Search Results (194,731)

Cutaneous fibrosis is characterized by aberrant wound healing with excessive extracellular matrix deposition, sustained inflammation, and oxidative stress, while currently available therapies show limited efficacy and safety. A Dual Hyaluronic Acid Compound (DHC), consisting of high-molecular-weight, low-molecular-weight, and minimally cross-linked hyaluronic acid, has demonstrated regenerative and antioxidant properties, but its anti-fibrotic effects have not been fully explored. This study investigated the anti-fibrotic potential of DHC using a bleomycin-induced murine dermal fibrosis model and a UVB-irradiated ex vivo human skin model. In C57BL/6 mice, dermal fibrosis was induced by daily bleomycin injections for three weeks, followed by intradermal DHC administration. Histological and biomechanical analyses showed that DHC significantly reduced dermal thickness, collagen deposition, and skin hardness compared with untreated fibrotic controls. DHC decreased α-SMA expression and increased MMP1 levels, indicating attenuation of myofibroblast activation and enhanced matrix remodeling. It also reduced macrophage markers (CD68, CD163) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α). Furthermore, DHC restored superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity and upregulated NRF2, HO-1, and NQO1 expression in the in vivo model. Similarly, DHC upregulated SOD and CAT activity and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α) in the ex vivo human skin model. These findings suggest that DHC exerts multimodal anti-fibrotic effects through coordinated regulation of fibroblast activation, inflammation, and oxidative stress, supporting its potential as a therapeutic approach for cutaneous fibrosis. Full article

This study investigates the operation of an air source heat pump (ASHP) working with combined radiant floor (RF) and fan coil unit (FCU) heating systems in hot summer and cold winter (HSCW) regions. Intermittent heating demands and ASHP sensitivity to supply water temperature in these regions lead to insufficient steady-state assumptions, while experimental evidence on transient heating behavior, thermal comfort development, and operational limits remains limited. In this study, experiments were conducted to analyze six supply water temperatures (ranging from 35 °C to 45 °C) with respect to the system’s dynamic thermal response, vertical air temperature difference, floor surface temperature, power consumption, and coefficient of performance (COP). The results show that start-up heating is dominated by FCU convection, causing pronounced vertical temperature stratification, while radiant heat becomes dominant as the system approaches steady operation. A good vertical air temperature difference with respect to breathing zones and ankle-level temperature differences below 2 °C was achieved after sufficient operating time. Increasing the supply water temperature accelerated the heating response, where the time required for the average indoor temperature to reach 18 °C decreased from 5.5 h at 35 °C to 2.2 h at 45 °C. However, this improvement was accompanied by reduced energy efficiency, with the mean ASHP unit COP declining from 2.5 to 2.3. Excessively high supply temperatures further induced premature indoor overheating and the frequent start–stop cycling of the heat pump, thereby limiting thermal benefits and increasing power demand. These findings provide experimentally grounded insight into the operation and performance limits of ASHP RF–FCU heating systems. Full article

Land subsidence and coseismic deformation can interact in groundwater-stressed sedimentary basins, yet basin-scale identification of event-timed vertical offsets in InSAR products requires explicit control of referencing and processing effects. This study evaluates whether the 27 September 2021 Arkalochori earthquake (Mw 6.0; central Crete) produced detectable coseismic vertical offsets within the Messara Basin by applying a reproducible screening workflow to Copernicus European Ground Motion Service (EGMS) Level-3 Vertical time series, from two processing generations (EGMS 2015–2021 and EGMS 2018–2022). An event-centered step metric (stepEQ), defined as the difference between post-event and pre-event mean displacements over a fixed acquisition window, is evaluated across three fixed spatial masks (MESSARA, R15060, R8750) together with a dispersion-based precision proxy (σstep) and a cross-generation sensitivity diagnostic (ΔstepEQ). A supplementary 2 + 2 subset sensitivity analysis indicates that the adopted fixed 3 + 3 estimator is stable at the basin scale, with sensitivity concentrated mainly in threshold-adjacent cases. Results indicate that Arkalochori-related offsets are not expressed as a basin-wide step across Messara; instead, non-background responses form a spatially limited and coherent subset concentrated where the basin intersects the near-source footprint. In EGMS 2018–2022, the higher vertical offset class (C2; |stepEQ| > 40 mm) is exclusively subsidence-direction and is enriched toward the screening center (up to ~19% within the radii mask R8750 m) but remains sparse at the basin scale mask (MESSARA mask) (~1%). Step-dominated points co-locate with strongly subsiding mean vertical velocity regimes and are hosted almost entirely by post-Alpine basin deposits, indicating strong material and background-deformation conditioning of step detectability. Cross-generation comparison shows basin-scale stability of background behavior but localized near-source sensitivity, supporting use of ΔstepEQ as a Quality Control (QC) lens for threshold-adjacent interpretations. The workflow provides a transparent, transferable approach for prioritizing candidate coseismic-step locations in EGMS time series. Results are interpreted as screening-level evidence in the derived vertical signal using event timing, spatial coherence, and QC diagnostics. Full article

The modulation of plant responses to abscisic acid (ABA) and/or abiotic stresses can be manipulated by the expression of ABA-responsive genes, which is affected by phytohormone ABA. While some ABA-responsive genes have been shown to regulate plant responses to ABA and/or abiotic stresses, the functions of numerous ABA-responsive genes remain unknown. Therefore, characterizing these unstudied genes would provide a practical way to identify novel regulators of plant adaptations to ABA and/or abiotic stresses. Here, we characterized four closely related unstudied ABA-responsive genes in Arabidopsis thaliana, named Arabidopsis thaliana ABA-up regulated genes (AtAUGs). We found that ABA treatment induces AtAUGs expression level, and our results in transfected protoplasts show that AtAUGs exhibit nucleus localization and downregulate the co-transfected reporter expression level. The results of ABA sensitivity assays, including seed germination, cotyledon greening, and root extension assay show that transgenic plants overexpressing AtAUGs had increased sensitivity, but ataugs mutants generated by isolating T-DNA insertion lines or through CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing of AtAUGs had decreased sensitivity; in addition, the greatest decrease in ABA sensitivity was observed in the ataug1 ataug2 ataug3 ataug4 (ataug1234) quadruple mutants. The qRT-PCR results show that the expression levels of several Type 2C Protein Phosphatase (PP2C) genes, the key negative regulator genes of ABA signaling including PP2CA, Hypersensitive to ABA 1 (HAB1), HAB2, Highly ABA-Induced PP2C protein 3 (HAI3), ABA-Hypersensitive Germination 1 (AHG1), and ABA Insensitive 2 (ABI2) decreased in 35S:AtAUGs transgenic plants, but increased in the ataug1234 quadruple mutants. Taken together, these results suggest that AtAUGs are ABA-responsive genes, and AtAUGs positively regulate ABA responses in a redundant manner, by downregulating the expression of crucial negative regulator genes in ABA signaling. Full article

Visual cues are critical for orientation and migration in riverine fishes, providing potential mechanisms for behavioral guidance. This study investigated how light spectrum and intensity interact to modulate phototactic responses in two schizothoracine fishes from the upper Yalong River. Results showed Schizopygopsis malacanthus preferred blue light and avoided red light, with preferences shifting with flow intensity; Schizothorax kozlovi favored green light and avoided light-red light, with minimal flow impact. We propose that engineers build fishway entrances or ideal habitat attractors that prioritize low-intensity blue light (10 lx) and medium-intensity green light (50 lx), supplemented by medium-intensity blue light (50 lx). This study provides scientific evidence and application value for restoring fish habitats, fish passages, and fisheries. Full article

Bifunctional materials present a promising route to develop advanced devices, yet the dual performance of CoNi₂S₄ nanosheets anchored on a porous scaffold is seldom reported. Herein, we propose a rational fabrication strategy to construct a three-dimensional hierarchical electrode via the in-situ growth of densely aligned CoNi₂S₄ nanosheets on a conductive fabric scaffold. This integrated porous architecture concurrently offers an ultrahigh specific surface area, efficient mass transport, and rapid electron conduction. As a supercapacitor, the electrode achieves a high areal capacitance of 3198 mF cm⁻² at 4 mA cm⁻² and retains 98.1% of its initial capacitance after 1000 cycles at 20 mA cm⁻². As a non-enzymatic glucose sensor, it exhibits outstanding selectivity (<4.1% interference), high sensitivity (1049 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻²), a wide linear range (1–8 mM), and a low detection limit (1 μM). These results highlight the significant potential of this binder-free, scaffold-supported nanosheet design for advancing integrated energy storage and biosensing systems. Full article

Many advances in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) take advantage of the unique properties of nanomaterials to improve characterization of formation properties, achieve conformance control during flood operations, and extend the controlled release time of polymers. Magnetite nanoparticles (nMag) have been employed in these processes due to their low cost, low toxicity, and ability to be engineered to meet desired needs, especially with the application of a magnetic field. Similarly, silica dioxide (SiO₂) and aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) nanoparticles have been evaluated for the delivery of scale and asphaltene inhibitors. However, the injection of nanoparticles into porous media comes with the risk of formation damage due to particle deposition, which can lead to increased injection pressures and reductions in permeability. The goal of this study was to develop a method to evaluate and assess nanoparticle formulations for their potential to cause formation damage. A screening apparatus was constructed to hold small sandstone discs (~2 mm) or cores (~2.5 cm) for rapid testing with minimal material use and the capability to be used with either aqueous brine solutions or non-polar solvents as the mobile phase. Image analysis of the disc and pressure measurements demonstrated increasing deposition of nMag and face-caking when the salinity was increased from 500 mg/L NaCl (8.56 mM) to API brine (2.0 M). Similarly, when the injected concentration of silica nanoparticles in 500 mg/L NaCl was increased from 1 to 10 wt%, the back pressure increased by 55 psi, and face-caking was observed. The screening test results were consistent with traditional core-flood tests and was able to be modified to accommodate organic liquid mobile phases. The screening test results closely matched nanoparticle transport and retention measured in sandstone cores, confirming the ability of the system to rapidly screen nanoparticle formulations for potential formation damage. Full article

This study investigates the properties of ZnO nanorod-based sensors and ZnO nanorods modified with tin dioxide (ZnO/SnO₂) and gold (ZnO/Au) nanoclusters and their response to low concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO). It was demonstrated that the ZnO/SnO₂(3) nanorod-based sensor exhibited the highest sensitivity (S = 1.64) to 10 ppm CO, while the ZnO/Au(3) sensor displayed the shortest response (69–207 s) and recovery (203–233 s) times. This behavior can be explained by ZnO/Au and ZnO/SnO₂ nanostructures having low activation energies (0.23–0.25 eV) and high potential barrier values (0.37–0.43 eV). Sensors based on ZnO/Au and ZnO/SnO₂ nanorods demonstrate sensitivity to 10 ppm CO at 250 °C and at 200 °C. In contrast, ZnO nanorod-based sensors are sensitive to 2 ppm CO at 250 °C. Full article

E-commerce platforms are increasingly adopting cross-platform targeted advertising strategies, and the design of such strategies warrants attention. Focusing on cooperation between e-commerce and social media platforms, this study considers targeting precision, advertising intensity, privacy concerns and social utility on the effectiveness of targeted advertising. Using a game-theoretic model, we examine the decision between single- and cross-platform for e-commerce platforms in fully and partially overlapping user groups. The main findings indicate that (1) the social utility of social media platforms is a key factor in implementing cross-platform targeted advertising; (2) cross-platform targeted advertising is not always the optimal choice for e-commerce platforms; and (3) low-precision cross-platform strategy achieves three-party optimum in fully and partially overlapping user groups. The implications of the main findings include: (1) e-commerce platforms should prudently use social media platforms instead of relying excessively on their traffic; (2) e-commerce platforms should not regard cross-platform cooperation as the default option but as a differentiated, situation-specific decision; and (3) e-commerce platforms should promote co-creation of value and proprietary data accumulation when cooperating with social media platforms. The findings can help e-commerce platforms to choose proper targeted advertising strategy in practice. This study also provides a theoretical supplement for cross-platform targeted advertising research. Full article

Reliable semantic perception is crucial for service robots operating in complex public indoor environments. However, existing semantic mapping approaches often face the dual challenges of high computational overhead and semantic redundancy in maps. To address these limitations, this paper proposes a low-resource semantic mapping framework based on improved instance segmentation and dynamic constraints from consecutive frames. First, we design the lightweight model MS-YOLO, which adopts MobileNetV4 as its backbone network and incorporates the SHViT neck module, effectively optimizing the balance between detection accuracy and computational cost. Second, we propose a consecutive frame dynamic constraint method that eliminates redundant object annotations through consecutive frame stability verification. Experimental results relating to both fusion and custom datasets demonstrate that compared to YOLOv8n-seg, MS-YOLO achieves improvements in accuracy, recall, and mAP@0.5, while reducing the number of parameters by 11.7% and floating-point operations (FLOPs) by 32.2%. Furthermore, compared to YOLOv11n-seg and YOLOv5n-seg, its FLOPs are reduced by 17.2% and 25.5%, respectively. Finally, the successful deployment and field validation of this system on the Jetson Orin NX platform demonstrate its real-time capability and engineering practicality for edge computing in public indoor service robots. Full article

In this study, a novel layered WO₃@Co₃O₄ composite electrode was synthesized via a controlled electrodeposition method employing different surfactants to finely tune its nanostructure. The incorporation of polyacrylic acid (PAA) surfactant yielded an optimized P-W@Co electrode with a hierarchical porous morphology and reduced crystallite size, markedly enhancing electroactive site exposure and electron transport. Structural analyses confirmed the amorphous nature of WO₃ and crystalline spinel Co₃O₄ phases forming an integrated composite architecture. Electrochemical characterizations in a three-electrode system revealed that the P-W@Co electrode exhibited superior pseudocapacitive behavior, with an areal capacitance of 11.70 F/cm² at 20 mA/cm² and excellent rate capability, retaining 80% capacitance at 40 mA/cm². Kinetic studies demonstrated enhanced diffusion-controlled charge storage attributed to improved ion accessibility and charge transfer kinetics. To evaluate practical feasibility, asymmetric supercapacitor devices incorporating P-W@Co as the positive electrode coupled with activated carbon as the negative electrode were fabricated. This device showcased a widened operational voltage (1.5 V), outstanding areal capacitance (211 mF/cm²), and energy density (0.066 mWh/cm²). Importantly, the device exhibited exceptional cycling stability, retaining 81.8% capacitance after 7000 cycles. This work signifies a major advancement in surfactant-mediated design of WO₃@Co₃O₄ layered electrodes for scalable, high-performance supercapacitor applications, combining structural stability, enhanced conductivity, and multifaceted charge storage mechanisms. Full article

As critical infrastructures, long, large-diameter shield tunnels require a reliable long-term seismic safety assessment. This study investigates the coupled effects of spatially non-uniform ground motions and bolt corrosion on the seismic response of long, large-diameter shield tunnels. Three types of non-uniform seismic waves (coherent, traveling, and coherent traveling) consistent with the design spectrum were generated, and a 3D discontinuous finite element model was used to analyze tunnel response under various corrosion locations and rates. Results show that non-uniform excitation significantly amplifies the seismic response in the order coherent traveling waves > traveling waves > coherent waves > uniform waves, with coherent traveling waves amplifying key seismic responses by up to 10 times compared with uniform excitation. Corrosion at circumferential joints causes more substantial responses than at longitudinal joints, and combined longitudinal corrosion shows a greater effect than single-joint corrosion. Under coherent traveling waves with high corrosion rates, the seismic response exhibits a distinct “top stronger than bottom” distribution. This study concludes that accurate seismic performance evaluation requires consideration of both variability in spatial ground motion and bolt corrosion, thereby supporting the seismic design and long-term maintenance of such structures. Full article

Soil moisture (SM) in the mountains is critical for agropastoral productivity, and it is subject to both large-scale climate gradients and fine-scale effects of terrain, vegetation and soil. However, how the climate, topography, soil and vegetation factors impact surface SM spatiotemporal dynamics remains elusive in mountainous terrains, due to their complex interactions. Based on multi-source datasets, this study employs the structural equation model to investigate the impact pathways of climate and vegetation factors on annual surface SM dynamics from the year 2000 to 2022 in the Tianshan Mountains of China (TS). We also utilize the factor and interaction detectors of Geographical Detector to explore the individual and interactive effects of climate, topography, soil and vegetation factors on the spatial pattern of the annual surface SM. Moreover, their integrated impacts on the spatiotemporal dynamics of annual surface SM were investigated based on the explanatory power from the factor detector and total effects from structural equation modeling. The results showed that the multi-year average surface SM was 0.21 m³·m⁻³ for the whole region, with greater values in areas with dense vegetation and high elevation. Annual surface SM exhibited significant increasing trends across different land cover classifications and elevation zones, which was directly influenced by vegetation greenness enhancement. Precipitation (PRE) and relative humidity (RH) also significantly influenced the temporal variations in surface SM through their indirect effect on vegetation greenness, while these indirect effects were much lower than the direct effect of vegetation greenness. RH, PRE and surface net solar radiation (SSR) showed strong individual and interactive effects on the spatial distribution of surface SM, particularly the interactive effects of RH and PRE with wind speed (WS). Surface SM was highly sensitive to RH and PRE in the central TS. Overall, vegetation greenness, PRE and RH were the main drivers of surface SM variations across both temporal and spatial scales, while SSR, total evaporation and WS primarily shaped its spatial distribution. These insights enhance our understanding of land–atmosphere interactions in mountainous areas and provide scientific references for sustainable agropastoral water resource management under global warming. Full article

The sustainable management of olive wastes represents an important environmental challenge. Biochars and hydrochars derived from biomass are promising adsorbents for removing emerging pollutants from water. In the present work, olive stone wastes were converted into biochar and hydrochar by using pyrolysis (500 °C for 30 min) and hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) processes (220 °C for 10 h). Then, the obtained materials were physically activated by using CO₂ gas (750 °C for 30, 60 and 180 min). Various analytical techniques were applied for the chemical, textural and structural characterization of these carbonaceous materials (i.e., ultimate and proximate analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), BET surface area, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy). Afterwards, the selected activated biochar and hydrochar were applied for the removal of amoxicillin from aqueous solutions. The experimental results show that the generated hydrochar has many microspheres on its surface and inside, while the produced biochar exhibits a porous structure with irregular forms. CO₂ physical activation has induced an important improvement of the biochar and hydrochar’s structural, textural, and surface chemistry properties. For instance, the activated biochar samples show a highly porous structure, with large specific surface areas that increase with the burn-off, reaching 1349.3 m² g⁻¹ following 3 h of activation. Regarding the activated hydrochar samples, they exhibit a spherical morphological structure with an important specific surface area, which increased to 846.7 m² g⁻¹ after 3 h of activation. Moreover, both activated materials have an amorphous structure with low oxygen surface groups. The selected novel CO₂-activated biochar and hydrochar efficiently remove amoxicillin from aqueous solutions under wide experimental conditions, with adsorption capacities of 386.4 and 215.9 mg g⁻¹, respectively. These efficiencies are higher than those reported for various activated biochars derived from lignocellulosic biomass, from sewage sludge, and from animal manure. Future research works are required to assess these materials’ effectiveness in treating real pharmaceutical effluents, to optimize the regeneration of the amoxicillin-loaded materials, and to design full-scale devices for a real application. Full article