Search Results (1,316)

Objectives: A customizable 3D-bioprinted core-in-shell platform was developed for time-dependent oral colon delivery of live microorganisms. The system conveyed Lacticaseibacillus paracasei as a model bacterial species within a monolithic core, which was surrounded by a swellable hydroxypropyl cellulose barrier, imparting a lag phase of programmable duration, and by an enteric outer layer, protecting the dosage form during unpredictable gastric residence. Methods: Pastes of different compositions were investigated to shape the core. Core and core-in-shell units were fabricated from digital models using a bioprinter equipped with a high-precision plunger dispenser and pressure-based thermoplastic printhead. The printed units were characterized in terms of mass, dimensions, mechanical properties and release performance using paracetamol as a reference tracer. Bacterial viability was evaluated during screening of the formulation components and after each processing step by manual counting of colony-forming units. Results: A mannitol-based formulation was selected for fabrication of the core, offering a favorable balance of printability, physico-technological properties, release behavior and ability to preserve bacterial viability. Two-layer core-in-shell systems were manufactured via a dual-printing operating mode. The desired in vitro performance was attained, with no release under acidic conditions, a lag phase in pH 6.8 fluid and a subsequent release profile comparable with that generated by the core as such. Viability studies demonstrated that compounding, core printing, shell deposition and drying did not adversely affect L. paracasei survival. Conclusions: 3D bioprinting was proved to be a versatile technique for the manufacturing of oral colon delivery systems containing probiotics or live biotherapeutics. Full article

The escalating energy consumption in China’s rural residences necessitates the adoption of targeted energy-efficient design strategies. However, existing studies have mainly focused on urban buildings or cold-climate rural residences, and insufficient attention has been given to form-based energy optimization for rural housing in hot summer and cold winter regions. Hangzhou was selected because it is a representative city in this climate zone, where rural residences face both summer cooling and winter heating demands. This study systematically investigates passive design pathways for rural residential buildings by optimizing architectural forms. We conducted in-depth field surveys and data analysis on 76 diverse samples, including both self-built and unified construction types, to establish three representative typical residential models (rectangular, L-shaped, U-shaped) for the Hangzhou region. DesignBuilder was employed to simulate the impacts of eight morphological elements—Shape Coefficient, building area, aspect ratio, orientation, number of floors, floor height, floor height ratio, and roof slope—on building energy consumption. The Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT) method was then used to quantify the nonlinear effects and relative importance of these elements. The results indicate clear nonlinear relationships between elements and the energy-saving rate. Floor height is identified as the most critical factor affecting energy consumption, followed by roof slope, with building area and other elements also showing significant influence. Based on the quantitative analysis, this study proposes energy-efficient design optimization strategies for rural housing in Hangzhou, offering a validated methodological framework and practical design references for the sustainable development of rural residences in hot summer and cold winter regions. Full article

Alpha/beta (α/β) pulse shape discrimination (PSD) in liquid scintillation counting (LSC) is fundamentally limited by the charge comparison method (CCM) at low energies, where the entire tritium (³H) beta spectrum resides (0–18.6 keVee). The CCM figure-of-merit drops below 0.6 in this region, rendering it inadequate for simultaneous tritium and natural uranium alpha monitoring in nuclear power plant (NPP) liquid effluents. We present a one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN) trained on an 80,000-waveform physics-based simulation dataset using established scintillation parameters for Ultima Gold AB. The proposed network achieves 97.4% overall classification accuracy and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.9981 on the held-out test set, representing improvements of 13.8 percentage points and 0.046 AUC over CCM. In the critical 0–18.6 keVee region, CNN accuracy exceeds 95% compared to below 60% for CCM—a greater than 35 percentage point improvement. Pulse amplitude discrimination (PAD), evaluated as a preliminary screening method, exhibits a 6.3% alpha spillover rate into the beta window, exceeding the regulatory limit of 3%. Gradient-weighted class activation maps (Grad-CAM) confirm that the network exploits physically meaningful pulse features rather than simulation artefacts. A comprehensive background suppression strategy combining dual-SiPM coincidence (24× reduction), anti-coincidence guard detector (5.8× reduction), composite passive shielding (10× reduction), and CNN-assisted discrimination reduces the system equivalent background to 1.83 ± 0.12 cpm, yielding a tritium minimum detectable activity (MDA) of 0.21 Bq/mL (10 mL sample, 30 min count), which satisfies the GB 14587 reference limit of 0.5 Bq/mL. After 8-bit post-training quantisation, the model achieves sub-microsecond inference latency on an embedded Xilinx Artix-7 Field-programmable gate array(FPGA), enabling real-time deployment in portable online monitoring systems. Full article

This article presents the results of a numerical CFD study of heat exchanger channels with passive heat transfer enhancement methods. Two types of channel geometry were analyzed with different flow turbulization methods. In case I, internal micro-fins were applied to the tube wall, which disturbed the flow directly in the boundary layer; the investigated relative fin heights ranged from 0.01 h/D to 0.08 h/D, and the dimensionless longitudinal spacing varied from 0.92 L/D to 3.27 L/D. In case II, an insert with repeating drop-shaped elements was used, causing fluid turbulization in the tube core; the relative droplet diameter ranged from 0.38 d/D to 0.73 d/D, with the same longitudinal spacing as for the fins. The influence of the geometry and longitudinal spacing of the disturbance elements on the thermal–flow characteristics of such channels, namely, the friction factor, Nusselt number, and thermal efficiency evaluated using the PEC, was investigated over a Reynolds number range of 5000 to 400,000. The results show that the insert produces a larger increase in the Nusselt number, whereas the micro-finned tube generally achieves higher PEC values due to lower hydraulic losses. The results clearly indicate that, in most cases, the PEC is higher for the finned tube, particularly at low Reynolds numbers not exceeding 50,000. In turn, for the insert, the longitudinal distance between the elements, L, has a significant influence on the PEC; as L increases, the PEC also increase, reaching its maximum value for the largest L. Full article

Background/Objectives: Cardiovascular risk remains substantial after myocardial infarction (MI) despite established clinical risk markers. Erythrocyte and platelet indices are routinely available, but their long-term prognostic relevance remains insufficiently studied. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was based on the Styrian Registry on Genuine Myocardial Infarction (STRONG-MI) and included patients with MI undergoing invasive coronary angiography in Styria, Austria, between January 2007 and March 2016. Multivariable Cox regression models were used to assess the associations of admission and discharge erythrocyte and platelet indices with 3-point major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) during follow-up extending to 175 months. Results: Among 10,920 patients, admission hemoglobin showed a U-shaped association with MACE. Median hemoglobin decreased from admission to discharge (14.2 g/dL vs. 13.1 g/dL) and the lowest discharge tertile showed the highest association with MACE compared with the middle tertile (AHR 1.27, 95% CI 1.18–1.38). Lower mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) was independently linked to adverse outcomes at both admission and discharge (AHR 1.17, 95% CI 1.08–1.27, and 1.14, 95% CI 1.05–1.23, respectively). Higher platelet count and mean platelet volume (MPV) were also associated with increased risk, particularly at discharge (AHR 1.15, 95% CI 1.06–1.24, and 1.19, 95% CI 1.10–1.29, respectively). Conclusions: Routine erythrocyte and platelet indices were independently associated with long-term cardiovascular outcomes after invasively treated MI and reflect residual biological risk after discharge. Full article

Background/Objectives: Photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) combined with radiomics enables advanced myocardial tissue characterization beyond conventional imaging. This study investigated whether myocardial radiomic features derived from PCCT are associated with nicotine status in patients without coronary artery disease. Methods: In this retrospective, single-center study, 104 patients (38 men, 66 women; median age 54 years) without coronary calcification (Agatston score = 0) underwent cardiac PCCT. Myocardial septal thickness was measured at three points during the 65–70% cardiac phase. Myocardial tissue was manually segmented, and 105 radiomic features were extracted. After correlation-based feature reduction, 45 independent features were used for analysis. Patients were categorized based on nicotine status. Machine learning models, including logistic regression, random forest, and gradient boosting, were trained and evaluated using stratified five-fold cross-validation. Model performance was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-AUC) and additional classification metrics. Results: No significant differences in myocardial septal thickness were observed between smokers and non-smokers (p > 0.05). However, radiomic features enabled moderate discrimination between smokers and non-smokers. Logistic regression with L2 regularization achieved the best performance (ROC-AUC 0.66, balanced accuracy 0.67), outperforming random forest and gradient boosting models. The most relevant radiomic features primarily comprised higher-order texture and shape-based parameters associated with spatial gray-level heterogeneity and subtle variations in myocardial tissue architecture. Conclusions: PCCT-based radiomics may capture subtle myocardial imaging signatures associated with smoking status, even in the absence of structural changes detectable by conventional metrics. These findings highlight the potential of cardiac radiomics as a non-invasive imaging biomarker for early cardiovascular risk assessment and support its integration into advanced cardiac imaging workflows. Future multicenter studies with larger cohorts, external validation, and multimodal correlation are warranted to improve robustness and facilitate clinical translation. Full article

Background/Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the augmentation stability and clinical outcomes of L-shaped collagenated soft block bone substitutes (BBS) used in combination with either a self-assembly technology (SAT)-based physically crosslinked resorbable collagen membrane (RCM) or a conventional non-crosslinked RCM for peri-implant dehiscence defects. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 30 patients who underwent guided bone regeneration (GBR) with simultaneous implant placement. The patients were treated with either a physically crosslinked membrane (PCM group, n = 15) or a non-crosslinked membrane (NCM group, n = 15). Clinical, radiographic, and profilometric parameters were evaluated at baseline, immediately post-GBR, and at re-entry surgery. Early wound healing complications and patient-reported outcomes were also assessed. Results: Both groups achieved significant defect resolution without severe adverse events. The mean reductions in defect width and height were 4.47 ± 1.82 mm (92.9%) and 4.07 ± 2.19 mm (89.4%) in the PCM group and 3.80 ± 1.59 mm (89.5%) and 4.13 ± 1.64 mm (86.9%) in the NCM group, respectively. Both groups showed comparable dimensional changes in hard and soft tissues, with no statistically significant differences in radiographic or profilometric outcomes. The incidence of wound healing complications, as well as patient-reported postoperative pain and swelling, were similar between the groups. Conclusions: Within the limitations of this retrospective pilot cohort study, SAT-based physically crosslinked RCMs used in combination with L-shaped soft BBS demonstrated clinical, radiographic, profilometric, and patient-reported outcomes similar to those observed with conventional non-crosslinked RCMs, without major short-term postoperative complications. These preliminary findings suggest that SAT-based RCMs may represent a feasible membrane option for GBR; however, these findings should be interpreted as preliminary and hypothesis-generating and should be confirmed in larger, adequately powered prospective clinical studies. Full article

With the growing scarcity of surface space, underground development has become essential for expanding human living space. Among various tunneling methods, pipe jacking stands out due to its economic advantages and minimal environmental impact. Recently, vertical pipe jacking has been explored as an innovative technique for constructing shafts that connect horizontal tunnels to the ground surface. However, the evolution of jacking force during vertical pipe jacking with increasing jacking distance remains poorly understood. Understanding this evolution is critical for selecting jacking equipment, designing the horizontal tunnel lining against reaction forces, and preventing construction failures. Unlike horizontal pipe jacking where self-weight is negligible, the proposed model reveals that in vertical pipe jacking the self-weight of the pipe and machine above the excavation face increases with jacking distance while the overburden pressure decreases, resulting in a parabolic-like jacking force trend—a novel finding not reported in previous pipe jacking literature. This paper proposes theoretical formulas to quantify the three components constituting the jacking force: face resistance at the cutting head, frictional resistance along the pipe surface, and the dead weight of the machine and pipe above. The influence of jacking distance on each component is systematically analyzed. Parametric studies under standard and varied conditions reveal that under standard conditions, jacking force follows a parabolic trend—rapid initial increase, followed by slower growth, and eventually a slight decrease. The maximum jacking force consistently occurs at L = L₀ − 1 m, identifying the most unfavorable construction stage where special attention to tunnel lining deformation is required. Increasing outer diameter transitions the force curve from quasi-parabolic to “half diamond” shape, while doubling the friction coefficient approximately doubles the jacking force. These findings provide practical guidelines for vertical pipe jacking design and construction, including equipment capacity selection, friction reduction strategies, and monitoring priorities. Full article

Stock price forecasting remains an extremely challenging problem due to the non-stationary nature of financial markets. Recent deep learning approaches model complex stock correlations by learning temporal patterns from individual stock series and then aggregating cross-stock information. However, existing methods select which alpha factors to trust using static projections of market features, ignoring how market regimes evolveover the lookback window—a “recovering from a crash” regime and a “new bull market” produce similar instantaneous statistics but require different factor selections. Moreover, standard MSE training objectives weight all stocks equally, wasting gradient signal on mid-ranked stocks that never enter a long–short portfolio. To address these issues, we introduce StockMamba, a State-Space Gated Stock Transformer with Rank-Aware Optimization. StockMamba replaces static market gating with a Mamba-2 state-space model that scans market regime dynamics in linear time and produces time-varying factor gates via temperature-controlled softmax. For training, StockMamba pairs cross-stock attention and temporal distillation with a U-shaped Rank-Position Loss that concentrates gradients on the head and tail stocks where portfolio P&L is determined. Experiments on CSI-300 and CSI-800 with the Qlib pipeline show that StockMamba achieves 12.1% higher IC and 15.0% higher Rank IC over the MASTER baseline on CSI-300 (13.5% and 14.8% on CSI-800), with ablation studies confirming the contribution of each proposed module. A cross-market evaluation on S&P 500 further confirms that the gains generalize to a structurally different market (9.5% higher IC over MASTER), and a Kolmogorov–Smirnov test on the learned factor gates provides statistical evidence that the gating mechanism is genuinely regime-dependent. Full article

To achieve label-free, highly sensitive, and rapid quantitative detection of spores of wheat scab pathogens, this study developed a flexible terahertz metamaterial perfect absorber based on a composite unit consisting of dual-U-shaped resonators and a central metal rod. The results showed that the metamaterial exhibited near-perfect absorption at two frequencies, 0.53 THz and 2.30 THz, with absorption rates of 99.2% and 99.5%, respectively. A sharp phase shift occurred at the resonance points, enabling significant amplification of weak sensing signals. The refractive index sensitivity was 110 GHz/RIU at low frequencies and 440 GHz/RIU at high frequencies, indicating superior sensing performance in high-frequency modes. Gradient concentration measurements of Fusarium graminearum conidia revealed a good linear relationship between spore concentration and resonance frequency shift (R² = 0.996). The detection limit was 10 spores/μL, with a detection range covering 0–1000 spores/μL. This approach meets the needs for early detection of trace amounts of pathogens and quantitative analysis throughout the disease cycle. As this technique requires no labeling, is non-invasive, and operates rapidly, it provides an efficient new method for real-time monitoring and intelligent control of wheat scab in fields. It also holds great potential for applying terahertz metamaterials in agricultural biosafety applications. Full article

Road markings constitute essential traffic control elements that ensure safety and traffic flow efficiency. The nighttime visibility of road markings, quantified through retroreflective luminance (R_L), is fundamentally governed by the distribution characteristics of embedded glass beads (GBs) within the marking matrix. Yet, three persistent limitations hinder reliable GB distribution evaluation: measurement variability, oversimplified model assumptions (fixed 50% embedment depth vs. observed 50–60% variations), and fragmented correlations between GB morphology and R_L metrics. This study proposes a granulometric–spatial–morphological triad assessment (GSMTA) framework, integrating instance segmentation with hierarchical performance analytics. The GSMTA framework achieves 15% higher segmentation accuracy over Otsu/Fast Random Forest methods, quantifying GB distribution via granulometric (size gradation), spatial (homogeneity index), and morphological (shape factor) descriptors. Through principal component analysis, the derived L³D performance indices establish statistically robust retroreflective luminance (R_L) prediction models, with PC1 and PC2 capturing 91.7% of the variance and validation errors. The model remained below 8% error across a 750 mcd·m⁻²·lx⁻¹ R_L range, ensuring reliable and precise performance evaluation. Field validation demonstrates the framework’s capacity of transforming pixel-level segmentation data into practical quality control metrics. This advancement supports lifecycle management through standardized GB distribution evaluation, overcoming prior incompatibility issues between microscopic morphology analysis and macroscale R_L measurements. Full article

The study aimed to evaluate the influence of growing location and drying method on the physicochemical properties, bioactive compound composition, and antioxidant capacity of wild Rosa canina L. fruits collected from four Herzegovinian locations. Significant differences were observed among locations and drying methods for all analysed physico-chemical parameters. Fresh fruits exhibited high dry matter content (average 54.6%). The highest ascorbic acid content was recorded in fresh fruits from location L1 (112.20 mg/100 g fw), whereas drying reduced its concentration approximately 3.7-fold. Total phenolic content ranged from 1205.45 mg GAE/100 g fw in fresh fruits from location 1 to markedly lower values after drying (approximately 50% reduction). β-carotene content varied from 1.01 to 20.12 mg/100 g fw, with the highest level detected in fresh fruits from location 4, while lycopene ranged from 3.33 to 59.28 mg/100 g fw, with fresh fruits from location 1 showing exceptionally high values. Fresh fruits exhibited the highest antioxidant capacity (ABTS assay), while dried samples retained considerable activity, with significant location-dependent interactions between growing site and drying method. Results confirm that pedo-climatic conditions significantly shape the bioactive profile of rosehip fruits and highlight Herzegovinian rosehip as a valuable functional material for food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. Full article

Bowl-shaped gold nanoparticles (BAuNPs) are of significant interest due to their tunable localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties. This report presents a new synthesis method that uses hemispherical hydrogen nanobubbles on planar, non-conducting surfaces as templates for gold shell deposition. Initial synthesis under stagnant conditions yielded non-uniform sub-micron particles, attributed to localized hydrogen concentration gradients. The cyclonic flow was introduced aiming to reduce these gradients, although simultaneously inducing significant particle aggregation, obscuring the open structure. To overcome these challenges, an electrochemical microfluidic system was implemented to create a laminar flow environment. This configuration optimizes ion distribution and introduces shear forces that promote particle detachment, successfully limiting particle dimensions to below 200 nm, and preventing the accumulation. Systematic optimization identified optimal parameters: an ideal channel length of 7.5 mm, an applied potential of −0.6 V, and a flow rate of 0.028 µL s⁻¹. These parameters that strike a balance between nanobubble growth and gold deposition kinetics can produce highly uniform BAuNPs with a well-defined open structure and thin solid gold shells, with an outer diameter of 105.3 ± 12.1 nm and a core diameter of 80.1 ± 11.9 nm. These structural parameters successfully shift the plasmonic resonance to 760 nm, which responds perfectly with the first biological window for potential in vivo biomedical applications. Full article

Composite laminates experience static and fatigue delamination, presenting significant challenges for failure prediction. This is critical in curved composites, where delamination behavior is complex to predict. In this study, fatigue tests were conducted on curved composite laminates under non-constant mixed-mode conditions. The testing setup involved a four-point bending test using L-shaped, unidirectional carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer curved beam specimens. A Teflon insert placed at the bend was used to initiate delamination. Experimental data acquisition included digital image correlation (DIC) to monitor delamination length during testing. This is important since it enhances subsequent model correlation. A virtual crack closure technique (VCCT)-based method for simulating fatigue-driven delamination under variable mixed-mode conditions was validated against experiments. Delamination growth was modeled using a Paris-like power–law relationship based on the strain energy release rate. The approach was implemented in Abaqus as a user subroutine, incorporating load ratio and mode mixity effects through VCCT-based mode separation. This study demonstrates accurate fatigue delamination prediction and highlights the role of optical measurements in experiments. The model improves our understanding of delamination propagation under varying mode mixity and contributes to structural integrity analysis. The results show how mode mixity influences delamination, impacting the performance and lifecycle of composite structures. Full article

Background: Patient navigation has been recognized as a promising strategy to address fragmented cancer care; however, evidence from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remains limited, particularly regarding how navigation-related needs are associated with patient-reported outcomes. Objective: This study aimed to examine the association between multidimensional patient navigation needs and quality of life (QoL) among women with gynecological cancer in Indonesia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 128 women diagnosed with gynecological cancer at a referral hospital in Indonesia. Patient navigation needs were assessed using a 37-item multidimensional instrument developed based on international frameworks, while QoL was measured using the EORTC QLQ-C30. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression to evaluate the relationships and relative contributions of navigation need domains to QoL. Results: The mean global health status score indicated relatively low QoL (Mean = 41.7, SD = 31.0). Most domains of patient navigation needs were significantly and negatively associated with QoL (p < 0.001), with the strongest correlation observed for total navigation needs (r = −0.657). Multivariable analysis showed that administrative and financial needs showed the strongest association with poorer QoL (β = −0.373, p < 0.001), followed by psychosocial, cultural, and family support needs (β = −0.356, p < 0.001). In contrast, late-stage clinical needs were positively associated with QoL (β = 0.206, p = 0.005). The model explained 59.5% of the variance in QoL. Conclusions: Patient navigation needs are strongly associated with QoL among women with gynecological cancer, highlighting the critical role of system-level and psychosocial factors in shaping patient outcomes. Addressing administrative complexity, financial burden, and psychosocial support gaps is essential for improving QoL in LMIC settings. These findings provide novel evidence for developing context-specific, integrated patient navigation models to enhance cancer care delivery. Full article