Search Results (36,070)

The sustainable use of freshwater resources includes balancing between human demand for water and the long-term health of river systems. Although dams and reservoirs are essential for water supply, flood control and energy generation, they can induce significant hydrological alterations, affecting water quality, sediment transport, downstream water availability, and aquatic and riparian ecosystems. In this study, we employed multifractal analysis to investigate hydrological changes in the São Francisco River basin, Brazil, resulting from the construction of a cascade of dams and reservoirs. We applied multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MFDFA) to daily streamflow time-series spanning the period from 1929 to 2016, at locations both upstream and downstream of cascade dams, and for periods before and after dam construction. We calculated multifractal spectra f(α) and analyzed key complexity parameters: the position of the spectrum maximum α_0, representing the overall Hurst exponent H; the spectrum width W indicating the degree of multifractality; and the asymmetry parameter r, which reflects the dominance of small (r > 1) and large (r < 1) fluctuations. We found that after the construction of Sobradinho dam, located in the Sub-Middle São Francisco region, streamflow dynamics shifted towards a regime characterized by uncorrelated increments (H~0.5) and stronger multifractality (larger W), with the dominance of small fluctuations (r > 1). In contrast, the cumulative effect of all cascade dams downstream, in the Lower São Francisco region, led to streamflow regime with similarly uncorrelated increments (H~0.5), but with weaker multifractality (smaller W) and a dominance of large fluctuations (r < 1). The novelty of this work is the use of a sliding-window MFDFA approach to explore the temporal evolution of streamflow multifractality. This method uncovered otherwise hidden aspects of hydrological alterations, such as increasing tendency in spectrum width, indicating stronger multifractality and higher complexity of streamflow dynamics after the dam construction. These results demonstrate that multifractal analysis is a powerful tool for assessing the complexity of hydrological changes induced by human activities. Full article

In high-speed parachuting, complex turbulent phenomena (i.e., deadly vortices) may cause problems such as parachute inflation delay or even deployment failure. To address these issues, this study develops a high-precision numerical simulation dummy model in which adaptive mesh generation techniques, combined with Euler–Lagrange bidirectional coupling based on a large eddy simulation, are employed to model the multiphase flow field during parachute descent. The key parameters are adjusted, and the numerical model is refined based on wind tunnel experiments and User-Defined Functions. The bidirectional validation of the experimental and simulated data reveals the mechanism of turbulent flow formation and its evolutionary patterns around the parachutist–parachute system for different lateral and descent velocities during the high-speed descent phase. A prediction model based on a multi-information fusion neural network algorithm is further established to address the challenge in special parachuting scenarios whereby vortices in the flow field around the parachutist prevent the parachute from opening. The model integrates the Haar wavelet to extract global low-frequency features that characterize the overall structure and trends, an energy valley optimization algorithm, a convolutional neural network, a bidirectional long short-term memory network, and a self-attention mechanism to achieve one-second-ahead turbulence prediction. With nine physical quantities as inputs and descent velocity as the output indicator, the model has a Root Mean Square Error of 0.085, a Mean Absolute Error of 0.051, and a Mean Absolute Percentage Error of 0.0021. Full article

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to educate the healthcare professional and the general public about interoperable vaccine records by elaborating on its definition, why we need one, what the challenges are, and what progress has been made in this direction. Methods: The vaccination practices and vaccine record-keeping in the Nordic countries, the UK, and the USA are used as examples to demonstrate the necessity of interoperable vaccine records. The authors’ expertise and experience in interoperability, medicine, and HealthIT, along with the literature, informed this paper’s content, structure, and organization. Real-world examples and scenarios illustrate the reality and significance of interoperable vaccine records. Results: This paper provides a brief description of vaccination records and their practices in the Nordic countries, the UK, and the USA, which can inform future best practices for vaccination record-keeping. This paper also proposes a conceptual roadmap for achieving an interoperable vaccine record, which is a critical component for maintaining the integrity of an individual’s health record longitudinally, an essential cornerstone for receiving safe and effective healthcare, improving patient outcomes, controlling healthcare costs, avoiding unnecessary revaccination (overvaccination), and enabling alignment with up-to-date vaccine recommendations. This paper examines the intersection of vaccinations, HealthIT, and vaccine record-keeping, and it provides a brief discussion of the social and political aspects of vaccination. Conclusions: Although achieving interoperable vaccine records is technically feasible and clinically important, their large-scale implementation is not a simple task amid the social and political challenges related to vaccine misinformation, acceptance, and hesitancy. Full article

Background: This systematic review examined the relationship between horizontal multi-step jumps and sprint performance, and whether training interventions including these exercises improve sprinting. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in SPORTDiscus and PubMed (MEDLINE) and included English-language studies of athletes aged ≥14–15 years that assessed at least one horizontal multi-step jump and reported sprint outcomes over distances up to 100 m. Methodological quality and risk of bias were assessed using design-appropriate critical appraisal tools. Of 316 records identified, 19 studies met the inclusion criteria (10 intervention studies and 9 correlational studies). Results: Across correlational studies, horizontal multi-step jump performance showed associations ranging from weak to very large with sprint performance, with the strongest relationships typically observed during acceleration (≤20–30 m). In trained sprinters, correlations were often large to very large (r ≈ −0.65 to −0.88), whereas team-sport athletes showed more moderate associations, and younger or less specialized populations showed weak or non-significant relationships. Across intervention studies, horizontal multi-step jump training generally improved short-distance sprint performance, with the largest improvements reported for acceleration (up to ~7–12% in some studies), while effects at longer sprint distances and maximal-speed performance were smaller, inconsistent, or not different from comparison training. Conclusions: Overall, the evidence suggests that the association between horizontal multi-step jumps and sprint performance is strongest during the acceleration phase and is influenced by athlete population and training status. Horizontal multi-step jumps appear to be useful for assessing and potentially developing sprint acceleration. However, the findings should be interpreted with caution due to heterogeneity in study design and variable methodological quality, and associations with maximal sprint speed are less consistent across studies. Full article

Studying the slumping disintegration, movement speed, impact intensity, accumulation characteristics, and energy conversion laws of tower-column unstable rock masses (TCURM) is crucial for high-altitude rockfall hazard risk evaluation. Existing PFC-based rockfall simulations rarely target the unique “top-hard-bottom-weak” structural characteristics of TCURM and lack in-depth integration of on-site monitoring videos to verify dynamic evolution processes. Taking the large-scale collapse of W12^# unstable rock mass at Zengziyan, Jinfo Mountain in Chongqing as an example, a combination method of orthogonal test and PFC^3D discrete element simulation is used. Mesoscopic parameters are calibrated via comparison with on-site video and investigation data, accurately reproducing the entire slumping disintegration process and revealing its dynamic characteristics. Results confirm the simulation is basically consistent with field data, verifying the model and parameter rationality. The total duration from instability to stagnation is 121 s (15 s to impact the secondary steep cliff base, 106 s for debris accumulation). Movement speed time-histories of deteriorated and non-deteriorated zones are generally consistent, both exhibiting a “double-peak” feature. Rockfall impact force first increases, stabilizes in the middle, and declines to stability afterward, with a maximum of 2.1 × 10⁹ N. The kinetic energy curve also shows a “double-peak” distribution, closely related to the on-site two-level steep cliff morphology. The findings provide important references for analyzing the dynamic evolution of such rockfalls and designing disaster prevention/mitigation engineering. Full article

This study proposes a feature-level fusion method that integrates Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (D-InSAR) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle photogrammetry (UAV-P) for monitoring mining-induced subsidence basin (MSB). The method begins by extracting key subsidence characteristics based on the patterns of coal-mining-related surface displacement; the centimeter-level subsidence boundary is determined from D-InSAR data, while the meter-scale deformation at the subsidence center is derived from UAV-P. These extracted features are then used to invert the parameters of the probability integral method (PIM). The subsidence basin predicted by the inverted parameters serves as a criterion to select the superior dataset between the D-InSAR and UAV-derived results. Finally, the selected subsidence data are fused to generate a composite subsidence map. The proposed method was applied to the 2S201 panel in the Wangjiata Coal Mine using eight Sentinel-1A images and two UAV surveys. The fusion results were evaluated for their regional and overall accuracy against 30 ground control points measured by total station and GPS. The results demonstrate that the fusion method not only accurately extracts large-scale deformations in the mining area, with a maximum subsidence of 2.5 m and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.277 m in the subsidence center area, but also precisely identifies the subsidence boundary region with an accuracy of 0.039 m. The fused subsidence basin exhibits an overall accuracy of 0.182 m, which represents a significant improvement of 83.6% and 27.8% over the results obtained using D-InSAR and UAV alone, respectively. This method effectively reconstructs the complete morphology of the mining-induced subsidence basin, confirming its feasibility for practical applications. Full article

Due to the seasonality of its production and its polluting characteristics, the management and disposal of large amounts of grape pomace (GP) produced worldwide every year can pose a significant economic and environmental challenge. The research on the possible exploitation of GP for various purposes has been constantly growing during recent years, due to the increased general sensitivity to issues like the sustainability of agro-industrial production and the growing consumer demand for the use of natural versus synthetic compounds. This work concerned the determination of the polyphenolic profile and the dietary fiber content of skins and seeds from unfermented and fermented white and red grape pomace of different cultivars, sampled from local wineries in the Piedmont area (Italy) after winemaking. A double extraction was performed to maximize the extraction of polyphenols from grape pomace flours. The extractable polyphenols content (EPP) was determined in the extracts, while the non-extractable polyphenols (NEPP) linked to fiber were quantified as condensed tannins in the residue after extraction. The total dietary fiber (TDF) was determined for skins and seeds; limited to skins, the analysis was extended to the distinction between soluble and insoluble dietary fiber (SDF and IDF). The polyphenolic and dietary fiber content was significantly higher in seeds than in skins. However, from a nutritional point of view, the dietary fiber of skins may be more interesting due to the higher NEPP content than in seeds; moreover, the winemaking technique influenced the quantity and characteristics of skin fiber, which contained SDF, almost absent in seeds. Full article

The rapid integration of inverter-based renewable energy sources (RES), particularly solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power plants (WPPs), together with the large-scale deployment of battery energy storage systems (BESSs) is fundamentally reshaping modern power systems. While these technologies are essential for decarbonization, their converter-dominated and variable characteristics introduce new challenges for grid stability, operational security, and regulatory compliance. As a result, grid codes are being continuously revised to define advanced technical requirements, including fault ride-through (FRT) capability, reactive power support, frequency response, voltage control, and active power management for RESs and energy storage systems (ESS). This study presents a systematic comparative assessment of international grid codes, examining the technical and operational requirements imposed on inverter-based resources (IBR) and ESSs across multiple jurisdictions. In parallel, the current Turkish Grid Code is evaluated from a future-oriented perspective, and recommendations that can improve the existing regulatory framework are proposed, particularly regarding high-voltage ride-through capability, synthetic inertia provision, fast frequency response (FFR), hybrid power plant (HPP) coordination, and ESS-specific performance criteria. Based on the comparative analysis, the study proposes targeted amendments to the Turkish Grid Code aimed at enhancing system resilience under high renewable penetration levels. Furthermore, field-testing methodologies, model-based validation practices, and emerging digitalized compliance monitoring architectures are investigated to assess their applicability to next-generation power systems. By integrating international best practices with country-specific recommendations, this work contributes to the development of transparent, adaptive, and technically robust grid code compliance frameworks, supporting both academic research and practical grid modernization efforts. Full article

This experimental study examines how generative AI reshapes the balance between perceptual fluency and cultural semiosis in children’s picture-book illustration by using a corpus derived from The Monkey King picture-book series, adapted from the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West. The study compares 224 handcrafted illustrations with 224 AI images generated by the Doubao platform (Seedream-3.0). Computational visual metrics, edge curvature and color entropy were calculated using OpenCV, while iconographic features were manually annotated with the UAM Image Tool (Mick O’Donnell, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain). Quantitative analysis reveals statistically significant formal divergences between the two illustration modes. AI images generated by the Doubao platform exhibit a shift toward more outwardly convex contours and reduced color entropy, indicating smoother contours and chromatic homogenization that enhance perceptual accessibility. Iconographic analysis, however, demonstrates an attenuation of culturally specific symbols. High-frequency, contour-salient attributes are largely preserved, whereas low-frequency, ritualized, and hierarchically organized elements are frequently omitted or simplified. The findings reveal a tension between perceptual fluency and cultural–semantic stability in AI images generated by Doubao (ByteDance, Beijing, China), employing the Seedream 3.0 model. They support a framework of conditional applicability, with implications for picture-book illustration, cultural adaptation, and children’s visual-literacy education. Full article

Gas film cooling is a widely adopted technique for the thermal protection of gas turbine blades. However, a trade-off exists between reduced cooling effectiveness and increased aerodynamic losses. The underlying mechanism was investigated through large eddy simulation (LES) with the WALE subgrid-scale model, applied to a flat-plate, single-hole model. The flow characteristics, flow field structures, and aerodynamic loss generation mechanisms of circular, fan-shaped, and laterally expanded holes were systematically examined for blowing ratios ranging from 0.3 to 1.2. The results indicate that all three hole geometries provide adequate film coverage at low blowing ratios. At high blowing ratios, however, the cooling performance is degraded by jet penetration in the circular hole and flow recirculation within the fan-shaped hole. In contrast, the laterally expanded hole demonstrates superior film adhesion stability. In terms of aerodynamic loss, the circular and fan-shaped holes incur higher losses, whereas the laterally expanded hole exhibits the lowest loss under all conditions, which is attributed to its effective tangential momentum dispersion. This study elucidates the influences of orifice geometry and vortex structure evolution on both cooling effectiveness and aerodynamic loss, providing valuable insights for the optimization of gas film cooling design in gas turbines. Full article

Background: Modern electromechanical technologies can be integrated into strength training machines to regulate the magnitude, direction, and point of application of resistance during exercise, either through preprogrammed settings or adaptively in response to real-time kinematic data. However, this potential remains largely unexplored. The objective of this study was to investigate how these new-generation devices may be managed to enable precise control of the mechanical load applied to specific joint structures during strengthening exercises. Methods: A foundational framework of biomechanical equations was developed to establish the functional relationships between joint reaction forces and key variables, including kinematic parameters (joint angle, angular velocity, and angular acceleration) and resistance characteristics (magnitude, direction, and point of application). The analysis focused on analytically determined single-joint exercises, which are commonly employed in early-stage rehabilitation and athletic conditioning programs. Results: Application of the model to single-joint knee extension exercises demonstrated that the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-loading shear tibiofemoral force can be entirely eliminated throughout the full range of knee motion, without increasing either the tibiofemoral compressive force or the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL)-loading shear component, while preserving the desired peak and profile of the resistance torque. Conclusion: The proposed analytical framework enables a comprehensive understanding of how to regulate resistance parameters through advanced electromechanical technologies to minimize joint stress during single-joint strengthening exercises. Precise control of joint reaction forces during exercise is critical for the design of therapeutic and safety-enhanced training protocols. Full article

Current research in consent management techniques focuses on isolated aspects of data security, privacy, or auditability, but important issues like (i) dynamically integrating regulatory updates into form generation, (ii) support in content generation with verifiable audit trails, and (iii) tools that make compliance reasoning transparent for non-legal users are not yet addressed. This paper introduces CONSENT, an architecture that integrates AI-based consent reasoning using Large Language Models (LLMs) for automated consent-form drafting and compliance evaluation, alongside blockchain technology for secure and auditable storage. The architecture builds on prior work to address the aforementioned issues by introducing three supporting mechanisms: (a) Specialized AI models coordinated through expert routing which coordinate subtasks such as automation in form generation and regulatory compliance, (b) Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) that supports the integration of regulatory updates into forms, and (c) Explainable AI (XAI) for the reasoning behind form content and compliance assessments. CONSENT architecture is evaluated through 250 test cases and a pilot case study for clinical trial consent management involving 20 engineers and attorneys, who evaluated the prototype on form quality (i.e., coherence, conciseness, factuality, fluency, and relevance) as well as time and effort efficiency. Results show that CONSENT substantially reduces the manual effort in consent-form creation while providing transparent, audit-ready compliance assessments, highlighting its potential for dynamic, user-centric consent management. Full article

Canine prostatic adenocarcinoma is a rare but highly aggressive cancer that is typically diagnosed at an advanced stage, due to the lack of effective screening methods and poor recognition of early lesions. Cancer stem cells are known to drive tumour progression and treatment resistance in human prostate cancer, but their role in naturally occurring canine disease remains poorly defined. A deeper understanding of the biology of canine prostatic adenocarcinoma is therefore essential to improve prognosis and to develop relevant comparative models. We established and comprehensively characterised two novel canine prostatic adenocarcinoma cell lines, Kodiak and Bobby, with detailed comparison to their tumours of origin and, for Kodiak, xenografts generated in immunodeficient mice. Both lines displayed variable epithelial morphology influenced by culture conditions, and Kodiak xenografts recapitulated key histopathological patterns of the primary tumour. Expression of the luminal epithelial marker CK8/18 and the basal marker CK14 was largely retained across tumour, cell line, and xenograft, whereas the basal markers CK5 and p63, and the urothelial marker UPIII, were diminished or lost during in vitro culture. Evaluation of cancer stem cell-associated markers showed consistent expression of CD44, Nanog, Oct3/4, and Sox2 in the original tumours and cell lines, while CD133, Nestin, and Trop2 were present in the tumours but absent in vitro, indicating selective loss of specific stem-like populations. Media-dependent plasticity was evident in the Bobby line. These models retain key epithelial and stemness features and provide robust platforms for translational prostate cancer research in dogs and humans. Full article

Background and aim: Traditional marker-based optical motion capture systems are costly, time-consuming to operate, and constrained by laboratory environments, limiting their broader adoption in clinical practice and naturalistic settings. Markerless motion capture based on a sums-of-Gaussians (SoG) body model is a potential alternative; however, its metrological properties for kinematic assessment during walking and slow running remain insufficiently validated. Using a conventional marker-based Vicon system as the reference, this study evaluated the reliability and concurrent validity of an SoG-based markerless system (MocapGS) for bilateral lower-limb joint range of motion (ROM) during gait. Methods: Thirty-six healthy adults completed self-selected-pace speed walking and slow running tasks while both systems synchronously acquired bilateral lower-limb kinematics. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM), SEM percentage (SEM%), minimal detectable change (MDC), MDC percentage (MDC%), and root mean square error (RMSE) were used to assess reliability. Concurrent validity was evaluated using the Pearson correlation coefficient, paired-sample t-tests, and the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) to compare the ROM. Results: Vicon showed moderate-to-high reliability for ROM in most joints across both tasks. By contrast, the MocapGS achieved acceptable ICC values mainly for the sagittal-plane ROM at the hip and knee. The CCC analysis showed no significant agreement between the two systems. Bland–Altman plots showed systematic biases with spatially heterogeneous random errors. During walking, MocapGS systematically overestimated ROM relative to Vicon at several joint axes; the widest limits of agreement (LOA) occurred at the left knee X-axis and right hip Z-axis. During running, overestimation was consistent across all bilateral joints at the X-axis and the right hip at the Y-axis, while the widest LOA were found at the bilateral hip X-axes. These specific discrepancies highlighted the joint–axis combinations with the greatest measurement variance. In walking, the test–retest reliability of the knee flexion–extension ROM measured by the MocapGS approached that of Vicon; however, the SEM% and MDC% were generally larger for MocapGS than for Vicon. The RMSE exceeded 5 degrees for ROM in most joint planes, especially in the frontal and transverse planes and at distal joints; errors increased further during slow running. Conclusions: MocapGS may be used for coarse monitoring of large-magnitude changes in sagittal-plane kinematics during gait; however, it is currently unlikely to replace Vicon for clinical decision-making or detecting subtle gait changes, and its outputs should be interpreted with caution, particularly for ankle kinematics and non-sagittal-plane motion. Full article

Molybdenum tellurite compounds have attracted increasing interest as promising nonlinear optical (NLO) materials, yet their microscopic second-harmonic generation (SHG) mechanisms remain unclear. In this work, the electronic structures and SHG responses of ATeMoO₆ (ATM, A = Mg, Cd, Zn) are systematically investigated using first-principles calculations combined with atom response theory. The results show that the SHG responses are mainly governed by the occupied nonbonding O 2p states and the unoccupied Mo 4d and Te 5p states. Our atom response theory analysis reveals that a strong synergistic effect between stereochemically active lone pairs (SCALPs) on Te atoms and nonbonding O 2p states critically enhances the SHG response in ZnTM and MgTM. In contrast, the relative weaker Te SCALPs in CdTM fail to provide a comparable contribution, leading to its lower SHG performance. The structure group analysis reveals that MoO₄ units dominate the SHG response, while TeO₄ units provide secondary contributions. Moreover, group dipole moments are found to be insufficient to explain the SHG behavior. These findings provide microscopic insights into SHG origins and offer guidance for NLO material design. Full article