Advancing Open Science

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) remains the predominant cause of global mortality, necessitating accurate incidence forecasting for effective prevention strategies. Existing statistical models inadequately capture nonlinear epidemiological patterns, while deep learning approaches lack clinical interpretability. We constructed an interpretable predictive framework combining particle swarm optimization (PSO), bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) networks, and a novel multi-scale attention mechanism. Age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 database (1990–2021) were stratified across 24 sex-age subgroups and processed through 10-year sliding windows with advanced feature engineering. SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) provided a three-level interpretability analysis (global, local, and component). The framework achieved superior performance metrics: mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.0164, root mean squared error (RMSE) of 0.0206, and R² of 0.97, demonstrating a 93.96% MAE reduction compared to ARIMA models and a 75.99% improvement over CNN–BiLSTM architectures. SHAP analysis identified females aged 60–64 years and males aged 85–89 years as primary predictive contributors. Architectural analysis revealed the residual connection captured 71.0% of the predictive contribution (main trends), while the BiLSTM–Attention pathway captured 29.0% (complex nonlinear patterns). This interpretable framework transforms opaque algorithms into transparent systems, providing precise epidemiological evidence for public health policy, resource allocation, and targeted intervention strategies for high-risk populations.

To ensure transparent Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), climate impacts from cattle production must be consistently allocated among meat, milk and raw hides. This review examines allocation boundaries, compares physical and economic methods, and evaluates the upstream burden attributable to hides using extensive data from the Italian beef sector. Three hypotheses were tested: that hides, as marketable co-products, bear a non-zero share of upstream emissions (H1); that the burden assigned by economic allocation is lower than that assigned by physical (mass-based) allocation (H2); that allocation shares vary over time according to hide/meat price ratios (H3). The results from large-scale Italian datasets confirmed all three hypotheses. Physical allocation attributed an average of 5.9% of live weight to hides, whereas economic allocation assigned an average of 2.7% in 2023, decreasing over the historical price series. Consistent with available inventories, the upstream carbon footprint of raw hides was found to range from 1.63 kg CO₂e/kg (economic allocation) to 3.55 kg CO₂e/kg (physical allocation) when GWP₁₀₀ was used. These findings demonstrate that neglecting co-product allocation leads to the systematic overestimation of the environmental impact of meat and the underestimation of the environmental impact of leather. Overall, economic allocation is the most appropriate and policy-aligned approach to hide accounting, reflecting market value and reducing methodological bias in beef-chain life cycle assessments (LCAs).

Reforestation efforts, notably the massive Grain for Green Project (GFGP), have significantly greened China’s Loess Plateau (LP) but intensified regional water limitations. This study aims to systematically characterize the spatio-temporal dynamics and the critical legacy effects of moisture stress on eWUE to evaluate ecosystem sustainability under accelerated climate change. Using 2001–2020 MODIS GPP and ET data and the comprehensive Temperature–Vegetation–Precipitation Drought Index (TVPDI), we analyzed the trends, spatial patterns, and lagged correlations on the LP. We find the LP’s mean eWUE was 1.302 g C kg⁻¹ H₂O, exhibiting a robust increasing trend of 0.001 g C kg⁻¹ H₂O a⁻¹ (p < 0.05), primarily driven by a faster increase in gross primary productivity (GPP) than evapotranspiration (ET). Spatially, areas with significant increases in eWUE concentrated in the afforested south and central LP. Concurrently, the region experienced a mild drought state (mean TVPDI: 0.557) with a concerning drying trend of 0.003 yeyr⁻¹, highlighting persistent water stress. Crucially, eWUE exhibited high and spatially divergent sensitivity to drought. A striking 69.64% of the region showed a positive correlation between eWUE and the TVPDI, suggesting that vegetation may adjust its physiological functions to adapt to drought. However, this correlation varied across vegetation types, with grasslands showing the highest positive correlation (0.415) while woody vegetation types largely showed a negative correlation. Most importantly, our analysis reveals a pronounced drought legacy effect: the correlation between eWUE and drought in the previous two years was stronger than in the current year, indicating multi-year cumulative moisture deficit rather than immediate climatic forcing (precipitation and temperature). These findings offer a critical scientific foundation for optimizing water resource management and developing resilient “right tree, right place” ecological restoration strategies on the LP, mitigating the ecological risks posed by prolonged drought legacy.

Background/Objectives: Excessive smartphone use may negatively affect cognitive functions, including attention. While sensorimotor rhythm, beta, and theta waves have been linked to concentration, the electroencephalography (EEG) frequency band that most reliably serves as a neurophysiological marker of concentration is unclear. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effects of glucose tablet candy ingestion on attention following smartphone use in healthy adults. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial was conducted in 16 healthy adults aged 18–39 years. Participants performed a 30 min smartphone-based information search task. Attention was assessed before and after the task using the Cognitrax test battery, and participants ingested either a glucose tablet candy (containing 26 g of glucose) or a placebo (no glucose) between tests. EEG was performed during attention tests using a patch-type device. Subjective sensations, including attention, fatigue, and mental clarity (clear-headedness), were evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS). The primary outcome was attention test scores, and secondary outcomes included EEG power and VAS ratings. Results: Glucose tablet candy ingestion after smartphone use significantly improved mean correct response time and error response scores in part 2 of the four-part continuous performance test, a subtest within Cognitrax, compared to that with the placebo. Additionally, glucose intake significantly attenuated the decrease in right prefrontal beta EEG power observed with the placebo. Improvements were also observed in self-reported physical fatigue and mental clarity on the VAS following glucose ingestion. Conclusions: The ingestion of the glucose (26 g) tablet candy improved sustained attention after smartphone use in healthy adults aged 18–39 years and was associated with changes in brain activity. These results suggest that the glucose tablet candy may help counteract the decline in concentration following cognitively demanding smartphone use.

With the increasing deployment of multi-wavelength free-space optical (FSO) systems in high-speed satellite data transmission, chromatic aberration has become one of the key factors limiting overall system performance. To address this challenge, this study proposes the integration of an achromatic metalens into a C-band FSO terminal. By employing a genetic algorithm (GA) for phase optimization, inter-wavelength phase compensation and focal consistency are achieved. The optimized metalens reduces the focal drift from 95 μm to 15 μm, representing an 84% reduction in focal deviation. System-level FSO link simulations further demonstrate that the achromatic design reduces the median equivalent BER from 1.2 × 10⁻² to 3.5 × 10⁻³ (a 71% reduction) and increases the FEC-qualified ratio from 25% to 60% (a 35% improvement), confirming its effectiveness in improving multi-wavelength link reliability. These results verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach in enhancing transmission stability and fiber-coupling efficiency in DWDM-FSO systems, providing a promising optical design strategy for high-capacity and broadband space optical communication terminals.

We report a case of a patient admitted to our coronary intensive care unit with chest pain and elevated cardiac troponin. Coronary angiography showed no obstructive coronary artery disease. The patient had a history of chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyps, treated with dupilumab. Laboratory tests revealed marked hypereosinophilia, prompting a cardiac MRI, which showed findings consistent with eosinophilic myocarditis. This diagnosis was later confirmed by endomyocardial biopsy. This case highlights the importance of differential diagnosis in cases of myocardial injury (characterized by increased cardiac troponin) and underscores the value of CMR as the most accurate non-invasive technique for detecting myocarditis.

Efficient scheduling of automated rail transportation in hilly orchards is critical for maintaining fruit freshness and ensuring timely market delivery. This study develops a dynamic scheduling method for multi-transporter orchard rail systems through mathematical modeling, reinforcement learning algorithms, and field validation. We formulated a comprehensive scheduling model and designed four distinct frameworks to address randomly arriving tasks. In the optimal framework (Framework 3, which was chosen due to its hybrid strategy combining periodic global planning and local task point adjustment), we compared six rule-based heuristic algorithms against three reinforcement learning approaches: centralized SAC, decentralized MARL-DQN, and conventional DQN. Additionally, two emergency response strategies were developed and evaluated. Simulation experiments demonstrated that Framework 3 maintained high load factors while reducing task completion times. The centralized SAC algorithm outperformed other methods, achieving 1533.71 ± 50.09 reward points compared to 863.67 ± 30.54 for rule-based heuristics, a 77.6% improvement. For emergency tasks, Strategy 2 achieved faster response times with minimal disruption to routine operations. Field trials on a 153 m physical track with four autonomous transporters validated the DQN algorithm, confirming good sim-to-real consistency. This research provides a practical solution for dynamic scheduling challenges in hilly orchards, offering measurable efficiency improvements over traditional methods.

Myofibrillar protein (MP) aggregation in solutions with NaCl concentrations below 0.3 M results in poor solubility. Ultrasound-assisted glutaminase treatment (UGT) was applied to improve MP solubility in a low-salt solution (containing 0.1 M NaCl). The solubility increased with ultrasonic power and time, peaking at 44.34% (480 W, 15 min) and reaching 61% after UGT. Subsequently, the effect of post-sonication heat treatment (60 °C, 30 min) on the physicochemical and structural characteristics of ultrasound-enzyme treated MP (UEMP), prepared under specific ultrasonic conditions (480 W, 20 min), was systematically investigated. The findings revealed that UEMP exhibited higher hydrophobicity, sulfhydryl content, and turbidity, but reduced particle size, ζ-potential, and fluorescence, suggesting disulfide disruption and exposure of hydrophobic residues. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed weakened high-molecular weight bands and intensified low-molecular weight bands. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed these structural rearrangements, with a blue-shifted amide A band and decreased amide I intensity. Heating further increased the hydrophobicity and fluorescence without altering the size, ζ-potential, or molecular weight. The red shift in the amide A band suggests reinforced local ordering. Rheology analysis showed non-Newtonian shear-thinning behavior, which was unchanged by UGT or heating. Collectively, UGT with moderate heating enhances MP solubility and thermal stability by disrupting stabilizing bonds and modulating the structure.