Search Results (495)

Background/Objectives: This retrospective study aimed to assess the sociodemographic and temporal factors associated with dental emergency presentations in adults from Arad county, Western Romania. Methods: We collected data on age, sex, origin area, presentation time, and diagnostic (macro)category in 510 adult patients. Diagnoses were grouped into four macrocategories: dental pathology (PD), endodontic and periapical pathology (EPP), odontogenic septic complications (OSC), and other emergencies (OE). Results: EPP was the predominant (macro)category, with most cases involving acute apical periodontitis and pulpitis. Age differed significantly across diagnostic categories (p < 0.001), with PD patients being significantly younger than other groups (p < 0.001). Increasing age was associated with higher odds of EPP (AOR = 1.06, p = 0.004) but lower odds of PD (AOR = 0.93, p < 0.001). Rural origin was associated with increased odds of EPP (AOR = 1.49, p = 0.031) but decreased odds of OE (AOR = 0.39, p = 0.003). No significant associations were identified for sex. Most patients presented in the evening (46.47%) and on weekends, particularly Sundays (21%; n = 107) and Saturdays (16%; n = 82). Patient age differed significantly across time intervals (p = 0.016), with individuals seeking dental emergency care during morning and afternoon hours being significantly older than those presenting in the evening (p = 0.009) or nighttime (p = 0.047). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that observed sociodemographic and temporal differences may be associated with variations in the stage and type of dental pathology at presentation. Understanding these presentation patterns may help inform service organization and resource allocation in emergency dental care. Full article

Triterpenoid saponins are important bioactive compounds synthesized through the isoprenoid pathway, in which 2,3-oxidosqualene serves as a precursor of triterpenoid saponins. In this study, we identified and characterized eight oxidosqualene cyclase (PlOSC) genes in Paeonia lactiflora using molecular cloning and bioinformatic analyses. Full-length cDNAs of PlOSCs (PlOSC1–PlOSC8) were cloned, and the protein sequences exhibited significant similarities to known cyclases, including β-amyrin synthase and cycloartenol synthase. Phylogenetic analysis revealed distinct groups of PlOSCs corresponding to lupeol, β-amyrin, and cycloartenol synthases. Sequence alignment confirmed the presence of highly conserved motifs, including the “SDCTAE” and “QW” motifs, which are crucial for cyclization and stability in PlOSCs. To determine the functional roles of PlOSCs, we conducted functional expression studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The results showed that PlOSC3 and PlOSC6 are monofunctional β-amyrin synthases that produce β-amyrin in yeast culture, as confirmed through GC-MS analysis. Further investigation of PlOSC gene expression in various tissues indicated that PlOSC3 was predominantly expressed in roots, whereas PlOSC6 was highly expressed in leaves. Corresponding metabolite analyses revealed that triterpenoid accumulation was significantly higher in roots than in leaves, suggesting tissue-specific biosynthesis and accumulation patterns in triterpenoid biosynthesis. These findings contribute to our understanding of the regulation of triterpenoid biosynthesis in P. lactiflora and provide insights into the functional roles of OSCs in triterpenoid and nortriterpenoid formation. Full article

Purpose: In 2024, the University of the West Indies transitioned from discipline-specific final examinations to a unified medical exit examination. This study evaluates the feasibility and psychometric performance of this unified format, focusing on written item discrimination and the comparability of multiple Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) circuits. Methods: A retrospective analysis of de-identified results from all candidates sitting the unified examination at the St Augustine Campus in May/June 2025 was conducted. The assessment comprised a 320-item single best answer paper and a 17-station OSCE delivered concurrently across seven circuits. Inter-circuit differences were tested with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Reliability was estimated using Cronbach’s alpha and Generalizability Theory (G- and phi coefficients). Decision-study modelling estimated the number of OSCE stations required for high-stakes reliability. Pearson’s correlation assessed the relationship between written and OSCE performance. Results: Scores from 157 candidates were analysed. Of 320 MCQs, 163 (50.9%) demonstrated acceptable discrimination with a point-biserial correlation coefficient (PBSC ≥ 0.20) and 26 (8.1%) showed negative discrimination, indicating the need for post-examination item review. Although 16 of 18 OSCE stations showed statistically significant inter-circuit differences, these variances were substantially attenuated upon aggregation; total OSCE scores showed only minor but statistically significant difference in total OSCE scores between circuits. Overall OSCE reliability was moderate (Cronbach’s alpha 0.72; G-coefficient 0.72; phi coefficient 0.69). Decision-study modelling indicated that approximately 20 stations would be required to achieve reliability suitable for high-stakes decisions. Written and OSCE scores correlated positively (r = 0.70, p < 0.001). Conclusions: A unified final exit examination is feasible and psychometrically defensible in large cohorts, but requires adequate OSCE station sampling to support high-stakes decisions. Full article

This paper presents a modular system architecture and an automated signal processing pipeline designed to quantify neurophysiological relaxation responses to fragrance using consumer-grade wearable electroencephalography (EEG). By integrating real-time data streaming via Open Sound Control (OSC) with a high-performance backend, the platform enables objective assessment of olfactory stimuli through a reproducible Sleep Readiness Index (SRI) derived from spectral power shifts. To mitigate the signal quality constraints inherent in portable hardware, the framework utilizes a robust suite of engineering controls, including zero-phase filtering and automated artifact rejection, ensuring data integrity across short-window trials. Validation through construct-level analysis of public sleep datasets and synthetic sensitivity testing confirms the index’s directional reliability, while runtime benchmarking demonstrates sub-millisecond compute times suitable for interactive wellness applications. Ultimately, this framework provides a transparent, auditable engineering scaffold that replaces subjective self-reports with a standardized, within-session proxy metric for comparative fragrance evaluation. Full article

Ocean surface currents (OSCs) are central to upper ocean dynamics and air–sea exchange, yet their retrieval from spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is limited by wave-induced bias (WB). WB arises from the inherent motion of the scattering facets and from long-wave hydrodynamic and tilt modulations, and is therefore jointly controlled by sea state and radar viewing geometry. This study develops an observation geometry optimization framework. Five years of hourly ERA5 wind and wave reanalysis data over the Kuroshio are used as a representative ensemble of sea states to drive the KaDOP model, and an exhaustive grid search over line-of-sight (LOS) azimuth (0–360°) and incidence angle (20–60°) is performed to identify, for each location and season, the viewing geometry that minimizes the time-mean WB. These local optima are then summarized as mission-level metrics, including the minimum achievable WB, the coverage meeting prescribed WB thresholds, and the spatial coherence of the preferred LOS azimuth and incidence angle. Finally, the theoretical minima are compared with the fixed left-looking geometry of the Luojia-2 (LJ-2) satellite along a 213 km × 6 km observation corridor and with Gaofen-3 (GF-3) viewing geometries at four representative locations in the Kuroshio. Across these validation cases, the optimized geometry reduces mean absolute WB by about 20–60% for LJ-2 and 20–80% for GF-3, providing quantitative constraints for future SAR mission design targeting OSCs. Full article

CeO₂ is widely studied in catalysis owing to its Ce⁴⁺/Ce³⁺ redox couple and oxygen storage capacity (OSC), but its low-temperature redox activity remains a challenge. To address this, this study investigates the effects of saturated In³⁺ doping (1 mol.%) on the structural, redox, and catalytic properties of nano-octahedral CeO₂. Structural and chemical analyses reveal that In³⁺ doping induces lattice contraction from 5.4171 to 5.4129 Å, increases oxygen vacancy concentration from 29.7% to 39.8%, and raises surface Ce³⁺ fraction from 27.6% to 30.0%. Consequently, H₂-TPR measurements show that the surface reduction peak temperature decreases from 548 to 406 °C and the onset reduction temperature shifts from 309 °C to 183 °C. Quantitative OSC analysis further demonstrates that the low-temperature OSC increases from 13.17 to 20.57 mmol O₂/mol and the high-temperature OSC from 53.36 to 59.38 mmol O₂/mol upon doping. As a result of these enhancements, CO-TPSR tests reveal improved low-temperature CO oxidation performance, with the CO₂ light-off temperature decreasing from 99 to 72 °C and the rapid oxidation temperature from 153 to 96 °C. Notably, H₂O and H₂ signals are detected during CO-TPSR, and FTIR analysis confirms the enrichment of surface hydroxyl groups in the doped sample, offering new mechanistic insights into the involvement of surface species in the reaction pathway. Overall, saturated In³⁺ doping effectively enhances the oxygen vacancy concentration, surface reducibility, and CO oxidation activity of nano-octahedral CeO₂. Full article

Additive engineering has become a critical strategy for optimizing the morphology and performance of bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells (OSCs), while volatile solid additives have been widely employed to control nanoscale phase separation during film formation. Concerns regarding reproducibility, residual solvent effects, and long-term stability have stimulated increasing interest in non-volatile solid additives. In recent years, solid additive engineering has emerged as a promising approach for modulating molecular packing, regulating phase separation, enhancing charge transport, and improving device stability. However, a systematic analysis of its material design principles and performance impact remains limited. This review summarizes recent progress in solid additive engineering for OSCs, categorizing reported additives into non-volatile, volatile and nanomaterials. The effects of these additives on key photovoltaic parameters, including open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current density (Jsc), fill factor (FF), and power conversion efficiency (PCE), are comparatively analyzed based on the reported data. Particular emphasis is placed on morphology and structural performance relationships and stability enhancement mechanisms. Finally, current challenges, including the lack of universal molecular design rules and limited mechanistic understanding of additive host interactions, are discussed, and future research directions are proposed. This review aims to provide a comprehensive perspective on the material-level role of solid additives and to guide the rational design of next-generation high-performance and stable organic solar cells. Full article

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) is a subtropical evergreen fruit tree that accumulates abundant bioactive triterpene compounds with diverse pharmaceutical activities. Its leaves have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 1000 years. Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) is a conserved elicitor that stimulates plant secondary metabolism. However, the regulatory mechanisms of terpenoid biosynthesis after MeJA treatment in loquat callus remain largely unknown. In this study, we employed an integrated targeted metabolomic and transcriptomic approach to investigate the effect of exogenous MeJA on terpenoid biosynthesis in loquat callus. In total, 131 terpenoid compounds were detected, including 112 triterpenes, six triterpene saponins, seven diterpenoids, three sesquiterpenoids and three monoterpenoids. After MeJA treatment, a total of 55 and 33 differential metabolites (DEMs) were identified at 24 h and 48 h, respectively. Most DEMs were triterpene compounds, displaying increased accumulation. Among them, ursolic acid showed the highest accumulation at 24 h, and betulinic acid was most abundant at 48 h. Meanwhile, transcriptome analysis showed significant upregulation of terpenoid biosynthesis genes, including EjFPSs, EjSQEs, EjOSC2 and EjCYP716A2, as well as genes related to jasmonic acid (JA)-mediated signaling and JA-responsive genes in loquat callus treated with MeJA. Overall, these results provide a deeper understanding of the mechanism of terpenoid accumulation in loquat callus induced by MeJA and establish a theoretical basis for utilizing plant cell culture techniques to achieve production of the valuable terpenoid metabolites that are applied in the functional food and pharmacological industries. Full article

Large language model-based virtual patients (LLM-VPs) are an emerging simulation tool for health professions education, but their design and integration into curricula are not well characterized. This scoping review mapped how LLM-VPs are being used for simulated clinical learning across health professions. Following a protocol registered on OSF, we searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Scopus, and Web of Science to 11 April 2025, per PRISMA-ScR guidelines, and included 21 studies that used LLMs to generate virtual patients for simulated clinical encounters. Data were extracted on technical design, fidelity domains, curricular integration, human factors, and Technology Acceptance Model constructs, and synthesized narratively. Most studies (n = 11) were pilot or feasibility evaluations with small samples (median 21) and used GPT-based models with dynamic text chat. Integration was limited to 10 studies that operated as pilots, 7 as electives, and 3 as core curricular components. The outcomes focused on Level 2 learning (clinical reasoning and preclinical OSCE performance), with predominantly self-report assessments. No studies reported Level 3 or 4 outcomes. Fidelity was strongest in cognitive, socio-cultural, and emotional domains, and 11 studies reported hallucinations or inaccurate outputs. LLM-VPs appear feasible and well-received but remain early-stage, underscoring the need for fidelity-aligned design and more rigorous, longitudinal evaluations. Full article

As airport operations expand and ground handling becomes more complex, airport vehicle scheduling has evolved into a system-level decision problem constrained by operational rules, task dependencies, and resource availability. However, existing approaches largely rely on statistical correlation modeling and lack explicit representations of operational semantics and feasibility constraints, resulting in limited executability and poor cross-scenario robustness. To address this issue, we propose the Semantic-Constrained Planning Network (SCP-Net), which adopts a compile-first, plan-later paradigm by embedding operational semantics directly into the scheduling process. SCP-Net introduces an Operational Semantic Compiler (OSC) that encodes key flight task attributes, including service types, operational phases, and time windows, into a structured dependency representation, explicitly modeling task dependencies and task–vehicle feasibility relations. Based on this representation, a Constraint-Gated Planner (CGP) integrates operational dependencies and resource constraints through feasibility-aware gating, ensuring that planning is always conducted within valid operational regions. Through this design, SCP-Net directly generates schedules that are structurally consistent, semantically valid, and executable. Experimental results demonstrate that SCP-Net outperforms baseline methods in terms of executability, constraint violation rate, and cross-scenario stability, highlighting the effectiveness of explicit semantic modeling and constraint-driven planning for airport vehicle scheduling. Full article

In bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells (OSCs) employing perylene diimide (PDI)-based non-fullerene acceptors, excessive intermolecular interactions among PDI units lead to severe aggregation and pronounced donor–acceptor phase separation, both of which critically limit device performance. To address these issues, numerous structurally engineered PDI derivatives have been developed. In particular, twisted multi-PDI architectures designed to suppress intermolecular aggregation have shown improved morphological control; however, such twisted structures are often highly amorphous, which reduces electron-transport efficiency and constrains OSC performance. In this work, we introduce a mixed-acceptor strategy combining a twisted PDI dimer (SF-PDI₂) with a planar monomeric PDI (m-PDI) to balance aggregation and morphological uniformity. Ternary blend OSCs consisting of PTB7-Th as the donor and these two PDI acceptors exhibit systematic performance variations depending on their relative ratios. At the optimized composition (SF-PDI₂:m-PDI = 90:10 by weight), the device outperforms single-acceptor systems, which is attributed to controlled aggregation arising from the complementary structural features of the two PDI acceptors. This study demonstrates that combining mixed PDI acceptors with similar molecular moieties enables precise control of aggregation, improving both morphology and photovoltaic performance. Full article

Background/Objectives: Traditional demonstrations are a common way to teach clinical skills, but they often feel unstructured and inconsistent. Peyton’s four-step approach provides a more organized, student-focused method that might help learners pick up skills better. This study compared the standard demonstration method with Peyton’s approach for teaching ENT procedures to interns. Methods: A prospective study was conducted at a single center with two groups: Group A received a conventional single-pass demonstration. Group B was taught using Peyton’s structured four-step approach (silent demonstration, deconstruction, verbal comprehension, and performed verbalization). Both groups were trained on three ENT skills—anterior rhinoscopy, Trotter’s method, and anterior nasal packing—then tested using OSCE checklists. We also asked students for their feedback through a simple questionnaire. Results: For anterior rhinoscopy, both groups performed similarly. But students taught with Peyton’s method did significantly better on Trotter’s method and nasal packing (p = 0.0098 and 0.004). Overall, they preferred Peyton’s approach, remembered the steps better, and wanted to use it for future training (p < 0.005). Conclusions: While traditional demonstrations are straightforward, Peyton’s structured, hands-on four-step method leads to better skill learning and retention for medical students. Full article

Nitrogen oxides (NO_x), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in industrial waste gases pose significant threats to environmental quality and human health. Catalytic purification is recognized as a leading abatement technology, crucial for meeting increasingly stringent emission regulations. Rare-earth (RE) catalytic materials, particularly those based on cerium (Ce), lanthanum (La), praseodymium (Pr), and neodymium (Nd) oxides, have attracted intense research due to their unique electronic configurations, high oxygen storage capacity (OSC), facile reversible redox reactions Ce⁴⁺, Ce³⁺, and exceptional thermal stability. This paper provides a comprehensive and methodical overview of RE catalysts used in industrial waste-gas purification. Initially, the physicochemical characteristics of RE elements and their multifaceted roles as active phases, supports, and promoters are explained. Subsequently, the latest developments in RE-based catalysts for NO_x abatement, CO oxidation, VOC degradation, and the removal of sulfur-bearing gas are critically reviewed. The discussion emphasizes structure–activity relationships, reaction mechanisms, and the synergistic interactions between RE elements and transition metals. Comparative analyses are presented through tables focusing on catalyst composition, reaction conditions, performance parameters, and stability. Special attention is given to the enhanced resistance to water vapor and sulfur poisoning afforded by RE materials. Finally, current challenges and future research prospects, including cost reduction, scalability, and long-term durability, are suggested. This review aims to provide practical guidance for the rational design and industrial translation of next-generation RE catalytic materials for air pollution control. Full article

Background: To evaluate the effects of preoperative topical ripasudil, a Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor, on Schlemm’s canal (SC) morphology in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Methods: This study included 95 SC specimens obtained during trabeculectomy from 95 patients with POAG. Based on preoperative treatment, patients were divided into two groups: ripasudil (−) group (n = 68) receiving four topical medications [FP receptor agonist, β-blocker, carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (CAI), and α₂ agonist], and ripasudil (+) group (n = 27) receiving the same four medications plus ripasudil. SC morphology parameters were assessed in thrombomodulin (TBM)-stained sections, including length parameters [TBM-positive/negative and opened/closed SC lengths] and area parameters [TBM-positive/negative and opened SC areas]. Between-group comparisons were performed using unpaired t-tests, and multiple regression analysis was conducted to adjust for age, gender, preoperative intraocular pressure (IOP), and oral CAI use. Results: The ripasudil (+) group had significantly longer total SC length (TSC: 302.5 µm) than the ripasudil (−) group (273.0 µm, p = 0.023). Among area parameters, the ripasudil (+) group showed significantly larger opened SC area (OSC-A: 2689 µm² vs. 1881 µm², p = 0.008) and TBM-negative opened SC area (NOSC-A: 716 µm² vs. 305 µm², p = 0.001), whereas TBM-positive opened SC area (POSC-A) was not significantly different between groups (2001 µm² vs. 1575 µm², p = 0.096). After multivariate adjustment, ripasudil use remained significantly associated with longer TSC (p = 0.011) and larger OSC-A (p = 0.014) and NOSC-A (p = 0.001). Conclusions: Preoperative use of topical ripasudil was associated with preservation of SC lumen morphology, particularly in regions lacking SC endothelium. These findings provide a theoretical basis for therapeutic strategies employing ROCK inhibitors to maintain SC morphology and function. Full article