Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (µPADs) are an attractive format for colorimetric nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) because they enable low-cost, portable diagnostics in resource-limited settings. However, researchers often optimize colorimetric assays in liquid reactions in tubes before translating them to µPADs. Since both formats require separate instruments for incubation and real-time sensing, direct comparison of reactions between the two formats is difficult. To address these cross-platform limitations, we developed ThermiQuant™ AquaStream, a portable benchtop device (15 × 20 × 16 cm, ~ 5 kg; cost: USD 327) that supports seamless colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) reactions in both µPADs and tubes under a common workflow. The system enables real-time reaction tracking (every 30 seconds) through onboard image processing, precise isothermal control (±0.5 °C) using a repurposed consumer-grade sous-vide heater, and medium-throughput (24 tubes or 42 µPADs). Testing with synthetic SARS-CoV-2 orf7ab DNA fragments demonstrated a limit of detection corresponding to a 95% probability of detection (LOD95) of 110 copies per reaction in tube (22 copies/µL) and 39 copies per reaction in µPADs (5 copies/µL), estimated using probit regression. In both formats the limit of quantification (LOQ), defined as the lowest concentration yielding a coefficient of variation (CV) of quantification time (Tq) ≤ 10%, was 250 copies/reaction resulting in a strong linear (R2 = 0.98 & R2 = 0.96 respectively for tube and µPADs) standard calibration curves. ThermiQuant™ AquaStream provides an affordable and versatile benchtop platform capable of supporting both tube- and µPAD-based colorimetric LAMP assays, serving as a proof-of-concept research tool for assay development and molecular diagnostics in One Health settings such as clinics, farms, and field environments.

BackgroundQuality of life (QoL) is a pivotal prognostic indicator for patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). While the impact of various factors on QoL is recognized, the complex interplay between psychological and behavioral determinants remains underexplored. Understanding these pathways is essential for developing effective interventions.ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the status of QoL and its associated factors among T2DM patients, and to examine the mediating effects of personal mastery (PM) and health-promoting behaviors (HPB) in the relationship between self-regulatory fatigue (SRF) and QoL by using structural equation modeling.MethodsThe study adhered to the STROBE guidelines for cross-sectional reporting. From July 2025 to February 2026, 432 T2DM patients were recruited from three tertiary grade-A hospitals across two cities in China by using convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire, Self-Regulatory Fatigue Scale, Personal Mastery Scale, Diabetes Health Promotion Scale, and Diabetes-Specific Quality of Life Scale. Pearson’s correlation, multiple linear regression, and structural equation modeling were employed for data analysis. The mediating effects were tested using the bias-corrected (BC) bootstrap method with 5,000 resamples.ResultsThe total scores for SRF, PM, HPB, and QoL were 38.63 ± 12.84, 26.12 ± 7.62, 97.69 ± 20.87, and 69.41 ± 20.89, respectively. Correlation analysis indicated that QoL was significantly positively correlated with SRF (r = 0.581, p < 0.01), and negatively correlated with PM (r = −0.557, p < 0.01) and HPB (r = −0.613, p < 0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that age, educational level, medical insurance payment method, smoking status, glycemic control status, number of comorbidities, self-care ability, self-regulatory fatigue, personal mastery, and health-promoting behaviors were independent predictors of QoL. Furthermore, the structural equation modeling demonstrated a significant total indirect effect of self-regulatory fatigue on QoL. The mediating effect of personal mastery accounted for 30.2% of the total indirect effect, while that of health-promoting behaviors explained 60.2%. The chain mediating pathway contributed 9.5% of the total indirect effect.ConclusionThis study suggests that SRF is statistically associated with directly and indirectly poorer QoL in T2DM patients, primarily by being associated with lower PM and fewer HPB. These findings highlight the importance of addressing psychological and behavioral mechanisms in diabetes care. From a nursing perspective, interventions targeting SRF, strengthening PM, and promoting HPB may be beneficial.

IntroductionThe objective of this study was to explore the factors associated with the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of orthopedic theatre nurses with regard to occupational protection when orthopedic power tools (OPTs) are used to provide a reference for ensuring the occupational safety of nurses working in orthopedic surgery rooms.MethodsThis cross-sectional survey involved 272 orthopedic theatre nurses across eight tertiary hospitals in Shanxi Province, China, between September and December 2024. An occupational protection assessment tool that was self-developed and included 3 dimensions (Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice), containing a total of 45 items, was utilized among operating theatre nurses with OPTs.ResultsThe median as the cutoff, 52.9% (144/272) of respondents had an adequate Knowledge score, while 47.1% (128/272) had a good score; 54.0% (147/272) of the respondents had a positive Attitude score, and 46.0% (125/272) had a negative attitude; 53.7% (146/272) of the participants demonstrated good performance in the Practice score, whereas 46.3% (126/272) showed poor performance. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that the knowledge scores of those with a bachelor’s degree (aOR=7.040; 95% CI: 3.204–15.466; p < 0.001), senior professional title (aOR=5.216; 95% CI: 1.228–22.155; p = 0.025), occupational protection training frequency less than 6 months (aOR=10.085; 95% CI: 4.146–24.533; p < 0.001) or 6–12 months (aOR=6.550; 95% CI: 3.262–13.153; p < 0.001) and actively consulting the latest professional protection knowledge (aOR=2.652; 95% CI: 1.426–4.931; p = 0.002) were higher and statistically significant. Senior title (aOR=5.226; 95% CI: 1.409–19.387; p = 0.013), occupational exposure (aOR=2.770; 95% CI: 1.484–5.169; p = 0.001) and Knowledge scores (aOR=2.663; 95% CI: 1.581–4,448; p < 0.001) yielded attitude scores that were higher and statistically significant. Attitude scores (aOR=3.683; 95% CI: 2.106–6.441; p < 0.001), actively consulting the latest professional protection knowledge (aOR=2.962; 95% CI: 1.686–5.201; p = 0.001), and higher Knowledge scores (aOR=2.255; 95% CI: 1.294–3.930; p = 0.004) were independently associated with better practice scores.ConclusionNurses in the orthopedic operating room had a positive attitude toward the occupational protection of using power tools, but their knowledge was insufficient, and their practice behavior was poor. Normative guidelines for occupational protection in the workplace of an orthopedic theatre and a training and evaluation system should be developed. Moreover, future measures should focus on education and training for occupational protection. Additionally, developing and designing occupational protective equipment that is more convenient for orthopedic surgery is important.Reporting methodThis research was designed as a cross-sectional survey study that was conducted in strict accordance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines.

This study evaluated the potential of Colombian silk fibroin hydrogels functionalized with recombinant LSECtin (rLSECtin) for intervertebral disc tissue engineering. In silico analysis indicated that rLSECtin may interact with glycans similar to those found in human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) through residues Asn105, Asp106, Glu93, Asn87, and Glu85, which coordinate calcium to form hydrogen bonds with GlcNAc hydroxyl groups. rLSECtin was successfully produced, purified, and incorporated into silk fibroin hydrogels. Thermal analysis showed that the hydrogels were resistant to sterilization, and rheological studies demonstrated predominantly elastic, gel-like behavior. The secondary structure of the hydrogels was largely determined by α-helical content, which is related to silk I with β-sheets also contributing as a result of sonication-induced structuring. Metabolic activity assays indicated that rLSECtin was associated with increased ADSC metabolic activity under two-dimensional conditions, whereas hydrogels containing rLSECtin maintained cell viability, as confirmed by cell viability assays. Differentiated constructs exhibited glycosaminoglycan-rich extracellular matrix and chondrocyte-like morphology, whereas rLSECtin-functionalized hydrogels showed increased transcription of SOX9, ACAN, and COL2A1, along with elevated COL10A1 of uncertain significance for nucleus pulposus stability. Overall, Colombian silk fibroin hydrogels provide a mechanically stable and cytocompatible platform relevant for nucleus pulposus tissue engineering, in which rLSECtin appears to act primarily as a biochemical modulator rather than a structural modifier. These findings support a proof of concept for lectin-functionalized biomaterials in intervertebral disc regeneration. However, further studies, including mechanistic validation of glycan–lectin interactions, protein-level confirmation, quantitative extracellular matrix analysis, and evaluation of signaling pathways, are required to establish functional and translational relevance.

Hand gesture recognition plays an important role in human–computer interaction, yet accurately modeling both spatial structure and temporal motion patterns in video-based vision systems remains challenging. Many existing approaches focus on either spatial appearance or motion information, which can limit their ability to capture the full complexity of dynamic hand gestures evolving over time. In this work, we present a unified feature representation framework that combines spatial descriptors modeled on the Symmetric Positive Definite (SPD) manifold with temporal motion features extracted from gesture video sequences using grid-based optical flow histograms in Euclidean space. Spatial covariance descriptors are mapped from the SPD manifold to a Euclidean space through the Log-Euclidean metric, enabling effective feature fusion while preserving intrinsic geometric properties. The resulting representation captures complementary spatial and temporal information in a compact and interpretable form. We evaluate the proposed framework on two publicly available video-based benchmark datasets for dynamic hand gesture recognition, the Cambridge Hand Gesture dataset and the Northwestern University Hand Gesture dataset. Experimental results demonstrate that the combined representation consistently improves classification performance compared to using spatial or temporal features alone, achieving 99.31% accuracy on the Cambridge dataset and 97.23% on the Northwestern dataset. These findings indicate that integrating manifold-aware spatial features with motion-based temporal cues provides a practical and effective solution for robust dynamic hand gesture recognition.

With geotechnical engineering facing more complex environmental challenges, accurately predicting the mechanical behavior of rocks under dynamic loading becomes essential for maintaining structural safety. In this study, the dynamic compressive strength (DCS) of red sandstone samples under the coupled acidic wetting-drying cycles was investigated, and a dataset comprising 597 test results of experimental samples was obtained. Subsequently, five input variables (strain rate, number of wetting-drying cycles, pH values, uniaxial compressive strength, and P-wave velocity) were used to develop and validate five ensemble learning models: Random Forest (RF), Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM), and Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT). The performance of the models was evaluated using four metrics: R², RMSE, MAE, and MAPE, while SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) were employed to interpret feature significance. Among the evaluated models, XGBoost and LightGBM showed similarly strong predictive performance, with XGBoost yielding slightly better overall accuracy under the present dataset conditions. SHAP analysis indicated that strain rate was the most influential factor in DCS prediction, whereas uniaxial compressive strength contributed relatively less. In addition, a graphical user interface (GUI) was developed based on the XGBoost model to facilitate intuitive prediction and visualization of DCS under acidic wetting-drying conditions. Overall, the proposed framework provides an effective and interpretable tool for predicting rock dynamic strength in chemically degraded environments and may support geotechnical stability evaluation and risk reduction.

The macroscopic failure of rock masses is essentially the result of the propagation, interaction, and eventual coalescence of internal defects such as flaws under stress. Given the widespread presence of three-dimensional (3D) flaws in rock mass engineering, it is crucial to investigate their failure mechanisms and mechanical properties. This research employs a meso-damage numerical simulation method to systematically investigate the failure process and mechanical parameters of heterogeneous rock masses containing surface flaws, through-going flaws, and internal flaws under various stresses, focusing on the influence of stress path on flaw propagation behavior and the mechanical properties of the specimens. The study reveals: (1) Rock mass flaw propagation primarily manifests as the extension of wing and anti-wing flaws, and the coalescence of secondary flaws with these or with the pre-existing flaw. (2) Under uniaxial compression test, conventional triaxial and true triaxial compression test with specific intermediate principal stress directions, rock masses exhibit tensile coalescence failure, while changing the intermediate principal stress direction leads to transverse coalescence failure. The direction of the intermediate principal stress plays a decisive role in flaw propagation path. (3) Confining pressure significantly enhances the peak strength of the rock mass. For embedded and through-going flaws, the peak strength is generally higher when the intermediate principal stress direction is oriented towards the flaw plane compared to when it is parallel. Whereas the peak strength of surface flaws is not significantly affected by the intermediate principal stress direction. (4) The magnitude of the intermediate principal stress affects the mechanical properties of rock masses with different flaw types to varying degrees. The results of this study can provide valuable references for theoretical research and physical experiments on the propagation mechanisms of 3D flaws in rock masses.

Modern portfolio theory, while foundational, struggles with extreme sensitivity to input parameters and a tendency to select highly concentrated portfolios, often leading to out-of-sample underperformance. This research addresses these critical gaps by introducing the Generalized Robust Mean-Variance-Entropy (GRMVE) framework, a novel Mixed-Integer Quadratic Programming (MIQP) model designed for adaptive, multi-period investment settings. The GRMVE framework integrates budgeted uncertainty to mitigate the risk of estimation errors in expected returns, while simultaneously incorporating Yager's entropy to mathematically enforce structural diversification and prevent over-concentration. The framework is empirically validated using a dynamic, expanding-window re-optimization approach over a 72-month horizon on a pre-selected universe of 60 assets spanning all 11 sectors of the S&P 500. Out-of-sample results demonstrate that the GRMVE framework achieves highly competitive risk-adjusted returns compared to the famously resilient Naive (1/n) strategy and the state-of-the-art Mean-CVaR model. Crucially, it overcomes the severe portfolio concentration and prohibitive trading turnover associated with scenario-based tail-risk models (CVaR) and the extreme instability of non-robust mean-variance models. By successfully navigating severe market downturns and volatile recoveries with significantly lower drawdowns, the findings highlight the GRMVE framework as a highly practical, computationally tractable, and structurally resilient solution for institutional portfolio management.

BackgroundPeople with severe mental illness (SMI), including bipolar disorder, major depression, and schizophrenia, face significantly increased morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD). Common CVD risk factors in these populations comprise health behaviours such as smoking and poor diet, and physical factors, including diabetes mellitus, obesity and dyslipidaemia. Thus, there is a need to identify interventions to prevent CVD in SMI patients, for which general practice may be ideal for delivery. This scoping review aimed to explore the interventions to reduce CVD risk in patients with SMI in primary care, with a focus on general practice.MethodsThis scoping review was guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s six-step methodological framework, barring step six – consultation. A systematic search was performed across four electronic databases: PubMed, Embase, APA PsycINFO and CINAHL, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Narrative synthesis was conducted to identify key themes informed by the Popay et al. framework.ResultsA total of 10 studies were included in the final analysis. Five themes were identified, namely (1) Primary Care Interventions, (2) Intervention Implementation, (3) Collaborative or Intermediary Structures, (4) Barriers and Facilitators, and (5) Participant Experiences and Viewpoints. Identified intervention types included tailored behavioural change interventions, the patient centred medical home model, clinical tool use and provider education. Promising aspects of interventions included effective staff training, collaborative structures and peer support involvement. Challenges to implementation included patient mental health symptoms impacting ability to attend sessions, lack of knowledge and experience among staff of working with SMI patients, and resource constraints, including time and workload concerns.ConclusionThis scoping review highlights a research gap regarding primary care interventions to reduce CVD risk in SMI patients, as only 10 relevant studies were identified published from 2015 to July 2025 in the English language. However, aspects of existing literature, such as promising intervention features, implementation barriers and feedback for consideration were also identified. Future research regarding this topic could address identified barriers and feedback points. Further randomised controlled trials assessing clinical-effectiveness and cost-efficiency of interventions in primary care settings may also be required.

To investigate the physiological status of Yangtze finless porpoises (YFPs) in Poyang Lake and assess health conditions across different habitats at a mesoscale geographical level, physical examination data from 25 individuals were collected from two habitats: Piaotou (PT, 19 individuals), Jinxi Lake (JX, 6 individuals). Independent samples t-test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare blood parameters between PT and JX population. Robust M-estimation was applied to conduct stratified tests on the independent effects of factors. Robust PCA was used to characterize the overall physiological differences between the two habitats. Using the ranges of healthy YFPs blood parameters as the reference group, Games-Howell test was used for multiple group comparisons. Results revealed significant differences in physiological status between YFPs inhabiting Piaotou and Jinxi Lake. Piaotou population exhibit better physiological status, characterized by higher oxygen-carrying capacity, nutritional status, and metabolic activity levels, while those in Jinxi Lake showed enhanced coagulation function or inflammatory responses. In hematological parameters, the PT population showed significantly higher red blood cell-related indices than the JX's. The JX population exhibited higher platelet-related parameters and extremely low Eosinophil counts and percentages. More parameters in the JX population differed significantly from the range of healthy physiological indicators, with Monocyte count and percentage, and Plateletcrit exceeding normal physiological ranges. For blood biochemical parameters, Aspartate amino Transferase and Triglyceride in the PT population, and Alkaline Phosphatase and Triglyceride in the JX population exceeded reference ranges. This study revealed significant physiological differences among YFPs inhabiting different habitats within the same lake system, indicating that the Piaotou population can serve as high-quality germplasm resources, while the Jinxi Lake population shows certain health risks in their physiological status.