Sunway University

Ferroptosis, a form of regulated cell death, has emerged as a crucial process in diverse pathophysiological states, encompassing cancer, neurodegenerative ailments, and ischemia-reperfusion injury. The glutathione (GSH)-dependent lipid peroxidation pathway, chiefly governed by glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), assumes an essential part in driving ferroptosis. GPX4, as the principal orchestrator of ferroptosis, has garnered significant attention across cancer, cardiovascular, and neuroscience domains over the past decade. Noteworthy investigations have elucidated the indispensable functions of ferroptosis in numerous diseases, including tumorigenesis, wherein robust ferroptosis within cells can impede tumor advancement. Recent research has underscored the complex regulatory role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in regulating the GSH-GPX4 network, thus influencing cellular susceptibility to ferroptosis. This exhaustive review endeavors to probe into the multifaceted processes by which ncRNAs control the GSH-GPX4 network in ferroptosis. Specifically, we delve into the functions of miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs in regulating GPX4 expression and impacting cellular susceptibility to ferroptosis. Moreover, we discuss the clinical implications of dysregulated interactions between ncRNAs and GPX4 in several conditions, underscoring their capacity as viable targets for therapeutic intervention. Additionally, the review explores emerging strategies aimed at targeting ncRNAs to modulate the GSH-GPX4 pathway and manipulate ferroptosis for therapeutic advantage. A comprehensive understanding of these intricate regulatory networks furnishes insights into innovative therapeutic avenues for diseases associated with perturbed ferroptosis, thereby laying the groundwork for therapeutic interventions targeting ncRNAs in ferroptosis-related pathological conditions.

Bacillus anthracis is a zoonotic bacterium, majorly responsible for causing human anthrax and the possibility of the outbreak spreading globally. Herbivorous animals serve as the inherent reservoir for the disease, whereas all endothermic species are vulnerable. Humans contract the disease inadvertently by contact with diseased animals or animal products or through the consumption or handling of infected flesh. There is no such reported data indicating the transmission of anthrax from human to human, which further does not guarantee the bacterium's mutations and new transmission route. Nevertheless, it can lead to various infections, including endophthalmitis, bacteremia, cutaneous infection, central nervous system infection, and pneumonia. Therefore, it is crucial to examine the present epidemiological situation of human anthrax in densely populated nations, including the altered symptoms, indications in people, and the method of transmission. This article highlights the current diagnostic methods for human anthrax in the event of another outbreak or pandemic, further examines the available therapy options and future perspectives in treatment protocol. This narrative review resulted from a simple search strategy on “PubMed”, “ScienceDirect”, “ClinicalTrials.gov” and web reports using “AND” as Boolean operator with search keywords, i.e., “Anthrax” AND “Infection”, “Anthrax” AND “Pandemic”, “Anthrax” AND “Infectious disease”, “Anthrax” AND “Vaccine”, “Anthrax” AND “Diagnosis” shows minimal narrative literature in between 2024 to 2005. Furthermore, this narrative review highlights the potential approaches for detecting anthrax infection, establishing suitable protocols for prevention, and focusing on the current epidemiology and available therapeutics, vaccine and its future developmental strategies in the event of another pandemic.

This chapter discusses the current state of service sector development in Cambodia as a result of structural transformation. It is divided into three parts. First, it provides an overview of the service sector in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to identify Cambodia’s place in the region. Second, service sector development in Cambodia is discussed in detail, with a focus on structural transformation, employment, and consumption patterns over the past decades. Third, we investigate the determinants of employment in the service sector and its implications on household consumption patterns in Cambodia by using the Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey (CSES) for 2009 and 2014 (National Institute of Statistics, 2010; 2015).

Services supply chains are becoming an important driver of trade and growth in the ASEAN and Asia region. In particular, the value adding activities within the supply chain are critical to fully exploit their potential in the region. Increasingly, we are observing supply-chain activities in services independent of their linkages to the manufacturing supply-chain activities. For example, the development of services sectors such as education, business services, wholesale activities, etc, are part of supply chains independent of the manufacturing sector. The key rationale of the growth of the supply-chain activities is that there are ample opportunities for countries at various stages of growth to be able to participate. Thus, it is important to examine the key fundamentals that might be needed for countries in various stages of growth to participate effectively in services supply chains. This book intends to study activities of the services supply chains in the region. In particular, the research is also expected to contribute to the understanding of supply-chain activities and their implications for the multilateral FTAs such as Regional Cooperative Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement.

The chapter explores the services sector development and services GVC (Global Production Value Chains) activities in Vietnam. The development of services sector is very critical for the next stage of development of Vietnam. The chapter undertakes a SWOT analysis to identify the strength, weakness, opportunities, and threat from the development of services sector and policies in Vietnam. The chapter also develops the key policy recommendations for the development of services sector in Vietnam for the next phase of growth.

This chapter provides new empirical evidence of city amenities’ role in China’s internal migration using a unique city-level dataset. The results highlight the positive effects of city amenities such as education, public facilities, transportation, environment, and climate conditions in attracting migrant workers to cities. In our study, migrant workers are more likely to move to cities with better education, more public facilities, higher coverage of urban pensions, and a cooler climate with more precipitation. Moreover, they prefer to migrate and live in cities with larger service agglomeration and employment, higher average wages, more job opportunities, and lower house prices.

This paper explores the development of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) based on the AEC 2025 Blueprint. The paper identifies the key challenges for ASEAN to shift its regional and domestic economy to the next stage of growth in the global value chain. The issues of intra- and extra-ASEAN trade and investment are discussed. The paper observed the decline in intra-ASEAN trade in recent years, and this poses key challenges for core manufacturing and service activities in manufacturing and services within ASEAN. The paper identifies the shift in extra-ASEAN activities as part of the market-driven GVC activities (production fragmentation) that could lead to productivity and efficiency improvements for ASEAN. However, there are still challenges in terms of ASEAN centrality as intra-ASEAN trade declines in ASEAN trade and investment activities.

This paper examines the financial sector development in terms of technological change and financial inclusion in Singapore. The paper examines the impact of financial innovation on saving and borrowing behavior in Singapore accounting for age, education, and gender using individual-level data from 2017 Global Findex data. We use the discrete-choice econometric is used to investigate the determinants of financial inclusion in Singapore. The paper also provides an overview of financial development and inclusion in ASEAN.

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have paved the way for a wide array of applications, forming the backbone of systems like smart cities. These systems support various functions, including healthcare, environmental monitoring, traffic management, and infrastructure monitoring. WSNs consist of multiple interconnected sensor nodes and a base station, creating a network whose performance is heavily influenced by the placement of sensor nodes. Proper deployment is crucial as it maximizes coverage and minimizes unnecessary energy consumption. Ensuring effective sensor node deployment for optimal coverage and energy efficiency remains a significant research gap in WSNs. This review article focuses on optimization strategies for WSN deployment, addressing key research questions related to coverage maximization and energy-efficient algorithms. A common limitation of existing single-objective algorithms is their focus on optimizing either coverage or energy efficiency, but not both. To address this, the article explores a dual-objective optimization approach, formulated as maximizing coverage Max ∑(i = 1) ^ N C i and minimizing energy consumption Min ∑(i = 1) ^ N E i for the sensor nodes, to balance both objectives. The review analyses recent algorithms for WSN deployment, evaluates their performance, and provides a comprehensive comparative analysis, offering directions for future research and making a unique contribution to the literature.

In recent decades, rapid development in emerging economies has heightened climate challenges, threatening environmental sustainability and quality. In response, green energy, technological innovation, and carbon pricing strategies have emerged as key tools for environmental mitigation and promoting green economic growth. These strategies are integral to the goals of COP 27, the 2030 SDGs, and the pledge to reach carbon neutrality by 2060. However, the BRICS economic bloc faces significant obstacles in balancing socio‐economic growth with environmental sustainability. This study intentions to inspect the impact of natural resource rents, research and development (R&D) expenditures, green energy, green technological innovation, and economic growth on carbon emissions in BRICS economies from 1995 to 2021. Using a cross‐sectional ARDL model, the study explores relationships between these variables, employing advanced panel methods to account for CSD and heterogeneity. The empirical findings reveal that research and development expenditure, green energy, and green technological innovation contribute to CO 2 emission reductions by 0.329%, 0.211%, and 0.148%, respectively. In contrast, a 1% increase in economic growth and natural resource rents corresponds to a substantial 0.499% and 0.840% upsurge in CO 2 emissions. The Dumitrescu and Hurlin panel causality test also highlights reciprocal causal relationships among the variables. Based on these findings, the study recommends policy actions to achieve SDG targets: enforce stricter CO 2 emissions regulations for SDG‐13, increase renewable energy investment for SDG‐07, support green innovation for SDG‐08, enhance R&D for SDG‐09, and promote circular economy practices for SDG‐12.

Taiwan distinguishes itself as one of the few Asian countries to experience demographic transition ahead of projections. Understanding how Taiwan’s rapidly evolving age demographics affect income inequality is crucial. Analyzing income inequality with three distinct metrics, we examine the relationship between population ageing and income inequality in Taiwan, using the augmented autoregressive distributed lag test. Our study reveals an inverse relationship, indicating reduced income inequality as the population ages. Factors such as elderly property acquisition, cultural norms favouring families to live together, and advancements in healthcare contribute to this trend. Encouraging elderly employment emerges as a crucial strategy to address income inequality among seniors. Additionally, economic factors like real gross domestic product per capita and trade openness show negative associations with income inequality, suggesting policy avenues for intervention. While outward foreign direct investment is positively associated with income inequality, promoting inclusive growth-focused foreign direct investment could help mitigate this issue. Overall, policies supporting economic growth and international trade hold promise for reducing income inequality in Taiwan.

Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) are transcription factors that regulate erythropoietin (EPO) synthesis and red blood cell (RBC) production. Prolyl-4-hydroxylase domain (PHD) enzymes are key regulators of HIF’s stability and activity. Inhibiting PHD enzymes can enhance HIF-mediated responses and have therapeutic potential for diseases such as anemia, cancer, stroke, ischemia, neurodegeneration, and inflammation. In this study, we searched for novel PHD inhibitors from four databases of natural products and synthetic compounds: AfroDb Natural Products, AnalytiCon Discovery Natural Product (NP), HIM-Herbal Ingredients In-Vivo Metabolism, and Herbal Ingredients’ Targets, with a total number of 13,597 compounds. We screened the candidate compounds by molecular docking and validated them by molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations. We identified four target hits (ZINC36378940, ZINC2005305, ZINC31164438, and ZINC67910437) that showed stronger binding affinity to PHD2 compared to the positive control, Vadadustat (AKB-6548), with docking scores of − 13.34 kcal/mol, − 12.76 kcal/mol, − 11.96 kcal/mol, − 11.41 kcal/mol, and − 9.04 kcal/mol, respectively. The target ligands chelated the active site iron and interacted with key residues (Arg 383, Tyr329, Tyr303) of PHD2, in a similar manner as Vadadustat. Moreover, the dynamic stability-based assessment revealed that they also exhibited stable dynamics and compact trajectories. Then the total binding free energy was calculated for each complex which revealed that the control has a TBE of − 31.26 ± 0.30 kcal/mol, ZINC36378940 reported a TBE of − 38.65 ± 0.51 kcal/mol, for the ZINC31164438 the TBE was − 26.16 ± 0.30 kcal/mol while the ZINC2005305 complex reported electrostatic energy of − 32.75 ± 0.58 kcal/mol. This shows that ZINC36378940 is the best hit than the other and therefore further investigation should be performed for the clinical usage. Our results suggest that these target hits are promising candidates that reserve further in vitro and in vivo validations as potential PHD inhibitors for the treatment of renal anemia, cancer, stroke, ischemia, neurodegeneration, and inflammation.

With the emergence of quantum computers, traditional cryptographic methods are vulnerable to attacks, emphasizing the need for post-quantum cryptography to secure devices and networks. This review paper critically analyzes the challenges and future directions of post-quantum cryptography for Internet of Things (IoT). It provides an overview of various post-quantum cryptographic algorithms and protocols and evaluates their suitability for securing IoT devices. The paper also examines implementation challenges, such as limited computing resources and the need for lightweight post-quantum algorithms. Additionally, the paper discusses future directions of post-quantum cryptography, such as the development of hybrid quantum-classical algorithms and integration with other security measures like secure key exchange and device authentication. The study provides a comprehensive analysis of post-quantum cryptography for IoT, highlighting key issues and challenges to ensure secure deployment of IoT devices in a post-quantum world. This paper’s conclusions and recommendations will be valuable to researchers, practitioners, and policymakers working in the subject of IoT security and cryptography.

The power generation sector consumes significant amounts of water. A comprehensive water footprint (WF) assessment helps identify and monitor the processes consuming high amounts of water. This research evaluates the water footprint (WF) of electricity generation at a USC coal power plant, integrating on-site data for enhanced reliability. Based on the Water Footprint Assessment Manual, the electricity WF includes supply chain and operational WF. This study exhibits that the average electricity WF is 2.96 m³/MWh. The supply chain WF accounts for 95% of the total electricity WF, while operational WF contributes 5%. The blue WF accounts for 9.9% of the total electricity WF, while the grey water footprint accounts for 90.1%. The results of this research show a significant difference in the distribution of blue and grey WF in electricity WF. Factors contributing to the differences include the amount of coal consumption, power generation technology and power plant cooling technology. Furthermore, this study shows that grey WF depends on the concentration of pollutants considered. This research also conducted a WF impact assessment on local water resources and found that the blue and grey operational WF contributes to low impact. Monitoring the water footprint associated with electricity generation at a coal power plant would provide a more enhanced understanding of water consumption patterns, which could help influence water resources management.

Housing provision is an integrated network of stakeholders, resources, institutions, and regulations. This study explores the stakeholder analysis approach through grounded theory to rationalize the stakeholder influence and role in developing collaborative frameworks for the sustainable provision of low-income housing in Pakistan. This study aims to theorize the Institutional Stakeholder Collaborations (ISCs) conceptual framework derived from institutional, stakeholder, collaboration, and resource dependence theories. The research also presents an interesting feature, i.e. stakeholder-resource cross-tabulation in achieving the research objective to develop the ISCs theory by placing core categories against stakeholder categories and resource domains. Stakeholder mapping plotted the influence against attributes of power, legitimacy, and interest (PLI) within the context of low-income housing in Punjab, Pakistan. The new theory was generated from the grounded data as a collaborative model for the sustainable provision of low-income housing, i.e., the Malik ISCs Model. This informed discovery of collaboration through the Malik ISCs Model for effectively providing low-income housing projects suggests some key points for the broader global policy discourse of housing development, emphasizing the low-income segment.

The effective utilization and high‐value bioproducts from agro‐wastes make sense for a sustainable circular economy for agriculture. The article discusses the promising potential of utilizing agro‐wastes to produce high‐value bioproducts, particularly focusing on carbon dots (C‐dots) derived from such wastes. These C‐dots exhibit remarkable fluorescence properties and excellent biocompatibility, making them valuable nanomaterials for various applications. The dual sources of these C‐dots: green precursors sourced from both edible and non‐edible plant‐based materials, and chemical precursors involving acid and non‐acid reagents are highlighted. This diversity in precursor materials underscores the versatility and sustainability of C‐dot production. Importantly, the synthesis of fluorescent C‐dots achieved quickly and directly via hydrothermal carbonization, microwave technique, thermal pyrolysis carbonization, solvothermal technique, and ultrasonic process are review concisely intended for widespread application in fields ranging from bio‐imaging to optoelectronic devices. Furthermore, the article discusses the challenges associated with synthesizing high‐quality C‐dots from agro‐residues, indicating ongoing research efforts in this area. Likewise, key energy specific characteristics like optical, photoluminestic, photosimulated electron transfer, catalytic, mechanical, and carcinogenic attributes are discussed. Despite these energy specific characteristics, various energy applications of C‐dots, including their potential use in light‐emitting diodes, supercapacitors, and photovoltaics are outlined. This highlights the multifaceted nature of C‐dots and their contribution to advancing sustainable practices in agriculture while simultaneously addressing energy needs in various sectors. Overall, the article underscores the importance of leveraging agro‐wastes for the development of innovative and environmentally friendly bioproducts, contributing to the circular economy in agriculture.

Introduction Type II Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients often do not achieve glycemic control with oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs). There are two main approaches to address this challenge: transitioning to a triple OHA regimen, or adding Insulin to the existing dual OHA regimen. Aim This study aimed to compare the efficacy of adding Insulin to dual OHAs (Sitagliptin + Metformin) against adding a third OHA to Sitagliptin + Metformin in achieving glycemic control among patients with uncontrolled T2DM. Method A pre-post study was conducted between 21 September 2023 and 21 December 2023 at Services Hospital Peshawar, Pakistan. Patients with uncontrolled T2DM with >7% HbA1c were divided into group 1 (Sitagliptin + Metformin plus a third OHA), and group 2 (Sitagliptin + Metformin plus pre-mixed Insulin 70/30). Glycemic control based on HbA1c values, fasting and random blood sugar levels, lipid profile, and body weight were evaluated after 3 months of therapy. The pre- and post- effect was compared by using a paired t-test. Results The study included n = 80 patients with T2DM. Between groups 1 and 2, no significant difference was found in HbA1c values (9.1 vs. 9, with p = 0.724). However, BMI, cholesterol, and LDL significantly decreased in group 1 compared to group 2 (p<0.001 vs. p = 0.131, p = 0.023 vs. p = 0.896, and p = 0.003 vs. p = 0.395, respectively). Additionally, the incidence of hypoglycemic episodes was significantly lower in group 1 (7.5%) than in group 2 (47.5%, p = 0.004). No significant difference was observed between the triple OHA and dual OHA plus Insulin regimens in achieving glycemic control. Conclusion The triple OHA regimen improved BMI, cholesterol, and LDL levels, and reduced hypoglycemic episodes more effectively than dual OHA plus Insulin, despite similar HbA1c outcomes, suggesting it may be preferable for uncontrolled T2DM.

In order to address the problem of data heterogeneity, in recent years, personalized federated learning has tailored models to individual user data to enhance model performance on clients with diverse data distributions. However, the existing personalized federated learning methods do not adequately address the problem of data heterogeneity, and lack the processing of system heterogeneity. Consequently, these issues lead to diminished training efficiency and suboptimal model performance of personalized federated learning in heterogeneous environments. In response to these challenges, we propose FedPRL, a novel approach to personalized federated learning designed specifically for heterogeneous environments. Our method tackles data heterogeneity by implementing a personalized strategy centered on local data storage, enabling the accurate extraction of features tailored to the data distribution of individual clients. This personalized approach enhances the performance of federated learning models when dealing with non-IID data. To overcome system heterogeneity, we design a client selection mechanism grounded in reinforcement learning and user quality evaluation. This mechanism optimizes the selection of clients based on data quality and training time, thereby boosting the efficiency of the training process and elevating the overall performance of personalized models. Moreover, we devise a local training method that utilizes global knowledge distillation of non-target classes, which combined with traditional federated learning can effectively address the issue of catastrophic forgetting during global model updates. This approach enhances the generalization capability of the global model and further improves the performance of personalized models. Extensive experiments on both standard and real-world datasets demonstrate that FedPRL effectively resolves the challenges of data and system heterogeneity, enhancing the efficiency and model performance of personalized federated learning methods in heterogeneous environments, and outperforming state-of-the-art methods in terms of model accuracy and training efficiency.

The Reptile Search Algorithm (RSA) is a powerful modern optimization technique that effectively solves intricate problems across various fields. Despite its notable success, the local search aspect of RSA requires enhancement to overcome issues such as limited solution variety, a pattern of falling into local optimal traps, and the possibility of early convergence. In response to these challenges, this research introduces an innovative paradigm that melds the robust and time‐honoured local search technique, Simulated Annealing (SA), with RSA, christened henceforth as SARSA. This amalgamation aims to tackle the qualities of both strategies, synergistically improving their optimization capabilities. We utilize a broad and thorough assessment system to survey the viability and strength of SARSA. A comprehensive cluster of benchmark issues sourced from the CEC 2019 benchmark suite and an assorted set of real‐world challenges drawn from the CEC 2011 store is utilized as the test bed. This fastidiously curated testbed guarantees an intensive examination of SARSA's execution over a wide range of issues and complexities. Our observational discoveries substantiate that SARSA beats the foundational RSA and a few related calculations reported within the existing body of writing, in this manner setting up SARSA as a critical progression in optimization calculations. The prevalent execution illustrated by SARSA highlights its potential for broad application and underscores its utility in handling complex optimization issues viably.