Search Results (1,775)

Food contamination by Aflatoxin M1 and Atrazine remains a critical food-safety concern, requiring sensitive detection methods that can operate reliably in complex matrices. Here, we report an AI-assisted antibody-functionalized electrochemical sensing platform for the detection and classification of Aflatoxin M1 and Atrazine across corn, corn flour, and protein matrices. The sensor used analyte-specific antibodies immobilized on an electrochemical electrode surface, where target binding produced measurable changes in the interfacial electrochemical response. Sensor performance was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry, coulometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), with EIS providing strong frequency-dependent signatures for concentration-dependent analysis. Spike-and-recovery studies further demonstrated the applicability of the platform in food-matrix conditions. To improve interpretation of complex electrochemical signals, full-spectrum EIS features were integrated with machine learning models for concentration-level classification into low, mid, and high groups. The AI workflow achieved an overall classification accuracy of 93.33%, with 96.67% specificity, 93.44% PPV, 96.66% NPV, and 0.982 AUC for Atrazine, and 96.70% specificity, 93.38% PPV, 96.67% NPV, and 0.987 AUC for Aflatoxin M1. In addition, analyte classification between Aflatoxin M1 and Atrazine reached 97.4% accuracy and 0.994 ROC-AUC. Overall, this work demonstrates a matrix-aware electrochemical immunosensing strategy enhanced by AI-based signal interpretation for food contaminant detection. Full article

Background: Ventricular septal defects (VSD) are the most common form of congenital heart disease (CHD). Current guidelines recommend surveillance transthoracic echocardiograms (TTE) following surgical closure of perimembranous VSDs (pVSD); however, duration of screening is not explicitly stated. The goal of this study is to determine the utility of follow-up TTEs after uncomplicated pVSD surgical closure. Methods: Single-site retrospective analysis was conducted on patients who underwent pVSD surgical closure. Patients were excluded if diagnosed with other CHD, had complications 1 year post-repair, or lacked data 1 year post-repair. Serial TTEs were reviewed. A Kaplan–Meier curve was used to illustrate the 5-year complication-free survival. Results: A total of 117 patients met inclusion criteria. A 97% 5-year complication-free survival was observed. Four patients had complications >1 year post-repair: one non-obstructive subaortic ridge, one pulmonary vein stenosis, one pinhole residual pVSD, and one ventricular ectopy with ventricular dysfunction. Of the 113 complication-free patients, 197 TTEs were performed with no change in clinical management. Conclusions: Beyond 1 year post-repair, the occurrence of new complications following uncomplicated pVSD surgical closure is rare. Unless clinical concerns arise, the utility of routine TTEs > 1 year post-repair in this uncomplicated post-surgical cohort should be reassessed. Larger multicenter studies are needed to determine the utility of routine TTEs. Full article

Cell degradation in second-life battery packs introduces heterogeneous capacity and internal resistance mismatch, reducing the effectiveness of conventional balancing approaches and limiting available pack runtime. Although equal state of charge (SoC) does not necessarily imply equal usable capacity, SoC-based control remains attractive for runtime-oriented operation. This paper proposes a target-mean controller for heterogeneous reconfigurable battery packs under constant-bus constraints that aims to improve runtime and achieve the cutoff-defined theoretical maximum capacity utilization limit. Using only real-time cell SoC measurements and legal switching actions, the controller selects the configuration that best reduces deviation from the pack-average SoC while preferentially loading cells above the mean. The online action selection requires no active balancing hardware, no explicit capacity or state of health (SoH) estimation, and no offline optimization; experimentally measured capacities are used only for calibrated Coulomb-counting SoC estimation. Simulation results on a heterogeneous five-cell reconfigurable battery pack show that the proposed controller reaches the cutoff-defined 90% theoretical utilization limit in the full-initial-SoC cases, while also extending runtime and reducing switching activity by up to 11.75% relative to the comparison methods. Hardware validation on a five-cell prototype further confirms this trend, achieving 89.12% experimental utilization, zero final SoC spread, and higher delivered energy than both comparison methods. A stepped-load hardware test further achieved 88.19% utilization from current integration, corresponding to 97.99% of the cutoff-defined 90% theoretical limit. The results suggest that, for heterogeneous second-life packs, SoC-based reconfiguration control can achieve both runtime improvement and near-maximum utilization without the added complexity of explicit SoH-aware balancing. Full article

This study examines the psychometric functioning of the Basic Learning Ability Assessment (BLAA), a high-stakes placement assessment used in Taiwan’s Adaptive Guidance Placement System (AGPS) for junior high school students with intellectual disabilities (IDs). The sample comprised 203 ninth-grade students with ID from 47 public junior high schools in Taiwan, all of whom completed three operational multiple-choice forms of the BLAA. Using classical test theory (CTT), we examined item difficulty using proportion-correct indices, item discrimination using upper–lower group discrimination indices, distractor functioning by comparing response patterns between higher- and lower-performing examinees, and internal consistency reliability using the Kuder–Richardson Formula 20 (KR-20). The results show that most items fell within the average-to-easy range and demonstrated acceptable to strong discrimination. Distractor functioning was generally satisfactory, with most items containing no nonfunctioning distractors. KR-20 coefficients ranged from 0.904 to 0.926, indicating high internal consistency within each form. Functional Language and Social Adaptation showed relatively stable psychometric patterns, whereas Mathematical Skills displayed greater variability in item difficulty, discrimination, and distractor functioning. Overall, the findings provide initial CTT-based internal psychometric evidence regarding the item functioning and form-level reliability of the BLAA, while highlighting the need for ongoing item refinement, particularly in the Mathematical Skills domain. Full article

Fault detection is essential for the reliable operation of wind turbines. Traditional supervised methods for fault detection based on SCADA data face highly imbalanced datasets of normal and fault samples. This paper presents a two-stage detection method to address this limitation by integrating unsupervised anomaly detection or classification with supervised classification. In the first stage, the unsupervised classifier of OCSVM, together with two complementary anomaly scores, is used to flag deviations from normal operation or separate abnormal data samples from normal data samples. In the second stage, the supervised classifier of CNN is applied to the detected abnormal data samples to identify fault samples among only these samples, thus enhancing the discrimination capability between normal and abnormal conditions. Experiments on real-world SCADA data show that the introduced two-stage detection method noticeably improves fault detection compared to supervised methods, both in terms of accuracy and missed fault rates. Full article

Regardless of the quality of national doctoral support initiatives, sustained improvement in doctoral education depends on institutions’ ability to translate these models into contextually appropriate, locally meaningful practices. This study investigates the Rising Doctoral Institute (RDI) project and explores how its transfer across five U.S. research institutions catalyzed change within their respective doctoral student support systems on its first implementation cycle. Guided by Kezar’s Change Macro Framework and implementation research, the study analyzed data collected during the transfer process, including pre- and post-implementation focus groups with Collaborating Institutional Leaders (CILs) and a post-training outcome survey measuring CILs preparedness. Findings show that while local RDI implementations preserved the program’s core elements, they adapted timing, structure, and delivery to suit specific institutional conditions. Two implementation models emerged: a concentrated pre-semester workshop and a distributed academic-year series. These initial iterations primarily catalyzed first-order change by creating new support structures for doctoral transition, peer connection, and sensemaking. However, preparedness for deeper cultural change remained limited. These findings suggest that contextual transfer can drive change when implementation strategies prioritize adaptation and local leadership. However, sustained second-order change requires a more deliberate focus on mentoring, advising, and institutional culture. Full article

This study experimentally investigates the mixed convection heat transfer performance of CuZnFe₂O₄–water-based magnetic nanofluids in a cylindrical minichannel under the influence of external magnetic fields. Nanofluids with three different volumetric concentrations (0.25%, 0.50%, and 0.75%) were synthesized and characterized in terms of thermophysical properties. The experiments were conducted within the Richardson number range of 0.1–10 to ensure mixed convection conditions, while magnetic field intensities of 220 G, 300 G, and 380 G were applied using custom-built electromagnets. Results show that suspending CuZnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles significantly enhances the heat transfer rate compared to pure water, mainly due to increased thermal conductivity and particle–fluid interactions. The application of a magnetic field further augments the Nusselt number by disturbing the thermal boundary layer and intensifying particle motion, leading to up to 64.4% improvement compared with pure water at similar Reynolds numbers. In addition, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) were employed to determine the most influential parameters on heat transfer performance and to develop a predictive correlation for the Nusselt number as a function of Reynolds number, nanoparticle concentration, and magnetic field intensity. The findings highlight the combined effects of nanoparticle suspension and magnetic field application as a promising approach for enhancing heat transfer in low-flow mixed convection regimes, offering valuable insights for thermal management in miniaturized cooling systems. Full article

Background/Objectives: To develop and validate a multidimensional risk assessment scale for identifying patients at risk of peripheral venous catheter (PVC)-associated phlebitis. Methods: This methodological study followed a two-phase design. In Phase 1 (scale development), an initial item pool of 39 candidate items was generated from a focused literature review and refined using the Lawshe technique with 20 expert raters. Data were collected from 729 hospitalized patients, who contributed 1008 PVCs between February and September 2021. Because the scale items are catheter-level, the PVC was the unit of analysis: 502 PVCs (from 380 patients) were used for exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and 506 PVCs (from 349 patients) for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). In Phase 2 (clinical application), the finalized scale was administered to a separate, independent cohort of 208 patients between September and October 2021 alongside the Infusion Nurses Society (INS) Phlebitis Scale. Reliability was assessed using the Kuder–Richardson 20 (KR-20) coefficient, and discriminative performance was evaluated with Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: EFA and CFA confirmed a three-factor structure comprising 14 items distributed across Individual, Chemical, and Mechanical risk domains. The instrument demonstrated strong internal consistency (KR-20 = 0.823) and excellent discriminative accuracy (AUC = 0.898), with an optimal cut-off of 20.5 (sensitivity 87%, specificity 91%). All CFA fit indices met the conventional acceptability thresholds (χ²/df = 3.249; GFI = 0.943; AGFI = 0.914; CFI = 0.942; NFI = 0.919; IFI = 0.943; TLI = 0.925; RMSEA = 0.067). In Phase 2, scale scores correlated significantly with the INS Phlebitis Scale (r = 0.794, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The Risk Assessment Scale for PVC-Associated Phlebitis is a valid and reliable instrument with strong psychometric properties. It enables early identification of high-risk patients and supports targeted preventive strategies in clinical practice. Full article

Fragmented transit governance across multiple agencies makes measuring service inequality in large metropolitan regions notoriously difficult. This paper maps schedule-aware transit service intensity—an origin-side, supply-focused component of accessibility—across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) by integrating General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data from six providers within an H3 hierarchical hexagonal grid. The measure does not capture destination access, travel time, transfers, fares, reliability, or crowding, and is therefore framed throughout as a service-intensity indicator rather than a full accessibility evaluation. We operationalize the indicator as the number of cumulative scheduled departures per hour reachable within an 800 m walking catchment for three distinct time windows: weekday peak, weekday midday, and Saturday midday. Across 9635 hexagons and 23,026 stops, our results reveal a sharply hierarchical regional network. When weighted by population, 16.4% of GTA residents have no scheduled service within walking distance during the weekday morning peak; the corresponding area-weighted share, reflecting the extensive greenbelt and agricultural fringe, is 70.6%. Only 22.6% of hexagons reach at least 12 departures per hour, while 75.5% of residents meet that threshold. Median service intensity drops from 234.25 departures per hour in the Urban Core to zero beyond the Inner Suburban Ring, and service thins out on weekends, with retention in the outer rings dropping to roughly 75% of weekday levels. Spearman correlations show that service intensity is concentrated in denser, more diverse, and lower-income census-tract contexts, with population density emerging as the strongest hex-level correlate ($\rho =0.69$); after Clifford–Richardson correction for spatial autocorrelation (effective $n\approx 745$), the principal CT-level correlations remain statistically significant ($p<{10}^{-15}$), and partial correlations controlling for density indicate that socioeconomic composition retains an independent, if attenuated, association. Under one-tract-one-observation aggregation ($n=1144$ unique tracts), the income gradient strengthens to $\rho =-0.74$ and becomes co-equal in magnitude with population density ($\rho =0.74$), confirming that the hex-level coefficients are not artifacts of pseudo-replication. A population-weighted Gini coefficient of 0.60 confirms substantial distributional inequality. Sensitivity analyses confirm that the Inner-to-Outer Suburban break is robust to alternative ring thresholds (10/25/40 and 20/35/50 km), to exclusion of the four Halton municipalities affected by incomplete local-feed coverage, to H3 resolution at the municipal level, and—in a representative shortest-path network sub-analysis for Pickering (not a full GTA-wide network-distance test)—to use of network rather than Euclidean walking distance. These patterns suggest that a substantial gap exists between where suburban residential growth has occurred and where frequent transit service is available, a pattern with historical roots in the 1996–2006 service–need alignment, though the 2006–2023 trajectory is not directly measured here. The results suggest that the transition zone between the inner and outer suburbs may warrant further investigation as a planning focus, and that cross-agency weekend service coordination merits further analysis as a potential equity dimension. This multi-agency H3 framework establishes a reproducible baseline for monitoring schedule-aware service intensity in polycentric metropolitan areas. Full article

The dynamics of landfalling tropical cyclones are not yet fully understood. In this study, ground-based observations were conducted using L-band radar, lidar and radiosonde during tropical cyclone Wutip. The L-band radar winds were corrected using lidar wind, and an objective analysis wind was derived from both the L-band radar and lidar data. Furthermore, we analyzed radiosonde profiles from a nearby station. The relative humidity was found to be higher in the lower boundary layer. Using the air temperature and humidity data, we computed the buoyancy frequency, and the Richardson number, which indicates shear instability in air turbulence. Within the altitude range of 15 km, the lower boundary layer exhibited a relatively low Richardson number. The integrated multi-source observations captured vertical profiles of wind, air temperature and relative humidity, and further revealed vertical wind shear, atmospheric stratification and associated shear instability throughout the passage of tropical cyclone Wutip. Full article

Insertion of microelectrode arrays (MEAs) into brain tissue remains a mechanical challenge, especially for long, thin probes designed to access deep structures. This study investigates the mechanical properties of 5 mm long amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC) probes with different geometries and the effect of vibration-assisted insertion on penetration into rat brain. Methods: Two planar a-SiC probe designs were fabricated with identical lengths and thicknesses but differing width geometries: one with a uniform width (175 µm) and the other with a tapered shape (tapering from 175 to 75 µm). Critical buckling forces (FCs) were estimated by finite element modeling (FEM) and validated experimentally. Insertion mechanics were assessed in a brain mimic of 1.2% agarose gel at varying insertion speeds (20–1000 µm/s) and in vivo by implantation in rat cortex. Insertion metrics included penetration force (F_P), cortical dimpling depth (D_d), maximum insertion force (F_max), and success rate of insertion, all evaluated with and without vibrational assistance. Results: The tapered design exhibited lower penetration force and higher insertion success compared to the uniform-width probe, despite having a lower critical buckling force. An optimal insertion rate of 100 µm/s was identified, balancing insertion time with low F_max and high insertion success across designs. Higher F_P and D_d with a lower success rate were observed for uniform probes compared with tapered probes in rat brain. Vibration-assisted insertion was then investigated with tapered probes. Applying vibration significantly reduced F_P, whereas D_d and F_max remained unchanged. Notably, in 40% of actuated insertions in rat, no detectable F_P peak was observed, suggesting unimpeded pial penetration. Conclusions: A tapered probe geometry and vibration-assisted insertion can reduce F_max and F_P while enhancing the insertion success rate for probe penetration in rat brain. These strategies are generally applicable to long-shank MEA insertions in brain and may inform design and insertion strategies. Full article

Background: Veterinary staphylococcal species, including the Staphylococcus intermedius group (SIG) and Staphylococcus schleiferi, colonize and infect companion animals (pets) and humans. This study investigated the longitudinal colonization prevalence of veterinary staphylococci among pets, their humans, and household environments to identify factors associated with carriage and to characterize antibiotic susceptibility trends. Methods: Children with community-onset Staphylococcus aureus skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI), their household contacts, and pets were enrolled in the “Staph Hygiene Intervention for Eradication (SHINE)” trial. At five study visits over 9 months, humans, pets, and household surfaces were swabbed for staphylococcal species detection and health information was collected. Results: The 104 households containing pets comprised 459 humans and 178 pets (136 dogs and 42 cats). Veterinary staphylococci were recovered from 110 pets (62%), 39 (9%) humans, and environmental surfaces in 55 (53%) households. SIG was the most commonly recovered veterinary staphylococci. Ninety percent of colonized humans were colonized with the same staphylococcal species as their pet. In multivariable analyses, dogs were more likely to be colonized than cats and a higher burden of environmental surface contamination was associated with pet and human colonization. The prevalence of methicillin-resistant veterinary staphylococci was low, but resistance to multiple other antibiotics was common among these methicillin-resistant isolates. Conclusions: Carriage of the same staphylococcal species and temporal colonization patterns between companion animals and their owners may suggest cross-species sharing, with the environment serving as a reservoir. Full article

Background: Low-dose aspirin (LDA) reduces preeclampsia (PE) risk by up to 40%, yet its molecular effects on chorion trophoblast cells (CTCs), a fetal membrane lineage at the feto-maternal interface, remain obscure. CTCs form a structural and immunoregulatory barrier whose dysfunction drives inflammation-associated membrane pathology in PE. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by CTCs may encode cellular stress and adaptation states, offering a molecular window into aspirin’s timing-dependent effects on PE risk modification. Methods: Human CTCs were challenged with cigarette smoke extract (CSE) to model oxidative stress-driven PE pathology. Two paradigms were tested: (1) prophylactic aspirin (4 and 40 µg/mL) before and/or flanking the CSE, and (2) therapeutic aspirin after the CSE challenge. The EVs were isolated via ultracentrifugation and size-exclusion chromatography, characterized by nanoparticle tracking and immunoblotting, and profiled by quantitative mass spectrometry. A network pathway analysis and machine learning biomarker selection defined the EV-encoded molecular states. Results: The CTC-derived EVs from the CSE-exposed cells carried a PE-like proteomic signature marked by suppressed VEGF/ECM remodeling, activated TNF-p53 apoptotic signaling, and heightened inflammation. Prophylactic low-dose aspirin shifted the EV cargo toward an EV-encoded signature consistent with preserved angiogenic potential (enrichment of VEGFA, COL1A1, and MMP14) and predicted attenuation of apoptotic and NF-κB pathway activity by an Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. High-dose aspirin produced broad transcriptional suppression without an accompanying pro-angiogenic EV signature. Therapeutic (post-injury) aspirin partially attenuated the injury-associated EV cargo but did not restore the angiogenic EV signature. An exploratory machine learning analysis of EV proteomes identified a candidate prophylactic biomarker panel anchored by HSPA8, SERPINF2, COL4A1, and PLOD1, mapped to the predicted angiogenic recovery and redox-balance pathways. These EV cargo readouts represent the predicted molecular states and require functional validation before clinical interpretation. Conclusions: The CTC-derived EV proteomic signatures capture the dose- and timing-dependent aspirin effects in this in vitro CTC model, positioning the chorion as a candidate pharmacological “secondary responder” favoring cellular resilience over classical anti-inflammatory suppression. As an exploratory hypothesis-generating study, EV-based molecular profiling could provide a foundation for future investigations aimed at stratifying aspirin responders from non-responders, although clinical validation in maternal plasma cohorts will be required before any translational application. Full article

This study validates a clinically accessible approach for quantifying the Upper Extremity Reachable Workspace (UERW) using monocular AI-driven Markerless Motion Capture (MMC). Objective validation of such techniques for clinically oriented tasks is essential to support their adoption in clinical motion analysis. Nine adults without impairments performed the standardized UERW task, reaching targets distributed across a virtual sphere centered on the torso and displayed via VR headset. Movements were simultaneously captured with a marker-based system and eight FLIR cameras; monocular analysis was applied to two videos representing frontal and offset camera configurations. Agreement was assessed by comparing the percentage workspacereached across six of eight workspace octants between the systems. The frontal camera demonstrated strong agreement with the marker-based reference (mean bias: $0.61\pm 0.12$% reachspace per octant), whereas the offset view underestimated workspace reached $-5.66\pm 0.45$%. Depth-related errors in the frontal configuration were confined to posterior octants, whereas the offset view introduced inaccuracies in both contralateral and posterior octants. These findings support the feasibility of a frontal monocular camera for UERW assessment, particularly for anterior workspace evaluation. While posterior accuracy remains limited by depth estimation and anatomical occlusion errors, the overall results demonstrate clinical potential for practical, monocular-camera assessments. Full article

Background. Neuroinflammation, driven by chronic microglial activation and blood–brain barrier dysfunction, is increasingly recognised as a key pathogenic mechanism in neurodegenerative disorders. Achillea erba-rotta subsp. moschata, an alpine medicinal plant traditionally employed for inflammatory conditions, has demonstrated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties; however, its effects on brain-related cell types and the underlying neuropharmacological mechanisms remain largely unexplored. This study investigated the molecular pathways by which A. erba-rotta subsp. moschata modulates neuroinflammation in key cellular components of the neurovascular unit. Methods. We evaluated the pharmacological activity of A. erba-rotta subsp. moschata aqueous extract (20–200 µg/mL) in LPS-stimulated BV2 microglial cells and human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMECs). Molecular mechanisms were characterised using qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis, focusing on inflammatory, antioxidant (Nrf2/HO-1), and AhR signalling pathways. Results. A. erba-rotta subsp. moschata extract significantly attenuates inflammatory responses in both cell types. In BV2 microglia, the extract reduced pro-inflammatory mediators and promoted anti-inflammatory signalling, including dose-dependent upregulation of TGF-β. In parallel, in hBMECs, the extract preserved endothelial integrity and mitigated inflammation-induced alterations without affecting cell viability. At the molecular level, the extract modulated key transcriptional pathways involved in inflammation and redox homeostasis, including NF-κB and the Nrf2/HO-1 axis. Importantly, robust CYP1A1 induction indicated aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activation, revealing coordinated crosstalk between inflammatory and antioxidant pathways. Conclusions. A. erba-rotta subsp. moschata exerts balanced, tissue-dependent immunomodulatory activity through multi-target neuropharmacological mechanisms. The anti-inflammatory effects in microglia combined with barrier-preserving actions in brain endothelium, support its therapeutic potential as a neuropharmacological agent for neuroinflammatory disorders. Full article