Search Results (586)

This article demonstrated that environmentally friendly lubricants—glycerol–water-based oil (GWB) and rapeseed oil-based oil (RSB)—would provide comparable conditions (wear of node components, friction resistance) in a friction node as a commercial semi-synthetic gear oil (REF). Wear tests were performed on a block-on-ring model friction node stand using GBZ12 (CuSn12), BA1032 (CuAl10Fe3Mn2), and BA1054 (CuAl10Ni5Fe4) bronze samples. Glycerol–water-based oil (GWB) significantly reduced the wear of the samples by several times, compared to semi-synthetic oil (REF) and rapeseed oil-based oil (RSB). The (GWB) oil also provided a stable friction coefficient value at the lowest level of 0.05–0.06. The main disadvantage of the (RSB) oil was the temporary fluctuation of the friction coefficient value (increase above 0.1), which indicated the lack of stability of the boundary layer. The results highlight the potential of (GWB) oil in reducing wear and stabilizing friction under extreme conditions, supporting the shift toward sustainable lubricants in industrial applications. Full article

Recycled concrete fines (RCFs) have the potential to serve as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) after carbonation. Traditionally, carbonation of RCFs results in calcium carbonate primarily in the form of calcite, which significantly limits the development of RCFs as an SCM. In this research, a wet grinding carbonation (WGC) technique was introduced to enhance the reactivity of RCFs. The research indicates that RCFs after WGC exhibit a finer particle size and a larger specific surface area. The carbonation products include calcite with smaller grains, metastable calcium carbonate, and nanoscale silica gel and Al-Si gel. When RCF-WGC is used as an SCM in ordinary Portland cement (OPC), it significantly promotes the hydration of the cement paste, as evidenced by the advancement and increased intensity of the exothermic peaks of aluminates and silicates. RCF-WGC can significantly enhance the compressive strength of hydrated samples, particularly at early ages. Specifically, at a curing age of 1 day, the compressive strength of WGC5, WGC10, and WGC20 samples increased by 9.9%, 22.5%, and 7.7%, respectively, compared to the Ref sample (0% RCF-WGC). At a curing age of 3 days, the compressive strength of the WGC5, WGC10, and WGC20 samples showed even more significant improvements, increasing by 20.8%, 21.9%, and 11.8%, respectively. The performance enhancement of the WGC samples is attributed to the chemical reactions involving nanoscale silica gel, Al-Si gel, and calcium carbonate in the RCFs. When RCF-WGC is used as an SCM to replace 5%, 10%, and 20% of cement, it can reduce carbon emissions by 27.5 kg/t, 55 kg/t, and 110 kg/t, respectively. Large-scale application of RCFs as a high-value SCM can significantly reduce the life-cycle carbon emissions of the cement industry, contributing to the achievement of carbon peaking in China’s cement sector. Full article

To address the challenges of concrete construction in polar regions, this study investigates the feasibility of fabricating cement-based materials under severely low temperatures using electric-induced heating curing methods. Cement mortars incorporating fly ash (FA-CM), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS-CM), and metakaolin (MK-CM) were cured at environmental temperatures of −20 °C, −40 °C, and −60 °C. The optimal carbon fiber (CF) contents were determined using the initial electric resistivity to ensure a consistent electric-induced heating curing process. The thermal profiles during curing were monitored, and mechanical strength development was systematically evaluated. Hydration characteristics were elucidated through thermogravimetric analysis (TG), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to identify phase compositions and reaction products. Results demonstrate that electric-induced heating effectively mitigates the adverse effect caused by the ultra-low temperature constraints, with distinct differences in the strength performance and hydration kinetics among supplementary cementitious materials. MK-CM exhibited superior early strength development with strength increasing rates above 10% compared to the Ref. specimen, which was attributed to the accelerated pozzolanic reactions. Microstructural analyses further verified the macroscopic strength test results that showed that electric-induced heating curing can effectively promote the performance development even under severely cold environments with a higher hydration degree and refined micro-pore structure. This work proposes a viable strategy for polar construction applications. Full article

Despite the availability of various materials for chimney applications, ongoing research seeks alternatives with improved thermal and chemical resistance. Geopolymers are a promising solution, exhibiting exceptional resistance to high temperatures, fire, and aggressive chemicals. This study investigates fly ash-based lightweight geopolymer concretes that incorporate expanded clay aggregate (E.C.A.), perlite (P), and foamed geopolymer aggregate (F.G.A.). The composites were designed to ensure a density below 1200 kg/m³, reducing overall weight while maintaining necessary performance. Aggregate content ranged from 60 to 75 wt.%. Physical (density, thickness, water absorption), mechanical (flexural and compressive strength), and thermal (conductivity, resistance) properties were evaluated. F.G.A. 60 achieved a 76.8% reduction in thermal conductivity (0.1708 vs. 0.7366 W/(m·K)) and a 140.4% increase in thermal resistance (0.1642 vs. 0.0683). The F.G.A./E.C.A./P 60 mixture showed the highest compressive strength (18.069 MPa), reaching 52.7% of the reference concrete’s strength, with a 32.3% lower density (1173.3 vs. 1735.0 kg/m³). Water absorption ranged from 4.9% (REF.) to 7.3% (F.G.A. 60). All samples, except F.G.A. 70 and F.G.A. 75, endured heating up to 800 °C. The F.G.A./E.C.A./P 60 composite demonstrated well-balanced performance: low thermal conductivity (0.2052 W/(m·K)), thermal resistance up to 1000 °C, flexural strength of 4.386 MPa, and compressive strength of 18.069 MPa. The results confirm that well-designed geopolymer lightweight concretes are suitable for chimney and flue pipe linings operating between 500 and 1000 °C and exposed to acidic condensates and aggressive chemicals. This study marks the initial phase of a broader project on geopolymer-based prefabricated chimney systems. Full article

Utilizing a multi-biomarker approach, we assessed the potential adverse effects of pollutants on subcellular responses in the digestive gland of the freshwater mussel Unio crassus from a historically contaminated lowland section (KIZ) of the river Mrežnica compared to its less impacted upstream karstic section (REF) and their seasonality (spring vs. autumn). This approach accounted for the diverse modes of action of pollutants by including biomarkers of metal exposure (metallothioneins, MT), general stress (total cytosolic proteins, TP), antioxidative capacity (catalase, CAT; glutathione, GSH; glutathione-S-transferase, GST), oxidative damage (malondialdehyde, MDA), and neurotoxicity (acetylcholinesterase, AChE). Only in spring, MT concentrations were 15% higher at the REF site (4.38 ± 1.06 µg mg proteins⁻¹) compared to the KIZ site (3.69 ± 0.63 µg mg proteins⁻¹), likely related to elevated Cd bioaccumulation due to the karstic substrate. Regardless of the season, mussels from KIZ showed consistently lower TP and GSH, with significantly higher CAT, GST, and MDA levels, indicating elevated stress, activation of antioxidant defenses, and oxidative damage from chronic exposure to pro-oxidant pollutants, including metal(loid)s and organic contaminants (e.g., ibuprofen, nicotine). Compared to the REF site, AChE activity at the KIZ site was higher in late spring and lower in early autumn, indicating seasonal variability in AChE activity at the contamination-impacted location driven by fluctuating exposure to neurotoxicants, such as drugs and insecticides. Overall, biomarker responses indicated that mild historical pollution, reinforced by current low-capacity sources, has an observable impact on mussel health, posing long-term risks to sediment-dwelling aquatic organisms. Full article

Background: Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) causes rice leaf blight (BLB) and poses a major threat to global rice production. In rice production, tetramycin agents provide good control of rice leaf blight, while the standardization of the reference genes of Xoo under tetramycin stress has not been reported. The aim of this study was to identify the most stable reference genes for quantitative PCR analysis of Xoo under tetramycin stress. Methods: Six candidate reference genes, gyrB (RNA polymerase β gene), GADPH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene), recA (recombinase A gene), gyrA (citrate synthase encoding gene), dnaK (molecular chaperone protein gene), and 16S rRNA (16S ribosomal RNA gene) were selected and their expression stability was assessed under tetramycin stress conditions using real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). GeNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper and RefFinder were used to assess the expression stability, the relative expression values of the eight genes involved QS (Quorum sensing) pathway under tetramycin stress were used to validate by the rpf (regulation of pathogenic factors) gene family. Results: 16S rRNA expression was most stable under tetracycline stress, whereas GADPH was the least. The rpf gene family showed a highly stable expression level, confirming the reliability of 16S r RNA as a reference gene in the study of Xoo under tetramycin stress. Conclusions: 16S rRNA was identified as the best reference gene for Xoo gene expression analysis under tetramycin stress. It provides a reliable support for the molecular research on the control strategy of rice BLB. Full article

Background: The increasing adoption of digital workflows in implant dentistry necessitates rigorous assessment of intraoral scanning, particularly for complex full-arch rehabilitations like All-on-Four prostheses, where posterior implant angulation may impact the accuracy of optical data acquisition. Objectives: This in vitro study aimed to assess the accuracy of digital intraoral scanners in scanning All-on-Four implant models with different posterior implant angulations. Methods: Two epoxy resin All-on-Four implant models were fabricated with two posterior implant angulations (30-degree and 45-degree). Both models were digitized to obtain control datasets using a Smart Optics reference scanner (REF). Four intraoral scanners were comparatively assessed: Cerec Omnicam AC (OMN), Trios 4 (TRI), Cerec Primescan AC (PRI), and Medit i700 (MED), with nine scans per each scanner (n = 9). All STL files were exported and analyzed using Geomagic Control X with root mean square (RMS) values computed for trueness and precision assessments. Results: The comparison between IOS types in terms of trueness revealed that with 30° angulation, the MED group showed the statistically significant least deviation (p = 402). With 45° angulation, both PRI and OMN scanners showed the statistically significant highest deviation values (p = 0.047 and 0.007, respectively). MED again showed the statistically significant least deviation (p = 402). For precision evaluation in 30° angulation models, PRI and OMN scanners showed the statistically significant least deviation values (p = 402 and <0.001, respectively). While, in 45° angulation models, no statistically significant inter-scanner differences were observed. Conclusions: While MED, PRI, and OMN scanners demonstrated clinical validity for 30° angled posterior implants, only the MED system achieved sufficient accuracy for 45° tilt. These findings emphasize the critical relationship between scanner selection and extreme implant angulations in full-arch digital workflows. Full article

Fixed automated (unmanned) above-water radiometric measurements are subject to unavoidable sky conditions and surface perturbations, leading to significant uncertainties in retrieved water surface remote sensing reflectances (R_rs(λ), sr⁻¹). This study evaluates various above-water R_rs(λ) glint correction methods using a comprehensive dataset collected at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) Jetty Station located in the Marsdiep tidal inlet of the Dutch Wadden Sea, the Netherlands. The dataset includes in-situ water constituent concentrations (2006–2020), inherent optical properties (IOPs) (2006–2007), and above-water hyperspectral (ir)radiance observations collected every 10 min (2006–2023). The bio-optical models were validated using in-situ IOPs and utilized to generate glint-free remote sensing reflectances, R_rs,ref(λ), using a robust IOP-to-R_rs forward model. The R_rs,ref(λ) spectra were used as a benchmark to assess the accuracy of glint correction methods under various environmental conditions, including different sun positions, wind speeds, cloudiness, and aerosol loads. The results indicate that the three-component reflectance model (3C) outperforms other methods across all conditions, producing the highest percentage of high-quality R_rs(λ) spectra with minimal errors. Methods relying on fixed or lookup-table-based glint correction factors exhibited significant errors under overcast skies, high wind speeds, and varying aerosol optical thickness. The study highlights the critical importance of surface-reflected skylight corrections and wavelength-dependent glint estimations for accurate above-water R_rs(λ) retrievals. Two showcases on chlorophyll-a and total suspended matter retrieval further demonstrate the superiority of the 3C model in minimizing uncertainties. The findings highlight the importance of adaptable correction models that account for environmental variability to ensure accurate R_rs(λ) retrieval and reliable long-term water quality monitoring from hyperspectral radiometric measurements. Full article

Orthonectids are a group of highly simplified worm-like parasites that are placed within Lophotrochozoa by multigene mitochondrial and nuclear phylogenies. However, their exact position within Lophotrochozoa is uncertain due to the high rate of molecular evolution and putative long branch attraction artifacts. To examine the phylogenetic placement of orthonectids, we applied an alternative approach that takes into account rare evolutionary events (gene order rearrangements in mitochondrial DNA and individual changes in mitochondrial proteins) with an assessment of their probabilities based on a reference sequence database (RefSeq, NCBI). This approach strongly supports the branching of orthonectids among annelids, but does not conclusively resolve their position among the annelid taxa. Full article

Reference-based super-resolution (RefSR) enhances the detail restoration capability of low-resolution images (LR) by utilizing the details and texture information of external reference images (Ref). This study proposes a RefSR method based on hash adaptive matching and progressive multi-scale dynamic aggregation to improve the super-resolution reconstruction capability. Firstly, to address the issue of feature matching, this chapter proposes a hash adaptive matching module. On the basis of similarity calculation between traditional LR images and Ref images, self-similarity information of LR images is added to assist in super-resolution reconstruction. By dividing the feature space into multiple hash buckets through spherical hashing, the matching range is narrowed down from global search to local neighborhoods, enabling efficient matching in more informative regions. This not only retains global modeling capabilities, but also significantly reduces computational costs. In addition, a learnable similarity scoring function has been designed to adaptively optimize the similarity score between LR images and Ref images, improving matching accuracy. Secondly, in the process of feature transfer, this chapter proposes a progressive multi-scale dynamic aggregation module. This module utilizes dynamic decoupling filters to simultaneously perceive texture information in both spatial and channel domains, extracting key information more accurately and effectively suppressing irrelevant texture interference. In addition, this module enhances the robustness of the model to large-scale biases by gradually adjusting features at different scales, ensuring the accuracy of texture transfer. The experimental results show that this method achieves superior super-resolution reconstruction performance on multiple benchmark datasets. Full article

This study addresses challenges such as multi-scale defects, varying lighting, and irregular shapes by proposing an improved YOLOv10 model that integrates the ECA attention mechanism, RefConv feature enhancement module, and WIoU loss function for complex pavement defect detection. The RefConv dual-branch structure achieves feature complementarity between local details and global context (mAP increased by 2.1%), the ECA mechanism models channel relationships using 1D convolution (small-object recall rate increased by 27%), and the WIoU loss optimizes difficult sample regression through a dynamic weighting mechanism (location accuracy improved by 37%). Experiments show that on a dataset constructed from 23,949 high-resolution images, the improved model’s mAP reaches 68.2%, which is an increase of 6.2% compared to the baseline YOLOv10, maintaining a stable recall rate of 83.5% in highly reflective and low-light scenarios, with an inference speed of 158 FPS (RTX 4080), providing a high-precision real-time solution for intelligent road inspection. Full article

This study aimed to address the dearth of literature on mechanisms of effect of mindfulness-based interventions by investigating metacognitive beliefs as a potential mechanism of symptomology-reduction effects. The Cognitive Attentional Syndrome (CAS) component of the Self-Regulatory Executive Function (S-REF) model was augmented to include subtypes of mind wandering and rumination. One hundred and seventy-eight participants sourced from professional networks (M_age = 53.13; SD = 11.80) completed an online questionnaire measuring dispositional mindfulness, metacognitive beliefs, rumination, mind wandering, worry, anxiety and depression. Effects of meditation frequency on these variables were examined, as were the relationships between them. Dispositional mindfulness was significantly negatively correlated with metacognitive beliefs, which were positively correlated with worry, mind wandering and rumination, all of which were positively correlated with symptomology. Significant correlations were stronger for spontaneous mind wandering and brooding rumination than their counterparts. Those reporting a daily meditation practice scored significantly higher on three of the five facets of mindfulness and significantly lower on anxiety and depression symptomology and several CAS elements than those who rarely meditated. Changes in metacognitive beliefs are a potential pathway for MBI-driven reductions in anxiety and depression symptomology. Increases in dispositional mindfulness through MBIs are likely to reduce metacognitive beliefs, which reduce maladaptive processes of the CAS, flowing on to reductions in symptomology. A daily meditation practice appears to increase the efficacy of this mechanism. Subtypes of mind wandering and rumination differ in their contribution to this pathway, perhaps more accurately represented as extremes on their respective continua rather than the current categorical model of typologies measured independently. Full article

Conventional diagnostic methods (CDMs) for lower respiratory infections (LRIs) have limitations in detecting causative pathogens. This study evaluates the utility of shotgun metagenomic sequencing (SMS) as a complementary diagnostic tool using bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. Sixteen BAL fluid samples from pneumonia patients with positive CDM results—including bacterial/fungal cultures; PCR for Mycobacterium tuberculosis or cytomegalovirus; and the BioFire^® FilmArray^® Pneumonia Panel (BioFire Diagnostics LLC, Salt Lake City, UT, USA)—underwent 10 Gb SMS on the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA). Reads were aligned to the NCBI RefSeq database; with fungal identification further supported by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) analysis. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were annotated using the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database. Microbial reads accounted for 0.00002–0.04971% per sample. SMS detected corresponding bacteria in 63% of cases, increasing to 69% when subdominant taxa were included. Fungal reads were low; however, Candida species were identified in four samples via ITS. No viral reads were detected. ARGs meeting perfect match criteria were found in two cases. This is the first real-world study comparing SMS with CDMs, including semiquantitative PCR, in BAL fluid for LRI. SMS shows promise as a supplementary diagnostic method, with further research needed to optimize its performance and cost-effectiveness. Full article

Plant abiotic stresses are the main cause of significant crop losses worldwide. The moss Pseudocrossidium replicatum is highly tolerant to different types of abiotic stress, such as desiccation. Our group is interested in identifying and characterising differentially expressed genes in response to abiotic stress in this species. However, a collection of validated reference genes for RT-qPCR analysis is essential to normalise the expression of genes in response to the conditions of interest. Here, we assessed 13 candidate reference genes for P. replicatum based on their expression stability across transcriptomes from six abiotic stress-related conditions using the RefFinder, BestKeeper, geNorm, and NormFinder programs. The stability and reliability of the proposed reference genes were evaluated under six experimental conditions: control, dehydration, rehydration, abscisic acid (ABA), NaCl, and sorbitol. Interestingly, most proposed reference genes exhibited high stability (low M values) across all analysed abiotic stress conditions. A pairwise variation analysis indicated that only one pair is necessary to normalise RT-qPCR experiments. Each gene was confirmed to normalise the expression of both upregulated and downregulated genes. This represents the first report of validated reference genes for RT-qPCR gene expression studies under abiotic stress in the protonemal tissue of a fully desiccation-tolerant moss. Full article

Right ventricular (RV) involvement in left ventricular hypertrabeculation (LVNC) remains under investigation. Due to its complex anatomy, assessing RV function is challenging, but 3D transthoracic echocardiography (3D_TTE) offers valuable insights. We aimed to evaluate volumetric, functional, and strain parameters of both ventricles in LVNC patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) and compare findings to a control group. This study included 37 LVNC patients and 37 age- and sex-matched controls. 3D_TTE recordings were analyzed using TomTec Image Arena (v. 4.7) and reVISION software to assess volumes, EF, and global/segmental strains. RV EF was further divided into longitudinal (LEF), radial (REF), and antero-posterior (AEF) components. LV volumes were significantly higher in the LVNC group, while RV volumes were comparable. EF and strain values were lower in both ventricles in LVNC patients. RV movement analysis showed significantly reduced LEF and REF, whereas AEF remained normal. These findings suggest subclinical RV dysfunction in LVNC, emphasizing the need for follow-up, even with preserved EF. Full article