Search Results (342,926)

Foam cells are central to atherosclerotic plaque development, but their pathological significance in advanced lesions extends beyond lipid accumulation. Under chronic exposure to oxidized lipoproteins, cholesterol crystals, inflammatory cytokines, hypoxia, lysosomal stress, and mitochondrial injury, lipid-loaded foam cells of macrophage and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) origin may acquire maladaptive stress phenotypes. In this focused review, we propose a redox-threshold model, defined as the transition point at which mitochondrial antioxidant and metabolic buffering capacity is exceeded, allowing lipid peroxide accumulation to shift senescence-like foam cells toward ferroptosis susceptibility and defective plaque resolution. Progressive mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, impaired NADPH-dependent antioxidant buffering, defective glutathione and thioredoxin recycling, mitophagy impairment, and reduced GPX4-mediated lipid peroxide detoxification may converge to promote iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. If lipid-peroxidized or dying foam cells are not efficiently cleared, oxidized lipids, cellular debris, and inflammatory signals accumulate, promoting secondary necrosis, necrotic core expansion, plaque non-resolution, and instability. We explicitly distinguish established processes from mechanistically supported inferences and hypothesis-generating links, emphasizing that the complete senescence-like stress-to-ferroptosis-to-non-resolution sequence remains a testable framework rather than an established linear pathway. This focused framework suggests that advanced plaque stabilization may require strategies that preserve mitochondrial redox resilience, limit ferroptotic lipid peroxidation, and enhance efferocytosis-mediated resolution. Full article

Let $f\left(n\right)$ be an Erdős–Ulam function satisfying $f(n+1)/f\left(n\right)\to 1$ as $n\to \infty$, and let ${\mathbf{A}}_f$ denote the associated Riesz matrix. Furthermore, let ${\mathbf{A}}_{f^{*}}$ be the Riesz matrix generated by the weights $f\left(n\right)/\left(f\left(1\right)+f\left(2\right)+\cdots +f\left(n\right)\right)$, $n\ge 1$. The main result establishes that the matrix density induced by an arbitrary power of ${\mathbf{A}}_f$—or, equivalently, by a generalized Hölder mean of arbitrary order—is stronger than the matrix density induced by ${\mathbf{A}}_{f^{*}}$. Full article

During CO₂ flooding, unfavorable mobility ratios and interlayer heterogeneity can induce preferential flow through high-permeability intervals, leaving central low-permeability intervals insufficiently swept and rich in remaining oil. To address the strong coupling among composite chemical-plugging parameters and the high computational cost of CMG-STARS simulations for individual candidate strategies, this study proposes an adaptive heterogeneous ensemble surrogate-assisted differential-evolution method (AHES-DE). The method integrates radial basis function, inverse-distance weighting, and ridge-linear surrogate models, whose predictions are dynamically weighted according to leave-one-out cross-validation errors. Explorer, Exploiter, and Robust roles are used for global search, local exploitation, and prediction-risk control, respectively, with differential-evolution offspring generation embedded in the Exploiter role. A stratified one-injector–four-producer conceptual model with a 21 × 21 × 6 grid was used to establish a numerical evaluation workflow comprising CO₂ injection, preferential-channel development, composite chemical plugging, and subsequent displacement. Mobile chemical concentration, adsorbed preformed particle gel (PPG) mass density, water-phase resistance factor, oil saturation at a common termination time, and net economic value (NEV) were used to evaluate treatment performance. Under an equal budget of 150 high-fidelity CMG-STARS evaluations per method, the reported single-seed final best-so-far NEVs were 2.45405 × 10⁹ CNY for AHES-DE, 2.44888 × 10⁹ CNY for differential evolution (DE), and 2.44698 × 10⁹ CNY for Latin hypercube sampling (LHS). The layer-resolved responses indicate more pronounced chemical transport, retention, and resistance development in the upper and lower preferential intervals, while the oil saturation in the central low-permeability interval decreased further after treatment, indicating that flow redistribution facilitated remaining-oil mobilization. A realistic geological model was further used to assess the engineering consistency of the identified flow-control mechanism. Full article

This study examines urban green infrastructure (UGI) branding as a governance practice shaped by institutional homogenization and strategic responses within China’s multi-level policy framework. Against the backdrop of global sustainability agendas, UGI branding is conceptualized as a policy-oriented, symbolically embedded instrument for communicating cities’ commitments to green development and climate resilience. Using an institutional “identity–label–image” framework, integrated with policy diffusion theory and multi-center regional development models, we systematically analyze historical brand-label data from 27 core cities in the Yangtze River Delta. Our findings reveal three key patterns: (1) brand diffusion follows dual pathways of mandatory and imitative homogenization, with evolutionary rhythms tied to five-year planning cycles, generating discernible “policy waves”; (2) within polycentric regional structures, core cities act as institutional “interpreters” and benchmarks, while peripheral cities pursue imitation-driven differentiation, reflecting complex dynamics of collaboration and competition; and (3) urban identities expressed through brand labels progressively align with substantive sustainability transitions, aiming to enhance regional competitiveness and upward recognition. We conclude that UGI branding constitutes a deep-seated mechanism of sustainable urban governance, offering a novel theoretical lens on China’s institutional logic of city branding and providing actionable insights for optimizing collaborative brand governance and integrated green infrastructure planning in urban agglomerations. Full article

Background: Tumor hypoxia is a major determinant of radioresistance, limiting oxygen-mediated fixation of radiation-induced DNA damage and promoting metabolic adaptation, tumor aggressiveness, and treatment failure. Nitroimidazole derivatives and related hypoxia-targeting compounds have been investigated as radiosensitizers because of their oxygen-mimetic properties and selective activation under low-oxygen conditions. Methods: A structured narrative review was conducted to evaluate recent evidence on hypoxia-targeting strategies and nitroimidazole-based radiosensitizers combined with radiotherapy. PubMed and Scopus were searched in March 2026 using terms related to radiotherapy and nitroimidazoles. Studies published within the last five years were included if they investigated hypoxia-targeting compounds, radiosensitization strategies, or dose–response relationships relevant to radiotherapy. Preclinical, computational, and clinical studies were considered. Results: Sixteen studies were included, comprising preclinical, computational, and clinical investigations. Most studies were preclinical and evaluated in vitro cell lines, murine tumor models, or xenografts across multiple tumor types, including head and neck cancer, glioblastoma, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, cervical cancer, renal carcinoma, pancreatic cancer, and ovarian-related models. Nitroimidazole-based and related hypoxia-targeting strategies generally enhanced radiation response under hypoxic conditions, with sensitizer enhancement ratio values ranging from approximately 1.09 to 1.65. In vivo studies reported reductions in tumor growth or tumor volume when radiosensitizers were combined with radiotherapy. Clinical evidence, mainly in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, showed variable effects on locoregional outcomes. Conclusions: Current evidence supports the biological relevance of hypoxia-targeting strategies for improving radiotherapy response. Nitroimidazole-based compounds show consistent radiosensitizing effects in preclinical models, but clinical translation remains heterogeneous. Future studies should integrate hypoxia imaging, standardized endpoints, advanced drug delivery systems, and clinically relevant radiotherapy models to better define their role in modern radiation oncology. Full article

The rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools has significantly transformed academic writing practices in higher education. While AI technologies offer potential support for language learners, they also raise concerns regarding academic integrity and the erosion of students’ critical thinking, particularly in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classrooms where writing development and independent reasoning are core learning outcomes. This study explores Saudi TESOL teachers’ strategies for balancing AI use with academic integrity and critical thinking in Saudi higher education. Using a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 EAP instructors at four Saudi universities. Data were analysed thematically to identify and interpret patterns of AI use and academic integrity challenges across participants’ responses. A tripartite framework integrating sociotechnical systems theory, academic integrity scholarship, and critical thinking pedagogy provides a theoretical lens for understanding teacher-mediated AI integration in TESOL contexts. Thematic findings revealed that teachers hold an optimistic yet cautious view of AI highlighting the critical role of guidance and reflection in AI-mediated environments. They employ an emergent, four-dimensional Connect–Guide–Reflect–Assess (CGRA) pedagogical framework to manage the tension between AI and integrity in language classrooms. They demand a shared responsibility between teachers and institutions through clear and consistent AI policies for curriculum, assessment and faculty professional development. This study contributes empirical, practitioner-generated evidence of how TESOL teachers in the Saudi context navigate AI in EAP classrooms. Grounded in participants’ accounts, the proposed CGRA framework offers language educators, curriculum designers, and institutional policymakers a replicable approach for navigating the AI era. Full article

As interactions between digital and physical technologies intensify, understanding their implications for corporate green innovation has become increasingly important. Using panel data on Chinese A-share listed firms from 2008 to 2024, this study investigates the relationship between digital–physical technological integration and both the quantity and quality of green innovation while considering potential endogeneity concerns. The empirical evidence shows that firms with a higher degree of digital–physical technological integration tend to generate more green innovation outputs and achieve higher green innovation quality. Additional analyses show that digital–physical technological integration is positively associated with knowledge depth, knowledge breadth, receipt of general government support, and environmental information disclosure quality, providing evidence consistent with the proposed knowledge, resource, and information explanations. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the relationship is more pronounced for digital product manufacturing and digital technology applications, and among larger, more mature, and less financially constrained firms. At the regional level, the relationship is stronger in regions with more advanced digital infrastructure, stronger intellectual property protection, and a more favourable business environment. This study advances current understanding of the relationship between digitalisation and green innovation and offers implications for designing differentiated innovation policies across firms and regions. Full article

Porcine rotavirus (PoRV), a major enteric pathogen, causes severe diarrhea, dehydration, high morbidity, and mortality, leading to significant economic losses in the porcine industry. In this study, we established a porcine small intestinal organoid culture system and developed an in vitro model for PoRV infection. Jejunal crypts were isolated from neonatal piglets and subsequently cultured to generate porcine small intestinal organoids in both three-dimensional (3D) and two-dimensional (2D) organoid formats, properties of which were verified via morphological assessment and immunostaining for Lgr5, villin, Ki-67, and lysozyme. Furthermore, a PoRV infection model was established in both 3D and 2D organoid cultures, and growth kinetics demonstrated efficient PoRV replication. PoRV infection also significantly increased the expression of inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6 and IFN-α. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the established porcine small intestinal organoid models support efficient PoRV replication and provide a physiologically relevant platform for studying PoRV pathogenesis and evaluating potential antiviral strategies. Full article

Climate change is increasing the frequency of heat stress events in dairy farming, adversely affecting milk production, milk composition, cow behavior, and animal health. However, many previous studies relied on distant weather-station data and low-frequency milk recording systems, limiting the assessment of short-term and delayed heat stress responses. Therefore, the aim of this study was to combine dense longitudinal data from automatic milking systems (AMS) with continuously recorded on-farm meteorological measurements to investigate the immediate and lagged effects of heat stress on Holstein dairy cows. The study included 386,587 AMS visit records from 790 cows on three commercial dairy farms in Germany, corresponding to up to 127,310 cow-day records collected between August 2022 and August 2025. Temperature–humidity index (THI) values were calculated based on dense on-farm temperature and relative humidity records and were evaluated for multiple lag periods prior to AMS recordings. Linear mixed models were applied to infer the effects of THI on production, physiological, behavioral, and milking process traits. Increasing THI was associated with reduced daily milk yield, altered milk fat and protein percentages, decreased AMS visit frequency, prolonged milking intervals, and increased milk temperature. For contemporaneous THI, an increase from THI 50 to THI 70 corresponded to model-estimated declines of −0.86 kg in daily milk yield, −0.20% in milk fat content and −0.06% in milk protein content, −0.12 daily AMS visits, and +1.14 °C in milk temperature. The strongest associations were generally observed for prompt and short-term lagged THI windows. In contrast, longer lag periods were associated with weaker and less distinct trait responses. Rather than merely confirming the established decline in milk yield under heat stress, the integrated and temporally resolved analysis revealed trait-specific response patterns across production, behavioral, physiological, health-related, and milking-process traits. In particular, milk temperature and voluntary AMS attendance showed pronounced associations with contemporaneous and short-term THI, demonstrating the value of combining AMS-derived phenotypes with high-resolution on-farm climate data for heat stress monitoring. Full article

Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) increasingly require on-board policies capable of engagement-level tactical decisions under discrete mission-system constraints. Most existing systems, however, remain rule-based and predictable, and many maritime reinforcement learning studies still focus on low-level continuous control. This paper proposes TAP-DDQN, a GRU-enhanced dueling deep Q-network trained with a multiplicative Tactical Approach Potential (TAP) and a dynamic target curriculum for discrete tactical decision-making in adversarial maritime engagements. The proposed TAP couples a desired engagement-range ring with an aspect-aware tactical term so that angular shaping becomes active mainly inside the tactical band, providing dense guidance without encouraging irrelevant long-range aspect optimization. The method is implemented through the non-invasive TRNLE wrapper, which enables learning and deployment without modifying the legacy combat-management software stack. In a 1-vs-1 surface-engagement scenario, the proposed agent achieves a DGAR of $54.87\pm 4.19\%$ and consistently outperforms feedforward and non-TAP baselines on reward-aligned diagnostics and maneuver consistency; relative to the strongest learning baseline (DQN+MLP without TAP), the improvement is $8.13$ percentage points. Qualitative analyses further show that the learned policy approaches the desired engagement ring, stabilizes a favorable stern-quarter geometry, and exhibits more coherent maneuver behavior than rule-based or additive-reward baselines. These results support multiplicative TAP shaping as an effective and deployment-compatible approach for USV tactical autonomy and intelligent adversary generation in naval training environments. Full article

The Dajing Cu-Sn polymetallic deposit, situated within the southern Great Xing’an Range of northern China, is a representative Mesozoic magmatic–hydrothermal system within a major Cu–Sn–Ag–Pb–Zn metallogenic belt. Located at the junction between the Siberian and North China plates, the deposit occurs within a composite tectonic domain overprinted by the Paleo-Asian, Mongol–Okhotsk, and Paleo-Pacific systems. Building on field geological constraints and detailed ore petrography, this study utilizes SEM–CL imaging and in situ LA–ICP–MS trace-element analysis of hydrothermal quartz to reconstruct the multistage physicochemical evolution and fluid dynamics of the ore-forming system. Three quartz generations record successive mineralization stages: early QI forms grain cores associated with Stage I cassiterite–arsenopyrite–quartz mineralization; main-stage QII crystallized during or shortly after Stage II chalcopyrite precipitation and exhibits well-developed oscillatory zoning; and late QIII occurs mainly as rim overgrowths and fracture fillings and postdates Stage III ore-mineral precipitation. Quartz is characteristically Ti-poor (4.7–22.8 ppm), and its trace-element systematics indicate a low- to intermediate-temperature hydrothermal signature and a granitic magmatic–hydrothermal affinity. Al, Li, Na, K, and Ge show coupled behavior consistent with heterovalent substitution and vary markedly among quartz generations, with CL-bright QIIa showing relatively higher Al, Ge, and Na relative to CL-dark QIIb, whereas QIII is generally characterized by lower Al, Li, and Ge. Localized anomalously high Cu and Sn values are mainly attributed to the co-ablation of fine-grained mineral inclusions, metal-rich fluid inclusions, or fracture-filling components. These features indicate a chemically heterogeneous fluid reservoir with inferred relatively acidic conditions during the initial Sn-mineralization stage. The fluid system subsequently experienced recurrent physicochemical fluctuations associated with pulsed fluid input during the principal Cu-mineralization stage. QIII records a trace element-depleted late-fluid system associated with the terminal pyrite–quartz stage. Late fluids migrated along earlier quartz boundaries and fractures and may have undergone further cooling and dilution through fluid mixing and/or water–rock interaction. Overall, the fluid system shows a progressive shift in inferred fluid chemistry, consistent with decreasing acidity during hydrothermal evolution. Full article

Radiation-induced salivary gland injury (RISGI) is an inevitable and serious complication for patients with head and neck cancer. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during radiotherapy are the primary cause. Hyposalivation is the most obvious symptom of RISGI. Currently, clinical interventions have not achieved the desired efficacy. Inspired by the radioprotective properties of Mn₃O₄ and PDA nanozymes and the robust bioadhesive properties of PDA hydrogels, we designed a Mn₃O₄–polydopamine hybrid hydrogel (termed MP hydrogel) capable of alleviating radiation-induced hyposalivation. MP hydrogel effectively scavenges ROS and increases the viability of salivary gland cells under ionizing radiation (IR). As a proof of concept, we applied MP hydrogel to the submandibular glands (SMGs) of male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats, one of the three major salivary glands of rats. We demonstrated that MP hydrogel effectively mitigated radiation-triggered hyposalivation after in situ gelation in rats. Full article