Search Results (618)

This article examines how Slovenia’s post-communist approach to diversity management marginalizes minorities from the former Yugoslav republics. The constitution grants cultural rights and parliamentary representation to Italian and Hungarian minorities, but communities from Bosnia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Croatia are excluded from these protections. Recognised mainly by religious affiliation, these groups have limited access to formal minority rights. Their fight for recognition is fragmented, lacking unified political representation, and the 1992 “erasure”—the removal of thousands from the permanent resident registry after independence—still undermines their sense of belonging. Drawing on theories of racialized citizenship, belonging, multiculturalism, and social mobility, the article examines how exclusionary legal frameworks create hierarchies of belonging that hinder mobility for these unrecognised minorities. The qualitative interviews with descendants of Bosnian migrants reveal intergenerational struggles with recognition, ambivalent experiences of citizenship, and discrimination. Set in the post-communist Eastern European context, the study argues that even under the pressures of EU integration, citizenship regimes remain divided along ethnic lines. This division maintains structural inequalities and marginalizes certain groups despite their long-term residence and formal citizenship. The study contributes to debates on ethnicised citizenship and diversity management by showing how legal exclusion, historical legacies, and fragmented minority politics limit belonging and mobility in post-communist societies. Full article

To meet the requirements of integrated accelerometers for a high-precision reference voltage under wide supply voltage range, high current drive capability, and low power consumption, this paper presents a bandgap reference operational amplifier (op-amp) circuit implemented in CMOS/BiCMOS technology. The proposed design employs a folded-cascode input stage, a push–pull Class-AB output stage, an adaptive output switching mechanism, and a composite frequency compensation scheme. In addition, overcurrent protection and low-frequency noise suppression techniques are incorporated to balance low static power consumption with high load-driving capability. Simulation results show that, under the typical process corner (TT), with VDD = 3 V and T = 25 °C, the op-amp achieves an output swing of 0.2 V~2.8 V, a low-frequency gain of 102~118 dB, a PSRR of 90 dB at 60 Hz, overcurrent protection of ±25 mA, and a phase margin exceeding 48.8° with a 10 μF capacitive load. Across the entire supply voltage range, the static current remains below 150 μA, while maintaining a line regulation better than 150 μV/V and a load regulation better than 150 μV/mA. These results verify the feasibility of achieving both high drive capability and high stability under stringent power constraints, making the proposed design well-suited as a bandgap reference buffer stage for integrated accelerometers, with strong engineering practicality and potential for broad application. Full article

Background: Lyme borreliosis (LB) constitutes a major challenge for Public Health, particularly in regions where surveillance and diagnostic systems are underdeveloped or fragmented. Despite its potential as a hotspot for tick-borne diseases, Sardinia (Italy) remains poorly explored in terms of LB epidemiology. Methods: A sero-prevalence study was conducted on serum samples stored in the biobank of a hospital in Northern Sardinia. The serum library consisted of serum samples collected on the basis of a diagnostic hypothesis of rheumatic disease. Serological testing for antibodies against Borrelia was performed using the indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), followed by confirmation by Western blot for positive results. The study analyzed 58 serum samples from patients selected based on clinical symptoms compatible with Borrelia spp. infection. Results: Among the 58 patients, 9 (15.5%) yielded positive results, with absorbance values higher than those of the positive control, suggesting that the pathogen is widespread but poorly recognized in Sardinia. The results are in line with broader trends in the Mediterranean, indicating that Sardinia can no longer be considered a marginal area for Borrelia spp. circulation. Conclusions: The status of Sardinia as a sentinel territory underlines the need for enhanced epidemiological surveillance within the One Health approach, including human, animal and environmental health. Full article

This contribution investigates the potential and the catalytic role of landscape and its collective values in driving territorial regeneration processes. Specifically, it reflects on how the public dimension of landscape—conceived as a shared space of identity, memory, and future-oriented practices—can serve as a strategic lever for initiating local development pathways. Local communities, as custodians of the knowledge and practices that have historically shaped cultural landscapes, are increasingly recognized by territorial policies for their participatory and generative capacity. Building on these premises, the research explores the case of the disused Noto–Pachino railway line, located in southeastern Sicily (Italy), as a living laboratory for testing collaborative strategies aimed at enhancing landscape value and fostering territorial cohesion. The ongoing investigation has identified several civic and grassroots initiatives seeking to reactivate this dormant infrastructure, repositioning it as a strategic asset for sustainable territorial enjoyment, cultural heritage promotion, and the revitalization of marginalized areas. The main objective of the study is to define an “action lab”—a collaborative framework capable of aligning diverse visions, actors, and resources—through which landscape can be reimagined as both a driver of social innovation and a foundational tool for shaping inclusive and resilient development scenarios. Full article

With continued CMOS scaling, transistor miniaturization has significantly raised SRAM integration density while lowering the critical charge (Qc), increasing cell vulnerability to spaceborne high-energy particles. Single-event upset (SEU) and especially single-event multiple node upsets (SEMNU) due to charge sharing present major reliability challenges. To overcome these issues, this study introduces a radiation-hardened 20T SRAM cell with read/write optimization (RWO-20T) designed for space applications. Benchmarking against hardened cells RH14T, RHSCC16T, S8P8N16T, and CC18T reveals that RWO-20T delivers superior read static noise margin (RSNM), increased word-line write trip voltage (WWTV), and faster read and write access times. Although the higher transistor count incurs some area overhead and slightly lowers the hold static noise margin (HSNM), RWO-20T achieves improved recovery rates for dual-node upsets (DNU) and triple-node upsets (TNU) under SEMNU conditions. The circuits were simulated in a 90 nm CMOS process and operated at 1 V. Full article

The ciliary marginal zone (CMZ) is a region in the peripheral-most retina that displays ongoing retinogenesis during growth and expansion of the eye in adulthood. While there is evidence that this capacity also exists in birds and mammals, it is far more robust in fish and amphibians. The process of CMZ retinogenesis is essentially equivalent to that seen early in the central retina; however, its regulation is not fully understood. In a previous study, we attempted to uncover novel regulatory genes by using a forward genetics screen in zebrafish, looking for recessive CMZ mutants. One of the mutants found was called no marginal zone (nmz). The nmz mutant showed relatively normal central retina development, but a lack of cells in the CMZ by 5 days post fertilization (dpf). Mapping, genomic sequencing, and complementation analysis using a second mutant line (m863) isolated in another laboratory showed that a mutation in damage-specific DNA binding protein-1 (ddb-1) gene underlies the phenotype seen in nmz. BrdU labeling suggested that later expansion and differentiation of CMZ retinal progenitors is more affected by ddb-1 loss than the earlier process of stem cell asymmetric division. As was seen for the m863 mutant and in other studies with mice, one profound effect of ddb-1 loss in nmz was the upregulation in expression of tp53 and several of its downstream effectors. Several important genes important in CMZ retinogenesis are also downregulated in the nmz mutant. The change in gene expression would suggest that ddb-1 loss leads to increased cell cycle disruption and apoptosis at the expense of CMZ retinogenesis. While homozygosity is lethal, heterozygous fish appear to be completely normal in morphology, visual function, and behavior. Full article

The bidirectional power flows and time-varying characteristics generated by distributed photovoltaic integration into low-voltage distribution networks pose accuracy and fairness challenges to traditional line loss allocation methods. Existing methods, based on unidirectional power flow assumptions, are unable to quantify the true contributions of PV nodes and ignore the multi-dimensional value attributes of photovoltaics. Against this background, following the principle of “who caused the incremental part of loss, who is responsible for it“, this paper proposes a hierarchical line loss allocation model for low-voltage distribution networks with distributed photovoltaics. The first layer employs an enhanced marginal loss coefficient method to allocate the baseline line losses without PV integration to original distribution network users. The second layer utilizes spatiotemporal weighted Shapley values to quantify the marginal contributions of PV nodes to line loss variations, while establishing a multi-dimensional PV value correction system based on local consumption rate, spatiotemporal matching degree, and voltage support capability, and transforms the multi-dimensional PV values into economic incentive signals through an adaptive Softmax weighting algorithm. Finally, simulation analysis validates the effectiveness of the proposed line loss allocation method. Full article

Reinforced soil retaining walls (RSWs) for railways are key subgrade structures that bear cyclic loads from trains, and their long-term durability directly affects railway operation safety. The mechanical behavior of RSWs under cyclic loading has been extensively investigated in previous studies, primarily focusing on seismic conditions or conventional structural configurations. While these works have established fundamental understanding of load transfer mechanisms and deformation patterns, research on their responses to long-term train-induced vibrations, particularly for concrete-block-panel-wrapped RSWs, an improved structure based on traditional concrete-block-panel RSWs, remains limited. To investigate the dynamic responses of the concrete-block-panel-wrapped RSW, a model test was conducted under cyclic loading conditions where the amplitude was 30 kPa and the frequency was 10 Hz. The model size was 3.0 m in length, 1.0 m in width, and 1.8 m in height, incorporating six layers of geogrid. Each layer of geogrid was 2.0 m in length with a vertical spacing of 0.3 m or 0.15 m. The results indicate that as the number of load cycles increases, deformation, acceleration, static and dynamic stresses, and geogrid strain also increase and gradually stabilize, exhibiting only marginal increments thereafter. The maximum horizontal displacement reaches 0.08% of the wall height (H), with horizontal displacement increasing uniformly along the height of the wall. The vertical acceleration in the non-reinforced soil zone is lower than that in the reinforced soil zone. The horizontal dynamic stress acting on the back of the panel remains minimal and is uniformly distributed along the height of the wall. The maximum geogrid strain was found to be 0.88%, corresponding to a tensile stress amounting to 20.33% of its ultimate tensile strength. The predicted failure surface approximates a bilinear configuration, consisting of one line parallel to the wall face at a distance of 0.3H from the back of the soil bags and another line inclined at an angle equal to the soil’s internal friction angle (φ) relative to the horizontal plane. This study has important reference significance for the application of concrete-block-panel-wrapped RSWs in railways. Full article

Chile’s National Electric System is one of the countries in South America with the greatest potential for the development of solar–wind generation, allowing for the acceleration of the energy transition with the definitive withdrawal of conventional fossil fuel thermal generation. However, the integration of the market of ancillary services requires security, stability, and quality of service to the electricity system. In this context, the primary frequency control (PFC) is considered as the first line of defense of an electric power system, due to its immediate action in severe frequency variations when they exceed ±0.7 Hz with respect to the nominal operating frequency of 50.00 Hz, allowing the safe and efficient integration of large blocks of solar–wind renewable generation in spite of the uncertainty or forecast errors that could cause its massive dispatch. The principal contribution of this work is the implementation of a technical-economic mathematical model that minimizes the total costs of real-time power reserve reallocations for primary frequency control, using the dynamic factors of stationarity in those conventional and renewable solar–wind generation plants. The validation of the model is consolidated through real scenarios, specifically the deficit of power reserves, which necessitates a dynamic response in primary frequency control over 10 s and 5 min. In terms of expected results, the proposed model contributes to the Supra-/Infra-Marginal methodology, reducing the total costs of power reallocation reserves for primary frequency control, compared to other inefficient methods, such as the Maximum Power Method, the Minimum Technical Method, and the Random Direct Instruction Method. Full article

Seawater intrusion into coastal river systems poses increasing challenges for freshwater availability and estuarine ecosystem integrity, especially under evolving climatic and anthropogenic pressures. This study presents a multidisciplinary investigation of marine intrusion dynamics within the Magra River estuary (Northwest Italy), integrating field monitoring, isotopic tracing (δ¹⁸O; δD), and multivariate statistical modeling. Over an 18-month period, 11 fixed stations were monitored across six seasonal campaigns, yielding a comprehensive dataset of water electrical conductivity (EC) and stable isotope measurements from fresh water to salty water. EC and oxygen isotopic ratios displayed strong spatial and temporal coherence (R² = 0.99), confirming their combined effectiveness in identifying intrusion patterns. The mass-balance model based on δ¹⁸O revealed that marine water fractions exceeded 50% in the lower estuary for up to eight months annually, reaching as far as 8.5 km inland during dry periods. Complementary δD measurements provided additional insight into water origin and fractionation processes, revealing a slight excess relative to the local meteoric water line (LMWL), indicative of evaporative enrichment during anomalously warm periods. Multivariate regression models (PLS, Ridge, LASSO, and Elastic Net) identified river discharge as the primary limiting factor of intrusion, while wind intensity emerged as a key promoting variable, particularly when aligned with the valley axis. Tidal effects were marginal under standard conditions, except during anomalous events such as tidal surges. The results demonstrate that marine intrusion is governed by complex and interacting environmental drivers. Combined isotopic and machine learning approaches can offer high-resolution insights for environmental monitoring, early-warning systems, and adaptive resource management under climate-change scenarios. Full article

The Niland Moving Mud Spring, located near the southeastern margin of the Salton Sea, represents a rare and evolving geotechnical hazard. Unlike the typically stationary mud pots of the Salton Trough, this spring is a CO₂-driven mud spring that has migrated southwestward since 2016, at times exceeding 3 m per month, posing threats to critical infrastructure including rail lines, highways, and pipelines. Emergency mitigation efforts initiated in 2018, including decompression wells, containment berms, and route realignments, have since slowed and recently almost halted its movement and growth. This study integrates hydrochemical, temperature, stable isotope, and tritium data to propose a refined conceptual model of the Moving Mud Spring’s origin and migration. Temperature data from the Moving Mud Spring (26.5 °C to 28.3 °C) and elevated but non-geothermal total dissolved solids (~18,000 mg/L) suggest a shallow, thermally buffered groundwater source influenced by interaction with saline lacustrine sediments. Stable water isotope data follow an evaporative trajectory consistent with imported Colorado River water, while tritium concentrations (~5 TU) confirm a modern recharge source. These findings rule out deep geothermal or residual floodwater origins from the great “1906 flood”, and instead implicate more recent irrigation seepage or canal leakage as the primary water source. A key external forcing may be the 4.1 m drop in Salton Sea water level between 2003 and 2025, which has modified regional groundwater hydraulic head gradients. This recession likely enhanced lateral groundwater flow from the Moving Mud Spring area, potentially facilitating the migration of upwelling geothermal gases and contributing to spring movement. No faults or structural features reportedly align with the spring’s trajectory, and most major fault systems trend perpendicular to its movement. The hydrologically driven model proposed in this paper, linked to Salton Sea water level decline and correlated with the direction, rate, and timing of the spring’s migration, offers a new empirical explanation for the observed movement of the Niland Moving Mud Spring. Full article

Background/Objectives: The dysregulation of NLRP3 inflammasome activation has been established as a key driver of inflammatory disease pathology, which marks NLRP3 as an attractive therapeutic target. However, the clinical development of NLRP3 inhibitors such as MCC950 has been hampered by their associated toxicity profiles, highlighting an unmet clinical need. Methods: Herein, we present LMT2368, a novel urea-based NLRP3 inhibitor identified through screening of urea-based derivatives from our in-house compound library. Results: Biolayer interferometry confirmed direct binding of LMT2368 to the NLRP3 NACHT domain with a (K_D = 27.4 ± 1.2 μM which was superior to MCC950. Molecular docking studies predicted enhanced binding interactions for LMT2368, consistent with its improved biological activity. In LPS-primed macrophages, LMT2368 dose-dependently suppressed IL-1β secretion (IC50 = 0.8 μM in J774A.1 cells) and caspase-1 activation without affecting NF-κB signaling. Importantly, LMT2368 inhibited ASC oligomerization and pyroptosis while maintaining excellent safety margins (CC50 > 50 μM). In a murine model of LPS-induced acute lung injury, LMT2368 (10 mg/kg) reduced bronchoalveolar lavage fluid immune cell infiltration by 68% (p < 0.001), suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokine release (IL-1β/IL-6/TNF-α), and preserved lung histoarchitecture. Notably, LMT2368 showed selectivity for NLRP3 inhibition without affecting TNF-α/IL-6 production during TLR4 priming in monocytic cell lines. Conclusions: Together, these findings establish LMT2368 as a promising lead compound for developing safer NLRP3 inhibitors with therapeutic potential for inflammasome-driven diseases. Full article

On 8 June 2025, the Mw 6.4 Paratebueno earthquake struck the eastern foothills of the Eastern Andes, Colombia. The event occurred near the Guaicáramo fault, along the eastern margin of the Eastern Cordillera fold-and-thrust belt. To investigate its rupture characteristics and tectonic implications, we utilized ALOS-2 and Sentinel-1 SAR data to derive coseismic deformation fields. Source geometry and slip distribution were inverted with the Okada dislocation model, and static Coulomb failure stress change were calculated to assess the triggering relationship with the 2023 Mw 6.2 Meta-Cundinamarca earthquake. The results reveal maximum line-of-sight displacements of 43 cm, 23 cm and 32 cm, respectively, caused by a northwest-dipping blind reverse fault (strike ~213°, dip 58°) with ~5 m maximum slip concentrated at depths of 8–12 km, without surface rupture. Combining geological and stratigraphic evidence, including regional structures and sedimentary cover thickness, this event implies a transition from a normal fault to reverse fault due to ongoing shortening of fold-and-thrust belt, consistent with a thick-skinned tectonic origin. Coulomb stress modeling suggests the 2023 event promoted the 2025 rupture, and the combined effect of the two events further increased stress on the southeastern Guaicáramo fault, implying elevated seismic hazard. Full article

The Farnesoid-X-receptor (FXR) is a bile sensor involved in the regulation of bile acid homeostasis, fibrosis, inflammation, and metabolism. Obeticholic acid (OCA), a semisynthetic derivative of chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), initially named 6-ethyl-CDCA or INT-747, is the first in a class of FXR ligands that have been approved for clinical use for the treatment of patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) who are unresponsive or intolerant to ursodeoxycholic acid. In this narrative review, we will examine the current status and future perspective of clinical use of OCA. Based on results from phase 2 and 3 clinical trials, OCA received a conditional market approval for its use as a second-line treatment for the management of PBC in 2016. However, concerns over drug (OCA)-induced liver injury (DILI), including hepatic decompensation in cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic PBC patients, have led to discontinuation of OCA commercialization in the EU, but not in North America and the UK, in 2024. Based on positive results from preclinical models, OCA has been investigated also for the treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). Results from phase 2 and 3 trials, however, have shown that while OCA reduces liver fibrosis, the beneficial effects on steatosis are marginal, thus preventing its clinical approval under the current regulatory guidelines. Here, we review potential applications of OCA in PBC patients in the context of a highly competitive therapeutic landscape, generated by the approval for clinical use of safer and effective second-line therapies, including PPARs agonists such as elafibranor and seladelapar and increased off-label use of fibrates. The current status of development of second-generation FXR agonists such as cilofexor, tropifexor, and vonafexor and their potential in the treatment of liver fibrosis in MASH will be discussed and compared to recently approved therapies, resmetirom, and semaglutide, a GLP-1 agonist. Finally, since some of the novel candidates for treating MASH, have shown limited efficacy on liver fibrosis, we suggest that development of combinatorial therapies based on FXR ligands and agents acting on different molecular targets might offer the opportunity for the repositioning of drug candidates whose development has been abandoned for insufficient efficacy, minimizing/recovering costs linked to drug development. Full article

The adaptability of a hexapod robot to complex terrain is highly dependent on its own posture, which directly affects its stability and flexibility. In order to adapt to a change in terrain, it is necessary to adjust posture in real time when walking. At the same time, external factors such as ground state and landing impact will also interfere with posture. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain balance after adjustment. This paper proposes a pose adjustment method utilizing joint angle control. It enhances robot stability, flexibility, and terrain adaptability through torso posture and center of gravity optimization, aiming to maintain balance. The strategy’s effectiveness was validated via Adams–Simulink co-simulation. Optimal position and posture adjustment for the torso was then implemented at the six-legged support stage after each step, employing inverse kinematics and a triangular gait. It is found that without pose adjustment, the direction deviation will accumulate and significantly deviate from the trajectory. The introduction of this adjustment can effectively correct the direction deviation and torso posture angle, increase the stability margin, ensure stable straight-line walking, and significantly reduce joint energy consumption. Crawling experiments with the physical prototype further validate the strategy. It rapidly counters instantaneous attitude fluctuations during leg alternation, maintaining a high stability margin and improving locomotion efficiency. Consequently, the robot achieves enhanced directional stability, overall stability, and energy efficiency when traversing terrain. Full article