The excessive use of vaccines, antibiotics, and other preventive therapeutic agents in conventional broiler production has resulted in the frequent occurrence of antibiotic residues in edible tissues, posing risks to both animal and human health. These residues contribute to the global problem of antimicrobial resistance, highlighting the need for alternative approaches to poultry disease prevention. This study aimed to evaluate whether a comprehensive preventive programme encompassing biosecurity, hygiene, and an antibiotic-free prophylaxis regimen could eliminate the need for prophylactic antibiotic therapy, thereby enabling the production of broiler meat free of antibiotic residues. This approach was contrasted with the conventional production system, in which less rigorous preventive practices necessitate the prophylactic use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, ultimately resulting in detectable residues within the muscle and liver tissues of conventionally reared chickens. Ross 308 broilers were reared under field conditions. in. The control group was reared using conventional prophylactic protocols, including broad-spectrum antibiotics, vitamins, bio-stimulants, mineral supplements, and acidifiers via drinking water. The experimental group received no antibiotics; and instead were treated with hydro-soluble probiotic preparations containing vitamin C, lactose, fructose, and baker’s yeast, combined with continuous water disinfection throughout the fattening period. Microbiological analyses showed the presence of antibiotic residues in the soft tissues of conventionally reared broilers, while no residues were detected in the experimental group. Production performance indicators—mortality rate, vitality, final body weight, and overall cost—were similar to or superior to those in the antibiotic-free group, confirming that broiler meat production without antibiotics is both feasible and economically viable.

Safety, profitability, as well as energy and resource efficiency of hydropower plants require, among others, appropriate operation of hydraulic turbines, which involves reliable estimation and monitoring of water flow rate. In this work, computer simulation is used for investigation of water flow through the spiral casing of a hydraulic turbine under real operating conditions. The wall pressure at the pre-defined monitoring points in a radial plane, such as used in the Winter–Kennedy measurement method, is calculated for a range of water flow rates. The choice of the boundary-condition type downstream of the stay vanes and sensitivity to adopted turbulent-flow approach are also investigated. The numerical results agree well with the reference measurements. A relation is established between the computed monitoring pressure difference and the corresponding incoming flow rate. Having measured the static pressure at the given points, it can be used for continuous estimation of the water flow rate in the turbine under actual operating conditions.

Background/Objectives: Previous studies have linked chronic conditions and multimorbidity to lower physical activity, but evidence across individual movement behaviours remains limited. We examined associations between the number of self-reported chronic diseases and conditions and transport-related walking, leisure time physical activity, muscle-strengthening activity and sedentary behaviour among people aged ≥15 years in Serbia. Methods: Nationally representative 2019 Serbian National Health Survey data were analysed (n = 13,076 with complete information on 17 conditions). Complex sample logistic regression models were sequentially adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, body mass index, functional mobility and self-rated health. Additional analyses assessed linear trends and departures from linearity using all covariates except self-rated health. Results: Overall, 51.4% reported no condition, 18.0% one and 30.6% two or more. All outcomes were associated with condition status before adjustment, but most associations were attenuated after including functional mobility. After full adjustment, an overall association remained only for muscle-strengthening activity on <2 days/week (Wald F = 5.13; p = 0.006). Compared with no condition, one condition was associated with higher odds (aOR 1.60, 95% CI 1.18–2.16), but two or more were not. Each additional condition was associated with 4.5% higher odds of sitting or reclining for ≥6 h/day (aOR 1.045, 95% CI 1.006–1.087; p = 0.025). No other linear trends were identified; muscle-strengthening activity showed a departure from linearity (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Associations differed across movement behaviour domains and were attenuated particularly after including functional mobility. The number of conditions alone only partially accounted for observed differences in movement behaviours.

The accelerating use of algorithmic systems in public administration exposes a standardization gap between technical AI assurance and institutional accountability. This article develops a tiered accountability and reporting standards framework for decisions made under public authority. A qualitative design science method combines comparative institutional analysis, structured absence analysis, and standards architecture design. The empirical basis comprises international standards, the United States Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)–Treasury access episode as an institutional control precursor, Australia’s Robodebt scheme as an automated-decision failure, and public sector governance arrangements in Estonia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and the United States. A replicable coding protocol traces documented accountability gaps to five auditable primitives: provenance tracking, decision logging, role attribution, contestability, and post-deployment audit. The primitives are organized into minimum, heightened, and systemic/constitutional tiers according to material influence, rights and essential service effects, civil service integrity, institutional independence, and substitutive capacity. The article also specifies a Public Sector Algorithmic Accountability Statement (PAAS), crosswalks its ten disclosure fields to GRI 1, GRI 2, and GRI 3, and demonstrates its operation through a fully worked hypothetical benefits eligibility application. A tier assignment decision aid, an assurance cycle, and a cost–feasibility model support implementation, including in small institutions. The framework’s novelty lies not in claiming new lifecycle controls, but in consolidating those controls around the public decision configuration, escalating them according to public authority consequences, and joining internal evidence to comparable public reporting. The proposal shifts standardization from AI system certification alone toward auditable institutional answerability, governance sustainability, and constitutional integrity.

In this article, we unpack what we believe to be a discriminatory and discrediting label afforded to growing populations of Australians — Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD). This term is used to describe everyone who is not Aboriginal or Torres Islander or Anglo-Saxon/Anglo-Celtic. Through qualitative, semi-structured, in-depth ethnographic interviews and thematic analysis, including some abductive analysis, we aimed to investigate how those labelled CaLD experienced this term, including their feelings about being constructed as CaLD, and how they believed they were impacted by this label. Using both labelling theory ( Durkheim, 1938 ) and linguistic racism theory ( Tankosić & Dovchin, 2023 ), we argue that while the term CaLD was originally intended as ‘inclusionary othering,’ the category perpetuates monolithic othering on the basis of language and culture, masking a broad range of ethnic identities common to Australia and upholding systemic practices of subjugation such as linguistic racism as mechanisms for continued ideological, political, and social dominance. Individuals to whom this label is applied continually walk the tightrope between the access and affordances it may offer and its capacity to both highlight and erase difference. The study’s implications indicate there needs to be greater consultation with the communities involved about terms used to label and set them apart.

BACKGROUND Understanding the size, gender composition, and cadre mix of the health workforce and how it has evolved across time and locations can inform policies for planning, recruitment, training, and retention of human resources for health (HRH), and improvement of access to the health-care workforce among populations. Using comparable and standardised data sources, we aim to describe the composition and density of health workers by sex among 20 cadres for 204 countries and territories over 1990-2023 and quantify workforce shortfalls relative to universal health coverage (UHC) attainment. METHODS We used 1816 country-years of data from population-based surveys, 82 from censuses, 3888 from administrative sources, and 96 from scientific literature. We harmonised reported occupation in all sources with the International Standard Classification of Occupations 2008. We produced estimates for 20 cadres and the total health workforce disaggregated by sex using spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression, a standardised method in the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors study. Finally, stochastic frontier meta-regression was used to estimate the minimum density of doctors, nurses and midwives, dentists, and pharmacists required to reach a score of 80 out of 100 on the UHC effective coverage index. FINDINGS In 2023, there were 122·1 million (95% uncertainty interval 115·4-130·5) health workers across 20 cadres, an increase of 81·2 million (72·0-90·5) or 198·5% (161·9-245·6) relative to 1990. Of that total, there were 15·1 million (13·1-18·2) doctors, 33·2 million (30·8-36·3) nurses, 2·4 million (2·0-2·9) midwives, and 7·6 million (6·7-8·6) community health workers (CHWs). 68·9% (66·9-70·6) of all health workers in 2023 were female, and female health workers accounted for 71·4% (64·5-77·4) of net HRH workforce growth. Less than half of doctors were female (43·9%, 34·5-53·2) and most nurses (80·7%, 76·2-83·1), midwives (96·0%, 83·9-98·5), and CHWs (89·5%, 83·6-93·7) were female. Substantial differences in HRH density remained into 2023: sub-Saharan Africa had the lowest HRH densities across cadres, with the exception of CHWs, while high-income countries had the highest HRH densities. To reach 80 out of 100 on the UHC index, an additional 7·1 million (6·6-7·5) doctors, 23·9 million (21·8-26·1) nurses and midwives, 1·8 million (1·6-1·9) dentists, and 1·6 million (1·4-1·9) pharmacists are required globally. INTERPRETATION The global health workforce has expanded substantially since 1990, largely due to women entering the formal health workforce. However, this expansion has been uneven across regions and persistent shortfalls remain in doctors, nurses and midwives, dentists, and pharmacists relative to moderate UHC attainment. Addressing these gaps will require expansion of training capacity, retention and remuneration policies for early-career workers, and gender-responsive workforce arrangements. FUNDING Gates Foundation.

The paper examines how geometric design parameters affect crankshaft fracture due to fatigue using the finite element method. It explores the influence of the fillet radius on the crankpin journal, the shape of the grooves on the splined shaft, and their interaction on the crankshaft’s fatigue behavior. Using established material traits and operating load magnitudes, a finite element analysis (FEA) computational model of the crankshaft was created, and stress simulation was performed. Following the obtained results, critical points on the crankshaft were identified, followed by fatigue analysis and lifespan evaluation. Numerical simulations showed that increasing the fillet radius on the crankpin journal significantly reduces stress concentration and boosts the crankshaft’s fatigue life. Altering the geometry of the grooves on the splined shaft redistributes stress and moderately extends its lifespan. The best results came from combining both geometric changes, demonstrating the synergistic effect of optimizing design parameters. The findings provide numerical insight into the relationship between geometric features and fatigue behaviour of crankshafts and may support further research on geometry-based design optimization.

Chronological age dominates cardiovascular (CVD) risk prediction, but glycan-based measures may better reflect biological ageing. In this secondary analysis of a six-month randomized controlled trial in Slovenia, we examined whether IgG glycosylation–derived biological age (GlycanAge) tracked short-term changes in estimated CVD risk. Adults without diagnosed CVD but with at least one risk factor (119 enrolled; 101 completed the final assessment) received digital risk visualization, continuous glucose monitoring, their combination, or usual care. SCORE2 showed small numerical changes in some intervention groups, but GlycanAge remained largely stable, with only modest and inconsistent change across groups, and no association between change in SCORE2 and change in the GlycanAge–chronological age gap was detectable. Over this short timeframe, GlycanAge did not behave as a surrogate of conventional risk modification; whether it instead reflects slower immune-inflammatory ageing processes complementary to established CVD risk algorithms will require longer studies to establish.

A nonionic type V deep eutectic solvent (DES) combining hydrophobic (−)-menthol and hydrophilic resorcinol was prepared and investigated as a solvent for amphiphilic caffeine. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis were first used to determine the eutectic composition and characterize its thermal behavior. The menthol-to-resorcinol molar ratio of 2:1 was subsequently selected for physicochemical investigation. Clear homogeneous solutions containing up to 0.701 mol·kg−1 caffeine were prepared, corresponding to 136 g of caffeine per kilogram of DES. Density, speed of sound, and viscosity were measured over the temperature range from 293.15 to 313.15 K. These data were used to evaluate the thermal expansion, volumetric and acoustic properties, intermolecular free length, and concentration and temperature dependences of viscous flow. The viscosity results were further analyzed using the Arrhenius, Jones–Dole, and Eyring–Feakins approaches and compared with the behavior of caffeine in water, ethylene glycol, and methyl salicylate. DFT calculations and molecular electrostatic potential surfaces were used to examine the local organization of the DES and the possible incorporation of caffeine through interactions with both its polar and less-polar regions. The combined experimental and computational approach provides a molecular and thermodynamic basis for evaluating this DES as a caffeine-solubilizing and delivery medium.