Search Results (193)

This work presents the design evolution, fabrication, and characterisation of an additively manufactured ring-type thermal airflow sensor for in-pipe flow monitoring, developed employing exclusively Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) additive manufacturing technology and a commercially available Carbon Nanotube (CNT)-enriched Biopolymer Polylactic Acid (PLA) composite filament. The design evolution proceeds through three progressive stages. In the first stage, a flat heater element is characterised through Constant-Current (CC) Joule heating experiments in order to derive the corresponding Temperature Coefficient of Resistance (TCR) and Thermal Resistance from the obtained experimental data. Consequently, a Finite Element Method (FEM) model implemented in COMSOL Multiphysics^® and calibrated with the extracted material parameters validates the experimental temperature–power relationship and predicts the convective cooling behaviour at various airflow velocities. In the second stage, the geometry is optimised by introducing a conductive trace with a reduced-cross-section central region; as a result, an equivalent thermal localisation is achieved at approximately 26% lower supplied power with respect to the initial heating element, enabled by the design freedom inherent in the FDM process. We should note that the specific sensing geometry can also be directly embedded into any 3D-printed structural component (e.g., a bracket or housing), enabling simultaneous local thermal heating and/or thermal monitoring together with structural functionality within a single printed part. In the third and final stage—the target device—a fully monolithic ring-type airflow sensor is directly integrated into a 3D-printed pipe segment during the printing process. Under constant-current excitation at 40 mA, the device exhibits a monotonically decreasing resistance with increasing airflow (ΔR ≈ 117 Ω over 0–4 m/s) due to convective cooling, while in a single flow-interruption cycle, approximately 79% of the flow-induced resistance change was recovered upon flow removal, with a residual offset of approximately 3% of the heated baseline. A coupled electrothermal FEM model of the device further supports the experimental response by comparing the simulated temperature rise with the values inferred from resistance measurements, while also clarifying the role of the effective internal convective cooling conditions imposed by the pipe geometry. Key features of the proposed device are low raw-consumables cost, fast on-site manufacturing employing a commercially available desktop 3D printer, monolithic construction free of wire-bonded interconnections, and simplicity, indicating its potential for flow monitoring and condition-based maintenance systems aboard vessels as well as in a wide range of industrial sectors. We should note that the present characterisation was performed under laboratory conditions employing a single prototype per design stage; the effects of humidity, salt exposure, vibration, temperature cycling, and material-batch variability remain to be assessed prior to shipboard deployment. Full article

The response modification factor R is a fundamental parameter in seismic design, linking the elastic demand expected under strong ground motion to the reduced forces used in practice. It reflects the capacity of well-detailed structures to dissipate energy through stable inelastic behavior while maintaining sufficient strength, stiffness, and deformation capacity to prevent collapse. Accordingly, R directly influences design base shear, member forces, reinforcement demands and expected seismic performance. It is prescribed by seismic codes as a single typology dependent value, although analytical evidence indicates that its magnitude varies systematically with structural configuration. Therefore, this study decomposes R for twelve reinforced concrete moment-resisting frame archetypes that combine three heights (4, 8, and 14 stories) with four span configurations (1–4 spans) over a constant 12 m plan length. All frames are designed per ACI 318-19 and ASCE/SEI 7-22 for the Pedernales, Ecuador, subduction-zone seismic hazard. The response modification factor R is evaluated through a component-based decomposition that separates the effects of ductility, overstrength, and redundancy—namely the capacity ductility ${\mu }_c$, the demand ductility ${\mu }_d$, the overstrength $\mathsf{\Omega }$, and a geometric redundancy index ${\rho }_g$, using bilinearized pushover analyses. Dynamic verification, used here as a consistency check, is explicitly restricted to the low-rise class (four-story frames) through nonlinear response-history analysis under eleven spectrum-matched ground-motion records; results for the 8- and 14-story frames are therefore pushover-based only. To bracket the inelastic reduction capacity, a demand-based companion factor $R^{*}$ is reported and defined as the demand-based counterpart of R, providing a capacity-oriented estimate R and a demand-oriented companion estimate $R^{*}$. R ranges from 3.80 to 14.56, whereas $R^{*}$ ranges from 1.82 to 7.63. The component ranges are the capacity ductility ${\mu }_c=6.04$–$11.50$, the demand ductility ${\mu }_d=3.04$–$5.98$, the overstrength $\mathsf{\Omega }=1.19$–$1.38$, and the geometric redundancy index ${\rho }_g=0.485$–$1.000$. Capacity ductility saturates in taller frames (about $\sim 12\%$ variation). In addition, $\mathsf{\Omega }$ and ${\rho }_g$ exhibit a mechanical trade-off that challenges the independence assumption implicit in the multiplicative decomposition. Dynamic results corroborate the pushover-implied demand only for the low-rise class; no extrapolation to taller frames is claimed. Overall, the findings motivate configuration-sensitive analytical calibration as a prerequisite for any future normative discussion on R. Full article

Online food delivery (OFD) platforms have become embedded in everyday consumption, yet the determinants of continued use in emerging Latin American markets remain underexplored. This study examines continuance intention toward OFD applications in Colombia using an extended UTAUT2 model (LAE-UTAUT2) that incorporates two domain-specific constructs, Delivery Trust and Food Quality Perception. Cross-sectional survey data from 2130 active users were analyzed through covariance-based structural equation modeling, with confirmatory factor analysis, reliability and validity assessment (CR, AVE, HTMT) and a multi-procedure common-method-bias check. The direct-effects model explained 56.0% of the variance in continuance intention. Performance Expectancy was the strongest predictor, followed by Hedonic Motivation, Food Quality Perception, Delivery Trust, Social Influence, and Effort Expectancy, whereas Facilitating Conditions were non-significant. Notably, the two domain-specific constructs outranked two established UTAUT2 predictors, and the pattern of effects remained stable across age, gender, and experience subgroups and among habitual users. Income, included as a control, showed no detectable independent effect under an unadjusted bracket measure. The findings position experiential quality and fulfillment trust as central correlates of OFD loyalty in emerging markets, though the cross-sectional, self-reported, and reduced-form design warrants cautious, non-causal interpretation. Full article

The central charge occupies a unique role in conformal field theory, simultaneously serving as a measure of degrees of freedom, as the determinant of Casimir energy through modular transformations, and as an obstruction to the naive extension of the Witt algebra. The Virasoro central extension itself is rigid: it fixes c as a label of a given conformal field theory. In this work, we propose that higher categorical coherence—the pentagon and hexagon constraints governing fusion and braiding data, one level above the cocycle responsible for the Virasoro extension—supplies an additional, physically controllable handle. We show that controlled deformations of this higher coherence (higher categorical coherence breakdown, HCCB), implemented consistently through anomaly inflow, shift the effective central charge read out by anomaly-sensitive observables in quantized steps, opening the possibility of treating the measured central charge not as a fixed label but as an experimentally addressable piecewise-quantized quantity. We then focus on the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE), where the chiral central charge $c_{-}$ directly governs the quantized thermal Hall conductance. After reviewing the role of edge conformal field theories and current bounds on thermal transport, we propose experimental modifications—such as engineering multi-component edge states, coupling to non-Abelian quasiparticles, or introducing controlled categorical perturbations—that could render higher coherence breakdown detectable as shifts in the effective central charge. Two further elements complete the program. First, we show that within the consistent framework, all route- and bracketing-dependent observables vanish identically (route blindness), so that the pentagon and hexagon interferometers and thermal Y-junction networks we design operate as precision null tests of the modular-functor axioms themselves—the axioms stating that anyonic amplitudes are determined by the topology of a process rather than by the bookkeeping route used to compose it. Second, we show that a quantized remnant of route sensitivity survives in exactly one consistent form: the holonomy of closed cycles of categorical controls, realizing a central-charge pump for which the integer count per cycle is a family invariant beyond any static stacking description. The resulting framework provides both a conceptual reinterpretation of the central charge as a higher obstruction in categorical terms and a concrete experimental route for probing its dynamical behavior. Beyond the quantum Hall setting, these ideas suggest a broader program: anomalies, topological phases, and even string worldsheet central charges may admit reinterpretation through higher coherence. We conclude by outlining a research agenda in which categorical methods yield new experimental observables, potentially transforming the interplay between mathematics, condensed matter physics, and high-energy theory. Full article

Sustainable EV charging infrastructure is fragmented by proprietary applications, vendor lock-in, and weakly time-differentiated pricing, blunting its contribution to urban-mobility decarbonisation. This paper asks whether an open-protocol, super-app-mediated photovoltaic–storage charging architecture can jointly resolve these three fragmentations under deployed field conditions and what its sustainability profile then looks like. We report a campus photovoltaic–storage microgrid integrating heterogeneous EV chargers under an open, vendor-neutral charging-control protocol with super-app authentication and payment replacing dedicated charging applications and a time-differentiated tariff aligned at the meter-interval level with the underlying utility wholesale rate; the deployment is exercised through a researcher-scheduled commissioning campaign of 13 sessions designed to establish functional correctness across the operating envelope rather than to measure user behaviour. Three results emerge across cross-vendor compatibility, onboarding friction, and grid alignment. First, basic message-level OCPP compatibility is sustained across two charger vendors under a single cloud management system—in sequential single-vendor sessions—including the full charging profile up to near-rated DC peak power. Second, the super-app-mediated workflow, which requires no charging-specific application installation and no new charger-operator account, structurally eliminates the dedicated application installation and the email/SMS/credit-card verification round-trips of conventional onboarding, compressing measured first-use end-to-end interaction to 31 s; relative to reconstructed commercial-operator baselines, this is, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, an order-of-magnitude reduction rather than a controlled benchmark. Third, mid-day energy delivery aligns incidentally with the utility off-peak window, not user-driven demand shifting, while PV-displacement and BESS-discharge contributions to charging are bracketed by scenario rather than being separately metered. The paper’s contribution is therefore a replicable, policy-embedded sustainable charging architecture validated at field scale within the New Taipei Net-Zero Carbon Demonstration Site Programme, with no claim of global novelty; the same architecture is structurally positioned to convert the observed incidental grid-friendliness into a deliberate, user-facing benefit via a hardware-free mid-day-discount redesign. Full article

Driven by orchard labor shortages and rising demand for intelligent harvesting, automated apple picking requires a balance between conformal enveloping and slip-resistant stability. To reduce damage and slippage caused by fragile skins, variable morphologies, and motion disturbances, this study proposes a multi-joint pneumatic flexible apple-picking hand with adjustable circumferential configuration. Based on structural configuration determining grasping stability, six apple-morphology-based finger-base supports were designed. Parametric analysis of soft gripper cavities identified an isosceles trapezoidal profile as the best configuration. Using the Yeoh constitutive model, an equivalent joint model for conformal gripping was developed, and genetic algorithm (GA) optimization selected the four-joint design as the preferred configuration. Static finite element simulations determined an operating pressure of 20.32 kPa. Grasping stability was quantified by relative slip displacement in rigid–flexible coupled dynamic simulations. Among the tested support configurations within 60–110°, the 90° bracket produced the most stable slip response under vertical and horizontal disturbances. Thin-film pressure tests showed an asymmetric but stable three-finger load-sharing pattern. Field trials in a high-density dwarf spindle orchard achieved an 83.98% harvesting success rate. After 72 h of cold storage, no obvious surface browning, epidermal abrasion, or compression marks were observed during visual inspection. This assessment was limited to visible external damage and did not include quantitative evaluation of internal bruising, firmness degradation, flesh browning, or long-term storage quality. These results demonstrate stable grasping performance and low visible external damage under the tested conditions. Full article

Background: Pain during orthodontic debonding is a common clinical concern. Although previous studies have mainly focused on mechanical approaches to reduce discomfort, the influence of emotional characteristics of patients on pain perception remains insufficiently explored. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the association between pain perception, emotional affect, and anxiety during orthodontic bracket removal using different clinical protocols. Methods: A prospective observational comparative study was conducted at Rey Juan Carlos University (Madrid, Spain). A total of 140 orthodontic patients underwent bracket removal according to four routine clinical protocols determined by clinical scheduling: ligated with interocclusal cotton rolls (used for tooth stabilization), non-ligated with cotton rolls, ligated without cotton rolls, and non-ligated without cotton rolls. Pain intensity was assessed using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) immediately before (T0) and after (T1) bracket removal. Baseline pain (T0) was recorded to control for pre-existing discomfort. Anxiety and emotional affect were measured using the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), respectively. Statistical analyses included ANOVA, factorial ANCOVA adjusted for baseline pain, and multivariable regression models. Results: No significant baseline differences were observed among groups. The highest post-debonding pain scores were found in the group without cotton rolls and without ligatures. ANCOVA revealed a significant main effect of cotton roll use, with lower adjusted pain scores in patients treated with cotton rolls, whereas ligation showed no statistically significant independent effect. In multivariable regression analyses, baseline pain, age, and negative affect were independently associated with higher post-debonding pain. Conclusions: Within the limitations of a non-randomized design, cotton roll use was associated with lower post-debonding pain, whereas ligation appeared to have a limited influence. Patient-related factors—particularly negative affect, age, and baseline pain—were also associated with pain perception, supporting a biopsychosocial perspective. These findings should be interpreted as exploratory evidence rather than causal effects. Full article

Objectives: The aim of the present systematic review and meta-analysis is to compare bracket adhesion failure rates between resin-modified glass ionomer cement (RMGIC) and conventional resin adhesives (CRA) during fixed orthodontic treatment (OT), based on evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: The research question is “Is there a difference in bracket adhesion failure rates between RMGIC and CRA?” The study was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive literature search was performed across multiple databases without time or language restrictions through February 2026. Keywords were used in different combinations using Boolean operators. Hand searching was performed and disagreements were resolved via discussion. The risk of bias (RoB) and certainty of evidence (CoE) were assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach, respectively. Quantitative data synthesis was conducted using a random-effects model to calculate pooled odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results: Seven RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Bracket failure rates ranged from 5.95% to 15.0% for RMGIC and 3.4% to 25.0% for CRA. The pooled meta-analysis revealed no statistically significant difference in bracket failure between the two adhesive types (OR = 1.00; 95% CI: 0.60 to 1.67), although substantial statistical heterogeneity was observed (I² = 69.0%, p = 0.0065). One included trial demonstrated significantly improved retention for RMGIC when combined with a specific enamel deproteinization conditioning step prior to bonding. Three studies had a low RoB and the remaining were judged as having “some concerns”. The overall CoE was low. Conclusions: Based on the currently available randomized evidence, no statistically significant difference in bracket adhesion failure rates was observed between RMGIC and CRA during fixed OT. However, given the low CoE, substantial heterogeneity among studies, and relatively short follow-up periods, these findings should be interpreted with caution. Further well-designed randomized controlled trials with longer follow-up are needed to provide more definitive conclusions. Full article

The study introduces a portable sliding sand sieve, transforming traditional stationary systems into an innovative solution for sand separation in the construction industry. This innovative tool offers improved mobility, durability, and operational efficiency, particularly for construction workers, civil technology students, and educators in areas with limited access to advanced equipment. Utilizing a developmental research design, the study involved the conceptualization, fabrication, and evaluation of the prototype. The design incorporated locally available materials, including phenolic boards, mesh screens, steel tubing, and a sliding mechanism supported by bearings and brackets. The Input–Process–Output (IPO) model guided the development, ensuring focus on functionality, affordability, and user safety. To address this gap, the researchers aimed to design, develop, and evaluate a portable sliding sand sieve to enhance sand sieving in construction settings. Expert and student evaluators highly rated the portable sliding sand sieve for its design simplicity, functionality, durability, modularity, and ergonomics. It was praised for its ease of use, time-saving capability, and adaptability to various work environments. The sliding feature enabled continuous sand flow, enhancing productivity and reducing physical strain. Full article

The rapid expansion of space activities requires manufacturing strategies that align environmental performance with engineering functionality, yet sustainability assessments of additive manufacturing (AM) remain affected by significant data uncertainty. This study presents an uncertainty-informed Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) framework to evaluate the environmental and performance trade-offs between Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) and conventional CNC machining for a satellite mounting bracket. The assessment adopts a process-based cradle-to-gate approach and integrates a hybrid uncertainty propagation methodology combining Dempster–Shafer theory for epistemic uncertainty with Monte Carlo simulation for aleatory variability. Environmental impacts are represented as interval-valued outcomes with associated belief–plausibility measures, enabling explicit quantification of epistemic uncertainty. In parallel, a performance-based benefit metric based on stiffness-to-mass ratio is introduced and propagated under uncertainty using a consistent framework. Environmental and performance indicators are normalised and combined into a composite trade-off metric, allowing the evaluation of manufacturing alternatives across a range of environmental weighting scenarios. Decision outcomes are expressed in terms of belief and plausibility, capturing both support and indeterminacy under uncertainty. Results indicate that CNC machining exhibits lower midpoint environmental impacts and narrower uncertainty intervals across key categories, while LPBF shows higher potential impacts and substantially wider epistemic uncertainty, primarily driven by powder production and limited inventory data. However, when performance benefits are considered, LPBF may become preferable under specific trade-off conditions. These findings highlight the importance of explicitly accounting for epistemic uncertainty and performance considerations when evaluating sustainability trade-offs in aerospace manufacturing. The proposed framework supports early-stage eco-design by enabling robust decision-making under incomplete knowledge. Full article

Endoscopic imaging plays an important role in minimally invasive surgery, clinical diagnosis, and biomedical research. Conventional endoscopic systems with fixed focal lengths are limited in multi-scale observation, while mechanically driven zoom systems often suffer from increased structural complexity and limited stability. In this work, a dual-degree-of-freedom continuous optical zoom endoscopic system based on liquid lenses is proposed. By employing two independently tunable liquid lenses, the system enables simultaneous modulation of optical power and principal plane position, thereby enhancing the flexibility of continuous focusing and magnification control. A Gaussian-bracket-based model is established to describe optical power redistribution and aberration evolution during the zoom process. The proposed system achieves continuous focusing over a wide range from 10 mm to 1000 mm while maintaining imaging performance close to the diffraction limit. In addition, a 1.2× magnified state is realized at a short focusing distance without significant degradation in image quality. The results demonstrate that the proposed dual-degree-of-freedom design provides a compact and effective solution for high-resolution continuous zoom endoscopic imaging. Full article

In this paper, a distributed quasi-generalized Reed–Solomon (Q-GRS)-coded cooperative split labeling diversity (DQ-GRSCC-SLD) scheme is proposed to support reliable cooperative transmission of small-volume information in typical scenarios such as device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) and wireless sensor networks. The system employs distinct labeling mappers at the source and the relay, enabling single-antenna transmission while constructing equivalently a dual-antenna labeling diversity model at the destination, which enhances interference resistance and reduces transmission costs. In addition, an ingenious design is proposed to ensure that the destination obtains the joint Q-GRS code. To optimize the weight distribution of the joint code, a traversal search (TS) algorithm is developed. Furthermore, a low-complexity joint decoding algorithm for Q-GRS codes, namely bracketing decoding, is presented by leveraging the efficient decoding algorithm of generalized Reed–Solomon (GRS) codes. Compared to the conventional maximum likelihood (ML) decoding, its complexity has been reduced from comparing $q^k$ codewords to evaluating q or $q+1$ promising codewords. A theoretical performance analysis of the DQ-GRSCC-SLD scheme is provided. Simulation results reveal that the proposed DQ-GRSCC-SLD scheme demonstrates its superior performance under practical scenarios. Full article

Existing ship emission inventories for coastal seas are typically gridded at 500 m to 1 km, a resolution too coarse to distinguish navigation channels from anchorage zones. Whether the hotspot patterns reported at such scales reflect true emission geography or are artifacts of spatial averaging remains an open question. We construct a 100 m resolution AIS-based emission inventory for two contrasting coastal environments in eastern China—the Yangtze River estuary and the Wenzhou coastal area—using the STEAM framework, and we quantify spatial concentration with Lorenz curve analyses. At this finer resolution, three emission archetypes become separable: discrete anchorage clusters, bankside berthing bands flanking navigation lanes, and sinuous riverbank traces in confined waterways. Emissions are extremely concentrated: the top 1% of grid cells capture over three-quarters of the total theoretical emission potential (Gini = 0.940), and this pattern persists across all months of 2023. Reaggregating the same data to 1 km reduces the top-1% share by roughly 10%, confirming that coarse gridding systematically understates anchorage contributions while overstating those of transit corridors. A dedicated sensitivity analysis on auxiliary engine load assumptions (±30% perturbation of canonical Jalkanen-style load brackets) shows that, while absolute emission totals carry approximately ±15% uncertainty, the spatial concentration of emissions is highly robust: Across all perturbation scenarios, the Gini coefficient varies by less than 0.01, the top-5% emission share varies by less than 2 percentage points, and the location of top-5% hotspot cells overlaps by ≥97.9% (Jaccard index). The results highlight stationary vessel hotspots—discrete anchorages and bankside berths—as a major and previously underemphasized contributor to the cumulative coastal ship emission budget, complementing rather than replacing the conventional navigation-lane focus, with direct implications for shore power siting, anchorage management, and emission control zone design. Full article

Resonant electromechanical de-icing uses piezoelectric actuators to generate stresses high enough to fracture and shed ice, offering an energy-efficient alternative to conventional systems. This work focuses on prestressed piezoelectric actuators composed of a ceramic stack clamped between two brackets, addressing limitations of previous designs such as mechanical losses and screw fatigue. A new architecture is proposed, featuring a variable-cross-section screw that concentrates deformation in a thinned central region and brackets bonded to the structure to reduce losses. An analytical sizing method is developed using multi-beam longitudinal vibration modelling and two de-icing criteria, including a newly introduced one. The analysis shows how actuator geometry and modal shapes influence de-icing performance, required voltage, and mechanical stresses, highlighting key trade-offs. A dedicated prototype is designed and experimentally tested, with results in good agreement with the analytical predictions. Full article

The increasing demand for better dental aesthetics has driven the development of tooth-whitening techniques that are effective while reducing invasiveness. Hydrogen peroxide (HP) and carbamide peroxide (CP) continue to be the most common active ingredients in bleaching products. Various types of light and laser activation have been introduced to speed up the bleaching process and decrease clinical application time. However, published results regarding their effectiveness and biological safety are inconsistent and sometimes contradictory. Aim: The objective of this study was to identify irradiation conditions that optimise the whitening performance of peroxide-based bleaching agents while ensuring safety for dental hard tissues and ocular structures. This objective was achieved through a systematic synthesis and meta-analyses of both experimental and clinical evidence on bleaching techniques, light or laser activation, and related treatment outcomes. Additionally, the study aimed to provide an integrated overview of currently used irradiation technologies, bleaching agents, treatment protocols, and relevant safety considerations. Methods: A multi-stage analytical approach was employed. Evidence was collected from systematic reviews, randomised and non-randomised clinical trials, and laboratory-based in vitro investigations. The studies assessed differences in bleaching agents (HP and CP), their concentrations, and application protocols, as well as various activation systems, including halogen lamps, conventional LEDs, violet LEDs, metal–halide lamps, and laser wavelengths such as visible blue (~440 nm), red or near-infrared (~1.7 µm), and other spectral ranges. Extracted outcome measures included tooth colour improvement (ΔSGU, ΔE), incidence of tooth sensitivity, changes in enamel surface morphology, temperature increases in the pulp chamber, and the bond strength of restorative or orthodontic materials. When methodological compatibility permitted, quantitative synthesis and meta-analysis were conducted to estimate the effects of activation modalities and irradiation parameters. Results: Analysis of data from 28 systematic reviews and numerous clinical and laboratory studies showed that the degree of colour improvement did not consistently rely on peroxide concentration or on whether bleaching was performed in-office or through home-based protocols. In most studies, adding light activation did not produce a clearly superior whitening effect compared to chemically driven bleaching alone. However, certain laser-assisted methods—especially those using blue diode lasers around 440 nm or near-infrared diode lasers near 1.7 µm—were linked with faster whitening responses and, in several in vitro experiments, fewer enamel surface irregularities. Increases in pulp temperature remained below the generally accepted safety threshold of 5.5 °C in the reported experimental conditions. While laser activation reduced treatment time, some studies observed a temporary decrease in the bond strength of orthodontic brackets following bleaching. Photobiomodulation techniques seem promising for reducing post-treatment sensitivity, although more robust clinical evidence is still needed. Conclusions: Targeted activation with diode lasers, especially within the blue and near-infrared spectral ranges, may speed up the whitening process and potentially minimise structural changes to enamel when irradiation parameters are carefully managed. Despite these positive findings, current clinical evidence remains limited. Well-designed randomised controlled trials with standardised treatment protocols are essential to determine the best wavelengths, energy delivery settings, and safety limits for laser-assisted dental bleaching. Full article