Search Results (1,676)

Studies on links between Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) and use of dental services among UK children are lacking. This study aimed to assess the relationship between OHRQoL and dental attendance in 12- and 15-year-old children in the UK using secondary data from the UK Child Dental Health Survey (CDHS, 2013). Methods: OHRQoL was measured as the exposure using the Child-OIDP (Oral Impacts on Daily Performances), and dental attendance was the outcome in this analysis. Dental attendance was measured by asking children whether they visited the dentist regularly, only when in trouble, or never. Logistic regression models analysed the relationship between OHRQoL and dental attendance accounting for potential confounding factors such as socio-demographic characteristics, health behaviours, and anxiety. Results: Data from 4136 children aged 12 and 15 years found that the prevalence of dental attendance ‘only when in trouble or never’ was 20.5% among children who reported at least one impact, compared to 13.6% among children reporting no impacts. A social gradient was apparent, as 28% of children living in deprived areas exhibited problem-oriented dental attendance compared with 8.6% in affluent areas. Logistic regression unadjusted estimates of children who reported at least one impact on QoL had 1.64 times greater likelihood of visiting the dentist ‘only when in trouble or never’ compared to children reporting no impacts (OR: 1.64, 95%CI: 1.24, 2.17). Adjusting for confounders reduced this to OR 1.39 (95% CI: 1.10, 1.77). Furthermore, the greater the number of negative impacts that were reported, the higher the odds of visiting a ‘dentist only when in trouble or never’. In the fully adjusted model, children who reported either two or more impacts had higher odds of visiting the dentist ‘only when in trouble’. Children who reported only one impact were as likely to seek dental treatment ‘only when in trouble’ as children reporting no impacts. Conclusions: Both poorer OHRQoL and problem-oriented attendance were more evident in children from lower-socio-economic backgrounds. Barriers to regular dental attendance affecting children from disadvantaged backgrounds should be addressed and dental care prioritised. Full article

Against the backdrop of China’s commitment to achieving carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, inter-provincial carbon emissions form a complex interconnected spatial network—clarifying its operational mechanisms is crucial for optimizing regional carbon reduction strategies. Based on 2006–2021 data from 30 Chinese provinces, this study constructs the China Provincial Carbon Emission Spatial Correlation Network (CPCESCN) using a modified gravity model. Social Network Analysis (SNA) explores its structural characteristics, while motif and QAP correlation analyses identify endogenous structural and attribute variables. Innovatively integrating Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGM) and Stochastic Actor-Oriented Models (SAOM), it investigates the network’s static formation mechanisms and dynamic evolution drivers. Results show CPCESCN has a stable multi-threaded structure without isolated nodes, with Jiangsu, Guangdong, Shandong, Zhejiang, Henan, and Sichuan as high-centrality core nodes with high centrality. GDP, green technology innovation, urbanization rate, industrialization rate, energy consumption intensity, and environmental regulations significantly influence network dynamics, with reciprocal relationships as key endogenous drivers. While geographic proximity still facilitates network formation, its impact has weakened notably, and functional complementarity has become the dominant evolutionary driver—based on the findings, policy suggestions are proposed, including deepening inter-provincial functional cooperation, implementing differentiated carbon reduction policies, and optimizing multi-dimensional low-carbon transformation systems. Full article

Past literature on mental health has extensively discussed the effect of interpersonal relationships on mental health, but studies have yet to systematically investigate the meaning and influence of group membership. This study thereby focuses on the influence of group membership that individuals form through private groups on mental health. We particularly explore the possibility that the positive influence of the number of memberships on mental conditions turns negative when individuals suffer from excessive obligations and requirements from the groups they engage. Using data from the 2023 Korea Social Integration Survey, results from ordered logistic regression analyses suggest that the relationship between group membership and mental distress shows a U-shape. While one’s membership in private groups is negatively associated with anxiety, depressive symptoms, and suicidal thoughts even after controlling for interpersonal contact network as well as other socio-demographic characteristics, the association becomes positive when one engages in an excessive number of groups. Furthermore, we find this U-shape relationship to be significant only in urban communities, not smaller local communities. Our study provides implications for understanding how and under which social conditions membership in social groups shape one’s mental health. Full article

Background: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is diagnosed by characteristic clinical manifestations supported by positivity for lupus anticoagulant, anticardiolipin, and anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies. However, a proportion of patients, especially those with systemic lupus erythematosus, remain seronegative despite high clinical suspicion. Anti-phosphatidylserine/prothrombin antibodies (aPS/PT) have emerged as potential biomarkers in this setting. We conducted an expert perception-based Health Technology Assessment (HTA) to evaluate the clinical, ethical, and organizational impact of implementing aPS/PT testing. Methods: A structured HTA was performed across five domains: safety, perceived efficacy, equity, ethics, and organizational implications. A survey was distributed to 110 APS specialists; 50 experts contributed responses (45.5% response rate; 66% clinicians, 18% laboratory personnel, 8% nurses, 8% administrative/other). For each domain, Z-scores were calculated to compare current diagnostic practice (AS IS) with a scenario integrating aPS/PT testing (TO BE). Correlation analyses explored relationships across domains. Results: Across all five domains, the TO BE scenario scored substantially higher than standard practice. The largest improvements were observed in perceived diagnostic efficacy (ΔZ = +2.65) and safety (ΔZ = +2.03), followed by equity (ΔZ = +2.25), ethical/social impact (ΔZ = +1.96), and organizational feasibility (ΔZ = +1.61). Perceived diagnostic effectiveness showed a strong positive correlation with both equity (r = 0.70, p < 0.001) and ethics (r = 0.67, p < 0.001). Participants consistently rated the assay as safe, clinically useful, equitable, and organizationally easy to introduce in routine laboratory workflows. Conclusions: Experts perceived the addition of aPS/PT testing as a meaningful enhancement to APS diagnostics, particularly for SLE patients who are seronegative on conventional assays. Its favorable profile across all HTA domains supports further evaluation in prospective cohorts and consideration for integration into future diagnostic algorithms. Full article

As social media influencers increasingly shape sustainable consumption, understanding the psychological mechanisms underlying consumer responses is essential. Drawing on social influence theory and reactance theory, this study examines how influencer characteristics affect sustainable behavioral intentions through perceived pressure and consumer reactance, while considering the moderating role of green self-identity. Using survey data from 382 respondents, the proposed model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Given the cross-sectional research design and the reliance on self-reported data, the findings should be interpreted as associational rather than strictly causal. The results show that influencer expertise, homophily, and social influence significantly increase perceived pressure. Perceived pressure, in turn, positively influences consumer reactance, which negatively affects sustainable purchase intention and positively affects avoidance intention. In addition, green self-identity significantly moderates the relationship between perceived pressure and reactance, such that consumers with a stronger green self-identity exhibit heightened sensitivity to perceived pressure and experience stronger reactance responses, indicating heightened sensitivity among environmentally self-identified consumers. These findings extend existing sustainability and influencer marketing research by revealing the dual and potentially counterproductive effects of persuasive communication. The study highlights the importance of autonomy-supportive and identity-consistent messaging for promoting sustainable consumption and provides practical guidance for designing effective influencer-based sustainability strategies. Full article

The Social Internet of Things (SIoT) enables collaborative service provisioning among interconnected devices by leveraging socially inspired trust relationships. This paper proposes a socially driven SIoT protocol for trust-aware service selection, enabling dynamic friendship formation and ranking among distributed service-providing devices based on observed execution behavior. The protocol integrates detection accuracy, round-trip time (RTT), processing time, and device characteristics within a graph-based friendship model and employs PageRank-based scoring to guide service selection. Industrial computer vision workloads are used as a representative testbed to evaluate the proposed SIoT trust-evaluation framework under realistic execution and network constraints. In homogeneous environments with comparable service-provider capabilities, friendship scores consistently favor higher-accuracy detection pipelines, with F1-scores in the range of approximately 0.25–0.28, while latency and processing-time variations remain limited. In heterogeneous environments comprising resource-diverse devices, trust differentiation reflects the combined influence of algorithm accuracy and execution feasibility, resulting in clear service-provider ranking under high-resolution and high-frame-rate workloads. Experimental results further show that reducing available network bandwidth from 100 Mbps to 10 Mbps increases round-trip communication latency by approximately one order of magnitude, while detection accuracy remains largely invariant. The evaluation is conducted on a physical SIoT testbed with three interconnected devices, forming an 11-node, 22-edge logical trust graph, and on synthetic trust graphs with up to 50 service-providing nodes. Across all settings, service-selection decisions remain stable, and PageRank-based friendship scoring is completed in approximately 20 ms, incurring negligible overhead relative to inference and communication latency. Full article

Digital rural construction (DRC), as a crucial intersection of the rural revitalization strategy and the construction of Digital China, is a key path to addressing the imbalance and inadequacy in the urban–rural income gap (URIG). Based on provincial panel data from 2011 to 2023, this paper systematically examines the relationship and mechanism of action between the two using an econometric model. This study finds that DRC significantly reduces the URIG overall, and this effect is achieved through increasing urbanization levels, accelerating employment, and promoting social consumption. Spatial effect tests indicate that DRC has a spatial spillover effect; construction in one province reduces the URIG in neighboring provinces. Further research shows that, against the backdrop of human capital level acting as a threshold variable, the effect of DRC on the URIG exhibits an inverted “U”-shaped characteristic, first increasing and then decreasing. Therefore, this paper proposes countermeasures and suggestions, including constructing a digital-enabled urban–rural integration mechanism, promoting cross-regional coordinated development of DRC, and implementing a tiered and categorized digital literacy improvement project. Full article

Background: The mirror neuron system (MNS) has been proposed as a key neural mechanism linking action perception, motor representation, and social cognition. This framework has increasingly been applied to pain research, encompassing pain empathy, observational learning of pain, and rehabilitative interventions such as mirror therapy. However, the literature is conceptually heterogeneous, methodologically diverse, and spans experimental, social, and clinical domains. Objective: This scoping review aims to map the extent, nature, and characteristics of the available evidence on the relationship between the MNS and pain, clarifying how MNS-related mechanisms are defined, investigated, and applied across different contexts. Methods: A scoping review was conducted using the methodological framework proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute and reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR guidelines. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO. Studies were included if they addressed MNS-related mechanisms in pain processing, pain empathy, pain modulation, or pain rehabilitation. Eligible studies were charted and synthesized descriptively and thematically. Results: Twenty-one studies met the inclusion criteria. The evidence was predominantly derived from clinical and rehabilitative settings, with most studies focusing on mirror therapy or mirror visual feedback interventions. The majority of included populations consisting of adults with chronic pain conditions, particularly phantom limb pain and complex regional pain syndrome. Pain intensity, assessed mainly through self-reported clinical scales, was the most frequently reported outcome. A smaller number of studies investigated action observation or motor imagery paradigms, primarily in chronic musculoskeletal pain, showing short-term hypoalgesic effects. Across studies, substantial heterogeneity was observed in the conceptualization of MNS-related constructs, intervention protocols, outcome measures, and follow-up duration. Conclusions: Despite extensive theoretical discussion of the MNS, empirical applications are largely confined to clinical mirror-based interventions, with limited use of direct neurophysiological or neuroimaging markers. Since crucial conceptual and methodological gaps constrain comparability and translation into clinical practice, there is a need for clearer operational definitions and more integrated experimental and clinical research approaches. Full article

Intimate relationship stability is fundamental to human wellbeing, yet its quantitative assessment faces dual challenges: the inherent subjectivity of psychological constructs and the complexity of social ecosystems. Symmetry, as a fundamental structural feature of social interaction, plays a pivotal role in shaping relational dynamics. To address these limitations, this study proposes an innovative computational framework that integrates Fuzzy Set Theory with Social Network Analysis (SNA). The framework consists of two complementary components: (1) a psychologically grounded fuzzy assessment model that employs differentiated membership functions to transform discrete subjective ratings into continuous and interpretable relationship quality indices and (2) an enhanced Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) threat detection model that utilizes Weighted Mahalanobis Distance to accurately identify and cluster potential interference sources within social networks. Empirical validation using a simulated dataset—comprising typical characteristic samples from 10 couples—demonstrates that the proposed framework not only generates interpretable relationship diagnostics by correcting biases associated with traditional averaging methods, but also achieves high precision in threat identification. The results indicate that stable relationships exhibit greater symmetry in partner interactions, whereas threatened nodes display structural and behavioural asymmetry. This study establishes a rigorous mathematical paradigm—“Subjective Fuzzification → Multidimensional Feature Engineering → Intelligent Clustering”—for relationship science, thereby advancing the field from descriptive analysis toward data-driven, quantitative evaluation and laying a foundation for systematic assessment of relational health. Full article

Background: Millions of people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since the start of the epidemic. The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between life years lost and demographic factors in the subset of individuals in Puerto Rico with advanced HIV disease, i.e., who received a diagnosis of AIDS, and to evaluate trends in poverty, age, and number of diagnoses and deaths over this timeframe. Methods: We identified 3624 individuals diagnosed with AIDS who received services under the Eligible Metropolitan Area (EMA) of San Juan, Puerto Rico, between 2000–2020, and correlated demographic factors with AIDS descriptive statistics using a retrospective cohort study design. We used socioeconomic characteristics to describe the population, estimated the life years lost (LYL) compared with the life expectancy of the general population of Puerto Rico at a given age as the null model, and evaluated the relationship of demographic variables with LYL, as well as trends in poverty and age/number of deaths/diagnoses over time. Results: More life years are lost with earlier AIDS onset, and there is also an association between LYL and the level of poverty, documented mode of transmission, and insurance status. LYL were higher among AIDS patients with lower income, with perinatal transmission, and among those without insurance in the age bracket of 40–49 years. No relationship between LYL and gender was detected. Moreover, over the years included in the timeframe of this study, certain trends emerged: we observed a greater proportion of AIDS to HIV diagnoses over time; HIV/AIDS diagnoses and deaths occurred on average at a higher age; the number of diagnoses per year initially rose over time and then declined; and the number of deaths per year as well as the poverty level in those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS increased over time. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the continued recent impact of the HIV epidemic specifically on those with advanced disease (AIDS), and further reaffirms the importance of treatment and prevention as well as demographic and social determinants of health, including age, poverty level, insurance status, and lifestyle, highlighting the disproportionate burden of HIV/AIDS among those with greater levels of poverty. Full article

Understanding how investors maintain positions during adverse market conditions, investment grip, is increasingly important as retail participation rises and information environments diversify. While prior research identifies demographic, psychological, and economic determinants of investment grip, little is known about how information sources influence investors’ tolerance for losses. This study examines the relationship between investment information channels and investment grip among Japanese retail investors using a large-scale dataset of 161,677 respondents from the 2025 Survey on Life and Money. Investment grip is measured through a hypothetical loss scenario, and ordered probit and probit models are used to analyze associations between loss tolerance, information sources, and investor characteristics. Results show that reliance on professional information sources such as outsourced independent financial advisors, one’s own securities company, other securities firms, and external financial experts is negatively associated with investment grip. Free information sources, including mass media and personal networks, are also linked to lower loss tolerance. In contrast, reliance on social media is consistently associated with higher investment grip. Financial literacy, wealth, and age increase investment grip, whereas risk aversion, short-term outlooks, and family responsibilities reduce it. These results have implications for policy design, advisory practices, and digital and AI-enhanced investment platforms. Full article

This study analyzes the association between age integration and residential satisfaction in urban regeneration areas. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 569 residents who visited ten Urban Regeneration Community Facilities (URCFs) in Daegu Metropolitan City, South Korea. Age integration was set as the main independent variable, and blockwise (sequential-entry) multiple regression analysis was performed while controlling for life satisfaction, community wellbeing, and socio-demographic characteristics. The results indicate that higher levels of age integration are significantly associated with higher residential satisfaction, demonstrating that intergenerational interactions and inclusive relationships play an important role in enhancing satisfaction with the neighborhood. This positive association was also consistent across age cohorts, with no statistically significant differences in correlation strength between age groups. Several control variables, including life satisfaction, selected components of community wellbeing, and income level, also show significant positive associations with residential satisfaction, confirming that personal, social, and environmental factors jointly influence residential satisfaction in urban regeneration areas. These findings highlight the importance of fostering age-integrated environments in urban regeneration policies to enhance the social sustainability of urban neighborhoods. By showing that age integration is associated with higher residential satisfaction even after controlling for life satisfaction, community wellbeing, and socio-demographic characteristics, this study provides empirical evidence on how age-integrated environments can contribute to the social sustainability and community wellbeing of urban regeneration neighborhoods from a social sustainability perspective. Full article

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) using HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) experience a high burden of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and related diseases, yet data on HPV vaccination among this group in Brazil remain limited. Aims: The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of complete HPV vaccination and to identify factors associated with vaccination completion among MSM using PrEP in Brazil. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey between May and September 2025 among MSM aged ≥18 years, residing in Brazil and currently using oral PrEP. Participants were recruited through virtual snowball sampling and targeted advertisements on social media and a gay geosocial networking application. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire hosted on REDCap^®. Complete HPV vaccination was defined as self-reported receipt of all doses recommended according to the participant’s age and clinical condition. Sociodemographic characteristics, relationship patterns, sexual behaviors, lubricant use during sexual activity, and history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were assessed. Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated using Poisson regression with robust (sandwich) variance. Results: A total of 872 MSM using PrEP were included, of whom 59.4% reported complete HPV vaccination. In adjusted analyses, complete vaccination was more frequent among participants reporting both steady and casual partners (aPR = 1.90; 95% CI: 1.36–2.65) or only casual partners (aPR = 1.72; 95% CI: 1.24–2.39), those reporting lubricant use during sexual activity (aPR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.23–1.61), and those with a diagnosis of chlamydia and/or gonorrhea in the previous 12 months (aPR = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.08–1.36). Conclusions: Although HPV vaccination coverage among MSM using PrEP in Brazil is higher than that reported for MSM in general, it remains incomplete in a population with regular contact with specialized health services. Integrating systematic assessment and delivery of HPV vaccination into PrEP care may help increase vaccination completion and reduce missed opportunities for prevention. Full article

Background/Objectives: To analyze the parent-perceived quality of life (QoL) in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and to study the relationship between sociodemographic and clinical factors and this perception, under the perspective of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 95 participants (ages 5–19 years) with CP. Participants’ parents were asked about sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and compiled Cerebral Palsy Quality of Life (CP-QoL) and Pediatric Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT). Participants were assessed and classified into the following functional domains: gross motor function (GMFM-88, GMFCS), manual ability (MACS), eating and drinking abilities (EDACS), and communication function (CFCS). Correlations between CP-QoL domains and variables were investigated using Spearman’s correlation coefficient and multivariate predictive models were used to investigate the variables predicting CP-QoL scores for each domain. Results: A total of 95 children with a mean age of 12.4 ± 3.5 years (range 5–19 years) were included. Participants demonstrated moderate-high GMFM-88 level (228.8 ± 44.7) and high functional performance across PEDI-CAT domains: Activity (57.2 ± 5.1), Mobility (63.1 ± 5.6), and Social/Cognitive (70.2 ± 4.3). Parent-perceived QoL was significantly higher when children did not require AFOs, botulinum toxin, or recent hospitalizations, and lower among children who attended physical therapy >2 h/week. Moderate correlations were consistently found between the ‘Feelings about Functioning’ domain and functional variables, being positive for GMFM-88 and all PEDI-CAT domains, and negative for GMFCS, MACS, EDACS and CFCS. That domain of CP-QoL was best explained by the regression model (R² = 0.619, p < 0.001), with the combination of three variables: GMFM-88, PEDI-CAT Activity and PEDI-CAT Social/Cognitive. Among them, PEDI-CAT Activity was the strongest predictor (β = 0.1436). Conclusions: In children with CP, to enhance family well-being, interventions should prioritize social participation and carefully balance the intensity and frequency of therapy against family burden and daily life demands, as QoL is primarily driven by manual ability and functional performance. Full article

(1) Background. The rapid development of the digital economy provides a new perspective for enhancing industrial chain resilience. This study examines how manufacturing firms’ digitalization affects their industrial chain resilience, drawing on resource dependence and dynamic capability theories, and explores spillover effects on upstream and downstream enterprises. (2) Data and Methods. Using panel data from Chinese listed manufacturing firms (2011–2023), we employ ordinary least squares (OLS) models to analyze the relationship, its mechanisms, and heterogeneity. We further match firms with their suppliers and customers to identify spillover effects. (3) Results. Digitalization significantly improves resilience, particularly by enhancing supply–demand matching and competitive capabilities. Effects are stronger for small, labor-intensive, and high-environment, social and governance (ESG) firms. Bargaining power and governance capability are key channels. Spillover effects are heterogeneous, with a stronger impact on downstream customers. (4) Discussion. The positive impact of digitalization varies by firm characteristics, and spillovers differ across the chain. These findings offer precise insights and policy implications for leveraging digitalization to strengthen industrial chain resilience. Full article