Search Results (3,373)

Objectives: Exchange characteristics describe and evaluate the state of collaboration and the collaborative counterpart from the perspectives of both parties. They reflect the interaction tendencies between collaborators and are important factors influencing the effectiveness of interprofessional teamwork. This study aimed to assess the current exchange characteristics between clinical pharmacists and physicians and identify between-group differences. It also explored approaches to enhancing professional respect, trust, and clarity of Role Recognition among physicians and clinical pharmacists. Method: Separate questionnaire versions were developed for clinical pharmacists and physicians, and a nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted among both groups. First, descriptive statistics were used to characterize the current status of exchange characteristics in interprofessional collaboration. Second, paired-samples t-tests were conducted to compare clinical pharmacists and physicians across 774 matched pairs. Finally, subgroup analyses were performed using data from 448 clinical pharmacist questionnaires and 446 physician questionnaires. Kruskal–Wallis tests, Mann–Whitney U tests, and chi-square tests were used to examine differences in exchange characteristics across healthcare professionals with different characteristics. Results: A total of 448 clinical pharmacist and 446 physician questionnaires were analyzed. Compared with clinical pharmacists, physicians reported greater professional respect (p < 0.001), clearer role recognition (p < 0.001), better team communication ability (p < 0.001), and a stronger sense of fairness (p < 0.001) in interprofessional collaboration. In subgroup analyses, clinical pharmacists who graduated from universities and those with higher educational attainment reported greater professional respect. Younger clinical pharmacists reported lower levels of fairness and trust, while physicians in central regions and those in non-permanent employment experienced more severe job burnout. Conclusions: Exchange characteristics differed significantly across healthcare professionals by training pathway, region, hospital grade, employment status, gender, age, and education. To strengthen interprofessional collaboration, efforts should focus on optimizing training models, enhancing early-career professional education, improving remuneration systems, and clarifying role boundaries. Full article

Text-to-image generation has rapidly advanced the creation of digital artwork, yet most existing models rely on centralized training pipelines that require collecting large-scale image–text pairs from artists, design studios, or online communities. Such centralized practice raises serious privacy, ownership, and style leakage concerns, especially when local datasets contain identifiable artistic signatures or proprietary visual assets. To address this problem, this paper proposes FedMuse, a privacy-aware federated framework for multi-style text-to-image art generation, in which distributed clients collaboratively train a shared generative model while keeping their private art data local. The proposed framework decomposes the learning process into three coordinated components: a global semantic alignment module that captures cross-client text–image correspondence, a local style adapter that preserves client-specific artistic characteristics, and a privacy-calibrated aggregation mechanism that suppresses sensitive style leakage during model update exchange. To further improve multi-style generation, we design a style-disentangled federated optimization algorithm that separates content-relevant knowledge from client-private stylistic representations, allowing the global model to generalize across diverse artistic domains without directly absorbing private local styles. In addition, an adaptive privacy regularizer is introduced to reduce memorization risk while maintaining visual quality and prompt consistency. Experiments on real-world text-to-image art datasets demonstrate competitive generation quality, stronger personalization, and improved empirical resistance to membership and style-leakage attacks. Because the calibration statistics are data-dependent, FedMuse does not claim a certified end-to-end differential-privacy budget. The results suggest that privacy-aware collaboration can be a practical direction for distributed AI art generation. Full article

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are heterogeneous, multipotent cell populations that have become one of the most extensively investigated cell types in veterinary regenerative medicine. They can be isolated from a wide range of adult and perinatal tissues and have attracted considerable interest because of their immunomodulatory properties, broad secretory activity, and potential to promote tissue repair. However, increasing evidence indicates that MSCs should not be regarded as a uniform therapeutic product, as their biological behaviour is influenced by tissue source, donor characteristics, manufacturing conditions, and the recipient microenvironment. Likewise, their therapeutic effects are now understood to arise predominantly through dynamic interactions with the host, including inflammatory licensing, immunomodulation, secreted bioactive factors, extracellular vesicles, metabolic exchange, and responses to apoptotic cells, rather than through durable engraftment and direct tissue replacement alone. Although clinical evidence supports the use of selected MSC products in canine osteoarthritis and suggests promise for equine musculoskeletal disorders, most other veterinary applications remain preclinical or investigational. This review critically examines current knowledge of MSC biological identity, tissue-source diversity, molecular mechanisms, therapeutic applications, and comparative translational roles in companion and farm animals. It also discusses the challenges that continue to limit clinical translation, including biological heterogeneity, product characterization, potency assessment, manufacturing standardization, and regulatory considerations, and highlights future directions for the development of safe, effective, and evidence-based MSC therapies in veterinary medicine. Full article

This study proposes a new method for the topological synthesis of principal component projections and hydrogeochemical stoichiometric equality lines on self-organizing map (SOM) component planes to assess groundwater chemistry forming factors and quality in the Pleistocene unconfined aquifer of the Southern Bug and Sinyukha interfluve area, Ukraine. The hydrogeochemical characteristics clustered by the SOM were further examined using the graphical cross-validation method. The groundwater dataset used in the analysis consisted of 10 parameters (i.e., pH, total dissolved solids, $\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{a}}^{2+}$, $\mathrm{M}{\mathrm{g}}^{2+}$, $\mathrm{N}{\mathrm{a}}^{+}$, ${\mathrm{K}}^{+}$, $\mathrm{H}\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{O}}_3^{-}$, $\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{l}}^{-}$, $\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{O}}_4^{2-}$, and $\mathrm{N}{\mathrm{O}}_3^{-}$) from 91 samples collected during the dry season. Subsequently, for SOM construction, we utilized six log-ratio relationships of milliequivalent ion concentrations. Based on the results, the hydrogeochemical groundwater data were classified into three clusters, which revealed three water types and processes controlling their chemistry: salinity driven by sulfate inputs (Cluster 1), highly salinity driven by nitrate-chloride and sulfate pollution (Cluster 2), and relatively fresh water governed by natural carbonate dissolution and silicate weathering (Cluster 3). The salinity types were identifiable in the northern part of the study area, characterized as the primary zone of initial intense pollution. High salinity types were identified in the eastern and southeastern parts of the territory (with delayed water exchange), whereas relatively fresh types were identified in the central part (with active water exchange) as well as in the western and southwestern parts. Modeling confirmed that extensive sulfate, nitrate, and chloride contamination led to anthropogenic degradation of the aquifer system. Full article

The Suzhou mining area contains abundant coalbed methane resources. Analyzing the hydrochemical characteristics of formation and drainage water from coalbed methane wells is of considerable importance for the efficient extraction of coalbed methane. Using hydrochemical test data from formation water, produced water, and the main coal seam of four coalbed methane wells, this study systematically investigated the relationship between hydrogeochemical characteristics and drainage water from coalbed methane wells. The results indicate that the trace elements in the main coal seam were similar to those in the water samples from the coal-bearing Permian sandstone aquifer (CPSA), both of which showed elevated levels of Ba. The water samples from the fourth aquifer of the Cenozoic Era (Q4 aquifer) primarily underwent ion exchange between Na⁺ and K⁺ in the water and Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ in the formation minerals. The water samples from coalbed methane wells, CPSA, Carboniferous Taiyuan Formation limestone aquifer (CTFLA), and Ordovician limestone aquifer (OLA) primarily underwent ion exchange between Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ in the water and Na⁺ and K⁺ in the formation minerals. Full article

International academic exchange is widely regarded as an important mechanism of knowledge transfer and international collaboration, yet relatively little is known about how countries’ structural positions within academic mobility networks relate to national innovation performance. This study examines the relationship between Erasmus academic mobility and innovation using a multidimensional quantitative framework integrating Social Network Analysis (SNA), econometric modelling, and inferential statistical analysis. Innovation performance is operationalised through the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS), while Erasmus mobility data from 2008–2013 are analysed at both country and institutional levels. The empirical design combines regression analyses of mobility characteristics with two complementary network models: a classical model based on conventional centrality measures and an extended model incorporating weighted, influence-based, and temporal network metrics. The results indicate that overall mobility volume is only weakly associated with innovation performance, whereas mobility directed towards highly innovative countries exhibits substantially stronger associations. Network analyses further demonstrate that countries occupying more influential structural positions within Erasmus mobility networks consistently achieve higher innovation performance across multiple EIS dimensions. The comparison of the two analytical models shows that the extended multidimensional network representation captures complementary aspects of knowledge diffusion that remain only partially visible through conventional centrality measures. The study contributes conceptually by framing academic mobility as a knowledge network and methodologically by integrating econometric and network-based approaches within a unified analytical framework for examining international academic exchange and innovation. Full article

Coconut residue, an abundant agro-industrial by-product, represents a potential source of bioactive polysaccharides. In this study, crude polysaccharides (CP0) were extracted from coconut residue and sequentially purified by DEAE–Sepharose Fast Flow anion-exchange chromatography and Sepharose CL-6B gel-filtration chromatography, yielding two major fractions, CP1 and CP2. Structural characterization revealed galactose- and glucose-rich heteropolysaccharides with distinct molecular characteristics. CP0 exhibited a molecular weight of 369.2 kDa, while the purified fractions CP1 and CP2 had molecular weights of 455.8 and 72.6 kDa, respectively. All fractions contained high carbohydrate contents (96.7–97.7%) and low protein contents (2.30–2.90%). Among the fractions, CP2 exhibited the greatest in vitro radical-scavenging capacity in DPPH and ABTS assays and stimulated the highest NO production in RAW264.7 macrophages without reducing cell viability. Simulated gastrointestinal digestion of CP2 was associated with a progressive reduction in apparent molecular weight and slight changes in relative monosaccharide composition. Gastric- and intestinal-digested CP2 preparations generally exhibited greater in vitro radical-scavenging capacity than native CP2. Intestinal-digested CP2 also produced the highest NO response among the recovered preparations and was associated with increased expression of iNOS, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 and reduced IL-10 expression, indicating a predominantly pro-inflammatory macrophage response. These biological responses occurred concurrently with digestion-associated molecular changes; however, the present experimental design does not establish a direct causal structure–activity relationship. Overall, the findings provide new information on the physicochemical characteristics, gastrointestinal behavior, radical-scavenging capacity, and macrophage responses of purified coconut residue polysaccharides and support further investigation of CP2 for potential food-related applications and value-added utilization of coconut residue. Full article

Background/Objectives: ISO-based quality-management systems may be associated with organizational processes relevant to patient safety, but evidence regarding nurses’ safety-culture perceptions, resilience, and job satisfaction remains limited. This study compared nurses working in ISO-certified and non-ISO-certified hospital departments. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 263 nurses from 29 departments (11 ISO-certified and 18 non-ISO-certified) in one tertiary hospital in Northern Greece. Patient safety culture was assessed using the 10 dimensions of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture 2.0, together with the Brief Resilience Scale and Job Satisfaction Index. Unadjusted comparisons and covariate-adjusted linear regression models with heteroscedasticity-robust standard errors were performed, with Benjamini–Hochberg false-discovery-rate correction. Results: In unadjusted analyses, nurses working in ISO-certified departments reported higher Staffing and Work Pace (MD = 0.222, 95% CI [0.094, 0.351], g = 0.40) and Reporting Patient Safety Events (MD = 0.427, 95% CI [0.134, 0.719], g = 0.37), but lower Handoffs and Information Exchange (MD = −0.295, 95% CI [−0.458, −0.131], g = −0.45); all three differences remained significant after false-discovery-rate correction. Resilience and job satisfaction did not differ in unadjusted analyses. After adjustment and correction, working in an ISO-certified department was associated with higher Staffing and Work Pace, Supervisor/Manager/Clinical Leader Support, and job satisfaction, and with lower Hospital Management Support and Handoffs and Information Exchange; no association with resilience was observed. Conclusions: Working in ISO-certified departments showed selective, modest, and mixed nurse-reported associations. Because certification was a department-level characteristic and within-department clustering could not be modeled, the findings should be interpreted as exploratory rather than as estimates of a department-level certification effect. Full article

Quantifying the spatial variation in soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation and its determining factors is vital for improving soil fertility and quality. The Fenhe River Basin is a major grain-producing area in Shanxi province in northern China, whereas the spatial heterogeneity of SOC accumulation is poorly known. Therefore, this study investigated SOC accumulation and its driving factors in arable soils across three representative counties (JL, FY, and XF) in the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the Fenhe River, respectively, which differ in climatic conditions and soil characteristics. SOC was determined using the potassium dichromate oxidation method. Results showed that both SOC content and stock were significantly lower in JL County (27–32% and 27–29% lower, respectively) compared to FY and XF. Within each county, the coefficient of variation was the highest in JL County (37.01%), indicating the highest spatial heterogeneity. Kriging interpolation indicated apparent spatial variation in SOC accumulation across the three counties. In JL, SOC was relatively higher in the northwest and southeast, while in FY, higher values occurred in the east. In XF, SOC generally decreased from north to south. The Spearman rank correlation and Random Forest analysis showed that SOC content and stock were significantly influenced by pH and cation exchange capacity (CEC), and pH had negative influences in JL County. Notably, in XF, available phosphorus and potassium, CEC, and clay proportion had positive influences on the SOC content and stock, while sand proportion had a negative relationship. These findings highlight the divergent, spatially heterogeneous nature of SOC accumulation across the Fenhe River Basin, driven by different factors. This study emphasizes the importance of specific soil management strategies in different locations to enhance carbon sequestration at the basin scale. Full article

CO₂ plume geothermal systems (CPGS) hold significant potential for geothermal energy extraction due to their dual benefits of carbon sequestration and efficient heat transfer. Existing studies primarily focus on macroscopic models of geothermal systems, with limited evaluation of real thermal reservoir cores in terms of CPGS heat extraction performance. This study investigates the seepage and heat transfer characteristics of CO₂ under various injection conditions through a combination of experiments and numerical simulations. Experimental results indicate that under the tested conditions, CO₂ exhibits 20–50% higher heat transfer capacity compared to distilled water. The heat transfer capacity increases with injection flow rate, while injection temperature shows a relatively limited influence under high-velocity seepage conditions. Specifically, at low injection flow rates, lower injection temperatures result in higher heat transfer capacity due to the increased thermal driving force between CO₂ and the reservoir rock. Microscale seepage-heat transfer simulations reveal that an increase in injection flow rate enhances CO₂ flow velocity within the pore network, expands the swept volume, and consequently strengthens convective heat transfer and increases the effective heat exchange area. Additionally, higher thermal reservoir temperatures establish a greater temperature gradient between the working fluid and rock, thereby enhancing heat transfer between CO₂ and the reservoir rock. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for optimizing CPGS design, particularly in understanding the impact of injection conditions on heat transfer capacity, with both practical engineering and theoretical implications. Full article

With the increasing penetration of distributed generation, electric vehicles and single-phase loads in the low-voltage distribution network, flexible interconnected systems face more prominent three-phase unbalance and direct-current (DC)-side voltage regulation problems. Unbalanced loads not only lead to asymmetry of alternating current (AC)-side voltage and current but also introduce low-frequency ripples into the common DC bus through the power-coupling relationship and further cause the neutral-point potential shift of the split capacitors. To address these problems, this paper takes a double-ended flexible interconnection system with an integrated three-level Buck–Boost energy storage interface as the research object and proposes a DC-side total-voltage-neutral-point cooperative control strategy. Firstly, the coupling relationship between AC-side power fluctuation and DC-side voltage state under unbalanced conditions is established to analyze the formation mechanism of DC bus low-frequency ripple and neutral-point potential offset; secondly, based on the neutral-point access characteristic of three-level Buck–Boost, the DC-side modulation quantity is decomposed into a common-mode duty cycle and a differential-mode duty cycle. Among them, the common-mode duty cycle is used to regulate the total power exchange on the energy storage side to achieve DC bus total voltage maintenance and low-frequency ripple suppression; the differential-mode duty cycle is used to regulate the difference between the duty cycles of the upper and lower half-bridges to achieve capacitor charging and discharging distribution regulation and neutral-point potential balance. Finally, a simulation model is built to verify the proposed control strategy. The simulation results show that the proposed method is able to stabilize the DC bus voltage around 800 V under power step disturbance and suppress the midpoint voltage deviation from a low-frequency oscillation of about 10 V to within about ±1 V. This verifies the effectiveness of the control strategy under unbalanced load and power disturbance conditions. Full article

Structural fractures and karst cavities are widely developed in deep and ultra-deep carbonate reservoirs, providing preferential pathways for rapid fluid migration while increasing the risk of severe drilling fluid loss. To investigate the lost-circulation mechanism in fractured-vuggy formations, a hydro-mechanically coupled gas–liquid two-phase seepage model was established by considering the multiple-media characteristics of matrix, fractures and cavities, as well as rock deformation and fluid compressibility. We hypothesize that gas–liquid property differences and hydro-mechanical changes in conductivity jointly control drilling fluid loss, with the gas–liquid property contrast exerting the stronger effect under the simulated conditions. In the model, flow in the matrix and fractures is described by Darcy’s law, while high-velocity flow in cavities is characterized using the Forchheimer non-Darcy equation. The coupling between the seepage field and stress field is achieved by incorporating the effective stress relationship, using the Kozeny–Carman porosity–permeability evolution model and the Goodman fracture deformation model. The coupled equations were implemented in COMSOL. Model validation confirms the reliability of the proposed model in predicting drilling fluid loss. The fracture–vug system significantly enhances fluid exchange between the wellbore and formation. Pressure propagates rapidly along fractures and vugs at the early stage and subsequently diffuses into the surrounding matrix, while the loss rate generally decreases with time. After 120 min, hydro-mechanical coupling increased the loss rate from 1.15 × 10⁻³ to 1.23 × 10⁻³ m³/s and the cumulative loss volume from 11.41 to 12.06 m³. Compared with the single-phase model, the gas–liquid two-phase model predicted a 4.82-fold higher loss rate. Fracture aperture, vug size, bottomhole pressure differential, and rock mechanical properties are the principal factors controlling loss intensity and pressure propagation. Through effective stress variations, hydro-mechanical coupling modifies porosity, permeability, and fracture aperture, thereby affecting formation conductivity and dynamic loss behavior. These results provide theoretical guidance for lost-circulation mechanism analysis, risk assessment, and plugging optimization in deep fractured-vuggy carbonate formations. Full article

This proposed study presents an in-situ experimental approach for investigating anode-side water dynamics through detailed analysis of pressure-drop data measured across multiple segments of bipolar plate flow channels. A theoretical model was first developed to predict pressure-drop profiles and liquid-water distribution in parallel multiphase flow channels. Based on the model, a bipolar plate with integrated multi-point pressure sensors was designed to enable real-time, spatially resolved monitoring of gas–liquid dynamics and provide advanced diagnostic capabilities. The proposed system was successfully implemented in a single Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) with an active area of 282 cm², which allows accurate identification of the timing and location of flooding events during operation. Experimental results showed that inadequate water management can cause flooding under steady-state conditions, while water accumulation is more prominent during startup and load-reduction processes. Additionally, the effects of reactant flow rate, humidity, and circulating water temperature on water distribution within the channels were systematically evaluated. Based on these findings, a closed-loop diagnostic and control framework is proposed by enabling dynamic adjustment of operating parameters according to pressure-drop characteristics for real-time optimization of water management and improved fuel cell performance. Full article

Mode veering is a modal-interaction phenomenon found in vibration systems. For inertially coupled structures, the combined influence of coupling delay, nonlinear restoring force, and stochastic coupling perturbation remain insufficiently understood. This work analyzes an inertially coupled two-coordinate prototype in which a discrete delay, a delayed cubic stiffness, and positive multiplicative stochastic modulation all enter through the same relative-coordinate coupling channel. We formulate the delayed linear spectrum through a quasi-polynomial characteristic equation. We also characterize the veering by the two positive-frequency characteristic-root branches descending from the mechanical modes. Coupling delay shifts the veering center, alters the minimum frequency gap, and moves the tracked rightmost roots toward the stability boundary. An analytical imaginary-axis-crossing criterion is derived to determine the delay-induced stability boundary of the deterministic linearized system, and the resulting boundary is independently validated by direct multi-start characteristic-root searches and Chebyshev-collocation approximation of the DDE generator. A fixed-reference modal-coordinate representation identifies the off-diagonal modal terms associated with branch exchange while retaining the full delayed characteristic equation. A first-harmonic treatment of the delayed cubic term can yield an amplitude-dependent nonlinear veering backbone. For the stochastic problem, frozen lognormal coupling samples and a time-dependent Ornstein–Uhlenbeck-driven multiplier are constructed from the same unit-mean positive lognormal marginal law. The former is used to quantify realization-wise spectral broadening, whereas the latter retains temporal correlation and is used to evaluate finite-time branch residence and pathwise delayed-work statistics. The pathwise energy balance reveals that the delayed relative-coordinate work rate is sign-indefinite. This provides a common energy-transfer mechanism through which delay, nonlinearity, and stochastic modulation reshape mode veering in the inertially coupled system. Full article

This study aims to investigate the perspectives of aquaculture producers in the Western Mediterranean Region (operating in Antalya, Burdur, and Isparta provinces) on climate change, examine the impacts of climate change on regional aquaculture, and develop solution proposals. Within the scope of this objective, the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of the aquaculture producers in the Western Mediterranean Region, along with their knowledge levels regarding climate change, were obtained through a questionnaire technique. The results indicate that producers, who are predominantly engaged in rainbow trout aquaculture, are under severe economic pressure due to high-exchange-rate-driven input costs and the abolition of government subsidies. While all participants (100%) perceived that climate change has decreased production tonnage, the most prominent impact of the climate crisis is perceived as drought and the decline of water resources, with a response rate of 37.2%. Multivariable analysis further showed that aquaculture experience and satisfaction with aquaculture income were significantly associated with producers’ future outlook, highlighting the importance of socioeconomic factors in shaping perceived sectoral vulnerability. Due to both rising costs and environmental risks, 50% of the producers view the future of the sector pessimistically and do not recommend this profession to future generations. Consequently, these results emphasize the critical need for integrated land and water resource management policies, alongside targeted climate adaptation strategies, to ensure the long-term socio-ecological sustainability of forest inland aquaculture in the region. Full article