Search Results (89,148)

Knowledge gaps exist regarding foodborne zoonotic diseases in migrant populations. We assessed the seroprevalence of Campylobacter, Salmonella, Yersinia, Brucella, hepatitis E virus (HEV), and Trichinella, and identified potential exposure risks in populations with and without migration backgrounds. In a cross-sectional study (2014–2016), adults with Turkish, Russian, Vietnamese, or German backgrounds residing in Berlin, Germany, were recruited via convenience sampling. Sera were screened for anti-IgG antibodies, and risk factors were assessed via a structured questionnaire. Logistic regression was used for analysis. We included 1180 participants: 497 Germans and 215, 273, and 195 individuals with Russian, Turkish, and Vietnamese backgrounds, respectively. Salmonella seroprevalence was highest among Vietnamese (47–50%) and lowest among Turks (18–20%). Campylobacter seroprevalence ranged from 17% to 23%. Yersinia seroprevalence was highest among Germans (64–70%) and associated with raw pork consumption. HEV seropositivity was highest among Vietnamese (27–28%) and lowest among Russians (5%). No samples were positive for Brucella; two were positive for Trichinella. High seroprevalence of Campylobacter, Salmonella, Yersinia, and HEV suggests substantial exposure and frequent asymptomatic or mild infections. While Yersinia seropositivity was associated with raw pork consumption, high seroprevalence in Turks—who rarely consume pork—suggests other food sources or transmission routes. Full article

The potential of elastomeric composites reinforced with natural fillers to replace traditional synthetic materials in applications involving exposure to acidic environments offers both economic and environmental advantages. On the one hand, these materials contribute to cost reduction and the valorization of organic waste through the development of value-added products. On the other hand, the presence of wood waste in the composite structure enhances biodegradation potential, making these materials less polluting and more consistent with the principles of the circular economy. The present study aims to evaluate the behavior of composites based on Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) synthetic rubber, reinforced with silica and wood sawdust, in a weakly acidic yet strongly corrosive environment—specifically, acetic acid solutions with concentrations ranging from 10% to 30%. The study also investigates the extent to which varying the proportions of the two fillers affects the resistance of these materials under such environmental conditions. Physico-chemical, structural, and morphological analyses revealed that the materials underwent chemical modifications, such as acetylation of hydroxyl groups. This process reduced the hydrophilic character of the sawdust and, combined with the formation of stable interfaces between the elastomeric matrix and the fillers during vulcanization, limited acid penetration into the composite structure. The composites in which 20 phr or 30 phr of wood sawdust were used-replacing equivalent amounts of silica from the initial 50 phr formulation-demonstrated the highest resistance to the corrosive environments. After 14 days of exposure to a 20% acetic acid solution, the composite containing 30% wood sawdust exhibited a decrease in cross-link density of only 1.44%, accompanied by a reduction in Young’s modulus of just 0.95%. At the same time, tensile strength and specific elongation increased by 22.57% and 26.02%, respectively. FTIR and SEM analysis confirmed good rubber–filler interactions and the stability of the composite structure under acidic conditions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Biological aging phenotypes in coronary artery disease (CAD) include coronary atherosclerosis, vascular aging, and endothelial dysfunction. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential links between aging phenotypes, regulatory immune cells, and features of the thymus in patients with CAD. Methods: A single-center, cross-sectional, comparative study was conducted. Patients were stratified according to the severity of coronary atherosclerosis: patients with a Gensini score ≥ 65 points and patients with a Gensini score < 65 points. Peripheral blood and thymus biopsy were obtained. Imaging flow cytometry, ELISA, and immunohistochemical analysis were used for analysis. Results: Thymic morphology ranged from total fatty involution to a preserved structure of the thymus (20–80% area in 31% of obtained samples) but was not associated with the severity of atherosclerosis. Meanwhile, patients with a Gensini score ≥ 65 had impaired thymus cellular composition compared to patients with a Gensini score < 65 points; increased frequency of CD8+ T lymphocytes and NK cells; and decreased frequency of CD4 + CD8+ T lymphocytes. In peripheral blood, the main determinants of a Gensini score ≥ 65 points were low absolute counts of eMDSCs and CD25^low Tregs with FoxP3 nuclear translocation, while advanced vascular aging was associated with elevated eMDSC absolute counts. Advanced coronary atherosclerosis was also associated with decreased numbers of endothelial progenitor cells in circulation. Conclusions: Thymus dysfunction accompanies CAD progression and is manifested in changes in cellular composition rather than morphology. In CAD patients, MDSC and Treg lymphocytes are equally involved in the progression of coronary atherosclerosis, which is aggravated by the decreased regulatory potential of the endothelium. Vascular aging represents a distinct phenotype of biological aging in CAD patients, characterized by the expansion of eMDSCs. Full article

Objective: To explore the lived experiences of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) or hemodialysis (HD) using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Research Design and Methods: A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted with 50 adult T2DM patients on PD or HD who used CGM for at least 14 days. Semi-structured interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. A thematic analysis framework was applied to identify major themes regarding insulin management, CGM utilization, and emotional and social dimensions. Results: Four main themes emerged, each with multiple subthemes. PD patients emphasized enhanced autonomy and frequent insulin adjustments due to dialysate glucose absorption. Conversely, HD patients reported severe post-dialysis fatigue, emotional distress, and limited social engagement often associated with intra-dialytic hypoglycemia. CGM was valued by 85% of participants for improving metabolic awareness and self-management. However, 15% reported barriers such as device cost and technical difficulties. The insights clearly distinguish the differential impact of dialysis modality on daily glucose control and patient well-being. Conclusions: These findings underscore the critical need for patient-centered care incorporating access to CGM and tailored insulin regimens. Equitable implementation of CGM in dialysis settings could significantly enhance glycemic control, emotional resilience, and overall quality of life. Full article

Due to its multiple amino groups, triethylenetetramine (TETA) can be used as an effective formaldehyde scavenger contributing to the reduction in formaldehyde emission from plywood. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of small TETA loadings on the properties of urea-formaldehyde (UF) resin and the performance of the resulting plywood. Adhesive mixtures containing 0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% TETA were prepared and characterized in terms of pH, viscosity, solids content, and gel time. The incorporation of TETA significantly increased adhesive pH and gel time, while viscosity and solid content were not significantly affected. The analysis of formaldehyde content and spectroscopic and thermogravimetric analyses of the cured adhesives showed reduced formaldehyde content, changes in chemical structure, and enhanced thermal stability at lower temperatures but accelerated degradation at higher temperatures. Formaldehyde emission from plywood was reduced; however, bonding quality and mechanical performance decreased with higher TETA content. Nevertheless, the wet shear strength of all variants exceeded 1 N/mm². Adhesive formulation containing 0.5% TETA was selected as the optimal variant, providing environmental benefits while maintaining satisfactory plywood performance. Full article

The global rapid urbanization intensifies environmental challenges related to climate change, such as air pollution and the urban heat island (UHI) effect in built environments. The need to optimize nature-based solutions (NBSs) is imperative to mitigate climate change and adapt to extreme weather phenomena. Against this background, this review offers an analysis regarding the integration of vertical greenery systems (VGSs) into urban environments so as to capitalize on their environmental, social, and economic benefits. Key aspects of the review include the positive role of VGSs in UHI mitigation, air quality improvement, stormwater management, and biodiversity enhancement, while examining social aspects (i.e., improved well-being and mental health, noise reduction, and urban built aesthetics). Finally, parameters related to economic benefits and energy efficiency are assessed. The submission further analyses the significant challenges that VGSs face, such as high maintenance costs, structural risks, plant health issues, fire hazards, and other limitations (legislative and technical). The crucial need for interdisciplinary collaborations among urban planners, architects, environmental engineers, and stakeholders is highlighted, in order to successfully integrate VGSs into urban buildings. Thus, this paper aims to identify key strategies for optimizing VGSs’ implementation and provide valuable insights for policymakers and researchers aiming to enhance urban sustainability through vertical greening. Full article

Many transportation structures collapse or sustain severe damage as a result of natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, wars, and similar attacks. These collapsed or severely damaged structures must be rebuilt and returned to service as quickly as possible. Water is used in the mix for cement-bound concrete roads. It is known that drought problems are emerging due to climate change and that water resources are rapidly depleting. Significant amounts of water are used in concrete production, further depleting water resources. In order to contribute to the elimination of these two problems, the usability of polyurethane resin binder in road pavement construction was investigated. Polyurethane resin binder road pavement is a new type of pavement that does not contain cement or bitumen as binders and does not contain water in its mixture. This new type of road pavement can be opened to traffic within 5–15 min. After determining the aggregate and binder mixture ratios, four different curing methods were applied to the created samples. After the curing, the samples were subjected to compression test, flexural test, Bohme abrasion test, freeze–thaw test, bond strength by pull-off test, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) test, SEM-EDX analysis, XRD analysis, and FT-IR analysis. The new type of road pavement created within the scope of this study exhibited a compression strength of 41.22 MPa, a flexural strength of 25.32 MPa, a Bohme abrasion value of 0.99 cm³/50 cm², a freeze–thaw test mass loss per unit area of 0.77 kg/m², and an average bond strength by pull-off value of 4.63 MPa. It was observed that these values ensured the road pavement specification limits. Full article

NASICON-type Li_1+XFe_XTi_2-X(PO₄)₃ (x = 0.1, 0.3, 0.4) solid electrolytes for all-solid-state Li-ion batteries were synthesized using a sol–gel method. This study investigated the impact of substituting Fe³⁺ (0.645 Å), a trivalent cation, for Ti⁴⁺ (0.605 Å) on ionic conductivity. Li_1+XFe_XTi_2-X(PO₄)₃ samples, subjected to various sintering temperatures, were characterized using TG-DTA, XRD with Rietveld refinement, XPS, FE-SEM, and AC impedance to evaluate composition, crystal structure, fracture surface morphology, densification, and ionic conductivity. XRD analysis confirmed the formation of single-crystalline NASICON-type Li_1+XFe_XTi_2-X(PO₄)₃ at all sintering temperatures. However, impurities in the secondary phase emerged owing to the high sintering temperature, above 1000 °C, and increased Fe content. Sintered density increased with the densification of Li_1+XFe_XTi_2-X(PO₄)₃, as evidenced by FE-SEM observations of sharper edges of larger quasi-cubic grains at elevated sintering temperatures. At 1000 °C, with Fe content exceeding 0.4, grain coarsening resulted in additional grain boundaries and internal cracks, thereby reducing the sintered density. Li_1.3Fe_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ sintered at 900 °C exhibited the highest density among the other conditions and achieved the maximum total ionic conductivity of 1.51 × 10⁻⁴ S/cm at room temperature, with the lowest activation energy for Li ion transport at 0.37 eV. In contrast, Li_1.4Fe_0.4Ti_1.6(PO₄)₃ sintered at 1000 °C demonstrated reduced ionic conductivity owing to increased complex impedance associated with secondary phases and grain crack formation. Full article

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-dibutyl adipate (DBA) gels are a fascinating dielectric elastomer actuator showing promise in soft robotics. When actuated with high voltages, the gel deforms towards the anode. A recent application of PVC gels in electrohydraulic actuators motivates elastic and hyperelastic constitutive relationships for tensile loading modes. PVC gels with plasticizer-to-polymer weight ratios of 2:1, 4:1, 6:1, and 8:1 w/w were evaluated. PVC gels exhibit a linear elastic region up to 25% strain. The elastic modulus decreased with increasing plasticizer content from 288.8 kPa, 56.1 kPa, 24.7 kPa, to 11 kPa. Poisson’s ratio also decreased with increasing plasticizer content from 0.42, 0.43, 0.39, to 0.35. We suggest that the decrease in polymer concentration facilitates a weakly interconnected polymer network susceptible to chain slippage that hinders the network response, thus lowering Poisson’s ratio. Our work suggests that PVC gels can be treated as isotropic and incompressible for large strains and hyperelastic modeling; however, highly plasticized gels tend to act less incompressible at small strains. The power scaling law between the elastic modulus and plasticizer weight ratio showed high agreement, making the elastic modulus deterministic for any plasticizer content. The Neo–Hookean, Mooney–Rivlin, Yeoh, Gent, Ogden, and extended tube hyperelastic constitutive models are investigated. The Yeoh model shows the highest feasibility when evaluated up to 3.5 stretch, showing a maximum normalized root-mean-square-error of 6.85%. Together, these findings establish a constitutive basis for PVC-DBA gels, incorporating small strain elasticity, large strain non-linear behavior, and network analysis while providing suggestive insight into the network structure required for accurately modeling the EPIC. Full article

Background: Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing by dental practitioners is a significant problem in low- and middle-income settings, such as India, where there are no guidelines for dental prescribing. This study aims to report, in a step-by-step process, the co-development of a computer-based stewardship educational intervention with Indian stakeholders to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing by primary care dental practitioners in India. Methods: The development process of our intervention was guided by the Medical Research Council framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions. In alignment with the framework’s core elements, a co-production research approach was employed. Engagement with local stakeholders, including primary care dental practitioners, academic dentists, and those from the Indian Dental Association, facilitated the development of a contextually appropriate intervention that was informed by a prior needs assessment (a systematic review and a policy document analysis conducted in India) and evidence from global literature. The intervention was refined through iterative feedback from stakeholders and pre-testing. Results: An educational antibiotic stewardship intervention was co-developed in collaboration with stakeholders from Chennai, a major city in southern India. The final intervention comprised three components: 1. A one-page chairside guide summarising common areas of dental antibiotic use for easy reference in clinical settings; 2. A training module based on the chairside guide; and 3. A patient information sheet to facilitate dentists’ communication with patients. The intervention components were designed to be clear, practical, and contextually relevant, with the potential to enhance clinical decision-making and promote evidence-based antibiotic prescribing practices. Conclusions: This research paper describes, in a structured manner, how an educational antibiotic stewardship intervention for dental practitioners in India was co-developed by researchers and local stakeholders. Further feasibility testing is required to address uncertainties identified at the conclusion of the development process, including those related to dentists’ perceptions of the intervention, the utility of the intervention tools, and prescription recording. Full article

In response to China’s drive to bring newly cultivated land into production, this study evaluated how combined organic fertilizer and microbial inoculants affect soil quality, bacterial community structure, and maize yield. Four treatments were evaluated: FC (chemical fertilizer only), T50 (50% organic fertilizer + 50% chemical fertilizer), T50M (T50 plus microbial inoculant), and CK (no fertilizer). T50M significantly increased yield compared to FC and CK (p < 0.05), achieving the highest yield of 6995.73 kg ha⁻¹. This was 20.09% greater than FC. Community composition analyses showed that soil in newly cultivated land was dominated by Blastocatellia, Vicinamibacteria, and Alphaproteobacteria, together accounting for over 35.7% of total bacterial abundance. Redundancy analysis at the class level explained 55.7% of variance; soil organic matter (SOM) and available potassium positively correlated with Alphaproteobacteria and Bacteroidia, while available phosphorus and nitrate nitrogen aligned with Actinobacteria and Bacilli. Path analysis indicated that SOM and total nitrogen were the strongest positive drivers of yield. Actinobacteria and Acidobacteriae also showed direct positive effects, whereas Verrucomicrobiae had a negative effect. These results demonstrate that integrated organic–microbial amendments can enhance soil fertility and alter microbial diversity toward taxa that can improve maize productivity. Full article

Accurate recognition of estrus behavior in sows is of great importance for achieving scientific breeding management, improving reproductive efficiency, and reducing labor costs in modern pig farms. However, due to the evident spatiotemporal continuity, stage-specific changes, and ambiguous category boundaries of estrus behaviors, traditional methods based on static images or manual observation suffer from low efficiency and high misjudgment rates in practical applications. To address these issues, this study follows a video-based behavior recognition approach and designs three deep learning model structures: (Convolutional Neural Network combined with Long Short-Term Memory) CNN + LSTM, (Three-Dimensional Convolutional Neural Network) 3D-CNN, and (Convolutional Neural Network combined with Temporal Convolutional Network) CNN + TCN, aiming to achieve high-precision recognition and classification of four key behaviors (SOB, SOC, SOS, SOW) during the estrus process in sows. In terms of data processing, a sliding window strategy was adopted to slice the annotated video sequences, constructing image sequence samples with uniform length. The training, validation, and test sets were divided in a 6:2:2 ratio, ensuring balanced distribution of behavior categories. During model training and evaluation, a systematic comparative analysis was conducted from multiple aspects, including loss function variation (Loss), accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, confusion matrix, and ROC-AUC curves. Experimental results show that the CNN + TCN model performed best overall, with validation accuracy exceeding 0.98, F1-score approaching 1.0, and an average AUC value of 0.9988, demonstrating excellent recognition accuracy and generalization ability. The 3D-CNN model performed well in recognizing short-term dynamic behaviors (such as SOC), achieving a validation F1-score of 0.91 and an AUC of 0.770, making it suitable for high-frequency, short-duration behavior recognition. The CNN + LSTM model exhibited good robustness in handling long-duration static behaviors (such as SOB and SOS), with a validation accuracy of 0.99 and an AUC of 0.9965. In addition, this study further developed an intelligent recognition system with front-end visualization, result feedback, and user interaction functions, enabling local deployment and real-time application of the model in farming environments, thus providing practical technical support for the digitalization and intelligentization of reproductive management in large-scale pig farms. Full article

As a complex ecosystem, a business environment plays a structural role in shaping enterprise vitality, yet its multidimensional mechanisms remain underexplored, particularly within transitioning economies. This study employs a time-series Global Principal Component Analysis (GPCA) model to measure the vitality levels of 1475 A-share listed enterprises and the quality of business environments across 284 cities between 2008 and 2022 in China. Based on Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) theory, we propose a three-dimensional “institution–resource–capability” theoretical framework to analyze the impact of a business environment on enterprise vitality and its underlying complex mechanisms. Our results reveal that, (1) a business environment and its constituent subsystems significantly enhance enterprise vitality, with the market environment and innovation ecosystem exhibiting the strongest effects; (2) the revitalizing impact of a business environment is more pronounced for enterprises in the tertiary industry, manufacturing, regulated sectors, and foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs), as well as those operating in Eastern China; (3) mechanistically, the positive association between a business environment and enterprise vitality is consistent with the following three core pathways: mitigating enterprise risks, restructuring resource provision, and cultivating enterprise capability. This research enriches theoretical frameworks for enterprise sustainable development within complex economic systems, while providing valuable policy implications for optimizing business environments in global transitioning economies. Full article

China’s dual carbon goals necessitate green transformation across industries, with STAR Market enterprises serving as crucial drivers of technological innovation. Existing studies predominantly focus on traditional sectors, overlooking dynamic policy interactions and structural heterogeneity in these technology-intensive firms. This study examines how coordinated environmental tax reforms, green finance initiatives, and equity network synergies collectively shape enterprise green transition, using multi-period difference-in-differences and triple-difference models across 2019 Q3–2023 Q4. By integrating financial records, patent filings, and carbon emission data from 487 STAR Market firms, the analysis identifies environmental cost pressures as the dominant policy driver, complemented by delayed financing incentives and accelerated resource integration through corporate networks. Regional institutional environments further modulate these effects, with areas implementing stricter tax reforms exhibiting stronger outcomes. The findings advocate for adaptive policy designs that align fiscal instruments with regional innovation capacities, optimize financial tools for technology commercialization cycles, and leverage inter-firm networks to amplify sustainability efforts. These insights contribute to refining China’s climate governance framework for emerging technology sectors. Full article

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation, synaptic dysfunction, and cognitive decline. Current pharmacological treatments provide only symptomatic relief without altering disease progression. Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT), a light-based intervention, has shown neuroprotective potential, although its exact neurobiological mechanisms in AD pathogenesis remain obscure. In this study, we investigated the effects of PBMT using a 660 nm wavelength light-emitting diode (LED) in 5xFAD transgenic mouse, a well-established model of early-onset AD. Mice were subjected to once daily PBMT sessions over a defined treatment period and outcomes were assessed through immunohistochemical analysis of hippocampal regions (CA1, CA2, CA3, and dentate gyrus) alongside behavioral testing using the Y-maze spontaneous alternation task. PBMT significantly reduced Aβ plaque load across hippocampal regions, accompanied by improved preservation of neuronal morphology. Furthermore, PBMT significantly upregulated SIRT1 expression, a critical regulator of synaptic plasticity and memory processes. Behaviorally, PBMT-treated mice displayed enhanced spatial working memory compared with controls, indicating a functional benefit linked to the observed molecular and structural changes. These findings suggest that 660 nm PBMT attenuates hallmark AD pathology, promotes neuroprotective pathways, and improves cognition, highlighting its potential as a disease-modifying therapy that warrants further preclinical and clinical investigation. Full article