Browse Articles

Unstructured spare time as an international predictor of adolescent crime

This study investigates whether unstructured spare time is a significant correlate of self-reported offending among adolescents in multiple countries. Drawing on survey data from 58,425 13-to-17-year-olds in 21 countries in Europe, North America, and South America, we examine whether time spent in unstructured out-of-home and at-home activities, as well as structured time at home, is associated with offending prevalence and incidence. Using multivariate models that control for key criminological predictors, we find that unstructured out-of-home spare time is a robust and consistent correlate of self-reported offending. Its estimated association is larger than that of most classical predictors. While structured spare time at home is associated with lower levels of offending, unstructured spare time, particularly out-of-home, is strongly linked to both prevalence and incidence of crime involvement. Country-specific analyses reveal that this pattern holds across most national samples. Simulation analyses suggest that modest reductions in unstructured out-of-home spare time may be associated with lower levels of adolescent offending. These findings indicate that unstructured time environments constitute a cross-culturally robust correlate of adolescent offending, with potential relevance across dispositional and opportunity-based explanations, and with implications for how prevention frameworks conceptualize adolescents’ everyday environments.

Irrigation-nutrient synergy improves productivity, soil fertility, and input use efficiency in winter maize under Gangetic plains of India

Genetic variants in the leptin-melanocortin pathway and their joint effects with physical activity and sleep duration on risk of childhood obesity

Objective This study aimed to investigate the associations between functional genetic variants in leptin-melanocortin pathway and risk of childhood obesity, as well as exploring gene-lifestyle interactions on obesity risk. Methods A frequency-matched case-control study included 1123 children and adolescents with obesity and 1231 controls from Guangzhou, China. Twelve potentially functional genetic variants were genotyped. Multivariate logistic regression and classification and regression tree were applied to identify obesity-associated genetic variants. Unweighted and weighted genetic risk scores (GRSs) were constructed, and their interactions with physical activity and sleep were assessed using relative excess risk of interaction ( RERI ), attributable proportion of interaction ( AP ) and the interaction of odds ratio ( IOR ). Results We identified important genetic variants associated with obesity: MC4R rs17782313, rs12970134, LEPR rs1137101, and POMC rs6713532. High unweighted GRS was associated with a higher obesity risk than low GRS ( OR = 1.40, 95% CI  = 1.09–1.79), with similar results for the weighted GRS. High unweighted GRS combined with inadequate sleep or physical activity conferred increased risk of obesity compared to low/medium GRS with healthy lifestyle ( OR = 1.70, 95% CI  = 1.28–2.26; OR = 1.59, 95% CI  = 1.17–2.17). However, the 95% CI s for all RERI s and AP s contained 0, and for IOR s contained 1, suggesting no significant interaction. Conclusions Four genetic variants in the leptin-melanocortin pathway are associated with the risk of obesity, both individually and jointly. Furthermore, the joint effect of these genetic variants with inadequate sleep and physical activity may contribute to obesity development in children and adolescents.

Prediction of the axial capacity of various polygon-type section concrete-filled steel (CFST) columns utilising deep neural network and machine learning regressor

Marketing analytics in banking 4.0: A two-stage explainable AI framework for high-accuracy and well-calibrated predictions

Forecasting customer conversion in bank marketing is challenged by imbalanced class distributions, where scarce minority responses lead to underfitting of true patterns or overfitting of limited instances. Sampling techniques are commonly applied to address this class imbalance problem; however, synthetic data generation may introduce distributional distortion, inflate apparent performance while degrade calibration, fairness, and explainability. Finding and selecting suitable model-sampling combinations that transparently balance performance against distortion remains a challenging task. To address this, we propose a two-stage quadrilateral evaluation framework that assesses models with sampling techniques across discrimination, calibration, computational cost, and explainability to select the suitable. In the first stage, we test ensemble learning and deep learning models on datasets with imbalanced class distributions using k-fold cross-validation and hyper-parameter tuning. In the second stage same models were re-evaluated under five sampling strategies, including Borderline2Smote, to quantify the trade-offs introduced by synthetic sampling. Results show that the combination of XGBoost with Borderline2SMOTE sampling demonstrates improved adaptability with reduced synthetic distortion. Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) further support stable interpretability by identifying key drivers of customer responses for predictive inference and marketing strategies. This framework enables context-aware, transparent, and reproducible model selection strategy for responsible predictive analytics in Banking 4.0. This study also provides a foundation for further research into fairness-aware and explainable predictive analytics to support data-driven decision-making.

UPLC-ESI/MS-MS-based phytochemical analysis of Schinopsis balansae leaf extract and anti-skin ageing properties supported with in silico molecular docking experiments

Abstract Schinopsis balansae is a tannin-rich tree belonging to the family Anacardiaceae, native to the Gran Chaco region of Argentina, and cultivated in Egypt. This study was performed to characterize the bioactive compounds of the 80% methanol extract of S. balansae leaves using HPLC-ESI/MS-MS technique, coupled with the assessment of in vitro anti-aging enzyme inhibition assays. Further, total phenolic and flavonoid content and molecular docking studies were conducted. High performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization coupled with mass fragmentation (HPLC-ESI/MS-MS) was used to tentatively identify the phyto-constituents of S. balansae leaf extract. The phenolic and flavonoid contents were assessed as gallic acid equivalents (GAE) and rutin equivalents (RE). Further, the anti-skin aging potential was investigated via assessment of elastase and collagenase inhibition assays. The in silico molecular docking studies were conducted on 7EST elastase and 2TCl collagenase. The HPLC/MS analysis revealed the identification of twenty-two compounds of different chemical classes like flavonoids, phenolic acids, and tannins. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were 399.29 ± 13.23 µg gallic acid equivalent/mg and 8.25 ± 0.63 µg rutin equivalent/mg, respectively. The extract exhibited significant collagenase (IC 50  = 48.08 ± 3.42 µg/mL) and elastase (IC 50 = 18.02 ± 1.57 µg/mL) inhibitory activities, suggesting its potential in combating skin aging. In silico molecular docking studies validated the interactions of major compounds like quercetin- O -benzoyl-hexoside and 5-hydroxy-7,4'-dimethoxy-6,8-dimethyl homo-isoflavone with these enzymes. This study provides a scientific rationale for the anti-skin-aging potential of S. Balansae leaf extract, supporting its utilization in innovative anti-wrinkle formulations.

Thermal optimized PCR coupled to CRISPR-Cas12a for rapid detection of blaOXA-1 resistance gene

The β-lactams are critically important broad-spectrum antibiotics, widely used as first-line treatments; however, their effectiveness is increasingly compromised by β-lactamase enzymes. Among these, OXA-type enzymes have expanded to over 400 variants and are highly prevalent in Enterobacteriaceae . Current phenotypic and molecular detection tests have long turnaround times or require specialized equipment, respectively. In this study, we optimize a rapid molecular assay combining a PCR with modified thermal ramp rate (TRR) along with CRISPR-Cas12a fluorescence detection for bla OXA-1 -harboring E. coli isolates. Using a commercial DNA Taq polymerase (TRR: 2.2 °C/s, annealing and extension hold time: 1 s), amplification time was reduced from 80 to 30 min, enabling detection within 50 min (PCR: 30 min; CRISPR: 20 min). With a locally produced enzyme (hold: 10 s), amplification time was 44 min. To demonstrate the practical application of the assay, we evaluated spiked poultry fecal samples achieving an analytical sensitivity of 8 CFU/reaction using commercial DNA Taq polymerase. The accelerated PCR:CRISPR workflow delivers results in less than one hour without compromising technical sensitivity (attomoles range), not requiring high technical expertise, and can be implemented in laboratories with basic molecular biology equipment.

Evolution of molecular and cellular bases of self-sacrificing gall repair in social aphids

Evaluating the effects of community-based programs on viral rebound and viral suppression among HIV-positive orphaned and vulnerable children receiving antiretroviral treatment: Findings from the ACHIEVE project in Tanzania

Background Achieving and sustaining viral load suppression (VLS) among children living with HIV remains challenging despite the availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART), primarily due to adherence difficulties. This study evaluated the effects of three interventions under the ACHIEVE project on viral load outcomes (viral rebound and viral suppression) among HIV-positive orphaned and vulnerable children aged 0–17 years (hereafter referred to as CLHIV) receiving ART in Tanzania. Methods This is a longitudinal analysis of 26,257 CLHIV who are beneficiaries of the ACHIEVE project in Tanzania, each with at least two viral load (VL) test results between 2021 and 2023. VL outcomes were assessed using two analytic groups: Group 1 included 21,448 CLHIV with undetectable VL (<50 copies/mL) at baseline, where those maintaining undetectable VL were compared with those experiencing viral rebound (VL ≥ 50 copies/mL) at follow-up. Group 2 comprised 4,809 CLHIV with detectable VL (≥50 copies/mL) at baseline, where those achieving undetectable VL at follow-up were compared with those who did not. The study used a multivariable logistic regression model and propensity score matching (PSM) to evaluate the effects of ACHIEVE project interventions–WORTH Yetu economic strengthening, linkage to teen/paediatric clubs, and health insurance–on viral rebound (Group 1), and the achievement of an undetectable viral load (Group 2). Findings Overall, 13.1% (2,805/21,448) of Group 1 CLHIV experienced viral rebound at follow-up. CLHIV who received ACHIEVE interventions were 23.2% less likely to experience viral rebound compared to those who did not (aOR = 0.768, 95% CI 0.668–0.882, p  < 0.001). In Group 2, 70.9% (3,411/4,809) achieved an undetectable viral load at follow-up, with those who received ACHIEVE interventions being 31.9% more likely to achieve an undetectable viral load compared to those who did not (aOR = 1.319, 95% CI 1.059–1.643, p  = 0.014). These findings were confirmed in the PSM analysis (viral rebound: β = – 0.047, 95% CI –0.072 – –0.021, p  < 0.001; achieving undetectable viral load: β = 0.10, 95% CI 0.04–0.16, p  = 0.001). Conclusion The ACHIEVE project interventions were significantly associated with a reduced likelihood of viral rebound, and an increased likelihood of achieving undetectable viral load among CLHIV, highlighting their potential to enhance ART outcomes. These findings suggest that expanding similar community-based interventions could further contribute to HIV treatment efficacy and support more children in achieving and maintaining an undetectable viral load, particularly those at risk of viral rebound or persistent high viral load. Future research should explore strategies for scaling these interventions and evaluating their long-term impact.

Small CD63 + CD81+ extracellular vesicles induce autophagy via the FOXO3a pathway in pancreatic cancer cells during starvation

The mediating roles of personal mastery and health-promoting behaviors in the relationship between self-regulatory fatigue and quality of life among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background Quality of life (QoL) is a pivotal prognostic indicator for patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). While the impact of various factors on QoL is recognized, the complex interplay between psychological and behavioral determinants remains underexplored. Understanding these pathways is essential for developing effective interventions. Objective This study aimed to investigate the status of QoL and its associated factors among T2DM patients, and to examine the mediating effects of personal mastery (PM) and health-promoting behaviors (HPB) in the relationship between self-regulatory fatigue (SRF) and QoL by using structural equation modeling. Methods The study adhered to the STROBE guidelines for cross-sectional reporting. From July 2025 to February 2026, 432 T2DM patients were recruited from three tertiary grade-A hospitals across two cities in China by using convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire, Self-Regulatory Fatigue Scale, Personal Mastery Scale, Diabetes Health Promotion Scale, and Diabetes-Specific Quality of Life Scale. Pearson’s correlation, multiple linear regression, and structural equation modeling were employed for data analysis. The mediating effects were tested using the bias-corrected (BC) bootstrap method with 5,000 resamples. Results The total scores for SRF, PM, HPB, and QoL were 38.63 ± 12.84, 26.12 ± 7.62, 97.69 ± 20.87, and 69.41 ± 20.89, respectively. Correlation analysis indicated that QoL was significantly positively correlated with SRF ( r  = 0.581, p  < 0.01), and negatively correlated with PM ( r  = −0.557, p  < 0.01) and HPB ( r  = −0.613, p  < 0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that age, educational level, medical insurance payment method, smoking status, glycemic control status, number of comorbidities, self-care ability, self-regulatory fatigue, personal mastery, and health-promoting behaviors were independent predictors of QoL. Furthermore, the structural equation modeling demonstrated a significant total indirect effect of self-regulatory fatigue on QoL. The mediating effect of personal mastery accounted for 30.2% of the total indirect effect, while that of health-promoting behaviors explained 60.2%. The chain mediating pathway contributed 9.5% of the total indirect effect. Conclusion This study suggests that SRF is statistically associated with directly and indirectly poorer QoL in T2DM patients, primarily by being associated with lower PM and fewer HPB. These findings highlight the importance of addressing psychological and behavioral mechanisms in diabetes care. From a nursing perspective, interventions targeting SRF, strengthening PM, and promoting HPB may be beneficial.

Evolutionary stasis in synapsid encephalization during the end-permian mass extinction

Autonomic nervous system modulation by G protein-biased mu-opioid receptor agonists: A translational scoping review protocol

Background G protein-biased mu-opioid receptor (MOR) agonists such as oliceridine and tegileridine were developed to reduce opioid-related side effects while keeping analgesic efficacy. The US FDA approved oliceridine in 2020 and China NMPA approved tegileridine in January 2024. Clinical development mainly focused on respiratory depression and gastrointestinal problems, but little attention has been paid to the autonomic nervous system (ANS) effects of these drugs. Traditional opioids change heart rate variability (HRV) and sympathovagal balance mainly through central mechanisms. It is not clear whether biased agonists show different autonomic profiles compared with traditional opioids. There is an ongoing scientific debate about whether the benefits of these drugs come from true signaling bias or from low intrinsic efficacy. Methods We will conduct a scoping review following JBI methodology and report according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines. We will search PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library from database start to March 2026. FDA and NMPA regulatory documents will also be searched. Two reviewers will screen studies and extract data independently. We will include in vitro cellular assays, in vivo animal experiments, and clinical studies examining oliceridine, tegileridine or other biased MOR agonists that report cardiovascular or autonomic outcomes. Results will be organized in an Evidence Matrix by drug, evidence level and measurement timepoint. Animal studies will be stratified by anesthetic state (conscious versus anesthetized). Discussion We will map the evidence against three mechanistic paradigms: that biased agonism preserves autonomic homeostasis; that observed benefits come from partial agonism rather than signaling bias; or that no meaningful autonomic differences exist between biased and traditional agonists. This review will map evidence gaps and inform future clinical trial design with autonomic endpoints. We note that tegileridine has much less published data than oliceridine, and this gap analysis will help set research priorities. Protocol registration: Open Science Framework (OSF) [ https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/N2XZC ].

Publisher Correction: Elucidating the relationship between affinity and potency in the performance of therapeutic IgE

Predicting the uniaxial compressive strength and elasticity modulus of sandstones from physical and mechanical properties using statistical analyses and artificial intelligence-based techniques

This study develops predictive models for the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and elasticity modulus (E) of sandstones by integrating statistical analyses with artificial intelligence (AI) techniques. Comprehensive laboratory tests were performed on 20 sandstone samples from four Iranian formations, measuring key physical (dry unit weight γₐ = 23.34–26.10 kN/m³, porosity nₑ = 2.07–10.16%) and mechanical properties (UCS = 55.46–104.16 MPa, E = 39.86–57.03 GPa). Statistical analyses revealed strong correlations, with dry unit weight showing the highest Pearson correlation to UCS (R = 0.947) and E (R = 0.971), while porosity exhibited significant negative relationships (R = −0.918 and −0.916 respectively). Among the evaluated AI models, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) demonstrated superior predictive capability, achieving the highest accuracy for both UCS and E predictions (e.g., UCS-Hs: R² = 0.992, RMSE = 1.562; E-Hs: R² = 0.947). In contrast, Random Forest (RF) and K-Nearest Neighbors (kNN) models provided acceptable but comparatively lower performance, with their best models attaining R² values of 0.909 and 0.906, respectively. Sensitivity analysis identified Schmidt hammer rebound (H₅) as the most influential predictor (Univariate Regression score = 3406.678), followed by point load index (PLI). The PDH formation demonstrated superior mechanical properties (UCS = 97.21 MPa, E = 54.82 GPa) linked to its high density (γₐ = 25.52–25.99 kN/m³) and low porosity (nₑ = 2.48–4.84%), while the HZD formation showed the weakest performance (UCS = 60.25 MPa) due to high porosity (nₑ = 8.02–10.16%). These findings provide a robust framework for predicting sandstone mechanical properties using non-destructive methods, offering significant advantages for geotechnical applications where direct testing is impractical.

A longitudinal outcome-wide assessment of the association of life balance with flourishing: a 2-year cross-national analysis of 22 countries in the global flourishing study

Abstract Despite increasing interest in the idea of life balance, to date there appear to be no longitudinal studies examining this important aspect of human flourishing. Addressing this oversight, the current paper presents a foundational mapping study analyzing a life balance item (“In general, how often are the various aspects of your life in balance?”) in the Global Flourishing Study (GFS), a panel study investigating an extensive range of predictors and outcomes of flourishing in 22 diverse countries. We explore the association of balance at Wave 1 (207,919 participants) with 55 other flourishing-related outcomes at Wave 2 (128,868, a retention rate of 62%). For each outcome we conducted a multivariate regression analysis within each country (with random-effects meta-analyses then used to pool estimates across countries), regressing each Wave 2 outcome on Wave 1 balance, using two models, which could be understood as demarcating the plausible upper and lower bounds of the effect respectively: model 1 is less conservative, controlling for demographic and childhood variables only, whereas model 2 controls for seven principal components extracted from all contemporaneous Wave 1 variables. Even under the more conservative model 2 (the “lower bound”), which risks controlling for too much, balance had a small but significant association with many aspects of flourishing, including an effect size of 0.04 with a six-domain flourishing index at the heart of the GFS (which situates balance at joint 25th when considered relative to all 68 wave 1 exposures in a predictor-wide perspective, even if methodological caution means we cannot interpret this as a substantive hierarchy). In addition to its longitudinal nature, another strength of the GFS is its multi-national design, which revealed considerable variation in effect sizes, which for the flourishing index ranged from 0.11 in Hong Kong and Japan to -0.03 inmainland China. Thus, while balance seems important for flourishing, this effect is unevenly distributed, both across outcomes and countries, though more research is required to delve into why.

Disposal of expired medicines in Jordan: Practices of community pharmacists

The handling of expired medicines in community pharmacies in Jordan is a critical issue that warrants greater attention. It impacts the environment, public health, and society. However, no studies have investigated the practices of community pharmacists in Jordan regarding the disposal of expired medicines. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the current practices of community pharmacists in Amman, Jordan, regarding the disposal of expired medicines and to assess the measures currently implemented to reduce the number of disposed medicines. A cross-sectional study was conducted among community pharmacists in Amman, Jordan, over three months, from November 2023 to January 2024. A 10-minute questionnaire was distributed either in a paper-based format or via an online platform. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 26. The Chi-square test was used to assess the association between participants’ demographics and their responses to the questions. Of the 353 community pharmacists surveyed, 70.2% (n = 248) were under 40 years old, and 63.5% (n = 224) were female. The majority of the participating community pharmacists reported disposing of solids (n = 227, 64.5%), liquids (n = 206, 58.7%), semisolids (n = 213, 60.7%), and controlled drugs classified as Class B (n = 266, 76.2%) and Class C (n = 253, 72.5%) by returning them to pharmaceutical distributors. However, 75.4% (n = 267) reported a lack of knowledge about the disposal methods used by distributors for expired medicines. Most community pharmacists (n = 191, 57.5%) reported that supplements, including vitamins, minerals, and probiotics, were the most frequently expired products. To reduce expired medicines, community pharmacists most frequently relied on medical representatives to collect near-expiry items (n = 136, 38.5%) or limited stock (n = 125, 35.4%). Most community pharmacists (n = 248, 70.3%) reported awareness of the harmful effects of improper disposal of expired medicines on the environment. The study also found that 195 out of 353 community pharmacists (55.1%) had not received any course on the disposal methods of expired medicines during their pharmacy education. The present study highlighted the critical need for community pharmacists to be knowledgeable about proper disposal methods of expired medicines and to raise awareness of the establishment of specialized centers for their disposal.

Distributionally robust optimization dispatch strategy for virtual power plants based on data generation augmentation

Research on the allocation mechanism of grassland ecological compensation among different industries based on ecosystem product value accounting

The manifestation and allocation of the positive externalities of grassland ecosystem products are critical to realizing the value of ecological compensation. Previous studies on ecological compensation have largely overlooked the heterogeneity of ecosystem products within regions and the differences in compensation among various industrial sectors, particularly the alignment and regulatory role between industrial structure and ecological compensation. In response, this study shifts the focus from interregional horizontal compensation to intraregional structural compensation, emphasizing the rational allocation mechanism of ecosystem product value among different industrial actors. Based on meteorological monitoring data and land-use data, the value of grassland ecosystem products is estimated using the water balance method and soil erosion equations. Furthermore, an inter-industry ecological compensation allocation model is constructed based on the consumption value of grassland ecosystem products and the proportion of industrial structure. The results show that: (1) From 2013 to 2023, none of the four major pastoral regions are required to bear ecological compensation for carbon sequestration and oxygen release consumed by the livestock industry; however, the average ecological compensation surplus decreased from 7.38 × 10⁸ CNY to 7.09 × 10⁸ CNY. (2) Most regions are required to bear ecological compensation for air purification consumed by the industrial sector, while some regions in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang are also required to compensate for water conservation consumed by industry. (3) No region is required to bear ecological compensation for water conservation and soil retention consumed by the tourism industry; however, regions such as Turpan and Alxa are required to compensate for carbon sequestration and oxygen release consumed by tourism, with the average compensation increasing from 1.35 × 10⁶ CNY to 1.54 × 10⁷ CNY.

Development of 3D printable temperature-sensitive resin