Search Results (44)

Polar patterns and topological defects are ubiquitous in active matter. In this paper, we study a paradigmatic polar active dumbbell system through numerical simulations, to clarify how polar patterns and defects emerge and shape evolution. We focus on the interplay between these patterns and morphology, domain growth, irreversibility, and compressibility, tuned by dumbbell rigidity and interaction strength. Our results show that, when separated through MIPS, dumbbells with softer interactions can slide one relative to each other and compress more easily, producing blurred hexatic patterns, polarization patterns extended across entire hexatically varied domains, and stronger compression effects. Analysis of isolated domains reveals the consistent presence of inward-pointing topological defects that drive cluster compression and generate non-trivial density profiles, whose magnitude and extension are ruled by the rigidity of the pairwise potential. Investigation of entropy production reveals instead that clusters hosting an aster/spiral defect are characterized by a flat/increasing entropy profile mirroring the underlying polarization structure, thus suggesting an alternative avenue to distinguish topological defects on thermodynamical grounds. Overall, our study highlights how interaction strength and defect–compression interplay affect cluster evolution in particle-based active models, and also provides connections with recent studies of continuum polar active field models. Full article

Mass customisation in the automotive industry has exploded the number of wiring harness variants that must be assembled, tested and repaired on the shop floor. Existing CAD or schematic formats are too heavy and too coarse-grained to drive in-line, per-VIN validation, while supplier documentation is heterogeneous and often incomplete. This paper presents a pin-centric, two-tier graph model that converts raw harness tables into a machine-readable, wiring-aware digital twin suitable for real-time use in manufacturing plants. All physical and logical artefacts—pins, wires, connections, paths and circuits—are represented as nodes, and a dual-store persistence strategy separates attribute-rich JSON documents from a lightweight NetworkX property graph. The architecture supports dozens of vehicle models and engineering releases without duplicating data, and a decentralised validation pipeline enforces both object-level and contextual rules, reducing initial domain violations from eight to zero and eliminating fifty-two circuit errors in three iterations. The resulting platform graph is generated in 0.7 s and delivers 100% path-finding accuracy. Deployed at Ford’s Almussafes plant, the model already underpins launch-phase workload mitigation, interactive visualisation and early design error detection. Although currently implemented in Python 3.11 and lacking quantified production KPIs, the approach establishes a vendor-agnostic data standard and lays the groundwork for self-aware manufacturing: future work will embed real-time validators on the line, stream defect events back into the graph and couple the wiring layer with IoT frameworks for autonomous repair and optimisation. Full article

This paper presents the results of determining the parameters of tritium transfer processes in lithium ceramics Li₂TiO₃ under reactor irradiation conditions. Analysis of sections with a short-term decrease in reactor power allowed numerical determination of the Arrhenius parameters of tritium diffusion (pre-exponential factor and activation energy) based on comparison with in situ experimental data. The obtained values of activation energy (70.2–74.7 kJ/mol) and pre-exponential factor (0.9–2.1 × 10⁻⁸m²/s) demonstrate growth with increasing fluence, which is explained by the accumulation of radiation defects in ceramics. A linear dependence was established between D₀ and E_a, corresponding to the Mayer–Noldel rule. Unlike previously conducted studies based on a phenomenological approach to assessing only the activation energy of diffusion, in this study, a complex model that takes into account temperature gradients, tritium generation, its diffusion, and release from the surface was used. The applicability of such an integrated approach to the analysis of in situ reactor experiments with lithium ceramics was confirmed, and allowed us to estimate changes in the tritium transfer parameters in lithium ceramics Li₂TiO₃ depending on the irradiation time. Full article

The design of robots is highly dependent on their applications. For agricultural robots, terrain, weather, and crop diversity need to be considered, and work efficiency, cost, and reliability must be evaluated. These factors are important to determine the design of agricultural robots. In this study, we identified the constraint factors of agricultural robots from the perspectives of navigation, movement, control, cost, and reliability. The orthogonal defect classification (ODC) method was used to classify and grade these factors and explore the relationships among these factors. Based on the results, the design rules of agricultural robots were created, and an automatic production knowledge base of agricultural robot design was constructed. The results contribute to the automatic generation of the design framework of agricultural robots under specific environments to effectively improve the design level and quality of agricultural robots and popularize agricultural robots. Full article

Considered one of the most severe types of trauma with a high impact upon patient survival, burns are the leading cause of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and are responsible for high morbidity, prolonged hospitalization, disfigurement and social stigma. Of particular interest are injuries that affect the functional areas: face, neck, hand and fingers, joints, feet and soles and perineum. Burns to these regions highly influence the day-to-day activities of patients due to the formation of vicious scars and contractures, which may affect both quality of life and functional capacity. One of the primary challenges in the management of burn patients is the effective coverage of tissue defects resulting from such injuries. Cases that have a large area of burned surface also have a limited amount of total available skin. As such, the importance of skin substitutes increases, particularly in the treatment of these areas. Skin substitutes are widely utilized in plastic surgery due to their ability to promote wound healing by providing an extracellular matrix. Consequently, ongoing research has focused on developing skin substitutes that can serve as alternatives to autografts, addressing the challenges associated with large-scale tissue loss. This article aims to present and compare the most used skin substitutes, highlighting their respective advantages and limitations. This topic continues to be a subject of significant debate, as an ideal substitute has yet to be created. The cost–efficiency ratio is a practical consideration that must be tailored to each specific medical system. The available data in the literature usually present general guidelines, not rules, and as such, they need to be adapted to each patient’s necessities. Full article

Gas polyethylene (PE) pipes have an become essential component of the urban gas pipeline network due to their long service life and corrosion resistance. To prevent safety incidents, regular monitoring of gas pipelines is crucial. Traditional inspection methods face significant challenges, including low efficiency, high costs, and limited applicability. Machine vision-based inspection methods have emerged as a key solution to these issues. Despite this, the method also encounters the problem of scarcity of defect samples and uneven data distribution in gas pipeline defect detection. For this reason, an improved Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network (DCGAN) is proposed. By integrating the Minibatch Discrimination (MD), Spectral Normalization (SN), Self-Attention Mechanism (SAM) and Two-Timescale Update Rule (TTUR), the proposed approach overcomes the original DCGAN’s limitations, including mode collapse, low resolution of generated images, and unstable training, the data augmentation of defective images inside the pipeline is realized. Experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the improved algorithm in terms of image generation quality and diversity, while the ablation study validates the positive impact of the improvement in each part. Additionally, the relationship between the number of augmented images and classification accuracy, showing that classifier performance improved across all scenarios when generated defect images were included. The findings indicate that the images produced by the improved model significantly enhance defect detection accuracy and hold considerable potential for practical application. Full article

Human–machine pair inspection refers to a technique that supports programmers and machines working together as a “pair” in source code inspection tasks. The machine provides guidance, while the programmer performs the inspection based on this guidance. Although programmers are often best suited to inspect their own code due to familiarity, overconfidence may lead them to overlook important details. This study introduces a novel mutation-based human–machine pair inspection method, which is designed to direct the programmer’s attention to specific code components by applying targeted mutations. We assess the effectiveness of code inspections by analyzing the programmer’s corrections of these mutations. Our approach involves defining mutation operators for each keyword in the program based on historical defects, developing mutation rules based on program keywords and a strategy for automatically generating mutants, and designing a code comparison strategy to quantitatively evaluate code inspection quality. Through a controlled experiment, we demonstrate the effectiveness of mutation-based human–machine pair inspection in aiding programmers during the inspection process. Full article

Defect detection plays a crucial role in industrial production, and the implementation of this technology has significant implications for improving both product quality and processing efficiency. However, the limited availability of defect samples for training deep-learning-based object detection models within industrial processes poses challenges for model training. In this paper, we propose a novel deep convolutional generative adversarial network with self-attention mechanism for the data augmentation of infrared thermal images for the application of aluminum foil sealing. To further expand its applicability, the proposed method is designed not only to address the specific needs of aluminum foil sealing but also to serve as a robust framework that can be adapted to a wide range of industrial defect detection tasks. To be specific, the proposed approach integrates a self-attention module into the generator, adopts spectral normalization in both the generator and discriminator, and introduces a two time-scale update rule to coordinate the training process of these components. The experimental results validated the superiority of the proposed approach in terms of the synthesized image quality and diversity. The results show that our approach can capture intricate details and distinctive features of defect images of aluminum foil sealing. Furthermore, ablation experiments demonstrated that the combination of self-attention, spectral normalization, and two time-scale update rules significantly enhanced the quality of image generation, while achieving a balance between stability and training efficiency. This innovative framework marks a notable technical breakthrough in the field of industrial defect detection and image synthesis, offering broad application prospects. Full article

Background/Objectives: Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) encompass various congenital disorders, resulting in immunity defects and recurrent infections. Home-based subcutaneous immunoglobulin replacement therapy (scIgRT) is the best treatment option for those with primary antibody deficiency (PAD). However, the lack of standardized procedures in patient training remains a challenge. Our study investigates nurses’ practice and perspectives, aiming to identify areas for improvement in at-home scIgRT practice. Methods: We prepared a structured survey regarding scIgRT, including needle choice experience and perception of adverse events, and distributed it among qualified nurses involved in patient training and scIgRT supervising. Results: We included 56 nurses with a median age of 50 years. Among them, 67.9% represented adult care providers, while 32.1% supervised IgRT in children. Most respondents (83.9%) used the classic or assisted with hyaluronidase scIgRT preparations. Single-channel needles were administered most commonly (85.7%). The needle length was mostly chosen solely by a nurse (57.1%) or in cooperation with the patient (23.2%). Next, 9 mm and 12 mm needles were used most often (92.9% and 78.6%, respectively). As expected, the 6 mm needle was more frequently applied for children compared to adults (n = 16, 88.9% vs. n = 11, 28.9%, p < 0.001), while 12 mm was primarily used in adults (n = 35, 92.1% vs. n = 9, 50.0%, p < 0.001). Visual skin fold assessment was the basis for the needle selection (58.9%), followed by the injection site rule (26.8%) or a choice between two available needle types for thinner or thicker patients (25.0%). Results of this survey indicate that, according to nurses’ opinions presented in this survey, the needle length could be associated with local scIgRT adverse events, such as side needle leakage or local burning. Yet, it was likely unrelated to general adverse signs, such as headaches or dizziness. Most respondents (66.1%) indicated that, even if local adverse events occur, patients are reluctant to change scIgRT preparation or needle length. Most participants (69.6%) reported that the optimal administration technique needs to be discussed with the patient before and during scIgRT. Conclusions: This study sheds light on scIgRT practice in Poland, emphasizing deficiency in needle selection technique. Future research should focus on standardized training and advanced needle selection procedures on patient outcomes, investigating the correlation between needle strategies and adverse events, as well as the effectiveness of scIgRT. Full article

Pores are common defects generated during fabrication, which restrict the application of carbon/carbon (C/C) composites. To quantitatively understand the effects of pores on mechanical strength, this paper proposes a representative volume element model of unidirectional (UD) C/C composites based on the finite element method. The Hashin criterion and exponential degraded rule are used as the failure initiation and evolution of pyrolytic carbon matrices, respectively. Interfacial zones are characterized using the cohesive constitutive. At the same time, periodic boundary conditions are employed to study transverse tensile, compressive, and shear deformations of UD C/C composites. Predicted results are compared with the experimental results, which shows that the proposed model can effectively simulate the transverse mechanical behaviors of UD C/C composites. Based on this model, the effects of microstructural parameters including porosity, pore locations, the distance between two pores, pore clustering, and pore shapes on the mechanical strength are investigated. The results show that porosity markedly reduces the strength as porosity increases. When the porosity increases from 4.59% to 12.5%, the transverse tensile, compressive, and shear strengths decrease by 35.91%, 37.52%, and 30.76%, respectively. Pore locations, the distance between two pores, and pore clustering have little effect on the shear strength of UD C/C composites. For pore shapes, irregular pores more easily lead to stress concentration and matrix failure, which greatly depresses the bearing capacity of UD C/C composites. Full article

Background: A drug repositioning effort supported the possible use of the anti-HIV drug etravirine as a disease-modifying drug for Friedreich ataxia (FRDA). Etravirine increases frataxin protein and corrects the biochemical defects in cells derived from FRDA patients. Because of these findings, and since etravirine displays a favorable safety profile, we conducted a pilot open-label phase 2 clinical trial assessing the safety and potential efficacy of etravirine in FRDA patients. Methods: Thirty-five patients were stratified into three severity groups and randomized to etravirine 200 mg/day or 400 mg/day. They were treated for 4 months. Safety endpoints were the number and type of adverse events and number of dropouts. Efficacy endpoints were represented by changes in peak oxygen uptake and workload as measured by incremental exercise test, SARA score, cardiac measures, measures of QoL and disability. Data were collected 4 months before the start of the treatment (T − 4), at the start (T0), at the end (T4) and 4 months after the termination of the treatment (T + 4). Results: Etravirine was reasonably tolerated, and adverse events were generally mild. Four months of etravirine treatment did not significantly increase the peak oxygen uptake but was associated with a change in the progression of the SARA score (p value < 0.001), compared to the 4 months pre- and post-treatment. It also significantly increased peak workload (p value = 0.021). No changes in the cardiac measures were observed. Health and QoL measures showed a worsening at the suspension of the drug. Conclusions: In this open trial etravirine treatment was safe, reasonably well tolerated and appreciably improved neurological function and exercise performance. Even though a placebo effect cannot be ruled out, these results suggest that etravirine may represent a potential therapeutic agent in FRDA deserving testing in a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. Full article

Stock renewal is one of the important methods of urban renewal, which focuses on optimizing and reusing existing urban spaces. With the increasing land pressure in present-day China and the need for land to be reclassified, the thinking mode of stock updating has become increasingly important. Beijing symbiotic courtyard is a representative urban renewal model that combines the characteristics of traditional quadrangle dwelling and modern architecture, aiming to achieve the symbiosis of history and modernity. After several years of implementation, the effectiveness of this model has become a matter of concern for all parties involved. Therefore, this paper takes stock renewal as the observation perspective, describing an evaluation for the Beijing symbiotic courtyard model, which contains different types of residents living in particular historical districts. It attempts to propose corresponding strategies, aiming to provide a more comprehensive thinking angle and planning method for the sustainability of stock renewal. In contrast to earlier studies, the proposed methods involve a specific mathematical statistical model called the IPA-KANO model, in addition to other traditional urban renewal methods. For a wide range of problems including historical district evaluation and renewal, the approach leads to potentially less errors than caused by manual operation. This comes from the fact that all the data are collected through survey questionnaires and big data, so the technical restriction of using mathematical model is to some extent ruled out in this new approach. Moreover, the approach offers new potential problems that cannot be handled using earlier techniques. After the calculation, although there are still defects, local residents are generally satisfied with the Beijing symbiotic courtyard model. The result suggests that it is of importance to reference this model for urban renewal so that can be widely promoted in historical district vitality regeneration. Full article

The ability of fine-tuning wavelengths in a high-Q resonance has been applied to various optical applications, particularly that of the development of nanoscaled, ultrathin photodetectors that realize next-generation optical sensors. However, designing a nanopatterned surface in a photodetector to induce intriguing optical effects inevitably deteriorates the electrical properties due to the increased roughness and defects, which cause the significant recombination of the photogenerated carriers. Moreover, light absorption in a semiconductor fundamentally decreases the Q factor of a resonance and ultimately limits the spectral sharpness. Thus, there is a trade-off between the applications of nano-optics for the fine control of wavelengths and the matured photodetector platform for electrical stability. In this work, we propose an alternative type of optical design for a photodetector by effectively decoupling the functionality of nano-optics for high-Q resonances and the electrical properties of semiconductors for the extraction of efficient photocarriers. By optimally balancing the loss of scattered radiation in a high-Q resonance and the loss of absorption in a semiconductor, we achieve a nano-optics-based photodetector with high-Q absorption and polarization sensing without a significant deterioration in the electrical properties. We believe that the suggested design rule can be effectively applied for the realization of emerging nanoscaled photodetectors for various applications of next-generation optical sensors. Full article

Structural damage detection and safety evaluations have emerged as a core driving force in structural health monitoring (SHM). Focusing on the multi-source monitoring data in sensing systems and the uncertainty caused by initial defects and monitoring errors, in this study, we develop a comprehensive method for evaluating structural safety, named multi-source fusion uncertainty cloud inference (MFUCI), that focuses on characterizing the relationship between condition indexes and structural performance in order to quantify the structural health status. Firstly, based on cloud theory, the cloud numerical characteristics of the condition index cloud drops are used to establish the qualitative rule base. Next, the proposed multi-source fusion generator yields a multi-source joint certainty degree, which is then transformed into cloud drops with certainty degree information. Lastly, a quantitative structural health evaluation is performed through precision processing. This study focuses on the numerical simulation of an RC frame at the structural level and an RC T-beam damage test at the component level, based on the stiffness degradation process. The results show that the proposed method is effective at evaluating the health of components and structures in a quantitative manner. It demonstrates reliability and robustness by incorporating uncertainty information through noise immunity and cross-domain inference, outperforming baseline models such as Bayesian neural network (BNN) in uncertainty estimations and LSTM in point estimations. Full article

Study Design: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Objective: There has been an increasing trend in maxillofacial injuries associated with combat trauma. Within the maxillofacial complex, the mandible is the most likely structure to be damaged during combat. The structural deficits as a result can be reconstructed with many options. These include vascularised bone grafts (VBGs), non-vascularised bone grafts (NVBGs), alloplastic implants, reconstruction bars and distraction osteogenesis. This study aimed to determine the common modality and efficacy of mandibular reconstruction in combat trauma-related defects. Methods: A literature search was conducted on Pubmed, Prospero, Dynamed, DARE, EMBASE, COCHRANE and BMJ databases. Results: A total of six articles met the inclusion criteria identifying 165 patients requiring mandibular reconstruction. Nonvascularised iliac bone graft (n = 137) was the most common method followed by ileac crest bone chips harvest using Dacron urethran osteomesh tray (n = 24) and frontoparietal grafts (n = 4). Meta-analysis of five out of six trials demonstrated an overall success rate of 85% (95% CI 79–90; I² = 59%). A total of 13% (n = 22) of reconstructions failed either completely or partially and 21% (n = 34) of patients suffered postoperative complications. Conclusions: NVBGs are a practical, cost-effective and favourable method of war zone management of mandibular defects with success rates comparable to those reported in the civilian literature. However, general trauma principles take precedence to rule out life-threatening injuries. Due consideration of patient factors, surgical factors, and available resources are required in the first-line management of combat-related mandibular defects. Full article