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Detection of anomalous activities around telecommunications infrastructure based on YOLOv8s

Cultural distortion risk and tourist loyalty at silk road heritage: The mediating roles of perceived value and satisfaction

As the core carrier of cross-cultural communication, World Cultural Heritage sites along the Silk Road face challenges from cultural distortion risk. However, the specific mechanisms linking this risk to tourist loyalty, particularly the mediating roles of perceived value and satisfaction, remain under explored. This study aims to elucidate this dynamic pathway by constructing and testing a theoretical model of “cultural distortion risk→Perceived Value→Tourist Satisfaction→Tourist loyalty “. Focusing on the Maijishan Grottoes and utilizing 381 valid questionnaires, we employed covariance-based structural equation model (CB-SEM) grounded in Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) theory and the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) model reveal the chain effects of cultural distortion risk on tourists’ cognition, emotions, and loyalty. These results demonstrate: (1) cultural distortion risk significantly reduces perceived value (β = −0.409, p < 0.001), while enhancing authenticity boosts value assessment, (2) perceived value and satisfaction act as significant chain mediators between cultural distortion risk and loyalty (β = −0.397, p < 0.001), and (3) perceived value alone does not directly predict loyalty, suggesting emotional responses (satisfaction) are crucial in loyalty decisions. The study underscores the importance of cultural promotion and enhancing tourists’ cultural perception to foster satisfaction and loyalty. These findings contribute significantly to the theoretical understanding of risk perception and behavioral responses in global cultural heritage tourism, particularly by empirically validating a chain mediation mechanism. They also offer concrete, evidence-based strategies for heritage site managers to mitigate cultural distortion and enhance tourist revisit intentions.

Influence of hydrogen on the cohesion and charge density distribution in bcc iron matrix by DFT calculations

Morphological and chemotaxonomical characterization of some species of the genus Euphorbia L. in Jazan region, KSA

This study decisively evaluates the classification of four species of Euphorbia : Euphorbia ammak , Euphorbia fractiflexa , Euphorbia granulata , and Euphorbia hirta , collected from diverse habitats in Jazan region (Saudi Arabia). Our objective is to clearly define the interrelationships among these species by utilizing both traditional morphological analyses and cutting-edge chemotaxonomical methods. The morphological analysis examines various aspects of plant life, encompassing qualitative and quantitative parameters. Phytochemical analysis effectively measures total phenolics, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, and tannins. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is employed to capture the phenolic patterns, thereby validating our chemotaxonomic approach. The HPLC analysis unequivocally identifies eleven phenolic and seven flavonoid compounds in the methanol extracts of the four Euphorbia taxa. The data collected from the studied Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) were meticulously organized into a binary matrix, establishing a similarity matrix and phenogram cluster. Duncan’s range test robustly determines the significance of interrelations among the species. The results demonstrate that all examined plant species are rich in phenolic constituents, albeit in varying concentrations. Notably, Euphorbia granulata stands out as the most transitional species among them. Taxonomically, our phenogram, based on taxonomic characteristics, reveals two distinct groups: the first group, at a distance of 1.90, includes Euphorbia ammak and Euphorbia fractiflexa , while the second group, at a distance of 1.52, encompasses the remaining two species. This study strongly recommends considering both adaptation and habitat type when conducting chemotaxonomic analyses of plant species.

Suppression of the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) populations using the boosted sterile insect technique in Greece

Practice beyond performance stabilization increases the use of online adjustments to unpredictable perturbations in an interceptive task

In recent decades, research has focused on motor adjustments in interception tasks within predictable environments. However, emerging studies suggest that continued practice beyond performance stabilization enhances the ability to adapt to unpredictable events. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of practicing until performance stabilization versus extended practice through superstabilization on the ability to adjust to unpredictable perturbations in intercepting a moving target. We hypothesized superstabilization would better facilitate motor adjustments in response to unpredictable perturbations. Forty participants engaged in an interception task until they achieved either performance stabilization or superstabilization. Subsequently, both stabilization and superstabilization groups were tested in an unpredictable environment, where, in certain trials, the target’s velocity unexpectedly changed after the onset of the movement. The findings revealed that the superstabilization group made more adjustments, showing more number of corrections (N-cor), in response to these perturbations than the stabilization group, attributed to their developed capacity to use online feedback as a control mechanism more efficiently. In contrast, the practice until performance stabilization did not foster this adaptive mechanism. These results support the notion that learning is a dynamic process that extends beyond the point of performance stabilization, emphasizing the benefits of continued practice for mastering motor tasks in variable contexts.

Naval sonar induces an anaerobic swimming gait in beaked whales

Abstract Naval sonar can disrupt beaked whale diving behaviour, in some cases leading to lethal strandings. Diving disruption likely involves a physiological response, which remains poorly understood. Beaked whales may exceed their aerobic dive limit during long-duration deep-foraging dives and later in those dives, during ascent, initiate a unique strong gait (B-strokes), hypothesized to recruit anaerobic fast-twitch fibres. We compared the use of B-strokes during exposed and unexposed dives in four species of beaked whales. Contrasting the highly context-specific use of B-strokes during ascents from deep-dives in baseline conditions, during sonar exposure, B-strokes were used during descent and ascent phases of both deep and shallow dives. B-stroke onset occurred during all sonar exposure periods with levels above 100 dB re 1 µPa that lasted more than three minutes. The use of B-strokes during descent indicates these animals start using an oxygen-saving strategy earlier in exposed (16 ± 13 min) vs. unexposed dives (33 ± 14 min). This change in swimming gait when exposed to an external threat likely evolved to enable flexible escape responses from predators. However, if prolonged, such responses could lead to physiological changes that contribute to gas bubble formation and growth that could lead to animals stranding.

GCMS profiling of bioactive phytocompounds from Curculigo orchiodes Gaertn. root extract and evaluation of antioxidant, and antidiabetic activities: A computational drug development approach

Curculigo orchioides (C. orchioides), a traditionally valued medicinal plant, has been utilized for centuries in the management of various ailments, but its full spectrum of therapeutical potentials remains underexplored. This study aimed to perform GC-MS profiling of bioactive phytochemicals as well as to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties of the ethanolic root extract of C. orchioides (ERCO) through an integrative approach combining in vitro , in vivo , and in silico methods. Phytochemical screening confirmed the presence of some major bioactive phytochemical groups including alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, and steroids which are well-known for their pharmacological relevance. Antioxidant activity was demonstrated through high levels of total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total tannin content (TTC) determined as 44.055 mg GAE/gm, 0.6768 mg QE/gm, and 103.375 mg TAE/gm of dry weight extract, respectively, along with notable ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Anti-diabetic potential was supported by significant in vitro inhibition of pancreatic α -amylase and α -glucosidase enzymes, with IC 50 values of 84.17 μg/mL and 36.33 μg/mL, respectively. In vivo studies in alloxan-induced diabetic mice further validated the extract’s substantial blood glucose-reduction abilities (47.28% and 52.11% at the dose of 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg body-weight, respectively), indicating the potential for blood sugar regulation. GC-MS profiling confirmed the presence of 23 major phytochemicals, which were subjected to molecular docking studies against human glutathione peroxidase, peroxiredoxin 5, Catalase, sulfonylurea receptor 1 (SUR1), α-amylase, and α-glucosidase. Among them, 2-epoxy-3,4-dihydroxycyclohexano[a]pyrene (CID: 41322) emerged as a lead compound, exhibiting strong binding affinities for both α-amylase (−9.1 kcal/mol) and α-glucosidase (−8.8 kcal/mol). ADMET predictions and stable molecular dynamics simulation outcomes further underscored its drug-likeness. Collectively, these findings position ERCO as a promising source of natural antioxidants and anti-diabetic agents, while identifying 2-epoxy-3,4-dihydroxycyclohexano[a]pyrene as a potential therapeutic lead. This investigation provides a foundation for future drug development, and, further experimental validations, isolation of active compounds, and subsequent clinical studies are required to validate its safety and efficacy.

Ultrafiltration–sodium profiles and their impact on thirst and xerostomia in hemodialysis patients

Empathy in undergraduate medical students: A multivariate cross-sectional study in China

Context Investigate the impact of various factors on medical students’ empathy scores, and provide constructive ideological and political education strategies to enhance their empathy abilities. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 320 undergraduate medical students from Wuhan University, spanning three academic years. A web-based questionnaire assessed empathy, including the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Student Version (JSE-S). Various factors, including grade, gender, medical major choice, urbanization level, clinical course participation, internship experience, number of romantic relationships, and experience of breakups, were examined for their influence on empathy scores. Results There is a significant correlation between medical major selection, gender, and empathy scores. Furthermore, in binary logistic regression analysis, the influence of medical major selection on empathy scores surpasses that of the inherent variable, gender. Conclusions This study indicates that medical major choice and gender are predictive factors of empathy ability among medical students. More large-sample studies or qualitative research should be conducted to explore the influencing factors of empathy ability in medical students, with the aim of further enhancing their empathy levels. Additionally, we found that students who initially did not choose a medical major and male students are groups with relatively lower empathy levels. Medical schools should focus on empathy education for these groups in future training programs, aiming to increase their interest in medicine and improve their empathy levels.

Control effects of joint grouting and precision blasting on blasting damage in deep rock masses

Abstract With the expansion of underground construction, deep rock mass excavation technology has attracted growing attention, as complex geology and developed joints in deep rock masses challenge rock mass integrity and stability. This paper, based on blasting excavation at Meizhou Pumped Storage Power Station, studies cavern displacement and surrounding rock damage from blasting in jointed rock masses via on-site vibration tests and ultrasonic experiments. Joints significantly increase blasting vibration velocity and rock damage depth. Two control measures are proposed: joint grouting and precision blasting, validated by numerical simulation. Joint grouting enhances joint stiffness, reducing unloading stress wave reflection and rock damage. Post-grouting, peak vibration velocities on both cavern sides decrease, more notably on the joint side, with reductions of 3.05 cm/s, 2.86 cm/s, and 3.97 cm/s in three directions. The right-side damage depth is reduced by 1.01 m, 40%. Precision blasting optimizes borehole layout and initiation networks, extending unloading time and reducing transient unloading effects. Its three-directional peak vibration velocity reductions are 2.53 cm/s, 2.53 cm/s, and 3.07 cm/s; non-joint side reductions are 1.85 cm/s, 1.53 cm/s, and 2.03 cm/s. Average damage depth decreases by 0.47 m (left) and 0.61 m (right).

Ionizing radiation leads to exosome secretion in macrophages through MYC-mediated pathways

Exosomes are cell-derived vesicles that play a crucial role in intracellular communication and are promising biomarkers for therapeutic applications. Despite their significant potential, the application of exosomes as biological therapeutics is limited by their low yield and inconsistent production quality. Ionizing radiation is known to enhance exosome release; however, this effect has been primarily studied in cancer cells. Given the critical role of macrophages in immune regulation and their potential for exosome-based therapies, we investigated the impact of gamma radiation on the secretion of macrophage-derived exosomes. This study demonstrated that gamma radiation significantly enhanced exosome release by both naïve and polarized macrophages. This effect was associated with the overexpression of Myh10 and Myo5b, the motor proteins that play crucial roles in exosome biogenesis and secretion. Furthermore, RNA sequencing and western blot analyses identified the EGFR/IGFR-MYC signaling axis as a key upstream pathway regulating the expression of Myh10 and Myo5b, thereby accelerating exosome secretion. These findings provide a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying radiation-induced exosome secretion from macrophages and offer a novel strategy for optimizing exosome production to advance exosome-based therapeutic applications.

Virtual reality and hypnosis for symptom alleviation before bone marrow procedure

RETRACTED: Optimization of house price evaluation model based on multi-source geographic big data and deep neural network

The real estate market requires effective and precise house price prediction, as conventional models often face difficulties in generalization, computational efficiency, and interpretability. The research problem is addressed by introducing the House Price Evaluation Model (HPEM), which utilizes a hybrid deep learning network for analyzing multi-source geographic data. The network integrates the attention mechanism with spatial feature extraction, and a bat optimization algorithm is used to improve explainability and accuracy. The gathered properties are processed using normalized techniques to convert unstructured data into structured data, which directly improves the overall prediction accuracy. The bat-optimized attention mechanism with spatial networks dynamically arranges high-impact features to effectively address unstable feature importances, computation inefficiency, and poor generalization issues. In addition, the echolocation-inspired approach explores optimal solutions by balancing exploration and exploitation, thereby minimizing the deviation between the outputs and reducing training time by 30% compared to existing methods. The efficiency of the system is then evaluated using the Housing Price Dataset information, where HPEM achieves 98.5% feature stability, 1.2 hours of human-in-loop updates, and a 4.2% mean absolute error (MAE) under distribution shifts. The effective exploration of dynamic features through bat optimization integration yields 15% closer convergences, enhancing regulatory compliance and accuracy. Therefore, the developed model is effectively utilized in real estate valuation schemes.

Novel small molecule inhibitor of GPR68 attenuates endothelial dysfunction and lung injury caused by bacterial lipopolysaccharide

Abstract The treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) associated with high mortality remains a major global clinical challenge. Role of pulmonary endothelial dysfunction in uncontrolled lung inflammation and alveolar flooding is increasingly recognized. GPR68 is a member of proton-sensing G protein-coupled receptor family and highly expressed in pulmonary vascular endothelial cells (EC). Although GPR68 has been implicated in flow-induced, EC-dependent vasodilation, its role in endothelial dysfunction caused by ARDS-related insults remains unknown. Herein, we assessed the role of a first-in-class GPR68 inhibitor ogremorphin (OGM-8345) discovered by our group in modulating pulmonary EC dysfunction and lung injury in mice caused by bacterial lipopolysaccharide LPS. GPCR activation Tango assay showed that LPS-induced EC barrier failure was associated with increased GPR68 activity and was suppressed by OGM-8345. OGM-8345, but not GPR4 inhibitor NE52-QQ57, strongly attenuated LPS-induced paracellular gap formation, adherence junction disassembly and EC hyper-permeability, suppressed activation of the NF-kB pathway, and blocked LPS-induced protein expression of EC adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 and transcriptional activation of cytokines and chemokines. Beneficial effects of OGM-8345 were also observed in the clinically relevant post-treatment model of EC dysfunction caused by LPS or synthetic TLR4 activator, CRX-527. Protective effects of OGM-8345 were observed in lung EC from both macrovascular and microvascular beds. In vivo, OGM-8345 ameliorated vascular leak and inflammation in mouse lungs exposed to LPS, as determined by Evans blue extravasation assay, total cell and protein content in bronchoalveolar lavage samples, and mRNA levels of inflammatory marker genes in lung tissue. Taken together, these findings uncover a role of GPR68 in propagation of EC barrier compromise and inflammation caused by bacterial agents and suggest a therapeutic potential of GPR68-selective inhibitor in improving EC dysfunction and lung injury.

Economic evaluation of dialysis treatment in end-stage renal disease patients with fluid and sodium overload: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial in Thailand

Given the lack of cost-effectiveness information, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) with icodextrin (CAPD+ICO) has not yet been included in the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-utility of dialysis treatments for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients with fluid and sodium overload, comparing CAPD+ICO and automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) against glucose-based CAPD. A Markov model was applied to evaluate lifetime costs and health outcomes from a societal perspective. Data, including transitional probabilities, direct medical and non-medical costs, and utilities, were collected from randomized controlled trials conducted across 16 hospitals in various regions of Thailand. Compared to glucose-based CAPD, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for CAPD+ICO was 908,440 THB (26,082 USD) per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained, while APD was dominated, incurring higher costs and yielding fewer QALYs. The results indicated that glucose-based CAPD had a 90% probability of being the most cost-effective option from a societal perspective, based on Thailand’s willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of 160,000 THB (4,603 USD) per QALY gained. Therefore, CAPD+ICO is not considered a good value for money, requiring an additional annual budget of approximately 58 million THB (2 million USD). These findings provide important economic evaluation evidence to support policy decision-making alongside clinical effectiveness and equity considerations in guiding future UHC benefit package decisions for dialysis modalities among ESRD patients with fluid and sodium overload in Thailand.

The effects of moisture and aging conditions on the cohesive and adhesive debonding of asphalt mixture using thermodynamical and mechanical methods

Quantum-topological meta-learning for tire-road contact stability and multi-modal road prediction in autonomous driving

This paper addresses the critical challenge of tire-road contact dynamics in intelligent transportation systems, particularly for Level 4 autonomous driving. Traditional empirical models fail to accurately predict tire behavior on unstructured road surfaces, especially under low-adhesion conditions, leading to control delays and safety risks. To address these issues, we propose a novel dual-drive architecture that integrates Quantum Topological Field Theory with meta-learning techniques. A differential homeomorphism model is developed for tire contact stability, using Seiberg-Witten instanton decomposition to create a quantized representation of the contact stress field. Additionally, a multi-modal road prediction system is introduced, combining CBAM-LSTM quantum feature extraction with MAML meta-learning to generalize acceleration signals across different road conditions. Experimental validation on a hardware-in-the-loop platform demonstrates that the system reduces braking distance on ice to 32.1 meters, 38.7% shorter than traditional ABS, and achieves a slip rate control error of 1.8%. The quantum feature extraction accuracy reaches 98.5%, with a Wilson loop reconstruction error under 0.15%. This architecture overcomes key engineering challenges, providing a robust solution for L4 autonomous driving, with potential applications in tire health monitoring and intelligent road networks, enhancing safety and performance in real-world conditions.

Inhibition of cytotoxic fibrillation of human insulin using silver nanoparticles capped by aqueous extract of Echium amoenum

Metascientific replication project with the advanced meta-experimental protocol of the transparent psi project procedures for testing the precognitive effect claimed by Bem

This metascientific project studied the replicability of Bem Experiment 1, which had claimed a precognitive effect, i.e., the ability to successfully guess the outcome of future random events (Bem. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2011;100: 407−25). The use of advanced methodologies—based on the advanced meta-experimental protocol (AMP) and transparent psi project (TPP) procedures—reduced the risk of false discoveries as a function of (i) confirmation bias, (ii) non-transparency, and (iii) intrinsic measurement bias. The combined AMP-TPP test strategy performed three replication studies with a total of 26,483 participants resulting in N = 420,472 critical trials. Study 1 failed to replicate the precognitive effect. An exploratory analysis of Study 1 suggested an effect in the opposite direction than was originally predicted (49.48% ± 0.26 SE; N = 37,836). Study 2 confirmed this exploratory result using a high-powered replication design (49.65% ± 0.14 SE; p = 0.013; N = 127,000). Study 3 was unable to replicate the result from Study 2 (50.07% ± 0.11 SE; p = 0.496; N = 217,800). The results of Study 2 represent a rare example in psi research of the successful replication of an exploratory result using a confirmatory protocol. The source of the one-time confirmed anomalous result in Study 2 remains to be identified. This result presents either (i) a psi-derived anomaly that defies known physical laws, or (ii) a method-derived anomaly, e.g., a false-positive statistical finding. Using conventional standards, based on the lack of replicability in Study 3 and absence of an accepted scientific theory, the second scenario appears more plausible. This AMP-TPP metascientific project demonstrated the use of advanced controls for assessing the reliability of the employed scientific process. This project shows how rigor-enhancing test strategies can improve the reliability, not only of psi research, but any type of weak-effects experiments, including in psychology.