Nicola Fazaa^1,#, Kamil Malshy^2,#,*, Yuval Shafran¹, Ameer Nsair¹, Etan Eigner¹, Melissa Atallah¹, Shadie Badaan¹, Kirolos Meilika², Ariel Zisman¹

Canadian Journal of Urology, Vol.33, No.3, pp. 515-526, 2026, DOI:10.32604/cju.2026.076687 - 29 June 2026

Abstract Urethral stricture disease remains a challenging clinical entity within contemporary urology, requiring interventions that achieve sustained urethral patency while preserving functional outcomes. Established modalities such as urethral dilation, endoscopic urethrotomy, and urethroplasty using autologous grafts provide effective treatment for many patients. However, they are constrained by morbidity, graft contraction, and suboptimal success in complex or recurrent strictures. These inherent limitations have stimulated growing investigation of therapeutic strategies. Among device-based innovations, drug-coated balloon dilation, exemplified by the Optilume™, combines mechanical expansion with localized antiproliferative drug delivery and represents a significant evolution in endoscopic management. Pharmacologic adjuncts… More >

Wenhe Bi¹, Yang Yang¹, Jiamin Wu¹, Jianji Chu², Jun Zhang¹, Guanben Du¹, Hisham Essawy³, Bertrand Charrier⁴, Antonio Pizzi⁵, Xinyi Chen^1,*, Mingzhi Zhu^6,*, Xiaojian Zhou^1,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.14, No.6, 2026, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2026.02026-0062 - 29 June 2026

Abstract It is p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TSA) that is commonly used as a catalyst in conventional tannin-furanic foams. However, it does not participate in the crosslinking network and tends to leach out from the foam during use, resulting in a strongly acidic material that may corrode contacting substrates and accelerate material aging. To address this issue, herein, tannin and furfuryl alcohol were used as raw materials, and bio-derived phytic acid (PA) was employed to completely replace p-TSA for the preparation of tannin-furanic foams. The multi-phosphate groups of PA form a stable crosslinked network with tannin, thereby anchoring the catalyst… More > Graphic Abstract

K. Tilouche-Guerdelli, C. Lacoste^*, D. Perrin, A. Bergeret^*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.14, No.6, 2026, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2026.02025-0229 - 29 June 2026

Abstract In this study, tannins were investigated as sustainable flame retardants. The thermal and structural properties of tannic acid, chestnut, oak, and quebracho extracts were first characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), and Pyrolysis Combustion Flow Calorimetry (PCFC). Quebracho exhibited the most promising thermal performance, showing the lowest heat release and the highest char yield (≈38 wt.%). To further improve their efficiency, quebracho tannins were phosphorylated using phytic acid (QPHYA) or phosphoric acid (QPHOA). Phosphorus contents reached 13% and 15%, respectively, as confirmed by ICP and SEM–EDX analyses, while FTIR and NMR… More > Graphic Abstract

Haojie Ju, Ming Zhao^*

Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol.24, No.3, 2026, DOI:10.32604/fhmt.2026.080844 - 29 June 2026

Abstract This paper employs the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) to investigate the nonlinear characteristics of natural convection in toroidal spaces with radius ratios of 2.6, 1.6, 1.4, and 1.2. Based on the maximum Lyapunov exponent, runs test, and phase space trajectory, the transition from steady-state to chaotic state is analyzed. The results show that with increasing Rayleigh number (Ra), the toroidal system successively experiences a steady state, a periodic oscillation state, a quasi-periodic oscillation state, and finally enters a chaotic state. For example, when the radius ratio is 2.6, these transitions occur at Ra values of 5 More >

Yanfeng Li^1,2, Xiaohui Zhang^1,2,*, Luyang Chen^3,*, Rong Chen⁴, Shan Qing³

Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol.24, No.3, 2026, DOI:10.32604/fhmt.2026.079549 - 29 June 2026

Abstract Highly integrated micro-nano electronic devices suffer from severe heat dissipation challenges, and flow cooling in nanochannels is an effective solution. During convective heat transfer at liquid-solid interfaces, surface wettability and rough morphology are key parameters governing thermal transport; however, their combined effects remain unclear. In this study, molecular dynamics simulations are utilized to examine the synergistic effects of surface wettability and nanopillar arrays on thermal transport and fluid dynamics within nanochannels. The results show that increasing surface hydrophilicity and roughness reduces the thermal slip length and increases the Nusselt number, thereby enhancing heat transfer performance… More >

Yi Huang¹, Ran Gao¹, Hao Ye¹, Weidong Fang¹, Xiaopeng Shang², Haiwang Li^1,*

Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol.24, No.3, 2026, DOI:10.32604/fhmt.2026.079520 - 29 June 2026

Abstract Efficient transport of non-Newtonian fluids plays an important role in energy and thermal management systems. However, drag reduction characteristics and fluid behavior of non-Newtonian fluids in microchannels with structures are still under investigated, which is essential for lowering pumping power, improving transport and heat transfer efficiency to optimize microfluidic device design. This study systematically investigates the drag reduction performance of non-Newtonian fluids in microchannels with various cavities through numerical simulations and experimental verification. The effects of cavity incidence angle, structural smoothness, non-Newtonian rheological parameters, and shape parameters are analyzed. The drag reduction efficiencies under both… More >

Yechao Qin¹, Zezhong Hou¹, Xiaojun Dai², Zhenqian Chen¹, Bo Xu^1,*

Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol.24, No.3, 2026, DOI:10.32604/fhmt.2026.079464 - 29 June 2026

Abstract To address the increasing thermal management demands of electronic devices, this study proposes a single-inlet, single-outlet counterflow double-layer microchannel structure optimized for non-uniform heat sources and conducts a numerical analysis. The research focuses on designing a double-layer microchannel structure through topology optimization under 2.5D chip non-uniform heat source conditions. Its heat dissipation performance is compared with traditional linear microchannels to analyze the advantages of the topology-optimized microchannel. In a simulated 2.5D heat source scenario comprising a 240 W logic chip and four 40 W memory chips, the average temperature at the bottom of the topologically… More >

Yueting Zhang^1,2, Sawitri Assanangkornchai², Wit Wichaidit^2,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.28, No.6, 2026, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2026.079559 - 23 June 2026

Abstract Background: Stigma affects the mental well-being of cancer survivors. However, data are scarce regarding the extent to which specific types of stigmas, enacted stigma (stigma from others), and self-stigma (internalized stigma), affect mental well-being. The objective of this study is to describe the extent to which overall illness-related stigma, self-stigma, and enacted stigma are associated with mental well-being among cancer survivors. Methods: A cross-sectional study in Kunming, Yunnan, China, was conducted. Eligible participants were adult cancer survivors who completed a phone-to-WeChat, self-administered survey. Illness-related stigma was measured with the Stigma Scale for Chronic Illnesses, 8-item version… More >

Xiaolan Li^1,2, Yanting Wang^1,2,*

Energy Engineering, Vol.123, No.7, 2026, DOI:10.32604/ee.2026.076417 - 18 June 2026

Abstract To address the operational challenges of power systems with high renewable penetration, this research targets the non-stationarity and stochasticity of wind power. A novel hybrid framework for probabilistic forecasting and risk assessment is proposed. Initially, Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) adaptively decomposes the raw power signal into multi-scale Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs) and a residual trend, effectively segregating temporal features and reducing complexity. These components are then fused with historical data to form a comprehensive input. The core predictor is a Bidirectional Gated Recurrent Unit (BiGRU) network enhanced with a Temporal Attention (TA) mechanism. The BiGRU… More >

Tao Wang¹, Ze Feng^1,*, Jinghao Ma², Shenhui Chen², Jihui Zhang², Tong Wang²

Energy Engineering, Vol.123, No.7, 2026, DOI:10.32604/ee.2025.074054 - 18 June 2026

Abstract This paper develops an MPPT control strategy utilizing the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to enhance the tracking accuracy of photovoltaic arrays under complex operating conditions and to mitigate the transient effects on energy storage batteries during grid-connected and off-grid transitions. Initially, the operational principle of the three-phase voltage source PWM converter and the bidirectional DC/DC converter within solar power generation and energy storage systems is carefully examined, leading to the establishment of the appropriate mathematical model. Secondly, a voltage and current double closed-loop control structure utilizing feedforward decoupling is devised to meet the cooperative… More >