Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science)

Cross-cultural empirical evidence on the validity of measures of depression and anxiety symptoms in adolescents is scarce and inconclusive. The present study investigated the cross-national measurement invariance and convergent validity evidence of the Depression and Anxiety scales of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21). We sampled 16,802 adolescents (58.1% female) aged 14–19 years across 30 countries from five continents. Both exact and approximate measurement invariance were tested. The results provided evidence for the exploratory structural equation model (ESEM) as the best representation of the data in most countries. Full scalar invariance was not supported when tested across all countries, but only among two Southern Asian countries (Bangladesh, India), two Northern European countries (Estonia, Lithuania), the six former republics of Yugoslavia, and European and American countries grouped by UN subregions. Results of the alignment method supported the approximate invariance of the ESEM model across 29 countries. Associations between Depression and Anxiety ESEM factors and life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect conformed to the theoretical expectations in most countries. Our findings indicate that the Depression and Anxiety scales of the DASS-21 have potential for use in cross-national research on adolescent internalizing symptoms, but we highlight issues of using it outside of Western (European, North American) settings.

Background: Diagnosing CNS tumors through MRI is limited by significant variability in scanner hardware, acquisition protocols, and intensity characteristics at clinical centers, resulting in substantial domain shifts that lead to diminished reliability for automated models. Methods: We present a Domain-Adaptive MRI Learning Model (DA-MLM) consisting of an adversarially aligned hybrid 3D CNN-transformer encoder with contrastive regularization and covariance-based feature harmonization. Varying sequence MRI inputs (T1, T1ce, T2, and FLAIR) were inputted to multi-scale convolutional layers followed by global self-attention to effectively capture localized tumor structure and long-range spatial context, with domain adaptation that harmonizes feature distribution across datasets. Results: On the BraTS 2020 dataset, we found DA-MLM achieved 94.8% accuracy, 93.6% macro-F1, and 96.2% AUC, improving upon previously established benchmarks by 2-4%. DA-MLM also attained Dice score segmentation of 93.1% (WT), 91.4% (TC), and 89.5% (ET), improving upon 2-3.5% for CNN and transformer methods. On the REMBRANDT dataset, DA-MLM achieved 92.3% accuracy with segmentation improvements of 3-7% over existing U-Net and expert annotations. Robustness testing indicated 40-60% less degradation under noise, contrast shift, and motion artifacts, and synthetic shifts in scanner location showed negligible performance impairment (<0.06). Cross-domain evaluation also demonstrated 5-11% less degradation than existing methods. Conclusions: In summary, DA-MLM demonstrates improved accuracy, segmentation fidelity, and robustness to perturbations, as well as strong cross-domain generalization indicating the suitability for deployment in multicenter MRI applications where variation in imaging performance is unavoidable.

Network simulation is a cost-effective, widely adopted method for testing and improving new protocols and solutions in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs). Despite the prevalence of simulation-based studies, the absence of unified, extensible frameworks limits the modelling of end-to-end communication and the generation of reusable datasets necessary for research reproducibility. Our paper introduces a simulation framework for evaluating MANETs in Search and Rescue (SAR) scenarios, developed entirely in NS-3 to streamline both simulation and dataset generation. The framework incorporates mobility modelling, energy tracking, communication dynamics, and quality of service (QoS) logging within a modular architecture. It implements heterogeneous nodes with role-specific behaviours and supports discovery mechanisms such as line-of-sight, beacon broadcasting, and signal-based detection. Two simulation versions are implemented using different propagation loss models to assess performance under ideal and obstructed conditions. Routing protocols, including AODV, OLSR, and DSDV, are evaluated across varying scalability levels. Our results confirm established trends in MANET routing and demonstrate the framework’s flexibility in simulating mission-driven environments. The work presents multiple datasets and a reusable, extensible, scenario-driven simulation environment for researchers investigating MANET behaviour in complex applications such as disaster relief and tactical communications.

Background According to network theories, mental disorders, including prolonged grief disorder (PGD), comprise networks of dynamically connected symptoms. Examining how prolonged grief symptoms are connected over time could reveal the patterns driving their persistence. This study provides the first empirical investigation of prolonged grief symptom networks using self-reported data on prolonged grief assessed multiple times daily. Methods Adults whose partner, family member, or friend died on average 30 months ago (N = 229, 80 % women, M age  = 51) rated prolonged grief symptom intensity using 11 items (e.g., “In the past three hours, I found myself yearning for him/her”) five times per day for two weeks. We used a two-step multilevel vector autoregressive model to produce between-person, contemporaneous, and temporal networks. Results In the between-person network, yearning and sadness were the most strongly and positively connected symptoms. In the contemporaneous network, yearning, preoccupation, and sadness formed a cluster of positively connected symptoms. Simultaneously, difficulty reintegrating after the loss, emotional numbness, meaninglessness, and loneliness due to the loss formed another positively connected symptom cluster. In the temporal network, emotional numbness had the greatest positive influence on other prolonged grief symptoms at the subsequent timepoint. Conclusion We propose that targeting emotional suppression, promoting flexible emotion regulation, and supporting integrated continuing bonds (approach-behaviors) and targeting avoidance of the reality of the loss (avoidance-behaviors) may help people to adapt to loss.

Background The death of a significant other can lead to prolonged grief disorder (PGD), characterized by intense grief reactions interfering with daily life. This study aims to identify latent profiles, and predictors thereof, of severity and fluctuation indices in PGD using experience sampling methodology (ESM) data from a novel Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) data-archive. Methods Bereaved adults (N = 228) completed PGD items five times per day for two weeks using ESM. Latent profile analyses were run to identify profiles of fluctuating PGD reactions using four person-specific indicators derived from ESM-PGD items: mean, standard deviation, autocorrelation indicating inertia, and the root mean square of successive differences indicating instability. Background, loss-related characteristics, and psychopathology levels assessed before the ESM period were explored as potential predictors of profile membership. Results Five distinct profiles were identified: moderate PGD/low inertia/moderate fluctuation (46 %), moderate PGD/low inertia/high fluctuation (20 %), low PGD/low inertia/low fluctuation (19 %), high PGD/low inertia/low fluctuation (8 %), and low PGD/high inertia/low fluctuation (7 %). The most consistent differentiating predictors of profiles were gender, time since loss, and baseline psychopathology levels. Conclusions We found that at comparable levels of PGD severity, different fluctuation profiles exist in daily life of bereaved people suggesting that ESM may be an important tool for understanding the dynamic nature of PGD. Identifying these profiles enhances our understanding of individual differences in response to loss and could help to personalize bereavement care.

Renewable energy is a key driver of the sustainable energy transition. To accelerate deployment, the Renewable Energy Directive was amended by Directive (EU) 2023/2413, commonly referred to as ‘RED III’, which raised the Union’s renewable energy target and introduced territorial instruments such as coordinated mapping and renewables acceleration areas. This article examines the legal mechanisms of RED III that have a territorial impact and assesses their interaction with spatial-planning, asking how implementation reshapes the relationship between EU-level regulatory influence and Member State discretion. Utilising doctrinal legal research and concepts from spatial-planning scholarship, the article analyses how RED III operationalises these area-based planning instruments and links them to project authorisation. Lithuania is used as an illustrative implementation example. The findings suggest that RED III does not establish an EU spatial-planning system but strengthens the territorially oriented governance of renewables by connecting plan-level choices to permitting. At the same time, it leaves Member States with substantial discretion over legal form and integration into national planning hierarchies. The article concludes that RED III is a turning point in a specific sense: it makes territorial steering a more explicit and legally structured component of EU renewables governance, without harmonising national spatial planning systems.

This paper examines the impact of industrial energy efficiency on household energy poverty in the twenty-seven Member States of the European Union for the period 2003–2023. Although the literature has widely discussed energy efficiency as an enabler of decarbonisation and economic performance, its direct link to energy poverty at the macro level has rarely been analysed, let alone with respect to structural changes in industry. Filling this gap, this paper evaluates whether reductions in industrial energy intensity result in reduced energy poverty, understood as the share of households unable to maintain adequate indoor thermal comfort. Empirical analysis relies on a balanced panel dataset and uses fixed-effects regression models to take into account unobserved country-specific and time-specific heterogeneity. In addition, potential endogeneity between industrial energy intensity and labour productivity is addressed by the instrumental variable approach using two-stage least squares. The main models also include key macroeconomic and social control variables: real GDP per capita, social benefit expenditure, electricity prices for households, and unit labour costs. The results yield a robust and statistically significant positive link between industrial energy intensity and energy poverty, suggesting that efficiency improvements in industry make a quantifiable difference in household energy deprivation. This effect even increases in strength after the correction for endogeneity, thereby corroborating the causal relevance of productivity-driven efficiency gains. The findings also show substantial heterogeneity between EU Member States, indicating that national structural features will determine baseline levels of energy poverty. However, no strong evidence is found for an indirect price-mediated transmission mechanism or for moderation effects bound to income levels or social expenditure. This study provides sound empirical evidence that industrial energy efficiency is an important but structurally conditioned lever to alleviate energy poverty in the European Union. The results emphasise the integration of industrial efficiency policies with social and institutional frameworks while designing strategies for a just and inclusive energy transition.

Introduction – Previous studies have shown that children’s exposure to potentially traumatic events and their trauma−related symptoms may not always be consistently identified. This study aims to examine differences in trauma exposure and related psychological outcomes between clinical and non−clinical Lithuanian children. Methods – This cross-sectional study included 10–17−year−old children and adolescents recruited from a clinical inpatient setting (Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos) and general−education schools in Vilnius and nearby districts. After parental consent and child assent, participants completed a secure mobile assessment covering exposure to potentially traumatic events (CATS), dissociation (A−DES), mood and feeling (SMFQ), post−traumatic cognitions (CPTCI), PTSD symptoms (CATS; PCL−5 for convergent validation), and perceived social support (CASSS). Data were collected in 2023–2024. Group differences were examined using Welch’s t−tests (with Mann–Whitney U as robustness checks), and associations were assessed using Pearson correlations. Results – In the clinical sample over 40% of children experienced physical violence, while in the non−clinical sample 82.9% children reported exposure to multiple traumatic events. The clinical sample showed significantly higher dissociation, negative mood, and PTSD symptoms compared to the non−clinical sample. However, among children exposed to more than one traumatic event, differences in dissociation, PTSD symptoms, and close−friend support were not significant. Across both samples, exposure to potentially traumatic events was strongly associated with PTSD symptoms, dissociation, and post−traumatic cognitions, and moderately associated with mood symptoms. In the non−clinical sample, parental support showed moderate negative associations with dissociation, mood symptoms, post−traumatic cognitions, and PTSD symptoms. Discussion – This study identified between−sample differences in exposure to potentially traumatic events and trauma−related psychological outcomes among Lithuanian children in inpatient and community settings, highlighting the need for trauma−informed assessment and attention to social support within child mental health and welfare services.

In this study, we examine whether personality profiles moderate a recently proposed environmental behaviour–well-being model. The model is grounded in Self-Determination Theory, which suggests that pro-environmental behaviour may contribute to subjective well-being through the satisfaction of basic psychological needs. A total of 403 adolescents from four Lithuanian schools participated in this study. Participants were selected using a convenience sampling method, and the average participant age was 14.89 years (56.6% female). Structural equation modelling demonstrated acceptable model fit (CFI = 0.988, TLI = 0.986, NFI = 0.929, RMSEA = 0.043 [0.022–0.058], SRMR = 0.113, χ2 (353) = 416.92, p = 0.011) and indicated that personality profiles moderate several pathways within the environmental behaviour–well-being model. Additionally, the results showed that pro-environmental behaviour and connectedness to nature did not significantly predict subjective well-being across all personality profiles. The findings highlight the importance of considering personality differences when designing sustainability-related educational interventions aimed at promoting environmental citizenship and improving subjective well-being.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to identify potential areas for improvement in the prevention of oral diseases in pregnant women by assessing their oral care habits and awareness regarding oral health. Methods: An original, anonymous, web-based survey was conducted among women at any stage of pregnancy. The survey consisted of 23 questions regarding oral care habits, knowledge about oral health of mother and child, general and oral health changes, and attendance of oral healthcare services during pregnancy. The data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS 27.0 version software. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to analyse the data. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: A total of 714 pregnant women participated in the study, with a mean (SD) age of 30.2 (4.4) years. Majority of the respondents demonstrated acceptable oral health-related knowledge and habits. A lack of interdental care among pregnant women was discovered. Nearly a third (27.6%) of the respondents reported a decline in their oral health during pregnancy. The most commonly reported general and oral health issues during pregnancy were increased stomach acid levels (71.3%) and gum bleeding (43.3%). Pregnant women were most frequently informed about the importance of oral care by an obstetrician-gynaecologist (25.4%). Conclusions: The study revealed the need for targeted interventions to enhance oral health awareness and practices among pregnant women in Lithuania. While overall oral hygiene habits were acceptable, deficiencies in interdental care and knowledge regarding oral health during pregnancy were evident. Higher level of education and urban residency were associated with superior oral care practices of pregnant women. In order to improve oral health of mother and child, interdisciplinary collaboration and dissemination of accessible, evidence-based information are essential.