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The use of efficient refrigerator/freezers helps considerably to reduce the amount of the emitted greenhouse gas. A two-circuit refrigerator-freezer cycle (RF) reveals a higher energy saving potential than a conventional cycle with a single loop of serial evaporators, owing to pressure drop in each evaporator during refrigeration operation and low compression ratio. Therefore, several industrial applications and fish storage systems have been utilized by using multipurpose refrigeration cycle. That is why a theoretical performance analysis based on the exergetic performance coefficient, coefficient of performance (COP), exergy efficiency and exergy destruction ratio criteria, has been carried out for a multipurpose refrigeration system by using different refrigerants in serial and parallel operation conditions. The exergetic performance coefficient criterion is defined as the ratio of exergy output to the total exergy destruction rate (or loss rate of availability). According to the results of the study, the refrigerant R32 shows the best performance in terms of exergetic performance coefficient, COP, exergy efficiency, and exergy destruction ratio from among the other refrigerants (R1234yf, R1234ze, R404A, R407C, R410A, R143A and R502). The effects of the condenser, freezer-evaporator and refrigerator-evaporator temperatures on the exergetic performance coefficient, COP, exergy efficiency and exergy destruction ratios have been fully analyzed for the refrigerant R32.

Abstract Extended-duration human spaceflight necessitates a better understanding of the physiological impacts of microgravity. While the ground-based microgravity simulations identified low intensity vibration (LIV) as a possible countermeasure, how cells may respond to LIV under real microgravity remain unexplored. In this way, adaptation of LIV bioreactors for space remains limited, resulting in a significant gap in microgravity research. In this study, we introduce an LIV bioreactor designed specifically for the usage in the International Space Station. Our research covers the bioreactor’s design process and evaluation of the short-term viability of cells encapsulated in hydrogel-laden 3D printed scaffolds under 0.7 g, 90 Hz LIV. An LIV bioreactor compatible with the operation requirements of space missions provides a robust platform to study cellular effects of LIV under real microgravity conditions.

Biomanufacturing relies on living cells to produce biotechnology-based therapeutics, tissue engineering constructs, vaccines, and a vast range of agricultural and industrial products. With the escalating demand for these bio-based products, any process that could improve yields and shorten outcome timelines by accelerating cell proliferation would have a significant impact across the discipline. While these goals are primarily achieved using biological or chemical strategies, harnessing cell mechanosensitivity represents a promising – albeit less studied – physical pathway to promote bioprocessing endpoints, yet identifying which mechanical parameters influence cell activities has remained elusive. We tested the hypothesis that mechanical signals, delivered non-invasively using low-intensity vibration (LIV; 90%), and LIV effectively scaled up to T75 flasks. Ultimately, when LIV is tailored to the target cell population, it's highly efficient transmission across media represents a means to non-invasively augment biomanufacturing endpoints for both adherent and suspended cells, and holds immediate applications, ranging from small-scale, patient-specific personalized medicine to large-scale commercial bio-centric production challenges.

Abstract Polymerized β-actin may provide a structural basis for chromatin accessibility and actin transport into the nucleus can guide mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation. Using MSC, we show that using CK666 to inhibit Arp2/3 directed secondary actin branching results in decreased nuclear actin structure, and significantly alters chromatin access measured with ATACseq at 24 h. The ATAC-seq results due to CK666 are distinct from those caused by cytochalasin D (CytoD), which enhances nuclear actin structure. In addition, nuclear visualization shows Arp2/3 inhibition decreases pericentric H3K9me3 marks. CytoD, alternatively, induces redistribution of H3K27me3 marks centrally. Such alterations in chromatin landscape are consistent with differential gene expression associated with distinctive differentiation patterns. Further, knockdown of the non-enzymatic monomeric actin binding protein, Arp4, leads to extensive chromatin unpacking, but only a modest increase in transcription, indicating an active role for actin-Arp4 in transcription. These data indicate that dynamic actin remodeling can regulate chromatin interactions.

Aged individuals and astronauts experience bone loss despite rigorous physical activity. Bone mechanoresponse is in-part regulated by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that respond to mechanical stimuli. Direct delivery of low intensity vibration (LIV) recovers MSC proliferation in senescence and simulated microgravity models, indicating that age-related reductions in mechanical signal delivery within bone marrow may contribute to declining bone mechanoresponse. To answer this question, we developed a 3D bone marrow analog that controls trabecular geometry, marrow mechanics and external stimuli. Validated finite element (FE) models were developed to quantify strain environment within hydrogels during LIV. Bone marrow analogs with gyroid-based trabeculae of scaffold volume fractions (SV/TV) corresponding to adult (25 ​%) and aged (13 ​%) mice were printed using polylactic acid (PLA). MSCs encapsulated in migration-permissive hydrogels within printed trabeculae showed robust cell populations on both PLA surface and hydrogel within a week. Following 14 days of LIV treatment (1 ​g, 100 ​Hz, 1 ​h/day), cell proliferation, type-I collagen (Collagen-I) and filamentous actin (F-actin) were quantified for the cells in the hydrogel fraction. While LIV increased all measured outcomes, FE models predicted higher von Mises strains for the 13 ​% SV/TV groups (0.2 ​%) when compared to the 25 ​% SV/TV group (0.1 ​%). While LIV increased collagen-I volume 34 ​% more in 13 ​% SV/TV groups when compared to 25 ​% SV/TV groups, collagen-I and F-actin measures remained lower in the 13 ​% SV/TV groups when compared to 25 ​% SV/TV counterparts, indicating that both LIV-induced strains and scaffold volume fraction (i.e. available scaffold surface) affect cell behavior in the hydrogel phase. Overall, bone marrow analogs offer a robust and repeatable platform to study bone mechanobiology.

Quantitative volumetric assessment of filamentous actin (F‐actin) fibers remains challenging due to their interconnected nature, leading researchers to utilize threshold‐based or qualitative measurement methods with poor reproducibility. Herein, a novel machine learning‐based methodology is introduced for accurate quantification and reconstruction of nuclei‐associated F‐actin. Utilizing a convolutional neural network (CNN), actin filaments and nuclei from 3D confocal microscopy images are segmented and then each fiber is reconstructed by connecting intersecting contours on cross‐sectional slices. This allows measurement of the total number of actin filaments and individual actin filament length and volume in a reproducible fashion. Focusing on the role of F‐actin in supporting nucleocytoskeletal connectivity, apical F‐actin, basal F‐actin, and nuclear architecture in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are quantified following the disruption of the linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton (LINC) complexes. Disabling LINC in MSCs generates F‐actin disorganization at the nuclear envelope characterized by shorter length and volume of actin fibers contributing a less elongated nuclear shape. The findings not only present a new tool for mechanobiology but introduce a novel pipeline for developing realistic computational models based on quantitative measures of F‐actin.

Introduction: Longitudinal effect of diet-induced obesity on bone is uncertain. Prior work showed both no effect and a decrement in bone density or quality when obesity begins prior to skeletal maturity. We aimed to quantify long-term effects of obesity on bone and bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT) in adulthood. Methods: Skeletally mature, female C57BL/6 mice (n = 70) aged 12 weeks were randomly allocated to low-fat diet (LFD; 10% kcal fat; n = 30) or high-fat diet (HFD; 60% kcal fat; n = 30), with analyses at 12, 15, 18, and 24 weeks (n = 10/group). Tibial microarchitecture was analyzed by µCT, and volumetric BMAT was quantified via 9.4T MRI/advanced image analysis. Histomorphometry of adipocytes and osteoclasts, and qPCR were performed. Results: Body weight and visceral white adipose tissue accumulated in response to HFD started in adulthood. Trabecular bone parameters declined with advancing experimental age. BV/TV declined 22% in LFD (p = 0.0001) and 17% in HFD (p = 0.0022) by 24 weeks. HFD failed to appreciably alter BV/TV and had negligible impact on other microarchitecture parameters. Both dietary intervention and age accounted for variance in BMAT, with regional differences: distal femoral BMAT was more responsive to diet, while proximal femoral BMAT was more attenuated by age. BMAT increased 60% in the distal metaphysis in HFD at 18 and 24 weeks (p = 0.0011). BMAT in the proximal femoral diaphysis, unchanged by diet, decreased 45% due to age (p = 0.0002). Marrow adipocyte size via histomorphometry supported MRI quantification. Osteoclast number did not differ between groups. Tibial qPCR showed attenuation of some adipose, metabolism, and bone genes. A regulator of fatty acid β-oxidation, cytochrome C (CYCS), was 500% more abundant in HFD bone (p < 0.0001; diet effect). CYCS also increased due to age, but to a lesser extent. HFD mildly increased OCN, TRAP, and SOST. Conclusions: Long-term high fat feeding after skeletal maturity, despite upregulation of visceral adiposity, body weight, and BMAT, failed to attenuate bone microarchitecture. In adulthood, we found aging to be a more potent regulator of microarchitecture than diet-induced obesity.

The Linker of Nucleoskeleton and Cytoskeleton (LINC) complex serves to connect the nuclear envelope and the cytoskeleton, influencing cellular processes such as nuclear arrangement, architecture, and mechanotransduction. The role LINC plays in mechanotransduction pathways in bone progenitor cells has been well studied; however, the mechanisms by which LINC complexes govern in vivo bone formation remain less clear. To bridge this knowledge gap, we established a murine model disrupting LINC using transgenic Prx-Cre mice and floxed Tg(CAG-LacZ/EGFP-KASH2) mice. Prx-Cre mice express the Cre recombinase enzyme controlled by the paired-related homeobox gene-1 promoter (Prrx1), a pivotal regulator of skeletal development. Prx-Cre animals have been widely used in the bone field to target bone progenitor cells. Tg(CAG-LacZ/EGFP-KASH2) mice carry a lox-stop-lox flanked LacZ gene allowing for the overexpression of an EGFP-KASH2 fusion protein via cre recombinase mediated deletion of the LacZ cassette. This disrupts endogenous Nesprin-Sun binding in a dominant negative manner disconnecting nesprin from the nuclear envelope. By combining these lines, we generated a Prrx1(+) cell-specific LINC disruption model to study its impact on the developing skeleton and subsequently exercise-induced bone accrual. The findings presented here indicate Prx-driven LINC disruption (PDLD) cells exhibit no change in osteogenic and adipogenic potential compared to controls in vitro nor are there bone quality changes when compared to in sedentary animals at 8 weeks. While PDLD animals displayed increased voluntary running activity andPrrx1(+) cell-specific LINC disruption abolished the exercise-induced increases in osteoid volume and surface after a 6-week exercise intervention, no other changes in bone microarchitecture or mechanical properties were found.

There is growing appreciation that architectural components of the nucleus regulate gene accessibility by altering chromatin organization. While nuclear membrane connector proteins link the mechanosensitive actin cytoskeleton to the nucleoskeleton, actin’s contribution to the inner architecture of the nucleus remains enigmatic. Control of actin transport into the nucleus, plus the presence of proteins that control actin structure (the actin tool-box) within the nucleus, suggests that nuclear actin may support biomechanical regulation of gene expression. Cellular actin structure is mechanoresponsive: actin cables generated through forces experienced at the plasma membrane transmit force into the nucleus. We posit that dynamic actin remodeling in response to such biomechanical cues provides a novel level of structural control over the epigenetic landscape. We here propose to bring awareness to the fact that mechanical forces can promote actin transfer into the nucleus and control structural arrangements as illustrated in mesenchymal stem cells, thereby modulating lineage commitment.

Rodent behavioral analysis is a major specialization in experimental psychology and behavioral neuroscience. Rodents display a wide range of species-specific behaviors, not only in their natural habitats but also under behavioral testing in controlled laboratory conditions. Detecting and categorizing these different kinds of behavior in a consistent way is a challenging task. Observing and analyzing rodent behaviors manually limits the reproducibility and replicability of the analyses due to potentially low inter-rater reliability. The advancement and accessibility of object tracking and pose estimation technologies led to several open-source artificial intelligence (AI) tools that utilize various algorithms for rodent behavioral analysis. These software provide high consistency compared to manual methods, and offer more flexibility than commercial systems by allowing custom-purpose modifications for specific research needs. Open-source software reviewed in this paper offer automated or semi-automated methods for detecting and categorizing rodent behaviors by using hand-coded heuristics, machine learning, or neural networks. The underlying algorithms show key differences in their internal dynamics, interfaces, user-friendliness, and the variety of their outputs. This work reviews the algorithms, capability, functionality, features and software properties of open-source behavioral analysis tools, and discusses how this emergent technology facilitates behavioral quantification in rodent research.

(Series Information) European Papers - A Journal on Law and Integration, 2021 6(1), 757-777 | Article | (Table of Contents) I. Introduction. - II. Provisions on ethics and qualifications of adjudicators in the new generation FTAs. - II.1. CETA, EUVIPA and EUSIPA: what is across the board? - II.2. Codes of conduct in the Agreements - III. The Opinion 1/17 and the ethics and qualifications of Members of ICS Tribunals. - III.1. The issue raised by Belgium. - III.2. The Court's Opinion. - IV. Reflections on the Opinion in light of the agreements' framework. - IV.1. Arbitration versus a (hybrid) Court. - IV.2. Arbitrators versus "Members of Tribunal" (or judges). - IV.3. The relevance of the compatibility of the IBA guidelines with judges. - V. Conclusion. | (Abstract) This Article examines an often overlooked aspect of Opinion 1/17 issued by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU): the ethics and qualifications of the new CETA adjudicators. The subject was raised as an additional concern by Belgium in the context of its request for an opinion from the CJEU. More specifically, Belgium asked whether the prospective ethics and qualifications framework applicable to the newly-established investment tribunal members was compatible with the EU legal order, in particular the right to access an independent tribunal, enshrined under the EU Charter of the Fundamental Rights. After laying forth the provisions contained in the CETA, as well as the EU - Vietnam and EU- Singapore Investment Protection Agreements (IPAs), the Article analyses the Opinion text in juxtaposition with the legal ethics rules, found in treaties or guidelines worldwide, governing the domain of international adjudicator ethics. The Article in particular flags some controversies linked to the Court's analysis of the International Bar Association's Guidelines on Conflicts of Interest in International Arbitration and its (now suspended) referral in the CETA text in connection with the ethics framework governing international judges.

The nucleus, central to cellular activity, relies on both direct mechanical input as well as its molecular transducers to sense external stimuli and respond by regulating intra-nuclear chromatin organization that determines cell function and fate. In mesenchymal stem cells of musculoskeletal tissues, changes in nuclear structures are emerging as a key modulator of their differentiation and proliferation programs. In this review we will first introduce the structural elements of the nucleoskeleton and discuss the current literature on how nuclear structure and signaling are altered in relation to environmental and tissue level mechanical cues. We will focus on state-of-the-art techniques to apply mechanical force and methods to measure nuclear mechanics in conjunction with DNA, RNA, and protein visualization in living cells. Ultimately, combining real-time nuclear deformations and chromatin dynamics can be a powerful tool to study mechanisms of how forces affect the dynamics of genome function.

Abstract A primary component of exercise, mechanical signals, when applied in the form of low intensity vibration (LIV), increases mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) osteogenesis and proliferation. While it is generally accepted that exercise effectively combats the deleterious effects of aging in the musculoskeletal system, how long-term exercise affects stem cell aging, which is typified by reduced proliferative and differentiative capacity, is not well explored. As a first step in understanding the effect of long-term application of mechanical signals on stem cell function, we investigated the effect of LIV during in vitro expansion of MSCs. Primary MSCs were subjected to either a control or to a twice-daily LIV regimen for up to sixty cell passages (P60) under in vitro cell expansion conditions. LIV effects were assessed at both early passage (EP) and late passage (LP). At the end of the experiment, P60 cultures exposed to LIV maintained a 28% increase of cell doubling and a 39% reduction in senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity (p

Housing land supply is one of the most important issues that the planning discipline discusses from the several perspectives. On the one hand, population, local dynamics and economic policies that stimulate urban development have substantial impact on the size and form of the housing land supply, on the other hand, landowners and construction companies, who are aimed to get the highest benefits from housing construction, are powerful on directing both central and local governments land policies.This study aims to investigate this new housing land supply regime by focusing on institutional restructuring period and legal arrangements. In order to understand the structural reforms, and consequently, the role of central and local governments in housing land supply, new institutional economics (NIE) is applied as methodological approach.NIE focuses on institutions and formal rules in order to understand structural characteristics of the market and behaviour of market actors. In our case, the planning system to the extent of institutional structure and planning regime along with legal arrangements is structurally analysed in order to understand the current housing land supply regime. A comprehensive documentary analysis, including both institutional restructuring and legal arrangements, has been done to reflecting the structural changes in 2000s.Documentary analysis obviously reflects the dominant role of the state in new housing land supply regime. However, because of the inherent characteristics of the planning system and conflicts in power use of central and local governments, the conditions of perfect information and certainty in the land supply market is enable to create. Mutual relations is the other factor that disturb the housing land supply regime. Therefore, uncertainties in market conditions is high and actors behave in bounded rationality. Consequently, the new housing land supply regime is seen not be enable to create concreate market conditions to actors and not supported by consistent housing policies.

Rhythmic theta frequency (~5–12 Hz) oscillations coordinate neuronal synchrony and higher frequency oscillations across the cortex. Spatial navigation and context-dependent episodic memories are represented in several interconnected regions including the hippocampal and entorhinal cortices, but the cellular mechanisms for their dynamic coupling remain to be defined. Using monosynaptically-restricted retrograde viral tracing in mice, we identified a subcortical GABAergic input from the medial septum that terminated in the entorhinal cortex, with collaterals innervating the dorsal presubiculum. Extracellularly recording and labeling GABAergic entorhinal-projecting neurons in awake behaving mice show that these subcortical neurons, named orchid cells, fire in long rhythmic bursts during immobility and locomotion. Orchid cells discharge near the peak of hippocampal and entorhinal theta oscillations, couple to entorhinal gamma oscillations, and target subpopulations of extra-hippocampal GABAergic interneurons. Thus, orchid cells are a specialized source of rhythmic subcortical GABAergic modulation of ‘upstream’ and ‘downstream’ cortico-cortical circuits involved in mnemonic functions.

In global world, the environment has become a scarce resource. Since economics is about how to deal with scarce resources, environment and economics are interrelated with each other. On the other hand it is also clear that economics which creates both positive and negative externalities, affects the environment. For this reason, it is not possible to except environmental problems from the economics. Today some socio-economic activities like increasing consumption based on shopping malls, urban regeneration, fast population growth and etc. have being created environmental cost. One way of using economics is to ensure that the costs and the benefits of environmental measures are well balanced. Although it is difficult to estimate costs and benefits, there is an increasing demand that this is should be done before the economical activity. Economic and environmental objectives are often perceived as being contradictory. It is believed that a choice must be made between one and the other and that cannot be achieved concurrently. To change this perception, some measures should be taken on both national and international level. At this point, an efficient environmental auditing is being important day by day to ensure environmental economics.

The physical mechanism by which cells sense high-frequency mechanical signals of small magnitude is unknown. During exposure to vibrations, cell populations within a bone are subjected not only to acceleratory motions but also to fluid shear as a result of fluid-cell interactions. We explored displacements of the cell nucleus during exposure to vibrations with a finite element (FE) model and tested in vitro whether vibrations can affect osteocyte communication independent of fluid shear. Osteocyte like MLO-Y4 cells were subjected to vibrations at acceleration magnitudes of 0.15 g and 1 g and frequencies of 30 Hz and 100 Hz. Gap junctional intracellular communication (GJIC) in response to these four individual vibration regimes was investigated. The FE model demonstrated that vibration induced dynamic accelerations caused larger relative nuclear displacement than fluid shear. Across the four regimes, vibrations significantly increased GJIC between osteocytes by 25%. Enhanced GJIC was independent of vibration induced fluid shear; there were no differences in GJIC between the four different vibration regimes even though differences in fluid shear generated by the four regimes varied 23-fold. Vibration induced increases in GJIC were not associated with altered connexin 43 (Cx43) mRNA or protein levels, but were dependent on Akt activation. Combined, the in silico and in vitro experiments suggest that externally applied vibrations caused nuclear motions and that large differences in fluid shear did not influence nuclear motion (

As a new approach, the acidity that wood exhibits under moderate conditions is assayed by stimulated dissociation of weak wood acids in lightly basic secondary phosphate solutions. To assure a sufficient dissociation of hardly soluble weak acids in the solution, the amount of wood suspended in Na2HPO4 solutions should be small but vary depending on the degree of acidity of wood species. However, the difficulties are associated with the titration of very dilute acids limiting the precision of the measurement. If the disintegrated wood is suspended in a secondary phosphate solution, the weak woods acids form the conjugate acid Na2HPO4 from secondary phosphate Na2HPO4 resulting in a pH fall of the solution. The decrease in the pH value in phosphate solution, which depends on the wood acidity, can be evaluated to estimate the acidity arising from wood under moderate conditions.

The new direction traced in this article is to vary freely and simultaneously the fin and flow channel aspect ratios in the search for the complete high-density heat transfer flow architecture. We show that when the combined solid and fluid volume is specified, and the fluid flow rate is known, it is possible to anticipate from theory the complete design (all the aspect ratios) of the flow configuration. The power to predict covers the overall heat transfer rate and the required pumping power. The configuration and performance owe their existence to the multiple degrees of freedom identified in the design, and exploited in the theory. • High heat transfer density comes from freedom to evolve the flow configuration. • Freedom to vary the fin shape toward high heat transfer density by conduction. • Freedom to vary the channel shape toward high heat transfer density by convection. • High heat transfer density the freedom to vary simultaneously all the geometric features of the whole flow system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite materials, such as formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI 3 ), are among the most promising emerging photovoltaic materials. However, the spontaneous phase transition from the photoactive perovskite phase to an inactive non-perovskite phase complicates the application of FAPbI 3 in solar cells. To remedy this, alkali metal cations, most often Cs + , Rb + or K + , are included during perovskite synthesis to stabilize the photoactive phase. The atomic-level mechanisms of stabilization are complex. While Cs + dopes directly into the perovskite lattice, Rb + does not, but instead forms an additional non-perovskite phase, and the mechanism by which Rb confers increased stability remains unclear. Here, we use 1 H- 87 Rb double resonance NMR experiments to show that FA + incorporates into the Rb-based non-perovskite phases (FA y Rb 1-y Pb 2 Br 5 and δ-FA y Rb 1-y PbI 3 ) for both bromide and iodide perovskite formulations. This is demonstrated by changes in the 1 H and 87 Rb chemical shifts, 1 H- 87 Rb heteronuclear correlation spectra, and 87 Rb{ 1 H} REDOR spectra. Simulation of the REDOR dephasing curves suggests up to ~60 % FA + incorporation into the inorganic Rb-based phase for the bromide system. In light of these results, we hypothesize that the substitution of FA + into the non-perovskite phase may contribute to the greater stability conferred by Rb salts in the synthesis of FA-based perovskites., (© 2024 The Author(s). Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Bandgap-tuneable mixed-halide 3D perovskites are of interest for multi-junction solar cells, but suffer from photoinduced spatial halide segregation. Mixed-halide 2D perovskites are more resistant to halide segregation and are promising coatings for 3D perovskite solar cells. The properties of mixed-halide compositions depend on the local halide distribution, which is challenging to study at the level of single octahedra. In particular, it has been suggested that there is a preference for occupation of the distinct axial and equatorial halide sites in mixed-halide 2D perovskites. 207 Pb NMR can be used to probe the atomic-scale structure of lead-halide materials, but although the isotropic 207 Pb shift is sensitive to halide stoichiometry, it cannot distinguish configurational isomers. Here, we use 2D isotropic-anisotropic correlation 207 Pb NMR and relativistic DFT calculations to distinguish the [PbX 6 ] configurations in mixed iodide-bromide 3D FAPb(Br 1-x I x ) 3 perovskites and 2D BA 2 Pb(Br 1-x I x ) 4 perovskites based on formamidinium (FA + ) and butylammonium (BA + ), respectively. We find that iodide preferentially occupies the axial site in BA-based 2D perovskites, which may explain the suppressed halide mobility., (© 2024 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Energy has had a definitive impact on human life throughout history. Beginning with the harnessing of fire, which offered warmth, improved shelter and more food, humanity's standard of living has been defined by the power derived from fuels and food. Access to energy is the briefest way in which to summarize the history of the world. Direct and indirect causes of war have involved access to energy, and the results of conflicts have been determined by who controlled the energy resources. Therefore, the scientific literature reveals very close interactions between energy studies and social science studies. The Scopus database contains about 118 000 publications in the fields of social sciences and energy. The current study aims to exploit this resource to identify the interactions that exist between the fields so that future research can investigate these more deeply and thus develop solutions to the problems of the modern world. The present article will analyse these publications systematically according to author, country, institution and year, in addition to examining the changes in keywords that have occurred in these studies over the years. This article is part of the theme issue 'Thermodynamics 2.0: Bridging the natural and social sciences (Part 1)'.

Thermodynamics is a universal science. The language of thermodynamics is energy and its derivatives such as entropy and power. The physical theory of thermodynamics reigns across a full spectrum of non-living objects as well as living beings. In the traditions of the past, the dichotomy between matter and life resulted in the natural sciences studying matter while the social sciences focused on living beings. As the state of human knowledge continues to evolve, anticipating the sciences of matter (natural science) and of life (social science) becoming unified under a single overarching theory is not unnatural. This article is part of the theme issue 'Thermodynamics 2.0: Bridging the natural and social sciences (Part 1)'.

Public interest in vaccines is at an all-time high following the SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic. Currently, over 6 billion doses of various vaccines are administered globally each year. Most of these vaccines contain Aluminium-based adjuvants (alum), which have been known and used for almost 100 years to enhance vaccine immunogenicity. However, despite the historical use and importance of alum, we still do not have a complete understanding of how alum works to drive vaccine immunogenicity. In this article, we critically review studies investigating the mechanisms of action of alum adjuvants, highlighting some of the misconceptions and controversies within the area. Although we have emerged with a clearer understanding of how this ubiquitous adjuvant works, we have also highlighted some of the outstanding questions in the field. While these may seem mainly of academic interest, developing a more complete understanding of these mechanisms has the potential to rationally modify and improve the immune response generated by alum-adjuvanted vaccines., Competing Interests: JMB is in receipt of funding from GSK in support of ARs PhD project. Outside of this submitted work, Arianna Raponi participates in a post-graduate studentship program at GSK., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Immunology.)

Aims and Objectives: To examine the hand hygiene beliefs and practices of Turkish nursing students and the effectiveness of their handwashing., Background: Handwashing is the most important part of preventing cross-infection, but there is a considerable amount of evidence that shows that the handwashing technique of nurses and nursing students is not always very effective., Design/methods: This research was carried out in two stages and is type of descriptive, analytical and observational. The study comprised 563 students from a Faculty of Nursing. Besides evaluating the nursing students' sociodemographic data, we assessed their beliefs and hand hygiene practices using a Hand Hygiene Beliefs Scale (HHBS) and Hand Hygiene Practices Inventory (HHPI) and also used with "Derma LiteCheck" device to assess how effectively they washed their hands. The STROBE checklist was used., Results: The handwashing frequency of the female students was significantly higher. The scores on both the HHBS and the HHPI were significantly higher among the female students compared to the males. The dirtiest areas of the hand were determined as nails (nail beds, beneath the nails), skin between the fingers and fingertips., Conclusions: The results of our study indicate that although student nurses have positive perceptions about hand hygiene and appear to have developed good habits, the effectiveness of their handwashing is poor., Relevance to Clinical Practice: It is of great importance that UV light and florescent gel are made readily available both at nursing schools and in hospitals and other health institutions since these elements are useful in providing immediate visual feedback for a full assessment of handwashing behaviour., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aims and Objectives: To explore the effect of immobility on sacral tissue oxygen saturation in patients lying on a supporting surface in supine position., Background: Guidelines in regard to preventing pressure ulcers recommend that patients lying on a standard bed should change their positions every 2 hr and that patients on a supporting surface should change their positions every 4 hr. But there is no strong evidence that justifies this practice., Design: Quasi-experimental., Methods: Data for the research were collected over the period October 2014-March 2015 at Anesthesiology and Reanimation and Neurosurgery Clinic Intensive Care Units. A total of 46 patients matching the research criteria were left in the supine position for 4 hr without having a position change, during which time sacral tissue oxygen saturation was measured every hour on the hour. Sacral tissue oxygen saturation was measured with the InSpectra Tissue Oxygenation Monitor., Results: Mean sacral tissue oxygen saturation was 73.4% at baseline and was then measured as 74.9% at the first hour, 72.3% at the second hour, 71.9% at the third hour and 71.9% at the fourth hour. The changes observed between measuring times were not found to be statistically significant (p = .09)., Conclusions: No statistically significant differences were found between sacral tissue oxygen saturation values recorded over a period of 4 hr in immobile patients lying on a supporting surface in the supine position. However, it was observed that sacral tissue oxygen saturation values did not change significantly depending upon the type of supporting surface that was being used., Relevance to Clinical Practice: The study outcome supports changing the position of a patient lying on a supporting surface every 4 hr and provides evidence that justifies the recommendation made in the guidelines., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)