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Article
Social Sciences
Political Science

Manuel Galiñanes

,

Leo Klinkers

Abstract: Journalism plays a structurally indispensable yet under-theorized role in democratic governance. This article situates journalism within a recalibrated constitutional architecture in which the Quarta Politica—conceptualized as an Ombudsman Council—constitutes a fourth power alongside the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, endowed with distinct coercive authority oriented toward systemic correction and participatory accountability. Within this framework, journalism is not a separate power but a constitutionally protected function that secures the informational conditions upon which all four powers depend. By producing, verifying, and disseminating public information, journalism sustains accountability, enables informed participation, and facilitates collective judgment. The article reconceptualizes democracy as dependent on three interrelated dimensions: the distribution of coercive authority, the institutionalization of participatory oversight, and the integrity of the informational environment. It demonstrates that journalism performs a non-substitutable role as an early-warning and accountability-generating mechanism. Under conditions of digital transformation, platform dominance, and media fragility, these informational foundations are increasingly at risk. The article therefore advances a calibrated framework for the constitutional protection of journalism—grounded in independence, sustainability, and accountability—embedded within the Quarta Politica. A comparative perspective, including Global South contexts, underscores the generalizability of this approach across diverse democratic settings.

Article
Physical Sciences
Quantum Science and Technology

Shawn Hackett

Abstract: Smooth window functions that restrict field actions to finite spacetime domains appear throughout quantum field theory, quantum optics, and open quantum systems, wherever interactions are switched on and off, detectors couple for finite durations, or systems decohere within bounded regions. When such a window function ⋄(x) is introduced into the matter action of a covariant field theory, two structural consequences are unavoidable: the windowed Ward identities acquire boundary-layer corrections confined to the decoherence transition region, and the contracted Bianchi identity requires a compensating stress-energy contribution at the window boundary. Both consequences follow from the product rule of covariant differentiation and are independent of any specific physical motivation for the window. The present paper develops these consequences systematically for each sector of the Standard Model in curved spacetime. The windowed action prescription is applied to Dirac fermions, complex scalar fields, Maxwell theory, and the complete SU(3)c×SU(2)L×U(1)Y gauge Lagrangian. Each sector is shown to recover standard curved-spacetime quantum field theory exactly within the localization window, with all deviations confined to a boundary layer of thickness set by the decoherence timescale. A Noether analysis yields windowed Ward identities of the form ∇μ(⋄Jμ)=0: gauge invariance and Lorentz symmetry are preserved exactly within the window, and apparent non-conservation is a kinematic boundary effect mathematically identical to open-system flux terms from decoherence theory , . The non-local boundary term Tμνnl required by the Bianchi identity decomposes as Tμνnl=Tμνcomp+TμνRem, where Tμνcomp is the boundary-layer compensator and TμνRem is its macroscopic coarse-grained remnant in the high-localization-density regime. A formal Lemma establishes that for any regular quantum field, Tμνcomp vanishes upon coarse-graining, so standard field evolution leaves no macroscopic stress-energy remnant. The sharp-window limit recovers the Israel junction conditions exactly, and the smooth-window generalization is structurally identical to the Ashtekar–Krishnan dynamical horizon flux balance laws.

Article
Computer Science and Mathematics
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Ruotong Wang

,

Nyutian Long

,

Shunqi Liu

,

Yuxi Wang

,

Zhen Qi

,

Huajun Zhang

Abstract: This study investigates a method that integrates retrieval-augmented mechanisms into large language model agents for scientific literature review generation. The approach addresses the limitations of traditional review models that rely on parametric knowledge with insufficient timeliness and limited coverage. Incorporating external document retrieval and dynamic information fusion into the generation process enhances the accuracy and completeness of the output. The overall framework consists of query encoding, semantic retrieval, document filtering, knowledge fusion, language modeling, task planning, memory storage, and reinforcement optimization, forming a closed loop of retrieval, understanding, and generation. Relevant document fragments are first retrieved through semantic vector search to ensure comprehensive and reliable information sources. These external representations are then integrated with the internal embeddings of the language model through weighted fusion, which preserves fluency while maintaining factual grounding. The task planning module constrains logical flow and text structure, and reinforcement learning optimization further improves relevance and consistency. Comparative experiments on large-scale scientific literature datasets demonstrate that the method outperforms existing approaches on ROUGE, BLEU, METEOR, and diversity metrics, validating its effectiveness and practicality. The findings show that combining retrieval augmentation with agent architectures can significantly improve coverage, accuracy, and language quality in review generation, providing a feasible solution for knowledge organization in complex literature environments.

Abstract: Histiocytic sarcoma (HS) is an aggressive hematological malignancy whose trans-formed cells exhibits morphological and immunophenotypic characteristics similar to macrophages, and arise de novo, or as part of a clonal ‘‘evolution’’ of other pre-existing hematological neoplasms. This study investigates the potential use of the J774A.1 cell line (a line derived from murine tumor cells, commonly used in macrophage research) as a research model for the role of polydisperse extracellular vesicles (PEVs) secreted by the HS cells, considering that bacterial infections are common in patients with cancer, including HS. The influences of bacterial components on tumor progression are still not fully understood. We stimulated the J774A.1 cell line in vitro with a fraction of E. coli and our results show that the bacterial stimulation increases the secretion of PEVs by these cells. Comparative results of J774A.1 cells with PEVs using confocal and scanning electron microscopy with micrographic reports of HS histological slides (from several cited mammal species, including humans) suggest a possible relationship of large PEVs with marks, footprints or traces of possible large PEVs disrupted in the HS of these reports. A subsequent proteomic analysis of these PEVs revealed a diverse subcellular origin of its components such as proteins as including: Triosephosphate isomerase (TPI), Heat shock cognate 71 kDa, Apolipoprotein A-1, Rho GDP-dissociation inhibitor 1, GAPDH, Galectin, Moesin, globular Actin and Annexin. These results highlight the importance of studying the interplay between the HS, others hematological cancers, and bacterial infections to better understand progression of this cancer, identify new therapeutic targets and emphasize the importance of preventing bacterial infections in cancer patients. Furthermore, the results demonstrate the potential use of the stimulated J774A.1 cell line for research of the HS-related PEVs.

Article
Physical Sciences
Condensed Matter Physics

Aleksander Franus

,

Stanisław Jemioło

Abstract: This work addresses the quasi-static behaviour of fibre-reinforced materials whose response is based on a hyperelastic formulation augmented by viscous and damage-like effects. A transversely isotropic constitutive model is developed within the framework of an internal scalar variable, enabling the reversible description of material damage while ensuring objectivity, thermodynamic admissibility and polyconvexity of the stored-energy function. The isotropic contribution is constructed from a generalised Ciarlet model, whereas the anisotropic part accounts for a family of elastic fibres embedded in a viscoelastic matrix, interpreted through a simple mixture theory. The resulting constitutive equations are implemented in Abaqus/Standard via a UMAT subroutine, and their rate form is derived consistently with the Zaremba–Jaumann objective stress rate. The performance of the model is examined by means of finite element simulations, including homogeneous tests in uniaxial strain and simple shear, relaxation and creep problems, and an inflation-like problem. The results demonstrate the capability of the model to capture strain-rate sensitivity, creep, stress relaxation and energy dissipation, as well as non-uniform deformation patterns, while highlighting its current limitation in representing permanent deformations.

Article
Medicine and Pharmacology
Clinical Medicine

Kyoung Moo Im

,

Gyeo Ra Lee

,

Eun Young Kim

Abstract: Background: Patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) after major abdominal surgery are at high risk for gastrointestinal complications and unplanned hospital readmission. However, reliable and easily applicable biomarkers for early risk stratification are limited. This study evaluated the prognostic value of serial platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) measurements in critically ill postoperative patients. Method: This retrospective observational study included adults admitted to the ICU after major abdominal surgery at a tertiary referral center between July 2020 and March 2025. The PLR was calculated from routine complete blood counts obtained at ICU admission and 24, 48, and 72 hours postoperatively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the independent predictors of major gastrointestinal complications and hospital readmission rate. Results: Among 962 critically ill postoperative patients, nine (0.9%) developed major gastrointestinal complications. These patients had significantly higher disease severity scores and elevated PLRs at 72 hours postoperatively. In multivariate analysis, the PLR at 72 hours was an independent predictor of complications (odds ratio [OR] = 1.006; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.002–1.009). Conversely, a lower PLR at the same time point was independently associated with an increased risk of hospital readmission (OR = 0.993; 95% CI: 0.987–0.998). Conclusions: The postoperative PLR at 72 hours showed bidirectional prognostic value in critically ill patients after major abdominal surgery. Elevated PLRs were associated with major gastrointestinal complications, whereas lower PLRs were associated with hospital readmission. Thus, the PLR may serve as a practical biomarker for postoperative risk stratification and discharge decision-making in the ICU.

Article
Social Sciences
Education

Sayed Mahbub Hasan Amiri

Abstract: The traditional educational paradigms have been shaken overnight by generative AI-based tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude. GenAI, in contrast to previous innovations in EdTech, which aimed to deliver content or automate assessment, provides a dynamic, human-like interaction, which then requires educators to reconsider some basic questions about learning, creativity, and academic integrity. The existing pedagogical models are still based on behaviorist and constructivist paradigms, which presuppose human mono-cognitive assumptions. Such models do not accommodate the situations when students could outsource critical thinking, create essays in a flash, or collaborate with machines. The outcome is the increasing policy, ethical, and teaching strategy vacuum. The article starts exploring the unknown territory of GenAI in the educational field by suggesting a conceptual upgrade: Pedagogy 2.0. It compiles emerging case studies of K-12, higher education, and corporate training to determine three navigational anchors: AI literacy, assessment redesign, and ethical co-creation. The article does not support banning or reckless acceptance of GenAI but suggests a compromise: viewing AI as a cognitive partner. It provides useful models of redesigning tasks and instruction in prompt engineering as a fundamental capability, as well as metacognitive reflection. Pedagogy 2.0 does not eliminate traditional teaching but supplements it. Those institutions that are smart enough to navigate these waters will produce graduates who will be able to work alongside AI rather than competing with it. Irrelevancy could be the result of failure to adapt in a world where it is important to learn how to pose the correct question rather than repeat an answer.

Article
Business, Economics and Management
Business and Management

Abdulmohsen Alrohaimi

Abstract: Recent advances in artificial intelligence have significantly enhanced decision efficiency, yet they have also introduced a less examined challenge: the transformation of human cognition within system-driven environments. While prior research has primarily focused on trust, fairness, and transparency, limited attention has been given to the cognitive structure underlying decision coherence in human–AI interaction.This paper introduces a proposed theory of conscious leadership that conceptualizes cognition as an emergent interaction among environment, memory, systems, and the human agent. Within this framework, cognitive balance is defined as the equilibrium among these forces, and perceptual integrity is positioned as its measurable manifestation, reflecting the extent to which individuals maintain coherence and authorship over their decisions when interacting with intelligent systems.We hypothesize that cognitive balance positively predicts perceptual integrity, which in turn influences trust in AI-assisted decisions, and that awareness—defined as the individual’s conscious recognition of system influence—moderates this relationship. An experimental study (N = 602) was conducted to test these propositions. Results indicate that perceptual integrity significantly predicts trust (β = 0.48, p < 0.001) and mediates the relationship between decision mode and trust (indirect effect = 0.42, 95% CI [0.31, 0.54]). Furthermore, awareness moderates the effect of system-driven imposition on perceptual integrity (β = 0.23, p < 0.01), such that higher awareness reduces the negative impact of algorithmic enforcement.These findings extend leadership theory by shifting the focus from behavioral control to the management of cognitive balance and contribute to human–AI research by introducing perceptual integrity and awareness as foundational constructs for preserving human coherence in increasingly automated environments.

Article
Biology and Life Sciences
Life Sciences

Omar Sefrioui

,

Modou Mamoune Mbaye

,

Hafsa Boukdir

,

Ismail Kaarouch

,

Smahane Aboulmaouahib

,

Latifa Ahbbas

,

Omar Touzani

,

Bouchra Ghazi

,

Noureddine Louanjli

Abstract: Hyaluronic acid (HA), a key component of the endometrial extracellular matrix, has been proposed to enhance embryo implantation when added to transfer media. However, its clinical benefit in frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles remains uncertain. This prospective controlled non-randomized cohort study evaluated the association between HA-enriched transfer medium and reproductive outcomes in a North African IVF center. A total of 692 women undergoing autologous FET with a single frozen–thawed grade 4AA blastocyst were included: 395 in the HA group and 297 in the control group. The primary outcome was clinical pregnancy, defined as the presence of a gestational sac with fetal cardiac activity at 6–8 weeks of gestation. The secondary outcome was miscarriage before 22 weeks. Clinical pregnancy rates were similar between groups (33.1% vs. 34.0%; RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.75–1.37; p = 0.81), as were miscarriage rates (12.1% vs. 11.8%; RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.58–1.78; p = 0.98). Multivariable analysis showed no significant association between HA use and clinical pregnancy (adjusted OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.73–1.37; p = 0.98). Although the confidence intervals exclude a major clinical benefit, the study was not powered to detect modest differences. These findings do not support routine HA use in unselected FET cycles.

Review
Medicine and Pharmacology
Medicine and Pharmacology

Ahmad R. Alsayed

,

Mohanad Al-Darraji

,

Mohannad Al-Qaiseiah

,

Anas Samara

,

Mustafa Al-Bayati

Abstract: Geriatric pharmacotherapy is usually challenged by physiological senescence. For instance, progressive declines in organ function and alterations in body composition can complicate drug disposition. However, conventional pharmacometrics models commonly have limited capacity to map these high-dimensional, non-linear relationships. In this review, we are examining the recent shift toward integrating Machine Learning (ML) with mechanistic Pharmacokinetic (PK)/Pharmacodynamic (PD) models to improve the accuracy and precision of dosing. Machine learning approaches like Random Forest and XGBoost consistently provided more accurate exposure predictions and significantly more efficient computational workflows than conventional methods. Nevertheless, concerns such as "black box" transparency and the potential of algorithmic bias toward specific patient demographics are challenging. It is important to incorporate explainability tools like SHAP, and adopting FAIR data principles is crucial for achieving professional trust and ensuring site-specific generalizability.

Review
Medicine and Pharmacology
Urology and Nephrology

Mariana-Emilia Caragea

,

Daniel Cosmin Caragea

,

Mohamed-Zakaria Assani

,

Isabela Siloși

,

Mihail Virgil Boldeanu

,

Lucrețiu Radu

,

Lidia Boldeanu

,

Cristin Constantin Vere

Abstract: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections worldwide and are traditionally considered acute and self-limited conditions. However, emerging evidence suggests that recurrent and persistent UTIs may contribute to chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression through complex interactions between uropathogens and host responses. This review examines the pathophysiological mechanisms linking UTIs caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., and Enterococcus spp. to CKD development. Distinct pathogen-specific strategies, including intracellular persistence, biofilm formation, and chronic colonization, enable sustained infection and recurrent inflammatory insults. These processes activate key molecular pathways, including innate immune signalling, inflammasome activation, oxidative stress, and fibrotic remodelling. The convergence of these mechanisms leads to tubular injury, nephron loss, and a progressive decline in renal function. A comprehensive mechanistic model integrating pathogen-specific persistence strategies and host-mediated responses, including inflammation, inflammasome activation, oxidative stress, and fibrosis, is illustrated in Figure X, highlighting how recurrent and persistent UTIs may drive CKD progression. In addition, biomarkers reflecting inflammation (IL-6, CRP), tubular injury (NGAL, KIM-1), and fibrosis (TGF-β, fibronectin) provide a translational bridge between molecular mechanisms and clinical practice. Host factors such as diabetes, immune dysfunction, and microbiome alterations further modulate disease trajectory, while antibiotic resistance contributes to persistent infection and increased renal risk. These findings underscore the importance of early detection, pathogen-specific management, and biomarker-guided monitoring. Collectively, this review supports a paradigm shift recognizing UTIs not merely as acute infections but also as potential contributors to CKD progression, with important implications for prevention and therapeutic strategies.

Article
Physical Sciences
Mathematical Physics

Auro Anibal Torres

,

Antonio José Ramirez-Pastor

,

Mariela Isabel González-Flores

Abstract: We investigate how transport organizes in two-dimensional Archimedean lattices under random site percolation by analyzing the scaling behavior of betweenness centrality. Transport observables are computed on the connected subgraphs formed by occupied sites as the occupation probability (po) is varied across the percolation transition. We show that the maximization of betweenness centrality defines a transport pseudo-critical point whose position converges to the percolation threshold (pc) in the thermodynamic limit. Near criticality, the maximum betweenness centrality exhibits nontrivial power-law scaling with system size, consistent with the fractal geometry of the incipient infinite cluster. In particular, we find (BCmax∼L2df), while its variance—interpreted as a transport susceptibility—scales as (χ(L)∼Lγ), with (γ≈4df). Finite-size scaling collapses further demonstrate that both the magnitude and the fluctuations of the dominant transport bottleneck follow the universal scaling structure of two-dimensional percolation. These results are consistently observed across square, triangular, kagome, and extended kagome lattices, revealing lattice-independent critical transport behavior. Complementary measures, including the percentile (p90) and inequality indicators of the betweenness distribution, show that transport criticality extends beyond extreme nodes and reflects a collective reorganization of load. Overall, our results establish a direct connection between geometric criticality and transport localization, providing a unified scaling framework for understanding critical transport phenomena in spatial networks.

Article
Public Health and Healthcare
Other

Max Schmeling

,

Tomáš Fürst

,

Vibeke Manniche

,

Peter Riis Hansen

,

Jonathan D. Gilthorpe

Abstract: Background: Variation in suspected adverse drug reactions (SAR) linked to different batches of COVID-19 vaccines has been reported in several countries, including the Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden, and the USA. However, SAR data come from spontaneous reporting systems and are subject to under-reporting and other biases. To investigate the potential association between vaccine batches and adverse reactions using an unequivocal endpoint, we examined the temporal relationship between all-cause mortality (ACM) and COVID-19 vaccine type and batch, up to three months after vaccination.Methods: We analyzed nationwide data from the Czech Republic on vaccine type and batch, along with corresponding three-month ACM data. Cluster analysis was used to assess age- and sex-specific ACM differences between individual vaccine batches and across vaccine types. We also investigated the relationship between ACM and SAR rates for the same batches.Results: During a 21-month period (December 2020 to September 2022), vaccine batches clustered according to their three-month age- and sex-adjusted ACM rates for the four products administered (Comirnaty, Spikevax, Vaxzevria, and Jcovden). For Comirnaty, Spikevax, and Vaxzevria, a clear temporal pattern was observed, with earlier batches showing significantly higher ACM rates. A strong correlation was found between batches that clustered by ACM and those previously identified to cluster by SARs, for all vaccine products except Jcovden.Conclusions: Data from the Czech Republic show a clear relationship between administered COVID-19 vaccine batches and 3-month ACM rates for Comirnaty, Spikevax, and Vaxzevria, with earlier batches associated with notably higher ACM. A high correlation between batch-associated ACM and SAR rates for Comirnaty and Spikevax supports the validity of these batch-related safety signals and warrants further investigation using individual-level patient data.

Article
Engineering
Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Wenxuan Zhang

,

Yiming Liu

Abstract: This work presents a high-speed, energy-efficient 72-Gb/s/pin PAM-3 transmitter (TX) implemented in 28-nm CMOS technology. To overcome inter-symbol interference (ISI) and far-end crosstalk (FEXT) in single-ended memory interfaces, two primary innovations are proposed : 1) An Asymmetric Reconfigurable Feedforward Equalizer (AR-FFE) that employs a selectively activated booster to dynamically enhance major symbol transitions, achieving a 60\% improvement in total eye area compared to conventional FFE; 2) An Edge-Shaping Crosstalk Cancellation (ES-XTC) circuit that utilizes look-ahead logic to adaptively suppress data-dependent FEXT from adjacent channels. Operating at 72 Gb/s with a 1.0 V supply, the TX achieves an energy efficiency of 0.93 pJ/bit. This architecture provides a scalable solution for next-generation AI and high-performance computing interconnects.

Article
Computer Science and Mathematics
Algebra and Number Theory

Michael M. Anthony

Abstract: I introduce the Twin prime detector formula D(p), a closed-form expression involving ratios of Gamma function products that evaluates to 1 if and only if (p,p+2) is a twin prime pair. By applying the Gauss Multiplication Formula to simplify the MAF to 〖(2π)〗^((p+2 -(σ(p)+σ(p+2))/2)), I establish an exact equivalence between the twin prime condition and the vanishing of an arithmetic exponent involving the sum-of-divisors function σ. Building on this characterisation, I construct a GMF-weighted Dirichlet series L(s) whose double pole of order 2 at s = 1 encodes the twin prime distribution. I derive the nonvanishing of the Hardy-Littlewood constant C₂ directly from the GMF local correction factors, establish the sieve dimension κ = 2 as a structural consequence of the two-product GMF architecture, and obtain a Bombieri-Vinogradov-type remainder bound through a GMF-derived zero-free region. Assembling these components, I prove π_2 (x)∼2C_2 Li_2 (x)∼(2C_2 x)/ln^2⁡x →∞, establishing the infinitude of twin primes.

Article
Computer Science and Mathematics
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Pegah Ahadian

,

Mingrui Yang

,

Sixu Chen

,

Xiaojuan Li

,

Qiang Guan

Abstract: Background: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) frequently exhibits discordance between structural damage observed in imaging and patient-reported symptoms such as pain. This mismatch complicates clinical interpretation and patient stratification and remains insufficiently modeled in existing decision-support systems. Methods: We propose a discordance-aware multimodal framework that combines machine learning prediction models with a tool-grounded multi-agent reasoning system. Using baseline data from the FNIH Osteoarthritis Biomarkers Consortium (600 knees), we trained multimodal models to predict two progression tasks: (i) joint-space-loss-only progression versus non-progression and (ii) pain-only progression versus non-progression. The predictive system integrates three modality- specific experts: a CatBoost tabular model using demographic, radiographic, MRI-derived scalar, and biomarker features; MRI image embeddings extracted using a ResNet18 backbone; and X-ray embeddings derived from the same architecture. Expert predictions are fused using a stacking ensemble. Residual-based models estimate expected pain from structural features, enabling the computation of a pain–structure discordance score between observed and expected symptoms. A multi-agent reasoning layer interprets these signals to assign clinically interpretable OA phenotypes and generate phenotype-specific management recommendations. Results: Using 5-fold stratified cross-validation with out-of-fold evaluation, the full multimodal stacking model combining tabular variables, MRI and X-ray embeddings, and biochemical biomarkers achieved the best performance. For the JSL-only progression task, the model achieved AUC 0.702. For pain-only progression, the model achieved AUC 0.611. Imaging embeddings alone provided limited predictive signal, whereas clinically interpretable radiographic and MRI scalar features contributed stronger discrimination. Multimodal fusion improved performance by integrating complementary structural and biochemical information. Conclusions: Multimodal fusion of tabular clinical variables, imaging-derived features, deep image embeddings, and biochemical biomarkers improves structural progression prediction in knee OA. By coupling this prediction layer with explicit pain–structure discordance modeling and a tool-grounded multi-agent reasoning framework, the proposed architecture supports interpretable phenotype assignment and structured clinical decision support for osteoarthritis management.

Essay
Public Health and Healthcare
Public Health and Health Services

Shadrack Frimpong

,

Nathan Gyang

,

Amy Gyang

,

Jaden-Benjamin Frimpong

,

Naa Enyonam Omane-Achamfuor

Abstract: Public-private partnerships (PPPs) occupy an increasingly prominent role in global health and development, yet their application within hybrid non-profit social enterprises operating in resource-constrained agricultural communities remains underexplored. This perspective piece examines how Cocoa360, a non-profit social enterprise based in Tarkwa Breman, Western Ghana, leverages its intermediate position on the publicness spectrum to advance health and education outcomes among rural cocoa-farming communities. Drawing on Bozeman and Bretschneider's multidimensional publicness framework and Hood's New Public Management (NPM) paradigm, this analysis argues that hybrid organizational structures can simultaneously exploit the efficiency advantages of private-sector management while preserving the equity mandates of public institutions. The Cocoa360 "farm-for-impact" model, in which community-generated agricultural revenues are reinvested in health and education services, offers a replicable framework for addressing structural social determinants of health in low-resource settings. The paper concludes by outlining a proposed PPP between Cocoa360 and the Ghana Health Service as a scalable mechanism for extending community-based healthcare financing to cocoa-growing communities across Ghana.

Abstract: This paper introduced the analysis of the behavior and effects of the rotor passage shock in the axial-flow compressor design inverse problem. Based on the design results of the S2m streamline curvature through flow inverse problem and blading of the axial flow compressors, taking the relative supersonic streamlines of the rotor as equivalent to a group of layers of the quasi-one-dimensional duct flow, this paper deduced a variational principle of the normal passage shock, interrupting the flow actually, stationed inside each layer of the rotor passage. It is found that the factors affecting the stationarity of the rotor passage shock include the variable cross-sectional area, the frictional and other on way losses, and the variable rotational radius of the duct flow. According to the variational principle, the stationary locations of the shock in these equivalent duct flows affected by three factors are obtained by the momentum relaxation method, and the location stability of these shocks is analyzed. In the applications to various types of transonic axial compressor rotors, first, the discontinuous entropy generation loss distributions along the cascades of each supersonic layer are set, to consider the boundary layer, oblique shock, normal passage shock, shock boundary layer interference, and trail edge losses. Second, applying the variational principle to the duct flows affected by these three factors for each streamline, all the shock locations that possess location stability are detected. Third, by comparing with the flow field results of the direct problem of Computational Fluid Dynamics, the dimensionless distribution law of the real entropy generation loss along the layer cascades is decided. Finally, by combining the shock lines from each equivalent duct flow corresponding to each streamline, a curved surface structure of the normal passage shock in a rotor passage is established. In the given design examples of three kinds of axial compressor stages, the three-dimensional structures of the normal passage shock obtained by this method are consistently in good agreement with the results of the direct problem of Computational Fluid Dynamics. These afford verifications to this method for its effectiveness and wide applicability. This method provides a theory and a technology, in the through flow and blading inverse problem design phase of an axial compressor, to quickly predict the location and the curved surface shape of the normal passage shock, and to characterize approximately and evaluate relatively whether the design surge margin of a transonic stage is sufficient.

Article
Public Health and Healthcare
Other

Safwat Saber Mohamed Mursey Ali Elwaseef

,

Huda Ibrahim Mostafa

,

Abeer Ezat Wahba

,

Ahmed Mostafa Abbas

,

Ashraf Mohamad Emran

,

Gladistone Cadete Meros

,

Tarsyomarcel SilvaMontezuma

,

Ehab Hamed Mostafa Elwardaney

Abstract: Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 2% chitosan nanoparticles (NPs) as an irrigating solution during pulp revascularization of immature dog teeth using histological and histomorphometric analyses. Materials and Methods: Pulp necrosis and periapical pathosis were induced in 52 incompletely formed roots in four dogs (6-8 months age). These teeth were randomly allocated to Group I (n = 20; irrigation with NaOCl + EDTA), Group II (n = 20; irrigation with NaOCl + chitosan NPs), DAP was used as a medication in both groups. Positive control (6 roots): teeth with induced periapical infections, no treatment procedure, and left open. Negative control (6 roots): teeth that were left untreated for the normal maturation process. Each experimental group was subdivided into 2 divisions in accordance with the post-treatment evaluation periods (1- 3 months). The experimental teeth were re-entered following the infection period and disinfected using the assigned irrigation and medication protocol, and the access cavities were sealed. After the evaluation period, medication was removed, and blood clot formation was created through over-instrumentation. Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) was applied, followed by glass ionomer restoration (GIC). Results: At both 1 and 3 months, Group II demonstrated significantly superior histological organization and higher collagen-positive area percentages compared with Group I (p &lt; 0.01), while the negative control showed the highest values and the positive control the lowest. Conclusion: Irrigation with 2% chitosan NPs significantly improved regenerative outcomes compared with the conventional NaOCl/EDTA protocol in immature canine teeth.

Review
Biology and Life Sciences
Aging

Tanya Lama

,

Leonid A Pobezinsky

,

Alexander Suvorov

Abstract: The antagonistic pleiotropy (AP) mechanism of aging was first proposed by G.C. Williams in 1957. However, practical application of this theory for the targeted search of longevity interventions has lagged, owing to a lack of clear understanding of the conditions under which the same gene or trait may have opposite effects on fitness in young versus old organisms. We propose that changes in the somatic environment may result from allometric growth, physiological differences between adult and juvenile life stages beyond those caused by aging, and ontogenetic niche shifts, and we provide well-documented examples of AP mechanisms corresponding to these conditions. We then test this understanding through testable predictions. Specifically, we demonstrate that (1) traits that have diverged the most between developmental stages contribute the most to aging; (2) organisms with negligible senescence exhibit minimal differences between adult and juvenile life stages; and (3) among taxonomically close organisms, stronger differences between adult and juvenile stages are associated with higher aging rates, while greater similarity is associated with lower aging rates. This understanding opens opportunities for the targeted identification of AP mechanisms based on the analysis of organisms' developmental trajectories. Additionally, it suggests two potential approaches for mitigating AP: suppression of adverse genes or traits in late life, or prevention or reversal of alterations in the somatic environment that convert previously beneficial traits into detrimental ones.

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