Search Results (884)

Neoadjuvant strategies in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are reshaping therapeutic paradigms by shifting emphasis from anatomical staging toward biology-driven response stratification. The transition from induction chemotherapy to immune checkpoint–based and combination regimens has transformed the perioperative setting into a translational platform that enables interrogation of tumor–immune interactions and clonal selection under therapeutic pressure prior to surgery. In this context, pathological response assessment has emerged as a robust surrogate endpoint, overcoming the limitations of radiologic evaluation, which often fails to capture immune-mediated pseudoprogression and spatially heterogeneous regression. Quantification of residual viable tumor (RVT) provides a reproducible metric of therapeutic efficacy, while characterization of immune-related regression beds, tertiary lymphoid structures, macrophage polarization states, and compartment-specific nodal responses offers mechanistic insight into tumor clearance and resistance evolution. Evidence from phase II trials, single-cell sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, and multiplex immune profiling supports the prognostic relevance of pathology-driven endpoints. Integration of digital pathology and artificial intelligence–assisted image analysis further enhances reproducibility and enables high-resolution mapping of residual disease and immune architecture. Within this modern oncologic framework, the neoadjuvant-treated specimen functions as a dynamic biomarker platform guiding response-adapted surgical strategies and biomarker-driven clinical trial design. This study was designed as a narrative review. A structured literature search was performed using PubMed and major oncology journals to identify relevant studies on pathology-driven response assessment in neoadjuvant-treated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The review focused on publications addressing histopathological response criteria, immune microenvironment remodeling, spatial profiling technologies, and computational pathology approaches. Full article

A multi-dimensional quantitative assessment of high-quality development (HQD) in China’s livestock industry and the identification of its main constraints are essential to understanding its current stage and future direction. Guided by global sustainability targets and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), an evaluation system was constructed by this study. This system integrates five key aspects: product safety, output efficiency, resource conservation, environmental friendliness, and regulatory effectiveness. Using provincial panel data from China for 2013–2022, this research applies the entropy-weighted TOPSIS method, kernel density estimation (KDE), and an obstacle degree model for analysis, the goal is to support food security and foster environmentally sustainable growth. The findings indicate the following: (1) Notable inter-provincial disparities exist in the HQD of China’s livestock industry, revealing a spatial pattern of “leading in the east, stable in the center, and lagging in the west.” (2) The nationwide evolution exhibits a “convergence followed by divergence” pattern: from 2013 to 2017, the primary peak of the KDE rose and its width narrowed; from 2018 to 2022, the primary peak declined and its width widened, indicating that inter-provincial disparities first narrowed and then expanded. At the regional level, the development pattern is characterized by eastern polarization, central stability, and western lock-in. (3) Obstacle factor analysis identifies product safety and environmental friendliness as the principal constraints on HQD in the livestock industry. Addressing these bottlenecks is crucial for ensuring the supply of livestock products (SDG 2: Zero Hunger), promoting resource conservation and green production (SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production), and alleviating the ecological and environmental pressures of the livestock industry (SDG 15: Protection of Terrestrial Ecosystems). The challenges related to resources, the environment, and quality safety confronting China’s livestock industry are common among developing countries. Consequently, the evaluation framework established in this study can offer methodological references for relevant nations. Full article

This study investigates the influence of varying positive–negative polarity ratios (EP:EN) on melt pool evolution during alternating current CMT (VP-CMT) arc additive manufacturing through a combined experimental and numerical approach. A multi-layer single-track droplet-melt pool coupling model was established, revealing the regulatory mechanisms governing melt pool flow, temperature distribution, and dimensional changes. These are driven by differences in arc morphology, heat input, and mechanical forces during EP and EN phases. Results indicate that molten pool flow is primarily governed by wire feed, retraction, and Marangoni forces. During the EP phase, arc divergence and elevated heat input result in significantly higher flow velocities than in the EN phase. Molten pool length increases with rising EP proportion, exhibiting periodic dynamic variations. Lateral flow intensity intensifies as EP ratio increases, directly influencing cladding layer morphology. This study provides theoretical basis for optimising additive manufacturing quality by adjusting the EP:EN ratio. Full article

The corrosion behavior and mechanism of Q235 steel during a two-year exposure to the subtropical marine atmospheric environment on an offshore platform in the East China Sea were investigated in this study. Methods including corrosion weight loss measurement, macro/micro-morphological observation (using a digital camera, SEM, and 3D-CLSM), composition analysis (XRD and XPS), and electrochemical tests (EIS and Tafel polarization curves) were employed to systematically examine corrosion kinetics, rust layer evolution, and electrochemical performance. The results indicated that the corrosion rate of Q235 steel initially increased and subsequently decreased with prolonged exposure, with the atmospheric corrosivity reaching CX level as defined (according to the ISO 9223 standard). The corrosion products transitioned from an early-stage rust layer predominantly consisting of γ-FeOOH to a later-stage layer primarily composed of α-FeOOH and Fe₃O₄. XPS analyses revealed that both the α*/γ* ratio and the Fe(II)/Fe(III) ratio increased over time, demonstrating a progressive improvement in the protective properties of the rust layer. The polarization resistance of the rust layer gradually rose, while the corrosion current density declined significantly, further confirming the enhanced stability and protective performance of the rust layer following long-term exposure. Chloride ions accumulated at defects within the rust layer, inducing local acidification, which played a key role in promoting the initiation and propagation of pitting corrosion. This study elucidated the corrosion behavior and mechanism of Q235 steel in the marine atmospheric environment of the East China Sea. Despite the increase in exposure time from 6 to 24 months, during which the electrochemical stability of the rust layer enhanced over time, it failed to prevent the initiation and propagation of severe localized corrosion—an issue of critical importance for load-bearing structures. The findings provide important theoretical and data support for service-life assessment and corrosion protection design of offshore photovoltaic steel structures. Full article

Mechanical properties of lead-free hybrid perovskites have attracted growing interest because of their significance in future eco-friendly optoelectronic applications. However, there are very limited studies about the intrinsic elastic properties and high-pressure structural evolution of hybrid perovskites, and the fundamental structure–mechanical property relationships are insufficiently understood. Here, we report the elastic behavior of a three-dimensional (3D) hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite, (DABCO)RbBr₃ (DABCO = triethylenediammonium), and confirm the processability through processing with chiral metasurfaces and the generation of circular dichroism. Our in situ high-pressure synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments demonstrate that this crystal does not start to amorphize until 2.3 GPa. Density functional theory calculations reveal that its E, G and v range between 20.73 and 27.93 GPa, 8.21 and 11.62 GPa and 0.18–0.39, respectively. Additionally, due to the low elastic moduli and polar crystal structure, we fabricate a device of (DABCO)RbBr₃ composite film, which shows favorable performance for piezoelectric energy harvesting. This work utilizes (DABCO)RbBr₃ to open up new avenues for applications in manufacturing and energy harvesting. Full article

Thermal stress is an important factor affecting the long-term performance of solid insulation in GIS/GIL, and the physicochemical properties of insulating materials play a crucial role in governing surface charge dynamics. This study investigates the influence of accelerated thermal aging on the surface charge behavior of Al₂O₃-doped epoxy resin insulators. Different aging severities were applied to simulate long-term service conditions, and charge accumulation and dissipation characteristics were correlated with physicochemical evolution revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results indicate that increasing aging severity reduces the charge accumulation rate while increasing the saturated surface charge density. Voltage polarity significantly influences surface charge behavior: a relatively uniform distribution is observed under positive polarity, whereas localized charge clusters are more likely to form under negative polarity. Thermal aging also accelerates the development of surface defects and increases polar functional groups, resulting in degraded insulating performance. These findings clarify the relationship between thermal aging, physicochemical evolution, and surface charge dynamics in epoxy-based insulation systems. Full article

The application of microalloying technology has significantly improved the mechanical properties, oxidation resistance, and corrosion resistance of the Sn-9Zn-xAl-series solder. The effects of Al addition on microstructural evolution and service-related performance of the solders were systematically investigated using a combination of characterization techniques, including scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), tensile testing, spreading testing, thermogravimetry (TG), and potentiodynamic polarization measurements. Microstructural characterization reveals that an optimal content of Al reacts with the Sn-Zn matrix to form AlZnSn intermetallic compounds (IMCs), which effectively refines the Zn-rich precipitates and eutectic lamellar structure. Concomitantly, the formation of second-phase strengthening contributes to a significant enhancement in the tensile strength of the solder alloys. Specifically, the Sn-9Zn-0.8Al solder exhibits a tensile strength of 87 MPa, corresponding to a 37% increment compared to the base Sn-9Zn alloy, whereas the elongation is reduced to 14.1%. Moreover, the in situ-formed Al₂O₃ passive film provides effective protection for the solder matrix, inhibiting oxidation induced by oxygen atoms and corrosion caused by chlorine ions, thereby remarkably improving the oxidation and corrosion resistance of the alloy. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that Al microalloying can substantially enhance the strength, oxidation resistance, and corrosion resistance of Sn-9Zn solder; however, a trade-off between wettability and ductility needs to be carefully considered for practical applications. Full article

The concurrent challenges of environmental pollution and energy scarcity necessitate advanced sustainable technologies. Photocatalytic fuel cells (PFCs) offer a promising route by coupling pollutant degradation with energy recovery. However, the synergistic interplay between anode intrinsic properties and macroscopic polarization effects remains inadequately understood. Herein, a BiOBr-doped TiO₂ nanotube array photoanode with engineered oxygen vacancies was developed to construct a synergistically enhanced PFC system. XPS, EPR, and DFT analyses confirm the formation of oxygen vacancies and favorable band bending, inducing an internal electric field that markedly promotes charge separation and interfacial reaction kinetics. As a result, the charge separation efficiency is enhanced by approximately fourfold relative to pristine TiO₂ nanotube arrays. Under the combined action of the internal electric field and self-bias-induced polarization field, photogenerated electrons and holes undergo directional transport and effective utilization. The optimized PFC achieves 78% sulfamethoxazole degradation within 180 min, representing a 1.38-fold improvement. Degradation pathways and toxicity evolution were further elucidated using LC–MS and Fukui function analysis, highlighting the critical role of electric field-driven charge regulation in high-performance PFCs. Full article

Background: Interbody spinal fusion is a common surgical treatment for degenerative, traumatic, and deformity-related spinal pathologies. Despite advances in cage geometry and fixation strategies that improve alignment and early stability, reliable fusion remains limited by the mechanical and biological constraints of conventional interbody implant materials. Traditional titanium and polymer-based cages often fail to optimally balance load sharing, osteointegration, and biological activity within the mechanically demanding interbody environment. This narrative review examines the development and translational potential of 3D-printed interbody fusion devices, with emphasis on how additive manufacturing enables the integration of mechanical performance with biologically active scaffold design. Methods: A thorough literature review was performed to evaluate the evolution, design principles, material properties, and translational outcomes of three-dimensional (3D)-printed interbody fusion devices. Results: Additive manufacturing enables precise control over implant architecture, allowing for the fabrication of porous, lattice-based cages with tunable stiffness, optimized load sharing, and enhanced bone–implant integration. Preclinical and early clinical studies suggest that 3D-printed porous titanium cages may reduce subsidence, promote osteointegration, and improve fusion-related outcomes compared with conventional designs. Emerging evidence indicates that scaffold porosity, surface microtopography, and bioactive coatings influence macrophage polarization, angiogenesis, and osteogenic signaling. Polymeric and composite constructs, particularly hybrid designs incorporating surface functionalization, represent promising adjuncts, though clinical evidence remains limited. Conclusions: Three-dimensional printing represents a paradigm shift in interbody fusion device design. Continued translational research and longer-term clinical follow-up are required to validate efficacy and guide widespread clinical adoption. Full article

Metasurfaces provide a compact and powerful means of tailoring electromagnetic wavefronts through spatially varying phase manipulation. This review presents a unified, mechanism-centered perspective on phase control in metasurfaces, tracing their evolution from static designs to actively reconfigurable and space–time-modulated platforms. Beginning with the theoretical basis of generalized Snell’s law, phase-control strategies are categorized into resonance-based, PB phase, and propagation-phase mechanisms, with emphasis on their underlying physics, bandwidth, efficiency, and polarization characteristics. These static approaches are then extended to active metasurfaces that enable post-fabrication reconfiguration through liquid-crystal tuning, electro-optic, phase-change materials, and mechanical deformation. Beyond quasi-static tuning, space–time modulation is introduced as a distinct paradigm that exploits temporal phase gradients to achieve frequency conversion, nonreciprocity, and waveform synthesis. By organizing diverse implementations around their physical phase-control mechanisms and experimentally reported performance trends, this review provides practical guidance for selecting metasurface architectures across frequency regimes and application requirements. Full article

As deep learning models become increasingly integrated into critical decision-making systems, the need for explainable Artificial Intelligence (xAI) has grown paramount to ensure transparency, accountability, and trust. Post hoc explainability methods, which analyse trained models to interpret their predictions without modifying the underlying architecture, have become increasingly important, especially in fields such as healthcare and finance. Modern xAI techniques often produce feature importance rankings that fail to capture the true causal influence of features, particularly in transformer-based models. Recent quantitative metrics, such as Symmetric Relevance Gain (SRG), which measures the area between the feature corruption performance curves of the Most Important Feature (MIF) and the Least Important Feature (LIF), provide a more rigorous basis for evaluating explanation fidelity. In this study, we first show that existing xAI methods exhibit consistently poor performance under the SRG criterion when explaining transformer-based text classifiers. To address these limitations, we introduceEvoDropX, a novel framework that formulates explanation as an optimisation problem. EvoDropX leverages Grammatical Evolution (GE) to evolve sequences of feature corruption with the explicit objective of maximising SRG, thereby identifying features that most strongly influence model predictions. EvoDropX provides interventional, input–output (behavioural) explanations and does not attempt to infer or interpret internal model mechanisms. Through comprehensive experiments across multiple datasets (IMDb movie reviews (IMDB), Stanford Sentiment Treebank (SST-2), Amazon Polarity (AP)), multiple transformer models (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), RoBERTa, DistilBERT), and multiple metrics (SRG, MIF, LIF, Counterfactual Conciseness (CFC)), we demonstrate that EvoDropX significantly outperforms all state-of-the-art (SOTA) xAI baselines including Attention-Aware Layer- Wise Relevance Propagation for Transformers (AttnLRP), SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), and Local Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanations (LIME), when evaluated using intervention-based faithfulness criteria. Notably, EvoDropX achieves $74.77\%$ improvement in SRG than the best-performing baseline on the IMDB dataset with the BERT model, with consistent improvements observed across all dataset-model pairs. Finally, qualitative and linguistic analyses reveal that EvoDropX captures both sentiment-bearing terms and their structural relationships within sentences, yielding explanations that are both faithful and interpretable. Full article

Magnetic-field-assisted electrocatalysis offers a powerful route to enhance the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) by coupling spin-dependent effects with magnetohydrodynamic phenomena. Here, we present a unified study of cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄)-based nanofilms, elucidating the combined roles of rare-earth doping, nanoparticle size, film morphology, and electrode substrate magnetism on OER performance under external magnetic fields. The effect of UV-light irradiation is also investigated. CoFe₂O₄ and yttrium-doped CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles were synthesized via thermal decomposition and self-combustion routes, yielding single-domain particles with distinct structural and magnetic properties, and assembled into homogeneous nanofilms using the Langmuir–Blodgett technique. Electrocatalytic measurements in alkaline media reveal that intrinsic OER activity is primarily governed by film compactness and charge-transfer efficiency, while the magnitude of magnetic-field-induced enhancement depends on the magnetic response of both the nanofilms and the supporting electrode. Ferromagnetic substrates promote enhanced catalytic activity under magnetic fields, whereas diamagnetic substrates can exhibit suppressed performance. Across all systems, the strongest enhancement is observed when the magnetic field is applied parallel to the electrode surface, reflecting the combined effects of spin polarization and Lorentz-force-driven mass transport. UV-light irradiation is also evaluated as an external stimulus to promote the reaction. Our findings establish a comprehensive framework for designing magnetically assisted OER electrocatalysts and demonstrate that magnetic-field effects can rival or complement rare-earth doping or UV-light irradiation, offering a sustainable pathway toward high-efficiency water oxidation. Full article

Magnetic fields, either imposed externally or produced spontaneously, are often present in laser-driven high-energy-density systems. In addition to changing plasma conditions, magnetic fields also directly modify laser–plasma interactions (LPI) by changing the participating waves and their nonlinear interactions. In this paper, we use two-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations to investigate how magnetic fields directly affect crossbeam energy transfer (CBET) from a pump to a seed laser beam when the transfer is mediated by the ion-acoustic wave (IAW) quasimode. Our simulations are performed in the parameter space where CBET is the dominant process and in a linear regime, where pump depletion, distribution function evolution, and secondary instabilities are insignificant. We use a Fourier filter to separate out the seed signal and project the seed fields onto two electromagnetic eigenmodes, which become nondegenerate in magnetized plasmas. By comparing the seed energy before CBET occurs and after CBET reaches quasi-steady state, we extract the CBET energy gains for both eigenmodes in lasers that are initially linearly polarized. Our simulations reveal that, starting from a few MG fields, the two eigenmodes have different gains, and magnetization alters the dependence of the gains on laser detuning. The overall gain decreases with magnetization when the laser polarizations are initially parallel, while a nonzero gain becomes allowed when the laser polarizations are initially orthogonal. These findings qualitatively agree with theoretical expectations. Full article

“Heijin” (the literal translation from Chinese being “Black Gold”) seal stone represents a unique variety of sulfur-rich, dickite-dominant jade, yet its mineralogical genesis and structural properties remain insufficiently characterized. This study utilizes a multi-analytical approach comprising polarized light microscopy, X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA), and Thermogravimetry and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TG-DSC) to investigate the phase composition, crystalline order, and thermal evolution of this material. The results demonstrate that “Heijin” stone is primarily composed of highly ordered 2M₁ dickite with a Hinckley index (HI) ranging from 0.92 to 1.50. Its distinctive black appearance originates from the disseminated distribution of micrometer-scale pyrite, which is accompanied by trace amounts of svanbergite. This aluminum phosphate–sulfate (APS) mineral serves as a critical indicator of high sulfur fugacity and acidic hydrothermal alteration environments. Furthermore, a significant correlation exists between the crystalline order of dickite, its micro-morphology, and its thermal stability. Samples characterized by high crystallinity (HI ≈ 1.50) exhibit well-developed, euhedral book-like aggregates and elevated dehydroxylation temperatures (T_m ≈ 665 °C), whereas samples with lower crystalline order correspond to fragmented microstructures and reduced thermal stability. This research defines the mineralogical identity of “Heijin” stone and provides a scientific basis for employing thermal analysis to evaluate the crystalline quality of dickite-based jade materials. Full article

We present new high-dispersion optical spectra of the planetary nebula NGC 2371 obtained with the Manchester Echelle Spectrometer at the OAN-SPM 2.1 m telescope, complemented with 3D morpho-kinematic modelling using ShapeX. The data reveal that the present-day morphology of NGC 2371 is the outcome of multiple episodic mass-loss events rather than a single outflow. Our best-fitting model simultaneously reproduces the direct images and the Position–Velocity (PV) diagrams, and consists of a barrel-shaped shell with younger polar caps, extended bipolar lobes, and a pair of misaligned low-excitation [N ii] knots interpreted as jet-like ejections. The derived kinematical ages of the main structures, spanning ≃1600 to ≃4400 yr, indicate successive episodes of mass loss with different geometries and timescales. The nearly perpendicular bipolar lobes, the absence of a pronounced waist, and the surface distortions of the large-scale structures cannot be explained solely by standard axisymmetric wind interactions. Instead, our results point to a combination of shaping agents, including a late thermal pulse (born-again scenario) possibly related to the H-deficient [WR]-type nature of the central star, binary-driven interactions, and episodic jet activity. NGC 2371 thus provides a particularly instructive case where multiple shaping agents may operate, and where some of the relevant physical processes remain only marginally explored in current models of PN formation and evolution. Full article