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32 pages, 27404 KB  
Article
Suitability Evaluation for Restoring Non-Cultivated Agricultural Land Under China’s Cultivated Land Protection System: A Case Study of Shenyang, Northeast China
by Hongbin Liu, Jiahong Zou, Qiang Liu and Xiuru Dong
Land 2026, 15(7), 1133; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15071133 (registering DOI) - 25 Jun 2026
Abstract
To address the dilemma of ‘non-grain use of cultivated land’ and support China’s requisition–compensation balance policy, this study developed a multi-dimensional assessment framework integrating the production, ecological, and economic dimensions (3D evaluation model), using Shenyang City as a case study to demonstrate the [...] Read more.
To address the dilemma of ‘non-grain use of cultivated land’ and support China’s requisition–compensation balance policy, this study developed a multi-dimensional assessment framework integrating the production, ecological, and economic dimensions (3D evaluation model), using Shenyang City as a case study to demonstrate the framework’s operational application and policy relevance. Based on 34,704 Third National Land Survey (TNLS) parcels (27,408.39 ha), we applied the constraint factor assessment method and entropy-weighted composite index model. The results show that non-cultivated agricultural land (NCAL) is generally marginally suitable (citywide average score: 2.50/4), with highly suitable areas accounting for only 4.04% (1106.30 ha). These areas exhibit a triangular spatial pattern distributed across northeastern Faku County, central Sujiatun District, and southern Xinmin City. Sensitivity tests using equal weights and ±20% dimension-weight perturbations confirm that high-suitability area remains limited (3.37–5.63% under entropy-weight scenarios; 8.54% under equal weights). Primary limiting factors include severe organic matter deficiency (average 19 g/kg), shallow soil depth, unfavorable pH, land requiring engineering restoration (94%), and punctiform heavy metal contamination (7.53% of plots, 2065.05 ha as spatially excluded areas). Consequently, we propose a five-tier sequential restoration framework: (1) near-term priority recultivation of highly suitable areas; (2) mid-term topsoil reconstruction for moderately suitable areas; (3) medium-to-long-term topsoil stripping and thickening for low-suitability areas; (4) long-term soil amelioration and slope-to-terrace conversion for marginally suitable areas; and (5) strict prohibition of restoration in unsuitable areas. This study establishes a spatially explicit decision-making system integrating “evaluation–classification–sequencing”, and distinguishes technical suitability from economic, institutional, and policy feasibility, providing a decision-support framework for scientifically implementing the cultivated land requisition–compensation balance policy. Future empirical studies using post-restoration monitoring data are needed to test its predictive accuracy against observed restoration outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Celebrating National Land Day of China)
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23 pages, 3710 KB  
Article
A Repeated and Delayed Homologous Challenge Study Evaluating the Durability of Protection Induced by the Live Attenuated ASF Vaccine Candidate ASFV-G-ΔI177L/ΔLVR
by Xinghua Zheng, Yeonji Kim, Sun A. Choi, Su Jin Lee, Seung Pyo Shin, Se Young Lee, Wonjun Kim, Seong Cheol Moon, Yongwoo Shin, Do Soon Kim, Byung-chul Shin, Sua Choi, Ji-yun Sung, Garam Kim, Weonhwa Jheong and Jung Hyang Sur
Vaccines 2026, 14(7), 561; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines14070561 (registering DOI) - 25 Jun 2026
Abstract
Background/Objectives: African swine fever (ASF) is a highly lethal disease of domestic pigs and wild suids that continues to cause substantial economic losses worldwide. Despite recent progress in live attenuated ASF vaccine development, evidence supporting durable protection under repeated exposure conditions representative of [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: African swine fever (ASF) is a highly lethal disease of domestic pigs and wild suids that continues to cause substantial economic losses worldwide. Despite recent progress in live attenuated ASF vaccine development, evidence supporting durable protection under repeated exposure conditions representative of endemic settings remains limited. Here, we assessed the long-term safety and protective efficacy of a live attenuated ASFV-G-ΔI177L/ΔLVR vaccine using a repeated-challenge experimental design intended to model re-exposure in ASF-endemic regions. Methods: Vaccinated pigs were subjected to homologous virulent ASF virus challenges at multiple intervals, including repeated challenges (three sequential inoculations) and single challenges administered at 8 and 12 weeks post-vaccination. Results: Across all challenge regimens, vaccinated animals survived and remained clinically healthy, including those receiving three challenges, supporting sustained protection under repeated exposure pressure. Animals challenged at 8 or 12 weeks post-vaccination likewise exhibited complete survival, indicating maintained efficacy through at least 12 weeks. No vaccine-associated adverse clinical outcomes were detected over the study period, and post-challenge viral shedding was minimal. Conclusions: Overall, these data demonstrate that the candidate live attenuated ASF vaccine provides excellent protective efficacy and confers sustained protection against homologous ASF virus infection. This result is expected to be equally applicable under repeated exposure conditions in regions with unstable ASF biosecurity, making it a sufficiently promising model experiment for field application in ASF epidemic areas. However, this is still a vaccine variant, and further studies are planned to evaluate its genomic stability and transmissibility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Veterinary Vaccines)
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25 pages, 1401 KB  
Article
Perceived Social Support, Study-Related Stress, and Depressive Symptoms in Saudi Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study
by Hussain Nuri Alali, Rawan Salem Alkhammas, Fatimah Abdullah Alessa, Khalid Jafar Alqadhib, Abdulhakim Ibrahim Alabdullah, Majd Khalid Al Dhailan and Abdullah Almaqhawi
Healthcare 2026, 14(13), 1816; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14131816 (registering DOI) - 23 Jun 2026
Abstract
Background: Medical students are at high risk of psychological distress due to academic and personal pressures. This study assessed stress, depression, and associated factors among medical students, with emphasis on social support. Methods/Material: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 367 medical students at [...] Read more.
Background: Medical students are at high risk of psychological distress due to academic and personal pressures. This study assessed stress, depression, and associated factors among medical students, with emphasis on social support. Methods/Material: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 367 medical students at King Faisal University using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 29.0. Results: Participants were nearly equally distributed by gender (51.5% females), with a mean age of 22–23 years. The mean corrected PSS-10 score was 20.19 ± 6.21 and the mean PHQ-9 score was 9.45 ± 5.58; 48.2% screened positive for clinically significant depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 ≥ 10). High stress and depressive symptoms were prevalent; 43.1% frequently felt nervous, 44.7% reported hopelessness, and 43.1% endorsed any thoughts of being better off dead or of self-harm on the PHQ-9 screening item. Peer support was associated with significantly lower stress (PSS: 17.77 vs. 21.25, p < 0.001) and depression scores (PHQ: 8.09 vs. 11.0, p < 0.001), and remained an independent predictor of lower odds of a positive depression screen in adjusted analysis (adjusted OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.83–0.96). Female and pre-clinical students showed poorer psychosocial outcomes (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Psychosocial distress is common among medical students, particularly females and pre-clinical students. Higher perceived social support, particularly peer support, was associated with lower stress and depressive symptom scores; given the cross-sectional design these associations cannot establish causation, but they support strengthening peer- and faculty-support systems within medical schools. Findings should be interpreted in light of the cross-sectional, single-centre, self-report design and a response below the pre-specified target, which limit causal inference and generalisability. Full article
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24 pages, 317 KB  
Article
The Cunning of Reason: The Post-Christian West and the State
by Salikyu Sangtam
Religions 2026, 17(7), 748; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070748 (registering DOI) - 23 Jun 2026
Abstract
The paper contends that post-Christianity in the West is a condition whose genealogy can be traced to fifteenth-century humanism and the subsequent events of the Reformation and the Enlightenment. The essence of this condition lies in the emergence of the state, an outcome [...] Read more.
The paper contends that post-Christianity in the West is a condition whose genealogy can be traced to fifteenth-century humanism and the subsequent events of the Reformation and the Enlightenment. The essence of this condition lies in the emergence of the state, an outcome from centuries of debate concerning the domain of the spiritual versus secular authority over man and his world. This discourse ultimately undermined the authority of the ecclesiastical order and, consequently, Christianity in the West. And as the Christian foundation of the West gradually eroded, it was replaced by the secular, i.e., the state. This withering of Christianity has allowed the political, the emblematic feature of the state, to occupy the place previously held by the divine. The triumph of the secular realm has brought to saliency the centrality of the secular religion, i.e., the state, which strives to achieve broad, and often contradictory, social justice and equality goals, all in pursuit of its perceived noble aim of attaining happiness in this life. Full article
24 pages, 25120 KB  
Article
Inclusive Innovation Spaces in Changsha: Spatial Distribution, Agglomeration Characteristics, and Driving Factors
by Yuqin Chen, Xi Luo and Xuefei Ma
Land 2026, 15(6), 1102; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15061102 (registering DOI) - 22 Jun 2026
Viewed by 163
Abstract
Against the backdrop of China’s urban modernization pathway, the core value of urban innovation systems is increasingly shifting toward an inclusive orientation. Grounded in the theoretical connotation of inclusive urban innovation, this study establishes an evaluation index system covering equal participation opportunities, procedural [...] Read more.
Against the backdrop of China’s urban modernization pathway, the core value of urban innovation systems is increasingly shifting toward an inclusive orientation. Grounded in the theoretical connotation of inclusive urban innovation, this study establishes an evaluation index system covering equal participation opportunities, procedural fairness, and outcome sharing, and applies the entropy method, kernel density analysis, and spatial autocorrelation to empirically examine the spatial distribution characteristics and formation mechanisms of inclusive innovation spaces in Changsha. The results show that (1) Changsha’s inclusive innovation level presents a gradient decline from the central urban area to the periphery; (2) high–high clusters mainly in areas with stronger innovation–resource concentration and better public service conditions, such as Yuelu District and other districts associated with major innovation platforms. Low–low agglomeration zones cluster in peripheral urban areas like certain townships in Liuyang City and remote regions of Ningxiang City; (3) the spatial differentiation of inclusive innovation is jointly shaped by multiple factors, among which Cultural Education and Industrial Structure show relatively stronger explanatory power; and (4) improving inclusive innovation requires enhancing not only innovation agglomeration, but also public service accessibility, talent support, employment inclusion, and the local sharing of innovation outcomes. This study provides a systematic framework for evaluating urban inclusive innovation space and offers policy insights for promoting balanced and inclusive innovation development in regional innovation cities. Full article
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16 pages, 1519 KB  
Review
The Global Gap in the Hemophilia Paradigm Shift: Disparities in Research, Care, and Musculoskeletal Health
by Felipe Querol-Giner, Magdalena Querol-Giner, Ana Chimeno-Hernández, Pilar Alberola-Zorrilla, Sofía Pérez-Alenda, Santiago Bonanad and Felipe Querol-Fuentes
Hematol. Rep. 2026, 18(3), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/hematolrep18030042 (registering DOI) - 22 Jun 2026
Viewed by 80
Abstract
Background: Hemophilia care has undergone a major therapeutic transformation with the introduction of extended half-life products, non-replacement therapies, and gene therapy. However, the benefits of these advances are not equally distributed worldwide, and their impact on long-term musculoskeletal outcomes remains uncertain. Objective: To [...] Read more.
Background: Hemophilia care has undergone a major therapeutic transformation with the introduction of extended half-life products, non-replacement therapies, and gene therapy. However, the benefits of these advances are not equally distributed worldwide, and their impact on long-term musculoskeletal outcomes remains uncertain. Objective: To analyze global disparities in hemophilia care and research production in the context of recent therapeutic advances, with particular attention to musculoskeletal management, physiotherapy, and scalable strategies for resource-limited settings. Methods: A narrative review with a structured literature search was conducted. Two conceptual blocks were explored: global disparities and access to care in hemophilia, and recent therapeutic advances, including non-replacement therapies, extended half-life products, and gene therapy. Retrieved records were screened using Rayyan, and a structured workflow diagram was used to summarize the literature identification and selection process. A descriptive analysis was also performed to identify representative authors, institutions, and geographic patterns in hemophilia research. Results: The evidence shows substantial global disparities in diagnosis, access to treatment, healthcare infrastructure, and research production. Scientific output remains concentrated in high-income countries, while low- and middle-income regions are underrepresented. Advanced therapies consistently reduce bleeding rates and treatment burden, but concerns remain regarding access, affordability, durability, breakthrough bleeding, and long-term structural joint outcomes. Musculoskeletal complications, including subclinical bleeding and hemophilic arthropathy, remain clinically relevant despite improved hematologic control. Conclusions: The current paradigm shift in hemophilia care is not uniformly experienced worldwide. Addressing global disparities requires not only expanding access to advanced therapies, but also strengthening research capacity, implementing multidisciplinary care models, and integrating scalable interventions such as physiotherapy, patient education, and simplified diagnostic tools. Accessible musculoskeletal assessment strategies may help improve early detection, functional outcomes, and equity of care in resource-limited settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hemophilia: The Paradigm Shift and the Unresolved Challenges)
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43 pages, 13727 KB  
Review
Adaptive Quantum Dot Biointerfaces for Precision Wound Repair
by Hossein Omidian, Kwadwo Amanor Mfoafo and Luigi X. Cubeddu
Nanomaterials 2026, 16(12), 774; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16120774 (registering DOI) - 19 Jun 2026
Viewed by 343
Abstract
Impaired wound healing arises from interacting biological and material challenges, including persistent infection, biofilm formation, oxidative stress, unresolved inflammation, impaired angiogenesis, defective epithelialization, hemorrhage, and insufficient real-time assessment of wound status. Quantum dot (QD) and nanodot nanosystems have emerged as a versatile class [...] Read more.
Impaired wound healing arises from interacting biological and material challenges, including persistent infection, biofilm formation, oxidative stress, unresolved inflammation, impaired angiogenesis, defective epithelialization, hemorrhage, and insufficient real-time assessment of wound status. Quantum dot (QD) and nanodot nanosystems have emerged as a versatile class of bioactive wound interfaces capable of addressing these barriers through functions that extend beyond passive coverage. This review synthesizes the design rationale, material composition, validation strategies, functional outcomes, mechanistic interpretation, and translational relevance of QD-enabled platforms for precision wound repair. Across the reviewed literature, carbon dots, graphene QDs, black phosphorus QDs, metal and metal oxide QDs, transition-metal nanodots, and hybrid nanocomposites were incorporated into hydrogels, films, sponges, nanofibers, microneedles, scaffolds, membranes, sprays, and injectable matrices. Their major precision-enabling attributes include localized antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity, redox-adaptive behavior, photothermal and photodynamic activation, inflammatory and macrophage modulation, hemostasis, controlled therapeutic delivery, angiogenic and epithelial support, and fluorescence-based monitoring. The strongest conceptual advance is the transition from static wound dressings toward adaptive biointerfaces that can sense, respond to, or compensate for local wound state abnormalities. Nevertheless, the field remains largely preclinical, with important gaps in long-term safety, standardized characterization, clinically predictive models, manufacturing reproducibility, regulatory alignment, and human validation. Future progress will depend on rationally simplified multifunctional platforms, rigorous comparative testing, wound state-specific evaluation frameworks, and translation-oriented safety and usability studies. QD nanosystems therefore represent a promising foundation for precision wound repair, provided that their multifunctionality is matched by equally rigorous evidence of safety, reproducibility, and clinical relevance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanobiomaterials in Therapy and Medical Diagnosis)
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26 pages, 481 KB  
Review
Not All Sleep Loss Is Equal: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Rodent Models, Their Neurobiological Validity, and Translational Relevance to Neurological Disease
by Edem Ekpenyong Edem, Sabiu Bala Soja, Mohammed Rabiu Abba, Kelechi Favour Chinyere and Linus Anderson Enye
Biomedicines 2026, 14(6), 1376; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14061376 - 18 Jun 2026
Viewed by 179
Abstract
Not all sleep loss is equal, and overlooking this limits progress in sleep and neurological disease research. We compared nine rodent sleep deprivation paradigms, gentle handling, multiple platform variants, disk-over-water, the Unpredictable Chronic Sleep Deprivation (UCSD) paradigm, novel object introduction, curling prevention by [...] Read more.
Not all sleep loss is equal, and overlooking this limits progress in sleep and neurological disease research. We compared nine rodent sleep deprivation paradigms, gentle handling, multiple platform variants, disk-over-water, the Unpredictable Chronic Sleep Deprivation (UCSD) paradigm, novel object introduction, curling prevention by water, automated systems, and head-lifting, evaluating stress confounds, sleep stage specificity, chronicity, and neurobiological outcomes. Effects included hippocampal plasticity, prefrontal chemistry, glymphatic clearance, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, neurogenesis, and circadian regulation, linked to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and psychiatric comorbidities. UCSD with caffeine produced antioxidant depletion, serotonin reduction, acetylcholinesterase upregulation, and synaptophysin loss, early neurodegeneration markers. We propose a disease-targeted framework with six translational priorities and reporting standards. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Neurobiology and Clinical Neuroscience)
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11 pages, 831 KB  
Article
Measurement Equivalence of Diabetes Self-Management, Distress, and Quality-of-Life Measures in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes in Vietnam
by Thu-Thuy Thi Nguyen, Huu Thuan Vo, Thi Tuong Vi Nguyen, Pham Minh Son, Vu Thi Xim, Thi My Nhung Pham, Mieu An Phan and Thi Anh Nguyen
Nurs. Rep. 2026, 16(6), 205; https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep16060205 - 18 Jun 2026
Viewed by 156
Abstract
Background: Patient-reported outcome comparisons require measurement equivalence, which is seldom tested in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) diabetes research. We examined equivalence of the Diabetes Self-Management Instrument-35 (DSMI-35), Diabetes Distress Scale-17 (DDS-17), and Asian Diabetes Quality of Life (AsianDQOL) scale across sex, fasting-glucose [...] Read more.
Background: Patient-reported outcome comparisons require measurement equivalence, which is seldom tested in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) diabetes research. We examined equivalence of the Diabetes Self-Management Instrument-35 (DSMI-35), Diabetes Distress Scale-17 (DDS-17), and Asian Diabetes Quality of Life (AsianDQOL) scale across sex, fasting-glucose stratum, and educational attainment in Vietnamese adults with type 2 diabetes. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of 374 adults (female 152, male 222; lower-FBG < 154 mg/dL, n = 212; higher-FBG n = 162; secondary-or-lower n = 202; tertiary-or-higher n = 172). Multi-group CFA (lavaan) tested configural, metric, and scalar equivalence of a parcel-level three-factor model (parcel-level equivalence does not imply item-level equivalence). Path equality was evaluated with scaled Satorra–Bentler likelihood-ratio tests; indirect effects were bootstrapped (n = 5000). Results: Scalar-equivalence change-index criteria (ΔCFI ≤ 0.010; ΔRMSEA ≤ 0.015) were met for all groupings; however, for fasting glucose the configural baseline fit was weak (RMSEA 0.117–0.119), so fasting-glucose equivalence is reported only as provisional and is not interpreted at the level of the sex and education findings. McDonald’s ω was ≥ 0.959 in every subgroup. Structural paths did not differ by sex (Δχ2(3) = 1.18, p = 0.758; not powered for equivalence) but differed by education (Δχ2(3) = 71.16, p < 0.001), with the cross-sectional association structure differing by education (distress-channelled in tertiary-or-higher and partly direct in secondary-or-lower participants); because the data are cross-sectional, these are differences in association structure, not established mediation. The fasting-glucose structural comparison was not interpretable because the lower-FBG subgroup (FBG < 154 mg/dL, n = 212) had a non-positive-definite latent covariance matrix. Conclusions: Scalar equivalence criteria were met for sex and education and only preliminarily supported for fasting-glucose stratum, where elevated configural RMSEA (0.119) cautions against firm interpretation. The self-management → distress → quality-of-life pathway showed no detected sex difference but differed by educational attainment. Measurement equivalence testing, including configural-fit assessment, should be routine in LMIC patient-reported outcome validation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Questionnaires in Nursing)
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32 pages, 1769 KB  
Article
A Comparison of Regression Models for Cryptocurrency Forecasting Across 14 Assets and Three Liquidity Tiers
by Gabriela Vasileva, Dilyana Karova, Mariyan Milev and Penko Mitev
AppliedMath 2026, 6(6), 100; https://doi.org/10.3390/appliedmath6060100 - 16 Jun 2026
Viewed by 159
Abstract
We compare classical and modern regression models for next-day cryptocurrency forecasting on 14 USD-denominated coins across three liquidity tiers from 2018 through 2025, and we use the resulting panel to formally test three pre-specified hypotheses. The features are a strictly past-only 28-element set; [...] Read more.
We compare classical and modern regression models for next-day cryptocurrency forecasting on 14 USD-denominated coins across three liquidity tiers from 2018 through 2025, and we use the resulting panel to formally test three pre-specified hypotheses. The features are a strictly past-only 28-element set; the evaluation uses expanding-window walk-forward cross-validation with nested hyperparameter tuning, stationary block-bootstrap 95% confidence intervals, and pairwise Diebold–Mariano tests. Methodologically, we derive a bias-variance bound that turns the ‘no model beats the mean’ observation from a null finding into a predicted outcome under weak-form market efficiency. Empirically, (H1) the threshold–effect interaction is not supported (slope −1.7 × 10−4, 95% CI [−4.8 × 10−4, +1.4 × 10−4], p = 0.25). (H2) Statistical loss minimisation is decoupled from risk-adjusted economic outcome: the cluster-bootstrapped 95% CI for the Spearman rank correlation between the within-ticker MAE rank and within-ticker post-cost Sharpe rank is [−0.39, +0.10] overall, lies *strictly below zero* on the mid-cap (CI [−0.71, −0.04]) and long-tail (CI [−0.26, −0.09]) tiers, and decisively rejects perfect alignment (ρ = +1) on every tier. None of the seven (ticker, model) pairs with annualised Sharpe ≥ 0.5 has a hit rate significantly different from 0.5; high-Sharpe outcomes reflect return skew, not directional skill—formally predicted by a closed-form Sharpe–MSE decoupling proposition we derive in Section 3.6 under non-zero return skewness. (H3) Lo–MacKinlay variance ratio tests show top-tier coins are indistinguishable from a random walk (|z| ≤ 1.5 at q ∈ {2, 5, 10}), while mid- and long-tail tiers reject the random-walk null at q = 2 (z = −2.36, z = −2.60). The findings extend across two robustness layers. An AR(1)-GARCH(1,1) baseline produces R2 ≈ −0.005 on every tier and is indistinguishable from Lasso, supporting the bias-variance bound; Giacomini–White conditional predictive ability tests reject equal predictive ability between Lasso and tree-based models on every coin in every tier, complicating naive DM interpretations; and a forward-walking 2026-Q1 holdout—83 daily observations per coin entirely outside the training window—confirms that H1 is even more decisively null on unseen data and that the H3 efficiency conclusion holds. Together, these results give a formally tested EMH-style picture for daily crypto: no model meaningfully forecasts log-returns; statistical accuracy and trading P&L are decoupled by an analytically derived mechanism; and weak-form efficiency is approximately satisfied in most liquid coins and in the convergence across the cross-section. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in AppliedMath)
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19 pages, 4626 KB  
Article
Antibody Titres to Strangvac® Antigens Correlate with Protection and Duration of Immunity Against Experimental Infection with Streptococcus equi Subspecies equi
by Romain Paillot, Francesco Righetti, Carl Robinson, Lars Frykberg, Margareta Flock, Olof Zachrisson, Bengt Guss, Jan-Ingmar Flock and Andrew S. Waller
Vaccines 2026, 14(6), 533; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines14060533 - 16 Jun 2026
Viewed by 336
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Strangles, caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (S. equi), remains a common and severe equine infectious disease. Strangvac®, a recombinant fusion protein vaccine licenced in Europe, contains the antigens (Ag) CCE, Eq85, IdeE and a saponin adjuvant. Although [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Strangles, caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (S. equi), remains a common and severe equine infectious disease. Strangvac®, a recombinant fusion protein vaccine licenced in Europe, contains the antigens (Ag) CCE, Eq85, IdeE and a saponin adjuvant. Although its efficacy is high (94% in clinical trials and 100% in some natural outbreaks), immune correlates of protection have not been defined. This study determined the antibody (Ab) thresholds predictive of protection against clinical disease following high-dose experimental S. equi infection and the expected levels of protection at 6 and 12 months after V2. Methods: This study was a retrospective analysis of six independent double-blinded placebo-controlled experimental infection studies involving 129 ponies (80 vaccinated controls and 49 placebo controls) and a serology study (12 vaccinated ponies). Ponies received two to five vaccine doses before being experimentally challenged with S. equi strain Se4047. Ponies in the serology study were not experimentally infected. The onset of pyrexia (≥39 °C for at least 2 of 3 consecutive days, OOT) was used as a disease marker. Serology to IdeE, Eq85 and CCE was analysed with standardised clinical outcomes to define protective thresholds through correlation and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analyses. The predicted level of protection up to one year after V2 was then calculated (duration of immunity: DOI). Results: A protection threshold of ≥10 days to OOT, derived from the control distribution, was used for ROC modelling. Predictive performance (e.g., accuracy, precision, specificity) was calculated for individual and combined Ab thresholds. All controls developed pyrexia (median 6 days, IQR 5–7), with 46 out of 49 (93.9%) within 9 days of the challenge. Vaccinated ponies showed significantly delayed or absent OOT compared with controls (p < 0.0001), with 37 vaccinated ponies (46.25%) reaching the end of the studies without developing pyrexia. The Ab titre to all antigens was significantly associated with the level of protection (p < 0.0001). ROC analyses demonstrated high discriminative power (AUC 0.86–0.88). Optimal Ab titre boundaries yielded high precision (≥80%) for all Ags (IdeE: 3.5–4.3; Eq85: 2.65–3.7 and CCE: 2.66–3.2). Both precision and accuracy remained above 80% for levels of IdeE and Eq85 Ab titres superior or equal to those measured up to one year after V2, with an estimated level of protection of 78.9% to 81.2% in vaccinated animals. Conclusions: Ab titres to all three Ags represent robust correlates of protection against pyrexia following high-dose experimental S. equi challenge in Strangvac®-vaccinated ponies. Ab titres measured up to one year after V2 were estimated to continue to provide significant protection in vaccinated animals. These findings support the observed levels of protection conferred by Strangvac® against natural infection with S. equi. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Veterinary Vaccines)
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20 pages, 51749 KB  
Article
Decoding the Shear Strength of Sand–Concrete Interfaces: The Role of Surface Texture and Bentonite
by M.J. Siahdashti and Adolfo Foriero
J 2026, 9(2), 19; https://doi.org/10.3390/j9020019 - 15 Jun 2026
Viewed by 199
Abstract
Bentonite slurry is frequently used as a support fluid in the construction of drilled shafts. During the piling process, the slurry acts as a sealant and slightly penetrates the nearby soil. However, the degree to which bentonite slurry penetrates the soil affects the [...] Read more.
Bentonite slurry is frequently used as a support fluid in the construction of drilled shafts. During the piling process, the slurry acts as a sealant and slightly penetrates the nearby soil. However, the degree to which bentonite slurry penetrates the soil affects the resulting frictional capacity of the bored piles. This experimental study examines the extent of this phenomenon, arising from the formation of what is typically known as the bentonite filter cake or mud cake. The frictional properties of the filter cake are examined through three groups of direct shear tests, employing three pre-cast concrete blocks positioned on a sand layer that has been subject to bentonite slurry for varying durations. To ensure comparison, a similar pre-cast concrete block was utilized in each test series, resulting in uniform surface roughness in the concrete. A handheld surface roughness device was utilized to measure the roughness profile of each concrete block, assessing the surface roughness of all concrete surfaces. The outcomes of the direct shear test performed were subsequently normalized based on the assessed roughness of the concrete surface. Experimental results showed that the friction capacity of the soil–concrete interface for granular materials (“sand–concrete interface”) decreases with longer exposure to bentonite slurry. Specifically, the shear strength is inversely proportional to the square root of the bentonite slurry exposure time. Tests on the internal friction angle of Québec Valcartier granitic sand and the friction angles at sand–concrete interfaces with and without bentonite slurry exposure revealed that the non-exposed sand–concrete interface achieves a peak friction angle equal to 77% of the peak internal friction angle of Québec Valcartier granitic sand. This value represents 69% and 60% of the peak friction angle of the sand tested for bentonite exposure durations of 2 and 4 h, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Engineering)
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29 pages, 367 KB  
Article
Digital Finance, Labor Market Integration, and Gender Inequality: Evidence from Brazil
by Mesbah Fathy Sharaf and Abdelhalem Mahmoud Shahen
J. Risk Financial Manag. 2026, 19(6), 424; https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm19060424 - 12 Jun 2026
Viewed by 248
Abstract
Digital financial services have expanded rapidly across emerging economies and are often presented as tools for advancing women’s economic inclusion. However, the extent to which digital finance is associated with lower gender inequality depends on the broader structural conditions in which women live [...] Read more.
Digital financial services have expanded rapidly across emerging economies and are often presented as tools for advancing women’s economic inclusion. However, the extent to which digital finance is associated with lower gender inequality depends on the broader structural conditions in which women live and work. This study examines the relationship between digital financial participation, labor market integration, and gender inequality in Brazil using nationally representative microdata from the 2025 Global Findex survey. Three outcomes are examined: digital account ownership, use of any digital payment, and engagement in merchant digital payments. Multivariate logit models show moderate gender gaps at early stages of digital financial participation. However, these gaps are not uniform across the population. The interaction results show that gender differences are concentrated mainly among individuals outside employment and among those without internet access. Among employed and digitally connected individuals, the gender gap becomes small and statistically insignificant across the three outcomes. A nonlinear decomposition shows that observable socioeconomic characteristics explain only a small share of the aggregate gender gap, especially for account ownership and any digital payment use. Additional robustness checks using probit and complementary log-log models support the main pattern of results. This suggests that the gender gap cannot be explained only by differences in education, income, employment, or internet access, and may also reflect unobserved household, institutional, or social constraints. The findings suggest that digital finance alone does not equalize participation. Rather, women’s digital financial participation is closely associated with their position in the labor market and their access to digital infrastructure. Because the analysis is based on cross-sectional data, the results should be interpreted as conditional associations rather than causal effects. Digital financial expansion is therefore more likely to support gender inclusion when it is linked to broader policies that strengthen women’s labor force attachment, digital connectivity, and economic autonomy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Applied Economics and Finance)
20 pages, 5561 KB  
Article
Multicriteria Adjustment Fairness Framework: Measurement, Mitigation, and Interpretability in Emergency Department Prediction
by MyeongHo Shin, Hansol Chang and Jae Yong Yu
Mathematics 2026, 14(12), 2085; https://doi.org/10.3390/math14122085 - 11 Jun 2026
Viewed by 150
Abstract
Algorithmic prediction models are increasingly used to support decision-making in high-stakes environments, including emergency departments (ED). However, aggregate performance metrics may obscure systematic differences in classification errors or calibration across subgroups. This study presents a stage-wise, multi-metric, and interpretable fairness auditing framework for [...] Read more.
Algorithmic prediction models are increasingly used to support decision-making in high-stakes environments, including emergency departments (ED). However, aggregate performance metrics may obscure systematic differences in classification errors or calibration across subgroups. This study presents a stage-wise, multi-metric, and interpretable fairness auditing framework for ED prediction. The framework compares mitigation strategies across data-, model-, and decision-level interventions, evaluates subgroup fairness using complementary classification and calibration criteria including equalized odds difference (EOD) and expected calibration error (ECE) disparity, and incorporates interpretability analyses based on SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) and the calibration adjustment difference (CAD) to characterize changes in feature-contribution patterns and subgroup-specific probability adjustments after mitigation. The framework was applied to 126,819 ED encounters from MIMIC-IV-ED using measurements recorded within the first 2 h after arrival, and penalized logistic regression and random forest models were compared under reweighting, reduction, and multicalibration. Baseline AUROC values were 0.748 ± 0.028 for random forest and 0.746 ± 0.028 for penalized logistic regression. Reduction and multicalibration largely preserved discrimination performance, whereas reweighting was associated with reduced AUROC and AUPRC. Reweighting most clearly reduced EOD-based classification disparity, particularly for age, yielding reductions of 80.6% in random forest and 86.4% in penalized logistic regression. By contrast, multicalibration most consistently reduced ECE-based calibration disparity for sex and age but did not consistently improve EOD-based classification disparity. In the interpretability analyses, SHAP indicated that data- and model-level mitigation altered feature-contribution patterns, whereas CAD showed that decision-level mitigation produced subgroup-specific probability adjustments that varied in direction and magnitude across groups. These findings reveal trade-offs among discrimination performance, classification fairness, and calibration fairness, indicating that fairness mitigation should be guided by a clearly defined target fairness objective. Pre-deployment fairness auditing should therefore combine complementary fairness metrics with interpretability analyses to evaluate both subgroup-level outcomes and unintended changes in model behavior. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section E: Applied Mathematics)
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25 pages, 17122 KB  
Review
AI-, VR-, and Exergame-Based Dance and Movement Research on Psychological Outcomes: A Bibliometric and Topic-Modeling Analysis of Thematic Structure and Development
by Mingzhu Wu, Hongfei Zhang, Kunpeng Li, Mariusz Lipowski and Wenjun Hu
Healthcare 2026, 14(12), 1662; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14121662 - 11 Jun 2026
Viewed by 200
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and exergame technologies have been increasingly used in dance and movement activities. However, this literature remains dispersed across different areas, making it difficult to determine how the field has developed. This study mapped the research landscape and [...] Read more.
Artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and exergame technologies have been increasingly used in dance and movement activities. However, this literature remains dispersed across different areas, making it difficult to determine how the field has developed. This study mapped the research landscape and thematic development of AI-, VR-, and exergame-based dance and movement research on psychological outcomes using bibliometric analysis and latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) topic modeling. A total of 252 records indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection from 2011 to 2025 were included. Five related thematic strands were identified: immersive dance interaction and technology-supported teaching; rehabilitation-oriented dance or rhythm training; school-based exergaming and psychophysiological assessment; behavioral program design and intervention implementation; and AI-based motion or emotion recognition. These strands indicate that the field has developed into a multi-layered research space shaped by technology functions, movement contexts, intervention formats, and psychological constructs, rather than a single dance-intervention or technology-application domain. At the same time, psychological outcomes were not represented with equal clarity across these strands. Participation-related and psychosocial constructs, including enjoyment, motivation, engagement, self-efficacy, social interaction, emotional expression, and quality of life, were more frequently represented, whereas mental-health-related outcomes such as anxiety, depression, stress, loneliness, and psychological well-being were less consistently connected to technology-supported dance or movement interventions. These findings clarify where evidence is concentrated, how major themes are organized, and where psychological outcome measurement requires clearer theoretical and methodological specification. Future studies should use comparative and longitudinal designs to examine whether VR/AI-based feedback-supported movement training offers added value over conventional dance or movement programs for psychological outcomes, participation, exercise experience, and longer-term behavior change. Full article
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