Search Results (26,186)

Background/Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of ultrasound-guided attenuation parameter (UGAP) for the assessment of hepatic steatosis in a population at risk for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), using MRI proton density fat fraction (PDFF) as the reference standard, and to also derive optimal population-specific diagnostic thresholds. Methods: In this single-center prospective study, 64 adults at risk for MASLD underwent UGAP measurement and MRI-PDFF. UGAP was performed according to standardized manufacturer-recommended protocols and standardized on the right hepatic lobe. Hepatic steatosis was staged using established MRI-PDFF thresholds. Diagnostic performance was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Cohort-UGAP cut-offs were derived using the Youden index. Associations between UGAP and clinical parameters were assessed using correlation and regression analyses. Results: UGAP correlated strongly with MRI-PDFF (ρ = 0.82, p < 0.001). The areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) for detecting mild, moderate, and severe steatosis were 0.86, 0.96, and 0.96, respectively. Right-lobe acquisitions outperformed left-lobe measurements, while four-region averaging yielded the highest diagnostic performance. UGAP values were associated with BMI, waist circumference, and liver enzymes. Conclusions: UGAP provides an accurate noninvasive assessment of hepatic steatosis, demonstrating high overall diagnostic agreement with MRI-PDFF. Right-lobe acquisition and multi-regional averaging further improve its performance. While cohort-specific threshold optimization may enhance clinical applicability, larger studies are needed to fully confirm its accuracy in advanced stages. Full article

Target speaker extraction (TSE) aims to isolate speech spoken by a target speaker out of a mixture using speaker information in an enrollment utterance. Recently, several methods have been proposed that exploit the relationship between the enrollment utterance and the input mixture using cross-attention, without extracting speaker embeddings from the enrollment. Previous approaches applied the cross-attention to the encoded representations or to the real and imaginary parts of the compressed spectrograms separately, which may not have a physical meaning. In this paper, we propose a two-stage TSE method with a physically interpretable modified cross-attention block and a dual post-refinement structure. In the first stage, the attention weights to fuse the enrollment and mixture are derived from the cross-correlation between the complex spectra for the two signals in a form analogous to the phase-sensitive mask. The fused features along with the mixture features were subsequently fed into a speech extraction network to obtain a coarsely extracted target speech. The second stage consists of two parallel branches, where one branch refines the first-stage output using the enrollment in a similar way to the first stage, and the other utilizes the mixture to complement possibly attenuated target speech. In addition, the low-dimensional speaker embeddings extracted from the enrollment and the first-stage output are incorporated into the second stage to exploit the speaker discriminability. Experimental results show that the proposed method consistently outperformed existing TSE methods on the Libri2Mix dataset under both clean and noisy conditions, in terms of speech quality, speech intelligibility, and signal distortion measures. Full article

Gravel soil used as backfill behind rockfall barriers in mountainous roads can extend structural service life and support sustainable resource utilization. However, rainfall-induced erosion may cause soil loss and reduce its buffering capacity. The fibers are short discrete fibers with a length of approximately 12 mm and an average diameter of 32.7 μm, corresponding to an aspect ratio of approximately 367. Reinforcement is achieved through fiber–soil interaction mechanisms, including particle bridging, interfacial friction, and pull-out resistance. The effects of polyurethane and fiber contents on compressive strength, shear strength, and impact resistance were evaluated using response surface methodology. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the microstructural features associated with the reinforcement mechanisms, and engineering-scale model tests were conducted to assess erosion and impact resistance under representative service conditions. The results show that polyurethane and fibers produce significant nonlinear enhancement effects on the mechanical properties of gravel soil, mainly through their individual contributions, whereas their interaction is limited. Multi-objective optimization indicates that the optimal mixture contains 6.8% polyurethane and 0.19% fiber, with prediction errors below 5%. The unconfined compressive strength of the gravelly soil increased from 107.6 kPa to 931.5 kPa, representing a 765.7% increase. Cohesion increased from 23.4 kPa to 83.44 kPa, representing a 256.4% increase. The internal friction angle increased from 43.4° to 61.23°, corresponding to a 41.08% increase. Under 1 h of intense rainfall erosion, the stabilized soil exhibited only slight surface particle detachment and maintained overall integrity. In impact tests, the velocity attenuation rate reached 65.6–71.4%. The proposed material provides a sustainable solution for improving buffer layers in rockfall barriers. Full article

The development of eco-friendly magnesium (Mg)-based materials that possess acceptable mechanical properties, good biodegradability, and non-toxicity in biomedical applications has become more attractive in recent years, particularly for engineering and biomedical applications. This work investigates the effects of nano-ZnO (2 wt.%) reinforcement and cryogenic treatment (CT) on the microstructural, mechanical, thermal, and corrosion behavior of a non-toxic Mg-1Zn-1Ca alloy. Disintegrated melt deposition (DMD) was the synthesis starting point, while refrigeration at −20 °C (RF20) and liquid-nitrogen exposure at −196 °C (LN) were employed as the CT methods. CT significantly refined the grain size of the alloy and composite materials by more than 31.3%, down to 4.4–4.5 μm in diameter, leading to enhanced mechanical performance through grain boundary strengthening. RF20-treated Mg-1Zn-1Ca alloy exhibited the best damping properties (attenuation coefficient and damping capacity improved by 52.1% and 48.7%, respectively). Compressive response was also improved due to the combined effect of refined grains and reinforcement, with LN-treated Mg-1Zn-1Ca-2ZnO exhibiting the best combination of compression properties, i.e., YS—165 MPa, UCS—634 MPa, ε—43.6%, and W_f—175 MJ/m³. Ignition resistance was also improved with the addition of ZnO reinforcement (3.8% increase in ignition temperature). A significant reduction in corrosion rate was achieved with RF20 treatment, leading to corrosion rate reductions of 62% and 40% in PBS (simulated human body fluid) and salt solution, respectively, primarily due to equiaxed grains and stable microstructure. These results demonstrate the efficacy of ZnO reinforcement and CT conducted at different temperatures in selectively enhancing and tailoring the properties of eco-friendly, biocompatible Mg-alloys and composites for biomedical and strength-based applications. Full article

Occupation-level psychological profiles, such as RIASEC interests and Big Five personality, underpin career counseling, person–job matching, and workforce research, but building them at scale has been expensive and limited to a few national taxonomies. The O*NET Interest Profiler, the largest operationalization of RIASEC, took more than two decades of worker surveys, expert ratings, and iterative empirical calibration to construct, and the 2022 Chinese Occupational Classification has no comparable psychological database. Large language models (LLMs) offer a scalable alternative, but using them as raters raises issues that single-model designs do not resolve: inter-rater reliability, calibration to external benchmarks, and systematic psychometric validation. We propose a multi-agent LLM framework in which three LLMs serve as separate expert raters, in-context anchors align the rating scale, and a separate arbitrator resolves rater disagreements. We applied the framework to all 1636 occupations in the 2022 Chinese Occupational Classification, producing six RIASEC and five Big Five scores per occupation. RIASEC dimensions showed uniformly excellent reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC [2,1] = 0.87 to 0.98) and high convergent correlations with O*NET (r = 0.84 to 0.96); structural validity received weak support (Tracey’s C = 0.653, ns), though the dimensions differentiated occupational categories as theory predicts, and the profile space recovered the administrative taxonomy (adjusted Rand index, ARI = 0.418). Big Five absolute agreement was uniformly high, although ICC(2,1) values for Conscientiousness and Neuroticism were attenuated by variance compression and model-level calibration offsets rather than rater disagreement. The Big Five scores are, therefore, suited to broad occupational differentiation, particularly on Openness and Extraversion, rather than to fine-grained rank ordering on Conscientiousness or Neuroticism. The framework also yields the first occupation-level RIASEC and Big Five database for the 2022 Chinese Occupational Classification, openly available for applied use. Full article

Accurate identification of acid-producing layers is key to controlling acid mine drainage (AMD) in abandoned coal mines. This study collected 337 core samples from 34 boreholes in the Modigou mining area, Shanxi, China, and established a combined static–mineralogical–kinetic approach to evaluate the acid-generating and neutralization potentials of sulfur-bearing rocks. Three-stage net acid generation (NAG) tests identified the pyrite-bearing layer of the Benxi Formation and the No. 10 coal seam of the Taiyuan Formation as the main acid producers, with NAG values of 360.41 and 97.87 kg H₂SO₄/t, respectively, while the Taiyuan limestone showed a high neutralization capacity (ANC = 490 kg H₂SO₄/t). NAG pH was strongly negatively correlated with sulfur content (Pearson r = −0.75, p < 0.01). Sulfide oxidation acid production showed staged attenuation, with average decreases of 64.81% and 47.65% in the second and third stages. Humidity cell experiments demonstrated continuous acid production over 63 days under dry–wet cycles, with increased acid generation rates at higher flow velocities (Darcy flux: 3.54 × 10⁻³ cm/s for accelerated vs. 8.84 × 10⁻⁴ cm/s for standard conditions). Multi-dimensional flow-through simulations confirmed the AMD formation mechanism of “acid supply, buffer, and fracture conduction”. The identified acid-producing layers matched well with field discharge points. This multi-method coupling system provides a theoretical basis for source control of AMD in abandoned high-sulfur coal mines in the Yellow River Basin. This study did not account for microbial catalysis, which is a key limitation of the static chemical oxidation method used. Full article

Background/Objectives: Spinosin, a flavone glycoside derived from medicinal plants, has been widely studied for its neuroactive properties; however, its effects on gastric injury remain unclear. Therefore, this study investigated the potential protective role of spinosin against HCl/ethanol-induced gastric lesions and its association with Nrf2/HO-1-related antioxidant responses. Methods: Gastric ulceration was experimentally induced in male Swiss albino mice by intragastric administration of 0.3 M HCl in 70% ethanol. Spinosin was administered orally at doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg, while omeprazole (20 mg/kg) was used as a reference treatment. Results: HCl/ethanol exposure led to pronounced oxidative stress and inflammatory responses, as reflected by increased levels of MDA, NFκB, IL-6, TNF-α, Cox-2, iNOS, IL-1β, Bax, and Cas-3, along with reduced antioxidant enzyme activities (GSH, SOD, CAT), decreased PGE2 and NO levels, and downregulation of Nrf2, HO-1, and Bcl-2 expression. Spinosin administration significantly attenuated gastric injury, suppressed pro-inflammatory mediators, reduced markers of lipid peroxidation and apoptosis, and enhanced antioxidant defenses. In parallel, spinosin treatment was associated with increased expression of Nrf2, HO-1, and Bcl-2. Conclusions: These findings suggest that spinosin mitigates gastric damage and is associated with attenuation of oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and apoptosis, suggesting a possible contribution of Nrf2/HO-1-related antioxidant responses. Full article

Using the Suzhou East Station integrated transportation hub as a case study, this paper investigates the train-induced vibration responses and their distribution patterns under various operating conditions of high-speed railway lines, intercity lines, and subway lines. The results show that train speed is the dominant factor: the high-speed railway passage controls floor vibrations in most stories, while line distance also plays a role for some floors. No significant amplification is observed under multi-train convergence; the vibration level is similar to that of the most unfavorable single-train condition. Therefore, only the most unfavorable single-train condition needs to be considered. As vibrations propagate upward through the floors, high-frequency vibrations gradually attenuate while low-frequency vibrations are amplified, leading to an overall amplification of vibrations at the top floors of some buildings. The floor vibration response level decreases as the vertical stiffness of the structural member increases. Cantilevered slabs and mid-span areas are vibration-sensitive zones. For station–city integrated transportation hubs with high-speed railways running underneath, track vibration mitigation measures should be prioritized, such as thickening the track slab. Thin side-wall vibration mitigation pads have a poor vibration reduction effect. When diaphragm walls are rigidly connected to the station and buildings, they amplify the building’s vibration response. Full article

Obesity exhibits pronounced sex-dependent differences in susceptibility and progression; however, the molecular mechanisms coordinating central energy sensing with peripheral thermogenic responses remain incompletely defined. Selenoprotein F (SELENOF), an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident member of the selenoprotein family involved in protein quality control and redox-sensitive metabolic regulation, has not previously been investigated in the context of diet-induced obesity. In the present study, WT and SELENOF-deficient mice subjected to a 16-week high-fat diet (HFD) were combined with primary brown adipocyte experiments to determine the role of SELENOF in systemic metabolic homeostasis. SELENOF deficiency markedly aggravated HFD-induced weight gain, adipose tissue expansion, dyslipidemia, and hyperleptinemia selectively in female mice, whereas no genotype-dependent effects were observed in males. Mechanistically, SELENOF deficiency intensified hypothalamic ER stress and leptin resistance, as reflected by increased GRP78, p-IRE1α, and p-PERK expression together with SOCS3 upregulation, reduced STAT3 phosphorylation, and activation of the IKK/NF-κB inflammatory pathway. In parallel, SELENOF deficiency reduced circulating free triiodothyronine (FT₃) levels and the ratio of free triiodothyronine to free thyroxine (FT₃/FT₄ ratio), and suppressed DIO2 and UCP1 expression in brown adipose tissue (BAT). Experiments in primary brown adipocytes further showed that SELENOF deficiency did not disrupt proximal β3-adrenergic signaling but attenuated the downstream induction of DIO2 and UCP1. Collectively, these findings provide preliminary evidence that SELENOF is associated with sex-dependent metabolic adaptation during HFD-induced stress by linking hypothalamic proteostasis with the thyroid hormone-related thermogenic signaling program in BAT. Full article

Background: Competitive sports represent a powerful physiological and psychological stressor capable of modulating neuroendocrine and immune pathways. Water polo, characterized by intense intermittent exertion and frequent physical contact, provides a unique model to investigate competition-related stress biology. Methods: Sixteen male Italian Serie C water polo players were enrolled in the study. Using a within-subject design, saliva samples were collected under controlled circadian conditions. Salivary biomarkers, including cortisol, IgA, and cytokines, were assessed both before and after training sessions and competitive matches. Results: Both training and competition elicited POST-session increases in salivary cortisol and cytokines, alongside reductions in IgA. However, competition produced significantly higher anticipatory and POST-session cortisol concentrations. A larger POST-session decreases in IgA compared with training was observed. Cytokine concentrations increased from PRE- to POST-session in both conditions, with significantly greater induction during competition across the panel. During training, selected cytokines showed positive within-session correlations with cortisol, indicating coordinated hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal–immune activation under lower psychosocial load. These associations were attenuated and less consistent during competition. Conclusions: Official competition amplifies endocrine and immune responses beyond those observed during match-like training in elite water polo players, despite comparable physical demands. Altered cytokine–cortisol coupling under competitive conditions suggests modulation of neuroendocrine–immune integration by psychosocial stress. Combined salivary profiling of cortisol, cytokines, and IgA represents a feasible, non-invasive approach for monitoring psychophysiological load in elite aquatic team sports. Full article

Conventional photothermal therapy often relies on high-intensity laser excitation due to the limited photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE) of existing photothermal agents (PTAs), which compromises treatment safety and restricts clinical translation. To address this limitation, we designed and synthesized a series of boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY)-based derivatives (BDP 1–4) featuring gradient-enhanced donor–acceptor (D-A) push–pull electronic effects for efficient photothermal antitumor therapy. The structure–activity relationships were systematically elucidated through photophysical characterization and in vitro/in vivo photobiological evaluation. From BDP 1 to BDP 4, the progressively strengthened push–pull effect leads to enhanced intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), which, in turn, results in a narrowed HOMO-LUMO gap, redshifted absorption into the near-infrared (NIR) region (up to 843 nm), markedly attenuated fluorescence emission, and a remarkable increase in PCE up to 88.3%. To improve water dispersibility and tumor targeting, these molecules were further encapsulated into nanoparticles using DSPE-PEG₂₀₀₀, and the nanoformulations retained high PCE. Both in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that under low-power laser irradiation (0.5 W·cm⁻², 808 nm), the nanoformulation of BDP 4, which exhibited the highest PCE among the series, achieved pronounced photothermal tumor ablation without inducing systemic toxicity. Overall, this study proposes a molecular design strategy that synergistically modulates NIR absorption and photothermal conversion by enhancing the D-A push–pull effect. This strategy provides a design rationale for developing efficient, low-toxicity organic PTAs, and demonstrates potential applicability in low-power PTT modalities. Full article

Despite recent advances in metamaterials, experimental studies addressing the dynamic behavior of waveguide-type fractals manufactured by means of additive manufacturing remain scarce, limiting understanding of their performance in real-world vibration control. This study investigates the dynamic behavior of fractal waveguide beams based on Sierpinski geometry through combined experimental and analytical approaches. Beams with iterations i = 0–3 were fabricated via stereolithography and tested under a doubly clamped configuration subjected to harmonic excitation. The dynamic response was captured using an accelerometer and analyzed in both time and frequency domains using Fast Fourier Transform. A single-degree-of-freedom mass–spring model was employed to estimate dynamic stiffness and validate experimental results. The findings reveal that fractal geometry significantly influences vibrational behavior, producing a nonlinear and non-monotonic evolution of stiffness and energy dissipation. The highest-order fractal beam exhibited the greatest vibration attenuation and resonance frequency (27.2 Hz), despite having the lowest effective mass, demonstrating an optimized stiffness-to-mass ratio. Spectral area analyses confirmed that energy dissipation increases with fractal complexity, enabling identification of transitions between stiffness- and inertia-dominated regimes. By identifying these regimes, this work provides a framework for engineering lightweight, adaptive structures for advanced vibration attenuation and tunable mechanical vibration control applications. Full article

Background/Objectives: The optimal anesthetic strategy during mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) remains debated. Although randomized trials suggest broadly comparable outcomes between general anesthesia (GA) and conscious sedation (CS), real-world data may be influenced by baseline severity, airway management, and postprocedural complications. We evaluated associations between anesthetic strategy, functional outcomes, mortality, and infectious and hemorrhagic complications after MT. Methods: This retrospective observational study included 257 consecutive adults with AIS treated with MT at a single comprehensive stroke center. Patients were managed under CS or GA according to clinical and procedural considerations. Outcomes, mortality, infectious and hemorrhagic complications were compared between groups. Multivariable logistic regression assessed associations with 90-day functional independence and mortality, adjusting for baseline and procedural factors. In an exploratory GA subgroup analysis, outcomes were compared according to extubation timing, defined as early (≤6 h) or delayed (>6 h). Results: Of 257 patients, 155 (60.3%) underwent MT under CS and 102 (39.7%) under GA. GA-treated patients had higher baseline NIHSS scores and worse unadjusted functional outcomes throughout follow-up. After adjustment, GA remained associated with higher 90-day mortality (OR 4.39, 95% CI 1.50–12.84; p = 0.007) and lower odds of 90-day functional independence (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.10–0.82; p = 0.020). Pneumonia was more frequent with GA (49.0% vs. 26.5%; p < 0.001), although attenuated in adjusted analyses. Delayed extubation was associated with worse outcomes, higher pneumonia rates, and more frequent symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. Conclusions: GA was associated with worse functional outcomes and higher mortality after MT, but residual confounding and differences in baseline stroke severity likely contributed to these associations. Pneumonia and hemorrhagic complications may identify patients at increased risk of poor outcome, especially when extubation is delayed. Findings require prospective confirmation. Full article

To mitigate the negative impacts of traditional rigid revetments on river ecosystems, this study focuses on perforated plate grid revetments, aiming to reveal the hydrodynamic mechanisms and parameter collaborative optimization pathways that simultaneously achieve anti-scour stability and ecological water exchange. A series of flume scour tests were conducted, combined with high-resolution large eddy simulation (LES) validated by experimental data, to systematically analyze the regulatory effects of key design parameters—such as opening ratio and longitudinal offset angle—on near-bottom flow velocity attenuation, vortex structures, and water exchange efficiency. The results indicate that a prototype parameter combination of 0.25 m grid height and 0.50 m plate grid spacing can reduce local scour depth by about 30% and enhance vertical exchange through the synergy of jetting from the openings and internal vortices. The longitudinal offset of adjacent holes may enhance the transverse water exchange but may also significantly reduce the longitudinal exchange intensity; hence, further research is needed. A hole-to-baffle height ratio greater than 0.40 is identified as a critical threshold for improving exchange efficiency. This study proposes a collaborative design framework in which grid spacing controls scour safety and aperture parameters regulate exchange functions, providing an experimental basis for the precise design and performance enhancement of ecological revetments. Full article

Pressure pulsations generated by pumps impair noise behaviour, increase mechanical loading, and reduce control performance in hydraulic systems. This study investigates the use of a rotary mechanical pulsation compensator integrated into the drivetrain of an external gear pump. The aim is to attenuate pulsations directly at their source without modifying the hydraulic layout. This is accomplished by using the torque induced flow rate pulsation to cancel the external flow rate excitation, which leads to destructive interference between flow rate induced and torque induced pressure pulsations. An analytical frequency domain model of the coupled mechanical–hydraulic system is derived to determine the required stiffness and damping conditions. The theoretical results are validated experimentally at mean pressure levels of 100 bar and 170 bar, both for two different hydraulic layouts. With a resonator pipeline at the pump outlet, the first harmonic of the pressure pulsation at the compensation frequency is reduced by 10.9 bar and 18.4 bar, respectively, which corresponds to reduction rates of 93% and 98%. The required damping value depends on the operating conditions, but it is independent of the hydraulic layout. While insufficient damping increases pressure pulsations around the compensation frequency, slightly higher damping flattens the frequency characteristics of pressure pulsation and reduces the maxima around the compensation frequency. In the neighbourhood of this frequency, the proposed concept enables effective reduction of the first pressure pulsation harmonic through a structural modification of the drivetrain. Full article