Search Results (196)

Radicular cysts (RCs) represent the most frequent inflammatory cystic lesions of the jaw, typically arising from non-vital teeth. While standard management via enucleation is well-documented, complex cases involving the anterior maxilla present significant surgical challenges due to their proximity to the nasal cavity floor (NCF) and the maxillary sinus floor (MSF). This report provides a comprehensive revision of a clinical case series involving seven patients (ages 17–50) treated with multimodal surgical and regenerative protocols. The patients were stratified into five distinct anatomical risk groups (A–E) based on the integrity of the bony boundaries and the presence of oronasal communications. The treatment strategies combined meticulous cyst enucleation with advanced regenerative techniques, including platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), allogeneic and xenograft bone substitutes, and local flaps such as the buccal fat pad (BFP). The results across all seven cases demonstrated favorable clinical and radiographic outcomes, with no instances of oronasal fistula formation or recurrence during follow-up periods ranging from 12 months to three years. This report emphasizes the necessity of structured anatomical stratification and multimodal planning to ensure scientific precision and surgical predictability in the management of complex maxillary lesions. The differences between approaches towards the nasal cavity and maxillary sinus have to be highlighted. Further studies with larger cohorts are warranted to evaluate the long-term outcomes of different treatment modalities. Full article

This paper investigates the fatigue and residual strength behavior of recycled carbon fiber reinforced plastics (rCFRPs) with different fiber architectures in an epoxy resin matrix: a unidirectional (UD) rCFRP and a non-crimp fabric (NCF) composite. Due to the research gap in fatigue testing of recycled carbon fiber-reinforced plastics with quasi-continuous fiber reinforcement, their fatigue properties are investigated in this article. The objective of the present study is to contribute to the broader goal of integrating recycled carbon fibers as quasi-continuous fiber reinforcement in structural applications by understanding their failure behavior. To determine suitable stress levels for fatigue testing, quasi-static tensile tests are conducted first. Subsequently, fatigue tests are performed with a stress ratio of 0.1. Damage evolution is documented by a continuous recording of the stiffness degradation. For the unidirectional material, an S-N_f curve is created based on three stress levels. The curve can be described with a logarithmic equation. Fatigue testing of the NCF laminate is performed at a single stress level. Subsequent residual strength tests using standard specimens show no clear correlation between the number of load cycles of pre-cycling and residual strength, but indicate a sudden-death behavior for both composites. For further investigation of the damage behavior, in situ residual strength tests are carried out using a combination of acoustic emission analysis and micro-computed tomography (µCT) imaging. This investigation is intended to illustrate crack initiation and propagation three-dimensionally after pre-cycling and during residual strength tests. The results demonstrate a significant influence of the microstructure on the failure behavior. Full article

Background: Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) affects quality of life, daily functioning and return-to-work. However, CRCI remains under-addressed in cancer care. Since cognitive complaints often co-occur with fatigue and psychological distress, a multimodal approach is warranted. We developed Integrative Neuro-Cognitive Remediation Therapy (INCRT), a multidisciplinary survivorship program combining personalized cognitive function and strategy training with group-based psychoeducation, cognitive–behavioral therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and onco-yoga. Methods: Cancer survivors suffering from CRCI were eligible. Assessments included neuropsychological testing, patient-reported outcomes, and daily functioning at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1), and 6-month follow-up (T2). Primary outcomes were objective and subjective neurocognitive functioning (NCF); secondary outcomes were psychological distress, fatigue, metacognition, and daily functioning. Changes were analyzed using linear mixed models. Results: Between November 2022 and January 2025, 44 of 56 eligible survivors enrolled; 38 completed the program (71.1% female; median age 53.5). Objective and subjective NCF improved significantly at T1 and T2 (ps < 0.001). Psychological distress, fatigue, and unhelpful metacognitions decreased over time (ps < 0.05). Participants reported greater emotional and cognitive insight and improved daily functioning. Conclusions: INCRT improves cognitive functioning, reduces psychological distress and fatigue, and enhances daily functioning, with benefits maintained at follow-up. The integrative design supports sustained effects by promoting internalization and daily application of learned strategies. Full article

Background: Coronary slow flow (CSF) is a microvascular disorder characterized by delayed perfusion despite the absence of significant epicardial stenosis. Although its exact pathophysiology remains unclear, endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and atherogenic dyslipidemia have been implicated. Traditional lipid parameters may not fully capture the atherogenic burden, whereas atherogenic indices such as the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), atherogenic coefficient (AC), and Castelli risk indices (CRI-I and CRI-II) may provide better predictive value. This study aimed to investigate the association between atherogenic indices and CSF in a large real-world angiographic cohort. Methods: This retrospective study included 25,486 patients who underwent coronary angiography between September 2020 and June 2024. A total of 464 patients with CSF (diagnosed by TIMI frame count criteria) and 408 controls with normal coronary flow (NCF) were identified. Atherogenic indices, including AIP, AC, CRI-I, CRI-II, and non-HDL cholesterol (non-HDL-C), were calculated. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified independent predictors of CSF, while receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess the diagnostic performance of each lipid-related parameter. Results: Patients with CSF had significantly higher AIP, AC, non-HDL-C, and CRI indices and lower HDL-C levels compared to controls (all, p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis identified AIP (OR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.18–2.44, p = 0.004), age (OR: 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01–1.06, p = 0.014) and smoking (OR: 2.22, 95% CI: 1.36–2.84, p = 0.003) as independent predictors of CSF. ROC analysis showed modest but statistically significant discriminatory capacity for AIP (cut-off: 0.50; AUC: 0.629; 95% CI: 0.591–0.667; p < 0.001). AIP also demonstrated a weak yet significant correlation with mean TIMI frame count (rho = 0.245, p < 0.001), suggesting a potential link to microvascular dysfunction. Conclusions: Among the evaluated atherogenic indices, only AIP demonstrated an independent association with CSF. Despite modest discriminative performance that does not support standalone clinical prediction, AIP may reflect an underlying metabolic phenotype associated with CSF and serve as a complementary marker alongside traditional risk assessment. These findings should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating and warrant prospective validation. Full article

This study evaluated changes in the number of cycles to fracture (NCF) of Nickel–Titanium (NiTi) files after repeated use in simulated canals and investigated the potential relationship with stress-induced martensite (SIM) transformation effect. A total of 225 ProTaper Ultimate (PTUL) files were divided into three groups: Group 1 consisted of new files, Group 2 comprised files used to shape two resin simulated canals, and Group 3 consisted of files used to shape four canals. The simulated resin canals with a 16 mm length of J-shaped with 35° curvature were prepared using PTUL Slider, Shaper, F1, F2, and F3 files sequentially. After instrumentation, the cyclic fatigue resistance of each sequential file was assessed in a 35° curved steel canal by rotating at 400 rpm using a custom-made device. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc test or Kruskal–Wallis with Dunn’s test with Bonferroni correction for parametric and non-parametric data, respectively. Slider and Shaper maintained stable NCF across all groups (p > 0.05). In contrast, F1 showed a transient increase (117.7%) after two uses but declined significantly (91.6%) after four uses (p < 0.05). F2 and F3 demonstrated progressive NCF reductions (F2: 72.9%; F3: 71.5% after four uses), with F3 showing the most pronounced decline (p < 0.05). Repeated use of NiTi files reduced their cyclic fatigue resistance in a file-specific manner, with larger finishing files most affected. The distinctive F1 pattern suggests potential preload-related or SIM transformation effects that warrant further metallurgical investigation. Full article

Understanding the short-term availability of legacy phosphorus (P) in soils is important for improving fertilizer management and reducing unnecessary P inputs. This study evaluated whether soil legacy P could temporarily support rice growth under continuous cultivation and assessed the short-term potential for reducing P fertilizer applications. Field experiments were conducted over two consecutive rice cropping seasons in paddy soils located in Taoyuan (TY) and Changhua (CH), Taiwan. Rice grain yield, grain P concentration, and soil P dynamics were compared between plots receiving chemical fertilizers (CF) and those without chemical P fertilization (NCF). Results showed no significant differences in grain yield or grain P concentration between CF and NCF treatments over the two cropping seasons. Sequential P extraction and P K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) analyses of soils collected before planting and after harvest revealed a redistribution of soil P from moderately and slowly labile pools to more labile fractions during rice cultivation. These changes suggest that legacy P contributed to maintaining plant-available P during the short experimental period. Overall, this study provides short-term (two-season) field evidence that, in P-enriched paddy soils, legacy P can partially supply rice P demand without additional P fertilization. However, the long-term sustainability of this strategy and its applicability under different soil and management conditions require further investigation. Full article

Non-crimp fabric (NCF) composites are increasingly adopted for structural components due to their high mechanical performance and processability. Like other fibre-reinforced plastics, NCFs remain vulnerable to in-service damage from tool drops or unintended collisions, which can substantially reduce load-bearing capacity. This study aimed to develop a validated numerical model capable of simulating damage initiation and post-impact behaviour through an integrated experimental–numerical approach. The mechanical properties of a representative unidirectional NCF composite were first experimentally established. Then, tubular NCF subcomponents were fabricated and tested under a two-phase loading protocol. In the first phase, damage was introduced using quasi-static indentation or controlled low-velocity impact. In the second phase, the residual load-bearing capacity of the damaged subcomponents was assessed under four-point bending. To support the research objective, a finite element model was developed in LS-DYNA to simulate both phases, using the MAT_ENHANCED_COMPOSITE_DAMAGE (MAT54) material formulation. Non-measurable input parameters, including stress limit factors and erosion strain thresholds, were calibrated via parameter estimation, sensitivity analysis, and iterative refinement. The final model showed close agreement with experiments in predicted damage location, deformation mode, and residual strength. X-ray computed tomography was used to validate delamination predictions. The findings support the development of reliable and cost-effective numerical tools for damage assessment in advanced composite structures. Full article

The widespread use of antibiotics has taken a heavy toll on the environment, which cannot be ignored. Tetracycline antibiotics (TCs), as representative pharmaceutical contaminants, have emerged as a growing environmental concern due to their persistence and potential ecological risks. This study utilized 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (BTC) as a functionalizing reagent to synthesize magnetic nanoparticles NiFe₂O₄-COOH. These were then combined with Zr-MOF to create the magnetic adsorbent designated as NCF@Zr-MOF (where NCF represents carboxyl-functionalized nickel ferrite). Magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) technology was employed to remove two representative tetracycline antibiotics, tetracycline (TC) and chlortetracycline (CTC) from the environment. The Langmuir model fitting revealed maximum adsorption reached 190.85 and 196.32 mg/g for TC and CTC, respectively, both of which conformed to the pseudo-second-order model during the adsorption process with spontaneous, heat-absorbing and entropy-increasing properties. Furthermore, following five cycles of adsorption and desorption, the removal rate for TCs was found to have decreased by 30%, yet the removal of CTCs remained at 95.32%. This adsorbent enables rapid separation via an external magnetic field. With its excellent stability and reusability, NCF@Zr-MOF shows great potential for removing antibiotics from water. Full article

Open-hole compression (OHC) tests were carried out on non-crimp fabric (NCF) laminates with varied open-hole orientation (angle to the loading direction) and inter-hole spacing. Failure modes were documented by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the compressive strength was quantified. Finite element simulations in Abaqus were developed to replicate the tests, establishing a progressive-damage model for open-hole laminates under compression. Intralaminar failure was described using the three-dimensional Hashin failure criterion and a modified matrix compression criterion incorporating shear coupling effects, while interlaminar delamination was modeled with cohesive elements, enabling the simulation of damage initiation, growth, delamination, and final collapse. The results show that hole orientation and spacing have a pronounced effect on open-hole compression (OHC) strength. A spacing threshold is observed, beyond which further increases in spacing provide little additional benefit. In contrast, the apparent elastic stiffness is essentially insensitive to hole spacing and orientation. The combined intralaminar and interlaminar model successfully reproduces the characteristic mechanical response—linear elasticity followed by catastrophic failure—in good agreement with the experiments. Full article

Background: Insulin resistance (IR) has been implicated in cardiovascular diseases, and a correlation between IR and the slow flow phenomenon (CSF)has been identified. The triglyceride–glucose index (TGI), a simple surrogate marker for IR, has recently emerged as a potential predictor of CSF, though data are limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of TGI and other prognostic parameters in patients with CSF. Methods: This retrospective study included 693 patients who underwent diagnostic coronary angiography between January 2022 and December 2024. A total of 132 patients were diagnosed with CSF based on the corrected TIMI frame count (cTFC > 27 in at least one epicardial coronary artery), while 561 patients had normal coronary flow (NCF). Patients with confounding cardiovascular or systemic conditions were excluded. Clinical, demographic, and laboratory data were gathered, and TGI was calculated as ln [fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting glucose (mg/dL)/2].Results: Statistically significant distinctions were found between the CSF and NCF groups regarding TGI, age, glucose, HbA1c, creatinine, sodium, CRP, platelet count, heart rate, PR interval, and cQT interval (p < 0.05). Age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, HbA1c, glucose, sodium, and cQT were identified as potential clinical and laboratory factors associated with CSF in univariate logistic regression analysis; however, no independent predictor was found in multivariate analysis. ROC analysis showed that a TGI cut-off value of ≥8.93 predicted CSF with 67.6% sensitivity and 66.7% specificity. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that TGI was significantly greater in patients with CSF compared to those with NCF. Although TGI showed limited sensitivity and specificity in discriminating CSF, its possible value as a prognostic indicator warrants further validation in prospective, large-scale studies. Full article

Recommendation systems are popular information systems that help consumers manage information overload. Whilst personality has been recognised as an important factor influencing consumers’ choice, it has not yet been fully exploited in recommendation systems. This study proposes a restaurant recommendation approach that integrates customer personality traits, opinions and preferences, extracted either directly from online review platforms or derived from electronic word of mouth (eWOM) text using information extraction techniques. The proposed method leverages the concept of venue personality grounded in personality–brand congruence theory, which posits that customers are more satisfied with brands whose personalities align with their own. A novel model is introduced that combines fine-tuned BERT embeddings with linguistic features to infer users’ personality traits from the text of their reviews. Customers’ preferences are identified using a custom named-entity recogniser, while their opinions are extracted through structural topic modelling. The overall framework integrates neural collaborative filtering (NCF) features with both directly observed and derived information from eWOM to train an extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) regression model. The proposed approach is compared to baseline collaborative filtering methods and state-of-the-art neural network techniques commonly used in industry. Results across multiple performance metrics demonstrate that incorporating personality, preferences and opinions significantly improves recommendation performance. Full article

The maturity of Lentinus edodes directly affects its quality, taste, and market value. Currently, maturity assessment primarily relies on manual experience, making it difficult to ensure efficiency and consistency. To achieve efficient and accurate detection of Lentinus edodes maturity, this study proposes an improved lightweight object detection model, YOLOv8n-CFS. Based on YOLOv8n, the model integrates the SegNeXt Attention structure to enhance key feature extraction capabilities and optimize feature representation. A Feature Diffusion Propagation Network (FDPN) is designed to improve the expressive ability of objects at different scales through cross-layer feature propagation, enabling precise detection. The CSFCN module combines global cue reasoning with fine-grained spatial information to enhance detection robustness and generalization performance in complex environments. The CWD method is adopted to further optimize the model. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model achieves 97.34% mAP50 and 84.5% mAP95 on the Lentinus edodes maturity detection task, representing improvements of 2.02% and 4.92% compared to the baseline method, respectively. It exhibits excellent stability in five-fold cross-validation and outperforms models such as Faster R-CNN, YOLOv5n, YOLOv7-tiny, YOLOv8n, YOLOv8s, YOLOv10n, YOLOv11n, and YOLOv12. This study provides efficient and reliable technical support for Lentinus edodes maturity detection and holds significant implications for the intelligent production of edible fungi. Full article

Vibrio mimicus infection poses a severe threat to the sustainable aquaculture of yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco), a commercially important freshwater species of the order Siluriformes. To reveal the genetic mechanisms underlying the resistance to this pathogen, we established an infection model and integrated genome-wide association study (GWAS) and transcriptomics to identify key resistance loci and genes. Firstly, from whole-genome re-sequencing (WGRS) and high-quality genotypic data, six SNP loci significantly associated with resistance to V. mimicus were identified, which were annotated to 17 immune-related candidate genes. Notably, the rac2 gene associated with the locus Chr15:3,227,652 exhibited significantly differential expression in skin tissue. Through transcriptomic analysis, 6684 and 6616 differentially expressed genes were identified from the skin and muscle tissues, respectively. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that the skin, as the first line of defense against pathogens, prioritizes the activation of immune defense mechanisms, whereas muscle tissue responds to infection-induced stress primarily by regulating metabolic processes. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) validated that rac2 enhances the antibacterial capacity of yellow catfish in skin tissue by regulating the expression of NADPH oxidase complex subunits ncf1 and ncf4. This study reveals, for the first time, the core functional genes of yellow catfish associated with resistance to V. mimicus infection, providing theoretical support for disease-resistant breeding of this species. Full article

Linear cultural heritage is characterized by complex cross-regional and multi-level features, facing severe challenges of spatial resource fragmentation and an imbalance in cultural and tourism functions. However, existing research lacks quantitative analysis regarding the non-linear driving mechanisms of spatial distribution and the misalignment of culture–tourism coupling. In this study, we construct an integrated identification–explanation–coupling–governance (IECG) theoretical framework. Taking The Great Tea Road (Jinzhong Section) as a case study, our framework integrates the CCSPM, XGBoost-SHAP machine learning interpreter, and Geodetector to systematically quantify the spatial structure of heritage and the level of culture–tourism integration. The results indicate that, (1) in terms of spatial patterns, the study area exhibits an unbalanced agglomeration characteristic of “dual-primary and dual-secondary cores,” with high-density areas showing significant orientation along rivers and roads; (2) regarding driving mechanisms, the machine learning model reveals a significant “non-linear threshold effect,” with 83% of driving factors (e.g., elevation and distance to transportation) exhibiting non-linear fluctuations in their influence on heritage distribution; and, (3) in terms of culture–tourism coupling, the overall coupling coordination degree (CCD) is low (mean 0.38), indicating significant “resource–facility” spatial misalignment. The modern number of public cultural facilities (NCF) is identified as the primary obstacle restricting the transformation of high-grade heritage into tourism products. Based on these findings, we propose adaptive zoning governance strategies. This research not only theoretically clarifies the complexity of the social–ecological system of linear heritage but also provides a generalizable quantitative method for the digital protection and sustainable tourism planning of cross-regional cultural heritage. Full article

A compact offset-coupled hybrid fiber interferometer (OCHFI) is designed and experimentally demonstrated for simultaneous measurement of salinity and temperature. The sensor integrates multimode fiber (MMF) and offset no-core fiber (NCF) through an intermediate single-mode fiber (SMF), producing distinct interference patterns for multi-parameter sensing. The optimal SMF length was determined through COMSOL simulations (version 6.2) and fixed at $50 \mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}$ to achieve stable and well-separated interference dips. Fast Fourier Transform analysis confirmed that the modal behavior originates from the single-mode-multimode-single-mode (SMS) and single-mode-no-core-single-mode (SNS) segments. Experimentally, Dip 1 exhibits salinity sensitivity of $0.62206 \mathrm{n}\mathrm{m}/\mathrm{‰}$, while Dip 2 shows temperature sensitivity of $0.09318 \mathrm{n}\mathrm{m}/°\mathrm{C}$, both with linearity ($R^2 > 0.99$), excellent repeatability, and stability, with fluctuations within $0.15 \mathrm{n}\mathrm{m}$ over 60 min. To remove cross-sensitivity, both the transfer matrix method and an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model were employed. The ANN approach significantly enhanced prediction accuracy ($R^2 = 0.9999$) with RMSE improvement approximately 539-fold for salinity and 56-fold for temperature, compared with the analytical model. The proposed OCHFI sensor provides a compact, low-cost, and intelligent solution for precise simultaneous salinity and temperature measurement, with strong potential for applications in marine, chemical, and industrial process control. Full article