Search Results (75)

Date palms, a vital Moroccan crop that typically flowers once a year, displayed a rare double flowering phenomenon in the summer of 2023. This study investigated the occurrence of this phenomenon across three small oases in the Zagora region of southeastern Morocco. Field surveys revealed that 60% of spring-blooming palms also produced a second bloom in July, affecting trees of all ages, sexes, and varieties. This secondary flowering cycle featured a compressed development period, leading to limited fruit enlargement and a failure of most fruit to reach maturity. Analysis suggests that climatic fluctuations, specifically a delayed temperature rise during the normal spring cycle and relatively cooler shifts in July 2023, likely disrupted the palms’ reproductive schedule, triggering the anomaly. Despite the failed second harvest, the phenomenon did not have a negative impact on the palms’ productivity for the subsequent year, confirming that double flowering is a complex, climate-influenced event that requires further research to understand its full implications for local date production. Full article

Active substance-based Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMS) can generate disinfection by-products (DBPs) by reacting with dissolved organic matter (DOM). However, current IMO G9-based assessments often overlook qualitative DOM variations. This study investigated DBP formation following NaDCC treatment in natural seawater dominated by the diatom Skeletonema costatum and the dinoflagellate Akashiwo sanguinea. Laboratory-cultured DOM was also analyzed using ATR-FT-IR, PCA, and 2D-COS to evaluate structural differences. In field experiments, S. costatum treatment primarily produced brominated trihalomethanes (THMs) and specific haloacetic acids (HAAs) with a limited composition. Conversely, A. sanguinea treatment yielded a diverse range of DBPs, including nitrogenous DBPs (HANs). FT-IR results, supported by 2D-COS, revealed that A. sanguinea-derived DOM underwent non-monotonic structural changes and distinct sequential functional group reactions, suggesting multiple, time-delayed precursor interactions. These findings demonstrate that phytoplankton species-specific DOM composition significantly dictates DBP profiles and temporal dynamics. Therefore, environmental risk assessments for BWMS must incorporate the qualitative characteristics of biogenic DOM and dominant species traits, particularly during coastal bloom events, to ensure more accurate management strategies. Full article

Phytoplankton blooms represent a typical ecological process in marine systems. Climate change drives shifts in its phenology, both directly via impacts on physiology and indirectly by modifying stratification intensity, nutrients, light availability, and grazing pressure. Using satellite remote sensing and reanalysis data from 2000 to 2022, this study partitions the Yellow Sea based on interannual variability in the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (YSCWM). Clear spatial differences in autumn bloom phenology are observed within the YSCWM. Earlier initiation dominates the Southern YSCWM (SYSCWM), while delayed later initiation concentrates in the Northern YSCWM (NYSCWM) and along the SYSCWM’s eastern margins. This pattern can be explained by the differences in regional hydrodynamics, i.e., the Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC) enhances upwelling and convergence in some YSCWM areas, boosting nutrient supply and earlier blooms, whereas weaker circulation-driven nutrient supply causes the bloom delay. Interannual variation analysis further reveals that the bloom timing is regulated by seasonal YSCWM dissipation since intensified autumn northerly winds accelerate dissipation and nutrient supply, thereby advancing blooms, while weaker northerly winds and stable circulation delay bloom progress by maintaining strong thermocline stability. These findings provide further insights into the underlying mechanisms driving autumn bloom dynamics and support ecosystem monitoring efforts in shelf seas. Full article

This study investigated the effects of elevated temperature on the phenology and morphology of the early-maturing peach cultivar ‘Mihong’. The experiment was conducted from 2019 to 2024 in a temperature-gradient chamber at the National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, Wanju, Korea, with four warming treatments (+2.2 °C to +5.0 °C above ambient). Higher temperatures delayed the onset of endodormancy and markedly shortened the period from endodormancy release to full bloom. Elevated temperatures also increased the LD ratio, with the proportion of fruits exceeding an LD ratio of 1.0 rising significantly with temperature. The LD ratio showed strong correlations with November mean temperature (MT11) and March maximum temperature (HT3) (r = 0.81) and was also associated with the average temperature (Temp3, r = 0.51) and duration (P3, r = −0.54) of the endodormancy release to full bloom phase. Stepwise and PLS regression identified temperatures in May, November, and March as key predictors of the LD ratio, while PCA revealed that temperature variables (Temp3, Temp5) and stage durations (P3, P4) were major contributors. These results confirm that climate warming alters the phenology and morphology of ‘Mihong’, reducing fruit quality and marketability, while providing a basis for predictive modeling and highlighting the importance of adaptive strategies such as shading or growth regulator application. Full article

Understanding mixing behavior at river confluences is essential for effective watershed management in response to increasing environmental issues such as algal blooms and chemical pollution. This study focused on the confluence of the Nakdong and Geumho Rivers, employing high-resolution field measurements using an ADCP (M9) and YSI EXO sensors. Water temperature (°C) and electrical conductivity (μS/cm) data were collected under three representative conditions, including flow ratios of 0.91, 0.45, and 0.29, as well as 0.05, with a maximum temperature difference of up to 6 °C. Mixing behavior was three-dimensionally analyzed by integrating cross-sectional and longitudinal data, and the accuracy of visualization was evaluated using IDW and Kriging spatial interpolation techniques. The analysis revealed that under low flow ratio conditions, vertical mixing was delayed; the thermal stratification persisted up to approximately 3 km downstream from the confluence (Line 3), and complete mixing was not achieved until about 7 km downstream (Line 5) due to density currents. Quantitative comparison indicated that IDW (R² = 0.901, RMSE = 31.522) outperformed Kriging (R² = 0.79, RMSE = 35.458). This study provides a quantitative criterion for identifying the mixing completion zone, thereby addressing the limitations of previous studies that relied on numerical models or limited field data, and offering practical evidence for water quality monitoring and sustainable river management. Full article

This study examined the physiological development of the red-fleshed peach cultivar ‘Daehong’ at different stages of fruit maturation to determine the optimal harvest time. Fruit samples were collected at five intervals—50, 80, 100, 120, and 140 days after full bloom (DAFBs)—and evaluated for external attributes (weight, size, and color) and internal attributes (soluble solids, sugar–acid ratio, firmness, sugars, and organic acids). Internal quality parameters, including soluble solids content and firmness, reached commercially acceptable levels at 120 DAFB. Sucrose was the predominant sugar, increasing steadily during maturation, while malic acid levels declined, resulting in an improved sugar–acid balance. Respiratory activity and ethylene production peaked at 140 DAFB, marking the onset of full ripening. Additionally, Hunter a* values and anthocyanin content increased progressively, intensifying the red coloration of the fruit. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that overall fruit quality was highest between 120 and 140 DAFB; however, reduced firmness at later stages suggests that delayed harvesting could impair postharvest storability. Considering both physiological indicators and climate variability, harvesting ‘Daehong’ peaches when growing degree days (GDDs) approach 1800 °C is recommended, as this provides a more consistent and objective maturity index than DAFB alone. Full article

This study presents the living coccolithophore communities and the morphological variability of Emiliania huxleyi in the South Aegean Sea from three sampling regions during winter-early spring (March 2017, March 2019) and summer (August 2019). Emphasis is given to March 2017 to monitor the variations in coccolithophore assemblages after an exceptionally cold event in December 2016, which resulted in newly produced dense waters that ventilated the Aegean deep basins. The assemblages displayed distinct seasonality with the predominance of E. huxleyi and Syracosphaera molischii during winter-early spring, associated with the water column mixing. By contrast, summer assemblages were featured by holococcolithophores and typical taxa of warm, oligotrophic upper waters. It seems that the phytoplanktonic succession as well as the nutrient supply to the upper euphotic layers were affected by the water column perturbation during the extreme winter of 2016–2017, which led to strong convective mixing and dense water formation. The decreased coccosphere densities during March 2017, accompanied by the notable presence of diatoms, were most probably associated with a prolonged diatom bloom, causing delay in the development of the coccolithophore community and resulting in a nitrogen-limited setting. Emiliania huxleyi morphometry showed the characteristic seasonal calcification trend of the Aegean, with the dominance of smaller coccoliths in the summer and increased coccolith length and width during the cold season. The intense cold conditions and wind-induced mixing during the winter of 2016–2017 possibly increased the absorption of atmospheric CO₂ in surface waters, causing increased acidity and the subsequent presence of etched/undercalcified E. huxleyi coccoliths and other taxa, most probably implying in situ calcite dissolution. Full article

Ascon is a family of lightweight cryptographic algorithms designed for Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data (AEAD), hashing, and Extendable Output Functions (XOFs) in resource-constrained environments. While the AEAD variants of Ascon provide confidentiality and authenticity, they do not inherently detect replayed messages. This work presents an FPGA implementation of Ascon-128, the primary AEAD variant, on a Xilinx Artix-7 device with integrated replay detection. A 128-bit Linear Feedback Shift Register (LFSR) is used to generate a unique sequential nonce per encryption, enabling high-speed, stateless nonce generation with minimal logic complexity. At the decryption end, replay detection is performed by hashing the received nonce using Ascon-XOF128 and verifying its freshness via a Bloom Filter stored in on-chip Block RAM (BRAM). Leveraging the flexibility of Ascon-XOF128 to generate variable length outputs, our design derives all ten Bloom Filter indices from a single 256-bit XOF output using the same permutation core as the AEAD data path, thereby eliminating the need for additional hashing logic. The Bloom Filter ensures zero false negatives, and our configuration achieves a low False Positive Rate (FPR) of 0.77% theoretically and 0.17% empirically after testing 100,000 nonces, consistent with analytical models. Replay detection is fully overlapped with decryption and introduces no additional delay for messages of 64 bytes or more when using the optimized two Rounds Per Clock Cycle (RPCC) permutation core operating at 100 MHz. This architecture extends Ascon with hardware-based replay protection, offering a lightweight and scalable security solution for practical IoT deployments. Full article

Algal blooms pose significant risks to public health and aquatic ecosystems, highlighting the need for real-time water quality monitoring. Traditional manual methods are often limited by delays in data collection, which can hinder timely response and effective management. This study proposes a solution by integrating automated monitoring systems (AMSs) with advanced machine learning (ML) techniques to predict chlorophyll-a ($Chl-a$) concentrations. Utilizing low-cost and readily available input variables, we developed energy-efficient ML algorithms optimized for deployment on buoys with a battery and hardware resources. The AMS employs preprocessing methods like the SMOTE and Random Forest (RF) for feature selection and ranking. Deep feature extraction is performed through a ResNet-18 model, while temporal dependencies are captured using a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network. A Softmax output layer then predicts $Chl-a$ concentrations. An alert system is incorporated to warn when $Chl-a$ levels exceed 10 μg/L, signaling potential bloom conditions. The results show that this approach offers a rapid, cost-effective, and scalable solution for real-time water quality monitoring, enhancing manual sampling efforts and improving management of water bodies at risk. Full article

Kuibyshev Reservoir, the largest in the Volga basin, is poorly covered by modern molecular studies. The results of a metabarcoding study of pro- and eukaryotic microbial plankton in its lower section during the summer period are presented. Bacterioplankton composition was typical for most temperate freshwater bodies and characterized by the dominance of cyanobacteria, Pseudomonadota, Bacteroidota, Actinomycetota, and PVC superphylum (Verrucomicrobiota and Planctomycetota), with a somewhat increased proportion of the latter. The protist community was dominated by Cryptista, principally phototrophic, and various ciliates. Several picoeukaryotic groups were newly detected in the reservoir. A relationship between the composition of both bacterioplankton and protist communities and the stage of phytoplankton succession, including the cyanobacterial bloom, was observed. Some inconsistency between the cyanobacterial bloom phase and the structure of other parts of the microbial plankton is obviously due to some temporal delay, spatial station position, and inflow from tributaries. Heterotrophic bacterioplankton indicator species of the main bloom stage include OTUs representing both the phycosphere of colonial cyanobacteria and free-living species. Among the protists, sessile ciliates benefit most from plenty of substrates for colonization, while cyanobacterial grazers and parasites were minor. Overall, the cyanobacterial bloom creates new niches for the plankton community and significantly modifies its structure. Full article

Osmanthus fragrans is a highly valued ornamental tree species in China, but its short flowering period limits its ornamental appeal. Investigating the mechanisms of flower senescence in O. fragrans is therefore of significant importance. Ethylene, a key endogenous hormone, plays a central role in flower senescence, and the AP2/ERF gene family, which includes ethylene response factors, is known to regulate this process in various plants. Transcriptome sequencing and expression analysis identified OfERF17 as a critical gene influencing petal senescence in O. fragrans. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that OfERF17 lacks transmembrane transport structures but contains multiple phosphorylation sites and shares a close phylogenetic relationship with the Olea europaea var. Sylvestris. Subcellular targeting and yeast-based auto-activation tests revealed that OfERF17 resides in the nucleus and possesses a transcriptional self-activation capability. Transient expression studies conducted in O. fragrans petals indicated a decrease in the expressions of two genes associated with senescence, namely, OfSAG21 and OfACO3, when compared to the control group. Additionally, the levels of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were markedly reduced. Transgenic Nicotiana tabacum blooms one day more than the wild type, and NtSAG12 and NtACO1 expressions were lower than wild type. These results suggest that OfERF17 functions to delay petal senescence in O. fragrans. This study enhances our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying O. fragrans petal senescence and provides insights into strategies for prolonging its flowering period. Full article

This paper demonstrates the impact of 3D effects on performance parameters in small-sized Time Delay Integration (TDI) image sensor pixels. In this paper, 2D and 3D simulation models of 3.5 μm × 3.5 μm small-sized TDI pixels were constructed, utilizing a three-phase pixel structure integrated with a lateral anti-blooming structure. The simulation experiments reveal the limitations of traditional 2D pixel simulation models by comparing the 2D and 3D structure simulation results. This research validates the influence of the 3D effects on the barrier height of the anti-blooming structure and the full well potential and proposes methods to optimize the full well potential and the operating voltage of the anti-blooming structure. To verify the simulation results, test chips with pixel sizes of 3.5 μm × 3.5 μm and 7.0 μm × 7.0 μm were designed and manufactured based on a 90 nm CCD-in-CMOS process. The measurement results of the test chips matched the simulation data closely and demonstrated excellent performance: the 3.5 μm × 3.5 μm pixel achieved a full well capacity of 9 ke- while maintaining a charge transfer efficiency of over 0.99998. Full article

Herbivores can negatively impact plant reproduction by altering floral traits, pollination, and fruit production. To counteract this, plants developed defense mechanisms, such as the biotic defense resulting from associations with ants. The aim of this study was to investigate whether leaf herbivory at different intensities influences reproductive success and extrafloral nectar secretion patterns in a savanna plant, Banisteriopsis malifolia (Malpighiaceae). Plants were subjected to simulated leaf herbivory and divided into three groups: Control (damage < 5%), T15 (15% leaf area removed), and T50 (50% leaf area removed). Assessments continued until fruiting. The findings indicate an increase in extrafloral nectar sugar concentration after simulated herbivory. Increasing foliar damage significantly delayed the time to bloom, decreased the number of inflorescences per plant, and reduced the size of buds and flowers. Foliar damage significantly decreased fruit size. Furthermore, ant foraging was influenced by herbivory, with a predominance of aggressive ants on plants with high levels of damage. Our study shows that varying levels of leaf damage affect extrafloral nectar secretion, ant foraging behavior, and plant reproductive structures. These findings highlight how insect herbivores and the level of damage they cause influence plant fitness and consequently community structure. Full article

Recent meteorological variability in winter and spring complicates predicting and managing frost damage in apples and pears. This study investigated the relationship between frost injury during the flowering stages of apples (‘Hongro’ and ‘Fuji’) and pears (‘Wonwhang’ and ‘Niitaka’) and weather conditions across regions at varying altitudes. Orchards were categorized into coastal, inland, mid-mountainous, and mountainous regions, and flowering stages and frost injury were analyzed. The flowering period of apples, from the onset of blooming to full bloom, averaged approximately 15 days, which was about 3 to 5 times longer than that of pears. Furthermore, the total flowering duration of apples was 1.5 to 2.0 times longer than that of pears. Additionally, flowering exhibited a tendency to be delayed at higher altitudes. However, orchards situated in mid-mountainous regions experienced earlier flowering compared to those in other regions. Among the two apple cultivars, the average frost damage was more severe in central flowers than in lateral flowers and was relatively higher in ‘Fuji’ than in ‘Hongro’. In pears, frost damage was most prevalent in the first to fourth flowers within the inflorescence, with ‘Wonhwang’ exhibiting relatively greater susceptibility than ‘Niitaka’. Across different cultivation regions, severe frost damage was observed in orchards located in mid-mountainous areas for both fruit species and cultivars. The severity of frost damage followed the order mid-mountainous, mountainous, plain, and coastal regions. Minimum temperatures were lowest in mid-mountainous and mountainous regions, while daily temperature differences were largest in mid-mountainous regions. Meteorological analysis (1981 to 2022) revealed consistent trends, with an increase in daily temperature range in recent years. These findings highlight the vulnerability of mid-mountainous orchards due to flowering stages overlapping with coastal and plain regions, exposing them to lower temperatures and larger temperature differences. Further studies on temperature variability are essential to mitigate frost damage risks. Full article

Mangosteen seed fat (MSF), a novel tropical seed fat, predominantly comprises 1,3-distearoyl-2-linoleoyl-glycerol (StLSt) and 1,3-distearoyl-2-oleoyl-glycerol (StOSt). The fat was blended with cocoa butter (CB) in proportions of 5%, 25% and 60% in the present study, and the binary blends achieved acceptable miscibility. It was indicated that StLSt could be mixed well with the symmetrical monounsaturated triacylglycerols in CB, especially StOSt, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-3-stearoyl-glycerol (POSt) and 1,3-dipalmitoyl-2-oleoyl-glycerol (POP). Although the solid fat contents of the binary blends gradually decreased with the addition of MSF, which resulted from low-melting triacylglycerols in MSF, the well-compatible fat matrix contributed to keeping their desirable melting behaviors and hardness at hot temperatures. A chocolate fat bloom test showed that replacing CB with 25–60% MSF improved fat-bloom-resistant stabilities effectively. The effective steric hindrance of StLSt crystals may improve fat compatibilities and further delay liquid–oil migration and recrystallization in chocolates during temperature fluctuations. Full article