Short Perspective Research Articles

Societal Impact of Machine Learning on Human Emotions

Modern networking conversations generate annotated metadata, necessitating a method for synthesizing insights from statistics. Emotion detection is crucial for practical conversations, distinguishing joy, grief, and wrath. Corpora are becoming the standard for human–machine interaction, aiming to make interactions feel natural and real. A paradigm that identifies debates and customer views can provide a human touch to these interactions. Researchers developed a machine learning framework for assessing emotions in English phrases, utilizing Long Short Term Memory perspective and real-time emotion recognition in idiomatic speech. Emotion recognition rule is created using ontologies like Word Net and Concept Net, Naive Bayes, and Random Forest. Real-time analysis of written words and facial expressions significantly outperforms current algorithms and commandment classifiers in identifying emotional states.

Reviewing and assessing emerging trends and needs for research, development and innovation (RDI) and capacity building in a short, medium and long-term perspective

Abstract An important aim of the Partnership is to identify current and future health services and systems priorities and to identify capacity building and training needs to support RDI activities in health and care systems in the Partnership countries and the EU as a whole. This is being done by means of periodical reviews, among others building on scientific research literature, strategic and policy documents and consultations of stakeholders. At the conference workshop, results of the mapping are presented, with a special focus on priority areas that can contribute to health systems transformation towards sustainable and people-centred health and care systems accessible to all. The session will allow participants provide reflections on and refinements to potential common priorities across national RDI agendas. This will provide direction for future research calls, based on an inventory of priorities that are considered by both policy audiences, research and wider stakeholder communities that should be addressed at EU and national levels.

Large language models can help boost food production, but be mindful of their risks.

Coverage of ChatGPT-style large language models (LLMs) in the media has focused on their eye-catching achievements, including solving advanced mathematical problems and reaching expert proficiency in medical examinations. But the gradual adoption of LLMs in agriculture, an industry which touches every human life, has received much less public scrutiny. In this short perspective, we examine risks and opportunities related to more widespread adoption of language models in food production systems. While LLMs can potentially enhance agricultural efficiency, drive innovation, and inform better policies, challenges like agricultural misinformation, collection of vast amounts of farmer data, and threats to agricultural jobs are important concerns. The rapid evolution of the LLM landscape underscores the need for agricultural policymakers to think carefully about frameworks and guidelines that ensure the responsible use of LLMs in food production before these technologies become so ingrained that policy intervention becomes challenging.

Chemical Innovation and Agrifood Systems in Switzerland: A Short Perspective of the Sustainable Development Goals

Chemical innovation plays a key role to support the agrifood system with the final goal to deliver secure, healthy food for a growing population. The underlying link between chemical innovation, agrifood system and the 2030 sustainable agenda may have received less attention than it deserves. Here we provide an overview of the agrifood system and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), alongside distinct aspects of the innovation with a focus on the Swiss reality are presented. Finally, the critical and unspoken role of soil for a wide range of SDGs is underlined. Some major axes on how chemical research and technologies can set new pathway to innovate through soil are discussed.

Enduring relevance of the Jaynes–Cummings model: a personal perspective [Invited

In this short perspective paper we present our personal highlights on how the Jaynes–Cummings model has become a central model to describe spin-boson couplings underpinning much of modern quantum optics. To the current authors, the key contribution is a demonstration of a measurable effect that showed the discreteness of the quantized radiation field.

ІНФОРМАЦІЙНА СИСТЕМА ТРАНСПОРТНОЇ ІНФРАСТРУКТУРИ РОЗУМНОГО СОЦІОПОЛІСУ ТРУСКАВЕЦЬ

"A Smart Sociopolis" is a sociopolis that has achieved the "smart" status by implementing projects that improve the living conditions for the community as a whole in various sectors through information and communication technologies. Therefore, for a sociopolis to be considered smart, it should be convenient for its residents. When evaluating smart sociopolises, the main areas are ecology, social sphere, innovation and technology, public transportation, economy, and management systems. The transportation sector in smart cities plays a crucial role in ensuring efficient mobility, reducing traffic congestion, and enhancing the quality of life for residents. Common residents (if he or she doesn’t work from home, or don’t live near their work) spend from one to three hours each day to arrive at the office, plant, or another type of workspace and versa, to arrive to the home. Also, the current residents can use their own vehicle or public transport such as busses, subway, trolleybus, etc. One of the important aspects of "convenience" in a smart sociopolis is transport and transportation infrastructure. One of the most important targets of smart sociopolisies in field of the transport infrastructure is to reduce the number of vehicles on the streets, reduce air pollution, and make more popular and convenient public transport, especially by using information and communication technologies, because they can improve in short perspective the infrastructure with fewer costs, involved in the development of the implementing projects. To some extent, the transportation infrastructure, specifically the network of roads, is a strategic component of the development of a smart sociopolis, requiring special, particular, and separate development, an analysis of the current state, and planning for the construction of future pathways. The article highlights the features of creating and implementing information systems aimed at optimizing the transport infrastructure in the city of Truskavets. The authors discuss key aspects of a smart city and approaches to using modern technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and data analysis to improve the quality of life for residents and the efficiency of city management. The research reflects the importance of integrating various sources of information and developing information infrastructure to achieve the goal of creating a smart and efficient sociopolis.

Methods for the Encapsulation of Hydrophilic Drugs in Lipid-Based Nanocarriers, Solid Lipid Nanoparticles, and Nanostructured Lipid Carriers: A Short Review and Perspective

Methods for the Encapsulation of Hydrophilic Drugs in Lipid-Based Nanocarriers, Solid Lipid Nanoparticles, and Nanostructured Lipid Carriers: A Short Review and Perspective

From Single‐Compartment Artificial Cells to Tissue‐Like Materials

AbstractDesigning and assembling artificial cells (ACs) is a core direction in bottom‐up synthetic biology. Here, the advancements in the past 3 years in engineering ACs with focus on compartmentalization and surface modifications with the aim for their integration in semi‐synthetic tissue are outlined. Compartmentalization in vesicles, coacervates and hydrogels are discussed for encapsulated catalysis or cytoskeleton formation including the use of components of mammalian cells to increase the ACs’ complexity. Following on, the surface modification of the ACs is reviewed due to its relevance when integration of ACs with mammalian cells into semi‐synthetic tissue is the goal. Finally, the interaction of ACs and mammalian cells for cellular communication or the fabrication of semi‐synthetic tissue toward therapeutic opportunities is outlined, before a short perspective is provided.

Estimating the direct rebound effect for residential electricity use in seventeen European countries: Short and long-run perspectives

The energy saved by improving the building efficiency of European households may not be as much as expected due to a rebound effect. Based on Eurostat and World Bank annual panel data covering the period 1996–2020, this article develops dynamic panel approaches, a generalized method of moments, and first-difference specifications, to investigate the direct rebound effect of residential electricity consumption in selected European countries. Instrumental variable techniques are used to tackle the reverse causality of the electricity price in a demand model. Estimates of the direct rebound effect in residential electricity use are 18% in the short-run and 43% in the long-run. Our findings reject the hypothesis of a backfire effect in residential electricity demand. They have important implications for policy makers, suggesting the need for smart policies that consider energy consumption behaviors and decision-making processes among various households.

A short clinical perspective on the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

There are sporadic and inherited variants of the motor neuron disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Young and middle-aged persons are more likely to get ALS, and there aren't many therapies for it. Even though frontotemporal dementia mostly affects the nervous system and the fact that cognitive and behavioral symptoms have been documented for more than a decade, there are signs that ALS and frontotemporal degeneration coincide medically, radiologically, and pathologically, in addition to genetically. Cognitive decline in ALS is characterized by personality changes, irritability, obsessions, a lack of comprehension, and extensive abnormalities in frontal executive functions. The alterations in personality, social behavior, and executive function seen in frontotemporal dementia are consistent with this presentation. We also provide guidelines for the clinical assessment of frontotemporal dysfunction in patients with ALS. Improved protection for victims and their households as well as useful insights into the biology of neurodegeneration will result from knowledge of cognitive damage in ALS.

Retrosynthetic Life Cycle Assessment: A Short Perspective on the Sustainability of Integrating Thermoplastics and Artificial Intelligence Into Composite Systems

AbstractOver the past 30 years, the polymer composite industry has flourished, producing advanced structural materials for the aviation, energy, and transportation sectors. However, the use of crosslinked thermoset matrices has been linked to significant end‐of‐life challenges, presenting a critical issue for the industry. Moreover, the industry is characterized by numerous labor‐intensive processes. In alignment with Industry 4.0 principles, two major routes have been identified to enhance sustainability: the utilization of high‐performance thermoplastic matrices and the integration of artificial intelligence in manufacturing. Nevertheless, there are substantial concerns regarding the life cycle assessment of these technologies, which are not accounted for in the initial calculations, including the environmental footprint of polymer synthesis and energy requirements for training AI. This perspective aims to address potential and significant CO2 emissions from chemical feedstocks and the high computing requirements of these new technologies.

Solar energy for societal decarbonisation: a perspective on emerging opportunities in utility-scale solar electricity and solar in the built environment

The solar resource presents almost limitless opportunities for creating clean energy – not just in the form of solar-derived electricity, but also to drive heating and cooling cycles, create solar fuels, or indeed to promote chemical and biochemical pathways for the production of food, clean water and raw materials. There is an ever-expanding plethora of applications for solar energy as a critical contributor to global decarbonization. This short Perspective is focused on two of the largest opportunities for solar energy to make major emissions reduction and deliver societal fairness and economic impacts: notably utility-scale electricity generation and the more local opportunities of the built environment. We examine the two dominant forms of solar energy – the direct generation of electrical power via the photovoltaic effect, and the indirect generation of electricity (and indeed heating and cooling energy) through solar thermal cycles. As a Perspective, it provides necessary background for the general reader, but also seeks to emphasise the specific challenges and opportunities for the interested specialist.

Financial development and energy security in the Asia-Pacific region: The long run and short run perspectives

This study examines the long- and short-term effects of financial development on energy security for middle-income countries across the Asia-Pacific region. Using various co-integration estimators, our results show that financial development not only intensifies the overdependence of these economies on fossil fuels but also indirectly makes them sensitive to shocks coming from energy demand and supply. The rapid growth of the urban population increased power demand and, therefore, made these countries rely on unsustainable sources of energy as the most viable solution. Findings from our short-run analysis not only strengthen the results obtained from the long-run equations but also provide many interesting insights. First, a fossil-reliant economy is proven to be detrimental to the development and availability of renewable energy by indirectly making projects entailed with their use economically infeasible. Second, financial development and fossil energy usage are two key forces explaining the rapid growth of these economies.

High intake of sunflower seeds and low mortality from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia: is there a correlation?

Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive and irreversible neurodegenerative disorder, is the most prevalent form of dementia with an increasingly growing incidence rate worldwide. As no effective therapeutic modalities are still available for the treatment of this serious disabling condition, lifestyle modifications, especially nutritional interventions, have been shown to be important in its prevention and symptomatic alleviation. In this short perspective article, an inverse association between the intake of sunflower seeds and the mortality from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia is proposed, showing that in the countries with the highest consumption of sunflower seeds, the death rate from this neurodegenerative disorder is low. The bioactive ingredients of sunflower seeds and their possible neuroprotective mechanisms are further unraveled, highlighting the potent antioxidant, antiinflammatory and neurotrophic effects of tocopherols, unsaturated fatty acids and phytosterols. Among the latter agents, β-sitosterol might be particularly important in combating Alzheimer’s disease by enhancing the levels of nerve growth factor and thereby promoting neurite formation. If future epidemiological studies will confirm the proposed inverse association between the intake of sunflower seeds and the development of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, it is easy to include appropriate sunflower seed products in the everyday diet to protect against the pathogenesis and progression of this neurodegenerative disorder, especially in individuals with a genetic predisposition. Considering the rather long latency period before clinical manifestation of Alzheimer’s disease, nutritional approaches with specific foods might be a promising strategy for fighting against dementia.

Achieving the Rewards of Smart Agriculture

From connected sensors in soils, on animals or crops, and on drones, to various software and services that are available, “smart” technologies are changing the way farming is carried out. These technologies allow producers to look beyond what the eye can see by collecting non-traditional data and then using analytics tools to improve both food sustainability and profitability. “Smart Agriculture/farming” (SA) or “Digital Agriculture” (DA), often used interchangeably, refer to precision agriculture that is thus connected in a network of sensing and acting. It is a concept that employs modern information technologies, precision climate information, and crop/livestock developmental information to connect production variables to increase the quantity and quality of agricultural and food products. This is achieved by measuring and analyzing variables accurately, feeding the information into the cloud from edge devices, extracting trends from the various data, and subsequently providing information back to the producer in a timely manner. Smart agriculture covers many disciplines, including biology, mechanical engineering, automation, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and information technology-digital platforms. Minimum standards have been proposed for stakeholders with the aim to move toward this highly anticipated and ever-changing revolution. These foundational standards encompass the following general categories, including precise articulation of objectives, and baseline standards for the Internet of Things (IoT), including network infrastructure (e.g., stable 4G or 5G networks or a wireless local area network (WLAN) are available to end users). To sum up, SA aims to improve production efficiency, enhance the quality and quantity of agricultural products, reduce costs, and improve the environmental footprint of the industry. SA’s ecosystem should be industry self-governed and collaboratively financed. SA stakeholders and end-users’ facilities should meet standard equipment requirements, such as sensor accuracy, end data collectors, relevant industry compliant software, and trusted data analytics. The SA user is willing to be part of the SA ecosystem. This short perspective aims to summarize digital/smart agriculture concept in plain language.

Mitapivat: A Novel Treatment of Hemolytic Anemia in Adults with Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency.

Mitapivat is an orally bioavailable small molecule allosteric activator of pyruvate kinase. It was approved by the US FDA on February 17, 2022, and the European Union in November 2022 for the treatment of hemolytic anemia in adult patients with pyruvate kinase deficiency. In this short perspective, physicochemical properties, synthesis, dosage and administration, mechanism of action, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, drug interactions, and adverse reactions of mitapivat are described.

First Approval of Elacestrant as a Selective Estrogen Receptor Degrader for the Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Elacestrant was approved by the US FDA on January 27, 2023, for treating postmenopausal women or adult men with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative, ESR1-mutated advanced or metastatic breast cancer with disease progression prior to using at least one line of endocrine therapy. In this short perspective, physicochemical properties, dosage and administration, mechanism of action, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, drug interaction, and treatment-related adverse reactions of elacestrant are summarized.

Futibatinib: A Potent and Irreversible Inhibitor of Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptors for Treatment of the Bile Duct Cancer.

Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare type of cancer. Futibatinib is an irreversible, potent, selective inhibitor of fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR 1-4). On September 30, 2022, the US FDA first approved futibatinib to treat adult patients with bile duct cancer whose disease is unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma harboring fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2</i>) gene mutations or other classes of rearrangements. The approval of this medicine was based on phase 3 clinical trial results including an overall response rate (ORR) of 42% and a duration of response (DoR) of 9.7 months. This short perspective summarizes Futibatinib's synthesis, physicochemical properties, dosage, route of administration, mechanism of action, binding mode, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, drug interactions, adverse events, and possible mechanism of resistance.

Phase Engineering of Nanostructural Metallic Materials: Classification, Structures, and Applications.

Metallic materials are usually composed of single phase or multiple phases, which refers to homogeneous regions with distinct types of the atom arrangement. The recent studies on nanostructured metallic materials provide a variety of promising approaches to engineer the phases at the nanoscale. Tailoring phase size, phase distribution, and introducing new structures via phase transformation contribute to the precise modification in deformation behaviors and electronic structures of nanostructural metallic materials. Therefore, phase engineering of nanostructured metallic materials is expected to pave an innovative way to develop materials with advanced mechanical and functional properties. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of the engineering of heterogeneous nanophases and the fundamental understanding of nanophase formation for nanostructured metallic materials, including supra-nano-dual-phase materials, nanoprecipitation- and nanotwin-strengthened materials. We first review the thermodynamics and kinetics principles for the formation of the supra-nano-dual-phase structure, followed by a discussion on the deformation mechanism for structural metallic materials as well as the optimization in the electronic structure for electrocatalysis. Then, we demonstrate the origin, classification, and mechanical and functional properties of the metallic materials with the structural characteristics of dense nanoprecipitations or nanotwins. Finally, we summarize some potential research challenges in this field and provide a short perspective on the scientific implications of phase engineering for the design of next-generation advanced metallic materials.

The potential of leveraging electrostatics for improved inhaled drug delivery to the lungs

In this short perspective, we explore the potential of leveraging electrostatic forces in the lungs to enhance pulmonary drug delivery methods and optimize drug delivery efficiency and therapeutic outcomes. Alongside conventional mechanisms such as diffusion, gravitational sedimentation, and impaction, we delve into electrostatic mechanisms, utilizing a non-dimensional analysis approach for insights into aerosol drug delivery. While often overlooked in inhalation therapy, our considerations emphasize the significance of electrostatic interactions on drug deposition, particularly in the deep lung, where, in the future, tailored electrostatic charges can strategically offer new possibilities for localized therapeutic effects for respiratory diseases.