and supporting the "new normal" for humankind. Within this context, various new technologies have been implemented to maximize the supply chain process, ensure patient and healthcare worker safety, and improve the quality of care. Hence, the integration of a technological dimension with the traditional three pillars of sustainability may aid in attempts to define the potential attributes of these dimensions of sustainability. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the key attributes of a sustainable healthcare supply chain (SHSC), and this paper presents a new, four-dimensional model for SHSCs, consisting of social, environmental, economic, and technological dimensions. A systematic literature review was conducted, resulting in the identification of 35 potential SHSC attributes. The Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) was then applied to determine the appropriateness of these potential attributes according to the consensus of 13 experts, including healthcare workers in a variety of medical specialties, who profoundly understand HSC sustainability. The results yielded 22 appropriate attributes, which were then categorized across the four dimensions. Consequently, a new model of an SHSC, which prioritizes patient safety, was constructed and is proposed here. This SHSC model can be applied strategically to the healthcare industry to enhance the safety of both medical personnel and patients in a sustainable manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study shows the opportunity of using biofilm in the hydrolysis step of food waste (FW) to increase biogas production. Therefore, screened biofilm-producing microorganisms were adopted to facilitate the biodegradation of organic compounds (OCs) and enhance the volume of biogas production. The biofilm-producing microorganisms were first immobilized on a granular activated carbon (GAC) surface, and the optimum values of immobilization time, mass of the GAC surface, and size of the microbial inoculums were found using the statistical methods of one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) and the response surface methodology (RSM) using a face-centered central composite design (FCCCD). Based on the results, 48 h of incubation, 8 g of GAC, and 1 mL of inoculum were the optimum conditions when shaken at 37 °C and 150 rpm. Different biofilm amounts (328 mg, 492 mg, 656 mg, 820 mg, and 984 mg) were used in hydrolysis flasks operated in batch mode to increase the degradation of the OCs. The optimal level of the hydrolysis degradation was on day 3 and at 328 mg of biofilm; the total solid (TS) content was decreased from 115 gL−1 to 79 gL−1 (31%), and the TCOD was decreased from 85.33 gL−1 to 54.50 gL−1 (36%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional multiple input multiple output (MIMO) systems cannot provide very high Spectral Efficiency (SE), Energy Efficiency (EE), and link reliability, which are critical to guaranteeing the desired Quality of Experience (QoE) in 5G and beyond 5G wireless networks. To bridge this gap, ultra-dense cell-free massive MIMO (UD CF-mMIMO) systems are exploited to boost cell-edge performance and provide ultra-low latency in emerging wireless communication systems. This paper attempts to provide critical insights on high EE operation and power control schemes for maximizing the performance of UD CF-mMIMO systems. First, the recent advances in UD CF-mMIMO systems and the associated models are elaborated. The power consumption model, power consumption parts, and energy maximization techniques are discussed extensively. Further, the various power control optimization techniques are discussed comprehensively. Key findings from this study indicate an unprecedented growth in high-rate demands, leading to a significant increase in energy consumption. Additionally, substantial gains in EE require efficient utilization of optimal energy maximization techniques, green design, and dense deployment of massive antenna arrays. Overall, this review provides an elaborate discussion of the research gaps and proposes several research directions, critical challenges, and useful recommendations for future works in wireless communication systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cinnamomum longepaniculatum essential oil (CLEO) possesses antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities. However, CLEO shows volatilization and poor solubility, which limits its application field. In this research, inclusion complexes of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) with CLEO were produced, and its physicochemical properties were characterized. Response surface methodology was used to obtain optimum preparation conditions. A statistical model was generated to define the interactions among the selected variables. Results show that the optimal conditions were an H2O/β-CD ratio of 9.6:1 and a β-CD/CLEO ratio of 8:1, with the stirring temperature of 20 °C for the maximal encapsulation efficiency values. The physicochemical properties of CLEO/β-CD inclusion complexes (CLEO/β-CD-IC) were investigated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that correlative characteristic bands of CLEO disappeared in the inclusion complex. X-ray diffraction presented different sharp peaks at the diffraction angle of CLEO/β-CD-IC. The thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated the thermal stability of CLEO was enhanced after encapsulation. Tiny aggregates with a smaller size of CLEO/β-CD-IC particles were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The comparison of β-CD, CLEO, and physical mixtures with CLEO/β-CD-IC confirmed the formation of inclusion complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology has impacted businesses in different areas, and, consequently, many companies have found it necessary to make changes in their structures and business models to improve customer satisfaction. The objective was to quantify the effect of dynamic capabilities on customer satisfaction, through digital transformation within the automotive sector. A random sample of 42 questionnaires on 127 surveyed industries was collected during the period 2019–2020 in a pre-COVID-19 context. A structural equation model (SEM) in two stages was applied. In the first stage, two reflective models were built. In a second stage, a structural equation model was evaluated. The results obtained in this study showed that the capabilities of sensing, seizing and innovation were suitably grouped in a construct called "Dynamic Capabilities". A positive influence of Dynamic Capabilities on customer satisfaction was found. Therefore, the companies in this industry should focus on developing dynamic capabilities to improve customer satisfaction. Once the opportunities have been identified, managers take advantage of their potential (seizing) to transform and exploit knowledge in the creation, innovation, process improvement, and definition of strategies to combine new knowledge with that already existing. The digital transformation has contributed to identify the real needs for customers, to contact them and solve their problems, as well as offering products and services by anticipating their needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of the present research is to identify the advantages and benefits that the use and implementation of 5G technology has on the development and evolution of the Romanian business environment. The study is based on a theoretical documentation regarding existing information in the field and a descriptive analysis of the evolution of the technology in Romania and worldwide. The research method chosen is a survey based on an opinion poll (questionnaire) to find out the availability of economic entities regarding the implementation of 5G technologies, the foreseen expectations and those realized by the business environment regarding the effects of 5G technologies on the economic activities and the benefits that 5G networks offer them. The analysis of the results of the questionnaire, through the correlations and contingency tables determined, allowed the validation of the research hypotheses, and the results show availability and interest for the implementation of 5G technology (over 69% agree with the 5G implementation over a period of up to 5 years), conditioned by the costs, the high degree of cyber security, and the competitive advantages it can generate. Competition, low productivity, and even external pressures are the main decisive factors in the implementation of 5G. Thus, it can be considered useful to extend the research by identifying possible viable solutions or alternatives, customized for the implementation of 5G technologies for economic entities from different sectors, as well as the analysis of the implementation costs and the potential economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the harmful effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on income and employment loss around the globe, hardly any formal study exists on household finance and future economic expectations in poorer countries. We offer an early study that aims to fill this gap from the labor market angle. We implemented and analyzed a new web-based rapid assessment survey immediately after the removal of lockdown measures in Vietnam, a low-middle income country that has received widespread recognition for its successful fight against the pandemic. We find that having a job is strongly and positively associated with better finance and more income and savings, as well as more optimism about the resilience of the economy. Further disaggregating employment along the security dimension into different types of jobs such as self-employment and jobs with permanent and short-term contracts, we find those with permanent job contracts to have fewer job worries and better assessments for the economy. Individuals with good health tend to have more positive evaluations for their current and future finance, but there is mixed evidence for those with higher educational levels. These findings are relevant for the ongoing fight against the pandemic and post-outbreak labor policies, especially in a developing country context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present this study as a contribution to celebrate "the International Day of Women and Girls in Science". Women's empowerment in scientific research is a crucial issue in the United Nations "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development". This study aimed to investigate the obstacles facing women researchers in scientific research in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional survey was used to assess women researchers' perceptions towards the roles of universities, donors and women researchers. Descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis were used for data analysis. Findings showed that the overall assessment of women's empowerment in scientific research is moderate and faces a mixture of obstacles mainly due to dissatisfaction with the role of donors. Moreover, the role of universities has not yet reached a satisfactory level, while the role of women researchers was satisfactory. The results demonstrated that the role of the university enhances the role of the donor institutions, while the role of researchers has a significant positive influence on the role of the university. No significant association between the role of the researchers and donors was achieved. In conclusion, despite the great achievement by women researchers in empowering themselves as scientific researchers, they still need more support from the university and donors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main goal of the article is to describe the short-term impacts of reported new cases and deaths of the COVID-19 disease on hotels' performances in the nine major Polish urban hotel markets: Kraków, Warszawa, Poznań, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Lublin, Łódź, Katowice, and Sopot. Time range of the analysis covers the period from January 5, 2020 (the beginning of the very first week when the COVID-19 cases were evidenced) to March 14, 2020 (the initial phase of lockdown was introduced by the Polish government). Various geographical contexts of the COVID-19 impacts are considered: national, European, and global. Generalized method of moments was applied to investigate the influence of reported COVID-19 cases (deaths) on both occupancy and revenue per available room. The results show that the most significant, negative impact of the pandemic on hotel performances is confirmed at the European level of the COVID-19 outbreak. Moreover, the negative influence of national cases of COVID-19 is more significant in less internationalized (or less-populated) urban destinations. Thus, the hotel industry (especially in the most internationalized, biggest Polish cities) might be recovered only when issues of the COVID-19 epidemic will be solved at the European level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from the WHO's Situation Report on the COVID-19 pandemic from 21 January 2020 to 30 March 2020 along with other health, demographic, and macroeconomic indicators from the WHO's Application Programming Interface and the World Bank's Development Indicators, this paper explores the death rates of infected persons and their possible associated factors. Through the panel analysis, we found consistent results that healthcare system conditions, particularly the number of hospital beds and medical staff, have played extremely important roles in reducing death rates of COVID-19 infected persons. In addition, both the mortality rates due to different non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and rate of people aged 65 and over were significantly related to the death rates. We also found that controlling international and domestic travelling by air along with increasingly popular anti-COVID-19 actions (i.e., quarantine and social distancing) would help reduce the death rates in all countries. We conducted tests for robustness and found that the Driscoll and Kraay (1998) method was the most suitable estimator with a finite sample, which helped confirm the robustness of our estimations. Based on the findings, we suggest that preparedness of healthcare systems for aged populations need more attentions from the public and politicians, regardless of income level, when facing COVID-19-like pandemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overspread of the novel coronavirus—SARS-CoV-2—over the globe has caused significant damage to manufacturing and service businesses, regardless of whether they are commercial, public, or not-for-profit sectors. While both the short-term and long-term impacts of most companies can be approximately measured or estimated, it is challenging to address the enduring effects of COVID-19 on teaching and learning activities. The target of this research is to investigate students' manners of studying at home during the school suspension time as a result of COVID-19. Through analyzing original survey data from 420 K6–12 students in Hanoi, Vietnam, this work demonstrates the different learning habits of students with different socioeconomic statuses and occupational aspirations during the disease's outbreak. In particular, we featured the differences in students' learning behaviors between private schools and public schools, as well as between students who plan to follow STEM-related careers and those who intend to engage in social science-related careers. The empirical evidence of this study can be used for the consideration of the local government to increase the sustainability of coming policies and regulations to boost students' self-efficacy, as it will affect 1.4 million students in Hanoi, as well as the larger population of nearly 10 million Vietnamese students. These results can also be the foundation for future investigations on how to elevate students' learning habits toward Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4)—Quality Education—especially in fanciful situations in which the regular school operation has been disrupted, counting with limited observation and support from teachers and parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the Vietnamese government has put significant effort into the internationalization of research in the higher education system via the use of international publications (i.e., publications indexed by citation databases such as ISI Web of Science and Scopus) in evaluating their academic staff and doctoral students. Academic staff in Vietnam, who traditionally have low numbers of international publications, have thus been pushed to improve their competencies in order to meet the new requirements for research productivity. However, we have little understanding of the factors influencing international publication as perceived by Vietnamese academic staff. This study aims to fill the gap by using the Delphi method. Academic staff with at least one international publication were invited, via purposeful sampling, to participate in a two-round Delphi survey. The survey revealed 14 key factors, which were further classified into three dimensions: "policy-related factors," "capability-related factors," and "networking-related factors". These factors were the key determinants in the success of international publishing, according to the study participants. The findings provide implications for policymakers and university leaders for enhancing the research capacities of Vietnamese universities, forming a basis for the sustainable development of the higher education sector in Vietnam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare systems around the world face both increasing demands and inequality in service distribution. The current trend is for collaboration among healthcare actors, named as collaborative healthcare, in order to address challenges such as these to improve the social sustainability of the system. That is to provide accessible and equitable healthcare services to meet people's health and well-being needs. Based on an integrative literature review, this study aims at crafting a conceptual framework to explore how collaborative healthcare networks contribute to social sustainability and the specific actors involved in these collaborations. It identifies relationships between different collaborative healthcare networks and social sustainability. Interprofessional networks have been the most studied in relation to social sustainability. Communication and sharing information or knowledge have been identified as used collaborative healthcare practices. This study contributes theoretically by considering a new model of the healthcare organization in which collaborative networks play a central role in improving social sustainability. In terms of practical implications, the study provides managers and policy makers with investment insights on a range of collaborative networks and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Having geographical proximity and a high volume of trade with China, the first country to record an outbreak of the new Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Vietnam was expected to have a high risk of transmission. However, as of 4 April 2020, in comparison to attempts to containing the disease around the world, responses from Vietnam are seen as prompt and effective in protecting the interests of its citizens, with 239 confirmed cases and no fatalities. This study analyzes the situation in terms of Vietnam's policy response, social media and science journalism. A self-made web crawl engine was used to scan and collect official media news related to COVID-19 between the beginning of January and April 4, yielding a comprehensive dataset of 14,952 news items. The findings shed light on how Vietnam—despite being under-resourced—has demonstrated political readiness to combat the emerging pandemic since the earliest days. Timely communication on any developments of the outbreak from the government and the media, combined with up-to-date research on the new virus by the Vietnamese science community, have altogether provided reliable sources of information. By emphasizing the need for immediate and genuine cooperation between government, civil society and private individuals, the case study offers valuable lessons for other nations concerning not only the concurrent fight against the COVID-19 pandemic but also the overall responses to a public health crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given that mental health issues are acute in Asian countries, particularly Japan and Korea, and university students are more vulnerable to depression than the general population, this study aims to examine the landscapes of scientific research regarding depressive disorders among university students and evaluate the effectiveness of international collaboration and funding provision on the scientific impact in Korea, Japan, and China. Based on articles retrieved from the Web of Science database during the period 1992–2018, we found that the number of scientific publications, international collaborations, and allocated funds regarding depressive disorder among university students in China (97 articles, 43 international collaborations, and 52 funds provided, respectively) overwhelmingly surpassed the case of Korea (37 articles, 12 international collaborations, and 15 funds provided, respectively) and Japan (24 articles, 5 international collaborations, and 6 funds provided, respectively). The differences in collaboration patterns (p-value < 0.05) and the proportion of allocated funds (p-value < 0.05) among Korea, Japan, and China were also noted using Fisher's exact test. Based on the Poisson regression analysis, China's associations of scientific impact with international collaboration (β = −0.322, p-value < 0.01) and funding provision (β = −0.397, p-value < 0.01) are negative, while associations of the scientific impact and scientific quality with funding provision and international collaboration were statistically insignificant. These findings hint that Korea and Japan lacked scientific output, diversity in research targets, international collaboration, and funding provision, compared to China, but the quality of either China's internationally collaborated or funded articles was contentious. As a result, policymakers in Korea and Japan are suggested to raise the importance of mental health problems in their future policy planning and resource distribution. Moreover, it would be advisable to establish a rigorous system of evaluation for the quality of internationally collaborated and funded studies in order to increase scientific impact and maintain public trust, especially in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature review suggests that rural hospitals are in the worst financial conditions due to several factors: They are smaller, located in remote areas, and they provide less specialized services due to their problems with employing well-qualified staff. We decided to check whether it is true in the case of Polish hospitals. Based on the literature review, we have assumed that rural hospitals have less favorable financial conditions. In order to verify this assumption, we use seven indicators of financial health as well as a synthetic measure of financial condition. We have found that, in fact, there is no difference in financial condition between rural and urban hospitals, or even that the financial health of rural hospitals is better if we employ the synthetic measure. Additionally, we have found that the form of activity can be a crucial driver of better financial performance. The concept of rural sustainability is supported by good financial conditions of rural hospitals, which helps to provide better access to medical services for inhabitants of rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to propose a methodological lens to the assessment of technological innovations in healthcare based on the principles of social, economic, and political sustainability. Starting from the consideration of a lack of a unified interpretative framework of health technology assessment, using a content analysis of the relevant literature on the topic, we identified both the scientific perspectives adopted by the scholars and the most widely discussed topics. Consequently, the less explored scientific areas were framed, and, therefore, those more susceptible to further investigation came to light. The result is an overall picture which highlights the absence of unified and generally accepted approaches to evaluation, together with the lack of awareness on the fact that the multiplicity of methods adopted is essentially connected to the multiplicity of innovations, for each of which a method (or a set of methods) of preferable evaluation can be prefigured. Based on these observations, we propose a general reference framework for evaluation, based on the Viable Systems Approach (vSa), and a schematic outline of the connections between the complexity of innovations and the evaluation methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being ranked among the most sedentary countries, Vietnam's social public health is challenged by the rising number of overweight people. This study aims to evaluate factors associated with the regularity of exercise and sports (EAS) among Vietnamese people living in the capital city of Hanoi, using data collected from a randomized survey involving 2068 individuals conducted in 2016. Physical exercises and daily sports are considered a major means for improving the Vietnamese social public health system by the government, families, and individuals. Applying the baseline-category logit model, the study analyzed two groups of factors associated with EAS regularity: (i) physiological factors (sex, body mass index (BMI)) and (ii) external factors (education, health communication, medical practice at home). Females with a university education or higher usually exercise less than those with lower education, while the opposite is true for males. The study also shows that those with a higher BMI tend to report higher activity levels. Additionally, improved health communication systems and regular health check-ups at home are also associated with more frequent EAS activities. These results, albeit limited to only one location in Vietnam, provide a basis for making targeted policies that promote a more active lifestyle. This, in turn, could help the country realize the goal of improving the average height of the population and reducing the incidents of non-communicable diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the relationships among three health status indicators (self-perceived health status, objective health status, and future health risk) and life insurance holdings in 16 European countries. Our results show that households with poor self-perceived health status and high future health risk are less likely to purchase life insurance in the entire sample as well as in the subsample for countries with a national health system (NHS). In non-NHS countries, those households that have high future health risk are less inclined to purchase life insurance. In terms of preferences for types of life insurance policies (term life, whole life, both, or none) in the whole sample, poor self-perceived health status and high future health risk are less inclined to hold only term life insurance policy. In addition, poor self-perceived health status and high future health risk have a negative impact on holdings of both types of life insurance. Our findings reveal that there is no adverse selection problem in the life insurance market, especially in European countries with NHS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability, as a science, is the guideline of the present work. It aims to analyse, by means of a literature review, various areas of healthcare in which information technology (IT) has been- or could be-used, leading to several sources of sustainability, for example, cost savings, better teamwork, higher quality and efficiency of medical care. After a brief introduction analysing the strategic contexts in which innovation in general, and IT in particular, can be a source of general improvements in efficiency, cost savings and service quality, the research focuses on the healthcare system by discussing the different nature of private and public organizations in terms of adopting innovations and changes and discussing the issue of consumer health costs and consumer choices. The following part focuses on the qualitative benefits of IT in healthcare and discusses the importance of metrics for measuring performance, costs and efficiency in this area. The work then qualitatively introduces a new set of Key Performance Indicators (KPI), partly based on literature from different topics and existing and validated sets of metrics, analysing, under the point of view of sustainability, the implementation of IT in healthcare, namely in management, organization, technology, environment and social fields (HHC-MOTES framework). The model, inspired by and to sustainability, can be used as a decision support at the strategic management level as well as for the analysis and investigation of the effects of IT systems in the healthcare sector from various perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]