Search Results (419)

Objective: Naegleria fowleri, known as the brain-eating amoeba, is a thermophilic, freshwater amoeba causing primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a disease that progresses rapidly from symptom onset to death. Climate change is causing surface water temperatures to increase, providing a hospitable environment for N. fowleri, possibly increasing risk factors for PAM. This review synthesizes the peer-reviewed biomedical literature published between January 2012 and December 2025, examining the risk of N. fowleri infection in the context of a warming climate. Methods: A scoping review was conducted searching PubMed, Scopus, and Environment Complete. Data were extracted using a structured coding framework, and risk dimensions were derived inductively during the coding process. Results: Twenty-seven articles met inclusion criteria. Analysis revealed four dimensions of risk (environmental, behavioral, clinical/biological, and infrastructural). The environmental risk dimension highlighted gaps in understanding geographic range expansion and organism ecology. The behavioral dimension identified recreational water exposure, sinus rinsing, and travel as primary risk drivers. The clinical/biological dimension highlighted the need for standards and capacity in diagnosis and treatment, as well as research into pathogenicity. The infrastructural dimension identified gaps in water distribution system surveillance and disinfectant efficacy at high temperatures. Discussion: This review maps environmental, behavioral, clinical/biological, and infrastructural dimensions of N. fowleri disease risk onto a hazard/exposure/vulnerability framework, highlighting major gaps surrounding exposure and vulnerability. Uncertainties remain in hazard habitat favorability factors, human behavior, and water distribution systems. Emphasis should be placed on characterizing the hazard through environmental testing and determining geographic range, and addressing vulnerability by increasing clinician awareness, which serves double duty in both initiating early empiric treatment and efforts to quantify true disease burden. Full article

Hyperloop transport operates in a low-pressure environment in which convective heat transfer is strongly limited, making conventional air-based cooling ineffective. One promising thermal management approach is therefore to absorb the waste heat generated during travel in a thermal energy storage (TES) system and dissipate it during stops. In this context, latent heat storage based on water–ice systems is particularly attractive because of its high energy density and nearly constant-temperature heat absorption. However, experimental validation of such systems beyond laboratory scale is still lacking. This study therefore investigated a large-scale direct contact latent heat storage (DCLHS) system for Hyperloop thermal management, using water as heat transfer fluid and ice as phase change material. The system was evaluated for two ice morphologies, crushed ice and ice block, under both constant and time-variant cooling power profiles representative of Hyperloop operation. The objective was to assess thermal performance, exergy efficiency, and hydraulic stability at application-relevant scale, and to identify morphology-dependent trade-offs relevant for system integration. The results show that the large-scale system can operate reliably under dynamic loads and that upscaling leads to smoother thermal behavior and reduced boundary effects. Crushed ice demonstrated superior thermal responsiveness, maintaining outlet temperatures close to the phase change temperature and achieving exergy efficiencies up to 0.72 at cooling powers up to 3.8 kW while enabling stable operation at 15 °C. In contrast, the ice block configuration provided higher volumetric energy density but exhibited delayed thermal response and required substantially higher mass flow rates, which limited operation to approximately 25 °C and reduced exergy efficiency to 0.03–0.35. Overall, the results show that large-scale DCLHS is a feasible option for Hyperloop thermal management, while also revealing that system behavior at larger scale is strongly influenced by storage morphology. Full article

Subterranean locomotion challenges animals to maintain orientation and efficiently navigate confined spaces where vision is limited and local geometry is uncertain. Mole crickets (Gryllotalpidae), which regularly travel through self-excavated tunnels, provide a useful model for studying mechanosensory control of locomotion under these conditions. We hypothesized that backward walking, a prominent component of the mole cricket’s behavioral repertoire, is supported by complementary tactile input from the antennae and cerci. Adult Gryllotalpa tali were filmed while walking forward and backward in a narrow, straight tunnel arena under red light using high-speed video. Markerless pose tracking was used to quantify antennal and cercal tip movements, orientations, and wall-contact events in body and arena coordinates. Backward walking produced clear changes in tactile sampling behavior: antennae were reoriented and extended more posteriorly, while lateral cercal movements increased sensory coverage and posterior tactile input. Wall-contact monitoring suggested more frequent touching during backward locomotion by the antennae. These findings indicate that mole crickets adaptively reorganize active and passive mechanosensory sampling when moving backward, potentially improving boundary detection, stabilizing body posture, negotiating tunnel constraints, and supporting locomotion-related decision making during locomotion in tunnels. Full article

Understanding the gap between individuals’ intention to reduce car use and their actual willingness to adopt public transport is critical for advancing sustainable urban mobility. This case study in Rome examines how perceived public transport service quality and travel burden influence car-dependent employees’ willingness to shift to public transport. The analysis draws on survey data collected from 392 respondents, including 190 car-dependent employees, between May and July 2024. The results reveal that perceived public transport service quality has a significant positive direct effect on willingness to use public transport. In contrast, its indirect effect through intention to reduce car use is not significant. In contrast, travel burden does not show a significant total effect on willingness; however, in the combined model, it exhibits a positive direct effect on willingness, while its indirect pathway through intention is weak. Furthermore, travel burden has a marginal negative effect on intention, reflecting structural constraints associated with car dependency. Intention is a strong predictor of willingness but does not significantly mediate the effect of service quality. It also shows a significant interaction effect with travel burden in the combined model. Overall, the findings suggest that improving public transport service quality is more effective in encouraging modal shift than increasing the burden of car use. This highlights the importance of service-oriented and user-centered interventions, as well as the need to address structural barriers that limit behavioral change. Full article

Background/Objectives: While the health effects of economic fluctuations are well-documented, the role of policy-related uncertainty remains underexplored. The objective of this study is to examine the association between economic policy uncertainty (EPU) and mortality. Furthermore, we investigate whether changes in lifestyle behaviors are associated with EPU and may help shed light on the relationship between EPU and health outcomes. Methods: We utilize a mixed data sampling (MIDAS) framework to analyze US state-level data from 2009 to 2020. The model controls for unemployment, income, demographic characteristics, as well as state and year fixed effects. This approach enables the incorporation of high-frequency uncertainty measures to capture dynamic mortality responses. Results: The results indicate a statistically significant inverse association between EPU and total mortality. The association is negative across both genders, with a stronger effect observed among males. Across age cohorts, the retirement-age group exhibits the highest sensitivity. In terms of cause-specific mortality, EPU is positively associated with mortality from respiratory diseases and suicide, while it is negatively associated with mortality from homicide, accidents, and pneumonia and influenza. In addition, EPU is significantly associated with a lower prevalence of current drinking and smoking, a higher likelihood of being in a healthy weight range, improved self-reported health, and reduced time spent traveling. Conclusions: The findings suggest heterogeneous associations between EPU and mortality outcomes across demographic groups and causes of death, highlighting the complex and multifaceted nature of the relationship between policy-related uncertainty and population health rather than a uniform response across health outcomes. Full article

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is an important cause of functional disability, and current therapies have limited ability to halt its progression. Uridine, a pyrimidine nucleoside essential for the synthesis of membrane phospholipids and neuronal metabolism, appears to be a potential neuroprotective agent, but its impact on motor behavior and peripheral nerve integrity in diabetes remains insufficiently investigated. Our study investigated the effects of chronic uridine supplementation on locomotor performance, neuromuscular electrophysiological manifestations, and morphological changes in the sciatic nerve in a murine model of streptozotocin-induced diabetes. We used male C57BL/6 mice (n = 8/group) that were assigned to three groups: sham (no diabetes), diabetic (streptozotocin-induced, diabetes mellitus, DM+), and diabetic treated with uridine (DM+U). We observed that uridine did not alter the metabolic status, as the HbA1c values remained comparable between diabetic groups (9.93 ± 0.57% DM+ vs. 9.71 ± 0.55% DM+U; p = 0.72), suggesting effects independent of glycemic control. The open field test revealed that diabetic mice showed a marked reduction in spontaneous locomotion, while uridine-treated mice maintained a significantly higher level of activity (longer total distance traveled 3761.7 ± 789.1 cm vs. 2477.5 ± 1017.6 cm in DM+; p = 0.023). Electrophysiological evaluation revealed near-normal sciatic nerve function in DM+U mice, including higher compound motor action potential (CMAP) amplitudes (10.21 ± 0.64 mV vs. 5.75 ± 0.72 mV; p < 0.0001) and reduced F-wave latency (6.35 ± 0.45 ms vs. 7.29 ± 0.31 ms; p < 0.0001). Histological and immunohistochemical analyses (PGP 9.5) further confirmed reduced nerve degeneration in DM+U mice. Our data suggest that chronic uridine administration may confer both functional and structural neuroprotection in diabetic neuropathy, even in the absence of improved glycemic control. Full article

Urban park use is a key indicator of sustainable urban development, reflecting the accessibility and social value of urban green infrastructure. However, existing studies often struggle to distinguish stable spatial differences from short-term temporal dynamics. Using monthly data for 125 urban parks in Las Vegas from 2022 to 2024, this study examines how park visitation is shaped by spatial, temporal, and contextual factors. It addresses three objectives: identifying cross-park determinants of visitation, examining within-park monthly dynamics, and assessing spatial variation in key relationships. Park visitation is measured using observed visit counts, with dwell time and travel distance used as alternative behavioral outcomes for robustness tests. To address these research questions, this study asks: (1) what structural and contextual factors explain cross-park differences in park visitation; (2) how park visitation responds to changing contextual conditions within parks over time at the monthly scale; and (3) whether the relationships between park visitation and its key determinants vary across space. To answer these questions, the analysis combines annual cross-sectional ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, monthly panel models, Random Forest analysis, robustness tests, and geographically weighted regression. This study employs a triangulated analytical framework combining cross-sectional ordinary least squares (OLS) regression monthly fixed-effects (FE) panel models, and Random Forest (RF) analysis. These factors function as stable support for sustainable park use. Crime exposure shows no stable global linear effect, but its association with visitation appears conditional on temporal and spatial context. Overall, the findings suggest that park visitation is shaped by the interaction of physical design, safety conditions, and urban context. By explicitly separating cross-sectional spatial and economic inequalities from within-park temporal dynamics, this study offers policy-relevant evidence for urban planners and park managers seeking to promote more inclusive, efficient, and sustainable urban park systems through integrated design, economic activation, and safety-oriented interventions. Full article

While multilane roundabouts follow geometric design standards, they often overlook motorcycle-dominated traffic behavior. This study evaluates lane-reduction strategies to create safer and more inclusive urban corridors in mixed-traffic conditions, focusing on a case study in Southern Thailand. High-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) trajectory data were analyzed using the Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram (MFD), Cell Transmission Model (CTM), and Time-To-Collision (TTC) frameworks under three configurations: full lane availability, partial inner-lane closure, and full inner-lane closure. Results indicate progressive deterioration in performance under restricted-lane conditions. Under full closure, total flow decreased by 31%, and average travel time increased by 43%. The MFD curve shifted toward higher critical densities, indicating earlier congestion onset, while CTM results revealed longer discharge times, queue spillback, and increased merging friction. Conversely, safety outcomes (TTC) improved significantly: extreme rear-end conflicts were reduced by 48%, and severe lane-change conflicts were nearly eliminated (99%). Behavioral evidence suggests that full closure constrains motorcycles to a single circulating path, reducing erratic filtering and promoting more stable interactions. Overall, this study identifies a systemic trade-off between safety and efficiency, highlighting how geometric interventions catalyze behavioral adaptation. The findings highlight how geometric constraints shape collective behavior in motorcycle-dominated roundabouts and demonstrate the value of an integrated UAV-based framework as a vital tool for inclusive urban management, providing the granular data needed to balance safety and mobility in complex traffic landscapes. Full article

During the process of vehicle–grid interaction, the charging load of electric vehicles shows significant uncertainty, which is driven by multiple user behavior variables: including the differentiated characteristics of users’ daily travel needs, as well as personalized charging habits, random charging periods, and dynamic changes in charging power demands. To address the scheduling challenges arising from the uncertainty of electric vehicle loads in the interaction between electric vehicles and the power grid, this paper proposes a multi-objective optimization scheduling method for the interaction between electric vehicles and the power grid, which takes into account the uncertainty of power sources and loads. This method can enhance the economic operation level of the power grid, increase the acceptance capacity of renewable energy, and improve the stability of the system. Firstly, this paper proposes an improved K-means clustering algorithm, which combines Monte Carlo sampling to achieve the generation and reduction of scenarios for electric vehicle load and photovoltaic output. Secondly, a scheduling framework based on the vehicle–grid collaborative interaction mode is constructed, and a random optimization scheduling model for photovoltaic storage electric vehicles is established. Finally, an example of a photovoltaic storage charging station in an industrial park is used for verification. The simulation results demonstrate the economic feasibility and effectiveness of this scheduling strategy. Full article

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in over 705 million infections and 7 million deaths, underscoring the importance of understanding disease behavior across diverse environments. As NASA, SpaceX, and ISRO prepare for more frequent missions, managing health risks for astronauts and space tourists is essential. Objective: This study reviews the literature on airborne infections in space, identifies research gaps, and establishes preparedness strategies for potential COVID-19 outbreaks during space missions. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted to identify studies examining airborne infectious diseases in space. To compare these findings with Earth-based data, pathogen safety data sheets were used. A separate systematic review was conducted to explore similarities between COVID-19 and the identified airborne infectious diseases. A comparative approach was used to predict COVID-19’s potential behavior in microgravity. Existing guidelines for managing airborne diseases in space and on Earth were reviewed and compared to develop a set of preparedness recommendations for COVID-19 in space. Results: Nine airborne infectious diseases occurring in space were identified. Six tentative effects of COVID-19 in a microgravity environment were theorized in this study. We propose recommendations to improve current space travel health guidelines and address the identified risks. Conclusions: The results of this study will change the course of human space exploration by assisting in the protection of space travelers and guiding the development of new protocols that include comprehensive safety features. Full article

Early-life seizures lead to long-term behavioral deficits, stimulate cytokine release, and disrupt the intracellular PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. This study examined whether inhibiting the mTOR pathway, neuroinflammatory signaling, or both reduces behavioral comorbidities in adulthood. Female C57BL/6J mice received kainic acid on postnatal day 10 to induce status epilepticus. Three hours later, the mice were treated with saline, minocycline, rapamycin, or both. Three months later, behavioral assessments were conducted that measured activity, anxiety, social behavior, repetitive behavior, and learning. Early-life seizures resulted in social behavior deficits in the social chamber test, altered anxiety in the elevated plus maze, and an increase in repetitive behavior in the nose poke assay. Rapamycin and minocycline/rapamycin groups showed reduced distance traveled in the saline groups. We did not find any changes in cytokines IL6, IL-1β, and TNFα in the hippocampus or cortex using RT-qPCR. Through Western blotting, we found that rapamycin reduced the phosphorylated S6 levels. Minocycline decreased phosphorylated S6 in controls, but restored phosphorylated S6 levels in the seizure group. Early-life seizures had long-term impacts on behavioral comorbidities. Rapamycin and minocycline, alone or combined, did not restore the behavioral or molecular changes after early-life seizures. These findings clarify the behavioral outcomes after early-life seizures and therapeutic modulation. Full article

The search for sustainable practices in the tourism industry has opened new horizons in a polluting industry. This study explores astrotourism in the region of Aragon, Spain, considering Allan Schnaiberg’s environmental theory, which points out that as society becomes more industrialized, individuals become increasingly disconnected from nature and develop a sense of alienation from the natural world, leading to a longing for reconnection and deep experiences. The hypothesis postulates that astrotourists reflect the current trend of seeking knowledge-enriching, emotional, and nature-based experiences. Analyzing 407 astrotourists visiting the region’s attractions, we explore their profiles and travel motivations, uncovering subtle differences in prior knowledge, changing perspectives, and sociodemographic. The findings inform destination policies, marketing strategies, and management practices. The research outlines a structured profile encompassing sociodemographic, tourist behaviors, and assessments of Aragon’s astrotourism. This profile sheds light on astrotourists’ motivations, attitudes, and consumption patterns, serving as a foundation for future research and tailored experiences. This study contributes to understanding the dynamics of astrotourism and its implications for the evolution of astrotourists’ preferences. Full article

Gender-based violence in public transportation is a global phenomenon that restricts women’s rights and autonomy. Most of the documentation relies on harassment and physical aggression, but the subtle internalized mechanisms that reproduce gender inequities remain insufficiently analyzed. This study involves the concept of symbolic violence as an analytical category to unveil how resignation and normalization of violence perpetuate gender power relations and limit women’s mobility. A cross-sectional survey of 263 women aged 15–60 was conducted in Querétaro, Mexico, a rapidly growing city with significant mobility challenges. The questionnaire included items on perceptions of safety, violent experiences, responses to acts of violence, and prevention strategies. An inductive–abductive analysis was implemented to construct empirical indicators derived from Bordieu’s concept of symbolic violence and habitus. Findings reveal that fear, avoidance, and self-regulation are normalized responses to violence in public transport. Women implement strategies such as changing routes, limiting night travel, or increasing their expenses to access safer options. Six empirical indicators were identified: perceived insecurity as normality, resignation to harassment, bodily and emotional self-regulation, preventive reorganization of mobility, personal costs of safety, and collective inaction. In conclusion, the study demonstrates how symbolic violence operates through behaviors, actions, perceptions, and thoughts that reproduce inequities. Operationalizing symbolic violence provides a methodological and conceptual tool to advance gender equality and inform gender-sensitive mobility policies. Full article

With the wave of new campus construction gradually receding, the focus of green campus planning and design is shifting toward the low-carbon retrofitting of the existing built environment. University campuses often face challenges such as dispersed land use, inadequate spatial planning, disorganized road layouts, suboptimal landscape design, and low energy efficiency. Grounded in a review of current research on campus carbon emissions, this study integrates green technology indicators with planning and design approaches to establish a multi-scale, context-adaptive planning framework for carbon control, spanning five dimensions: intensive land use, spatial layout, transportation systems, landscape development, and facility integration. Employing a combined approach of bibliometric analysis and case studies, this research examines and compares typical university campuses both domestically and internationally to validate the effectiveness of the synergistic “technology-system-behavior” pathway in mitigating high-carbon lock-in. Through a systematic comparative analysis of representative low-carbon campuses, the synthesized results indicate that under optimal operational conditions, the clustered reorganization of functional zones demonstrates the potential to reduce transportation carbon emissions by approximately 25%; comprehensive retrofitting of building envelopes can decrease building energy consumption intensity by an estimated 30%; a multimodal coordinated transport system can increase the share of non-motorized travel to around 65%; establishing high carbon-sequestration plant communities can enhance carbon sink capacity by up to 30%; and smart facility integration can reduce overall campus carbon emissions by a projected range of 25–40%. It should be noted that these quantitative outcomes represent high-probability potential ranges, with actual performance subject to behavioral and operational fluctuations. This study provides theoretical support and practical pathways for achieving “near-zero carbon campuses” and underscores the important demonstrative role that higher education institutions can play in addressing climate change. Full article

This study investigates the multi-locality and multi-temporal characteristics of mobility destinations in Zanjan, Iran, throughout a typical day. Existing approaches often overlook critical geographical concepts, including the influence of multiple motivational factors on destination choice behavior, the clustering of destinations, and the spatiotemporal dynamics of preferred destinations. To address these gaps, Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) was employed to simulate individual daily flows to preferred destinations. An integrated pattern recognition approach combining machine learning clustering (k-means), hotspot analysis, and 3D mapping was utilized to facilitate visual analytics of individual destination choices, with special emphasis on applications for transportation planning. Four optimal destination clusters were identified, with hotspot analysis revealing a concentration of preferred destinations in Cluster 1, located within the Central Business District (CBD), suggesting a monocentric spatial structure. Temporal analysis demonstrated that destination clusters exhibit dynamic spatial and temporal changes over the course of the day. These findings provide new insights into managing travel behavior and offer practical implications for urban planning and transportation policy regarding individuals’ daily movement strategies. Full article