Search Results (20)

Perilla frutescens(L.) Britt. (P. frutescens) is an important medicinal and aromatic plant, whose leaf color and chemotype strongly influence its medicinal quality and economic value. All the previously discovered perillene (PL)-type P. frutescens are double-sided green, and whether the PL-type trait is tightly linked with the green-leaf trait in genetics remains to be clarified. This study aimed to address this question and attempt to create purple-leaf PL-type germplasm through perillaldehyde (PA) × PL hybridization. Three parallel experiments were conducted using purple-leaf PA-type P. frutescens as male parents and green-leaf PL-type P. frutescens as female parents. Chemotypes were identified by gas chromatography (GC). Association analyses between leaf color and chemotype were performed in segregating F₂ populations. Genes involved in leaf color formation and PL biosynthesis were mapped onto the published Hoko-3 reference genome to provide genomic evidence for the genetic relationship between the two traits. All F₁ individuals were uniformly PA-type. The three F₂ populations exhibited distinct leaf color–chemotype association patterns: Z01 (n = 118) showed a strong association (Fisher’s exact p = 9.13 × 10⁻¹⁰; φ = 0.564), Z02 (n = 117) showed no detectable association (p = 0.9; φ = 0.012), and Z03 (n = 88) showed a moderate association (p = 0.00669; φ = 0.289). Importantly, purple-leaf PL-type recombinants were obtained in F₂ populations and stably maintained through subsequent generations (F₃–F₅), demonstrating that the PL-type trait is not tightly linked with the green-leaf trait in P. frutescens. Genomic mapping genes related to leaf color and PL biosynthesis are distributed across multiple chromosomes and usually present as multiple loci, which is consistent with the pattern of incomplete linkage. The PL-type trait is recessive and not genetically tightly linked to the green-leaf traits in P. frutescens. The successful creation of a purple-leaf PL-type germplasm breaks the historical phenotypic constraint and provides a novel material for further dissection of the molecular mechanisms regulating secondary metabolism and organ coloration in P. frutescens. Full article

This study aims to investigate the tip resistance mechanism of open-ended steel pipe piles under partially plugged conditions by decomposing the load-sharing contribution of the ring zone and the internal soil core. A virtual static loading test was performed using the two-dimensional discrete element method (2D-DEM). Note that the findings of this study were obtained within the range of the 2D-DEM analysis conditions and do not intend to directly reproduce the three-dimensional arching mechanism or to establish equivalence between 2D and 3D responses. Quasi-static conditions were ensured by identifying loading parameters such that the energy residual remained ≤5% during driving, rest, and static loading phases, and the sensitivity criterion |Δq_b|/q_b ≤ 3% was satisfied when the loading rate was halved or doubled. The primary evaluation range of static loading was set to s/D = 0.1 (10% D), corresponding to the displacement criterion for confirming the tip resistance in the Japanese design specifications for highway bridges. For reference, the post-peak mechanism was additionally tracked up to s/D = 0.2 (20% D). Within a fixed evaluation window located immediately beneath the pile tip, high-contact-force (HCF) points were binarized using the threshold τ = μ + σ, and their occupancy ratio φ and normalized force intensity I* were calculated separately for the ring and core regions. A density-based contribution index (“K_{-density share}”) was defined by combining “strength × area” and normalizing by the geometric width. The results suggest that, for the sand conditions and particle-scale ratios examined (D/d_50 = 25–100), the ring zone tends to carry on the order of 85–90% of the tip resistance within the observed cases up to the ultimate state. Even at high plugging ratios (CRs), the internal soil core gradually increases its occupancy and intensity with settlement; however, high-contact-force struts beneath the ring remain active, and it is suggested that the ring-dominant load-transfer mechanism is generally preserved. In the post-peak plastic regime, the K_{-density share} remains around 60%, indicating that the internal core plays a secondary, confining role rather than becoming dominant. These findings suggest that the conventional plug/unplug classification based on PLR can be supplemented by a combined use of plugging ratio CR (a kinematic indicator) and the ring contribution index (K_{-density share}), potentially enabling a continuous interpretation of plugged and unplugged behaviors and contributing to the establishment of a design backbone for tip resistance evaluation. Calibration of design coefficients, scale regression, and mapping to practical indices such as N-values will be addressed in part II of this study. (Note: “Contribution” in this study refers to the HCF-based density contribution index K_{-density share}, not the reaction–force ratio.) Full article

Nanoparticles interact dynamically with proteins, often leading to adsorption-induced conformational changes that alter protein function and contribute to corona formation. Here we investigated the adsorption and unfolding of a model protein GB1 on latex nanoparticle surfaces using a combination of mutational analysis, equilibrium binding assays, stopped-flow kinetics and Φ-value interpretation. Seven site-directed variants of GB1 were studied to dissect residue-specific contributions to adsorption energetics. Fluorescence binding isotherms revealed that D46A and T53A mutations weakened surface affinity, while kinetic analysis demonstrated that D46A reduced adsorption rate by ~6-fold and produced a dramatic unfolding/refolding shift, identifying Asp46 as a key docking site. Φ-value analysis further highlighted Asp46 and Thr53 as central residues in the adsorption transition state, whereas mutations in the hydrophobic core or distal loops had negligible effects. These results support a dock–loosen–unfold mechanism in which electrostatic recognition initiates binding, followed by hydrophobic exposure and hairpin stabilization. This residue-level sampling of key sites advances mechanistic understanding of protein–nanoparticle interactions and suggests strategies for tuning surface charge to control corona formation. Our approach provides a generalizable method to map adsorption transition states, with implications for designing safer nanomaterials, predicting protein corona composition, and harnessing protein unfolding in biosensing applications. Full article

This article establishes the existence of fixed points and common fixed points for set-valued mappings satisfying an implicit-type contraction inequality involving a new auxiliary function in a complete metric space equipped with a binary relation. Through a novel family of functions referred to as the $\Delta$-family, which simplifies the axioms in comparison to the previously defined $\Phi$-family, the study unifies a few classical fixed-point theorems. The practical relevance of the theoretical findings is demonstrated by applying the results to investigate the existence of solutions for a system of integral equations. Full article

The Punta Coles Natural Reserve (PCNR), located on the southern coast of the province of Ilo, Moquegua Region, Peru, houses an area rich in marine biodiversity which is composed of natural banks of benthic invertebrates, which constitute the potential and dynamic fishery of commercial interest for artisanal fishermen that impact the area. To mitigate this impact, all stakeholders need to know, understand, value, and balance the dependence of benthic biodiversity with the ecosystem for its preservation and the promotion of sustainable fishing. Along these lines, the components studied are bathymetry, lithology, and the tapestry of bioengineers that make up the reserve’s seabed. Mapping of the complexity of the benthic habitat of the seabed was developed on the basis of an integrated analysis of multibeam bathymetric data, geoscientific information associated with the antecedents of benthic biodiversity of the PCNR, sediment maps of the seabed, subtidal sedimentological texture, and photographic records. The characterization and granulometry of the sediments that make up the PCNR were determined according to the Udden–Wentworth classification criterion (Φ). The utility of the GPSMAP 178C multibeam echosounder for the interpretation of seabed sediments stands out. The kriging interpolation method was used to extrapolate the characteristics of the benthic habitat, which is suitable for large areas of the sea. As a result, three habitats were derived and mapped, and three structures (bioengineers), namely, “subtidal kelps” (Lessonia trabeculata), “mussels” (Aulacomya atra), and “red sea squirt” (Pyura chilensis), were associated mainly with sedimentary rock habitats and mixed substrates. In the sand substrate, these algae were found to a lesser extent. The results show that this study is a conceptual model that summarizes the understanding of ecology and prospects for the sustainability of profitable, ecoefficient fishing activities in the Moquegua Region, Peru. Full article

We study fixed-point theorems of contractive mappings in b-metric space, cone b-metric space, and the newly introduced extended b-metric space. To generalize an existence and uniqueness result for the so-called ${\mathsf{\Phi }}_s$ functions in the b-metric space to the extended b-metric space and the cone b-metric space, we introduce the class of ${\mathsf{\Phi }}_M$ functions and apply the Hölder continuous condition in the extended b-metric space. The obtained results are applied to prove the existence and uniqueness of solutions and positive solutions for nonlinear integral equations and fractional boundary value problems. Examples and numerical simulation are given to illustrate the applications. Full article

Soil erosion represents a complex ecological issue that is present on a global level, with negative consequences for environmental quality, the conservation and availability of natural resources, population safety, and material security, both in rural and urban areas. To mitigate the harmful effects of soil erosion, a soil erosion map can be created. Broadly applied in the Balkan Peninsula region (Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece), the Erosion Potential Method (EPM) is an empirical erosion model that is widely applied in the process of creating soil erosion maps. In this study, an innovation in the process of the identification and mapping of erosion processes was made, creating a coefficient of the types and extent of erosion and slumps (φ), representing one of the most sensitive parameters in the EPM. The process of creating the coefficient (φ) consisted of applying remote sensing methods and satellite images from a Landsat mission. The research area for which the satellite images were obtained and thematic maps of erosion processes (coefficient φ) were created is the area of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Brčko District (situated in Bosnia and Herzegovina). The Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform was employed to process and retrieve Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+) and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager and Thermal Infrared Sensor (OLI/TIRS) satellite imagery over a period of ten years (from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2020). The mapping and identification of erosion processes were performed based on the Bare Soil Index (BSI) and by applying the equation for fractional bare soil cover. The spatial–temporal distribution of fractional bare soil cover enabled the definition of coefficient (φ) values in the field. An accuracy assessment was conducted based on 190 reference samples from the field using a confusion matrix, overall accuracy (OA), user accuracy (UA), producer accuracy (PA), and the Kappa statistic. Using the confusion matrix, an OA of 85.79% was obtained, while UA ranged from 33% to 100%, and PA ranged from 50% to 100%. Applying the Kappa statistic, an accuracy of 0.82 was obtained, indicating a high level of accuracy. The availability of a time series of multispectral satellite images for each month is a crucial element in monitoring the occurrence of erosion processes of various types (surface, mixed, and deep) in the field. Additionally, it contributes significantly to decision-making, strategies, and plans in the domain of erosion control work, the development of plans for identifying erosion-prone areas, plans for defense against torrential floods, and the creation of soil erosion maps at local, regional, and national levels. Full article

The rationale of this work is to introduce the notion of graphical symmetric spaces and some fixed-point results are proved for $\mathcal{H}$-$(\vartheta ,\phi )$-contractions in this setting. The idea of graphical symmetric spaces generalizes various spaces equipped with a function which characterizes the distance between two points of the space. Some topological properties of graphical symmetric spaces are discussed. Some fixed-point results for the mappings defined on graphical symmetric spaces are proved. The fixed-point results of this paper generalize and extend several fixed-point results in this new setting. The main results of this paper are applied to obtain the positive solutions of fractional periodic boundary value problems. Full article

In order to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of vibration sensing in the phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometer (φ-OTDR) system, a fiber sensing signal processing method based on the FFDNet convolutional neural network is proposed in this paper. In the network, the concept of residual learning is introduced, which involves constructing a residual mapping and utilizing multi-layer convolutional neural networks to learn the noise distribution present in the original image. The denoised result can be obtained by subtracting the learned noise from the original image. We have built a φ-OTDR system based on coherent detection, using three PZTs as simulated vibration sources and a series of experiments at 200 Hz, with each experiment simulating a single vibration event or multiple vibration events by setting different intensities. The experimental results demonstrate that the FFDNet based fiber optic sensing signal processing method enhances the SNR to 37.84 dB, 37.11 dB, and 37.31 dB, respectively, while preserving vibration signal details more effectively than wavelet denoising and Gaussian filtering techniques. The trained FFDNet model has great potential for improving the performance of the φ-OTDR system and has some practical application value. Full article

The liquid–liquid two-phase flow and size prediction of slug droplets in flow-focusing microchannels with different downstream orifice sizes were investigated experimentally. Aqueous solution of 50%-glycerol and mineral oil with 4 wt.% surfactant sorbitanlauric acid ester (Span 20) were used as the dispersed and continuous phases, respectively. Three characteristic flow patterns were identified: slug flow, dripping flow, and jetting flow. The slug flow region decreased but the jetting flow region increased with the decrease in the size of the channel orifice. Afterwards, the universal flow pattern maps of the liquid–liquid two-phase in three microchannels were obtained based on dimensionless analysis. Furthermore, two slug droplet formation regions were found: when φ⁻¹Ca_c < 0.01, the droplet formation was mainly driven by the squeezing force F_p, while when φ⁻¹Ca_c > 0.01, both the squeezing force F_p and shear force F_τ contributed to droplet formation. Additionally, the prediction correlations of the dimensionless sizes of the slug droplets in both regions were established based on the flow rate ratio of the two-phase, the dimensionless orifice size, and the Capillary number of the continuous phase. The predicted results are in good agreement with the experimental values. Full article

This work aims to develop a new class of accretive mappings and investigate its associated class of proximal mappings. This new class of accretive mappings is known as generalized $(H^k,\phi )$-$\eta$-accretive mappings. Further, the research work includes a discussion of its application, leading to set-valued variational-like inclusions (SVVLI, in short) in the semi-inner product spaces. The corresponding fixed point problem for SVVLI is given. This fixed point problem is used to provide an iterative scheme for solving SVVLI. Furthermore, we study the convergence analysis of the suggested iterative method. An illustration is built in support of our result. Full article

In the present work, we investigate the solar radiation climate of Saudi Arabia, using solar radiation data from 43 sites in the country covering the period 2013–2021. These data include hourly values of global, G, and diffuse, G_d, horizontal irradiances from which the direct, G_b, horizontal irradiance is estimated. The diffuse fraction, k_d; the direct-beam fraction, k_b; and the ratio k_e = G_d/G_b, are used in the analysis. Solar maps of the annual mean G, G_d, k_d, k_b, and k_e are prepared for Saudi Arabia under all- and clear-sky conditions, which show interesting but explainable patterns. Additionally, the intra-annual and seasonal variabilities of these parameters are presented, and regression equations are provided. We find that G_b has a negative linear relationship with k_d; the same applies to G with respect to k_d or the latitude, φ, of the site. It is shown that k_d and k_b can reflect the scattering and absorption effects of the atmosphere on solar radiation, respectively; therefore, they can be used as atmospheric scattering and absorption indices. Part of the analysis considers the defined solar energy zones in Saudi Arabia. Full article

We introduce the class of enriched $\phi$-contractions in Banach spaces as a natural generalization of $\phi$-contractions and study the existence and approximation of the fixed points of mappings in this new class, which is shown to be an unsaturated class of mappings in the setting of a Banach space. We illustrated the usefulness of our fixed point results by studying the existence and uniqueness of the solutions of some second order $(p,q)$-difference equations with integral boundary value conditions. Full article

Coal mining under the aquifer in Northwest China has brought a series of ecological problems, such as the decline of groundwater levels and the death of surface vegetation. The study of the impermeability of rock strata between coal seams and the overlying aquifers is of great significance to solve these problems and realize water-preserving coal mining (WPCM). Based on mining-induced overburden damage and permeability deterioration, the concept of the “three seepage zones” of overburden is proposed, namely the pipe flow zone, water seepage zone and nominal water-seepage-resistance zone (NWSRZ). Meanwhile, the concept of water-seepage-resistance strata (WSRS) is put forward from the aspects of initial permeability, structural strength, swelling and the stratigraphic structure of the overlying strata. AHP-fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (AHPF) is employed to construct a model to evaluate the water-blocking capacity (WBC) of the WSRS. The model includes three secondary factors and nine tertiary indicators, and the weights and membership functions of the indicators are determined. Subsequently, the model is generalized and applied to the Yu-Shen mining area. The membership degrees are spatially visualized by means of thematic maps. The comprehensive evaluation values Φ of the WBCWSRS of 400 boreholes in the mining area under backfill mining, narrow strip mining, slice mining and longwall cave mining are calculated. Then, the Kriging method is employed to plot the zoning maps of Φ under four different mining methods. In view of different grades of WBCWSRS, three corresponding countermeasures, i.e., mining methods optimization, curtain grouting and underground reservoir construction, are put forward. The fluid–solid coupling embedded in FALC^3D software is employed to establish a numerical calculation model to simulate the water table fluctuation of the underground aquifer under the four mining methods, and the reliability of the model is verified indirectly. In this paper, mathematical theory is combined with WPCM to develop an evaluation model of WBCWSRS, which provides a reference for the coordinated development of coal extraction and water resource preservation in arid and semi-arid mining areas. Full article

The study of the ²²²Rn terrestrial flux (Bq/(m²·s) or Bq/(m²·h)) is a complex issue involving both radiation-protection and environmental aspects. While the radiation-protection aspects are quite obvious—it has been well known for several decades that soil is the major source of indoor radon—environmental issues such as the correlation with conventional pollutants (PM_2.5, PM₁₀, NOX, etc.) and the use of radon for the esmation of the natural component of GHG (CO₂) emissions are relatively less discussed in spite of their growing relevance. In this work we present a method for the estimation of the average value of ²²²Rn flux from HPGe γ-spectrometry ²¹⁰Pb measurements performed on wet and dry deposition samples gathered monthly in the period 2006–2020. The results obtained with this technique give an average radon flux in the period Φ = 57 ± 27 Bq/(m²·h), the value of which is comparable with those coming from other methods and direct radon flux measurements as well. The method can thus be used to obtain a worldwide map of the radon flux. Full article