Search Results (284,787)

Understanding the mechanisms underlying seasonal community dynamics is important for predicting biodiversity responses to environmental fluctuations, enhancing ecological forecasting, and informing conservation strategies. In this study, we use standard transect and mist netting methods investigated seasonal altitudinal migration patterns of montane bird species in the Gyirong Valley, Central Himalayas. Our results showed four distinct altitudinal migration patterns among montane bird species: no shift, downslope shift, upslope shift, and contraction to mid-elevation zones. Species with smaller body weight and higher ratios of wing length, tail length, and tarsus length to body weight tended to migrate to lower elevations. Insectivorous birds exhibited a collective downslope shift, while omnivorous birds showed a wider range of migratory responses to seasonal variation. Migratory behavior was found to dynamically modulate the association between phenotypic traits and habitat preferences. During the breeding season, species (70.44%) and functional turnover (80.02%) dominated, while in the non-breeding season, nestedness significantly contributed to species (49.37%) and functional diversity (38.09%). In addition, migration can disrupt the direct influence of environmental variables on biodiversity patterns, providing important insights for montane biodiversity conservation under climate change. Our results highlight the critical need to safeguard low-elevation winter habitats and create dynamic protected areas to aid bird conservation amidst climate change. Full article

Background: The apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii causes serious diseases in animals and humans. The in vitro efficacy of the antimicrobial peptide mixture tyrothricin, composed of tyrocidines and gramicidins, against T. gondii tachyzoites was investigated. Methods: Effects against T. gondii were determined by monitoring inhibition of tachyzoite proliferation and electron microscopy, host cell and splenocyte toxicity was measured by Alamar blue assay, and early embryo toxicity was assessed using zebrafish embryos. Differential affinity chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and proteomics (DAC-MS-proteomics) was employed to identify potential molecular targets in T. gondii cell-free extracts. Results: Tyrothricin inhibited T. gondii proliferation at IC₅₀s < 100 nM, with tyrocidine A being the active and gramicidin A the inactive component. Tyrothricin also impaired fibroblast, T cell and zebrafish embryo viability at 1 µM. Electron microscopy carried out after 6 h of treatment revealed cytoplasmic vacuolization and structural alterations in the parasite mitochondrion, but these changes appeared only transiently, and tachyzoites recovered after 96 h. Tyrothricin also induced a reduction in the mitochondrial membrane potential. DAC-MS-proteomics identified 521 proteins binding only to tyrocidine A. No specific binding to gramicidin A was noted, and four proteins were common to both peptides. Among the proteins binding specifically to tyrocidine A were several SRS surface antigens and secretory proteins, mitochondrial inner and outer membrane proteins associated with the electron transfer chain and porin, and several calcium-binding proteins putatively involved in signaling. Discussion: These results suggest that tyrocidine A potentially affected multiple pathways important for parasite survival and development. Full article

Background/Objectives: Geometric morphometric analysis (GMA) is a statistical method that captures and quantifies shape variation. This study aimed to assess hard and soft tissue shape variations and changes following orthodontic treatment in Class III skeletal malocclusion using GMA. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 84 lateral cephalometric radiographs (pre-treatment and near-end treatment) of Class III patients aged 16–40 years (ANB < 2°). Thirty-five landmarks were digitized in Cartesian coordinates using MorphoJ software for shape analysis. Results: The sample included 62% females and 38% males, with a mean age of 24.7 ± 5.2 years. Vertical dimension variations (hypodivergent to hyperdivergent) contributed most to shape changes PC1 (23.35%), followed by anteroposterior variations PC2 (13.51%). Gender significantly influenced hard and soft tissue variation with 30.91%SS (F = 56.99, p < 0.0001). Males had significantly larger and longer ramus, body of the mandible, alveolar height, LAFH, TAFH and upper lip length. (PD: 0.026, p < 0.05). Significant shape changes were seen in the mandible (PD = 0.018, p < 0.05). SNB increased by 0.41° (from 81.73° ± 3.67°), and ANB improved by 0.46° but remained Class III (−0.33° ± 1.82°). Lower anterior facial height increased by 1.78 mm (p < 0.05). The lower incisors retroclined significantly (from 92° ± 8.56° to 87° ± 6.96°, p < 0.05), while the interincisal angle increased by 5.9°. Upper incisors remained procline (118° ± 11°, p > 0.05). Upper lip length increased by 0.4 mm (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Vertical and anteroposterior shape variations are notable within Class III malocclusion. Post-treatment changes in both hard and soft tissues indicate that orthodontic camouflage can enhance facial esthetics and skeletal balance. GMA provides objective quantification and visualization of these treatment-related craniofacial changes. Full article

High-rise building areas (HRBs), a key urban land-cover type defined by distinct morphological and functional characteristics, play a critical role in urban development. Their spatial distribution and temporal dynamics serve as essential indicators for quantifying urbanization and analyzing the evolution of urban spatial structure. This study addresses the dynamic monitoring needs of HRBs by developing a temporal change detection model, TCA-Unet (Temporal Change-Aware U-Net), based on a temporal change-aware attention module. The model adopts a dual-path design, combining a temporal attention encoder and a change-aware encoder. By explicitly modeling temporal difference features, it captures change information in temporal remote sensing images. It incorporates a multi-level weight generation mechanism that dynamically balances temporal features and change-aware features through an adaptive fusion strategy. This mechanism effectively integrates temporal context and enhances the model’s ability to capture long-term temporal dependencies. Using the Xiong’an New Area and its surrounding regions as the study area, experiments were conducted using Sentinel-2 time-series imagery from 2017 to 2024. The results demonstrate that the proposed model outperforms existing approaches, achieving an overall accuracy (OA) of 90.98%, an F1 score of 82.63%, and a mean intersection over union (mIoU) of 72.22%. Overall, this study provides an effective tool for extracting HRBs for dynamic monitoring and offers valuable guidance for urban development and regulation. Full article

This article critically examines the growing interest in what most contemporary scholars consider still a new and underdeveloped mode of environmental storytelling in video games. Different models of games that provide strong narrative techniques within highly detailed, environmentally sophisticated land/soundscapes have been released over the last decade by well-known studios like Fullbright Productions, Giant Sparrow and Campo Santo. This new perspective will draw several critical questions formed from prior research in several foundational articles, the area of game studies and several journals directed at the question of how game spaces function as narrative devices. For example, an early 2016 article by John Barber for the Cogent Arts and Humanities, “Digital storytelling: New opportunities for humanities scholarship and pedagogy” was one of the first essays to explore how Fullbright’s well-known game Gone Home utilizes spatial design, object placement, and ambient details to convey stories without explicit narration. Gone Home, according to Barber and many others, continues to emphasize environmental storytelling as a form of semiotic communication—one where the “text” is the game world itself, inviting players to read and interpret more complex layers of literary meaning. Contemporary scholars have built on these more foundational studies to consider how AI and procedural generation further complicate narrative agency and structure in digital spaces, enabling the current study to consider what could be considered a distinctly post-AI theoretical perspective based upon these primary determinants: (a) how game environments may dynamically adapt narratives in response to player interaction and algorithmic input, and (b) the evolving notion of narrative agency in digital spaces where human and machine contributions intertwine in AI systems. The two chief aims of this proposal are thus to reconsider traditional environmental storytelling within new innovative, post-GenAI narrative frameworks and, looking at contemporary insights from leading examples in the field, deepen current academic understandings of narrative spaces in games from new narratological perspectives. Studies in this area seem uniquely valuable, given the rapid development of GenAI tools in creative content production and what appears to be a new epoch in narrative engagement in all interactive media. Full article

Background: The interplay between neuronutrition, physical activity, and mental health for enhancing brain resilience to stress and overall human health is widely recognized. The use of brain mapping via quantitative-EEG (qEEG) comparative analysis enables researchers to identify deviations or abnormalities and track the changes in neurological patterns when a targeted drug or specific nutrition is administered over time. High-functioning mild-to-borderline intellectual disorders (MBID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) constitute leading global public health challenges due to their high prevalence, chronicity, and profound cognitive and functional impact. Objective: The objectives of the present study were twofold: first, to characterize an extremely vulnerable group of children with functioning autism symptoms, disclosing their overall pattern of cognitive abilities and areas of difficulty, and second, to investigate the relevance of the effects of a mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) biomass dietary supplement on improvement on neurocognitive behavior. Methods: This study used qEEG to compare raw data with a normative database to track the changes in neurological brain patterns in 147 children with high-functioning autistic attributes when mushroom H. erinaceus biomass supplement was consumed over 6 and 12 months. Conclusions: H. erinaceus biomass in children with pervasive developmental disorders significantly improved the maturation of the CNS after 6 to 12 months of oral use, decreased the dominant slow-wave activity, and converted slow-wave activity to optimal beta1 frequency. Therefore, despite the lack of randomization, blinding, and risk of bias, due to a limited number of observations, it may be concluded that the H. erinaceus biomass may generate a complex effect on the deficits of the autism spectrum when applied to high-functioning MBID children, representing a safe and effective adjunctive strategy for supporting neurodevelopment in children. Full article

Overhead transmission lines are critical carriers for power delivery, directly influencing the security of the power system. In high-altitude areas, special environmental conditions such as low air pressure and intense solar radiation significantly change the heat absorption and dissipation characteristics of conductors. Therefore, it is necessary to correct the overhead conductors’ ampacity in such areas to ensure safe operation. However, the ampacity calculation method and high-altitude ampacity correction coefficients proposed in existing standards have significant limitations, and there are also large errors in the calculation results. Therefore, based on the system of partial differential equations proposed in the “Guidelines for Calculating the Current-Carrying Capacity of Transmission Conductors at High Altitudes” and the suggestions for high-altitude meteorological parameter modifications from existing standards, this paper establishes a three-dimensional finite element model to study the ampacity calculation method for overhead conductors in high-altitude areas. The results show that a significant thermal shielding effect exists among bundled conductors, and meteorological condition variations significantly influence the temperature distribution of the conductors and their surrounding space. At altitudes of 4000~5000 m, the altitude correction coefficient for both twin-bundle and quad-bundle conductors is −0.06 A∙m⁻¹ under specific conservative conditions. Full article

The trend toward sustainable protein substitutes is driven by growing concerns about food security, sustainability, and human health. Spent brewer’s yeast and wine lees are two by-products of the beer and wine industry with high potential, owing to their complex composition, which remains insufficiently exploited. The purpose of this study was to perform a comparative analysis of the two by-products under two different drying techniques to observe if there are significant changes in composition: oven-drying and freeze-drying. Two samples of wine lees from producers in the Republic of Moldova were used—Asconi Winery and Cricova Winery (Republic of Moldova)—as well as a sample of spent brewer’s yeast offered by Efes Vitanta Moldova Brewery. The samples were characterized in terms of physicochemical properties, antioxidant activity (total polyphenol content (TPC), individual polyphenol content, and DPPH assay scavenging activity), color, mineral content, structural composition (FT-IR analysis), and microstructure, as well as organic acid and B vitamin content. The highest protein content was recorded in the samples from Cricova (45.35–46.81%). Regarding the polyphenols, the oven-dried Efes sample exhibited a TPC value of 3.98 mg GAE/g, while the highest DPPH value of 88.92% was observed in the Asconi sample. All analyzed samples showed a diverse composition of individual phenolic compounds, including 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid, and rosmarinic acid. Wine lees samples have the highest content of B vitamins, with vitamin B3 being the most abundant across all samples, followed by vitamin B6. The microstructural examination revealed autolyzed yeast cells, with more permeable cell walls, favorable to subsequent valorization treatments, and in some cases, cells form clusters in a mother-daughter junction due to serial re-pitching. Full article

This article presents a methodology for assessing the ecosystem external costs linked to land-use changes caused by utility-scale photovoltaic systems using a regionalized life cycle approach. The core scientific challenge is to integrate a typically non-site-specific method—life cycle assessment—with a site-specific evaluation of ecosystem services affected by land-use changes. The methodology does not model specific agricultural practices. The approach is applied to three configurations of solar-tracking photovoltaic plants installed on arable land: ground-mounted photovoltaics, elevated agrivoltaics, and spaced agrivoltaics. For each configuration, the external costs or benefits per megawatt-hour (MWh) produced are estimated, allowing a comparative life cycle analysis. The findings show that the elevated agrivoltaic system is the only configuration resulting in a net loss of ecosystem service value, albeit marginal (−0.2 EUR/MWh). In contrast, the ground-mounted system yields a net benefit (approximately 1 EUR/MWh), followed by spaced agrivoltaics (0.1 EUR/MWh). These outcomes are mainly driven by the construction and operational phases, while the impacts from component production, transport, and end-of-life stages are significantly lower. The methodology offers a replicable framework for integrating the monetary evaluation of ecosystem services into life cycle assessments of land-intensive renewable energy systems. Full article

Objectives: Clinical decision-support systems are computer-based tools to improve healthcare decision-making. However, their effectiveness depends on being positively perceived and well understood by healthcare professionals. Qualitative research is particularly valuable for exploring related behaviors and attitudes. This study aims to explore experiences of family physicians and nurses concerning the visualization, utility and understanding of the non-valvular atrial fibrillation clinical decision-support system (CDS-NVAF) tool in primary care in Catalonia, Spain. Methods: We performed a qualitative study, taking a pragmatic utilitarian approach, comprising focus groups with healthcare professionals from primary care centers in the intervention arm of the CDS-NVAF tool randomized clinical trial. A thematic content analysis was performed. Results: Thirty-three healthcare professionals participated in three focus groups. We identified three key themes: (1) barriers to tool adherence, encompassing problems related to understanding the CDS-NVAF tool, alert fatigue, and workload; (2) using the CDS-NVAF tool: differences in interpretations of Time in Therapeutic Range (TTR) assessments, and the value of TTR for assessing patient risk; (3) participants’ suggestions: improvements in workflow, technical aspects, and training in non-valvular atrial fibrillation management. Conclusions: Healthcare professionals endorsed a clinical decision-support system for managing oral anticoagulation in non-valvular atrial fibrillation patients in primary care. However, they emphasized the view that the CDS-NVAF requires technical changes related to its visualization and better integration in their workflow, as well as continuing training to reinforce their theoretical and practical knowledge for better TTR interpretation. Full article

River and lake ice are sensitive indicators of climate change and important components of hydrological and ecological systems in cold regions. In this study, we develop a simple and transferable “surface water + land surface temperature (LST)” framework on Google Earth Engine to map potential winter ice area across China from 1990 to 2020. The framework enables consistent, large-scale, long-term monitoring without relying on complex remote sensing models or region-specific thresholds. Our results show that, despite a pronounced northwestward shift in the freezing-zone boundary, more than 400 km in the Northeast Plain and about 13 km per year along the eastern coast, the total ice-covered area increased by approximately 1.1% per year. At the same time, the average ice season became slightly shorter. This indicates asynchronous spatial and temporal responses of potential winter ice to warming. We identify a persistent “Northwest–Northeast dual-core” spatial pattern with strong positive spatial autocorrelation, characterized by increasing ice cover in Tibet, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Northeast China, and decreasing ice cover mainly in Beijing and Yunnan, where intense urbanization and low-latitude warming dominate. Random Forest modeling further shows that water area fraction, nighttime lights, built-up area, altitude, and water–heat indices are the main controls on potential winter ice. These findings highlight the combined influence of hydrological and thermal conditions and urbanization in reshaping potential winter ice patterns under climate change. Full article

Forests are important biodiversity reservoirs and require sustainable management to prevent deforestation and forest degradation. Forest landscape restoration (FLR) has been proposed as a sustainable initiative aimed at restoring ecosystem functions and improving the well-being of surrounding populations. In 2005, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) initiated a project to protect 200 ha of savanna in Manzonzi landscape, Democratic Republic of Congo, on the outskirts of the Luki Biosphere Reserve. The biodiversity changes related to this ecological restoration project remain unpublished. To address this knowledge gap, floristic inventories of the protected Manzonzi landscape were carried out over a 12-year period and we assessed how changes in the floral composition of this landscape evolved and affected the provision of ecosystem services (ES). We found that protection of the savanna by banning recurring bush fires and fencing off the area promoted the richness and abundance of forest species, such as Xylopia aethiopica (Dunal) A. Rich, Albizia adianthifolia (Schumach.) W. Wight. These forest taxa replaced grassland species, such as Hymenocardia acida Tul. and Maprounea africana Müll. Arg., and served to benefit the local population, who use these forest taxa as food, fuelwood, and medicines. This study revealed that protected savanna improved woody biomass, plant diversity (richness/abundance), and carbon storage, significantly boosting essential ES for communities; yet these positive trends reversed when active monitoring ceased. Protecting savannas improves the environment and benefits communities, but stopping protection efforts can undo these gains, emphasizing the need for ongoing conservation. Full article

Background: Early molecular changes on the facial skin surface during early adulthood remain insufficiently characterized. We integrated biophysical readouts with untargeted skin surface lipid (SSL) profiling to identify region-dependent, age-associated features in women with combination skin. Methods: Eighty healthy Chinese women were stratified into 22–28 years (n = 40) and 29–35 years (n = 40). Sebum was measured on the cheek and forehead; cheek elasticity, hydration (CM), transepidermal water loss (TEWL), pH, and tone indices were assessed under standardized conditions. SSLs from both regions were profiled by UPLC–QTOF–MS. Differential features were prioritized using OPLS-DA (VIP > 1) with univariate screening (p < 0.05; fold change > 2 or <0.5). Results: TEWL, CM, and pH were comparable between age groups, whereas the older group showed lower cheek elasticity and reduced sebum. Lipidomics revealed clearer remodeling on the cheek than the forehead: 30 and 59 differential SSL features were identified in the cheek and forehead, respectively. Cheek changes in the older group were characterized by lower ceramides (including acylceramides), TG/DG and long-chain fatty acids, alongside relatively higher cholesteryl esters. Conclusions: Conventional barrier indices remained largely stable across this age window, while cheek SSL profiles captured earlier molecular shifts, providing candidates for targeted validation and longitudinal follow-up. Full article

As unique forms of intangible cultural heritage of Inner Mongolia, traditional musical instruments from the region have undergone significant changes alongside socioeconomic development and evolving performance styles. The performance environment has transitioned from early outdoor and non-fixed venues to professional concert halls. Existing research has demonstrated a correlation between the acoustic quality of performance halls and their objective architectural acoustic parameters. However, no studies have been conducted in China on the acoustic parameters suitable for the performance environments of traditional Inner Mongolian musical instruments. This study determined the optimal acoustic environment for performances of traditional musical instruments, unique to Inner Mongolia, by employing computer simulations and subjective listening experiments in representative performance spaces. Participants were asked to select preferred audio samples of different reverberation times, generated by convolving the impulse responses of simulated spatial models with dry recordings of the instruments. Statistical analysis of the results revealed that the optimal reverberation times for traditional Inner Mongolian instruments are 1.2 s and 1.4 s in a theater space, and 0.9 s and 1.1 s in a rectangular space. Furthermore, under the influence of different factors, the four instruments exhibited distinct preferences for optimal reverberation values in the sampled spaces. Full article

Copper-based catalysts have emerged as promising materials for electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reactions, owing to copper’s unique ability to facilitate multi-electron transfer processes and produce valuable products such as methanol and ethanol. In this study, novel trisferrocenyltrithiophosphite–copper(I) bromide composites with Cu-to-ligand molar ratios of 1:1 and 2:1 were synthesized and evaluated for their catalytic performance. The composites were characterized by a combination of techniques, including powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), potentiostatic testing, chromatographic analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Electrochemical measurements demonstrated significant current enhancements in the presence of CO₂, highlighting the composites’ catalytic activity. Potentiostatic tests revealed excellent stability, with only a 9% decline in current density over 5 h of electrolysis. Product analysis via gas chromatography indicated the formation of methanol for the 1:1 composite and ethanol for the 2:1 composite with Faradaic efficiencies of 5.79% and 9.26%, respectively. While absolute efficiencies remain modest due to competitive hydrogen evolution, these results demonstrate a tunable catalytic performance based on the Cu-to-ligand ratio. SEM and XPS studies further supported the formation of active catalytic centers and changes in the oxidation states of copper during CO₂ reduction. PXRD analysis confirmed the retention of structural integrity for both composites before and after catalytic testing. Full article