Artiles
Open Access
Article
13 July 2026Dynamic Mechanics of Carbon Containing Alumina Refractories and the Effect of Carbon Resource and Cyclic Thermal Exposure
Dynamic thermo-mechanical stresses caused by sudden temperature changes and molten steel impact, etc., accelerate the degradation of Al2O3-C refractories during service. To investigate the dynamic degradation behavior, dynamic mechanical tests were conducted using the Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB), systematically examining the effects of partial substitution of flake graphite by expanded graphite and thermal degradation. The results show that the Al2O3-C refractories exhibit a significant strain-rate hardening effect, with strength increasing with impact velocity and the failure mode progressively transitioning from crack propagation to pulverization. Cyclic prolonged thermal exposure to 1500 °C contributes to the SiC whiskers formation and densification, and results in the increase strength and brittleness. The phenomenon of specimen after 5 cycles having the optimal impact resistance proves the both the strength and energy dominated failure process. The introduction of expanded graphite effectively suppresses crack propagation and enhances energy dissipation capacity through interlayer sliding and stress buffering related to the myrmekitic texture, which provides a rationale for the development of low-carbon materials.
Open Access
Communication
13 July 2026Nanosecond Laser-Driven Proton FLASH Spares Normal Tissue Cells by Sustaining Mitochondrial Homeostasis and Attenuating Ferroptosis
Radiotherapy’s clinical utility remains fundamentally constrained by the collateral damage to healthy tissues. Ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) irradiation, or FLASH-radiotherapy (FLASH-RT) has emerged as a transformative paradigm to mitigate such toxicity. However, the biological effects of FLASH-RT on the high-efficiency of tumor killing and normal tissue sparing remain poorly understood. In this work, we utilized a petawatt-class laser-plasma acceleration (LPA) platform to deliver discrete 12.9-nanosecond proton pulses at an extreme instantaneous dose rate of 1.94 × 107 Gy/s. This temporal singularity achieved a profound sparing effect in normal bronchial epithelial cells, evidenced by a nine-fold reduction in the lethal α coefficient (from 0.47 to 0.05 Gy−1), while maintaining full tumoricidal potency against lung adenocarcinoma. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that LPA-FLASH could effectively bypass the ATF3-mediated stress response and circumvent the subsequent ferroptotic cascade. This molecular evasion could preserve the mitochondrial cristae integrity and trigger an adaptive bioenergetic ATP surge—a hallmark of metabolic resilience exclusively in healthy tissue cells. Therefore, our findings identify ferroptosis-mediated mitochondrial integrity as a unifying framework for selective normal-tissue protection at the physical limits of radiation delivery, and establish LPA-FLASH-RT as a potent, compact modality for next-generation oncology.
Open Access
Review
13 July 2026NINJ1: From an Adhesion Molecule to an Executor of Plasma Membrane Rupture
Nerve injury-induced protein 1 (NINJ1) was originally identified in 1996 as a homophilic adhesion molecule upregulated following nerve injury. For over two decades thereafter, research on NINJ1 primarily focused on areas such as nerve regeneration, immune cell migration, and inflammation regulation. In 2021, the discovery by Kayagaki’s group completely transformed the understanding of NINJ1—the protein was demonstrated to be a key executor of plasma membrane rupture (PMR) during lytic cell death, overturning the long-held view that PMR is a passive osmotic event. This finding rapidly sparked intensive research efforts in structural biology, cell death regulation, and therapeutic target development. This review is organized around the central scientific questions in NINJ1 research, systematically tracing the trajectory from molecular discovery, structural elucidation, and activation regulation to disease associations and therapeutic targeting. We critically analyze the logical relationships among different research avenues, discuss the underlying assumptions and limitations of current findings, and highlight the key knowledge gaps that remain in the field.
Open Access
Systematic Review
09 July 2026Advances and Trends in Intelligent Lower-Limb Prostheses: A Systematic Review of Mechanical Design, Sensing, and Control
Intelligent lower-limb prostheses are evolving from single-joint assistance toward coordinated, system-level control that supports cross-task adaptation, multimodal intent estimation, and verifiable safety. This systematic review surveys powered, semi-active, microprocessor-controlled, and related intelligent lower-limb prosthesis literature published between 1 January 2021 and 1 January 2026, spanning electromechanical design, sensing and human-machine interfaces, state/phase estimation, intent/terrain recognition, control and learning, evaluation endpoints, and translational considerations. Following a PRISMA-style workflow, 180 full-text reports were included and synthesized into a modular taxonomy covering clinical needs and endpoints; actuation and transmission; sensing and human-machine interfaces; phase/state estimation; intent/terrain recognition; impedance and trajectory control, including model predictive control; personalization with explicit safety constraints; real-world validation; and safety, reliability, and standardization. Emerging patterns include backdrivable low-impedance hardware, multimodal sensing with uncertainty-aware gating, and continuous phase-variable control, although the level of validation remains heterogeneous. Key gaps remain in endpoint consistency, external validity across users and contexts, and failure-mode reporting. We recommend benchmark protocols and system-level validation frameworks to support more reproducible evaluation and future clinical translation.
Open Access
Review
09 July 2026Green Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: A Review of Hydrogen Fuel Cell and Solar-Powered Drones
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly used in applications such as agriculture, logistics, mapping, surveillance, and environmental monitoring. However, the limited battery endurance continues to restrict mission duration and operational range. This review examines two sustainable propulsion alternatives, hydrogen fuel cells and solar-powered systems, based on findings reported in the literature. Evidence from peer-reviewed studies, experimental demonstrations, and industrial reports published between 2009 and 2024 is considered. Key parameters, including endurance, payload capacity, and operational altitude, are compared, along with practical aspects such as hydrogen storage, thermal management, and energy control systems. The available data suggest that hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) drones are better suited for low to mid-altitude missions requiring higher payload and rapid refueling. Solar-powered drones are more effective for long-endurance and high-altitude applications under favorable solar conditions. Future developments are expected to focus on hybrid propulsion systems, improved materials, and more efficient energy management strategies.
Open Access
Review
08 July 2026Psychophysiological Pathways Linking Physical Activity and Mental Health in Adolescents: A Narrative Review of Autonomic Regulation, Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis Function, Neuroplasticity, and Sleep Rhythms
Adolescence is a crucial developmental stage marked by rapid biological maturation, intense social scrutiny, rising academic pressures, and ongoing development of brain systems linked to reward processing, executive control, stress regulation, and emotion regulation. Depressive symptoms, anxiety, perceived stress, sleep problems, sedentary behavior, and excessive screen exposure often occur during this time. Research has extensively explored physical activity as a modifiable behavior that could enhance adolescent mental health, but much of the evidence still focuses on its link to improved psychological outcomes. Less attention has been given to the psychophysiological pathways through which physical activity may impact mental health. This narrative review examines how physical activity affects adolescent mental health, focusing on autonomic nervous system regulation, HPA axis function, inflammatory and immune pathways, neuroplasticity, and sleep–circadian rhythm regulation. There is evidence that suggests physical activity may support adolescent mental health by increasing autonomic flexibility, facilitating stress recovery, boosting neurotrophic signaling, improving executive control and sleep quality, and fostering social connections, while reducing sedentary time and inflammatory burden. However, these effects are not uniform. Factors such as gender, pubertal development, initial mental health status, body weight, fitness, activity preferences, family support, school climate, peer connections, digital lifestyle, and activity dose might all impact the psychological and physiological outcomes. This review makes the case that physical activity shouldn’t be used as a panacea for adolescent mental health problems. Rather, this should be interpreted as a developmentally integrated psychophysiological regulation approach whose benefits depend on dose, timing, context, individual variation, and its combination with sleep, stress management, and supportive social environments.
Open Access
Article
07 July 2026Development of a Hand Spasticity Testing Device for Quantitative Wrist Spasticity Assessment and Automated Evaluation of the Modified Tardieu Scale
The Modified Tardieu Scale is commonly used to assess spasticity by differentiating between neural and mechanical resistance. However, its manual administration may reduce objectivity and reproducibility. This study aimed to automate the Quality of Muscle Reaction (QMR) assessment in the wrist flexors. To this end, we developed a Hand Spasticity Testing (HaST) device and QMR classification model. The device integrates two inertial measurement units, surface electromyography sensors, and a force sensor to record joint angle, angular velocity, muscle activity, and reaction force during passive wrist extension. A classification model was then constructed using decision trees based on the acquired features, with training and evaluation performed via leave-one-out cross-validation. Using the developed device, 19 participants with upper-limb spasticity were evaluated. Key features, such as the number of local maxima in joint angle, velocity, and reaction force, along with other derived parameters, were extracted and classified to estimate QMR grades (0–2). The proposed method achieved an overall accuracy of 76% and a weighted average F1-score of 0.76. These results demonstrate the feasibility of objective and automated QMR quantification using the HaST device. The proposed system may serve as a preliminary screening and documentation tool to support objective spasticity assessment in clinical settings.
Open Access
Article
07 July 2026Soluble Oligomerization Is Involved in Fluorescence of Citrate-Copper Complexes
Fluorescence of citrate-Cu2+ was observed here. Citrate aqueous solution by itself showed weak fluorescence, and the fluorescence intensified about eighth fold (quantum yield increased over eighty fold) with the presence of appropriate Cu2+ ion concentrations at two different pH conditions. Only a certain specific ratio of citrate-Cu2+ generated homogenous particles of a particular size, which showed intensified fluorescence. Intensified fluorescence of citrate-Cu2+ complex was depressed by the presence of EDTA. The coordination between Cu2+ ion and citrate was probably through electrostatic chelation via the carboxylate group of citrate, because the required amount of Cu2+ ion decreased to obtain the fluorescent citrate-Cu2+ complex species, with the increase of pH; and the presence of ethanol disrupted the formation of this strong fluorescent citrate-Cu2+ complex species. This provides fresh insight into the molecular basis of fluorescence characters of citrate-Cu2+ complex, and into the microscopic mechanisms of charges’ and polarity’s effect on the interaction between solutes within the multiple component solution. This study reveals a fresh theoretical understanding of citrate for Cu2+ ion detection, stabilization, and elimination.
Open Access
Perspective
07 July 2026The Mental Health Costs and Benefits of Upward Intergenerational Mobility: A Lifespan Perspective
Upward intergenerational mobility is often viewed as a sign of social progress and individual achievement because moving into a higher socioeconomic position can improve access to education, income, occupational opportunities, and other useful resources. These changes may reduce exposure to material hardship and, in some cases, support better psychological well-being. At the same time, upward mobility is not always psychologically beneficial. The effort to attain a higher socioeconomic position often involves prolonged stress, strong performance pressure, repeated social comparison, identity-related tension, and fear of falling behind. In addition, not everyone who strives for upward mobility succeeds. Even when objective gains are made, individuals may still experience psychological strain linked to relative deprivation, feelings of inadequacy, distance from their family or community of origin, and continuing insecurity about their social position. This narrative review examines both the possible benefits and the less visible mental health burdens of upward intergenerational mobility from a lifespan perspective. The current study proposes a developmental framework that distinguishes resource-related benefits from mobility-related psychological costs, with particular attention to aspirational strain, uncertainty, comparative stress, belonging conflict, and the emotional consequences of perceived failure or insufficient progress. A central argument of this review is that the mental health implications of upward mobility depend not only on objective socioeconomic gains but also on how individuals interpret their movement, compare themselves with others, and negotiate identity and belonging across the life course. The review concludes with implications for research, practice, and policy, emphasizing that upward mobility should not be treated as a uniformly protective process for mental health and that efforts to promote mobility should also take account of the emotional burdens attached to it.
Open Access
Review
03 July 2026A Review of the Application Progress of Non-Invasive Hemodynamic Monitoring in the Precision Treatment of Hypertension
Hypertension affects many patients worldwide, and its precise treatment is the focus of clinical research. Currently, conventional clinical methods for monitoring blood pressure can only intermittently measure systolic and diastolic blood pressure and cannot monitor important hemodynamic parameters such as cardiac output (CO), systemic vascular resistance (SVR), and arterial elasticity, thereby affecting the formulation of individualized treatment plans. In recent decades, the emergence of non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring methods has addressed these clinical challenges. These methods use non-invasive methods to monitor parameters such as cardiac pumping function, vascular resistance, and volume status, helping clinicians better understand the pathophysiology of hypertension and facilitating a shift from “empirical blood pressure reduction” to “precision treatment based on hemodynamics”. This article aims to introduce the technical principles, main parameters, and clinical applications of non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring, with a focus on discussing its clinical value in hypertension classification, formulation of individualized treatment plans, assessment of treatment effects, and management of special populations. Based on this, future application and development directions are proposed, aiming to provide references and evidence for the clinical practice of precise hypertension treatment.
