Search Results (1,554)

Waste pollution is becoming a major health issue in many developing nations. Waste-reduction options have been investigated and proposed, but environmental culture-based initiatives have not. This study explores and advances Vietnamese families’ environmental culture related to waste management, using the Culture Tower framework and a contingent valuation method coupled with a Bayesian model (CVBM). Specifically, descriptive statistics measure environmental literacy, while CVBM determines household willingness-to-pay (WTP) and estimates WTP for waste treatment services (WTP4WTS). Based on our survey of 487 households across 11 communes and wards in Hai Phong City, local waste pollution has decreased over time, although the respondents remain concerned. Over 13% of households were dissatisfied with waste treatment services (WTSs), while approximately 50% were neutral. Most respondents (79.26%) were willing to pay for improved WTSs, with an average WTP of 60,200 VND (US$2.32) per household per month. Behavioral and perceptual factors, such as the desire for improved waste services, current perceived waste pollution, and the perception that pollution has worsened, were found to significantly influence this willingness. Our study makes three major contributions. First, it develops a novel CVBM framework that links environmental culture and an economic valuation method, strengthening green economy micro-behavioral research. Second, it advances the circular economy literature by highlighting household engagement and willingness-to-pay as key drivers of sustainable waste financing and resource-loop closure. Third, it provides empirical evidence to inform and refine Vietnam’s revised Law on Environmental Protection (2020), particularly in implementing the “polluter pays” principle, promoting waste classification at the source, and designing socially acceptable environmental financing mechanisms. Full article

Skin wound management in veterinary medicine requires therapies able to control inflammation, limit microbial burden, and support tissue repair. This study evaluated the anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, and immunomodulatory effects of four novel topical formulations combining synthetic anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, and plant extracts in rat experimental models. Burn injury was induced in male Wistar rats for wound-healing assessment, while kaolin- and dextran-induced paw edema models were used to assess anti-inflammatory activity. The tested formulations were meloxicam, dexamethasone, and levofloxacin; thyme extract with meloxicam and dexamethasone; burdock extract with dexamethasone and levofloxacin; and thyme extract combined with burdock extract. Wound evolution was monitored macroscopically, edema was quantified by plethysmometry, and selected inflammatory mediators were measured by immunoassay. In the burn model, the thyme-containing formulation with meloxicam and dexamethasone, and the thyme–burdock formulation, achieved complete wound closure by the end of follow-up, whereas the reference product did not. In the acute inflammation models, all innovative formulations significantly reduced edema at the main early time points compared with the negative control and outperformed the reference product. The thyme–burdock formulation also showed the most favorable immunomodulatory profile, including normalization of interleukin-10 and marked reduction in interleukin-1 beta in both models. These results support the potential of multi-component topical formulations, particularly plant extract-based combinations, as promising candidates for veterinary wound care. Full article

Background/Objectives: The subciliary approach offers excellent exposure for orbital and zygomaticomaxillary complex fracture repair but is associated with a relatively high risk of postoperative lower eyelid ectropion. This study evaluated the preventive efficacy of an acellular dermal matrix (ADM; WITHderm^®) spacer graft placed during subciliary incision repair. Methods: This prospective observational cohort study included 20 patients who underwent open reduction and internal fixation for orbital wall or zygomaticomaxillary complex fractures using a subciliary approach between June and December 2024. A human-derived ADM (WITHderm^®) spacer graft was interposed between the orbital septum and the orbicularis oculi muscle during incision closure. Postoperative outcomes were assessed at three time points: ectropion grading at 1 month and scar outcomes at 3 and 6 months using the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS). Results: No patients developed postoperative lower eyelid ectropion at 1-month follow-up (0% incidence). Both patient-reported and observer-reported scar outcomes improved significantly over time. The mean total PSAS score decreased from 21.0 ± 2.85 at 3 months to 11.3 ± 2.13 at 6 months (p < 0.001), while the mean total OSAS score decreased from 21.35 ± 2.25 to 11.4 ± 1.67 (p < 0.001). Overall patient satisfaction and objective scar ratings also showed significant improvement. Conclusions: ADM (WITHderm^®) spacer grafting during subciliary incision repair appears to be a safe and effective strategy for preventing early postoperative lower eyelid ectropion and achieving favorable scar outcomes. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings. Full article

Exploring information embedded in local network structure is essential for understanding the overall network structure and its functions. The development of innovation clusters in China’s Integrated Circuit (IC) industry has emerged as a key driver of industrial innovation. Different innovation clusters exhibit different collaboration patterns. Therefore, this study takes China’s Integrated Circuit Industry from 2011 to 2020 as the research object. It applies the motif-based method to analyze the three-node subgraphs and four-node subgraphs in the innovation network. The analysis focuses on collaboration patterns and the evolution of collaboration patterns, the distribution of collaboration patterns, as well as network motifs and network metrics. The results lead to the following conclusions. First, subgraphs featuring closed structures, particularly those with triadic closure, are identified as motifs and exhibit greater structural stability. In contrast, subgraphs lacking such closed configurations are classified as anti-motifs. However, transitions between anti-motifs and motifs are observed. Second, even systems of the same type may exhibit different subgraph ratio profiles and therefore belong to different motif families. At the same time, one motif superfamily may correspond to one or multiple motif concentration distributions. Third, network motifs in the innovation network are correlated with basic network characteristics. Full article

The Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous Oloy complex was formed in the setting of convergence between the Chukotka microcontinent and the Kolyma–Omolon margin. Its evolution reflects the closure of the South Anyui Ocean, with controversial timing estimates. This study emphasizes the integration of lithological data with magmatic and metallogenic information to reconstruct geodynamic processes. The article presents the results of detailed petrographic and geochemical studies, Sm-Nd isotope analyses, and U-Pb dating of detrital zircons from Kimmeridgian–Lower Hauterivian volcaniclastic and epiclastic sandstones. Petrographic studies and U-Pb dating of detrital zircons identified the main sources at different stages and the amount of synchronous pyroclastic material. Isotope-geochemical investigations suggest a young undifferentiated arc provenance for Kimmeridgian deposits, whereas Tithonian–Valanginian sediments accumulated due to the erosion of more differentiated igneous rocks and input of clastic material from the continent. New data on changes in sedimentation environments and provenance enabled the tracing of the evolution of the Oloy arc. In the Kimmeridgian, the Oloy island arc existed on a heterogeneous basement, with south-dipping subduction towards the Kolyma–Omolon margin. During the Late Tithonian, the arc accreted and magmatic activity continued in the active margin setting. Collision initiated in the latter half of the Berriasian, reaching its active phase in the Valanginian time. Full article

Municipal solid waste disposed of in open dumpsites and unlined landfills contaminates groundwater, soils, and air across urban areas of low- and middle-income countries. Nevertheless, impacts across all three environmental media have not been systematically assessed together. We conducted a PRISMA 2020-compliant systematic review of 286 peer-reviewed studies from PubMed, Dimensions, and OpenAlex, applying structured eligibility screening and quality appraisal using an adapted JBI checklist. Heavy metals—lead, cadmium, chromium, and zinc—were the most frequently detected contaminants in leachate and groundwater, commonly exceeding WHO drinking water guidelines by one to three orders of magnitude. Soil contamination by potentially toxic elements was documented at virtually all open dumpsites studied, persisting for decades after site closure. Particulate matter at South Asian MSW sites reached up to 41 times the WHO 2021 annual guideline. Microplastics acting as heavy metal carriers and dumpsite leachate as a source of antimicrobial resistance genes were identified as emerging risks outside standard monitoring frameworks. Non-carcinogenic hazard indices exceeded acceptable thresholds in the majority of health risk studies reviewed. Engineered containment was the strongest predictor of contamination severity across all sites. Phytoremediation, constructed wetlands, and biofiltration showed promise as mitigation approaches. Critical evidence gaps remain for Central Asia, harmonized reporting standards, and longitudinal monitoring data. Full article

We formulate the Quantum Information Copy Time (QICT) framework for conserved charges under strictly local quantum dynamics and isolate its logically strongest consequence. The theorem-level core is a receiver-optimised variational speed-limit inequality: after projection away from the conserved zero mode, the copy time is bounded from below by the inverse square root of a Liouvillian-squared receiver susceptibility times a local encoding seminorm. This statement is written in a finite-volume operator framework and does not require a diffusive ansatz. We then examine what follows only after additional infrared assumptions. Under a single diffusive slow-mode hypothesis, the variational inequality reduces to the practical scaling relation used in the benchmark computations. That reduction is treated as conditional and is stress-tested numerically rather than promoted by rhetoric. Within the anomaly-free Abelian span relevant for one Standard-Model-like generation, hypercharge selection is elevated to theorem-level status; by contrast, minimal gauge-algebra uniqueness remains explicitly conditional on additional model-selection axioms. The remainder of the manuscript is organised as an explicitly documented closure programme built on top of this core. In that closure, a gauge-coded QCA construction, a microscopic benchmark for the transport normalisation, and an electroweak matching convention are combined to produce a resonance-centred Higgs-portal singlet-scalar mass band together with direct-detection, invisible-width, and relic-consistency checks. These latter results are presented as model-dependent consequences of an explicit closure ansatz rather than as deductions from locality alone. Full article

Population aging in middle-income economies produces macroeconomic and distributional consequences that aggregate frameworks cannot detect. This paper develops a multi-household CGE model calibrated to a 26-sector Social Accounting Matrix for Thailand (2024) and traces the labor, saving, and fiscal channels of aging across eleven counterfactual scenarios. Three findings emerge. First, aging’s primary macroeconomic cost operates through capital accumulation, not output contraction: investment falls seven times faster than the GDP under a savings-driven closure, because middle-aged households—the economy’s dominant net savers—compress lifecycle saving in response to aging. The saving channel alone amplifies the labor supply shock four-fold (range: 3.5–4.5). Second, aging can raise elderly welfare. When elderly households retain labor market attachment, wage gains from tighter factor markets outweigh declining capital returns—a welfare reversal invisible to representative agent and OLG frameworks by construction. The critical labor income threshold is ${\alpha }_L^{\ast }=35.5\%$ (range: 34.8–36.2%), confirmed across all participation increments tested (elderly welfare gain: THB 341–521 million). Third, no single instrument satisfies efficiency and equity simultaneously. Pension transfers crowd out investment nonlinearly above 12 percent of tax revenue (range: 10–14%); health demand expansion is the decisive complement that converts redistribution into a near-Pareto improvement. Policy complementarity is an empirical necessity, not a theoretical refinement. Collectively, these results reframe demographic aging as a factor price redistribution mechanism whose welfare incidence is determined by the cohort-level income composition—with direct implications for aging policy in middle-income economies facing rapid demographic transitions under tighter fiscal constraints than for advanced economies encountered at equivalent demographic stages. Full article

Background: Magnesium sulfate (MgSO₄) has been investigated as an adjuvant in perioperative analgesia because of its antagonistic effects on the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA receptor) and its potential to attenuate central sensitization. However, clinical findings regarding its analgesic efficacy remain inconsistent across surgical procedures. Lumbar microdiscectomy is a common spinal procedure in which effective early postoperative pain control is important for patient comfort and early mobilization. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of intraoperative MgSO₄ administration on early postoperative analgesia and perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing lumbar microdiscectomy. Methods: This retrospective single-center cohort study included thirty-eight patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I–II who underwent elective single-level lumbar microdiscectomy under general anesthesia. Patients were divided into two groups according to intraoperative magnesium administration: a control group receiving standard anesthesia without MgSO₄ (n = 19) and an MgSO₄ group receiving an intravenous MgSO₄ bolus of 30 mg/kg followed by a continuous infusion of 10 mg/kg/h until skin closure (n = 19). Postoperative pain intensity was assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) at 0, 5, 10, 15, and 30 min after admission to the post-anesthesia care unit. Secondary outcomes included intraoperative remifentanil consumption, extubation time, and time to first mobilization. Complementary in silico analyses included molecular docking and protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. Results: Postoperative NRS scores were numerically lower in the MgSO₄ group; however, between-group differences were not statistically significant. Mean intraoperative remifentanil consumption was numerically lower in the MgSO₄ group (236 ± 166 µg) compared with the control group (319 ± 298 µg), without statistical significance (p = 0.27). Repeated-measures analysis demonstrated the significant effect of time on postoperative NRS scores, whereas the overall group effect was not significant. Molecular analyses indicated stable morphine binding to opioid receptors and highlighted glutamatergic signaling components as central nodes within the interaction network. Conclusions: Intraoperative MgSO₄ administration was not associated with significant improvements in early postoperative pain scores or perioperative recovery parameters following lumbar microdiscectomy. Molecular analyses provide exploratory in silico insights and should be interpreted cautiously given the retrospective design and the in silico nature of these findings. Full article

Terminal valve closures are the main causes of hydraulic transient pressure in long-distance gravitational water supply pipelines. Therefore, reducing the hydraulic transient pressure in water supply systems through appropriate valve closure strategies is crucial. In this study, a mathematical model for the hydraulic transients contained in gravitational water supply pipelines was established using the method of characteristics for transient flows. On the basis of an actual project, MATLAB 2025b programming was used to calculate the effects of different valve closure strategies on the hydraulic transient pressure in a water supply system under various flow rate operating conditions. The results showed that the appropriate valve closure strategy should be determined according to the high-flow-rate operating conditions of the water supply system. Although extending the valve closure time can significantly reduce the fluctuations exhibited by the hydraulic transient pressure, an excessively long closure time may compromise the control efficiency of the water supply system. Compared with the linear valve closure strategy, the two-stage valve closure strategy produces smaller changes in the hydraulic transient pressure, thus reducing the hydraulic transient pressure fluctuations caused by valve closures to a certain extent. The two-stage valve closure strategy decreases the valve closure time and therefore improves the safety and flexibility of pipeline operations. This study provides a reference for determining the optimal valve closure strategy for terminal valves in similar water supply projects. Full article

Background/Objectives: Totally endoscopic mitral valve repair reduces surgical trauma and accelerates recovery but can be technically challenging, particularly for precise annuloplasty suturing. The VirtuoSEW^® (LSI Solutions, Victor, NY 14564m, USA) automated annular suturing system was developed to standardize and simplify suture placement. This study was an early evaluation of this technology’s safety, efficacy, and feasibility in totally endoscopic microInvasive mitral valve repair (µMVr). Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of 20 patients with severe mitral valve disease of various etiologies. All patients underwent mitral valve repair using the VirtuoSEW^® system for automated placement of annuloplasty sutures, combined with leaflet resection or chordal management as appropriate. Postoperative outcomes were assessed at one month using echocardiography and clinical evaluation. Perioperative and postoperative complications and early mortality were systematically recorded. Results: VirtuoSEW^®-assisted mitral valve repair was safe and effective, achieving complete elimination of severe mitral regurgitation in all patients (N = 20, 100%). Annuloplasty rings included Physio-ring (N = 12, 60%), Memo 3D (N = 4, 20%), and Memo 4D (N = 4, 20%), combined with leaflet repair techniques: leaflet plication (N = 5, 25%), neochordae implantation (N = 7, 35%), sliding plasty (N = 2, 10%), commissural repair (N = 1, 5%), and hemibutterfly repair (N = 1, 5%). Concomitant procedures included: tricuspid valve repair (N = 1, 5%) and atrial septal defect closure (N = 1, 5%). Mitral annulus diameter decreased from 42.0 ± 5.3 mm to 34.2 ± 2.2 mm (p = 0.001). Mean total surgery, cardiopulmonary bypass, and aortic cross-clamp times were 170.3 ± 21.3, 143.4 ± 21.5, and 80.4 ± 7.9 min, respectively. ICU stay was 1.0 ± 0.2 days, with a hospital stay of 8.0 ± 1.9 days. No perioperative complications—including bleeding (N = 0, 0%), stroke (N = 0, 0%), infections (N = 0, 0%), or 30-day mortality (N = 0, 0%)—occurred. Conclusions: µMVR invasive mitral valve repair using the VirtuoSEW^® system is safe, effective, and reproducible, as well as compatible with almost all repair techniques, providing complete restoration of valve competence with no early device-related complications. To our knowledge, this is the first clinical study reporting outcomes with this device, supporting its potential to streamline mitral repair and improve procedural efficiency. Full article

Background: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) represent a severe and costly complication of diabetes mellitus. This meta-analysis aims to compare the efficacy of ultrasound-assisted wound debridement (UAWD) and conventional debridement in promoting wound healing in patients with DFUs. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, BIOSIS, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library from inception to 31 October 2025. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared UAWD with a placebo or standard wound care in patients with DFUs were included. Primary outcomes were the healing rate, time to complete healing, and reduction in wound area. Results were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) or mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). This study was registered on the PROSPERO platform (CRD420251229633). Results: Ten RCTs that involved 386 patients were included. The meta-analysis showed that the treatment group had a significantly higher complete wound healing rate compared with the control group (OR: 2.92; 95% CI: 1.82 to 4.70; p = 0.75; I² = 0%). The rate of wound area reduction was also significantly greater in the treatment group (MD: 21.29%; 95% CI: 3.03 to 39.56; p = 0.003; I² = 75%). Furthermore, the time to complete healing was significantly shorter in the treatment group (MD: −4.84 weeks; 95% CI: −8.65 to −1.03; I² = 61%, p = 0.05). Conclusions: UAWD appears to be more effective than conventional debridement alone in improving healing rates and accelerating wound closure in diabetic foot ulcers. However, safety data were inadequately reported across most included studies, with adverse events poorly characterized. Future large-scale RCTs should prioritize rigorous adverse event reporting to establish both the efficacy and safety profile of this intervention. Full article

Long-term safety assessment of deep geological repositories for spent nuclear fuel requires explicit evaluation of thermo-mechanical (TM) processes induced by decay heat and their influence on fractured host rock. A safety-relevant, though low-probability, scenario concerns shear reactivation of fractures intersecting deposition holes, which could compromise canister integrity if displacement exceeds design limits. This study presents a three-dimensional discrete element modelling approach to analyze the thermal evolution of the Forsmark repository (Sweden) and the associated long-term response of a discrete fracture network (DFN) during the post-closure phase. The model explicitly represents repository panel, deterministic deformation zones, and a stochastically generated fracture network embedded in a bonded particle assembly representing the rock for Particle Flow Code (PFC) numerical simulations. Time-dependent heat release from spent nuclear fuel canisters is implemented using a physically based decay power function. A deposition panel-scale heat-loading formulation accounts for deposition-hole and tunnel spacing. Two emplacement scenarios are analyzed: (a) a simultaneous all-panel heating scenario, used as a conservative bounding case, and (b) a sequential panel heating scenario representing staged emplacement and closure. The simulations show that temperature and thermally induced stress evolution are sensitive to the emplacement and closure sequence. Sequential heating produces a more gradual thermal build-up and lower peak temperatures than simultaneous heating, indicating that thermal and stress perturbations in the host rock can be influenced not only through repository design, but also by operational strategy. Thermally induced fracture shear displacement displays a systematic temporal response. Fractures located within the deposition panel footprint develop shear displacement rapidly during the early post-closure period, reaching peak values at approximately 200 years, followed by gradual relaxation as temperatures decline. The average peak shear displacement on fractures is on the order of 2–3 mm, while fractures outside the panel footprint show smaller early-time displacements and a more prolonged long-term response. All simulated shear displacements remain more than one order of magnitude below the commonly cited canister damage threshold for Forsmark of approximately 50 mm, even for the conservative simultaneous heating case. These results indicate that thermally induced fracture shear is unlikely to cause direct mechanical damage to canisters. At the same time, the persistence of residual shear displacement after heating implies permanent fracture dilation, which may influence long-term hydraulic properties and indirectly affect processes such as groundwater flow and canister corrosion. The modelling framework and results presented here were conducted for review purposes independently from the Swedish safety case, and provide a mechanistic basis for evaluating thermally induced fracture deformation in crystalline rock repositories and contribute to bounding the role of thermo-mechanical processes in the safety assessment of spent nuclear fuel disposal at Forsmark. Full article

In offshore engineering, piggyback pipelines have been widely used in recent years, making it practically important to assess scour beneath such pipelines. In this study, the local scour beneath pipelines in a piggyback configuration is numerically investigated. The model is based on the two-dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations, utilizing the RNG k-ε turbulence model for closure. Sediment movement is characterized by incorporating both the bed load and suspended load transport. The numerical model is validated against published experimental data. The effect of the gap ratio G/D and the position angle α on the scour and time-averaged force coefficients of piggyback pipelines with a diameter ratio d/D = 0.375 is examined, where G is the gap between two pipelines, α is the angle between the line connecting centers of two pipelines and the inflow direction, D is the main pipeline diameter, and d is the small pipeline diameter. The results demonstrate that the largest scour depth is obtained at α = 90° regardless of the gap ratio G/D. At G/D = 0.25, 0.375 and 0.5, the smallest equilibrium scour depth is observed at α = 135°, which is characterized by the suppression of vortex formation behind the main pipeline. The effect of the position angle α on the time-averaged force coefficients of the small pipeline is more significant at smaller gap ratios. The mean drag coefficient on the main pipeline attains its maximum value at α = 90°, and reaches its minimum value when α = 45° for all of the gap ratios examined. The equivalent pipeline method will not only underestimate the equilibrium scour depth, but also significantly underestimate the magnitude of time-averaged force coefficients. Full article

Background: Acute primary angle closure (APAC) is an ophthalmic emergency characterized by abrupt elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP) and severe ocular pain and headache. While acute management prioritizes IOP reduction, supportive analgesic strategies during the preoperative waiting period in medically refractory cases remain insufficiently studied. We evaluated short-term changes in the pain intensity and safety of adjunctive greater occipital nerve block (GONB) in medically refractory APAC. Methods: This retrospective observational study included 34 patients with medically refractory APAC who received GONB during the preoperative waiting period. Headache intensity was measured using an 11-point Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) at baseline, 30 min, and 60 min. Longitudinal changes were analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model. Responder analyses were reported with 95% confidence intervals (Wilson method). No multivariable modeling or NNT estimation was performed in the revised analysis. Results: Baseline NRS was 7.8 ± 1.1, decreasing to 4.1 ± 1.5 at 30 min and 3.6 ± 1.3 at 60 min (both p < 0.001). The mean baseline-to-60 min change was −4.21 (95% CI, −4.88 to −3.54). Clinically meaningful pain relief (≥3-point reduction) at 60 min occurred in 79.4% (95% CI, 63.2–89.7%). In linear mixed-effects modeling, time remained a significant fixed effect (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Adjunctive GONB was associated with a rapid reduction in pain intensity in medically refractory APAC. These findings should be interpreted cautiously, given the uncontrolled design and concurrent treatment. Prospective controlled studies are warranted. Full article