Search Results (47,633)

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication with bismuth-containing quadruple therapy (BQT) is effective but often accompanied by adverse gastrointestinal reactions and gut microbiota disturbances, while the impact of probiotic supplementation and the predictive value of the gut microbiota remain incompletely understood. In this single-center prospective randomized controlled trial, 109 H. pylori-positive patients were assigned to receive a 14-day BQT alone treatment or BQT combined with compound Lactobacillus acidophilus (LBQT). Fecal samples were collected before treatment, at the end of therapy, and four weeks after completion for 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing to assess microbiota dynamics. Although the addition of compound L. acidophilus did not significantly alter eradication rates, it markedly reduced the incidence of gastrointestinal adverse reactions, accelerated the recovery of gut microbial diversity and abundance, and delayed the overgrowth of potentially pathogenic bacteria, as well as increased short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria. We further predicted the success of H. pylori eradication using ROC curves, and found that the combined baseline fecal microbiota markers (o_Lactobacillales, o_Enterobacterales, and f_Enterobacteriaceae) achieved an AUC of 0.849 at the start of treatment; at 4 weeks after eradication, the AUC of the microbiota combined with o_Peptostreptococcales, c_Bacilli, o_Lactobacillales, and g_Streptococcus predicted successful eradication up to 0.776. These findings indicate that compound L. acidophilus supplementation alleviates the side effects of BQT and promotes the restoration of gut microbiota homeostasis, and that gut microbiota signatures may serve as noninvasive predictors of treatment tolerance and therapeutic outcome. Full article

Safe and resilient operation of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage and distribution stations is important to the sustainability of fuel infrastructure, yet boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE) prevention requires time-dependent barrier analysis and a clear separation between prevention priorities and post-rupture exposure. This study develops a dynamic–spatial screening framework that integrates evidence-graded basic events, a priority-AND dynamic fault tree, a continuous-time Markov chain (CTMC), memory-efficient Monte Carlo trajectory simulation, modeled-area prevention prioritization, and tank-origin relative-exposure screening. A one-million-trajectory accelerated numerical baseline produced 112,693 BLEVE-conditioned trajectories. Weld cracking and fire-pump failure had the highest dynamic criticality because they act in later barrier-degradation stages, whereas high-wind spread had the greatest conditional involvement. Tank structure had the highest modeled-area prevention priority. Receiver rankings depended on the assumed layout: P5 ranked first under the baseline schematic coordinates, whereas P2 ranked first under the illustrative metric-coordinate scenario across the tested distance-attenuation kernels. Convergence, acceleration-factor, evidence-grade, weight, recovery, alternative-path, static-importance, coordinate, and kernel sensitivities were evaluated. Prevention-priority scores and normalized exposure indices are reported separately and are not interpreted as calibrated accident frequency, physical dose, expected loss, or quantitative risk. By supporting targeted inspection, maintenance, monitoring, and emergency-resource allocation, the framework can contribute to safer, more resilient, and more sustainable operation of LPG infrastructure. Full article

The increasing demand for lightweight and corrosion-resistant structures has accelerated the use of AA5083 aluminium alloy in automotive, aerospace, marine and transportation industries owing to its excellent corrosion resistance, weldability and favourable strength-to-weight ratio. However, the fabrication of complex AA5083 components remains challenging because of limited formability, localised thinning, fracture and springback associated with conventional forming processes. Robotic incremental sheet forming (RISF) has emerged as a promising dieless manufacturing technology capable of producing complex and customised components with reduced tooling requirements. Recent developments in assisted RISF, particularly heating-assisted and hydro-assisted approaches, have further enhanced process capability. The reviewed literature consistently demonstrates that heating-assisted RISF improves formability by reducing flow stress and fracture tendency, whereas hydro-assisted RISF provides superior thickness distribution, deformation stability and dimensional accuracy. Despite these advances, significant challenges remain, including the lack of standardised processing conditions, limited comparative studies between cold and assisted RISF, insufficient understanding of hydro-assisted RISF for AA5083, and the absence of comprehensive process–structure–performance correlations. This review critically summarises the principles of ISF, RISF and assisted RISF technologies, evaluates their technical developments, industrial potential and economic considerations, and identifies the major research gaps limiting industrial implementation. Future research should focus on standardised processing methodologies, predictive modelling, integrated process optimisation and comprehensive material characterisation to facilitate the wider adoption of assisted RISF for manufacturing advanced lightweight AA5083 components. Full article

Background and Objectives: Achilles tendon rupture (ATR) incidence has increased across sport populations, and, given its impact on elite performance, the purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize the available video analysis evidence describing the biomechanics of ATR in sport. Methods: Four databases were searched to June 2026 for video analysis studies reporting the mechanics of ATR in athletes. Eleven studies (2019–2026) reporting overlapping samples of ATR events in professional basketball, soccer, and American football were included and synthesized at the study level to avoid double counting. Study quality was appraised using the QA-SIVAS scale. Results: Non-contact mechanisms predominated in all studies reporting injury dynamics (64–100%). Acceleration from a stationary or near-stationary position was the most common movement context, with the “false step” frequently described as a recurrent initiating action rather than a singular cause. Ankle dorsiflexion at the injury frame was present across all studies (25.3–47.9°). A recurrent injury-frame configuration was observed, comprising trunk flexion, hip extension, knee extension or early flexion, ankle dorsiflexion, and a flat foot, reached through a progression from initial contact. Conclusions: ATR was predominantly a non-contact injury, most often during acceleration from a near-stationary position, reaching a broadly convergent injury-frame configuration. A rearward preparatory step recurred across studies and movement categories, but inconsistent definitions and incomplete reporting mean its overall frequency cannot be established. It remains a candidate movement feature for controlled biomechanical investigation, and future work should compare successful and injurious steps within athletes. Full article

Multifunctional polymer scaffolds with mechanical support, biocompatibility, and antimicrobial activity are key for next-generation biomedical materials. We report the fabrication of electrospun nanocomposite fibers made from polycaprolactone (PCL), starch, and mesoporous aluminum oxide nanoparticles (n-Al₂O₃). Nanoparticles (11 ± 4 nm) were synthesized via a sol-gel method, predominantly comprising γ- and α-Al₂O₃ phases. Four fiber systems were fabricated by side-by-side electrospinning: PCL, PCL/starch, PCL/n-Al₂O₃, and PCL/starch/n-Al₂O₃. SEM analysis confirmed uniform and bead-free fibers in all formulations. Tensile tests showed that the incorporation of starch and nanoparticles improved the mechanical performance compared with neat PCL. In particular, PCL/starch/n-Al₂O₃ fibers exhibited increases of 404% in Young’s modulus and 102% in elongation at break. In PBS, starch and n-Al₂O₃ enhanced hydrophilicity and accelerated weight loss, with PCL/starch/n-Al₂O₃ showing the highest mass loss. Antibacterial tests indicated that only fibers with nanoparticles could inhibit Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, with PCL/starch/n-Al₂O₃ showing a major effect. Although n-Al₂O₃ increased cytotoxicity toward NIH-3T3, starch mitigated this effect, and the ternary scaffold showed no detectable cytotoxicity. Moreover, PCL/starch/n-Al₂O₃ exhibited non-hemolytic behavior, enhanced fibroblast migration, and wound-healing-related protein expression. Overall, side-by-side electrospun PCL/starch/n-Al₂O₃ scaffold exhibited showed improved mechanical, biological, and antibacterial properties, supporting its potential as a wound-dressing material. Full article

Chronic respiratory diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, and chronic bronchitis, are characterized by persistent airway inflammation and mucus hypersecretion, leading to airway remodeling and progressive pulmonary dysfunction. Although current therapies improve disease control, they often fail to adequately target the complex molecular mechanisms underlying chronic airway diseases and may cause adverse effects during long-term use. Natural products have therefore emerged as promising multitarget therapeutic agents because they simultaneously regulate oxidative stress, inflammatory signaling, epithelial dysfunction, and mucus production. Recent evidence demonstrates that marine-derived bioactive compounds and plant-derived phytochemicals modulate key signaling pathways, including nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt), Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT), the NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), thereby suppressing airway inflammation, oxidative stress, goblet cell differentiation, and MUC5AC overexpression. Advances in nanoformulation, pulmonary drug delivery, multi-omics, artificial intelligence-assisted drug discovery, and network pharmacology are expected to accelerate clinical translation. Collectively, natural products represent promising candidates for the development of evidence-based functional foods, nutraceuticals, and novel therapeutic strategies for chronic respiratory diseases. Full article

Colorectal cancer (CRC) exhibits substantial heterogeneity across ancestry, age at onset, and treatment exposure. Although dysregulation of the WNT signaling pathway is a hallmark of CRC, its associations with genomic burden and survival across diverse clinical contexts remain incompletely understood. We analyzed 2562 CRC cases from AACR Project GENIE and cBioPortal, stratified by ancestry (African American [AA] and non-Hispanic White [NHW]), age at onset (early vs. late), and FOLFOX treatment status. Associations between WNT pathway alterations, genomic burden (mutation count, tumor mutational burden, and fraction of genome altered), and survival were assessed using conventional statistical methods. AI-HOPE and AI-HOPE-WNT conversational artificial intelligence platforms were used to facilitate data integration and exploratory analyses. WNT pathway alterations were highly prevalent across all subgroups and were predominantly driven by APC alterations. Late-onset CRC, particularly among NHW patients not treated with FOLFOX, exhibited higher mutation burden and enrichment of AXIN1 and AXIN2 alterations. Survival analyses demonstrated context-dependent associations between WNT alterations and outcomes. Among early-onset FOLFOX-treated patients, WNT alterations were associated with differential survival. In NHW patients, WNT alterations were linked to improved survival across multiple clinical settings, whereas associations in AA patients were more limited and context-specific. WNT pathway alterations are pervasive in CRC but exhibit ancestry-, age-, and treatment-dependent associations with genomic complexity and survival. AI-guided analyses may accelerate identification of clinically relevant subgroup-specific molecular patterns. Full article

Photocatalytic hydrogen production has emerged as one of the most promising approaches for addressing the global energy crisis by enabling the sustainable conversion of solar energy into clean hydrogen fuel. However, its practical application is still hindered by the rapid recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, which severely limits photocatalytic efficiency. Although noble-metal co-catalysts have been demonstrated to markedly promote charge separation and accelerate surface reaction kinetics, their widespread application remains constrained by their high cost and limited availability. In this study, a non-noble Ni/NiOx@C co-catalyst was fabricated and employed to modify ZnIn₂S₄ (ZIS) for photocatalytic hydrogen production. The optimized sample (15Ni/NiOx@C/ZIS) exhibits a hydrogen production rate of 4140.03 μmol/g/h, 18.16 times higher than that of pristine ZIS. This enhancement is primarily attributed to the improved separation and transfer of photogenerated charge carriers facilitated by the Ni/NiOx@C co-catalyst. Notably, the hydrogen evolution rate of 15Ni/NiOx@C/ZIS is 1.33 times higher than that of ZIS/3%Pt, suggesting that Ni/NiOx@C has great potential as a substitute for noble metal Pt. Various characterization results demonstrate that 15Ni/NiOx@C/ZIS exhibits superior photocatalytic performance, ascribed to its enhanced light absorption capability, and efficient separation of photogenerated carriers. Additionally, cycling tests and XRD analysis confirm the excellent stability of 15Ni/NiOx@C/ZIS, indicating its potential for practical applications. This work provides a valuable reference for the rational design and development of efficient and cost-effective non-noble co-catalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen production. Full article

This paper presents the research, development, and functional validation of an original rear suspension system designed for hybrid reverse trike vehicles (two guided wheels on the front axle and a twin-tire-driven assembly at the rear). Conventional configurations featuring a single rear wheel exhibit severe limitations regarding lateral stability under critical dynamic regimes and induce roll-induced torsional loading in flexible chain drives. The proposed solution utilizes a twin-tire rear assembly integrated into an articulated suspension mechanism with two degrees of freedom (2 DoF), which reconfigures the geometric stability polygon from a triangle into an isosceles trapezoid. A mathematical model based on tire dynamics and tire slip phenomena demonstrates that introducing a controlled roll stiffness on the rear axle stabilizes the slip angles, ensuring a neutral and predictable steering behavior. Structural validation via finite element analysis (FEA) performed in SOLIDWORKS Simulation on the entire assembly under a conservative combined load scenario (2400 N vertical force shared by the two wheel bearings, 2400 N lateral force, and 1200 N tractive force) indicated a minimum factor of safety of 1.26 on S275N structural steel, confirmed by an eleven-run mesh independence study. Finally, the system’s functionality was experimentally confirmed through the manufacturing and road testing of a full-scale (1:1) demonstrator vehicle powered by an 1129 cc Boxer engine, highlighting a measurable increase in rollover resistance and trouble-free operation of the two-stage chain drive throughout the test program. A numerical evaluation shows that for rear-biased vehicles of the category the proposed axle raises the rollover-related lateral acceleration threshold by up to 54% and replaces the strongly oversteering balance of the single-wheel layout with a near-neutral, tunable one. Full article

Optimizing the positions of decoupling capacitors (decaps) is critical for the design of power delivery networks (PDNs). Conventional methods typically employ fixed via positions, limiting design flexibility and often yielding suboptimal impedance performance. This study proposes a hierarchical genetic algorithm that simultaneously optimizes via positions and decap positions and types to achieve the target impedance while reducing the number of decaps used. The proposed method first selects via positions over a large search space, and the decap optimization is subsequently conducted on the selected vias. A precomputed inductance look-up table (LUT) is employed to accelerate impedance calculation during the iterative optimization process. The simulation and measurement results validate the accuracy of the impedance estimation and demonstrate that the proposed co-design method achieves the target impedance, which the conventional fixed-via method fails to satisfy. This study highlights the importance of considering via and decap co-design in practical PDN optimization. Full article

With the acceleration of global urbanization, neighborhood green spaces have emerged as important carbon sinks. However, current urban carbon inventories frequently neglect the understory shrub layer owing to morphological heterogeneity and a lack of standardized allometric models. To address this limitation, we analyzed 13 major shrub species (n = 665) through whole-plant excavation. Hierarchical cluster analysis and linear discriminant analysis classified the 13 species into three functional morphological groups based on intrinsic morphological traits (basal stem density, root-to-shoot biomass allocation, and secondary radial growth capacity) (p < 0.001): small shrubs (Type I), large shrubs with high root-to-shoot allocation (Type II), and multi-stemmed sprouting shrubs (Type III). Standard models accurately estimated biomass for Type I species, whereas symbolic regression improved the prediction of the complex non-linear biomass allocation of Type II species. For Type III species, characterized by multi-stemmed growth and anthropogenic management, robust regression provided stable biomass estimates. Gompertz growth models predicted carbon sequestration trajectories, indicating that urban shrubs function as rapid carbon sinks during the early establishment stage. To facilitate practical application, we developed the Urban Forest Carbon Storage Calculator, which integrates Monte Carlo simulation and bootstrapping to generate 95% confidence intervals for species-specific biomass estimation. This study quantifies the overlooked carbon value of the urban shrub layer and provides a morphology-driven methodological approach and a practical tool for sustainable urban forest management. Full article

Glycogenolysis is an important contributor to ATP production in contracting skeletal muscle. However, the activation of glycogen phosphorylase in resting muscle does not by itself trigger significant glycogenolysis. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying this regulation, we analyzed the functional coupling between glycogenolysis and glycolysis using a mathematical model of energy metabolism in mammalian fast-twitch (white) skeletal muscle. A system-level analysis of the model reveals an important role for inorganic phosphate (a substrate for glycogen phosphorylase) in regulating glycogenolysis rates in both resting and contracting muscle. In contracting muscle, at sufficiently high concentrations of inorganic phosphate, the activation of glycogen phosphorylase markedly increases the rate of glycogenolysis, thereby enhancing ATP production and stabilizing the cellular energy charge. In contrast, glycogen phosphorylase activation in resting muscle is unable to support glycogen breakdown due to a significant decrease in inorganic phosphate levels. Moreover, the analysis shows that forced acceleration of the glycogen phosphorylase reaction under resting conditions does not increase ATP production; instead, it promotes the accumulation of phosphorylated glycolytic intermediates, which may induce osmotic stress and cause damage to muscle cells. Full article

This paper presents a hardware–software co-design framework for real-time super-resolution (SR) of low-quality video on resource-constrained edge platforms. At its core is a compact residual network obtained by once-for-all (OFA) neural architecture search over the Residual Channel Attention Network (RCAN) design space, trained conventionally and then optimized with quantization-aware training (QAT) for deployment on an integer-only deep-learning processing unit (DPU). Loop tiling and data-flow scheduling are applied within a custom high-level synthesis (HLS) pre-processing pipeline that feeds the DPU, and a per-directive ablation isolates the contribution of each optimization to post-route resource usage and timing. Deployed on a Kria KV260 board with a $128\times 128$ network input, the INT8 network sustains $96.37$ FPS at the ×2 scale at a measured board power of $5.38$ W, corresponding to $6.32$ Mpixel/s of reconstructed output at $1.17$ Mpixel/J, within 63.2% of the device LUT budget and with timing closed at 275 MHz. Relative to the FP32 model, INT8 quantization costs $0.274$ dB of peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) on Set5, $0.172$ dB on Set14, $0.116$ dB on B100, and $0.146$ dB on Urban100, a loss dominated (81–90%) by activation rather than weight quantization. On a held-out UAV subset drawn from VisDrone2019, which is the operating domain the system targets, the network reconstructs at $25.94$ dB and $0.748$ SSIM. These results show that a twenty-three-layer residual SR network can be deployed within a 5.38 W envelope on a low-cost integer-only edge FPGA, making the approach suitable for autonomous systems, robotics, and airborne surveillance. Full article

This in vitro study aimed to evaluate the effects of different polishing systems and accelerated artificial aging on the optical properties and surface roughness of structurally different single-shade resin composites (SSRCs). Five SSRCs (Omnichroma (OM), Essentia Universal (EU), Admira Fusion X-tra Universal (AFX), Charisma Diamond ONE Shade (CDO), and Zenchroma (ZC)) were evaluated in this study. A total of 250 disc-shaped specimens were randomly assigned to five polishing groups: unpolished control, Sof-lex XT, Clearfil Twist Dia, Enhance-PoGo, and Opti One Step. Measurements were taken after a 24 h incubation in distilled water (37 °C) and repeated after accelerated aging. Changes in color and translucency were calculated using the CIEDE2000 formula. Statistical analyses included the Mann–Whitney U test with Bonferroni correction, the Kruskal–Wallis test, and Spearman’s correlation for interrelationships among ΔE₀₀, ΔTP₀₀, and ΔSR. CDO and AFX showed lower ΔE₀₀ values across all polishing groups (p < 0.05). ΔSR differed among resin composites and was generally higher in CDO and AFX (p < 0.05). Polishing systems affected both ΔE₀₀ and ΔSR within each SSRC group. ΔTP₀₀ varied by resin composite, increasing in some groups and decreasing in others. Overall, ΔE₀₀, ΔSR, and ΔTP₀₀ depended on resin composite type and polishing system. Nano-hybrid resin composites generally demonstrated weaker color changes than microhybrid resin composites, whereas the color stability of the supra-nanofilled composite varied according to the polishing system. Multi-step and diamond-containing polishing systems generally yielded superior optical and surface performance, although their effectiveness depended on resin composite structure. The optical properties of SSRCs, including color, translucency, and surface roughness, were influenced not only by polishing protocols and accelerated artificial aging but also by the structural characteristics of the resin composites. Given the relationships among color, translucency, and surface roughness, careful selection of polishing systems is critical for maintaining the long-term esthetic and functional performance of SSRCs. Full article

Background: Timely hepatitis B vaccine birth-dose (HepBV-BD) vaccination is a cornerstone strategy for preventing mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV). Although hepatitis B vaccination coverage in China has improved substantially, evidence regarding long-term district-level spatiotemporal inequalities in timely birth-dose vaccination remains limited, particularly in western China. This study assessed spatiotemporal disparities in hepatitis B vaccination coverage across Chongqing, China, from 2016 to 2025. Methods: This ecological descriptive study used district- and county-level vaccination surveillance data from the Chongqing Immunization Information Management System. Temporal trends in HepBV-BD, timely birth-dose (TBD), HepBV2, and HepBV3 coverage were analyzed. Regional disparities, interregional inequalities, and spatial clustering were assessed using Global Moran’s I and Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA). Results: All vaccination indicators improved substantially during the study period. TBD coverage increased from 81.9% to 95.4%, whereas HepBV3 coverage increased from 83.7% to 98.7%. TBD coverage was strongly positively associated with HepBV3 coverage(r = 0.95, p < 0.001). Mountainous ethnic minority regions consistently exhibited the lowest TBD coverage despite marked improvement over time. Absolute interregional inequality decreased from 30.8 to 8.4 percentage points. Although Global Moran’s I was not statistically significant, LISA analysis identified persistent localized low-coverage clusters in southeastern mountainous regions and emerging high–high clusters in northern Chongqing. Conclusions: Hepatitis B vaccination coverage in Chongqing improved markedly between 2016 and 2025, accompanied by declining geographic inequality. Nevertheless, persistent spatial inequities in timely birth-dose vaccination remained in mountainous ethnic minority areas. Continued monitoring of spatial inequalities, together with strengthened primary healthcare capacity, culturally tailored health education, and equitable resource allocation, may help support geographically targeted immunization strategies and accelerate progress toward the WHO goal of eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. Full article