This research aims to determine the role of the leadership and potential benefits that blockchain adoption may bring to SME financing in the Kingdom, as well as the foreseeable challenges that may hinder small businesses from benefiting from the adoption of blockchain. It is interesting aspect to see how leadership manages to adopt new changes amid several challenges and threats. This article also outlines policy and regulatory trends that SMEs can save operating costs and improve efficiency, thereby increasing transparency and easier access to funds. Digital technology and creative business models have the potential to help narrow the financing gap for SMEs. E-commerce and the sharing economy provide SMEs with more market access and new business models, as well as the data-driven business prospects generated through data sharing under the framework of open banking. This study provides recommendation that there is a dire need to pay attention on the complete mechanism of the SME’s in order to support them as well as promote them to show their distinction in the contribution of social and economic development. This study provides implications for the financial institutions, government agencies and society to come forward equally for the common interest. Leadership has important role in adopting new changes in the organization and deal with challenges, but it is becoming more interesting to find the role of leadership in the SMEs in different functions and innovation. Across several dynamics, finance has been burning issue at SME’s level . Thus, fSaudi Arabia Government leadership has adopted new emerging technologies at individual as well collective level in which greater interest is paid in the adoption of the blockchain technology. Across different sectors, actors, institutions and individuals are directed to integrated blockchain technology in the financial and government service sectors . HoweverIn order to finance Saudi SMEs, Saudi policy makers should pay attention to the institutional determinants that hinder investors from financing Saudi SMEs through new methods such as blockchain, especially investors in developed countries. One of the main goals of Saudi Vision 2030 is to decrease future unemployment, the goal is to attract more investment, provide value to the economy, transfer technology, and hire more Saudis .The International Finance Corporation estimates that among the 40,000 small and medium-sized enterprises around half of the firms in the world have unmet loan demands of between 2.1 trillion and 2.6 trillion dollars. For entrepreneurs and business owners wanting to fund development, working capital, or seasonal inventory increases, these numbers are meaningless .This problem is serious in developing countries, but it is also frustrating that developed economies lack credit channels and have comprehensive financial transactions facilities. Due to the fact that small and medium-sized businesses employ the majority of the world’s workforce, a lack of access to finance will result in slower overall growth and fewer employment . SMEs muCurrent SME lending options were examined in this study. In particular, how blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) may improve capital availability and close credit gaps. Innovations in financial technology and finance methods are required to enable more SMEs to get loans. Lenders will be able to give credit to borrowers that are now deemed poor thanks to blockchain-based apps that track payments, contract fulfillment, and many other elements of company activity. Standardized financial instruments produced natively on the blockchain will enable hitherto unachievable near-real-time reporting and securitization of loan books.Blockchain is no longer just Bitcoin. With the rapid development of enterprise-level solutions, we have witnessed a proliferation of blockchain use cases in the banking industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia .Financing for Saudi SMEs, it discusses blockchain technology and its implications for the financial industry. After the global financial crisis, Bitcoin developed as a blockchain technology. Bills were used to authenticate transactions through the mining process at the time, and blockchain technology was a peer-to-peer, totally decentralized or distributed network of bills .Developers may now simply construct decentralized apps on top of the current network, thanks to the highly programmable Ethereum. Simultaneously, the notion of token economics has grown in popularity. Rather of utilizing traditional economic incentives, encrypted payouts are utilized to encourage stakeholders in the blockchain ecosystem, according to this idea. Bitcoin and Ethereum are both public and open blockchain networks that are appealing to retail users, but they are still a long way from being conventional financial instruments. As a result, many Wall Street veterans and technological titans have recognized the financial potential of blockchain. As a result, they’ve developed several new blockchains that are more in accordance with rules and regulations, are more private, and are more suited to corporate applications. Hyperledger by IBM and Corda by R3 are two good examples. Small and medium-sized businesses spend 28 times more in blockchain than large businesses, according to a research performed by Emory University  in conjunction with Provide Technologies and Aprio. The majority of blockchain-based initiatives attempt to automate corporate operations, according to the report, and identity verification and compliance are the world’s second and third largest blockchain uses, respectively .According to the findings, the payment industry ranks sixth in terms of blockchain adoption, with identity management and market governance following closely behind. In the Netherlands, for example, SMEs account for more than 90% of all businesses, and they account for 60% of the economy’s added value . More anBlockchain  will create a new and simple way to finance small and medium enterprises in Saudi Arabia. Recent research predicts that technological advancements such as blockchain will create new opportunities for global finance for SMEs in the next coming years. Blockchain is a financing revolution because it is a faster, safer, and more effective way to finance small and medium-sized enterprises in Saudi Arabia.The study’s goal is to figure out what institutional barriers are preventing investors from using Blockchain to fund Saudi SMEs, as well as how important Blockchain is to them. The goals of this study are to:i.Establish the institutional factors that prevent investors from financing Saudi SMEs using blockchain; and to discover the institutional factors that prevent investors from financing Saudi SMEs via Blockchain.ii.To examine how Saudi SMEs would perceive and adapt to the Blockchain and other challenges in the KSA environment.To assess the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s potential to use Blockchain to fund SMEs and their institutional policies.A very famous and interesting  unified The UTAUT entails the intentions and interest of the user to use information technology and information system because the UTAUT is claimed that it clues about the effort expectancy and performance expectancy as a sign of predictors of intentions and actions toward application of information in different forms and for different reasons . SeveralThe basic factors in business are transactions and trading which rely on the trust and goodwill between two or more individuals or enterprises . Thus, tFurthermore, situational theory paves way for the implementation of UTAUT Model as there is no single right approach to lead because the external as well as internal dimensions of the surrounding and environment need the leader to manage to particular situation to adopt blockchain technology and implement it at grassroot level . Thus, aThe combination and merger of finance and technology is somehow marriage in between them, thus called as FinTech, these contain combined reactions and create a multiplier effect . FinTechHowever, FinTech entails another two dimensions as well in which it shows about the traditional SMEs transform by adopting emerging technologies . TraditiBlockchain knowledge is relevant for increased interest in its diffusion and use. However, more work is needed to enhance the level of knowledge and to increase the level of perceived usefulness and ease of use for SMEs . This muThis is a desk research project in which the literature on the issue is evaluated in order to arrive at the best conclusion possible. Furthermore, content analysis is used in this study because it is flexible in its nature to analyze the text data and to achieve the objective of the study . ContentIn order to finance SMEs in the region of the Saudi, institutions responsible for designing policies and programs should pay attention to the institutional determinants that hinder investors from financing Saudi SMEs through new methods such as blockchain, especially investors from developed countries. Blockchain will create a new and simple way to finance KSA’s SMEs. Recent research predicts that technological advancements such as blockchain will create new opportunities for global finance for SME’s in the next coming decades. Blockchain is a financing revolution because it is a faster, safer, and more effective way to finance SME’s within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.With current emphasis and attention on diversification to reduce dependence on future oil revenues, generally speaking, the private sector, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, may be regarded as a key pillar of a diversification strategy and leading the economy.Obtaining cash is a frequent issue for small and medium businesses (SMEs), particularly Saudi Arabian SMEs operating in the country. Domestic banks are more likely to pick state-owned companies as a safe bet. SMEs are the backbone of the economy in many developed as well developing countries. SMEs are believed to reduce unemployment by creating new employment opportunities in different capacities of all age groups. Thus, these small businesses are critical to global economic and social growth. Most SMEs are service-oriented and family-owned, and they spend little in capital goods, reflecting the financial/accounting industry’s deficit in tangible company assets. This is due to the high risk and low creditworthiness associated with existing bank and financial institution lending criteria.As a result, SMEs are less likely than large corporations to get bank loans, relying instead on internal finances or cash from friends and family to establish and run their enterprises. Furthermore, SMEs face industry-specific problems such as a lack of information needed to successfully conduct business and grow operations, or inefficient procedures necessary to process payments and hire other auxiliary services internationally.It is important to acknowledge that there is little research on the institutional factors hindering SME financing through blockchain in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East and North Africa. Therefore, it is envisaged that this study will contribute to closing a significant gap. The available research on the MENA area is relatively sparse, and empirical support for the issues stated is lacking. This gives existing research rationale and basic concepts, as well as emphasizing its contribution to the literature. The main contribution of this research is to clearly understand the impact of institutions on financing policies through blockchain. In this case, limited empirical work has been done through the financing policy of blockchain cooperation with institutions and its impact on the growth of SMEs in the MENA region.This research can also provide some other important contributions: First, its contribution to understanding blockchain technology and for sure it will also support KSA to realize its 2030 Saudi vision, whose main goal is to attract more investment to help achieve economic diversification and get rid of its dependence on oil. Second, the owners of SMEs can use the results of this research to understand and understand the environment in Saudi Arabia. This comprises SMEs that are already doing business in Saudi Arabia and/or those that may want to invest in the future.Final recommendations of this research can be regarded as the reference basis for the conceptual development and institutional reform of government agencies .Ripple blockchain technology was utilized by Al Rajhi Bank, the world’s largest Islamic bank, to conduct safe cross-border transfers. This is the first time the technology has been successfully deployed in Saudi Arabia. A remittance between Riyadh and the Jordanian headquarters of Al Rajhi Bank was the most recent transaction. This achievement emphasizes Al Rajhi’s banking network’s technological integration and confirms the bank’s changed customer experience and continuous efforts to digitize the client’s banking experience. In Saudi Arabia, the blockchain project is part of the digital transformation of Al Rajhi Bank. The solution will provide a first-class customer experience by shortening delivery time, lowering costs, and improving accuracy.Al Rajhi Bank continues to develop and provide industry-leading banking services, and this achievement validates the bank’s current operations. This solution lowers the cost of bank settlement and reconciliation while also increasing the predictability and efficiency of same-day liquidity management.The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the world’s second-largest recipient of remittances. With more than 200 remittance centers around the kingdom, Al Rajhi Bank is the region’s biggest remittance bank. To make this technology broadly available to its retail and business clients, the bank is collaborating with the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA).There is no need for token economics to reward behaviors since modern technologies employ alternative mathematical computations and cryptography in financial transactions. The greater issue, on the other hand, is scalability, since more isolated networks emerge, more bridges for interoperability must be built, and as more players join the network, further routes for private communication must be developed. SME development has now progressed to the third level. At this stage, it has been noted the growth of specially constructed blockchains, which are technologically agnostic and specific in the entire kingdom.The impact of blockchain technology on the banking and financial technology industries. Nanopay is a Canadian software payment firm based in Toronto. Nanopay won the annual blockchain award from the Canadian financial technology community just a year ago. Nanopay’s system is based on a controlled blockchain ledger, which eliminates the need for consensus. As a result, their blockchain technology is extremely scalable. Nanopay’s technology also speeds up processing 30 times faster than traditional DLT blockchain solutions. Nanopay also works with digital fiat cash, which eliminates the need to convert to encrypted currency at any point throughout the transaction. Furthermore, there are certain misconceptions concerning blockchain technology that people should be aware of in order to properly comprehend their technology. People should be aware of the many changes in blockchain technology, such as whether it is decentralized or centralized, whether it is unlicensed or licensed, and if it is a public or private network. Blockchain’s appeal is that it is immutable, transparent, synchronized, cost-effective, and offers a wide range of applications. In truth, the blockchain has issues with scalability , interoperability (cross-chain technology firms assist with integration), and legal framework (regulatory policies need to keep up with new technologies). With these concerns in mind, Nanopay has created the Liquid product line, which is based on a controlled blockchain. Cash management and reconciliation, liquidity management solutions for SMEs, and guaranteeing faster and cheaper cross-border payments are all use cases for the product.The final key lesson is that blockchain is an innovative tool that is extremely helpful and powerful when used alone, but much more so when combined with other technologies such as AI, machine learning, APIs, and virtual asset management.Dengfeng Zhang of Linklogis, a Chinese financial technology firm, shared his thoughts on blockchain-based supplier finance solutions. In a normal supply chain, when suppliers’ size shrinks, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to secure finance from the system. Because of their vast scale, access to information, and lack of liquidity, banks are most eager to collaborate with Tier 1 suppliers. However, N-tier providers (lower-tier suppliers in the chain) have relatively few collaterals, and tracing the interaction with anchor customers is difficult. As a result, N-tier suppliers have a tough time obtaining funding from banks. Linklogis’ supply chain finance solutions, such as Deep-Tier Financing, are based on blockchain technology. The buyer’s accounts payable digitalization will be anchored by Linklogis technology, resulting in digital payment responsibilities. N-tier suppliers have three choices when they receive digital payment obligations: (1) They have the ability to hold till maturity, and anchor purchasers have the ability to pay. (2) They have the option of transferring all or a portion of it to the next Tier provider. (3) They can get a discount at the bank. This technology has the benefit of being able to be dismantled into small pieces. The N-level provider retains the high-quality credit of anchoring the customer even after receiving the requirement to split the digital payment. Small and medium-sized businesses that participate in digital payment obligations can benefit from cheaper loan rates and quicker access to capital. The beauty of this proposal is that it excludes personal finance for second- and third-tier SMEs in the supply chain. They can receive funding fast after joining the deep-level finance mechanism. Collaboration with industry partners is helpful for cross-border in-depth funding.Blockchain is no longer P2P or decentralized, having developed from Bitcoin. This technology has the ability to revolutionize how businesses are run and serviced. The speaker undoubtedly offered in-depth insights into how blockchain might assist financial institutions and other partners in lowering costs, lowering risks, automating operations, and promoting the future development of SMEs.Blockchain is expected to offer several distinct benefits to small and medium-sized businesses, including increased trust, speed, and security, as well as a reduction in the risk of identity fraud and hacker assaults, saving time and money.This might help them handle cash flow difficulties, paperwork challenges, and worldwide issues , preventing companies from going bankrupt.To begin with, the chance of running out of money will be substantially decreased. Because there is no uncertainty about when the money will be released, the firm can offer services on schedule, knowing that the funds will be there when they are needed. It may become easier to pay for goods and pay wages to overseas employees from distant buyers and can be done at a fraction of current costs. Therefore, it can help bring products and transaction services to the market quickly and cheaply.Enterprises will benefit from blockchain’s value-added features such as security and transparency. Blockchain technology combined with secure communication technology can assure the safety and security of transactions for small and medium-sized businesses with global ambitions.Information asymmetries, mortgage requirements, a lack of competent credit reporting agencies, Internet data security, and cybercrime will all be addressed by blockchain technology. As a result, blockchain technology can provide secure, automated, and efficient data transfers, which may be used to trade private information, track the source of food, and monitor items in transit.In order to improve process efficiency, blockchain applications will streamline corporate operations and offer significant cost and process complexity reduction possibilities. The major benefit of small companies hosting services on the blockchain is that indirect expenses are significantly reduced. Using blockchain reduces the amount of money and time entrepreneurs spend on management activities. This may reduce security expenses, Know Your Customer (KYC) agreements, data storage costs, and other overheads.The cost savings may be passed on to customers, making pricing more competitive, in addition to considerably lowering the investment that founders must make in these support operations. This creates a fairer playing field for small and medium-sized businesses all around the world.New platforms and business models have arisen as a result of the advent of massive data pools, machine learning, and venture capital interest in financial technology, providing credit solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. These financial technologies are growing rapidly, but the amount of credit and the scope of the market are still limited compared to the amount of credit needed to influence economic activity in a meaningful way. However, new blockchain solutions will greatly increase the chances of obtaining credit. In this article, we reviewed current SME loan solutions and explored, how blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) may help people get more money and close credit gaps.In the past 10 years, to meet the financing demands of SMEs, FinTech start-ups have developed a range of business models. These platforms may be roughly split into three categories:◾Platforms for peer-to-peer lending, such as Lending Club, allow capital suppliers to select particular credit opportunities that the firm seeks.◾Companies can get term loans and other kinds of funding through SME balance sheet loans, such as Kabbage.◾Companies that offer invoice financing, such as Aprilia and Lydia, can sell or finance invoices.These business models and products have become viable because to advances in machine learning, data pools derived from company records, online accounting systems, and information gleaned from public sources and social media. Higher interest rates are charged by service providers, but because the periods are often short, the borrower is unaware that the yearly interest rate might be as high as 25% or higher.Furthermore, even the most forward-thinking FinTech start-ups are unprepared to lend to higher-risk borrowers, whether owing to a lack of data or a proprietary risk assessment based on comprehensive information, which leads to increasing hazards. As a result, financial product innovation is required to enable more SMEs to get financing.Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies bring trust and the capacity to communicate data, information, and proof of many things safely and reliably. This means that even if entities don’t trust one other, they may trust a common ledger that is immutable and includes unchangeable data.we.trade are collaborating to build a comprehensive trading ecosystem that includes documentation, communications, and settlement. Such platforms are tailored to specific use cases and enable existing banks and service providers to participate, at least in part, in the industry’s future. Adoption appears to be gradual, given the high cost of services and the complexity of trade financing.Blockchain technology is already being used in trade finance, and companies like The potential for innovation through shared trustworthy blockchain ledgers in supply chain finance are apparent and vast. Consider the possibility that any business can reach a successful agreement with its suppliers on the status of shipments, payments, and overdue services. The level of efficiency that can be achieved is nearly unbelievable. Foxconn launched an early test study for the first three layers of its supply chain as early as 2017. The program will be moved to an Ethereum-based platform with smart contract execution capabilities, according to the firm (referred to as “chained”).Foxconn enables third-party finance providers to offer operations for their suppliers Fund funding by deploying a trusted universal ledger to validate the company’s outstanding orders for its suppliers . Furthermore, Foxconn suppliers will not have to contact factoring service providers on their own, which will be more expensive than Foxconn’s platform advertising.Why is supply chain financing a good place to start with blockchain? Because all parties may exchange a wealth of data and knowledge. Take, for example, Foxconn. It began in a restricted fashion, with the need that any participating provider be a recognized Foxconn supplier on its platform (imagine a “intranet” in the 1990s — or the 1980s). Such apps will be created in the future in huge open access settings (think of them as the “Internet”), where anybody with access may readily access encrypted data. We’ll keep track of supplier dependability, physical delivery evidence, service delivery proof, quality standards proof, and other essential company operations. Loan choices will be made in a range that is now inconceivable based on these validated facts.Obtaining loans from financial institutions may be difficult for SMEs, particularly for those who are just starting out. Due to shortage of funds, the lack of opportunities has resulted in limited survival opportunities for many SME’s have closed in the first 3 years of operation.Since the banking crisis in 2008, banks have essentially avoided risks. As a result, they have a limited tolerance for lending to SMEs. According to a survey by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), 40% of formal microfinance as well as small and medium enterprises in emerging markets have an unmet financing demand of 5.2 trillion United States dollars (USD) each year.Obtaining trade credit is another issue that SMEs with worldwide operations confront. Trade financing, like many other types of credit, is critical to the success of SMEs, but it is not always simple to get. Obtaining traditional trade finance instruments, such as letters of credit, forfaiting , or trade credit insurance in import and export firms, can be difficult for SMEs.Small firms suffer greatly as a result of their inability to raise financing, which stifles expansion and produces cash flow problems. Companies require cash flow to purchase supplies, begin manufacturing processes, pay employees’ wages, and cover other operating costs. Late payment might be the difference between success and failure for small businesses.To get capital and ease cash flow difficulties, SMEs nowadays frequently turn to alternative financing options. Alternative financing mechanisms, such as peer-to-peer (P2P) or crowdfunding, have developed in recent years, with the latter focused mostly on technological start-ups, although the situation is mixed.Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies bring trust and the capacity to safely and reliably communicate data, information, and proof of many things. This means that entities who don’t necessarily trust each other can rely on a shared ledger that is immutable and includes unchangeable data.Although most people identify blockchain with huge corporations, the technology also provides new options for SME financing in a variety of industries to address current issues and build new business models.Blockchain-based solutions are already being used in trade finance, and industry participants are working together to create a comprehensive trading environment that includes documentation, communications, and settlement. Trade finance solutions are becoming more efficient as transparency and consensus procedures supplant numerous verifications and inspections.Blockchain technology, according to a joint research by the World Economic Forum and consulting company Bain & Company, can help bridge the global trade finance divide and promote commerce that would otherwise be impossible.The use of blockchain technology might also aid in the acquisition of supply chain financing (SCF). Nowadays, a bigger market sector is developing open account solutions, but because assessing the depth of the supply chain is challenging, funding is generally limited to a few tiers. Because blockchain is considerably more versatile than conventional digital systems when it comes to processing data, it offers up new opportunities for other chain players to get SCF.Suppliers and purchasers may both view transaction information in real time on the blockchain. All stakeholders time stamp and verify each stage of the supply chain process, ensuring that the data is correct and unchangeable. This enhanced visibility might also imply that firms will have additional options for invoice finance. This openness may hasten transaction processing, increase supplier cash flow, and raise interest rates for invoice finance companies.The potential for innovation through shared trusted blockchain ledgers; are both clear and enormous in SCF. Consider how quickly and simply a firm might reach an agreement with its suppliers about the status of shipments, payments, and overdue services. The increase in efficiency is enormous.One of the most appealing aspects of blockchain is its ability to enable smart contract for small businesses. It not only outlines the agreement’s terms and penalties in the same manner that traditional contracts do, but it also enforces and enforces those pre-agreed terms and conditions automatically (There is no need for an intermediary agency). Many labor-intensive and costly corporate procedures may be quickly and inexpensively replaced in this way.The most significant advantage of smart contracts is the creation of a single digital record of customs clearance. A smart contract can also be used as collateral to back a loan by representing an invoice or other comparable financial document. Smart contracts will aid in the reduction of credit risk, the reduction of costs, and the removal of trade obstacles.In terms of securing funding for small businesses, blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we do things. By automating what was formerly a laborious process, enhancing transparency, and encouraging confidence between lenders and borrowers, blockchain can help revive P2P lending practices.The blockchain’s disintermediation feature makes it easier and faster for SMEs to obtain money through shares. Removing these roadblocks reduces the need for complicated paperwork, and the automated nature of the process may allow commissions, excessive brokerage fees associated with stock sales, and other administrative costs to be avoided.Small and medium enterprise loans in the future will need to integrate financial technology innovation from the previous decade with blockchain technology that is just getting started. Capital providers may now make lending choices using more data, stronger algorithms, and a trading environment that supports APIs thanks to financial technology innovation. More cash is being invested in SMEs thanks to the rise of crowdfunding and peer-to-peer financing.param.network are already integrating the benefits of open source technology with an on-demand licensing layer to provide an accessible yet controlled environment, which is exactly what corporate clients need.I foresee substantial changes in SME loans and the capacity of SMEs to acquire credit as a result of combining these advancements with the trust and verification engine provided by blockchain-enabled apps. The first creative solution was implemented in a private, permissioned environment (similar to the “intranet” in the 1990s), serving only a small number of users and severely restricting credit. Many basic technological concerns, such as zero-knowledge proof and metadata tracking, must be overcome before we shift to a public encryption environment. Innovative businesses like Large firms looking to stabilize their supply chains and provide third-party working capital finance for their suppliers will drive supply chain financing innovation. Corporate groupings and coalitions trying to preserve some control over complicated but valuable business lines will drive trade finance innovation. issued locally on the blockchain will allow all parties to resort to the same computations and verified and audited cash flows. Such standards will enable for near-real-time reporting and the securitization of loan portfolios that were previously thought to be impossible to securitize.Standardized financial instruments Block-chain SMEs confront unclear legislation, which restricts their options and jeopardizes their growth. The legality of smart contracts and the worldwide regulatory framework necessary to enable meaningful cross-border peer-to-peer lending will be the main problem in the future; what is lawful in one nation may not be legal in another.A “good” regulatory framework should be more transparent, encourage adoption, and prevent fraud, such as that using user anonymity in transactions. At the same time, blockchain and smart contracts’ strength and potential are becoming more widely acknowledged in the corporate and political worlds. Although authorities may take some time to catch up, widespread use will lead to more sensible regulation.Small and medium enterprise finance in the future will need a combination of financial technology, financing strategies, and developing blockchain technology innovation. Blockchain-based applications track payments, contract fulfillments, and a variety of other business activities, allowing capital providers to make loan decisions based on more data, improved algorithms, and application programming interfaces (APIs), which define how different software and devices interact in the trading environment.With these benefits in mind, it’s easy to see why a growing number of SME businesses are ready to invest more in blockchain technology. The SME community may wish to see a total shift in the way they do business now with the aid of associated services such as blockchain and smart contracts. International transactions will be more beneficial to SMEs, and they may be able to compete in ways that are currently unthinkable.Blockchain, on the other hand, is still in its infancy. The use of blockchain by SMEs on a big scale has yet to begin, and mainstream acceptance will take time. The most difficult hurdle to overcome is allowing more firms to develop on the blockchain and encouraging customers to utilize these solutions. This need faith.Trust takes time to develop, and some businesses must begin the process of trusting in order to make promises a reality. Demonstrate to the rest of the world that blockchain can be used for anything relevant to business. Given that this technology will increase commerce by more than $1 trillion in the next 10 years, according to the World Economic Forum, major blockchain businesses may be compelled to provide solutions that are more beneficial to SMEs.Standardized financial tools developed in a digital environment enhanced by the blockchain will enable all parties to refer to the same calculations and verified and audited cash flows. Such a standard would produce near real-time reports and allow the securitization of loan portfolios, which was previously considered impossible.The use of blockchain technology, which is driven by the asset digitization process, can not only totally transform the way we think about risk, but also bring novel solutions for pricing, hedging, and risk management in the financial market and across the real economy. Its restructuring will gradually improve lenders’ capacity to give loans to borrowers with bad credit and re-establish trust in doing so.Blockchain as a technology has gained a lot of attention in the past few years. Using this technology to finance Saudi SMEs may solve many of the difficulties faced by SMEs. Agriculture, insurance, education, health and pharmaceuticals, technology and utilities are just a few industries where this technology may benefit SMEs. The institutional factors that use blockchain technology to fund Saudi SMEs provide benefits such as cost-effectiveness, transparency, and the kingdom’s growth potential. On the other hand, small businesses that want to use blockchain technology should be cautious and weigh the pros and cons carefully.Even if a small group of small and medium-sized enterprises successfully incorporate blockchain technology into their business strategy, without a solid and larger network, the benefits of this technology are not enough for them. Therefore, more SMEs should be funded through this network to optimize their interests in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There are many institutional factors for funding Saudi SMEs. Global and national trade unions or organizations should promote and recommend Saudi Arabia’s SMEs to adopt blockchain technology. They should provide incentives and knowledge management plans to encourage them to use blockchain technology to accept and target these determinants in the company’s daily work.In addition, because this technology is new, global and national policy makers have a lot of uncertainty about how to manage it. Due to possible money laundering investigations, the lack of universally accepted legislation will inevitably bring uncertainty and hesitation to companies seeking to benefit from blockchain technology. In order to reduce the ambiguity surrounding the blockchain, the International Trade Organization should propose a global regulatory framework as soon as possible so that more companies can use it safely.All in all, this research is the first step to incorporate blockchain technology into institutional variables that influence the use of blockchain technology to fund future projects for Saudi SMEs. Based on the ideas and framework provided in the article, various potential research paths may be generated to examine the applicability of the institutional determinants of financing Saudi SMEs using blockchain technology.This is rare study on the emerging field in the literature on kingdom which is a call for attention of the researchers of the region and similar domain to explore further perspectives of the blockchain and how to pave its way for the economic expansion.Government agencies to formulate policies and programs to support and promote SME’s in the better interest of the social and economic development. However, financial institutions and other relevant organizations need to undertake responsibility and come forward for the cause.The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.NA conceptualized the manuscript and contributed to original writing. MT contributed to original writing of the manuscript, editing, and formatting. Both authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.


Perigraft seroma (PS) is a postoperative complication occurring after prosthesis placement. A 48-year-old man who had previously undergone visceral debranching bypass surgery as a part of hybrid thoracoabdominal aortic repair was referred to our hospital because of vomiting. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a duodenal obstruction resulting from compression by a PS located around the bypass graft and extending to the right renal artery. Endovascular relining of the visceral bypass graft using a covered stent was performed, resulting in immediate resolution of the duodenal obstruction and shrinkage of the PS. Endovascular repair can be considered as an effective option for treating a PS. Perigraft seroma (PS) is a rare postoperative complication occurring after vascular prosthesis placement, with an estimated incidence of 1.2% to 1.3% following open aortic reconstruction.A 48-year-old man with Marfan syndrome had been referred to our hospital because of vomiting. He had a history of multiple aortic surgical procedures, including aortic root and total arch replacement for acute type A aortic dissection 13 years before and hybrid endovascular repair 8 years earlier for a residual thoracoabdominal dissecting aneurysm. During the latter operation, bilateral renal arteries (RAs) and the superior mesenteric artery were translocated using cross-shaped bypass, 12-mm woven and 8-mm expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), grafts, which we have previously reportedA homogeneous low density mass in the abdomen 95 × 60 mm in size with a radiodensity of 42 Hounsfield units and causing compression of the third portion of the duodenum was shown by contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT), with dilation of the first and second portion and stomach also noted . The masWith the patient under general anesthesia and using transfemoral access, selective catheterization of the bypassed graft to the right RA was performed with an Impress 5F headhunter catheter . Next, an 8F, 45-cm Destination Guiding Sheath  was advanced over a 0.035-in. Rosen Wire Guide  into the bypass graft to the right RA, with the device selected according to the caliber and length needed. Next, an 8 × 59-mm Viabahn VBX balloon expandable endoprosthesis  was deployed in the ePTFE bypass graft to the right RA, which covered the end-to-end anastomotic part of the right RA through the crossed part of the 8-mm ePTFE and 12-mm woven graft . PostdilThe postoperative course was uneventful. Soon after surgery, the daily drainage from the inserted nasogastric tube of 500 to 1100 mL had dramatically decreased to 0 mL, and the duodenal obstruction had resolved. The patient was carefully observed and discharged on day 15 after surgery. At the 3-month follow-up examination, the seroma size had decreased to 40 × 35 mm . The pat,,,Serous ultrafiltrate extravasation through the graft wall can eventually result in a PS. Effective treatments include replacement of the affected graft, external surface sealing by application of fibrin glue components, and wrapping the graft with the saphenous vein, providing coverage for the pores outside the graft.Endovascular repair of a PS is a local procedure, with only the stent graft site receiving treatment; thus, identification of the affected graft and information regarding the PS site and graft material are necessary. It has been reported that a seroma will generally form around an affected graft, with ePTFE grafts more frequently involved than Dacron grafts.,The pathogenesis of PS formation remains unclear, although graft porosity, inadequate tissue incorporation, and improper manipulation before implantation are possible factors.18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT can also help to exclude the possibility of graft infection.Exclusion of possible graft infection is crucial for the correct diagnosis of PS. Physical findings, inflammatory markers , and negative CT findings related to a graft infection, such as gas formation or perigraft soft tissue abnormalities, are helpful. We have reported the successful endovascular repair of a PS that had developed around a visceral bypass graft after a hybrid thoracoabdominal aortic repair procedure. Relining of the visceral bypass graft with a covered stent resulted in immediate recovery of the duodenal obstruction as a seroma-related complication, indicating that endovascular repair can be an effective treatment option for PSs.


PANI-EB/Starch biocomposites are subjected to structural analysis , thermal analysis , morphological analysis , and electrochemical analysis using cyclic voltammetry. The samples were also tested for their solubility using various organic solvents. The results showed that, with respect to starch particles, PANI/starch biocomposites exhibit an overall decrease in particles size, which improves both their aqueous dispersion and solubility in organic solvents. Although X-ray diffraction and DSC analyses indicated a loss of crystallinity in biocomposites, the cyclic voltammetry tests revealed that all PANI-EB/Starch biocomposites possess improved redox exchange properties. Finally, the weak interactions at the atomic-level interactions between amylopectin–aniline and amylopectin–PANI were disclosed by the computational studies using DFT, COSMO-RS, and AIM methods.The processability of conductive polymers still represents a challenge. The use of potato starch as a steric stabilizer for the preparation of stable dispersions of polyaniline  is described in this paper. Biocomposites are obtained by oxidative polymerization of aniline in aqueous solutions containing different ratios of aniline and starch (%  A variety of reports have emerged in recent decades documenting the use of sterically stabilized colloidal dispersions of conductive polymers, which are much more processable than traditional ones . In the Polyaniline (PANI) is among the most studied and developed organic conductive polymers. Its large-scale applications stem from its good redox exchange properties, its simple and cheap preparation methods as well as its great environmental stability ,9. HowevNumerous studies were also conducted to exploit biopolymers issued from renewable natural and agricultural resources, to develop novel bio-composites with conductive polymers, thus leading to entirely new directions in the research of advanced functional materials for a sustainable future ,15. In sThe resulting biocomposites could not only improve the processability of PANI, but also enhance its biocompatibility ,26,27. FIn our work, we have used starch, which is the most abundant polysaccharide produced by higher plants, and it is extracted intracellularly in the form of granules of 2–100 µm in diameter . In geneStarch was used by several authors to develop stabilized latexes ,35,36. Iw/w). The obtained PANI/starch biocomposites were characterized by spectroscopic, microscopic, thermal, and electrochemical techniques, in order to assess the most promising PANI: starch ratio. Moreover, computational calculations based on DFT were carried out to find missing information about the interactions between starch–aniline and starch–polyaniline during the synthesis and in the final form of the biocomposites. The usage of starch as a non-toxic and biodegradable biopolymer to elaborate PANI-based composites has led to the formation of advanced functional materials for various applications  ,44,45,46w/w) at room temperature (20 °C) and stirred for 4 h. The chemical polymerization of aniline was carried out at low temperatures in an ice bath (T~0–4 °C) using an APS (ammonium persulfate) oxidative solution. The mixture was maintained under magnetic stirring for 3 h, then left without stirring for 48 h to allow the majority of aniline to react, after which the dark powder obtained was filtered, washed with water and acetone to remove low-molecular-weight reaction by-products, i.e., aniline dimers and oligomers, then dried at 40 °C for 48 h.Polyaniline/starch materials  were prew/v). The solvents used are water, acetone, methanol, ethanol, glycerol, ethyl acetate, chloroform, toluene, hexane, cyclohexane, DMSO, and DMF. While colorless supernatants were obtained with insoluble mixtures, the presence of residual solids, in the case of partially soluble mixtures, was observed by a lens.Structural characterization of samples was carried out by FTIR spectroscopy using a Nicolet 5700 spectrometer , equipped with a diamond ATR sampling accessory, on the powdered material, UV-Visible spectroscopy using a Cary 5000 UV−vis−NIR spectrometer  on solutions prepared by dissolving 2 mg in 10 mL of DMF, and RAMAN spectroscopy using a DXR2 Raman spectrometer , operating at 532 nm. The solubility tests were performed at different temperatures  by dispersing the same weight of all materials in 10 mL of solvents, to obtain a dilute concentration . Cyclic voltammetry tests  were examined in a three-electrode system constituted of a reference electrode (Ag/AgCl), an auxiliary platinum electrode, and a carbon electrode as the working electrode. The electrolyte was a KCl solution (1 M) and the voltammograms were recorded in a voltage window between −0.8 and +0.8 mV at various scan rates .Homopolymers and biocomposites were subjected to laser granulometry analysis by using a CILAS 1190 analyzer . Thermal gravimetric analyses  were performed until 700 °C (10 °C/min), while DSC (with a TA instrument Q20) was set from room temperature to 300 °C at 10 °C/min, under a nitrogen atmosphere; thermodynamic parameters were calculated by using the software TA Universal Analysis. X-ray diffraction analysis was performed using CuKα radiation (λ = 1.54 Å) (X’Pert3 Powder apparatus) from 2θ = 10° to 60°, at a scan rate of 0.02 sGeometric optimization of the molecules was performed with the Dmol3 module  utilizinHOMO justifies the inclination to transfer electrons to a suitable acceptor molecule. In contrast, the low value of the energy ξLUMO justifies the molecule’s capacity to accept electrons from donor molecules  eV , which atoms see . Weak hyThe results of this work demonstrate a facile method for the synthesis of polyaniline colloids. In particular, potato starch was employed as a steric stabilizer to obtain stable dispersions of polyaniline . Polyaniline/starch biocomposites with various aniline/starch ratios were thus synthesized via an oxidative polymerization and characterized. To evaluate the effect of aniline/starch ratios variation, several tests , as well as computational calculation , were performed. This study demonstrates the possibility of using starch as a steric stabilizer, and so to empower the processability of the polyaniline by improving the solubility in DMSO and DMF and the dispersion behavior in water, as well as in glycerol and chloroform, at higher temperatures.The growth of polyaniline is observed on the starch particles’ surfaces. The particle dimension and the degree of crystallinity appear to be strongly affected in the composite material, as demonstrated by the formation of smaller particles and the loss of the original starch crystalline lattice. Although less thermally stable, M11 appears to be the best in terms of morphology and retention of crystallinity degree. The cyclic voltammetry test shows better electro-activity in terms of the electron exchange and capacitive behavior of the composite materials, with the ratio of 1:1 being the best composition among these materials. Finally, the strong interactions between the PANI and amylopectin (the main starch component) were investigated by the DFT, COSMO-RS, and AIM methods, demonstrating their purely physical nature.These results attest that the prepared composites as promising versatile materials, which are expected to broaden the electrochemical applications of PANI.


Hass seeds (77.83%). To conclude, starch from avocado seeds has a high potential for use in the production of resistant starch.This study compared the physicochemical and functional properties of starches from eight cultivars of avocado seeds. Amylose content, morphology, crystalline structure, swelling power, solubility, thermal and pasting properties, and in vitro digestibility were investigated. The results revealed that the apparent amylose content of starches from avocado seeds varied with different varieties. Light microscopic and scanning electron microscopic examination demonstrated that the eight starches differed slightly in terms of morphology and granule size. The X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses showed that the crystal structure and chemical linkage of the avocado seed starches were similar. However, the pasting, water solubility, and thermal properties of the eight avocado seed starches differed. Importantly, all the starches had high resistant starch content (>60%), with the highest found in  Persea americana Mill.) is a tropical and subtropical fruit native to Mexico and Central America. In recent years, avocado has gained popularity worldwide due to its multitudinous benefits to humans. Avocado is rich in unsaturated fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and bioactive compounds, and can provide a feeling of fullness. It is frequently used to make meal replacement products. Furthermore, avocado is a type of high-energy but low-sugar fruit, which well meets some demand for healthy foods [Avocado  were applied to extract starch from avocado seeds and it was found that the type of solvent did not influence the functional and rheological properties of avocado seed starches [Some researchers have looked into the starch extracted from avocado seeds. For example, Kahn  conductestarches . Additiostarches . Lacerdastarches  also revThe aim of this study was to explore if there are great differences in seed starches from different avocado cultivars regarding their physicochemical and in vitro digestion properties. Starches were firstly extracted from eight avocado cultivars and their amylose content, morphology, particle size, crystallinity, swelling power, water solubility, thermal and pasting properties, and in vitro digestibility were investigated.P. americana Mill.) were provided by Haikou Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences . The eight cultivars were cultivated in the same environment at the Germplasm Nursery of Haikou Experimental Station at Danzhou, China, and were named as Re Xuan 1, Re Xuan 2, Re You 1, Re You 2, Pinkerton, Reed, Zutano, and Hass and numbered as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, respectively. All chemicals used were ACS certified.The seeds of eight cultivars of avocado (w/w) for about 20 min. Then, the pieces were transferred to a beater and broken into slurry after adding approximately two times the raw seeds weight of distilled water. Then, a dual-enzyme solution  was added to allow hydrolysis for 1 h under pH 5.0 and 45 °C. The total amount of enzyme added was 0.22% of the weight of avocado seed. Next, the seed slurry was filtered through a 120-mesh filter cloth, and the filtrate was centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 15 min. The acquired sediment was soaked in sodium hydroxide solution  for 10 min with magnetic stirring. This slurry was centrifuged again, and the precipitate was washed repeatedly with excessive distilled water until the pH was neutral before it was dried and stored in a desiccator for further use.Starch was extracted from the avocado seeds using a previously described method  with somThe detectable amylose contents of avocado seed starches were determined by iodine colorimetry  with minw/w) were prepared with 50% glycerol solution (v/v). One drop of the starch suspension was placed on a glass slide, covered with a coverslip, and observed on a light microscope  equipped with a cross polarizer and a real-time viewing system . Microscopic graphs were taken at 100× magnification under normal light and polarized light as well.Avocado seed starch suspensions  with an accelerating voltage of 10.00 kV. Starch samples were scattered on an aluminum stubby double-sided adhesive tape, then coated with a thin layer of gold under vacuum with a gold sputter coater for 3 min before being microscopically examined.α radiation was used to power the analyzer at 40 kV and 40 mA. The diffractograms were scanned at a rate of 5°/min from 4° to 40° (2θ). The moisture content of the samples was equilibrated in a dryer for 24 h with a relative humidity of 15%. Relative crystallinity was calculated based on the ratio of the crystalline peak to the total diffractogram area [The avocado seed starches were analyzed by XRD using a D/Max-2200 X-ray diffractometer . Cu Kram area .−1 with a resolution of 4 cm−1 and a total of 64 scans.All Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analyses of the avocado seed starches were performed on a Vector 33 FT-IR spectrophotometer  using an attenuated total reflection method. Samples were mixed with KBr in a ratio of 1:100 (starch/KBr) and then compressed to a sheet. Each spectrum was recorded from 4000 to 200 cmw/w) were prepared, heated at 55, 65, 75, 85, and 95 °C for 30 min with continuous shaking, cooled to room temperature, and centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 15 min. The wet weights of the precipitates were measured. The supernatants were collected and oven-dried at 105 °C. Water solubility (%) was determined as the ratio of the weight of the dried supernatant to that of the dry starch. Swelling power (g/g) was determined as the weight ratio of the precipitate to the dry starch.The swelling power and the water solubility of the avocado seed starches were measured using a previously described method with slight changes . Sample H), onset (oT), peak (pT), and conclusion (cT) temperatures were calculated.The thermal property of the avocado seed starches was determined using a differential scanning calorimeter with Pyris thermal analysis software . About 3 mg of starch and 7 μL of distilled water were added into a standard DSC stainless high-pressure pan that was sealed and equilibrated at room temperature for 12 h before analysis. The pan was then heated from 30 to 120 °C at a rate of 10 °C/min with a nitrogen access speed of 20 mL/s. An empty pan was employed as a reference. The enthalpy change . Starch was prepared at a concentration of 6.0% (dry starch basis) with distilled water. The torque measured was 700 cmg. The slurry was heated at a rate of 7.5 °C/min from 30 to 95 °C, held at 95 °C for 5 min, cooled to 50 °C at a rate of 7.5 °C/min, and then held at 50 °C for another 5 min.The digestibility of avocado seed starches was investigated using a slightly modified method of Englyst et al. . The enzStarch (300 mg) was dispersed with 15 mL sodium acetate buffer  and 0.75 mL of the enzyme solution as prepared above was added. Enzymatic digestion was performed in a water bath maintained at 37 °C with stirring (170 rpm), and an aliquot (0.1 mL) was collected at 20 min and 120 min after enzymolysis started. The aliquot was immediately mixed with 20 mL of 90% ethanol to deactivate the enzymes and centrifuged afterwards. The glucose content in the supernatant was determined after centrifugation  using the glucose oxidase/peroxidase assay kit. The hydrolyzed starch percentage was calculated by multiplying the glucose content with a factor of 0.9, which is the molar mass conversion from glucose to anhydroglucose (the starch monomer unit). The rapidly digested starch (RDS), slowly digested starch (SDS), and resistant starch (RS) contents were obtained using the formulas below:p < 0.05). Figures were created with the Origin Program 8.0 . Data were reported as the mean ± standard deviation.All analytical determinations were performed in triplicate. SPSS 17.0  was used for statistical analysis. Mean values and standard deviations were analyzed. Duncan’s multiple range test was used to examine the difference in means at a confidence level of 95% , which are stacked alternately within the starch granules and thus form growth rings. In the present study, a Maltese cross appeared when the eight avocado seed starches were examined under polarized light, with the points of these crosses located at the center or end of the starch particles . This isRe Xuan 1 seed were irregular and not uniform in size, and the majority of them were stripped. Starch from Re Xuan 2 showed generally larger granules when compared to that from Re Xuan 1. The majority of the starch granules from Re You 1 were oval, and the granule sizes were relatively uniform. Interestingly, the granules of Pinkerton starch were the smallest among the samples, with granule sizes ranging from 5 to 20 μm. The shape and size of starch granules are primarily determined by biological factors. It was suggested earlier that the biochemistry of the chloroplast or amyloplast as well as plant physiology determine the morphology of starch granules [The SEM images of the avocado seed starches are shown in granules , which cThe crystalline structure in the starch granules is caused by the ordered arrangement of the double helix formed by the branches of amylopectin. The crystalline structure and relative crystallinity of the eight starches were determined by XRD. Their X-ray diffractograms are displayed in −1) in the spectra. The O-H bond stretching vibration in glucose units was responsible for the extremely broad absorption band from 3600 cm−1 to 3000 cm−1 [−1 corresponds to an asymmetric C-H stretching vibration [−1 was assigned to the remnant free water molecules, whereas the peak at 1648 cm−1 could originate from the strongly bound water molecules in the starch, which was suggested to play some structural role [−1 to 1500 cm−1 (grey shaded area) was related to the C-H bending vibration of CH2 and O-H bending of primary or secondary alcohols [−1 to 1000 cm−1 (pink shaded area) could be ascribed to the stretching of C-O, C-C, and C-O-H, and C-O-H bending as well from glucose residues [−1, 1022 cm−1, and 1164 cm−1 have been assigned to the crystalline region, amorphous region, and vibration of the glycosidic linkage (C-O-C), respectively [All the avocado seed starches had similar FT-IR profiles and no conspicuous difference was observed . They sh000 cm−1 . The peaibration . The broral role . The absalcohols . Moreoveresidues . For exaectively . In geneThe swelling power and the water solubility of starch are proportional to the magnitude of the interaction force between starch molecules and water molecules. The basis of dissolution is the swelling of starch granules and the degree of swelling can reflect the bonding degree of the internal bonds of the particles. The relatively loose amorphous region was suggested to swell first, followed by the amorphous region close to the crystalline region, and finally the crystalline region .3–8) displayed obviously higher amylose content than the first two starches , whereas the Re You 1 starch presented the lowest gelatinization temperatures . Notably, all these temperatures were higher than those of maize starch  [o = 64.26 °C, Tp = 71.70 °C, and Tc = 81.00 °C) [p during gelatinization. The endotherm of the crystalline part during the gelatinization process results in a melting peak in the thermogram of starch. Starches with a high amylose content usually have a higher crystallinity and thus denser structure, resulting in higher melting and gelatinization temperatures because more energy is required to initiate the dislocation or breakage of orderly and firmly bound glycosidic bonds [ic bonds .H of the eight avocado seed starches was between 10.12 and 15.26 J/g. Starch gelatinization enthalpies determined by DSC may be related to many starch granule characteristics such as crystallinity [Reed starch showed the highest relative crystallinity among the avocado seed starches. As such, the ΔH of the Reed starch was in the greatest group among the avocado seed starches.The Δallinity . A high allinity . The ReeRe Xuan 1, Re Xuan 2, Re You 1, Re You 2, Pinkerton, Reed, Zutano, and Hass are displayed in Hass starch had the highest gelatinization initiation temperature and the Re You 1 starch had the lowest among the eight avocado seed starches, the values were found to be statistically insignificant. The pasting temperature acquired here was also consistent with that from DSC analysis and solubility experiment. Peak viscosity is an important characteristic of starch because it could be used to differentiate starch. The Re You 1 starch was found to have the highest peak viscosity. The final viscosity of these starches ranged from 290 ± 4.5 to 528 ± 2.7 cP, which corresponded to Re Xuan 2 and Re You 1, respectively. The final viscosity represents the stability of the swollen granule structure, and high values may be because linear amylose restricted the swelling of starch granules. The differences in pasting characteristics among all the avocado seed starches could be ascribed to different rheological and morphological properties of the starch granules [The pasting characteristics of the starches isolated from granules . The avoRe Xuan 1, Re Xuan 2, Re You 1, Re You 2, Pinkerton, Reed, Zutano, and Hass are shown in Re You 1, Re You 2, Pinkerton, Reed, and Hass were higher than those from Re Xuan 1, Re Xuan 2, and Zutano in the present study, which showed consistency with the RS content acquired here. At the same time, Hass had the highest amylose content, and it presented the highest RS content here. In agreement with our finding, Vatanasuchart et al. [2 = 0.76). Large starch granule size is associated with lower digestibility as it has a smaller specific surface area and thus provides fewer binding sites for digestive enzymes. The granule size of avocado starch in the present study is relatively larger than that of corn starch in [RDS, SDS, and RS contents of starches from t et al.  reportedtarch in , which mtarch in . Therefotarch in ,34, perhtarch in ,38. WithApart from the starch structure, the method per se could also induce differences in RS content, which can be reflected by comparing the results of Aparicio-Saguilán et al. , TribessThe physiochemical and functional properties of starches extracted from the seeds of eight cultivars of avocado were systematically investigated in this work. The XRD and FT-IR analyses revealed that cultivar had little influence on the crystalline structure and chemical linkage of the avocado seed starch. However, many other properties varied with different varieties, including amylose content, granule size, swelling power, water solubility, and pasting as well as thermal properties. Interestingly, the RS fractions of these avocado seed starches ranged from 63 to 78%, which was much higher than that of most uncooked native starches. This study provides valuable information on projecting the possibility of making use of avocado seeds (a food waste) for the commercial production of RS and latent related food products.


Furthermore, we observed that the decrease was more pronounced the higher the baseline SWS values were. In conclusion, the results confirm our hypothesis that the Valsalva maneuver decreases liver and spleen stiffness, showing that THE is sensitive to perfusion pressure-related changes in tissue stiffness. With its extensive organ coverage and high penetration depth, THE may facilitate translation of pressure-sensitive ultrasound elastography into clinical routine.Ultrasound elastography quantitatively measures tissue stiffness and is widely used in clinical practice to diagnose various diseases including liver fibrosis and portal hypertension. The stiffness of soft organs has been shown to be sensitive to blood flow and pressure-related diseases such as portal hypertension. Because of the intricate coupling between tissue stiffness of abdominal organs and perfusion-related factors such as vascular stiffness or blood volume, simple breathing maneuvers have altered the results of liver elastography, while other organs such as the spleen are understudied. Therefore, we investigated the effect of a standardized Valsalva maneuver on liver stiffness and, for the first time, on spleen stiffness using time-harmonic elastography (THE). THE acquires full-field-of-view stiffness maps based on shear wave speed (SWS), covers deep tissues, and is potentially sensitive to SWS changes induced by altered abdominal pressure in the hepatosplenic system. SWS of the liver and the spleen was measured in 17 healthy volunteers under baseline conditions and during the Valsalva maneuver. With the Valsalva maneuver, SWS in the liver decreased by 2.2% (from a median of 1.36 m/s to 1.32 m/s;  Ultrasound elastography (USE) can quantitatively characterize tissue stiffness and has a wide range of clinical uses in the diagnosis of various diseases such as liver fibrosis . In the Similar to portal hypertension, the Valsalva maneuver affects abdominal tissue perfusion pressure. It is defined by the forceful exhalation against a closed airway after a normal or full inspiration . AbdominThe effects of perfusion pressure changes on tissue stiffness have been investigated by both magnetic resonance elastography  and USE The aims of this study are 1) to provide new data that may help overcome the controversy about the effect of the Valsalva maneuver on liver stiffness and 2) to investigate the effects of the Valsalva maneuver on spleen stiffness for the first time.The study protocol conformed to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the institutional review board (ethics committee) of Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin (EA1/276/16). Written informed consent to participation in the experiments and publication of any potentially identifiable data was obtained from all volunteers before inclusion in the study. A group of 17 healthy adult volunteers (5 women) with a median age of 30 years  were prospectively included in the study in October 2021. Full volunteer characteristics are summarized in The most common way to perform the Valsalva maneuver is forceful expiration against a closed airway, which results in an expiratory pressure of approximately 53 mbar . In ordeTHE was performed with a commercially available elastography system  consisting of 1) an ultrasound device with a curved-array transducer for anatomic orientation, positioning, and data acquisition, 2) a vibration bed for shear wave generation, and 3) a computer for processing and displaying elastography data. The experimental setup is illustrated in k-multifrequency dual elastovisco (MDEV) inversion pipeline as described by Tzschätzsch et al.  maps of the liver and the spleen were generated using the h et al. . A regioAccording to USE guidelines , all parp < 0.05 was considered significant. Statistical analysis was performed in R  using R-Studio .SWS values for baseline and the Valsalva maneuver were calculated as medians over the five repetitions for the liver and the spleen. Statistically significant differences were identified using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Linear regression analysis was performed to assess the association between baseline SWS and the change in SWS induced by the Valsalva maneuver in the liver and the spleen. All values are displayed as medians with 25 and 75% percentiles. p = 0.021) for the liver and 0.09 m/s (p = 0.00059) for the spleen  and the spleen : the decrease in liver and spleen tissue induced by the Valsalva maneuver was more pronounced the higher the baseline SWS was  than in the liver. Moreover, the group effect in the spleen (decrease in 15 of 17 subjects) was more consistent than in the liver (decrease in 10 of 17 subjects). To the best of our knowledge, there are no other studies that have investigated the effect of the Valsalva maneuver on spleen stiffness. However, TIPS placement also affects perfusion pressure and therefore stiffness in the liver and spleen. Consistent with our results, most studies suggest that spleen stiffness better reflects the change in portal pressure induced by TIPS and may thus be a better measure than liver stiffness to assess the response to TIPS placement . In healOur findings support our hypothesis that the Valsalva maneuver lowers tissue stiffness in the liver and the spleen. The link between Valsalva maneuver and tissue stiffness was shown by previous studies which verified that 1) the Valsalva maneuver decreases abdominal perfusion pressure  and 2) aThe absolute effect size of the SWS change due to the Valsalva maneuver correlated with baseline stiffness. Interestingly, we observed similar correlations in both liver and spleen, suggesting that tissue fibrosis is not the reason for these correlations. Instead, one might speculate that different baseline vascular pressures within our cohort influenced tissue stiffness and individual responses to the Valsalva maneuver.Despite encouraging results, our study has limitations, most notably the small number of healthy subjects and the lack of hepatosplenic Doppler flow parameters for correlation. The current THE setup does not allow simultaneous acquisition of elastography data and Doppler flow parameters. Therefore, sequential acquisition of elastography and Doppler flow data would have required repeated Valsalva maneuvers, which are onerous for subjects and difficult to reproduce. Furthermore, Doppler flow measurement in the spleen during the Valsalva maneuver is technically challenging, depending on individual anatomy and especially with unfavorable sonographic conditions, and standardized measurement would not have been possible in all volunteers.In summary, stiffness of both the liver and the spleen measured in healthy volunteers by THE significantly decreased during the Valsalva maneuver. With its high sensitivity to stiffness changes induced by perfusion pressure variation as well as the large coverage of organs in combination with a high penetration depth, THE is of clinical interest for diagnosing and monitoring diseases with altered abdominal perfusion such as portal hypertension.


If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.” - Mark TwainWhen I think about what the 80 years of the now Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, I can't help but think about what Francis Bacon said about aging: “Age appears to be best in four things; old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read”. We could add that traditional publications are better to cite.This is so because a journal which managed to keep alive for 80 years not only represents the present moment, but it carries all the intellectual effort of the community that propagated its scientific ideas for this entire period.We can feel this when we turn our attention towards some of the best known journals in the world: Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, 148 years; Archives of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, 139 years; Journal of Otology Laryngology, 127 years; Laryngoscope, 123 years and Annals of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, 121 years.After all, which should be the role played by a scientific journal? Our journal started as a repository of academic discussions that occurred in the São Paulo Medical Association, in the years 30 of the last century, and it quickly expanded to be the promoter of papers presented by our colleagues in the first Brazilian Otorhinolaryngology Meetings. Later, the so-called “loose” papers began to emerge in its pages and increasingly the papers represented the national ENT community.However, this role started to be challenged with the advent of institutional graduate programs. Among other requirements, students and professors had to have their scientific studies published in journals of international visibility, so they could achieve important points in the score assigned by CAPES - the institution managing graduate programs in Brazil. Such requirement could be considered a fundamental shift in our journal's trajectory.Before, more concerned in providing space to Brazilian specialists, the journal felt motivated to be read and to have papers cited by foreign journal authors, gain international status and be inserted in indexation institutions considered by CAPES .This concern lingered in all national research sectors, and as an initiative of the FAPESP - Research Support Foundation of the State of São Paulo; the Regional Library of Medicine (BIREME) initiated a project aiming at indexing and providing visibility to the main scientific journals of Latin America. The indexation platform was called SciELO (Scientific Index Electronic Library-online) and established similar or superior publishing requirements to the ones of the main indexing agencies of the world. It intended to set a high-enough standard, so that the chosen journals could be competitive vis-à-vis foreign journals.So much so that, the then Brazilian Society of Otorhinolaryngology, considered this the ideal opportunity for the Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology (RBORL) to climb some steps in its publishing status.In order to be accepted in the SciELO, we needed regular bimonthly publications, at least 30 papers published per year and 75% of them had to be original studies. To meet these requirements it was necessary that the entire community, headed by the Brazilian Society of Otorhinolaryngology, would embark in an improvement process.At that time, there was a strong demand from the Academies of subspecialties to unify individual meetings. We then started the Triological Society Meetings, which alternated with the Brazilian Meeting, and went on to play a relevant scientific role. This was the cue for a stronger stimulation to scientific production. We then started awarding the best papers, and team of revisers started to be part of the Scientific Evaluation Committee in Meetings. In order to have the assessment, the competing papers should be referred to the meeting's Organizing Committee in full and complying with the standards required by the BJORL.At the time, we had no idea of which would be the impact of these measures. For our satisfaction, the number of papers sent to our journal increased substantially in the subsequent years - since most of the papers sent to the Meeting's contest were ready for submission and had just been delivered to our editors.With the increase in demand, it became necessary to professionalize our group of revisers and during the national Meetings we started to hold workshops with the revisers to make the assessments more uniform. The results came quickly. The evaluation time fell substantially and although the number of published papers grew, causing an increase of 200 pages per year in the journal, the percentage of papers turned down went up to 35%.Those were the conditions for our Journal to be indexed by ScIELO - revision papers - over 80 scientific papers published per year, 6 annual editions and national distribution. The indexation occurred readily, and ours was one of the first specialty journals to make it.However, we still lacked an important step for visibility. Although SciELO supplied a search platform that could be reached by anyone in the world, the issues available were only the ones uploaded after the indexation date. It was necessary to recover the large collection of more than 60 years of our journal and we did this by scanning all the previous issues and inserting them in our recently-created web page.Upon starting the scanning, we stumbled upon another bottleneck factor against the publishing flow. The growing number of submissions coming from all the states of the Brazilian Federation, and the large number of mail to and from two or three revisers created a huge pile of correspondence.IT was the solution, together with using the internet to send and receive files, a system already in use by some of the main journals in the world. Because of the cost of foreign platforms at the time, we created a totally national publishing process. So efficient, that it started to be used by most of the other journals in the country in the years to come. With this, the process of paper submission, evaluation and approval dropped from 6 to 2 months.With the guaranteed publishing flow, of course the quality of selected papers was increasing and the confidence that our journal's presence abroad could be tested was settled. The internet was a facilitator, but the culture of using paper was still prevalent in the academia. To receive greater attention from the academia, we needed to print a journal in paper, in English, which could be directly distributed to the libraries of the main universities and healthcare centers of the world. It was the beginning of the Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology (BJORL).The way paved by the journal idealizers was kept with great difficulty by a persistent community, which matured substantially in the 80 years that passed. The journal only represented the steps of this community and we can say that today it walks relentlessly to achieve the same level of excellence of this community in the international setting.® data base -one of most democratic within scientific journal bases in the world, the BJORL is considered the 49th among the 93 international journals within the ENT umbrella   carried out by the SCImago Journal & Country Rank, a portal which includes the journals contained in the Scopusumbrella . It may clean=0)  and 2, w011 carriNot bad for an 80 year-old youngster. Congratulations!


Zea mays L.), and starch pasting properties are widely used as essential indicators for quality estimation. Based on the previous studies, various genes related to pasting properties have been identified in maize. However, the loci underlying variations in starch pasting properties in maize inbred lines remain to be identified.Starch are the main nutritional components of maize  implemented in the software package FarmCPU was employed to identify genomic loci for the starch pasting properties. 48 SNPs were found to be associated with pasting properties. Moreover, 37 candidate genes were correlated with pasting properties. Among the candidate genes, GRMZM2G143646 and GRMZM2G166407 were associated with breakdown and final viscosity significantly, and both genes encode PPR (Pentatricopeptide repeat) protein. We used GWAS to explore candidate genes of maize starch pasting properties in this study. The identified candidate genes will be useful for further understanding of the genetic architecture of starch pasting properties in maize.This study showed a complex regulation network about maize quality trait and starch pasting properties. It may provide some useful markers for marker assisted selection and a basis for cloning the genes behind these SNPs. Zea mays L.), one of the most fundamental crops in the world, plays a crucial role in food, feed and industrial production. The natural population of maize shows abundant phenotypic variation and genotypic variation, offering great convenience for studying the relationship between genotype and phenotypic diversity . The population structure was assessed with unlinked markers (r2 = 0.1) using STRUCTU RE ver. 2.3.4 [The SNPs from 292 inbred lines were analyzed with the FarmCPU (Fixed and Random Model Circulating Probability Unification), which used a Fixed Effect Model (FEM) and a Random Effect Model (REM) alternately. The source code of the algorithm (references) and NCBI database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/)(references). The ShinyGO database (http://bioinformatics.sdstate.edu/go/) was used to GO analysis of the candidate genes [Based on the results, SNPs associated with starch pasting properties were identified. In this study, the genome from maize line B73 was used as the reference genome for candidate gene analysis , 40. Thete genes .