Search Results (21,793)

Background/Objectives: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) retinopathy can be underrecognized early, as structural changes in OCT may precede symptoms and are often subtle. Early detection is crucial to prevent irreversible damage. This study evaluated longitudinal OCT changes preceding overt HCQ toxicity using ellipsoid zone (EZ) mapping. Methods: Patients on long-term HCQ underwent two macular cube scans at least one year apart using Cirrus HD-OCT. Scans were analyzed with an EZ-mapping platform and manually validated. Patients with baseline OCT signs of toxicity or co-existing macular disease were excluded based on masked expert review. Results: Three hundred and seventy-three eyes of 373 patients were included. The mean age was 57.0 ± 12.6 years, the mean HCQ dose was 379.4 ± 59.4 mg, the treatment duration was 5.6 ± 3.7 years, and the OCT interval was 3.1 ± 0.9 years. Outer retinal metrics remained stable across the cohort. The mean en face EZ attenuation increased from 3.3% to 3.9% (p = 0.24). Thirty-four eyes (9.1%) experienced an absolute increase of ≥4% (~1.5 mm²) in EZ attenuation. This increase was significantly associated with age at HCQ initiation (p < 0.001), age at the time of the first and second OCT (p < 0.001), and baseline visual acuity (p = 0.01), and demonstrated changes in other outer retinal metrics (p < 0.01). Only 3/34 eyes (8.9%) were diagnosed by the managing clinician with HCQ toxicity at the time of the second OCT. However, 26 of these eyes (76.5%) had signs of HCQ toxicity by expert review, suggesting the overall greater sensitivity of these quantitative outer retinal metrics for detecting toxicity compared with clinician review. Conclusions: Longitudinal OCT assessment revealed overall stability in outer retinal metrics in eyes on HCQ, but a subset showed increased EZ attenuation, which correlated with age at the time of HCQ initiation, baseline visual acuity, and expert OCT review. These changes may help identify at-risk eyes and eyes with early toxicity and warrant further validation as potential screening biomarkers. Full article

Anesthesia has emerged as a critical strategy for maintaining fish viability during transport, with natural anesthetics gaining increasing attention in recent research. The active ingredients in Laurus nobilis L. have antioxidant effects and reduce cell apoptosis. Studies have shown that they can upregulate expression of Nrf2 in mitochondrial biosynthetic factors. This study aimed to investigate the effects of laurel (Laurus nobilis) essential oil on oxidative stress and apoptosis mechanisms during the live transport of hybrid grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus♀ × E. lanceolatus♂). The addition of laurel essential oil during transport activated the Nrf2-Keap1 antioxidant pathway, resulting in up-regulated expression of catalase (cat) and superoxide dismutase (sod) genes. This led to increased enzymatic activity and reduced levels of oxidative stress markers. The mitigation of oxidative stress contributed to physiological stability by downregulating apoptotic gene expression (Bax, Caspase 8), reducing gill and liver tissue damage, and lowering the activity of hepatocyte damage markers aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Metabolomic analysis revealed several key metabolic pathways affected during transport, with the FoxO signaling pathway demonstrating the most significant impact. Within this pathway, reduced glutamate levels appeared to inhibit apoptosis, while decreased ADP and AMP levels potentially influenced antioxidant capacity. The addition of laurel essential oil to transport water proved beneficial in reducing biochemical markers of stress responses in hybrid grouper during keep live transport. Full article

The increasing demand for sustainable development and carbon neutrality highlights the need to improve the energy efficiency of infrastructure, particularly in highway service areas. This study explores the application of green roofs as a low-carbon technology to reduce energy consumption across buildings located in different climate zones in China. A combination of theoretical modeling and simulation-based analysis was used to evaluate various green roof configurations in five representative cities: Harbin, Beijing, Wuhan, Guangzhou, and Kunming. The results show that green roofs can reduce annual building energy consumption by up to 2.02%, depending on climate and plant species. For example, fern roofs in Guangzhou reduced heating demand by 16.35%, while grass roofs in Wuhan lowered the daytime roof surface temperature by 31.82 °C. Furthermore, optimizing the building orientation to 60° led to energy savings of up to 7.73% in Kunming. These findings suggest that tailored greening strategies based on regional climate can effectively improve building energy performance and support the development of sustainable service infrastructure. Full article

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) that cannot be fully explained by traditional cardiometabolic risk factors. The observed ‘lipid paradox’, where RA patients with lower total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels exhibit higher CVD risk, may be attributed to post-translational modifications (PTMs). These lipoprotein PTMs likely arise from inflammatory pathways. While PTMs like citrullination and carbamylation are well recognized in RA joint pathology, their occurrence in other protein compartments and their role in CVD have been less well explored. This scoping review summarizes the current literature on PTMs of lipoproteins, including oxidation, nitration, carbamylation, and citrullination, and their impacts on CVD in RA. We also discuss immune responses to these PTMs, their interactions with scavenger receptors, and the effects of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. Further research on PTMs may uncover new pathways linking autoimmunity, inflammation, and vascular damage, offering novel diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities for RA-associated CVD. Full article

Frequent building fires seriously threaten the safety of steel structures. According to the data, fire accidents account for about 35% of the total number of production safety accidents. The collapse of steel structures accounted for 42% of the total collapse. The early warning problem of steel structure fire collapse is imminent. This study aims to address this challenge by establishing a novel early warning framework, which is used to quantify the critical early warning threshold of steel frames based on elastic modulus degradation and its correlation with ultrasonic wave velocity under different collapse modes. The sequential thermal–mechanical coupling numerical method is used in the study. Firstly, Pyrosim is used to simulate the high-fidelity fire to obtain the real temperature field distribution, and then it is mapped to the Abaqus finite element model as the temperature load for nonlinear static analysis. The critical point of structural instability is identified by monitoring the mutation characteristics of the displacement and the change rate of the key nodes in real time. The results show that when the steel frame collapses inward as a whole, the three-level early warning elastic modulus thresholds of the beam are 153.6 GPa, 78.6 GPa, and 57.5 GPa, respectively. The column is 168.7 GPa, 122.4 GPa, and 72.6 GPa. Then the three-level warning threshold of transverse and longitudinal wave velocity is obtained. The three-stage shear wave velocity warning thresholds of the fire column are 2828~2843 m/s, 2409~2434 m/s, and 1855~1874 m/s, and the three-stage longitudinal wave velocity warning thresholds are 5742~5799 m/s, 4892~4941 m/s, and 3804~3767 m/s. The core innovation of this study is to quantitatively determine a three-level early warning threshold system, which corresponds to the three stages of significant degradation initiation, local failure, and critical collapse. Based on the theoretical relationship, these elastic modulus thresholds are converted into corresponding ultrasonic wave velocity thresholds. The research results provide a direct and reliable scientific basis for the development of new early warning technology based on acoustic emission real-time monitoring and fill the gap between the mechanism research and engineering application of steel structure fire resistance design. Full article

Precise segmentation of cell nuclei in pathological images is the foundation of cancer diagnosis and quantitative analysis, but blurred boundaries, scale variability, and staining differences have long constrained its reliability. To address this, this paper proposes AL-Net—an adaptive learning network that breaks through these bottlenecks through three innovative mechanisms: First, it integrates dilated convolutions with attention-guided skip connections to dynamically integrate multi-scale contextual information, adapting to variations in cell nucleus morphology and size. Second, it employs self-scheduling loss optimization: during the initial training phase, it focuses on region segmentation (Dice loss) and later switches to a boundary refinement stage, introducing gradient manifold constraints to sharpen edge localization. Finally, it designs an adaptive optimizer strategy, leveraging symbolic exploration (Lion) to accelerate convergence, and switches to gradient fine-tuning after reaching a dynamic threshold to stabilize parameters. On the 2018 Data Science Bowl dataset, AL-Net achieved state-of-the-art performance (Dice coefficient 92.96%, IoU 86.86%), reducing boundary error by 15% compared to U-Net/DeepLab; in cross-domain testing (ETIS/ColonDB polyp segmentation), it demonstrated over 80% improvement in generalization performance. AL-Net establishes a new adaptive learning paradigm for computational pathology, significantly enhancing diagnostic reliability. Full article

Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), a new invasive pest in China, is a major threat to global tomato production. Trichogramma egg parasitoids are an effective approach to controlling this pest. In this study, we examined the potential of seven strains from four Trichogramma species, encompassing three native and commercially available representatives in China—namely, Trichogramma chilonis Ishii (strains TC-HN and TC-JL), T. dendrolimi Matsumura (TD-JL), and T. ostriniae Pang and Chen (TO-JL and TO-MY)—and one of South America origin—T. pretiosum Riley (TP-GS and TP-HN), a species commercially available for T. absoluta control but not evaluated in any previous studies in China. The host acceptance of the seven Trichogramma strains by T. absoluta was examined by placing parasitoid females with T. absoluta eggs on cardboard in tubes. The performance (life history traits and lifetable parameters) of four prospective strains, TC-HN, TC-JL, TO-JL, and TP-HN, was tested by using cardboard with T. absoluta eggs. The most promising strains, TC-HN, TC-JL, and TP-HN, were evaluated on a larger scale using cages in the laboratory to assess their parasitism capacity. The most promising strain, TC-JL (and TP-HN), was tested in field cages to assess its control efficiency under cropping conditions. The TC-JL and TC-HN strains of T. chilonis, the TO-JL strain of T. ostriniae, and the TP-HN strain of T. pretiosum showed greater host acceptance; the TP-HN strain of T. pretiosum showed a greater egg-card parasitism rate. Strain TC-JL outperformed other species/strains under laboratory conditions. In field cage tests, the larval population size and percentages of damaged plants and leaves in cages with TC-JL released were significantly reduced by 75.10%, 55.56%, and 64.69%, respectively, compared with those of the non-Trichogramma-release control. Our results indicate that the Asian native T. chilonis (particularly strain TC-JL), a dominant commercial biocontrol agent, should be included in IPM programs targeting T. absoluta in China. T. pretiosum (particularly strain TP-HN) could be a potential candidate for biocontrol of T. absoluta. Full article

We fabricated TiO₂ thin films using the sol–gel method, incorporating TiO₂ nanoparticle sizes of 25 nm on the fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates by spin coating and annelation at 600 °C. The influence of incorporating TiO₂ particles on the surface morphology, optical properties, and photovoltaic performance of TiO₂ thin-film dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) was examined. Structural characterization was analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), while the morphologies were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The transmittance and absorbance of films were measured using an ultraviolet (UV)–visible (VIS)–near-infrared (NIR) spectrophotometer. The current–voltage (I-V) property was evaluated under simulated solar irradiation. The results demonstrated that the incorporation of TiO₂ particles enhanced the efficiency of DSSCs. The photovoltaic performance of DSSCs was improved with TiO₂ nanoparticle incorporation. The optimized DSSC incorporated TiO₂ films (TIFNA). TIFNA achieved a Jsc of 14.49 mA/cm², Voc of 0.69 V, fill factor of 60.5%, and efficiency of 6.05%, compared to 4.23% for the DSSC with unincorporated TiO₂ thin film. The improved performance was attributed to increased dye adsorption, better crystallinity, and enhanced electron transport. Full article

With an aging population, the number of joint replacement surgeries is on the rise. One of the most common implant materials is cobalt–chromium–molybdenum (CoCrMo) alloy. Hence, the surface properties of this alloy have attracted increasing attention. In this study, nanosecond and femtosecond laser processing, followed by annealing, was employed to modify the CoCrMo surface. The effects of the treatment conditions on the surface morphology, structure, composition, hardness, roughness, contact angle, wear properties, and corrosion current were studied. Femtosecond laser processing with an energy density of 1273 mJ/cm², followed by heat treatment at 160 °C for 2 h, produced laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) without altering the chemical composition of the alloy and rendered the surface superhydrophobic. In contrast, nanosecond laser treatment at higher laser energy densities promoted the formation of an oxide layer, which improved the hardness and corrosion resistance of the substrate. Overall, the CoCrMo samples processed using the femtosecond laser system exhibited superior corrosion and wear resistance, with a protection efficiency of approximately 92%. Full article

This work develops a novel phosphate-functionalized extraction resin (HEHEHP + Cyanex272)/SiO₂-P via the vacuum impregnation method for efficient separation of light rare earth element impurities from lanthanum (La³⁺) in nitric medium through synergistic extraction. Batch experiments have demonstrated superior adsorption selectivity toward impurity ions over La³⁺ in a pH 4 nitric acid solution. Column studies confirmed exceptional performance under ambient conditions, achieving a lanthanum treatment capacity of 120.6 mg/g and over 98% impurity removal, which surpasses most reported values. Notably, this purification process enables direct production of purified La³⁺ solutions through a single-column system without desorption, significantly enhancing efficiency and reducing costs. Mechanistic insights revealed combined ion exchange and coordination interactions between metal ions and P-OH/P=O groups, corroborated by advanced characterization and density functional theory calculations. These findings indicate a higher binding affinity of light rare earth compared with La³⁺. This strategy provides a scalable approach for ultra-high-purity lanthanum compound production in advanced optical and electronic applications. Full article

Low-cost sensors have demonstrated their advances in acquiring hyper-localized data compared to traditional, high-maintenance air quality monitoring stations. The study aims to leverage the mobility of participants equipped with low-cost wearable monitors (LWMs) by comparing their exposure to particulate matter (PM) across indoor-home, outdoor-walking, and hybrid-commuting micro-environments. The LWMs would be calibrated first through field co-location and the multiple linear regression models. The coefficient of determination (R²) of PM_1.0 and PM_2.5 increased to over 0.85 after calibration, along with the reduced root mean square error of 2.25 and 3.46 μg/m³, respectively. The 26-day PM data collection with geographic locations could identify individual exposure patterns, local source contributions, and hotspot maps. Commuting constituted a small fraction of daily time (4–8%) but contributed a disproportionate impact, accounting for 11% of individual PM exposure. Indoor-home PM_2.5 exposure varied significantly among the urban districts. Based on the PM_2.5 hotspot map, the elevated concentration was mainly concentrated in dense residential areas and historical industrial areas, as well as interchanges of major roads and the highway system. LWMs acting as non-regulatory instruments can complement monitoring stations to provide missing short-term and hyper-localized air pollution data. Future studies should integrate long-term monitoring and citizen science across seasons and geographical regions to address pollutant spatiotemporal variability for building and city sustainability. Full article

Mouse papillomavirus (MmuPV1) is the first papillomavirus known to infect laboratory mice, making it an irreplaceable tool for research on papillomaviruses. Despite wide use, standardized techniques for conducting MmuPV1 animal research are lacking. In this report, we describe an unexpected MmuPV1 outbreak causing recurrent papillomatosis in a specific pathogen-free animal research facility. The infected mice displayed characteristic papillomatosis lesions from the muzzles, tails, and feet with histological signs including anisocytosis, epithelial dysplasia, and typical koilocytosis. Etiology studies showed that the papilloma tissues exhibited MmuPV1 infection with expression of viral early and late genes detected by RNA-ISH using MmuPV1 antisense probe to viral E6E7 region and antisense probe to viral L1 region. The viral L1 protein was detected by an anti-MmuPV1 L1 antibody. PCR amplification and cloning of the entire viral genome showed that the origin of the outbreak virus, named MmuPV1 Bethesda strain (GenBank Acc. No. PX123224), could be traced to the MmuPV1 virus previously used in studies at the same facility. Our data indicate that MmuPV1 could exist in a contaminated environment for a long period of time, and a standardized international animal protocol discussing how to handle MmuPV1 studies is urgently needed. Full article