What is the Optimal Shape and Size of a Cortical Window That Least Affects Bone Strength? A Biomechanical Study

Background: Biopsy and curettage are frequently used in orthopaedic oncology surgeries. However, these procedures reduce bone strength and result in pathological fractures. Therefore, meticulous planning of the size and shape of the cortical window is paramount to preserve bone strength. However, few studies have examined the shape and size of the windows created for biopsy and curettage procedures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of cortical window shape (rectangular versus elliptical) on bone strength and to evaluate the effect of ellipses with different dimensions on bone strength. Hypothesis: The hypothesis of this study was that an elliptical cortical window would have a lesser impact on bone strength than a rectangular window, particularly in cases where the length of the ellipse increases while its width decreases. Materials and methods: Sixty-four synthetic femur models were divided into four groups (n = 8) for compression and torsional tests. Four equal-area cortical windows were created. G1 (rectangular), G2 (elliptical, 1/1.5 ratio), G3 (elliptical, 1/3 ratio), and G4 (elliptical, 1/6 ratio). Compression tests (10 mm/min) were used to assess the maximum load, stiffness, yield load, and fracture energy. Torsion tests (50º/min) were used to measure the maximum torque, stiffness, and work done. Biomechanical performance was compared using load-displacement and torque-angular displacement data. Results: All bone models were fractured along the cortical window. G3 (elliptical, 511.09 ± 55.07 N) had higher maximum load than G1 (rectangular, 389.18 ± 88.46 N, p = 0.003). The elliptical groups (G2:71.21 N/mm, G3:71.04 N/mm, G4:84.10 N/mm) showed greater compression stiffness than G1 (52.60 N/mm, p ≤ 0.05). G3 had higher yield load (458.72 ± 43.42 N) and work done (2.6 J) than G1 (352.43 ± 91.24 N, 1.78 J, p ≤ 0.05). No significant difference in torsion test results was observed between G3 and G1 (p > 0.05). G2 exhibited lower maximum load, yield load, and work than G3 and G4 (p ≤ 0.003). G4 exhibited higher torque (17.08 Nm) than G2 (11.73 Nm, p = 0.02) and G3 (12.62 Nm, p = 0.018). The torsional stiffness was similar across the elliptical groups. Discussion: This biomechanical study demonstrated that elliptical cortical windows, especially those with higher length-to-width ratios, outperform rectangular windows in terms of strength under compression and torsional loads. These findings suggest that elliptical cortical windows may provide biomechanical advantages in terms of preserving bone strength and reducing fracture risk. However, as these results are based on an experimental model, further in vivo studies are needed to confirm their clinical applicability. Level of evidence: V; Comparative laboratory study. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved

Facile and Scalable Synthesis of Crystalline BiOI Nanoflake Films via LiTFSI-Assisted Conversion of Porous BiI3 for Functional Applications

Bismuth oxyiodide (BiOI) has garnered significant attention due to its unique morphological, optical and electronic properties, making it a promising candidate for diverse applications in optoelectronics and energy-related fields. In this study, we report a novel and facile method for synthesizing crystalline BiOI nanoflake films via lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI)-assisted conversion of porous bismuth triiodide (BiI3) precursors. The synthesis involves formulating a stable BiI3 paste using LiTFSI as a structural template and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as solvents. The paste is deposited on flat substrates to form a film and subsequently hydrolyzed in deionized water under mild conditions, yielding BiOI films. The paste-based approach enables efficient material utilization and reproducible large-area synthesis. The resulting BiOI films were systematically characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis and pore size distribution measurements. The films synthesized using GBL and DMSO exhibited well-defined nanoflake morphology, with average flake thicknesses of 24.3 and 17.5 nm, direct bandgap values of 2.07 and 1.95 eV, and surface areas of 19.57 and 16.71 m2/g, respectively. This robust and versatile synthesis strategy offers a promising pathway for the scalable production of high-quality BiOI films toward future optoelectronic and environmental photocatalytic applications.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkiye, TUBITAK [TUBITAK 224M021]This work was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkiye, TUBITAK (Project Number: TUBITAK 224M021). The authors would like to thank Prof. Dr. Nuri Durlu for kindly allowing the use of the XRD and SEM instruments, and Dr. F ; imath;rat Memu for his valuable assistance

Differential Cross-Section Measurements of D± and Ds± Meson Production in Proton-Proton Collisions at S = 13 TeV With the ATLAS Detector

The production of D± and Ds± charmed mesons is measured using the D±/Ds±→ ϕ(μμ)π± decay channel with 137 fb−1 of s = 13 TeV proton-proton collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider during the years 2016–2018. The charmed mesons are reconstructed in the range of transverse momentum 12 pinf>T/inf> 100 GeV and pseudorapidity |η| 2.5. The differential cross-sections are measured as a function of transverse momentum and pseudorapidity, respectively, and compared with next-to-leading- order QCD predictions. The predictions are found to be consistent with the measurements in the visible kinematic region within the large theoretical uncertainties. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved

When Therapy Ends: A Qualitative Study on Termination Processes in Youth with a History of Residential Care

Introduction: Young people raised in residential care often face attachment challenges that impact their psychotherapy experiences. While research has examined their therapeutic needs, little is known about their experiences of therapy termination—a process potentially reactivating earlier separation experiences. This study explores how clients from residential care backgrounds and their therapists experience the psychotherapy termination process. Methods: Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with five young adults (aged 21-27) who had spent 3-10 years in residential care and completed psychotherapy and six therapists who had worked with this population. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Six themes emerged: (1) Attachment-Influenced Motivations and Goals; (2) Therapeutic Process as Corrective Attachment Experience; (3) Outcomes Reflecting Attachment Development; (4) Barriers to Therapeutic Engagement; (5) Client Resilience as a Resource; and (6) Termination as a Crucible for Attachment Dynamics. Conclusion: Therapy termination often activated earlier attachment patterns, with clients displaying preemptive withdrawal, feelings of unworthiness, or occasionally achieving healthy closure. For young people with residential care backgrounds, therapy termination is influenced by early attachment experiences and institutional histories. Therapists should approach termination with sensitivity, emphasise the therapeutic relationship, provide longer-term services when possible, and implement carefully planned endings. These findings contribute to developing more effective termination strategies for this vulnerable population. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved

Impact of Experiencing the Destructive 6 February 2023 Earthquakes in Türkiye on Household Preparedness and Its Determinants: A Quasi-Experimental Study in Istanbul

Dogulu, Canay/0000-0002-5906-3706This study investigates how the February 6, 2023, earthquakes affected household preparedness and its psychosocial factors in I(center dot)stanbul while also identifying factors that influence taking further precautions afterwards. Utilising a quasi-experimental design, the dataset includes pre- and postearthquake measurements across various socioeconomic backgrounds and earthquake risk zones. A 2 x 2 Mixed Design ANOVA was performed to determine the effect of time (before/after the February 6, 2023 earthquakes) on preparedness and psychosocial factors related to preparedness, considering differences in the perceived impact of the earthquakes (Affected and Not Affected). To further explore the impact of the earthquakes on preparedness and to identify which group of factors had the greatest influence on this impact, regression analyses were conducted. A significant main effect of time (before/after the February 6, 2023, earthquakes) was found on overall preparedness and its components, except for psychological preparedness. Furthermore, the main effect of time on nearly all psychosocial factors was significant, except for community participation and trust. The interaction effect of time and the perceived impact of the disaster on earthquake preparedness was found to be statistically significant in relation to several aspects of earthquake preparedness. Taking additional precautions in the aftermath of the disaster was most strongly associated with residing in high-risk areas and having better socioeconomic conditions. Women were more likely to take additional precautions. Action coping was the only psychosocial factor associated with additional precautions. These findings highlight a critical opportunity to enhance community resilience and household preparedness following disasters.This project was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkiye (TUEBITAK) under Project No. 121K636.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkiye (TUBITAK) [121K636

Combined Use of Essential Oils With Organic Acids in Modifying Performance, Intestinal Health, Caecal Microflora, and Selected Blood and Bone Parameters in Broilers

Ramay, Muhammad Shazaib/0000-0002-7061-0483;Essential oils (EOs) and organic acids (OAs) are promising feed additives with crucial roles in promoting animal health and performance. This study aimed to assess the combined effects of phytobiotics with organic acids (EOAs) in broiler diets for 39 days. A total of daily 300 male chicks were assigned to three groups, each containing 100 chicks with 5 replicates. The basal diet was supplemented with 0, 0.1, and 0.2% EOAs, respectively. EOAs supplementation did not significantly affect performance values. The villus height/crypt depth ratio in the jejunum and villus dimensions in the ileum showed improvement with EOAs. Dietary EOAs supplementation led to a reduction in the count of Enterobacteriaceae and an increase in Lactobacillus in the caecum. Serum IgA and IgG levels increased with EOAs. Ultimate load, yield load, and the levels of ash, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, and manganese in tibia and femur were higher at high levels of EOAs than in the other groups. In conclusion, the study suggests that 0.1% EOAs usage in diets could be a viable option for enhancing intestinal health, immunity, and bone mineralization as an alternative growth promoter, especially in commercial broiler production

Multi-Agent Rl for Sleep Mode and Antenna Configuration With User Offloading Under Dynamic Traffic in Massive MIMO Networks

In this paper, we focus on minimizing the total energy consumption of multi-cell massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) networks while simultaneously guaranteeing user quality of service (QoS). This is achieved by optimizing the multi-level advanced sleep modes (ASM), antenna switching, and user association of the base stations (BSs). Due to the interdependence of user association and inter-cell interference in the network, collaborative efforts among individual BSs become imperative. The problem is modeled as a decentralized partially observable Markov decision process (DEC-POMDP) and a multi-agent proximal policy optimization (MAPPO) algorithm is proposed to obtain a collaborative BS control policy. Simulation results demonstrate that the obtained policy can significantly improve network energy efficiency, adaptively switch the BSs into different depths of sleep, reduce inter-cell interference, and maintain good QoS compared to the two benchmark algorithms. The results also validate that enabling user offloading among BSs can improve both user QoS and system performance. The superiority of MAPPO is further affirmed by comparing it with the single-agent deep Q network (DQN) algorithm.Thiswork was supported by Swedish Vinnova under the Eureka Celtic Next ProjectsAI4Green and RAI6Green. This work was performed while Shuai Zhang waswith the KTH Royal Institute of Technology.Swedish Vinnova under the Eureka Celtic Next Projects AI4Green and RAI6Gree

Healthcare Users’ Experience With E-Health: Benefits, Drawbacks, and the Future

Turkey has undergone significant structural changes in its healthcare system through the implementation of the Health Transformation Programme (H.T.P.) since 2003. This initiative aimed at enhancing accessibility to health services for all citizens, with universal health coverage (U.H.C.) being a cornerstone. However, despite these efforts, disparities exist in the distribution of healthcare infrastructure and professionals throughout the country, which impede the effectiveness of U.H.C. alone in improving accessibility. One pivotal aspect of the H.T.P. is the integration of e-health applications, playing a crucial role in supporting U.H.C. objectives. E-health, or electronic health, refers to the use of information technologies in the health sector aiming at ensuring the effective and efficient delivery of health services, providing rapid access for citizens, and sustaining data sharing with relevant stakeholders. To fully harness the benefits of e-health, it is essential not only for healthcare professionals but also for users to be knowledgeable about these applications and have access to them. Consequently, this study aims to assess the awareness and usage of e-health applications among healthcare users in Turkey. The study has realized that awareness and utilization of e-health applications vary among users from diverse demographic and socio-economic backgrounds. © 2025 selection and editorial matter, Dilek Başar and Selcen Öztürk

Models for Test Cost Minimization in Database Migration

Database migration is a ubiquitous need faced by enterprises that generate and use vast amounts of data. This is because of database software updates, or it is from changes to hardware, project standards, and other business factors. Migrating a large collection of databases is a way more challenging task than migrating a single database because of the presence of additional constraints. These constraints include capacities of shifts and sizes of databases. In this paper, we present a comprehensive framework that can be used to model database migration problems of different enterprises with customized constraints by appropriately instantiating the parameters of the framework. These parameters are the size of each database, the size of each shift, and the cost of testing each application. Each of these parameters can be either constant or arbitrary. Additionally, the cost of testing an application can be proportional to the number of databases that the application uses. We establish the computational complexities of a number of instantiations of this framework. We present fixed-parameter intractability results for various relevant parameters of the database migration problem. We also provide approximability and inapproximability results as well as lower bounds for the running time of any exact algorithm for the database migration problem. We show that the database migration problem is equivalent to a variation of the classical hypergraph partitioning problem. Our theoretical results also imply new theoretical results for the hypergraph partitioning problem that are interesting in their own right. Finally, we adapt heuristic algorithms devised for the hypergraph partitioning problem to the database migration problem, and we also give experimental results for the adapted heuristics. © 2024 INFORMS.Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu, TÜBİTAK, (122E599, 2018, 2021); Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu, TÜBİTA

Measurement of the Associated Production of a Top-Antitop Pair and a Higgs Boson Decaying into a bb¯ Pair in pp Collisions at √s=13 TeV Using the ATLAS Detector at the LHC

This paper reports the measurement of Higgs boson production in association with a tt¯ pair in the H→bb¯ decay channel. The analysis uses 140 fb-1 of 13 TeV proton–proton collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The final states with one or two electrons or muons are employed. An excess of events over the expected background is found with an observed (expected) significance of 4.6 (5.4) standard deviations. The tt¯H cross-section is σtt¯H=411-92+101fb=411±54(stat.)-75+85(syst.)fb for a Higgs boson mass of 125.09 GeV, consistent with the prediction of the Standard Model of 507-50+35 fb. The cross-section is also measured differentially in bins of the Higgs boson transverse momentum within the simplified template cross-section framework. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved