Search Results (1,237)

The Chishui River Basin, a core production area for Chinese sauce-aroma Baijiu (exemplified by Moutai), supports sorghum cultivation critical to the liquor’s distinctive quality. The soil environment quality within this region, therefore, directly impacts the safety and quality of both raw material and the final distilled spirit. To underpin the safe production and sustainable development of this iconic beverage, it is essential to assess soil heavy metal contamination in the soils and quantify the contributions from various sources. In this study, 172 surface soil samples were collected from typical sorghum planting bases in the Renhuai area. Concentrations of eight heavy metals (loids) (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were determined. The contamination status was evaluated using the geostatistical inverse distance weighting interpolation, the Nemerow pollution index (P_N), and the potential ecological risk index (RI). Source identification and quantification were performed using the positive matrix factorization receptor model (PMF). Results revealed significant enrichment of Cd and Hg in the soil, with mean concentrations 2.07 times and 2.54 times the soil background values for Guizhou Province, respectively. Pollution index results (P_i, P_N) indicated that soil Cd contamination is relatively severe, whereas contamination from other elements is minimal. Overall, approximately 86.5% of the study area was classified as clean or only slightly polluted. Cd poses a moderate ecological risk and was the primary contributor to the total ecological hazard. Other elements exhibited lower risk, resulting in a slight overall potential ecological risk. The soil environmental quality in certified organic sorghum bases was generally favorable. PMF analysis identified three principal sources: historic industrial emissions and traffic-related sources (contributing 46%), weathering of carbonate rocks combined with agricultural activities (37%), and natural background coupled with organic fertilizer application (17%). In conclusion, while the overall soil heavy metal pollution level in the sorghum planting areas is low, the notable enrichment and higher ecological risk of Cd necessitate enhanced dynamic monitoring and targeted risk control measures to ensure long-term soil health and product safety. Full article

This study develops and validates risk-based emergency response scenarios for Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) and Animal Biosafety Level 2 (ABSL-2) facilities. Utilizing Bow-tie analysis, three multidimensional scenarios were constructed: infrastructure failure, biosecurity breach, and compound disaster. Four domain experts independently evaluated the scripts using the Content Validity Index (CVI), with an absolute consensus threshold of I-CVI = 1.00. To address operational gaps identified during initial evaluations, the revised protocols were strictly aligned with the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) mandatory reporting thresholds for high-hazard incidents. Furthermore, the scripts explicitly defined the Incident Command System (ICS) to prevent communication fragmentation and integrated the NC3Rs tunnel handling technique to minimize occupational bite risks. Following these targeted refinements, all items achieved absolute expert consensus. This research translates static biosafety regulations into dynamic, stress-tested training tools. By providing a standardized instrument for resilience assessment, this study equips frontline personnel with the critical capacity to navigate cascading crises while strictly adhering to a “life safety first” paradigm. Full article

Background: Small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is associated with steatohepatitis (SH) in subjects with metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The impact of ileocecal valve (ICV) incontinence, a major cause of SIBO in patients with MASLD, remains unknown because of the unmet need for a non-X-ray-dependent diagnosis. Methods: Exploiting water as contrast medium and colonic irrigation via a hydro-colon machine (Clean Colon Srl, Monza, Italy), we developed a new abdominal ultrasound (US) procedure for diagnosing and grading ICV incontinence. In a pilot, observational, feasibility and safety study, we correlated a new ICV incontinence parameter with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS, ROMA IV criteria), serum transaminases (AST, ALT), platelet counts, FIB-4, US liver steatosis and stiffness (LS, measured by Shear Wave and Transient Elastography, SWE and TE). Results: We prospectively studied 32 consecutive subjects with IBS who underwent a pre-colonoscopy colon cleansing after informed consent: 19 males (59%), body mass index (BMI) 26.6 ± 2.6 kg/m², age 57 ± 19 years, 16 (50%) with US liver steatosis. The half-hour (27 min, range 20–35 min) procedure was safe and well tolerated except in two males with prostate hypertrophy. ICV incontinence was graded (after 2500–3000 mL irrigation) according to cecum/right-colon distention with/without (immediate or delayed) reflux into terminal ileum (TI): 0 = cecum distension without TI reflux; 1 = cecum distension with TI reflux; 2 = absence of cecum distension with TI reflux. Cecum/right-colon distention (grade 0 or 1) was perceived by the patients whereas the right colon irrigation with complete ICV incontinence (grade 2) was symptomless. ICV continence associated with LS (p ≤ 0.0001). A histologic diagnosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis was confirmed in a 35-year-old obese male with SIBO and LS > 8 kPa (8.7/8.5 kPa by SWE/TE):steatosis (grade S3) with hepatocyte ballooning, lobular inflammation (grade 6/8) without fibrosis (stage 0/4, F0). Conclusions: The new US-based approach provides a feasible, easy-to-perform, mini-invasive tool for the diagnosis and grading of ICV incontinence. Preliminary results prompt prospective studies investigating the impact of ICV incontinence as a possible co-factor of steatohepatitis in patients with MASLD. Full article

The growing environmental crisis, particularly water pollution from detergents, necessitates a shift from reactive compliance to proactive eco-innovation, as current methods often fail to systematically resolve trade-offs between performance, safety, and ecology. This study develops and illustrates the application of the Evolutionary-Driven Design Framework (EDDF), an integrated methodology that combines PESTEL analysis, historical evolutionary pattern analysis, Quality Function Deployment (QFD) with a novel contradiction index, Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ), and environmental assessment. The framework was applied to redesign a conventional laundry detergent with the objectives of zero phosphates, superior biodegradability (>85%), maintained efficacy, and controlled cost. The quantitative contradiction index matrix prioritized critical unsustainable parameters (e.g., EDTA, Cocamide DEA) for substitution over mere optimization. Through an iterative feedback loop, the process evolved from a biobased concentrate to an “enzymatic power tablet” (Concept B). This waterless, solid formulation uses sodium citrate as a biodegradable builder and an encapsulated multi-enzyme system, achieving an estimated >90% biodegradability and zero phosphates while meeting technical and economic targets. The EDDF provides a structured, anticipatory roadmap that transforms regulatory and market pressures into drivers of innovation, offering companies a promising method for designing sustainable products by proactively resolving contradictions and avoiding historical mistakes. Full article

Obesity has emerged as a significant global public health challenge, yet the clinical utility of existing anti-obesity drugs is often constrained by limited efficacy and adverse safety profiles. Rheum tanguticum Maxim. ex Balf., a traditional medicinal plant, has shown potential in modulating glucose and lipid metabolism; however, its specific anti-obesity mechanisms remain poorly characterized. In this study, the chemical profile of the 60% ethanol-eluted fraction of R. tanguticum (RTE) was characterized via UPLC-QTOF/MS, followed by network pharmacology analysis to predict regulatory targets and enriched pathways. Subsequently, a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mouse model was established to evaluate the anti-obesity effects of RTE by monitoring body weight, Lee’s index, fat-to-body weight ratio, serum lipid profiles, and liver histopathological changes. A total of 14 major compounds, primarily anthraquinone glycosides, were identified. Integrated network analysis identified 10 hub targets, including TNF, EGFR, and TP53. In vivo experiments demonstrated that RTE significantly attenuated body weight gain and reduced Lee’s index, fat-to-body ratios, and serum levels of TC, TG, and LDL-C. Furthermore, RTE treatment markedly alleviated hepatic steatosis and inflammatory infiltration in obese mice. These findings suggest that RTE exerts potent anti-obesity effects through a multi-target and multi-pathway mechanism that regulates lipid metabolism and suppresses inflammation. This study improves our understanding of the pharmacological value of R. tanguticum and provides a scientific basis for its development as a functional food ingredient or therapeutic agent against obesity. Full article

Background/Objectives: Contemporary minimally invasive surgical therapies (MISTs) for benign prostatic hyperplasia carry retreatment rates up to 32%, with holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) increasingly used as salvage therapy. Prior reviews focused on salvage HoLEP (sHoLEP) following transurethral resection; however, technical challenges specific to the post-MIST field remain uncharacterised. We aimed to characterise technical barriers during sHoLEP following contemporary MISTs, with secondary evaluation of efficacy, safety and feasibility. Methods: Following preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines (PROSPERO: CRD420261321711), five databases were searched from inception to February 2026. Studies reporting sHoLEP outcomes in adults with prior MIST were included. Qualitative findings were synthesised thematically; quantitative outcomes reported by three or more studies underwent random-effects meta-analysis. Risk of bias was assessed using methodological index for non-randomized studies methodological index for non-randomized studies (MINORS) and certainty of evidence using grading of recommendations, assessment, development, and evaluation (GRADE). Results: Ten studies (354 sHoLEP, 3618 primary HoLEP (pHoLEP) patients) were included. Technical difficulty was MIST-type dependent: thermoablative procedures and prostatic artery embolisation preserved the enucleation plane, while prostatic urethral lift (PUL) introduced morcellation-specific challenges including blade jamming and staged procedures. Meta-analysis revealed no difference in operative time or tissue weight, but reduced enucleation efficiency (weighted mean difference; WMD −0.11 g/min, p = 0.027) and peak urinary flow improvement (WMD −3.0 mL/s, p < 0.001). Both findings were sensitive to analysis, losing significance on restriction to predominantly MIST cohorts, and the enucleation efficiency result additionally lost significance on removal of the most heavily weighted study (p = 0.94). Complication rates were equivalent (odds ratio (OR) 0.92, p = 0.787). Conclusions: sHoLEP is safe and efficacious following contemporary MIST. Surgeons should anticipate MIST-specific challenges, particularly morcellation difficulties after PUL requiring tailored instrumentation. Prospective MIST-specific studies are needed. Full article

Background: Baseline lymphopenia is common among advanced solid tumors and may influence the efficacy/safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), but large real-world evidence is limited. We evaluated the association between baseline absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and clinical outcomes in adults with solid tumors treated with ICIs in routine practice. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study using TriNetX. Adults with solid tumors who received pembrolizumab, nivolumab, or atezolizumab (ICI-Naïve) between January 2015 and June 2026 were included. Baseline ALC was measured within 30 days before first treatment and was classified as lymphopenic (ALC < 1.5 × 10⁹/L) or non-lymphopenic (ALC ≥ 1.5 × 10⁹/L). Propensity score matching (1:1) yielded 5249 patients per group. The index date was the first immunotherapy date, and outcomes were assessed at 6, 12, 24, 36 months, and 5 years. The primary outcome was 24-month overall survival (OS); secondary outcomes were OS at 6 and 12 months and 6-month risks of healthcare utilization, immune-related adverse events (irAEs), and serious infections; and exploratory outcomes included OS at 36 months and 5 years. All outcomes were analyzed using Kaplan–Meier analysis, Cox proportional hazards models, and risk ratios. Subgroup analysis included OS stratified by solid tumor subtypes and prior lines of therapy. Results: After matching, patients with baseline lymphopenia had consistently worse OS. Compared with patients without lymphopenia, the lymphopenia cohort had lower OS at 6 months (HR 1.29, 95% CI 1.22–1.37), 12 months (HR 1.28, 95% CI 1.21–1.35), 24 months (HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.2–1.33), and, in exploratory analyses with substantial right censoring and limited observed follow-up, 36 months (HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.2–1.33) and 5 years (HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.2–1.33), though these estimates should be considered hypothesis-generating only. At 6 months, baseline lymphopenia was associated with a greater healthcare utilization (RR 1.05, 95% CI 1.02–1.09), a higher infection risk (RR 1.08, 95% CI 1.01–1.15), and similar rates of clinically coded irAEs (RR 1.0, 95% CI 0.93–1.09), an observation subject to competing risk from early mortality in the lymphopenic cohort. Subgroup analysis, stratified by tumor subtypes and prior lines of therapy, showed consistently lower OS in the lymphopenia group, consistent with the primary outcome results. Conclusions: In this large propensity-matched real-world analysis of 10,498 patients with diverse solid tumors, baseline lymphopenia at ICI initiation was associated with persistently inferior OS at 6, 12, and 24 months (primary and secondary endpoints), greater early healthcare utilization, and a higher serious infection risk. Critically, lymphopenic patients developed irAEs at an identical rate to non-lymphopenic patients despite worse survival, a dissociation suggesting that baseline ALC stratifies patients along mortality risk and immune activation capacity as partially independent axes. These findings could support the use of baseline ALC as a simple, universally available biomarker that informs not only survival prognosis but also the anticipated toxicity profile of ICI therapy and highlight the need for competing-risk analyses and prospective immune phenotyping to characterize this relationship fully. Full article

Background: Oxidative stress contributes significantly to premature skin aging and inflammatory dermatological conditions. While plant-derived antioxidants have demonstrated considerable promise in topical applications, Bougainvillea glabra Choisy remains underexplored in standardized pharmaceutical dosage form development despite its documented phytochemical richness. Objective: This study aimed to develop, standardize, and characterize topical cold cream formulations incorporating B. glabra ethanolic leaf extract, with HPTLC-based quantification of marker compounds, validated antioxidant assessment, and preliminary dermal safety evaluation. Methods: The ethanolic leaf extract was prepared by maceration and characterized by preliminary phytochemical screening and HPTLC fingerprinting with quantitative densitometric analysis of quercetin and pinitol. Three cold cream formulations were developed at 10% (F1), 20% (F2), and 30% (w/w) (F3) extract loading. Formulations were evaluated for organoleptic properties, pH, homogeneity, spreadability, and viscosity. Antioxidant activity was assessed using a validated methanol extraction procedure followed by DPPH radical scavenging and potassium permanganate reduction assays. Ex vivo skin permeation was evaluated using Franz diffusion cells with freshly excised goat skin. Accelerated stability was conducted at 40 ± 2 °C/75 ± 5% RH for 90 days with HPTLC-based marker retention monitoring. Primary dermal safety was assessed in Wistar albino rats (n = 6) following OECD Test Guideline 404. Results: Quantitative HPTLC confirmed quercetin (4.82 ± 0.14 mg/g dry extract) and pinitol (2.31 ± 0.09 mg/g) as marker compounds, with linearly increasing content across F1–F3. All formulations demonstrated acceptable physicochemical properties (pH 5.7–5.9, viscosity 440,000–460,000 cP, spreadability 11.8 ± 0.3 cm·g/s). F3 exhibited the highest DPPH scavenging activity (56.68 ± 1.05%) with IC₅₀ of 1.3 ± 0.1% w/v, demonstrating a 3.2-fold improvement over F1. Extraction recovery from the cream matrix was 96.4–97.1%, validating the antioxidant data. Ex vivo quercetin permeation through goat skin reached 51.3 ± 2.8 μg/cm² at 24 h for F3, following Higuchi diffusion kinetics (R² > 0.99). No dermal irritation was observed (Primary Irritation Index = 0). Accelerated stability confirmed ≥98.3% retention of both marker compounds and antioxidant activity after 90 days. Conclusions: B. glabra leaf extract was successfully incorporated into a physicochemically stable, non-irritating cold cream with demonstrated dose-dependent antioxidant efficacy and cutaneous delivery capability. The study establishes preliminary dermal safety and in vitro antioxidant efficacy warranting further controlled clinical evaluation. Full article

The ski-jump spillway is an energy-dissipating structure that discharges extra water beyond the dam’s capacity. The scour process occurs below spillways due to the collision of the water jet with high energy. It is critical to acquire information on scour holes to improve the dam’s safety and related components. Machine learning (ML) techniques have successfully demonstrated their effectiveness for modeling scour in hydraulic engineering. The present research considers novel approaches of ML models for estimating the scour hole geometries below ski-jump bucket spillways. This study investigates the capability of two novel feature-engineering approaches, namely Stronger Variable Creator Machine (SVCM) and High Correlated Variables Creator Machine (HCVCM), along with Gene Expression Programming (GEP) and their hybrid forms (SVCM+GEP and HCVCM+GEP), which were employed to predict normalized scour depth, scour length, and scour width below ski-jump spillways. Statistical metrics, graphical analyses, the Rank Mean (RM) method, the cross-validation approach, and $U_{95}$ index were used for the evaluation and reliability assessment of the proposed ML models. The results showed that hybrid ML models consistently outperformed individual algorithms. The results indicated that the SVCM+GEP method with $\mathrm{R}\mathrm{M}=1.83$ and $1.50$ had the highest performance compared to other methods for the prediction of ${\displaystyle \frac{Ds}{Dw}}$ and ${\displaystyle \frac{L_s}{D_w}}$, respectively. In addition, the HCVCM+GEP method with $\mathrm{R}\mathrm{M}=1.33$ was the best model for the prediction of ${\displaystyle \frac{Ws}{Dw}}$. In comparison with the conventional regression-based equations and previously reported ML methods, the proposed hybrid approaches improved the prediction results. In addition, the cross-validation method confirmed the robustness and generalization capability of the suggested hybrid ML models. The superior performance of the hybrid models is attributed to their ability to capture complex nonlinear interactions among hydraulic and geometric variables. The developed SVCM/HCVCM+GEP models provide accurate approaches for predicting scour parameters in hydraulic structures. Full article

Potentially toxic element (PTE) contamination in rice poses significant food safety risks, particularly in regions with intensive agriculture, industry, and traffic. This study provides a systematic assessment of the accumulation, translocation, sources, and health risks of PTEs (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) in the atmospheric deposition–soil–rice system across four distinct anthropogenic source areas (industrial, peri-urban, rural, and roadside areas) in Hunan Province, China. The rural area was categorized as clean. Industrial areas had the highest soil pollution index, while roadside areas recorded the highest atmospheric deposition flux of Pb (19.95 μg/m²/day) and As (1.93 μg/m²/day). Correspondingly, industrial areas exhibited the highest Cd (0.38 mg/kg) and Pb (0.94 mg/kg) in rice grains, whereas roadside areas showed the highest Pb (1.40 mg/kg) and As (2.99 mg/kg) in leaves. The findings indicated that rice in roadside areas primarily accumulate PTEs through foliar absorption of atmospheric deposition, whereas in industrial and peri-urban areas it was primarily through root uptake and translocation of PTEs to rice grains, particularly for Cd and Pb. Source apportionment identified natural, industrial, and traffic as the three primary sources. The Bayesian mixing model revealed that the natural source contributed the highest proportion to rice grains (48.3–70.6%) across all four source areas. Except for natural sources, industrial sources dominated in industrial areas (29.1%), traffic emissions prevailed in roadside areas (19.4%), while mixed sources had the highest proportion in peri-urban areas (28.4%). Health risk assessment revealed that the total hazard index followed the order of peri-urban > industrial > roadside > rural areas, with rice ingestion being the dominant exposure pathway, accounting for over 90% of the total risk. The primary contributors to health risks were identified as As, Cd, and Pb, particularly in industrial and peri-urban areas. These findings provide a scientific basis for developing region-specific mitigation strategies tailored to the dominant contamination pathways in each area. Full article

Water resources safety is a crucial prerequisite for nuclear power development and a key component of the safety system for inland nuclear power. Based on an analysis of the influencing factors of water resources safety during the site selection stage of inland nuclear power, this paper constructs an evaluation index system for water resources safety in this stage using the Pressure–State–Response (PSR) model. Combining current technical standards related to nuclear power site selection with Strictest Water Resources Management System formulated by the Chinese government, the evaluation standards for water resources safety during the site selection stage of inland nuclear power are established. Two water resources safety evaluation models for inland nuclear power plant site selection are presented, employing the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Method (FCEM) respectively. Finally, the water resources safety evaluation system established in this paper is applied to the water resources safety evaluation during the site selection stage of Xiaomoshan Nuclear Power Station. The evaluation results of the two models are basically consistent, and both conclude that the water resources safety during the site selection stage of Xiaomoshan Nuclear Power Station could be basically guaranteed. This provides an effective means for the water resources safety evaluation during the site selection stage of inland nuclear power plants. Full article

Defects in photovoltaic (PV) modules, including hotspots, shading, and diode failures, significantly reduce power-generation efficiency and pose safety risks. This study proposes a real-time detection and localisation framework for PV defects based on infrared images acquired by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). A dedicated dataset of 5583 infrared/visible images was constructed under standardised acquisition conditions. An improved rotating-bounding-box detector, termed YOLO-CLO, was developed upon YOLOv8-OBB by introducing a lightweight C3m module and a shared-convolution LSCD-OBB detection head. The proposed detector attains 99.1% mAP@0.5, 96.7% mAP@0.5:0.95, and 59.88 FPS with only 8.52 M parameters and 23.6 GFLOPs, outperforming the baseline in both accuracy and efficiency. A multi-feature image-processing pipeline combining gradient, grayscale, temperature, and morphological cues identifies hotspots, diode failures, and obstructions with detection accuracies of 96.97%, 100%, and 88.89%, respectively. A component-level localisation strategy integrating GNSS metadata, the Hough transform, and an improved K-means clustering algorithm accurately recovers the row–column index of each defective module within an array. Comparative experiments against YOLOv5 and Faster R-CNN confirm the superiority of the proposed framework. The method offers low hardware dependency and is suitable for engineering deployment in large-scale PV power stations. Full article

Extreme weather events exacerbated by global warming pose severe threats to urban safety, underscoring the urgent need for highly accurate precipitation nowcasting. Short-term local heavy precipitation remains a particular challenge for traditional forecasting due to its suddenness and high disaster potential. To address this, we propose a multi-modal fusion framework that integrates ground-based GNSS-derived Precipitable Water Vapor (GNSS-PWV) and ground-based Radar Composite Reflectivity (CR). While GNSS-PWV keenly captures pre-convective atmospheric water vapor accumulation, radar CR details the morphological distribution of hydrometeors. Specifically, we developed the Spatio-Temporal Enhanced Attention Swin U-Net (STEA-Swin) model to synergize these heterogeneous datasets over the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. High-precision PWV was retrieved from 250 Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) using the dual-frequency ionosphere-free Precise Point Positioning (PPP) method, achieving a strong correlation (>0.97) with ERA5 reanalysis data. Validated against measured data from the 2025 flood season, the STEA-Swin model achieved a Probability of Detection (POD) of 0.68 for torrential rain events at a +1 h forecast lead time. Notably, compared to single-source models, the Critical Success Index (CSI) and POD for torrential rain improved by 18.5% and 21.5%, respectively. These findings demonstrate that coupling deep learning with ground-based GNSS-derived atmospheric thermodynamic information can significantly enhance early warning capabilities, providing a promising technical approach for regional disaster prevention and climate resilience. Full article

Background/Objectives: In Croatia, national data on adolescents’ dietary habits are limited, resulting in a lack of evidence-based food-based dietary guidelines and public health interventions. This study aims to conduct an in-depth evaluation of dietary habits in a national sample of Croatian adolescents stratified by region, sex and age, from the National food consumption survey on adolescents and adults (NIPNOD 2018–2023). Methods: This cross-sectional study included 258 adolescents (50.4% boys; aged 10 to < 18) from the NIPNOD 2018–2023 survey (OC/EFSA/DATA/2017/01), conducted according to the EU Menu methodology. For analysis, the sample was divided into two age groups (10–13 and 14–17 years). To assess dietary intake, two 24 h recalls were analyzed using NutriCro^® v. 3.0 software. Dietary intake was compared with European Food Safety Authority dietary reference values (DRV). The contribution of 14 food groups to daily energy intake was analyzed. Diet quality was assessed using the Diet Quality Index for Adolescents (DQI-A). Results: The mean daily energy intake was 1820 ± 529 kcal, consisting of 45.5 ± 7.0% carbohydrates, 37.8 ± 6.3% fats, and 15.1 ± 3.1% protein. The observed two-day mean intake suggested that 51.6% of adolescents had carbohydrate intake within the EFSA DRV range, while 5.4% and 32.2% had protein and fat intake within the EFSA DRVs, respectively. The main contributors to daily energy intake were grains and grain products (31.5%), meat, poultry, fish, and eggs (18.1%), and cakes, confectionery, sweets, and sugar (14.9%). Frequent breakfast skipping and snack consumption were common, particularly among older adolescents. Adolescents had moderate overall diet quality (57.4 ± 11.6% DQI-A), with no differences between age groups. Conclusions: Analysis of the dietary habits of adolescents in Croatia indicates that most have inadequate macronutrient intake, irregular meal frequency, and moderate overall diet quality. These results highlight the need to develop public health strategies and interventions to improve dietary habits among adolescents in Croatia. Full article

Subsurface combustion in coal mines poses a significant threat to ecosystem integrity, geological stability, and public safety. Effective risk mitigation requires continuous monitoring and accurate detection of combustion dynamics. In this study, an improved subsurface combustion index (SCI) was developed based on multisource remote sensing indicators, and long-term time series observations (2010–2025) were used to characterize its spatiotemporal evolution. Results show that dREGI achieved the highest anomaly discrimination among all evaluated vegetation indices, with an M-statistic of 1.4186, outperforming NDVI (1.1073) and EVI (0.8226). Adaptive principal component analysis identified dREGI and H as the dominant contributors to SCI construction. Separability analysis further demonstrated that integrating dREGI with LST and H improved the performance of the composite SCI by 16.3%, increasing its M-statistic from 0.959 to 1.115 relative to the dREGI-only baseline. Temporally, subsurface combustion exhibits a multi-stage evolution, with initial anomalies emerging around 2013, followed by a transitional phase during 2014–2018. Activity intensifies during 2019–2023, peaks in 2023, and declines in 2024, indicating residual combustion. Spatially, high-risk areas are concentrated in the eastern region, while moderate and low-risk zones occur in the central and western regions, respectively. These results demonstrate that the proposed indices provide a more robust and sensitive framework for early warning and spatial delineation of subsurface combustion zones. Full article