Background and Objectives: Chest wall defect reconstruction is a complex procedure aimed at restoring thoracic structural integrity after trauma, tumor removal, or congenital issues. In this study, postoperative complications were investigated to improve the care of patients with these critical conditions. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of chest wall reconstructions from 2004 to 2023 was conducted at Klinikum Nürnberg and Evangelisches Waldkrankenhaus Spandau—Berlin. Data included patient demographics, comorbidities, defect etiology, surgery details, and complications using the Clavien–Dindo classification. Results: Among the 30 patients included in the study, a total of 35 complications occurred in 35 thoracic wall defect reconstructions. These complications were classified into 22 major and 13 minor cases. Major complications were more common in patients with cancer-related defects, and considerable variations were observed between free flap and pedicled flap surgeries. Notably, the use of the anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap with vastus lateralis muscle demonstrated promise, exhibiting fewer complications in select cases. The reconstruction of chest wall defects is associated with substantial complications regardless of the etiology of the defect and the particular surgical procedure used. Interestingly, there was a lower complication rate with free flap surgery than with pedicled flaps. Conclusions: The ALT flap with vastus lateralis muscle deserves further research in this field of reconstruction. Multidisciplinary approaches and informed patient discussions are crucial in this complex surgical field, emphasizing the need for ongoing research and technique refinement. Full article

Currently, the production of radioactive waste from nuclear industries is increasing, leading to the development of reliable containment strategies. The deep geological repository (DGR) concept has emerged as a suitable storage solution, involving the underground emplacement of nuclear waste within stable geological formations. Bentonite clay, known for its exceptional properties, serves as a critical artificial barrier in the DGR system. Recent studies have suggested the stability of bentonite within DGR relevant conditions, indicating its potential to enhance the long-term safety performance of the repository. On the other hand, due to its high resistance to corrosion, copper is one of the most studied reference materials for canisters. This review provides a comprehensive perspective on the influence of nuclear waste conditions on the characteristics and properties of DGR engineered barriers. This paper outlines how evolving physico-chemical parameters (e.g., temperature, radiation) in a nuclear repository may impact these barriers over the lifespan of a repository and emphasizes the significance of understanding the impact of microbial processes, especially in the event of radionuclide leakage (e.g., U, Se) or canister corrosion. Therefore, this review aims to address the long-term safety of future DGRs, which is critical given the complexity of such future systems. Full article

Although N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET) remains the most effective repellent against mosquitoes and ticks, concerns about skin irritation, rashes, and neurological problems in children have driven the search for natural alternatives. The aim of this research was to develop, manufacture, and test prototype stickers derived from invasive plant species in Europe. These labels contained a coating with encapsulated repellents made from essential oils to protect against mosquito bites and similar blood-sucking insects. Six samples of invasive plant species in Europe such as Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica), goldenrod (Solidago gigantea), and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) were coated with two essential oil mixtures (of geranium, lavender, and eucalyptus) and were encapsulated on solid carriers for prolonged evaporation. Analysis of the structural properties (weight, thickness, density, and specific volume) were carried out on the coated label samples. Analysis of surface properties (roughness and porosity), capillary absorption, and a comparison of time and evaporation of essential oils were also carried out. Scanning electron microscopy was performed on the samples and the solid carrier with different mixtures of essential oils. The Japanese knotweed sample, coated with a blend of geranium, lavender, and eucalyptus essential oils, showed the highest efficacy and stability. Full article

Quantum mechanics of unitary systems is considered in quasi-Hermitian representation and in the dynamical regime in which one has to take into account the ubiquitous presence of perturbations, random or specific. In this paper, it is shown that multiple technical obstacles encountered in such a context can be circumvented via just a mild amendment of the so-called Rayleigh–Schrödinger perturbation–expansion approach. In particular, the quasi-Hermitian formalism characterized by an enhancement of flexibility is shown to remain mathematically tractable while, on the phenomenological side, opening several new model-building horizons. It is emphasized that they include, i.a., the study of generic random perturbations and/or of multiple specific non-Hermitian toy models. In parallel, several paradoxes and open questions are shown to survive. Full article

In this paper, a new sensor is proposed to efficiently gather crucial information on corrosion phenomena and their progression within steel components. Fabricated with plastic optical fibers (POF), the sensor can detect corrosion-induced physical changes in the appearance of monitoring points within the steel material. Additionally, the new sensor incorporates an innovative structure that efficiently utilizes bi-directional optical transmission in the POF, simplifying the installation procedure and reducing the total cost of the POF cables by as much as 50% when monitoring multiple points. Furthermore, an extremely compact dummy sensor with the length of 5 mm and a diameter of 2.2 mm for corrosion-depth detection was introduced, and its functionality was validated through experiments. This paper outlines the concept and fundamental structure of the proposed sensor; analyzes the results of various experiments; and discusses its effectiveness, prospects, and economic advantages. Full article

Sorption technologies are essential for various industries because they provide product quality and process efficiency. New encapsulated microspherical composite sorbents have been developed for resource-saving contact drying of thermolabile materials, particularly grain and seeds of crops. Magnesium sulfate, known for its high water capacity, fast sorption kinetics, and easy regeneration, was used as an active moisture sorption component. To localize the active component, porous carriers with an accessible internal volume and a perforated glass–crystalline shell were used. These carriers were created by acid etching of cenospheres with different structures isolated from fly ash. The amount of magnesium sulfate included in the internal volume of the microspherical carrier was 38 wt % for cenospheres with ring structures and 26 wt % for cenospheres with network structures. Studies of the moisture sorption properties of composite sorbents on wheat seeds have shown that after 4 h of contact drying the moisture content of wheat decreases from 22.5 to 14.9–15.5 wt %. Wheat seed germination after sorption drying was 95 ± 2%. The advantage of composite sorbents is the encapsulation of the desiccant in the inner volume of perforated cenospheres, which prevents its entrainment and contamination and provides easy separation and stable sorption capacity in several cycles. Full article

The selection of key soil physical properties (SPPs) for studying the impact of livestock treading is an unexplored research topic, especially in studies that analyze the influence of livestock management on the degradation process. The objective of this work was to demonstrate that the key SPPs for studying the impact of livestock treading depend on the objectives of the research and the environmental characteristics of the study site. This work used discriminant analysis to establish the most significant SPPs among the following: bulk density (BD), total porosity (P), field capacity (FC), infiltration capacity (IC), and aggregate stability (AS). Results showed that (1) IC and BD are the key properties for identifying the areas affected (bare patch) and unaffected (vegetated patch) by livestock treading, (2) none of the SPPs are significant under increasing stocking rates, and (3) BD is the key property for analyzing livestock impact with increasing stocking rate, using soil calcium carbonate content, slope exposure, and grass cover. We concluded that the relationship between physical soil degradation and stocking rate is not linear because it depends on environmental factors; therefore, to establish the key SPPs, it is necessary to take this fact into account. Full article

The Ti-4Al-2V (wt. %) titanium alloy has garnered widespread applications across diverse fields due to its exceptional strength-to-weight ratio, high toughness, specific strength, and corrosion resistance. The welding of Ti-4Al-2V titanium alloy components is often necessary in manufacturing processes, where the reliability of a welded joint critically influences the overall service life of these components. Consequently, a comprehensive understanding of the welded joint’s microstructure and mechanical properties is imperative. In this study, Ti-4Al-2V titanium alloy was welded using multi-layer and multi-pass TIG welding techniques, and a detailed examination was conducted to analyze the microstructure and grain morphology of each microzone of the welded joint. The results revealed the presence of an initial α phase and a secondary lamellar α phase in the heat affected zone (HAZ). Meanwhile, the fusion zone (FZ) primarily comprised a coarse secondary α phase and a small amount of an acicular martensitic α’ phase. Both the recrystallization zone and the superheated zone exhibited a distinct preferred orientation, with grains smaller than 10 μm accounting for 65.9% and 55.1%, respectively. To assess the mechanical properties of the various microzones and the typical microstructure within the welded joint, nanoindentation tests were performed. The results indicated that the recrystallization zone possessed a higher nanohardness (3.753 GPa) than the incomplete recrystallization zone (3.563 GPa) and the superheated zone (3.48 GPa). Among all the microzones, the FZ exhibited the lowest average nanohardness (3.058 GPa). Notably, the basket-weave microstructure demonstrated the highest average nanohardness, reaching 3.93 GPa. This was followed by the fine-grain microstructure, which possessed a slightly lower nanohardness. The Widmanstätten microstructure, on the other hand, exhibited the lowest nanohardness among the three microstructures within the HAZ. Therefore, the basket-weave microstructure stands out as the most desirable microstructure to achieve in the welded joint. In summary, this study provides a comprehensive characterization and analysis of the microstructure and properties of Ti-4Al-2V titanium alloy TIG welds, aiming to contribute to the optimization of the TIG welding process for Ti-4Al-2V titanium alloy. Full article

Interference of two and four light beams with linear or circular polarization is studied analytically and numerically based on the Richards–Wolf formalism. We consider such characteristics of the interference fields as the distribution of intensity, polarization, and spin angular momentum density. The generation of light fields with 1D and 2D periodic structure of both intensity and polarization is demonstrated. We can control the periodic structure both by changing the polarization state of the interfering beams and by changing the numerical aperture of focusing. We consider examples with a basic configuration, as well as those with a certain symmetry in the polarization state of the interfering beams. In some cases, increasing the numerical aperture of the focusing system significantly affects the generated distributions of both intensity and polarization. Experimental results, obtained using a polarization video camera, are in good agreement with the simulation results. The considered light fields can be used in laser processing of thin films of photosensitive (as well as polarization-sensitive) materials in order to create arrays of various ordered nano- and microstructures. Full article

Familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic disorder marked by elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), poses significant risks for premature atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases, particularly during pregnancy. One of the safe methods of treating this condition in pregnancy is with the use of LDL apheresis. We present a 38-year-old primigravida with homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia (HoFH), ischemic cardiomyopathy, and angina pectoris. Two years before conception, extremely elevated lipid levels prompted statin therapy and lifestyle changes. Stent placements followed acute myocardial infarction. When planning pregnancy, statins were discontinued, but lipid levels elevated. LDL apheresis was initiated, achieving a 60% reduction. Throughout pregnancy, 16 LDL apheresis sessions were performed every 14 days, maintaining optimal lipid profiles. A cesarean section was performed in the 38th week of gestation, delivering a healthy infant. The patient resumed statin therapy after 8 months of breastfeeding. The patient maintained cardiovascular health, demonstrating the feasibility of controlled HoFH pregnancies. This case highlights the successful management of HoFH during pregnancy using LDL apheresis, ensuring maternal and fetal well-being. Future research on novel treatments and their safety during pregnancy is essential for refining therapeutic approaches in similar cases. Full article

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and second leading cause of cancer deaths among American men. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has been systemically applied as a first-line therapy for PCa patients. Despite the initial responses, the majority of patients under ADT eventually experienced tumor progression to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), further leading to tumor metastasis to distant organs. Therefore, identifying the key molecular mechanisms underlying PCa progression remains crucial for the development of novel therapies for metastatic PCa. Previously, we identified that tumor-suppressive miR-99b-5p is frequently downregulated in aggressive African American (AA) PCa and European American (EA) CRPC, leading to upregulation of mTOR, androgen receptor (AR), and HIF-1α signaling. Given the fact that mTOR and HIF-1α signaling are critical upstream pathways that trigger the activation of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), we hypothesized that miR-99b-5p may play a critical functional role in regulating EMT-mediated PCa metastasis. To test this hypothesis, a series of cell biology, biochemical, and in vitro functional assays (wound healing, transwell migration, cell/ECM adhesion, and capillary-like tube formation assays) were performed to examine the effects of miR-99b-5p mimic on regulating EMT-mediated PCa metastasis processes. Our results have demonstrated that miR-99b-5p simultaneously targets MTOR and AR signaling, leading to upregulation of E-cadherin, downregulation of Snail/N-cadherin/Vimentin, and suppression of EMT-mediated PCa metastasis. MiR-99b-5p alone and in combination with enzalutamide or abiraterone significantly inhibits the EMT-mediated metastasis of AA PCa and EA CRPC. Full article

This paper presents a charging architecture for the Reconfigurable Cascaded Multilevel converter, which was specifically designed for electric vehicle (EV) powertrain applications. The RCMC topology is capable of executing power conversion and actively managing battery systems concurrently. The active battery management is achieved using the Reconfigurable Battery Module, which regulates the serial connection of cells via a switch pattern. In this paper, the RCMC is directly interfaced with an AC three-phase power system, facilitating the dynamic control over battery cells charging. Its inherent design allows for the implementation of various charging algorithms, customizable to specific requirements, without necessitating additional intermediary power stages. Firstly, an overview of the RCMC topology is given, and an analysis to define the optimal filter inductance is carried out. Subsequently, after the AC system characteristics are explained, two charging algorithms are presented and described: one prioritizes State of Charge (SOC) balancing among battery cells, while the other focuses on minimizing power losses. Moreover, a time estimation computation for the RCMC is carried out considering a two-level AC charging station. The result is compared with the time required for a conventional battery pack. The results show a reduction of 10 s in charging time for a mere 20% increase in SOC. Finally, the experimental setup is presented and used to validate the efficacy of the proposed algorithms. Full article

We are interested in the determination of the local nonlinear magnetic material behaviour in electrical steel sheets due to cutting and punching effects. For this purpose, the inverse problem has to be solved, where the objective function, which penalises the difference between the measured and the simulated magnetic flux density, has to be minimised under a constraint defined according to the corresponding partial differential equation model. We use the adjoint method to efficiently obtain the gradients of the objective function with respect to the material parameters. The optimisation algorithm is low-memory Broyden–Fletcher–Goldfarb–Shanno (BFGS), the forward and adjoint formulations are solved using the finite element (FE) method and the ill-posedness is handled via Tikhonov regularisation, in combination with the discrepancy principle. Realistic numerical case studies show promising results. Full article

Although prompt administration of an appropriate antimicrobial therapy (AAT) is crucial for reducing mortality in the general population with community-onset bacteremia, the prognostic effects of delayed AAT in older individuals with febrile and afebrile bacteremia remain unclear. A stepwise and backward logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors of 30-day mortality. In a 7-year multicenter cohort study involving 3424 older patients (≥65 years) with community-onset bacteremia, febrile bacteremia accounted for 27.1% (912 patients). A crucial association of afebrile bacteremia and 30-day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 1.69; p < 0.001) was revealed using Cox regression and Kaplan–Meier curves after adjusting for the independent predictors of mortality. Moreover, each hour of delayed AAT was associated with an average increase of 0.3% (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.003; p < 0.001) and 0.2% (AOR, 1.002; p < 0.001) in the 30-day crude mortality rates among patients with afebrile and febrile bacteremia, respectively, after adjusting for the independent predictors of mortality. Similarly, further analysis based on Cox regression and Kaplan–Meier curves revealed that inappropriate empirical therapy (i.e., delayed AAT administration > 24 h) had a significant prognostic impact, with AHRs of 1.83 (p < 0.001) and 1.76 (p < 0.001) in afebrile and febrile patients, respectively, after adjusting for the independent predictors of mortality. In conclusion, among older individuals with community-onset bacteremia, the dissimilarity of the prognostic impacts of delayed AAT between afebrile and febrile presentation was evident. Full article

In this study, we proposed a model for modular robots in which autonomous decentralized modules adaptively organize their behavior. The phototaxis of Gonium pectorale, a species of volvocine algae, was modeled as a modular system, and a fault-tolerant modular control method of phototaxis was proposed for it. The proposed method was based on the rotation phase of the colony and adaptively adjusted an internal response-related parameter to enhance the fault tolerance of the system. Compared to a constant parameter approach, the simulation results demonstrated a significant improvement in the phototaxis time for positive and negative phototaxis during module failures. This method contributes to achieving autonomous, decentralized, and purposeful mediation of the modules necessary for controlling modular robots. Full article

The study utilizes China Household Panel Survey (CFPS) data from 2010 to 2020 to create a spatial panel Durbin model and examines the spatial spillover effect of the income gap on consumer demand using spatial econometric techniques. Studies have shown that the income gap has a notable inverted U-shaped influence on consumer demand, and there is a strong inverted U-shaped spatial spillover effect between surrounding locations. Expanding the income difference within a specific range boosts consumer demand in both local and surrounding areas. Further increasing the income difference impedes the growth of consumer demand in both local and surrounding regions. Regional variations significantly impact how the income gap affects consumer demand through spatial spillover. From the perspective of consumption quantity, the “inverted U-shaped” inflection point in economically developed regions and eastern regions is on the left side of economically underdeveloped regions and western regions; from the perspective of consumer quality, this result is exactly the opposite. China should persist in enhancing efforts to advance income distribution system reform and improvement, bolster the development of inclusive, fundamental, and grassroots livelihoods, manage residents’ income gap amid evolving income levels, and stimulate consumer demand in local and neighboring regions. Full article

This research develops an innovative framework for accelerating Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) simulations within squared heated cavities through the application of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). Although leveraging GPUs for computational speed improvements is well recognized, this study distinguishes itself by formulating a tailored optimization strategy utilizing the CUDA-C programming language. This approach is specifically designed to tackle the inherent challenges of modeling squared cavity configurations in thermal simulations. Comparative performance evaluations reveal that our GPU-accelerated framework reduces computation times by up to 99.7% relative to traditional mono-core CPU processing. More importantly, it demonstrates an increase in accuracy in heat transfer predictions compared to existing CPU-based models. These results highlight not only the technical feasibility but also the substantial enhancements in simulation efficiency and accuracy, which are crucial for critical engineering applications such as aerospace component design, electronic device cooling, and energy system optimization. By advancing GPU computational techniques, this work contributes significantly to the field of thermal management, offering a potential for broader application and paving the way for more efficient, sustainable engineering solutions. Full article

To find the total core losses in 1-phase medium-frequency transformers, a 3D numerical field analysis was carried out. The proposed numerical modeling was based on the extended iterative homogenization method (IHM) developed by the authors. The achieved calculation results were validated by the corresponding values obtained experimentally, and a reasonably close agreement was obtained. Full article

In this study, a new species of the subgenus Pullus belonging to the Scymnus genus from Pakistan, Scymnus (Pullus) cardi sp. nov., was described and illustrated, with information on its distribution, host plants, and prey. Additionally, the completed mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of the new species using high-throughput sequencing technology was obtained. The genome contains the typical 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNAs, and 22 transfer RNAs) and a non-coding control region, and is arranged in the same order as that of the putative ancestor of beetles. The AT content of the mitogenome is approximately 85.1%, with AT skew and GC skew of 0.05 and −0.43, respectively. The calculated values of relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) determine that the codon UUA (L) has the highest frequency. Furthermore, we explored the phylogenetic relationship among 59 representatives of the Coccinellidae using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods, the results of which strongly support the monophyly of Coccinellinae. The phylogenetic results positioned Scymnus (Pullus) cardi in a well-supported clade with Scymnus (Pullus) loewii and Scymnus (Pullus) rubricaudus within the genus Scymnus and the tribe Scymnini. The mitochondrial sequence of S. (P.) cardi will contribute to the mitochondrial genome database and provide helpful information for the identification and phylogeny of Coccinellidae. Full article

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative and progressive disease that impacts the nerve cells in the brain and varies from person to person. The exact cause of PD is still unknown, and the diagnosis of PD does not include a specific objective test with certainty. Although deep learning has made great progress in medical neuroimaging analysis, these methods are very susceptible to biases present in neuroimaging datasets. An innovative decorrelated deep learning technique is introduced to mitigate class bias and scanner bias while simultaneously focusing on finding distinguishing characteristics in resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) data, which assists in recognizing PD with good accuracy. The decorrelation function reduces the nonlinear correlation between features and bias in order to learn bias-invariant features. The publicly available Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) dataset, referred to as a single-scanner imbalanced dataset in this study, was used to validate our method. The imbalanced dataset problem affects the performance of the deep learning framework by overfitting to the majority class. To resolve this problem, we propose a new decorrelated convolutional neural network (DcCNN) framework by applying decorrelation-based optimization to convolutional neural networks (CNNs). An analysis of evaluation metrics comparisons shows that integrating the decorrelation function boosts the performance of PD recognition by removing class bias. Specifically, our DcCNN models perform significantly better than existing traditional approaches to tackle the imbalance problem. Finally, the same framework can be extended to create scanner-invariant features without significantly impacting the performance of a model. The obtained dataset is a multiscanner dataset, which leads to scanner bias due to the differences in acquisition protocols and scanners. The multiscanner dataset is a combination of two publicly available datasets, namely, PPMI and FTLDNI—the frontotemporal lobar degeneration neuroimaging initiative (NIFD) dataset. The results of t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) and scanner classification accuracy of our proposed feature extraction–DcCNN (FE-DcCNN) model validated the effective removal of scanner bias. Our method achieves an average accuracy of 77.80% on a multiscanner dataset for differentiating PD from a healthy control, which is superior to the DcCNN model trained on a single-scanner imbalanced dataset. Full article

CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) play important regulatory roles in plant growth development and abiotic stress tolerance. However, the biological roles of these genes in response to low-nitrate (LN) stress in potato plants have not been determined. Here, we reported that StCIPK23 was expressed mainly in roots and leaves. StCIPK23 was located mainly in the cell membrane, nucleus, and cytoplasm. Further research suggested that, compared with wild-type (WT) plants, StCIPK23-overexpressing plants were taller and had significantly greater nitrate and ammonium nitrogen contents under LN stress. StCIPK23 overexpression can increase StAT, StNRT2.1, StNR, StGS1-3, and StGOGAT expression levels in StCIPK23 transgenic seedlings compared to those in WT plants under LN stress. The results of yeast two-hybrid and luciferase complementation imaging experiments suggested that StCIPK23 could interact with StCBL3. Real-time reverse transcription–PCR revealed the StCIPK23 expression level peaked at 6 h and the StCBL3 expression level peaked at 9 h in the roots under LN stress. In conclusion, we found that StCIPK23 and StCBL3 form a complex to regulate the expression of key genes in the nitrogen metabolism pathway to improve LN tolerance in potato plants. Full article