Multifunctional Scavenger Boosts Cathode Interfacial Stability with Reduced Water Footprint for Direct Recycling of Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The burgeoning accumulation of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), a byproduct from the widespread adoption of portable electronics and electric vehicles, necessitates efficient recycling strategies. Direct recycling represents a promising strategy to maximize the value of LIB waste and minimize harmful environmental outcomes. However, current efforts to large-scale direct recycling face challenges stemming from heterophase residues (e.g., Li2CO3, LiOH) in the recycled products and uncontrolled interfacial instability, often requiring repeated washing that generates significant wastewater. Here, a refined direct recycling process is proposed to improve cathode interface stability by leveraging in situ reaction between surface residual lithium species and a weak inorganic acid to form a conformal Li+ conductive coating that stabilizes the regenerated Ni-rich cathodes with significantly reduced water footprint. The findings reveal that the conductive coating also prevents direct contact between contaminants and the cathode surface, thus improving the ambient storage stability. By eliminating the need for extensive washing, this intensified recycling process offers a more sustainable approach with the potential to transition from laboratory to industrial-scale applications, improving both product quality and environmental sustainability.

Production, purification and characterization of phytase from Pichia kudriavevii FSMP-Y17and its application in layers feed.

INTRODUCTION: Phytase, recognized for its ability to enhance the nutritional value of phytate-rich foods, has has gained significant prominence. The production of this enzyme has been significantly boosted while preserving economic efficiency by utilizing natural substrates and optimizing essential factors. This study focuses on optimizing phytase production through solid-state fermentation and evaluating its effectiveness in enhancing nutrient utilization in chicken diets. OBJECTIVE: The objective is to optimize phytase production via solid-state fermentation, characterize purified phytase properties, and assess its impact on nutrient utilization in chicken diets. Through these objectives, we aim to deepen understanding of phytase's role in poultry nutrition and contribute to more efficient feed formulations for improved agricultural outcomes. METHODOLOGY: We utilized solid-state fermentation with Pichia kudriavzevii FSMP-Y17 yeast on orange peel substrate, optimizing variables like temperature, pH, incubation time, and supplementing with glucose and ammonium sulfate. Following fermentation, we purified the phytase enzyme using standard techniques, characterizing its properties, including molecular weight, optimal temperature and pH, substrate affinity, and kinetic parameters. RESULTS: The optimized conditions yielded a remarkable phytase yield of 7.0 U/gds. Following purification, the enzyme exhibited a molecular weight of 64 kDa and displayed optimal activity at 55 °C and pH 5.5, with kinetic parameters (Km = 3.39 × 10-3 M and a Vmax of 7.092 mM/min) indicating efficient substrate affinity. CONCLUSION: The addition of purified phytase to chicken diets resulted in significant improvements in nutrient utilization and overall performance, including increased feed intake, improved feed conversion ratio, enhanced bird growth, better phosphorus retention, and improved egg production and quality. By addressing challenges associated with phytate-rich diets, such as reduced nutrient availability and environmental pollution, phytase utilization promotes animal welfare and sustainability in poultry production.

Productive mRNA Chromatin Escape is Promoted by PRMT5 Methylation of SNRPB.

Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) regulates RNA splicing and transcription by symmetric dimethylation of arginine residues (Rme2s/SDMA) in many RNA binding proteins. However, the mechanism by which PRMT5 couples splicing to transcriptional output is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that a major function of PRMT5 activity is to promote chromatin escape of a novel, large class of mRNAs that we term Genomically Retained Incompletely Processed Polyadenylated Transcripts (GRIPPs). Using nascent and total transcriptomics, spike-in controlled fractionated cell transcriptomics, and total and fractionated cell proteomics, we show that PRMT5 inhibition and knockdown of the PRMT5 SNRP (Sm protein) adapter protein pICln (CLNS1A) -but not type I PRMT inhibition-leads to gross detention of mRNA, SNRPB, and SNRPD3 proteins on chromatin. Compared to most transcripts, these chromatin-trapped polyadenylated RNA transcripts have more introns, are spliced slower, and are enriched in detained introns. Using a combination of PRMT5 inhibition and inducible isogenic wildtype and arginine-mutant SNRPB, we show that arginine methylation of these snRNPs is critical for mediating their homeostatic chromatin and RNA interactions. Overall, we conclude that a major role for PRMT5 is in controlling transcript processing and splicing completion to promote chromatin escape and subsequent nuclear export.

Electrospun polarity-controlled molecular orientation for synergistic performance of an artifact-free piezoelectric anisotropic sensor.

Anisotropy in mechanical, optical and thermal sensors in a spatial direction has many applications in health care, robotics, aerospace, and tissue engineering. In particular, wearable and implantable sensors respond to stretching and bending strains that probe mechanical energy and track physiological signals. Hence, the development of anisotropic pressure sensors with true piezoelectric (PE) signals is of utmost importance to achieve efficient devices. Herein, a simple and efficient method is developed for high longitudinal and transverse responses, with an approach to isolating a true piezoelectric signal. The electrospun (ES) polarity of oriented dipoles inside flexible fibers gives rise to a high longitudinal/transverse PE response of both lateral and transverse strains. Nanofibers of poly(vinylidene-chlorotrifluoroethylene) copolymers contain poled dipoles, up to 86%, that promote an enhanced PE coefficient of 42 pm V-1 in the case of negative polarity-based electrospinning. It is 40% higher in composition than the commonly adopted positive polarity-biased electrospinning process. We demonstrated the advantage of such a high PE coefficient by the enhanced sensitivity of the longitudinal (VLs = 0.3 V kPa-1, ILs = 0.07 µA kPa-1) as well as transverse (VTs = 1.0 V kPa-1, ITs = 0.8 µA kPa-1) PE response. To counter the ambiguity of high transverse response as compared to longitudinal in electrospun fiber-based devices, a facile method is proposed to isolate the ferroelectret, triboelectric and piezoelectric signals in a fiber-based hybrid device with their independent charge generation mechanisms.

Enhancing bug allocation in software development: a multi-criteria approach using fuzzy logic and evolutionary algorithms.

A bug tracking system (BTS) is a comprehensive data source for data-driven decision-making. Its various bug attributes can identify a BTS with ease. It results in unlabeled, fuzzy, and noisy bug reporting because some of these parameters, including severity and priority, are subjective and are instead chosen by the user's or developer's intuition rather than by adhering to a formal framework. This article proposes a hybrid, multi-criteria fuzzy-based, and multi-objective evolutionary algorithm to automate the bug management approach. The proposed approach, in a novel way, addresses the trade-offs of supporting multi-criteria decision-making to (a) gather decisive and explicit knowledge about bug reports, the developer's current workload and bug priority, (b) build metrics for computing the developer's capability score using expertise, performance, and availability (c) build metrics for relative bug importance score. Results of the experiment on five open-source projects (Mozilla, Eclipse, Net Beans, Jira, and Free desktop) demonstrate that with the proposed approach, roughly 20% of improvement can be achieved over existing approaches with the harmonic mean of precision, recall, f-measure, and accuracy of 92.05%, 89.04%, 90.05%, and 91.25%, respectively. The maximization of the throughput of the bug can be achieved effectively with the lowest cost when the number of developers or the number of bugs changes. The proposed solution addresses the following three goals: (i) improve triage accuracy for bug reports, (ii) differentiate between active and inactive developers, and (iii) identify the availability of developers according to their current workload.

On-Demand MXene-Coupled Pyroelectricity for Advanced Breathing Sensors and IR Data Receivers.

MXene-inspired two-dimensional (2D) materials like Ti3C2Tx are widely known for their versatile properties, including surface plasmon, higher electrical conductivity, exceptional in-plane tensile strength, EMI shielding, and IR thermal properties. The MXene nanosheets coupled poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nanofibers with d33 ∼-26 pm V-1 are able to capture the smaller thermal fluctuation due to a superior pyroelectric coefficient of ∼130 nC m-2 K-1 with an improved (∼7 times with respect to neat PVDF nanofibers) pyroelectric current figure of merit (FOMi). The significant enhancement of the pyroelectric response is attributed to the confinement effect of 2D MXene (Ti3C2Tx) nanosheets within PVDF nanofibers, as evidenced from polarized Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning probe microscopy (SPM). In subsequent studies, the practical applications of self-powered pyroelectric sensors of MXene-PVDF have been demonstrated. The fabricated flexible, hydrophobic pyroelectric sensor could be utilized as an excellent pyroelectric breathing sensor, a proximity sensor, and an IR data transmission receiver. Further, supervised machine learning algorithms are proposed to distinguish different types of breathing signals with ∼98% accuracy for healthcare monitoring purposes.

Futuristic Alzheimer's therapy: acoustic-stimulated piezoelectric nanospheres for amyloid reduction.

The degeneration of neurons due to the accumulation of misfolded amyloid aggregates in the central nervous system (CNS) is a fundamental neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is believed that dislodging/clearing these amyloid aggregates from the neuronal tissues could lead to a potential cure for AD. In the present work, we explored biocompatible polydopamine-coated piezoelectric polyvinylidene fluoride (DPVDF) nanospheres as acoustic stimulus-triggered anti-fibrillating and anti-amyloid agents. The nanospheres were tested against two model amyloidogenic peptides, including the reductionist model-based amyloidogenic dipeptide, diphenylalanine, and the amyloid polypeptide, amyloid beta (Aß42). Our results revealed that DPVDF nanospheres could effectively disassemble the model peptide-derived amyloid fibrils under suitable acoustic stimulation. In vitro studies also showed that the stimulus activated DPVDF nanospheres could efficiently alleviate the neurotoxicity of FF fibrils as exemplified in neuroblastoma, SHSY5Y, cells. Studies carried out in animal models further validated that the nanospheres could dislodge amyloid aggregates in vivo and also help the animals regain their cognitive behavior. Thus, these acoustic stimuli-activated nanospheres could serve as a novel class of disease-modifying nanomaterials for non-invasive electro-chemotherapy of Alzheimer's disease.

Study protocol for factors influencing the adoption of ChatGPT technology by startups: Perceptions and attitudes of entrepreneurs.

BACKGROUND: Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, for instance Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT), is continuously evolving, and its userbase is growing. These technologies are now being experimented by the businesses to leverage their potential and minimise their risks in business operations. The continuous adoption of the emerging Generative AI technologies will help startups gain more and more experience with adoptions, helping them to leverage continuously evolving technological innovation landscape. However, there is a dearth of prior research on ChatGPT adoption in the startup context, especially from Entrepreneur perspective, highlights the urgent need for a thorough investigation to identify the variables influencing this technological adoption. The primary objective of this study is to ascertain the factors that impact the uptake of ChatGPT technology by startups, anticipate their influence on the triumph of companies, and offer pragmatic suggestions for various stakeholders, including entrepreneurs, and policymakers. METHOD AND ANALYSIS: This study attempts to explore the variables impacting startups' adoption of ChatGPT technology, with an emphasis on comprehending entrepreneurs' attitudes and perspectives. To identify and then empirically validate the Generative AI technology adoption framework, the study uses a two-stage methodology that includes experience-based research, and survey research. The research method design is descriptive and Correlational design. Stage one of the research study is descriptive and involves adding practical insights, and real-world context to the model by drawing from the professional consulting experiences of the researchers with the SMEs. The outcome of this stage is the adoption model (also called as research framework), building Upon Technology Adoption Model (TAM), that highlight the technology adoption factors (also called as latent variables) connected with subset of each other and finally to the technology adoption factor (or otherwise). Further, the latent variables and their relationships with other latent variables as graphically highlighted by the adoption model will be translated into the structured questionnaire. Stage two involves survey based research. In this stage, structured questionnaire is tested with small group of entrepreneurs (who has provided informed consent) and finally to be distributed among startup founders to further validate the relationships between these factors and the level of influence individual factors have on overall technology adoption. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) will be used to analyze the gathered data. This multifaceted approach allows for a comprehensive analysis of the adoption process, with an emphasis on understanding, describing, and correlating the key elements at play. DISCUSSION: This is the first study to investigate the factors that impact the adoption of Generative AI, for instance ChatGPT technology by startups from the Entrepreneurs perspectives. The study's findings will give Entrepreneurs, Policymakers, technology providers, researchers, and Institutions offering support for entrepreneurs like Academia, Incubators and Accelerators, University libraries, public libraries, chambers of commerce, and foreign embassies important new information that will help them better understand the factors that encourage and hinder ChatGPT adoption. This will allow them to make well-informed strategic decisions about how to apply and use this technology in startup settings thereby improving their services for businesses.

Partially Ion-Paired Solvation Structure Design for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries under Extreme Operating Conditions.

Achieving increased energy density under extreme operating conditions remains a major challenge in rechargeable batteries. Herein, we demonstrate an all-fluorinated ester-based electrolyte comprising partially fluorinated carboxylate and carbonate esters. This electrolyte exhibits temperature-resilient physicochemical properties and moderate ion-paired solvation, leading to a half solvent-separated and half contact-ion pair in a sole electrolyte. As a result, facile desolvation and preferential reduction of anions/fluorinated co-solvents for LiF-dominated interphases are achieved without compromising ionic conductivity (>1 mS cm-1 even at -40 °C). These advantageous features were found to apply to both lithium metal and sulfur-based electrodes even under extreme operating conditions, allowing stable cycling of Li || sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) full cells with high SPAN loading (>3.5 mAh cm-2 ) and thin Li anode (50 µm) at -40, 23 and 50 °C. This work offers a promising path for designing temperature-resilient electrolytes to support high energy density Li metal batteries operating in extreme conditions.

Effect of Electrolyte Chemistry and Sulfur Content in Li||Sulfurized Polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) Batteries.

Sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) is considered as a high-value cathode material, which leverages the high energy of S redox while mitigating the negative externalities that limit elemental S cycling. As such, the sulfur content in Li-SPAN batteries plays a critical role. In this work, we demonstrate that high-S loading SPAN cathodes, where the PAN backbone approaches the saturation point without signs of elemental S, are highly dependent on the electrolyte chemistry for long-term reversibility. Specifically, we find that a localized-high-concentration electrolyte (LHCE) further enhances the reversible capacity and cycling stability of SPAN cathode with optimized S content relative to a carbonate control, largely due to the formation of a compatible interphase. With this LHCE as the electrolyte and 43% sulfur ratio of SPAN as the cathode, a full cell applying N/P ratio = 1.82, a cathode loading of 6 mAh cm-2 (9.2 mg cm-2), and an electrolyte loading of 7 µL mg-1 SPAN can be cycled for 100 cycles with 433 mAh g-1 retained capacity and retains much of this reversibility even at 60 °C. This work reveals the molecular origin of optimized sulfur ratio in SPAN cathodes while providing guidance in electrolyte design for Li||SPAN cells with high capacity and cyclability.

Red Cell Distribution Width and Ratio of Red Cell Distribution Width-to-Total Serum Calcium as Predictors of Outcome of Acute Pancreatitis.

Background: Current severity assessment scores of acute pancreatitis (AP) include multiple variables, the results of which are available only after 48 h of admission. Red cell distribution width (RDW) and total serum calcium (TSC) are simple routine parameters related to inflammatory status and results of which are readily available. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate RDW and RDW: TSC within 24 h of hospital admission as predictors of outcome (severity and mortality) and intervention (medical/percutaneous drainage/surgical) required by patients of AP. Materials and Methods: All the patients diagnosed with AP at a tertiary care hospital were enrolled for the study. Values of RDW and TSC along with data regarding the treatment given were collected. Diagnosis and severity were defined according to the revised Atlanta classification 2012. Results and Interpretation: Cutoff value for RDW (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUROC]: 0.997; P = 0.000) to predict the severity of AP was 16.25% (sensitivity - 100% and specificity - 97.1%,) (sensitivity - 100% and specificity - 97.1%, positive predictive value - 92.31%, negative predictive value - 100%, and Youden Index - 0.971), while that of RDW:TSC (AUROC: 1; P = 0.000) was 2.42 (sensitivity - 100%; specificity - 100%, positive predictive value - 100%, negative predictive value - 100%, and Youden Index - 1.00). Similarly, the cutoff value for RDW (AUROC: 0.947; P = 0.000) to predict mortality in AP was 17.20% (sensitivity - 100%; specificity - 87.4%, positive predictive value - 38.89%, negative predictive value - 100%, and Youden Index - 0.874) and that of RDW-to-TSC ratio (AUROC: 0.975; P = 0.000) was 2.9 (sensitivity - 100%; specificity - 96.6%, positive predictive value - 70%, negative predictive value - 100%, and Youden Index - 0.966). Conclusion: Our study found that RDW and RDW: TSC were quick, convenient, economic, sensitive, and dependable prognostic predictors of severity and mortality in patients with AP.

Decoding the molecular crosstalk between grafted stem cells and the stroke-injured brain.

Stem cell therapy shows promise for multiple disorders; however, the molecular crosstalk between grafted cells and host tissue is largely unknown. Here, we take a step toward addressing this question. Using translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) with sequencing tools, we simultaneously decode the transcriptomes of graft and host for human neural stem cells (hNSCs) transplanted into the stroke-injured rat brain. Employing pathway analysis tools, we investigate the interactions between the two transcriptomes to predict molecular pathways linking host and graft genes; as proof of concept, we predict host-secreted factors that signal to the graft and the downstream molecular cascades they trigger in the graft. We identify a potential host-graft crosstalk pathway where BMP6 from the stroke-injured brain induces graft secretion of noggin, a known brain repair factor. Decoding the molecular interplay between graft and host is a critical step toward deciphering the molecular mechanisms of stem cell action.

Combinatory Approaches Targeting Cognitive Impairments and Memory Enhancement: A Review.

The objective of this paper is to look at how natural medicines can improve cognition and memory when used with sildenafil, a popular erectile dysfunction medicine that also has nootropic properties. Newer treatment strategies to treat the early stages of these diseases need to be developed. Multiple factors lead to complex pathophysiological conditions, which are responsible for various long-term complications. In this review, a combination of treatments targeting these pathologies is discussed. These combinations may help manage early and later phases of cognitive impairments. The purpose of this article is to discuss a link between these pathologies and a combinational approach with the objective of considering newer therapeutic strategies in the treatment of cognitive impairments. The natural drugs and their ingredients play a major role in the management of disease progression. Additionally, their combination with sildenafil allows for more efficacy and better response. Studies showing the effectiveness of natural drugs and sildenafil are mentioned, and how these combinations could be beneficial for the treatment of cognitive impairments and amnesia are summarised. Furthermore, preclinical and clinical trials are required to explore the medicinal potential of these drug combinations.

Does Brow Lift Add Risk to Blepharoplasty? Answers From a Multicenter Analysis of 6126 Patients Undergoing Aesthetic Eye Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Browlift is frequently combinedwith blepharoplasty; however, the literature is lacking on their combined effect on complication rates. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate major complication rates after blepharoplasty and brow lift and to determine if complication rates increase when blepharoplasty and brow lift were performed simultaneously. METHODS: A prospective cohort of patients who underwent cosmetic blepharoplasty, brow lift, or a combination of the 2 procedures between 2008 and 2013 was identified from the CosmetAssure Insurance database. The primary outcome was a postoperative major complication requiring emergency room evaluation, hospital admission, or reoperation within 30 days. Groups were compared with univariate analysis (significance, P < 0.05). RESULTS: A total of 6126 patients underwent aesthetic eye surgery, of which, 4879 (79.6%) underwent blepharoplasty, 441 (7.2%) brow lift, and 806 (13.2%) a combination the 2 procedures. Patients who underwent a combined procedure were older than patients who underwent isolated blepharoplasty or brow lift (55.5 ± 9.4 vs 54.6 ± 11.1 vs 53.3 ± 12.0 years; P < 0.01). In males, blepharoplasty was the most commonly performed procedure, followed by a combined procedure and brow lift (17.6% vs 12.9% vs 10.7%; P < 0.01). There were similar rates of smokers between the 3 groups (5.7% vs 8.0% vs 6.6%; P = 0.06). Between combined procedures, blepharoplasty, and brow lift there, were similar rates of major complications (0.4% vs 0.4% vs 0.7%; P = 0.65) and hematoma (0.2% vs 0.2% vs 0.5%; P = 0.49), which was the most common complication. CONCLUSIONS: Aesthetic eye surgery has a very low overall major complication rate (0.4%). When brow lift is combined with blepharoplasty, it poses no additional risk of major complications compared with either procedure alone.

Stimuli-Responsive Self-Assembly Disassembly in Peptide Amphiphiles to Endow Block-co-Fibers and Tunable Piezoelectric Response.

Supramolecular assemblies with well-defined structural attenuation toward varied functional implications are an emerging area in mimicking natural biomaterials. In that regard, the redox stimuli-responsive ferrocene moiety can reversibly change between a nonpolar ferrocenyl and polar ferrocenium cation that endows interesting modular features to the building blocks with respect to self-assembly/disassembly. We design a series of ferrocene anchored peptide fragment NVFFAKKC using hydrophobic alkyl spacers of different chain lengths. Increasing the spacer length between the redox-responsive and self-assembling motifs increases the propensity to form robust nanofibers, which can be physically cross-linked to form hydrogels. The controlled redox response of the ferrocene moiety tandem with pH control provides access to structural control over the peptide nanostructures and tunable mechanical strengths. Further, such redox-sequestered dormant states hinder the spontaneous nucleation process that we exploit toward seeded supramolecular polymerization to form block cofibers composed of redox-responsive periphery and nonresponsive cores. Finally, such redox sequestration of peptide self-assembly renders an on-off piezoelectric response for potential utilization in peptide bioelectronics.

Utilizing Strain-Engineered Stable Halide Perovskite for Interfacial Interaction with Molecular Dipoles To Enhance Ferroelectric Switching and Piezoresponse in Polymer Composite Nanofibers.

Mechanical and solar to electrical energy conversion using piezo- and ferroelectric and photovoltaic effects may be a practical answer to the rising energy demand. In this quest, piezoelectric polymer poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoroproylene) (P(VDF-HFP)) has gained interest due to its superior piezo- and ferroelectricity. In photovoltaic applications, inorganic halide perovskite (IHP) of CsPbI3 is considered a prime model compound. However, its application is limited because of the photoactive perovskite phase instability at ambient conditions. Here, we report the in situ synthesis of the stable perovskite γ-CsPbI3 through an electrospinning process at room temperature, encapsulated within a ferroelectric copolymer poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoroproylene) (P(VDF-HFP)) as a composite nanofiber. Computational calculation using density functional theory (DFT) reveals that tensile strain plays a critical role in the dynamical stabilization of γ-CsPbI3. This tensile strain is triggered by the electrospinning process, which aids in the formation and growth of γ-CsPbI3. In the CsPbI3-P(VDF-HFP) composite nanofiber, γ-CsPbI3 nucleates the polar ß-crystalline phase in P(VDF-HFP), which results in the intrinsic piezo- and ferroelectric characteristics. The γ-CsPbI3 aids in preferable molecular dipole orientation, resulting in improved nanoscale piezo- and ferroelectric properties. The composite nanofiber features a higher piezoelectric d33 magnitude (∼30 pm/V) and lower decay constant for polarized domains (τcomposite ≈ 17). The composite was utilized as a piezoelectric nanogenerator to demonstrate human physiological motion monitoring in self-power mode. The relevant pressure sensitivities of 81 and 40 mV/kPa for the low-pressure (<0.6 kPa) and high-pressure (>0.6 to 12 kPa) ranges, respectively, promise its suitability in the health care sector.

Current Challenges in Efficient Lithium-Ion Batteries' Recycling: A Perspective.

Li-ion battery (LIB) recycling has become an urgent need with rapid prospering of the electric vehicle (EV) industry, which has caused a shortage of material resources and led to an increasing amount of retired batteries. However, the global LIB recycling effort is hampered by various factors such as insufficient logistics, regulation, and technology readiness. Here, the challenges associated with LIB recycling and their possible solutions are summarized. Different aspects such as recycling/upcycling techniques, worldwide government policies, and the economic and environmental impacts are discussed, along with some practical suggestions to overcome these challenges for a promising circular economy for LIB materials. Some potential strategies are proposed to convert such challenges into opportunities to maintain the global expansion of the EV and other LIB-dependent industries.

A novel value-based multi-criteria decision making approach to evaluate new technology adoption in SMEs.

The modern competition is moving quickly toward incorporating cutting-edge technological improvements to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in enhancing their business models. Making decisions regarding implementing new technologies in SMEs is a challenging process driven by the continuous new advances in the technology industry. Important operational process decisions, such as organizational investment costs, technology acquisition, maintenance, customer experience, employee training for the proper use of each technology, reliability requirements, and security needs, must be made very carefully for such adoptions. In this research, a novel multi-criteria decision-making process model is presented to help SME decision-makers choose the optimal technology from a list of desirable choices. The proposed approach makes use of a weighted multi-criteria decision model to rank parameters by combining many criteria that are crucial in choosing the best-suited technology. A literature review and expert opinion are utilized to pinpoint key decision-makers for the adoption of technological innovation. Specialists had reviewed the proposal in the field, and early findings suggest that it might be helpful to SME decision-makers in promoting customer value and firm performance.

Splicing factor deficits render hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells sensitive to STAT3 inhibition.

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) sustain lifelong hematopoiesis. Mutations of pre-mRNA splicing machinery, especially splicing factor 3b, subunit 1 (SF3B1), are early lesions found in malignancies arising from HSPC dysfunction. However, why splicing factor deficits contribute to HSPC defects remains incompletely understood. Using zebrafish, we show that HSPC formation in sf3b1 homozygous mutants is dependent on STAT3 activation. Clinically, mutations in SF3B1 are heterozygous; thus, we explored if targeting STAT3 could be a vulnerability in these cells. We show that SF3B1 heterozygosity confers heightened sensitivity to STAT3 inhibition in zebrafish, mouse, and human HSPCs. Cells carrying mutations in other splicing factors or treated with splicing modulators are also more sensitive to STAT3 inhibition. Mechanistically, we illustrate that STAT3 inhibition exacerbates aberrant splicing in SF3B1 mutant cells. Our findings reveal a conserved vulnerability of splicing factor mutant HSPCs that could allow for their selective targeting in hematologic malignancies.