The short-term (5 min) exposure to the supersonic flow of carbon dioxide plasma on ultrahigh-temperature ceramics of HfB₂-30vol.%SiC composition has been studied. It was shown that, when established on the surface at a temperature of 1615–1655 °C, the beginning of the formation of an oxidized layer takes place. Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy studies showed that the formation of a porous SiC-depleted region is not possible under the HfO₂-SiO₂ surface oxide layer. Numerical modeling based on the Navier–Stokes equations and experimental probe measurements of the test conditions were performed. The desirability of continuing systematic studies on the behavior of ultrahigh-temperature ZrB₂/HfB₂-SiC ceramics, including those doped with various components under the influence of high-enthalpy gas flows, was noted. Full article

Energy sources are crucial for the development and growth of economies and civilizations. Solar energy is an alternative energy to generate electrical power. The challenges of solar photovoltaic panels (PV) are the low output power and efficiency and the huge installation area beside PVs need a tracking system for better efficiency. The motivation of this paper is to design an innovative solar sphere system, which is a new concentrated photovoltaic technology that has better performance (efficiency and output power) than the normal conventional solar panel (PV) with a smaller installation area and without any tracking system. This design consists of an acrylic solar sphere entirely filled with cooking oil (sunflower or corn oil) that captures solar radiation and concentrates it on a focal point. The focal point is adjusted over a multi-junction cell that acts as a collector device (concentrator solar cell). This focused solar energy can generate a massive amount of power, which is used to produce more electricity than normal photovoltaic panels. The experiments were carried out in order to discover the best acrylic models or shape designs, which is the sphere, the best materials or media in the sphere, that is oil, the best sphere’s size and volume, and that is larger, the best sphere thickness, which at first is lower, the best fluid oil type, which is cooking oil, and finally the best fluid amount or volume inside the sphere, and this is the entire volume. Then, these factors mentioned above are compared with normal photovoltaics (PV) that have the same section area as these shapes. The results revealed that these factors have significant effects on the output power value and efficiency. It has been demonstrated that our innovative concentrated solar sphere system can produce nearly four times the output power or electricity greater than that of a conventional solar panel PV with the same cross-sectional area. This specific sort of compression is crucial because it shows that less space is required to establish this system than it would to install conventional solar panels. The performance of the system per unit of the square area it occupies was compared to the latest generation of flat panel PV available at the market performance; hence, the installation space will be decreased by 40% to 60%. Our system has about twice as much efficiency as solar PV and does not require a tracking system and maintenance. Our technology also has the benefit of not being impacted by extreme temperatures, clouds, dust, and humidity. Full article

Marrubiin is a diterpene with a long history of a wide range of biological activities. In this study, the anti-inflammatory effects of marrubiin were investigated using several in vitro and in vivo assays. Marrubiin inhibited carrageenan-induced peritoneal inflammation by preventing inflammatory cell infiltration and peritoneal mast cell degranulation. The anti-inflammatory activity was further demonstrated by monitoring a set of biochemical parameters, showing that the peritoneal fluid of animals treated with marrubiin had lower levels of proteins and lower myeloperoxidase activity compared with the fluid of animals that were not treated. Marrubiin exerted the most pronounced cytotoxic activity towards peripheral mononuclear cells, being the main contributors to peritoneal inflammation. Additionally, a moderate lipoxygenase inhibition activity of marrubiin was observed. Full article

Background: Anticoagulation for venous thromboembolism (VTE) is required for at least three to six months; however, it is advisable to extend the duration in certain cases, in which case a reduced dose of Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOACs) may be an option. Our objective was to investigate the efficacy and safety of reduced-dose DOACs in extended anticoagulation treatment compared to full doses. Methods and Results: This retrospective single-centre study included 185 patients treated with DOACs for at least 6 months who were divided into two groups: (1) the Full Dose (FD) group (n = 113) and (2) the Reduced Dose (RD) group (n = 72), which included patients treated with Apixaban at 2.5 mg bis in die (BID) and Rivaroxaban at 10 mg once daily (OD). Post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) and its progression were evaluated. During an overall follow-up of 48.32 ± 29.49 months, no VTE occurred, and no patients experienced major bleeding; clinically relevant non-major bleeding occurred in three patients in each group (2.7% vs. 4.2% in FD vs. RD, respectively, p = 0.57). From baseline to follow-up, the prevalence of PTS was not significantly decreased in either group (FD: 54.9% vs. 51.3%, p = 0.29; RD 51.4% vs. 44.4%, p = 0.12); conversely, the Villalta score values were significantly decreased at the last follow-up (FD: 5.51 ± 4.18 vs. 5.51 ± 4.18, p < 0.001; RD 5.49 ± 4.06 vs. 5.11 ± 3.73, p = 0.006). Conclusion: In this real-world retrospective registry, very long-term extended anticoagulant therapy with DOACs at full or reduced doses showed comparable efficacy, safety, and impact on PTS progression. Larger studies are needed. Full article

A challenging task in routine practice is finding the distinction between benign and malignant paragangliomas and pheochromocytomas. The aim of this study is to conduct a comparative analysis of angiogenesis by assessing intratumoral microvascular density (MVD) with immunohistochemical (IHC) markers (CD31, CD34, CD105, ERG), and S100 immunoreactivity, Ki67 proliferative index, succinate dehydrogenase B (SDHB) expressiveness, tumor size with one the most utilized score Pheochromocytoma of Adrenal Gland Scales Score (PASS), using tissue microarray (TMA) with 115 tumor samples, 61 benign (PASS < 4) and 54 potentially malignant (PASS ≥ 4). We found no notable difference between intratumoral MVD and potentially malignant behavior. The group of potentially malignant tumors is significantly larger in size, has lower intratumoral MVD, and a decreased number of S100 labeled sustentacular cells. Both groups have low proliferative activity (mean Ki67 is 1.02 and 1.22, respectively). Most tumors maintain SDHB expression, only 6 cases (5.2%) showed a loss of expression (4 of them in PASS < 4 group and 2 in PASS ≥ 4). PASS score is easily available for assessment and complemented with markers of biological behavior to complete the risk stratification algorithm. Size is directly related to PASS score and malignancy. Intratumoral MVD is extensively developed but it is not crucial in evaluating the malignant potential. Full article

Aquaculture farms cultivating Saccharina japonica are highly active in Wando, Korea, and Rongcheng, China. However, the yield of S. japonica significantly declined in the Rongcheng region in 2022 compared to previous records, whereas that in Wando remained at a normal level, presumably due to the presence of a pathogenic microbiome. We used environmental DNA (eDNA) metagenomic analysis to compare the microbial compositions of seawater from aquaculture farms in Wando and Rongcheng. Seawater samples were collected from one Korean site in Wando (WA) and two Chinese sites in Ailian Bay (AB) and Lidao Bay (LB). Metagenomic analysis focusing on the microbial 16S rRNA identified 38 phyla and 58 families of microbiomes in all regions. Potentially pathogenic bacterial groups associated with S. japonica in AB and LB were more abundant than in WA, suggesting their potential influence on mortality and the decline in the harvest yield of S. japonica. The microbial composition of WA was distinguished from those of the other two sites, which clustered together with higher similarity. Since the S. japonica aquaculture industry is important for both countries, this comparative eDNA monitoring is a valuable initiation towards the next step of problem-solving practices in coastal management in these two aquaculture systems. Full article

In seasonally frozen regions, concrete pavement is exposed to cycles of freeze-thaw and erosion from de-icing salt, which can lead to unfavorable service conditions and vulnerability to damage. This paper examines the compressive strength, flexural-tensile strength, abrasion resistance, permeability, and spacing factor of concrete, taking into account the impact of various curing conditions, de-icing salt solutions, and mass fractions on the concrete’s freeze-thaw resistance. Two test methods, the single-face method and the fast-freezing method, were used to comparatively analyze the freeze-thaw resistance of concrete. The analysis was based on the surface scaling, water absorption rate, mass loss rate, relative dynamic elastic modulus, and relative durability index. The results indicate that the presence of salt solution significantly worsened the degree of concrete damage caused by freeze-thaw cycles. The use of freeze-thaw media, specifically sodium chloride (), calcium chloride (), and potassium acetate () at mass fractions of 5%, 4.74%, and 5%, respectively, had the greatest impact on the surface scaling of concrete. However, their effect on the water absorption rate was inconsistent. When the freeze-thaw medium was water, the concrete’s relative dynamic elastic modulus and relative durability index were 9.6% and 75.3% higher, respectively, for concrete cured in 20 °C—95% RH conditions compared to those cured in 0 °C—50% RH conditions. We propose a comprehensive relative durability index () by combining the results of two methods of freeze-thaw tests. The of concrete cured in 0 °C—50% RH conditions was 83.8% lower than that of concrete cured in 20 °C—95% RH conditions when exposed to a freeze-thaw medium of 5% mass fraction solution. To evaluate the salt freeze-thaw resistance of concrete pavement, it is recommended to use surface scaling and together. Full article

In this study, the radiation scheme BCC-RAD (Beijing Climate Center RADiative transfer model) developed for global climate models is implemented into the Global–Regional Integrated SysTem (GRIST) model as an alternative to the default RRTMG (general circulation model (GCM) version of the Rapid Radiative Transfer Model) scheme. Its impact on the simulated climate is comprehensively evaluated under different physics parametrization packages, in comparison with both the CERES (partly from ERA5 reanalysis) observations and multi-model results from CMIP6. The results indicate that under the default physics parameterization package of GRIST (PhysC), BCC-RAD improved the simulated global mean cloud cover by ~3% and the clear-sky outgoing longwave radiation by ~5.6 W/m². Upon the inclusion of the PhysCN parameterization package, BCC-RAD exhibited further improvement in simulated cloud cover and radiative forcing (particularly longwave radiative forcing, the bias of which decreases from −9.2 W/m² to −1.8 W/m²), leading it to be closer to observations than RRTMG. Additionally, BCC-RAD improved the simulation of atmospheric temperature and hence notably diminished the apparent overestimation of atmospheric humidity seen in RRTMG. This study demonstrates the advantages of BCC-RAD over RRTMG in certain aspects of the GRIST-simulated climate, verifying its capability for the climate-oriented configuration of GRIST. Full article

Surprisingly little is known about how the home environment influences the behaviour of pet cats. This study aimed to determine how factors in the home environment (e.g., with or without outdoor access, urban vs. rural, presence of a child) and the season influences the daily behaviour of cats. Using accelerometer data and a validated machine learning model, behaviours including being active, eating, grooming, littering, lying, scratching, sitting, and standing were quantified for 28 pet cats. Generalized estimating equation models were used to determine the effects of different environmental conditions. Increasing cat age was negatively correlated with time spent active (p < 0.05). Cats with outdoor access (n = 18) were less active in winter than in summer (p < 0.05), but no differences were observed between seasons for indoor-only (n = 10) cats. Cats living in rural areas (n = 7) spent more time eating than cats in urban areas (n = 21; p < 0.05). Cats living in single-cat households (n = 12) spent more time lying but less time sitting than cats living in multi-cat households (n = 16; p < 0.05). Cats in households with at least one child (n = 20) spent more time standing in winter (p < 0.05), and more time lying but less time sitting in summer compared to cats in households with no children (n = 8; p < 0.05). This study clearly shows that the home environment has a major impact on cat behaviour. Full article

To date, little is known concerning the circulating levels of biochemically relevant metabolites (antioxidants, oxidative/nitrosative stress biomarkers, purines, and pyrimidines) in patients with primary myelofibrosis (PMF), a rare form of myeloproliferative tumor causing a dramatic decrease in erythropoiesis and angiogenesis. In this study, using a targeted metabolomic approach, serum samples of 22 PMF patients and of 22 control healthy donors were analyzed to quantify the circulating concentrations of hypoxanthine, xanthine, uric acid (as representative purines), uracil, β-pseudouridine, uridine (as representative pyrimidines), reduced glutathione (GSH), ascorbic acid (as two of the main water-soluble antioxidants), malondialdehyde, nitrite, nitrate (as oxidative/nitrosative stress biomarkers) and creatinine, using well-established HPLC method for their determination. Results showed that PMF patients have dramatic depletions of both ascorbic acid and GSH (37.3- and 3.81-times lower circulating concentrations, respectively, than those recorded in healthy controls, p < 0.0001), accompanied by significant increases in malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitrite + nitrate (4.73- and 1.66-times higher circulating concentrations, respectively, than those recorded in healthy controls, p < 0.0001). Additionally, PMF patients have remarkable alterations of circulating purines, pyrimidines, and creatinine, suggesting potential mitochondrial dysfunctions causing energy metabolism imbalance and consequent increases in these cell energy-related compounds. Overall, these results, besides evidencing previously unknown serum metabolic alterations in PMF patients, suggest that the determination of serum levels of the aforementioned compounds may be useful to evaluate PMF patients on hospital admission for adjunctive therapies aimed at recovering their correct antioxidant status, as well as to monitor patients’ status and potential pharmacological treatments. Full article

Limited knowledge exists regarding gasoline and diesel exhaust effects on lipid metabolism. This study collected gasoline and diesel exhaust under actual driving conditions and conducted inhalation exposure on male young and middle-aged C57BL/6J mice for 4 h/day for 5 days to simulate commuting exposure intensity. Additionally, PM_2.5 from actual roadways, representing gasoline and diesel vehicles, was generated for exposure to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and normal liver cells (LO2) for 24, 48, and 72 h to further investigate exhaust particle toxicity. Results showed that diesel exhaust reduced total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in young mice, indicating disrupted lipid metabolism. Aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels increased by 53.7% and 21.7%, respectively, suggesting potential liver injury. Diesel exhaust exposure decreased superoxide dismutase and increased glutathione peroxidase levels. Cell viability decreased, and reactive oxygen species levels increased in HUVECs and LO2 following exposure to exhaust particles, with dose- and time-dependent effects. Diesel exhaust particles exhibited more severe inhibition of cell proliferation and oxidative damage compared to gasoline exhaust particles. These findings provide novel evidence of the risk of disrupted lipid metabolism due to gasoline and diesel exhaust, emphasizing the toxicity of diesel exhaust. Full article

Verbascum sinaiticum (Qetetina or yeahya Joro) is a medicinal plant with secondary metabolites such as phenolics, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, and alkaloids. This study was designed to optimize the ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) parameters to enhance the phenolic content and characterize the phenolic compounds using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography, coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS), and antioxidant activities in Verbascum sinaiticum extract. Extraction time, sample-to-solvent ratio, and extraction temperature were considered for UAE optimization. It was found that UAE generated the highest extraction yield (21.6%), total phenolic content (179.8 GAE mg/g), total flavonoid content (64.49 CE mg/g), DPPH (61.85 µg/mL), and ABTS (38.89 µg/mL) when compared to maceration extraction. Metabolite analysis in this study showed the detection of 17 phenolic compounds, confirming antioxidant capacities. The optimization parameters have significant effects on phenolic compounds. Scanning electron microscopy showed the presence of structural changes when UAE was used over the maceration method. The optimized UAE parameters for extraction temperature (41.43 °C), sample-to-solvent ratio (36.32 g/mL), and extraction time (33.22 min) for TPC were obtained. This study shows the potential application for UAE of Verbascum sinaiticum leaves in the development of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products. Full article

Stroke recovery is multifaceted and complex. Machine learning approaches have potential to identify patterns of brain activity associated with clinical outcomes, providing new insights into recovery. We aim to use machine learning to characterise the contribution of and potential interaction between resting state functional connectivity networks in predicting touch discrimination outcomes in a well-phenotyped, but small, stroke cohort. We interrogated and compared a suite of automated machine learning approaches to identify patterns of brain activity associated with clinical outcomes. Using feature reduction, the identification of combined ‘golden features’, and five-fold cross-validation, two golden features patterns emerged. These golden features identified patterns of resting state connectivity involving interactive relationships: 1. The difference between right insula and right superior temporal lobe correlation and left cerebellum and vermis correlation; 2. The ratio between right inferior temporal lobe and left cerebellum correlation and left frontal inferior operculum and left supplementary motor area correlation. Our findings demonstrate evidence of the potential for automated machine learning to provide new insights into brain network patterns and their interactions associated with the prediction of quantitative touch discrimination outcomes, through the automated identification of robust associations and golden feature brain patterns, even in a small cohort of stroke survivors. Full article

Background: Recently, the T2 alpha nailing system (Stryker, Inc.), which has advanced locking screws that can attach a screw to a rod, has been used worldwide and is expected to improve fracture fixation. We analyzed two cases of supracondylar femoral fractures in older adult patients, in which intraoperative fractures occurred during the insertion of advanced locking screws of the T2 alpha femur retrograde intramedullary nail. Case presentation: A 93-year-old and an 82-year-old woman each underwent T2 alpha femur retrograde nail fixation for supracondylar femur fractures at separate hospitals, and advanced locking screws were used as the proximal transverse locking screws. In both patients, a fracture line was observed at the proximal screw postoperatively, and the fractures were refixed with distal cable wiring and/or femoral distal plates. The patients were subsequently discharged from the same facility with no remarkable pain. Conclusions: When inserting advanced locking screws, it is necessary to enlarge the screw hole in the near-bone cortex with a counterbore drill, which might add torque to the bone cortex that could result in fractures. If the sleeve is distant from the bone, the counterbore drill will not reach the bone, the screw hole will not expand, and the insertion of advanced locking screws will apply a strong torque to the bone cortex and may result in fracture. Moreover, it is important to confirm that the counterbore drill is securely inserted under fluoroscopy and to carefully enlarge the bony foramen manually to prevent fractures during screw insertion. Full article

The aim of this research was to determine the influence of yeast strains (previously isolated from the fermentation process) on selected quality parameters of sauerkraut. For this purpose, shredded and salted (2.5% w/w) cabbage of the Galaxy variety was fermented in the absence of oxygen with the addition of 2 × 10⁶ cells of a selected yeast culture. The control sample was spontaneously fermented sauerkraut without yeast addition. The obtained sauerkraut was analysed in terms of the content of selected organic acids, sugars and polyols (HPLC), selected volatile compounds (HS-SPME-GC-TOFMS), colour (CieLAB) and aroma (QDA). Yeast P. fermentans, Rh. mucilaginosa and W. anomalus reduced crucial sauerkraut components such as lactic acid, glycerol, and certain volatile compounds, leading to decreased aroma intensity and acceptability. Additionally, an increase in glucosinolate decomposition products was observed. Conversely, D. hansenii positively influenced sauerkraut quality by enhancing lactic acid content and exhibiting similar volatile characteristics to those of the control. Two of the three samples fermented with D. hansenii received high sensory analysis scores akin to those of the control. Sauerkraut fermented with Cl. lusitaniae yeast contained elevated levels of volatile compounds—alcohols, esters and lactones—resulting in an intense floral aroma, albeit receiving lower overall ratings due to deviation from the typical profile. Full article

Wilms tumor (WT), the most prevalent type of renal cancer in children, exhibits overall survival rates exceeding 90%. However, chemotherapy resistance, which occurs in approximately 10% of WT cases, is a major challenge for the treatment of WT, particularly for advanced-stage patients. In this study, we aimed to discover potential mutation markers and drug targets associated with chemotherapy resistance in advanced-stage WT. We performed exome sequencing to detect somatic mutations and molecular targets in 43 WT samples, comprising 26 advanced-stage WTs, of which 7 cases were chemotherapy-resistant. Our analysis revealed four genes (ALPK2, C16orf96, PRKDC, and SVIL) that correlated with chemotherapy resistance and reduced disease-free survival in advanced-stage WT. Additionally, we identified driver mutations in 55 genes within the chemotherapy-resistant group, including 14 druggable cancer driver genes. Based on the mutation profiles of the resistant WT samples, we propose potential therapeutic strategies involving platinum-based agents, PARP inhibitors, and antibiotic/antineoplastic agents. Our findings provide insights into the genetic landscape of WT and offer potential avenues for targeted treatment, particularly for patients with chemotherapy resistance. Full article

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) capillary membranes, known for the great chemical resistance and thermal stability, are commonly used in membrane separation technologies. However, the strong hydrophobic property of PTFE limits its application in water filtration. This study introduces a method whereby acrylamide (AM), N, N-methylene bisacrylamide (MBA), and vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) undergo free radical copolymerization, followed by the hydrolysis-condensation of silane bonds, resulting in the formation of hydrophilic three-dimensional networks physically intertwined with the PTFE capillary membranes. The modified PTFE capillary membranes prepared through this method exhibit excellent hydrophilic properties, whose water contact angles are decreased by 24.3–61.2%, and increasing pure water flux from 0 to 1732.7–2666.0 L/m²·h. The enhancement in hydrophilicity of the modified PTFE capillary membranes is attributed to the introduction of hydrophilic groups such as amide bonds and siloxane bonds, along with an increase in surface roughness. Moreover, the modified PTFE capillary membranes exhibit chemical resistance, maintaining the hydrophilicity even after immersion in strong acidic (3 wt% HCl), alkaline (3 wt% NaOH), and oxidative (3 wt% NaClO) solutions for 2 weeks. In conclusion, this promising method yields modified PTFE capillary membranes with great hydrophilicity and chemical resistance, presenting substantial potential for applications in the field of water filtration. Full article

(1) Background: Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is the most important tick-borne viral disease in Eurasia, although effective vaccines are available. Caused by the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV, syn. Orthoflavivirus encephalitidis), in Europe, it is transmitted by ticks like Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus. TBEV circulates in natural foci, making it endemic to specific regions, such as southern Germany and northeastern Poland. Our study aimed to identify new TBEV natural foci and genetically characterize strains in ticks in previously nonendemic areas in Eastern Germany and Western Poland. (2) Methods: Ticks were collected from vegetation in areas reported by TBE patients. After identification, ticks were tested for TBEV in pools of a maximum of 10 specimens using real-time RT-PCR. From the positive TBEV samples, E genes were sequenced. (3) Results: Among 8400 ticks from 19 sites, I. ricinus (n = 4784; 56.9%) was predominant, followed by D. reticulatus (n = 3506; 41.7%), Haemaphysalis concinna (n = 108; 1.3%), and I. frontalis (n = 2; <0.1%). TBEV was detected in 19 pools originating in six sites. The phylogenetic analyses revealed that TBEV strains from Germany and Poland clustered with other German strains, as well as those from Finland and Estonia. (4) Conclusions: Although there are still only a few cases are reported from these areas, people spending much time outdoors should consider TBE vaccination. Full article

Background: Despite pregnancy’s hypercoagulable state, the correlation between inherited thrombophilia and thrombotic adverse pregnancy outcomes remains uncertain. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of inherited thrombophilic polymorphisms among asymptomatic pregnant individuals and to examine their potential correlation with adverse perinatal outcomes. Methods: in this single-center prospective study, 105 healthy pregnant women were included. Genotyping was conducted for factor V Leiden (FVL), prothrombin gene mutation, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase enzyme (MTHFR) C677T, MTHFR A1298C, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), alongside the assessment of protein C (PC), protein S (PS), and antithrombin (AT) levels. The study analyzed the association between inherited thrombophilic polymorphisms and pregnancy complications linked to placental insufficiency, such as gestational hypertension (GH), preeclampsia (PE), intrauterine death (IUD), fetal growth restriction (FGR), and placental abruption. Results: The prevalence of identifiable thrombophilic polymorphism mutations was 61.9% (95% confidence interval - CI 52.4–70.8%), with the most common single mutation being PAI-1 4G/5G (12/105, 11.4%, 95% CI 6.4–18.5). The most frequent combined mutation was heterozygosity for MTHFR C677T and PAI-1 (12/105, 11.4%, 95% CI 6.4–18.5). Notably, no FVL homozygous carriers or single homozygous and heterozygous carriers for prothrombin polymorphisms were found. Additionally, no deficiencies in PC and AT were detected among participants. Except for homozygosity for PAI-1, none of the studied polymorphisms demonstrated a significant association with pregnancy complications linked to placental insufficiency. Conclusions: The asymptomatic carriers of inherited thrombophilic polymorphisms do not have an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. Full article

Autostrainer is used for the purpose of debris removal in order to increase the efficiency of the heat exchanger by taking the required raw water as a heat source for the pre-cooling hydrothermal system. During the operation of the autostrainer, a pressure drop occurs due to the blockage of the screen in the autostrainer. As a result, the resistance of the pipe network for the intake system is changed, and the operating efficiency point of the pump, valve, heat exchanger, etc., is altered. By calculating the system resistance taking into account the pressure drop caused by the blockage rate of the screen in the autostrainer, the optimum operating efficiency can be expected when the intake system such as a pump, valve or heat exchanger, etc. is constructed. In this study, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to construct a scenario in which screen blockage may occur, predicting pressure drop for the slot cross-section of the screen in the autostrainer to derive a resistance coefficient value. The resistance coefficient value was applied to the porous region corresponding to the screen in the autostrainer’s 3D shape and compared with the experimental value for the pressure drop and headloss coefficient. By predicting the pressure drop for the autostrainer’s screen blockage rate of 0% to 50%, the coefficient of headloss required for the design of the intake system was calculated. Additionally, in order to predict the debris removal rate, which is the original role of the autostrainer, the debris was assumed to be particles, and sedimentation rate was predicted according to the size and weight of the particles. Building on this, when introducing the autostrainer used in pre-cooling into the membrane filtration process, due to the pressure loss caused by the inflow of debris during the use of the autostrainer, this study aims to utilize Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to derive the head loss coefficients according to the screen blockage rate, and use these coefficients to calculate the system’s resistance curve. Additionally, in this study, the term “autostrainer” is used instead of the term “membrane strainer” to align with more popular terminology. Full article

Background and objective: Local advanced rectal cancer (LARC) poses significant treatment challenges due to its location and high recurrence rates. Accurate early detection is vital for treatment planning. With magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) being resource-intensive, this study explores using artificial intelligence (AI) to interpret computed tomography (CT) scans as an alternative, providing a quicker, more accessible diagnostic tool for LARC. Methods: In this retrospective study, CT images of 1070 T3–4 rectal cancer patients from 2010 to 2022 were analyzed. AI models, trained on 739 cases, were validated using two test sets of 134 and 197 cases. By utilizing techniques such as nonlocal mean filtering, dynamic histogram equalization, and the EfficientNetB0 algorithm, we identified images featuring characteristics of a positive circumferential resection margin (CRM) for the diagnosis of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Importantly, this study employs an innovative approach by using both hard and soft voting systems in the second stage to ascertain the LARC status of cases, thus emphasizing the novelty of the soft voting system for improved case identification accuracy. The local recurrence rates and overall survival of the cases predicted by our model were assessed to underscore its clinical value. Results: The AI model exhibited high accuracy in identifying CRM-positive images, achieving an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.89 in the first test set and 0.86 in the second. In a patient-based analysis, the model reached AUCs of 0.84 and 0.79 using a hard voting system. Employing a soft voting system, the model attained AUCs of 0.93 and 0.88, respectively. Notably, AI-identified LARC cases exhibited a significantly higher five-year local recurrence rate and displayed a trend towards increased mortality across various thresholds. Furthermore, the model’s capability to predict adverse clinical outcomes was superior to those of traditional assessments. Conclusion: AI can precisely identify CRM-positive LARC cases from CT images, signaling an increased local recurrence and mortality rate. Our study presents a swifter and more reliable method for detecting LARC compared to traditional CT or MRI techniques. Full article

In this paper, we develop a two-level supply chain model with low carbon emissions for defective deteriorating items under learning in fuzzy environment by using the double inspection process. Carbon emissions are a major issue for the environment and human life when they come from many sources like different kinds of factories, firms, and industries. The burning of diesel and petrol during the supply of items through transportation is also responsible for carbon emissions. When any company, firm, or industry supplies their items through a supply chain by using of transportation in the regular mode, then a lot of carbon units are emitted from the burning of petrol and diesel, etc., which affects the supply chain. Carbon emissions can be controlled by using different kinds of policies issued by the government of a country, and lots of companies have implemented these policies to control carbon emissions. When a seller delivers a demanded lot size to the buyer, as per demand, and the lot size has some defective items, as per consideration, the demand rate is uncertain in nature. The buyer inspects the received whole lot and divides it into two categories of defective and no defective deteriorating items, as well as immediately selling at different price. The fuzzy concept nullifies the uncertain nature of the demand rate. This paper covers two models, assuming two conditions of quality screening under learning in fuzzy environment: (i) the buyer shows the quality screening and (ii) the quality inspection becomes the seller’s responsibility. The carbon footprint from the transporting and warehousing the deteriorating items is also assumed. The aim of this study is to minimize the whole inventory cost for supply chains with respect to lot size and the number of orders per production cycle. Jointly optimizing the delivery lot size and number of orders per production cycle will minimize the whole fuzzy inventory cost for the supply chain and also reduce the carbon emissions. We take two numerical approaches with authentic data (from the literature reviews) for the justification of the proposed model 1 and model 2. Sensitivity observations, managerial insights, applications of these proposed models, and future scope are also included in this paper, which is more beneficial for firms, the industrial sector, and especially for online markets. The impact of the most effective parameters, like learning effect, fuzzy parameter, carbon emissions parameter, and inventory cost are shown in this study and had a positive effect on the total inventory cost for the supply chain. Full article