Search Results (447)

The Qiangtang Basin in the Tibetan Plateau exhibits a paradoxically reversed source-rock maturity pattern (high margins, low center), which presents a challenge to classical basin models. Critically, the unclear genetic mechanism behind this anomaly has impeded hydrocarbon exploration. To address this, this study investigates a north–south-oriented 2D geological section across the central basin. By employing an integrated methodology, the genetic mechanism was elucidated through systematic calculations of paleo-burial depth, paleotemperature, and vitrinite reflectance (Ro) at ten control points (C1–C10). Specifically, tectonic burial history was reconstructed using the backstripping method, while mantle heat flow was corrected by integrating the McKenzie extensional and Royden compressional models. Maturity evolution was quantified using the Easy%Ro model. The results demonstrate that (1) since the Early Jurassic, the basin has undergone five tectono-thermal evolution stages, with the geothermal gradient reaching 30–36 °C/km during the end of the Early Cretaceous); (2) Ro values range from 1.2% to 1.68% at the northern basin margin (C1–C4), are approximately 1.15% in the Central Uplift Zone (C5–C7), and range from 1.45% to 1.6% at the southern basin margin (C8–C10); (3) importantly, the reversed distribution was jointly controlled by three factors: deep burial at the basin margins (5–6 km), early uplift in the central part (initiating from the Late Cretaceous), and local magmatic thermal disturbance. Their estimated contribution ratios are 40–50%, 30–40%, and 10–20%, respectively. Consequently, regions such as the Luxiongcuo Syncline, the Bandaohu–Qingshuihu area, and the Chibuzhangcuo area are identified as having favorable exploration potential. Full article

Advances in AI are accelerating intelligent ship autonomy, yet robust trajectory tracking remains challenging under nonlinear dynamics and persistent environmental disturbances. Traditional model-based guidance becomes tuning-sensitive and loses robustness under strong disturbances, while data-driven approaches like reinforcement learning often suffer from poor generalization to unseen dynamics and brittleness in out-of-distribution conditions. To address these limitations, we propose a guidance architecture embedding a Large Language Model (LLM) directly within the closed-loop control system. Using in-context prompting with a structured Chain-of-Thought (CoT) template, the LLM generates adaptive k-step heading reference sequences conditioned on recent navigation history, without model parameter updates. A latency-aware temporal inference mechanism synchronizes the asynchronous LLM predictions with a downstream Model Predictive Control (MPC) module, ensuring dynamic feasibility and strict actuation constraints. In MMG-based simulations of the KVLCC2, our framework consistently outperforms conventional model-based baselines. Specifically, it demonstrates superior path-keeping accuracy, higher corridor compliance, and faster disturbance recovery, achieving these performance gains while maintaining comparable or reduced rudder usage. These results validate the feasibility of integrating LLMs as predictive components within physical control loops, establishing a foundation for knowledge-driven, context-aware maritime autonomy. Full article

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of mortality among hemodialysis (HD) patients, underscoring the need for reliable biomarkers for early diagnosis and management. Serum intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) has been investigated for years as a potential CVD marker but has yet to establish clinical utility. In a cohort of 142 HD patients, we examined the potential of serum ICAM-1 as a CVD biomarker and evaluated whether confounding factors, including low-grade inflammation and chronic kidney disease–mineral bone disorder (CKD-MBD), limit its diagnostic value. In addition to serum ICAM-1, routine biochemical parameters, bone alkaline phosphatase (bALP), and nitric oxide (NO) were measured. Serum levels of ICAM-1, bALP, and NO did not differ between patients with and without CVD, defined by a positive history of coronary heart disease, stroke, or peripheral arterial disease. Serum ICAM-1 concentrations were higher in HD patients with inflammation, as indicated by C-reactive protein levels >1 mg/dL. ICAM-1 showed no correlation with NO, a marker of endothelial dysfunction, but was positively correlated with bALP, a marker of CKD-MBD. In conclusion, serum ICAM-1 is not a reliable biomarker of CVD in HD patients. Its diagnostic utility appears confounded by inflammation and disturbances in bone turnover. Full article

Objectives: Exposure to appearance-focused social media often leads to body image disturbance among young women. One promising intervention to lessen this negative impact is mindfulness meditation. This study aimed to determine whether a brief mindfulness meditation intervention could mitigate the adverse effects of exposure to appearance-focused social media content on body image and mood in young Chinese women. Methods: In an online randomized controlled trial, 168 women aged 18–35 years were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (n = 86) that listened to a ten-minute mindfulness meditation audio or to a control group (n = 82) that listened to a ten-minute recorded natural history text. After listening to the audio, participants viewed idealized body images on Xiaohongshu and compared themselves to these images. Outcome measures included state body dissatisfaction and negative mood. Data were collected at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1), and post-exposure to images (T2). Results: At T0, groups did not differ in age, BMI, education, body dissatisfaction, or negative mood (all p > 0.05). From T0 to T1, both groups showed significant improvements in body dissatisfaction and mood. The intervention group’s scores decreased significantly (p = 0.008; p < 0.01), and the control group also showed significant improvements on both outcome measures (both p < 0.001). However, when exposed to the idealized images, only the intervention group maintained its improvements, with no significant change in body dissatisfaction or mood (p = 0.178 and p = 0.310, respectively) from T1 to T2, whereas the control group’s scores worsened significantly on both outcome measures (p < 0.001 for both). Conclusions: These findings suggest that even a brief mindfulness meditation intervention may buffer against the negative effects of idealized social media content on body image and mood. Full article

Understanding the drivers of population dynamics in long-lived, slow reproducing species such as bats is critical for conservation, particularly during vulnerable life history stages like hibernation. We reviewed winter mortality records from more than 109 monitored hibernacula in Bulgaria. We found that unusual mortality events (UME > 7 individuals) were recorded at only four sites, involving carcasses from at least five species, indicating that such events are uncommon and likely under-detected due to uneven survey effort. Because the conditions under which bats hibernate can shape vulnerability to stressors, we used available long-term survey data to outline species-specific hibernation preferences as a first step toward identifying ecological settings that may influence winter mortality risk. Across Bulgaria, species exhibited distinct preferences for hibernacula: most bats selected humid, low-altitude caves, whereas others occupied colder, high-elevation roosts. Roost temperatures and altitudes differed significantly among species, with Miniopterus schreibersii using the broadest range of conditions, yet neither variable explained variation in colony size. We further analysed the age structure of deceased Miniopterus schreibersii (Bonaparte, 1837) from Bulgaria’s largest hibernation colony following mortality events in winter 2022. Carcasses spanned a wide range of age classes, yet younger individuals predominated, consistent with the idea that early-life mortality represents a key demographic filter in bats. These findings emphasise the need for consistent mortality monitoring in bats, using standardised protocols that account for detection biases, scavenger removal, and site-specific variation. Such efforts are essential for clarifying the roles of environmental extremes, disease, and human disturbance in winter mortality. Full article

While climate is known to regulate forest productivity, the mechanistic contribution of soil microbial communities—and whether it differs between natural and plantation forests—remains poorly quantified at broad scales. Here, we provide a synthesis-level, unified analysis that jointly evaluates climate, edaphic conditions, and soil microbes to compare mechanistic pathways underlying productivity divergence between forest types. We synthesized 237 observations across China and integrated productivity metrics—gross primary productivity (GPP) and net primary productivity (NPP)—with microbial diversity, dominant taxa, and soil drivers to compare natural and plantation forests within the current environmental coverage. Plantation productivity showed nonlinear responses to microbial diversity and appeared more sensitive than natural forests. Natural forests exhibited higher bacterial Shannon and Chao1 but lower fungal Chao1 and were characterized by taxa such as Nitrobacter, Bradyrhizobium, and Cortinarius. In contrast, plantations were characterized by taxa often associated with disturbance tolerance and opportunistic life-history strategies (e.g., Sphingomonas, Fusarium, Gemmatimonas), consistent with potential functional simplification. Structural equation models identified climate as the strongest correlate of productivity, while soil properties showed contrasting associations with microbial diversity across forest types. Random forest models further highlighted cation-exchange capacity and total nitrogen as key predictors of microbial diversity in plantations. Overall, our results indicate that soil microbial communities are differentially associated with forest productivity across forest types and environmental contexts and underscore the need for future climate-comparable designs and management-intensity information to more robustly isolate microbial contributions. Full article

This paper presents a nonlinear vertical dynamic model of an electromagnetic suspension (EMS) system in maglev trains regulated by a dual nonlinear saturation controller (DNSC) under simultaneous resonance ($\Omega \cong {\omega }_s, {\omega }_s\cong 2{\omega }_c$). The governing nonlinear differential equations of the system are addressed analytically utilizing the multiple time-scale technique (MTST), concentrating on resonance situations obtained from first-order approximations. The suggested controller incorporates two nonlinear saturation functions in the feedback and feedforward paths to improve system stability, decrease vibration levels, and enhance passenger comfort amidst external disturbances and parameter changes. The dynamic bifurcations caused by DNSC parameters are examined through phase portraits and time history diagrams. The goal of control is to minimize vibration amplitude through the implementation of a dual nonlinear saturation control law based on displacement and velocity feedback signals. A comparative analysis is performed on different controllers such as integral resonance control (IRC), positive position feedback (PPF), nonlinear integrated PPF (NIPPF), proportional integral derivative (PID), and DNSC to determine the best approach for vibration reduction in maglev trains. DNSC serves as an effective control approach designed to minimize vibrations and enhance the stability of suspension systems in maglev trains. Stability evaluation under concurrent resonance is conducted utilizing the Routh–Hurwitz criterion. MATLAB 18.2 numerical simulations (fourth-order Runge–Kutta) are employed to analyze time-history responses, the effects of system parameters, and the performance of controllers. The evaluation of all the derived solutions was conducted to verify the findings. Additionally, quadratic velocity feedback leads to intricate bifurcation dynamics. In the time domain, higher displacement and quadratic velocity feedback may destabilize the system, leading to shifts between periodic and chaotic movements. These results emphasize the substantial impact of DNSC on the dynamic performance of electromagnetic suspension systems. Frequency response, bifurcation, and time-domain evaluations demonstrate that the DNSC successfully reduces nonlinear oscillations and chaotic dynamics in the EMS system while attaining enhanced transient performance and resilience. Full article

Background: Balneotherapy (BT) has been proposed as a supportive intervention for post-COVID-19 musculoskeletal (MSK) and fatigue-related symptoms; however, comparative evidence across different BT delivery modes remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term effects of a BT-based treatment program on MSK health and related functional outcomes in individuals with a history of COVID-19. Methods: This secondary analysis was derived from a multicenter, randomized, controlled, single-blinded trial conducted from January to September 2023 across six Lithuanian medical spa centers. Participants with a self-reported history of COVID-19 and persistent multisystem symptoms were assigned to one of three BT modalities or a control group. Primary outcomes included MSK pain, muscle tension and spasm, handgrip strength, and trunk flexibility. Secondary outcomes included fatigue, sleep, quality of life, and analgesic use. Assessments were performed at baseline, post-treatment, and at three- and six-month follow-ups. The 2-week BT program consisted of daily sessions of light pool exercise, mineral baths, sapropel body wraps, and halotherapy. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures GLM in IBM SPSS Statistics (version 28.0). Results: Significant time effects were observed for MSK pain, muscle tension, spasms, fatigue, sleep disturbance, flexibility, and quality of life (all p < 0.05). Improvements occurred primarily within groups and were most pronounced immediately post-treatment, with partial maintenance at 3–6 months. Between-group differences were modest; however, ambulatory BT, inpatient BT, and BT combined with nature therapy demonstrated greater long-term improvements in several outcomes. Conclusions: BT was associated with beneficial changes across MSK and psychosocial domains in individuals recovering from COVID-19, although differences between BT modalities were limited. These findings support BT as a complementary component within multimodal post-COVID rehabilitation frameworks and highlight the need for further research on long-term maintenance and individualized treatment strategies. Full article

Accurate, real-time monitoring of meat freshness is essential for reducing food waste and safeguarding consumer health, yet conventional methods rely on costly, laboratory-grade spectroscopy or destructive analyses. This work presents a low-cost electronic-nose platform that integrates a compact array of metal-oxide gas sensors (Figaro TGS2602, TGS2603, and Sensirion SGP30) with a Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) model to estimate a continuous freshness index under refrigerated storage. The pipeline includes headspace sensing, baseline normalization and smoothing, history-window feature construction, and probabilistic prediction with uncertainty. Using factorial analysis and response-surface optimization, we identify history length and sampling interval as key design variables; longer temporal windows and faster sampling consistently improve accuracy and stability. The optimized configuration (≈143-min history, ≈3-min sampling) reduces mean absolute error from ~0.51 to ~0.05 on the normalized freshness scale and shifts the error distribution within specification limits, with marked gains in process capability and yield. Although it does not match the analytical precision or long-term robustness of spectrometric approaches, the proposed system offers an interpretable and energy-efficient option for short-term, laboratory-scale monitoring under controlled refrigeration conditions. By enabling probabilistic freshness estimation from low-cost sensors, this GPR-driven e-nose demonstrates a proof-of-concept pathway that could, after further validation under realistic cyclic loads and operational disturbances, support more sustainable meat management in future smart refrigeration and cold-chain applications. This study should be regarded as a methodological, laboratory-scale proof-of-concept that does not demonstrate real-world performance or operational deployment. The technical implications described herein are hypothetical and require extensive validation under realistic refrigeration conditions. Full article

The long-term safety of concrete shaft walls in deep mines faces severe challenges from the coupled effects of stress, chemical erosion, and dynamic disturbances. This study conducted coupled loading and sulfate erosion tests on concrete and investigated its dynamic response using drop-weight impact tests. The failure modes, impact force time-history curves, and strain time-history curves of concrete under different erosion ages and load levels were analyzed. The SEM observations revealed the microstructure of the concrete. Results indicate that increasing drop height exacerbates specimen failure and elevates peak impact force and strain, while simultaneously shortening the impact duration. Compared to SL20, SL40 exhibited lower peak impact force and higher peak strain under long-term combined loading and sulfate erosion. This reveals that larger loads accelerate internal damage within concrete under erosive conditions. This study provides theoretical and experimental bases for the long-term safety and impact resistance of well wall concrete. Full article

Metabolic dysfunction–associated fatty liver disease (MASLD) is associated with severe forms of liver injury, including fibrosis and cirrhosis. The main risk factors for MASLD—obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance (IR)—contribute to metabolic disturbances that initiate hepatic steatosis. Metabolic and alcohol-related liver disease (MetALD) describes patients with MASLD who also present alcohol-associated hepatic injury. Chronic oxidative and inflammatory stress promotes the progression of steatosis in both conditions. T2DM and chronic alcohol consumption are independent lifestyle-related risk factors for cirrhosis within the spectrum of metabolic dysfunction–related liver disease (MASLD and MetALD). The coexistence of both conditions may exacerbate hepatic pathological alterations. IR, which is frequently observed in patients with cirrhosis, can lead to the development of a condition known as hepatogenic diabetes (HD). HD is characterized by hyperinsulinemia, IR, and β-cell dysfunction occurring during the onset of cirrhosis and is associated with hepatic inflammation even in the absence of traditional metabolic risk factors such as obesity or a prior history of T2DM. In this context, alcohol intake enhances lipolysis in peripheral tissues, promotes hepatic steatosis, and aggravates metabolic dysfunction, ultimately contributing to excessive mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Therefore, the present review examines the role of oxidative stress—both alcohol-related and non-alcohol–related—in the pathogenesis of HD, with particular emphasis on ethanol metabolism, oxidative stress, and their interactions in conditions such as T2DM and MetALD. Full article

A modified Enzyme Action Optimizer (mEAO) is proposed to tune a Fractional-Order Proportional–Integral–Derivative (FOPID) controller for precise temperature regulation of a nonlinear continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). The nonlinear reactor model, adopted from a standard benchmark formulation widely used in CSTR control studies, is employed as the simulation reference. The tuning framework operates in a simulation-based manner, as the optimizer relies solely on the time-domain responses to evaluate a composite cost function combining overshoot, settling time, rise time, and steady-state error. Comparative simulations involving EAO, Starfish Optimization Algorithm (SFOA), Success History-based Adaptive Differential Evolution with Linear population size reduction (L-SHADE), and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) demonstrate that the proposed mEAO achieves the lowest cost value, the fastest convergence, and superior transient performance. Further comparisons with classical tuning methods, Rovira 2DOF-PID, Ziegler–Nichols PID, and Cohen–Coon PI, confirm improved tracking accuracy and smoother actuator behavior. Robustness analyses under varying set-points, feed-temperature disturbances, and measurement noise confirm stable temperature regulation without retuning. These findings demonstrate that the mEAO-based FOPID controller provides an efficient and reliable optimization framework for a nonlinear thermal-process control, with strong potential for future real-time and multi-reactor applications. Full article

The formation of hard coal seams is the outcome of multi-stage, complex transformations of organic matter that lead to an increase in carbon content, a decrease in volatile components, and a progressive evolution of the rock’s structure and texture. Diagenetic and metamorphic processes, which underpin coal formation, largely determine its petrographic and geochemical characteristics, but they are not the only factors controlling the final properties of coal. An equally important role is played by the tectonic history of the region in which the coal seams occur. In this study, we carried out an integrated analysis of coal rank, based on vitrinite reflectance measurements (R₀), and mechanical properties, using Vickers microhardness tests (Hv). Coal samples were collected from both sides of a fault plane within a single seam. The results show that the presence of the fault is clearly reflected in the measured parameters. Vitrinite reflectance generally increases towards the fault zone, but in the immediate vicinity of the fault, it exhibits a slight decrease. Subtle yet systematic changes are also observed in microhardness, particularly in the Hv values. The results show that vitrinite reflectance (R₀) and microhardness (Hv) vary in a very similar manner—both parameters decrease as the degree of structural degradation of coal increases within the fault zone. This consistent response of R₀ and Hv to local structural damage suggests that they may serve as sensitive indicators of the presence and extent of influence of small-scale tectonic dislocations. Their combined application provides additional information on the potential occurrence of a fault and on the degree of structural disturbance of coal in its vicinity. Full article

Introduction: Huntington’s disease is a genetic disorder, also known as an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease, that has typical manifestations such as motor disturbances, cognitive decline, and psychiatric symptoms. Neurologists initially classified it as a movement disorder because the diagnosis is primarily based on the presence of extrapyramidal motor symptoms. However, after careful examination of several cases, it was revealed that chorea was only one type of motor dysfunction and that tics and myoclonus were also present. Regarding psychiatric symptoms, studies have shown that patients presenting psychosis-related symptoms have a worse evolution with poor prognosis, and it was concluded that they present distinct clinical, imaging, and biological characteristics. Case presentation: The present case report aims to describe the onset of a particular case of Huntington’s disease, taking into consideration the fact that early psychotic symptoms, very similar to those identified in schizophrenia, could represent indicators of Huntington’s disease onset. An interesting aspect of this case was that our patient had no family history of neurological conditions but had a clinical picture characterized by delusions and hallucinations. These symptoms were considered criteria for schizophrenia. Moreover, chorea motor movements appeared several years after the onset of psychosis, determining the need for the diagnosis to be changed from schizophrenia to Huntington’s disease. Conclusion: We need to point out that psychiatric symptoms could represent the only initial visible change in the clinical picture, being also considered as indicators of Huntington’s disease onset. These features could help patients be easily and faster identified, allowing for proper medical interventions to be provided. Full article

From the perspective of environmental history, which examines the interplay between socio-economic development and the natural environment, this paper discusses the evolution of Japanese landscapes. These landscapes evolved in somewhat different ways, absorbing influences from China and the West. Following the country’s opening up in the late 19th century, various forest management techniques were introduced from Europe and America. This paper examines the environmental history of the changes to the landscape that accompanied rapid Westernisation and the guidance provided by “Forest aesthetics” in forest operations—a crucial element of the landscape. Proposed by H. von Salisch, forest aesthetics is a forest management philosophy that provided guidelines for sustainability before the concept of ecosystems emerged. Although Japan is a small nation comprising elongated islands, mountains cover 67% of its land area. Its north-south orientation means that each region has unique forests and ways of life. This overview examines historical information concerning the formation of gardens and artificial forests, landscape transformations, and perceptions of forests across different eras. Using primarily secondary sources dating from around the 11th century, it demonstrates that, even in Japan, which is subject to natural disturbances under a monsoon climate, the sustainability of gardens and forests could be achieved by emulating the nature advocated for by forest aesthetics as closely as possible. This approach also considered hunting. Full article