Search Results (75,421)

Skeletal muscle regeneration depends on coordinated transitions of muscle stem cells (MuSCs), also known as satellite cells, from quiescence through activation and proliferative expansion to differentiation and fusion, while self-renewal replenishes the quiescent MuSC pool within a dynamically remodeled niche. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling regulates these transitions, but its effects vary as MuSCs and their niche change across regenerative stages. FGF output is shaped by ligand availability and extracellular presentation, fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) isoform expression and coreceptor availability, receptor trafficking, intracellular feedback, and the state of the responding cell. Following acute injury, FGF inputs can support MuSC activation and expansion; signaling is subsequently reconfigured during differentiation, fusion, self-renewal, and return to quiescence. Aging-associated regenerative decline, chronic injury and dystrophic remodeling, denervation, and metabolic dysfunction disrupt this coordination and can uncouple FGF activity from productive repair. Rhabdomyosarcoma provides a distinct malignant context in which the FGF network is rewired to sustain oncogenic myogenic cell states. Here, we integrate molecular, cellular, and niche-level evidence across these settings to explain why FGF signaling produces divergent outcomes and to clarify how cellular context and timing should inform therapeutic modulation. Full article

The high-temperature crystalline transformation of spodumene is critical for efficient lithium extraction and utilization. In this study, we employ Raman spectroscopy to investigate the phase transition behavior of spodumene under thermal treatment. The results reveal that the optimal transformation conditions for Nigerian spodumene are achieved at 1050 °C with a 30 min dwell time, as validated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Comparative analysis demonstrates that Raman spectroscopy offers distinct advantages over XRD, including minimal sample preparation and the ability to conduct ex situ measurements of spectral changes after heat-induced phase evolution. These findings highlight the potential of Raman spectroscopy to guide process optimization in lithium extraction by precisely identifying crystallographic transformation thresholds. Full article

Rapid urbanization has significantly altered land use patterns in Deqing County, placing increasing pressure on its ecosystem. This study establishes a Driving Force–Pressure–State–Impact (DPSI) framework and selects ten indicators to evaluate ecological sensitivity for 2014, 2019, and 2024. It then couples this framework with the PLUS model to simulate land use and ecological sensitivity changes under the following three 2034 scenarios: natural development (ND), ecological protection (EP), and urban development (UD). Results show that ecological sensitivity exhibits a “high west, low east” spatial pattern and it fluctuated with an initial decline followed by a rise from 2014 to 2024, though the overall trend was a slow decrease. Land use type (weight 0.342), distance to rivers (weight 0.191), and distance to roads (weight 0.146) were the dominant influencing factors, together depicting Deqing’s ecological landscape of “western forests, eastern farmlands, and dense water networks”. The PLUS model demonstrated good validation accuracy (Kappa = 0.81), and the contributions of driving factors shifted over time. Multi-scenario simulation indicates that the ecological protection (EP) scenario is more suitable for sustainable urban development. We recommend implementing differentiated ecological control zones, integrating sensitivity evaluation into planning decisions, and improving the differentiated ecological compensation mechanism. Full article

Background: Prostate cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in men. Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) is one of the recommended surgical treatment options; however, knowledge regarding changes in illness acceptance, psychological adjustment, and quality of life after surgery remains limited. Objective: To evaluate changes in illness acceptance, psychological adjustment, and quality of life in patients undergoing RARP. Materials and Methods: A total of 150 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer and scheduled for RARP were enrolled. Longitudinal analysis was performed in 93 patients who completed both study assessments. Evaluations were conducted before surgery and 3–4 months postoperatively using a self-developed questionnaire, the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer (Mini-MAC), the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), and the prostate cancer-specific module (EORTC QLQ-PR25). Results: Following RARP, illness acceptance did not change significantly after Holm adjustment (p_Holm = 0.465). Psychological adjustment showed an adverse postoperative pattern, characterised by increased anxious preoccupation, helplessness–hopelessness, and destructive style, together with reduced fighting spirit and constructive style. After adjustment across 25 paired outcome comparisons, significant increases remained in emotional and cognitive functioning scores, while constipation and diarrhoea decreased significantly. Sexual activity also decreased significantly after surgery. Among participants who completed both assessments, incontinence-aid use increased from 15/93 (16.1%) before surgery to 38/93 (40.9%) at follow-up (exact two-sided McNemar test, p < 0.001). Conclusions: During the early postoperative period following RARP, favourable changes were observed in selected quality-of-life scores, whereas illness acceptance did not change significantly after adjustment for multiple comparisons. At the same time, psychological adjustment showed an adverse pattern, characterised by reduced fighting spirit and constructive style together with increased anxious preoccupation, helplessness–hopelessness, and destructive style. Decreased sexual activity and increased incontinence-aid use further illustrate the multidimensional nature of early postoperative recovery. These exploratory findings indicate that favourable changes in selected quality-of-life outcomes do not necessarily coincide with improved psychological adaptation and support the inclusion of psycho-oncological assessment and support in postoperative care. Full article

Background: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is associated with hepatic risk, but longitudinal data during methotrexate (MTX) and biologic therapy are limited. We evaluated two-year changes in age-fixed FIB-4 and APRI and their associations with cumulative MTX exposure and biologic class. Methods: This retrospective cohort included 74 patients receiving continuous biologic therapy for 24 months. Baseline age was used to calculate FIB-4 at both time points. Logistic regression assessed factors associated with FIB-4 ≥ 1.3 at follow-up. Results: Forty-five patients received anti-TNF therapy and 29 received an IL-17 inhibitor. Age-fixed FIB-4 increased from 1.26 ± 0.44 to 1.72 ± 0.73 (p < 0.001); APRI did not change significantly (0.21 ± 0.08 to 0.23 ± 0.15; p = 0.155). No significant differences in either index were detected between biologic groups. Each 500-mg increase in documented cumulative MTX exposure was associated with higher odds of FIB-4 ≥ 1.3 (OR 2.164, 95% CI 1.04–4.41; p = 0.038). Conclusions: Greater documented cumulative MTX exposure was associated with FIB-4 ≥ 1.3 in an exploratory model. The findings neither establish a causal MTX effect nor demonstrate equivalence between biologic classes and require prospective validation against elastography or histology. Full article

Methods: This retrospective–prospective study included 90 patients with BT. Based on the type of BT, the participants were divided into three groups of 30 patients each: patients with gliomas, with meningiomas and with brain metastasis. Demographic data such as age, sex, alcohol and cigarette consumption were collected. In all three study groups, the time of onset of the first ES, type, characteristics, and frequency were analyzed as well as abnormalities on electroencephalography (EEG). EEG was reviewed for any abnormal background or interictal epileptic discharges. Results: Brain tumor-related epilepsy (BTRE) was present in 46.7% of patients. The incidence of epilepsy secondary to brain tumors was 66.7% in patients with gliomas, 46.6% in those with meningiomas, and 26.7% in those with metastasis. The tumors associated with BTRE were most commonly located in the frontal (40%) and temporal (32.2%) lobes, followed by the parietal (25.6%) and occipital (2.2%) lobes. Focal to bilateral tonic–clonic ES represented the most common seizure type among the studied patients. Abnormalities on the initial EEG recordings were observed in 33 patients with BTRE. Focal EEG abnormalities were identified in 54.7% of patients, while diffuse changes were present in 23.8% of patients (p < 0.005). Conclusions: The highest incidence of BTRE was observed in patients with gliomas, followed by those with meningiomas, while the lowest incidence was recorded in the group with metastases. Smaller and slower growing tumors were associated with higher incidence of seizures than larger, more rapidly growing lesions. Focal to bilateral tonic–clonic seizures were the most common seizure type among patients with BTRE. Full article

In cold and humid regions, icing events often occur on wind turbines. The phenomenon changes the profile of the aerodynamic airfoil and reduces the power generation efficiency of wind turbines. In the present study, icing tests were conducted in an icing wind tunnel based on NACA0018 airfoils made of fiber reinforced plastics (FRP) and aluminum alloy to investigate the effects of material type and wind speed on the characteristics of icing, including the icing area, the thickness of ice and the adhesive strength of ice. The experimental results indicated that the types of ice on the FRP airfoil and aluminum alloy airfoil were mixed ice and rime ice, respectively. The icing area increased linearly with icing time. The aluminum-alloy airfoil exhibited greater ice accretion at 6 and 10 m/s, whereas the FRP airfoil showed greater ice accretion and a broader ice-covered region at 14 m/s. The FRP airfoil also had a higher adhesive strength. The research in the present study provided an experimental foundation for anti- and de-icing technology development of wind turbine blades. Full article

Background: Interrupted time-series studies have not shown a consistent increase in suicide mortality during COVID-19, but civil mortality registries cannot ascertain SARS-CoV-2 infection individually. We evaluated pandemic-related change in suicide mortality and the feasibility of integrating infection ascertainment into medico-legal surveillance. Methods: We analysed 395 suicide deaths in Galați and Brăila counties, Romania (January 2018–December 2024), where mandatory forensic autopsy ensures exhaustive ascertainment. The pre-specified primary analysis was seasonally adjusted segmented Poisson regression in January 2018–December 2022 with an onset in March 2020; the period 2023–2024 was excluded as incompletely ascertained. Changepoint detection and unadjusted period comparisons were descriptive. Infection was classified as laboratory-confirmed (documented ante-mortem RT-PCR) or possible/probable (compatible autopsy findings); no post-mortem testing was performed. Results: The level change at onset was not significant (IRR 1.29, 95% CI 0.80–2.08; p = 0.302), nor was the slope change (IRR 1.01, 95% CI 0.98–1.04; p = 0.639); power was 80% only against IRR ≥ 1.98. Posterior probabilities were 0.85 for any increase and 0.035 for a doubling. The unadjusted comparison (6.00 vs. 4.62 deaths/month; IRR 1.30, 95% CI 1.04–1.63) was descriptive; no changepoint coincided with onset. Among 140 deaths in 2020–2021, 34 (24.3%) met ascertainment criteria, 21 (15.0%) laboratory-confirmed. Conclusions: The data exclude a doubling of suicide mortality but not a modest increase: a regional surveillance signal, not a causal finding. Infection ascertainment proved feasible within routine medico-legal investigation, yielding a reproducible framework for other registries, an Eastern European series for future meta-analyses, and a proof-of-concept for a standing forensic surveillance capacity adaptable to future epidemics. Full article

Oil palm plantations play an important role in agricultural production and carbon storage in tropical regions. The accurate estimation of aboveground carbon (AGC) is essential for sustainable plantation management, climate change mitigation, and carbon monitoring. Although field measurements provide reliable estimates, they are often time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly, particularly over large plantation areas. Recent advances in remote sensing and machine learning offer efficient alternatives for AGC estimation using satellite imagery. In this study, we developed a machine learning framework for AGC estimation in oil palm plantations using Sentinel-2 multispectral imagery and Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. Field measurements were integrated with spectral variables, vegetation indices, and SAR-derived parameters extracted from satellite data. A hybrid feature selection approach combining Pearson correlation, mutual information and mRMR was used to identify the most relevant variables. Six machine learning algorithms were evaluated, including Linear Regression, Random Forest, XGBoost, Gradient Boosting, LightGBM, and Extra Trees. Because the 160 observations comprise sixteen 10 m × 10 m grid cells nested within ten 40 m × 40 m field plots, model performance was assessed with leave-one-plot-out cross-validation: all sixteen cells of a plot were held out together, and the hybrid feature selection was repeated inside every fold using only that fold’s training plots. Performance was measured on pooled out-of-fold predictions using R², root mean squared error (RMSE), and average absolute relative error (AARE%). Under this spatially independent design the combined Sentinel-1 + Sentinel-2 dataset gave the highest accuracy (R² = 0.7950, RMSE = 4.14 t C ha⁻¹, AARE = 33.53%), followed by Sentinel-1 alone (R² = 0.7631, RMSE = 4.46 t C ha⁻¹) and Sentinel-2 alone (R² = 0.6108, RMSE = 5.71 t C ha⁻¹). Linear Regression and Extra Trees were the most robust models, whereas the boosted ensembles did not generalize to unseen plots. Repeating the evaluation with an ungrouped random split of the same data inflated R² by up to 0.70, showing that a large part of the accuracy obtainable under that design reflects within-plot spatial autocorrelation rather than predictive skill. These findings indicate that optical-SAR imagery combined with machine learning can provide useful AGC estimates in oil palm plantations, and that spatially independent validation is essential for reporting them honestly. The proposed framework can be used to support plantation-scale carbon mapping, monitoring, and carbon stock assessment, subject to further calibration and independent validation across additional plantations. Full article

Fluvial terraces represent important geomorphological archives for reconstructing the effects of climatic fluctuations, tectonic activity, and base-level changes during Quaternary times. This study investigates the geomorphological and stratigraphic evolution of the Bradano, Basento, and Salandrella River systems within the Bradanic Foredeep of southern Italy, by means of field observations, geomorphological mapping, aerial-photo interpretation, and GIS analyses. Four relative morphostratigrafic orders of Pleistocene fluvial terraces (T₁–T₄) have been identified and correlated across the three drainage basins. No absolute ages are available for these surfaces. The terraced deposits consist of alternating sandy and conglomeratic bodies recording multiple episodes of incision and/or aggradation overlaying erosional surfaces developed on Pre-Quaternary bedrock. Morphometric analyses revealed significant differences in terrace elevation and relative height above the modern channels, among the three investigated basins. The Salandrella basin preserves some of the highest terraced remnants, a pattern compatible with a possible tectonic contribution related to its proximity to the Apennine mountain front. Conversely, the Basento and Bradano basins evidenced a greater influence of lithological conditions, sediment supply, and climate-controlled variations in fluvial dynamics. The results indicate that the evolution of the staircase fluvial terraces reflects the combined influence of glacio-eustatic sea-level fluctuations, Quaternary climatic oscillations, local geological controls, and a possible contribution from regional tectonic deformation. The regional correlation of terraced surfaces highlights the role of the external forcing in shaping landscape evolution, while local differences emphasize the importance of catchment-scale controls within the Bradanic Foredeep. Full article

Introduction: Chimeric Antigen Receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) are both associated with significant physical and psychological challenges during post-transfusion recovery. To date, most assessments of physical recovery rely on subjective measures, which are prone to individual perception and bias. Direct comparative data on objective physical function between these therapies remain lacking. Objective: The study aims to compare physical recovery trajectories following CAR-T cell therapy and ASCT using objective and standardized rehabilitation assessments to identify promising endpoints for future trials. Methods: a total of 331 intraindividual rehabilitation assessments conducted at hospital admission and discharge were retrospectively screened for the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), muscle strength (MS), Timed Up and Go (TUG), 5-Times Sit-to-Stand (5×STS), and 6-minute Walk Test (6MWT). Subjective assessments including self-reported health status and fatigue measured by a Visual Analog Scale were also recorded. Results: Twelve patients met the inclusion criteria and completed all rehabilitation assessments (five CAR-T, seven ASCT). In the ASCT group, 6MWT performance declined significantly from admission to discharge (median change −84 m; range −415 to −31 m; p = 0.016), while CAR-T recipients showed a non-significant numerical improvement (median change +79 m; range −40 to +148 m; p = 0.19). Between-group comparison of 6MWT change favored CAR-T therapy (p = 0.005). For BBS, TUG, 5×STS and MS, no statistically significant within-group changes were observed, although trends suggested better preservation of balance and mobility in the CAR-T group. Conclusions: This pilot study provides preliminary comparative evidence suggesting that patients receiving CAR-T therapy may better preserve functional endurance than those undergoing ASCT, measured by the 6MWT. These findings are consistent with the existing literature highlighting the sensitivity and clinical relevance of the 6MWT in detecting functional changes, supporting its inclusion in standard rehabilitation assessments. Full article

Crop rotation and fertilization are two of the most important agrotechnical measures that influence the chemical properties of the soil and its capacity to support stable agricultural production, especially in areas affected by erosion and climate change. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of crop rotation and fertilization on the main soil properties (pH, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and potassium, humus content) in moderately eroded cambic chernozems of the Bârlad Plateau, as well as the effect of experimental factors on wheat yield. The research was carried out in the period 2021–2025 in a stationary experiment located on a slope with a slope of 12–13% at “Mircea Moțoc” Soil Erosion Research and Development Station (M.M.S.E.R.D.S.) Perieni. Two wheat cropping systems were analyzed, namely, monoculture and five-year rotation, in combination with five fertilization variants (N₀P₀, N₃₂P₃₂, N₉₆P₉₆, N₁₂₈P₁₂₈ kg ha⁻¹ and 50 t ha⁻¹ manure). The determinations targeted pH, total nitrogen, mobile phosphorus, mobile potassium, humus content in the 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm soil layers and yield. The results highlight the depletion in available nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium reserves, alteration of soil reaction in monoculture, and significant improvement in N (from 0.1% to 0.19%), P (from 95.5 to 485.5 mg ha⁻¹) and K (from 188.4 to 227.5 mg ha⁻¹) soil content at the time of final sample collection in the five-year rotation. The application of manure as well as the inclusion of legumes and perennial crops in the rotation contributed to the accumulation of organic matter, to the improvement in soil reaction and to the optimization of nutrient cycling. The highest yields, significant at p ≤ 0.001, were obtained with the application of N₉₆P₉₆ 2858 kg ha⁻¹ in monoculture and 3689 kg ha⁻¹ in the five-year rotation. The study confirms that long rotations associated with organic fertilization represent an effective strategy for the conservation of agricultural soil fertility in areas vulnerable to erosion and drought. Full article

The charging rate of molten-salt phase-change thermal storage systems is primarily constrained by the low thermal conductivity of phase-change materials. To address this issue, this study numerically investigates a medium–low temperature molten-salt shell-and-tube heat exchanger using the enthalpy–porosity method. The effects of annular fins, fin number, fin thickness, and multi-tube coupling on melting behavior and heat-storage performance were systematically analyzed. Compared with the smooth single-tube configuration, the introduction of annular fins reduced the complete melting time from 1392 s to 1105 s (20.6%). In addition, the melting time of the final 10% decreased by 92 s, indicating reduced thermal resistance in the late stage. Increasing the fin number from four to nine further shortened the melting time by 148 s, although the enhancement diminished due to restricted natural convection. A fin thickness of 2 mm provided optimal performance. When combined with a multi-tube design, the melting time was further reduced to 928 s (33.3%), demonstrating that the integration of distributed tubes and annular fins significantly enhances heat storage performance. These results demonstrate that annular fins and multi-tube coupling effectively enhance heat transfer, improve temperature-field uniformity, and accelerate molten-salt thermal storage. Full article

Accurate semantic segmentation is essential for long-term fixed-view monitoring, where seasonal, illumination, weather, and environmental changes alter local appearance while the global scene layout remains relatively stable. To address this structure–appearance modeling problem, we propose SPMES, a Semantic Prior-Guided Period-Aware Multi-Expert Segmentation framework. SPMES comprises a Global Expert that learns stable semantic-prior maps from the complete training set, a Semantic-Guided Fusion Module that injects these priors into the input representation, and period-specific experts that model recurring appearance characteristics according to acquisition time. Experiments on a long-term fixed-view monitoring dataset collected for this study evaluate SPMES with U-Net, U-Net++, U²-Net^†, Swin-Unet, and Mamba-UNet. Compared with the corresponding baselines, SPMES obtains better point estimates across all six evaluation metrics for each backbone, although the magnitude of the changes varies across architectures and metrics. Ablation studies show that individual configurations exhibit metric- and backbone-dependent effects, whereas the complete integration of global semantic priors, semantic-guided fusion, and period-specific learning provides the best overall balance. These results support the effectiveness and backbone-level compatibility of SPMES within the studied monitoring setting. Full article

Pixel-level annotation of bi-temporal high-resolution imagery is costly because annotators must distinguish genuine changes from pseudo-changes caused by illumination, seasonality, shadows, and residual misregistration. From a temporal-symmetry perspective, unchanged regions approximately preserve cross-temporal semantic correspondence, whereas genuine building changes introduce localized symmetry breaking between the two acquisition times. This paper presents BSCNet, a semi-supervised framework for binary building change detection that jointly models boundary-sensitive differences and scene-dependent scale preferences. A shared-weight MixTransformer extracts multi-level bi-temporal features. The Edge-Aware Optimization Module suppresses spatially invariant channel responses, enhances residual spatial cues, and predicts a Sobel-supervised edge map. The Parallel Selective Context Module aggregates depthwise-separable branches with different receptive fields and produces an image-level scale distribution. The Multi-scale Edge-Consistent Mean Teacher framework aligns the final prediction, intermediate edge representation, and scale-selection distribution between an exponential-moving-average teacher and the student. Experiments on WHU-CD and LEVIR-CD under 5%, 10%, and 20% labeled-data settings show consistent improvements over RCL, C2F-SemiCD, and CutMix-CD. With 5% labeled data, BSCNet achieves F1/IoU scores of 88.57%/79.49% on WHU-CD and 88.88%/79.98% on LEVIR-CD. An additional UAV-CD evaluation examines transfer to 0.06 m low-altitude UAV imagery containing both building and land changes; under 5% supervision, BSCNet obtains an F1/IoU of 68.07%/51.60%. Progressive ablations confirm complementary gains from the boundary, scale, and consistency components. Full article