The global adoption of sustainable development practices is gaining momentum, with an increasing emphasis on balancing the social, economic, and environmental pillars of sustainability. This study aims to assess the current state of these pillars within the uMlalazi Local Municipality, South Africa, and evaluate the initiatives in place to address related challenges. The purpose is to gain a deeper understanding of how effectively these three pillars are being addressed in the context of local governance. Using qualitative research methods, the study gathered data from a sample of five key informants, including three local government officials, one councillor, and one chief information officer from the local police. Data was collected through open-ended interview questions, with responses recorded, transcribed, and analysed for thematic content. The findings reveal significant gaps in the municipality’s approach to sustainability, including the absence of formalized trading areas, limited community input in planning and decision-making, high crime rates, and persistent unemployment. These issues were found to be interlinked with other challenges, such as inefficiencies in solid waste management. Additionally, the study confirms that the three pillars of sustainability are not treated equally, with economic and social aspects often receiving less attention compared to environmental concerns. This highlights the need for the municipality to focus on formalizing trading areas, encouraging local economic growth, and enhancing public participation in governance. By implementing incentives for greater community involvement and addressing the imbalances between the sustainability pillars, uMlalazi can make significant progress toward achieving more sustainable development.
The rise of internet-based pharmacies has transformed the healthcare sector, giving patients access to medications, information, and direct interaction with pharmacists. While online pharmacies have become popular around the world, there are challenges hindering their widespread use in developing countries due to a limited understanding of the factors affecting their acceptance and usage. To bridge this knowledge gap, a study utilized a model combining the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT 2) with the technology acceptance model (TAM) to explore the drivers behind online pharmacy usage in Oman. Through this framework, twelve hypotheses were. A survey involving 378 individuals familiar with online pharmacies was conducted. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to analyze the data and test these hypotheses. The results indicate that factors such as perceived expectancy effort expectancy and facilitating conditions hedonic motivation, habit perceived risk, technology trust, and technology awareness play roles in influencing the adoption of online pharmacies in Oman. The findings suggest that personal innovation plays a moderating role in the connection between perceived risk and behavioral intention, while it has a negative moderating influence on the relationship between technology trust and behavioral intention. Word of mouth was identified as a moderator in enhancing the correlation between behavioral intention and online pharmacy adoption. This research emphasizes the moderating relationship of personal innovation and word of mouth on shaping consumer attitudes towards online pharmacies and their acceptance. In summary, these results add to the existing knowledge on pharmacy adoption and in developed areas such as provide practical insights for online pharmacy providers to improve their offerings and attract a larger customer base.
The fast-growing field of nanotheranostics is revolutionizing cancer treatment by allowing for precise diagnosis and targeted therapy at the cellular and molecular levels. These nanoscale platforms provide considerable benefits in oncology, including improved disease and therapy specificity, lower systemic toxicity, and real-time monitoring of therapeutic outcomes. However, nanoparticles' complicated interactions with biological systems, notably the immune system, present significant obstacles for clinical translation. While certain nanoparticles can elicit favorable anti-tumor immune responses, others cause immunotoxicity, including complement activation-related pseudoallergy (CARPA), cytokine storms, chronic inflammation, and organ damage. Traditional toxicity evaluation approaches are frequently time-consuming, expensive, and insufficient to capture these intricate nanoparticle-biological interactions. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have emerged as transformational solutions to these problems. This paper summarizes current achievements in nanotheranostics for cancer, delves into the causes of nanoparticle-induced immunotoxicity, and demonstrates how AI/ML may help anticipate and create safer nanoparticles. Integrating AI/ML with modern computational approaches allows for the detection of potentially dangerous nanoparticle qualities, guides the optimization of physicochemical features, and speeds up the development of immune-compatible nanotheranostics suited to individual patients. The combination of nanotechnology with AI/ML has the potential to completely realize the therapeutic promise of nanotheranostics while assuring patient safety in the age of precision medicine.
Copyright © by EnPress Publisher. All rights reserved.
