Search Results (30)

This study develops a dynamical systems framework for analyzing the co-evolution of port–industry–city (PIC) systems, with particular attention to the data-limited contexts often encountered in developing coastal regions. The model integrates time-delay differential equations and stochastic disturbances to capture nonlinear behaviors such as investment cycles, policy lags, and external shocks. By introducing dimensionless indicators and dynamic parameter adjustment, the framework reduces dependence on extensive datasets and enhances cross-regional applicability. The Kribi Deep Seaport in Cameroon serves as an illustrative case, demonstrating how the approach can reveal emergent trajectories under alternative development regimes. Simulation results identify three distinct pathways: capital-driven expansion with risks of premature overinvestment, industrial clustering modes requiring coordinated urban services, and policy-led strategies constrained by ecological thresholds and institutional inertia. Compared with conventional static or equilibrium-based models, this approach provides a mathematically rigorous tool for examining delay-driven, nonlinear interactions in complex socio-ecological systems. The framework highlights the value of dynamical systems analysis for scenario exploration, policy design, and sustainable governance in resource-constrained environments. Full article

Background: During the time-course of cognitive decline, Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) may arise, negatively impacting the outcomes. Methods: The aim of this single center, longitudinal study was to evaluate the correlation between frailty and BPSD in a population of older patients with dementia. BPSD were classified into three clusters: “mood/apathy” (depression, apathy, sleep disturbances, appetite disturbances), “psychosis” (delusions, hallucinations, and anxiety), and “hyperactivity” (agitation, elation, motor aberrant behavior, irritability, disinhibition). Using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), patients were categorized as “severely frail”, “mild/moderately frail” and “robust” (CFS ≥ 7, 4–6, and ≤ 3, respectively). Results: In total, 209 patients (mean age 83.24 ± 4.98 years) with a clinical diagnosis of dementia were enrolled. BPSD were prevalent among the severely frail patients. A positive correlation at regression analysis was found between frailty and “hyperactivity” cluster at baseline and follow-up visits (p < 0.001, p = 0.022, p = 0.028, respectively), and was confirmed at the network analysis. Loss of independence in IADL was correlated to hyperactivity and psychosis symptoms (p < 0.001 and p = 0.013, respectively). Conclusions: Scarce literature is available regarding the correlation between frailty and BPSD, which in our study is significant, especially for symptoms in the hyperactivity cluster. Frailty assessment may help identify patients at the highest risk for developing BPDS who might benefit from targeted intervention in the earliest phases of the disease. Full article

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or specific PTSD symptoms may evoke maladaptive behaviors (e.g., compulsive buying, disordered eating, and an unhealthy lifestyle), resulting in adverse cardiometabolic events (e.g., hypertension and obesity), which may implicate the treatment of this complex condition. The diagnostic criteria for PTSD have lately expanded beyond the three common symptoms (intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal). Including additional symptoms such as emotional numbing, sleep disturbance, and irritability strengthens the representation of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), suggesting that models with four, five, or six dimensions better capture its structure compared to the original three-dimensional model. Methods: Using a convenience sample of 58 Russian dental healthcare workers (HCWs: mean age = 44.1 ± 12.2 years, 82.8% females), this instrumental study examined the convergent, concurrent, and criterion validity of two IES-R structures: IES-R3 and IES-R6. Results: Exploratory factor analysis uncovered five factors, which explained 76.0% of the variance in the IES-R. Subscales of the IES-R3 and the IES-R6 expressed good internal consistency (coefficient alpha range = 0.69–0.88), high convergent validity (item total correlations r range = 0.39–0.81, and correlations with the IES-R’s total score r range = 0.62–0.92), excellent concurrent validity through strong correlations with the PTSD Symptom Scale-Self Report (PSS-SR: r range = 0.42–0.69), while their criterion validity was indicated by moderate-to-low correlations with high body mass index (BMI: r range = 0.12–0.39) and the diagnosis of hypertension (r range = 0.12–0.30). In the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, all IES-R models were perfectly associated with the PSS-SR (all areas under the curve (AUCs) > 0.9, p values < 0.001). The IES-R, both hyperarousal subscales, and the IES-R3 intrusion subscale were significantly associated with high BMI. Both avoidance subscales and the IES-R3 intrusion subscale, not the IES-R, were significantly associated with hypertension. In the two-step cluster analysis, five sets of all trauma variables (IES-R3/IES-R6, PSS-SR) classified the participants into two clusters according to their BMI (normal weight/low BMI vs. overweight/obese). Meanwhile, only the IES-R, PSS-SR, and IES-R3 dimensions successfully classified participants as having either normal blood pressure or hypertension. Participants in the overweight/obese and hypertensive clusters displayed considerably higher levels of most trauma symptoms. Input variables with the highest predictor importance in the cluster analysis were those variables expressing significant associations in correlations and ROC analyses. However, neither IES-R3 nor IES-R6 contributed to BMI or hypertension either directly or indirectly in the path analysis. Meanwhile, age significantly predicted both health conditions and current smoking. Irritability and numbing were the only IES-R dimensions that significantly contributed to current smoking. Conclusions: The findings emphasize the need for assessing the way through which various PTSD symptoms may implicate cardiometabolic dysfunctions and their risk factors (e.g., smoking and the intake of unhealthy foods) as well as the application of targeted dietary and exercise interventions to lower physical morbidity in PTSD patients. However, the internal and external validity of our tests may be questionable due to the low power of our sample size. Replicating the study in larger samples, which comprise different physical and mental conditions from heterogenous cultural contexts, is pivotal to validate the results (e.g., in specific groups, such as those with confirmed traumatic exposure and comorbid mood dysfunction). Full article

Understanding and predicting floor failure depth is crucial for both mitigating mine water inrush hazards and safeguarding groundwater resources. Mining activities can significantly disturb the geological strata, leading to shifts and damage that may result in floor cracks. These disruptions can extend to confined aquifers, thereby increasing the risk of water inrushes. Such events not only pose a threat to the safety of mining operations but also jeopardize the sustainability of surrounding groundwater systems. Therefore, accurately predicting floor failure depth to take effective coal seam floor management measures is the key to reducing the impact of coal seam mining on water resources. Seventy-eight sets of data on coal seam floor failure depth in China were collected, and the main controlling factors were considered: mining depth (D1), working face inclination length (D2), coal seam inclination (D3), and mining thickness (D4). Firstly, the distance evaluation function based on Euclidean distance was constructed as the clustering effectiveness index, and the optimal cluster number K = 3 was determined. The collected data were clustered into three categories using the K-means clustering algorithm. It was found that the clustering results were positively correlated with the size of D1, indicating that D1 played a dominant role in the clustering. The D1 dividing points of the three types of samples were between 407.7~414.9 m and 750~900 m. On this basis, the grey correlation analysis method was used to analyze the order of the influence weights of the main controlling factors of coal seam floor failure depth. For the first group, the order was D2 > D1 > D3 > D4, while, in the other two, it was D1 > D2 > D3 > D4. D1 emerged as the most influential factor, surpassing D2. Therefore, D1 between 407.7 and 414.9 m could be used as the boundary, the first group could be classified as shallow mining, and the second and third groups could be classified as deep mining. Based on this boundary, CatBoost prediction models for the depth of coal seam floor failure in deep and shallow parts were constructed and the prediction results of the model test set were compared with the calculation results of the empirical formula. These models exhibited superior accuracy with a lower mean squared error (MSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) and a higher R-squared (R²) compared to the empirical formula. This study helps to enhance the understanding of coal seam floor behavior, guide floor management, and protect groundwater resources by defining deep and shallow mining to accurately predict floor failure depth. Full article

Unhealthy behaviors (UBs) can affect mental health. The most impactful of these are alcohol abuse, sedentary behavior, and sleep disturbances. Since these UBs are not well explored in medical residents, this study aims to overcome this gap, focusing on outcomes such as depression and anxiety. The Public Health Residents’ Anonymous Survey in Italy (PHRASI) is a nationwide cross-sectional study based on an 88-item questionnaire. UBs were explored through validated questionnaires: the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-c (AUDIT-C), the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Depressive symptoms and anxiety were detected by Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), respectively. Hierarchical cluster analysis described clusters using responses from the AUDIT-C, IPAQ, and ISI. A total of 375 participants were included in this study. Three distinct clusters (CL) were identified: CL1 was characterized by a moderate risk for alcohol abuse and high insomnia dissatisfaction, with a significantly higher frequency of depressive symptoms (46%, p < 0.001) and anxiety (53%, p < 0.001); CL2 had no risk for alcohol abuse, high sleep satisfaction, and better mental health profile, with the lowest prevalence of depressive symptoms (15%, p < 0.001); CL3 had the highest risk of alcohol abuse, the highest rate of physical activity (40%, p = 0.013), and the lowest prevalence of anxiety (27%, p < 0.001). Subjects belonging to CL1 required much more attention to prevent the worsening of mental outcomes. Interventions for promoting mental health should be addressed in all Public Health schools to create more sustainable working conditions. Full article

Background: Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEE) encompass a group of rare diseases with hereditary and genetic causes as well as acquired causes such as brain injuries or metabolic abnormalities. The phosphofurin acidic cluster sorting protein 2 (PACS2) is a multifunctional protein with nuclear gene expression. The first cases of the recurrent c.625G>A pathogenic variant of PACS2 gene were reported in 2018 by Olson et al. Since then, several case reports and case series have been published. Methods: We performed a systematic review of the PUBMED and SCOPUS databases using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Our search parameters included DEE66 with a pathogenic PACS2 gene p.Glu209Lys mutation published cases to which we added our own clinical experience regarding this pathology. Results: A total of 11 articles and 29 patients were included in this review, to which we added our own experience for a total of 30 patients. There was not a significant difference between sexes regarding the incidence of this pathology (M/F: 16/14). The most common neurological and psychiatric symptoms presented by the patients were: early onset epileptic seizures, delayed global development (including motor and speech delays), behavioral disturbances, limited intellectual capacity, nystagmus, hypotonia, and a wide-based gait. Facial dysmorphism and other organs’ involvement were also frequently reported. Brain MRIs evidenced anomalies of the posterior cerebellar fossa, foliar distortion of the cerebellum, vermis hypoplasia, white matter reduction, and lateral ventricles enlargement. Genetic testing is more frequent in children. Only 4 cases have been reported in adults to date. Conclusions: It is important to maintain a high suspicion of new pathogenic gene variants in adult patients presenting with a characteristic clinical picture correlated with radiologic changes. The neurologist must gradually recognize the distinct evolving phenotype of DEE66 in adult patients, and genetic testing must become a scenario with which the neurologist attending adult patients should be familiar. Accurate diagnosis is required for adequate treatment, genetic counseling, and an improved long-term prognosis. Full article

There are several goals of the two-dimensional data analysis: one may be interested in searching for groups of similar objects (clustering), another one may be focused on searching for some dependencies between a specified one and other variables (classification, regression, associate rules induction), and finally, some may be interested in serching for well-defined patterns in the data called biclusters. It was already proved that there exists a mathematically proven symmetry between some patterns in the matrix and implicants of data-defined Boolean function. This paper provides the new look for a specific pattern search—the pattern named the $\delta$-shifting pattern. The shifting pattern is interesting, as it accounts for constant fluctuations in data, i.e., it captures situations in which all the values in the pattern move up or down for one dimension, maintaining the range amplitude for all the dimensions. Such a behavior is very common in real data, e.g., in the analysis of gene expression data. In such a domain, a subset of genes might go up or down for a subset of patients or experimental conditions, identifying functionally coherent categories. A $\delta$-shifting pattern meets the necessity of shifting pattern induction together with the bias of the real values acquisition where the original shifts may be disturbed with some outer conditions. Experiments with a real dataset show the potential of our approach at finding biclusters with $\delta$-shifting patterns, providing excellent performance. It was possible to find the $12\times 9$ pattern in the $112\times 9$ input data with $MSR=0.00653$. The experiments also revealed that $\delta$-shifting patterns are quite difficult to be found by some well-known methods of biclustering, as these are not designed to focus on shifting patterns—results comparable due to $MSR$ had much more variability (in terms of $\delta$) than patterns found with Boolean reasoning. Full article

Ice–snow freezing may disrupt the growth condition and structure of forest vegetation, increasing combustible loads and thus triggering forest fires. China’s subtropical regions are rich in forest resources, but are often disturbed by ice–snow freezing, especially due to climate change. Clarifying the responsive areas and times of forest fires to ice-snow freezing in this region is of vital importance for local forest fire management. In this study, meteorological data from 2001 to 2019 were used to extract the precipitation and its duration during the freezing period in order to analyze the freezing condition of forest vegetation in subtropical China. To improve the accuracy of identifying forest fires, we extracted forest fire information year-by-year and month-by-month based on the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) active fire data (MOD14A2) using the enhanced vegetation index (EVI), and analyzed the forest fire clustering characteristics in the region using the Moran’s Index. Then, correlation analysis between forest fires and freezing precipitation was utilized to explore the responsive areas and periods of forest fires caused by ice–snow freezing. Our analysis shows the following: (1) during the period of 2001–2019, the ice–snow freezing of forest vegetation was more serious in Hunan, Jiangxi, Hubei, and Anhui provinces; (2) forest fires in subtropical China have shown a significant downward trend since 2008 and their degree of clustering has been reduced from 0.44 to 0.29; (3) forest fires in Hunan, Jiangxi, and Fujian provinces are greatly affected by ice–snow freezing, and their correlation coefficients are as high as 0.25, 0.25, and 0.32, respectively; and (4) heavy ice–snow freezing can increase forest combustibles and affect forest fire behavior in February and March. This research is valuable for forest fire management in subtropical China and could also provide a reference for other regions. Full article

Females of the genus Mansonia feed on the blood of humans, livestock, and other vertebrates to develop their eggs. The females’ biting behavior may cause severe disturbance to blood hosts, with a negative impact on public health and economics. Certain species have been identified as potential or effective disease vectors. The accurate species identification of field-collected specimens is of paramount importance for the success of monitoring and control strategies. Mansonia (Mansonia) morphological species boundaries are blurred by patterns of intraspecific heteromorphism and interspecific isomorphism. DNA barcodes can help to solve taxonomic controversies, especially if combined with other molecular tools. We used cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene 5′ end (DNA barcode) sequences to identify 327 field-collected specimens of Mansonia (Mansonia) spp. The sampling encompassed males and females collected from three Brazilian regions and previously assigned to species based on their morphological characteristics. Eleven GenBank and BOLD sequences were added to the DNA barcode analyses. Initial morphospecies assignments were mostly corroborated by the results of five clustering methods based on Kimura two-parameter distance and maximum likelihood phylogeny. Five to eight molecular operational taxonomic units may represent taxonomically unknown species. The first DNA barcode records for Mansonia fonsecai, Mansonia iguassuensis, and Mansonia pseudotitillans are presented. Full article

Feeding ecology is an integrative procedure to highlight different diets, associating feeding trends with governing and regulation factors characterizing foraging species and their environments, respectively. The diet variability of seven fish species forming a community in a Neotropical riverine system was analyzed to characterize the resource and consumer linkages, providing a detailed assessment of adaptive feeding behaviors of fishes living in different ecological states transiting from natural/resilient spaces to anthropic pressions-linked disturbed ones. Fishes were sampled along four sites during a year, and their stomach contents were analyzed. Feeding data were analyzed by applying quali- and quantitative methods with multi-levels and multifactor aspects to determine target food categories (percentage of occurrence) and identify feeding patterns (correspondence and cluster analyses, CA-HCA). Factors and scales governing target food categories were also tested. A total of 483 stomachs were dissected, and 30 food categories were identified. CA-HCA highlighted 10 feeding trends (FTs) combining several foods co-occurring at distinct levels. These FTs indicated characteristic diets and high diversity of feeding behaviors concerning multiple and narrow diets, different alimentary needs related to ecomorphological features, different plasticity ranges (adaptability, tolerance) and a spatial governing effect (headwater to river mouth environmental quality loss). These multiple factors provided essential information on overcoming ways of environmental constraints and optimization ways of food balances helping to better manage the richness and working of neotropical river systems. Full article

Weight-related status has been associated with the physical and psychological health of adolescents. This cross-sectional study evaluated three different kinds of weight-related statuses (Body Mass Index (BMI), weight self-perception and weight teasing from others) among Chinese adolescents and identified their associations with health risk behaviors (lack of healthy dietary behavior, unhealthy dietary behavior, binge eating behavior, lack of physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviors (SB) and sleep disturbance). A stratified random cluster sampling method was used to select 10,070 students aged 11–18 years old from schools in Shanghai. Self-reported questionnaires were collected, weight-related statuses were divided into three categories and six specific health risk behaviors were classified into two groups: positive or negative. Overall, 27.82% of the adolescents were classified as being overweight and obese (35.61% of boys and 18.21% of girls), 43.45% perceived themselves as too heavy and 30.46% experienced weight teasing in the past. Among overweight or obese participants, 50.55% have been teased about their weight, and 77.48% perceived themselves as too heavy. Weight perception and weight teasing were significantly associated with health risk behaviors rather than the actual body weight status based on BMI, especially regarding binge eating behavior (body weight status (BMI): p > 0.05, underweight perception: OR = 1.18, 95%CI 1.03–1.34; weight teasing for more than once a year: OR = 2.00, 95%CI 1.76–2.27). In addition, weight perception and weight teasing were significantly associated with health risk behaviors, mainly in normal and overweight/obese groups but not in underweight groups. Weight teasing and weight self-perception play an independent and stronger role than actual body weight in the health behaviors of adolescents. This calls for more attention and intervention to reduce peer bullying and stigmas on weight among adolescents. Full article

Quantitative characterization of propagation behaviors and morphology of hydraulic fractures is crucial for controlling and optimizing hydrofracturing effects. To study the disturbance deflection behaviors of multiple hydraulic fractures, a three-dimensional field-scale numerical model for multistage fracturing is established to study the shear stress disturbance and unstable propagation behavior of hydraulic fractures under different perforation cluster spacing. In the model, the thermal diffusion, fluid flow and deformation in reservoirs are considered to describe the thermal-hydro-mechanical coupling. In the numerical case study, the derived results show that the thermal effect between fracturing fluid and rock matrix is an important factor affecting fracture propagation, and thermal effects may increase the extent of fracture propagation. The size of stress shadow areas and the deflection of hydraulic fractures will increase with a decrease in multiple perforation cluster spacing in horizontal wells. The shear stress disturbance caused by fracture propagation is superimposed in multiple fractures, resulting in the stress shadow effect and deflection of fractures. Full article

By combining model testing and numerical simulation, this paper focuses on the influence of landslides on tunnels in loess-bedrock strata by using the perfect landslide–tunnel system (LTS). A mechanical test and simulation (MTS) system was used to provide thrust for loading and unloading the trailing edge of the slope. A Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and 32 cluster strain gauges were adopted to monitor the deformation of the tunnel structure and landslide soil, and the sliding surface, respectively. By means of a numerical simulation, the deformation characteristics of a tunnel crossing loess-bedrock strata are comprehensively described. The influence of a cyclic load on the mechanical behavior and displacement of the tunnel and sliding surface is discussed in detail. The experimental results show that the thrust required for the first landslide is the largest, during multiple loading and unloading. With the increase in loading and unloading time, the sliding thrust gradually decreases and eventually remains stable. The landslide presents a progressive failure mode. There is a stress concentration in the upper part of the tunnel, which causes the secondary sliding phenomenon. The deformation of the sliding surface mainly occurs in the upper soil of the tunnel. The deformation direction of the tunnel is consistent with the sliding direction, and the deformation of the sliding surface mainly occurs in the soil above the tunnel. When disturbed by an external force, the tunnel deforms downward, and, when unloaded, the tunnel has a small rebound deformation. However, with the increase in loading–unloading times, the rebound deformation of the tunnel gradually decreases, and the permanent deformation gradually accumulates until the tunnel fails. The research results can provide reference for the construction and protection of tunnel engineering in loess regions, and have reference value for the control of tunnels crossing landslides. Full article

The propagation of hydrothermal waves in a differentially heated shallow open cavity filled with a complex fluid (a mixture of an oil with solid spherical metallic particles) is investigated in the framework of a hybrid numerical two-way coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian methodology. We explore the response of this system to the solid mass fraction (mass load) and the particle size (Stokes number). The results show that particles and related (inertial and drag) effects can cause appreciable modifications in the properties of the wave, leading to a shrinkage of its velocity of propagation. Interesting dynamics can also be seen in terms of particle patterning behavior as the Stokes number is increased. Due to the joint action that distinct traveling rolls exert on the dispersed solid mass, related accumulation loops induced by centrifugal effects are progressively distorted and finally broken. Particles simply tend to cluster (as time increases) along the lower periphery of the main Marangoni circulation and, as a result of this mechanism and the different velocities of the return flow and the hydrothermal disturbance, a wavy boundary is formed, which separates the upper particle-rich area from a relatively depleted region next to the bottom wall. Full article

The increasing consumption of highly processed foods with high amounts of saturated fatty acids and simple carbohydrates is a major contributor to the burden of overweight and obesity. Additionally, an unhealthy diet in combination with chronic stress exposure is known to be associated with the increased prevalence of central nervous system diseases. In the present study, the global brain proteome approach was applied to explore protein alterations after exposure to the Western diet and/or stress. Female adult rats were fed with the Western diet with human snacks and/or subjected to chronic stress induced by social instability for 12 weeks. The consumption of the Western diet resulted in an obese phenotype and induced changes in the serum metabolic parameters. Consuming the Western diet resulted in changes in only 5.4% of the proteins, whereas 48% of all detected proteins were affected by chronic stress, of which 86.3% were down-regulated due to this exposure to chronic stress. However, feeding with a particular diet modified stress-induced changes in the brain proteome. The down-regulation of proteins involved in axonogenesis and mediating the synaptic clustering of AMPA glutamate receptors (Nptx1), as well as proteins related to metabolic processes (Atp5i, Mrps36, Ndufb4), were identified, while increased expression was detected for proteins involved in the development and differentiation of the CNS (Basp1, Cend1), response to stress, learning and memory (Prrt2), and modulation of synaptic transmission (Ncam1, Prrt2). In summary, global proteome analysis provides information about the impact of the combination of the Western diet and stress exposure on cerebrocortical protein alterations and yields insight into the underlying mechanisms and pathways involved in functional and morphological brain alterations as well as behavioral disturbances described in the literature. Full article