Conestoga College

Cancer remains a leading cause of global mortality, and conventional treatment modalities such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery often suffer from limited tumor specificity, systemic toxicity, and suboptimal patient outcomes. In this context, nanotechnology has emerged as a clinically relevant strategy to enhance therapeutic precision and reduce adverse effects. Several clinically approved nanomedicines, including liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil®), liposomal daunorubicin (DaunoXome®), albumin-bound paclitaxel (Abraxane®), and liposomal irinotecan (Onivyde®), demonstrate the translational potential of nanocarrier-based drug delivery systems by improving pharmacokinetics, tumor targeting, and tolerability. These platforms exemplify how nanoscale engineering can enhance drug solubility, prolong circulation time, and achieve controlled release, thereby improving therapeutic efficacy and patient quality of life. Beyond established formulations, emerging nanotechnological approaches such as nanovaccines, polymeric and metallic nanoparticles, and gene-delivery systems are being explored to augment cancer immunotherapy, photothermal therapy, and photodynamic therapy. Such systems support tumor-specific immune activation, enable targeted cytotoxicity, and facilitate theranostic integration for real-time monitoring of treatment response. However, despite promising preclinical and clinical outcomes, several challenges constrain widespread clinical adoption. These include limited large-scale clinical validation, potential long-term toxicity, manufacturing complexity, regulatory hurdles, high production costs, and variability in biological interactions. Addressing these translational barriers through standardized evaluation protocols, improved safety profiling, and cost-effective manufacturing will be critical for broader clinical integration. Overall, nanotechnology-driven oncology holds substantial promise in bridging experimental innovation with clinical practice, advancing more precise, personalized, and clinically effective cancer therapies.

Clean and affordable cooking remains a critical challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, where traditional biomass-based methods create health, environmental, and economic burdens. This study compares the economic viability of Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) cookers, Fresnel Lens and Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC), with traditional charcoal stoves in rural Nigeria and Ghana using the Levelized Cost of Cooking a Meal (LCCM). While charcoal stoves offer the lowest short-term cost ($0.07628/meal), CST cookers become more economical over time, with the Fresnel Lens achieving an LCCM of $0.1432/meal over a 30-year lifespan. The PTC offers flexibility but has a higher cost due to its advanced design. The study emphasizes the potential health and environmental benefits of CST cookers, along with policy recommendations for overcoming adoption barriers through subsidies and innovative financing.

Introduction Active Assisted Living (AAL) technologies have emerged as a multidisciplinary endeavor driven by the imperative to enhance the lives of older adults. However, users’ perspectives on the ethics of AAL technology use are often secondary considerations. Objectives The objective of this scoping review was to synthesize the literature on users’ perspectives on the ethics of AAL technologies to bridge the gap in both academic and non-academic contexts. Methods This scoping review was conducted comprehensively using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) in Covidence, focusing on peer-reviewed publications from 2000 to 2023. Our search strategies integrated concepts of AAL technologies, ethics, and user perspectives. Inclusion criteria encompassed qualitative and mixed methods that obtained users’ perspectives on AAL technologies in smart home communities. A gray literature review was also conducted to retrieve documents for analysis that incorporated guidelines, standardization, and/ or recommendations. Results Five relevant articles utilized qualitative methods ( n = 3) and mixed methods ( n = 2). Privacy and data protection were highlighted, with users expressing concerns about data tracking ( n = 4). Respect for autonomy was emphasized in decision-making regarding technology use ( n = 3). Accessibility issues pertained to missing accommodations for some physical abilities ( n = 2). Diversity and social inclusion were important for social engagement and mental health support ( n = 2). Perceived beneficence was also cited as a factor in improving health outcomes ( n = 3). Transparency and accountability by the AAL technologies implementers were deemed essential for building trust ( n = 1). The gray literature review yielded six relevant documents that included discussions on ethics and the use of AAL-related technologies for older adults. Conclusions Older adults are willing to include wearables and Internet of Things devices in their AAL technologies ecosystem, especially when they co-design the technology, but it is contingent on the implementation of ethical principles such as safety, security, and privacy to counter intrusive monitoring systems. This scoping review has the potential to offer valuable insights to various stakeholders, including tech developers and designers, providers, health policymakers, providers, and regulatory agencies.

Remote work has fundamentally transformed the public sector, offering greater flexibility, enhanced efficiency, and improved service delivery. Nonetheless, it has also brought forth significant challenges, including employee burnout, mental health issues, and difficulties in maintaining work-life balance. The transition to remote work, expedited by the COVID-19 pandemic, has revealed gaps in digital infrastructure, raised cybersecurity concerns, and highlighted disparities in access to remote work opportunities among public sector employees. This chapter delves into the realities of remote work within government institutions, focusing on the challenges employees encounter and the factors that contribute to burnout. It emphasizes the necessity for sustainable solutions, such as flexible work arrangements, mental health initiatives, effective workload management, and stronger managerial support. Additionally, the chapter assesses the role of technology, cybersecurity, and standardized policies as crucial elements in ensuring the long-term success of remote work.

Efficient medical waste management is critical for protecting public health and the environment. This study explores the application of deep learning to automate medical waste sorting, addressing a growing need for scalable waste management solutions. By utilizing TensorFlow and PyTorch frameworks, the proposed approach accurately classifies medical waste samples, for sorting and safe disposal. Key aspects such as data preprocessing, model architecture, and training methodologies are thoroughly examined, and achieved classification accuracy of approximately <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\mathbf{9 8. 5 2 \%}$</tex>. These findings highlight the potential of deep learning in enhancing healthcare waste management systems and paving the way for more sustainable waste practices.

The transcendent workplace is a big picture phenomenon in which rituals of transhuman technologies are an integral part of the daily operation, and as more aspects become integrated with work protocols, working on employee morale becomes both increasingly difficult but also crucial. This convergence of AI enabled performance analytics, AR aided work environments and neuro-enhanced tools for superior enhanced productivity had opened up a unique point in time window, where engagement can truly get driven by hyper productivity reach exceeding expectations. But at the same time, this technological advancement calls for a more advanced HRM that does not only focus on how technically sound our employees are but now it requires a wider picture wherein we need to take care of each employee's complete wellbeing. Connecting to employees at a deeper level means investing in tailored development programs, empathetic leadership and a supportive set of networks that help ensure technology enhances — rather than diminishes— human capability.

Up to now, only limited data are available on the influence of process-related variables [influent characteristics, solids retention time (SRT), hydraulic retention time (HRT), biomass recirculation rates, process configuration, biochemical reaction rates, etc.] on oxygen transfer, as stated in the aeration manuals. Recently, standards have been updated in regard to oxygen transfer testing in clean water as well as in in-process wastewater. Unfortunately, the situation has not improved since the publication of these documents. In particular, little information exists on alpha (α) and oxygen transfer efficiency (OTE)f in biological nutrient removal (BNR) processes to study the impact of biochemical reactions on oxygen transfer under controlled process conditions. A new model is herewith proposed that would deal with the effect of oxygen consumption rate due to these substrate materials.