Search Results (62,499)

The phytoplankton community, which forms the base of aquatic food webs, plays a central role in ecosystem functioning and accounts for most primary production in aquatic systems, particularly in lentic environments. However, climate change and chemical pollution, especially herbicides, pose increasing threats to its structure and functioning. We hypothesized that herbicide exposure would alter both structural and functional attributes of the phytoplankton community, with primary production responding more strongly than community structure. This experimental study evaluated the effects of two widely used herbicides, atrazine and 2,4-D, applied individually and in combination, on a phytoplankton community maintained at a fixed elevated temperature representative of the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway SSP2-4.5 scenario described in the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Because temperature was not experimentally varied, the study was designed to assess herbicide responses under this fixed elevated thermal condition rather than warming effects or herbicide–temperature interactions. Phytoplankton samples collected from an artificial urban reservoir were exposed to six treatments, including a control, comprising different nominal concentrations of atrazine (32 and 64 µg L⁻¹) and 2,4-D (150 and 500 µg L⁻¹), applied alone or in mixture, in a completely randomized design with 10 independent replicates per treatment. Throughout the experiment, all samples were maintained under identical experimental conditions: a constant temperature of 31.8 °C, an irradiance of 140 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹, and a 12 h light/12 h dark photoperiod. Response variables included density, taxonomic composition, biomass (chlorophyll a), and primary production (net photosynthesis). The results showed that herbicide treatment altered taxonomic composition and was associated with a marginal response in density but had no significant effects on species richness, diversity, evenness, dominance, or biomass. In contrast, net photosynthesis was the only functional variable significantly affected by herbicide treatments, with post hoc comparisons revealing lower values in the Mixture treatment than in the 2,4-D High treatment. Overall, these findings suggest a decoupling between community structure and phytoplankton functional performance following exposure to atrazine and 2,4-D under a thermal condition representative of the SSP2-4.5 climate scenario, with net photosynthesis appearing more sensitive than conventional structural descriptors. Full article

Brown root rot disease (BRRD), caused by Pyrrhoderma noxium, creates a post-sanitation restoration problem where complete root excavation and soil fumigation are environmentally or operationally impractical. This retrospective observational study reconstructed archival records from an integrated management program at Shimen Reservoir, Taiwan, to characterize the field establishment and growth of Musa spp. as a candidate rapid-establishment component and Bischofia javanica as a potential long-term woody-canopy component. Across 15 management zones, the program planted 1045 B. javanica seedlings in 11 zones and 527 Musa plants in six zones. Four quarterly censuses recorded quarter-specific pooled alive-status proportions of 31.8, 31.1, 29.9, and 29.9% for B. javanica and 72.1, 70.4, 71.0, and 77.8% for Musa. Fixed monitoring cohorts of 95 B. javanica and 50 Musa documented continued growth among measurable individuals. Because plant groups and management zones were non-randomly allocated, no untreated controls were available, and plant-by-plant BRRD status was not systematically diagnosed, these results describe contrasting operational establishment trajectories rather than differential BRRD resistance. The records support ‘outpacing disease’ as a prospective restoration hypothesis—not a demonstrated pathogen-suppression or functional-restoration strategy—in which vegetation establishment may proceed while sanitation, monitoring, and selective woody re-establishment continue. Full article

L-proline (Pro) is a conditionally essential amino acid that has been reported to exert protective effects on intestinal health. This research investigated whether Pro supplementation reduces intestinal inflammation in weaned rabbits, and whether this effect involves the maintenance of the intestinal mucosal barrier and the composition of gut microbiota. A total of thirty weaned New Zealand White rabbits were randomly divided into five groups: a control group, an LPS-challenged model group, and three LPS-challenged groups receiving 0.5%, 1% or 2% Pro in their drinking water. Following the overall results of the study, 1% Pro was chosen for further investigation. Notably, 1% Pro supplementation significantly decreased the spleen index, alleviated colonic histopathological injury, enhanced the expression of the tight junction proteins Occludin and Zonula Occludens-1 (ZO-1), restored the population of goblet cells, decreased the colonic mRNA levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL1B and IL6, and increased the expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL10. Microbiome analysis revealed that Pro supplementation was associated with alterations in the dysbiotic gut ecosystem, including increased relative abundances of potentially beneficial genera such as Ruminococcus, Christensenellaceae_R-7_group, and Lachnospiraceae_NK4B4_group, and decreased the relative abundance of opportunistic pathogens like Escherichia–Shigella. Overall, these results suggest that Pro functions as a microbiota-modulating immunonutrient that mitigates intestinal inflammation and supports the integrity of the mucosal barrier, likely through changes in gut microbial composition. Full article

Population growth in urban food systems has led to a decline in food resources and the emergence of social imbalances, while consumers’ shift toward a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, against the backdrop of a growing carbon footprint and negative health impacts, highlights the need to promote fish-based products as part of a balanced diet, alongside the implementation of circular strategies for utilizing byproducts from processing, which has led to increased interest in reformulating these products in accordance with the principles of the circular bioeconomy. Aquaculture and the agri-food industry generate a large amount of byproducts that are underutilized, even though they could be extremely useful as functional food ingredients. Recycling these streams into ingredients is an effective way to reduce food waste, make better use of resources, and lessen the environmental impact of food systems. In this context, by-products can be strategically incorporated into food reformulation processes, where their bioactive compounds simultaneously improve both the nutritional value and the technological function of foods. However, such approaches can only be effectively utilized if there is a coordinated framework that ensures food safety, supports scalable processing technologies, and complies with regulatory standards. This analysis takes an integrated approach to examine how specific processing strategies, quality control measures, and risk assessment protocols can work together to ensure nutritional optimization, guarantee food safety, and promote circular use. This paper also addresses how these interconnected systems contribute to maintaining public health and increasing consumer confidence, particularly in urban food systems. By highlighting these connections, the research offers a clearer operational perspective on applying circular economy principles to sustainable food production. Even with these opportunities, issues related to scalability, regulatory compliance, and the limited number of applied studies remain major challenges. In this context, this paper examines how the coordinated implementation of these mechanisms can contribute to public health, strengthen consumer confidence, and facilitate the transition to sustainable urban food systems. Finally, this paper offers a clearer operational perspective on how the principles of the circular economy can be effectively put into practice by harmonizing nutrition, safety, and value-added recovery. Full article

The increasing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) has created a growing need for battery systems that can deliver high efficiency, reliable operation, and effective thermal management. This study develops an EV battery model using MATLAB/Simulink and Simscape, with the BYD ATTO 3 specifications used as a reference, to investigate the influence of battery voltage, coolant flow, and battery capacity on four key performance indicators: battery temperature, power loss, state of charge (SOC), and state of health (SOH). Response surface methodology (RSM), combined with a Box–Behnken design (BBD) was employed to develop a quadratic regression model, evaluate the significance of the selected factors through analysis of variance (ANOVA), and identify the optimal operating conditions using the desirability function. The simulation results show that battery voltage and battery capacity have a greater influence on electrical performance, whereas coolant flow was more influential in thermal regulation. Under the optimal operating conditions, the battery achieved a temperature of 21.63 °C, a power loss of 3966.30 W, an SOC of 91.37%, and an SOH of 91.34%. The developed regression models demonstrated excellent predictive capability for all response variables, confirming the suitability of the proposed optimization approach. These findings demonstrate that the proposed optimization framework can balance thermal behavior, energy efficiency, and battery health. The developed methodology also provides a practical foundation for battery management and lookup-table-based control strategies in future EV applications. Full article

Background: Chronic autoimmune thyroiditis (CAT) is characterized by persistent autoimmune activity and increased oxidative stress, which may contribute to thyroid follicular injury and disease progression. Photobiomodulation (PBM) has shown potential beneficial effects on thyroid function and autoimmunity; however, its independent effect on systemic antioxidant status, particularly serum glutathione (GSH), has not been established. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of thyroid-directed PBM on serum GSH concentrations and thyroid-related outcomes in treatment-naïve euthyroid women with CAT. Methods: This prospective, non-randomized, open-label, parallel-group comparative interventional study included 50 treatment-naïve euthyroid women with CAT. Participants were allocated to receive either thyroid-directed transdermal PBM (n = 25) or selenium plus vitamin D supplementation (n = 25). The primary outcome was the change in serum GSH concentration. Secondary outcomes included changes in thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (anti-TPO), anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (anti-Tg), thyroid volume, and anthropometric parameters. Assessments were performed at baseline (T0), after the intervention period (T1), and three months after intervention completion (T2). Results: A significant time × group interaction was observed for serum GSH concentrations (F = 19.101, p < 0.0001). Significant interactions were also observed for anti-TPO (F = 7.513, p = 0.001), anti-Tg (F = 7.389, p = 0.002), and thyroid volume (F = 13.081, p < 0.0001). In the PBM group, GSH increased from baseline to T1 and remained higher at T2, while TSH, anti-TPO, anti-Tg, and thyroid volume decreased, and FT3 and FT4 increased. No significant longitudinal changes in GSH or thyroid autoantibodies were observed in the supplementation group. No participant in the PBM group required levothyroxine (LT4) initiation during follow-up, whereas 24% of participants in the supplementation group initiated LT4 therapy at T1, with some requiring dose escalation by T2. Conclusions: Thyroid-directed PBM was associated with improved systemic GSH status and favorable changes in thyroid autoimmunity, thyroid function parameters, and thyroid volume compared with selenium plus vitamin D supplementation in treatment-naïve euthyroid women with CAT. These findings suggest that modulation of oxidative stress may represent one potential biological pathway underlying the observed effects of PBM. Larger randomized controlled studies with longer follow-up are required to confirm these findings and define the clinical role of PBM in autoimmune thyroid disease. Full article

A fractional-order mathematical model is derived for mpox transmission dynamics that explicitly incorporates the influence of public awareness through a new awareness-dependent transmission function. The proposed incidence function models the reduction in disease transmission as the level of awareness increases, thereby capturing the dynamic interaction between epidemic progression and behavioral response. The model further accounts for asymptomatic infection, hospitalization, recovery, and awareness evolution using Caputo fractional derivatives to incorporate memory effects. Basic mathematical properties of the model, including positivity, boundedness, and existence of solutions, are established. The basic reproduction number, $R_0$, is derived using the next-generation matrix approach, and a sensitivity analysis is performed to identify the epidemiological parameters that most strongly influence disease transmission. Local and global stability analyses demonstrate that the disease-free equilibrium is locally and globally asymptotically stable whenever $R_0<1$, while an endemic equilibrium exists and is globally asymptotically stable when $R_0>1$ and a forward transcritical bifurcation occurs at $R_0=1$. Numerical simulations validate the analytical findings and illustrate the significant role of sustained public awareness in reducing disease transmission and mitigating epidemic outbreaks. The results obtained from the proposed model suggest that combining behavioral awareness strategies with conventional public health interventions can substantially improve the long-term control of mpox. Full article

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by thrombotic and inflammatory manifestations whose molecular regulatory mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and N6-methyladenosine (m6A)-related regulation are increasingly recognized as components of immune gene regulation, but their involvement in APS remains poorly characterized. This study investigated BRD3OS (LINC00094) expression in APS and explored its molecular and predicted structural context in relation to m6A-associated regulation. An exploratory case–control study was conducted using an initial lncRNA PCR-array discovery cohort followed by targeted RT-qPCR validation in an independent cohort. Candidate prioritization incorporated multiple expression and technical features and was evaluated through sensitivity analyses. BRD3OS expression, selected m6A regulators (METTL3, METTL14, WTAP, and FTO), inflammatory mediators, and global m6A abundance in total peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) RNA were evaluated. Bioinformatic network analysis was used to contextualize BRD3OS within APS- and m6A-related molecular systems. RNAfold and RNAplfold were used to characterize the predicted structural context and accessibility of DRACH consensus motifs, with additional analyses evaluating fragment-boundary and composite-score robustness. BRD3OS was significantly downregulated in PBMCs from patients with APS in the independent validation cohort. METTL3, METTL14, and WTAP expression was also reduced, whereas global m6A levels in total PBMC RNA were increased. These observations indicate concurrent alterations in BRD3OS expression and the broader m6A-related molecular environment but do not establish transcript-specific methylation of BRD3OS. Bioinformatic network analysis placed BRD3OS within predicted RNA-centered regulatory relationships relevant to APS. DRACH motifs exhibited heterogeneous predicted structural accessibility, with unpaired structural environments showing greater RNAplfold-derived accessibility than paired regions. Quantitative accessibility estimates were highly concordant across overlapping transcript fragments, although sensitivity analyses indicated that the identity of individual highest-ranked candidates depended on the weighting scheme. BRD3OS downregulation represents a reproducible molecular finding in APS. Concurrent alterations in global m6A abundance and selected m6A regulators suggest broader epitranscriptomic dysregulation; however, these measurements cannot establish m6A modification of BRD3OS or a causal relationship between these observations. Structural and network analyses therefore provide a hypothesis-generating framework for prioritizing candidate regions and interactions for future transcript-specific methylation mapping and functional validation. Full article

Pastoral imagery in Han dynasty mural tombs of China’s northern frontier may offer unique visual evidence for examining subsistence patterns, ethnic interactions, and the processes of elite identity construction in imperial borderlands. Existing scholarship has predominantly interpreted this motif through three frameworks—livelihood reflection, Hu-Han ethnic integration, and the origins of Chinese landscape painting—yet has not fully addressed its functional transformation within mortuary contexts and the underlying spatial logic of identity construction. Drawing on seven systematically documented mural tombs from the Ordos Plateau and Hetao Plain, this study combines archaeological typology, formal iconographic analysis, and spatial contextual analysis to trace the full evolutionary trajectory of pastoral imagery. This study suggests that the motif may be interpreted as undergoing a transition away from explicitly sacred contexts toward a closer association with material representation from the late Western Han to the late Eastern Han: early stylized renditions, derived from the Central Plains xian (immortal) mountain iconographic paradigm, appear to have served the construction of a sacred cosmic space for post-mortem ascension, while later realistic depictions were increasingly repositioned in storage side chambers, potentially functioning as visual representations of manorial livestock assets. Spatially, pastoral imagery gradually formed a stable “Inner Manor/Outer Wilderness” sequential narrative, which visually domesticated the heterogeneous frontier wilderness and enabled local magnates to construct a transcultural elite identity integrating Han ritual orthodoxy and control over diverse frontier resources. This study recalibrates the regional position of pastoral imagery in the secularization of Han mortuary art, and is consistent with a perspective for understanding the northern frontier as a dynamic transcultural frontier zone of cultural negotiation and integration. Full article

Severe steam channeling in heterogeneous heavy oil reservoirs severely restricts thermal recovery efficiency, as conventional conformance control materials cannot simultaneously achieve long-term high-temperature resistance and deep reservoir penetration. This work develops a high-temperature-resistant epoxy-based liquid microsphere system for deep profile control in heavy oil steam flooding. A triple thermal-stabilization strategy is constructed: imide chain extension to enhance backbone rigidity, benzoxazine-phthalonitrile grafting to form dense triazine crosslinked networks, and KH-550-functionalized nano-silica for synergistic reinforcement. FT-IR and ¹H NMR verify the successful incorporation of rigid imide and triazine structures. TGA confirms the optimal formulation exhibits less than 5% mass loss at 350 °C. Multi-segment sand-packed tube tests demonstrate favorable deep migration capacity with inter-stage pressure ratios below 4 across 5000–15,000 × 10⁻³ μm² permeability, and the cured network retains over 95% plugging efficiency after 350 °C steam scouring. Dual-tube heterogeneous flooding delivers 12.05% incremental oil recovery, outperforming rigid inorganic particles. This system provides a high-performance candidate for deep steam channeling mitigation in heavy oil thermal recovery. Full article

Porous polymer nanocomposites incorporating metal oxide nanoparticles (SiO₂, ZrO₂, and TiO₂) were synthesized via the aza–Michael addition reaction of ethyleneamines with poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) under polymerization-induced phase-separation conditions. The resulting nanocomposites exhibited interconnected particulate morphologies with particle diameters ranging from less than 0.5 to 5.0 μm. Increasing the nanoparticle content led to a significant reduction in particle size, indicating that the nanoparticles influenced the phase-separation process and the development of the porous structure. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy confirmed the homogeneous distribution of nanoparticles throughout the polymer matrix. The refinement of the porous morphology increased the bulk density and consequently enhanced the Young’s modulus of the nanocomposites. In addition, porous nanocomposites containing SiO₂ nanoparticles exhibited distinct coloration when immersed in toluene owing to the Christiansen filter effect. The transmission wavelength shifted toward longer wavelengths with increasing SiO₂ content, which was attributed to a decrease in the effective refractive index of the porous nanocomposites. These results demonstrate that the incorporation of metal oxide nanoparticles provides an effective strategy for controlling the morphology, mechanical properties, and optical functionality of porous polymer nanocomposites. Full article

Multi-objective optimization has become an indispensable tool for solving engineering design and manufacturing problems involving multiple conflicting objectives. This paper presents a novel parameter-less multi-objective optimization (MOO) framework that combines the strengths of evolutionary MOO techniques with the parameter-free search philosophy of the Jaya and Rao algorithms. The proposed framework incorporates non-dominated sorting, elite archiving, and crowding-distance mechanisms to achieve an effective balance between convergence and diversity while eliminating the need for algorithm-specific control parameters. The proposed framework is first validated on sixteen widely used unconstrained benchmark problems comprising five ZDT, seven DTLZ, two IDTLZ, and two SDTLZ test suites using the maximum number of function evaluations reported in the literature. Its performance is evaluated using five widely accepted quality indicators, namely Generational Distance (GD), Inverted Generational Distance (IGD), Hypervolume (HV), Spacing (SP), and Spread (SD). The benchmark results demonstrate that the proposed framework produces competitive Pareto-optimal fronts and exhibits excellent convergence, diversity, and solution distribution compared with several state-of-the-art evolutionary multi-objective optimization algorithms. The practical applicability of the proposed framework is demonstrated through five representative manufacturing optimization problems involving Selective Laser Melting, Microwave Hybrid Heating, Sustainable Machining, Wire Electrical Discharge Machining, and Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing. These case studies encompass additive, thermal, subtractive, and many-objective manufacturing optimization problems with conflicting performance measures. The generated Pareto-optimal solutions are subsequently ranked using the recently developed BHARAT (Best Holistic Adaptable Ranking of Attributes Technique) multi-attribute decision-making method to identify the most suitable compromise solutions. The obtained results demonstrate that the proposed parameter-less MOO framework provides a simple approach with competitive convergence, diversity, and decision-support capabilities for complex manufacturing optimization problems. Full article

The growing environmental impact of petroleum-based plastic packaging has accelerated the development of biodegradable materials from renewable resources. In this study, cellulose extracted from wheat straw was regenerated into biodegradable films using calcium-ion crosslinking and glycerol plasticization. A Box–Behnken experimental design optimized cellulose content (0.35–0.5 g), calcium chloride concentration (200–800 nm), and glycerol concentration (0.5–1.5%) to produce films with balanced mechanical and barrier properties. The optimized film was characterized for its physicochemical, mechanical, optical, antioxidant, and biodegradation properties and evaluated for fresh grape packaging. The film exhibited favorable mechanical strength of 30.82 ± 4.70 MPa, controlled water vapor permeability of 0.59 ± 0.06 10⁻¹⁰ gm⁻¹ s⁻¹ Pa⁻¹, elongation at break of 4.36 ± 0.35%, moderate transparency of 22.95 ± 0.65% mm⁻¹ at 600 nm, and ultraviolet light-blocking capability, allowing only 9.57 ± 1.44% of UV-B at 300 nm, and an IC₅₀ value of 0.33, indicating moderate antioxidant potential, with 35% biodegradation after 37 days at a soil moisture of 24%. During ambient storage, grapes packaged with the film reached 15% weight loss by 13 days, while slowing changes in total soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, total phenolic content, and vitamin C, and delaying visible quality deterioration. Compared with the uncovered control, packaged grapes maintained acceptable quality for approximately six additional days, reaching 15 days of storage. Unlike conventional polystyrene film, which promoted excessive gas accumulation and fruit cracking, the wheat straw cellulose film provided a semipermeable barrier that balanced moisture and gas exchange. The systematic optimization of these formulations, followed by comprehensive characterization of the optimized films, demonstrates the potential of wheat straw cellulose as a functional material for developing cellulose films as sustainable, biodegradable packaging materials for extending the postharvest quality of fresh produce. Full article

Multiphase permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) have been widely used in renewable energy, electric vehicle, and aviation applications. Model predictive control has emerged as a mainstream technique for multiphase drives, although conventional implementations suffer from the complexity of weighting factor tuning and excessive computational burden. This paper proposes a dimensionless multi-objective model predictive current control (MPCC) strategy for six-phase PMSM drives that operate without conventional weighting factors. Instead of penalizing harmonic subspace x-y currents through weighted cost terms, the proposed method pre-filters the 64 candidate voltage vectors to a selective set of 12 vectors whose α-β and x-y plane projections are inherently balanced, thereby constraining harmonic excitation at the source. A dimensionless multi-objective cost function is subsequently formulated, integrating current tracking, switching reduction, torque ripple suppression, and voltage/current constraints without additional weighting factors. The proposed strategy is evaluated under startup, steady-state, disturbance, and parameter sensitivity scenarios, with comparative analysis against conventional MPCC. Simulation results demonstrate that the phase current total harmonic distortion is reduced from 29.64% to 6.00%. The q-axis current settling time is reduced from 0.12 s to 0.025 s and the startup overshoot is reduced from 22 A to 11 A. The x-y subspace current ripple and average switching frequency are also reduced. Full article

Hydrolates are aqueous co-products of aromatic-plant distillation whose composition and functionality differ from those of the corresponding essential oils. This critical review links botanical source, distillation conditions, chemical composition, quantitative biological performance, food or agricultural application, and readiness for nano-enabled formulation. Direct hydrolate studies show marked heterogeneity: reported antimicrobial performance ranges from minimum inhibitory concentrations of 5.69–500 μL mL⁻¹ to approximately 1–3.5 log reductions in food models, while antioxidant results depend strongly on the assay and reporting unit. Evidence in foods is most developed for fresh produce, seafood, dairy, meat, and beverages, but direct bakery validation remains a gap. Hydrolates offer aqueous compatibility and generally lower sensory intensity than essential oils, yet low active-compound concentrations, batch variability, microbiological susceptibility, and limited shelf stability restrict reproducible use. Among nano-enabled solutions, one direct lavender-hydrolate nanoemulsion study reported a diameter of 225.4 ± 3.2 nm and a polydispersity index of 0.098 ± 0.011, together with improved antibacterial activity; however, hydrolate-specific encapsulation efficiencies, release kinetics, long-term stability, food validation, and field trials are largely unreported. Liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, nanogels, and active films therefore remain mostly transferable concepts supported by essential-oil, extract, or isolated-compound studies rather than established hydrolate technologies. Future work should use standardized production and quality markers, free-hydrolate and unloaded-carrier controls, realistic matrices, safety and non-target testing, scale-up analysis, and quantitative sustainability assessment. Hydrolates are promising sustainable phytochemical resources, but claims of nano-enabled advantage require direct comparative evidence. Full article