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Melon (Cucumis melo L. var. Cantaloupe) is classified as a climacteric fruit, which means its quality deteriorates quickly after harvest. Early-harvested melons often exhibit inferior color quality and lower sugar content but have a longer shelf life than those harvested later. This study aims to improve the postharvest quality of early-harvested cantaloupe melons by evaluating the effect of Ethrel treatment on their sweetness and overall quality throughout the storage period. The melons were immersed in an Ethrel solution at 0 (control), 25, 50, and 100 ppm concentrations. After treatment, the melons were air-dried and stored in a controlled environment at 28^°C ± 1^°C with 80% ± 5% relative humidity for 21 days. The results indicated that treating the melons with Ethrel at a concentration of 25 ppm significantly enhanced their quality and shelf life. This concentration increased sweetness levels and sugar content (sucrose), which measured 2% higher than the other treatments after 7 days of storage. Additionally, the 25 ppm Ethrel treatment improved the melons' color to a vibrant orange and helped retain their hardness, titratable acidity, and vitamin C content. Furthermore, this treatment resulted in minimal fruit damage and extended the melons' shelf life for up to 21 days during storage. In conclusion, Ethrel at a concentration of 25 ppm is considered the optimal treatment for improving sugar content and maintaining the quality of early-harvested cantaloupe melons.

Background: Hip surgery is a critical medical procedure that necessitates specialized postoperative care. The knowledge, attitudes, and practice of family caregivers are pivotal in ensuring patient recovery and minimizing complications. This study is aimed at exploring these three key aspects among caregivers.

Methods: This descriptive-analytical study included 215 family caregivers selected through convenience sampling from Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kashan. The data collection tool was a researcher-developed questionnaire consisting of four sections: demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP). Data analysis was performed using SPSS Version 26, employing descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation, independent t-test, ANOVA, and linear regression).

Results: Among the caregivers, 69.8% were female and 30.2% were male, with the majority (41.9%) aged between 42 and 51 years, and 33.5% holding a diploma. The mean attitude score (84.82 ± 5.22) was higher than both the practice score (78.65 ± 5.14) and the knowledge score (74.68 ± 6.29). The strongest and most direct correlation was found between practice and knowledge (p < 0.001, R = 0.422). The variables of knowledge, Iranian nationality, and caregiving history had the most significant impact on improving caregiving behavior, collectively accounting for 31% of the behavioral changes (R ² = 0.312).

Conclusion: Enhancing caregiver knowledge, along with factors such as Iranian nationality and caregiving history, plays a crucial role in improving patient care behavior. It is recommended to develop targeted training programs for inexperienced and non-Iranian caregivers to enhance the quality of care provided.

The Lesotho Merino sheep is a native Merino strain formed from the indigenous fat-tailed sheep through crossbreeding over many generations. This study is aimed at phenotypically characterizing Merino sheep locally bred in four agro-ecological zones of Lesotho, facilitating easy selection based on morphological traits. Body weight (BW), body length (BL), withers height (WH), rump height (RH), chest girth (CG), rump length (RL) and rump width (RW) were measured in 2515 mature shorn Merino ewes from four agro-ecological zones: mountains (n = 1554), the Senqu River Valley (n = 350), lowlands (n = 395) and foothills (n = 216). A multivariate discriminant analysis procedure identified and quantified the traits that differentiate the Merino sheep across these agro-ecological zones. The structure matrix indicated that RL had the highest loading (0.82) in Function 1, whereas WH (0.6) and head width (0.36) exhibited the highest loadings in Functions 2 and 3, respectively. The standardized canonical discriminant coefficients showed that RL (1.02) and RW (0.60) were the highest in Function 1, whereas CG (0.65) and RH (0.41) were in Function 2, and WH (1.61) and RW (0.41) were in Function 3. The Mahalanobis distance was highest between the lowlands and the Senqu River Valley (3.46) and lowest between the mountains and foothills (0.61). Principal component analysis (PCA) extracted three components per agro-ecological zone. Morphological traits differentiate Merino sheep across the agro-ecological zones, suggesting the presence of two strains: one suited for the mountains, the Senqu River Valley, and foothills and another suited for the lowlands.

Background: Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grading is a conventional radiography (CR)-based system commonly used to assess osteoarthritis (OA). Knee OA is characterized by damage to the femoral cartilage (FC); however, CR cannot directly visualize cartilage integrity. Ultrasound (US) may be superior in detecting FC damage. This study is aimed at evaluating the US-based knee OA severity assessment and analyze its association with KL grading.

Methods: This was an analytical observational study with a cross-sectional design which included knee OA patients. All participants underwent knee US scanning by two independent raters. The severity of knee OA was assessed based on three parameters: the contour of the femoral cartilage, the presence of osteophytes, and meniscus protrusion. The results were accumulated and interpreted into grades from 0 to 4. Association between US-based knee OA assessment and KL grading was analyzed statistically.

Results: A total of 112 knee OA patients were included in this study. The average age of participants was 61.4 years, with a higher female prevalence. Grade 3 was the most frequently recorded in both US and KL grades. The US interpretation from both raters showed a perfect agreement based on weighted kappa analysis (κ = 1.00). A chi-square test showed a significant association between the US and KL grade (p < 0.001), with a very strong association based on the Cramér's V test of 0.742 (95% CI: 0.599-0.824).

Conclusion: This study demonstrates the US-based knee OA severity assessment and was associated with KL grade.

Introduction: The success of endodontic treatment depends on the effective chemomechanical preparation of the root canal system, ensuring proper shaping, cleaning, and disinfection. Additionally, preserving pericervical dentin may improve the long-term prognosis of the tooth. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of two nickel-titanium rotary systems, ProTaper Gold (PTG) (Dentsply Sirona, Ballaigues, Switzerland) and VDW.Rotate (VDWR) (VDW GmbH, Munich, Germany), in preparing mandibular incisors, focusing on pericervical dentin preservation.

Methods and materials: A total of 20 mandibular incisors with oval-shaped root canals (Vertucci Type I) were selected, disinfected, and scanned by micro-CT. After randomization, the PTG and VDWR systems were used for canal preparation (n = 10). Preoperative and postoperative images were processed to measure volume, surface area, structure model index, and untouched walls. Irrigation with 2.5% NaOCl and 17% EDTA was standardized. Data were analyzed using the Student t-test, Welch t-test, or Mann-Whitney U test, with α = 5%.

Results: Both systems exerted similar effects on proximal wall diameter reduction. The PTG system promoted significantly greater increases in volume (PTG: 5.50%; VDWR: 3.57%) and surface area (PTG: 34.79%; VDWR: 26.93%) compared with that of VDWR (p < 0.05). The percentage of unprepared areas was (PTG: 1.57%; VDWR: 2.33%).

Conclusion: VDWR was associated with reduced dentin removal versus PTG in vitro, but clinical superiority still needs to be proven.

Cyberchondria, defined as heightened health anxiety and distress arising from excessive online searches about medical symptoms or risks, is an emerging mental health concern in the digital era. However, less synthesized evidence exists on its prevalence, associated factors, and their impact on health. This scoping review synthesized evidence on its prevalence, associated factors, and impacts. Following Arksey and O'Malley's framework, four databases (PubMed, Scopus, JSTOR, Dimensions), alongside Google Scholar and reference lists, were systematically searched. A total of 42 studies were included. Prevalence estimates ranged from 30.7% to 55.6%, with consistent links to health anxiety, internet addiction, and anxiety sensitivity. Demographic variations were observed by age, gender, and occupation. Significant predictors included health anxiety, depression, stress, and maladaptive metacognitive beliefs. Reported consequences included self-diagnosis, self-medication, and reliance on safety behaviors highlighting risks for inappropriate healthcare use and adverse mental health outcomes. Addressing these findings requires targeted interventions that promote digital health literacy, responsible online health information-seeking, and early identification of individuals at risk of excessive health-related internet use. Future longitudinal and cross-cultural research should build on these correlates and predictors to clarify causal pathways and inform evidence-based prevention and treatment strategies.

Background: Abnormal hemoglobin phenotypes are prevalent genetic alterations in Ghana. Testing medical laboratory science students for these variants provides personal health information while enhancing their professional education as future healthcare providers. Thus, this study explored the hemoglobin phenotypes of medical laboratory science students at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), Ho, Ghana.

Methods: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among medical laboratory science students at the UHAS from July 2024 to August 2024. A data collection sheet was used to collate the sociodemographic characteristics such as ethnicity, town or place of origin, age, and gender of the participants. Venous blood samples of the study participants were drawn into ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) anticoagulated tubes. Hemoglobin variants of the samples were determined using the sickling test and alkaline hemoglobin electrophoresis method. Data was entered into a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet and cleaned, then exported to IBM-SPSS Version 27.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, United States) for statistical analysis. A p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Hemoglobin A was the most common phenotype, comprising 80.6% of the study population, followed by hemoglobin AS (10.9%) and hemoglobin AC (7.5%). No significant association was observed between hemoglobin phenotypes and participants' regional origin, age, and sex.

Conclusion: Hemoglobin A was the most prevalent phenotype among participants, with no significant links to age, sex, or region. The findings offer valuable baseline data and emphasize the need for future research exploring genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors shaping variant patterns.

The emphasis on dissimilar joining of aluminum alloys has increased due to the growing need for lightweight, highly durable structures in the transportation and aerospace industries. For these applications, friction stir welding (FSW), a solid-state joining technology that offers better structural integrity than traditional fusion techniques, has proven very successful. The force-torque behavior and mechanical characteristics of friction stir welded dissimilar aluminum alloys, AA7075 and AA2024, with and without titanium diboride (TiB₂) reinforcement, are investigated in this work in relation to the tool velocity ratio (ω/v). With a constant rotational speed of 1000 rpm and a 1.5° tilt angle, a cylindrical taper tool (3 mm tip, 6 mm length) was used. The traverse speeds were varied to 1, 2, 3, and 4 mm/s, yielding velocity ratios of 1000, 500, 333, and 250, respectively. To evaluate the impact of the TiB₂ powder on joint performance, it was injected via machined grooves at the faying surfaces. The microstructural improvement, primarily grain refinement through dynamic recrystallization and Zener pinning effects from TiB₂ particles, significantly enhanced the hardness and tensile strength of the welds. Enhanced particle dispersion and metallurgical bonding were responsible for the superior mechanical response. Because of better metallurgical bonding, grain refinement, and particle dispersion, reinforced welds demonstrated superior characteristics in microstructural, tensile, and hardness tests, particularly at higher velocity ratios (lower traverse speeds). At a velocity ratio of 1000 (1 mm/s), the reinforced samples showed the highest tensile strength (219.5 MPa), elongation (6.9%), and improved microhardness, resulting in peak joint performance. Conversely, unreinforced welds with coarser microstructures and worse mechanical properties were found at lower velocity ratios. These results provide practical advice for dissimilar alloy FSW applications in advanced engineering systems and validate that a high tool velocity ratio in conjunction with TiB₂ reinforcement is essential for maximizing weld integrity and mechanical behavior.

Aleuritopteris bicolor (Family: Pteridaceae; Nepalese name: Raani Sinka) is an edible fern native to Nepal, India, China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. Ethnomedicinal practitioners from various ethnic tribes in Nepal have traditionally prescribed it to heal wounds, diarrhea, dysentery, and gastritis. However, scientific evidence supporting these efficacies remains limited until January 2025. In the present study, we aimed to validate these traditional uses through chemical, in vitro, and in silico analyses of the plant's hydroalcoholic extract. The 70% methanolic extract of the plant exhibited potent DPPH free radical scavenging activity with an IC₅₀ of 20.54 ± 4.4 μg/mL. The extract also demonstrated potent and dose-dependent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (zone of inhibition: 8-12 mm and minimum inhibitory concentration: 3125 μg/mL), assessed using well diffusion and broth microdilution techniques. However, the plant extract was found to be a weak inhibitor of the enzyme alpha-amylase. Phytochemical analysis using LC-MS revealed the presence of chlorogenic acid, kumatakenin, quercetin 3-O-glucoside, and rhamnocitrin 3-O-glucoside; which, when docked against penicillin-binding protein's catalytic residues (SER 403, LYS 406, SER 462, ASN 464, and THR 600), showed binding energies ranging from -6.3 to -7.1 kcal/mol, suggesting prominent molecular interactions compared with meropenem antibiotics. Furthermore, kumatakenin satisfied Lipinski's parameters for drug-likeness, indicating its great potential as a drug candidate. The current study provides scientific evidence for the potent phytoconstituents with antioxidant and antibacterial potential of A. bicolor for the first time, highlighting its potential for topical application in treating bacterial infectious wounds.

This study examines the impact of the service marketing mix on tourist satisfaction and loyalty, focusing on Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Utilizing data collected from 500 respondents and analyzed through advanced statistical and machine learning techniques, the study provides key insights into the relationships between marketing mix elements and tourist satisfaction. The reliability of the constructs was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, all of which exceeded the acceptable threshold of 0.70, indicating strong internal consistency. Multicollinearity issues among predictors were resolved by aggregating closely related variables, reducing the variance inflation factor (VIF) to below 1.05. Principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrated that the first two components accounted for 97.88% of the variance, emphasizing the compactness of the data. Predictive modeling revealed that XGBoost outperformed other models with the lowest mean squared error (MSE = 0.10), root mean squared error (RMSE = 0.33), and mean absolute error (MAE = 0.25), alongside the highest R-squared value of 0.74. Feature importance analysis highlighted that the combined variable price_place_aggregated contributed most significantly (68.20%) to the model's predictions, followed by promotion and process. Cross-validation confirmed the robustness of the XGBoost model, with a cross-validated MSE of 0.1273 ± 0.0170. The findings underscore the critical role of pricing strategies and location in enhancing tourist satisfaction and loyalty. This research validates the stability and reliability of the model by integrating sensitivity analysis and learning curve evaluations. These findings offer pragmatic recommendations for policymakers and tourism stakeholders in Cox's Bazar to enhance their marketing strategies and enhance the entire tourist experience.