Search Results (66)

This paper reads coal as a metonym for London’s social fabric in the writings of police theorist Patrick Colquhoun, the archival reports on the Wapping Coal Riot, and the anti-carceral poetry of William Blake. In 1798, at the behest of the West India Committee, Colquhoun had developed the first modern police force, the Thames River Police, which predated Robert Peel’s metropolitan police by over 20 years. Colquhoun’s “Treatise on the Commerce and Police of the River Thames” (1800) centers on coal in his case for policing. In his argument, coal’s energy economies link domestic affairs with the entire metropolis, making policing a city-wide problem, one that merits public support (and public funding). In reading Colquhoun’s treatise as an example of the entanglement of policing and fossil fuel power, I discuss the relevant literature from the energy humanities that connects fossil energy to the larger extractive ideologies of empire. I also demonstrate how Colquhoun’s figuring of coal builds on but alters portrayals of coal in Jonathan Swift and Anna Barbauld. The final section of this discussion demonstrates how Blake’s Jerusalem (1820) indexes dispersed, atmospheric systems of carceral power and summons dynamic, unpoliceable crowds. Blake’s smoke poetics sketch a limit of generalization, one that recoups figures of pollution and waste to riot against the systems that produce them. Full article

Eucalypt plantations form the basis of Brazilian forestry; however, successive rotations under coppice systems often experience productivity declines. This study presents an original long-term investigation over a 13-year cultivation cycle (2005–2018) with Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden × E. urophylla S. T. Blake, assessing whether the full maintenance of nine phosphate fertilization packages could sustain productivity from the first to the second rotation in a commercial plantation in Itamarandiba, Minas Gerais. Continuous forest inventories and rotation-specific growth modeling were used. Productivity in the second rotation declined by 33%–46% in packages TP1 to TP6, which included various phosphorus sources, highlighting the recurring challenges of coppice systems. Conversely, the highest and most consistent yields (~305 m³ ha⁻¹ rotation⁻¹) were obtained with package TP9, which consisted of 280 kg ha⁻¹ of triple superphosphate (TSP) applied at the beginning of each rotation and 600 kg ha⁻¹ of ammonium sulfate (SA) in split topdressing applications. These findings demonstrate that the full maintenance of fertilization, specifically with highly soluble phosphorus sources combined with balanced nitrogen and sulfur supplementation, is an effective strategy to secure productivity and ensure the economic viability of coppice systems. This offers a new paradigm for managing successive rotations, where nutritional synergy, rather than single-nutrient fertilization, is key to enhancing the resilience of clonal eucalypt plantations. Full article

Eucalyptus urophylla is a core tree species for short-rotation industrial timber plantations in South and Southwest China. However, the dynamic correlation rules of its growth traits during the full rotation period remain unclear, and the theoretical research on early selection is insufficient. In this study, 12 pure E. urophylla clones (including U6 and MLA as controls) were used as plant materials. Based on the data of tree height (H), diameter at breast height (DBH, D), and individual tree volume (V) from 0.5 to 7.5 years old, the correlation rules of early and late growth traits were explored, core predictive traits were screened, and the optimal selection age was determined through rank correlation, phenotypic and genetic correlation analyses, combined with regression modeling and selection efficiency calculation. Early selection of E. urophylla clones was feasible: after 3.5 years, the early–late phenotypic and genetic correlation coefficients of H, D, and V all reached significant or highly significant levels, and the genetic correlation coefficients were greater than the phenotypic ones, indicating that genetic factors dominated trait correlations with little environmental interference. All five established early selection regression models passed the highly significant test. Among them, the models of D-early versus D-late, V-early versus V-late, and D-early versus V-late had the highest coefficients of determination (0.9293–0.9385), making them the optimal selection traits; the models of H-early versus H-late and H-early versus V-late had lower coefficients of determination (0.8010–0.8364) due to errors in height measurement. The best selection effect was achieved within 1/2–2/3 of the rotation period: for a 6-year rotation period (pulpwood), the optimal selection age was 3.5 years old (annual efficiency 1.318); for an 8-year rotation period (medium-diameter timber), it was 4.5 years old (annual efficiency 1.345); and for a 12-year rotation period (large-diameter timber), it was 6.5 years old (annual efficiency 1.379). This study not only fills the theoretical gap in early selection of E. urophylla during the full rotation period but also constructs an integrated early selection technology system of “trait screening—model prediction—age determination”. It provides key support for shortening the breeding cycle of E. urophylla and achieving precise control of breeding costs and offers important references for early selection research on fast-growing broad-leaved tree species worldwide. Full article

Eucalyptus plantation forests play an important role in the global trade balance, and have been challenged with the Eucalypt Physiological Disorder (EPD) exhibiting symptoms on barks. Despite of that, there is little information on the anatomical features of phloem and periderm associated with this disorder. Although tolerant and susceptible commercial clones exhibited similar anatomical structures, they differed in the proportions of conducting and total phloem tissue and the amount of phloem containing Calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals. The frequency and diameter of sieve tube elements (STEs) also varied among the tested clones. The increased area of phloem with non-collapsed STE and CaOx crystals were linked to the EPD tolerant phenotype. Bark, secondary phloem, and periderm thickness were correlated with EPD scores. Structural characteristics of phloem cells is correlated with increasing stem diameter. Bark and phloem thickness exhibited significant and positive associations with EPD-tolerant clones and stem diameter, while negative correlations with EPD scores. These connections corroborate the positive impact of increasing the proportion of total phloem thickness on stem diameter growth and EPD tolerance. The present results were based on restricted, yet commercially important, Eucalyptus species (E. grandis, E. urophylla and E. grandis × E. urophylla hybrids) highlighting bark and phloem traits linked to plant growth and EPD tolerance. Full article

Hash functions are fundamental components in both cryptographic and non-cryptographic systems, supporting secure authentication, data integrity, fingerprinting, and indexing. While the Ascon family, selected by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2023 for lightweight cryptography, has been extensively evaluated in its authenticated encryption mode, its hashing and extendable-output variants, namely Ascon-Hash256, Ascon-XOF128, and Ascon-CXOF128, have not received the same level of empirical attention. This paper presents a structured benchmarking study of these hash variants using both the SMHasher framework and custom Python-based simulation environments. SMHasher is used to evaluate statistical and structural robustness under constrained, patterned, and low-entropy input conditions, while Python-based experiments assess application-specific performance in Bloom filter-based replay detection at the network edge, Merkle tree aggregation for blockchain transaction integrity, lightweight device fingerprinting for IoT identity management, and tamper-evident logging for distributed ledgers. We compare the performance of Ascon hashes with widely used cryptographic functions such as SHA3 and BLAKE2s, as well as high-speed non-cryptographic hashes including MurmurHash3 and xxHash. We assess avalanche behavior, diffusion consistency, output bias, and keyset sensitivity while also examining Ascon-XOF’s variable-length output capabilities relative to SHAKE for applications such as domain-separated hashing and lightweight key derivation. Experimental results indicate that Ascon hash functions offer strong diffusion, low statistical bias, and competitive performance across both cryptographic and application-specific domains. These properties make them well suited for deployment in resource-constrained systems, including Internet of Things (IoT) devices, blockchain indexing frameworks, and probabilistic authentication architectures. This study provides the first comprehensive empirical evaluation of Ascon hashing modes and offers new insights into their potential as lightweight, structurally resilient alternatives to established hash functions. Full article

Restoration plantations in subtropical regions, often established with fast-growing tree species such as Acacia auriculiformis A. Cunn. ex Benth and Eucalyptus urophylla S. T. Blake, are frequently developed on highly weathered soils characterized by phosphorus deficiency. To investigate strategies for mitigating nutrient imbalances in such ecosystems, a long-term (≥13 years) fertilization experiment was designed. The experiment involved three fertilization regimes: nitrogen fertilizer alone (N), phosphorus fertilizer alone (P), and a combination of nitrogen and phosphorus (NP) fertilizers. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of long-term fertilization practices on soil quality in subtropical plantations using a soil quality index (SQI). Consequently, all conventional soil physical, chemical, and biological indicators associated with the SQI responses to long-term fertilization treatments were systematically evaluated, and a principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted, along with a literature review, to develop a minimum dataset (MDS) for calculating the SQI. Three physical indicators (silt, clay, and soil water content), three chemical indicators (soil organic carbon, inorganic nitrogen, and total phosphorus), and two biological indicators (microbial biomass carbon and phosphodiesterase enzyme activity) were finally chosen for the MDS from a total dataset (TDS) of eighteen soil indicators. This study shows that the MDS provided a strong representation of the TDS data (R² = 0.81), and the SQI was positively correlated with litter mass (R² = 0.37). An analysis of individual soil indicators in the MDS revealed that phosphorus addition through fertilization (P and NP treatments) significantly enhanced the soil phosphorus pool (64–101%) in the subtropical plantation ecosystem. Long-term fertilization did not significantly change the soil quality, as measured using the SQI, in either the Acacia auriculiformis (p = 0.25) or Eucalyptus urophylla (p = 0.45) plantation, and no significant differences were observed between the two plantation types. These findings suggest that the MDS can serve as a quantitative and effective tool for long-term soil quality monitoring during the process of forest sustainable management. Full article

Dimensional stability is a key trait for structural wood applications such as flooring, yet its genetic basis in Eucalyptus pellita F.Muell. and its hybrids remain poorly understood. Addressing this gap is essential for improving processing efficiency and product quality through targeted breeding. This study assessed variation in shrinkage and density, their relationships with growth and chemical traits, and associated genetic markers. Wood samples from E. pellita, E. pellita × E. urophylla S.T.Blake, and E. pellita × E. brassiana S.T.Blake were collected from two plantation sites in northern Australia. Radial and tangential shrinkage and density were measured alongside growth and chemical traits. SNP genotyping was conducted to identify markers linked to these physical properties. Significant differences were observed among hybrid types. E. pellita × E. urophylla recorded the lowest tangential unit shrinkage (0.06%), while E. pellita × E. brassiana had the highest basic density (651 kg/m³). Shrinkage and density showed moderate to strong correlations with growth and chemical traits. Several SNPs were associated with these properties; all were located in the intergenic region near Eucgr.A00211. Among these, only one SNP exceeded the −log₁₀(p) significance threshold. These results provide early genetic insights and potential candidate markers for improving wood quality in Eucalyptus breeding programs. This exploratory study, constrained by a small sample size (n = 58), identifies putative SNPs for future validation in broader, multi-environment trials. Full article

The Brazilian Amazon, a global biodiversity hotspot, faces escalating anthropogenic pressures and climate change, underscoring the urgent need to identify priority areas for ecological restoration and sustainable forest use. This study applied a topoclimatic zoning methodological framework in the Legal Amazon to evaluate the environmental suitability of 12 native tree species across anthropogenically altered landscapes. Species occurrence data were compiled from the RADAMBRASIL Project, GBIF, Herbaria, and forest inventory literature. Climatic, topographic, and geographic variables (1961–2022) informed the zoning model. Our findings reveal that species such as Dinizia excelsa Ducke (81%) and Handroanthus albus (Cham.) Mattos (78%) exhibit exceptionally high topoclimatic suitability. Conversely, Simarouba amara Aubl. (37%) and Schizolobium parahyba (Vell.) S.F.Blake var. amazonicum (Huber ex Ducke) Barneby (46%) showed the lowest proportions in high-potential areas, suggesting their greater ecological breadth or specific niche requirements in altered zones. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated strong correlations between high-potential areas and Af3, Am3, and Aw4 climatic subtypes. This study offers a replicable, evidence-based model for prioritizing species and locations, significantly supporting sustainable silviculture and enhancing the long-term resilience of Amazonian forests in the face of climate change. Full article

Water use strategies reflect the ability of plants to adapt to drought caused by climate change. However, how these strategies change with stand development and seasonal drought is not fully understood. This study used stable isotope techniques (δD, δ¹⁸O, and δ¹³C) combined with the MixSIAR model to quantify the seasonal changes in water use sources and water use efficiency (WUE) of Eucalyptus urophylla S.T.Blake × E. grandis (E. urophylla × E. grandis) at four stand ages (2-, 4-, 9- and 14-year-old) and to identify their influencing factors. Our results showed that the young (2-year-old) and middle-aged (4-year-old) stands primarily relied on shallow soil water throughout the growing season due to the limitations of a shallow root system. In contrast, the mature (9-year-old) and overmature (14-year-old) stands, influenced by the synergistic effects of larger and deeper root systems and relative extractable water (REW), exhibited more flexibility in water use, mainly relying on shallow soil water in wet months, but shifting to using middle and deep soil layer water in dry months, and quickly returning to mainly using shallow soil water in the episodic wet month of the dry season. The WUE of E. urophylla × E. grandis was affected by the combined effect of air temperature (T), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and REW. WUE was consistent across the stand ages in the wet season but decreased significantly with stand age in the dry season. This suggests that mature and overmature stands depend more on shifting their water source, while young and middle-aged stands rely more on enhanced WUE to cope with seasonal drought stress, resulting in young and middle-aged stands being more vulnerable to drought stress. These findings offer valuable insights for managing water resources in eucalyptus plantations, particularly as drought frequency and intensity continue to rise. Full article

Background/Objective: The accurate diagnosis of congenital central nervous system abnormalities is critical to pre- and postnatal prognostication and management. When an abnormality is found in the posterior fossa of the fetal brain, parental counseling is challenging because of the wide spectrum of clinical and neurodevelopmental outcomes in patients with Dandy–Walker (DW) spectrum posterior malformations. The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of biometric measurements obtained from fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to facilitate the prenatal differentiation of Dandy–Walker (DW) spectrum malformations, including vermian hypoplasia (VH), Blake’s pouch cyst (BPC), and classic Dandy–Walker malformation (DWM). Methods: This retrospective single-center study evaluated 34 maternal–infant dyads referred for fetal MRI evaluation of suspected DW spectrum malformations identified on antenatal ultrasound. Radiologists took posterior fossa measurements, including the vermis anteroposterior (AP) diameter, vermis height (VH), and tegmento–vermian angle (TVA). The posterior fossa, fourth ventricle, and cisterna magna were classified as normal, large, or dilated. The postnatal imaging findings were evaluated for concordance. The acquired values were compared between the groups and with normative data. The genetic testing results are reported when available. Results: A total of 27 DW spectrum fetal MRI cases were identified, including 7 classic DWMs, 14 VHs, and 6 BPCs. The TVA was significantly higher in the DWM group compared with the VH and BPC groups (p < 0.001). All three groups had reduced AP vermis measurements for gestational age compared with normal fetal brains, as well as differences in the means across the groups (p = 0.002). Conclusions: Biometric measurements derived from fetal MRI can effectively facilitate the prenatal differentiation of VH, BPC, and classic DWM when assessing DW spectrum posterior fossa lesions. Standardizing biometric measurements may increase the diagnostic utility of fetal MRI and facilitate improved antenatal counseling and clinical decision-making. Full article

The adoption of “consortium” of potential microorganisms can optimize the forest seedling production process. The objective of this study was to evaluate in greenhouse conditions the effect of co-inoculation between Trichoderma harzianum, Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens, and B. elkanni on the growth of Schizolobium parahyba var. parahyba (Vell.) Blake seedlings. The treatments consisted of fungi strains (T. harzianum ESALQ 1306); bacteria strains (B. elkanni (SEMIA 5080) + B. diazoefficiens (SEMIA 587)); consortium (Trichoderma +Bradyrhizobium), and a control treatment. The seeds were sown, and evaluations were carried out 120 days after sowing. The variables analyzed were shoot height (SH), stem diameter (SD), root length (RL), shoot fresh mass (SFM), root fresh mass (RFM), total fresh biomass (TFM), shoot dry mass (SDM), root dry mass (RFM), total dry biomass (BIO), and Dickson quality index (DQI). The evaluated microorganisms proved to be effective in the production of S. parahyba var. parahyba, with emphasis on co-inoculation for growth parameters, promoting an increase in SH (23%), SD (36%), and RL (84%). For mass, non-inoculated seedlings (control) obtained a decrease of 67% (TFM) and 83% (BIO) compared to co-inoculation. The results indicate a promising method in seedling production; the biostimulators allowed the increase in plant development, which led to success in the morphometric indices. The mechanisms involved in the co-inoculation of microorganisms’ consortium in promoting the growth of native wood species to allow their production on a large scale in the silvicultural sector are still scarce, and new research is needed to elucidate the physiological and biochemical mechanisms involved. Full article

The Internet of Things is used in many application areas in our daily lives. Ensuring the security of valuable data transmitted over the Internet is a crucial challenge. Hash functions are used in cryptographic applications such as integrity, authentication and digital signatures. Existing lightweight hash functions leverage task parallelism but provide limited scalability. There is a need for lightweight algorithms that can efficiently utilize multi-core platforms or distributed computing environments with high degrees of parallelization. For this purpose, a data-parallel approach is applied to a lightweight hash function to achieve massively parallel software. A novel structure suitable for data-parallel architectures, inspired by basic tree construction, is designed. Furthermore, the proposed hash function is based on a lightweight block cipher and seamlessly integrated into the designed framework. The proposed hash function satisfies security requirements, exhibits high efficiency and achieves significant parallelism. Experimental results indicate that the proposed hash function performs comparably to the BLAKE implementation, with slightly slower execution for large message sizes but marginally better performance for smaller ones. Notably, it surpasses all other evaluated algorithms by at least 20%, maintaining a consistent 20% advantage over Grostl across all data sizes. Regarding parallelism, the proposed PLWHF achieves a speedup of approximately 40% when scaling from one to two threads and 55% when increasing to three threads. Raspberry Pi 4-based tests for IoT applications have also been conducted, demonstrating the hash function’s effectiveness in memory-constrained IoT environments. Statistical tests demonstrate a precision of ±0.004, validate the hypothesis in distribution tests and indicate a deviation of ±0.05 in collision tests, confirming the robustness of the proposed design. Full article

As life expectancy increases, pension plans face growing longevity risk. Standardized longevity-linked securities such as survivor contracts allow pension plans to transfer this risk to capital markets. However, more consensus is needed on the appropriate mortality model and premium principle to price these contracts. This paper investigates the impact of the mortality model and premium principle choice on the pricing, risk measurement, and modeling of survivor contracts. We present a framework for evaluating risk measures associated with survivor contracts, specifically survivor forwards (S-forward) and survivor swaps (S-swaps). We analyze how the mortality model and premium principle assumptions affect pricing and risk measures (value-at-risk and expected shortfall). Four mortality models (Lee–Carter, Renshaw–Haberman, Cairns–Blake–Dowd, and M6) and eight premium principles (Wang, proportional hazard, dual power, Gini, exponential, standard deviation, variance, and median absolute deviation) are considered. Our analysis highlights the need to refine mortality models and premium principles to enhance pricing accuracy and risk management. We also suggest regulators and practitioners incorporate expected shortfall alongside value-at-risk to capture tail risks and improve capital allocation. Full article

Mixed-species plantations involving Eucalyptus and Acacia trees are an effective alternative for managing sustainable plantations. In this study, we evaluated the growth, productivity, nutrient return, and soil properties of a mixed Eucalyptus hybrid (Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. × E. urophylla S.T. Blake; E) and Acacia auriculiformis A. Cunn. ex Benth. plantation (A) and Eucalyptus hybrid and A. auriculiformis plantations. The mixed Eucalyptus hybrid and A. auriculiformis plantation included three ratios at E33:A67, E50:A50, and E67:A33, while the Eucalyptus (E100) and A. auriculiformis (A100) plantations were established on degraded lands in the Had Wanakorn Forestry Research and Student Training Station, Prachuap Khiri Khan province, Thailand. Three replications within a plot size of 20 × 20 m² were designed to plant Eucalyptus hybrid and A. auriculiformis seedlings at a spacing of 2 × 3 m². The diameters at breast height (DBH) and height (H) of the Eucalyptus hybrid and A. auriculiformis were measured and monitored after planting for five years. The aboveground biomass of the five-year-old mixed and monoculture plantations was then estimated. Litterfall production and nutrient return from the mixed and monoculture plantations were measured for three years. In addition, soil samples at depths of 0–5, 5–10, and 10–20 cm were collected to analyze the soil’s chemical properties. Differences in growth, aboveground biomass, litterfall production, nutrient return, and soil properties were analyzed and tested using Tukey’s HSD. The results indicated that both the DBH and H of the Eucalyptus hybrid in the mixed and monoculture plantations were not significantly different (p > 0.05). Similarly, the DBH and H of A. auriculiformis in each treatment were also not significantly different (p > 0.05). However, the DBH and H of the Eucalyptus hybrid were higher than those of A. auriculiformis. The aboveground biomass for the mixed plantation ratios E50:A50, E100, E67:A33, and E33:A67 was not significantly different, while the stem biomass was the highest in E100. Litterfall production was influenced by the proportion of the Eucalyptus hybrid relative to A. auriculiformis, but the monoculture A100 plantation had the highest litter production. The nitrogen return estimated for the mixed plantation was between A100 and E100. Similarly, the total nitrogen in the topsoil (0–5 cm) of the mixed plantation was higher than that in the monoculture E100 plantation. These results indicate that mixing A. auriculiformis with Eucalyptus can improve soil nutrients and nutrient cycling and increase nutrient returns, suggesting that mixed plantations are an effective option for sustainable plantation management and can mitigate the negative environmental impacts of Eucalyptus monocultures. Full article

The changes in soil chemical attributes in agrosilvopastoral systems after the thinning of trees are unclear. To address this gap, this study evaluated the effects of the thinning of eucalyptus hybrid Urograndis H-13 (Eucalyptus urophylla S. T. Blake × E. grandis W. Hill ex Maiden) on soil chemical fertility in an agrosilvopastoral system in an Arenic Hapludalf in Brazil. The experimental design was a randomized block with a 3 × 4 factorial design comprising three treatments (thinning of 0%, 50%, or 100% of the eucalyptus trees) and four sampling positions relative to the eucalyptus line (0, 2.0, 4.0, and 6.0 m). Six years after eucalyptus thinning, soil acidification was observed in the 0% and 50% eucalyptus thinning treatments, especially at 0 and 2 m from the eucalyptus line. Decreases in soil pH were associated with increases in the total acidity pH 7.0 (H⁺ + Al³⁺) and Al³⁺ content and decreases in the K⁺, Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺ contents and base saturation over the soil profile (0–1.0 m). Full article