Research works

Building energy performance regulation and energy poverty: evidence from a natural experiment

Improving residential energy efficiency is essential for environmental and social sustainability because the residential building sector accounts for a substantial share of energy consumption, and inefficient housing can exacerbate energy poverty and socioeconomic inequalities. T...

Regulation of non-uniform electric field-induced bubble migration for pool boiling heat transfer enhancement on rib-structured surfaces

Pool boiling is a highly efficient thermal management method for high-heat-flux devices. Under high heat flux, intense bubble coalescence forms a persistent vapor layer. This layer blocks liquid replenishment, causing surface dryout and boiling crisis. Numerical simulations and f...

Complication-attributable admission episodes after shunt surgery for idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus in Japan: a scenario-based micro-costing analysis of hospital margins under DPC/PDPS and fee-for-service

Shunt-related complications after surgery for idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) generate repeat admissions, procedures, and bed use, but their provider-side financial consequences depend on the reimbursement rule. Evidence on hospital accounting margins under Japan’...

Hydrothermal carbonization process waters: Linking composition with recovery, recirculation, and treatment routes

Hydrothermal carbonization process waters (HTC PWs) contain feedstock-derived carbon, nutrients, dissolved ions, and potentially recoverable organics, but also inhibitory and poorly biodegradable fractions. This review links feedstock composition and HTC conditions to PW composit...

Innovative application of pressure gradient measurement in internal carotid stenosis in patients undergoing carotid artery stenting (NOTICE-CAS): study protocol for a randomized, assessor-blinded, parallel-group clinical trial

Atherosclerotic stenosis of the internal carotid artery (ICA-S) is among the significant causes of ischemic stroke. Current noninvasive imaging techniques often lack the precision to accurately determine hemodynamic significance. Although carotid artery stenting (CAS) is benefici...

Hierarchical cooperative signal control for high-demand networks within the MFD framework: A deep reinforcement learning approach

Owing to its powerful modeling and decision-making capabilities in complex urban networks, deep reinforcement learning (DRL) has garnered significant attention in both regional signal control and perimeter control. However, regional control tends to fail under oversaturated condi...

Effects of alkaline hydrothermal extraction on the molecular organization and antioxidant activity of humic substances derived from sugarcane straw hydrochar

Hydrothermal humic acids (HHA) have attracted attention due to their redox-active properties and potential for lignocellulosic waste valorization. However, the effects of alkaline hydrothermal extraction temperature on their molecular organization and antioxidant activity remain...

Phase IIa Trial of Locoregional High-Dose Autologous Natural Killer Cell Therapy Combined with Hepatic Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

PurposeHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) refractory to locoregional therapies remains a major clinical challenge.This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of locoregional high-dose autologous natural killer (NK) cell therapy combined with hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (H...

Cost-competitive design of sustainable urea production: Synergizing solid oxide electrolysis and oxy-fuel combustion-based carbon capture

Urea is a vital nitrogen fertilizer for global food security; however, its production remains carbon-intensive owing to heavy reliance on fossil fuel–based H 2 . To reduce the carbon emissions of the urea production process, capturing CO 2 from the flue gas has emerged as a promi...

RBD-down stabilization of SARS-CoV-2 spike enhances cross-neutralizing antibody responses by redirecting immunodominance toward conserved epitopes

The continuous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants has enabled partial escape from neutralizing antibodies, necessitating frequent updates of vaccine antigens. These observations motivate vaccine strategies that can redirect antibody responses toward conserved regions of the spike (...

Differentiation of cervical caries and cervical burnout on orthopantomographic images: a radiomics-based machine learning approach

To evaluate the diagnostic performance of machine learning (ML) algorithms based on radiomic features extracted from orthopantomographic (OPG) images in differentiating cervical caries from cervical burnout. A total of 170 OPG images were retrospectively analyzed, including 85 ce...

Climate informed pediatric care – Nurturing a better future for children

Introduction Climate change poses significant health risks and children are particularly vulnerable to its effects. In 2024, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated its clinical recommendations for climate-informed care in a policy statement, urging pediatricians to inco...

A Deterministic 0.3092 + δ Approximation for Bimatrix Games: Six Candidates and Exact Global Certification

Gondauri’s earlier Zenodo preprint [1] reported a deterministic approximation guarantee of \(1/3 - 7.5 \times 10^{-45}\), strictly below one third. Li and Li [2] acknowledge that correspondence concerning this preprint motivated their independently developed construction, which a...

Affibody-based approaches as potential therapeutics for breast cancer: mechanisms, applications, and future perspectives

Breast cancer presents a significant therapeutic challenge due to the substantial molecular and genetic diversity among its subtypes, thereby necessitating the development of refined intervention strategies. Macromolecular therapies, such as monoclonal antibodies, are often hinde...

Macroeconomic determinants of environmental degradation in Africa: A STIRPAT model analysis

Environmental pressure in Africa is shaped by economic expansion, demographic scale and the energy required to sustain production, yet these relationships are difficult to identify when countries are exposed to common shocks and respond heterogeneously. This study revisits the ma...

Temporal regulation of activin, follistatin, and growth differentiation factor 15 in the liver and circulation during high-fat diet–induced fatty liver disease

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) develops over time, yet most hepatokine studies are cross-sectional.We investigated the temporal regulation of the activin-follistatin axis and growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced...

Homocysteine, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folate profiles in acute ischemic stroke: a hospital-based case-control study

Homocysteine and its vitamin cofactors are associated with vascular biology, but post-stroke measurements are vulnerable to confounding and reverse causation. This study compared serum homocysteine, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folate between adults with acute ischemic stroke and...

Revolutionizing drought defense: The water-plant-microbe synergy in climate-smart agriculture

Global warming-induced water scarcity threatens agricultural sustainability. While precision irrigation and microbial inoculants are recognized as effective individual strategies, their synergistic potential remains under-explored. This review synthesizes recent advances in the "...

Preoperative Paraoxonase 1 Activity, Polymorphism, and Its Correlation with Surgical Site Infection in Abdominal Surgeries

Background Surgical site infection (SSI) is the most common postoperative complication and leads to a poor prognosis. SSI triggers the acute-phase response, which leads to increased levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and myeloperoxidase (MPO). The HDL-associate...

Treatment of distal femoral malignant bone tumors with freezing tank–assisted pedicle-freezing: a retrospective study of 31 patients

Biological reconstruction with recycled autografts is an established option for limb salvage after bone tumor resection, but complications such as graft failure and nonunion remain concerns. Pedicle freezing was introduced in 2010 and showed potential in reducing nonunion. Howeve...