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Hypothesis
Biology and Life Sciences
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Sherif Salah Abdul Aziz

,

Khalid F. Kassim

,

Mohamed Sherif Salah

Abstract: Cancer initiation is commonly interpreted through mutation-centered models in which tumor development results from the progressive accumulation of genetic alterations. Although this framework remains essential, it does not fully account for the long latency of many cancers, the persistence of cellular phenotypes after removal of environmental stressors, or the stable epigenetic changes associated with chronic metabolic and inflammatory disease. This article proposes a testable theoretical framework termed Temporal Genomic Memory. The model suggests that prolonged biological exposures, including chronic inflammation, metabolic stress, oxidative injury, immune dysregulation, and environmental pressure, may be progressively encoded within epigenetic and RNA-mediated regulatory systems. These signals may be compressed into relatively stable molecular information signatures that shape future transcriptional responses. Under triggering conditions such as aging, immune decline, renewed inflammation, or metabolic imbalance, these stored regulatory states may be reactivated through molecular recall mechanisms, thereby altering cellular behavior and increasing susceptibility to oncogenic transformation. A simplified mathematical representation is introduced to describe biological signal accumulation, regulatory compression, and recall activation over time. The hypothesis does not replace somatic mutation theory; rather, it adds a complementary temporal-regulatory layer linking metabolic history, epigenetic memory, mitochondrial signaling, and cancer initiation. A practical experimental strategy is proposed to examine whether prolonged metabolic stress can generate persistent epigenetic and transcriptional signatures after stress withdrawal.

Article
Biology and Life Sciences
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Alessandro Ravoni

,

Veronica Paparozzi

,

Tiziana Guarnieri

,

Cecilia Sanzini

,

Luigi Manni

,

Christine Nardini

Abstract: The ability of cells to translate optical radiation into biochemical signals, i.e., optotransduction, plays an important role in emerging therapeutic strategies, with a relevant influence on inflammation. However, a systemic understanding of the molecular pathways underlying the transduction of these physical stimuli is still lacking. In this work, we present a molecular map of optotransduction reconstructed from the literature and provide its representation as pathway, using the standard Systems Biology Markup Language. This representation enables network-based analyses and allows us to investigate the differential effect of stimuli wavelengths and overlap with other forms of physical transduction, namely mechanotransduction.

Article
Engineering
Transportation Science and Technology

Ahad Alotaibi

,

Rayana Aldulaijan

,

Aljoharah Alabdulmohsen

,

Danah Aljowaiser

,

Rawdah Alhindi

,

Asiya Abdus Salam

,

Mona Albinali

,

Rabab Alkhalifa

Abstract: Student safety during daily school transportation remains a major concern, particularly in systems that rely mainly on GPS tracking and manual supervision. Existing approaches often lack proactive safety mechanisms for monitoring both student attendance and driver condition in real time. This paper presents MUTMA’INN derived from the Arabic word “مطمئن”, meaning being reassured, at peace, or tranquil, reflecting the system’s role in ensuring the safety and security of students during transportation. The proposed system is an AI-powered school bus safety framework designed to improve the security and reliability of daily student transportation in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030’s Quality of Life Program. The proposed system consists of two integrated components: a cross-platform Flutter mobile application for parents, drivers, and school administrators, and a Python-based edge system connected to Firebase for real-time synchronization. The framework automates student attendance through facial recognition at the bus gate, reducing manual effort and the risk of human error. In addition, it monitors the driver using contactless remote photoplethysmography and facial analysis techniques to estimate heart rate and detect signs of fatigue or emotional distress. When abnormal conditions are detected, immediate alerts are sent to administrators to support timely intervention. By combining mobile computing, edge intelligence, computer vision, and cloud services into a unified platform, MUTMA’INN provides a proactive approach to school transportation safety. The proposed framework demonstrates how AI can support safer and more intelligent student transit systems.

Article
Computer Science and Mathematics
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Jean C. Velombe

,

Sema Bayraktar

,

Adnan Kavak

,

Muhammad Jamil

,

Alpaslan B. Inner

,

Gautam Srivastava

,

Hossein Fotouhi

Abstract: Accurate estimation of meal composition from food images can support safer and more reliable insulin bolus decision-making for individuals with Type 1 diabetes. Existing food recognition and nutrition estimation systems are often designed for general dietary logging and do not directly integrate food analysis with personalized insulin therapy parameters. This study presents an image-based nutrition estimation and insulin decision-support module developed within the AI-assisted Diabetes Care (AIDCARE) platform. The proposed system uses a convolutional neural network (CNN) to classify food items from a single meal image and retrieves reference nutritional values from a food composition database. A separate multimodal large language model (MLLM)-based estimation component is then used to estimate portion size, allowing carbohydrate and nutrient values to be scaled according to the observed serving. A curated food image dataset containing 40 food categories was used to evaluate three CNN architectures: ResNet50, Inception V3, and EfficientNet-B0. EfficientNet-B0 achieved the best classification performance, with 94.91% validation accuracy, 95.55% precision, 94.87% recall, and 94.90% F1-score. The portion-estimation component achieved an MAE of 12.27 g and an RMSE of 15.11 g. The estimated carbohydrate value is combined with user-specific clinical parameters, including the insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio and insulin sensitivity factor, to generate advisory bolus guidance. To support safety, the system requires user confirmation or correction of the recognized food category and estimated portion before insulin guidance is displayed. The proposed system is intended for advisory decision support only and is not designed to replace clinical judgment or autonomous insulin delivery systems.

Review
Medicine and Pharmacology
Urology and Nephrology

Carlos Rebolledo-Maldonado

,

Alberto Polo-Barranco

,

Mary Ramos-Rincón

,

Carlos Martínez-Castillo

,

Ana Barraza Peña

,

Luz Ceballos-Madrid

,

Dairo Rodelo-Barrios

,

Helman Diaz-Ramírez

,

Valeria Blanchar-Martínez

,

Carlos Beltran-Sánchez

+3 authors

Abstract: Dengue remains a major public health problem in tropical and subtropical regions, particularly in Latin America. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the severe complications associated with dengue and has been linked to worse clinical outcomes, including prolonged hospitalization, need for renal replacement therapy, and increased mortality. This review aimed to summarize the available evidence on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, management, and prognosis of dengue-associated AKI, while also providing an overview of the literature from Latin America. This manuscript was developed as a narrative review. For the Latin America-specific overview, a focused structured search was conducted in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, LILACS, and Web of Science, including studies published up to December 2025. The available data suggest that AKI in dengue is multifactorial, involving plasma leakage, renal hypoperfusion, endothelial dysfunction, tubular injury, rhabdomyolysis, thrombotic microangiopathy, and inflammatory renal damage. Clinically, AKI has been associated with oliguria, proteinuria, elevated serum creatinine, renal replacement therapy, and higher mortality. Only four eligible indexed studies from Latin America were identified in our search, all from Brazil, with small sample sizes and incomplete reporting of renal outcomes; however, additional unpublished or non-indexed local data may exist. In summary, dengue-associated AKI is a relevant complication of severe dengue, but the evidence available from Latin America remains limited. These findings highlight the need for improved renal surveillance and standardized reporting in dengue-endemic settings across Latin America.

Review
Engineering
Energy and Fuel Technology

Kyra J. Morris

,

Feng Shi

Abstract: Photovoltaic (PV) systems are fundamentally limited by spectral mismatch between the solar spectrum and semiconductor band gaps, resulting in thermalization and transmission losses that reduce overall efficiency. This paper presents a critical review of spectral management approaches, focusing on solar spectrum splitting as a means to improve energy conversion. Existing strategies, including multijunction solar cells, optical spectrum splitting, dispersive and diffractive systems, luminescent solar concentrators, hybrid photovoltaic–thermal systems, and photonic filtering, are analyzed and compared. While these approaches improve spectral utilization, they are often constrained by fabrication complexity, alignment sensitivity, angular dependence, or inherent energy losses. A qualitative, integrative literature review methodology is used to evaluate performance, limitations, and implementation feasibility across these technologies. The analysis shows that no current approach simultaneously achieves high efficiency, low complexity, and robust performance under diffuse illumination. Photonic spectrum splitting combined with independently operated photovoltaic channels is identified as a promising direction. However, the absence of experimental validation remains a limitation, and future work should focus on developing compact, alignment-tolerant systems for practical applications.

Review
Biology and Life Sciences
Virology

Anjali Gupta

,

Aarti Tripathi

,

Kirtika Jha

,

Yogita Rawat

,

Urvashi Bhardwaj

,

Renu Khasa

,

Shailendra Chauhan

Abstract: West Nile Virus (WNV) belongs to the orthoflavivirus genus and is part of the Flaviviridae family, which includes the Japanese encephalitis virus, Dengue virus, Zika virus, and yellow fever virus. WNV circulates among birds and mosquitoes, posing infection risks to humans and mammals. The significant rise in WNV's geographic spread and infection rates over the past five decades has prompted urgent public health concerns, driving the need for accelerated vaccine research. The development of a vaccine for WNV infection presents several challenges, primarily due to the virus's complex biology, the risk of cross-reactivity with other flaviviruses, safety concerns such as Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE), and the economic and logistical hurdles in vaccine production. Despite significant research efforts, no human vaccine has been approved, although several candidates are in various stages of development. The current review offers a comprehensive summary of the latest progress and the concomitant challenges in the development of vaccines. It also discusses the role of host-pathogen interaction, host immunity, viral immune evasion, and disease pathogenesis in facilitating the advancement of vaccines.

Article
Computer Science and Mathematics
Mathematical and Computational Biology

Narjes Shojaati

Abstract: Amid COVID-19-related in-person school closures in 2021, an agent-based simulation grounded in social impact theory was implemented and documented to investigate the effects of in-person school closure on nonmedical prescription opioid use among adolescents in Ontario, Canada. The results of model simulations forecasted an alarming rebound effect in the opioid use prevalence after the lifting of in-person school closures and identified secure medication storage in households as an effective strategy for mitigating associated risks. This study evaluates this result by comparing the baseline projection from the previously published study with newly released 2023 data from the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. Furthermore, it employs the developed agent-based model to simulate the projection through 2030 and assesses the efficacy of secure medication storage in households for the coming years. The study confirms that the previously published simulation projection for 2023 closely aligns with observed data, showing nonmedical prescription opioid use prevalence among Ontario adolescents nearly doubling from 2021 to 2023. Additionally, the results show that nonmedical prescription opioid use prevalence among youth is projected to remain at these elevated levels. Critically, the findings suggest that the temporal window for effective secure medication storage interventions has elapsed, and these interventions are now expected to have minimal impact on reducing this increase, even when applied extensively. The agreement between reported predictions and observed data demonstrates that a simulation model with relevant conceptual foundation can accurately predict future trends and provide sufficient lead time for policymakers to implement interventions within critical time-sensitive windows to alter undesirable trajectories before public health crises escalate.

Review
Medicine and Pharmacology
Medicine and Pharmacology

Richard Z. Cheng

Abstract: Modern dietary debates remain highly polarized among competing nutritional paradigms, including low-fat, Mediterranean, plant-based, vegan, low-carbohydrate, ketogenic, and animal-based dietary models. Despite decades of nutritional guidelines and extensive epidemiological research, chronic diseases—including obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), autoimmune disorders, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases—continue to rise globally. These trends raise an important question: are prevailing nutritional frameworks adequately aligned with human physiology, metabolic biology, and long-term systems resilience?This paper proposes an Integrative Orthomolecular Medicine (IOM) Systems Medicine framework for evaluating human diets based not solely on caloric intake or macronutrient composition, but on broader biological principles including metabolic compatibility, metabolic flexibility, nutrient density and bioavailability, mitochondrial energetics, inflammatory regulation, biological barrier integrity, oxidative-reduction balance, and cumulative toxicological burden.We first examine evolutionary and physiological foundations of human nutrition, emphasizing omnivorous adaptation, fuel-switching physiology, fasting metabolism, and the evolutionary importance of energetic resilience during periods of food scarcity, migration, hunting, and prolonged physical exertion. Particular attention is given to the human capacity for metabolic flexibility—the ability to transition between glucose utilization, fatty acid oxidation, and ketone metabolism according to energetic demands and nutrient availability. We propose the Energetic Resilience Principle, which suggests that nutritional systems should be evaluated not solely according to glycemic control, but also according to their effects on mitochondrial energetics, fuel adaptability, endurance capacity, fasting tolerance, and long-term physiological resilience. Particular attention is also given to the absence of a clearly established minimum dietary carbohydrate requirement in the presence of adequate protein and fat intake.We then compare major dietary models—including the Standard American Diet (SAD), Mediterranean, plant-based and vegan, low-carbohydrate, ketogenic, and carnivore/elimination-based approaches—across multiple domains relevant to metabolic health and systems biology. Particular attention is given to the potential consequences of chronic dependence on highly refined, continuously fed, hyperinsulinemic metabolic states, including impaired metabolic flexibility, mitochondrial stress, oxidative imbalance, and reduced physiological adaptability.Special attention is given to the nutritional and toxicological characteristics of both plant- and animal-derived foods. While plant foods provide fiber, phytonutrients, vitamins, and numerous bioactive compounds, they may also contain naturally occurring defense compounds such as lectins, oxalates, phytates, alkaloids, and gluten-related proteins, in addition to agricultural contaminants including pesticides, herbicides, and microplastics. Conversely, animal-derived foods may bioaccumulate persistent fat-soluble pollutants and environmental contaminants. The paper further proposes that plant-heavy and animal-heavy dietary systems may differ in dominant toxicological exposure profiles, including relative tendencies toward water-soluble agricultural contaminants and plant defense compounds versus fat-soluble bioaccumulated environmental pollutants. Accordingly, this paper proposes that no modern dietary system is entirely toxin-free, and that dietary strategies should instead be evaluated according to cumulative toxicological burden, nutrient sufficiency, metabolic effects, mitochondrial support, and biological compatibility.Finally, this paper proposes a hierarchical IOM Systems Nutrition framework emphasizing: • low glycemic burden, • low ultra-processing burden, • low cumulative toxicological burden from both natural and industrial exposures, • nutrient sufficiency, • metabolic flexibility, • mitochondrial support, • preservation of energetic resilience, • and long-term physiological adaptability.Within this framework, nutrition is viewed not merely as a source of calories or macronutrients, but as a systems-level regulator of mitochondrial energetics, metabolic resilience, endocrine signaling, inflammatory regulation, biological integrity, adaptive stress responses, and long-term physiological resilience. The framework proposed is intended as a comparative systems-based model for evaluating dietary compatibility with human physiology and adaptive metabolism, rather than a universal prescription for any single dietary pattern.

Review
Biology and Life Sciences
Life Sciences

Asfaraeni Rahmah

,

Kurnia Agustini

,

Anton Bahtiar

Abstract: Obesity represents a growing global health challenge, driving the need for safer and more effective therapeutic strategies. Natural products, particularly medicinal plants, have gained increasing attention as potential sources of anti-obesity agents due to their diverse bioactive compounds and multi-target mechanisms. The genus Scutellaria (Lamiaceae) is rich in phytochemicals, especially flavonoids such as baicalin, baicalein, and wogonin, which have been reported to modulate key metabolic pathways involved in obesity. This review aims to comprehensively summarize current evidence on selected Scutellaria species with potential anti-obesity activity, focusing on their phytochemical profiles and pharmacological mechanisms. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases, and relevant studies were selected based on predefined inclusion criteria. The findings indicate that Scutellaria-derived compounds may exert anti-obesity effects through multiple mechanisms, including inhibition of adipogenesis, regulation of lipid metabolism, improvement of energy homeostasis, and suppression of obesity-associated inflammation. Preclinical studies provide substantial evidence supporting these biological activities; however, clinical validation remains limited. In conclusion, Scutellaria species represent promising candidates for the development of novel anti-obesity therapies. Further studies, particularly well-designed clinical trials, are necessary to confirm their efficacy, safety, and therapeutic applicability in humans.

Article
Physical Sciences
Chemical Physics

Shiquan Lin

,

Meishuang He

,

Qijun Liu

,

Fusheng Liu

,

Wencan Guo

,

Hongbo Pei

,

Xinghan Li

Abstract: Laser-ignited particle combustion is critical to energy, aerospace, and defense applications, yet understanding its physicochemical mechanisms is hindered by poor reproducibility in combustion data from randomly packed samples. While classical theory attributes data inconsistency to variations in packing density, we propose instead that consistency of the surface layer morphology—given the nanoscale laser penetration depth—is the dominant factor. A two-dimensional Discrete Element Model showed that increasing particle layers markedly reduces surface topography conformity, while gravitational settling maintains packing density near its theoretical maximum. An innovative constrained droplet method was developed for sample preparation, integrating multi-stage sieving, equal-circle packing in a circle theory, alongside droplet deposition to build multilayer samples mirroring computational models. In-situ laser ignition diagnostics revealed that key combustion metrics—spectral profiles, temporal evolution, ignition delay, and combustion duration—exhibit a rapid decline in consistency with increasing layers, closely matching the simulated decay in surface morphology conformity. Contrary to long-held assumptions, this work robustly shows that surface morphology governs laser-ignition experimental reproducibility. This paradigm-shifting finding redefines the controlling mechanism in laser-ignited combustion of random particle packings, thereby provides a method for refining sample preparation and enables the accurate determination of key parameters that remain elusive with conventional approaches.

Article
Computer Science and Mathematics
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Wenqi Gu

,

Carlo Vittorio Cannistraci

Abstract: Physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) provide a data-efficient frameworkfor solving partial differential equations, but improving their accuracy often requires enlarging multilayer perceptron backbones, which increases parameter countand computational cost. This study investigates whether PINN performance canbe improved while keeping the underlying MLP lightweight. We introduce the Cannistraci-Muscoloni-Gu Generalized Logistic-Logit Function (CMG-GLLF) as a learnable activation function for compact PINNs. To make CMG practicalfor PINN training, we reformulate its implicit logit-phase approximation into anexplicit differentiable form using a one-step Newton approximation, reducing numerical instability and computational overhead. Empirical validation on Burgers’equation shows that the explicit CMG formulation substantially outperforms boththe implicit CMG implementation and fixed tanh activation. We further show that alayer-wise CMG design achieves a favorable accuracy-parameter trade-off, addingonly two trainable parameters per hidden layer while improving over vanilla MLPsin most settings. In addition, we evaluate transponder-based contextual modula-tion, which adaptively modulates hidden-layer representations according to thenetwork input. Across Burgers, Allen-Cahn, and diffusion-reaction benchmarks,Transponder-NS consistently improves over parameter-matched vanilla MLPs andachieves the best overall ranking, with approximately order-of-magnitude errorreductions on Burgers and Allen-Cahn. Combining CMG with transponder modu-lation further improves performance on Allen-Cahn and remains competitive acrosstasks. Finally, parameter-level analysis on Allen-Cahn shows that learned CMG parameters differ from the fixed Tahn and that transponder modulation varies acrossboth layers and nodes, providing explainability on why CMG and transpondercould outperform vanilla networks through depth-dependent modulation behavior.These results suggest that learnable activation functions and contextual modulationoffer a practical route toward lightweight, accurate, and explainable PINNs.

Review
Chemistry and Materials Science
Surfaces, Coatings and Films

Ma Shuhua

,

Liao Quanxing

,

Che Guanglan

,

Chen Haoyi

,

Xu Shiai

Abstract: Membrane Distillation (MD) is a heat-driven seawater desalination technology that uses a hydrophobic microporous membrane as its core component. Due to its low energy consumption, high separation efficiency, and ability to handle high-concentration saline wastewater, it has become an effective solution to the shortage of freshwater resources. Neverless, issues such as membrane wetting, membrane fouling, and low membrane flux severely limit its large-scale application. Composite membranes prepared using metal-organic framework (MOF) materials as fillers have become a research hotspot due to their advantages, such as permeable microporous channels, customizable pore structures, and modifiable active sites. These properties enable them to effectively reduce temperature polarization and concentration polarization phenomena. This article describes the characteristics of metal-organic framework materials and their current applications in the field of membrane distillation. Comparative analysis of the applicability of MOF polycrystalline membranes and MOF composite membranes in membrane distillation. Discussed the working principle of MOFs in enhancing the performance of membrane distillation. Finally, the problems and challenges associated with the use of MOFs in membrane distillation applications were analyzed. Aims to provide theoretical guidance for the application of metal-organic framework materials in the field of membrane distillation seawater desalination.

Review
Medicine and Pharmacology
Dentistry and Oral Surgery

María de Lourdes Rodriguez Coyago

,

Isabel Narcisa Berrezueta-Reyes

,

Marco Miguel Vega García

,

Esteban Fernando Lima Tola

,

Wilson Daniel Bravo Torres

,

Jacinto José Alvarado Cordero

Abstract: The TM7x strain is a genetic variant of the bacterium Nanosynbacter lyticus, which belongs to the Saccharibacteria phylum within the Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR) or Patescibacteria group. Its biology differs significantly from that of other bacterial phyla, and its ecological role in the oral cavity remains largely undefined. Through a organyzed and comprehensive literature review, we aim to define the role this bacterium plays within the oral ecosystem. We identified relevant studies from primary sources, included scientific articles from preclinical and clinical studies obtained from three digital databases. The bacterial strain TM7x is an obligate epibiont that exhibits autonomous energy me-tabolism and utilizes a type IV pili system to adhere to its direct host, Schaalia odontolytica. It interacts with its host in two stages: initially as an epipatobiont and subsequently as an episymbiont. TM7x plays a complex ecological role by modulating the host’s metabolism and structure toward a less virulent phenotype resistant to phage attack, while also in-fluencing the human host through immunomodulation and tissue protection. This organism has transitioned from being considered 'biological dark matter' to a key model for understanding coevolution within the human microbiome. Its ability to protect the host from phages, induce protective biofilms, and suppress destructive inflammatory responses positions it as a vital component of human oral microbiome homeostasis.

Article
Medicine and Pharmacology
Emergency Medicine

Anna Poghosyan

,

Martin Misakyan

,

Gurgen Mkhitaryan

,

Davit Minasyan

,

Irina Malkhasyan

,

Hayk Petrosyan

,

Anna Frangulyan

,

Aren Bablumyan

,

Armen Minasyan

,

Armen Muradyan

Abstract: Background: Modern warfare has introduced novel mechanisms of injury, particularly drone-induced blast trauma, resulting in complex craniomaxillofacial injuries. These injuries differ substantially from traditional ballistic trauma and require adapted surgical strategies. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics, management approaches, and long-term outcomes of midfacial blast injuries. Methods: A retrospective analytical study was conducted on 41 patients with drone-induced midfacial blast injuries treated at a tertiary referral center in Armenia following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. All patients underwent surgical management after initial stabilization and were followed for 5 years. Clinical outcomes, complications, and reconstructive needs were assessed. Results: All patients presented with comminuted midfacial fractures, frequently associated with polytrauma (87.8%). Burns were observed in 82.9% of cases. Surgical management included radical debridement and early definitive osteosynthesis using titanium fixation systems. No cases of postoperative osteomyelitis, bone sequestration, or implant failure were observed during the 5-year follow-up. Patients with extensive soft tissue defects, particularly nasal and lip amputations required multiple reconstructive procedures. Long-term follow-up revealed progressive soft tissue thinning over titanium meshes, especially in the zygomatico-orbital region, necessitating secondary interventions such as lipofilling. Conclusions: Drone-induced midfacial blast injuries represent a distinct and severe form of trauma. Early definitive reconstruction following adequate debridement was associated with favorable outcomes. However, soft tissue reconstruction remains challenging and often requires staged procedures. Long-term follow-up is essential to manage delayed complications and optimize aesthetic outcomes.

Brief Report
Public Health and Healthcare
Public, Environmental and Occupational Health

CM (Tilly) Collins

,

Xindan Liang

,

Wanying Chen

,

Melanie Egli

,

Alexandra Richardson

,

Margarita White

,

Helena Rapp Wright

,

Rose Perkins

,

Leon Barron

Abstract: The use of spot-on pet parasiticides has risen substantially. Imidacloprid, a commonly used active ingredient (AI), was removed from outdoor agricultural use in 2018 due to evidenced environmental risks. Imidacloprid is an AI in certain spot-on pet parasiticides and, with its metabolites, is now a domestic contaminant. We report two studies of dust and surface contamination in >50 homes in London, UK. In study 1, a time series pre-and-post spot-on application, imidacloprid rapidly contaminates the home at concentrations far exceeding the environmental quality standards that exist. Seven days post-application, imidacloprid concentration in domestic mop water exceeded the acute toxicity maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) by 600-fold and rinsate from fabric on which animals frequently sat was almost 5000-fold the MAC. In study 2, of dust in 50 homes, the 10 homes without resident pets had the lowest imidacloprid concentration. Homes using spot-ons had much higher concentrations (38+/-17 µg/g), comparable to days 5-7 in Study 1. The imidacloprid acceptable daily intake (ADI) for humans applies to the gastric route (residues in food). Multiple routes of human contamination exist; transdermal and inhalation have no standards. There is evidence that imidacloprid is associated with cardiac, neurological and endocrine disruption in mammals, including humans. A precautionary approach is advisable, with responsive use rather than prophylactic use which maintains high levels of domestic contamination.

Review
Chemistry and Materials Science
Ceramics and Composites

Minahil Ishtiaq

,

Bin Li

,

Xiaoyu Shen

,

Yuanhui Liu

,

Huan Lin

,

Bo Zhang

,

Junhong Chen

Abstract: Silicon carbide (SiC) nanowires possess unique one-dimensional structural features, excellent mechanical strength, thermal stability and wide bandgap properties, showing great potential in high-temperature electronics, catalysis, sensing and composite reinforcement. Nevertheless, pristine SiC nanowires suffer from inert surface activity, weak interfacial compatibility and limited optoelectronic and catalytic performance. Surface coating and heterojunction engineering are effective strategies to address these deficiencies. This review systematically summarizes the synthesis routes of pristine SiC nanowires, including carbothermal reduction, chemical vapor deposition, template-assisted growth and molten salt synthesis, as well as their morphological regulation, physicochemical properties and inherent limitations. Meanwhile, typical coating methods such as wet chemical, hydrothermal, CVD and PIP are elaborated, and the influences of coating thickness, uniformity, adhesion and lattice/thermal compatibility on performance are summarized. The classification and interfacial charge mechanism of Type II, Z-scheme and Schottky heterojunctions are discussed, and the advances of coated SiC nanowires in photodetection, photocatalysis, gas sensing, electromagnetic shielding and energy storage are reviewed. Current challenges including coating stability, scalable preparation and integration bottlenecks are pointed out, and future research directions focusing on interface control, multifunctional integration and AI-assisted material design are prospected.

Article
Engineering
Control and Systems Engineering

Juan David Guncay

,

Christian Salamea

,

Javier Viñanzaca

,

Michael Peralta

Abstract: This work provides an experimental comparison between classical PID, analytically compensated PID, and fuzzy control applied to the speed control of a rover actuator based on a permanent magnet DC motor. Unlike most studies, which focus on classical metrics such as transient response and steady-state error, this work incorporates kinematic indicators such as acceleration and jerk to characterize the dynamic effort applied to the actuator. The results indicate that the fuzzy controller achieves the fastest transient response and the best disturbance rejection, although at the cost of an IAJ 2.378 times higher than that of the classical PID and a peak jerk 79.36% higher under nominal conditions. The classical PID exhibits the smoothest kinematic profile under nominal operation, but under disturbances it generates jerk peaks 2.39 times higher than the fuzzy controller and an IAJ 1.67 times higher than the compensated PID, evidencing its inadequacy under variable loads. The compensated PID achieves the lowest cumulative IAJ under disturbance, outperforming the fuzzy controller by 6.7%, and provides the best overall balance between response speed, disturbance rejection, and cumulative mechanical wear.

Article
Physical Sciences
Theoretical Physics

Axel G. Schubert

Abstract: This manuscript develops a timelike-boundary reading of locality and reality within the established Lorentzian causal structure of special relativity and the standard record language of quantum measurement. The central object is a timelike boundary equipped with a boundary observer field and observer-adapted cuts. Such a cut is treated as the local comparison surface on which selected quantities are read relative to a coarse-grained reference structure. A local record appears when a boundary-relative deviation becomes resolvable on that cut. The framework separates two roles that are often compressed into one event statement. Lorentzian geometry supplies causal admissibility: it determines which prior data or contextual contributions may be relevant for a candidate event. The boundary comparison supplies record content: it identifies the deviation that becomes locally manifest. Thus the causal cone constrains the admissible domain, but it does not by itself provide a microscopic route or a measurement record. The proposed reading therefore assigns locality to cut-local record formation under Lorentzian causal admissibility. Reality is associated with stable, record-accessible deviations rather than with direct exposure of the underlying reference structure. The result is a compact assignment framework in which causal structure, reference structure, resolved deviation, and local record formation are organized on the same timelike boundary without replacing the established mathematical content of special relativity or quantum mechanics.

Article
Physical Sciences
Fluids and Plasmas Physics

Andrei Galiautdinov

Abstract: The topological properties of planetary fluids are typically analyzed by mapping classical fluidequations onto complex quantum mechanical models. Here we present a purely real, six-dimensional Stueckelberg quantum mechanical formulation of the rotating shallow water equations to demonstrate that these topological features are intrinsic to the classical kinematics itself. Operating entirely within R^6, we decouple the complex quantum geometric tensor into an independent, real Fubini-Study metric and a real antisymmetric Berry curvature. Our real-variable approach explicitly derives a topological magnetic monopole of charge C=2 and captures the inherentscale invariance of the fluid's geometry without the need for complexification. We suggest that continuous variations in the Coriolis parameter may dynamically model the deep-time planetary evolution of the Archean Earth, and we propose a laboratory rotating-tank experiment to physically measure this topological phase transition. Finally, we show that our real 6D formulation naturally maps to unbroken supersymmetric quantum mechanics. By identifying a purely real supercharge and calculating a fluid Witten index of W = -2, we advance a mathematically supported viewpoint that steady-state geostrophic weather patterns represent the unbroken, zero-energy supersymmetric ground states of the rotating fluid system. Consequently, the topological isolation of this vacuum naturally restricts the spectral flow across the equator, providing a theoretical explanation for the unidirectional eastward motion of equatorial boundary waves.

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