Preparation and Properties of an Efficient Purification Material for Personal Protection

At present, the filtration of virus and other small particles in the air by meltblown cloth produced by electret treatment mainly depends on its electrostatic adsorption mechanism. However, because the surface charge of melt blown fabric can not be maintained for a long time, it can not maintain high efficiency filtration for a long time. Therefore, there is no guarantee for the medical staffs to not be infected by COVID-19. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the mechanical filtration efficiency of melt blown fabric in the situation of an electric charge loss. In this paper, nylon 6 (PA6) nanofibers were electrospun on melt blown cloth by electrospinning technology, and a sandwich material with melt blown cloth as surface layer and PA6 nanofibers as middle layer was made by hot- pressing technology;the surface morphology, thermal and mechanical properties of the sandwich material were characterized, and its filtration performance was tested. The experimental results show that the surface integrity of the sandwich material is high, and the diameter of nanofibers can reach about 67 nm;without the electret treatment, the filtration efficiency of the sandwich material for particles in an size of 0.2 μm is more than 95%,while the filtration efficiency of non-woven fabric is zero;the filtration resistance of the material is about 284 Pa, which is suitable for personal protection. © 2023 Chengdu University of Science and Technology. All rights reserved.

Mobile Intellectual Property Marketplace Model for Commercialization of Intellectual Property Rights

This study discusses the development of the intellectual property (IP) marketplace model based on mobile location-aware computing. Referring to statistics released by the Directorate General of Intellectual Property, there has been a growth in the number of intellectual property rights (IPR) applications in recent years, even during the Covid-19 pandemic. On the other hand, after IPR protection, the commercialization of IPR is one of the pillars of the IP system. Nevertheless, research institutions such as LIPI/BRIN indicate that the potential for commercializing IPR is still low. Furthermore, the opportunity is that cellular networks have covered almost all parts of Indonesia, and there has been significant growth in smartphone users. The method utilized in this research is prototyping. This research results from an IP marketplace model based on mobile location-aware computing in Indonesia. Using the smartphone user's location, contextual IPR information from the user's location related to IPR will enter their smartphone. The experimental results indicate that the application can display a list of IPR information according to the smartphone user's location. Furthermore, the search feature can forage IPR listing information based on user queries. © 2022 IEEE.

Securing Europe's Critical Entities from Cyber Attacks

The revised NIS-2 Directive has been assigned to the Committee on Industry, Research, and Energy (ITRE), within the European Parliament, and is intended to form one of the baselines for the European cybersecurity framework, as well as act as a central tool in advancing Europe's strategic autonomy and the Digital Europe Programme (3). The intention is that cyber resilience must be considered a priority at board and senior management level rather than be confined to the remit of technical teams. European Parliament Adopts New Draft Directive," Technology Law Dispatch, Reed Smith LLP, 20 Jan. 2022.

Tulsi Leaf Disease Detection using CNN

Since the start of the covid 19 pandemic, a wide range of medications have been produced and are currently being utilized to treat the disease. Tulsi, in addition to all of the chemical-based medications, is an herbal therapy that is particularly effective in the treatment of this ailment. Tulsi has been used to heal ailments and infections for millennia, particularly in India. Because we use tulsi for medicinal purposes, it's vital to monitor its health in order to reap the full benefits of its herbal properties. Plant diseases harm the health and growth of the plant. Disease detection in plants is crucial so that it can be treated before it spreads throughout the plant. To detect illnesses in tulsi leaves, we propose employing a model based on convolution neural networks. Image processing and CNN are widely employed. The prepared model extracts the image's key features and categorizes it into different disorders. The model has a 75 percent accuracy rate. © 2022 IEEE.

MONEY AND GOODWILL, BUT WHAT HAPPENS NOW ON COVID THERAPIES?

The international pledging conference that the European Union hosted in May has surpassed its target of $8 billion, in cooperation with the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labour Organization, the G20, the G7, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. Many nations have rallied round the beleaguered World Health Organization (WHO) after Donald Trump announced he would withdraw U.S. funding for it. [...]the EU announced a coronavirus recovery plan in late May with a budget close to $2 trillion-which included a new €10 billion health program and additional projected spending on medicines to combat COVID-19.

Manufacturing Innovation

(ProQuest: ... denotes non-USASCII text omitted.) The annual Global Innovation Index released in September 2021 ranked China twelfth, surpassing developed economies such as Japan, Israel, and Canada and raising fears in the United States amidst sluggish growth in North America and strong growth in the Asia Pacific region.1 Interestingly, the United States government responded by boycotting the Beijing Olympic Games, citing human rights abuses as the main reason.2 A tech war between China and the United States brewed beneath the diplomatic rancor over the attendance at the Olympic Games. Part I documents how the United States has assisted China's tech and intellectual property domination through President Nixon's historic visit to China, giving China Most Favorite Nation (MFN) status and ascending China to the World Trade Organization (WTO). [...]under Deng Xiaoping's leadership during the reform period, China rapidly developed its special economic zones (SEZs), laying the foundation for subsequent tech innovation and production. [...]broadcasting, telecommunications, office machines, computers, integrated circuits, and cell phones are among China's notable exports to the world.9 China dominates in commodities and raw materials, exporting refined petroleum, cotton, plywood, and tea.10 For agricultural products, China occupies the perch as the world's largest producer. Shenzhen rose as the largest among the four.18 Shenzhen, a small fishing locale in the southern part of China's southern province, Guangdong, served as the pioneer of Deng Xiaoping's embrace of economic reforms.19 A market-oriented economy took root in Shenzhen, allowing foreign companies and entities from Hong Kong and Macau to operate and allowing Chinese talents the freedom to leave their hometowns and move into the SEZs.20 Cheap labor proved to be another significant factor facilitating China's rise as a global manufacturer.21 In the 1980s, multinational corporations from Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, as well as domestic Chinese companies, opened their factories in the SEZs and other cities in China to take advantage of the cheap and plentiful labor force.22 Indeed, when Deng Xiaoping began his pilot SEZs, China's young workers who wished to lift themselves out of poverty descended into the economic zones in search of better opportunities.23 Shenzhen grew from a population of 59,000 in 1980 to a population of 12,357,000 in 2020.24 The new migrants became the workers, participants, and stakeholders in the global manufacturing frontier.25 Because of the abundance of cheap labor, manufacturers in China have no difficulty keeping production prices low and pleasing consumers and businesses worldwide.26 China's currency manipulation is another factor propelling China to its domination in global manufacturing.27 The United States Congress attempted numerous times to introduce legislation to combat China's currency manipulation.28 China artificially devalued its currency through government control of the exchange rate and refused to let the Chinese Renminbi (RMB) float.29 Despite strong criticisms from the United States, China refuses to allow its currency to freely float.30 China's currency manipulations, according to critics, caused the widening of trade deficits between the United States and China.31 China's currency manipulation allows products to be manufactured at lower prices, hampering competitors and thereafter replacing them.32 In order to cope with China's currency practices, United States manufacturers facing their own existential crises must decide to either outsource jobs overseas or face large risks, including financial ruin.33 The United States lost millions of manufacturing jobs due to massive job outsourcing as the trade deficits between the United States and China continued to persist.34 Geopolitically, in shaping post-Cold-War powers, the United States decided to assist China in its transformation from a poverty-stricken country to a global manufacturer.

Optimization and Characterization of Quercetin Vitamin C Nano-Phytosome Formulation

Objective: To design an optimal formulation for quercetin and vitamin C nano-phytosome. Method(s): Nano-phytosomes are prepared by the thin layer hydration technique using a 2-level-5-factor design experimental. A total of 32 experimental formulas were used for data analysis. The ratio of quercetin: soy lecithin (X1), the ratio of quercetin: cholesterol (X2), stirring speed (X3), stirring temperature (X4), and stirring time (X5) were used as independent factors, while globule size as a dependent factor. Data analysis was carried out by Design Expert12 application. Characterization of the optimal formula included physicochemical evaluation, globule size analysis, zeta potential, polydispersity index, entrapment efficiency, Transition Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis, and FTIR analysis. Result(s): The optimal formula consisted of quercetin: vitamin C: lecithin: cholesterol ratio of 1: 1: 1.046: 0.105 mol;stirring speed 763.986 rpm;stirring time of 59 min, at temperature 51.73 degreeC which produced 59.26 nm average globule size, PDI value 0.66;zeta potential value-35.93+/-0.95 mV and average SPAN value 0.61. This formulation showed entrapment efficiency of quercetin 91.69+/-0.18 % and vitamin C 90.82+/-0.13 %. The TEM and FITR analysis showed the morphological of the globules and interactions between the drugs, soy lecithin, and cholesterol to form nano-phytosomes. Conclusion(s): The conditions to obtain the optimal formula for quercetin vitamin C nano-phytosome consisted of quercetin: vitamin C: lecithin: cholesterol ratio of 1: 1: 1.046: 0.105 mol;stirring speed 763.986 rpm;stirring time of 59 min, and at temperature 51.73 degreeC.Copyright © 2023 The Authors.

Managing risk in commercial property development projects during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from China

The COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest global health crisis in years. China is the first market primarily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with unprecedented lockdown measures bringing real estate and other economic activities to a standstill. This study has two objectives: (1) to identify the risks critical to the risk management of commercial real estate (CRE) development projects based on the project life cycle stages and (2) to identify the stages most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the risk factors at different stages. Three rounds of the Delphi study were conducted with nine experts involved in the construction project. The findings indicate that the construction, lease and sale phases are prone to significant risks. Additionally, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) identified ‘health and safety risk' as the most critical risk factor during the construction phase and ‘marketing and payback risk' as the most critical risk factor during the lease and sale phase. This study enhanced the effectiveness of risk management practices for implementing CRE development projects in China.

Trends in International Arbitration: The Fallout from COVID-19

[...]of the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, global arbitration has adapted to a 'new normal'. Arbitration trends A number of trends are emerging with respect to life sciences disputes that are anticipated to continue for the foreseeable future, including in particular: * A greater number of disputes arising out of global supply chain disruptions, and use of the pandemic as a defence to contractual non-performance * An increase in disputes over earn-out clauses and pre-closing covenants in M&A transactions * A rise in investor-state claims brought by investors against states for breach of international investment protection agreements * More insolvent parties in arbitrations, which pose particular challenges * An increase in third-party funding of significant claims in international arbitration * The continued use of efficient procedures by arbitral tribunals, including paperless proceedings and remote hearings. Earn-out arrangements are usually intended to bridge the gap between diverging valuations of the target company by the buyer and the seller at the time of closing-in addition to the upfront purchase price, the seller of a business receives further payouts if and when the target company achieves certain agreed performance targets over an agreed period of time after closing. [...]the seller trades the certainty of a lower upfront payment for a potential higher pay-out in the future. [...]party funding of claims Third-party funding of significant claims is now a common feature in international arbitration and has become available in jurisdictions that previously were subject to regulatory restrictions.

Does the Shield Effect of CSR Work in Crises? Evidence in Korea

This paper investigates the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on shareholders' wealth during market downturn, focusing on the market crash caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermaths. We evaluate the relationship between firms' CSR and stock returns using a sample of 803 firms listed on the Korean stock market. The results of our study reveal that firms' pre-crisis CSR activities do not protect shareholders' wealth during the crisis;in fact, they negatively affected stock returns during the COVID-19 crisis. This finding is consistent across several robustness tests and challenges the prevailing notion that CSR is solely a philanthropic endeavor. This study suggests that firms need to reconsider their CSR approach in order to better align it with shareholders' interest.

Continued Innovation is Key for COVID-19 Recovery

According to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), more than a quarter of a million businesses are due to close their doors for the final time in 2021 (1). A key reason behind Switzerland leading the way in the World Intellectual Property Organization's 2020 Global Innovation Index for 10 consecutive years (4) is due to its excellent innovation outcomes including patent applications, IP receipts, and high-tech manufacturing products. utilizing IP Put simply, the UK needs to take a leaf from Switzerland's book and focus on how we can turn the UK into an IP powerhouse. Solutions are available It is clear more needs to be done to educate businesses around the value of innovation, while demonstrating the availability of funding through schemes readily available, and already baked into the budget such as the R&D tax credit scheme and Patent Box.

Real Estate Insights The continuing uncertainty of property investment markets – an outlook for the UK in 2023

PurposeThe aim of this Real Estate Insight is to comment upon the outlook for real estate investment in the United Kingdom (UK) at the beginning of 2023 in light of global inflation brought about by the pent-up post-pandemic demand push for goods and services and the exacerbation of the Ukraine/Russia conflict.Design/methodology/approachThis Real Estate Insight will comment upon changes in the investor's view of the UK economy and the relative attractiveness of the different property sectors and the shift in thinking post-pandemic.FindingsThis paper will consider a number of scenarios and possibilities flowing from the current uncertainties in the property market and the wider economy.Practical implicationsAs with all property investment, the value and performance of the property assets is interlinked with the use and demand of different property types. Understanding the supply and demand drivers provides investors with a reasoned conjecture of how the property market may perform going forward.Originality/valueThis is a review of the UK market in relation to post-COVID-19 changes to supply and demand at both an operational and investment level.

Global Health Technologies are Transforming Intellectual Property and World Trade

The nano-enabled technology of 3-D printing for medical devices presents a dynamic new avenue for meeting patient needs. 3-D printers can generate food, soaps, cosmetics, body parts, metal devices, or medicines. This technology enables continuity of health care delivery despite disruptive breaks in any supply chain due to war, shortage, or broken distribution lines due to pandemic force majeure.1 Featuring custom-tailored attributes for each device, economic efficiency by eliminating transport costs during emergencies, avoiding issues of distribution supply chains, and offering biocompatibility, 3-D printed medical devices during the COVID-19 pandemic2 provided a very attractive alternative to enduring medical supply shortages worldwide. Beyond the covid-19 pandemic exigencies, 3-D printed medical devices promise custom-tailored meals to meet medical needs that are unique for each patient's metabolism and a wide variety of tools for patient care that will change the shape of global commerce.3 3-D printing offers the alluring promise of biocompatible medical devices, matching any patient's unique anatomy, using a specific patient's imaging data, or using a standard design to make multiple identical copies of the same device, but without delays for transport or shipping and insurance costs. The global health impact of these efforts, from the standpoint of patient safety4 and overall deterrence of unnecessary or unsafe medical practices, remains unclear due to the absence of regulation and monitoring. The reality is that commerce can reduce or eliminate transport and storage costs associated with shipping and can change international trade. Yet, 3-D printing simultaneously offers great promise to meet challenges arising from the arcane role of intellectual property rights (IPR)5 in shaping the creation and transfer of nanomedicines and nanotechnologies to attain health equity and meet universal needs of health for all. These millennial technological changes may permanently alter how civil society does business for global health. © 2022, Andover House, Inc.. All rights reserved.

Fit for purpose? The patents regime, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and sustainable development

This article uses data from several publicly available databases to show that the distribution of intellectual property for frontier technologies, including those useful for sustainable development, is very highly skewed in favor of a handful of developed countries. The intellectual property rights (IPR) regime as it exists does not optimize the global flow of technology and know-how for the attainment of the sustainable development goals and is in need of updating. Some features of the Fourth Industrial Revolution imply that the current system of patents is even more in need of reform than before. COVID-19 vaccines and therapies and the vast inequality in access to these has highlighted the costs of inaction. We recommend several policy changes for the international IPR regime. Broadly, these fall into three categories: allowing greater flexibility for developing countries, reassessing the appropriateness of patents for technologies that may be considered public goods, and closing loopholes that allow for unreasonable intellectual property protections.

Global dynamics and Impact of Gaussian noise intensity on the stochastic epidemic model with local fractional derivative

Society must understand, model, and forecast infectious disease transmission patterns in order to prevent pandemics. Mathematical models and computer technology may help us better understand the pandemic and create more systematic and effective infection management strategies. This study offers a novel perspective through a compartmental model that incorporates fractional calculus. The first scenario is based on proportional fractional definitions, considering compartmental individuals of susceptible, moving susceptible, exposed, infected, hospitalized, and recovered. Through an extension of this derivative, they decimated the model to integer order. We extended the deterministic model to a stochastic extension to capture the uncertainty or variance in disease transmission. It can develop an appropriate Lyapunov function to detect the presence and uniqueness of positive global solutions. Next, we discuss how the epidemic model might have become extinct. In our theoretical study, we demonstrated that a sufficiently outrageous amount of noise can cause a disease to become extinct. A modest level of noise, on the other hand, promotes the persistence of diseases and their stationary distribution. The Khasminskii method was used to determine the stationary distribution and ergodicity of the model.

Accompaniment Methodology of Open Innovation in Local Universities After COVID-19

Innovation has never been as important as it is now to solve the problems caused by COVID-19 and the socioeconomic crisis. In this context, and within the framework of an economy based on knowledge and change, economic and social agents need open innovation to generate competitiveness and development. For their part, universities need to increase technological production as a source of innovation. In the literature there are models of innovation, but they do not present a method to move from basic to technological research. Aim of this work was to fill, in part, this gap. Under the qualitative approach, the Open Innovation model, the Technological Maturity Levels method and the Pedagogical Accompaniment model were selected to develop a post-COVID-19 route to intensify innovation. The article contributes to knowledge with a methodology that allows expanding the performance of researchers and raising the technological level of universities towards competitiveness. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

The Right to Property Taking Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights Seriously

The right to property is part of International Human Rights Law (IHRL). However, the right is conspicuously missing from some fundamental treaties, and there are important inconsistencies in its interpretation by regional and global human rights bodies. In light of the indeterminacy and polysemy of IHRL in relation to property, this paper articulates a proposal to rethink this right taking Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ESCR) seriously. The proposal contains four propositions. Firstly, property is a human right. Secondly, it includes private property as one of its forms, but this is not the only one. Thirdly, property has a social function. And fourthly, as a matter of proportionality, fulfilling ESCR is one of the most important objectives that may justify the limitation of private property.