Search Results (7,388)

The DNA Damage Response (DDR) network is an essential machinery for maintaining genomic integrity, with DDR defects being implicated in cancer initiation, progression, and treatment resistance. Moreover, oxidative stress, an imbalance between reactive oxygen species production and antioxidant defense, can significantly impact cell viability, leading to cell death or survival. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that DDR-related signals and redox status measured in multiple myeloma (MM) cell lines correlate with the sensitivity to genotoxic insults. At baseline and following irradiation with Ultraviolet C (UVC; 50 J/m²) or treatment with melphalan (100 μg/mL for 5 min) DDR-related parameters, redox status expressed as GSH/GSSG ratio and apurinic/apyrimidinic sites were evaluated in a panel of eleven human MM cell lines and one healthy B lymphoblastoid cell line. We found that MM cell lines with increased apoptosis rates displayed significantly higher levels of endogenous/baseline DNA damage, reduced GSH/GSSG ratio, augmented apurinic/apyrimidinic lesions, decreased nucleotide excision repair and interstrand crosslinks repair capacities, and highly condensed chromatin structure. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that DDR-related parameters and redox status correlate with the sensitivity of MM cells to DNA-damaging agents, specifically melphalan, and, if further validated, may be exploited as novel sensitive/effective biomarkers. Full article

Over the last few decades, due to improvement in imaging techniques, the increased detection of adrenal incidentalomas is observed. Non-aldosterone producing adrenal adenomas (NAPACAs) often co-exist with second benign or malignant lesions. In the present study, we aimed to assess the presence of second neoplasms, both benign and malignant, in patients with NAPACAs, and to investigate possible correlations with clinical parameters, hormonal characteristics and the emergence of comorbidities. A total of 130 NAPACA patients were included in this single-center retrospective study. In this cohort, 35.4% of NAPACA patients carried any second neoplasm (either benign or malignant) whereas, 26.9% had a second malignant neoplasm. Cortisol levels after 1 mg overnight dexamethasone suppression test (F-ODS) were significantly higher in patients without a second neoplasm (p = 0.02), and this finding was consistent even when categorizing patients with and without malignancies (p = 0.02). In line with this observation, ACTH/F-ODS levels were significantly higher in patients with second malignancies (p < 0.05). Interestingly, the presence of mild autonomous cortisol secretion tended to be lower in patients with second malignancies (p = 0.08). No remarkable differences in the comorbidities of NAPACA patients with and without a second neoplasm were documented. Further prospective studies will be needed to elucidate the role of mild hypercortisolemia on the development of these second tumors in NAPACA patients. Full article

Introducing fast, reliable, and low-input technologies that utilize wholemeal wheat is essential for efficiently screening gluten quality in wheat breeding lines. Although the GlutoPeak Tester (GPT) has been widely studied for gluten assessment, its application in breeding programs remains underexplored. This study presents a comprehensive approach to optimizing a GPT protocol using a diverse set of genotypes collected over seven harvest years and multiple environments. To improve screening capabilities, a quick and simple protein fractionation (PF) technique was integrated into the workflow. Key GPT parameters—such as peak maximum time, maximum torque, and aggregation energy—along with the newly proposed PM-AM parameter, showed strong correlations with established quality traits. PF data, especially insoluble glutenin percentage and the ratio of insoluble to soluble glutenin, provided additional insights into gluten composition. This extensive dataset supports the use of GPT and PF as a dual, high-throughput screening tool. When applied within specific wheat classes and benchmarked against established checks, this method offers a robust strategy for ranking breeding lines based on gluten performance. The use of wholemeal samples further streamlines the process by eliminating the need for milling, making this protocol particularly suitable for early-stage selection in wheat breeding programs. Full article

During transmission line faults, the pre-insertion resistors in circuit breakers accumulate heat and lead to thermal explosion during repeated closing. The risk of thermal explosion can be reduced if the pre-insertion resistor temperature can be accurately predicted. This study proposes a method for predicting the pre-insertion resistor temperature to optimize the cooling time. The overfitting problem is more serious for models using traditional loss functions. To solve this problem, deep learning models based on a new loss function, the rational smoothing loss, are used to predict the temperature of pre-insertion resistors. The rational smoothing loss, inspired by the kernel function, dynamically adjusts the error versus gradient and incorporates constraints for regularization. The coati optimization algorithm with Ornstein–Uhlenbeck mutation optimizes the rational smoothing loss parameters. The results demonstrate that models using rational smoothing loss significantly outperform those with traditional loss functions, showing reductions of 77.97% in mean absolute error and 93.72% in mean square error, reducing the mean absolute error to 0.29 K. Additionally, the prediction curves exhibit remarkable smoothness, indicating the rational smoothing loss’s robustness against overfitting. The accurate prediction of pre-insertion resistor temperature is crucial for safely operating circuit breakers and technically supporting cooling time optimization. Full article

Tunnel excavation typically induces disturbance to the surrounding soil. Advance grouting using small-diameter pipes can effectively mitigate surface settlement. Taking the mine-method tunnel at the southern end of Xiancun Station on Guangzhou Rail Transit Line 18 as the research object, this paper uses the Midas GTS NX three-dimensional finite element (FE) software and adopts the upper-lower excavation method that prioritizes the formation of an upper support closed loop to simulate and analyze the impact of the CRD method on tunnel excavation under different grouting layer thicknesses. The research indicates that the surface settlement curve exhibits a “U”-shape. The settlement value decreases as the thickness of the grouting layer increases; when the thickness increases from 1.2 m to 2.0 m, the maximum surface settlement decreases from 12.87 mm to 9.09 mm, with successive reductions of 1.30 mm, 1.11 mm, 0.81 mm, and 0.56 mm, corresponding to rates of 10.10%, 9.59%, 7.67%, and 5.6%. Increasing the thickness of the grouting layer can effectively control surface settlement; however, when the thickness reaches 2.0 m, the stress distribution undergoes a change. Specifically, the compressive stress at the arch waist increases to 1683.01 kPa, and plastic failure occurs in the surrounding rock. By comparing the numerical results with field monitoring data, it is determined that when the grouting layer thickness is 1.4 m and the elastic modulus is increased by 30% based on that of the upper-soft soil, the model prediction shows the highest consistency with the actual effect. Furthermore, it is suggested that the grouting layer thickness be increased to 1.6 m. This study delivers a scientific foundation for the design of grouting parameters and the optimization of construction schemes for tunnels in composite strata and is of importance to improving tunnel construction technology in underground rail transit. Full article

Background/Objectives: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is multifactorial, and longitudinal evidence isolating early predictors remains limited. We investigated predictors of incident KOA in community-dwelling older adult Japanese women. Methods: We analyzed 191 knees from 105 women aged ≥50 years (baseline Kellgren–Lawrence (KL) grade 0–1) and followed them for 8 years. Incident KOA was defined as KL ≥ 2 at the 8-year follow-up. Baseline measures included body mass index (BMI), physical function (one-leg stance, functional reach), Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale (GLFS-25), EuroQol 5-Dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaire, standing lateral whole-spine radiographs (sagittal spinopelvic parameters), and standing full-length anteroposterior (AP) lower-limb radiographs (coronal alignment parameters). Incident KOA was defined as KL ≥ 2 at follow-up. Group comparisons, multivariable logistic regression, and receiver operating characteristic analyses were conducted. Results: Incident KOA occurred in 58/191 knees (mean participant age 69.3 ± 6.1 years). Compared with non-incident knees, incident knees had higher BMI (23.8 vs. 21.1 kg/m²), higher GLFS-25, greater pelvic tilt and pelvic incidence minus lumbar lordosis (PI–LL) mismatch (11.5° vs. 5.3°), and lower EQ-5D, medial proximal tibial angle, and joint line obliquity. BMI was the strongest single predictor (area under the curve [AUC] 0.753). PI–LL mismatch showed limited standalone discrimination (AUC 0.596) but improved discrimination when combined with BMI (AUC 0.803). Conclusions: BMI was the primary predictor of incident KOA in this cohort. PI–LL mismatch, while not strongly discriminative alone, acted as a complementary marker consistent with sagittal-alignment-related mechanical stress. Results suggest that early screening and prevention should prioritize weight management, using spinopelvic parameters to refine risk stratification. Full article

Offshore wind energy is rapidly expanding as a critical resource for global carbon neutrality, with 10.8 GW of new capacity added in 2023, raising the worldwide total to 75.2 GW. However, large-scale integration of offshore wind farms introduces power quality challenges due to the characteristics of inverter-based resources, particularly harmonic distortion, which can threaten system stability. This study quantitatively investigates the influence of short circuit ratio (SCR) on voltage and current harmonic distortion during offshore wind farm integration. A 500 MW offshore wind farm was modeled, and MATLAB/Simulink simulations were performed for 345 kV and 154 kV systems to evaluate the impact of varying SCR on total harmonic distortion (THD) and individual harmonic orders. Furthermore, the harmonic assessment based on the IEC 61400-21-2 summation method was compared with the simulation results, demonstrating the limitations of the simple summation approach and underscoring the importance of simulation-based evaluation. The results reveal that, under certain SCR conditions, parallel resonance caused by system impedance and line parameters produces unexpectedly high distortion in the 345 kV system, contrary to expectations based solely on voltage level. This resonance phenomenon and SCR dependency were also validated using short circuit capacity data from actual offshore wind farm candidate sites. Overall, the study emphasizes the necessity of comprehensive power quality assessments that account for SCR conditions, voltage levels, and harmonic emission characteristics, providing practical guidance for site selection, substation design, and harmonic mitigation in offshore wind integration. Full article

Background/Objectives: We investigated the impact of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) and cervical alignment on K-line assessment, proposed the K-line edge category for transitioning from K-line (+) to (−), and demonstrated a quantitative evaluation using the K-line edge. Methods: The 268 patients with OPLL who underwent computed-tomography-based K-line assessment were retrospectively stratified into three groups [K-line (+)/(±)/(−)]. We graphically plotted their distributions based on the OPLL-occupying ratio (OPLL-OR) and cervical angle (θ C_2–7). Results: The K-line (+), (±), and (−) groups comprised 159, 37, and 72 patients, respectively. The K-line (+) group demonstrated the lowest alignment value at −14.1°, suggesting a potential border for kyphosis at 14°. By examining the K-line (±) region, we successfully identified a clustered group and proposed the “K-line edge” for K-line (±), which was derived as y = 0.98x + 46.82 (R² = 0.67). The K-line edge calculation depended on the OPLL-OR and θ C_2–7 at each cervical level and determined the corresponding value for either OPLL-OR or θ C_2–7. The slope of the K-line edge was almost horizontal at both ends and was steeper in the middle, with the alignment playing a dominant role in the mid-cervical region. The calculated borders were approximately at 12° kyphosis at C4-4/5 and at 11° at C5-5/6. Conclusions: Focusing on K-line (±) identified three major factors during the K-line assessment: the OPLL-OR, cervical alignment (θ C_2–7), and cervical level. The K-line edge could be useful as a quantitative parameter for surgical decision-making. Full article

Background/Objectives: Combining orthognathic surgery with orthodontic therapy is a crucial approach for correcting severe dentofacial deformities that orthodontics alone cannot address. This study aimed to quantify skeletal, dental, and soft tissue alterations following orthognathic surgery and to assess correlations among cephalometric parameters to improve understanding of treatment outcomes. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted on 25 Romanian patients (44% female and 56% male; median age, 28 years) who underwent orthognathic surgery. Standardized pre- and postoperative lateral cephalometric radiographs were analyzed using WebCeph 2.0.0 software. The evaluated parameters included the SNA angle (sella–nasion–point A, indicating maxillary position), SNB angle (sella–nasion–point B, indicating mandibular position), ANB angle (maxillo-mandibular relationship), Pog-N-Perp (distance from pogonion to the nasion-perpendicular line), U1–NA° (inclination of the upper incisor relative to the maxillary base), L1–NB° (inclination of the lower incisor relative to the mandibular base), nasolabial angle, and facial convexity. Statistical analyses included paired t-tests and correlation analysis. Results: Significant anterior repositioning of the maxilla was observed, with SNA increasing from 83.6° to 86.3° (p = 0.019). The SNB angle remained stable, while ANB increased toward normalized sagittal relationships (0.9° to 3.0°, p = 0.060). Soft tissue analysis revealed a slight increase in the nasolabial angle (102° to 105°) and improved facial convexity. Strong correlations were found between skeletal parameters (SNB and ANB, r = −0.852, p < 0.001) and between skeletal and dental variables (ANB and L1–NB°, r = 0.652, p < 0.001), confirming coordinated skeletal–soft tissue adaptation. Conclusions: Orthognathic surgery significantly enhances skeletal balance and facial harmony, particularly through maxillary advancement. The integration of virtual surgical planning and interdisciplinary collaboration improves accuracy, predictability, and patient-centered outcomes in surgical orthodontics. Full article

This work examines the mechanical behaviour of 3D-printed stochastic lattice structures fabricated using a semi-controlled design. A primary goal is to predict and optimize the mechanical response of these Acrylic Styrene Acrylonitrile (ASA) filament structures when subjected to compressive stress. By transitioning from a purely stochastic method to a semi-controlled tessellation approach within Rhinoceros 7 software, we effectively generated the proposed design models. This methodology results in mechanical responses that are both predictable and reliable. The design parameters, including nodal formation, strut thickness, and lattice generation based on a predefined geometric routine, are associated with the regulation of the relative density. This approach aims to minimize the effect of relative density on the actual stiffness and strength evaluation. Our findings are cantered on the compressive testing of structures, which were generated using a Voronoi population distributed along a parabolic curve. We analyzed their mechanical response to the point of failure by examining stress–strain fluctuations. Three distinct behaviour stages are observed: elastic range, plastic range, and collapse without densification. The influence of crosslink geometry on the elastic responses was highlighted, with parabolic configurations affecting the peak stresses and elastic line slopes. The structures exhibited purely brittle behaviour, characterized by abrupt local cracking and oscillatory plateau formation in the plastic stage. Full article

The freezing method is widely employed in the construction of a vertical shaft in soft soil and water-rich strata. As the construction depth increases, investigating the water–heat–force coupling effects induced by the hydration heat (internal heat source) of concrete is crucial for the safety of the lining structure and its resistance to cracking and seepage. A three-dimensional coupled thermal–hydraulic–mechanical analysis model was developed, incorporating temperature and soil relative saturation as unknown variables based on heat transfer in porous media, unsaturated soil seepage, and frost heave theory. The coefficient type PDE module in COMSOL was used for secondary development to solve the coupling equation, and the on-site temperature and pressure monitoring data of the frozen construction process were compared. This study obtained the model-related parameters and elucidated the evolution mechanism of freeze–thaw and freeze–swelling pressures of a frozen wall under the influence of hydration heat. The resulting model shows that the maximum thaw depth of the frozen wall reaches 0.3576 m after 160 h of pouring, with an error rate of 4.64% compared to actual measurements. The peak temperature of the shaft wall is 73.62 °C, with an error rate of 3.76%. The maximum influence range of hydration heat on the frozen temperature field is 1.763 m. The peak freezing pressure is 4.72 MPa, which exhibits a 5.03% deviation from the actual measurements, thereby confirming the reliability of the resulting model. According to the strength growth pattern of concrete and the freezing pressure bearing requirements, it can provide a theoretical basis for quality control of the lining structure and a safety assessment of the freezing wall. Full article

Hydrogen-powered hybrid trains equipped with fuel cells (FC) and batteries represent a promising alternative to diesel traction on non-electrified railway lines and have significant potential to support modal shifts toward more sustainable transport systems. This study presents the development of a flexible MATLAB-based tool for the dynamic simulation of fuel cell–battery hybrid powertrains. The model integrates train dynamics, rule-based energy management, system efficiencies, and component degradation, enabling both energy and cost analyses over the vehicle’s lifetime. The objective is to assess the techno-economic performance of different powertrain configurations. Sensitivity analyses were carried out by varying two sizing parameters: the nominal power of the fuel cell (parameter m) and the total battery capacity (parameter n), across multiple real-world railway routes. Results show a slight reduction in lifecycle costs as m increases (5.1 €/km for m = 0.50) mainly due to a lower FC degradation. Conversely, increasing battery capacity (n) lowers costs by reducing cycling stress for both battery and FC, from 5.3 €/km (n = 0.10) to 4.5 €/km (n = 0.20). In general, lowest values of m and n provide unviable solutions as the battery discharges completely before the end of the journey. The study highlights the critical impact of the operational profile: for a fixed powertrain configuration (m = 0.45, n = 0.20), the specific cost dramatically increases from 4.44 €/km on a long, flat route to 15.8 €/km on a hilly line and up to 76.7 €/km on a mountainous route, primarily due to severe fuel cell degradation under transient loads. These findings demonstrate that an “all-purpose” train sizing approach is inadequate, confirming the necessity of route-specific powertrain optimization to balance techno-economic performance. Full article

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted wireless communication systems often employ the carrier aggregation (CA) technique to alleviate the issue of insufficient bandwidth. However, in high-mobility UAV communication scenarios, the dynamic channel characteristics pose significant challenges to channel estimation (CE). Given these challenges, this paper proposes a line-of-sight (LoS) and echo sensing-based CE scheme for CA-enabled UAV-assisted communication systems. Firstly, LoS sensing and echo sensing are employed to obtain sensing-assisted prior information, which refines the CE for the primary component carrier (PCC). Subsequently, the path-sharing property between the PCC and secondary component carriers (SCCs) is exploited to reconstruct SCC channels in the delay-Doppler (DD) domain through a three-stage process. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method effectively enhances the CE accuracy for both the PCC and SCCs. Furthermore, the proposed scheme exhibits robustness against parameter variations. Full article

This paper proposes a novel finite-time adaptive fuzzy control strategy for two-stage continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) systems. The method integrates the gradient descent (GD) algorithm with Armijo line search to dynamically adjust the learning rate, thereby optimizing the parameters of fuzzy logic systems (FLSs) for fast and accurate approximation of unknown nonlinear functions. The proposed control scheme, based on finite-time stability theory, ensures convergence of system states to the desired trajectory within finite time. Compared with conventional adaptive fuzzy control methods, the approach effectively addresses the issues of slow convergence and low approximation accuracy, significantly reducing approximation error while enhancing convergence performance. Simulation results on a two-stage CSTR system verify that the proposed controller achieves rapid convergence and high approximation accuracy. Full article

When constructing subway tunnels in composite strata consisting of overlying soil and underlying rock, placing the tunnel within the overburden rock strata and setting a certain thickness of safety cover rock on top is an effective way to ensure the safety of tunnel construction and the stability of the surrounding rock. However, there is currently no unified understanding or standard regarding the safe overburden thickness of the tunnel and its general rules. To investigate the effect of changes in the roof overlying rock thickness on the surrounding rock stability of subway tunnels, this study is based on the typical soil–rock strata of an underground tunnel section of Jinan Metro Line 4 in China. A total of 4 different conditions for the thickness of the overlying soil layer were considered, and 48 comparison schemes were designed. A systematic study of numerical simulation comparisons of tunnel excavation under different cover rock thicknesses was conducted. The deformation and plastic zone evolution characteristics of the surrounding rock were revealed under different cover rock thicknesses, and the existence of an optimal cover rock thickness range for tunnel crowns in soil–rock strata was identified. Based on this, a theoretical analysis model for the failure of the tunnel roof overlying rock was constructed. Using the upper-bound approach limit analysis method, the theoretical formula for the critical overburden thickness of the tunnel crown was derived. The influence of different rock mechanical parameters and tunnel design parameters on the critical overburden thickness was analyzed. The results were compared with numerical simulation results to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The research findings provide theoretical references for selecting reasonable buried depths and support designs for mining-bored tunnels in soil–rock composite strata. Full article