Primary Area Of Interest Research Articles

Atlas-Based Interpretable Age Prediction In Whole-Body MR Images

Age prediction is an important part of medical assessments and research. It can aid in detecting diseases as well as abnormal ageing by highlighting potential discrepancies be- tween chronological and biological age. To improve understanding of age-related changes in various body parts, we investigate the ageing of the human body on a large scale by using whole-body 3D images. We utilise the Grad-CAM method to determine the body areas most predictive of a person’s age. In order to expand our analysis beyond individual subjects, we employ registration techniques to generate population-wide importance maps that show the most predictive areas in the body for a whole cohort of subjects. We show that the investigation of the full 3D volume of the whole body and the population-wide analysis can give important insights into which body parts play the most important roles in predicting a person’s age. Our findings reveal three primary areas of interest: the spine, the autochthonous back muscles, and the cardiac region, which exhibits the highest im- portance. Finally, we investigate differences between subjects that show accelerated and decelerated ageing.

Primary health care in Nigeria: best practices and quality of care in Nigeria

IntroductionThe significance of Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCCs) in fostering health equity and enhancing health outcomes cannot be overstated, especially in low and middle-income countries. This paper’s primary area of interest is to create evidence and innovation for PHCs, with a particular emphasis on underserved groups. Thus, the study aimed to investigate the state of primary health care in Nigeria, with a particular emphasis on best practices, challenges to best practices, and quality of care.MethodologyA cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted to collect secondary data from 29 primary healthcare facilities. The data was collected using staff and facility activity indicators over a year (2022). Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to analyze the collected data.ResultOur study data showed that all of the PHCCs have service rosters that can be utilized for follow-up with patients. About 85 (84.1%) respondents have reported that deliveries were taken by the reporting midwife, and 55 (54.5%) respondents indicated that their facilities provided on-the-job training to their staff. This is considered as the best practice in the facility. However, the majority of the PHCCs (71.3%) lacked assessment teams, which was found to have a negative impact on the quality of healthcare provided at these facilities (p < 0.05).ConclusionOur study underscores the pressing need for primary healthcare services in Nigeria. Government authorities and healthcare providers must take action to overcome the challenges of limited capacity, service delivery, and quality of care. By adopting effective strategies and ensuring access to primary healthcare, citizens’ health outcomes can be greatly enhanced. Thus, it is essential to revamp and optimize healthcare facilities to establish an efficient healthcare system that caters to the needs of all citizens.

Localizing Mobile Target using Kalman Filtering and Least Square Boosting Ensemble Learning based Approach

Trilateration-based target localization using received signal strengths (RSS) within wireless sensor networks (WSN) often results in inaccurate location estimates due to the considerable fluctuations in RSS measurements encountered in indoor environments. Enhancing the precision of RSS-based localization systems has been a primary area of interest in extensive research efforts. This study introduces two range-free algorithms, Ensemble Learning (EL) and EL+KF, which leverage RSS measurements for localization. In contrast to trilateration, the EL- based localization approach enables the direct estimation of target locations based on field measurements, eliminating the need for distance calculations. Notably, unlike other cutting-edge localization and tracking (L&amp;T) scheme like the support vector regression (SVR), the LSBoost (Least Squares Boosting) EL based localization architecture can be trained very quickly using RSS measurements to determine the mobile target's position. Furthermore, the proposed EL-based localization scheme incorporates the Kalman filter (KF) to achieve additional refinement in target location estimates. To assess the localization effectiveness of these proposed algorithms in the presence of noisy RF channels and dynamic target motion models, rigorous simulations were conducted. Thanks to the robust generalization capabilities of EL, the simulation results reveal that the presented EL-based localization algorithms exhibit superior performance compared to trilateration and the SVR-based localization scheme, particularly in terms of indoor localization accuracy.

Reimagining Healthcare Delivery: Enhancing Patient-Centric Services in Pakistan Public Hospitals

Background: The study explored the allied health services provided by Karachi public hospitals. Patient engagement, treatment quality, digital marketing efficacy, accessibility, patterns of usage, and satisfaction with health outcomes were the primary areas of interest. With the potential to improve patient experiences and health outcomes, the findings offered recommendations to enhance patient-centered care, service accessibility, and communication strategies. Methodology: This cross-sectional study focused on the health outcomes in public healthcare facilities. Stratified random sampling and Smart Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis were used to examine the associations among the variables. The sample-to-variable ratio determined a sample size of 410 for executing Smart PLS regression and correlation analysis. Results: The study found a robust correlation between factor loadings and demographic traits. Positive relationships between patient utilization, service accessibility, the efficacy of digital marketing, and the quality of care were revealed. Further, the moderation analysis highlighted that empathy was critical in determining patient happiness. The model fit indices showed a good fit, with some minor differences amongst models. The structural equation model results confirmed the crucial role of patient engagement, care quality, and service accessibility in influencing patient utilization. Conclusion: The study emphasized that patient-provider relationships and moderating factors like empathy helped serve the patients better and positively. These findings underline the significance of holistic methods in promoting patient-centric care delivery and eventually improving healthcare. Keywords: Digital Marketing Effectiveness, Patient Engagement, Quality of Care Delivery, Service Accessibility and Convenience.

Mathematics Learning Research for Deaf Elementary School Students in Indonesia: A Systematic Literature Review

Mathematics education for deaf elementary school students is a crucial goal outlined in Article 31 of Indonesia's 1945 Constitution. Immediate and focused interventions are essential to support their mathematical education, a fundamental field for problem-solving in various aspects of life. This study involves a systematic literature review (SLR), examining the substance of multiple scholarly articles listed on Google Scholar and published across Indonesia from 2013 to 2022. Its primary focus is on different facets concerning the learning of mathematics for elementary school students who are deaf in Indonesia. While there hasn't been a notable upward trend in research studies focused on the learning of mathematics among deaf elementary school students over the past three years, it is revealed that the predominant research design is quantitative. The most researched material is "Numbers," and the commonly chosen instrument is "tests." Research locations are most frequently in Java, particularly East Java Province. Moreover, many studies highlight the central attention given to creating educational materials as a primary area of interest. These findings have led to the proposal of several suggestions for future research concerning the education of mathematics for deaf elementary school students in Indonesia, including the need to enhance research efforts in this area, explore more complex mathematical topics, and ensure a more equitable distribution of chosen research locations.

Facilitators and Barriers to Passing Local Policies That Prohibit the Sale of Flavored Tobacco Products: Qualitative Analysis of Strategies Implemented by 36 Communities in California, 2017-2021.

To reduce youth access to tobacco products, the California Tobacco Prevention Program funded local tobacco prevention programs from July 2017 through December 2021 to address its Communities of Excellence Indicator 3.2.9: "the number of jurisdictions with a policy eliminating or restricting the sale and/or distribution of any mentholated cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products, and paraphernalia." We examined the strategies by which community coalitions attempted to limit the number of stores selling flavored tobacco across California. Thirty-six final evaluation reports (FERs) were used for our analysis. We examined certain elements or factors as primary areas of interest because of their apparent link to successful outcomes in analyses of FERs in the past. Over half (19 of 36) of FERs reported successfully passing at least 1 policy to regulate the sale of flavored tobacco products. Urban communities passed more policies (16 of 18) compared with rural communities (3 of 18). Successful campaigns tended to involve youth, demonstrate illegal sales to minors and public support for a ban, and identify a champion. Barriers included the COVID-19 pandemic, California wildfires, staffing shortages, and conservative political climates. This evaluation offers insights into the successes and challenges faced by local coalitions seeking policy changes for tobacco use prevention, which can be different for urban and rural communities. The evaluation also indicates the necessity of adopting flexible tactical plans for overcoming environmental factors that affected intervention and evaluation activities.

Analyzing the Worldwide Wetland Parks Research: A Spectral-Cluster Algorithm Latent Semantic Index Approach

This study reviews worldwide wetland park research from 1996 to 2022. A bibliometric analysis is conducted on 591 wetland park studies indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The study utilizes CiteSpace and VOSviewer tools to visualize and explore influential research focuses, themes, directions, and countries. The citation burst indicates that from 1996 to 2022, research on wetland parks transited from exploring basic community structures to complex ecosystem service assessments and the formulation of management strategies. Furthermore, over the past three years, wetland park research has seen a significant surge in studies investigating water quality, ecosystem services, and spatiotemporal analysis. Notably, the three most frequent keywords in research on wetland parks were China, South Africa, and biodiversity. These keywords reflect regions that enhance biodiversity via wetland parks. The spectral-clustering algorithm identifies carbon sequestration as a research focus, highlighting the vital role of wetlands in the carbon cycle. Most authors work in developed countries’ institutions, but some are from developing countries like China, South Africa, and India. The findings suggest that economic development is crucial in wetland park construction and significantly influences related research. Developed countries may offer more PhD positions to developing countries’ researchers in the field and raise their awareness about wetland conservation. Given the holistic requirements of wetlands, this research recommends that educators should adopt an interdisciplinary approach in the future when nurturing wetland staff. Additionally, the study maps out the primary areas of interest in wetland park research, including environmental science, ecological economics, forestry, wetlands, tourism, and management. New artificial intelligence and digital technologies should be developed for wetland park research. This study fills a research gap: quantitative and visualized knowledge-mapping and bibliometrics on wetland parks are scarce. Additionally, no previous study has explored the relationship between wetland park research and the economic development of countries.

AI for Analyzing Mental Health Disorders Among Social Media Users: Quarter-Century Narrative Review of Progress and Challenges.

Mental health disorders are currently the main contributor to poor quality of life and years lived with disability. Symptoms common to many mental health disorders lead to impairments or changes in the use of language, which are observable in the routine use of social media. Detection of these linguistic cues has been explored throughout the last quarter century, but interest and methodological development have burgeoned following the COVID-19 pandemic. The next decade may see the development of reliable methods for predicting mental health status using social media data. This might have implications for clinical practice and public health policy, particularly in the context of early intervention in mental health care. This study aims to examine the state of the art in methods for predicting mental health statuses of social media users. Our focus is the development of artificial intelligence-driven methods, particularly natural language processing, for analyzing large volumes of written text. This study details constraints affecting research in this area. These include the dearth of high-quality public datasets for methodological benchmarking and the need to adopt ethical and privacy frameworks acknowledging the stigma experienced by those with a mental illness. A Google Scholar search yielded peer-reviewed articles dated between 1999 and 2024. We manually grouped the articles by 4 primary areas of interest: datasets on social media and mental health, methods for predicting mental health status, longitudinal analyses of mental health, and ethical aspects of the data and analysis of mental health. Selected articles from these groups formed our narrative review. Larger datasets with precise dates of participants' diagnoses are needed to support the development of methods for predicting mental health status, particularly in severe disorders such as schizophrenia. Inviting users to donate their social media data for research purposes could help overcome widespread ethical and privacy concerns. In any event, multimodal methods for predicting mental health status appear likely to provide advancements that may not be achievable using natural language processing alone. Multimodal methods for predicting mental health status from voice, image, and video-based social media data need to be further developed before they may be considered for adoption in health care, medical support, or as consumer-facing products. Such methods are likely to garner greater public confidence in their efficacy than those that rely on text alone. To achieve this, more high-quality social media datasets need to be made available and privacy concerns regarding the use of these data must be formally addressed. A social media platform feature that invites users to share their data upon publication is a possible solution. Finally, a review of literature studying the effects of social media use on a user's depression and anxiety is merited.

Investigating the Properties of the Relativistic Jet and Hot Corona in AGN with X-ray Polarimetry

X-ray polarimetry has been suggested as a prominent tool for investigating the geometrical and physical properties of the emissions from active galactic nuclei (AGN). The successful launch of the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) on 9 December 2021 has expanded the previously restricted scope of polarimetry into the X-ray domain, enabling X-ray polarimetric studies of AGN. Over a span of two years, IXPE has observed various AGN populations, including blazars and radio-quiet AGN. In this paper, we summarize the remarkable discoveries achieved thanks to the opening of the new window of X-ray polarimetry of AGN through IXPE observations. We will delve into two primary areas of interest: first, the magnetic field geometry and particle acceleration mechanisms in the jets of radio-loud AGN, such as blazars, where the relativistic acceleration process dominates the spectral energy distribution; and second, the geometry of the hot corona in radio-quiet AGN. Thus far, the IXPE results from blazars favor the energy-stratified shock acceleration model, and they provide evidence of helical magnetic fields inside the jet. Concerning the corona geometry, the IXPE results are consistent with a disk-originated slab-like or wedge-like shape, as could result from Comptonization around the accretion disk.

Investigation on microstructures, mechanical properties, and corrosion behavior of novel biodegradable Zn-xCu-xTi alloys after hot rolling fabricated by self-developed newly gradient continuous casting

The poor mechanical properties exhibited by pure Zn effectively prohibit its utilization as a viable material for biodegradable implants. Hence, the primary area of interest has been directed towards alloy design and process strategies of biodegradable Zn alloys. To this end, novel biodegradable Zn-xCu-xTi (Cu: x = 0.001–2.72 and Ti: x = 0.03–1.21) alloys were designed and fabricated using a gradient continuous casting method followed by homogenization and rolling. The fabricated samples were then investigated in terms of their microstructures, mechanical properties, and corrosion behavior. The results showed that the as-cast Zn-0.001Cu-0.037Ti and Zn-1.50Cu-1.06Ti alloys possess better mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. The yield strength, elongation, and highest charge transfer resistance (Rct) of Zn-0.001Cu-0.037Ti were 137 MPa, 60 %, and 2227.9 Ω, respectively. On the other hand, the Zn-1.50Cu-1.06Ti alloy exhibited 250 MPa yield strength, 12.7.% elongation, and 11113.0 Ω Rct, respectively. Higher Cu and Ti content also led to larger second phases. However, as-hot rolled Zn-1.50Cu-1.06Ti alloy displayed better mechanical properties as compared to the Zn-0.001Cu-0.037Ti alloy due to a very fine nanocrystalline structure. Furthermore, the hot-rolled Zn-xCu-xTi alloys demonstrated superior corrosion resistance compared to their as-cast counterparts, as evidenced by the analysis of the potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy data. This improved corrosion resistance is attributed to the refined grain size, fractured second phases which reduce both the anode and cathode areas, and the formation of protective oxide layers. Lastly, the corrosion products primarily consisted of carbon, phosphorus, calcium, and oxygen, suggesting the presence of Zn(OH)2, carbonates, and phosphates.

Impact of the UEFA Nations League on competitive balance, competitive intensity, and fairness in European men’s national team football

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the multifaceted dimensions of sport promotion, development, and integrity within the context of men’s football in Europe. It specifically focuses on the impact of a newly introduced competition, the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Nations League (UNL), on these three dimensions. The study utilises a dataset comprising 1,058 games played over two distinct periods: 503 games from 2014–2016 (pre-UNL) and 555 games from 2018–2021 (UNL era). The primary areas of interest are competitive balance (CB) and competitive intensity (CI), measured at the intra-match (both CB and CI) and post-match (CB only) levels, and fairness. Regressions and statistical tests were conducted to explain the determinants of CB and compare CB and CI between both periods. The analysis reveals that CB deteriorated, primarily attributed to changing incentives for the strongest and weakest teams during Euro qualifying matches. By contrast, CI increased due to the UNL’s replacement of most friendly games. While recent literature has raised potential fairness issues due to the establishment of the UNL, findings of this study suggest that the integrity of national men’s football team competitions and games in Europe remained intact during this period. This article advances knowledge of CB and CI. Besides, it also provides empirical evidence that the UNL did not compromise the fairness of national men’s football team competitions and games in Europe. By bringing CB, CI, and fairness together, this study highlights the crucial role of sports organisations in promoting and developing their sport, while also safeguarding its integrity.

A pan-cancer analysis to determine the prognostic analysis and immune infiltration of HSPA5.

Heat shock 70kDa protein 5 (HSPA5), also known as GRP78, is widely expressed in most malignant cells and has been shown to have a significant role in the spread of most malignancies by transferring them to the cell membrane. High-level HSPA5 may serve as an independent prognostic marker for various malignancies due to its ability to accelerate tumor growth and migration, inhibit cell apoptosis and closely connect to prognosis. Therefore, it is crucial to examine HSPA5 using pan-cancer research, which might result in the discovery of novel cancer treatment targets. The GTEx and TCGA databases have both provided evidence of the expression of various amounts of HSPA5 in various tissues. The Clinical Proteomics Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) evaluated the levels of HSPA5 protein expression, while qPCR investigations also evaluated the expression of HSPA5 mRNA in certain tumors. HSPA5 was studied using the Kaplan-Meier method to examine how it influences overall survival and disease-free survival in malignancies. GEPIA2 was used to investigate the correlation between HSPA5 expression and the clinical stage of cancer. The tumor-immune system interaction database (TISIDB) examined the expression of HSPA5 in association with molecular and tumor immune subtypes. The co-expressed genes of HSPA5 were extracted from the STRING database, and the top 5 co-expressed genes of HSPA5 in 33 cancers were identified using the TIMER database. Further research examined the relationship between tumor mutations and HSPA5. Microsatellite Instability (MSI) and Tumor Mutation Burden (TMB) were the primary areas of interest. The association between HSPA5 mRNA expression and immune infiltration was also explored using the TIMER database. Additionally, through the Linkedomics database, we examined the enrichment of GO and KEGG for HSPA5 in glioblastoma. Finally, the Cluster Analyzer tool was used to carry out a GSEA functional enrichment investigation. HSPA5 mRNA expression was found to be greater in all 23 tumor tissues than in the equivalent normal tissues, and high HSPA5 expression appeared to be strongly related to a poor prognosis in the majority of cancers, as observed by survival plots. In the tumour clinical stage display map, HSPA5 showed differential expression in most tumours. HSPA5 is strongly associated with Tumor Mutation Burden (TMB) and Microsatellite Instability (MSI). Cancer-associated Fibroblasts (CAFs) infiltration was strongly associated with HSPA5, as were nine immunological subtypes of malignancy and seven molecular subtypes of malignancy. According to the results of GO and KEGG enrichment analyses, HSPA5 in GBM is mostly involved in neutrophil-mediated immunological and collagen metabolic activities. Additionally, GSEA enrichment analyses of HSPA5 and associated genes demonstrated a substantial link between HSPA5 and the immunological milieu of tumors, cell division and nervous system regulation. By using qPCR, we were able to further corroborate the enhanced expression in the GBM, COAD, LUAD and CESC cell lines. Our bioinformatics research leads us to hypothesize that HSPA5 may be involved in immune infiltration as well as tumor growth and progression. Additionally, it was found that differentially expressed HSPA5 is linked to a poor prognosis for cancer, with the neurological system, the tumor immunological microenvironment and cytokinesis being potential contributing factors. As a result, HSPA5 mRNA and the associated protein might be used as therapeutic targets and possible prognostic markers for a range of malignancies.

Global trend in research of intracranial aneurysm management with artificial intelligence technology: a bibliometric analysis.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology has been growing in the management of intracranial aneurysms (IAs). This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of researches on intracranial aneurysm management with artificial intelligence technology (IAMWAIT) to gain insights into global research trends and potential future directions. A comprehensive search of articles and reviews related to IAMWAIT, published from January 1, 1900 to July 20, 2023, was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection (WoWCC).Visualizations of the bibliometric analysis were generated utilizing WPS Office, Scimago Graphica, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and R. A total of 277 papers were included in the study. China emerged as the most prolific country in terms of publications, institutions, cooperating countries, and prolific authors. The United States garnered the highest number of total citations, institutions with the highest citations/H index, cooperating countries (n=9), and 3 of the top 10 cited papers. Both the total number of papers and the citation count exhibited a positive and significant correlation with the gross domestic product (GDP) of countries. The journal with the highest publication frequency was Frontiers in Neurology, while Stroke recorded the highest number of citations, H-index, and impact factor (IF). Areas of primary interest in IAMWAIT, leveraging AI technology, included rupture risk assessment/prediction, computer-assisted diagnosis, outcome prediction, hemodynamics, and laboratory research of IAs. IAMWAIT is an active area of research that has undergone rapid development in recent years. Future endeavors should focus on broader application of AI algorithms in various sub-fields of IAMWAIT to better suit the real world.

Analysis of hotspots and emerging trends in school foodservice research using CiteSpace.

The school foodservice is a facility that offers catering services to students and exerts a significant influence on their well-being and academic performance. Hence, it is crucial to comprehend the present global research status and development trends of school foodservice over the last decade, investigate their future direction of progress and enhancement strategies, offer guidance to school canteen managers and policymakers, and foster the wholesome advancement of school foodservice. The Web of ScienceTM (WoS) core collection was utilized as the data source to search for publications pertaining to the topics of school foodservices, school meals, and school foodservice/cafeterias. Subsequently, the CiteSpace software, a widely used tool for the visual exploration of scientific literature, was used for a visual study of the literature published on the topic. A total of 1,500 papers published between the years 2013 and 2023 were selected from the WoS core collection and analyzed using CiteSpace. The research findings indicated that the primary areas of interest since 2013 in overseas research on school foodservice were centered around concerns regarding food quality, food waste, operational models including new methods and the correlation between coronavirus pneumonia and other related factors. Future studies should focus on the utilization of emerging technologies, global efforts, and the development and implementation of policies and regulations on food safety in school foodservice. This will offer both theoretical backing and practical direction for advancing the sustainable development of school foodservice.

Systematic Literature Review On The Ontology Representation Related The Hadith Corpus

Studies on hadith have received a lot of attention since, for Muslims, they serve as a secondary source to the Quran. Although the sanad is a primary area of interest in hadith study, understanding the hadith's content requires knowledge of its matan as well. Ontology, one of the philosophical sciences of knowing, is a study that refers to the reality being investigated. According to this paradigm's ontology, the hadith text is centred and in a normative state. Researchers have attempted to construct ontology based on Islamic knowledge including the Quran, hadith, and others after realising that ontology can reflect a clear form of knowledge or repository that is standard and straightforward. The purpose of this article is to conduct an organised review of the literature on the conception of ontology and hadith corpus. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis) paradigm was followed during the systematic literature review (SLR) authoring process. By making use of earlier studies, this work adds knowledge and a clear understanding to the conception of ontology and the hadith corpus.

Does donor treatment with inotropes and/or vasopressors impact post-transplant outcomes?

The purpose was to evaluate the effects of the most commonly used cardiac donor inotropes/vasopressors on subsequent post-heart transplant survival. Adult heart transplant recipients from January 2000 to June 2022 were identified in the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database. Exclusion criteria included: multiorgan transplants, donor age<15, and recipient age<18. Donors receiving vasoactive medications at the time of procurement were compared to donors not receiving these medications. Those on vasoactive medications were stratified by medication: phenylephrine, dopamine, dobutamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine, the combination of these agents, and the concomitant administration of vasopressin with any single agent alone or in combination. The primary area of interest was short-and-long-term survival. Survival at 30 days, 1 year, and long-term (Median=13.6 years) was compared using logistic and Cox models to quantify survival endpoints. A total of 45,198 donors met inclusion criteria and had data on the use of vasoactive agents available. Mean donor age was 32.3 years with 71% male. Vasoactive medications and potential combinations included phenylephrine in 8156 donors (18.0%), dopamine in 9550 (21.1%), dobutamine in 718 (1.6%), epinephrine in 332 (.73%), and norepinephrine in 4854 (10.7%). A total of 25,856 donors (57.2%) were receiving vasopressin at the time of procurement. There was no impact of donor inotropes on 30-day survival. Donors receiving one inotrope and no vasopressin were associated with increased 1 year mortality (OR 1.14; p=.021), as were donors receiving 2+ inotropes and no vasopressin (OR 1.26; p=.006). For individual agents, 1 year mortality was increased for dopamine (OR 1.11; p=.042) and epinephrine (OR 1.59; p=.004). There is no difference in heart transplant recipient survival at 30 days when the donor is receiving inotropes without vasopressin at the time of procurement. Inotropic support without vasopressin is associated with greater 1 year mortality. The impact of donor inotropic support on long term heart transplant survival, and the interaction with vasopressin warrants further study.

Reading the MAP: A Pracademic Perspective on the Current State of Play of the Multi-Action Plan Model with Regard to Transitions between Mental States

The Multi-Action Plan (MAP) presents as an action-focused, sport-specific, mixed methods intervention model. MAP research characterized four Performance Types (PTs). Each PT operates on an affective, cognitive, behavioral, and psychophysiological level-across performance contexts. In this narrative review, we present a synthesis of our current understanding of MAP research, coupled with offering applied implications and directions for future research. We make the case for investigating the timing of transitions between PTs as our primary area of interest in expanding the MAP framework on a conceptual and applied level. Regarding pre-transition cues, we offer ideas on examining socio-environmental precursors to performance, with the aim of expanding MAP from a psycho-bio (affective, cognitive, behavioral, and psychophysiological dimensions) to a biopsychosocial concept (affective, cognitive, behavioral, psychophysiological, and socio-environmental dimensions). Regarding post-transition, we propose that investigating short- and long-term effort and reward perception will yield valuable insights into athletes' rationales behind the selection, operationalization, and experience of specific PTs. Finally, and from a pracademic perspective, we reflect critically on the achievements of MAP research thus far and provide specific directions for future research.

Study on Applicability of Energy-Saving Devices to Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Powered Ships

The decarbonisation of waterborne transport is arguably the biggest challenge faced by the maritime industry presently. By 2050, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the shipping industry by 50% compared to 2008, with a vision to phase out fossil fuels by the end of the century as a matter of urgency. To meet such targets, action must be taken immediately to address the barriers to adopt the various clean shipping options currently at different technological maturity levels. Green hydrogen as an alternative fuel presents an attractive solution to meet future targets from international bodies and is seen as a viable contributor within a future clean shipping vision. The cost of hydrogen fuel—in the short-term at least—is higher compared to conventional fuel; therefore, energy-saving devices (ESDs) for ships are more important than ever, as implementation of rules and regulations restrict the use of fossil fuels while promoting zero-emission technology. However, existing and emerging ESDs in standalone/combination for traditional fossil fuel driven vessels have not been researched to assess their compatibility for hydrogen-powered ships, which present new challenges and considerations within their design and operation. Therefore, this review aims to bridge that gap by firstly identifying the new challenges that a hydrogen-powered propulsion system brings forth and then reviewing the quantitative energy saving capability and qualitive additional benefits of individual existing and emerging ESDs in standalone and combination, with recommendations for the most applicable ESD combinations with hydrogen-powered waterborne transport presented to maximise energy saving and minimise the negative impact on the propulsion system components. In summary, the most compatible combination ESDs for hydrogen will depend largely on factors such as vessel types, routes, propulsion, operation, etc. However, the mitigation of load fluctuations commonly encountered during a vessels operation was viewed to be a primary area of interest as it can have a negative impact on hydrogen propulsion system components such as the fuel cell; therefore, the ESD combination that can maximise energy savings as well as minimise the fluctuating loads experienced would be viewed as the most compatible with hydrogen-powered waterborne transport.

Topological data analysis gives two folding paths in HP35(nle-nle), double mutant of villin headpiece subdomain

The folding dynamics of proteins is a primary area of interest in protein science. We carried out topological data analysis (TDA) of the folding process of HP35(nle-nle), a double-mutant of the villin headpiece subdomain. Using persistent homology and non-negative matrix factorization, we reduced the dimension of protein structure and investigated the flow in the reduced space. We found this protein has two folding paths, distinguished by the pairings of inter-helix residues. Our analysis showed the excellent performance of TDA in capturing the formation of tertiary structure.

Anti-fouling and anti-wetting membranes for membrane distillation

Membrane Distillation (MD) is a thermally driven membrane separation process and shows promising water recovery from diverse wastewater sources. While reverse osmosis (RO) continues to be the dominant desalination technology, opportunities exist for the development of alternate low-energy separation technologies, especially for high-salinity streams. The MD process has generated interest in the separations community as a potential alternative either as a standalone or hybrid technology with other separation technologies like RO. Development of advanced membrane materials beyond the state-of-the-art must be pursued in order to improve the energy efficiency of the process; therefore, the most notable efforts in creating improved MD membranes are reviewed in this paper. Specifically, developing anti-wetting and anti-fouling membranes are the primary areas of interest in terms of new material development. This paper reviews the recent development of MD membranes and highlights some of the challenges for practical implementation. Finally, we provide insights into some key knowledge gaps and recommend a rational approach to design MD membranes.