Search Results (1,018)

Charge accumulation at polyimide (PI)/sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) boundaries can reorganize the molecular environment of gas-insulated equipment, yet near-surface population is often treated as a single adsorption response. We used atomistic molecular dynamics to resolve three distinct quantities at static surfaces of four 4,4′-oxydianiline-based PIs: gas loading, reservoir-referenced interfacial partitioning, and right-censoring-aware molecular residence. A matched, sign-swapped bipolar design combined real-fluid 5–20 atm reservoir states with charge-scale, duration, energy-decomposition, model-form, and finite-cell controls. Neutral loading increased the absolute interfacial population but reduced enrichment relative to the distal gas at 20 atm. The amplified perturbation produced PI-model- and loading-dependent surface-excess responses, while residence changes remained small and followed no common population trend. Literature-scaled charge densities were below the trajectory-level resolution, and 300 ps extensions showed that the initially resolved contrasts were transient rather than persistent cross-model rankings. An evidence hierarchy prevents supplied amount, spatial preference, and molecular persistence from being collapsed into one adsorption metric. It provides a reproducible molecular screening framework for comparing SF₆-facing polymer interfaces and a quantitative benchmark for future polarizable, flexible-interface, and coupled-field studies. Full article

Straw-derived biochar is increasingly used for residue recycling and soil fertility improvement, but its effects on soil inorganic phosphorus (P) fractions and their relationships with available P (AP) remain unclear. Here, we synthesized 1170 paired observations from 51 studies using meta-analysis, partial least squares path modeling, and machine learning to quantify straw biochar effects on soil AP, inorganic P fractions, microbial biomass P (MBP), and phosphatase activities, and to identify important variables related to these responses. Straw biochar increased soil AP by 77.0% and altered the distribution of inorganic P fractions. The relationships between inorganic P fractions and AP differed: Fe-bound P and occluded P showed positive and negative associations with AP, respectively, whereas Ca-bound P and Al-bound P showed no significant associations with AP. Fe-bound P and Al-bound P increased more strongly in soils with low initial AP, while higher biochar total P corresponded to weaker Fe-bound P accumulation but greater Ca-bound P accumulation. Straw biochar showed a positive response in MBP, while acid and neutral phosphatase activities showed decreasing trends, suggesting distinct microbial P cycling responses involving changes in microbial biomass P and phosphatase activities. These findings provide a P-fraction perspective for evaluating straw biochar as a site-specific amendment for soil P management. Full article

Background/Objectives: Obesity is associated with alterations in cognitive control processes that support performance monitoring and dietary self-regulation, but the neurocognitive markers most closely tied to body weight status in young adulthood remain unclear. Methods: Sixty-two young adults completed a modified Simon task while continuous electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. Response-locked event-related potentials (ERPs) were quantified for error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe). The association between body mass index (BMI) and ERP amplitudes was examined under three parameterizations: BMI as a continuous variable, BMI split into three categories (normal weight, overweight, obese), and BMI split into two median-matched categories. Results: Higher BMI was associated with reduced (less negative) ERN amplitude under continuous (r = 0.30, p = 0.016, and median-split, Cohen’s d = −0.69, p = 0.009) specifications, and at the level of a trend under the three-group classification F(2, 59) = 2.80, p = 0.069, η²p = 0.09. The association was most consistent for neutral trials, where it reached significance under the continuous (r = 0.32, p = 0.010) and three-group (F = 3.31, p = 0.043) specifications and approached significance under the median-split (d = −0.51, p = 0.051). The BMI-ERN association remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity, and trait impulsivity. In contrast, Pe amplitude did not differ as a function of BMI under any specification. In exploratory analyses that did not survive correction for multiple comparisons, Pe amplitude was positively associated with mindful eating disinhibition and negatively associated with UPPS-P Positive Urgency, independent of BMI. Conclusions: These cross-sectional findings indicate that elevated adiposity in young adulthood is associated with attenuated pre-conscious conflict and error monitoring (i.e., ERN), whereas conscious error awareness (i.e., Pe) is unrelated to body weight status. The exploratory Pe–trait associations are offered as hypotheses for future confirmatory work rather than as established effects. Full article

Background/Objectives: Aging is characterized by genomic instability, reduced biological diversity, and clonal dominance across multiple biological systems. While short tandem repeats (STRs) are traditionally considered neutral genetic markers, emerging evidence raises the possibility that variation in these regions may be examined in relation to broader genomic processes associated with aging. Methods: STR profiles from 400 individuals were analyzed, including 275 young participants aged 21–43 years and 125 elderly participants aged ≥65 years. Genetic diversity was assessed using parameters such as expected heterozygosity (He), individual heterozygosity ratio, and allelic dominance. Additionally, STR loci were mapped to the hg38 reference genome (±100 kb), and nearby genes were annotated with KEGG pathway information to provide exploratory biological context for the investigated loci. Results: No statistically significant differences were observed in heterozygosity or allelic dominance between the young and elderly groups. However, a slight trend toward decreased heterozygosity and increased allelic dominance was noted in the elderly population. Genomic mapping indicated that some STR loci are located in proximity to genes annotated in aging-related pathways; however, this finding is based on genomic proximity and should be interpreted as exploratory. Conclusions: The primary analyses did not demonstrate statistically significant differences in STR-based genetic diversity between the young and elderly groups. The observed trends and genomic proximity findings should therefore be considered exploratory and hypothesis-generating. Validation in larger, independent prospective cohorts and integration with functional genomic data are required before any biological significance can be inferred. Full article

Optimizing fuel injector geometry represents a critical pathway toward cleaner and more efficient diesel combustion. This study presents a comprehensive numerical investigation of the influence of the dual-hole nozzle injection angle on the primary atomization behavior and spray hydrodynamics of high-pressure diesel jets. The present analysis is deliberately restricted to cold-flow, near-nozzle primary breakup under isothermal conditions (293.15 K) so that the hydrodynamic and aerodynamic breakup mechanisms can be isolated in the immediate vicinity of the orifice before evaporation and combustion occur. Two-dimensional simulations are conducted using an Eulerian Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) framework with finite element discretization, three injection-angle configurations (0°, 5°, and 10°) under realistic engine conditions (injection pressure: 138 MPa; chamber pressure: 2.32 MPa; nozzle diameter: 100 µm). The numerical model was validated against the experimental and computational benchmark data of Ménard et al., showing reasonable qualitative agreement in jet morphology, although the 2D nature of the model leads to an exaggerated accumulation of liquid at the spray tip compared to the 3D reference. The validation therefore supports the qualitative trends and the relative angular comparison, but the absolute quantitative predictions remain subject to this 2D structural limitation. Results reveal that the injection angle exerts a decisive influence on the competition between axial momentum and radial dispersion. The neutral 0° configuration yields an overly concentrated jet with limited interfacial destabilization and poor air entrainment, whereas the 10° angle produces excessive radial spreading at the expense of axial penetration depth. By contrast, the 5° convergence angle provides the best trade-off among the three tested configurations under the studied conditions, promoting enhanced Rayleigh–Plateau instability growth, earlier ligament formation, and finer droplet generation—favorable to a more homogeneous air–fuel mixture. These findings provide quantitative guidance for dual-hole injector geometry design and demonstrate the suitability of high-fidelity VOF-based methods for resolving complex two-phase atomization phenomena relevant to low-emission diesel engine design. Quantitatively, the peak axial velocity is reached at the nozzle exit for all configurations; relative to the 0° baseline, the 5° convergence angle increases the fuel–air interfacial spreading by about 141% while retaining roughly 90% of its axial penetration at the monitoring positions P₁–P₃, whereas the 10° case loses about 26% of axial penetration for a comparable radial spread. Full article

The transition toward electric vehicle (EV) architectures exceeding 800 V offers key advantages, including shorter charging times, lower operating currents, and reduced system weight due to smaller conductor cross-sections, all of which enhance overall vehicle performance. However, identifying suitable traction inverter topologies that meet automotive requirements for efficiency, electromagnetic interference (EMI), and reliability remains critical. This study presents a simulation-based converter-level electro-thermal and conducted-EMI benchmark of 2-Level H-Bridge, 3-Level Active Neutral-Point Clamped (ANPC), and 3-Level T-Type inverters under identical output-power operating conditions. The distinguishing feature of this work is the unified evaluation of these topologies under a common external thermal boundary, enabling a consistent comparison of semiconductor losses, junction-temperature behaviour, cooling-burden indicators, conducted-EMI tendencies, and first-order lifetime-oriented thermal indicators. Within this framework, the required effective thermal resistance is used as a cooling-burden indicator, while junction-temperature swing and mean junction temperature are used as relative thermal-stress indicators. Under the considered simplified R–L loading conditions, the results show that multilevel topologies reduce semiconductor losses, peak junction temperature, conducted-EMI excitation, and relative thermal-stress indicators compared with the 2L H-Bridge. These findings are interpreted as comparative topology-level trends under the defined converter-level simulation framework rather than as final vehicle-level EMI compliance or power-module lifetime predictions. Full article

Dissipative structures are open dynamical systems that sustain coherent macroscopic organization by continuously exchanging energy and matter with their environment and generating entropy. A recent thermodynamic analysis of the paradigmatic Malkus–Lorenz waterwheel interpreted the Lorenz system as an engine, deriving an exact formula for its thermodynamic efficiency and showing that efficiency tends to increase as the system is driven far from equilibrium while displaying sharp drops near the Hopf subcritical bifurcation to chaos. Here, we extend that single-engine framework to coupled dissipative structures. We introduce two canonical couplings—master–slave coupling (series) and symmetric diffusive coupling (parallel)—and prove two fundamental association laws allowing us to reduce the composite systems to an equivalent engine with a specified efficiency. We then apply these abstract results to coupled Lorenz waterwheels, deriving efficiency formulas consistent with the underlying power balance. We perform numerical simulations confirming that (a) series coupling induces an increase in thermodynamic efficiency, (b) parallel coupling averages the efficiency of engines and increases total energy flow, (c) synchronization is typically neutral or beneficial for efficiency except in narrow parameter regions, and (d) coupling modifies the curvature of entropy-generation trends. Our theorems suggest a mathematically rigorous and transparent route to define and compute thermodynamic efficiency for generalized flow networks, with potential application to complex systems energetics. Full article

Accurate characterization of multi-band solar radiation is essential for optimizing photovoltaic (PV) site selection and supporting carbon neutrality targets. Shandong Province, a major economic and energy-consuming province in eastern China, possesses abundant solar resources but exhibits pronounced spatiotemporal heterogeneity driven by complex terrain, rapid urbanization, and variable cloud cover. Based on high-resolution CARE (Cloud Remote Sensing, Atmospheric Radiation and Renewable Energy Application) satellite products (0.1°, hourly, 2016–2020) combined with SRTM DEM, CLCD land use, and ERA5 cloud data, this study systematically analyzes the spatiotemporal distribution and driving factors of four solar radiation components—shortwave radiation (SWR), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), UVA, and UVB—across Shandong Province. Key findings are as follows: (1) All four radiation components exhibit a consistent spatial pattern characterized by higher radiation intensities in the eastern coastal and northern plain regions, which gradually decrease toward the western inland and southern mountainous areas. Provincial five-year means are SWR 186.6 W/m², PAR 86.3 W/m², UVA 11.4 W/m², and UVB 0.3 W/m², with high-value zones concentrated in the Jiaodong Peninsula coast and the North Shandong Plain. (2) During 2016–2020, short-term increasing tendencies were observed across 80.4% (SWR), 78.0% (PAR), 85.1% (UVA), and 91.3% (UVB) of the province, while all components declined in winter. (3) STL decomposition reveals a “down-up-down” multi-year trend, a unimodal annual seasonal cycle peaking in May, and residuals closely associated with extreme weather events. (4) Geodetector analysis identifies cloud cover as the dominant factor (q = 0.332), followed by elevation (q = 0.100); and nonlinear enhancement characterizes all factor interactions, especially cloud cover × elevation (q = 0.393) and cloud cover × land-use (q = 0.347), revealing a “climate–topography–human activity” multi-level coupling mechanism. Built-up land records the lowest SWR (172.4 W/m²) and spatially coincides with radiation low-value zones. These results provide a scientific basis for PV site optimization and the realization of carbon neutrality goals in Shandong Province. Full article

Under the “dual carbon” goals (carbon peak and carbon neutrality), the new energy vehicle (NEV) industry has become a strategic focus of great-power competition, and the resilience of its international supply chain is critical to industrial security and development initiatives. As a traditional automobile manufacturing hub in China, Hubei Province faces increasingly prominent global risks in its supply chain during the transition to NEVs; scientifically evaluating and enhancing its international supply chain resilience is therefore of great practical significance. Drawing on supply chain resilience theory, this paper constructs an evaluation index system comprising 18 specific indicators across four dimensions: robustness, redundancy, agility, and innovativeness. To overcome the limitations of a single weighting method, a combined subjective and objective weighting approach that integrates the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the entropy weight method was employed to determine indicator weights. Subsequently, the TOPSIS model was applied to measure the supply chain resilience level of Hubei Province from 2018 to 2025, with horizontal comparisons conducted against Shanghai and Guangdong. Finally, an obstacle degree model was introduced to quantitatively diagnose the key factors constraining resilience improvement. The results indicate that the international supply chain resilience of Hubei’s NEV industry has shown a continuous upward trend. By 2025, it ranks in the first tier alongside Guangdong (with closeness coefficients of 0.8180 and 0.8181, respectively), approaching the level of Shanghai. Weaknesses are concentrated primarily in the agility dimension, while upstream resource dependence remains a salient issue within the robustness dimension. “External dependence on key raw materials,” “average recovery time from logistics disruptions,” and “level of supply chain information sharing” are still the top three obstacle factors. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) further reveals that low resource autonomy and slow logistics recovery are core conditions leading to low resilience, and the coupling of multiple obstacle factors amplifies the risk transmission effect. Based on this, this study proposes optimization recommendations focusing on foundation strengthening and chain consolidation, digital chain connectivity, and innovation–chain integration, in order to enhance the resilience of the international supply chain for new energy vehicles in Hubei. This research provides a methodological reference for evaluating the supply chain resilience of regionally distinctive industries and offers a quantitative basis for Hubei Province and related enterprises to formulate targeted improvement strategies. Full article

Water quality in high-elevation agricultural river valleys is shaped by regional environmental gradients and localized hydrogeochemical conditions, but multi-year assessments often do not clearly separate routine hydrochemical variability from metal(loid) risk. This study evaluates a public multi-year dataset from the agricultural concentration area of the Yarlung Zangbo River and its two tributaries on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. The dataset includes 444 river-water, groundwater, and irrigation-water samples collected in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024. We combined water-type-specific standard assessment, normalized exceedance frequencies, spatial visualization, and descriptive correlation analysis with terrain, land-cover, soil, and climate-hydrological predictors. Because sampling coverage and hydrological-period classification differed among years, annual contrasts were interpreted descriptively rather than as fixed-site temporal trends. Most samples were neutral to weakly alkaline, whereas electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), and salinity varied more strongly across years and sampling locations. In total, 70 samples exceeded at least one evaluated criterion, but only 12 samples were flagged in the metal(loid) assessment. Eight samples exceeded the 0.05 mg/L As screening threshold, occurring only in 2023 and 2024 (3.25% and 2.92% of samples in those years, respectively), and were concentrated in a localized reach rather than distributed basin-wide. As was positively associated with Mo and Hg, whereas relationships with Fe, Mn, pH, EC, TDS, and salinity were weak or inconsistent; dissolved oxygen was not available for the high-As samples. These results distinguish broad dissolved-solute variability from localized As-dominated risk and show that the dataset supports regional screening and monitoring prioritization, but not definitive redox, speciation, or source-apportionment conclusions. Full article

Against the backdrop of optimizing national energy mix and advancing industrial low-carbon transformation to achieve sustainable socioeconomic development, this study adopts prefecture-level panel data covering 2005–2020 to reveal the spatiotemporal evolution law of carbon emissions generated by urban energy consumption. We systematically characterize emission disparities from three dimensions: total carbon output, per capita carbon emissions, and carbon emission intensity, and further adopt regression analysis to quantitatively identify core socioeconomic and industrial drivers behind energy-related carbon flows. The results indicate that China’s total urban energy carbon emissions kept rising over the research window with decelerating growth momentum. Driven by cross-regional industrial transfer and uneven energy resource endowments, high-emission zones gradually spread from eastern coastal agglomerations to northern and western inland territories, forming a stable spatial layout of high emissions in the east and north, and low emissions in the west and south. Per capita carbon emissions present striking regional differentiation: northwest resource-abundant provinces become concentrated high-value clusters, while populous southeast regions maintain relatively low levels, with inter-regional per capita emission gaps continuously widening. Nationwide carbon emission intensity maintained a persistent downward trend; high-intensity zones shrank markedly while low-carbon areas expanded continuously, and inter-regional efficiency gradients gradually converged, reflecting tangible achievements in nationwide energy conservation and low-carbon industrial transition. Overall, the gravity center of energy carbon emissions shifted northwestward, with Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Ningxia evolving into major high-emission hotspots relying on fossil energy exploitation and heavy industrial layout. Statistical regression associations suggest that urban construction land expansion, economic expansion, foreign capital agglomeration, and industrial energy carbon outputs are positively correlated with urban carbon emissions; by contrast, commercial housing scale and domestic enterprise development present significant negative correlational links with emission levels. The differentiated spatiotemporal carbon landscape arises from the joint interplay of regional resource endowment, coal-dominated energy structure, industrial layout restructuring, and tiered low-carbon policy implementation, demonstrating China’s overall shift from high-carbon extensive industrial growth toward energy-efficient, low-carbon intensive sustainable development. This research delivers empirical evidence for formulating zoned carbon abatement schemes, optimizing regional energy allocation and industrial layouts, and advancing long-term low-carbon sustainable development to fulfill China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality targets. Full article

Shiga toxins (Stx), produced by Stx-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), are known to target Gb3-expressing cells, contributing to organ pathology such as in the kidney and brain. However, the sensitivity of human B-lymphoblastoid cell lines to Stx2 and their Gb3 expression profiles remain poorly understood. In this preliminary study, we assessed the susceptibility of human B-lymphoblastoid cell lines to Stx2 and identified distinct resistance and sensitivity patterns. Eight representative lines were further analyzed for Gb3 expression by mass spectrometry and flow cytometry. Susceptible cell lines (e.g., GM02473 and GM07019) displayed significantly higher total and membrane-associated Gb3 levels, while resistant lines had lower or undetectable Gb3. Exosomal Gb3 quantification revealed similar expression trends, contradicting the hypothesis that Gb3-positive exosomes neutralize Stx2. Interestingly, resistant cell line GM17658 showed discordant total and exosomal Gb3 levels. Immunofluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry revealed heterogeneous Gb3 expression within cell lines, with susceptible lines having a higher proportion of Gb3-positive cells. These findings suggest that Stx2 susceptibility is associated with Gb3 expression frequency rather than intensity and raise the possibility that Gb3-positive exosomes might contribute to toxicity. Future studies need to validate the role of exosomal Stx2 transfer and the functional impact of variable levels of Gb3-positive versus Gb3-negative subpopulations in toxin response. Full article

Against the backdrop of China’s “Dual Carbon” strategy—the national strategic goal of achieving carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060—and the accelerated improvement of the solid waste governance system specified in the 15th Five-Year Plan, the low-carbon recycling of construction waste has become a core research topic for the sustainable development of the construction industry. To systematically reveal the evolutionary laws, research hotspots and frontier trends regarding the life-cycle carbon emissions of recycled concrete (this study defines its accounting scope clearly for the first time, covering three parts: ① direct carbon emissions generated in the stages of recycled aggregate recovery, processing, transportation and concrete mixing; ② indirect carbon emissions reduced by replacing the exploitation of natural aggregates with recycled aggregates; ③ potential carbon sequestration benefits brought by carbonation curing during the service phase of recycled concrete), the literature published from 2015 to 2025 retrieved from the CNKI and Web of Science Core Collection databases was selected as the research sample. Standardized data preprocessing was carried out: intra-database duplicate literatures were removed based on titles, authors and publication years, cross-database duplicate records were manually eliminated, and non-academic documents including news, editorial notes and conference abstracts were screened out. A total of 1340 valid publications were finally obtained to form the analysis dataset. Bibliometric tools CiteSpace and VOSviewer were adopted to quantitatively analyze the annual publication trends, national and institutional distribution, keyword co-occurrence clustering and temporal evolution characteristics in this research field. The results show that the annual publication volume concerning the life-cycle carbon emissions of recycled concrete presents a continuous upward trend, and the research development can be divided into three stages: initial exploration, rapid expansion and steady growth. China, the United States and Australia act as the core research forces in this field. Current research hotspots mainly focus on recycled aggregate modification, life-cycle assessment, carbon emission accounting, durability performance optimization and low-carbon preparation technologies, while research frontiers are gradually shifting toward multi-source data fusion, machine learning-based carbon emission prediction and low-carbon path optimization. Based on the quantitative bibliometric results, this study puts forward targeted priorities for future research: establishing a unified localized specification system for life-cycle carbon accounting, developing data-driven optimization models for the low-carbon mix proportion design of recycled concrete, and promoting the large-scale engineering demonstration and application of high-value resource utilization technologies, to facilitate the full life-cycle low-carbon transformation of construction waste recycling. Full article

While global climate change is fundamentally reshaping thermal regimes, capturing these shifts in topographically diverse regions remains a significant hurdle for standard gridded datasets. This study provides a comprehensive spatiotemporal analysis of 16 extreme temperature indices across Northern Carpathians from 1980 to 2024 using the E-OBS dataset. The QDM framework proved highly effective in neutralizing elevation-induced temperature biases, which reached up to 5.1 °C in raw E-OBS data. Beyond simple bias removal, the correction significantly improved the daily accuracy of the dataset, with RMSE values at high-altitude stations, such as the Chopok summit (1995 m), decreasing from 5.1 °C to 2.3 °C. Both Warm Days (TX90p) and Summer Days (SU) show near-perfect Field Coherence ($C_f$ = 100% and 98%, respectively). A prominent feature of this temporal national average trend is its inherent asymmetry; the Annual Minimum (TNn) is climbing nearly twice as fast (+1.1 °C/decade) as the Annual Maximum (TXx) (+0.6 °C/decade), though the warming of these coldest nights is more localized (74.5% coherence). We also identified a clear signal of Elevation-Dependent Warming (EDW), with absolute maximums surging most aggressively in the Northern Carpathians at +1.6 °C/decade. Conversely, cold-tail indices like Ice Days are in a concurrent nationwide retreat ($C_f$ = 97%), a shift that significantly reduces the physical window for winter tourism and alters the climatic envelope for fragile mountain ecosystems. Ultimately, these results position Slovakia as a high-sensitivity climate region where observed trends often outpace broader Central European averages, highlighting the urgent need for localized, nature-based adaptation strategies. Full article

Against the background of carbon neutrality and the global energy transition, biomass-derived nanocellulose has attracted increasing attention because of its renewability, biodegradability, low density, high mechanical strength, and tunable surface chemistry. This study reviews the global development of biomass-derived nanocellulose from the perspectives of research trends, hotspot themes, technological frontiers, patent deployment, and industrial applications. The results show that research output has grown rapidly in recent years, with China leading in publication volume, while the United States and several European countries perform more strongly in highly cited studies and international collaboration. Current research focuses mainly on green preparation technologies, chemical functionalization, multifunctional composites, adsorption and environmental remediation, and energy-related applications. Patent analysis reveals clear international differentiation: China leads in patent quantity and large-scale production technologies, whereas the United States and Japan show stronger advantages in patent quality, overseas patent layout, and high-end applications. Overall, biomass-derived nanocellulose is accelerating from laboratory research to industrial application, but further progress still depends on achieving breakthroughs in cost reduction, continuous manufacturing, functional modification, and standardization. Full article