Search Results (278)

Bioplastics are in focus for the development of sustainable materials due to the depletion of fossil resources, generation of solid waste and global climate change. Considering this, the current research is devoted to the valorization of beachcast red seaweed F. lumbricalis for the development of thermoplastically processable bioplastics. The composites have been developed from beachcast red seaweed-derived furcellaran (FUR) and potato-derived thermoplastic starch (TPS) by using an ultrasound-assisted technique. Three different FUR concentrations (10, 30 and 50 wt.%) in relation to potato starch were examined for their thermoplastic processability. Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to reveal the structural changes in the developed TPS/FUR composites depending on FUR content as well as thermal pre-treatment. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and tensile mechanical tests were performed to assess the performance of the developed TPS/FUR composites. It was demonstrated that the ultrasound-assisted manufacturing route allowed TPS/FUR composites with an improved spectrum of properties to be obtained. The highest mechanical stress at break (almost three times higher than for neat TPS) was observed for the TPS + 50 wt.% FUR composite, which also possessed decreased deformability (only ca 10%), reduced thermal resistance at processing temperatures (150 °C) and high shear sensitivity. Thus, the TPS + 30 wt.% FUR and especially the TPS + 10 wt.% FUR composites were recognized as more suitable for thermoplastic processing and the development of TPS-based composites with improved exploitation properties. Full article

This paper explores how semantic-space reasoning, traditionally used in computational linguistics, can be extended to tactical decision-making in team sports. Building on the analogy between texts and teams—where players act as words and collective play conveys meaning—the proposed methodology models tactical configurations as compositional semantic structures. Each player is represented as a multidimensional vector integrating technical, physical, and psychological attributes; team profiles are aggregated through contextual weighting into a higher-level semantic representation. Within this shared vector space, tactical templates such as high press, counterattack, or possession build-up are encoded analogously to linguistic concepts. Their alignment with team profiles is evaluated using vector-distance metrics, enabling the computation of tactical “fit” and opponent-exploitation potential. A Python-based prototype demonstrates how these methods can generate interpretable, dynamically adaptive strategy recommendations, accompanied by fine-grained diagnostic insights at the attribute level. Evaluation through synthetic scenarios and a pilot study with real match data establishes internal consistency and feasibility of the approach; operational validity in live coaching contexts remains an open question for future prospective validation. Beyond football, the framework offers a potentially generalizable approach for collective decision-making in team-based domains—ranging from basketball and hockey to cooperative robotics and human–AI coordination systems. The paper concludes by outlining future directions toward real-world data integration, predictive simulation, and the validation work required before operational deployment. Full article

Cervical lymph node metastases are major prognostic determinants in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), and neck dissection (ND) has long been central to regional control. As ND has evolved from radical to selective procedures, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have emerged as a fourth treatment pillar, reframing tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLNs) as active immune organs rather than passive conduits of metastatic spread. This narrative review synthesizes surgical, immunologic, and translational evidence on how ND and cervical irradiation interact with immunotherapy. It also examines the historical development of ND, the immunologic structure and function of cervical TDLNs, and the use of neoadjuvant, perioperative, and recurrent/metastatic immunotherapy in HNSCC. Preclinical and early clinical observations suggest that ablating or heavily irradiating non-involved nodal basins may attenuate ICI efficacy by disrupting antigen presentation, progenitor exhausted CD8⁺ T (Tpex) cell pools, and effector recirculation, supporting the conceptual model of an “immune desert neck.” The review critically appraises timing (pre- versus post-immunotherapy ND), response-adapted or de-escalated surgery, and imaging, tissue-based, and circulating biomarkers to guide individualized management. Current evidence does not support abandoning elective or therapeutic ND, but does highlight the need for biomarker-driven, lymphatic-sparing trials to redefine when ND is essential, modifiable, or potentially avoidable in immunotherapy-treated HNSCC. Full article

Background/Objectives: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) poses a significant health challenge, especially among elderly patients, who are often underrepresented in clinical trials. Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) has emerged as a promising alternative to non-surgical strategies such as chemoradiotherapy (CRT), but its effectiveness in older adults is not well-studied. Methods: A structured narrative review of studies on TORS for elderly HNSCC patients was conducted using the PubMed/MEDLINE database. Studies were selected according to predefined eligibility criteria based on the PICOS framework. PRISMA reporting principles were applied to document study identification and selection. Results: The available evidence suggests that, in carefully selected elderly patients, TORS is associated with disease-specific (DSS) and disease-free survival (DFS) outcomes comparable to those reported in younger cohorts, while overall survival (OS) appears more strongly influenced by comorbidities than chronological age. TORS may facilitate treatment de-escalation in selected cases, potentially reducing exposure to adjuvant therapies and limiting treatment-related toxicity. Functional outcomes, particularly swallowing function and long-term gastrostomy dependence, may be favorable in selected elderly patients; however, comparative data with non-surgical approaches remain limited, heterogeneous, and are partly derived from mixed-age cohorts. Conclusions: TORS represents a viable treatment option for selected elderly HNSCC patients, providing encouraging oncologic outcomes and potential functional advantages. Nevertheless, the current evidence base is predominantly retrospective and heterogeneous. Careful patient selection is essential, and further prospective elderly-specific studies are needed to better define functional and oncologic benefits. Full article

This study evaluates the real-world performance of a TiO₂ compound parabolic collector (CPC) photocatalytic reactor operated under natural sunlight for the treatment of agricultural runoff. The three objectives are to determine whether photocatalytic performance can be reliably predicted using a spectrally relevant UVA dose, quantify the impact of water-matrix optical attenuation on degradation efficiency, and lastly, to assess whether an adaptive irradiance-gated control strategy can improve operational throughput. Field Analytical Models are conducted by using a 5 L recirculating CPC slurry reactor treating three model agro-pollutants under mid-latitude outdoor conditions. Kinetics followed pseudo-first-order behaviour when analysed against cumulative UVA dose, which reduced inter-day variability in apparent rate constants from more than 30% (time-based analysis) to less than 10%. Natural river water shows a 20–35% reduction in removal efficiency relative to synthetic runoff, which was correlated with lower UV transmittance and higher UV254 absorbance. Catalyst reusability tests indicated only an 18% loss of activity after five cycles, with partial recovery after rinsing. Importantly, the proposed adaptive UVA dose control increased the daily treated volume by 25–35% compared with continuous operation. These results demonstrate that solar photocatalysis can be transformed into a predictable, optimisable treatment process when spectral irradiance, matrix optics, and intelligent operation are considered together. Full article

This study presents the mathematical formulation of a symmetry-compact three-step algorithm (TSA) for the numerical computation of the spatio-temporal generalized FitzHugh–Nagumo equation (FHNE), a class of one-dimensional time-dependent initial-boundary value partial differential equations. The proposed symmetry-compact TSA is constructed using the Lagrange polynomial as the basis function, yielding a structurally balanced and computationally compact formulation with an inherent symmetry that facilitates automatic step-size adaptation over the integration interval. The symmetry-compact nature of the formulation enhances numerical stability while maintaining a reduced computational footprint, thereby improving both accuracy and efficiency when compared with existing numerical schemes. Prior to the application of the TSA, the FHNE is discretized in space, resulting in a system of ordinary differential equations suitable for time integration. Rigorous analyses of the stability and convergence properties of the symmetry-compact TSA are carried out to establish the reliability and robustness of the method. The performance of the proposed algorithm is quantitatively assessed using absolute error, maximum error, root mean square error, and central processing unit time for selected spatio-temporal test cases of the FHNE. The numerical results and corresponding solution profiles clearly demonstrate that the symmetry-compact TSA delivers superior accuracy, enhanced computational efficiency, and improved stability characteristics relative to existing methods, particularly in the presence of stiffness and chaotic dynamics. Full article

Breast cancer remains a leading cause of mortality among women worldwide. The inherent heterogeneity in tumors among patients with breast cancer poses a challenge to effective therapeutic management. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an important structural component of the tumor microenvironment (TME) that regulates cellular behavior. When the ECM adopts a stiff configuration, this coincides with biochemical remodeling in response to biomechanical cues that drive tumor cell invasion, immune evasion, and metastatic spread in breast cancer. Emerging studies suggest that patient ancestry significantly impacts ECM stiffness to contribute to disparities in breast cancer survival. In this review, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of how the tumor ECM orchestrates breast cancer invasion and metastasis through mechanotransduction signaling to promote breast cancer progression. We also discuss ancestry-associated differences in breast ECM architecture and agents targeting mechanotransduction signaling pathways with potential to treat breast cancer and improve patient outcomes. Collectively, this review will highlight the significance of tumor mechanobiology and present emerging therapies that target stiffness-sensitive mechanotransduction pathways. By integrating mechanistic insights with therapeutic innovation, we aim to support the development of ECM-targeted therapies to enable more efficacious treatment of aggressive breast cancer subtypes. Full article

High platelet reactivity (HPR) in patients with coronary artery disease receiving P2Y12 inhibitors increases ischemic risk. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an established contributor to HPR during clopidogrel therapy. The objective of the study was to assess whether CKD influences platelet reactivity (PR) in patients treated with clopidogrel or ticagrelor. This double-blind, double-dummy study enrolled 106 stable patients more than one year after an acute coronary syndrome, with or without CKD. Participants were matched by age and sex and randomized to clopidogrel or ticagrelor. PR was measured using the VerifyNow™ P2Y12 assay, and HPR was defined as P2Y12 reaction units (PRU) ≥ 208. Median glomerular filtration rates were 80 mL/min/1.73 m² in non-CKD patients and 41 mL/min/1.73 m² in CKD patients (p < 0.01). Ticagrelor produced similarly low PR in both groups (36 vs. 35 PRU; p = 0.61). Clopidogrel resulted in a numerically higher PR in CKD patients (209 vs. 180 PRU; p = 0.07). The magnitude of PR reduction with ticagrelor relative to clopidogrel was greater in CKD patients (p-interaction = 0.09). HPR was markedly more common with clopidogrel, particularly in CKD (difference 37%; adjusted OR 4.42; p = 0.01). In conclusion, CKD significantly impairs clopidogrel responsiveness but does not affect ticagrelor, resulting in a greater relative advantage of ticagrelor in patients with CKD. Full article

The rapid evolution of smart transportation systems necessitates the integration of advanced sensing technologies capable of supporting the real-time, reliable, and cost-effective monitoring of road infrastructure. Fiber-optic sensor (FOS) technologies, given their high sensitivity, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and suitability for harsh environments, have emerged as promising tools for enabling intelligent transportation infrastructure. This review critically examines the current landscape of classical mechanical and electrical sensor realization in monitoring solutions. Focus is also given to fiber-optic-sensor-based solutions for smart road applications, encompassing both well-established techniques such as Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors and distributed sensing systems, as well as emerging hybrid sensor networks. The article examines the most topical physical parameters that can be measured by FOSs in road infrastructure monitoring to support traffic monitoring, structural health assessment, weigh-in-motion (WIM) system development, pavement condition evaluation, and vehicle classification. In addition, strategies for FOS integration with digital twins, machine learning, artificial intelligence, quantum sensing, and Internet of Things (IoT) platforms are analyzed to highlight their potential for data-driven infrastructure management. Limitations related to deployment, scalability, long-term reliability, and standardization are also discussed. The review concludes by identifying key technological gaps and proposing future research directions to accelerate the adoption of FOS technologies in next-generation road transportation systems. Full article

Autonomous UAV/UGV swarms increasingly operate in contested environments where purely digital control architectures are vulnerable to cyber compromise, communication denial, and timing faults. This paper presents Guarded Swarms, a hybrid framework that combines digital coordination with hardware-level analog safety enforcement. The architecture builds on Topic-Based Communication Space Petri Nets (TB-CSPN) for structured multi-agent coordination, extending this digital foundation with independent analog guard channels—thrust clamps, attitude limiters, proximity sensors, and emergency stops—that operate in parallel at the actuator interface. Each channel can unilaterally veto unsafe commands within microseconds, independently of software state. The digital–analog interface is formalized via timing contracts that specify sensor-consistency windows and actuation latency bounds. A two-robot case study demonstrates token-based arbitration at the digital level and OR-style inhibition at the analog level. The framework ensures local safety deterministically while maintaining global coordination as a best-effort property. This paper presents an architectural contribution establishing design principles and interface contracts. Empirical validation remains future work. Full article

Post-collisional Cu-Au-Ni-Co-Pt-Pd-Sc porphyry [Duck Creek porphyry system (DCPS)] with overlying Au-Te-Bi-W-HRE epithermal mineralisation [Highway epithermal system (HES)] has been discovered in the core of the Mitakoodi anticline, southwest of Cloncurry. Xenotime and monazite geochronology indicate mineralisation occurred between ~1490 and 1530 Ma. Host rock lithologies show widespread potassic and/or propylitic to phyllic alteration. Paragenesis of porphyry sulphides indicates early crystallisation of pyrite, followed by chalcopyrite, with bornite forming by hydrothermal alteration of chalcopyrite. Cu sulphides also show the effect of supergene oxidation alteration with rims of covellite, digenite and chalcocite. Redox conditions deduced from the V/Sc systematics indicate that the DCPS contains both highly oxidised (typical of porphyries) and reduced lithologies, typical of plume-generated tholeiitic and alkaline suites. Ni/Te and Cu/Te systematics plot within the fields defined by epithermal and porphyry deposits. Duck Creek chalcophile and highly siderophile element (Cu, MgO and Pd) systematics resemble data from porphyry mineral systems, at Cadia, Bingham Canyon, Grasberg, Skouries, Kalmakyr, Elaisite, Assarel and Medet. SAM geophysical inversion models suggest the presence of an extensive porphyry system below the HES. A progressive increase in molar Cu/Au ratios with depth from the HES to the DCPS supports this conclusion. Three metal sources contributed to the linked DCPS-HES viz., tholeiitic ferrogabbro, potassic ultramafic to mafic system and an Fe and Ca-rich alkaline system. The latter two imparted non-crustal superchondritic Nb/Ta ratios that are characteristic of many deposits in the eastern Mount Isa Block. The associated tholeiite and alkaline magmatism reflect mantle plume upwelling through a palaeo-slab window that had accreted below the eastern flank of the North Australian craton following west-verging collision by the Numil Terrane. Discovery of this linked mineral system provides a new paradigm for mineral exploration in the region. Full article

This study examines the influence of virgin polyethylene (vPE), recycled polyethylene (rPE), and Aerosil (A) on the performance of bitumen binders modified with partially devulcanized rubber (DVR). The experimental program included morphology analysis, determination of devulcanization degree, dynamic viscosity measurements, shear stress–shear rate analysis, load–displacement (F–Δl) testing, storage-stability evaluation, ring and ball softening point (R&B), penetration (P), and elastic recovery (ER) testing. The results show that DVR-rPE-modified bitumen binders exhibit 20–35% higher viscosity and up to 25% greater elongation at the break compared to DVR-vPE-modified bitumen systems, indicating more effective interaction with the bitumen matrix. The incorporation of Aerosil increased viscosity ca. 1.5–2 times for DVR-rPE and DVR-vPE-modified systems, respectively. Meanwhile, top and bottom differences in R&B decreased by a factor of 1.6–5 for DVR-rPE and DVR-vPE-containing composites, respectively, demonstrating significant enhancement in structural stability during storage. Mechanical testing further revealed that DVR-rPE + A binders absorbed 10–20% more deformation energy and consistently maintained ER values above 70–80%, corresponding to a higher elastic recovery grade at 25 °C. Overall, the DVR-rPE + A system provided the most balanced improvements in rheological, mechanical, and thermal properties, confirming its potential for use in high-performance, thermally stable, and environmentally sustainable bituminous materials for pavement applications. Full article

Acute lung injury (ALI) is characterized by acute respiratory insufficiency, including tachypnea, cyanosis refractory to oxygen, decreased lung compliance, and diffuse alveolar infiltrates, which is a condition associated with high morbidity and mortality that usually results in the development of multiple organ dysfunction. Acute lung injury in humans is histopathologically characterized by neutrophilic alveolitis, injury of the alveolar epithelium and endothelium, hyaline membrane formation, and microvascular thrombi. Different animal models of experimental lung injury have been used to investigate mechanisms of lung injury, such as LPS-induced ALI, hyperoxia-induced ALI, and ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). Here we will show selected preclinical mice models used as proof of concept to test new drugs in vivo with anti-inflammatory properties, discussing their particularities and clarifying the context of use. Full article

Abductive reasoning—the search for plausible explanations—has long been central to human inquiry, from forensics to medicine and scientific discovery. Yet formal approaches in AI have largely reduced abduction to eliminative search: hypotheses are treated as mutually exclusive, evaluated against consistency constraints or probability updates, and pruned until a single “best” explanation remains. This reductionist framing fails on two critical fronts. First, it overlooks how human reasoners naturally sustain multiple explanatory lines in suspension, navigate contradictions, and generate novel syntheses. Second, when applied to complex investigations in legal or scientific domains, it forces destructive competition between hypotheses that later prove compatible or even synergistic, as demonstrated by historical cases in physics, astronomy, and geology. This paper introduces quantum abduction, a non-classical paradigm that models hypotheses in superposition, allowing them to interfere constructively or destructively, and collapses only when coherence with evidence is reached. Grounded in quantum cognition and implemented with modern NLP embeddings and generative AI, the framework supports dynamic synthesis rather than premature elimination. For immediate decisions, it models expert cognitive processes; for extended investigations, it transforms competition into “co-opetition” where competing hypotheses strengthen each other. Case studies span historical mysteries (Ludwig II of Bavaria, the “Monster of Florence”), literary demonstrations (Murder on the Orient Express), medical diagnosis, and scientific theory change. Across these domains, quantum abduction proves more faithful to the constructive and multifaceted nature of human reasoning, while offering a pathway toward expressive and transparent AI reasoning systems. Full article