Search Results (3,212)

This paper examines the structural changes that the Indian equity market has experienced between 2015 and 2025 under the influence of major macroeconomic and geopolitical shocks—including the November 2016 demonetisation, the IL&FS liquidity crisis of 2018, the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020–2021, the Russo–Ukrainian conflict of 2022, and the synchronised global monetary tightening of 2022–2024. The primary objective is to test whether the volatility-modelling architecture proposed by a 2017 benchmark study for the 1992–2016 period continues to hold under the structurally different post-2015 regime, and to identify how persistence, asymmetry, and ARCH-order properties have evolved across the BSE Sensex, NSE CNX Nifty, and twenty-seven sectoral indices. A unified GARCH-family framework comprising GARCH(1,1), GJR-GARCH(1,1), and GARCH(2,1) is estimated on daily log-returns over an eleven-year sample of approximately 2750 observations per index. The empirical evidence confirms that volatility clustering and persistence are pervasive in the post-2015 decade, with the persistence measure (α1 + β1) rising relative to the initial 2017 study for most indices. Asymmetric volatility has intensified—negative shocks generate disproportionately larger volatility responses than positive shocks, particularly in the banking, FMCG, and energy sectors. A higher-order GARCH(2,1) specification is the preferred model for four indices in which lag-2 ARCH effects remain significant or in which integrated-GARCH behaviour rules out the standard GARCH(1,1). The findings have direct implications for portfolio risk management, option pricing, and the design of prudential policy in an increasingly retail-driven and derivative-intensive market ecosystem. Full article

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as one of the foremost global threats to public health, with the veterinary sector, responsible for nearly three-quarters of global antimicrobial consumption, representing an underappreciated epicenter of this crisis. Despite the extensive literature on bacteriocins as antibiotic alternatives, most reviews focus on human medicine or food preservation, leaving a conspicuous gap in evidence specific to veterinary medicine. The present review addresses this gap by examining the molecular basis of bacteriocin activity (lipid II, bacterial RNA polymerase, cytoplasmic membrane), strategies for clinical deployment (topical therapy, antibiotic combinations, disruption of biofilm tolerance), and preclinical evidence relevant to bovine mastitis, canine pyoderma and otitis externa, and infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens (MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus), MRSP (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius), colistin-resistant P. aeruginosa, XDR (extensively drug-resistant) Acinetobacter baumannii). Translational barriers—pharmacokinetic, regulatory, and evidentiary—are critically appraised, alongside emerging directions including precision nanocarriers, biofilm-targeted therapies, and the animal microbiota as a reservoir of novel molecules. Bacteriocins represent a promising yet underexploited antibacterial class in response to the escalating AMR crisis in the animal sector. Full article

Despite growing concern about cyberbullying as a contributor to the adolescent mental health crisis, its position within the broader network of co-occurring risks remains theoretically unresolved. Guided by the Three-Step Theory of suicide, the current study conceptualized cyberbullying as a distal contextual risk that influences suicidality indirectly through hopelessness. An Ising model network was estimated in a nationally representative sample of 9621 U.S. high school students from the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, including cyberbullying victimization and 13 other risk behaviors. The results showed that hopelessness was the most central node (Strength z = 1.89) and the strongest bridge (Bridge Strength z = 2.35), linking mental health to other domains. The shortest path from cyberbullying to suicide attempts was direct (path length = 2.37), though the indirect pathway through hopelessness and suicidal ideation was marginally longer (2.48), and removing hopelessness reduced cyberbullying’s bridge strength from 3.00 to 2.39 (Δ = −0.61). Network comparison tests revealed no significant sex differences in global strength or structure, and bootstrap analyses confirmed excellent stability. These findings position hopelessness as a central bridging node in the adolescent risk network. Full article

The emergence and global dissemination of pandrug-resistant (PDR) Acinetobacter baumannii represents a critical public health crisis. This One Health study provides comprehensive surveillance and molecular characterization of carbapenem-resistant, extensively drug-resistant (XDR), and PDR A. baumannii isolates isolated from hospitalized patients and diseased chickens/environment in Egypt. We investigated cross-species clinical and pathological impacts, characterized resistance genes, and analyzed potential transmission links. Of 145 samples, 48 A. baumannii isolates were identified. Resistance profiling revealed an alarming prevalence, with PDR (56.3%) being the dominant phenotype, followed by XDR (43.7%), all exhibiting high multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) indices (≥0.67). Chickens and humans infected with PDR A. baumannii suffered from increased neutrophilia, anemia, elevated inflammatory markers (CRP and procalcitonin), renal and liver impairment, and upregulation of MMP-9 and IL-8 response genes. Molecular analysis showed that all PDR isolates co-harbored multiple carbapenemase genes, including Class D beta-lactamases (bla_OXA-23 (most prevalent), bla_OXA-48, bla_OXA-58, bla_OXA-24) and Class B metallo-beta lactamase (bla_VIM, bla_IMP, bla_NDM). A substantial proportion also carried bla_KPC (44.4%) and the carO gene (81.48%). Genotyping using ERIC PCR and Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) identified a high diversity (23 ERIC types, DI = 0.986). Significantly, two ERIC types (ET19 and ET20) contained isolates from both human and chicken sources. MLST confirmed this interspecies correlation, with isolates from both hosts clustering into Sequence Types (STs) ST1410 and ST1828. These findings confirm the rapid and alarming spread of highly virulent, multi-carbapenemase-producing PDR A. baumannii strains across the human–animal interface in Egypt. The detection of shared STs between clinical and poultry isolates underscores a potential zoonotic or environmental transmission route, necessitating integrated One Health surveillance and urgent infection control interventions. Full article

Monitoring species richness patterns across large spatial scales is essential for addressing the global biodiversity crisis. Dynamic Habitat Indices (DHIs), derived from satellite-based productivity data, have proven valuable for predicting species distributions. The original DHI framework comprises three complementary sub-indices, each corresponding to a key ecological hypothesis linking productivity and biodiversity: annual cumulative productivity (DHI Cum; available energy hypothesis), annual minimum productivity (DHI Min; environmental stress hypothesis), and the coefficient of variation in productivity (DHI CV; environmental stability hypothesis). However, current DHI formulations primarily focus on intra-annual vegetation productivity dynamics, thereby overlooking the ecological significance of inter-annual productivity variability. To address this limitation, we propose an extended DHI suite that integrates both seasonal (intra-annual) and long-term (inter-annual) productivity metrics. Using a random forest regression approach, we demonstrate that incorporating this extended DHI suite significantly improves predictions of global vertebrate species richness (cross-validated R² = 0.89, RMSE = 68.20) compared to using seasonal metrics alone (R² = 0.86). Notably, inter-annual productivity variation emerged as the most influential predictor, strongly supporting the environmental stability hypothesis. This was followed by importance in seasonal minimum productivity (environmental stress) and cumulative productivity (available energy). Our findings reveal the critical, complementary roles of seasonal and inter-annual productivity dynamics in shaping global faunal species richness patterns. This enhanced framework provides a robust scalable tool for assessing species richness distributions and informing conservation strategies amid accelerating climate shifts and anthropogenic pressures. Full article

Global container liner shipping networks (GCLSNs) underpin world trade, yet their organization is increasingly reshaped by geopolitical fragmentation. Existing studies often model GCLSNs as single-layer networks, overlooking how carriers’ geopolitical affiliations structure both connectivity and disruption risk. This study constructs a weighted carrier–geopolitical multiplex network in which layers are defined by carriers’ geopolitical affiliations and coupled through shared port calls. Structural analysis reveals pronounced asymmetry in layer size, cohesion, and inter-layer dependence, with overlap concentrated in a limited set of shared hubs. Using the Red Sea crisis as an empirical stress-test scenario, we develop a load–capacity propagation model, incorporating intra-layer load redistribution, rerouting to substitute shared hubs, and inter-layer resource squeeze at same-port layer copies. Results show that direct losses concentrate in corridor-exposed layers, while indirect losses propagate selectively through bridge hubs, especially Singapore, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Port Klang. Sensitivity analysis indicates nonlinear amplification when low tolerance, strong inter-layer squeeze, and elevated rerouting pressure coincide. These findings show that multiplexity does not imply resilience by itself; cross-layer connectivity buffers disruption only when spare capacity is distributed but amplifies vulnerability when it converges on a narrow set of shared hubs. The paper contributes a carrier–geopolitical perspective to shipping network analysis and a dynamic framework for studying disruption propagation in complex logistics systems. Full article

Background/Objectives: Alcohol-related frequent attenders (ARFAs) constitute a small but resource-intensive emergency department (ED) population. Methods: Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL Complete, and EMBASE from inception to May 2025 for empirical studies examining ED frequent attendance with alcohol involvement. Definitions had high heterogeneity; therefore, narrative synthesis was conducted. Results: A total of 73 studies were included, most retrospective (57.5%), encompassing sample sizes from 14 to over 4.1 million participants: 59 frequent attender (FA) studies with alcohol subgroup analyses and 14 pure ARFA studies. Research was concentrated in North America and Europe (56/73, 76.7%), with limited Asia-Pacific representation (21.9%). Seven distinct definition threshold categories were identified (≥2 to ≥20 visits annually); 31.5% utilised different definitions. Qualitative studies (n = 6) identified push factors (dependence, mental health crises, housing instability, fragmented services) and pull factors (24/7 access, crisis care model, immediate service) driving frequent attendance. Eight studies evaluated interventions; all employed non-randomised designs examining case management, integrated pathways, and community-based treatments. Conclusions: Critical gaps include the absence of standardised definitions for comparison across studies, a concentration of research in Western settings limiting global applicability, and insufficient rigorous intervention evidence. Priorities include developing empirically validated definitions, expanding non-Western research, and conducting randomised controlled trials with adequate follow-up. Full article

Political violence poses a significant challenge to global stability, underscoring the need for comparative analytical models that support analytical interpretation of structured conflict data. This paper presents a comparative evaluation of 12 machine learning approaches, including traditional supervised models, deep learning architectures, and zero-shot large language models, for the classification of political violence events using the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) dataset (2010–2020, over 40,000 events). The results demonstrate that, on short structured event text represented via TF-IDF, fine-tuned traditional machine learning models achieve stronger performance than zero-shot LLM approaches and deep learning models on structured event data. We further introduce a multilingual classification framework for English and Urdu news content, illustrating cross-lingual transfer robustness using machine-translated Urdu data; results reflect translation-based evaluation conditions and should not be interpreted as performance on naturally occurring low-resource Urdu political-event text. As an exploratory extension, the framework is applied to 57,700 tweets related to the Article 370 crisis in Kashmir to illustrate applicability to unstructured social media text; given that the best Twitter model (55% accuracy) falls below the 69% majority-class baseline, these results should be interpreted solely as coarse discourse indicators and not as a validated classification component. Unlike prior work, this study systematically combines multilingual evaluation with zero-shot LLM analysis for political event classification. Geographic out-of-sample validation (leave-one-country-out or leave-one-region-out) was not conducted; the reported performance should therefore not be interpreted as evidence of cross-regional generalizability without further experimentation. The findings highlight practical considerations for designing data-driven analytical frameworks for conflict monitoring and analytical decision support. Full article

Salmonella remains one of the most critical zoonotic pathogens in the poultry sector, linked to animal disease, foodborne illness, and the global crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Poultry acts as a major reservoir, enabling Salmonella transmission from hatchery to retail products through horizontal, vertical, and environmental routes. Despite the use of biosecurity, vaccination, antibiotics, and chemical decontamination, effective and sustainable control across the poultry value chain remains difficult, particularly in the face of rising multidrug-resistant strains and growing consumer concerns over chemical residues. Bacteriophages (phages), viruses that selectively infect and lyse bacteria, have emerged as a promising biological alternative for Salmonella control. Although many studies have reported the effectiveness of phages against bacterial species, including Salmonella, in the poultry industry, reports on their full potential to combat antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella across the entire poultry value chain remain limited. Therefore, this review synthesizes current evidence on the application of phages throughout the poultry value chain, including on-farm interventions, processing plant decontamination, and food packaging and storage. Findings from the reviewed articles indicate over a 90% reduction in Salmonella spp. in poultry farms and post-harvest meat, along with lower mortality in phage-treated groups compared to untreated groups; however, these outcomes depend on several factors (e.g., phage strains, concentrations, application methods, and environmental conditions). Laboratory, pilot, and field studies consistently demonstrate that phage preparations, especially when formulated as cocktails or combined with complementary interventions, can achieve substantial reductions in Salmonella, including antibiotic-resistant serovars, in live birds, eggs, poultry environments, and meat products. Unlike antibiotics and chemical sanitizers, phages act with high specificity, preserving beneficial microbiota and maintaining the sensory and nutritional quality of poultry products. Their safety has been supported by toxicological and genomic assessments, and several phage-based products have obtained regulatory approval, including Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status for food applications in the United States. By integrating efficacy, safety, regulatory, and practical deployment data, this review highlights bacteriophages as a scientifically validated and One Health–aligned tool capable of reducing Salmonella transmission from farm to fork across the poultry value chain, thereby laying the foundation for their future adoption in the poultry industry. Phage-based interventions offer a sustainable pathway to enhance food safety, limit antimicrobial resistance (AMR) dissemination, and strengthen consumer confidence in poultry products. However, the major limitation is the emergence of phage-resistant bacterial strains, as well as the potential involvement of some phages in the transfer of resistance and virulence genes, which could raise public concern. Nevertheless, the use of phage cocktails and whole-genome sequencing, involving tools such as ResFinder and virulence finder, can facilitate the selection of safe phages for application. Full article

Against the backdrop of the dual-carbon strategy, China’s civil aviation industry, as a high-energy-consumption and high-carbon-emission sector, faces mounting pressure for low-carbon transformation. As the dominant airlines within China’s civil aviation system, Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and China Southern Airlines play a pivotal role in guiding the industry’s high-quality development. Employing the Global Malmquist–Luenberger (GML) index model, this study constructs a global production frontier incorporating undesirable outputs to systematically measure the dynamic evolution of total factor productivity (TFP) for the three major airlines in the period 2005–2023, and further applies a combined static-dynamic regression framework to identify the firm-level heterogeneous mechanisms through which explanatory factors operate. The results reveal significant heterogeneity in TFP trajectories: China Southern Airlines exhibits the most stable efficiency with the lowest volatility; China Eastern Airlines displays the greatest volatility but the strongest post-crisis rebound; and Air China occupies an intermediate position in both efficiency level and volatility. This differentiation stems from fundamental differences in market positioning, strategic orientation, and resource allocation patterns. Market competitiveness exerts a significantly positive effect on TFP for both Air China and China Eastern Airlines. Technological innovation investment generates short-run negative effects across all three airlines, albeit with divergent magnitudes. Human capital accumulation acts as a positive driver for Air China but produces a negative effect for China Southern Airlines, attributable to a structural mismatch between aggressive talent upgrading and organizational absorptive capacity. Shifting the unit of analysis to the firm level, this study identifies three heterogeneous strategic archetypes—market-led, scale-expansion, and regional-deepening—and constructs a differentiated “one firm, one policy” framework to provide targeted policy guidance for improving airline efficiency and facilitating low-carbon transition under carbon constraints. Full article

The escalating global climate crisis has increased scholarly and practical attention to green investment as a key driver of corporate sustainability. From a systems perspective, enterprises can be viewed as complex socio-technical systems in which green resource allocation, technological innovation, and digital transformation interact dynamically. Against this background, this study examines how green investment (GI) affects corporate digital value (DV) and whether green technological innovation (GTI) serves as a transmission mechanism in this relationship. Using panel data from 15,244 firm-year observations of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2012 to 2024, this study applies panel data estimation methods to test the proposed relationships. The results show that GI significantly enhances DV, indicating that green resource allocation can strengthen firms’ digital value creation. GTI plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between GI and DV, suggesting that green investment contributes to digital value not only directly but also by stimulating technological innovation within the corporate system. Further heterogeneity analysis reveals that the positive effect of GI on DV is more pronounced among state-owned enterprises and firms located in eastern regions. These findings enrich the literature on green–digital transformation by highlighting the systemic linkage between green investment, green technological innovation, and digital value creation. They also provide practical implications for policymakers and corporate managers seeking to promote coordinated low-carbon and digital development through more effective green investment and innovation strategies. Full article

Fine particulate matter with a diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM_2.5) pollution poses a global public health crisis, demonstrating significant threats to human health. This study focused on the strategically important Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle in western China, systematically comparing the toxic effects of urban and rural PM_2.5 across five levels. PMF and regression analysis were used to identify source contributions, dual-omics to pinpoint key molecules, and epidemiological data with a GAM model to assess health risks. Findings demonstrate that rural PM_2.5 possesses greater biotoxicity than its urban counterpart. Cytotoxicity in urban and rural PM_2.5 originated from road dust/vehicle emissions and biomass burning, respectively. Subsequently, integrated omics and molecular biology analyses identify kinesin family member 20A (KIF20A) as a shared key target, which mediates toxicity induced by both urban and rural PM_2.5. Finally, epidemiological analysis reveals that females and ≥65 years old exhibit relatively high sensitivity to urban PM_2.5 exposure trends, with rhinitis showing a comparatively higher impact among various related diseases. The novelty of this work lies in its pioneering application of a multi-tiered investigative approach. This approach spans “environmental samples-cellular mechanisms-population health” within the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle context, systematically elucidating common and distinct respiratory health risk of urban and rural PM_2.5. This work offers a vital scientific foundation for advancing region-specific, precise air pollution prevention and control measures. Full article

This article examines two reports dated 4 October 1897 and 6 January 1898 written by the Ottoman military attaché in Madrid, Reşid bin Galib, Staff Senior Captain (Kolağası), to analyze how the late Ottoman Empire interpreted the Spanish military structure and the insurrection in Cuba. Situated within the broader development of nineteenth-century military intelligence practices, the study employs textual and contextual analysis, focusing on institutional language, strategic categorization, and threat perception. The report dated 4 October 1897 provides a detailed account of the military-administrative organization in Cuba, including command hierarchy, troop distribution, logistical infrastructure, and internal security mechanisms, while the report dated 6 January 1898 evaluates the historical trajectory of the rebellion and offers a comparative assessment of combat- and disease-related casualties, highlighting the importance of logistical and administrative capacity in warfare. Taken together, these documents show that Ottoman military intelligence systematically monitored a colonial crisis beyond Europe and interpreted it through an institutional military framework. The reports also reflect late Ottoman concerns regarding external intervention, security, and imperial stability. By examining a non-European colonial conflict, the article demonstrates how military knowledge was transferred, reframed, and integrated across imperial contexts, thereby contributing to the historiography of Ottoman military attachés and highlighting their role in shaping the Empire’s global strategic awareness at the turn of the twentieth century. Full article

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) present a critical challenge to global public health and environmental integrity due to the exceptional stability of the carbon–fluorine (C–F) bond. This review synthesizes current knowledge on PFAS physicochemical properties, exposure pathways, and toxicological outcomes, while evaluating global regulatory efficacy. A central problem addressed in this review is the widening discrepancy between rigid, yet deeply fragmented, international regulatory frameworks and the increasingly complex, non-linear epidemiological data regarding PFAS health risks. While historical paradigms focused heavily on direct carcinogenicity, recent high-resolution data reveal significant heterogeneity and methodological inconsistencies in cancer links. Instead, robust evidence points to severe systemic toxicities—including hepatotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and maternal–fetal disruptions—frequently driven by mixture co-exposures and sex-specific metabolic dimorphisms. Furthermore, the industrial transition to short-chain substitutes has inadvertently compounded the crisis due to their high environmental mobility and resistance to conventional water treatment. By critically evaluating these toxicological and regulatory contradictions, this review demonstrates that current substance-by-substance legislative models fail to mitigate real-world pollution trends. Ultimately, we emphasize the urgent need to transition to holistic mixture modeling, implement unified class-based global regulations, and accelerate advanced destructive remediation technologies to mineralize the resilient C–F bond. Full article

COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has become a global public health crisis with diverse clinical manifestations affecting multiple organ systems, including the integumentary system. One notable cutaneous manifestation, referred to as “COVID toes,” involves the development of pernio-like chilblains, characterized by red-to-violet macules, plaques, or nodules, primarily on toes and fingers. This characteristic clinical feature gained significant attention due to its apparent association with COVID-19, especially during the early stages of the pandemic when individuals with mild or asymptomatic cases exhibited these symptoms. Concurrently, digital platforms such as Google Trends have emerged as tools for tracking public interest in health-related topics, offering insights into real-time patterns of disease awareness. Previous research has demonstrated that Google Trends data may correlate with the incidence of infectious diseases, suggesting that search interest can be a proxy for disease outbreaks. In this study, we sought to explore the potential relationship between public interest in COVID toes, as reflected in Google Trends, and the incidence and mortality rates of COVID-19. Specifically, we examined whether peaks in search interest for “COVID toes” corresponded with surges in COVID-19 cases and deaths. By analyzing trends in search data, we aimed to assess the utility of digital platforms as an epidemiological tool for monitoring disease progression and public awareness. Our findings provide insights into the potential role of digital search data in forecasting outbreaks and highlight the interplay between public perception and the clinical burden of COVID-19, emphasizing the importance of real-time data in public health surveillance and response. Full article