Barber-Nichols (United States)

This special edition presents a multidisciplinary collection of research addressing key challenges in materials science, environmental engineering, mechanical modelling, and intelligent systems for mechatronics, and is intended to serve as a valuable reference for researchers, engineers, and students whose activities involve interdisciplinary engineering solutions.

Abstract Bhutan currently benefits from broad access to affordable generic medicines, supported by limited patent activity and an effective public procurement system. Although its patent law permits the protection of pharmaceutical inventions, enforcement remains minimal, allowing public health priorities to take precedence. However, Bhutan’s impending accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), coupled with its recent graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status and the evolving landscape of global intellectual property (IP) norms, necessitates a critical assessment of its preparedness to balance IP protection with the constitutional mandate of ensuring universal access to essential medicines and healthcare for all its citizens. This paper examines the implications of the TRIPS Agreement for Bhutan’s pharmaceutical sector in the context of its prospective WTO accession and recent transition to a lower middle-income country (LMIC). While TRIPS compliance aims to strengthen IP protection, it also poses challenges to ensuring access to affordable medicines in developing economies like Bhutan. The analysis highlights Bhutan’s current dependence on pharmaceutical imports, primarily from India and Bangladesh, and underscores the need to strategically leverage TRIPS flexibilities to safeguard public health. The paper identifies critical legal and institutional gaps in Bhutan’s existing framework, including the absence of clear provisions for parallel importation, Bolar exceptions, and well-defined grounds for compulsory licensing. It recommends a series of policy actions to enhance institutional preparedness, strengthen IP and competition laws, and embed public health safeguards in the national IP regime. Furthermore, it emphasizes regional cooperation, garnering international technical assistance, and the avoidance of TRIPS-plus commitments in its future free-trade agreements.

The 32nd volume of the Journal of Metastable and Nanocrystalline Materials presents articles that analyse the properties and functional possibilities of nanoscaled materials for applications in photovoltaics, laser engineering, environmental improvement, as a battery cathode raw material, packaging in electronics, and as a reinforcement in aluminium composites for improving corrosion resistance. The volume will be of great assistance to many specialists whose work is related to the applications of nanomaterials and nanotechnologies.

Adaptation pathways are responsive planning tools intended to help decision-makers incorporate uncertainty of a future scenario while optimizing the use of their resources. In this project, an adaptation pathway was generated for a developed barrier island community, Dauphin Island, Alabama, USA. The project period was October 2019 to April 2022, with community engagement beginning in January 2020. Initial meetings were held with the community to identify vulnerable locations and co-develop adaptation strategies that were evaluated throughout the project. The effectiveness of adaptation strategies to reduce damage was estimated with a process-based numerical model, XBeach, which simulated inundation and morphological change due to Hurricane Nate (2017) and several sea-level rise scenarios. Depending on the Dauphin Island priority area, “damage” was defined as saltwater contamination in a freshwater lake, sand deposits on Dauphin Island’s main through route, or decreased sediment volume. When damage was sustained for a given strategy and sea-level rise scenario, a “tipping point” was reached and triggered the implementation of another strategy. Adaptation pathways were generated for two focus locations, with one location having two tipping points resulting in two pathways. This project revealed adaptation pathways are dependent on definitions of tipping points and location even within the same community. Community engagement revealed vulnerable locations that were previously unrealized and identified ‘reasonable’ or ‘unreasonable’ adaptation strategies based on community needs and desires. While the pathways produced for Dauphin Island are likely not transferrable to other locations, both findings are key to effective application of the adaptation pathways approach and generating a pathway accepted by the community.

BACKGROUND Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is widely used in obesity treatment, although it is associated with new onset of gastroesophageal reflux disease (de novo GERD) and weight regain. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is the standard revisional procedure for GERD, though it offers limited additional weight loss. Ileal-based procedures have demonstrated superior outcomes regarding weight loss but have uncertain results in GERD. This study presents preliminary findings on gastric bipartition with functional duodenal exclusion (GBp-FDE) as a revisional approach following SG in this scenario. CASE REPORT A retrospective data analysis was conducted on 10 patients who underwent GBp-FDE due to de novo GERD and obesity recurrence after SG (mean BMI: 37.2±3.2 kg/m²). Nine patients presented with hiatal hernia and 8 with sleeve dilation. GERD was assessed pre- and postoperatively using a validated questionnaire, endoscopy, and contrast radiology. The surgical technique involved a pre-pyloric antroileostomy in Roux-en-Y configuration using a 40% proportion biliopancreatic limb. One-year postoperative findings included pyloric spasm (endoscopy), very preferential contrast flow to the ileum (radiology), and endoscopic access preservation to the duodenum. GERD symptoms resolved in 90% (P=0.0059) and esophagitis healed in 80% (P=0.008), likely due to gastric decompression. Mean percent total weight loss and percent excess weight loss were 35.2±6.6 and 108.0±11.14, respectively. CONCLUSIONS GBp-FDE seems to be a promising surgery for managing de novo GERD and obesity recurrence after SG, through SG pouch decompression and ileal stimuli, promoted by the antroileostomy. Further controlled studies with extended follow-up are necessary to validate these findings.

Despite local and national road authorities striving to provide motorists with a durable and safe infrastructure environment, one in six UK roads are currently classed as being in poor condition. In terms of safety, Department for Transport statistics report high numbers of road incidents; 29,711 killed or seriously injured in 2023, representing little change compared to 2022. As such, reported in this paper is research aimed at developing artificial geopolymer cement mortar-based aggregate as a cost/environmentally attractive alternative to calcined bauxite for high friction surfacing applications. Work was undertaken in two distinct phases. In the first, the performance of alkali silicate-based geopolymers comprising a range of industrial wastes as binder materials was assessed using modified versions of standardized polished stone value and micro-Deval tests. In phase two, selected mixes were assessed for resistance to simulated wear by exposing test specimens to 20,000-wheel passes on an accelerated road test machine. Performance was further investigated using a dynamic friction test method developed by the Indiana Department of Transportation. Despite commercially sourced calcined bauxite aggregates exhibiting the highest performance levels, the findings from this preliminary research were generally positive, with acceptable levels of performance noted for manufactured geopolymer-based aggregates. For instance, in accordance with recommended levels of performance prescribed in BBA/HAPPAS standards, this included attainment of polished stone values higher than 65 and, following accelerated road testing, average texture depths greater than 1.1 mm. It is recognized that further research is needed to investigate geopolymer binder systems and blends of aggregate types, as well as artificial aggregate manufacturing procedures.

The poor academic performance in Statistics and Probability has been one of the significant challenges in teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially under modular distance learning. This action research aimed to improve the academic performance of Grade 11 TVL ICT-CSS learners at Kinan-oan High School, Trinidad II District, through the Magnified Math Solutions Strategy during School Year 2021–2022. The strategy was designed to enhance learners’ metacognitive skills by using a Learning Progress-Inquiry Form to gather self-assessments and specific learning inquiries. These inputs guided the creation of detailed math solutions and differentiated supplementary activities tailored to students' individual learning needs. Twenty-seven (27) learners participated in the study. A comparative analysis of their academic performance before and after the intervention revealed an improvement: learners classified as Fairly Satisfactory decreased from eleven (11) to three (3). The mean academic performance increased from 81.70% to 86.26%, showing a 4.56% gain. A paired sample t-test yielded a t-statistic of 37.54 and a p-value of < .001, indicating a statistically significant difference in learners’ performance before and after the intervention. The findings suggest that the Magnified Math Solutions Strategy is effective in improving academic performance in Statistics and Probability by promoting metacognition, differentiated instruction, and self-directed learning. However, since the study was conducted during modular distance learning with a small sample size, further research is recommended to validate its effectiveness in face-to-face settings and across more diverse learner populations.