Eun Hae Lee^1,2,3, Minjae Choi^4,5, Hanul Park^3,6, Joon Hee Han^3,6,7, Sujeong Yu^3,8, Joshua Kirabo Sempungu^1,2,3,6, Inbae Sohn^4,6, Yo Han Lee^3,6,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.28, No.1, 2026, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.073735 - 28 January 2026

Abstract Background: That Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA) experienced a major mortality crisis in the 1990s is a well-established finding, with most analyses focusing on singular causes like alcohol-related deaths. However, the utility of the integrated “deaths of despair” framework, which views alcohol, drug, and suicide deaths as a unified socio-economic phenomenon, remains under-explored in this context. Crucially, the long-term evolution of the composition of despair within the region remains a largely unexplored area of inquiry. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the long-term trends, changing composition, and regional heterogeneity of deaths from despair… More >

Rayeesa Mehmood^*, Sergei Koltcov, Anton Surkov, Vera Ignatenko

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.86, No.3, 2026, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2025.072735 - 12 January 2026

Abstract Activation pruning reduces neural network complexity by eliminating low-importance neuron activations, yet identifying the critical pruning threshold—beyond which accuracy rapidly deteriorates—remains computationally expensive and typically requires exhaustive search. We introduce a thermodynamics-inspired framework that treats activation distributions as energy-filtered physical systems and employs the free energy of activations as a principled evaluation metric. Phase-transition–like phenomena in the free-energy profile—such as extrema, inflection points, and curvature changes—yield reliable estimates of the critical pruning threshold, providing a theoretically grounded means of predicting sharp accuracy degradation. To further enhance efficiency, we propose a renormalized free energy technique that More >

Rui Yang^*

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.34, No.1, pp. 1-1, 2025, DOI:10.32604/icces.2025.010698

Abstract This study employs molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to comparatively investigate the mechanical enhancement mechanisms of glass fiber-reinforced concrete (GFRC) and basalt fiber-reinforced concrete (BFRC). Amorphous models of glass fiber (GF) and basalt fiber (BF), along with calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H), were constructed using the ClayFF force field in LAMMPS. The interfacial transition zone (ITZ), atomic bonding characteristics, stress distribution, and tensile failure processes were systematically analyzed. Key findings reveal that BF exhibits a denser atomic network structure with higher coordination numbers, driven by the bridging role of Fe and Mg atoms. BFRC demonstrates significantly stronger More >

G. R. Štrbac^a,*, O. Bošák^b, D. Štrbac^c, R. Vigi^a, M. Kubliha^b, S. Minárik^b

Chalcogenide Letters, Vol.22, No.5, pp. 481-491, 2025, DOI:10.15251/CL.2025.225.481

Abstract The temperature dependence of direct current (DC) conductivity, silver content, and the presence of crystalline phases in amorphous and annealed chalcogenides from the Ag_x(As₂(Te_0.5Se_0.5)₃)_100-x system was investigated. Amorphous samples exhibited semiconducting behavior, with conductivity increase as the silver content raised. This increase was primarily attributed to electron transitions into delocalized states from states localized near the Fermi level. Percolation behavior in conductivity was observed in the samples containing 7 at.% or more silver. For annealed samples with silver content below 9 at.%, temperature-independent DC conductivity was identified, accompanied by a decrease in conductivity as the silver More >

C. B. Cui^a,b, G. C. Yang^b, Z. Zhang^a,, X. J. Wang^c,

Chalcogenide Letters, Vol.22, No.6, pp. 507-520, 2025, DOI:10.15251/CL.2025.226.507

Abstract This research introduces an innovative aptasensor for detecting alpha-fetoprotein with exceptional sensitivity and specificity, employing a novel MoS₂/Fe₃O₄ composite fabricated through an advanced in-situ growth methodology. The composite exhibited a hierarchical flower-like structure with uniformly distributed Fe3O4 nanoparticles, confirmed by SEM, XRD, and Raman spectroscopy. The MoS₂/Fe₃O₄ composite demonstrated a 66% increase in surface area (7.16 m^²/g) compared to pristine MoS2, enhancing aptamer immobilization and electron transfer efficiency. Electrochemical characterization revealed a significant increase in interfacial resistance upon AFP binding, with a detection limit of 0.3 pg/mL and a dual linear range of 0.001–0.1 ng/mL and 0.1–100 More >

Yizhen Zhang^1,2,#, Juan Li^1,3,#, Huanqing Liu^1,4,#, Hong Xia¹, Jian Su^1,5, Fang Liu¹, Bo Su^6,*, Qi Su^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.33, No.12, pp. 3869-3886, 2025, DOI:10.32604/or.2025.068689 - 27 November 2025

Abstract Objectives: Gastric cancer (GC) is often associated with high invasiveness, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and resistance to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), highlighting the need for novel therapeutic targets. This study explored whether diallyl disulfide (DADS) upregulates retinoic acid-related orphan receptor alpha (ROR) to weaken the protein kinase C alpha (PKC)/RORα-mediated RORα/β-catenin pathway, thereby inhibiting GC cell invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and enhancing 5-FU sensitivity. Methods: Human GC cell lines MGC-803 and SGC7901 were treated with DADS, RORα agonist SR1078/antagonist T0901317, and PKCα agonist TPA/antagonist GO6976. Cell proliferation (MTT), migration (scratch assay), invasion (Transwell), protein expression (Western blot), protein… More >

Quan Li^1,*, Ziheng Zhou²

Energy Engineering, Vol.122, No.12, pp. 5001-5020, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ee.2025.068866 - 27 November 2025

Abstract This study considers the state estimation problem of the circuit breakers (CBs), solving for random abrupt changes that occurred in power systems. With the abrupt changes randomly occurring, it is represented in a Markov chain, and then the CBs can be considered as a Markov jump system (MJS). In these MJSs, the transition probabilities are obtained from historical statistical data of the random abrupt changes when the faults occurred. Considering that the traditional Kalman filter (KF) frameworks based on MJS only depend on the subsystem of MJS, but neglect the stochastic jump between different subsystems.… More > Graphic Abstract

Meng Wang¹, Jay Fineberg², Alan Needleman^3,*

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.33, No.4, pp. 1-1, 2025, DOI:10.32604/icces.2025.011000

Abstract Brittle materials fail by means of rapid cracks. At their tips, tensile cracks dissipate elastic energy stored in the surrounding material to create newly fractured surfaces, precisely maintaining 'energy balance' by exactly equating the energy flux with dissipation. Using energy balance, fracture mechanics perfectly describes crack motions; accelerating from nucleation to their maximal speed of cR, the Rayleigh wave speed. A tensile crack speed greater than cR is generally considered impossible [1]. Recently, a new mode of tensile crack propagation faster than cR that is not incorporated in classical fracture mechanics has been predicted in… More >

Ning Hu, Cunbiao Lee^*

FDMP-Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing, Vol.21, No.10, pp. 2389-2417, 2025, DOI:10.32604/fdmp.2025.067248 - 30 October 2025

Abstract The formation, evolution, and dynamics of flow structures in wall-bounded turbulence have long been central themes in fluid-mechanics research. Over the past three decades, Soliton-like Coherent Structures (SCSs) have emerged as a ubiquitous and unifying feature across a wide range of shear flows, including K-type, O-type, N-type, and bypass transitional boundary layers, as well as fully developed turbulent boundary layers, mixing layers, and pipe flows. This paper presents a systematic review of the fundamental properties of SCSs and highlights their fundamental role in multiple transition scenarios. The analysis further explores the connection between SCSs and… More > Graphic Abstract

Zihao Yang^1,*, Jiarui Cheng¹, Zefeng Li², Yirong Yang¹, Linghong Tang¹, Wenlan Wei¹

FDMP-Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing, Vol.21, No.9, pp. 2149-2176, 2025, DOI:10.32604/fdmp.2025.067739 - 30 September 2025

Abstract This study presents a two-dimensional, transient model to simulate the flow and thermal behavior of CO₂ within a fracturing wellbore. The model accounts for high-velocity flow within the tubing and radial heat exchange between the wellbore and surrounding formation. It captures the temporal evolution of temperature, pressure, flow velocity, and fluid density, enabling detailed analysis of phase transitions along different tubing sections. The influence of key operational and geological parameters, including wellhead pressure, injection velocity, inlet temperature, and formation temperature gradient, on the wellbore’s thermal and pressure fields is systematically investigated. Results indicate that due to… More >