Search Results (4,635)

Autonomous vehicle open-road testing is a crucial component in the development of intelligent and connected vehicle (ICV) industries. The classification of road complexity plays a key role in ensuring the safety and efficiency of such tests. This study, based on the practices of the High-Level Autonomous Driving Demonstration Zone in Beijing, proposes a scientific and systematic framework for classifying road complexity. The framework integrates static road features, dynamic traffic flow indicators, and safety event metrics, employing the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to quantify road complexity and categorize roads into five distinct levels. The findings provide significant guidance for the phased opening of test roads, optimization of autonomous driving algorithms, construction of accident scenario databases, and deployment of infrastructure. This paper further explores the practical applications and future development directions of road complexity classification, aiming to offer theoretical and practical support for the testing and demonstration of intelligent and connected vehicles. Full article

Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly adopted in life-science research for scientific writing, coding, literature synthesis, workflow troubleshooting, and preliminary data interpretation. In microbial genomics and bioinformatics, their appeal is clear because researchers routinely integrate genome annotations, antimicrobial resistance profiles, virulence determinants, taxonomic assignments, microbiome outputs, workflow scripts, and primary literature. Yet this domain also highlights major risks, including hallucinated biological claims, inaccurate citations, irreproducible code, unsupported genotype-to-phenotype inference, and inappropriate clinical or public health framing. This narrative review examines responsible LLM use in microbial genomics as a representative life-science setting where interpretation depends on database provenance, validated workflows, expert assessment, and reproducible evidence chains. It considers applications in genome annotation, antimicrobial resistance interpretation, virulence analysis, microbiome and metagenomics workflows, coding support, and scientific writing. The review further presents MicrobeGuardGPT as a conceptual reliability framework for assessing LLM-assisted microbial genomics outputs before scientific, clinical, or public health use. By connecting task domains, evidence verification, expert validation, and reliability classification, the framework supports risk-aware LLM integration in bioinformatics. Responsible implementation will require domain-specific benchmarks, curated database linkage, transparent reporting, reproducible workflows, human oversight, and governance standards tailored to biological interpretation across research, diagnostic, surveillance, outbreak-response, educational, and translational contexts. Full article

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) remains a significant multidrug-resistant pathogen, frequently associated with persistent infections and biofilm formation, underscoring the urgent need for alternative antimicrobial strategies. Bioactive compounds derived from fungi have attracted considerable attention due to their structural diversity and demonstrated antibacterial activity against MRSA. This study employed a scientometric approach to assess global research trends, thematic evolution, and collaborative networks concerning fungi-derived anti-MRSA compounds. Bibliographic data were collected from the Scopus database, and a total of 1666 English-language articles and reviews published up to 2025 were analyzed using Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny and VOSviewer. The findings indicate a marked increase in research output after 2010, reflecting heightened scientific interest in fungal natural products for MRSA management. China and the United States emerged as leading contributors in terms of publication volume and international collaboration. Thematic analysis revealed a shift from broad antimicrobial screening to more specialized investigations, including antibiofilm activity, secondary metabolites, endophytic fungi, molecular docking, and antimicrobial resistance. Nonetheless, several challenges persist, such as insufficient mechanistic validation, limited toxicity and pharmacokinetic assessments, and a lack of clinically relevant in vivo studies. Overall, the field is increasingly multidisciplinary, integrating microbiology, natural product chemistry, and computational methodologies to advance the discovery of anti-MRSA agents. Full article

Leptospirosis is a globally distributed zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic bacteria of the Leptospira genus. Currently, 77 genomic species have been described. Leptospira interrogans is the most extensively studied species due to its high prevalence worldwide and the severity of the disease it causes in humans and animals. However, Leptospira santarosai is an important pathogenic species in the Americas, the Caribbean islands, and Taiwan. This species has a high serological diversity: it can infect domestic, wild, and agricultural production animals, causing reproductive problems and substantial economic losses. Additionally, Leptospira santarosai has been detected in water sources and wet soils. In humans, infection with this species can lead to a wide range of clinical manifestations and severe complications. Therefore, this study aimed to synthesize available information on the serological diversity, geographical distribution, natural sources of infection, and human leptospirosis caused by Leptospira santarosai to better understand their role in the leptospirosis transmission cycle. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted, following the criteria established by the PRISMA-2020 guide, the search for scientific articles was conducted in five specialized and multidisciplinary databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO, and LILACS), and a search engine (Google Scholar). Two different search strategies (Leptospira santarosai OR L. santarosai) were used. Result: Once the search was carried out in the databases, 2989 scientific articles were identified. These articles underwent a process of identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion, resulting in 84 articles that met all established inclusion criteria. These articles were included in the qualitative synthesis and elaboration of the systematic review. Conclusions: Leptospira santarosai shows a high serological diversity, with 14 serogroups and 59 serovars. The species has a wide geographic distribution, having been reported on five continents and in 26 countries, and has been described as an infectious agent in at least 24 host animals. It has also been detected in environmental sources such as water and wet soils; 24 serovars have been identified as the causative agents of human leptospirosis, causing clinical manifestations that range from mild to severe forms of the disease and clinical complications such as myocarditis, uveitis, and neuroleptospirosis. Although L. santarosai is considered native to the Americas, it shows an expansion pattern to other continents and countries. Therefore, this pathogenic species of the Leptospira genus represents an important public health problem worldwide. Full article

Driven by advances in multifunctional materials design, silver halides—both natural (AgCl, AgBr, AgI, and mixed phases such as embolite) and synthetic—have emerged as versatile functional materials characterized by tunable crystallography, phase stability, and compositional variability. This study investigates global research trends, interdisciplinary development, and emerging application areas of silver halides through a bibliometric analysis of 23,841 publications indexed in the Web of Science (1975–2025). CDPI, TELM, VOSviewer, and Excel were employed to evaluate publication growth, disciplinary integration, and thematic evolution. Research output increased markedly after 2005, reaching approximately 700–1000 publications annually during 2020–2025. China (18.3%) and the United States (17.5%) were the leading contributors, while the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences, and CNRS showed the highest scientific impact. Materials Science Multidisciplinary (CDPI = 0.72), Chemistry Multidisciplinary (0.70), and Physical Chemistry (0.67) exhibited the strongest interdisciplinary integration, whereas Nanoscience and Nanotechnology demonstrated the fastest growth. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identified six major research domains focused on functional materials engineering, including environmental remediation, catalysis, crystal growth, antibacterial materials, interfacial processes, and electroanalytical systems. Recent studies increasingly emphasize structure–property relationships and synthetic control of crystal size, morphology, and surface characteristics to enhance performance in photocatalysis, sensing, antimicrobial coatings, and advanced optical applications. Overall, the results highlight the growing importance of silver halides as strategic functional materials and provide a quantitative framework for future research and technological development. A limitation of this study is its exclusive reliance on the Web of Science database, which may underrepresent relevant publications indexed elsewhere. Full article

Untreated dental caries in permanent teeth is the most frequent disease of all 371 diseases and traumas assessed by the Global Burden of Disease Study in 2021, and there are reported to be 2.24 billion cases worldwide. Demineralization is a disintegration process of minerals and apatite crystals in hard tissue, provoked by biofilm activities, dietary factors, and the micro-oral environment—the three main mechanisms of dental caries. Restoration of mineral ions in the crystal structure is defined as remineralization. Remineralization enables the deposition of new minerals within the crystal structure of demineralized enamel, aiming to increase mineral production. Environments suitable for remineralization and inhibiting demineralization could be created by using a caries prevention agent. Objectives: Providing scientific evidence regarding Aloe vera as an alternative agent for caries prevention. Materials and Method: The method used in this study is a scoping review, utilizing the PRISMA-ScR as a guideline to conduct article screening and further analysis, following a thematic analysis approach. Database searches were conducted in PubMed, EBSCOhost, and ScienceDirect, based on the keywords generated. Results: A total of 13 articles were gathered for further analysis. Conclusions: Aloe vera shows promising preliminary potential, but further standardized in vivo and randomized clinical studies are necessary to confirm its remineralizing efficacy and clarify its mechanisms of action as a cavity prevention agent. Clinical Relevance: Using Aloe vera as an alternative caries prevention agent. Full article

Google Earth Engine (GEE) has become a central platform for planetary-scale geospatial analysis, but its rapid evolution in the last few years is not yet reflected in the existing review literature. Earlier reviews mainly describe the platform’s architecture and its initial application domains, whereas a structured bibliometric and thematic overview of the post-2022 phase of GEE is still lacking. In this more recent phase, the platform has introduced foundation models, satellite embeddings, and native links to cloud databases. Drawing on a structured bibliometric analysis of 5591 Scopus and Web of Science indexed documents published between 2011 and 2025, the results reveal sustained long-term growth, with annual publications increasing from 3 records in 2011 to 1371 records in 2025, corresponding to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 54.88%, indicating a shift from exploratory testing of the platform to more operational use. Logistic growth modelling ($R^2=0.991$) suggests that GEE research is transitioning from rapid expansion towards a scientific maturity phase, where the platform increasingly functions as a normalized analytical infrastructure embedded within broader cloud-native geospatial ecosystems. The full 2011–2025 corpus is used to establish long-term bibliometric trajectories, whereas the thematic synthesis focuses on the post-2022 transition towards Geospatial Artificial Intelligence(GeoAI), satellite embeddings, and cloud-database interoperability. The review examines how new satellite embedding datasets and BigQuery integrations help close the gap between raster-centric Earth observation (EO) workflows and tabular data science. We summarise methodological changes from traditional pixel-based classifiers to multimodal fusion approaches that combine Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI), and optical sensors, and we discuss how GEE’s highly integrated ecosystem influences reproducibility and the risk of vendor lock-in. Finally, we propose a roadmap for the ongoing transition of GEE towards GeoAI, offering researchers and policymakers a transparent and reproducible framework for deploying the platform in high-impact environmental governance. Full article

Heraclitus’ phrase “everything flows and nothing remains” perfectly captures the modern era, as conditions are changing at high speed and scientific knowledge is growing exponentially. Academic fields that attract significant attention often experience rapid expansion, driven by the growing global pool of researchers, the increased accessibility of scientific publishing platforms, and the overall rise in scientific output. Literature concerning energy security, a topic as old as fire, has become vital to modern economies due to geopolitical upheaval, adapting traditional considerations to new realities, and the extensive body of literature serves as clear evidence of this fact. Thus, there is a clear need for innovative, scalable, and objective methodologies to systematically assess the existing body of knowledge and prioritize areas for further study. This paper proposes implementing a novel machine learning approach leveraging the BERTopic topic modeling algorithm to conduct a comprehensive and efficient exploratory analysis of energy security literature. The analysis is based on a bibliographic corpus extracted from the Scopus database covering the period 1999–2025, and identifies 14 distinct thematic clusters which indicate that energy security research is undergoing structural transformation, marked by strong emphasis on technology-specific renewable energy transitions, geographic concentration on China and Europe, and increasing integration with climate and sustainability frameworks. While contextual embedding improves semantic coherence, topic interpretation still requires expert validation as model performance is sensitive to hyperparameter configuration, potentially affecting topic stability and reproducibility. Full article

Introduction: Fish species represent 25% of all vertebrates across the globe and are one of the most threatened animal groups. At least 40% of the fish fauna occurs in rivers for part of their life cycle. European rivers are home to more than 600 fish species, while also being some of the most impaired and altered ecosystems. Objective: The objective was to assess the vulnerability of freshwater fish communities in European river basins. Methodology: Using RivTool and the CCM2 database, we developed the River Restoration Units (R2Us), a set of spatial units that takes into account river network functioning and allows a higher spatial discretisation than river basins. We developed RivFish, a database about the presence of native freshwater-dependent fish in 1556 Europeans river basins. For this, we collected data from 77 references and validated synonyms and scientific names for 667 species. We used the latest International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessment to define species distributions in European rivers. After intersecting with the R2U layer, we curated and validated species names and spatial occurrence using RivFish. To map the vulnerability of freshwater fish communities, we used the Habitats Directive (HD) and the IUCN datasets. These consider a distinct number of species and assess conservation status differently: the HD evaluated 165 species, while the IUCN evaluated 516 species. The HD data allowed calculating the composite indicator of Conservation Status, whereas the IUCN data enabled calculating the vulnerability index. Results: Both ana-lyses show higher richness in central Europe, particularly in the Danube basin. Spatially, both highlight southern Europe as the area where fish communities have the highest vulnerability. However, the HD analysis also indicates the Danube and the western Atlantic basins as having high vulnerability. The IUCN analysis shows the Anatolian and Mediterranean biogeographical regions as those with the highest vulnerability values. Conclusions: Southern Europe’s higher vulnerability is likely associated with restricted distribution ranges and high levels of endemicity in Mediterranean fish communities. Overall, these findings improve current knowledge and show that input data may be key to effort allocation towards the management and conservation of European freshwater fish communities. Full article

This study examines the extent to which Chile’s 18 state universities contribute to sustainability and the 2030 Agenda, with a specific focus on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To this end, scientific publications, technological developments, innovation initiatives, and funded research projects carried out between 2022 and 2023 were analyzed using a combination of bibliometric analysis and document review. Data were collected from Scopus, Web of Science, and national databases, and classified using a structured keyword strategy aligned with each SDG. A PRISMA-inspired screening and selection workflow was employed to ensure consistency and transparency in the selection of the results. The analysis reveals a clear institutional focus on SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), which together account for the majority of outputs analyzed. In contrast, SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 15 (Life on Land) exhibit comparatively lower levels of representation. Differences were also observed among universities and across geographical macro-zones. The integrated analysis revealed important thematic asymmetries, territorial specialization patterns, and differentiated institutional sustainability profiles across the Chilean public university system. These findings highlight both the strengths and the current gaps in institutional alignment with the SDGs. The paper concludes by proposing concrete measures to improve coordination and information systems with the aim of reinforcing the strategic role of public universities in advancing sustainable development at both the national and regional levels. Full article

This paper examines how artificial intelligence can support sustainability assessment in cultural industries, using national film industries as a test case. The Film Industry Sustainability Index (FISI) is introduced as a composite indicator covering cultural diversity, economic resilience, and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) alignment for 42 national economies from 2005 to 2023. Knowledge-Enhanced Mamba (KE-Mamba), a selective state-space forecasting model, is then proposed to combine annual panel indicators with country-level film-industry knowledge graph (KG) embeddings and large language model (LLM)-derived screenplay-oriented narrative proxies from film synopses. To reduce factual errors in title-level narrative scoring, the LLM is anchored to verified United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) records and the European Audiovisual Observatory’s LUMIERE film-admissions database using rank-one model editing (ROME). On the 2020–2023 held-out test period, KE-Mamba achieves a composite FISI mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.0389, a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 5.61%, and an $R^2$ of 0.934, outperforming autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), tree-based, long short-term memory (LSTM), and base Mamba baselines. Additional robustness checks using a pre-pandemic split, two-way fixed-effects panel regression, alternative FISI weighting schemes, KG embedding ablations, and human validation of LLM narrative scores support the reliability of the proposed framework. Policy simulations are interpreted as model-based projected associations rather than causal estimates. The results show that knowledge-enhanced sequence models can provide transparent forecasting support for sustainable cultural-industry policy. Full article

Cancer represents one of the major public health issues in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with increasing incidence and mortality rates as a result of late diagnosis, limited healthcare infrastructure, and financial difficulties. Traditional medicine plays an important role in healthcare across different populations in SSA, as more than 80% of the population depend on indigenous plant-based remedies for treating or managing different ailments, including cancer. This study aimed to document medicinal plants traditionally used to treat cancer in SSA. A systematic search of all documents available in the last two decades (2006–2026) was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. After screening studies using the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 55 studies met the eligibility requirements and were selected for analysis based on their relevance to the topic, geographic scope, and reported applications in cancer management. The scientific names of the identified plant species and their taxonomic authorities were verified using the Plants of the World Online database. A total of 556 species, belonging to 110 families, were recorded as medicinal plants used to treat various forms of cancer in SSA. The top five families with the most frequently used plants were Fabaceae (51 species), Asteraceae (34 species), Euphorbiaceae (25 species), Apocynaceae (22 species) and Lamiaceae (22 species). Frequently cited plants include Kigelia africana, Annona muricata, Adansonia digitata, Carica papaya, and Tamarindus indica. A total of 11 plant parts were documented, with leaves (41.20%), roots (18.75%), and bark (17.25%) being the dominant plant parts utilised. The primary methods of preparation were decoction (38.23%), powdering and grinding (14.51%), and infusion and tea preparation (49.73%), while the main modes of administration were oral (66.88%) and topical (26.46%). The results show that traditional medicinal plants hold significant potential as sources of novel anticancer drugs in SSA. However, a significant gap exists between ethnobotanical knowledge, laboratory research, and clinical application. Rigorous pharmacological and toxicity evaluations and well-designed clinical trials on the identified medicinal plants are needed to integrate effective and safe plant-based therapies into evidence-based oncology. Full article

Background/Objectives: The increasing burden of non-communicable diseases, together with accelerating environmental degradation, highlights the urgent need for sustainable dietary patterns that promote both human and planetary health. The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), traditionally followed in countries bordering the Mediterranean basin, has gained recognition as a model of sustainable nutrition due to its well-documented health benefits and relatively low environmental impact. However, its broader role within sustainable food systems requires comprehensive and interdisciplinary evaluation. The aim of this review is to provide a state-of-the-art synthesis of the evidence on the MedDiet as a sustainable dietary pattern, integrating its health, environmental, economic, and socio-cultural dimensions. Methods: This state-of-the-art narrative review synthesizes evidence from peer-reviewed literature on the MedDiet and sustainability. Relevant studies were identified through major scientific databases, focusing on publications addressing nutritional, environmental, economic, and socio-cultural dimensions. Both observational and interventional studies, as well as modeling and life cycle assessment analyses, were included. Additional sources from international organizations and policy reports were incorporated to contextualize global trends and challenges. Results: High adherence to the MedDiet is consistently associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and all-cause mortality. From an environmental perspective, the MedDiet is associated with lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduced land and water use, and enhanced biodiversity conservation compared with Western dietary patterns. Economically, it may represent a cost-effective dietary model and support local food systems when grounded in traditional practices, although affordability varies across contexts. Socio-culturally, the MedDiet promotes food heritage, culinary skills, and social cohesion. Nevertheless, globalization, urbanization, and the increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods have contributed to declining adherence, posing significant challenges to its sustainability and scalability. Moreover, the sustainability benefits of the MedDiet seem to be context-dependent rather than intrinsic, raising several challenges and limitations for its adoption. Conclusions: The MedDiet should be viewed not as a definitive solution to global food-system challenges but as a valuable reference model that illustrates how dietary practices can contribute simultaneously to human health, environmental sustainability, and cultural continuity. Modern sustainable dietary strategies should build upon the strengths of the MedDiet while recognizing its limitations, embracing contextual adaptation, and addressing the structural determinants that shape food choices. Full article

Mineral waters represent unique limnological ecosystems with stable physicochemical conditions and specialised microbial communities adapted to extreme environments. Bulgarian mineral waters remain comparatively underexplored despite their considerable ecological and biotechnological significance. These studies present a systematic narrative review of microbial diversity, ecological functions, and biotechnological potential of microbial communities from Bulgarian mineral springs. A total of 233 scientific sources published between 1990 and 2026 were analysed, of which 33 focused on Bulgarian sites. Data were retrieved from major scientific databases, regional reports and grey literature. Due to strong methodological heterogeneity, a qualitative synthesis was conducted, supported by bibliometric summaries of research focus and environmental context. The available evidence demonstrates that microbial communities in Bulgarian mineral waters include diverse bacteria, archaea, cyanobacteria, and microalgae that adapt to broad thermal and geochemical gradients. These microorganisms actively participate in element cycles, form complex biofilms, and show numerous physiological adaptations to oligotrophic and extreme temperature conditions. Bulgarian systems broadly reflect global microbial patterns but exhibit additional variability linked to contrasting hydrogeological settings. Many taxa produce thermostable enzymes, antimicrobial compounds, and exopolysaccharides with significant biotechnological potential. The review identifies significant research gaps and emphasises the importance of integrated multi-omics approaches for future exploration of Bulgarian mineral water ecosystems. Full article

This study critically investigates the scientific literature on the intersection of management accounting and intellectual capital using a bibliometric performance analysis and science-mapping approach. Drawing on a sample of 59 publications from the Scopus and Web of Science databases, the paper maps the intellectual structure, key contributors, and thematic evolution of the field. This study conceptualizes management accounting not merely as a neutral technical system but as a socio-political mechanism that shapes how intellectual capital is rendered visible, measurable, and governable within organizations. The findings identify five dominant research clusters (intellectual capital and corporate strategy, management accounting and performance, green intellectual capital, digitalization and value creation, and management control and intangibles), revealing how accounting practices actively participate in constructing organizational realities and legitimizing particular forms of value and knowledge. The analysis highlights that measurement and reporting practices privilege certain dimensions of intellectual capital while potentially obscuring others, raising critical questions about power, visibility, and accountability in knowledge-based economies. In particular, the growing emphasis on digitalization and sustainability reflects shifting governance regimes in which accounting systems extend their influence over organizational conduct and strategic decision-making. By integrating bibliometric techniques with a critical interpretive lens, this study contributes to the literature by reframing management accounting as a key site where knowledge, control, and organizational value are negotiated. It also identifies gaps for future research, particularly regarding the ethical and political implications of accounting for intangible resources in increasingly digital and transparency-driven environments. Full article