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15 pages, 9913 KB  
Article
Study on the Risk of Phosphorus Leaching in Dryland from Typical Purple-Soil Regions and Its Control Mechanisms
by Xiaosong Yang, Jingwen Yu, Yanfen Wang, Yiming Zhao, Kun Wang, Xiaofeng Lu and Lan Zhang
Biology 2026, 15(18), 1658; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology15181658 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Phosphorus (P) leaching from dryland from purple soils poses a significant risk to water quality, yet effective mitigation strategies and their underlying microbial mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of biochar (B), a silicon-based conditioner (Si), and their [...] Read more.
Phosphorus (P) leaching from dryland from purple soils poses a significant risk to water quality, yet effective mitigation strategies and their underlying microbial mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of biochar (B), a silicon-based conditioner (Si), and their combination (BSi) in controlling P leaching, hypothesizing that B would immobilize P while Si would mobilize it. The indoor soil column leaching experiments were conducted with four treatments (CK, B, Si, BSi), measuring leachate P fractions and soil P forms, and employed metagenomic sequencing combined with partial least-squares path modeling (PLS-PM) and Bayesian structural equation modeling (BSEM) to explore microbial functional mechanisms. Results showed that B alone reduced cumulative leaching of inorganic P (IP), organic P (OP), and total P (TP) by a range of 5.4–6.3%, while increasing available phosphorus (Olsen-P) by 39.4% in the surface layer. Si and BSi promoted leaching, with BSi reducing available P sharply, despite raising TP. Metagenomic analysis revealed that B suppressed subsurface IP solubilization genes (e.g., gcd, ppx) and optimized OP mineralization, whereas Si inhibited mineralization via reducing key microbial taxa. BSEM further identified water-soluble P (Water-P) and total nitrogen (TN) as direct positive drivers of inorganic P dissolution. Collectively, the key biological mechanisms for leaching reduction involve inhibiting subsurface IP solubilization, optimizing surface OP mineralization, and enhancing P transport/starvation responses. Collectively, biochar applied alone offers the optimal balance between P retention and crop-available P supply in dryland purple soils, and provides mechanistic insights—through functional gene profiling—that can inform the design of more sustainable P fertilization and leaching control practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Ecology)
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17 pages, 2531 KB  
Article
Intracranial Arterial Calcification and Its Impact on Subsequent Ischemic Cerebral Events: A Retrospective Cohort Study
by Philipp Deisl, Stephanie Mangesius, Marie-Christine Pali, Maximilian Lutz, Michael Knoflach, Lukas Mayer-Suess, Stefan Kiechl, Gerlig Widmann, Astrid E. Grams and Elke R. Gizewski
Diagnostics 2026, 16(18), 3037; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics16183037 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Background: Intracranial arterial calcification (IAC), commonly detected on CT/CTA during ischemic stroke work-up, may reflect atherosclerotic burden relevant to recurrence. We evaluated whether CTA-detected IAC was associated with subsequent ischemic cerebral events. Methods: This retrospective single-center cohort included patients with ischemic [...] Read more.
Background: Intracranial arterial calcification (IAC), commonly detected on CT/CTA during ischemic stroke work-up, may reflect atherosclerotic burden relevant to recurrence. We evaluated whether CTA-detected IAC was associated with subsequent ischemic cerebral events. Methods: This retrospective single-center cohort included patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack admitted to a tertiary stroke unit between 2010 and 2023. IAC was assessed on index-event CTA using volumetric quantification and the Babiarz score. Time to first recurrent ischemic cerebrovascular event was analyzed using multivariable Cox regression. Robustness was evaluated through adjustment for stroke etiology and CTA acquisition parameters, penalized regression, bootstrap internal validation, and competing-risk analysis accounting for death. Results: Among 556 patients (median age, 71.5 years [IQR, 62.3–78.6]; 354 male), 60 (10.8%) experienced recurrence during a median follow-up of 3.5 years (IQR, 1.8–7.5). Median IAC volume was higher in patients with recurrence than in those without recurrence (45.0 mm3 [IQR, 14.1–143.2] vs. 18.3 mm3 [IQR, 0–105.6]; p = 0.01). A one-unit increase in log10(IAC + 1), corresponding to a tenfold increase in IAC + 1, was associated with a higher recurrence hazard (HR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.18–2.24; p = 0.003). The model had a C-index of 0.727, and the association remained consistent across sensitivity analyses. Babiarz scores correlated strongly with volumetric IAC measurements in the intracranial carotid and vertebral arteries (ρ ≥ 0.93; p < 0.01). Conclusions: Greater CTA-derived IAC burden was associated with a higher hazard of recurrent ischemic cerebrovascular events. Quantitative IAC assessment warrants further investigation as a potential imaging marker of recurrence risk, although external validation is required before clinical implementation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Cerebrovascular Disease: Clinical Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prognosis)
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44 pages, 14265 KB  
Review
Review of Multi-Scale Bridge Monitoring: An Information-Centric Framework Integrating Ground-Penetrating Radar, Distributed Optical-Fibre Sensing, and Satellite Remote Sensing for Bridge Digital Twins
by Lilong Zou, Ying Li, Kevin Munisami, Giovanni Nico and Amir M. Alani
Sensors 2026, 26(18), 5930; https://doi.org/10.3390/s26185930 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Bridge infrastructure worldwide is under increasing pressure from ageing assets, growing traffic demand, environmental deterioration, and the need for more effective lifecycle management. Although bridge-monitoring technologies have developed rapidly, much of the existing research has focused on individual sensing techniques, while the integration [...] Read more.
Bridge infrastructure worldwide is under increasing pressure from ageing assets, growing traffic demand, environmental deterioration, and the need for more effective lifecycle management. Although bridge-monitoring technologies have developed rapidly, much of the existing research has focused on individual sensing techniques, while the integration of heterogeneous information across different spatial scales has received comparatively less attention. This review takes an information-centric perspective on intelligent bridge monitoring and focuses on three representative technologies that provide complementary information at the material, structural, and network scales: Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) for assessing material condition, distributed optical-fibre sensing (DOFS) for monitoring structural response, and satellite remote sensing for providing network-scale information. Instead of comparing these technologies solely for their sensing principles, the review considers their complementary roles in bridge engineering and proposes a Material–Structural–Network (M–S–N) framework to organise monitoring information across scales. Recent developments in multi-source information fusion, AI-based interpretation, connected monitoring systems, autonomous monitoring, and self-evolving Digital Twins are also reviewed. Together, these advances indicate a shift from simply collecting monitoring data towards integrating information, extracting engineering knowledge, and supporting intelligent decisions. Based on this perspective, a Multi-Scale Integration Framework is proposed to illustrate how observations at different scales can be combined to provide a more complete understanding of bridge condition, structural performance, and infrastructure-network context. Future bridge monitoring should therefore move beyond isolated sensing and data collection towards multi-scale information generation and integration, supporting predictive maintenance, resilient asset management, and intelligent lifecycle decision-making across bridge networks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors and Sensing Technologies for Structural Health Monitoring in Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Engineering)
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10 pages, 10774 KB  
Case Report
Treatment of an Advanced NSCLC Patient with a Rare OSBPL9-ALK Fusion: A Case Report
by Liang Chen, Hu Chen, Lei Feng, Zihao Zhang and Zhepeng Liu
Healthcare 2026, 14(18), 3085; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14183085 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
ALK rearrangements define an important molecular subtype of lung adenocarcinoma, and the rearranged ALK serves as a well-established oncogenic driver in this malignancy. The most common type of mutation is the EML4-ALK fusion. Meanwhile, rare fusions are also frequently discovered with regard to [...] Read more.
ALK rearrangements define an important molecular subtype of lung adenocarcinoma, and the rearranged ALK serves as a well-established oncogenic driver in this malignancy. The most common type of mutation is the EML4-ALK fusion. Meanwhile, rare fusions are also frequently discovered with regard to ALK. However, clinical efficacy varies substantially across rare ALK fusion variants due to their distinct biological features, and individualized drug selection guided by fusion architecture and tumor characteristics is therefore required. This case presents the entire treatment process of a female patient with advanced lung adenocarcinoma who had an OSBPL9-ALK fusion. The patient was diagnosed in early 2021; by referring to previous reports and model prediction with AlphaFold 2 and Autodock Pymol, the new second-generation ALK inhibitor Ensartinib was chosen. After 24 months, due to disease progression, she switched to the third-generation ALK inhibitor, Lorlatinib, after model prediction. After 15 months, for further disease progression, the anti-angiogenic drug, anlotinib, was added to the treatment plan. Unfortunately, 6 months later, the disease progressed further, and the patient chose supportive treatment for economic reason. Nine months later, the patient died. The presentation of this case will provide a reference guideline for the subsequent treatment of lung adenocarcinoma with the same fusion. Meanwhile, model-based prediction for ALK fusion targeted therapy can provide a predictive reference for drug selection in patients presenting similar ALK rearrangements in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Clinical Care)
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40 pages, 7200 KB  
Systematic Review
Structured Review Practices in Projects: A Systems Perspective on Experiential Knowledge Transfer—A Systematic Review
by Tongyu Zhang, Juanqiong Gou, Guquan Liu, Xueyan Li and Chenyi Wei
Systems 2026, 14(9), 1176; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems14091176 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Project experience is distributed across individuals, project artifacts, team interactions, and organizational arrangements, making its transfer across project and temporal boundaries a multilevel systems challenge. Although after-action reviews, debriefs, retrospectives, postmortems, project reviews, and lessons-learned practices provide organized means of learning from experience, [...] Read more.
Project experience is distributed across individuals, project artifacts, team interactions, and organizational arrangements, making its transfer across project and temporal boundaries a multilevel systems challenge. Although after-action reviews, debriefs, retrospectives, postmortems, project reviews, and lessons-learned practices provide organized means of learning from experience, the interdependent components, transformation processes, and feedback relationships through which they generate reusable experiential knowledge remain insufficiently explained. This study systematically reviewed 106 English-language scholarly publications selected from 4157 records retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus. The evidence was synthesized through functional classification of evidence, typological analysis, thematic synthesis, and systems-oriented interpretive synthesis. The review establishes a common analytical domain for structured review practices based on four defining attributes and identifies four ideal-type configurations distinguished by their primary triggering mechanisms and knowledge boundaries. Across these configurations, four interconnected clusters of key cognitive tasks transform project experience materials into a shared interpretive foundation, reusable experiential knowledge, and a basis for future action. These transformations constitute a multilevel feedback architecture comprising short within-project and long cross-project loops, but may break down at five points under task–cognitive, social–political, and organizational–technological conditions. This study reframes structured review practices as a multilevel socio-technical learning system that connects actors, evidence, cognitive processes, knowledge artifacts, organizational uptake, and feedback from subsequent action. It thereby provides a systems-oriented conceptual basis for the design and diagnosis of structured reviews and for future research on human–AI support in project-based organizations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Systems Practice in Social Science)
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24 pages, 2195 KB  
Article
Enhancing Rule-Based Explanations via Cognitive Bias Towards Semantic Relevance
by Parisa Mahya and Johannes Fürnkranz
Information 2026, 17(9), 919; https://doi.org/10.3390/info17090919 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
As interest in explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) continues to grow, a critical gap remains between the explanations generated by models and their interpretability by human users, particularly when cognitive biases and semantic relevance are not adequately addressed. This paper introduces CoRIfEE-Rel, a [...] Read more.
As interest in explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) continues to grow, a critical gap remains between the explanations generated by models and their interpretability by human users, particularly when cognitive biases and semantic relevance are not adequately addressed. This paper introduces CoRIfEE-Rel, a novel human-centered meta-XAI method aimed at bridging this gap by producing rule-based explanations that are both interpretable and semantically aligned with the target domain concept. CoRIfEE-Rel synthesizes outputs from a diverse pool of interpretable models and employs a knowledge graph-driven heuristic that combines semantic relevance with traditional rule learning metrics. This approach ensures that the resulting explanations are deeply tied to core domain concepts while maintaining the clarity and structure needed for human understanding. Empirical evaluations conducted across multiple datasets demonstrate that CoRIfEE-Rel achieves higher semantic relevance than random forest and JRip rule-based explanations without notable compromises in predictive accuracy. The results highlight the ability of CoRIfEE-Rel to generate rule-based explanations that are semantically related to the target concepts while maintaining predictive performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Artificial Intelligence)
24 pages, 3727 KB  
Article
Nanoencapsulation of Plant-Derived Antifungals in Chitosan Oligomer Carriers Reduces Gray Mold Severity in ‘Tempranillo’ Vineyards: Field Efficacy and Preliminary Wine Sensory Assessment
by Eva Sánchez-Hernández, Javier García-Martín, Susana Luis-del Río, Jesús Martín-Gil, José Casanova-Gascón and Pablo Martín-Ramos
Agronomy 2026, 16(18), 1847; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16181847 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Gray mold (Botrytis cinerea Pers.) is a primary yield-limiting disease in European viticulture. Here we report a field evaluation of two chitosan oligomer (COS)-based nanocarrier (NC) systems loaded with Rubia tinctorum (NC-Rt) and Uncaria tomentosa (NC-Ut) extracts for B. cinerea management in [...] Read more.
Gray mold (Botrytis cinerea Pers.) is a primary yield-limiting disease in European viticulture. Here we report a field evaluation of two chitosan oligomer (COS)-based nanocarrier (NC) systems loaded with Rubia tinctorum (NC-Rt) and Uncaria tomentosa (NC-Ut) extracts for B. cinerea management in ‘Tempranillo’ vineyards (D.O.P. Ribera del Duero, 2024 season). In vitro, nanoencapsulation reduced the effective extract concentration required for complete inhibition of B. cinerea mycelial growth by 1.8–6.7-fold relative to free extracts. Ex situ, both NC formulations at MIC×3 significantly reduced gray mold severity on inoculated ‘Tempranillo’ bunches at days 5 and 7, but not on ‘Verdejo’ bunches. In a field trial under commercial-vineyard conditions, NC-Ut and NC-Rt reduced mean gray mold severity from 80% in the untreated control to 18–25%, compared with 35–40% for the free extracts and commercial chitosan, an effectiveness of 69–78%. No visual symptoms of acute phytotoxicity were observed during the trial, and cluster weight and cluster number did not differ significantly among treatments. A preliminary, exploratory sensory screening of the wines produced from the treated grapevines detected no significant treatment-related differences in off-flavor or Botrytis-related defect scores. These single-season results support further evaluation of COS-based NCs as delivery systems for plant-derived antifungals in viticulture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Nanomaterials for Diseases and Pest Control in Agriculture: 2nd Edition)
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26 pages, 796 KB  
Article
Prediction of Radiation-Shielding Performance of Boron-Doped Glasses Using Artificial Neural Networks and Statistical Analysis
by Bekir Oruncak, Seher Polat, Kerem Hepdeniz and Hatice Banu Keskinkaya
Materials 2026, 19(18), 3988; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19183988 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Radiation-shielding materials are critically important for protecting human health in nuclear energy, medical imaging, and radiotherapy applications. Due to the toxicity and environmental disadvantages of traditional lead-based materials, boron-doped glasses represent a promising alternative because of their radiation-shielding characteristics, optical transparency, and relatively [...] Read more.
Radiation-shielding materials are critically important for protecting human health in nuclear energy, medical imaging, and radiotherapy applications. Due to the toxicity and environmental disadvantages of traditional lead-based materials, boron-doped glasses represent a promising alternative because of their radiation-shielding characteristics, optical transparency, and relatively low toxicity. This study evaluated whether a systematically selected artificial neural network (ANN) provides a meaningful predictive advantage over multiple linear regression (MLR) and support vector regression (SVR) for broad-spectrum linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) estimation while quantifying energy-dependent prediction error, input-importance uncertainty, and transferability limits. After removing one duplicated 0.0221 MeV record per glass, the final Phy-X/PSD-derived computational dataset comprised 546 observations from six glass compositions evaluated at 91 unique photon-energy points over 0.015–15 MeV. The 2–10–1/tansig ANN was selected using photon-energy-grouped cross-validation and the one-standard-error rule with parsimony. It achieved pooled out-of-fold RMSE = 0.020453 cm−1, MAE = 0.004061 cm−1, R2 = 0.999915, and MAPE = 0.854%, outperforming MLR and RBF-SVR under the common validation protocol. Perturbation analysis identified photon energy as the dominant predictive input (95.75%), while B2O3 concentration, interpreted as a compositional descriptor of the S1–S6 series, contributed 4.25% model-specific importance. Repeated-split analysis supported strong within-domain interpolation for most partitions, whereas leave-one-energy-interval-out testing showed poor boundary-energy extrapolation and leave-one-composition-out testing revealed strongly nonuniform composition transferability. The ANN should therefore be used only as a preliminary computational screening and decision-support tool within the represented domain, with independent experimental validation required before engineering or safety-critical use. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Electronic Materials)
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31 pages, 780 KB  
Article
Martingale Doppelgänger-Eval: A Specification-Driven Interventional Audit Algorithm for Visual Evidence Use in Vision–Language Models
by Ziyao Wang and Svetlozar T. Rachev
Algorithms 2026, 19(9), 803; https://doi.org/10.3390/a19090803 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Assessing chart understanding requires distinguishing responses to local visual evidence from associations with a chart’s overall shape. We present Martingale Doppelgänger-Eval, an interventional audit framework that connects executable edit specifications to benchmark generation, validity checks and response estimation. Matched charts support separate measurements [...] Read more.
Assessing chart understanding requires distinguishing responses to local visual evidence from associations with a chart’s overall shape. We present Martingale Doppelgänger-Eval, an interventional audit framework that connects executable edit specifications to benchmark generation, validity checks and response estimation. Matched charts support separate measurements of evidence response and regional sensitivity. Each result carries its uncertainty, response coverage and identification status. We characterize conditions for identifying paired effects and specify a sequential procedure for audits that stop after inspecting accumulating evidence. We directly evaluate nine frozen vision–language models on 12,000 pairs generated with the corrected renderer. Complete-pair evidence scores range from 0.4362 to 0.4990, while supervised pixel controls generalize the learned rules to disjoint held-out symbols. A matched volume-only experiment reveals model-specific responses, and magnitude-matched regional edits quantify oracle-region sensitivity separately from the faithfulness of reported regions. The framework links interpretable visual comparisons to the conditions needed for their statistical evaluation. Full article
23 pages, 12706 KB  
Article
Effect of Dry and Water-Slurry Dosing of Different Silica Fumes on the Mechanical Properties of Standard Mortar
by Grzegorz Rogojsz and Tomasz Rudnicki
Materials 2026, 19(18), 3987; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19183987 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Microsilica is a commonly used additive in cementitious materials due to its high amorphous SiO2 content, very small particle size, and high pozzolanic activity. However, its effectiveness may depend not only on the chemical composition and physical properties of the material but [...] Read more.
Microsilica is a commonly used additive in cementitious materials due to its high amorphous SiO2 content, very small particle size, and high pozzolanic activity. However, its effectiveness may depend not only on the chemical composition and physical properties of the material but also on the method of its incorporation into the cement mixture. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of dry and slurry dosing of three microsilicas with different chemical compositions and grain size characteristics on the consistency and mechanical properties of standard mortar. White microsilica (MKb), compacted microsilica (MZ), and Mikrosill+ microsilica (MK+) were used in the study at concentrations of 1%, 3%, 5%, and 7% by weight of cement. In the slurry dosing method, the microsilica was added to part of the mixing water, and the prepared slurries were conditioned for three days before sample preparation. Material properties were assessed based on particle size distribution analysis and SEM microscopic observations, while mortar properties were assessed based on consistency and bending and compressive strength after 7, 28, and 56 days of curing. The obtained results showed that the effect of dosing method was not clear and depended on the type of microsilica, its content, sample age, and the type of strength tested. In the case of compressive strength, the dosing in the form of an aqueous suspension was more favorable in many systems after 7 days, while after 56 days, in most cases, higher values were obtained for dry-dosed microsilicas. In the case of bending strength, more favorable results were generally obtained at a younger age for dry-dosed microsilicas, while after 56 days, this relationship was less clear. Granulometric analysis revealed differences in the formation and disintegration of agglomerates of the tested microsilicas upon contact with water. The results indicate that the effectiveness of the microsilica dosing method cannot be assessed independently of the properties of the specific material and the mortar maturation age. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Construction and Building Materials)
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Graphical abstract

30 pages, 1828 KB  
Review
Biohydrogen for a Circular Economy: Progress, Challenges, and Net-Zero Pathways
by Ammar Sohail, Maham Hussain and Eoin Syron
Hydrogen 2026, 7(3), 135; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrogen7030135 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Hydrogen will play a key role in decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors, yet the current supply is mostly fossil-based and carbon-intensive. Biohydrogen, produced from biomass and organic residues, offers a low-carbon alternative and can achieve negative emissions when integrated with carbon capture. However, its deployment [...] Read more.
Hydrogen will play a key role in decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors, yet the current supply is mostly fossil-based and carbon-intensive. Biohydrogen, produced from biomass and organic residues, offers a low-carbon alternative and can achieve negative emissions when integrated with carbon capture. However, its deployment is constrained by both feedstock availability and technology maturity. This review examines the global availability of different types of bio-feedstocks and their compatibility with biohydrogen production routes such as thermochemical and biological methods. Following PRISMA guidelines, it assesses the development status of the main thermochemical and biological routes, maps sustainable feedstocks to compatible technologies, and evaluates regional deployment potential. Thermochemical routes are at higher technology readiness levels (TRLs) and are better suited for large-scale centralised facilities, being compatible with dry lignocellulosic feedstocks. Conversely, biological methods are at lower maturity but are uniquely positioned for small-scale deployment and integration with wastewater and agro-industrial systems. Feedstock type critically influences performance, suggesting region-specific strategies. Future research should focus on technology demonstration in operational environments, regenerable catalysts, oxygen-tolerant enzymes, improved purification, and regional life-cycle assessments. Policy support on carbon pricing, hydrogen mandates, and streamlined permitting is vital to positioning biohydrogen as a cost-competitive complement to electrolysis-based hydrogen powered by renewable energy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production of Hydrogen from Biomass and Organic Waste)
19 pages, 1973 KB  
Article
End-to-End Characterization of Cascaded RF/FSO Relaying Under Dust Fading
by Maged Abdullah Esmail
Technologies 2026, 14(9), 592; https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies14090592 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
This paper investigates the performance of a cascaded dual-hop relay system comprising a radio-frequency (RF) hop followed by a free-space optical (FSO) hop. The RF channel was subject to Rayleigh fading, whereas the FSO channel experienced beta-distributed dust-induced irradiance fluctuations based on experimentally [...] Read more.
This paper investigates the performance of a cascaded dual-hop relay system comprising a radio-frequency (RF) hop followed by a free-space optical (FSO) hop. The RF channel was subject to Rayleigh fading, whereas the FSO channel experienced beta-distributed dust-induced irradiance fluctuations based on experimentally obtained channel parameters. A fixed-gain amplify-and-forward (AF) relay was employed, and the FSO link operated using intensity modulation/direct detection (IM/DD) with on–off keying (OOK). Unlike conventional mixed RF/FSO studies that primarily model the optical hop through atmospheric turbulence and pointing errors, this work examined the end-to-end effect of dust-induced fading in a cascaded RF/FSO architecture. An exact integral representation of the end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) cumulative distribution function was formulated. A finite-series closed-form approximation of the end-to-end CDF was subsequently obtained, from which corresponding closed-form approximations for the outage probability, the average bit error rate (BER), and the ergodic capacity metric were derived. The accuracy of the proposed approximations was validated through numerical integration and Monte Carlo simulations. The results show that the finite-series expressions provided highly accurate and computationally efficient performance estimates in the moderate- and high-SNR regions, while a measurable deviation may occur under very low-SNR conditions. The developed framework provides useful analytical tools for evaluating cascaded RF/FSO systems operating over beta-distributed dust-fading channels. Full article
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16 pages, 2186 KB  
Article
Design, Synthesis and Antihyperglycemic/Antilipidemic Activities of Quinoline-thiazolidine-2,4-dione Hybrid
by ElShimaa Ahmed Mohamed Abousaada, Asmaa Galal-Khallaf, Khaled Mohammed-Geba, Mohamed El-Bahnsawye, Mona K. Abo Hussein, Elshaymaa I. Elmongy, Rania Ali Ahmed Shaltout, Reem Binsuwaidan, Hadeer Ali, Ahmed I. El-Tantawy, Hamed Abdel-Bary and Ibrahim El Tantawy El Sayed
Pharmaceuticals 2026, 19(9), 1490; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph19091490 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hyperlipidemia are interrelated metabolic disorders that significantly increase cardiovascular risk. Thiazolidinediones are known insulin sensitizers, whereas quinoline derivatives possess diverse pharmacological activities. To explore their complementary activity, we designed a novel hybrid compound integrating a thiazolidinedione [...] Read more.
Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hyperlipidemia are interrelated metabolic disorders that significantly increase cardiovascular risk. Thiazolidinediones are known insulin sensitizers, whereas quinoline derivatives possess diverse pharmacological activities. To explore their complementary activity, we designed a novel hybrid compound integrating a thiazolidinedione core with a quinoline moiety via a carbon spacer. Materials and Methods: The hybrid molecule was synthesized through a straightforward route and structurally confirmed by spectroscopic analyses. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) were employed as an in vivo model, with hyperglycemia induced by immersion in 100 mM glucose monohydrate for 12 days. Fish were divided into treatment groups receiving 20 or 80 mg/kg of the compound, alongside the controls. Biochemical parameters (glucose, triglycerides, insulin) and gene expression levels (NF-κB, ACOX1, ACCα) were assessed. In silico docking was conducted to predict molecular interactions. Results: Treatment with the hybrid compound significantly restored glucose, triglyceride, and insulin levels. High-dose administration suppressed NF-κB expression and normalized ACOX1 levels, while both low- and high-dose treatments downregulated ACCα compared with untreated hyperglycemic controls. Computational studies supported multitarget activity through predicted binding to PPAR-α and ACOX1. Conclusions: Quinoline-Thiazolidine-2,4-Dione demonstrated strong antihyperglycemic and antihypertriglyceridemic activities in zebrafish models, supported by in silico validation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Zebrafish Model in Pharmacology and Toxicology)
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7 pages, 189 KB  
Case Report
Concurrent Remission of Therapy-Related Acute Myeloid Leukemia and IgG-λ MGUS During Oral Decitabine–Cedazuridine: A Case Report
by Pasquale Niscola, Carla Mazzone, Marco Giovannini, Valentina Gianfelici and Maria Ilaria Del Principe
Hematol. Rep. 2026, 18(5), 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/hematolrep18050066 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Background and Clinical Relevance: The association between acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is rare and likely coincidental, due to the similar epidemiology of these two blood disorders in older AML patients who are not eligible for [...] Read more.
Background and Clinical Relevance: The association between acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is rare and likely coincidental, due to the similar epidemiology of these two blood disorders in older AML patients who are not eligible for intensive chemotherapy or aggressive treatment, as they can be excessively myelosuppressive. Such treatments include those containing venetoclax, an easy-to-use all-oral form of decitabine–cedazuridine (DEC-C), which is now available and approved for AML in addition to standard parenteral DNA methyltransferase inhibitors, which have been commonly used in routine clinical practice for about two decades in patients unsuitable for intensive chemotherapy (IC). Case Presentation: A 71-year-old woman developed a therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML) seven years after the discovery of the plasma cell dyscrasia. She had carried an asymptomatic and non-progressing IgG-λ MGUS since 2019 while affected by breast cancer, which was cured with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. BM smear and trephine biopsy at the time of t-AML diagnosis showed 30% myelomonoblasts and 8% plasma cells, while SPEP showed the presence of 15 g/L of monoclonal protein. However, considering her age and other medical and personal history, the patient was found unsuitable for IC as well as venetoclax treatment because of the myelosuppressive effect of the therapy. Therefore, she received DEC-C oral monotherapy. After four DEC-C cycles, she achieved CR with hematological incomplete recovery (CRi). During DEC-C monotherapy, serum immunofixation (IF) and BM evaluations after 12 months of treatment showed gradual clearance of the IgG-λ paraprotein and BM plasma cells. Maintenance therapy with oral DEC-C is ongoing for 18 months after achieving CRi, without any signs of toxicity or infection. Conclusions: This report describes the first anecdotal case of t-AML responding to DEC-C with concomitant clearance of the paraprotein associated with MGUS. Full article
15 pages, 3628 KB  
Article
Comparative Evaluation of Triladyl® and Andromed® Extenders Combined with Pre-Freezing Cooling Methods for Ram Semen Cryopreservation
by Abdallah M. Shahat, Montana Williams, Taeja Brisby, Joshua Woodard, Niki C. Whitley, Mahipal Singh, Brou Kouakou and Adel R. Moawad
Vet. Sci. 2026, 13(9), 991; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci13090991 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Cryopreservation can adversely affect the quality of ram spermatozoa, reducing their suitability for artificial insemination. Therefore, optimizing cryopreservation protocols, including extender composition and cooling procedures, is important for improving post-thaw sperm quality. Our aim was to assess the effects of two commercially available [...] Read more.
Cryopreservation can adversely affect the quality of ram spermatozoa, reducing their suitability for artificial insemination. Therefore, optimizing cryopreservation protocols, including extender composition and cooling procedures, is important for improving post-thaw sperm quality. Our aim was to assess the effects of two commercially available extenders (Triladyl® and Andromed®) and two cooling methods before freezing (cooling in 15 mL conical tube versus cooling in straws) on the quality of cryopreserved ram semen. Semen samples collected from five mature Katahdin rams once/week for four weeks were pooled and diluted in either Andromed® or Triladyl® to a final concentration of 800 × 106 spermatozoa/mL. Samples were allocated into four treatment groups in a 2 × 2 factorial design: Triladyl® package-then-cool (T1), Triladyl® cool-then-package (T2), Andromed® package-then-cool (A1), and Andromed® cool-then-package (A2). In the cool-then-package method, semen was cooled in 15 mL conical tubes before being loaded into 0.25 mL French straws, whereas in the package-then-cool method, semen was first loaded into the straws and then cooled. All groups were kept at 4 °C for 3 h before freezing. Samples were subsequently frozen in a programmable freezer (MiniDigitcool, IMV®), stored in liquid nitrogen, and thawed later for analysis. Following thawing, sperm motility (using CASA), viability and abnormalities (using trypan-blue stain), membrane integrity (by hypos-osmotic swelling (HOS) test), acrosome status (by Hoechst 33342/FITC-PNA), mitochondrial activity (using Hoechst 33342/Rhodamin 123), and lipid peroxidation (using BODIPY 581/591 C11) were evaluated. Total motility, acrosome status, mitochondrial activity, and lipid peroxidation showed extender effects (p < 0.05). However, progressive motility, and membrane integrity showed cooling effects (p < 0.05). Moreover, among the four treatment groups, the percentages of motile sperm, live sperm, sperm with intact acrosomes, and sperm with active mitochondria were the highest (p < 0.05) in the Triladyl® cool-then-package (T2; 31.1 ± 2.1, 26.7 ± 2.3, 66.3 ± 1.9, 76.2 ± 1.1, and 78.0 ± 1.2, respectively) group. Meanwhile, the percentages of abnormal and lipid peroxidation-positive sperm were the lowest (p < 0.05) in the same group (18.0 ± 0.7 and 12.3 ± 1.0, respectively). In conclusion, cryopreservation of ram semen using the Triladyl® extender in combination with the cool-then-package method resulted in superior post-thaw sperm quality than other extender and cooling procedures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sperm Biotechnology in Animals Reproduction—2nd Edition)
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23 pages, 9259 KB  
Article
The Monitoring Paradox: Frontal Electroencephalography Reveals Profound Cortical Depression Despite Cardiovascular Stability in Dogs Undergoing Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy with Isoflurane Anesthesia and Multimodal Analgesic Protocols
by Jeff C. Ko, Alejandro Vargas Araya, Carla Murillo, Hsin-Yi Weng, Ann B. Weil and Tomohito Inoue
Vet. Sci. 2026, 13(9), 990; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci13090990 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Conventional monitoring relies on autonomic reflexes but fails to directly measure cortical hypnosis, creating a critical information gap regarding true brain state. The objective of this article was to evaluate the cardiorespiratory and cortical responses using frontal EEG and parasympathetic tone activity (PTA) [...] Read more.
Conventional monitoring relies on autonomic reflexes but fails to directly measure cortical hypnosis, creating a critical information gap regarding true brain state. The objective of this article was to evaluate the cardiorespiratory and cortical responses using frontal EEG and parasympathetic tone activity (PTA) in dogs under isoflurane anesthesia and distinct analgesic protocols. Twenty-one adult dogs (n = 7 per group) undergoing tibial plateau leveling osteotomies were assessed at 12 procedural time points using heart rate, blood pressure, Patient State Index (PSI), suppression ratio (SR), and PTA. Treatments included isoflurane maintenance with either intravenous fentanyl, epidural morphine, or regional local blocks. Despite clinically acceptable cardiorespiratory indices, significant treatment-by-time interactions occurred for PSI (p=0.003) and SR (p=0.050). The fentanyl group experienced the deepest cortical suppression and highest Double-Low state incidence compared to epidural morphine (p=0.024). Rapid emergence from these suppressed states yielded dysphoric recoveries in 9 of 21 dogs. In conclusion, evaluating cardiorespiratory and cortical responses demonstrates that standard autonomic monitoring can mask severe intraoperative cortical depression; integrating EEG and PTA offers a valuable approach to optimizing neurophysiological stability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches in the Perioperative Management of Companion Animals and Livestock)
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Graphical abstract

28 pages, 2897 KB  
Article
Context-Aware Path Planning: A Unified Approach for Navigation in Heterogeneous Environments
by Hamid Didari and Gerald Steinbauer-Wagner
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(18), 9295; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16189295 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Autonomous navigation across heterogeneous environments remains challenging because different environments may require fundamentally different planning representations and action models. Structured roads are naturally represented as graphs with constrained connectivity, unstructured terrain requires continuous geometric reasoning, and service-specific areas such as charging stations can [...] Read more.
Autonomous navigation across heterogeneous environments remains challenging because different environments may require fundamentally different planning representations and action models. Structured roads are naturally represented as graphs with constrained connectivity, unstructured terrain requires continuous geometric reasoning, and service-specific areas such as charging stations can be described by discrete task states and symbolic actions. We propose a modular, context-aware planning framework that represents the environment as a set of navigation contexts, each with its own environment representation, planning state space, applicable actions, and dynamics. Contexts are connected through explicitly defined interfaces that determine where inter-context transitions can occur and how states are mapped between the corresponding representations. Planning is formulated as an incremental A*-style search over a joint state space comprising the current context, context-specific state, and internal resource variables such as battery level. The planner jointly considers intra-context actions and inter-context transitions while minimizing accumulated action and context-transition costs subject to modeled resource constraints. We evaluate the framework in simulated environments combining continuous geometric, graph-based, and discrete task-level representations. Compared with a hierarchical multi-context planning baseline using fixed representative interface states, the proposed method produced shorter routes, retained more battery at the goal, and required less planning time in both evaluated resource scenarios. In a restricted grid–topological evaluation, both the proposed method and a strengthened topological baseline found the shortest path in all 50 test cases, while the proposed method achieved lower average planning time. A nearest-node topological baseline frequently failed or produced suboptimal paths. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Robot Navigation in Autonomous Systems)
30 pages, 11017 KB  
Article
Chaotic-Saddle-Organized Hidden Bursting Oscillations in a 4D Slow–Fast System with No Equilibria
by Shaolong Li, Haibo Jiang, Weipeng Lyu, Liping Zhang, Lizhou Zhuang, Juanjuan Huang, Bo Liang and Zhenyang Chen
Mathematics 2026, 14(18), 3396; https://doi.org/10.3390/math14183396 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Bursting oscillations, characterized by alternating quiescent and spiking states, are a fundamental class of nonlinear dynamics that play a crucial role in diverse scientific fields. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms that generate bursting is of both theoretical and practical importance. Bursting is typically studied [...] Read more.
Bursting oscillations, characterized by alternating quiescent and spiking states, are a fundamental class of nonlinear dynamics that play a crucial role in diverse scientific fields. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms that generate bursting is of both theoretical and practical importance. Bursting is typically studied as a class of self-excited or forced oscillations in classical slow–fast dynamics, with analysis relying on stable invariant sets and their bifurcations. In contrast to these cases, we extend the analysis to hidden bursting in a 4D slow–fast system with no equilibria using classical slow–fast decomposition. Specifically, we show how chaotic saddle dynamics in the fast subsystem organize the bursting mechanism. Bifurcation and basin analyses identify two symmetric chaotic saddle ranges between interior crises and the folds of limit cycles. When quiescent-to-spiking transitions fall within these ranges, chaotic saddles render the full system highly sensitive to parameters, acting as the organizing center for hidden bursting. By tuning the slow adaptation strength, we uncover three transition-path modes: lift-captured double-reversal (LCDR), lift-escape single-reversal (LESR), and direct-captured no-reversal (DCNR). These modes and their combinations classify the observed bursting patterns. These findings show that non-attracting invariant sets can affect bursting dynamics, offering a new perspective on bursting dynamics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bifurcation Theory and Qualitative Analysis of Dynamical Systems)
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10 pages, 1197 KB  
Article
Does Thoracodorsal Pedicle Dissection Affect Upper-Extremity Lymphatic Drainage? Arm Circumference After Free Latissimus Dorsi Muscle Flap Harvest in Patients Without Axillary Lymphadenectomy
by Maximilian C. Stumpfe, Moritz Billner, Celena Sörgel, Thomas Seßler, Chiara Kantlehardt and Denis Ehrl
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(18), 7285; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15187285 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Background: The free latissimus dorsi (LD) muscle flap remains a workhorse for large soft-tissue defects. Its pedicle, however, must be followed proximally into the axilla—into the immediate vicinity of the lymphatics that drain the arm—and whether this compromises upper-extremity drainage has never [...] Read more.
Background: The free latissimus dorsi (LD) muscle flap remains a workhorse for large soft-tissue defects. Its pedicle, however, must be followed proximally into the axilla—into the immediate vicinity of the lymphatics that drain the arm—and whether this compromises upper-extremity drainage has never been settled. The few studies that examined lymphoedema after LD surgery relied on questionnaires and were confined to breast reconstruction, where axillary clearance and irradiation offer a sufficient explanation for anything they found; the harvest itself has never been isolated. Methods: We identified every patient who underwent free LD muscle flap reconstruction for defect coverage at our institution between September 2017 and December 2022 and examined those who attended a standardized cross-sectional follow-up. None had undergone axillary lymph node dissection, sentinel node biopsy, or axillary irradiation, and none had received cervical or supraclavicular irradiation ipsilateral to the donor side. A single examiner measured upper-arm and forearm circumference bilaterally, 10 cm proximal and 10 cm distal to the medial epicondyle. Patients whose flap had been transferred to an upper limb were excluded, because in them the tape measures the flap rather than the donor site. The contralateral limb served as the intra-individual control. The primary endpoint was the mean side difference in upper-arm circumference with its 95% confidence interval. Results: Forty-one patients (25 women, 16 men; mean age 54.4 ± 16.5 years; mean follow-up 14.4 ± 12.0 months, range 3–48) were included. Upper-arm circumference averaged 27.88 ± 3.26 cm on the donor side and 27.77 ± 3.65 cm contralaterally—a difference of +0.11 cm (95% CI −0.28 to +0.50; p = 0.57). Forearm values were 23.82 ± 2.89 cm and 23.94 ± 3.07 cm (−0.12 cm; 95% CI −0.47 to +0.23; p = 0.49). Two of 41 patients (4.9%; exact 95% CI 0.6–16.5%) crossed the conventional 2 cm threshold at the upper arm—and exactly as many crossed it in the opposite direction, with the donor limb the smaller of the two. Side difference bore no relation to time since surgery. Conclusions: Free LD muscle flap harvest showed no detectable difference in arm circumference at two standardized levels in patients who had never undergone axillary lymphadenectomy. The upper-arm mean difference is compatible with no more than a 0.5 cm increase, and threshold crossings occurred equally often in both directions. Circumference is a coarse surrogate that cannot detect subclinical (International Society of Lymphology [ISL] stage 0) lymphoedema; within that limit, these data give no support for avoiding the flap on lymphatic grounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery/Aesthetic Medicine)
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22 pages, 3292 KB  
Article
Distributed Backstepping Integral Terminal Sliding Mode Control for Consensus Speed Tracking in Networked Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Systems
by Duc-Thien Huynh, Cong-Thanh Pham, Huynh-Quang-Duc Lam, Van-Trung Trieu and Minh-Tam Nguyen
Energies 2026, 19(18), 4438; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19184438 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
This paper develops distributed Backstepping Integral Terminal Sliding Mode (BITSM) control for consensus speed tracking of networked Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) drives under bounded matched uncertainty. A leader–follower speed loop supplies the q-axis current reference, and local integral terminal sliding surfaces [...] Read more.
This paper develops distributed Backstepping Integral Terminal Sliding Mode (BITSM) control for consensus speed tracking of networked Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) drives under bounded matched uncertainty. A leader–follower speed loop supplies the q-axis current reference, and local integral terminal sliding surfaces regulate the dq currents. Under explicit disturbance and estimator-error bounds, unsaturated continuous-time analysis gives finite-time surface reaching; an input-to-state-stability argument then bounds the physical speed error, with topology dependence exposed through the pinned graph matrix. Sampling, saturation, delay, packet loss, and unmodelled implementation effects are treated as practical limitations rather than covered by the exact theorem. Four-agent simulations show about 83% lower peak transient speed spread and more than 90% lower steady-state inter-agent spread for the reported cases. Archived two-drive traces also show a 91.5% lower selected loaded-agent steady-state consensus RMSE than the reported PID comparator, while the unloaded agent does not improve in every region. Because source code, raw samples, matched-bandwidth tuning, repeated trials, and an independent rerun of the corrected law are unavailable, this last arithmetic contrast is descriptive and is not claimed as causal superiority or experimental certification of the corrected controller. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Control and Optimization Techniques for PMSM Drives)
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16 pages, 2865 KB  
Article
Analysis of Multi-Gas Molecule Interactions in Ambient Air on Solution-Processed Indium Zinc Oxide Thin-Film Transistors for High-Performance Chemical Sensors
by Dongwook Kim, Hyunji Shin, Hyeonju Lee, Youngjun Yun, Jin-Hyuk Bae and Jaehoon Park
Electronics 2026, 15(18), 4287; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics15184287 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Unencapsulated solution-processed oxide-semiconductor transistors suffer from cross-sensitivity and baseline instability. In this study, we systematically investigate the field-effect transport kinetics and species-dependent gas interaction dynamics of solution-processed amorphous indium zinc oxide thin-film transistors across pressure state transitions (760–10−3 Torr) and single-gas purging [...] Read more.
Unencapsulated solution-processed oxide-semiconductor transistors suffer from cross-sensitivity and baseline instability. In this study, we systematically investigate the field-effect transport kinetics and species-dependent gas interaction dynamics of solution-processed amorphous indium zinc oxide thin-film transistors across pressure state transitions (760–10−3 Torr) and single-gas purging environments (N2, O2, Ar, CO2, and humid air > 90% relative humidity). Our experimental findings indicate that atmospheric pressure variations dictate bulk channel conduction via free-carrier density shifts, whereas relative humidity drives parasitic gate (IG)/surface leakage currents (Isurface) through moisture-mediated interfacial trap creation. Purging tests reveal a nonpolar sensing window where N2 promotes bulk carrier accumulation, while Ar drives carrier depletion without degrading gate dielectric insulation. Electrophilic O2 suppresses channel current while increasing IG, whereas CO2 exhibits total electrical invariance. Real-time pulse-switching measurements confirm high detection fidelity (maximum signal-to-noise ratio > 30 dB for N2 and Ar) with excellent recovery. Correlating these dynamic responses with an exponential sub-bandgap density-of-states model establishes key principles for developing unencapsulated oxide chemical sensors that can discriminate complex gas–species mixtures in real-world ambient environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microelectronic Devices and Materials)
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23 pages, 1668 KB  
Data Descriptor
uavews 0.1.0-Rehearsal: A Synthetic Multisource, Multimodal Spatiotemporal Dataset and Executable Validation Pipeline for Small-UAV Early Warning
by Olga Torstensson, Dmytro Prokopovych-Tkachenko, Valerii Magro, Vadym Yakovenko and Oleksii Aleksieiev
Data 2026, 11(9), 247; https://doi.org/10.3390/data11090247 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Early-warning research for approaching small unmanned aerial vehicles (sUAVs) requires more than isolated images, sounds, or radio-frequency traces. A reusable resource must connect event context, synchronized observations, evidence strength, media quality, provenance, privacy treatment, and leakage-resistant evaluation units. This Data Descriptor presents uavews [...] Read more.
Early-warning research for approaching small unmanned aerial vehicles (sUAVs) requires more than isolated images, sounds, or radio-frequency traces. A reusable resource must connect event context, synchronized observations, evidence strength, media quality, provenance, privacy treatment, and leakage-resistant evaluation units. This Data Descriptor presents uavews 0.1.0-rehearsal, an openly deposited software-and-data record that implements such a model and exercises it end-to-end on a fixed-seed synthetic corpus. The record is a rehearsal of dataset formation and validation, not a measurement campaign. It contains 180 synthetic events—90 controlled-flight simulations, 26 verified observations, 14 weak observations, and 50 hard negatives—together with 4119 analysis windows, 102 source profiles, 971 observations, 391 media objects (214 audio, 121 image, and 56 video objects), and 7242 released labels. The nominal synthetic coverage spans 30 generalized locations in three site groups from 1 April to 15 May 2025. Six canonical Parquet tables, five evaluation manifests, a machine-readable data dictionary, DataCite and PROV-O metadata, an RO-Crate description, validation outputs, source media bytes, and SHA-256 manifests are supplied. The versioned Python pipeline implements ten ordered stages, five reported equations, configurable quality gates, de-identification checks, near-duplicate grouping, and event-, location-, time-, source-, and hard-negative-aware splits. Validation of the rehearsal produced 100% schema and checksum pass rates, median and fifth-percentile completeness of 1.0, synchronization median/p95/max of 3.671/42.184/340.344 ms, exact and near-duplicate rates of 0.512% and 9.463%, cross-modal consistency of 89.88%, and Krippendorff’s alpha of 0.324 for vehicle presence. Seven of eleven release gates passed; the four failures deliberately expose properties that a real release would have to repair or adjudicate. The deposit includes 54 test functions but this article does not claim that the suite was independently executed during manuscript preparation. The accompanying field-trial calculations are planning assumptions, not observations. One of them, the reduced-design sortie count of 7200, omits the configured altitude and background factors and is reported as a known defect of the deposited code rather than as a usable experimental design. The record therefore provides a transparent, executable instrument for designing and auditing a future empirical dataset without representing synthetic values as measured performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Information Systems and Data Management)
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26 pages, 23474 KB  
Article
Metallogenesis of the Hujiadian Sn-Polymetallic Deposit in the Southern Great Xing’an Range, Northeast China: Constraints from Geochronology and Geochemistry
by Yuze Li, Haijun Li, Yongchao Qiu, Gongzheng Chen, Guang Wu, Jiangpeng Shi, Jinfang Wang, Yinlong Wang and Yutong Song
Minerals 2026, 16(9), 955; https://doi.org/10.3390/min16090955 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Sn-polymetallic deposits in the Southern Great Xing’an Range (SGXR) are typically marked by the coexistence of Sn, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Ag, yet the mechanisms controlling their paragenesis and separation remain poorly constrained. The Hujiadian deposit hosts Sn, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Ag [...] Read more.
Sn-polymetallic deposits in the Southern Great Xing’an Range (SGXR) are typically marked by the coexistence of Sn, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Ag, yet the mechanisms controlling their paragenesis and separation remain poorly constrained. The Hujiadian deposit hosts Sn, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Ag mineralization that occurs both as intergrown assemblages within individual orebodies and as distinct but spatially associated orebodies, making it an ideal natural laboratory to investigate element coexistence and fractionation. Three hydrothermal stages are identified: pyrite + cassiterite ± chalcopyrite + quartz + chlorite (Stage I); chalcopyrite + sphalerite ± galena + quartz + fluorite + chlorite ± amphibole ± epidote (Stage II); and sphalerite + galena + pyrite + quartz + chlorite + calcite (Stage III). The rhyolite porphyry yields a zircon U–Pb age of 132.3 ± 2.4 Ma, whereas the Sn ores yield cassiterite U–Pb ages of 129.9 ± 1.3 to 131.4 ± 0.8 Ma. These overlapping ages, within analytical uncertainties, constrain the Sn mineralization to the Early Cretaceous. The rhyolite porphyry is geochemically characterized by a peraluminous, high-K calc-alkaline affinity, coupled with elevated SiO2 and alkali contents, strong negative Eu anomalies, and low fO2 (ΔFMQ = −4.9 to 1.1). Collectively, these features are consistent with extensive fractionation under reducing conditions, which would have facilitated Sn accumulation in the residual melt. Pervasive chlorite in the deposit records the physicochemical evolution of the hydrothermal system; four chlorite generations document a shift from early acidic conditions during Sn mineralization to near-neutral or weakly alkaline conditions during late Pb–Zn precipitation. We propose that increasing pH played an important role in promoting cassiterite precipitation during Stage I, whereas cooling was the dominant control on Cu precipitation during Stage II. During Stage III, further cooling and increasing pH promoted Pb–Zn precipitation. The observed carbonatization and mineral assemblages are consistent with possible involvement of external fluids, including meteoric water. These changes may have been associated with fluid–rock interaction and possible mixing with meteoric water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Mineral Deposits)
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18 pages, 3554 KB  
Article
Global Burden and Future Projections of Alopecia Areata: A Global Burden of Disease Study 2023 Analysis
by Aditya K. Gupta and Gregory Pellegrino
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(18), 7286; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15187286 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Alopecia areata (AA) is a common autoimmune disorder with substantial psychosocial impact, but contemporary assessments of its epidemiology and future burden remain limited. We aimed to comprehensively characterize the epidemiology of AA using the most recent Global Burden of Disease (GBD) [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Alopecia areata (AA) is a common autoimmune disorder with substantial psychosocial impact, but contemporary assessments of its epidemiology and future burden remain limited. We aimed to comprehensively characterize the epidemiology of AA using the most recent Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 data. Methods: GBD 2023 data were used to estimate regional AA incidence. Bayesian age-period-cohort modeling projected incidence through 2040, and decomposition analysis quantified the contributions of population growth, population aging, and epidemiologic change to increases in incident cases from 1990 to 2023. Age-specific incidence patterns were compared across six GBD regions, and associations between the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) were evaluated. Results: Marked regional variation in AA burden was observed in 2023, with South Asia accounting for the largest number of incident cases, while Sub-Saharan Africa experienced the greatest historical increase. Projections suggested South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and High-income North America will contribute the largest increases in global AA incidence through 2040. Population growth was the predominant driver of increasing incident cases. Age-specific incidence consistently peaked at 30–34 years and remained highly conserved across regions. Higher SDI was associated with higher regional ASIRs. Conclusions: Future increases in AA burden are expected to be driven predominantly by population growth despite relatively stable ASIRs. Although regional disease burden varied substantially, age-specific incidence patterns remained highly conserved, whereas higher socioeconomic development was associated with higher incidence rates. These findings provide an updated global perspective on AA and may inform future epidemiologic research, healthcare planning, and resource allocation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Autoimmune-Induced Alopecia and Emerging Therapies in Hair Loss—2nd Edition)
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14 pages, 1225 KB  
Article
Component-Level Prognostic Evaluation of Clinical, Inflammatory, and Renal-Protein Markers for 30-Day Mortality in Older Patients with Perforated Peptic Ulcer
by Orçun Yalav, Serdar Gumus, Burak Aydoğan, Mustafa Alçın, İshak Aydın, Uğur Topal and Atılgan Tolga Akçam
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(18), 7287; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15187287 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Objective: To compare clinical and laboratory markers for 30-day mortality in older patients with perforated peptic ulcer and assess biochemical markers beyond age and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class. Methods: Patients aged ≥65 years undergoing emergency surgery for perforated peptic ulcer from [...] Read more.
Objective: To compare clinical and laboratory markers for 30-day mortality in older patients with perforated peptic ulcer and assess biochemical markers beyond age and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class. Methods: Patients aged ≥65 years undergoing emergency surgery for perforated peptic ulcer from January 2015 to February 2026 were retrospectively analyzed. Discrimination was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and incremental value by likelihood-ratio tests and Brier scores. Six marker-specific incremental tests underwent Benjamini–Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) adjustment. Models incorporating blood urea nitrogen-to-albumin ratio (BAR) or log2-transformed creatinine underwent bootstrap internal validation. Results: Thirty-day mortality was 37.7% (26/69). Age and ASA class yielded AUCs of 0.785 and 0.755. BAR had the highest univariable biochemical discrimination (AUC, 0.777). Inflammation-based indices showed limited discrimination (AUC, 0.424–0.492); Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) had the highest discrimination among immune-nutritional/composite markers (AUC, 0.636; p = 0.061). BAR improved the age- and ASA-based model nominally (p = 0.023), but not after FDR adjustment (adjusted p = 0.068). Creatinine provided the strongest incremental information (AUC, 0.905; Brier score, 0.123; adjusted p = 0.008). In the joint model, creatinine improved fit beyond BAR (p = 0.024), whereas BAR did not improve fit beyond creatinine (p = 0.773). Conclusions: Prognostic information was concentrated in age, ASA class, and renal-protein markers. Creatinine provided the most consistent incremental information; BAR showed high univariable discrimination but did not retain significant incremental value after FDR adjustment. Inflammation-based indices remained limited. Independent validation is required. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section General Surgery)
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29 pages, 1724 KB  
Article
Load-Sharing Ratio in Variable-Depth Beam–Arch Composite Bridges: Analytical Formulation, Numerical Verification, and Construction-Monitoring Assessment
by Shizhan Xu, Zhibo Huang, Yang Liu, Tengfei Zhang, Qianqian Cao and Zhihui Feng
Buildings 2026, 16(18), 3728; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16183728 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Beam–arch composite bridges resist external loads through the interaction of the main girder, arch ribs, and hangers. This study develops an analytical method for evaluating the arch-rib load-sharing ratio of variable-depth, three-span continuous beam–arch composite bridges. The variable-depth main girder is represented by [...] Read more.
Beam–arch composite bridges resist external loads through the interaction of the main girder, arch ribs, and hangers. This study develops an analytical method for evaluating the arch-rib load-sharing ratio of variable-depth, three-span continuous beam–arch composite bridges. The variable-depth main girder is represented by two piecewise energy-equivalent stiffness regions and closed-form expressions are derived using the force method and deformation compatibility conditions. A three-dimensional finite element model of a prototype bridge with a span arrangement of 80 + 152 + 80 m is established for numerical verification, while construction-monitoring data obtained during hanger tensioning are used to assess the predicted stress-redistribution behavior. The global and piecewise analytical solutions are 0.276 and 0.359, respectively, compared with the complete finite element result of 0.320. By representing the nonuniform membrane-tension distribution using a sixth-degree polynomial, the refined analytical result is improved to 0.303, reducing the relative error of the piecewise solution from 12.2% to 5.3%. Construction-monitoring data obtained during hanger tensioning further showed that the FE model reproduced the measured stress development and redistribution trends, thereby providing an indirect assessment of the model’s ability to characterize girder–arch interaction during hanger-tensioning-related structural evolution. Within the investigated parameter ranges, the girder-to-arch flexural rigidity ratios and the arch-rib–hanger equivalent-stiffness ratio exert the greatest influence on the load-sharing behavior. The proposed method provides a mechanically transparent and computationally efficient tool for the preliminary design and mechanical assessment of variable-depth beam–arch composite bridges, subject to the stated assumptions and parameter ranges. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Building Structures)
19 pages, 12317 KB  
Article
Development and Characterization of a Dual Nanofibrillar Membrane of Polylactic Acid Loaded with Hydroxyapatite and Chlorhexidine for Guided Bone Regeneration
by Jose Roberto Sauma, Diego Batista-Menezes, Silvia Maldonado-Frías, Reynaldo Pereira Reyes, Mauricio Montero-Aguilar, Marco Antonio Alvarez-Perez and Daniel Chavarria-Bolanos
Polymers 2026, 18(18), 2290; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18182290 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Guided bone regeneration requires membranes that combine structural stability, biocompatibility, and bioactive properties. This study aimed to develop a bilayer electrospun polylactic acid (PLA) membrane incorporating nanohydroxyapatite (nano-HA) and chlorhexidine (CHX). Membranes were fabricated by electrospinning at 15 kV and divided into four [...] Read more.
Guided bone regeneration requires membranes that combine structural stability, biocompatibility, and bioactive properties. This study aimed to develop a bilayer electrospun polylactic acid (PLA) membrane incorporating nanohydroxyapatite (nano-HA) and chlorhexidine (CHX). Membranes were fabricated by electrospinning at 15 kV and divided into four groups: PLA 10% (control), PLA 10%/CHX 0.2%, PLA 10%/nano-HA 10%, and a bilayer combining the CHX- and nano-HA-loaded formulations in separate monolayers, creating a bilayer nanofibrillar scaffold. We characterized microscopic structure, thermal behavior, and chemical composition using scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. We evaluated cellular compatibility through cell adhesion and WST-1 metabolic activity assays. All groups exhibited randomly arranged nanofibrillar networks with comparable fiber morphology, while nano-HA-containing membranes showed particulate agglomerates. Thermal analyses indicated changes associated with material incorporation without evidence of major disruption of the PLA matrix, while chemical analyses confirmed incorporation of nano-HA and CHX. CHX-containing membranes did not compromise cell viability, whereas HA-containing membranes promoted favorable cell distribution and morphology. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of producing bilayer PLA membranes incorporating HA and CHX while maintaining suitable physicochemical characteristics and cellular compatibility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biopolymer-Based Materials in Medical Applications, Second Edition)
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