Viability Issues Research Articles

Battery electric vehicles in underground mines: Insights from industry

The implementation of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in underground mining is relatively recent. BEVs offer several advantages over diesel machines, including enhanced working conditions through reduced noise and heat and the lack of toxic exhaust gases or diesel particulate matter. In addition to reducing greenhouse gases, they have the potential to reduce ventilation and air conditioning costs. Nevertheless, there are certain concerns about BEVs, in areas of productivity, fire safety, economic viability, user-friendliness, and potential electrical-related issues. To address these, two surveys were conducted, one among underground mine management and the other among mine personnel to ascertain their opinions and experiences of BEVs. The results indicated the primary motivators for mines to adopt BEVs were to create a healthier working environment and reduce carbon emissions. The factors hindering the implementation were high costs and the lack of proven reliability. Mine personnel appreciated BEVs for their quietness and reduced fluids and components; however, they had concerns about fire safety and limited battery duration. This study presents the extent of BEV use in underground mining and associated fire incidents and a summary of the survey results.

The Modern Institution of the Prosecutor's Refusal to File Charges against a Suspect: Crisis of Authenticity of the Russian Criminal Process

The paper examines the issues of effectiveness and viability of the modern Russian institution of prosecutor’s refusal to bring charges. The author substantiates the conclusion that it is formed to a greater extent in the spirit of Anglo-Saxon legal logic, while neither normative nor doctrinal correlation with the basic principles of domestic criminal proceedings has been implemented. The legal institution in question is a vivid example of conceptual, axiological legal contradictions in the Russian criminal process, which makes it difficult to clearly define its modern model and the vector of its further development. For methodological purposes, the modern Russian institution of the prosecutor’s refusal to charge was analyzed in relation to the trial with the participation of jurors. This made it possible to more fully identify the relevant shortcomings and identify areas for improvement. As a result, the following conclusions were substantiated: it would be advisable to deprive the prosecutor’s refusal to bring charges of binding force for the Russian court. At the same time, the adversarial foundation of the trial is not limited here in any way, since the prosecutor should have the opportunity to convey his position to the court following the results of the judicial investigation. In general, the proposed approach will act as a reliable guarantee of the rights of the victim, including access to justice, and serve to ensure the constitutional right of Russians to participate in the administration of justice, strengthen the independence and completeness of the judiciary. As a result, using the example of the institute under study, we can talk about the need to return to the authenticity of Russian criminal proceedings in the spirit of continental legal traditions.

HiViPore: a highly viable in-flow compression for a one-step cell mechanoporation in microfluidics to induce a free delivery of nano- macro-cargoes

BackgroundAmong mechanoporation techniques for intracellular delivery, microfluidic approaches succeed in high delivery efficiency and throughput. However, especially the entry of large cargoes (e.g. DNA origami, mRNAs, organic/inorganic nanoparticles) is currently impaired since it requires large cell membrane pores with the need to apply multi-step processes and high forces, dramatically reducing cell viability.ResultsHere, HiViPore presents as a microfluidic viscoelastic contactless compression for one-step cell mechanoporation to produce large pores while preserving high cell viability. Inducing an increase of curvature at the equatorial region of cells, formation of a pore with a size of ~ 1 μm is obtained. The poration is coupled to an increase of membrane tension, measured as a raised fluorescence lifetime of 12% of a planarizable push-pull fluorescent probe (Flipper-TR) labelling the cell plasma membrane. Importantly, the local disruptions of cell membrane are transient and non-invasive, with a complete recovery of cell integrity and functions in ~ 10 min. As result, HiViPore guarantees cell viability as high as ~ 90%. In such conditions, an endocytic-free diffusion of large nanoparticles is obtained with typical size up to 500 nm and with a delivery efficiency up to 12 times higher than not-treated cells.ConclusionsThe proposed one-step contactless mechanoporation results in an efficient and safe approach for advancing intracellular delivery strategies. In detail, HiViPore solves the issues of low cell viability when multiple steps of poration are required to obtain large pores across the cell plasma membrane. Moreover, the compression uses a versatile, low-cost, biocompatible viscoelastic fluid, thus also optimizing the operational costs. With HiViPore, we aim to propose an easy-to-use microfluidic device to a wide range of users, involved in biomedical research, imaging techniques and nanotechnology for intracellular delivery applications in cell engineering.

Cold ironing techno-economical study for a port with photovoltaic plants

According to European regulation 2023/1804/EU, all member states shall ensure the availability of cold ironing (CI) in large ports for at least 90 % of the total number of port calls of seagoing ships above 5000 gross tonnes, by the end of 2029. This is a measure expected to improve air quality, especially in the vicinity of the port's urban environment. Preliminary studies show that there are financial viability issues related to CI installations, under the current electricity pricing policies and the high investment cost for CI infrastructure. In this paper, the financial viability of the penetration of photovoltaic (PV) units optimized from spatial and power produced point of view is investigated. The proposed method is applied to various ship types, indicatively for the Thessaloniki Port, taking into consideration the connection with the Medium Voltage (MV) electricity distribution grid, as well as the construction, operation, and maintenance costs, under modified economic criterion of benefit-cost ratio (BCR).

3D Stem Cell Spheroids with 2D Hetero-Nanostructures for In Vivo Osteogenic and Immunologic Modulated Bone Repair.

3D stem cell spheroids have immense potential for various tissue engineering applications. However, current spheroid fabrication techniques encounter cell viability issues due to limited oxygen access for cells trapped within the core, as well as nonspecific differentiation issues due to the complicated environment following transplantation. In this study, functional 3D spheroids are developed using mesenchymal stem cells with 2D hetero-nanostructures (HNSs) composed of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) binding carbon nanotubes (sdCNTs) and gelatin-bind black phosphorus nanosheets (gBPNSs). An osteogenic molecule, dexamethasone (DEX), is further loaded to fabricate an sdCNTgBP-DEX HNS. This approach aims to establish a multifunctional cell-inductive 3D spheroid with improved oxygen transportation through hollow nanotubes, stimulated stem cell growth by phosphate ions supplied from BP oxidation, in situ immunoregulation, and osteogenesis induction by DEX molecules after implantation. Initial transplantation of the 3D spheroids in rat calvarial bone defect shows in vivo macrophage shifts to an M2 phenotype, leading to a pro-healing microenvironment for regeneration. Prolonged implantation demonstrates outstanding in vivo neovascularization, osteointegration, and new bone regeneration. Therefore, these engineered 3D spheroids hold great promise for bone repair as they allow for stem cell delivery and provide immunoregulative and osteogenic signals within an all-in-one construct.

Phenotypic characterisation and production system of the Nordestino horse from a multivariate perspective

Zootechnical data is a big challenge in the extensive rearing system of Brazilian locally adapted breeds once smallholdings with limited resources and funds rear them. So, information on Brazil's breeding system of locally adapted breeds is still scarce; this situation is more challenging for equine breeds. The present study aimed to describe the local rearing systems and the phenotypic profile of the Nordestino horse breed in Paraíba state and contribute to breed conservation. Data from males (entire and castrated) and females from 50 municipalities in Paraíba state were used. Two hundred sixty-nine animals (111 females, 121 castrated males, and 37 entire males) from 129 breeders were analyzed. A questionnaire consisting of direct and objective questions was applied to understand the breeding system adopted. There was a predominance of the extensive breeding system (85%), which reflects the adaptation of the Nordestino Horse to the region's natural conditions. The lower frequency of use of cultivated pastures may be related to issues of economic viability since the maintenance of cultivated pastures may require additional investments compared to the use of natural pastures. Entire males had a minimum withers height (WH) of 135 cm. Of the 11 morphometric measurements, only five were considered discriminating by the stepwise analysis. The remaining Nordestino horses have morphological characteristics within the breed standard.

Pathway engineering of Escherichia coli for the glycerol-based production of recombinant endoglucanase

BackgroundTechnology platforms developed in biorefinery are featured with low-carbon emission but afflicted by the issue of economic viability. This can be addressed by a cascade process that prioritizes the production of value-added products. In this context, the cost-effective production of endoglucanase (encoded by celA) was illustrated using Escherichia coli with crude glycerol. This renewable and sustainable feedstock appears in abundance in waste streams of the biodiesel process. Moreover, glutamate (Glu) was supplemented to tackle the inconsistent quality of yeast extract. MethodsA new fusion tag was first explored to improve the solubility of CelA. CelA was then produced using a strain quipped with a rewired glycerol metabolism. To improve the CelA production, the producer strain was further re-programmed by manipulation of metabolic pathways involved in oxidative phosphorylation and substrate-level phosphorylation. Significant findingsThe production of CelA in the developed strain positively correlated with glycerol. It was found to increase the CelA production by 90% in the engineered strain when the glycerol level was doubled. In contrast, the parent strain gained merely 20% more production of CelA. The result indicates that the physiological status of the engineered strain is refined to favor functioning of the protein synthesis machinery. In conclusion, the developed strain shows promise in production of recombinant proteins based on crude glycerol.

A Study on Communication Behaviour of Wheat Growers in Reasi Distt. of Jammu & Kashmir, India

Introduction of latest interactive communication technology among the rural population has opened a new vista of researchers to find out viability, acquaintance, accessibility, satisfaction, constraints and many more issues of the launched electronic communication technology and systems. There exists a gap between the information available and its dissemination. There is a need to find out better and faster means of communication which will bridge the gap between the researches and their applicability. The information technology revolution has provided huge opportunities to make easy access to information with interactive distance learning. The mechanism of internet and T.V. aided information technology help to reach the unreach.
 Wheat is an important crop grown in hilly Distt. Reasi of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir where different varieties of wheat are grown. Keeping in mind the importance of communication behaviour in the transfer of wheat production technology, a study on “Communication Behaviour of Wheat Growers in Reasidistt. Reasi of Jammu &Kashmir, India” was conducted in hilly District Reasi of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir which was selected purposively. Out of 12 C.D. Blocks 4C.D.Blocks namely Reasi, Pouni, Katra and Thuroo were selected randomly. A sample of 20 per cent villages was selected randomly from selected Gram Panchayats. A sample of 20 per cent Gram Panchayats from each selected block was selected randomly. A sample of 20 per cent villages from the selected Gram Panchayats was selected randomly. A sample of 20 per cent (150) wheat growers was selected randomly from selected villages. Hence, a total of 150 respondents were finally selected for recording their responses for study purpose. Communication behaviour of wheat growers has been operationalised as information input, information processing and information output behaviour of the respondents. An index was prepared for studying the communication behaviour of wheat growers, wherein information input was studied in terms of sources of information, processing of information was studied in terms of evaluation, storage and transfer of information and information output was studied in terms of dissemination of information.
 It was found that the majority of respondents were using Extension Personnel of KVK, Extension Personnel of Departments of Agriculture, progressive farmers, television, relatives and friends and radio as arranged rank wise 1, 2, 3,4, 5 and 6respectively as the main sources of information on wheat production technologies referred as the information input behaviour of the vegetables growers.
 A large number of farmers used to evaluate (processing) the information by discussing with the elder family members, progressive farmers, neighbourers and local leaders/key communicators as arranged rankwise 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. Majority of wheat growers stored the information by memorization and writing in general notebooks as arranged rankwise 1 and 2 respectively. A large number of wheat growers transformed the information by rearranging the important information as per their needs and rearranging the information in local dialect. Majority of wheat growers disseminated the information (information output) to their family members, neighbourers and those who cultivate in their lands as arranged rank wise 1, 2 and 3 respectively. It was found that majority of wheat growers had medium communication behaviour towards different wheat production information sources.

From threatened to threatening: Impacts of a reintroduced predator on reintroduced prey

AbstractDespite the recent global increase in projects utilizing conservation fencing, reintroductions of predators to fenced conservation reserves are rare. Reintroducing threatened predators into closed ecosystems raises potential issues of overabundance, population viability and inbreeding. In particular, impacts to resident prey species are not well studied across predator reintroductions worldwide, in part due to the difficulties in measuring predator impacts without adequate control areas. Over the 4 years following release, we used multiple lines of evidence and a paired treatment and control area to assess the potential impact of a reintroduced threatened predator, the western quoll, on four reintroduced threatened mammal species in a fenced reserve. Diet analysis, radio‐tracking and direct observation suggested that quolls killed and consumed all four reintroduced threatened native prey species, but two of these prey species (bettongs and bandicoots) were preferred prey. Abundance indices of these two prey species declined in parts of the reserve where quolls were present relative to control areas, yet local extinction did not occur. Quoll hunting behaviour suggested that these preferences may be driven, in part, by differences in the detectability and accessibility of similar‐sized prey. Dietary selection for threatened prey was reduced at times when native rodents, a highly preferred prey species, were in high abundance. The presence of rodents, coupled with the quoll‐exclusion control area and carcass dumps, may have protected reintroduced threatened prey from local extinction. Predator reintroductions to fenced reserves may help maintain ecosystem balance; however, predators may be incompatible with conservation of some threatened prey species unless alternative common prey are present or intensive management actions are implemented.

Bioorthogonal microglia-inspired mesenchymal stem cell bioengineering system creates livable niches for enhancing ischemic stroke recovery via the hormesis

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) experience substantial viability issues in the stroke infarct region, limiting their therapeutic efficacy and clinical translation. High levels of deadly reactive oxygen radicals (ROS) and proinflammatory cytokines (PC) in the infarct milieu kill transplanted MSCs, whereas low levels of beneficial ROS and PC stimulate and improve engrafted MSCs' viability. Based on the intrinsic hormesis effects in cellular biology, we built a microglia-inspired MSC bioengineering system to transform detrimental high-level ROS and PC into vitality enhancers for strengthening MSC therapy. This system is achieved by bioorthogonally arming metabolic glycoengineered MSCs with microglial membrane-coated nanoparticles and an antioxidative extracellular protective layer. In this system, extracellular ROS-scavenging and PC-absorbing layers effectively buffer the deleterious effects and establish a micro-livable niche at the level of a single MSC for transplantation. Meanwhile, the infarct's inanimate milieu is transformed at the tissue level into a new living niche to facilitate healing. The engineered MSCs achieved viability five times higher than natural MSCs at seven days after transplantation and exhibited a superior therapeutic effect for stroke recovery up to 28 days. This vitality-augmented system demonstrates the potential to accelerate the clinical translation of MSC treatment and boost stroke recovery.

Indigenous Cattle (A2 Cattle) Conservation and Development- A Crucial Socioeconomic Component: A Review

In the current assessment, an effort was made to examine Indigenous cattle, significant milch, drought-resistant and dual-purpose breeds for genetic advancement, conservation and future research. The flat forehead, drooping ears, fatty hump on the shoulders, and huge dewlap are traits of indigenous cattle. Along with producing A2 milk, they are renowned for withstanding heat, illness resistance, immunity to ticks and parasites and low maintenance requirements. The main causes of the extinction of indigenous cow breeds are crossbreeding with alien breeds, economic viability issues, marketing issues, low milk output, low milk fat percentage, utility loss, decrease in herd size and extensive mechanisation of agricultural operations. By raising public awareness of the benefits of the Indigenous cow breed and conducting research on them, indigenous cattle can be preserved. The term “conservation” refers to the preservation of genetic potential as well as its improvement and maintenance of a breed for use in the future. In the future, genetic advancement and conservation should be combined. The regional gene banks creation and inclusion of breeder communities, Gaushalas, NGOs and other pertinent parties in conservation initiatives.

Cytotoxicity of Carbon Nanotubes, Graphene, Fullerenes, and Dots.

The cytotoxicity of carbon nanomaterials is a very important issue for microorganisms, animals, and humans. Here, we discuss the issues of cytotoxicity of carbon nanomaterials, carbon nanotubes, graphene, fullerene, and dots. Cytotoxicity issues, such as cell viability and drug release, are considered. The main part of the review is dedicated to important cell viability issues. They are presented for A549 human melanoma, E. coli, osteosarcoma, U2-OS, SAOS-2, MG63, U87, and U118 cell lines. Then, important drug release issues are discussed. Bioimaging results are shown here to illustrate the use of carbon derivatives as markers in any type of imaging used in vivo/in vitro. Finally, perspectives of the field are presented. The important issue is single-cell viability. It can allow a correlation of the functionality of organelles of single cells with the development of cancer. Such organelles are mitochondria, nuclei, vacuoles, and reticulum. It allows for finding biochemical evidence of cancer prevention in single cells. The development of investigation methods for single-cell level detection of viability stimulates the cytotoxicity investigative field. The development of single-cell microscopy is needed to improve the resolution and accuracy of investigations. The importance of cytotoxicity is drug release. It is important to control the amount of drug that is released. This is performed with pH, temperature, and electric stimulation. Further development of drug loading and bioimaging is important to decrease the cytotoxicity of carbon nanomaterials. We hope that this review is useful for researchers from all disciplines across the world.

Computational study of adsorption of magnesium polysulfides on VS4 magnesium sulfur batteries

New high-performance battery designs need to be developed to feed the growing needs of electrostatic energy storage. Magnesium-Sulfur (Mg-S) batteries are fast emerging as a promising candidate in the last few years. However, they are plagued by viability issues due to the ‘Shuttle Effect’ slowing down the reaction kinetic and causing rapid decay of battery capacity. The shuttle effect is due to the formation of meta-stable magnesium polysulfides (MgSx) that are soluble in the battery electrolyte. The formation of these polysulfides reduces the efficiency of the cell reaction and causes a loss of electrode material since the polysulfides cannot be recycled. To combat these issues, vanadium tetra sulfide (VS4) has been identified as a potential adsorbent for the MgSx, which can help recycle them and act as a catalyst. In this project, the adsorption capacity of the [110] surface of VS4 towards various MgSx has been computationally investigated by performing ab initio Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. The adsorption energies of various MgSx upon adsorption on (VS4) have been calculated. The results are promising, and hint at the good efficacy of (VS4) in Mg-S batteries, similar to Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) batteries.

Both non-coated and polyelectrolytically-coated intraocular collagen-alginate composite gels enhanced photoreceptor survival in retinal degeneration

Treatments of vision-threatening retinal diseases are often hampered by drug delivery difficulties. Polyelectrolytically-coated alginate encapsulated-cell therapy (ECT) systems have shown therapeutic efficacy through prolonged in vivo drug delivery but still face various biocompatibility, viability, drug delivery and mechanical stability issues in clinical trials. Here, novel, injectable alginate-poly-l-lysine (AP)-coated composite alginate-collagen (CAC) ECT gels were developed for sustained ocular drug delivery, and their long-term performance was compared with non-coated CAC ECT gels. All optimised AP-coated gels (AP1- and AP5.5-CAC ECT: 2 mg/ml collagen, 1.5% high molecular weight alginate, 50,000 cells/gel, with 0.01% or 0.05% poly-l-lysine coating for 5 min, followed by 0.15% alginate coating) and non-coated gels showed effective cell proliferation control, cell viability support and continuous delivery of bioactive glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) with no significant gel degradation in vitro and in rat vitreous. Most importantly, intravitreally injected gels demonstrated therapeutic efficacy in Royal College of Surgeons rats with retinal degeneration, resulting in reduced photoreceptor apoptosis and retinal function loss. At 6 months post-implantation, no host-tissue attachment or ingrowth was detected on the retrieved gels. Non-coated gels were mechanically more stable than AP5.5-coated ones under the current cell loading. This study demonstrated that both coated and non-coated ECT gels can serve as well-controlled, sustained drug delivery platforms for treating posterior eye diseases without immunosuppression.

Despite Increasing Costs, Perfusion Machines Expand the Donor Pool of Livers and Could Save Lives

IntroductionLiver transplantation is a highly successful treatment for liver failure and disease. However, demand continues to outstrip our ability to provide transplantation as a treatment. Many livers initially considered for transplantation are not used because of concerns about their viability or logistical issues. Recent clinical trials have shown discarded livers may be viable if they undergo machine perfusion, which allows a more objective assessment of liver quality. MethodsUsing the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients dataset, we examined discarded and unretrieved organs to determine their eligibility for perfusion. We then used a Markov decision-analytic model to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis of two competing transplant strategies: Static Cold Storage (SCS) alone versus Static Cold Storage and Normothermic Machine Perfusion (NMP) of discarded organs. ResultsThe average predicted successful transplants after perfusion was 385, representing a 5.8% increase in the annual yield of liver transplants. Our cost-effectiveness analysis found that the SCS strategy generated 4.64 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and cost $479,226. The combined SCS + NMP strategy generated 4.72 QALYs and cost $481,885. The combined SCS + NMP strategy had an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $33,575 per additional QALY over the 10-year study horizon. ConclusionsMachine perfusion of livers currently not considered viable for transplant could increase the number of transplantable grafts by approximately 5% per year and is cost-effective compared to Static Cold Storage alone.

Analyzing the spatio-temporal directions of air pollutants for the initial wave of Covid-19 epidemic over Bangladesh: Application of satellite imageries and Google Earth Engine

One of the most critical issues for city viability and global health is air quality. The shutdown interval for the COVID-19 outbreaks has turned into an ecological experiment, allowing researchers to explore the influence of human/industrial operations on air quality. In this study, we have observed and examined the spatial pattern of air pollutants, specifically CO, NO2, SO2, O3 as well as AOD Over Bangladesh. For that reason, the timeline was chosen from March 2019 to October 2020 (before and during the first surge of COVID-19). The full analysis has been performed in Google Earth Engine (GEE). The findings showed that, CO, SO2, and AOD levels dropped significantly, but SO2 dropped slowly and O3 levels were similar, with marginally greater quantities in some areas during the lockdown than in 2019. During the shutdown, the association involving airborne pollutants and weather parameters (temperature and rainfall) revealed that rainfall and temperature were directly associated with air pollutants. COVID-19 mortality had a high positive connection with NO2 (R2 = 0.145; r = 0.38) and AOD (R2 = 0.17; r = 0.412). It is also found that various air impurities concentration has a strong relationship with Covid death. It would help the policymakers and officials to gain a better understanding of the sources of atmospheric emissions to develop a substantial proof of short- and long-term mitigation ways to enhance air quality and reduce the associated disease and disability burden.

Cooperative Multi-Node Jamming Recognition Method Based on Deep Residual Network

Anti-jamming is the core issue of wireless communication viability in complex electromagnetic environments, where jamming recognition is the precondition and foundation of cognitive anti-jamming. In the current jamming recognition methods, the existing convolutional networks are limited by the small number of layers and the extracted feature information. Simultaneously, simple stacking of layers will lead to the disappearance of gradients and the decrease in correct recognition rate. Meanwhile, most of the jamming recognition methods use single-node methods, which are easily affected by the channel and have a low recognition rate under the low jamming-to-signal ratio (JSR). To solve these problems, a multi-node cooperative jamming recognition method based on deep residual networks was proposed in this paper, and two data fusion algorithms based on hard fusion and soft fusion for jamming recognition were designed. Simulation results show that the use of deep residual networks to replace the original shallow CNN network structure can gain a 6–14% improvement in the correct recognition rate of jamming signals, and the hard and soft fusion-based methods can significantly improve the correct jamming recognition rate by about 3–7% and 5–12%, respectively, under low JSR conditions compared with the existing single-node method.

Scaling-up Green Hydrogen Development with Effective Policy Interventions

Discussions around hydrogen as a future energy source have taken center stage in the last few years. Countries have recognized the benefits of hydrogen as an effective energy carrier and consider it a promising transition pathway to achieve net-zero objectives. Several countries support the development of green hydrogen as part of a long-term strategy. Among various hydrogen generation options (Green, Blue, Grey), green hydrogen generated from renewable electricity and water electrolysis is considered sustainable and climate safe. However, green hydrogen development is still at a niche stage and faces various technical challenges and economic viability issues. This paper discusses how effective policy interventions focused on addressing technical and commercial challenges can help scale-up green hydrogen generation. The paper discussed policy interventions by countries like France, Germany, Japan, the UK, the US, and other EU nations leading green hydrogen development and proposed a push-pull policy model. The proposed policy model combines demand-side policy interventions with supply-side policies to scale-up green hydrogen development.

Barriers and enablers to the effective implementation of robotic assisted surgery.

Implementation of Robotic Assisted Surgery (RAS) is complex as it requires adjustments to associated physical infrastructure, but also changes to processes and behaviours. With the global objective of optimising and improving RAS implementation, this study aimed to: 1) Explore the barriers and enablers to RAS service adoption, incorporating an assessment of behavioural influences; 2) Provide an optimised plan for effective RAS implementation, with the incorporation of theory-informed implementation strategies that have been adapted to address the barriers/enablers that affect RAS service adoption. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with RAS personnel and stakeholders, including: surgeons, theatre staff, managers, industry representatives, and policy-makers/commissioners. The Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was used to identify barriers and enablers that represent individual behaviours, capabilities, attitudes, beliefs, and external organisational factors that influence the implementation of RAS. Findings suggest that implementation planning has three separate phases-pre-, early, and late implementation. For pre-implementation, barriers and enablers identified included the cost of RAS equipment and issues of economic viability, weak outcome evidence for RAS, a preponderance of an eminence driven model, the clinician/manager relationship, and views around the uptake and expansion of RAS in the future. Early implementation findings revealed role changes for theatre personnel and an enhanced team approach, reliance on industry for training provision, and changes in skill sets and attentional processes. Late implementation factors included equipment maintenance costs, technological limitations, changes to cognition during RAS routine use, and benefits to institutions/healthcare professionals (such as ergonomic improvement). Together, findings suggest the factors that affect RAS implementation are multi-faceted and change across the life-cycle of intervention adoption. Theory-informed strategies are suggested which can optimise implementation of RAS. Optimisation strategies need planning from the outset.

Business Models, Including Higher Value Products for the New Circular, Resource-Efficient Biobased Industry

The biobased business model, which initiated the era of improved use of the biological resources, upgrading resources otherwise wasted or downgraded, started with the “biomass to biofuel” biorefinery: economy by scale, requiring large investments, and stable supply of high volume, low-cost feedstock. A high-profiled business model for pioneering biorefineries was a joint venture, often formed by two already mature businesses, joining two sets of competence, skills, and experience; with opportunity for later merger or acquisition. The biofuel biorefinery was challenged from two sides, its commercial viability (caused by a low-priced end product) and sustainability issues, as it utilizes only the energy content and not the biomass structures. A new era of biobased industries was started, focusing on unlocking the full potential of biomass, by cascading optimized valorization of all (or at least more parts of) the biomass components. This dual objective, opens a spectrum of new types of bioeconomy business models, suitable for more complex biobased industries, including higher-value products in the biobased portfolio, being more complex, handling several more process steps and streams, and producing several types of biobased products. Five examples of such business models are described: (1) Biobased industry, upgrading in-house production sidestreams. (2) Biomass-specialized biorefinery. (3) Cooperatively owned biobased valorization of crop residues and processing sidestreams. (4) Industry clusters as the preferred biobased business model. (5) Local public/private consortium-owned production of biobased products. Furthermore, foresight analysis is presented on possible new business models, suitable for the expected wide variety of new types of biobased industries.