Search Results (436)

Modern smart cities increasingly depend on resilient and intelligent energy infrastructures to maintain critical urban services during large-scale disturbances and multi-fault conditions. Conventional restoration approaches are often limited by centralized operation, delayed response, and inadequate coordination of distributed energy resources (DERs) under emergency conditions. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a Federated AI-Driven Urban Energy Resilience Framework for Smart City Critical Infrastructure Restoration using Virtual Power Plant (VPP) coordination, blockchain-enabled peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading, and intelligent distributed energy management. The proposed framework is validated on the IEEE 118-bus radial distribution system under severe dual-fault outage conditions, representing urban disaster-induced infrastructure interruptions. Critical urban service zones, including healthcare support systems, emergency loads, smart residential sectors, and EV charging corridors, are considered during the restoration process. The Seagull Optimization Algorithm (SOA) is employed to optimize DER dispatch and improve restoration performance under operational constraints. A progressive restoration strategy comprising conventional outage conditions, VPP-assisted restoration, blockchain-enabled decentralized energy trading, and AI-driven coordinated restoration is analyzed. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed framework significantly enhances urban energy resilience by increasing load restoration from 55.05% to 94.20%, reducing Energy Not Supplied (ENS), improving voltage stability, and lowering interruption-related economic losses. The minimum bus voltage improves to 0.965 p.u. under the proposed coordinated restoration strategy. The results show that coordinated VPP operation and blockchain-based energy sharing can support reliable restoration of critical urban infrastructure during major outage conditions. The results indicate that integrating AI-assisted VPP coordination with secure decentralized energy trading can effectively support smart city critical infrastructure continuity during extreme outage conditions. The proposed framework provides a scalable and resilient solution for future intelligent urban energy systems and disaster-resilient smart city applications. Full article

A new fractional dynamic sliding mode control (FD-SMC) framework is introduced to reduce chattering in the control of fractional-order chaotic systems. In this method, chattering is eliminated by placing a fractional integrator before the system control input. As a result, the augmented system has a higher dimension than the original system, meaning that additional states are introduced. Effective control therefore requires identifying or estimating these new states or the corresponding plant model. To address this issue, a robust optimal fractional loop-transfer-recovery observer (ROF-LTRO) is developed. Furthermore, the key advantage of sliding mode control (SMC)—its invariance to matched uncertainties—is often lost in many plants such as chaotic systems, because many of them contain mismatched uncertainties. To restore and extend the invariance property, multiple sliding surfaces combined with a virtual control input are employed. In addition, the proposed FD-SMC and ROF-LTRO do not rely on prior knowledge of uncertainty bounds, which is beneficial for practical implementation. Then, a two-stage design procedure based on two-surface definition is presented, and simulation results are provided for the extended fractional Duffing–Holmes chaotic system (EF-DHCS) under both matched and mismatched uncertainties. Full article

N-acetylneuraminate pyruvate lyase (NPL) is a key enzyme in sialic acid catabolism that links sialylation to cellular metabolism, but its role in cancer cell metabolic adaptation is poorly defined. In particular, it remains unclear whether NPL contributes to ATP maintenance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) under nutrient stress through its role in sialic acid catabolism. HCC is a highly lethal malignancy characterized by extensive metabolic reprogramming. Here, we investigated whether NPL links sialic acid catabolism to ATP maintenance in HCC cells under glucose deprivation. Glucose deprivation induced NPL expression in Huh7 and PLC/PRF/5 cells, which is consistent with an adaptive response to energetic stress. Stable NPL knockdown reduced intracellular ATP levels. Consistently, cell growth was significantly reduced, as assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays. These effects were more pronounced in the absence of glucose. Exogenous pyruvate partially restored ATP levels and the growth inhibition caused by NPL knockdown, particularly in the absence of glucose. This rescue further suggests that NPL may support ATP maintenance under glucose deprivation partly through pyruvate metabolism. Together, these findings indicate that NPL contributes to maintaining intracellular ATP levels during glucose deprivation, thereby supporting HCC cell adaptation to metabolic stress. To extend these biological findings to potential therapeutic exploration, we performed virtual screening and molecular docking using a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug library. Candidate compounds predicted to bind NPL were identified, providing a basis for further validation and optimization. Full article

Post–core restoration serves as an effective treatment for fractured canine teeth. However, the influence of post length on the stability of the teeth for small animals remains controversial. This study employs finite element analysis and a force machine in vitro to evaluate the biomechanical effects of varying fiber post lengths in maxillary canine teeth, aiming to establish theoretical guidelines for optimizing post–core restoration in canine dentistry. Three-dimensional models of the canine teeth of large, medium, and small dogs (German Shepherds, Beagles, and Teddy dogs) were constructed using finite element analysis (FEA). Fiber posts with post-to-root length ratios of 1/3, 1/2, and 2/3 were established. Stress distribution (σ₁/σ₂) and total deformation under 100–1100 N loading were analyzed virtually in ANSYS (version 17.0.0.19190), as well as in a force machine in vitro. FEA and in vitro fracture tests showed good correlation (p > 0.05). Fracture loads for large, medium, and small breeds were 1115.851 ± 6.984 N (distal) and 1177.39 ± 5.82 N (lingual), 901.627 ± 7.49 N (distal) and 976.504 ± 6.399 N (lingual), and 812.733 ± 5.476 N (distal) and 897.642 ± 6.42 N (lingual), respectively. The fiber post with a root–post ratio of 2/3 exhibited the highest fracture resistance, potentially making it be the best choice for post–core restoration. Full article

This is a narrative review that explores the development of non-implantable vestibular devices designed to address postural instability, particularly in aging populations and patients with vestibular hypofunction. It establishes that balance relies on complex sensory integration and that the functional decline of this system creates a significant medical need. Three principal technological strategies are examined: sensory substitution devices, galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS), and immersive visual feedback systems. Sensory substitution devices, which convert balance data into auditory, tactile, or electrotactile cues, demonstrate significant promise. Examples like vibrotactile belts provide feedback that reduces postural sway, enhancing stability and patient confidence. Parallel to this, GVS—using electrical currents applied to the mastoids—emerges as a potent non-invasive method to modulate vestibular pathways, improving balance control and even inducing neuroplastic changes, especially with stochastic “noisy” signals. The most recently developed devices include augmented and virtual reality technologies that offer innovative visual feedback, creating enriched rehabilitation environments that accelerate recovery by promoting sensory reweighting and neural adaptation. This review concludes that while implantable prostheses are advancing, non-invasive devices offer versatile, affordable, and complementary solutions for balance restoration. The future success of non-invasive alternatives hinges on developing more sophisticated stimulation protocols that account for the complexity of natural movement and individual patient contexts, expanding therapeutic options for vestibular disorders. Full article

Murals are not merely independent visual artworks. Rather, they are an integral part of architectural heritage, directly attached to buildings’ structural elements, such as brick walls and vaults. However, murals are susceptible to various building-related types of damage, including structural cracks and moisture-induced peeling, due to long-term exposure to environmental factors and geological changes. As the progressive deterioration of these murals hastens the loss of mural value, professional assessment and restoration are urgently required. To tackle the issues of low efficiency in traditional structural damage detection and the absence of predictable repair plans, this paper presents a semi-automatic building-mural protection solution that integrates morphological assessment of mural deterioration with computer vision technology. This study establishes an image prediction system that integrates intelligent damage identification with virtual restoration. First, employing the PaddleSeg deep learning framework and the DeepLabv3 semantic segmentation model, this study used existing mural damage datasets to build a recognition model. The model allows for intelligent identification and labeling of multiple damage types. Subsequently, relying on the ComfyUI platform, Stable Diffusion was used to construct a virtual restoration model. LoRA (low-rank adaptation) technology was introduced to fine-tune the model specifically for the mural style, thus enhancing the directivity and accuracy of virtual restoration. Finally, by applying the results of the recognition model to the virtual restoration model, this study built an integrated system for mural damage diagnosis and virtual restoration. The results show that the damage recognition model achieved a mean intersection over union (mIoU) of 47.8% and a pixel accuracy of 77.97% on the test set, validating the feasibility of using semantic segmentation for mural damage detection. This study presents an integrated workflow framework integrating automatic damage identification and intelligent repair. As an expert-assisted tool, this framework shows application potential for preliminary exploration of mural disease diagnosis and virtual restoration plans, providing technical references for the digital protection of cultural heritage. Full article

Coprime arrays are attractive for direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation because they can generate a large virtual aperture from a limited number of physical sensors. Their performance, however, deteriorates markedly when coherent sources coexist with unknown nonuniform sensor noise. To cope with this difficulty, this paper develops a structured DOA estimation scheme that integrates difference-coarray lag averaging, Toeplitz positive semidefinite covariance reconstruction, Hankel-based low-rank refinement, and forward–backward spatial smoothing. The sample covariance of the physical coprime array is first mapped into the coarray domain, where repeated lags are averaged, and missing lags are treated by a mask, rather than by zero padding. A Hermitian Toeplitz positive semidefinite virtual covariance matrix is then recovered in the lag domain with redundancy-aware weighting. To further enhance robustness under source coherence, the reconstructed covariance sequence is refined through a Hankel-structured low-rank restoration step. The recovered virtual covariance is finally processed by forward–backward spatial smoothing, and DOAs are obtained from the MUSIC spectrum. Simulation results under coherent-source and unknown nonuniform-noise scenarios show that the proposed method yields a lower estimation error than representative baselines, preserves clear spectral separation in multi-source cases, and maintains reliable two-source resolution under different angular separations. Additional experiments further examine RMSE trends with respect to SNR, snapshots, source number, and computational costs. Full article

The conservation and restoration of architectural heritage face dual challenges from natural erosion and human interference, necessitating the adoption of efficient and non-contact digital technologies to achieve sustainable preservation. Virtual reality (VR) technology, with its advantages of immersion, interactivity, and visualization, provides a novel technological pathway for digital documentation, conservation decision-making, and public presentation of architectural heritage. Taking the Fuliang Red Pagoda in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, as the research object, this study constructs a high-precision digital reconstruction and VR interactive application workflow based on the integration of terrestrial laser scanning and close-range photogrammetry. Through point cloud denoising, Iterative Closest Point (ICP) registration, and Poisson surface reconstruction algorithms, a refined three-dimensional model of the pagoda is achieved, and an immersive VR system is developed with functions including component information query, virtual restoration scheme switching, and interactive exploration. The results demonstrate that this technical workflow not only enables non-contact digital archiving of the Fuliang Red Pagoda but also provides a visual decision-support tool for conservation interventions. Under full-scene operation, the system achieves an average rendering frame rate of 92 FPS and maintains motion-to-photon latency below 20 ms, ensuring good real-time performance and interaction stability. The findings indicate that VR-based digital technologies can enhance the scientific rigor of conservation planning and promote public engagement while adhering to the principles of authenticity and minimum intervention. This study provides a replicable technical pathway and practical reference for high-precision digital reconstruction and sustainable conservation of historic buildings. Full article

Background: The majority of Class II malocclusions stem from mandibular deficiency, leading to chin retrusion. In growing patients, the ideal correction—aiming for a skeletal mandibular response—should avoid common pitfalls such as “Point B” dropping postero-inferiorly, excessive labial proclination of mandibular incisors, or the lingual tipping and extrusion of maxillary incisors. When planning mandibular advancement (MA) using clear aligners with integrated advancement features, biomechanical forces are not the only consideration; precise management of the lower incisor position is critical for success. Current literature highlights not a good control in digital planning software: these platforms are primarily dentoalveolar-based and lack integrated cephalometric analysis. Consequently, mandibular advancement is often defined by standard linear parameters (typically 2 mm per step), while incisor position is managed through virtual alignment without correlation to cephalometric landmarks like the Pogonion, NB line, or IMPA. The software cannot monitor real-time sagittal or vertical skeletal relationships, the software will elaborate the treatment planning after doctor’s prescription, the clinician must manually adjust incisor positioning based on external cephalometric analysis to prevent dental compensation or excessive proclination. Aim: This clinical case demonstrates a specific arch preparation protocol designed to optimize mandibular advancement in a growing patient with mandibular retrusion. Methods: A 12-year-old female presented with a skeletal and dental Class II malocclusion, characterized by increased overjet and a normal overbite. Treatment was conducted using Invisalign^® clear aligners (22 h/day wear, weekly changes). The treatment objectives were: transverse: Correct upper dentoalveolar contraction and coordinate arch form while restoring midline alignment; sagittal: establish Class I molar and canine relationships by correcting the overjet and reducing the labial inclination of the lower incisors; vertical: level the curve of Spee. A key clinical condition of our protocol was the pre-advancement phase: the lower arch was reshaped by reducing the buccolingual inclination (retroclination) and intruding the lower incisors. This was specifically intended to increase the available overjet space, creating the necessary room for subsequent mandibular advancement. Results Treatment was completed in 24 months with high patient compliance. Objectives were successfully met, including the correction of skeletal and dental discrepancies, the establishment of harmonious arch forms, and precise overjet reduction through enhanced control of the mandibular incisors. Conclusions: This case report outlines an optimized clinical strategy for Class II correction. Cephalometric Integration: Perform an initial analysis outside the digital planning software to define the ideal IMPA and NB angles. Anatomic Verification: Utilize radiographic overlays to ensure tooth movement remains within alveolar bone limits. Pre-MA Optimization: Prioritize a “pre-advancement” phase to maximize the sagittal inter-arch space (overjet). A larger overjet allows for a more significant orthopedic effect from the MA features. Stepwise Advancement: Implement mandibular advancement in increments (≥2 mm) with periodic clinical reassessment to facilitate the adaptation of the muscular sling and functional occlusion. Full article

Background: Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial ocular surface disorder characterized by tear film instability, inflammation, and neurosensory abnormalities. Current therapies remain limited by slow onset and suboptimal efficacy. Teriflunomide, an immunomodulatory agent approved for multiple sclerosis, has shown therapeutic potential in DED, but its multi-target mechanisms remain unclear. Methods: We employed an integrated computational and transcriptomic framework combining ADMET profiling, multi-dataset transcriptomic integration, and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to identify disease-relevant targets. Candidate genes were further refined through molecular docking and 50 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The AetherCell virtual cell model was applied to evaluate both the concordance between target perturbation and drug-induced responses and the potential mechanistic roles of candidate targets. Results: Transcriptomic integration identified 16 consensus genes across heterogeneous DED models, which were further localized to disease-relevant epithelial and immune cell populations by scRNA-seq. Molecular simulations prioritized three core targets—CTSS, STAT1, and PTGS1—based on binding stability and affinity. AetherCell simulations demonstrated that perturbation of these targets not only recapitulated teriflunomide-induced transcriptional and pathway changes but also revealed their distinct mechanistic contributions, including epithelial barrier regulation (CTSS), microvascular and lipid homeostasis (PTGS1), and inflammation suppression coupled with tissue repair (STAT1). Conclusions: Teriflunomide exerts therapeutic effects in DED through coordinated multi-target regulation involving inflammation control, barrier restoration, and tissue repair. This study provides a rationale for novel therapeutic targets in dry eye disease, establishes a paradigm for applying virtual cell modeling to elucidate drug mechanisms, and offers a bioinformatics framework for validating drug repositioning outcomes. Full article

Background: High quality pediatric sleep is shaped by multiple factors, including duration, restoration, and continuity. Multiple socio-ecological factors that are typically enforced by caregivers (e.g., bedtime routines) also determine the likelihood of attaining optimal pediatric sleep health. Consistent with the extant sleep literature on pre-pubertal children, this qualitative study targeted caregivers to identify factors influencing children’s sleep quality. Methods: Participants were recruited from Project G-SPACE, a US-based study exploring the influence of greenspace on sleep and mental health among elementary school-aged children. A racial, ethnic, and socio-economically diverse sample of caregivers (n = 21) participated in virtual semi-structured interviews about their perceptions of determinants of child sleep quality and behavior. Template-style thematic analysis was employed to synthesize the interviews. Results: Caregivers report that busy days for their children, especially characterized by high levels of physical activity, facilitate sleep continuity and good sleep quality. Sibling dynamics can be disruptive, resulting in poor sleep quality. To promote sleep health, parents employ rules regarding screentime, food/drink, and bed/wake time schedules, though the latter seems to be more flexible when children are not in school (e.g., weekends). Conclusions: Caregivers demonstrated great variability regarding implementing strategies to enhance their children’s sleep quality, suggesting that parents may be unsure of how to optimize the strategies they employ, which are most effective, or how to manage resistance from their children. Clinicians should discuss how to address these practical challenges with caregivers. Future research investigating the developmentally unique differences in determinants of sleep quality among elementary school-aged children is prudent. Full article

With the rapid development of immersive digital technologies, location-based entertainment (LBE) exhibitions have emerged as a new medium for cultural dissemination, particularly in cross-cultural contexts. While prior research on immersive experiences has predominantly emphasized immersion and virtual presence, limited attention has been paid to how audiences develop a sense of place within digitally constructed, culturally foreign environments. Drawing on sense of place theory and environmental psychology, this study develops the concept of cross-cultural virtual sense of place and proposes an S–O–R framework to examine the psychological mechanisms underlying immersive experiences. Specifically, entertainment, education, aesthetics, and escapism are conceptualized as stimuli (S), perceived restoration and place attachment as organism states (O), and continued engagement intention as the behavioral response (R). Data were collected from 383 participants who experienced an LBE immersive digital exhibition in China. Structural equation modeling (SEM) results indicate that escapism has the strongest effect on perceived restoration, followed by education, entertainment, and aesthetics. Perceived restoration significantly enhances place attachment and continued engagement intention, and place attachment partially mediates the effect of perceived restoration on continued engagement intention. The findings contribute to the literature by reframing immersive digital exhibitions as processes of experiential place-making rather than mere content delivery, and by identifying perceived restoration as a critical psychological pathway linking immersive stimuli to sustained engagement in cross-cultural digital environments. Full article

This study explores experiences of spending time in immersive virtual reality with a natural environment among individuals with type 2 diabetes, aiming to enhance perceived wellbeing and reduce perceived stress. Seventeen participants with type 2 diabetes took part in a multimodal lifestyle education program and used immersive virtual reality with natural environment over a six-month period, selecting from a number of 30 min serene natural environments. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Participants described immersive virtual reality with a natural environment experience as providing tranquility, inspiration, and a sense of transcending time and space (A). Feelings of calm and mental withdrawal from everyday demands were often reported (A2), and memories were evoked (A2). Some participants experienced these effects as extending beyond the immersive virtual reality with natural environment sessions themselves (A3–4). At the same time, several factors were identified that could disrupt the restorative experience (A5), including technical issues, individual preferences for specific environments, health- or situation-related constraints, and difficulties establishing a regular routine for headset use. Immersive virtual reality with natural environment was generally viewed as a valuable complement to real-world nature experiences, particularly for individuals with limited access to outdoor environments (B1–2). Overall, the findings suggest that immersive virtual reality with natural environment experiences may offer a supportive resource for enhancing emotional wellbeing and managing stress in people with type 2 diabetes, while not replacing the benefits of actual nature exposure. Full article

Speech-driven lip synchronization is an important technique for talking-face video generation, with broad application potential in virtual humans, video dubbing, digital media, and human–computer interaction. However, existing methods still face challenges in achieving reliable lip synchronization while maintaining stable identity preservation, high visual fidelity, and efficient inference, especially in Chinese-language scenarios where related research remains relatively limited. To address these issues, we propose FastTalk, a speech-driven lip synchronization method for Chinese-language scenarios. The proposed framework performs latent-space restoration for efficient video synthesis, uses a fixed-mask strategy to suppress shortcut visual cues and strengthen audio-driven lip-shape prediction, and adopts a two-stage training scheme to reduce the gap between training and inference. This design improves generation stability while preserving efficiency. Experimental results show that FastTalk achieves competitive lip synchronization performance while improving visual quality and identity preservation. These results indicate that FastTalk provides an effective solution for Chinese speech-driven lip synchronization video generation. Full article

False data injection (FDI) cyberattacks pose a growing threat to modern power distribution systems in smart cities by manipulating state-estimation processes and provoking covert voltage violations that traditional defense mechanisms fail to detect. Recent industry data indicate that coordinated FDI attacks can distort measurement sets by as little as 3–7%, yet trigger voltage deviations exceeding 10% in vulnerable feeders, resulting in operational instability, unnecessary load curtailments, and elevated outage risk. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a quantum-accelerated digital twin (QDT) framework that integrates quantum optimization algorithms with a high-fidelity digital twin (DT) of the distribution system to detect, localize, and remediate FDI-induced cyberattacks in real time. The rationale behind the approach lies in the superior combinatorial search capability of quantum solvers, which accelerates the identification of falsified measurement vectors and optimal corrective control actions compared with classical methods. In addition, the framework introduces an innovative Bitcoin-mining-oriented virtual energy storage (BMOVES) mechanism that treats mining facilities as dynamically controllable, fast-response electrical loads within smart city demand–response programs. By modulating mining power consumption with sub-second granularity, the proposed BMOVES resource provides up to 18–45% flexible capacity during attack scenarios, enabling voltage restoration without relying on conventional energy storage assets. The unified QDT + BMOVES architecture is validated using the 136-bus Brazilian distribution system, a realistic benchmark for cyber–physical resilience studies. Simulation results demonstrate over 99% FDI detection accuracy, up to an 82% reduction in peak voltage violations, and restoration of operational limits 11 times faster than state-of-the-art classical methods. These findings highlight the transformative potential of integrating quantum computing, digital twins, and nontraditional flexible assets to enhance cyber-resilient power infrastructure in future smart cities. Full article