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Mentorship programs are crucial for continuous medical education, improving personal confidence, knowledge, and skills, and have been associated with staff retention and overall career satisfaction. However, there are limited studies evaluating the effectiveness of mentorship programs in neurosurgery. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of mentorship programs in neurosurgery, focusing on knowledge and skill development, personal growth, and networking opportunities. A cross-sectional study was conducted during the 9th Hoz Neurosurgery Mentorship Program, involving 175 participants from 16 countries. Precourse and postcourse surveys assessed participants' neurosurgical knowledge, research experience, personal abilities, and acknowledgment of neurosurgical subspecialties. Of the participants, 89% were from Iraq, with the remaining from various countries. Most participants were medical students in their early years. The average neurosurgical knowledge score increased from 35.29/60 precourse to 38.4/60 postcourse. The total passing percentage increased from 71% precourse to 86% postcourse. Prior to the program, 87% of participants had not participated in research projects, and 69% had not presented at scientific meetings. Feedback from the postcourse survey highlighted personal development, leadership, teamwork, public speaking skills, and ethical and moral aspects of being a neurosurgeon. Mentorship programs are effective in advancing the skills and capabilities of medical students, junior residents, and physicians. Evaluation of their effectiveness should consider not only scientific knowledge but also practical capabilities, personal growth, and critical thinking development. Free-of-charge programs with diverse participants and overall effectiveness make such experiences unique compared to other mentorship opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Proposal of a novel MSW-fueled cogeneration system for power and hydrogen production • Comparison of proton exchange membrane and alkaline electrolyzers • Tri-objective optimization based on exergy efficiency, product cost, and CO 2 emission • Better performance of alkaline electrolyzer in terms of levelized product cost Efficient conversion of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) into useful energy by anaerobic digestion is a sustainable method which received growing interest, particularly for small-scale decentralized energy systems. This paper aims at development of an efficient combined cogeneration cycle for production of electricity and hydrogen from biogas generated using anaerobic digestion of MSW. When it comes to the topping cycle, the proposed system makes use of a micro gas turbine, whose waste heat is converted to electricity by an absorption power cycle. This additional electricity is provided to a water electrolyzer, which uses it to generate hydrogen. Two types of electrolyzers, including the Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyzer (PEME) and the Alkaline Electrolyzer (AE) are considered, and their performances (as a component of the overall suggested combined systems) are compared from economic and thermodynamic viewpoints. The CO 2 emission index is also addressed, and tri-objective optimization based on exergy, cost, and emission indices is carried out to compare the two systems. Obtained results indicated important outcomes, including that the system integrated with PEME is superior in terms of exergetic performance and emissions, whereas the system with AE is superior in terms of economics. The former has a 3.0% greater efficiency and a 3.3% lower emissions at optimal point established by tri-objective optimization, while it has a 9.3% higher levelized product cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the third millennium, developing countries will confront significant environmental problems such as ozone depletion, global warming, the shortage of fossil resources, and greenhouse gas emissions. This research looked at a multigenerational system that can generate clean hydrogen, fresh water, electricity, heat, and cooling. The system's components include Rankine and Brayton cycles, an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), flash desalination, an Alkaline electrolyzer, and a solar heliostat. The proposed process has been compared for two different start-up modes with a combustion chamber and solar heliostat to compare renewable and fossil fuel sources. This research evaluated various characteristics, including turbine pressure, system efficiency, solar radiation, and isentropic efficiency. The energy and exergy efficiency of the proposed system were obtained at around 78.93% and 47.56%, respectively. Exergy study revealed that heat exchangers and alkaline electrolyzers had the greatest exergy destruction rates, at 78.93% and 47.56%, respectively. The suggested system produces 0.04663 kg/s of hydrogen. Results indicate that at the best operational conditions, the exergetic efficiency, power, and hydrogen generation of 56%, 6000 kW, and 1.28 kg/s is reached, respectively. Also, With a 15% improvement in the Brayton cycle's isentropic efficacy, the quantity of hydrogen produced increases from 0.040 kg/s to 0.0520 kg/s. [Display omitted] • A new multigenerational system is proposed, and an effort is made to reach more sustainability by eliminating fossil fuels. • The system is analyzed from energy, exergy, and economic standpoints, and three-dimensional optimization is performed. • The energy and exergy efficiency of the proposed system is around 78.93% and 47.56%, respectively. • At the best operational conditions, the exergetic efficiency, power, and hydrogen generation of 56%, 6000 kW, and 1.28 kg/s is reached, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology has great potential as a clean and effective energy source. However, several issues have prevented their widespread adoption, like high operating costs, difficulty integrating with other components, and being sensitive to fuel contamination. In order to address these challenges, the main novelties of the present work are carbon capture and utilization for clean energy production, using the flue gas condensation process as a cost-effective and energy-efficient strategy, and the combination of Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFC) for increased energy efficiency and most effective component integration. The proposed novel system is also equipped with a gasifier and vanadium chloride unit for syngas and clean hydrogen production. The system's practicality is evaluated by analyzing the key performance indicators from thermodynamic, exergo-economic, exergo-environmental, and sustainability viewpoints. Also, the Sankey diagram is presented to investigate each component's effectiveness from the exergy destruction facet. According to the findings, at the most optimum design condition, the acceptable energy and exergy efficiencies of 61.06% and 50.66%, respectively, are achieved, revealing the system's effectiveness. The suggested system is also financially attractive since it achieves a reasonable levelized power cost of 17.6 $/MWh at a total cost of 44.1 $/h. The findings show that carbon dioxide recovery is crucial in reducing the pollutants due to the low emission index of 5.01 kg/GWh. Finally, the exergo-environmental index, environmental damage effectiveness, and exergy stability factor have equivalent values of 0.012, 0.59, and 0.54. • An efficient novel system based on SOFC and MCFC integration is introduced. • A carbon recovery unit is added to reuse the generated CO 2 in the gasification. • The performance is comprehensively investigated from all aspects. • An exergy efficiency of 50.6% with an acceptable cost of 17.6 $/MWh is achieved. • The environmental pollution index is reduced considerably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creating a Z-scheme heterojunction system can enhance the efficiency of separating and transporting charge carriers responsible for degrading pollutants. Hence, in this study, ZnCo 2 O 4 was combined with g-C 3 N 4 through a straightforward approach to create a novel Z-scheme heterogeneous nanocomposite. Various techniques were employed to inspect the photocatalysts' crystallinity, morphology, chemical composition, functional groups, band structure, and electrochemical properties. The Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue reveals that the catalytic activity of g-C 3 N 4 /ZnCo 2 O 4 nanocomposite (414 × 10−4 min−1) is considerably greater than that of the individual building units (g-C 3 N 4 : 45.7 × 10−4 min−1 and ZnCo 2 O 4 79.5 × 10−4 min−1). The impact of operational parameters such as photocatalyst dosage (mg), pH, and dye concentration (ppm) on the photodegradation ability of the nanocomposite g-C 3 N 4 /ZnCo 2 O 4 was assessed and optimized based on response surface methodology and central composite design model. The highest level of degradation, reaching 99%, was gained in the optimal condition, including pH = 7, 90 mg of g-C 3 N 4 /ZnCo 2 O 4 photocatalyst, and 5 ppm of MB. The photoluminescence and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results revealed that the significant attenuation of the generated electron-hole pair recombination increased the nanocomposite photocatalytic performance. Also, extensive solar light absorption and adaptation of the band structures of the two semiconductors resulted in increased photocatalytic activity. The addition of scavengers to the photocatalytic test environment showed the importance of the contribution of each active species in the decomposition of methylene blue. The heterojunction photocatalytic system showed good reproducibility and reusability in the reaction solution. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The long-term performance of WMA and modified WMA mixtures under 3FTC and AP conditions were evaluated. • The effect of NRGO on the fracture behavior of WMA at low and intermediate temperatures was evaluated. • The effect of crack type, i.e. vertical or angular cracks, on the fracture behavior of WMA and modified WMA mixture was evaluated. • The addition of 0.6% and 0.3% NRGO improved the fracture behavior of WMA at low and intermediate temperatures. • Applying 3FTC was suggested to estimate the long-term performance of asphalt mixture (instead of AP). Recent studies have shown that in addition to ambient temperature, time-dependent factors such as temperature cycles and freeze–thaw cycles (FTCs) affect the speed of creation and growth of low-temperature cracks (LTCs) and intermediate-temperature cracks (ITCs) by creating the aging process in the asphalt mixture. Therefore, it is necessary to study the cracking behavior of asphalt mixtures by considering these factors. In the present study, an attempt was made to evaluate the long-term fracture behavior of Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) modified with nano-reduced graphene oxide (NRGO) containing vertical and angular cracks under mode I loading conditions at low and intermediate temperatures using Semi-circular bend (SCB) geometry. In order to simulate long-term performance, two conditions of 3 FTC and aging process (for 6 days) were applied to the mixtures with and without NRGO, and the results were compared with samples subjected to 0 FTC (short-term performance). The results showed that adding 0.3% and 0.6% NRGO to the WMA mixture increased fracture toughness (K IC), fracture energy (G F), and stiffness under mode I at low and intermediate temperatures. At +15 °C and for the geometry containing the vertical crack, the NRGO-modified WMA mixture had better flexibility under 3 FTC than 0 FTC; while, the flexibility of the NRGO-modified WMA mixture decreased under aging process. For geometry containing angular crack, flexibility indices improved for NRGO-containing mixtures under 3 FTC and aging process (at +15 °C temperature). On the other hand, the results showed that the addition of NRGO to the WMA mixture, while increasing the maximum load at the moment of fracture, caused a decrease in the displacement at the fractured moment at low and intermediate temperatures. This result was obtained for the mixtures that were conditioned under aging process. However, the results showed that applying 3 FTCs decreased the maximum load at the moment of fracture and increased the displacement at the fractured moment. Finally, the results showed that the reduction of fracture indices was higher for WMA and NRGO-modified WMA mixtures under 3 FTCs (at temperatures ±15 °C); therefore, applying 3 FTC instead of aging process can be used to evaluate the long-term performance of asphalt mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Vasculitides have been reported as adverse events following immunization (AEFI) following various vaccines. We describe reports of vasculitis to three international spontaneous reporting systems. Methods All spontaneous reports of vasculitis following immunization between January 2003 and June 2014 were retrieved from Eudravigilance (EV), the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), and VigiBase ® . A Standard MedDRA Query (SMQ) for vasculitis was used and vaccine types were categorized using the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification system. We performed a descriptive analysis by source, sex, age, country, time to onset, vaccine, and type of vasculitis. Results We retrieved 1797 reports of vasculitis in EV, 1171 in VAERS, and 2606 in VigiBase ® . Vasculitis was predominantly reported in children aged 1–17 years, and less frequently in the elderly (>65 years). The generic term “vasculitis” was the most frequently reported AEFI in this category across the three databases (range 21.9% to 27.5% of all reported vasculitis for vaccines). For the more specific terms, Henoch–Schoenlein Purpura (HSP) was most frequently reported, (19.1% on average), followed by Kawasaki disease (KD) (16.1% on average) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) (9.2% on average). Less frequently reported subtypes were cutaneous vasculitis (CuV), vasculitis of the central nervous system (CNS-V), and Behcet's syndrome (BS). HSP, PMR and CuV were more frequently reported with influenza vaccines: on average in 29.3% for HSP reports, 61.5% for PMR reports and in 39.2% for CuV reports. KD was reported with pneumococcal vaccines in 32.0% of KD reports and with rotavirus vaccines in more than 20% of KD reports. BS was most frequently reported after hepatitis and HPV vaccines and CNS-V after HPV vaccines. Conclusion Similar reporting patterns of vasculitides were observed in different databases. Implementation of standardized case definitions for specific vasculitides could improve overall data quality and comparability of reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Simulation of a hydrogen energy system. • Using PEM electrolysis for the hydrogen productionon. • Techno-economic assessment of the system for the feasibility study. • Multi-objective genetic algorithm optimization. • Neural network-based optimization of the proposed system. In this research, we try to investigate a solar-geothermal energy system. This system includes three turbines for power production, a PEM electrolyzer for hydrogen production, and a thermoelectric for generating electricity from excess heat. In addition, the seawater will be passed through the osmotic cycle to gain fresh water. The required power for this osmotic cycle will be obtained through the energy produced by the main turbines. The generated load, hydrogen production flow rate, purified water flow rate, and heating consumption are assessed in this study. The results showed that this system can produce 3.8 megawatts of electricity as well as 8 g per second of hydrogen fuel at the operating point. Also, the energy efficiency of this system is estimated to be 19%. Afterward, machine learning methods are used to optimize designing parameters, and the optimum operating point in terms of useful power and stored fuel flow rate is obtained by a genetic algorithm. The optimum operating point of this energy system has a useful power output of 4.099 megawatts and a hydrogen flow rate of 29 g per second. In the end, the distribution of the design parameters is displayed for points of the beam curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]