Search Results (1,234)

To further advance the recycling of pavement waste, the secondary-aging and multiple-rejuvenation processes of bitumen are first systematically reviewed. Beginning with primary-aging mechanisms, rejuvenator classification and physicochemical properties are summarized to aid elucidation of primary rejuvenation. Secondary-aging evolution of technical and physicochemical properties of rejuvenated bitumen (RB) is critically analyzed. The aging resistance of virgin bitumen and RB is quantitatively compared via extensive literature data. The background and progress of multiple rejuvenation cycles are also outlined. The existing literature shows that identical aging modes can induce distinct component variations, while degradation patterns remain consistent across modes. Among petroleum-based rejuvenators, those with aromatic content exceeding 60% are widely used, and the polar carboxyl groups of tall oil account for their high efficacy. RB aging resistance strongly correlates with both rejuvenator type and dosage. Most RB outperforms virgin bitumen in aging resistance, and post-aging variation amplitudes of softening point and high-temperature failure temperature are approximately 20% for both, while those of penetration and viscosity range from 60% to 120%. Multiple aging–rejuvenation trends resemble those of primary cycles, with progressive macro- and micro-property deterioration as cycles increase. Future work includes developing high-performance bitumen from aged feedstock, establishing molecular screening systems for fatty acid bio-oil rejuvenators, and advancing multiple rejuvenation via molecular dynamics. Full article

Food-safety systems increasingly need to manage large detection files and externally generated analytical results across multiple organizations while linking these records to batch-level control actions. This study proposes a blockchain-based dual-track mechanism for trusted circulation of food-safety detection data and batch-level risk control, using aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) as the empirical case. High-dimensional files are stored in InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) and anchored on-chain by content identifiers (CIDs); three authorized oracles use two-of-three matching of detection values and evidence hashes before contract-based state determination. A stage–device–operation inverted index identifies associated batches, while signed second-track confirmations drive GREEN/YELLOW/RED state transitions. Experiments on a four-node Quorum Byzantine Fault Tolerance (QBFT) network used 57 independent HyperPistachio samples with 86.625-mebibyte (MiB) band-interleaved-by-line (BIL) files. Real-file access was successfully completed, single-oracle failures were tolerated when two consistent oracle reports remained, and associated-batch query latency increased only from 13.06 to 16.78 ms as fanout rose from 1 to 40. A 115.15 min sustained run maintained consistent states across all four nodes. The study manages externally supplied AFB1 results rather than evaluating analytical AFB1 detection accuracy, and its experimental validation is limited to the AFB1 case. Full article

Valued for their lightweight, high strength-to-weight ratio, and energy absorption, sandwich composites were adopted across multiple industries. This paper evaluates the static and dynamic mechanical performances of sandwich configurations exploiting carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and quartz fiber-reinforced polymer (QFRP) composite skins bonded to hexagonal Nomex^® or compliant Flex-Core^® cores. Skin thickness varied negligibly; therefore, this study focused on skin type and particularly core architecture influence on mechanical behavior. Three-point bending and flatwise compression tests evaluated flexural stiffness, core shear strength, and core compressive strength. DMA analysis was used to characterize their temperature-dependent viscoelastic response through the storage modulus, loss modulus, and damping factor. QFRP/Nomex emerged as the optimal configuration achieving the highest flexural stress, outperforming CFRP/Nomex by 14%, while restricting strain to 2.4% (compared to 7% for CFRP). DMA (Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer) analysis showed that QFRP/Nomex exhibits the highest storage and loss moduli. Observing the energy at break, CFRP/Nomex^® sandwiches stand out in their ability to absorb 60% more energy than QFRP/Nomex^® before total failure occurs, showing an overall superior energy absorption of CFRP skins. Conversely, flatwise compression tests revealed that QFRP/Flex-Core^® excelled in yield and compressive strengths, outperforming CFRP/Nomex by 10% and 8%, respectively, due to superior elastic matching. DMA damping profiles confirmed that the geometric compliance of curved Flex-Core^® cell walls in conjunction with QFRP skins accelerates structural yielding under shear and viscoelastic energy dissipation prior to chemical softening. This work highlights that sandwich structure design critically depends on managing core architecture and skin-to-core stiffness mismatch. Full article

The interface failure modes between fibers and asphalt mastic exhibit complex and diverse morphologies under the influence of multiple factors, making cluster analysis difficult. To address this issue, this study proposes an improved growth curve mixture model (IGCMM) for the unsupervised clustering of interface failure modes. Through single-fiber pull-out tests on 90 specimens under three temperatures (−10 °C, 25 °C, and 60 °C) and three fiber types (basalt, glass, and polyester), load–displacement curves were obtained. The multivariate power exponential (MPE) distribution was used to characterize the peak and heavy-tailed features of residuals. Due to the high dimensionality caused by the joint analysis of multiple datasets, principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to compress the 200-dimensional curve data into three principal components, with all model parameters estimated in the low-dimensional space. The Expectation–Maximization (EM) algorithm combined with the extended Bayesian Information Criterion (eBIC) determined the optimal eight failure mode clusters. The results exhibit a high posterior assignment confidence: 96.7% of samples had posterior probabilities exceeding 0.999. The eight statistical patterns were successfully mapped to four theoretical failure modes—fiber pull-out, medium-temperature matrix failure, high-temperature matrix failure, and mixed failure—revealing the coupled regulatory mechanism of temperature and fiber type on interface failure. The framework established in this study—“data-driven clustering–physical parameter anchoring–failure mechanism interpretation”—provides new theoretical tools and methodological support for the mesoscale interface failure diagnosis and crack resistance optimization design of fiber-reinforced asphalt pavement materials. Full article

Despite the growing use of FLNG in offshore gas development, LNG hose safety during tandem offloading remains a critical challenge. Existing studies often analyze mooring dynamics and hose mechanics separately, lacking a unified framework that integrates multiple failure modes. This fragmented approach leads to unclear safety boundaries and inadequate risk control. Therefore, this study proposes a multi-parameter safe operating zone threshold method based on coupled dynamic analysis. First, a three-dimensional time-domain dynamic analysis model is developed using OrcaFlex, which integrates the floating bodies, hoses, and mooring system into a unified coupling framework based on hydrodynamic theory, simulating the dynamic response of the offloading system under combined wind, wave, and current actions. Second, tension, bending moment, and curvature are selected as safety evaluation parameters. These three parameters correspond to the core criteria of typical failure modes, namely axial overload failure, ultimate bending failure, and local joint failure, respectively. By comparing them with their allowable values, the safety status of the hose under various operating conditions is determined. Finally, a coupled safety threshold analysis method incorporating both “sea state return period” and “operational vessel distance” is proposed. The results indicate that, at a fixed vessel distance, the dynamic response of the hose increases significantly with worsening sea states. Tension satisfies the safety factor requirements under most sea conditions. However, the bending moment first exceeds the limit starting from the 5-year return period, making it the primary failure control indicator. Curvature exceeds the limit notably under the 50-year return period and beyond, becoming the main risk source under extreme sea states. The safe operational vessel distances under different sea states are also calculated, systematically revealing the response patterns and failure sequences of tension, curvature, and bending moment of the LNG hose under combined wind, wave, and current actions. Furthermore, by integrating safety margin calculations, an operational classification standard comprising a safe zone, a warning zone, and a danger zone is proposed, along with the upper limits of safe vessel distance and operational windows for each sea state. The threshold determination method established in this paper can provide effective engineering support for FLNG offloading operation planning, hose selection, and operational risk management. Full article

Despite significant therapeutic advances, T2DM remains a global public health challenge that leads to multiple complications, including cardiovascular, renal, hepatic, and neurodegenerative disorders. Mitochondrial dysfunction and impaired mitophagy remain fundamental, yet incompletely understood, mechanisms driving pancreatic β-cell failure, chronic inflammation, insulin resistance and diabetic complications. Emerging evidence indicates that noncoding RNAs (including microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs, and circular RNAs) are critical regulators of mitophagy and mitochondrial quality control mechanisms across metabolically active tissues. This review comprehensively examines the interplay between mitochondrial dysfunction, mitophagy impairment, and T2DM pathophysiology. It provides an overview of recent mechanistic insights into mitophagy–noncoding RNA interactions in T2DM, emphasizing tissue-specific effects, and highlights the translational potential of mitophagy-associated proteins and regulatory ncRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. By bridging fundamental molecular biology with translational and clinical perspectives, further it provides a comprehensive framework to guide future research, accelerate biomarker discovery, and support the development of personalized interventions aimed at reducing the growing worldwide burden of T2DM and its complications. Full article

The increasing use of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in internal logistics systems improves operational efficiency. However, it also introduces challenges related to safety, reliability, sensor-based monitoring and human–robot interaction. This study proposes a sensor-driven Digital Twin and fuzzy decision-support framework for operational risk monitoring in AMR-based transportation systems. The proposed approach integrates Digital Twin technology with fuzzy logic methods to support continuous sensing, operational data acquisition, and data-driven risk evaluation in autonomous logistics environments. In the proposed framework, the Digital Twin acts as a continuous monitoring and early-warning environment. It enables continuous observation of system states, robot condition, navigation performance, traffic intensity and operational disturbances. To support decision-making under uncertainty, the fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (fuzzy AHP) is applied to determine the relative importance of selected safety and reliability indicators. These indicators include condition monitoring parameters, mean time between failures, sensor-related disturbances and task completion performance. Subsequently, a hierarchical Mamdani fuzzy inference system is used to evaluate the operational risk level of the transportation system based on aggregated KPI values derived from Digital Twin data. The applicability of the proposed approach is illustrated through a case study involving multiple AMRs operating in a dynamic intralogistics environment. The results indicate that the integration of sensor-based Digital Twin monitoring with fuzzy decision-support mechanisms improves operational risk visibility and supports more effective risk identification and management in Industry 4.0 intralogistics systems. Full article

This pilot in vitro study explored the tensile retention of lithium disilicate and monolithic zirconia crowns cemented onto zirconia one-piece implants using two resin cements and two cementation protocols. In addition, the relationship between micro-computed tomography (micro-CT)-derived cement layer characteristics and retention was explored for lithium disilicate crowns. Thirty-two implant–crown assemblies were prepared using 16 lithium disilicate and 16 zirconia crowns. Specimens were cemented with either an adhesive resin cement (Panavia V5) or a self-adhesive resin cement (SpeedCem Plus) using two protocols: conventional apical-half cementation (AH) and an abutment-assisted apical-half protocol (A-AH). Cement thickness and porosity for lithium disilicate crowns were obtained from a previously published micro-CT analysis of the same specimens; no micro-CT measurements were available for the zirconia specimens. Tensile pull-out testing was performed using a universal testing machine. The primary outcome was the maximum recorded force at the first observed mechanical failure, irrespective of the mode of that failure, so that all 32 specimens contributed a value. Failure occurred by crown debonding in 27 specimens, by crown fracture in 4 and by implant fracture in 1. For the primary outcome, the maximum recorded force was lower for lithium disilicate than for zirconia crowns (medians 347.20 versus 596.05 N; exact Mann–Whitney p = 0.017) and lower with the A-AH than with the AH protocol (medians 304.24 versus 614.38 N; p < 0.001), whereas the difference between the two resin cements was not statistically significant (medians 438.88 versus 550.83 N; p = 0.210). The highest observed mean maximum load was recorded for zirconia crowns cemented with Panavia V5 using the AH protocol (729.9 ± 237.7 N), whereas the lowest observed mean maximum load was recorded for lithium disilicate crowns cemented with Panavia V5 using the A-AH protocol (219.7 ± 105.1 N). In a secondary, cause-specific exploratory analysis restricted to crown debonding (27 events, 5 specimens censored at fracture), Cox proportional hazards regression on the applied-force scale gave hazard ratios of 3.75 (95% CI 1.40–10.01) for lithium disilicate versus zirconia, 6.47 (2.39–17.53) for A-AH versus AH and 1.82 (0.76–4.39) for Panavia V5 versus SpeedCem Plus. For lithium disilicate crowns, exploratory factorial ANOVA indicated that cementation protocol was associated with differences in cement thickness (p = 0.035), while cement type was associated with differences in porosity (p < 0.001). All 16 lithium disilicate cement thickness observations lay between 253.29 and 254.96 µm, a total span of 1.67 µm. Within that extremely restricted range, a univariable exploratory Cox model expressed per 0.1 µm gave a hazard ratio for debonding of 1.24 (95% CI 1.03–1.48; p = 0.024); this is an unadjusted association across a range that is itself associated with cementation protocol, and it does not demonstrate a clinically meaningful or independent effect of cement thickness. No association was detected for total porosity (0.959 per percentage point, 0.717–1.283); that interval is wide and indicates absence of evidence rather than evidence of no association. Within the limitations of this pilot in vitro study—four specimens per subgroup, wide confidence intervals and no adjustment for multiplicity—the findings suggest that crown material and cementation protocol may be associated with retention patterns. They are exploratory and hypothesis-generating and require confirmation in larger, independently powered studies. Full article

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) exhibits remarkable clinical heterogeneity, with substantial variability in motor progression, cognitive decline, and the development of non-motor manifestations. Although the propagation of pathological alpha-synuclein is considered a central mechanism of PD pathogenesis, it does not fully explain why specific neuronal populations demonstrate differential susceptibility to degeneration. Emerging evidence suggests that selective neuronal vulnerability is determined by the interaction of multiple biological domains, including calcium homeostasis, mitochondrial bioenergetic capacity, lysosomal function, axonal architecture, synaptic resilience, and neuroinflammatory responses. Methods: A structured critical narrative review was performed using PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases from inception to March 2025. Only full-text articles published in English and peer-reviewed journals were included. Evidence from human post-mortem studies, genetic analyses, biomarker investigations, experimental models, induced pluripotent stem cell studies, and longitudinal clinical cohorts were systematically synthesised to identify the principal mechanisms underlying selective neuronal vulnerability and their potential translational application. To capture evidence published after this electronic cut-off, a supplementary manual review of reference lists of key systematic reviews and landmark publications was conducted up to the date of manuscript submission; references with 2025 or 2026 publication dates entered through this supplementary process. The supplementary manual review was conducted as a targeted scan of reference lists of key systematic reviews and high-impact publications identified during the primary search and did not constitute an independent updated systematic search. Results: Five interconnected biological domains emerged as key determinants of neuronal susceptibility in PD: calcium-mediated metabolic stress associated with autonomous pacemaker activity, mitochondrial dysfunction and energetic failure, impaired lysosomal degradation and proteostasis (particularly involving the GBA1–glucocerebrosidase pathway), vulnerability related to extensive axonal and synaptic architecture, and neuroinflammatory mechanisms involving microglial and astrocytic activation. Among these domains, the lysosomal pathway currently provides the strongest translational link between molecular mechanisms and measurable clinical outcomes. Based on this integrated framework, we propose the Parkinson’s Vulnerability Index (PVI), a hypothesis-generating multidimensional model combining genetic, enzymatic, alpha-synuclein seeding, cognitive, olfactory, and neuroimaging biomarkers to facilitate biological stratification and improve the design of mechanism-targeted clinical trials. Conclusions: Selective neuronal vulnerability provides a complementary framework to alpha-synuclein propagation models for understanding the heterogeneity of PD. The proposed PVI is not intended as a diagnostic or prognostic clinical instrument but as a research tool requiring prospective validation. Future precision medicine approaches in PD may benefit from integrating vulnerability-related biomarkers with existing biological staging systems to identify patients most likely to benefit from targeted disease-modifying therapies. Full article

Deep coalbed methane (CBM) represents a strategic successor field for unconventional oil and gas exploration and development in China, and fluid mobility is a key parameter determining CBM recovery rates. Existing NMR-based studies on coal rock pore structure and fluid mobility suffer from three deficiencies: a lack of coal rock classification based on T₂ spectral morphology, failure to incorporate fractal characteristics into pore classification, and insufficient understanding of fluid mobilization mechanisms in different pore types during gas-driven recovery. This study investigates deep coal rocks of the Taiyuan Formation in the Linxing Block, eastern Ordos Basin, using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR), saturation gas displacement experiments, and fractal theory. Deep coal rocks were classified into three types based on T₂ spectral peak morphology under saturated conditions: Type I (central main peak), Type II (left-shifted main peak), and Type III (balanced bimodal peak). A fractal-based method was established to subdivide fluid-filled pores into four types: P1-1, P1-2, P1-3, and P2. Through multiple nitrogen displacement experiments, the fluid mobilization characteristics of each pore type at different displacement stages were quantitatively characterized. A fluid mobility index was proposed to comprehensively evaluate the overall fluid mobility of coal rocks. The results indicate that Type I coal rocks exhibit the highest fluid mobility (54.83% after three displacement cycles), with P1-3 pores as the primary mobile fluid reservoir, whereas Type II and Type III coal rocks show lower mobility (27.70% and 32.89%, respectively), with P1-2 pores as the dominant contributors. Pore structure complexity exhibits a significant nonlinear evolutionary relationship with fluid mobility. The fluid mobility index demonstrates a strong positive correlation with the degree of mobile fluid, validating its effectiveness in characterizing fluid mobility in deep coal rock reservoirs. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for sweet spot identification and development optimization in deep coal gas reservoirs. Full article

Background/Objectives: Double-J (DJ) ureteral stents are prone to luminal occlusion, which causes renal dysfunction and complicates exchange. Risk stratification in chronically stent-dependent patients is poorly defined, and the management of confirmed occlusion is not standardised. We aimed to identify independent risk factors for DJ stent occlusion in a chronically stent-dependent population and to evaluate stent-type substitution at first confirmed occlusion. Methods: We conducted a single-centre retrospective cohort study at a tertiary urology service in Melbourne, Australia (January 2023 to December 2025). Patients requiring three or more sequential DJ replacements were eligible. Mechanical occlusion was defined as inability to pass a guidewire through the stent lumen at fluoroscopic exchange, an objective intraoperative surrogate; clinical failure events (nephrostomy conversion, septic admission, or acute kidney injury requiring intervention) were recorded separately. Midstream urine culture and pre-exchange renal ultrasound were obtained at each visit. Cox proportional hazards modelling with robust patient-level clustering was performed. Results: We analysed 125 ureters (97 patients) over a mean follow-up of 20.6 months. Occlusion occurred in 55 ureters (44.0%). Four predictors were robust to Bonferroni correction: indwelling urethral catheter (hazard ratio [HR] 4.62), urinary stone disease versus malignant disease (HR 4.02), retroperitoneal fibrosis versus malignant disease (HR 3.24), and bacteriuria at exchange (HR 2.76). Two further associations, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 2 to 4 (HR 2.31) and prior pyelonephritis (HR 1.89), did not survive correction and are exploratory. After stent-type substitution at first occlusion, 43 of 55 ureters (78.2%) had no further occlusion without interval shortening. Summer accounted for 45.1% of events (p < 0.001). Conclusions: In chronically stent-dependent patients, several factors were independently associated with DJ stent occlusion, four of them robust to multiple-comparison correction. Stent-type substitution was associated with occlusion-free outcomes in most cases without interval shortening; because the analysis was uncontrolled and regression to the mean cannot be excluded, this observation is hypothesis-generating. All hazard estimates are exploratory in view of an events-per-variable ratio below ten and a survivor-selected cohort, and apply only to patients with established chronic stent dependency. Prospective randomised evaluation is warranted. Full article

Helicobacter pylori is one of the most common bacterial pathogens in humans and the primary etiological agent of chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, and gastric cancer. Its ability to establish persistent gastric colonization relies on multiple virulence factors, including adhesins, urease, cytotoxins, motility, outer membrane vesicles, and biofilm formation, which collectively promote bacterial survival, chronic inflammation, and treatment failure. The increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant H. pylori strains has intensified the search for therapeutic strategies targeting both bacterial viability and virulence. Berberine (BBR), a natural isoquinoline alkaloid, has emerged as a promising candidate because of its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Increasing evidence derived from native berberine, its derivatives, and berberine-based formulations indicates multifaceted anti-H. pylori activity, including direct antibacterial effects, inhibition of virulence determinants, and modulation of host inflammatory responses. This review summarizes current knowledge on the epidemiology and pathogenic mechanisms of H. pylori and provides a comprehensive overview of the available evidence regarding the anti-H. pylori pharmacological profile of BBR-based compounds. Particular attention is given to their effects on bacterial adhesion, motility, urease activity, efflux pump function, biofilm formation, and host inflammatory signaling pathways. The review also discusses findings from preclinical and clinical studies supporting BBR-based strategies as adjuncts to conventional eradication therapies. In addition, recent advances in nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems designed to overcome the poor oral bioavailability of BBR and improve its therapeutic efficacy against H. pylori are highlighted. Full article

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe cardiovascular disease characterized by progressively increased pulmonary vascular resistance and right heart failure. Its pathogenesis involves multiple factors, including genetic predisposition, inflammation, oxidative stress, and imbalances between cell proliferation and apoptosis. Recent studies indicate that autophagy has a context-dependent dual role in PAH. Flux-competent autophagy may be protective by clearing damaged mitochondria, limiting excessive inflammation, and maintaining metabolic homeostasis, whereas excessive autophagy initiation or impaired autophagosome-lysosome degradation may promote metabolic dysfunction, inflammatory signaling, abnormal vascular cell phenotypes, and pulmonary vascular remodeling. This focused narrative review summarizes the molecular mechanisms and key signaling pathways linking autophagy to PAH, with emphasis on PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1)/Parkin-mediated mitophagy and the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) energy-sensing axis. It also evaluates potential therapeutic strategies targeting key nodes of autophagy, such as AMPK activators and mTOR inhibitors, along with their clinical research progress. Finally, this review provides an outlook on future research directions, emphasizing the need to further elucidate the dynamic regulatory mechanisms and cell-type specificity of autophagy in order to advance the clinical translation of autophagy-targeted precision therapies for PAH. Full article

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a widely used anthracycline chemotherapeutic agent; however, its clinical application is limited by dose-dependent cardiotoxicity, which can result in progressive cardiac dysfunction and heart failure. Increasing evidence indicates that DOX-induced cardiotoxicity is closely associated with premature cardiac senescence, a pathological process distinct from physiological cardiac aging. DOX induces senescence-associated alterations in multiple cardiac cell populations, disrupting cardiac homeostasis and contributing to pathological remodeling. In this review, we summarize current advances in DOX-induced cardiac senescence, focusing on the contributions of different cardiac cell types, the underlying molecular mechanisms, and emerging therapeutic strategies. We further discuss the challenges and future perspectives for developing effective interventions that alleviate cardiac senescence while preserving the anticancer efficacy of DOX. Understanding the mechanisms driving DOX-induced cardiac senescence may provide new opportunities to develop effective cardioprotective strategies and improve long-term cardiac outcomes after chemotherapy. Full article

The risk of cross-domain cascading failures in cyber–physical power systems (CPPSs) has become increasingly significant. The existing studies generally employ communication networks with static routing and fixed bandwidth allocation, which are insufficient to cope with dynamic load fluctuations and unexpected faults. To address these limitations, this paper incorporates the flexible optical-layer resource scheduling capability of software-defined optical networks (SDONs) and proposes an SDON-enabled CPPS model along with a control network optimization method. First, a three-layer CPPS architecture based on the SDON framework is constructed to characterize the interaction mechanism between the control layer and the data forwarding layer, as well as the fault propagation paths. Second, a control network optimization configuration model with the objective of minimizing energy consumption is established in which primary–backup routing schemes and wavelength resources are jointly designed using a mixed-integer linear programming approach. Finally, with load shedding rate adopted as the evaluation metric, a multidimensional vulnerability assessment method for CPPSs is proposed. The simulation results demonstrate that, compared with random control networks, the optimized CPPS reduces the average energy consumption by 53.6% and 34.2% under single-fault and multiple-fault scenarios, respectively, while the load shedding rate is reduced by 23% and 37.2%, thereby verifying the effectiveness of the proposed method. Full article