*Innovation and Global Sustainable Development: What Role for Development Banking? DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112062*

These funds often originate from surplus revenues generated by natural resources or trade. Another intriguing area of inquiry lies in government venture capital, where governments or government-owned entities invest in early-stage or high-growth potential companies to stimulate innovation and support the development of strategic industries.

Conducting comparative analyses of these diverse forms of government engagement in financial endeavors would yield dual benefits. Firstly, fostering crosspollination among various research streams on public actor involvement in financial activities would facilitate mutually beneficial exchange of valuable insights. Secondly, it would allow for a comprehensive analysis of the strengths and weaknesses inherent in these diverse approaches, providing a systematic perspective to the ongoing debate and enhancing our understanding of effective strategies for fostering innovation.


**5.1 Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)**

Hydrogen peroxide is produced by most *lactobacilli* in the presence of oxygen. *lactobacilli* possess oxidases that reduce oxygen to hydrogen peroxide, oxidizing substrates such as pyruvate or NADH [41]. Since they do not produce catalases, H2O2 does not suffer auto-degradation. H2O2 has a broad-spectrum planktonic bacteria, but the effect decreases dramatically on biofilm. It appears that *Lactobacilli* do not produce effective concentrations of H2O2 against fungi [42], unlike other bacteria [39].

## **5.2 Bacteriocins**

Lactic acid bacteria produce bacteriocins, proteinaceous antimicrobial substances with molecular weights of several thousand daltons or more. Bacteriocins can be divided into five classes according to their primary structure, molecular composition, and physical and functional properties [43, 44]. However,

bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria against *S. mutans* and *P. gingivalis* are not yet known. Bacteriocin L23 produced by *Lactobacillus fermentum* L23 [44], plantaricin produced by *L. plantarum* [45], and pentocin TV35b produced by *L. pentosus* [46] appear to be effective against the yeast form of *Candida*. Bacteriocins effective for the hyphal forms of *Candida* have not yet been identified [47, 48].


3.1.2. Feces

Monteleone et al. performed an **untargeted** metabolomics assay by GC-MS of fecal samples in acute AN patients, weight restored patients, and healthy controls. They studied 224 identified metabolites, and phenylalanine was significantly decreased in weightrestored patients but acute patients had normal levels compared to healthy controls [57]. However, one year later, Monteleone et al. described decreased levels of phenylalanine, aspartate, serine, and methionine in acute and weight restored AN patients. Leucine was decreased but only in acute patients compared to healthy controls [58]. In 2021, this group performed a new study by using an **untargeted** metabolomics approach with GC-MS in fecal samples comparing both types of AN [37]. They found that isoleucine, leucine, valine, and pyroglutamate are decreased in both types of AN, but the AN-BP subtype presents lower levels than the restricting type compared to controls. Nonetheless, tyrosine and threonine were decreased in AN-R but increased in AN-BP patients.

Although the described amino acid disturbances are not consistent between studies, there is a clear disorder in the amino acidic profile of AN patients. Despite the direction

of those variations, we can presume that the mechanisms for homeostasis of amino acids are altered in AN, which in turn leads to modified concentrations of these metabolites in patients. Free amino acid concentrations are the result of the relationship between the incoming sources of amino acid, which include dietary uptake, endogenous synthesis, and gut-bacteria metabolism, and amino acid depletion by protein synthesis and catabolism to increase energy uptake. The altered amino acid pattern is therefore associated with these processes, and whether it is a consequence of chronic starvation or a marked trait of AN that could play a role in the biological origin needs to be clarified.


*Communication* **Microstructure and Superelastic Properties of FeNiCoAlTi Single Crystals with the <100> Orientation under Tension**

**Li-Wei Tseng 1,\*, Chih-Hsuan Chen 2, Yu-Chih Tzeng 3, Po-Yu Lee 1, Nian-Hu Lu 2 and Yury Chumlyakov 4**

**Abstract:** The microstructure and superelastic response of an Fe41Ni28Co17Al11.5Ti2.5 (at.%) single crystal along the <100> orientation was investigated under tension at room temperature after aging at 600 ◦C for 24 h. From the superelastic results, the samples aged at 600 ◦C for 24 h exhibited 4.5% recoverable strain at room temperature. The digital image correlation (DIC) method was used to observe the strain distribution during the 6.5% applied strain loading. The DIC results showed that the strain was uniformly distributed during the loading and unloading cycles. Only one martensite variant was observed from the DIC results. This was related to the aging heat treatment times. The martensite morphology became a single variant with a longer aging time. The thermo-magnetization results indicated that the phase transformation and temperature hysteresis was around 36 ◦C. Increasing the magnetic field from 0.05 to 7 Tesla, the transformation temperatures increased. The maximum magnetization was 160 emu/g under the magnetic field of 7 Tesla. From the transmission electron microscopy results, the L12 precipitates were around 10 nm in size, and they were high in Ni content and low in Fe content.

**Keywords:** superelasticity; FeNiCoAlTi; shape memory alloys


**Meet the editor**

Dr. Zaman obtained the title of Doctor of Medicine in Biochemistry (MD) from Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh University, India; a Fellowship in Diabetes (FID) from the Royal Liverpool Academy, United Kingdom; a Fellowship in Applied Nutrition (FIAN) from Medvarsity, Apollo Hospitals, India; and a Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Research (PGDCR) from Symbiosis

International University, India. He has almost 12 years of experience as an Assistant Professor at the King Khalid University and Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences.

He has experience in quality development and can help any college with the improvement of quality. He is also well accustomed in curriculum designing and is trained in e-learning methods. He has almost 40 research publications (most of them original articles) to his credit, in both national and international journals. Currently, he is also engaged in editing three books for IntechOpen.

Contents

**Preface VII**

**Laboratories 1** Gaffar Sarwar Zaman

**Quality Control 9**

Ayed Dera

Irfan Ahmad

**Estimation 67**

Chapter 1 **Introductory Chapter: History and Scope of Quality Control in**

Chapter 2 **The Basic Concepts of Quality Control Reference: Interval**

Chapter 3 **Quality Management Systems for Laboratories and External**

Chapter 5 **Systematic Error Detection in Laboratory Medicine 49** Amir Momeni-Boroujeni and Matthew R. Pincus

Chapter 6 **Understanding Quality Control with Urinary Iodine**

Husniza Hussain and Rusidah Selamat

Chapter 7 **Errors in Surgical Pathology Laboratory 89**

Asuero and Julia Martín

Verónica Valdivieso-Gómez and Rocío Aguilar-Quesada

Monique Freire Santana and Luiz Carlos de Lima Ferreira

**Analytical Assays Including In-House Validation Data 109** Antonio Gustavo González, María Ángeles Herrador, Agustín García

Chapter 8 **A Practical Way to ISO/GUM Measurement Uncertainty for**

**Quality Assurance Programs 21**

Chapter 4 **Implementation of Quality Control 39**

**Studies, Diagnostic Efficiency, and Method Evaluation in**


**Abstract**

During the last 15 years, cochlear implantation became available as a method of treatment for different types of hearing impairment. Leading, specialized centers have now introduced the analysis of the nonsurgical factors that could contribute to improve rates of hearing preservation in preoperative period, during surgery, or in postoperative period in patients who suffer from partial deafness. One of the approaches is using pharmacotherapy (glucocorticoids) as a factor that may improve hearing functions. Preservation of hearing in patients who suffered from partial deafness and underwent cochlear implantation by using two different regimes of corticosteroid therapy was the aim of the study carried out by the *World Hearing Center* (WHC). Forty-six patients were enrolled in the trial and divided into three subgroups. Hearing preservation (HP) was evaluated using pure tone audiometry (PTA) (11 frequencies ranging from 125 to 8000 Hz). The impact of administrated substances was evaluated by pure tone audiometry during six different periods: before cochlear implant surgery, during activation of audio processor, and 1, 6, 9, and 12 months after activation of audio processor in comparison with control group. According to *hearing preservation (HP)* classification, patients from the second group, to whom combined glucocorticoid therapy was administrated, achieved the best HP results. The complete hearing preservation index was observed in the highest percentage of patients from the second subgroup. The dispersion of measured values was lesser than in other subgroups. According to the results, administration of glucocorticoids (dexamethasone and prednisone or dexamethasone only) to the patients, who suffered from partial deafness and underwent cochlear implantation surgery, may be important in stabilization of hearing thresholds and in protection of hearing.

**Keywords:** glucocorticoids, dexamethasone, prednisone, partial deafness treatment, cochlear implant