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An integrated neutrosophic Z-numbers based CRITIC-EDAS decision model for smart solar panel evaluation in sustainable energy planning

Determining the global citizenship tendencies of international university students for a sustainable world

This study examines the relationship between the global citizenship awareness of international students studying at universities in Turkey and their orientation toward sustainability. While global citizenship and sustainability have often been explored separately in the literature, the way international students connect these two concepts has not been sufficiently addressed. Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed. Quantitative data were collected from 634 international students (323 women, 311 men) enrolled at four Turkish universities using the Global Citizenship Scale. Qualitative data were gathered through face-to-face interviews with 37 volunteer students. Quantitative findings indicated a moderate level of global citizenship awareness among students. In contrast, qualitative results revealed a more nuanced and higher level of awareness, with students demonstrating the ability to interpret global citizenship from multiple perspectives. Both sets of findings suggest that students develop awareness of environmental and social issues, that active participation enhances their global citizenship awareness, and that they adopt sustainable living practices (e.g., sustainable consumption, resource management). Furthermore, many participants reported applying global citizenship principles in their daily lives. These findings suggest that international students can play a significant role in promoting sustainability and global awareness. The study highlights the importance of integrating global citizenship and sustainability education into higher education curricula to strengthen students’ roles as agents of sustainable change.

Hydraulic and ecological comparison of Gabion and reinforced Earth revetments in Keelung river Taiwan

Astaxanthin limits atherosclerosis and dysmetabolism in mice by attenuating inflammatory cell recruitment and signaling

Introduction Astaxanthin (ASX) has demonstrated various cardioprotective effects, including reductions in body weight, adipose tissue mass, hypertension, myocardial infarct size, and oxidative stress markers. Despite these findings, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study examines the role of ASX in murine atherosclerosis and metabolic derangements induced by atherogenic diet, aiming to gain a deeper understanding of its biological effects and potential therapeutic applications. Methods Ldlr-/- mice were fed a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet (HCD) for 16 weeks, receiving 70 mg/kg ASX or vehicle every other day. A week before the study ended, glucose and insulin tolerance tests were performed. Plaque size in the aorta was analyzed via histology (Oil-red-O and Masson’s trichrome). Flow cytometry assessed immune cells from blood, aorta, adipose tissue, and cytokines in plasma. Additional mice underwent intravital microscopy for further investigation. Results The overall body weight of animals treated with ASX or vehicle did not differ. ASX-treated mice showed a reduced abundance of peripheral monocytes by 34%, lower numbers of leukocytes in adipose tissue depots, and improved glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity compared with animals receiving vehicle. White adipose mass decreased while brown adipose and muscle mass increased in mice treated with ASX. Atherosclerotic lesions of Ldlr -/- mice receiving ASX were significantly smaller and contained fewer lipids (3.3 vs 2.6 x 10 5 µm2) and M1 macrophages (0.97 vs 0.42x10 3 ) but increased collagen, in line with a more stable plaque phenotype. Mechanistic experiments revealed that ASX attenuated leukocyte recruitment (43% ± 1.87) to the vessel wall in intravital microscopy and dampened inflammatory signaling through Mitogen-activated protein kinases. Conclusion ASX treatment reduces experimental atherosclerosis and blunts metabolic syndrome features in mice. This effect is linked to reduced leukocyte recruitment and systemic/local inflammation. The findings support ASX’s potential in treating atherosclerosis and metabolic diseases, offering new mechanistic insights and ultimately warrant the rigorous clinical evaluation of such putative effects.

Quantum confinement and coherent transport in ultrathin $${\mathbf {{{Bi}_{2}}}\mathbf {{Se}_{3}}}$$ nanoribbons

Abstract In recent years much progress has been made in realizing topological insulator (TI) nanostructures where the reduced dimensions should help to diminish the contributions from bulk carriers and enhance quantum confinement. Though nm thick 3D-TI nanoribbons exhibiting topological properties are still difficult to reproducibly synthesize. Here we demonstrate the growth of ultrathin $${\mathbf {{{Bi}_{2}}}\mathbf {{Se}_{3}}}$$ nanoribbons by a simple catalyst-free physical-vapour deposition, where the tuning of the material evaporation time plays a crucial role in determining the ultimate thickness of the nanoribbons. Magnetotransport and Hall effect measurements show that at thicknesses close to 10 nm the transport features are affected by Altshuler-Aronov-Spivak like coherent orbits at low magnetic fields, while Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations take over at high fields. The observed phenomena originate from the topological surface states and dominate the nanoribbon transport. Ultrathin nanoribbons also show pronounced conductance oscillations as a function of gate voltage, that can be attributed to ballistic transport and quantized sub-bands. The results highlight the importance of material growth to exploit the unique properties of topological surface states, establishing 3D-TI nanoribbons as a promising platform for a variety of novel applications.

Correction: Using of human capital management in small and medium-sized enterprises in context of Industry 4.0

Disproportionality analysis comparing safety profiles of sonidegib and vismodegib based on the FAERS database

Patient experiences with liraglutide for obesity and binge eating disorder–A qualitative study

Introduction Obesity is a growing health concern and a known risk factor for binge eating disorder (BED). BED is characterized by episodes of overeating with a loss of control, often leading to psychological distress. In some cases, medication may be recommended to manage depressive symptoms and support weight loss. Liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog, works by targeting the brain’s reward system to reduce psychological stress and enhance feelings of fullness. However, there is limited research on the use of liraglutide for patients with both obesity and BED. This qualitative study aimed to investigate how patients with these conditions experience treatment with liraglutide. Methods A qualitative design with individual semi-structured, in-depth interviews was employed. Eight informants aged 25–60 years were interviewed, and data were analyzed using systematic text condensation. Results Two main themes, each with three associated subthemes, emerged. The first main theme was: The role of food on the expression of BED , with subthemes: Food as an emotion regulator, Persistent thoughts on eating and dieting , and Emotional and situational triggers for binge eating . The second main theme was Experiences with liraglutide in managing BED , with subthemes: Meeting emotional and physical needs, Reducing thoughts about food , and Decreasing triggers for eating . The experiences with medication (main theme 2) influenced the expression of BED (main theme 1) as informants reported that liraglutide impacted their BED symptoms. Discussion Findings suggest that patients with obesity and BED found liraglutide helpful in addressing emotional and physical needs, enhancing emotional well-being, social interactions, and overall quality of life. Further qualitative research is needed to explore the long-term impact of liraglutide on emotional and behavioral changes in this population.

Evaluation of (Z)-endoxifen as a potential therapy for glioblastoma multiforme through computational and experimental analyses

Research on wind comfort regulation strategies for public spaces in aged residential communities of cold regions during windy spring seasons

In this study, the outdoor space of an aged residential community in Zhangjiakou, China, where strong winds frequently occur during the spring season, was investigated for environmental modifications. The study employed Rayman software to analyze the acceptable outdoor wind comfort range for residents, and utilized EDDY 3D simulation software to simulate and assess the current outdoor wind environment in the district. The analysis revealed that wind comfort was inadequate in several outdoor activity areas. The study suggests that the combination of landscape walls, enclosed spaces, and windbreak plants can effectively enhance wind environment conditions. The results indicate that: (1) The opening at the bottom of the wind-blocking wall can improve the static wind area at the corner, promote air circulation, and prevent pollutant accumulation. The larger the opening, the broader the influence of the wind shadow area and the greater the wind comfort area. (2) In cubic outdoor enclosed spaces, the degree of enclosure affects wind field conditions. Among these, the primary factor in enhancing the wind comfort area is the level and quantity of shelters perpendicular to the wind direction; the wind velocity variation in the wind shadow area is positively correlated with the degree of space enclosure. (3) Among the combinations of windbreak plants, the landscape configurations featuring equal height and gradient elevation arrangements. (4) After implementing the above three strategies to renovate the outdoor space of aged residential community, a computer simulation indicated that, under prevailing spring wind conditions, the wind-comfortable outdoor area increased from 40.26% to 79.84% demonstrate superior wind protection efficacy.

Discovery of α-glucosidase inhibitors from Paenibacillus sp. JNUCC 31 via genome mining, fatty acid profiling, and in silico analysis

SR-LMamba: A lane detection model for complex scenes integrating curvelet transform with Mamba architecture

Lane detection seeks to accurately identify the position and geometry of lane markings in real-world driving environments. However, existing models often struggle with robustness and accuracy due to insufficient integration of high-level semantic understanding and low-level geometric features. To tackle these limitations, we propose SR-LMamba, a novel lane detection framework built upon the Sketch-and-Refine paradigm of SRLane. At the core of our approach lies LMamba, a lightweight three-stage backbone network that accelerates inference while effectively capturing both geometric structures and sequential patterns through a synergistic combination of curvelet transform and the Mamba architecture. In the Refine stage, we introduce the Criss-Cross Lane Association Module (CLAM), which employs a multi-lane criss-cross attention mechanism to enhance feature interactions and applies polynomial regression to refine lane curve fitting. To further boost performance, we design tailored loss functions—angle loss and criss-cross attention loss—aligned with the model architecture. Experimental results show that SR-LMamba achieves an F1 score of 80.04%, outperforming current state-of-the-art models with similar parameter sizes, and demonstrating superior robustness across four challenging driving scenarios. In addition, we publicly release our code and models at https://github.com/chenml1/SR-LMamba .

Endoscopic negative pressure therapy as a salvage treatment for management of post-surgical anastomotic leaks without ostomy after colorectal resection

Abstract Anastomotic leakage (AL) after lower gastrointestinal surgery remains a serious complication with an incidence of 3–30%. Influencing factors include perfusion deficits, tension, inflammation, malnutrition, medications, and previous therapies. Surgical technique and type of anastomosis are also crucial. While various strategies for early detection and management exist, endoscopic negative pressure therapy (ENPT) has shown promising therapeutic benefits. This study evaluates the technique and outcomes of ENPT for treating AL. In this retrospective analysis, 59 patients with grade B AL following rectal resection between June 2016 and February 2022 were included. Patients had endoscopically or radiologically confirmed AL with pelvic abscess and were treated with ENPT. Exclusion criteria included relaparotomy, CT-guided drainage, sealant use, and irrigation without ENPT. Outcomes included leakage closure, abscess recurrence, sepsis, ostomy closure rate, and complications. Of the 59 patients, 16 received ENPT without an ostomy; 10 of these achieved complete healing. Median ENPT duration was 4 weeks. Higher anastomosis levels correlated with better healing. Factors such as leak type, abscess size, and chronicity influenced outcomes. Reported complications included rectovaginal fistula and anastomotic stenosis. ENPT is a safe and effective approach for AL, often avoiding permanent ostomies. A structured, endoscopy-led treatment strategy is essential.

Dynamic forecasting and mechanisms of volatility synchronization in complex financial systems

Synchronization, which has been a common natural phenomenon, occurs frequently in complex financial systems and is an important contagion mechanism for systemic financial risks and even financial crises. In view of this, we construct a coupled stochastic volatility model and its volatility synchronization analysis framework and combine machine learning methods and rolling cycle window to propose a prediction method for dynamic volatility synchronization. Taking the Shanghai Composite Index (SSEC) and Shenzhen Component Index (SZI) as binary synchronization examples, we analyze the dynamic forecasting performance of the proposed method in an in-sample and out-of-sample empirical comparison by combining multiple loss functions and Superior Predictive Ability (SPA) tests for high-frequency data. It is found that the in-sample estimates of our proposed model are highly consistent with the market behavior and that the model outperforms other models in predicting stock market volatility synchronization accuracy. In addition, by combining dynamic simulation with multivariate empirical mechanism analysis, our methodology not only explores synchronization dynamics but also identifies significant risk events, providing a comprehensive framework for understanding complex system behaviors.

A neural network for traffic flow prediction with parallel processing of expanded convolutional and radial networks

A method for quantifying parallel growth between neuronal dendritic branches in vitro

The morphology of dendritic trees critically shapes how neurons integrate and compute synaptic inputs. Dendritic morphogenesis results from the growth and spatial organization of branches, driven by intrinsic genetic programs, extrinsic environmental signals, activity-dependent processes, and spatial mechanisms such as tiling, avoidance, and overlap. Given their intricate architecture, particularly when branches overlap, developing methods to analyze and automate the quantification of this complexity is essential. Two-dimensional (2D) neuronal cultures provide a simplified framework for studying dendritic growth patterns but remain challenging to analyze due to network complexity, overlapping branches, and imaging limitations. Existing analysis tools often require substantial manual input or computational resources, limiting accessibility. We focused on measuring parallel growth between neighboring branches, a behavior frequently observed both in vivo and in culture. To address this challenge, we developed SOA.2.0 , a streamlined software platform for automated segmentation and orientation analysis of dendritic branches in 2D fluorescence images. SOA.2.0 improves the precision of morphological measurements, particularly branch parallelism, while remaining adaptable across diverse cellular and network models. Using SOA.2.0 , we quantified the extent of parallel growth among dendritic branches in cultured hippocampal neurons and compared these measurements with simulated random branch distributions. Our analysis revealed that parallel growth is a prevalent and non-random phenomenon, occurring among both sister and primarily non-sister branches of all generations, with frequencies significantly exceeding those observed in simulated random distributions. This behavior was frequently observed in relatively large groups of branches, sometimes up to eight, that extended for dozens of microns. Notably, this pattern was not detected in astrocytic processes within the culture. These results indicate that parallel branch growth is a prominent feature of dendritic architecture and may contribute to shaping the structural organization of neuronal networks, offering new insights into the mechanisms underlying their development and function.

Synergistic efficacy of extract of Jatropha curcas seeds and enzyme extract of Serratia marcescens against Spodoptera frugiperda under greenhouse conditions

Vocalization behaviors in captive bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis)

Odontocetes rely on vocalizations for navigation, foraging, and communication. Their vocalization patterns are associated with environmental conditions and behavioral contexts, particularly in captive populations. This study investigated the vocalization behaviors of captive bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) and rough-toothed dolphins ( Steno bredanensis ) using continuous acoustic monitoring. The focus was on their responses to human-involved training and feeding activities. Comparative analyses revealed that rough-toothed dolphins produced significantly more clicks and fewer whistles than bottlenose dolphins ( p  < 0.05). During training, bottlenose dolphins reduced their click rate by 41% but increased whistle production by 125%. In contrast, rough-toothed dolphins showed no significant change in click emissions (from 643.9/min to 597.4/min, p  > 0.05), but significantly reduced whistles by 56% ( p  < 0.05). Neither species exhibited significant changes in vocalization during feeding. However, rough-toothed dolphins shifted their predominant whistle type from “constant” to “sinusoidal”, while bottlenose dolphins changed from “constant” to “upsweep” during feeding. These findings offer valuable insights expanding current knowledge of dolphin vocal patterns under captivity and establish baseline information potentially supporting acoustic assessment of captive dolphin welfare, particularly for the understudied rough-toothed dolphin.

Integrated evaluation of methidathion-induced toxicity in Allium cepa with a multifactorial biological approach

Blood urea nitrogen to serum albumin ratio predicts 28-day and 90-day mortality in patients with acute pancreatitis: A retrospective cohort study

Background Acute pancreatitis is a prevalent and severe digestive disease with significant mortality. Early identification of high-risk patients is essential for improving outcomes. The ratio of blood urea nitrogen to albumin (BAR) has emerged as a potential prognostic predictor in various critical illnesses. This study explores the associations between BAR and 28-day and 90-day mortality in acute pancreatitis patients. Methods This retrospective cohort study enrolled patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database. BAR was calculated using initial blood urea nitrogen and serum albumin. Patients were categorized into three groups according to the tertiles (T1-T3) of BAR values. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and restricted cubic spline (RCS) curve assessed the impact of BAR on overall survival. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to determine association of BAR with 28-day and 90-day mortality in acute pancreatitis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was employed to assess the predictive value of BAR for 28-day and 90-day mortality in acute pancreatitis. Results In this study, 452 patients with acute pancreatitis were analyzed, with 28-day mortality rate of 11.7% and 90-day mortality rate of 13.7%. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated a notable increase in mortality rates at 28 days and 90 days among patients with elevated BAR levels (Log-rank P  < 0.001). Moreover, RCS curve demonstrated a linear and positive relationship between BAR levels and mortality rates at 28 days and 90 days after adjusting all covariates. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified BAR as an independent risk factor for 28-day and 90-day mortality. Subgroup analysis confirmed a consistent correlation between elevated BAR levels and poor outcomes in acute pancreatitis patients. The area under the curve (AUC) of BAR for predicting 28-day and 90-day mortality was 0.802 and 0.798 respectively, both performing comparably to the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II). Conclusion Higher BAR values were significantly associated with increased 28-day and 90-day mortality in acute pancreatitis patients. Moreover, BAR may serve as a simple and effective tool for identifying higher death risk of patients with acute pancreatitis.