Search Results (3,315)

Vehicle indoor air quality (VIAQ) remains poorly standardized despite its growing health relevance. This study developed and applied a real-road test protocol to quantify in-cabin exposure to particulate and gaseous pollutants under different heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) modes: outside air (OA), recirculation (RC), and automatic (Auto). Concentrations of PM_2.5, particle number (PN), NO, and NO₂ were simultaneously measured inside and outside passenger vehicles using validated instruments. In-cabin PM_2.5 levels were lowest in RC, intermediate in Auto, and highest in OA, showing strong HVAC dependence. Particle number distributions were dominated by submicron particles (<1.0 μm). Under RC, NO gradually increased while NO₂ decreased, likely due to NO–NO₂ interconversion and activated-carbon filtration. Short-duration, reproducible on-road tests were conducted under standardized vehicle, occupant, and HVAC settings to minimize variability. Although external conditions could not be fully controlled, consistent routes and configurations ensured comparability. The findings highlight HVAC operation as the dominant factor governing short-term VIAQ and provide practical insight toward harmonized test procedures and design improvements for cabin air management. Full article

Climate projections suggest ecosystems could face drastic changes due to global climate change, including more severe and frequent droughts than those recorded in the last century. Paleoclimatic series provide more extensive information than that available with instrumental records, allowing for the analysis of trends and recurrence of extreme events over a longer time periods. The objective of this research was to reconstruct the precipitation variability for southwestern Chihuahua, based on the tree-ring records of Pinus arizonica Engelm. and to assess the influence of ocean atmospheric circulations like El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the North American Monsoon (NAM) on both low- and high-frequency climate variability. We developed three dendrochronological series covering 214 years (1802–2015), 265 years (1750–2014) and 369 years (1647–2015), for the Talayotes (TAL), Predio Particular Las Chinas (PPC) and El Cuervo (CUE) sites, respectively. The 369-year regional chronology was significantly related to cumulative precipitation variability between January and September. Recurring droughts were observed at approximately 50-year intervals. This regional climate variability was significantly related (p < 0.05) to Niño 3 SST and PDSI (JJA) indices. Maximum and minimum extreme events reconstructed in the last 369 years were synchronized with ENSO events, both in the El Niño warm phase and the La Niña cold phase. These results suggest that P. arizonica tree rings record shared a common response to the regional climate that was significantly modulated by ENSO and the NAM. This is the first dendroclimatic study to reconstruct summer precipitation patterns in northern Mexico, which is valuable given the importance of this seasonal precipitation on the regional economy. Full article

Against the backdrop of safety becoming a key objective in the restructuring of industrial chains, the impact of China’s outbound foreign direct investment (OFDI) on industrial chain risks warrants further exploration. Based on the Asian Development Bank’s Multi-Regional Input-Output Data (ADB-MRIOD) from 2007 to 2023, this study measures the external risk exposure of industrial chains from both supply-side and demand-side perspectives across 41 Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) economies. Utilizing a two-way fixed effects panel model with lagged variables and instrumental techniques to mitigate endogeneity, we empirically investigate the mechanisms through which China’s OFDI influences the external risk exposure of industrial chains. The findings reveal that (1) China’s OFDI significantly reduces such risk exposure, and (2) effect heterogeneity observed across country groups and sectors—showing stronger mitigation in high-innovation and developing countries, as well as in capital-intensive industries. (3) Mechanism analysis identifies three transmission channels: enhancing the host country’s trade network status, rationalizing its industrial structure, and strengthening Sino-host country industrial linkages. The study provides empirical support for formulating targeted investment policies to enhance supply chain resilience under the BRI framework. Full article

Background/Objectives: Mental health nurses are among the health professionals who show the highest levels of empathy and the most positive attitudes towards patients with mental disorders. Nevertheless, burnout is a prevalent issue among these professionals, as well as throughout their training as residents. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between empathy, burnout and attitudes towards patients with mental disorders among mental health nurse residents in Spain. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed with a sample of 214 resident nurses engaged in specialty training in mental health teaching units in Spain. The sample was selected purposely. The Jefferson Empathy Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Community Attitudes Towards Mental Illness Inventory were employed to quantify the study variables. Results: The study sample included 214 residents, composed of 46 males (21.5%) and 168 females (78.5%), with an overall median age of 27.00 years (IQR: 25.00–29.00). The internal reliability of the instruments was high (JSE α = 0.834, MBI α = 0.821, CAMI-CMH α = 0.851). Our findings indicate that empathy during residency is associated with an enhancement in positive attitudes towards patients with mental disorders, and a reduction in the associated stigma (JSE vs. CAMI-SR: ρ = −0.210, p < 0.01). However, empathy did not act as a protective factor against burnout in the study sample, showing a moderate positive correlation with emotional exhaustion (JSE vs. MBI-EE: ρ = 0.481, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that although empathy does not necessarily act as a protective factor against burnout, it may favour more positive and less stigmatising attitudes towards people with mental disorders. Future research is needed to further investigate the complex interplay between emotional competencies and work-related stress in this context. Full article

Measures of narcissism often overlap with global self-esteem, risking that observed associations with outcomes may reflect associations of self-regard rather than actual narcissistic dispositions. The present study examined whether common narcissism instruments differ in their overlap with self-esteem and how this alters their associations with key personality domains. A sample of 337 participants completed multiple measures of narcissism, a global self-esteem measure as the control variable, and assessments of the Big Five, empathy, and aggression as personality correlates. Our results showed that overlap the measures of narcissism share with self-esteem varied considerably. Vulnerable scales showed the largest overlap and the greatest changes in correlations with the personality correlates after controlling for self-esteem. Grandiose and antagonistic measures were generally less affected, though noteworthy differences emerged between these instruments as well. We conclude that self-esteem overlap is a substantive but uneven measurement issue. Researchers cannot assume measures to be interchangeable. Our findings suggest that in order to isolate narcissistic dispositions from self-regard, researchers may need to select less affected instruments and/or report (additional) analyses controlling for self-esteem. Full article

Establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon and Mars will require the use of locally available resources for construction. A binder material similar to concrete is a promising candidate, provided that its production and performance under reduced gravity can be reliably understood. Previous microgravity investigations demonstrated the feasibility of mixing cementitious materials in space but produced irregular or low-quality specimens that limited standardized mechanical testing. To address these limitations, the MASON (Material Science on Solidification of Concrete) team developed the first-generation MASON Concrete Mixer (MCM), which enabled the safe production of cylindrical specimens aboard the International Space Station (ISS). However, its fully manual operation introduced variability and required significant astronaut time. Building on this foundation, the development of an automated MCM prototype is presented in this study. It integrates motorized mixing and programmable process control into the established containment architecture. This system enables reproducible specimen production by eliminating operator-dependent variations while reducing crew workload. In comparison to manually mixed samples, the automated MCM demonstrated reduced variability in the tested concrete properties. The automated MCM represents a first step toward autonomous space instrumentation for high-quality materials research and provides a scalable path to uncrewed missions and future extraterrestrial construction technologies. Full article

Background: Adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) enhances survival outcomes in hormone receptor–positive (HR+) breast cancer. However, this treatment is associated with toxicities that may adversely affect the quality of life (QoL) and impact patient–physician communication. A thorough understanding of symptom-reporting behaviors is essential for optimizing survivorship care. Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed 191 female patients with HR+ breast cancer undergoing adjuvant AET (tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors ± ovarian function suppression [OFS]) at Antalya Training and Research Hospital between July and August 2025. QoL, symptom burden, and adverse event (AE) reporting behaviors were assessed using validated instruments (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 [EORTC QLQ-C30], adapted Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events [PRO-CTCAE]). Categorical variables were compared using chi-square tests, and multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression. Results: The median age was 54 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 46–61 years). The following independent variables were identified as predictors of a higher symptom burden: prior chemotherapy (odds ratio [OR]: 3.75; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.46–9.69; p = 0.006), OFS use (OR: 3.29; 95% CI: 1.51–7.15; p = 0.003), AE reporting to physicians (OR: 3.52; 95% CI: 1.80–6.88; p < 0.001), and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use (OR: 7.27; 95% CI: 1.57–33.63; p = 0.011). Independent predictors of poor QoL included receiving psychological support (OR: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.19–0.67; p = 0.002) and AE reporting (OR: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.13–0.64; p = 0.001). Conclusions: Symptom burden and QoL in patients with HR+ breast cancer receiving AET are influenced by clinical history, including chemotherapy and OFS; behavioral factors, such as reporting behaviors; and supportive care, including CAM and psychological support. The routine integration of patient-reported outcomes and proactive symptom monitoring is crucial for delivering personalized and effective survivorship care. Full article

Meat juice leakage is a natural phenomenon, evident in culinary meat packaging, and is a key indicator of meat quality. This study aimed to evaluate the amount of meat juice leakage into the packaging during culinary pork, beef, and chicken storage in a refrigerated display case simulating retail conditions (2–4 °C, 12 days). The study included 1800 high-quality culinary meat samples, i.e., free of technological defects, packaged in vacuum (VAC) and modified atmosphere (MAP), with and without absorbent pads, obtained from meat processing plants. On the 12th day of storage, the leakage was determined in the meat portions using the gravimetric method, and pH and color (CIEL*a*b*) were measured using instrumental methods. It was found that the leakage level from culinary meat ranged from 2.10% for pork shoulder VAC to 10.70% for pork loin VAC, in slices, being influenced (p < 0.01) by each grouping factor: meat type, meat cut, and package type. Regardless of the packaging method, culinary chicken meat had a lower pH (p < 0.001) than pork and beef. The study also found significant negative correlations between pH and leakage in most culinary meat cuts, as shown by the results for ham VAC (r = −0.66), ham MAP (r = −0.59), and heel of round MAP (r = −0.50). Among meat color parameters, the most significant variability was observed for lightness (L*), whose mean value differed significantly depending on the type of meat (p < 0.001) and the meat cut (p < 0.001), and within the same culinary cut—except beef tenderloin and chicken breast fillet–also depending on the type of packaging (p < 0.05). Based on the results obtained in this study, covering a large number of culinary meat samples, it was suggested that recommended leakage levels, i.e., those that raise no concerns regarding meat quality, could range from 2% for shoulder and pork neck (both VAC) to just over 10% for tenderloin slices (packaged using the MAP and VAC methods). Our findings can be used by both meat producers and quality control authorities to monitor the quality of culinary meat, e.g., they may help determine maximum permissible leakage levels and design meat packaging methods to reduce leakage. Ultimately, these measures will enhance consumer confidence in meat production and quality. Additionally, the results systematize knowledge on meat leakage, providing valuable insights for scientists who support producers and retailers in their efforts to minimize this issue. Full article

High-quality corporate innovation serves as a critical driver for achieving corporate sustainable development. This study bridges the gap between macroeconomic fiscal sustainability and microeconomic innovation quality. Specifically, this paper investigates the influence of local fiscal sustainability on high-quality corporate innovation, examining the underlying mechanisms and heterogeneous effects. Methodologically, data were collected using Python-based retrieval and web-scraping techniques. A multi-dimensional index of local fiscal sustainability was constructed, comprising five key dimensions to quantitatively map provincial fiscal sustainability across China. Corporate innovation quality was measured using patent citation metrics. Employing panel data from A-share listed companies over the 2015–2023 period, we implemented a two-way fixed-effects model for rigorous empirical econometric analysis. The findings indicate a significant positive relationship between local fiscal sustainability and high-quality corporate innovation. This result remains robust after a battery of robustness tests, including the use of instrumental variable (IV) methods. Mechanism analysis reveals that the resource compensation effect is the primary channel. Furthermore, our analysis identifies heterogeneity across varying innovation environments, economic regions, and industry characteristics. The positive influence is particularly pronounced in provinces with stronger intellectual property protection, firms located in the eastern regions, and High-Tech Enterprises. Collectively, the conclusions drawn from this research offer valuable policy implications for strengthening local fiscal sustainability and enhancing high-quality corporate innovation. Full article

With the accelerating pace of societal digitalization, parental mediation practices have emerged as a critical mechanism for facilitating children’s socialization within the family system. Based on the 2022 Chinese Minors’ Digital Life and Online Protection Survey dataset, this study empirically examined the current state of parental mediation and its influencing mechanism on school-aged children’s academic performance. The results indicated that the level of parental mediation demonstrated a significantly positive influence on students’ academic performance. This finding remained robust when subjected to rigorous validation methods, including instrumental variable analysis, propensity score matching, and double machine learning techniques. Meanwhile, the mediation models showed that children’s e-learning behavior and civic engagement played parallel mediating roles in the relationship between parental mediation and academic performance. Moreover, heterogeneity analysis further revealed that family socioeconomic status negatively moderated the indirect pathways through which parental mediation influenced students’ academic performance. Our research suggested that active parental mediation could not only be beneficial for children’s academic performance but also be helpful to narrowing developmental inequalities across different social classes. Full article

The increasing demand for multi-ingredient dietary supplements (MIDS), driven by diverse consumer health needs, has introduced analytical challenges in product testing and quality control. These challenges stem from complex ingredient interactions, formulation variability, and the diverse physicochemical properties of the individual components. To examine these issues and explore practical solutions, this study employed semi-structured focus group interviews with 33 industry professionals and 10 analytical experts from academic and industry. Professionals reported major obstacles including the degradation or loss of trace components, interferences among ingredients, analytical difficulties with specific dosage forms, and the lack of standardized testing protocols. To mitigate these challenges, professionals reported implementing various combination strategies including substituting problematic raw materials and modifying analytical instruments and pretreatment procedures, in order to improve test reproducibility. These measures were developed internally and varied significantly across companies, reflecting the absence of a unified analytical framework for MIDS testing. Building on these insights, the analytical experts proposed systematic improvements including developing matrix-specific pretreatment protocols and optimized extraction strategies as well as regulatory harmonization to enhance analytical reliability and reproducibility. These findings provide critical insights into current field practices and inform the development of standardized methodologies for the analysis and quality assurance of MIDS. Full article

Social trust is a crucial factor influencing adolescents’ mental health and serves as a cornerstone for social stability. However, there is a lack of a reliable measurement tool specifically designed to assess the psychological characteristics of adolescents’ social trust. This study aimed to develop and validate the Chinese Adolescent Social Trust Scale (STS-CA). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 45 adolescents (aged 12 to17 years) to generate an initial pool of scale items. Subsequently, eighteen psychological experts evaluated the content validity, and the scale was revised based on their feedback, resulting in a preliminary version. A total of 2036 secondary school students were randomly divided into Sample 1 and Sample 2. Sample 1 (N1 = 1018) was used in item analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Sample 2 (N2 = 1018) was utilized for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Sample 3 (N3 = 1214) was recruited to assess the scale’s reliability, validity, and measurement equivalence. Two months later, test–retest reliability analysis was assessed using Sample 4 (N4 = 303). The final STS-CA consists of 27 items covering four factors, namely trust in relatives, trust in friends, trust in strangers, and trust in organizations. The scale demonstrated good internal consistency reliability, test–retest reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Correlations between the STS-CA subscale scores and external criterion variables—interpersonal trust, trust propensity, and life satisfaction—supported criterion validity. Additionally, the scale exhibited good measurement equivalence across gender and educational stages. Overall, our findings demonstrate that the STS-CA is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing social trust levels among Chinese adolescents. Full article

Phytoindication represents a long-established ecological approach; however, its conceptual basis remains contested, particularly concerning whether it is merely a surrogate for measuring environmental factors or a distinct method for assessing biotic system responses. In this study, we analysed vegetation communities of the sandy terrace in the Dnipro-Oril Nature Reserve (Ukraine) using ecological indicator values, naturalness, and hemeroby indices. The Dnipro-Oril Nature Reserve provides an ideal setting for this study, as it integrates strong natural gradients of soil moisture, nutrient availability, and topography with pronounced anthropogenic influences from the surrounding industrial landscape. This allows the assessment of both natural and human-driven components of ecological variability within a single system. A dataset of 1079 relevés was collected and classified into 24 associations. Multivariate analyses were applied to reveal different aspects of vegetation–environment relationships: MANOVA was used to assess whether plant associations differed significantly in their ecological indicator profiles, CCA to identify the main gradients of species composition constrained by environmental factors, and partial CCA to isolate the specific patterns of vegetation response attributable to individual predictors while controlling for covariates. We found that the indicator values were not independent but strongly intercorrelated, reflecting integrated biotic responses rather than methodological artefacts. This was confirmed by consistent ecological interpretation of the principal component structure and the concordance between ordination patterns and vegetation classification results. Two primary gradients were identified: a natural gradient, which combines soil moisture and nutrient availability with decreasing light, temperature, continentality, and soil pH; and an anthropogenic gradient, represented by the hemeroby–naturalness axis. The interplay of these gradients offers a comprehensive explanation for vegetation structure across various spatial scales, with natural factors shaping community types and anthropogenic influences exerting broader, less specific effects due to their diffuse impact across multiple plant associations. Our findings reveal a novel conceptual perspective, supporting the view that phytoindication is a unique ecological tool for assessing the integrated response of plant communities to environmental drivers, including both natural and anthropogenic gradients, rather than a simplified or less precise substitute for instrumental measurements. Nevertheless, the use of phytoindication does not eliminate the need for instrumental measurements in situations requiring precise quantification of specific physical or chemical environmental parameters. The correlated structure of indicator values revealed in this study demonstrates that phytoindication patterns are specific to each landscape. Therefore, comparative assessments across regions or time periods should be based on the correlation patterns of indicator values rather than their absolute scores. Full article

Background/Objectives: Despite the well-recognized role of inflammation in breast cancer course, the biological mechanisms involved in its pathophysiology are complex, heterogeneous, and still unclear. However, evidence shows that cancer treatments and stress system responses impact the patient’s inflammatory status. We aim to analyze the inflammatory footprint of anti-breast cancer treatments and psychosocial factors by observing the evolution of inflammatory and psychosocial markers pre- and post-chemotherapy; to examine the associations between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines with psychosocial factors after chemotherapy; and to identify vulnerability/resilience variables that may improve patients’ referral for psycho-oncological interventions before/after chemotherapy. Methods: We performed a well-controlled cohort study of premenopausal women diagnosed with stage I to III breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Patients were longitudinally evaluated at pre-chemotherapy (post-surgery in the adjuvant cohort) and post-chemotherapy. Both evaluations included clinical, immunological, and psychosocial data. Results: A significant decrease in TNF-α (p = 0.001) was observed in the adjuvant cohort compared to the neoadjuvant cohort. After chemotherapy, we found a significant decline in IL-17a, TNF-α, and IL-10 (p = 0.000, 0.000, 0.020), reinforcing the influence of chemotherapy on immunocompetence. Significant relations (p < 0.01) were found between the inflammatory biomarkers that decreased post-chemotherapy and psychosocial factors. Venting and instrumental/emotional support coping played the greatest role in immunological–psychological interactions. Conclusions: The findings confirm an inflammatory footprint, linking the complex interplay between breast tumors, anti-breast cancer treatments, and psychosocial factors. By supporting the immunoregulatory role of biological and psychosocial factors in immunocompetence, our findings bring potential insights into a biopsychosocial approach that targets both survival and psychological adjustment outcomes. Full article

This study investigates the interconnections among sustainability reporting, social performance, and firm value across the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). Employing a quantitative research design, the study utilizes firm-level data from the Refinitiv database, covering 862 firms operating in the BRICS countries from 2017 to 2022. The analysis begins with Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression and extends to models incorporating year-fixed effects and firm-fixed effects to account for heterogeneity and omitted variable bias. Robustness checks are conducted using OLS regression with robust standard errors, fixed effects regression with Driscoll–Kraay standard errors, and an instrumental variable approach to address potential endogeneity concerns. To examine the moderating role of sustainability reporting, interaction terms are incorporated into the regression models and margin plots are used for visualization. The findings reveal that social performance positively impacts firm value, underscoring the role of social responsibility in driving financial performance. Furthermore, sustainability reporting strengthens this relationship, indicating that firms with well-established reporting frameworks can effectively leverage social initiatives to enhance market valuation. Therefore, this study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence on the moderating effect of sustainability reporting in emerging markets. The findings offer valuable implications for policymakers, investors, and corporate leaders seeking to optimize CSR strategies and enhance firm value in dynamic economic environments. Full article