Due to highly functionalized molecular structure, furfural has made a huge impact in renewable platforms. As there is a big need of producing renewable sources, this review reveals several attempts made by researchers distributed in every nook and corner of the world to produce furfural-based derivatives. As furfurals are converted to various forms, they reflect many applications both with respect to economy and environment friendly approach. In this review, a summarized detail of various reactions of furfural substrates are provided which includes Diels-Alder reactions, Oxidations, Hydrogenations, Hydrogenolysis, Conversions to C6 Carboxylic acids, Furfuryl amines, Cyclopentenones and other useful compounds. These compounds and their applications in various fields are mentioned systematically. The chemical as well as biocatalytic conversions are explained in detail which will help to know the future challenges and hurdles when design and optimization of furfural derivatives are concerned.

With the rapid development of the courier industry, customers are placing higher demands on the cost and delivery time of courier services. Therefore, this paper focuses on the bi-objective express transportation network design problem (BO-ETNDP) to minimize the operation cost and maximum arrival time. A multi-structure parallel design methodology (MS-PDM) is proposed to solve the BO-ETNDP. In this methodology, all topological structures commonly used in designing transportation networks are sorted out. For each topological structure, a novel bi-objective nonlinear mixed-integer optimization model for BO-ETNDP is developed considering the impact of the hub’s sorting efficiency on the operation cost and arrival time. To solve these models, a preference-based multi-objective algorithm (PB-MOA) is devised, which embeds the branch-and-cut algorithm and Pareto dominance theory in the framework of this ranking algorithm. In the case study, the applicability of the proposed methodology is verified in a real-world leading express company. The results show that our methodology can effectively avoid the limitation of solving the BO-ETNDP with a specific structure. Besides, the suitable topology for designing express transportation networks in different scenarios are explored through the sensitivity analysis.

Renewable energy development is important for improving energy security and economic growth in Indonesia. This study identifies the best renewable energy potential in Southwest Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara Province, using the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method based on 5C criteria: Consolidated, Controllable, Continue, Clean, and Cheap. The research uses a multi-criteria decision-making approach, using primary data from expert interviews and secondary data from literature reviews. The TOPSIS analysis shows that solar energy has the highest preference value, followed by bioenergy and hydropower. Technical assessments show important implementation requirements for each renewable energy option. The study recommends prioritizing solar energy development, supporting bioenergy projects, improving micro-hydro facilities, and creating clear renewable energy policies. Success depends on cooperation between stakeholders and aligning renewable energy development with regional sustainability and community needs. These efforts can help Southwest Sumba develop its renewable energy sector and contribute to national energy security goals.

Antioxidant activity of a series of previously described 5-amino-N-(iododi(per)fluoroalkyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxamides 3a-r, their synthetic precursors 5-amino-N-allyl-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxamides 1a-g, and their deamination products N-(3-di(per)fluoroalkyl-2-iodo-n-propyl)-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxamides 4a-e was investigated in vitro using DPPH test and ascorbic acid as a standard reference. It was established that compounds 3a-r inhibit DPPH free radicals in moderate to high values (50.9–97.6%). The effect of substituents in the position 1 of the 1,2,3-triazole nucleus, fluoroalkyl groups and amino groups on the level of antioxidant activity was studied in detail. Reactivity and electrostatic surface potential were evaluated for the most active carboxamides 3a,g,r using the DFT method, and molecular docking was studied in the NADPH oxidase protein model.

Socio-economic development in countries cannot be without the contribution of enterprises, including Vietnam. In particular, factors affecting the decision to access financial resources are a topic of interest in Vietnam and developing countries. The objective of the study is to clarify the factors affecting the decision to access financial resources. Through quantitative analysis, the research results show that enterprise management has a negative impact on the decision to access capital, similar results also show that corporate financial management and policy on financial access have a negative impact on the decision to access capital. The research results show that the business environment and policy on financial access have no impact on the decision to access financial resources at enterprises.

The correlation between coefficients from Dimroth equations and descriptors of global electron density transfer was explored based on the data available in the recent literature. We established that the obtained results should be very usable for the interpretation of the organic reactivity and molecular mechanisms.

Among the well-known scheduling problems, the customer order scheduling problem (COSP) has always been of great importance in manufacturing. To reflect the reality of COSPs as much as possible, this study considers that jobs from different orders are classified in various classes. This paper addresses a tri-criteria single-machine scheduling model with multiple job classes and customer orders on which the measurement minimizes a linear combination of the sum of the ranges of all orders, the tardiness of all orders, and the total completion times of all jobs. Due to the NP-hard complexity of the problem, a lower bound and a property are developed and utilized in a branch-and-bound for solving an exact solution. Afterward, four heuristics with three local improved searching methods each and a water wave optimality algorithm with four variants of wavelengths are proposed. The tested outputs report the performances of the proposed methods.

Continuing the search for new antimicrobial agents with antibiofilm activity, bis-quaternary ammonium compounds based on natural (3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxyphenyl)acetic acid derivatives were synthesized. Antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of ammonium salts was evaluated in vitro against S. aureus, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa, including antibiotic-resistant strains. Bis-quaternary ammonium salts 1, 5, and 6 showed antibacterial activity with MIC values ranging from 25.0 to 200.0 μg/mL. Notably, these compounds demonstrated a high level of antibiofilm activity. Ammonium salts 1 and 6 reduced biofilm formation against S. aureus ATCC 25923, P. aeruginosa PA01, E. coli ATCC 25922, and antibiotic-resistant P. aeruginosa by 92 - 97% at a concentration of 100.0 μg/mL. In addition, compounds 1 and 6 inhibited the biofilm formation of antibiotic-resistant E. coli isolate by 60% and 63%, respectively.

The study's objective is to verify the effects of strategic review on the financial performance and risk management of banks in PortSudan City- Sudan. The descriptive analytical approach was used to accomplish the study's goals. By designing and distributing 180 questionnaires, of which 170 were collected. They were analyzed using path analysis using the partial squares technique. The main results indicated a positive effect of a strategic review on the financial performance of Sudanese banks. It also showed the positive effects of a strategic review on the risk management of Sudanese banks. The value of these results is that improved financial performance will make financial reports more reliable and trustworthy; therefore, it may attract more funds from the public. Investors and other stakeholders are interested in the bank's financial position and expected future operating results. They will use this information to prepare risk reports or make important business decisions. Therefore, if external decision-makers provide a reliable positive return, improving risk management will also contribute positively to shareholder value.

With the growing environmental concerns and the rising number of electric vehicles, researchers and companies are paying more and more attention to green logistics. This paper studies the Electric Vehicle Routing Problem with time-dependent speeds and soft time windows. The purpose is to minimize the total distance travelled, while penalizing early or late arrivals at the customers’ locations. For this purpose, we formulated the Mixed Integer Linear Program (MILP) and developed a General Variable Neighborhood Search (GVNS) metaheuristic, an efficient way to tackle this problem. To prove the efficiency of our approach, we tested the GVNS against the Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search (ALNS) algorithm and our MILP model, using a set of available benchmark instances. After an extensive experimental evaluation, we concluded that GVNS can find better quality solutions than other methods considered in this research or the same quality solution in less time.