Search Results (123,280)

This study addresses degraded post-mining soil reclamation by developing a novel, microbially-inoculated waste-derived feather–straw–lignite organic-mineral compost material. Formulated from chicken feathers (20%), wheat straw (60%), and lignite (20%) to optimize the initial C:N ratio, the substrate was inoculated with a multi-strain complex (MIX) of Bacillus altitudinis 33, Bacillus methylotrophicus Alk, and Streptomyces fulvissimus K59. Testing progressed from laboratory scale to a 200 dm³ dynamic reactor and a 2025 field evaluation with maize (Zea mays L.) on sandy mining soils in Konin (Poland). Inoculation accelerated maturation, yielding a favorable C:N ratio of 12.09 and stabilized NH4-N of 0.03%. Peak dehydrogenase activity reached 16 DU by day 3. Field application enhanced sandy soil properties, increasing urease activity to 3.91 UU and providing 3.4 g/kg P₂O₅. Consequently, maize showed a highly significant 15% increase in average shoot height (30.23 cm vs. 25.88 cm in control; t(645) = 6.63, p < 0.001) and intense green coloration. However, absolute soil enzymatic activity remained low due to early spring moisture limitations and temperature constraints typical of temperate climates. These initial findings suggest that the microbially-enriched compost shows strong potential as a safe functional soil-reclamation material and compliant alternative to synthetic fertilizers. Full article

Standard Three-dimensional (3D) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) segmentation models typically rely on a fixed threshold or argmax-based class selection, providing little or no insight into model uncertainty, which can limit clinician trust. In this work, we developed a framework that integrates a calibrated 3D U-Net into a Virtual Reality (VR) system, enabling clinicians to manipulate confidence thresholds in real time and observe how the segmentation changes. The network was trained to segment mandibular structures (submandibular glands and mandibular canal) on 55 T2-weighted MRI scans from the AAPM RT-MAC 2019 dataset and post hoc calibrated using temperature scaling. The VR application, built in Unity with OpenXR, offers two interaction modes: a single upper-threshold mode and a range mode that controls both lower and upper bounds. A user study with six clinicians was conducted to evaluate both modes using the UMUX-Lite questionnaire (from which a System Usability Scale (SUS)-equivalent score was derived), interaction logs, and qualitative feedback. Both modes were rated as highly usable, and narrower confidence intervals, focusing on the most reliable predictions, were more popular among users. The results suggest that enabling real-time adjustment of confidence thresholds improves the clarity of segmentation outputs and may support clinicians’ perceived confidence, as indicated by participants’ qualitative feedback and stated preferences. Full article

Urban agglomerations are complex adaptive social–ecological systems, and understanding the spatiotemporal evolution of landscape ecological resilience is important for their sustainable management. This study extended the previously developed Risk–Potential–Connectivity (RPC) framework for the Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan Urban Agglomeration (CZXUA) by identifying adaptive cycle categories at the grid scale using Local Moran’s I and explicit classification rules. Previously generated SD–PLUS land use projections were used to evaluate future changes in the RPC dimensions, integrated resilience, and adaptive cycle composition. (1) From 2000 to 2020, mean landscape ecological resilience decreased from 0.3642 to 0.3345, representing a net decline of 8.15%. Global Moran’s I increased from 0.746 to 0.787, indicating stronger spatial clustering. The spatial pattern remained relatively stable, with higher resilience in peripheral ecological areas, lower resilience in urban cores, and a persistent northwest–southeast orientation. (2) Adaptive cycle composition changed only moderately. The conservation (K) category accounted for more than 45% of the study area, while the release (Ω) category accounted for approximately 19% and was concentrated mainly in urban cores. The exploitation (r) category declined after 2010, whereas the smaller reorganization (α) and transitional (t) categories were more sensitive to classification settings. (3) Using previously generated land use projections as scenario inputs, future RPC responses differed clearly among scenarios. SSP126 maintained more intact ecological patches, relatively stable connectivity, and the smallest resilience change, with increases in r and K. SSP245 showed the greatest connectivity decline, expansion of areas with declining resilience, a reduction in r, and increases in Ω and α. SSP585 produced the highest landscape ecological risk, the largest declines in ecological potential and integrated resilience, reductions in r and K, and increases in α and t. These conditional results indicate that limiting construction land expansion, protecting ecological land, and maintaining ecological connectivity may reduce resilience losses under future urban development. The RPC adaptive cycle framework can support the identification of priorities for ecological protection, restoration, connectivity enhancement, and risk reduction. Full article

In this paper, we introduce $\vartheta$-fuzzy quasi-k-norms with respect to a continuous t-norm $\vartheta$. Also, we investigate fuzzy operators defined on the product of a ∗-fuzzy measure space and an algebraic group, taking values in a $\vartheta$-fuzzy quasi-k-normed space. Furthermore, by employing a fuzzy controller associated with the ct-norm $\vartheta$, we give sufficient conditions for the approximation of a given operator by a homomorphic fuzzy operator. Full article

Physical access to robotic manipulators remains constrained by cost, safety requirements, and limited laboratory availability, creating barriers to both research and education. This paper presents a computational framework that combines stochastic error modeling with Digital Twin technology to characterize positioning uncertainty in a six-degree-of-freedom manipulator without requiring physical hardware. Four independent noise sources—joint encoder noise, thermal drift, elastic link deformation, and geometric parameter tolerances—are modeled as stochastic processes and propagated through the manipulator kinematics using Monte Carlo simulation with N = 10,000 trials across 50 workspace configurations. The results reveal that elastic deformation dominates the combined positioning error by a factor of 45.94 over encoder noise, contributing 99.97% of the total root-mean-square (RMS) uncertainty. A probabilistic workspace map constructed from 3000 sampled configurations quantifies accuracy and manipulability across the reachable space, exposing a counterintuitive trade-off: configurations with higher manipulability indices tend to exhibit larger positioning errors due to gravitational loading on extended links. Two control algorithms—a reverse process-based control law (RPBCL) and sliding mode control (SMC)—are evaluated under stochastic conditions over 200 trials. SMC achieves a mean steady-state error of 0.0029 mm, representing a 48.2% reduction compared to RPBCL (0.0056 mm), with the difference confirmed statistically significant by a two-sample t-test (t = 5.066, p = 0.000002). All results are visualized through a Unity3D Digital Twin interface that renders probabilistic workspace maps, three-dimensional error ellipsoids, and a real-time sliding surface monitor. The proposed framework provides a foundation for safe, hardware-free evaluation of manipulator control strategies in engineering education and research. Full article

Kazakhstan possesses considerable potential for the development of organic agriculture. In organic production systems, the use of chemical plant protection products is restricted or completely excluded, making the cultivation of genetically resistant wheat lines to major fungal diseases one of the most effective approaches for maintaining stable grain production. The current study aimed to evaluate disease resistance in wheat genotypes by integrating phenotypic screening and marker-assisted selection and their validation under organic farming conditions. A total of 50 facultative and introgressive wheat lines were evaluated under an artificial infection background for resistance to yellow rust, leaf rust, stem rust, and common bunt. Molecular marker analysis was performed to identify resistance-associated alleles. Integrated phenotypic and molecular analyses enabled the identification of three promising genotypes, namely 1675-52, 1723-32, and 1716-24. They combined a high level of resistance to yellow rust and common bunt with the presence of resistance-associated alleles. These selected genotypes were subsequently validated under organic field conditions. The results demonstrated that these lines maintained stable resistance to yellow rust and common bunt and produced seed yield ranging from 5.45 to 5.94 t/ha, exceeding that of the standard cv. Almaly (4.88 t/ha). The obtained results confirm the effectiveness of integrating phenotypic screening with marker-assisted selection for identifying wheat genotypes with complex disease resistance. These genotypes represent promising prebreeding resources for organic agriculture, subject to validation across a wider range of environments. Full article

Urban greenbelts are vital for biodiversity and ecosystem services but face threats from urban expansion. This study assessed the population structure and identified potential threats to woody plants in Arusha city’s greenbelts (nature areas and riparian forests). Woody plants were sampled across 53 grid cells (200 m × 200 m) using stratified random sampling and the Braun-Blanquet relief method. Remote sensing processed 2015 and 2022 satellite images. ArcGIS 10.8.2 software facilitated field data collection coordinates, the satellite imageries and spatial analyses. Standard plot sizes of 400 m² were systematically selected for data collection. Significant differences in tree species diversity and abundance were observed within nature areas (t = 18.6, p = 0.001; t = 5.48, p = 0.001) and riparian forests (t = 21.4, p = 0.001; t = 13.8, p = 0.001). No significant differences were found between eastern and western nature areas (t = 1.06, p = 0.338; t = −1.55, p = 0.181) while within riparian forests, only species diversity differed significantly (t = 2.66, p = 0.011). However, tree species abundance differed significantly between nature areas and riparian forests (t = −2.97, p = 0.01) with riparian forests having higher abundance of native trees compared to nature areas and with significant abundance of native trees compared to non-native trees (t = 14, p = 0.001). These findings emphasize the conservation of Arusha’s greenbelts, aligning with SDGs 3 (well-being), 6 (water quality), 11 (sustainable cities) and 15 (ecosystem conservation). Full article

Background: Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) is a rare disorder characterized by renal resistance to arginine vasopressin, most commonly caused by pathogenic variants in the AVPR2 gene. While X-linked NDI classically affects males, heterozygous females may exhibit variable clinical expression. Certain AVPR2 variants are associated with partial NDI and milder phenotypes. Methods: We conducted a retrospective family study of a multigenerational Greek pedigree with suspected hereditary NDI. Clinical, biochemical, and pedigree data were collected through chart review and family interviews. Genetic analysis was performed using whole-exome sequencing, and variant interpretation followed ACMG/AMP guidelines. Results: Fourteen individuals across four generations were evaluated. Molecular analysis identified a familial AVPR2 (NM_000054.7):c.964C>T (p.Pro322Ser) missense variant in three males and three females, with obligate carrier status inferred in two deceased females, segregating in an X-linked pattern. Hemizygous males exhibited a broad phenotypic spectrum, ranging from partial NDI with later onset to severe early-onset disease with urinary tract complications. Heterozygous females showed variable expression, from asymptomatic carriers to mildly symptomatic individuals. The variant co-segregated with disease and, based on ACMG criteria, it was classified as pathogenic. Conclusions: In our family, the AVPR2 c.964C>T (p.Pro322Ser) variant was associated with a remarkably broad clinical spectrum, ranging from asymptomatic heterozygous females to severe early-onset disease with urinary tract complications in affected males. These observations emphasize the need for early molecular diagnosis, systematic evaluation of female carriers, and long-term surveillance to prevent disease-related complications and optimize genetic counselling. Full article

Large-scale breeder chicken farms generate high-moisture manure, and all-in/all-out management can constrain continuous manure handling, especially during cold northern winters. This study proposed and evaluated a staged resource-recovery pathway for breeder chicken manure under all-in/all-out farm management. The pathway consisted of an implemented on-farm primary aerobic fermentation stage for rapid reduction and sanitization, an implemented centralized secondary aerobic fermentation stage for standardized organic fertilizer production, and a proposed solar-greenhouse-assisted low-temperature module for seasonal continuity support. System performance was assessed through a practice-based case evaluation using enterprise operational records, field investigations, and routine monitoring data on manure generation, process parameters, product quality, and logistics/cost indicators. The primary stage showed a relatively stable operational window across case farms, with fresh manure moisture contents of 85–90%, compost temperatures increasing from approximately 30 °C to 60 °C before declining to about 40 °C, and pH values ranging from 7.0 to 9.5, while batch duration and moisture-control pathways varied among farms. The secondary stage demonstrated standardized downstream processing capacity; the tested organic fertilizer complied with NY/T 525-2021, while the bio-organic fertilizer specifications met the benchmark requirements of NY 884-2012. The conceptual winter continuity-support module was discussed as a conceptual engineering supplement requiring future operational validation. Overall, the evaluated pathway may provide a practice-based reference for sustainable manure management, standardized fertilizer production, and circular agricultural resource recovery under intensive breeder chicken production conditions. Full article

Graft failure and graft-versus-host disease are the main limiting factors for the engraftment of not only xenogeneic but also allogeneic grafts. Long-term engraftment of human immune cells in mice with severe combined immunodeficiency and IL2rg deletion is key to the success of long-term studies in modeling human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were injected intravenously into males of one strain and females of two other strains of immunodeficient mice. Before the injection of human cells, mice of each strain were irradiated with three different doses. Interleukin-2 was administered to 50% of mice within 5 days of human cell injection. Its effect was assessed by monitoring graft-versus-host disease, survival, complete blood count (CBC) indices, quantification of human cells in whole blood, pathological changes, and immunohistochemical detection of human cells in tissues. Furthermore, the applicability of correlating immune-inflammation indices with mouse body weight (BW) dynamics, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) progression, degrees of chimerism and human T-helper cells was determined for the first time. As a result of this work, a panel of biomarkers was developed for predicting the long-term welfare of mice with elements of the human immune system (HIS) in long-term studies, including HIV testing. Full article

Background: Cyclodextrin (CD) polymers have attracted increasing attention due to their favourable drug delivery properties and broad pharmaceutical applicability. While the bioavailability and biological behaviour of native cyclodextrins have been extensively investigated, considerably less information is available regarding modified cyclodextrin polymers. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the permeation and cellular uptake of an epichlorohydrin-crosslinked β-cyclodextrin polymer using multiple in vitro and ex vivo models. Methods: Fluorescently labelled β-cyclodextrin polymers were applied in all experiments. Membrane permeation studies were performed using an in-line diffusion cell system with membranes of different pore sizes. In vitro transport and cellular uptake were investigated on HaCaT, Caco-2, and TR146 cell monolayers, while ex vivo permeation studies were carried out using skin, buccal, and intestinal tissues. Results: The results demonstrated a strong size-dependent transport behaviour across synthetic membranes. Cell monolayer studies revealed cell-line-dependent differences in polymer intracellular distribution. Lysosomal accumulation was observed in HaCaT and Caco-2 cells, whereas no intracellular accumulation was detected in TR146 cells. These findings suggest differences in polymer permeation among the investigated cell models. Ex vivo studies demonstrated the tissue permeation of cyclodextrin polymers, with marked accumulation within skin layers, indicating predominant dermal retention. Furthermore, strong correlations were identified between the in vitro and ex vivo skin and intestinal models. Conclusions: Overall, the findings demonstrate that β-cyclodextrin polymers exhibit complex, barrier-dependent transport behaviour across different biological models. The observed differences in permeation and intracellular localization suggest that multiple transport processes may contribute to their biological interactions, which provide a foundation for future studies aimed at elucidating the molecular mechanisms governing polymer uptake and permeation. Full article

Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) with on-package high-bandwidth memory (HBM) are an attractive substrate for low-latency, precision-customizable AI inference, yet high-level synthesis (HLS) flows expose little control over how tensors are distributed across many independent memory channels. The AMD Alveo V80 spreads its nominal 820 GB/s across 64 pseudo-channels, each capped at 12.8 GB/s, so delivered bandwidth is governed by an explicit tensor-to-channel partitioning decision that existing framework-based flows do not surface. This paper presents a methodology for HLS-based inference on the V80 built on two coupled contributions: a design-time partitioning framework that assigns each tensor to on-chip (BRAM/URAM) storage, a single HBM channel, or a stripe across several channels according to its reuse and access pattern, and a three-stage HLS flow that separates functional baseline, unroll-and-partition throughput extraction, and precision-aware DSP packing. The methodology is developed through five model kernels—a parameterized GEMM, ResNet-18, ViT-Small, a BERT attention block, and GPT-2 Small—and realized as nine engines spanning GEMM (FP32, INT8, INT4), convolution, attention, layer normalization, SoftMax, pooling, and embedding lookup. All nine engines are synthesized in Vitis HLS 2024.2 and placed, routed, and executed on the physical Alveo V80 at 400 MHz (2.5 ns period), and every engine closes timing with positive worst-case slack. We report per-engine cycle counts, post-route utilization, and post-route dynamic-power estimates, and compare engine latency and energy against NVIDIA Titan RTX (GPU) and Intel Xeon W-3223 (CPU) baselines on identical kernels. A central result, confirmed on silicon, is that INT8 roughly halves the GEMM DSP58 footprint relative to FP32 (27 to 14 slices), whereas INT4 yields no further compute reduction and acts purely as a memory-placement lever. The full-model compositions, the roofline classification, and the tensor-to-channel placement framework are analytical, design-time results rather than end-to-end measured performance. The bandwidth-scaling premise underlying the placement framework is confirmed directly on the V80: a 1-to-64 channel sweep shows aggregate HBM bandwidth scaling near-linearly to within 5–13% of the device peak, and placing the GPT-2 LM-head operand on a single channel versus the eight the framework assigns it yields a measured 6.81× speedup—a direct on-board test of the striping decision. The resulting design guidelines target HLS practitioners working with HBM-equipped FPGAs. Full article

Aboveground biomass (AGB) in grasslands is a key biophysical indicator for evaluating grassland productivity, ecosystem functioning, and carbon storage. However, accurate regional-scale AGB estimation in complex mountainous terrain remains challenging because of fragmented topography, strong environmental gradients, and heterogeneous grassland patches. This study evaluated the applicability of satellite embedding features for grassland AGB estimation in the Three Parallel Rivers region of Yunnan Province, China. Based on 135 field plots surveyed during the 2022 growing season, 64-dimensional annual satellite embedding features were extracted, and a conventional feature system derived from Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, and DEM data was constructed for comparison. Four feature systems, namely Traditional-9, Traditional-40, Emb-9-PCA, and Emb-64, were evaluated using six regression models, including RF, SVR, GPR, XGBoost, LightGBM, and Elastic Net. Random five-fold cross-validation was used to compare feature systems and model combinations, while spatial cross-validation was further applied to assess model robustness under spatially independent conditions. The results showed that satellite embedding features outperformed conventional remote sensing features. Under random five-fold cross-validation, the Emb-64-based XGBoost model achieved the best performance, with an R² of 0.7949 ± 0.0405, an RMSE of 0.1388 ± 0.0191 t/ha, and an MAE of 0.1141 ± 0.0203 t/ha. Under spatial cross-validation, XGBoost retained the highest mean performance, with an R² of 0.7660 ± 0.1003, an RMSE of 0.1417 ± 0.0111 t/ha, and an MAE of 0.1165 ± 0.0124 t/ha. SHAP and Spearman correlation analyses further indicated that important embedding dimensions were associated with AGB and selected conventional environmental variables. Regional mapping showed that predicted grassland AGB ranged from 0.17 to 1.26 t/ha, with a mean value of 0.79 t/ha, and exhibited significant positive spatial autocorrelation. Bootstrap-based uncertainty analysis indicated that higher uncertainty mainly occurred in fragmented mountainous areas, grassland edges, and transition zones. These findings suggest that satellite embedding features provide a promising high-dimensional representation for grassland AGB estimation in complex mountainous landscapes, while their ecological interpretability and transferability still require further investigation. Full article

The use of structural timber in buildings can serve as a significant source of long-term biogenic carbon storage and a tool for climate change mitigation. This study assesses the potential of structural timber and its associated Harvested Wood Products (HWP) within the Latvian building stock using a normative building typology and a material intensity modelling approach. The model links statistical data on the Latvian building stock, the official functional classification of buildings, and structural timber material intensity coefficients. It analyses changes in total building floor area and timber building floor area from 2010 to 2025 and develops deterministic HWP development scenarios up to 2050. Under the assumed typological configuration, the reference models indicate that structural timber intensity decreases with the number of storeys and approaches approximately 0.07 m³/m² in the extrapolated range. A significant disproportion was identified between the share of timber buildings by count and by floor area, with the largest latent HWP potential concentrated in multi-apartment, industrial, agricultural, and logistics building groups. Under the historical timber floor-area trend scenario, the reference embedded structural timber stock increases from 0.957 million m³ in 2025 to 1.194 million m³ in 2050. After applying the material intensity correction factors, the adjusted HWP stock estimate reaches 1.313–1.611 million m³, corresponding to 1.05–1.29 million t CO₂eq of biogenic carbon storage. Under the 50% reference floor-area scenario, where the timber floor-area share in selected functional groups increases linearly to 50% of the 2025 reference floor area by 2050, the reference embedded structural timber stock reaches 6.764 million m³. The adjusted HWP stock estimate reaches 7.441–9.132 million m³, corresponding to 5.95–7.31 million t CO₂eq of biogenic carbon storage. The required annual increase in reference embedded structural timber stock under this benchmark scenario is approximately 0.232 million m³/year, or about 6.6% of Latvia’s annual sawn timber production flow. The results suggest that targeted promotion of structural timber in priority building groups could substantially increase long-term carbon storage in the built environment, while providing an order-of-magnitude link between construction sector development and national HWP carbon accounting. Full article

We develop a differential-geometric framework for variable-mass particles moving along non-lightlike curves with non-vanishing curvature in Minkowski 3-space ${\mathbb{E}}_1^3$, employing the Frenet–Serret apparatus adapted to a Lorentzian signature. The force is defined as the time derivative of momentum, $F=d\left(m\mathbf{v}\right)/dt$, incorporating mass variation through a Meshchersky-type reactive term; no covariant four-momentum formulation is assumed. Explicit closed-form expressions are derived for the momentum vector $\mathbf{P}\left(t\right)$, force $\mathbf{F}\left(t\right)$, and yank $\mathbf{Y}\left(t\right)=d\mathbf{F}/dt$ for three distinct causal types of regular Frenet curves: spacelike curves with a spacelike principal normal, spacelike curves with a timelike principal normal, and timelike curves. The tangential yank component carries the causal sign factor ${\delta }_{\mathbf{B}}$, reflecting the type of curve. A theorem on the evolution of kinetic energy separates the inertial contribution $mv\dot{v}$ from the reactive contribution ${\displaystyle \frac{1}{2}}\dot{m}{v}^2$ due to mass variation. A radial decomposition of the force in the osculating plane generalizes Siacci’s classical theorem to Lorentzian geometry and variable-mass systems. When the rectifying coordinate b is non-zero, a corresponding decomposition of the yank is also obtained. Three illustrative physical scenarios are discussed: rocket motion with variable mass (with potential future relevance to trajectory prediction, stability analysis, and motion-anomaly assessment in unmanned systems), a geometric analogy for orbital parameter changes, and particle motion in a magnetic monopole field. Two fully worked examples (a Lorentzian helix and a logarithmic spiral) provide explicit closed-form expressions for all geometric and dynamical quantities, accompanied by numerical plots. The results recover the Euclidean case in the appropriate signature limit. Full article