Search Results (1,032)

The large-scale adoption of electric vehicles has created an urgent need for the orderly management of charging loads in residential communities. While existing research on community-based orderly charging architectures and control strategies primarily focuses on connected charging piles (CPs) equipped with remote power control functions. However, in practical scenarios, most residential communities still rely on unconnected charging piles (UCPs) that lack remote communication capabilities, making it difficult to practically deploy many intelligent orderly architectures and control strategies that rely on communication with charging piles. Therefore, this paper proposes a non-intrusive orderly charging architecture tailored for UCPs. This architecture does not require modifying the hardware of UCPs; instead, it introduces pile-end management units (PMUs) to interact with users for orderly charging, thereby facilitating easier deployment and promotion. Based on this architecture, an optimized control strategy using the GD-SA (greedy-simulated annealing) algorithm for orderly charging is constructed, which considers the dual constraints of transformer capacity and charging demand. Case studies on a typical community in Tianjin, China, demonstrate that with the proposed order charging architecture and strategy, when users fully accept the orderly charging approach, the peak load can be reduced by over 17% compared to uncontrolled charging scenarios. Additionally, the effectiveness of the method has been validated through sensitivity analysis of user acceptance, stress scenario testing, and statistical analysis with a 95% confidence interval. Finally, this paper summarizes the practical value potential of supporting UCPs in achieving orderly charging, while also pointing out the limitations of the current research and identifying directions for further in-depth exploration. Full article

Background/Objectives: Vitamin D is recognized as a key modulator of metabolic diseases, including metabolic-dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), in which its deficiency contributes to both disease onset and progression. Despite the widespread and often prolonged use of vitamin D supplementation, optimal serum levels in individuals with MASLD remain unclear and warrant further investigation. Methods: In this study, hepatic steatosis was induced in male and female Wistar rats over a 45-day period. The animals were then divided into five groups (control, 2500, 7000, 14,000, and 21,000 IU/kg/week of cholecalciferol). After four weeks of treatment, the animals were euthanized, and blood samples were collected for biochemical, hormonal, inflammatory, oxidative stress analyses and liver architecture evaluation. Results: High-dose vitamin D supplementation in rats with MASLD induced dose-dependent metabolic, inflammatory, and oxidative changes, with some sex-specific differences. Urea and alanine aminotransferase levels increased at higher doses in both sexes, suggesting potential nephrotoxic and hepatotoxic effects, while creatinine and aspartate aminotransferase remained stable. Adiponectin levels decreased consistently, and leptin levels rose across all doses, indicating a shift toward a pro-adipogenic profile. Pro-inflammatory molecules (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF, C-reactive protein) increased progressively with dose, while IL-10 followed a U-shaped curve. Oxidative stress markers showed elevated protein carbonylation only at the highest dose, a slight reduction in TBARS, and a peak in total antioxidant status at 7000 IU/kg/week. Conclusions: High-dose vitamin D triggers antioxidant responses but drives harmful inflammatory and metabolic shifts in MASLD. Full article

Laser processing of heterogeneous composites requires a clear understanding of coupled thermal and mechanical responses to ensure structural integrity and patterning precision. In this study, a thermal–mechanical coupling model based on the finite element method was developed to investigate laser–material interactions in Al–Tedlar–Kevlar composite films. The effects of key parameters—including pulse energy, spot size, pulse duration, and repetition frequency—on the evolution of temperature and stress fields were systematically examined. The simulations reveal that pulse energy leads to a linear rise in peak temperature, while pulse duration exerts a nonlinear influence on energy density and thermal uniformity. Increasing repetition frequency promotes thermal accumulation, enlarging the heat-affected zone. Coupled analyses further indicate significant stress concentrations at material interfaces, which may trigger delamination and compromise film reliability. Through comprehensive parameter evaluation, the optimal processing conditions were identified as 0.5 mJ pulse energy, 20 kHz repetition rate, 45 μm spot diameter, and 120 ns pulse duration. These findings clarify the governing mechanisms of thermal–mechanical interactions in multilayer composites and provide theoretical guidance for optimizing laser micropatterning processes while enhancing interfacial stability and manufacturing quality. Full article

Background: Soccer’s varied physical demands require meticulous load monitoring, which is now being advanced by combining GPS for external metrics and NMR-based metabolomics for internal metabolic profiling. This study aimed to investigate how player position influences the metabolomic profile (as a marker of internal load) under known match effort (external load). Methods: This was a longitudinal observational descriptive study involving 12 professional soccer players from the U-20 São Paulo Football Club, enrolled in the 2022 São Paulo State Under-20 Football Championship. Players were monitored across six matches during the season, culminating in a total of 49 individual match observations from those players (4-2-3-1 formation: Central Defenders [CD], n = 9; Full Backs [FB], n = 9; Central Midfielders [CM], n = 14; Wide Midfielders [WM], n = 12; Forwards [F], n = 5). Internal load was assessed via urinary metabolomics, with urine samples collected 24 h post-match. A non-targeted, global metabolomics approach was employed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. External load was monitored using GPS tracking devices. Multivariate analyses included partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and heat maps. Results: Metabolomic analysis identified 38 metabolites with a Variable Importance in Projection (VIP) score > 1.0, revealing perturbations in carbohydrate metabolism and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, amino acid and peptide metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, and ketone body pathways, and effectively discriminating post-match recovery metabolic profiles. External load metrics varied significantly by player position: CMs covered greater distances below 20 km/h (8702.93 ± 1271.89 m), exhibited higher relative distance (114.29 ± 7.67 m/min), total distance (9193.21 ± 1261.35 m), and player load (945.71 ± 135.82 a.u.); CDs achieved higher peak speeds (31.78 ± 1.20 m/s); and WMs performed greater sprint distances (168.11 ± 91.69 m). Metabolomic profiles indicated that CMs showed stronger associations with markers of muscle damage and inflammation, whereas CDs and WMs were more closely linked to energy metabolism and oxidative stress. Conclusions: These results highlight the importance of a personalized approach to training load monitoring and recovery strategies, considering the distinct physiological and metabolic demands associated with each player position. Full article

The rapid growth of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) exerts significant pressure on distribution network margins, requiring predictive and safe coordination. This paper presents a closed-loop framework combining a topology-aware Spatio-Temporal Transformer (STT) for multi-horizon forecasting, a cooperative multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL) controller under Centralized Training and Decentralized Execution (CTDE), and a real-time safety layer that enforces feeder limits via sensitivity-based quadratic programming. Evaluations on three SimBench feeders, with OLTC/capacitor hybrid control and a stress protocol amplifying peak demand and mid-day PV generation, show that the method reduces tail violations by 31% and 56% at the 99th percentile voltage deviation, and lowers branch overload rates by 71% and 90% compared to baselines. It mitigates tail violations and discrete switching while ensuring real-time feasibility and cost efficiency, outperforming rule-based, optimization, MPC, and learning baselines. Stress maps reveal robustness envelopes and identify MV–LV bottlenecks; ablation studies show that diffusion-based priors and coordination contribute to performance gains. The paper also provides convergence analysis and a suboptimality decomposition, offering a practical pathway to scalable, safe, and interpretable DER coordination. Full article

In this work, we investigate advanced photocatalyst Bi₃TiNbO₉ as promising piezophotocatalyst in terms of the effect of synthesis methods on the surface chemistry, structure, and catalytic performance in process of contaminant removal. Samples were prepared via solid-state reaction (BTNO-900) and molten salt synthesis (BTNO-800), leading to distinct morphologies and defect distributions. SEM imaging revealed that BTNO-900 consists of agglomerated, irregular particles, while BTNO-800 exhibits well-faceted, plate-like grains. Nitrogen adsorption analysis showed that the molten-synthesized sample possesses a significantly higher specific surface area (5.9 m²/g vs. 1.4 m²/g) and slightly larger average pore diameter (2.8 nm vs. 2.6 nm). High-resolution XPS revealed systematic shifts in binding energies for Bi 4f, Ti 2p, Nb 3d, and O 1s peaks in BTNO-900, accompanied by a higher content of adsorbed oxygen species (57% vs. 7.2%), indicating an increased concentration of oxygen vacancies and surface hydroxylation due to the solid-state synthesis route. Catalytic testing demonstrated that BTNO exhibits enhanced piezocatalytic efficiency of Methylene Blue degradation (~78% for both samples), whereas BTNO-800 shows significantly reduced photocatalytic activity (45.6%) compared to BTNO-900 (84.1%), suggesting recombination effects dominate in the more defective material. Synergism of light and mechanical stress results in piezophotocatalytic degradation for both samples (92.4% and 93.4%, relatively). These findings confirm that synthesis-controlled defect engineering is a key parameter for optimizing the photocatalytic behavior of Bi₃TiNbO₉-based layered oxides and crucial role of its piezocatalytic activity. Full article

The shale oil reservoir in Block Y of the Ordos Basin exhibits low porosity and low permeability, yet it features distinct stratification and developed micro-fractures. During the development process using “horizontal wells + volume fracturing”, the differential in geostress exerts a certain influence on the initiation and propagation of fractures. This paper employs the Cohesive element simulation method to investigate the formation patterns of fracture networks in fractured formations. By prefabricating natural fractures, the study explores the impact of natural fractures on the direction of hydraulic fractures during the hydraulic fracturing process. The study considers the fracture initiation and propagation patterns as well as the interaction between hydraulic fractures and natural fractures under differential geostress conditions of 0 MPa, 1 MPa, and 5 MPa. The numerical simulation results reveal that the presence of natural fractures significantly affects the direction of hydraulic fractures, with the tip of the hydraulic fracture deflecting towards the natural fracture. The smaller the geostress difference, the more complex the fractures become with more branching fractures. Conversely, a larger geostress difference leads to the formation of a single double-wing fracture perpendicular to the minimum principal stress, resulting in a simpler fracture morphology. The pore pressure variation at the injection point generally experiences a rapid increase followed by a slight decrease, subsequently undergoing wavy changes. The occurrence of wavy pressure variations indicates the continuous generation of micro-fractures. The fracture width at the injection point generally exhibits an increasing trend followed by a decreasing trend. When the stress difference is 0 MPa, 1 MPa, and 5 MPa, the peak rupture pressures are 12.63 MPa, 13.42 MPa, and 18.33 MPa, respectively; the maximum crack openings are 0.797 cm, 0.779 cm, and 0.771 cm, respectively. The study on fracture initiation and propagation in shale reservoirs provides guidance for the field application of multi-cluster fracturing in horizontal well sections. Full article

Inland lakes across the United States are increasingly impacted by nutrient pollution, sedimentation, and algal blooms, with significant ecological and economic consequences. While satellite-based monitoring has advanced our ability to assess water quality at scale, many lakes remain analytically underserved due to their spatial heterogeneity and the multivariate nature of pollution dynamics. This study presents an integrated framework for detecting spatiotemporal pollution patterns using satellite remote sensing, trend segmentation, hierarchical clustering and dimensionality reduction. Taking Horseshoe Lake (Illinois), a shallow eutrophic–turbid system, as a case study, we analyzed Sentinel-2 imagery from 2020–2024 to derive chlorophyll-a (NDCI), turbidity (NDTI), and total phosphorus (TP) across five hydrologically distinct zones. Breakpoint detection and modified Mann–Kendall tests revealed both abrupt and seasonal trend shifts, while correlation and hierarchical clustering uncovered inter-zone relationships. To identify lake-wide pollution windows, we applied Kernel PCA to generate a composite pollution index, aligned with the count of increasing trend segments. Two peak pollution periods, late 2022 and late 2023, were identified, with Regions 1 and 5 consistently showing high values across all indicators. Spatial maps linked these hotspots to urban runoff and legacy impacts. The framework captures both acute and chronic stress zones and enables targeted seasonal diagnostics. The approach demonstrates a scalable and transferable method for pollution monitoring in morphologically complex lakes and supports more targeted, region-specific water management strategies. 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

Background: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and mixed urinary incontinence (MUI) are common disorders that impair quality of life. While transobturator tension-free vaginal tape (TVT-O) is established for SUI, outcomes in MUI remain uncertain. Methods: We analyzed 111 women who underwent TVT-O at Keelung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Baseline data included demographics, Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS), uroflowmetry [peak flow rate (PFR), residual urine (RU)], and Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) stage. The primary outcome was OABSS improvement (≥1-point reduction); secondary outcomes were longitudinal OABSS, uroflowmetry, pad usage, and POP-Q stage. Results: At 3 months, 31.5% (35/111) met responder criteria. Symptom improvement occurred more often in MUI than in SUI, with about half of women with MUI (48.6%) and one quarter of those with SUI (27.4%) reporting subjective improvement (p = 0.018). OABSS improved in MUI (7.92 → 7.18, p = 0.001) but worsened in SUI (6.84 → 7.52, p < 0.001). In SUI, PFR increased (p = 0.001) and RU decreased (p = 0.029); no significant changes occurred in MUI. MUI independently predicted response (OR, 2.59; 95% CI, 1.10–6.14) and greater ΔOABSS (β = −1.391, p < 0.001); higher baseline OABSS also predicted improvement (β = −0.093, p = 0.049). For pad usage, MUI was associated with persistence (OR, 3.855, p = 0.010). ROC analysis showed modest discrimination for MUI (AUC 0.626, p = 0.034). Conclusions: TVT-O provided symptom relief, with about half of the women with MUI, and one quarter of those with SUI experienced subjective improvement. Women with MUI and higher baseline OABSS were more likely to improve, but these findings should be interpreted with caution, given the modest sample size. Full article

Background: We aimed to map the scientific production on sports nutrition applied to soccer. Methods: A scientometric analysis was performed using articles published between 2004 and 2024, retrieved from Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus. The search yielded 2636 documents, and 526 original articles were included after removing reviews, meta-analyses, duplicates, and studies outside the scope. Data were analyzed using Bibliometrix version 5.0.1; Massimo Aria & Corrado Cuccurullo; Naples; Italy. and VOSviewer version 1.6.20; Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS), Leiden University; Leiden; The Netherlands software. Results: There was a 1.450% increase in publications over the period, with a peak in 2024. Nutrients was the leading publication source, while Morton J. and Maughan R. were the most productive authors. Liverpool John Moores University stood out as a collaboration hub. The United Kingdom 371 took the lead in both publication volume and citations. Early research trends focused on hydration and dietary optimization, whereas recent studies emphasized low energy availability, polyphenols, anthropometry, and recovery strategies. The conceptual structure focused on terms such as sports, nutrition, energy intake, food intake, performance, soccer, and training load. Peripheral terms included fluid balance and sweat rate. The co-occurrence analysis revealed underexplored topics such as oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, beta-alanine supplementation, and antioxidant markers. Conclusions: Advancing these research areas is essential to consolidating nutritional strategies with direct effects on performance and health in soccer players. Full article

Background/Objectives: Screw loosening and vertebral fractures remain common after vertebral body tethering (VBT). Because tightening torque sets screw preload, its biomechanical effect warrants explicit modeling. In this paper, a Finite Element (FE) model, supported by ex vivo porcine vertebral tests, was developed and validated that incorporates torque-induced pre-tension to quantify vertebral stress, aiming toward customizable VBT planning. Methods: An FE model with pre-tension and axial extraction failure was parameterized using ex vivo tests on five porcine vertebrae. A laterally inserted surgical screw in each specimen was tightened to $5.9\pm 0.80$ Nm. Axial extraction produced failure loads of $2.1\pm 0.31$ kN. This is also considered in the FE model to validate the failure scenario. Results: Torque alone generated peak von Mises stresses of $16.1\pm 0.86$ MPa (cortical bone 1) and $2.1\pm 0.13$ MPa (trabecular), lower than prior reports. With added axial load, peaks rose to $141.1\pm 0.70$ MPa and $19.7\pm 0.23$ MPa, exceeding typical ranges. However, predicted failure agreed with experiments, showing $0.58$ mm displacement and a conical displacement distribution around the washer. Conclusions: Modeling torque-induced pre-tension is essential to reproduce realistic stress states and anchor failure in VBT. The framework enables patient-specific assessment (bone geometry/density) to recommend safe tightening torques, potentially reducing screw loosening and early fractures. Full article

Spiral corrugated tubes are widely utilized to enhance the performance of heat exchangers. However, they are typically formed via hydroforming, which renders efficient manufacturing challenging. Therefore, this study presents a rotary forming method using multiple rollers for the continuous production of spiral corrugated tubes. During the forming process, the rollers rotate around the tube, pressing against its outer surface, and the tube moves axially, forming spiral grooves. This study experimentally evaluated the effects of varying roller angles on formability by analyzing maximum rotation speed, outside diameter, thickness distribution, groove depth, and peak pitch. The experiments were performed thrice under each condition to ensure reproducibility. The results indicate that the formable rotation speed increases by 40% when the roller angle is adjusted from 32° to 40°. For the same rotational speed, a larger roller angle prevents stress concentration. As the roller angle decreases, the outside diameter also decreases, and the groove depth and peak pitch tend to increase. Under a roller angle of 40° and a rotational speed of 150 rpm, the thickness deviation ratio of the formed product is only 0.13, demonstrating improved uniformity. Full article

Molybdenum-rhenium (Mo-Re) alloys, especially those with low Re content, have great potential in fabricating nuclear components. However, the extremely high melting point and high brittleness of Mo-Re alloys make them difficult to weld. In this study, laser welding was used to prepare single-pass remelted joint of Mo-5Re alloy with welding parameters of laser power 2800 W, welding speed 2 m·min⁻¹ and argon gas flow rate 20 L·min⁻¹. The microstructure of the remelted joint was investigated by the optical microscopy and the scanning electron microscopy. The microhardness distribution of the joint was analyzed. In addition, the temperature field, residual stress, and angular distortion of the joint were investigated by both numerical and experimental methods. The results show that columnar grains grew from the fusion boundary toward the center of the weld pool, and equiaxed grains formed in the central region of the fusion zone (FZ). In the heat-affected zone (HAZ), the grains transformed from initial elongated into equiaxed grains. The electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) results revealed that high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) dominated in FZ. Oxide/carbide particles at grain boundaries and inside the grains can be inferred from contrast results. The average microhardness of FZ was 170 ± 5 (standard deviation) HV, which was approximately 80 HV lower than that of the base metal (250 ± 2 HV). Softening phenomenon was also observed in HAZ. The calculated weld pool shape showed high consistency with the experimental observation. The peak temperature (296 °C) of the simulated thermal cycling curve was ~8% higher than the measured value (275 °C). The residual stress calculation results indicated that FZ and its vicinity exhibited high levels of longitudinal tensile residual stresses. The simulated peak longitudinal residual stress (509 MPa) was ~30% higher than the measured value (393 MPa). Furthermore, both the simulation and experimental results demonstrated that the single-pass remelted joint of Mo-5Re alloy produced only minor angular distortion. The obtained results are very useful in understanding the basic phenomena and problems in laser welding of Mo alloys with low Re content. Full article

Earthquakes are highly unpredictable and often lead to secondary disasters such as slope collapses, landslides, and debris flows, posing serious threats to human life and property. To explore how multi-stage loess slopes respond to seismic loading, improve both the efficiency and precision of seismic analysis, and better capture the random characteristics of earthquakes in reliability assessment, this research proposes a new analytical framework. The approach adopts the pseudo-dynamic method, divides the slope soil into layers through the lumped mass scheme, and applies the Newmark-β integration method to construct a displacement response model that incorporates seismic variability. By comparing and analyzing results from Geo-Studio finite element simulations, the study reveals the dynamic response behavior of multi-level loess slopes subjected to seismic loads. The key findings are as follows: (1) The formation of unloading platforms introduces a graded energy dissipation effect that significantly reduces stress concentration along potential sliding surfaces; (2) The combined influence of the additional vertical load from the overlying soil and the presence of double free faces has a notable effect on the stability of secondary slopes; (3) The peak displacement response exhibits a nonlinear relationship with slope height, initially increasing and then decreasing. The proposed improved analysis method demonstrates clear advantages over traditional approaches in terms of computational efficiency and accuracy, and provides a valuable theoretical basis for the seismic design of high loess slopes. Full article