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Supply chain finance (SCF) as a crucial approach plays a key role in improving commitment, trust, financial flows, and profitability in a supply chain (SC). Many industrial organisations finance their SC through two resources: internal financing (buyer) and external financing (bank). The main objective of this paper is to develop an advanced data envelopment analysis (DEA) model for measuring the sustainability of financing resources of Industry 4.0 technologies. To do so, for the first time a non-radial DEA model in the presence of both zero inputs and ratio data is proposed. In this paper, the sustainability factors, including economic, environmental, and social factors are incorporated into the proposed approach. The developed DEA model, for the first time, is applied in SCF. The results show the most sustainable financial resource for investing in Industry 4.0 technologies. Also, the inputs and outputs' inefficiencies are determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was performed to investigate the biosorption mechanism of Diclofenac Sodium and Ketotifen Fumarate onto CCL biosorbent using isotherms models (Langmuir, Freundlich). Effects of parameters influencing the biosorption such as temperature, pH, biosorbent dose, contact time and biosorbate initial concentration were all investigated and optimised using a batch system. The comparison between various models indicates that the nonlinear form of Langmuir model was the best way to describe the equilibrium data that were approved using error functions: the coefficient of determination (R2), Average relative error (ARE), the sum of the squares of the errors (SSE), Marquardt's percent standard deviation (MPSD), Hybrid fractional error function (HYBRID), Sum of the absolute errors (SAE) and 'sum of the normalised errors (SNE)' parameter. The kinetics experimental data was best predicted by the pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption mechanism identified external mass transfer as the principal measure of velocity control step. Thermodynamically, the process is spontaneous, exothermic and the adsorption was more favourable at lower temperatures. It was found that the regeneration is required as it changes the surface morphology of the biosorbent. Therefore, CCL biosorbent is considered as cost-effective and eco-efficient for removing Diclofenac and Ketotifen adsorbate from aqueous media by adsorption technique especially with its low cost preparation and regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been embroiled in decades-long conflict that has resulted in the forced displacement of millions of people and extremely high rates of gender-based violence (GBV). While much attention has understandably focused on conflict-related sexual violence, intimate partner violence (IPV) is in fact one of the most pervasive forms of GBV, including in conflict settings. This paper presents results of a large, randomised survey looking at both sexual and intimate partner violence. Formerly displaced women had 11 per cent greater odds of reporting past-year IPV (p < 0.05), and currently displaced women reported 20 per cent greater odds of IPV in the past-year (p < 0.001). Women who reported ever being displaced also reported 8.5 per cent greater odds (p < 0.001) of past-year sexual violence. Both displacement and war-related experiences are highly and significantly associated with lifetime and past-year IPV and sexual violence. By acknowledging and creating programs that explicitly address the high risk of violence faced by displaced women, we may more effectively break the cycles of violence in fragile settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the issues addressed by machine learning, with applications in various disciplines or fields such as the health sector and the agricultural sector among others, involves data classification. For this purpose, various models within supervised learning have been proposed and developed that allow for the classification of these data. However, one of the implications of the No-Free-Lunch theorems is that there is no optimal general-purpose model, i.e. there is no classifier model that achieves the best results for all problems presented. Hence the importance of proposing and implementing new classifier models, evaluating their performance, and comparing them with other classifier models in order to achieve models with good results in specific problems. This work presents a new classifier model that, by constructing hyperplanes from the training set, generates a decision tree and partitions the dimensional space. The proposed model was applied to different problems such as the $XOR$ XOR logical function problem, where the proposed model managed to solve the problem, it was also applied to the Iris Dataset where one of the trees generated by the model managed to classify with 100% accuracy the test set, and finally, the proposed model was applied to the Pima Indians Diabetes Database and compared with other models using the accuracy value. The proposed model obtained an accuracy of 81.81%, achieving the best result in the same way as the Random Forest Classifier. The results obtained in this work show that the proposed model manages to partition the dimensional space adequately from the training set and thus competitively classify the data with other state-of-the-art models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study presents a cutting-edge survey on privacy issues, security attacks, countermeasures and open problems in FL. Methodology: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach was used to determine the research domain, establish a search query, and analyze all retrieved articles from the selected scientific databases (i.e. ACM, ArXiv, Google Scholar, IEEE, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Springer) to meet eligibility criteria and select relevant articles. A total of 1783 articles were retrieved, and 112 articles were deemed eligible for the study. Result: This study identified five categories and eleven types of attacks, as well as six types of security attack countermeasures in FL. The results show that privacy and heterogeneity issues are the most common open problems in FL, comprising 38% of the selected articles, while data poisoning emerges as the most common attack, constituting 25% of all attacks identified in the study. The results also show that differential privacy can be used to combat six types of attacks, while anomaly detection can be utilized to combat four types of attacks. Conclusion: This study reveals that If researchers and industry experts fail to solve the additional security concerns that occur from transferring training to personal devices and private enterprises, FL adoption may come to a standstill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of advertising technology, especially the emergence of generative artificial intelligence, the generation and editing of advertising content has become more convenient and efficient. However, this also brings new security risks to digital advertising. For example, in order to generate personalized advertising content, AI can collect user behavior data without the user's knowledge and automatically generate ads that are beneficial to advertisers. In addition, the main issue regarding outdoor advertising is whether the outdoor advertising platform can deliver the advertising content required by the advertiser at the designated place and time according to the actual requirements of the customer. Combining blockchain and edge computing technology, this paper builds a security-enhanced outdoor advertising platform. The decentralized, non-tamperable and traceable features of blockchain technology provide the advertising platform with credibility between users and advertisers, as well as credibility between advertisers and the advertising platform. At the same time, the terminal controller with edge processing capabilities improves the efficiency of advertising and enhances the task balance between the server and the playback side. Experimental results show that the platform can effectively manage user identities and maintain advertising plans. It not only improves data security and credibility, but also has good performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oil or petroleum industry is among the most significant world industries and plays a decisive role in economic and political interactions due to its strategic importance. This massive industry has significantly been influenced by instabilities, political unrests, and sudden price fluctuation in recent years. Additionally, the decision-making process in the oil SC has become a challenging issue because of the presence of considerable facilities in the oil fields, oil refining, and distribution of petroleum products. Hence, the integrated optimization of oil SC has been quite popular with researchers. On the other hand, since there are environmental requirements, people have their shares in the extension of this industry, and developmental planning should consider ecological and social issues. The effort has been made in this article to propose a mathematical programming model for the design of oil supply chain network to reduce their environmental effects and improve the social indices while saving costs. Then, the model was solved with actual data from a real case study of the Iran Oil Industry. Finally, some recommendations have been provided based on analyses of the numerical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a secure and transparent pharmaceutical supply chain system using a permissioned blockchain network. This work focuses on (i) Enhancing the security of origin information across the supply chain with proper identification and authentication among the supplier, distributor, and other members of the system, (ii) Secure storing of the Supply Drugs Information (SDI) in the blockchain in a distributed manner, (iii) Traceability and transparent sharing of information across supply chain system. This proposed work also performs automatic transactions between suppliers and the distributors, tracking the provenance, adequate verification, and reducing supply chains' risk. The proposed system has been implemented using Hyperledger fabric and evaluated using Hyperledger Calliper to test its performance. Finally, we analyzed the proposed work's performance in terms of throughput, transaction latency, and network load. The results have shown that better transaction processing power and security than other existing systems of the blockchain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this article is to examine the heat and mass transportation of a Maxwell fluid flow in the rotating frame with double stratification and porous medium through a linear stretching surface. The heat transfer scrutiny has been presented in the existence of Cattaneo-Christov theory and variable thermal conductivity. The suitable transformation is considered to modify the flow model into the nonlinear system of ordinary differential equations. The numerical computation for the nonlinear system of equations is built-in by the Bvp4c MATLAB approach. It is found that both rotation and stretching have a noteworthy impact on temperature and the velocity profile. Thermal stratification enhances the heat transfer rate as well as higher estimations of rotation parameter condense the heat flux. The novel idea of the present problem is to analyze the heat transfer and Maxwell fluid flow into the rotating frame along Cattaneo-Christov theory induced by the stretching sheet. A relative analysis of current computations with prevailing literature revealed an exceptional agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of electric cooking appliances, also referred to as eCooking devices, presents a practical and sustainable solution for achieving universal access to clean cooking facilities by 2030. A choice modelling analysis on the factors that influence the selection of an eCooker in Ghana has been conducted to facilitate market expansion for organisations seeking to offer clean cooking services. The study utilised Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Fuzzy-TOPSIS, and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodologies to assess and rank electric cookers based on crucial factors such as kWh consumption rate, cooking efficiency, affordability, time-saving features, ergonomics, space utilisation capabilities, compatibility with cookware types, ease of cleaning and maintenance procedures, accessibility, among others. The rate of consumption was identified as the most critical factor, emphasising the significance of energy efficiency in the decision-making process. The analysis showed that the induction stove was optimal, considering both Fuzzy-TOPSIS and DEA evaluations. Although the induction stove may consume a considerable amount of electricity, its efficiency, performance, and other attributes make it the preferred choice. This study presents a systematic approach to assessing and ranking electric cooking stoves in Ghana, offering valuable insights for both consumers and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on Blockchain implementation in the Pharmaceutical Supply Chains (PSC) is lacking despite its strong potential to overcome conventional supply chain challenges. Thus, this study aims to provide critical insight into the nexus between Blockchain and PSC and further build a conceptual framework for implementation within the pharmaceutical industry. Following a systematic literature review and text mining approach, 65 interdisciplinary articles published between 2010 and 2021 were studied to capture the decade long developments. Descriptive and thematic analysis showcases nascent developments of Blockchain in PSC. The drivers and barriers to adoption, implementation stages, and applications identified through the thematic analysis guide in setting the agenda for future research, primarily focussing on the use of Blockchain for drug counterfeiting, recall issues, along with other sector-specific challenges such as patient privacy, regulations and clinical trials. Research on Blockchain for PSC has been slow compared to other sectors, but has accelerated since the Covid-19 pandemic. Identified influential factors, implementation process and apparent applications are expected to influence researchers and practitioners in developing a roadmap for adopting Blockchain in the pharmaceutical industry. The proposed conceptual framework is novel and provides valuable directions to producers, regulators and governments to implement Blockchain in the pharmaceutical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As globalisation and competition grow rapidly, adopting a flexible manufacturing philosophy becomes more critical for manufacturers. Cellular Manufacturing System (CMS) is among one of the most favourable ones which has been deeply studied in academia since this philosophy was coined in 1925. To design the manufacturing system efficiently and effectively, the management team needs to have a comprehensive representation of the definitions, classifications, solution approach to cellular manufacturing design problems. In this study, exact methods, heuristic approaches, metaheuristic techniques, and artificial intelligence strategies for cellular manufacturing design are reviewed. A comparison of solution approaches is discussed and based on this analysis, some suggestions for future research are proposed. Moreover, we tried to highlight the importance of investigating sustainability decisions related to CMS problems, and integration of supply chain decisions with CMS decisions which have not been sufficiently studied to identify a research direction for researchers to model and analyse those issues. Finally, we briefly discuss the placement of CMS as one of the major production systems in the industry 4.0 evolution paradigm. Reviewing the adoption of industry 4.0 techniques by CMS sheds light on the contribution of methodological approaches in transition to intelligent CMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While interests in Industry 4.0 technologies such as cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) are growing, an ongoing challenge is to properly evaluate the performance of the providers of such technologies. Methods have been developed and applied to assess the efficiency of cloud service providers (CSPs) for Industry 4.0. However, most existing methods suffer from such shortcomings as subjective weights and computing complexity, rendering it difficult to succinctly differentiate the performance of CSPs in a competitive market. Besides, the literature has not taken into account many different types of data such as ratios, integers, and undesirable factors that can affect the performance of CSPs. Most importantly, most existing studies do not consider the sustainability of CSPs in evaluating their performance. To address the above issues, we present a comprehensive analytical method based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) to gauge the sustainability of CSPs for Industry 4.0. Validating the usefulness of our method using a real-life dataset, we provide not only a viable means with sound academic underpinning but also significant managerial insights for practitioners to assess the sustainability of CSPs for Industry 4.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In present work, the genotoxicity of Hg2+, Ag+, Cr6+, Ni2+, Pb2+, Co2+, Mn2+, Zn2+, and Cr3+ was investigated via a quantitative toxicogenomics assay, to understand the toxic mechanism of heavy metals with greater depth. Under the experimental conditions, Hg2+, Ag+, and Cr6+ showed a more serious toxic impact on the expression of functional genes (eg., oxyR, katG, grxA, osmE, emrE, dinG) than Ni2+, Pb2+, Co2+, Mn2+, Zn2+, and Cr3+, while the protein, oxidative, and membrane stress response pathways were more sensitive to the toxicity of Hg2+, Ag+, and Cr6+ than the DNA and general stress response pathways. Compared with the other kinds of heavy metals, Ni2+, Pb2+, Co2+, and Mn2+ altered the expression of functional genes (uvrY, recX, mutY, and sbmC) related to the DNA stress response pathways more seriously, while Zn2+ and Cr3+ changed the expression of the functional genes (yfjG, ydgL, ssrA, and osmC) associated with the general stress response pathway more significantly. Meanwhile, the toxicity of Ni2+, Pb2+, Co2+, and Mn2+ was slightly higher than that of Zn2+ and Cr3+ in terms of the total value of transcriptional effect level Index (TELI) by detecting the promoter activities of different functional genes. In addition, to survive the toxicity of heavy metals, the expression of multidrug efflux genes (ydgL, cyoA, emrA, and emrE) and toxicity-resistant genes (Ion, dnaJ, clpB, mutY, dnaK, rpoD, sbmC) mainly functioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper chiefly takes into account the singularly perturbed delay Volterra-Fredholm integro-differential equations by numerically. In this context, firstly, priori estimates are given and a new discretization is constructed on piecewise-equidistant mesh by using interpolating quadrature rules [2] and composite integration formulas. Then, the convergence analysis and stability bounds of the presented method are discussed. Finally, numerical results are demonstrated with two test problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In global health, the 'technical' is viewed as scientifically and ethically superior due to the emphasis on quantitative methods, supported by international aid and philanthropy. This perceived objectivity and selflessness obscure numerous strategic decisions and practices through which donor-funded programmes shape the standards of women's health. I argue that this unexamined belief in the technical approach is a key reason why 'Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health' (RMNCH) remains dominant despite its conceptual limitations and uneven progress. An in-depth study of RMNCH projects in Uttar Pradesh funded by the Gates Foundation shows how technical interventions align with local social norms and political dynamics, creating an ideal-type female participant. In sum, this shapes the meaning and scope of women's health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consider work focuses on MHD rotating flow of Maxwell nanofluid affected by non-uniform heat source/sink and thermal radiation. The flow is induced by stretchable surface (linear/exponential) with the implementation of stratification boundary conditions on the surface. The thermal energy and mass concentration equations are discussed with the effect of variable thermal conductivity and variable chemical reaction. The flow model PDEs are converted into the system of nonlinear ODEs with the help of similarity transformation. These nonlinear coupled equations are computed numerically by the utilization of Bvp4c MATLAB technique. The noteworthy impact of different parameters is observed along the velocity, temperature, and concentration distribution. It is examined through graphical discussion that higher estimation of Deborah number and magnetic field parameter retard the fluid motion, as a result the velocity of fluid lower down. Further, higher estimation of rotation parameter causes to Coriolis force, which declines the fluid velocity. The transport of heat and mass for the higher estimation of Deborah number and rotation parameter is reduced consequently. The comparison of current computations is down with the pervious published article, which result shows good agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to aid original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to model, analyze, evaluate, and benchmark potential design and manufacturing suppliers based on respective product engineering teams' efficiencies. The product engineering efficiency in this study is modeled in terms of product engineering-related attributes such as commercial lead time, number of parts, number of green features, number of end products developed, and so forth. Essentially, these parameters capture more complex interactions than simple traditional supplier selection criteria such as cost, quality, delivery, and flexibility. Due to the presence of information uncertainty in terms of bounds related to the suppliers' related parameters, a number of data envelopment analysis (DEA) efficiency measurement models have been deployed. The proposed decision support system is novel because it models both the self-assessment type and cross-efficiency type using DEA such that maximum discrimination can be achieved amongst suppliers in the presence of interval data. The study is demonstrated for ten different sheet-metal cabin suppliers. Comparison with some well-known, relevant methods is also carried out to illustrate the validity of the proposed method. The research can specifically help supply chain managers to align the evaluation of potential suppliers with their firm's commercial considerations in the presence of information uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Security systems play a crucial role in protecting individuals and assets within diverse infrastructures, including seaports. The uninterrupted operation of these systems heavily relies on a continuous power supply, as any disruptions can lead to severe consequences. Therefore, security systems are classified as critical loads requiring uninterrupted power availability. This study focuses on the investigation of an optimal hybrid energy system (HES) to ensure a reliable power supply for security systems in two seaports located in Turkiye. Through the utilization of the HOMER software, optimization analyses were conducted, considering both conventional sources such as grid-generator or grid-generator-battery configurations, as well as off-grid and on-grid HES solutions integrating photovoltaic (PV) and wind turbine technologies. The findings reveal that on-grid HES solutions incorporating PV and wind technologies offer a more cost-effective and dependable energy supply for security systems in seaports, surpassing traditional alternatives. This study represents a significant contribution to the existing literature, as it presents the first comprehensive optimization study on the design of HES for security systems. The outcomes serve as a valuable reference for future research endeavors in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As increasing disbursements (such as costs and fees) and risk (such as portfolio risk and leverage risk) may affect managed fund performance, analysts go beyond risk-adjusted return measures for performance appraisal. A methodology that assesses performance in a multidimensional framework is data envelopment analysis (DEA). A variant of DEA is inverse DEA. In this paper, inverse DEA is applied to determine output (investment income and benefit payments) targets for a given fund to perform at a desired efficiency level when increase in disbursements and risk at known levels is envisaged. An output-oriented inverse DEA model assuming variable returns to scale is formulated with theoretical underpinning. The proposed modelling framework ensures that, when an input augmented fund with estimated output targets is included in the observed fund set, the frontier of best performance established with the observed fund set does not change. The inverse DEA model is applied to a sample of Australian superannuation funds to demonstrate how a given fund may obtain pathways to improve its performance under different input-augmentation scenarios. As different pathways suggest feasible output targets, fund managers may find them valuable in forward planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous chickens reared in South and East Asian region have been assessed for their carcass and meat quality traits over the past years. This review provides the overview of findings on the carcass and meat quality traits of indigenous chickens. Ancestry analysis revealed that these chickens have evolved from the Red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus). These indigenous breeds/ecotypes are named based on their unique phenotypic characteristics. In most Asian countries, indigenous chicken populations are sustained due to the cross-breeding programmes between different lines of local and exotic breeds. The production systems for these chicken breeds/ecotypes are mainly semi-intensive of the backyard and free-range systems. The carcass and meat quality parameters of these chickens are primarily influenced by genotype, age, body weight, feed, and several other environmental conditions. At present, consumer preference for indigenous chicken meat has increased due to its superior quality compared to broiler meat, particularly in terms of unique taste, texture, and nutritional value. Indigenous chicken meat exhibits favourable fatty acid profiles including n-3 and n-6 fatty acids, and desirable physiochemical and sensory attributes compared to commercial broiler meat. However, further research is needed to explore the carcass and meat quality parameters, and histological traits of the meat from different indigenous chicken breeds/ecotypes in the South and East Asian regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at Section 3 of the Human Rights Act 1998 of Great Britain and the approach to the interpretative obligation by the courts. Several recent cases about the law are cited and include DM v. Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council, Adesina v. Nursing and Midwifery Council, and R (Amin) v. Secretary of State for the Home Department. Several proposals for reform of the law are also mentioned.

With the advent of the socio-technical manufacturing paradigm, the way in which rescheduling decisions are taken at the shop floor has radically changed in order to guarantee highly efficient production under increasingly dynamic conditions. To cope with uncertain production environments, a drastic increase in the type and degree of automation used at the shop floor for handling unforeseen events and unplanned disturbances is required. In this work, the on-line rescheduling task is modelled as a closed-loop control problem in which an artificial autonomous agent implements a control policy generated off-line using a schedule simulator to learn schedule repair policies directly from high-dimensional sensory inputs. The rescheduling control policy is stored in a deep neural network, which is used to select repair actions in order to achieve a small set of repaired goal states. The rescheduling agent is trained using Proximal Policy Optimisation based on a wide variety of simulated transitions between schedule states using colour-rich Gantt chart images and negligible prior knowledge as inputs. An industrial example is discussed to highlight that the proposed approach enables end-to-end deep learning of successful rescheduling policies to encode task-specific control knowledge that can be understood by human experts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the development of a nano-biocomposite adsorbent based on spent coffee grounds (SCG) and nano-Zirconia (n-ZrO2) was presented to meet the increasing demand for effective and low-cost phosphate adsorbents and contribute to sustainable development goals (SDGs). The adsorption performance of raw SCG and SCG modified with n-ZrO2 (n-ZrO2-mSCG) was tested. The characterization of materials was performed by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), BET surface area analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The n-ZrO2-mSCG exhibited superior adsorption capacity compared to SCG. The influences on the adsorption of factors such as initial concentration, pH, stirring time, temperature, and coexisting ions were evaluated. The results showed the maximal adsorption capacity of modified SCG was 15.8 mg/g at pH 2, using a stirring time of 150 mins. Among investigated coexisting anions, sulfate (SO42-) and bicarbonate (HCO3−) affected the phosphate adsorption performance of n-ZrO2-mSCG, when they existed in aqueous solution at predominant levels. The n-ZrO2-mSCG displayed high selectivity toward phosphate and sustained efficacious phosphate adsorption after three successive cycles of adsorption/desorption, proposing a prospective low-cost and reusable adsorbent material for phosphate removal and a potential alternative to conventional fertilizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study exposes the influence of sodium electrolytes and temperature on the interaction forces between tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) and antibiotic cefixime trihydrate (CMT). The results highlight the significance of considering temperature (from 300.55 to 320.55 K) and electrolytes (NaBr, Na2SO4, Na3PO4, and CH3COONa (NaOAc)) effects when designing drug formulations. Conductometric method was utilised to compute and understand physicochemical parameters occurring during drug-surfactant micellization. The addition of sodium electrolytes favours the micellization of the TTAB and CMT system in aq. salts solution (a decrease of CMC was acquired) except at higher NaOAc concentrations. In all the solvents used herein, the CMC values were detected to be increased with the escalation of working temperature. The $ \Delta H_m^o $ Δ H m o and $ \Delta S_m^o $ Δ S m o expose the survival of hydrophobic interaction involving TTAB and CMT drug in aq. medium whereas both electrostatic and hydrophobic interaction are in function in aq. salts medium. As an extension of the thermodynamic assessment, the molar heat capacity $ ({\Delta C_m^0}) $ (Δ C m 0) were estimated and discussed. The thermodynamics of transfer ( $ \Delta G_{m,tr}^0 $ Δ G m , tr 0 , $ \Delta H_{m,tr}^0 $ Δ H m , tr 0 , and $ \Delta S_{m,tr}^0 $ Δ S m , tr 0 ) and enthalpy-entropy compensation parameters for TTAB + CMT micelles were also analysed. This comprehension of drug-surfactant interaction holds utmost significance in the development of efficient drug formulations and the optimisation of drug delivery techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the test-retest reliability and validity of the Patient Generated Index (PGI) in individuals with Chronic Kidney Disease (CDK) undergoing hemodialysis. Through a non-experimental study with repeated measures, PGI was applied twice to assess internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Correlations with the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form (KDQOL-SF), the Human Activity Profile (HAP) questionnaire, the Social Participation Scale, and the Glittre ADL Test were used. 91 individuals with CKD were evaluated. There was high reliability for the PGI (ICC= 0.97) PGI correlated with KQDOL – SF in Functional Capacity r = 0.38 (p < 0.001), Emotional Well-Being r = 0.31 (p = 0.003), Social Aspect r = 0.22 (p = 0.036), Emotional Function r = 0.22 (p = 0.038) and Effect of Kidney Disease r = 0.21 (p = 0.042), and Physical scores r = 0.24 (p = 0.021)), Mental r = 0.21 (p = 0.05) and General r = 0.22 (p = 0.037) summarized. There was a significant correlation between PGI and HAP r = 0.40 (p < 0.001) and the Social Participation Scale r = −0.36 (p < 0.001). There was no correlation between the PGI and Glittre ADL scores r = 0.12 (p = 0.247). In adults receiving hemodialysis, the PGI proved to be an accurate and reliable instrument for the assessment of the quality of life from the perspective of the patient. Although hemodialysis treatment is associated with increased survival and symptom control, there is a significant change in the patient's lifestyle. In order to provide a more focused view of the individual, the Patient Generated Index (PGI) was created to evaluate the quality of life. PGI is reliable and correlates with KQDOL – SF and the Social Participation Scale in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of algicidal bacteria has gained prominence as natural solution to control the worrying increase of harmful algal blooms worldwide. However, although cyanobacterial blooms (cyanoHABs) often dominate freshwater bodies, recent reviews on the subject have addressed cyanobacteria in the second place and focused more on bacteria-algae interactions. This article provides a critical review of the fundamental aspects of searching for, isolating and assaying candidate algicidal bacteria targeting cyanobacteria. Possible species-specific interactions and the different modes of action of bacteria against different species of cyanobacteria are also discussed. It has been observed that there is a clear bias in the literature toward the genus Microcystis, being by far the most studied and reviewed to date. This contrasts with the numerous studies showing cyanobacterial blooms dominated by other harmful species, such as the genera Planktothrix, Aphanizomenon or Raphidiopsis. To add new knowledge to the lack of current studies on these genera, a separate experimental section has been included in this review with research results on the sensitivity of nine harmful freshwater cyanobacteria and two green algae to different bacteria and algicidal compounds. Finally, certain ecological and biosafety risks that must be taken into account when applying algicidal bacteria as a bioaugmentation strategy are also highlighted. Overall, this review is presented as an attempt to outline the knowledge gathered over the last thirty years of research, while raising new questions and debates on key issues that remain poorly understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rapid, accurate, precise, sensitive, and robust HPTLC method was developed for the simultaneous estimation of curcumin and naringin from the standard mixture and topical gel formulation. Quality by Design-based development of HPTLC method was carried out. The factor screening was performed using a seven-factor eight-run Taguchi design. The content of toluene in the mobile phase, saturation time and distance travel were selected as critical method parameters from screening studies. The Box-Behnken design was employed for systematic optimization of critical parameters and evaluating the robustness of the method. The data obtained from screening design and optimization design were analysed statistically and graphically to derive the conclusion. The optimal HPTLC separation was achieved using toluene:acetonitrile:methanol (5:3:2 v/v/v) as mobile phase with a bandwidth of 6 mm, saturation time of 25 min and distance travel up to 80 mm and scanning slit dimension of 4.00×0.30 mm. The chromatogram was scanned at 420 nm for curcumin and 286 nm for naringin. The method was validated for linearity, specificity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection, limit of quantitation and robustness according to ICH guidelines. The developed method was successfully employed for estimation of curcumin and naringin in topical gel formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMSs) is a current subject that has attracted intensive research. This latter covers the entire RMS life cycle, from the design to the exploitation phase, and includes several important problems requiring the use of optimisation. The objective of this paper is to survey research publications related to RMS optimisation problems and their solution methods. For this, the types of RMS and their components are described. Subsequently, relevant objective functions and performance indicators of RMS are presented. In addition, an overview of the most used solution approaches and a classification of optimisation problems are proposed. Finally, a detailed analysis, our conclusions, and suggestions for future research are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anodic oxidation of cobalt and copper metals in an anhydrous acetone solution of pyridine-2-(1H)-thione-3-cyano-4-(2-bromophenyl)-5,6-ring fused cycloheptane (HL1) and its derivatives, (HL2), (HL3), (HL4), (HL5), (HL6), (HL7), (HL8), and (HL9) yields complexes of composition [M(L)2·(H2O)2]·n H2O and [M(L)2·(acetone)2], where M = Co(II) or Cu(II) and L is the ligand. Also, reaction of an aqueous ethanolic solution of Co(Ac)2·2H2O with the previous ligands was prepared. Elemental analysis, and infrared and electronic spectral data are presented to confirm the formulation of the amorphous complexes. The spectral data indicate that the ligands are coordinated to the metal via the thioenol sulfur atom and the nitrogen atom of cyano groups. The ligands reacts in the enol form through the anodic dissolution of the ligands or during the reaction with metal salts. The ligand field parameters and crystal field splitting energies, Δo, for different cobalt metal complexes were calculated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a noncommercial polyetheric-structured jeffamine-based crosslinker was used by being synthesized in the synthesis of a hydrogel of a cationic-structured p[2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl] trimethylammonium chloride p(AETAC). The hydrogels containing crosslinkers with five various percentages (0.1, 0.25, 0.75, 1) were synthesized and were aimed to be used as an adsorption material. For the applications, a 1% crosslinked hydrogel (GEL 5) was utilized for the adsorption of a mono-azo chemically structured anionic characterized methyl orange (C14H14N3NaO3S) (MO) colorant. The structure of the jeffamine-based crosslinker was inspired by FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and LC-MS analysis, while the hydrogel structure characterization was elucidated by FT-IR spectroscopy. The morphological structure of the hydrogel was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), SEM-EDX, and elemental mapping methods. Concurrently, the mechanical resistance of GEL 5 was tested, and its swelling behavior was examined in different media and pH values. GEL 5, considered decent adsorbent material owing to its structural qualifications, was used in the toxic MO dye adsorption process. In adsorption studies, the maximum qe value of the GEL 5 hydrogel was 547.34 ± 40.00 mg/g in 1000 mg/L MO dye solution. Furthermore, desorption studies have shown that it has reusability, which is a crucial factor in adsorbent selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study seeks to find out whether climate finance (CF) geared toward 35 Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) countries is assisting to achieve food security in the continent. To achieve this objective, we adopted FAO's classification of food security of 4 main dimensions: food availability, access, stability and utilization and use principal component analysis (PCA) to generate food security indexes corresponding to the different dimensions of food security. The data was analyzed using system generalized methods of moments (GMM) whereas panel quantile regression (PQR) was employed as a sensitivity analysis. Our findings show that climate finance is more useful in securing food availability but fails to enhance food access, stability and utilization. Further analysis shows that other factors such as foreign direct investment and government readiness have more impact in enhancing the different dimensions of food security whilst rural population, agricultural spending, agricultural land and capacity have more adverse effects on food security. Relevant policy implications based on our analysis are discussed. Public Interest Statement: Global warming is a significant human concern. Despite minimal contributions to climate change, African countries suffer disproportionately due to limited resources for mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Industrialized economies, major contributors to climate change, have committed climate funds to aid less developed nations. Our study assesses the impact of climate finance on ensuring food security in 35 Sub-Saharan African countries, crucial given the region's vulnerability to food scarcity due to climate change. Results reveal that while climate finance may promote food availability, it falls short in enhancing access, stability, and utilization. Other factors like government readiness, agricultural spending and foreign direct investment are found to be contribute to different dimensions of food security. Policy implications arising from our findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to analyze the effects of physical exercise (PE) on bone health in menopausal women through an umbrella review and to assess the quality of systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) included. The review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020208130) and the Rayyan application was used. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated by A MeaSurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR), and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) was applied to assess the level of evidence of the results. The results showed that low-intensity jumping exercises with longer sessions proved to be efficient in the hip segment. Swimming requires further investigation, as it showed high heterogeneity. Aerobic and resistance exercises showed inconsistent results, requiring further studies with these modalities of PE. Concurrent training showed improvements in the lumbar spine, femoral neck, Ward’s triangle and trochanter. Finally, combined resistance exercises are effective in preserving bone mineral density (BMD) of the femoral neck and lumbar spine in postmenopausal women. In conclusion, jumping exercises were efficient in the hip, while aerobic and resistance exercises are still inconsistent. Concurrent training showed improvements in BMD of the lumbar spine, femoral neck, Ward’s triangle and trochanter. Finally, combined resistance protocols are effective in preserving BMD of the femoral neck and lumbar spine in postmenopausal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the two-body collision model, a nanoparticle collision, deposition and peeling model is established to describe the nanoparticle deposition process during SiO2-water nanofluid jet impinging on a heated copper column. The model is loaded with the Euler-Lagrange multiphase model in Ansys Fluent 19.1, and its accuracy is verified by comparing with the experimental data. Then the nanoparticle deposition processes during nanofluid jet impinging are studied with different inlet Reynolds numbers (Re), nanofluid volume fractions and impact heights (H/D). Result shows that the amount of nanoparticle deposition increases with the increasing nanofluid volume fraction, and it has a tendency of first increasing and then decreasing with the increasing inlet Reynolds number and the impact height, which reaches a maximum value when Re = 8849 and H/D = 4. Result also shows that it is easier to deposit at the junction between the impact zone and the wall jet zone with a deposition amount approximately 2 times of that at the outlet. A nanoparticle thermal resistance layer and a high-density nanofluid layer are formed in the near-wall region, and velocity slip between phases in the layer could reach 2.824m/s, which significantly enhance the base-fluid's micro-flow intensity and the particles' movement, thus strengthening the momentum exchange and energy exchange between phases and wall. The maximum heat transfer coefficient could reach 27857.4 W/(K·m2), and the average heat transfer coefficient has a 67.9% increment with 3% SiO2-water nanofluid volume fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disclosure of HIV status is an important part of pediatric care. We studied disclosure and clinical outcomes in a multi-country Asian cohort of children and adolescents with HIV. Those 6–19 years of age who initiated combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) between 2008 and 2018, and who had at least one follow-up clinic visit were included. Data up to December 2019 were analyzed. Cox and competing risk regression analyses were used to assess the effect of disclosure on disease progression (WHO clinical stage 3 or 4), loss to follow-up (LTFU; > 12 months), and death. Of 1913 children and adolescents (48% female; median [IQR] age 11.5 [9.2–14.7] years at last clinic visit), 795 (42%) were disclosed to about their HIV status at a median age of 12.9 years (IQR: 11.8–14.1). During follow-up, 207 (11%) experienced disease progression, 75 (3.9%) were LTFU, and 59 (3.1%) died. There were lower hazards of disease progression (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.43 [0.28–0.66]) and death (aHR 0.36 [0.17–0.79]) for those disclosed to compared with those who were not. Disclosure and its appropriate implementation should be promoted in pediatric HIV clinics in resource-limited settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The central nervous system is frequently involved during severe sepsis. Patients either develop septic encephalopathy characterized by delirium and coma or focal neurological signs as a consequence of septic-embolic or septic-metastatic encephalitis. In this review, a summary of currently available literature on established and some promising experimental treatment options for septic encephalopathy and encephalitis is provided, with a focus on the clinical utility of published studies. Treatment relies on proper identification of the causative pathogen and rapidly initiated adequate empirical or (after identification of the pathogen) tailored antibiotic therapy, fluid and electrolyte management. In the presence of brain abscess(es) or mycotic aneurysm(s), surgery or interventional neuroradiology must be considered. Pharmacological approaches to prevent delirium of different etiology include the use of dexmedetomidine and (with limitations) of melatonin and its derivatives. In the absence of a specific pharmacological treatment, non-pharmacological bundles of interventions (e.g. promotion of sleep, cognitive stimulation, early mobilization and adequate therapy of pain) are of proven efficacy to prevent delirium of different etiology including sepsis. Experimental promising therapies include the use of non-bacteriolytic antibiotics and the reduction of the toxic effects of microglial activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In randomized clinical trials, adjustments for baseline covariates at both design and analysis stages are highly encouraged by regulatory agencies. A recent trend is to use a model-assisted approach for covariate adjustment to gain credibility and efficiency while producing asymptotically valid inference even when the model is incorrect. In this article we present three considerations for better practice when model-assisted inference is applied to adjust for covariates under simple or covariate-adaptive randomized trials: (a) guaranteed efficiency gain: a model-assisted method should often gain but never hurt efficiency; (b) wide applicability: a valid procedure should be applicable, and preferably universally applicable, to all commonly used randomization schemes; (c) robust standard error: variance estimation should be robust to model misspecification and heteroscedasticity. To achieve these, we recommend a model-assisted estimator under an analysis of heterogeneous covariance working model that includes all covariates used in randomization. Our conclusions are based on an asymptotic theory that provides a clear picture of how covariate-adaptive randomization and regression adjustment alter statistical efficiency. Our theory is more general than the existing ones in terms of studying arbitrary functions of response means (including linear contrasts, ratios, and odds ratios), multiple arms, guaranteed efficiency gain, optimality, and universal applicability. for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the prevalence and evaluated the associated risk and protective factors of adolescent school truancy through sex-stratified models by analysing 7562 adolescent data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) of three South Asian countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. The prevalence of school truancy was 26.6%. The highest truancy was found in Bangladesh (37%), followed by Pakistan (24.7%) and Afghanistan (14.7%). Male adolescents had a 2.05 times higher relative risk ratio (RRR) [95% CI: 1.29, 3.28] of having truancy of ≥ 3 days (last month) than the female respondents. Respondents of older age, bullied, and injured had significantly higher RRR of truancy of ≥ 3 days than their counterparts. Household food insecurity also significantly increased male and female students' RRR of school truancy. However, peer and high parental support significantly reduced the RRR of 1–2 days and ≥ 3 days of truancy of male and female students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overproduction of chicken feathers is responsible for serious environmental problems worldwide. The composition of feathers is keratin protein, which is resistant and difficult to monomerize. Utilization of feather waste for biogas and organic fertilizer production can help combat environmental threat and address energy and food shortage crisis. In this study, chicken feathers were hydrolyzed using the native isolated keratinolytic bacterial strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa-C1M. Reactor digestate, a by-product of the production of biogas from hydrolyzate and grocery waste, has been shown to be used as organic fertilizer. A greenhouse study was conducted to investigate the comparative effectiveness of reactor digestate and feather hydrolyzate on the growth of spinach plants. A remarkable increase in agronomic parameters was observed when applying keratin hydrolyzate based fertilizers. Plants treated with dry hydrolyzate showed a 50% increase in leaf width. The plant height, the number of leaves per plant, the root length, the chlorophyll content, the protein content, the biomass and the nutrient content of the spinach plant were also significantly improved by using fertilizers based on keratin hydrolyzate. However, the results using the Pseudomonas aeruginosa-C1M-derived hydrolyzate were more promising and therefore suggest its application as a potential biostimulant in the agricultural industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a frequent phenomenon, and women who report it are at a higher risk of mental disorders and sexual dysfunction. The application of a brief questionnaire could help gynecologists assessment of CSA history in women. This study was carried out including women (n = 593) who had been victims of CSA before the age of 18 years. We used the Early Trauma Inventory Self Report–Short Form (ETISR-SF) Part 4, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and a semi-structured instrument to assess CSA. Among the 593 women included, 77 agreed to answer the questionnaires, 62(80.5%) had traumatic sexual events, 53(68.8%) had a total FSFI score ≤ 26.55, and 64(84.2%) considered themselves victims of CSA. There was an association regarding the belief that CSA influenced their sex life and their being at risk for GAD (p = 0.001), PTSD (p = 0.02), and sexual abuse by a family member (p = 0.01). The risk factors were the presence of risk for GAD (OR = 5.88[1.3–27.03]) and CSA by a family member (OR = 5.78[1.57–21.28]). This methodology can assist gynecologists in assessing a patient's history of CSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA-based molecular markers are the most effective methods for developing desirable crop varieties in modern plant breeding. However, these markers have a limited use in plant breeding and their impact is insignificant. Developing them requires prior sequence information that is costly, especially for complex genome. Despite advances in sequencing technology, getting the full genome sequence of polyploidy species is still time-consuming and resource-intensive. This led to slow progress in the genetic improvement of these species using DNA-based molecular markers. Diversity Array Technology (DArT) which is a low-cost and quick-genotyping platform offers the opportunity to screen hundreds of highly polymorphic markers without genome sequence data. Because of their high level of diversity, DArT-based methods are popular among different crop genetic improvement programs. In polyploidy crop improvement, DArT markers are still useful, and exploiting their potential to the fullest is necessary. DArT markers can provide deep genetic diversity analysis, entire genome profiling, and high-density mapping of complex features needed for marker-based breeding. Therefore, molecular analyzes using DArT markers significantly contributed to the improvement of various crop species. The markers will prove useful in future crop breeding programs aimed at improving crop quality and yield. Understanding the concept and potential applications of DArT markers is essential for maximizing their potential. This review summarizes the concepts behind DArT markers and their potential future applications for improving crop genetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have found approaches to the synthesis of cheap near-stoichiometric lithium nickelate (LiNiO2). The resulting phases have been identified by X-ray phase analysis. Obtained materials have been studied by spectrometric method; electron microscopy; BET method; impedance spectroscopy. A technological scheme has been developed, the optimal conditions for the combined synthesis of lithium nickelate close to the stoichiometric composition Li0.98Ni1.02O2 have been determined. We have proved that nanosized samples with a well-developed surface form during such a synthesis. We have determined that the electrochemical characteristics of the samples correspond to those of lithium nickelate used in commercial electrochemical cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]