Research works

Spatial disparities in surf-resource sustainability: Implications for coastal policy and marine education in Taiwan

This study situates global surf sustainability within the Taiwanese context, where recreational surfing has developed since the 1980s and expanded internationally after 2010, yet region-wide assessments of surf-resource sustainability remain limited. Little is known about how sus...

Role of calcineurin B homologous protein 3 in C2C12 myogenic differentiation

Calcineurin B homologous protein 3 (CHP3), also known as tescalcin, has been implicated in the regulation of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, but its function in skeletal muscle remains unclear. Here, we investigated the role of CHP3 in C2C12 myogenic differentiation. CHP3 expression w...

Development and validation of the HKT-PE(J): A standardized assessment for English learning difficulties

English learning difficulties (ELD) are prevalent among Chinese students learning English as a second language (ESL), yet few standardized assessment measures are available to support early identification and intervention. This study developed and validated the Hong Kong Test of...

Transgluteal Decompression of the Pudendal Nerve in Pudendal Neuralgia: Implications of Sacrospinous Ligament Resection

Objective: This study evaluated the efficacy of pudendal nerve decompression via the transgluteal approach for pudendal neuralgia and examined factors associated with surgical outcomes.Methods: Pain reduction was analyzed in 14 patients with pudendal neuralgia who underwent trans...

Discovering nominal constructions through behavioral profiles: the case of Akan

This study examines nominal constructions in Asante Twi, a variety of Akan (Niger-Congo, Kwa), using the Behavioral Profiles (BP) approach. It investigates how constructional identification can be operationalized empirically, and what taxonomy of noun phrase (NP) patterns emerges...

A narrative review of school-based preventive interventions on mental disorders and addictions

In recent years, there has been considerable concern about the deterioration of mental health in children and adolescents, and there is a coincidence between mental disorders and addictive disorders. In view of this situation, it is important to review preventive interventions fr...

Crisis communication strategies, government reputation signals, and health compliance willingness during COVID-19: a randomized experiment in the context of China’s zero-COVID policy

Although government reputation is widely recognized as a resource for securing public compliance during health crises, little is known about which specific reputational attributes members of the public rely on when forming trust and deciding whether to comply with costly protecti...

High seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection among patients with HIV attending clinic in a tertiary hospital in Ghana: a cross-sectional survey

Toxoplasma gondii infects over a billion people globally, posing severe risks for HIV patients due to immunosuppression. High seroprevalence of T. gondii infection has been reported in sub-Saharan Africa, however, data from Ghana’s Volta Region remain limited. This study assessed...

Single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing demonstrate the critical function of the regulatory T cell-associated gene SIRPG in the prognosis and tumor microenvironment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Immunosuppression by regulatory T cells (Tregs) significantly contributes to poor prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), although the specific regulatory genes and mechanisms involved are not well understood. We analyzed single-cell RNA sequencing and bulk transc...

Essential oil from Piper aduncum L. leaves exhibits analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity in mice

Piper aduncum L. is a medicinal plant whose essential oil is rich in bioactive constituents, particularly dilapiol, and has attracted interest because of its diverse pharmacological properties. However, its anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and antinociceptive activities and the me...

Not all debt is equal: Debt type, burden, and life satisfaction among urban young adults in Seoul

Young adults in rapidly growing cities face mounting financial pressures from escalating housing costs and limited access to stable employment. This study examines how different debt types and perceived debt burden are associated with life satisfaction among young adults in Seoul...

Nonlinear Dynamic Analysis of Oscillatory Behavior of Graphene Nano/Microelectromechanical System Using a Hybrid Morlet Wavelet Neural Network Framework

The Nano/microelectromechanical systems (N/MEMS), particularly graphene-based devices, exhibit highly nonlinear and oscillatory dynamic behavior that is complicated to solve accurately utilizing the conventional numerical and theoretical approaches. This study aims to design an a...

Mate-retention capacity and singlehood: evidence from the Greek, Russian, and Ukrainian cultural contexts

Evolutionary theorizing indicates that people vary considerably in their capacity to retain intimate partners, and part of this variation may contribute to singlehood. Candidate items were generated with AI tools and refined by the authors into an instrument to measure this capac...

Beyond think-aloud: Toward a representational–recursive agenda for multimodal process-tracing research in learning and instruction

Background Think-aloud traditionally has been conceptualized as a means of accessing cognitive processes through verbal report. The nine studies in this special issue reveal a broader methodological transition in which verbal protocols increasingly are combined with eye tracking,...

Effect of Y addition on microstructure, tensile properties, and corrosion behavior of high-speed-extruded Mg–5Bi–3Al alloy

This study investigates the effect of Y addition on the microstructure, tensile properties, and corrosion behavior of high-speed-extruded Mg–5Bi–3Al (BA53) alloy. Y-free BA53 and Y-containing BAW53 x alloys ( x = 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 wt.%) are extruded at a die-exit speed of 67 m/mi...

Mechanism of HO-1 in alleviating sepsis-associated acute kidney injury via regulating mitochondrial proteostasis and targeted intervention with DNA nanomaterials

Sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (S-AKI) is a major driver of systemic mortality and chronic renal dysfunction, yet effective mechanism-based interventions are lacking. Clinical analysis revealed significant oxidative stress imbalance in patients with S-AKI, characterized by...

Optimizing motor functions in incomplete spinal cord injury with simultaneous application of transcranial direct current stimulation and virtual reality assisted treadmill training: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial {1a}

Incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) leads to significant motor impairments, affecting mobility and quality of life. Emerging rehabilitation strategies, including neuromodulation and virtual reality-assisted treadmill training, have shown potential in enhancing motor recovery amo...

How dupe types shape product attitudes: the moderating role of funsumer orientation

This study examines how dupe type influences product attitude and whether funsumer orientation moderates this relationship. A between-subjects experiment was conducted with 184 university students in South Korea, who were randomly assigned to a design-similar or function-similar...

Design and Development of Secure Authentication Protocol for Data Encryption in IoT

This paper devises a secure authentication technique in the Internet of Things (IoT) using the proposed Firefly Invasive Weed optimization (FIWO)-based authentication approach. The authentication technique devised for IoT allows secure communication among the devices. The propose...

Infrared thermography for mapping catalyst distribution and detecting defects in PEM fuel cell and electrolyzer electrodes

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells and electrolyzers require reliable quality control methods to assess catalyst distribution on electrode surfaces. Non-uniform catalyst deposition may reduce performance, increase platinum waste, and promote local degradation. In this work,...