Search Results (6,711)

Defect engineering of anatase TiO₂ nanosheets by hydrogen reduction is a compelling strategy to boost visible light photocatalytic Cr(VI) reduction, a process of vital importance for detoxifying highly toxic and carcinogenic Cr(VI) pollutants. However, the necessary high-temperature hydrogen treatment invariably induces morphological collapse, negating the structural merits of the two-dimensional nanosheets. Herein, we propose an ethylenediamine reflux protection strategy combined with hydrogen reduction to fabricate defect-rich TiO₂ nanosheets (EN-TiO_2−x-NS) that preserve the original morphology. The resulting EN-TiO_2−x-NS retained the square nanosheet structure and (001) facets, while Ti³⁺ and oxygen vacancies were successfully introduced. The bandgap narrowed from 2.95 to 2.55 eV, leading to enhanced visible light absorption and charge separation efficiency. For photocatalytic Cr(VI) reduction under visible light, EN-TiO_2−x-NS achieved a removal rate of 97.3% within 20 min, with a rate constant 1.93 times higher than that of pristine TiO₂ nanosheets and 3.17 times higher than that of the directly hydrogenated sample. The catalyst also exhibited excellent cycling stability. This work demonstrates a synergistic strategy combining morphology preservation and defect engineering, providing a new approach for designing high-performance TiO₂-based photocatalysts. Full article

This study investigates nitrogen-fixing rhizobia associated with Pisum sativum, a member of the tribe Vicieae (Fabaceae), whose species establish symbioses with bacteria belonging predominantly to the symbiovar viciae within the Rhizobium leguminosarum complex (Rlc). Based on a comprehensive taxonomic revision of the F-clade within this complex, we report the identification and characterization of a novel rhizobial subspecies, Rhizobium laguerreae subsp. mediterraneum subsp. nov., isolated from pea nodules in Tunisia. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA and multilocus sequence analysis (recA, atpD, dnaK, and glnII) placed strains 25PS6 and 10PS4 within the Rlc, while whole-genome phylogenomics using 2960 single-copy orthologues supported their assignment to a distinct monophyletic clade (Q-II). Subspecies-level clustering consistency was maximized using an optimized ANIm criterion of 97.40%, corresponding to 76.65% dDDH. Both strains belong to symbiovar viciae and exhibited improved symbiotic performance on pea plants compared to the reference strain, indicating strong symbiotic performance and potential relevance for biological nitrogen fixation. Cluster-specific SNP analysis identified 63 exclusive non-synonymous mutations with putative functional effects predicted in silico. These results suggest that cluster-specific nsSNPs may contribute to genomic differentiation within the Q-II lineage. Phenotypic and chemotaxonomic analyses further distinguished the novel subspecies based on carbon utilization, enzymatic activity, antibiotic resistance, and fatty acid profiles. Together, these findings highlight the genomic diversity within nitrogen-fixing rhizobia associated with legumes and identify a novel subspecies with potential agronomic relevance for improving symbiotic nitrogen fixation in pea cultivation. The proposed subspecies, Rhizobium laguerreae subsp. mediterraneum, is represented by strains 10PS4 and 25PS6, with strain 25PS6^T (=DSM 116212^T = LMG 33205^T) designated as the type strain. Full article

The high sensitivity of HgCdTe infrared detectors makes them highly vulnerable to laser irradiation, yet the influence of pulse width on damage behavior in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) band remains insufficiently understood. In this study, we experimentally and numerically investigate the damage effects of SWIR pulsed lasers on HgCdTe focal plane array detectors, focusing on the role of pulse width. Three lasers with pulse widths of 5.5 ns, 0.6 ms and 2 ms are used to irradiate the detector, and the damage thresholds for spot damage, line damage, and complete failure are measured. Damage morphologies are characterized by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. A finite-element thermal model is also established to calculate transient temperature distributions and theoretical damage thresholds. For the 0.6 ms pulse, the measured thresholds for spot damage, line damage, and complete failure are 5.7 J/cm², 65.4 J/cm², and 157.3 J/cm², respectively; for the 2 ms pulse, these increase to 12.1 J/cm², 149.3 J/cm², and 405 J/cm² due to energy dispersion. Microscopic analysis reveals that spot damage arises from melting of HgCdTe and indium bumps, line damage from partial damage to the read-out integrated circuit (ROIC) layer, and complete failure from melt-through of the ROIC layer. The spot damage threshold of the 5.5 ns pulse is 1.2 J/cm², while neither line damage nor complete failure occurs even with a 352.5 J/cm² laser pulse, indicating different damage mechanisms due to a thermal confinement effect. The simulation results agree well with the experimental observations. These findings clarify the pulse-width dependence of damage thresholds and provide practical guidance for detector hardening and photoelectric countermeasure design. Full article

NAD⁺ depletion is a defining feature of the aging cell, driven by a progressive decline in nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) activity, the rate-limiting enzyme of the NAD⁺ salvage pathway. Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ), a plant-derived redox-active quinone cofactor, elevates intracellular NAD⁺ by a mechanism that remains incompletely understood. We employed an integrated in silico approach combining molecular docking, density functional theory (DFT), and 100 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to evaluate whether PQQ directly targets NAMPT. Docking against the NAMPT crystal structure (PDB: 7ENQ) yielded a binding free energy of −9.4 kcal/mol, with PQQ positioned in the allosteric activation site and forming hydrogen bonds at His191, Asp219, and Val242 together with π–π stacking at Tyr188, extending a known synthetic activator pharmacophore to a dietary ligand class. MM-GBSA analysis yielded binding free energy = −31.2 kcal/mol, confirming dominant electrostatic and van der Waals stabilization. In silico alanine mutagenesis of Tyr188 and Val242 reduced binding affinity to −7.2 and −7.0 kcal/mol respectively, with complete loss of allosteric-site contacts, validating the proposed mechanism computationally. DFT analysis revealed a HOMO–LUMO gap of 3.20 eV and electrophilicity index ω = 8.91 eV, consistent with non-covalent binding to nucleophilic residues. MD simulation confirmed retention of PQQ within the allosteric site over 100 ns. These data provide a structural and electronic framework for the NAD⁺-boosting activity of PQQ and a rationale for experimental validation. Full article

Secondary dengue infections are often linked to more severe clinical outcomes, yet pre-existing antibodies may exert either protective or pathogenic effects. To evaluate the role of acute-phase dengue antibodies in pediatric dengue, we analyzed clinical and laboratory features, viremia, and antibody profiles in children infected with DENV-1. We conducted a retrospective study of patients under 18 years diagnosed with DENV-1 in Salta, Argentina. Viremia was quantified by real-time RT-PCR; acute-phase IgG antibodies (within 7 days from symptom onset) against DENV, DENV-1, and DENV-NS1 were measured by immunoassays, and neutralizing antibodies by plaque reduction neutralization tests. Among 151 patients (median age 12 years), 62% presented dengue with warning signs and one case progressed to severe dengue. Viremia was higher in probable primary infections than in probable secondary infections and did not correlate with disease severity. Probable secondary infections were characterized by acute-phase antibody profiles that did not associate with DENV viremia. Age-stratified analyses revealed that adolescents exhibited higher viremia levels than younger children in probable primary infections, while viremia levels were comparable across age groups in probable secondary infections. Furthermore, children younger than 10 years displayed acute-phase antibody levels similar to those of adolescents. In adolescents with probable secondary infections, anti-DENV and anti-DENV-1 IgG were inversely correlated with platelet counts, whereas neutralizing and anti-DENV-NS1 antibodies showed no association. Collectively, these findings indicate that probable secondary DENV infections in our pediatric cohort were characterized by acute-phase antibodies that were not associated with viremia control, and that in adolescents, anti-DENV and anti-DENV-1 IgG antibodies likely associated with platelet depletion. These results highlight important implications for vaccine design, underscoring the need for vaccines that elicit strong neutralizing responses while minimizing cross-reactivity and the risk of antibody dependent enhancement. Full article

Membranous nephropathy (MN) is a leading cause of nephrotic syndrome (NS). The remission rate of MN remains limited, and effective strategies for refractory MN are not established. We present the case of a 49-year-old Japanese woman with severe NS caused by MN. Kidney biopsy revealed glomerular basement membrane thickening with granular deposition of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and complement component 3. IgG subclass analysis showed predominant IgG1 deposition, with weak IgG2 and IgG3 deposition. Phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) deposition was equivocal in the first kidney biopsy and negative in the second. Serum anti-PLA2R antibody was not detected. Electron microscopy revealed subepithelial, subendothelial, and mesangial electron-dense deposits. Detailed screening revealed no significant abnormalities other than appendiceal findings, suggesting secondary MN associated with appendiceal infection. Although combined therapy with prednisolone, cyclosporine, rituximab, and low-density lipoprotein apheresis was administered during the first 6 months, remission of MN was not achieved. During dialysis, initiated because of kidney failure, long-term multidisciplinary management, including control of appendiceal infection and inflammation and initiation of angiotensin II receptor blocker therapy, ultimately led to remission of MN and discontinuation of dialysis. Overall, even refractory MN requiring dialysis may have a reversible clinical course with careful conservative management and long-term follow-up. Full article

The Northeast China Cold Vortex (NCCV), a typical synoptic-scale system in Northeast China, North China, and the Jianghuai region, frequently triggers thunderstorms, strong winds, and heavy precipitation, making it significant for meteorological monitoring and operational forecasting. However, the cloud microphysical properties of NCCV-associated cloud systems remain poorly characterized, as long-term cloud microphysical observations are limited. This study utilizes cloud products from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to analyze cloud-type frequencies and four key cloud microphysical properties under NCCV conditions: liquid effective radius (Re_liq), ice effective radius (Re_ice), liquid water path (LWP), and ice water path (IWP). Nearly identical cloud-type compositions are found for the two groups, NCCV and non-NCCV samples with similar cloud fractions on the regional scale, which are dominated by stratocumulus (Sc), altostratus (As), cumulus (Cu), and stratus (St), with Sc accounting for above 40% of total cloud occurrence. Yet microphysical properties differ markedly between these two groups. LWP shows the most contrast and it is evidently larger in NCCV than in non-NCCV cloud systems. As for the spatial structure of cloud microphysics in the NCCV domain, it is found that Sc, As, St, and nimbostratus (Ns) constitute the primary background, and Sc remains the dominant cloud type in almost all spatial sectors. LWP and IWP tend to have stronger spatial heterogeneity than Re_liq and Re_ice. LWP gets notably larger in the northern to northwestern sectors, whereas IWP shows much higher variations in both radial and azimuthal dimensions. These results reveal the statistical microphysical characteristics of cloud systems associated with NCCV from the perspective of satellite observations, providing a reference for a deeper understanding of their unique cloud and precipitation physical processes. Full article

In high-step-up ratio converters for portable battery-powered devices, MOSFET switching loss limits efficiency and thermal design. This paper evaluates a multi-stage adaptive gate driver (MS-AGD) after transfer from a 900 V SiC MOSFET high-step-up converter to a 25 V Si MOSFET transformer-based boost circuit. The MS-AGD detects the Miller plateau by differential sensing and controls gate current in four stages through cascode current mirrors. The target-platform comparison combines measured switching waveforms with a temperature-based $\zeta$ coefficient and an apparent $R_{on-effective}$ indicator under a fixed device, load, fixture, pulse sequence, and thermal path. Total switching energy is not determined directly. Tests at 15 frequency points from 23.26 to 125 kHz show that drain-source voltage reaches its valley in about 500 ns with MS-AGD rather than about 1300–1450 ns with fixed-resistor drive and that the MOSFET package-temperature rise is reduced at all tested points by about 25% on average. The fitted apparent thermal-electrical indicator is also lower. These mutually consistent waveform and thermal results indirectly support a reduced turn-on switching-loss contribution while avoiding interpretation of $\zeta$ or apparent $R_{on-effective}$ as direct measurements of total switching loss or instantaneous channel resistance. Full article

Periodontitis, driven by Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) biofilms, is a global health burden with limited treatment options due to antibiotic resistance. Chrysanthemum lavandulifolium is traditionally used in China for clearing heat and reducing swelling, yet its anti-periodontitis potential remains uncharacterized. This study evaluated the antibacterial and therapeutic effects of its essential oil (CLEO) against periodontitis. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of CLEO against P. gingivalis were determined by broth microdilution. Anti-biofilm activity was assessed via XTT assay. Network pharmacology, molecular docking, and 100 ns molecular dynamics simulations were employed to identify active compounds and core targets. Experimental periodontitis was induced in C57BL/6 mice by molar ligation. Mice received topical CLEO at concentrations of 2, 3, and 4 mg/mL, 2% minocycline, or vehicle once daily for 14 days. Periodontal inflammation, alveolar bone loss, collagen organization, osteoclast activity, and serum levels of MMP-9 and COX-2 were evaluated. CLEO exhibited potent anti-P. gingivalis activity, with an MIC of 2 mg/mL and MBC of 4 mg/mL. At the MIC, CLEO disrupted 57.5% of pre-formed P. gingivalis biofilms. Network pharmacology and molecular docking identified α-bisabolol, chamazulene, and 1,8-cineole as key active compounds, with the chamazulene-HSP90AA1 complex showing the strongest binding affinity (−10.0 kcal/mol). The 100 ns MD simulation confirmed the stability of this complex (RMSD < 1 nm). In the mouse periodontitis model, topical application of CLEO at 3 and 4 mg/mL significantly reduced gingival inflammation, alveolar bone resorption, and the number of TRAP-positive osteoclasts compared with the vehicle-treated periodontitis group (all p < 0.05). Furthermore, CLEO treatment dose-dependently lowered serum MMP-9 levels (from 24.15 ± 0.24 pg/mL in the model group to 12.36 ± 0.54 pg/mL in the high-dose group) and COX-2 levels (from 15.38 ± 0.62 pg/mL to 8.99 ± 0.57 pg/mL). The therapeutic efficacy of the high-dose CLEO group was comparable to that of the 2% minocycline group. CLEO exerts anti-P. gingivalis and anti-biofilm effects in vitro and ameliorates periodontitis in vivo through multi-target mechanisms, providing pharmacological evidence for its traditional use in inflammatory conditions. Full article

Objectives: We aimed to compare the agreement and reliability of the G-Force system (force plate and load cell) for the mid-thigh isometric pull test in physically active adults. Methods: Eighteen participants (age: 27.6 years; BMI: 27.8 kg/m²) performed three maximal IMTP trials under standardized conditions. Force-time data were collected simultaneously from both systems. Peak force and rate of force development (RFD) were analyzed. Agreement was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland–Altman analysis. Paired t-tests and Cohen’s d evaluated systematic differences. Linear regression analyses were conducted to assess proportional bias. Results: Peak force showed excellent agreement (ICC = 0.999; 95% CI: 0.998–1.000) but with a positive fixed bias (84.48 N) and narrow limits of agreement (42.10 to 126.90 N), indicating consistently higher values from the force plate. A statistically significant difference was observed (p < 0.001; d = 3.90). Although the standardized effect size was large, the absolute bias between devices was relatively small (84.48 N; ~6% of mean peak force). The elevated d value reflects the low variability of the inter-system differences rather than a substantial absolute discrepancy. Accordingly, the results indicate a consistent systematic bias that may affect direct interchangeability of absolute values despite the excellent agreement observed between systems. No proportional bias was detected (p = 0.159). In contrast, RFD max showed lower agreement (ICC = 0.887; 95% CI: 0.699–0.958), with a negative bias (−1361 N/s) and wide limits of agreement (−6168 to 3445 N/s). Differences were significant (p = 0.031; d = 0.55), with no proportional bias (p = 0.268). Conclusions: The G-Force system demonstrates acceptable agreement for peak force but cannot be considered interchangeable with force plate measurements due to the presence of substantial systematic bias. In contrast, agreement for RFD is reduced, indicating greater sensitivity of early-phase force-time measures to methodological differences between systems. Full article

This paper investigates the coordinated deployment and routing of communication equipment by a Sub-mother UAV swarm in power-grid emergency communication scenarios. Considering mission timeliness and payload constraints, a heterogeneous MUAV–SUAV coordinated deployment-and-routing model is established to minimize the total system cost, including platform flight cost, SUAV activation cost, and penalty cost caused by delayed deployment. To solve this problem, a two-stage optimization framework is proposed. In the first stage, an improved K-means clustering algorithm with neighborhood search (K-means-NS) is developed to divide deployment points into feasible sub-regions while satisfying SUAV endurance constraints and maintaining the deployment–retrieval payload balance required by the MUAV. In the second stage, the MUAV inter-region visiting sequence is treated as a routing subproblem, and an improved adaptive genetic algorithm (IAGA) is designed to optimize the coordinated routes of the MUAV and SUAVs within each sub-region. The IAGA adopts hybrid encoding, feasible-solution adjustment, elitist selection, and adaptive crossover–mutation operations to improve search efficiency under complex constraints. Numerical experiments on small-, medium-, and large-scale scenarios show that the proposed method can generate feasible sub-region divisions and coordinated routing schemes. Compared with GA and G-PSHA, IAGA reduces the total flight cost by approximately 21.2%, 10.5%, and 23.2% relative to GA and by approximately 0.2%, 2.5%, and 8.1% relative to G-PSHA in the three scenarios, respectively. Sensitivity analysis further indicates that stricter mission-timeliness requirements increase penalty costs, highlighting the importance of timely communication-device deployment in emergency restoration. Full article

The co-existence of event-driven critical traffic and time-driven periodic traffic inevitably exacerbates cross-layer network congestion in resource-constrained edge environments. Although hybrid protocol architectures integrating the Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) at the edge and Quick UDP Internet Connections (QUIC) in the core network have emerged, existing gateways manage these protocols independently, failing to provide an organic congestion control mechanism. To overcome these limitations, this paper proposes an ultra-lightweight Edge Intelligence (EI)-assisted end-to-end (E2E) CoAP-QUIC cross-layer congestion control framework powered by Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO). The proposed scheme introduces an ultra-lightweight traffic classification mechanism that instantly distinguishes traffic classes by parsing the existing two-bit type field in the CoAP header, effectively bypassing the payload inspection overhead. On the basis of this, the PPO agent shapes its reward function in real time, actively shifting optimization weights between delay reduction and throughput optimization. This dual-action control directly mitigates congestion by dynamically tuning the QUIC congestion window and CoAP back-off timers to prevent edge buffer saturation. Extensive simulations using Network Simulator 3 (NS-3) demonstrate that the proposed framework significantly outperforms state-of-the-art baselines, bounding end-to-end latency for critical traffic under 100 ms and improving overall energy efficiency by 21.5% while achieving a 98.2% packet delivery ratio. Full article

Pancreatic cancer remains a highly lethal malignancy, with standard therapies offering limited benefits in advanced stages; thus, novel strategies that exploit specific cancer cell vulnerabilities are urgently needed. Building on our previous findings that nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF) combined with cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) produce enhanced cytotoxicity, this study investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying this synergy. Pan02 pancreatic cancer cells were subjected to nsPEF, CAP, or a combination of both. We assessed cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and mitochondrial integrity using metabolic assays, flow cytometry, and fluorescence microscopy. Apoptotic markers were evaluated via Western blotting and caspase activity assays. Combined nsPEF–CAP treatment significantly outperformed either modality alone in inducing cell death. Mechanistically, dual treatment triggered a surge in intracellular ROS, particularly mitochondrial superoxide, indicating severe oxidative stress. Distinct mitochondrial responses were observed: nsPEF reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, whereas CAP alone caused a slight elevation. Notably, while CAP induced apoptosis (evidenced by increased cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-3/7 activity), lethal nsPEF (100 pulses) caused cell death without triggering apoptotic signaling. However, mild nsPEF (20 pulses) significantly potentiated CAP-induced apoptosis. These findings suggest that nsPEF sensitizes cells to CAP treatment by amplifying oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. This synergistic combination represents a promising therapeutic approach for managing pancreatic cancer cells resistant to conventional therapies. Full article

5G New Radio Vehicle-to-Everything (NR V2X) networks must support heterogeneous traffic with strict and diverse latency requirements. Conventional proportional-fair (PF) scheduling does not explicitly account for packet deadlines, which can lead to deadline violations for critical vehicular services under congestion. This paper studies deadline-aware MAC scheduler-weight adaptation for 5G NR V2X using probabilistic prediction and reinforcement learning. We implement a closed-loop ns-3/5G-LENA framework in which network telemetry is exchanged with a Python control agent through ns3-ai shared memory. Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM), Hidden Markov Model (HMM), and Bayesian Logistic Regression (BLR) classifiers are used to predict imminent deadline violations. Their outputs are either mapped directly to scheduler weights or provided as additional state information to a Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) agent. We evaluate ten scheduling strategies: PF, a non-learning Slack-Based Deadline-Aware Scheduler (SB-DAS), three classifier-only controllers, three classifier-assisted PPO variants, PPO-only, and PPO-only with safety shielding. Experiments are conducted across three vehicle densities and three random seeds per density, using the Deadline-Constrained Packet Reception Ratio (DC-PRR) as the main metric. The PF baseline achieves 61.55% mean DC-PRR and degrades from 75.2% at 30 vehicles to 44.1% at 60 vehicles. In contrast, all adaptive strategies exceed 95% mean DC-PRR and recover 34–38 percentage points over PF in every paired density/seed comparison. The main result is therefore the robust gap between PF and deadline-aware adaptation. Differences among the adaptive controllers are much smaller and fall within the observed seed-to-seed variability. In particular, SB-DAS, which uses no classifier, neural network, or training, achieves DC-PRR statistically indistinguishable from the learned and probabilistic controllers. This indicates that, in the evaluated scenarios, most of the gain comes from deadline awareness itself rather than from learning. We also find that adding classifier-derived violation probabilities to PPO does not consistently improve performance over PPO using raw telemetry alone. To support reproducibility and deployment assessment, the paper includes detailed parameter tables, reward-coefficient and sensitivity analysis, scheduler-weight sensitivity, and per-controller inference-latency and complexity measurements. Full article

The deployment of 5G technology represents a significant advancement in telecommunications, offering unprecedented speed, connectivity, and innovation opportunities. However, this progress comes at a significant cost for Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) operators, who face challenges in meeting high Quality of Service (QoS) standards for optimal user experience while ensuring appropriate levels of security. This paper addresses the joint optimization of latency and resource consumption under security constraints within 5G networks, focusing on the Packet Data Unit (PDU) session path to ensure compliance with security and latency requirements. We propose an innovative approach in which access control rules are distributed across User Plane Functions (UPFs) in the network. The optimization problem has been formulated as a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) problem that aims to minimize round-trip latency and operational costs for PLMN operators. We evaluate the performance of our model using a discrete event network simulator (NS3). The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, particularly in scenarios with stringent latency requirements. Latency is reduced, and a lower session drop rate is maintained, especially in conditions of network congestion. These findings emphasize the importance of considering both QoS and security in the design of next-generation 5G networks. Full article