Advances in Research

Successful Management of Complete Uterine Prolapse Following Abortion in a Non-descript Cow: A Case Report

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Uterine prolapse is a life-threatening obstetrical emergency in cattle that requires immediate clinical intervention. A non-descript cow with an unknown reproductive history was presented to the IVRI Polyclinic with complete uterine prolapse accompanied by retained fetal membranes, severe uterine oedema, contamination, and localised necrosis. The relatively small caruncles suggested that the prolapse had followed abortion rather than full-term parturition. Clinical examination revealed reduced feed and water intake, mild dehydration, and mild hypocalcaemia, with a serum calcium concentration of 7.9 mg/dL. Following caudal epidural anaesthesia, the retained fetal membranes were removed, the prolapsed uterus was thoroughly cleansed, devitalised tissue was debrided, and uterine lacerations were repaired using No. 1 Vicryl in a cross-mattress pattern. Topical application of 50% dextrose solution reduced uterine oedema and facilitated manual replacement. The cow was maintained in sternal recumbency on two stacked mattresses, with the hindquarters elevated and both hind limbs extended caudally. After complete repositioning, a Buhner’s vulval retention suture was applied. Systemic ceftiofur, meloxicam, chlorpheniramine maleate, dextrose saline, calcium borogluconate, and supportive therapy were administered. The retention suture was removed on day seven, and the cow recovered without recurrence. This case demonstrates that timely replacement, correction of hypocalcaemia, careful tissue management, and appropriate postoperative monitoring can support a favourable clinical outcome.

Carrot Productivity and Economic Benefits as Influenced by Different Rates of Chicken Manure and NPK Fertilizer

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study assessed the productivity and economic returns of chicken manure (CM) and NPK fertiliser, applied alone and in combination, in carrot (Daucus carota L.) production at Mampong-Ashanti during September–December 2021 and April–July 2022. The experiment used a randomised complete block design with six treatments and four replications: 300 kg ha⁻¹ NPK (full NPK), 20 t ha⁻¹ CM (full CM), ¾ NPK + ¼ CM, ½ NPK + ½ CM, ¼ NPK + ¾ CM, and an unfertilised control. Full CM in 2021 and ¼ NPK + ¾ CM in 2022 produced significantly higher root yields than the control. Economic analysis showed that full CM generated the highest net benefit in 2021 (USD 4,911.68 ha⁻¹), whereas ¼ NPK + ¾ CM generated the highest net benefit in 2022 (USD 5,503.31 ha⁻¹). Although full CM incurred the highest total variable cost (USD 469.64 ha⁻¹), its yield performance maintained its economic attractiveness. In 2021, ½ NPK + ½ CM produced a marginal rate of return (MRR) of 55.48% over the control, while full CM produced an MRR of 638.15% over ½ NPK + ½ CM. In 2022, ¼ NPK + ¾ CM had higher MRR (708.44%) than ½ NPK + ½ CM. The results indicate that 20 t ha⁻¹ CM may be suitable in the minor season, whereas ¼ NPK + ¾ CM may be suitable in the major season for improving carrot yield and profitability.

First-principles Electronic and Optical Response of a Tetragonal Co₂MnSi Model

Dipika Patel, Bhargavkumar Patel, Nimish Vasoya, Bharat Kataria, J. H. Markna — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The paper presents a first-principles analysis of the structural relaxation, spin-resolved electronic structure, and frequency-dependent optical response of a tetragonal Co₂MnSi model. Geometry optimisation and spin-polarised electronic calculations were carried out within density functional theory using the PBE generalised-gradient approximation, a plane-wave scheme employing ultrasoft pseudopotentials, a 60 Ry kinetic-energy cutoff, and an 8 × 8 × 8 k-point mesh. Optical functions were subsequently evaluated with a 500 eV cutoff and a 9 × 9 × 9 mesh for light polarised along [100]. The optimised P4/mmm cell has a = b = 2.85 Å, c = 5.58 Å, and a volume of 45.27 Å³. The total energy stabilises near −365.90944 Ry, and the self-consistent-field cycle becomes essentially stationary after the first few iterations. The supplied spin-resolved density of states and band dispersion are consistent with a candidate half-metallic solution: one spin channel retains finite states at the Fermi level, whereas the other displays an apparent gap of roughly 0.5–1.0 eV. Within this idealised calculation, that electronic topology corresponds to complete spin polarisation at the Fermi level. The optical response is strongest outside the visible range. The static real dielectric component is approximately 59.24, the absorption coefficient reaches about 2.93 × 10⁵ cm⁻¹ at 8.55 eV, the reflectivity maximum occurs near 21.86 eV, the main optical-conductivity feature appears near 7.5 eV, and the dominant loss-function peak lies near 22.6 eV. These results point to a strong far-ultraviolet and extreme-ultraviolet response. Because the modelled P4/mmm phase is not the conventional cubic L2₁ structure of Co₂MnSi, and because phase-stability, magnetic-order, magnetic-moment, phonon, spin-orbit, and convergence-comparison data were not available, the findings should be interpreted as predictions for the supplied tetragonal model rather than as proof of the equilibrium bulk phase.

Evaluation of Basmati Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Genotypes at Morphological, Biochemical and Molecular Levels

Jasmeet Kour, A. K. Singh, R. K. Salgotra, B. Sharma — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study evaluated genetic diversity among 21 Basmati rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes using morphological, biochemical and molecular attributes. The field experiment was conducted in a randomised block design with three replications. Morphological and quality observations included plant height, effective tillers, flowering and maturity, grain yield, panicle length, grain dimensions, grain length-to-breadth ratio and aroma, while biochemical assessment covered starch, protein, iron, zinc and amylose content. Analysis of variance indicated significant differences among genotypes for most morphological and quality traits, except grain breadth, whereas biochemical traits showed relatively limited variation. The highest phenotypic and genotypic variances were recorded for plant height. The number of effective tillers showed the highest heritability, while panicle length showed the lowest. Molecular characterisation used 25 simple sequence repeat markers, which generated 59 amplified bands, of which 57 were polymorphic. The mean polymorphism information content was 0.45, ranging from 0 for RM145 and RM583 to 0.79 for RM26. UPGMA analysis separated the genotypes into two major clusters, with similarity coefficients ranging from 0.54 to 0.98. The combined evidence demonstrated variation among the evaluated genotypes at morphological, biochemical and molecular levels. These differences provide a basis for identifying genetically distinct material for parental selection, although broader multi-environment and genome-wide validation is required before breeding applications are confirmed.

Utilization Pattern of Electronic Resources among Postgraduate Students of Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India

Rakesh Yadav, Sonam Agrawal, Seema Naberia, Chandrika Sharma — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examined the utilisation of electronic resources among postgraduate and doctoral students at Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur. The study population comprised 272 M.Sc. and Ph.D. students, from whom 108 respondents were selected through random sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire and interview schedule and analysed using frequencies, percentages, weighted mean scores, ranks, and correlation coefficients. Most respondents (73.15%) had a medium level of e-resource utilisation, while 15.74% had low utilisation and 11.11% had high utilisation. The purpose of using e-resources ranked first among the assessed dimensions, followed by the mode used for knowledge gathering, the reading format, the preferred information source, the preference for specific e-resources, and the form used for reading. Online access was preferred to offline access, and PDF was the most preferred reading format. Krishikosh, the IARI e-Library, e-magazines, agMOOC, and Krishiworld were among the most preferred resources. Family annual income, academic performance, availability of ICT tools, and accessibility of e-resources were positively and significantly associated with utilisation at the 0.01 level. Family background, awareness of e-resources, and training were positively and significantly associated at the 0.05 level. The findings indicate that access to ICT facilities, awareness initiatives, and practical training may strengthen the effective use of e-resources among postgraduate students.

Assessing the Accuracy of Artificial Intelligence Chatbots in Medical Information Retrieval: A Structured Query-based Evaluation

S. Dhohan, Gagan D. Urs, K. M. Sneha, V. Vismaya, Siddartha N Dhurappanavar — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Artificial intelligence chatbots are increasingly used to obtain medical and drug-related information, but their accuracy for clinical use remains uncertain. Objective: To evaluate and compare the performance of three large language models—ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok—in responding to standardised drug-related queries concerning three commonly prescribed drugs.

Methods: Three commonly prescribed drugs—metformin, hydrochlorothiazide, and azithromycin—were selected for assessment. Each model was asked ten standardised questions per drug (two questions in each of five categories: indications, off-label indications, drug–drug interactions, adverse drug events, and drug availability). Responses were manually assessed against standard clinical references, principally UpToDate, and scored on a four-point scale from 0 to 3, where 3 represented a completely accurate and clinically sound response. A non-perfect score (0–2) was considered an error. Each model answered 30 questions in total.

Results: ChatGPT and Gemini each produced 18 perfect responses, corresponding to an empirical probability of 0.60 for a completely correct answer. Grok produced 14 perfect responses, corresponding to an empirical probability of 0.47. Error rates varied across drugs and models, ranging from 30% to 60%. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) of mean error rates showed that drug type had a statistically significant effect (F = 7.75, p = 0.0421), whereas the effect of the AI model was not statistically significant at the conventional threshold (F = 4.00, p = 0.1111). Grok's numerically higher mean error rate (53.33%, compared with 40.00% for ChatGPT and Gemini) was consistent with its lower empirical success probability.

Conclusion: These findings indicate that freely available AI chatbots may provide rapid drug information but show variable accuracy. As a practical implication for current use, rather than a proposed future research direction, their responses should be verified against authoritative clinical references before use in healthcare education or practice.

An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Psychotherapists’ Lived Experience of Dream Analysis in Clinical Practice

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study explores psychotherapists’ lived experiences of engaging with dream analysis in clinical practice using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Drawing on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with five experienced clinicians trained in psychodynamic, Lacanian, and Daseinsanalytic approaches, the study examines how differing theoretical orientations shape the understanding, use, and meaning of dreams in psychotherapy. The analysis generated five overarching themes: (1) conceptualisations of the dream as either a lived experience or a theoretical construct; (2) the “tail” of the dream as either bound to significant others and unconscious desire or free from predetermined associations; (3) the role of the analyst as either a facilitator of hidden meaning or an indicator of openness; (4) interpretation as a calling that sustains the analytic process; and (5) the status of the uninterpretable dream as either temporarily deferred or enduringly open. The findings reveal a fundamental divergence between interpretative, theory-driven approaches that prioritise the decoding of latent content and phenomenological–existential perspectives that emphasise openness, non-interpretation, and the irreducibility of the dream experience. The study highlights how these orientations influence not only clinical technique but also the therapeutic relationship and the ontological positioning of both analyst and analysand. It suggests that dream analysis may be understood not solely as a method of uncovering unconscious meaning, but also as an experiential and relational process that invites engagement with ambiguity, alterity, and the limits of interpretation. These findings contribute to qualitative psychotherapy research by foregrounding the experiential and philosophical dimensions of clinical dream work.

Community Water Use and Storage Practices Around a River Impacted by Hospital Effluent in Ido Ekiti, Southwest Nigeria

Abiodun A. Ojo, Tolulope Adeola Ogunnusi — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Communities living near rivers receiving hospital effluent may experience repeated exposure to contaminated water through domestic activities, particularly where household water treatment, storage and sanitation practices are suboptimal. Understanding these practices is important for identifying potential exposure pathways and informing appropriate water, sanitation and hygiene interventions.

Aims: The study aims to investigate the water use, storage and sanitation practices of households residing within the vicinity of a river that receives hospital effluent in Ido Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.

Study Design: A descriptive cross-sectional survey.

Place and Duration of Study: Households within the vicinity of the river locally known as the Baba Jibulu River, Ido Ekiti, Ido/Osi Local Government Area, Ekiti State, Nigeria, adjacent to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti; the survey was administered within the first two months of a twelve-month study that also included longitudinal river water sampling across the rainy and dry seasons.

Methodology: A structured questionnaire adapted from the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme core questions on household drinking-water and sanitation was administered to 150 households selected by systematic sampling. Data covered sociodemographic characteristics, water use, treatment, storage, handling and sanitation practices, and were summarised as frequencies and percentages.

Results: Slightly more than half of the respondents were female (50.7%), and most (77.3%) did not rely on the river as their primary water source; nevertheless, 95.3% used it for washing and 61.3% for bathing, with 27.3% bathing in it three times daily. Only 6.0% treated river water before use, mostly by boiling (44.4%), and 61.0% considered treatment unnecessary. Water was mainly stored in tanks (34.9%) or plastic containers (30.2%), usually for about one week (67.8%), and half of respondents (50.0%) withdrew stored water using a cup. Open defecation was practised by 9.3% of households, a behaviour with the potential to worsen faecal contamination of the river.

Conclusion: Households around the Ido Ekiti River continue to use it extensively for washing and bathing despite the availability of alternative water sources, while low rates of household water treatment, prolonged storage and unsafe withdrawal practices heighten the potential for exposure to waterborne and antimicrobial-resistant pathogens. Targeted water, sanitation and hygiene education is recommended for this and comparable riverine communities.

Geospatial and Numerical Modeling Framework for Spatio-Temporal Assessment of Groundwater Contamination in Ranchi Urban Agglomeration, Jharkhand, India

Somesh Sengupta — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Groundwater quality and contamination have become major concerns in several parts of Jharkhand, India. The principal contributors to groundwater contamination are rapid urbanisation, industrial effluents, the increased use of chemicals in agricultural practices, and uncontrolled groundwater extraction. In this context, the present study proposes an integrated framework combining a Geographical Information System (GIS), MODFLOW (Modular Finite-Difference Groundwater Flow Model), and MT3DS (Modular Three-Dimensional Multi-Species Transport Model) to evaluate the spatio-temporal dynamics of groundwater flow and contaminant transport in the Ranchi Urban Agglomeration. Hydrogeological, geological, geomorphological, land-use/land-cover, drainage, rainfall, borehole, and groundwater-level data were used as inputs to simulate groundwater flow and contaminant-plume migration under steady-state and transient conditions. The groundwater-flow model was calibrated under steady-state conditions by comparing simulated hydraulic heads with observed groundwater-level data. A model error of less than 2% indicated close agreement between the simulated and observed heads. The numerical simulations were based on a hydrogeologically representative conceptual model incorporating spatially distributed recharge, river–aquifer interaction, evapotranspiration, groundwater abstraction, and regional groundwater exchange through appropriate MODFLOW packages. The results indicate that groundwater flows predominantly towards the south-eastern and eastern parts of the study area. These areas were also characterised by declining groundwater levels and contaminant-plume migration and were therefore more susceptible to groundwater contamination. Although natural recharge contributes to the localised dilution of contaminants, it is insufficient to compensate for groundwater depletion in areas experiencing substantial discharge. The integration of GIS with MODFLOW and MT3DS provides a process-based framework for simulating groundwater flow, predicting contaminant transport, and generating spatial groundwater-contamination risk maps. The modelling framework may serve as a practical decision-support tool for groundwater monitoring, contamination-risk assessment, and sustainable groundwater-resource management. It may also assist in identifying priority areas for future field validation and water-quality monitoring.

Open-Source Sentinel-1 SBAS InSAR Monitoring of Ground Deformation in Pantnagar (Indian Terai) Using HyP3 and MintPy

Govind Verma, Rajeev Singh, Shikha Goswami, Susheel Singh Bhandari, Mohan Lal — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Aims: The study aims to measure ground-surface displacement and assess land subsidence along the under-monitored Terai belt of the Himalayan foothills using an open-source remote-sensing workflow.

Study Design: Observational time-series analysis utilising satellite radar interferometry to monitor surface deformation.

Place and Duration of Study: Pantnagar region, Udham Singh Nagar district, Uttarakhand, with acquisitions covering 8 January 2023 to 21 June 2026.

Methodology: Sentinel-1 interferograms were generated via the Alaska Satellite Facility’s HyP3 service and analysed using MintPy with the Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) method across 88 acquisitions. Following network inversion and digital elevation model error correction, pixels were masked at a temporal coherence threshold of 0.7, retaining 80.8% of the ~40 m grid. Results were evaluated against Dynamic World land-cover data, rainfall, and modelled groundwater storage.

Results: Most of the scene remained stable, showing a median line-of-sight velocity of −0.4 cm yr−1 (interquartile range: −1.2 to 0.0 cm yr−1; 1σ uncertainty: 0.06 cm yr−1). A distinct, linear subsiding zone in the south-west reached ~−6.1 cm yr−1, representing roughly 21 cm of cumulative line-of-sight displacement over 3.45 years. This deformation persisted over cropped farmland and showed no seasonal rebound during monsoons.

Conclusion: The persistent, non-rebounding subsidence points to inelastic aquifer-system compaction driven by sustained irrigation pumping. Although the rates remain provisional because nearby ground-station verification is unavailable, this methodology provides a reproducible template for regional Terai subsidence monitoring.

Association between Work Breaks and Work-life Balance among Female Employees in Cameroonian Commercial Banks

Mbuye Chantail Chofi, Njomo Loius Mosake, Etoh Anzah Peter — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Work–life balance remains a challenge for female employees in the Cameroonian banking sector, where demanding schedules and limited opportunities for recovery may affect employees’ capacity to manage work and personal responsibilities. This study examined the association between work breaks and work–life balance among female employees in commercial banks in Bamenda, Cameroon. Guided by the Effort-Recovery Model, the study used a quantitative cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected from 125 female employees using a structured questionnaire and analysed through descriptive statistics, pairwise correlations, and ordinary least squares regression with HC3 heteroskedasticity-consistent standard errors. Work breaks were positively associated with work–life balance (β = 0.207, p = 0.067), indicating a marginally significant relationship at the 10% level. The model explained 14.6% of the variation in work–life balance (R² = 0.146), and the overall model was statistically significant (F(6, 118) = 3.371, p = 0.004). None of the demographic control variables showed a significant association with work–life balance. The findings suggest that opportunities for within-day recovery, including psychological detachment and relaxation, may support female employees in managing work and non-work demands. Commercial banks should consider policies that encourage regular work breaks, provide suitable break facilities, allow flexible break scheduling, and promote managerial support for break-taking. The cross-sectional, self-report design limits causal interpretation and broader generalisation.

Challenges of Integrating 21st Century Technology on the Development of Fashion and Fabrics in Secondary Schools: A Case of Selected Secondary Schools in Kitwe District of Copperbelt Province

Lister Phiri, Annie Phiri, Malvern Kanyati, Emmanuel Malichi — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examined the challenges associated with integrating 21st-century technology into Fashion and Fabrics education in selected secondary schools in Kitwe District, Copperbelt Province. A descriptive survey design combining quantitative and qualitative approaches was used. Data were obtained from 60 participants comprising learners, teachers, head teachers, and Parent-Teacher Association chairpersons. The findings indicate that technology was generally perceived as beneficial to textile-design learning. A majority of participants reported that it greatly enhanced creativity, while 75% considered it important for increasing efficiency. Technology was also associated with improved design accuracy and stronger collaboration through the sharing of ideas and feedback. Nevertheless, integration was constrained by high equipment costs, inadequate teacher training, limited access to technological resources, and resistance to change. Half of the participants identified insufficient training as a major challenge, and 58.33% cited the high cost of technology. Most respondents believed that technology would remain essential to the future of textile design. The study concludes that effective integration requires coordinated investment in infrastructure, reliable access to digital tools and design software, continuing professional development for teachers, and institutional support for classroom innovation. Addressing these constraints may strengthen practical learning, improve learners’ preparedness for contemporary fashion and textile practice, and support more effective curriculum implementation in secondary schools.

Solar Street Lights as Transformational Tool for Improving Performance of Secondary School Students in Imo State, Nigeria

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Reliable access to electricity remains a major challenge for many secondary schools in Nigeria, particularly in rural communities where inadequate lighting limits learning activities after daylight hours. Solar street lighting provides a potential off-grid intervention for reducing this form of light poverty and improving the usability of school environments. This study investigated the use of solar street lighting as a transformative infrastructure intervention to mitigate "light poverty" and enhance students’ academic performance in secondary schools across Imo State, Nigeria. A total of 1,080 four-point Likert-scale questionnaires were administered across the 27 Local Government Areas in the state to evaluate the operational status of existing solar lighting and its correlation with learning outcomes. Cronbach’s alpha was used to test the internal consistency of the component items of each latent variable used to evaluate perceived impacts, such as increased study time, improved focus, and enhanced grades, while the collective perception metrics were statistically validated using single-factor ANOVA. The results revealed that the presence of functional solar street lights varied significantly across schools (p < 0.05), creating distinct environmental conditions that facilitate evening preparatory classes and extracurricular engagement. The findings established a statistically significant relationship between dependable illumination and improved student behaviour, specifically through increased study hours and enhanced focus, thereby bridging the gap created by daylight constraints and erratic grid power. The results indicate that functional solar street lighting mitigates light poverty by providing dependable illumination across school campuses. This transforms unlit facilities into vibrant study environments suitable for evening classes. Consequently, extended usable hours foster increased study time and improved focus, directly enhancing students’ overall academic performance. Ultimately, the transition to solar-powered campuses represents a sustainable pathway for bolstering the competitive standing of secondary school students in both rural and urban areas of Imo State.

Air Pollution Trends and Patterns in Haryana, India: A District-wise Analysis

Rahul — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Aims: This study assessed the status and temporal variation of PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀ concentrations across the NCR districts of Haryana during 2019–2024 and compared the observed air-quality conditions with Delhi.

Study Design: A retrospective, observational, and comparative study was conducted to examine changes in particulate matter concentrations over six years.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the NCR districts of Haryana, with corresponding air quality data from Delhi included for comparison. The study period covered 2019–2024, with particular emphasis on the elevated pollution conditions observed during the winter months.

Methodology: PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀ data were analysed to determine temporal trends and compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). District-level concentrations were compared with Delhi data and interpreted in light of agricultural activities, industrial growth, climatic conditions, and air pollution control measures implemented by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board.

Results: PM₂.₅ concentrations generally exceeded the annual NAAQS of 40 µg/m³ at most locations, although some locations recorded concentrations at or below the standard. PM₁₀ concentrations generally exceeded the annual NAAQS of 60 µg/m³. The Haryana average PM₂.₅ increased from 47 µg/m³ in 2019 to 103 µg/m³ in 2024, while PM₁₀ increased from 82.11 to 186 µg/m³ over the same period. Several districts recorded pollution levels approaching those observed in Delhi, particularly during winter, when unfavourable meteorological conditions contributed to pollutant accumulation. These findings indicate substantial deterioration in air quality and growing environmental and public health concerns across the NCR districts of Haryana.

Conclusion: The study demonstrates a persistent increase in particulate pollution across Haryana’s NCR districts. Frequent exceedances of NAAQS and pollution levels approaching those in Delhi highlight the urgent need for effective emission-control measures, strengthened air-quality monitoring, improved implementation of the winter action plan, and coordinated long-term air pollution management strategies.

Evaluation of Quality of Life among Breast Cancer Patients in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background: The burden of breast cancer is gradually assuming epidemic proportions in Nigeria and globally. Increases in its incidence and mortality in Nigeria over the past three decades have been reported as 296 per cent and 223 per cent, respectively. The high morbidity and mortality rates associated with breast cancer necessitate efforts to improve the quality of life of patients with breast cancer.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines quality of life (QoL) as an individual’s perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards, and concerns. The standardised WHOQoL-BREF is the abbreviated version of the original instrument used to evaluate quality of life. This abbreviated version includes 26 items derived from the more comprehensive WHOQOL-100-item questionnaire. The standardised WHOQoL-BREF assesses quality of life across four domains: physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment.

Methodology: We conducted a cross-sectional study of quality of life among breast cancer patients at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Ado–Ekiti, Nigeria, over a 1-year period from May 1,2024, to April 30, 2025.

Results: A total of 174 patients were enrolled, aged 18–78 years (mean 39.97 ± 15.57 years), with the largest proportion (25%) aged 21–30 years. Poor QoL was reported by 24.1% of participants, and 29.9% expressed dissatisfaction with life. Age, marital status, occupational satisfaction, faith-based treatment, and presence of physical comorbidity were significantly associated with poor QoL (p < 0.05). On multivariate regression analysis, age and use of traditional or faith-based treatment independently predicted poor QoL (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Women with breast cancer in this cohort experienced significantly poorer QoL across physical, psychological, and social domains compared with women without the disease. Poor QoL was linked to multiple sociodemographic factors and may adversely affect treatment outcomes. Early identification of at-risk patients, alongside integration of psychosocial support and patient-centered care into oncology services, is recommended to optimize treatment outcomes and overall well-being.

Broad-spectrum Antibacterial Activity of Callistemon salignus Essential Oil against Foodborne, Waterborne, Environmental and Clinical Opportunistic Bacterial Pathogens

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Aims: Microbial contamination of food and water constitutes a significant public-health risk worldwide, particularly because of the increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) opportunistic bacterial pathogens. The growing threat of antimicrobial resistance compromises the effectiveness of conventional antibiotics and highlights the need to explore alternative or complementary antimicrobial agents from natural sources, particularly medicinal plants and their derivatives. Therefore, this study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the antibacterial activity of Callistemon salignus (Sm.) Colvill ex Sweet (Myrtaceae) essential oil against a broad range of environmental, foodborne, waterborne, and opportunistic bacterial pathogens.

Study Design: The study involved the extraction of essential oil from the leaves of C. salignus and the evaluation of its antibacterial activity against foodborne, waterborne, environmental, and opportunistic bacterial pathogens.

Place and Duration of Study: Fresh, healthy leaves of C. salignus were collected during the flowering season from mature plants growing on the KwaDlangezwa campus of the University of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.

Methodology: Twenty (20) Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial isolates obtained from foodborne, waterborne, environmental, and clinical sources were tested for susceptibility to C. salignus essential oil using the agar disc diffusion assay. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were established by broth microdilution, while minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) were determined by subculturing aliquots from wells showing no visible bacterial growth onto Mueller–Hinton agar. MBC/MIC ratios were calculated to assess bactericidal and bacteriostatic activity. Ciprofloxacin was used as the reference antibiotic. Comparative antibacterial activity was visualised using a Cleveland dot plot, while integrated heatmap analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to evaluate similarities in bacterial susceptibility profiles. All experiments were performed in triplicate, and data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation. Statistical significance was assessed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey's multiple comparison test, with statistical significance set at P ≤ 0.05.

Results: Callistemon salignus essential oil inhibited 18 of the 20 (90%) bacterial isolates tested, producing inhibition zones ranging from 9.0 ± 0.0 to 12.0 ± 0.0 mm. MIC values ranged from 2.5 to >5.0 mg/mL, while MBC values ranged from 2.5 to >5.0 mg/mL. Most reported susceptible isolates exhibited MBC/MIC ratios within the bactericidal threshold (≤4). Ciprofloxacin demonstrated significantly greater antibacterial activity (P < 0.05) than the essential oil, although C. salignus exhibited inhibitory and bactericidal activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Integrated heatmap analysis revealed differences in susceptibility across the bacterial panel, while hierarchical cluster analysis grouped isolates according to their overall antibacterial response.

Conclusion: Callistemon salignus essential oil exhibited broad-spectrum antibacterial and predominantly bactericidal activity against a diverse collection of foodborne, waterborne, environmental and clinical opportunistic bacterial pathogens. Integration of conventional antibacterial assays with multivariate analytical approaches provided a broader assessment of bacterial susceptibility and supported further investigation of the essential oil as a potential plant-derived antimicrobial agent. Further studies are recommended to identify the active constituents, elucidate their mechanisms of action, evaluate antibiofilm activity, assess toxicity, and investigate synergistic interactions with conventional antibiotics.

Fabrication of X-ray Visible Microspheres from Low Viscosity Chitosan and Its Characterization

V. S. Nisha, Vijay John Gerson, K. S. Krishnakumar, K. Sandra — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Aims: This study aims to prepare and characterise radiopaque chitosan microspheres incorporating barium sulphate for potential biomedical applications, including drug delivery, bone cements, and embolisation procedures.

Study Design: Experimental, laboratory-based study.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Chemistry and Research Centre, St. Albert's College (Autonomous), Ernakulam, Kerala, India.

Duration: 2022-2024

Methodology: Low-viscosity chitosan was extracted from shrimp shells using pineapple peel extract as a green deproteinising agent. Radiopaque microspheres were prepared by in situ crosslinking of chitosan with glutaraldehyde, with barium sulphate incorporated as the radiopaque contrast agent. Microspheres were synthesised using different emulsion media to optimise morphology. The prepared microspheres were characterised by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and clinical X-ray imaging to evaluate their structural, morphological, and radiopaque properties.

Results: Different emulsion systems were tested for the preparation of microspheres. The emulsion system consisting of liquid paraffin and sorbitan sesquioleate produced microspheres with a uniform size distribution and excellent spherical geometry. FTIR and XRD analyses confirmed crosslinking of chitosan and incorporation of barium sulphate without affecting the structural integrity of the polymer. SEM images revealed smooth, well defined spherical particles with good surface morphology. Clinical X-ray examination demonstrated excellent radiopacity, indicating effective X-ray visibility of the developed microspheres.

Conclusion: Low viscosity chitosan was prepared from shrimp shell and pineapple peel. X-ray-visible microspheres of low-viscosity chitosan were prepared by an in situ crosslinking reaction with glutaraldehyde. Radiopacity was imparted by the incorporation of barium sulphate. Microspheres were studied using various emulsion media. Among these, the liquid paraffin/sorbitan sesquioleate system produced microspheres with spherical geometry. These microspheres were characterised using infrared spectroscopy, XRD, scanning electron microscopy, and general clinical X-ray imaging. The microspheres showed good surface morphology with clear X-ray visibility.

Sustainable Dyeing of Textile Fabrics with Natural Floral Pigments: A Green Approach

Sonagara Nirupa, Patel Pratik — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The textile dyeing sector relies extensively on synthetic colourants and chemical auxiliaries, raising environmental concerns associated with coloured effluents and resource-intensive processing. Floral waste and other plant biomass represent underutilised renewable resources that may provide natural colourants while supporting waste valorisation and more sustainable textile-processing approaches. The present study investigates the feasibility of converting floral and plant biomass into natural textile colourants for sustainable dyeing. Marigold flower (Tagetes erecta), Bougainvillea flower and Indian almond (Terminalia catappa) leaves were selected as dye sources and applied to cotton, silk and wool fabrics. The plant materials were washed, dried, powdered and extracted by an aqueous process under different pH and temperature conditions. Textile substrates were scoured before dyeing and mordanting was investigated to improve dye fixation and fastness. Qualitative phytochemical screening was performed to identify major classes of compounds present in the selected plant materials. The dyed fabrics were examined for colour development and washing, rubbing and light fastness. Distinct yellow-orange, reddish-pink, green and brown shades were obtained depending on the dye source, textile substrate, extraction conditions and mordant treatment. Cotton showed comparatively stronger colour development under the experimental conditions. Mordanted samples generally exhibited deeper shades and improved resistance to washing, rubbing and light exposure compared with unmordanted samples. Phenols and tannins were detected in all three sources, while flavonoids, saponins, steroids, terpenoids, glycosides, fixed oils and cellulose occurred in different combinations. The findings demonstrate that floral waste and plant biomass can be valorised as renewable sources of textile colourants, supporting waste reduction and circular-resource use. However, the use of metallic mordants and the absence of instrumental colour-strength measurements indicate the need for further optimisation. Future studies should investigate bio-mordants, spectrophotometric colour measurement, optimised extraction technologies, life-cycle impacts and scale-up feasibility.

New Quality Productive Forces and Common Prosperity: The Mediating Role of Multidimensional Urbanization

Zhongjie Guan, Hongzhuan Wang, Junjie Liang, Dading Huang, Ruiqing Liu — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines how new quality productive forces (NQPF) affect common prosperity through multidimensional pathways of new-type urbanization. Using a balanced panel of 30 Chinese provinces from 2012 to 2024 (390 observations), the analysis employs two-way fixed effects and a parallel multiple-mediation model, with indirect effects assessed through 5,000 Bootstrap resamples. The results indicate that NQPF are positively associated with common prosperity in the baseline model. Among the four urbanization dimensions, economic urbanization is the only robust positive mediating pathway, with an indirect effect of 0.061 and a 95% Bootstrap confidence interval of [0.042, 0.086], accounting for approximately 95% of the total indirect effect. Population, social, and ecological urbanization do not show significant mediation in the baseline decomposition. When the four dimensions are combined into an overall urbanization index, the equal-weight specification produces a negative indirect effect of -0.015, whereas the entropy-weight specification yields a non-significant indirect effect, indicating sensitivity to aggregation and weighting. Robustness checks using alternative weighting, additional controls, a substituted dependent variable, and the exclusion of centrally administered municipalities generally support the central role of economic urbanization. These findings suggest that aggregate urbanization measures may obscure heterogeneous transmission mechanisms and that dimension-specific analysis provides a more informative assessment of how NQPF relate to common prosperity.

Impact of Asymptomatic Malaria and Microfilaria Infections on Serum Iron and Transferrin Levels: Implications for Blood Donor Screening in Southwestern Nigeria

Aghatise, Kevin Erhamwonyi, Collins Ohwonigho ADJEKUKO — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Aims: The study aims to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic malaria and microfilaria infection among prospective blood donors and to evaluate the impact of these infections on serum iron and transferrin levels, with implications for blood donor screening policy in southwestern Nigeria.

Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Blood Bank Unit, Department of Haematology, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, between February and April.

Methodology: Three hundred apparently healthy prospective blood donors were recruited using a structured questionnaire. Thick and thin Giemsa-stained blood films were examined for malaria parasites, and Knott's concentration technique was used to detect microfilariae. Serum iron was measured by a FerroZine-based colourimetric assay and serum transferrin by immunoturbidimetric assay on the Roche/Hitachi Cobas C system. Data were analysed using SPSS version 20; independent-samples t-tests and chi-square tests were applied, with P < .05 considered statistically significant.

Results: Malaria parasitaemia was detected in 51 donors (17.0%) and microfilariae in 4 donors (1.3%). Mean serum iron was significantly lower in malaria-positive donors (10.3±3.4 µmol/L) than malaria-negative donors (14.3±4.8 µmol/L; t = 6.907, P < .001) and in microfilaria-positive donors (12.5±0.37 µmol/L) than microfilaria-negative donors (13.6±4.9 µmol/L; t = 3.142, P = .004). Serum transferrin was significantly lower in malaria-positive donors (2.15±0.27 g/L) than malaria-negative donors (2.35±0.77 g/L; t = 3.328, P < .001) but did not differ significantly by microfilaria status. Abnormal serum iron was significantly associated with malaria positivity (χ² = 14.400, P < .001) but not with microfilaria status.

Conclusion: Asymptomatic malaria and, to a lesser extent, microfilaria infection meaningfully disrupt serum iron and transferrin homeostasis among donor-eligible individuals who pass current clinical screening. Incorporating haemoparasite screening into donor selection algorithms could improve both transfusion safety and donor iron-health monitoring in malaria-endemic settings such as southwestern Nigeria.

Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Antibiotic Resistance among Dental Students and Practitioners in Rajasthan Region

Rishi Nanda, Saini Vaibhav, Charan Mayank, Sarita Gill — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Inappropriate and excessive antibiotic use contributes to antibiotic resistance, and appropriate prescribing knowledge is important in dental practice. This study assessed knowledge of antibiotic use and attitudes towards antibiotic resistance among dental students and practitioners in Rajasthan.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among dental students and practitioners. Of 250 questionnaires distributed, 221 completed responses were received. The questionnaire collected sociodemographic information, commonly prescribed antibiotics, clinical conditions influencing antibiotic prescription, knowledge regarding antibiotics, and attitudes towards antibiotic resistance. Data were reviewed and expressed as percentages.

Results: Participants included 60.2% females and 39.8% males; 61.1% were aged 21–25 years. Amoxicillin and the combination of amoxicillin with clavulanic acid were each reported as the first-choice antibiotic for odontogenic infection by 42.1% of participants. Antibiotics would be prescribed by 74.7% for extraction of an impacted tooth and by 54.8% for pulpitis. Most participants (97.3%) reported taking a patient’s medical history before prescribing antibiotics. In addition, 94.1% agreed that infections caused by resistant bacteria are increasing in India, while 95% indicated that antibiotic prescribing should be based on pathogen culture. No statistically significant differences in knowledge or attitudes were observed among the groups.

Conclusion: Knowledge of antibiotic prescribing and resistance was suboptimal despite awareness of several resistance-related issues. Educational initiatives are warranted to reinforce appropriate antibiotic use and antimicrobial stewardship among dental students and practitioners.

Socio-Economic and Environmental Risk Factors Associated with Tuberculosis in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a public health concern because of its high morbidity and mortality. Despite major advances in diagnosis and treatment, evidence on how socioeconomic and environmental factors are linked to tuberculosis remains insufficient.

Aim: This review seeks to provide evidence on the contributory role of prevalent socioeconomic and environmental factors in tuberculosis incidence in low- and middle-income countries.

Methodology: This systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach. A scientific literature search was conducted using the African Journal Online (AJOL), Elsevier, Scopus and PubMed databases. In addition, grey literature was systematically searched using ResearchGate and Google Scholar. Three searches were conducted between 9 and 11 March 2023, 21 March and 10 May 2024, and 20 September and 19 October 2025. The search focused on studies published within the last 20 years that reported data on socioeconomic and environmental risk factors associated with TB in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Of the 861 articles retrieved for review, 29 met the eligibility criteria and were systematically reviewed.

Results: The socioeconomic risk factors identified in the study included poor housing types, high household population density, low education level, low monthly income and malnutrition. Other factors included age, transport difficulties caused by limited transport options, long travel distances and lack of access to financial support to meet basic needs while sick. Environmental risk factors associated with TB incidence included temperature, humidity and lighting. High humidity, biofuel use, kitchen gas use and indoor cigarette smoke were also identified as environmental risks.

Conclusion: Tuberculosis prevalence is associated with socioeconomic deprivation. Environmental factors were also associated with a potentially higher risk of tuberculosis. Public health efforts to combat tuberculosis should address these issues by promoting health education, improving housing quality and mitigating air pollution.

Current Evidence and Clinical Outcomes of Neuro-oncology Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Adults with brain tumours can experience motor, cognitive, psychological and participation limitations across surgery, active treatment and survivorship, but rehabilitation evidence is heterogeneous.

Objective: To synthesise clinical outcomes, harms and implementation results of structured adult neuro-oncology rehabilitation without statistical meta-analysis.

Methods: Openly accessible PubMed/PMC record pages, ClinicalTrials.gov records, backward citations and related reports were searched through 30 June 2026 for English-language studies published from 1 January 2000 to 30 June 2026. Randomised, non-randomised and longitudinal rehabilitation studies in adults with intracranial tumours were eligible. One reviewer screened, extracted and appraised records. RoB 2, ROBINS-I and JBI domains informed outcome-level narrative certainty.

Results: Ninety-eight record instances yielded 84 unique screened records, 25 retrieved full reports and 20 included studies. Multidisciplinary cohorts consistently reported functional gains, but lacked comparable controls. Exercise, cognitive and psychological programmes were generally feasible in selected patients; controlled clinical effects were mixed. A telepsychology trial improved short-term depression, a cognitive strategy trial improved subjective memory outcomes, and one small adaptive trial showed a large short-term fatigue reduction. Attrition was substantial in several high-grade-glioma programmes. Certainty was low or very low for most outcomes and moderate only for the narrow severe-fatigue question.

Conclusions: Rehabilitation is deliverable across inpatient, outpatient, home and telehealth settings and may improve selected functional and symptom outcomes, but comparative effectiveness and uncommon harms remain uncertain. Multicentre trials with core outcomes, prespecified estimands and systematic adverse-event reporting are needed.

Progressive Resistance Exercise for Quadriceps Strength in Male and Female Athletes: A Critical Narrative Review of Loading Models, Modalities, and Sex-Specific Responses

Ritu Harsh Rajdeep, Jeban Daniel, Samriti — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Quadriceps strength is a central determinant of force production, deceleration, jumping, sprinting, change of direction, and knee-joint control in many sports. Progressive resistance exercise is therefore widely prescribed to athletes, yet the phrase encompasses markedly different loading models, contraction modes, equipment, progression rules, and monitoring systems. This critical narrative review evaluates the efficacy of conventional high-load isotonic training, periodised and autoregulated progression, isokinetic loading, eccentric and flywheel methods, variable and elastic resistance, and low-load blood-flow-restriction exercise for improving quadriceps or closely related lower-body strength in male and female athletes. A transparent search of accessible scholarly indexes and citation networks was undertaken for literature published from 1945 to 25 May 2026, with foundational earlier work considered where necessary. Evidence was appraised for design quality, training specificity, participant training status, sex representation, measurement validity, and transfer to athletic performance. The most defensible conclusion is that progressive overload, adequate exposure to high force, and alignment between the trained movement and the strength test are more important than the brand name of a technique. Heavy dynamic training generally provides the clearest advantage for one-repetition-maximum strength, while volume, frequency, and proximity to failure mainly influence whether sufficient high-quality work can be accumulated and recovered from. Isokinetic, eccentric, flywheel, variable-resistance, autoregulatory, and blood-flow-restriction methods can all increase strength, but superiority over well-designed conventional training is inconsistent and usually outcome-specific. Relative lower-body strength gains appear broadly similar in women and men when programmes and baseline training status are comparable, although female athletes remain underrepresented and sex-specific inferences are constrained by small samples and weak control of reproductive-status variables. Advanced methods are best viewed as tools for solving specific programming problems rather than universal replacements for conventional progressive loading. Future trials require adequately powered sex-stratified designs, athlete-specific samples, standardised quadriceps outcomes, transparent progression algorithms, and longer follow-up to establish durability and sport transfer.

Prebiotic and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: A Critical Narrative Review of Mechanistic, Observational, and Clinical Evidence

Sheetal B Patil, Preeti V Kulkarni, V. H. Kulkarni — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, and dietary modulation of the gut microbiota has emerged as a candidate strategy for risk reduction. Prebiotics—substrates selectively utilised by host microorganisms to confer a health benefit—have been proposed to influence cardiovascular risk through short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, modulation of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) generation, lipid-lowering effects and attenuation of low-grade inflammation. This critical narrative review synthesises mechanistic, observational and randomised controlled trial (RCT) evidence published up to 6 April 2026 concerning inulin-type fructans, β-glucans, galacto-oligosaccharides and related fermentable fibres in relation to lipid profile, blood pressure, glycaemic control, inflammatory biomarkers and clinical cardiovascular outcomes. Evidence for cholesterol-lowering effects, particularly from viscous fibres such as oat β-glucan, is comparatively consistent, with meta-analyses reporting modest but reproducible reductions in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Evidence for blood pressure reduction is more heterogeneous, with meaningful effects observed predominantly in hypertensive populations and largely derived from animal models rather than adequately powered human trials. Mechanistic work implicates SCFA-receptor signalling (GPR41, GPR43, GPR109A) in vascular and renal blood pressure regulation, while the relationship between prebiotic fibre intake and TMAO remains inconsistent, with a small pilot trial suggesting attenuation only in subgroups with lower habitual meat intake. Anti-inflammatory effects are plausible but are confounded across the literature by co-administration with probiotics and by short trial durations. Methodological limitations pervade this evidence base, including small sample sizes, heterogeneous prebiotic formulations and doses, short follow-up, reliance on surrogate rather than hard cardiovascular endpoints, and frequent conflation of prebiotic, probiotic and synbiotic interventions. No adequately powered trial has examined prebiotic supplementation against incident myocardial infarction, stroke or cardiovascular mortality. This review concludes that prebiotic fibres represent a biologically plausible but incompletely validated adjunctive strategy for cardiovascular risk modification, with the strongest evidence supporting lipid-related benefits and the weakest evidence supporting hard clinical outcomes. Priorities for future research include adequately powered, long-duration trials with cardiovascular endpoints, standardisation of prebiotic dosing and characterisation, and mechanistic studies disentangling prebiotic-specific from probiotic-associated effects.

Image Processing from Handcrafted Operators to Foundation Models: A Critical Review of Methods, Applications and Recent Advances

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Digital image processing has evolved from deterministic operators designed around explicit assumptions to data-driven systems that learn representations, priors and decision rules from large image collections. This transition has improved performance in restoration, segmentation, compression and visual interpretation, but it has also complicated evaluation, reproducibility and deployment. This critical narrative review examines the field as a connected pipeline rather than as a catalogue of algorithms. It considers image formation and degradation, classical spatial and variational methods, non-local and sparse modelling, convolutional neural networks, vision transformers, diffusion models and emerging foundation models. It also analyses how these approaches are translated into medical imaging, Earth observation, industrial inspection, agriculture and multimedia systems. The evidence indicates that classical methods remain valuable when physical assumptions are credible, data are scarce or interpretability and predictable failure behaviour are important. Learned models are strongest when training and deployment distributions are aligned and task-specific data are sufficiently representative, while hybrid physical and learned approaches can reduce sample requirements and constrain implausible outputs. Transformers and diffusion models broaden context modelling and generative capability, although their computational cost, dependence on pretraining and uncertain behaviour under distribution shift limit universal claims of superiority. Across applications, benchmark gains frequently exceed improvements demonstrated in prospective or operational settings. Image quality metrics, dataset design and reporting practices often fail to capture clinically, environmentally or industrially consequential errors. The review therefore argues for evaluation that is task-aware, distribution-aware and resource-aware, with uncertainty, fairness, calibration and reproducibility treated as core properties rather than optional add-ons. Future progress is likely to depend less on isolated architectural novelty than on credible image-formation models, representative data, robust adaptation, efficient computation and validation against domain outcomes.

Comparing Core Strengthening Techniques in Badminton: A Critical Narrative Review of Mechanisms, Evidence Quality and Transfer to On-Court Performance

Aseem Yadav, Himanshu Sharma — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Core strengthening occupies a settled place in badminton conditioning practice, yet the training methods gathered under that label differ widely in external loading, surface stability, movement velocity and coordinative complexity. Whether those differences matter for badminton performance remains unresolved, and prescription is frequently justified by appeal to the construct rather than by comparative evidence. This critical narrative review evaluates the strength, consistency and methodological adequacy of the literature bearing on that question, and asks whether the available data support differentiating among core strengthening techniques for badminton players. Peer-reviewed evidence was identified through open scholarly indexes and metadata registries, supplemented by backward and forward citation searching, institutional and journal sources, and checks for corrections and retractions, with the final search conducted on 25 May 2026. Three findings dominate the synthesis. First, general syntheses of trunk and core training in trained athletes report reliable gains in trunk endurance and balance but small, inconsistent transfer to sport-specific outcomes, whereas badminton-specific and racket-sport-specific syntheses report substantially larger effects; the divergence is attributable in large part to differences in control-group design, outcome selection and study quality rather than to genuine sport specificity. Second, direct comparisons among modality families are scarce, and where they exist the contrasts typically confound modality with external load, session duration or coaching attention, so that claims of superiority for unstable-surface, Pilates-based or integrated approaches are not supported by adequately controlled data. Third, the badminton evidence base is small, dominated by short interventions in youth and collegiate players, weakly powered, and marked by at least one retraction, which constrains confidence in pooled estimates. Core strengthening can be recommended as an adjunct that improves trunk endurance, dynamic balance and, in less-trained players, change-of-direction performance, but assertions that any particular technique is superior for badminton exceed the evidence. Priorities include adequately powered comparative trials with load-matched control conditions and badminton-valid outcomes.

Assessment of Sensory Impairments in Cerebral Palsy Following Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischaemic Brain Injury: A Critical Narrative Review

Vipin Sharma — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Sensory impairment is clinically consequential in cerebral palsy (CP), yet it is often assessed less systematically than motor function. The problem is particularly complex when CP follows neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE), because a single hypoxic-ischaemic insult can affect ocular, auditory, somatosensory and associative networks, while motor, cognitive and communication impairments can obscure the child's true sensory capacity. This critical narrative review evaluates how visual, auditory and somatosensory impairments should be assessed in children and adolescents with CP after documented or strongly supported perinatal HIE. It also examines the evidential limits of attributing CP and later sensory findings to hypoxia-ischaemia. The literature was identified through live searches of biomedical and scholarly sources for publications from 1 January 1990 to 31 May 2026, supplemented by citation searching and targeted inclusion of foundational sources. The synthesis shows that evidence is strongest for visual and hearing outcomes but remains methodologically heterogeneous. Visual assessment requires separation of ocular health, refraction, acuity, contrast, fields and eye movements from cerebral visual processing and real-world functional vision. Hearing assessment requires a cross-check approach that combines cochlear and neural measures, because otoacoustic emissions alone may not detect auditory neuropathy or brainstem dysfunction and early auditory brainstem abnormalities may be transient. Somatosensory assessment is the least standardised domain; tactile registration, localisation, discrimination, stereognosis, joint-position sense and kinesthesia must be tested separately while minimising motor, visual, language and attention demands. Neuroimaging and neurophysiology can clarify mechanisms and resolve discordant findings, but neither substitutes for direct, developmentally appropriate functional assessment. An integrated stepped pathway is proposed, linking perinatal records and lesion pattern to repeated domain-specific testing, response adaptations, activity-level observation and participation consequences. The central conclusion is that no single test or lesion pattern can characterise sensory function after HIE-related CP. Reliable assessment depends on triangulation across modalities, methods, developmental stages and everyday contexts.

Precision Farming in Contemporary Agriculture: A Critical Review of Recent Advances, Agricultural Value, and Implementation Gaps

Divyanshu Bhatt — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Precision farming has evolved from a site-specific input-management concept into a connected agricultural management architecture that combines georeferenced sensing, Global Navigation Satellite Systems, remote and proximal sensing, Internet of Things networks, machine learning, variable-rate actuation, and increasingly autonomous machinery. This critical narrative review evaluates recent advances in these technologies and, more importantly, the extent to which technical capability translates into agronomic, environmental, economic, and institutional value. Literature published mainly from 2015 to 15 June 2026 was considered, with selected earlier studies retained where they established foundational concepts or adoption trajectories. The evidence shows a marked asymmetry in maturity. Guidance, section control, georeferenced monitoring, and several variable-rate applications are commercially established, whereas many artificial-intelligence, digital-twin, and robotic applications remain dependent on local calibration, supervised field validation, reliable connectivity, and favourable capital and service conditions. Remote sensing and sensor fusion have greatly improved the spatial and temporal visibility of crop and soil variability, but higher data density does not by itself produce better decisions. Machine-learning studies frequently report strong predictive performance, yet transferability is constrained by sparse labels, class imbalance, domain shift, inconsistent evaluation procedures, and limited independent field testing. Environmental evidence is strongest where precision technologies directly alter an input pathway, particularly variable-rate nutrient management, but broad sustainability claims remain more confident than the field evidence warrants. Profitability is similarly context dependent because gains depend on baseline variability, farm scale, equipment replacement cycles, interoperability, operator capability, and the cost of data and advisory services. The central implication is that the next phase of precision farming should be assessed as a closed-loop decision system rather than as a collection of devices. Progress will depend on outcome-based multi-site trials, uncertainty-aware analytics, interoperable data infrastructures, service models suitable for smaller farms, transparent data governance, and evaluation frameworks that connect technical accuracy to realised farm and environmental outcomes.

Finite-element-based Structural Optimisation of Weak Components in Machine Tools: A Critical Appraisal of Weakness Identification, Modelling Assumptions and Validation Practice

Junnan Hu — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Machine tool accuracy, productivity and dynamic stability are constrained less by the average stiffness of the frame than by the behaviour of a small number of comparatively compliant elements within it. Finite element (FE) analysis has become the standard instrument for locating such elements and for redesigning them, and the resulting body of work now spans beds, columns, crossbeams, rams, slide tables and spindle housings across turning, milling, grinding and gantry-type configurations. This review examines that literature critically rather than descriptively. It traces how structural weakness is defined operationally, how the choice of definition interacts with modelling assumptions, how optimisation problems are formulated and solved, and how the resulting designs are verified. Three linked problems recur. First, weakness is operationalised through mutually inconsistent measures, including static compliance contribution, modal strain energy share, flexibility-matrix magnitude and design-variable sensitivity, and cross-criterion comparison on a common structure is almost absent, so the identity of the weakest component is often criterion-dependent rather than physical. Second, the components identified as weak are strongly conditioned by assumptions about joints, supports, load cases and axis configuration; where interfaces are represented as bonded contact, compliance that physically resides in guideways, bearings and bolted flanges is displaced onto the castings that surround them. Third, reported performance gains are usually assessed against the same numerical model that generated them, and where experimental model updating is applied, the fitted interface parameters absorb model error in a manner that limits the independence of subsequent validation. Well-supported conclusions are distinguished from provisional ones: sensitivity-guided rib and wall-thickness redesign consistently improves the stiffness-to-mass ratio relative to intuition-based design, whereas claims of general superiority for particular topology optimisation variants remain weakly evidenced. Priorities are proposed for criterion benchmarking, interface-aware formulations, process-coupled objectives, configuration-robust optimisation and transparent reporting.

Geospatial Technology as Integrated Decision Infrastructure: Applications, Persistent Challenges and Future Directions

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Geospatial technology has evolved from a set of specialised mapping tools into an integrated decision infrastructure that links Earth observation, geographic information systems, satellite positioning, uncrewed aerial systems, volunteered geographic information, cloud computing and geospatial artificial intelligence. This critical narrative review examines how that integration is changing evidence production and decision support across agriculture, environmental and biodiversity monitoring, disaster risk management, urban and transport planning, and public health. Literature published primarily from 2000 to 9 June 2026 was selected through live web-based scholarly discovery, DOI and bibliographic verification, citation chaining and targeted searches of accessible scholarly records. The evidence indicates that geospatial systems are most valuable when they combine complementary observations across scales rather than relying on a single sensor, platform or algorithm. Their strongest contributions are spatially explicit monitoring, prioritisation, scenario analysis and repeated observation, while the weakest parts of many workflows remain ground-reference quality, uncertainty propagation, transferability, interoperability and evaluation against operational outcomes. Cloud platforms and deep learning have expanded computational reach, but they can also conceal provenance, amplify geographic bias and encourage benchmark-driven optimisation that does not translate reliably across places. Volunteered data and urban digital twins extend participation and real-time representation, yet introduce uneven coverage, privacy, governance and accountability concerns. The review argues that future progress depends less on incremental accuracy gains than on reproducible multi-source workflows, explicit uncertainty, trustworthy and explainable geospatial artificial intelligence, privacy-preserving governance, interoperable standards and evaluation in the institutions that ultimately use the evidence. Geospatial technology should therefore be judged not only by spatial resolution or predictive performance, but by whether it produces defensible, equitable and actionable knowledge across heterogeneous real-world settings.

Obesity as a Systemic Condition: A Critical Appraisal of Dermatological, Ophthalmological and Gastrointestinal Manifestations Linked to the Metabolic Axis

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Obesity is increasingly conceptualised not as a disorder of body size but as a chronic condition of adipose tissue function with consequences that extend across almost every organ system. Cardiometabolic and oncological sequelae dominate the literature, whereas the dermatological, ophthalmological and gastrointestinal consequences are usually examined within separate specialty silos, each with its own outcome definitions, exposure measures and explanatory models. This critical narrative review evaluates whether these three organ systems share a common pathophysiological substrate, here termed the metabolic axis, and whether the evidence supporting that shared substrate is strong enough to justify integrated clinical reasoning. Literature was identified through structured searching of a federated biomedical index with bibliographic verification through a metadata registry, complemented by targeted retrieval of consensus statements and landmark trials. Evidence was appraised for design adequacy, exposure characterisation, confounding control and consistency rather than pooled quantitatively. Four mediators recur across systems: adipose tissue expansion with extracellular matrix remodelling and hypoxia; insulin resistance with compensatory hyperinsulinaemia and altered growth-factor signalling; chronic low-grade inflammation with reprogramming of tissue-resident immune populations; and gut microbial and barrier alterations feeding into hepatic and systemic metabolism. Support for these mediators is strongest where an intermediate phenotype can be measured directly, as in acanthosis nigricans, steatotic liver disease and idiopathic intracranial hypertension, and weakest where associations rest on body mass index alone, as in glaucoma, cataract and age-related macular degeneration. Weight-loss interventions provide the most informative natural experiment, yet outcomes diverge markedly between systems, with intracranial pressure and hepatic histology responding favourably while reflux, gallstone formation and early diabetic retinopathy show neutral or adverse short-term trajectories. Divergence of this kind constrains any simple claim that adiposity reduction uniformly reverses obesity-associated organ injury. Priorities include replacing body mass index with compartment-specific adiposity measures, harmonising outcome definitions across specialties, and designing weight-loss trials that capture dermatological, ocular and luminal endpoints prospectively.

Organisational Communication and Servant Leadership as Interdependent Antecedents of Workplace Trust, Employee Engagement and Decision Effectiveness: A Critical Narrative Review

Nawas Abubakar, Abimbola Serifat Oreoluwa — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Organisations increasingly attribute their capacity to retain talent, sustain discretionary effort and reach sound decisions to the quality of leadership and to the character of internal communication. Two research traditions have developed around these claims. One examines servant leadership, a follower-centred approach in which the leader gives priority to the growth, needs and moral development of subordinates. The other examines organisational and internal communication, particularly its symmetry, transparency and responsiveness. Both traditions report associations with workplace trust and employee engagement, and both increasingly assert consequences for the effectiveness of organisational decisions. The two literatures have nevertheless developed with limited mutual reference, use different measurement conventions, and rarely test whether communication constitutes the behavioural substance of servant leadership rather than an independent antecedent. This critical narrative review evaluates the strength, coherence and methodological adequacy of the combined evidence. Peer-reviewed literature was identified through structured searching of open scholarly indexes and by citation chaining, with critical appraisal focused on design, measurement, level of analysis and causal warrant. The synthesis indicates that the association between servant leadership and trust in the supervisor is the most consistently replicated finding, that the association with engagement is robust in magnitude but poorly specified mechanistically, and that claims about decision effectiveness rest almost entirely on inference rather than on direct measurement of decision processes or decision outcomes. Persistent weaknesses include construct overlap between leadership and communication measures, dominance of single-source cross-sectional designs, aggregation of individual perceptions to unit-level claims without adequate justification, and geographically uneven sampling. Confidence in the practical prescriptions circulating in this field is therefore lower than the volume of supporting publications suggests. Priorities for future work include construct disentanglement, experimental and quasi-experimental designs, direct measurement of decision quality, and multilevel studies that trace information flow from leader behaviour to organisational choice.

Artificial Intelligence and Large Language Models in Agricultural Extension: Critical Synthesis of Adoption, Efficacy, and Equity in Smallholder Advisory Systems

Swati Sucharita, Pratima Sachan, T. Sravan Kumar — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Agricultural extension and advisory services are undergoing a rapid digital transformation driven by artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, natural language processing, and, more recently, generative artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs). These technologies have the potential to address persistent constraints in conventional agricultural extension, including limited adviser-to-farmer ratios, geographical isolation, inadequate localisation of information, and delays in the dissemination of climate, market, and agronomic information. LLM-based advisory systems are particularly significant because they can transform complex agricultural knowledge into conversational, multilingual, and potentially personalised guidance. However, their technical capability does not automatically translate into effective or equitable agricultural outcomes. This review synthesises emerging evidence on the adoption, efficacy, scalability, and equity implications of AI and LLM-based agricultural advisory systems, with particular emphasis on smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income countries. The literature indicates that AI-enabled advisory systems can improve access to timely information, facilitate question-answering, support crop and pest management, and extend the reach of human extension personnel. Emerging platforms such as Farmer.Chat demonstrate the feasibility of large-scale generative AI-enabled advisory delivery, while recent experiments with retrieval-augmented generation indicate promising pathways for improving factual grounding and contextual relevance. Nevertheless, evidence of direct impacts on farm productivity, profitability, resilience, and sustained behavioural change remains considerably weaker than evidence of technological feasibility and user engagement. Major limitations include hallucination, outdated or geographically inappropriate information, language and dialect constraints, weak interoperability with local agricultural databases, limited transparency, data governance concerns, and overreliance on automated recommendations. Equity is an equally important concern because digital access, literacy, gender, income, connectivity, and social norms influence who can benefit from AI-enabled services. The review argues that LLMs should therefore be positioned as augmentation technologies within pluralistic extension systems rather than as substitutes for human advisers. Future agricultural AI systems should combine retrieval from authoritative local knowledge bases, multimodal and multilingual interfaces, human oversight, participatory design, continuous evaluation, responsible data governance, and explicit equity metrics. The future value of AI in agricultural extension will ultimately depend not on model sophistication alone but on the quality of the socio-technical systems in which these technologies are embedded.