Search Results (3,104)

This study presents an integrated geomechanical modeling framework for predicting multi-scale fracture networks and their activity in the Longmaxi Formation shale reservoir, northern Luzhou region, southeastern Sichuan Basin—an area shaped by complex, multi-phase tectonic deformation that poses significant challenges for resource prospecting. The workflow begins with quantitative characterization of key mechanical parameters, including uniaxial compressive strength, Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and tensile strength, obtained from core experiments and log-based inversion. These parameters form the foundation for multi-phase finite element simulations that reconstruct paleo- and present-day stress fields associated with the Indosinian (NW–SE compression), Yanshanian (NWW–SEE compression), and Himalayan (near W–E compression) deformation phases. Optimized Mohr–Coulomb and tensile failure criteria, coupled with a multi-phase stress superposition algorithm, enable quantitative prediction of fracture density, aperture, and orientation through successive tectonic cycles. The results reveal that the Longmaxi Formation’s high brittleness and lithological heterogeneity interact with evolving stress regimes to produce fracture systems that are strongly anisotropic and phase-dependent: initial NE–SW-oriented domains established during the Indosinian phase were intensified during Yanshanian reactivation, while Himalayan uplift induced regional stress attenuation with limited new fracture formation. The cumulative stress effects yield fracture networks concentrated along NE–SW fold axes, fault zones, and intersection zones. By integrating geomechanical predictions with seismic attributes and borehole observations, the study constructs a discrete fracture network that captures both large-scale tectonic fractures and small-scale features beyond seismic resolution. Fracture activity is further assessed using friction coefficient analysis, delineating zones of high activity along fold–fault intersections and stress concentration areas. This principle-driven approach demonstrates how mechanical characterization, stress field evolution, and fracture mechanics can be combined into a unified predictive tool, offering a transferable methodology for structurally complex, multi-deformation reservoirs. Beyond its relevance to shale gas development, the framework exemplifies how advanced geomechanical modeling can enhance resource prospecting efficiency and accuracy in diverse geological settings. Full article

Iron(III) (Fe(III)) complexes have recently emerged as safer alternatives to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents (CAs), reigniting interest in biomedical research. Although gadolinium Gd(III)-based contrast agents (CAs) have been widely used in MRI over the past four decades, their use in the current clinical routine is severely constrained due to concerns about high toxicity and environmental impact. Research is now focusing on synthesizing safer contrast agents with alternative paramagnetic ions like Fe(III) or Mn(II). MRI CAs with integrated potent therapeutic moieties may offer synergistic advantages over traditional contrast agents in clinical use. The study explored the use of salinomycin-ferrihydrite composites as possible effective ensembles of imaging and therapeutic units in the same molecule, evaluating their anticancer activity and influence on the signal in MRI. The composites were characterized using Mössbauer spectroscopy and ICP-MS for iron content determination. The in vitro relaxivity measurements in a high-field MR scanner demonstrated the potency of the composites as T₂ enhancers. The antitumor activity of one selected Sal-ferrihydrite composite was tested in three human cancer cell lines: A549 (non-small cell lung cancer); SW480 (colon cancer); and CH1/PA1 (ovarian teratocarcinoma) by the MTT cell viability assay. The new Sal-ferrihydrite composite showed a pronounced cytotoxicity in all three human cancers in line with enhanced signal in MRI, which makes it a promising candidate for future biomedical applications. The superior cytotoxic effect, together with the strong signal enhancement, makes these compounds promising candidates for further detailed investigations as future theranostic agents. Full article

Background/Objectives: During kidney failure, chronic hemodialysis therapy (HD) is required to replace lost renal function, and patients on regular HD frequently report xerostomia. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to compare salivary flow rates between patients with kidney failure on HD and healthy controls and to evaluate acute changes in salivary secretion before and after a dialysis session. Methods: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were searched for observational studies quantifying salivary flow rates in adult patients with kidney failure on chronic hemodialysis versus healthy controls or pre- versus post-dialysis. Data on salivary flow rates were extracted and stratified by subtype (whole or gland-specific) and condition (stimulated or unstimulated), along with key study characteristics including participant demographics, saliva collection methods, and dialysis duration. Study quality was appraised using NHLBI tools and categorized as poor, fair, or good. Where ≥2 homogeneous datasets existed, random-effects meta-analyses (α = 0.05) were performed to estimate mean differences (95% CI) for each salivary parameter; heterogeneity was evaluated via I². Results: A total of 20 studies (13 cross-sectional, 7 before-after) met inclusion, of which 17 studies (with a total of 1224 HD patients and 548 controls) were meta-analyzed. Compared with controls, HD patients showed lower secretion rates of unstimulated whole saliva (UWS: MD −0.11 mL/min; 95% CI −0.20 to −0.02; I² = 94%) and stimulated whole saliva (SWS: MD −0.77 mL/min; 95% CI −0.94 to −0.60; I² = 92%), whereas stimulated parotid saliva (SPS) did not differ significantly (MD −0.08 mL/min; 95% CI −0.77 to 0.60; I² = 96%). In before-after analyses, both UWS (MD +0.15 mL/min; 95% CI 0.02–0.28; I² = 90%) and SWS (MD +0.20 mL/min; 95% CI 0.14–0.26; I² = 0%) increased immediately post-HD. Conclusions: Despite methodological challenges and population heterogeneity, the evidence indicates salivary hypofunction in HD patients and improvement after hemodialysis. The magnitude of these effects seems influenced by underlying comorbidities (notably diabetes), HD duration, and methodological factors. Since saliva is of major importance to maintaining good oral health, recognizing and managing dry mouth should therefore be part of the comprehensive care of patients with kidney failure. Full article

In this study, a new approach was developed for the estimation of optimum parameters (ODP), in terms of materials and design in livestock barns, and for optimal design. For this purpose, two thousand simulations were run using Monte Carlo (MC) techniques and Latin hypercube methods using the Energy Plus program on a 50-head closed dairy farm. In this study, the heat balance in the barn was adapted to Energy Plus using an innovative approach, using heat balance equations according to the ASHRAE Standard. First, data normality was determined using the Shapiro–Wilk (SW) and Kolmogorov–Smirnov (KS) tests. Data on thermal stress duration and energy consumption for dairy cattle welfare were estimated directly from the simulations, and sensitivity (SA) and uncertainty (UA) analyses were conducted. Furthermore, the statistical relationship between thermal comfort and energy consumption was determined using Pearson correlation. The predicted values obtained from the simulations were validated with barn values, and time-series overlay plots and histograms were generated. Furthermore, interpretations of the validation processes were made based on MBE, RSME, and R² statistical values. The study estimated an indoor thermal comfort temperature of 12 °C, and this value was taken into account in the innovatively developed simulations. The estimated optimum design parameters in the study resulted in energy reductions of 25% and 41% for walls and roofs, 48% and 19% for cooling and heating setpoint temperatures, 43% and 37% for window areas, and 75% and 40% for natural and mechanical ventilation, respectively. When the design parameters were evaluated holistically and analyzed in terms of average values, the new simulation model achieved approximately 50% energy savings. We believe that the newly developed approach will guide future planning for countries, the public, and private sectors to ensure animal welfare and reduce energy consumption. Full article

Background: The increasing demand for care in hospital settings, often at a high intensity, requires organizing work according to 24 h shifts. Nevertheless, shift work (SW), especially at night, alters the circadian rhythm, negatively affecting the psychophysical health of nurses, compromising their quality of life, and jeopardizing patient safety. Shift-work-related diseases (SWDs) can arise from these disruptions. Methods: This systematic review aims to evaluate the effects of several types of medical, psychotherapeutic, and educational interventions and strategies on shift-work-related diseases (SWDs). The databases PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane were searched using the MESH terms “shift work” and “nurses” from January 2015 to March 2025. A total of 43 articles were included in the final analysis. Results: Quantitative findings from the studies showed, for example, improvements in sleep quality scores ranging from 15% to 40% with optimized shift planning, reductions in fatigue scores by 20–35% through strategic napping, and moderate effect sizes for light therapy interventions. Physical activity and relaxation techniques were associated with a 10–25% improvement in subjective well-being indices, while meal timing interventions led to reductions in gastrointestinal symptom prevalence by up to 18%. The selected articles were discussed by dividing them according to the type of intervention applied to shift nurses, namely improvement of shift planning, light and temperature modulation, introduction of napping, supplementation, meal management, psychotherapy, sleep education, physical activity, relaxation techniques and yoga, music therapy, and aromatherapy. This categorization was performed to highlight the range of strategies tested and their relative quantitative impact. Conclusions: There is evidence that SWDs can be mitigated through targeted interventions and strategies. The limitations of the studies examined include small sample sizes, extreme heterogeneity of follow-up, the few numbers of randomized controlled trials, and the prevalence of female or Intensive Care Unit nurses in study samples. Further research should focus on large-scale randomized controlled trials, multicenter longitudinal studies, and the evaluation of the most promising interventions—particularly light therapy, optimized shift scheduling, and structured napping protocols—to assess their long-term efficacy and generalizability. Full article

Today, several conventional wastes (fly ash, ground granulated blast furnace slags, etc.) are used as valid precursors for geopolymer synthesis. However, there are several new wastes that can be studied to replace geopolymer precursors. This study investigates the behavior of four industrial wastes—suction dust (SW1), red mud (SW2), electro-filter dust (SW3), and extraction sludge (SW4)—as 20 wt.% substitutes for metakaolin in geopolymer synthesis. The objective is to assess how their incorporation before alkali activation affects the structural, thermal, mechanical, chemical, and antimicrobial properties of the resulting geopolymers, namely GPSW1–4. FT-IR analysis confirmed successful geopolymerization in all samples (the main Si-O-T band underwent redshift, confirming Al incorporation in geopolymer structures after alkaline activation), and stability tests revealed that none of the GPSW1–4 samples disintegrated under thermal or water stress. However, GPSW3 showed an increase in efflorescence phenomena after these tests. Moreover, compressive strength was reduced across all waste-containing geopolymers (from 22.0 MPa for GP to 12.6 MPa for GPSW4 and values lower than 8.1 MPa for GPSW1–3), while leaching tests showed that GPSW1 and GPSW4 released antimony (127.5 and 0.128 ppm, respectively) above the legal limits for landfill disposal (0.07 ppm). Thermal analysis indicated that waste composition influenced dehydration and decomposition behavior. The antimicrobial activity of waste-based geopolymers was observed against E. coli, while E. faecalis showed stronger resistance. Overall, considering leaching properties, SW2 and SW3 were properly entrapped in the GP structure, but showed lower mechanical properties. However, their antimicrobial activity could be useful for surface coating applications. Regarding GPSW1 and GPSW4, the former needs some treatment before incorporation, since Sb is not stable, while the latter, showing a good compressive strength, higher thermal stability, and leaching Sb value not far from the legal limit, could be used for the inner reinforcement of building materials. Full article

Multi-object tracking (MOT) algorithms are a key research direction in the field of computer vision. Among them, the joint detection and embedding (JDE) method, with its excellent speed and accuracy performance, has become the current mainstream solution. However, in complex scenes with dense targets or occlusions, the tracking performance of existing algorithms is often limited, especially in terms of unstable identity assignment and insufficient tracking accuracy. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a new multi-object tracking model—the Reparameterized and Global Context Track (RGTrack). This model is based on the Correlation-Sensitive Track (CSTrack) framework and innovatively introduces multi-branch training and attention mechanisms, combined with reparameterized convolutional networks and global attention modules, significantly enhancing the network’s feature extraction ability in complex scenes, especially in ignoring irrelevant information and focusing on key areas. It adopted a multiple association strategy to better establish the association relationship between targets in consecutive frames. Through this improvement, the Reparameterized and Global Context Track can better handle scenes with dense targets and severe occlusions, providing more accurate target identity matching and continuous tracking. Experimental results show that compared with the Correlation-Sensitive Track, the Reparameterized and Global Context Track has significant improvements in multiple key indicators: multi-object tracking accuracy (MOTA) increased by 1.15%, Identity F1 Score (IDF1) increased by 1.73%, and Mostly Tracked (MT) increased by 6.86%, while ID-switched (ID Sw) decreased by 47.49%. These results indicate that the Reparameterized and Global Context Track not only can stably track targets in more complex scenes but also significantly improves the continuity of target identities. Moreover, the Reparameterized and Global Context Track increased the frames per second (FPS) by 51.48% and reduced the model size by 3.08%, demonstrating its significant advantages in real-time performance and computational efficiency. Therefore, the Reparameterized and Global Context Track model maintains high accuracy while having stronger real-time processing capabilities, making it especially suitable for embedded devices and resource-constrained application environments. Full article

Conventional protective coatings based on petroleum raw materials have certain limitations in terms of their availability, environmental pollution, and sustainability. Therefore, this research successfully investigates the potential of sheep wool-derived biochar to develop a sustainable, high-performance protective coating. Two variants of biochar, namely SW800 and SW1000, were developed by pyrolyzing sheep wool at 800 °C and at 1000 °C for 1 h, respectively. The prepared samples were characterized using FTIR, FESEM-EDX, and XRD analyses to confirm the structural and elemental differences between both biochar samples. Furthermore, biochar-based epoxy coatings were developed by varying the concentration of prepared biochar from 1% to 5%. The coating performance was evaluated for its aesthetic, mechanical, chemical resistance, and hydrophobicity. Crucially, this study demonstrated that biochar inclusion did not compromise critical mechanical and chemical properties like adhesion (5B), flexibility (7 mm), scratch hardness (3500 gms), pencil hardness (3H), acid-alkali resistance, and solvent rub test (rating 5). However, a key finding of this research is that the incorporation of biochar into an epoxy coating resulted in a significant improvement in hydrophobicity, which is measured using water contact angle. The incorporation of SW800 and SW1000 into coating formulations at varying concentrations resulted in an increase in water angle of approximately 18% and 20%, respectively. The outcomes of this project establish biochar-based coatings as a promising solution for eco-friendly and high-performance protective applications. Full article

During pregnancy, exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), particularly diesel exhaust particles (DEPs), elevates the risk of placental dysfunction-related pregnancy complications; however, the underlying cellular mechanisms have yet to be fully elucidated. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of PM_2.5 exposure on trophoblast functions and their interaction with endometrial stromal cells. We utilized a three-dimensional (3D) model in which human first-trimester trophoblasts (Sw71) formed blastocyst-like spheroids and were cultured with human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs). Trophoblast proliferation, migration, invasion, and 3D network formation following DEP exposure (0.5–20 μg/mL) were assessed using methyl thiazolyl diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT), wound healing, migration, and invasion assays. The expression levels of genes related to the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were quantified by real-time reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). DEP exposure significantly inhibited trophoblast proliferation, migration, and invasion. DEP treatment dysregulated the EMT program by significantly decreasing the expression of key mesenchymal markers (SNAI1, SNAI2, SOX2, and KLF4) while upregulating epithelial markers. These changes may be related to inhibited trophoblast migration toward HESC monolayers and 3D invasive network formation. DEP directly impairs critical trophoblast functions that are essential for successful pregnancy. Disruption of the EMT program represents a molecular mechanism by which traffic-related air pollution contributes to placental dysfunction and pregnancy complications, highlighting the significant reproductive risks posed by ambient air pollution. Full article

Vegetable oils structured with natural wax blends have attracted increasing interest due to their tunable crystallization and gelling behavior. This study evaluated the structuring of chia oil (ChO) using low concentrations (1–5%) of a shellac wax (SW) and beeswax (BW) blend in a 1:1 ratio, focusing on physicochemical, viscoelastic, and thixotropic properties. ChO structured with 1% SW/BW formed a weak network with high oil loss, whereas concentrations of 3–5% formed denser networks, resulting in OBC values of 75.6–88.4% and firmness values of 16.9–55.1 g. Structuring with 5% SW/BW significantly reduced peroxide values (p < 0.05), indicating a reduction in oxidative deterioration after oleogelation, while concentrations of 1–3% had no significant effect (p > 0.05). Although induction periods were slightly extended in structured samples, differences across oleogelant concentrations were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Rheological analysis revealed that 3–5% SW/BW-structured ChO exhibited semisolid gel behavior, characterized by enhanced deformation resistance and thermal stability. Thixotropic recovery tests revealed that structural recovery improved as the deformation amplitude decreased within the linear viscoelastic range, suggesting that thixotropic behavior was influenced by oleogelant concentration. These findings demonstrate the potential of SW/BW-structured ChO as fat alternatives in lipid-based foods that require mechanical resilience, structural recovery, and enhanced oxidative stability, even at low wax levels. Full article

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease affecting the synovium. Mitochondrial dysfunction is considered a critical factor in the pathogenesis of RA. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of methotrexate and tofacitinib on mitochondrial function and oxidative stress in an in vitro study on the model synovial cell line SW982. TNF-alpha-stimulated SW982 cells, as well as control untreated cells, were incubated with methotrexate and tofacitinib. A metabolic test was performed to assess mitochondrial function. The oxidative stress generated after the application of the therapeutics was determined by a chromatographic analysis. The results obtained showed an increase in ATP levels (p < 0.0001) and a decrease in proton leak (p < 0.0003) after treatment with tofacitinib. The opposite trend was observed—reduced ATP production (p < 0.0096) and increased levels of proton leak (p < 0.0001)—after treatment with methotrexate. A two-fold increase in 8-ISOPGF2A was measured in comparison to TNF-alpha-stimulated and untreated cells. The dynamics of mitochondrial activity and oxidative stress were monitored in a certified RA model cell line after the administration of two different therapeutics. Methotrexate was found to induce mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in vitro, while tofacitinib partially improved mitochondrial parameters. Full article

Based on the single-photon structure model, the standing wave electric 4-photon (SWE4-P) composite, the standing wave magnetic 4-photon (SWM4-P) composite in one-dimensional longitudinal constraint space, and the standing wave 8-photon (SW8-P) composite structure in a laser microcavity are derived. The electromagnetic field of the TM₀₁₀ mode in a microwave cylindrical resonant cavity is studied and analyzed, and the photon structure basic unit of this mode is identified as the standing wave cylindrical 8-photon composite structure. The cylindrical photon is of the same size as the cavity volume, the photon volume being V = $\mathrm{\pi }{R}^{2}L$. The standing wave 8-photon composite structure contains an SWE4-P composite and an SWM4-P composite, with a phase difference of 90°. Therefor, the energy unit of the TM₀₁₀ mode in the cavity is 8$\hslash \omega$. Full article

The Zigui Basin, located in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, has developed numerous landslides due to its interlayering of sandstone and mudstone, geological structure, and reservoir operations. This study identifies a fourth type of landslide failure mode: an oblique-dip slope wedge (OdSW) landslide, based on the Wanshuitian landslide. Following four heavy rainfall events from 3 to 13 July 2024, this landslide exhibited significant deformation on the 17th and was completely destroyed within 40 min. The dimensions of the landslide were 350 m in length, 160 m in width, and 20 m in thickness, with a volume estimated at 8.0 × 10⁵ m³. The characteristics of landslide deformation and the changes in moisture content within the shallow slide body were ascertained using unmanned aerial vehicles, moisture meters, and mobile phone photography. The landslide was identified to have occurred within the weathered residual layer of mudstone, situated between two sandstone layers, with the eastern boundary defined by an inclined rock layer. Upon transitioning into the accelerated deformation stage, the landslide initially exhibited uniform overall sliding deformation, culminating in accelerated deformation destruction. The dip structure created terrain disparities, resulting in a step-like terrain on the left bank and gentler slopes on the right bank, with interbedded soil and rock in a shallow layer, because the interlayered soft and hard geological conditions caused varied weathering and erosion patterns on the riverbank slopes. The interbedded weak–hard stratum layer fostered the development of the oblique-dip slope wedge landslide. Based on the improved Green–Ampt model, we developed a stability prediction methodology for an oblique-dip slope wedge landslide and determined the rainfall infiltration depth threshold of the Wanshuitian landslide (9.8 m). This study aimed not merely to sharpen the evolution mechanism and stability prediction of the Wanshuitian landslide but also to formulate more effective landslide-monitoring strategies and emergency management measures. Full article

This study compared the effects of refining with an ultra-fine bar plate and Valley beating on softwood (SwBKP) and hardwood (HwBKP) bleached kraft pulps. Ultra-fine bar refining reduced pulp freeness from 700 mL to 200 mL CSF in just 10 min for both SwBKP and HwBKP, whereas Valley beating required over 60 min to reach comparable freeness levels. At equivalent freeness (e.g., 300 mL CSF), refining resulted in a tensile strength increase of approximately 35% for SwBKP and 20% for HwBKP compared to beating. In addition, refining delivered higher burst and tear strengths across all tested freeness levels, while better preserving fiber length. The results clearly demonstrate that refining with an ultra-fine bar plate achieves faster development of desirable paper properties and superior strength enhancement relative to Valley beating for both softwood and hardwood kraft pulps. These findings emphasize the importance of direct refining trials and plate optimization for improving pulp quality and energy efficiency in papermaking. Full article

The analysis of earthquake source mechanisms is key for seismotectonic studies, but it is often limited to traditional methods plagued with issues of precision and automation. This is particularly true in low-seismicity areas with deep and/or hidden seismogenic sources, where the identification of precise source mechanisms is a difficult and non-trivial task. In this study, we present a detailed application of TESLA (Tool for automatic Earthquake low-frequency Spectral Level estimAtion), a novel tool designed to overcome these limitations. We demonstrated TESLA’s effectiveness in defining source mechanism analysis by applying it to seismic sequences that occurred near Asti (AT), in the Monferrato area (Southern Piedmont, Italy). Our analysis reveals that the observed clusters consist of two distinct seismic sequences, occurring in 1991 and 2012, which were activated by the same seismogenic source. We relocated a total of 36 events with magnitudes ranging from 1.1 to 3.7, using a 3D velocity model, and computed 12 well-constrained focal mechanism solutions using the first motion polarities and the low-frequency spectral level ratios. The results highlight a relatively small seismogenic source located at approximately 5 km north of Asti (AT), at a depth of between 10 and 25 km, trending SW–NE with strike-slip kinematics. A smaller cluster of three events shows an activation of a different fault segment at around 60 km of depth, also showing strike-slip kinematics. These findings are in good agreement with the regional stress field acting in the Monferrato area and support the use of investigation tools such as TESLA for microseismicity analysis. Full article