Search Results (16,954)

This study evaluated the validity of the leg stiffness metric provided by the Stryd running power meter against the Morin (2005) sine-wave spring–mass model. Twenty-three highly trained trail runners (11 women) completed a 12 min uphill time trial at +12% grade and one hour of submaximal level running. Leg stiffness was calculated from contact time, flight time, running speed, and leg length using Morin’s method, and compared with Stryd values. Agreement was assessed following the Dhahbi and Chamari Level-1 analytical framework, including intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC_2,1), Bland–Altman analysis, mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and paired t-tests. Stryd and Morin estimates showed excellent agreement in both conditions: uphill running: ICC_2,1 = 0.96 (95%CI: 0.91–0.98), bias = −0.02 kN·m⁻¹, limits of agreement (LoAs) = [−0.61, 0.58] kN·m⁻¹, MAPE = 2.5% (p = 0.803); and level running: ICC_2,1 = 0.97 (95%CI: 0.93–0.99), bias = −0.04 kN·m⁻¹, LoAs = [−0.62, 0.54] kN·m⁻¹, MAPE = 2.6% (p = 0.505). The Stryd sensor provides valid leg stiffness estimates in highly trained trail runners on both level and inclined terrain. The negligible systematic bias and narrow limits of agreement support the use of Stryd for leg stiffness monitoring in field and laboratory settings. Full article

Accurate battery state-of-charge (SOC) estimation is a core function of battery management systems (BMSs) for electric vehicles (EVs), as it directly affects energy management, safety, and reliability. However, battery aging significantly degrades the accuracy of conventional SOC estimation methods by causing capacity loss, increased internal resistance, and changes in voltage response characteristics. To address these issues, this study proposes an aging-aware SOC estimation method that combines an equivalent-circuit model (ECM) with an extended Kalman filter (EKF). In the proposed framework, aging effects are explicitly incorporated by using offline-identified SOH-dependent model parameters, including effective capacity, RC parameters, and SOC–OCV characteristics, and scheduling these parameters within the EKF prediction and correction process according to the available SOH information. Furthermore, the performance of the proposed method is experimentally validated under an Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS) using cylindrical lithium-ion cells with large current fluctuations. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed aging-aware EKF maintains stable SOC estimation performance not only in the initial battery state but also throughout the gradual aging process and up to the end of battery life. These results demonstrate the potential of SOH-scheduled, aging-aware EKF-based SOC estimation to improve SOC accuracy in aged batteries under the investigated laboratory and dynamic load conditions. Full article

This paper presents a method for determining the reduction in noise transmission provided by small samples of acoustic metamaterials, based on comparative sound intensity measurements. The proposed approach offers an alternative to conventional laboratory methods that require large specimens and controlled acoustic conditions, which limit the rapid testing of prototypes. As part of this study, a mobile and modular measurement setup was developed in the form of a cubic enclosure with replaceable panels, enabling experiments to be conducted under near-real conditions. The measurement methodology is based on determining the difference in sound intensity level, $\Delta L_I$, between a reference configuration and a configuration with an installed metamaterial lining, which allows for the direct evaluation of the increase in sound insulation of the tested partition. To verify the method, a locally resonant metamaterial structure was designed and numerically tuned to a frequency of approximately 460 Hz. Physical samples were then fabricated using 3D printing technology and experimentally tested for two variants of base partitions with different sound insulation performance. The obtained results showed a clear noise transmission reduction in the vicinity of the tuning frequency, reaching approximately 17 dB for the partition with a lower baseline sound insulation and approximately 10 dB for the more insulating partition. A dependence of the metamaterial effectiveness on the properties of the base partition was also observed. The results confirm that the proposed method enables a reliable assessment of the influence of metamaterial structures on the noise transmission reduction of partitions using small samples and a simplified measurement setup. Full article

The accelerating generation of waste streams is observed globally. Spanning lignocellulosic biomass, plastic waste, sewage sludge, and industrial residues, this review presents both an urgent management challenge and a compelling materials opportunity. Carbon materials derived from these waste streams offer a sustainable route to functional carbons applicable in electrochemical energy storage, adsorption, heterogeneous catalysis, and high-temperature applications. Yet their rational design remains constrained by incomplete understanding of the relationships between feedstock composition, processing pathway, structural characteristics, and functional performance. This review provides an integrated analysis of waste-derived carbon materials from processing pathways to structure–property–function relationships. The principal feedstock categories are examined for their compositional characteristics and implications for carbon yield and structure. Five primary processing routes are assessed. The five routes examined are pyrolysis, hydrothermal carbonisation, physical and chemical activation, and microwave-assisted processing. They are assessed comparatively with emphasis on structural outcomes and governing parameters. The resulting structural characteristics are discussed. These are morphology, hierarchical pore architecture, surface chemistry, heteroatom doping, and crystallinity. They are discussed alongside their characterisation methods and known limitations as performance predictors. Structure–property relationships are examined quantitatively. Heteroatom-doped hierarchical porous carbons achieve 612 F/g specific capacitance. Turbostratic hard carbons deliver 450 mAh/g sodium storage with over 90% retention. Hierarchical porous carbons demonstrate CO₂ uptake of 5.0 mmol/g and dye adsorption exceeding 9000 mg/g under optimised laboratory conditions; these values reflect individual studies and are not directly comparable across systems. Biomass-derived sulfonated carbon catalysts sustain biodiesel yields above 90% over multiple cycles. Challenges of feedstock variability, process scalability, environmental compliance, and economic feasibility are addressed, and machine learning-guided design, standardised characterisation methodology, and circular economy policy frameworks are identified as key enablers for translating laboratory performance into industrial reality. Full article

Background/Objectives: Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) and the video head impulse test (vHIT) enable receptor-specific assessment of otolithic organs and semicircular canals. Their increasing use has revealed selective or apparently isolated vestibular abnormalities, although the clinical significance of these findings remains uncertain. This mini-review examines selective otolithic and semicircular canal dysfunction, with emphasis on diagnostic interpretation, methodological limitations, and future research needs. Methods: A structured narrative review of PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus was conducted, focusing on studies reporting isolated, selective, or disproportionate vestibular abnormalities assessed by VEMPs and/or vHIT. Relevant original studies, case series, case reports, reviews, and diagnostic or consensus papers were considered. Results: Selective otolithic dysfunction may involve the utricle, saccule, or both and is often associated with imbalance, tilting, swaying, spatial disorientation, nausea, or postural instability. Selective semicircular canal dysfunction may involve one or more canals and may present with vertigo, dizziness, nystagmus, or gait instability. Similar VEMP and vHIT patterns occur across vestibular neuritis, Ménière’s disease, vestibular migraine, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, bilateral vestibulopathy, superior semicircular canal dehiscence, vestibular schwannoma, central vestibular disorders, systemic diseases, and idiopathic presentations. Conclusions: Selective vestibular abnormalities should be interpreted as context-dependent laboratory findings rather than discrete disease entities. Their value depends on reproducibility, anatomical plausibility, clinical concordance, complementary testing, and longitudinal follow-up. Full article

This study aims to investigate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and environmental footprint of BOCOM Petroleum, a mid-sized downstream oil company operating in Douala, Cameroon. In response to the critical need for empirical data on industrial emissions in Sub-Saharan Africa, a mixed-methods approach combining Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), carbon accounting, and stakeholder interviews was adopted. Emissions were categorised following the GHG Protocol into Scope 1 (direct), Scope 2 (energy-related), and Scope 3 (value chain). Results reveal total annual emissions of 51,734 CO₂, kg/year, with Scope 3 accounting for 38%, Scope 2 for 33%, and Scope 1 for 29%. Major emission sources include stationary combustion, laboratory processes, and the use of electricity-intensive heat-generating machines. An Environmental Management Plan (EMP) was developed, proposing actionable measures such as process optimisation, adoption of energy-efficient equipment, electrification of vehicle fleets, and improved waste management. Findings underscore the need for systemic decarbonisation strategies among mid-sized oil firms and highlight the alignment of corporate initiatives with Cameroon’s climate commitments. This study contributes a replicable methodological framework for emission auditing in industrial enterprises across the region and calls for further integration of environmental and financial planning in corporate sustainability strategies. Full article

Building details are often treated as technical externalities, subordinate to form, image and architectural narrative. Reading details as liminal spaces reverses that hierarchy. The joint concentrates transitions between the inside and outside, public and private, exposure and protection, and these transitions are constructed as intervals, experienced through thickness, reveal, edge condition, shadow, touch, and the small resistances that accompany crossing. The article develops its analysis through archival hand-drawn detail drawings from the Azrieli Architectural Archive. It defines building details as both technical assemblies and threshold devices, points where architecture becomes accountable to perception as well as to climate, labor, regulation, and everyday use. A semiotic reading of large-scale sheets shows how line weight, hatching, notation, and layout encode priorities, marking boundaries between what must be precisely resolved and what may remain adjustable. The archive is treated as a laboratory of “detail families,” recurring junction types such as windows, stairs, and envelope edges that reveal office-specific languages of joining. Two case studies, by the architects Ram Karmi and Arieh Sharon with Eldar Sharon, show how micro-variations in depth, overlap, and edge control tune thresholds, producing perceptual tipping points where comfort can shift into irritation, calm into unease, and openness into vulnerability. Although grounded in a local archive, the argument addresses a broader condition of contemporary practice: standardization and digital production chains can relocate authorship and responsibility away from the joint, precisely where buildings most affect everyday conduct. The paper proposes a liminal literacy of detailing as both a historiographic method and a design ethic aimed at making threshold decisions legible, contestable, and accountable in present-day workflows. Full article

Background/Objectives: Acute pancreatitis is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for disturbances in glucose metabolism and the development of diabetes mellitus (DM). However, the long-term endocrine consequences of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis (PEP) remain poorly characterized. This study aimed to evaluate the association between post-ERCP pancreatitis and the risk of new-onset diabetes mellitus (NODM). Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients who underwent ERCP between 2019 and 2024 at a tertiary referral center. New-onset diabetes mellitus was defined using laboratory data and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) diagnostic codes within one year after ERCP. Multivariable logistic regression adjusting for age, sex, hypertension, and coronary artery disease was performed. Results: A total of 2695 patients were included. Post-ERCP pancreatitis occurred in 165 patients (6.1%). New-onset diabetes developed in 9/165 patients (5.5%) in the PEP group and in 27/2530 patients (1.1%) in the non-PEP group. An increased incidence of new-onset diabetes was observed among patients who developed post-ERCP pancreatitis (crude OR 5.35, 95% CI 2.47–11.57; p < 0.001). In multivariable analysis adjusting for age, sex, hypertension, and coronary artery disease, post-ERCP pancreatitis remained significantly associated with new-onset diabetes in the fully adjusted model (adjusted OR 5.33, 95% CI 2.42–11.77; p < 0.001). The absolute risk increase was 4.39%, corresponding to a number needed to harm of 23. Conclusions: An increased incidence of new-onset diabetes was observed among patients who developed post-ERCP pancreatitis. This association remained significant after adjustment for baseline cardiovascular comorbidities. Although the absolute risk increase was modest, these findings may be clinically relevant. Because this was a retrospective study with a limited number of diabetes cases, the findings should be considered hypothesis-generating and require confirmation in prospective studies. Full article

Blood disorders encompass a wide range of diseases including anemia, hemophilia, thrombotic disorders, platelet dysfunction, and hematological cancers, making blood disorders a major global health concern. These conditions can impair processes vital to human physiology including oxygenation, coagulation, and immune defense. Hematologic malignancies, both chronic and acute, require timely diagnosis and ongoing disease monitoring for effective clinical management. Microfluidic technologies have emerged as promising alternatives to benchtop techniques for diagnosing and monitoring hematological disorders. For example, microfluidic assays can be used for the isolation and characterization of liquid biopsy markers such as rare cells, extracellular vesicles, and cell-free molecules to support disease management in a minimally invasive manner while the process automation afforded by microfluidics decentralizes healthcare, making it more accessible. Advances in lab-on-a-chip technologies, including large-scale fabrication methods and novel design strategies, will provide tools for the clinical validation of biomarkers and the translation of these technologies from the laboratory bench to the patient bedside. In this review, we will show that microfluidic devices enable disease monitoring via high-throughput analysis of liquid biopsy samples for the detection of rare disease-specific biomarkers found in blood, plasma, urine, etc., providing an alternative to standard benchtop testing using specimens secured via invasive bone marrow procedures, typically used for managing blood-based diseases. A key advantage of microfluidics is their ability to manipulate blood components at scales that closely mimic the body’s microvascular environment. Not surprisingly, microfluidic vascular models have been developed to replicate physiological rheology enabling quantitative assessment of blood cell deformability, aggregation, or clot formation. We provide a critical perspective on the use of the microfluidic “organ-on-chip” designed for blood disorders’ modeling and employed to recapitulate the blood cancer microenvironment. A summary of advances in microfluidic strategies for detection, diagnosis, drug screening, and mechanistic investigations of blood disorders, and future directions for precision testing, will be presented. Full article

Background/Objectives: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a prevalent condition requiring ongoing patient counseling and engagement, yet little is known about how physicians communicate with patients about CKD in routine clinical practice. We conducted a qualitative study to examine physician communication approaches related to CKD and to assess how these approaches align with Picker’s principles of patient-centered care framework. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with primary care physicians and nephrologists practicing in community and safety-net settings. Using directed content analysis, we identified patterns in how clinicians describe educating patients, contextualizing clinical information, and deferring aspects of counseling to other providers. Results: Physicians predominantly emphasized information-giving and the use of laboratory data to explain disease status. In contrast, practices such as explicit patient preference elicitation, addressing fear, anxiety, or physical comfort, and involving family or support persons were infrequently described. Mapping these communication behaviors to patient-centered care principles highlighted specific elements that are routinely enacted and others that remain underutilized in everyday CKD counseling. Conclusions: These findings identify concrete, feasible opportunities to strengthen patient-centered communication through brief, practice-ready strategies such as plain-language explanations, teach-back, values checks, and shared decision-making prompts. Enhancing these communication practices represents a pragmatic opportunity to improve the quality and patient-centeredness of CKD care. Full article

Neck pain is increasingly associated with exposure-dependent dysfunction linked to digitally mediated behaviors, prolonged near-work, sustained postures, and reduced movement variability, whereas cervical assessment remains dominated by static imaging and brief in-clinic examination. This narrative review evaluates why current diagnostic approaches remain poorly suited to the dynamic nature of many contemporary cervical disorders and examines segmental cervical motion as a clinically relevant but insufficiently observed functional target. Evidence from static imaging, dynamic radiographic methods, laboratory motion analysis, wearable inertial sensing, markerless video, and digital measure validation frameworks is synthesized to assess both current capabilities and translational limitations. Dynamic radiographic methods can characterize intervertebral motion with high anatomical specificity, but they are not suitable for scalable longitudinal monitoring. By contrast, wearable and video-based approaches are more compatible with real-world assessment, yet they capture external head–neck kinematics rather than vertebral-level kinematics directly and remain constrained by indirect observability, soft-tissue artifact, and inference uncertainty. On this basis, the review proposes a four-layer framework for continuous non-invasive cervical functional assessment based on sensing, representation, inference, and clinical interpretation, in which segmental cervical behavior is treated as a latent segment-informed functional construct inferred from multimodal external signals and periodically anchored to sparse reference-grade imaging anchors. Segmental motion signatures are consequently positioned as candidate digital measures for longitudinal cervical monitoring, provided that their development is supported by rigorous analytical and clinical validation, explicit uncertainty reporting, and demonstrated incremental clinical value. Full article

Hydrogen energy is an important carrier for achieving China’s “dual carbon” goals, and one of the sources of green hydrogen is to develop better water electrolysis catalysts. This paper reviews the current research status of water electrolysis hydrogen production catalysts, analyzes the role and significance of advanced hydrogen energy catalysts in achieving the “dual carbon” goals, and conducts an in-depth analysis of the difficulties in moving from the laboratory to large-scale application, namely, how to bridge the “four gaps”, including catalyst performance evaluation, long-term application of catalysts, macro-scale preparation, and device integration. It also proposes overall improvement ideas and measures. In this paper, effective improvement methods are proposed for these “four gaps”, which can improve the relevant indicators and service life of water electrolysis hydrogen production catalysts, further promote the large-scale production and industrial application of green hydrogen, and provide a strong guarantee for solving China’s “dual carbon” problems. Full article

The study of bubble pulsation from underwater explosions is critical for applications in marine resource exploration, underwater demolition, and offshore engineering. However, the existing research methods have significant limitations: Laboratory experiments struggle to replicate the dynamic decompression during the process of bubble rising. Field experiments in seas or lakes find it difficult to systematically cover complex parameter ranges. Furthermore, theoretical calculations face the problems of accurately coupling the bubble pulsation with its buoyancy-driven ascent. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel method for calculating the bubble pulsation period of underwater explosions. This method accurately simulates the pulsation and buoyancy-driven ascent of an underwater explosion bubble. Based on the bubble’s energy attenuation characteristics, it establishes the relationship between the pulsation period, TNT equivalent, and ambient hydrostatic pressure. To verify the accuracy of the method, we conducted underwater explosion experiments in the South China Sea with varying TNT equivalents and detonation depths. Abundant bubble pulsation period data of underwater explosions were obtained spatially by deploying hydrophone arrays at various depths. The close agreement between the theoretical predictions and the experimental results confirms the accuracy of the proposed method. By matching the measured values of the first pulsation period and the ratio of the second pulsation period to the first against a database of theoretical curves, a combination of depth and charge equivalent that satisfies both values can be identified, thereby enabling the inversion of the explosion parameters. Full article

Background: Surveillance of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) relies on cystoscopy and urine cytology, both of which have well-recognised limitations. Molecular urine assays have been developed to reduce the burden of invasive surveillance, yet their real-world clinical utility remains uncertain. Uromonitor^® is a quantitative PCR-based assay targeting hotspot variants in the TERT promoter, FGFR3, and KRAS, which are frequently altered in urothelial carcinoma. We evaluated the performance of Uromonitor^® in routine clinical practice and assessed its technical reproducibility. Methods: Uromonitor^® diagnostic test accuracy was retrospectively calculated from samples from patients undergoing investigation for suspected bladder cancer (n = 64) or surveillance (n = 30) following a prior diagnosis at a tertiary referral centre between 2021 and 2023. Uromonitor^® results were compared with histology where available (n = 49, 52%), or with contemporaneous cystoscopy and urine cytology findings (n = 45, 48%). This pragmatic dual reference standard reflects routine clinical practice but may introduce some heterogeneity in diagnostic accuracy verification. A prospective in-house verification cohort was used to assess inter-laboratory reproducibility. Discordant cases underwent orthogonal next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy were calculated for the Uromonitor^® against the standard of care. Results: Ninety-four patients were included in the clinical performance analysis. Overall sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and overall accuracy for Uromonitor^® were 38%, 88%, 63%, 72% and 70%, respectively. Sensitivity was higher in the diagnostic setting (47%; 95% CI 27.3–68.3%) than during surveillance (23%; 95% CI 8.2–50.2%). Several false-negative cases in the verification cohort harboured variants either detectable by NGS at variant allele frequencies below or slightly above the assay’s limit of detection or variants not covered by the assay hotspot design. Inter-laboratory reproducibility was excellent, with 100% concordance observed in the verification cohort. Conclusions: In a real-world clinical setting, Uromonitor^® demonstrated high specificity but limited sensitivity for detection of bladder cancer, particularly during surveillance. A negative result does not reliably exclude recurrence. Assay sensitivity thresholds and restricted variant coverage appear to be key contributors to false-negative results. These findings highlight the need for cautious clinical integration of Uromonitor^®. It is unclear whether this approach has sufficient sensitivity in surveillance to safely reduce cystoscopy frequency. This underscores the need for further refinement of urine-based molecular assays, including a need for enhanced sensitivity and broader mutational coverage before routine clinical adoption. Full article

As the scale of ultra-high-voltage (UHV) and extra-high-voltage (EHV) transmission networks continues to expand, the operational reliability of surge arresters has become increasingly important for power-system security. Based on equivalent degradation experiments conducted on a 1000 kV class UHV surge arrester, this study proposes a multi-source information fusion approach for degradation-state assessment. Leakage-current, UHF partial-discharge, voltage, and temperature-field data were jointly used to construct a hybrid framework integrating a multi-branch convolutional neural network (CNN) and a long short-term memory (LSTM) network. To improve model performance, the sparrow search algorithm (SSA) was introduced for hyperparameter optimization. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieved accuracies of 97.47% and 94.23% on the training and test sets, respectively, and was able to distinguish the normal condition from different degraded-section conditions under the laboratory-emulated equivalent degradation scenario considered in this study. These results indicate that multi-source information fusion combined with data-driven hyperparameter optimization is a feasible approach for laboratory-scale degradation assessment of surge arresters and provides a basis for further validation under more realistic service conditions. Full article