Search Results (450)

Variable-amplitude vibrating screens are widely adopted for screening frozen sea buckthorn berry particles. Investigating their motion characteristics and particle behaviors on the screen surface is essential for optimizing the screening process and improving equipment performance and screening efficiency. In this work, a variable-amplitude vibrating screen is taken as the research subject. Its structural composition and working principle are elaborated, and kinematic simulations are conducted via RecurDyn. The results reveal that the vertical amplitude and velocity of the screen surface increase gradually from the feed end to the discharge end, which facilitates rapid particle penetration. Meanwhile, the horizontal velocity remains stable across all sections of the screen. Specifically, crank length governs the screen amplitude, while crank rotational speed determines the vibration frequency. A dynamic model of particles and the screen surface is established by combining EDEM 2024 and RecurDyn V9R4, and two-way coupling of the discrete element model is realized. Coupled simulation results indicate that the dynamic screening efficiency rises with increasing crank length and rotational speed, reaching the maximum at a crank length of 20 mm and a rotational speed of 208 r/min. Crank parameters exert remarkable effects on the thickness of the particle layer and the quantity of penetrated particles: a thicker particle layer leads to a longer residence time of materials on the screen. Field tests are carried out to verify the model accuracy. It turns out that the simulation results are basically consistent with experimental data. In conclusion, crank length and rotational speed are critical influencing factors for variable-amplitude vibrating screens. Research on the screen’s motion characteristics and particle behaviors can provide a theoretical reference for its efficient operation and optimal design. Full article

Background/Objectives: Community hospitals can be a valuable and cost-effective resource for elderly people, especially in rural areas. Their aim is to promote self-reliance, prevent unnecessary hospital admissions, and facilitate rapid recovery after acute illness. The widespread adoption of intermediate care facilities helps alleviate hospital overcrowding by preventing clinical deterioration through advanced and continuous nursing care. An intermediate care unit was established in a rural area of central Italy. This study aims to describe the impact of a community hospital on patients’ functional status from admission to discharge, describing a real-life model. Methods: This single-center descriptive study examines trends in the quality of care provided. Data were retrieved from anonymized electronic clinical records. Statistical analyses were performed using descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, and Pearson correlation coefficients. Results: A total of 532 residents (mean age 80.7 ± 13.2 years; 61% female) were admitted to the community hospital between January 2022 and September 2025. The mean length of stay was 15.2 ± 7.6 days, with a mean improvement in Modified Barthel Index score of 5.24 ± 7.95 (p < 0.05). Most patients (81.8%) were discharged home, while 6.0% required hospitalization. No readmissions were recorded in 2025. Clinical risk events occurred only in 1.2% of the total. Nursing specialization increased during the study period, correlating with improved patient outcomes (R = 0.88). Conclusions: This descriptive cross-sectional study in a rural nurse-led intermediate care unit found relatively short lengths of stay, high rates of home discharges and modest, but statistically significant, improvements in functional autonomy. Full article

Contrary to the common assumption of Maxwell–Boltzmann (MB) distributions, space plasmas are characterized by kappa distributions and reside in thermodynamic stationary states out of classical thermal equilibrium, owing to the correlations between the charged plasma particles. In this study, we extend prior work to include realistic 3D collisions and Debye-like shielding of the correlations to show how these two processes compete in the development of realistic plasma particle velocity distributions. We modify our prior numerical experiment to incorporate both 3D collisions and correlations that include realistic Debye-like shielding of plasma particles and run it over many collisions until it becomes stationary. While 3D collisions alone produce Maxwell–Boltzmann (MB) distributions of the particles (κ → ∞), introducing correlations drives the distributions to stationary states with finite thermodynamic kappa (κ), where stronger correlations produce lower values of κ, as observed in space plasmas. Further, development of correlation clusters around each collision rapidly produces thermodynamic systems where the Debye length is proportional to $\sqrt{1+1/{{\kappa }_0}_{\mathrm{th}}}$, for invariant thermal kappa ${{\kappa }_0}_{\mathrm{th}}$, just as predicted by theory. This simple numerical experiment explores much more realistic particle interactions to show how 3D collisions and properly shielded correlations compete to produce stationary states of plasma particle kappa distributions and illuminates how long-range interactions correlate particles over the scale of the Debye lengths. Full article

We describe a GPU-resident execution pipeline for explicit large-deformation finite element analysis in which every stage of the timestep—internal force evaluation, contact processing, nodal update, time integration, and minimum edge-length reduction—operates on arrays that remain in device memory, so per-step bulk transfers across PCIe are avoided. Contact is handled on the device through a shared-memory brute-force proximity search with warp-ballot stream compaction. We exercise the solver on a hemisphere compression benchmark at six mesh resolutions (83 K–1.89 M elements). On an NVIDIA L40, per-step speedups over a single CPU core range from about 99× to 138×, increasing with problem size and approaching a plateau near 137× for the largest meshes (above roughly 1 M elements); the contact-enabled configuration adds a net ON/OFF overhead of +13% to +21% to the step time. Against LS-DYNA running in SMP mode on the same problem, the proposed solver is roughly 94× faster than the best 8-core configuration, a margin consistent with the multicore saturation observed in the SMP measurements. The remaining limitations—single-GPU execution, FP32 arithmetic, and rigid-body contact search without a BVH broad phase—are identified as specific targets for multi-GPU, mixed-precision, and scalable-contact extensions. Full article

In the western Hunan region, the fire pit serves as the primary space for heating, receiving guests, and sacrificial ceremonies. However, the prolonged use of wood as the main fuel for the fire pit poses a significant threat to indoor air quality and the health of residents. This study conducts field monitoring and evaluation of indoor air quality in traditional earthen residences in Western Hunan during winter. It employs software simulation to analyze the concentration of indoor pollutants in typical earthen dwellings. Three passive mitigation strategies—adjusting window size, installing interior partitions, and setting up passive smoke exhaust systems—are proposed, and their effectiveness is validated through simulation. The results indicate that the best air circulation performance occurs when the window sill height is between 0.9 and 1.5 m, and the window sill length is between 1.5 and 2.1 m. Installing partitions increases the average concentration of indoor pollutants in the fire pit and master bedroom areas by 2.33 and 3.05 times, respectively. Installing smoke exhaust systems above the fireplace can decrease indoor pollutant concentrations by more than 70%. The findings provide effective strategies for controlling health risks caused by indoor pollutants in winter without affecting local residents’ living habits and traditional customs. Full article

Background: The American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA-PS) classification is widely used for perioperative risk stratification but is subject to inter-rater variability. The 2024 South Korean medical crisis abruptly shifted preoperative ASA-PS assessment from resident-led to specialist-centered care, providing a natural opportunity to examine how this transition affected ASA-PS distribution and prognostic performance. Methods: In this single-center retrospective cohort study, surgical patients during the pre-crisis (January 2022–December 2023) and crisis (March 2024–August 2025) periods were matched 1:2 by propensity score on age, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index, surgical specialty, emergency status, and anesthesia type. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality; secondary outcomes were postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) admission and length of stay. ASA-PS discrimination was compared between periods using DeLong’s test, and ASA × crisis interaction terms were assessed by the likelihood ratio test. Results: A total of 53,895 cases (35,930 pre-crisis; 17,965 crisis) were matched, with all post-matching standardized mean differences below 0.1. ASA-PS demonstrated higher discrimination for 30-day mortality during the crisis than the pre-crisis period (area under the curve [AUC], 0.891 [0.863–0.919] vs. 0.827 [0.803–0.851]; ΔAUC = 0.064, p < 0.001). The ASA-PS × crisis interaction remained significant after adjustment (p = 0.014). Discrimination for ICU admission was similar between periods. Conclusions: ASA-PS classifications assigned during the crisis period were associated with higher discrimination for 30-day mortality than those from the pre-crisis period, suggesting that the operational performance of perioperative risk-assessment tools may vary with evaluator context and broader healthcare system conditions. Full article

Human–wildlife conflict research has focused mainly on large mammals, whereas smaller carnivores remain comparatively understudied despite frequent interactions with people. Among them is the African civet (Civettictis civetta (Schreber, 1776)), a widespread mesocarnivore occurring in human-modified landscapes. This study examined human–African civet interactions in the Sidama Region of southern Ethiopia, focusing on reported conflict, traditional uses, local knowledge, and attitudes toward the species. Data were collected through structured interviews and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s chi-square tests. A majority of respondents (N = 328; 72%) reported conflict, although most described direct encounters as rare. Livestock depredation (n = 237; 59%) was identified as the main driver of conflict, whereas crop damage (n = 237; 26%) played a secondary role. African civets were not perceived only negatively: traditional uses, especially musk extraction (N = 328; 57%) and traditional medicine (N = 328; 37%), were common, and reported killing was relatively limited (N = 328; 9%), although some lethal responses were documented. Knowledge of the species was generally low and uneven, and conflict experience was significantly associated with both length of residence and African civet familiarity. These findings suggest that human–African civet interactions are shaped not only by ecological overlap and access to household resources, but also by how local communities understand and value the species. Full article

Research on relative clause (RC) attachment ambiguity has shown that parsing preferences vary cross-linguistically, and that bilingual exposure can influence both the L2 and the L1. However, few studies have examined parsing preferences in both languages of the same bilingual populations, and the English–Italian pairing remains underexplored. This study addressed these gaps by investigating RC attachment resolution in 112 participants across four groups: British university students learning Italian in UK classrooms (n = 27; age of L2 acquisition: M = 17.6, SD = 1.3), British long-term residents in Italy (n = 27; age of L2 acquisition: M = 24.0, SD = 7.7; length of residence: M = 20.4, SD = 14.1), and English (n = 31) and Italian (n = 27) monolingual controls. Using self-paced reading tasks, we measured attachment preferences and reading times in both languages. In Italian ambiguous trials, controls showed a significant high-attachment preference while neither bilingual group showed a significant preference in the same direction. The model revealed a significant overall group difference driven by a contrast between Italian controls and students, though not specific to ambiguous trials. Both bilingual groups were also overall slower to parse RCs than Italian controls after controlling for proficiency or age differences. In English, all groups performed at chance level with no significant differences in preferences or reading times. These exploratory findings suggest that L1 influence on L2 RC attachment may persist even in proficient immersed bilinguals. No clear evidence of L1 attrition emerged, contrasting with previous Spanish–English findings and with anaphora resolution results in the same sample. Methodological limitations constrain interpretation and should be addressed in future research. Full article

Insect migration is an energetically costly process often involving a trade-off with reproduction. However, how adult nutritional stress regulates resource allocation between these two life-history traits remains unclear. Here, we compared morphological traits, flight performance, ovarian development, fecundity, and energy reserves between migrants and residents of Cnaphalocrocis medinalis under fed and starved conditions. Morphological analyses showed no significant differences in body weight, body length or forewing length between migrants and residents, regardless of nutritional status. Under starvation, migrants exhibited significantly greater flight distances and speeds than residents, and their flight distance and duration were also higher than those of fed migrants. Starved migrants showed a higher proportion of immature ovaries and higher fecundity, accompanied by a prolonged pre-oviposition period, indicating reproductive delay. Under fed conditions, ovarian development and fecundity were similar between migrants and residents. Energy reserve assays revealed that starved migrants accumulated more abdominal triglycerides but had lower thoracic glycogen than residents, suggesting preferentially triglyceride storage in the abdomen for long-distance flight. Under fed conditions, residents possessed higher thoracic glycogen levels than migrants, whereas no differences were observed in triglyceride levels. These results indicate that C. medinalis prioritizes energy allocation to migration over reproduction under energy shortage, but switches to a strategy that simultaneously meets the demands of both when nutrition is sufficient. Our findings underscore the role of adult nutrition in mediating the energy allocation between migration and reproduction, offering a scientific basis for the precise monitoring and management of this pest. Full article

Objective: Surgical simulation has been shown to improve efficiency, performance, and time to mastery for complicated procedures, but simulation training is not always considered when introducing new devices or products. As part of a performance improvement project, we sought to design and evaluate simulation training for the skin cell suspension autograft (SCSA) with surgery residents during their Burn rotation. Methods: Residents were asked to read instructional materials and watch training videos before coming into the simulation lab for the training session supervised by a Burn surgeon. A qualitative survey was designed and administered after completion of the rotation. Results: Twelve residents have completed the training thus far. Their feedback from the training session was rated on a five-point Likert scale and indicated that the simulation activity was an appropriate length (4.6/5.0), was thorough (4.8/5.0), and led to more confidence (4.4/5.0) and less apprehension (4.4/5.0) when performing the procedure on live patients. This was followed by their use of the product in the operating room with complete success. Conclusions: The novel SCSA training shows great promise for improving the confidence and performance of surgical residents. This could allow for a shorter time for residents to become independent in its use, thereby allowing for increased operative efficiency with the opportunity to significantly improve trainee expertise. Full article

Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) has been proposed as a molecular marker of biological aging reflecting cumulative cellular stress and replicative senescence. Multimorbidity represents a major challenge in aging populations and reflects the progressive accumulation of chronic diseases. However, the relationship between LTL and multimorbidity burden remains incompletely understood. We investigated the association between LTL and multimorbidity burden, assessed using Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS) indices, in a cohort of older nursing home residents. Sex-stratified analyses were performed to explore potential biological heterogeneity. In multivariate analyses, shorter LTL was significantly associated with higher multimorbidity burden among women, particularly when considering severity- and comorbidity-weighted CIRS indices [False discovery rate-adjusted q-values (qFDR < 0.01)], whereas no significant associations were observed in men. Adjustment for functional status partially attenuated but did not eliminate these associations. Organ-specific analyses indicated that these associations in women were primarily driven by cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary domains, systems commonly characterized by chronic inflammatory and oxidative stress processes that may promote telomere attrition. Overall, these findings support a sex-specific relationship between telomere dynamics and clinically relevant multimorbidity patterns in very old adults. LTL may reflect biologically meaningful aspects of disease severity and systemic stress regulation rather than merely the accumulation of diagnoses. Full article

Objective: This study examines the effect of DRG payment reform on nutritional therapy costs, hospitalization expenditures, and resource utilization among gastric cancer surgery patients using a quasi-experimental design. Methods: We conducted an interrupted time series analysis using inpatient data from a tertiary hospital in a major Chinese city between January 2018 and December 2024, including 761 gastric cancer surgery patients. Segmented regression models estimated changes in baseline trend, immediate level, and post-intervention slope for nutritional therapy expenditures, total hospitalization costs, surgical fees, and length of stay. Subgroup analyses were performed by type of medical insurance, and robustness checks were conducted. Results: Following DRG implementation, enteral nutrition costs showed a significant immediate increase (β₂ = 395.703, p = 0.032) followed by a significant downward slope change (β₃ = −7.778, p = 0.032). Total hospitalization costs demonstrated a significant immediate rise (β₂ = 15,959.403, p = 0.019) and subsequent decline (β₃ = −632.069, p < 0.001). Parenteral nutrition costs exhibited a significant immediate reduction (β₂ = −2917.276, p = 0.001) without sustained trend changes. Surgical fees showed a significant downward baseline trend (β₁ = −39.951, p < 0.001) and a significant upward slope change (β₃ = 68.107, p < 0.001). Subgroup analyses revealed that policy effects were concentrated among patients with Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance, with no significant effects observed for those with Urban and Rural Resident Basic Medical Insurance. Robustness checks confirmed the main findings. Conclusions: DRG payment reform significantly reshaped nutritional therapy and hospitalization expenditure patterns among gastric cancer surgery patients, with effects concentrated in the employee insurance population. The observed temporal pattern, characterized by an initial change followed by a gradual trend shift, suggests the need for continuous policy monitoring, insurance-tailored strategies, and refinement of nutritional support practices within DRG frameworks. Full article

Background: Foreign residents in Japan faced various barriers that hindered their access to governmental COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) support, which may have influenced their satisfaction with available services and overall well-being. However, limited evidence exists on how awareness of such support relates to satisfaction. This study examined the association between awareness of governmental COVID-19 support and satisfaction among foreign residents living in Japan. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between September and November 2023 using a commercial online survey panel of foreign residents in Japan. Satisfaction with governmental support was assessed using a 10-point scale and dichotomized at the median. Signal detection analysis was applied to identify factors associated with higher satisfaction. Results: Among 427 respondents, 400 (93.7%) reported receiving COVID-19 vaccination. Satisfaction with government support was assessed using a 10-point scale, with a mean score of 5.8. Awareness of support was the strongest predictor of satisfaction, and length of residence was an additional determinant among those aware of support. Distinct demographic and socioeconomic patterns were observed across awareness and residence groups. Conclusions: Awareness of governmental COVID-19 support played a key role in shaping satisfaction among foreign residents, regardless of service use. Tailored, group-specific approaches considering length of residence and individual characteristics may improve access to support and enhance well-being. Full article

Plasma-assisted ammonia (NH₃) decomposition is a promising strategy for hydrogen production. However, reactor geometry remains a key factor limiting its hydrogen yield per energy input (${\mathrm{Y}}_{{\mathrm{H}}_2}$). This study systematically investigates H₂ production in outer-dielectric (OD), inner-dielectric (ID), and double-dielectric (DD) coaxial DBD reactors. The results show that the ammonia decomposition performance of OD- and ID-coaxial DBDs is significantly higher than that of the DD-coaxial DBD. OD- and ID-coaxial DBDs generate abundant micro-discharge pulses, enabling effective discharge energy deposition at lower peak voltages. Consequently, the reduced electric fields E/N are maintained within the optimal kinetic window for NH₃ dissociation and H₂ production. Moreover, by balancing residence time and energy density, the 8 cm length electrode achieves a peak ${\mathrm{Y}}_{{\mathrm{H}}_2}$ of 1.22–1.24 gH₂/kWh in the OD-coaxial DBD. For the ID-coaxial DBD, a 1 mm dielectric thickness yields a maximum capacitance of 86 pF, achieving a peak ${\mathrm{Y}}_{{\mathrm{H}}_2}$ of ~1.35 gH₂/kWh at the optimum E/N. In contrast, the DD-coaxial DBD exhibits the lowest ${\mathrm{Y}}_{{\mathrm{H}}_2}$ (≤0.82 gH₂/kWh) with minimal temperature rise. This is caused by the reduced current pulse numbers and the deviation of E/N from the optimal range with elevated operating voltages. This work provides guidance for the optimization of DBD reactors in plasma-assisted NH₃ decomposition for efficient H₂ production. Full article

Background/Objectives: Inpatient clinical deterioration is a major contributor to adverse hospital outcomes, such as unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and death. Rapid response systems aim to address this challenge by enabling early identification and intervention in at-risk patients. This study evaluated the impact of implementing a mobile intensive care team on clinical outcomes in surgical patients. Methods: A retrospective observational cohort study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital, comparing two consecutive periods: a pre-intervention phase (PRETIM) and a post-intervention phase (TIM). The study included 17,156 adult surgical patients. The TIM consisted of a proactive outreach team composed of one attending intensivist and two resident physicians, focusing on post-ICU monitoring and early identification of clinical deterioration on surgical wards. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included ICU readmission and length of stay. Multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age, sex and surgical section was performed, along with subgroup and sensitivity analyses excluding early non-modifiable deaths. Results: Baseline characteristics were comparable between groups. In-hospital mortality decreased significantly following implementation of the TIM (8.0% vs. 5.3%; p < 0.001), corresponding to an absolute risk reduction of 2.7% and a number needed to treat of 37. ICU readmission rates did not differ significantly between groups. Sensitivity analysis excluding early deaths confirmed the mortality reduction. Subgroup analysis demonstrated consistent effects across surgical specialties, with the largest reductions observed in neurosurgery and general surgery. Conclusions: The implementation of a mobile intensive care team was associated with a significant and clinically meaningful reduction in in-hospital mortality among surgical patients. The findings support the role of proactive post-ICU monitoring and early intervention strategies in improving patient outcomes in high-risk hospital populations. Full article