This study examines the relationship between sustainability expenditures and Environmental, Social, and Governance performance, emphasizing the moderating role of Financial Reporting Quality, proxied by value relevance and income smoothing. Using a panel of 1770 firm-year observations from 177 industrial, energy, and basic materials firms in the United Kingdom over the period 2014-2023, the study employs Fixed Effects regressions as the main estimation strategy, complemented by Heckman correction for sample selection bias and GMM to address potential endogeneity. The results indicate that Environmental Expenditure, Environmental Expenditure Investments, and Research and Development expenditures have a positive and significant impact on ESG performance. This effect is significantly moderated by FRQ; value relevance amplifies the impact of sustainability expenditures, while income smoothing supports long-term strategic consistency. These findings highlight the importance of transparent, informative reporting to enhance the effectiveness of sustainability investments. The study contributes to the ESG literature by showing that sustainability expenditures function as strategic investments rather than mere costs. From a practical perspective, the results suggest that managers should align sustainability strategies with high-quality financial reporting practices, while policymakers should promote clearer disclosure standards to improve ESG outcomes.
The in vitro organoid concept is a significant technical advancement that has proven to be a valuable tool in a variety of fundamental biology and therapeutic applications. This physiologically relevant 3D model enables the study of key in vivo biochemical processes such as tissue regeneration, stem cell/niche activities, and tissue response to medicines, mutations and injury. Organoids bridge conventional 2D cultures, in vivo human and murine systems because they provide greater physiological relevance than monolayer models while remaining more experimentally accessible than animal models. This innovative platform and its multiorgan incorporation, which recapitulates organ-level function and structure, enables a wide range of applications such as human disease models, which may help reduce reliance on animal testing. This review explores the concepts of organoids and organ-on-a-chip as well as current advances that lead to the development of in vitro disease models and novel therapeutic options.
This paper explores the role of institutional quality in fostering the twin transition across European regions. We construct a novel panel dataset at the NUTS2 level (2006-2020), combining patent data from the OECD REGPAT with the European Quality of Government Index. Twin transition innovation is measured through the fractional count of patents in technologies simultaneously addressing environmental sustainability and digital transformation. Institutional quality is captured both through EQI and its key dimensions. Using a Tobit regression model with panel data, we find that higher institutional quality significantly increases the likelihood and intensity of twin transition patenting
This study investigates the combined effect of electrodeposited gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and AuNP-polypyrrole (PPy)-modified Saccharomyces cerevisiae on electrochemical glucose sensing. AuNPs were deposited onto electrode surfaces by cyclic voltammetry, and the resulting interfaces were characterized using atomic force microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. AFM analysis confirmed increased surface roughness and height variability after deposition, indicating substantial restructuring of the electrode interface. Electrochemical measurements showed that AuNP deposition altered interfacial charge storage and transfer and increased the measured charge-transfer resistance. Glucose sensing was evaluated in a ferricyanide-mediated system using yeast layers with or without AuNP and PPy modification over a 0-60 mM concentration range. All configurations exhibited saturating, non-linear glucose responses described by Hill fitting. Among the evaluated yeast-modified electrodes, the AuNP-PPy modified yeast produced the strongest glucose-induced current increase and the best low-concentration performance, achieving a limit of detection of 0.540 mM, compared with 1.016 mM and 1.330 mM for single-modified layers and 3.360 mM for unmodified yeast. These results show that combining AuNP electrodeposition with AuNP-PPy yeast modification improves interfacial properties and enhances mediator-assisted electrochemical glucose sensing.
This work demonstrates the excitation-selective coexistence of blue-light-driven UVC upconversion (UC), X-ray-induced optical luminescence (XRL), and persistent luminescence (PersL) within a single Pr3+-doped host lattice. Pr3+-doped Ba3Lu(PO4)3 and Sr3Lu(PO4)3 phosphors exhibit multiple excitation-dependent luminescence modes and are studied as multifunctional materials for advanced anti-counterfeiting. When excited with blue light (444 nm), they efficiently produce blue-to-UVC upconversion via an excited-state absorption mechanism, while direct ultraviolet and visible excitation trigger characteristic Pr3+ photoluminescence. X-ray irradiation induces intense blue-red optical luminescence, followed by long-lasting red persistent luminescence detectable for several hours at room temperature. Thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements were employed to elucidate the nature of charge trapping processes that produce persistent emission. The TSL glow curves of all samples are dominated by a semi-broadband peak around 70 degrees C, indicative of a quasi-continuous distribution of trapping states. Tmax-Tstop experiments combined with initial rise analysis reveal trap depths between 0.9-1.15 eV, supporting effective room-temperature PersL. EPR spectroscopy identifies radiation-induced phosphorus-related radical centers and shallow traps, which most likely correspond to F+-type centers, with thermal stability matching TSL results. These findings highlight the potential of Pr3+-doped eulytite-type phosphates as versatile, multi-level luminescent platforms for advanced anti-counterfeiting and encryption solutions.
