Scientific Reports[JOURNAL]
Sun
200 papers
An energy-efficient clustering and routing in WSN using density based adaptive soft clustering with adaptive lotus effect optimization and IGGO.
Faridha Banu D, Kumaresan N
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42401566 · Full text
Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are extensively employed in military surveillance, industrial automation, environmental monitoring, and healthcare applications; however, their performance is severely constrained by limit...
Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are extensively employed in military surveillance, industrial automation, environmental monitoring, and healthcare applications; however, their performance is severely constrained by limited battery energy, restricted computational capability, communication overhead, and dynamic network topology variations. To address these challenges, this work proposes an energy-efficient clustering and routing framework based on Density-Based Adaptive Soft Clustering (DBASC), Adaptive Lotus Effect Optimization Algorithm (ALEOA), and Improved Greylag Goose Optimization (IGGO). Initially, DBASC organizes sensor nodes into adaptive and balanced clusters by considering node density and spatial proximity, thereby reducing redundant communication and improving cluster stability. Subsequently, ALEOA performs optimal cluster head (CH) selection by exploiting the adaptive and self-organizing characteristics inspired by the lotus effect, enabling efficient energy balancing, adaptive CH rotation, and minimized communication overhead under dynamic WSN conditions. Furthermore, IGGO identifies reliable and energy-aware routing paths by utilizing the cooperative navigation and coordinated movement behavior of greylag geese, which supports stable multi-hop communication, rapid convergence, and efficient route exploration between cluster heads and the base station. The proposed hybrid ALEOA-IGGO framework jointly optimizes clustering and routing operations to minimize energy dissipation, improve packet forwarding reliability, and extend network lifetime. Extensive simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves low energy consumption of 10 mJ, high throughput of 0.95 Mbps, prolonged network lifetime of 8000 rounds, reduced end-to-end delay of 1.3 ms, and a packet delivery ratio of 99%. Comparative analysis further confirms that the proposed framework outperforms several state-of-the-art approaches, including F-PSO, F-GWO, BOA-ACO, OAFS-IMFO, and QPSOFL, in terms of energy efficiency, routing stability, and quality-of-service performance. The obtained results validate that the proposed ALEOA-IGGO framework effectively addresses the critical challenges of energy-aware clustering and reliable routing in large-scale and dynamic WSN environments.
An integrated environmental modelling and decision-support framework for climate-resilient management of Nepeta persica boiss. under climate change.
Dastres E, Sonboli A, Sarvestani GS … +4 more , Rabiei-Dastjerdi H, Esmaeili H, Amiri M, Mirjalili MH
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42401563 · Full text
Understanding and managing the impacts of climate change on ecologically and economically important plant species requires integrated modelling approaches. In this study, we developed an environmental modelling and decis...
Understanding and managing the impacts of climate change on ecologically and economically important plant species requires integrated modelling approaches. In this study, we developed an environmental modelling and decision-support framework for assessing the current and future habitat suitability of Nepeta persica Boiss. in Fars Province, Iran. The framework combines bivariate models (FR, WofE, IofE) and machine learning algorithms (GLM, GAM, ANN, MaxEnt, XGBoost, ENET) with fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (AHP, TOPSIS, VIKOR), enabling both quantitative habitat forecasting and structured decision support. Results indicated that temperature and elevation are the dominant drivers shaping species distribution. Projections under SSP245 and SSP585 scenarios suggest up to 30% contraction of suitable habitats by 2100, accompanied by an eastward and upslope shift. These outcomes provide critical insights for sustainable management, highlighting climatically buffered highlands as potential refugia for conservation and climate-resilient cultivation. By linking model-based ecological forecasting with participatory decision analysis, this research contributes to the development of adaptive management strategies aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2, 13, and 15), supporting both biodiversity conservation and rural livelihood resilience under global change.
Therapeutic potential of crude protein extracts from two Egyptian freshwater snails Lanistes carinatus and Bellamya unicolor.
Habib MR, Mohamed AH, AbdElhafez AR … +6 more , Helmy MS, Hamed AA, Akila AIF, El-Seedi HR, Khalifa SAM, Masoud HM
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42399711 · Full text
Freshwater snails are emerging sources of bioactive molecules with potential biomedical and therapeutic relevance. This study evaluated crude protein extracts from two Egyptian freshwater snails, Lanistes carinatus and B...
Freshwater snails are emerging sources of bioactive molecules with potential biomedical and therapeutic relevance. This study evaluated crude protein extracts from two Egyptian freshwater snails, Lanistes carinatus and Bellamya unicolor, for antioxidant enzymes, antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities, cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines, and peptide composition. Both species exhibited low activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione S-transferase (GST), with slightly higher levels in L. carinatus. Despite this, the crude protein extracts inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus; L. carinatus showed stronger antifungal activity against Candida albicans, while neither extract affected Aspergillus niger. Selective cytotoxicity was observed: L. carinatus was most active against MCF-7 and HeLa cells, whereas B. unicolor was highly potent against HCT-116 and moderately active against PC3 cells, with minimal effects on normal WI-38 cells. LC-MS/MS identified 26 short peptides, likely contributing to the antimicrobial and anticancer activities.These findings provide preliminary evidence of the therapeutic potential of L. carinatus and B. unicolor crude protein extracts, highlighting freshwater snails as candidate sources of bioactive molecules that merit further investigation.
Microbial contamination of donor corneas and post-keratoplasty endophthalmitis: a comparison between Japanese and U.S. eye banks using cold storage.
Nakagawa N, Yukari Y, Igarashi A … +5 more , Takeda M, Mizuki Y, Nakashizuka H, Yamagami S, Hayashi T
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42399710 · Full text
This study evaluated the prevalence and microbial spectrum of positive corneoscleral donor rim cultures and the associated risk factors for post-keratoplasty infection in Japan. We retrospectively included consecutive co...
This study evaluated the prevalence and microbial spectrum of positive corneoscleral donor rim cultures and the associated risk factors for post-keratoplasty infection in Japan. We retrospectively included consecutive corneal transplantations performed by a single surgeon between April 2015 and September 2021. Donor corneas were obtained from eye banks in Japan (n = 134) or the United States (n = 365) and preserved using cold storage. Donor corneoscleral rim cultures were obtained during surgery. Culture positivity and microbial profiles were analyzed. Risk factors for contamination were evaluated using logistic regression. Overall, 78 (15.6%) were culture-positive. Domestic grafts had significantly higher microbial contamination rates than overseas grafts (30.6% vs. 10.1%, P < 0.001), whereas fungal contamination rates did not differ between groups (1.5% vs. 1.9%, P = 1.000). In the multivariate analysis, overseas eye bank origin was independently associated with a lower risk of microbial contamination (OR 0.259, 95% CI, 0.139-0.486; P < 0.001). Post-keratoplasty endophthalmitis occurred in three cases (0.6%), all of which were associated with positive fungal cultures. Therefore, fungal pathogens may play a key role in increasing clinically significant postoperative endophthalmitis risk after keratoplasty, highlighting the importance of targeted donor tissue screening and postoperative management.
Prevalence and contributing factors of virological non-suppression among adult patients on first-line antiretroviral therapy in tertiary hospitals in Ethiopia.
Ararame GG, Abera K, Sime LU … +1 more , Senbeta BS
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42399709 · Full text
The high burden of virological non-suppression causes morbidity, mortality, decreased quality of life, and survival of people living with HIV in developing countries. To assess the prevalence and contributing factors of...
The high burden of virological non-suppression causes morbidity, mortality, decreased quality of life, and survival of people living with HIV in developing countries. To assess the prevalence and contributing factors of virological non-suppression among adult patients on first-line ART in tertiary hospitals in Ethiopia. A multicenter retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted. The data collection checklist contains patient socio-demographics, laboratory findings, clinical characteristics, drug-related factors, and treatment outcomes. The collected data were coded, entered, and analyzed by using SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine contributing factors of virological non-suppression, and reported in adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals and p-value. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Among a total of 642 study participants, 51.4% were males and 68.7% were literate. This study's findings revealed that the prevalence of virological non-suppression among people living with HIV was 10.3%. Patient aged above 35 years (AOR = 4.53, 95% CI: 1.17-8.46), low baseline CD4 cell count (AOR = 3.63, 95% CI: 1.26-8.47), tuberculosis co-infection (AOR = 3.85, 95% CI: 1.13-8.23), comorbid diseases (AOR = 2.75, 95% CI: 1.90-6.01), and poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy (AOR = 3.23, 95% CI: 1.23-5.65), were contributing factors of virological non-suppression. This study revealed that the prevalence of virological non-suppression among adult HIV/AIDS patients on first-line ART was lower than the national pooled estimate. Patient aged above 35 years, low baseline CD4 cell count, tuberculosis co-infection, comorbid diseases, and poor adherence to ART were contributing factors of virological non-suppression. Implementing effective interventions, such as comprehensive adherence support and prevention of tuberculosis coinfection, can significantly improve the virological suppression.
An in vitro comparison of color stability between alkasite and different restorative materials in various staining solutions.
Ağaccıoğlu M, Yılmaz MN, Bulut ES
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42399708 · Full text
This study evaluated the color stability of an alkasite material exposed to different solutions compared with a high-viscosity glass hybrid and a nanohybrid composite resin. A total of ninety-six disc-shaped samples (n=8...
This study evaluated the color stability of an alkasite material exposed to different solutions compared with a high-viscosity glass hybrid and a nanohybrid composite resin. A total of ninety-six disc-shaped samples (n=8) were prepared from an alkasite material (Cention N;CN), a high-viscosity glass hybrid (Equia Forte HT;EF), and a nanohybrid composite resin (Estelite Posterior;EP). After baseline color measurements, the samples were stored in three different solutions (distilled water, coffee, and Coca-Cola Zero). Color measurements were repeated on the 7 and 28 day. The discolorations were recorded as ΔE (baseline-7 days) and ΔE (baseline-28 days) (CIEDE2000). Generalized linear models were used to compare the data across material, solution, and time interval main effects and their interactions. Multiple comparisons were performed using the Tukey test. Statistical significance was determined as p < 0.05. According to the ∆E values, material, solution, and time interval were significant main effects (p < 0.001). The lowest and highest ∆E values were found in EP-distilled water and CN-coffee groups, respectively. Overall, CN demonstrated higher ∆E and ∆E results. Alkasite material demonstrated higher discoloration than the nanohybrid composite resin and the high-viscosity glass hybrid material. All tested materials exceeded the acceptability and perceivability thresholds for ΔE and ΔE.
Toward accessible mRNA LNP formulation: systematic evaluation of mixing strategies and key parameters.
Jung HN, Lee S, Hong E … +8 more , Choi S, Kim H, Oh C, Bae C, Park H, Lee S, Lee K, Im HJ
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42399706 · Full text
Although mRNA LNPs are a leading delivery platform, achieving reproducible, high-quality formulations across diverse fabrication techniques remains a challenge. This study systematically investigates the impact of microf...
Although mRNA LNPs are a leading delivery platform, achieving reproducible, high-quality formulations across diverse fabrication techniques remains a challenge. This study systematically investigates the impact of microfluidic architectures - staggered herringbone (SS) and serpentine-only (S) channels - alongside T-junction and rapid pipetting methods. We evaluate how critical parameters, including total flow rate (TFR), flow rate ratio (FRR), and lipid-to-mRNA ratio (N/P ratio), govern LNP size, stability, and transfection efficiency. Our findings demonstrate that streamlined S-channel designs and non-microfluidic methods can yield LNPs functionally equivalent in quality and performance to complex staggered herringbone mixers through precise parameter tuning. Furthermore, in vivo assessment confirms the systemic biocompatibility of the optimized formulations, characterized by stable physiological growth, preserved hepatic and renal function, and an absence of adverse histological changes or tissue damage over 8 weeks. By bridging the gap between fluidic process optimization and long-term systemic tolerability, this work provides a foundational framework for the accessible and reproducible production of mRNA LNPs across varying laboratory environments and production scales.
A network analysis of personality traits, mentalizing, and psychological health in Chinese college students.
Zhou L, Huang X
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42399705 · Full text
The rising prevalence of anxiety and depression among college students constitutes a significant public mental health challenge. While personality traits (e.g., neuroticism) and impairments in mentalizing capacity are re...
The rising prevalence of anxiety and depression among college students constitutes a significant public mental health challenge. While personality traits (e.g., neuroticism) and impairments in mentalizing capacity are recognized as key vulnerability factors, their complex interplay in contributing to psychological distress remains inadequately elucidated. Network analysis offers a novel paradigm for visualizing this intricate system as an interconnected web of symptoms and traits. This study employed a network approach to investigate the interrelationships among personality traits, mentalizing, and psychological distress in a large sample of Chinese college students. The primary aims were to identify the most central (influential) elements within the network and, crucially, to detect bridge nodes that connect different psychological domains, thereby pinpointing potential targets for precise intervention. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 5,140 Chinese undergraduates. Assessments included the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90), Mentalizing Questionnaire (MZQ), Reflective Functioning Questionnaire-8 (RFQ-8), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), and University Personality Inventory (UPI). Regularized partial correlation networks were estimated using the LASSO-EBIC method (γ = 0.5), which inherently controls for multiple comparisons through regularization. Node centrality was indexed by expected influence (EI), and bridge centrality by bridge expected influence (bEI). Non-parametric bootstrap tests with 20,000 resamples were used to evaluate network accuracy and stability. Depressive symptoms (SCL-3) and neuroticism (EPQ-2) showed the highest centrality. Neuroticism (EPQ-2) was the strongest bridge node (bEI = 0.93), with the strongest edge in the network linking to impaired mentalizing (MZQ-1; weight = 0.474). Mean node predictability was 0.51. Network stability was excellent (CS coefficient = 0.75). Mentalizing constructs were represented by MZQ subscales, which also reflect the conceptual content of the RFQ-8: hypermentalizing (MZQ-2) corresponds to RFQ-C (certainty), and hypomentalizing (MZQ-3) corresponds to RFQ-U (uncertainty). Findings highlight robust concurrent associations between neuroticism, mentalizing impairment, and psychological distress in Chinese college students. Neuroticism is strongly associated with distress partly through its link to reduced mentalizing capacity. These cross-sectional results provide a framework for targeted preventive strategies in student populations, although causal inferences cannot be drawn from this observational design.
Effects of blood flow restriction training on cardiovascular autonomic function in middle-aged and older adults: a meta-analysis.
Liu C, Zhang Z, Zhuang M … +2 more , Liu T, Xie Y
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42399690 · Full text
This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of blood flow restriction training (BFRT) on heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure, and heart rate in middle-aged and older adults. Following the PRISMA 2020 guidel...
This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of blood flow restriction training (BFRT) on heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure, and heart rate in middle-aged and older adults. Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, randomized controlled trials examining the long-term effects of BFRT on HRV and blood pressure in adults aged 45 years or older were systematically searched in Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library up to December 1, 2025. Meta-analyses were performed using the meta and metafor packages in RStudio. Subgroup analyses and meta-regression were conducted to explore potential sources of heterogeneity. Fourteen randomized controlled trials were included. BFRT significantly improved the root mean square of successive differences between adjacent NN intervals (RMSSD; SMD = 0.46, 95% CI [0.21, 0.71], p < 0.001, I² = 35.7%) and reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP; SMD = -0.67, 95% CI [ -1.05, -0.29], p < 0.0001, I² = 54.5%), diastolic blood pressure (DBP; SMD = -0.37, 95% CI [ -0.72, -0.02], p = 0.04, I² = 46.7%), and heart rate (HR; SMD = -0.30, 95% CI [-0.60, -0.01], p = 0.04, I² = 0%). No significant effects were observed for the standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN), low-frequency power (LF), high-frequency power (HF), low-frequency/high-frequency ratio (LF/HF), or percentage of adjacent normal-to-normal intervals differing by more than 50 ms (pNN50). Exploratory subgroup analyses suggested that participant characteristics and BFRT protocol variables may partly contribute to heterogeneity in blood pressure responses. Meta-regression indicated that intervention duration was associated with the SBP response, although this finding should be interpreted cautiously. BFRT may increase RMSSD and reduce blood pressure in middle-aged and older adults, with a potential modest reduction in heart rate. However, the certainty of evidence was limited, and subgroup findings related to training frequency and exercise modality should be considered hypothesis-generating only. Larger, well-powered randomized trials with complete sex reporting and direct comparisons of different BFRT modalities and intensities are needed to confirm these findings.
Random noise attenuation using dual-module attention with multi-scale kernels.
Jharkhande J, Nair RR
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42399689 · Full text
Improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of seismic data is a fundamental problem in exploration geophysics, as random and coherent noise severely degrade seismic record quality and hinder subsequent imaging and interpr...
Improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of seismic data is a fundamental problem in exploration geophysics, as random and coherent noise severely degrade seismic record quality and hinder subsequent imaging and interpretation. Conventional methods often suppress weak but geologically informative signals along with noise, limiting their effectiveness. This research presents a novel Attention module, the Multi-Kernel Channel-Spatial Attention (MKCSA), that effectively addresses random seismic data noise. The network enriched its feature space to extract the complex geological features, effectively attenuating random noise. Through the integration of multi-kernel features extraction into Channel and Spatial attention, which yields more efficient extraction of local and global geological features. This Attention mechanism amplifies noise suppression even further, thereby reducing the signal in the local similarity graph. Experimental results show that the MKCSA-Net outperforms Denoising Convolutional Neural Network (DnCNN) and the DnCNN with Convolutional Block Attention (DnCNN-CBAM) model, improving Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), Structural Similarity Index Measure (SSIM) and Frequency Distance (FD) by ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]) and ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]) respectively.
Study on plastic zone expansion of surrounding rock in rectangular roadway based on D-P criterion.
Wang Z, Hanlin G, Wencong C … +5 more , Cong C, Fei Z, Long Z, Lei H, Ningkang M
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42399688 · Full text
Accurately characterizing plastic zone evolution is essential for the support design and stability control of underground roadways. Rectangular sections are widely adopted in coal mines, but most existing plastic zone mo...
Accurately characterizing plastic zone evolution is essential for the support design and stability control of underground roadways. Rectangular sections are widely adopted in coal mines, but most existing plastic zone models are established for circular roadways using the Mohr-Coulomb criterion, while few studies have systematically considered the intermediate principal stress for rectangular roadways. To fill this gap, an analytical solution for the plastic zone boundary of rectangular roadway surrounding rock under 3D non-uniform in-situ stress is derived based on the plane complex variable function theory and Drucker-Prager (D-P) yield criterion. Parameter analyses are conducted to reveal the effects of lateral pressure coefficient, intermediate principal stress coefficient, rock cohesion and internal friction angle, and calculation differences among different D-P criteria are quantified. The results indicate that the lateral pressure coefficient governs plastic zone morphology, which transforms successively into butterfly, dumbbell and cross shapes as the coefficient rises from 0.2 to 1.6. The maximum plastic zone radius presents a U-shaped trend with the increase of intermediate principal stress coefficient, and declines monotonically with growing cohesion and internal friction angle. The calculated radius follows the order: DP3 (inscribed circle) > DP1 (inner corner circumscribed circle) > DP4 (plane strain matching circle) > DP2 (Mohr-Coulomb equivalent area circle). DP1 and DP4 are recommended for practical engineering due to good safety and economic performance. This work improves the theoretical framework for surrounding rock failure analysis and provides references for the support design of deep rectangular roadways.
Threshold conditions for employee innovation: qualitative evidence from hierarchical organizations.
Mohiya M
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42399681 · Full text
Despite significant organizational investment in innovation programs, hierarchical structures and high power-distance cultures systematically constrain employee creative expression in ways that dominant innovation theori...
Despite significant organizational investment in innovation programs, hierarchical structures and high power-distance cultures systematically constrain employee creative expression in ways that dominant innovation theories have not adequately theorized. Existing frameworks, rooted predominantly in Western, low-hierarchy contexts, treat environmental components as interchangeable and additive - an assumption this study interrogates. Drawing on Amabile's Componential Theory as both an analytical lens and a target for theoretical extension, this investigation employs a dual-source qualitative design combining 204 internally generated employee comments with 29 semi-structured interviews conducted across three large organizations in Saudi Arabia's hospitality and tourism sector. Reflexive thematic analysis was applied to examine how employees perceive, interpret, and navigate the organizational conditions shaping their innovative behavior. Analysis produced five interconnected themes - organizational culture barriers, leadership dynamics and power structures, recognition and reward system deficits, structural and process impediments, and individual and collaborative factors - revealing a landscape in which creative capacity is widely distributed but systematically blocked from reaching implementation. Three theoretical extensions to Componential Theory emerge from these findings. Psychological safety appears to function not merely as one facilitating factor among many, but as a preconditional requirement whose absence substantially constrains the contribution of all other environmental factors in hierarchical, high-power-distance contexts. Leadership influence appears amplified beyond its theorized role through three structural and cultural mechanisms. Environmental components exhibit phase-specific effects that systematically widen the gap between idea generation and implementation. These findings challenge the additive logic embedded in Componential Theory, proposing instead a configurational model in which certain environmental conditions may be more foundational than others, rather than merely interchangeable. Practically, organizations operating within hierarchical structures should reconceptualize psychological safety as a foundational infrastructure investment rather than a cultural enhancement, redesign leadership accountability frameworks to address innovation bottlenecks rather than individual encouragement, and architect dual-track innovation systems that formally separate and protect ideation from authority-dependent implementation processes. These propositions are advanced as theoretically informed interpretations grounded in abductive reasoning and intended to invite future empirical testing.
A knowledge graph and multi-agent reinforcement learning model for psychological risk identification and intervention in online learning.
Guo D, Duan C
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42399680 · Full text
As the scale of online learning expanded, students tended to exhibit declining learning behaviors and accumulating task backlogs during self-directed study. These issues further led to reduced learning motivation and inc...
As the scale of online learning expanded, students tended to exhibit declining learning behaviors and accumulating task backlogs during self-directed study. These issues further led to reduced learning motivation and increased psychological pressure. To address this, this study constructed an innovative model that integrated a knowledge graph with multi-agent reinforcement learning. The model enabled learning state risk identification and personalized intervention. The study conducted a systematic evaluation using comprehensive learning behavior data from seven selected courses. The results indicated that the model achieved a high level of risk identification at an early stage. The recall values for all courses ranged from 0.879 to 0.896. As the learning process progressed, accuracy steadily increased to above 0.889. The F1-score remained between 0.842 and 0.871 across all stages, which demonstrated strong stability. Furthermore, the intervention strategies significantly improved learning trajectories across two experimental semesters. Students' learning activities showed continuous improvement over time. Behavioral fluctuations and breakpoint frequency were both markedly reduced. These findings confirmed that the model consistently enhanced learning motivation, stabilized learning rhythms, and optimized patterns of resource utilization.
Aberrant retinal structure and vasculature in mouse models of dominant retinopathies caused by CRX homeodomain mutations.
Sun C, Pfeifer CW, Zheng Y … +2 more , Apte RS, Chen S
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42399679 · Full text
CRX is a transcription factor essential for photoreceptor differentiation and functional development. Missense mutations in CRX homeodomain, CRX and CRX, are linked to early-onset dominant retinopathies. Molecular studie...
CRX is a transcription factor essential for photoreceptor differentiation and functional development. Missense mutations in CRX homeodomain, CRX and CRX, are linked to early-onset dominant retinopathies. Molecular studies have revealed distinct profiles of perturbed gene expression in differentiating photoreceptors of knock-in mouse models, resulting from altered DNA binding activities of mutant CRX proteins. This study characterizes concurrent morphological alterations in knock-in mouse models. Fated cones are present in heterozygous and homozygous Crx and Crx mutants at birth, but subsequent cone differentiation is rapidly compromised. Expression of rod marker rhodopsin (RHO) is absent in Crx retinae but present in other mutants through adulthood. Notably, as compared to wildtype controls, RHO expression is prematurely activated in neonatal Crx mutants. Only Crx retinae elaborate rod outer segments but still lose visual function by young adulthood. The presence of irregular retinal rosettes displaces the localization of inner neurons without affecting their cell numbers during retinal development. Retinal vessels develop close contact with rosette structures. In summary, disrupted photoreceptor differentiation leads to the loss of visual function and formation of retinal rosettes, secondarily impairing the localization of inner neurons and vasculature. A deeper understanding of these cellular underpinnings will inform pathogenesis of CRX homeodomain mutations.
Nationwide trends in outpatient rates for ophthalmic surgeries in Japan before and after the COVID-19 pandemic: an analysis of the NDB open data.
Kabata Y, Hayashi I, Terauchi R … +1 more , Nakano T
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42399674 · Full text
This study investigated nationwide changes in outpatient rates for major ophthalmic surgeries in Japan before and after the COVID-19 pandemic and regional disparities in these changes using the National Database of Healt...
This study investigated nationwide changes in outpatient rates for major ophthalmic surgeries in Japan before and after the COVID-19 pandemic and regional disparities in these changes using the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups (NDB) Open Data. Five surgery groups were analysed: eyelid, strabismus, glaucoma, vitreoretinal, and cataract surgery. Monthly nationwide data from April 2019 to March 2023 were used to calculate outpatient surgery rates and to compare a pre-COVID period (April 2019-March 2020) with a post-COVID period (June 2020-March 2023). Prefecture-level changes were evaluated using the 5th and 9th NDB Open Data releases, and 29 individual procedures were examined. Across the five surgery groups, outpatient rates increased from 0.41 ± 0.20 to 0.47 ± 0.21 (p = 0.005). Outpatient rates rose significantly for all surgery groups, with the largest increases for glaucoma (0.300 to 0.370) and cataract surgery (0.579 to 0.641). Prefecture-level outpatient rates increased particularly for glaucoma and cataract surgery, and vitreoretinal surgery showed a larger increase in metropolitan than in non-metropolitan prefectures. Procedure-level analysis revealed marked outpatient shifts for several glaucoma, eyelid, and complex vitreoretinal procedures, indicating a nationwide shift toward outpatient ophthalmic surgery with regional and procedure-specific variation.
Mechanism-based differentiation of dissolution- and crystallization-dominant acid degradation in nanosilica-modified geopolymer mortars.
Uğurlu O, Yıldız H
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42399670 · Full text
Despite extensive studies on acid resistance in geopolymer mortars and nanosilica modification, degradation mechanisms are still largely inferred from isolated performance indicators such as strength loss or mass change,...
Despite extensive studies on acid resistance in geopolymer mortars and nanosilica modification, degradation mechanisms are still largely inferred from isolated performance indicators such as strength loss or mass change, limiting mechanistic interpretation across different acid chemistries. In this study, a multi-parameter, mechanism-oriented evaluation framework is proposed to distinguish acid-type-dependent degradation regimes in nanosilica-modified metakaolin (MK) and fly ash (FA) geopolymer mortars exposed to hydrochloric (HCl, 4%) and sulfuric (H₂SO₄, 3%) acid environments. Mass change (ΔK), dimensional variation (ΔD), amorphous phase reduction quantified by XRD-based amorphous dome integration (ΔAmorphous), and strength retention (SR) were evaluated concurrently and statistically correlated across four acid-binder systems. The results demonstrate that HCl exposure induces a dissolution-dominated degradation regime, in which strength retention is primarily governed by the stability of the amorphous geopolymer phase, as evidenced by strong negative ΔK-ΔAmorphous correlations (ρ = -0.87 to - 0.90) and positive ΔAmorphous-SR relationships. In contrast, H₂SO₄ exposure leads to a crystallization-dominated regime characterized by sulfate-induced secondary phase formation and crystallization pressure, where strength loss shows a weak dependence on amorphous phase degradation and is instead controlled by internally generated microstructural stresses. Nanosilica exhibits a distinct acid-dependent dual role: low dosages (1-1.5%) enhance gel compactness and restrict ion diffusion, whereas excessive content (2%) accelerates microstructural embrittlement by amplifying crystallization-pressure-driven damage in sulfate environments. Overall, the findings reveal that acid resistance in geopolymer mortars is governed by distinct, quantifiable degradation regimes dictated by acid chemistry. Beyond geopolymer systems, the proposed framework offers a transferable, mechanism-based strategy for interpreting degradation processes in amorphous and nano-modified cementitious materials under aggressive chemical environments.
Stacked graph attention network hypertuned by Heteroscedastic and Evolutionary Bayesian Optimization for fault identification on nuclear power plants robust to sensor drift.
Stefenon SF, Yow KC
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42399665 · Full text
Fault identification in Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) is critical for ensuring operational safety, reliability, and efficiency. Traditional diagnostic methods often rely on physical models and expert systems, which may str...
Fault identification in Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) is critical for ensuring operational safety, reliability, and efficiency. Traditional diagnostic methods often rely on physical models and expert systems, which may struggle to capture the complex dynamics of transient events. To overcome these limitations, this paper proposes an optimized stacked Graph Attention Network (GAT) for fault detection in NPPs by modeling the complex interdependencies among system components as graphs. Transient operational data are transformed into graph representations, where nodes correspond to system variables, and edges capture physical relationships. The architecture of the proposed model is optimized using a Heteroscedastic and Evolutionary Bayesian Optimization (HEPO), ensuring the use of the best configuration. The proposed GAT-based model, hypertuned by HEPO, is trained to recognize patterns associated with both normal and faulty transient conditions, including sensor anomalies and actuator failures. Based on synthetic data generated from the Personal Computer Transient Analyzer (PCTRAN), the proposed model achieved results above 0.96 for accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score in a statistical analysis.
A metal sieve-linked double-syringe sugaring-out liquid-liquid microextraction as a new analytical system for the accurate and sensitive determination of pyrimethanil in GC-MS.
Girgin A, Doru ES, Çetiner O … +2 more , Gösterişli TU, Bakırdere S
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42399664 · Full text
Pyrimethanil is a widely used fungicide and its residues in carbohydrate rich foods require vigilant monitoring for consumer protection and regulatory compliance. In this study, a metal sieve-linked double-syringe sugari...
Pyrimethanil is a widely used fungicide and its residues in carbohydrate rich foods require vigilant monitoring for consumer protection and regulatory compliance. In this study, a metal sieve-linked double-syringe sugaring-out liquid-liquid microextraction (MSLDS-SULLME) method coupled to GC-MS is presented for pesticide-residue determination in sugar-rich matrices exemplified by grape molasses. Endogenous sugars induce phase separation, while syringe-driven passage through a perforated metal sieve sustains interfacial renewal in a closed configuration, minimizing operator-dependent variability and avoiding disperser additives. In grape-molasses extracts, linear working range of 9.39-481.6 µg kg was obtained with R as 0.9989. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) values were determined as 4.31 and 14.37 µg kg, respectively. Under identical GC-MS conditions, 79.66-fold sensitivity enhancement was observed relative to direct instrumental analysis. Using matrix-matching calibration strategy, recoveries of 83.00-129.16% were achieved with low within-set variability, thus confirming applicability in the authentic sugar-rich matrix. Overall, the developed approach offers a practical route for improving pesticide-residue analysis in viscous, sugar-rich matrices where conventional sample preparation may be limited by matrix effects and phase-handling difficulties. Therefore, it can be useful for analytical chemists, food-control laboratories and authorities involved in residue monitoring.
Finite element analysis of high-rise prefabricated shear walls with discontinuous rebars.
Li Z, Peng J, Wang H … +8 more , Xia W, Lei J, He J, Chen Y, Liu Y, Zhang J, Sun X, Xie H
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42399662 · Full text
The seismic performance of vertical reinforcement discontinuous splice prefabricated shear walls (SGBL prefabricated shear walls) in high-rise buildings is investigated in this study. The failure mechanisms, load-bearing...
The seismic performance of vertical reinforcement discontinuous splice prefabricated shear walls (SGBL prefabricated shear walls) in high-rise buildings is investigated in this study. The failure mechanisms, load-bearing capacity, ductility, and energy dissipation characteristics of these walls are clarified, with particular attention given to the influence of the shear-span ratio and axial compression ratio. A refined model was established using ABAQUS finite element software, and simulations were conducted on individual SGBL wall panels under various shear-span ratios (achieved by adjusting story heights) and axial compression ratios (0.1, 0.3, 0.5). The results demonstrate that the load-bearing capacity of the wall panels increases significantly with the axial compression ratio (Specimens with shear-span ratios of 1.25, 1.5, and 1.75 exhibited increases of 76.8%, 88%, and 82%, respectively). In contrast, ductility and energy dissipation capacity are reduced. When an axial ratio of 0.5 and a shear-span ratio of 1.25 were applied, interlaced diagonal cracks were observed in specimen SW1-0.5. Therefore, the inclusion of inclined reinforcement is recommended in practice to prevent premature brittle failures. Under a constant axial compression ratio, it was found that the load-bearing capacity decreases as the shear-span ratio increases, whereas ductility and energy dissipation capacity are enhanced. Specimen SW3-0.1, characterized by a low axial compression ratio and a large shear-span ratio, exhibited the optimum energy dissipation capacity and ductility. During the simulation, no vertical cracks were observed at the joint interface between the precast panels and the cast-in-situ components, confirming that the structure exhibits excellent integrity and compatibility.
Annotation-efficient weed detection using DINOv3-distilled YOLOv12.
Khan S, Qashem OB, Hamim MH … +5 more , Oishi NJ, Gani R, Rashid MRA, Hasan M, Islam RU
Sci Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42399661 · Full text
Weed pressure causes global crop yield losses of 10-34%, while the deployment of deep learning-based weed detection systems at scale remains constrained by the high cost of bounding-box annotation across diverse field en...
Weed pressure causes global crop yield losses of 10-34%, while the deployment of deep learning-based weed detection systems at scale remains constrained by the high cost of bounding-box annotation across diverse field environments. This study addresses this annotation bottleneck in precision agriculture by proposing WEEDINO-YOLOv12, a label-efficient weed detection framework that transfers global-average-pooled feature distributions from a frozen DINOv3 ViT-B/16 teacher into a lightweight YOLOv12n backbone through feature-distribution distillation on unlabeled agricultural imagery, followed by supervised fine-tuning on a limited labeled subset. To rigorously evaluate the proposed framework, we present a controlled empirical benchmark comparing four training regimes: fully supervised YOLOv12n, semi-supervised Soft Teacher, self-supervised BYOL, and the proposed DINOv3 distillation approach. All methods are assessed using a common YOLOv12n backbone, consistent evaluation metrics, matched controls, and multi-seed reporting. External validation on the multi-class CottonWeedDet12 dataset further examines whether the observed label-efficient behaviour generalises beyond the single-class Roboflow Weeds benchmark. Across matched 20%-label settings, WEEDINO-YOLOv12 improved mAP@0.5:0.95 from 0.6402 ± 0.0271 to 0.6517 ± 0.0087 on the Roboflow fixed split and from 0.7987 ± 0.0154 to 0.8083 ± 0.0078 on CottonWeedDet12. Full-label supervision remained the strongest overall setting, indicating that the proposed method provides modest but consistent annotation-efficiency gains rather than replacing fully supervised training. High-resolution fine-tuning at 896 × 896 pixels is analysed separately because it can improve localisation independently of the distillation stage. A Streamlit-based deployment prototype further demonstrates the practical accessibility of the framework for agronomists and precision-agriculture users without requiring direct interaction with deep learning code.
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