Search Results (66,543)

Power-to-X technologies play a crucial role in accelerating the energy and material transition. A key opportunity lies in integrating these systems with existing bio-based infrastructures such as anaerobic digesters, providing a reliable source of biogenic carbon. Developing effective Power-to-Methanol (PtM) pathways requires a comprehensive understanding of process behavior through detailed simulation, including technical performance, economic feasibility, and environmental consequences. Despite growing interest, substantial variation remains in published levelized methanol costs, and many assessments insufficiently account for the full environmental footprint of production routes. This study evaluates the potential of PtM deployment in the Netherlands by comparing two pathways that utilize biogenic carbon sources: (i) hydrogenation of captured CO₂ using green hydrogen and (ii) dry methane reforming (DMR) of biogas, followed by catalytic syngas conversion to methanol. Results indicate that operational expenses—mainly driven by renewable electricity consumption—far outweigh capital investment. Both routes yield an LCoMeOH of approximately €2630 per tonne, about five times the cost of fossil-based methanol. Life cycle analysis shows that DMR performs more favorably overall, although elevated freshwater ecotoxicity and eutrophication result from digestate application as fertilizer. Continued improvements in renewable energy integration and nutrient recovery technologies are essential for enhancing future economic and environmental performance. Full article

Background: Micronutrient deficiencies (MD) are highly prevalent among candidates for bariatric surgery (BS) and are associated with adverse perioperative and postoperative outcomes. Although guidelines recommend systematic preoperative screening and correction, conventional targeted supplementation (CTS) often requires multiple products, potentially limiting adherence and delaying surgical readiness. Bariatric-specific multivitamins (BSM) may simplify nutritional management, but their real-world effectiveness for preoperative correction of multiple MD remains insufficiently investigated. Objective: To compare the effectiveness, efficiency, and adherence of a BSM versus CTS for preoperative correction of multiple MD in BS candidates. Methods: This retrospective multicenter cohort study included 1560 adults with obesity evaluated for BS between 2020 and 2024 across three Italian bariatric centers. The primary efficacy analysis was restricted to patients presenting with ≥3 laboratory-confirmed MD at baseline. Patients treated between 2020 and 2022 received individualized CTS using multiple products, whereas those treated between 2023 and 2024 received a single BSM. Biochemical follow-up was scheduled at 4 and 8 weeks. The primary outcome was the achievement of complete biochemical correction of all baseline deficiencies at the predefined 4-week follow-up assessment (composite endpoint). Secondary outcomes included supplementation burden and self-reported adherence. Early correction rates were compared using absolute risk differences and risk ratios; adjusted associations were evaluated using multivariable regression models including center and baseline deficiency burden. As a supplementary analysis, the patient-level proportion of baseline deficiencies corrected at 4 weeks was also evaluated. Results: Among patients with ≥3 baseline deficiencies (n = 216), complete biochemical correction at 4 weeks was achieved in 55/134 patients (41.0%) in the BSM group and in 13/82 patients (15.9%) in the CTS group, corresponding to an absolute risk difference of 25.2 percentage points (95% CI 7.8–40.0) and a risk ratio of 2.59 (95% CI 1.51–4.44). In adjusted analyses accounting for center and baseline deficiency pattern, BSM use remained independently associated with early complete correction (adjusted absolute risk difference 26.3 percentage points; adjusted risk ratio 2.69). Sensitivity analyses restricting follow-up timing and excluding early calendar periods yielded consistent results. The mean proportion of baseline deficiencies corrected per patient at 4 weeks was higher in the BSM group compared with CTS (0.74 ± 0.25 vs. 0.54 ± 0.30). Compared with CTS, BSM was associated with lower supplementation burden (1 vs. 3.5 supplements on average) and higher adherence (92% vs. 70%). Conclusions: In a real-world multicenter cohort of BS candidates with ≥3 baseline MD, a simplified preoperative supplementation strategy based on a BSM was associated with a significantly higher probability of complete biochemical correction at 4 weeks, lower supplementation burden, and higher reported adherence compared with CTS. Although complete correction was not universal at 4 weeks, BSM significantly increased the likelihood of achieving early multi-deficiency normalization. Given the non-concurrent observational design, these findings should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating and warrant confirmation in prospective studies with concurrent cohorts. Full article

With the increasing adoption of electric vehicles (EV), congestion at charging stations during peak hours has become a prominent issue, imposing significant pressure on station scheduling. Furthermore, the large-scale integration of photovoltaics (PV) introduces dual uncertainties in both generation and load, negatively impacting grid voltage. To tackle the above problems, a strategy for demand response balancing and congestion alleviation of charging stations under grid–road network partition mapping is proposed in this paper. Firstly, a user demand response capability assessment method based on the Fogg Behavior Model is proposed to evaluate the demand response potential of individual users in each zone. The results are aggregated to obtain the demand response participation capability of each zone, thereby realizing capability-based allocation and achieving demand response balancing. Secondly, the road network is divided into several zones and mapped to the power grid, and a two-layer cross-zone collaborative autonomy model is established. The upper layer aims to alleviate inter-zone congestion and balance inter-station power, taking into account the grid voltage level. A tripartite benefit model involving the power grid, charging stations and users is constructed, and an inter-zone mutual-aid model for the upper layer is established and solved optimally. The lower layer establishes an intra-zone self-consistency model, which subdivides different functional zone types within the road network zone, allocates and accommodates the cross-zone power from the upper-layer output inside the zone, and synchronously performs intra-zone cross-zone judgment to avoid congestion at charging stations. Simulation verification is carried out on the IEEE 33-bus system. The results show that the proposed method can effectively alleviate the congestion of charging stations, the balance degree among all zones is increased by 43.58%, and the power grid voltage quality is improved by about 38%. This study offers feasible guidance for exploring large-scale planned participation of electric vehicles in power system demand response. Full article

Urban sustainability depends on rural hinterlands, yet national-scale evaluation and AI screening often rely on urban-centric proxies, which can under-recognize remote villages where the evidence base is sparse. Using China’s national honored-village programme (N = 24,450) as a case, we examine how recognition patterns change when data availability and observability are unequal across regions, with a focus on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP), where 923 honored villages account for only 3.78% of the national total. We interpret urban-centric proxy reliance as the tendency for recognition patterns to correlate with urban-linked observability signals (e.g., nighttime lights). In this study, discovery lag refers to situations where villages exhibit characteristics similar to historically recognized villages but remain unrecognized under the current honor regime due to uneven data availability and observability. Methodologically, we build a scene-aware predictive framework that integrates multi-source geospatial indicators and explicitly handles extreme imbalance and environmental heterogeneity to estimate recognition likelihood under the current honor regime, treating national honor lists as administratively produced recognition outcomes rather than objective measures of village value. The model highlights four high-probability nomination belts on the QTP and reveals a pronounced DEM–NTL decoupling: the median NTL of currently honored QTP villages is 0, suggesting that NTL-based urban proxies can fail in high-altitude, data-scarce contexts. Overall, the observed under-representation is consistent with uneven observability and institutional constraints within the current honor system, and the proposed framework provides a scalable diagnostic and screening tool for identifying villages with high predicted recognition likelihood and supporting more evidence-aware rural data collection. Full article

As a world-renowned tourist and gaming city, Macau’s jewelry industry has formed significant spatial clustering driven by the integration of the tourism and gaming industries. However, existing research has not thoroughly explored the coupling mechanism between the agglomeration of this high-value industry and tourism potential circulation characteristics. Meanwhile, the industry confronts practical challenges, including an unbalanced layout between high-end and local brands, intense competition in core areas, and distinct service coverage blind spots in non-core areas. To fill these research gaps, this study takes the Macau Special Administrative Region as the research scope, integrates POI kernel density estimation, Voronoi diagram analysis, and space syntax to construct a three-dimensional analytical framework encompassing agglomeration intensity, service scope, and tourism flow matching, and systematically investigates the spatial clustering pattern of jewelry stores and its coupling mechanism with tourism potential circulation. The study reveals the following findings: (1) Jewelry stores exhibit a dual-segment, four-core clustering pattern. Among these, 38 high-end brands are concentrated in casino complexes and their surrounding areas, 34 comprehensive brands are evenly distributed across core and residential areas, and 300 local brands are mainly scattered in residential areas of the Macau Peninsula. (2) The service scope of jewelry stores is negatively correlated with agglomeration density. The Voronoi diagram area in core areas is 62% smaller than that in non-core areas, accompanied by a high degree of overlap—35% for high-end brands—and intense competition. In contrast, non-core areas have coverage blind spots accounting for 18% of Macau’s total land area. (3) Under a 300 m walking radius, high-integration paths identified by space syntax demonstrate an 85% matching degree with tourist routes, and the four core areas form differentiated coupling types. This study is the first to quantify the differentiated coupling mechanism between multi-level jewelry brands and tourism potential circulation. It further improves the GIS analysis framework for the coupling between commercial agglomeration and tourist behavior. The revealed negative correlation between service scope and agglomeration density, and the adaptive principle between brand spatial layout and regional functional attributes, provide universal references for similar business formats in tourist cities, including cultural and creative retail and characteristic catering. In practice, this research optimizes the spatial layout of Macau’s jewelry industry and increases the coverage rate of service blind spots to over 85%. It also provides scientific support for tourism route planning and the coordinated development of tourism and commerce in high-density tourist destinations. Full article

The programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) plays a critical role for promoting cancer immune evasion. However, the resistance to PD-L1-targeted immunotherapy greatly limits its application. α-lipoic acid (ALA) is an endogenous antioxidant, while whether ALA affects PD-L1 expression remains unknown. In IFN-γ-stimulated castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC)-mimicking PC3 and DU145 cells, the expression of PD-L1 and its regulatory genes was determined by Western blotting, RT-PCR, and immunofluorescence. The T-cell-mediated tumor-killing activity was evaluated in a co-culture system of cancer cells and Jurkat T cells. ALA significantly inhibits IFN-γ-induced PD-L1 protein and mRNA expression without affecting its degradation. The upstream genes accounting for PD-L1 induction, including JAK1/STAT1/IRF-1 cascade, c-Myc, HIF-1α, and GSK3β activity, were markedly suppressed by ALA. The decreased expression of PD-L1 and these regulators by ALA is also modulated by attenuation of mTOR/p70S6K/4EBP1-dependent protein translation and ROS production. In the co-culture system, ALA markedly increased T-cell-mediated tumor-killing activity compared to that of ALA treatment alone, suggesting that ALA may augment the antitumor immunity. Collectively, we demonstrated that ALA-mediated inhibition of PD-L1 expression is regulated by multiple mechanisms, which indicates that ALA may be a potential agent to enhance cancer immunotherapy, particularly in CRPC. Full article

This study employed near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for real-time spectral acquisition of fermentation broth in lab-scale bioreactors, comparing the performance of transflectance and transmission sensors through glucose modeling and prediction while optimizing modeling approaches. The results demonstrated superior adaptability of transflectance sensors in fermentation environments: in conventional fermentation, glucose models exhibited lower errors (RMSEC = 4.087 g/L, RMSEV = 9.829 g/L) compared to transmission sensors (RMSEC = 5.972 g/L, RMSEV = 10.904 g/L), with significantly higher predictive performance (RPD = 3.735 vs. 2.369), indicating enhanced fitting accuracy and stability. In complex natural media containing peptone and yeast extract, transmission sensor performance deteriorated dramatically due to turbidity interference (R²_cal = 0.134), whereas transflectance sensors maintained robust performance (R²_cal = 0.993), confirming their adaptability to complex matrices. Regarding modeling strategies, the 1550–1700 nm spectral region demonstrated optimal feature extraction capability (RMSEC = 3.269 g/L, R²_cal = 0.987). Basic preprocessing methods such as the moving average smoothing method have become the preferred preprocessing methods, as they strike a balance between calibration and prediction performance. Outlier removal analysis revealed that moderate elimination of 12 high-error samples (accounting for 30% of the total 39 samples) reduced RMSEC to 1.441 g/L and improved R²_cv to 0.996, optimizing model performance; however, excessive removal of outlier samples degraded model capability, necessitating judicious sample selection. For fixed total sample sizes, calibration sets comprising 70–80% of samples yielded more reliable predictions. In conclusion, transflectance sensors demonstrate superior compatibility with multicomponent fermentation systems. Combined with wavelength selection, moving average preprocessing, and rational sample removal and partitioning strategies, this approach provides an effective solution for NIR-based online glucose monitoring. Full article

This article details a matrix-based mathematical method to calculate power flows and transmission losses in an electric grid specifically attributable to low-carbon and renewable energy sources (LCRES) (wind, solar, nuclear). The goal is to improve the transparency and reliability of Guarantees of Origin (GO) certificates. Current GO schemes rely on contractual accounting and neglect physical power losses, undermining consumers’ confidence that they receive “clean” energy. The method uses steady-state power flow analysis to derive a power-loss distribution coefficient matrix. This matrix accurately allocates grid losses back to the LCRES generating nodes, complying strictly with electrical engineering principles. It accommodates both time-varying renewable output and stable nuclear generation. The results offer highly accurate loss-attribution data, supporting more verifiable GOs, ensuring fair compensation for losses, and enhancing energy balance accuracy in hybrid power systems. Full article

Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-assisted non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) has emerged as a promising technique to enhance spectral efficiency and coverage in fifth- and sixth-generation wireless networks. However, asymmetric indoor propagation conditions characterized by heterogeneous line-of-sight (LoS) and non-line-of-sight (NLoS) links often degrade user fairness. This paper investigates a downlink RIS-assisted NOMA system under the standardized 3GPP indoor office (InH) channel model to address fairness-oriented design under realistic link-budget constraints. We formulate an optimization problem for max–min fairness that jointly considers discrete RIS element partitioning and NOMA power allocation to achieve a symmetrical allocation of quality of service (QoS). To enable efficient computation, the non-convex problem is transformed into an epigraph form and solved using a low-complexity, bisection-based quasi-convex optimization framework combined with enumeration over RIS partitions. Numerical results demonstrate significant fairness gains; for instance, doubling the RIS array size yields a substantial improvement in the ergodic max–min rate, corresponding to approximately a 66% gain at moderate transmit power levels. Furthermore, by accounting for practical impairments such as imperfect successive interference cancellation (iSIC), imperfect channel state information (iCSI), and RIS implementation losses, the results reveal that fairness-optimal operation consistently prioritizes the far user to overcome severe indoor NLoS attenuation. The proposed framework is also compared with alternating optimization (AO)-based RIS-NOMA, conventional RIS beamforming without partition and RIS-assisted orthogonal multiple access (OMA) schemes. Simulation results confirm that the proposed framework achieves low computational complexity, making it suitable for practical indoor wireless environments. Full article

Vegetation restoration in water-limited regions typically increases evapotranspiration (ET) while reducing runoff. Over the past four decades, Daihai Lake in China’s northwest inland river basin has experienced significant shrinkage. Previous studies attribute this primarily to climate change and water resource exploitation, yet the impact of vegetation dynamics remains insufficiently examined. This study analyzed changes in the water budget across different vegetation types in the Daihai Lake Basin, based on remote sensing-derived precipitation and ET data, and employed correlation analysis to examine the relationships between environmental factors (such as climate change, afforestation projects, and water-saving irrigation) and lake shrinkage. Our findings revealed that afforestation has expanded forest cover by 69.42 km² since 2000, accounting for 73.95% of the total forest area. Notably, forest ET demonstrated the strongest negative correlation (r = −0.89, p < 0.001) with lake area among all vegetation types. Grasslands emerged as the primary water-surplus vegetation, contributing 81.34% to the basin’s total water surplus. The synergistic effects of precipitation reduction, temperature increase, and enhanced ET from forest expansion drove the shrinkage of the lake. These results highlight the need for science-based vegetation management in arid and semi-arid regions, where we recommend adopting shrub-grass combined restoration approaches to enhance the sustainability of ecological restoration. Full article

Purpose: Hearing loss (HL) is a prevalent condition significantly impairing quality of life, with genetic mutations accounting for a substantial proportion of congenital cases, notably those involving the GJB2 gene encoding connexin 26. This study aims to analyze the current knowledge, feasibility, and challenges of gene therapy targeting GJB2-related HL, emphasizing both embryonic and postnatal interventions. Methods: A comprehensive scoping review was conducted across electronic databases up to October 2025, including studies focusing on GJB2-associated HL, gene therapy approaches, and the timing of interventions. Data extraction encompassed mutation types, animal models, delivery strategies, outcomes, and ethical considerations. Results: The results indicated over 467 GJB2 variants which could impair cochlear ion homeostasis and development. Animal models, mainly murine, demonstrated early-onset degeneration with limited recovery following delayed gene therapy, while early postnatal intervention showed greater efficacy. Viral vectors like AAV have been employed for targeted gene delivery via cochlear injections, achieving partial restoration of connexin expression and cochlear function, yet they have faced limitations including transduction efficiency, immune responses, and long-term stability. Challenges in translating these findings to humans have been compounded by anatomical, immunological, ethical, and safety issues, particularly regarding embryonic gene therapy and germline modifications. Ethical frameworks can vary internationally, highlighting the necessity for careful regulation. Conclusions: While promising advances in gene therapy for GJB2-related HL have been achieved in preclinical studies, significant scientific, technical, and ethical barriers must be addressed before clinical application, especially during embryogenesis. A multidisciplinary, cautious approach is essential to realize the potential of gene therapy in restoring natural hearing while safeguarding individual and societal interests. Full article

Construction accident reports contain rich causal evidence; however, their unstructured narratives make systematic analysis difficult. Recent advances in large language models (LLMs) have created new opportunities to leverage such information at scale. This study develops an integrated LLM–BERT–network framework for analyzing construction accident causation. Based on 347 official construction accident investigation reports, a DeepSeek-based pipeline with human-in-the-loop quality control was used to extract causal keywords describing direct and indirect causes, yielding 2572 keywords. A BERT-based semantic normalization procedure then consolidated synonymous expressions, reducing 811 deduplicated keywords to 104 normalized terms (an 87.2% reduction in vocabulary size). A manual sample-based evaluation further supported the reliability of the LLM-based extraction and BERT-based normalization procedures. The normalized keywords were further organized into a hierarchical taxonomy and used to construct a directed keyword-association network linking indirect and direct causes for structured relational analysis. To strengthen methodological rigor, additional validation and analytical experiments were conducted, including manual sample-based evaluation of keyword extraction, sensitivity analysis of normalization settings, and examination of representative failure cases. The results support the reliability and robustness of the proposed framework. The analysis indicates that behavior-related factors and management deficiencies occupy structurally important positions in the directed network. Overall, the findings suggest that construction accidents arise from the interaction of human, managerial, environmental, material, and technical factors rather than isolated single causes. Effective prevention therefore requires system-oriented interventions that strengthen worker competence, supervision, training, accountability, and hazard identification. Full article

This paper develops Tone as Ontology, a structural account of being grounded in the invariants of generative systems. We articulate the ontological significance of tone, distinguishing this foundational work from a companion paper that explores its methodological application and formalization. We redefine “tone” as the structural profile of constraints that allows entities to maintain coherence under transformation. The tonal ontology formalizes three invariants—Resonance, Responsibility, and Closure—as conditions of persistence that bridge operational and metaphysical ontology. Concretely, we specify Resonance (relational continuity via recursive feedback), Responsibility (traceable accountability that conserves integrity across transformations), and Closure (recursive self-consistency enabling bounded openness). In contrast to informational or substance-based views, tonal being is understood as the conservation of structure through change. The resulting framework unites physical coherence, informational integrity, and ontological continuity into a generative ontology of integrity, suggesting that to exist is to maintain one’s tone. This paper addresses fundamental questions in meta-ontology, demonstrates how tone generates classical ontological frameworks, and advances a conceptual reorientation for understanding existence as resonant persistence. It outlines testable implications across philosophy of mind, AI ethics, and social/environmental theory. Overall, tonal ontology is presented as a post-informational, structurally grounded account of being. Full article

An analytical model of frictional heat transfer during the uniform sliding of two layers is proposed. One layer is composed of a functionally graded material (FGM) with a thermal conductivity coefficient that varies exponentially across its thickness, while the second layer is homogeneous, with constant thermophysical properties. The thermal problem of friction is formulated as an initial boundary value problem of heat conduction, accounting for the thermal contact conductance and convective heat exchange with the environment. An exact solution for constant friction power was obtained using the Laplace integral transform, supplemented by an asymptotic form for the initial stage of heating. Based on these analytical solutions, a comprehensive study was carried out for a frictional system comprising a ceramic–metal FGM composite in contact with a homogeneous friction material. A dimensional analysis allowed for both a qualitative and quantitative investigation into the influence of contact conductance, convective heat exchange, layer thickness and the FGM gradient parameter on the temperature evolution and distribution, as well as the time to reach the steady state. It was demonstrated that the implementation of an appropriately graded material can substantially improve thermal operating conditions by enhancing heat dissipation into the material bulk and intensifying convective cooling. Full article

Background: The updated Schwartz and CKiDU25 bedside (SCr-based) formulae for the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in children are defined by a constant term (with the latter formula dependent upon age and sex) multiplied by the ratio of patient’s height (m) to SCr (mg/dL). However, the Schwartz formula can severely underestimate the measured GFR (mGFR) at higher mGFR levels. Methods: For a single-center cohort of 92 pediatric kidney transplant recipients, we statistically determined if the log{eGFR} at 1 mo and 6 mo post-transplant might further depend upon patient demographics or height, indicating the inadequacy of these formulae for properly predicting the mGFR. We also determined how the log{SCr} at 1 mo and 6 mo post-transplant might depend upon patient demographics and height, helping to corroborate any arrived-at improved functional form for the eGFR. Results: Overall, our cohort received good-quality donor kidneys; however, both eGFR formulae calculated that the percentage of recipients with an eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m² at 1 mo and 6 mo post-transplant was 26–28%. Furthermore, neither the updated Schwartz nor the CKiDU25 bedside formulae adequately controlled for the influence of patient height on SCr; in fact, the patient height squared was superior to its unidimensional value at accounting for the sharp increase in SCr that normally occurs as children grow from infancy to young adulthood (p < 0.000001 at mo1, p = 0.000003 at mo6 for the updated Schwartz bedside formula; p = 0.0009 at mo1, p = 0.005 at mo6 for the CKiDU25 bedside formula). The log{SCr} was also best fitted by a linear regression model that controlled for the log{patient height squared} (p < 0.000001 at both mo1 and mo6). Conclusions: A statistically more accurate eGFR formula should be based on using a power function (power > 1) for patient height rather than its unidimensional value. Full article