Search Results (86,605)

This literature review examined the methodological and theoretical considerations underlying research on Black fathers in the United States and Canada. Drawing on 38 journal articles published between 2014 and 2024, we highlighted the methodological and theoretical characteristics of studies about Black fathers and explored the extent to which Black communities were involved in the research process. Most of the studies were qualitative, and the most commonly used theoretical framework was ecological systems theory. We also found that the involvement of Black communities in research on Black fathers was limited to recruiting participants and providing data for analysis. We contend that researchers need to increase the involvement of Black communities in research about Black life in the United States and Canada, and we propose community-based participatory research as a viable way to do so. Full article

Background/Objectives: Variation in the mandibular canal and surrounding bone may affect surgical risk during sagittal split ramus osteotomy (SSRO). This study examined whether canal position and bone morphology at SSRO-relevant sites differ according to mandibular sagittal position. Methods: This retrospective cone-beam computed tomography study included 72 adults classified as retrognathic, normal, or prognathic according to the SNB angle. Bilateral measurements from 144 mandibular canals were obtained at the mandibular foramen entrance, ramus–corpus transition, and mesial aspect of the second molar. Cortical and cancellous bone thicknesses, canal diameter, and canal-to-cortex distances were compared using one-way analysis of variance with Tukey’s post hoc test. Repeated measurements showed high reproducibility, with intraclass correlation coefficients exceeding 0.90. Results: At the mandibular foramen entrance, retrognathic patients had greater fusion of the buccal and lingual cortices-to-foramen and buccal cortex-to-canal distances than normal patients (both p < 0.05). Lingual cortical bone at the ramus–corpus transition was also thicker in the retrognathic group (p = 0.006). At the second molar level, the prognathic group showed greater buccal, lingual, and inferior cortical thicknesses but lower buccal cancellous bone thickness (all p < 0.05). Mandibular canal diameter did not differ significantly among the groups. Conclusions: Mandibular sagittal position was associated with regional differences in the bone surrounding the mandibular canal. Lower buccal cancellous bone thickness in prognathic patients may indicate less bony separation between the canal and the surgical field. These findings may inform patient-specific CBCT assessment and SSRO planning, although their relationship with surgical complications requires prospective clinical validation. Full article

The 2024 European Parliament elections happened about ten years after the Cambridge Analytica scandal exposed the scale of social media interference in democratic processes. Given the persistent concerns about disinformation and its effects on the democratic process, and against a decade of political and public concern about disinformation, this paper examines how disinformation was framed in EU political discourse during the 2024 election campaign. Drawing on a frame analysis of three communicative registers, namely European Parliament plenary debates, party manifestos, and X posts by key political actors during the 2024 European Parliament election campaign, we identify three dominant narratives that articulate the disinformation problem in markedly different ways, revealing a tendency towards ideological asymmetry. Across these narratives, diagnostic framings are generally more developed than prognostic ones, with proposed responses remaining limited and often repetitive. Salient issues linked to contemporary information environments, particularly artificial intelligence, receive comparatively little attention. Overall, the findings suggest that disinformation was an infrequently invoked topic and only rarely treated as a central political issue. Despite a decade of public and policy attention to disinformation, political actors largely reproduced problem-oriented narratives, while discussion of concrete responses remained limited. Full article

Directional liquid transport (DLT) is a useful and efficient strategy for liquid transport in nature and in numerous wearable, separation, and energy-related applications. Recent advances in surface-chemistry modification and hierarchical textile structuring have enabled unprecedented control over through-thickness liquid transport, while multimodal characterization approaches have expanded the quantitative assessment of fluid migration across fibrous systems. Although DLT textiles share common features, including asymmetric wetting, capillary-driven liquid migration, and one-way transport, their characterization and optimization priorities vary with the use scenario; differences in measurement methods and testing conditions further complicate the interpretation of reported metrics across studies. In this Review, we present an overview of performance characterization and application-specific optimization of DLT textiles, illustrating how testing methods, evaluation metrics, and practical requirements can guide the translation of laboratory materials toward real-use products. We compare representative gravimetric, optical, and electrical approaches, and discuss how these measurements can be interpreted under different testing conditions. We also highlight the importance of application-relevant testing conditions, standardized evaluation protocols, and long-term robustness, providing a framework for interpreting DLT performance and guiding the optimization of DLT textiles for practical use. Full article

Objectives: This retrospective cone–beam computed tomography (CBCT)-based study investigated whether sagittal and vertical skeletal patterns are associated with differences in condylar morphology, spatial position, and ramus–condyle dimensions and explored the potential clinical implications of these variations in orthodontic assessment. Methods: CBCT images of 132 individuals meeting predefined inclusion criteria were selected from the departmental archive. Cephalograms were reconstructed and cephalometric analyses were performed. Individuals were categorized into three sagittal skeletal pattern groups and three vertical skeletal pattern groups. Condylar morphology was evaluated using the Yale classification, and condylar position was assessed according to Pullinger’s method. Condylar and ramus heights were measured using the Habets method. Statistical analyses included Chi-square tests, one-way ANOVA, ANCOVA, and the Habets asymmetry index. Intra-observer reliability was assessed using Cohen’s kappa and intraclass correlation coefficients. Results: Condylar height differed significantly across vertical skeletal patterns, with the highest values in hypodivergent and the lowest in hyperdivergent individuals (right p = 0.004, left p = 0.011). A significant association was found between condyle position and vertical skeletal pattern on the right side (p = 0.041), but not on the left side (p = 0.554). Individuals with a Class III sagittal skeletal pattern showed significantly greater condylar height asymmetry (Habets index) than Class I and Class II individuals; an unadjusted difference in right ramus height (p = 0.001) and left condyle height (p = 0.046) between Class III and Class II individuals did not remain significant after adjusting for the unequal sex distribution between these groups. Males showed significantly greater condylar and ramus height than females (all p < 0.001). No significant relationships were identified between condylar morphology or position and sagittal skeletal patterns. Conclusions: A possible association was observed between vertical skeletal pattern and condylar position on the right side, which requires confirmation given the number of comparisons performed and the absence of a corresponding left-side finding. The observed differences in ramus and condylar height among skeletal groups, including significantly greater condylar height asymmetry in Class III individuals and greater ramus height asymmetry in hyperdivergent individuals, suggest that mandibular structural characteristics may vary according to underlying skeletal configuration. Full article

This paper studies Jaccard similarity under a fully coupled one-factor scoring policy in which all coordinates of an interval-valued fuzzy soft profile are governed by the same parameter. Each interval runs from confidence-discounted evidence to the value obtained when that evidence is accepted in full. In contrast to the usual independent coordinate envelope, the coordinates move together. We prove that the exact extrema can be found from finitely many coordinate crossings and that every possible change in pairwise ranking is determined by breakpoint evaluations and polynomial equations of degree at most two. The method is illustrated in a single-corpus six-character proof of concept based on a traceable positive evidence analysis of Elif Shafak’s The Saint of Incipient Insanities. The case study yields seven positive pair similarities and two exact ranking transitions. It also shows that some similarity values and rankings change when normalization, weighting, parameter selection, or coding decisions change. Thus, this paper provides an exact way to study similarity and ranking stability under a common scoring policy while keeping the literary conclusions within the limits of the analyzed corpus. Full article

The transformation of abandoned open-pit mines into pumped-storage power station reservoirs offers an effective way to optimize China’s energy structure and supports China’s dual-carbon objectives by providing large-scale flexible storage. However, the steep slopes and complex geological conditions formed by mine excavation pose severe challenges to the stability of reservoir slopes. This paper focuses on a pumped-storage power station project converted from an abandoned mine pit in Luanping, Hebei Province. Specifically addressing high and steep slopes containing weak faults, it proposes a stability analysis method for the excavation stage that considers the influence of faults. The analysis assumes dry conditions, excluding reservoir-induced pore water pressure and seepage forces. Adopting the Janbu method and the M-P method within the limit equilibrium framework, safety analyses were conducted on multiple typical analysis sections of the abandoned mine pit before and after excavation. Analytical results indicate that the minimum safety factors derived from the Janbu method pre- and post-excavation are 1.33 and 2.13, respectively, whereas those obtained via the M-P method are 1.40 and 2.47. Given its consistently lower and thus more rigorous estimations, the Janbu method is recommended for conservative engineering design and risk assessment in similar geological settings. It is found that when the fault outcrop daylighting on the slope face constitutes a substantial spatial proportion, the potential sliding surface of the slope will extend from the top of the weak fault along an arc to the bottom of the stepped excavation. This indicates that the position of the fault influences both the sliding mode and the safety performance of the slope. The research findings of this paper could provide technical support for the slope engineering design, excavation and construction of pumped-storage power station reservoirs converted from abandoned mine pits. Full article

Hematological parameters and indicators of oxidant–antioxidant balance could provide useful information about the physiological characteristics of poultry. However, information on these parameters in native Turkish white geese of different ages and sexes remains limited. This study evaluated 40 clinically healthy native Turkish white geese aged 16 or 98 weeks (10 females and 10 males per group). Hematology was assessed manually; plasma total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI) were measured with commercial kits. Two-way ANOVA was followed by Bonferroni-adjusted comparisons where appropriate. To aid the interpretation of the statistical findings, effect sizes for the main effects of age and sex, as well as for the age × sex interaction, were expressed as partial eta-squared (ηp²) and reported with 95% confidence intervals. The age × sex interaction was significant for erythrocyte count, packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and all leukocyte parameters except basophil percentage. Young males had higher erythrocyte counts and lower MCHC than adult males, whereas young and adult females had similar values. PCV was higher in young than adult geese within both sexes. Within both sexes, adults had higher total leukocyte counts, heterophil and eosinophil percentages, and heterophil-to-lymphocyte (H/L) ratios, but lower lymphocyte and monocyte percentages. No significant interaction was detected for TAS, TOS, or OSI; TAS was higher in adults, whereas TOS and OSI were higher in females. These results provide comparative data for interpreting hematological and oxidant–antioxidant measurements in native Turkish white geese at two distinct ages under similar rearing conditions. Full article

Background: Despite the widespread adoption of IoT and LTE technologies in logistics, empirical research quantifying the economic impact of preventing operational errors remains scarce. Methods: This paper presents a case study of a Bulgarian transport company with over 800 tractors and 650 trailers, awarded “Transport Company of the Year 2025” at the Plovdiv Business Awards. An architecture combining BLE sensors, LTE trackers, and two-way integration between the TMS and the Kitin GPS platform was deployed. Using a mixed-methods approach (quantitative KPIs and qualitative process analysis), we measured the effect on annual excess mileage, trailer swap registration time, and error frequency. Results: The results show a 90% reduction in excess mileage (from 10,000 km to 1000 km), a 99.9% faster swap registration time, and a 90% reduction in errors. Annual savings amount to €19,750, with an investment payback period of 13–14 months (334% ROI over 5 years). Conclusions: The scientific contribution is the empirical demonstration that error prevention (correct trailer attachment) dominates asset tracking as a source of value. Theoretical and practical recommendations for fleet managers are presented. Full article

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the penetration of laser-activated irrigation solutions into dentinal tubules in root canals with different degrees of curvature and different coronal flaring. Materials and Methods: Seventy-six maxillary first molar teeth previously extracted for various reasons were included in the present study. The specimens were divided into two main groups according to distal root canal curvature, determined using the Schneider method: straight (<10°) and curved (20–40°). These groups were further classified into two subgroups according to whether a coronal flaring procedure was performed (n = 19). Following root canal preparation of all specimens, final irrigation was performed using a laser activation method and an irrigation solution prepared with the fluorescent dye Rhodamine B. Horizontal apical, middle, and coronal sections of 1 ± 0.1 mm thickness were obtained from the specimens at 2 mm, 5 mm, and 8 mm from the apical foramen, respectively. The effect of the irrigation solution on dentinal tubule penetration in the root canals was evaluated in the obtained sections using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Following evaluation, the mean and maximum penetration distances into the dentinal tubules were measured. The obtained data were statistically analyzed using Generalized Estimating Equations and Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, with the significance level set at p < 0.05. Results: The analysis revealed that only the region factor had a statistically significant effect on mean penetration values (p < 0.001), whereas canal curvature (p = 0.010), coronal flaring (p = 0.002), and region (p < 0.001) had statistically significant effects on maximum penetration values. However, none of the two-way or three-way interactions were significant (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Coronal flaring did not affect mean dentinal tubule penetration but increased maximum penetration depth. Maximum penetration was higher in straight canals than in curved canals, while both mean and maximum penetration were significantly affected by the root canal region. Full article

TinyML models now run inference directly on microcontrollers with only kilobytes of memory, inside sensors, wearables, and industrial devices that often have no cloud link and no way to receive a patch once deployed. This makes them an easy target, since compressed models resist adversarial and extraction attacks less than full-precision models, but most TinyML research still treats security as a step added after compression rather than during it. This paper proposes a three-layer security-by-design architecture built to close that gap. The first layer scores candidate compressed models on a joint fitness function that combines clean accuracy, adversarial robustness, and model size before the final architecture is fixed. The second layer signs and verifies model weights with the lightweight ASCON cipher at boot and during over-the-air updates. The third layer is a runtime monitor that computes a live distribution-drift score on incoming queries and raises local defense strength once that score crosses a fixed threshold, without needing a cloud round trip. The full pipeline was validated on real microcontroller hardware, not simulation, and stays inside a 62 KB RAM budget with inference latency under 10 ms. Against real baseline models on Edge-IIoTset, the proposed method reaches 94.3% accuracy, the highest of the models tested, while cutting attack success rate from over 60–84% down to 38.9% and raising the query cost for model extraction more than five times over the weakest baseline. An ablation study and a five-seed statistical test confirm the gain holds and comes from the combination of all three layers, not from any single part. Full article

Home-based physiotherapy is performed without supervision, which leads to incorrect execution and motivates systems that assess movement automatically from inertial measurement units (IMUs). Such systems assign each repetition to a category, yet a relevant share of repetitions fall near a class boundary, where even trained raters disagree. Classifiers trained with one-hot labels collapse these borderline repetitions onto a single class and discard this ambiguity. To address this, we build on label distribution learning, which represents each repetition as a distribution over classes instead of a single label. We introduce a way to construct such distributions without a large rater pool by perturbing the thresholds of a rule-based evaluation procedure to simulate rater disagreement. We train a network to reproduce these distributions with a Kullback–Leibler objective, which we call the ambiguity approach, and compare it against a one-hot cross-entropy baseline on four IMU exercise datasets. From the predicted distribution we then determine whether a repetition is ambiguous and which classes are relevant to it. The ambiguity approach matched or exceeded the baseline classification on all four datasets and detected ambiguity and the relevant classes more reliably. Representing the label distribution in the training target therefore adds information about ambiguity at no cost to classification. Full article

Whether energy-supply crises accelerate decarbonisation or reinforce fossil-fuel dependence remains an open empirical question, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This study examines the 2011 collapse of Egyptian natural gas exports to Jordan, caused by repeated attacks on the Arab Gas Pipeline, as a sudden and largely exogenous energy-security shock. Using harmonised annual electricity-generation data from Ember for six MENA and Mediterranean countries from 2000 to 2022, a panel difference-in-differences framework estimated by two-way fixed effects assesses how Jordan’s renewable electricity share evolved relative to a comparison group. The evidence indicates a delayed rather than immediate response. Event-study estimates show little change between 2012 and 2016, followed by a marked divergence reaching approximately 16 percentage points by 2022. The full-period average difference is 4.22 percentage points (95% CI −2.93 to 11.37), while the later divergence persists across leave-one-country-out specifications and when renewable generation is normalised by pre-crisis system size. Fuel concentration changed little, because Jordan replaced a gas-and-oil generation mix with a gas-and-renewables mix, a shift consistent with a compositional improvement in energy security through reduced fossil-fuel import exposure rather than greater diversification. Energy crises may, therefore, open opportunities for renewable transitions, but their realisation appears contingent on institutional capacity. Full article

Botswana provides a setting in which to examine pastoral power. Customary authority, Christian institutions, public-health programmes, and state law have each helped to shape the social regulation of gender and sexuality. This systematic review brings together Botswana-specific scholarship on the ways care, counselling, scriptural interpretation, and institutional support affect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, and other gender- and sexually diverse people. The review followed PRISMA 2020. Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and Google Scholar were searched from database inception to 15 May 2024, and a supplementary search of publisher sites, indexes, and citation networks was updated to 31 July 2026. Five independent sources met the eligibility criteria: one qualitative interview study, one field-informed country report, and three documentary, legal, church-historical, or biblical analyses. The CASP qualitative checklist and the JBI text-and-opinion checklist were used for design-appropriate appraisal. Across this small and varied literature, four patterns recurred: the moral authority assigned to scripture and culture; care that was conditional or incomplete; interaction among religious, health, legal, and civil-society institutions; and dialogical alternatives to exclusion. Evidence is strongest for public discourse, institutional positions, and reported counselling experiences; no included source directly observed a pastoral ritual. Religious care may offer belonging and support, but it may also carry expectations of conformity. Broader claims will require ethnographic and participatory research developed with, and responsive to, LGBTIQ+ Batswana. Full article

Macrophages organise the fibrotic niche of liver cirrhosis. The scar-associated macrophage state is well described, but the genes that define it have rarely been ranked in an unbiased, model-based way, and the statistical limits of such re-analyses are seldom reported. Here we set out to re-derive the scar-associated macrophage programme without supervision, to rank its constituent genes by convergent computational evidence, and to state explicitly what a cohort of this size can and cannot support. We re-analysed 58,358 single-cell transcriptomes from five uninjured and five cirrhotic human livers (GEO GSE136103; Edinburgh DataShare DS_10283_3433). After quality control, Harmony batch integration and Leiden clustering, the mononuclear-phagocyte compartment (9869 cells) was re-clustered. We applied donor-level compositional testing stratified within the CD45+/CD45− sorted fractions, donor-level pseudobulk differential expression, three classifiers with SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) under donor-grouped cross-validation, transcription-factor differential expression, diffusion pseudotime, ligand–receptor modelling and CellOracle in silico perturbation. The donor, never the cell, was the unit of analysis for every condition comparison. A discrete macrophage cluster (390 cells; 60.5% cirrhotic; contributed by all 10 donors) carried a coherent lipid/scar programme comprising LGALS3, GPNMB, TREM2, CD9, FABP5, APOE, APOC1 and CTSD, and was recovered in all 22 clustering configurations tested. The integrated prioritisation was robust: seven genes remained in the top 20 in 100% of 1000 Dirichlet re-weightings. MAFB, MITF and TFEC were significantly enriched transcription factors, and pseudotime placed the state downstream of a monocyte root. Three findings temper these results. No lineage showed a significant compositional change after multiple-testing correction, and every test was underpowered for its observed effect. No gene reached significance in donor-level pseudobulk differential expression. Classifier performance of 0.99 reflects the circularity of predicting a cluster defined from the same matrix; the non-circular contrast of cirrhotic versus uninjured cells gave 0.61–0.65. Overall, a documented, fully reproducible framework re-derives and ranks a TREM2/LGALS3/GPNMB scar-associated macrophage programme and nominates galectin-3, GPNMB and the SPP1 axis as prioritised, clinically unproven candidates. The prioritisation is a hypothesis requiring independent, spatial, protein-level and functional validation. Full article