Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (Switzerland)
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing InstituteNot a member yet
1861300 research outputs found
Sort by
Socioeconomic Drivers of Household Plastic Waste Mismanagement and Implications for Water Resource Sustainability in Guyanese Communities
No full textThis research investigates the socioeconomic factors that lead to ineffective plastic waste management in household areas and their consequences for water sustainability in four villages in Guyana: Mon Repos, Lusignan, De Endragt, and Good Hope. The study uses a household survey (N = 384), chi-square tests, and a binary logistic model. It finds that labour status, schooling, and earnings affect unsafe disposal practices like dumping, incineration, or leaving garbage. The risk of inappropriate disposal is 20%, higher than the 6.8% among university graduates. The unemployed are at highest risk, with 32.7% at high risk. Low-income individuals (≤GYD $85,000) have a 21.9% rate, which is 2.5 times higher than the 7.6% rate among higher-income individuals. Strikingly, 63.2% of the high-risk households reported seeing “some” or “vast” amounts of dumped garbage in the close vicinity. It suggests a greater possibility of water contamination. Lacking direct proof of water quality, the strong correlation between socioeconomic disadvantage, litter visibility, and proximity to drainage infrastructure is one of the environmental justice concerns. The findings show plastic littering to be a structural issue associated with inequality, rather than purely individual behaviour, beyond the lack of access to sound waste management services. From a sustainability perspective, there needs to be a priority on straightforward strategies that encompass waste infrastructure development alongside poverty reduction and sustainable management practices. If these intrinsic disparities are not addressed, efforts to protect community water resources and realise SDGs 6, 10, and 12 will likely be futile
A Systematic Literature Review of Augmented Reality’s Development in Construction
No full textAugmented reality (AR) has emerged as a transformative technology, allowing users to engage with digital content overlaid on the physical world. In the construction industry, AR shows significant potential to enhance visualization, collaboration, training, and safety across the project lifecycle. This paper presents a systematic literature review (SLR) of 136 publications on the use of AR in construction published between 2019 and 2025, focusing on architectures, technologies, trends, and challenges. The review identifies the main architectures (cloud, hybrid, and local) and examines how AR is combined with Building Information Modeling (BIM) systems, digital twins, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Key application trends are identified and discussed, including on-site visualization, inspection and monitoring, immersive training, hazard detection, and remote collaboration. Challenges and constraints to the adoption of AR in construction are highlighted and examined such as hardware limitations, usability and ergonomics issues, interoperability with existing systems, high costs, and resistance to organizational change. By systematizing existing approaches and mapping both opportunities and barriers, this review provides a comprehensive reference for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers aiming to accelerate AR adoption in the construction sector
Surgical Site Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance: Six Years of Data from a Western Romanian Hospital
No full textBackground and Objectives: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic posed a new challenge to hospital infection prevention measures and to the antimicrobial therapies adopted. The present study aimed to assess the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dynamics of surgical site infection (SSI) rates and the variations in the microbiological profiles of the SSI. Materials and Methods: A retrospective, single-center study was conducted to examine data from patients who underwent conventional surgical procedures and developed SSI. The study was conducted at the First Surgery Clinic of the “Pius Brinzeu” Clinical Emergency Hospital, Timisoara, Romania. Data from 173 patients were analyzed over six years (from 26 February 2018 to 25 February 2024). The selected time interval was divided into three periods: pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic. Results: During the pandemic, the average patient age was significantly lower than in the other periods. The average length of stay decreased consistently over the six-year study period. Among the 173 patients included in the study, 71.1% had a monobacterial infection, while the remaining 28.9% had infections involving at least two different bacteria. The two most commonly identified bacteria in more than 50% of the cases were Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococcus spp. There was a significant decrease in bacterial resistance to levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin over the study period, with resistance dropping from 50% (pre-pandemic) and 53.3% (pandemic) to just 9.1% (post-pandemic). Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic substantially altered the SSI profile in our institution. The temporary increase in SSI frequency during the pandemic was likely related to shifts in surgical case mix and care delivery, rather than decreased infection control performance. Post-pandemic restoration of surgical flow coincided with improved antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, particularly for fluoroquinolones. Microbiological surveillance, the use of infection prevention measures, and robust stewardship initiatives remain essential to maintain these favorable trends and mitigate the emergence of future resistance
Weighted Single-Step Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Candidate Genes for Carcass Traits and Primal Cut Yields in Hanwoo Cattle
No full textThis study identified genomic regions associated with carcass traits and primal cut yields in Hanwoo cattle using weighted single-step genome-wide association study (WssGWAS). A total of 50,227 carcass records and genomic data from 23,573 animals with 45,057 single-nucleotide polymorphisms were analyzed. Heritability estimates were 0.24 for carcass weight, 0.22 for eye muscle area, 0.31 for backfat thickness, and 0.36 for marbling score, while those for primal cut yields ranged from 0.02 to 0.26. For carcass traits, candidate genes were identified for carcass weight (XKR4 2.35%, COBL 1.26%), eye muscle area (LCORL 1.56%, TGFBR2 1.49%), backfat thickness (ATG7 1.27%, MYPN 1.33%), and marbling score (TWIST2 1.16%, BMP4 1.14%). For primal cut yields, the chromosome 6 region containing WDR1 was commonly identified across six traits and the chromosome 4 region containing CACNA2D1 across five traits; the chromosome 28 region containing SIRT1 explained the highest genetic variance (6.46%) for striploin. These pleiotropic regions are potential targets for genomic selection to improve production efficiency and carcass value in Hanwoo
A Consumer Digital Twin for Energy Demand Prediction: Development and Implementation Under the SENDER Project (HORIZON 2020)
No full textThis paper presents the development and implementation of a consumer Digital Twin (DT) for energy demand prediction under the SENDER (Sustainable Consumer Engagement and Demand Response) project, funded by HORIZON 2020. This project aims to engage consumers in the energy sector with innovative energy service applications to achieve proactive Demand Response (DR) and optimized usage of Renewable Energy Sources (RES). The proposed DT model is designed to digitally represent occupant behaviors and energy consumption patterns using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), which enable continuous learning by processing real-time and historical data in different pilot sites and seasons. The DT development incorporates the International Energy Agency (IEA)—Energy in Buildings and Communities (EBC) Annex 66 and Drivers-Needs-Actions-Systems (DNAS) framework to standardize occupant behavior modeling. The research methodology consists of the following steps: (i) a mock-up simulation environment for three pilot sites was created, (ii) the DT was trained and calibrated using the artificial data from the previous step, and (iii) the DT model was validated with real data from the Alginet pilot site in Spain. Results showed a strong correlation between DT predictions and mock-up data, with a maximum deviation of ±2%. Finally, a set of selected Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) was defined and categorized in order to evaluate the system’s technical effectiveness
Applications of Exosomes in Female Medicine: A Systematic Review of Molecular Biology, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Perspectives
No full textExosomes are nanoscale extracellular vesicles that mediate intercellular communication by transporting microRNAs, proteins, and lipids. Generated through Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRT)-dependent mechanisms or ESCRT-independent pathways, exosomes are released when multivesicular bodies fuse with the plasma membrane. The ESCRT-dependent pathway involves sequential protein complexes (ESCRT-0, I, II, III) that recognize and sort ubiquitinated cargo, induce membrane budding, and facilitate vesicle scission. In contrast, the ESCRT-independent pathway relies on membrane lipids such as ceramide and proteins like tetraspanins (CD9, CD63, CD81) to promote vesicle formation without ESCRT machinery. Furthermore, post-translational modifications, including ubiquitination, sumoylation, and phosphorylation, further serve as molecular switches, modulating the affinity of ESCRT complexes or cargo proteins for membrane domains and affecting ILV formation rates. In reproductive medicine, exosomes regulate oocyte maturation, embryo–endometrial crosstalk, placental development, and maternal–fetal communication. Altered exosomal signaling contributes to obstetric complications, including preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, and preterm birth, whereas distinct exosomal miRNA signatures serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers. In gynecology, dysregulated exosomes are implicated in endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, premature ovarian insufficiency, and gynecological malignancies. In contrast, mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes show therapeutic promise in restoring ovarian function and enhancing fertility outcomes. The distinctive molecular profiles of circulating exosomes enable minimally invasive diagnosis, while their biocompatibility and ability to cross biological barriers position them as vehicles for targeted drug delivery. Characterization of accessible data provides non-invasive opportunities for disease monitoring. However, clinical translation faces challenges, including standardization of isolation protocols, establishment of reference ranges for biomarkers, and optimization of therapeutic dosing. This review summarizes exosome biogenesis, characterization methods, physiological functions, and clinical applications in obstetrics and gynecology, with an emphasis on their diagnostic and therapeutic potential. Future directions include large-scale biomarker validation studies, engineering approaches to enhance exosome targeting, and integration with precision medicine platforms to advance personalized reproductive healthcare
On the Origin and Nature of Double-Double Radio Galaxies
No full textDouble-double radio galaxies (DDRGs) display inner and outer jets or lobes thought to result from intermittent accretion. Due to randomly triggered accretion events, the lifetime of the retriggered jet is not expected to have any connection to the time of quiescence between jets, yet we show that a correlation between the two quantities may exist, which we interpret as resulting from continued accretion through the quiescent jet phase. Despite continuous accretion, a jet is absent because its presence depends on a non-zero value of black hole spin, but accretion transitions the system from counter-rotation to corotation, and therefore through zero black hole spin where a jet cannot form. The time of jet quiescence depends on how long it takes to spin the black hole up again in corotation, which is longer for lower accretion rates. Once the black hole spin is large enough for a renewed jet, this inner jet will last longer the lower the accretion rate is. Hence, in a continuous accretion scenario, longer quiescent times tend to associate to longer inner jet times. In addition, DDRG jets are of FRII morphology which we show to result from the absence of a tilt in the accretion disk in the transition through zero black hole spin, ensuring the absence of an FRI jet in a way that connects with our understanding of X-shaped radio galaxies. Both correlated timescales as well as sameness in jet morphology offers evidence in favor of our picture
Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Mood Disorders: A Critical Narrative Review
No full textBackground: In recent decades, interest has grown in the link between lipid metabolism and mental health. Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) play a crucial role in brain function, neuroplasticity, and emotional regulation. Deficiency or an imbalanced omega-6/omega-3 ratio, typical of Western diets, has been associated with an increased risk of mood disorders, such as major depression and bipolar disorder. Objective: This review critically synthesizes neurobiological and clinical evidence on the role of omega-3s in mood disorders, assessing mechanisms, randomized controlled trials, and meta-analyses, with a focus on inflammatory biomarkers and their integration into a personalized psychiatry framework. Methods: A narrative review of epidemiological studies, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), meta-analyses, and experimental research was conducted, evaluating mechanistic pathways (synaptic, inflammatory, neuroplastic, and redox) and clinical moderators (particularly inflammatory markers and dietary lipid profiles). Results: Consistent evidence indicates that EPA-enriched formulations (≥60%) exert antidepressant effects, particularly in patients with elevated inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6, TNF-α). In contrast, DHA-only preparations show limited efficacy, and outcomes vary depending on dietary omega-6/omega-3 balance. However, the literature remains heterogeneous in design, sample size, and biomarker stratification, which limits generalizability and contributes to conflicting findings across studies. Conclusions: While omega-3 fatty acids represent promising adjunctive interventions for mood disorders, methodological weaknesses and inconsistent formulations hinder definitive conclusions. Future research should prioritize biomarker-guided, precision-based approaches to clarify therapeutic efficacy and optimize clinical use
Three Years Later: Landfill Proximity Alters Biomarker Dynamics in White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) Nestlings
No full textLandfills represent increasingly common anthropogenic habitats that provide food resources but also expose wildlife to complex chemical mixtures. White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) have recently expanded breeding near such sites, yet little is known about the physiological consequences of landfill dependence across time. In 2025, we assessed biomarker responses in White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) nestlings from the Jakuševec landfill (Zagreb, Croatia), a post-remediated site still in partial operation, three years after the initial studies conducted in 2021 and 2022. Activities of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), carboxylesterase (CES), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GR), as well as levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), were quantified in extracellular (plasma) and intracellular (post-mitochondrial S9) blood fractions. Neurotoxicity biomarkers (AChE, CES) showed small increases in 2022, followed by significant declines in 2025, indicating potential changes in exposure to neuroactive compounds. Oxidative-stress biomarkers displayed contrasting patterns: GST and GR decreased progressively, whereas ROS rose and GSH shifted in opposite directions between fractions, together suggesting rising oxidative challenge and altered redox balance. The combined biomarker response suggests continuing low-level exposure to neurotoxic and redox-active compounds despite landfill remediation. Our findings highlight that urban landfills, even in post-closure phases, remain physiologically active systems influencing wildlife health and should be incorporated into long-term ecotoxicological and conservation monitoring frameworks. While independent long-term monitoring shows that the Jakuševec White Stork colony has continued to grow over the past decade, the physiological responses detected in nestlings highlight the importance of assessing how chronic low-level exposure might influence population health in the long term
Reproducibility of Cycling Kinetics on an Ergometer Designed to Quantify Asymmetry
No full textCycling-based rehabilitation is a non-invasive intervention for individuals with lower limb asymmetries. However, current cycling devices lack comprehensive biomechanical feedback and cannot assess asymmetry. Our lab has developed a novel cycle ergometer equipped with three-dimensional force pedals, a seat post and handlebar force sensors, which allow for a comprehensive analysis of asymmetry across a fatiguing task. This study assessed the reproducibility of the cycling kinetics and asymmetry index derived from this device during incremental and constant load cycling tasks to volitional failure. Eighteen participants completed incremental and constant-load tests, each across two identical sessions. Pedal forces and power were analyzed for each leg individually, and handlebar forces and seat post mediolateral sway were recorded during cycling. Normalized symmetry index (NSI), a metric quantifying the degree of asymmetry between limbs, was calculated for each variable. The reproducibility of the device was assessed using repeated measures analysis of variance and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). No significant session or interaction effects were found for pedal, handlebar, and seat post measures (all p > 0.05). Time effects were observed for pedal force and power in the incremental test (all p < 0.001). NSI values were reproducible with high ICC values (≥0.70) for force and power. The results suggest that this ergometer offers reproducible cycling kinetics and asymmetry measures across a fatiguing task. The findings support the application of this ergometer in research and rehabilitation settings