Search Results (631)

Extremophilic prokaryotes survive salt, temperature, and pH extremes by coordinating stress-induced protein networks that preserve macromolecules, sustain energetics, and repair damage. This review integrates recent proteomics with functional genomics to resolve both network state and causality across halophiles, thermophiles, acidophiles, alkaliphiles, psychrophiles, and radiation-resistant prokaryotes. Quantitative proteomics maps condition-specific induction of chaperones, proteases, ion transporters, osmolyte pathways, DNA repair proteins, antioxidants, and envelope remodeling enzymes. Complementary perturbation genetics, functional genomics, and transcriptomics help to identify essential nodes and regulatory circuits underlying stress tolerance. In halophiles, compatible solute synthesis and Na⁺/H⁺ exchange couple to protein quality control and central metabolism, whereas many archaeal halophiles additionally rely on high intracellular salt and distinctive membrane chemistry. Thermophiles rely on heat-shock systems, ATP-dependent proteolysis, membrane adjustments, and redox balancing. Acidophiles maintain near-neutral cytosol via proton export and low-permeability membranes while linking iron handling to oxidative defense. Alkaliphiles use Na⁺-based bioenergetics, multi-subunit antiporters, and cell-wall modifications to retain protons. Psychrophiles emphasize cold-shock RNA chaperones, flexible enzymes, and cryoprotectants, whereas radiophiles combine exceptional DNA repair with strong antioxidant capacity. Across taxa, oxidative stress forms a cross-cutting axis that explains extensive regulon overlap and cross-protection. We synthesize network architecture, highlight conserved modules and lineage-specific solutions, and outline open questions in stress sensing, multi-stress integration, and the functions of uncharacterized proteins. These insights provide a framework for engineering robust biocatalysts and organisms for biotechnology and environmental applications. Full article

This study presents the design, fabrication, and experimental validation of the Hermes reusable model rocket platform integrating additive manufacturing, onboard sensing, and telemetry capabilities for low-cost aerospace experimentation. The rocket was manufactured using modular Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG) components produced through fused filament fabrication to achieve a lightweight and structurally robust configuration suitable for repeated flight operations. A custom flight computer based on a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W was developed to acquire in-flight data from an inertial measurement unit, barometric pressure sensor, and Global Positioning System module, while an onboard camera enabled post-flight trajectory assessment. Aerodynamic performance and stability were evaluated using OpenRocket simulations, and propulsion was provided by a cluster of Klima D9-5 solid rocket motors. Four experimental flights were conducted to evaluate the integrated system architecture, assess telemetry and sensor performance, and compare experimental flight data with simulation predictions. The recorded measurements successfully captured the primary flight phases, including launch, ascent, apogee, descent, and recovery. The experimental results showed qualitative agreement with the simulated flight profiles; however, deviations in apogee altitude, acceleration, and flight duration were observed due to aerodynamic drag, environmental disturbances, motor-performance variability, and implementation-related limitations. The flight campaigns additionally identified practical challenges associated with wireless telemetry reliability, GPS signal acquisition, electronic protection, and parachute deployment, leading to iterative system improvements. From a sensing perspective, the flight campaigns demonstrate the operation and limitations of a low-cost embedded acquisition architecture under dynamic conditions, including the effects of sampling rate, sensor calibration, synchronization, wireless-link interruption, and local data preservation on the quality of the recorded flight measurements. The presented platform demonstrates the feasibility of combining low-cost additive manufacturing techniques with commercially available embedded electronics for reusable aerospace testing and educational applications. The proposed system further provides a flexible experimental framework for flight-data acquisition, simulation validation, and iterative development in academic and amateur rocketry research. Full article

This paper presents a critical review of surface protection strategies for refurbished hydropower components, with emphasis on the manufacturing and materials-processing logic that links damage mechanisms, substrate condition, deposition route, microstructure, and service performance. The literature indicates that cavitation erosion, sediment abrasion, corrosion, and their synergistic interactions are intensified by flexible and off-design hydropower operation, making refurbishment decisions increasingly surface-sensitive rather than purely bulk-material problems. Thermal spray and laser cladding remain the dominant industrially relevant routes, while cold spray and emerging multi-principal-element, high-entropy, and Fe-based amorphous systems expand the design space for lower heat input, better defect control, and improved cavitation resistance. Across the considered studies, the most consistent conclusion is that hardness alone is not a reliable selection criterion; porosity, interfacial integrity, crack susceptibility, residual stress, and the ability to accommodate local deformation govern real durability. Chemical pre-treatments, sealants, and hybrid finishing routes appear less mature as standalone hydropower solutions, but are important enablers for substrate activation, coating densification, and corrosion mitigation. Therefore, the review proposes a refurbishment-oriented framework in which route selection is based on the initial damage state of the component, the admissible thermal load on the substrate, the required build-up thickness, and the expected cavitation/slurry/corrosion regime. Full article

The direct current (DC) microgrid’s remarkable power delivery performance has led to its development into a promising distribution network. However, creating efficient protective systems remains a major challenge for DC microgrids. Presently, the emphasis on DC microgrids is on architectural structures, control techniques, and energy management, with minimal attention given to fault analysis, detection, and isolation. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to provide researchers with a thorough grasp of DC microgrid protection by examining the current level of research in key fields and evaluating potential protection solutions. Furthermore, this study indicates key areas for future research to solve safety problems and promote the growth of the DC microgrid. Future research focuses on protection and the development of innovative protection devices that use electronic technology to provide flexible protection constraints and enhance appropriate protection schemes. Moreover, this review briefly discusses the protection challenges associated with electric vehicle (EV) integration in DC microgrids. Full article

Swiss inheritance law is increasingly confronted with profound social and legal transformations that challenge its traditional foundations. This article analyzes how Swiss inheritance law is striving to adapt to these contemporary developments, particularly the diversification of family structures, the growing emphasis on individual autonomy, globalization, and the rise of alternative dispute resolution methods. The study first highlights the increasing mismatch between classical legal categories and modern realities, especially with regard to blended families and cohabiting partners. It then examines the persistent tensions between the freedom to dispose of one’s estate upon death and the protection of close relatives through the system of forced heirship, in a context where the testator’s margin of discretion is expanding. The analysis continues with an exploration of the increasingly international nature of inheritance situations and the significant challenges this poses in terms of legal coordination and predictability. Finally, the article underscores the growing role of mediation and arbitration in resolving inheritance disputes. It concludes that, despite significant developments, Swiss inheritance law still struggles to fully reflect social realities, calling for greater flexibility while preserving legal certainty and fairness. Full article

Large-scale UHVDC and flexible DC projects accumulate scattered multi-modal O&M data across independent platforms, fragmenting domain knowledge and reducing the efficiency of intelligent fault diagnosis and disposal. Unstructured data typically account for more than 70% of converter-station O&M data volume, which intensifies fragmentation across SCADA, inspection media, fault recordings and documents. Distinct from prior HVDC intelligent O&M surveys, this review critically synthesizes the closed-loop knowledge construction chain via multi-modal data fusion—covering data governance, cross-modal semantic mapping, DIKW modeling, hybrid storage and knowledge graph development—and compares three fusion paradigms regarding latency, scalability and industrial deployment. It also addresses renewable-integrated O&M uncertainty, practical feature extraction, and why deep learning black-box behavior limits field practicality. Key gaps remain small-sample generalization, control-and-protection logic formalization, explainability and cross-system integration; future directions include few-shot cross-modal learning, LLM-driven knowledge evolution and digital twin coupling. Full article

To address the challenge of balancing food production, groundwater protection, and economic sustainability in agricultural systems, this study developed a novel multi-objective optimization framework integrating an Extreme Learning Machine (ELM)-based surrogate model. An irrigation–fertilization–economy (IFE) model was established to evaluate region-specific agricultural adjustment strategies under four scenarios: baseline adjustment, flexible restructuring, production reduction and profit-oriented expansion scenarios. The optimization results were subsequently used to assess the impacts of agricultural production regulation on groundwater nitrate concentrations in the study area. The results showed that the IFE model consistently favored the conversion from wheat to maize cultivation across all regions, because maize requires less irrigation and fertilizer inputs while maintaining relatively high net profits. However, the optimal strategies varied among regions: Pingdu and Jiaozhou showed greater economic potential for production expansion, whereas regions with lower economic potential were more suitable for reducing high-input crop cultivation. During the 2020–2030 prediction period, nitrate concentrations exhibited substantial interannual variations. Reducing the overall production scale shifted nitrate concentrations approximately 6% closer to the 30–50 mg/L range over the decade, but this limited environmental benefit was accompanied by substantial short-term economic losses. Considering both environmental impacts and economic viability, the optimization results suggest that moderate agricultural expansion could be acceptable provided that environmental burdens are effectively managed. Full article

Polybenzoxazines (PBz) represent a versatile class of high-performance thermosetting polymers that have attracted significant attention for advanced composite applications due to their unique combination of properties including high glass transition temperatures, low polymerization shrinkage, excellent thermal stability, and molecular design flexibility. This comprehensive review examines the structure–property relationships governing PBz composite performance, from molecular design principles through network formation, composite reinforcement strategies, and ultimate application performance. The review systematically addresses benzoxazine monomer structure and its influence on polymer network architecture, explores the polymerization mechanism, and critically evaluates composite design strategies incorporating carbon-based nanofillers, fiber reinforcements, and hybrid filler systems. Detailed analysis of structure–property relationships reveals how molecular and composite architecture control thermal stability (glass transition temperatures exceeding 350 °C and char yields up to 92%), mechanical performance, electrical properties (dielectric constants as low as 2.67), and chemical durability. Processing techniques ranging from conventional compression molding to emerging additive manufacturing approaches are discussed in the context of morphological control and property optimization. Applications spanning aerospace structures, high-frequency electronics and protective coatings demonstrate the technological relevance of PBz composites. Critical challenges including network brittleness, high cure temperatures, and recyclability limitations are addressed alongside recent advances in dynamic covalent networks, vitrimer chemistry, and self-healing systems that promise to overcome these barriers. This review provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and engineering polybenzoxazine composites for next-generation advanced applications. Full article

The structural safety of a marine remotely operated vehicle (ROV) launch and recovery system (LARS) under extreme sea conditions determines the reliability of underwater exploration. To address the susceptibility of traditional rigid frames to local yielding and dynamic instability under transient high-frequency impacts from a mother ship, this study conducts structural dynamics simulation and vibration reduction optimization for a heavy-duty ROV LARS. A spatial finite element model was established, introducing boundary conditions that decouple the static gravity field from the transient inertial mass. Mechanical responses under eight typical operating conditions were systematically evaluated. Results indicate that the rigid frame experiences significant limitations under a 1 g horizontal transient impact, with peak stress reaching 195.38 MPa and deformation exceeding 20 mm. Consequently, a non-invasive vibration reduction strategy using viscoelastic damping boundaries is proposed, alongside an equivalent buffer dynamics model. Verifications demonstrate that this flexible damping constraint prolongs collision momentum transfer time and dissipates impact kinetic energy. Post-optimization, maximum transverse and longitudinal von Mises stresses decrease by over 37%, and transient deformation is reduced by over 64%. This study addresses the weight penalty of traditional strengthening designs, providing a mechanical reference for the lightweight design and impact protection of heavy-duty marine equipment. Full article

In Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) environments, the security requirements of edge nodes change dynamically, whereas conventional cryptographic deployment relies on static configurations that require firmware upgrades or system reboots for algorithm updates, severely limiting flexibility and maintainability. To address this issue, this paper proposes a software-defined runtime reconfiguration mechanism for cryptographic service chains on OS-capable IIoT edge nodes. By decoupling cryptographic processing logic definition from its execution environment, the control plane generates integrity-protected executable service chains, which are dynamically loaded and executed at runtime on the edge node. A prototype implemented on a Raspberry Pi edge node supports dynamic composition and switching among AES, SM4, SHA-256, and SM3, and incorporates HMAC-based integrity verification, version-based rollback prevention, and a smooth transition mechanism supported by kernel buffering. Experimental results show millisecond-level processing latency and a middleware overhead of 3.9–5.2% relative to a static baseline in the same Python interpreter environment, while the reconfiguration latency satisfies the real-time constraints of typical IIoT edge applications. The security and deployment boundaries of the proposed approach are also analyzed. Full article

Centrifugal spraying systems are widely used in plant protection unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) due to their flexible droplet size adjustment and low-volume application capabilities. These systems can typically generate a wide range of volume median diameters from 50 to over 300 micrometers depending on rotational speed and disc structure. However, field performance is governed by a complex multi-physics coupling process rather than atomizer performance alone. Droplets released from the atomizer undergo near-field expansion and are subsequently entrained by rotor downwash. While strong downwash significantly improves deep canopy penetration compared to traditional application methods, it also dynamically reshapes droplet trajectories and size spectra through high-shear wake vortices. A critical comparative gap identified in this review is the severe discrepancy between static indoor atomization models and dynamic field transport. Current research lacks continuous spatial-temporal tracking of droplet size spectra under these complex field conditions. To address this, this review synthesizes the continuous mapping among droplet generation, spray plume transport, and canopy deposition. Precision application requires coordinated matching of flight parameters, aerodynamic downwash, and canopy architecture rather than single-parameter optimization. Future research must focus on the dynamic reconstruction of droplet size spectra and multisource perception-based feedback to shift centrifugal spraying systems from empirical parameter adjustment to mechanism-driven, closed-loop coordinated control. Full article

The transition from conventional to fully digital substations represents a major transformation in power system communication, protection, and automation. This paper presents a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of migration strategies, IEC 61850-based standards, implementation challenges, and emerging technologies for digital substations. Following the PRISMA framework, peer-reviewed studies published between 2005 and 2025 were selected from IEEE Xplore and ScienceDirect. The review provides an explicit digitalization perspective through architectural diagrams and comparative analyses describing the evolution from conventional to fully digital substations. The results identify IEC 61850, particularly the integration of a station bus and process bus, as the technological foundation of digital substations, improving interoperability, operational flexibility, monitoring, and protection while reducing copper wiring. Despite these benefits, challenges related to interoperability, synchronization, cybersecurity, and engineering complexity remain. The review also highlights digital twins, artificial intelligence, virtualization, and software-defined protection as key technologies for future digital substations. Full article

Stable and uniform pesticide application is essential for precision crop protection, input-use efficiency, and the reduction of off-target losses in large-scale farming systems. Large boom sprayers are important agricultural machines for high-efficiency crop protection, but their wide and flexible booms are highly sensitive to terrain-induced excitation, chassis motion, liquid sloshing, and hydraulic nonlinearities. These disturbances can cause roll, yaw, vertical oscillation, and boom-end height variation, thereby reducing spray uniformity, increasing drift risk, and threatening operational safety. Hybrid active–passive boom suspension systems have therefore become a key enabling technology for modern precision spraying. This review summarizes research progress in the structural design, dynamic modeling, sensing, and control of boom suspension systems for large-scale agricultural sprayers. Mainstream commercial machines commonly use double-pendulum active–passive suspension architectures, in which passive components attenuate high-frequency vibration and active subsystems improve low-frequency terrain-following performance. Recent studies have advanced electro-hydraulic actuation, disturbance compensation, adaptive control, multi-sensor fusion, and field evaluation methods; however, a unified framework for coupling boom dynamics, spray quality, sensing accuracy, and whole-machine operation remains incomplete. Key challenges include rigid–flexible–hydraulic coupling, underactuated control, uncertain parameters, external disturbances, and posture estimation errors caused by boom elastic deformation and sensor noise. Future research should emphasize rigid–flexible–fluid-coupled modeling, adaptive output-feedback control with disturbance and resonance suppression, terrain-preview and multi-source perception, and coordinated chassis–boom-spray control. These developments can support more stable, efficient, and environmentally responsible spraying operations in modern precision agriculture. Full article

Recent advances in vaccinology have accelerated the shift from conventional live-attenuated and inactivated vaccines toward subunit and nucleic acid-based platforms. Although these next-generation vaccines offer improved safety, rapid adaptability, and manufacturing flexibility, their relatively low intrinsic immunogenicity often requires efficient adjuvants and delivery systems. Nanoparticle-based vaccine platforms have therefore emerged as versatile tools capable of protecting antigens, improving targeted delivery, and modulating both innate and adaptive immune responses. This review summarizes the major classes of nanovaccine platforms, including lipid and polymeric nanoparticles, self-assembling protein nanostructures such as virus-like particles and ferritin nanocages, saponin-based self-assembling complexes, and inorganic nanomaterials. Particular attention is given to how vaccine performance is determined not only by material composition but also by nanoparticle physicochemical properties, biodistribution, cellular uptake, and mechanisms of immune activation. We further discuss the major challenges limiting clinical translation, including scalable manufacturing, safety evaluation, quality control, regulatory requirements, and long-term biocompatibility. Finally, emerging strategies involving hybrid and personalized nanovaccine platforms are highlighted, illustrating how nanotechnology and immunoengineering are transforming vaccine development for both prophylactic and therapeutic applications. Full article

Rigid polyurethane foams are used in impact-attenuation systems due to their tunable cellular structure and energy dissipation capacity. However, expanded polystyrene (EPS), commonly used for impact protection, presents limitations related to impact attenuation performance and limited design flexibility. This study evaluates the impact performance of rigid polyurethane foams modified with diethanolamine and assesses formulation efficiency using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Rigid PU foam formulations containing 0–3 wt% DEOA were synthesized and characterized by impact testing, apparent density measurements, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and Thermogravimetric Analysis/Derivative Thermogravimetry. DEA was applied to correlate diethanolamine content with impact absorption efficiency. Excessive crosslinking and reduced energy dissipation were observed above 2 wt%, while concentrations below 0.5 wt% resulted in poorly structured foams. The formulation containing 1 wt% DEOA was identified as the most efficient among the investigated formulations, exhibiting the best overall performance, reducing transmitted peak acceleration by 13.8% compared with neat PU foam, while exhibiting an approximately 48% increase in apparent density, more complete consumption of NCO groups, a more uniform cellular structure, and only modest changes in thermal degradation behavior. These findings indicate that the improved impact performance is associated with the combined effects of increased apparent density, modified cellular morphology, and changes in the polyurethane network promoted by DEOA, underscore the promise of diethanolamine-modified rigid polyurethane (PU) foams for protective applications. Full article