Search Results (10,560)

Background: Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) are rare neuroendocrine tumors with highly variable biological behavior. Somatostatin receptor (SSTR)-based imaging with ⁶⁸Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT has become an important functional imaging modality for evaluating these tumors. In contrast, ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT reflects tumor glucose metabolism and has been associated with more aggressive tumor phenotypes. This study aimed to evaluate associations between ⁶⁸Ga-DOTATATE and ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT-derived parameters and postoperative PASS and GAPP scores in patients with pheochromocytoma. Materials and Methods: Thirty patients with histologically confirmed pheochromocytoma who underwent ⁶⁸Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT were retrospectively reviewed. Among them, 11 patients also underwent ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT and were included in the comparative imaging analysis. Results: Tumor size showed strong positive correlations with both SSTR-TV (ρ = 0.725, p < 0.001) and SSTR-TL (ρ = 0.755, p < 0.001). ¹⁸F-FDG SUVmax was positively correlated with PASS (ρ = 0.616, p = 0.044) and GAPP scores (ρ = 0.720, p = 0.012). ¹⁸F-to-⁶⁸Ga SUVmax ratio showed significant positive correlations with the PASS (ρ = 0.737, p = 0.010) and the GAPP score (ρ = 0.661, p = 0.027). Conclusions: In this exploratory study, ⁶⁸Ga-derived volumetric parameters were primarily associated with tumor size, whereas ¹⁸F SUVmax and the ¹⁸F/⁶⁸Ga SUVmax ratio were associated with PASS and GAPP scores in the small dual-tracer subgroup. These findings require validation in larger cohorts. Full article

Background/Objectives: Sustainable Human Resource Management in healthcare requires the identification of factors that support motivation, well-being, and employment sustainability in nursing staff. The aim of this study was to assess motivating and demotivating factors related to nurses’ work motivation in a Polish university clinical hospital and to examine their associations with selected sociodemographic and occupational characteristics in order to identify Sustainable HRM practices that may be relevant to staff retention, professional resilience, and long-term workforce sustainability. Methods: The study was conducted among 300 nurses using a diagnostic survey method between October 2023 and March 2024. Associations between variables were examined using the χ² test of independence and Cramér’s V. Results: Salary level was the most important financial motivating factor in the nurses’ opinions. With regard to non-wage factors, the opportunity to improve qualifications at the employer’s expense was predominant. Friendly team relationships were identified as the key non-material motivating factor. The most frequently indicated demotivators were low salary, low occupational status, poor relationships with supervisors or team members, and limited autonomy. Significant associations were observed between financial motivating factors and age, professional experience, employment type, and salary level. Associations for indirect material, non-material, and demotivating factors were less consistent and generally weak. Conclusions: Effective nursing workforce management should combine fair remuneration with opportunities for professional development and measures that support positive workplace relationships and organizational culture. Interpreted within the Sustainable HRM framework, these findings may inform practices intended to support staff retention, professional resilience, and long-term workforce sustainability. Full article

Aim: This study addressed two research questions. First, which sociodemographic, behavioral, and psychological factors are independently associated with elevated depressive symptoms among Korean women aged 20–59 years? Second, does subjective perception of one’s own body size retain an independent association with depressive symptoms after these factors are taken into account, and does this pattern differ between younger and midlife women? The primary outcome was elevated depressive symptoms, defined as a PHQ-9 score of 5 or above. Design: This cross-sectional study used pooled data from the four Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey cycles in which the PHQ-9 was administered (2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020). All estimates incorporate the complex survey design and therefore refer to the national population of Korean women aged 20–59 years. Methods: We analysed data from Korean women aged 20–59 years who completed the PHQ-9 (n = 7595). Elevated depressive symptoms were defined as a PHQ-9 score of 5 or above, indicating mild or greater symptomatology. Design-based multivariable logistic regression models were constructed in sequential blocks: demographic variables (Model 1); behavioural and psychological factors added (Model 2); and perceived body size, entered as indicator contrasts against average body size, added (Model 3). Analyses were stratified by age group (20–39 and 40–59 years), and age-group interaction terms were fitted in a pooled model to test formally whether associations differed across the female lifespan. Results: The weighted prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 ≥ 5) was 24.1% (95% CI 22.8–25.3). In bivariate analyses, perceived body size differed significantly between women with and without elevated depressive symptoms (p < 0.001). After adjustment for behavioural and psychological factors, neither perceived thinness nor perceived obesity was associated with depressive symptoms in either age group (20–39 years, thin: OR 1.25, 95% CI 0.92–1.69; obese: OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.85–1.30; 40–59 years, thin: OR 1.21, 95% CI 0.84–1.73; obese: OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.80–1.22), and the joint two-degree-of-freedom test was non-significant in both groups. Perceived stress (OR 5.15 and 4.93), poor subjective health (OR 2.11 and 2.55), and lifetime smoking experience (OR 1.75 and 1.79) showed the strongest and most consistent associations in both groups (all p < 0.001). Lower household income was associated with depressive symptoms among women aged 40–59 years and heavy episodic drinking among those aged 20–39 years; in formal interaction testing, household income showed only a non-significant trend towards effect modification by age (p = 0.060), so the age differences are described rather than established. Conclusions: The crude association between perceived body size and depressive symptoms did not persist after adjustment for behavioral and psychological factors. Because perceived stress and subjective health may lie on a causal pathway from body size perception to depressive symptoms, this attenuation is consistent with either confounding or an indirect pathway, and the present cross-sectional design cannot distinguish between them. Perceived stress and subjective health showed the strongest associations across age groups, while lower household income remained an independent correlate in midlife. This finding points to a material condition that individual-level screening cannot by itself address. Full article

The limestones of the Tizkuh Formation, deposited along the southern margin of the Neo-Tethys Ocean during the Cretaceous, provide an opportunity to investigate REE behavior, depositional processes, and the extent to which primary marine geochemical features may have been retained despite post-depositional modification. In this study, integrated mineralogical (XRD and SEM–EDS) and geochemical (ICP–AES and ICP–MS) data from 15 limestone samples were used to evaluate the controls on major- and trace-element and REE distributions and to assess the preservation of selected marine and redox-related features. The limestones are dominated by calcite, with subordinate kaolinite, quartz, dolomite, illite, hematite, goethite, plagioclase, and locally identified apatite. Negative correlations of CaO with SiO₂, Al₂O₃, TiO₂, Ga, Nb, Zr, Ta, and Th indicate that variations in the relative proportions of carbonate and non-carbonate materials were an important control on whole-rock geochemical variability. Positive associations among Ti, Zr, Nb, Ta, and Ga further support a contribution from siliciclastic materials to the non-carbonate fraction. Total REE concentrations (ΣREE = 31.54–62.18 ppm) are within the range of those commonly reported for marine carbonate rocks and do not indicate anomalous bulk-rock REE enrichment. The positive correlations of ΣREE with Al₂O₃, SiO₂, Th, Zr, Y, and P₂O₅ denote that both siliciclastic and phosphate-bearing components contributed to the bulk-rock REE inventory. The positive relationship between ΣREE and Al₂O₃ (r = 0.55), together with the broadly similar Al-normalized REE patterns among the studied samples, signifies that variations in absolute REE abundances were partly associated with differences in relative proportions of the carbonate and non-carbonate components. However, the consistency of the Al-normalized patterns suggests that the overall REE fractionation pattern cannot be attributed solely to variations in terrigenous dilution. The SEM–EDS data support the occurrence of apatite in the selected samples. The PAAS-normalized REE patterns show limited LREE enrichment relative to HREE, indicating that the REE system does not represent an unmodified seawater signature and was influenced by the non-carbonate components and post-depositional processes. Weak negative Ce anomalies (Ce/Ce* = 0.76–0.94), together with Pr/Pr* values close to unity and relatively low U/Th (0.04–0.11) and V/Cr (0.77–1.90) ratios, are compatible with relatively oxidizing marine depositional conditions. However, the preservation of a primary seawater Ce signal remains tentative because Ce/Ce* is associated with the non-carbonate and REE-bearing components, while U and V may be affected by diagenetic redistribution and other post-depositional processes. Positive Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 1.44–1.98) are interpreted cautiously and may reflect a combination of mineralogical controls, limited detrital feldspar contribution, and possible early diagenetic and/or fluid–rock interaction. Overall, the Tizkuh limestones represent a mixed and partially modified carbonate geochemical archive in which selected depositional and redox-related features may have been retained. Consequently, reconstruction of the Cretaceous paleoenvironment requires a multi-proxy approach integrating REE patterns, Ce and Eu anomalies, Y/Ho ratios, U/Th, V/Cr, detrital and phosphate indicators, Al-normalized REE patterns, geochemical relationships, and mineralogical evidence. Full article

With the growing demand for continuous health assessment and early disease screening, biofluids have attracted increasing attention because they provide molecular information that cannot be obtained from conventional physical signals alone. However, practical biofluid analysis remains constrained by limited sample volumes, unstable wet interfaces, complex fluid transport, and dependence on external power sources. Triboelectric nanogenerators and triboelectric nanosensors offer a promising solution by combining mechanical energy harvesting with direct signal transduction. This review provides a critical overview of the theoretical basis of triboelectric biofluid sensing, including working modes, figures of merit, charge-transfer mechanisms, and the differences between solid–solid and solid–liquid electrification. Material selection, interfacial functionalization, fluid collection, wearable configurations, and multimodal integration are further discussed. Recent applications involving sweat, tears, saliva, urine, interstitial fluid, blood, and wound exudate are summarized to clarify how triboelectric devices function as either power sources or active sensing interfaces. Particular attention is given to their potential in early screening, risk assessment, and auxiliary diagnosis. Current limitations associated with biofouling, charge dissipation, individual variability, biosafety, durability, calibration, and clinical validation are also evaluated. Finally, future directions are proposed to improve analytical reliability and accelerate the translation of self-powered biofluid sensors from laboratory prototypes to clinically meaningful healthcare platforms. Full article

Background and Objectives: Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) is a promising biomarker of interstitial lung disease (ILD), but data in immune-mediated ILD remain limited. We aimed to evaluate the clinical, functional, and radiological correlates of serum KL-6 levels in a real-world cohort of patients with immune-mediated ILD. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional, single-center study including adults with multidisciplinary follow-up for immune-mediated ILD and at least one serum KL-6 determination between January 2023 and September 2025. Clinical, laboratory, radiological, and pulmonary function data closest to the index KL-6 measurement were collected. KL-6 was analyzed as both a continuous variable and a categorical variable using a predefined cutoff of 500 U/mL. Correlation analyses and multivariable logistic regression were performed to identify factors independently associated with elevated KL-6 levels. Results: A total of 112 patients were included; 72.3% were women, with a median age of 70 years (IQR 63–77). The most frequent underlying diseases were systemic sclerosis (30.4%), rheumatoid arthritis (25.9%), and inflammatory myopathy (14.3%). Median KL-6 concentration was 770.5 U/mL (IQR 437.3–1148.5). Patients with FVC < 80% predicted and DLCO < 60% predicted had significantly higher KL-6 levels than those with better lung function (p = 0.001 and p = 0.004, respectively). KL-6 levels correlated inversely with DLCO (% predicted) (ρ = −0.388, p < 0.001) and FVC (% predicted) (ρ = −0.328, p < 0.001) but not with the presence of radiological fibrosis. In the multivariable analysis, lower DLCO (% predicted) (OR 0.919, 95% CI 0.884–0.955; p < 0.001) and older age (OR 1.063, 95% CI 1.014–1.115; p = 0.012) were independently associated with elevated KL-6 levels. Conclusions: Elevated serum KL-6 concentrations were associated with impaired gas transfer as measured by DLCO % predicted in this cross-sectional cohort. Longitudinal studies are required to determine whether KL-6 can predict functional decline, disease progression, or clinical outcomes. Full article

The recovery of residual and previously unmined ore reserves near caving and active-displacement zones is complicated by increased ore loss, dilution, development requirements, support demand, and economic uncertainty. This study presents an exploratory economic–mathematical framework for scenario-based assessment and local ranking of mining alternatives at the Annenskaya Mine of the East Zhezkazgan deposit. The analysis uses 54 modelled scenarios representing distinct combinations of mine-specific geological, technological, and cost parameters rather than independently observed production blocks. The framework integrates material-and-value balance, a quadratic penalty-based scenario model, and a standardised second-order polynomial fitted using Lasso regularisation. The variables include orebody dip, thickness as a stratification factor, ore loss, dilution, displacement-zone conditions, and principal development, extraction, and support costs. Five-fold cross-validation selected λ = 10. The model achieved R² = 0.41 on the training set, whereas cross-validation yielded R²cv = −0.17, RMSE = USD 553,800, and MAE = USD 461,200. These results restrict the model to exploratory sensitivity analysis and local comparison. The positive-profit domain was widest at dip angles of 30–45° and narrowed at 50–51°. Hessian eigenvalues confirmed a saddle-shaped response surface without an unconstrained global maximum. Broader application requires recalibration, stronger baselines, continuous geomechanical indicators, and independent operational verification. Full article

Animal-processing by-products contain collagen, myofibrillar proteins, blood proteins, whey proteins, and egg proteins that can be converted into peptide-rich food ingredients. Within a single application-oriented framework, this review integrates source heterogeneity, process control, peptide-profile characterization, tiered functional evidence, food-matrix performance, and regulatory substantiation. Evidence is evaluated for antioxidant, ACE-inhibitory, antimicrobial, DPP-IV-inhibitory, anti-inflammatory, mineral-binding, and taste-modulating functions, while distinguishing chemical assays, cell models, animal studies, human interventions, and tests in real-food matrices. Potential applications include functional foods, dietary supplements, natural preservation, flavor systems, texture modification, active packaging, and oral delivery. Translation remains limited by raw-material heterogeneity, batch variability, sensory defects, processing and gastrointestinal instability, uncertain bioavailability, incomplete safety assessment, and poorly defined regulatory claims. Future work should prioritize source traceability, peptide fingerprints, food-matrix validation, human exposure data, and scalable food-grade production. Compositionally defined peptide mixtures with reproducible functionality may be more practical than single highly purified sequences. Full article

Computer vision (CV) systems driven by artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly replacing manual and conventional rule-based inspection procedures in industrial quality inspection, enabling automated, real-time, and data-driven decision-making based on visual data. Conventional inspection procedures are usually limited in terms of scalability, human-related errors, and high operational costs, which drives the increasing reliance on smart vision-based technologies. A practical, practice-oriented review of AI-based computer vision systems for industrial quality control is provided in this paper, with emphasis on real-world deployment issues and performance aspects. Two representative industrial case studies are examined. The first investigates real-time extrusion monitoring in robotic building construction, where geometric deviations, bead-width variation, surface irregularities, and process inconsistencies are detected during material deposition using vision-based monitoring and image-processing pipelines. The second case study focuses on automated inspection of bolts and screws in manufacturing lines, addressing presence detection, orientation recognition, and defect classification under high-speed production conditions. In both cases, widely adopted vision and AI techniques, including image-processing pipelines, convolutional neural networks, and edge-computing hardware, are discussed and compared. The analysis shows that AI-enabled computer vision systems can outperform traditional rule-based or manual solutions in terms of inspection accuracy, consistency, and throughput when they are supported by reliable acquisition, representative data, and robust industrial integration. Nevertheless, challenges related to dataset quality, model generalization, lighting variability, and real-time computational constraints remain critical in industrial environments. In conclusion, AI-based computer vision plays a central enabling role in intelligent quality inspection within the context of Industry 5.0. Future research should focus on adaptive model capabilities, tighter integration with cyber-physical systems, and scalable deployment strategies to achieve reliable and autonomous inspection across diverse industrial sectors. Full article

Background: South Asian Americans (SAAs) represent the fastest-growing U.S. immigrant group but remain underrepresented in breast cancer research. This study utilizes the National Cancer Database (NCDB) to evaluate differences in tumor characteristics, treatment patterns, and survival outcomes between SAAs and non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs). Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using NCDB data from 2004–2021. Women with breast cancer were stratified by race/ethnicity (SAA vs. NHW), and demographic, clinical, and treatment variables were compared. Outcomes assessed were overall survival (OS) and treatment delays, defined as initiation of surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy > 60 days after diagnosis. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models assessed OS. Results: Among 2,363,627 patients, 20,561 (0.9%) were SAAs and 2,343,066 (99.1%) NHWs. SAAs were younger at diagnosis, with 37.6% aged 20–49 vs. 20.6% of NHWs (p < 0.001). Insurance coverage differed, with SAAs more likely privately insured (63.0% vs. 54.2%, p < 0.001), less likely on Medicare (17.2% vs. 37.9%), and more often uninsured (4.5% vs. 1.2%). Time to first treatment was longer for SAAs (39.55 vs. 37.17 days, p < 0.001). Surgical delays >60 days increased mortality by 59%, while chemotherapy delays raised it by 44%. SAAs demonstrated higher survival at 5, 10, and 15 years (93%, 87%, 81%) vs. NHWs (87%, 76%, 64%). Median survival was 225.8 months but not estimable for SAAs. SAAs presented with aggressive subtypes: triple-negative and HER2-positive tumors. Conclusions: SAAs present younger with aggressive subtypes and treatment delays yet maintain survival advantages; reducing care barriers and clarifying tumor biology are vital to improving outcomes. Full article

Starch modification through physical processing represents a promising “green” strategy to enhance food functionality and nutritional quality while meeting clean-label demands. This review offers a critical overview of the structural and nutritional impacts of physical modifications coupled with an exploratory use of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted literature for screening and mining. Focused on literature published between 2001 and 2026, a traditional human-led systematic search identifies eligible studies that examined the effects of three major commercially relevant modification techniques—annealing (ANN), heat–moisture treatment (HMT), and autoclaving—on rapidly digestible starch (RDS), slowly digestible starch (SDS), and resistant starch (RS), with emphasis on resistant starch type III (RS3). Among the evaluated techniques, autoclaving, particularly when followed by retrogradation, appears to offer the greatest potential for increasing RS relative to the original native starch. However, its effectiveness is strongly dependent on the raw material, with substantial gains arising from its amylose content, while waxy starches may show little improvement or even a reduction in RS. ANN tends to produce milder and more variable effects, often shifting starch from RDS toward SDS. HMT generally reduces RDS and increases SDS, making it a promising approach for attenuating glycemic responses. However, the extent of these changes can vary substantially depending on the starch source, amylose content, moisture level, and processing temperature. Overall, the work revisits the potential of physical processing as an avenue for starch engineering while underlining a pressing need for standardized workflows, harmonized methodologies, and unified protocols for quantification of starch digestibility, namely, of RS levels. Lastly, the review exemplifies AI can accelerate preliminary literature identification and synthesis yet highlights gaps in AI aptitudes for independent quantitative integration that still maintains a need for thorough human-driven validation. Full article

Background/Objectives: Dental biofilm formation on prosthetic materials contributes to oral diseases and material degradation. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility of combining time-domain optical coherence tomography (TD-OCT) and non-contact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) to characterize biofilm-associated optical and surface changes in dental prosthesis materials following antiseptic treatment. Methods: Acrylic resin, composite resin, and stainless-steel specimens were inoculated with Streptococcus mutans biofilms and exposed to water, Orahex, and Watsons mouthwash. TD-OCT was used to obtain extinction coefficient (EC) and optical thickness measurements, while NC-AFM was performed on Orahex-treated specimens to assess nanoscale surface morphology. EC distributions were analyzed descriptively from valid TD-OCT A-scans. Results: Within the examined specimens, EC distributions varied following biofilm formation and antiseptic treatment, with material-dependent responses. Composite resin exhibited the clearest reduction in EC following Watsons treatment, whereas acrylic resin and stainless-steel specimens showed more variable responses. Physical thickness remained relatively stable, while NC-AFM observations of the Orahex-treated specimens supported the TD-OCT findings by demonstrating corresponding surface morphological changes. Conclusions: This pilot study demonstrates the preliminary feasibility of integrating TD-OCT with NC-AFM for non-destructive evaluation of biofilm-associated optical and surface changes in dental prosthesis materials. The findings are descriptive and exploratory, highlighting the potential of TD-OCT for monitoring prosthetic materials while emphasizing the need for future studies incorporating independent biological replicates and complementary biological validation techniques. Full article

Transformer winding failures are driven by the cumulative degradation from repeated short-circuit shocks rather than a single extreme event. Current standards rely on static strength checks using as-manufactured material properties, ignoring both thermal aging and load-history effects. To address this gap, we propose a nonlinear fatigue cumulative damage framework that couples a long-term thermal-aging spectrum, converted into an equivalent aging duration and a global property correction, with a micro-spectrum of individual short-circuit events, discretized into an eight-level variable-amplitude stress history. The resulting six-step workflow shifts the paradigm from passive strength checking to proactive life management, offering utilities a physics-informed framework for estimating the residual fatigue life of aging transformers. Full article

Chinese yam (Dioscorea spp.) is widely used as food and traditional medicine, but varietal differences may affect dried yam slice quality. This study compared ten Chinese yam varieties, examined relationships between raw-material quality indicators and dried yam slice quality, and evaluated hyperspectral imaging for rapid assessment before processing. Significant varietal differences were observed in reducing sugar content, total phenolic content, and texture properties (p < 0.05), and trait–quality relationships were variety-dependent. Spectral preprocessing, variable selection, and regression modelling were used to predict the reference values of reducing sugar content and total phenolic content obtained using the specified analytical procedures, together with fresh-slice hardness. The best models combined principal component analysis with decision tree regression (PCA-DTR), competitive adaptive reweighted sampling with partial least squares regression (CARS-PLSR), and CARS with random forest regression (CARS-RFR), respectively. Prediction-set coefficients of determination ($R_{\mathrm{P }}^{\mathrm{2 }}$) were 0.9891, 0.9335, and 0.9314, with root mean square errors of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.0981%, 0.0905 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g dry weight, and 130.3973 gf, and residual predictive deviation (RPD) values of 9.7535, 3.9438, and 3.8820, respectively. These results support hyperspectral imaging with chemometrics for rapid assessment and selection of yam raw materials for dried yam slice processing. Full article

This paper presents the first comprehensive review of radon concentration measurements conducted in educational institutions in the Republic of Serbia. The analysis includes data from the national radon survey conducted in 2019, long-term measurements performed within the national radioactivity monitoring program during the period 2011–2024, a local investigation carried out in the city of Šabac, and other available studies conducted throughout Serbia using different measurement methods (CR-39 detectors, activated charcoal canisters, and continuous radon monitors). During the 2011–2024 period, a total of 303 measurements were performed in kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools, and universities across seven Serbian cities, while 4133 CR-39 detectors were collected during the 2019 national survey. The survey achieved high coverage of primary schools (87%) and kindergartens (76%), whereas the coverage of secondary schools was only 20%. Measured radon concentrations ranged from minimum values of 5–30 Bq/m³, with average concentrations between 60 and 150 Bq/m³ in most buildings, to a maximum of 2970 Bq/m³ recorded in a primary school. A significant proportion of the indoor radon concentration measurements exceeded the WHO reference level of 100 Bq/m³ (approximately 40%), while a smaller proportion also exceeded the threshold of 300 Bq/m³. The observed spatial variability could be associated with differences in geological conditions, building type, construction materials, and ventilation characteristics. On average, the estimated contribution of indoor radon exposure during occupancy of schools and kindergartens was below 1 mSv/y for children and educational staff. The critical analysis highlights insufficient coverage of certain regions and types of educational institutions, methodological differences among individual studies, and the need for a more rational approach to radon measurement and risk management. The findings indicate the need to move from fragmented and repeated measurements toward an integrated, risk-oriented national strategy based on mass screening, active public involvement, and targeted long-term measurements. Short-term measurements could be used for the initial screening of a large number of buildings, while buildings with elevated radon concentrations would be prioritized for confirmatory long-term measurements and mitigation measures, with the potential use of simple and IoT-based devices for large-scale data collection. Such an approach could provide a practical basis for the further development and implementation of the National Radon Action Plan in Serbia, with the aim of reducing individual and collective risks associated with radon exposure. Full article