A study of the effect of Mn on the precipitation and phase transition of nanoscale Cu-rich phase in Fe–Cu alloys by phase-field method

In this study, the influence of Mn content on the precipitation and structural phase transition of the Cu-rich phase in Fe–Cu–Mn alloy at 773 K was simulated by a phase-field model. The results showed that, in the early stage of the precipitation, Mn and Cu atoms were first congregated to form Mn–Cu co-clusters, followed by Mn atoms separating from the co-clusters to segregate at the cluster-matrix interface to form a Cu-rich core and Mn-rich shell structure once the Cu content in the co-clusters reached 85%. The increase in Mn content in the alloy promoted the nucleation of the Cu-rich phase, resulting in an increase in the number density and volume fraction of the Cu-rich precipitates, while inhibiting the growth and coarsening of the Cu-rich phase. Furthermore, as the Mn content increases, the incubation time required for α-Cu phase to transform into the 9R phase was increased, while the critical radius for the transformation of α-Cu precipitates into 9R phase was decreased

Tuberculosis vaccines and therapeutic drug: challenges and future directions

Abstract Tuberculosis (TB) remains a prominent global health challenge, with the World Health Organization documenting over 1 million annual fatalities. Despite the deployment of the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine and available therapeutic agents, the escalation of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains underscores the pressing need for more efficacious vaccines and treatments. This review meticulously maps out the contemporary landscape of TB vaccine development, with a focus on antigen identification, clinical trial progress, and the obstacles and future trajectories in vaccine research. We spotlight innovative approaches, such as multi-antigen vaccines and mRNA technology platforms. Furthermore, the review delves into current TB therapeutics, particularly for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), exploring promising agents like bedaquiline (BDQ) and delamanid (DLM), as well as the potential of host-directed therapies. The hurdles in TB vaccine and therapeutic development encompass overcoming antigen diversity, enhancing vaccine effectiveness across diverse populations, and advancing novel vaccine platforms. Future initiatives emphasize combinatorial strategies, the development of anti-TB compounds targeting novel pathways, and personalized medicine for TB treatment and prevention. Despite notable advances, persistent challenges such as diagnostic failures and protracted treatment regimens continue to impede progress. This work aims to steer future research endeavors toward groundbreaking TB vaccines and therapeutic agents, providing crucial insights for enhancing TB prevention and treatment strategies

Clinical Implementation of Cone Beam Computed Tomography-Guided Online Adaptive Radiation Therapy in Whole Breast Irradiation

Purpose: In postoperative breast irradiation, changes in the breast contour and arm positioning can result in patient positioning errors and offline replanning. This can lead to increased treatment burden and strain on departmental logistics because of the need for additional cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images or even a new radiation therapy treatment plan (TP). Online daily adaptive radiation therapy (oART) could provide a solution to these challenges. We have clinically implemented and evaluated the feasibility of oART for whole breast irradiation. Methods and Materials: Twenty patients treated with postoperative whole breast right irradiation (5 × 5.2 Gy) were included in BREAST-ART, a prospective single-arm trial. The dosimetry of the reference TP calculated on the daily anatomy and adaptive TP were compared. Duration of the oART workflow, in-house satisfaction questionnaires, and acute toxicity (National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Event v5.0) were collected. The oART workflow was evaluated by investigating the impact of manual corrections of influencer and target contours on treatment time and quality. Results: In the first 17 patients (85 fractions), the on-couch time, ie, the time between the end of CBCT1 and CBCT3, was a median of 13.8 minutes (range, 11–25). Retrospective evaluation of the use of the influencer (ie, breast) in 4 patients (20 fractions) and manual correction of the most cranial and caudal target contours (ie, 4 mm) in 10 patients (36 fractions) was done. This resulted in a reduced on-couch time in the last 3 clinical patients to a median of 13.0 minutes (range, 11–19). No grade 3 or higher toxicity was observed, and 19 of 20 patients indicated that they preferred the same treatment again. Skin marks for patient positioning during treatment were no longer necessary. Conclusions: This study showed the feasibility, challenges, and practical solutions for the implementation of oART for breast cancer patients. Future work will focus on more complex breast indications, such as whole breast, including axillary nodes, to further investigate the benefits and challenges of oART in breast cancer

IBEWMS: Individual Band Spectral Feature Enhancement-Based Waterfront Environment AAV Multispectral Image Stitching

As the use of autonomous aerial vehicles (AAVs) for waterfront monitoring increases, combining multiple AAV multispectral (MS) images into a single, seamless panoramic image has become crucial. This process ensures the accuracy and effectiveness of waterfront monitoring. However, the varying reflective properties of different wavelengths bring challenges for existing single-band MS image stitching frameworks, especially in complex waterfront areas. To address this challenge, we developed the individual band enhanced waterfront multispectral stitching (IBEWMS) framework. Central to this framework is the individual band spectral feature enhancement (IBSFE) module, which enhances each spectral band based on varying reflectance of different land covers, yielding clearer and more reliable features. Using IBSFE, we designed a detector-free framework to effectively extract and match feature points in waterfront MS images. In addition, we implemented an image fusion technique to address issues, such as ghosting and global reflectance inconsistency, in panoramic images. To support this work, we provided the Wuhan AAV Waterfront Environment MS Dataset, comprising 12 315 high-resolution 5-band MS images. Experiments show that IBEWMS outperforms both deep learning and traditional stitching frameworks, offering valuable support for downstream applications

How PPAR-alpha mediated inflammation may affect the pathophysiology of chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major risk factor for death in adults. Inflammation plays a role in the pathogenesis of CKD, but the mechanisms are poorly understood. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α) is a nuclear receptor and one of the three members (PPARα, PPARβ/δ, and PPARγ) of the PPARs that plays an important role in ameliorating pathological processes that accelerate acute and chronic kidney disease. Although other PPARs members are well studied, the role of PPAR-α is not well described and its role in inflammation-mediated chronic disease is not clear. Herein, we review the role of PPAR-α in chronic kidney disease with implications for the immune system

Monitoring semantic relatedness and revealing fairness and biases through trend tests

An emerging application domain concerning content-based recommender systems provides a better consideration of the semantics behind textual descriptions. Traditional approaches often miss relevant information due to their sole focus on syntax. However, the Semantic Web community has enriched resources with cultural and linguistic background knowledge, offering new standards for word categorization. This paper proposes a framework that combines the information extractor ReVerb with the WordNet taxonomy to monitor global semantic relatedness scores. Additionally, an experimental validation confronts human-based semantic relatedness scores with theoretical ones, employing Mann–Kendall trend tests to reveal fairness and biases. Overall, our framework introduces a novel approach to semantic relatedness monitoring by providing valuable insights into fairness and biases

Mandibular ramus distraction osteogenesis and Lefort I osteotomy for obstructive sleep apnea: A case report monitored with home respiratory polygraphy

A new monitoring protocol for orthognathic surgery for addressing obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in adult patients using bilateral internal ramus distraction (BIRD) followed by Lefort I osteotomy and monitored by HRP is presented. This strategy is part of an outpatient major surgery protocol and includes preoperative 3d virtual planning, followed by surgery under general anesthesia with endoscopic assistance.Following the procedure, patients are typically discharged on the same day, with the vertical lengthening of the mandibular ramus starting after a 5-day period and progressing at a speed of 0.5–1 mm per day over a period of 10–50 days. The process carries on until the negative dental overjet exceeds 10 mm or the apnea-hypopnea index falls beneath 15 events per hour, demonstrating a curative level.Mandibular advancement monitorization based on clinical, polygraphic, or polysomnographic criteria enables the surgeon to meet the individual needs of each patient. The distractors are typically maintained in position for six months following elongation of 10–25 mm to ensure proper consolidation.BIRD followed by LeFort I osteotomy, has demonstrated significant efficacy as a treatment for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in adult patients, irrespective of the presence of retrognathia. Furthermore, this approach may offer particular advantages for patients with severe cardiovascular disease or diabetes

Research on the impact of ESG scores on corporate substantive and strategic green innovation

This paper studies the impact of ESG scores on corporate substantive and strategic green innovation of Chinese listed companies between 2007 and 2022. Results show that ESG scores have a significant positive impact on the company's green innovation, substantive and strategic green innovation. In addition, ESG scores primarily influence firm's green innovation through three channels: R&D expenditure, R&D human capital, and information transparency. Furthermore, the positive influence of ESG scores on a company's green innovation is more significant when the company has a higher shareholding ratio of the largest shareholder and institutional investors, as well as when it is a state-owned enterprise. Further researches show that only E-scores significantly positively impact green innovation. Additionally, ESG scores have significant positive impact on green innovation with a lag of 1–3 years, but no significant impact from the fourth year onwards. The results offer scientific implications for listed companies to enhance their level of green innovation, both substantively and strategically

Health and Economic Impact Estimation of Ambient Air Particulate Matter (PM) Pollution in Addis Ababa Using BenMAP-CE Model

Exposure to ambient air particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) pollution presents a significant public health and economic challenge in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This thesis used the Environmental benefits mapping and analysis program-community edition (BenMAP-CE) software tool to estimate health and economic impact of ambient air PM 2.5 pollution. The study evaluated the impact of decreasing the annual average PM 2.5 concentration in 2019 (32.8 µg/m 3 ) to different international and national air quality standards, including World health Organization’s guidelines and the Ethiopian National Ambient Air Quality standard (NAAQS). Results showed that Addis Ababa exceeded both WHO’s and Ethiopia’s ambient air quality standards in 2019. The study estimated the attributable deaths from cardiovascular, ischemic heart disease (IHD), stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lower respiratory infection (LRI) due to PM 2.5 exposure across 3 reduction scenarios. Additionally, economic benefits associated with avoided deaths were quantified using the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Value of Statistical Life (VSL) methodology. The finding demonstrated that reducing PM 2.5 pollution levels led to a notable decrease in mortality rates from various health conditions in Addis Ababa. Moreover substantial economic benefits, amounting to millions of dollars, were observed across all health endpoints, indicating significant societal savings. This study underscores the importance of implementing interventions to mitigate PM 2.5 pollution for improved public health and economic well-being in Addis Ababa and similar urban settings

Effectiveness of a family-centered psychological intervention program based on spiritual therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy on the lifestyle of patients with type 2 diabetes

Background: The aim of the present study was to design and validate a family-centered psychological intervention program based on spiritual therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy and its effectiveness on the lifestyle of patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: The method of the present study was a combination based on a guided exploratory approach with a classification model, whose qualitative phase was based on the grounded theory method and its quantitative phase was based on a quasi-experimental design based on a pre-test-post-test-follow-up design with a control group. The sampling method for the qualitative part was purposive based on theoretical saturation and the sampling method for the quantitative part was available to 30 people. The instrument used was the Lali et al. lifestyle questionnaire. Results: Findings related to the qualitative section showed that the family-centered psychological intervention program based on spirituality and cognitive behavioral therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes included 12, 60-minute sessions, which was validated based on the seven-step technique of Lawshe. Also, findings related to the repeated measures variance test showed that the intervention program had a significant effect (p<0.01) on increasing lifestyle scores in the post-test and maintaining scores in the follow-up phase. Conclusion: Overall, the results of the present study showed that the family-centered psychological intervention package based on spirituality and cognitive behavioral therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes can be used as a complementary technique alongside drug therapy to improve lifestyle and treatment process of diabetic patients