Search Results (196)

Background: Dictyostelium discoideum is widely used in developmental and evolutionary biology due to its ability to transition from a single cell to a multicellular organism in response to starvation. While transcriptome information across its life cycle is widely available, only early-stage data exist at the proteome level. This study characterizes and compares the proteomes of D. discoideum cells at the vegetative, aggregation, mound, culmination and fruiting body stages. Methods: Samples were collected from cells developing synchronously on nitrocellulose filters. Proteins were extracted and digested with trypsin, and peptides were analyzed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Data were processed using Proteome Discoverer^TM for protein identification and label-free quantification. Results: A total of 4502 proteins were identified, of which 1848 (41%) were present across all stages. Pairwise comparisons between adjacent stages revealed clear transitions, the largest ones occurring between the culmination and fruiting body and between the fruiting body and vegetative stage, involving 29% and 52% of proteins, respectively. Hierarchical clustering assigned proteins to one of nine clusters, each displaying a distinct pattern of abundances across the life cycle. Conclusions: This study presents the first complete developmental proteomic time series for D. discoideum, revealing changes that contribute to multicellularity, cellular differentiation and morphogenesis. Full article

Background: Uterine malignancies frequently metastasize to the lungs. Pulmonary metastasectomy has demonstrated survival benefits in some malignancies; however, its efficacy for uterine malignancies remains unclear. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 38 patients who underwent pulmonary metastasectomy for uterine malignancies at the Kanagawa Cancer Center between 2010 and 2020. The primary endpoint was recurrence-free survival (RFS) after pulmonary resection. Results: The median patient age was 63 years. The primary sites were the cervical uteri (n = 22) and corpus uteri (n = 16). The FIGO stages at the time of treatment for the primary tumor were I, II, III, IV, and unknown in 20, 7, 9, 1, and 1 patient, respectively. The median disease-free interval (DFI), defined as the interval between primary treatment and first recurrence, was 26.5 months. Most patients had single metastasis (n = 32). The procedures for metastasectomy included lobectomy, segmentectomy, and wedge resection (n = 15, 8, and 15, respectively), and two cases resulted in microscopically incomplete resection. The median follow-up period after pulmonary metastasectomy was 57 months, with 16 patients experiencing recurrence after pulmonary metastasectomy (5-year RFS rate: 55.6%). Univariate analysis identified FIGO stage ≥ III, DFI < 12 months, presence of synchronous extrapulmonary recurrence, and uterine sarcoma as poor prognostic factors. No prognostic differences were found between cervical and corpus uteri cancers. Conclusions: Pulmonary metastasectomy may confer prognostic benefits in patients with uterine malignancies. Careful consideration is warranted for patients with advanced-stage primary tumors, early recurrence after primary treatment, synchronous extrapulmonary recurrence, and uterine sarcoma. Full article

Within a power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) controller design automation (CDA) framework for voltage feedback grid-forming inverters, a scaled-down inverter system is developed for time-domain response solving. This hardware-based approach effectively addresses the conflicting demands of accuracy, computational efficiency, and modeling cost that are commonly encountered in simulation-based methods. Conventional synchronous sampling in digitally controlled pulse-width modulation (PWM) inverters introduces severe low-frequency distortion and significant ripple components in the step response, leading to non-decaying oscillations that compromise the extraction of settling time and steady-state error. By analyzing the sideband aliasing mechanism in capacitor-voltage sampling and associated harmonic-cancellation conditions, aliasing-free sampling is achieved using 90° phase-shifted anti-aliasing filters combined with synchronous sampling. Although Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) filtering offers the highest fidelity, it suffers from window-boundary distortions and is unsuitable for online use; therefore, four practical filtering schemes are evaluated against the FFT benchmark, among which oversampling with moving-average filtering (MAF) retains dynamics closest to the FFT result while avoiding its distortions. An objective function incorporating step-response metrics is constructed to optimize single-variable active damping and multiple resonant controllers, mitigating severe overshoot encountered in conventional integral-based approaches. Experimental results verify the aliasing mechanism and the effectiveness of the proposed CDA method. Full article

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images generated via range-Doppler (RD) model-based geometric correction often suffer from non-negligible systematic geolocation errors due to cumulative impacts of platform positioning inaccuracies, payload time synchronization offsets, and atmospheric propagation delays. These errors limit the applicability of SAR data in high-precision geometric applications, especially in scenarios where ground control points (GCPs)—traditionally used for calibration—are inaccessible or costly to acquire. To address this challenge, this study proposes a novel GCP-free high-precision geolocation method based on multi-view SAR image fusion, integrating outlier detection, weighted fusion, and refined estimation strategies. The method first establishes a positioning error correlation model for homologous point pairs in multi-view SAR images. Under the assumption of approximately equal positioning errors, initial systematic error estimates are obtained for all arbitrary dual-view combinations. It then identifies and removes outlier images with inconsistent systematic errors via coefficient of variation analysis, retaining a subset of multi-view images with stable calibration parameters. A weighted fusion strategy, tailored to the geometric error propagation model, is applied to the optimized subset to balance the influence of angular relationships on error estimation. Finally, the minimum norm least-squares method refines the fusion results to enhance consistency and accuracy. Validation experiments on both simulated and actual airborne SAR images demonstrate the method’s effectiveness. For actual measured data, the proposed method achieves an average positioning accuracy improvement of 84.78% compared with dual-view fusion methods, with meter-level precision. Ablation studies confirm that outlier removal and refined estimation contribute 82.42% and 22.75% to accuracy gains, respectively. These results indicate that the method fully leverages multi-view information to robustly estimate and compensate for 2D systematic errors (range and azimuth), enabling high-precision planar geolocation of airborne SAR images without GCPs. Full article

Efficient and secure inter-task communication (ITC) is critical in real-time embedded systems, particularly in security-sensitive architectures. Traditional ITC mechanisms in Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOSs) often incur high latency from kernel trapping, context-switch overhead, and multiple data copies during message passing. This paper introduces a zero-copy, capability-protected ITC framework for CHERI-enabled RTOS environments that achieves both high performance and strong compartmental isolation. The approach integrates mutexes and semaphores encapsulated as sealed capabilities, a shared memory ring buffer for messaging, and compartment-local stubs to eliminate redundant data copies and reduce cross-compartment transitions. Temporal safety is ensured through hardware-backed capability expiration, mitigating use-after-free vulnerabilities. Implemented as a reference application on the CHERIoT RTOS, the framework delivers up to 3× lower mutex lock latency and over 70% faster message transfers compared to baseline FreeRTOS, while preserving deterministic real-time behavior. Security evaluation confirms resilience against unauthorized access, capability leakage, and TOCTTO vulnerabilities. These results demonstrate that capability-based zero-copy ITC can be a practical and performance-optimal solution for constrained embedded systems that demand high throughput, low latency, and verifiable isolation guarantees. Full article

Gas Detection Systems (GDSs) are critical safety technologies deployed in semiconductor wafer fabrication facilities to monitor the presence of hazardous gases. A GDS receives input from gas detectors equipped with consumable gas sensors, such as electrochemical (EC) and metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) types, which are used to detect toxic, flammable, or reactive gases. However, over time, sensors degradations, accuracy drift, and cross-sensitivity to interference gases compromise their intended performance. To maintain sensor accuracy and reliability, routine manual calibration is required—an approach that is resource-intensive, time-consuming, and prone to human error, especially in facilities with extensive networks of gas detectors. This systematic review (PROSPERO on 11th October 2025 Registration number: 1166004) explored minimizing or eliminating the dependency on manual calibration. Findings indicate that using properly calibrated gas sensor data can support advanced data analytics and machine learning algorithms to correct accuracy drift and improve gas selectivity. Techniques such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Support Vector Machines (SVMs), multivariate regression, and calibration transfer have been effectively applied to differentiate target gases from interferences and compensate for sensor aging and environmental variability. The paper also explores the emerging potential for integrating calibration-free or self-correcting gas sensor systems into existing GDS infrastructures. Despite significant progress, key research challenges persist. These include understanding the dynamics of sensor response drift due to prolonged gas exposure, synchronizing multi-sensor data collection to minimize time-related drift, and aligning ambient sensor signals with gas analytical references. Future research should prioritize the development of application-specific datasets, adaptive environmental compensation models, and hybrid validation frameworks. These advancements will contribute to the realization of intelligent, autonomous, and data-driven gas detection solutions that are robust, scalable, and well-suited to the operational complexities of modern industrial environments. Full article

Backgrounds: High-volume (HV) metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC) is an aggressive disease. Despite this, we aimed to assess the metastatic patterns associated with a favorable prognosis in HV disease with bone metastasis (BM), including BM’s coexistence with lung metastasis (LM). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 379 patients with synchronous mCSPC. They were categorized using the CHAARTED criteria as low-volume (LV) or HV with BM, classified based on extent of the disease from 1 to 4 (HV-EOD1–4) with or without LM. Multivariate Cox models for overall survival and castration-resistance-free survival assessed the prognostic values of HV-EOD1–4 compared with LV disease and the presence of LM. Site-specific radiographic progression at the time of castration-resistant prostate diagnosis was assessed in patients with BM and LM. Results: Multivariate analyses for overall survival showed no prognostic value of HV-EOD1 (hazard ratio [HR] 0.90; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.43–1.85; p = 0.77), HV-EOD2 (HR 1.17; 95% CI 0.69–1.99; p = 0.57), and LM (HR 1.29; 95% CI 0.80–2.07; p = 0.29). In the analyses, HV-EOD ≤ 2 and LM did not influence castration resistance-free survival. LM showed a significantly lower incidence of radiographic progression to castration-resistant prostate cancer than BM (6.0% vs. 29.9%, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study indicates the prognostic heterogeneity of HV disease considering BM and LM. These findings may aid in determining the treatment intensity for mCSPC. Full article

This paper addresses the modeling challenge of significant asymmetry between acceleration and deceleration processes in car-following behavior by proposing an Asymmetric Acceleration and Deceleration Car Following (AAD-CF) model. The model characterizes driving decisions using both desired speed and desired spacing, and incorporates an asymmetric correction factor to capture differences in acceleration and deceleration behavior. Based on real vehicle trajectory data from the I-80 dataset, the model was compared at the microscopic level against classical models such as Gipps in terms of trajectory fitting error. The results show that the AAD-CF model consistently achieves lower trajectory fitting errors across different simulation time-steps, with error reduction exceeding 10%. At the macroscopic traffic flow level, the model successfully reproduced three-phase traffic flow states—free flow, synchronized flow, and wide moving jams. By implementing both startup and emergency braking scenarios, it was further revealed that braking waves propagate approximately 40% faster than startup waves, demonstrating asymmetric wave propagation. This study provides quantitative evidence for understanding the intrinsic relationship between microscopic driving behavior and macroscopic traffic phenomena, and the proposed model can support traffic simulation systems and theoretical analysis. Full article

The optimization of trajectories for multiple robotic arms in a shared workspace is critical for industrial automation but presents significant challenges, including data sharing, communication overhead, and adaptability in dynamic environments. Traditional centralized control methods require sharing raw sensor data, raising concerns and creating computational bottlenecks. This paper proposes a novel Federated Learning (FL) framework for distributed multi-robotic arm trajectory optimization. Our method enables collaborative learning where robots train a shared model locally and only exchange gradient updates, preserving data privacy. The framework integrates an adaptive Rapidly exploring Random Tree (RRT) algorithm enhanced with a dynamic pruning strategy to reduce computational overhead and ensure collision-free paths. Real-time synchronization is achieved via EtherCAT, ensuring precise coordination. Experimental results demonstrate that our approach achieves a 17% reduction in average path length, a 22% decrease in collision rate, and a 31% improvement in planning speed compared to a centralized RRT baseline, while reducing inter-robot communication overhead by 45%. This work provides a scalable and efficient solution for collaborative manipulation in applications ranging from assembly lines to warehouse automation. Full article

Background/Objectives: To evaluate the clinicopathological features, treatment, and survival outcomes and to identify independent prognosticators for recurrence and mortality in patients with endometrioid ovarian cancer. Methods: The medical records of patients diagnosed with endometrioid ovarian carcinoma between January 2010 and December 2022 were reviewed retrospectively. Demographic and disease-related data were evaluated. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis using log rank test and Cox regression was performed. Results: Seventy-six patients were included in the study. The median age at diagnosis was 54 years (range 31–86). A total of 85.5% of the patients were diagnosed with early-stage disease and 88.1% of the tumours represented low-grade carcinomas. Synchronous endometrioid endometrial cancer was confirmed in 19.7% of the cases. All patients underwent surgical management and 65.8% received adjuvant chemotherapy. Median follow-up time was 67.5 months. The 5-year disease-free survival and overall survival were 92.1% and 93.4%, respectively. The risk of cancer-related death was higher in advanced stages (HR = 13.86; 95% CI 2.16–57.17; p < 0.001) and in the presence of residual disease (HR = 15.18; 95% CI 2.36–87.17; p < 0.002). Residual disease and advanced stages were also identified as independent risk factors for disease relapse with HR = 16.04 (95% CI 2.61–93.7; p < 0.002) and HR = 11.73 (95% CI 1.92–41.6; p < 0.001), respectively. Conclusions: Endometrioid ovarian carcinoma usually affects younger patients with the majority of the cases representing low-grade carcinomas diagnosed at early stages. Residual disease and advanced stages are independently associated with inferior survival outcomes. There was no significance of lymph node dissection and adjuvant chemotherapy in the overall and recurrence-free survival rates. Further research focusing on molecular profiling should aim to define the prevalence and the prognostic value of major molecular alterations and develop precise stratification models to plan personalised treatment for optimal care. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study developed a targeted drug delivery nanoplatform for treating HER2-positive breast cancer. The nanoplatform encapsulated two hydrophobic anticancer agents, neratinib (NTB) and docetaxel (DTX), within nanoparticles (DTX+NTB−NP) functionalized for conjugation to trastuzumab to form trastuzumab-tagged nanoparticles (TRZ−NP). Trastuzumab is a HER2-specific monoclo-nal antibody that binds to HER2 receptors, blocking signal transduction and inducing an-tibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Upon receptor-mediated endocytosis, neratinib inhibits cytosolic HER2 signaling, while docetaxel disrupts mitotic cell division, collectively leading to tumor cell death. Methods: Nanoparticles were fabricated by the nanoprecipitation technique, followed by surface modification with a crosslinker and a targeting moiety. DTX+NTB−NP, TRZ−NP, and singly loaded nanoparticles (NTB−NP and DTX−NP) were characterized and their effects evaluated in HER2-positive cancer cell line and xenograft model. Results: In vitro antiproliferation assay in SKBR-3 cell line re-veals a dose and time-dependent cytotoxicity. There was no significant difference in cyto-toxicity observed between DTX+NTB−NP and its free form (DTX+NTB) [p = 0.9172], and between TRZ−NP and its free form (TRZ+DTX+NTB) [p = 0.6750]. However, TRZ−NP, at half the concentration of the singly loaded nanoparticles, significantly reduced the viabil-ity of SKBR-3 cells compared to pure trastuzumab (TRZ) [p < 0.001], NTB−NP [p = 0.0019], and DTX−NP [p = 0.0002]. In vivo evaluation in female athymic nude mice showed sig-nificant log relative tumor volume (%) reduction in groups treated with TRZ−NP and DTX+NTB−NP compared to PBS (phosphate-buffered saline) controls (p ≤ 0.001 and p ≤ 0.001), respectively. Notably, TRZ−NP demonstrated a statistically significant regression in the log relative tumor volume (%) compared to DTX+NTB−NP (p = 0.001). Conclusions: These findings underscore the therapeutic potential and suitability of these nanoplatforms for the precise and controlled targeting of HER2-positive tumors. This study is the first to synchronize the delivery of multiple agents-docetaxel, neratinib, and trastuzumab-within a nanoparticle system for treating HER2-positive tumors, offering a promising strategy to enhance treatment outcomes for HER2 positive breast cancer patients. Full article

The escalating accumulation of industrial solid wastes (e.g., copper slag: CS, ground-granulated blast furnace slag: GGBS) and carbon-intensive cement production has intensified environmental challenges, driving the demand for sustainable construction materials that synergize waste valorization with carbon sequestration. This study investigates the evaluation of the compressive strength, mineralogical evolution, and real-time CO₂ capture of the alkali-activated geopolymer composite materials by optimizing the mixed design of precursor materials (CS/GGBS ratio: 7/3) with MgO (0–10%) and coconut shell (CSB), peanut shell (PSB), and durian shell biochar (DSB) (0–3%). Results reveal that the 5% MgO addition achieves an 89.5% early-age compressive strength increase versus the MgO-free specimen. The compressive strength of the geopolymer composite could be further increased by a 1.5% dosage of DSB with an average pore size of 8.98 nm. In addition, the incorporation of an appropriate amount of porous biochar could not only enhance the CO₂ capture capacity of the geopolymer composite, but also further improve the CO₂ mineralization efficiency. The optimal formulation (5% MgO + 1.5% DSB) could mineralize 40.2 kg CO₂ per ton of solid waste at least. This work highlights a sustainable strategy for synchronizing industrial solid waste valorization with carbon-negative construction providing scalable CO₂ sequestration solutions. Full article

Autonomous vehicles, submersible robotic systems and drones, and other human-carrying equipment consistently adhere to a safety perimeter, ensuring collision-free navigation amidst surrounding objects. In contrast, roller coaster vehicles, despite being constrained to a predetermined track, necessitate frequent safety distance detection owing to the variability introduced by trees and decorative installations. Passengers’ limbs may protrude beyond vehicle boundaries, posing a collision hazard. The motion range of limbs, influenced by vehicle-specific conditions, mismatches standardized safety volumes (cylindrical, cubic, and rectangular) designed for mobile entities. The roller coaster industry’s current practice involves a moving safety frame, which visually inspects for collisions to assess safety distances, which is cumbersome and prone to oversight in intricate settings. Therefore, this study introduces a novel safety envelope detector (SE-detector). It creates a customer-defined virtual safety envelope around the roller coaster vehicle and measures the safety distance based on LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) to detect the intrusions of obstacles. Meanwhile, this SE-detector also innovatively integrated an accelerometer to synchronously measure the acceleration of the vehicle. The measured acceleration will be aligned with simulated sequences by dynamic time warping (DTW) algorithms to pinpoint intrusion location. Additionally, a wide-angle camera is also deployed to enhance perception of the surrounding environment. The SE-detector developed in this study has the capability to record inspection results. It is expected to enhance the inspection capabilities of the safety envelope for roller coasters, thereby improving the efficiency of safety distance inspection. Full article

In this paper, we present a transient-format time-continuous Galerkin finite element method for fully intrinsic geometrically exact beam equations that are energy-consistent. Within the grid of space and time, we derive governing equations for elements using the Galerkin method and the time finite element method, implement variable interpolation via Legendre functions, and establish an assembly process for space–time finite element equations. The key achievement is the realization of the free order variation of the program, which provides a basis for future research on adaptive algorithms. In particular, the variable order method reduces the quality requirements for the mesh. In regions with a higher degree of nonlinearity, it is easier to increase the variable order, and the result is smoother. Meanwhile, increasing the interpolation order effectively enhances computational accuracy. Introducing kinematical equations of rotation with Lagrange operators completely imposes the conservative loads on fully intrinsic equations. This means that loads in the inertial coordinate system, such as gravity, can also be iterated synchronously in the deformed coordinate system. Through a set of illustrative examples, our algorithm demonstrates effectiveness in addressing conservative loads, elastic coupling deformation, and dynamic response, demonstrating the ability to analyze elastically coupled dynamic problems pertaining to helicopter rotors. Full article

Dysfunctions and disorders of the craniomandibular system are accompanied by pathophysiological changes of muscle groups in the throat/neck and facial area, e.g., pain in the jaw and muscles of mastication and disturbance of occlusion, leading to teeth injury (loss of dental hard tissue, fractures/sensibility disorders, etc.). For muscular dysfunctions, even in the context of psychosomatic disorders and chronic stress, hippotherapy is particularly suitable, since it helps actively to relieve muscle tensions. In the current project we combined hippotherapy with progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) to achieve a synergistic effect. The horses used for therapy (two mares and five geldings between seven and twenty-one years old) were especially suitable because of their calm temperament. In two cases, trained therapy horses were used; in five other cases, the patients used their own horses, which were not specially trained. Right from the beginning, the project was accompanied by veterinary support. Conditions of horse keeping (active stable, same-sex groups, no boxes) were assessed as well as the horses themselves prior to, during, and after each therapy unit. In patients, cortisol, as a quantifiable parameter for stress, was measured before and after each therapy unit. From before the start until the end of each therapy unit of 15 min, the heart rate variability (HRV) of both patients and horses was registered continuously and synchronously. In addition, the behavior of the horses was monitored and recorded on video by an experienced coach and a veterinarian. The stress load during the tension phases in the therapy units was low, perceivable in the horses lifting their heads and a slightly shortened stride length. Likewise, the horses reflected the patients’ relaxation phases, so that at the end of the units the horses were physically and psychically relaxed, too, noticeable by lowering their necks, free ear movement, and a decreasing heart frequency (HF). Altogether, the horses benefited from the treatment, too. Obvious stress signs like unrest, head tossing, tail swishing, or tense facial expressions were not noticed at any time. Twenty jumpers served as a control group in different situations (training, tournament, and leisure riding). Full article