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Purpose: There are major gaps in our knowledge of hereditary ocular conditions in the Asia-Pacific population, which comprises approximately 60% of the world's population. Therefore, a concerted regional effort is urgently needed to close this critical knowledge gap and apply precision medicine technology to improve the quality of lives of these patients in the Asia-Pacific region., Design: Multi-national, multi-center collaborative network., Methods: The Research Standing Committee of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology and the Asia-Pacific Society of Eye Genetics fostered this research collaboration, which brings together renowned institutions and experts for inherited eye diseases in the Asia-Pacific region. The immediate priority of the network will be inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), where there is a lack of detailed characterization of these conditions and in the number of established registries., Results: The network comprises 55 members from 35 centers, spanning 12 countries and regions, including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. The steering committee comprises ophthalmologists with experience in consortia for eye diseases in the Asia-Pacific region, leading ophthalmologists and vision scientists in the field of IRDs internationally, and ophthalmic geneticists., Conclusions: The Asia Pacific Inherited Eye Disease (APIED) network aims to (1) improve genotyping capabilities and expertise to increase early and accurate genetic diagnosis of IRDs, (2) harmonise deep phenotyping practices and utilization of ontological terms, and (3) establish high-quality, multi-user, federated disease registries that will facilitate patient care, genetic counseling, and research of IRDs regionally and internationally., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The use of a standardized national chronic noncommunicable disease (CNCD) registry is of immense benefit in addressing the CNCD burden in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T). This study seeks to assess the outcomes of a paper-based CNCD registry implemented in the primary health-care centers in South Trinidad. Methods: At the South-West Regional Health Authority, a standardized paper-based registry was implemented in 2017, at the 33 public primary health-care clinics. Following this, a CNCD Registry Assessment Survey was administered cross-sectionally to 94 end-users to evaluate the implementation outcomes of the registry. The outcome domains – feasibility, penetration, acceptability, sustainability, fidelity, uptake, and costs were analyzed using summary statistics. Results: Fifty-five percent of end-users responded. Most responses came from the primary care physicians 1 (50.0%) of County Caroni. Most respondents were from County Caroni, 19 (36.5%) and St. Patrick, 19 (36.5%). Ninety-one percent of end-users thought that the CNCD registry was easily adopted. For 85.9% of end-users, the registry had fidelity (85.9%); 84.2% thought it was well accepted; feasible (82.7%); easily penetrated (82.7%), and appropriate (76.0%). Forty-two percent thought that the cost of implementation was high, while 30.8% were neutral. Seventy-one percent thought that the paper-based CNCD registry should be sustained, and 94.2% of end-users thought that an electronic CNCD registry should be implemented. Conclusion: It is possible and feasible to implement a standardized paper-based registry. Through this process, we were able to define the prevalence of five CNCDs and two risk factors of overweight/obesity and smoking for the chronic disease clinic population. Subsequently, we would like to implement a digitized CNCD registry.

Objective: To explore the development of family medicine postgraduate training in countries with varying levels of resources at different stages of development of the discipline., Composition of the Committee: Since 2012, the College of Family Physicians of Canada has hosted the Besrour Conferences to reflect on its role in advancing the discipline of family medicine globally. The Besrour Narrative Working Group was conceived in 2012 at the first Besrour Conference. Their mandate was to use narrative and appreciative inquiry to gather stories of family medicine worldwide. The working group comprised members of various academic departments of family medicine in Canada and abroad who attended the conferences., Methods: A consultation process with our partners from lower-middle-income countries was undertaken from 2012 to 2014. Stories were sought from each global partner institute with ties to Canadian family medicine departments. An appreciative inquiry approach was chosen to elicit narratives. Thematic analysis was used to search for common threads and important elements of success that could serve to inform other initiatives in other nations and, in turn, offer hope for greater effect., Report: Sixteen narrative stories have been collected so far. These stories highlight insightful solutions, foresight, perseverance, and ultimately a steadfast belief that family medicine will improve the health system and the care provided to the citizens of each nation. Seventeen themes were elucidated by 3 independent Canadian readers. At a subsequent workshop, these themes were validated by Besrour Centre members from Canada and elsewhere. The linkage between the thematic analysis and the experiences of various schools helps to illustrate both the robustness and the usefulness of the narratives in exploring generalizable observations and the features supporting success in each institute., Conclusion: If we are to understand, and contribute to, the development of family medicine throughout the world (a key objective of the Besrour Centre), we must begin to hear each others' stories and search for ways in which our collective story can advance the discipline., (Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada.)

Background: The private healthcare sector has become an essential component of healthcare systems globally. This interest has increased with the universal health coverage agenda. However, in most low- and middle-income countries, few classificatory studies of the private hospital sector were carried out., Methods: This study describes the private hospital sector in a developing country setup and propose a typology that could facilitate the identification of its categories and the understanding of its organizational and strategic characteristics., Results: All private hospitals in Morocco as of December 31, 2021 including 397 facilities are included. Most hospitals are for-profit, poly-disciplinary, independent, commercial societies, have fewer than 30 beds or between 30 and 99 beds and are located in urban areas. Private hospitals have a median turnover of 9.8 million MAD and a median capital value of 2 million MAD. The clustering method identifies three main categories of private hospitals: for-profit hospitals with medium size and turnover, spread across the country but with a high concentration in large regions; not-for-profit hospitals, with medium to large size, high turnover, located in large regions and including university hospitals; and small for-profit hospitals with low turnover, independent ownership and wide distribution over the country. Three criteria have the most significant discriminatory power: ownership, size (beds, turnover) and mode of governance., Conclusions: Private hospitals in Morocco are organized into three types according to three similarity criteria including ownership, size and governance. These criteria might be used as the basis for a common typology of private hospitals in Morocco and possibly in other low- and middle-income countries with similar contexts., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Much has been written about the measurement of socio-economic position (SEP) in high-income countries (HIC). Less has been written for an epidemiology, health systems and public health audience about the measurement of SEP in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). The social stratification processes in many LMIC-and therefore the appropriate measurement tools-differ considerably from those in HIC. Many measures of SEP have been utilized in epidemiological studies; the aspects of SEP captured by these measures and the pathways through which they may affect health are likely to be slightly different but overlapping. No single measure of SEP will be ideal for all studies and contexts; the strengths and limitations of a given indicator are likely to vary according to the specific research question. Understanding the general properties of different indicators, however, is essential for all those involved in the design or interpretation of epidemiological studies. In this article, we describe the measures of SEP used in LMIC. We concentrate on measures of individual or household-level SEP rather than area-based or ecological measures such as gross domestic product. We describe each indicator in terms of its theoretical basis, interpretation, measurement, strengths and limitations. We also provide brief comparisons between LMIC and HIC for each measure.

Is a published research paper an important indicator of successful operational research at programme level in low-income countries? In academia, publishing in peer-reviewed scientific journals is highly encouraged and strongly pursued for academic recognition and career progression. In contrast, for those who engage in operational research at programme level, there is often no necessity or reward for publishing the results of research studies; it may even be criticized as being an unnecessary detraction from programme-related work. We present arguments to support publishing operational research from low-income countries; we highlight some of the main reasons for failure of publication at programme level and suggest ways forward.

In recent years the lawfulness of certain types of sanctions and the question about the usefulness of sanctions in general have become topical and widely discussed issues. Of special significance is the expanding use by powerful states of unilateral coercive measures without Security Council authorisation, or beyond Security Council authorisation, to illustrate their displeasure with the domestic or foreign policies of certain members of the international community. Over time the nature of these measures has taken on diverse forms and their encroachment on human rights and freedoms has become a matter of international concern. This contribution examines the developments that have taken place in this context since the 2000 report of the Working Group on the negative impact of sanctions by focussing on the interventions by key United Nations bodies.

Growth faltering in children (low length for age or low weight for length) during the first 1,000 days of life (from conception to 2 years of age) influences short-term and long-term health and survival 1,2 . Interventions such as nutritional supplementation during pregnancy and the postnatal period could help prevent growth faltering, but programmatic action has been insufficient to eliminate the high burden of stunting and wasting in low- and middle-income countries. Identification of age windows and population subgroups on which to focus will benefit future preventive efforts. Here we use a population intervention effects analysis of 33 longitudinal cohorts (83,671 children, 662,763 measurements) and 30 separate exposures to show that improving maternal anthropometry and child condition at birth accounted for population increases in length-for-age z-scores of up to 0.40 and weight-for-length z-scores of up to 0.15 by 24 months of age. Boys had consistently higher risk of all forms of growth faltering than girls. Early postnatal growth faltering predisposed children to subsequent and persistent growth faltering. Children with multiple growth deficits exhibited higher mortality rates from birth to 2 years of age than children without growth deficits (hazard ratios 1.9 to 8.7). The importance of prenatal causes and severe consequences for children who experienced early growth faltering support a focus on pre-conception and pregnancy as a key opportunity for new preventive interventions., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Research capacity strengthening (RCS) can empower individuals, institutions, networks, or countries to define and prioritize problems systematically; develop and scientifically evaluate appropriate solutions; and reinforce or improve capacities to translate knowledge into policy and practice. However, how to embed RCS into multi-country studies focusing on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is largely undocumented. We used findings from a qualitative study, from a review of the literature, and from a validation exercise from a panel of experts from research institutions that work on SRHR RCS. We provide a framework for embedded RCS; suggest a set of seven concrete actions that research project planners, designers, implementers, and funders can utilise to guide embedded RCS activities in low- and middle-income countries; and present a practical checklist for planning and assessing embedded RCS in research projects.

Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) represent the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) most recent initiative for reducing the plight of the poor. This paper examines whether the PRSPs for Liberia, Afghanistan and Haiti follow World Bank guidance on health. The health data, analysis and strategy content of the three PRSPs are assessed with respect to the ‘Health, Nutrition and Population’ chapter of the World Bank’s PRSP Sourcebook. This guidance states that PRSPs should include: health data on the poor and a clear analysis showing the determinants of ill health and pro-poor health strategies. Unfortunately, none of the PRSPs analysed comply with the guidance and, consequently, do not adequately portray the health situation within their countries. Thus health is not given a high priority in the PRSP process and is seemingly low on the agenda of both poor country governments and the International Financial Institutions (IFIs). If the situation for the world’s poorest people is to improve, health and the right to health need to be promoted within PRSPs.

CKD affects about 850 million people worldwide and is projected to be the fifth leading cause of death by 2040. Individuals from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear the bulk of CKD. They face challenges including lack of awareness among the general population, as well as health care providers, unique risk factors such as genetic predispositions, infectious diseases, and environmental toxins, limited availability and affordability of diagnostic tests and medications, and limited access to KRTs. The inadequate health system infrastructure, human resources, and financing mechanisms to support comprehensive and integrated kidney care worsen the situation. Overcoming these challenges needs concerted efforts toward early detection, intervention, and multidisciplinary follow-up, policy, collaboration, advocacy, and financing. To achieve this, there is need for individual governments to include kidney health among the key health priorities and build capacity toward resilient health care systems. Integrating kidney care using the roadmaps of well-established management systems for other chronic diseases, such as HIV, has the potential to expedite the widespread adoption of kidney health. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the current state and future prospects of kidney care in LMICs, highlighting the main challenges, ongoing efforts, and opportunities for improvement. We present case studies of exemplary efforts from three continents of the world with the highest densities of LMICs and propose potential strategies for a sustainable solution., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Society of Nephrology.)

Poverty is an important social determinant of health that is associated with increased risk of death 1-5 . Cash transfer programmes provide non-contributory monetary transfers to individuals or households, with or without behavioural conditions such as children's school attendance 6,7 . Over recent decades, cash transfer programmes have emerged as central components of poverty reduction strategies of many governments in low- and middle-income countries 6,7 . The effects of these programmes on adult and child mortality rates remains an important gap in the literature, however, with existing evidence limited to a few specific conditional cash transfer programmes, primarily in Latin America 8-14 . Here we evaluated the effects of large-scale, government-led cash transfer programmes on all-cause adult and child mortality using individual-level longitudinal mortality datasets from many low- and middle-income countries. We found that cash transfer programmes were associated with significant reductions in mortality among children under five years of age and women. Secondary heterogeneity analyses suggested similar effects for conditional and unconditional programmes, and larger effects for programmes that covered a larger share of the population and provided larger transfer amounts, and in countries with lower health expenditures, lower baseline life expectancy, and higher perceived regulatory quality. Our findings support the use of anti-poverty programmes such as cash transfers, which many countries have introduced or expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, to improve population health., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Building on long-term benefits of early intervention (Paper 2 of this Series) and increasing commitment to early childhood development (Paper 1 of this Series), scaled up support for the youngest children is essential to improving health, human capital, and wellbeing across the life course. In this third paper, new analyses show that the burden of poor development is higher than estimated, taking into account additional risk factors. National programmes are needed. Greater political prioritisation is core to scale-up, as are policies that afford families time and financial resources to provide nurturing care for young children. Effective and feasible programmes to support early child development are now available. All sectors, particularly education, and social and child protection, must play a role to meet the holistic needs of young children. However, health provides a critical starting point for scaling up, given its reach to pregnant women, families, and young children. Starting at conception, interventions to promote nurturing care can feasibly build on existing health and nutrition services at limited additional cost. Failure to scale up has severe personal and social consequences. Children at elevated risk for compromised development due to stunting and poverty are likely to forgo about a quarter of average adult income per year, and the cost of inaction to gross domestic product can be double what some countries currently spend on health. Services and interventions to support early childhood development are essential to realising the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals.

As a traditional energy and carbon intensive sector, it becomes imperative for the global paper industry to realize green development. This paper aims to provide guidance for the green transformation of global paper industry by evaluating the global paper industry green development level in a systematic and dynamic way. This paper employs text-mining method to develop paper industry green development evaluation indicator system and adopts market-extended LCA model and entropy-TOPSIS method to calculate the paper industry green development level of 48 countries/regions. The results show that during 2000–2030 the paper industry green development level of developing countries improves faster than developed countries, where those of developing and developed countries increase from 0.3369 to 0.3938 and from 0.5120 to 0.5517 respectively and the gap between them narrows from 0.1751 to 0.1579. The comparative analysis reveals that the paper industries of developed and developing countries are in different green development stages. Developing countries, represented by China, improve greatly in economic and social dimensions, but decline seriously in ecological dimension due to enlarging resource consumption and environmental damages. On the contrary, developed countries tend to saturate in economic and social dimensions and have been improving fast in ecological dimension, gradually realizing the decoupling of industrial economic development and environmental damages. To further promote the global paper industry green development, developing countries should focus on promoting the coordinated development between economic growth and environment protection and developed countries should play a leading role in the global green transformation by promoting optimal allocation of resources and cross-regional communications of green technologies. • A paper industry green development indicator system is developed based on text mining. • A global paper industry green development model is built with market-extended LCA. • Complex interactions among the indicators are internalized in the evaluation. • A spatial-temporal analysis is performed on global paper industry green development level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decades, there is a growing search for analytical strategies to ensure clinical analysis without the need of laboratory set-up and skilled personnel. Indeed, user-friendly and low-cost devices are highly valued in the era of sustainability for their capability to be applied in low-resource contexts, such as developing countries. To address this issue, herein we report a 96-well paper-based and laboratory setup-free optical platform for the detection of butyrylcholinesterase enzyme (BChE) activity in human serum. We used chromatographic paper to realize a novel analytical tool exploiting its porous structure for reagentless synthesize Prussian Blue Nanoparticles (the sensing element), as well to load all the reagents required for the measurement. The principle of BChE activity detection relies on the reaction between the enzymatic product thiocholine and Prussian Blue, giving the Prussian White with subsequently Prussian Blue's fading, detected by a common office scanner supported by ImageJ software. Using this novel paper-based optical platform, BChE activity was linearly detected in the 2–15 U/mL range with a detection limit down to 0.8 U/mL. The accuracy was successfully demonstrated by recovery study with spiked serum and by comparing the data with the gold standard method. • 96-wells paper-based platform for BChE activity quantification in serum. • Colorimetric detection by following the Prussian Blue reduction by thiocholine. • The measurement requires only some µL of diluted human serum. • Color reading by using a common office scanner. • BChE activity is linearly detected up to 15 U/mL with LOD equal to 0.8 U/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disposal of untreated paper mill effluent is a major environmental concern today. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the available treatment units for the paper mill effluent and to recommend a possible best option for the developing nations, like Pakistan. Various physciochemicals, anaerobic, aerobic, combination of different treatment units have been evaluated, on the basis of their treatability performance, especially in terms of COD, BOD and AOX removal efficiency. It is concluded that the physcio-chemical and aerobic processes are uneconomical and impracticable, owing to their high operational cost. Whereas, the anaerobic processes seem to be more reliable, simple and feasible for the developing world, both in terms of pollution reduction and low operational costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystems generate a wide range of benefits for humans, including some market goods as well as other benefits that are not directly reflected in market activity 1 . Climate change will alter the distribution of ecosystems around the world and change the flow of these benefits 2,3 . However, the specific implications of ecosystem changes for human welfare remain unclear, as they depend on the nature of these changes, the value of the affected benefits and the extent to which communities rely on natural systems for their well-being 4 . Here we estimate country-level changes in economic production and the value of non-market ecosystem benefits resulting from climate-change-induced shifts in terrestrial vegetation cover, as projected by dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) driven by general circulation climate models. Our results show that the annual population-weighted mean global flow of non-market ecosystem benefits valued in the wealth accounts of the World Bank will be reduced by 9.2% in 2100 under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway SSP2-6.0 with respect to the baseline no climate change scenario and that the global population-weighted average change in gross domestic product (GDP) by 2100 is -1.3% of the baseline GDP. Because lower-income countries are more reliant on natural capital, these GDP effects are regressive. Approximately 90% of these damages are borne by the poorest 50% of countries and regions, whereas the wealthiest 10% experience only 2% of these losses., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: The cornerstone of the public health function is to identify healthcare needs, to influence policy development, and to inform change in practice. Current data management practices with paper-based recording systems are prone to data quality defects. Increasingly, healthcare organizations are using technology for the efficient management of data. The aim of this study was to compare the data quality of digital records with the quality of the corresponding paper-based records using a data quality assessment framework. Methodology: We conducted a desk review of paper-based and digital records over the study duration from April 2016 to July 2016 at six enrolled tuberculosis (TB) clinics. We input all data fields of the patient treatment (TB01) card into a spreadsheet-based template to undertake a field-to-field comparison of the shared fields between TB01 and digital data. Findings: A total of 117 TB01 cards were prepared at six enrolled sites, whereas just 50% of the records (n = 59; 59 out of 117 TB01 cards) were digitized. There were 1239 comparable data fields, out of which 65% (n = 803) were correctly matched between paper based and digital records. However, 35% of the data fields (n = 436) had anomalies, either in paper-based records or in digital records. The calculated number of data quality issues per digital patient record was 1.9, whereas it was 2.1 issues per record for paper-based records. Based on the analysis of valid data quality issues, it was found that there were more data quality issues in paper-based records (n = 123) than in digital records (n = 110). Conclusion: There were fewer data quality issues in digital records as compared with the corresponding paper-based records of tuberculosis patients. Greater use of mobile data capture and continued data quality assessment can deliver more meaningful information for decision making.

In recent years the lawfulness of certain types of sanctions and the question about the usefulness of sanctions in general have become topical and widely discussed issues. Of special significance is the expanding use by powerful states of unilateral coercive measures without Security Council authorisation, or beyond Security Council authorisation, to illustrate their displeasure with the domestic or foreign policies of certain members of the international community. Over time the nature of these measures has taken on diverse forms and their encroachment on human rights and freedoms has become a matter of international concern. This contribution examines the developments that have taken place in this context since the 2000 report of the Working Group on the negative impact of sanctions by focussing on the interventions by key United Nations bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a disparity between low and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs) in translating medical device innovations to the market, affecting health care service delivery. Whereas medical technologies developed in HICs face substantial challenges in getting to the bedside, there are at least clear pathways in most of the major markets, such as the UK, the EU, and the USA. Much less is known about the challenges that innovators of medical technologies face in LMICs. The aim of this study was to map out current bottlenecks in medical device innovation in Uganda, a LMIC in Sub-Saharan East Africa.A cross-sectional survey was carried out using a digital questionnaire. Twenty-one individuals completed the questionnaire, with the majority being medical device innovators (n = 12). Only one of these had undertaken all the innovation stages, up to clinical validation. Very few innovators had established companies, and/or acquired intellectual property. It is evident from similar studies that challenges in medical device translations are multidimensional, and hence interdisciplinary collaborations are key to accelerating translation processes, especially for LMICs., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Preventing cancer is better than treating or curing it. Cancer prevention ensures reduced physical, emotional, financial burden to the individual. Methods: The focus of the preventive oncology unit at Healthcare Global (HCG) Enterprise Limited, Bangalore, India, is to increase the understanding of how lifestyle and risk of cancer are related. It also focusses on screening of normal individuals for estimating their risk of developing cancer, which in-turn can lead to earlier detection, improved treatment and outcomes. This unique endeavor started one year back, provides counseling and vaccination services for HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) and HBV (Hepatitis B Virus). Our outreach initiatives in collaboration with the State and City health Departments include screening camps, and awareness sessions focusing on HPV and HBV vaccination. Results: The focus of research is in the areas of cancer epidemiology, prevention, screening, and control. Such research involves a multidisciplinary approach involving the fields of epidemiology, biostatistics, behavioral science, nutrition, and basic science. Conclusion: This novel endeavor at a tertiary cancer hospital in a Developing Country is aimed at preventing the development or progression of the malignant cancer process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of published scientific paper grows rapidly each year, totaling more than 2.9 million annually. New methodologies and systems have been developed to analyze scientific production and performance indicators from large quantities of data available from the scientific databases, such as Web of Science or Scopus. In this paper, we analyzed the international scientific production and co-authorship patterns for the most productive authors from Serbia based on the obtained Web of Science dataset in the period 2006–2013. We performed bibliometric and scientometric analyses together with statistical and collaboration network analysis, to reveal the causes of extraordinary publishing performance of some authors. For such authors, we found significant inequality in distribution of papers over journals and countries of co-authors, using Gini coefficient and Lorenz curves. Most of the papers belong to multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and the field of applied sciences. We have discovered three specific collaboration patterns that lead to high productivity in international collaboration. First pattern corresponds to mega-authorship papers with hundreds of co-authors gathered in specific research groups. The other two collaboration patterns were found in mathematics and multidisciplinary science, mainly application of graph theory and computational methods in physical chemistry. The former pattern results in a star-shaped collaboration network with mostly individual collaborators. The latter pattern includes multiple actors with high betweenness centrality measure and identified brokerage roles. The results are compared with the later period 2014–2023, where high scientific production has been observed in some other fields, such as biology and food science and technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A selective paper-based antibody-free COVID-19 assay. • The enzymatic activity of the virus-related 3CL protease is applied for detection. • All our tests were validated against PCR tests displaying similar selectivity and sensitivity. • Our sensor displays an ultrafast detection turnover of ca. 1 min. • No instruments are required to perform the simple colorimetric diagnosis. COVID-19 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 has led to high mortality worldwide, with social and financial effects expected to persist for years to come. Since asymptomatic individuals cause a large portion of transmission, actions taken to curb the COVID-19 pandemic mostly rely on procedures aimed at detecting viral-related molecules in infected carriers. Currently, leading available detection methods fall short in reliability or point-of-care mass screening applicability. Here, we present an unprecedented antibody-free smart pH paper-based seconds-long detection platform against the virus-related enzyme 3CLpro as a saliva biomarker of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The selective proteolytic activity of 3CLpro is directly detected from native saliva using a peptide substrate-embedded pH-paper platform. 3CLpro presence in infected individuals leads to an ultrafast pH-drop in the paper matrix, thus leading to a sharp color change as direct means of detection. Ultrafast detection, simplicity, no requirement of surface chemistry by sensitive biomolecules, long-term stability, and point-of-care compatibility for COVID-19 mass screening were demonstrated. Forty-two subjects were tested, exhibiting highly sensitive and specific detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Finally, we foresee that this universal approach could be implemented for the multiplexed detection of other viral infections by detecting specific viral proteases. Importantly, since our approach does not require immune-specific antibodies for specific detection, the overall platform is extremely cost-efficient, less than 2 USD cents per assay, and suitable for the worldwide mass screening of viral infections, particularly in remote and developing world locations. Moreover, we propose an extremely easy-to-use and produce practical test strip design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Municipal wastes have become a severe problem in developed and developing countries during the last century, paper being the main constituent. Not all of the waste paper can be recycled, and therefore alternative procedures for the use of the remaining material should be pursued. The aim of the present work was the application of cellulases for waste paper treatment and the subsequent glucose production and optimization of the conditions for such treatment. Glucose thereafter can be utilized for production of ethanol or other chemicals by specific microbial cultures. The work focused in the stabilization of cellulases by cross-linking or by the addition of specific crown ether based compounds to improve glucose production. The results indicated that enzymatic treatment of waste paper is of particular interest, since it may be an alternative way to carry out municipal wastes treatment and concomitant glucose production. By the application of the proposed procedure, the total amounts of municipal wastes can be greatly reduced and production of bioethanol can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document discusses the importance of foreign direct investment (FDI) in promoting growth and development in emerging economies. It acknowledges that FDI can have both positive and negative effects, but overall it is seen as a vital tool for economic acceleration. The document highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global FDI patterns, particularly in emerging economies. It introduces a special issue that includes eight papers examining various aspects of FDI inflows and outflows in the context of COVID-19. The papers cover topics such as the factors influencing FDI, the effects of the pandemic on FDI, and the relationship between FDI and economic growth. The document concludes by expressing gratitude to the reviewers and editors involved in publishing the special issue. [Extracted from the article]

The research assessed waste-based briquettes consumption compared to conventional fuels in the Andes. Laboratory tests were conducted together with on-field analysis in Colquencha (Bolivia). The laboratory study shows that the performances of briquettes are better in terms of PM2.5 (933.4 ± 50.8 mg kg−1) and CO emissions (22.89 ± 2.40 g kg−1) compared to animal dung (6265.7 ± 1273.5 mgPM2.5 kg−1 and 48.10 ± 12.50 gCO kg−1), although the boiling time increased due to the lower fuel consumption rate and firepower compared to shrubs. The social survey organized with 150 Bolivian citizens suggested that low-income households are not able to pay for an alternative fuel: about 40% would pay less than 4 USD per month, while methane use for cooking is positively correlated with the income level (r = 0.244, p < 0.05). On field analysis suggested that local cookstoves are not appropriate for briquettes combustion since indoor air pollution overcomes 30 ppm of CO and 10 mgPM2.5 m-3. On balance, local small manufactures can be the main target for selling waste-based briquettes to reduce shrubs and wood consumption. However, briquettes production costs seem not yet competitive to natural easy-to-obtain fuels (i.e., animal dung). The research encourages the use of cellulosic and biomass waste-based briquettes in the Andean area for cooking, heating, or manufacturing and strongly advises policy-makers to introduce economic incentives for the recovery of secondary raw materials. • Analysis of waste-based briquettes use in Andean areas were conducted. • Laboratory analysis, social surveys, and on field evaluations are the methods. • Briquettes can be employed for reducing about 30% of the conventional fuels. • The research encourages the employment of waste-based briquettes in the Andes. • Incentives to briquettes production and consumption should be introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]