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Navigating Industry 4.0: Leveraging additive technologies for competitive advantage in Colombian aerospace and manufacturing industries

Industry 4.0 initiatives aim to improve competitive advantage. Additive technologies are a technological innovation and have great potential in a developing country like Colombia, The study analyzes how additive technologies, strategies, and process innovation interact to generate positive results, measured by the achievement of operational effectiveness in the aerospace sector and the manufacturing industry in general. Furthermore, the study explores the integration of additive technologies within the framework of Industry 4.0, focusing on the Colombian aerospace and manufacturing sectors. It investigates how these technologies, strategies, and process innovation contribute to operational effectiveness. Data were collected using a Likert-style questionnaire, developed based on established models of innovation framework and operational effectiveness model994 responses were obtained, of which 945 were deemed usable (423 from manufacturing and 522 from aerospace sectors). The analysis involved confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) using SPSS and AMOS software, ensuring robustness through indicators like Cronbach’s Alpha and fit indices. The study compared findings across the two sectors to highlight differences in how additive technologies influence organizational outcomes. Initial results reveal that while additive technologies significantly enhance process innovation across sectors, their direct impact on operational effectiveness is evident only in the aerospace industry. The findings underscore that the aerospace sector benefits from additive technologies due to their need for complex, high-quality, and small-batch production, emphasizing their role in fostering precision and customization. However, the lack of impact in the manufacturing context is attributed to limited strategic alignment and inadequate implementation practices. Moreover, the results indicate that process innovation is a critical mediator, facilitating the translation of technological advancements into improved operational outcomes. Despite moderate correlations between strategies and operational effectiveness in manufacturing, aerospace organizations exhibit more substantial strategic alignment due to stringent performance demands. These findings highlight the importance of fostering a culture of innovation, adapting organizational strategies, and addressing structural challenges to maximize the benefits of additive technologies. The study contributes to understanding the differential adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in developing economies, with implications for enhancing competitiveness and sustainability in global markets.

m7G gene expression and disease risk model construction in patients with herpes zoster

Enhancing machine learning performance in cardiac surgery ICU: Hyperparameter optimization with metaheuristic algorithm

The healthcare industry is generating a massive volume of data, promising a potential goldmine of information that can be extracted through machine learning (ML) techniques. The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stands out as a focal point within hospitals and provides a rich source of data for informative analyses. This study examines the cardiac surgery ICU, where the vital topic of patient ventilation takes center stage. In other words, ventilator-supported breathing is a fundamental need within the ICU, and the limited availability of ventilators in hospitals has become a significant issue. A crucial consideration for healthcare professionals in the ICU is prioritizing patients who require ventilators immediately. To address this issue, we developed a prediction model using four ML and deep learning (DL) models—LDA, CatBoost, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), and XGBoost—that are combined in an ensemble model. We utilized Simulated Annealing (SA) and Genetic Algorithm (GA) to tune the hyperparameters of the ML models constructing the ensemble. The results showed that our approach enhanced the sensitivity of the tuned ensemble model to 85.84%, which are better than the results of the ensemble model without hyperparameter tuning and those achieved using AutoML model. This significant improvement in model performance underscores the effectiveness of our hybrid approach in prioritizing the need for ventilators among ICU patients.

Constitutive relationships for ultra-high-performance concrete at elevated temperatures

Barriers and facilitators of adherence to treatment interventions for COPD amongst individuals from minority ethnic communities: Meta-ethnography

Objective Numerous studies have documented the low adherence rate to treatment interventions for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) amongst minority ethnic communities. This systematic meta-ethnographic review was performed to identify barriers and facilitators of adherence to treatment interventions (e.g., smoking cessation and pulmonary rehabilitation) of COPD in minority ethnic communities. Method This systematic meta-ethnographic review followed the approach by Noblit and Hare. Systematic searches were performed across six databases MEDLINE (OVID), EMBASE (OVID), CINAHL (EBSCO), PsycINFO (OVID), Web of Science, and Scopus from their inception until November 2023. Quality appraisal of included studies was conducted using Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tools. Results Out of 1,329 identified citations, seven qualitative studies were included in this meta-ethnography. Using reciprocal translation, four overarching themes were developed to represent the barriers and facilitators of adherence to treatment interventions of COPD amongst minority ethnic communities: 1) positive and negative experiences affecting a person’s motivation for their care, 2) patient attitude and beliefs, 3) being able to access and attend care, and 4) the influence of communication and culture on a person’s care. Conclusion This review highlighted the barriers and facilitators of adherence to treatment interventions for COPD amongst individuals from minority ethnic communities. The key barriers include language difficulties and the inability to comprehend and communicate effectively with healthcare professionals. This demonstrates the need for further research on the impact of linguistic and cultural characteristics on adherence to treatment interventions for COPD. Addressing ethnicity-specific barriers could inform the development of tailored protocols and strategies for optimising adherence among minority ethnic communities. (PROSPERO CRD42023476187).

Hypoxia-activated oxidative stress mediates SHP2/PI3K signaling pathway to promote hepatocellular carcinoma growth and metastasis

The impact of climate variability on agricultural employment in Mexico from 1980–2017

Employment in the agricultural sector is highly dependent on climate. Most agricultural jobs worldwide rely on predictable precipitation, in terms of both quantity and seasonality. Mexico is a largely agrarian country, with at least 20 million people directly reliant on food production for the livelihoods. However, research on the relationship between climate variability and agrarian employment is limited in the nation, complicating the development of effective adaptation strategies to drought and climate change. This study aims to address this gap, by analyzing the employment changes of farmers and livestock producers at a national level in the past five decades (1980 to 2017) and its relationship to long-term precipitation variability. We employed governmental datasets from national agrarian surveys and national precipitation, both at the annual scale and seasonally within each year. We found a negative relationship between agricultural employment and total annual precipitation. In particular, employment in the livestock sector showed a negative correlation with current-year precipitation (p = 0.06, cor = -0.33), while employment in rainfed agriculture was linked to the previous year’s rainfall (p = 0.07, cor = -0.33). It is likely that this pattern was driven by the positive relationship of precipitation with planted cropland area (p<0.05, cor = 0.19) and agrarian income (p<0.05, cor = 0.18). We also found that as many as 10 million people left the agrarian employments each year during the dry season. Finally, as precipitation continues to pose a challenge, it may have contributed to people of ages 23 to 35 to leave in recent years, compared to 15 and 19 in the 1990s. These findings underscore the need for national policies to mitigate the impacts of dry years on livelihoods and to inform strategies for building resilience in the agricultural sector.

Tester selection for combining ability estimation of storage root yield and sweetpotato virus disease in sweetpotato breeding

Abstract General combining ability (GCA) is the major selection criterion for new sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) parents in a reciprocal recurrent selection (RRS) scheme. Here we aimed to estimate GCA and specific combining ability (SCA) by using 16 potential testers involved in an 8 × 8 partial diallel and propose a procedure to identify testers in sweetpotato breeding. Data on storage root yield in tons per hectare (rytha), and sweetpotato virus disease (vir2) from 64 families (1,913 clones) were collected in five trials at two locations in Uganda. The estimates of the female GCA accounted for the largest additive genetic variation for storage root yield compared to the male GCA for both traits. Mid-parent heterosis ranged from − 6.2 to 7% for rytha, and − 1.1 to 1.3% for vir2 in the progeny families. A stepwise procedure to identify testers top-ranked ‘NASPOT 7’ as a dual tester for both traits. Besides this parent, ‘Ejumula’ and ‘NASPOT 10 O’ for rytha, and ‘NASPOT 1’, ‘NK259L’, ‘SPK004’, and ‘NASPOT 11’ for vir2 are particularly suitable as respective single-trait testers. Testers are important in many plant breeding programs to enhance efficiency of RRS, and thus other crop species might benefit from the strategy and methods applied herein.

Evaluation of a home-based parenting support programme—Parenting Young Children—For parents with intellectual and developmental disabilities when there is a risk for neglect: Study protocol for a multi-centre study

Introduction Parents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) often need parenting support, but there are few evidence-based programmes adapted to their cognitive needs. Parenting Young Children (PYC), a home-based programme for parents with IDDs, is perceived as beneficial by parents and practitioners, but it is unclear if PYC improves parenting. The purpose of the proposed mixed-methods study is therefore to evaluate the PYC programme for improved parenting in parents with IDDs. Methods and analysis The quantitative evaluation will have a multi-centre, pretest-posttest study design and include parents with IDDs (children aged 0–9) in need of adapted parenting support. Goal-attainment in parenting skills, parental self-efficacy and child mental health will be measured outcomes. Interviews will be used to explore the perspectives of parents and children on PYC. Ethics and dissemination Particpation is based on informed consent from parents and guardians of the participating children. Ethical approval was granted by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority.

Evaluating flood dynamics and effects in Nagpur city using remote sensing and Shannon’s entropy analysis

Abstract Flood is among the most disastrous natural disasters since they are responsible for massive damage to infrastructure, severe fatalities and injuries, innumerable economic losses, and social disruptions worldwide. These damages caused by floods have been worsening in recent years worldwide because of environmental degradation, climatic change, and high-speed urbanization. A rising precipitation rate increases the chances of floods in flood-vulnerable areas. A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying regions caused by remarkably high rainfall in a short duration. On September 23rd, 2023 a flooding event in the Nagpur, Maharashtra, it is directly impact on the human death and economic loss entire city. In the present study, the change in the dynamics of Nagpur city was analysed by employing remote sensing and GIS techniques to assess the change in the land use and land cover patterns. Landsat imagery of year 2000, 2010, 2020, and 2023 was used for land use and land cover classification. This analysis reveals that there is an increase in built-up area from 72.85 sq. km in year 2000 to 185.4 sq. km in year 2023. The built up land is increased this changes where directly affects the infiltration rate of rainwater into the soil. The total area covered by water bodies is reduced to 2.29 sq. km in 2023 which were 12.2 sq. km in year 2000. It is indicates the encroachment of built-up land on the water bodies. On the day of flash flood occurrence, it was observed that Nagpur city received 145 mm rainfall which is highest in the month of September, 2023. The Shannon entropy model was used to estimate the population dynamics and growth patterns of Nagpur city. Higher entropy values were obtained during the analysis which indicates the rapid transformation of city in all directions. Population dynamics of Nagpur city also indicate the inflation in population from 4,067,637 in 2000 to 4,653,570 in 2010. The SAR water index was calculated using Google Earth Engine to detect the water surges in residential areas during the flood. Precautionary measures should be taken by governing authorities to avoid such disasters. Proper city planning and improvements in drainage systems are recommended within the city. It is needed for an hour to develop a river monitoring system and early warning system, as well as preventive measures that should be implemented, like the construction of retaining walls to control the flood water.

DeepKymoTracker: A tool for accurate construction of cell lineage trees for highly motile cells

Time-lapse microscopy has long been used to record cell lineage trees. Successful construction of a lineage tree requires tracking and preserving the identity of multiple cells across many images. If a single cell is misidentified the identity of all its progeny will be corrupted and inferences about heritability may be incorrect. Successfully avoiding such identity errors is challenging, however, when studying highly-motile cells such as T lymphocytes which readily change shape from one image to the next. To address this problem, we developed DeepKymoTracker, a pipeline for combined tracking and segmentation. Central to DeepKymoTracker is the use of a seed, a marker for each cell which transmits information about cell position and identity between sets of images during tracking, as well as between tracking and segmentation steps. The seed allows a 3D convolutional neural network (CNN) to detect and associate cells across several consecutive images in an integrated way, reducing the risk of a single poor image corrupting cell identity. DeepKymoTracker was trained extensively on synthetic and experimental T lymphocyte images. It was benchmarked against five publicly available, automatic analysis tools and outperformed them in almost all respects. The software is written in pure Python and is freely available. We suggest this tool is particularly suited to the tracking of cells in suspension, whose fast motion makes lineage assembly particularly difficult.

Randomized controlled trial of bromelain and alpha-lipoic acid in breast conservative surgery

Explore the possible influence of Sjogren’s syndrome on thyroid cancer: A literature data mining and meta-analysis

Objectives To explore the potential influence of Sjogren’s syndrome (SS) on thyroid cancer (TC). Methods First, a literature data mining (LDM) approach was used to reconstruct functional pathways connecting SS and TC. A meta-analysis was then performed to examine the expression changes of genes mediated by SS using 16 TC case/control expression datasets, with results validated through the TCGA/GTEx dataset. Finally, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and survival analysis using GEPIA2 were conducted on the significant genes. Results Our findings indicate that SS may increase the risk of TC by activating 14 TC promoters (PDCD1, NTRK1, LGALS3, CD274, FOXP3, BCL2, CYP1A1, HMGB1, TGFB1, CCL2, PLA2G7, TFF3, LCN2, and CLDN1) and suppressing three TC inhibitors (MIR145, MIR30C1, and EP300). Four molecules (PLA2G7, TFF3, LCN2, and CLDN1) exhibited significant expression changes in TC patients (LFC > 1 or < -1; p < 2.07E-04), which were confirmed in TCGA/GTEx expression analysis. These results highlight three possible mechanisms—the SS-PLA2G7-CCL2-TC pathway, the SS-LCN2-LGALS3-TC pathway, and the SS-CLDN1-BCL2-TC pathway—that may explain how SS contributes to TC development. Enrichment analysis suggests that SS may affect TC prognosis by regulating leukocytes and tolerance induction. Survival analysis indicates that SS may enhance TC survival through the regulation of the CLDN1 and EGF pathways. Conclusion LDM-based pathway analysis highlighted three genetic pathways through which SS may adversely affect TC progression, while SS may enhance TC survival via the CLDN1 and EGF pathways, highlighting the need for further research.

Efficacy of ossiculoplasty in patients with chronic otitis media with severe to profound hearing loss

Implementation research to develop an optimized delivery model for effective implementation of evidence-based interventions to reduce stillbirth in India: A study protocol

Background Stillbirth remains a public health concern in India, despite a decrease in reported rates. Inconsistent data collection hampers clear understanding the burden of stillbirth, and interventions for its reduction are scattered across various national programs. This research aims to explore effective strategies to improve the delivery and uptake of high-quality antenatal and intrapartum care services which have the potential to reduce stillbirth rates in various states of India. Methods This mixed-method, multi-site study in India will be conducted in three phases: Phase 1: Formative Phase; Phase 2: Development of a Comprehensive Package for Stillbirth Reduction and Optimization of the implementation model and Phase 3: Scale-up of comprehensive package and monitoring of optimized strategy/model. Participants will include pregnant women, women who have recently delivered, family members, respectable community members, healthcare workers and staff, state and district health authorities. The effectiveness of intervention package and optimized implementation model in reducing stillbirth will be evaluated using a pre-post quasi-experimental design. The burden of stillbirth will be estimated through community survey, recording pregnancy outcomes for women who have delivered within the past one year. Various methods including semi-structured questionnaires, verbal autopsies, and in-depth qualitative interview guides, review of clinical case sheets will be used to assess the causes of stillbirth. Additionally, government health facilities will be assessed and strengthened over study period. This study will utilize implementation science theories, models, and frameworks (TMF), including the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to identify barriers and facilitators, and the evaluative TMF of RE-AIM (Reach Effectiveness Adoption Implementation and maintenance) to monitor the optimized model. The primary outcome is the development of a scalable, sustainable model of intervention package and delivery strategies to reduce stillbirths. The secondary outcome includes a robust estimation of burden, timing, and risk factors of stillbirths across all study sites. Certain sites will conduct an economic evaluation to assess the incremental cost of implementing comprehensive packages using the optimized implementation model. Discussion This innovative study addresses a critical public health gap in context of stillbirth reduction in India. Integrating proven interventions with real-world implementation challenges across diverse regions, this project aims to develop a comprehensive and replicable model. If successful, this model can significantly improve stillbirth prevention in low-resource settings. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov CTRI-2024/07/069796.

A geospatial and statistical analysis of land surface temperature in response to land use land cover changes and urban heat island dynamics

Cost analysis of corneal tissue processing: A scoping review protocol

Introduction Diseases affecting the cornea are a group of pathological conditions responsible for the main causes of blindness worldwide. Corneal transplantation aims to replace dysfunctional corneal tissue with a transparent tissue graft obtained from a deceased donor, which enables the full recovery of lost vision. Processes are initially performed to prepare the corneal tissue for transplantation in order for this transplant to be viable. There is a gap in knowledge regarding the costs of these processes. This review aims to carry out a robust, broad and current mapping of studies which analyze the costs of processing corneal tissue for transplantation. Objective The objective of this study is to map the evidence produced in the literature on cost analysis studies of corneal tissue processing. Materials and methods A scoping review will be conducted to map the topic, gather different research designs and identify the available scientific evidence on corneal tissue processing. To this end, a scoping review protocol was developed, registered in the Open Science Framework (accessed at: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/2X89U), following the good practices described by the Joanna Briggs Institute. The review report will be guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. The data will be presented descriptively, with a summary of the studies found. The guiding research question of the study is: What is the scope of scientific evidence on the cost analysis of corneal tissue processing for transplants?

Nutrients, bioactive compounds and antinutritional properties of marigold genotypes as promising functional food

A multicenter cross-sectional survey of the role of community pharmacists, attitudes, and perceptions in preventing and controlling cardiovascular diseases

Background Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of mortality globally and impose suffering and economic difficulties, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Community pharmacists present an opportunity for effective prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases. The overarching aim of the study was to evaluate factors associated with the extent of involvement, barriers and facilitators, and perceptions of Lesotho community pharmacists in preventing and controlling cardiovascular diseases. Methods The study utilised a quantitative cross-sectional survey. A semi-structured questionnaire was distributed to licensed community pharmacists across four districts between March and July 2023. Parametric and non-parametric tests were performed for data analysis using a Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26. Results Apart from medicine dispensing, community pharmacists were mostly involved in hypertension (mean = 4.38±.73) and diabetes (mean = 4.17±.91) screening, weight management advice (mean = 3.81±.87), disease education (mean = 3.93±.83), medication management therapy (mean = 3.74±.99, 3.81±.88), referral of and follow up on patients (mean = 3.70±.98 and 3.87±.92). There was a significant association between the extent of involvement and pharmacy location, experience of community pharmacists, availability of tools, number of patients seen daily, and presence of other healthcare professionals at a community pharmacy (p<0.05). The most common barriers were related to patient factors (>75% agree to strongly agree), such as lack of awareness of community pharmacists’ services. Community pharmacists possessed positive (mean >3) attitudes and perceptions regarding their role in cardiovascular disease management. Conclusions Besides dispensing medicine, community pharmacists had varying extent of involvement in health promotion activities. The provision of these services differed between socio-demographic groups. Community pharmacists possessed good knowledge, positive attitudes towards their cardiovascular disease management role. Thus, they can improve cardiovascular disease outcomes. However, the barriers potentially limit their scope of practice and encourage inconsistent community pharmacy services. The findings present pertinent information to policy-makers, regulators, and pharmacists that can inform the development of frameworks to improve clinical and pharmacy practice in Lesotho and low- and middle-income countries.

Evaluation of methylene blue restaining versus conventional hydrogen peroxide decolorization in immunohistochemical diagnosis of melanoma

Abstract This study seeks to address the challenge of melanoma identification in immunohistochemical (IHC) diagnosis, which is complicated by the similar coloration of melanin and DAB (Diaminobenzidine) staining, by introducing methylene blue counterstaining as an innovative solution. We compared the effectiveness of methylene blue counterstaining with that of the traditional hydrogen peroxide bleaching method in the diagnosis of melanoma. The study included 46 paraffin-embedded melanoma samples, and the staining efficacy for markers such as Melan A, HMB-45, PRAME, and Ki-67 was assessed via both methods. The results demonstrated that methylene blue counterstaining effectively converted the brownish-yellow melanin granules to a deep green color, significantly enhancing contrast and clarity with DAB staining. The average contrast and clarity scores for the methylene blue counterstaining method were 1.96 ± 0.21 and 1.91 ± 0.28, respectively, which were significantly greater than those of the conventional IHC group and the hydrogen peroxide bleaching group (P < 0.01). Furthermore, methylene blue counterstaining did not cause noticeable tissue damage or cellular morphology distortion, with tissue integrity scores comparable to those of the conventional IHC group (P > 0.05). Although the contrast and clarity also improved in the hydrogen peroxide bleaching group, it resulted in a significant decrease in tissue integrity (P < 0.01). This study is the first to apply methylene blue counterstaining in melanoma IHC analysis, demonstrating its advantages in enhancing staining quality, simplifying procedural workflows, and preserving antigenicity. This method provides a novel and effective tool for the pathological diagnosis of melanoma, potentially improving diagnostic accuracy and reliability.