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Governments engage in infrastructural developments across the globe, and the level of success often colligates with institutional quality levels. However, despite the presence of governance, the lack of well‐developed infrastructure has bedevilled sub‐Saharan African (SSA) countries for decades. Therefore, this study investigates the governance‐led infrastructural development hypothesis for the SSA region from an institutional quality perspective towards addressing the infrastructural deficit challenges of the region. A combination of advanced panel econometric techniques was applied to data collected from the African Development Bank, World Bank World Development Indicator, and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to investigate the governance‐led infrastructural development hypothesis in SSA while controlling for financial development, economic growth, and industrialization in the region. The findings show that the interaction of institutional quality measures and governance indicators significantly and positively induces infrastructure in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). Additionally, while economic growth and financial development yield no expected significant influence on infrastructural developments, industrialization plays a crucial role, as its spillover effects are not confined to boosting economic growth alone but also to infrastructural transformations. Thus, the provision of policy frameworks by authorities to strengthen institutions and promote good governance is vital for articulating and facilitating infrastructural development plans for SSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the role of institutional structures in the relationship between trade openness and financial development in sub‐Saharan economies. The study is based on empirical data from sampled sub‐Saharan African countries for a period of 1996–2017. The system generalized method of moment was employed to estimate the models. The findings suggest that, even though trade openness has a positive significant influence on the level of financial development in sub‐Saharan African economies, this relationship is enhanced through the presence of good institutions in these economies. Thus, for these economies to realize the full benefit of the effect of trade openness on financial development, they need to strengthen their institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless Powered Communication Networks (WPCNs) represent a transformative approach to address the energy demands of mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. By integrating Nonorthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) and Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces (IRS), we can significantly enhance system performance, extend coverage, and elevate the sum rate. NOMA efficiently utilizes the entire bandwidth by employing a power allocation strategy, whereas IRS, serving as an alternative to traditional relay amplification, further bolsters the sum rate. Despite these advancements, optimizing the sum rate introduces a nonconvex optimization challenge, primarily owing to the signal‐to‐interference‐plus‐noise ratio (SINR) complexities introduced by NOMA's Successive Interference Cancellation (SIC). Traditional convex optimization solvers, such as the CVX, struggle to address nonconvexity directly. Consequently, they were unable to produce the desired outcome. Moreover, the combination of multiple technologies to improve the sum rate complicates the optimization framework, necessitating a multitude of constraints that not only heightens the mathematical complexity but also induces errors through the requisite approximations for convexity conversion. To circumvent these hurdles, we advocate the application of a minimum constrained nonlinear multivariable function (Fmincon). This approach enables us to tackle the nonconvex problem head‐on, maintaining consistent simulation parameters while limiting constraints to two pivotal factors: joint optimization of the transmit power ( PT$$ {P}_T $$) and transmit time ( Tx$$ {T}_x $$). This strategic simplification mitigates complexity and minimizes errors. Our numerical analyses confirmed the efficacy of the proposed model and optimization technique. By co‐optimizing the transmission power and time, we achieved a notable sum rate. Comparative evaluations with extant models underscored the superior performance of our proposed framework, marking a significant stride in WPCN advancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about the effects of photoperiod on the testicular transcriptome of broiler roosters is limited. The aim of the present study was to explore the effect of different photoperiodic regimes on gene expression in the testes of broiler breeder roosters. One hundred and twenty Arbor Acres broiler breeder roosters aged 20 weeks were assigned to one of three groups (n = 40) and subjected to different photoperiodic regimes: control (CTR; 12.5 L:11.5 D), short day (SD; 8 L:16 D) and long day (LD; 16 L:8 D). After 4 weeks, the testes of 10 randomly selected birds from each group were dissected, sliced and haematoxylin‐eosin stained. The testicular transcriptome of roosters from the SD and LD groups was determined by RNA sequencing (RNA‐Seq), and the results were confirmed using quantitative real‐time PCR. The seminiferous tubule area and sperm count increased significantly with the prolongation of photoperiod (p <.01). Additionally, the RNA‐Seq results indicated that 387 genes were upregulated and 1,052 genes were downregulated in the LD group compared with those in the SD group. Several crucial genes involved in rooster testicular development and reproduction were also screened, including heat shock proteins 90, extracellular regulated protein kinases 1, phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase, adenosine 5'‐monophosphate ‐activated protein kinase, BCL‐6 and Smad3. The differentially expressed genes were enriched in the mammalian targets of rapamycin (mTOR), forkhead box (FoxO), transforming growth factor beta (TGF‐β) and insulin signalling pathway. In conclusion, a 16 hr photoperiod for 4 weeks increased the seminiferous tubule duct area and promoted spermatogenesis in the rooster's testicles, and the mTOR, FoxO, TGF‐β and insulin signalling pathways may be involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]