Search Results (12,811)

Systolic anterior motion (SAM) of the mitral valve remains a clinically relevant complication after mitral valve repair and may result in dynamic left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction, SAM-associated mitral regurgitation, and hemodynamic instability. Despite advances in surgical techniques and perioperative imaging, SAM remains an important cause of difficult separation from cardiopulmonary bypass and postoperative circulatory compromise. The development of SAM is multifactorial and results from the interaction between mitral valve anatomy, ventricular geometry, surgical repair characteristics, and perioperative hemodynamic conditions. Contemporary evidence has identified several echocardiographic predictors, including excessive posterior leaflet height, elongated anterior leaflets, reduced coaptation–septal distance, a narrow mitro–aortic angle, basal septal hypertrophy, and small hyperdynamic left ventricles. Recognition of these risk factors facilitates perioperative risk assessment and pre-repair surgical planning. Transesophageal echocardiography plays a pivotal role throughout the perioperative period, enabling risk assessment before repair, early diagnosis after cardiopulmonary bypass, and guidance of therapeutic interventions. Initial treatment is based on preload optimization, afterload augmentation, withdrawal of inotropic stimulation, and heart rate control, whereas refractory cases may require surgical revision. This narrative review summarizes the current understanding of SAM after mitral valve repair, focusing on pathophysiological mechanisms, echocardiographic predictors, surgical prevention and perioperative management, with particular emphasis on the practical role of cardiac anesthesiologists and mitral valve surgeons. Full article

Diabetes mellitus is a long-term metabolic disease associated with elevated glucose levels in blood and still constitutes one of the major public health issues worldwide. Inhibition of carbohydrate-digesting enzymes like α-amylase and α-glucosidase has been found to be effective in controlling postprandial hyperglycemia. The current study focused on designing, synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of novel 2,4-thiazolidinedione derivatives (D1–D5) as potent antidiabetic drugs utilizing combined in silico, in vitro, and in vivo techniques. Results from drug-likeness and ADME analyses indicated that all synthesized derivatives met Lipinski’s rule of five and had desirable pharmacokinetics properties along with reduced toxicity. Molecular docking against maltase-glucoamylase (human; PDB ID: 3TOP) protein showed good binding affinities of both D1 and D5 derivatives (−7.74 and −7.40 kcal/mol respectively) due to stable interactions with catalytic residues of enzymes. Inhibition of enzymes in vitro showed that D1 and D5 had the highest inhibitory activities of all synthesized derivatives, with IC₅₀ of 33.86 ± 2.1 and 37.55 ± 1.7 μM against α-amylase and 29.81 ± 3.2 and 32.43 ± 1.2 μM against α-glucosidase, respectively. Cytocompatibility tests on L6 myoblast cells proved that the lead compounds were well tolerated. In addition, studies in a model of Drosophila melanogaster induced by a high-sugar diet revealed a significant decrease in the level of glucose concentration depending on the dose, especially for D1 and D5, indicating their antihyperglycemic activity in vivo. Thus, these data confirm that D1 and D5 can be regarded as promising lead compounds for the development of new antidiabetics acting via inhibition of carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes. Full article

In the present study, the potential applications of Cu thin films and Ag/Cu bilayer thin films obtained by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique are investigated in terms of the physicochemical effects resulting from their interaction with an aqueous solution containing Reactive Blue 21 (RB21) dye and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃). The thin-film deposition process was carried out using a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser system operating at a wavelength of λ = 532 nm, with a pulse duration of τ = 10 ns, a repetition rate of ν = 10 Hz, a pulse energy of E = 180 mJ, a laser spot diameter of d = 336 μm, and an angle of incidence of α = 45°. Two types of thin films were prepared: a Cu thin film and an Ag/Cu bilayer thin film. The thermal effects induced by the interaction of the laser beam with the target materials were investigated by numerical simulations performed in COMSOL, allowing the evaluation of melt-phase formation for each material separately and providing a better understanding of the morphology and topography of the deposited thin films. The simulation results were validated through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations and surface roughness analyses. The two thin films were subsequently treated with an aqueous solution containing 10 g/L RB21 dye and 10 g/L NaHCO₃. Physicochemical analyses performed after treatment, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical microscopy (OM), profilometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and UV–Vis spectroscopy, revealed significant degradation of the RB21 dye accompanied by corrosion of the thin films, with the corrosion process being more pronounced in the case of the Cu thin film. The obtained results indicate that the method analyzed in this study may represent an alternative approach for the decomposition of recalcitrant organic dyes using thin Cu films, without relying on conventional photocatalytic processes. Equally important are the potential applications of the RB21/NaHCO₃ solution as an etching and patterning medium for thin Cu layers, while the Ag overlayer may provide a protective effect during such processes. These findings may contribute to the development of novel fabrication techniques for optoelectronic components, including solar cells, photovoltaic windows, and other industrial and laboratory applications. Full article

Intranasal drug delivery is noninvasive, rapid-acting, and well suited to self-administration, yet the real-world performance of nasal sprays depends on the interaction among formulation, device mechanics, nasal anatomy, and user technique rather than on the active ingredient alone. This narrative review examines how aerosol science, regional targeting, and human factors jointly shape intranasal performance, using GentleMist Technology™ as a representative example of emerging device-centered development. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and anatomically informed in vitro models indicate that device geometry, plume characteristics, and administration angle can significantly alter where a dose is deposited, while human factors research identifies priming, positioning, and angulation as key determinants of successful over-the-counter (OTC) use. We summarize early feasibility data suggesting that angle-optimized administration may increase posterior nasopharyngeal delivery and that essential tasks are feasible for lay users, with priming emerging as a specific usability vulnerability. We also review preliminary clinical evidence on a chlorpheniramine maleate (CPM)-based intranasal formulation in allergic rhinitis and viral upper respiratory illness. Although the strongest device-specific findings remain preliminary and require independent replication, they support an emerging shift from a formulation-centered model toward an integrated device–formulation–user paradigm. Full article

Small gases pose an unusual problem for studies of molecular transport in proteins. O₂, CO, H₂, and NO can cross short-lived internal spaces opened by protein fluctuations, often faster than experiments can follow continuous migration. Time-resolved crystallography can localize sufficiently populated intermediates, whereas spectroscopy, isotope exchange, and kinetic measurements report molecular exchange over their respective timescales without resolving the complete route. Pressurized noble-gas structures expose internal accommodation sites but rely on surrogate molecules whose size and interactions differ from those of physiological gases. Geometry-based tunnel searches identify available space, while molecular dynamics follows explicit movement through a fluctuating protein. Free-energy and enhanced-sampling approaches can access states or transitions that remain undersampled in direct trajectories. These techniques resolve different quantities rather than progressively more accurate estimates of gas transport. In this Perspective, we argue that gas-migration pathways should be evaluated by the physical consistency of independent observables, with each method interpreted according to the quantity it resolves. This distinction explains why a cavity visible crystallographically may not carry substantial flux, why a rapidly crossed route can remain structurally inconspicuous, and why static narrowing can alter diffusion without predicting its magnitude. Agreement among methods can support a transport assignment when the quantities they resolve are physically consistent with the same mechanism; apparent disagreement may instead reflect differences among occupancy, accessibility, residence, energetic preference, and molecular traffic. Full article

This paper presents a web-based platform for analyzing the impact of hyperparameters on machine learning models for text classification. The system integrates a PHP-based web interface with Python-based machine learning modules, enabling users to experiment with different algorithms and parameter configurations in an interactive environment. The platform supports multiple classification models and allows dynamic adjustment of parameters such as n-gram range, regularization strength, and feature extraction techniques. Experimental results demonstrate that hyperparameter tuning has a significant influence on classification performance. The proposed system provides an intuitive and practical tool for both educational purposes and applied research in natural language processing. Full article

Soil moisture is a critical state variable in land–atmosphere interactions and the hydrological cycle. Owing to its all-weather and all-day observation capability, passive microwave remote sensing has become an important technique for regional soil moisture monitoring. However, most existing passive microwave soil moisture retrieval methods rely on fixed empirical parameters to characterize vegetation single-scattering albedo and soil surface roughness, which may not fully account for variations in surface conditions across different regions and seasons, thereby affecting retrieval accuracy. To address this issue, this study proposes a method for jointly constraining key parameters of the forward model for passive microwave soil moisture retrieval using multi-temporal brightness temperature observations. The vegetation single-scattering albedo ($\omega$) and soil surface roughness parameter ($rou$) are determined from multi-temporal brightness temperature information, and soil moisture is subsequently retrieved based on the optimized parameters. The Shandian River Basin was selected as the study area, and soil moisture retrievals were conducted using SMAP SPL3SMP brightness temperature data from 2019 to 2024. The retrieval results were evaluated using ground-based observations and compared with existing soil moisture products. The results show that: (1) The proposed parameterization method is theoretically capable of identifying the vegetation single-scattering albedo and soil surface roughness parameter across their respective parameter ranges. Based on the parameterization results in the study area, the vegetation single-scattering albedo exhibits a pronounced and relatively consistent annual pattern, with a temporal trend generally consistent with previous studies, whereas the intra-annual variation in the soil surface roughness parameter is not pronounced and cannot be reliably identified from the current results. (2) Validation against the ground-based soil moisture observation network shows that the proposed method achieves an overall RMSE, ubRMSE, MRE, and Bias of 0.0678, 0.0505, 0.3085, and −0.0453, respectively, and generally outperforms the DCA and SCA products. Compared with MCCA, the proposed method has a slightly higher ubRMSE (0.0505 vs. 0.0496) but a Bias closer to zero (−0.0453 vs. −0.0504). Consequently, its overall RMSE is lower than that of MCCA (0.0678 vs. 0.0707). These results suggest that the proposed method has the potential to reduce systematic errors while maintaining a level of random error comparable to that of existing products. (3) Spatial analysis demonstrates that the retrieved soil moisture patterns are consistent with the general spatial distribution characteristics of the study area. Compared with the MCCA, DCA, SCA-H, and SCA-V products, the proposed method exhibits stronger spatial gradients and provides clearer differentiation among regions with different moisture conditions. Overall, the proposed multi-temporal brightness temperature constraint method demonstrates good feasibility for passive microwave soil moisture retrieval and provides a new technical approach for determining key parameters in the forward model. Full article

Bird strikes cause aircraft damage, create serious risks to human safety and can contribute to catastrophic incidents, while continuing to impose substantial economic costs on airlines. The impact combines high kinetic energy with discontinuous, strongly nonlinear contact over a short duration, producing large structural deformations; appropriate nonlinear simulation techniques are therefore required to capture this complex interaction. For this purpose, the present study applies established Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH)–finite element modelling ingredients to a controlled matrix of aerospace material systems and target geometries. The approach is first benchmarked against a published aluminium flat-plate bird-impact test using a raster-digitised force-history comparison, after which monolithic metallic and composite structures and source-described honeycomb-sandwich alternatives are assessed in flat-panel and curved leading-edge configurations. The results show that contact-force and local-displacement rankings depend strongly on target geometry and response metric, with the curved leading edge changing the ordering observed for the flat panel. More compliant systems generally permit greater local displacement, whereas stiffer systems restrict displacement but can sustain higher short-duration force peaks; consequently, no universal material ranking follows from a single response measure, and the results are most suitable for preliminary design screening. Full article

Despite the increasing adoption of soilless cultivation systems, little is known about how the gravel flow technique (GFT) influences postharvest quality, phytonutritional composition, and shelf life of cauliflower compared with conventional soil cultivation, and how these effects interact with cultivar genotype. Therefore, this study evaluated the influence of production system (soil cultivation vs. GFT), cultivar, and storage duration on the postharvest physiology, quality, and phytonutritional attributes of three cauliflower cultivars (‘Macerata’, ‘Sicilian Violet’, and ‘Snowball’) stored at 4 °C for 8 days. Significant production system × cultivar × storage interactions affected physiological, biochemical, and sensory characteristics. Soil-grown curds maintained higher O₂ and lower CO₂ concentrations, indicating lower respiration rates and slower deterioration than GFT-grown curds. ‘Snowball’ exhibited the highest weight loss and respiratory activity, whereas ‘Sicilian Violet’ showed the lowest weight loss. Soil cultivation enhanced the retention of phenolics, glucosinolates, pigments, and antioxidant activity. After 8 days, soil-grown ‘Sicilian Violet’ exhibited the highest total phenolic content (55.25 mg GAE g⁻¹ DW) and antioxidant capacity, while the highest glucosinolate concentration was recorded in soil-grown ‘Macerata’ (48.23 µmol g⁻¹ DW on day 6). ‘Macerata’ maintained the highest chlorophyll and β-carotene contents throughout storage, whereas ‘Sicilian Violet’ showed superior anthocyanin retention and antioxidant capacity. Although sensory quality declined during storage, soil-grown curds retained better quality and lower browning than GFT-grown curds. Overall, soil cultivation improved postharvest quality and nutraceutical value, highlighting the importance of integrating cultivar selection with production practices to optimise shelf life and nutritional quality. Full article

This work focuses on studying the magnetohydrodynamic flow and heat transfer mechanism of a Casson–Maxwell nanofluid due to a stretching surface through a porous medium, using a physics-informed neural network (PINNs) approach as the main tool for the solution of the physical problem. The mathematical model describes the phenomena of viscosity variation with temperature, viscous dissipation, thermal slip, Brownian motion, thermophoresis, and drag force due to a porous medium, which give a realistic physical scenario of the coupled transport phenomena of momentum, heat, and nanoparticles. First, the nonlinear partial differential equations are converted into a dimensionless boundary layer model using similarity transformations. Then, the yielded system is solved via the PINNs approach, which integrates physical law within the optimization procedure. The proposed technique does not require a significant number of labeled datasets and provides accurate and stable predictions of the strongly nonlinear flow. A comprehensive parametric analysis was performed to explore the impact of the dimensionless controlling factors on the velocity, temperature, and nanoparticle concentration distributions. It is found that the interaction of magnetic field effects, porous media resistivity, thermal and concentration slip, viscosity variation, and viscous heating significantly modifies the transport features for the studied model of the Casson–Maxwell nanofluid, which can be used effectively to control the rate of heat and mass transfer. This study proves the efficiency of the PINN technique in solving this type of model, and it also provides useful insights for designing thermal systems, energy conversion devices, and electrically conducting viscoelastic nanofluid transport problems. The close concordance between the present findings and established data from the literature validates the precision and dependability of the developed PINN-based framework. Full article

To reduce the high post-harvest losses of perishable fruits due to fungal spoilage, a novel, self-healing, active multilayer coating based on green polymer chemistry was developed. The system was constructed by the layer-by-layer technique from a dual-modified pullulan polyelectrolyte pair—pullulan maleate and enzymatically derived pullulan betaine with incorporation of β-cyclodextrin/neem oil inclusion complex (β-CD/NO). SEM and DSC analyses confirmed the successful formation of the complex and the structural transition to a rough topography. Due to strong interlayer electrostatic interactions and β-CD as a rigid filler, the multilayer films with the active complex achieved the highest tensile strength of 1.30 ± 0.61 MPa (up to 4× increased in comparison to the monolayer films), with a decrease in elasticity to 10.84%. Additionally, water vapor permeability values were reduced by 22%–28% compared to related biomatrices, while rapid, water-activated self-healing successfully repaired physical film damage. In vitro testing against Candida albicans showed a pronounced synergistic effect with a zone of inhibition of 16.5 ± 1.1 mm for the active formulation. During seven-day in vivo testing on fresh figs, the active coating effectively suppressed yeast proliferation at room temperature (maintaining levels at 2.1 log CFU/g versus 7.1 in untreated figs) and under refrigerated conditions. This innovative system represents a highly promising and sustainable platform for active food packaging. Full article

Background/Objectives: Adherent perinephric fat (APN) is common in laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN). It is absent from the lists of recognised positive surgical margin (PSM) predictors. We tested whether APN is associated with PSM risk and whether the effect varies by resection technique. Methods: We analysed 401 International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP)-gradable renal cell carcinomas (31 PSM events; chromophobe RCC was excluded from the primary cohort because the WHO/ISUP grade is not assignable) carried out at three centres by eight surgeons from 2013 to 2024. Nested logistic models added APN, then an APN × enucleation interaction, to a guideline-based covariate set (tumour size, ISUP grade ≥ 3, cT1b stage, centre fixed effects, surgeon-documented enucleation). Firth penalisation and a 2000-replicate bootstrap were used to limit small-sample bias; they cannot add information beyond the 31 observed events. Results: APN was an independent PSM predictor (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21 to 5.95, p = 0.02). The effect was technique-conditional: APN × enucleation interaction OR 7.83 (95% CI 1.08 to 56.92, p = 0.04), consistent in direction across estimators but imprecise in magnitude. PSM occurred in 29.4% of APN-positive enucleation cases (odds ratio 10.21, 95% CI 2.07 to 50.30; Fisher exact p = 0.003), against 5.0% in enucleoresection and 10.8% in resection. Conclusions: In this cohort the APN-to-PSM association was technique-conditional. The penalty concentrates in enucleation; the rim-retaining strata gave estimates compatible with both no association and clinically important harm (OR 0.99 and 1.96, both intervals wide). Because the interaction rests on few margin events and the technique was not randomised, this finding is hypothesis-generating: when APN is encountered intraoperatively, retaining a parenchymal rim (enucleoresection or resection) rather than enucleation may be considered, pending prospective validation. Full article

Carbon-based materials are widely employed in electrocatalytic energy conversion and storage technologies owing to their high electrical conductivity, chemical stability, tunable structure, and low cost. However, the limited intrinsic activity and surface inertness of pristine carbon materials often necessitate surface modification to generate catalytically active sites and improve interactions with reactants and electrolytes. Among the available approaches, plasma functionalization has emerged as a versatile, rapid, solvent-free, and potentially resource-efficient technique that enables systematic tuning of surface chemistry while often limiting modification primarily to the near-surface region. This review discusses the fundamentals of plasma-assisted surface modification of carbon materials, including plasma generation, reactive species, plasma–surface interaction mechanisms, and the influence of key processing parameters such as gas composition, power, pressure, and treatment time. Particular attention is devoted to plasma-induced heteroatom doping, defect engineering, surface functionalization, and the dynamic structural evolution of carbon frameworks during treatment. The impact of these modifications on the physicochemical properties and electrocatalytic performance of carbon materials is critically examined with respect to representative reactions, including the oxygen reduction, oxygen evolution, and hydrogen evolution reactions. The advantages, limitations, and scalability of plasma technologies are also discussed, along with current challenges in process control and reproducibility. Finally, future opportunities involving operando diagnostics, single-atom catalysts, advanced porous carbon architectures, and industrial-scale plasma processing are highlighted. Plasma processing offers a versatile route to carbon surface and catalyst-interface engineering, although standardized reporting and quantitative plasma–structure–performance relationships are still required for rational process design and scale-up. Full article

The Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus) is a widely distributed tropical seabird whose parasitic fauna remains poorly studied, particularly in the southwestern Atlantic. This study aimed to characterize the louse fauna (Phthiraptera) of An. stolidus specimens stranded in northeastern coast of Brazil between April 2024 and October 2025. Sixteen individuals from the Sergipe-Alagoas Basin Beach Monitoring Project were examined. During physical examinations and necropsies, ectoparasites were collected, preserved, and identified using standardized morphological techniques. Of the specimens examined, 13 birds were infested, yielding a total of 191 lice belonging to five species: Actornithophilus piceus, Austromenopon atrofulvum, Quadraceps separatus, Quadraceps birostris, and Saemundssonia remota. More lice were collected from male birds (156 lice collected) than from female birds (35 lice collected). Mean intensity ranged from 1.0 (Au. atrofulvum) to 11.0 (Q. birostris), whereas mean abundance ranged from 0.14 to 6.00, indicating low-to-moderate levels of infestation. Notably, this study provides the first records of Ac. piceus and Q. birostris in Brazil, as well as the first records of both species from An. stolidus, thereby expanding the known geographic distribution and host range of these ectoparasites. The remaining records corroborate previously documented associations with birds of the family Laridae. Although lice were present, there was no evidence that they caused harmful effects or contributed to the deaths of their hosts. These findings indicate that the parasitic diversity of An. stolidus in the region remains underestimated, reinforcing the need for systematic surveys with larger sample sizes and broader geographic coverage to achieve a more robust understanding of host–parasite interactions in the South Atlantic. Full article

Electroencephalogram (EEG)-based seizure prediction has recently emerged as a critical technique for clinical diagnosis and intervention. However, conventional multi-channel EEG analysis methods often overlook the brain’s intrinsic spatial topology and typically employ fixed channel ordering, which constrain their ability to capture cross-regional interactions effectively. To address these limitations, this study proposes a novel Multi-Frequency Topological Neural Network (MF-TopoNet) that jointly captures topological and spatial–temporal characteristics of EEG signals. The proposed framework leverages both constructed functional brain networks and raw multi-channel EEG recordings as inputs, thereby facilitating complementary feature extraction. Specifically, the TopoConv module integrates topological information into the convolutional process and adopts randomized channel fusion to enhance feature diversity. In addition, a cross-band attention mechanism is introduced to model interactions across multiple frequency bands, further improving prediction accuracy. Extensive experiments conducted on the CHB-MIT and Siena datasets demonstrate the superiority and robustness of MF-TopoNet. Under 10-fold cross-validation, the proposed model achieved 95.88% accuracy, 95.60% sensitivity, and 96.15% specificity on the CHB-MIT dataset and 94.01% accuracy, 93.92% sensitivity, and 94.11% specificity on the Siena dataset. These results underscore the importance of incorporating brain topology into deep learning frameworks and highlight the effectiveness of multi-frequency feature fusion for improving seizure prediction performance. Full article