Development and Initial Validation of a Brief Measure of TikTok Addiction in a Multi-Country Sample.

Background: The dramatic increase in TikTok use over the past few years has generated a major challenge globally. Providing researchers with a valid, reliable, yet brief measure may stimulate large-scale epidemiological research that can help to clarify the mechanisms involved in susceptibility to TikTok addiction and guide the development of prevention strategies. The objective of our study was to design and validate a brief measure that we labelled the TikTok Addiction Test (TAT) using a multi-country sample, with a specific focus on measuring the 6 core features of addiction through 1 item each.

Drivers of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) adoption: A behavioral reasoning theory perspective.

Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) is a critical technology that enhances safety, improves traffic efficiency, and paves the way for future vehicles, such as autonomous cars, by enabling vehicles to communicate with each other and their environment. This study investigated the relationships among the reasons for and against adopting V2X technology, environmental values, attitudes, intentions, and green behavior. Accordingly, a research model was developed based on "Behavioral Reasoning Theory" and validated through PLS-SEM, using data from electric vehicle (EV) drivers.

A new digital watermarking model using honey encryption and reversible cellular automata.

Watermarking is the process of embedding and extracting a watermark design on a digital cover to prove the image's copyright or ownership, thereby securing the image's authenticity. The proposed method in this paper uses a combination of honey encryption and reversible cellular automata for image watermarking. This method has two main phases: In the first phase, first, the initial matrix of the image is converted to a vector form.

Mean-field and Fluctuations for Hub Dynamics in Heterogeneous Random Networks.

We study a class of heterogeneous random networks, where the network degree distribution follows a power-law, and each node dynamics is a random dynamical system, interacting with neighboring nodes via a random coupling function. We characterize the hub behavior by the mean-field, subject to statistically controlled fluctuations. In particular, we prove that the fluctuations are small over exponentially long time scales and obtain Berry-Esseen estimates for the fluctuation statistics at any fixed time.

Early detection and analysis of accurate breast cancer for improved diagnosis using deep supervised learning for enhanced patient outcomes.

Early detection of breast cancer (BC) is essential for effective treatment and improved prognosis. This study compares the performance of various machine learning (ML) algorithms, including convolutional neural networks (CNNs), logistic regression (LR), support vector machines (SVMs), and Gaussian naive Bayes (GNB), on two key datasets, Wisconsin Diagnostic Breast Cancer (WDBC) and Breast Cancer Histopathological Image Classification (BreaKHis). For the BreaKHis dataset, the CNN achieved an impressive accuracy of 92%, with precision, recall, and F1 score values of 91%, 93%, and 91%, respectively.

Osteopontin: Its Properties, Recent Studies, and Potential Applications.

OPN is a phosphorylated glycoprotein found in all vertebrate organisms and expressed in many tissues and secretions. It is a pleiotropic protein that plays diverse roles in various pathological and physiological processes. OPN is involved in many tissue transformation events such as intestinal and brain development, the regulation of immune system activity, immune cell activation, and inflammatory responses.

Polyphenols in Foods and Their Use in the Food Industry: Enhancing the Quality and Nutritional Value of Functional Foods.

Polyphenols are known as secondary metabolites, which are crucial bioactive compounds that play a significant role in enhancing human health. Chromatographic methods are typically used to identify polyphenols after food extraction. The extraction methods are fundamental, however, they are implemented with some differences, including extractant type, according to the food.

Historically low microplastic loads within white bream (Blicca bjoerkna) in the Marmara basin, Türkiye.

Assessment of 154 white bream Blicca bjoerkna specimens collected between 1963 and 2004 from Manyas and Uluabat lake, northwest Türkiye, revealed that only 3.2% of fish were contaminated with microplastics, with a mean incidence and standard error of 0.04 ± 0.

Application of Fuzzy AHP for Medication Decision Making in Iron-Chelating Medications for Thalassemia.

Iron overload is a significant concern for patients with thalassemia and often necessitates the use of iron-chelating agents to mitigate the associated complications. Selecting the most appropriate chelation therapy from the available options is a complex decision for healthcare professionals. To support this decision-making process, this study investigates the application of the "Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process" (FAHP) for medication selection in thalassemia patients requiring iron-chelation therapy.

Ru-Catalyzed Mechanochemical Trifluoromethylation of Arylboronic Acids and Phenols by in Situ-Generated N-Trifluoromethylpyridinium Salt as CF Source.

We report a mechanochemical approach for the ruthenium catalyzed trifluoromethylation of arylboronic acids and phenols under the synergy of trifluoromethylacetamide and pyrylium tetrafluoroborate (Pyry-BF₄). This is the first ever report on trifluoromethylation using in situ generated N-trifluoromethylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate as the CF source under ball-milling conditions. The present one-pot transformation enabled direct trifluoromethylation of arylboronic acids and phenols to deliver the respective trifluoromethyl arenes and aryl trifluoromethyl ethers.

Arabic validation of the incharge financial distress/financial well-being scale and the new single-item financial stress scale.

Background: The current study aimed to investigate the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Arabic adaptation of the InCharge Financial Distress/Financial Well-Being Scale, and to examine a newly developed single-item measure of financial stress, the Single-Item Financial Stress scale (SIFiS), in a sample of Lebanese adults.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 403 participants completed an Arabic-translated version of the IFDFW scale via an online survey. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to validate the scale.

Historical carbon emissions and future mitigation potentials from staple food cropping systems in China.

China's demand for staple food continues to grow, and securing the supply of staple food for 1.4 billion people is of great significance for China's and the world's food security. The trend and potential of carbon emissions from staple food cultivation will profoundly affect the sustainability of this system.

Clinical and immunological parameters in patients infected with Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: Case control study- investigation of fractal fractional mathematical model in Lebesgue space.

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is a skin disease that causes plaques, ulcers, and nodules on various body parts. The first aim of this study is to investigate the effect of CL on hematological and immunological markers. A total of 180 individuals (80 cases and 100 controls) examined.

Review of research ethics guidelines on payment of healthy volunteers.

Background: Payment of healthy volunteers in medical research is a prevalent practice but is the subject of ethical debate. Although regulations to protect healthy volunteers exist, these regulations differ between countries. Few data are available on the disparities between countries regarding guidance on payment of healthy volunteers in medical research.

Mobile Apps Designed for Patients With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Content Analysis Using the Mobile App Rating Scale.

Background: Digital health interventions, especially mobile apps, have become instrumental in helping women at risk of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), increasing their understanding of the condition, improving self-care, and fostering empowerment. However, their rapid proliferation has brought about significant challenges regarding quality assessment and evidence-based determination. Therefore, establishing reliable quality assessment methods is essential to assist patients with PCOS in identifying effective and trustworthy mobile health tools.

Lactoperoxidase: Properties, Functions, and Potential Applications.

Lactoperoxidase (LPO) (E.C. 1.

A novel approach to group decision-making using generalized bipolar neutrosophic sets.

This study introduces operational laws for Aczél-Alsina aggregation within the framework of generalized bipolar neutrosophic sets (GBNS), tailored for group decision-making scenarios. Novel aggregation operators, including the Generalized Bipolar Neutrosophic Aczél-Alsina Weighted Average (GBNAAWA), Generalized Bipolar Neutrosophic Aczél-Alsina Ordered Weighted Average (GBNAAOWA), Generalized Bipolar Neutrosophic Aczél-Alsina Hybrid Weighted Average (GBNAAHWA), Generalized Bipolar Neutrosophic Aczél-Alsina Weighted Geometric (GBNAAWG), Generalized Bipolar Neutrosophic Aczél-Alsina Ordered Weighted Geometric (GBNAAOWG), and Generalized Bipolar Neutrosophic Aczél-Alsina Hybrid Weighted Geometric (GBNAAHWG), are proposed to address complex decision-making processes under uncertainty. The methodology is demonstrated through a case study and an illustrative example to validate its practical applicability.

Kalimah norms: Ratings for 2,467 modern standard Arabic words on two scales.

Crowdsourced normative ratings have benefited psycholinguistic research considerably. Yet, Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) has scarce word norms. To address this scarcity, the current study developed and validated the Kalimah norms in two experiments.

Novel Compounds for Hair Repair: Chemical Characterization and In Vitro Analysis of Thiol Cross-Linking Agents.

Hair damage from chemical treatments, mechanical stress, and environmental factors can lead to significant degradation in hair quality, necessitating effective solutions for restoration. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate novel compounds for repairing hair damage through the chemical regeneration of disulfide bridges. Three novel thiol-reactive cross-linking agents (APA, STA, SAA) were synthesized and characterized.

Using species ranges and macroeconomic data to fill the gap in costs of biological invasions.

Biological invasions threaten global biodiversity, human well-being and economies. Many regional and taxonomic syntheses of monetary costs have been produced recently but with important knowledge gaps owing to uneven geographic and taxonomic research intensity. Here we combine species distribution models, macroeconomic data and the InvaCost database to produce the highest resolution spatio-temporal cost estimates currently available to bridge these gaps.

Roads to sustainable development: Pioneering industrial green transformation through digital economy policy.

This study employs a staggered difference-in-differences approach to examine the impact of digital economy policy on industrial green transformation, using the Broadband China demonstration cities policy as a quasi-natural experiment. The findings suggest that, first, digital economy policies contribute significantly to industrial green transformation through three primary mechanisms: by increasing public environmental awareness, by fostering green innovation, and by expanding the information industry. Second, the effect is contingent on several factors, namely resource endowments (particularly stronger in non-resource-based cities); the type of industrial city (stronger in non-old industrial base cities); the size of the city (with a stronger effect observed in large cities compared to small and medium-sized agglomerations), and geographic location (with a stronger effect observed in eastern regions).

Acoustic scattering and mode interaction in bifurcated circular waveguide structures with reacting liners and discontinuities.

Acoustic scattering and nonlinear dispersion phenomena play a crucial role in the design and optimization of waveguide systems for noise control in engineering applications such as HVAC systems, aircraft engines, and industrial gas turbines. In this study, we investigate the scattering characteristics of a bifurcated circular cylindrical waveguide with a particular focus on the effects of reactive acoustic liners and step-discontinuities. Unlike prior studies that typically analyze either acoustic liners or step discontinuities in isolation, this work integrates both mechanisms within a unified framework, providing new insights into their combined influence on wave propagation.

The association between generalized anxiety disorder and disordered eating symptoms among Lebanese adults with the moderating effect of self esteem.

Our study aims to assess the moderating effect of self-esteem in the association between generalized anxiety disorder and disordered eating symptoms among a sample of Lebanese adults. The study engaged a cohort of 629 participants, who were recruited in May 2023, utilizing a snowball sampling technique. Data were collected via a questionnaire that included socio-demographic variables and the following scales: the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-5), the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-7), and the Single Item Self-Esteem Scale (SISE).

Assessment of petroleum hydrocarbons biodegradation by indigenous Bacillus strains from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

The increased environmental pollution from petroleum hydrocarbons, chemicals, and heavy metals has grown more severe with rapid industrialization and population growth, highlighting the urgent need for effective biodegradation methods. This investigation assessed the capacity of bacterial strains, previously obtained from remote areas, Light sweet crude oil with a density of 0.83 g/cm (API gravity: 39.

Examining the spiral of silence in offline and online expression of public opinion on recruitment of women into the Kuwaiti military.

This study used the Spiral of Silence (SOS) and Uses and Gratifications (U&G) framework to examine the influence of religion on offline and online expressions of opinion about women in the Kuwaiti military. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 652 university students in Kuwait. Data were analyzed using Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) to identify predictors of opinion expression in offline and online settings.