Search Results (27,757)

Reconciling high crop productivity with reduced resource inputs is a primary challenge for sustainable agriculture in water-scarce regions. This study evaluated the feasibility of reducing nitrogen (N) fertilizer application for winter wheat under limited micro-sprinkler irrigation in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, China. A field experiment compared five treatments: a non-fertilized and non-irrigated control (CK), conventional flood irrigation with standard N (FI), and limited micro-sprinkler irrigation (80 mm) with standard N (MI), a 20% N reduction (MI1), and a 40% N reduction (MI2). We analyzed grain yield, water and N use efficiency (WUE and NUE) and the apparent soil N balance. WUE in this study was expressed as grain yield per seasonal evapotranspiration (ET), and NUE was evaluated using agronomic indices. The results showed that the MI1 treatment maintained a high grain yield that was not significantly different from the high-input FI and MI treatments. This high yield was sustained by a compensatory mechanism involving enhanced post-anthesis N assimilation and increased extraction of deep soil water, which offset the reduced inputs. Consequently, MI1 significantly improved WUE, irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), and NUE, while reducing the apparent soil N surplus by 74.5% compared to FI. In contrast, the greater N reduction (MI2) led to a significant yield penalty. In conclusion, a moderate (20%) reduction in N top-dressing under limited micro-sprinkler irrigation presents a viable strategy to maintain high wheat yield, simultaneously enhance resource-use efficiency, and markedly reduce environmental N losses. Full article

The application of forestry waste as organic mulch on soil represents an increasingly recognized management practice. However, studies on how different mulching strategies regulate soil fertility and microbial community responses remain limited. In this study, a field experiment was conducted in plantation forest soil with four treatments: no mulching, fresh forestry waste mulching, composted mulching, and layered mulching. The results indicated that the layered mulching treatment significantly increased the soil comprehensive fertility index by 6.67% relative to the no mulching treatment. Both composted mulching and layered mulching treatments significantly reduced soil bulk density (2.26%–5.26%), increased pH (0.36%–0.48%) and organic matter content (21.90%–25.23%), and markedly enhanced urease (22.45%–26.41%) and protease activities (51.72%–62.68%). Under fresh forestry waste mulching, soil available phosphorus and available potassium increased by 23.21% and 27.07%, respectively, whereas improvements in the soil comprehensive fertility index, enzyme activities, and microbial communities were limited. Bacterial communities were highly responsive to mulching treatments, with composted mulching and layered mulching treatments significantly altering their structure, while fungal communities were comparatively stable across treatments. RDA and Mantel tests linked bacterial shifts mainly to total nitrogen, available potassium, and bulk density, and fungal variation mainly to total nitrogen (all p < 0.05). This study indicates that a layered mulching strategy simulating forest litter layers can enhance soil fertility and enzyme activity and provides an option for improving soil quality through the utilization of forestry waste. Full article

Continuing our work in the field of synthesis and research of amino acids, their derivatives, and cyclization products, in this work, we synthesized various 3-(6-bromo-2-oxo-1,3-benzoxazol-3(2H)-yl)propanoic acid derivatives and investigated their antimicrobial activity. A total of eighteen synthesized chemical compounds (No. 1–18), including several structural analogues (e.g., 3a, 3b, 4a–4e, 8a–8m, 9a–9d), were evaluated for their antibacterial properties. The antibacterial activity was assessed using the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method, and inhibition zone diameters (mm) were measured against five representative bacterial strains: S. aureus, MRSA, B. subtilis, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of the most active synthesized compounds were determined against representative Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains, including S. aureus, MRSA, B. subtilis, and E. coli. Overall, these results indicate that the tested compounds display selective antibacterial activity, mainly against Gram-positive bacteria, with compound 12 emerging as the most promising derivative in the series. The antibacterial activities of several synthesized compounds were systematically evaluated against S. aureus and MRSA over a 24 h incubation period, with optical density measured at ten time points. Bacterial growth was monitored spectrophotometrically at 600 nm (OD₆₀₀) at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 20, and 24 h, enabling a detailed assessment of growth kinetics and the temporal dynamics of inhibition. The effect of compound 11 on the growth kinetics of S. aureus was evaluated by quantifying viable bacterial counts (log₁₀ CFU/mL) over a 6 h incubation period, and the results are presented in the time–kill curve. Compound 11 was selected for this experiment because it exhibited the most pronounced antibacterial activity against S. aureus in the disk diffusion assay. The cytotoxicity of compounds 9a, 11, 12, and 13 was evaluated at concentrations ranging from 125 to 1.95 µg/mL. The results showed a clear, concentration-dependent decrease in cytotoxicity for all tested compounds. The molecular structure of compound 3a was confirmed by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Full article

Background: In 2016, Charles McMonnies advanced a theory positing that the use of scleral lenses might result in an elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP) due to the compression of the episcleral veins, consequently diminishing the eye’s capacity for draining aqueous humor. Alternative drainage pathways are capable of compensating only for 10–30% of the aqueous humor that requires drainage. Then it remains a quantity of fluid trapped in the anterior chamber. Recent data has demonstrated that the scleral lenses wear results indeed in an augmentation of the anterior chamber volume and a reduction of the iridocorneal angle, concomitant with a compression of Schlemm’s canal. Assuming that aqueous humor production remains constant, this imbalance between inflow and outflow can only lead to an increase in intraocular pressure. Methods: Several studies have attempted to answer this question over the past 10 years. Most authors have encountered the inherent difficulty of measuring IOP while the lens is still in place. Others were performed without waiting for the required time (>4 h of wear) for the lens to exert its maximum compression, thus minimizing their impact. Some attempted to assess IOP via the sclera (pneumotonometry), a technique known to give variable results and hard to reproduce. Ultimately, there are few reliable ways to assess IOP. One of them is by directly observing changes in the optic nerve structure over time. Results: These works indicate that there is indeed a moderate increase (<5 mmHg) in IOP. Could this be causing neuropathy and long-term negative impacts for patients who may be at risk? Based on the clinical experience of those involved in the field for many years, it is unlikely that IOP variations may have an impact on a healthy optic nerve. However, glaucoma patients or those at risk could be adversely affected in the long term. Conclusions: It is still too early to determine, without a doubt, the actual impact of the likely increase in IOP resulting from the structural changes caused by wearing scleral lenses Further work is therefore urgently needed to document these longitudinal changes. Full article

Large-scale advanced energy systems, including fusion devices, high-power plasma sources, and accelerator-driven energy platforms, increasingly depend on real-time, hardware-level data processing for diagnostics, control, and protection. In such installations, ultra-low latency, deterministic throughput, and multi-decade operational lifetimes are not optional design goals but strict system-level requirements. While similar timing constraints exist in high-energy physics infrastructures, energy applications place a stronger emphasis on long-term stability, maintainability, and reproducibility of digital signal processing pipelines. This work investigates whether high-level synthesis (HLS) provides a practical and sustainable design methodology for implementing both classical pattern-based and compact neural network (NN) trigger logic on Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) under realistic energy-system constraints. Using representative commercial toolchains (Intel HLS and hls4ml) as reference workflows, we demonstrate the capabilities of fixed-point, fully pipelined streaming architectures, while also identifying critical shortcomings of pragma-driven HLS approaches in terms of architecture transparency, long-term portability, and systematic multi-objective design-space exploration, all of which are crucial for long-lived energy projects and plasma diagnostic systems. These limitations directly motivate the development of a custom, vendor-agnostic, extensible HLS framework (PyHLS), specifically oriented toward deterministic latency, reproducibility, and physics-grade verification demands of advanced energy infrastructures. Gas Electron Multipliers (GEMs) are modern gaseous detectors increasingly employed in plasma diagnostics, radiation monitoring, and high-power energy experiments, where high rate capability, fine spatial resolution, and radiation tolerance are required. Their massively parallel signal structure and continuous data streams make GEMs a representative and demanding benchmark for FPGA-based real-time trigger and preprocessing systems in energy-related environments. The primary objective of this study is to establish a pragmatic technological baseline, demonstrating that contemporary HLS workflows can reliably support both template-based and neural inference-based trigger architectures within strict timing, resource, and power constraints typical for advanced energy installations. Furthermore, we outline a scalable development path toward multi-channel and two-dimensional (pixelated) GEM readout architectures, directly applicable to fusion diagnostics, plasma accelerators, beam–plasma interaction studies, and radiation-hard energy monitoring platforms. Although the proposed methodology remains fully transferable to large-scale physics trigger systems, its principal relevance is directed toward real-time diagnostics and protection layers in next-generation energy systems. Full article

Urban heat islands (UHIs) increase the cooling load and reduce the performance of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems; thus, the co-benefits of integrating bio-solar green roofs require quantification and real-world demonstration to encourage the uptake of this technology. Consequently, this study compares the thermal and electrical performances of four simultaneously installed roof assemblies, namely conventional roof (CR), green roof (GR), photovoltaic roof (pCR), and bio-solar green roof (pGR), under clear-sky summer periods in Lahore, Pakistan. The experiment equipped the same insulated test cells with meteorological, thermal, moisture, and PV power gauging to collect data every 1 min; standardized layers were built, and the PV tilt was set to 22°. The results show that pGR always performs better compared with other roof assemblies: the temperature on the outer surface is lower, the diurnal amplitude is the most reduced (ΔDF ≈ +19% vs. CR), the thermal response is the most delayed (ΔTL ≈ −21%), and TPI improves by 6.5–7%. All of these results indicate a new, field-validated synergy between evapotranspiration and PV shading/ventilation that could translate into practical value through reduced peak cooling loads (demand control), lower day-to-day cooling energy, and incremental PV gains. These are critical factors for achieving positive techno-economic outcomes in hot, sunny cities, with the aim of realizing UHI mitigation and resilient building energy systems. Full article

Addressing the problems of the difficulty in reconstructing high-resolution hyperspectral images caused by dynamic degradation characteristics, the poor adaptability of traditional static degradation models, and the oversimplified noise modeling, this paper proposes a degradation-aware dynamic Fourier network (DADFN) for hyperspectral super-resolution. This method employs a dual-channel split module to decouple and encode spectral and spatial degradation information, realizes the independent mapping of spectral and spatial features via a multi-layer perceptron module, and integrates a spectral–spatial dynamic cross-attention fusion module to generate 3D dynamic blur kernels tailored to different bands and spatial positions. The proposed method designs a multi-scale spectral–spatial collaborative constraint (MSSCC) loss function to ensure the coordinated optimization of modeling rationality, spectral continuity, and spatial detail fidelity. Experiments on the CAVE and Harvard benchmark datasets demonstrate that the DADFN algorithm outperforms the baseline methods in all evaluation metrics, which proves the proposed method’s strong robustness in real-world complex degradation scenarios. This method provides a novel solution balancing physical interpretability and performance superiority for hyperspectral image super-resolution tasks and holds significant value for advancing its applications in remote sensing monitoring, precision agriculture, and other related fields. Full article

This integrative literature review examines how virtual reality (VR) design can transform environmental understanding by changing users from passive observers to active participants in ecological systems. We aimed to analyze the interaction strategies through which VR enables environmental awareness and to identify the most effective approaches for fostering ecological connection. Through systematic analysis of studies published between 2015 and 2025, we found that effective VR implementations share three core design mechanisms: progressive engagement that builds connection over time, a careful balance between interaction and reflection, and multisensory integration that creates believable immersive experiences. These design mechanisms, in turn, build ecological connection through three fundamental pillars: perspective-taking that generates empathy, the creation of authentic sensory experiences, and the development of network thinking to understand complex interconnections. This review contributes to the field by mapping the development of environmental VR applications, identifying successful implementation strategies, and highlighting research gaps. Our analysis provides a comprehensive interaction framework for designing more effective environmental experiences and advancing this emerging field when innovative approaches are most needed. Full article

Experimental results are reported to explore the role of release location and release volume on the dispersion of a dense gas cloud around an isolated cubic building. The experiments are analogous to the Thorney Island dense gas dispersion field tests, and the results are qualitatively similar to those of the full-scale tests. Water bath experiments were used in this study with fresh water in a flume representing the atmospheric wind and dyed saltwater representing the dense gas. Results are presented for different relative density flows, quantified using the Richardson number (Ri), for five different release volumes ranging from 10% to 60% of the building volume. Results are also presented for different upstream release distances ranging from 50% to 150% of the building height. Measurements show that there is a complex interaction between release volume, release distance, and Richardson number, and the resulting flow over and around the building. For releases close to the building, the cloud has little distance over which to adjust before being swept around the building and into the building wake. However, for larger release distances, there is adequate distance for the cloud to adjust, with the nature of the adjustment being a function of the Richardson number. For small Ri (low density difference), the cloud spreads out as it moves downstream, mixes with the ambient fluid, and increases in volume such that the volume of the cloud interacting with the building is larger than the initial release. For higher Ri flows (larger density difference), the dense cloud collapses down onto the channel bed, where it spreads out radially as it is advected downstream. The clouds are, therefore, much shallower than the building height when they collide with the building. This competition between the collapse of the cloud and its advection downstream is parameterized using a novel ‘adjusted Richardson number’ $R{i}^{*}$. Full article

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), a key enabler for the Internet of Things’ (IoT) evolution to 3D spatial dimensions, play a critical role in data collection across fields. However, path planning in obstacle-rich and threat-prone environments remains a core bottleneck for their safe and efficient operation. Traditional meta-heuristic algorithms suffer from insufficient exploration, slow convergence, and local optima issues. To address this, we propose an enhanced multi-mechanism DBO algorithm (MMDBO), integrating SPM chaotic mapping, dynamic global exploration, adaptive T-distribution, and dynamic weight mechanisms. Comparative experiments against five classical algorithms on 12 benchmarks test functions and three complex terrains show MMDBO achieves superior performance across the majority of key path-planning metrics—including flight trajectory length, altitude profile fidelity, and path smoothness—while incurring only a modest increase in computational time. The results of the statistical test further indicate that the MMDBO algorithm significantly outperforms the comparison algorithms in both convergence speed and accuracy. These advances deliver actionable, highly reliable guidance for UAV flight path optimization. Full article

Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) has proven to be a highly sensitive geophysical method for characterizing the dynamics of seawater intrusion. This study uses tank experiments to simulate seawater intrusion, utilizing electrical resistivity tomography to monitor real-time changes in groundwater resistivity during the intrusion process. The objective is to quantitatively reveal the development and evolution mechanisms of seawater intrusion wedges in sandy aquifers, thereby establishing a real-time resistivity monitoring method for groundwater distribution and migration characteristics. This study improves resistivity imaging data processing methods, enhancing both efficiency and accuracy. The refined cross-hole ERT technique is applicable not only to meter-scale indoor experiments; its optimized forward and inverse algorithms can also be directly transferred to regional-scale field monitoring. Experimental results show that the average resistivity in the study area continuously decreases from 57 Ω·m in the initial freshwater state to 1.1 Ω·m at the intrusion stabilization point. Areas with resistivity values below 20 Ω·m corresponded exactly to the brine intrusion zone. The evolution of the freshwater-saltwater interface unfolded in three stages: Initially, the density difference (0.025 g/cm³) dominated, with the saltwater intrusion depth at the aquifer base reaching 0.45 m, significantly exceeding the 0.04 m penetration at the upper section. During the intermediate stage, the interface morphology differentiated into an “upper triangular, lower arc-shaped” configuration. The bottom intrusion distance increased to 1.65 m, and the thickness of the brackish-freshwater mixing zone expanded from 0.1 m to 0.3 m. In the final stage, the interface stabilized and began intruding toward the surface, establishing a new hydrodynamic equilibrium. In addition, the migration rate of saline water at the aquifer base gradually decreased from 6.25 × 10⁻⁴ cm/s initially to 1.16 × 10⁻⁵ cm/s at steady state. These results reflect the dynamic coupling process between seepage and dispersion and demonstrate that this method enables effective real-time monitoring of seawater intrusion development and conditions, as well as early warning capabilities. Full article

In massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), complex social environments exist in which cooperation is central not only to playing the game but also to experiencing it as an individual player. The growth of multiplayer games that emphasise cooperative activities in computer-based environments has sparked academic interest in collaboration and its role in the field, engaging scholars from domains such as human–computer interaction and digital entertainment. This paper presents a systematic literature review (SLR) and bibliometric analysis of 70 peer-reviewed journal papers published between 2015 and 2024. This data is derived from the Web of Science and Scopus databases. This literature review contributes to the understanding of collaborative factors in MMOGs, which include task interdependence, communication, trust, leadership, and player behaviour. The review is in the field using bibliometrics. To present the findings, we construct an input–process–output (IPO) model that links game features (inputs) and interaction dynamics (processes) to team performance and player experience (outputs) in MMOGs. This review maps the field’s dominant factors (task interdependence, communication, trust, leadership, and player behaviour), pinpoints methodological priorities, and sets a concrete agenda for future research on team collaboration in MMOGs. Full article

With the exploitation of tight sandstone gas, the corrosion problem of wellbores in the X block of the Ordos Basin has become increasingly severe, necessitating the implementation of effective measures to mitigate tubing corrosion and enhance corrosion inhibition efficiency. This study conducted field corrosion monitoring in conjunction with laboratory experiments, employing weight loss method, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to comprehensively characterize the corrosion of gas wells from both macro and micro perspectives. The results show that the gas wells in the X block of the Ordos Basin are exposed to a complex corrosion environment, where the electrochemical corrosion risk in the aqueous phase and the acidic gas corrosion risk in the gas phase coexist, posing a potential threat to wellbore integrity. Corrosion in X-1 and X-2 wells is mainly attributed to CO₂, while corrosion in X-3 well is primarily caused by sulfides. The field application of corrosion inhibitor M exhibited significant corrosion inhibition effects on steels, with the best performance at a dosage of 2000 mg/L. Based on experimental data, a corrosion inhibitor dosage prediction model for the X block gas wells was constructed. By increasing the dosing frequency and reducing the dosing concentration, the optimized dosing scheme can annually save approximately 566.4 L of corrosion inhibitor per well, providing a scientific basis for extending the service life of the gas well tubing. Given the prevalence of CO₂- and H₂S-induced corrosion in many global reservoirs, these findings provide valuable insights for corrosion management in similar international oil and gas fields, enhancing the broader applicability of the study. Full article

In the cold and arid regions of northern China, efficient water and nitrogen (N) management is critical for the sustainable production of leafy vegetables. Simplified models that estimate crop N and water transpiration demands using simple inputs based on climate parameters become an important method for making precise suggestions on N and irrigation application at a regional scale. This study developed and validated a regionally adapted version of the VegSyst model, named VegSyst-CH, based on a multi-year open-field experiment from 2021 to 2023. Model parameters were calibrated using data from the 2021 growing season and validated with independent datasets from 2022 and 2023. A critical N concentration (CNC) curve was established to describe the relationship between biomass accumulation and N content. VegSyst-CH, with a radiation use efficiency of 1.94 g MJ⁻¹, demonstrated high simulation accuracy for crop growth. The model showed a good predictive performance of N uptake under medium (N1) and high (N2) N treatments, with coefficients of determination (R²) above 0.80 across years and normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) values generally below 30%. The VegSyst-CH model also showed high accuracy in simulating crop evapotranspiration (ETc) over three consecutive growing seasons (2021–2023), with the dynamic trends of cumulative ETc closely aligning with measured values and the coefficients of determination (R²) consistently exceeding 0.90. These results validate the model’s robustness and applicability across different years. In conclusion, the VegSyst-CH model has strong spatiotemporal regulation capacity and climatic responsiveness, offering a robust decision support tool for precision fertilization and irrigation in open-field lettuce production in cold and arid regions. Full article

The rapid development of archaeology in China has led to the excavation of numerous fragmented porcelain artifacts, for which adhesive materials play a critical role in conservation and restoration. The long-term stability of these adhesives directly affects the structural safety and visual integrity of restored objects. In this study, four adhesives widely used in Chinese conservation practice—epoxy resin Hezhong AAA, epoxy resin Hongxing 509, acrylic resin Paraloid B-72, and cyanoacrylate adhesive 502—were systematically investigated through simulated cyclic aging experiments. A multi-analytical approach was employed, including ultra-depth-of-field microscopy, CIE Lab* colorimetric analysis, pencil hardness testing, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results reveal distinct aging behaviors among different adhesive types. Epoxy resin adhesives exhibit high initial hardness and pronounced hardening during aging, with coating hardness increasing from the B range to the H range after 15 aging cycles; however, they also show significant yellowing, with total color differences (ΔE) exceeding 10 and dominated by increases in the b* parameter. Paraloid B-72 maintains excellent color stability throughout aging, with ΔE values consistently below 2, although it shows limited thermal stability and delayed physical stabilization. The cyanoacrylate adhesive 502 demonstrates rapid curing and minimal discoloration but undergoes embrittlement and interfacial debonding during aging, indicating reduced long-term bonding reliability. By correlating macroscopic performance evolution with molecular-level chemical changes, this study elucidates the aging mechanisms of commonly used restoration adhesives and provides a scientific basis for adhesive selection, risk assessment, and long–term preservation strategies in porcelain conservation. Full article