Search Results (111)

Recent years have seen frequent heavy rainfall events in Japan, often linked to Baiu fronts and typhoons. These events are exacerbated by global warming, leading to an increased frequency and intensity. As floods represent a serious threat to sustainable urban development and community resilience, this study contributes to sustainability-focused risk reduction through integrated analysis. This study focuses on the 2 June 2023 heavy rain disaster in Toyohashi City, Japan, which caused extensive damage due to flooding from the Yagyu and Umeda Rivers. Using numerical models, this study accurately reproduces flooding patterns, revealing that high tides amplified the inundation area by 1.5 times at the Yagyu River. A resident questionnaire conducted in collaboration with Toyohashi City identifies key trends in evacuation behavior and disaster information usage. Traditional media such as TV remain dominant, but younger generations leverage electronic devices for disaster updates. These insights emphasize the need for targeted information dissemination and enhanced disaster preparedness strategies, including online materials and flexible training programs. The methods and findings presented in this study can inform local and regional governments in building adaptive disaster management policies, which contribute to a more sustainable society. Full article

Background/Objectives: High rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) increase HIV transmission risk among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in South Africa. AGYW prefer discreet self-testing options for HIV and pregnancy; however, other STI self-testing options are currently unavailable in this region. Methods: Seven Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhea (NG) and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) assays were validated for AGYW self-test use (using self-collected vaginal samples) in a cross-sectional study (PROVE). Paired GeneXpert^® NG/CT (Cepheid_®, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) and OSOM^® Trichomonas test (Sekisui Diagnostics, Burlington, MA, USA) results from nurse-collected samples served as reference results to calculate sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values (PPV), and negative predictive values (NPV). One test, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based Visby Medical™ Sexual Health Test device (Visby Medical™, San Jose, CA, USA), was validated for accuracy of positive test results using self-collected samples and home-based testing in a longitudinal follow-up study enrolling AGYW aged 16–18 years. Paired GeneXpert^® NG/CT and TV results from nurse-collected vaginal samples served as reference tests. Results: In PROVE, 146 AGYW contributed 558 paired samples. The Visby Medical™ Sexual Health Test exhibited moderate to high sensitivity (66.7–100%), specificity (80–100%), NPV (66.7–100%), and PPV (66.7–100%) for NG, CT, and TV. The remaining tests’ performances were markedly lower. In the longitudinal study, 28 AGYW contributed 84 paired samples, and the Visby Medical™ Sexual Health Test demonstrated 100% accuracy of positive results for CT, NG, and TV. Conclusions: The Visby Medical™ Sexual Health Test demonstrated high reliability as a potential option for AGYW to discreetly self-test for multiple STIs concurrently. Testing of its acceptability, utility, and feasibility in a larger sample of AGYW is in progress. Full article

(1) Background: Older people ageing in place alone with functional limitations experience several difficulties in daily life, potentially hampering their social participation. This in turn could impact their perceived loneliness. This paper aims to investigate these issues based on findings from the IN-AGE (“Inclusive ageing in place”) study carried out in 2019 in Italy. (2) Methods: The focus of this paper is on the Marche region (Central Italy), where 40 qualitative/semi-structured interviews with seniors were administered in both urban and rural sites. A content analysis was carried out, in addition to some quantification of statements. (3) Results: Older people are mainly involved in receiving/making visits, lunches/dinners with family members and friends, religious functions, walking, and watching television (TV). Overall, the more active seniors are those living in rural sites, with lower physical impairments, and with lower perceived loneliness, even though in some cases, a reverse pattern emerged. The results also indicate some different nuances regarding urban and rural sites. (4) Conclusions: Despite the fact that this exploratory study did not have a representative sample of the target population, and that only general considerations can be drawn from results, these findings can offer some insights to policymakers who aim to develop adequate interventions supporting the social participation of older people with functional limitations ageing in place alone. This can also potentially reduce the perceived loneliness, while taking into consideration the urban–rural context. Full article

Traditional villages (TVs) and intangible cultural heritage (ICH) serve as dual carriers for the living transmission of agrarian civilization, with their spatial compatibility being crucial for the sustainable development of cultural ecosystems. Existing research shows deficiencies in quantitative analysis, multidimensional driving mechanism interpretation, and spatial heterogeneity identification. This study establishes a three-phase framework (“spatial pattern identification–spatial relationship analysis–impact mechanism assessment”) using nationwide data encompassing 8155 TVs and 3587 ICH elements. Through the comprehensive application of the spatial mismatch index, Optimal-Parameter Geographic Detector (OPGD), and multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) model, we systematically reveal their spatial differentiation patterns and driving mechanisms. Key findings: First, TVs exhibit a “three-primary-core and two-secondary-core” strong agglomeration pattern, while ICH shows multi-center balanced distribution. Significant positive spatial correlation coexists with prevalent mismatch: 65% of China’s territory displays positive mismatch (ICH dominance) and 35% displays negative mismatch (TV dominance). Second, the spatial mismatch mechanism follows a “weakened natural foundation with dual drivers of socio-economic dynamics and cultural policy momentum”, where the GDP, tertiary industry ratio, general public budget expenditure, number of ICH inheritors, museums, and key cultural relic protection units emerge as dominant factors. Third, core drivers demonstrate significant spatial heterogeneity, with economic factors showing differentiated regulation while cultural policy elements exhibit distinct regional dependency. The proposed “economy–culture” dual governance approach, featuring cross-scale analysis methods and three-dimensional indicator system innovation, holds practical value for optimizing cultural heritage spatial governance paradigms. Full article

Tortrix viridana (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) (TV) is a serious pest of oaks in the West-Palearctic. In Ukraine in the 50–70s of the 20th century, the area of TV outbreaks reached 140–180 thousand hectares. Since the late 1980s, outbreaks have become rarer and have occurred in a smaller area. This research aimed to assess the main parameters of TV outbreaks in Ukraine, considering its prevalence in flush feeders’ complex, the suitability of forest structure for this insect, and the phenological mismatch between bud-flushing and TV hatching. Historical data on TV outbreaks in Ukraine since 1947, data for 1978–2025 by regions, field and climate data, and forest management databases as of 1996 and 2017 from the Kharkiv region were analyzed. Since 1985, the incidence, severity, and duration of TV outbreaks have decreased in all regions of Ukraine. It was explained by: (1) TV decrease in the flush feeding complex due to monophagy; (2) decrease in the suitable area due to a change in the forest age composition, proportion of pure oak stands, and stands with low relative stocking density; (3) the shift of oak bud-flushing and TV hatching to earlier dates with the tendency of earlier bud-flushing than egg-hatching. Full article

Beat the Chasers is a popular UK-originating TV quiz show that premiered in Croatia in 2023. On the show, a contestant challenges a team of up to five chasers with respect to the offers provided by the production. Each offer balances risk and reward, varying in prize money, time advantage, and the number of chasers. In this paper, we first present the dataset obtained by extracting data from the publicly broadcast episodes of Beat the Chasers in Croatia. We then apply various machine-learning models with the goals of predicting (1) which offer a contestant is most likely to select and (2) the game’s outcome. The best-case results suggest that we can successfully do both by reaching an F1-score of $73.6\%$ for the selected offer prediction and $84.6\%$ for the game’s outcome prediction. Regarding the feature importance analysis, we identified the contestant’s hometown size, NUTS 2 region, age group, and gender as the most relevant features in the case of the selected offer prediction. As for the outcome prediction, the game-specific features emerged as the most important, namely, the cash builder result, the selected number of chasers, and the chasers’ time in the selected offer. Full article

Sheep farming is a common agricultural practice in Greece, with many sheep populations belonging to Greek breeds. However, their genetic makeup remains relatively unexplored and limited information is available for their genetic variability. Here, we provide the first whole genome sequencing (WGS) data for six Greek sheep breeds, namely Chios, Kalarritiko, Karagouniko, Lesvos, Serres, and Thraki breeds. We performed variant discovery analysis on the data and identified 23,526,500 high-quality variants. The high average variant depth (148.7X ± 28.3) and low Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) density (1 variant per 111 bases) in the callset demonstrated the high quality of the data. The vast majority of the variants (97.46%) were located in non-coding regions, while a small percentage (1.32%) was positioned in exonic regions. The overall transition to transversion−Ti/Tv (2.449) and heterozygous to non-reference homozygous−Het/Hom (1.49) ratios further confirmed the callset’s high quality. This dataset comprises the first WGS data for six Greek sheep breeds, providing invaluable information to the Greek agricultural sector for the design and implementation of targeted breeding schemes, for traceability purposes, and for the overall enhancement of the sector, in terms of performance and sustainability. Full article

Background/Objectives: Monkeypox, twice declared a public health emergency of international concern by the WHO, currently lacks approved targeted therapeutics. This study focused on the development of monkeypox virus (MPXV) E8-specific human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) derived from recipients of the recombinant vaccinia vaccine (rTV), with subsequent evaluation of their cross-neutralizing activity against orthopoxviruses, including the vaccinia virus (VACV) and MPXV. Methods: Three mAbs (C5, C9, and F8) were isolated from rTV vaccinees. Structural mapping characterized their binding domains on the MPXV E8 and VACV D8 proteins. Neutralization potency was assessed against the VACV TianTan strain and MPXV clade IIb. A combo was further evaluated in a VACV-infected mice model for clinical recovery and viral load reduction. Complement-dependent enhancement mechanisms were also investigated in vitro. Results: C9 targets the virion surface region of E8 and both the virion surface region and intravirion region of D8, showing cross-neutralization activity against the MPXV (IC₅₀ = 3.0 μg/mL) and VACV (IC₅₀ = 51.1 ng/mL) in vitro. All three antibodies demonstrated potent neutralization against the VACV in vitro: C5 (IC₅₀ = 3.9 ng/mL), C9 (IC₅₀ = 51.1 ng/mL), and F8 (IC₅₀ = 101.1 ng/mL). Notably, complement enhanced neutralization against the VACV by >50-fold, although no enhancement was observed for the MPXV. In vivo administration accelerated clinical recovery by 24 h and achieved significant viral clearance (0.9-log reduction). Conclusions: E8-targeting mAbs exhibited broad-spectrum neutralization against orthopoxviruses, demonstrating therapeutic potential against both historical (VACV) and emerging (MPXV) pathogens. However, MPXV’s resistance to complement-dependent enhancement highlights the necessity for pathogen-adapted optimization. These findings establish E8 as a critical conserved target for pan-poxvirus VACV and MPXV countermeasure development. Full article

Adaptive optics (AO)-corrected retina flood illumination imaging technology is widely used for investigating both structural and functional aspects of the retina. Given the inherent low-contrast nature of original retinal images, it is necessary to perform image restoration. Total variation (TV) regularization is an efficient regularization technique for AO retinal image restoration. However, a main shortcoming of TV regularization is its potential to experience the staircase effects, particularly in smooth regions of the image. To overcome the drawback, a new image restoration model is proposed for AO retinal images. This model utilizes the overlapping group sparse total variation (OGSTV) as a regularization term. Due to the structural characteristics of AO retinal images, only partial information regarding the PSF is known. Consequently, we have to solve a more complicated myopic deconvolution problem. To address this computational challenge, we propose an ADMM-MM-LAP method to solve the proposed model. First, we apply the alternating direction method of multiplier (ADMM) as the outer-layer optimization method. Then, appropriate algorithms are employed to solve the ADMM subproblems based on their inherent structures. Specifically, the majorization–minimization (MM) method is applied to handle the asymmetry OGSTV regularization component, while a modified version of the linearize and project (LAP) method is adopted to address the tightly coupled subproblem. Theoretically, we establish the complexity analysis of the proposed method. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed model outperforms the existing state-of-the-art TV model across several metrics. Full article

With the continuous improvement in living standards, consumers’ demand for rice quality has been increasingly growing. This study analyzed the quality characteristics of different rice varieties under various cultivation methods. This study examined the rice variety Liaoxing 21 (LX21), the upland rice variety Han 9710 (H9710), and the hybrid rice variety Liaoyou 7362 (LY7362) from Liaoning Province to evaluate the effects of transplanting (TP) and direct seeding (DS) on processing, appearance, nutritional, and tasting quality. The results indicated that the planting method (PM) had a relatively minor impact on processing quality. Compared to TP, DS significantly increased grain length (GL) by 1.19%, grain width (GW) by 2.69%, appearance (A) by 2.61%, stickiness (Ss) by 7.15%, degree of balance (DB) by 3.19%, apparent amylose content (AAC%) by 6.20%, fa by 0.66%, fa/fb₃ by 5.34%, and protein content (PC) by 19.93%. However, DS significantly reduced the grain length/width ratio (GL/W) by 1.03%, chalky grain rate (CGR) by 46.00%, chalkiness (CH) by 52.76%, and fb₃ by 4.23%. Compared to DS, TP resulted in a higher peak viscosity (PV), final viscosity (FV), and pasting temperature (PaT), whereas setback (SB) was lower. Among the tested varieties, LX21 exhibited superior milled rice rate (MRR), head rice rate (HRR), GL, GL/W, A, Ss, DB, taste value (T), and FV compared to H9710 and LY7362, while demonstrating significantly lower CGR, CH, hardness (H), fa, trough viscosity (TV), and peak time (PeT). Under the same planting conditions, the conventional rice variety LX21 demonstrated excellent processing, appearance, and taste quality, whereas H9710 exhibited favorable nutritional quality and Rapid Visco Analyzer (RVA) characteristics. Meanwhile, we also analyzed the correlation between temperature/light conditions and nutritional quality, as well as RVA profiles. The results showed that variations in temperature and light were closely associated with amylopectin accumulation and starch pasting properties. This study highlights the findings that selecting the appropriate PMs and japonica rice varieties can effectively enhance overall rice quality. In the medium maturing regions of Liaoning Province, adopting DS with medium–early maturing japonica rice varieties offers an optimal production strategy for achieving high quality, high yield, and efficient utilization of temperature and light resources. Full article

The aim of this study was to assess the association between the use of and trust in sources of information, knowledge about human papillomavirus (HPV) and vaccines against it, perceived lack of information, and the decision to receive the HPV vaccine in undergraduate students in Belgrade. The sample of this cross-sectional study included students aged 18 to 27 who received the second dose of the HPV vaccine or used other services of the general medicine department at the Institute for Students’ Health of Belgrade during the period June–July 2024. The research instrument was a questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic data, information environment (sources of information, trust in sources of information, as well as questions related to perceived lack of information), knowledge about HPV and HPV vaccines, and vaccination status. Participants filled out an online questionnaire created on the RedCap platform of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, which they accessed via a QR code. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to assess the association between vaccine status and socio-demographic characteristics, use and trust in information sources, knowledge, and perceived lack of information. Of the 603 participants who filled out the questionnaire completely, 78.6% were vaccinated against HPV. Key factors associated with vaccine uptake were female gender (OR = 2.33, p < 0.05), use of scientific literature (OR = 1.40, p < 0.05) and family as a source of information (OR = 1.37, p < 0.01), less frequent use of regional TV channels (OR = 0.76, p < 0.05), higher level of knowledge (OR = 1.43, p < 0.01), and lower perceived lack of information (OR = 0.50, p < 0.01). These variables explained 41% of variability in vaccine uptake in the multivariate hierarchical logistic regression model. Exposure to and trust in sources of information were significantly associated with knowledge about HPV and HPV vaccination, as well as with the perceived lack of information regarding HPV vaccination, and were the most significant determinants of the decision to accept HPV vaccine in the student population. Full article

Traditional villages (TVs) are physical manifestations of traditional culture, and their spatial structure embodies the essence of regional culture. The spatial form of TVs in the Ando Tibetan area can be used to understand the historical evolution, turnover, and inheritance of traditional culture in the region. This study uses four typical TVs in the Huangnan Prefecture (HNP). Using the fractal theory, spatial syntax theory, GIS, and geomorphological statistical analysis, this study analyses the spatial morphology structure of TVs of the Huangnan Tibetans. Analyses are conducted from the perspectives of external morphology and internal structure. A quantitative system of spatial morphology of TVs is constructed. This study found that three out of the four sample villages in the HNP have high fractal values (>1.5046) and belong to the strongly structured agglomeration morphology regarding overall morphological characteristics. Furthermore, the public space patches exhibit a more complex spatial morphology and typical fractal characteristics. The morphological characteristics of the village boundaries in the four sample villages exhibit band-like, mass-like, and point-like characteristics. The types of belt and mass tend to point to Muhesha (MHS), JaJia (JJ), and Shuangpengxi (SPX), while Tufang (TF) does not exhibit a clear tendency. The over-spatial permeability of the village is poor, making it hard to perceive the overall space. The average depth, degree of integration, and village selection are concentrated in the central area and the primary and secondary roads. The geometrical center is the core of the village’s degree of integration. This study presents traditional Ando Tibetan villages’ complex and diverse spatial morphology, providing scientific references for their protection, development, and utilization. Full article

Background: HIV-1 envelope (Env) variable loops 1 and 2 (V1V2) directed non-neutralizing antibodies were a correlate of decreased transmission risk in the RV144 vaccine trial. Thus, the elicitation and breadth of antibody responses against the V1V2 of HIV-1 Env are important considerations for HIV-1 vaccine candidates. The V1V2 region’s highly variable nature and the extensive diversity of subtype C HIV-1 Envelopes (Envs) make the V1V2 response breadth a high priority for HIV-1 vaccine regimens aiming for V1V2-mediated protection in Southern Africa. Here, we determined whether the breadth of the anti-V1V2 vaccine response can be broadened by including HIV-1 Env strains computationally designed to enhance the coverage of subtype C V1V2 sequence diversity. Methods: Three subtype C Env strains were selected to maximize antibody binding coverage while complementing subtype C vaccine gp120s that were given in human clinical trials in South Africa, as well as to improve epitope accessibility. Humoral immunogenicity of a novel trivalent gp120 vaccine immunogen, a bivalent gp120 boost already in clinical trials (1086C and TV1), and a pentavalent (all five gp120s combined) were evaluated in a preclinical immunization study in guinea pigs. The pentavalent combination was further evaluated with alum versus glucopyranosyl lipid adjuvants formulated in squalene-in-water emulsion (GLA-SE) adjuvants in non-human primates. The breadth of the anti-V1V2 response was assessed using an array of cross-subtype variable loops 1&2 (V1V2) scaffold proteins and linear V2 peptides. Results: The breadth of the IgG response against V1V2 antigens of the trivalent and pentavalent groups was comparable, and both were greater than the breadth of the bivalent group. Linear epitope mapping showed that two linear epitopes in V2 were targeted by the vaccinated animals: the V2 hotspot focused at ¹⁶⁹K that potentially correlated with decreased HIV-1 risk in RV144 and the V2.2 site (¹⁷⁹LDV/I¹⁸¹) that is part of the integrin α4β7 binding site. The bivalent vaccine elicited a significantly higher magnitude of binding to the V2 hotspot compared to the trivalent vaccine whereas the trivalent vaccine elicited significantly higher binding to the V2.2 epitope compared to the bivalent vaccine, while the pentavalent recognized both regions. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that the three new computationally selected subtype C Envs successfully complemented 1086C and TV1 for broader V1V2 antibody responses, and, in concert with adjuvants that stimulate V1V2 responses, can be considered as part of a rationale immunogen design to improve V1V2 IgG coverage in future vaccine trials in South Africa. Full article

Walnut canker is a common disease in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region of China, which is caused by Cytospora chrysosperma. To date, there is no effective control measure for this disease. Infection with mycoviruses has been widely proven to reduce the virulence of plant pathogenic fungi, with some mycoviruses even serving as potential biological control agents for plant diseases. In this study, mycoviruses associated with 31 strains of C. chrysosperma from Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region were identified by metatranscriptomic sequencing. Seven new mycoviruses were identified by BLAST and RT-PCR analysis, which were Botrytis cinerea partitivirus 5 (BcPV5), Gammapartitivirus sp-XJ1 (GVsp-XJ1), Botoulivirus sp-XJ2 (BVsp-XJ2), Luoyang Fusar tick virus 2 (LfTV2), Leptosphaeria biglobosa narnavirus 17 (LbNV17), Sclerotinia sclerotiorum narnavirus 6 (SsNV6), and Cytospora ribis mitovirus (CrMV3). Among these, BcPV5, GVsp-XJ1, BVsp-XJ2, CrMV3, and LfTV2 were found to co-infect C. chrysosperma strain WS-11 and significantly reduce both the colony growth rate and virulence of the host. After co-culturing the virus-free WS-FV strain with WS-11, the colony growth rate and virulence of the derivative strain were also decreased. These results provide potential biocontrol resources for the control of walnut canker. Full article

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic affected access to healthcare and social support. This especially impacted vulnerable populations like pregnant and postpartum women. Purpose: The specific aims of the project are the following: (1) examine the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy experiences and outcomes; (2) examine the mental health impact of COVID-19 in pregnant women and mothers of children 12 months or younger; (3) identify risk and protective factors among this population in Puerto Rico. Methods: Participants were recruited from the Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT) cohort, which is composed of pregnant women and mothers from the northern karst region of Puerto Rico. This research has a mixed methods approach with a quantitative survey (n = 184) and qualitative interviews (n = 10); data collection was performed remotely. Findings: Results from the survey (n = 184) show that 20% of the cohort gave birth alone, 39% were separated from their baby after birth, 21% experienced isolation before birth, and 20% were separated after birth. In the study, 54% of the women were very worried about giving COVID-19 to their baby and avoided going out, receiving visits, and even canceling baby showers. The most reported sources of stress were their health status, work situation, and childcare, while the most reported coping mechanisms were watching TV or playing video games, using social media, and talking with loved ones. Forty-two percent reported that they frequently stopped enjoying activities that used to make them happy, and only 21% considered seeking mental health support. Conclusion: COVID-19 restrictions changed initial plans for baby showers, births, and childcare, and impacted the participants’ mental health. Physical distance measures have resulted in isolation and stress. We expect these findings to lead to developing interventions for community health centers and parents/caretakers in Puerto Rico. Full article