Abstract This study seeks to empirically explore whether the regulatory quality in the NMS-10 impacts deepening international financial integration and whether the strengthening of regulatory quality for NMS-10 has a causal effect on the level of international financial integration (IFI) in NMS-10. The study covers NMS-10 between 1995 and 2020. The estimation of parameters was made with descriptive statistics, the Breusch-Pagan test, the Pesaran test, the Granger causality test, and OLS regression to analyze the impact of REQ on IFI. The findings of the study reveal that regulatory quality has a statistically significant effect in deepening the process of financial integration for both periods, in the pre-accession and post-accession EU process. In addition, the results demonstrate that the regulatory quality of NMS-10 provides sound laws and policies that support the business environment, encourage cross-bordering financial transactions. Moreover, the results of the Granger causality test show that the level of global financial integration is causally impacted by the improvement in NMS-10 regulatory quality. This indicates that regulatory effectiveness might predicts international financial integration.

Objectives: Juvenile systemic sclerosis is a rare childhood disease. Three disease activity indices have been published for adult patients with systemic sclerosis: the European Scleroderma Study Group Index, a modified version of the European Scleroderma Study Group Index and the revised European Scleroderma Trials and Research index. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility and performance of the three disease activity indices in a prospectively followed cohort of patients with juvenile systemic sclerosis. Methods: The analysis cohort was selected from the prospective international inception cohort enrolling juvenile systemic sclerosis patients. The correlation of the disease activity indices with the physicians’ and the patients’ global assessment of disease activity was determined. The disease activity indices were compared between patients with active and inactive disease. Sensitivity to change between 6- and 12-month follow-up was investigated by mixed models. Results: Eighty percent of the 70 patients had a diffuse cutaneous subtype. The revised European Scleroderma Trials and Research index was highly correlated with the physician-reported global disease activity/parents-reported global disease activity (r = 0.74/0.64), followed by the European Scleroderma Study Group activity index (r = 0.61/0.55) and the modified version of the European Scleroderma Study Group activity index (r = 0.51/0.43). The disease activity indices significantly differed between active and inactive patients. The disease activity indices showed sensitivity to change between 6- and 12-month follow-up among patients who improved or worsened according to the physician-reported global disease activity and the parents-reported global disease activity. Conclusion: Overall, no disease activity score is superior to the other, and all three scores have limitations in the application in juvenile systemic sclerosis patients. Furthermore, research on the concept of disease activity and suitable scores to measure disease activity in patients with juvenile systemic sclerosis is necessary in future.

This Collective article reports 17 introduced species and 22 new locations for these species in the Mediterranean Sea. The reports are from three different Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) subregions (Aegean-Levantine Sea, Adriatic Sea and Western Mediterranean Sea) and the Sea of Marmara and cover ten different countries. The goal of consistent and detailed reporting of introduced species is to complement the existing species inventories and serve as a basis for establishing monitoring strategies and other conservation measures. Some of the reports from this article are the first species records for the Mediterranean Sea, namely the green alga Udotea flabellum from the Aegean Sea (Turkey) and the deepbody boarfish Antigonia capros from the Balearic Sea (Spain). In addition, new records of introduced species are included for different seas, namely the moon crab Matuta victor for the Aegean Sea (Greece), the whale shark Rhincodon typus and the lionfish Pterois miles for the Alboran Sea (Spain), the almaco jack Seriola rivoliana for the Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy), and the hound needlefish Tylosurus crocodilus for the Adriatic Sea (Italy). Furthermore, reports on first country records are included: the red alga Colaconema codicola from Slovenia, the nudibranch Melibe viridis from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the lionfish Pterois miles from Montenegro, and the goldstripe sardinella Sardinella gibbosa from Syria, which also represents a second record for the Mediterranean Sea. Furthermore, the occurrence of the scleractinian coral Oculina patagonica was noted in Gulf of Lion (France). Four polychaete species, namely Leodice antennata, Timarete punctata and Branchiomma bairdi, are reported from the vermetid reef habitat and two of them (L. antennata and B. bairdi) are also recorded for the first time in Lebanon. Evidence for established populations of the Asian date mussel Arcuatula senhousia in the Sea of Marmara (Turkey) and the rayed pearl oyster Pinctada radiata around the island of Sardinia (Italy) is provided.

The main purpose of this paper is to present a systematic literature review of studies on the determinants of non-performing loans (NPLs) published over the period 1987–2022. This paper reviewed 76 studies in 58 peer-reviewed journals. The provocation for this analysis is that the issue of NPLs is attributed to close attention from policymakers and is currently addressed with various measures. The authors synthesize the literature according to the following main boards: macroeconomic factors, bank-specific factors, and industry factors. This study tries to construct the main findings from the numerous studies that are performed concerning NPLs and their determinants. The authors’ motivation is to provide a detailed perspective on NPLs. Hence, this study provides a complete and coherent framework for the researchers to examine the varied NPL literature.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2021/9996193.].

Introduction: Aging is a natural physiological process based on disturbances of homeostatic mechanisms and loss of adaptability that significantly affects life activities over time. The activities of daily living (ADL) in old age represent the relationship between the subjective characteristics of each individual, supplemented by previous life experiences, and objective socioeconomic factors that create a desirable living framework for people in the third age. The objectives of this research are to analyze the sociodemographic characteristics of third-age people, to study the daily activities of third-age people, and to compare the daily life activities of third-age people living in a rural setting with those of third-age people living in an urban setting. Methods: The research was conducted in the area of urban and rural environment of Travnik municipality. One hundred elderly people (50 from urban and 50 from rural areas) were included in the research using the snowball method. The instrument used in our research is a standardized questionnaire on instrumental ADL (IADL) according to Lawton-Brody. The study was conducted during the period from the end of March to the end of May 2022. Results: There is a statistically significant difference in ADL in all eight domains. The mean IADL score in the total sample (n = 100) was 6.36 ± 1.78 and ranged from 1 to 8. The largest number of respondents had the highest IADL score of 8 in 41% of cases, while only one respondent had an IADL score of 1. Conclusion: The obtained results prove that the score of ADL is lower in people of third-age living in rural areas.

Protecting groundwater from contamination is today’s most current environmental protection topic. What can man do in his environment to reduce the harmful impact of contamination on the environment, and thus the immediate effect on groundwater? Agricultural production is an ongoing source of groundwater contamination due to the increasingly frequent use of nitrates in fertilizers, which are washed out from the soil into groundwater due to precipitation. This paper investigates three wellfields in the north of the Republic of Croatia near the town of Varaždin. With the application of the RAPS method, the dependence of nitrate concentration in groundwater on the amount of precipitation was established. The analysis results show the connection of the observed parameters, especially in the upper aquifer layer. In this layer, the coefficients of correlation are greater than 0.80 at all locations, which shows a strong positive connection between the parameters. In the lower aquifer, the values of the coefficients of correlation are lower, and the results mostly indicate a weak correlation. The obtained results will serve as a starting point for future studies, which will aim to precisely determine the factors that influence groundwater quality in the observed area.

Abstract The amperometric biosensor was created using a flat sheet of the Cu-Zn-Al shape memory alloy, with a shiny surface and uniform thickness below 1 mm. The high biocompatibility and a large specific surface area for enzyme loading are evaluated. In vitro biomedical corrosion testing of samples revealed successful immobilization of catalase, which has undergone quasi-reversible electron transfer from the surface and saline solution. A catalase that had been immobilized retained its basic structure and bioactivity and demonstrated a remarkable electrocatalytic response to hydrogen peroxide reduction. The reduction of hydrogen peroxide on the catalase-modified Cu-25.38Zn-3.3Al alloy was investigated using hydrodynamic amperometry in both the absence and presence of l-cysteine and K2[B3O3F4OH] inhibitors. Catalytic reduction currents have increased as a result of the gradual increase in hydrogen peroxide concentration. The study on enzyme activity inhibition has shown a lower corrosion rate of catalase-modified bioalloy than the initial sample because inhibitor ions occupy all sites of the immobilized enzyme.

Abstract Objectives: Assess the extent to which the clinical trial registration and reporting policies of 25 of the world’s largest public and philanthropic medical research funders meet best practice benchmarks as stipulated by the 2017 WHO Joint Statement, and document changes in the policies and monitoring systems of 19 European funders over the past year. Design, Setting, Participants: Cross-sectional study, based on assessments of each funder’s publicly available documentation plus validation of results by funders. Our cohort includes 25 of the largest medical research funders in Europe, Oceania, South Asia, and Canada. Interventions: Scoring all 25 funders using an 11-item assessment tool based on WHO best practice benchmarks, grouped into three primary categories: trial registries, academic publication, and monitoring, plus validation of results by funders. Main outcome measures: How many of the 11 WHO best practice items each of the 25 funders has put into place, and changes in the performance of 19 previously assessed funders over the preceding year. Results: The 25 funders we assessed had put into place an average of 5/11 (49%) WHO best practices. Only 6/25 funders (24%) took the PI’s past reporting record into account during grant application reviews. Funders’ performance varied widely from 0/11 to 11/11 WHO best practices adopted. Of the 19 funders for which 2021(2) baseline data was available, 10/19 (53%) had strengthened their policies over the preceding year. Conclusions: Most medical research funders need to do more to curb research waste and publication bias by strengthening their clinical trial policies.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the possibility of asymmetric impact of monetary policy on housing permits issued in each state of the USA. Design/methodology/approach The methodology and approach are based on the linear ARDL and nonlinear ARDL approach to error-correction modeling and asymmetric cointegration. Findings The linear models predict that money supply impact housing permits in 28 states in the short run and only nine states in the long run. However, the asymmetric effects are far more pervasive, highlighting the restrictive nature of the linear model. The results from the nonlinear model show at least one lag of positive and/or negative changes in money supply significantly impacts housing permits in nearly all states. Even in the long run, housing permits in 32 states share a long-run relationship with positive and/or negative changes in money supply. The authors also find contractionary monetary policy has a greater influence on housing permits in most states compared to expansionary policy. Originality/value For the first time, the authors use state-level data and asymmetric approach to assess the impact of monetary policy on house permits issued in each state of the USA.

There is great demand for analytical methods capable of providing high-throughput and rapid screening, especially for anti-doping and clinical point-of-care applications. In this work, automated microfluidic open interface-mass spectrometry (MOI-MS) was used for coupling with high-throughput, automated solid-phase microextraction (SPME) to achieve this objective. The design of the MOI-MS interface provides a continuous and stable electrospray fluid flow to the MS without introducing any bubble, a feature that we exploit to introduce the concept of multi-segment injection for the determination of multiple samples in a single MS run. By eliminating the need to start a new MS run between sample assays, the developed approach provides significantly simplified protocols controlled by programmed software and increased reproducibility. Furthermore, the biocompatible SPME device, which utilizes coating consisting of hydrophilic–lipophilic balanced particles embedded in a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) binder, can be directly used for biological sample analysis, as the PAN acts as both a binder and a matrix-compatible barrier, thus enabling the enrichment of small molecules while eliminating interferences associated with the presence of interfering macromolecules. The above design was employed to develop a fast, quantitative method capable of analyzing drugs of abuse in saliva samples in as little as 75 s per sample. The findings indicate that the developed method provides good analytical performance, with limits of detection ranging between 0.05 and 5 ng/mL for analysis of 16 drugs of abuse, good calibration linear correlation coefficients (R2 ≥ 0.9957), accuracy between 81 and 120%, and excellent precision (RSD% < 13%). Finally, a proof-of-concept experiment was performed to demonstrate the method’s suitability for real-time analysis in anti-doping applications.

The vector-boson production cross-section for the Higgs boson decay in the $H \rightarrow WW^{\ast} \rightarrow e\nu\mu\nu$ channel is measured as a function of kinematic observables sensitive to the Higgs boson production and decay properties as well as integrated in a fiducial phase space. The analysis is performed using the proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS detector in Run 2 of the LHC at $\sqrt{s}= 13$ $\text{TeV}$ center-of-mass energy corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$. The different flavor final state is studied by selecting an electron and a muon originating from a pair of $W$ bosons and compatible with the Higgs boson decay. The data are corrected for the effects of detector inefficiency and resolution, and the measurements are compared with different state-of-the-art theoretical predictions. The differential cross-sections are used to constrain anomalous interactions described by dimension-six operators in an Effective Field Theory.