Advancing Open Science

Global warming severely threatens parasitic plants worldwide. However, little is known about how a parasite with multiple hosts responds to climate change in its distribution. Sapria himalayana is an endangered endo-holoparasite, obligately parasitizing Tetrastigma species. We employed MaxEnt to predict suitable habitats for S. himalayana and its five hosts, and determined key environmental factors. Then, we calculated niche overlaps for the five parasite-host pairs. Currently, it covers a suitable area of 1.35 × 10⁴ km², accounting for 0.14% of China’s total territory. Temperature-related variables were identified as the key factors shaping potential distribution for this parasite and three hosts (i.e., T. planicaule, T. obovatum, and T. cruciatum), while precipitation-related ones were identified for the other hosts (i.e., T. obtectum and T. serrulatum). Collectively, the five pairs presented low niche overlaps under current and future scenarios. While S. himalayana will increase by 37.78% in future suitable habitat, the two host categories show contrasting trends in potential habitat shifts. Divergent climatic sensitivities across host species, along with parasite–host suitability mismatches, could shape the survival and distribution of S. himalayana. Consequently, this research offers valuable insights for the conservation of S. himalayana in China, highlighting the necessity of safeguarding its distinct hosts under global warming.

This paper presents a disc-type stepper motor based on PCB technology. Aiming to provide a solution for the difficulty of torque enhancement in multi-pole PCB stepper motors under the limited wiring space of the PCB stator, a novel spiral winding configuration is proposed. Without increasing the number of PCB stator layers or the overall dimensions, an axially offset layout is employed to enlarge the coil flux-linkage area, thereby increasing the electromagnetic torque. Theoretical analysis and finite element simulation results show that the proposed winding achieves approximately 30% higher torque than conventional spiral windings. Meanwhile, to address the current fluctuation problem caused by the low-inductance characteristic resulting from the coreless PCB stator, the influence of current ripple on the microstepping drive of the stepper motor is analyzed. A series-inductor approach is adopted to suppress current fluctuation, and the optimal inductor value is selected through theoretical calculation and simulation, which effectively reduces the current ripple and significantly improves the microstepping performance. Finally, a prototype is fabricated and tested experimentally. The results indicate that the motor output torque reaches 46.4 mN·m, and the step-angle error under 16-microstep drive is within 0.25°, providing a feasible solution for the design and control of PCB stepper motors in compact spaces.

The intricate layout of underground mine tunnels and the operation of large-scale mining equipment create extensive blind zones, leading to an average of 17 personnel collision accidents per 100,000 working hours in China’s metal mines. To tackle this issue, we constructed a specialized Jinchuan Underground Mining Personnel Dataset covering intersecting tunnels and long straight tunnels, with precise bounding box annotations for personnel locations under varying illumination and dust conditions. We propose the Attention-Augmented PointPillars for Enhanced Mining Personnel Detection. Incorporating Recursive Gated Convolutions into the feature extraction network enables long-range modeling and higher-order spatial interactions. Moreover, the pyramidal design in gⁿ Conv with channel width gradually increasing during spatial interactions enhances the model’s efficiency in processing complex spatial information. Additionally, a Channel and Spatial Attention module integrating spatial and channel attention feature fusion strengthens feature expression via multiple weighting mechanisms. Field tests in Jinchuan underground mine show optimal performance with a batch size of 8, a learning rate of 0.003, and a spatial interaction order of 5, achieving 3% higher accuracy than the original network. Furthermore, comparisons with mainstream methods on the Underground Personnel Dataset confirm our method’s state-of-the-art performance.

Cracks and holes are commonly found in wooden components, and ancient Chinese wooden buildings, represented by the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, demonstrate the ability to work with defects. This study systematically investigated the effects of longitudinal cracks and circular holes on the load-bearing capacity of wooden beams through four-point bending experiments on 1580 specimens. The study focuses on load-bearing capacity as the core indicator and provides calculation formulas for the section weakening coefficient and damage tolerance coefficient to quantitatively evaluate the impact of defects. Research has found that the harmfulness of a defect strongly depends on its position within the wooden beam. In the horizontal direction, when the longitudinal crack is located in the pure bending section of the wooden beam, it has little effect on the load-bearing capacity of the wooden beam. Once it deviates to the transverse bending section, the load-bearing capacity of the wooden beam significantly decreases. The hole is most dangerous when it is located in the horizontal center of the wooden beam, and it is also dangerous when it is near the loading point. In the vertical direction, the crack has the greatest impact on the load-bearing capacity of the wooden beam when it is located in the middle-height layer or its vicinity, while its impact decreases when it is close to the top and bottom surfaces of the wooden beam. Holes have the least impact when approaching the middle-height layer, which is different from the impact pattern of cracks. In addition, the hazard increases when the hole is located in the tension zone of the wooden beam, and decreases when it is located in the compression zone. The anisotropy and fiber structure of wood are the microscopic basis for the damage-tolerance mechanical behavior of timber beams.

To address the need for high-efficiency vibration isolation in marine rotary pump units, this paper proposes a coupled isolation system that integrates vibration isolators and flexible connectors, and systematically investigates its vibration suppression performance. By combining experimental parameterized modeling with full-scale test platform validation, an efficient analytical framework capable of accurately predicting the system’s broadband vibration isolation performance has been established. This framework provides a reference for engineering design that balances model reliability and practical applicability. The study first obtained the transfer complex stiffness of the isolators through mechanical impedance experiments and, combined with the stiffness parameters of the flexible connectors measured by an MTS (Mechanical Testing & Simulation) testing machine, established a nonlinear spring-damper equivalent model for the isolators and flexible connectors. A three-dimensional finite element model of the rotary pump unit coupled isolation system was developed using the explicit dynamics method, and the vibration transmission characteristics of the coupled isolation system under complex excitation from the rotary pump were analyzed using the vibration acceleration level difference between the “machine foot” and “foundation” as the evaluation index. To verify the reliability of the model, a full-scale rotary pump unit isolation test platform was constructed, and multi-condition vibration tests were conducted. The results show that the finite element model of the coupled isolation system can effectively predict the vibration response, with the overall vibration level error between numerical calculations and experiments within ±3 dB. Under various operating conditions involving changes in rotational speed and water pressure, the system demonstrates good broadband isolation performance, with the maximum vibration acceleration level difference reaching 29.32 dB. The flexible connectors further suppress lateral vibration transmission from the pump unit to external pipelines, working in synergy with the isolators to achieve multi-directional vibration isolation. This study provides design references with both modeling reliability and engineering applicability for vibration and noise reduction in marine pump units.

Face wrinkles caused by skin aging can be classified into dynamic wrinkles, which are caused by repetitive contraction of facial expression muscles, and static wrinkles, which are related to extracellular matrix damage and collagen breakdown caused by ultraviolet and oxidative stress. These two mechanisms are closely related, and prolonged, repetitive muscle contractions act as mechanical stress that promotes extracellular matrix degradation within the dermis, accelerating wrinkle formation. In this study, we used phage display to develop a novel peptide, Mediep-6PN, that targets both muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (muscle nAChR), a major cause of dynamic wrinkles, and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), a cause of static wrinkles. In this study, the kinetic analysis of Medipep-6PN using surface plasmon resonance analysis showed that the equilibrium dissociation constant (K_D) for muscle nAChR α1 was 9.56 × 10⁻⁶ M, and the K_D for MMP-1 was 1.25 × 10⁻⁶ M. Calcium imaging analysis in TE671 cells expressing the muscle nAChR pentamer determined that Medipep-6PN inhibited muscle nAChR channel activity in a concentration-dependent manner, and in particular, it was confirmed that about 80% of muscle nAChR channel activity was inhibited under 30 μM of Medipep-6PN. In addition, in an in vitro test performed to evaluate MMP-1 activity, Medipep-6PN inhibited MMP-1 activity in a concentration-dependent manner, and the IC₅₀ was 4.2 ppm. When measuring MMP-1 gene expression in UVB-induced human fibroblasts, 1 ppm of Medipep-6PN showed a 52.3% decrease compared to UVB irradiation alone. When measuring type I procollagen synthesis in human fibroblasts, Medipep-6PN increased procollagen Iα1 production in a concentration-dependent manner, and concentrations between 5 and 10 ppm of Medipep-6PN significantly increased collagen I production. No significant toxicity was observed in cytotoxicity tests, demonstrating its safety. Furthermore, in a clinical study evaluating wrinkle improvement efficacy in 25 adults over a four-week period, the Medipep-6PN group demonstrated statistically significant reductions in wrinkle depth (by 10.16%) and wrinkle volume (by 13.00%), demonstrating efficacy comparable to that of commercially available functional anti-wrinkle ingredients. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that Medipep-6PN, developed to target two mechanisms—the relaxation of muscle contraction and the inhibition of collagen degradation—is a functional peptide effective in improving skin wrinkles, confirmed through in vitro evaluation and clinical studies.

Background/Objectives: Parental health literacy is linked to child health outcomes, but the evidence relies mainly on parent proxy reports. This study examined the association between parental health literacy and proxy-reported mental health outcomes in children aged 6–10 years and assessed whether these associations reflect general reporting patterns. Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of data derived from a population-based cross-sectional survey conducted in South Tyrol, Italy, including proxy data from 3183 children aged 6–10 years. Parental health literacy was categorized as inadequate, problematic, adequate, or missing/insufficient. The outcomes included emotional and behavioral difficulties, psychosomatic complaints, and perceived social support. Linear regression models were estimated for each outcome, adjusted for children’s age, gender, parental age, education, family affluence, migration background, residential setting, and questionnaire language. Selective missingness and insufficient completion of parental health literacy data were examined using logistic regression analysis. Sensitivity analyses were used to adjust the mental health models for social support. Results: Higher parental health literacy was associated with lower emotional and behavioral difficulties (B = −1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] −1.79 to −1.01), higher psychosomatic complaint scores (B = 0.61, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.081), and higher perceived social support (B = 0.14, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.26). The effect sizes were small. Missing or insufficient parental health literacy data showed social patterns by parental education and age, whereas no systematic predictors of early disengagement were observed among parents who partially completed the health literacy instrument. Sensitivity analyses attenuated but did not eliminate the associations between parental health literacy and child mental health outcomes. Conclusions: Parental health literacy is associated with proxy-reported psychosocial outcomes in children aged 6–10 years. The consistency of the effects across outcomes suggests that parental health literacy may influence how parents report child functioning, underscoring the importance of considering informant characteristics in proxy-based research.

Male genitourinary (mGU) malignancies, including prostate, bladder, kidney, testicular, and penile cancers, represent a clinically and epidemiologically significant subset of global cancer burden. Although well-established etiological factors such as genetic mutations, androgen signaling, and environmental exposures contribute to tumorigenesis, the underlying mechanisms remain ill-defined. Recent advances in next-generation sequencing and metagenomics technologies have facilitated a deeper understanding of the human microbiome, revealing its potential role in carcinogenesis. While the gut microbiome has been extensively studied, emerging evidence indicates that site-specific microbial communities within the genitourinary (GU) tract may significantly influence cancer susceptibility, progression, and therapeutic outcomes. Accordingly, this review aims to comprehensively summarize the current evidence examining the relationship between the GU microbiome and the development, progression, and treatment of mGU cancers. To provide the specific context, relevant publications were collected from Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Dimension AI, and EBSCO Host using specific keywords such as “bladder cancer”, “dysbiosis”, “genitourinary”, “genitourinary cancer”, “microbiome”, “pathogens”, “penile cancer”, “prostate cancer”, “renal cancer”, “testicular cancer”, “urogenital microbiome”. We did not add any limits to the publication date during the inclusion of papers. However, it is noteworthy that the initial reports, including the aforementioned keywords, have been published since 2015. Emerging evidence highlights a significant association between the dysbiosis of the GU microbiome and the development of mGU cancers. Notably, an increase in bacterial richness and species diversity has been correlated with a rapid progression of these cancers, suggesting that such features may be explored as potential candidate biomarkers. Advanced sequencing and meta-omics technologies have enabled the identification of distinct microbial signatures with emerging diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic potential. Despite these advancements, the understanding of the functional and mechanistic roles of microbiota, particularly within the penile and seminal environments, remains limited.