Search Results (2,458)

Maritime search and rescue (SAR) demands reliable sensing and communication under sea clutter. Emerging integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) technology provides new opportunities for the development and modernization of maritime radio communication, particularly in relation to search and rescue. This study investigated the dual-function capability of a phase-coded frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) system for search and rescue at sea, in particular for life signs detection in the presence of sea clutter. The detection capability of the FMCW system was enhanced by applying phase-modulated codes on chirps, and radar-centric communication function is supported simultaneously. Various phase-coding schemes including Barker, Frank, Zadoff-Chu (ZC), and Costas were assessed by adopting the peak sidelobe level and integrated sidelobe level of the ambiguity function of the established signals. The interplay of sea waves was represented by a compound K-distribution model. A multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) architecture with the ZC code was adopted to detect multiple objects with a high resolution for micro-Doppler determination by taking advantage of spatial coherence with beamforming. The effectiveness of the proposed method was validated on the 4-transmit, 4-receive (4 × 4) MIMO system with ZC coded FMCW signals. Monte Carlo simulations were carried out incorporating different combinations of targets and user configurations with a wide range of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) settings. Extensive simulations demonstrated that the mean squared error (MSE) of range estimation remained low across the evaluated SNR setting, while communication performance was comparable to that of a baseline orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)-based system. The high performance demonstrated by the proposed method makes it a suitable maritime search and rescue solution, in particular for vision-restricted situations. Full article

Mechanical damage reduces the marketability of Korla fragrant pears, severely restricting industry development. To enhance the commercial value of pears, this study investigated the effects of impact, compressive, and combined impact-compressive damage types on the weight loss rate, L*, a*, and b* of pears, and constructed a multi-output prediction model for the weight loss rate, L*, a*, and b* of damaged pears during storage by integrating partial least squares regression (PLSR), support vector regression (SVR), and long short-term memory (LSTM), from which the optimal prediction model was selected to achieve synchronous detection of the physical quality of damaged pears during storage. The results indicated that during storage, the weight loss rate, a*, and b* of pears subjected to different damage types gradually increased with prolonged storage time, while L* gradually decreased. Under the same damage volume situation, pears subjected to impact-static pressure combined action exhibited the fastest storage quality change speed, followed by impact action, static pressure action. The SVR multi-output model demonstrated optimal performance in predicting the weight loss rate, L*, a*, and b* of damaged pears during storage, achieving mean coefficient of determination R², root mean square error (RMSE), and residual prediction deviation (RPD) values of 0.988, 0.513, and 10.072, respectively, for these four quality indicators. These results establish a theoretical foundation for the development of simultaneous monitoring techniques for fruit storage quality. Full article

Background/Objectives: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) often requires prolonged brace use to prevent curve progression. However, adherence is challenging due to discomfort, mobility restrictions, and psychosocial stressors. This study evaluated the feasibility and clinical utility of a mobile health (mHealth) system for real-time tracking of brace adherence and treatment-related experiences in adolescents with AIS. Methods: Thirty adolescents with AIS (mean age = 12.9, SD = 1.8) undergoing brace treatment at a tertiary care center used a custom app for 90 days. The app collected daily self-reports on brace wear duration, discomfort, movement limitations, emotional distress, and social challenges. A clinical alarm system alerted providers when patient input indicated potential concerns. Primary outcomes were feasibility (adherence to daily use and usability ratings) and brace adherence. Secondary outcomes included the app’s capacity to identify treatment-related challenges and its association with changes in stress, quality of life, anxiety, and depression. Results: Participants reported meeting recommended brace wear time (≥16 h/day) on 84.8% of days. The app triggered 186 clinical alarms, with the most frequent related to emotional distress (23.1%) and pain (15.6%). Alarm frequency declined over time. Improvements of ≥20% in psychological outcomes were observed in 20–26.7% of participants, while group-level changes were nonsignificant. Conclusions: mHealth-based monitoring appears feasible and acceptable for digitally engaged adolescents with AIS. The app supported early detection of treatment barriers and prompted timely clinical responses. Despite limitations, it shows promise as a tool to improve treatment engagement and address psychosocial challenges in scoliosis care. Full article

Background/Objectives: The child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) hand-over to adult mental health service (AMHS) remains an ongoing shortfall in eating disorder (ED) treatment, typically in tandem with diagnostic drift, heightened suicide risk, and carer burn-out. We created one 14-to-25 Transition—ED track within our own unit, where a single multidisciplinary team continuously follows each patient and family across the CAMHS–AMHS boundary (via weekly joint paediatric and adult clinician meeting) without changing the individual psychotherapist, family therapist, or dietitian at the age 18 transition. We investigated the manner in which patients and parents perceive this model. Methods: A survey of two naturalistic parent cohorts—CAMHS (n = 16) and Transition—Adult arm (n = 15)—also joined, alongside the original group of young adults who had entered the programme during its set-up phase (n = 9). Here, the 14–25 pathway denotes one unified route of care across adolescence and young adulthood; the Transition—Adult arm is its ≥ 18-years component. All index patients had a primary DSM-5-TR diagnosis of restricting-type anorexia nervosa. Participants completed the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 (CSQ-8; range 8–32) and four bespoke Continuity-of-Care items (1–4 Likert). Results: Overall, the caregivers in both cohorts were pleased (median CSQ-8 = 28.5 [CAMHS] vs. 27.0 [Transition]; p = 0.75). Continuity items were universally well rated across cohorts. Cohort parents reported a median of two unchanged core clinicians (i.e., the individual psychotherapist, the family therapist, or the dietitian), which was nonsignificantly positively correlated with CSQ-8 scores (ρ = 0.22). Early-group patients mirrored caregiver impressions (mean CSQ-8 = 27.0 ± 3.9). Conclusions: It is feasible and highly acceptable to both caregivers and anorexia nervosa young adults to have the same key staff and family-centred sessions over the 14-to-25 age span. Constrained by single-site study and small sample size, these preliminary data provide a rationale for wider implementation and controlled follow-up studies. Full article

Objectives: Despite the importance of food environments in shaping dietary behaviors and diet-related noncommunicable diseases, no standardized and validated method has been used to assess this policy domain in China. This study aimed to benchmark China’s food retail policies against international benchmarking to identify implementation gaps and propose evidence-based strategies for improving food environments. Methods: Using the standardized and validated Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI), we assessed four food retail indicators: restrictive zoning for fast-food outlets (RETAIL 1), healthy food accessibility (RETAIL 2), institutional support systems (RETAIL 3), and food service promotion (RETAIL 4). A multidisciplinary expert panel (n = 13) from academia, public health, and industry conducted structured assessments using a standardized scoring tool (1–5). Scores were converted to implementation percentages and categorized into four levels. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, and mean ± SD) were summarized. Results: Sixteen food retail policies were analyzed, with 62.5% (n = 10) of provincial policies focusing on fast-food zoning and healthy food access, and 37.5% (n = 6) of national policies targeting government support and healthy food promotion. Regulations comprised 55% (n = 11), mainly addressing zoning and access, while guidelines accounted for 45% (n = 9), primarily promotional. Overall, the food retail domain was rated as low level (2.3 ± 1.1, 45.8% implementation). Among the four indicators, healthy food access in outlets (2.6 ± 1.3, 52.4%) and promotion of healthy food in services (2.5 ± 1.0, 50.8%) were at medium implementation levels. In contrast, local fast-food zoning restrictions (1.7 ± 0.6, 33.8%) and government support for healthy food (2.3 ± 1.1, 46.2%) remained at low levels. Conclusions: China’s food retail policies showed inconsistent implementation levels, with strong provincial execution in accessibility and promotion but weak national coordination in zoning and support systems. To align with the WHO and China’s goals, priorities are unified national frameworks, enforceable standards, equity-focused monitoring, and strengthened multi-sector collaboration. Full article

Storm surges pose a significant threat to coastal regions worldwide, particularly as sea levels continue to rise due to climate change. This study aims to develop a storm surge height prediction model for the southeastern coast of Korea using a multiple linear regression (MLR) approach. Typhoon characteristics, including location and intensity derived from best-track data, were used as independent variables, while observed storm surge heights served as the dependent variable. The model’s predictive performance was assessed using the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Squared Error (MSE) and the coefficient of determination (R²). To enhance model accuracy and interpretability, a threshold-based model configuration strategy was implemented by categorizing data according to (1) the distance between the typhoon center and the observation point, and (2) the magnitude of the observed storm surge height. The results indicate that restricting typhoon events to within 900–1000 km of the observation site and segmenting surge heights into low and high ranges significantly improves predictive skill, especially for extreme surge events. For example, at Masan station, the model achieved an R² of 0.82 for high storm surge height (>0.2 m), and Gwangyang station showed an R² of 0.57 at a 500 km distance threshold, demonstrating substantial skill in predicting extreme surges. However, limitations remain in capturing the variability of lower-magnitude surges, suggesting the need for future research incorporating nonlinear and ensemble methods. This study provides a foundation for improving coastal hazard prediction and contributes to the development of more effective early warning systems and risk management strategies. Full article

Background/Objectives: Food selectivity is a prevalent and challenging issue in childhood, particularly in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which may result in restricted dietary patterns and nutrient deficiencies. This study aimed to identify high-risk subgroups of children by combining food selectivity, diet, BMI, gastrointestinal symptoms, sensory processing, and parental feeding practices in children with ASD and in typically developing children (TDC). Methods: To achieve this aim, we ran a cross-sectional, survey-based study, including 408 children (aged 3 to 12.11 years), with gender-matched groups. Both parents completed a survey on children’s diet, anthropometric curves, gastrointestinal symptoms, and the Brief Autism Mealtime Behavior Inventory (BAMBI), Short Sensory Profile (SSP), and Caregiver’s Feeding Style Questionnaire (CFSQ). Data analysis included comparative tests, correlations, and k-means cluster analysis. Results: Children with ASD exhibited significantly greater sensory processing difficulties, higher food refusal, limited food variety in the diet, and autism-related mealtime characteristics compared with TDC across all age groups. Caregivers of children with ASD reported higher controlling and contingency management feeding practices compared to the parents of the TDC. We found a strong correlation between sensory sensitivities and feeding issues. Notably, Body Mass Index (BMI) was not significantly associated with dietary restriction or gastrointestinal symptoms. Cluster analysis revealed a high-risk sub-phenotype in both groups of children with some differences, characterized by high food selectivity, taste, tactile, and smell sensitivity, gastrointestinal symptoms, and overactive parental practices. Conclusions: The early identification of this subgroup might foster more tailored, multidisciplinary, and effective assessment and clinical intervention. Full article

Background and Objective: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by widespread inflammation and multisystem involvement, leading to substantial morbidity. Given the immunomodulatory role of vitamin D and its association with disease activity in SLE, supplementation has emerged as a potential therapeutic strategy. However, findings across individual studies remain inconsistent, underscoring the need for a systematic review and meta-analysis to synthesize the current evidence on vitamin D supplementation for this disease. Thus, this study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of vitamin D supplementation on disease activity among patients with SLE. Methods: Systematic searches were carried out in four electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct) with only studies published after 2013 as a restriction for the search strategy. An assessment of the included studies was conducted according to the recommendations of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, using the risk of bias assessment tool in Review Manager (Revman) version 5.3. Included studies were randomized trials with vitamin D supplementation in patients with SLE and with pre–post intervention measures of disease activity. Meta-analyses were performed using random-effects models to estimate mean differences with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Heterogeneity was evaluated using the I² test, and sensitivity analysis and publication bias assessment were also performed. Results: A total of 186 articles were retrieved, of which 21 studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies had a combined sample size of 3177 adult participants and were conducted across 16 different countries. Regarding the impact of vitamin D supplementation on SLE patients, twelve (n = 12) studies reported positive associations, including reduced disease activity and improvements in clinical and laboratory parameters such as inflammatory markers, fatigue, and bone mineral density. In contrast, nine (n = 9) studies found no significant effects. In terms of meta-analytical data, our results indicate that, at the end of the supplementation, participants with vitamin D supplementation had significantly higher serum vitamin D levels compared to participants that receive a placebo (MD: 13.11 ng/mL; 95% CI: 8 to 19; p < 0.00001) despite comparable values before the onset of the supplementation. In addition, participants with vitamin D supplementation had lower scores in the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) compared to participants who received a placebo (MD: −1; 95% CI: −2 to −0.43; p = 0.002) despite comparable values before the onset of the supplementation. Conclusions: Our systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that vitamin D supplementation leads to a statistically significant reduction in SLEDAI scores, reflecting a meaningful decrease in disease activity. Given its immunomodulatory effects and favorable safety profile, vitamin D supplementation represents a simple and accessible adjunctive strategy that could support SLE management and improve patient outcomes in clinical practice. Full article

The rising prevalence of CKD, particularly within aging populations, demands effective and accessible self-management strategies. Three middle-aged and older adult inpatients (one female, two males; mean age 58.6 years ± 23) with CKD and preserved cognitive capacity (Mini-Mental State Examination) participated. A multiple case study was conducted in a Portuguese nephrology unit between November 2024 and February 2025, utilizing baseline assessments that included the Braden, Barthel, and Morse scales, as well as the KDQOL-SF. A targeted educational program addressed key CKD management aspects: disease understanding, vascular access care, medication regimens, and dietary restrictions. Pre- and post-intervention assessments measured knowledge gains. Results indicated improvements in participants’ knowledge and self-management capabilities across several domains. These included enhanced understanding of the disease process, vascular access for hemodialysis, dietary requirements, and fluid restrictions. Participants also demonstrated improved self-assessment of support systems, coping mechanisms, and family involvement. A 15% average increase in knowledge scores post-intervention was observed. This study provides preliminary evidence supporting the efficacy of a structured educational nursing program in improving CKD self-management. The significant improvements in knowledge and self-reported confidence suggest that targeted education is a valuable component of comprehensive CKD care. Future research should incorporate larger, more diverse samples and explore the long-term impact of the intervention. Furthermore, the integration of technological tools, such as personalized learning platforms and digital health, holds a significant promise for enhancing the accessibility and effectiveness of such educational programs. Full article

Eating disorders are characterised by concerns about food, body image, and weight control and/or reduction. They are more frequently described in women, and emotion regulation plays a central role in both their development and persistence. The aim of this study was to analyse the sensitivity and specificity of emotion regulation in predicting disordered eating symptoms in a sample of female university students. Non-probabilistic sampling was used to recruit 558 female university students, with a mean age of 20.63 years (SD = 1.88). An adaptation in Spanish of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and the Spanish version of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (S-EDE-Q) were administered. The findings suggested that scores related to emotion dysregulation, emotional rejection, and emotional interference may help distinguish women with disordered eating symptoms associated with food restriction and eating concerns. It is important to have sensitive tools that can identify at-risk populations as well as relevant psychological constructs linked to eating disorders when developing intervention programmes. Full article

To explore effects of sleep restriction (SR) on next-morning cognitive recovery of young males under thermoneutral environments, three SR conditions, namely the mild (ending at 01:20), moderate (ending at 02:30) and severe sleep restriction (ending at 03:40), were carried out on participants in a thermoneutral environment. During experiments, the subjective sleepiness, perceived workload, and thermal sensation were surveyed. Electrocardiogram (ECG) data were recoded continuously to conduct the heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. In addition, the Deary–Liewald task (including the Simple Response Time task and the Choice Response Time task), Stroop task and Corsi Block task were completed. Results revealed significant increases in sleepiness and perceived workloads during SR. In addition, mean heart rate reduced significantly during moderate (ΔHR = −9.48, p < 0.05) and severe SRs (ΔHR = −9.69, p < 0.01), although it returned to the baseline level in the next morning. The root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) was elevated during all SRs (Mild SR ΔRMSSD = 27.34, p < 0.05; Moderate SR ΔRMSSD = 33.06, p < 0.01; Severe SR ΔRMSSD = 24.61, p < 0.05) but reduced to baseline the next morning. Furthermore, the sustained attention (SRT) and selective attention performances (CRT) were impaired significantly under moderate (SRT ΔPI = −0.59, p < 0.05; CRT ΔPI = −0.24, p < 0.05) and severe SR (SRT ΔPI = −0.39, p < 0.05; CRT ΔPI = −0.42, p < 0.01). However, the sustained attention performance was restored the next morning even after severe SR, whereas the selective attention performance remained impaired (ΔPI = −0.36, p < 0.01). Significant reductions were observed in the Stroop task performance only after the severe SR (ΔPI = −0.17, p < 0.05), while short-term memory was slightly affected either during or after all SRs (p > 0.05). The overall cognitive performance reduced significantly after the moderate and severe SRs (Moderate SR ΔOPI = −0.30, p < 0.05; Severe SR ΔOPI = −0.40, p < 0.05), even in the next morning. Findings suggest that cognitive impairments caused by mild and moderate SRs could be partially recovered the next morning, while severe SR produced significant impairments in complex cognitive functions, potentially linked to parasympathetic dysregulation and failure of prefrontal compensatory mechanisms. Preliminary findings from this study offer initial implications for cognitive preservation strategies in office environments after night-time overwork. Full article

Direct fusion welding of aluminum (Al) to magnesium (Mg) results in the formation of brittle intermetallic compounds (IMCs) that significantly restrict the application of these joints in structural applications. In this study, cold spray, a promising solid-state coating deposition technology, was employed to introduce a nickel (Ni) interlayer to facilitate joining of Al to Mg sheets by means of resistance spot welding (RSW). The ability of cold spraying to deposit metallic powder on the substrate without melting proves beneficial in mitigating the formation of the Al-Mg IMCs. The Ni-coated coupons were subsequently welded via resistance spot welding at optimized parameters: 27 kA for 15 cycles in two pulses with a 5-cycle inter-pulse delay. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed metallurgical bonding between the Al, Mg, and Ni coatings in the fusion zone. It is shown that the bonding between the three elements inhibits the formation of deleterious IMCs. Tensile shear testing showed joint strength exceeding 4.2 kN, highlighting the potential of the proposed cold spray RSW approach for dissimilar joining in structural applications. Full article

The multi-branch horizontal well for coalbed methane (CBM) is a core technical means to achieve efficient CBM extraction, and its productivity is jointly restricted by geological and engineering factors. To accurately grasp the main controlling factors of the productivity of multi-branch horizontal wells and provide a scientific basis for the optimized design of CBM development, this study takes Well W1 in the Wenjiaba Coal Mine of the Zhina Coalfield in Guizhou, China, as an engineering example and comprehensively uses three-dimensional geological modeling and reservoir numerical simulation methods to systematically explore the key influencing factors of the productivity of multi-branch horizontal wells for CBM. This study shows that coal seam thickness, permeability, gas content, and branch borehole size are positively correlated with the productivity of multi-branch horizontal wells. With the simulation time set to 1500 days, when the coal seam thickness increases from 1.5 m to 4 m, the cumulative gas production increases by 166%; when the permeability increases from 0.2 mD to 0.8 mD, the cumulative gas production increases by 123%; when the coal seam gas content increases from 8 m³/t to 18 m³/t, the cumulative gas production increases by 543%; and when the wellbore size increases from 114.3 mm to 177.8 mm, the cumulative gas production increases by 8%. However, the impact of branch angle and spacing on productivity exhibits complex nonlinear trends: when the branch angle is in the range of 15–30°, the cumulative gas production shows an upward trend during the simulation period, while in the range of 30–75°, the cumulative gas production decreases during the simulation period; the cumulative gas production with branch spacing of 100 m and 150 m is significantly higher than that with spacing of 50 m and 200 m. Quantitative analysis through sensitivity coefficients reveals that the coal seam gas content is the most important geological influencing factor, with a sensitivity coefficient of 2.5952; a branch angle of 30° and a branch spacing of 100 m are the optimal engineering conditions for improving productivity, with sensitivity coefficients of 0.2875 and 0.273, respectively. The research results clarify the action mechanism of geological and engineering factors on the productivity of multi-branch horizontal wells for CBM, providing a theoretical basis for the optimized deployment of well locations, wellbore structure, and drilling trajectory design of multi-branch horizontal wells for CBM in areas with similar geological conditions. Full article

Introduction: The organization of mental health care is undergoing a transformation from an institutionalized model to a community-centered model. Due to the critical specialist workforce shortage, insufficient funding, and the large number of children in crisis, its implementation presents a challenge. The aim of this study is to analyze the current situation regarding access to system-based care under contracts with the National Health Fund in various provinces in Poland. Materials and Methods: Based on an analysis of data, resources available to patients were assessed—specifically, information was obtained from the National Health Fund website entitled “NFZ Treatment Waiting Times.” From this, the waiting times for appointments in child and adolescent mental health care facilities, the availability of mental health care facilities under contracts with the National Health Fund in Poland, legal acts, and data from the Central Statistical Office were extracted. Then, an analysis of the current accessibility to child and adolescent mental health services was conducted. The inclusion criteria for data sources were as follows: accessibility—the data had to be openly available to researchers without restrictions; credibility—the data had to be verified by individual health care facilities; usefulness—the data had to accurately reflect the actual availability of services and the needs within the child and adolescent psychiatric care system. Results: There are significant differences and deviations from the average number of facilities and waiting times when comparing the 16 provinces. Notably, some of the analyzed facilities are already operating within the framework of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centers, where the mean waiting period for inpatient care is 105 days, the mean waiting period for day-care units is 61 days, and the mean waiting period for outpatient clinics is 257 days. The number of facilities is increasing under the reform, with new level I reference centers being opened, which ensures prevention and early support is provided by a pedagogue, psychologist, and non-medical staff, providing enhanced accessibility to care without the need for a visit to a child and adolescent psychiatrist, of whom there are only 579 for the entire child population in Poland. This metric primarily refers to first-time appointments in public institutions, with notable disparities between urban and rural areas. Conclusions: The development of the reform offers hope for quicker access to mental health support for children and adolescents. With the consistent implementation of the reform and further support from non-governmental organizations, there is a high chance of building an effective community-based model with a short waiting time for help and reducing ineffective hospitalizations, among other things, in terms of costs. Full article

The Mass Ratio Hypothesis states that the growth dynamics of dominant species influence forest species diversity by regulating the niches of subordinate and transient species. However, this prediction has not yet been empirical confirmed in subtropical forests over long term. Using data from 1995 to 2017, we examined how dominant tree species regulate species evenness and richness by analyzing their height and diameter growth in three clear-cut forests (Castanopsis carlesii (Hemsl.) Hayata, Castanopsis fissa (Champ. ex Benth.) Rehder & E. H. Wilson, and Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook. stands), combined with the mean value of species niche breadth (measures the diversity of resources a species utilizes) across the community, including separate analyzes for subordinate (persistently coexisting with dominants species) and transient species (temporarily occurring species). Our results showed that an increase in height and diameter growth of dominant species had a negative effect on niche breadth of subordinate species, which in turn reduced species evenness (p < 0.01) but showed no significant relationship with species richness (p ≥ 0.05). Growth dynamics of dominants had no significant influence on the niche breadth of transient species. The early-fast growing dominant C. lanceolata significantly restricted the niche breadth of subordinate species (1.16 ± 0.23), resulting in relatively low evenness (0.49 ± 0.11). Conversely, the late-fast growing dominant C. carlesii promoted niche expansion (6.62 ± 1.20), resulting in higher evenness (0.81 ± 0.02). C. fissa -dominated strands with intermediate growth increments, exhibited moderate species evenness. These findings provide long-term empirical support for the Mass Ratio Hypothesis by demonstrating that growths of dominant species modulate niche partitioning in subordinates and thereby shape species diversity in subtropical forest communities. Full article