Search Results (5,040)

The rapid growth of large-scale astronomical surveys and advances in data-driven analysis techniques have transformed the study of late-stage stellar evolution. Modern facilities are producing large volumes of photometric, spectroscopic, and astrometric data, enabling systematic investigations of compact stellar populations across the Milky Way. Among the most important tracers of these advanced evolutionary phases are hot subdwarfs and white dwarfs: hot subdwarfs are core-helium-burning tracers of late, binary-driven stellar evolution, while white dwarfs represent the final evolutionary endpoint of low- and intermediate-mass stars. These compact objects provide important laboratories for studying stellar interiors, binary evolution, and the long-term fate of planetary systems. This paper explores how recent advances in machine learning are being applied to the detection, characterization, and, when combined with follow-up spectroscopy and modeling, the physical interpretation of hot subdwarfs and white dwarfs. By combining photometric, spectroscopic, and time-domain observations with these computational tools, it is now possible to efficiently discover rare objects, detect stellar variability, and probe the internal structure and evolutionary pathways of compact stars. Ultimately, these developments highlight the growing role of advanced algorithms in supporting the study of the final stages of stellar evolution, provided their outputs are validated against physical observables. Full article

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in higher education is reshaping institutional decision-making, governance, policy development, and educational innovation. Effective leadership in AI-enabled environments requires more than technical competence, extending to strategic awareness, ethical judgement, and the ability to critically evaluate the broader implications of AI technologies. Drawing on survey and interview data from 52 academic leaders across UK higher education institutions, this study examines current levels of AI literacy and explores how AI capability relates to institutional readiness and leadership practice. The findings reveal variation in participants’ self-reported AI literacy and engagement, identify technical, strategic, ethical, and organisational capability gaps, and highlight structural barriers including limited time, fragmented professional development, and insufficient institutional support for institution-wide AI adoption. In response, the paper presents the AI Literacy Leadership Framework (AILLF), which conceptualises AI literacy as a multidimensional leadership capability comprising technical, strategic, ethical, and applied dimensions that support four interconnected leadership domains: innovation, decision-making, ethical governance, and policy development. Informed by leadership theory, international AI governance frameworks, and the study’s exploratory empirical findings, the AILLF is accompanied by a proposed capability progression model and role-differentiated leadership competency guide to provide implementation guidance for higher education institutions. The study contributes an empirically informed conceptual framework that integrates AI literacy, leadership theory, and AI governance, providing a foundation for future research and institutional approaches to AI leadership within higher education. Full article

Background: Dietary behaviors are important modifiable factors related to health and well-being. Sports volunteers represent a population involved in sport-related environments, yet limited evidence is available regarding their specific dietary behaviors and their associations with sociodemographic characteristics. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 297 sports volunteers (184 women, 113 men) at international sporting events in Poznan, Poland. Twenty specific dietary behaviors, including meal frequency, consumption of fruits, vegetables, cereal products, meat, dairy products, fish, sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages, salty snacks, ready-made meals, legumes, water, and selected eating behaviors, were assessed using a 20-item dietary habits questionnaire developed in accordance with dietary recommendations of the National Institute of Public Health and the National Center for Nutrition Education in Poland. Gender, age, educational attainment, and BMI were recorded. Chi-square tests were used to examine bivariate associations between each dietary behavior and sociodemographic characteristics. Multivariable logistic regression models were subsequently applied to dietary behaviors showing statistically significant bivariate associations. Results: Of the 20 dietary behaviors assessed, only a small number varied significantly according to sociodemographic characteristics. Women reported higher adherence to daily fruit consumption (46.8% vs. 28.1%; p = 0.002) and daily consumption of at least three portions of vegetables (44.1% vs. 28.9%; p = 0.013) than men. Participants aged 18 years differed from older age groups in daily fruit consumption and limiting meat consumption to no more than once per day (p < 0.05). Educational attainment was associated with daily fruit consumption, with participants with primary education reporting higher adherence than those with higher education (48.8% vs. 25.3%; p = 0.011). BMI was associated with several dietary behaviors, including fruit consumption, avoiding snacking between meals, and portion control (p < 0.05). In multivariable analyses, female gender remained independently associated with fruit and vegetable consumption, while younger age was independently associated with daily fruit consumption and lower meat consumption. BMI remained independently associated with daily fruit consumption, whereas educational attainment was no longer significantly associated with dietary behaviors after adjustment. Conclusions: Most of the 20 dietary behaviors assessed did not differ significantly according to the examined sociodemographic characteristics. The observed associations were limited to selected behaviors and varied by gender, age, educational attainment, and BMI. Further research should examine additional factors, including physical activity, volunteering characteristics, and socioeconomic conditions, that may contribute to dietary behaviors among sports volunteers. Full article

Clinical decision making in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) critically relies on rapid genomic characterization. To better understand the AML diagnostic landscape in Canada, the Canadian Leukemia Study Group (CLSG) conducted a survey of laboratory hematology leadership (n = 18) at 16 laboratories across 10 provinces, administered using Google Forms in September 2024. Nearly all surveyed sites were equipped to deliver a full suite of testing platforms through existing on-site infrastructure or laboratory partnerships. Reporting practices varied in terms of genomic integration into bone marrow results and the use of AML classification systems. Turn-around-time (TAT) targets were predominantly determined through internal institutional consensus (62%) or recommendations by provincial cancer agencies/international groups (44%). TAT reduction was a top priority for 56% of laboratories, suggesting timely biomarker results to be an active area for improvement. Various treatment-determining biomarkers were frequently assessed as rapid-tests (defined as a 5-day TAT), including FLT3-ITD (69%), FLT3-TKD (56%), and NPM1 (56%), while others such as IDH1 and TP53 were rapid at a limited number of laboratories. Respondents demonstrated a strong shared interest in joint projects such as the validation of AML measurable residual disease (MRD) assays (56%). There was also unanimous support for establishing CLSG AML laboratory consensus guidelines. This survey documents the current state of Canadian AML laboratories and provides a foundation for future shared development projects. Full article

Farm animal welfare research increasingly recognizes that farmers’ welfare decisions are shaped by ethical orientations. This study examines associations between livestock farmers’ contextual anthropocentrism, personality traits, farm structural characteristics, and links to animal welfare attitudes. Survey data from 619 German livestock farmers were analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, correlations, and an ordinary least squares regression model. An anthropocentric orientation index (AOI) showed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.72; mean = 3.68 on a 1–5 scale). Higher emotionality, agreeableness, and openness were negatively associated with anthropocentric orientation. Organic farming, keeping of suckling cows, dairy cows, and laying hens were also negatively associated with anthropocentric orientations. The model explained a modest share of variance (R² = 0.147; adjusted R² = 0.119). Correlations indicated that higher anthropocentric orientations were more closely aligned with appreciation of biological functioning indicators and less aligned with positive welfare indicators, including species-typical behavior and natural outdoor access. The findings indicate tentatively that contextual anthropocentrism among livestock farmers might be operationalized empirically and might be linked to personality, farm structure, and welfare interpretation. Future research should show if contextual anthropocentrism may inform more differentiated animal welfare communication that accounts for farmers’ distinct ethical and practical animal welfare orientations. Full article

This study aimed to identify socioenvironmental vulnerability profiles among Mexican households and analyze their association with health expenditure. Data from 86,102 households included in the 2024 National Household Income and Expenditure Survey were analyzed. Socioenvironmental profiles were constructed using housing, basic services, sanitation, household energy, socioeconomic stratum, and overcrowding through factor analysis of mixed data and k-means. Internal validation, stability analyses, algorithm comparisons, and sensitivity analyses supported a three-profile solution representing low, intermediate, and high vulnerability. Health expenditure was examined using survey-weighted descriptive estimates, exploratory nonparametric comparisons, and a survey-adjusted two-part model. The intermediate vulnerability profile showed higher odds of reporting health expenditure than the low vulnerability profile (OR = 1.129, 95% CI: 1.048 to 1.217, p = 0.002), whereas the high vulnerability profile showed no significant difference. Among households with positive expenditure, high vulnerability was associated with lower logarithmic expenditure ($\beta =-0.341$, 95% CI: $-0.490$ to $-0.192$, p < $0.001$), whereas the intermediate profile was not significantly different in the main model. The association for high vulnerability remained significant in sensitivity analyses, while results for the intermediate profile were more sensitive to model specification and income adjustment. Despite several statistically significant associations, effect sizes in the exploratory comparisons were small and the regression models explained a limited proportion of the variability in health expenditure. The findings therefore indicate modest associations between socioenvironmental vulnerability and health expenditure, with household economic resources and other unmeasured health-related factors likely contributing to the observed differences. Full article

This study examines how firms convert dynamic capabilities into green innovation (GI) by developing green core competence (GCC). Drawing on resource-based theory and dynamic capability theory and incorporating core competence logic, the study investigates the direct effects of absorptive capacity (AC) and technological capability (TC) on GI, the mediating role of GCC, and the moderating role of green organizational culture (GOC) in the capability-to-competence process. Survey data were collected from 324 managers in China’s electronic information manufacturing industry, a technology-intensive sector facing pressures for technological upgrading and environmental improvement. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed mediation and moderation model. The results show that AC and TC both positively affect GI and GCC, while TC has stronger effects. GCC positively affects GI and partially mediates the relationships between AC and GI and between TC and GI. GOC further strengthens the positive effects of AC and TC on GCC. These findings suggest that GI depends not only on the possession of dynamic capabilities but also on their conversion into a green-specific competence base. The study offers a contextualized explanation of how technology-intensive manufacturing firms organize internal capabilities to support sustainable manufacturing practices. Full article

Barley grain provides an ecological niche in which fungal microorganisms can develop. The presence of mycotoxigenic genera can result in the accumulation of fungal secondary metabolites. The present study aims to survey barley grain samples collected from Northern and Central Italy by assessing: (1) the presence of fungal microorganisms using high-throughput sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region; (2) the presence and quantification, by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), of the main Fusarium species associated with Fusarium head blight; and (3) the presence and quantification of secondary metabolites produced by Fusarium and Alternaria using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Both potentially pathogenic genera (mainly within the Ascomycota division) and non-pathogenic genera (within both Ascomycota and Basidiomycota divisions) were detected. Alternaria and Cryptococcus were the dominant genera within Ascomycota and Basidiomycota divisions, respectively, in both macro-areas. Some genera, such as Aureobasidium and Cryptococcus, showed interesting negative correlations with several pathogenic genera. Two important mycotoxigenic genera (Alternaria and Fusarium) were detected, with RT-qPCR that revealed the predominance of Fusarium graminearum in the Northern macro-area. Fusarium secondary metabolites exhibited generally higher accumulation in the North, whereas Alternaria secondary metabolites were more evenly distributed across Italy, reflecting the abundance of the two genera. The co-occurrence of Fusarium and Alternaria secondary metabolites within single barley grain samples was also observed. Full article

High-altitude wetlands in the Caucasus Anatolia transition zone remain among the least-documented avian habitats in the Western Palearctic. Standardised avian biodiversity assessment in such systems provides essential evidence for sustainable wetland management, supporting the conservation planning and long-term ecological monitoring needed to safeguard these ecosystems under increasing anthropogenic pressure. We report on the avifauna of Çalı Lake (2237 m a.s.l.; 391 ha; Kars Province, Türkiye), a nationally designated wetland located on the Central Asian Flyway, based on five systematic survey periods conducted from March 2024 to Spring 2026 using line transects and point counts, combined with a 25 × 25 m grid-based GIS analysis encompassing 498 cells. Approximately 31 ha of the core open-water and marsh perimeter within the 391 ha designated boundary is covered; upland steppe and pasture zones beyond the active survey perimeter were excluded. A total of 154 species belonging to 18 orders and 41 families were recorded, representing approximately 30.5% of Turkey’s national checklist. IUCN status assessment identified two Endangered species, Neophron percnopterus and Oxyura leucocephala, two Vulnerable, five Near Threatened, and 145 Least Concern species. Grid-level species richness averaged 1.47 ± 1.20 per cell per period; cumulative richness per grid reached 7.62 ± 2.73 across all five survey periods. Spearman rank correlation between per-grid richness (S) and abundance (N) was consistently strong across all five periods (ρ = 0.52–0.60; all p < 0.001). A Friedman test indicated significant overall variation across periods (χ²(4) = 127.73, p < 0.001, Kendall’s W = 0.064, a negligible effect size by conventional benchmarks, indicating that the statistically significant variation reflects trivially small per-cell richness differences at this block size). Bonferroni-corrected post hoc Wilcoxon tests revealed that all significant contrasts involved the 2024 Spring–Summer period or the 2026 partial Spring window, while the four fully comparable 2024 Autumn–2025 periods showed no significant differences. A Lorenz concentration curve yielded a Gini coefficient of 0.351, with the top 10% of grid cells concentrating 24.0% of all individual detections in the central and south-western lake zones. Collectively, these findings document Çalı Lake as a species-rich high-altitude wetland with significant conservation value, and establish a reproducible spatial and temporal baseline for long-term ornithological monitoring. These results demonstrate the value of standardised biodiversity assessment as a practical tool for sustainable wetland governance and align with international sustainability frameworks, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals on life on land and clean water and sanitation. Full article

Gender equality has become a fundamental indicator of constitutional democracy, effective governance, and the protection of human rights. This study examines the effectiveness of legal and institutional mechanisms for promoting gender equality through a comparative analysis of selected European jurisdictions and recent legal reforms in Uzbekistan. Comparative legal, doctrinal, systemic, statistical, and socio-legal methods were employed, complemented by original empirical evidence from an anonymous sociological survey. The findings demonstrate that the effectiveness of gender-equality reforms depends on the interaction between the scope and enforceability of legal guarantees, institutional capacity and accountability, socio-economic conditions affecting equality of opportunity and outcomes, and the accessibility and effectiveness of protection against discrimination, harassment, and gender-based violence. Although Uzbekistan has introduced significant legislative reforms, substantive gender equality remains constrained by persistent gender stereotypes, unequal career opportunities, and limited public awareness of available legal protections. The study proposes an integrated legal-institutional framework that combines comparative legal analysis with empirical socio-legal evidence to assess the implementation of gender equality reforms in transitional legal systems. It concludes that strengthening institutional accountability, introducing systematic gender monitoring and audits, enhancing transparency in labor relations, and ensuring effective enforcement of existing legal guarantees are essential for translating formal legal equality into substantive equality in accordance with international human rights standards. Full article

Transnational higher education (TNE) partnerships between Chinese and UK universities continue to expand. However, the structural conditions that shape teaching quality and the governance arrangements through which they are managed remain under-theorised from a faculty-centred perspective. Drawing on a survey-based mixed-methods cross-sectional study of 56 teaching staff (80% response rate) at a Sino-British dual-degree engineering programme in western China, this study provides single-case evidence that teaching workload was the strongest observed negative correlate of perceived institutional support/satisfaction. Total weekly teaching load was moderately and negatively associated with the overall support/satisfaction composite (Spearman’s ρ = −0.49, p < 0.001). Non-parametric paired comparisons showed that teaching facilities were the only support dimension that differed significantly between the two institutional contexts, with a moderate effect; the remaining dimensions showed no significant differences. Internal consistency was acceptable to good. Qualitative thematic analysis identified three faculty adaptation strategies: simplifying and contextualising course materials, using bilingual instructional resources, and scaffolding peer-based discussion. Exploratory teaching-method comparisons involving 13 paired tests, interpreted descriptively, indicated higher reported use of reflection exercises and project-based learning at the joint school campus. An exploratory, perception-based engagement paradox also emerged: faculty reported a higher proportion of students showing >75% active participation at the joint school campus (85.7%) than at the parent institution (70.4% of valid responses), despite rating joint-school infrastructure lower. This finding requires student-level validation. The study contributes an empirically grounded, faculty-centred account of workload governance in transnational partnerships, using the Sino-British case as an illustrative test site. Full article

Background/Objectives: The transition toward healthier and more sustainable diets has increased the need for reformulated bakery and confectionery products formulated with alternative ingredients. However, validated instruments for assessing consumer acceptance of these products remain limited. This study aimed to develop and psychometrically validate a multidimensional assessment framework integrating food choice motives, green (environmental) values, health consciousness, perceived nutritional value, willingness to pay a premium, and purchase intention. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 504 consumers in Romania using an online questionnaire. The instrument was developed by adapting established scales and by developing a new Perceived Nutritional Value scale. Dimensionality was evaluated using exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analyses. Temporal stability was assessed in an independent test–retest subsample (n = 30; 14-day interval), and the proposed conceptual model was evaluated using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with 5000 bootstrap resamples. Robustness was examined through a sensitivity analysis excluding respondents younger than 18 years (N = 441). Results: EFA (KMO = 0.933) and CFA (CFI = 0.965, TLI = 0.959, RMSEA = 0.061, SRMR = 0.033) supported the proposed six-factor structure. All constructs demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s α: 0.898–0.938), convergent validity (AVE: 0.790–0.889), discriminant validity (HTMT < 0.77), and good-to-excellent test–retest reliability (ICC: 0.82–0.91). Perceived nutritional value was positively and significantly associated with both willingness to pay and purchase intention, and willingness to pay partially mediated the association between perceived nutritional value and purchase intention. The structural model explained 46.1% of the variance in purchase intention; all hypothesized relationships were supported, and the findings remained stable in the sensitivity analysis. Conclusions: The proposed framework demonstrated good psychometric performance and provides a theory-informed measurement framework for assessing consumer acceptance of reformulated bakery and confectionery products. It may support future nutrition research, consumer studies, and the evaluation of food reformulation strategies aimed at promoting healthier and more sustainable dietary choices. Full article

Objective: To examine the reliability, construct validity, and discriminative capacity of the Spanish version of the Economic Living Standards Index Short Form (ELSI_SF) in a sample of older adults in Spain. Methods: This analysis was conducted using baseline data from 133 participants (mean age = 66.2 years, SD = 5.6; 53.8% women) recruited from community health and social centers in the provinces of Cuenca, Albacete, and Toledo within the PEPE cohort. Participants completed the ELSI_SF (25 items), sociodemographic measures, the SF-12 Health Survey, and the International Fitness Scale (IFIS). Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. Convergent validity was examined through correlations between ELSI_SF scores and education, occupation, physical and mental health, and perceived fitness. Discriminative ability for health-related variables was analyzed using ANOVA and partial η². The internal structure was explored using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and subsequently examined against the original four-factor theoretical model using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), based on polychoric correlations and estimation methods appropriate for ordinal data. Results: The mean ELSI_SF score was 23.0 ± 3.9, with most participants classified as having comfortable or good living standards. Internal consistency was acceptable for the total scale (α = 0.779), whereas the ownership restrictions (α = 0.441) and self-rating (α = 0.319) subscales showed low reliability. Significant associations were observed between the ELSI_SF total score and selected socioeconomic and health-related measures. Factor-analytic findings provided only partial support for the original four-domain structure. Although CFA showed favorable CFI, TLI, and RMSEA values, the elevated SRMR and instability of the self-rating factor warrant cautious interpretation of the factorial solution. Conclusions: The Spanish ELSI_SF provides preliminary psychometric evidence supporting the use of its total score among relatively socioeconomically advantaged older adults. However, limitations in subscale reliability, factorial stability, and the restricted socioeconomic variability of the sample preclude definitive validation across the full spectrum of material living standards. Further evaluation in larger, independent, and more socioeconomically heterogeneous samples, particularly including older adults experiencing material deprivation, is required. Full article

Enterocytozoon bieneusi is a major zoonotic pathogen causing human microsporidiosis, with small ruminants serving as crucial reservoir hosts. Hu sheep and local goats are pillar livestock breeds in Zhejiang Province, yet no parallel comparative epidemiological data on E. bieneusi exist for sympatric small ruminants in southern Zhejiang, and the infection status in Hu sheep remains entirely uncharacterized. Here, a total of 297 fecal samples (159 Hu sheep, 138 goats) were collected from four administrative regions in southern Zhejiang from 2021 to 2023 and screened via nested PCR targeting the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the E. bieneusi genome. Overall, the total E. bieneusi prevalence reached 18.18%, and Hu sheep exhibited a significantly higher infection rate (24.53%, 39/159) than sympatric goats (10.87%, 15/138; χ² = 9.27, p = 0.002). Obvious geographical and age-dependent disparities were observed in Hu sheep, with pre-weaning lambs (<3 months) showing the highest prevalence (60.42%), while adult sheep (>1 year) had the lowest rate (4.48%). No significant age or regional differences were detected in goats. Five genotypes were identified from Hu sheep: CM7 (n = 25), BEB6 (n = 10), CHG1 (n = 2), Type IV (n = 1), and CHG5 (n = 1). Five genotypes were detected from goats: CHG1 (n = 9), BEB6 (n = 3), Type IV (n = 1), CHG3 (n = 1), and CYG-2 (n = 1). BEB6, Type IV, and CHG1 were shared by both hosts. All genotypes belonged to zoonotic Group 1 and Group 2. This study provides the first systematic parallel survey of E. bieneusi in sympatric Hu sheep and goats in eastern China. It identifies distinct host-specific infection patterns potentially associated with divergent rearing systems, provides molecular data consistent with potential inter-species circulation and shared environmental exposure, and highlights the need for breed-tailored biosecurity strategies within a One Health framework. Full article

Psychological capital (PsyCap), comprising optimism, hope, self-efficacy, and resilience, is an important positive psychological resource associated with well-being and adaptive functioning. The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Lithuanian version of the revised Compound Psychological Capital Scale (CPC-12R) and to examine its associations with nature exposure and physical activity. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1255 Lithuanian adults aged 18–70 years (mean age 39.51 ± 13.84 years), and 64.4% were women. The total sample was randomly divided into exploratory (n = 628) and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 627) subsamples. Exploratory factor analysis supported a two-factor structure separating optimism from the remaining CPC-12R dimensions, whereas confirmatory factor analysis supported the theoretically expected second-order model comprising optimism, hope, self-efficacy, and resilience as first-order factors reflected by a higher-order PsyCap construct. The second-order model demonstrated good fit (robust CFI = 0.963, robust TLI = 0.952, robust RMSEA = 0.074, SRMR = 0.042) and strict measurement invariance across gender and place-of residence groups. Internal consistency was satisfactory to good for all subscales (McDonald’s ω = 0.79–0.85) and excellent for the total scale (ω = 0.93). Evidence of convergent validity was demonstrated through positive associations with self-esteem and life satisfaction and negative associations with psychological distress and poorer mental health. Furthermore, PsyCap explained a small but significant proportion of additional variance in mental health difficulties beyond self-esteem, life satisfaction, and psychological distress. PsyCap was positively associated with nature exposure, physical activity in nature, and leisure-time exercise. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that greater nature exposure and more frequent physical activity in nature were independently positively associated with PsyCap after accounting for sociodemographic characteristics, whereas leisure-time exercise was not. Overall, the findings support the reliability and validity of the Lithuanian CPC-12R, particularly its total score, although the EFA results suggest caution when interpreting the four subscale scores separately. The cross-sectional findings further identify engagement with natural environments as a meaningful behavioural correlate of PsyCap. Full article