Search Results (3,006)

Edible and medicinal fungi are a general term for large fungi with both edible and medicinal values. As a unique wild edible and medicinal fungus in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the ‘Four Medical Classics’ of the Tang Dynasty has recorded Floccularia luteovirens effects of external application and internal administration on swelling, cold disease, and neck stiffness. At present, it has not been artificially domesticated and has significant development potential. The mushroom is rich in nutrients. The crude protein content of 100 g dried product is 33~39% (up to 38.71 g, about 2.2 times that of Flammulina velutipes). It contains 19 amino acids (including 8 essential amino acids for the human body; tryptophan accounts for 21.55~22.63%). It is also rich in minerals such as selenium, zinc (0.09 g/kg), and iron (0.3 g/kg) and vitamins B1 (0.10 mg), B2 (1.10 mg), C (4.50 mg), and E (6.20 mg). Among the functional active substances, polysaccharides (containing 20.1% β-glucan and 5.7% mannan-oligosaccharide) had antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects, which could alleviate the weight loss of diabetic rats. The IC50 of DPPH free radical scavenging rate of phenolics (ferulic acid, etc.; total phenolic content of 4.21 ± 0.06 mg/g) was 43.85 μg/mL; there was also adenosine, volatile oil, and other components. Pharmacologically, the DPPH free radical scavenging rate of the extract was 65 ± 0.46%, the tumor inhibition rate of the polysaccharide on the tumor-bearing mice was 42.48%, the gastrodin was biocatalyzed (conversion rate 85.2%), and the extracellular polysaccharide could inhibit the color change in shrimp to achieve preservation. This paper reviews its related research progress and provides a reference for its development in the fields of healthy food and biomedicine. Full article

Open-source software tools designed specifically for evaluating and reporting air sensor performance are limited. The available tools do not provide a means for summarizing the sensor performance using common statistical metrics and figures, nor are they suited for handling the wide variety of data formats currently used by air sensors. We developed sensortoolkit v1.1.0 as a free, open-source Python v3.8.20 library to encourage the use of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (U.S. EPA) recommended performance evaluation protocols for air sensors measuring particulate matter and gases. The library compares the collocated air sensor against reference monitor data and includes procedures to reformat both datasets into a standardized format using an interactive setup module. Library modules calculate performance metrics (e.g., the coefficient of determination (R²), slope, intercept, and root mean square error (RMSE)) and make plots to visualize the data. These metrics and plots can be used to better understand sensor accuracy, the precision between sensors of the same make and model, and the influence of meteorological parameters at 1 h and 24 h averages. The results can be compiled into a reporting template allowing for the easier comparison of sensor performance results generated by different organizations. This paper provides a summary of the sensortoolkit and a case study to demonstrate its utility. Full article

This systematic review analyzes the representation of older adults in the media to determine whether news coverage contributes to reinforcing or combating ageism. For societies undergoing population ageing, it is essential to understand the image of old age conveyed by the media, as they play a significant role in shaping public perception. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020) guidelines were followed. In total, 21 articles addressing the media representation of old age were selected from 1435 search results across three databases: Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed. The results show that the media do not sufficiently make older adults visible, often present negative narratives about old age, and use stigmatizing terms to refer to this group. Most of the research comes from the field of sociology, mainly employs discourse analysis, and does not examine journalistic aspects such as genres, information sources, or the images accompanying news stories. In conclusion, the reviewed literature provides a valuable diagnosis of media ageism but highlights the need to broaden the disciplinary perspective and incorporate analyses and proposals aimed at transforming journalistic routines, in order to move toward a more plural, realistic, and stigma-free representation of older adults in the media. Full article

Background: Coverage uniformity is pivotal in whole genome sequencing (WGS), as uneven read distributions can obscure clinically relevant variants and compromise downstream analyses. While enzyme-based fragmentation methods for WGS library preparation are widely used, they can introduce sequence-specific biases that disproportionately affect high-GC or low-GC regions. Here, we compare four PCR-free WGS library preparation workflows—one employing mechanical fragmentation and three based on enzymatic fragmentation—to assess their impact on coverage uniformity and variant detection. Results: Libraries were generated with Coriell NA12878 and DNA isolated from DNA blood, saliva, and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples. Sequencing was performed on an Illumina NovaSeq 6000, followed by alignment to the human reference genome (GRCh38/hg38) and local realignment. We assessed coverage at both chromosomal and gene levels, including 504 clinically relevant genes detected in the TruSight™ Oncology 500 (TSO500) panel. Additionally, we examined the relationship between GC content and normalized coverage, as well as variant detection across high- and low-GC regions. Conclusions: Our findings show that mechanical fragmentation yields a more uniform coverage profile across different sample types and across the GC spectrum. Enzymatic workflows, on the other hand, demonstrated more pronounced coverage imbalances, particularly in high-GC regions, potentially affecting the sensitivity of variant detection. This effect was evident in analyses focusing on the TSO500 gene set, where uniform coverage is critical for accurate identification of disease-associated variants and for minimizing false negatives. Downsampling experiments further revealed that mechanical fragmentation maintained lower Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNPs) false-negative and false-positive rates at reduced sequencing depths, thereby highlighting the advantages of consistent coverage for resource-efficient WGS. This study introduces a novel framework for evaluating WGS coverage uniformity, providing guidance for optimizing library preparation protocols in clinical and translational research. By quantifying how fragmentation strategies influence coverage depth and variant calling accuracy, laboratories can refine their sequencing workflows to ensure more reliable detection of clinically actionable variants—especially in high-GC regions often implicated in hereditary disease and oncology. Full article

Personalized image generation has gained significant attention with the advancement of text-to-image diffusion models. However, existing methods face challenges in effectively mixing multiple visual attributes, such as structure and appearance, from separate reference images. Finetuning-based methods are time-consuming and prone to overfitting, while finetuning-free approaches often suffer from feature entanglement, leading to distortions. To address these challenges, we propose FreeMix, a finetuning-free approach for multi-concept mixing in personalized image generation. Given separate references for structure and appearance, FreeMix generates a new image that integrates both. This is achieved through Disentangle-Mixing Self-Attention (DMSA). DMSA first disentangles the two concepts by applying spatial normalization to remove residual appearance from structure features, and then selectively injects appearance details via self-attention, guided by a cross-attention-derived mask to prevent background leakage. This mechanism ensures precise structural preservation and faithful appearance transfer. Extensive qualitative and quantitative experiments demonstrate that our method achieves superior structural consistency and appearance transfer compared to existing approaches. In addition to personalization, FreeMix can be adapted to exemplar-based image editing. Full article

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is reported to be the most common rheumatological disorder associated with catatonia. To date, reports on catatonia manifestations in SLE patients are uncommon in published literature, which has often favored a fragmented vision. We performed a narrative review with the aim of identifying all published reports of catatonia in SLE patients to ascertain—in a comprehensive view—its clinical characteristics and to provide useful insights for daily clinical practice. Methods: Comprehensive literature searches were carried out on 10 March 2025 (subsequently repeated ahead of draft on 6 June) in all main bibliographic databases: MEDLINE and EMBASE (OVID interface); PsycINFO (ProQuest); and PubMed, to capture within-text references. All searches combined controlled (MESH, Entree, and APA Headings) and free-text elements for both areas under observation: systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) AND catatonia, with primary focus on case reports and series. Sets of findings were reviewed separately by the authors, and the full text of selected items was sourced. Further useful references were retrieved through citation lists. Results: 39 cases of patients with SLE and catatonia were identified (35 females and 4 males), with a mean age of 22.64 years (range 11–46). Only three patients were over the age of 40; a total of 10 had catatonia at the same time of SLE onset and 5 within a month of SLE diagnosis. Antiphospholipid and anti-ribosomal P protein antibodies were rarely identified. Almost all the patients improved following treatment with lorazepam and/or electroconvulsive therapy. Only one case of malignant catatonia was reported. Finally, a large number of patients were Asian or Afro-American, at least in the reports where ethnicity was specified. Conclusions: Catatonia can occur in patients with SLE, and it may be its first clinical manifestation, especially in young patients. Its prognosis is mostly favorable. Full article

Since statistics show a growing trend in blindness and visual impairment, the development of navigation systems supporting Blind and Visually Impaired People (BVIP) must be urgently addressed. Guiding BVIP to a desired destination across indoor and outdoor settings without relying on a pre-installed infrastructure is an open challenge. While numerous solutions have been proposed by researchers in recent decades, a comprehensive navigation system that can support BVIP mobility in mixed and unprepared environments is still missing. This study proposes a novel navigation system that enables BVIP to request directions and be guided to a desired destination across heterogeneous and unprepared settings. To achieve this, the system applies Computer Vision (CV)—namely an integrated Structure from Motion (SfM) pipeline—for tracking the user and exploits Building Information Modelling (BIM) semantics for planning the reference path to reach the destination. Audio Augmented Reality (AAR) technology is adopted for directional guidance delivery due to its intuitive and non-intrusive nature, which allows seamless integration with traditional mobility aids (e.g., white canes or guide dogs). The developed system was tested on a university campus to assess its performance during both path planning and navigation tasks, the latter involving users in both blindfolded and sighted conditions. Quantitative results indicate that the system computed paths in about 10 milliseconds and effectively guided blindfolded users to their destination, achieving performance comparable to that of sighted users. Remarkably, users in blindfolded conditions completed navigation tests with an average deviation from the reference path within the 0.60-meter shoulder width threshold in 100% of the trials, compared to 75% of the tests conducted by sighted users. These findings demonstrate the system’s accuracy in maintaining navigational alignment within acceptable human spatial tolerances. The proposed approach contributes to the advancement of BVIP assistive technologies by enabling scalable, infrastructure-free navigation across heterogeneous environments. Full article

This study investigated the potential use of fluorine-containing semiconductor industrial sludge as a mineralizer in Portland cement clinker production. Raw mixes were prepared by partially replacing raw materials with 6%, 9%, and 12% sludge and sintered between 1300 and 1500 °C. The clinker burnability, phase composition, and chemical integrity were evaluated through FreeCaO measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD) with Rietveld refinement, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses. The results showed that sludge addition reduced the sintering temperature by up to 150 °C, enabling near-complete clinker formation at 1300 °C for blends containing 9% and 12% sludge (FreeCaO ≤ 0.6 wt.% compared to 62 wt.% in the reference sample). Fluorine incorporation stabilized the re-active β–C₂S polymorph and shifted the alite (C₃S) phase distribution from stable M1 to metastable M3 and T3 phases. Additionally, the C₃A phase content decreased, and a unique fluorine-containing phase, Al₇Ca₆O₁₆F, formed, promoting clinker formation. Lowering the sintering temperature led to energy savings of 15–22.5% and reduced CO₂ emissions by 0.10–0.20 tons per ton of clinker, positively impacting the environment. This study demonstrates that recycling industrial sludge can enhance cement production efficiency and support environmental sustainability. Full article

The mammalian target of rapamycin pathway, mTOR, is a crucial signaling pathway that regulates cell growth, proliferation, metabolism, and survival. Due to its dysregulation it is involved in several ailments such as cancer or age-related diseases. The discovery of mTOR and the understanding of its biological functions were greatly facilitated by the use of rapamycin, an antibiotic of natural origin, which allosterically inhibits mTORC1, effectively blocking its function. In this entirely computational study, we investigated mTOR’s interaction with seven ligands: two clinically established inhibitors (everolimus and rapamycin) and five lignin-derived oligomers, a renewable natural polyphenol recently used for the drug delivery of everolimus. The seven complexes were analyzed through all-atom molecular dynamics simulations in explicit solvent using a high-performance computing platform. Trajectory analyses revealed stable interactions between mTOR and all ligands, with lignin-derived compounds showing comparable or enhanced binding stability relative to reference drugs. To evaluate the stability of the molecular complex and the behavior of the ligand over time, we analyzed key parameters including root mean square deviation, root mean square fluctuation, number of hydrogen bonds, binding free energy, and conformational dynamics assessed through principal component analysis. Our results suggest that lignin fragments are a promising, sustainable scaffold for developing novel mTOR inhibitors. Full article

Titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) is an effective catalyst, but its limited pore size restricts the access of bulky substrates such as α-pinene. In our previous studies, a TS-1 catalyst with a Si/Ti molar ratio of 20:1 demonstrated high activity in α-pinene oxidation but suffered from diffusion limitations. To overcome this drawback, four new titanium silicate catalysts were synthesized using the reference TS-1 as the parent material (TS-1 catalyst with the Si/Ti molar ratio of 20:1). MTS-1_1 and MTS-1_2 were prepared via a co-templating method, while HTS-1_1 and HTS-1_2 were obtained through post-synthetic recrystallization using triethylamine (method I) or sulfuric acid followed by triethylamine (method II). All catalysts were characterized by UV–Vis, FTIR, XRD, SEM, EDXRF, and nitrogen sorption, and their activity was tested in solvent-free oxidation of α-pinene using molecular oxygen. The influence of temperature, catalyst content, and reaction time on the conversion of α-pinene and the selectivities of the main products was investigated. All modified materials exhibited higher catalytic activity than the reference TS-1 material. HTS-1_2 showed the best results, achieving the conversion of α-pinene of 21 mol% and the selectivity of transformation to α-pinene oxide of 35 mol%. Verbenol and verbenone were also formed as valuable oxygenated products. The developed catalysts enable a green and efficient transformation of renewable α-pinene into high-value derivatives. Full article

Diannan small-ear pig (DSP) ham is known for exceptional flavor. However, the composition of flavor components and the mechanisms underlying flavor development remain unclear. In this study, we employed lipidomics, flavoromics, and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry technologies to investigate the composition and formation mechanism of DSP ham flavor compounds. On a 10-point scale, the results demonstrated that DSP ham had good flavor qualities with sensory scores of 8.6 ± 0.52 for flavor, 7.9 ± 0.57 for taste, 8.2 ± 0.79 for texture, 8.8 ± 0.42 for color, and 8.3 ± 0.48 for acceptability. A total of 1534 lipids, 80 volatile flavor compounds, and 25 free amino acids were identified in the ham, including 14 characteristic lipids and 28 characteristic flavor compounds. Triglycerides (TG) and diacylglycerol (DG), two important lipids, are broken down into free fatty acids, which are essential building blocks for flavor formation. Non-volatile sweet amino acid L-alanine and bitter amino acid L-lysine are combined with volatile components, including 1-octene-3-ol, hexanal, benzaldehyde, and octanal, to enhance the development of DSP ham flavor. Correlation analysis indicated that key lipids, including TG, DG, and phosphatidylcholines (PC), facilitate the formation of volatile compounds in DSP ham via the glycerophospholipid metabolic pathway. This study provides a theoretical reference for further research and product development of high-quality DSP ham. Full article

With industrial transformation and the rise in the 15 min community life circle, optimizing walkability and preserving industrial heritage are key to revitalizing former industrial areas. This study, focusing on Shijingshan District in Beijing, proposes a walkability evaluation framework integrating multi-source big data and street-level perception. Using Points of Interest (POI) classification, which refers to the categorization of key urban amenities, pedestrian network modeling, and street view image data, a Walkability Friendliness Index is developed across four dimensions: accessibility, convenience, diversity, and safety. POI data provide insights into the spatial distribution of essential services, while pedestrian network data, derived from OpenStreetMap, model the walkable road network. Street view image data, processed through semantic segmentation, are used to assess the quality and safety of pedestrian pathways. Results indicate that core communities exhibit higher Walkability Friendliness Index scores due to better connectivity and land use diversity, while older and newly developed areas face challenges such as street discontinuity and service gaps. Accordingly, targeted optimization strategies are proposed: enhancing accessibility by repairing fragmented alleys and improving network connectivity; promoting functional diversity through infill commercial and service facilities; upgrading lighting, greenery, and barrier-free infrastructure to ensure safety; and delineating priority zones and balanced enhancement zones for differentiated improvement. This study presents a replicable technical framework encompassing data acquisition, model evaluation, and strategy development for enhancing walkability, providing valuable insights for the revitalization of industrial districts worldwide. Future research will incorporate virtual reality and subjective user feedback to further enhance the adaptability of the model to dynamic spatiotemporal changes. Full article

With advancements in digital technology, OpenCourseWare (OCW) has become a crucial tool for enhancing learning outcomes. Therefore, the innovative application of whiteboard animation in engineering mathematics education was explored, utilizing YouTube as a platform as a free digital learning resource. More than 300 animated teaching materials and implemented interactive mechanisms were developed to improve students’ study effectiveness and self-directed learning abilities. Pre-tests and post-tests were conducted in “Engineering Mathematics I” and “Engineering Mathematics II” to assess the educational effectiveness of whiteboard animation. The results presented significant improvements in students’ performance. The average scores of Engineering Mathematics I and II increased from 64.37 and 63.73 in the pre-test to 87.03 and 92.39 in the post-test. Whiteboard animation effectively enhanced the learning experience in engineering mathematics, improving students’ comprehension and motivation. Such results provide a reference for the development of digital education technologies in engineering. Full article

Background/Objectives: In recent years, 3D shape models of the human body have been used for various purposes. In principle, CT and MRI tomographic images are necessary to create such models. However, CT imaging and MRI generally impose heavy physical and financial burdens on the person being imaged, the model creator, and the hospital where the imaging facility is located. To reduce these burdens, the purpose of this study was to propose a method of creating individually adapted models by using simple X-ray images, which provide relatively little information and can therefore be easily acquired, and by transforming an existing base model. Methods: From medical images, anatomical feature values and scanning feature values that use the points that compose the contour line that can represent the shape of the femoral knee joint area were acquired, and deformed by free-form deformation. Free-form deformations were automatically performed to match the feature values using optimization calculations based on the confidence region method. The accuracy of the deformed model was evaluated by the distance between surfaces of the deformed model and the node points of the reference model. Results: Deformation and evaluation were performed for 13 cases, with a mean error of 1.54 mm and a maximum error of 12.88 mm. In addition, the deformation using scanning feature points was more accurate than the deformation using anatomical feature points. Conclusions: This method is useful because it requires only the acquisition of feature points from two medical images to create the model, and overall average accuracy is considered acceptable for applications in biomechanical modeling and motion analysis. Full article

Under complex operating conditions, the single-loop control structure of permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) suffers from various uncertain disturbances. Although extended state observers with high-gain designs have been widely adopted for disturbance rejection control due to their rapid convergence characteristics, they typically induce significant noise amplification and increased sensitivity to disturbances. To address this issue, this paper proposes a hybrid extended state observer-based control with adaptive switching strategy (AS-HyESO) for suppressing uncertain disturbances. In the AS-HyESO framework, matched disturbances from the control channel and unmatched disturbances from non-control channels are separately estimated using the HyESO, which are subsequently eliminated through the designed control law to ensure precise tracking of the speed reference input. Furthermore, the proposed observer incorporates an adaptive bandwidth switching mechanism that employs larger bandwidth during steady-state operation and reduced bandwidth during dynamic transients. This innovative approach achieves overshoot-free speed regulation while maintaining enhanced disturbance rejection capability, thereby effectively resolving the inherent conflict between dynamic response performance and anti-disturbance robustness. Experimental validation conducted on a 64 W PMSM dual-motor test platform demonstrates the superior effectiveness of the AS-HyESO, control strategy in practical applications. Full article