Amid the global push for sustainable construction, bamboo has been widely studied as a rapidly renewable, high-performance building material. This paper reviews the published literature on bamboo’s journey from plant to structural component. The review first examines the fundamental botanical characteristics of bamboo, explaining the relationship between its hierarchical structure—from molecular to cellular levels—and its mechanical properties. It then transitions to an analysis of sustainable forestry, harvesting practices, the structural uses of round bamboo, and the manufacturing processes for engineered bamboo products, such as glued laminated bamboo and bamboo scrimber. Critical performance challenges are addressed by evaluating modern treatment methods that enhance durability, dimensional stability, and fire resistance. Structural applications are explored in detail, covering traditional building typologies, innovative connection systems, and the emerging potential for bamboo in mid- and high-rise as well as long-span structures. The life cycle perspective is completed by examining end-of-life scenarios, including reuse, recycling, and energy recovery. Ultimately, the review situates bamboo within the global context by examining resource distribution, trade, and the policy frameworks required to promote its widespread adoption. By consolidating research across multiple disciplines, this paper highlights the significant potential of bamboo to contribute to a low-carbon built environment. It concludes that a holistic, science-based approach is essential for overcoming remaining challenges and fully integrating this versatile material into modern construction practices.
Medical magnesium alloys are promising implant materials owing to favorable biodegradability and mechanical compatibility, but their rapid, uncontrolled corrosion impedes clinical application. In this work, femtosecond laser processing combined with low-temperature annealing was adopted to regulate the degradation behavior of AZ31 Mg alloy. Three surface textures (grid, porous and striped) were fabricated under different laser energy doses, and they all exhibited evidently enhanced anti-corrosion performance, which is closely related to their wettability transition. The laser-textured surfaces were superhydrophilic but converted to stable superhydrophobic after low-temperature annealing and ambient-air exposure. The annealing activates active sites for adsorption of airborne organics bearing hydrophobic groups in the following air exposure. The trapped air in the textures forms an air film that further mitigates contact between the substrate and corrosive medium, thereby greatly improving hydrophobicity and corrosion resistance. In vitro 12-week immersion tests show that the corrosion rates of all three superhydrophobic surfaces stay below the medical-implant safety threshold of 0.5 mm/a. The textured surfaces exhibit a gradient degradation characteristic that can be attributed to the complexity of the texture structure and the degree of oxidation. This study proves that femtosecond-laser-modified surfaces provide an effective strategy for regulating the degradation of magnesium-based medical implants.
Recommender systems increasingly shape what people watch, read, buy, and learn, yet their success has too often been assessed through system-centric objectives and proxy metrics. In this editorial introduction to the Special Issue on "Re-centering the User in Recommender System Research," we argue for a sustained shift toward user-centered, value-sensitive recommender research that foregrounds user agency, transparency, fairness, privacy, and long-term welfare, while acknowledging the multi-stakeholder nature of many recommendation ecosystems. Building on perspectives from recommender systems, human-computer interaction, behavioral science, and responsible AI, we first synthesize key conceptual and methodological developments that motivate placing users at the core of design and evaluation. We then introduce the papers collected in this issue, which collectively examine the benefits and risks of persuasive explanations, frameworks for designing effective explanatory interfaces, user-calibrated approaches to mitigating popularity bias, preference conceptualization and modeling in specific domains, user experience in conversational recommenders powered by large language models, and methodological lessons for evaluating group recommenders. We conclude by outlining open challenges-including measuring long-term outcomes, balancing personalization with risks of manipulation, and developing ecologically valid, stakeholder-aware evaluation protocols-and by pointing to promising directions for future research.
This umbrella review aimed to assess the effectiveness of lower extremity robotic devices in clinical settings by analyzing motor and non-motor rehabilitation outcomes across different neurological conditions, including stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease. A systematic search of literature published in English over the past twelve years was conducted using four major databases (PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science). The search focused on reviews addressing the use of lower-limb robotic devices in patients with neurological diseases. Only reviews that followed standardized protocols and reported quantitative motor and/or non-motor rehabilitation outcomes were included. Extracted information included demographic characteristics, experimental procedures, and numerical outcomes related to motor and non-motor functions (e.g., walking test scores, clinical scale ratings). A total of 33 reviews met the inclusion criteria. Stroke was the most frequently studied condition, whereas Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis were rarely addressed. Findings related to stroke suggested that robotic rehabilitation may provide benefits over conventional therapy, with statistically significant improvements in some cases. In contrast, evidence for spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis was limited and inconsistent. Overall, lower-limb robotic devices show promise in neurorehabilitation, particularly for post-stroke recovery. However, further research is required to standardize intervention protocols, assess cost-effectiveness, and better understand patient and therapist experiences to support broader clinical adoption.
This study presents a comprehensive finite element (FE) investigation of Textile-Reinforced Mortar (TRM) composites subjected to uniaxial tensile loading at temperatures of 20, 200, and 400 °C. A detailed micro-modeling approach with cohesive zone models was implemented to characterize the complex interface mechanics between textile reinforcement and mortar matrix. The numerical models were rigorously validated against experimental data from tensile tests and Digital Image Correlation (DIC) measurements, demonstrating excellent agreement with deviations below 7
