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Evaluation Criteria and Their Impact on the Success of Humanitarian Projects

Laszlo Vasa Moaaz Kabil Md Billal Hossain Nassar Samia Zsuzsanna Toth Naarne

Publication Name: Journal of Human Earth and Future

Publication Date: 2025-06-01

Volume: 6

Issue: 2

Page Range: 276-292

Description:

Objectives: This study examines the impact of evaluation criteria—relevance, coherence, and effectiveness—on the success of humanitarian projects in the Gaza Strip, with efficiency as a mediating factor. It aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how these criteria interact to enhance project outcomes in complex humanitarian settings. Methods/Analysis: The research employs Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to analyze data collected from 350 respondents involved in humanitarian projects. The analysis assesses the direct and mediated effects of relevance, coherence, and effectiveness on project success, offering empirical insights into the role of efficiency in optimizing resource utilization. Findings: The results indicate that relevance, coherence, and effectiveness significantly influence project success, while efficiency strengthens these relationships by ensuring better resource allocation and implementation. The study highlights the importance of community engagement, alignment with local needs, and cultural sensitivity in achieving sustainable project outcomes. Novelty/Improvement: This research presents an integrated evaluation framework that enhances understanding of the interplay between key project assessment criteria and efficiency in humanitarian work. The findings provide actionable insights for organizations operating in complex environments like Gaza, helping refine project planning and execution strategies to improve sustainability and impact.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.28991/HEF-2025-06-02-03

Montelukast Improves Urinary Bladder Function After Complete Spinal Cord Injury in Rats

Peter Törzsök Lukas Lusuardi Sophina Bauer Karin Roider Julia Tevini Elena E. Keller Michael Kleindorfer Ludwig Aigner Thomas Felder

Publication Name: International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Publication Date: 2025-06-01

Volume: 26

Issue: 12

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

Bladder dysfunction is among the most drastic and quality-of-life-reducing conditions after spinal cord injury (SCI). Neuroinflammation in the lower urinary tract (LUT) after SCI could be a key driver of neurogenic bladder dysfunction and tissue fibrosis. Leukotrienes, a group of highly active lipid mediators, are potent inflammatory mediators. Here, we explored the potential of early montelukast (MLK) therapy, a cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 antagonist, on LUT function and structure four weeks after severe SCI in rats. Rats (strain Lewis, female, n = 50) received a permanent bladder catheter, followed by a complete T9 spinal cord transection. MLK was given daily, starting on day one post-injury. Bladder and locomotor function were regularly assessed. Bladder tissue was histologically and immunhistochemically analyzed. Post-SCI, MLK concentrations in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid were clinically relevant. MLK improved bladder functionality. MLK had no impact on smooth muscle alignment and uroepithelial integrity at this early SCI time point. This pilot study gave first insights into early, continuous oral MLK treatment with the first promising results of preserved LUT function and possible subsequent improved tissue integrity.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.3390/ijms26125606

Mosses in Urban Environments as Passive Biofilters and Organisms Impacted by Asbestos-Contaminated Habitats

Gergely Zoltán Macher Dóra Beke

Publication Name: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Publication Date: 2025-06-01

Volume: 22

Issue: 6

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

Asbestos cement materials represent a persistent source of environmental contamination, particularly in urban areas where weathering facilitates the release of hazardous chrysotile fibres. Despite extensive research on the human health impacts of asbestos, ecological interactions remain poorly understood. This paper explores the dual role of bryophytes colonising asbestos cement roofing as passive filters that trap airborne fibres and as vulnerable organisms subjected to asbestos-induced stress. Using a synthesis of recent findings, we assess the capacity of mosses to immobilise chrysotile fibres through their dense, mat-like structures, potentially reducing local dispersion. Simultaneously, we examine physiological and biochemical responses to prolonged fibre exposure, including reduced photosynthetic activity and signs of oxidative stress. The findings highlight a paradoxical function of bryophytes: while they contribute to pollution mitigation, they also accumulate contaminants and suffer from sublethal damage. These interactions may have broader implications for contaminant redistribution, particularly through decomposition and trophic transfer. Understanding these dynamics is essential for advancing ecological risk assessments and developing sustainable remediation strategies in asbestos-contaminated habitats.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph22060838

Advances in invasive and non-invasive glucose monitoring: A review of microwave-based sensors

Balázs Benyó J. Geoffrey Chase Katalin Kovács Ameer B. Alsultani

Publication Name: Sensors and Actuators Reports

Publication Date: 2025-06-01

Volume: 9

Issue: Unknown

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

Effective and continuous glucose monitoring is critical in managing diabetes, which remains a global health challenge affecting millions. Traditional invasive glucose monitoring methods, although accurate, cause discomfort and are unsuitable for frequent measurements necessary for optimal diabetes management. To overcome these limitations, microwave-based sensors have emerged as promising alternatives, providing both invasive and non-invasive monitoring capabilities. This review critically evaluates recent advancements in microwave-based glucose sensors, emphasizing their design methodologies, sensitivity, accuracy, and clinical applicability. By leveraging unique dielectric properties of blood and tissues affected by glucose concentrations, microwave sensors enable precise and potentially pain-free glucose measurements. Despite significant progress, existing sensor technologies face challenges including limited sensitivity ranges, interference from biological tissues, and practical considerations for clinical adoption. This paper aims to guide researchers and healthcare providers by highlighting recent technological innovations, addressing current limitations, and suggesting directions for future research to advance glucose monitoring technologies towards widespread clinical use.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1016/j.snr.2025.100332

Effectiveness of High-Intensity Therapy in Rehabilitation of Parkinson’s Disease Patients

József Tollár Péter Prukner Istvan Drotar Nándor Prontvai Szilvia Kóra Petra Kós Gyorgy Wersenyi

Publication Name: Applied Sciences Switzerland

Publication Date: 2025-06-01

Volume: 15

Issue: 11

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive movement disorder with no cure. In this randomized controlled study, 100 patients with PD were assigned to four intervention groups (Exergame, Cycling, Agility, and Robot) for 14 weeks. This study evaluates the effectiveness of high-intensity therapy in a randomized clinical trial. Exergaming, cycling, agility, and robot therapies improved motor function, postural stability, and cardiovascular health. Heart rate monitoring and Borg Scale ratings confirmed the safety and adaptability of high-intensity training, with patients sustaining moderate-to-high exertion without adverse effects. Significant improvements were observed in gait speed (+0.30–0.50 m/s), Functional Independence Measure (FIM) (+25–30 points), and Berg Balance Scale scores. Integrating high-intensity, functional movement-based therapies into PD rehabilitation may offer superior motor, gait, and cardiovascular benefits compared to conventional methods.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.3390/app15115890

Soil Moisture Content Prediction Using Gradient Boosting Regressor (GBR) Model: Soil-Specific Modeling with Five Depths

Tarek Alahmad A. Nyéki M. Neményi

Publication Name: Applied Sciences Switzerland

Publication Date: 2025-06-01

Volume: 15

Issue: 11

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

Monitoring soil moisture content (SMC) remains challenging due to its spatial and temporal variability. Accurate SMC prediction is essential for optimizing irrigation and enhancing water use efficiency. In this research, a Gradient Boosting Regressor (GBR) model was developed and validated to predict SMC in two soil textures, loam and silt loam, using meteorological data from Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and gravimetric SMC field measurements collected from five different depths. The statistical analysis revealed significant variation in SMC across depths in loam soil (p < 0.05), while silt loam exhibited more stable moisture distribution. The GBR model demonstrated high performance in both soil textures, achieving R2 values of 0.98 and 0.94 for silt loam and loam soils, respectively, with low prediction errors (RMSE 0.85 and 0.97, respectively). Feature importance analysis showed that precipitation and humidity were the most influential features in loam soil, while solar radiation had the highest impact on prediction in silt loam soil. Soil depth also showed a significant contribution to SMC prediction in both soils. These results highlight the necessity for soil-specific modeling to enhance SMC prediction accuracy, optimize irrigation systems, and support water resources management approaches aligning with SDG6 objectives.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.3390/app15115889

Morphological and dental wear pattern analysis of Upper Cretaceous theropod teeth from Central Europe

András Lajos Nagy Réka Kolláti Attila Ősi

Publication Name: Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments

Publication Date: 2025-06-01

Volume: 105

Issue: 2

Page Range: 499-515

Description:

Theropod teeth have long been known from the Upper Cretaceous of Europe, but the 20 million years long interval spanning the Cenomanian to the Campanian has remained underrepresented in the fossil record and understudied. Recent discoveries from the Turonian and Coniacian of Austria and the Santonian of Hungary fill this gap to some extent. Here we report on a study of 2D morphometry and dental wear of Turonian–Maastrichtian theropod teeth from Central Europe aimed at shedding further light on the phyletic and adaptive diversity of Late Cretaceous theropods in the archipelago of Europe. Our results suggest that the taxa Paraves indet. and Paronychodon were present in the region from the Turonian to the Maastrichtian, while medium-sized tetanuran forms are known only until the early Campanian. The record of some groups, such as troodontid or bird-like forms, is more sporadic and known only from a few sites. Dental wear study indicates that theropod teeth rarely show severe wear exposing dentin, though spalled surfaces are commonly seen on tetanuran teeth. Dental microwear feature and texture analysis of the worn enamel surfaces show a dominance of scratches (82–100%), with somewhat higher complexity in some of the non-serrated forms. The largest tetanuran teeth differ in terms of scratch length, pit size and anizotropy from the small, serrated Paraves indet. 1 teeth, but overlap with those of the extant carnivore-scavenger Varanus komodoensis suggesting large tetanurans resembled V. komodoensis in feeding on large vertebrates.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1007/s12549-025-00657-2

The influence of hybrid leadership in sustainable women entrepreneurial performance

Walton Wider Syed Far Abid Hossain Mohammad Fakhrul Islam Pratikshya Bhandari Md Rashed Tania Akter Tausif Bari Sumaiya Selim Sushme

Publication Name: Sustainable Futures

Publication Date: 2025-06-01

Volume: 9

Issue: Unknown

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

In the contemporary era, strategic leadership style plays significant role in entrepreneurial performance. The key purpose of this study is to examine the influence of hybrid (self, shared and opinion) leadership in women entrepreneurial performance towards sustainable growth. This mixed method study investigated data in two ways. First, the study analyzed the data and measured the hypotheses employing the partial least squares structured equation model (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS software 4 packages. Second, fsQCA explores multiple causal relationships between the constructs. The fsQCA results claim that the multiple causal relationships among the shared, self and opinion leadership have strong significant impact on women entrepreneurial performance. In particular, it is addressed that different entrepreneurial performances are positively associated with the extent of self, shared and opinion leadership. Theoretically, this study contributes to the understanding of women leadership behavior in entrepreneurial performance with a mixed statistical analysis. The study has valuable insights for the women entrepreneurs and concerned

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100727

Consumer Expenditure-Based Portfolio Optimization

Gergő Thalmeiner László Pataki Attila Bányai Tatay Tibor

Publication Name: International Journal of Financial Studies

Publication Date: 2025-06-01

Volume: 13

Issue: 2

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

This study examines whether portfolio optimization can be effectively based on annual changes in the harmonized index of consumer prices (HICP) data. Specifically, we assess whether asset allocation based on consumer expenditure can generate superior returns compared to static or equal-weighted asset allocation. To explore this, we use consumer expenditure data from HICP statistics categorized by COICOP. Our findings indicate that this strategy outperforms a buy-and-hold benchmark by 13.32% in terms of the Sharpe Ratio and exceeds an annual equal-weighted rebalancing strategy by 3.11%. Additionally, both the Calmar and Sterling Ratios demonstrate improved performance, further reinforcing the robustness of this approach. Furthermore, a hypothetical scenario where sector weights from the end of the given year—though not yet available during the year—are used suggests even greater improvements in performance. A high-sample bootstrap simulation confirms that the observed performance differences are not random but reflect the independent effectiveness of asset allocation based on consumer expenditure trends. This result strengthens the validity of our backtesting findings, indicating that the examined strategy could generate excess returns compared to passive portfolio managment and fixed-weight rebalancing approaches. The result of the study is therefore the development of an effective portfolio rebalancing strategy.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.3390/ijfs13020099