Search Results (1,004)

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by recurrent nodules, abscesses, and sinus tracts in apocrine gland-bearing areas. Surgery plays a key role in moderate-to-severe disease. As patients increasingly rely on the internet for decision-making, the quality of online information on HS surgery requires critical evaluation. Previous studies have shown poor quality and limited coverage of surgical aspects. This study systematically assesses publicly available websites on the surgical and reconstructive management of HS, quantifies their quality using the modified Ensuring Quality Information for Patients (mEQIP) tool, and identifies areas needing improvement to support informed decisions. Methods: Google, Bing, and Yahoo were searched using five HS surgery-related keywords. The first 50 results per keyword and engine were collected (n = 750), and 214 websites met the inclusion criteria. Sites were categorized by provenance (practitioners, hospitals, healthcare portals, professional societies, encyclopedias) and assessed using the 36-item mEQIP checklist. High quality was defined as ≥23/36 (75th percentile). Comparisons were made by publication era (pre-/post-COVID-19) and source type. Results: The mean mEQIP score was 21.7; only 51 websites (23.8%) met the high-quality threshold. No significant difference emerged between pre- and post-COVID publications. Healthcare portals scored highest (22.8), followed by practitioners (21.5) and hospital sites (21.2); professional societies (19.7) and encyclopedias (17.3) performed worst. Major deficiencies included limited discussion of surgical risks, quality-of-life outcomes, and postoperative care. Conclusions: Online resources on HS surgery are frequently incomplete and omit essential details on risks, recurrence, and reconstructive options. Surgeons should direct patients toward vetted sources, and professional societies should develop accessible, evidence-based patient guidelines. Full article

Objectives: The role of internal bracing in lower limb tendon repairs and reconstructions is not widely published. We report our techniques for internal brace-augmented tendon repair (IBA-TR) in the surgical treatment of acute ruptures of the patellar tendon, the quadriceps tendon and the Achilles tendon. Methods: The outcomes of 100 cases of IBA-TR treated by a single surgeon over an 8-year period (2014–2022) were retrospectively analysed with a minimum follow-up of 6 months. Results: The mean time to mobilisation without a brace was 32 days. Three cases of infection were reported and treated with antibiotics, with no cases of deep infection requiring return to theatre. There were no cases of venous thromboembolism. No cases of failure of tendon repair were observed. Of the 100 patients, 98 returned to their pre-injury level of activity. Conclusions: This study represents the largest cohort of tendon repairs augmented with an internal brace to date. With no reported failures or returns to theatre, this repair technique has been demonstrated to be safe and clinically effective, dispensing with the need for cast immobilisation. Level of evidence: III. Full article

The Eastern Sag of the Liaohe Depression, situated in the Bohai Bay Basin, represents a key area for hydrocarbon exploration in northeastern China. Despite decades of research, the mechanisms governing its complex structural evolution remain unclear, largely due to multiple tectonic reactivations associated with the Tan–Lu Fault Zone. In this study, newly acquired deep seismic reflection data were used to interpret representative structural profiles across the sag. Complementary sandbox modeling experiments were conducted to reconstruct the basin’s prototype and to verify the structural kinematics inferred from the seismic data. Integration of seismic interpretation, physical modeling, and thin-section microstructural observations of fault-related cores allowed us to establish a comprehensive Cenozoic evolutionary model of the sag. The results reveal three main tectonic evolution stages: (1) an extensional fault-depression stage during the Shahejie period, (2) a strike-slip modification phase during the Dongying period, and (3) a subsequent thermal-subsidence stage in the Guantao period. Pre-existing basement faults exerted a significant control on fault geometry, subsidence patterns, and the segmentation of four sub-sags. Moreover, transtensional and transpressional deformation during the late stages reshaped the basin architecture and fault linkage systems. These findings provide new insights into the structural evolution and controlling mechanisms of the Eastern Sag, offering valuable guidance for deep hydrocarbon exploration in the Bohai Bay Basin. Full article

The Monastery of San Nicolò l’Arena in Catania, a UNESCO World Heritage site, embodies a complex architectural and historical stratigraphy, reflecting successive construction phases, functional changes, and the impact of catastrophic events, including the 1669 lava flow and the 1693 earthquake. As part of the CHANGES project, this study combines historical–archaeological research with non-invasive in situ scientific analyses to investigate the materials and the conservation state of the monumental complex. Stratigraphic analysis identified multiple masonry and plaster units, allowing the reconstruction of five main construction phases and related functional changes. Portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF), Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFT), and handheld optical microscopy provided rapid insights into the chemical and mineralogical composition of plasters and mortars, highlighting lime-based binders with variable aggregate, including volcanic clasts, sand, and cocciopesto. In situ diagnostic analyses allowed us to distinguish pre- and post-earthquake materials, while historical data contextualized construction phases and functional transformations. The integration of archaeological and scientific approaches proved to be complementary: historical evidence guides the selection of analytical targets, while diagnostic results enrich and validate the interpretation of the building’s evolution. This interdisciplinary methodology establishes a robust framework for the understanding and valorization of complex cultural heritage sites. Full article

Posterior instrumentation is used to treat severe adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) with a Cobb angle greater than 40 degrees. Clinical studies indicate that AIS patients may develop adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) post-surgery. However, there is limited research on the biomechanical effects on adjacent segments after surgery, and straightforward methods for creating finite element (FE) models that reflect vertebral deformation are lacking. Therefore, this study aims to use biplanar X-ray images to establish a case-specific, parameterized FE model reflecting coronal plane vertebral deformation and employ FE analysis to compare pre- and postoperative changes in the range of motion (ROM), endplate stress, and intervertebral disk stress of adjacent segments. We developed an FE model from biplanar X-ray images of a patient with AIS, using ANSYS software to establish pre- and postoperative models. The shape of the preoperative model was validated using computed tomography (CT) reconstruction. A flexion moment was applied to C7 of the spine model to achieve the same forward bending angle in the pre- and postoperative models. This study successfully developed a case-specific parameterized FE model based on X-ray images. The differences between Cobb angle and thoracolumbar kyphosis angle measurements in X-ray images and CT reconstructions were 6.5 and 5.4 mm. This FE model was used to analyze biomechanical effects on motion segments adjacent to the fixation site, revealing a decrease in maximum endplate and disk stress in the cranial segment and an increase in stress in the caudal segment. Full article

Image semantics, by revealing rich structural information, provides crucial guidance for image inpainting. However, current semantic-guided inpainting frameworks generally operate unidirectionally, relying on pre-trained segmentation networks without a feedback mechanism to adapt segmentation dynamically during inpainting. To address this limitation, we propose an innovative inpainting methodology that incorporates semantic segmentation feedback recorrection via semi-supervised learning. Specifically, the fundamental concept involves enabling the initial inpainting network to deliver feedback to the semantic segmentation model, which subsequently refines its predictions by leveraging cross-image semantic consistency. The iteratively corrected semantic segmentation maps serve to direct the inpainting neural network toward improved reconstruction quality, fostering a synergistic interaction that enhances both segmentation accuracy and inpainting performance. Furthermore, a semi-supervised learning strategy is implemented to reduce reliance on ground truth labels and improves generalization by utilizing both labeled and unlabeled datasets. We conduct our methodology on the CelebA-HQnd Cityscapes datasets, employing multiple quantitative metrics including LPIPS, PSNR, and SSIM. Results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm surpasses current methodologies: on CelebA-HQ dataset, it achieves a 5.89% reduction in LPIPS and a 0.52% increase in PSNR, with notable improvements in SSIM; on the Cityscapes dataset, LPIPS decreases by 6.15% and SSIM increases by 1.58%. Ablation studies confirm the effectiveness of the feedback recorrection mechanism. This research provides novel insights into synergistic interactions between segmentation and inpainting, demonstrating that fostering such interactions can substantially improve image processing performance. Full article

This study aims to improve the accuracy and efficiency of apple defect detection under complex lighting conditions. A novel approach is proposed that integrates filtered imaging with color space reconstruction, utilizing YOLOv12 as the detection framework. “Red Fuji” apples were selected, and an imaging platform featuring adjustable illumination and RGB filters was established. Following pre-experimental optimization of imaging conditions, a dataset comprising 1600 images was constructed. Conversions to RGB, HSI, and LAB color spaces were performed, and YOLOv12 served as the baseline model for ablation experiments. Detection performance was assessed using Precision, Recall, mAP, and FPS metrics. Results indicate that the green filter under 4500 K illumination combined with RGB color space conversion yields optimal performance, achieving an mAP50–95 of 83.1% and a processing speed of 15.15 FPS. This study highlights the impact of filter–color space combinations on detection outcomes, offering an effective solution for apple defect identification and serving as a reference for industrial inspection applications. Full article

Background: Acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) injuries are common in athletes, particularly in contact and collision sports, and frequently cause time lost from play. Although functional outcomes are well described, return to sport (RTS) is inconsistently reported, and the influence of treatment modality, surgical technique, and rehabilitation strategy on RTS outcomes remains uncertain. Methods: A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines registered in PROSPERO (ID 1155609). PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane were searched for studies from 2015–2025 reporting at least one RTS metric (time, rate, or return to pre-injury level) after ACJ injury. Data on injury classification, surgical technique, rehabilitation protocols, and RTS outcomes were extracted. Results: Twenty-five studies (1077 patients) were included. The pooled RTS rate was 90.8% (95% CI, 88.6–93.0), with 87.7% (95% CI, 84.5–90.9) returning to their pre-injury level. The overall mean RTS time was 125.0 ± 63.05 days (4.5 months). Non-operative treatment was associated with faster RTS (52 days [95% CI, 47–58]) compared with operative management (127 days [95% CI, 114–140]). Among surgical techniques, allograft reconstruction demonstrated slightly higher rates of RTS at pre-injury level (84.2%) versus non-allograft approaches (78.9%). Rehabilitation timing was also influential: protocols initiating strengthening within 6 weeks were associated with faster RTS (93 vs. 132 days) and higher pre-injury RTS rates (86.8% vs. 72.7%). Conclusions: Most athletes return to sport after ACJ injury, with high RTS rates across treatment approaches. Earlier surgery, allograft reconstruction, and early strengthening show associative trends toward faster and more complete RTS, though these findings should be interpreted cautiously due to heterogeneity and confounding with existing data. Standardized RTS definitions, consistent rehabilitation reporting, and prospective comparative studies are needed to clarify which modifiable factors most influence recovery and return to play. Full article

Owing to the intrinsic sparsity of GNSS signals in the correlation domain, compressed sensing (CS) is attractive for the rapid acquisition of high-dynamic GNSS signals. However, the compressed measurement-associated noise folding inherently amplifies the pre-measurement noise, leading to an inevitable degradation of acquisition performance. In this paper, a novel CS-based GNSS signal acquisition algorithm is, for the first time, proposed with the efficient suppression of the amplified measurement noise and low computational complexities. The offline developed code phase and frequency bin-compressed matrices in the correlation domain are utilized to obtain a real-time observed matrix, from which the correlation matrix of the GNSS signal is rapidly reconstructed via a denoised back-projection and a non-iterative shrinkage-thresholding (NIST) operation. A detailed theoretical analysis and extensive numerical explorations are undertaken for the algorithm computational complexity, the achievable acquisition performance, and the algorithm performance robustness to various Doppler frequencies. It is shown that, compared with the classic orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) reconstruction, the NIST reconstruction gives rise to a 3.3 dB improvement in detection sensitivity with a computational complexity increase of <10%. Moreover, the NIST-reconstructed CS acquisition algorithm outperforms the conventional CS acquisition algorithm with frequency serial search (FSS) in terms of both the acquisition performance and the computational complexity. In addition, a variation in the detection sensitivity is observed as low as 1.3 dB over a Doppler frequency range from 100 kHz to 200 kHz. Full article

Background: In the 19th century, pulmonary tuberculosis was the leading cause of death in Europe, responsible for up to one-quarter of all mortality. Before Robert Koch’s discovery of the tubercle bacillus in 1882 and the advent of effective therapies, treatment relied on rest, high-caloric diets, and sanatoria. Objectives: This study aims to reconstruct the medical biography of Dr. Șerban Eminovici (1841–1874), Romanian physician and elder brother of poet Mihai Eminescu, and to contextualize his life and death within the broader history of tuberculosis and pre-antibiotic medical practice. Methods: We conducted a historical case study using archival sources, including university registers from Erlangen, Munich, and Vienna, hospital admission records from the Charité Hospital in Berlin, and contemporaneous correspondence. Secondary literature on the history of tuberculosis and the Eminovici family was also reviewed. Results: Eminovici pursued medical studies across Central Europe, obtaining his doctorate in Vienna and later practicing medicine in Berlin, where he was a member of the Berliner Medizinische Gesellschaft. Despite early signs of respiratory illness, treated at spa resorts such as Gleichenberg, his condition progressed to advanced pulmonary tuberculosis with neuropsychiatric complications. Hospital records confirm his admission to the Charité on 10 October 1874, and his death from “Lungenschwindsucht” (pulmonary tuberculosis) on 29 November 1874, at age 33. His trajectory illustrates both the transnational mobility of Romanian intellectual elites and the therapeutic limitations of pre-antibiotic medicine. Conclusions: The case of Dr. Șerban Eminovici highlights the devastating impact of tuberculosis on 19th-century intellectuals, the reliance on lifestyle-based therapies before the discovery of the tubercle bacillus, and the importance of Central European medical networks in shaping Romanian professional identities. Beyond its biographical significance, this case underscores the persistent social and cultural burden of tuberculosis in Eastern Europe. Full article

Earthquakes, fires, and climate change-related hazards increasingly threaten cultural heritage. Documenting and identifying the significance of heritage sites before disasters is essential for archival purposes and for guiding post-disaster interventions such as consolidation, reconstruction, or redesign. Although various post-disaster strategies exist in the literature, they often lack consideration of pre-disaster values and authentic qualities, limiting their effectiveness in value-based regeneration. This study proposes a framework for managing post-disaster interventions grounded in pre-disaster documentation of heritage values, authenticity, and integrity. The methodology includes seven phases: case selection; site survey and documentation; thematic analysis and mapping; quantification of qualitative data; synthesis of pre-disaster analysis results to define values, problems, and potentials; post-disaster assessment using aerial and terrestrial imagery; and development of targeted intervention strategies. This study focuses on two areas in Antakya, Türkiye: Kurtuluş Street and Kuyulu Neighborhood, affected by the 2023 earthquake (M 7.7). These areas represent different historical layers: a Hellenistic grid plan with French-style buildings, and an organic Ottoman settlement morphology, respectively. Conservation data collected in 2019 inform the analysis. Mapping techniques evaluate attributes such as spatial characteristics, typologies, and structural systems. The study concludes that traces of pre-disaster spatial patterns and building features should inform post-disaster designs, ensuring sustainable, earthquake-resistant, and value-based interventions. Full article

Aiming at the problems of high complexity in source domain data, inaccessibility of target domain data, and unknown fault patterns in real-world industrial scenarios for mechanical fault diagnosis, this paper proposes a Feature Decomposition-based Source-Free Universal Domain Adaptation (FD-SFUniDA) framework for mechanical equipment fault diagnosis. First, the CBAM attention module is incorporated to enhance the ResNet-50 convolutional network for extracting feature information from source domain data. During the target domain adaptation phase, singular value decomposition is applied to the weights of the pre-trained model’s classification layer, orthogonally decoupling the feature space into a source-known subspace and a target-private subspace. Then, based on the magnitude of feature projections, a dynamic decision boundary is constructed and combined with an entropy threshold mechanism to accurately distinguish between known and unknown class samples. Furthermore, intra-class feature consistency is strengthened through neighborhood-expanded contrastive learning, and semantic weight calibration is employed to reconstruct the feature space, thereby suppressing the negative transfer effect. Finally, extensive experiments under multiple operating conditions on rolling bearing and reciprocating mechanism datasets demonstrate that the proposed method excels in addressing source-free fault diagnosis problems for mechanical equipment and shows promising potential for practical engineering applications in fault classification tasks. Full article

Traditional emotion decoding methods typically rely on short sequences with limited context and coarse-grained emotion categories. To address these limitations, we proposed the Semantic and Emotion Decoding Generative Pre-trained Transformer (SED-GPT), a non-invasive method for long-sequence fine-grained semantics and emotions decoding on extended narrative stimuli. Using a publicly available fMRI dataset from 8 participants, this exploratory study investigates the feasibility of reconstructing complex semantic and emotional states from brain activity. SED-GPT achieves a BERTScore-F1 of 0.650 on semantic decoding and attains a cosine similarity (CS) of 0.504 and a Jensen–Shannon similarity (JSS) of 0.469 for emotion decoding (p < 0.05). Functional connectivity analyses reveal persistent coupling between the language network and the emotion network, which provides neural evidence for the language–emotion interaction mechanism in Chinese. These findings should be interpreted as pilot-level feasibility evidence. Full article

In many disaster-prone regions, lower-income communities face disproportionate impacts due to the prevalence of informal housing. Informal housing, characterized by substandard construction and lack of adherence to building codes, exacerbates vulnerabilities during disasters, leading to widespread destruction and hampered recovery efforts. This study examines the multifaceted causes of informal housing in Puerto Rico using a qualitative content analysis of applicable literature. Seven interdisciplinary factors were derived from 42 relevant manuscripts with identifiable factors linked to informal housing in Puerto Rico: Knowledge, Perception, Government Dynamics, Institutional Support, Enforcement, Culture, and Resources. Despite post-disaster efforts advocating for building back better, systemic challenges perpetuate informal housing practices, reinforcing cycles of vulnerability. This research underscores the need for integrated decision making in pre-disaster preparation and post-disaster reconstruction efforts. This research presents a detailed understanding of the Informal Housing Cycle, demonstrates how interdisciplinary factors are barriers to safe and sustainable housing, and explores the complex relationships between these factors. This study aims to guide policy and practice to reduce future disaster impacts on Puerto Rico housing, thus breaking the cycle of vulnerability, empowering communities, and fostering sustainable resilience in post-disaster reconstruction efforts. Full article

A six-year-old, neutered male Pomeranian weighing 4.25 kg was presented with a two-year history of non-weight-bearing lameness of the left thoracic limb following an untreated traumatic olecranon fracture. Orthopedic examination revealed markedly reduced elbow joint range of motion and muscle atrophy. Radiographs demonstrated a distinct fracture line with proximolateral displacement of the olecranon fragment. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) and three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction were used to establish the surgical plan and to pre-contour a locking plate. Surgical treatment was performed in sequential steps, including removal of scar tissue, reopening of the bone marrow channel, and internal fixation. Considering the compromised biological environment of a chronic non-union, a bioactive graft composed of porous leaf-stacked structure (LSS) polycaprolactone particles incorporating recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) was applied in combination with plate-screw fixation. The patient showed progressive improvement after surgery, achieving full weight-bearing and restoration of elbow joint motion comparable to the contralateral side. Follow-up radiographs and CT confirmed fracture union, and the radiolucency of the LSS scaffold enabled precise monitoring of bone healing. This case highlights the potential utility of combining patient-specific surgical planning with sustained delivery of rhBMP-2 and MSCs using LSS particles for the management of chronic non-union fractures in small animals. Full article