Search Results (36,808)

The extensive application of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in electronic devices, electric vehicles, and related applications has significantly enhanced the quality of spent LIBs. As a critical component of LIBs, cathode materials contain substantial amounts of valuable metals (e.g., lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese), and their efficient recovery offers significant environmental and economic advantages. Owing to its simple operating conditions, effective impurity removal, and high reaction efficiency, pyrometallurgical roasting has become an important approach for recycling spent LIB cathode materials. This review focuses on pyrometallurgical roasting technologies for prior lithium extraction from spent LIB cathodes. By examining the structural characteristics of different cathode materials and their property variations during recycling, the fundamental principles and characteristics of pyrometallurgical roasting are clarified. The applications of roasting-based prior lithium extraction in LIB recycling are systematically reviewed, covering conventional processes, emerging high-efficiency roasting routes, and other advanced strategies for prior lithium extraction. Finally, the development trends of pyrometallurgical roasting technologies for spent LIB cathode materials are discussed, with the objectives of supporting technological advancement in LIB recycling and facilitating the establishment of a more sustainable development framework for the battery industry. Full article

Understanding the long-term dynamics of cropland water use efficiency (WUE) and its underlying environmental drivers is essential for ensuring food and water security, particularly for regions facing intensified climate change. Here, we investigated the spatial patterns and long-term trends of gross primary productivity (GPP), evapotranspiration (ET), and WUE in cropland ecosystems across Northeast China during the past two decades as the nation’s primary commodity grain base using the time-series Breathing Earth System Simulator (BESS) products. Subsequently, the ridge regression method was used to quantitatively disentangle the relative contributions of key climatic variables to the observed WUE trends of cropland. Our results revealed a pronounced decreasing gradient in both GPP and ET along the southeast–northwest direction. A significant increase in GPP was observed over the 20-year period (p < 0.01), with 95.94% of the cropland area showing positive trends. ET showed a slight, non-significant increase (p > 0.05), though 82.77% of pixels exhibited positive trends, particularly in the northwest. Consequently, WUE showed a widespread and significant enhancement (p < 0.01), with approximately 98% of cropland pixels exhibiting increasing trends. Attribution analysis identified air temperature as the dominant environmental variable, accounting for 92.4% of the observed WUE increase, while solar radiation and precipitation contributed modestly (3.4% and 3.2%, respectively). Our findings underscore the predominant role of thermal conditions in shaping the carbon–water coupling efficiency of agroecosystems in semi-arid to semi-humid transition zones. This study provides quantitative evidence that warming climate, rather than changes in water availability or radiation, has been the primary climatic factor driving the improved cropland WUE over the past two decades. These insights have important implications for developing adaptive water management strategies to enhance agricultural climate resilience in Northeast China and similar regions worldwide. Full article

This study explored the physiological responses and gene expression profiles of the Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) and the hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) under heat and hyposaline stress. Experimental conditions involved increasing the temperature from 25 °C to 35 °C and decreasing salinity from 25 ppt to 15 ppt over a 6 h acclimation period, followed by 72 h exposure. Key physiological and immune indicators, including filtration rate, oxygen consumption rate, ammonia excretion rate, and the expression of related genes, were measured. Under heat stress, R. philippinarum exhibited higher filtration, oxygen consumption, and ammonia excretion rates than M. mercenaria at most sampling time points. The expression of fatty acid desaturase (Δ6FAD) and heat shock protein (HSP70) genes increased and then decreased for both species, whereas superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD) gene expression gradually decreased over time. Furthermore, the expression levels of all three genes were generally significantly higher in M. mercenaria compared to R. philippinarum. Under hyposaline stress, R. philippinarum exhibited significantly higher filtration, oxygen consumption, and ammonia excretion rates than M. mercenaria between 24 h and 72 h. Expression levels of the Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase (NKAα), HSP70, and Cu/Zn SOD genes remained higher in M. mercenaria compared to R. philippinarum. Overall, the present study indicates that M. mercenaria maintains relative stability and R. philippinarum exhibits greater physiological fluctuation under both heat and hyposaline stress. This study highlights bivalve species-specific responses to environmental stressors and provides valuable insights for aquaculture planning and ecological management in different environmental regions, particularly in the context of global climate change. Full article

We investigated the biodiversity and spatiotemporal dynamics of benthic hydroids at two contrasting eastern South Adriatic sites: exposed, oligotrophic Lokrum Island and sheltered, nutrient-enriched Bistrina Bay. A total of 54 hydroid taxa were recorded, with substantially higher richness at Lokrum (42 taxa) than at Bistrina (24 taxa). Assemblage composition differed markedly between sites, confirming that local environmental conditions are a primary determinant of community structure, while shallow sublittoral assemblages showed the greatest temporal variability due to seasonally short-lived athecate species. The shared seasonal partitioning at both sites suggests that temperature-mediated life-cycle timing is a key structuring mechanism, and the sharp summer decline in richness underscores the need for multi-seasonal sampling. Laboratory observations of Stylactis inermis from Torre del Serpe near Otranto revealed notable life-cycle plasticity, with detached short-lived eumedusoids reverting to a sessile stolonal stage. This trait may promote persistence under fluctuating conditions while reducing field detectability. Together, these results provide the first seasonal, depth-stratified ecological baseline for monitoring eastern South Adriatic benthic communities under environmental and anthropogenic change. Full article

This study investigated phase-dependent changes in gut microbiome composition, predicted functional potential, and lipid metabolism in intensively reared broiler chickens and ducks across the starter, grower, and finisher phases (from day-old to 42 days of age), over six production cycles (four chicken and two duck cycles), using 16S rRNA sequencing and blood lipids profiling. A total of 70 pooled manure samples were collected (46 from chickens and 24 from ducks), along with 34 blood samples (22 from chickens and 12 from ducks), all obtained under standard production conditions. Microbial diversity remained stable across growth phases within each species, whereas clear interspecies differences were observed (p < 0.01). Microbiome maturation involved a shift from early facultative and environmentally associated taxa during the starter phase (day-old to 14 days of age), including Acinetobacter (p < 0.01) and Enterococcus (p < 0.001), toward a more stable, host-adapted community. At the level of predicted functional pathways, shifts between growth phases were more pronounced in ducks. Predicted gene-level profiles showed phase-specific differentiation in chickens, with starter-associated genes linked to core carbon and nitrogen metabolism and finisher-associated genes related to structural and transport functions, whereas ducks exhibited a more balanced reorganization involving carbohydrate, energy, and nitrogen metabolism. Host lipid profiles between adjacent growth phases showed dynamic shifts in ducks (p < 0.05). These species-specific lipid patterns were mirrored by microbiome–lipid associations, as demonstrated by correlation analyses between dominant bacterial genera and blood lipid parameters, revealing more coordinated relationships in chickens and more heterogeneous patterns in ducks. Overall, these findings demonstrate species-specific organization of gut microbiome changes and their integration with blood lipid profiles under intensive production conditions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Inguinal hernia and hydrocele are common pediatric surgical conditions resulting from failed obliteration of the processus vaginalis during fetal development. Although prenatal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been linked to adverse perinatal outcomes and congenital anomalies, its role in structurally defined pediatric surgical diseases remains unclear. We examined the association between maternal PM2.5 exposure during pregnancy and the risk of inguinal hernia or hydrocele in offspring. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 1093 mother–offspring pairs delivering at a tertiary referral center (July 2016–June 2019). Monthly residential PM2.5 levels were estimated at geocoded maternal addresses using kriging interpolation from fixed-site monitoring stations. Offspring diagnosed with inguinal hernia or hydrocele through March 2024 were identified using ICD-10 codes. Perinatal characteristics were compared using t-tests and chi-square tests, and multivariable logistic regression assessed trimester-specific PM2.5 exposure and risk. Results: During follow-up, 53 offspring (4.85%) developed inguinal hernia or hydrocele. Male sex (odds ratio [OR], 24.71; 95% CI, 5.95–102.54; p < 0.001) and second-trimester PM2.5 exposure (OR, 1.07 per µg/m³; 95% CI, 1.01–1.14; p = 0.028) were independent risk factors. A dose–response pattern was observed across quartiles of second-trimester exposure; an interquartile range increase was associated with a 64% higher risk (OR, 1.64). The model showed good discrimination (AUC, 0.804). Conclusions: Elevated maternal PM2.5 exposure during the second trimester was independently associated with increased risk of inguinal hernia or hydrocele in offspring. Prenatal air pollution may contribute to persistence of the processus vaginalis and represents a potentially modifiable environmental risk factor. Full article

The operation of driver assistance systems and autonomous vehicles requires a sensor system and a control algorithm. Sensors provide information to detect people, vehicles and objects in the vehicle’s environment; however, their performance can be degraded by adverse environmental conditions and contamination. This literature review identified factors that reduce sensor visibility, such as weather conditions and external contamination. In this study, the detection efficiency of state-of-the-art neural network-based object detectors was examined in a simulation environment using a synthetic dataset. A custom dataset comprising six urban and suburban traffic scenarios was created, including clean images and ten contaminated variants per scene with increasing mud coverage. The results show that contamination leads to a measurable reduction in detection performance across all models. Smaller variants are more sensitive to degradation, while medium-complexity models provide a favorable balance between robustness and computational cost. Increasing model size yields limited additional robustness, and performance differences between architectures highlight the importance of model design. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of contamination, particularly near the image center, has a significant impact on performance in addition to its overall extent. Full article

Arsenic (As) contamination in groundwater represents a critical global environmental health issue. The reductive dissolution of arsenic-bearing iron oxides by dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria (DMRB) is a key biogeochemical process driving arsenic mobilization and release in groundwater. However, the mechanism of exogenous electron shuttles in this process remains poorly understood. This study investigated the impact of the quinone-based electron shuttle anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS) on the reductive dissolution of arsenic-loaded goethite by the model DMRB Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 (S.P CN32). The mobilization and transformation behaviors of arsenic and iron were compared under different pH conditions and using different arsenic-loading methods (coprecipitation vs. adsorption). Results demonstrated that AQDS acted as an electron transfer mediator. It significantly enhanced the reductive dissolution of Fe(III). It also significantly enhanced the reduction of As(V). These actions collectively accelerated arsenic release and mobilization. The study also revealed a competitive preferential order in microbial reduction, where the thermodynamically more favorable Fe(III) reduction preceded As(V) reduction. Environmental pH co-regulated this process. Its influence worked through microbial activity and mineral surface properties. A neutral pH was most conducive to the AQDS-mediated bioreduction of arsenic and iron. This study elucidates the critical role of electron shuttles in the biogeochemical cycling of arsenic in contaminated sites, providing a scientific basis for a deeper understanding of the formation mechanisms and risk assessment of high-arsenic groundwater. Full article

Forest structural complexity underpins habitat quality, microclimate buffering, and resilience, yet it remains poorly characterized across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) where field inventories and airborne LiDAR are difficult to scale across rugged terrain. Conservation planning and protected-area evaluation in the HKH therefore often rely on canopy height or cover proxies that do not directly represent vertical structural organization. Here we develop a repeatable, uncertainty-aware indicator of forest structural complexity from GEDI waveform LiDAR using the Waveform Structural Complexity Index (WSCI) and its prediction intervals. We first define a conservative analysis footprint (“trustable pixels”) by combining a woody-vegetation screen with minimum GEDI sampling support and canopy-stature plausibility, and by excluding the highest-uncertainty tail using a relative prediction-interval criterion. To separate complexity from canopy height, we model the HKH-wide expected WSCI–RH98 relationship and map height-normalized excess complexity (observed minus expected), identifying structural complexity hotspots and coldspots as the upper and lower tails of the excess distribution. Anomaly patterns are strongly organized along elevation and treeline-relevant belts and show coherent departures among ecoregions that persist after stratified adjustment for elevation and mean annual precipitation, indicating additional controls beyond broad environmental gradients. Protected areas exhibit systematically lower hotspot prevalence than surrounding landscapes, and within-elevation comparisons suggest this association is not explained by elevation alone, highlighting the need to interpret protected-area signals in the context of placement and land-use pressure. Overall, the anomaly atlas provides an operational indicator framework to stratify monitoring, prioritize field validation, and support the landscape-scale assessment of structural conditions beyond canopy height across one of the world’s most critical mountain forest systems. Full article

In millimeter wave V2I communication systems, accurate beam prediction is crucial for optimizing network performance and improving signal transmission efficiency. Traditional beam prediction methods mainly rely on single-modal data, which often fails to capture the comprehensive environmental information required for high accuracy prediction. In contrast, multi-modal approaches leverage complementary information from different data sources and offer a more promising solution. However, many existing fusion methods primarily depend on real-time sensory inputs and do not fully exploit stable environmental features in V2I scenarios, limiting the effective use of each modality. To address these limitations, this paper proposes a environment-aware proactive beam prediction method based on a multi-modal prior mask map (MMPMM), which integrates offline mapping with an online beam prediction network. Specifically, the method fuses information from images, point clouds, positions, and the MMPMM to predict the optimal beam index. The MMPMM provides channel-related prior information by extracting static V2I scene features offline without incurring any additional online measurement overhead. Experimental results on real-world datasets demonstrate that the proposed method achieves a Top-3 beam prediction accuracy of up to 71.23% while maintaining stable performance under the evaluated dynamic and degraded conditions, demonstrating its effectiveness in the considered scenarios. Full article

Uncrewed aerial systems (UASs) have diverse applications in natural environments, yet their deployment can inadvertently disturb wildlife. This PRISMA-guided systematic review synthesised 39 studies (2015–2025) encompassing birds, mammals, and marine taxa to identify UAS operational drivers of disturbance. We applied a Factors–Responses–Consequences (F–R–C) framework linking UAS operational characteristics, observed wildlife responses, and ecological consequences. Three patterns emerged: (i) Factors: Contextual and operational conditions such as flight altitude, noise, and approach direction interact with species-specific sensitivities to shape disturbance potential. (ii) Responses: Physiological measures (e.g., elevated heart rates) often reveal hidden stress not evident from behaviour alone. (iii) Consequences: Short-term effects may accumulate into long-term impacts on health, reproduction, and habitat use. These findings highlight the need for species- and context-specific flight envelopes rather than solely uniform altitude limits. By structuring existing evidence within the F–R–C framework, this synthesis provides a transferable foundation for UAS mission planning, drone development, operational decision-making, ethical practice, and environmental impact assessment in conservation and wildlife-management contexts. As all screening and data extraction were conducted by a single reviewer, the findings should be interpreted with appropriate caution pending independent validation. Full article

Conceptual ambiguity in People–Place Relationships (PPR) research limits consistent operationalization and cross-context comparability, particularly in under-represented cultural settings. This study develops an integrated, context-sensitive framework for assessing PPR in residential environments and empirically examines its measurement structure. The framework is applied in Damascus as a pilot context to assess its structural validity, internal consistency, and applicability. The methodological approach comprised two stages: conceptual development and empirical validation. First, two rounds of case-study analysis derived from a prior systematic literature review synthesized environmental (social and urban) and relational (cognitive, affective, attachment) dimensions into a coherent framework. Second, the framework was operationalized and tested using survey data from 1610 residents across Damascus districts. Six first-order indices and one composite PPR index were constructed and evaluated using exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha with item–total correlation analysis. Results demonstrate a stable multidimensional structure that integrates evaluative environmental conditions with relational processes, moving beyond emotion-dominant interpretations of attachment. The framework advances existing approaches by linking theoretical constructs to empirically tested measurement dimensions. While further validation in diverse contexts is required, the results indicate that the model provides a coherent and adaptable basis for assessing residential PPR in socio-culturally complex urban environments. Full article

Microplastics (MPs) in wastewater treatment plants are predominantly retained in sewage sludge, making sludge processing a critical stage for MP transformation and potential pollutant release. However, the aging of polyethylene (PE) MPs and the release of MP-derived dissolved organic matter (MP-DOM) during sludge dewatering remain poorly understood. In this study, representative sludge conditioners were set up in dewatering experiments to investigate the changes in PE MP surface properties, pollutant-carrying potential, and MP-DOM release behavior. The results showed that sludge dewatering induced pronounced surface aging of PE MPs, including wrinkling, cracking, particle fragmentation, and the formation of polar oxygen-containing functional groups. These changes significantly increased the Cd adsorption potential of PE MPs, reaching 8228 ± 568 mg kg⁻¹. Lime conditioning promoted stronger fragmentation and a greater reduction in particle size than other conditionings, which likely increased the specific surface area. Meanwhile, a substantial release of PE MP-DOM was observed, with dissolved organic carbon concentrations in sludge process water being 2–30 times higher than those in deionized water. Fluorescence and molecular analyses showed that PE MP-DOM was dominated by protein-like and fulvic-like substances and also contained phthalates, fatty acids, and acetamide-based plasticizers. The magnitude and composition of PE MP-DOM release were strongly regulated by conditioner-induced pH and ionic strength. Alkaline conditions and increasing concentrations of Ca²⁺ (0.1–2.1 mol L⁻¹) and Fe³⁺ (0.006–0.6 mol L⁻¹) enhanced PE MP additive release. These findings demonstrate that sludge dewatering is an active process that accelerates PE MP aging and associated organic release. This work provides new insight into the environmental behavior of MPs during sludge treatment and offers a basis for developing sustainable sludge management. Full article

Heart rate variability (HRV) has emerged as a key biomarker for assessing autonomic nervous system activity, stress, fatigue, and emotional states. With the rapid development of wearable sensor technologies, HRV analysis has expanded from clinical environments to real-world, continuous monitoring. This review summarizes current applications of HRV metrics in wearable devices, including fitness tracking, mental stress assessment, sleep quality evaluation, and early detection of physiological or psychological disorders. Recent advances in photoplethysmography (PPG)-based HRV estimation have enabled noninvasive and user-friendly measurement, though challenges remain in accuracy under motion and variable environmental conditions. We also discuss methodological considerations, such as artifact correction, data segmentation, and the integration of HRV with other biosignals for multimodal analysis. Emerging research suggests that combining HRV with metrics such as respiration rate, skin conductance, and accelerometry can enhance robustness and interpretability in dynamic settings. Finally, future directions are proposed toward personalized health analytics, emotion-aware computing, and real-time adaptive feedback systems. This review highlights the growing potential of wearable HRV analysis as a foundation for preventive healthcare and human–machine symbiosis. Full article

Coastal ecosystems are increasingly threatened by climate change, especially the rising frequency of marine heatwaves (MHWs), which often co-occur with emerging nanomaterials such as graphene oxide (GO), whose ecological risks are still being evaluated. While the effects of GO have been studied in isolation, little is known about its interaction with thermal stress events. This research studied the combined effects of temperature (18 °C and 23 °C, simulating control and MHW conditions) and GO nanosheets exposure (0.01 mg/L) on two key estuarine bivalves: the clam Scrobicularia plana and the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. After 7 days of exposure (duration of many MHWs), energy metabolism, antioxidant defenses, oxidative damage, and neurotransmission were assessed. The results revealed that clams exhibited lower ETS and SOD activity when exposed to MHWs and lower SOD and AChE activities at MHW + GO, compared to the control treatment. Mussels relied primarily on SOD activity across treatments but showed increased susceptibility to GO nanosheets, with higher LPO levels and a significant reduction in AChE activity when exposed to GO at both temperatures. Overall, our findings suggest that S. plana shows a stronger response to the environmental alterations tested than M. galloprovincialis. Combined exposure to GO + MHW triggers species-specific biochemical responses in estuarine bivalves, highlighting how physiological traits shape the assessment of ecological risks posed by nanomaterial pollution under climate change. Full article