Search Results (718)

Sustainable municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment in rapidly urbanizing secondary cities requires evidence-based, district-level prioritization of technologies. We integrate GIS hotspot mapping, Random Forest, and AnyLogic System Dynamics into a decision-support framework and apply it to Shymkent, Kazakhstan (population 1.19 million; ≈301,400 tonnes of MSW in 2025). This is the first application of such a framework to MSW management in a Kazakhstani secondary city and, to our knowledge, the first regional application across Central Asia; the integration concept has prior precedents in Latin American, South Asian, and East Asian metropolitan studies, and the present contribution lies in empirical calibration to a Central Asian upper-middle-income context using 2015–2025 morphological audits, air-quality and soil monitoring, and Sentinel-2 NDVI. Random Forest (n = 80, 9 predictors) achieved R² = 0.976 ± 0.011 under 5-fold cross-validation; a complementary GroupKFold protocol confirms the model is Shymkent-calibrated while the methodology remains transferable. AnyLogic simulation shows an Infrastructure/Waste-to-Energy pathway reduces the 2030 annual landfilled volume to ≈201 kt, environmental risk by 70%, and methane emissions by 86% (≈270 kt CO₂-eq/year) relative to the Inertial baseline. The principal deliverable is a District × Technology × Phase prioritization matrix for sequencing sustainable investment under realistic budget constraints. Full article

Evolutionary trees are of central importance in biology to develop explanatory frameworks for many kinds of studies, including studies of behaviour, ecology, and conservation. Since the last major estimate of evolutionary relationships among many bumblebee species two decades ago, there have been revisions to their taxonomy, descriptions of new species, and sequencing of many rarer species. By combining: (1) earlier data mostly from slow-evolving nuclear genes as a backbone tree; with (2) new data from fast-evolving mitochondrial COI barcodes to resolve more of the twigs on the tree, including sequences obtained from rare old specimens with ancient DNA techniques; as well as (3) the results from broader genomic data for resolving deep relationships, we make a Bayesian estimate of evolutionary relationships with BEAST 2 among all 289 published and accepted extant bumblebee species, an increase of more than 29% of the species on the previous largest tree. The new tree will serve as a framework for future comparative studies that should enable broader insights into the evolution and ecology of all bumblebees. We illustrate this with an analysis of the evolution of some male morphological characters related to male mate-searching behaviour. We also present a novel map of spatial variation in net diversification rates among bumblebee species world-wide, which indicates an especially rapid net diversification within the more recent Mesoamerican and South American faunas. Full article

Interbody cages are employed in spinal surgery to enhance segmental stability and facilitate decompression of the spinal cord and nerve roots. As these devices are commonly made of titanium, they produce metal-induced artifacts during postsurgical magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. This study aims to provide a descriptive comparison of five titanium interbody cage prototypes regarding the spatial extent of signal loss artifacts produced during MR imaging under phantom conditions. Five cage prototypes, 3D-printed from a titanium alloy, were imaged using a 3.0 T MR system in accordance with the F2119-07 standard of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), with advanced metal artifact reduction applied. The cages had identical external geometries but differed in metal volume, contact surface, layout, porosity, and, when applicable, hole geometry. The extent of the studied artifacts demonstrated high to very high repeatability and good to excellent reliability across all MR imaging settings. The quantified extent of signal loss artifacts was lowest for the cage prototype with a solid frame and an interior net structure. Under specific phantom MR imaging conditions, the porous cage with a frame-net layout, but without a centrally positioned hole, produces signal loss artifacts with the smallest spatial extent, which may be advantageous. However, the potential clinical translation of these findings is limited and requires future investigation. Full article

Urban informality is a defining feature of Latin American urbanisation, with estimates suggesting that up to 80% of the urban landscape has been informally built. Despite its centrality in urban development, its integration into architectural education remains limited, revealing a gap between the realities of city-making and the professional training offered by universities. This study examines how architecture programmes in Chile, Peru, and Ecuador address urban informality and the extent to which they prepare future professionals to engage with the dominant modes of urban production in the region. Using a qualitative and comparative methodology, the curricula, course descriptions, and academic lines of 50 universities were analysed across three dimensions: (1) the thematic presence of concepts related to informality, (2) the degree of curricular integration—core, transversal, or tangential—and (3) pedagogical orientation, classified as technical–normative, social–critical, or interdisciplinary. The results reveal a fragmented and uneven incorporation of urban informality. Chile shows the highest relative presence, though often embedded indirectly within broader themes such as inequality or sustainability and framed through technical–normative approaches. Peru and Ecuador display even more limited integration, generally confined to isolated courses or electives. The study argues that this marginal incorporation weakens the preparation of professionals working in contexts where informality is a structural urban condition and calls for an “informal turn” in built-environment education. Full article

Emerging evidence suggests that systemic physiological factors may influence plasma biomarker concentrations of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related neurodegenerative processes, potentially affecting their specificity for central nervous system pathology. This study examined the relationship of demographic factors and medical comorbidities with plasma biomarkers of AD and neurodegeneration in a community-dwelling cohort of Black/African American (B/AA) older adults (N = 141). Participants underwent plasma assessment of phosphorylated tau at threonine 217 (p-Tau217), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and neurofilament light chain (NfL). Results showed associations between plasma p-Tau217 and amyloid PET positivity, and significant intercorrelations among p-Tau217, GFAP, and NfL. Stepwise regression models incorporated demographics, amyloid PET status, and laboratory measures of renal, metabolic, and lipid function as predictors for each biomarker. p-Tau217 was primarily predicted by amyloid PET and renal function; GFAP by age and sex; and NfL by renal function, age, and sex. Findings indicate plasma biomarker concentrations in B/AA older adults reflect both central AD-related pathology and systemic physiological factors, particularly renal function, and demographic influences. Results underscore the importance of accounting for comorbid medical conditions and demographic characteristics when interpreting blood-based biomarkers and highlight the need for comprehensive medical phenotyping to improve diagnostic specificity and clinical utility. Full article

Monitoring ambient air quality is essential for assessing environmental conditions and examining relationships among pollution indicators. This study presents a cross-sectional comparative analysis of key air quality indicators (PM_2.5, O₃, NO₂, SO₂, CO, and volatile organic compounds), together with a contextual variable related to pollution exposure (household solid fuels), across countries in Latin America and the Caribbean for the year 2024. The objective is to characterize air quality profiles by analyzing the interrelationships among indicators and the relative positioning of countries, integrating both elements within a multivariate framework. Multivariate statistical techniques, including HJ-Biplot and cluster analysis, were applied to provide an integrated representation of the data. The results indicate differences in the configuration of air quality indicators across countries, with some Caribbean countries associated with lower levels of pollution indicators, while several South and Central American countries are associated with higher levels. These results also suggest associations between air quality indicators and factors such as industrial activity proxies, population density, and the use of household solid fuels. Given the cross-sectional nature of the data, these findings should be interpreted as associations rather than causal relationships. Full article

The intensification of urbanization and the environmental crisis highlight the need for new paradigms of sustainable urban development, in which mobility plays a central role. This article analyzes sustainable urban mobility initiatives in Latin American knowledge territories through a comparative framework that integrates Knowledge-Based Urban Development (KBUD) and urban circularity principles. Grounded in the Fourth-Generation Knowledge Territories (TC4) perspective, the study focuses on governance models and social participation as drivers of transformative mobility practices. Methodologically, it adopts a qualitative and exploratory case study approach, combining primary data from field visits with secondary sources such as legislation, institutional documents, and technical reports. Despite the proliferation of science parks and innovation districts in Latin America, little is known about how governance and social participation shape sustainable mobility initiatives in these contexts, particularly when analyzed through the combined lenses of KBUD and urban circularity. The comparative analysis reveals varying degrees of openness and limitations in urban mobility governance across the three territories selected (distritotec—Mexico, Parque Patricios—Argentina, and Porto Digital—Brazil). The findings reveal distinct governance configurations and degrees of alignment with circular mobility principles. Distritotec stands out for its multistakeholder governance and community-led mobility initiatives, reflecting efforts to operationalize the quintuple helix model. Parque Patricios shows fragmented integration between infrastructure improvements and participatory planning, while Porto Digital presents limited articulation between innovation policies and sustainable mobility, with centralized governance and low public engagement. Persistent challenges observed throughout the cases include the weak institutionalization of citizen participation, insufficient strategies to disincentivize private car use, and a lack of data governance mechanisms. Full article

The American Heart Association (AHA) recently formalized cardiovascular–kidney–metabolic (CKM) syndrome to characterize the systemic interplay among cardiovascular failure, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and metabolic disturbances. Despite evolving clinical management, identifying a unifying cellular driver of this multi-organ deterioration remains a critical priority. This review explores the hypothesis that mitochondrial dysfunction serves as the fundamental pathological nexus of CKM syndrome, driving the progression from early-stage metabolic risk to end-stage organ failure. We synthesize evidence demonstrating how nutrient overload and lipotoxicity precipitate a vicious cycle of bioenergetic failure. In the cardiovascular system, ATP deficiency and impaired mitophagy lead to the structural remodeling observed in both heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). In the kidney, the high mitochondrial density of proximal tubules renders them uniquely susceptible to oxidative stress and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) leakage, which subsequently triggers systemic inflammation. Furthermore, we analyze how established therapies—including sodium–glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, and non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs)—exert organ-protective effects via mitochondrial mechanisms, promoting metabolic efficiency, reducing reactive oxygen species generation, stabilizing mitochondrial integrity, and promoting mitochondrial quality control processes. Finally, we review emerging mitochondrial-targeted strategies, such as mitoquinol, elamipretide and NAD+ boosters, which aim to restore the SIRT1-PGC-1 α signaling axis. Mitochondria function as the central engines of the CKM axis. A shift toward a mitocentric clinical model may enable earlier intervention and more precise targeting of the mechanisms driving organ crosstalk. Future success depends on multidisciplinary collaboration and the validation of mitochondrial biomarkers to advance precision medicine in CKM syndrome. Full article

In the history as well as historiography of Chinese Buddhism, the tradition has often been closely associated with death-related cultural practices and ideas, an association that has frequently carried negative connotations. Early twentieth-century reformers such as Taixu famously criticized Buddhism as a religion of ghosts and funerals and sought to redirect Mahāyāna Buddhism toward engagement with an urban, modernizing society. Contemporary Taiwanese Buddhists have realized many aspects of this socially engaged vision. Yet concern with death remains deeply embedded in Buddhist life. Far from standing in contradiction to social engagement, this concern has become one of its central expressions, most visibly in the emergence of modern Buddhist palliative care. Focusing on the writings of the scholar-monk Shi Huimin, this article examines the development of Buddhist palliative care in Taiwan in response to a secular, multireligious, and rapidly aging society, with primary attention to Huimin’s conceptual work. Rather than treating death in isolation, Huimin situates dying within a broader ethical horizon that links good death to good aging, good living, and community formation. Through his reinterpretation of the Five Śīlas and his notion of a Community Pure Land, he extends prevailing concerns with dying well toward a more comprehensive reflection on everyday moral cultivation, healthy lifestyles, and communal responsibility. In this sense, the study reads Buddhist palliative care as a site that “provincializes” dominant Euro-American frameworks of spiritual and palliative care, highlighting their particular historical and Christian-inflected origins while tracing how they are reconfigured and made productive in a multireligious, secular context. By foregrounding Huimin’s conceptual contributions, this study highlights how palliative and spiritual care are localized and reworked within Taiwanese Buddhism, connecting end-of-life care to broader questions of life, aging, and community well-being. Full article

Background/Objectives: This regional case study evaluated the affordability and serving accuracy of a publicly available one-week DASH meal plan for single-woman households using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in central Kentucky. Methods: For each food item in the one-week plan, total grocery costs and per-serving costs were calculated using January 2025 prices from two national grocery chains commonly patronized in an urban area in central Kentucky. Calculated costs were compared to the average weekly food cost for women aged 20–50 years in a single household based on the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP). Servings for food groups and categories were calculated using MyPlate and American Heart Association guidelines to compare with those reported in the one-week plan. Results: The total grocery cost was $262.17, including staple foods expected to last more than a week. The adjusted per-serving cost of $82.90 was 21.19% higher than the average weekly food cost based on the January 2025 TFP. All food groups and categories except dairy showed differences of at least one serving between our calculations and the one-week plan. Conclusions: Findings from this case study on grocery costs suggest that the one-week plan may pose affordability challenges in this regional context and continued evaluation of whether SNAP benefit allotments based on TFP adequately reflect regional food cost variations may be warranted. Discrepancies in total servings highlight the need to improve the accuracy of publicly available DASH resources and to review these materials for consistency and accuracy. Full article

Glacial ice cores are evidence of past environmental conditions through gases and particulate matter trapped within the drilled material. The Central Andes in the South American region are highly sensitive to climate changes; a long record of temperature and precipitation variability can be found in relation to massive ice caps. Available oxygen isotope data from three glacial ice cores from Nevados Sajama, Huascaran and Illimani (Peru and Bolivia) drilled over the last decades in the Central Andes are revisited to investigate climate variability over the past seven millennia, a period characterized globally by remarkable climatic stability. The analysis revealed statistically significant millennial- and centennial-scale periodicities in the isotope records ranging from centennial to millennial timescales. These cycles have periods of 1.3, 0.87, 0.67, 0.46, and 0.25 kiloyears (ka). A series of regional temperature minima and maxima are also identified. This variability in the Andean climate during the mid and late Holocene is interpreted as being strongly controlled by changes in solar activity, in particular, the forcing of “grand solar minima” is recognized. Likewise, less frequent climate changes could be correlated with Bond cycles and increased or decreased activity of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (also known as AMOC or the thermohaline), among other climate forcings such as volcanic activity. Full article

This study examines the evolution of the scientific literature on mining and heavy metals, with a particular focus on biosanitary risks associated with childhood exposure. The research integrates a systematic literature review following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology, combined with a bibliometric analysis of Scopus-indexed publications, international epidemiological data, and an evaluation of the socio-environmental context in Ecuadorian mining regions. The PRISMA-based screening process was applied to identify, filter, and select relevant peer-reviewed studies, enabling the delimitation of a focused corpus of literature, with particular attention given to scientific contributions produced by Latin American researchers and institutions. The results reveal a significant concentration of knowledge production among a limited number of countries and institutions, the dominance of English as the main language of scientific communication, and the centrality of journals in environmental sciences and toxicology. While notable progress has been made in identifying contaminants and exposure pathways, governance structures, territorial disparities, and policy implementation processes remain insufficiently explored. In Ecuador, the rapid growth of mining concessions in ecologically sensitive zones presents potential threats to children’s neurocognitive development, highlighting the urgent need for ongoing surveillance, biomonitoring programs, and preventive public health measures. The study emphasizes the importance of strengthening regional research capacity and fostering more equitable international scientific collaborations to ensure that knowledge production is responsive to local contexts and effectively safeguards vulnerable populations. Full article

Conserving biodiversity requires identifying and prioritizing critical habitats at a fine scale, as coarse-scale approaches often fail to address the needs of specialized and threatened species. This study applies a fine-scale prioritization approach across temperate and tropical regions of North America and the Caribbean using a detailed map of 636 ecosystem types and high-resolution Area of Habitat (AOH) data. We then evaluated the current protection status and risk of future land use changes for each habitat type and prioritized them for conservation. Our results revealed that 38% of the area was identified in the top quartile of high-priority habitats, with 56 (33%) of identified IUCN threatened ecosystem types captured within these areas. Top priority habitats include the Meso-American Premontane Semi-deciduous Forest, Central American Caribbean Evergreen Lowland Forest, and Guerreran Dry Deciduous Forest, all characterized by low protection, high projected land-use conversion, and large numbers of threatened and habitat-specialist species, highlighting their urgent conservation importance in Meso-American and Caribbean tropical forests. Our findings emphasize the need for targeted conservation strategies that consider finer-scale habitat classifications and species requirements to improve the precision of conservation planning, especially where already at-risk species and ecosystems are located, and human land use intensities are high. Full article

This qualitative study investigates the challenges teachers face when teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) to deaf (in this article, deaf (lower case) refers to the audiological condition of hearing loss, whereas Deaf (capitalized) is used to denote individuals who identify as members of the Deaf community and share a common sign language and distinct cultural values) and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students in German schools for the Deaf. The study is situated within a structural–theoretical professionalization framework, which focuses on the relationship between institutional conditions, teacher education structures, and professional action. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 teachers of DHH students and the data were examined using qualitative content analysis. The findings reveal five central areas of challenge: (1) heterogeneity of the student body; (2) limited time (for preparing and adapting materials); (3) restricted subject-matter and sign-language competence, including missing links between EFL didactics and Deaf education in teacher training; (4) uncertainties surrounding the language design of EFL instruction, particularly the role of American Sign Language (ASL), German Sign Language (DGS), and written English; and (5) the lack of consistent, accessible exam formats and standards. Teachers report substantial insecurity due to the absence of coherent concepts, policy frameworks, and specialized training pathways, which fosters divergent classroom practices and tensions within teaching staff. The results highlight an urgent need for systematic integration of Deaf education, sign language training, and EFL pedagogy in teacher education, as well as for evidence-based guidelines on language classroom practice and assessment for DHH learners. Full article

Background: Magnesium sulfate (MgSO₄) has been investigated as an adjuvant in perioperative analgesia because of its antagonistic effects on the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA receptor) and its potential to attenuate central sensitization. However, clinical findings regarding its analgesic efficacy remain inconsistent across surgical procedures. Lumbar microdiscectomy is a common spinal procedure in which effective early postoperative pain control is important for patient comfort and early mobilization. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of intraoperative MgSO₄ administration on early postoperative analgesia and perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing lumbar microdiscectomy. Methods: This retrospective single-center cohort study included thirty-eight patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I–II who underwent elective single-level lumbar microdiscectomy under general anesthesia. Patients were divided into two groups according to intraoperative magnesium administration: a control group receiving standard anesthesia without MgSO₄ (n = 19) and an MgSO₄ group receiving an intravenous MgSO₄ bolus of 30 mg/kg followed by a continuous infusion of 10 mg/kg/h until skin closure (n = 19). Postoperative pain intensity was assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) at 0, 5, 10, 15, and 30 min after admission to the post-anesthesia care unit. Secondary outcomes included intraoperative remifentanil consumption, extubation time, and time to first mobilization. Complementary in silico analyses included molecular docking and protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. Results: Postoperative NRS scores were numerically lower in the MgSO₄ group; however, between-group differences were not statistically significant. Mean intraoperative remifentanil consumption was numerically lower in the MgSO₄ group (236 ± 166 µg) compared with the control group (319 ± 298 µg), without statistical significance (p = 0.27). Repeated-measures analysis demonstrated the significant effect of time on postoperative NRS scores, whereas the overall group effect was not significant. Molecular analyses indicated stable morphine binding to opioid receptors and highlighted glutamatergic signaling components as central nodes within the interaction network. Conclusions: Intraoperative MgSO₄ administration was not associated with significant improvements in early postoperative pain scores or perioperative recovery parameters following lumbar microdiscectomy. Molecular analyses provide exploratory in silico insights and should be interpreted cautiously given the retrospective design and the in silico nature of these findings. Full article