Search Results (5,317)

Background: Hypoxic–ischaemic brain injury (HI) is a major contributor to neurological deficits following stroke. Understanding what happens to the smallest functional and structural unit of the central nervous system in the face of oxygen and nutrient deprivation is essential to fully comprehend the pathogenesis of diseases and disorders associated with HI, such as ischaemic stroke. Aim: The aim of this study was to develop a robust in vitro tool for initial screening of potential therapeutics and identification of diagnostic markers of brain hypoxic injury. Methods: This study details and validates a comprehensive protocol for modelling HI using differentiated SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells (Neuron-like Cells, NLCs). First, we optimized the differentiation process and confirmed the maturity and purity of NLCs via standard molecular markers. The NLCs exhibited functional excitotoxicity, demonstrating a graded cell death response to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), thus validating their functional application. To simulate HI, we initially optimized the oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) treatment using graded concentrations of CoCl₂ (0.125 mM to 2 mM) in glucose-free media. The validated NLCs were then subjected to the refined OGD protocol (1 mM CoCl₂ in glucose-free media) for 3 h, followed by various periods of reoxygenation (1 h, 3 h, 6 h, 12 h, 18 h, and 24 h). Result: Bulk RNA-sequencing revealed a distinct temporal transcriptional response to HI. Injury-associated genes, including heat shock proteins and stress markers, were significantly (p < 0.05) upregulated at 3 h of reoxygenation, peaked at 6 h, and declined thereafter, remaining above baseline at 24 h. Upstream regulator analysis identified IL-1β, TNF-α, and HIF-1α as key drivers during OGD, with additional regulators emerging during reoxygenation. TNF-α and β-oestradiol were consistently identified across time points, while TGF-β1 and NTRK1 became prominent during peak injury and later phases. Analysis of secreted factors showed increased release of inflammatory (TNF-α) and neurotrophic (β-NGF, BDNF, VEGF) mediators with reoxygenation, while maximal cell death occurred at 24 h. Conclusions: This study identifies a transient, time-dependent transcriptional cascade following hypoxic–ischaemic injury, highlighting a critical window for early neuronal response. The model provides a reproducible platform for studying neuronal injury and recovery, and identifies known (TNF-α, IL-β, and HIF-1α), context-specific (NTRK1 and TGF-β) and novel (β-oestradiol) regulators of the injury response with potential relevance for therapeutic targeting. Full article

With the increasing penetration of distributed renewable energy, coordinated operation between distribution networks and multiple integrated energy microgrids (IEMs) has become increasingly important for improving operational economy and maintaining system security. To address the insufficient integration of network constraints, P2P energy sharing, and contribution-based benefit allocation, this paper proposes a hybrid game-based optimal scheduling model for multi-IEM systems under distribution network constraints. In the upper level, a Stackelberg game is established between the distribution system operator (DSO) and the multi-IEM alliance to coordinate electricity trading and distribution network operation. In the lower level, an asymmetric Nash bargaining-based cooperative game is developed to enable peer-to-peer (P2P) energy sharing and allocate cooperative benefits according to the actual energy-sharing contributions of individual IEMs. Furthermore, a distributed solution framework combining the Success-History Adaptive Differential Evolution (SHADE) algorithm and an improved alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) is adopted to preserve data privacy and improve computational efficiency. Case studies based on the modified IEEE 33-bus distribution system demonstrate that the proposed method eliminates voltage violations and reduces network losses by 9.0%. Meanwhile, the proposed cooperative mechanism decreases the total operating cost of the IEM alliance by 7815.8 CNY and yields a more contribution-consistent profit allocation among participating microgrids. In addition, the improved ADMM reduces computation time by 42.1% compared with the conventional serial ADMM. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in enhancing distribution network security, promoting renewable energy sharing, and improving the economic performance of multi-IEM systems. Full article

Whale watching is frequently presented as a benign form of wildlife interaction, yet its ethical and ecological acceptability depends on two conditions: vessel practices must minimize disturbance to free-ranging cetaceans, and tours must provide meaningful conservation-oriented education. This study assessed whale-watching operations in the New York City Metropolitan Area using three complementary frameworks: the Whale SENSE “On the Water” evaluation, the World Cetacean Alliance (WCA) Best Practice Guidance, and a Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) framework for interpretation. Eight trips representing the active full-time commercial sector in the study area were observed between May and November 2022. The results have revealed that certified operators generally performed better than uncertified operators, but the difference was not large enough to demonstrate that certification alone ensured welfare-protective practice. Educational content was often present but shallow, with limited discussion of cetacean threats, conservation measures, and legal protections, while higher-order engagement and multilingual accessibility were notably weak. Vessel behavior showed a similar pattern: certified operators achieved higher average scores, yet close approaches, inconsistent adherence to conservative speed and maneuvering guidance, and occasional unacceptable practices were still recorded. Overall, some operations still expose whales to avoidable disturbance and fail to meet the educational standards that give ecotourism its conservation value. Responsible whale watching should therefore be evaluated not only by whether vessels find whales and satisfy tourists, but also by whether operators demonstrably protect animal welfare and cultivate informed conservation attitudes. As such, this study offers a regionally novel benchmark for future comparative research, management evaluation, and the development of more responsible cetacean ecotourism. Full article

Background and Objectives: To evaluate the concordance and relative performance of the 2023 American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) classification criteria compared with the revised Sapporo (2006) criteria and to identify potential risk factors for recurrent thrombosis among patients classified as antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) according to the 2023 criteria. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 82 patients with documented antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) positivity between October 2022 and August 2024. The revised Sapporo criteria were used as the comparator classification system to evaluate the concordance and relative performance of the 2023 ACR/EULAR criteria. Secondary analyses were restricted to patients fulfilling the 2023 criteria (n = 55), in whom clinical characteristics and potential risk factors for recurrent thrombosis were evaluated. Results: Of the 82 aPL-positive patients, 9 fulfilled only the revised Sapporo criteria, 1 fulfilled only the 2023 criteria, 54 met both criteria sets, and 18 met neither. Using the revised Sapporo criteria as the comparator, the 2023 criteria demonstrated a relative sensitivity of 85.7% and relative specificity of 95.0%. Positive and negative agreement rates were 98.2% and 66.7%, respectively. Among patients classified as APS according to the 2023 criteria, disease duration was significantly longer in patients with recurrent thrombosis in univariate analysis (p = 0.028); however, this association did not remain significant after multivariable adjustment. Conclusions: The 2023 ACR/EULAR criteria demonstrated higher relative specificity but lower relative sensitivity compared with the revised Sapporo criteria. No independent predictor of recurrent thrombosis was identified after multivariable adjustment, although the limited number of outcome events may have reduced statistical power. However, most recurrent thrombotic events occurred in patients with subtherapeutic INR levels, suggesting the importance of careful anticoagulation management in patients with APS. Full article

The plastic pieces of synthetic polymers, which were previously regarded as primary pollutants of the environment, are increasingly being discovered as internal pollutants of the human body. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the available evidence on human exposure, tissue distribution, and associated biological effects of micro- and nanoplastics. Ingesting contaminated food and water is the major exposure pathway, with inhalation and dermal contact being secondary routes. Various organ systems have been identified as containing polymer particles through the use of advanced analytical methods, including blood, liver, lungs, placenta, breast milk, and brain tissue. Experimental animal studies suggest associations with tissue injury, metabolic illness, and neurotoxicity. Polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate are the most frequently found polymers in human samples. New clinical findings indicate potential health implications, though current human evidence remains largely associative rather than causal: a cardiovascular study observed more than a two-fold rise in mortality among patients with polymer-containing arterial plaques, and recent evidence demonstrates over-accumulation of polymers in brain tissue, raising questions about neuroinflammatory processes. Detection technologies have advanced substantially, with deep learning-based polymer classification achieving 95–99% accuracy and ultrasensitive electrochemical and surface plasmon resonance biosensors reaching detection limits approaching 10⁻¹¹ M. Despite these advances, critical issues remain, including lack of standardized analytical procedures, absence of chronic exposure models for humans, and insufficient longitudinal epidemiological data. To address these gaps, physiologically relevant experimental systems including organoids and organ-on-chip platforms will be required, in addition to well-designed prospective cohort studies. Full article

Diadromous fishes support culturally important small-scale fisheries in Galicia (NW Spain), but their assessment is constrained by scarce biological and effort data. We evaluated nine data-poor fishery units using first-sale records for Alosa alosa, Anguilla anguilla, Petromyzon marinus and Platichthys flesus from six Galician ports (A Guarda, Arcade, Carril, Ferrol, Vigo and Rianxo) over the period 1997–2026. The workflow combined data cleaning and ecological classification, Mann–Kendall and Theil–Sen trend analyses, actual catch over maximum catch, and catch-only CMSY models with species-specific resilience priors. Results revealed widespread signals of depletion in both anadromous and catadromous groups. Six of the nine units were classified as collapsed or critical by CMSY, three as overexploited, and none as sustainable. The most severe cases were sea lamprey (P. marinus) in A Guarda and Carril (B/B_MSY = 0.10 and 0.11, critical). A. alosa in A Guarda and European eel (A. anguilla) in Arcade, Carril and A Guarda (glass eel) were classified as collapsed (B/B_MSY = 0.35–0.50). Trend analyses detected significant declines in lamprey at A Guarda and Carril and in adult eel at Ferrol, whereas P. flesus in Rianxo showed a significant positive slope but remained under alert status. Overall, three stocks showed increasing trends (although only one was statistically significant), while six showed declining trends (of which only three were significant). These findings showed that public landing time series can support precautionary assessment in data-limited migratory fisheries, and justify adaptive harvest restrictions, intensified monitoring, and routine screening to support recovery and management prioritization. Full article

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a prevalent disorder of gut–brain interaction, characterized by a substantial symptom burden, impaired quality of life, and increased healthcare use. Despite advances in diagnostic criteria and treatment strategies, many patients feel dismissed, inadequately informed, or uncertain about the nature and meaning of their symptoms; these experiences may undermine trust and reduce engagement with healthcare professionals. The aim of this narrative review is to synthesize clinical and ethical considerations and propose a patient-centered ethical framework for IBS management, positioning communication as a core therapeutic intervention. We highlight how validation, clear and non-stigmatizing explanations, transparency about uncertainty, and recognition of patient values can strengthen the therapeutic alliance, support relational autonomy, and enable shared decision-making. These elements can promote supported self-management and improve adherence to individualized dietary, behavioral, and pharmacologic strategies. In response to the central role of nutrition in IBS care, we further integrate dietary management into the ethical framework, addressing dietary assessment, first-line dietary advice, soluble fiber, the structured low-FODMAP approach, and the risks of excessive or unsupported food restriction. We further discuss how the incorporation of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) can translate patient priorities into measurable outcomes, monitor clinically meaningful changes over time, and reduce discrepancies between clinical assessment and patients’ lived experiences. Finally, we underscore the impact of stigma and uncertainty and provide practical communication approaches to support a stronger therapeutic alliance in IBS care. The integration of ethical communication, PROs, and nutrition-sensitive self-management may improve patient experience, strengthen adherence, and support individualized therapeutic strategies in IBS care. Full article

This paper explores the potential for aligning theoretical approaches and good practices for intersectional approaches to recruitment and career development in academia, focusing on a European university alliance comprising eight institutions. The study applies a participatory approach that includes comparative analysis and stakeholder engagement to assess how institutional practices can become more inclusive. The findings highlight structural barriers, including entrenched notions of meritocracy and inadequate legal and procedural frameworks. Current strategies often juxtapose inequalities rather than addressing their intersections, resulting in approaches remaining siloed. Based on a reflexive case study, the paper identifies critical factors such as the need for formalised procedures, training and financial investment to effectively operationalise intersectional frameworks. It emphasises the need for tailored approaches that take into account the diversity of institutional and legal contexts and enable more inclusive academic policies and services. Together, these efforts aim to address structural inequalities and create sustainable practises that support the professional development and mobility of marginalised groups in academia, responding to the persistent gaps between policy commitments to intersectionality and their practical implementation within higher education institutions. Full article

Spatial studies play a significant role in navigating the actions, experiences, and interactions happening in a specific place and context. The intersection of spatiality and theology will expand the scope of relating the biblical elements to contemporary relevant issues. Genesis 6–9, often termed the flood narrative, is considered a major biblical evidence in terms of environmental vulnerability and divine faith. By incorporating geocriticism alongside the other spatial theories of Tuan, Bachelard, and Tally, this study offers a critical, exegetical textual analysis of Genesis 6–9 to understand the dynamics of mobility, spatial agency, and re-habitation as shown in the narrative. The paper’s primary argument is that the ark functions as an affective space and an architectural structure of protection, belonging, and preservation during and after the flood. Secondly, it focuses on how the flood narrative negotiates between the real, imagined and textual spaces of spatial re-creation and how it resonates with contemporary environmental concerns by interpreting it as an instance of environmentally induced displacement while retaining its theological significance. Full article

Chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs) refer to a set of chronic pain disorders that frequently co-occur and may involve partially overlapping mechanisms. The U.S. National Institutes of Health currently recognizes ten COPCs: fibromyalgia, painful temporomandibular disorders, chronic low back pain, chronic migraine headache, chronic tension-type headache, irritable bowel syndrome, endometriosis, interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome, vulvodynia, and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. When multiple COPCs coexist, they are associated with a disproportionate multimorbidity burden, including greater pain, poorer psychological well-being, functional limitations, disability, fatigue, sleep disturbances, diminished quality of life, and increased healthcare utilization. Despite their impact, COPCs remain under-recognized, underdiagnosed, and undertreated. Combining structured literature searches and citation tracking with narrative syntheses, this review examines comorbid relationships, the burden of multimorbidity, and potentially overlapping nociplastic mechanisms. By adopting a multimorbidity-based perspective rather than a one-disease, one-treatment approach, it highlights barriers to care—including limited clinical awareness, under-recognition of additional COPCs, limited mechanistic understanding, and fragmented care—and proposes integrated strategies emphasizing prevention, systematic screening, mechanism-informed assessment, and coordinated, patient-centered multimodal management. Full article

With the increasing penetration of renewable energy generation (REG) in novel distribution systems, active distribution networks (ADNs) integrated with microgrids (MGs) play a crucial role in enhancing the flexibility of regulation resources and promoting the accommodation of REG. To meet the operational requirements for efficient collaboration between ADNs and MGs under different dispatch time scales, this paper proposes a collaborative optimal dispatch strategy for multi-microgrid active distribution systems based on a hybrid game and variable time scales. Firstly, a transaction operation framework is constructed for the distribution network operator (DNO) and a multi-microgrid alliance (MMA), considering the peer-to-peer (P2P) transaction mode. On this basis, a day-ahead hybrid game model with a two-layer structure is constructed, the upper layer is a master–slave game with the DNO as the leader and the MMA as the follower, while the lower layer is a cooperative game for MGs within the MMA. An asymmetric Nash bargaining strategy based on contribution degree in P2P transactions is introduced to ensure equitable benefit allocation among cooperative MGs. Secondly, an intra-day rolling optimization model for reactive power and voltage based on variable time scales is proposed, which enhances the system’s responsiveness to real-time source–load power fluctuations by dynamically adjusting the dispatch time scale. Finally, the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM), integrated with a strategy separation mechanism, is adopted to efficiently solve the hybrid game model involving numerous 0–1 variables. The case study results indicate that, under the proposed strategy, the MMA’s power purchase cost from the DNO and ESS operational cost are decreased by 9.7% and 11.6%, respectively, while the system’s average deviation rate of node voltage decreases by 0.82%. Therefore, the proposed collaborative dispatch strategy can not only effectively reduce the system’s operational cost and ensure voltage stability but also significantly promote the accommodation of REG. Full article

This review examines the evolving intersections of data analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence—terms that have been frequently conflated since 2016 during a period of increased hype and investment. Following recent reviews across areas such as open innovation, supply chain deep learning, strategic alliances, natural language processing, and big data streaming, we focus on the emerging field of Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI). We apply descriptive analysis to identify trends, patterns, and gaps in the research through a review of academic literature from 2020 to 2025. Analysis reveals five distinct clusters of Responsible AI papers using five dimensions: fairness, cross-validity, transparency, accuracy–interpretability tradeoff, and drift detection. This review discusses patterns across the artificial intelligence literature and identifies future research opportunities with an emphasis on Responsible AI. Full article

In cold arid regions, the relationships between dissolved organic matter (DOM) characteristics and heavy metal distributions across ice, water, and sediment interfaces remain insufficiently resolved. This study characterized DOM spectral features and examined their associations with measured metal distributions in a typical frozen eutrophic lake using excitation–emission matrices coupled with parallel factor analysis (EEMs-PARAFAC), ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy (UV-Vis), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Protein-like substances dominated ice DOM, whereas water and sediment-derived DOM contained more humified fluorescent components. Fluorescence indices confirmed a primarily biological origin across all media, with ice showing the highest autochthonous microbial contribution (BIX = 1.23) but the lowest humification (HIX = 0.26), suggesting a greater contribution of recently produced protein-like fluorescent DOM in the ice samples. Water DOM showed the highest average HIX (1.88), followed by sediment-derived DOM (0.61) and ice DOM (0.26). The measured hydrochemical conditions, including weak alkalinity, elevated total dissolved solids (TDS), and locally low dissolved oxygen, provide environmental context for differences in metal distributions. Exploratory Spearman analysis at 17 matched water stations identified the strongest DOM–metal associations for HIX-As (rho = 0.474, p = 0.054) and FI-Zn (rho = 0.471, p = 0.056), indicating that DOM optical properties provide testable indicators of metal-distribution patterns but should be combined with direct binding and speciation measurements for mechanistic confirmation. Because ice was collected in January 2021, whereas water and sediment were collected in October 2020, cross-medium differences are interpreted as between-campaign associations rather than synchronous partitioning. These findings provide a basis for targeted winter monitoring and future binding, speciation, and freeze-concentration experiments in shallow eutrophic lakes. Full article

The state of STEM interventions focused on broadening participation remains uncertain due to federal funding cuts made by the Trump administration. Though long-standing STEM interventions, such as Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation, no longer exist in the same format, we argue that evidence from these interventions can assist researchers and educators in their pursuit of STEM equity moving forward, especially concerning STEM transfer students. Our qualitative embedded multi-case study sought to investigate how racially minoritized STEM vertical transfer students (i.e., community college transfer to 4-year institutions) navigate the transfer process within institutions that make up the Illinois Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation. Leveraging Perna’s college access and choice model and Ray’s theory of racialized organizations, our study was guided by the following research questions: (1) How do racially minoritized students experience and interpret the transfer process from a two-year institution to a four-year Alliance institution, particularly in relation to organizational structures, practices, and interactions? (2) How does the Alliance organize, enact, and institutionalize transfer support across partner two-year and four-year institutions, and how do these processes shape racially minoritized students’ transfer experiences? Findings highlight a racialized transfer process that includes multiple contextual layers. Contextual layers are discussed in relation to the current state of STEM interventions, and considerations moving forward are provided. Full article

Session dialogue assessment based on machine learning is gradually becoming an effective solution for therapeutic alliance measurement which is an important factor for successful psychotherapy. However, most existing models assume clean and pre-structured dialogue transcripts, whereas real-world counseling documentation often contains heterogeneous case reports. This gap limits the applicability of current automated assessment models in realistic documentation scenarios. In this work, we propose a framework for automated working alliance assessment from complex, multilingual reports. First, language-specific BERT models are fine-tuned to process case reports across different languages, enabling accurate speaker role delineation and dialogue structuring. Second, Gemini-2.5-Flash is leveraged to annotate the dialogues with working alliance ratings. Third, a hybrid feature representation strategy is then developed to jointly capture linguistic style and semantic content from the counseling dialogues. Furthermore, an entropy-based mutual information analysis is conducted to identify the most informative linguistic features. Finally, the extracted hybrid features serve as inputs to XGBoost for alliance assessment. In experiments, the proposed framework shows better performance in the comparison with SOTA methods and generalization ability. Full article