Search Results (2,551)

The Jurassic lacustrine oil shale in southwest China has become a primary production layer due to its high yield and substantial reserves. However, influenced by the lacustrine environment, the vertical profile of the lacustrine shale reservoir shows alternating deposits of shale and carbonate rock. This complex lithological combination results in significant heterogeneity in reservoir types, reservoir distribution, and internal structure. Currently, research on micro-pore structure and hydrocarbon storage mechanisms in lacustrine shales is insufficient, necessitating the elucidation of their micro-characteristics to support future exploration and development. This research focuses on the Da’anzhai Member of Jurassic Ziliujing Formation. Various techniques—including organic geochemical analysis, X-ray diffraction, physical property testing, gradient centrifugation, and gradient drying NMR monitoring—were employed to investigate the micro-pore structure and fluid storage mechanisms of the lacustrine shale reservoir. The following insights were gained from this research. The organic matter pores (OMP) and inorganic pores (IP) developed within the Da’anzhai lacustrine shale reservoir together create the storage space for shale oil, while micro-fractures further enhance the reservoir’s storage capacity and flow performance. Lacustrine shale oil exists in three storage states: mobile oil, bound oil, and adsorbed oil. Mobile oil is primarily located within the micro-fractures and large pores (greater than 350 nm) of the shale reservoir and is the main target for industrial extraction. Bound oil is mainly found in the meso-pores, micropores, and narrow pore structures between rock grains (30 nm to 350 nm), and, theoretically, could potentially be developed through engineering methods such as hydraulic fracturing. Adsorbed oil, due to its close binding with organic matter and clay mineral surfaces, is difficult to release effectively using conventional techniques. The OM abundance, the mineral composition of lacustrine shale, and the pore structure all influence the storage states of shale oil. While a high TOC value increases the amount of mobile oil, the strong adsorption properties of kerogen and organic matter lead to the accumulation of adsorbed oil, which inhibits oil flow. Clay minerals further restrict oil flow by enhancing adsorption, while brittle minerals facilitate the movement of mobile oil by expanding pore space. Based on fractal geometry theory and multi-scale testing results, the large pores in the Da’anzhai lacustrine shale have a high fractal dimension and exhibit complex shapes. However, as pore complexity increases, the amount of adsorbed oil rises significantly, which in turn reduces the proportion of movable oil. Full article

Wildfire smoke visualization using geostationary satellite imagery is essential for real-time monitoring and atmospheric analysis; however, inconsistencies in color tone across Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) images hinder reliable interpretation and model training. This study proposes a Standardized False Color Composite (SFCC) framework based on deep learning style transfer to enhance the visual consistency and interpretability of wildfire smoke scenes. Four tone-standardization methods were compared: the statistical Empirical Cumulative Distribution Function (ECDF) correction and three neural approaches—ReHistoGAN, StyTr², and Style Injection Diffusion Model (SI-DM). Each model was evaluated visually and quantitatively using six metrics (SSIM, LPIPS, FID, histogram similarity, ArtFID, and LSCI) and validated on three major wildfire events in Korea (2022–2025). Among the tested models, SI-DM achieved the most balanced performance, preserving structural features while ensuring consistent color-tone alignment (ArtFID = 1.620; LSCI mean = 0.894). Qualitative assessments further confirmed that SI-DM effectively delineated smoke boundaries and maintained natural background tones under complex atmospheric conditions. Additional analysis using GEMS UVAI, VISAI, and CHOCHO demonstrated that the styled composites partially reflect the optical and chemical characteristics distinguishing wildfire smoke from dust aerosols. The proposed SFCC framework establishes a foundation for visually standardized satellite smoke imagery and provides potential for future aerosol-type classification and automated detection applications. Full article

Long-eared Owls (Asio otus) overwinter in groups, mainly on coniferous trees in human settlements. These owls regurgitate the indigestible parts of their prey as pellets. Analysis of pellet contents provides valuable information on diet composition and reflects the characteristics of the hunting area. We assumed that prey availability for owls is influenced by the extent of built-up areas and by the distribution of habitats around the roosting site. In the winter of 2016/2017, we collected three samples of 1000 pellets from settlements in the southern part of Hungary: the village of Udvar, the town of Mohács, and the city of Pécs. Species accumulation curves were calculated based on cumulative prey species richness and rarity. To assess the effect of built-up areas, we compared the diet composition of owls wintering in settlements of different sizes. To estimate the size of the hunting area, we compared the relative abundance of small mammal species with different habitat preferences detected in the pellets with the proportion of habitat type within circles of one, two, and three kilometres around the roosting sites. The proportion of open and forested habitats decreased as the extent of built-up areas increased. This reduced access to the owls’ main prey, especially Common Voles (Microtus arvalis) and other small mammals. As a result, the minimum number of pellets needed for a representative sample was at least 300 in the village, 600 in the town, and 1000 in the city. In the city, owls showed higher prey species richness, greater diversity, higher evenness, and a wider food niche than owls in the town or village. In the village, the relative abundance of small mammal species associated with urban, open, forested, or wetland habitats in the owl diet fully matched the distribution of these habitat types within a three-kilometre radius around the roosting site. In the town, such matching was found only for open and forested habitats. In the city, this relationship was observed only for wetland habitats. Pellet analysis of wintering Long-eared Owls can reveal the impact of land use on small mammal prey communities and highlight important ecosystem services of this owl species, including its role in reducing small mammal pests. Full article

An archaeological exposure near Hachum, featuring a ditch profile interpreted as part of a Neolithic earthwork, was characterized using DNA analyses of bacterial 16S rRNA from soil samples. The NGS data from 13 sampling points at different positions and depths within the trench profile were compared with regard to the percentage distribution of phyla and the frequency of occurrence of individual bacterial types (genera or operational taxonomic units, OTUs). Characteristic differences between parts of the trench profile became apparent based on correlations of OTU abundances as well as the occurrence of specific types. In particular, a high similarity in bacterial communities was observed among samples from intermediate trench depths, while a markedly different composition was found in the area of the central trench bottom. These findings indicate that the trench must have remained open for a certain period of time and was later filled relatively homogeneously. The results showed that the middle and lower parts of the ditch fill could be clearly distinguished from each other and from the surrounding area based on the composition of soil bacterial DNA. Genera detected predominantly in the lower part of the ditch suggest that, after the ditch was completed, organic matter, animal dung, and possibly even human feces were accumulated at the bottom. The investigations demonstrate that analyses of soil bacterial communities can provide valuable insights into the history and function of a Neolithic earthwork and, more generally, represent an important additional source of information for interpreting archaeological contexts that are devoid of or poor in finds. Full article

In silicon–carbon (Si-C) anode materials fabricated via chemical vapor deposition (CVD), the pore size distribution of porous carbon is a critical parameter that strongly affects the overall electrochemical performance. In this study, biomass-derived hard carbon was employed as the precursor, and porous carbon materials with distinct pore size characteristics were prepared via fluidized bed porosimetry after carbonization at different temperatures. Based on these porous carbon substrates, three types of Si-C anodes corresponding to low-, medium-, and high-temperature treatments were synthesized through a combination of SiH₄ deposition and carbon coating processes. Electrochemical evaluation demonstrated that all three Si-C anodes exhibited favorable electrochemical performance and suppressed volume expansion. Among them, the Si-C anode prepared at a medium temperature of 1100 °C, denoted as NT-P-SC, delivered the most balanced performance, achieving an initial coulombic efficiency of 94.47% together with excellent rate capability. Furthermore, when Si-C anodes derived from different porous carbon matrices were blended with graphite to achieve a composite capacity of 500 mAh/g and evaluated in full-cell configurations, the NT-P-SC silicon-based composite exhibited superior cycling stability. The composite delivered an initial discharge capacity of 3.53 mAh and maintained a capacity of 2.74 mAh after 1628 cycles, corresponding to a capacity retention of 77.62%. The improved electrochemical performance of the Si-C anode is primarily attributed to the optimized pore structure of the porous carbon matrix synergistically combined with the carbon coating process. Full article

Previous studies on kafirins in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor Moench) have focused mainly on grain and sprouts grown under tropical and subtropical climate conditions, while data on the content and fractional composition of kafirins in sorghum sprouts cultivated in temperate climates are scarce. In particular, the influence of the northern growing conditions, characteristic of Central Europe, on sorghum storage proteins has not yet been described, despite the fact that sorghum is currently cultivated in Poland. This study aimed to determine the total kafirin content and the distribution of α-, β-, and γ-kafirin fractions in sprouts of white and red sorghum grown under temperate climate conditions in Poland. Six-day-old sprouts were freeze-dried and extracted using a Tris-HCl/SDS/β-mercaptoethanol buffer. Kafirin content was quantified using the Bradford assay, SDS-PAGE, and HPLC, with method validation performed for accuracy, precision, and linearity. Total kafirin content ranged from 5.5 to 7.0 g/100 g dry matter (DM), with α-kafirin as the predominant fraction (4.2–5.0 g/100 g DM), followed by β-kafirin (0.5–1.0 g/100 g DM) and γ-kafirin (0.2–0.6 g/100 g DM). Sprouts of red sorghum varieties showed significantly higher total kafirin levels and a greater proportion of the γ-fraction, which may be associated with differences in protein structural properties and could suggest potential bioactivity, as indicated by previous literature. However, no direct functional or bioactivity assays were performed in this study. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences among selected sorghum varieties in total kafirin content and the proportion of the γ fraction (p < 0.05), with α being the dominant fraction in all tested samples. These results provide, for the first time, detailed data on the kafirin composition of sorghum sprouts grown in a temperate climate and address a key gap in the literature concerning the effect of environmental conditions on sorghum storage proteins. The findings support further research on the use of sorghum sprouts as a raw material for functional foods, protein-enriched products, and animal feed under European growing conditions. Full article

The regeneration of bone and the repair of large segmental bone defects represent critical challenges in regenerative medicine. Natural bone tissue is an anisotropic material characterized by an intricate gradient distribution in structure, mechanical properties, and biochemical composition; this multi-dimensional heterogeneity is crucial for maintaining its physiological functions and guiding regeneration. Although tissue engineering scaffolds have demonstrated significant potential in the treatment of bone defects, homogeneous or single-gradient scaffolds often struggle to precisely recapitulate the high degree of heterogeneity and anisotropy of natural bone from the macroscopic to the microscopic level, thereby limiting their capability in repairing complex bone defects. In recent years, biomimetic gradient scaffolds—particularly those employing multi-gradient synergistic designs that integrate physical structure, biochemical composition, and mechanical properties—have emerged as a research frontier in this field due to their ability to accurately mimic the natural bone microenvironment and regulate cellular behavior. This research aims to systematically review the latest research progress in gradient scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. First, gradient characteristics of biomimetic gradient bone scaffolds are summarized; second, the design strategies for gradient scaffolds are discussed in depth, with a focus on the applications and advantages of advanced fabrication techniques, such as additive manufacturing, in constructing multi-dimensional gradient structures; finally, based on current research findings, the emerging development trends and future research directions of biomimetic gradient bone scaffolds are outlined to provide a reference for innovative breakthroughs in the field of bone tissue engineering. Full article

The complementarity of plant proteins from various sources could achieve higher nutritional value to satisfy the requirement of replacing animal proteins. Therefore, it is very important to seek efficient and convenient approaches to fabricate highly soluble protein composites. In this study, macadamia protein–soybean protein (SP-MP′) composites were fabricated by alkaline-thermal treating at different ratios of 1:0.5, 1:1, and 1:2; then, the nitrogen solubility index, particle characteristics, and structure and emulsifying properties of SP-MP′ composites were investigated. The nitrogen solubility indexes of SP-MP′ composites were higher than 80%, and less small insoluble aggregates were observed by scanning electron microscopy. SP-MP′ composites exhibited high ζ-potential values, which were higher than −50 mV. Sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis found that both subunits of individually alkaline-thermal-treated macadamia protein (MP′) and soybean protein (SP′) were presented in SP-MP′ composites. The results of fluorescence, sulfhydryl group, and secondary structure illustrated that the SP interacted with MP to form SP-MP′ composites by the co-folding of proteins during neutralization. Compared to the individual proteins, SP-MP′ composites exhibited stronger emulsification ability and stability indexes (EAI and ESI) as the proportion of MP increased, and the EAI and ESI of SP-MP_1:2′ were 21.53 m²/g and 146.7%, respectively. Meanwhile, emulsions prepared by SP-MP′ composites displayed more uniform oil droplet distributions. The findings suggested that highly soluble SP-MP′ composites with stronger emulsification abilities were successfully fabricated, which have great potential as ingredients to manufacture nutritional plant protein beverages. Full article

To address the technical challenge where traditional high-pressure, large-flow emulsion pump stations cannot adapt to the drastic flow rate changes in hydraulic supports due to the fixed displacement of their quantitative pumps—leading to frequent system unloading, severe impacts, and damage—this study proposes an intelligent flow control method based on the digital flow distribution principle for actively perceiving and matching support demands. Building on this method, a compact, electro-hydraulically separated prototype with stepless flow regulation was developed. The system integrates high-speed switching solenoid valves, a piston push rod, a plunger pump, sensors, and a controller. By monitoring piston position in real time, the controller employs an optimized combined regulation strategy that integrates adjustable duty cycles across single, dual, and multiple cycles. This dynamically adjusts the switching timing of the pilot solenoid valve, thereby precisely controlling the closure of the inlet valve. As a result, part of the fluid can return to the suction line during the compression phase, fundamentally achieving accurate and smooth matching between the pump output flow and support demand, while significantly reducing system fluctuations and impacts. This research adopts a combined approach of co-simulation and experimental validation to deeply investigate the dynamic coupling relationship between the piston’s extreme position and delayed valve closure. It further establishes a comprehensive dynamic coupling model covering the response of the pilot valve, actuator motion, and backflow control characteristics. By analyzing key parameters such as reset spring stiffness, piston cylinder diameter, and actuator load, the system reliability is optimized. Evaluation of the backflow strategy and delay phase verifies the effectiveness of the multi-mode composite regulation strategy based on digital displacement pump technology, which extends the effective flow range of the pump to 20–100% of its rated flow. Experimental results show that the system achieves a flow regulation range of 83% under load and 57% without load, with energy efficiency improved by 15–20% due to a significant reduction in overflow losses. Compared with traditional unloading methods, this approach demonstrates markedly higher control precision and stability, with substantial reductions in both flow root mean square error (53.4 L/min vs. 357.2 L/min) and fluctuation amplitude (±3.5 L/min vs. ±12.8 L/min). The system can intelligently respond to support conditions, providing high pressure with small flow during the lowering stage and low pressure with large flow during the lifting stage, effectively achieving on-demand and precise supply of dynamic flow and pressure. The proposed “demand feedforward–flow coordination” control architecture, the innovative electro-hydraulically separated structure, and the multi-cycle optimized regulation strategy collectively provide a practical and feasible solution for upgrading the fluid supply system in fully mechanized mining faces toward fast response, high energy efficiency, and intelligent operation. Full article

The influence of potassium oxide (K₂O) doping on the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) performance of trimetallic CoMo–Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts was systematically investigated using guaiacol as a lignin-derived model compound. Catalysts containing 0, 1, 3, and 5 wt% K₂O were synthesized and characterized by SEM-EDS, N₂ physisorption, XRD, FTIR, and HRTEM. SEM micrographs showed homogeneous morphologies with no significant agglomeration, while EDS analysis confirmed elemental compositions close to nominal values, with K₂O contents increasing proportionally and maintaining uniform surface distribution. Adsorption–desorption isotherms confirmed mesoporous structures with specific surface areas ranging from 258 to 184 m² g⁻¹, decreasing with increasing K₂O loading. XRD revealed γ-Al₂O₃, NiO, (NH₄)₃[CoMo₆O₂₄H₆]·7H₂O, and K₂O phases, with slight peak shifts indicating surface modification rather than lattice incorporation of K⁺. FTIR spectra evidenced characteristic polyoxomolybdate vibrations and metal–oxygen interactions with alumina. HRTEM revealed MoS₂ slab lengths between 1.85 and 2.51 nm, stacking numbers from 2.08 to 3.17, and Mo edge-to-corner ratios (f_e/fc) between 1.39 and 2.43, corresponding to dispersions of 0.45–0.57. Guaiacol conversion remained high (≥95%) for all catalysts, while HDO selectivity strongly depended on K₂O content. At 5 wt% K₂O, cyclohexane selectivity reached 81.3% with an HDO degree of 65%, compared to 52.0% and 31% for the undoped catalyst. Pseudo-first-order kinetic analysis revealed that potassium promotes demethylation and demethoxylation steps while suppressing rearrangement pathways, steering the reaction network toward direct deoxygenation. These results demonstrate that K₂O acts as an efficient structural and electronic promoter, enabling precise control of HDO selectivity without compromising catalytic activity. Full article

Fungal bioaerosols play a critical ecological and health role in intensive poultry production systems. However, their dynamic characteristics and community succession patterns in confined cage environments during winter remain poorly understood. This study investigated a typical confined broiler house in Hebei Province, China, during winter. A combined approach of Andersen six-stage sampling, colony counting, and Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) high-throughput sequencing was employed to comprehensively analyze the concentration, particle size distribution, diversity, and community composition of fungal bioaerosols across three key growth stages: 7 days (brooding phase), 21 days (growing phase), and 35 days (finishing phase). The results revealed a significant increasing trend in fungal aerosol concentration as the rearing cycle progressed, increasing from 1125 ± 125 CFU/m³ at day 7 to 3872 ± 565 CFU/m³ at day 35 (p < 0.001), reaching high-risk exposure levels in the later stages. Small-sized fungal bioaerosols (<4.7 μm) were dominant across all stages (54.35–65.50%), with the highest proportion observed at day 21, indicating their potential for deep respiratory deposition and long-distance airborne transmission. The number of Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs), along with Chao1 and Shannon indices, increased significantly with bird age (p < 0.001), demonstrating a clear community succession from early-stage yeast-dominated forms (e.g., Diutina, Blumeria) to mid- and late-stage assemblages dominated by filamentous fungi (e.g., Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Alternaria). Notably, several zoonotic pathogenic genera were detected throughout all rearing stages, highlighting the potential risks of airborne fungi to animal health, occupational exposure, and environmental safety under winter ventilation restrictions. This study characterizes a stage-dependent pattern of increasing airborne fungal concentrations accompanied by shifts in particle size distribution and community composition under winter confined conditions. The findings provide a crucial scientific basis for optimizing winter ventilation and environmental management strategies, improving environmental control technologies, establishing airborne biosafety standards, and developing targeted fungal monitoring and prevention technologies. Full article

Within the cloud manufacturing paradigm, Cloud Manufacturing Service Composition (CMSC) is a core technology for intelligent resource orchestration in Cloud Manufacturing Platforms (CMP). However, existing research faces critical limitations in real-world CMP operations: single-task-centric optimization ignores resource sharing/competition among coexisting manufacturing tasks (MTs), causing performance degradation and resource “starvation”; traditional heuristics require full re-execution for new scenarios, failing to support real-time online decision-making; single-agent reinforcement learning (RL) lacks mechanisms to balance global efficiency and inter-task fairness, suffering from inherent fairness defects. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a fairness-aware multi-task CMSC method based on Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning (MARL) under the Centralized Training with Decentralized Execution (CTDE) framework, targeting the symmetry-breaking issue of uneven resource allocation among MTs and aiming to achieve symmetry restoration by restoring relative balance in resource acquisition. The method constructs a multi-task CMSC model that captures real-world resource sharing/competition among concurrent MTs, and integrates a centralized global coordination agent into the MARL framework (with independent task agents per MT) to dynamically regulate resource selection probabilities, overcoming single-agent fairness defects while preserving distributed autonomy. Additionally, a two-layer attention mechanism is introduced—task-level self-attention for intra-task subtask correlations and global state self-attention for critical resource features—enabling precise synergy between local task characteristics and global resource states. Experiments verify that the proposed method significantly enhances inter-task fairness while maintaining superior global Quality of Service (QoS), demonstrating its effectiveness in balancing efficiency and fairness for dynamic multi-task CMSC. Full article

Soil texture is recognised as one of the key physical properties of soil. Although traditional laboratory testing methods can determine soil texture information with high accuracy, they are often considered time-consuming and costly. To achieve rapid and accurate acquisition of soil texture information, this study proposes RVFM, a hybrid deep learning model designed for soil texture detection using microscopic images. The model integrates a CNN branch for extracting multi-dimensional texture features with a Transformer branch for capturing global positional information, fused via a cross-attention module. This architecture effectively captures microscopic distribution characteristics to estimate soil composition proportions. Experimental results demonstrate high precision, with prediction coefficients (R²) for sand, silt, and clay reaching 0.971, 0.954, and 0.931, respectively. Corresponding Root Mean Square Errors (RMSE) were recorded at 3.789, 2.842, and 2.780. The test results outperform those of other classical network models, and the model shows better fitting performance in generalisation tests, demonstrating certain practical value Full article

This study reports the incidental collection and exploratory analysis of a biofilm sample obtained from a water distribution pipeline in the Central Province of Sri Lanka, which had been in continuous service for approximately 50 years. Access to the pipe interior was achieved during a repair operation, providing a rare opportunity to directly sample an aged pipeline under the typical operating conditions of a tropical, developing country. An exploratory research design was adopted to examine the bacterial community composition and was explicitly framed as hypothesis-generating rather than testing predefined hypotheses. Bacterial community composition was analyzed using high-throughput MiSeq sequencing. At the genus level, the community was strongly enriched with Clostridium sensu stricto lineages, notably type 1 (relative abundance of 9.19%), type 12 (8.58%), and type 9 (3.09%). Several other genera, Nitrospira (4.94%), Bacillus (4.60%), Methyloligobacillus (3.75%), Hyphomicrobium (2.14%), and Haliangium (1.82%), occurred at moderate abundances, raising their potential consequences on biological and chemical water quality issues. Given the exploratory nature of the study, these findings represent site-specific biofilm characteristics in an aging drinking water distribution line in Sri Lanka. Although limited to a single biofilm sample, this study provides empirical observations from a rarely accessible environment and identifies knowledge gaps to guide future comprehensive investigations into biofilm dynamics, microbial ecology, and infrastructure management in tropical water distribution systems. Full article

The extraction of land gas resources requires efficient methods to address the issue of pipeline obstruction due to the accumulation of natural gas hydrates. The existing ground heating, downhole throttling, and decompression measures are energy-intensive. The metal-reinforced composite heat-insulation pipe serves as the production string for terrestrial natural gas wells, effectively minimizing temperature loss of natural gas within the wellbore. This innovation eliminates the need for ground heating equipment and downhole throttling devices in large-scale gas well production, thereby fundamentally achieving environmentally sustainable natural gas extraction, energy conservation, and cost reduction. This research simulates the operational circumstances and environmental characteristics of the Sulige gas field. Utilizing predictions and analyses of the formation characteristics of natural gas hydrate, the gas–solid two-phase flow DPM model, RNG k-ε turbulence model, heat transfer characteristics, and population balance model are employed to examine the concentration distribution, pressure distribution, velocity distribution, and heat transfer characteristics of natural gas hydrate within the vertical tube of the structure. The findings indicate that a reduction in natural gas production or an increase in hydrate volume fraction leads to significant accumulation of hydrate adjacent to the tube wall, while the concentration distribution of hydrate is more uniform at elevated production conditions. The pressure distribution of hydrate under each operational state exhibits a pattern characterized by a high central concentration that progressively diminishes towards the periphery. The unit pressure drop of hydrate markedly escalates with an increase in flow rate. As the ambient temperature of the formation rises or the flow rate escalates, the thermal loss of the hydrate along the pipeline diminishes, resulting in an elevated exit temperature. Minimizing the thermal conductivity of the composite pipe can significantly decrease the temperature loss of the hydrate along the pipeline, greatly aiding in hydrate inhibition during the extraction of natural gas from terrestrial wells. This paper’s research offers theoretical backing for the enduring technical application of metal-reinforced composite insulating pipes in terrestrial gas fields, including the Sulige gas field. Full article