Search Results (1,097)

Globally, breast cancer is one of the most prevalent tumors in women and remains a major concern due to its high mortality rate. Although treatment options for this disease have evolved over the years, there are still many cases of recurrence and metastasis. In this con-text, considering the importance of evaluating less aggressive and more efficient therapeu-tic alternatives to aid in the treatment of breast cancer, the present study critically discuss-es the cytotoxic effects of diterpenoids isolated from Croton species (Euphorbiaceae). The articles were retrieved from different databases, from the first report published in 2005 to October 2025. A total of 115 diterpenoids were isolated from 15 Croton species and inves-tigated against different breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-468). These compounds mainly belong to the kaurane group (40%), followed by clerodane (14%), tigliane (12%), and abietane (10%). Of this total, only 25 compounds showed prom-ising results (IC50 = <10 µM). The mechanisms of action of the compounds crokokaugenoid A, kongensin A, kongensin D, ent-16β,17α-dihydroxykaurane, and lauicyclone A have been reported. These compounds likely act by inducing apoptosis, autophagy, cell cycle arrest, inhibition of cell migration and invasion, and DNA fragmentation in breast cancer cell lines. To date, no randomized clinical trials have been conducted using Croton diterpenoids for the treatment of breast cancer. Therefore, further studies on the modula-tion of the immune response by these natural products are essential to better understand their immunotherapeutic activity in the tumor microenvironment during breast cancer progression. Full article

Background/Objectives: Pelvic injuries are frequently associated with severe hemorrhage and may contribute to early trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC). Whether pelvic injury is independently associated with TIC beyond overall injury severity remains unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between pelvic injury and TIC in severe trauma patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective single-center study including adult severe trauma patients (injury severity score > 15) admitted between January 2012 and July 2020. Patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (because of its specific coagulopathy and mortality), inter-hospital transfer, pregnancy, or long-term anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy were excluded. Pelvic injury was defined as any traumatic lesion involving the pelvic girdle identified on admission computed tomography. TIC was defined by an international normalized ratio (INR) > 1.2 and/or fibrinogen < 1.5 g/L and/or platelet count < 100 G/L. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with TIC. Results: Among 388 included patients (79.6% male, median age 39 years), 114 (29.4%) had a pelvic injury. TIC was present in 160 patients (41.3%), and TIC prevalence was significantly higher in patients with pelvic injury (n = 73–64.0%) compared to those without (n = 87–31.8%) (p < 0.001). After multivariate analysis, TIC was independently associated with pelvic injury (OR 2.81, 95% CI 1.63–4.89), shock index > 0.9 (OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.12–3.37), hemoglobin < 10 g/dL (OR 4.27, 95% CI 1.77–11.49), and lower base excess values on admission (OR per unit increase 0.92, 95% CI 0.87–0.97). Injury severity score and number of lesions (AIS ≥ 3) were not independently associated with TIC. Conclusions: Pelvic injury was independently associated with TIC after adjustment for injury severity, number of severe injuries, and markers of hemodynamic and metabolic shock, including shock index, hemoglobin level, and base excess. These findings suggest that patients with pelvic injury may represent a high-risk subgroup for early coagulopathy, supporting the need for early recognition and adapted resuscitation strategies. Further prospective studies are required to explore underlying mechanisms. Full article

Objectives: To access the effects of febrile seizures from coexisting neurodevelopmental conditions that are commonly associated with autism spectrum disorder. We examined whether febrile seizures are independently associated with ASD after considering neurodevelopmental comorbidities and seizure-related clinical characteristics. Methods: We conducted a nationwide population-based matched cohort study using Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database. The study included 948 children with FS and 3804 age- and sex-matched controls without FS. Participants were followed longitudinally for incident ASD. Associations were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards models with additional analyses restricted to the FS cohort. Neurodevelopmental comorbidities assessed included attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), epilepsy, and Tourette syndrome/tic disorder. Results: Among 4752 children followed for more than 10 years, 43 (0.9%) developed ASD. FS were not independently associated with ASD in adjusted Cox regression models. In contrast, ADHD, epilepsy, and Tourette syndrome/tic disorder were strongly and consistently associated with ASD across analytic models. Conclusions: Febrile seizures were not independently associated with autism spectrum disorder. Instead, ASD risk was largely explained by coexisting neurodevelopmental comorbidities, consistent with a shared neurodevelopmental susceptibility framework. These findings suggest that developmental surveillance should prioritize children with neurodevelopmental disorders rather than those with febrile seizures alone. Full article

Infrared image colorization has gained widespread attention in recent years as an important means of enhancing image visibility and semantic expression. However, existing evaluation methods mostly rely on pixel-level differences or feature distribution distances, failing to comprehensively reflect the usability of colorization results in practical tasks. To address this, we propose a task-oriented colorization quality evaluation metric called Recognition-Task based Detection Score (RDS), which uses the recognition accuracy of object detection models on colorized images as a proxy indicator to measure their actual performance in downstream tasks, thereby achieving consistency between image quality assessment and task performance. RDS incorporates three key characteristics in its design: enhancing position robustness through the matching mechanism of object detection tasks, providing fine-grained interpretability through category-level accuracy calculation, and achieving task adjustability through flexible category division strategies. Systematic experiments conducted on both NIR–RGB and FLIR-5C datasets demonstrate that RDS maintains good subjective–objective consistency with traditional metrics under standard registration conditions, exhibits superior stability under registration error scenarios, and possesses fine-grained interpretability and task adjustability that traditional metrics lack. RDS maintains a 5.7% improvement in discriminative Score Gap under misalignment while PSNR degrades by 69.8%, and flexible category merging raises TIC-CGAN’s RDS from 76.05% to 96.45% on unseen scenes, providing more practically valuable criteria for the evaluation and optimization of infrared colorization models. Full article

The development of lightweight materials with high and reversible hydrogen storage capacity remains a key materials design challenge. Here, we investigate pristine and Ti-decorated C₃B₂ quantum dots using DFT, DLPNO-CCSD(T), and statistical thermodynamics. Pristine C₃B₂ strongly chemisorbs H₂ (E_ads = −0.93 eV), while Ti decoration moderates the interaction to a reversible regime (E_ads = −0.39 eV) through a balanced Kubas-type mechanism. Structural analysis shows that the Ti center becomes saturated at approximately five H₂ molecules via Kubas-type coordination, while additional hydrogen molecules are stabilized in the vicinity of the Ti–C₃B₂ framework through cooperative interactions. Sequential adsorption shows that up to 20 H₂ molecules can be stored per Ti–C₃B₂ unit. Thermodynamic and kinetic analyses reveal moderate desorption temperatures (≈322–366 K) and ultrafast release times, ensuring efficient cycling. Under realistic operating conditions (30/3 atm; 298/373 K), Ti–C₃B₂ achieves a reversible capacity of 20.10 wt%, surpassing DOE targets. These results highlight Ti-decorated C₃B₂ quantum dots as a promising, design-tunable platform for next-generation solid-state hydrogen storage. Full article

The formation of Ti₂AlC was investigated by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) from the elemental Ti-Al-C powder compacts. The compositional ratios of Ti:Al:C varied from 2:1:1 to 2:1.2:0.8 to explore the effects of deficient carbon and excess Al on the combustion kinetics and product formation. For the Ti-Al-C powder compacts, self-sustaining combustion featuring a distinct combustion wave was readily achieved upon ignition. Excess Al caused a decrease in combustion temperature and flame-front velocity, while deficient carbon showed relatively little influence. The synthesized product from the sample with an exact stoichiometry of Ti:Al:C = 2:1:1 was composed of 79.5 wt.% Ti₂AlC, 9.8 wt. Ti₃AlC₂, 10.7 wt.% TiC, and a small amount of Ti₃AlC. The addition of excess Al by 20 at.% not only increased the yield of Ti₂AlC but avoided the formation of Ti₃AlC. A reduction of carbon further improved the evolution of Ti₂AlC. The sample with an off-stoichiometric proportion of Ti:Al:C = 2:1.2:0.9 yielded the optimum product composition of 91.9 wt.% Ti₂AlC, 4.2 wt.% Ti₃AlC₂, and 3.9 wt.% TiC. This was attributed to the fact that excess Al and deficient carbon facilitated the formation of TiAl and sub-stoichiometric TiC, both of which acted as the intermediate phases to combine into Ti₂AlC. The as-synthesized Ti₂AlC grains were in the shape of thin platelets with a size of 4–8 μm and a thickness of about 1.0 μm. A laminated microstructure formed by closely stacked platelets is typical of the MAX carbide. Full article

We introduce cumulative tic-tac-toe, a novel variant of the classic $3\times 3$ tic-tac-toe game in which play continues until the board is completely filled. Each player’s final score is determined by the total number of three-in-a-row sequences they form. Using combinatorial game theory (CGT), we establish that under optimal play, the game is a draw, and we characterize its theoretical properties. To empirically validate and optimize practical play, we develop a reinforcement learning (RL) framework based on temporal-difference (TD) learning, which is enhanced with a domain-informed evaluation function to accelerate convergence. The experimental results show that our triplet-coverage difference (TCD) evaluation function reduces the average number of training episodes by approximately 23.1% compared with a random-initialization baseline, a statistically significant improvement at the 5% significance level. These results demonstrate the efficiency of our CGT–RL approach for cumulative tic-tac-toe and suggest that similar methods may be useful for analyzing related combinatorial games. We also discuss potential analogies in domains such as competitive resource allocation and coalition formation, illustrating how cumulative-scoring games connect abstract game-theoretic ideas to practical sequential decision problems. Full article

Modern materials science is focused on the development of steels with a range of performance characteristics, including high strength, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and long-term performance in various conditions. Special attention is paid to the control of the microstructure of steels at the crystallization stage, which allows for the improvement of metal properties without significantly increasing the cost of the manufacturing process. One of the promising methods of microstructural engineering is the modification of steels with dispersed particles of refractory compounds, such as titanium carbide (TiC), zirconium carbide (ZrC), and tungsten carbide (WC). However, the processes of dissolution, dissociation, and interaction of such ceramic particles with the metal melt, as well as their influence on the formation of the microstructure and properties under the conditions of non-equilibrium crystallization, which is typical for centrifugal casting, are not sufficiently studied for austenitic stainless steels. In this work, the influence of dispersed carbide particles of TiC, ZrC, and WC, which are introduced into the melt of austenitic stainless steel (Cr ≈ 18%, Ni ≈ 10%) during centrifugal casting, on the redistribution of alloying elements, the formation of the microstructure, and the mechanical properties of the material is investigated. Special attention is paid to the kinetic nature of the dissolution and interaction of the carbides with the melt, as well as the directional distribution of elements across the cross-section of the billets. The study includes the analysis of the distribution of Ti, W, and Zr across the cross-section of the centrifugally cast billets, the study of the microstructure and phase composition of the inclusions using SEM/EDS, and mechanical testing. It is found that the implementation of dispersion hardening leads to an increase in the tensile strength by up to ~22% compared to the initial alloy (from 496 to 612 MPa), while the impact strength decreases by 5–25% (from 110 to 82 J/cm²) depending on the type and quantity of the introduced particles. The analysis of microhardness shows the presence of a gradient of local properties across the cross-section of the centrifugally cast billets, with microhardness values ranging from ~110 to 195 HV0.5. For the modified samples, the relative difference between the inner and outer zones is ~5–20%, reflecting the combined effect of non-equilibrium solidification, redistribution of alloying elements, formation and spatial distribution of secondary phases, and local structural heterogeneity. These results confirm the possibility of controlling the distribution of properties within a single billet. Full article

Slow-oscillation neurofeedback (NF), encompassing slow cortical potential (SCP), infra-low-frequency (ILF), and infra-slow-fluctuation (ISF) protocols, has gained increasing interest as a non-pharmacological intervention in pediatric mental health and neurodevelopmental care. This narrative review synthesizes peer-reviewed literature on the clinical efficacy of slow-oscillation NF in children and adolescents across various conditions, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), epilepsy, tic disorders, and eating-related concerns. SCP NF is the most extensively studied protocol and shows preliminary efficacy in reducing ADHD symptoms, particularly among individuals capable of learning self-regulation. For ASD and other conditions, early evidence from primarily small-scale or uncontrolled studies suggests possible benefits in emotional regulation, impulsivity, and behavioral symptoms, though findings remain mixed and often non-specific. Methodological heterogeneity, including variation in control conditions, training protocols, and outcome measures, limits the comparability of results. ILF and ISF protocols, while promising, are still emerging and require further validation. Overall, slow-oscillation NF appears to offer potential as a personalized therapeutic option for pediatric populations, but robust, well-controlled trials are needed to clarify its clinical utility and optimize its integration into multimodal care. Full article

This paper presents the design and implementation of an integrated robotic system capable of detecting objects through computer vision and making decisions based on logic strategies to perform physical tasks. For that, the system uses a robotic arm to play the Tic-Tac-Toe game utilizing a Q-learning algorithm to determine optimal moves. The system can be controlled using a graphical interface that enables real-time monitoring, facilitating seamless interaction between the user and the robotic arm. Three algorithms with different decision strategies were developed: a random decision algorithm, the MiniMax algorithm, and Q-learning, a reinforcement-learning algorithm. The results obtained highlight the control of the robotic arm using kinematic equations, the training of a robust YOLOv5 model, and the effective learning capability of a Q-learning algorithm. The proposed system presents practical implementation of the robotic system which can be used as a basis for further projects and for teaching robotics. Full article

With the growing demand for high-performance die materials under harsh service conditions, the development of composite coatings with enhanced hardness and wear resistance has attracted significant attention. In this study, homogeneous laser cladding was employed to fabricate H13 alloy coatings reinforced with varying TiC contents (0, 10, 20, and 30 in wt.%) on H13 steel, which minimizes compositional segregation and ensures strong metallurgical bonding. TiC particles acted as heterogeneous nucleation sites during solidification, refining the microstructure and enhancing phase stability. The coatings consisted of initial TiC residues, newly formed primary and eutectic TiC, as well as austenite and martensite phases. With increasing TiC addition, TiC morphology evolved from fine particles to complex fishbone-like and polygonal structures. The coating containing 30% TiC achieved the highest hardness of 1095.9 HV_0.5, approximately five times that of the as-annealed H13 steel substrate while the 20% TiC coating exhibited optimal high-temperature wear resistance. Under the sliding conditions at 600 °C, the friction coefficient decreased from 0.467 for the substrate to 0.367 for the 20% TiC coating, accompanied by a remarkable reduction in wear rate from 27.45 × 10⁻⁴ mm³ N⁻¹ m⁻¹ to 4.32 × 10⁻⁴ mm³ N⁻¹ m⁻¹. The superior performance was attributed to the multiscale TiC reinforcement mechanism: initial TiC promoted grain refinement and strong interfacial bonding, in situ formed primary TiC induced lattice distortion and dislocation strengthening, and eutectic TiC reinforced grain boundaries, jointly enhancing hardness, thermal stability, and wear resistance. Full article

In the context of plastic recycling, legislation is evolving and varies across regions, but it remains largely nonspecific. In the European context, producers of post-industrial and post-consumer recycled plastics must guarantee the same wholesomeness as virgin materials. However, they cannot maintain such strict control over incoming materials, because, since the secondary raw materials derived from separate waste collection, they are subjected to high variability in composition and heterogeneity over time. In this frame, a rapid, and easy-to-apply GC-MS method was developed. It employs a liquid–liquid extraction with acetone, followed by quantitative analysis with gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A combination of total ion chromatograms (TICs) and extracted ion chromatograms (EICs) was used. Adequate sensitivity was demonstrated in the selected concentration ranges for most of the analytes, with limits of quantification (LOQs) lower than the legislative limit, when existing. The results showed that the method is sufficiently accurate with recoveries ever higher than 68.3% and relative standard deviations (RSDr) smaller than 4.2%. This method allows, for the first time, the simultaneous quantification of 40 molecules at levels of a few ng/g. It ensures the possibility of obtaining real-time data for the production control system about the safety of the input materials, allowing immediate corrective action in the event of anomalies. This method is focused on PE and PP recycled plastics and is to be considered a screening method that allows for highlighting batches of incoming materials that are too contaminated to control the output material. This method was successfully tested analyzing some batches of plastics both in input and post-recycling. Full article

HfC possesses high hardness, high melting point, and excellent thermal stability, and is regarded as an important wear-resistant reinforcing phase material. In this study, the laser cladding technique was employed to fabricate CoCrFeNiTi and CoCrFeNiTi/HfC composite coatings on the surface of Q235 substrate. The influence of HfC addition on the phase structure evolution, microstructure, and wear resistance of the coatings was systematically investigated. The results showed that the addition of HfC did not alter the phase structure of the coating, which remained dominated by an FCC solid solution. However, they induced the formation of an in situ TiC strengthening phase and reduced the brittle Laves phase content, thereby optimizing the coating’s toughness. At the same time, the coating transformed from columnar to equiaxed crystals, with significantly finer grains and further improved structural uniformity. Compared with the CoCrFeNiTi coating, the CoCrFeNiTi/HfC composite coating exhibited a more stable friction coefficient, a significantly lower wear rate, and improved wear resistance by approximately 2.4 times. The performance improvement was mainly attributed to the load-bearing strengthening and crack-pinning effect of the in situ TiC, the inhibitory effect of the reduction in the Laves brittle phase on adhesive wear, and the synergistic effect of Hf, which forms a stable oxidation-protective film during friction. Full article

Objectives: To evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of intraoperative cell salvage (ICS) in women with ovarian cancer. A prospective multicenter randomized controlled feasibility trial. Setting: Four U.K. cancer centers. Women FIGO stage III/IV ovarian cancer supported by CT scan evidence. We randomized women to receive ICS or donor blood (as required) during surgery for ovarian cancer. The acceptability and feasibility of ICS in women with ovarian cancer having cytoreductive surgery; rates of recruitment for a larger trial and the likely completeness of resource use and outcome data; and blinding of allocation for participants and outcome assessors. A total of 57 women were included; the rate of recruitment was 1.4 cases per month, which closely aligns with the target, and 66% of the eligible patients were recruited. Overall, 91% of women completed the 30-day follow-up, and 75% completed the six-week follow-up. Mean (SD) blood loss in the ICS group was 1022 mL (SD 929 mL) and 924 mL (SD 646 mL) in the control group. A total of 16 (62%) of the participants undergoing surgery in the ICS arm received ICS reinfusion. Of the ten participants in the intervention group who did not receive ICS, six participants lost a significant volume of blood requiring transfusion. In the donor blood group, 14 of the 29 participants received donor blood. In the ICS group, 20/24 (83%) of participants, and 23/24 (96%) of research nurses did not know their group allocation. In the control group, 24/28 (86%) and 25/29 (86%) of participants and research nurses did not know the group allocation. Our study provides clinical evidence of the feasibility and acceptability of using ICS in ovarian cancer surgery and provides useful insights into the use of ICS within clinical trials. Women are open to having ICS as an alternative to blood transfusion. An appropriately powered randomized controlled trial is now required. Full article

Background/Objectives: To investigate and develop a non-invasive parametric radiomics model derived from dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) time-intensity curve (TIC) kinetics for predicting breast cancer molecular subtypes (HR+/HER2−, HER2+ and triple-negative breast cancer). Methods: This multicenter retrospective study enrolled 935 female patients with histologically confirmed breast cancer who underwent pretreatment breast DCE-MRI from August 2017 to July 2022. Based on the wash-in rate (WIR) and the area under the TIC, the original multiphase DCE-MRI images were converted into two types of parametric images. Radiomics features were extracted from TIC-WIR and TIC-Area images and analyzed using low variance filtering, the elimination of highly correlated features, and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression. The categorical boosting algorithm was employed to develop multiclass prediction models for breast cancer molecular subtyping. A TIC-Combined model was further established by integrating the calibrated probability outputs of the TIC-WIR and TIC-Area models using a decision-level fusion strategy. The discrimination, calibration, and interpretability of the models were evaluated in the study datasets. Results: The TIC-Combined model achieved superior predictive performance in both the internal validation set (micro-average AUC: 0.79, macro-average AUC: 0.77) and the external validation set (micro-average AUC: 0.77, macro-average AUC: 0.75). For subtype-specific classification by the TIC-Combined model, the highest one-vs-rest AUCs were 0.81 for triple-negative breast cancer in the internal validation set and 0.76 for HER2+ breast cancer in the external validation set. The TIC-Combined model also showed good calibration and high interpretability which ensured reliable predictions and provided clear insights into feature importance. Conclusions: Interpretable parametric radiomics from TIC-derived parametric maps links kinetic features to molecular phenotypes, enabling accurate and non-invasive classification of breast cancer molecular subtypes. Full article