Search Results (57,399)

To overcome challenges associated with Cloud Drift Optimization (CDO), primarily involving early stagnation and the imbalance between global exploration and local exploitation in tackling high-dimensional, complex optimization tasks, an improved variant named Chaotic Random Cloud Drift Optimization (CRCDO) is proposed in this study. First, a Kent chaotic initialization mapping is adopted to generate diverse initial solutions. Second, the parameter sensitivity is adjusted to appropriately strengthen the local exploitation capability of the algorithm. Third, a centroid opposition-based learning strategy is introduced to generate mutated clouds, which enables the algorithm to escape local optima. Owing to the cooperative effect of these three strategies, CRCDO achieves faster convergence and higher computational accuracy while maintaining dynamic stability. To evaluate its performance, CRCDO is compared with eleven well-established optimization algorithms on the CEC2017 suites. The experimental results demonstrate that CRCDO exhibits superior optimization performance on a wide range of complex problems. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm has been successfully applied to three representative engineering design problems, including robot gripper design, welded beam design, and compression spring design, as well as a regression task for predicting praeruptorin A and praeruptorin B in Peucedanum praeruptorum. The results show that CRCDO achieves faster convergence, higher solution accuracy, and greater stability on the benchmark problems, while its engineering and prediction applications demonstrate robustness and practical applicability across different problem classes. Full article

Hybrid approaches for conversational NLU commonly rely on cascading strategies, where model selection is performed after inference based on output confidence or uncertainty. Although effective, such post-hoc decision processes introduce redundant computation and accumulated latency due to sequential model execution. In this paper, we propose a pre-inference routing framework that selects an appropriate model before executing any candidate NLU model and without relying on candidate-model confidence or uncertainty. Instead of relying on output-dependent signals, we model NLU difficulty as a multi-dimensional representation of the joint intent recognition and slot extraction task, thereby distinguishing the proposed approach from prior post-hoc routing methods that rely primarily on confidence or uncertainty. To further reflect real-world dialogue characteristics, we incorporate temporal conversational factors, including contextual dependency and topic transitions. Based on these features, a lightweight routing mechanism efficiently assigns each utterance to an appropriate model from a pool of domain-specialized and general-purpose models. Experimental results on single-domain turns show that the proposed method maintains competitive Semantic Accuracy while reducing high-capacity model invocation, cost, and latency, thereby improving inference efficiency. These results demonstrate that input-observable difficulty features can provide a practical basis for pre-inference model selection without relying on post-hoc cascading. Full article

Objectives: To compare the geometric design, metallurgical properties, mechanical performance, and irrigation dynamics of Reciproc Minima (M20 and M25) and Reciproc Blue R25 instruments. Methods: One hundred and eighty instruments (n = 60/group) were evaluated. Geometry was analyzed using stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and 3D surface scanning. Metallurgical characteristics were assessed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Mechanical performance tests (n = 10/group) included cyclic fatigue, torsional resistance, bending resistance, buckling resistance, and cutting efficiency. Irrigation dynamics were examined through computational fluid dynamics simulations based on a micro-CT-derived mandibular molar model prepared according to each system and combined with open-ended, side-vented, or double side-vented needles. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA or Kruskal–Wallis tests (α = 0.05). Results: The results showed that blade dimensions increased progressively from Minima M20 to Reciproc Blue R25. All instruments had S-shaped cross-sections and non-active tips. Energy-dispersive spectroscopy confirmed near-equiatomic NiTi composition, and similar phase transformation temperatures were observed across groups. Minima M20 showed the highest cyclic fatigue resistance (p < 0.0001), whereas Minima R25 exhibited greater angular deflection (p < 0.0001). Reciproc Blue R25 had the highest buckling resistance and lowest flexibility (p < 0.0001). M25 showed the lowest axial force, indicating the numerically highest cutting efficiency, but it did not differ significantly from Reciproc Blue R25 (p > 0.05). No needle delivered irrigant to working length. The open-ended needle achieved greater apical penetration, particularly with Reciproc Blue R25. Minima M20 generated the highest wall shear stress, and Reciproc Blue R25 the lowest apical pressure. Conclusions: Reciproc Minima and Reciproc Blue R25 showed similar metallurgical characteristics; however, differences in geometric design resulted in distinct mechanical behaviors and irrigation fluid dynamics. These findings suggest that low-taper reciprocating instruments may represent a conservative alternative in anatomically challenging canals, while clinicians should consider the associated differences in mechanical behavior and irrigation dynamics when selecting the most appropriate instrument. Full article

Background: Creatinine normalization is the default adjustment for urine dilution in spot-urine monitoring of athletes, yet its appropriateness is seldom tested in field data. We tested whether it removes or introduces concentration dependence across a panel of urinary analytes in soccer players training in extreme heat and whether raw versus normalized values change the inferred response. Methods: Sixteen male soccer players (age 19.9 ± 0.8 y) provided spot urine at three daily time points (morning, pre-training, post-training) over six training days in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, glucose, urea nitrogen, uric acid, total protein, and creatinine were measured. For each analyte we quantified its scaling exponent with creatinine, the correlation of raw and normalized values with creatinine, and the within-day pattern on raw versus normalized values using linear mixed-effects models. Results: Urinary creatinine varied 22.7-fold (coefficient of variation 39%). Only protein and glucose scaled proportionally to creatinine (exponents ≈1.0) and normalized cleanly (ratio–creatinine r = −0.06 and −0.21). The remaining seven analytes, including all electrolytes, scaled weakly (exponents 0.16–0.49), so normalization over-corrected them, producing strong negative ratio–creatinine correlations (uric acid −0.74, sodium −0.59, chloride −0.55). For four of nine a the inferred within-day response differed in direction or significance between raw and normalized values; restricting creatinine to the recommended 0.3–3 g·L⁻¹ range attenuated but did not abolish the over-correction. Conclusions: Creatinine normalization suited protein and glucose but over-corrected every electrolyte and could reverse inferred responses. In this setting of hot-environment team-sport athletes, creatinine normalization should not be assumed adequate for electrolytes, which instead warrant interpretation against an independent index of urine concentration such as osmolality or specific gravity. Full article

Background/Objectives: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a heterogeneous immune-mediated condition involving multiple inflammatory pathways. The clinical utility of platelet-activating factor (PAF) as a biomarker in CSU remains insufficiently defined. This study aimed to evaluate plasma PAF levels in patients with CSU and to investigate their associations with clinical characteristics, disease activity, and laboratory and immunological parameters. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 205 adult patients diagnosed with CSU between January 2016 and May 2023. Clinical data, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), and extensive laboratory parameters were collected. Plasma PAF levels were measured using ELISA in 171 patients. Associations were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. Results: The cohort was predominantly female (77.6%), with a mean age of 42.6 ± 15.3 years. Most patients had uncontrolled disease (76.9%). The median Urticaria Activity Score over 7 days (UAS7) score was 14, corresponding to mild disease activity. PAF levels differed significantly across clinical subgroups. Higher PAF levels were observed in patients with angioedema (alone or in combination with urticaria) compared to those with urticaria alone (p = 0.002), and in patients with predominantly nocturnal and early morning symptoms (p = 0.018). No associations were found between PAF levels and disease activity scores or treatment response. PAF levels showed positive correlations with age, age at symptom onset, IgM, IgG anti-IgE, HSP70, and the CD4/CD8 ratio (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: Plasma PAF levels are associated with specific clinical phenotypes, circadian symptom patterns, and selected immunological markers in CSU, suggesting that PAF may serve as a marker of underlying biological heterogeneity and immune activation. However, the present cross-sectional findings do not establish clinical utility, prognostic significance, or predictive relevance for treatment response, and these aspects require further longitudinal investigation. Full article

The aim of this study was to detect and characterize foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) serotypes circulating in cattle from Nigeria and to determine the genetic relationship with FMDV from previous studies in Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was undertaken between 2017 and 2020, during which a total of 234 epithelial tissue samples were collected from reported outbreaks in nine states across Nigeria over a four-year period. Serotypes O/EA-3 and SAT2/VII were identified in samples from 2017 and 2018, serotypes A/Africa/G-IV and SAT2/VII in 2019, and all three serotypes including O/EA-3 and O/WA were identified in samples from 2020. This study identified the presence of three FMDV serotypes (O/EA-3 and O/WA, A/Africa/G-IV and SAT2/VII) circulating in Nigeria. The three serotypes detected in this study can be recommended for production of the appropriate vaccines to control FMDV in Nigeria. Full article

Automated weed classification supports site-specific weed management by enabling targeted interventions and reducing environmental and operational costs. This study presents a multi-seed evaluation of six deep learning configurations—YOLO26n-cls, Vision Transformer (ViT-B/16), DINOv2 (ViT-S/14) with linear probing and full fine-tuning, ResNet-50, and EfficientNet-B0—for nine-class weed classification using a stratified subset of the DeepWeeds benchmark. The models were evaluated using a leakage-checked train/validation/test split and repeated training across multiple random seeds to assess performance stability and statistical reliability. Among the evaluated approaches, DINOv2-FT and EfficientNet-B0 demonstrated the strongest overall performance, while statistical analysis showed that differences among several high-performing models were not consistently significant across seeds. The study also identifies the importance of appropriate transfer-learning strategies and hyperparameter selection, demonstrating that model performance can be strongly affected by optimisation choices. A reproducibility issue affecting ViT-B/16 was identified and transparently reported, leading to its exclusion from multi-seed statistical comparisons. An exploratory out-of-distribution probe using unlabelled Albanian field images further highlights the challenges of geographic domain shift and the need for locally collected, labelled datasets before reliable regional deployment. Overall, this work provides a systematic comparison of modern deep learning architectures for weed classification and emphasises reproducibility, statistical validation, and careful interpretation of model rankings. Full article

Soil acidification severely threatens soil health, tea quality and yield in tea plantations, making it essential to use appropriate soil amendments to address this issue. Biochar can enhance the agricultural soil environment, but its effects on microbial communities, soil fertility, tea quality and yield remain incompletely understood. In this field study, three treatments were applied in a strongly acidic tea plantation: CK (traditional fertilization), BC1 (CK with 4.5 t ha⁻¹ biochar) and BC2 (CK with 9 t ha⁻¹ biochar). Soil chemical properties, microbial communities, tea quality and yield were measured, and their correlations were analyzed. Compared with CK, BC2 significantly increased soil pH from 4.25 to 4.58 and elevated soil total carbon, total nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen by 99.18%, 21.29% and 166.67%, respectively. The BC2 treatment also enhanced soil microbial diversity and increased the relative abundance of potentially beneficial bacterial genera, which were positively correlated with improved tea quality and yield. In particular, BC2 increased free amino acids, water extracts (WE) and tea yield by 10.64%, 13.01% and 13.65%, respectively. Applying biochar at 9 t ha⁻¹ combined with traditional fertilization appears to be a promising management practice under the conditions of this study to improve soil conditions, tea quality and yield in strongly acidic plantations. Full article

Despite the fact that smoking is still a significant global public health concern, current mathematical models of smoking dynamics primarily depend on conventional numerical solvers. A particular five-compartment smoking dynamics model has not yet been solved using deep neural network (DNN) techniques. In order to fill this research gap, this work creates a unique DNN framework that can simulate nonlinear smoking dynamics in a computationally efficient manner. The Levenberg–Marquardt backpropagation technique is used to improve a dual-hidden-layer network consisting of 20 radial basis activation function (RBAF) neurons and 40 log-sigmoid activation function (LSAF) neurons. With a minimum mean squared error (MSE) of $1.865\times {10}^{-6}$ and a coefficient of determination $R^2$ equal to or near unity across all model variables, the trained DNN offers instantaneous predictions while maintaining superior accuracy, in contrast to traditional numerical methods that necessitate the explicit re-solving of differential equations for each parameter change. Crucially, our DNN-based framework is appropriate for automated public health decision-support systems since it functions independently and does not require human intervention during the prediction phase. Key smoking behaviors, such as initiation, quitting efforts, relapse dynamics, and long-term recovery patterns, are successfully replicated by the framework, while relapse dynamics are captured through the recovered-to-potential smoker pathway, consistent with the original model formulation. These findings show that the proposed DNN approach not only closes the methodological gap in the application of deep learning to smoking dynamics but also offers a dependable and computationally effective tool for quick evaluation of intervention scenarios, supporting evidence-based public health decision making without compromising accuracy. Full article

Bridge scour analysis, especially scour depth calculation practices implemented mostly by hydraulics and geotechnical engineers, was traditionally built upon flume tests with cohesionless materials, e.g., sands. As a result, the analysis of bridge scour in cohesive materials, i.e., cohesive soils and scour-susceptible rocks, was less understood and thus has been gaining increasing attention. This paper presents a state-of-the-practice survey on the analysis of bridge scour in cohesive materials represented by cohesive soils and scour-susceptible rocks. This includes a literature review covering the concepts and understanding of scour susceptibility, material sampling, erodibility tests, bridge scour calculation methods for cohesive soils and rocks, and a summary of the information gathered in communications with engineers from state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) in the U.S. Through this review, it was found that scour analysis in cohesive soils and scour-susceptible rocks continues to require further research and engineering development despite substantial recent progress. Undisturbed sampling and appropriate erodibility characterization remain critical for reliable scour prediction. Existing research and engineering practice continue to focus primarily on pier scour, while comparatively limited information is available for contraction and abutment scour in cohesive soils and rock formations. The survey of state DOT practices further indicates considerable variability in the implementation of scour evaluation procedures for cohesive and rock materials, including the use of SRICOS-EFA, the Erodibility Index Method, NCHRP 717, agency-developed procedures, and geotechnical consultation workflows. Full article

Unrinsed surimi production has emerged as a sustainable alternative to conventional rinsed surimi due to its substantial water savings, reduced nutrient loss, and lower environmental footprint. However, poor gel strength and water-holding capacity remain major bottlenecks limiting its industrial application. This study investigated the effects of κ-carrageenan (κ-CG) on the rheological properties, textural characteristics, water distribution, intermolecular interactions, and microstructure of unrinsed surimi gels. The results showed that κ-CG enhanced gel properties in a concentration-dependent manner. At 0.75% κ-CG, gel strength increased to 47.0 g·cm (a 2.2-fold increase vs. control), water holding capacity (WHC) reached 97.9%, and cooking loss decreased to 4.0%. In contrast, at 1.0% κ-CG, gel strength and hardness further increased, but WHC declined slightly. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance analysis revealed that κ-CG promoted the conversion of free water to immobilized water, with the relative peak area of T₂₂ (immobilized water) increasing from 85.9% to 88.9% at 0.75% κ-CG. Protein solubility measurements indicated that hydrophobic interactions and disulfide bonds appeared to be the major contributors stabilizing the gel network. FTIR revealed enhanced hydrogen bonding via an O–H red shift and intensification with κ-CG, and amide I deconvolution showed that 0.75% κ-CG maximized β-sheet content while reducing α-helix, indicating ordered protein reorganization during heating. Quantitative SEM analysis further verified that 0.75% κ-CG produced the densest protein network with the maximum fractal dimension and minimum lacunarity, alongside reduced average pore area and porosity. These findings demonstrate that κ-CG at an appropriate level effectively improves the gel properties of unrinsed tilapia surimi by strengthening intermolecular interactions and optimizing water distribution, offering a practical approach for developing high-quality surimi products. Full article

To address the environmental hazards caused by massive bauxite red mud stockpiles, phase-change unburned bricks have been developed. The slump flow and initial setting time of fresh mortar were tested, while the flexural strength, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and rebound hardness of hardened mortar specimens were measured. The synergistic influence of stearic acid on mechanical strengths, rebound hardness and thermal conductivity was revealed, and the corresponding indoor simulation tests were performed. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Ultra-depth-of-field microscope cross-section scanning were adopted to interpret the intrinsic microstructure and inner mechanism. Results indicate that slump flow, initial setting time and all mechanical indices follow cubic functional relationships with red mud mass ratio. Specimens incorporating 20 wt.% red mud achieve the optimal mechanical strength, rebound hardness and thermal conductivity, with the maximum growth rates of up to 32.7%, 18.7% and 27.0%, respectively. Appropriately, straw fibers improve the mechanical properties and rebound hardness yet reduce thermal conductivity. In simulated thermal cabin tests, wall temperature continuously rises under heating and declines after heat termination; red mud and straw fibers jointly slow the heating-up rate and post-heating cooling rate. Samples with 5 wt.% red mud possess the densest hydration matrix. Red mud promotes the generation of ettringite (AFt), calcium carbonate and dolomite crystals, and elevates the content of dicalcium silicate (C₂S) within the binder system. This study provides a reference for fabricating functional wall materials using industrial solid waste (red mud) and agricultural solid waste (straw fibers). Full article

Thymbra capitata (L.) Cav. is an aromatic Mediterranean species widely used as a culinary herb and valued for its medicinal properties. The present study investigated the volatile composition of different plant organs (petals, sepals, leaves, and roots) collected in Jerusalem, Israel, using three complementary GC-MS approaches: solvent extraction (Liq), static headspace (HS), and solid-phase microextraction (SPME). The influence of air-drying on volatile composition was also evaluated. Among the analytical methods tested, HS provided the broadest volatile profile with 57 identified compounds, whereas Liquid extraction yielded the highest relative abundances of thymol and carvacrol. SPME proved particularly effective for the detection of sesquiterpenes, especially β-caryophyllene. The volatile profiles differed considerably among plant organs. Floral and vegetative aerial parts were characterized by high proportions of p-cymene, γ-terpinene, thymol, and carvacrol, whereas roots exhibited a distinct composition dominated by α-pinene, limonene, and β-caryophyllene. Drying modified the relative abundances of several major constituents without changing the characteristic volatile profile of the species. Multivariate analysis revealed close relationships between selected aerial organs and confirmed that phenolic monoterpenes were the principal contributors to chemical variability within the plant. The results demonstrate that HS, SPME, and solvent extraction provide complementary information and together enable a comprehensive characterization of T. capitata volatiles. These findings contribute to understanding organ-specific phytochemical variability and support the selection of appropriate analytical and processing strategies for aromatic and medicinal plants. Full article

Background/Objectives: Femoral cannulation is the cornerstone of endoscopic minimally invasive heart valve surgery (MICS). We compared three femoral access strategies—surgical cut-down, suture-based percutaneous closure (ProGlide^®) and plug-based percutaneous closure (MANTA^®)—for access-site outcomes, operative times and 30-day morbidity. Methods: This is a retrospective single-centre analysis of 445 consecutive patients undergoing endoscopic MICS (February 2021–May 2025). Access strategy (cut-down n = 119; ProGlide n = 219; MANTA n = 107) was selected by preoperative CT angiography and the surgeon’s discretion, with hostile anatomy triaged to cut-down. Baseline characteristics, intraoperative timing, primary haemostasis, conversion and 30-day outcomes were compared; a multivariable model within the percutaneous cohort adjusted for arterial cannula size and baseline covariates was used. Results: The mean age was 61.6 ± 11.3 years; 60.8% were male. EuroSCORE II was comparable between the percutaneous and cut-down groups (1.89 ± 2.55 vs. 2.03 ± 2.41; p = 0.594). Primary haemostasis was higher with MANTA than ProGlide (96.2% vs. 83.1%; p = 0.001; adjusted OR 4.79). Conversion to cut-down was similar (3.7% vs. 3.6%; p = 1.000). Intervention-requiring groin complications were fewer with percutaneous access (3.7% vs. 7.5%; p = 0.232). Cross-clamp, bypass and total operative times were shortest with MANTA (all p < 0.001). In-hospital mortality was 2.1% vs. 1.6% (p = 1.000). Conclusions: In appropriately selected patients, percutaneous femoral cannulation in MICS is safe and is associated with fewer groin complications and shorter operative times than cut-down. Within the percutaneous arm, MANTA was associated with a higher rate of primary haemostasis in our institutional experience. Cut-down remains indispensable for hostile femoral anatomy. Full article

The renal resistive index (RRI) is a Doppler-derived parameter influenced by intrarenal hemodynamics, vascular compliance, pulsatile load, and systemic cardiovascular factors. In outpatient nephrology practice, RRI may provide adjunctive hemodynamic and prognostic information when interpreted together with kidney morphology, estimated glomerular filtration rate, proteinuria, blood pressure, heart rate, rhythm, and cardiovascular context. This protocol aims to standardize duplex Doppler acquisition, calculation, interpretation, and reporting of RRI in outpatient adults with native-kidney chronic kidney disease (CKD). The protocol defines patient eligibility and preparation, same-visit clinical data collection, grayscale kidney assessment, color Doppler localization of intrarenal arteries, pulsed-wave Doppler settings, bilateral upper-, middle-, and lower-pole sampling, waveform validity criteria, RRI calculation rules, image archiving, and structured reporting. Technical pitfalls and hemodynamic confounders are incorporated into the workflow to support reproducibility and serial comparability. The expected output is a standardized RRI report including kidney-specific and bilateral mean RRI values when minimum validity criteria are met, the number and location of valid sampling sites, grayscale morphologic findings, same-visit hemodynamic context, relevant technical limitations, and interpretive caveats. The protocol is designed to reduce acquisition variability and improve the consistency of RRI documentation in outpatient CKD practice. RRI should not be interpreted as a stand-alone diagnostic test or direct surrogate of renal vascular resistance. A standardized acquisition and reporting protocol may improve reproducibility and allow RRI to be used more appropriately as an adjunctive hemodynamic and prognostic marker in adults with non-dialysis-dependent CKD. Full article