Search Results (15,778)

Optical fibres are considered for applications in various nuclear environments in the presence of radiation exposure. Under irradiation, the properties of the optical fibres are modified. In the present paper we investigate the influence of gamma radiation on the magneto-optical properties of the Corning SMF-28e optical fibre. The stability of the Verdet constant is an important requirement for performing current measurements under radiation, for example, in magnetic fusion installations during nuclear (deuterium–tritium) plasma operation, where radiation at MGy dose levels can be accumulated. Our results demonstrate that radiation-induced changes in the Verdet constant are within its measurement accuracy (0.56%) for gamma radiation doses up to 770 kGy. Full article

Background/Objective: This study addresses a significant knowledge gap in the literature concerning antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in arid soils by employing metagenomic approaches to characterise their diversity, using Kuwait as a model environment. Methods: Soil samples were collected from two agriculturally managed sites (K1 and K3) and one coastal unmanaged site (K2), representing distinct ecological conditions. Results: Taxonomic profiling revealed notable variation in microbial communities at both the phylum and genus levels. Alpha diversity analyses based on the Chao1 and Shannon indices indicated that agricultural soils exhibited greater microbial richness and diversity than the coastal soil. Beta diversity analysis further demonstrated substantial differences in microbial community composition among the sites. Consistent with previous soil microbiome studies, ARGs such as tetA, aac(3)-Ib, sul1, qep, muxB, mexW, mexB, and macB were detected across the sites. However, the identification of distinct clinically relevant resistance genes, including ugd, blaOXA-18, blaCMY-19, blaMOX-7, blaFOX-7, blaLRA-12, and novA, suggests the influence of site-specific or extreme selective pressures. Conclusions: Several of the detected ARGs appear to be rare or previously unreported in soil environments. Although the sample size is too small to support broad generalisations, the detection of ugd in soil is particularly noteworthy, suggesting that soils may serve as reservoirs of polymyxin resistance, potentially undermining the effectiveness of polymyxin antibiotics. Full article

Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (EZH2), the catalytic subunit of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), mediates histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3), an epigenetic modification associated with transcriptional repression. EZH2 inhibitors (EZH2is) gained attention after the first-in-class drug Tazemetostat received FDA approval for treating epithelioid sarcoma. Preclinical studies suggest that EZH2is could be effective against melanoma, but their general inability to cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB), among others, limits the treatment of secondary brain metastases. Based on these limitations, we designed SG-8, a novel compound derived from TDI-6118 (a known brain-penetrant EZH2i). In silico docking predicted that SG-8 may exhibit high affinity for EZH2 as well as for another PRC2 subunit, Embryonic Ectoderm Development (EED). In addition, in vitro PAMPA assays suggested passive BBB permeability of SG-8. In cell-based assays, SG-8 and the structurally related EZH2i PF-06726304 displayed lower cytotoxicity than Tazemetostat in both primary (A375) and metastatic (Colo-679) human melanoma cells. Western blot analysis showed that SG-8 and PF-06726304 markedly reduced EED protein levels and, to a lesser extent, EZH2 levels, without affecting total H3K27me3, consistent with preserved canonical PRC2 activity. Instead, treatment with both compounds—most prominently SG-8—was associated with reduced phosphorylation levels of EZH2 (Ser21) and its upstream regulator Akt (Ser473), suggesting that modulation of the Akt–EZH2 signaling axis may at least partially contribute to their anti-melanoma activity. Full article

We propose and test a method to reduce the dimensionality of Full Waveform Inversion (FWI) inputs as a computational cost mitigation approach. Given modern seismic acquisition systems, the data (as an input for FWI) required for an industrial-strength case is in the teraflop level of storage; therefore, solving complex subsurface cases or exploring multiple scenarios with FWI becomes prohibitive. The proposed method utilizes a deep neural network with a binarized sensing layer that learns by compressed learning seismic acquisition layouts from a large corpus of subsurface models. Thus, given a large seismic data set to invert, the trained network selects a smaller subset of the data, then by using representation learning,an autoencoder computes latent representations of the shot gathers, followed by K-means clustering of the latent representations to further select the most relevant shot gathers for FWI. This approach can effectively be seen as a hierarchical selection. The proposed approach consistently outperforms random data sampling, even when utilizing only 10% of the data for 2D FWI, and these results pave the way to accelerating FWI in large scale 3D inversion. Full article

In 2024 and 2025, field populations of Aphis gossypii were collected from eight regions in Xinjiang to monitor their resistance levels to five commonly used insecticides: sulfoxaflor, acetamiprid, imidacloprid, abamectin, and chlorpyrifos. The mutation frequencies of five sites in the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) gene (S431F, V332A, A302S, G221A, F139L) and three sites in the β1 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) (R81T, V62I, K264E) were also analyzed. The results showed that from 2024 to 2025, the eight A. gossypii field populations exhibited the highest resistance to imidacloprid (primarily moderate to high resistance), followed by acetamiprid (all moderate resistance). Resistance to abamectin and sulfoxaflor was relatively low, but sulfoxaflor resistance increased rapidly (from low resistance in 2024 to moderate resistance in 2025). All populations remained consistently susceptible to chlorpyrifos. Gene analysis revealed that the mutation rate of S431F in the AChE gene was nearly 100%, while that of V332A remained stable at approximately 30%. The mutation rates of A302S and G221A showed a slight increase, whereas the F139L mutation rate was extremely low (<1.00%). In the β1 subunit of nAChR, the mutation rates of R81T and V62I remained stable at around 50%, and the K264E mutation rate was extremely low (<1.00%). This study clarifies the resistance evolution patterns of A. gossypii to different insecticides and the variation characteristics of key resistance genes in Xinjiang, providing a scientific basis for the integrated resistance management of A. gossypii and the rational selection of effective insecticides. Full article

Marine energy technologies offer renewable alternatives to conventional energy sources by harnessing ocean-based resources such as wave motion, tides, temperature, and salinity gradients. They are particularly promising for coastal and island regions. This paper presents a literature-based assessment of the technical potential and limitations of these resources, with a focus on the Adriatic Sea as a model for low-energy, semi-enclosed basins. Resource availability and technological maturity are systematically reviewed. Results indicate that wave energy offers the highest regional potential, with peak annual mean wave power reaching up to 2.784 kW/m near the southern offshore regions of the Adriatic. However, current resource levels limit feasibility to down-scaled, modular installations. Tidal and thermal energy are constrained by the Adriatic’s microtidal regime and limited temperature gradients. Although still in early development, salinity gradient systems may become viable near major river mouths such as those of the Po and Neretva. In addition to technical analysis, broad environmental and socio-economic considerations are reviewed to inform responsible marine energy development. These findings help define strategic development and research priorities for marine renewables in enclosed seas and other resource-constrained marine environments. Full article

This study investigated the impact of the pretreatment of pea plants (Pisum sativum L. Ran 1) for five days by three times higher light intensity (360 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) than the intensity for their cultivation (120 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) on the photosynthetic apparatus’s ability to withstand moderately high temperatures. Photosystem II (PSII) performance was assessed by pulse amplitude-modulated (PAM) fluorometry—evaluation of F_v/F_m, Chl fluorescence decrease ratio—R_Fd, excitation pressure on PSII (1 − qP), non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) analysis, and PsbA (D1) abundance. The redox state of P700 was used to examine photosystem I (PSI), and the redox kinetics of P700 was evaluated as an estimate of cyclic electron flow (CEF). The energy distribution and interaction between the two photosystems were assessed by 77 K chlorophyll fluorescence. Diphenylhexatriene (DPH) fluorescence polarization and PsbS accumulation were followed to estimate alterations in thylakoid membrane characteristics. Our data show that pea plants pretreated with a higher level of light intensity showed higher resistance to temperature increase, maintaining R_Fd values similar to control plants, and the effect of high temperature on PSII excitation pressure (1 − qP) was mitigated. A significant difference between the two groups of plants was observed in terms of quantum yields in both types of non-photochemical quenching, with light pretreated plants showing no change in the energy partitioning ratio while the exposure of non-high light pretreated plants to elevated temperatures led to a more significant increase in quantum yield of constitutive non-photochemical quenching. When plants were exposed to higher temperature, the accumulation of PsbS, induced by high light treatment, was accelerated, and stabilization of thylakoid membrane also occurred. A complex mechanism behind the enhanced tolerance to higher temperature includes the reorganization of membrane pigment–protein complexes, which is regulated by the buildup of PsbS and the accompanying redistribution of excitation energy. Full article

Sepsis-induced liver injury (SILI) stands as an independent prognostic factor for mortality among patients diagnosed with sepsis. Maresin-1 (MaR1) is a proresolving lipid mediator. However, its significance in SILI is uncertain. The current study sought to investigate MaR1’s effectiveness in treating SILI, as well as its molecular mechanism. In male C57BL/6J mice, we generated a SILI model by using cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). We further investigated how MaR1 influences inflammation, hepatic autophagy and apoptosis. We showed that treatment with MaR1 ameliorates SILI-induced hepatic injury, as reflected in decreased blood level of the alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) enzymes, as well as better appearance of liver tissues. Furthermore, this medication markedly reduced the expression of inflammatory mediators. Importantly, MaR1 inhibited hepatocyte apoptosis by regulating the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, decreasing cleaved caspase-3 expression, lowering apoptotic cell count, and increasing autophagy. The findings demonstrated that MaR1 treatment reduced p62 protein expression while raising Beclin1 levels and the LC3-II/LC3-I ratio, and facilitated autophagosome formation. The observed effects were most likely due to the stimulation of PI3K/Akt signaling, which was completely prevented by LY294002 (LY), a specific PI3K inhibitor. MaR1’s protective effect in SILI may be mediated via stimulation of the PI3K/Akt pathway, which reduces inflammation and regulates apoptosis and autophagy. Our results give additional experimental evidence of the potential therapeutic uses of MaR1 in the treatment of SILI. Full article

Under conditions of limited irrigation and excessive fertilizer application in the arid regions of Xinjiang, it is essential to adopt well-coordinated strategies to improve yield and crop water productivity (WP). In this study, a comparative experiment was conducted with three irrigation levels, T1 (100% crop evapotranspiration, ET_c), T2 (75% ET_c), and T3 (50% ET_c), combined with three potassium application rates, K1 (540 kg ha⁻¹), K2 (360 kg ha⁻¹), and K3 (180 kg ha⁻¹). The objective was to investigate their effects on the yield, quality, and economic benefits of jujube trees. Limited irrigation amounts significantly affected the photosynthetic characteristics, growth parameters, and ET_c of jujube trees, whereas potassium fertilizer levels primarily regulated fruit development and yield formation. Compared with full irrigation, mild deficit irrigation caused a moderate yield reduction but significantly enhanced economic returns due to the improved water productivity and fruit quality. In contrast, severe water deficit led to substantial decreases in growth parameters and economic benefits by 12.87–45.70% and 81.69%, respectively. Potassium application demonstrated a significant threshold effect, with the K2 treatment showing greater improvements in fruit quality indices, including reducing sugars, vitamin C, and other key quality parameters, compared to the K3 treatment. Based on hierarchical–grey relational analysis, the combination of 75% ET_c and 300 kg K ha⁻¹ was identified as the optimal water–potassium management strategy. The net profit was 29,199 CNY. The benefit–cost ratio increased to 3.63, and the WP improved by 16.17% compared to full irrigation. Thus, this study provides an important theoretical basis and technical support for water-saving and quality-improving cultivation of jujube trees in arid regions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Genome-wide studies of differential DNA methylation often focus on its role in turning transcription on or off. Here we report some atypical epigenetic/transcription relationships for 92 genes that are highly and preferentially expressed in primary human myoblasts relative to heterologous cell cultures. Methods: We compared methylomes and myoblast-specific differentially methylated regions (DMRs) with methylomes, chromatin profiles, and transcriptomes for many different cell populations. Results: We found that myoblast-associated promoter hypomethylation was unusually prevalent among the 92 myoblast-preferential genes. Sometimes this promoter hypomethylation was seen as a myoblast-associated extension of their constitutively unmethylated region at a CpG island. All 92 genes showed some myoblast-specific hypomethylation, including 32 genes at tissue-specific super-enhancers or broad H3K4-trimethylated promoters. Myoblast hypermethylated DMRs were also associated with almost half of the myoblast-preferential genes. These hypermethylated DMRs were often in intragenic locations embedded in H3K36-trimethylated chromatin in myoblasts. Conclusions: Our analysis suggests that some of the hypermethylated DMRs repress cryptic, alternative, or adjacent promoters. Myoblast hypermethylated DMRs may also downmodulate expression in myoblasts to avoid yet higher RNA levels found in adult or fetal skeletal muscle tissue. The epigenetic insights that were obtained can help elucidate the transcription regulation of some of these genes (e.g., MUSK, RAPSN, HEYL, SYNPO2, SYNPO2L, STAC3, PITX2, and TPPP3) that are implicated in congenital myasthenic syndromes, myasthenia gravis, muscle repair, heart dysfunction, or cancer. This study supports cell type-specific roles for DNA hypo- and hypermethylation as a modulator of transcription levels, in addition to being an on–off switch during differentiation. Full article

With hydropower supplying nearly 94% of Ethiopia’s electricity, the national power grid is extremely vulnerable to recurrent droughts and erratic rainfall. To mitigate this risk, this study examines the wind power potential across five specific locations: Arerti, Sela Dingay, Debre Berhan, Mega, and Gode. By combining on-site mast measurements with datasets from NASA and the Global Wind Atlas, we evaluated wind characteristics at industry-standard hub heights of 80 m and 100 m. The analysis focused on wind power density (WPD), Weibull stability parameters (k and c), and directional consistency. The results indicate that Gode and Mega are the premier choices for commercial development, showing average speeds above 8.5 m/s and power densities exceeding 500 W/m2 at the 100 m level. Gode stands out as the most reliable site, with a Weibull shape factor (k) of 2.8 and a scale factor (c) of 9.1 m/s. We modeled a standard 3 MW turbine while factoring in a 20% loss for real-world conditions; this yielded net annual energy productions of 9461 MWh (36% CF) for Gode, 9040 MWh (34.4% CF) for Mega, and 8619 MWh (32.8% CF) for Arerti. While Sela Dingay and Debre Berhan have lower initial yields, their feasibility improves significantly when using towers taller than 80 m. Wind rose data reveals that Gode and Arerti have highly unidirectional flows, which simplifies turbine micro-siting. Notably, Arerti provides a unique economic advantage due to its location right next to existing 132/230 kV transmission infrastructure and industrial load centers. Overall, these findings provide a definitive technical roadmap for Ethiopia to diversify its energy portfolio and meet its Climate-Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) objectives. Full article

This study evaluated the effects of biostimulant treatments on the ionic composition and yield of ‘Formosa’ papaya (Carica papaya L.) subjected to varying water replacement levels. The research utilized a randomized complete block design in a split-plot scheme comprising three irrigation depths (100%, 75%, and 50% ETc) and four biological treatments: control, Trichoderma harzianum, Ascophyllum nodosum, and Bacillus aryabhattai. Contrary to initial expectations, water restriction was associated with increased yield and leaf concentrations of zinc (Zn) and nitrogen (N), challenging the hypothesis that water restriction limits production. Quantitative results showed that T. harzianum under 75% ETc attained 93.29 kg plant⁻¹, whereas the control at 50% ETc recorded 19.14 g kg⁻¹ of N. Under 50% ETc, B. aryabhattai increased the bacterial population to 10.46 log10 CFU g⁻¹ soil compared to the control. The T. harzianum-based biostimulant reduced leaf sodium (Na) under 75% ETc and maintained the nutrient accumulation order K > N > Ca > Fe > Mn > Zn > Cu > Na. Conversely, B. aryabhattai and A. nodosum improved yield under 100% ETc through N accumulation. This study confirms that microbial and seaweed-based biostimulants mitigate water stress through rhizosphere modification and nutritional homeostasis, offering a practical strategy for sustainable fruit production in semi-arid regions. Full article

Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) is geographic data obtained from voluntary contributions of individual contributors on social media and non-social media platforms, where contributors exhibit diverse interests and behavior patterns. While studies have found that the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced VGI contributor behavior on social media platforms (Facebook, X, and Instagram, etc.), less is known about contribution behaviors on non-social media VGI platforms such as OpenStreetMap (OSM). This study investigates how individual OSM contributors’ data contribution behaviors changed after the COVID-19 outbreak, using New York City as a case study. Metrics quantifying temporal, spatial, thematic, participation, and social interaction aspects of contribution behavior were developed to characterize individual-level contribution behaviors in both the pre- and post-COVID periods (2016–2019 and 2020–2023, respectively). Contributors were clustered into three groups based on pre-COVID behavioral patterns (as reflected by the metrics) using the K-Means algorithm. The resulting model was then applied to identify changes in contributors’ cluster memberships in the post-COVID period. Results reveal differences in contribution behaviors between the two time periods. Compared to pre-COVID contributors, post-COVID contributors, on average, showed stronger contribution engagement, including longer lifespans, larger spatial extent of edits, higher contribution volumes, a greater emphasis on modification over creation, and stronger co-editing network interactions. Healthcare amenity-related edits remained a small fraction of total contributions across both periods and all clusters. Contributors participating in data contribution in both time periods generally increased data contribution engagement after the COVID outbreak, characterized by longer lifespans, broader spatial coverage, more balanced creation and modification, and stronger network centrality. These findings highlight changes in individual contribution behavior under COVID-19 and exhibits the value of examining VGI contribution at the individual level. Full article

The increasing deployment of renewable energy introduces significant dynamic challenges to green methanol synthesis systems due to its inherent intermittency and variability. However, loop-level dynamic stability and controllability under multi-scenario transient conditions remain insufficiently explored. To address this gap, a steady-state and dynamic model of a renewable-driven methanol synthesis loop was developed in UniSim Design and evaluated under various realistic transient scenarios. Baseline simulations reveal recurring dynamic amplification within the synthesis loop, with pressure deviations exceeding 600 kPa during load increase and persistent oscillatory behavior under fluctuating conditions. To mitigate these instability mechanisms, a control-oriented refinement strategy incorporating first-order feed filtering, load-dependent temperature setpoint scheduling, and gain scheduling of key control loops was implemented. Within the simulation framework, the optimized strategy reduces maximum transient deviations of pressure and temperature by approximately 50–70% and mitigates startup pressure overshoots by over 60%. Under wind–solar-driven operation, pressure integral absolute error (IAE) decreases by up to 42%, and system trajectories become more bounded and better damped. These results provide quantitative insight into renewable-induced instability mechanisms and highlight the potential of control-oriented strategies to enhance dynamic operability in flexible power-to-methanol systems. Full article

This paper presents a compact multi-beam dual-circularly polarized phased array receiving system operating in the 10.7–12.7 GHz frequency band is designed and implemented, which can generate eight reconfigurable receiving beams with independently configurable polarization modes and scanning directions for each beam. To improve the aperture utilization efficiency of the array and reduce the array size, the proposed phased array architecture adopts a “full-aperture multiplexing” beamforming method, where all beams share the same array aperture. For cost-effective phased array architecture with two-dimensional scalability, the array is divided into several identical receiving subarrays, with the control and power supply modules arranged beneath the array aperture. In addition, a heterogeneous integration scheme is introduced to realize high-density integration of various receiving functional chips, which reduces the overall array footprint by approximately 30% while maintaining the basic performance of the system gain-to-noise-temperature ratio (G/T). Meanwhile, different dielectric substrates are adopted to implement multi-level combining networks, optimizing the trade-off between overall efficiency and cost. To verify the feasibility of the proposed architecture, a prototype with a 16 × 16 array configuration is developed and tested. The measured results show that the array gain reduction is no more than 4 dB at a maximum scanning angle of 60°, and the G/T value of all beams in the boresight direction is not less than 0.9 dB/K at 11.7 GHz. The experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed multi-beam dual-circularly polarized phased array architecture in terms of engineering implementation and system performance. Full article