Search Results (646,048)

Background: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are chronic wounds characterized by persistent inflammation, oxidative stress, impaired angiogenesis, and defective extracellular matrix remodeling. Current therapeutic approaches remain insufficient for refractory diabetic wounds due to limited drug retention and inadequate regulation of the wound microenvironment. This study aimed to develop a centipede-derived protein fraction-loaded nanocapsule hybrid hydrogel for sustained bioactive delivery and diabetic wound repair. Methods: A bioactive protein fraction was isolated from processed medicinal centipede material and screened using cellular compatibility assays. The selected tropomyosin-containing protein fraction was incorporated into nanocapsules and subsequently integrated into a gallic acid-modified polyacrylamide hydrogel matrix. The physicochemical properties, antioxidant activity, rheological behavior, and protein release characteristics of the nanocapsule-hydrogel system were systematically evaluated. A streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat wound model was established to assess therapeutic efficacy through wound closure analysis, histological staining, and immunohistochemical evaluation. Results: The prepared nanocapsules exhibited a spherical morphology, nanoscale size distribution, and sustained protein delivery capability. The PAM-GA hydrogel demonstrated antioxidant activity, injectability, shear-thinning behavior, self-healing ability, and enhanced retention of protein release. In vivo experiments showed that the PT@NC@PAM-GA hydrogel significantly accelerated wound closure and promoted tissue regeneration, accompanied by enhanced angiogenesis, collagen deposition, and reduced inflammatory responses. Conclusions: The centipede-derived protein fraction-loaded nanocapsule hybrid hydrogel effectively integrates bioactive protein delivery with a multifunctional hydrogel matrix, providing a potential strategy for sustained treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. Full article

Background: The efficacy of chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is limited by intrinsic resistance and the tumor microenvironment (TME). Accumulating evidence reveals a mechanistic connection between programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and c-x-c motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), which dominate stroma barriers, immune escape, and cancer metastasis. Earlier studies have shown that dual suppression of c-x-c motif ligand 12 (CXCL12)/CXCR4 and programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)/PD-L1 pathways regulates extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, activation of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of pancreatic cancer cells. Methods: We combined BsNb PX4, a bispecific nanobody targeting PD-L1 and CXCR4, with paclitaxel or gemcitabine in multiple tumor cell lines and human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (hPBMC)-reconstituted xenograft mouse models. Antitumor activity was assessed by CCK-8, flow cytometry, and ELISA, and immune cell infiltration and TME remodeling were examined by immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, cytokine assays, and RNA-seq. Results: In MDA-MB-231 cells, BsNb PX4 synergistically enhanced paclitaxel-induced growth inhibition and apoptosis via G₂/M cycle arrest. This combinatorial strategy profoundly remodeled tumor immunity by expanding CD8⁺ T cells and depleting Foxp3⁺ CD4⁺ regulatory T cells (Tregs), while concurrently restoring T-cell cytotoxicity and skewing the cytokine balance toward an antitumor state, with elevated IFN-γ and reduced TGF-β1. Notably, compared with paclitaxel monotherapy, the combination significantly elevated intratumoral CD8⁺ T-cell infiltration, decreased Treg abundance, and exerted robust inhibitory effects on tumor growth and metastasis in humanized TNBC xenografts. Conclusions: These findings reveal that dual blockade of PD-L1 and CXCR4 acts synergistically with chemotherapy by triggering tumor cell apoptotic effects and reversing the immunosuppressive microenvironment, thereby emerging as a promising therapeutic strategy for TNBC. Full article

The rapid advancement of deep learning (DL) has fundamentally transformed intelligent communication systems, leading to a rapid proliferation of survey papers covering wireless communications, optical networks, vehicular systems, integrated sensing and communication (ISAC), and emerging 6G technologies. Although these surveys provide valuable insights within their respective domains, they remain largely fragmented, employ inconsistent taxonomies, lack systematic cross-domain comparisons, and do not provide a unified perspective on the evolution of AI-enabled communication systems. Consequently, researchers face increasing difficulties in identifying common design principles, evaluating methodological trends, and understanding how different communication domains are converging toward AI-native networking. To overcome these limitations, this paper presents a comprehensive meta-survey that systematically analyzes, compares, and synthesizes existing survey literature on DL for intelligent communication systems. Specifically, the proposed meta-survey (i) establishes a unified taxonomy spanning communication domains, learning paradigms, network layers, and DL architectures, (ii) introduces a unified AI-driven communication pipeline that maps representative solutions from diverse communication domains into a common framework, (iii) performs a comprehensive cross-domain comparative analysis to identify methodological strengths, research trends, technical challenges, and remaining gaps, and (iv) provides a technology-oriented roadmap highlighting future research directions and maturity levels toward AI-native communication systems. By integrating these complementary perspectives, this work offers a holistic reference that facilitates knowledge transfer across communication domains and supports the design of next-generation AI-native communication networks. Full article

Broadband, low-frequency sound absorption within a compact device remains a central unsolved problem in noise control engineering, arising from fundamental trade-offs among resonator volume, absorption bandwidth, panel thickness, and frequency tunability that no passive, linear, time-invariant system can simultaneously circumvent. This review establishes a unified mass–spring–damping (MSD) framework applied systematically across the full spectrum of resonance-based absorber technologies. From first principles, we derive the mass–stiffness coupling result (the mass-disappearing result of Shen and Liu): fixing the resonance frequency imposes $K=M{\omega }_{\mathrm{res}}^2$, so acoustic mass and stiffness cannot be adjusted independently; the half-absorption bandwidth ${\Pi }_1=\eta /\left(M{\omega }_{\mathrm{res}}\right)+V{\omega }_{\mathrm{res}}/\left(c_0{S}_{\mathrm{tar}}\right)$ then depends explicitly on the cavity volume V (system stiffness) and on the damping coefficient $\eta$, rather than on mass as an independent lever. This explains why neck extension, space-coiling, and membrane loading—which merely add mass while leaving the cavity stiffness unchanged—fail to broaden the absorption band at fixed volume, and refocuses the design effort on stiffness reduction and damping control. Five non-dimensional performance metrics are introduced that collapse the scattered literature into a single, scale-independent language for rigorous comparison across all absorber families: normalised half-absorption bandwidth ${\Pi }_1$, volume efficiency ${\Pi }_2$, integral absorption criterion ${\Pi }_3$ tied to the Rozanov causality bound, quality factor $Q=1/{\Pi }_1$, and frequency-thickness ratio ${\Pi }_4$. A two-degree-of-freedom acoustic–structural coupling model yields closed-form effective stiffness and damping, revealing how structural loss augments acoustic damping, how modal veering produces split absorption peaks, and how the anti-resonance frequency becomes a designable parameter. A critical distinction is drawn between mathematical negative stiffness (a fitting artefact) and physical negative stiffness via repulsive magnets, bistable elements, or negative-capacitance piezoelectric shunts, which genuinely reduces cavity stiffness, lowers resonance frequency, and widens bandwidth beyond the passive causality bound. The shunt electromechanical diaphragm further demonstrates $\alpha >0.9$ at nine tonal frequencies spanning three octaves without mechanical modification. Finally, embedding MSD equations and ${\Pi }_1$–${\Pi }_4$ bounds as hard physical priors in AI/LLM-assisted design frameworks is identified as the key step toward provably physically consistent absorber synthesis. Full article

Clinical trials and naturalistic studies describe psychedelics under markedly different exposure conditions. This narrative review searched PubMed/MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, and regulatory sources through 15 July 2026, and examined safety and outcomes across four dimensions of exposure: dose, frequency, person, and context. In screened adults receiving one to three supervised doses, transient headache, nausea, anxiety, and cardiovascular activation are common; serious reactions are uncommon but include persistent anxiety, suicidality signals, and a recent case of hallucinogen persisting perception disorder. Evidence supports MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) -assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder and psilocybin-based interventions for depression, although functional unblinding, selected samples, inconsistent comparators, and a recent negative primary trial constrain certainty. Naturalistic studies suggest that vulnerability and context modify outcomes, but frequency is inconsistently measured and rarely linked to cumulative exposure or long-term health. Short-term microdosing trials show limited benefit, whereas long-term cardiac and psychiatric safety remains unresolved. Exposure-defined cohorts, prospective registries, echocardiographic surveillance, and blinding-aware comparative trials are priorities. Full article

The timing and nature of the tectonic transition from Neo-Tethyan subduction to India-Asia collision along the NW Himalaya remain debated, particularly regarding the relationship between continental arc and post-collisional magmatism in the Karakoram and Kohistan batholiths. We present zircon U-Pb ages, whole-rock geochemistry, and zircon trace-element data from three granitoid samples from the Attabad Lake area (Karakoram Batholith) and the Nomal area (Kohistan Batholith). Zircon U-Pb dating yields crystallization ages of 103.4 ± 1.7 Ma for the Karakoram diorite, and 46.10 ± 0.79 Ma and 43.59 ± 0.88 Ma for the Kohistan enclave and host quartz monzonite, respectively. The Karakoram diorite shows LREE enrichment [(La/Yb)_N = 5.93–78.52] and positive zircon Ce anomalies (Ce/Ce* = 9.00–18.70), features broadly consistent with crystallization from an oxidized, subduction-related magma. In contrast, the Kohistan quartz monzonite exhibits elevated SiO₂ (65.01–66.35 wt%), low Mg# (25.9–27.2), and a flat to slightly negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu* = 0.94), which may reflect crustal melting during post-collisional extension. The enclave displays mantle-like signatures with high Sr (1623 ppm) and a positive Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu* = 1.14), suggesting a mafic recharge event. Zircon Th/U ratios (>0.1) and magmatic REE patterns support a magmatic origin for the dated zircons. These results are compatible with, but do not independently establish, previously proposed regional models. They provide additional local constraints that point to spatially heterogeneous magmatic evolution along the NW Himalayan syntaxis, with continental arc magmatism in the Attabad Lake area during the mid-Cretaceous and a transition to post-collisional extension in the Nomal area during the Eocene. Full article

Perceived parental acceptance–rejection is associated with adolescent psychological adjustment, but evidence from Central Europe remains limited. Guided by IPARTheory, this cross-sectional study examined associations between perceived maternal and paternal acceptance–rejection and psychological maladjustment among 544 Slovenian secondary-school students (58% girls; M age = 16.5 years). Participants completed the Child Parental Acceptance–Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ) for mothers and fathers and the Adult Personality Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ). Maternal PARQ scores were modestly lower than paternal scores, indicating greater perceived maternal acceptance (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, p < 0.001, r = 0.27). In a regression model adjusted for gender, paternal PARQ (B = 0.161, SE = 0.048, β = 0.183, p < 0.001) and maternal PARQ (B = 0.273, SE = 0.055, β = 0.274, p < 0.001) were independently associated with higher PAQ maladjustment scores; female gender was also associated with higher PAQ scores (B = 15.47, SE = 1.98, β = 0.308, p < 0.001). The model explained 25.1% of PAQ variance. The results were similar after adjustment for programme type and year. Academic achievement was weakly associated with lower perceived parental rejection and lower psychological maladjustment, whereas parental employment status showed no significant associations. Exploratory family-status comparisons and interaction models were nonsignificant. Findings support the cross-cultural relevance of IPARTheory, but causal interpretation is limited by the cross-sectional, single-informant design and the absence of school identifiers. Full article

The maturity method (ASTM C1074) predicts in situ concrete strength from a recorded temperature history but assumes a constant apparent activation energy, contradicting the experimental evidence that the activation energy falls as hydration shifts from kinetics control to diffusion control—an effect that differs between binder chemistries when supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) are used. This study develops a physics-based maturity model in which the apparent activation energy varies linearly with temperature, Q(T) = Q₀ + β_Q(T − T_ref), coupling a variable-energy Arrhenius equivalent age to a hyperbolic strength–maturity relationship. The model was calibrated on 196 mean-strength observations (588 cube tests) from seven self-compacting concrete mixtures cured isothermally at 10, 20, 35 and 50 °C and tested at seven ages (1–90 days). All four SCM systems (fly ash, GGBS, silica fume and rice husk ash) returned a negative coefficient (−210 to −974), enclosing the temperature sensitivity implied by independent calorimetric measurements on Portland cement paste (≈−580 J/(mol·K)), whereas the ordinary Portland cement control returned a positive point estimate (+101) that is not statistically distinguishable from zero. The model achieved R² = 0.929 (RMSE = 4.74 MPa), outperforming the constant-energy ASTM C1074 baseline in both accuracy and the Akaike Information Criterion while eliminating its systematic bias at the temperature extremes. Five-fold cross-validation confirms the out-of-sample accuracy (R² = 0.901, RMSE = 5.59 MPa), and bootstrap analysis shows the negative coefficients of the fly ash, GGBS and rice husk ash systems to be statistically significant. External validation on 120 independent literature observations gave R² = 0.881. Full article

Drought and constrained municipal budgets are increasing demand for establishment practices that conserve water and labor. This study quantified trade-offs between inputs (water, labor, cost) and tree outcomes across irrigation methods and root-ball correction practices during establishment of American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.). In December 2022, forty-five 45-gal trees were planted in Gainesville, Florida, in a completely randomized design combining three root treatments (control, shaved, sliced) with three irrigation methods (hand watering, hydrogel bag, conventional slow-release bag). Over 23 months, trunk caliper, height, midday stem water potential, and anchorage (bending stress at 1° inclination) were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models; survival, labor, water, and cost inputs were compared descriptively. Labor differed by two orders of magnitude, but total cost ranked nearly opposite. All trees survived; irrigation method affected no measured response: trees receiving no scheduled irrigation after an initial hydrogel charge were indistinguishable from those hand-watered 48 times (differences within 10–12%). Shaving increased the bending stress required to tilt the trunk 81% over controls, indicating firmer anchorage, without altering growth or water status; slicing had no effect. Under the dormant-season, average-rainfall conditions tested, shaving improved anchorage at negligible cost, and irrigation method had no measurable effect on tree performance. Full article

Background: Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 3 (FGFR3) mutations are common and clinically relevant alterations in bladder cancer, with implications for diagnosis, monitoring, and patient selection for targeted therapies. Tissue-based testing is often limited by sample availability, invasiveness, and the need for repeated sampling. This study aimed to develop and analytically validate a sensitive double drop-off droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) assay for simultaneous detection of four FGFR3 hotspot mutations in tissue and liquid biopsy samples. Methods: The assay targeted four FGFR3 mutations (S249C, R248C, Y373C, G370C) using reference probes that generate a constant fluorescence signal and wild-type-specific drop-off probes that lose binding when a mutation is present, thereby distinguishing wild-type double-positive droplets from mutant droplets with reduced drop-off fluorescence. Analytical validation was performed using synthetic mutant oligonucleotides, wild-type genomic DNA, and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from healthy donors (HDs). Specificity, limit of blank (LOB), limit of detection (LOD), and assay precision were evaluated. Performance was compared with next-generation sequencing (NGS) in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue DNA. FGFR3 mutations were also assessed in matched plasma and urinary cfDNA from bladder cancer patients. Results: The assay demonstrated clear cluster separation, no cross-reactivity, and reliable detection of all mutations down to 0.2% mutant allele frequency (MAF). Strong agreement was observed with a mutation-specific singleplex ddPCR assay for S249C. Concordance with NGS in tissue DNA was 74.2%, with ddPCR identifying additional low-abundance mutations not reported by NGS. FGFR3 mutations were detected in plasma and urinary cfDNA, with complete concordance between matched plasma and urine samples. Conclusions: This ddPCR assay provides a rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective method for detecting clinically relevant FGFR3 mutations and may complement sequencing-based approaches for molecular monitoring using tissue, plasma, and urine specimens. Full article

Urban parks provide recreation, cultural ecosystem services, microclimate regulation, and benefits for well-being, but their realized value may vary with air pollution and heat. This exploratory study linked 2947 Google Maps reviews posted in 2024–2025 to daily PM2.5, temperature, humidity, and precipitation and assessed a BERT-based workflow for classifying star-linked sentiment and dominant emotion text labels. Star-linked sentiment classifications were highly favorable (mean score of 4.86/5; 88.39% very positive). Independent weighting of the rounded air-quality and heat-stress subgroup summaries yielded consistent approximate overall shares for provisional joy (28.9%) and anger (32.5%), but the full seven-class distribution could not be reconstructed from the archive. All emotion-label analyses remain provisional. All 25 tested environmental correlations were negligible (absolute Spearman ρ ≤ 0.049), and none met the Bonferroni-corrected significance threshold (α = 0.002). Posting dates classified as heat-stress days showed descriptive differences in provisional anger and joy labels, but posting date is an uncertain proxy for the visit date. The findings do not establish individual-level exposure associations. They instead illustrate the methodological safeguards needed before user-generated park feedback and environmental monitoring can support climate-responsive management. Full article

To systematically investigate the effects of C-shaped and rectangular steel frames on the seismic performance of assembled composite shear walls, this paper, based on the validation of existing pseudo-static test results, employs ABAQUS software to establish refined finite element models, and carries out parametric analyses on C-shaped steel-frame composite shear walls (CSCSWs) and rectangular steel-frame composite shear walls (RSCSWs). With shear-span ratio, axial-load ratio, boundary frame steel plate thickness, and concrete strength grade as variables, a total of 28 numerical models are designed to systematically examine the influence laws of each parameter on bearing capacity, ductility, energy dissipation capacity, and failure modes, and to reveal the performance differences in the confinement mechanisms of the two cross-sectional types. The results indicate that: as the shear-span ratio decreases from 3.0 to 1.0, the bearing capacity increases by up to 171%, but the ductility drops by up to 43%, and the failure mode shifts from flexure-dominated to shear-dominated; increasing the steel plate thickness can simultaneously enhance bearing capacity and ductility, with the peak load increasing by up to 52% and cumulative energy dissipation by over 110%, the mechanism being the synergistic enhancement of the flexural contribution of the boundary frame and the passive confinement effect on the core concrete; increasing the axial-load ratio can improve bearing capacity by about 24%, but significantly impairs ductility and energy dissipation capacity, and it is recommended that the design axial-load ratio be controlled between 0.26 and 0.43; the concrete strength grade has a limited effect on bearing capacity, and as the strength increases, brittle characteristics emerge, leading to a ductility decrease of about 12%; therefore, provided that the strength requirements are met, enhancing the concrete strength grade should not be taken as the primary technical approach for improving the seismic performance of such structures. Comparing the two cross-sectional types, the rectangular cross-section, by providing more uniform and effective lateral confinement, exhibits superior bearing capacity, ductility, and energy dissipation to the C-shaped cross-section across the entire parameter domain, and its performance advantages are more pronounced under conditions of high axial-load ratio and large shear-span ratio. Full article