Search Results (8,793)

Wireless Sensor and Actor Networks (WSANs) are critical for industrial automation in the context of Industry 4.0, yet the optimal placement of actors to ensure connectivity and coverage remains an NP-hard problem. This study addresses the Actor Placement Problem (APP) in constrained, two-zone industrial environments. We propose a hybrid system, the PSO-HC-DGA hybrid system, which integrates Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Hill Climbing (HC), and the Distributed Genetic Algorithm (DGA). We evaluate four crossover methods (UNDX, SPX, BLX-$\alpha$, and psBLX) combined with two actor replacement methods (RIWM and FC-RDVM) for small-, medium-, and large-scale scenarios. The simulation results demonstrate that psBLX is the most effective of the four crossover methods. In the small-scale scenario, it achieved better load balancing combined with RIWM, while in the medium-scale scenario, psBLX achieved full sensor coverage with RIWM and good load balancing with FC-RDVM. For the large-scale scenario, we compared the performance of the implemented hybrid system with that of a PSO system. The hybrid system showed 100% connectivity and achieved better sensor coverage than the PSO system. The Kruskal–Wallis test confirmed that the performance differences in load balancing were statistically significant. We conclude that the proposed hybrid system using psBLX enables robust and high-performance deployment in two-zone industrial WSANs. Full article

Ammonium dinitramide (ADN), a new-generation green high-energy oxidizer, faces application challenges due to its strong hygroscopicity and poor compatibility with polymer binders. This study proposes a double-shell structure with ADN as the core, graphene oxide (GO) as the intermediate layer, and a binder as the outer shell. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to investigate composite systems using nitrocellulose (NC), cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB), polystyrene (PS), and their blends NC/CAB and NC/PS as binders. The results demonstrate that GO acts as a “molecular double-sided adhesive”, significantly enhancing the interfacial interaction between ADN and the binders. The NC/PS blend binder exhibits the best overall performance, with the binding energy increased by 1.13 times. Analysis revealed that the NC/PS system establishes the strongest intermolecular interactions among ADN, GO, and the binder via mechanisms like π-π stacking and multiple hydrogen bonds. The glass transition temperature reaches 400.93 K, indicating excellent thermal stability and potential safety/reliability. Mechanical property analysis shows that the NC/PS composite system imparts a better comprehensive balance of stiffness, shear performance, and structural isotropy to the ADN-based polymer-bonded explosive (PBX). This research elucidates the enhancement mechanism of GO and the regulation principles of binders at the molecular scale, providing a theoretical foundation for designing high-performance energetic material. Full article

Land conversion due to deforestation and urbanization tends to change oasis ecosystem service in arid and semiarid regions. In this context, this paper examines the impacts of land use/land cover change (LULC) on the degradation of ecosystem service values (ESVs) in AlUla cultural oasis, northwestern Saudi Arabia, using Landsat images of the years 1984, 1992, 2010, and 2023, cross-validated with field surveys and high-resolution data. Different approaches were used for the purpose of this study, including support vector machine (SVM), hot-spot analysis, and cluster and outlier analysis (local Moran’s I). However, to compute and evaluate the ESV, we used the benefit transfer approach (BTM). The results indicated a significant change in the built-up area between 1984 and 2023, which increased by 12.53 km². This transformation led to a wide variation in all ESVs each year, with an increase of ESV by USD 44.78 million during 1984 to 1992. In the following decade, however, the AlUla oasis witnessed a loss in its ESV by approximately USD 0.73 million and USD 36.70 million during the periods 1992 to 2010 and 2010 and 2023, respectively. Moreover, the spatial distribution patterns of ESVs varied considerably, especially for provisioning service (PS) and supporting service (SS), while it was more clustering for regulating service (RS) and cultural service (CS). This study indicates that urban development is among the important factors behind changes and losses in the ESV in this arid oasis. Full article

Probiotics are widely consumed as health-promoting agents, with probiotic supplements (PS) and yogurt (YG) representing formulated products and fermented foods, respectively. Despite their broad consumption, systematic comparisons of their biochemical characteristics remain limited. In this study, integrated untargeted and targeted metabolomics approaches were applied to compare the comprehensive metabolite profiles of PS and YG. PS exhibited relatively higher levels of amino acids, dicarboxylic acids, and lysophospholipids, along with short-chain fatty acids such as acetate and propionate, and amino acid-derived bioactive metabolites, including γ-aminobutyric acid, branched-chain hydroxy acids, indole derivatives, and γ-glutamylpeptides. In contrast, YG showed higher relative abundances of carbohydrates, acylcarnitines, sphingolipids, and bioactive metabolites such as butyrate, creatine, carnitine, and orotic acid. Based on these metabolomic differences, 27 PS-specific and 17 YG-specific marker metabolites were identified. To explore their functional relevance, in vitro antioxidant and antiglycation activities were evaluated. PS exhibited significantly higher antioxidant and antiglycation activities than YG, which were positively correlated with amino acids and indole derivatives. Indole-3-acrylic acid, indole-3-acetic acid, and indole-3-propionic acid showed antiglycation activity and were identified as PS-specific bioactive marker metabolites. These findings reveal the distinct biochemical characteristics of PS and YG and highlight potential bioactive candidate metabolites that may contribute to their functional differences. Full article

Suppressing the polysulfide shuttle effect and accelerating the sulfur redox kinetics remain pivotal challenges for advancing the practical viability of lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs). In this study, an iodine-doped carbon nitride (I-CN) material was synthesized via a one-step annealing strategy and employed as a metal-free sulfur cathode host. Compared to its pristine counterpart, I-CN exhibits a substantially increased specific surface area, which facilitates the homogeneous dispersion of sulfur species. More importantly, the incorporation of iodine atoms disrupts the equilibrium of the electron cloud distribution within the CN framework, leading to enhanced electron delocalization. This electronic modulation not only significantly improves the charge transport properties of carbon nitride but also strengthens the adsorption of lithium polysulfides (LiPS) and promotes Li₂S nucleation, thereby enabling fast and durable sulfur redox reactions. Benefiting from these synergistic effects, the S@I-CN electrode achieves high sulfur utilization, delivering an initial discharge capacity of 1341.9 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1C. Even at a high current density of 5C, a remarkable reversible capacity of 472.7 mAh g⁻¹ is retained. Notably, the electrode retains 66.2% of its initial capacity after 800 cycles, demonstrating excellent long-term cycling stability. This halogen-based heteroatom doping strategy thus not only enhances the electrochemical performance of carbon nitride materials in LSBs through the rational manipulation of electron delocalization, but also offers a promising direction for the design of novel metal-free electrocatalysts in related energy conversion systems. Full article

Perchlorate (ClO₄⁻) is difficult to remove efficiently using conventional treatment technologies, such as coagulation and reverse osmosis, due to its high water solubility and exceptional chemical stability. Quaternary ammonium resins have emerged as cost-effective and efficient materials for ClO₄⁻ removal; therefore, the development of high-performance quaternary ammonium resins is critical for improving ClO₄⁻ remediation. In this study, a novel resin (PS-QA) was synthesized by aminating poly (vinylbenzyl chloride) with N,N-dimethylethanolamine, and its adsorption performance was systematically compared with that of three internationally recognized commercial ClO₄⁻ removal resins. Although all four resins exhibited spherical morphologies, the polystyrene backbone exhibited strong hydrophobicity, and the functional group –[R-N⁺(CH₃)₂(C₂H₄OH)]Cl⁻ possesses good electrophilicity, thereby conferring excellent selectivity toward ClO₄⁻. PS-QA exhibited a specific surface area of 19.94 m²/g, an average pore diameter of 32 nm, and a pore volume of 0.157 cm³/g, indicating comparable adsorption performance relative to the commercial counterparts. Its high thermal stability was further demonstrated through thermogravimetric analysis. Adsorption equilibrium was reached within 60 min, and the kinetic performance of PS-QA was comparable to that of the commercial resins. Isotherm analysis showed that ClO₄⁻ adsorption conformed to the Freundlich model, suggesting a coupled physical–chemical adsorption mechanism. Moreover, PS-QA exhibited both strong resistance to interference in complex water matrices and excellent reusability. After three adsorption–desorption cycles, more than 80% of the adsorption sites remained active. Notably, PS-QA also demonstrated outstanding performance in pilot-scale applications. Full article

Background: Accurate forecasting of lung tumor motion is crucial for precise radiotherapy. Deep-learning-based markerless tracking methods have been explored, but extending these approaches to predict future tumor trajectories remains largely unaddressed. We address this by framing markerless lung tumor motion forecasting as a spatio-temporal prediction task using a vision transformer to estimate three-dimensional tumor positions over short horizons. Methods: Digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs) generated from four-dimensional computed tomography scans of 12 lung cancer patients were used to train a multi-patient (MP) model. Patient-specific (PS) models trained solely on planning data were compared, and the MP model was further fine-tuned using a small number of patient-specific treatment images under realistic clinical constraints. Models processed sequences of 12 DRRs, with performance evaluated via root mean square error. Results: The results indicate that low-resolution inputs with larger patch sizes outperform higher-resolution configurations by reducing image noise. PS models require extensive data to match MP performance, whereas fine-tuning the MP model with limited patient-specific data achieves comparable or superior forecasting accuracy at a lower cost. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that Vision Transformers can extend markerless tracking methods to accurate short-term forecasting and highlight fine-tuning as an efficient strategy for personalized prediction. Full article

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is increasingly recognized in chronic inflammatory diseases, yet its prevalence and clinical correlates in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) remain poorly characterized. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate OSA prevalence and its relationship with disease activity, functional impairment, and comorbidities in PsA patients. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of 247 consecutive PsA patients was conducted. OSA diagnosis was determined through medical record review. Disease activity was assessed using cDAPSA and ASDAS-CRP. Functional disability was measured using HAQ-DI and BASFI. Sleep quality (PSQI) and psychological symptoms (HADS) were evaluated. Inflammatory markers included CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α. Multivariable logistic regression identified independent predictors of OSA. Results: OSA prevalence was found to be 8.9% (22/247). OSA+ patients had significantly higher median age (58.0 vs. 54.0 years, p = 0.02), tender joint count (2.0 vs. 1.0, p = 0.002), functional disability (1.1 vs. 0.3, p = 0.001), fatigue (30.5 vs. 38.0, p = 0.04), anxiety (7.5 vs. 5.0, p = 0.03), depression (7.0 vs. 3.0, p = 0.004), and worse sleep quality (11.5 vs. 7.0, p = 0.001). Notably, no significant differences in inflammatory markers (CRP, swollen joints) were found between groups despite substantially higher pain burden in OSA+ patients. Female sex and greater tender joint count emerged as independent predictors of OSA. Conclusions: OSA occurs in ~9% of unselected PsA patients and is independently associated with functional disability, psychological distress, and elevated tender joint counts despite comparable inflammatory markers. This dissociation suggests that OSA drives pain amplification through non-inflammatory mechanisms. These findings support the use of systematic OSA screening in PsA patients with pain or disability disproportionate to inflammatory burden, particularly in those with psychological comorbidities. Full article

Older adults with disabilities face compounded vulnerabilities due to both functional limitations and socioeconomic disadvantage. In South Korea, where public welfare systems remain fragmented and cultural values emphasize independence and productivity, understanding the mechanisms linking socioeconomic status (SES) to health outcomes is critical. This study investigates whether reserve capacity mediates the relationship between SES and self-rated health (SRH) in older adults with disabilities. Data were drawn from the supplementary survey on people with disabilities in the 18th wave (2023) of the Korea Welfare Panel Study (KWePS). The analytic sample included older adults aged 65 and above with registered disabilities. A multiple mediation analysis was conducted using Model 4 of the PROCESS macro in SPSS to examine whether three dimensions of reserve capacity—intrapsychic resources (self-esteem), interpersonal resources (social support satisfaction), and tangible resources (use of public disability services)—mediated the relationship between SES and SRH. Demographic and health-related covariates were statistically controlled. The results are as follows: The direct effect of SES on SRH was not significant; however, significant indirect effects were found through all three mediators. Higher SES was positively associated with intrapsychic and interpersonal resources and negatively associated with tangible resource use. Among the mediators, interpersonal resources had the strongest positive effect on SRH, while tangible resources showed a negative association—possibly due to compensatory activation or increased disease awareness among service users. The findings highlight the importance of psychosocial and relational resources in shaping perceived health among disabled older adults in Korea. Policy interventions should move beyond material assistance and focus on strengthening social networks and psychological resilience to reduce health disparities in this population. Full article

Background/Objectives: Surgery is the most effective treatment for early-stage lung cancer but imposes a greater physical burden than other therapies. We previously identified socioclinical factors associated with reduced perioperative health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in patients undergoing anatomical pulmonary resection. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between predictors of HR-QOL and long-term survival. Methods: In this prospective study, 87 patients undergoing anatomical pulmonary resection for non-small cell lung cancer at Shonan Kamakura General Hospital, Japan, were evaluated using the Short Form Health Survey 36. Multivariable analyses identified socioclinical factors associated with physical and mental QOL preoperatively and at 6 months postoperatively. Survival analyses were performed for factors showing differences in multivariable analysis and related trends in univariable analysis of HR-QOL. Results: Preoperatively, lower performance status (PS) and living alone were independently associated with poorer physical QOL (regression coefficient [95% CI]: −10.94 [−14.34–−7.54] and −9.86 [−13.89–−5.82], respectively; both p < 0.001) and mental QOL (−9.34 [−13.30–−5.37] and −10.33 [−15.30–−5.35]; both p < 0.001). At 6 months postoperatively, smoking cessation within 1 year, lower PS, and living alone predicted worse physical QOL, while smoking cessation and lower PS predicted worse mental QOL. Lower PS and higher comorbidity burden were also adverse prognostic factors for long-term survival (p < 0.001 and p = 0.015, respectively). Conclusions: Reduced physical activity and greater comorbidity are associated with poorer HR-QOL and survival after lung cancer surgery. These findings highlight the need for careful consideration of surgical indications in patients with these risk factors. Full article

Land subsidence induced by excessive groundwater abstraction has emerged as a major geo-environmental hazard in arid oasis regions, calling for reproducible methods to quantitatively assess the abstraction-reduction–subsidence response and to support zoned management. This study integrates Sentinel-1A PS-InSAR deformation data with groundwater-level measurements to develop and calibrate a MODFLOW-SUB model that couples three-dimensional groundwater flow and one-dimensional skeletal compaction. The InSAR deformation field is used to constrain the conceptual model and key parameters. Four abstraction-reduction scenarios (20%, 40%, 60%, and 80%) are designed to characterize response curves using indicators such as maximum cumulative subsidence, annual subsidence rate, and the area exceeding specified thresholds. In addition, a multi-criteria composite index integrating driving forces, geological susceptibility, and exposure is applied for hazard zoning and scenario comparison. The results show that PS-InSAR constraints improve the spatial agreement of the simulations. The time-series RMSE between simulated and InSAR-derived deformation is approximately 20 mm, and the end-of-period cumulative subsidence error is within 10 mm. From 2019 to 2020, the maximum cumulative subsidence reached 166 mm, and the peak subsidence rate reached 101 mm/a. A clear lag between groundwater-level fluctuations and subsidence is observed, with the maximum correlation occurring at ~35 days for ACJ-1 and ~59–83 days for ACJ-2. This spatial variability is associated with the thickness and permeability of clay layers. Forecasts for 2021–2028 indicate that, under business-as-usual abstraction, maximum subsidence may reach 695 mm. Across scenarios, subsidence mitigation exhibits diminishing marginal returns with increasing abstraction reduction. Under the adopted model settings, a 20% reduction in abstraction yields substantial decreases in maximum subsidence and high-hazard area, representing a practical trade-off between mitigation benefits and water-use costs. Overall, the integrated workflow of monitoring, inversion, coupled modeling, scenario analysis, and zoning, together with the resulting zoned management recommendations, provides decision support for land-subsidence mitigation and water-allocation planning in arid oasis regions. Full article

Developing green water disinfection technology has been attracting much attention all over the world. In this work, a WO₃/BiOBr@Si composite was obtained through the solvothermal process, which exhibited denser and fuller intersecting petal-like spheres (1–3 μm in diameter) and retained its 3D sheet-like pore structure. The optical and electrochemical analysis demonstrated that the doped Si showed insignificant improvement in UV-Vis light absorption but greatly promoted the electron-hole separation efficiency and charge transfer capability on the surface of the catalyst at a 4.6 wt% Si doping dosage, resulting in an excellent performance in the inactivation of Escherichia coli (E. coli) under the irradiation of visible light. Under the optimal conditions (0.5 g/L of WO₃/BiOBr@Si dosage, 10⁷ CFU mL⁻¹ of E. coli concertation, and 30 min of treating time), the largest log value decline (6.6) occurred with WO₃/BiOBr@1.0Si, which was 3.3 and 1.8 times larger than those of BiOBr (2.0) and WO₃/BiOBr (3.7). According to the TEM, SEM, EDS, XRD, FTIR, and XPS analyses, in the photocatalytic system, the hole (h⁺) and •OH were the main species for inactivating E. coli cells. These oxidizing species could attack the components on the surface of cells (such as the hydroxyl, carbonyl, ester, and amide groups of polysaccharides (PS) and proteins (PT)), resulting in the inactivation and destruction of the cell membranes and leakage of intracellular substances. The findings will provide a significant guide for developing an efficient catalyst for the green water disinfection process. Full article

The replacement of fishmeal with plant protein is widely regarded as a key strategy for sustainable aquaculture. However, carnivorous marine fish often show limited tolerance to fishmeal-free diets. Here, we investigated growth performance, hepatic physiological responses, and molecular mechanisms underlying adaptation to a soy protein concentrate-based diet (SPCD) in golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus). An 8-week feeding trial was conducted under communal rearing conditions, followed by the phenotypic stratification of SPCD-fed fish into high- and low-growth subgroups. Growth performance, serum biochemical indices, and liver histology were assessed, and integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses were performed on liver tissue. At the population level, the SPCD resulted in reduced growth, a lower feed intake, and decreased feed utilization efficiency compared with a fishmeal-based diet. Notably, marked inter-individual variation was observed: fish fed the SPCD exhibited significantly lower final body weights and a higher FCR compared with the FMD group (p < 0.001), and pronounced growth divergence was observed between the PB and PS subgroups, with a subset of SPCD-fed fish maintaining growth comparable to fishmeal-fed controls, whereas others exhibited severely constrained growth. Divergent phenotypes were associated with distinct hepatic alterations, including aggravated vacuolation, the enrichment of tight junction-related and immune regulatory pathways, and the broad reprogramming of lipid metabolism. Integrated multi-omics analysis identified arachidonic acid metabolism as the most significantly perturbed pathway, characterized by altered membrane phospholipid composition, the upregulation of RARRES3L, increased COX/LOX-derived eicosanoids, and the suppression of the CYP–EET branch. Collectively, these findings indicate that soy protein replacement induces coordinated hepatic structural and metabolic remodeling, with tight junction disruption and arachidonic acid metabolic reprogramming contributing to inflammatory imbalance and divergent growth phenotypes in T. ovatus. Full article

Background and Objectives: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis characterized by marked clinical heterogeneity and variable disease trajectories, underscoring the need for robust biomarkers of inflammatory burden. Serum calprotectin, a neutrophil- and monocyte-derived protein, has been proposed as a surrogate marker of active inflammation in inflammatory arthritis due to its close association with innate immune activation. In this study, we compare serum calprotectin levels among patients with PsA, axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA), and healthy controls and evaluate their association with disease activity. Materials and Methods: This single-center, cross-sectional study included 123 patients with PsA, 119 patients with AxSpA, and 77 healthy controls. Serum calprotectin levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and their associations with disease activity were evaluated using correlation, multivariable regression, and receiver operating characteristic analyses. Results: Serum calprotectin levels were significantly higher in PsA and AxSpA patients compared with healthy controls (p < 0.001 for both) and were higher in PsA than in AxSpA (p = 0.022). In PsA, serum calprotectin levels showed significant correlations with ASDAS-CRP, DAS28-CRP, and DLQI, but not with CRP or ESR. In contrast, in AxSpA, calprotectin showed only a weak association with CRP and was not related to disease activity indices. In multivariable analysis, serum calprotectin was independently associated with ASDAS-CRP in PsA (B = 0.704, p = 0.003), but not in AxSpA. Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated that serum calprotectin discriminated high disease activity in PsA with an area under the curve of 0.669 (95% CI: 0.563–0.775; p = 0.003). Conclusions: Serum calprotectin levels are elevated in patients with PsA and are associated with disease activity, supporting its potential role as a biomarker in this condition. In contrast, serum calprotectin does not appear to reflect disease activity in AxSpA, suggesting disease-specific differences in its clinical utility. Full article