Search Results (871)

Quantum computing is a new discipline that uses the ideas of quantum physics to do calculations that are not possible with conventional computers. Quantum bits, called qubits, could exist in superposition states, making them suitable for parallel processing in contrast to traditional bits. When it comes to addressing complex challenges like proof simulation, optimization, and cryptography, quantum entanglement and quantum interference provide exponential improvements. This survey focuses on recent advances in entanglement routing, quantum key distribution (QKD), and qubit management for short- and long-distance quantum communication. It studies optimization approaches such as integer programming, reinforcement learning, and collaborative methods, evaluating their efficacy in terms of throughput, scalability, and fairness. Despite improvements, challenges remain in dynamic network adaptation, resource limits, and error correction. Addressing these difficulties necessitates the creation of hybrid quantum–classical algorithms for efficient resource allocation, hardware-aware designs to improve real-world deployment, and fault-tolerant architecture. Therefore, this survey suggests that future research focus on integrating quantum networks with existing classical infrastructure to improve security, dependability, and mainstream acceptance. This connection has significance for applications that require secure communication, financial transactions, and critical infrastructure protection. Full article

Empathic behavior is increasingly incorporated into socially assistive robots, yet little is known about how older adults’ personality-based self-regulatory processes shape responses to such designs. The present study examined a recognition-based “mirror effect” framework of narcissistic self-regulation, referring to the ways individuals maintain a valued self-image through social feedback and acknowledgment. We focused on two core dimensions: narcissistic admiration, characterized by self-promotion and the pursuit of affirmation, and narcissistic rivalry, characterized by defensiveness, antagonism, and sensitivity to threat. Community-dwelling older adults (N = 527; M_age = 72.73) were randomly assigned to view a video of a socially assistive robot interacting in either an empathic or a cold manner. Participants reported their perceived recognition by the robot, defined as the subjective experience of feeling seen, acknowledged, and valued, as well as multiple robot evaluations (anthropomorphism, likability, perceived intelligence, safety, and intention to use). At the mean level, empathic robot behavior increased perceived recognition, anthropomorphism, and likability but did not improve perceived intelligence, safety, or intention to use. Conditional process analyses revealed that narcissistic admiration was positively associated with perceived recognition, which in turn predicted more favorable robot evaluations, regardless of robot behavior. In contrast, narcissistic rivalry showed a behavior-dependent pattern: rivalry was associated with reduced perceived recognition and less favorable evaluations primarily in the empathic condition, whereas this association reversed in the cold condition. Importantly, once perceived recognition and narcissistic traits were accounted for, the cold robot was evaluated as more intelligent, safer, and more desirable to use than the empathic robot. Studying these processes in older adults is theoretically and practically significant, as later life is marked by shifts in social roles, autonomy concerns, and sensitivity to interpersonal evaluation, which may alter how empathic technologies are experienced. Together, the findings identify perceived recognition as a central psychological mechanism linking personality and robot design and suggest that greater robotic empathy is not universally beneficial, particularly for users high in rivalry-related threat sensitivity. Full article

Objectives: The popularity of racket sports has been increasing globally in recent years, with tennis remaining the most played sport worldwide and pickleball gaining popularity in the United States. While many studies have addressed injuries associated with racket sports in adult athletes, minimal data are available focusing on young athletes in pediatric and adolescent populations. This study aimed to review the various injuries associated with racket sports in pediatric and adolescent populations. Methods: Using the PubMed database, we searched for studies completed in the last 10 years that addressed injuries due to racket sports in age groups up to 18 years old, as well as adult studies that included pediatric and adolescent populations. Results: In total, 60 studies met our inclusion criteria, of which 18 were descriptive studies. The most common injuries reported in the studies were lower extremity injuries, specifically knee and ankle injury. Upper extremity injuries were the next most common, specifically shoulder injuries. Most of the studies reported multiple musculoskeletal injuries as opposed to just one. Tennis was found to be the racket sport that caused the highest number of injuries, as well as the most severe injuries. Conclusions: There are few studies on musculoskeletal injuries from racket sports in pediatric and adolescent populations. This review found that tennis had the highest number of studies, and different types and severities of injuries were well-described. Lower extremity overuse injuries were the most common, followed by upper extremity injuries. Eye injuries were less common but serious. Injuries cause pain, time loss in school, and increased healthcare burden, so there is public health relevance to conducting more racket sport studies. There is a significant amount of physical and mental growth occurring during childhood and adolescence; therefore, more kinematic studies and systematic reviews should be conducted pertaining to racket sports, which will hopefully help with injury prevention in these age groups. Full article

Cyanobacteria harbor sophisticated molecular defense systems that have evolved over billions of years to protect against viral invasion and foreign genetic elements. These ancient photosynthetic organisms possess a diverse array of restriction-modification (R-M) systems and CRISPR-Cas arrays that present challenges for genetic engineering, but also offer unique opportunities for cancer-targeted biotechnological applications. These systems exist in prokaryotes mainly as defense mechanisms but they are currently used in molecular applications as gene editing tools. Moreover, latest developments in nucleases such as zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), TALENs (transcription-activator-like effector nucleases) are discussed. A comprehensive genomic analysis of 126 cyanobacterial species found 89% encode multiple R-M systems, averaging 3.2 systems per genome, creating formidable barriers to transformation but also providing molecular machinery that could be harnessed for precise recognition and targeting of cancer cells. This review critically examines the dual nature of these defense systems, their ecological functions, and the emerging strategies to translate their molecular precision into advanced anticancer therapeutics. Hence, the review main objectives are to explore the recent understanding of these mechanisms and to exploit the knowledge gained in opening new avenues for cancer-focused targeted interventions, while acknowledging the significant challenges to translate these systems from laboratory curiosities to practical applications. Full article

Background/Objectives: Given the high prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity in Indigenous adults from Sonora (IAS) and its strong association with diet, this study evaluates the association of dietary inflammatory index (DII) with obesity and abdominal obesity and its indicators, such as body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), respectively. Methods: This cross-sectional study included data from 559 adults across two Indigenous populations (Seris and Yaquis) collected in two separate studies. Obesity and abdominal obesity were classified according to the definitions established by the World Health Organization and the International Diabetes Federation. The DII was calculated with data from population-specific food frequency questionnaires. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the association between the DII variable (expressed as both numeric and categorical) and BMI and WC, separately; multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between obesity and abdominal obesity. Results: The prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity was 34.1% and 78.2%, respectively. There was a positive association between the DII and BMI (DII as numeric: β = 0.53, p = 0.001; tertile3 of DII vs. tertile1: β = 1.86, p = 0.001) and WC (DII as numeric: β = 1.15, p = 0.002; tertile3 of DII vs. tertile1: β = 3.81, p = 0.005). Similar results were found for both types of obesity. Conclusions: Higher DII scores were associated with increased obesity indicators (BMI and WC) and a higher risk of obesity and abdominal obesity in IAS. Promoting anti-inflammatory diets represents a feasible approach for preventing non-communicable diseases. Full article

Background/Objectives: Vitamin B₁₂ deficiency is increasingly recognized as a contributor in both vascular and neurodegenerative aging-related disorders. Its deficiency disrupts one-carbon metabolism, leading to impaired homocysteine (Hcy) cycling. Elevated Hcy is a well-established risk factor for vascular dysfunction. Previously, we established that elevated Hcy contributes to aging retinal diseases and plays a central role in blood retinal barrier (BRB) dysfunction. Building on this foundation, the present study examines how B-vitamin deficiency disrupts one-carbon metabolism and whether restoring these vitamins can serve as a preventive or therapeutic strategy. Since B-vitamins (B₆, B₉, and B₁₂) are crucial cofactors in the metabolism of Hcy, we investigated how dietary changes in these vitamins affect serum Hcy levels and retinal vascular integrity in mice. Methods: C57BL/6- Wild-type (WT) and cbs^+/− mice (Cystathionine Beta-Synthase heterozygotes, common mouse model for elevated Hcy) were fed specially formulated diets, which contained different levels of B-vitamins (normal, deficient (B-Vit (−)) or enriched (B-Vit (+)). Initially, two groups of mice were placed on either a normal or a deficient diet. After 12–16 weeks, the success of the diet regimes was confirmed by observing serum B₁₂ deficiency in the B-Vit (−) group, along with elevated Hcy levels. Subsequently, a subgroup of the B-Vit (−) mice was switched to an enriched diet. The BRB integrity was evaluated in living mice using fluorescein angiography (FA), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and in the perfused mice retinas with Western blot analysis of leaked retinal albumin and tight junction proteins (occludin and ZO-1) levels. Results: The B-vitamin deficiency caused significant drop in serum vitamin B₁₂ and an increase in plasma Hcy, leading to vascular leakage, altered retinal thickness, choroidal neovascular changes, increased retinal albumin leak, and decreased tight junction protein expression, indicating BRB disruption, which was restored with B-vitamin supplementation. Conclusions: a long-term deficiency of vitamins B₆, B₉, and B₁₂ can lead to disruptions in the BRB. However, supplementation with these B-vitamins has the potential to reverse these effects and help maintain the integrity of BRB. This under-score the significance of one-carbon metabolism for retinal health and suggests that ensuring adequate levels of B-vitamins may aid in preventing aging retinal diseases with BRB disruption such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. Full article

The success of cancer vaccines relies on the ability of dendritic cells (DCs) to efficiently prime cytotoxic CD8 T cell responses against tumors. However, in solid tumors this process is often undermined by tumor-driven immunosuppression and intrinsic defects in DC activation. Among the signaling pathways implicated in DC dysfunction, β-catenin signaling has emerged as a key regulator of immune tolerance in DCs. In parallel, inhibitory receptors such as PD-L1 and TIM-3 on DCs have been recognized as critical DC-intrinsic brakes on CD8 T cell priming and on responses to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). Recent work has identified a DC-intrinsic immunoregulatory circuit in which β-catenin activation in DCs—particularly in cross-presenting cDC1s—induces expression of TIM-3, thereby suppressing CD8 T cell cross-priming and limiting anti-tumor CD8 T cell immunity. This β-catenin–TIM-3 axis represents a previously underappreciated layer of negative regulation that may help explain, at least in part, the limited efficacy of many current DC-based cancer vaccines. In this review, we examine how β-catenin activation in DCs, particularly in cDC1s, induces TIM-3 and related inhibitory programs that suppress cross-priming of tumor antigen-specific CD8 T cells and constrain the efficacy of DC-based vaccines. We further discuss how selectively targeting this β-catenin–TIM-3 checkpoint axis—alone or together with PD-L1 and other β-catenin–linked receptors—could restore DC function and inform rational combinations of DC-based vaccination with ICB and other T cell-based immunotherapies. Full article

Human microbiota, a complex consortium of microorganisms co-evolved with the host, profoundly influences tissue development, immune regulation, and disease progression. Growing evidence shows that microbial metabolites and signaling molecules modulate key stem cell pathways—such as Hedgehog, Wnt/β-catenin, and Notch—thereby reprogramming stem cell fate toward tumor-suppressive or tumor-promoting outcomes. Specific taxa within oral, intestinal, and urogenital niches have been linked to cancer initiation, therapy resistance, and recurrence. In parallel, clinical studies reveal that microbiota composition affects infection dynamics: bacterial isolates from symptomatic urinary tract infections inhibit commensal growth more strongly than the reverse, with Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains displaying distinct interaction profiles. Collectively, these findings highlight microbiota’s dual role in regulating cellular plasticity and pathogenicity. Elucidating host–microbe and microbe–microbe mechanisms may guide microbiota-targeted interventions to improve cancer and infectious disease management. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology, serving as an indispensable component within intelligent construction systems, has become a cornerstone for driving the digital and intelligent transformation of the construction industry. Although AI demonstrates autonomous decision-making capabilities in specific operational contexts, because of the dynamic and often unforeseeable nature of construction workflows, human–AI collaboration (HAIC) still dominates the operational paradigm. This study undertakes a systematic review of the prior research on human–AI collaboration in intelligent construction. Through a bibliometric search, scientometric analysis, and in-depth literature classification, 191 highly cited articles in the past five years, which are in the top 10% by citation count within the dataset (as of May 2025, based on Scopus, Google Scholar, and WOS), were screened, and four research streams were formed based on a co-citation analysis and clustering, namely, construction robotics, productivity and safety, intelligent algorithms and modelling, and factors related to construction workers. Finally, a three-dimensional knowledge framework covering the technical layer, application layer, and management layer was constructed. Through this comprehensive synthesis, the study developed a human–AI collaboration knowledge framework in the field of construction science that integrates technology, scenarios, and management dimensions, revealing the co-evolutionary path of artificial intelligence technology and industry digital transformation. Full article

Radiation cystitis (RC) is a clinically challenging and often progressive complication of pelvic radiotherapy, marked by urothelial injury, vascular dysfunction, chronic inflammation, and fibrotic remodeling. Early diagnosis remains elusive due to nonspecific symptoms and the absence of validated molecular tools. As a biofluid in direct contact with the irradiated bladder, urine offers a unique molecular window into RC pathogenesis. In this review, we synthesize the current landscape of urinary biomarkers associated with the acute, latent, and chronic phases of RC, including inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress products, epithelial injury markers, extracellular vesicles, microRNAs, proteomic signatures, and metabolomic alterations. We also integrate emerging mechanistic insights such as DNA damage responses, ROS generation, mitochondrial dysfunction, urothelial barrier disruption, senescence-associated secretory phenotypes, hypoxia-driven vascular injury, and profibrotic TGF-β signaling, all of which contribute to the release of urinary analytes. By linking phase-specific molecular pathways with corresponding urinary signatures, we highlight opportunities to leverage urine-based measurements for early detection, risk stratification, severity assessment, and therapeutic monitoring. A deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms shaping urinary biomarker profiles will be essential for advancing precision diagnostics and improving long-term outcomes for patients with radiation cystitis. Full article

Background/aim: Despite the fact that qualitative research on postpartum depression (PPD) has been extensively researched globally, women’s perceptions of PPD misconceptions are mostly ignored in developing countries like Jordan. Thus, this study aims to explore Jordanian women’s sociocultural perceptions and misconceptions about PPD using the descriptive phenomenological design. Methods: Fourteen women who had either a normal or caesarean (C-section) delivery and resided in Irbid, Northern Jordan, participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews, which lasted 15 to 25 min in May 2025. Data were gathered via field note transcriptions of interviews, and analysis followed Colaizzi’s data analysis methodology. Results: Among participants, five women (all C-section deliveries) reported a PPD diagnosis, while the remaining normal delivery women reported experiencing depression before giving birth. The women’s sociocultural perceptions and misconceptions about PPD were found to be reflected in a number of themes. The theme “perceiving PPD as normal baby blues” captures the general lack of awareness regarding this disorder. Three important themes—“myths”, “psychological”, and “spiritual and religious failure”—show how little is known about the causes. The two primary themes that are impacted by sociocultural perspectives are “stigma” and “mistrust of professional care services”. The accuracy and misconceptions around this disorder are summed up in four basic themes: “emotional misconceptions”, “cultural misconceptions”, “false beliefs about health”, and “think of PPD as indolence”. Conclusions: Jordanian women have limited understanding and misconceptions of PPD. Adopting culturally relevant awareness campaigns is essential to disseminating the knowledge required to facilitate improved treatment pathways. Full article

The current study explores the social experiences of adolescent and transition-age youths with intellectual disabilities (IDs) and the support mechanisms available to these groups in Saudi Arabia. This study adopts a qualitative methodology with a semi-structured interview constituting the data collection method involving 13 parents with children aged between 11 and 19 years, a critical adolescent period and transition to early adulthood. The results suggest that family, caregivers, community, friendships, and healthcare providers play important roles that impact the quality of life for these groups. The main challenges identified include health-related issues, employment challenges, educational barriers, insufficient services, inadequate community participation, and limited social relationships, with special emphasis on obstacles linked to transition during the 18 to 19-year period when youths must navigate transfers from pediatric to adult services and changes associated with legal rights. This study highlights several reasons it is important to increase awareness and education, while also continuing to improve support systems aimed at dealing with both transition challenges and adolescent needs. The results further illustrate that although support from family provides the foundation for care, systemic changes are needed to promote social inclusion and reduce stigma during critical development periods. The current study contributes to the limited research related to IDs in the context of the Middle East, with special reference to Saudi Arabia. Finally, the discussion highlights several insights that are culturally specific for the development of policy and provision of services associated with the transition from adolescence to early adulthood. Full article

The classic four-ball test was developed in the 1930s and has remained unchanged to this day. This versatile and widely used methodology would benefit from further development with modern tools and techniques. The classic four-ball test is traditionally performed with load steps, which makes it slow, and determining the exact last non-seizure load is quite challenging. To overcome this situation, a new methodology for testing the high-pressure properties (EP) of greases and oils is presented, using a continuous, constant-load ramp rate. The peak in the evolution of the coefficient of friction represents the occurrence of the last non-seizure sliding. The load at which the final non-seizure sliding occurs is defined as the last non-seizure load (LNSL). The obtained results are consistent with historical experience with “classic” four-ball EP tests, and the test procedure is fast and highly repeatable. Full article