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Genetic diversity, population structure and quality-trait associations in Blumea balsamifera revealed by EST-SSR markers
Blumea balsamifera is a widely used ancient medicinal herb in tropical and subtropical Asia. Studying the genetic diversity of B. balsamifera germplasm resources and developing molecular markers related to the content of active constituents in B. balsamifera are of great significance for breeding varieties with high active ingredient content. In this study, the contents of 6 key active constituents were determined in 51 B. balsamifera accessions. EST-SSR markers were used to study their genetic diversity. At the same time, genetic structure analysis and linkage disequilibrium analysis were performed. On this basis, association analysis between EST-SSR markers and active ingredient content was performed. Quantitative analysis revealed substantial variation in six bioactive compounds, with coefficients of variation (CV) exceeding 50% across all metabolites. This result revealed its suitability for association analysis. Genetic diversity analysis revealed a total of 102 alleles amplified from 22 pairs of primers, with effective alleles accounting for 53.52%. The average polymorphism information content was 0.488, with 9 pairs of primers exhibiting high polymorphism (PIC > 0.5), 11 pairs of primers showing moderate polymorphism (0.25 < PIC < 0.5). The proposed primers demonstrated strong effectiveness and good polymorphism. The average Nei diversity index and Shannon information index were 0.542 and 1.023, respectively, indicating a high level of genetic diversity within the population. UPGMA clustering and population structure analyses classified the 51 accessions into four distinct groups correlated with geographical origins. LD analysis indicated over 50% of marker pairs showed substantial linkage (D’ > 0.5), validating the suitability of this germplasm set for association mapping. Association analysis between quality traits and EST-SSR markers showed that, in both GLM and MLM models, Bbf137 and Bbf377 were found to be associated with 3,3’,5,7-tetrahydroxy-4’- methoxyflavanone (TMF, P < 0.05) and Blumeatin (P < 0.01) respectively. These findings lay a robust foundation for future breeding strategies and genetic enhancement of B. balsamifera.
Chaotic billiards optimized hybrid transformer and XGBoost model for robust and sustainable time series forecasting
Abstract Accurate wind speed forecasting plays a key role in supporting renewable energy systems, improving flight safety, and enhancing weather prediction. However, the variability and non-stationary nature of wind patterns make reliable forecasting a difficult task. To address these issues, this research proposes a hybrid approach that combines Wavelet Transform (WT) decomposition, an Encoder-Decoder Transformer, and XGBoost in an ensemble setup. To fine-tune model parameters efficiently, the method incorporates the Chaotic Billiards Optimizer (CBO) alongside the Adam optimizer. In this framework, WT helps break down wind speed signals into different frequency bands, capturing both short-term changes and long-term behavior. The Transformer model focuses on learning complex time-based dependencies, while XGBoost adds robustness to the final predictions by reducing overfitting and improving generalization. The model forecasts wind speed values on an hourly basis, up to 24 h ahead. The use of CBO ensures efficient convergence with minimal parameter tuning, making the model suitable for large-scale datasets compared to conventional optimizers, including Adam, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Genetic Algorithms (GA). When tested on real wind speed data collected from Egypt via the Open-Meteo platform, the proposed model showed strong performance. It achieved a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 0.0218, Mean Squared Error (MSE) of 0.0008, and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) of 0.0290, along with an R² score of 0.9625, MAPE of 11.97%, and an Explained Variance Score (EVS) of 0.9521. These results were better than those from models like Linear Regression, SVR, LSTM, and even standalone Transformer and XGBoost. Overall, this hybrid method provides a reliable and efficient solution for wind speed forecasting in the context of sustainable energy planning.
Racial and linguistic ideologies and formative assessment practices of U.S. science teachers: A preregistered conceptual replication and extension
Language, race, and racism are deeply connected in the United States and throughout the world. Over the past 10 years, a growing body of research has argued that many language ideologies and racial ideologies are closely associated with each other. However, few studies have sought to quantify these proposed associations by directly measuring the language ideologies, racial ideologies, and language-related behaviors of participants. In a recently published study of K-12 preservice teachers, we identified substantial correlations between racial ideologies and seemingly race-neutral language ideologies, as well as correlations between these language ideologies and the written feedback participants generated during formative assessment of student science writing. These findings have important implications for the social sciences; however, their significance is contingent in part on their reproducibility and generalizability. For this reason, we conducted a preregistered conceptual replication and extension using a larger sample of current U.S. science teachers (n = 387 teachers from 42 U.S. states). We demonstrate that all but one of the findings from our previous study are successfully replicated, and we identify several new findings. We discuss implications for research in science education, linguistic anthropology, social psychology, and sociology.
CFD, energy, and exergy analysis and sustainability indicators of tilapia fish strips drying using an evacuated tubes indirect solar dryer
Abstract This study evaluates the performance of an evacuated tube indirect solar dryer (ETISD) for drying tilapia strips at three thicknesses (4, 8, and 12 mm) using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), energy-exergy analysis, and sustainability indicators. CFD simulations were employed to analyze airflow patterns, temperature distribution, and velocity profiles inside the drying room (DR) across five air velocities (0.02–0.06 m/s). The optimal air flow rate of 0.03 m3/s provided a uniform drying temperature of 74.82 °C, at solar noon. Simulations over two consecutive drying days (8 a.m.–5 p.m.) further assessed thermal and aerodynamic behavior, enhancing system optimization. Energy analysis revealed that the evacuated tube solar collector (ETSC) achieved a maximum input energy of 1311.8 W and useful energy of 682.5 W, with energy efficiencies of 44.5–51.2% (ETSC) and 16.18–21.57% (ETISD). Exergy efficiencies ranged from 8.51 to 21.99% (ETSC) and 29.23–84.76% (ETISD), highlighting thermodynamic performance. Sustainability indicators, including improvement potential (IP) (2.71–6.69 W), waste exergy ratio (WER) (1.15–1.36), and sustainability index (SI) (1.09–1.28), demonstrated the system’s environmental and operational viability. These findings underscore the ETISD’s effectiveness for sustainable tilapia drying, balancing energy efficiency, thermal performance, and ecological impact.
Super-resolution spectroscopy with ‘spiky’ X-ray lasers
Digital economy development and global value chain network centralization
The development of the digital economy significantly relies on promoting economic liberalization and achieving high-end embedding of manufacturing into the global value chain (GVC). Based on the heterogeneous firm model, this paper introduces the factors of digital economy development, aggregates the production behavior of firms at the national level, and empirically examines the effects of digital economy development on the centralization of the GVC network and the internal mechanisms. The results show that the development of the digital economy significantly enhances a country’s centralization of GVC network, primarily through enhancing productivity and alleviating resource misallocation. Meanwhile, digital economy development contributes more to the centralization of the GVC network in developed countries and high institutional quality industries. Further analysis shows that digital economy development not only enhances a country’s centralization of GVC network but also extends the length of a country’s GVC and promotes a country to climb up the GVC.
Urolithin A suppressed osteosarcoma cell migration and invasion via targeting MMPs and AKT1
‘The Health-Secure Partnership’: Study protocol for the development of a school- & community-based intervention for promoting healthy nutrition among rural adolescents in The Gambia
Introduction Interventions addressing malnutrition (under- and overnutrition) among adolescents have not been developed in The Gambia. We aim to coproduce the first phase of ‘The Health-Secure Partnership’ (HSP) – an innovative multicomponent intervention for adolescents in rural areas of The Gambia. Inference drawn from existing evidence and public contribution suggest that the future intervention would ideally involve nutrition-specific components coupled with changes to wider school and community contexts, delivered in partnerships between schools and local communities. Methods The design of HSP is underpinned by health promoting school and community centred approaches, informed by a systems-thinking lens. The project activities will be conducted in three linked stages. Stage 1: Current nutrition-related activities and environments will be observed in four rural Gambian schools, their local village communities, and one additional village which does not have a school. Around 50 key stakeholders (such as teachers, parents, community members, and wider systems stakeholders) will complete questionnaires on their views on the current nutrition-related context and systems, cultural norms, and actions needed to address adolescent malnutrition. Focus groups and interviews will then be conducted with approximately 70 adolescent girls and boys to understand their experiences and opinions about their intervention needs. Stage 2: Potential intervention components, session content and mode/s of delivery will be explored in meetings and workshops with the consortium and stakeholders (including adolescents) to achieve consensus on the intervention format. Examples of session content, and intervention resources will be made, and a community event held to see what the public think of the ideas and materials. Stage 3: A description of the intervention and a codesigned evaluation plan will be documented. Dissemination will include publications, presentations, song and drama to suit a range of audiences (adolescents and their communities, other stakeholders, academics, and policy makers). Discussion This study protocol presents our plans for the HSP intervention development project, addressing a critical gap in the evidence base. Findings will inform subsequent research phases exploring the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention among adolescents.
Microfluidic lab-on-chip design for efficient relative humidity sensing using a capacitive transducer
Abstract Recent advancements in microelectronics have provided substantial motivation for ongoing innovation within the domain of sensor and measurement technologies. The application of humidity sensors across diverse settings has been integral to system monitoring initiatives. There exists potential for further enhancements aimed at the development of sensors that are not only more efficient and safer but also more conducive to human interaction. The sensors thus developed and presented in this article hold promise for deployment in pioneering applications, offering precision measurements surpassing those of traditional sensors. Moreover, these advanced sensors are poised to be integral components of emergent applications in biomedical research and energy harvesting technologies. In this study, a lab-on-a-chip (LOC) design that uses microfluidic principles is designed and implemented. The proposed design is concerned with measuring the relative humidity of the surrounding medium using a capacitive transducer. The proposed methodology is designed, implemented, and tested on a low-cost experimental setup; results were recorded using LabVIEW. Achieving a resolution of 33.993 mL/V with a sensitivity of 0.0596 V m/F and noise tolerance of 2.028 V, the system successfully demonstrated its capability by implementing a prototype that charges a 22 pF capacitor. While the observed capacitance change and corresponding voltage output remain too low for direct device charging, this proof-of-concept demonstrates the potential of harvesting ambient moisture-driven energy. Further work on materials and circuit design will be needed to quantify power output and advance toward sustainable mobile-device charging.
The breakthrough proof bringing mathematics closer to a grand unified theory
Addressing food insecurity among U.S. refugees, considering the temporal patterns of food insecurity after resettlement: Qualitative insights from Utah
Background Refugees experience high rates of food insecurity (FI) and its associated health outcomes, such as depression and hypertension. Prior research has identified barriers in accessing food among U.S. refugees. What remains unknown is when accessing food becomes a problem for U.S. refugees and what their preferred strategies are to address FI. Therefore, the objectives were to explore FI experiences among refugees to identify time points at which accessing food becomes a problem and to identify refugees’ preferred strategies to address FI. Methods In collaboration with one of the U.S. resettlement agencies in Utah, refugees were recruited for semi-structured interviews using convenience and snowball sampling. Thirty-six interviews were conducted between July and September 2024, in four different languages: English (4 interviews), Dari (6), Arabic (12), and Kinyarwanda (14). Interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results FI was at its peak among refugees at four time points. First, when they found their first job in the U.S. Second, after six months in the U.S., when they had to renew their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) application. Third, when they were no longer receiving caseworkers’ support from resettlement agencies. Fourth, when they faced fluctuations in employment or household expenditures. Refugees’ preferred strategies to address FI were addressing language barriers, providing a champion to check on them frequently and help when needed, providing information on addressing unmet needs, extending and expanding SNAP benefits, and providing gardens to grow food. Conclusion Four time points when refugees are at higher risk of FI were identified. Community organizations, policymakers, and resettlement agencies should therefore develop interventions to address FI among refugees, specifically around these four time points and informed by refugees’ preferred strategies.
Green first derivative synchronous spectrofluorimetric determination of lacidipine and its acid degradation product in plasma and mixtures
Abstract One of the main objectives of this study is to find an analysis method that has a low environmental and health impact and contributes to achieving sustainability. A simple and sensitive method was established for determination of lacidipine in pure active pharmaceutical ingredient, pharmaceutical formulation and spiked human plasma in presence of its acid induced degradation product. The native emission was measured at 430 nm after the excitation at 281 nm. A 0.5% Tween-80 solution was used to enhance fluorescence intensity. Peak amplitude of the first derivative synchronous was measured at 409 nm by using constant wavelength difference (Δλ = λem - λex = costant) which equal 160 nm. The regression plot of the proposed first derivative synchronous spectrofluorimetric method was found to be linear over the range of 50–300 ng/mL with a determination coefficient equals 0.9997, limit of detection (LOD) was 14.51 ng/mL but limit of quantification (LOQ) was 43.97 ng/mL.
Sternum drop during trip recovery differs between the laboratory and real world – An exploratory pilot study
The goal of this exploratory study was to compare sternum drop—the decrease in sternum height during an attempt to recover balance after tripping—between lab-induced trips and naturally occurring real-world trips. Twenty community-dwelling adults 71.8 (4.6) years old used three inertial measurement units (IMUs) and a wrist-worn voice recorder daily for three weeks to capture sternum drop during any naturally-occurring real-world trips. Participants then completed a single laboratory testing session during which they were intentionally exposed to two lab-induced trips while wearing the same IMUs to also evaluate sternum drop. All real-world trips resulted in recoveries while only 12 of the 22 lab-induced trips resulted in recoveries (the remaining 10 were falls). When including all lab-induced trips, sternum drop after real-world trips was 8.8 cm smaller (p < 0.001), exhibited less variance (p < 0.001), and was not associated with lab-induced trips (R2 = 0.005; p = 0.757). When only including lab-induced trips that resulted in recoveries, sternum drop after real-world trips did not differ from the lab (p = 0.163), exhibited less variance (p < 0.001) and was not associated with lab-induced trips (R2 = 0.006; p = 0.766). These results were likely dependent upon 1) our lab protocol that required participants to walk at a gait speed that was likely faster than typical gait speed in the real-world, and 2) the aggressive lab tripping obstacle height of 8.6 cm was likely taller than at least some real-world trips. While reducing gait speed and obstacle height in future laboratory studies may improve agreement with real-world trips, this would lower the physical demands during recovery and may not be as effective at revealing factors contributing to falls. Nevertheless, additional research appears warranted to clarify the linkage between lab and real-world trips. To our knowledge, this is the first study comparing tripping kinematics between the lab and real world.
Association between Non high density lipoprotein to high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and bone mineral density
Consensus on the descriptors, definitions, and reporting methods for heading in football studies: A Delphi study
Heading in football (soccer) is a complex skill involving deliberate head-to-ball contact, which may pose short-, medium-, and long-term risk to player brain health. However, understanding header exposure during matches and training sessions, as well as comparing header incidence between studies is currently challenging given the lack of standardisation in descriptors, definitions, and reporting methods. This Delphi study aimed to establish a consensus on the descriptors, definitions, and reporting methods for heading in football research to improve consistency and quality. The study involved 167 participants from diverse football-related backgrounds including coaches, players, medical personnel, and researchers, with consensus achieved to include 27 descriptors in minimum reporting criteria for heading in football research. An additional 27 descriptors were also defined for inclusion in an expanded framework. The operational definition of a header was standardised as “a head-to-ball contact where the player makes a deliberate movement to redirect the trajectory of the ball using their head.” The consensus framework provides a standardised approach to heading in football research to enhance data quality and comparability across studies. Improved header incidence data quality has the potential to contribute significantly to our understanding of the risks associated with heading in football to inform future research and practice guidelines.
Association between the glucose-to-potassium ratio and delirium in critically ill ICU patients: a retrospective study
Experimental investigation of surface roughness effects on energy harvesting from a piezoelectric eel behind a cylindrical bluff body
Due to dwindling energy reserves and the cost-effectiveness of installation, the global trajectory is shifting towards renewable energy sources as a proficient means of energy acquisition. Among these sources, hydropower stands out as it harnesses the kinetic energy of oceanic water flow to generate power. Various studies have harnessed vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) to generate power from a piezoelectric eel, showcasing the diverse applications of this technology. The present experimental study further explores this technology and investigates the effect of surface roughness of cylindrical bluff body on the energy harvested by piezoelectric eel using a low-speed water tunnel. The experiments were performed at four different roughness values (Ks/D) namely 2.21, 4.07, 9.85, and 13.97 microns for the cylinders with diameters of 25, 27, 27.2, and 27.5 mm, respectively. The Reynolds number in the present study is fixed at 8690. A total of hundred case studies were performed to analyze the effect of the surface roughness of the cylinder on energy harvesting performance from the eel. The flapping frequency, amplitude, and optimal power of the rough cylinders were analyzed and compared with that of smooth cylinders experimentally, and the optimum point (Gx=1.25, Gy=0) in terms of power was attained. Increased surface roughness significantly reduced power output, flapping frequency, and amplitude. The smoothest cylinder (Ks/D = 8.8×10−5) produced the highest power (52.325 µW), while the roughest (Ks/D = 5.08×10−4) resulted in a 6.26% decrease in power (36.4 µW), along with reductions of 4.5% in flapping frequency and 20% in amplitude. By increasing the surface roughness of the bluff body, the lock-in region decreases and as a result, the harvested power from that bluff body is reduced. Moreover, the power also decreased by increasing the distance between the cylinder and eel both in the x- and y-direction. The results of the current study provide deeper insights into the effect of surface roughness on energy harvesting from piezoelectric eel behind cylindrical bluff body, that are essential for the development of efficient energy harvesting systems. The findings of this study would be useful for the design of piezoelectric eel-based energy harvesting devices in marine environments.
Distribution and ecotoxicological assessment of trace elements and minerals in Nile Delta sediments using multitechnique analysis
Abstract This study assesses heavy metal contamination, trace elements, and mineral composition in Nile Delta sediments, a region critical for agriculture and ecology. Sediment samples (n = 23) were collected from key urban, agricultural, and industrial zones using a Van Veen grab sampler to capture spatial variability. Analytical techniques included X-ray fluorescence for elemental composition, particle size analysis for grain size distribution, and X-ray diffraction coupled with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy for mineral identification. All analyses followed strict QA/QC protocols, including certified reference materials and triplicate measurements. Statistical analyses (Descriptive Statistics, correlation, PCA) were applied to interpret spatial patterns. The elements analyzed included trace metals and oxides of major elements. Pollution indices—Pollution Loading Index (PLI), Geoaccumulation Index (I geo), Enrichment Factor, Contamination Factor, and Sediment Quality Guidelines—were used to assess contamination levels and ecological risks. Results showed transition metal concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 569.3 mg kg−1, with actual cadmium (Cd) concentrations of 1.0–4.3 mg kg−1. The contamination degree ranged from 9.47 to 23.10, indicating localized pollution. Sediments exhibited moderate nickel (Ni) contamination but were within safe limits for copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn). PLI values (0.18–1.09) indicated minimal contamination overall, except at sites E2 and G3. Grain size analysis revealed sand (3.56–95.49%) and clay (0.27–12.50%) variability, while mineralogical analysis identified quartz, calcite, aragonite, albite, microcline, and illite as dominant minerals. The study concludes that Nile Delta sediments are generally uncontaminated by heavy metals (supported by Igeo values), though localized contamination hotspots exist. This research provides novel insights into sediment contamination patterns, offering a critical baseline for environmental management.
Combination of modified albumin-bilirubin grade and platelet count to predict high-risk varices in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma
Background Variceal bleeding is associated with poor prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, it is essential to identify indicators of high-risk varices (HRV) and provide prompt intervention. Aim To validate and modify albumin-bilirubin and platelet scores to predict high-risk varices in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods We enrolled patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and esophagogastroduodenoscopy reports at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, between 2015 and 2022. The nearest demographic and clinical characteristics and laboratory values were reviewed retrospectively within 6 months before the esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Albumin-bilirubin and platelet counts were calculated from the albumin-bilirubin grade plus score from platelet count. We evaluated the new modified albumin-bilirubin and platelet (mALBI-PLT)‘s in predicting HRV by dividing participants into a training cohort (first half) and a validation cohort (second half). Results Of 564 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, 277 were included. Most patients (232 [83.8%]) had Child-Turcotte-Pugh A cirrhosis, whereas 131 (47.3%), 85 (30.7%), and 60 (22.0%) had Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stages A, B, and C, respectively. Thirty-eight (15.6%) participants had HRV on esophagogastroduodenoscopy. On multivariate analysis, modified albumin-bilirubin grades 2b and 3 and platelet count ≤150,000/µL were significantly associated with HRV. With a cut-off value of 2, the mALBI-PLT showed comparable performance in both cohorts, yielding sensitivities of 93.8% and 95.5%, and negative predictive values (NPV) of 98.1% and 98.0%, respectively. In the entire cohort, the albumin-bilirubin and platelet scores, and mALBI-PLT score >2, demonstrated excellent sensitivities (97.4% and 94.7%), respectively, (with NPV of 98.7% and 98.0%), in predicting HRV. Conclusion Modified albumin-bilirubin grade and platelet at cut-off 150,000/µL exhibited significant association with high-risk varices in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Moreover, hepatocellular carcinoma patients with modified albumin-bilirubin grade 1 or 2a, together with platelets > 150,000/µL, may be able to avoid oesophagogastroduodenoscopy.