Search Results (140)

Located in southern China, the five-hundred-meter aperture spherical radio telescope (FAST) is the world’s most sensitive radio telescope, especially for pulsar observation. Since its commissioning in 2016 and full operation in 2020, it has detected over 1100 new pulsars—boosting the globally known various pulsars to over 4000. In this concise overview, we highlight how harnessing FAST’s unique advantages—exceptional precision and ultra-high sensitivity—is set to fuel future discoveries of specialized pulsar types and exotic astrophysical objects. Notable targets include double millisecond pulsar binaries (MSP-MSPs), pulsar/millisecond pulsar–black hole systems (PSR-BHs or MSP-BHs), sub-millisecond pulsars, ultra-long-period pulsars, white dwarf pulsars, and short-orbit double neutron star systems (DNSs)—with orbital periods under one hour. As anticipated, in the 2040s, the combined capabilities of the FAST, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), and other cutting-edge astronomical instruments will enable over 10,000 pulsar samples, which will usher in a golden era for pulsar research: such breakthroughs will not only significantly broaden and deepen our understanding of the “pulsar paradise” but also drive substantial progress in the field of multi-messenger astronomy. Beyond pulsar-focused research, FAST is poised to play a pivotal role in testing general relativity, detecting nanohertz gravitational waves, studying fast radio bursts (FRBs), and investigating the micro-structure of pulsar emissions. These investigations will not only strengthen our understanding of fundamental physics but also unlock deeper insights into the universe’s profound mysteries. Full article

This essay highlights how, in lieu of a supportive community, Toni Morrison’s artistic daughter-protagonist, Sula, creates her own safe space within her liberated imagination through self-mothering. Thematic motifs of creative identity, the social role of the artist, and revolutionary self-care are relevant not only to Sula but to how Morrison herself conceived of transformative, safe spaces for Black women writers through her work as a writer and editor. In addition to discussing Sula, I briefly expound on Morrison’s novels, Beloved, Song of Solomon, Tar Baby, Paradise, and Bluest Eye, showing how audacious self-preservation undergirds the moral, political, and social dimensions of art, leading to personal and communal good. Reflecting on how Morrison flourished as a writer and editor after her divorce, while being the single parent to two young boys, I explicate Morrison’s understanding of motherwork as a complement to her artistic life, instructive of the ways in which carework, including self-care, helps artists and communities thrive. Morrison praised self-mothering in her unconventional artistic characters to reveal how female community and self-love are essential to sustain Black women artists. Full article

This article investigates liuli qinglou (琉璃青樓, blue–green glazed pavilions) of medieval China as architectural manifestations of the trans-Eurasian jeweled paradise ideal. Tracing developments from the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420–589 CE) through the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE), it outlines an evolutionary trajectory in representing sacred space: from the use of genuine gemstones in West Asian traditions, through their imitation in glass and glazed ceramics, with applications before the Tang remaining selective and elite, to the ultimate abstraction into symbolic blue–green palettes in the cave murals of Kucha and Dunhuang, where chromatic choices may at times reflect pictorial convention. Integrating textual, archeological, and visual evidence, the study shows how Chinese rulers appropriated imported glazing technologies, together with painted or coated blue–green finishes that simulated liuli effects, not merely for ornamentation but to materially embody Buddhist cosmology and to legitimize imperial authority by creating a terrestrial Buddha land. The pervasive use of qing (青, blue–green) in religious art thus reflects a profound sensory-theological translation, illustrating how Eurasian flows of materials, techniques, and ideas were adapted to shape localized visions of paradise through innovative processes of material and visual transformation. Full article

The study begins with the questions “Where was Paradise?” and “How was the Garden cultivated?”, and the relationship between different modes of interpretation. It compares the biblical data (Gen. 2) with patristic testimonies (John Chrysostom, Ambrose, Ephrem, Gregory of Nyssa, John of Damascus) and symbolic readings (Philo, Cyprian, Hippolytus), in order to assess whether the plurality of meanings generates confusion or coherence. Situated within the divergent approaches of these patristic authors—especially concerning literal and figurative aspects—I aim to outline an integral theological reading of the Eden tradition and of the aforementioned questions. The methods used in this research are comparative biblical and patristic exegesis, structured through a four-step framework: (1) retaining the literal sense when the text provides anchors (rivers, orientation); (2) shifting from description to vocation in the moral-liturgical sense (“to work”/“to keep”); (3) accepting the ineffable (2 Cor. 12) as a boundary; (4) articulating an ontology of paradisiacal matter. The findings of this study are as follows: Eden is an earthly reality, but one with transfigured materiality; “work” is an inner activity (obedience, contemplation) without toil; and the diversity of interpretations proves to be complementary: the literal anchors the “where/what”, while the spiritual illuminates the “why/how”, together avoiding both inert geography and ungrounded symbolism. Full article

The application of nanoparticles as nanomedicines, particularly for the targeted and efficacious delivery of drugs is an expanding platform in the field of cannabinoid and pharmaceutical drug delivery. By refocusing the route of drug administration beyond the oral gut pathway, this technology provides significant advancements that are especially relevant for cancer treatments. Orally administered drugs face significant challenges as they traverse the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and are subject to first-pass GIT metabolism. Physiological conditions encountered in the GIT such as food effects, hormones, gastric pH, emptying time, and intestinal transit time vary widely across individuals. Fluid composition and enzymatic activity in the small intestine and large bowel also influence drug dissolution and absorption. These factors in conjunction with the intestinal cohort of bacteria can metabolize drugs before absorption, contributing to poor and variable drug bioavailability, which can be exacerbated by gut dysbiosis. Drug delivery that bypasses the oral-GIT route and hence first-pass metabolism offers a plausible solution for enhanced safety and drug efficacy. Full article

Mental health conditions affect many young people in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where stigma is high and access to care is limited. Digital tools accessible on basic mobile phones offer a scalable way to promote mental health, but evidence on their effectiveness in SSA is limited. This study evaluated the reach, feasibility, acceptability, and knowledge outcomes of Digital MindSKILLZ, an interactive voice response (IVR) mental health intervention implemented in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia. Over seven months, 700,138 people called the platform, and 425,395 (61%) listened to at least one message. Of these users, 63.6% were under 25 and 68.3% were from rural areas. The three content branches—mental health information, mental health skills, and soccer quizzes—were accessed by 36.5%, 46.4%, and 50.9% of users, respectively. Among users who accessed the mental health branch of the intervention, the mean number of messages completed was 7.6 out of 18 messages. In a follow-up survey, 91% of users understood the content, 85% would recommend the intervention, and 38% found the mental health content most helpful. Average knowledge scores were 62%, with lower scores on common disorders and stigma. The intervention showed strong reach and acceptability, but content and implementation improvements are needed to boost engagement and retention. Full article

This paper outlines a methodology to compile geo-referenced observational data of Australian birds acting as pollinators of Strelitzia sp. (Bird of Paradise) flowers and dispersers of their seeds. Given the absence of systematic published records, a crowdsourcing approach was employed, combining data from natural history platforms (e.g., iNaturalist, eBird), image hosting websites (e.g., Flickr) and, in particular, social media. Facebook emerged as the most productive channel, with 61.4% of the 301 usable observations sourced from 43 ornithology-related groups. The strategy included direct solicitation of images and metadata via group posts and follow-up communication. The holistic, snowballing search strategy yielded a unique, behavior-focused dataset suitable for analysis. While the process exposed limitations due to user self-censorship on image quality and completeness, the approach demonstrates the viability of crowdsourced behavioral ecology data and contributes a replicable methodology for similar studies in under-documented ecological contexts. Full article

Seoul systematically removed all graveyards that once lay within the city and its surrounding areas, a phenomenon notably distinct from urban development patterns in other parts of the world. After the Korean War, refugees and migrants poured into the devastated capital. In this postwar environment, cemeteries—traditionally sites of mourning and death—transformed into spaces of survival for displaced populations. With the military demarcation line preventing their return home, refugees began to envision their lost hometowns as “absent places”: unattainable utopias, idealized lands where all beauty resides—the very origin and endpoint of life. In contrast, Seoul, where they were forced to settle, became a “dystopia,” stripped of sanctity. Over time, however, the next generation reinterpreted this dystopia, gradually transforming it into a heterotopia. As Seoul’s urban landscape expanded, this heterotopia evolved into a Christian paradise. The second generation, having never experienced the trauma of displacement, found the newly constructed city comfortable and secure. Reinforced concrete buildings and asphalt roads became symbolic of paradise. The development of Gangnam—famously captured in Psy’s global hit “Gangnam Style”—represents a belated cultural revolution among younger generations in modern South Korea and exemplifies the transformation into a concrete paradise. Full article

Often thought of as a mesic paradise, forest ecosystems are a mosaic of microhabitats with temporal oscillations that cause significant environmental stresses, providing habitats for extremophilic and extremotolerant fungi. Adapted to survive and thrive under conditions lethal to most mesophiles (e.g., extreme temperatures, pH, water potential, radiation, salinity, nutrient scarcity, and pollutants), these species are increasingly recognized as vital yet underappreciated elements of forest biodiversity and function. This review examines the current understanding of the roles of extremophilic fungi in forests, scrutinizing their presence in these ecosystems with a critical eye. Particularly under severe environmental conditions, extremophilic fungi play a crucial role in forest ecosystems, as they significantly enhance decomposition and nutrient cycling, and foster mutualistic interactions with plants that increase stress resilience. This helps to maintain ecosystem stability. We examine the definition of “extreme” within forest settings, survey the known diversity and distribution of these fungi across various forest stress niches (cold climates, fire-affected areas, acidic soils, canopy surfaces, polluted sites), and delve into their possible ecological functions, including decomposition of recalcitrant matter, nutrient cycling under stress, interactions with plants (pathogenesis, endophytism, perhaps mycorrhizae), bioremediation, and contributions to soil formation. However, the review stresses significant methodological difficulties, information gaps, and field-based natural biases. We recommend overcoming cultural constraints, enhancing the functional annotation of “omics” data, and planning investigations that clarify the specific activities and interactions of these cryptic creatures within the forest matrix to further advance the field. Here, we demonstrate that moving beyond simple identification to a deeper understanding of function will enable us to more fully appreciate the value of extremophilic fungi in forest ecosystems, particularly in relation to environmental disturbances and climate change. Full article

This study provides an analysis, text, and translation of satire III.1 from Thomas Naogeorgus’s Satyrarum libri quinque priores (1555), which offers a vivid neo-Latin poetic depiction of the fall of Satan and his followers. It situates Naogeorgus’s work within the tradition of early modern satire and epic, exploring its alignment with theological discourse and its engagement with classical and Biblical motifs. Through a close reading of the text, this article identifies significant thematic and stylistic parallels with John Milton’s Paradise Lost. While acknowledging the limitations of asserting direct literary influence, it highlights Naogeorgus’s unique contributions to the broader literary tradition of Christian epic poetry. The paper calls for greater scholarly attention to Naogeorgus’s oeuvre, emphasizing its value beyond mere comparative analyses, as a distinctive voice in Reformation humanist verse. By providing a translation and commentary, this work aims to promote further studies of neo-Latin literature and its complex interplay with theological and literary traditions. Full article

Palm groves are abundant in southeastern Mexico and have significant economic and socio-cultural relevance. Studies on the production and management of palm groves are abundant in the area. However, an ecological approach is scarce but necessary for conserving these overexploited species. Palm groves are abundant on the island of Cozumel and develop on contrasting substrates: rocky and sandy ones. Thus, we aimed to explore how soil types affected community structure and composition. We sampled a total of 2900 m² (29 plots of 10 × 10 m) of palm grove, 13 growing in sandy soil and 16 in rocky soil. We registered the species present in each plot, plant density, cover, height, and DBH. A hierarchical cluster analysis re-grouped the sampled plots based on their floristic affinities, and thus, we had 17 plots for the sandy substrate and 12 from the rocky substrate, which were used for later analyses. The dominant species in both palm groves was Thrinax radiata, and species richness was the same in both soil types (33 species). Contrasting substrates resulted in different community composition and structure. The palm groves from the sandy substrate had more vines but fewer shrubs and higher plant density, height, and DBH. The above suggests that the low availability of soil in the rocky substrate does not allow the same state of vegetation development that occurs in the sandy substrate. Full article

Phytoplankton comprise the base of the food web in estuaries and their biomass and rates of growth (productivity) exert a bottom-up control in pelagic ecosystems. Reliable means to quantify biomass and productivity are crucial for managing estuarine ecosystems. In many estuaries, direct productivity measurements are rare and instead are estimated with biomass-based models. A seminal example of this is a light utilization model (LUM) used to predict productivity in the San Francisco Estuary and Delta (SFED) from long timeseries data using an efficiency factor, ψ. Applications of the LUM in the SFED, Chesapeake Bay, and the Dutch Scheldt Estuary highlight significant interannual and regional variability, indicating the model must be recalibrated often. The objectives of this study are to revisit the LUM approach in the SFED and assess a chlorophyll-a to carbon model (CCM) that produces a tuning parameter, Ω. To assess the estimates of primary productivity resulting from the models, productivity was directly measured with a ¹³C-tracer at nine locations during 22 surveys using field-derived phytoplankton incubations between March and November of 2023. For this study, ψ was determined to be 0.42 ± 0.02 (r² = 0.89, p < 0.001, CI₉₅ = 319). Modeling productivity using an alternative CCM approach (Ω = 3.47 × 10⁴ ± 1.7 × 10³, r² = 0.84, p < 0.001, CI₉₅ = 375) compared well to the LUM approach, expanding the toolbox for estuarine researchers to cross-examine productivity models. One practical application of this study is that it confirms an observed decline in ψ, suggesting a decline in light utilization by phytoplankton in the SFED. This highlights the importance of occasionally recalibrating productivity models in estuaries and leveraging multiple modeling approaches to validate estimations before application in ecological management decision making. Full article

Human hair, commonly considered a discarded organic waste, is a keratin-rich material with remarkable potential for sustainable agriculture as an innovative resource. This study systematically explored the potential of non-composted human hair hydrolysates as eco-friendly and nutrient-rich liquid fertilizers, emphasizing their ability to enhance agricultural sustainability and mitigate organic waste accumulation. Eight distinct hydrolysates prepared with alkaline solutions were evaluated for their effects on plant growth using red-hot chili pepper (Capsicum frutescens) as the primary model under greenhouse conditions. The present study introduces a novel approach by employing an advanced digital image analysis technique to quantitatively assess 37 distinct plant growth parameters, providing an unprecedented depth of understanding regarding the impact of liquid human hair hydrolysates on plant development. Additionally, the integration of pilot-scale field trials and multi-species evaluations highlights the broader applicability and scalability of these hydrolysates as sustainable fertilizers. Collectively, these features establish this research as a pioneering contribution to sustainable agriculture and bio-waste management. The top-performing hydrolysates (KCaMgN, KMgN, KCaN) demonstrated significant enhancements in plant growth metrics, with fresh weight reaching up to 3210 mg, projected leaf area of approximately 132 cm², and crown diameter of 20.91 cm for the best-performing formulations, outperforming a commercial organomineral fertilizer by 20–46% in overall growth performance. Furthermore, observational studies on various species (such as bird of paradise flower (Strelitzia reginae), avocado (Persea americana), lemon (Citrus limon L.), Mazafati date (Phoenix dactylifera L.), and red mini conical hot pepper (Capsicum annuum var. conoides) and field trials on long sweet green peppers (Capsicum annuum) confirmed the broad applicability of these hydrolysates. Toxicity assessments using shortfin molly fish (Poecilia sphenops) validated the environmental safety of plants cultivated with hydrolysates. These findings highlight that human hair hydrolysates offer a sustainable alternative to synthetic fertilizers, contributing to waste management efforts while enhancing agricultural productivity. Full article

Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity affect a significant portion of the population and require adherence to a gluten-free diet. Dining in social settings, such as family events, workplace gatherings, or restaurants, makes it difficult to ensure that certain foods are gluten-free. Despite the availability of portable gluten testing devices, these instruments have high costs, disposable capsules, depend on user preparation and technique, and cannot analyze an entire meal or detect gluten levels below the legal thresholds, potentially leading to inaccurate results. In this study, we propose RGB (Recognition of Gluten in Bread), a novel deep learning-based method for automatically detecting gluten in bread images. RGB is a decision-support tool to help individuals with celiac disease make informed dietary choices. To develop this method, we curated and annotated three unique datasets of bread images collected from Pinterest, Instagram, and a custom dataset containing information about flour types. Fine-tuning pre-trained convolutional neural networks (CNNs) on the Pinterest dataset, our best-performing model, ResNet50V2, achieved 77% accuracy and recall. Transfer learning was subsequently applied to adapt the model to the Instagram dataset, resulting in 78% accuracy and 77% recall. Finally, further fine-tuning the model on a significantly different dataset, the custom bread dataset, significantly improved the performance, achieving an accuracy of 86%, precision of 87%, recall of 86%, and F1-score of 86%. Our analysis further revealed that the model performed better on gluten-free flours, achieving higher accuracy scores for these types. This study demonstrates the feasibility of image-based gluten detection in bread and highlights its potential to provide a cost-effective non-invasive alternative to traditional testing methods by allowing individuals with celiac disease to receive immediate feedback on potential gluten content in their meals through simple food photography. Full article

Safe real-world navigation for autonomous vehicles (AVs) requires robust perception and decision-making, especially in complex, multi-agent scenarios. Existing AV datasets are limited by their inability to capture diverse V2X communication scenarios, lack of synchronized multi-sensor data, and insufficient coverage of critical edge cases in multi-vehicle interactions. This paper introduces VRDeepSafety, a novel and scalable VR simulation platform that overcomes these limitations by integrating Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication, including realistic latency, packet loss, and signal prioritization, to enhance AV accident prediction and mitigation. VRDeepSafety generates comprehensive datasets featuring synchronized multi-vehicle interactions, coordinated V2X scenarios, and diverse sensor data, including visual, LiDAR, radar, and V2X streams. Evaluated with our novel deep-learning model, VRFormer, which uniquely fuses VR sensor data with V2X using a probabilistic Bayesian inference, as well as a hierarchical Kalman and particle filter structure, VRDeepSafety achieved an 85% accident prediction accuracy (APA) at a 2 s horizon, a 17% increase in 3D object detection precision (mAP), and a 0.3 s reduction in response time, outperforming a single-vehicle baseline. Furthermore, V2X integration increased APA by 15%. Extending the prediction horizon to 3–4 s reduced APA to 70%, highlighting the trade-off between prediction time and accuracy. The VRDeepSafety high-fidelity simulation and integrated V2X provide a valuable and rigorous tool for developing safer and more responsive AVs. Full article