Search Results (3,986)

Urban regeneration interventions extend beyond the renewal of physical building stock and the improvement of living conditions, as they also reshape local microclimatic conditions. This study examines changes in Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) patterns within an urban regeneration area in Istanbul, Türkiye, using multi-temporal remote sensing data. Landsat imagery from 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023 was used to derive Land Surface Temperature (LST), the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI), and SUHI intensity. Pearson correlation analysis, Getis–Ord Gi* hot spot analysis, and zonal statistics were applied to evaluate statistical relationships, spatial clustering, and local thermal changes within the regeneration areas. The findings show that urban regeneration did not produce a uniform thermal response. Demolition reduced built-up intensity, whereas redevelopment of previously vegetated or open parcels increased impervious surface cover and limited vegetation recovery. Correlation results revealed strong negative associations between NDVI and both LST and SUHI, while NDBI was positively associated with these thermal variables, indicating that land-cover composition was strongly associated with local thermal conditions. Overall, the study demonstrates that renewing building stock alone may not be sufficient to ensure improvement in the urban thermal environment. Strengthening green infrastructure, expanding permeable surfaces, and embedding climate-responsive planning measures into regeneration strategies are therefore critical. The results also indicate that multi-temporal remote sensing, combined with spatial statistics and zonal assessment, provides an effective decision-support framework for monitoring SUHI dynamics and evaluating the environmental performance of urban regeneration initiatives. Full article

During depressurization-based natural gas hydrate production, low-temperature and high-pressure wellbore conditions can induce secondary hydrate formation and deposition, risking flow channel blockage and production safety compromise. This study develops a predictive kinetic model for secondary hydrate formation and blockage in annular and mist flows, the flow patterns most susceptible to hydrate hazards. The model integrates multiphase flow, heat and mass transfer, hydrate phase change, and particle transport and deposition, coupling conservation equations with hydrate phase equilibrium and flow regime transition criteria to quantitatively predict the hydrate formation rate, deposition rate, and wall blockage severity. Validation against published experimental loop data shows that model-predicted pressure drop increases fall within 5.3% of measurements. Simulations based on a production well in the South China Sea’s Shenhu area provide quantitative predictions of three key operational controls: enlarging the tubing diameter compresses the hydrate stability zone; increasing the gas–liquid ratio suppresses hydrate formation by limiting free water; and the liquid production rate exerts stronger control over formation and deposition than the gas rate. The model serves as a practical quantitative tool for wellbore blockage risk assessment and operational decision support during hydrate trial production. Full article

Urban heat islands pose increasing risks to human settlements, yet the differential mechanisms by which grey–green spaces regulate diurnal and nocturnal land surface temperature across local climate zones remain insufficiently understood. This study addresses this gap through a Hangzhou case study, integrating a ten-indicator grey–green space system with two local spatial identification approaches—K-means clustering and an LCZ-inspired simplified scheme—and a Random Forest-SHAP framework. The LCZ-inspired scheme outperformed K-means clustering, with a mean diurnal–nocturnal Test R² of 0.4344 across twelve models, compared to 0.2977 for K-means. Diurnal and nocturnal LST were driven by systematically different factors: building density dominated daytime LST in most LCZ types (22.0% to 27.8%), while canopy height dominated nighttime LST (22.7% to 30.2%), revealing a systematic shift from building-dominated daytime to vegetation-dominated nighttime. This shift did not occur in compact built-up areas, suggesting that built-up density may be a threshold condition for the shift. Key variables exhibited nonlinear threshold effects with saturation points varying by LCZ type: canopy height cooling saturated at approximately 4 m in LCZ2 but required 17–21 m in LCZ3 and LCZA. These SHAP-based patterns and turning points should be regarded as exploratory, sample-dependent associations evaluated within the training data; their spatial stability across held-out regions was not assessed. Factor interactions were interval-dependent rather than globally fixed. Spatial cross-validation confirmed that random splitting substantially overestimated model performance, highlighting the necessity of spatially explicit validation. The methodological framework provides a replicable approach for urban thermal environment research and offers LCZ-specific threshold hypotheses for thermal regulation planning in subtropical megacities, subject to further spatial and cross-city validation. Full article

Urban heat islands (UHIs) are widely recognized as one of the clearest indicators of anthropogenic modification of the local climate system, resulting from the transformation of natural land surfaces into dense built environments characterized by altered thermal, radiative, and hydrological properties. The replacement of vegetated surfaces with impervious materials such as asphalt and concrete significantly modifies the surface energy balance, promoting heat storage during daytime and delayed release during nighttime, thereby enhancing urban–rural thermal contrasts. This study investigates the urban heat island (UHI) over the Berlin metropolitan region using a long-term high-resolution gridded dataset of daily minimum temperature from the EMO-1 (European Meteorological Observations gridded meteorological dataset with a spatial resolution of 1 arcmin × 1 arcmin) dataset, combined with Lamb weather types (LWTs) representing large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns. The analysis covers the period 1990–2023, enabling robust detection of long-term trends and variability. UHI intensity is quantified relative to a dynamic rural baseline defined by the 10th percentile temperature, allowing improved robustness compared to fixed rural references and reducing biases associated with spatial heterogeneity. Results demonstrate a persistent UHI centered over the urban core, with pronounced seasonal variability and statistically significant warming trends ranging from 0.004 to 0.018 °C yr⁻¹ across circulation regimes. Anticyclonic and Unclassified conditions dominate both the frequency and magnitude of UHI trends, confirming the dominant role of synoptic forcing controlling urban thermal dynamics. These findings underscore the necessity of integrating large-scale atmospheric circulation into UHI assessments and urban climate modeling. Full article

Heat stress is known to affect dairy cow behavior, but its effects on milking-order patterns and stabilization after herd entry in large commercial herds are not well described. We analyzed 70,491 parlor records from 484 Holstein cows milked three times daily in a free-stall herd to examine how thermal conditions shape milking-order dynamics. Daily intraday milking-order displacement was quantified based on changes in queue position between successive milkings. Cow-specific regressions of milking order on ambient temperature were used to identify clusters of thermal response, and time to reach a stable queue position was evaluated for newly introduced cows according to thermal conditions at herd entry. Results show a modest increase in intraday physical displacement from thermally comfortable to severely hot days, whereas relative displacement did not differ significantly across the four thermal categories. Cows showed consistent individual differences in how their milking position shifted with temperature that were only weakly associated with parity, days in milk, milk yield, or panting score. In an exploratory severe versus non-severe comparison, cows entering the herd under severe thermal conditions had a lower adjusted hazard of reaching the predefined stabilization criterion (HR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.43–0.90). Collectively, these findings indicate that milking-order patterns extracted from routine parlor records are associated with behavioral responses to thermal conditions. Their management implications, including decisions related to herd entry and cooling, require further experimental evaluation. Full article

Thermal degradation of textile materials produces complex residues whose characterization can provide information on both the original material and the conditions experienced during heating. This study investigates the potential of X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD) as a complementary approach for the characterization of textile thermal residues and for evaluating whether crystallographic features can retain information on textile composition and thermal exposure conditions. Twenty-five commercial textile samples, including natural fibres (cotton and silk) and synthetic polyester-based fabrics, were characterized before and after controlled thermal treatments at 400 and 800 °C under air and a modified atmosphere containing 10% O₂. The untreated fabrics exhibited characteristic diffraction patterns related to their fibre composition, whereas the residues showed significant changes depending on both the original textile and the treatment conditions. Higher-temperature treatments produced more crystalline residues, allowing improved discrimination among different textile categories. Differences between air and oxygen-limited conditions were also reflected in the diffraction patterns, indicating that oxygen availability influences the evolution of crystalline phases during thermal degradation. SEM–EDX analyses supported the interpretation of the diffraction data, although several residues showed complex patterns that prevented unambiguous phase identification. Overall, the results indicate that XRPD can provide valuable complementary information on the crystallographic evolution of textile thermal residues and may contribute to the characterization of textile composition and thermal exposure conditions. Full article

Atmospheric blocking is a major feature of mid-latitude circulation and is closely associated with the occurrence of extreme weather events over Europe. Among the different blocking regimes, Omega blocks are characterized by their persistent tripolar structure, which favors the development of prolonged heatwaves. In late June 2026, a major early—summer heatwave affected Western and Central Europe. This study investigates the synoptic, dynamical, and climatic mechanisms associated with this event using ERA5 reanalysis data. The evolution of the 500 hPa geopotential height, 850 hPa temperature, polar jet stream, Rossby wave breaking, and dynamical tropopause (2 PVU) was analyzed together with anomalies in sea surface temperature (SST), meridional temperature gradient, soil moisture, and sensible heat flux. The results show that the heatwave developed under a persistent Omega blocking pattern, which promoted strong subsidence, enhanced solar heating, and sustained warm air advection over Western Europe. Anomalously dry soils and enhanced sensible heat flux were also observed, suggesting a potential amplifying role of land–atmosphere interactions during the event. In addition, a pronounced cold SST anomaly over the subpolar North Atlantic preceded the onset of the blocking and coincided with a weakened meridional temperature gradient and reduced lower-tropospheric baroclinicity along the climatological position of the polar jet stream. Findings align with studies that North Atlantic cooling, including weakened Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), may favor summer Omega blocking and European heatwaves. However, the June 2026 SST anomaly’s origin is undetermined from this single analysis and is not attributed to AMOC variability. Full article

T helper cells (Th) are central to mucosal IgA induction and key targets for modulation by vaccine adjuvants. To improve understanding of cellular mechanisms underlying mucosal vaccine-induced immunity, we analyzed antigen-specific peripheral blood Th responses elicited by the oral enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) vaccine ETVAX, administered with or without the double mutant heat-labile toxin (dmLT) adjuvant. ETVAX, consisting of inactivated E. coli overexpressing colonization factors CFA/I, CS3, CS5, and CS6 with a heat-labile toxin B-subunit toxoid, was given orally in two doses to adult volunteers, either alone or with 10 or 25 µg dmLT. Antigen-specific Th-associated cytokine responses were assessed in stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from 15 to 18 individuals/group using ELISA and electrochemiluminescence assays. ETVAX predominantly induced Th1 (IFN-γ) and Th17 (IL-17A) responses, with minimal Th2-associated cytokines. Responses were markedly reduced after CD4+ T-cell depletion, supporting a Th cell origin. The strongest responses targeted LTB and CS3, with IFN-γ responses detected in 60–80% and IL-17A in 40–60% across all vaccinees. Responses to CFA/I, CS5 and CS6 were generally weaker. Exploratory comparisons suggested broader IFN-γ responses and more consistent IFN-γ and IL-17A responses to lower-dose antigens, particularly CS6, in recipients receiving vaccine plus 10 µg dmLT. These trends paralleled IgA antibody-secreting cell response patterns, with significantly enhanced IgA responses to CS6 in the vaccine plus 10 µg dmLT group. In conclusion, ETVAX induces antigen-specific Th1- and Th17-type responses in peripheral blood, supporting a role for cellular immunity in mucosal responses to oral ETEC vaccines. Full article

Background/Objectives: Neopyropia yezoensis is an economically important intertidal red alga that frequently experiences fluctuations in temperature, light intensity, and water availability. Formins are key regulators of actin nucleation and cytoskeletal dynamics, but their functions and stress-responsive roles in red algae remain poorly understood. This study aimed to systematically identify and characterize the Formin gene family in N. yezoensis and investigate their expression responses to different environmental stresses. Methods: Formin family members were identified from the N. yezoensis genome using HMMER and BLAST (2.17.0) searches based on the conserved FH2 domain, followed by domain validation. Gene structures, conserved motifs, physicochemical properties, predicted subcellular localization, protein structures, chromosomal distribution, phylogenetic relationships, and cis-acting elements in the upstream regions were analyzed. The expression patterns of the identified Formin genes were further examined by qRT-PCR under different temperature (4, 10, and 24 °C), light intensity (20, 60, and 100 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹), and desiccation/rehydration conditions. Results: Three Formin genes, designated NpyFormin01–03, were identified in N. yezoensis. All three encoded proteins contained the conserved FH2 domain but differed in motif composition, domain architecture, predicted subcellular localization, and structural features. NpyFormin01 contained additional PTEN_C2 and PTP_DSP_cys domains, whereas NpyFormin02 and NpyFormin03 contained only the FH2 domain. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the N. yezoensis Formins clustered with Formins from other red algae. Promoter analysis identified multiple predicted cis-acting elements associated with light, temperature, environmental, and phytohormone responses. Expression analysis revealed distinct responses among the three genes under the tested environmental conditions. Notably, NpyFormin01 was significantly upregulated under high-temperature treatment (24 °C), whereas NpyFormin02 and NpyFormin03 showed no statistically significant expression changes under the tested conditions. Conclusions: This study provides a systematic characterization of the Formin gene family in N. yezoensis. The differences in protein architecture, structural features, promoter cis-acting elements, and environmental-responsive expression patterns suggest potential functional divergence among NpyFormins. In particular, NpyFormin01 represents a potential heat-responsive candidate gene and may contribute to cytoskeletal regulation during environmental stress adaptation in N. yezoensis. These findings provide a basis for further investigation of the molecular functions of Formins in red algae. Full article

Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) serves as a critical molecular chaperone governing environmental stress responses in insects. This study aimed to characterize the expression pattern of SfHSP70-8 and determine its functional role in thermotolerance and insecticide susceptibility in the white-backed planthopper, Sogatella furcifera. Here, we cloned and characterized SfHSP70-8, a cytosolic member of the HSP70 family from S. furcifera. The encoded protein contains characteristic conserved domains and shares close sequence identity with the HSP70 homolog of Laodelphax striatellus. Spatiotemporal expression profiling revealed ubiquitous transcription across all developmental stages, peaking in third-instar nymphs, and pronounced enrichment in the gut and fat body. Transcript levels were robustly elevated following exposure to both thermal extremes (10–40 °C) and LC₅₀ concentrations of triflumezopyrim, sulfoxaflor, and imidacloprid. RNAi-mediated silencing of SfHSP70-8 significantly compromised tolerance to triflumezopyrim and sulfoxaflor while leaving imidacloprid susceptibility unchanged, and markedly decreased survival rates under chronic heat stress at 30 °C and 35 °C. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that SfHSP70-8 functions as an essential regulator of thermotolerance and insecticide adaptation in S. furcifera, offering a potential molecular target for future development in sustainable pest management. Full article

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems account for 60–70% of residential electricity consumption in Oman, where extreme desert climate, with temperatures regularly exceeding 45 °C create substantial cooling demands. Unlike general reviews of smart HVAC controls, this study specifically evaluates the applicability and performance of advanced control strategies for Omani residential buildings operating under extreme heat conditions, synthesizing evidence from international research, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, and Oman. Based on a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature published between 2015 and 2025, this analysis examines Model Predictive Control (MPC), Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL), Fuzzy Logic Control, and Internet of Things-based integrated approaches. International studies demonstrate that MPC strategies achieve energy savings of 16–40% compared to conventional thermostatic control by utilizing dynamic building thermal models to optimize control sequences over finite prediction horizons. DRL-based controllers achieve energy reductions of 17–23% through adaptive learning of optimal policies without requiring explicit system models, offering adaptability to dynamic occupancy patterns. Real-world implementation case studies from Oman and the GCC region—including the GUtech EcoHaus net-zero energy building and national-scale retrofit programs—demonstrate realized energy savings ranging from 25–75%, with higher savings achieved through comprehensive interventions that combine advanced controls with high-performance building envelopes. These findings suggest that substantial potential for reducing residential energy consumption while maintaining occupant thermal comfort under Oman’s extreme climatic conditions is achieved through the integration of advanced HVAC control strategies with high-performance building envelopes. Future research may address the development of occupant-centric adaptive comfort models calibrated for extreme heat conditions and context-specific control strategies that account for regional occupancy patterns and cultural preferences. Full article

Based on CN05.1 observational data, this study systematically evaluates the performance of the NASA Earth Exchange Global Daily Downscaled Projections (NEX-GDDP-CMIP6) and the original Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) in simulating extreme high-temperature (EHT) events over the Sichuan–Chongqing region during 1981–2014. Furthermore, it projects changes in EHT indices under different emission scenarios for the mid-and late-21st century using the NEX-GDDP-CMIP6 dataset. The results indicate that NEX-GDDP-CMIP6 exhibits higher spatial correlation (>0.90) and lower root-mean-square error (RMSE) than CMIP6 in depicting the spatial distribution of maximum temperature (Tmax), with mean biases reduced from approximately −2 °C to within 1 °C. This dataset also captures the spatial patterns of EHT frequency (EHTF) and intensity (EHTI), although it exhibits a systematic underestimation of their magnitudes due to the inherent smoothing effect of the Bias Correction and Spatial Disaggregation (BCSD) method. The comprehensive TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) ranking shows that NEX-GDDP-CMIP6 generally ranks higher than the original CMIP6 in simulating EHT indices across all three weighting schemes and exhibits higher inter-model consistency, which further validates its overall applicability in the Sichuan–Chongqing region. Under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) scenarios SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5, all 22 models project positive changes in Tmax, EHTF, and EHTI for both the mid- and late-21st century. The ensemble median increases reach approximately 5.5 °C for Tmax, 28 days per year for EHTF, and 1.8 °C for EHTI, which are 2–3 times the mid-century values and roughly double the corresponding increments under SSP2-4.5. The extreme heat hotspots are primarily located along the Sichuan–Chongqing border, with greater intensification and broader spatial coverage under SSP5-8.5 than under SSP2-4.5, indicating a progressive worsening of heatwave conditions across the study region. Full article

Remotely sensed surface temperature data are widely used by researchers and municipal practitioners to characterize urban thermal patterns and assess the impacts of increasing urban heat. While satellite-derived land surface temperature (LST) data effectively identify broad-scale patterns, their 30 m spatial resolution limits their ability to resolve fine-scale thermal variability. Downscaling approaches have been developed to generate higher-resolution LST products; however, in the absence of independent, high-resolution surface temperature observations, it remains difficult to determine whether the additional spatial variation introduced by downscaling reflects meaningful landscape-related thermal structure or model-generated variability. Our objective was to evaluate whether the additional spatial variation introduced by downscaling LST from 30 to 10 m was statistically consistent with independently derived land cover composition and landscape compositional heterogeneity. Using an open-source random forest model, we downscaled Landsat 8/9 LST to 10 m resolution using Sentinel-2-derived predictors over a summer season in Kelowna, BC, Canada. We quantified the additional thermal variation introduced through downscaling and used Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) to relate this variation to high-resolution land cover characteristics summarized within 100 m grid cells. Land cover composition and landscape compositional heterogeneity together explained 65.5% of the additional variation introduced by downscaling. Added thermal variation was most strongly associated with canopy and impervious cover, two landscape characteristics consistently identified as major controls on urban land surface temperature. These findings suggest that the additional spatial variation introduced through downscaling is consistent with independently derived landscape structure known to influence urban thermal patterns. Rather than providing direct validation of downscaled temperatures, this analysis offers an indirect means of evaluating whether downscaled LST produces interpretable, landscape-consistent thermal variability that may be useful for urban analysis and planning. Full article

Circadian–behavioral misalignment, defined as a mismatch between internal circadian timing and daily sleep activity behavior, is associated with sleep quality, daytime function, cognitive performance, and long-term health risks. However, practical approaches for integrating circadian-phase-related physiological markers with behavioral and environmental sensing under free-living conditions remain limited. This study presents a multimodal wearable and lifelog monitoring workflow that combines a heat-flux-based wearable temperature-estimation sensor, a wrist-worn actigraph, melanopic equivalent daylight illuminance (EDI) measurement, and web-based lifelog entries. Ten healthy young adults were monitored for approximately one week in daily life. The midpoint between the descending and ascending mid-level crossings of the nocturnal temperature rhythm was extracted as a circadian-phase-related temperature rhythm marker. In a practical comparison with gastrointestinal temperature measured using an ingestible capsule, the wearable-derived rhythm marker showed a mean absolute difference of 27.1 ± 16.6 min. The temporal difference between the two markers was defined as the phase angle, and coupling stability was evaluated using phase angle variability and the correlation between the markers. After excluding one participant who traveled overseas, clustering and principal component analyses were used to visualize exploratory participant-level differences in circadian–behavioral coupling. Integrated analysis with melanopic EDI, activity, and lifelog-derived features suggested that light exposure, activity timing, and behavioral timing may provide contextual information for interpreting coupling patterns in this small cohort. These findings support the feasibility of a sensing system application that integrates physiological, behavioral, environmental, and lifelog data for the exploratory assessment of circadian–behavioral coupling under free-living conditions, rather than the development of new sensor hardware. Full article

Polyparasitism is frequently documented in cetaceans; however, the pathological consequences of concurrent multispecies helminth infections and their associated tissue responses remain incompletely understood. This study characterized multispecies helminth infections in two live-stranded dolphins from the Andaman coast of Thailand, a spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) and a pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata), using integrated postmortem, parasitological, molecular, histopathological, and immunohistochemical approaches. Both dolphins harbored helminths involving multiple organ systems. Pulmonary nematodes were identified as Halocercus delphini, while larval and intestinal cestodes were identified as Clistobothrium sp. and Tetrabothrius sp., respectively. The most prominent pathological alterations occurred in the respiratory tract and included chronic pyogranulomatous bronchopneumonia, airway epithelial injury, fibrosis, and pulmonary congestion associated with Halocercus infection. Additional parasite-associated lesions included chronic enteritis, cholangitis with biliary epithelial injury and ductular reaction, pancreatic inflammation, and localized inflammatory responses surrounding larval cestode cysts in the blubber and testis. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated extensive interleukin-4 (IL-4) immunoreactivity in affected pulmonary and intestinal tissues, whereas interleukin-10 (IL-10) was undetectable. Nitrotyrosine and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) immunoreactivity were widely distributed across parasite-associated tissues, while caspase-3 immunoreactivity showed tissue-dependent patterns. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that multispecies helminth infections in stranded dolphins were associated with multisystem pathological alterations accompanied by inflammatory, oxidative/nitrosative stress, cellular stress, and apoptotic responses. These findings highlight the potential pathological significance of polyparasitism in stranded dolphins and support consideration of parasite burden and associated tissue responses during cetacean postmortem investigations. Full article