Conflicts of interest

All possible interests must be declared in the article as far they may influence author’s interpretations. A competing interest exists when professional judgment concerning a primary interest (such as the validity of research findings) may be influenced by a secondary interest (such as financial gain or personal rivalry). By requiring the disclosure of all funding sources and competing interests, we are seeking to improve the transparency of scientific communications by providing information that could be useful in the review process and in the interpretation of the author's conclusions.

In the event that a publisher or the editors suspect or are made aware of any allegation of ethical misconduct relating to both submitted manuscripts and published materials, they will carry out an investigation and pursue alleged cases. If, after investigation, the allegation is found not to be substantiated, the complainant shall be so informed. Otherwise, the Editorial Board will first seek a response from those accused. If no response is received, or the response does not deal satisfactorily with the allegations raised by the Editorial Board, the Editorial Board will make sure the allegations are further investigated either by a relevant body at the author’s institution or by a higher regulatory body.

The Editorial Board reserve the right to obtain information concerning any misconduct, to withdraw any acceptance should a case of ethical misconduct be discovered prior to publication, and to issue a retraction of the published work.

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The Editor-in-Chef will review and approve the statement prior to its publication with the paper.