Search Results (3,058)

The second-hand Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) market in Italy is affected by substantial information asymmetry, particularly with regard to battery State of Health (SOH), residual value, and expected maintenance costs. This lack of transparency limits consumer confidence and reduces the potential of used BEVs to support a broader and more inclusive electric mobility transition. In this study, a data-driven decision-support framework is developed to improve the evaluation of second-hand BEVs in the Italian market. The proposed approach combines market data collected from major online platforms with historical price reconstruction and an assessment of the information asymmetries that limit user confidence in the second-hand BEV market. It also incorporates a semi-empirical SOH estimation model based on observable vehicle characteristics. The results reveal a consistent depreciation gap between BEVs and comparable internal combustion engine vehicles across different market segments and indicate that battery-related uncertainty appears to be one of the factors associated with consumer hesitation. The framework shows that combining non-invasive battery-health estimation with maintenance-related information can support a more objective assessment of used electric vehicles. Overall, the study demonstrates the potential of integrated digital and engineering-based tools to reduce uncertainty and enhance transparency in the second-hand BEV market. Full article

Background/Objectives: Obesity, food and nutrient intake, and physical activity (PA) have been linked to the occurrence of various types of cancer. However, evidence regarding their relationship with melanoma is limited. We aimed to assess whether body mass index (BMI), diet quality, food cooking methods, and PA influence the risk of developing melanoma. Methods: This case–control study compared the demographic characteristics, dietary habits, and PA of 130 melanoma patients from the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona with 166 control subjects of similar age and sex distribution. Data was collected by means of a questionnaire, administered between January 2016 and February 2020. The association between these factors and melanoma was assessed using odds ratios for binary variables with 95% confidence intervals. Results: BMI was not found to be associated with the diagnosis of melanoma. However, restricting foods and limiting sugary products did show a correlation with lower melanoma risk, while dairy product restriction was associated with an increased risk. Consumption of processed meats and unhealthy cooking methods were also associated with an increased risk of melanoma development. Lastly, an inverse association between PA practice and frequency and melanoma risk was observed in women, while vigorous-intensity PA showed an inverse association regardless of sex. Conclusions: This study identifies specific dietary patterns and PA behaviors that may play a role in melanoma risk, highlighting the potential for personalized lifestyle-based prevention strategies. Full article

Ampicillin residues in animal-derived foods may cause allergic reactions and promote antimicrobial resistance in consumers; however, data on residue behavior in poultry remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate the depletion of ampicillin in muscle and skin plus fat of broiler chickens. Thirty birds were treated with ampicillin intramuscularly (20 mg kg⁻¹ every 24 h for three days) and sacrificed at 0.5, 1, 2, 5, and 9 days post-administration. Samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry, a method successfully validated according to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/808, VICH GL49 and GL2. Quantification was performed by linear regression from matrix-matched calibration curves. Residue depletion was evaluated following the European Medicines Agency guidelines. Ampicillin residues in muscle were detected only during the first 24 h post-administration (6.50–8.48 µg kg⁻¹). Residues in skin plus fat remained detectable until day 5 post-administration (6.87–59.88 µg kg⁻¹). Based on this, the withdrawal period calculated for skin plus fat was 9 days considering EU maximum residue limit (MRL) and 19 days considering method limit of quantification, with 95% confidence. These results provide critical data on ampicillin residue kinetics under controlled experimental conditions, supporting risk assessments and the establishment of MRLs in broiler chickens by the Codex Alimentarius. Full article

Nova Scotia is positioned to become the first Canadian province to develop offshore wind energy. Recently, Nova Scotia announced four Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) selected for bidding following extensive review of ecological and land-use considerations. In selecting these areas, the effect of climate change and extreme winds was neglected. This study looks to assess the impact of climate change, extreme winds, and tropical cyclones on turbine siting across the Scotian Shelf with a focus on the four WEAs. Analysis of historical wind climate using ERA5 reanalysis data and return period methods reveals that extreme winds intensify with distance from shore, with the highest values concentrated near Sable Island and outer shelf regions. Fifty-year return wind speeds across the WEAs range from approximately 40.7 to 45.4 m/s, resulting in IEC Class II designation for Sable Island Bank and Class III for the remaining sites. Projections derived from CMIP6 climate models indicate that future mean wind speed changes are modest across all emission scenarios, always within 4% of the historical baseline. Critically, these projected changes do not alter the IEC turbine class designations for any WEA, suggesting that classifications based on historical data remain valid under the range of climate futures considered. Three recommendations are made to strengthen future assessments: expanding the buoy observation network on the Scotian Shelf; investigating the influence of climate indicators such as sea surface temperatures on extreme winds and tropical cyclone activity; and conducting targeted measurement campaigns within the WEAs to support site-specific analysis and developer confidence. Full article

Background: mRNA vaccines, first approved in December 2020, have been used globally to prevent infectious diseases, and those for treating cancers are being developed. Safety-related labelling changes of Comirnaty and Spikevax were made in June 2025; however, concerns remain. This study assessed the potential risks associated with mRNA vaccines on the indications previously approved, utilizing Real-World Data (RWD) of Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFIs) derived from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and Academic Literature Databases (ALD). Methods: A Disproportionality Analysis (DPA) was performed using the Reporting Odds Ratio (ROR) and the Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN) algorithm on spontaneous case reports from VAERS. Statistical positive signals were cross-validated with literature case reports from ALD to provide more comprehensive medical descriptions and clearer causal assessments, and compared with safety information documented in clinical trials and on vaccine labelling. Time-to-onset, stratified, and immunization schedule analyses were conducted to characterize the safety profiles of mRNA vaccines. Results: In total, 5,040,725 spontaneous case reports and 4,387 literature case reports were analyzed. In both VAERS and ALD, new signals involving blood and lymphatic system disorders (e.g., thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura) and ear and labyrinth disorders (e.g., deafness) were detected from Comirnaty as Designated Medical Events (DMEs), while blood and lymphatic system disorders (e.g., thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura) from Spikevax in ALD only. No new signals were detected from other vaccines on the DMEs list. In VAERS, Serious Adverse Events (SAEs) were more common in females, while death risk was higher in males. In ALD, SAEs were more common in males for most mRNA vaccines, except Comirnaty. Medical history emerged as a key risk factor for SAEs, particularly among older adults. Conclusions: Statistically significant safety signals were detected across all mRNA vaccines based on five-year cumulative RWD, indicating the need of intensified monitoring of specific populations, including older adults and individuals with medical histories, alongside further optimization of vaccination strategies. Full article

Direct-seeded industrial tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) systems are highly vulnerable to early-season interference, yet the role of seed vigor as a competitive determinant remains under-quantified. This study evaluated the performance of high-vigor (HV; 91% germination) and accelerated-aged low-vigor (LV; 60% germination) tomato seeds against two weeds: green foxtail (Setaria viridis) and jimsonweed (Datura stramonium). While mean emergence timing was statistically comparable between HV and LV cohorts (6.0 vs. 7.2 days), LV seedlings entered the post-emergence phase with a numerical deficit in initial seedling dry weight (7.1 mg vs. 8.5 mg for HV; difference not statistically significant), suggesting a potential early competitive disadvantage. In replacement series experiments, HV tomatoes maintained stable leaf and root biomass within the 0.76–1.24 relative yield (RY) confidence interval when competing with jimsonweed. In contrast, LV plants were significantly suppressed at low weed proportions (25%), where root RY dipped below the 0.76 threshold. Against the aggressive below-ground strategy of S. viridis (which produced ~1200 mg of root mass by 40 DAE), LV tomato root RY collapsed to 0.10–0.15, whereas HV plants maintained significantly higher niche occupancy. Physical separation of above- and below-ground competition confirmed that HV seeds provide a “physiological buffer”; specifically, in below-ground treatments, HV plants achieved a root mass of 0.25 g/plant compared to only 0.15 g/plant for LV plants. These results identify seed vigor as a primary driver of the “priority effect” and suggest that high-vigor lots are essential for Integrated Weed Management (IWM) strategies to mitigate early-season resource pre-emption. These findings suggest that seed vigor assessment should be integrated into seed quality standards for direct-seeded tomato systems as a component of Integrated Weed Management. Future field-based studies are needed to validate these greenhouse findings under variable agronomic conditions. Full article

This study evaluates zero-shot domain transfer for multilingual sentiment analysis in sustainable urban mobility using XLM-RoBERTa, a transformer pre-trained on social media data and applied to transport reviews without task- or domain-specific fine-tuning. Starting from a manually annotated English corpus of 375 transport-related user reviews, we created sentence-aligned translations in Spanish, French, German, and Italian, yielding a multilingual evaluation dataset of 1875 instances. Results show that the model assigns consistently high confidence to polarized content (mean: 0.76–0.85) and lower confidence to neutral or ambiguous expressions (0.58–0.65), with visible but preliminary cross-lingual variations that require further linguistic validation. Confidence scores are treated as diagnostic indicators of model certainty, not as evidence of correctness or calibration. A qualitative analysis of 113 categorized low-confidence predictions identifies six recurring linguistic patterns associated with model uncertainty (led by translation drift, mixed sentiment, and idiomatic expressions) with substantial inter-annotator agreement (κ = 0.664). By releasing the annotated multilingual dataset and code publicly, this work provides a reproducible exploratory evaluation framework for annotation-scarce, domain-specific multilingual NLP. Full article

Background: Household food insecurity (HFI), defined as the lack of reliable access to adequate food because of limited money or resources, may influence children’s nutritional status. This study aimed to examine the association between HFI risk, based on a single screening item, and underweight and obesity among kindergarten children in Nevada. Methods: Cross-sectional data from the Kindergarten Health Survey (KHS) collected across three school years (2022–2023, 2023–2024, and 2024–2025) were analyzed using a pooled sample of 7267 children. HFI risk was assessed using one item from the Hunger Vital Sign. Weight status was determined using Body Mass Index (BMI) guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression examined associations between HFI risk and underweight and obesity, adjusting for confounders. Results: Across the pooled sample, 16.3% were at risk for HFI, 16.0% were underweight, and 21.9% had obesity. In pooled analysis, HFI risk was associated with higher odds of obesity (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] 1.29; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.05–1.59), but not underweight, compared with food-secure children. In year-specific analyses, higher odds of underweight were observed in 2023–2024 (AOR 1.74; 95% CI: 1.14–2.66) and 2024–2025 (AOR 1.58; 95% CI: 1.04–2.38). Conclusions: HFI risk was associated with obesity among kindergarten children in Nevada, while associations with underweight were observed only in certain school years and should be interpreted cautiously. These findings suggest HFI risk as an important early childhood health concern and support the need for nutrition support, family assistance, and longitudinal research. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study evaluated whether sequential changes in cervical length (CL) can predict spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) before 34 weeks of gestation in twin pregnancies. Methods: This retrospective study from a single tertiary-care center analyzed 349 twin pregnancies with deliveries between January 2019 and December 2023. Cervical length assessments began at 18–21 weeks, followed by biweekly serial measurements. The primary outcome was sPTB before 34 weeks. CL changes were assessed descriptively using data from patients with and without sPTB before 34 weeks. We defined the high-risk status for sPTB based on our assessment. Logistic regression models were used to compute the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to quantify the relationship between these predictors and sPTB. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed from the area under the curve using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results: The sPTB rate before 34 weeks of gestation was 8.5% (18/212). In the group without -sPTB before 34 weeks of gestation, the 5th percentile CL was approximately 20 mm at 25 weeks and 15 mm at 26–27 weeks of gestation. Sequential CL measurements revealed that a rapid shortening of ≥10 mm within 2 weeks significantly predicted sPTB before 34 weeks. A decrease in CL of ≥10 mm in a 2-week interval was associated with increased odds for sPTB before 34 weeks of gestation [adjusted OR (95% CI): 6.66 (2.32–19.14)]. Conclusions: In twin pregnancies, measuring CL every 2 weeks after approximately 20 weeks of gestation may facilitate sPTB detection before 34 weeks. Full article

This study presents a structure-aware inference framework for tooth numbering and lesion localization in visible light oral images. Tooth numbering is often compromised by class imbalance and structural inconsistency caused by the uneven distribution of tooth types, motivating the integration of anatomical priors into the inference process. The framework first partitions the dental arch into quadrants using a deep learning-based detection module to establish spatial organization. Based on this, an Anchor-Teeth-Guided Inference (ATGI) strategy reconstructs globally consistent tooth numbering by leveraging dental arch continuity, bilateral symmetry, and confidence-guided anchor selection, thereby improving the recognition of underrepresented tooth classes. Visually suspicious lesion regions are independently detected and spatially associated with numbered teeth, enabling joint structural and lesion-aware analysis. Evaluated on a multi-source dataset, the method achieves a weighted F1-score of 0.813 for 32-class tooth numbering, outperforming end-to-end baselines while improving spatial consistency. Lesion localization yields F1-scores of 0.850 for caries-related regions and 0.789 for gingivitis-related regions. These results demonstrate that incorporating anatomical constraints enhances numbering robustness and improves rare-class recognition in visible light dental image analysis, showing potential for screening-oriented oral assessment and teledentistry applications. Full article

Background/Objectives: Orthodontic treatment induces controlled mechanical forces that alter the periodontal environment, including changes in oral microbiota composition and activation of local inflammatory pathways. Despite the widespread and growing use of orthodontic appliances across all age groups, the magnitude, timing, and multi-domain biological impact of these changes have not been comprehensively quantified in a single systematic synthesis. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize the available evidence on periodontal clinical parameters, oral microbiota composition, and local inflammatory biomarkers associated with orthodontic treatment using fixed appliances and clear aligners, and to provide a structured, GRADE-rated evidence base for clinical practice. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched from inception to March 2026. Prospective cohort studies, longitudinal clinical studies, and randomized controlled trials evaluating periodontal parameters, oral microbiota, and inflammatory biomarkers during orthodontic treatment were included. Quantitative synthesis was performed using mean differences or standardized mean differences with 95% confidence intervals, primarily assessing within-group (pre–post) changes. Results: Eighteen studies (n = 812 patients; follow-up 3–12 months) met inclusion criteria. Fixed orthodontic appliances were consistently associated with transient increases in plaque index (MD 0.45, 95% CI 0.32–0.58; I² = 62%), gingival index (MD 0.38, 95% CI 0.25–0.51; I² = 55%), and bleeding on probing (MD 15.2%, 95% CI 10.1–20.3%; I² = 48%), particularly during early treatment phases. Microbiological analyses demonstrated within-group shifts toward increased prevalence of periodontopathogenic species (Streptococcus mutans OR 2.45, 95% CI 1.89–3.18; Porphyromonas spp. OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.67–2.75) in patients treated with fixed appliances. Local inflammatory responses were characterized by elevated IL-1β (MD 1.2, 95% CI 0.8–1.6) and IL-6 (MD 0.9, 95% CI 0.6–1.2) in gingival crevicular fluid. Certainty of evidence was rated moderate for plaque and gingival indices and low for microbiological and inflammatory outcomes (GRADE). Conclusions: Orthodontic treatment—particularly with fixed appliances—is associated with transient, reversible deterioration of periodontal indices, shifts toward a more dysbiotic oral microbiome, and elevation of local inflammatory mediators in gingival crevicular fluid during active treatment phases. These changes are manageable through structured preventive protocols and regular periodontal monitoring. Future prospective studies with concurrent control groups and standardized multi-domain outcome measures are needed to better define the magnitude and reversibility of these biological responses. PROSPERO: CRD420261336117. Full article

Background and Objective: Perioperative antibiotics are widely used in pediatric surgical practice; however, inappropriate selection and prolonged use may contribute to antimicrobial resistance and unnecessary exposure. Appropriate use of perioperative antibiotics is essential to prevent surgical site infections while minimizing antimicrobial resistance, adverse drug reactions, and unnecessary healthcare costs. Despite existing international recommendations, deviations from guideline-based practice remain frequent in pediatric surgical settings. This study aimed to describe patterns of perioperative antibiotic use and assess the appropriateness of prescribing practices in a tertiary care setting, and to identify factors associated with inappropriate antibiotic use. Methods: A retrospective pharmacoepidemiological study was conducted by reviewing medical records of pediatric patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Kosovo between January 2022 and December 2025 (data lock: December 2025). A total of 650 patients aged 0–18 years who underwent surgical interventions and received perioperative antibiotics for prophylaxis or empirical treatment (defined as antibiotic therapy initiated in the presence of suspected infection) were included. Data collected comprised demographic characteristics, surgical diagnoses, type of surgery, antibiotics prescribed, weight-adjusted dosing, route of administration, timing of initiation, and duration of therapy. Appropriateness of antibiotic use was evaluated based on available documentation and compliance with WHO (2018) and CDC (2017) guidelines regarding indication, antibiotic selection, dosage, timing, and duration. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multivariable logistic regression to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Among the 650 patients, 378 (58.2%) were male and 272 (41.8%) were female, with a mean age of 6.8 ± 4.3 years. The most common types of surgery were abdominal (35.7%), otorhinolaryngological (29.4%), urological (19.1%), and orthopedic (15.8%). Perioperative antibiotics were administered predominantly for prophylaxis (91.5%), while 8.5% of patients received empirical treatment. The most frequently prescribed antibiotics were cefazolin (42.6%), ceftriaxone (34.8%), ampicillin/sulbactam (12.3%), and gentamicin (6.1%). Notably, ceftriaxone was frequently prescribed for prophylactic purposes despite international recommendations generally favoring narrow-spectrum first-line agents for perioperative prophylaxis. Intravenous administration was used in 87.9% of cases. Antibiotic duration was ≤24 h in 61.2% of patients, whereas 38.8% received antibiotics for more than 24 h. Overall, appropriate antibiotic use was identified in 62.9% of cases, while 37.1% were classified as inappropriate. Prolonged antibiotic use beyond 24 h (adjusted OR = 3.87; 95% CI: 2.68–5.58; p < 0.001) and ceftriaxone use (adjusted OR = 2.41; 95% CI: 1.63–3.55; p < 0.001), were independently associated with inappropriate antibiotic use. Conclusions: Perioperative antibiotic use in pediatric tertiary care is highly prevalent, with more than one-third of prescriptions not fully aligned with international recommendations. Prolonged antibiotic duration and the preferential use of broad-spectrum agents, particularly ceftriaxone, were the factors most strongly associated with inappropriate prescribing patterns. These findings highlight the need for improved adherence to guideline-based perioperative antibiotic protocols; however, causal inferences regarding stewardship interventions cannot be drawn from this retrospective study. The findings should be interpreted within the limitations inherent to retrospective observational studies. Full article

The Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework provides a strengths-based perspective, paying greater attention to positive indicators of youth health. This article aimed to examine the relationship between the 5Cs of PYD (i.e., Character, Competence, Confidence, Connection and Caring) and three indicators of alcohol consumption in youth (use, drunkenness and drunken driving). A cross-sectional design was employed with a convenience sample of 1779 undergraduates aged 18 to 29 years (Mean = 20.32, SD = 1.84), recruited from ten universities across Andalusia (Spain). Data was collected during Spring 2023 through an online self-report questionnaire composed of PYD-SF, three questions to assess alcohol consumption, and demographics. Results underlined the protective association of Character and the paradoxical associations of Competence and Connection with alcohol consumption. The higher alcohol consumption scores in men (especially in the indicator of drunken driving) were associated with their lower scores in Character and their higher perceived Competence. These results underlined the importance of promoting positive contexts for developing both Competence and Connection, and the need to foster Character to increase awareness about the risk of alcohol consumption. Full article

Fencing is an intermittent combat sport in which performance depends on the interaction of neuromuscular qualities, aerobic support, and weapon-specific demands. However, evidence on sex-based differences in the physical capacity profiles of regional fencers remains limited. This study compared the physical capacity profiles of 27 fencers from the Liga Vallecaucana de Esgrima (13 women and 14 men; 14–31 years) in an observational, cross-sectional, comparative study. Field-based assessments included push-ups, sit-ups, squats, jump squats, pull-ups, terminal speed attained in the 20-m shuttle run test, and estimated VO2max. The analysis adopted an exploratory, estimation-oriented approach based on mean differences, 95% confidence intervals, Hedges’ g, supplementary significance testing, false discovery rate adjustment, and a directed acyclic graph to clarify causal assumptions. The most robust sex-based difference was observed in pull-up performance, with men outperforming women by 5.43 repetitions (95% CI: 3.51 to 7.45; g = 1.88), and this was the only comparison retained after FDR correction. No conclusive sex-based differences were found for push-ups, sit-ups, squats, jump squats, terminal shuttle-run speed, or estimated VO2max. Mean estimated VO2max for the overall sample was 43.48 ± 9.12 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹. These findings suggest that upper-limb pulling strength may be the main distinguishing physical quality in this cohort, although its implications for individualized conditioning remain to be established. Nevertheless, the results should be interpreted as observational associations rather than causal effects because of the cross-sectional design, the small sample, the field-based measurements, the imbalance in weapon distribution, and the lack of standardized measures of training exposure. Full article

Background/Objectives: Despite advances in heart failure (HF) pharmacotherapy, novel treatments are needed for its main subtypes: preserved (HFpEF), mildly reduced (HFmrEF), and reduced (HFrEF) ejection fraction. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) based therapies have shown cardioprotective effects. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis (Prospero Registration Number CRD42024606997) assessing the efficacy of GLP-1 based therapies (GLP-1 receptor agonists including tirzepatide) across the spectrum of left ventricular ejection fraction on cardiovascular (CV) outcomes. Methods: The PubMed, Embase, Scopus and trial registries were searched until December 2025 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) involving adults with HF treated with GLP-1 based therapies. Outcomes included heart failure hospitalisations (HFH), CV, and all-cause mortality. Pooled relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random-effects models. Subgroup analyses were performed by HF subtype, age, coronary artery disease (CAD) presence, and GLP-1 based therapeutic agent. Results: Fourteen RCTs (15,180 participants), at low risk of bias, were included. These agents significantly reduced HFH (RR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.71–0.99), especially in HFpEF patients with stable CAD (RR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.46–0.79). Limited data suggested benefits for exenatide in HFmrEF patients (RR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.47–0.95). CV mortality was reduced in HFrEF patients <65 years old (RR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.54–0.95). Benefit was seen in composites of HFH and CV mortality for HFpEF (RR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.54–0.83). Conclusions: GLP-1 based therapies may reduce HFH in HFpEF and possibly lower CV mortality in younger HFrEF patients, suggesting phenotype-specific effects. Full article