Search Results (2,659)

Urban markets are key nodes for the persistence and adaptation of traditional edible plant knowledge, linking rural production with urban consumption. This study was based on monthly market surveys conducted throughout 2025 in an urban market in Baise City, Guangxi, China. A total of 54 edible plant taxa were recorded, including both native and introduced species, with herbaceous plants predominating alongside climbers, trees, and grasses. Ethnobotanical data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 40 local informants (20 men and 20 women, aged 25–65 years) selected using purposive sampling, focusing on individuals actively involved in purchasing and preparing edible plants. High Cultural Food Significance Index (CFSI) values highlighted culturally central taxa, including Allium ascalonicum L., × Brassarda juncea (L.) Su Liu & Z.H. Feng, and Houttuynia cordata Thunb., reflecting frequent use and culinary–medicinal integration. Fidelity Level (FL) analyses identified species with strong consensus for specific therapeutic applications, such as × B. juncea, Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd., and Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn., while Informant Consensus Factor (FIC) values indicated moderate to high agreement across gastrointestinal, respiratory, inflammatory, and other health categories. These results underscore the persistence of the “food as medicine” concept, showing that edible plants function simultaneously as nutritional and preventive healthcare resources. The overlap of culinary and medicinal roles demonstrates dynamic food–medicine integration, with urban markets acting as cultural hubs that maintain dietary diversity, household food security, and ethnobotanical knowledge. Future studies should incorporate ethnozoological resources and longitudinal monitoring to capture the full scope of urban food–medicine systems. Full article

Skilled operation of forestry harvesters is essential for ensuring safety, efficiency, and sustainability in logging practices. However, conventional training methods are often prohibitively expensive and limited by access to specialized equipment. This study delivers one of the first user-centered validations of a low-cost, VR HMD-based forestry harvester simulator, directly addressing access and scalability barriers in training. With 26 participants, we quantify cognitive load, usability, user experience, and simulator sickness using established instruments. An increase in cognitive load was seen from baseline tutorial to each training module (NASA-TLX: $18.65\to 34.26\to 38.43$; rm-ANOVA, p < 0.001). Usability was ‘Good’ (with a mean SUS score: 76.63), hedonic UX ranked in the top decile (UEQ-S), and simulator sickness was moderate (mean SSQ score: 28.91), while task success remained high across all modules. These results indicate early-stage feasibility and usability of a low-cost VR HMD harvester simulator for student-focused introductory instruction, and they provide actionable design guidance (e.g., managing extraneous load, comfort safeguards) advancing evidence-based VR HMD-based training in the forest engineering and harvesting domain. Our findings validate the potential of VR-HMD as a tool for forestry education capable of addressing training accessibility gaps and enhancing learner motivation through immersive experiential learning. Full article

At present, pedestrian navigation systems using smartphones have become common in daily activities. For their ubiquitous, accurate, and reliable services, map information collection is essential for constructing comprehensive spatial databases. Previously, we have developed a map information collection tool to extract building information using Google Maps, optical character recognition (OCR), geolocation, and web scraping with smartphones. However, indoor navigation often suffers from inaccurate localization due to degraded GPS signals inside buildings and Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) estimation errors, causing position errors and confusing augmented reality (AR) guidance. In this paper, we present an improved map information collection tool to address this problem. It captures 360° panoramic images to build 3D models, apply photogrammetry-based mesh reconstruction to correct geometry, and georeference point clouds to refine latitude–longitude coordinates. For evaluations, experiments in various indoor scenarios were conducted. The results demonstrate that the proposed method effectively mitigates positional errors with an average drift correction of 3.15 m, calculated via the Haversine formula. Geometric validation using point cloud analysis showed high registration accuracy, which translated to a 100% task completion rate and an average navigation time of 124.5 s among participants. Furthermore, usability testing using the System Usability Scale (SUS) yielded an average score of 96.5, categorizing the user interface as ’Best Imaginable’. These quantitative findings substantiate that the integration of 360° imaging and photogrammetric correction significantly enhances navigation reliability and user satisfaction compared with previous sensor fusion approaches. Full article

With the rapid growth of online presentations, there has been an increasing need for efficient review of recorded materials. In typical presentations, speakers verbally elaborate on each slide, providing details not captured in the slides themselves. Automatically extracting and embedding these verbal explanations at their corresponding slide locations can greatly enhance the review process for audiences. This paper presents a Slide Annotation System that employs a robust hybrid two-stage detector to identify slide boundaries, extracts slide text through Optical Character Recognition (OCR), transcribes narration, and employs a multimodal Large Language Model (LLM) to generate concise, context-aware annotations that are added to their corresponding slide locations. For evaluations, the technical performance was validated on five recorded presentations, while the user experience was assessed by 37 participants. The results showed that the system achieved a macro-average $F_1$ score of 0.879 ($SD=0.024$, 95% $CI[0.849,0.909]$) for slide segmentation and 90.0% accuracy (95% $CI[74.4\%,96.5\%]$) for annotation alignment. Subjective evaluations revealed high annotation validity and usefulness as rated by presenters, and a high System Usability Scale (SUS) score of 80.5 ($SD=6.7$, 95% $CI[78.3,82.7]$). Qualitative feedback further confirmed that the system effectively streamlined the review process, enabling users to locate key information more efficiently than standard video playback. These findings demonstrate the strong potential of the proposed system as an effective automated annotation system. Full article

Background: Cancer patients admitted to the bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit face life-threatening medical conditions. Consequently, their family members experience uncertainty, resulting in high levels of anxiety and depression (AD). Limited updates and communication from medical staff exacerbate these emotional burdens. To address these challenges, we developed a mobile health (mHealth) intervention, FamCarePlus, and evaluated its feasibility, usability, and efficacy. We hypothesized that the FamCarePlus application would demonstrate a high degree of feasibility and usability and would reduce AD compared to a control group relying solely on traditional communication through the nurses’ station. Methods: We employed a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest non-randomized, non-blinded self-report design over 3 weeks, with an experimental group (n = 10) using FamCarePlus and a control group (n = 9). We selected participants via convenience sampling using the electronic medical record to identify eligible patients and families, guided by inclusion and exclusion criteria. We used descriptive statistics and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) guidelines to analyze the data. Feasibility was defined by a retention rate > 80%, with usability testing using the System Usability Scale (SUS) and NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) surveys. The HADS measured AD, comparing baseline to Week 3. Results: We met our feasibility criteria of >80%. All SUS and NASA scores were in the higher index, suggesting a significant degree of usability and low workload demand on participants. For efficacy, we compared baseline mean scores, with the experimental group reporting lower AD levels at Week 1 (41.9% and 27.8%, respectively) than the control group (55.2% and 34.2%, respectively). From Week 1 to Week 3, the percentage change showed an 8.6% decrease in anxiety in the experimental group, compared to a 12.8% decrease in anxiety in the control group. These results were consistent when analyzed according to HADS guidelines. Conclusions: The findings of this study provide preliminary evidence that the FamCarePlus intervention is feasible and usable, while also demonstrating that its use may be associated with a sustained reduction in AD levels among family members of patients admitted to the BMT unit. These outcomes underscore the potential of digital interventions to address disparities in patient health information access and psychosocial support. Full article

Salt stress is one of the main abiotic stresses that restrict crop production. Melatonin (MT), a signal molecule widely present in plants, plays an important role in regulating abiotic stress response. In this study, celery seedlings were used as experimental materials, and the control, salt stress, and exogenous MT treatment groups under salt stress were set up. Through phenotypic, physiological index determination, transcriptome sequencing, and expression analysis, the alleviation effects of MT on salt stress were comprehensively investigated. The results showed that exogenous MT treatment significantly reduced seedling growth inhibition caused by salt stress. Physiological measurements showed that MT significantly reduced malondialdehyde content, increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT), promoted the accumulation of free proline and soluble protein, and increased photosynthetic parameters such as chlorophyll, ΦPSII, Fv/Fm, and ETR. Transcriptome analysis showed that MT regulates the expression of several genes associated with carbon metabolism, including β-amylase gene (AgBAM), sucrose-degrading enzyme genes (AgSUS, AgINV), and glucose synthesis-related genes (AgAG, AgEGLC, AgBGLU). The results of qRT-PCR verification were highly consistent with the transcriptome sequencing data, revealing that MT synergistically regulates starch and sucrose metabolic pathways, and effectively alleviates the damage of celery seedlings under salt stress at the molecular level. In summary, exogenous MT significantly improved the salt tolerance of celery by enhancing antioxidant capacity, maintaining photosynthetic function, promoting the accumulation of osmotic adjustment substances, and synergistically regulating carbon metabolism-related pathways. The concentration of 200 μM was identified as optimal, based on its most pronounced alleviating effects across the physiological parameters measured. This study provides an important theoretical basis for utilizing MT to enhance plant salt resistance. Full article

Ship monitoring using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data faces significant challenges in detecting small vessels due to low spatial resolution and speckle noise. While ESRGAN (Enhanced Super-Resolution Generative Adversarial Network) has shown promise for image super-resolution, it struggles with SAR imagery characteristics. This study proposes SA/SU-ESRGAN, which extends the SU-ESRGAN framework by incorporating a spatial attention mechanism loss function. SU-ESRGAN introduced semantic structural loss to accurately preserve ship shapes and contours; our enhancement adds spatial attention to focus reconstruction efforts on ship regions while suppressing background noise. Experimental results demonstrate that SA/SU-ESRGAN successfully detects small vessels that remain undetectable by SU-ESRGAN, achieving improved detection capabilities with a PSNR of approximately 26 dB (SSIM is around 0.5) and enhanced visual clarity in ship boundaries. The spatial attention mechanism effectively reduces noise influence, producing clearer super-resolution results suitable for maritime surveillance applications. Based on the HRSID dataset, a representative dataset for evaluating ship detection performance using SAR data, we evaluated ship detection performance using images in which the spatial resolution of the SAR data was artificially degraded using a smoothing filter. We found that with a 4 × 4 filter, all eight ships were detected without any problems, but with an 8 × 8 filter, only three of the eight ships were detected. When super-resolution was applied to this, six ships were detected. Full article

Background: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with executive function deficits—such as planning, organization, and prospective memory—that impair autonomy and daily functioning, increase family stress, and create challenges in educational contexts. These consequences underscore the need for accessible and ecologically valid interventions addressing the cognitive, familial, and educational dimensions. Traditional approaches often lack ecological validity, and pharmacological treatment shows a limited impact on functional cognition. Objectives: This protocol outlines a feasibility study of DiverAcción, a web-based telerehabilitation system designed to enhance functional cognition through interactive and gamified tasks integrated into a comprehensive healthcare programme. Methods: A quasi-experimental feasibility study before and after the study will recruit 30 participants aged 9 to 17 years with ADHD. The study comprises an initial face-to-face session for instructions and baseline assessment (T0), followed by twelve supervised online sessions over six weeks. Therapeutic support is provided via integrated chat, email, and two scheduled videoconference check-ins. Feasibility Outcomes: include recruitment, adherence, retention, usability (SUS), acceptability (TAM), satisfaction, user-friendly design, therapeutic alliance (WAI-I), and professionals’ attitudes toward technology (e-TAP-T). Exploratory Measures: include parental self-efficacy (BPSES), parenting stress (PSI-4-SF), ADHD symptomatology (SNAP-IV), executive functioning (BRIEF-2), time management (Time-S), emotional regulation (ERQ-CA), prospective memory (PRMQ-C), and health-related quality of life (KIDSCREEN-52). Analyses emphasize descriptive statistics for feasibility metrics (recruitment, adherence, retention, dropout and fidelity). Assessments are conducted post-intervention (T1) and at three-month follow-up (T2) and analyzed relative to baseline using repeated-measures ANOVA or Friedman tests, depending on data distribution. Conclusions: This feasibility protocol will provide preliminary evidence on the usability, acceptability, and implementation of DiverAcción. Findings will guide refinements and inform the design of a subsequent randomized controlled trial. Full article

Background/Objectives: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major public health challenge in Brazil, characterized by marked regional disparities. Although national legislation mandates that treatment begin within 60 days after diagnosis, compliance remains inconsistent, particularly within the Unified Health System (SUS). This study aimed to analyze the time to treatment initiation for colon (C18) and rectal (C20) cancer in Brazil from 2013 to 2024, assessing regional inequalities, temporal trends, and factors associated with treatment delays. Methods: We conducted an ecological study using secondary data from the Ministry of Health’s PAINEL-Oncologia platform, which integrates information from SIA/SUS, SIH/SUS, and SISCAN. Records of patients diagnosed with colon and rectal cancer (ICD-10 C18–C20) were evaluated. Temporal trends were analyzed using Joinpoint regression, and factors associated with delayed treatment initiation (>60 days) were identified through multiple logistic regression models. Results: Persistent discrepancies were observed between diagnostic and treatment trends from 2013 to 2024, with the Annual Percent Change (APC) for diagnosis exceeding that for treatment, particularly among adults aged 55–69 years. The Southeast and South regions accounted for over 70% of all diagnosed cases, starkly contrasting with the less than 25% in the North and Northeast. More than 50% of patients across all clinical stages initiated treatment after the legally mandated 60-day period. Women with rectal cancer had a 28% higher risk (RR = 1.28) of being diagnosed at stage IV. Chemotherapy was the predominant initial therapeutic modality, while the need for combined chemo-radiotherapy was associated with markedly elevated risk ratios for delay (e.g., RR = 26.53 for stage IV rectal cancer). Treatment initiation delays (>60 days) were significantly associated with residence in the North/Northeast regions, female sex (for rectal cancer), advanced-stage disease, and complex therapeutic regimens. Conclusions: The study demonstrates persistent regional inequalities and highlights a substantial mismatch between diagnostic capacity and therapeutic availability in Brazil. These gaps contribute to treatment delays and reinforce the need to strengthen and expand oncological care networks to ensure equitable access and improve outcomes, particularly in underserved regions. Full article

This systematic integrative review examines methodological frameworks used to evaluate educational technologies in biomedical higher education. We synthesize five complementary approaches frequently reported in the literature: the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), the System Usability Scale (SUS), Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), and the ARCS motivational model. Each framework addresses distinct but interrelated dimensions of evaluation, including technology acceptance and intention to use, perceived usability and user experience, technological maturity and implementation risk, and learner motivation. Drawing on representative studies in e-learning platforms, virtual and extended reality environments, and clinical simulation, we discuss the strengths, limitations, and common pitfalls of applying these models in isolation. Based on this synthesis, we propose a pragmatic, multi-phase evaluation workflow that aligns usability, acceptance, motivation, and technological maturity across different stages of educational technology development and adoption. Finally, we outline exploratory future perspectives on how existing evaluation models might need to evolve to address emerging AI-driven, immersive, and haptic technologies in biomedical education. This abstract was prepared in accordance with PRISMA 2020 for Abstracts, ensuring structured reporting and transparency. Full article

The increasing complexity of fleet operations often forces drivers and administrators to alternate between fragmented tools for geolocation, messaging, and spreadsheet-based reporting, which slows response times and increases cognitive load. This study evaluates a comprehensive architectural framework designed to automate fleet management in personnel transport companies. The research proposes a unified methodology integrating Internet-of-Things (IoT) telemetry, cloud analytics, and Conversational AI to mitigate information fragmentation. Through a Lean UX iterative process, the proposed system was modeled and validated, with 30 participants (10 administrators and 20 drivers) who performed representative operational tasks in a simulated environment. Usability was assessed through the System Usability Scale (SUS), obtaining a score of 71.5 out of 100, classified as “Good Usability”. The results demonstrate that combining conversational interfaces with centralized operational data reduces friction, accelerates decision-making, and improves the overall user experience in fleet management contexts. Full article

Vibriosis, caused by diverse Vibrio species, is among the most devastating bacterial diseases in shrimp aquaculture. Consequently, breeding shrimp for pan-vibrios resistance (PVR) presents a crucial strategy for sustainable shrimp farming. In this work, we performed a GWAS in Litopenaeus vannamei to identify genetic loci underlying resistance to pan-vibrios and validate the identified SNPs. A total of 300 shrimp from nine different regions were subjected to a comprehensive challenge. Selective genotyping of 300 resistant and susceptible individuals was conducted using a specific length amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) approach. A total of 18,184,608 high-quality SNPs were detected across the whole genome of L. vannamei. Screening identified 283 SNPs located within genes, 26 of which were associated with the PVR trait. These SNPs were subsequently validated in verification group of 80 shrimps, leading to the identification of two genotypes (GG at SNP20 and AA at SNP21) and one genotype combination (GG/AA at SNP20 and SNP21) that were significantly associated with the PVR trait. Notably, these linked SNPs were identified in the intron of LvHEATR1 gene. The highest LvHEATR1 expression was observed in immune-related tissues including hemocytes, the gills, and the hepatopancreas. Furthermore, qPCR results showed that LvHEATR1 expression was significantly higher in the vibrios-resistant (RES) group than in the vibrios-susceptible (SUS) group. This study proposed the PVR concept and provided valuable molecular markers for the genetic improvement of vibrios-resistance in L. vannamei. Full article

Differences in metabolic traits between traditional and modern pig breeds may influence their physiological responses to stress hormones. This study evaluated the in vivo metabolic effects of an acute adrenaline challenge in Iberian (obese, slow-growing) and Landrace (lean, fast-growing) pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus). Four Iberian and five Landrace barrows (≈50 kg body weight; BW) fitted with a carotid catheter received an injection of adrenaline (3 µg/kg BW), and serial blood samples were collected for 105 min. Adrenaline transiently increased plasma glucose (p < 0.001) and lactate (p < 0.001) concentrations, both peaking at 5 min post-injection. Iberian pigs showed higher plasma lactate (1.26 vs. 1.03 mM; p = 0.002), triglycerides (0.34 vs. 0.27 mM; p < 0.001), and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA; 0.38 vs. 0.29 mM; p = 0.021), but lower glucose (4.80 vs. 5.03 mM; p = 0.010) than Landrace pigs, while cholesterol remained unaffected (p > 0.10). No breed × time interaction was detected for any metabolite. The relative increase in glucose reached +47% in Iberian and +27% in Landrace pigs, whereas lactate rose +140% and +113%, respectively, indicating stronger glycolytic activation in Iberian pigs. Despite the limited sample size, the results provide physiologically relevant evidence supporting increased metabolic flexibility in Iberian pigs, characterized by a heightened sensitivity to adrenergic stimulation and associated with enhanced lipolytic and glycolytic responses; however, these conclusions should be interpreted within the specific experimental conditions under which the study was conducted. These findings demonstrate that Iberian pigs have higher metabolic sensitivity to adrenergic stimulation, with enhanced lipolytic and glycolytic activity. In conclusion, breed-dependent differences in stress-related metabolism suggest that Iberian pigs are furnished with increased metabolic flexibility to face short-term stress. Full article

Understanding how species share resources (niche dynamics) and associate with each other is crucial for maintaining stable ecological communities. Using infrared camera traps, we constructed spatial association networks for an isolated Asian elephant population. The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), a keystone species in tropical forests, faces significant threats from habitat fragmentation and human disturbances, particularly in the isolated population of Nangunhe National Nature Reserve, Yunnan, China. Using infrared camera trapping, niche analysis, and interspecific association models, we examined the ecological role of Asian elephants and their sympatric species networks in fragmented habitats. We identified 44 species, including 11 species with higher relative abundance showing significant ecological correlations with elephants. Asian elephants exhibited the broadest spatial distribution, consistent with their role as ecological engineers due to high environmental tolerance and diverse resource utilization. Sympatric herbivores exhibited moderate spatial co-occurrence. Wild boars (Sus scrofa), red-bellied squirrels (Callosciurus erythraeus), northern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca leonina), and red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) demonstrated significant spatial associations with elephants. Lambda coefficient analysis revealed asymmetric associations reflecting spatial reliance of red-bellied squirrels and wild boars on elephant activity zones. Temporally, Asian elephants exhibited a stable bimodal activity pattern at dawn and dusk. Despite varying degrees of diel overlap with sympatric species, no significant temporal avoidance was detected, suggesting fine-scale coexistence mechanisms beyond the temporal dimension. We argue that conservation strategies are in urgent need of a transformation from single-species protection to the preservation of ecological interaction networks. This study clarifies the dominant position of Asian elephants in the community by mapping the spatial association networks between Asian elephants and sympatric species, and its findings hold substantial guiding significance for the recovery and protection of isolated Asian elephant populations. Full article

This pilot study examined the feasibility, usability, and physiological effects of a high-intensity exercise program delivered through immersive virtual reality (IVR) in adults with Down syndrome (DS). Twenty participants (mean age: 29.85 ± 9.37 years) completed a 12-week intervention using the FitXR exergame on Meta Quest 3, with two sessions per week. Usability, safety, and personal experiences were assessed via the System Usability Scale (SUS), Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ), and Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ), while body composition and strength were measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis and standardized tests (handgrip dynamometry, Five Sit-to-Stand Test). Results indicated excellent usability (SUS: 92.88–95.03/100), minimal cybersickness (SSQ: 2.12 → 1.98/48), and high adherence (90%). Positive experiences increased significantly, with no negative experiences reported. Lower-limb strength has been considered as a primary outcome, which has shown to improve significantly (p = 0.018; Cohen’s d = 0.89), whereas upper-limb strength and body composition changes were minimal. These findings suggest that IVR-based exercise is a safe, engaging, and feasible strategy for promoting physical activity and enhancing functional strength in adults with DS. Further controlled trials with longer duration and nutritional strategies are warranted to optimize body composition outcomes. Full article