Search Results (393)

Microtopography regulates soil erosion by shaping surface heterogeneity, but the mechanism of loess slope soil loss remains insufficiently quantified. This study combined laboratory rainfall simulations and machine learning to investigate how tillage-induced microtopography modulates soil loss through surface heterogeneity and hydrodynamic processes. Simulations used loess soil (silty loam) with a 5° slope, 60 mm/h rainfall intensity, and 5–30 min rainfall durations (RD). Results indicated that the mean weight diameter (MWD) and aggregate stability index (ASI) of structural, transition, and depositional crusts under micro-terrain decreased by 36~65% and 41~60%, respectively, while the fractal dimension (D) increased by 10~19%. Negative relationships were observed between ASI/MWD and D (R² = 0.83~0.98). Horizontal cultivation (T_HC, surface roughness [SR] = 1.76, average depression storage [ADS] = 2.34 × 10⁻² m³) delayed runoff connectivity and reduced cumulative soil loss (LS) by 42–58% compared to hoeing cultivation (T_HE, SR = 1.47, ADS = 3.23 × 10⁻⁴ m³). Abrupt hydrodynamic transitions occurred at 10 min RD (T_HE) and 15 min RD (artificial digging [T_AD]), driven by trench connectivity and depression overflow. LS exhibited a significant positive correlation with D and RD and was inversely correlated with ASI, MWD, and SR. A three-hidden-layer BPNN exhibited high predictive accuracy for LS (mean square error = 0.07), verifying applicability in complex scenarios with significant microtopographic heterogeneity and multi-factor coupling. This study demonstrated that surface roughness and depression storage were the dominant microtopographic controls on loess slope soil loss. BPNN provided a reliable tool for soil loss prediction in heterogeneous microtopographic systems. The findings provide critical insights into optimizing tillage-based soil conservation strategies for sloping loess farmlands. Full article

Human infections caused by pathogenic bacteria remain a major global health concern. Among them, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Salmonella typhi are particularly prevalent and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. While antibiotics have long been the cornerstone of bacterial infection treatment, the widespread and often inappropriate use of these drugs has led to the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains. This escalating resistance crisis underscores the urgent need for alternative therapeutic strategies. Amid the escalating global antimicrobial-resistance crisis, a genome-wide screen of 1800 Saccharomyces cerevisiae knockouts identified a TAD1-deficient mutant whose cell-free supernatant (CFS) rapidly eradicates multidrug-resistant E. coli, S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, and S. typhi in vitro. CFS disrupts pathogenic biofilms, downregulates biofilm-associated genes, and exerts bactericidal activity by triggering intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and compromising envelope integrity. Probiotic profiling revealed robust tolerance to an acidic pH and physiological bile, high auto-aggregation, and efficient co-aggregation with target pathogens. In both Galleria mellonella and murine infectious models, administration of CFS or live yeast significantly increased survival, attenuated intestinal histopathology, and reduced inflammatory infiltration. These data establish the TAD1-knockout strain and its secreted metabolites as dual-function antimicrobial-probiotic entities, offering a sustainable therapeutic alternative to conventional antibiotics against multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. Full article

Temporary anchorage devices (TADs) have become integral in contemporary orthodontic biomechanics, providing reliable skeletal anchorage independent of dental support or patient compliance. This narrative review synthesizes the current evidence regarding TADs classification, design parameters, biomechanical principles, clinical insertion protocols, complication management, and technological innovations. We reviewed foundational literature and recent clinical studies with emphasis on factors affecting primary and secondary stability, including insertion torque, angulation, cortical bone characteristics, and soft-tissue considerations. Self-drilling techniques are generally preferred for maxillary sites, while pre-drilling remains indicated in dense mandibular bone to reduce thermal risk and torque overload. Clinical success is optimized when insertion torque is maintained between 5 and 10 N·cm and site-specific anatomy is respected. Reported survival rates exceed 85–95% when proper protocols are followed. While TADs are associated with relatively low complication rates, failures are usually early and linked to excessive torque, poor hygiene, or inflammation. New technologies such as cone-beam computed tomography-guided placement, 3D-printed surgical guides, and AI-based planning tools offer promising avenues for safer and more individualized treatment. In conclusion, TADs represent a predictable and versatile option for skeletal anchorage in orthodontics, provided that mechanical design, biological adaptation, and clinical handling are coherently integrated into patient-specific strategies. Full article

Background/Objective: To outline strategies for the safe clinical use of orthodontic temporary anchorage devices (TADs) by analyzing papers that examine associated risks, complications, and approaches for their prevention and resolution. Methods: The research protocol used PubMed, Medline, and Scopus up to May 2024, focusing on controlled and randomized clinical trials aligned with the review objective. Fourteen studies were included; bias risk was assessed, key data extracted, and a descriptive analysis performed. Study quality and evidence strength were also evaluated. Results: TADs optimize anchorage control without relying on patient compliance. However, they carry risks and complications. TAD contact with the periodontal ligament or root without pulp involvement requires removal for spontaneous healing. If pulp is involved, the TAD should be removed and endodontic therapy performed. If anatomical structures are violated, TAD should be removed. If transient, spontaneous recovery occurs, but sometimes pharmacological treatment may be needed. A 2 mm gap between the TAD and surrounding structures can prevent damage. In the maxillary sinus, a less than 2 mm perforation of the Schneiderian membrane recovers spontaneously; wider perforations require TAD removal. Good oral hygiene and TAD abutments prevent soft tissue inflammation, which resolves with 0.2% chlorhexidine for 14 days. Unwanted forces can cause TAD fractures, requiring removal. Minor TAD mobility due to loss of primary stability can be maintained; significant instability requires repositioning. Conclusions: The use of TADs requires meticulous planning, radiological guidance, and monitoring to minimize risks and manage complications. With proper care, TADs improve orthodontic outcomes and patient satisfaction. Full article

Hemorrhagic septicemia (HS) is a fulminant bovine disease across Asia and Africa, yet Pasteurella multocida (P. multocida) isolated from yak is poorly reported. We isolated strain NQ01 from a fatal HS case in Xizang, China and identified it as P. multocida B:2 by morphology, Gram stain, and PCR (kmt1⁺, bcbD⁺, LPS L2). NQO1 formed smooth, non-hemolytic colonies. After Gram staining, the cells appeared as red rods with bipolar staining. Antimicrobial testing showed broad susceptibility to β-lactams, aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, midecamycin, florfenicol, polymyxin, and vancomycin, with resistance to metronidazole, trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole, and clindamycin. Streptomycin and ofloxacin had intermediate activity. In mice, the intraperitoneal and intranasal LD₅₀ values were 40.64 CFU/mL and 9.53 × 10⁶ CFU/mL, respectively. The intranasal fatal cases were characterized by bacteremia with multifocal disseminated intravascular coagulation involving lung, liver, and spleen. The complete genome comprises a single 2.33 Mb chromosome (40.47% GC, 2115 CDS, no plasmids) with only one resistance gene (Eco_EFTu_PLV) and 28 virulence genes spanning adhesion (tadA, rcpA, ppdD, pilB, tuf/tufA, htpB, PM_RS00430, PM_RS00425, PM_RS08640), immune modulation (lpxB/C/D, msbB, manB, rfaE/F, gmhA/lpcA, kdsA, pgi, wecA, galE, bexD’, ABZJ_RS06285, ABD1_RS00310), and nutritional/metabolic factor (hgbA, hemR, hemN), plus a YadA-like factor. Phylogenetically, NQ01 clusters with regional B:2 bovine/yak isolates. Collectively, these data define NQ01 as a highly virulent, low-resistance yak isolate and a practical model for natural-route HS pathogenesis and targeted control in high-altitude pastoral settings yaks. Full article

This paper presents AF-TAD, which stands for Aircraft Fuel Transformer Anomaly Detection, a Transformer-based reconstruction model specifically designed for time-series anomaly detection in aircraft fuel systems. The model improves anomaly detection by encoding and fusing key features such as fuel mass, overload, and RPM. Additionally, it incorporates global information, a multi-scale time window compression technique, and a conditional coding layer that integrates flight-specific information to enhance time-series data analysis, adaptability, and detection accuracy. Experimental results demonstrate that AF-TAD significantly outperforms other state-of-the-art anomaly detection models in detecting interval anomalies, achieving superior performance in key metrics. An ablation study further confirms that critical components, such as multi-window encoding and global trend information, contribute to improving the model’s detection capabilities. Overall, AF-TAD not only demonstrates powerful anomaly detection capabilities in the complex domain of aircraft fuel systems, but also offers new technical methods for fault prediction and maintenance in this field. Additionally, it holds broad potential for application in other complex systems. Full article

We aimed to develop and internally validate a nomogram to estimate axillary pathological complete response (pCR, ypN0) after neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST) in clinically node-positive (cN1–2) breast cancer. In a single-center retrospective cohort of 144 consecutive patients treated with NAST (anti-HER2 as indicated), all underwent standardized pre- and post-NAST 18F-FDG PET/CT and axillary staging (sentinel lymph node biopsy [SLNB], targeted axillary dissection [TAD], or axillary lymph node dissection [ALND]). Axillary pCR occurred in 51.4% (74/144). In a multivariable analysis, independent positive determinants of ypN0 included the triple-negative subtype, Modified PERCIST (SUVmax-based) reduction ≥ 80.70%, pre-NAST tumor-to-axilla SUVmax ratio ≥ 1.21, and residual breast tumor size < 0.5 mm; conversely, conglomerate/matted nodal morphology at diagnosis was inversely associated. The model showed good internal discrimination (AUC 0.857, 95% CI 0.797–0.917) and acceptable calibration (Hosmer–Lemeshow p = 0.425). Exploratory, subtype-restricted signals were observed for inflammatory indices within Luminal B (HER2+) but were not retained in the final model. The resulting nomogram—combining tumor biology, PET/CT response, and pre-NAST nodal features—may support risk stratification for axillary de-escalation after NAST; however, prospective external validation—ideally embedded in ongoing de-escalation frameworks—remains essential before clinical implementation, and the tool should currently be regarded as hypothesis-generating rather than a stand-alone decision aid for routine practice. Full article

Gene expression from promoters is influenced by interactions with genomic enhancers located within the same topologically associating domain (TAD). Enhancer activity can be evaluated by measuring the transcriptional output of enhancer RNAs, and the CAGE methodology enables the simultaneous assessment of enhancer and promoter activities within a single experiment. In this study, we examined the correlation between gene and enhancer activities within individual TADs across multiple tissues in slow- and fast-growing chickens, and we assessed the biological significance of genes with promoters that are regulated by enhancers. Our analysis revealed a statistically significant association between gene expression levels and enhancer activity in all tissues examined. Notably, enhancer-mediated regulation appears to activate key pathways involved in transcriptional control and nucleic acid biosynthesis. Full article

Background: Pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy (PDE) is a rare disorder characterized by seizures resistant to conventional treatments but responsive to pyridoxine therapy. Typically caused by biallelic variants in ALDH7A1, PNPO, or PLPBP, a few patients present a similar clinical phenotype but without confirmed molecular diagnoses. We report a child with a 13-year PDE diagnosis and normal intellectual development, whose seizures recurred after pyridoxine withdrawal but resolved with reintroduction, despite unremarkable whole-exome sequencing results. Methods: Following negative results from WES, optical genome mapping (OGM) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) were performed to highlight any potential structural variants involving known PDE-associated genes. Results: OGM and WGS revealed a recurrent 16p11.2 BP4-5 duplication, inherited from his healthy father, along with a de novo chromothripsis-type unbalanced t(1;18)(p22.3;q12.3), affecting several genes not currently associated with epilepsy (RIT2, PIK3C3, COL24A1, LRRC8D, DIPK1A, and DPYD), with RIT2 being a plausible candidate for the neurological phenotype due to its neuron-specific expression along with a likely reshuffling of topologically associating domains (TADs) involving SYT4, an epilepsy-candidate gene. Discussion: While the molecular data do not pinpoint a single gene or locus as the cause of seizures in this case, a key aspect of our patient’s phenotype is true pyridoxine dependence, rather than just pyridoxine responsiveness. We propose that the genomic complexity associated with the chromothriptic t(1;18) and the 16p11.2 BP4-5 duplication may create a unique metabolic environment in which pyridoxine-dependent pathways are disrupted through unconventional mechanisms. The preservation of cognitive function in our case has been observed in small groups of PDE patients, especially those diagnosed and treated early. This may indicate a distinct phenotypic subgroup that warrants further genetic investigation. Full article

This systematic review evaluated the dento-skeletal effects and long-term stability of anterior open-bite (AOB) correction with temporary anchorage devices (TADs). A comprehensive search up to May 2025 was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, LILACS, Scielo, Epistemonikos, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect. Eligible studies included randomized and non-randomized trials and case series with cephalometric outcomes. Risk of bias was assessed with the MINORS tool. A qualitative synthesis was performed, and studies meeting criteria were included in the meta-analysis. Ot of 1885 records, 22 studies were included qualitatively; 5 entered meta-analysis. Treatment yielded a mean overbite increase of 5.6 mm and reduction in N-Me of 2.8 mm. FMA and SN-GoMe decreased by about 2° and 1.6°, ANB by 1.7°, while SN-Pog increased by 1.4°. Most studies reported stability up to 3 years. Despite heterogeneity and predominance of non-randomized studies, evidence suggests TADs effectively correct AOB through overbite improvement and mandibular counterclockwise rotation. Reported effects appear stable, supporting skeletal anchorage as a reliable, less invasive alternative to surgery in selected patients. Full article

Background: Cephalomedullary nails are the standard treatment of trochanteric fractures, and some implants with a perforated blade allow augmentation with bone cement to increase mechanical stability. The study compares the results of PFNA and TFNA implants (DePuy Synthes) with or without cement augmentation of the blade. Methods: A retrospective study evaluated 219 trochanteric fractures. The study included 59 men (27%) and 160 women (73%), with a mean patient age of 82 years. The most common fractures were type 31A2 (56%), followed by type 31A1 (25%) and type 31A3 (19%). The monitored parameters were evaluated from anteroposterior and axial images of the proximal femur and pelvis. TAD, blade position, lateral blade prominence, fracture varus, and cut-out were evaluated. Results: Cement-augmented blade implants (CABs) in 68 patients (31%) and cement-free implants (NCABs) in 151 patients (69%) were used. The average age difference between the groups was 7 years (CAB 86.07 ± 5.85 and NCAB 79.13 ± 8.48). CABs were used more frequently in women (60 cases) than in men (8 cases). Blade position was optimal in 68% of cases and suboptimal in 32%. The risk of varus deformities was not statistically significantly affected by the blade position. The statistical significance of CABs for reducing the risk of varus deformities in stable fractures (p = 0.396) or unstable fractures (p = 0.101) was not confirmed. The average varus angulation during treatment was 2.57° (CAB 2.53° and NCAB 2.67°). A varus deformity greater than 10° was confirmed in 8 eight patients (3.7%) and cut-out in three patients (1.4%). All patients with cut-out were in the NCAB group. Cement leakage occurred in two cases and was asymptomatic. One case of deep infection, lateral blade prominence, and avascular necrosis (AVN) were recorded. Conclusions: Cement augmentation of the blade did not significantly reduce varus deformity in this cohort, regardless of blade position of fracture stability. CABs may prevent cut-out in specific subgroups, but this requires further investigation. Full article

Background: Swallowing is a complex biomechanical process, and its impairment (dysphagia) poses major health risks for older adults. Current diagnostic methods such as videofluoroscopic swallowing (VFSS) and fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) are effective but invasive, resource-intensive, and unsuitable for continuous monitoring. This study proposes a novel end-to-end RGB–D framework for automated swallowing event localization in continuous video streams. Methods: The framework enhances the AdaTAD backbone through three key innovations: (i) finding the optimal strategy to integrate depth information to capture subtle neck movements, (ii) examining the best adapter design for efficient temporal feature adaptation, and (iii) introducing a Kolmogorov–Arnold Network (KAN) decoder that leverages Chebyshev polynomials for non-linear temporal modeling. Evaluation on a proprietary swallowing dataset comprising 641 clips and 3153 annotated events demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed framework. We analysed and compared the modification strategy across designs of adapters, decoders, input channel combinations, regression methods, and patch embedding techniques. Results: The optimized configuration (VideoMAE + GRNConvNeXtAdapter + KAN + RGD + boundary regression + sinusoidal embedding) achieved an average mAP of 83.25%, significantly surpassing the baseline I3D + RGB + MLP model (61.55%). Ablation studies further confirmed that each architectural component contributed incrementally to the overall improvement. Conclusions: These results establish the feasibility of accurate, non-invasive, and automated swallowing event localization using depth-augmented video. The proposed framework paves the way for practical dysphagia screening and long-term monitoring in clinical and home-care environments. Full article

The transition to 5G networks brings unprecedented speed, ultra-low latency, and massive connectivity. Nevertheless, it introduces complex traffic patterns and broader attack surfaces that render traditional intrusion detection systems (IDSs) ineffective. Existing rule-based methods and classical machine learning approaches struggle to capture the temporal and dynamic characteristics of 5G traffic, while many deep learning models lack interpretability, making them unsuitable for high-stakes security environments. To address these challenges, we propose Bidirectional Temporal Anomaly Detector (BiTAD), a deep temporal learning architecture for anomaly detection in 5G networks. BiTAD leverages dual-direction temporal sequence modelling with attention to encode both past and future dependencies while focusing on critical segments within network sequences. Like many deep models, BiTAD’s faces interpretability challenges. To resolve its “black-box” nature, a dual-perspective explainability module, coined TwinLens, is proposed. This module integrates SHAP and TimeSHAP to provide global feature attribution and temporal relevance, delivering dual-perspective interpretability. Evaluated on the public 5G-NIDD dataset, BiTAD demonstrates superior detection performance compared to existing models. TwinLens enables transparent insights by identifying which features and when they were most influential to anomaly predictions. By jointly addressing the limitations in temporal modelling and interpretability, our work contributes a practical IDS framework tailored to the demands of next-generation mobile networks. Full article

Minimizing surface defects in perovskite films is crucial for suppressing non-radiative recombination and enhancing device performance. Herein, we propose the use of N-bromosuccinimide (NBS), a small molecule containing Lewis base carbonyl groups (C=O), to improve the quality of RbCsMAFA mixed-cation perovskite films. This surface treatment effectively reduces non-radiative charge-carrier recombination, in particular through the passivation of surface defects related to undercoordinated Pb²⁺ ions and halide vacancies, and significantly accelerates charge extraction from the perovskite into the Spiro-OMeTAD hole transporter. Consequently, NBS-treated PerSCs achieve a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18.24%, representing an 11% relative increase over the control device (16.48%). This enhancement is mainly attributed to a V_oc gain of up to 40 mV and modifications in the recombination dynamics. Supporting evidence from impedance spectroscopic analyses further confirms enhanced energy-level alignment and reduced interfacial losses, improved charge transport as well as prolonged charge lifetimes within the devices. This work provides a simple yet effective approach to reduce the non-radiative recombination losses towards more efficient and stable PerSCs. Full article

The 3D chromatin architecture establishes a complex network of genes and regulatory elements necessary for transcriptomic regulation in development and disease. This network can be modeled by cis-regulatory hubs (CRH), which underscore the local functional interactions between enhancers and promoter regions and differ from other higher-order chromatin structures such as topologically associated domains (TAD). The activity-by-contact (ABC) model of enhancer–promoter regulation has been recently used in the identification of these CRHs, but little is known about the role of transcription factor CCTC binding factor (CTCF) on ABC scores and their consequent impact on CRHs. Here, we show that the loss of CTCF leads to a reorganization of the ABC-derived rankings of putative enhancers in the mouse heart, a global reduction in the total number of CRHs and an increase in the size of CRHs. Furthermore, CTCF loss leads to a higher percentage of CRHs that cross TAD boundaries. These results provide additional evidence to support the importance of CTCF in forming the regulatory networks necessary for gene regulation. Full article