Search Results (864)

Background: Schizophrenia is frequently underdiagnosed or diagnosed late due to the lack of objective diagnostic markers. This study aimed to develop and validate a machine learning model using routine hematological parameters for the auxiliary diagnosis of schizophrenia. Methods: A total of 150 first-episode drug-naïve schizophrenia patients and 150 healthy controls were enrolled. Study parameters included routine hematological parameters and its derived inflammatory markers. Feature selection was performed using Elastic Net regression, followed by the construction of an L2-regularized logistic regression model. Model discriminative performance, calibration, and clinical utility were assessed through internal validation, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), calibration curves, and decision curve analysis. An independent cohort of 50 schizophrenia patients and 50 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) was used for exploratory differential diagnostic evaluation. Results: The final model incorporated 12 features: neutrophil count (NEUT), eosinophil count (EO), mean platelet volume (MPV), hematocrit (HCT), hemoglobin (HGB), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), neutrophil-to-platelet ratio (NPR), along with age and sex. The model achieved an AUC of 0.859 (95% CI: 0.780–0.937) on the test set, with an accuracy of 0.767, sensitivity of 0.711, and specificity of 0.822. Calibration curves confirmed good calibration, and decision curve analysis further verified its clinical utility. In the exploratory differential diagnostic analysis, the model showed limited performance in distinguishing schizophrenia from MDD. Conclusions: The model based on routine hematological parameters and L2-regularized logistic regression can effectively differentiate first-episode drug-naïve schizophrenia patients from healthy controls, providing a low-cost and easily accessible auxiliary diagnostic tool for clinical practice. Full article

Traditional architectural ornament embodies cultural knowledge and local memory, yet its digital treatment often remains confined to static documentation, lacking computational representation, generative reuse, and public participation. Taking Minnan decorative cement tiles from southern Fujian, China, as a case study, this study proposes a design-science framework for sustainable digital revitalization that integrates pattern survey and classification, shape-grammar reconstruction, Low-Rank Adaptation (LoRA) training, interactive web-prototype development, and user evaluation. Shape grammar was used to formalize compositional relationships, and two Stable Diffusion 1.5-based models were trained: Baseline LoRA and shape-grammar LoRA (SG-LoRA). Their outputs were compared using the Fréchet Inception Distance (FID) and expert ratings on a five-point Likert scale. The web prototype was shaped by 220 valid user-needs questionnaires and then evaluated formatively with 30 participants through the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ). Respondents expressed positive intentions toward digital presentation, AI-assisted creation, and social sharing; all six UEQ scales scored positively, with Efficiency (1.850) and Perspicuity (1.733) scoring the highest. The results demonstrate a design pathway linking computable formal rules, generative adaptation, and public participation, offering preliminary evidence for formal-feature preservation, public accessibility, and participatory reuse. Full article

Accumulating epidemiological evidence links ambient PM_2.5 exposure to elevated Parkinson’s disease (PD) risk, yet the neurotoxicity triggered by PM_2.5 multi-pollutant mixtures under real co-exposure scenarios remains insufficiently elucidated. This study integrated two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR), mixture-oriented network toxicology, multi-omics bioinformatics, machine learning and in vitro cell validation to systematically uncover the causal molecular network of PD pathogenesis induced by mixed PM_2.5 pollutants. Two-sample MR based on public GWAS datasets suggested a potential positive genetic association between PM_2.5 exposure and increased PD susceptibility. We intersected PM_2.5 component targets, PD risk genes and differential transcripts to obtain 195 shared genes, among which INPP5D (encoding SHIP1) was identified as the hub gene via LASSO and random forest algorithms. Molecular docking simulations further predicted that metal–organic pollutant complexes may exhibit stronger in-silico binding affinity toward SHIP1 than organic pollutants alone. Pathway enrichment screened the PI3K-AKT cascade as the core regulatory pathway. In SH-SY5Y cells, NIST SRM 1648a (urban particulate matter) treatment upregulated SHIP1 expression and phosphorylation, suppressed PI3K-AKT activity, and boosted neuroinflammation and apoptosis, whereas INPP5D knockdown rescued these pathological changes. Overall, our multi-omics and in vitro findings raise a plausible mechanistic hypothesis that NIST SRM 1648a-mimicked PM_2.5-related pollutant mixtures may exacerbate PD-like neuronal injury through the SHIP1/PI3K-AKT signaling axis. This multi-dimensional evidence provides an analytical paradigm for mixed pollutant-induced neurodegeneration and highlights INPP5D as a promising intervention target for PM_2.5-associated PD. Full article

Introduction: Baseball batting requires rapid coordination of multiple body segments as the movement progresses from preparatory loading to trunk rotation and bat–ball contact. Although whole-body vibration (WBV) has been used as a short-duration conditioning method, little is known about how vibration combined with different external loads alters segmental rotational behavior during baseball batting, particularly in adolescent athletes. This study examined phase-specific changes in segmental angular momentum following unloaded and loaded WBV conditions. Methods: Thirty-two national-level adolescent male baseball players were randomly allocated to four conditions: Non-Vibration (Non-Vib), unloaded WBV (Vib), 30% one-repetition maximum combined with WBV (30% 1RM + WBV), and 50%1RM combined with WBV (50% 1RM + WBV). Participants completed a 60-s partial-squat heel-raise conditioning task under their assigned condition, followed immediately by three maximal-effort batting trials. Vibration conditions were performed at 50 Hz with a displacement amplitude of 2 mm. Three-dimensional motion data were obtained using the Kwon3D system, and segmental angular momentum was evaluated during the backswing, hip rotation initiation, and bat–ball contact phases. Results: Intervention-related differences were concentrated in the early phases of the swing. During the backswing, significant group effects were observed for left-shank Z-axis, right-upper-arm Z-axis, right-forearm Z-axis, trunk Y-axis, and left-forearm Y-axis angular momentum (all p < 0.05), with effect sizes ranging from η² = 0.297 to 0.399. Most significant post hoc comparisons involved the 30% 1RM + WBV condition. During hip rotation initiation, trunk Z-axis angular momentum differed significantly between the 30% 1RM + WBV and 50% 1RM + WBV conditions, while left-thigh Z-axis angular momentum was greater in the 30% 1RM + WBV condition than in the unloaded WBV condition (both p < 0.05). No significant between-group differences were detected for segmental or whole-body angular momentum during the bat–ball contact phase. Conclusion: WBV combined with external loading produced phase- and segment-specific alterations in angular momentum during adolescent baseball batting. The 30% 1RM + WBV condition showed the most consistent differences, particularly during the backswing and hip rotation initiation phases, whereas increasing the load to 50% 1RM did not produce systematically greater responses. These findings suggest that moderate-load WBV may modify the organization of segmental rotational motion during the preparatory and early acceleration phases of batting. Further research is needed to determine whether these acute biomechanical changes translate into improvements in batting performance. Full article

Avian metapneumovirus subtype C (aMPV/C) has re-emerged as a widespread pathogen in China, causing hydrosalpinx fluid syndrome (HFS) in laying ducks and resulting in substantial economic losses, highlighting the urgent need for a reliable immunological detection method. In the present study, a non-invasive indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA) was developed and optimized for detecting aMPV/C-specific immunoglobulin Y (IgY) in egg yolks of laying ducks, using purified novel aMPV/C as the coating antigen. Checkerboard titration established the optimal conditions as an antigen concentration of 1.25 μg/mL and an IgY dilution of 1:200. The cut-off value, determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, was 0.3268, enabling a detection limit of 1:3200 for IgY antibodies. The assay showed no cross-reactivity with IgY positive for other duck pathogens, and both intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation were less than 10%, demonstrating good specificity and reproducibility. Clinical evaluation of 151 duck egg yolk samples yielded an overall aMPV/C-specific IgY positivity rate of 58.3% (88/151). The concordance rate between the iELISA and an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) was 97.8% (45/46). These results indicate that the established iELISA for detecting aMPV/C-specific IgY is a reliable and practical tool for large-scale detection of aMPV/C exposure in clinical duck egg yolk samples. Full article

Pavement texture contributes to friction only where it engages the tire, limiting the interpretability of whole-surface texture indices. This study develops a contact-informed framework for predicting skid resistance at RIOHTrack, Beijing Highway Traffic Test Field. Pressure-sensitive film and three-dimensional laser scanning characterized contact stress and surface morphology under a 25 kN tire load and 830 kPa inflation pressure. British Pendulum Number, peak contact stress, and effective texture density were related to the side-force coefficient at 60 km/h using seven asphalt-section means. Asphalt surfaces exhibited partial, or semi-interlocking, contact, with effective depths mainly of 2–3 mm and effective-to-maximum depth ratios of 0.3–0.4; concrete surfaces showed different ranges. The reported regression achieved adjusted R² = 0.92 and an overall F-test p-value of 0.013, but two individual predictors were not significant at the 0.05 level. Reanalysis of the tabulated data gave a leave-one-section-out root-mean-square error of 4.56 SFC units, exceeding the in-sample error of 0.97. Two-year lane comparisons associated the PG82-22 binder with lower attenuation of excess effective texture density than PG76-22. The framework links texture selection to partial tire engagement, while the small calibration sample requires independent validation before engineering deployment. Full article

Ion implantation is one of the key processes in semiconductor device and integrated circuit manufacturing. It injects charged ions into the wafer surface layer via an accelerating electric field, enabling precise modulation of the material’s electrical properties. As the “power heart” of an ion implantation system, the high-voltage power supply directly determines the energy consistency, spatial distribution uniformity, and process repeatability of the ion beam. As technology nodes continue to shrink to 3 nm and beyond, the ripple coefficient of the high-voltage power supply has become a critical concern. Even millivolt-level ripple can cause ion energy dispersion, leading to implantation depth deviations and non-uniform doping concentrations, thereby degrading chip yield and device reliability. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a high-frequency high-voltage generator based on an IPOS (input-parallel output-series) structure. It uses SiC MOSFET devices and adopts a PWM phase-shift control strategy. Simulation results predict an 86% reduction in peak-to-peak output ripple under interleaved phase-shift control, while experimental results confirm balanced module voltages, 60° interleaved resonant currents, and zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) operation at 100 kV/10 mA output. The switching frequency is tripled compared with conventional IGBT-based designs, reaching 222 kHz. These findings confirm the generator’s effectiveness in meeting the stringent low ripple requirements of advanced ion implantation processes. Full article

A back-to-back time transfer system based on two integrated microcombs and linear optical sampling is demonstrated, establishing the feasibility of chip-scale microcomb sources for precision time–frequency metrology. Two microcombs with repetition rates near 20 GHz are built and repetition-rate locked before asynchronous heterodyne sampling. By tuning the initial optical-frequency offset between the two combs, the linear–optical–sampling signal is shifted into the bandwidth of low-frequency balanced photodetection and oscilloscope acquisition. In a dual-channel balanced-detection configuration, a time deviation of approximately 11 fs at an averaging time of 1 s is obtained. The results demonstrate coherent mapping of a microwave reference onto microcomb pulse trains and femtosecond-level readout of their relative timing, establishing the feasibility of integrated microcombs for precision time–frequency transfer. Full article

Visible-infrared (RGB-IR) object detection leverages multimodal information to ensure reliable perception in complex environments. However, dynamic scenes pose significant challenges due to the frequent inconsistency between scene-level modality contributions and local spatial reliability. Furthermore, standard feature extraction progressively attenuates boundary-sensitive structural cues, and unified fusion strategies often fail to capture spatially varying cross-modal complementarity. To overcome these limitations, we propose a Boundary-Guided Dual-Perspective Cross-Modal Fusion Network (BDPNet) to explicitly preserve shallow geometric structures and decouple deep semantic fusion into macroscopic and microscopic perspectives. Specifically, a Geometric Boundary Enhancement Module (GBEM) embeds Sobel-based high-frequency priors into shallow dual-modal features via residual spatial modulation, preventing the loss of crucial localization cues during downsampling. In the deep semantic space, a Hybrid Dual-Perspective Adaptive Fusion Module (HDAM) employs an illumination-aware branch for global modality weighting and a spatial confidence-driven branch for local cross-modal rectification. A spatial gating mechanism then dynamically reconciles these macro-environmental and micro-signal features. Extensive experiments on M3FD, LLVIP, and DroneVehicle demonstrate the effectiveness of BDPNet. Compared with state-of-the-art methods, BDPNet improves mAP_50–95 by 0.8% and 1.0% on M3FD and LLVIP, respectively, and improves mAP₅₀ by 0.6% on DroneVehicle, while using substantially fewer parameters and lower computational cost. Full article

This paper investigates the predefined-time distributed optimal formation control problem for networked marine surface vehicles (NMSVs) with time-varying optimization objectives and external disturbances. The objective is to drive all vehicles to track the time-varying global optimal trajectory generated by the distributed estimator while maintaining prescribed formation within a predefined time. Accordingly, a hierarchical optimization–formation control framework is developed to bridge global trajectory optimization and local formation control. In the optimization layer, a predefined-time distributed optimization estimator is developed based on local time-varying cost information and neighboring information exchange, which is employed to generate the optimal reference signal. The optimal reference signal is then embedded into the formation control layer, where a tracking controller with a predefined-time segmented terminal sliding-mode surface is designed to compensate for ocean disturbances and ensure accurate trajectory tracking. Lyapunov analysis proves that both the optimization estimation errors and the formation tracking errors converge to zero within a predefined time. Simulation results, including quantitative comparisons, fleets of up to 40 NMSVs, switching and jointly connected graphs, communication impairments, heterogeneous time-varying costs, and rapid references, demonstrate the convergence accuracy, scalability, and practical limits of deadline preservation. Full article

This study aimed to explore whether zona-associated residual sperm may contribute to exogenous Y-DNAY-DNA contamination and cause sex bias in PCR-based sex classification of ovine early-stage embryos, based on the amplification of the AMEL gene. Primers targeting the conserved regions of the ovine AMELX and AMELY genes were designed, and a nested PCR system using AMEL and YWHAZ genes was established. Group A comprised 17 female and 33 male embryos, corresponding to a female-to-male ratio of 0.52:1, whereas Group B comprised 23 female and 27 male embryos, corresponding to a female-to-male ratio of 0.85:1. DAPI staining revealed sperm-morphology structures or structures containing sperm-derived DNA adjacent to the zona pellucida of ovine early-stage embryos. Sequence alignment of PCR amplicons showed consistency with the AMELX and AMELY reference genes. In conclusion, these results support our research hypothesis that zona-associated residual sperm may serve as a potential source of Y-DNAY-DNA contamination and interfere with PCR-based embryonic sex determination. Full article

The present study evaluated the effects of dietary selenium sources on growth performance, slaughter traits, meat quality, tissue selenium deposition, and transcriptomic profiles in the longissimus dorsi muscle of Tibetan pigs. Seventy-two Tibetan pigs (initial body weight: 41.96 ± 6.91 kg) were randomly allocated to four treatment groups receiving 0.5 mg/kg selenium as either sodium selenite (SeS), selenium-enriched yeast (SeY), selenium-enriched seaweed polysaccharide (SeSP), or nano-selenium (SeN) for 60 days. Results showed that neither growth performance nor slaughter traits differed significantly among the four treatments (p > 0.05). Likewise, meat quality parameters of the longissimus dorsi remained comparable across groups, with the exception of drip loss, which was significantly increased in the SeN group compared with the SeS, SeY, and SeSP groups (p < 0.05), among which no differences were observed (p > 0.05). Importantly, selenium contents in the kidney, liver, heart, and longissimus dorsi were markedly elevated in the SeY group relative to the other three groups (p < 0.05). Longissimus dorsi transcriptome analysis identified 34 overlapping differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among the three pairwise comparisons (SeS vs. SeY, SeSP vs. SeY, and SeN vs. SeY), such as S100A1, S100A6, and COL22A1 (p < 0.05). Functional enrichment analysis revealed that response to external stimulus and extracellular region (GO terms), as well as viral protein interaction with cytokine and cytokine receptor (KEGG pathway), represented shared enriched annotations across all comparisons. In conclusion, selenium-enriched yeast at 0.5 mg/kg proved superior to the alternative selenium sources in promoting selenium bioaccumulation in longissimus dorsi of Tibetan pigs. The resultant selenium-enriched muscle tissue exhibited potential beneficial functions including external stimulus response, extracellular region homeostasis, and cytokine–cytokine receptor crosstalk. Full article

Banana Fusarium wilt, caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), is a devastating disease and a major threat to global banana production. Here, we identified 24 genes predicted to encode heme-dependent peroxidase- or catalase–peroxidase-related proteins in Foc race 4 (Foc4), whereas nine genes encoding thiol-dependent peroxide-reducing proteins were catalogued separately. Phylogenetic, synteny, and Ka/Ks analyses indicated a conserved peroxidase repertoire under strong purifying selection, without substantial lineage-specific expansion. Motif, domain, gene-structure, and promoter analyses revealed subgroup-specific features and abundant putative stress- and hormone-responsive cis-regulatory motifs. Expression profiling during banana infection and H₂O₂ treatment showed distinct temporal and oxidative-stress responses. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses linked subsets of these genes to antioxidant activity, peroxide metabolism, peroxisomal functions, and stress signaling. A F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici ortholog-based interaction network combined with co-expression analysis prioritized five peroxidases potentially associated with pathogenicity-related expression programs. FoCP, selected separately based on its rapid H₂O₂ response and catalase–peroxidase annotation, enhanced oxidative-stress tolerance when heterologously expressed in yeast. Overall, Foc4 appears to adapt to oxidative stress through condition-specific regulation of a conserved peroxidase repertoire rather than gene-family expansion. The network-prioritized peroxidases provide candidates for further functional and pathogenicity studies. Full article

The bioconversion of semiconductor processing sludge (SPS) is conventionally bottlenecked by highly cross-linked extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) that sequester concentrated inorganic salts. Forcible EPS deconstruction in single-stage anaerobic digestion triggers an abrupt release of these ions, inducing acute osmotic shock and systemic metabolic failure. To overcome this coupled thermodynamic and kinetic barrier, this study proposes a spatiotemporal decoupling framework utilizing waste resource sludge (WRS) as a physicochemical buffering matrix with a proposed ion-hydration/dielectric contribution. An engineered two-stage system was evaluated using controlled laboratory-scale anaerobic batch assays at 41 °C to segregate the initial acidogenic deconstruction from the subsequent methanogenic mineralization. Baseline single-stage digestion suffered severe paralysis, characterized by an electrical conductivity (EC) surge to 46.9 mS/cm and a negligible methane yield (14.5 mL CH₄/g VS). Conversely, the decoupled strategy effectively buffered the peak ionic stress to a safe threshold (15.8 mS/cm) and enhanced macromolecular liquefaction, achieving a 3.4-fold increase in soluble chemical oxygen demand. Consequently, the methanogenic stage delivered a maximum methane potential of 294.6 mL CH₄/g VS with a significantly shortened lag phase of 3.2 days. Molecular and taxonomic analyses confirmed that this enhanced performance was driven by structural EPS dismantling and a targeted microbial succession—transitioning from a robust Lactobacillaceae-dominated consortium for initial deconstruction to a diverse bacterial syntrophic network associated with methanogenic conversion. These findings establish the mechanistic feasibility of the proposed approach under controlled laboratory-scale batch conditions. Continuous-flow validation is nevertheless required to determine long-term process stability and engineering-scale applicability. Ultimately, this microenvironmental buffering approach provides a resilient, mild intervention pathway for extreme industrial waste, providing a potential mechanistic framework for future cross-industry resource circularity. Full article

Background/Objectives: Whole-blood fatty acid composition provides an objective biomarker of fatty acid status, but its relationships with nutritional characteristics and subsequent quality-of-life (QoL) changes among cancer survivors remain incompletely understood. We aimed to identify whole-blood fatty acid phenotypes and examine their associations with nutritional characteristics, cross-sectional QoL profiles, and subsequent QoL changes in an overlapping longitudinal subcohort. Methods: In this cohort study, the 2023 baseline investigation included 3175 community-dwelling adult cancer survivors with whole-blood fatty acid profiles and paired questionnaires. After excluding participants with substantial missing QoL data, implausible fatty acid measurements, or missing age, sex, or cancer type, 3009 participants comprised the baseline analytical sample. Among these, 423 overlapped with an independent longitudinal cohort contributing QoL data from June 2021 and June 2024, and 398 had complete covariate data for the core adjusted longitudinal analyses. Whole-blood fatty acid phenotypes were identified using principal component analysis and unsupervised clustering. Nutritional characteristics were assessed using habitual dietary intake, Diet Balance Index 2022 scores, and nutrition literacy measures. QoL was assessed using the EORTC QLQ-C30. Multivariable models examined cross-sectional QoL and annualised QoL changes. An open-source phenotype assignment tool was developed to support reproducible classification in future cohorts. Results: Among 3009 baseline participants (mean [SD] age, 64.9 [7.0] years; 2397 women [79.7%]), five whole-blood fatty acid phenotypes were identified. Phenotypes 2 and 3 were rarely observed in the available general-population reference sample and appeared enriched among survivors. Phenotype 2, a high-SFA/low-PUFA phenotype accompanied by higher red meat intake and greater DBI-22 excess scores for red meat and related animal foods, was associated with statistically significant worsening across multiple QoL domains over 12 months despite relatively favourable baseline QoL. Compared with the general-population-mapped reference pool (Phenotypes 1, 4, and 5), Phenotype 2 showed annualised declines in summary score (−4.66 [95% CI, −8.14 to −1.19]) and role functioning (−5.35 [−9.88 to −0.83]), and worsening pain (8.28 [2.58 to 13.98]), dyspnoea (6.83 [0.16 to 13.50]), and constipation (14.10 [7.30 to 20.90]). Prebaseline annualised QoL changes over the preceding 24 months did not differ significantly across phenotypes. Conclusions: Whole-blood fatty acid profiling identified distinct nutritional-metabolic phenotypes among community-dwelling cancer survivors. The high-SFA/low-PUFA phenotype, accompanied by higher red meat intake and greater DBI-22 excess scores for red meat and related animal foods, was associated with worsening across multiple QoL domains over the subsequent 12 months despite relatively favourable baseline QoL. These findings highlight whole-blood fatty acid phenotyping as a potentially informative framework for characterising nutritional-metabolic heterogeneity and subsequent QoL vulnerability among cancer survivors. The open-source phenotype assignment tool may facilitate reproducible phenotype assignment and external validation in future cohorts. Full article