This work shows the results of the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using the microalga Chlorella sp, using growth media with different concentrations of glycerol, between 5%–20%, and different light and temperature conditions. The synthesis of nanoparticles was studied using supernatants and pellets from autotrophic, heterotrophic and mixotrophic cultures of the microalga. The presence of nanoparticles was verified by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and the samples showing the highest concentration of nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The mixotrophic growth conditions favored the excretion of exopolymers that enhanced the reduction of silver and thus the formation of nanoparticles. The nanoparticles obtained presented predominantly ellipsoidal shape with dimensions of 108 nm × 156 nm and 87 nm × 123 nm for the reductions carried out with the supernatants of the mixotrophic cultures with 5% and 10% glycerol, respectively.

The global shortage of nurses has resulted in the demand for their services across different jurisdictions causing migration from developing to developed regions. This study aimed to review the literature on drivers of nurses’ migration intentions from source countries and offer future research directions. A search strategy was applied to ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Scopus academic databases to find literature. The search was limited to peer-reviewed, empirical studies published in English from 2013–2023 resulting in 841 papers. The study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to conduct a systematic review of 35 studies after thorough inclusion and exclusion criteria. In addition, the VOSviewer software was utilized to map network visualization of keywords, geographic and author cooperation for bibliometric understanding. The findings revealed various socio-economic, organizational, and national factors driving nurses’ migration intentions. However, limited studies have been conducted on family income, organizational culture, leadership style, infrastructure development, social benefits, emergency service delivery, specialized training, and bilateral agreements as potential drivers for informing nurses’ migration intentions. Moreover, a few studies were examined from a theoretical perspective, mainly the push and pull theory of migration. This paper contributes to the health human resources literature and shows the need for future studies to consider the gaps identified in the management and policy direction of nurse labor migration.

The chemical reinforcement of sandy soils is usually carried out to improve their properties and meet specific engineering requirements. Nevertheless, conventional reinforcement agents are often expensive; the process is energy-intensive and causes serious environmental issues. Therefore, developing a cost-effective, room-temperature-based method that uses recyclable chemicals is necessary. In the current study, poly (styrene-co-methyl methacrylate) (PS-PMMA) is used as a stabilizer to reinforce sandy soil. The copolymer-reinforced sand samples were prepared using the one-step bulk polymerization method at room temperature. The mechanical strength of the copolymer-reinforced sand samples depends on the ratio of the PS-PMMA copolymer to the sand. The higher the copolymer-to-sand ratio, the higher the sample’s compressive strength. The sand (70 wt.%)-PS-PMMA (30 wt.%) sample exhibited the highest compressive strength of 1900 psi. The copolymer matrix enwraps the sand particles to form a stable structure with high compressive strengths.

Soil salinity is a major abiotic stress that drastically hinders plant growth and development, resulting in lower crop yields and productivity. As one of the most consumed vegetables worldwide, tomato (Solanum lycropersicum L.) plays a key role in the human diet. The current study aimed to explore the differential tolerance level of two tomato varieties (Rio Grande and Agata) to salt stress. To this end, various growth, physiological and biochemical attributes were assessed after two weeks of 100 mM NaCl treatment. Obtained findings indicated that, although the effects of salt stress included noticeable reductions in shoots’ and roots’ dry weights and relative growth rate as well as total leaf area, for the both cultivars, Rio Grande performed better compared to Agata variety. Furthermore, despite the exposure to salt stress, Rio Grande was able to maintain an adequate tissue hydration and a high leaf mass per area (LMA) through the accumulation of proline. However, relative water content, LMA and proline content were noticeably decreased for Agata cultivar. Likewise, total leaf chlorophyll, soluble proteins and total carbohydrates were significantly decreased; whereas, malondialdehyde was significantly accumulated in response to salt stress for the both cultivars. Moreover, such negative effects were remarkably more pronounced for Agata relative to Rio Grande cultivar. Overall, the current study provided evidence that, at the early growth stage, Rio Grande is more tolerant to salt stress than Agata variety. Therefore, Rio Grande variety may constitute a good candidate for inclusion in tomato breeding programs for salt-tolerance and is highly recommended for tomato growers, particularly in salt-affected fields.

This study explores the relationship between GDP growth, unemployment rate, and labor force participation rate in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries from 1990 to 2018. Furthermore, the study incorporates control factors such as government spending, trade openness, and energy use into the regression equation. We used panel dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) and Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) estimators to investigate the relationships between variables in this investigation. The econometric technique accounts for nonstationary, endogeneity bias and cross-sectional dependencies between country-year observations. Cointegration was found among GDP growth, unemployment rate, and labor force participation. Long-term, the unemployment rate has a statistically significant negative effect on economic growth in the GCC nations. Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate significantly influences economic expansion in the long term. The expansion of government expenditures and international trade reduces economic growth. Alternatively, it is discovered that energy consumption has a substantial and positive effect on economic expansion. Okun’s rule and the unidirectional causality from economic growth to unemployment indicate that the primary cause of unemployment in GCC nations is a failure to adequately expand their economies. When developing economic strategies to reduce unemployment, policymakers are particularly interested in determining whether or not economic development and the unemployment rate are cointegrated.

Olive production is threatened by a fungal pathogen, Armillaria mellea (Vahl. Fr.) P. Kumm.,causing decline in trees worldwide. Effectiveness of once and twice applications of fungicides hexaconazole, propicoconazole and thiophanate-methyl and application of biological agent (Trichoderma harzianum) to control A. mellea was studied at orchard scale during four years. T. harzianum inhibited the pathogen growth on agar media. This antagonistic fungus provided a 25% control efficiency of A. mellea on olive trees younger than 15 years which was the same as control efficiency of once application of hexaconazole. Control efficiencies as perfect as 100% were determined on younger (<15 years old) diseased olive trees treated with once applications of thiophanate-methyl and hexaconazole, and twice applications of thiophanate-methyl. Moreover, olive tree age was significantly effective on fungicidal control efficiency. Hence, this four-year research advanced our understanding of sustainable olive production in study region and other geographical areas with similar agro-ecological characteristics.