Mapping digital health initiatives and technological requirements: A proposal from Sao Paulo State for digital maturity assessment.

The One Health resistome: Integrating environmental, microbial, and human antimicrobial resistance surveillance and risk analysis in the digital age.

This study examines the spread of etomidate-adulterated vaping products ('k-pods', 'space oil' or 'zombie cigarettes') and compares legal and policy responses across affected jurisdictions. Through a review of government reports, forensic data and statutory instruments, the analysis reconstructs the geographic spread of etomidate and its analogues, evaluates their toxicological hazards when aerosolised, and contrasts divergent regulatory strategies. Findings show that detection and enforcement are concentrated in East and Southeast Asia, where jurisdictions vary between criminal-control and pharmaceutical-control models. The study recommends three interlocking reforms: (i) adoption of broad-spectrum analogue legislation; (ii) investment in regional forensic infrastructure; and (iii) enhanced real-time information-sharing platforms. These measures would close regulatory loopholes, strengthen surveillance and prosecution, preserve legitimate clinical access, and reduce illicit manufacture, distribution and online commercialisation of etomidate-contaminated vaping products. Etomidate-adulterated vaping constitutes an international governance and public health challenge that is best countered through synchronised legal reform, enhanced forensic infrastructure and accelerated cross-jurisdictional intelligence sharing.

The accelerated global demand for clean energy has significantly increased the deployment of hydrogen technologies, positioning electrolysers as vital to achieving net-zero ambitions. However, as key components of the green hydrogen economy, electrolysers utilise noble-metal catalysts, advanced membranes, and critical raw materials that pose unique challenges for establishing a circular economy. To address resource scarcity, elevated material costs, and environmental concerns, recycling methods such as hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy, along with emerging approaches such as transient electrochemical dissolution, biometallurgy, and selective recovery techniques, have been investigated. These R-technologies have varying maturity levels in scalability, efficiency, and ecological impacts, but face challenges due to the complex material composition of electrolysers, component degradation during operation, and the lack of standardised processes for efficient material separation and recovery at end-of-life. Here, we present advancements in recycling techniques for hydrogen technologies, with a distinctive focus on integrating design-for-recycling principles and exploring innovative recovery methods for electrolysers. The review critically evaluates established and emerging recycling strategies, assessing key challenges such as material degradation, system complexity, and manufacturing variability, alongside economic and environmental barriers, including high recovery costs and limited infrastructure. Gaps in scalable recovery of critical metals, especially iridium, and the role of life-cycle assessment and interdisciplinary approaches in developing efficient, low-impact recycling solutions are highlighted. Alongside advocating strategic investments in research and infrastructure, as well as regulatory policies, this review assesses actionable pathways to develop cost-effective and sustainable recycling systems. These efforts aim to drive the global shift toward resource-efficient and circular hydrogen production. • Review of recycling technologies for hydrogen electrolyser systems. • Analysis of CRM recovery from PEM, AWE, SOE, and AEM stacks. • Comparison of conventional and emerging electrolyser recycling methods. • SWOT analysis of scalability, cost, and environmental impact. • Design-for-recycling and circular economy strategies highlighted.

Implementation of artificial intelligence to automate physical disector in a fractionator design for quantification of stem cell-derived neurons.

• Prolog knowledge-based system enhances network domain flexibility. • Sequence-based hyper-heuristics escape local optima effectively. • Method scales well and yields cost-effective solutions for fibre rollouts. • Hybrid framework improves modularity and usability, while eases automation. As demand for high-speed telecommunication increases, automating the design of fibre networks is critical for minimising deployment costs and ensuring consistent service. However, existing search strategies within British Telecom’s (BT) design software struggle to consistently locate near-global optima as network scale increases, and the hard-coded definition of network domains limits flexibility for non-developers. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a novel framework with two key contributions: a Prolog Advisory System (PAS) for modular domain definition and a sequence-based selection hyper-heuristic for enhanced optimisation. The PAS utilises logic programming to decouple constraint checking and cost calculation from the core framework, enabling rapid domain modification. For optimisation, we introduce intelligent move sequencing using Luby-based and Hidden Markov Model approaches, augmented by a continuous pivot strategy that increases the exploration of constraint-breaking moves. Experimental results on real-world case studies illustrate the robustness and effectiveness of our method to obtain high-quality solutions, regardless of the size of the network. Specifically, on large-scale instances, the proposed method outperforms BT’s current approach, reducing average design cost by approximately 3.8% and decreasing the required evaluations by up to 65%. This work offers vital efficiency gains for BT’s multi-billion pound fibre roll-out program, one of the UK’s largest infrastructure investments, where even small design improvements yield substantial financial savings.

The role of infrastructure investment, tourism development, and technological innovation in decarbonizing the Belt and Road Initiative economies

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have transformed obesity and diabetes management, with rapidly expanding indications and use among U.S. adults. Despite their promise, key questions remain about optimal treatment pathways, long-term safety, effectiveness across diverse populations, adherence, and economic impact. Real-world evidence (RWE) derived from electronic health records, claims, and other data sources could address these gaps, but unique challenges complicate its use, such as inconsistent insurance coverage, high discontinuation rates, medication shortages, compounded formulations, and off-label prescribing. To explore these issues, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases convened a workshop in May 2025 with experts from regulatory agencies, guideline committees, payers, and academia. Discussions focused on identifying knowledge gaps in GLP-1RA use, evaluating how RWE informs practice, assessing limitations of real-world data, and strategies to reduce bias in RWE. Presentations emphasized RWE's potential to complement randomized trials by capturing rare adverse events, long-term outcomes, and effectiveness in routine care. However, persistent challenges include data reliability, confounding, and incomplete capture of medication use and outcomes, particularly in pediatric and underserved populations. Coverage decisions remain heterogeneous across Medicare, Medicaid, and private payers and across time, underscoring the need for rigorous cost-benefit analyses. The workshop concluded that robust RWE is essential for developing value-based coverage policies and optimizing GLP-1RA use. Continued investment in high-quality data infrastructure and analytic methods will be critical to inform regulatory, clinical, and economic decisions as utilization expands.

Digital Technologies for Healthy Longevity: A Policy Agenda from the Einstein Circle on Inclusive, Data-Driven Ageing Societies.

One vital concern of health policy globally is to achieve equity in access to health care services for all. This study aims to examine the interconnectedness of health insurance, healthcare utilization and health outcomes in Nigeria. It set out to ascertain how enrollment in health insurance impacts healthcare utilization and health outcomes in Nigeria. The study utilized the latest demographic survey data collected by the National Bureau of Statistics in Nigeria. The data was analyzed using binary logistic regression models. The study demonstrates that father's education and occupation are positively associated with health outcomes, while age and decision on healthcare utilization have negative associations. It also observed that insurance enrollment does not significantly improve child and maternal health outcomes even though insurance ownership and the type of plan significantly influence health service use in Nigeria. This result is further supported by the ordinary least squares regression result, serving as a robustness check. The results provide evidence that investments in health insurance infrastructure, educational attainment (especially among men) and geographic equity in service provision are critical levers for improving population health in Nigeria. The study recommends that strengthening the health system in Nigeria requires multidimensional efforts targeting insurance access, educational empowerment, employment stability and geographical service distribution so as to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3: "Good Health and Well-Being for all."

Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to transform diagnostic radiology, yet data on its adoption and the perspectives of radiologists in the Middle East remain scarce. This study provides the first comprehensive analysis of AI engagement among radiologists in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a nation characterized by substantial investment in digital health infrastructure and artificial intelligence initiatives. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 100 practicing radiologists in the UAE. The survey assessed professional role, practice setting, institution characteristics, attitudes toward AI, adoption patterns, perceived clinical impact, and preferences for future AI applications. The study revealed a remarkably high rate of AI adoption. Sixty-seven percent of respondents reported daily AI use. Attitudes were overwhelmingly positive, with 73% of radiologists holding a favorable or very favorable view of AI. We identified a significant gap between desired and currently available AI applications, particularly in abdominal imaging (24% gap), pediatric imaging (18% gap), and emergency/trauma imaging (16% gap) (p = 0.031). Despite high adoption, there was no statistically significant difference in attitudes or daily use across professional roles or practice settings (p > 0.05). A strong preference for a cautious, evidence-based approach was evident, with 71% of respondents favoring gradual AI implementation. Radiologists in the UAE reported high levels of AI adoption and generally favorable attitudes toward AI-assisted radiology practice, with high expectations for its future development. The findings highlight a critical need for targeted investment in underdeveloped AI subspecialty tools to meet clinical demand. These results provide a valuable benchmark for the region and underscore the importance of aligning AI development with the practical needs of clinical radiologists to ensure successful and impactful integration.

The transition toward sustainability has become the major challenge of the twenty-first century. The transport sector is responsible for nearly one-quarter of carbon dioxide emissions, and the core of current decarbonization strategies is electrification. This study develops an analytical model to explain how fleet operators determine the optimal mix of internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric vehicles (EVs) under various policy and behavioral influences. Unlike classical firm models focusing solely on profit maximization, the proposed framework reflects the evolving corporate behavior in the sustainability era, where firms derive utility from both economic performance and their environmental and social standing. By extending a risk-adjusted Cobb–Douglas utility function to incorporate environmental awareness and uncertainty, the model explains how carbon taxation, decarbonization subsidies, perceived risk influence fleet composition. The results indicate that carbon taxes discourage ICE usage, subsidies and infrastructure investments accelerate electrification, environmental awareness amplifies these effects. Beyond economic incentives, the findings highlight the strategic importance of ESG commitments and risk management in corporate decision-making during the Sustainability era. This model contributes by developing a theoretical framework that integrates microeconomic optimization, behavioral economics, and policy design, providing guidance for both firms and regulators in advancing sustainable transportation systems.

The development of infrastructure under the Belt and Road Initiative has had a significant impact on post-conflict reconstruction in Asia and Africa. However, the Initiative’s reliance on bilateral government-to-government agreements has had the effect of marginalising affected communities from project governance. This paper explores how a state-centric model engenders governance distortions in fragile institutional environments. It draws evidence from the Thar coalfield development in Pakistan, the Kyaukpyu port project in Myanmar, the Standard Gauge Railway in Kenya, and Hambantota port in Sri Lanka to support this investigation. Each case demonstrates that rapid infrastructure deployment without meaningful community consultation produces displacement, environmental degradation, and erosion of citizen trust in state institutions. It also examines civil society responses across three areas: domestic litigation that challenges procedural deficiencies in environmental and land acquisition processes; transnational advocacy campaigns that link local grievances to international human rights discourse; and mobilisation strategies rooted in culturally specific claims to territory and belonging. An analysis of the African Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations reveals that neither organisation has successfully transitioned from facilitating dialogue among member states to establishing enforceable standards governing infrastructure investment. Four reforms are proposed: the institutionalisation of community voice through tripartite project committees, the mandating of cultural heritage assessments alongside environmental review, the development of regional investment protocols with accessible grievance mechanisms, and the embedding of conflict sensitivity into project design where historical injustices shape contemporary land tenure.

Food as Medicine in Los Angeles County: Policy and Practice Insights from a 2025 Convening.

To meet Yantai City's 2030 hydrogen demand (1000 tons for 12 refueling stations), this study develops a quantitative model to assess high-pressure gaseous (CGH2, 700bar) and liquid hydrogen (LH2) across truck, railway, maritime, and pipeline modes. The model systematically analyzes key performance indicators to optimize supply configurations based on Yantai's geography. For short-distance transport (e.g., Qingdao → Yantai, 200km), CGH2 by truck is optimal, with a unit cost of 5.22 CNY/kg, low loss (0.1%), and superior energy efficiency. For long-distance inland routes (e.g., Ordos → Yantai, 1500km), CGH2 by rail offers a viable pathway at 3.22 CNY/kg, ideal for inland green hydrogen bases. For international imports (e.g., Australia → Yantai, 8000km), LH2 by ship shows a high cost of 14.35 CNY/kg, rendering it economically unattractive due to shipping costs and evaporative losses. Pipeline transport (e.g., Tianjin → Yantai, 300km) yields prohibitively high costs (CGH2: 57.23; LH2: 81.53 CNY/kg) at this scale, due to high upfront infrastructure investment. Thus, pipelines should be a long-term strategic option for future large-scale networks. This study confirms that hydrogen form and transport distance are pivotal factors influencing total cost. It advocates for prioritizing a multimodal CGH2-based network in the near term. The findings provide quantitative guidance for Yantai's hydrogen planning and establish a transferable methodological framework for designing hydrogen strategies in comparable coastal cities.

This study investigates the perceptions of Egyptian university academics regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in academic research. Adopting a quantitative descriptive survey design, the study administered a structured questionnaire to a purposive sample of 105 participants affiliated with Egyptian universities, including lecturers (n = 50), researchers (n = 40), instructors (n = 10), and students (n = 5). The instrument comprised 20 items organized across four dimensions: AI awareness, actual AI use, challenges to AI adoption, and expected impact of AI on research quality. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings reveal high overall AI awareness (M = 2.37 on a 3-point scale) alongside low-to-moderate actual use (M = 2.00), indicating a pronounced awareness-to-practice gap. The challenges dimension recorded the highest mean (M = 2.52), with insufficient professional training (85.7% agreement) and ethical concerns about research originality (71.4% agreement) emerging as the most salient barriers. Participants held guarded optimism about AI's expected impact on research quality (M = 2.34), particularly regarding efficiency and creativity. These findings, understood as participants’ perceptions rather than objective measures of institutional reality, highlight the urgent need for structured AI literacy programs, institutional policy frameworks, and digital infrastructure investments at Egyptian universities. The study contributes to the limited empirical literature on AI adoption in Egyptian and broader MENA higher-education contexts and identifies directions for future research.

ABSTRACT The empirical literature concerning the joint analysis of interactions between information and communication technologies (ICTs), financial inclusion and economic growth, particularly in the context of the countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), is still underdeveloped. This study aims to fill this gap by assessing the impact of ICT on economic growth, considering financial inclusion as the main transmission mechanism. The analysis is based on a panel of seven WAEMU countries covering the period 2006–2023 and uses a simultaneous equation model estimated via the triple least squares (3SLS) method. The empirical results indicate that the spread of ICTs, particularly mobile phones and the internet, significantly promotes the development of financial inclusion, which serves as an effective transmission channel for the impact of ICTs on economic growth. Conversely, fixed-line telephony has no significant effect on financial inclusion. To maximize the impact of ICTs on the development of the financial sector in support of economic growth, WAEMU countries must prioritize investment in digital infrastructure, especially in rural and peri-urban areas. It is also essential to foster the growth of fintech companies and mobile financial services, ensuring transaction security, data protection, and system interoperability.

ABSTRACT This study provides city-level causal evidence on the economic effects of data trading infrastructure. Treating the staggered establishment of data trading platforms (DTPs) across Chinese cities between 2014 and 2023 as a quasi-natural experiment, we estimate a multi-period difference-in-differences model using a balanced panel of 298 prefecture-level cities from 2000 to 2023. The baseline estimate indicates that DTP establishment increases night-time light intensity – our primary proxy for urban economic vitality – by 3.610 units, robust across all sensitivity specifications. Event-study analysis validates parallel trends, and a randomization-inference placebo test yields an empirical p-value below 0.001. A Bartik instrumental variable strategy produces a 2SLS estimate of 9.421 (p < 0.05), which we interpret as complementary given a moderately relevant first stage (F = 2.71). Mechanism tests reveal that DTPs promote innovation and digital economy employment. A dose–response analysis shows that each additional year of platform operation increases vitality by 0.876 units on average, but the marginal effect turns negative in cities with below-median internet penetration. These findings establish that DTPs can serve as effective institutional vehicles for data factor marketization, but their economic returns are contingent on complementary digital infrastructure investments.

Aim and background: Despite the cultural importance and unifying role of football, the sport faces significant obstacles, including political instability, inadequate infrastructure, and financial constraints. This study aims to identify the main challenges limiting the growth of football in Iraq. Methodology: This study used a qualitative approach, involving semi-structured interviews with 20 football-related individuals. That means the number of participants was 20 people involved in Iraqi football. The minimum duration of the interview was 23 minutes, and the maximum was one hour and seven minutes. The research group included Iraqi Football Association officials, parliament members, sporting directors, coaches, administrators, referees, and former national team players. Objective analysis is used to analyse data through the use of targeted modelling, which uses a six-step objective analysis method (Braun and Clarke 2006). resulting in the identification of 35 codes grouped into seven main themes derived from the data. Results: The findings reveal political interference in sports governance, unstable management practices, insufficient budgets, poor organizational structures, underdeveloped infrastructure, and fundamentally weak participation. These challenges are interconnected, worsening governance weaknesses that, in turn, intensify financial and developmental issues. Conclusion: The study concludes that Iraqi sport faces complex, systemic obstacles. Iraqi football suffers from issues related to governance and resource management. Reforms should prioritize transparent leadership, diversified funding, infrastructure investment, and fundamental development to achieve sustainable growth and competitive success. To improve these efforts, challenges should be assessed using the SPLISS model and reformulated accordingly.

BackgroundDuring January 2024, the US Virgin Islands (USVI) Department of Health (VIDOH) identified a critical need to maintain the cloud-hosted National Electronic Disease Surveillance System Base System (NBS) instance and support the local data modernization initiative. After consulting with federal partners and subject matter experts, VIDOH’s leadership chose to migrate the integrated disease surveillance system to a new platform hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and update the NBS instance to the most advanced version, NBS 7.ObjectiveThe primary aim was to support a USVI disease surveillance system that is modern, functional, and cost-efficient by migrating the VIDOH NBS instance from a vendor-managed environment to a jurisdiction-managed AWS cloud-based infrastructure while upgrading to NBS 7.MethodsThe VIDOH implemented a phased migration strategy that included planning and cost-benefit assessment, deployment of NBS 7 within AWS, database migration, validation and optimization, and staged reonboarding of electronic reporting facilities.Implementation (Results)The USVI NBS 7 instance went live on May 6, 2025, with USVI becoming the first US jurisdiction using AWS for implementation of NBS 7 and the second using NBS 7 in production, overall. Benefits of this change included nearly 90% cost savings (preliminarily estimated at 80%), additional bandwidth, real-time data ingestion and updates, an opportunity to build local informatics capacity, and the ability to have greater autonomy over the data and its end points. To date, the VIDOH successfully reonboarded 106 of 109 (97%) previously connected electronic reporting facilities and onboarded 1 new reporting laboratory previously unable to connect due to interoperability barriers.ConclusionsUpdating the USVI database to NBS 7 in a locally owned, cloud-hosted, AWS environment has improved disease surveillance specifically by providing the most up-to-date Centers for Disease Control and Prevention–supported data system, improving timeliness of reporting by offering local providers more flexibility in electronic reporting options, and giving USVI direct control over workflow decision functionality. Furthermore, improved interoperability and maintaining a cloud-based platform were additional benefits of the database migration. This important investment in public health infrastructure will allow USVI public health professionals, clinicians, policymakers, and other stakeholders to be able to monitor and respond to disease threats quickly and inform appropriate public health action.