Children with CHD who require surgical or catheter-based intervention in the neonatal period are increasingly surviving into childhood; however, their long-term health-related quality of life remains insufficiently characterised, particularly in the preschool period. We aimed to evaluate health-related quality of life in preschool-aged children treated for CHD during the neonatal period and to identify associated clinical and sociodemographic factors. This retrospective, cross-sectional case–control study included 50 children aged 4–7 years with a history of neonatal CHD intervention and 100 age-matched healthy controls. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the parent-reported Kiddy-KINDL questionnaire. Demographic, clinical, and socio-economic data were obtained from medical records and structured parental interviews. Group comparisons were performed using appropriate parametric or nonparametric tests, and factors associated with health-related quality of life were analysed using multiple linear regression. Total Kiddy-KINDL scores were significantly lower in children with CHD compared with controls (55.4 ± 8.8 vs. 62.3 ± 6.5, p < 0.001). All health-related quality of life subdomains, including physical well-being, emotional well-being, self-esteem, family relations, social functioning, and kindergarten adjustment, were significantly impaired in the CHD group (all p < 0.05). In multivariable analysis, maternal and paternal education levels and household income were independent predictors of health-related quality of life, whereas the surgical risk category was not significantly associated with health-related quality of life outcomes. Preschool children treated for CHD in the neonatal period demonstrate significantly reduced health-related quality of life compared with healthy peers, with socio-economic factors playing a more prominent role than clinical disease severity. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating family-centred and socioeconomically sensitive strategies into the long-term follow-up of children with CHD.

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) constitute the foundation of male sperm production and fertility. SSCs are characterised by their capacity for self-renewal and differentiation into spermatozoa throughout a male’s reproductive life, thereby transmitting genetic information to subsequent generations. During embryonic development, SSCs are derived from postnatal testicular gonocytes, which originate from long-lived primordial germ cells. A large proportion of men’s infertility is detected by sperm analysis. Unusual sperm parameters include sperm concentration, morphology and motility. Male infertility is mainly due to hormone deficits, physical causes, sexually transmitted diseases, environment, lifestyle and hereditary factors. The most severe form of male infertility is non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), which is defined as no sperm in the ejaculate because of spermatogenesis failure. The first-line treatment for these individuals has been testicular sperm extraction under an operating microscope (micro-TESE). SSCs are also considered a promising pathway for regenerating impaired or damaged spermatogenesis. This review addresses SSC transplantation as a potential method for treating male infertility and restoring spermatogenesis in patients with degenerative diseases such as cancer, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Data science has the potential to reduce widening inequalities in mental healthcare. We discuss developments and potential applications of data in mental health settings to support this goal. This includes ways to improve the collection of usable data, alongside supporting practitioners, researchers and service users to identify disparities and actionable insights.

This study aimed to develop an amino acid composition table for Japanese foods and evaluate the relative validity of the Meal-Based Diet History Questionnaire (MDHQ) in estimating total and meal-specific amino acid intake, using a four-day weighed dietary record (DR) as the reference. A total of 111 Japanese women and 111 Japanese men completed both online and paper MDHQs, along with a 4-day non-consecutive DR. The amino acid composition table was constructed based on the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan 2020. Median amino acid intakes estimated by the online MDHQ were generally lower than those from the DR across all calculation methods (crude, residual, density, and %protein) in both sexes, with significant differences observed for most of the 18 amino acids. Median Spearman correlation coefficients between the online MDHQ and DR for total amino acid intake were 0.43–0.44 in women and 0.31–0.37 in men. Concordance correlation coefficients (CCCs) were lower than the corresponding Spearman coefficients, and Bland–Altman analyses showed wide limits of agreement with proportional bias. Similar findings were observed for the paper MDHQ. In conclusion, the MDHQ showed limited relative validity for ranking total and individual amino acid intakes at main meals, with weaker performance for snacks and limited ability to estimate absolute individual intakes. Despite these limitations, the MDHQ provides a novel approach for examining meal-specific dietary patterns and may offer useful insights in epidemiological studies when its limitations are appropriately considered.

The uncertain aspects of early modern merchants’ future business activities are often emphasized. However, historians have not yet examined how merchants themselves discursively expressed the future. This paper examines the letters of eighteenth-century French merchants active in long-distance trade to explore how they wrote about future events with their business correspondents. The systematic analysis of merchants’ expressions about the future shows that, while the business context is often described as uncertain, this uncertainty was not prominent in their own writings. The article contributes to our understanding of the early modern future and the role of business correspondence.

Chilo partellus is a major stem borer of cereals in India, causing significant yield losses. Understanding its population genetic structure is critical for tracing origins, elucidating dispersal patterns, and informing sustainable pest management. The present study focused on 11 geographically distinct Indian populations (Akola, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Umiam, Parbhani, Solan, Surat, Udaipur, Raichur, Coimbatore, and Kovilpatti) using multilocus mitochondrial DNA markers, viz., cytochrome c oxidase subunits I and II (COI and COII), cytochrome b (Cytb), and 16S rRNA. Phylogenetic analyses revealed moderate genetic differentiation, with no strictly location-specific clades, indicating partial geographic structuring alongside widespread haplotype sharing. COI sequences showed minimal divergence, reflecting strong genetic cohesion and recent common ancestry, while COII and Cytb provided higher resolution for detecting regional variation. The 16S rRNA marker captured deeper evolutionary divergence, particularly among northern, central, and southern populations. Haplotype networks displayed starlike topologies with dominant central haplotypes and multiple low-frequency derivatives, consistent with recent population expansion and high gene flow. Nucleotide polymorphism analyses identified locus-specific hotspots contributing to haplotype differentiation but not to strong population-specific signatures. Overall, Indian C. partellus populations exhibit low-to-moderate mitochondrial diversity and weak phylogeographic structure, suggesting a common genetic origin with extensive contemporary gene flow likely facilitated by contiguous cropping systems, migratory behaviour, and anthropogenic movement. These findings underscore the importance of area-wide integrated pest management strategies and highlight the utility of multilocus mitochondrial markers in resolving both historical and recent population dynamics in migratory insect pests.

Metaphysics traditionally presumes a fundamental distinction between kinds (properties, classes, abstract universals) and particulars (concrete individuals). Whereas kinds and classes have members, for example, individuals have parts. This paper contrasts the kind/individual distinction with a different but equally fundamental distinction between explainers and non-explainers. It is often presumed that kinds are explainers and individuals are non-explainers. This paper defends a contrary thesis—explanatory individualism—according to which some explainers are concrete individuals, and it explores how this thesis is connected to the thesis of biological species individualism, according to which biological species are concrete individuals rather than kinds or classes.

Reducing nitrogen (N) application represents a strategy for sustainable rice production. The combined effects of deep fertilization and urease inhibitor (UI) under reduced N input on ammonia (NH3) volatilization, N use efficiency, and yield in double-cropping rice remain uncertain. A two-year field trial in Hunan, China, using early- and late-season rice (ESR and LSR), established seven treatments: conventional fertilization (CF, manually broadcast); deep fertilization (DF) with 30% N reduction; DF with 0.5%, 0.75%, 1.0%, 1.25%, and 1.5% NBPT (DF+UI1–DF+UI5, respectively); and a zero‑N control (CK). In ESR and LSR, the total NH3 loss rates under CF were 46.9% and 54.2% (2024), and 51.6% and 52.5% (2025), respectively. DF+UI significantly reduced the cumulative NH3 loss rates to 6.9–16.0% (2024) and 9.4–16.4% (2025) for ESR, and to 10.6–17.4% (2024) and 3.6–9.9% (2025) for LSR. DF+UI effectively mitigated NH3 volatilization by lowering surface water ammonium, inhibiting urease activity, and delaying urea hydrolysis; it also increased grain yield and apparent N recovery efficiency by 5.6–21.1% and 13.8–33.4 percentage points, respectively. These benefits were attributed to the dual effect of delaying the NH3 volatilization peak by two days while reducing its intensity, which improved synchronization between N supply and rice demand, enhanced total N uptake, promoted N accumulation and increased panicle number and spikelets per panicle. Overall, reducing N input by 30% under deep fertilization with 1.25% UI effectively reduced NH₃ volatilization while enhancing N use efficiency and rice yield in double-cropping systems.