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Abstract Given the increasing importance of liquefied natural gas in the global energy system, an understanding of natural gas value chain Greenhouse gas emissions is increasingly important. Here, we develop models of the key unit processes in the liquefied natural gas value chain: liquefaction, shipping, and regasification. We utilize detailed process-level data for liquefaction terminals and ships to generate granular estimates. Average gate-to-gate emissions of 0.220 and 0.269 tonnes of CO2e/tonne gas liquefied were estimated for US liquefied gas exported from Sabine Pass and Cove Point liquefaction terminals, respectively. Furthermore, 331 voyages are modeled from four US ports reaching 30 countries, and the average gate-to-gate emissions for the countries to Asia are the highest at 0.200 tonnes CO2e/tonnes of gas delivered. The estimated average gate-to-gate emissions for regasification terminals is 0.021 tonnes CO2e/tonne of gas regasified. The developed models can be expanded to other regions, offering a global analysis provision.

Objective: Life interference is a key diagnostic feature for anxiety and depressive disorders. Measures focusing on life interference caused by anxiety and depressive disorders in children and adolescents have received minimal attention. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Child Anxiety and Depression Life Interference Scale (CADLIS), a brief child (CADLIS-C) and parent-report (CADLIS-P) measure designed to assess life interference from anxiety and depressive disorders in both the child and parent's life. Method: A total of 672 parents of children aged 4–18 years completed the CADLIS-P, and 627 children aged 7–18 years completed the CADLIS-C. Results: The proposed two-factor CADLIS-C model was not supported, instead, due to high inter-factor covariance a one-factor model of life interference was proposed. The one-factor model demonstrated better model fit. The proposed three-factor model for the CADLIS-P was not supported, instead, an exploratory factor analysis found a two-factor model differentiating life interference into child and parent life interference a better model fit. The CADLIS demonstrated excellent internal consistency, good convergent and divergent validity, interrater correlations and was able to differentiate between children with and without clinical levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Limitations: Limitations of the study included the sample population which consisted of a small clinical sample, an over-representation of high-income families and the use of a panel provider. Conclusions: Overall, the CADLIS demonstrated sound psychometric properties. The CADLIS is a reliable measure that demonstrates evidence of convergent validity for the assessment of life interference associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Peer support has been identified as an important aspect of rehabilitation for visually impaired adults. However, there is a limited exploration in rehabilitation studies literature of the identity-related impact of these interventions, both at an individual and collective level. Through attending to the discourses on blindness, well-being, and social inclusion that circulate in organization cultures, this article considers the role that peer support plays in forming "blind communities" with particular characteristics, and what these communities might model about life with blindness, both to newly blind persons and to society. Research Method: Foucauldian discourse analysis was conducted on semi-structured interviews with 18 visual impairment rehabilitation service users and eight rehabilitation practitioners at four organizations providing services in the Western Cape, South Africa. Results: Formal peer support is lacking in the sampled organizations, suggesting that relational aspects are not a priority in rehabilitation practice. The formal and informal peer support that does exist in these services is shadowed by largely negative sociocultural beliefs about blindness. Participants described a culture of comparison, othering, and surveillance within which, the article suggests, they are unable to explore and embrace authentic and positive blind identities. This has implications for both individual and collective empowerment. Conclusions: Greater attention must be paid to both rehabilitation practitioner training and the design and implementation of rehabilitation services to the identity-level impact of rehabilitation. This is essential to develop services that promote individual and collective empowerment and that respond to the multilayered practical, social, and psychoemotional needs of blind adults. Impact and Implications: Applying a critical disability studies lens to rehabilitation studies and practice brings to light the ways in which sociocultural beliefs about blindness influence the operation and focus of peer support interventions. A culture of comparison and othering in group rehabilitation services is a barrier to the formation of empowered communities of blind persons where diverse, authentic, and positive blind identities can be developed and embraced. Against a backdrop of largely negative ideas about blindness, peer support tends to encourage practical and emotional coping in a way that establishes a moral imperative that prohibits the healthy expression of complex emotions. There is a need for the development of rehabilitation practitioner training which focuses on the identity-level impact of undergoing a rehabilitative process for newly blind people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by the lung in response to exposure to environmental pollutants can be utilized to study their impact on lung health and function. Previously, we developed a method to measure VOCs emitted from well-differentiated tracheobronchial epithelial cells in vitro. Using this method, we exposed well-differentiated proximal (PECs) and distal airway epithelial cells (DECs) to varying doses of traffic-related air pollutants (TRAP) and wildfire particulates to determine specific VOC signatures after exposure. We utilized PM2.5 TRAP collected from the Caldecott tunnel in Oakland, CA and the 2018 Camp Fire to model "real-life" exposures. The VOCs were collected and extracted from Twisters and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Exposure to both types of particulate matter (PM) resulted in specific VOC responses grouped by individual subjects with little overlap. Interestingly the VOCs produced by the PECs and DECs were also differentiated from each other. Our studies suggest that PM exposure induces a specific compartmentalized cellular response that can be exploited for future studies. This response is cell-type specific and potentially related to a phenotype we have yet to uncover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • UPEC growth kinetics in sugarcane juice were estimated using various predictive models. • The developed equations were validated under isothermal and dynamic conditions. • Shelf life charts were derived from the time for reaching a microbial population. • Diluted sugarcane juice has a shorter shelf life compared to undiluted juice. • Total soluble solids and initial UPEC contamination may affect the shelf life. In this study, we assessed the effects of temperature and dilution on uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) growth in sugarcane juice and modeled the kinetics for shelf life simulation. Diluted and undiluted sugarcane juice samples inoculated with a four-strain UPEC cocktail were stored at 4, 10, 15, 20, 30, and 40 °C to evaluate their growth during storage. Changes in UPEC growth were fitted using three primary models (Baranyi, Huang, and reparameterized Gompertz models), and two secondary models (Huang square-root and Ratkowsky square-root models) were selected to evaluate the effect of temperature on specific growth rates. The best-fitted models (reparameterized Gompertz and Huang square-root models) were validated by an additional experiment under isothermal storage (35 °C). Combining differential forms of the Baranyi model, the prediction performances of these models were further validated under storage at dynamic temperature profiles (15 to 37 °C in 4-h cycles). Results revealed that UPEC growth was observed in diluted and undiluted juice samples at storage temperatures of 15 to 40 °C. No growth of UPEC was found in either type of juice at storage temperatures below 10 °C. The estimated minimum growth temperatures (T min) of UPEC in sugarcane juice and diluted juice were 10.7 and 11.2 °C, respectively. Validation results showed that the model perfectly estimated UPEC growth under isothermal conditions in both types of sugarcane juice (proportion of prediction error (pPE) = 1.00). Predictions of dynamic conditions in sugarcane juice (pPE = 0.73) and diluted juice (pPE = 0.91) were acceptable, at pPE > 0.7. Using the model, shelf life charts were derived based on the time to reach a certain microbial concentration. In conclusion, these results together with shelf life charts provide valuable information for the food industry to enhance sugarcane juice safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• In this paper, a life evaluation method of insulating materials for high voltage cable accessories based on compressive stress relaxation characteristics is presented. • The experimental data of compressive stress relaxation of silicone rubber materials under combined force-thermal aging are collected, and combined with time-temperature equivalent model, the life of silicone rubber insulating materials in actual operation is evaluated. • The mechanical failure mechanism of silicone rubber insulation of cable accessories is analyzed by combining physical and chemical properties characterization with molecular simulation calculation. Sufficient interfacial pressure between silicone rubber (SIR) insulation and cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) in high-voltage cable accessories is the basic condition to ensure the normal operation of cable accessories. However, in the actual operation of cables and accessories, high-temperature aging and mechanical aging can cause the mechanical properties of SIR materials to decline, thus affecting the size of the insulation interface pressure. Firstly, the relaxation law of compressive stress of SIR material is obtained by measuring the compressive stress under force-thermal synergistic aging. Secondly, the time-temperature equivalent model is established according to the measured data to evaluate the service life of the cable accessories. Thirdly, the physical and chemical properties of SIR with different aging times are tested to analyze the change in its mechanical properties. Finally, the effect of temperature on the stress relaxation characteristics of SIR is calculated from the microscopic level by molecular simulation. The experimental results show that the compressive stress of SIR decreases first and then becomes stable with the increase of aging time due to the movement of molecular chains and chemical reactions in SIR. In addition, the compression stress relaxation rate of SIR increases with temperature. The aging life prediction model shows that when the relaxation coefficient of compressive stress drops to 50% of the initial value at the end of cable life, the service life of cable accessories at 70°C is about 24 years. The molecular simulation shows that the relaxation of the molecular chain of SIR is accelerated with the increase in temperature, and the stress relaxation of SIR material is accelerated on a macroscopic level. This research can provide a theoretical basis for the design and operation reliability of cable accessories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this scoping review was to explore, appraise and synthesize the current literature regarding the incidence, factors influencing, and prevention strategies related to suicide risk among nurses. Methods: An extensive literature search was conducted using databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, and Embase from its formation to June 20, 2024, specifically focusing on the suicide-related behaviors of nurses written in Chinese or English. Two researchers independently screened the literature, and disagreements were debated until a consensus was reached. Data extraction was conducted for the studies that were included. The process of data synthesis was carried out using narrative analysis. Results: The study encompassed 40 papers from 15 different countries. This study found that nurses' suicide ideation ranged from 4.3 to 44.58%, while suicide attempts ranged from 2.9 to 12.6%. Based on the stress-vulnerability model, factors influencing nurses' suicide-related behaviors include vulnerability (personality traits, coping styles), stressors (mental disorders, workplace bullying, etc.) and protective factors (social support, resilience, etc.). The strategies for preventing nurse suicide encompass primary prevention (for all nurses), secondary prevention (for nurses at risk of suicide), and tertiary prevention (for nurses who have attempted suicide). Conclusion: The suicide rate among nurses exceeds that of the general population. Mental disorders and workplace bullying are significant stressors that contribute to nurse suicide. Suicide-related behaviors among nurses can be effectively prevented and managed through the implementation of the tertiary prevention strategies. Primary prevention is essential in reducing suicide. Cognitive exercises and schedule shifts reasonably are primary preventive measures tailored for nurses. This study addresses the gaps in influencing factors about suicide-related behaviors among nurses and the strategies for preventing suicide, and provides a complete review of the current situation of nurses' suicide-related behaviors, providing references for the safe management of nurses' suicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between work–life balance and the psychological well-being of metro rail travelers working in the information technology sector. The study also examined occupational stress as a pathway between work-life balance and psychological well-being. The study also investigated the impact of occupational stress and work–life balance on the psychological well-being of metro travelers who work in the information technology sector, modeling lower- and higher-order constructs. Methods: A quantitative survey method was used, and the data were gathered from information technology employees who frequently travel on Metro Rail to commute to the office and return home when the COVID-19 pandemic peaked in India in 2022. A structured questionnaire was developed, and a link was provided to the IT sector employees visiting almost all the metro stations in Hyderabad, an Indian Metro, to measure 8 reflective constructs. The data were gathered via random sampling, and the questionnaires were randomly distributed to the different IT sector companies. The valid responses of 500 participants were analyzed for structural equation modeling. The eight reflective constructs in the study are occupational stress, the 3 constructs of work–life balance—"work interference with personal life, personal life interference with work and work–personal life enhancement"—and the four constructs of psychological well-being autonomy, self-acceptance, positive relations, and environmental mastery. Results: The SEM results for the lower-order constructs indicate that the impact of occupational stress on psychological well-being was statistically significant (p < 0.005), as were the two constructs of psychological well-being, environmental mastery, and self-acceptance (p < 0.001; p < 0.05). With respect to the impact of the work–life balance constructs, the impacts of the WIPL, WPLE, and PLIW work–life balance constructs were statistically significant (p < 0.05; p < 0.001, respectively) for all four psychological well-being constructs. Occupational stress partially mediated the relationship between work–life balance and psychological well-being, as both the direct and indirect effects were statistically significant when the higher-order constructs work–life balance and psychological well-being were tested. The direct effects of occupational stress and work–life balance on psychological well-being are statistically significant (p < 0.05, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The authors suggest framing policies to mitigate occupational stress and enhance the psychological well-being and work–life balance of employees in the information technology sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study aimed to conduct a cross-cultural validation of the Life Skills Scale for Sport—Transfer Scale (LSSS-TS) among Chinese college students and examine its psychometric properties. Methods: The study was conducted in three phases. In the first phase, four translation experts and five academic researchers collaborated to develop the Chinese version of the scale (C-LSSS-TS). Expert evaluations and feedback from 25 participants engaged in sports activities provided preliminary evidence for the scale's construct validity. In the second phase, 409 participants were recruited, and factor analysis was performed to validate the structural dimensions of the scale. In the third phase, 168 participants completed both the C-LSSS-TS and a standard Life Skills Scale to examine the external construct validity. Results: The results demonstrated significant positive correlations between the subscales of sports transferable life skills and participants' overall life skills development. These findings provided robust evidence for the structural validity of the C LSSS-TS. Conclusion: The C-LSSS-TS is a valid and practical tool for assessing life skills development among Chinese college sports participants. It offers researchers and practitioners an effective instrument to promote and evaluate life skills development in college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The occurrence of severe illness, the risk for which increases as people age, often results in depression. The current study aimed to explore how and when severe illness leads to depression among older adults. Method: Data collected from a sample of 756 older adults were analyzed using moderated mediation analysis to examine the underlying mechanism between severe illness and depression. Results: Results, as verified by a robustness check, demonstrated that life satisfaction mediated the association between severe illness and depression among older men and women, and that gender moderated the direct relationship between severe illness and depression. Conclusion: The formation path of depression from severe illness among older adults varies according to gender. For men, severe illness did not directly trigger depression, but indirectly triggered depression through decreased life satisfaction; for women, severe illness not only triggered depression directly, but also indirectly triggered depression through decreased life satisfaction. Results yield theoretical and practical implications for gerontological nursing. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 51(2), 43–52.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the life purposes and values of higher education students in the Netherlands and Finland (nDutch = 663, nFin = 846). The theoretical framework is built on the conceptualisation of life purpose by Damon et al. as well as Schwartz's values model. The study adopted a convergent mixed methods design analysing qualitative and quantitative survey data. The content of students' life purposes was explored with qualitative content analysis, followed by a statistical analysis of values measured with Short Schwartz's Value Survey (SSVS) and examination of the alignment of purpose content and values. In both countries, students studying in generalist higher education institutions identified happiness as their most important (content of) life purpose, indicating a prevalence of hedonistic values. Students at a university with a specific emphasis on moral and values education expressed universalism, benevolence and self-direction as their purpose content, and also reported these as their values. We conclude that the model by Schwartz offers a valuable analytical tool for studying the content of life purposes. We also discuss the implications of our findings for developing moral and value education in the context of higher education. Plain Language Summary: Higher education in the Netherlands and Finland is expected to educate responsible and ethical citizens and professionals. To develop such (moral) education it is important to know more about students' current values and life purposes, i.e. what they aim for in life. This is what the present study provides. For practitioners in higher education, this article offers insights into students' life purposes and values. Our findings revealed how a majority of the students wished to pursue life purposes beneficial only to themselves, indicating a marked self-orientation. However, it also showed how students at an institution with an explicit value basis and clear integration of moral issues and values into all teaching, report moral life purposes and values related to benefitting other people, society and nature. Suggestions for future curriculum development are made. Our results also raise questions for policy development: How much support do – and should – institutes of higher education contribute to the development of other-oriented student purposes and moral values? These topics are increasingly on the agenda of mainstream higher education institutions, although they are still influenced by a neo-liberalistic culture prevailing now for several decades, when little attention was paid to these other-oriented perspectives. For northern European societies more generally, our findings can contribute to societal discussions on the prevalence of self-orientation and hedonistic values in western societies and the role of education in building moral and purposeful personal and professional lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In primary schools throughout England, coaches employed by community football foundations deliver Physical Education (PE) lessons. Primary school PE is a context that both promotes and is conducive to the development of life skills. However, the holistic development of life skills in primary school pupils during PE depends upon the knowledge, actions and behaviours of the coach. Semi-structured interviews of primary school six community football PE coaches were used to achieve two study aims. First, to investigate the coaches' understanding of life skills in the context of holistic development. Secondly, to explore the factors that influence coaches' capacity to embed life skills in primary school PE lessons. Deliberative and reflexive thematic analysis of interview data revealed how coaches did not comprehensively understand life skill development, and often could not differentiate between physical skills, technical skills and life skills. Additionally, outsourcing PE delivery to football coaches was problematic, as coaches' prior coach education did not equip them with the knowledge or skills to deliver holistic PE lessons. Instead, coaches tended to learn how to deliver PE 'on the job' and prioritised physical and technical skill development in lessons. Findings also showed how constraints within schools including inadequate facilities, a lack of support from colleagues, the low prioritisation of PE within the curriculum and insufficient lesson planning time, meant coaches could not plan and deliver holistic PE lessons in which life skills were embedded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Romantic attachment orientations are important predictors of individuals' and their partners' well-being and health. However, less is known about whether similarity in attachment between partners predicts better well-being and health outcomes. In two studies (total N couples = 1,602), we tested with actor-partner interdependence and dyadic polynomial regression models if partners' attachment and their similarity were linked to their well-being and health (i.e., life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, self-rated health, medical conditions). Results revealed significant actor effects between anxiety and life satisfaction (Study 1, male partners Study 2), depressive symptoms (both studies), self-rated health (both studies), and medical conditions (Study 2 only). For avoidance, significant actor effects were found for life satisfaction (Study 1, female partners Study 2), depressive symptoms (both studies), and self-rated health (both studies). Partner effects emerged for anxiety and life satisfaction (Study 1, male partners Study 2) and depressive symptoms (Study 1 only) and for avoidance and life satisfaction (Study 1, male partners Study 2), depressive symptoms (both studies), and self-rated health (both studies). The results of dyadic polynomial regression and response surface analyses, however, provided no evidence for any similarity effects of romantic attachment on well-being and health in both studies. In sum, the findings suggest that lower anxiety and avoidance in both partners is generally associated with higher well-being and health. However, similarity in partners' attachment seem unimportant for concurrent well-being and health. Implications of the findings are discussed considering attachment theories and relationship processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of aging plays an important role in reliability analysis. The aim of this paper is providing the novel method to definition aging indexes based on fuzzy random variables and using the concept of α-pessimistic in both parametric and non-parametric approaches. In parametric approach, the concepts of survival function, hazard rate function and mean residual function were extended for fuzzy random variables. After that, we obtain and analyse these indexes for fuzzy exponential and fuzzy two-parameter Weibull distributions as two frequently used lifetime distribution in reliability theory. Moreover, with the assumption that the distribution of fuzzy observations is unknown (non-parametric approach), first an estimate for the fuzzy distribution function is presented, and then an estimate for the aging indices of the system is investigated. To do this, the concept of fuzzy empirical distribution function is investigated as an estimator of cumulative distribution function. Moreover, some properties of investigated estimator have been established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As of May 17, 2022, more than a million deaths due to COVID-19 have been recorded in the US. For each COVID-19 death, there are an estimated nine bereaved family members and an unknown number of bereaved friends. This study aimed to assess the correlates of self-reported COVID-19 death exposure (i.e., loss of a close friend or family member) among US adults using online survey data (n = 1,869) collected between September 17, 2021 and October 3, 2021. One in four US adults in this national sample reported the loss of a close friend or family member due to COVID-19. The odds of losing a close friend or family member due to COVID-19 death were greater for those age 60 or older, all minoritized racial/ethnic groups except for Asian American respondents, married/coupled respondents, those who had foregone care due to cost in the past year, and those who reported a COVID-19 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigation is concerned with social optimization and customers’ strategic behavior for a double orbit retrial queueing model with vacation, aiming to enhance the performance of virtual call centers. In many call center scenarios, if the server is busy, the arriving customer moves to premium/ordinary orbit, i.e., becomes a repeated customer; otherwise, if the server is accessible, the arriving customer joins the system to receive the required service. Once the service is completed, the server will look into the premium orbit to check whether there is any customer who needs service. If no new customer from premium/ordinary orbit or outside arrives and the system is empty, then the server takes a vacation. The customer’s decision to wait or balk from the system depends on the server’s status and the reward for receiving the service. By using a probability generating function and iterative approach, the long-run probability distribution of the queue size and other metrics, viz. equilibrium thresholds, entering probability, etc., have been obtained. Moreover, the social welfare function is analyzed based on two given information levels. The optimal solution is presented by solving the social welfare maximization problem using particle swarm optimization and harmony search techniques. The impact of different parameters on the performance metrics in Virtual Call Centers (VCC) is examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite growing interest in understanding the impact of childhood parental death, less is known about its long-term effects on older adults. We investigated the mediating role of poor health perception in the relationship between childhood parental loss and late life health. A cross-sectional study using data from the 2016 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey was conducted. Our final sample featured 8,547 older adults. The prevalence of childhood parental death was 9.8%. Results indicated a significant direct impact of childhood parental death on depression and cognitive function. Mediating effects were observed, with older adults who experienced childhood parental loss perceiving their health status as significantly worse. This, in turn, predicted higher levels of objective physical impairment, greater depression, and lower levels of cognitive function. Our study offers the first empirical evidence of the enduring negative effects of childhood parental death as well as the pivotal mediating role of poor health perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing tourism ecological security is essential for balancing development with environmental sustainability, thereby guiding effective resource management and policy formulation within the tourism industry. This study evaluates the ecological security of Lanzhou’s tourism sector, a city rich in historical and natural resources yet facing unique ecological challenges. Our objectives were to assess the current status of tourism ecological security in Lanzhou and provide actionable policy recommendations. We employed a comprehensive evaluation framework that integrates both qualitative and quantitative methods, including the DPSIR model, mean square deviation, and entropy methods for weight calculation, as well as TOPSIS for overall assessment and coupled coordination degree and obstacle degree models for subsystem analysis. The results indicate an upward trend in Lanzhou’s tourism ecological security from 2009 to 2021, peaking in 2019 before experiencing a pandemic-induced decline in 2020–2021. While subsystem coupling coordination generally improved, the pressure and state subsystems exhibited instability. These findings offer valuable insights for similar regions and underscore the necessity for holistic management strategies. We recommend enhancing ecological monitoring, promoting sustainable tourism practices, and enhancing local community involvement in tourism management. These measures are crucial to improving Lanzhou’s tourism ecological security and could serve as a model for other cities with similar development trajectories. Future research should focus on refining ecological security evaluation models and exploring the broader socio-economic impacts of ecological sustainability in tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of what mechanisms maintain tropical biodiversity is a critical frontier in ecology, intensified by the heightened risk of biodiversity loss faced in tropical regions. Ecological theory has shed light on multiple mechanisms that could lead to the high levels of biodiversity in tropical forests. But variation in species abundances over time may be just as important as overall biodiversity, with a more immediate connection to the risk of extirpation and biodiversity loss. Despite the urgency, our understanding of the primary mechanisms driving fluctuations in species abundances has not been clearly established. Here, we introduce a theoretical framework based around life history; the schedule of birth, growth, and mortality over a lifespan, and its systematic variation across species. We develop a mean field model to predict expected fluctuations in abundance for a focal species in a larger community, and we quantify empirical life history variation among 90 tropical forest species in a 50 ha plot in Panama. Putting theory and data together, we show that life history provides a critical piece of this puzzle, allowing us to explain patterns of abundance fluctuations more accurately than previous models incorporating demographic stochasticity without life history variation, and without introducing unobserved couplings between species and their environment. This framework provides a starting point for more general models that incorporate multiple factors in addition to life history variation, and suggests the potential for a fine-grained assessment of extirpation risk based on the impacts of anthropogenic change on demographic rates across life stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Build the virtual cell with artificial intelligence: a perspective for cancer research" discusses the potential of Artificial Intelligence Virtual Cells (AIVCs) in cancer research. AIVCs aim to simulate cellular molecular processes using AI technology, focusing on the complexity of cancer as a cellular disease. The article explores the applications of AIVCs in reshaping cancer research paradigms, breaking through multi-omics research bottlenecks, and accelerating anti-cancer drug development and personalized medicine. Challenges in AIVC construction include model evaluation, utilization of biological foundation models, and data imbalance issues. The authors emphasize the importance of collaboration between clinicians, experimental scientists, and AI researchers to advance cancer research and precision medicine. [Extracted from the article]

In this study, a method for predicting the thermal shock life of coatings is proposed, and a model for predicting the thermal shock life of coatings based on high temperature thermal shock life test and three-dimensional heat transfer analysis is established. Firstly, the thermal shock life of coatings at different cooling and heating cycle temperatures is obtained through a designed thermal shock life testing device for silicide coatings at a wide-temperature range from 500℃ to 3000℃. Secondly, the actual thickness of the coating and the continuous oxidation in the thermal shock life test are taken into consideration. Based on the finite element analysis method, the three-dimensional heat transfer analysis for coatings with different oxidation thickness is carried out to obtain the average value of the maximum thermal stress range on the surface of the coating. Last, the least square method is used to process the data of the life prediction model. Then the parameters of the life prediction model are obtained based on the thermal shock life test of the coating and the average value of the maximum thermal stress range on the coating surface. It turns out that the predicted results of the thermal shock life prediction model established in this study are in good agreement with the tested results. Besides, the relative error is less than 6%. Therefore, the life prediction method proposed in this study can be used to predict the thermal shock life of silicide coatings. What's more, the research work in this study can also provide a theoretical basis for the life prediction of coating materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 lockdowns forced organizations to rapidly shift from face-to-face interactions to online platforms, leading to unforeseen challenges. This study retrospectively examines the extreme conditions of teleworking, which blurred the boundaries between home and workspaces, providing a unique opportunity to assess perceptions of work-life and life-work conflicts and their consequences. Data were collected from university teachers through an anonymous online survey (N = 383). A path analysis using IBM SPSS AMOS software assessed the relationship between work-life and life-work conflicts, burnout, performance, and willingness to continue teleworking. Results suggest work-life and life-work conflicts produce different spillovers. Both conflicts significantly contributed to burnout, but only life-work conflict significantly related to perceived performance, and this relationship was negative. Burnout was negatively associated with perceived performance but had no significant relationship with willingness to continue teleworking after lockdowns. Conversely, the relationship between perceived performance and willingness to continue teleworking was significantly positive. These findings emphasize the interplay between work-life and life-work conflicts and their effects on workers' perceptions. Organizations should consider these dynamics when designing remote work policies to mitigate burnout and enhance employee performance and satisfaction. It is crucial for leadership to take responsibility for prioritizing the well-being of workers and their working conditions, as their actions significantly influence work design, individual and team goals, and the overall organizational climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to determine the factors affecting the happiness levels of older individuals in Türkiye during the COVID-19 pandemic. The microdata set from the 2020 Life Satisfaction Survey conducted by the Turkish Statistical Institute was utilized, involving 1,863 individuals aged 60 and above. The relationship between happiness levels and various factors was investigated using the chi-square independence test, and the factors affecting happiness were further analyzed through generalized ordered logistic regression. According to the generalized ordered logistic regression model, participants in the 60–64 age group are 10.1% less likely to report happiness compared to those aged 65 and older. Men are 4.3% less likely than women to report happiness. Furthermore, individuals with no formal education and those with primary school education have a 14.4% and 9.4% higher likelihood of happiness, respectively, compared to university graduates. The literature on happiness demonstrates the relationship between different factors and happiness. This study determined that such factors as gender, age, educational status, source of happiness, health satisfaction, hope scale, and homeownership have an impact on the happiness levels of older individuals. The amount of societal support provided to older individuals can be an indicator of their level of happiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recurrent spontaneous seizures with an extended epileptic discharge are the hallmarks of epilepsy. At present, there are several available anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) in the market. Still no adequate treatment for epilepsy treatment is available. The main disadvantages of AEDs are their associated adverse effects. It is a challenge to develop new therapies that can reduce seizures by modulating the underlying mechanisms with no adverse effects. In the last decade, the neuromodulatory potential of phytoconstituents has sparked their usage in the treatment of central nervous system disorders. Curcumin is an active polyphenolic component that interacts at cellular and molecular levels. Curcumin's neuroprotective properties have been discovered in recent preclinical and clinical studies due to its immunomodulatory effects. Curcumin has the propensity to modulate signaling pathways involved in cell survival and manage oxidative stress, apoptosis, and inflammatory mechanisms. Further, curcumin can persuade epigenetic alterations, including histone modifications (acetylation/deacetylation), which are the changes responsible for the altered expression of genes facilitating the process of epileptogenesis. The bioavailability of curcumin in the brain is a concern that needs to be tackled. Therefore, nanonization has emerged as a novel drug delivery system to enhance the pharmacokinetics of curcumin. In the present review, we reviewed curcumin's modulatory effects on potential biomarkers involved in epileptogenesis including dendritic cells, T cell subsets, cytokines, chemokines, apoptosis mediators, antioxidant mechanisms, and cognition impairment. Also, we have discussed the nanocarrier systems for encapsulating curcumin, offering a promising approach to enhance bioavailability of curcumin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Ischemic stroke is a devastating neurovascular condition that occurs when cerebral tissue fails to receive an adequate supply of oxygen. Despite being a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, therapeutic interventions are currently limited. Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers are nanomolecules commonly used in biomedical applications due to their ability to encapsulate small-molecules and improve their pharmacokinetic properties. Curcumin is known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects yet suffers from poor solubility and bioavailability. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of curcumin encapsulated in PAMAM dendrimers as a potential therapeutic treatment for ischemic stroke by studying post-stroke lesion size, astrocyte reactivity, and functional recovery in a rat model of cerebral ischemia. Methods: Forty-eight male and female Sprague-Dawley rats (280–380 g) underwent either a 90-min middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) or sham surgery before receiving one of four treatments: (1) Hanks' balanced salt solution (HBSS) control, (2) empty dendrimer control, (3) curcumin control, or (4) curcumin encapsulated in PAMAM dendrimer. Neurobehavioral outcomes were evaluated at 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-day post-surgery, after which animals were euthanized on day 8 to assess infarct volume and GFAP immunoreactivity. Results: Animals that received formulations containing dendrimers (curcumin encapsulated in dendrimers or empty dendrimers) demonstrated significantly lower levels of GFAP immunoreactivity and improved functional recovery, including weight and neurobehavioral scores, compared to the formulations that did not contain dendrimers (curcumin and HBSS control). Additionally, the dendrimer-curcumin treatment group exhibited a significantly improved paw laterality index over the course of the study compared with the other three treatment groups. Conclusion: Although the post-stroke administration of curcumin encapsulated in PAMAM dendrimers modulates the astrocytic response and promotes functional recovery following ischemic stroke in rats, its therapeutic benefits may be driven by PAMAM dendrimers as the empty dendrimer treatment group also showed significant improvements post-stroke. Further investigation regarding PAMAM dendrimers in treating neuroinflammatory conditions remains warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relationship between corporate shared institutional equity (SIE) holders and eco-transparency reporting (ETR). Specifically, it examines three distinct types of SIE: (1) common institutional shareholders with industry peers, (2) the average count of unique institutional owners holding shares in both the focal company and its peers, and (3) the total percentage of SIE within the focal company. The findings indicate that firms with higher levels of SIE are more likely to disclose ETR, signaling a commitment to enhancing public trust and aligning with governmental expectations. Furthermore, the study explores the impact of SIE across different stages of the firm's life cycle, revealing that the influence of SIE on ETR is more pronounced during the growth and mature stages. The results remain robust even when alternative thresholds for SIE are applied, such as adjusting from a 5% to a 3% threshold. To account for potential misspecification and omitted variables, propensity score matching (PSM), System generalized method of moments (Sys GMM) and two-stage least squares (2SLS) methods were employed. This research contributes to the literature by highlighting the role of shared institutional ownership in promoting environmental transparency, offering novel insights into how institutional investors can drive corporate sustainability practices across different firm life cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is expected to reach 82 million metric tons by 2030, with a global average of 7.8 kg/cap/year. In 2022, the amount of WEEE generated in Laos was 3.6 kg/cap/year, with no formal collection or treatment facilities in place. An examination of WEEE management and repair practices in the capital of Laos, Vientiane, was conducted, involving a review of the relevant literature and data gathered from interviews and online surveys of a total of 82 families, 17 junkshops, and 16 repair shops. Additionally, the environmental impact of smartphone repair activities was determined by utilizing data from existing life cycle assessment studies. The findings highlight the challenges of WEEE management, including infrastructure deficit and policy gaps. The informal sector plays a significant role in WEEE collection and dismantling. Manual dismantling takes place in junkshops prior to exportation to Vietnam, Thailand, and China. Reuse and repair are common practices and are present in both formal and informal contexts. Smartphone repair is a prevalent service alongside cooling and freezing equipment repair. The primary obstacles of repair are linked to the quality and availability of spare parts, the absence of repair guidelines and technical expertise, complicated designs, and consumer awareness. Notwithstanding the challenges associated with repairs, this case study demonstrates the environmental benefits of smartphone repair, achieving a reduction of 44% in GHG emissions compared to the conventional replacement over a 7-year observation period. Recommendations are proposed to enhance WEEE management systems and advance the repair movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of a city needs the accumulation of culture, and historical buildings are the most direct witness of the rise and fall of a city. Like the human body, historical buildings have a certain life cycle, but the acceleration of urbanization and unreasonable use cause an irreversible reduction in the residual life of historical buildings. There is a notable lack of quantitative analysis regarding the residual life of historical buildings. Therefore, identifying the factors that influence their residual life is crucial for both preserving these buildings and sustaining urban culture. In order to obtain a more accurate correlation degree of influencing factors, a systematic-analysis model of influencing factors on the residual life of historical buildings based on the entropy weight method (EWM) and the grey relation analysis method (GRA) was established, so as to excavate the mechanism of the influencing factors on the residual life of historical buildings, accurately identify the main influencing factors on the residual life of historical buildings, and propose preventive measures. The results show that the structural system has the greatest influence on the residual life of historical buildings, followed by the enclosure system, and the equipment system. The research findings offer valuable insights for extending the residual life of historical buildings in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a methodology for characterizing the constituent properties of composite materials by back-calculating from the laminate behavior under fatigue loading. Composite materials consist of fiber reinforcements and a polymer matrix, with the fatigue performance of the laminate governed by the interaction between these constituents. Due to the challenges in directly measuring the properties of individual fibers and the polymer matrix, a reverse-engineering approach was employed. Using the micro-mechanics of fatigue (MMFatigue), we predicted the laminate's fatigue behavior based on assumed constituent properties and compared these predictions with experimental data from fatigue tests. The properties of the fiber and polymer matrix were iteratively adjusted to minimize the differences between predictions and experimental results, enabling accurate fatigue characterization. To ensure robustness, three laminate angles—0°, 30°, and 60°—were evaluated at three temperatures: low temperature (LT: −40 °C), room temperature (RT: 25 °C), and high temperature (HT: 85 °C). The error, defined as the fatigue life difference between the prediction and the experimental results, were obtained as 2.48% at LT, 7.18% at RT, and 1.25% at HT for a laminate angle of 45°. Finally, the applicability of the multiscale-based fatigue life prediction method was demonstrated through studies on laminates with various angles under tension–compression, and compression–compression cyclic loads, as well as composite pressure vessels under cyclic loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing end-to-end networks for steering angle prediction usually use images generated by standard cameras as input. However, standard cameras are susceptible to poor lighting conditions and motion blur, which is not conducive to training an accurate and robust end-to-end network. In contrast, biological vision-inspired event cameras overcome the aforementioned shortcomings with their unique working principle and offer significant advantages such as high temporal resolution, high dynamic range and low power consumption. Nevertheless, event cameras generate a lot of noise and are unable to provide texture information on static region. Therefore, these two types of cameras are complementary to each other to some extent. To explore the benefits of fusing information from these two types of cameras in autonomous driving tasks, we propose GFENet, an attention-based two-stream encoder-decoder architecture for steering angle prediction by combining events and images. Firstly, asynchronous and sparse events are converted into synchronous and dense event frames. Then, event frames and corresponding image frames are fed into two symmetric encoders to extract features. Next, We introduce a Group-Wise Feature-Enhanced (GEF) module that can refine features and suppress noise to guide the fusion of two modalities features at different levels. Finally, The final fused features are passed through a simple decoder to predict the steering angle. Experiments results on the DDD20 and EventScape datasets shows that our GFEFNet outperforms the state-of-the-art image-event fusion method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) are standardized self-administered tools that assess the patient's opinion on the level of health, quality of life, and disability among other aspects. The objective of this study was to gather information on physical and mental health in patients with major mental illness using PROMs. Methods: This was an observational, naturalistic, prospective study carried out in adult stabilized outpatients attended at nine Adult Mental Health Centers in Barcelona, Spain. All participants had a confirmed diagnosis of major depression disorder or schizophrenia (DSM-5) and were currently on drug treatment. Participants (n = 508) self-completed a baseline questionnaire for clinical data and PROMs scales (PHQ-19, SF-12, and WHODAS 2.0) at baseline and 9 months thereafter (n = 482). Results: Mean (SD) age was 50.9 (13.2) years, and 83% of patients lived with their families. Although 93.9% of patients recognized having a mental illness, 15.7% did not know their diagnosis. When asked if they considered that during the last year their treatment had offered some type of improvement, 83.9% answered affirmatively. Patients reported that their degree of adherence to treatment was high (77%) and most of them (80%) believed the medication had a beneficial effect. Depressed patients showed both at baseline and at follow up significantly more depressive symptoms than the group with schizophrenia. In the schizophrenia group, a statistically significant improvement in depressive symptoms was noted at 9 months follow-up. We did not find significant differences within or between groups in quality of life (SF-12 scores) obtained at baseline and after 9 months of follow-up Both at baseline and at follow-up, patients with depression reported a significantly higher degree of disability (WHODAS scores) than those with schizophrenia. Conclusions: PROMs can be used in real-world conditions to assess severity of disease, quality of life, and disability in major depression and schizophrenia. The present results are relevant for both patients and clinicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esports or competitive video gaming has been increasingly utilized to enhance essential twenty-first century skills. However, there is limited evidence on the extent to which the skills acquired from a gaming environment can be transferred to other settings. This study employed an experimental design to investigate the effectiveness of a competitive sandbox game environment in enabling the transfer of the 4Cs skills to both near and far tasks, in contrast with a non-game environment. A cohort of 110 students from a university were randomly allocated to both conditions for the 4Cs skills training. The skills transferability was measured through self-reports, observations, and interviews. The findings indicated no significant differences in the transfer of creativity, critical thinking, and communication skills in near and far settings following both training environments. Interestingly, a competitive gaming environment significantly facilitated the transfer of collaboration skills to near tasks evidenced by performance-based assessments. Moreover, although the hypotheses 1c and 3c were not statistically supported, the small to medium effect size suggests that there were practical differences between the groups in self-reported collaboration skills in near and far tasks. Additionally, analysis of individual interviews with 41 participants indicated that the successful transference was attributed to an array of scaffolds (i.e., mentorship, collaborative problem-solving environment, autonomy, and guided checklists) while the failure to detect positive effects was explained by various constraints (i.e., unfamiliarity with game rules, limited time, lack of practice, and established cognitive patterns). These findings add new insights into the literature on game-based learning and transfer of learning and inform researchers to further investigate the longitudinal effect of skills transfer and retention in both academic and professional spheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Both the antibody–drug conjugate (ADC) enfortumab vedotin (EV) and programmed death-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab have been shown to provide survival benefits in patients previously treated with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (la/mUC). Cost-effectiveness is necessary to consider whether the increased efficacy of the two therapies will lead to higher prices for first-line treatment of previously untreated la/mUC. Objectives: To guide the choice of EV plus pembrolizumab or chemotherapy for patients with previously untreated la/mUC. Design: The cost-effective analysis. Methods: A Markov model was developed to simulate the lifetime of patients with previously untreated la/mUC to assess the overall cost and efficacy of EV plus pembrolizumab and chemotherapy based on the EV-302/KEYNOTE-A39 trial. Primary outcomes included total cost, life-years (LYs), quality-adjusted LYs (QALYs), the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), and incremental net health benefits at the USA and Chinese willingness-to-pay threshold of $150,000/QALY and $35,173/QALY, respectively. Model stability was examined through sensitivity and subgroup analyses. Results: EV plus pembrolizumab and chemotherapy treatment regimens were associated with 2.07–2.16 and 1.04–1.06 QALYs with corresponding costs of $288,347–$532,362 and $24,773–$267,568, respectively. ICERs in the United States and China are $267,491/QALY and $254,339/QALY, respectively. The factors that most strongly influenced model outcomes in unidirectional sensitivity analyses were patient weight and the cost of EV. To achieve greater cost-effectiveness, EV costs would need to be reduced by over 75% and 10% in the United States and China, respectively. Conclusion: While first-line EV plus pembrolizumab has significant health benefits compared to chemotherapy for patients with previously untreated la/mUC, this regimen is not cost-effective at the current price in the United States or China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]