Journals
2026 EN
Zhu Na-na · Chong Ying-zi · Chen Ke
+5 more
Esophagectomy provokes an intense systemic inflammatory response that is significantly associated with postoperative morbidities. Whether a single preoperative high-dose dexamethasone can attenuate this response and improve recovery remains unknown. This single-center, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group trial will enroll 82 adults undergoing elective transthoracic esophagectomy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China. Patients will be randomly assigned (1:1) to receive intravenous dexamethasone 15 mg (high-dose) or 5 mg (low-dose) during anesthesia induction. Both groups will receive standardized general anesthesia and perioperative care. The primary outcome is the peak plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) level within 72 h after surgery. Secondary outcomes include CRP values at 24, 48 and 72 h; 72-h recovery quality, assessed using the 15-item quality of recovery scale; cumulative 72-h opioid consumption; in-hospital major complications (anastomotic leakage, mechanical ventilation > 48 h, pulmonary infection, renal failure, reoperation, death); 7-d hyperglycemic events (> 10 mmol/L); and length of postoperative hospital stay. By comparing two clinically relevant dexamethasone doses, this trial will provide high-quality evidence on the efficacy and safety of using 15 mg dexamethasone to mitigate excessive systemic inflammation and improve recovery after esophagectomy. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2500109536; registered on September 19, 2025)
Journals
2026 EN
Bai Jie · Li Shaowei · Liu Chang
+3 more
To compare therapeutic outcomes of three surgical approaches for acute corneal hydrops (ACH): compression sutures combined with intracameral air injection (CSAI), CSAI followed by deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK), and penetrating keratoplasty (PKP). This study enrolled 26 patients (26 eyes) into three groups: CSAI-only (7 eyes), CSAI+DALK (14 eyes), and PKP (5 eyes). Demographics; best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), corneal edema area, central corneal thickness (CCT), corneal curvature during the acute phase; resolution time after CSAI; BCVA, corneal curvature, CCT, astigmatism at final follow-up; and complications were collected. Mean corneal edema resolution time after CSAI was approximately 2 weeks. Postoperative BCVA (logMAR) improved in all groups ( p < 0.05): CSAI-only (0.60 ± 0.15), CSAI+DALK (0.34 ± 0.16), PKP (0.15 ± 0.09). Among 17 eyes planned for DALK, Descemet’s membrane perforation occurred in 5 eyes. One PKP case had graft rejection, no long-term complications in the other two groups. CSAI shortens ACH duration but offers limited visual improvement, serving as a phased treatment. DALK after CSAI resolution significantly improves BCVA and reduces graft rejection risk, making CSAI+DALK a preferred balanced approach. PKP provides the greatest BCVA but carries higher rejection risk, reserved for non-suitable cases of other options.
Journals
2026 EN
Jing Liting · Huang Mingyang · Cai Xionghui
+3 more
Involving users in conceptual design decision-making to select the optimal conceptual scheme (CS) is challenging due to the diversity in semantic granularity and affective tendencies caused by individual cognitive differences. To address such drawbacks, a CS decision-making approach integrating the BERT model and prospect theory is proposed. First, the BERT model predicts semantic preference distribution from online reviews, defining them as intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFS). Second, a semantic clustering algorithm based on Gaussian mixture model is constructed to extract the evaluation granularities of each criterion and to establish the multi-granularity personalised IFS evaluation matrix for CSs. Third, the three coefficients in prospect theory are solved for each criterion, and the cosine similarity-based decision-makers (DMs) weight calculation model is established to integrate the evaluation semantics of different DMs. Then, the prospect values of CSs are calculated, and the optimal CS is obtained using the VIKOR model. Finally, the food waste disposer (FWD) design case study is further employed to verify the proposed decision approach, and the comparison result confirms that the multi-granularity personalised semantics captured using online review data can convey the variability of different users’ preference perceptions, and enhance the market competitiveness of user-centred design.
Journals
2026 EN
Wang Dongyang · Wang Yandong · Dou Mingxuan
+3 more
Understanding the relationship between Visual Environment (VE) and residents’ happiness is crucial for designing psychologically supportive urban environments. However, prior research has primarily focused on the impact of visual semantic elements (e.g. trees, buildings), often overlooking geometric features (e.g. area and perimeter of the visual field) that are also perceived at eye-level and profoundly shape emotional experiences. Moreover, the nonlinear impact of VE factors on residents’ happiness remains largely unexplored (e.g. more visual greenery is not always better). To address these gaps, this study proposes a novel framework that integrates multi-source geospatial data to investigate the nonlinear relationship between integrated VE and residents’ happiness in Wuhan, China. Both semantic and geometric features of VE are systematically measured by combining street view images and building footprints through semantic segmentation and isovist analysis. Residents’ happiness is quantified by extracting emotional information from social media data utilizing the Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) pre-trained model. Generalized Additive Mixed Model (GAMM) is then employed to assess the VE’s impact on happiness. Results reveal that certain VE factors exhibit significant nonlinear relationships with happiness (i.e. inverted U- or S-shaped curves), displaying varying threshold effects. For instance, the green view index has an optimal level at 45%, with a dose-response effect emerging above 20%. Similar optimal thresholds are observed for isovist area (80,000 m 2 ), and drift magnitude (40 m). Additionally, factors like wall elements show varied impacts between weekdays and weekends. This study broadens the scope of VE-happiness research by introducing the visual geometric dimensions, highlighting the importance of considering optimal VE ranges to inform evidence-based strategies for designing livable and more sustainable cities.
Journals
2026 EN
He Chunshan · Dou Shixin · Ma Xiaoying
+1 more
To optimize scoliosis correction strategies by comparing continuous and interval pedicle screw configurations and proposing a dual-geometry screw design. A patient-specific T11-L5 scoliotic spine model was reconstructed via finite element analysis (FEA). Continuous and interval screw placements were evaluated for biomechanical performance. A novel dual-geometry screw (tapered-cylindrical transition) was developed. Continuous configurations achieved a 43.5% reduction in displacement (1.33 mm vs. 2.36 mm) and a 29.7% decrease in screw stress (444.08 MPa vs. 631.35 MPa). The dual-geometry screw lowered drilling stress (16.5%, p < 0.05) and displacement heterogeneity (22.4%). Continuous screws enhance stability through synergistic load transfer, while dual-geometry screws mitigate interfacial damage. This provides biomechanical criteria for clinical scoliosis correction.
Journals
2026 EN
Liu Yang · Bi Jingyi · Dou Xuelin
+9 more
The relationship between an early decrease in the difference between involved and uninvolved free light chains (dFLC) and clinical outcomes in AL amyloidosis is significant. We conducted a multicenter study ( n = 86, baseline dFLC ≥ 50 mg/L) in which all patients received frontline daratumumab-bortezomib therapy. ROC analysis identified a dFLC reduction after one cycle (87% reduction, AUC = 0.82) as predictive of complete hematologic response (CHR). Patients achieving >87% dFLC or a very good partial response after one cycle were classified as optimal responders (O-HR), while those who did not were classified as suboptimal response (S-HR). The O-HR group had higher rate of CHR (90.5% vs. 43.5%, p < 0.001), cardiac response (68.9% vs. 36.8%, p = 0.017), and renal response (76.6% vs. 50.0%, p = 0.045) than the S-HR group. Profound dFLC decrease after one cycle suggests high CHR and organ response likelihood, supporting early treatment modification.
Journals
2026 EN
Guo Jiayuan · Li Meng · Zhang Linlin
+16 more
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-ALL/LBL) remains a challenging malignancy with poor prognosis. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT) remains a key curative option, but the optimal conditioning regimen is unclear. We retrospectively analyzed 93 T-ALL/LBL patients undergoing allo-HCT between January 2010 and July 2023, including 72 with modified busulfan plus cyclophosphamide (mBuCy) and 21 with total body irradiation plus cyclophosphamide (TBI-Cy). Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to adjust baseline differences. Prior to PSM, survival outcomes were not significantly different, though numerical trends favored TBI-Cy. After PSM, 3-year graft-versus-host disease–free, relapse–free survival (GRFS) was higher with TBI-Cy (52% vs. 22%; p = 0.036), while other endpoints remained comparable in terms of statistical significance. Among patients transplanted in first complete remission (CR1), outcomes were not significantly different between regimens. These findings suggest TBI-Cy may provide improved composite outcomes, mainly reflected by GRFS, and inform conditioning regimen selection in T-ALL/LBL.
Journals
2026 EN
Hite Rebecca L. · Vieyra Rebecca E. · Dou Remy
Professional development programs (PDPs) provide opportunities for in-service teachers to garner knowledge of teaching and leadership skills. Yet, it is unreported if the specific benefits teachers receive from PDPs pulls or pushes them out of classroom teaching. This study examined alumni of the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship (AEF), a one- to two-year PDP for K-12 STEM teachers that promotes STEM teachers’ voices in the federal policy-making spaces of Washington, D.C. Using push-pull theory to model factors that influence classroom teaching retention/attrition, a questionnaire with open-ended responses captured alumni’s perceived benefits of PDP participation and what factors (inside and outside of the PDP) influenced their return to classroom teaching. Seventy-two of 292 total alumni (serving between 1990 and 2017) completed the questionnaire. Results for the 41 alumni who did not return to classroom teaching reported growing their professional networks and enhancing their understandings of the teaching profession. They cited push factors concurrent with teacher attrition literature (e.g. a lack of career advancement, low/er pay, and poor working conditions) and described pull factors to pursue teacher leadership pathways not available in their professional context. Only 10 alumni reported that their attrition was due to their participation in the PDP. The 31 PDP alumni who returned to the classroom reported teacher-centric outcomes of improved knowledge and skills in STEM teaching, professionalism, and respect. Notably, both groups reported dissatisfaction with the inability of their school and district to recognize or accommodate the unique knowledge and leadership skills they garnered from PDP participation.
Journals
2026 EN
Zhao Pengcheng · Cao Quan · Qin Haodong
+3 more
The elbow portion of a pipeline plays a critical role in pipeline systems, and defects can lead to potential gas and oil leakage accidents. Magnetic flux leakage (MFL) detection is an efficient method for identifying pipeline defects. To address the issue of image distortion in defect MFL signals, the accuracy of defect recognition must be improved. This paper proposes an intelligent identification method for MFL defects in small-diameter pipe elbows based on a deep learning target detection algorithm. The MSRCR algorithm is enhanced using bilateral filtering and gamma correction to improve the image features of defect MFL signals. Additionally, the YOLOv5 network is augmented with CBAM, Soft-NMS and Focal-EIOU loss to enhance the feature extraction capabilities. The results show that the proposed improved MSRCR algorithm effectively solves the elbow MFL defect distortion problem. The improved YOLOv5 network achieves average defect recognition accuracies of 86.61% and 94.27% on the original and enhanced datasets, respectively. After experimental verification, the network effectively improves the recognition accuracy of MFL defects in small-diameter pipe elbows, and provides useful technical support for the intelligent detection and safety evaluation of elbows.
Journals
2026 EN
Cawley Max · Ayala-Chavez R. · Ballista J.
+4 more
Hispanic people, particularly new immigrants and first-generation families have been systematically left out of the benefits of informal STEM education in museums, and many unique barriers stand in the way of their participation in these institutions [Pew Research Center, Many Hispanic Americans See More Representation ; Dawson, “The Organization of Informal Pathways into STEM”; Dou and Cian, “The Relevance of Childhood Science Talk,” 1093–105]. Rigorous evaluation, particularly in partnership with trusted community pillars, provides a promising path forward for educating the field on how to best identify and address these barriers [Lopez et al., “Strengthening STEM Education through Community Partnerships,” 20–33; Ludwig et al., “Consequential Insights for Advancing Informal STEM Learning,” 351]. However, careful consideration and integration of culturally-sustaining practices in evaluation is the only way to ensure equitable and ethical participation and useful and usable data that illuminates insights into how best to integrate the voices, perspectives, and priorities of Hispanic families into informal STEM Education. This article shares a rationale for three culturally-sustaining evaluation methods, demonstrating that positionality, reciprocity, humility, and human warmth are important front-of-mind considerations when designing and conducting evaluation with Hispanic families.