Advancing Open Science

Research on the thermal stability of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) has mostly focused on broadband spectra. High-precision fiber optic gyroscopes (FOGs), however, require spectrally filtered sources. The impact of erbium-ion doping concentration on the temperature performance of such filtered sources remains relatively explored. This work systematically compares low-concentration and high-concentration erbium-doped fibers (EDFs). The fibers are used in a bidirectional forward-pumped ASE configuration. This configuration integrates a 1530 nm Gaussian filter isolator. The optimized low-concentration EDF fully absorbs pump power over a longer length. Its gain-profile temperature shift partly compensates the filter passband shift. At the optimum fiber length of 10 m, this source shows a mean wavelength temperature drift of only 0.107 ppm/°C. In contrast, the commercial high-concentration EDF gives a drift of 0.136 ppm/°C. The power conversion efficiency of this source reaches 26.9%. The commercial EDF attains 24.5%. The results demonstrate that reducing the Er³⁺ doping concentration simultaneously improves the wavelength thermal stability and efficiency of filtered ASE sources. This finding offers important guidance for high-accuracy FOG design.

Background/Objectives: Hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg) is a surrogate marker that reflects the transcriptional activity of covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA). However, the impact of switching nucleos(t)ide analogs on HBcrAg levels remains unclear. The current study evaluated changes in HBcrAg levels following a switch from entecavir (ETV) to tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) compared with continued ETV therapy. Methods: This retrospective study included patients with chronic hepatitis B who either switched from ETV to TAF between 2017 and 2022 (ETV–TAF group) or continued ETV therapy during the same period (ETV group). HBcrAg levels were measured annually, and longitudinal changes over 3 years were analyzed based on an index year defined for each patient. Propensity score matching for age, sex, HBcrAg levels, liver transplantation status, and ETV treatment duration yielded 10 patients per group. Results: Baseline characteristics were well balanced after matching. HBV DNA and HBsAg levels remained suppressed in both groups throughout follow-up. The ETV-TAF group showed greater declines in HBcrAg than the ETV group at year 2 (−0.20 vs. −0.10 log U/mL, p = 0.007) and year 3 (−0.30 vs. −0.10 log U/mL, p = 0.006). No virological breakthroughs occurred. Conclusions: Switching from ETV to TAF was associated with greater reductions in HBcrAg levels over 3 years than continued ETV therapy, even in patients with suppressed HBV DNA. These findings suggest that switching to TAF may be associated with further suppression of viral transcriptional activity reflected by HBcrAg reduction and support its potential clinical utility for achieving deeper viral suppression.

Background/Objectives: Parenting interventions are an effective way to support child development, and brief screening tools can support equitable implementation of parenting interventions by reducing program costs, increasing accessibility, and engaging populations who have traditionally been underserved. However, brief assessments are frequently overlooked and underutilized. The Family Check-Up (FCU) Online is a digital parenting intervention that integrates a brief FCU Online Assessment, feedback, and parenting skills via an app along with optional provider support. To date, no prior work has validated the FCU Online Assessment. Method: The current study combined two samples of parents participating in FCU Online studies and assessed: (1) reliability, (2) construct validity, (3) convergent validity by comparing FCU Online Assessment subscales to similar parenting and child behavior measures, and (4) predictive validity by using FCU Online Assessment at pretest to predict posttest scores as well as parenting and child behaviors at time 2 and time 3. Results: Strong reliability was found among all five subscales, including Low Conflict (7 items, α = .81), Positive Parenting Practices (11 items, α = .80), Positive School Behaviors (5 items, α = .83), Consistent Rules and Routines (11 items, α = .81), and Child Mental Health (5 items, α = .80). The FCU Online Assessment demonstrated construct and convergent validity, as well as predictive validity in that the FCU Online Assessment at pretest predicted posttest scores. Conclusions: The FCU Online Assessment is a brief, reliable, and valid measure of parenting and child wellbeing. It can be used by parents and providers alike to evaluate parenting skills and child mental health, develop targeted goals and intervention approaches, and assess family wellbeing over time.

Conventional truck emission accounting methods based on average activity levels and static emission factors are increasingly inadequate for dynamic regulation and policy comparison at high spatiotemporal resolution. This review synthesizes recent progress in dynamic truck emission estimation from four perspectives: multi-source data support, key feature extraction, physics-constrained emission modeling, and governance-oriented applications. The literature was collected from Web of Science Core Collection and ScienceDirect for the period 2014–2026, supplemented by backward reference checking, and was analyzed through a progressive framework linking data, features, models, and governance tasks. Unlike previous reviews that usually discuss emission inventories, conventional emission models, or data-driven prediction methods separately, this review highlights an integrated governance-oriented chain that connects multi-source data fusion, mechanism-related feature construction, physics-constrained modeling, and environmental management applications. Existing studies suggest that multi-source data, including GPS trajectories, on-board diagnostics (OBDs), on-board monitoring (OBM), portable emissions measurement system (PEMS) measurements, traffic flow monitoring, and road network attributes, provide an important basis for representing real-world operating processes. Meanwhile, key features have expanded from surface-level variables such as vehicle velocity to mechanism-related factors, including payload, road grade, engine operating conditions, vehicle-specific power, and roadway context. Truck emission modeling has also evolved from unconstrained or weakly constrained approaches toward frameworks that place greater emphasis on physical consistency, interpretability, and result credibility. In parallel, application scenarios have extended from emission quantification to high-emission vehicle identification, dynamic inventory development, hotspot detection, policy comparison, and transport optimization. These developments can support policymakers, transportation planners, and environmental agencies in moving from aggregate emission accounting toward targeted and process-based truck emission governance. Current research, however, still faces challenges related to data consistency, model generalizability, uncertainty propagation, and real-time application. Future work should focus on standardized datasets, hybrid AI–physics modeling frameworks, uncertainty-aware validation, real-time deployment in intelligent transportation systems, and improved links between dynamic estimation and practical environmental management.

To enhance the aerodynamic performance of Ti6Al4V functional components, this paper systematically investigated the femtosecond laser processing technology for surface drag-reduction microstructures, aiming to fabricate high-performance microstructures. (1) V-shaped, U-shaped, and rectangular micro-grooves were designed based on the boundary layer theory, and their drag-reduction mechanisms were elucidated through CFD numerical simulations. The results indicate that the V-shaped groove achieves a peak drag-reduction rate of 13.1% at a dimensionless depth of h⁺ = 15 and an aspect ratio of 1, primarily due to the formation of a low-velocity zone and the suppression of turbulent bursts by secondary vortices. (2) Through single-factor experiments, the influence laws of femtosecond laser process parameters on the V-shaped groove were explored. (3) Regression prediction models for groove dimensions were established using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to optimize the processing parameters. Under the optimized conditions, high-quality V-shaped groove arrays with a width of 55.9 μm and a depth of 55.5 μm were successfully fabricated on the Ti6Al4V surface, characterized by high consistency and a minimal heat-affected zone. This research provides an effective technical solution for the precision manufacturing of high-performance drag-reduction structures on titanium alloy surfaces.

Background: This study evaluated the effects of flattening the side of the bending resistance and torsional resistance of nickel–titanium files through finite element analysis of a novel flattened file and a standard nonflattened file. Methods: For torsion analysis, the tip of the file was fixed at 3 mm, generating a torque of 2.5 N·mm at the handle. For bending analysis of curved root canals (45° and 60°), the handle was kept fixed, a force of 1 N was applied at the tip, and the file was fixed at 3 mm. Results: The standard nonflattened file exhibited better torsional resistance. In contrast, the novel flattened file showed improved flexibility under 45° bending. Under this condition, lower maximum von Mises stress was observed in the flattened design compared with the standard file. At 60° bending, stress distribution varied with loading orientation, and higher stress concentrations were observed in the flattened file under specific bending directions, indicating reduced bending resistance under large deformation conditions. Conclusions: Since lateral flattening may reduce the cyclic resistance of files, caution should be exercised in the clinical use of such files.

Building healthy communities requires organizational arrangements that center on resident and community assets while using data to guide decisions. This study examines how the Evidence2Success framework was implemented in three communities, Kearns, UT, Mobile, AL, and Memphis, TN, to understand how citizen-led asset mapping, coalition processes, and funding strategies shape youth well-being efforts. Using an interpretive case-study design, we analyzed process-evaluation interviews, implementation milestones and benchmarks, strengths-and-concerns reports, and community case materials to trace how coalitions mobilized assets, reoriented institutional resources, and adapted evidence-based programs. The results show that broad, cross-sector Community Boards completed most implementation tasks, increased participation by people of color, and developed more inclusive decision-making structures that addressed historical inequities. Coalitions also strengthened data-use capacities, employing youth survey results and local qualitative input to select priorities, braid funding, and make culturally responsive adaptations while maintaining program fidelity. Overall, the findings suggest that when evidence-based planning frameworks are embedded within asset-based, resident-governed structures, communities can build sustainable organizational arrangements that support youth well-being and advance more equitable local systems.

Recent paradigms in traumatic brain injury have transitioned from focal-lesion models to an emphasis on diffuse axonal injury and white matter disruption as the primary drivers of cognitive morbidity. This selective review frames information processing speed as the functional signature of this connectivity loss. While processing speed is often theorized as a “cognitive bottleneck” that constrains higher-order functions, we identify critical methodological and conceptual pitfalls in the existing literature. Specifically, we argue that current research is frequently confounded by: (1) measurement impurity, where tasks like the SDMT and TMT-B recruit executive and mnemonic variance; (2) circularity, where speed measures are used to predict time-dependent outcomes; and (3) the neglect of speed–accuracy trade-offs, which may mask volitional cautiousness as neurobiological incapacity. To resolve these challenges, we offer evidence-based recommendations for the clinical setting, including the integration of construct-pure chronometric measures and dual-scoring protocols. We conclude that because white matter integrity functions as a rate-limiting substrate, processing speed must be prioritized as a primary target in early neurorehabilitation. By isolating processing speed from focal-driven deficits, clinicians can more accurately map the path from microstructural disruption to functional recovery. Recognizing this infrastructure is essential to understanding the full scope of cognitive consequences.