: Salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses limiting chickpea ( Cicer arietinum L.) productivity, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions where soil salinization is intensifying. Developing cost-effective and practical strategies to enhance seedling establishment and early vigor under saline conditions is therefore essential. In this study, we compared two seed-priming agents—1 mM proline and 25 mM NaCl—under identical hydroponic conditions to elucidate tissue-specific responses to 25 mM NaCl stress. Proline priming significantly improved shoot length (by ~23%), total chlorophyll content (by ~19%), and ascorbate peroxidase (ASPOX) activity. In contrast, NaCl priming enhanced root biomass retention (by ~38%) and peroxidase (POD) activity under salinity stress. Both priming treatments induced higher proline accumulation and antioxidant capacity, though with tissue-specific effects: proline favored aboveground resilience, while NaCl strengthened root ionic and oxidative balance. These findings highlight the complementary nature of proline and NaCl priming and support the concept of stress “memory,” whereby plants acquire enhanced readiness to cope with salinity. Integrating such priming strategies into chickpea cultivation could contribute to improved yield stability and sustainability in saline agroecosystems.

Background: Diverticula of the gastrointestinal tract are common in older adults, most often affecting the colon. While typically asymptomatic, acute diverticulitis represents the most frequent complication and may lead to severe outcomes, including perforation, abscess formation, and diffuse peritonitis. Duodenal diverticula on the other hand is a rare clinical entity, and is frequently detected incidentally during proximal endoscopy. While most cases are asymptomatic, inflammation of periampullary duodenal diverticula may result in serious complications. Acute pancreatitis secondary to duodenal diverticulitis is exceedingly rare and has been described almost exclusively in isolated case reports. Clinical obesity, particularly increased visceral adiposity, has been associated with more severe inflammatory responses in complicated diverticular disease and may influence disease progression and outcomes. Objective: The aim of this article was to present a case of severe acute pancreatitis with peripancreatic fat necrosis caused by acute duodenal diverticulitis in a patient with clinical obesity. Case presentation: A patient presented with diffuse abdominal pain and was diagnosed with severe acute pancreatitis based on laboratory findings and radiological imaging. Comprehensive diagnostic evaluation, including radiological studies, proximal endoscopy, and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), excluded common etiology. Further assessment identified a markedly enlarged periampullary duodenal diverticulum as the most likely trigger, associated with peripancreatic visceral fat necrosis and with signs of multiorgan dysfunction. Subsequent anthropometric and body composition assessment confirmed clinical obesity with increased visceral fat area, which was considered a contributing factor to disease severity. Targeted pharmacological therapy combined with individualized nutritional intervention resulted in complete clinical remission. Conclusion: Complicated diverticular disease has been shown to be associated with obesity and increased visceral adipose tissue. Periampullary duodenal diverticulitis complicated by peripancreatic fat necrosis in patients with clinical obesity and increased visceral fat area is rarely described in the literature. Appropriate pharmacological treatment combined with a targeted dietary regimen aimed at reducing visceral adiposity may result in complete remission of severe acute pancreatitis. In patients with acute pancreatitis of unknown etiology and concomitant clinical obesity, duodenal diverticulitis and peripancreatic fat necrosis should be considered as potential underlying causes.

As part of many national energy transition strategies, solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity is expected to increase significantly because PV deployment represents a key pathway for decarbonizing the energy sector. Alongside utility-scale installations, distributed PV systems connected to near-end users are becoming increasingly common in distribution networks. However, integrating intermittent sources without demand-matching capabilities introduces challenges related to operational network constraints. Consequently, distribution system operators (DSOs) limit PV integration to an acceptable level, referred to as hosting capacity (HC). Moreover, with increasing PV penetration, the curtailment of production becomes necessary during certain periods. Although curtailment has traditionally been avoided owing to the associated loss of clean energy, techno-economic studies show that shifting toward curtailment management can increase both HC and profitability. Curtailment management can be achieved through flexible PV power control, energy-storage integration, demand-side management, and flexible network regulation devices. This study specifically focuses on the techno-economic performance of flexible PV power control and compares it with the conventional approach without curtailment management, energy storage-based solutions, and their combination. The analysis was conducted on a modified IEEE 33-node test network, and key network constraints were incorporated. Using sequential Monte Carlo simulations with correlated stochastic time-series data for PV production, load profiles, and electricity prices over the years, the optimal PV and/or energy storage capacities were determined for various configurations. The results demonstrate that flexible curtailment management can increase both PV HC and expected profit, providing DSOs with boundary HC values while offering investors insight into the profitability of further PV integration.

The distribution of services across heterogeneous edge and cloud infrastructures in Beyond 5G (B5G) and Sixth-Generation (6G) networks increases operational complexity, while existing MANagement and Orchestration (MANO) solutions remain single-domain and lack unified telemetry or autonomous cross-domain decision mechanisms. Prior work proposes cross-domain orchestration concepts, but most validations rely on simulation and overlook interoperability issues, non-stationary latency, and inconsistent Key Performance Indicator (KPI) models in real Network Function Virtualization Infrastructure (NFVI) deployments. This paper introduces a modular, technology-agnostic Zero-touch Network and Service Management (ZSM) framework that provides unified NFVI abstraction and a multi-criteria decision engine that jointly considers latency, compute load, and energy consumption for autonomous service placement, scaling, and dynamic resource provisioning. Evaluation in a real-world deployment across geographically distributed testbeds demonstrates that our ZSM framework mitigates latency spikes by up to 96%, reduces overloaded-node latency by 36%, and maintains stable performance under variable load. These results confirm the practicality and effectiveness of zero-touch, multi-domain orchestration for future 6G compute-continuum environments.

Objective: Ergonomics in dental practice plays a crucial role in maintaining professional health, as prolonged static postures and repetitive movements significantly increase the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dental professionals. Understanding ergonomic risk factors and their impact on musculoskeletal health is essential for identifying vulnerable groups and developing effective preventive strategies in dental practice. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of musculoskeletal pain as a manifestation of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dentists and to analyze its association with demographic characteristics, work habits, and dental specialization. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 130 dentists from various dental specialties. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire addressing demographic variables, work habits, ergonomic conditions, and the presence of musculoskeletal pain. Descriptive statistical methods were applied, and chi-square tests were used to analyze associations between categorical variables, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: The results indicated that the majority of participants experienced work-related musculoskeletal disorders, with prevalence increasing with age and length of professional experience. Occupational factors such as prolonged sitting or standing, improper working posture, lack of ergonomic chairs, and insufficient physical activity were significantly associated with the occurrence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (p < 0.05). A statistically significant association was also observed between dental specialty and the presence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (χ²(9) = 25.83; p < 0.01). The highest prevalence was reported among specialists in prosthodontics, pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, and endodontics, while lower prevalence was observed among oral surgeons, general dental practitioners, and periodontists. Conclusion: These findings emphasize the importance of implementing ergonomic interventions, regular physical activity, and preventive strategies in dental practice to reduce the occupational risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

Introduction: Regular physical activity reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The aim of this study was to examine the association of physical activity with the severity of carotid disease. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study involved 506 patients from the Vascular Surgery Clinic at the Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases "Dedinje", who underwent carotid endarterectomy from 2012 - 2017 . The severity of carotid disease was assessed based on the degree of carotid stenosis, plaque type, and patients' symptomatic status before surgery. Patient physical activity data were collected using the standardized Baecke questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to examine the association between physical activity and the severity of carotid disease. Results: According to univariate analysis, there was no statistically significant association between any form of physical activity (occupational, sports, or recreational) and the degree of carotid stenosis, nor with other characteristics. Also, physical activity was not associated with complicated carotid plaque. The only characteristic associated with complicated carotid plaque was the use of oral anticoagulants in therapy (OR=2.91; 95% CI=1.12-7.52; p=0.028). The relationship between physical activity and symptomatic carotid disease was not observed, but according to multivariate analysis, the following factors were associated with symptomatic status: age (OR=0.97; 95% CI 0.94-0.99; p=0.016), gender (OR=0.64; 95% CI 0.44-0.99; p=0.028), family history of CVD (OR=0.63; 95%CI 0.43-0.94; p=0.022), use of clopidogrel (OR 1.79; 95% CI 1.18-2.71; p=0.006) and ACEIs in therapy (OR=1.60; 95% CI 1.02-2.53; p=0.041). Conclusion: Physical activity was not associated with carotid disease severity.