Nevin Manimala

Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 20;15(1):28582. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-10591-0.

ABSTRACT

Driven by increasing anthropogenic CO₂, the impact of ongoing climate change on the marine plankton ecosystem ultimately extends to higher trophic levels and the biogeochemical cycling of carbon and nutrients. However, the impacts of multiple environmental changes on trophic interactions between predator and prey have still not been fully explored. Here we conducted incubation experiments to determine the temperature and CO₂ sensitivities of marine phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing in the western Arctic Ocean, where rapid climate change is taking place. The temperature sensitivity of the growth of larger phytoplankton decreased owing to the increase in CO₂ levels, whereas that of the growth of smaller phytoplankton increased under higher CO₂ levels. Notably, the temperature sensitivity of Arctic phytoplankton is at least two times higher than the canonical estimates irrespective of size classes, highlighting the uniqueness of the Arctic ecosystem’s response to warming. Microzooplankton grazing was closely coupled with, but did not exceed, the growth rates of their prey, suggesting that microzooplankton behavior is mainly regulated by prey availability rather than the ambient environment. The higher competitiveness of smaller phytoplankton under higher temperatures and CO₂ conditions might lead to a less productive Arctic Ocean ecosystem for higher trophic-level organisms in the future.

PMID:40830618 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-10591-0

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2025 Aug 19. doi: 10.1007/s11356-025-36815-4. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The global community faces a critical challenge as rising CO₂ emissions threaten both environmental sustainability and human well-being. The swift addressing of these issues is crucial to preserving and enhancing environmental integrity. Therefore, c from 1990 to 2022, advanced statistical methods, including multiple diagnostic tests, Panel-Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE), and Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS), were employed. The findings reveal that renewable energy is pivotal in mitigating CO₂ emissions, while Fintech and industrialization also contribute to reducing emissions. Conversely, geopolitical risk is found to exacerbate CO₂ emissions. Notably, hydro energy does not significantly contribute to CO₂ emissions reduction, whereas wind and solar energy play a substantial role in the same. The study identifies unidirectional causality among the various selected variables and provides crucial policy implications for the development of renewable energy sources and the maintenance of environmental quality.

PMID:40830605 | DOI:10.1007/s11356-025-36815-4

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2025 Aug 19. doi: 10.1007/s11356-025-36822-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Hydrological regimes are crucial for river ecosystems, which depend on flow patterns. Dams disrupt these regimes, creating variations in river systems, requiring management to analyze and assess flow changes. This study aims to assess the impact of the Shahid Kazemi Dam construction on the flow regime and environmental flow components of the Zarrineh-Roud River, a permanent river. The findings of this research can contribute to a better understanding of the changes in natural flow components influenced by river flow regulation. In this study, 33 hydrological parameters, categorized into five statistical groups, were used as indicators of hydrological change at the Sarighamish hydrometric station. The IHA software was utilized to evaluate changes in the Zarrineh River’s flow from 1955 to 2015, comparing pre- and post-dam periods. Additionally, the independent samples t-test was employed to assess river flow changes. The results showed that hydrological indices at the study station were altered due to dam construction, with some indices increasing while others decreased. The construction of the Shahid Kazemi dam has caused substantial changes in environmental flow components (EFCs) at the Sarighamish station, particularly in monthly low flows, where October low flow decreased from 20.65 to 4.2 cms. High flow pulses were also affected, with the high flow peak reducing from 65 to 56 cms, though the duration of these pulses increased significantly from 3.25 to 9.5 days, indicating prolonged high flow conditions post-dam. Significant differences in river flow components at the Sarighamish station were observed after the dam’s construction. March and April showed large increases (70.97 and 86.27), while October and July saw notable decreases (- 19.68 and – 21.38), highlighting the dam’s impact on seasonal flow patterns. To preserve the Zarrineh River’s ecological conditions, water management must regulate the Bukan Dam’s flow regime to align post-dam hydrological indices with the natural flow variation.

PMID:40830604 | DOI:10.1007/s11356-025-36822-5

Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 19;15(1):30314. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-95302-5.

ABSTRACT

Availability of a dependable electricity source is essential for improving living standards. When designing a micro-grid system, two key factors must be considered: cost-effectiveness and service quality. A major challenge in hybrid system design is balancing cost and reliability. To address this, a Renewable Energy System (RES) is optimized using a hybrid PV/Wind system with a diesel generator and battery storage. A novel hybrid harbor seal jellyfish searching (HHSJS) method is introduced for system configuration and component sizing. HHSJS seeks to address the problem with the investigation of the current harbor seal whiskers optimization algorithm (HSWOA). A temporal control technique is used to switch between JS and HSWOA operators throughout the search operation. The effectiveness of HHSJS is tested using 50 benchmark functions. Recent hourly wind speed data from two meteorological stations in Egypt: the Northwest Coast area and the New Valley Governorate. Despite the complexity of RES design, the optimal component sizing has been effectively determined for each location using HHSJS. This suggests that RES can be a viable solution for electrification projects, improving energy access in remote Egyptian regions and other developing areas with similar climates.

PMID:40830601 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-95302-5

Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 19;15(1):30462. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-16587-0.

ABSTRACT

Composites reinforced with natural fibers are increasingly progressively in diverse engineering practices for their remarkable attributes, including weight reduction, high strength, cost-efficiency, biodegradability, and renewability. This research explores the mechanical attributes of epoxy composites fortified with jute fiber and alumina. Employing Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with a three-factor, three-level design, the research examines independent variables including orientation (A), size of particle (S), and weight% of particle (W) to optimize process parameters for these composites. It evaluates how these variables influence mechanical properties such as tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, flexural modulus, and water absorption capacity, aiming to enhance composite performance both economically and effectively. The combination of 0/90° fiber orientation, 106-micron particle size, and 8% weight fraction yields composites with optimized flexural and tensile properties. It is critical to effectively and affordably enhance artificial intelligence tools to establish sound mechanical properties. The Jaya algorithm, developed based on Grey-ANFIS, is utilized for process optimization, applying grey theory to establish a multi-performance index that is rigorously assessed through statistical error analysis. Based on experimental results, the study identifies optimal process variable combinations that ensure superior and enhanced multi-performance characteristics in the fabricated composites.

PMID:40830582 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-16587-0

Mol Psychiatry. 2025 Aug 19. doi: 10.1038/s41380-025-03155-1. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Anxiety disorders, including social anxiety disorder (SAD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder (PD), agoraphobia (AG), and specific phobia (SP), are characterized by core features of excessive anxiety and fear. Furthermore, these disorders are often accompanied by avoidance behaviors. While avoidance is a common behavioral response, it may be a consequence of or a cocontributor to the anxiety and fear driving these disorders. This narrative review integrates the interactions among anxiety, fear, and avoidance behaviors across these five disorders and synthesizes findings from clinical, neuropsychological, brain function, treatment, genetic, and epigenetic studies. Based on the intensity of anxiety and fear, these anxiety five disorders can be categorized into three groups: fear-dominant (SP, AG), mixed (PD, SAD), and anxiety-dominant (GAD). The intensity of avoidance behaviors is related to the age of onset. Each group responds to different treatment approaches. In fear-dominant disorders, exposure therapy is highly effective in reducing avoidance behaviors and fear responses. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with an emphasis on exposure is useful. In the mixed group, CBT is the preferred treatment, with a focus on both exposure therapy and cognitive restructuring. In addition to CBT, selective serotonin and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs/SNRIs) are commonly used to reduce anticipatory anxiety and fear symptoms. In anxiety-dominant disorders, both SSRIs/SNRIs and CBT with an emphasis on cognitive restructuring are effective for managing chronic worry. Anxiety and fear are regulated by distinct but interacting neurobiological mechanisms, with the amygdala central to fear processing and the hypothalamic‒pituitary‒adrenal axis involved in chronic anxiety regulation. Genetic and epigenetic studies demonstrate substantial heritability across anxiety disorders, with varying degrees of genetic influence on anxiety, fear, and avoidance. Avoidance behaviors, particularly in early-onset disorders such as SP and SAD, may be more strongly influenced by genetic factors. Large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWASs) grouping anxiety disorders have identified shared genetic loci, but GWASs for individual anxiety disorders are limited by small sample sizes. Grouping anxiety disorders into broader categories – namely, fear-dominant, mixed, and anxiety-dominant – rather than considering each specific anxiety disorder in isolation may lead to increased statistical power and yield more comprehensive perspectives on the shared and distinct clinical and genetic risk factors among anxiety disorders.

PMID:40830577 | DOI:10.1038/s41380-025-03155-1

Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 19;15(1):30293. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-15916-7.

ABSTRACT

Expected utility is increasingly deployed as a predictor of health behaviour within the broader domain of health economics and health sciences in general. However, research shows that this concept only explains limited variance in health behaviour. This limited explained variance is often attributed to the questionable theoretical axioms underlying the concept. Due to these limitations it was hypothesised that the concept of utility should not be conceptualized in terms of preferences for future health states (expected utility), but as realistic approximations of future health states (projected utility). Therefore, this study examines whether deployment of projected utility separately or in combination with expected utility enhances predictions of health behaviour as compared to expected utility. Online questionnaires were disseminated among a nationally representative panel of Dutch citizens (N = 2,550). The questionnaire encompassed items capturing demographic characteristics alongside instruments measuring expected utility, projected utility and health behaviour. Data analysis entailed descriptive, reliability, validity and model statistics. The results suggest that projected utility has a larger significant direct effect on and explains more variance in health behaviour than expected utility. The results subsequently indicate that expected utility and projected utility combined have a larger significant direct effect on and explain more variance in health behaviour than each type of utility separately. Health economists, policy makers and other public health practitioners are well advised to at least consider the separate or even combined deployment of projected utility in health economics in order to enhance predictions of health behaviour.

PMID:40830573 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-15916-7

Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 19;15(1):30328. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-12164-7.

ABSTRACT

Theileriosis, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and ehrlichiosis are the most important constraints to livestock production in Karamoja region, North-eastern Uganda. However, there are no large-scale studies on the prevalence and seasonal variation of tick-borne haemoparasites that are needed to design and implement tick-borne disease control programs. We collected 7080 blood samples from cattle across four districts of north-eastern Uganda during the dry (November 2022 to February 2023) and wet (July to August 2023) seasons. These samples were screened for the most important tick-borne haemoparasites (TBH) by conventional PCR, followed by capillary sequencing of representative PCR amplicons. There was no statistically significant difference [p > 0.05] in the overall prevalence of infection with at least one of the screened TBHs during the wet [39.0%; CI 7.3-40.6] and dry seasons [39.2%: CI 37.6-40.9]. Prevalence of the individual TBHs during the dry season were:-Babesia bigemina 11.8% (CI 10.8-12.9), Babesia bovis 11.8% (CI 10.8-12.9), Anaplasma marginale 9.2% (CI 8.2-10.2), Ehrlichia ruminantium 5.1% (CI 4.4-5.8) and Theileria parva 1.3% (CI 1.0-1.8). Prevalence of individual TBHs during the dry season were:-T. parva 22.6% (CI 21.3-24), A. marginale 13.6% (CI 12.5-14.8), B. bigemina 12.7% (CI 11.6-13.8), E. ruminantium 1.4% (CI 1.1-1.9) and B. bovis 0.3% (CI 0.1-0.5). Geospatial location, increasing age, sex, overnight stay in cattle kraals, and cattle breeds were significant predictors of infection with different TBHs during either season. Co-infection with the individual TBHs ranged between 0.14-2.74% and 0-1.64% during the dry and wet seasons respectively. In both seasons, the co-infection rate with all five TBHs was 0.03% (CI 0.0-0.16). Phylogenetic analyses of the representative TBH sequences revealed high level of conservation within the targeted genes of the samples in this study and those within the East Africa region that were retrieved from the GenBank. This study demonstrate high level of infection/co-infection with different TBHs in both dry and wet seasons indicating that ticks and tick-borne diseases are a major impediment to livestock production in Karamoja region. This shows the need of having a ticks and tick-borne disease control program. Moreover, B. bovis was detected for the first time in this region.

PMID:40830548 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-12164-7

Clin Neuroradiol. 2025 Aug 19. doi: 10.1007/s00062-025-01547-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is the most common neurological complication of infective endocarditis (IE), occurring in 20-40% of patients. In this context, while mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is the standard treatment for patients with AIS due to large-vessel occlusion (LVO), its efficacy and safety in patients with stroke secondary to IE remain unclear.

OBJECTIVE: Therefore, a more robust analysis of the efficacy and safety of MT in patients with AIS due to IE was conducted to address the gaps identified in previous studies.

METHODS: An extensive search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, and Scopus databases was conducted from inception to December 2024. The endpoints of interest were: (1) favorable functional outcomes at 90 days, (2) successful recanalization, (3) symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH), (4) any intracranial hemorrhage (aICH), and (5) overall mortality. The pooled proportion rates were employed with a random effects model with 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) and risk ratios (RR) for binary outcomes with 95% CI. I² statistics and Cochran Q test were performed to verify the heterogeneity.

RESULTS: Eight studies published between 2017 and 2024 enrolled 2037 patients (mean age 57.9 years, 62.3% women), of whom 1401 (69%) received mechanical or endovascular thrombectomy for Infective Endocarditis-Related Large Vessel Occlusion (IE-LVO) stroke. A pooled proportion of 29.0% for favorable functional outcomes (mRS 0-2) was reported (95% CI 14.0-43.0%; I² = 65.7%). Successful recanalization (mTICI 2b-3) was observed in 76.0% of patients (95% CI 68.0-84.0%; I² = 23.6%). sICH was reported in 19.0% (95% CI 0.0-38.0%; I² = 49.2%) and aICH in 30.0% of the patients (95% CI 23.0-38.0%; I² = 78.3%). A pooled proportion of 33.0% for all-cause mortality was evidenced (95% CI 21.0-45.0%; I² = 90.4%). A significantly lower incidence of favorable functional outcomes (mRS 0-2) was observed in patients with IE-LVO who underwent MT compared to non-IE-LVO patients (RR 0.48; 95% CI 0.31-0.75; I² = 0.0%), and no significant difference in the incidence of aICH was found between patients with IE-LVO and those with non-IE-LVO who underwent MT (RR 1.38; 95% CI 0.96-1.98; I² = 62.4%).

CONCLUSION: High successful recanalization rates were achieved in this population through MT, demonstrating its potential as an effective treatment for IE-LVO. However, the clinical outcomes of patients with IE-LVO were significantly unfavorable compared with those of patients without IE-LVO.

PMID:40830541 | DOI:10.1007/s00062-025-01547-y

Surg Endosc. 2025 Aug 19. doi: 10.1007/s00464-025-12100-w. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Complex gastroschisis requires timely intervention to protect the fetal intestine from inflammation and strangulation and avoid viscero-abdominal disproportion (VAD). Earlier results in ovine models for the fetoscopic management of gastroschisis highlight the benefits of minimally invasive coverage; yet specialized instruments appear to be needed for better procedural execution. The aim of this study was to create and validate a first prototype instrument for the prenatal covering of the protruded intestines in gastroschisis.

METHODS: A 7-mm diameter fetoscopic instrument was designed to hold and deploy a protective bag over the gastroschisis defect after suture fixation to the fetus. An inanimate model was used to evaluate the instrument’s usability and effectiveness: Eleven participants performed bag placement and suturing both with and without the prototype, enabling a comparative assessment of procedural performance. Statistical analysis was conducted to evaluate the duration of the procedure, while product deficiencies were qualitatively assessed using a Likert-scale questionnaire. The overall usability of the prototype was further evaluated using the system usability scale (SUS).

RESULTS: The prototype consistently enhanced bag handling and positioning. Median procedural time slightly increased from 118.5 to 120.5 s with the prototype (p = 0.98), without affecting the overall procedural efficiency. Usability assessments using the SUS (median score: 67.95) and the Likert scale indicated a generally favorable response. Importantly, usability ratings were consistent regardless of participants’ prior experience in minimally invasive surgery (p = 0.43), underscoring the intuitive design and ease of adoption of the prototype.

CONCLUSION: Despite a minor increase in procedural time, the prototype enabled secure bag placement and demonstrated moderate usability across all participants. This is particularly relevant for fetal procedures requiring amnioinfusion, as opposed to partial amniotic carbon dioxide insufflation (PACI) used in the inanimate model. However, further mechanical refinement is warranted to enhance performance and address usability concerns.

PMID:40830539 | DOI:10.1007/s00464-025-12100-w