Search Results (367)

Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) can enhance soil phosphorus availability and plant growth, but their effectiveness may vary depending on bacterial characteristics and compost type. However, the performance of halotolerant PSB in soils amended with different manure composts requires further evaluation. This study aimed to characterize a coastal mudflat-derived halotolerant PSB, Priestia aryabhattai JJ33, and evaluate its effects on phosphorus mobilization and lettuce growth in soils amended with different manure composts. Cattle, swine, and poultry manure composts were inoculated with strain JJ33 and combined with standard chemical fertilization. Soil phosphorus availability, plant growth, and post-harvest soil chemical properties were evaluated after 31 days of lettuce cultivation. JJ33 inoculation significantly enhanced soil phosphorus availability and plant growth compared with uninoculated compost treatments. Among all treatments, poultry manure compost inoculated with JJ33 (PMP) produced the highest fresh weight (42.7 g plant⁻¹) and soil available P₂O₅ (446 mg kg⁻¹), representing 67% and 41% increases over the NPK control, respectively (p < 0.05). Strain JJ33 also exhibited strong phosphate-solubilizing activity under moderate salinity conditions, converting insoluble phosphate into plant-available forms. Its physiological characteristics indicate broad adaptability to diverse soil environments, including salt-affected soils, and support its potential application as a biofertilizer for sustainable nutrient management and crop production. Full article

A pursuer and an evader can exploit low-energy, non-Keplerian trajectories in cislunar space, making it difficult to obtain the saddle point for impulsive orbital pursuit–evasion games (OPEG). To address this problem, this paper first establishes a zero-sum differential game model based on the circular restricted three-body problem (CR3BP), where the terminal interception time is taken as the performance objective. The necessary optimality conditions for impulsive maneuvers are then derived using Pontryagin’s Maximum Principle (PMP), which transforms the optimal control problem into multipoint boundary value problems (MPBVPs). Subsequently, to overcome the high sensitivity of the MPBVPs to initial costate vectors in shooting methods, a two-layer hybrid initial-guess strategy combining a genetic algorithm with a time-domain coarse-grid search method is proposed for the single-impulse case. Furthermore, a receding-horizon strategy is introduced to generate the initial impulse sequence guess stage by stage for multiple-impulse cases. Finally, numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed initial-guess strategy can effectively obtain the Stackelberg equilibrium solution for representative cislunar scenarios, including distant retrograde orbits (DROs) and Halo orbits. Meanwhile, the effects of observation delay and three-dimensional orbital characteristics on the game outcomes are also discussed based on dynamic game theory. Full article

Modern power systems increasingly depend on energy storage devices to manage fluctuations in renewable generation and load demand. Coordinating multiple heterogeneous storage units in a grid-level system while enforcing individual state-of-charge (SoC) limits constitutes a complex, high-dimensional control problem that cannot be resolved by conventional proportional-sharing schemes. This work formulates the Distributed Optimal Energy Management (DOEM) problem for a grid comprising n parallel storage units with power-dependent efficiency and heterogeneous capacities. Optimality conditions are derived using Pontryagin’s Minimum Principle (PMP) and a smooth penalty function is introduced to handle hard SoC constraints without state-space discretisation. For the practically important class of lossless storage devices, an explicit closed-form control law is obtained, in which each unit is dispatched proportionally to its storage capacity. Numerical validation is performed on the Israeli power grid, modelling three pumped-hydro systems with a combined capacity of 8.0 GWh, using MATLAB/Simulink R2018b. Across the base net-load scenario and four additional load profiles, the cost achieved by the proposed method matches the dynamic programming (DP) benchmark within 1.1%, while the maximum state-of-charge violation is limited to 0.64% of total capacity at the default penalty setting. Computationally, the proposed update requires only 2.21 s for nine storage units compared to 59.30 s for DP, a 26.8-fold speedup, and scales with $O\left(n\right)$ arithmetic operations per time step. The results confirm a clear pathway to optimal, safe, and scalable real-time control of large-scale heterogeneous energy storage ensembles. Full article

Climate change affects the intensity of extreme rainfall, which is an important factor for design flood assessment and dam safety, particularly in the monsoon region of Southeast Asia and the Mekong Basin, where seasonal rainfall variability is high and there are many hydropower dams that are vulnerable to changes in extreme rainfall. This study developed a framework for assessing design rainfall and probable maximum precipitation (PMP) under climate change for three dam catchments of different sizes in Thailand and Lao PDR, namely the Ubolrat Dam, the Nam Theun 1, and the Nam Kong 3 Dam. The framework connects the bias correction of GCM data from 10 CMIP6 models using CMhyd, extreme-focused model selection with catchment-specific ranking, and the construction of the top-three ensemble median, through to the analysis of the return period, DDF, IDF, PMP, and extreme rainfall trends under the SSP2–4.5 and SSP5–8.5 scenarios. The results show that the suitable models are catchment-specific and that each catchment has a different risk profile under SSP5–8.5. The Ubolrat Dam shows a 63.20% increase in the 100-year 1-day rainfall, the Nam Theun 1 shows a 40.64% increase in the 100-year 7-day rainfall, while the Nam Kong 3 has the highest PMP value and the steepest Rx7day trend at 18.03 mm per decade. The results indicate that the assessment of extreme rainfall risk must consider magnitude, variability, and trend together, and the outputs can serve as input data for the assessment of PMF and hydropower dam safety under future climate variability. Full article

Multi-agent interaction in linear–quadratic (LQ) differential games gives rise to open-loop Nash equilibria that rarely admit closed-form expressions, motivating the development of reliable numerical solvers. Classical approaches such as shooting and spectral collocation are sensitive to the initial guess on the unknown boundary values and accumulate discretisation error over long horizons, while deep-learning alternatives require iterative gradient-based training with architecture- and convergence-specific overhead. To overcome these limitations, we recast the LQ nonzero-sum game as a linear two-point boundary value problem (TPBVP) via the Pontryagin maximum principle (PMP) and solve it with a single-layer feedforward neural network (SLFN) in which hidden-layer parameters are sampled once and fixed. The state and all player-specific costates are parameterised by random hidden features on a uniform time grid, the boundary conditions are appended as dedicated rows of the linear collocation system, and the output weights follow from a single Moore–Penrose pseudoinverse, entirely bypassing gradient-based iteration. For the scalar LQ optimal-control TPBVP, a residual-to-solution stability theorem converts the continuous equation and boundary residuals into uniform state, costate, control, and cost error bounds. Validation across two-player low- and high-dimensional benchmarks, a heterogeneous three-player game, and paired seed sweeps confirms high accuracy against analytical and matrix-exponential references, while revealing that no single activation function dominates across all problem types: tanh is most accurate in one-dimensional settings, and Gaussian RBF leads in multidimensional cases. Full article

FOXO/DAF-16 is involved in stress resistance and metabolic regulation, but the molecular mechanisms of its interaction with hypoxia remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-hypoxic effects of Poecilobdella manillensis bioactive peptide (PMP) and to investigate whether IIS/FOXO acts as a key node in mediating the regulation of oxidative stress and metabolic reprogramming. In the chemical hypoxia model of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) induced by sodium sulfite, PMP treatment improved the survival status and movement, feeding, and reproductive ability of hypoxic C. elegans, and significantly increased their survival rate. It also reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipofuscin levels in C. elegans, enhancing their tolerance to oxidative and heat stress. In the terminal normobaric hypoxia mice model, PMP intervention prolonged the survival time of hypoxic mice, alleviated the damage of heart, lung, and brain tissues, and increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and glutathione (GSH) levels, and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in serum and tissues of mice. ¹H-NMR metabolomics analysis showed that PMP treatment reversed hypoxia-induced abnormalities in key metabolites such as glucose, lactic acid, glutamic acid, and taurine. Next, we utilized C. elegans mutants deficient in daf-2, age-1, akt-1, daf-16, and hsp-16.2, and further observed the nuclear translocation of DAF-16 in DAF-16::GFP C. elegans. The results showed PMP induced DAF-16 nuclear translocation and upregulated the expression of downstream SOD-3. Key metabolites representing antioxidant and energy metabolism were measured in the daf-16 mutant C. elegans. The results showed that PMP intervention failed to restore the levels of glucose, lactic acid, glutamic acid, and taurine in the mutant. Finally, 12 peptides containing antioxidant-related bioactive amino acid residues in PMP were screened by UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS and peptide biological activity prediction. Among them, molecular docking showed that KPPGP had a good binding with FOXO1. In conclusion, in C. elegans, PMP activated DAF-16/FOXO by inhibiting the Insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 signaling (IIS) pathway and regulated redox homeostasis and metabolic reprogramming to resist hypoxia injury, and this protective effect was also observed in mouse models. IIS/FOXO can be used as a key node to regulate oxidative stress and energy metabolism under hypoxic conditions, and the identification of KPPGP provides insights into the screening and study of bioactive peptides in natural products. Full article

As a vital post-translational modification of potato tuber proteins, N-glycosylation directly regulates protein structural stability, biological activity and processing properties. N-glycome profiles of tuber storage proteins exhibit cultivar-specific characteristics, but the differential glycosylation across potato germplasms has not been fully elucidated. In this work, the major tuber patatin glycoprotein was purified from three potato cultivars as research material to investigate their N-glycosylation features and inter-cultivar variations. N-glycans were released via nonreductive chemical cleavage and derivatized with PMP, followed by qualitative and quantitative profiling using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-UV-MS/MS). In total, 11, 6 and 3 distinct N-glycan structures were identified from the three tested cultivars. Two novel glycan structures, Man₃XylGlcNAc₂ and Man₄XylGlcNAc₂, were identified in this study. The relative abundances of Man₃XylFucGlcNAc₂ and Man₃XylGlcNAc₂ exhibited highly significant inter-cultivar differences (p < 0.01). Notably, patatin carried unique N-glycans modified with exclusive α1,3-fucosylation, and overall glycan composition and relative abundance varied markedly across the three cultivars. This study systematically elucidates the effects of potato cultivar germplasm on patatin N-glycosylation and analyzes the unique glycosylation signatures of patatin from the three varieties. The obtained glycomic dataset provides fundamental theoretical support for germplasm screening, functional modification of potato storage proteins, and the optimization of potato deep-processing. Full article

Punched metal plate (PMP) fasteners are often a used connection type in modern prefabricated timber truss systems, used extensively in sustainable timber building design primarily for prefabricated houses. Their mechanical behaviour—particularly ductility and slip modulus—directly affects internal force distribution, system reliability, and structural robustness. This paper presents experimental results from 16 PMP specimens (Wolf 15N and Mitek GNA20, tested in tension and compression) and eight rotational stiffness specimens (Wolf 15N), alongside a probabilistic robustness assessment of six timber truss configurations. The experiments demonstrate that both plate types exhibit medium-to-very-high ductility (C_f = 0.60–0.89), with classification depending on plate type and loading direction: Wolf 15N shows very high ductility in tension (mean C_f = 0.86) and medium ductility in compression (mean C_f = 0.67). The longitudinal slip modulus of Wolf 15N (mean 2.59 N/mm³) agrees with the producer’s declaration (2.33 N/mm³, DIBt 2009); rotational stiffness (5.02–5.53 N/(rad·mm)) is reported for the first time on an experimental basis. Robustness analysis reveals a counter-intuitive but physically traceable finding: for the X-truss (RN2) with parallel compression subsystems, the nail plate spring model yields lower robustness factors than the brittle pin-jointed model for certain failure scenarios—meaning that the brittle assumption is non-conservative for that configuration. The difference in F_rob reaches 1.0 unit for the most critical scenario, corresponding to one order of magnitude in failure probability. For all other configurations (N-truss, V-truss), the brittle model is conservative or equivalent. Importantly, the experimental ductility of PMP fasteners does not translate to improved system robustness unless structural redundancy is also present. The findings have direct implications for sustainable timber building design, where prefabricated truss systems form a key structural component. Full article

The rational use of antimicrobials in aquaculture requires rigorous clinical safety assessments to ensure fish health and to minimize toxicological risks associated with drug administration. This study evaluated the clinical safety of orally administered antimicrobials incorporated into feed, representing different pharmacological classes, in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Three bioassays were conducted for sulfadimethoxine combined with ormetoprim (SDM–OMP, 50, 100, and 200 mg·kg⁻¹, at a fixed 5:1 SDM:OMP ratio), spiramycin (SPM, 40, 80, and 160 mg·kg⁻¹), and phenoxymethylpenicillin potassium (PMP, 10, 20, and 40 mg·kg⁻¹), including control and treated groups at different dose levels, followed by a drug-free recovery period. The assessment integrated hematological parameters, serum biochemical analyses, and histopathological evaluations of the liver, kidney, and spleen. Exposure to the antimicrobials resulted only in mild, transient, and reversible physiological alterations, with no evidence of clinically relevant toxicity or structural lesions in the analyzed organs. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that SDM–OMP, SPM, and PMP exhibit a favorable clinical safety profile in Nile tilapia, even at doses up to four times the recommended therapeutic level, supporting their responsible use in aquaculture under controlled conditions. Full article

The proposed approach decomposes in a special way the original two-input linear time-optimal control problem into two single-input linear time-optimal problems whose optimal solutions are subsequently recombined. A lemma and a theorem establish conditions under which the recombined control vector is a candidate for the optimal solution and provide a simple criterion, based on the Pontryagin Maximum Principle, to determine whether the obtained control is truly optimal or only near optimal. The method is illustrated on a modified canonical double integrator system with two independent inputs. The resulting control system preserves the bang-bang structure and switching sequence of the true optimal solution, while providing a transition time that exceeds the optimal value by only 0.55%. The proposed method offers a basis for developing a technique regarding the multi-input linear time-optimal control problems. Full article

This paper presents a novel approach to designing and implementing an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for maximum power point tracking (MPPT), trained solely on unshaded photovoltaic (PV) manufacturer datasheets and capable of tracking and predicting the maximum power point (MPP) under changing shading conditions. This is also known as partial shading conditions (PSC). PSC arises when shade covers sections of the PV panel due to clouds, trees, dust, or man-made objects such as tall buildings. The proposed ANN-based MPPT technique addresses a common issue faced by conventional MPPT methods under PSC: inaccurate MPPT. PSC induces oscillations on the power-to-voltage curve, resulting in multiple local maxima (LMPPs). However, existing ANN-based MPPT methods are developed and trained on shaded PV datasets. This Neural Network (NN) tracking method complicates the training, development, and implementation processes. It increases the cost of development and requires physical, real-world data collection that requires hardware and a lot of time. All this can be avoided with unshaded PV datasheets. The input parameters used to train the model are temperature (T) and irradiance (G), and the output parameters are maximum power (Pmp) and maximum voltage (Vmp). The ANN-based MPPT technique demonstrated strong performance, accurately predicting the global MPP (GMPP) under PSC with high correlation and low prediction error. Full article

Background: The kidney is an organ rich in peroxisomes, which play a pivotal role in fatty acid oxidation and ROS decomposition. Importantly, peroxisomal dysfunction contributes to the development and progression of various renal diseases. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate whether peroxisomes affect renal damage and fibrosis over time using a unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) mouse model. Methods: Expression levels of peroxisome-related factors and ROS- and hypoxia-related genes in UUO mice were measured in a time-dependent manner. Results: UUO led to renal damage and fibrosis progression over time; it significantly increased the protein expression levels of ATG5 and ATG7, while it decreased PMP70 and PEX14 protein expression. In particular, UUO increased the protein expression level of pexophagy receptor NBR1. Although the number of peroxisomes decreased, the protein expression levels of peroxisomal biogenesis-related proteins such as PEX11b, PEX16, and PEX19 remained constant. Decreased lipid metabolism due to reductions in ACOX1, DBP, and catalase caused by UUO and increased ROS production through peroxisomal degradation and mitochondrial antioxidant enzyme dysfunction were observed. Additionally, HIF-1α protein levels gradually increased in the UUO mice, whereas those of HIF-2α initially increased and then decreased. Conclusions: UUO is characterized by a progressive, chronological reduction in peroxisomal markers. Our findings indicate that peroxisomal degradation and associated metabolic dysfunction are tightly correlated with the progression of kidney injury and fibrosis, suggesting a potential involvement of compromised peroxisomal homeostasis in renal pathogenesis rather than proving a direct causal mechanism. Maintaining peroxisomal quality control may nevertheless represent a potential therapeutic avenue for chronic kidney disease. Full article

Bisphenol A type epoxy resin has the problem of relatively high brittleness after curing. Although traditional polysiloxane toughening methods can improve toughness, they often come at the expense of strength. In this paper, methylphenyl dimethoxysilane (MPS) was used as a monomer to synthesize end-hydroxyl poly(methylphenyl)siloxane (PMPS), which was then used to modify E51 epoxy resin. The structure and reaction degree were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight/time-of-flight mass spectrometry and viscosity tests. The mechanical test results show that when the PMPS content is 20 wt%, the tensile, flexural, compressive and impact strengths of the modified resin increase by 31.26%, 26.16%, 18.53% and 98.66%, respectively, compared with the unmodified resin, and the tensile and flexural elastic moduli increase by 38.36% and 32.25%, respectively. The fracture toughness increases by 60.29%, indicating that the strength, stiffness and toughness of the material have all been improved. Dynamic mechanical analysis shows that the glass transition temperature and crosslinking density of the system gradually decrease with increasing PMPS content. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that the introduction of PMPS increases the char yield and decreases the maximum thermal decomposition rate, thereby enhancing the thermal stability of the system. Microscopic morphology analysis by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy shows that the system has good compatibility, and the internal different modulus phases are distributed in a network-like manner, forming a uniform co-continuous or bicontinuous phase structure. This structure effectively promotes stress transfer and energy dissipation, alleviates local stress concentration, and thus comprehensively improves the mechanical properties of the resin system. Full article

Appendiceal mucinous neoplasms (AMNs) are a rare but clinically significant category of gastrointestinal tumors, ranging from low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm (LAMN), the main precursor of pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP), to high-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm (HAMN), poorly differentiated and signet-ring-cell adenocarcinomas, and goblet cell adenocarcinoma. Although current WHO and PSOGI classifications provide well established diagnostic criteria, controversies persist regarding the biological behavior and prognostic significance of the most aggressive subtypes and the relationship between HAMN and mucinous adenocarcinoma. While appendectomy is sufficient for localized LAMN, cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC) is the treatment of choice for peritoneal dissemination This review integrates the histopathological and molecular classification of AMN and PMP with the evolution of intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Key findings indicate that KRAS and GNAS mutations are central drivers of mucin overproduction and peritoneal spread, that tumor grade and mucin cellularity remain the strongest prognostic determinants, and that the evidence supporting HIPEC and PIPAC derives largely from observational rather than randomized data. As a novel insight, we highlight the emerging role of patient-derived organoids as translational models for functional drug testing. Progress will depend on integrating molecular characterization, critical appraisal of intraperitoneal therapies, and organoid-based testing to advance individualized treatment for peritoneal surface malignancies. Full article

Solute carrier family 25 (SLC25) is known to facilitate the transport of diverse metabolites across the mitochondrial and peroxisomal membranes. SLC25A17 is the only member of the SLC25 protein localized to peroxisomes; formerly known as PMP34, it also shares conserved sequence features with other SLC families. SLC25A17 was first described as an ATP transporter, but conflicting results regarding cofactor specificity in various experimental models obscure its precise function. Similarly, phenotypic differences between experimental models, such as mice and zebrafish, complicate the application of animal studies to humans. In particular, SLC25A17 deficiency is associated with peroxisomal dysfunction, and SLC25A17 expression is affected in various cancers and bipolar disorder, while the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether altered SLC25A17 expression is a cause or consequence of human disease. This review provides an overview on current knowledge of SLC25A17, focusing on its known functions and emerging roles in human diseases. This may also help future studies in understanding its metabolic significance and disease pathogenesis. Full article