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15 pages, 5321 KiB  
Article
Acoustic Modal Characteristics of Pump Tower Structures Based on Fluid–Structure Coupling Effects
by Wei Song, Aoyu Xie, Yonggang Lu, Yun Zhao and Zhengwei Wang
Water 2025, 17(13), 1864; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17131864 - 23 Jun 2025
Viewed by 335
Abstract
This study investigated the acoustic modal characteristics of pump tower structures under fluid–structure coupling effects through a finite element analysis. Compared with the dry condition, filling the internal pipelines with liquid causes the first three natural frequencies to decrease by 17.12%, 16.80%, and [...] Read more.
This study investigated the acoustic modal characteristics of pump tower structures under fluid–structure coupling effects through a finite element analysis. Compared with the dry condition, filling the internal pipelines with liquid causes the first three natural frequencies to decrease by 17.12%, 16.80%, and 19.50%, respectively, while full external immersion (wet mode) further reduces them by 15.60%, 15.10%, and 5.30%. As the liquid level in the surrounding storage tank increases from 0% to 100%, the first-mode frequency falls from 6.07 Hz to 5.13 Hz (a 15.5% reduction), the second-mode from 14.71 Hz to 12.48 Hz (15.1%), and the third-mode from 19.69 Hz to 18.63 Hz (5.5%). Mode-shape distributions remain qualitatively similar across liquid levels, although local deformation magnitudes decrease by up to 21.0% for the first mode and 18.3% for the second mode. These quantitative findings provide a theoretical and technical basis for predicting dynamic responses of pump tower structures in complex fluid environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrodynamics Science Experiments and Simulations, 2nd Edition)
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26 pages, 916 KiB  
Review
Integrating Artificial Intelligence in Next-Generation Sequencing: Advances, Challenges, and Future Directions
by Konstantina Athanasopoulou, Vasiliki-Ioanna Michalopoulou, Andreas Scorilas and Panagiotis G. Adamopoulos
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2025, 47(6), 470; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb47060470 - 19 Jun 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1128
Abstract
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into next-generation sequencing (NGS) has revolutionized genomics, offering unprecedented advancements in data analysis, accuracy, and scalability. This review explores the synergistic relationship between AI and NGS, highlighting its transformative impact across genomic research and clinical applications. AI-driven [...] Read more.
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into next-generation sequencing (NGS) has revolutionized genomics, offering unprecedented advancements in data analysis, accuracy, and scalability. This review explores the synergistic relationship between AI and NGS, highlighting its transformative impact across genomic research and clinical applications. AI-driven tools, including machine learning and deep learning, enhance every aspect of NGS workflows—from experimental design and wet-lab automation to bioinformatics analysis of the generated raw data. Key applications of AI integration in NGS include variant calling, epigenomic profiling, transcriptomics, and single-cell sequencing, where AI models such as CNNs, RNNs, and hybrid architectures outperform traditional methods. In cancer research, AI enables precise tumor subtyping, biomarker discovery, and personalized therapy prediction, while in drug discovery, it accelerates target identification and repurposing. Despite these advancements, challenges persist, including data heterogeneity, model interpretability, and ethical concerns. This review also discusses the emerging role of AI in third-generation sequencing (TGS), addressing long-read-specific challenges, like fast and accurate basecalling, as well as epigenetic modification detection. Future directions should focus on implementing federated learning to address data privacy, advancing interpretable AI to improve clinical trust and developing unified frameworks for seamless integration of multi-modal omics data. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, AI promises to unlock new frontiers in precision medicine, making genomic insights more actionable and scalable. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technological Advances Around Next-Generation Sequencing Application)
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21 pages, 5887 KiB  
Article
Meta-Features Extracted from Use of kNN Regressor to Improve Sugarcane Crop Yield Prediction
by Luiz Antonio Falaguasta Barbosa, Ivan Rizzo Guilherme, Daniel Carlos Guimarães Pedronette and Bruno Tisseyre
Remote Sens. 2025, 17(11), 1846; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17111846 - 25 May 2025
Viewed by 536
Abstract
Accurate crop yield prediction is essential for sugarcane growers, as it enables them to predict harvested biomass, guiding critical decisions regarding acquiring agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides, the timing and execution of harvest operations, and cane field renewal strategies. This study [...] Read more.
Accurate crop yield prediction is essential for sugarcane growers, as it enables them to predict harvested biomass, guiding critical decisions regarding acquiring agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides, the timing and execution of harvest operations, and cane field renewal strategies. This study is based on an experiment conducted by researchers from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), who employed a UAV-mounted LiDAR and multispectral imaging sensors to monitor two sugarcane field trials subjected to varying nitrogen (N) fertilization regimes in the Wet Tropics region of Australia. The predictive performance of models utilizing multispectral features, LiDAR-derived features, and a fusion of both modalities was evaluated against a benchmark model based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). This work utilizes the dataset produced by this experiment, incorporating other regressors and features derived from those collected in the field. Typically, crop yield prediction relies on features derived from direct field observations, either gathered through sensor measurements or manual data collection. However, enhancing prediction models by incorporating new features extracted through regressions executed on the original dataset features can potentially improve predictive outcomes. These extracted features, nominated in this work as meta-features (MFs), extracted through regressions with different regressors on original features, and incorporated into the dataset as new feature predictors, can be utilized in further regression analyses to optimize crop yield prediction. This study investigates the potential of generating MFs as an innovation to enhance sugarcane crop yield predictions. MFs were generated based on the values obtained by different regressors applied to the features collected in the field, allowing for evaluating which approaches offered superior predictive performance within the dataset. The kNN meta-regressor outperforms other regressors because it takes advantage of the proximity of MFs, which was checked through a projection where the dispersion of points can be measured. A comparative analysis is presented with a projection based on the Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) algorithm, showing that MFs had more proximity than the original features when projected, which demonstrates that MFs revealed a clear formation of well-defined clusters, with most points within each group sharing the same color, suggesting greater uniformity in the predicted values. Incorporating these MFs into subsequent regression models demonstrated improved performance, with R¯2 values higher than 0.9 for MF Grad Boost M3, MF GradientBoost M5, and all kNN MFs and reduced error margins compared to field-measured yield values. The R¯2 values obtained in this work ranged above 0.98 for the AdaBoost meta-regressor applied to MFs, which were obtained from kNN regression on five models created by the researchers of CSIRO, and around 0.99 for the kNN meta-regressor applied to MFs obtained from kNN regression on these five models. Full article
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21 pages, 4573 KiB  
Article
Comparative Property Analysis of One-by-One Rib Lingerie Fabrics Fabricated from Modal Fibers and Microfibers
by Antoneta Tomljenović and Juro Živičnjak
Nanomaterials 2025, 15(9), 653; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano15090653 - 25 Apr 2025
Viewed by 374
Abstract
Although the applicability of modal fibers and microfibers for the production of lingerie knitwear is confirmed by commercial use, their share in the total consumption of man-made cellulosic fibers is very low. Their applicability in the fabrication of one-by-one rib weft-knitted fabrics, as [...] Read more.
Although the applicability of modal fibers and microfibers for the production of lingerie knitwear is confirmed by commercial use, their share in the total consumption of man-made cellulosic fibers is very low. Their applicability in the fabrication of one-by-one rib weft-knitted fabrics, as well as comparative analyses of the influence of differently spun modal and modal-micro yarns on physical, usage, esthetic and wearing comfort properties have not been sufficiently investigated. In this study, a comparative analysis of innovative rib knitted fabrics made of regular–fine modal fibers (1.3 dtex) and 1.0 dtex microfibers is therefore carried out to determine their properties at different relaxation stages. For this purpose, two lines of one-by-one rib fabrics were fabricated from ring-, air-jet- and open-end rotor-spun modal and modal-micro yarns in the same way. The results showed that rib lingerie fabrics fabricated from modal microfibers are lighter and thinner, have a higher voluminosity and moisture absorption capacity, and consequently have slightly lower porosity, breathability and abrasion resistance than fabrics made from modal regular–fine fibers, as well as comparable dimensional stability, tensile strength and pilling properties, but mainly after a wet relaxation treatment. Full article
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12 pages, 1438 KiB  
Article
Swell Magnitude of Unsaturated Clay as Affected by Different Wetting Conditions
by Shay Nachum
Standards 2025, 5(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/standards5010001 - 6 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 706
Abstract
The wetting of compacted clays and their subsequent swelling often result in damage to structures and infrastructures. Estimations of the swell that is expected to develop during wetting are usually based on standard laboratory tests. The standard procedure requires inundating the test specimens; [...] Read more.
The wetting of compacted clays and their subsequent swelling often result in damage to structures and infrastructures. Estimations of the swell that is expected to develop during wetting are usually based on standard laboratory tests. The standard procedure requires inundating the test specimens; this procedure represents an extreme wetting condition and provides an upper limit to the swell. However, wetting may result from less extreme conditions, for example by the absorption of water due to suction forces, which may result in a smaller swell. This paper describes a laboratory investigation of the swell difference in high-plasticity clay that may result from different wetting conditions. Swell tests were carried out on specimens prepared at different initial conditions and wetted under different wetting conditions of inundation or absorption. The results indicate that as the initial void ratio decreases and the degree of saturation increases, it is more likely that different wetting conditions will result in different swell magnitudes, where inundation may create a larger swell than absorption. The soil at a low initial void ratio and high degree of saturation seems to be characterized by mono-modal pore size distributions in the micropore range. This unique pore size distribution may be the explanation of the different swell magnitudes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Topic Advanced Risk Assessment in Geotechnical Engineering)
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20 pages, 7927 KiB  
Article
Vibration Characteristic Research of 100 m New Polar Exploration Cruise Based on Finite Element Modeling
by Guohe Jiang, Yuhao Yuan, Hao Guo, Gang Wu and Zhenzhen Liu
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(5), 779; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12050779 - 7 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1071
Abstract
Luxury cruise ships are high-end passenger ships with facilities on board for the leisure and entertainment of passengers, so the comfort of luxury cruise ships is a matter of great concern. In this paper, a finite element model of a new polar exploration [...] Read more.
Luxury cruise ships are high-end passenger ships with facilities on board for the leisure and entertainment of passengers, so the comfort of luxury cruise ships is a matter of great concern. In this paper, a finite element model of a new polar exploration cruise ship is established, and the wet modes of the whole ship are calculated using the virtual mass method and compared with the principal frequencies of the excitation forces to initially verify the rationality of the design of the structural vibration characteristics of the whole ship. The admittance matrix of the vibration velocity to excitation force was calculated by a frequency response analysis, and the vibration velocities at the stern plate and main engine foundations were tested during sailing. Then, the obtained propeller and main engine excitation forces were loaded into the finite element model; the vibration velocities of each compartment were calculated and compared with the compartment vibration velocity test values. The errors were within the engineering allowable range, verifying the accuracy of the excitation forces. The propeller and main engine excitation forces were loaded separately on the finite element model to calculate the vibration velocity of each cabin, and the contribution of the two excitation sources to the vibration velocity of each cabin was analyzed. It was found that the contribution of the excitation source to the cabin response was related to the relative position between the cabin and the excitation source. When the cabin was located in the cabin adjacent to or directly above a certain excitation source, the contribution of the excitation source to the cabin response was greater. When the cabin was farther away from both excitation sources, the contribution of the propeller excitation was greater. This provides a targeted reference for the preliminary vibration assessment and later vibration control of the new polar expedition cruise ship. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Marine Hazards)
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20 pages, 11119 KiB  
Article
Characteristics of Dry and Wet Changes and Future Trends in the Tarim River Basin Based on the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index
by Yansong Li, Yaning Chen, Yapeng Chen, Weili Duan, Jiayou Wang and Xu Wang
Water 2024, 16(6), 880; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16060880 - 19 Mar 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2974
Abstract
Global changes in drought and wetness and their future trends in arid regions have recently become a major focus of research attention. The Tarim River Basin (TRB) in Xinjiang, China, is among the most climate-sensitive regions in the world. This study uses data [...] Read more.
Global changes in drought and wetness and their future trends in arid regions have recently become a major focus of research attention. The Tarim River Basin (TRB) in Xinjiang, China, is among the most climate-sensitive regions in the world. This study uses data from the past 60 years (1962–2021) to analyze the spatial and temporal features of drought and wetness conditions in the TRB, calculating the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). Trend detection for SPEI is performed using the BEAST mutation test, identification of drought events using the theory of operations, and spatial and temporal analyses of dry and wet changes using Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) decomposition. Additionally, the CMIP6 dataset is used to estimate future changes. The study results indicate the following: (1) From 1962 to 1998, the TRB exhibited a “warm and wet” trend that suddenly shifted from “wet-to-dry” in 1998 and subsequently transitioned to a pronounced “warm and dry” trend. (2) After the “wet-to-dry” shift, the frequency of drought events noticeably increased. The northern section of the basin witnessed more frequent drought events, albeit with lower severity, while the southern part had fewer occurrences but with higher severity. The spatial distribution of drought event frequency and severity is inconsistent. (3) The EOF decomposition results for SPEI-variable fields at 1-, 3-, and 6-month time scales show that the cumulative variance contribution rate of the first three principal spatial modal feature vectors exceeds 70%. The spatial distribution of the modes includes a consistent pattern across the entire basin, a north–south opposite pattern, and an east–west opposite pattern. (4) The future trend of drought in the TRB is expected to intensify, manifesting a spatial pattern characterized by dryness in the middle of the basin and wetness around the periphery. These research findings can provide support for decisions addressing regional drought risks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Management in Arid and Semi-arid Regions)
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14 pages, 15125 KiB  
Review
Diagnostic Challenges in Inflammatory Choroidal Neovascularization
by Izabella Karska-Basta, Weronika Pociej-Marciak, Katarzyna Żuber-Łaskawiec, Anna Markiewicz, Michał Chrząszcz, Bożena Romanowska-Dixon and Agnieszka Kubicka-Trząska
Medicina 2024, 60(3), 465; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina60030465 - 12 Mar 2024
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2697
Abstract
Inflammation plays a key role in the induction of choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Inflammatory choroidal neovascularization (iCNV) is a severe but uncommon complication of both infectious and non-infectious uveitides. It is hypothesized that its pathogenesis is similar to that of wet age-related macular degeneration [...] Read more.
Inflammation plays a key role in the induction of choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Inflammatory choroidal neovascularization (iCNV) is a severe but uncommon complication of both infectious and non-infectious uveitides. It is hypothesized that its pathogenesis is similar to that of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and involves hypoxia as well as the release of vascular endothelial growth factor, stromal cell-derived factor 1-alpha, and other mediators. Inflammatory CNV develops when inflammation or infection directly involves the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)–Bruch’s membrane complex. Inflammation itself can compromise perfusion, generating a gradient of retinal–choroidal hypoxia that additionally promotes the formation of choroidal neovascularization in the course of uveitis. The development of choroidal neovascularization may be a complication, especially in conditions such as punctate inner choroidopathy, multifocal choroiditis, serpiginous choroiditis, and presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome. Although the majority of iCNV cases are well defined and appear as the “classic” type (type 2 lesion) on fluorescein angiography, the diagnosis of iCNV is challenging due to difficulties in differentiating between inflammatory choroiditis lesions and choroidal neovascularization. Modern multimodal imaging, particularly the recently introduced technology of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (noninvasive and rapid imaging modalities), can reveal additional features that aid the diagnosis of iCNV. However, more studies are needed to establish their role in the diagnosis and evaluation of iCNV activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Ophthalmology)
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14 pages, 3280 KiB  
Article
Comparative Study on Numerical Calculation of Modal Characteristics of Pump-Turbine Shaft System
by Xuyang Liu, Jiayang Pang, Lei Li, Weiqiang Zhao, Yupeng Wang, Dandan Yan, Lingjiu Zhou and Zhengwei Wang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(11), 2068; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11112068 - 29 Oct 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1661
Abstract
Because a pump-turbine mainly undertakes the role of energy conversion and pumped storage in the field of hydropower engineering, the complex transition process and frequent conversion between different working conditions lead to the increase in the stress and strain of core components such [...] Read more.
Because a pump-turbine mainly undertakes the role of energy conversion and pumped storage in the field of hydropower engineering, the complex transition process and frequent conversion between different working conditions lead to the increase in the stress and strain of core components such as the unit shaft system, and even cause resonance phenomena. Based on ANSYS finite element numerical calculation software, this paper adopts the acoustic fluid–structure coupling method to study the influence of the shaft of the pump-turbine on the dynamic characteristics of the runner. At the same time, the paper analyses the influence of different contact modes between the runner and the shaft on the modal characteristics of the shaft system. The numerical simulation results have shown that the runner is affected by the added mass of the water. The natural frequency reduction rate of each order of wet modal is ranged from 19% to 64%. The main shaft has a greater influence on the simplification of the shaft system calculation method. The type of contact surface between the main shaft and the runner has a smaller influence on the modal characteristics and the natural frequency of the shaft system. The research in this paper contributes an evaluation of the dynamic characteristics of the runner of a hydraulic turbine unit, which is of great significance for the optimization of the analysis algorithm of the runner structure for large pumped storage units. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancement in the Multiphase Flow in Fluid Machinery)
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19 pages, 3214 KiB  
Article
Systemic Dendrimer-Peptide Therapies for Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration
by Tony Wu, Chang Liu and Rangaramanujam M. Kannan
Pharmaceutics 2023, 15(10), 2428; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15102428 - 5 Oct 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1994
Abstract
Wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an end-stage event in a complex pathogenesis of macular degeneration, involving the abnormal growth of blood vessels at the retinal pigment epithelium driven by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Current therapies seek to interrupt VEGF signaling to [...] Read more.
Wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an end-stage event in a complex pathogenesis of macular degeneration, involving the abnormal growth of blood vessels at the retinal pigment epithelium driven by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Current therapies seek to interrupt VEGF signaling to halt the progress of neovascularization, but a significant patient population is not responsive. New treatment modalities such as integrin-binding peptides (risuteganib/Luminate/ALG-1001) are being explored to address this clinical need but these treatments necessitate the use of intravitreal injections (IVT), which carries risks of complications and restricts its availability in less-developed countries. Successful systemic delivery of peptide-based therapeutics must overcome obstacles such as degradation by proteinases in circulation and off-target binding. In this work, we present a novel dendrimer-integrin-binding peptide (D-ALG) synthesized with a noncleavable, “clickable” linker. In vitro, D-ALG protected the peptide payload from enzymatic degradation for up to 1.5 h (~90% of the compound remained intact) in a high concentration of proteinase (2 mg/mL) whereas ~90% of free ALG-1001 was degraded in the same period. Further, dendrimer conjugation preserved the antiangiogenic activity of ALG-1001 in vitro with significant reductions in endothelial vessel network formation compared to untreated controls. In vivo, direct intravitreal injections of ALG-1001 and D-ALG produced reductions in the CNV lesion area but in systemically dosed animals, only D-ALG produced significant reductions of CNV lesion area at 14 days. Imaging data suggested that the difference in efficacy may be due to more D-ALG remaining in the target area than ALG-1001 after administration. The results presented here offer a clinically relevant route for peptide therapeutics by addressing the major obstacles that these therapies face in delivery. Full article
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13 pages, 2592 KiB  
Article
Robust Beam Selection Based on Water Equivalent Thickness Analysis in Passive Scattering Carbon-Ion Radiotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer
by Yuan Zhou, Makoto Sakai, Yang Li, Yoshiki Kubota, Masahiko Okamoto, Shintaro Shiba, Shohei Okazaki, Toshiaki Matsui and Tatsuya Ohno
Cancers 2023, 15(9), 2520; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15092520 - 28 Apr 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1976
Abstract
Carbon-ion radiotherapy (CIRT) is one of the most effective radiotherapeutic modalities. This study aimed to select robust-beam configurations (BC) by water equivalent thickness (WET) analysis in passive CIRT for pancreatic cancer. The study analyzed 110 computed tomography (CT) images and 600 dose distributions [...] Read more.
Carbon-ion radiotherapy (CIRT) is one of the most effective radiotherapeutic modalities. This study aimed to select robust-beam configurations (BC) by water equivalent thickness (WET) analysis in passive CIRT for pancreatic cancer. The study analyzed 110 computed tomography (CT) images and 600 dose distributions of eight patients with pancreatic cancer. The robustness in the beam range was evaluated using both planning and daily CT images, and two robust BCs for the rotating gantry and fixed port were selected. The planned, daily, and accumulated doses were calculated and compared after bone matching (BM) and tumor matching (TM). The dose-volume parameters for the target and organs at risk (OARs) were evaluated. Posterior oblique beams (120–240°) in the supine position and anteroposterior beams (0° and 180°) in the prone position were the most robust to WET changes. The mean CTV V95% reductions with TM were −3.8% and −5.2% with the BC for gantry and the BC for fixed ports, respectively. Despite ensuring robustness, the dose to the OARs increased slightly with WET-based BCs but remained below the dose constraint. The robustness of dose distribution can be improved by BCs that are robust to ΔWET. Robust BC with TM improves the accuracy of passive CIRT for pancreatic cancer. Full article
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30 pages, 935 KiB  
Systematic Review
Clinical Effectiveness of Dry Needling in Patients with Musculoskeletal Pain—An Umbrella Review
by Marjolein Chys, Kayleigh De Meulemeester, Indra De Greef, Carlos Murillo, Wouter Kindt, Yassir Kouzouz, Bavo Lescroart and Barbara Cagnie
J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12(3), 1205; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12031205 - 2 Feb 2023
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 14983
Abstract
The number of systematic reviews (SR) summarizing the literature regarding the clinical effects of Dry Needling (DN) has increased rapidly. Yet, rigorous evidence about the clinical effectiveness of this technique is still lacking. The aim of this umbrella review is to summarize the [...] Read more.
The number of systematic reviews (SR) summarizing the literature regarding the clinical effects of Dry Needling (DN) has increased rapidly. Yet, rigorous evidence about the clinical effectiveness of this technique is still lacking. The aim of this umbrella review is to summarize the evidence about the clinical effects of trigger point DN on musculoskeletal disorders across all body regions. PubMed, Web of Science and Embase were searched to identify SRs examining the effect of DN (as a stand-alone intervention or combined with another treatment modality) compared to sham/no intervention or a physical therapy (PT) intervention with at least one clinical outcome in the domain of pain or physical functioning. Risk of bias (RoB) was assessed with the AMSTAR-2 tool. Quantification of the overlap in primary studies was calculated using the corrected covered area (CCA). The electronic search yielded 2286 results, of which 36 SRs were included in this review. Overall, DN is superior to sham/no intervention and equally effective to other interventions for pain reduction at short-term regardless of the body region. Some SRs favored wet needling (WN) over DN for short-term pain reductions. Results on physical functioning outcomes were contradictory across body regions. Limited data is available for mid- and long-term effects. DN has a short-term analgesic effect in all body regions and may be of additional value to the interventions that are used to date in clinical practice. Several studies have shown an additional treatment effect when combining DN to physiotherapeutic interventions compared to these interventions in isolation. There is a substantial need for the standardization of DN protocols to address the problem of heterogeneity and to strengthen the current evidence. Full article
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14 pages, 3735 KiB  
Article
Effect of the Addition of Different Natural Waxes on the Mechanical and Rheological Behavior of PLA—A Comparative Study
by Mónica Elvira Mendoza-Duarte, Iván Alziri Estrada-Moreno, Erika Ivonne López-Martínez and Alejandro Vega-Rios
Polymers 2023, 15(2), 305; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15020305 - 6 Jan 2023
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 8854
Abstract
In this study, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blended with different natural waxes (beeswax, candelilla, carnauba, and cocoa) was investigated. Different wax amounts, 3, 5, 10, and 15 wt%, were incorporated into the PLA using a Brabender internal mixer. The blends were characterized by thermogravimetric [...] Read more.
In this study, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blended with different natural waxes (beeswax, candelilla, carnauba, and cocoa) was investigated. Different wax amounts, 3, 5, 10, and 15 wt%, were incorporated into the PLA using a Brabender internal mixer. The blends were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), rotational rheometer (RR), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and contact angle to observe the effect of the different waxes on the PLA physicochemical, rheological, mechanical behavior, and wetting properties. The complex viscosity of the blends was studied by employing a RR. The effect of the addition of the waxes on the mechanical properties of PLA was evaluated by DMA in the tension modality. A slight decrease in the thermal stability of PLA was observed with the addition of the waxes. However, in the case of the mechanical properties, the cocoa wax showed a considerable effect, especially in the elongation at break of PLA. Likewise, waxes had an essential impact on the water affinity of PLA. Specifically, with the addition of cocoa, the PLA became more hydrophilic, while the rest of the waxes increased the hydrophobic character. Full article
(This article belongs to the Collection Feature Papers in Polymer Processing and Engineering)
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25 pages, 6659 KiB  
Article
Towards Unified Online-Coupled Aerosol Parameterization for the Brazilian Global Atmospheric Model (BAM): Aerosol–Cloud Microphysical–Radiation Interactions
by Jayant Pendharkar, Silvio Nilo Figueroa, Angel Vara-Vela, R. Phani Murali Krishna, Daniel Schuch, Paulo Yoshio Kubota, Débora Souza Alvim, Eder Paulo Vendrasco, Helber Barros Gomes, Paulo Nobre and Dirceu Luís Herdies
Remote Sens. 2023, 15(1), 278; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15010278 - 3 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2869
Abstract
In this work, we report the ongoing implementation of online-coupled aerosol–cloud microphysical–radiation interactions in the Brazilian global atmospheric model (BAM) and evaluate the initial results, using remote-sensing data for JFM 2014 and JAS 2019. Rather than developing a new aerosol model, which incurs [...] Read more.
In this work, we report the ongoing implementation of online-coupled aerosol–cloud microphysical–radiation interactions in the Brazilian global atmospheric model (BAM) and evaluate the initial results, using remote-sensing data for JFM 2014 and JAS 2019. Rather than developing a new aerosol model, which incurs significant overheads in terms of fundamental research and workforce, a simplified aerosol module from a preexisting global aerosol–chemistry–climate model is adopted. The aerosol module is based on a modal representation and comprises a suite of aerosol microphysical processes. Mass and number mixing ratios, along with dry and wet radii, are predicted for black carbon, particulate organic matter, secondary organic aerosols, sulfate, dust, and sea salt aerosols. The module is extended further to include physically based parameterization for aerosol activation, vertical mixing, ice nucleation, and radiative optical properties computations. The simulated spatial patterns of surface mass and number concentrations are similar to those of other studies. The global means of simulated shortwave and longwave cloud radiative forcing are comparable with observations with normalized mean biases ≤11% and ≤30%, respectively. Large positive bias in BAM control simulation is enhanced with the inclusion of aerosols, resulting in strong overprediction of cloud optical properties. Simulated aerosol optical depths over biomass burning regions are moderately comparable. A case study simulating an intense biomass burning episode in the Amazon is able to reproduce the transport of smoke plumes towards the southeast, thus showing a potential for improved forecasts subject to using near-real-time remote-sensing fire products and a fire emission model. Here, we rely completely on remote-sensing data for the present evaluation and restrain from comparing our results with previous results until a complete representation of the aerosol lifecycle is implemented. A further step is to incorporate dry deposition, in-cloud and below-cloud scavenging, sedimentation, the sulfur cycle, and the treatment of fires. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Atmospheric Remote Sensing)
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11 pages, 357 KiB  
Article
Exploring Influential Factors Affecting the Severity of Urban Expressway Collisions: A Study Based on Collision Data
by Kun Wang, Xiaoyuan Feng, Hongbo Li and Yilong Ren
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(14), 8362; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148362 - 8 Jul 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2341
Abstract
When traffic collisions occur on urban expressways, the consequences, including injuries, the loss of lives, and damage to properties, are more serious. However, the existing research on the severity of expressway traffic collisions has not been deeply explored. The purpose of this research [...] Read more.
When traffic collisions occur on urban expressways, the consequences, including injuries, the loss of lives, and damage to properties, are more serious. However, the existing research on the severity of expressway traffic collisions has not been deeply explored. The purpose of this research was to investigate how various factors affect the severity of urban expressway collisions. The severity of urban expressway collisions was set as the dependent variable, which could be divided into three categories: slight collisions, severe collisions, and fatal collisions. Ten variables, including individual characteristics, collision characteristics, and road environment conditions, were selected as independent factors. Based on 975 valid urban expressway collisions, an ordered logistic regression model was established to evaluate the impacts of influence factors on the severity of these crashes. The results show that gender, collision modality, road pavement conditions, road surface conditions, and visibility are significant factors that affect the severity of urban expressway collisions. Females were more likely to be involved in more severe urban expressway collisions than males. For collisions involving pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles, the risk of more severe injury was 7.508 times higher than that associated with vehicle–vehicle collisions. The probability of more severe collisions on urban expressways with poor pavement conditions and wet surface conditions is greater than that on urban expressways with good pavement conditions and dry surface conditions. In addition, as visibility increases, the probability of more severe collisions on urban expressways gradually decreases. These results provide more effective strategies to reduce casualties as a result of urban expressway collisions. Full article
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