Search Results (817)

Vulvodynia is a chronic gynecological condition characterized by unexplained vulvar pain, which may significantly impact every aspect of women’s quality of life, encompassing physical, psychological, and social well-being. Due to its heterogeneous clinical presentation and associated comorbidities, vulvodynia is often misdiagnosed and/or not adequately treated. This descriptive observational study was conducted using an anonymous questionnaire, which was distributed through social media channels and included 29 questions (25 multiple-choice and four open-ended questions) and aimed to investigate participants’ most frequent symptoms, comorbidities, impact on quality of life, and treatment efficacy and costs. Analyzing a total of 221 answers, we found that burning (85%) and abrasion/irritation sensation (73%) are the most common symptoms, and they are most frequently localized in the vestibular area, while irritable bowel syndrome (35%) is the most common comorbidity. A significant negative effect on individual functioning was confirmed, also due to a noticeable diagnostic delay (4.5 years on average) and treatments’ prohibitive costs potentially impairing participants’ compliance. Our study provides valuable insights into self-reported aspects of women affected by vulvodynia, raising healthcare professionals’ awareness of this issue. Better knowledge of peculiar aspects of vulvodynia may help improve its diagnosis and promote a more personalized and efficient therapeutic approach. Full article

Background: Since sedentary habits have become a growing global public health concern, the promotion of physical activity (PA) from early childhood could help children live healthy lifestyles. The aim of this systematic review was to analyze the level of compliance with PA in preschoolers in relation to the reference guidelines. Method: A systematic review of relevant articles was carried out using four databases (PubMed, ProQuest, SCOPUS, and FECYT (Web of Sciences, CCC, CIDW, KJD, MEDLINE, RSCI, and SCIELO)) until 14 May 2025. The methodological assessment process was performed by using an adapted version of the MINORS assessment criteria. Results: A total of 623 studies were initially found and 23 were included in the qualitative synthesis. Conclusions: The results revealed that the average in most contexts usually ranges between 30% and 65% of the child population. Due to different operational criteria, compliance was generally higher when PA was assessed separately using single-behavior guidelines as opposed to when integrated 24 h movement frameworks were used. However, these results should be considered with caution because establishing the level of adherence to PA guidelines is difficult due to the different outcomes and guidelines used to compare the level of children’s PA. In future research, it is important to establish common baseline criteria (specifying more specific ages, common questionnaires, and criteria for calculating PA quantity and intensity) to facilitate more objective and reliable comparisons between studies. This systematic review is important because it highlights the need for healthy educational habits from the first years of a person’s life. Full article

Background: To mitigate the negative impacts of the pandemic, it is essential to understand how the associations between different types of physical activity (PA) and adolescent well-being changed before and after the COVID-19 pandemic (defined here as the period marked by students’ return to stable in-person education). This study aimed to examine gender differences in the associations between school-related PA and subjective well-being before and after the pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used, including 430 boys and 571 girls from 22 high schools. Participants completed the Youth Activity Profile questionnaire to assess school-related and school-associated PA and the WHO-5 Well-Being Index to evaluate subjective well-being. Differences in participants’ PA across segments of the school day before and after the pandemic were evaluated using the Kruskal–Wallis test, and compliance with PA recommendations was analyzed using cross-tabulation and Pearson’s chi-square tests. Results: After the pandemic, both boys and girls reported significantly lower levels of active transportation to and from school compared with the pre-pandemic period. In addition, well-being levels were significantly lower in both genders after the pandemic. Before the pandemic, boys and girls with higher well-being met the recommendations for PA to school, from school, and outside of school significantly more often than their peers with lower well-being. Higher levels of well-being were observed both before and after the pandemic in boys and girls who participated in organized PA compared with non-participants. Conclusions: This study confirms lower levels of PA and well-being among adolescents after the pandemic. In particular, PA to and from school was at a lower level after the pandemic than before the pandemic. Participation in organized PA was significantly associated with higher well-being in both boys and girls before and after the pandemic. Supporting adolescents’ participation in organized PA should be a priority when addressing the negative consequences of societal crisis situations. Improved knowledge of the associations between PA and well-being may contribute to more effective support for adolescents’ PA and greater awareness of the importance of meeting PA recommendations. Full article

UK ports handle the vast majority of national trade by volume and constitute Critical National Infrastructure. Since 2004, the SOLAS/ISPS Code and the Port Security Regulations 2009 have established baseline security requirements, recently supplemented by the National Security and Investment Act 2021 and the National Security Act 2023, creating overlapping obligations. This contribution maps the evolving regulatory framework (ISPS/Port Security Regulations, NSI 2021, NSA 2023, and CNI-related guidance). It assesses operational impacts using industry metrics and draws comparative lessons from Singapore and Rotterdam. Empirical research indicates that security regulation is not uniformly detrimental to performance: targeted, intelligence-led, and technology-enabled measures can coincide with productivity gains, whereas fragmented or blanket compliance regimes are more consistently associated with increased dwell times and throughput loss. These delays propagate through supply chains and intensify cost pressures, with proportionally greater impacts on mid-sized ports. Comparative evidence indicates that risk-based screening, integrated cyber–physical platforms, transparent governance, and clear cost-sharing frameworks can maintain security without compromising commercial performance. The contribution recommends (i) tiered, risk-based screening with transparent indicators; (ii) the consolidation of overlapping regulatory obligations; (iii) clearer liability frameworks, including model terms and alternative dispute resolution; and (iv) scheduled review provisions to maintain proportionality over time. Full article

Accurate perception and interpretation of the road environment are essential for safe driving. Vertical traffic signs play a key role in communicating warnings, regulations, and guidance to road users, thereby supporting safe and efficient traffic flow. However, their effectiveness depends not only on proper design and placement but also on how accurately and promptly they are perceived by drivers, which may be influenced by factors such as attention, cognitive workload, physical and mental condition, and fatigue. This study evaluates the contribution of selected vertical traffic signs to driving safety along a designated roadway section in Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. Face-to-face surveys were conducted with 480 active road users. Drivers’ knowledge, compliance behavior, safe route preferences, perceived visibility, and the effects of missing or inadequate signage were analyzed. The results indicate that driving exposure, education level, and experience significantly influence knowledge and perception of traffic signs, while compliance shows limited variation. These findings suggest that knowledge alone does not necessarily translate into behavioral compliance and underscore the importance of considering both driver-related factors and infrastructure characteristics in traffic safety strategies. The study provides practical insights for improving the visibility, placement, and overall effectiveness of vertical traffic signs in rapidly developing urban environments. Full article

Background/Objectives: Mandarin orange peel (MOP) is rich in bioactive polymethoxyflavones, including hesperidin and nobiletin, which have shown neuroprotective effects in rodent models. However, comprehensive safety data in dogs are required to support its development as a therapeutic intervention for canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome. In this study, the safety profile of a standardized MOP formulation was evaluated in four healthy Beagle dogs. Methods: Initially, compositional analysis was performed, and 202 pesticide residues and psoralens were screened to ensure compliance with Japanese pet food safety standards. Subsequently, a dose-escalation study was conducted in which dogs received oral MOP at 2, 6, and 10 g/head/day for 3–4 weeks at each dose level. Clinical signs, hematology, and serum biochemistry were monitored throughout the study period. Results: The MOP powder composition and residue levels remained within regulatory safety limits. In the dose-escalation study, no significant dose-dependent abnormalities were observed in physical or clinicopathological parameters. One dog exhibited transient loose stools at higher doses and a temporary elevation in alkaline phosphatase levels at 2 g/head/day; however, these symptoms resolved spontaneously despite continued administration. Conclusions: MOP was safe and well tolerated in dogs even at 10 g/head/day (787–952 mg/kg/day), which is approximately five times the anticipated clinical dose. The observed fluctuations in active ingredient concentrations remained within the acceptable range for natural products and did not affect overall safety. Combined with comprehensive screening for residues, these results indicate that MOP is a high-quality and safe dietary intervention for older dogs. Full article

The study evaluated the drinking water quality of Rouxville (RX) in Mohokare Local Municipality in the Free State, using chemical, physical, and microbiological parameters in comparison with South African National Standard 241 (SANS 241:2015). Drinking water samples were collected monthly from five sample sites, including the water treatment plant (WTP) and four end-user points, over a period of three years (2021–2023). Microbiological parameters revealed persistent non-compliance, with total coliforms and Escherichia coli (E. coli) frequently exceeding recommended limits by SANS 241 at multiple sites. The highest total coliform concentration of 201 CFU was recorded at the Rouxville Water Treatment Plant during the third year (2023) of sampling, while E. coli reached a maximum of 11 CFU at an end-user point, indicating the presence of possible pathogens in the water system. Colour exceeded the recommended limit (15 Pt-Co mg/L) at all sampling sites, with the highest value of 133 Pt-Co mg/L recorded at Rolelethunya Library. Chemical parameters mostly complied with SANS 241 limits, elevated values of total alkalinity and aluminium were observed at certain sites, particularly during the third year (2023) of sampling. The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME-WQI) was also used to determine the overall water quality of the sample sites. The findings revealed that several sample sites had non-compliant parameters. The CCME-WQI revealed that the drinking water quality of Rouxville was either in the marginal or fair category, indicating that the water quality may be occasionally or frequently threatened, posing public health risks. These findings highlight the urgent need to ensure regular maintenance of WTP and ensuring continuous microbial monitoring. Full article

Cervical Intervertebral Disc Degeneration (CIVDD) involves significant microenvironmental physical stiffening, forcing nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) into a rigid phenotype via F-actin over-assembly. It remains unclear if cyclic tensile strain (CTS) can reverse this physical stiffening, particularly in severe degeneration. This study stratified 18 patients into Mild, Moderate, and Severe cohorts based on MRI. Primary NPCs were subjected to physiological 5% CTS (1 Hz, 24 h). Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and immunofluorescence were utilized to evaluate Young’s modulus and cytoskeletal remodeling. Results demonstrated that baseline cellular stiffness increased significantly with degeneration severity. Following CTS, all groups exhibited universal de-stiffening and F-actin depolymerization. Crucially, a “Degeneration Paradox” emerged: the Severe group displayed the highest relative elastic modulus recovery rate, significantly surpassing the Mild group. This microscopic recovery correlated inversely with preoperative disc height loss and range of motion. We conclude that severely degenerated cells are not metabolically quiescent but “physically locked” by a rigid cytoskeleton. Physiological CTS restores compliance via mechanical unloading, confirming that severe cells retain superior relative mechanoplasticity and may benefit from mechanotherapy-based “unlocking” strategies. Full article

Energy thriftiness and metabolic adaptations have had a crucial role in the emergence and spreading of the Homo lineage in the world. A higher-energy demand was required not only for the growing body mass, encephalization and human proliferation, but also for the survival adaptations to the environmental stresses. Because lean body mass lacks the energy-storage capacity required to supply the body’s demands, dedicated fat-storing cells originated. To feed such fat stores, the hominid evolution developed “meat-adaptive” genes to detect, digest and metabolize higher fat diets, and body-fat stores can be affected by lifestyle through hormonal-controlled daily energy balance. In energy surplus conditions, hypertrophy and hyperplasia of adipocytes can occur, with hypertrophic adipocyte signaling both a neo-adipocyte differentiation (leading to hyperplasia) and a local macrophage density (resident + infiltrated macrophages) for fat surplus scavenging. Adiposity-induced inflammation is caused by fat-overstored (hypertrophied) adipocytes that may operate as an overactive endocrine organ secreting an array of pro-inflammatory adipokines that, in combination with resident-macrophage activity and infiltrated blood-recruited, monocyte-derived macrophages, amplify the inflammatory process by spurting pro-inflammatory cytokines into the bloodstream. From an evolutionary perspective, obese humans represent a natural selection overexpressing the “thrifty” genes evolved for efficient food collection and fat deposition intended to help in survival in prolonged periods of famine. However, genetically speaking, obesity is a polygenic multifactorial disorder. Considering the rapidity of obesity-epidemic growth worldwide, epigenetic sets forth the key assumption of the mismatch between our human genome molded over thousands of generations, coping with the unprecedented dietary and physical conditions. Consequently, obesity would be due to our evolutionary-adapted polygenic-charge expressed by a deteriorated lifestyle characterized by high energy-dense food intake coupled with a reduction in caloric expenditure stemming from new mobility-reducing technologies. As a model of lifestyle change (LiSM), our 28-year on-going longitudinal study (“Moving for Health”) has shown effectiveness in the reduction not only of obesity but especially of its comorbidities, in a (10 week to 3 year) length-dependent LiSM. However, a disappointing progressive decrease in compliance with the study has been observed and attributed to the resistance of people to change their actual “obesogenic” lifestyle, basically represented by the individuals’ demand for labor-saving technologies and convenient, affordable, palatable foods. Full article

The goal of this research is to develop a predictive model that determines how low-frequency Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) affects the leakage current behavior of CMOS transistors. Although developed and validated using NMOS devices, the modeling framework can be extended to PMOS transistors; experimental validation of PMOS devices is planned for future work. The model provides essential physical parameter-based analysis of nanoscale device EMI susceptibility during low-frequency operation. The model demonstrates high accuracy and practicality through experimental verification of test chips built with standard TSMC CMOS technology nodes. The findings highlight that modern CMOS designs must account for low-frequency EMI, which can induce leakage shifts significant enough to impact EMC compliance, functional robustness, and reliability in ultra-low-power and near-threshold applications. The research delivers a practical method for designers to evaluate and reduce EMI-induced leakage in integrated circuits. Full article

Power system control rooms are undergoing a profound transformation as renewable integration, distributed energy resources, sector coupling, and increasing operational uncertainty reshape the technical, organisational, and cognitive demands of grid operation. At the same time, Digital Twins and Agentic Artificial Intelligence offer new possibilities for monitoring, forecasting, reasoning, and decision support. However, existing control room architectures remain fragmented and insufficiently structured to support the coherent integration of digital models, intelligent reasoning systems, human operators, and regulatory accountability mechanisms in safety-critical power system environments. This article addresses that gap through a PRISMA ScR-informed scoping review combined with a structured architectural synthesis process. The study develops Infostructure as a reference architectural framework for situation awareness in future power system control rooms. The framework is derived from a synthesis of operational challenges, regulatory constraints, and human AI collaboration requirements identified across the scientific and regulatory literature. Infostructure formalises four interrelated architectural layers, Physical, Semantic, Orchestration, and Cognitive, constrained by cross cutting governance and compliance principles. The architectural coverage and internal coherence of the framework are illustrated through representative transmission and distribution system use cases, including wide area disturbance anticipation, distribution level congestion management, and cross organisational coordination during extreme events. A structured research and validation agenda is further outlined to support empirical evaluation and phased implementation. By transforming review-based synthesis into a coherent architectural formalisation, Infostructure contributes a rigorous foundation for the evolution of transparent, accountable, and resilient power system control rooms. Full article

Efficient aero-acoustic regression is critical for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) design and urban air mobility operations, where noise mitigation is essential for regulatory compliance and public acceptance. While data-driven fuzzy Takagi–Sugeno–Kang (TSK) systems have shown potential for modeling complex aero-acoustic behaviors in UAV applications, their performance is strongly affected by input dimensionality and rule-base complexity. This work extends previous research on dimensionality reduction for genetic algorithm-optimized fuzzy systems by conducting a comparative benchmark on an aero-acoustic database regression task relevant to drone propulsion noise prediction. Several TSK architectures are evaluated, including zero- and first-order models, different membership function granularities, and clustering-based rule-generation strategies. In addition, a physics-based heuristic TSK rule system incorporating aero-acoustic knowledge is introduced and compared against data-driven fuzzy configurations. Model performance is primarily assessed through graphical regression analysis and optimization convergence behavior, with a focus on computational efficiency, structural complexity, and qualitative prediction trends—critical considerations for onboard UAV systems and real-time acoustic monitoring. The results highlight the trade-offs between data-driven learning and physics-informed rule construction, demonstrating that physics-based heuristics can reduce optimization complexity while preserving physically consistent behavior. This study provides practical insights into the design of interpretable and efficient fuzzy regression models for UAV aero-acoustic applications, supporting next-generation drone acoustic signature management. Full article

Future cyber-physical systems (CPSs), integrating subsystems of the mechanical, electrical and software domains, are becoming increasingly interconnected and complex. As complexity grows, testing effort increases as well. This includes the test-case definition step, where the test targets and boundary conditions are specified. With rising system complexity, the effort required to ensure that all relevant conditions for each test target are identified increases. Manual test-case definition remains the norm, creating effort bottlenecks in ensuring systematic coverage and compliance with standards such as ISO 26262 and ISO 29119. This paper explores how large language models (LLMs) can support the identification of complex boundary conditions for CPS test cases through detailed requirement analysis. The impact of performing taxonomy-guided, structured requirement mapping prior to test-case generation was evaluated by comparing it with a version without this guidance. Furthermore, the influence of supplying a Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) system model as context information via Graph RAG is examined. The results show that structured, stepwise reasoning significantly improves reliability and consistency over unguided generation, while system-model information provides valuable contextual insight but has a minor impact in the chosen example. These findings outline a scalable framework for AI-assisted test-case generation. Full article

The escalating complexity of airport surface operations challenges traditional risk quantification methods. Conventional linear models often fail to capture the non-linear interactions within sociotechnical systems. While hybrid System-Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) and Bayesian Network (BN) models provide an alternative, existing integrations are frequently constrained by ad hoc structural translations and rare-event data sparsity. To address these methodological limitations, this study proposes an enhanced STPA-BN framework. A formalized mapping mechanism (M1–M4) translates qualitative STPA scenarios into a BN topology to quantify non-linear causal dependencies across environmental precursors, operator cognitive states, unsafe control actions, and systemic hazards. Parameterization is achieved via a logic-guided strategy, fusing historical incident data mining with deterministic physical constraints to correct rare-event probabilities. The framework is validated through a reconstruction of the 2023 Austin–Bergstrom runway incursion incident. Results indicate that under low visibility and degraded surveillance, incursion probability escalates to 86%. Sensitivity analysis reveals that while restoring surveillance infrastructure reduces collision risk by ~13%, communication compliance improvements prove insufficient in sensory-deprived environments. These findings quantitatively demonstrate that administrative controls cannot substitute for robust engineering safeguards in complex operations. Full article

As critical end-effectors enabling the practical deployment of marine robotic systems, soft hands face persistent challenges including multi-finger asynchronization, unbalanced force distribution, and insufficient anti-disturbance robustness, compounded by constraints from soft material nonlinearity and harsh marine environmental disturbances. To address these limitations, this paper proposes a dexterous grasping method integrating coupled dynamical systems and adaptive force planning control, designed to enhance operational reliability in complex marine environments. An intermediate dynamic layer is embedded to ensure precise multi-finger synchronization, a hybrid force planning algorithm balances force uniformity and constraint satisfaction, and an adaptive controller synergizes with a Neo-Hookean model to compensate for nonlinear deviations. Simulations and physical experiments demonstrate that the method delivers excellent grasping stability and accuracy for uneven mass distribution targets such as cylinders and spheres, while balancing synchronization precision, constraint compliance, and anti-disturbance capability. Compared with the traditional coupled dynamical systems (DSs), the constraint violation is reduced by up to 18.2%, the friction force is increased by 4.0%, and the force distribution uniformity is improved by approximately 5.1%.Compared with the particle swarm optimization (PSO) strategy, the constraint violation is reduced by up to 50.5%, the friction force is increased by 40.9%, and the force distribution uniformity is also improved by about 5.1%. This work fills a key gap in balancing multiple performance metrics for marine soft hands, providing a reliable technical solution to accelerate the real-world deployment of marine robotic systems. Full article