Search Results (5,313)

Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) is a game-changing, innovative material with the merits of exceptional tensile strength, making it suitable for stirrup-free UHPC beams. In this study, two 4.0 m-long large-scale stirrup-free I-shaped UHPC beams were experimentally explored in bending tests and shear tests. Cracking patterns, failure modes, and ultimate load-bearing capacity were obtained. Experimental findings revealed that the shear capacity of the stirrup-free I-shaped UHPC beams with a web thickness of merely 50.0 mm reached more than 20.0 MPa and demonstrated excellent post-cracking shear behavior. Finite element models were established and verified with experimental results to investigate the shear behaviors of stirrup-free I-shaped UHPC beams, considering the parameters of shear span-depth ratio and longitudinal reinforcement strength. The results demonstrated that as the shear span-depth ratio increases, the shear capacity of UHPC beams exhibits a declining trend, accompanied by increased mid-span deflection and a degradation in stiffness. French code and PCI report were suggested for design purposes, due to rationally conservative prediction and explicit physical indication. Full article

Background/Objectives: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) have significantly reduced invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) globally. We conducted a systematic review to assess whether serotype and antimicrobial resistance trends in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) reflect global patterns post-PCV introduction. Methods: We searched the CINAHL, MEDLINE, PUBMED, EMBASE, Global Health, Global Index Medicus, EBSCO, Scopus, and Cochrane databases for articles published from inception to 24 January 2024. Eligible studies were original articles in English or French, reporting IPD serotype distribution or antimicrobial susceptibility in the MENA region. Risk of bias was assessed using the STROBE checklist. Results: Eighty-nine studies from 18 countries were included. A decline in PCV7 serotypes was observed following the introduction of PCV10 or PCV13, which was more pronounced in PCV10-era studies. Serotype 3 increased post-PCV13 era, while 19A declined only after PCV10. An expansion in PCV20 serotypes and non-vaccine types (NVTs) was noted in PCV13-implementing countries. Antimicrobial resistance data were insufficient to provide a reliable trend. Limitations: There was limited AMR data and variable surveillance quality across countries. Conclusions: PCV introduction resulted in a modest decrease in PCV7 serotypes and a variable impact on PCV13 serotypes. This, along with the increase in PCV20 serotypes, indicates that higher-valency PCVs might provide better serotype coverage in the region. The study highlights the need for more robust surveillance across the region. Registration: CRD42018104529. Full article

Background: Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a common, distressing concern among cancer survivors, with implications for psychological well-being and quality of life. Despite the proliferation of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to assess FCR, consensus on the most valid and reliable instruments remains limited. Objective: To conduct a comprehensive psychometric evaluation of FCR PROMs developed or validated between 2011 and 2023, using the full COSMIN methodology. This review builds on earlier work by systematically appraising both newly developed and adapted instruments to inform evidence-based PROM selection for clinical and research use. Methods: This review followed the COSMIN 10-step procedure and PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Six databases were searched from January 2011 to December 2023. A search cut-off of 31 December 2023 was applied to align with COSMIN feasibility recommendations and ensure sufficient time and resources for full psychometric evaluation across all included PROMs. Eligible studies included adults diagnosed with cancer and reported on the psychometric evaluation of a self-reported, Likert-scale-based FCR PROM. PROMs were appraised across eight psychometric properties using COSMIN’s Risk of Bias checklist, criteria for good measurement properties, and modified Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) for evidence quality. Instruments were categorized as A, B, or C according to COSMIN’s recommendations. Results: Of the 34 PROMs evaluated across 32 studies, 28 achieved COSMIN Category A status, indicating sufficient psychometric quality for clinical or research use. Among the 19 FCRI and FoP-Q instruments validated in new cultural or population contexts, 15 received a Category A rating, reflecting strong cross-cultural performance. Short forms such as the FCRI-SF and FoP-Q-SF demonstrated consistent psychometric strength across French, English, Portuguese, and Asian-language versions. Of the 14 newly developed PROMs—including the CWS-6, FCR4/7, CARQ-4, and FCR-1—12 achieved Category A. The FCR-1 was the only single-item PROM to demonstrate responsiveness, supporting its use in both screening and longitudinal monitoring. For practical guidance, five PROMs (FCR-1, FCRI-SF, FoP-Q-SF, FCR-7, and CWS) emerged as the most strongly supported for clinical use. Conclusions: This review provides a comprehensive evaluation of contemporary FCR PROMs and highlights substantial progress in the development of valid, reliable, and culturally adaptable tools. The FCRI, FoP-Q-SF, and several newly developed short forms, such as FCR7, CWS, and particularly, the FCR-1, emerge as strong candidates for use in clinical screening and longitudinal assessment. These findings offer clear evidence-based guidance for instrument selection in research and survivorship care. PROSPERO registration: CRD42023453783. Full article

Background: Scientific evidence plays a critical role in informing public health decision-making processes. However, the extent, nature, and effectiveness of its use remain uneven across contexts. Despite the increasing volume of literature on the subject, previous syntheses have often suffered from narrow thematic, temporal, or geographic scopes. Objectives: This study undertook a comprehensive systematic literature review spanning 50 years to (i) synthesise current knowledge on the use of scientific evidence in public health decisions, (ii) identify key determinants, barriers, and enablers, (iii) evaluate implementation patterns, and (iv) propose future directions for research and practice. Methods: We adopted the PRISMA model (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). Moreover, we researched three large databases (Web of Science, Embase, and PubMed), and this study focused on articles published in the English and French languages between January 1974 and December 2024. Studies were analysed thematically and descriptively to identify trends, patterns, and knowledge gaps. Results: This review reveals a growing corpus of scholarship with a predominance of qualitative studies mainly published in public health journals. Evidence use is most frequently analysed at the national policy level. Analyses of the evolution of scientific production over time revealed significant shifts beginning as early as 2005. Critical impediments included limited access to reliable and timely data, a lack of institutional capacity, and insufficient training among policy-makers. In contrast, enablers encompass cross-sector collaboration, data transparency, and alignment between researchers and decision-makers. Conclusions: Addressing persistent gaps necessitates a more nuanced appreciation of interdisciplinary and contextual factors. Our findings call for proactive policies aimed at promoting the use of scientific evidence by improving the accessibility of health data (addressing the absence or lack of data, as well as its reliability, timeliness, and accessibility), and by training decision-makers in the use of scientific evidence for decision making. Furthermore, our findings advocate for better alignment between the agendas of healthcare professionals (e.g., data collection), researchers (e.g., the selection of research topics), and decision-makers (e.g., expectations and needs) in order to develop and implement public health policies that are grounded in and informed by scientific evidence. Full article

Agape, philia, and eros are the forms of love that receive most attention in the work of the French philosopher Paul Ricœur. The general consensus among commentators is that when Ricœur talks about agape, he means a love that is all about giving, with no expectation of receiving anything in return; and when he talks about eros, he means something close to erotic love or erotic desire. This article builds on the research of two French commentators, Olivier Abel and Jérôme Porée, to offer a more detailed account of what Ricœur says about love of neighbour and concern for others, and where he says it, during one very specific period: 1947–1960. That is the period when Ricœur was very committed to education reform in France. However, the article disputes Abel and Porée’s interpretation of what Ricœur means by eros in Fallible Man, a work of philosophical anthropology published in 1960. The article shows that Ricœur’s interpretation of eros, far from being the standard one, is in fact highly original, and a perfect example of the imaginative use of philosophical resources that marked his early career. The article also discusses The Symbolism of Evil, a second work of philosophical anthropology that Ricœur published the very same year. In the context of that discussion, it draws attention to two references to “love” that link back to the eros of Fallible Man. It then offers a close reading of Marguerite Léna’s insightful commentary on a remarkable passage from The Symbolism of Evil, where Ricœur talks about the essential roles that love and fear play in all forms of education, including moral education. Full article

Droughts are becoming more frequent, severe, and impactful across the globe. Agroecosystems, which are human-made ecosystems with high water demand that provide essential ecosystem services, are vulnerable to extreme droughts. Although water use efficiency in agriculture has increased in rec ent decades, drought management should be based on long-term, proactive strategies rather than crisis management. The AgrHyS network of sites in French Brittany collects high-resolution soil moisture data from agronomic stations and catchments to improve understanding of temporal soil moisture dynamics and enhance water use efficiency. Frequent mapping of soil moisture and plant water stress is crucial for assessing water stress risk in the context of global warming. Although satellite remote sensing provides reliable, periodic global data on surface soil moisture, it does so at a very coarse spatial resolution. The intrinsic spatial heterogeneity of surface soil moisture requires a higher spatial resolution in order to address upcoming challenges on a local scale. Drones are an excellent tool for upscaling point measurements to catchment level using different onboard cameras. In this study, we evaluated the potential of multispectral images, thermal images and LiDAR data captured in several concurrent drone flights for high-resolution mapping of soil moisture spatial variability, using in situ point measurements of soil water content and plant water stress in both agricultural areas and natural ecosystems. Statistical models were fitted to map soil water content in two areas: a natural marshland and a grassland-covered agricultural field. Our results demonstrate the statistical significance of topography, land surface temperature and red band reflectance in the natural area for retrieving soil water content. In contrast, the grasslands were best predicted by the transformed normalised difference vegetation index (TNDVI). Full article

A comprehensive overview is provided on factors and processes influencing the final quality of a cup of coffee, with an emphasis on the brewing method’s central role. Coffee quality assessment, both at the bean and cup level, combines objective parameters (color, moisture, bean defects, density) with a notable degree of subjectivity, as consumer sensory perception is ultimately decisive. The brewing technique is described as a critical determinant of the final chemical, physical, and sensory attributes. Key parameters such as aroma profile, pH, titratable acidity, total and filtered solids, lipid and fatty acid content, viscosity, foam (crema), and colorimetric indices are detailed as essential metrics in coffee quality evaluation. Roasting creates most of coffee’s key aroma compounds. The brewing method further shapes the extraction of both volatile and other bioactive compounds like caffeine, chlorogenic acids, and lipids. Brewing methods significantly affect acidity, “body,” and crema stability, while water quality, temperature, and pressure are shown to impact extraction results and sensory properties. Attention is paid to how methods such as Espresso, filter, French press, and cold brew yield distinct physicochemical and sensory profiles in the cup. Overall, the review highlights the multifaceted nature of coffee cup quality and the interplay between raw material, processing, and preparation, ultimately shaping the coffee sensory experience and market value. Full article

Background/Objectives: The 2019 Swiss growth references for height, weight, and BMI were based on a large dataset from the German-speaking part of Switzerland (Cohort 2019). The current study aimed to ensure national representativeness by proportionate amounts of additional data from the French-speaking (Suisse Romande) and Italian-speaking (Ticino) regions to validate the 2019 growth curves and to update the national growth references. It also investigated the influence of parental migration background on child growth. Methods: Anthropometric data from 43,290 children and adolescents—including 11,816 new cases—were analyzed (Cohort 2019 + 2025). Percentile curves were modeled using the Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale, and Shape (GAMLSS) framework. Results: The extended dataset largely confirms the 2019 growth references. Variations in height percentiles were small and clinically negligible. Clinically relevant differences in BMI percentiles were observed in girls, with the most pronounced deviations—up to 0.8 kg/m²—at the 97th percentile. Analyses by parental migration background revealed relevant differences in BMI. Conclusions: The extended Swiss Growth References (Cohort 2019 + 2025) are robust and provide valid reference data for all Swiss children and adolescents, offering contemporary tools for decision-making in clinical practice. To maintain their validity over time, targeted updates are required, with special attention to demographic changes resulting from migration. Full article

With the growing demand for natural and intelligent human–machine interaction in multilingual environments, automatic language identification (LID) has emerged as a crucial component in voice-enabled systems, particularly in the automotive domain. This study proposes an audio-based LID model that identifies the spoken language directly from voice input without requiring manual language selection. The model architecture leverages two types of feature extraction pipelines: a Variational Autoencoder (VAE) and a pre-trained Wav2Vec model, both used to obtain latent speech representations. These embeddings are then fed into a multi-layer perceptron (MLP)-based classifier to determine the speaker’s language among five target languages: Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, and French. The model is trained and evaluated using a dataset preprocessed into Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCCs) and raw waveform inputs. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in achieving accurate and real-time language detection, with potential applications in in-vehicle systems, speech translation platforms, and multilingual voice assistants. By eliminating the need for predefined language settings, this work contributes to more seamless and user-friendly multilingual voice interaction systems. Full article

Wines produced from grapes exposed to wildfire smoke exhibit smoke-related flavors, such as smoky, burnt, and an ashy finish. While grapes are impacted on the vine, winemaking strategies can influence the perception of smoke-related properties in the resulting wine. This case study evaluated eight smoke-affected wines across three vintages from commercial production to assess how oak influences smoke-related flavors. Each vintage explored a different usage of oak, including oak origin, oak chips with carbon fining, and potential carryover of flavors through reused barrels. Wines were assessed using descriptive analysis, with intensity ratings collected for seven attributes representing smoke-related and typical wine flavors. Results showed that American oak reduced the perception of smoke-related flavors compared to French oak. The use of oak chips, both alone and with carbon fining, did not improve the flavor profile. This suggests that combining treatments should be approached with caution, especially when strategies target smoke taint mitigation through different mechanisms. Sensory results also indicated no evidence of smoke flavor carryover from using barrels that previously held smoke-affected wine. Overall, this work showed that oak can influence sensory profile of smoke-affected wines and consideration of different wine production practices can be beneficial when faced with a smoke-impacted vintage. Full article

Gum arabic production is a key source of income for communities in several African countries. Despite this, producing nations capture only a small share of the market value due to weak domestic markets, low price incentives, and limited value-added. Meanwhile, global demand is expected to grow from USD 1.1 billion in 2025 to USD 2.2 billion by 2035, driven by rising consumption in food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and textiles. Importing countries, such as France and the US, benefit from significantly higher export prices—French export prices rose from USD 1.58/kg to USD 4.63/kg—highlighting the value added from outside producer regions. This study uses a qualitative analytical approach to examine trends and challenges in enhancing value capture within producer countries. Key strategies include local value-added, collective action, compliance with international standards, market transparency, and direct trade linkages. Findings suggest that implementing these measures could raise farmgate prices by 30–50%, retain more value within African economies, and improve access to premium export markets. In conclusion, targeted interventions are crucial for strengthening the gum arabic supply chain and promoting sustainable and equitable collection practices in producer countries. Full article

Harmful algae are transported in various compartments of maritime vessels, making ports with heavy maritime traffic potential hotspots for their introduction and spread. In this study, we investigate the port of Papeete (Tahiti, French Polynesia), a key hub for numerous South Pacific shipping routes. Using metabarcoding on DNA extracted from water samples (environmental DNA, eDNA) we identified 21 species of harmful algae comprising to Bacillariophyceae (4), Dinophyceae (14), and Haptophyta (3 species). Three of those species are directly associated with fish mortality events without recognized toxigenic capacity. The remaining harmful algae species are known to produce a wide range of toxins, like the ciguatoxin produced by endemic Gambierdiscus sp., domoic acid, haemolysins, yessotoxins, and others. Health risks such as ciguatera and paralytic shellfish poisoning were identified. An increase in Gambierdiscus frequency in Papeete port waters was parallel to an increase in ciguatera fish poisoning events in Tahiti, which suggests the value of eDNA analysis for early warning of harmful algae presence. Management measures, including banning fishing near the ports, could prevent public health risks associated with harmful algae blooms. Full article

Immigration is being used as a policy lever to sustain the demography of Canadian Francophone minority communities (FMCs). As FMCs become increasingly diverse, concerns have been raised regarding their capacity to develop and sustain a sense of community cohesion. This study draws on the mobilities paradigm to examine how community members within three different FMCs engaged within and beyond formal and informal Francophone spaces within the cities of Metro Vancouver, Winnipeg and Moncton. Using an occupational mapping method to elicit spatial and dialogic data, we analyze the descriptions of maps from 62 French-speaking participants who were born in, or who immigrated to, Canada in order to obtain diverse perspectives on community cohesion. Our findings are presented according to three themes. The first addresses socio-geographically shaped mobilities within the three FMCs, the second examines participants’ engagement in a range of (in)formal Francophone spaces, and the third explores their convergent and divergent mobilities as shaped by local dynamics. We contribute insights into the relationship between forms of spatial and social mobility that shape experiences of community cohesion within FMCs. Full article

With the growing demand for multilingual financial information, cross-lingual financial sentiment recognition faces significant challenges, including semantic misalignment, ambiguous sentiment expression, and insufficient transferability. To address these issues, a unified multilingual recognition framework is proposed, integrating semantic contrastive learning with a language-adaptive modulation mechanism. This approach is built upon the XLM-R multilingual model and employs a semantic contrastive module to enhance cross-lingual semantic consistency. In addition, a language modulation module based on low-rank parameter injection is introduced to improve the model’s sensitivity to fine-grained emotional features in low-resource languages such as Chinese and French. Experiments were conducted on a constructed trilingual financial sentiment dataset encompassing English, Chinese, and French. The results demonstrate that the proposed model significantly outperforms existing methods in cross-lingual sentiment recognition tasks. Specifically, in the English-to-French transfer setting, the model achieved 73.6% in accuracy, 69.8% in F1-Macro, 72.4% in F1-Weighted, and a cross-lingual generalization score of 0.654. Further improvements were observed under multilingual joint training, reaching 77.3%, 73.6%, 76.1%, and 0.696, respectively. In overall comparisons, the proposed model attained the highest performance across cross-lingual scenarios, with 75.8% in accuracy, 72.3% in F1-Macro, and 74.7% in F1-Weighted, surpassing strong baselines such as XLM-R+SimCSE and LaBSE. These results highlight the model’s superior capability in semantic alignment and generalization across languages. The proposed framework demonstrates strong applicability and promising potential in multilingual financial sentiment analysis, public opinion monitoring, and multilingual risk modeling. Full article

Burn injuries remain a complex clinical challenge, particularly in reconstructive settings where donor sites are limited. Integra^® Dermal Regeneration Template (IDRT), a bilayer dermal substitute, facilitates neodermis formation and supports functional and aesthetic recovery following burn trauma. This narrative review and expert opinion synthesizes current literature and clinical experience on the application of IDRT in post-burn reconstruction. It discusses the biological mechanism of dermal regeneration, surgical protocols including wound bed preparation and grafting, and considerations for anatomical regions such as the face, torso, and limbs. The review emphasizes key factors influencing successful outcomes, including patient selection, timing, and multidisciplinary coordination. Potential complications, such as infection, hematoma, and poor graft adherence, are addressed along with prevention and management strategies. Special considerations for pediatric and elderly populations are also highlighted. Through evidence-based insights and illustrative case examples, this review aims to inform surgical decision-making and promote best practices in reconstructive burn care using IDRT. Full article