Background: Age-related cardiomyocyte vulnerability is driven by a convergent triad of persistent oxidative stress, chronic low-grade inflammation, and senescence-like signaling, which together accelerate functional decline and maladaptive remodeling. Angiotensin II (Ang II), a clinically relevant stress effector, amplifies reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and inflammatory activation, thereby impairing cardiomyocyte survival and repair capacity. Although metformin has emerging cardiovascular benefits beyond glycemic control, its coordinated capacity to counteract Ang II-driven inflammaging-like injury through the coupled regulation of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory pathways in human cardiomyocytes remains insufficiently defined. Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether metformin attenuates Ang II-induced injury and impaired repair in human AC16 cardiomyocytes and to evaluate whether this protection is associated with coordinated activation of Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-Related Factor 2 (Nrf2) and suppression of Nuclear Factor-κB (NF-κB). Methods: Human AC16 cardiomyocytes were preconditioned with metformin (0.5 or 1.0 mM) for 2 h and then challenged with Ang II (0.1 - 2.0 μM) under continuous metformin exposure. The primary efficacy endpoints were cell survival, quantified using the MTT assay, and repair competence, assessed by scratch wound closure. Secondary mechanistic endpoints included inflammatory mediators (TNFA, IL6, and IL1B); senescence-associated markers (CDKN2A/p16 and CDKN1A/p21); antioxidant genes linked to Nrf2 signaling (NFE2L2/Nrf2, HMOX1/HO-1, and NQO1); NF-κB pathway activation; antioxidant and apoptosis-related proteins; Nrf2 compartmentalization; and intracellular ROS. Results: Angiotensin II induced a dose-dependent injury phenotype in AC16 cardiomyocytes, reducing viability from 100.0 ± 1.1% in control cells to 64.9 ± 1.6% at 1.0 μM and 53.0 ± 1.6% at 2.0 μM, while markedly impairing wound closure (80.0 ± 2.0% in control vs 32.3 ± 2.5% with Ang II). Metformin attenuated this injury in a concentration-dependent manner, restoring viability to 81.7 ± 1.0% with 0.5 mM and 89.7 ± 1.0% with 1.0 mM and improving wound closure to 52.3 ± 2.5% and 70.0 ± 2.0%, respectively. Angiotensin II also robustly increased inflammatory cytokine expression, with TNFA, IL6, and IL1B increasing to 27.86 ± 2.79-fold, 29.86 ± 2.99-fold, and 29.86 ± 2.99-fold, respectively, accompanied by NF-κB activation, ROS accumulation (187.7 ± 2.5% of control), apoptosis-associated signaling, and upregulation of the senescence-like markers p16 and p21. Metformin markedly suppressed these responses, reducing cytokine expression toward near-baseline levels, lowering ROS to 120.0 ± 2.0%, decreasing the BAX/BCL-2 ratio from 2.98 to 1.19, and reducing cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved PARP to 120% and 112% of control, respectively. In parallel, metformin enhanced Nrf2-associated antioxidant signaling, increasing NFE2L2 to 2.14 ± 0.17-fold, HMOX1 to 4.29 ± 0.30-fold, and NQO1 to 3.81 ± 0.27-fold, consistent with enhanced antioxidant defense under Ang II stress. Conclusions: Metformin attenuated Ang II-driven cardiac inflammaging-like injury and impaired repair, in association with reduced inflammatory signaling and enhanced activation of antioxidant pathways. These findings support a mechanistically coherent model in which NF-κB suppression and Nrf2 activation may contribute to metformin-mediated protection; however, direct pathway dependence requires confirmation through perturbation-based studies.

The automobile industry plays a pivotal role in global economic development, technological innovation, and sustainable mobility solutions. It drives advancements in engineering, manufacturing, and smart technologies and influences transportation systems. A decision analysis system in the automobile industry serves as a structured framework to evaluate complex choices involving design, production, supply chain, marketing, and sustainability strategies based on vague human information. To achieve the main goal of this article, we explore the concepts of spherical fuzzy sets (SFSs) for handling uncertainty and vagueness in human judgments. The SFS is a more efficient and broader fuzzy framework that has extensive information about an object. Besides the concepts discussed in the fuzzy framework, we also modify the theory of Hamy mean (HM) models under Aczel Alsina operations. By combining two different theories of Aczel Alsina operations and Hamy mean models, we derive a family of mathematical models, namely spherical fuzzy Aczel Alsina Hamy mean (SFAHM) and spherical fuzzy Aczel Alsina weighted Hamy mean (SFAWHM) operators. Moreover, another generalization of the Dual HM (DHM) models is modified in the form of spherical fuzzy Aczel Alsina DHM (SFADHM) and spherical fuzzy Aczel Alsina weighted DHM (SFAWDHM) operators. Some reliable and appropriate characteristics are also studied to demonstrate the flexibility of the proposed operators. An intelligent decision algorithm of the multi-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) problem is discussed to resolve real-life applications and a group of expert’s opinions. To see the effectiveness and reliability of newly developed terminologies, we discussed a numerical example to choose desirable alternatives under an automobile industry system. The influence study is also presented here by setting numerous parametric values in the currently discussed methodologies. To showcase the validation and superiority of diagnosed mathematical models, we establish a comparative study to compare the results of invented approaches with the results of existing terminologies.

The objective of this article is to explore how roles the perceived value of the cultural activities in the evaluation of the consumers' quality of life. First, we study the perceived value comparing two main approaches to the conceptualization of the perceived value. Next, we look over the quality of life studies in the cultural industry. We carried out a qualitative study among adult consumers in a Hungarian Region. Based on our results we explored the main components of the quality of life by subjective evaluation. We found that functional expression appears clearly against the emotional ones in the evaluation of the perceived value related to the cultural activities.

The purpose of this study is to determine the socio-economic and demographic factors of intra-regional inequality in Kazakhstan and their implications for cluster-based innovation in healthcare. A hybrid approach has been used, consisting of a systematic review of 181 publications using the PRISMA 2020 protocol and econometric analysis of the 2001–2024 panel data for the districts of Kazakhstan, consisting of 3,842 observations. Fixed-effects, cluster-robust, and hierarchical mixed-effects models were employed using standardized variables of population size, fertility, mortality, migration, criminality, and investments. The results reveal that the strongest and most robust predictor of intra-regional inequality in Kazakhstan is investment in fixed capital (β = 0.466, p < 0.01; β = 0.399, p < 0.01). Population size has consistently negative effects on intra-regional inequality in Kazakhstan (β = –0.240 to –0.256, p < 0.05 and p < 0.01). In the multilevel model, fertility increases intra-regional inequality in Kazakhstan (β = 0.114, p < 0.01), whereas mortality and net migration decrease it (β = –0.150 and β = –0.037, p < 0.01). The model explained 37.1% of the variance in intra-regional inequality in Kazakhstan (R² = 0.371). The results suggest that without balanced investment and territorially differentiated policies, cluster-based innovation in healthcare can even reinforce rather than alleviate regional disparities.

The paper reports about the building up a computer controlled measurement system based on National Instruments Data Acquisition card and National Instruments LabVIEW software package. The aim of this research is to detect manufactured surface cracks on steels by applying a magnetic flux leakage testing method. First of all, a finite element method based on the procedure to analyze the behavior has been implemented of the measurement system under construction. One important question is the position of the sensors or of the detecting coils. The finite element procedure contains a two dimensional arrangement. First, eddy currents have been neglected, but the nonlinear characteristic of the specimen has been taken into account by a single valued function. In this paper, the developed measurement system, which is partially ready to work, and the nonlinear finite element procedures are presented as well. © 2008 Akadémiai Kiadó.

Perturbed Runge–Kutta methods (also referred to as downwind Runge–Kutta methods) can guarantee monotonicity preservation under larger step sizes relative to their traditional Runge–Kutta counterparts. In this paper we study the question of how to optimally perturb a given method in order to increase the radius of absolute monotonicity (a.m.). We prove that for methods with zero radius of a.m., it is always possible to give a perturbation with positive radius. We first study methods for linear problems and then methods for nonlinear problems. In each case, we prove upper bounds on the radius of a.m., and provide algorithms to compute optimal perturbations. We also provide optimal perturbations for many known methods.

The exhaust aftertreatment systems of diesel passenger cars have been equipped with diesel particulate filters since 2009 when the EURO 5 standard was introduced. This device is a trap for particulates, which originate from internal combustion engines in soot form. These particles must be filtered because they are able to enter the bloodstream through the human respiratory system and can cause an adverse effect on health. Investigations conducted after the 2016 diesel scandal concluded that gasoline engines with direct injection systems commonly in use today, also produce a high number of particles, therefore they must be equipped with gasoline particulate filters. The current EURO 6d TEMP regulation introduced in September 2017 specifies that the NEDC-regulation has to be replaced gradually with the WLTP investigation and the RDE realistic vehicle tests, thus making the real results of the measurements impossible to avoid. Also the particulate emission per one hundred kilometers will be observable in case of direct injection gasoline engines. This paper presents the formation of soot particles during the combustion processes of diesel and gasoline engines, the deposition of particles in particulate filters and explores and analyses the differences between the regeneration processes due to the deposition of particles.

Ethical and transparent governance has become increasingly important because clean-energy transformation depends on institutional quality, investor confidence, and the capacity of public authorities to create predictable conditions for sustainable innovation. This article aims to assess whether ethical and effective institutional governance creates favorable conditions for the development of green and digital energy start-ups. The study uses an unbalanced panel of 144 countries and economies over 2000–2023, combining data from the IEA Energy Start-up Data Explorer and the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, and applies PPML models with country-and year-fixed effects, one-and two-year lags, multicollinearity diagnostics, and quadratic specifications. The results show that green start-up counts are not significantly associated with any WGI indicator in contemporaneous, one-year or two-year lagged models, suggesting that green start-up formation is less directly linked to short-term institutional variation. For digital start-up counts, Political Stability is consistently positive and significant: a one-point increase is associated with approximately 20.7% higher expected digital start-up activity in the contemporaneous model, 13.9% in the one-year lag model and 12.1% in the two-year lag model. Rule of Law becomes significant only in lagged models, with a one-point increase associated with approximately 16.9% higher expected digital start-up activity after one year and 39.1% after two years. For green energy finance, Voice and Accountability is associated with approximately 21.4% higher early-stage green funding. In comparison, Government Effectiveness is associated with approximately 4.7% higher early-stage and 3.8% higher later-stage green funding. Quadratic models reveal governance thresholds, including 67.26 for Voice and Accountability and 74.84 for Rule of Law in green start-up formation.

Both industrialization of agriculture and globalization of food trade have begun in the 20th century. Consumer habits have also undergone major changes in line with altered processes in the structure of food trade initiating merits as well as drawbacks. For instance, currently small-scale agriculture or local product supporting consumption is increasingly forced to play a marginal role all over the world. Small farmers are underrepresented in most traded venue, while production is shifting towards bigger market participants. Locally, this means that the volume of production, labour requirements and diversity of products will be reduced, consequently local characteristics will slowly disappear. As an essential requirement for such production the traditional knowledge will not be able to be passed down to forthcoming generations. As a result of a survey, a problem and an objective tree of community supported agriculture was created. These problem/target trees were constructed after an analysis of CSA through a scrutiny of several farmer's organization and individual consumers in the Western Transdanubia region of Hungary. Followed by the evaluation of data the most influential factor, the basic problem was determined, as a consequence of which the long-term, strategic objective in terms of the market power of CSA organizations has been set forth.