bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Maternal Probiotics and Piglet Dietary Tryptophan Level on Gastric Function Pre- and Post-Weaning
Authors: Kiernan Dillon. P. , O’Doherty John V. , Ryan Marion T. , Sweeney Torres
Published: January 2025

Knowledge of how novel antigens or dietary stimuli affect stomach development and function in pigs remains limited. This study aimed to investigate stomach characteristics, parietal cell numbers, and the expression of genes essential to the functioning of the fundic and pyloric gland regions at weaning compared to seven days post-weaning and to examine whether maternal probiotic supplementation or piglet dietary tryptophan (Trp) levels influence these stomach parameters. This study has a 2 × 3 factorial design, with 48 sows assigned to one of two diets: basal or basal supplemented with Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. Their litters received creep diets containing 0.22, 0.27, or 0.33% standardized ileal digestible (SID) Trp. In total, 96 pigs were sacrificed for gastric sampling, 48 on the day of weaning and 48 on day 7 post-weaning. At 7 days post-weaning, pigs had an increased number of parietal cells and expression of parietal cell activity and digestive enzyme (PGA5 and CHIA) genes in the fundic gland region (p < 0.05), although the expression of signaling molecules involved in the regulation of acid secretion was unchanged in the fundic gland region (p > 0.05) and reduced in the pyloric gland region (p < 0.05), compared to the day of weaning. Overall, maternal probiotic supplementation had a significant impact on gene expression in the fundic gland region of the offspring, elevating several genes related to parietal cell activity (CLIC6, HRH2, KCNE1, KCNQ1, CHRM3, CCKBR, and SSTR2) (p < 0.05). Additionally, there were time × maternal interactions, where certain acid secretion pathway (ATP4A and HDC), chitinase enzyme (CHIA), and ghrelin (GHRL) genes were increased in offspring from probiotic sows compared to control sows at weaning (p < 0.05), but not at 7 days post-weaning (p > 0.05). Maternal probiotic supplementation did not influence growth performance pre-weaning or during the 7-day post-weaning period. There was a limited effect of creep Trp level or maternal × creep interactions on performance, gene expression, or parietal cell counts. Low pre-weaning creep intake may have confounded this analysis. In conclusion, maternal probiotic supplementation accelerated the maturation of the offspring’s stomach, particularly in terms of the expression of genes linked to acid secretion from parietal cells.
Root Exudates from Areca catechu L. Intercropping System Promote Nutrient Uptake and Sustainable Production of Piper nigrum L.
Authors: Li Zhiyuan , Zhao Yaqi , Zu Chao , Li Zhigang , Zheng Weiquan , Yu Huan , Gao Shengfeng , Liu Shichao , Zhang Baogui , Wang Xinxin , Wang Can , Yang Jianfeng
Published: January 2025

Piper nigrum–Areca catechu intercropping mitigates soil problems related to continuous P. nigrum cropping, but the exact reason for this is not clear. In this study, the intercropping system increased P. nigrum’s single plant weight by 27.0–55.5% and unit yield per hectare by 5.1–33.5% in 2019–2022. Intercropping altered the metabolic profiles of root exudates from both species, with increases in flavonoids (epicatechin and 4′,5,6,7-Tetramethoxyflavone), alkaloids (litebamine), and amino acids (proline betaine, L-homocysteic acid and L-homocysteic acid). Intercropping further increased the abundance of dominant soil bacteria, including GAL15 (354.9%) and Bacteroidota (70.4%) in the P. nigrum rhizosphere, and Firmicutes (141.8%) and WPS2 (75.3%) in the A. catechu rhizosphere. In the intercropping system, the abundance of soil flavonoids, including tangeritin, trifolirhizin, and hexamethylquercetagetin, which participated in improving nutrient absorption and plant growth, increased by 106.4~356.0%, 28.9~45.5%, and 45.2~127.1%, respectively, during the whole growing period. Overall, intercropping with A. catechu promoted carbon input to the P. nigrum soil via root exudates. This increased the diversity of P. nigrum rhizosphere beneficial bacterial communities, as well as the amounts of nutrients and plant growth-promoting secondary metabolites. Together, these effects improved nutrient uptake and utilization, thereby driving the sustainable production of P. nigrum, and ultimately achieving higher yields.
Restoring Soil Health: A Study on Effective Microorganisms and Maize Straw Applications
Authors: Chen Shichao , Zhang Qing , Liu Tongtong , Yan Min , Shao Luying , Jia Zhi
Published: January 2025

Soil degradation caused by mining activities has seriously affected the ecological environment of mining areas. Improving the soil quality is the key to solving this problem. This study examined the impact of adding Effective Microorganism (EM) agents and maize straw to the soil from the dump of the Ordos Rongheng open-pit coal mine. We conducted a two-factor complete experiment, varying the amounts of EM agents (0 g·kg−1, 0.1 g·kg−1, 0.2 g·kg−1, 0.3 g·kg−1, and 0.4 g·kg−1) and maize straw (0 g·kg−1, 5 g·kg−1, 10 g·kg−1, 15 g·kg−1, and 20 g·kg−1). Changes in the soil’s physical, chemical, and biological properties were assessed using a six-month-long potting experiment, and a minimum data set was established for soil quality evaluation. Our results indicated that both EM agents and maize straw improved the soil quality. Both additions reduced the soil’s bulk density and pH while increasing its porosity, organic matter, total available nutrients, enzyme activity, and microbial diversity. However, maize straw had no significant effect on the soil moisture content and total available phosphorus, and EM agents did not significantly impact organic matter. The interaction between the two treatments was not significant for soil moisture content, capillary porosity, and total potassium. Finally, we identified five key indicators affecting soil’s quality: the bulk density, available potassium, alkaline phosphatase, bacterial Chao1 index, and fungal Shannon index. The soil quality index (SQI) ranged from 0.158 to 0.568, with the highest SQI being observed with 0.1 g·kg−1 EM agents and 20 g·kg−1 maize straw, which was significantly higher than those from other treatments. New insights into the improvement of soil quality in open-pit mines are provided by these results, which may help guide future ecological restoration of mines.
Optimization of Flight Mode and Coupling Analysis of Operational Parameters on Droplet Deposition and Drift of Unmanned Aerial Spraying Systems (UASS)
Authors: Liu Qi , Ma Ding , Zhang Haiyan , Wu Long , Zhang Long , Bao Huifang , Lan Yubin
Published: January 2025

In recent years, extensive research has been conducted on pesticide application technology using unmanned aerial spraying systems (UASS) due to their efficiency and ability to overcome terrain obstacles. However, the coupling effect between the operational parameters of UASS and their influence on droplet deposition has not been sufficiently studied. A thorough and methodical analysis is essential to assess the deposition performance and drift risk of UASS. This study evaluated the spraying performance of an electric six-rotor UASS in wheat fields in Zibo between 2021 and 2022, focusing on three operational modes determined by flight speed and flow rate. Furthermore, the individual effects of these two parameters on droplet deposition quality and drift risk were explored. Based on the deposition quality of in-swath droplets and the drift degree after application, the results demonstrate that the optimal comprehensive characteristics of droplet deposition occur at a flight speed of 4.5 m/s, a flow rate of 2.025 L/min, and a spray amount of 1 L/ha. The increase in spray flow rate (2.475 L/min) results in a 3.92-fold enhancement in the deposition rate within the spray area compared with that of group of the minimum spray flow rate (1.575 L/min). A higher flight speed (5.5 m/s) improves the uniformity of droplet deposition, with the coefficient of variation decreases by 25.2% compared with that of the minimum flight speed (3.5 m/s), and this higher flight speed leads to a drift distance of 28.8 m.
Exploring the Effects of Light–Water Interaction in Plant Factory to Improve the Yield and Quality of Panax notoginseng (Burkill) F. H. Chen
Authors: Wang Jing , Han Zhe , He Junjie , Kang Hongwei , Li Qinghua , Chen Haomin , Zhang Xuan , Miao Wanying , Shang Xiaojian , Chen Wenting , Gao Zhiyong
Published: January 2025

Panax notoginseng (Burkill) F. H. Chen, as a traditional Chinese medicinal herb with significant therapeutic effects, is highly sensitive to environmental factors during its growth process, particularly light and water conditions. Under traditional field conditions, natural limitations make it difficult to achieve optimal yield and quality. This study aimed in the past to determine the optimal light–water interaction model for the year-round cultivation of P. notoginseng in a controlled plant factory environment. The experiment used one-year-old, uniformly grown P. notoginsen seedlings. At the beginning of the experiment, the light source, without any shading treatment, provided a photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) intensity of 200 μmol·m−2·s−1, measured at a distance of 30 cm from the plant canopy. A total of 18 treatment combinations were established, specifically two different light quality treatments (A Treatment with a red-to-blue light ratio of 4:1 and B Treatment with a red-to-blue light ratio of 5:1) were each combined with three irrigation levels (field water capacities of 40%, 50%, and 60%) and three shading levels (one layer of 60% shading net, two layers of 60% shading net, and three layers of 60% shading net). Each light quality treatment was combined with all three irrigation levels and all three shading levels, resulting in 18 distinct treatment combinations. The effects of different light–water interactions on P. notoginseng growth were evaluated by measuring key agronomic traits, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, and ginsenoside content. The results indicate that light–water interactions significantly affect the agronomic traits, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, and ginsenoside content of P. notoginseng (light treatment had a more significant impact on the growth of P. notoginsen than water treatment). The best performance in terms of plant height (15.3 cm), stem diameter (3.45 mm), leaf length (8.6 cm), fresh weight (3.382 g), and total ginsenoside content (3.8%) was observed when the red-to-blue light ratio was 4:1 (A Treatment), the field water capacity was 50%, and the shading level was three layers. Based on this, the Pearson correlation analysis was used to identify eight highly correlated indicators, and the entropy-weighted TOPSIS model was applied to comprehensively evaluate the cultivation schemes. The evaluation results show that the optimal cultivation scheme for P. notoginseng is under the conditions of a red-to-blue light ratio of 4:1 (A Treatment), field water capacity of 50%, and three-layer shading.
Problems and Design of a Powered Mechanism-Based Car Child Restraint System
Authors: Guerrero-Hernández Luis Angel , Ceccarelli Marco , Torres-SanMiguel Christopher Rene , Russo Matteo
Published: January 2025

Vehicle collisions can cause serious injury or even death to passengers, especially children aged 1–12 years. Hence, child restraint systems are now subject to legislative requirements for the development of better solutions. This paper presents an innovative design for a car seat mechanism, which fills the gap in existing solutions referring specifically to protecting children from the impact of accidents. The proposed mechanism deploys in 5 s in the design for children from 75 to 150 cm and up to 36 kg, approximately from 1 to 12 years of age. The mechanism lifts and rotates at a time of 0.1 s for unexpected situations, such as a vehicle crash. The design of the seat mechanism for a child restraint system has been developed in terms of kinematic analysis to corroborate the correct displacement and force analysis to find the forces applied to the mechanism by an actuator to move the mechanism by simulation. In accordance with the requirements of the European Commission. This article suggests that folding seat mechanisms are innovative and practical. The potential awaits further research to better protect children in crashes.
Nitrogen Fixation via Catalyst-Free Water-Falling Film Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma: A Novel and Simple Strategy to Enhance Ammonia Selectivity
Authors: Yang Xu , Zhang Yashuai , Liao Honghua , Tian Congkui , Cui Jingwen , Liu Zhuo
Published: January 2025

Plasma–liquid reactions represent an emerging green chemical process for nitrogen fixation; however, these processes generally exhibit low selectivity for ammonium (NH4+). This limitation highlights the need to explore simple methods to increase NH4+; selectivity. In this study, a catalyst-free falling film dielectric barrier discharge plasma system was employed for the selective synthesis of NH4+. By manipulating the flow state of the discharge gas, NH4+ selectivity was found to increase by 138.4% in the sealed gas flow state compared to the flowing gas state. Furthermore, an increase in the discharge voltage positively influenced the NH4+ selectivity. This phenomenon can be attributed to higher energy input and longer reaction times, which facilitate the formation of nitrogen molecular ions, a critical intermediate in ammonia synthesis. The reaction products were analyzed by UV spectrophotometry and emission spectroscopy to investigate the underlying mechanisms of ammonia synthesis. This study reveals the highest reaction rate reported to date for ammonia synthesis via single-system plasma gas–liquid reactions and offers a novel way to improve both the yield and selectivity of ammonium synthesis via non-thermal plasma gas–liquid interactions.
Feature Learning via Correlation Analysis for Effective Duplicate Detection
Authors: Yang Geunseok , Ji Jinfeng , Kim Taemin
Published: January 2025

With the growing reliance on software, the frequency of software bugs has increased significantly. To address these issues, users or developers typically submit bug reports, which developers analyze and resolve. However, many submitted bug reports are duplicates of previously reported issues, creating inefficiencies in the bug resolution process. To enhance developer productivity, an automatic method for detecting duplicate bug reports is essential. In this study, we present a novel approach for identifying duplicate and nonduplicate bug reports using feature learning through correlation analysis. Our method utilizes bug report features, including product and component information, extracted from bug repositories. The process begins with preprocessing the bug reports to ensure data quality. Next, a feature selection algorithm identifies relevant features, which are then used to train a machine learning model based on bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT). The proposed model’s effectiveness was evaluated across multiple datasets: Apache, JDT, Platform, KDE, Core, Firefox, and Thunderbird. Our results show detection accuracies of 91.41%, 88.66%, 86.08%, 92.94%, 90.68%, 88.25%, and 91.62%, respectively. These outcomes represent a significant improvement of 32% to 41% compared to baseline models, including convolutional neural networks (CNNs), long short-term memory networks (LSTMs), convolutional LSTMs (CNN-LSTMs), Naive Bayes classifiers, and random forest classifiers. Our findings show that the proposed model is highly effective for duplicate bug report prediction and offers substantial advancements over existing methods. This approach has the potential to streamline bug management processes and improve overall software development efficiency.
On the Correlation of Cymbals’ Vibrational Behavior and Manufacturing Processes
Authors: Brezas Spyros , Kaselouris Evaggelos , Orphanos Yannis , Bakarezos Makis , Papadogiannis Nektarios A. , Dimitriou Vasilis
Published: January 2025

The complex frequency domain assurance criterion is here applied for the comparison of a pristine to an altered state of a vibrating system. The criterion was originally proposed for the detection of defects in vibrating structures, while in later research studies it has been successfully used in musical acoustics. In this paper, we evaluate the differences in the vibrational behavior of finished and non-finished cymbals by adopting the proposed correlation criterion. Since idiophones are playable and produce sounds after any manufacturing process, the methodology presented correlates the vibrational state of a cymbal, at any stage of manufacturing, to a reference pristine cymbal. The evaluation of the cymbals is performed by the comparison of finished cymbals with semi-finished and blank 8-inch cymbals of the same material. The correlation criterion is applied to the vibrational measurements of blank, semi-finished, and finished B8 and B20 cymbals. Additionally, commercially available finished cymbals of the same material and geometrical characteristics are introduced in this correlation study. The measuring methodology and the vibration symmetry are discussed, and valuable results and conclusions are presented. The proposed methodology highlights the influence of the manufacturing processes of forming, hammering, and finishing on the vibrational behavior of cymbals, offering manufacturers and drummers a quantifiable criterion for evaluating cymbals’ vibroacoustic performance. Representative evaluations of blanks, semi-finished, and finished cymbals demonstrate the capability of the correlation criterion to monitor, identify, and visualize the vibrational state of any cymbal compared to a pristine reference. This enables the development of a novel methodology for both manufacturers and musicians.
Effluent from Winery Waste Biorefinery: A Strategic Input for Biomass Generation with Different Objectives to Add Value in Arid Regions
Authors: Rizzo Pedro Federico , Aguado Germán Darío , Funes-Pinter Iván , Martinez Laura Elizabeth , Ferrari Florencia Noemí , De Biazi Federico , Martín Pablo , Flores Gustavo , Sánchez Antoni , Uliarte Ernesto Martin
Published: January 2025

Agro-industrial activities generate significant amounts of organic waste and a variety of effluents thus posing environmental challenges. Viticulture in Argentina, which covered 204,847 ha in 2023, faces water scarcity as a limiting factor conditioning its production. This industry produces large volumes of grape marc, sediments, and stalks, which can be valorised into products like alcohol, tartaric acid, and compost. However, these valorisation processes generate effluents with high organic load and salinity, further stressing water resources. This study explores the potential of utilising these effluents to cultivate plant biomass in arid regions (sorghum or perennial pasture), which could serve as bioenergy, animal feed, or composting co-substrates, contributing to circular bioeconomy principles. The combined use of effluent as a water resource and the sowing of sorghum and pasture increased soil organic matter content and led to a slight reduction in pH (depth: 0.30–0.60 m) compared to the control treatment. The sorghum plots showed better establishment and higher dry biomass yield (32.6 Tn/ha) compared to the pasture plots (6.5 Tn/ha). Sorghum demonstrated better tolerance to saline soils and high salinity effluents, aligning with previous studies. Although pasture had a lower biomass yield, it was more efficient in nutrient uptake, concentrating more NPK, ash, and soluble salts. Sorghum’s higher yield compensated for its lower nutrient concentration. For biomass production, sorghum is preferable, but if nutrient capture from effluents is prioritised, summer polyphytic pastures are more suitable. These results suggest that the final selection between plant biomass alternatives highly depends on whether the goal is biomass generation or nutrient capture.
Seismic Response Analysis of a Conceptual Hollow Concrete Gravity Dam Containing Saturated Sandy Soil
Authors: Zhang Fuyou , Wei Yuchen , Song Yun , Zhao Yumeng
Published: January 2025

Seismic isolation and damping technologies, though extensively used in buildings, are less common in large hydraulic structures, underscoring the importance of researching seismic mitigation methods for these constructions. This research first establishes that saturated sandy soil can act as a damping material through experimental and theoretical analysis. Subsequently, a novel hollow concrete gravity dam containing saturated sandy soil is proposed, utilizing the EOS (equation of state) subroutine for viscous fluids to model the liquefied sand. The findings indicate that the new-type dam exhibits a reduction in displacement of approximately 20% along the flow direction under an 8-degree seismic event compared to conventional gravity dams. This decrease correlates inversely with the characteristic wave speed of the saturated sandy soil, while the energy dissipation capacity of the saturated sandy soil is directly proportional to the soil layer’s thickness. Finally, a small-scale shaking table test revealed that saturated sandy soil effectively reduces displacement and acceleration at the dam crest. These findings were corroborated by numerical simulations, which further substantiated the reliability of both the experimental and simulated data. Utilizing saturated sandy soil for energy dissipation and seismic damping in dams offers cost benefits, high durability, and significant effectiveness, representing a promising direction for the advancement of seismic mitigation in concrete gravity dams.
Deep Learning Algorithm for Automatic Classification of Power Quality Disturbances
Authors: Albalooshi Fatema A. , Qader M. R.
Published: January 2025

Power quality disturbances (PQDs) are major obstacles to maintaining the reliability and stability of electrical systems. This study introduces a new multi-scale deep learning method to classify PQDs, aiming to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of power quality (PQ) analysis and monitoring systems. By combining 1-D convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with an attention mechanism, this approach overcomes the limitations of traditional techniques. Moreover, varying-size convolutional layers allow for the direct learning of complex patterns and features from PQ signals. To address the challenge of limited labeled PQ datasets, this research utilizes an open-source dataset generator to create large-scale datasets with annotated PQDs. Through a comparison with existing models in the field, the superiority of the proposed CNN-based approach is evident, achieving an accuracy level of up to 99.49%. The results demonstrate promising classification performance in terms of simplicity and accuracy, highlighting the potential of this approach to improve PQ analysis and disturbance identification.
Image Navigation System for Thoracoscopic Surgeries Driven by Nuclear Medicine Utilizing Channel R-CNN
Authors: Zhang Chuanwang , Chen Yueyuan , Jia Dongyao , Zhang Bo
Published: January 2025

Breast cancer, a prevalent and significant cause of cancer-related mortality in women, often necessitates precise detection through nuclear medicine techniques. Despite the utility of computer-aided navigation in thoracoscopic surgeries like mastectomy, challenges persist in accurately locating and tracking target tissues amidst intricate surgical scenarios. This study introduces a novel system employing a channel R-CNN model to automatically segment target regions in thoracoscopic images and provide precise cutting curve indications for surgeons. By integrating a Detection Network Head and Thorax Network Head, this multi-channel framework outperforms existing single-task models, marking a pioneering effort in cutting curve indication for thoracoscopic procedures. Utilizing a specialized dataset, the model achieves a notable region segmentation mIOU of 79.4% and OPA of 83.2%. In cutting path planning, it attains an mIOU of 68.6% and OPA of 77.5%. The system operates at an average speed of 23.6 frames per second in videos, meeting the real-time response needs of surgical navigation systems. This research underscores the potential of advanced imaging and AI-driven solutions in enhancing precision and efficacy in thoracoscopic surgeries.
Guineensine: Isolation, Synthesis, and Biological Activity
Authors: Matiadis Dimitris , Kakouri Eleni , Kaparakou Eleftheria H. , Tarantilis Petros A.
Published: January 2025

The genus Piper is the largest among plants of the Piperaceae family. Phytochemical studies on various piper species indicate the presence of bioactive compounds, with alkamides being among the most prominent. Piperine is well studied, and is usually found in abundance in most species. Guineensine is an alkamide that merits particular interest and, until now, has received less scientific attention. Therefore, in the present review, we discuss guineensine’s isolation, synthesis, and pharmacological activity. Data were collected from 1974 to 2024. Databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct were used to retrieved information using the following keywords: guineensine, isolation, synthesis, biological activity, alkamides, Piper spp., pepper, and SAR. Guineensine is obtained using various isolation methods. However, it yields low amounts; therefore, its synthesis is important. In addition, guineensine exerts many biological activities. Its potential is connected to its terminal benzodioxolyl and isobutyamide groups and to the length of its unsaturated carbon chain of twelve atoms. Findings of the studies presented in this review provide substantiation regarding the scientific interest in guineensine. Isolation procedures present advantages and disadvantages, and the methods of its synthesis are efficient. Its biological activity seems promising and further studies may lead to the development of new therapeutic agents.
An Urban Climate Paradox of Anthropogenic Heat Flux and Urban Cool Island in a Semi-Arid Urban Environment
Authors: Siddiqui Asfa , Maske Ambadas B. , Khan Ansar , Kar Ananya , Bhatt Manushi , Bharadwaj Vinamra , Kant Yogesh , Hamdi Rafiq
Published: January 2025

The rapid urbanization of Jaipur has profoundly altered its urban climate, driven by anthropogenic heat flux (AF) and shifts in surface energy dynamics. This study leverages remote sensing techniques, utilizing Landsat data, to quantify AF and assess its influence on the city’s climate. The findings reveal a striking paradox; despite a significant rise in AF from 127.31 W/m2 in 1993 to 201.82 W/m2 in 2020, Jaipur exhibits an anomalous urban cool island (UCI) effect during the daytime. In this phenomenon, surrounding fallow lands experience higher land surface temperatures (LSTs) than the urban core, defying the typical urban heat island (UHI) effect observed in most cities worldwide. This paradox is especially pronounced in semi-arid urban environments, where factors such as limited vegetation, arid conditions, and water scarcity intricately shape peculiar thermal behaviour. This study further highlights the role of urban expansion, with built-up areas growing from 11.95% in 1993 to 19% in 2020, intensifying AF. Notably, the latent heat flux was highest in vegetated areas, significantly reducing LSTs by facilitating evapotranspiration. Daytime surface temperatures have surged significantly, with temperatures ranging from 26–46.9 °C in 1993 to 31–56.5 °C in 2020, indicating an overall increase in surface heat intensity. Despite these increases, the UCI effect remains observable, further illustrating the cooling potential of urban vegetation. This study offers novel insights into the intricate dynamics of urban heat in semi-arid cities, providing refined perspectives on urban heat mitigation strategies and climate adaptation, with implications for future sustainable urban planning and environmental management.
Deep Learning-Assisted Diagnostic System: Apices and Odontogenic Sinus Floor Level Analysis in Dental Panoramic Radiographs
Authors: Wu Pei-Yi , Lin Yuan-Jin , Chang Yu-Jen , Wei Sung-Tsun , Chen Chiung-An , Li Kuo-Chen , Tu Wei-Chen , Abu Patricia Angela R.
Published: January 2025

Odontogenic sinusitis is a type of sinusitis caused by apical lesions of teeth near the maxillary sinus floor. Its clinical symptoms are highly like other types of sinusitis, often leading to misdiagnosis as general sinusitis by dentists in the early stages. This misdiagnosis delays treatment and may be accompanied by toothache. Therefore, using artificial intelligence to assist dentists in accurately diagnosing odontogenic sinusitis is crucial. This study introduces an innovative odontogenic sinusitis image processing technique, which is fused with common contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization, Min-Max normalization, and the RGB mapping method. Moreover, this study combined various deep learning models to enhance diagnostic accuracy. The YOLO 11n model was used to detect odontogenic sinusitis single tooth position in dental panoramic radiographs and achieved an accuracy of 98.2%. The YOLOv8n-cls model diagnosed odontogenic sinusitis with a final classification accuracy of 96.1%, achieving a 16.9% improvement over non-enhanced methods and outperforming recent studies by at least 4%. Additionally, in clinical applications, the classification accuracy for non-odontogenic sinusitis was 95.8%, while for odontogenic sinusitis it was 97.6%. The detection method developed in this study effectively reduces the radiation dose patients receive during CT imaging and serves as an auxiliary system, providing dentists with reliable support for the precise diagnosis of odontogenic sinusitis.
Metabolic Activity of Invasive Apple Snails Negatively Affects the Survival of Native Benthic Snail in Mangrove
Authors: Liu Jinling , Zhang Caiying , Yu Huixiu , Fu Zixin , Xie Huizhen , Wang Yiming , Zhao Benliang , Li Qing , Kuang Kailin , Lin Huanting
Published: January 2025

The golden apple snail (GAS, Pomacea canaliculata) has invaded mangrove forests. The effect of water contaminated by metabolic activity of GAS feeding on Acanthus ilicifolius (T1), Sonneratia apetala (T2), and without food (CK) on the native mangrove black helmet snail (BHS, Neritina pulligera) was investigated under salinity conditions. The GAS deteriorated saline water quality (2.5‰). DO contents in T1 and T2 approached zero at 9 d. Compared to CK, the contents of COD, total N, NH4+, NO3−, and total P of the contaminated water in T1 increased by 297%, 205%, 262%, 210%, and 518% after 9 d, while these indicators in T2 increased by 74%, 31%, 57%, 326%, and 154%, respectively. The LC50 of the contaminated water in T1 against the BHS reached 22.72%. The weight of the BHS exposed to the 100% contaminated water in T1 and T2 significantly decreased after exposure. The content of GPT of the BHS exposed to the 100%-contaminated water in T1 and T2 increased by 55% and 26%, while the MDA content increased by 38% and 34%. The 100%-contaminated water in T1 led to cell degeneration and incomplete structure in the hepatopancreas tissue of the BHS. The GAS feeding on holly mangroves can compete against native mangrove snails through water deterioration.
Improvement Effects of Different Afforestation Measures on the Surface Soil of Alpine Sandy Land
Authors: Du Shaobo , Xie Huichun , Zhang Gaosen , Qiao Feng , Geng Guigong , E Chongyi
Published: January 2025

Desertification severely impacts soil environments, necessitating effective control measures to improve sandy soil. On the alpine sandy land of Gonghe Basin, taking bare land containing mobile sand dunes (LD) as a reference, surface soil undergoing four afforestation measures, namely Salix cheilophila + Populus simonii (WLYY), Salix psammophila + Salix cheilophila (SLWL), Artemisia ordosica + Caragana korshinskii (SHNT), and Caragana korshinskii (NT80), was studied, with soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activity measured and the bacterial community structure analyzed using Illumina high-throughput sequencing. Compared to LD, all four afforestation measures significantly reduced the sand content, while increasing soil total carbon, total nitrogen, organic matter, alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen, and available potassium. WLYY, SLWL, and SHNT significantly increased the surface soil total phosphorus and total potassium. Catalase, sucrase, urease, and alkaline phosphatase activities significantly increased under all four measures. Among them, the highest improvements were observed under SLWL, followed by WLYY. All treatments increased soil bacterial community richness, exhibiting significantly different bacterial community compositions to those in LD. Total phosphorus was the key physicochemical factor affecting the soil bacterial community structure, while enzyme activity was significantly correlated with the relative abundance of most major bacterial phyla. All measures improved the surface soil environment, with SLWL demonstrating the best improvement. The results provide valuable reference for sand prevention and control strategies in alpine sandy areas and offer a theoretical basis for the ecological restoration of sandy soil microenvironments.
On-Chip Polarization Light Microscopy
Authors: Pedrosa Túlio de L. , de Araujo Renato E. , Wachsmann-Hogiu Sebastian
Published: January 2025

Polarization light microscopy (PLM) enables detailed examination of birefringent materials and reveals unique features that cannot be observed under non-polarized light. Implementation of this technique for quantitative PLM (QPLM) assessment of samples is challenging and requires specialized components and equipment. Here, we demonstrate QPLM on a semiconductor imaging chip that is suitable for point-of-care/need applications. A white LED illumination was used with crossed polarizers and a full wave plate to perform on-chip, non-contact-mode QPLM. Polarization complexity is probed by assessing the multispectral phase shift experienced by white light through the distinct optical paths of the sample. This platform can achieve micrometer-scale spatial resolution with a Field of View determined by the size of the semiconductor sensor. Visualization of a biological sample (Euglena gracilis) was demonstrated, as well as the detection of Monosodium Urate crystals, where the presence of negative birefringence of crystals in synovial fluid is important for the diagnosis of gout.
Personal Narratives in Trauma-Related Disorders: Contributions from a Metacognitive Approach and Treatment Considerations
Authors: Wiesepape Courtney N. , Smith Elizabeth A. , Muth Andrew J. , Faith Laura A.
Published: January 2025

Traumatic experiences are significant life events that are thought to impact one’s personal life narrative and narrative identity. Individuals who have experienced trauma may display fragmented memories and decreased narrative cohesion, resulting in trauma narratives that are disjointed and poorly integrated into the larger picture of their lives. Metacognition, defined as the ability to form increasingly complex and integrated ideas about the self, others, and the wider world, offers a framework to better understand life narratives and has been proposed as a construct that allows personal narratives to evolve in response to new experiences. In this paper, we will review the alterations commonly observed in trauma narratives. We will utilize the integrated model of metacognition as a framework to understand these deviations with an eye toward clinical implications. Although treatments that focus on trauma narratives exist, we argue that the study of metacognition provides unique insights into the process of integration of traumatic experience into an evolving personal narrative and may allow for more complete treatment of trauma-related disorders.
A Study on the Energy Absorption Performance of Mine Grooved Conical Tube Energy Absorption Components
Authors: Li Ziyang , Xiao Xiaochun , Xu Jun , Sun Bin
Published: January 2025

When rockbursts occur, hydraulic support is prone to impact failure, which leads to severe casualties and economic losses. To improve the performance of hydraulic support structures under impact loading, a grooved conical tube is designed as an energy absorption device to avoid hydraulic columns being destroyed. The performance of the grooved conical tube during deformation is studied using simulation, considering the wall thickness, cone angle and number of grooves. The equivalent axial load of the grooved conical tube component is derived by studying the energy dissipation path. And the grooved conical tube’s structure is optimized. The results show that the Y3-5-10 (cone angle: 3°; number of grooves: 5; wall thickness: 10 mm) grooved conical tube shows excellent performance among the twenty-seven types of structures. In addition, the equivalent axial load prediction formula for the grooved conical tube has a high prediction accuracy. Furthermore, after multi-objective optimization, the mean square error is decreased by 20.6%, and the effective energy absorption is increased by 6.0%, which is able to make the energy absorption process more stable. Compared with widely used corrugated square tubes, the effective deformation distance of the grooved conical tube is increased by 27.2%, and the effective energy absorption is increased by 37.1%. The grooved conical tube has advantages in its effective deformation distance and effective energy absorption. These results are expected to provide sufficient time for the opening of the support column’s relief valve and to enhance the impact resistance of the hydraulic support, which is highly important for the prevention of rockbursts.
Cost–Benefit Framework for Selecting a Highway Project Using the SWARA Approach
Authors: Ahmed Omar Shabbir , Al-Gahtani Khalid S. , Altuwaim Ayman
Published: January 2025

The effective selection of highway projects is essential for driving economic growth and facilitating trade in Saudi Arabia’s cities. However, current studies lack a comprehensive approach that assesses highways based on a full spectrum of economic, environmental, and social cost–benefit factors tailored to Saudi Arabia’s construction industry. This study addresses this gap by developing a framework that incorporates the aspects. The methodology comprises five steps: (1) a literature review to identify benefit and cost criteria; (2) expert surveys to select significant criteria; (3) the application of the stepwise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) method to determine criteria weights; (4) structured expert interviews to establish criteria quality weights; and (5) validation through application to three case studies, comparing the results with those obtained using the ANP method. The findings show that economically efficient road choices yield increased productivity and support industrial growth, while the most significant environmental benefit is reducing carbon emissions. Social benefits, as emphasized by experts, include accident reduction. Cost factors are also considered, with savings on vehicle operation costs identified as the most significant, as opined by the expert surveyed. Among the analyzed highways, Khurais Road, Riyadh, was the most efficient from the SWARA approach, with a value of 0.8, and the ANP case study conducted, with a normalized score of 0.045 and 0.230 for both benefits and cost criteria.
Comparative Analysis of Seismic–Induced Vibration Response Control in Multi–Inerter–Negative Stiffness Damped Outrigger Systems
Authors: Wei Shuaiqiang , Wang Xinwei , Huang Chunxin , Wang Zhihao
Published: January 2025

The functionality and structural safety of super high–rise buildings are significantly challenged during seismic events. Although conventional damped outrigger (CDO) systems effectively mitigate seismic–induced vibrations, the energy dissipation capacity remains inherently limited. An inerter, with lightweight tuning capabilities and dynamic negative stiffness characteristics, can significantly enhance energy dissipation efficiency when integrated with negative stiffness elements. To enhance the control performance of seismic–induced vibrations, this study proposes a multi–inerter–negative stiffness damped outrigger (INSDO) system and focuses on different INSDO combinations to improve the seismic responses of super high–rise buildings. Taking a dual–outrigger system as an example, this study systematically compares the seismic performances of five INSDO configurations. The results demonstrate that all these five outrigger configurations achieve notable damping performances, with the INSDO AND INSDO combination delivering optimal outcomes. This improvement is attributed to the synergistic interaction between the inerter and the negative stiffness elements, which enhances the damper’s hysteretic performance and significantly improves its energy dissipation capacity. The energy dissipation of the INSDO AND INSDO configuration exceeds that of the single INSDO system by 71.37%.
Investigation on Buckling Behaviour of Scaffold Independent Supporting System Considering Semi-Rigid Nodes
Authors: Li Rui , Tao Qian , Liu Zhihua , Tan Qihou , Wang Yiming , Dong Wei , Zhang Binsheng
Published: January 2025

This study investigated the buckling behaviour of the scaffold independent supporting system considering semi-rigid nodes. Firstly, a scaffold independent supporting system without the horizontal and diagonal braces in the middle or/and bottom parts of the columns was proposed. The scaffold independent supporting system consisted of horizontal beams located under concrete formwork, upright columns, and beam–column nodes. There was a lot of free space within the scaffold independent supporting system, which made it possible to conduct other operational work during the curing of concrete. Then, using numerical simulation, the rotation stiffness of the beam–column node was calculated as 37.18 kN·m/rad. According to the normalized moment–rotation curve, the beam–column node was assessed as a semi-rigid node. Finally, a numerical simulation method was proposed to analyse the buckling behaviour and determine the effective length factor of the scaffold independent supporting system, in which the semi-rigid connection was characterized by setting the spring elements on the beam–column node. The results indicate that the column space and column height have effects on the effective length factor of the scaffold independent supporting system. The effective length factor increased with the increase in the column space, whereas it decreased with the increase in the column height. In addition, the initial imperfection had no obvious effects on the effective length factor.
Taming Variability in T-Cell Mechanosensing
Authors: Schultheiss Paula J. , Pulkundwar Aarya , Li Wangqi , Kam Lance C.
Published: January 2025

A central step in T-cell immunotherapy is the expansion of a starting population into therapeutically potent numbers of these “living drugs”. This process can be enhanced by replacing the mechanically stiff materials used for activation with softer counterparts. However, this mechanosensitive expansion response varies between individuals, impeding the full deployment of potential cell immunotherapy. This report identifies the sources of this variability, ultimately improving the reliability of T-cell expansion. T cells from a cohort of healthy donors were phenotypically characterized, activated, and expanded in vitro on soft and hard substrates, capturing and quantifying a wide range of mechanosensing responses. An analysis of expansion against demographic and phenotypic features correlated mechanosensing with the percentage of effector T cells (TEffs) in the starting population. Depletion experiments confirmed that TEffs mediate mechanosensitive expansion but also suggest that these cells are not responsible for large-scale cell production. Instead, population-level expansion results from interactions between T-cell subtypes. By providing a framework and experimental approach to understanding donor variability, the results of this study will improve the success and reliability of T-cell immunotherapy.
More than Just Protein Folding: The Epichaperome, Mastermind of the Cancer Cell
Authors: Amissah Haneef Ahmed , Antwi Maxwell Hubert , Amissah Tawfeek Ahmed , Combs Stephanie E. , Shevtsov Maxim
Published: January 2025

The epichaperome, a dynamic and integrated network of chaperone proteins, extends its roles beyond basic protein folding to protein stabilization and intracellular signal transduction to orchestrating a multitude of cellular processes critical for tumor survival. In this review, we explore the multifaceted roles of the epichaperome, delving into its diverse cellular locations, factors that modulate its formation and function, its liquid–liquid phase separation, and the key signaling and crosstalk pathways it regulates, including cellular metabolism and intracellular signal transduction. We further highlight techniques for isolating and identifying epichaperome networks, pitfalls, and opportunities. Further, we review the profound implications of the epichaperome for cancer treatment and therapy design, underscoring the need for strategic engineering that hinges on a comprehensive insight into the comprehensive structure and workings of the epichaperome across the heterogeneous cell subpopulations in the tumor milieu. By presenting a holistic view of the epichaperome’s functions and mechanisms, we aim to underscore its potential as a key target for novel anti-cancer strategies, revealing that the epichaperome is not merely a piece of protein folding machinery but a mastermind that facilitates the malignant phenotype.
Reduced Physical Activity and Increased Weight Status in Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review
Authors: Zaccagni Luciana , Gualdi-Russo Emanuela
Published: January 2025

Background/Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lifestyles of children and adolescents because of the restrictions imposed to contain the infection. This systematic review examined the possible reduction in children’s and adolescents’ physical activity and changes in their BMI and weight status. Methods: A systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42024589208) of English-language studies published up to 1 October 2024 in individuals with a mean age between 6 and 18 years that investigated physical activity data before and during or after the pandemic and focused on their BMI and weight status according to age, sex, and country making use of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, identified 1040 possible articles. Results: Following the PRISMA statement, 26 articles with a whole set of 138,737 children and adolescents were enclosed in the review. The majority of included articles were of moderate quality, as determined by the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale adapted for observational studies. The studies found a decrease in PA, an increase in sedentary activities during/after the lockdown, and an increase in BMI and prevalence of overweight and obesity, especially in males and 8–11-year-olds. Conclusions: The interruption or restriction of outdoor physical activities and sports during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a more sedentary lifestyle among children and adolescents, contributing to an overall increase in BMI and obesity, with alarming implications for related health risks and other noncommunicable diseases. Therefore, the adverse effects of restrictive measures should be assessed when implementing public health strategies during pandemics.