Search Results (2,917)

Climate change is increasingly altering forest ecosystems worldwide, reshaping species phenology, productivity, and resilience. In this study, we evaluate the phenoclimatic responses of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests across Europe by assessing their phenological responses to climate change across climatic zones and altitudinal gradients using remote-sensing data. We used 24 years of satellite-derived land-surface phenology and climate data to quantify phenological trends at 356 beech-dominant locations from the EUFGIS database, of which 274 remained after land-cover homogeneity and data-quality filtering. To reduce land-cover mixing at the MODIS resolution, we applied a land-cover homogeneity filter based on ESA WorldCover. The analysis was structured across the seven climatic zones in Europe. Phenological responses to climate change were assessed through climate–phenology sensitivity analyses and a composite phenoclimatic departure index integrating climatic trends, phenological shifts, and interannual variability. Phenological sensitivity varied across climatic zones and phenological phases. Temperature-related sensitivity was most evident in spring in several continental zones, whereas precipitation sensitivity was more apparent for growing-season length and autumn timing in some regions. The composite phenoclimatic departure analysis showed that regional profiles were not uniform across the European beech range. Although warming was widespread, precipitation trends, phenological shifts, and interannual variability differed strongly among zones. These findings demonstrate heterogeneous and location-specific phenoclimatic responses across Europe, but the departure index should not be interpreted as a direct measure of ecological vulnerability or risk. Full article

Satellite-based precipitation products such as the Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement (IMERG, V07) provide global coverage but exhibit systematic biases in daily accumulations, particularly for extreme events. This study presents a hybrid bias-correction framework (LSEQM+DL) for daily satellite precipitation that sequentially integrates Linear Scaling (LS) for mean bias, Empirical Quantile Mapping (EQM) with a Generalized Pareto Distribution (GPD) tail adjustment for distributional alignment, and a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) refinement that targets extreme-precipitation pixels. A station-density confidence mask scales the deep-learning influence with gauge density, so the CNN refinement is strongest where the reference, the CPC Unified Gauge-Based Analysis of Daily Precipitation (CPC-UNI), is best constrained. The framework targets the IMERG Late Run (IMERG-L), whose roughly 14 h latency suits near-real-time flood monitoring. It is applied over Indonesia (2001–2025) and evaluated against CPC-UNI and 171 independent stations of the Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) through three pillars: adjusting values, aligning distributions, and preserving extremes. At independent stations, the correction brings the standard deviation ratio from 0.71 (LS) to 1.00, the relative bias from $-$11.4% to $-$0.6%, and the 99th-percentile ratio from 0.71 to 1.01, and reduces a 21% over-estimation of wet-day frequency to within 5% of that observed. These gains carry a designed cost: the probability of detection falls from 0.78 to 0.65, while pixel-level temporal metrics (correlation, root-mean-square error, Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency) remain largely unchanged, confirming that the framework improves statistical properties rather than day-to-day timing. Relying only on globally available satellite and gauge-analysis data, and degrading gracefully where gauges are sparse, the framework is portable in principle with regional recalibration of its three tuning parameters. The corrected near-real-time product, with its station-density mask as a spatially explicit quality indicator, is intended to support flood monitoring, water resource management, and climate risk assessment in Indonesia and other gauge-sparse tropical regions. Full article

Maize (Zea mays L.) is the dominant cereal of continental Hungary, yet the Pannonian belt lost one-third of its planted area over the last decade (1150 kha to 770 kha in 2025). This study quantified how supplemental irrigation and biostimulants affect maize transpiration. Fourteen Dynamax Flow32-1K stem-heat-balance sensors recorded sap flow at 15 min resolution on the Sushi FAO 340 hybrid across seven irrigated–rainfed plot pairs at Karcag, Hungary. Measurements spanned a dry 2024 season (irrigation: 253 mm; precipitation: 7.9 mm; VPD_max: 1.71 kPa) and a wetter 2025 season (120 mm irrigation; 62.9 mm precipitation; mean VPD_max: 1.33 kPa). A Control-only mixed-effects model returned a year × irrigation interaction F(1, 84) = 106 (p < 10⁻¹⁵): irrigation raised transpiration by 77% in 2024 and lowered it by 12% in 2025. The VPD_max–transpiration coupling was inverted in 2024, the field signature of stomatal closure under soil-water limitation. The irrigated Big Compost plot reached a grain-based WUE of 97.5 kg mm⁻¹ versus 41.6 kg mm⁻¹ for the matched Control. This was a 2.3-fold within-2025 separation at similar per-plant transpiration. The irrigation response differed sharply between seasons. However, the amendment classes were tested in different years, and the irrigation dose differed between seasons (253 mm in 2024 versus 120 mm in 2025). The cross-class contrast is therefore exploratory, and every cross-year comparison is provisional. With one sensor per plot, the amendment ranking remains a hypothesis for a replicated, same-season, and same-dose follow-up. Full article

Background/Objectives: Cyclodextrin-based ternary systems are widely used to improve the solubility of poorly soluble drugs. Amino acids such as L-arginine may further increase dissolved drug concentrations and reduce precipitation under physiologically relevant conditions. In many systems, apparent solubility enhancement is influenced simultaneously by drug ionization, inclusion complex formation, multicomponent interactions, and solid–liquid equilibria. This study presents a physicochemical modeling approach for analyzing pH-dependent solubility enhancement and precipitation behavior in drug–cyclodextrin–L-arginine systems. Methods: The model combines acid–base equilibria, binary inclusion complexation, ternary association, and explicit solid-phase partitioning within a unified mass-balance treatment. The approach was applied to representative ternary systems containing repaglinide, sulfadiazine, cefixime, and meloxicam. Results: Quantitative comparison with published phase-solubility data for the repaglinide–HPβCD–L-arginine system confirmed the numerical consistency of the model. The calculated profiles showed that enhanced solubilization and reduced precipitation occur only within specific pH regions determined by coupled equilibrium effects. For cefixime and meloxicam, the calculations were interpreted as predictive applications because directly comparable validation datasets were not available. Outside the favorable pH regions, a substantial fraction of the drug remained in the solid phase. Conclusions: These observations support the importance of pH and multicomponent interactions in controlling formulation performance in cyclodextrin-containing systems. The obtained profiles may support preliminary optimization of formulation pH and excipient composition before experimental screening. Full article

Elevated levels of vitamin B12 (B12 hypervitaminemia) greater than 1000 pg/mL can be toxic and may serve as a marker for conditions such as cancer, autoimmune inflammatory diseases, or renal or hepatic failure. B12 hypervitaminemia, a complex generated by the binding of monomeric vitamin B12 and existing immunoglobulins in serum, can be detected in most available immunoassays. The purpose of this work was twofold: firstly, to evaluate a technique such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation in samples, before vitamin B12 determination, to prove that not all cases of B12 hypervitaminemia are related to oncological pathologies or serious diseases, and secondly, to address the patient’s condition. Materials and methods: Serum samples were collected from the patient and pre-treated with PEG. Baseline vitamin B12 levels and vitamin B12 levels in the supernatant following PEG precipitation were detected by chemiluminescence. Results: Ten samples were analysed in two different laboratories, classified as public and private; in all cases, vitamin B12 levels were above 1000 pg/mL, with a mean of 2550 pg/mL (1738–3899 pg/mL). PEG precipitation resulted in an 84.25% reduction in vitamin B12 levels. Conclusions: In cases of B12 hypervitaminemia in which there is no correlation between patient clinical symptoms and detected vitamin B12 levels, the PEG immunoprecipitation test before vitamin B12 determination is a simple and low-cost laboratory technique that can be routinely used in clinical practice to determine actual vitamin B12 levels. The technique would spare patients unnecessary complementary tests and inappropriate treatments. Full article

Water scarcity in Chile has been exacerbated by a decline in precipitation and an increase in water demand. This has prompted a search for strategies to increase water supply, whether through aquifer recharge or reservoir construction. In this study, aquifer recharge was evaluated through rainwater harvesting systems (RWHS) and direct injection into rural wells in the Ñuble Region. Three wells were selected in the Ñuble Region (Ñiquén, San Carlos, and Coihueco) using hydrogeological and operational criteria. To characterize the hydrogeology of the area, local piezometric data, geophysical surveys using electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), and seismoelectric tests were considered. This enabled the identification of aquifers with water levels between 2.6 and 23 m depth across the different geological units of the territory. The hydrological design was based on a frequency analysis of annual precipitation (1991–2020), which yielded design rainfall values between 442 and 694 mm. The implemented RWHS demonstrated injection capacities between 0.9 and 1.4 L·s⁻¹. The results show that rainwater harvesting combined with direct aquifer recharge represents a viable alternative for improving water security, with potential for territorial scaling through regional public policies. Full article

Aronia melanocarpa puree is rich in anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins, but its pronounced tannin-derived astringency limits product acceptance. This study developed a non-removal astringency-modulation strategy using food-grade L-proline and evaluated its molecular basis, processing window, and quality effects. Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic analyses suggested that L-proline altered the local microenvironment of procyanidin B2 (PC-B2) through hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic association, and molecular packing rearrangement, without evident disruption of the PC-B2 aromatic skeleton. In a PC-B2–bovine serum albumin model, an appropriate L-proline level reduced the protein precipitation rate from 45.3% to 31.2% and increased soluble phenolic retention, suggesting weakened polyphenol–protein precipitation. The strategy was then optimized in puree using machine learning-assisted multi-response analysis and Box–Behnken validation. The recommended condition was 150 mg/100 mL L-proline at 40 °C for 60 min, yielding a deastringency rate of 36.13%, with anthocyanin and vitamin C retention rates of 88.80% and 55.56%, respectively. The optimized treatment maintained red color, colloidal dispersion, and shear-thinning behavior; increased the anthocyanin digestion retention index from 50.0% to 87.4%; and improved overall sensory acceptance from 4.17 to 8.17. These findings support L-proline-mediated microenvironmental modulation as a mild processing approach for high-tannin cloudy berry products. Full article

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is a widely used bioceramic in bone tissue engineering due to its biocompatibility and osteoinductive capacity; however, sustainable low-cost synthesis routes remain a challenge. This study evaluated HAp-polysaccharide composite synthesis from nejayote, the alkaline wastewater of maize nixtamalization, via chemical precipitation with (NH₄)₃PO₄ under controlled and uncontrolled pH, followed by calcination at 550 °C for 2 or 4 h. Controlled pH synthesis yielded higher solid recovery (89.8% vs. 76.4%), better calcium removal (99.8% vs. 87.4%), and smaller particle sizes (423.6 nm vs. 715.0 nm). XRD and FTIR confirmed HAp formation in both conditions, with crystallinity increasing upon calcination. Monomeric composition analysis revealed co-precipitation of amylose and arabinoxylan-derived polysaccharides in uncalcined samples, progressively eliminated by thermal treatment. Cell viability assays with human fetal osteoblasts (hFOB 1.19) confirmed non-cytotoxicity at all concentrations tested (10–633 μg/mL). Uncalcined composites synthesized without pH control achieved 126% cell viability at 633 μg/mL, surpassing pH-controlled and calcined counterparts (90–100%), suggesting active promotion of osteoblast proliferation, further supported by fluorescence imaging. These results establish nejayote as a viable dual source of calcium and polysaccharides for sustainable HAp composite synthesis with biomedical potential. Full article

In engineering applications such as filling and slope protection, natural river sand suffers from high compressibility and poor erosion resistance. Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) can mitigate these issues by sand solidification, but the optimal volumetric ratio of bacterial solution to cementation solution ($r_v$) for natural river sand remains unclear. This study used natural river sand (0.063–1.6 mm), Bacillus subtilis, and a cementation solution (2 M urea + 2 M $\mathrm{C}\mathrm{a}{\mathrm{C}\mathrm{l}}_2$, 1:1). Eight $r_v$ values from 2:5 to 3:1 were tested. Compressibility was evaluated via one-dimensional consolidation tests, and erosion resistance via a slope model. Results show a non-linear “U-shaped” relationship between $r_v$ and compression index ($C_c$). The optimal $r_v$ = 3:2 yields the lowest $C_c$ (0.044). Higher or lower ratios increase $C_c$ to ≥0.064. Microscopy reveals that at $r_v$ = 3:2, a dense, continuous $\mathrm{C}\mathrm{a}{\mathrm{C}\mathrm{O}}_3$ network fills pores, whereas excess bacteria cause sparse cementation and too few cause local agglomeration. The optimal ratio reduces erosion modulus by 55.0–57.5% compared to untreated slopes. This work provides a quantitative, eco-friendly optimization strategy for MICP-treated natural river sand, balancing mechanical performance with ecological adaptability (pH within vegetation tolerance). Full article

The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1791), is among the most destructive pests of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) globally, posing a severe and escalating threat to agricultural productivity across the Arabian Peninsula. Despite its well-documented economic impact, the potential influence of climate change on its future distributional dynamics within this region remains poorly quantified. This study employed Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) species distribution modelling to assess current and projected habitat suitability for R. ferrugineus across the Arabian Peninsula (~3.2 million km²) under two contrasting Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5) for the mid-century (2050) and late-century (2070). The model was calibrated using 52 spatially thinned occurrence records and six non-collinear environmental predictors selected following Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) analysis, with sampling bias corrected through a kernel density-based background weighting approach. Model performance was robust, with mean training and test AUC values of 0.921 ± 0.023 and 0.840 ± 0.052, respectively, and a mean TSS of 0.583 ± 0.046. Precipitation of the coldest quarter (Bio 19) and precipitation seasonality (Bio 15) emerged as the most influential predictors of habitat suitability, followed by elevation. Currently, approximately 727,589.8 km² (26.11%) of the peninsula is classified as suitable habitat, concentrated along the eastern Arabian Gulf coastline and the western Red Sea plain. Under SSP1-2.6, suitable habitat is projected to expand by 16.34% and 31.60% by 2050 and 2070, respectively. Under the high-emission SSP5-8.5 scenario, expansions are considerably more pronounced, reaching 34.11% by 2050 and 60.15% by 2070, with total suitable area approaching 1,158,474.8 km² (41.58%) by late-century. Habitat contraction was negligible across all scenarios, indicating a unidirectional range expansion dynamic. These findings highlight the substantial threat posed by climate-driven habitat expansion of R. ferrugineus and provide spatially explicit projections to inform proactive biosecurity planning and pest management strategies for date palm cultivation across the Arabian Peninsula. Full article

Drought represents one of the major constraints limiting maize productivity in southeastern Europe, particularly under non-irrigated conditions. This study evaluated the effectiveness of foliar biostimulants derived from animal collagen and keratin hydrolysates in mitigating drought stress and improving maize performance in southern Romania during a six-year field experiment (2020–2025). During the screening phase (2020–2022), four formulations (FM1, FM2, KC, and K2) were applied at two rates (5 and 10 L ha⁻¹) and compared with an untreated control. Significant effects of biostimulant formulation and dose were identified for plant height and grain yield (p < 0.001). Duncan’s multiple range test showed that K2 applied at 10 L ha⁻¹ achieved the highest mean grain yield (87.71 q ha⁻¹), significantly exceeding the untreated control (70.94 q ha⁻¹). Based on these results, K2 was selected for long-term validation during 2023–2025 and subsequently evaluated across the entire six-year experimental period. Mean grain yield increased from 52.06 q ha⁻¹ in the untreated control to 58.74 and 64.91 q ha⁻¹ following K2 application at 5 and 10 L ha⁻¹, respectively. Yield improvements were particularly pronounced during years characterized by severe precipitation deficits, when relative yield increases reached up to 41.9%. Economic analysis demonstrated positive net returns in all experimental years, with average profits of 108.6 EUR ha⁻¹ and 206.9 EUR ha⁻¹ for the 5 and 10 L ha⁻¹ application rates, respectively. The results demonstrate that keratin-based biostimulants derived from industrial by-products can improve maize productivity, enhance drought resilience, and contribute to circular-economy approaches in sustainable agriculture. Full article

Climate change may intensify the deterioration of river water quality by altering streamflow regimes, precipitation patterns, and organic matter transport pathways. In this study, a Hydrological Simulation Program-FORTRAN (HSPF)-based streamflow and total organic carbon (TOC) water quality model for the Tamjin River Basin, Korea, was developed, and future TOC pollution was evaluated under quantile delta mapping (QDM) bias-corrected Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 5-8.5 (SSP5-8.5) climate scenarios. Unlike previous studies that generally applied climate bias correction, watershed modeling, or pollutant-load assessment as separate procedures, this study links QDM-preserved climate change signals, process-based HSPF simulations, and TOC-specific discharge-load, delivered-load, exceedance-frequency, and load-reduction indicators within a single management framework. The model showed acceptable performance, with Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) values of 0.67 and 0.68 for streamflow at Jangheung Dam and Gamcheon Bridge, respectively, and a TOC deviation of volume (DV) of 0.6% at Tamjin5. Under the SSP5-8.5 no-action scenario for the 2040s, the mean streamflow decreased by 33.1%, whereas the mean TOC concentration increased by 76.8% relative to the baseline. The number of days exceeding 4 mg/L TOC increased from 41 to 216 days yr⁻¹, and the Korean TOC-based water quality class deteriorated from Ib to III. In contrast, the 20% and 30% load reduction scenarios offset approximately 33.8% and 67.9% of the climate-driven increase in TOC, respectively, with the 30% reduction scenario showing greater effectiveness during low-flow seasons. Elevated TOC levels may have implications for downstream water treatment because organic matter can increase chemical demand and disinfection-byproduct formation potential. However, these treatment-related effects were not directly evaluated in this study. These results suggest that TOC should be considered as a complementary indicator to conventional biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)-based management when developing climate-resilient water-quality strategies for the Tamjin River Basin. Full article

Supportive therapy with haemoadsorption is gaining popularity in critically ill patients, with the aim of reducing overinflammation triggered by the cytokine storm. The haemoadsorbers used are not specific for cytokines and also bind antibiotics. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a simple analytical method for the simultaneous determination of selected antibiotics and to develop an in vitro model for the quantification of their binding to the CytoSorb^® haemoadsorber under conditions simulating sepsis. Imipenem (IMI), amoxicillin (AMO), cefepime (CEF), meropenem (MERO), vancomycin (VAN) and piperacillin (PIP) were measured in bovine plasma via precipitation with acetonitrile and liquid–liquid extraction with dichloromethane. The aqueous phase was collected and analysed using a C18 HPLC system under gradient conditions, with modulation of organic solvent content and mobile phase pH, and detection performed using a UV/Vis detector. The method was linear (r² > 0.982) across investigated analytical ranges (1.0–100.0 µg/mL for AMO and VAN, 1.0–75.0 µg/mL for CEF, MERO and PIP and 2.5–100.0 µg/mL for IMI). Intra- and inter-day precision did not exceed 14% and accuracy ranged from 85.8% to 108.5%. Using the in vitro model, we showed that CytoSorb^® significantly removed VAN and PIP, but not MERO. Further clinical studies are needed to establish the clinical significance of these findings and their impact on antibiotic exposure. Full article

High-ammonium poultry digestate from thermophilic dry anaerobic digestion is often recycled, but excessive ammonia accumulation may inhibit anaerobic digestion and reduce process stability. This study developed a gas-driven ammonia stripping process coupled with gypsum-mediated absorption for digestate deammonification, nitrogen recovery, and CO₂-assisted carbonate formation. Laboratory stripping experiments were conducted using simulated biogas to evaluate the effects of pH, temperature, and gas–liquid ratio. Under the selected condition of pH 11, 65 °C, and a gas–liquid ratio of 2, NH₄⁺-N in 10 L digestate decreased from approximately 7980 to 1648 mg L⁻¹ within 12 h, corresponding to about 80% removal. In the absorption step, the slightly soluble CaSO₄ solution showed more stable NH₃ capture than the CaSO₄ suspension, and the corrected NH₃-N recovery reached approximately 90–95%. XRD, SEM-EDS, precipitate mass estimation, and gas-phase CO₂ variation supported the formation of CaCO₃-containing precipitates. Pilot-scale operation using real biogas further reduced NH₄⁺-N from approximately 8000 to 700–800 mg L⁻¹ during 36 h of extended pilot-scale operation. Overall, the coupled process provides a preliminary resource-recovery route integrating ammonia burden reduction, nitrogen recovery, sulfate transfer, and CO₂-assisted carbonate precipitation. However, full-scale sustainability still requires further long-term operation, complete nitrogen–carbon–calcium–sulfur mass balances, complete heat and energy-balance assessment, product-quality evaluation, and techno-economic or life-cycle assessment. Full article

The persistent discharge of cationic dyes into aquatic systems necessitates advanced adsorbents with precisely tunable interfacial properties and high removal efficiency. Herein, we report for the first time the synthesis of composition-controlled sulfonated polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) based on polystyrene (PSt) and poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) (PAMPS) via a surfactant-free precipitation polymerization approach. Our findings showed that the NPs exhibited well-defined composition-dependent evolution in physicochemical properties, with hydrodynamic size decreasing from 1224 to 327 nm and surface charge rising from −36.1 to −51.0 mV with increasing PAMPS content. Furthermore, adsorption performance toward methylene blue (MB) and crystal violet (CV) demonstrated strong dependence on surface charge density, with removal efficiencies of 97–98% at low initial dye concentrations (10–20 mg L⁻¹) and still above 82–87% at a higher initial concentration (100 mg L⁻¹). At low initial dye concentrations (10–20 mg L⁻¹), the most highly sulfonated nanoparticles (NP-PSt/AMPS-50) reach equilibrium capacities of approximately 9.25–971 mg g⁻¹, while at 100 mg L⁻¹, the capacities increase to about 82–86 mg g⁻¹ for both MB and CV. Notably, the adsorption capacity (q_e) increases systematically with the sulfonation degree, reflecting enhanced ion-exchange capacity and accessibility of surface-exposed –SO₃⁻ functionalities. Rapid uptake behavior is observed, with >60–70% removal achieved within 15 min and equilibrium established within 100–120 min. Importantly, the enhanced adsorption performance of NPs can be attributed to their self-organized core–shell-like architecture. Considering this structure, hydrophobic PSt-rich domains form the particle interior, while PAMPS segments are localized at particle–water interface, creating a sulfonate-enriched surface layer. This enhances active-site accessibility and electrostatic interactions with cationic dyes. The composition-dependent evolution of sulfonate functional groups, as evidenced by FTIR spectroscopy, along with the systematic decrease in hydrodynamic size and increase in zeta potential magnitude with increasing AMPS content, collectively indicate the surface localization of charged PAMPS segments. Overall, our findings provide a mechanistic framework for the rational design of charge-regulated polymeric nano adsorbents and highlight the potential of PSt/PAMPS NPs as scalable and sustainable materials for cationic dye removal in wastewater treatment systems. Full article