•Global groundwater occurrence of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes reviewed.•Quinolones, sulfonamides, tetracycline and their genes most prevalent in groundwater.•Targeted groundwater ...antibiotics not proven to pose human health risks.•Significant correlations exhibit among antibiotics, bacterial communities, environmental factors, and ARGs.•Groundwater is an important environment to investigate the spread and transport of antibiotics and ARGs.
The discovery and evolution of antibiotics for humans and animals are among the most significant milestones of the 20th century. However, antibiotics play a significant role in the induction and dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in groundwater that has recently become the primary environmental concern. They are administrated to humans and animals on a large scale and are persistent in the environment. Long term impacts of antibiotics in the ecological environment are not still clearly understood, and their occurrence and consequences have become an important research topic worldwide. The hotspot reservoirs of antibiotics and ARGs include medical facilities, livestock farming, aquaculture, landfills, on-site sanitation systems, sewage, and wastewater treatment plants. Our meta-analysis demonstrated that antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin, and tetracycline were found at high concentrations while sulfonamide and tetracycline ARGs were more prevalent in groundwater. Moreover, the highest reported concentrations of targeted antibiotics were used to calculate hazard quotient (HQ) and risk quotient (RQ) in global groundwater bodies to estimate environmental and human health risks, respectively. Due to limited available ecotoxicity data, RQ and HQ can only be calculated for a few antibiotics in groundwater. The risk assessment of antibiotics demonstrated that antibiotics with their current groundwater levels pose no human health risks, whereas only ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, flumequine, and sulfamethoxazole revealed moderate to low risks to aquatic species. The occurrence of ARGs and antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARBs) in groundwater is also not likely to pose human health risk but consumption of groundwater contaminated with ARGs and ARBs might contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance in humans. The present review also sheds light on the relationship between ARGs, antibiotics, microbial communities, and environmental factors in groundwater, and reported a significant correlation between them. It also addresses prospects for future outlooks into further areas of relevant research.
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The Internet of Things (IoT) relies heavily on wireless communication devices that are able to discover and interact with other wireless devices in their vicinity. The communication flexibility ...coupled with software vulnerabilities in devices, due to low cost and short time-to-market, exposes them to a high risk of malware infiltration. Malware may infect a large number of network devices using device-to-device (D2D) communication resulting in the formation of a botnet, i.e., a network of infected devices controlled by a common malware. A botmaster may exploit it to launch a network-wide attack sabotaging infrastructure and facilities, or for malicious purposes such as collecting ransom. In this paper, we propose an analytical model to study the D2D propagation of malware in wireless IoT networks. Leveraging tools from dynamic population processes and point process theory, we capture malware infiltration and coordination process over a network topology. The analysis of mean-field equilibrium in the population is used to construct and solve an optimization problem for the network defender to prevent botnet formation by patching devices while causing minimum overhead to network operation. The developed analytical model serves as a basis for assisting the planning, design, and defense of such networks from a defender's standpoint.
Energy storage system (ESS) technology is still the logjam for the electric vehicle (EV) industry. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries have attracted considerable attention in the EV industry owing to ...their high energy density, lifespan, nominal voltage, power density, and cost. In EVs, a smart battery management system (BMS) is one of the essential components; it not only measures the states of battery accurately, but also ensures safe operation and prolongs the battery life. The accurate estimation of the state of charge (SOC) of a Li-ion battery is a very challenging task because the Li-ion battery is a highly time variant, non-linear, and complex electrochemical system. This paper explains the workings of a Li-ion battery, provides the main features of a smart BMS, and comprehensively reviews its SOC estimation methods. These SOC estimation methods have been classified into four main categories depending on their nature. A critical explanation, including their merits, limitations, and their estimation errors from other studies, is provided. Some recommendations depending on the development of technology are suggested to improve the online estimation.
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•The performance of circular and square TCE with staggered and inline arrays is monitored.•Six PCMs in pin fin heat sinks are investigated for electronic cooling.•Passive cooling for heat flux of ...range from 4 to 8W is investigated.•Most suitable PCM based heat sink for a certain power level is suggested.
This experimental investigation focuses on the optimization of passive cooling system using extruded finned surfaces with phase change materials (PCMs) as the thermal conductivity enhancers (TCEs). The study develops comparison between fins of circular and square cross-sectional area, made of aluminium. Further classification is done in configuration in terms of staggered and inline arrays. The volume fraction of fins is kept constant at 9% of total volume of heat sink. The purpose is to single out the better arrangement with and without PCM. Six PCMs of varying phase change temperature and heat capacities, namely Paraffin wax, RT-54, RT-44, RT-35HC, SP-31 and n-eicosane are selected for thermal conductivity enhancement. The volume fraction of PCM is also constant at 90% of the heat sink volume, giving a 10% volume for expansion after melting. Moreover, power levels are used in a range of 4–8W with an increment of 1W. The analysis was carried out on graphical trends produced and explanations were given accordingly. The most effective PCMs were also discussed considering their enhancement time, enhancement ratios and other material properties. Finally, the results were justified by the scientific knowledge and found in compliance with the work of famous researchers as well.
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Modern research has revealed that dietary consumption of flavonoids and flavonoids-rich foods significantly improve cognitive capabilities, inhibit or delay the senescence process and related ...neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD). The flavonoids rich foods such as green tea, cocoa, blue berry and other foods improve the various states of cognitive dysfunction, AD and dementia-like pathological alterations in different animal models. The mechanisms of flavonoids have been shown to be mediated through the inhibition of cholinesterases including acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), β-secretase (BACE1), free radicals and modulation of signaling pathways, that are implicated in cognitive and neuroprotective functions. Flavonoids interact with various signaling protein pathways like ERK and PI3-kinase/Akt and modulate their actions, thereby leading to beneficial neuroprotective effects. Moreover, they enhance vascular blood flow and instigate neurogenesis particularly in the hippocampus. Flavonoids also hamper the progression of pathological symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases by inhibiting neuronal apoptosis induced by neurotoxic substances including free radicals and β-amyloid proteins (Aβ). All these protective mechanisms contribute to the maintenance of number, quality of neurons and their synaptic connectivity in the brain. Thus flavonoids can thwart the progression of age-related disorders and can be a potential source for the design and development of new drugs effective in cognitive disorders.
The combined toxicological assessment provides a realistic approach for hazard evaluation of chemical cocktails that co-existed in the environment. This review provides a holistic insight into the ...studies highlighting the mixture toxicity of the endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), especially focusing on the screening of biochemical pathways and other toxicogenetic endpoints. Reviewed literature showed that numerous multiplexed toxicogenomic techniques were applied to determine reproductive effects in vertebrates, but limited studies were found in non-mammalian species after mixture chemical exposure. Further, we found that the experimental design and concentration selection are the two important parameters in mixture toxicity studies that should be time- and cost-effective, highly precise, and environmentally relevant. A summary of EDC mixtures affecting the thyroid axis, estrogen axis, androgen axis, growth stress, and immune system via in vivo bioassays was also presented. It is interesting to mention that majority of estrogenic effects of the mixtures were sex-dependent, particularly observed in male fish as compared to female fish. Further, the androgen axis was perturbed with serious malformations in male rat testis (epididymal or gubernacular lesions, and deciduous spermatids). Also, transgenerational epigenetic effects were promoted in the F3 and F4 generations in the form of DNA methylation epimutations in sperm, increasing polycystic ovaries and reducing the offspring. Similarly, increased oxidative stress, high antioxidant enzymatic activities, disturbed estrous cycle, and decreased steroidogenesis were the commonly found effects after acute or chronic exposure to EDC mixtures. Importantly, the concentration addition (CA) and independent action (IA) models became more prevalent and suitable predictive models to unveil the prominence of synergistic estrogenic and anti-androgenic effects of chemical mixtures. More importantly, this review encompasses the research challenges and gaps in the existing knowledge and specific future research perspectives on combined toxicity.
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•Chemical mixtures affecting the thyroid, estrogen, androgen, stress, and immune axes were discussed.•Chemical mixtures showed sex-dependent estrogenic effects in males compared to females.•Transgenerational epigenetic mixture effects in F3 and F4 generation were elevated via DNA methylation.•Concentration addition and independent action are the best-suited models for mixture toxicity prediction.
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With the broad deployment of Wi-Fi networks, the Received Signal Strength (RSS) based Wi-Fi indoor localization has attained much interest of both academia and industry. At present, most of the ...currently available Wi-Fi indoor localization techniques focus on increasing the localization accuracy. However, few of them take into account the diversity of Wi-Fi signal distributions and the measurement error associated with RSS values owing to the complicated indoor environment, which consequently results in the low robustness of indoor localization systems. Thus, with the motivation to tackle this gripping problem, we design a new hybrid hypothesis test based on the idea of Asymptotic Relative Efficiency (ARE), which exploits signal distributions by considering different Access Point (AP) contributions to the Wi-Fi indoor localization accuracy. In concrete terms, first of all, the Jarque-Bera (JB) test is used to perform the normality test on the Wi-Fi signal distribution at each Reference Point (RP), and then the Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) approach is applied to obtain each AP contribution degree. Secondly, based on the evaluation of the JB test on the Wi-Fi signal distribution, the hybrid Mann-Whitney U and T test is applied to find the set of matching RPs corresponding to each newly-collected RSS data. Finally, the target location estimate is acquired by using the K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), where the contribution degree of each AP is assigned as the weight during the calculation to find matching RPs. From the extensive experimental results, it is evident that the proposed approach can successfully improve the system performance by achieving a higher localization accuracy and enhanced robustness when compared with the state-of-the-art Wi-Fi indoor localization techniques.
This paper reports on a dual-band, polarization-insensitive frequency-selective surface (FSS) directly realized on window glass for Wi-Fi and WLAN shielding applications. The design incorporates an ...annular ring and modified flower-shaped geometry to suppress 2.45 and 5.5 GHz bands, respectively, while acting ineffective to the rest of the frequency spectrum. The proposed design is completely insensitive to incoming wave polarization owing to its symmetry. The FSS also offers excellent incident wave angular stability up to 45°. Additionally, a wide rejection bandwidth (−10 dB) of more than 630 and 1430 MHz for lower and higher bands, respectively, is obtained suffice to cover the WLAN spectrum. Unlike conventional screen-printed FSS for glass applications, the conducting patterns of the proposed FSS are realized with copper foil directly laminated and etched on the glass substrate while maintaining 86% transparency for sufficient light passage. The detailed analysis of all parameters has been carried out, and their effect on the performance of FSS is reported. An equivalent lumped circuit model is also generated for the proposed design to better understand the physical phenomena of electromagnetic (EM) wave suppression. A finite prototype containing 13 × 10 elements is fabricated and tested. The measured results are in good agreement with the simulated ones. The FSS offers measured suppression of 43 and 40 dB at 2.45 and 5.5 GHz bands, respectively. The design has excellent potential for EM field suppression, WLAN isolation, and security applications in indoor environments.
Purpose
This study aims to investigate how organizational culture (OC) and transformational leadership (TL) affect corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance (environmental performance and ...social performance) and financial performance (FP) in the context of the Italian manufacturing sector. Grounded in resource-based view theory, this study explores how these factors influence sustainable firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Data gathered from 260 employees were analyzed to examine the multidimensional aspects of CSR, encompassing social and environmental sustainability.
Findings
The findings highlight the pressing need for sustainable firm performance in the existing environment, supporting the hypothesis that firms achieve sustainable and FP through the recognition of TL and OC. Moreover, a positive and significant relationship between CSR performance and FP was established, underscoring the strategic importance of integrating CSR initiatives into core business practices. This study offers valuable insights for both academia and firms, providing theoretical and practical implications that underscore the importance of cultivating a robust OC to drive performance enhancements.
Originality/value
This study is novel because it is one of the first, to the best of the author’s knowledge, to analyze the relationships between TL, OC and performance components associated with CSR.
A symmetric block cipher employing a substitution-permutation duo is an effective technique for the provision of information security. For substitution, modern block ciphers use one or more ...substitution boxes (S-Boxes). Certain criteria and design principles are fulfilled and followed for the construction of a good S-Box. In this paper, an innovative technique to construct substitution-boxes using our cubic fractional transformation (CFT) is presented. The cryptographic strength of the proposed S-box is critically evaluated against the state of the art performance criteria of strong S-boxes, including bijection, nonlinearity, bit independence criterion, strict avalanche effect, and linear and differential approximation probabilities. The performance results of the proposed S-Box are compared with recently investigated S-Boxes to prove its cryptographic strength. The simulation and comparison analyses validate that the proposed S-Box construction method has adequate efficacy to generate efficient candidate S-Boxes for usage in block ciphers.
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