The undeniable importance of migrants’ remittances to the welfare of developing countries was again demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has therefore led to a significant shift in attention to the relevance of remittances and has likewise spurred research interest in factors that motivate the inflows of remittances. However, in spite of the increasing recognition of the roles of digital technology in the macroeconomic performance of developed and developing economies alike, empirical analysis of its possible impacts on remittance inflows has not been well explored in the literature. Therefore, pooling the annual data of 35 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries from 2011 to 2020, this study investigates the nexus between digital technology and remittance inflows within the generalized method of moments (GMM) framework. Using two measures of digital technology infrastructure—internet usage and mobile cellular subscription—the study finds a positive relationship between digital technology and remittances inflow. In addition, the findings indicate that the magnitude of the effect is relatively higher for internet usage. The study thus shows that the increased rate of remittance mobilization constitutes a significant pathway through which digital technology impacts the economies of the SSA region. Moreover, it offers further insight on the importance of digital technology in the socioeconomic development of developing countries. From a policy standpoint, governments and policymakers in SSA countries should intensify efforts to promote the diffusion and penetration of digital infrastructure.

This study introduces a cross-country comparative analysis of the role of News Ombudsperson in the public media corporations in Spain and France. It investigates the specific media self-regulatory processes established to reduce reputational risks and increase the trust and credibility of the media organisations. It aims to fill in the gaps in prior research by applying a qualitative framework developed using indicators derived from scholarly work on regulation and governance and media management. The variables selected for the analysis are extracted from prior interdisciplinary research and focus on media self-regulatory processes, complaints management mechanisms, election, reporting procedures, checks and balances, roles, visibility and transparency of News Ombudspersons in two countries which represent the Polarised Pluralist media system category. Research questions are raised in relation to the main variables identified for the comparative analysis. Data were collected from multiple publicly available international sources, including public media organizations databases, national media regulatory authorities, and academic studies. Results reveal cross-country variations. The systematic investigation of different forms of self-regulatory procedures might lead to concrete recommendations and best practice models for media organizations beyond the European Union. Further research could address the role of media audiences as relevant stakeholders in media governance processes.

Online shopping has eliminated the need to visit physical commercial centres. As a result, trips to these centres have shifted from primarily shopping-motives to leisure, companionship, and dining. The shifting in consumer behaviour is implicated in the growing spatial agglomeration of restaurants/cafes within commercial centres in European cities. Conversely, in southern cities, various casual restaurants/cafes also serve as leisure and companionship hubs. However, their spatial patterns are less explained. This article aims to elucidate the spatial pattern of these diverse restaurants/cafes in a typical southern city, Surabaya City. In this study, we employ the term ‘food services’ to encompass the various types of restaurants/cafes found in southern cities. We gather Points of Interest (POIs) data about food services via web scraping on Google Maps, then map out their spatial distribution across 116 spatial units of Surabaya City. Utilising k-means cluster analysis, we classify these 116 spatial units into six distinct clusters based on the composition of food service variants. Our findings show that City Centres and Sub-City Centres are locations for different types of restaurants/cafes. The City Centre is typically a location for fine dining restaurants and cafes, whereas Sub-City Centres are locations for fast casual dining and fast food restaurants. Cafes and fast food restaurants are centralised throughout downtown areas. Casual food service restaurants, such as casual style dining, coffee shops, and food stalls, are dispersed along business, residential zones, and periphery areas without intense domination of any specific variant.

The co-hydrothermal carbonization of biomasses has shown many advantages on charcoal yield, carbonization degree, thermal-stability of hydrocar and energy recovered. The goal of this study is to investigate the effect of co-combustion of cattle manure and sawdust on energy recovered. The results show that ash content ranged between 10.38%–20.00%, indicating that the proportion of each variable influences energy recovered. The optimum is obtained at 51% cattle manure and 49% sawdust revealing 37% thermal efficiency and 3.9 kW fire power. These values are higher compared to cattle manure individually which gives values of 30% and 2.3 kW respectively for thermal efficiency and fire power. Thus, the mixture of biomasses enhances energy recovered both in combustion and hydrothermal carbonization. Volatile matter is lower in mixture predicting that the flue gas releases is lower during combustion. Fixed carbon is higher in mixture predicting that energy recovered increases during the combustion of mixture than cattle manure individually. Higher Carbon content was noticed in mixture than cattle manure indicating that the incorporation of sawdust enhances heating value. The incorporation of sawdust in cattle manure can also enhance energy recovered and is more suitable for domestic and industrial application.

Objective: This study investigates the efficacy and safety of epidural infiltration with drugs and an oxygen-ozone mixture for treating cervicobrachialgia due to disc-radicular conflict or on a degenerative basis, utilizing both retrospective analysis and direct visualization techniques. Methods: A retrospective study involving 10 patients treated with epidural infiltrations of an oxygen-ozone mixture and cortisone was conducted. The procedures were performed under CT guidance to ensure precise delivery and to monitor the diffusion of the injected substances. Pain levels were assessed using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and treatment efficacy was evaluated based on symptom relief and reduction in NSAID intake. Results: Significant pain reduction was observed post-treatment, with median NRS scores decreasing from 9 (baseline) to 2 (follow-up), and a significant decrease in on-demand NSAID intake. Only one minor complication of a headache was reported. The study also demonstrated the ability of ozone to diffuse through the epidural adipose tissue, potentially enhancing treatment efficacy. Conclusion: The combined use of an oxygen-ozone mixture and cortisone for epidural infiltration is an effective and safe treatment for cervicobrachialgia, offering significant pain relief and minimizing the risk associated with traditional epidural injections. This technique presents a viable non-surgical option for patients suffering from disc-radicular conflict or degenerative conditions.

The potential of nanotechnology to improve human health, optimize natural resource utilization, and reduce environmental pollution is remarkable. With the ever-growing advancement in dentistry, one of the breakthroughs is using nanotechnology. Nanotechnology in periodontics has touched every aspect of treatment modality, from non-surgical therapy to implant procedures, including regenerative procedures. Understanding their mechanism plays a pivotal role in more efficient usage of nanotechnology, better treatment procedures, and eventually better outcomes. In this paper, we review the application of nanotechnology in periodontal therapy. We performed the search for papers in Scopus using the key words and phrases as follows: “nanodentistry”; “dentistry and nanotechnology”; “dentistry and nanoparticles”; “dentistry and nanomedicine”; “dentistry and nanorobots”. There were found 530 papers in total. Some papers belonged to two and more categories. It is revealed that the number of papers versus year does not follow any specific pattern, but the cumulative amount of papers versus year is fitted with the exponential regression. There were also selected papers using certain inclusion/exclusion criteria. Only the selected papers were analyzed. Nanomedicine is subjected to intensive studies nowadays. There are some promising results that will likely be implemented into praxis soon in the fields of medical diagnostics and clinical therapeutics. The appearance of nanotechnology can have a considerable impact on the treatment of periodontal diseases.