Search Results (11,935)

Phenotypic and genetic divergence along environmental gradients often reflects local adaptation in broadly distributed species. The Fabaceae family is one of the largest and most ecologically important angiosperm groups; it has a centre of diversity in South America and shows high versatility in arid and disturbed environments. Here, we selected Vachelliacaven, a native tree with ecological breadth and taxonomic complexity, to investigate whether phenotypic trait variation among populations reflects adaptive divergence. We examined neutral genetic differentiation in six varieties among populations from Argentina, quantified the phenotypic differentiation of quantitative traits by an ANOVA, and performed P_ST—F_ST comparisons. We also assessed correlations between phenotypic variation, environmental variables, genotypic variation, and geographic distances. F_ST estimates revealed significant genetic divergence (0.329), in line with isolation by distance and environmental heterogeneity. P_ST—F_ST comparisons showed that all traits were under diversifying selection, supporting the hypothesis of adaptive phenotypic variation. We further detected that fruit width and length were significantly correlated with specific environmental variables like precipitation and temperature. These findings confirm that phenotypic divergence in V. caven is shaped by both geographic and environmental factors. This study offers a preliminary insight into the local adaptation of the examined traits, highlighting how morphological and genetic differentiation has enabled V. caven to thrive in diverse environments and contributing information as to how to face climate change scenarios. Full article

Traditional statistical approaches identify group-level associations between biomarkers and rupture status in intracranial aneurysms (IAs) but often miss nonlinear interactions at the patient level. Methods: The authors retrospectively analyzed 35 saccular IAs in 35 patients (57.1% ruptured) from a single center (2021–2023). Demographics, detailed morphology (e.g., neck width, aspect ratio, VERTI, irregular shape), and multi-site inflammatory/immune markers (CRP; complement C3/C4; IgA/IgG/IgM) were included. After preprocessing (min–max scaling; one-hot encoding), five algorithms (DT, AdaBoost, GBM, XGBoost, RF) were evaluated with stratified five-fold CV and class balancing via random oversampling. The primary model (Random Forest) was tuned with Optuna and explained using global feature importance and LIME. The results showed that baseline RF achieved CV ROC-AUC 0.81 and test ROC-AUC 0.92 (test accuracy 0.857). The tuned RF (with oversampling and Optuna) yielded a mean CV accuracy of 0.85 ± 0.09 and CV ROC-AUC of 0.98 ± 0.07 while maintaining test ROC-AUC of 0.92. The average precision on the test PR curve was 0.97. The most influential predictors combined inflammatory markers (CRP, C3, C4) with morphology (neck width, irregular shape). LIME revealed consistent local patterns: low A.CRP/C.CRP and lower C3/C4 favored Not-Broken, whereas higher CRP/complement with smaller neck and irregular shape pushed toward Broken classifications. It can be concluded that an interpretable machine learning (ML) pipeline captured clinically plausible, nonlinear interactions between inflammation and aneurysm geometry. Integrating explainable ML with conventional statistics may enhance rupture risk stratification, enable patient-level rationale, and inform personalized management. These results could significantly contribute to the quality of treatment for patients with intracranial aneurysms. Full article

Shovel head worms (Annelida: Magelonidae) have long presented challenges to polychaete systematists due to their unique morphology and relative uniformity. This has been compounded by a lack of taxonomic work across key biogeographic regions. However, over the past few decades, a series of studies has progressively addressed these issues, refining our understanding of magelonid taxonomy and making taxonomic revisions of several regions. Whilst a standardised framework for morphological characters across the family has been produced, a worldwide review of taxonomic knowledge has been warranted. The information is herein presented alongside the first worldwide identification key in over 50 years. The much-needed key is presented in two formats: a dichotomous key divided by marine realms, and a pictorial key based on putative morphological groups. The key is additionally supplemented by the provision of an interactive map providing type locality data and links to taxonomic works. The pictorial key provides additional support for the unique terminology historically applied to the group. The genus Maea Johnston, 1865 is herein re-established for fifteen species possessing long rounded prostomia without horns, but possessing mucronate chaetae of the ninth chaetiger, and lateral abdominal pouches. Full article

Background: Surface chemistry and cleanliness are widely regarded as important factors influencing the host response to titanium dental implants. Despite advances in manufacturing and sterilization, trace residues may persist at the nanoscale even in commercially sterile devices. This study provides a preliminary evaluation of premium-grade titanium dental implants using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) to assess surface chemical uniformity and trace contaminant distribution. Method: Two commercially available titanium implants from Schütz Dental were analyzed under static and dynamic ToF-SIMS modes using Bi₃⁺ and Cs⁺ ion beams. Both positive and negative ion spectra were collected to identify elemental and molecular species. Chemical mapping and depth profiling were performed to evaluate contaminant distribution and surface depth composition. Results: In the two implants analyzed, the surfaces were dominated by TiO⁺ and TiO₂⁺ species, consistent with a native titanium oxide layer. In both analyzed implants, localized contaminants—including fluorine, chlorine, sulfur, CN groups, and organic residues—were detected within the outermost ~0.1 µm. These signals showed heterogeneous distribution along the thread-related regions within the analyzed ROIs, compatible with residues originating from machining, surface treatments, packaging, and/or sterilization steps. Conclusions: The present data support only the descriptive finding that trace contaminants were detected on the two analyzed implants. ToF-SIMS enabled nanoscale chemical mapping and depth profiling of these residues, supporting the feasibility of this approach for trace-level surface auditing and hypothesis generation. Any biological/clinical implications remain speculative and require dedicated in vitro/in vivo validation on larger sample sets. Full article

The rapid expansion of tourism in Bali and Lombok has precipitated a state of overtourism, critically challenging their ecological and socio-cultural carrying capacities. This study, conducted between 2023 and 2024, employs a qualitative case study approach to investigate the manifestations of overtourism and the efficacy of prevailing mitigation strategies. Data were collected through 32 in-depth interviews, four focus group discussions, and extensive field observations across key destinations in both islands. The findings reveal that overtourism is not merely a function of high visitor numbers but a symptom of systemic governance failure. Key manifestations include acute environmental degradation, the commodification of cultural heritage, and significant economic leakage that marginalizes local communities. These issues are exacerbated by fragmented policy, weak regulatory enforcement, and the exclusion of local voices from tourism planning. The study concludes that technical solutions such as visitor quotas are insufficient without a fundamental governance paradigm shift. Effective mitigation requires an integrated approach centered on strict carrying capacity enforcement, genuine community empowerment through Community-Based Tourism (CBT), and the strategic use of digital tools for visitor dispersion. This research provides an empirically grounded framework that underscores the imperative of a fundamental governance paradigm shift, aligning tourism development in island destinations with the principles of sustainability and equity. Full article

Background: SARS-CoV-2 infection has raised concerns about altered immune responses, creating a need to evaluate influenza vaccine performance in the post-COVID period. This study aimed to compare the immunogenicity and safety of a quadrivalent inactivated subunit adjuvanted influenza vaccine in adults aged 18–85 years during the 2022–2023 season. Methods: A total of 144 adults were enrolled: group 1, aged 18–59 years (n = 124), and group 2, aged 60–85 years (n = 20). All received a quadrivalent inactivated subunit adjuvanted vaccine containing 5 μg of each influenza antigen and 500 μg of Azoximer bromide. IgG antibodies to vaccine strains were measured at baseline and days 30–32 using the hemagglutination inhibition assay. Participants were actively monitored for adverse events by telephone. Results: The Geometric Mean Fold Increase (GMFI) met the efficacy criteria in both age groups (≥2.5 for 18–59 years and ≥2.0 for 60–85 years), with no significant differences. The seroprotection rate reached accepted thresholds for most strains but was below criteria for B/Victoria in the 18–59 group (48%) and for B/Phuket in the 60–85 group (35%). Significant between-group differences were observed for B/Victoria (p = 0.01) and B/Phuket (p = 0.007). Seroconversion met criteria for all strains in younger adults, but for older adults, it was insufficient for B/Phuket (20%, below the ≥30% threshold; p = 0.05 vs. 18–59 years). Local reactions occurred in 24.2% and systemic in 11.3% of younger adults; in older adults, in 20% and 15%, respectively. All resolved spontaneously within 1–3 days. Conclusions: The quadrivalent adjuvanted influenza vaccine demonstrated acceptable immunogenicity and safety in adults aged 18–85 years despite potential post-COVID immune alterations. Full article

Energy-aware distributed manufacturing has become a key focus in modern production systems due to the growing demand for sustainable and efficient operations. This study investigates the energy-aware distributed flexible job shop scheduling problem with job priority, where multiple factories cooperate to process prioritized jobs under energy consumption considerations. Considering job priorities is essential for reflecting the practical importance and urgency of different customer orders, which directly affects scheduling fairness and production responsiveness. The proposed bi-objective model aims to simultaneously minimize total weighted tardiness and total energy consumption, accounting for both processing and idle power. To effectively solve this complex NP-hard problem, a knowledge-guided deep reinforcement learning approach is developed. Domain knowledge is integrated into a double deep Q-network to guide the adaptive selection of local search operators, while a co-evolutionary mechanism maintains global exploration and accelerates convergence. Extensive computational experiments are conducted on 24 benchmark instances, which are categorized into five groups according to factory scale, with the maximum problem size reaching 160 jobs × 6 machines × 5 factories, together with a real-world case study. Compared with four state-of-the-art multi-objective baseline algorithms (NSGA-II, MOPSO, MOEA/D, and SPEA2), the proposed D2QN-COEA demonstrates substantial performance advantages. On average, it achieves an HV improvement of 23.1% compared with the best-performing baseline on each instance, while GD and IGD are reduced by 70.8% and 63.7%, respectively. When averaged across all four baseline algorithms, D2QN-COEA yields improvements of 203.4% in HV, 83.9% in GD, 79.9% in IGD, and 70.8% in Spacing, confirming its superior convergence accuracy and solution diversity. The results confirm that embedding domain knowledge into deep reinforcement learning enhances optimization robustness and provides an intelligent solution for energy-efficient distributed scheduling in modern manufacturing systems. Full article

This article addresses a key evidence gap in urban safety policy in Colombia: the absence of publicly accessible microdata that jointly measure victimization, perception of security, and probability of sanctions among socioeconomically vulnerable residents. It aims to provide a clean, linkable dataset that enables analysis of variations in these issues across demographic and territorial groups in Cali (recently classified as the 29th most dangerous city worldwide, with 1028 and 1065 homicides in 2024 and 2025, respectively). It reports face-to-face survey data collected from 22 July to 16 August 2024, at Sistema de Identificación de Potenciales Beneficiarios de Programas Sociales (SISBEN) service points. The final dataset includes 2139 adults (aged 18–95 years) and combines (i) primary responses on perceived safety (e.g., public space safety and surveillance cameras), perceived likelihood of sanction, victimization, and self-protection measures with (ii) selected sociodemographic and household characteristics drawn from SISBEN IV records. Individual-level linkage was implemented using respondent identification at interviews, yielding an integrated anonymized file suitable for replication and secondary analysis. The dataset enables distributive analyses of insecurity (e.g., by sex, age, and ethnicity—including Afro-descendant populations) within a policy-relevant target group and supports evaluation and targeting of local interventions by providing individual-level indicators. Full article

Background/Objectives: Türkiye is located at the intersection of major international migration routes and plays a critical role in global migrant health. The growing immigrant and refugee population has introduced new challenges to healthcare systems (HCSs), particularly in emergency departments (EDs). This study aims to address a gap in the literature by evaluating the reasons foreign nationals present to the ED, their diagnostic distribution, and access to healthcare services in relation to sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: This retrospective study included foreign nationals who presented to the Emergency Department of Balikesir University Hospital between January 2020 and June 2025. Sociodemographic and clinical data were obtained from the hospital information management system. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographic and clinical characteristics, including gender, nationality, admission period, diagnosis groups, laboratory testing, consultations, and patient outcomes. Results: A total of 6366 foreign nationals were included. Of these, 66.4% were female and 33.6% were male, with a mean age of 31.9 years for females and 26.8 years for males. Syrians constituted the largest group (50%). ED visits occurred most frequently in spring (30.1%) and peaked in 2024. The majority of patients (99.3%) were managed as outpatients. The most common diagnoses were internal medicine-related conditions (36.1%) and genitourinary emergencies (32.2%). Consultations were most frequently requested from the obstetrics and gynecology department (21.2%). Overall, 92.9% of patients were discharged from the ED. Conclusions: The findings suggest that foreign nationals often use emergency services as an alternative to primary healthcare. Low rates of laboratory and imaging utilization indicate that most ED visits were for non-urgent and uncomplicated conditions. Factors such as language barriers, communication difficulties, prolonged observation times, and limited social support may contribute to this pattern. This study provides comprehensive local data on the emergency care utilization of foreign nationals in Türkiye and offers valuable insights for healthcare planning and policy development. Full article

This study employs cooperative, behavioural, and experimental game theory to examine how forest rights are negotiated among tribal communities, government agencies, and civil society organisations in the western Himalayas. It explores how claims over access, governance, and benefit-sharing regarding forest resources are asserted, contested, and mediated in a complex socio-political environment. This research adopts a mixed-methods approach. Qualitative data from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Quantitative data from structured surveys and field-based experiments. The findings underscore the importance of integrating traditional knowledge systems with modern development policies. This study emphasises the need for sustainable and inclusive strategies that protect both the environment and local livelihoods. Full article

Background/Objectives: Physical exercise reduces breast cancer (BC) risk and improves survival, yet the biological mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Exercise may modulate systemic immunity and local immune cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we examined the effects of exercise on immune cells and immune-related markers in patients with BC. Methods: This study followed PRISMA guidelines and was prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251082444). Four databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library) were searched from inception through December 2025. Randomized controlled trials evaluating exercise interventions in patients with BC or BC survivors and reporting immune cell outcomes were included. Meta-analyses were performed on studies reporting natural killer cells, natural killer cell activity, T-cell subpopulations, and B cells. Results: A total of 18 studies involving 911 participants (539 in exercise intervention groups) were included in the systematic review, with eight studies included in meta-analyses. Exercise interventions did not show significant effects on circulating natural killer cell counts, natural killer cell activity, T-cell subpopulations (CD3⁺, CD4⁺, and CD8⁺), or B-cell levels when compared to control groups. Conclusions: Exercise does not appear to induce consistent changes in resting circulating immune cell populations in patients with BC or BC survivors, indicating that exercise is immunologically safe while potentially exerting effects beyond circulating cell counts. Further large-scale research is required. Full article

In the traditional $(H,r,M,N)$ combination network, a central server storing N files communicates with $K=(\genfrac{}{}{0pt}{}{H}{r})$ users through H cache-less relays. Each user has a local cache of size M files and is connected to a distinct subset of r relays. This paper studies the $(H,r,L,\mathrm{\Lambda },M,N)$ combination network with multi-access caching, where $\mathrm{\Lambda }$ cache nodes (each of size M files) are available and each user can access L cache nodes. We show that in the regime $H\ge \mathrm{\Lambda }$ and $r\ge L$, an achievable design can be obtained via a group-wise operation, which reduces the scheme design within each group to an effective $(\mathrm{\Lambda },L,L,\mathrm{\Lambda },M,N)$ instance. For the case $\mathrm{\Lambda }=H$ and $L=r$, we further propose an explicit coded caching scheme constructed via two array-based representations (a cache-node placement array and a user-retrieve array) and a derived combinatorial placement delivery array (CPDA) based on the Maddah-Ali–Niesen (MN) placement strategy. Numerical comparisons using the user-retrievable cache ratio as the evaluation metric indicate that the proposed scheme approaches the converse bound of the traditional combination network, and the performance gap diminishes as the cache ratio increases. Full article

Objectives: The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential preventive effect of Total Flavonoids from Sea Buckthorn Leaves (Fla) on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) in mice from an integrated perspective of “gut microbiota–host interaction,” and to elucidate its regulatory mechanism within the microbiota–metabolite–barrier–immune axis. Methods: A DSS-induced UC mouse model was established, and mice were randomly assigned into normal control, model, mesalazine, and Fla low, middle, and high–dose groups. Disease severity, colonic barrier integrity, inflammatory cytokines, gut microbiota composition, and short-chain fatty acid levels were evaluated using histopathological, molecular biological, and metabolomic analyses. Result: Fla significantly ameliorated colonic damage and other pathological symptoms. It enhanced intestinal barrier integrity by upregulating ZO-1, E-cadherin, and MUC2 expression and suppressed inflammation by reducing TNF-α and IL-6 levels. Furthermore, Fla reshaped gut microbiota, increasing beneficial Akkermansia abundance, and elevated short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, with the most pronounced effects observed at the middle dose. Conclusions: In summary, in this preventive model, Fla synergistically enhances intestinal barrier function and suppresses excessive local inflammatory responses by reshaping the gut microbiota and promoting SCFA production, ultimately alleviating UC. This study provides scientific evidence for the high-value utilization of sea buckthorn leaves (a by-product) and offers new insights for developing microbiome-based preventive strategies for UC. Full article

Peripheral nerve regeneration is most rapid during the early post-injury period but gradually slows over time, often limiting functional recovery. Electrical stimulation (ES) delivered via percutaneous needle electrodes has been shown to modulate the local neural microenvironment and promote axonal regeneration; however, the optimal temporal window and duration of stimulation remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the time-dependent effects of needle-based ES on peripheral nerve regeneration in a rat model of sciatic nerve transection, using a well-established silicone nerve conduit as a stable and reproducible non-biodegradable repair model. Female Sprague–Dawley rats underwent sciatic nerve transection and repair. Postoperatively (PO), animals were randomly assigned to control (C) needle insertion or needle-based ES groups, receiving stimulation for either 3 weeks (C-3W-PO and ES-3W-PO, respectively) or 7 weeks (C-7W-PO and ES-7W-PO, respectively). Functional recovery was evaluated using cold plate latency and rotarod performance tests. Electrophysiological assessments included measurements of nerve conduction velocity (NCV), compound muscle action potential amplitude, and muscle action potential (MAP) area. Histomorphometric analysis of regenerated nerve tissue quantified total nerve cross-sectional area, endoneurial space, axon number, and axon density. Retrograde labeling with fluoro-gold (FG) was used to quantify reinnervated motor neurons. Immunohistochemical analyses of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and macrophage-associated markers were conducted to assess sensory neuropeptide expression and immune cell infiltration within the regenerated nerve. ES significantly improved both sensory and motor recovery in a duration-dependent manner. Behavioral data showed increased cold pain thresholds and improved motor coordination in ES groups, with the most pronounced functional gains observed in the ES-7W-PO group. Electrophysiological measures revealed higher NCV, amplitude, and MAP area in ES-treated animals, with the most pronounced improvements at 7 weeks. Morphologically, ES enhanced nerve regeneration, as evidenced by increased total and endoneurial areas, axonal counts, and axon density. FG-labeled neuron counts were significantly elevated in ES groups, indicating enhanced motor reinnervation. At 3 weeks, ES induced higher CGRP expression and macrophage density, suggesting transient activation of sensory-associated and pro-regenerative immune responses during the early post-injury phase. These findings demonstrate that ES accelerates peripheral nerve repair in rats and that sustained stimulation across the early regenerative window yields superior structural and functional outcomes. Full article

Objective: This study aimed to compare thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) and diabetic peripheral vascular disease (DPVD), the two major causes of distal limb ischemia, within a single analytical framework. The comparison was not limited to practical biomarkers that could support differential diagnosis but was based on multidimensional parameters that determine the clinical spectrum and prognosis. The two cohorts were systematically evaluated in terms of demographics and comorbidity burden, clinical presentation and limb involvement pattern, ulcer prevalence and localization, real-life treatment strategies (medical, endovascular, and surgical), and hard clinical endpoints (major/minor amputation, hospitalization, and all-cause mortality). DPVD was phenotyped according to the lesion level as isolated distal, isolated proximal, or multilevel. Within this framework, the isolated distal diabetic peripheral vascular disease (d-DPVD) subgroup was analyzed to determine how it differs from TAO in terms of clinical course, treatment patterns, and outcomes, despite the distal anatomical similarity. Methods: In this single-center retrospective cohort study, conducted between June 2019 and June 2025, 120 non-diabetic patients who met the angiographic TAO criteria were compared with 395 patients with DPVD with infrapopliteal/pedal atherosclerotic involvement. Clinical characteristics, ulcer topography, treatment strategies, and outcomes were recorded. The discriminatory value of the blood count and lipid-based inflammatory/atherogenic indices were evaluated using logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses. Additionally, a separate subgroup analysis was performed for the d-DPVD subgroup, which was considered the closest to the TAO phenotype in this study design. Results: Patients with DPVD were significantly older than those with TAO (61.1 ± 12.1 vs. 39.7 ± 7.9 years; p < 0.001), and male predominance was more pronounced in the TAO group (94.2% vs. 84.8%). Compared with TAO, DPVD was associated with a higher cardiometabolic comorbidity burden and increased inflammatory and atherogenic indices. Although the overall ulcer prevalence was comparable, DPVD more frequently presented with plantar or proximal ulcers confined to a single extremity, whereas TAO was characterized by bilateral or multi-extremity involvement and distal acral ulceration. Antiplatelet and statin therapy, revascularization, and rates of major amputation, all-cause mortality, and hospitalization were higher in patients with DPVD (all p < 0.05). On multivariate analysis, age, cumulative smoking exposure, SIRI, and CRI-I independently distinguished DPVD from TAO (all p < 0.05). In the isolated distal DPVD subgroup, despite similar distal anatomy, inflammatory/atherogenic burden, and overall clinical risk remained adverse. Conclusions: TAO and DPVD are two distinct phenotypes with different pathobiologies and prognoses, despite similar distal ischemia presentations. Simple inflammatory and atherogenic composite indices, evaluated in conjunction with clinical/ulcer patterns, may support the differential diagnosis and risk stratification of patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). However, prospective multicenter validation of these findings is required to confirm the results. Full article