Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

The El Soplao Konservat-Lagerstätte, Early Cretaceous (Albian) from Cantabria (N Spain), provides unparalleled insights into late Mesozoic terrestrial ecosystems. The site stands out for yielding amber pieces with a blue-violet hue and abundant bioinclusions, which document a remarkably diverse arthropod assemblage. Many fossils exhibit anatomical fidelity down to microscopic structures, allowing detailed morphological and palaeoecological investigations. El Soplao amber preserves the oldest representatives of several major arthropod groups as well as compelling evidence, often direct, of behaviours and symbiotic interactions along the parasitism-mutualism spectrum between arthropods, insects and plants, and arthropods and vertebrates. Ongoing multidisciplinary research keeps expanding the palaeobiological knowledge on this remarkable locality, which represents one of the most important fossiliferous amber deposits in Europe.

This study integrated network pharmacology, bioinformatics, and molecular docking to explore potential immune-inflammatory pathways associated with the relationship between gut microbiota-derived metabolites and Alzheimer's disease (AD). A total of 260 gut microbiota - derived metabolites were initially retrieved, and 196 common targets were identified by intersecting predicted metabolite-associated targets with AD-related targets. Further screening identified 14 key overlapping targets, including IL6, NFKB1, IL1B, PTGS2, TLR4, and PPARG. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis identified IL6, NFKB1, IL1B, CXCL8, PPARG, FOS, and JUN as central hub genes. Functional enrichment analyses indicated that these targets were mainly involved in immune-inflammatory responses, response to lipopolysaccharide, oxidative stress-related processes, and regulation of apoptosis. KEGG pathway analysis further suggested that the overlapping targets were associated with several inflammation-related signaling pathways, including the NOD-like receptor, TNF, NF-κB, and MAPK signaling pathways. In silico pharmacokinetic and toxicity evaluation showed that several representative metabolites exhibited heterogeneous but informative drug-likeness and pharmacokinetic/toxicity-related profiles relevant to gut-brain-axis hypothesis generation. Molecular docking was performed as an exploratory structural assessment and suggested that selected metabolites, including Enterodiol, Coumarin, and 3,9-dihydroxy-6H-benzo[c]chromen-6-one, showed top-ranked predicted docking poses in computationally identified surface-accessible pockets of representative hub proteins such as IL6 and NFKB1, with docking scores ranging from - 6.8 to - 8.1 kcal/mol. These docking scores were interpreted only as qualitative descriptors of predicted structural compatibility and were not used to infer quantitative biological activity, target inhibition, or therapeutic efficacy. Overall, this study prioritizes a potential multi-target immune-inflammatory network centered on IL6, NFKB1, and IL1B, providing a hypothesis-generating framework for understanding the possible role of gut microbiota-derived metabolites in AD-related neuroimmune regulation. Further experimental studies are required to validate the predicted metabolite-target associations and clarify their biological relevance.

This study introduces the Contracts Law Keyword List (CLKL), a discipline-specific, genre-focused resource of pedagogically useful lexical items in contract law, an understudied legal subfield at the nexus of law and commerce. Items in the CLKL are drawn from authentic language data using predetermined frequency, range, and keyness parameters. The CLKL includes 747 keywords (KWs) typical of written contract law textbooks, covering 4.22% of all words in the study corpus and 4.19% in the law section of the British National Corpus (BNC). Structural analysis revealed the pervasive presence of nouns, which account for nearly half of all grammatical categories. Adjectives and verbs constitute the second- and third-largest groups of KWs. There are rare instances of adverbs, archaic terms, prepositions, and words with dual structural functions. These findings underscore the importance of creating a field-specific vocabulary list that can address the lexical demands of a growing number of law students and international practitioners. The CLKL may also be used to deepen knowledge of domain-specific vocabulary, enhance engagement with authentic language examples, and foster awareness of expert-authorized conventions typical of legal contracts. Law educators can draw on the list while designing instructional materials or planning classroom activities.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that affect Blockchain adoption in governmental operations in Sri Lanka and to propose a comprehensive adoption framework for Blockchain technology in the Sri Lankan governmental operations. The Technology- Organization-Environment (TOE) framework is utilized due to its capacity to capture the complexities of technological adoption in the public sector, addressing both internal (organizational) and external (environmental) factors that influence the adoption process. Given the structural, regulatory, and data sensitivity challenges of governmental settings, the TOE framework integrates employee insights from technological, organizational, and environmental perspectives, making it adaptable to the public sector's needs and scalable across various government entities. It also reflects the regulatory and operational requirements specific to the Sri Lankan public institutions, including essential compliance areas such as data privacy, security regulations, and government workflows, thereby offering a practical pathway for Blockchain adoption within the local context. This study employed statistical methods to ensure the validity and reliability of data collected through a structured questionnaire distributed to Grade I-IT Directors to capture their perceptions and experiences with Blockchain technology. Using the structural equation modelling (SEM), the study finds that all the technological, organizational, and environmental dimensions of the TOE framework are significantly associated with intention to adopt Blockchain technology in the Sri Lankan governmental operations. At a more specific level, trust, compatibility, security, higher authority support, monetary resources, rivalry pressure, and regulatory support were identified as significant predictors of adoption intention, while relative advantage, IT resources, and business partner pressure were not statistically significant, and firm size showed only weak support. These findings provide an empirically grounded framework for understanding Blockchain adoption intention in the Sri Lankan public sector and offer implications for future policy and implementation planning.

Blockchain implementation in green agricultural supply chains can be undertaken independently by manufacturers or retailers or jointly by both in industrial practices. However, most existing studies predesignate implementation entities artificially and largely ignore firms' endogenous economic willingness, which restricts the practical explanatory capability. Addressing this research gap, this study systematically explores firms' implementation willingness and the optimal selection of blockchain implementers in green agricultural supply chains, thereby offering targeted decision-making insights for blockchain policymakers and industrial practitioner. Four game-theoretic models are constructed involving entities: none, retailer-only, manufacturer-only, and both. By comparing the equilibrium outcomes of different game models, this study employs the dual thresholds of deployment costs and operational costs to quantitatively evaluate the economic willingness of supply chain entities to implement blockchain. Different from prior studies that treat blockchain implementers as exogenous and only consider a single cost dimension, this paper endogenizes firms' blockchain implementation decisions based on economic intentions and establishes a dual-cost threshold framework to categorize and identify the optimal implementer under different scenarios, and illustrate the results with a case study. The key findings are concluded as follows. First, economic willingness varies within thresholds. Manufacturers and retailers may take the initiative to implement blockchain regardless of their partners' behavior, or act reactively by following their partners; beyond the thresholds, they refuse to implement it. Second, entity selection varies across scenarios. Under moderately high dual costs, independent retailer implementation is optimal; under balanced costs, manufacturers may implement alone. Extremely high operational costs lead to no willing implementer, while extremely high deployment costs require joint implementation. Third, the likelihood of implementation modes differs substantially within thresholds. The most likely scenario is retailers' independent implementation, the least likely is manufacturers' independent implementation, with joint implementation in between. Beyond these thresholds, no entity implements it at all, a situation accounting for over 50% in the case study. Methodologically, this paper applies global optimization rather than the local optimization strategy with fixed designated implementer settings in previous studies, effectively capturing the internal economic motivation driving voluntary blockchain implementation in green agricultural supply chains.

The perception of L2 English accents has been extensively studied across disparate language groups, yet it remains unclear how these judgments operate among speakers of closely related varieties, where shared linguistic heritage might heighten sensitivity to phonetic differences. This study investigates how L2 English accent judgments operate among L2 English speakers whose L1s belong to the same broader language family. We recruited 164 English learners in mainland China with Cantonese and Mandarin backgrounds defined here by their first-acquired and dominant spoken Chinese variety (i.e., L1/dominant Cantonese vs. L1/dominant Mandarin), and asked them to rate the comprehensibility and accentedness of 12 pre-categorized Mandarin- and Cantonese-accented English short passages of different accent strengths and to rate 18 attitudinal traits concerning the superiority, attractiveness and dynamism of those same short passages. Two native English short passages were also added as controls. Results show that the native English speakers were rated less accented than and socially superior to both Mandarin- and Cantonese-accented English regardless of accent strengths. Both Cantonese and Mandarin speakers tended to rate Cantonese-accented English as more accented than Mandarin-accented ones, although both had similar level of comprehensibility. In terms of language attitude, Cantonese-accented English was rated as more friendly but lower-class compared to Mandarin-accented English in some aspects, whereas Mandarin-accented English was rated as more dynamic than and superior to Cantonese-accented English by both L1 Cantonese and Mandarin speakers. Results show that both Cantonese and Mandarin speakers of English considered native English as the superior variant of accent.

The popularity of leisure skiing culture presents a paradox with declining visitor satisfaction, and this study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms influencing tourist satisfaction in leisure ski tourism through a distal mediation model. Data were collected from 302 valid samples at Changbaishan Wanda International Ski Resort within the Changbaishan National Reserve in Jilin Province, Northeast China, using mixed offline-online methods. Structural equation modeling was conducted via IBM SPSS Statistics and AMOS 26.0, utilizing maximum likelihood estimation combined with Bollen-Stine bootstrap for hypothesis testing. While direct effects confirmed all hypotheses except hypothesis 5, results further revealed significant positive mediating effects: sport tourism motivation exhibited a distal mediation effect on tourist satisfaction through tourist expectation and experience quality and an independent mediation effect through experience quality alone. These findings collectively demonstrate that tourist expectation and experience quality mediate the relationship between motivation and satisfaction in leisure skiing contexts.

Entrepreneurial intention is widely recognized as a key precursor of entrepreneurial behaviour, yet existing research has more often examined personal entrepreneurial characteristics and perceived environmental support separately, with less attention to how they jointly shape intention and how entrepreneurial role models may condition these relationships. Guided primarily by social cognitive theory and complemented by the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study develops an integrated model to examine how entrepreneurial spirit, reflected in innovativeness and proactiveness, and entrepreneurial environment perception, reflected in perceived access to finance, perceived entrepreneurial education, and perceived policy support, are related to college students' entrepreneurial intention, and whether these relationships are strengthened by entrepreneurial role models. Using survey data from 1,389 students in higher education institutions in Shandong Province, China, the hypotheses were tested through confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modelling, and hierarchical regression. The results show that both entrepreneurial spirit and entrepreneurial environment perception are positively associated with entrepreneurial intention. In addition, entrepreneurial role models significantly strengthen the relationships between entrepreneurial spirit and entrepreneurial intention, and between entrepreneurial environment perception and entrepreneurial intention. These findings contribute to entrepreneurship intention research by showing that entrepreneurial intention is shaped not only by person-related dispositions and perceived support conditions, but also by role-model-based social learning that makes entrepreneurial pathways more credible and attainable for students.

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The post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) effect has been widely studied; however, studies conducted under real-world conditions remain limited. Furthermore, investigations into how different conditioning activities (CAs) influence PAPE responses are also scarce. Therefore, this study investigates the acute effects of high-intensity barbell hip thrust (BHT) and back squat (BS) exercises, performed after a soccer-specific warm-up (Wup), on physical performance in soccer players. Seventeen male amateur soccer players participated in the study (mean age: 22.29 ± 3.60 years; height: 1.78 ± 0.06 m; body weight: 73.18 ± 8.44 kg). Participants attended 5 experimental sessions. In the first session, after anthropometric assessments, participants were familiarized with the exercises and tests. In the second session, one-repetition maximum (1RM) was tested for BS and HT exercises. In the following three sessions, two PAPE protocols and one traditional (TRAD) protocol were performed in a randomized order. In the TRAD protocol, players performed physical performance tests including countermovement jump (CMJ), 10-m and 30-m sprint, and zigzag agility 16 minutes after a soccer-specific Wup. In the PAPE protocols, players performed CAs (e.g., hip thrust or back squat) at 85% of 1RM for 2 sets of 3 repetitions following a soccer-specific Wup, and completed the tests 8 minutes later. Results from the linear mixed-effects models revealed no significant effect of protocol on any performance variable, including CMJ (F(2,32) = 1.554, p = 0.227), 10 m sprint (F(2,32) = 0.242, p = 0.786), 30 m sprint (F(2,32) = 0.453, p = 0.640), and change of direction (COD) performance (F(2,32) = 0.946, p = 0.399). Marginal R² values indicated that the protocol explained only a minimal proportion of variance in performance outcomes (0.005-0.030), whereas conditional R² and ICC values suggested that between-participant differences accounted for a substantial proportion of variance, particularly for CMJ and 30 m sprint performance. Bonferroni-adjusted pairwise comparisons further showed no significant differences between PAPEBHT, PAPEBS, and TRAD protocols for CMJ, 10 m sprint, 30 m sprint, or COD performance (all p > 0.05). In conclusion, neither PAPE protocol performed after a soccer-specific warm-up significantly enhanced or impaired subsequent CMJ, sprint, or COD performance compared with the traditional warm-up. These findings suggest that adding PAPEBHT or PAPEBS protocols after a soccer-specific warm-up may maintain subsequent performance without inducing measurable decrements; however, their ergogenic effectiveness may depend on individual factors such as players' strength levels, recovery capacity, training status, and physical characteristics.

BACKGROUND: Sickle cell disease (SCD) stands as one of the most prevalent genetic disorders in the United States (U.S.) that causes severe consequences such as organ damage and excruciating pain. Alarmingly, recent literature indicates a decline in the number of people living with SCD (PLWSCD) seeking professional care - hinting at an avoidance of the healthcare system. Therefore, this scoping review synthesizes the evidence regarding barriers and facilitators influencing healthcare utilization among PLWSCD within the U.S. METHODS: To map the current literature on SCD management and provide a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge gaps regarding healthcare utilization for PLWSCD, a scoping review was conducted. A systematic search of articles reporting on the utilization of healthcare among PLWSCD in the U.S using seven data sources was conducted on March 24, 2023, without any restrictions on publication date and language. To capture any additional articles, the search was updated on March 4, 2024. Two reviewers independently assessed studies for inclusion, data extraction, and risk of bias (RoB). MAIN RESULTS: A total of 708 articles were screened; 70 met the study criteria. Results indicated that the four most common barriers were social (n = 25) interpersonal (n = 23), economic (n = 15), and institutional level factors (n = 11). The top four most common facilitators were technology (n = 9), education (n = 7), autonomy (n = 6), and a positive patient-provider relationship (n = 6). The most common forms of healthcare utilization were inpatient or hospital admissions (n = 19) and emergency department (ED) visits (n = 18). Evidence-based interventions (EBI) found to decrease healthcare avoidance included individualized pain plans (IPPs) (n = 4) and quality improvement (QI) strategies (n = 3). CONCLUSION: This scoping review identified complex multilevel barriers that impede healthcare utilization, and facilitators likely to promote healthcare utilization among PLWSCD in the U.S. Future research should prioritize developing and evaluating comprehensive, multi-level interventions that address identified barriers while leveraging facilitators to improve healthcare engagement and outcomes for this vulnerable population. Healthcare systems and health policies must urgently adopt and integrate evidence-based strategies to rebuild trust and ensure equitable, accessible care for PLWSCD.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is characterized by genetic variation, epigenetic alterations, microenvironmental imbalance, and metabolic reprogramming. Currently, abnormalities amino acid metabolism has been shown to play an important role in the occurrence and progression of CRC. METHODS: AUCell, UCell, singscore, ssGSEA and AddModuleScore algorithms were used to determine the pattern of tryptophan metabolism in CRC at the cellular level. Differential expression and correlation analyses were performed to identify core candidate genes associated with upregulation of metabolic activity. Four machine learning algorithms--random forest, Boruta, LASSO, and gradient boosting machine-were further integrated for feature selection. Finally, to enhance robustness and reduce algorithm‑specific bias, the results of these algorithms were combined to identify the key feature genes related to tryptophan metabolism in CRC. RESULTS: The findings demonstrated significant differences in tryptophan metabolic activity among different cell types in CRC, with macrophages and Paneth cells exhibiting higher activity. Among the tryptophan metabolism-related genes, CYP1A1 and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) were significantly upregulated in CRC, suggesting their involvement in regulating of immune response and inflammatory responses. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals, for the first time, the cellular pattern of tryptophan metabolism in CRC, with macrophages and Paneth cells playing a major role in tumor development. CYP1A1 and AHR were identified as consensus feature‑selected genes involved in tryptophan metabolism in CRC, highlighting their potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

INTRODUCTION: Hospital-associated deconditioning is common during inpatient admissions, particularly among patients with obesity whose mobilization presents added complexity and safety challenges. Despite the known benefits of mobilization, there is no comprehensive synthesis or guidelines to address safe mobilization for patients with obesity in inpatient settings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This protocol describes a scoping review that will systematically map the literature on mobilization strategies used for adults with obesity in acute and inpatient rehabilitation settings, including barriers and facilitators to safe practice. Following the Joanna Briggs Institute methods and PRISMA-ScR reporting, peer-reviewed studies involving patients with author-defined obesity will be identified through comprehensive searches of Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Ovid Emcare, Ovid AMED, EbscoHost CINAHL, and Clarivate Web of Science from database inception. Screening and data extraction will be conducted independently by two reviewers, with discrepancies resolved by consensus or a third reviewer. Data will be summarized narratively and with descriptive statistics, as appropriate. CONCLUSION: The results of this scoping review will summarize the available evidence on the strategies used to safely mobilize patients with obesity during admission to inpatient settings and the barriers and facilitators that impact these strategies. A manuscript will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at appropriate rehabilitation conferences.

OBJECTIVE: This research investigates the correlation between nine polymorphic variants and the incidence of hypertension and its clinical manifestations in the Ellikqala District in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan. This district is known as one of the most challenging areas for human habitation due to its high salinity levels in the environment, which contribute to a higher prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. METHODS: This was a population-based case-control study. The study included 801 participants from the Karakalpakstan region of Uzbekistan, of which 621 were patients with essential hypertension, and the remaining 180 were the control group. Genetic analysis was conducted using multiplex qPCR with allele-specific probes. A statistical approach based on logistic regression was applied to identify their association with essential hypertension and its clinical manifestations. Logistic regression under a log-additive genetic model was used to calculate unadjusted (crude) and adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Stratified analyses by sex, age (<60 vs. ≥ 60 years), and BMI (<25 vs. ≥ 25 kg/m²) were performed with Bonferroni correction (k = 18 per stratification; threshold p < 2.8e-3). RESULTS: The analysis revealed statistically significant associations between essential hypertension and six polymorphic variants after Bonferroni correction (k = 9, corrected threshold: p < 5.6e-3): AGT C521T (rs4762; OR = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.08-0.16, p-Bonferroni = 2.99e-50), AGT T704C (rs699; OR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.54-0.86, p-Bonferroni = 1.1979e-2), AGTR2 G1675A (rs1403543; OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.42-0.64, p-Bonferroni = 4.76e-9), CYP11B2 C(-344)T (rs1799998; OR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.36-0.60, p-Bonferroni = 8.97e-9), GNB3 C825T (rs5443; OR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.27-2.18, p-Bonferroni = 1.368e-3), and NOS3 T(-786)C (rs2070744; OR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.21-0.34, p-Bonferroni = 2.50e-27). NOS3 G894T (rs1799983) showed a nominally significant association prior to correction (OR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.52-0.89; p = 5.069e-3), but did not survive Bonferroni adjustment (p-Bonferroni = 4.5621e-2) and should be interpreted with caution. CONCLUSION: Six out of nine studied polymorphic variants were associated with essential hypertension and its clinical manifestations in the Ellikqala District in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan.

The Colavita effect is a phenomenon that occurs when participants are presented with auditory, visual, and audiovisual stimuli and are tasked to identify the modality of the stimuli. When audiovisual stimuli are presented, participants occasionally miss the auditory component and report that the stimulus was visual only - reflecting visual dominance. The Colavita effect has been shown to be resistant to manipulations of semantic correspondence, which is surprising considering that semantic information impacts multiple perceptual tasks. It is possible that the brief auditory stimuli used for Colavita tasks do not allow for recognition, preventing the recruitment of semantics. We first replicated the Colavita effect using words as stimuli. We then manipulated semantic correspondence by pairing the auditory (sounds or words) and visual (pictures) components of the stimuli either with the same concept (e.g., the picture of a cat with the sound of a cat or the word 'cat') or different concepts (e.g., the picture of a cat with the sound of a dog or the word 'dog'). In Experiment 2, we observed that semantic correspondence influenced the magnitude of the Colavita effect: when the visual and auditory component corresponded to different concepts, the size of the Colavita effect was reduced. Finally, in Experiment 3 we observed that using visual and auditory stimuli from different categories further reduced the effect. We suggest semantic congruence influences the unity of bimodal stimuli: congruent stimuli are more easily perceived as a single entity while incongruent stimuli are not as easily perceived as a single entity, leading to a reduction of 'visual-only' responses.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Initially unresectable colorectal liver metastases may become resectable after chemotherapy. The acquisition of somatic mutations has been demonstrated to indicate evolving tumor subclones resistant to therapy and hinder R0 resection. However, the added value of mutational profiling in a real-world setting remains to be elucidated. The objective of the present study was to identify recurrent molecular profiles in colorectal cancer liver metastases that had been pre-treated with anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies plus chemotherapy. METHODS: A retrospective, single-centre analysis of colorectal cancer liver metastases samples from 30 patients (9 pre-therapy/21 post-therapy) who received chemotherapy and anti-EGFR agents between January 2008 and February 2014 was conducted. Targeted next-generation resequencing (NGS) was performed. Subsequently, the results were compared to publicly available genomic datasets of primary colorectal cancer and colorectal cancer liver metastasis. RESULTS: 145 mutations were identified (mean, 5.2 ± 1.3 mutations per sample; range 0-28, median 2, IQR 3.75). Neither mutation count nor RAS status did correlate with the achievement of resectability. NGS confirmed prior identified KRAS mutations in 4/29 patients (14.8%) and revealed further somatic RAS alterations in 5 cases. In addition to the classical colorectal cancer driver mutations, tumors exhibited recurrent mutations in genes implicated in anti-EGFR resistance such as HNF1A (34.4%, 10/29), FGFR2 (31%, 9/29), VHL (27.5%, 8/29) and PDGFR (27.5%, 8/29), ERBB2 (24.1%, 7/29), ABL1 (24.1%, 7/29), SMO (24.1%, 7/29), GNA11 (20.6%, 6/29), RET (20.6%, 6/29), STK11 (20.6%, 6/29), HRAS (20.6%, 6/29) and NRAS (17.2%, 5/29). CONCLUSION: In the current study, we describe a higher frequency of potential anti-EGFR treatment resistance mutations in patients who respond well to the combination of chemotherapy and anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody treatment. Nevertheless, subclonal mutations associated with resistance to anti-EGFR therapy did not affect the secondary resectability of colorectal liver metastases.

Organizational dehumanization has become a salient concern in contemporary academic work, particularly in higher education systems shaped by managerial and metric-driven governance. This study aimed to develop and validate a psychometrically robust instrument to assess academics' perceived organizational dehumanization. Using two independent samples of academics in Türkiye (EFA sample: n = 318; CFA sample: n = 263; total N = 581), we examined the scale's factor structure, reliability, and validity evidence. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a two-factor model reflecting Devaluation and Instrumentality, yielding a final 34-item scale. The model demonstrated acceptable-to-strong fit indices (χ²/df = 2.28; CFI = .99; NFI = .97; RMSEA = .074; SRMR = .045), high internal consistency (α = .93-.96; overall α = .96), and evidence for discriminant validity, with mixed evidence for convergent validity at the subdimension level. Overall, the findings suggest that the proposed scale provides a reliable, multidimensional measure of academics' organizational dehumanization perceptions, validated in a higher education sample, and offers a tool for future research and institutional diagnostics in university contexts.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of chronic diseases has increased concurrent with the increase in life expectancy and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are among them. They have a high burden all over the world and are among the leading causes of years lived with disability (YLDs). MSDs are generally divided into six categories, and osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and low back pain (LBP) are among most of the most prevalent MSDs. In this study, we aimed to assess the burden of these three disorders in Iran. METHODS: Data were retrieved from the global burden of disease (GBD) study 2019 to investigate the epidemiological features of the burden of RA, OA, and LBP and the attributed burden to their risk factors in Iran and its provinces. RESULTS: The total number of OA, RA, and LBP increased from 1990 to 2019. Although the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of LBP decreased by -8.4%, the ASIR of OA and RA increased by 7.3% and 7.6% (reached 445.0 (95% uncertainty interval 395.9 to 501.9) and 5.0 (4.5 to 5.6) per 100,000 population in 2019, respectively). The age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) of OA and RA increased by 7.0% and 9.3%, respectively (5588.2 (5041.2 to 6228.6) and 109.1 (97.8 to 120.9) in 2019) while, the ASPR of LBP decreased by 9.5% (8,486.5 (7,533.8 to 9,528.3) in 2019). Females were more prone to establish OA and RA, but males were more predisposed to developing LBP. The highest OA incidence rate was presented in 55-59 years with a decreasing pattern over 59 years, 35-39 years with a decreasing pattern for older patients for RA, and 75-79 years with an increasing LBP incidence observed as age increased. CONCLUSION: LBP, OA, and RA are still significant health issues, and the number of patients is increasing, which imposes much burden. The increase in the prevalence of MSDs in Iran alarmingly highlights the need for immediate policies designed to reduce their burden. Therefore, epidemiological information helps make policies and reallocate sources that can improve healthcare services.

Terrestrial isopods or Oniscidea are a diverse and ecologically important taxon. Austria has a relatively high species diversity with over 60 known species. In this study, we aim to provide DNA barcode reference data for the Austrian Oniscidea and to update the species inventory, which was last reviewed nearly 50 years ago. Although the focus was on freshly collected specimens, we also successfully sequenced historic museum specimens, thereby testing different museomic techniques including Sanger-based and Illumina-based methods. In total, 533 COI barcodes were generated, representing 49 of the 64 species and subspecies reported from Austria (= 76% of the species diversity), including two species not previously reported: Philoscia muscorum muscorum and P. affinis affinis. Several species exhibited large intraspecific genetic distances and the best-scoring ASAP partition (with a threshold of 6.2%) split the 49 studied species into 59 mOTUs. Even the more conservative partition with a threshold of 9.8% suggested the presence of further hitherto unrecognized species. One example is Ligidium germanicum, where we were able to demonstrate minor but consistent morphological differences in the shape of the endopod of pleopod II. COI data of historic specimens was successfully obtained. Sanger-based approaches using mini-barcodes in combination with a prior DNA repair step were more cost and labor effective than Illumina-based genome skimming approaches. This COI barcoding data plays an important role in bridging gaps in the representation of rare soil species, thus supporting the Austrian Barcode of Life Initiative (ABOL) and providing important reference data for future biodiversity and monitoring studies.

Velocity zones (e.g., 1.0-0.75 m·s-1) are commonly aligned with terminology such as "starting strength", 'speed-strength', 'strength-speed', 'accelerative strength', or 'absolute strength'. However, the load-velocity profiles of most exercises do not align with these discrete bands. The aims of this study were to 1) develop load-velocity profiles of seven weightlifting derivatives; and 2) create exercise-specific velocity zones that can be used to guide training prescription. Fourteen (6 males and 8 females) weightlifting athletes undertook six testing sessions that required maximal strength testing on occasions one and two, and the development of load-velocity profiles for the power snatch, hang power clean, snatch pull, hang clean pull, hang power snatch, clean pull, and hang snatch pull on testing occasions three to six. During each testing occasion, peak velocity was assessed. Linear mixed models with effect size ±95% confidence limits (CL) were used to detect changes across profiles and estimate exercise specific velocity zones. While all load-velocity profiles had a clear reduction in velocity as load was increased, each exercise was found to have substantially different velocity zones when compared to previous recommendations. Of note, all 'absolute strength' zones (i.e., > 80% one repetition maximum) from the weightlifting derivatives were found to be greater than 1.3 m·s-1 which is commonly used as the threshold for 'starting strength'. These findings demonstrate that, if these terms are to be used, exercise-specific load-velocity profiles should be developed. Furthermore, these findings provide practitioners with exercise-specific zones that can be used to enhance training prescription and target specific strength qualities.

This study examines the effect of bank competition on corporate investment-financing maturity mismatch, utilizing a panel dataset of 498 listed firms in Vietnam from 2008 to 2024. Bank competition is measured using both structural and non-structural indicators, allowing for a nuanced assessment of market dynamics. The findings reveal a robust positive association between bank competition and maturity mismatch, suggesting that intensified competition leads firms to increase their reliance on short-term debt relative to long-term investment needs. This relationship holds under multiple robustness checks, including alternative variable constructions, fixed effects specifications, crisis period exclusions, and instrumental variable approaches. Mechanism analyses indicate that bank competition affects firms' debt maturity structures, increasing both the proportion and scale of short-term borrowing. Heterogeneity tests further show that this effect is stronger among firms with higher bank debt dependence, greater financial constraints, and higher borrowing costs, while it is weaker in capital-intensive sectors.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0345153.].