Search Results (653)

Mucoceles are benign lesions caused by the accumulation of mucus such as saliva, and are common in children. Surgical intervention is effective but is not well tolerated by children because of its invasiveness, and alternative treatment methods are being explored. A boy aged 2 years and 5 months presented at our hospital with a chief complaint of mucocele. Considering the patient’s age, micro-marsupialization was initially selected to avoid surgical excision; however, the cyst did not resolve. We decided to apply the rubber band ligation method used for treatment of internal hemorrhoids, and ligated the mucocele using an orthodontic elastic separator. At the 3-week follow-up visit, the mucocele had disappeared. According to the patient’s guardian, the rubber band fell off after 1 week, and the mucocele subsequently detached and fell off spontaneously shortly thereafter. Although further studies are needed to establish the effectiveness of this treatment method, this report suggests that rubber band ligation may represent a novel, minimally invasive, and safe therapeutic option for the treatment of mucoceles. Full article

This exploratory randomized trial evaluated an eight-week combined isometric and elastic-resistance program in community-dwelling women aged 70 years or older. Forty-nine participants were randomized to exercise (EG; n = 24) or control (CG; n = 25). Twenty-two EG participants completed the intervention and follow-up; two had no post-intervention measurements because of scheduling conflicts. All randomized participants were included in the intention-to-treat analysis using 50 data sets generated by predictive mean matching and baseline-adjusted analysis of covariance. Compared with the CG, the EG showed lower body weight (adjusted mean difference [AMD], −0.45 kg), BMI (−0.19 kg/m²), 4 m gait time (−0.96 s), and five-repetition chair-stand time (−1.60 s), and higher skeletal muscle mass (0.38 kg), calf circumference (0.80 cm), and handgrip strength (1.01 kg). The corresponding primary 95% confidence intervals excluded zero, although the skeletal-muscle-mass interval narrowly included zero under conservative imputation. Differences in body fat percentage (−0.33 percentage points; 95% CI, −1.24 to 0.58) and tandem-stance time (0.79 s; 95% CI, −0.42 to 2.00) were inconclusive. These preliminary findings suggest that the program may improve selected body-composition and functional outcomes. Larger prospectively powered trials are required to confirm their magnitude, clinical relevance, and durability. Full article

Lightweight metro carbodies may exhibit elastic modes within ride-comfort-relevant frequency bands, limiting semi-active suspension controllers tuned offline for nominal conditions. This study proposes a skyhook-based parameter self-tuning fuzzy control (PSTFC) strategy for lateral secondary suspension. Its rule base and membership functions remain fixed, whereas two input quantization factors and one output scaling factor are updated online from the carbody lateral velocity and carbody–bogie relative lateral velocity, enabling state-dependent adaptation without increasing fuzzy-inference complexity. A rigid–flexible coupled multibody model is developed using Craig–Bampton component-mode synthesis and validated against field vibration measurements from a Type-A metro lead car. The controller is evaluated using ADAMS/Rail–MATLAB co-simulation, with robustness examined through repeated stochastic simulations and variations in vehicle speed, passenger load, track-irregularity intensity, and suspension parameters. The flexible model reproduces the measured location-dependent spectral characteristics more accurately than the rigid-carbody model. Under nominal conditions, PSTFC reduces the rear-carbody lateral-acceleration RMS from 0.1341 to 0.1015 m/s² and the Sperling ride comfort index from 1.5485 to 1.2864, corresponding to improvements of 24.3% and 16.9% over passive suspension. Relative to fixed-parameter fuzzy skyhook control, the two indicators are further reduced by 5.8% and 4.7%, respectively. The improvement persists across the investigated off-nominal conditions without controller retuning. These results demonstrate that state-dependent parameter scaling improves the adaptability of fuzzy skyhook control while retaining a compact inference structure, providing a computationally tractable approach to flexible-carbody vibration suppression. Full article

Frozen soil on alpine slopes is influenced by inclination and aspect-induced differential solar radiation effects, resulting in non-uniform temperature fields and inclined layered ice lenses that enhance anisotropy and degrade mechanical properties. This study investigates the deformation and strength responses of frozen soil under different temperature-gradient magnitudes and orientations and ice-lens conditions. A stress–strain constitutive model incorporating the magnitude and orientation of the temperature gradient is established. In addition, an equal-scale discrete element model based on the parallel-bond contact model is developed and calibrated against the laboratory results. The numerical specimen is divided into 13 layers, and temperature-dependent interparticle bond properties are assigned layer by layer to reproduce the prescribed magnitude and orientation of the temperature gradient. Results show that the orientation of the temperature gradient significantly alters the mechanical response and failure mode. As the inclination angle increases, the failure mode transitions from compressive dilatancy to combined dilatancy–shear failure and ultimately to shear-dominated failure. At −10 °C, increasing the inclination angle from 0° to 30° reduces the compressive strength by 44.48%. The elastic modulus also decreases with increasing inclination, with a maximum inclination-induced difference of 111.98 kPa. Moreover, the presence of an ice lens further reduces specimen stiffness, and the elastic-modulus difference between ice-lens-bearing and ice-lens-free specimens increases from 5.57 kPa at −1 °C to 75.72 kPa at −10 °C. The DEM results show that particles at the top and bottom of the specimen primarily undergo vertical displacement, whereas particles in the middle region exhibit dominant horizontal displacement, forming an X-shaped shear band. The inclined temperature gradient produces a heterogeneous distribution of interparticle bond strength within each horizontal layer. As inclination increases, the shear band evolves from symmetric to asymmetric; particle displacements on the side toward which the temperature gradient points are larger than those on the opposite side, revealing the microscopic origins of macroscopic mechanical behavior. Full article

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is increasingly attractive for patient-specific maxillofacial reconstruction because its elastic modulus approximates cortical bone, it is fully radiolucent, and it is compatible with additive manufacturing; its principal limitation is bioinertness, as the hydrophobic surface does not support protein adsorption or direct bone apposition. This study aimed to functionalize the surface of fused-deposition-modeling (FDM)-printed, medical-grade PEEK to increase its potential for bioactivity while preserving these bulk advantages. To this end, 3D-printed specimens of implant-grade PEEK were activated by CO₂ plasma and coated with gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) via EDC/NHS coupling followed by UV photocrosslinking. Surfaces were characterized by attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, sessile-drop water contact angle measurement, gravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Plasma treatment introduced oxygen-containing functional groups and reduced the water contact angle from 78.3° to 6.6°. GelMA deposition following EDC/NHS coupling, consistent with covalent immobilization, was supported by characteristic amide bands and was most pronounced for the 50 mg/mL formulation, corresponding to a deposited mass of 11.81 ± 0.47 μg/mm²; SEM revealed a relatively uniform protein film along the printed filaments. These results establish a surface-functionalization route and provide preliminary physicochemical indicators of potential bioactivity for patient-specific PEEK implants, to be confirmed through in vitro and in vivo biological validation. Full article

The exploration of oil and gas resources is shifting toward ultra-deep and extra-deep reservoirs, including in the Tarim Basin, where various types of carbonate rocks are buried. Owing to the extreme burial depths, the mechanical behavior of these rocks under extra-deep conditions differs significantly from that of shallow formations, making it essential to understand their mechanical responses. This study investigated the mechanical properties and failure modes of carbonate rocks, specifically dolomite, argillaceous limestone, and pure limestone. Samples from extra-deep formations were initially analyzed for mineral composition and microstructure, after which uniaxial and triaxial compression tests were conducted to evaluate strength, static elastic modulus, and axial strain at peak stress. The results indicate that dolomite exhibits the highest mechanical strength and stiffness among the three lithologies. Under conditions of a high confining pressure of 100 MPa and a temperature of 160 °C, its elastic modulus and triaxial compressive strength are 65.4 GPa and 611.2 MPa, respectively, compared with 52.8 GPa and 444.2 MPa for limestone. Strength increases with confining pressure for all lithologies, with dolomite showing the most pronounced strengthening response. Although elevated temperature reduces rock strength, its effect is weaker than that of confining pressure. The failure mode is strongly controlled by confining pressure. At low confining pressures, failure is dominated by localized shear bands and brittle fracturing, whereas increasing confining pressure promotes a transition toward quasi-brittle deformation or ductile plastic flow. Dolomite predominantly maintains a quasi-brittle failure mode, argillaceous limestone exhibits a clear brittle-to-ductile transition, and pure limestone shows the greatest tendency to develop ductile plastic flow under high confining pressure conditions. The results further demonstrate that mineral composition and microstructural characteristics play critical roles in controlling the deformation and failure mechanisms of carbonate rocks. High-calcite pure limestone can exhibit ductile-like deformation behavior due to cataclastic processes, allowing significant strain without localization failure. These insights enhance understanding of carbonate rock behavior under extra-deep formations, informing practical applications in geology science. Full article

Wind power integration into mountainous power grids amplifies probabilistic forecasting challenges arising from strong non-stationarity, multi-source meteorological redundancy and frequent curtailment events. To address the limitations of existing approaches, this paper proposes a multi-horizon probabilistic forecasting framework integrating multi-perspective entropy-weighted fusion, permutation-entropy-guided decomposition, and residual-anchored probability modelling. First, an Entropy-Weighted Multi-criteria Permutation Feature Importance (EW-MPFI) module fuses KSG mutual information, Tree-SHAP, and elastic-net permutation importance through entropy-based weighted aggregation, distilling 23-dimensional meteorological inputs into eight informative features while suppressing single-criterion bias. Then, a three-stage decomposition strategy applies ICEEMDAN primary decomposition, permutation-entropy and sample-entropy guided band reconstruction, and SSA secondary refinement on high-frequency components, achieving complexity-aligned multi-scale separation. Finally, a decomposition-aware patch-based Transformer backbone (DPC-Former) generates three-quantile point forecasts, upon which an NGBoost residual layer models the conditional distribution via natural-gradient optimization in the information-geometric parameter space. Case studies on a 130 MW mountainous wind farm in Sichuan, China, covering 8736 15-min samples with 566 curtailment samples (6.48% of the dataset), show that, under the partition-wise offline batch-evaluation protocol, the proposed framework achieves an NMAE of 5.21%, an NCRPS of 3.74%, and a PICP80 of 0.84 across forecasting horizons from 15 min to 4 h. Ablation analysis attributes NMAE improvements of 25.36% and 24.57% to the decomposition and feature-selection modules, respectively, while 50-seed ensembling further reduces NCRPS, NMAE, and NRMSE by 7.40%, 7.00%, and 13.70% relative to single-seed training. A fixed-checkpoint test-block diagnostic further shows limited sensitivity at approximately weekly and three-day decomposition cadences, but a material degradation at a one-day cadence. The reported metrics should therefore be interpreted as offline best-case results rather than as performance under strictly causal real-time deployment. Full article

In this work, first-principles calculations based on density functional theory were employed to investigate the structural, elastic, half-metallic, magnetic, and thermal properties of two novel quaternary Heusler alloys, FeMnLiSi and FeMnLiGe. The results revealed that ferrimagnetic FeMnLiSi and FeMnLiGe with type III structures were energetically the most stable, and possessed thermodynamic, dynamic, and mechanical stabilities. Their equilibrium lattice constants were 5.6104 Å and 5.7479 Å. At equilibrium, FeMnLiSi and FeMnLiGe exhibited brittleness, elastic anisotropy, and half-metallic ferrimagnetism, with half-metallic band gaps of 0.7935 eV and 1.0805 eV, respectively. The total magnetic moments per unit cell of FeMnLiSi and FeMnLiGe were both 2.0000 µB, which conforms to the Slater-Pauling rule. Their half-metallic ferrimagnetism remained robust over a broad range of uniform lattice strains. FeMnLiSi exhibited a higher stability, melting point, and Debye temperature, as well as a narrower half-metallic gap, than FeMnLiGe. This work systematically predicted the intrinsic structural, mechanical, magnetic, and thermal properties of FeMnLiSi and FeMnLiGe, and delivered theoretical insights for designing new Heusler-type half-metallic candidates. Full article

This study examines how misinformation can persist when broadcast exposure and social feedback reinforce one another under stochastic platform conditions. Text classifiers and single-layer cascade models omit latent exposure, reply-driven amplification, random attention shocks, and uncertainty in intervention response. A stochastic duplex SEIR model is developed on heterogeneous networks, with an information exposure layer for broadcast and recommendation channels and a social feedback layer for replies, discussion, and amplification. The analysis combines degree-weighted mean-field equations, next-generation threshold calculations, Lyapunov stability arguments, Fokker–Planck linear noise approximation, Milstein simulation, and Wasserstein distributionally robust control. Theoretical results provide positivity, stochastic threshold conditions, extinction and persistence regimes, and sufficient conditions for stationary behavior and robust control stability. Numerical simulations show extinction–persistence transitions, cross-layer resonance, noise-induced threshold shifts, stationary bands, control cost–safety trade-offs, and sensitivity to unidentifiable stochastic parameters. A CoAID tweet–reply case study maps public interaction traces to observable duplex indicators, including tweet–reply densities, propagation elasticities, coupling proxies, and classifier features. Duplex observable features improve over a single-layer public data baseline, while model-assisted stochastic features add modest gains in the available public projection. Structural fitting of the stochastic duplex process would require time-stamped user-level multiplex trajectories, recommendation exposures, and intervention logs. The case study also clarifies the data granularity needed for future platform-level calibration and operational readiness. The framework supports data-informed platform governance by linking propagation thresholds, algorithmic down-ranking, reply thread moderation, intervention cost, and robustness bounds within a common threshold control language for practical settings. Full article

This study examines the effects of nearly six years of outdoor storage on the chemical, thermal, structural, micromorphological, and mechanical properties of European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.) and Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) wood. Differences between fresh (control) and stored samples were characterised using attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric/derivative thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and testing of compressive strength parallel to the grain. ATR-FTIR analysis points to alterations in carbohydrate- and lignin-related absorption bands after storage. TGA/DTG profiles suggest that hornbeam largely maintains its thermal degradation behaviour, whereas beech exhibits more pronounced shifts in thermal stability. XRD results indicate a reduction in crystallinity index (CrI) for both species. SEM observations of beech wood revealed filamentous structures within cell lumens, together with localised cell-wall disruption and microcracks, indicating more extensive microstructural modification than in hornbeam. Mechanical testing shows significant reductions in modulus of elasticity (MOE), with decreases of 32.2% in hornbeam and 28.4% in beech. Statistical evaluation confirms the significance and effect sizes of these changes. Overall, the findings demonstrate that long-term outdoor storage induces species-dependent degradation across molecular, microstructural, and macroscopic scales, ultimately compromising wood performance. Full article

Background/Objectives: Cervical integument aging is a complex, multifactorial process characterized by thinning dermis, loss of elasticity, and platysmal band prominence. Multimodal treatments targeting these distinct anatomical layers simultaneously remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy, safety, and rejuvenation potential of the STIIM UP Protocol, a single-session treatment combining calcium hydroxyapatite (CaHA), hyaluronic acid (HA), and botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) for neck rejuvenation. Methods: This prospective, open-label, exploratory clinical study enrolled 13 healthy women (n = 13) presenting with cervical laxity. The STIIM UP suspension was delivered bilaterally into the subdermal plane of the anterior neck region using a retro-injection fanning technique with a 22G cannula at Day 0 (D0). Evaluated outcomes included the IBSA Neck Grading Scale, Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS), FACE-Q module scores, and high-frequency ultrasound (USG) tissue thickness measurements at baseline and Day 120 (D120). Safety was monitored throughout. Results: The median consensus IBSA scores decreased significantly from 4.0 at baseline to 2.0 at both D30 and D120 (p-value < 0.01), indicating a rapid and sustained reduction in laxity. At D120, the GAIS responder rate reached 100% according to independent evaluators and 90.9% based on patient self-assessments. Quantitative USG confirmed statistically significant bilateral tissue thickening across the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous strata (p-value < 0.05). Progressive, clinically meaningful improvements were captured via the FACE-Q scales. No local or systemic adverse events were observed. Conclusions: The STIIM UP Protocol is a safe and effective multilayer intervention that successfully achieves comprehensive neck rejuvenation, bridging immediate clinical enhancement with sustained, tissue-proven structural remodeling. Full article

Background: The timing of perceived exertion assessment within a resistance training set may influence physiological adaptation; this study aimed to directly compare first-repetition (RPE-1) and last-repetition (RPE-last) monitoring strategies applied to functional, neuromuscular, body composition, and cardiometabolic adaptations during elastic band resistance training in older adults. Methods: Forty sedentary older adults (n = twenty per group, sex-balanced) were randomly assigned to RPE-1 or RPE-last using the OMNI-RES elastic band scale during a 16-week, open-label high-intensity elastic band resistance training program, with blinded outcome assessment and data analysis; three withdrew during the intervention (RPE-1, n = 2; RPE-last, n = 1), and all forty randomized participants were retained in the intention-to-treat analysis via baseline carry-forward. Functional capacity, isokinetic knee and elbow strength (60 and 180°/s), DXA-assessed body composition, and fasting cardiometabolic biomarkers were evaluated pre- and post-intervention. Between-group effects were analyzed using ANCOVA with Benjamini–Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) correction, whereas functional equivalence was assessed using Welch-corrected two one-sided tests (TOST) with percentile bootstrap against published minimum clinically important difference (MCID) margins. Results: Both groups improved significantly across most outcomes. For the primary outcomes, RPE-1 was associated with greater improvements across all eight isokinetic strength conditions after FDR correction, with adjusted between-group differences ranging from +7.86 to +18.38 Nm in favor of RPE-1, and all 95% CIs excluding zero (ηp² = 0.14–0.37). The Welch-corrected TOST demonstrated functional equivalence between monitoring strategies for all four functional outcomes in the primary intention-to-treat analysis. However, the pre-specified complete-case sensitivity did not confirm equivalence in the 30-Second Chair Stand Test, indicating that this outcome was sensitive to the handling of missing data. Among secondary exploratory outcomes, RPE-1 also was associated with greater improvements in DXA-assessed fat mass (adjusted difference—−1.33 kg; 95% CI—−2.02 to −0.63; ηp² = 0.29) and lean mass (+0.42 kg; 95% CI—0.02 to 0.83; ηp² = 0.11), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (+5.11 mg/dL; 95% CI—1.52 to 8.69; ηp² = 0.18), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (−16.99 mg/dL; 95% CI—−23.22 to −10.76; ηp² = 0.45). Conclusion: RPE-1 appeared to confer greater benefits for maximizing neuromuscular strength, whereas RPE-last provides an equally valid alternative when preserving physical independence is the primary objective. Full article

Lamb waves propagation analysis is among the leading-edge approaches for the Non-Destructive Testing of composite thin-walled structures. The underlying diagnostic principle relies on the dependence of elastic waves wavelength on the plate thickness through which they propagate. Therefore, critical defects in composite panels, such as delaminations, can be detected by a non-contact, automated and high-resolution method such as Laser Doppler Vibrometry. The general approach applied in signal processing is referred to as Local Wavenumber Estimation. It consists of creating an image of the average wavelength over the acquisition frequency band in which the pixel element corresponds to a point of the vibrometer scan grid. The standard signal processing approach is typically implemented via the Short Space Fourier Transform. While effective at creating an average wavelength image over the acquisition frequency band, a major drawback of the Short Space Fourier Transform is its heavy reliance on the a priori selection of a spatial window size; a suboptimal choice can severely degrade detection robustness and spatial resolution. To overcome this limitation, we propose a novel method based on the 2D Continuous Wavelet Transform for the detection of defects in composite structures based on the isotropic Morlet wavelet. Thereafter, the proposed method is experimentally validated exploiting a glass fiber reinforced plate with an induced delamination. The proposed method proves superior on average by eliminating parameter dependency while preserving the original image resolution, resulting in a 66% Intersection over Union metric, comparable with the values of the standard method, but with a lower computational time. Full article

We present a first-principles investigation of the layered ternary manganese tellurides ${\mathrm{MgMnTe}}_2$, ${\mathrm{Mg}}_3{\mathrm{MnTe}}_4$, and ${\mathrm{MgMn}}_3{\mathrm{Te}}_4$ using density functional theory with GGA and meta-GGA functionals. The optimized tetragonal structures (space group No. 115) satisfy the Born elastic stability criteria, with the structural derivatives exhibiting enhanced ductility. Unlike analogous alkali-based half-metals, these systems emerge as ferromagnetic semiconductors featuring substantial energy gaps in both spin channels. The calculated total spin magnetic moments are strict integers ($5 {\mathrm{\mu }}_{\mathrm{B}}$ for ${\mathrm{MgMnTe}}_2$ and ${\mathrm{Mg}}_3{\mathrm{MnTe}}_4$; $15 {\mathrm{\mu }}_{\mathrm{B}}$ for ${\mathrm{MgMn}}_3{\mathrm{Te}}_4$), driven predominantly by localized Mn d-states. Although advanced meta-GGA functionals modulate the magnitude of the predicted band gaps, the overarching electronic topology and magnetic character remain highly consistent. Ultimately, their calculated elastic response and intrinsic ferromagnetic semiconducting behavior identify these phases as candidates for further theoretical and experimental investigation for spintronic applications. Full article

Seismic design of long-period reinforced concrete tall buildings is drift-dominated, and yet closed-form tuned mass damper (TMD) calibration lacks a rank-oriented robustness framework and a deterministic treatment of inelastic period drift. First, a two-layer closed-form calibration procedure is verified on 30-, 48- and 60-storey RC towers with periods of 3.80 to 8.45 s on a rock-like Istanbul site under eleven spectrum-matched records. The first layer, a Robust Tuning Index built on four design requirements, weighs nominal suppression against detuning robustness through a closed-form dominance condition and a unique crossover at the ±13% band. The second layer, a period-elongation-aware anchor, sets the calibration period to the mean of the elastic and DD-2 secant first-mode periods, capping the worst-case offset at ±9.0% to ±12.1% against +19.7% to +27.6% under elastic anchoring. Response-history analyses give mean peak roof-drift reductions of 2.8% to 4.6% with statistically inseparable formulation means at exact tuning, while the Sadek calibration cuts dispersion by more than a third and stroke by roughly a third, carries 2.3 to 2.5 times less frequency-response loss at the anchor offsets, and ranks first in 122 of 144 envelope scenarios. The framework replaces numerical retuning with a transparent closed-form route within the linear verification tier. Full article