Abstract: Inclusive education has become an important component of educational reform in Kazakhstan, particularly through efforts to align national education policy with international principles of equity and access. However, implementation remains uneven between urban and rural schools. This study explores how teachers implement inclusive education practices in a rural secondary school in Northern Kazakhstan. A qualitative case study design was employed using semi-structured interviews with sixteen teachers working in inclusive classrooms. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings indicate that teachers demonstrate strong commitment to supporting students with diverse learning needs and regularly adapt instructional practices to promote classroom inclusion. At the same time, participants identified major challenges, including limited professional preparation, shortages of specialized support staff, insufficient instructional resources, and infrastructure constraints affecting rural schools. The findings further suggest that although inclusive education is increasingly emphasized within national educational policy, implementation in rural schools continues to be shaped by structural inequalities and unequal access to institutional support. The study contributes to the limited literature on inclusive education in Central Asia and highlights the importance of strengthening teacher professional development, institutional support systems, and rural educational infrastructure.

Abstract: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is more common in women than men and the risk of AD increases markedly during and after the menopausal transition. Although a role for estrogen deficiency is well studied, recent reports have revealed the pivotal but under-recognized contribution of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in mediating neurodegenerative risk. In this review, we integrate current understanding of reproductive aging, AD pathobiology, and sex differences with a specific emphasis on endocrine, metabolic and inflammatory processes. FSH increases during reproductive aging and has mechanistic connections to several canonical molecular pathways that are altered in AD. This includes signaling through C/EBPβ-δ-secretase, mitochondria, glucose metabolism, and the autophagic/lysosomal clearance pathway. The convergence of these processes appears to underlie aspects of amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation, tau pathology, and chronic neuroinflammation. FSH also modulates apolipoprotein biology (e.g., ApoE) by impacting lipid metabolism, protein lipidation, and clearance, which in turn affects Aβ kinetics and neuroinflammation in an ApoE isoform-specific manner. In addition, reproductive aging is associated with changes in vascular health and permeability, blood-brain barrier function, and immunometabolic processes that may drive neurodegenerative risk. Critically, these early upstream events drive disease risk before the onset of the more classical pathological features, which may shift our current perception of Aβ and tau as causes of AD to instead be consequences of upstream failure. Overall, this review provides mechanistic insight into the role of FSH and its downstream signaling pathways in neurodegeneration. As such, modulating FSH signaling and downstream pathways is a promising and mechanistically supported therapeutic strategy for reducing AD risk in women.

Abstract: Rising demand for high-performance battery thermal management systems (BTMS) has rendered single-mode cooling insufficient for advanced lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in new energy vehicles (NEVs), particularly under high discharge rates. This study proposes a synergistic hybrid BTMS integrating composite phase change material (CPCM)–Aluminum foam with liquid cooling to enhance thermal regulation of cylindrical battery modules under 5 C discharge conditions. Multiple liquid cooled plate (LCP) configurations, including serpentine, straight, and leaf-shaped designs, together with different flow channel topologies (FCTs), were systematically investigated and optimized. The effects of coolant flow speed (CFS) and ambient temperature are also analyzed. Results indicate that the optimized leaf-shaped LCP with FCT #2 delivers superior performance, limiting the maximum temperature to 309.98 K, reducing temperature difference by 7.6 %, and decreasing pressure drop by 88.79 % compared to the serpentine configuration. Increasing CFS improves heat dissipation and delays PCM melting, although it raises pressure losses. Furthermore, the proposed system maintains a cell-to-cell temperature difference below 0.51 K, indicating excellent thermal uniformity. Compared to a CPCM-only system, the hybrid BTMS reduces peak temperature by 8.81 K under elevated ambient conditions (309.15 K), demonstrating strong potential for reliable and efficient thermal management in demanding operating environments.

Abstract: Adhering to physical activity and diet, risk factors for non-communicable diseases, is important in the management of treatment and medications for chronic conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension. With this aim, this study examines the perceived determinants influencing adherence to and maintenance of these two behavioral risk factors while individuals manage their chronic conditions. Within a planetary health equity framework, a phenomenological approach was taken in a qualitative study to explore the perceived determinants and their interlinkages that collectively shape behavioral adherence to walking and dietary practices among individuals diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension in a single neighborhood. A total of twenty in-depth interviews were conducted. This study found that individual, social, economic, and environmental determinants and their interlinkages made adherence to the physical activity and diet advised by treating physicians challenging and complex. This study also found that behavioral adherence goes beyond individual choice; material and spatial circumstances also play a key role in adherence and maintenance of changing behaviors. Therefore, behavior change without improving these underlying determinants is likely to have less impact on adaptation to walking and diet. A planetary health equity approach that addresses the nexus between human health, society, and the environment must be adopted to resolve the critical challenges in adhering to behavioral change and its maintenance. Intervention strategies must act beyond clinic-based medication and counseling to, through a whole-community and whole-systems approach, integrating primary healthcare, urban planning, environmental governance, and socioeconomic protection.

Abstract: Honeybee population decline poses a serious threat to global biodiversity and agricultural productivity, underscoring the need for continuous and non-invasive hive monitoring solutions. In particular, early detection of queen absence is critical for maintaining colony viability. This study investigates the effectiveness of machine learning and deep learning models for acoustic-based queen-presence detection using short-duration hive audio recordings. Audio data collected from multiple sources were processed to extract spectrogram, Mel-spectrogram, and Mel-frequency cepstral coefficient features, which were evaluated using classical ML classifiers and convolutional neural networks. Experimental results indicate that MFCC-based representations consistently outperform spectrogram-based features across segment lengths, achieving higher accuracy and greater stability. The best performance was obtained with Mel features using convolutional neural networks for short segments and gradient-boosted models for longer windows. These findings demonstrate that brief acoustic segments are sufficient for reliable classification, supporting real-time monitoring under noisy field conditions. The proposed approach offers a scalable and low-cost framework for precision beekeeping and contributes to sustainable beekeeping through early, automated anomaly detection. The proposed framework supports real-time, low-cost deployment scenarios, enabling scalable precision apiculture solutions.

Abstract: Pathogenicity islands (PAIs) are regions of bacterial genomes that harbor genes encoding virulence factors. Identifying molecules that enhance pathogenicity is crucial for understanding the mechanisms pathogens employ to cause disease and their evolution. Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (C. pseudotuberculosis) is a pathogenic micro-organism that causes caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) in sheep and goats. Despite its prevalence in Mexico, its genetic material has not been analyzed for virulence factors acquired through horizontal gene transfer. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the complete genome of C. pseudotuberculosis strains of Mexican origin to identify genes hosted in PAIs. Seventeen genomes were sequenced using Illumina technology. GIPSY software was used to identify the coordinates of the PAIs, and a positive selection analysis was performed. All genomes corresponded to C. pseudotuberculosis biovar ovis, and fourteen regions harboring virulence factors were identified. Additionally, five coding sequences with mutations under positive selection were identified. A comparative genetic study was conducted between the new Mexican strains and previously reported strains, using whole-genome multilocus sequence typing (wgMLST) to determine phylogenetic relationships. This work provides the complete genetic repertoire of 17 new strains and identifies 51 genes that could serve as targets in future studies.

Abstract: The coagulation cascade depends on the active participation of several elements present in the blood as well as signals arising from the endothelial cells. A platelet plug is a temporary, fast-response seal formed by platelets at the site of a damaged blood vessel to initiate hemostasis. It acts as the first step in primary hemostasis, where platelets stick to exposed collagen, activate, and aggregate to create a plug that temporarily prevents blood loss. Among changes platelets undergo is the degranulation step. Platelet degranulation is the process where activated platelets release stored chemical mediators from their internal alpha and dense granules into the bloodstream to promote hemostasis and immune responses. Platelet degranulation results in the release of substances like ADP, serotonin, fibrinogen, and zinc. In the present work we provide evidence that the high local concentration of zinc is intended to target junctional adhesion molecule A (JAM-A) that remains inactive (inhibited cell-adhesion and cytoskeleton dynamics) when coagulation is not needed and platelets move through the blood stream as single units. Zinc-activated JAM-A leads the platelets to aggregate. Our experimentation includes work with platelets, and a synthetic biology small peptide to quench the effects of zinc. We suggest that further exploring this mechanism of zinc-activated JAM-A can be advantageous for better understanding hemostasis, its role in antithrombotic therapy, coagulation inhibition, or thrombosis prevention.

Abstract: Financial crises are usually identified through drawdowns, volatility and changes in returns, but these indicators do not fully describe changes in the underlying dynamical structure of markets. This study tests whether Laminarity, a measure derived from Recurrence Quantification Analysis, can provide a complementary indicator of financial market stress during the COVID-19 shock. Daily data for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite from 2018 to 2022 are analyzed using adjusted prices and log returns. Rolling-window Recurrence Quantification Analysis is applied across alternative window lengths and recurrence thresholds, and the resulting Laminarity measures are compared with conventional benchmarks including drawdown and rolling volatility. The results confirm that the COVID-19 crisis is clearly identified by conventional risk indicators, while Laminarity provides a more nuanced and parameter-sensitive signal. Price-based Laminarity generally increases during the COVID-19 stress period, suggesting a more persistent crisis trajectory, whereas return-based Laminarity produces mixed evidence, including some cases of Laminarity loss depending on index and window length. The findings indicate that Laminarity should not be interpreted as a universal or mechanical crash-warning signal, but as a complementary diagnostic measure that can help describe changes in market-regime structure during periods of acute stress.

Abstract: Background/Objectives: There are well-established sex differences in the epidemiology of stroke, but current data does not provide a clear mechanism to explain this phenomenon. This study asked if relationships between circulating sex hormone levels and stroke incidence could explain the sex differences in stroke rates. Methods: 393,158 participants from the UK Biobank aged were followed for a mean duration of 13.2 years. The incidence of ischemic stroke (IS) and intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) was analysed in relation to baseline and changing levels of testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and oestradiol. Results: A total of 3,844 participants experienced an IS and/or ICH, with incidence higher in men than women. In both sexes, a U-shaped association between total testosterone and ICH was found, independent of common cerebrovascular disease risk factors (P=0.006). Higher SHBG levels were associated with higher risk of IS (Q4 hazard ratio=1.18; P<0.001) in both men and women, independent of common cerebrovascular risk factors. No significant associations were observed between oestradiol levels and stroke events after making demographic adjustments. Conclusions: These data highlight the nuanced roles that sex hormones play in the epidemiology of stroke between sexes. Whilst sex hormones are implicated in modulating stroke risk, this study demonstrated the complexity of this relationship.

Abstract: Differential Causal Networks (DCNs) were introduced to represent changes between two causal networks inferred under different conditions. In their original use, however, DCNs remain pairwise objects: each differential graph summarizes rewiring within a single system, while common differential structures shared across many systems remain implicit. We introduce a methodological framework for the local alignment of DCNs aimed at detecting recurrent rewiring motifs, that is, small directed differential subnetworks that reappear across multiple systems under the same contrast. The proposed framework transforms each system-specific comparison into a signed directed differential graph, preserves both edge direction and change type, and searches for approximate local correspondences rather than enforcing a full-network mapping. The method consists of four steps: construction of signed DCNs, extraction of differential seeds, pairwise local alignment by seed-and-extend, and progressive multiple alignment to build consensus motifs. We define a score that combines node compatibility, differential-edge conservation, directional consistency, and recurrence support, and we complement the alignment procedure with null-model testing and robustness analysis. The result is a collection of consensus local differential modules ranked by recurrence, confidence, and statistical significance. In this formulation, DCNs become comparable units in a higher-order analysis whose goal is not merely to describe pairwise causal change, but to identify the same local rewiring logic reused across multiple systems.

Abstract: A multi-analytical study was conducted to investigate the deterioration mechanisms affecting the stone materials of the Arca di Cansignorio della Scala (Verona, Italy) and to identify the residual traces of polychromy and gilding. The investigation combined macroscopic mapping, stratigraphic sampling, optical microscopy (OM), environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDXS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and ion chromatography (IC). The monument, mainly carved in Candoglia marble, exhibits three principal weathering typologies: (i) meteoric washing associated with marble decohesion, (ii) grey deposits (dirt accumulation areas); and (iii) sulphation-related black crust formation (dirt wetting areas). In addition, severe mechanical damage is as-sociated with early 20th-century structural consolidation using embedded iron bars, whose corrosion-induced volumetric expansion generated vertical fissures. Strati-graphic analyses revealed the presence of original azurite-based polychrome, proteina-ceous and lipidic binders, lead white preparatory layers, and multiple gold leaf applica-tions of gold leaf. The study highlights the interaction between environmental exposure, atmospheric pollution, material incompatibility resulting from past restorations cam-paigns, and the preservation state of the surviving decorative painted layers.

Abstract: Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely used across a range of applications; however, they degrade over time due to various factors, including repeated charge–discharge cycling, material aging, and environmental conditions. Degradation models play a crucial role in predicting the lifespan of LIBs and in optimizing their design and opera-tional strategies. This paper presents a comprehensive review of state-of-the-art deg-radation models for LIBs. The reviewed models primarily address key degradation mechanisms, including solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation, lithium plating, and particle fracture. For each mechanism, the underlying modeling approaches, their development, advantages, limitations, and associated challenges are critically dis-cussed. Finally, this review identifies existing gaps in battery degradation modeling and proposes the Unified Mechanics Theory (UMT), which is the unification of laws of Newton and the second law of thermodynamics, and uses entropy as a degradation metric, as a promising alternative framework for capturing the coupled and multifac-eted nature of battery degradation processes.

Abstract: Functional fermented beverages represent promising dietary tools for modulating nutrient-responsive pathways and intestinal homeostasis. The probiotic strain Lacticaseibacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei F19 (F19) has demonstrated exceptional resilience in technologically harsh environments, including high-hopped beers, acidic dairy matrices, and polyphenol-rich fruit substrates. Evidence from multi-omics analyses indicates that F19 activates hop- and acid-resistance systems while maintaining metabolic functions responsible for folate biosynthesis, short-chain fatty acid production, and the generation of bioactive volatiles. These metabolites participate in host-directed mechanisms, including the upregulation of the vitamin D receptor (VDR), modulation of autophagy-related genes such as ATG16L1, and attenuation of inflammatory signaling. Complementary studies using red pitaya (Hylocereus sp.) fermented with F19 and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 further demonstrate increased VDR and CAMP expression, reduced CYP24A1, and the enrichment of anti-inflammatory flavonoids such as rutin and quercetin. Collectively, these findings support the concept of a probiotic paradox, in which environmental stressors do not suppress probiotic function but instead enhance genetic, metabolic, and host-interactive capacities. F19 thus emerges as a compelling candidate for the development of functional fermented foods aimed at improving epithelial barrier integrity, modulating immune responses, and supporting microbiota equilibrium, with translational potential for managing inflammatory and nutrient-responsive intestinal disorders.

Abstract: Background: Pirtobrutinib has recently emerged as a promising first-line treatment option for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Unlike currently established regimens, which are generally based on doublet combinations, pirtobrutinib can be administered as monotherapy. Because no head-to-head trials comparing pirtobrutinib with contemporary first-line combinations are currently available, indirect comparative evidence may help define its potential role. Methods: A non-anchored indirect comparison based on reconstructed individual patient data (IPD) was conducted using published Kaplan-Meier curves from randomized controlled trials evaluating first-line treatments for CLL. Progression-free survival (PFS) was the endpoint of interest. Reconstructed IPD were generated using WebPlotDigitizer and the IPDfromKM algorithm. Pirtobrutinib monotherapy was compared indirectly with acalabrutinib plus obinutuzumab, venetoclax plus obinutuzumab, and venetoclax plus ibrutinib. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using univariate Cox models. Results: The analysis included four randomized trials. Compared with pirtobrutinib monotherapy, HRs for PFS were 0.5544 (95%CI, 0.2696-1.1397) versus venetoclax plus obinutuzumab, 0.4583 (95%CI, 0.2066-1.0200) versus venetoclax plus ibrutinib, and 1.4453 (95%CI, 0.6684-3.1240) versus acalabrutinib plus obinutuzumab. Confidence intervals were wide and crossed unity in all comparisons, indicating substantial statistical uncertainty. Visual inspection of reconstructed Kaplan-Meier curves did not suggest inferior PFS for pirtobrutinib relative to established doublet regimens. Conclusions: This exploratory non-anchored analysis suggests that pirtobrutinib monotherapy may provide PFS outcomes broadly comparable to current first-line combination regimens for CLL. Given the methodological limitations inherent to indirect comparisons, prospective head-to-head studies are needed to clarify the optimal positioning of pirtobrutinib in treatment-naïve CLL.

Abstract: This study examines the role of agricultural and tourism entrepreneurship in reducing rural poverty through community empowerment within a place-based development framework. Using data from 400 respondents in Jambi Province, Indonesia, and employing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) combined with the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), the results reveal that agricultural entrepreneurship (β = 0.482, p < 0.001) and tourism entrepreneurship (β = 0.361, p < 0.001) significantly enhance community empowerment. In turn, community empowerment has a strong negative effect on poverty (β = -0.533, p < 0.001). The mediation analysis confirms that empowerment fully mediates the relationship between entrepreneurship and poverty reduction. Furthermore, AHP results indicate that community empowerment is the highest policy priority (44.2%), followed by agricultural entrepreneurship (33.8%) and tourism entrepreneurship (22.0%). This study contributes to the literature by integrating dual-sector entrepreneurship and identifying empowerment as a key mechanism in sustainable and inclusive rural development.

Abstract: The calibrated model reproduced the overall trend of specimen-to-specimen mechanical variation observed experimentally. Predicted stiffness values were in reasonable agreement with measured data. Fracture force predictions showed moderate agreement for dynamically tested specimens (R² = 0.60), which improved to R² = 0.88 after exclusion of one statistically identified outlier. Compared with a purely linear elastic formulation, the proposed viscoelastic model demonstrated modest improvement in stiffness prediction and more substantial improvement in fracture force prediction. These findings indicate that incorporating density-dependent viscoelastic effects improves representation of vertebral mechanical behavior, particularly at higher loading rates. Owing to its simplicity and computational efficiency, the proposed model requires only limited imaging input and may be useful for future biomechanical investigations, rapid screening, and injury risk prediction.

Abstract: Purpose: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is routinely used in the diagnostic workup of neurological diseases, enabling systematic screening for SMA with tailored bioinformatic tools, further enhancing diagnostic speed and accuracy. Methods: We leveraged SMNCopyNumberCaller, SMAca, and SMAFinder in our NGS cohort (n = 3493), including 74 MLPA-validated SMA cases (one compound heterozygous) in the exome dataset. Putative SMA cases were validated using PCR-RFLP and MLPA. Results: With default settings of SMA Finder in exome cohort (n = 2437), 16.4% of samples were uncallable including 40 known SMA cases. Lowering read thresholds markedly improved callability and identified 71/73 known SMA cases, two cases remaining uncallable. SMAca correctly detected 73/73 SMA cases. Both tools had a positive predictive value of 100% and identified two missed cases (DM1, MND), subsequently molecularly confirmed. After inclusion of correction value to scale factor, SMAca showed high concordance with MLPA for SMN2 copy number estimation in SMA cases. Carrier frequencies were estimated as 1:36 and 1:47, in genome and exome respectively. Using SMNCopyNumberCaller, we provided detailed SMN profiling in a Turkish genome cohort (n = 1056). Conclusions: NGS-based SMN analysis enables robust detection of SMA and supports systematic cohort screening to identify missed cases.

Abstract: This study investigates the regularity of the three-dimensional (3D) incompressible Navier-Stokes equations (NSE) for plane Couette flow, a canonical shear-driven flow model with a well-defined laminar-turbulent transition threshold. Employing Sobolev space theory and the Energy-Velocity Monotonicity Principle (EVMP), we rigorously prove that no global smooth solutions exist as the Reynolds number exceeds the critical value \( Re_{cr} \). Prior studies have revealed that a zero velocity gradient on the velocity profile is the necessary and sufficient condition for turbulence generation in 3D plane Couette flow, yet they lack mathematical theoretical proof from the perspective of partial differential equation framework. This study fills this gap via velocity decomposition and singularity analysis. We show that nonlinear disturbance amplification induces local cancellation of mean and disturbance velocity gradients, triggering finite-time singularity formation in flow field, which leads to the breakdown of regularity of the 3D NSE and thus the non-existence of global smooth solutions. It is emphasized that the non-existence of smooth solutions is due to the local regularity breakdown of solutions instead of the velocity blow-up. Further, it is important that the critical condition for regularity breakdown obtained through Sobolev space analysis accords with the critical condition for turbulence onset obtained through experiments and simulations.

Abstract: Partial metrics have shown to be useful dissimilarity measures when incomplete information, partial states, or inherent uncertainty is involved. The main characteristic of this kind of distances is allowing non-zero self-distances. This distinctive property makes them particularly appropriate for applications to computer science, artificial intelligence, pattern recognition and bioinformatics. Nevertheless, in these fields it is often more relevant to quantify the amount of shared information between objects rather than their dissimilarity. In this context, similarity metrics have proven to be a valuable tool. The literature has suggested the existence of a duality relationship between partial metrics and similarity metrics. In this paper we investigate such a relationship. Specifically, we focus on identifying the properties of functions that induce a similarity metric from a partial metric in the sense of O’Neill. We provide a characterization of these functions, showing that they coincide with the class of strictly decreasing and convex functions on the set of non-negative real numbers. We also show that these functions preserve the topology and the partial order, that is, the partial order and topology generated by the induced similarity metric and by the original partial metric are the same. Besides, we characterize the class of functions capable of generating an O’Neill partial metric from a similarity metric showing that such a class is formed by strictly decreasing and concave functions on the set of real numbers. In this case we also show that the partial orders and the topologies generated by the induced partial metric and by the original similarity metric coincide. The results are supported and clarified by appropriate examples.

Abstract: Nano-engineering strategies have been increasingly applied to enhance the biological performance of calcium silicate–based materials; however, the optimal concentration of nano-hydroxyapatite (HANP) remains unclear. This study evaluated the bone-healing response to different concentrations of HANP incorporated into mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and bioceramic (BC) sealers in an experimental rabbit model. Thirty adult New Zealand white rabbits were allocated into two experimental groups according to sealer type: HANP-modified MTA and HANP-modified BC (n = 15 each). Two standardized circular intrabony defects were created bilaterally in the maxillary diastema of each rabbit. In the MTA group, the right-side defects were filled with 2% and 4% HANP-modified MTA, while on the left side one defect received 6% HANP-modified MTA and the adjacent defect was left as control. The same protocol was followed for the BC group using corresponding HANP concentrations. Five rabbits per group were sacrificed at 2, 4, and 8 weeks postoperatively for histopathological hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson trichrome staining. The results demonstrated significant differences among groups at all-time points, with 4% HANP showing the most favorable biological response, including reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, increased new bone formation, and improved collagen organization compared with lower and higher concentrations. Pairwise comparisons at matched HANP concentrations revealed no statistically significant differences between HANP-modified MTA and BC groups. These findings indicate that HANP incorporation enhances the biological performance of calcium silicate–based sealers in a concentration-dependent manner, with 4% representing an optimal formulation for promoting bone regeneration.