Search Results (1,984)

Background: Collabieae is a medium-sized group within the orchid subfamily Epidendroideae that is distributed primarily across tropical Asia. Most Collabieae species are known for their considerable ornamental and medicinal merits. However, habitat destruction and overharvesting have led to severe decline in their wild populations. Chloroplast (cp) genomes are highly valued in evolutionary studies, due to comparative conservation and accumulation of genomic variations. Elucidating the structure of chloroplast genome is instrumental in conserving genetic diversity within the Collabieae. Methods: we explored the chloroplast genome characteristics of Collabieae. We incorporated three newly sequenced genomes from species (Acanthophippium sylhetense, Eriodes barbata, and Spathoglottis plicata), along with seven related species. Results: all analyzed cp genomes displayed a typical quadripartite circular structure. The total lengths ranged from 157,036 bp to 158,321 bp. Each genome contained 136 genes: 88 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA genes, eight rRNA genes, and two pseudogenes. Across the ten Collabieae species, gene number, order, orientation, GC content, and codon usage bias were highly consistent, indicative of strong sequence conservation. However, notable structural divergence was observed at the plastome junctions, alongside variations in SSR and repetitive element frequencies. Moreover, six hypervariable regions were identified. Noncoding regions exhibited higher variability compared to protein-coding regions. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that E. barbata forms a distinct, small branch sister to the rest of the Collabieae members. Genera Acanthophippium and Spathoglottis were sister to the remaining groups within the tribe. Conclusions: this overall phylogenetic framework aligns well with previous findings. Our study provides valuable cp genomic resources and advances evolutionary research in Collabieae. Full article

This study explores the application of profile shift coefficients as a design strategy to eliminate the need for stepped planet gears in a specific type of planetary gear train, referred to as the AA gear train. By appropriately selecting gear tooth numbers and applying compensating profile shifts to the two central gears, it is possible to equalize their diameters, enabling the use of simple single-step spur gears as planet gears. This significantly simplifies manufacturing, may improve power branching capabilities, and reduces the cost and volume. This paper outlines the geometric and functional limitations of this approach, including the practically allowable range of profile shift values and their impact on the tooth strength, contact ratio, and potential interference. Additionally, the influence of the planet count on assembly conditions and profile shift requirements is examined. The design may offer advantages in compactness and manufacturability (for moderate gear ratios) within a single stage. However, limitations in efficiency, power branching, and self-locking—especially at high ratios—must be considered. While the method provides a viable alternative to conventional stepped planet designs in certain cases, its applicability remains constrained by profile shift limitations and system-specific design compromises. Full article

As a critical technology of autonomous mining trucks, object detection directly determines system safety and operational reliability. However, autonomous mining trucks often work in dusty open-pit environments, in which dusty interference significantly degrades the accuracy of object detection. To overcome the problem mentioned above, a multi-branch feature interaction and location detection network (MBFILNet) is proposed in this study, consisting of multi-branch feature interaction with differential operation (MBFI-DO) and depthwise separable convolution-enhanced non-local attention (DSC-NLA). On one hand, MBFI-DO not only strengthens the extraction of channel-wise semantic features but also improves the representation of salient features of images with dusty interference. On the other hand, DSC-NLA is used to capture long-range spatial dependencies to focus on target-object structural information. Furthermore, a custom dataset called Dusty Open-pit Mining (DOM) is constructed, which is augmented using a cycle-consistent generative adversarial network (CycleGAN). Finally, a large number of experiments based on DOM are conducted to evaluate the performance of MBFILNet in dusty open-pit environments. The results show that MBFILNet achieves a mean Average Precision (mAP) of 72.0% based on the DOM dataset, representing a 1.3% increase compared to the Featenhancer model. Moreover, in comparison with YOLOv8, there is an astounding 2% increase in the mAP based on MBFILNet, demonstrating detection accuracy in dusty open-pit environments can be effectively improved with the method proposed in this paper. Full article

Power equipment detection is a critical component in power transmission line inspection. However, existing power equipment detection algorithms often face problems such as large model sizes and high computational complexity. This paper proposes a lightweight power equipment detection algorithm based on large receptive field and attention guidance. First, we propose a lightweight large receptive field feature extraction module, CRepLK, which reparameterizes multiple branches into large kernel convolution to improve the multi-scale detection capability of the model; secondly, we propose a lightweight ELA-guided Dynamic Sampling Fusion (LEDSF) Neck, which alleviates the feature misalignment problem inherent in conventional neck networks to a certain extent; finally, we propose a lightweight Partial Asymmetric Detection Head (PADH), which utilizes the redundancy of feature maps to achieve the significant light weight of the detection head. Experimental results show that on the Insplad power equipment dataset, the number of parameters, computational cost (GFLOPs) and the size of the model weight are reduced by 46.8%, 44.1% and 46.4%, respectively, compared with the Baseline model, while the mAP is improved by 1%. Comparative experiments on three power equipment datasets show that our model achieves a compelling balance between efficiency and detection performance in power equipment detection scenarios. Full article

Germplasm resources embody the genetic diversity of plants and form the foundation for breeding and the ongoing improvement of elite cultivars. The establishment of germplasm banks, along with their systematic evaluation, constitutes a critical step toward the conservation, sustainable use, and innovative utilization of these resources. Liriodendron, a rare and endangered tree genus with species distributed in both East Asia and North America, holds considerable ecological, ornamental, and economic significance. However, a standardized evaluation system for Liriodendron germplasm remains unavailable. In this study, 297 Liriodendron germplasm accessions were comprehensively evaluated using 34 phenotypic traits and whole-genome resequencing data. Substantial variation was observed in most phenotypic traits, with significant correlations identified among several characteristics. Cluster analysis based on phenotypic data grouped the accessions into three distinct clusters, each exhibiting unique distribution patterns. This classification was further supported by principal component analysis (PCA), which effectively captured the underlying variation among accessions. These phenotypic groupings demonstrated high consistency with subsequent population structure analysis based on SNP markers (K = 3). Notably, several key traits exhibited significant divergence (p < 0.05) among distinct genetic clusters, thereby validating the coordinated association between phenotypic variation and molecular markers. Genetic diversity and population structure were assessed using 4204 high-quality single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers obtained through stringent filtering. The results indicated that the Liriodendron sino-americanum displayed the highest genetic diversity, with an expected heterozygosity (He) of 0.18 and a polymorphic information content (PIC) of 0.14. In addition, both hierarchical clustering and PCA revealed clear population differentiation among the accessions. Association analysis between three phenotypic traits (DBH, annual height increment, and branch number) and SNPs identified 25 highly significant SNP loci (p < 0.01). Of particular interest, the branch number-associated locus SNP_17_69375264 (p = 1.03 × 10⁻⁵) demonstrated the strongest association, highlighting distinct genetic regulation patterns among different growth traits. A minimal set of 13 core SNP markers was subsequently used to construct unique DNA fingerprints for all 297 accessions. In conclusion, this study systematically characterized phenotypic traits in Liriodendron, identified high-quality and core SNPs, and established correlations between key phenotypic and molecular markers. These achievements enabled differential analysis and genetic diversity assessment of Liriodendron germplasm, along with the construction of DNA fingerprint profiles. The results provide crucial theoretical basis and technical support for germplasm conservation, accurate identification, and utilization of Liriodendron resources, while offering significant practical value for variety selection, reproduction and commercial applications of this species. Full article

This study presents a facile approach to fabricate PBAT/PHBV films with superior mechanical and barrier properties by in situ forming ribbon-like lamellae, achieving a PHBV platelet-reinforced PBAT films. The fabrication involves melt blending of PBAT and PHBV, where styrene–methyl methacrylate–glycidyl methacrylate copolymer as a multifunctional reactive compatibilizer (RC) regulates PHBV domain size by forming a branched/cross-linked PBAT-B-PHBV structure. The introduction of a compatibilizer into the PBAT/PHBV system can reduce domain size and improve interfacial adhesion, thereby elevating PBAT’s storage modulus and complex viscosity for optimized blow-molding processability. During blow-molding, biaxial stretching with rapid cooling transforms PHBV sea–island structures into well-aligned ribbon-like lamellae. Notably, when PHBV content is ≤30 wt.%, lamellae form in the PBAT matrix, significantly enhancing both mechanical and barrier properties. The addition of RC reduces the lateral dimensions of PHBV lamellae while increasing PHBV number density. The introduction of 0.2 wt.% RC optimizes lamellar dimensions and density to maximize permeation pathway tortuosity. Ultimately, the lamellae in the PBAT matrix yield remarkable property enhancements: yield strength increased by >600%, elastic modulus by >200%, and water vapor/oxygen transmission rate reduced by ~81% and ~85%, respectively. Full article

This paper presents a numerical analysis of cold-formed thin-walled columns reinforced with sectional transverse stiffeners (STSs) based on the recent part of EC3 concerning the finite element analysis. Columns that are 1 m tall with various arrangements of STSs were modeled in the AxisVM environment. Numerical design calculations were completed using an analysis requiring a subsequent design check. This included a geometrically nonlinear analysis considering imperfections (GNIA) along with linear analysis (LBA) to assess the columns’ susceptibility to second-order effects. Reinforcing columns with STSs did not show a significant effect on the local buckling behavior of the elements. However, the results indicated that increasing the number of STSs positively influenced the columns’ resistance. This modification reduced the magnitudes of distortional, global flexural, and torsional buckling. Additionally, adding more than three STSs increased the critical loads related to distortional, flexural, and torsional buckling by 58–90%, 52–119%, and 19–154%, respectively. For the GNIA, two combinations of imperfections were analyzed: global flexural imperfection paired with either local or distortional imperfection. LBA was used to apply the imperfect geometry of the columns with the appropriate magnitudes of imperfections. The results between LBA and GNIA for the single-branched columns varied by 8–24%, while for the double-branched columns, the differences were less than 3%. Full article

Forest fires pose a significant threat to human life and property. The early detection of smoke and flames can significantly reduce the damage caused by forest fires to human society. This article presents an SFGI-YOLO model based on YOLO11n, which demonstrates outstanding advantages in detecting forest fires and smoke, particularly in the context of early fire monitoring. The main principles of the algorithm include the following: first, a small-object detection head P2 is added to better extract shallow feature information; a Feature Enhancement Module (FEM) is utilized to increase feature richness, expand the receptive field, and enhance detection capabilities for small objects across multiple scales; the lightweight GhostConv is employed to significantly reduce computational costs and decrease the number of parameters; and Inception DWConv is combined with a C3k2 module to utilize multiple parallel branches, thereby enlarging the receptive field. The improved algorithm achieved a mean Average Precision (mAP50) of 95.4% on a custom forest fire dataset, surpassing the YOLO11n model by 1.8%. This model offers more accurate detection of forest fires, reducing both missed detections and false positives and thereby meeting the high precision and real-time detection requirements in forest fire monitoring. Full article

With the increasing severity of forest pest problems, breeding insect-resistant varieties has become a crucial task for the sustainable development of forestry. The highly insect-resistant triploid Populus line Pb29, genetically modified with BtCry1Ac, served as the maternal parent in controlled hybridization with three paternal Populus cultivars. Hybrid progenies were obtained through embryo rescue and tissue culture. Results showed that 4 °C storage was favorable for pollen preservation, with 84K poplar exhibiting superior pollen viability and embryo germination rates. All progenies displayed significantly lower seedling height and ground diameter growth than the maternal parent (p < 0.05), with some showing leaf shape and branching variations. Among the three crosses, the 84K-sired progeny exhibited the best growth performance but the highest variability. PCR analysis confirmed stable inheritance of the BtCry1Ac and Kan genes from Pb29, showing tight linkage. Progenies carrying BtCry1Ac exhibited detectable gene transcription and toxic protein accumulation, though expression levels varied due to copy number, insertion sites, and potential co-suppression effects. Ploidy analysis suggested all hybrids were aneuploid, with lower survival rates than the maternal parent. Insect-feeding assays confirmed high resistance in all BtCry1Ac-inheriting progenies, with an average larval mortality rate of 97.03%. Mortality rates and death indices significantly correlated with transcript abundance and toxin protein levels. These results demonstrate that BtCry1Ac insect resistance is stably inherited through hybridization. Transgene expression appears co-modulated by copy number, insertion sites, and ploidy status. Simultaneously, it was found that the aneuploid progeny derived from triploid hybridization exhibited growth disadvantages. This provides an important basis for subsequent poplar improvement breeding. Full article

Despite its value as a culinary, medicinal, and essential oil crop, caraway struggles to grow and develop its biochemical quality in drought-prone sandy soils. To tackle this challenge, we conducted two field trials under drip irrigation, testing four rates of organic manure (0, 5, 10, and 15 ton/hectare (ha) and three foliar biostimulants: vitamin B₁ (50 and 100 mg L⁻¹), vitamin E (50 and 100 mg L⁻¹), and active yeast (100 and 150 mL L⁻¹). We used a randomized split-plot design with three replicates, assigning manure rates to main plots and biostimulants to subplots. We measured plant height, stem diameter, branch number, dry biomass, umbels per plant, 1000-seed weight, seed yield (per plant and per ha), essential oil content, chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids, and leaf N, P, and K. All treatments outperformed the unfertilized control. Applying 15 ton/ha of manure alone increased mean plant height by 185.3 cm, stem diameter by 2.93 mm, branch number by 14.5, and herbal weight by 91.97 g across both seasons—a gain of about 11–15%. Foliar application of vitamin B₁ at 100 mg L⁻¹ (without manure) achieved even larger gains: mean plant height improved by 176.5 cm, stem diameter by 2.6 mm, branches number by 15.1, and herbal biomass by 103.95 g (20–36% growth increases). It also boosted essential oil yield by 1.89 mL per plant (16–50%) and enhanced nutrient uptake. The most pronounced synergy emerged when combining 15 ton/ha of manure with 100 mg L⁻¹ vitamin B₁, raising seed yield to 1698.8 kg/ha (35%), plant height to 184.7 cm (52%), number of branches to 17.4 per plant (56%), umbels to 38.1 per plant (42%), 1000-seed weight to 16.9 g (48%), and essential oil yield to 2.3 mL per plant (115%), compared to the control. Chlorophyll a increased by 50%, chlorophyll b by 33%, carotenoids by 35%, and leaf N, P, and K by 43%, 90%, and 76%, respectively. Manure combined with vitamin E or yeast delivered moderate improvements. These findings demonstrate that integrating organic manure with targeted foliar biostimulants—especially vitamin B₁—under drip irrigation, is a sustainable strategy to maximize caraway yield, oil content, and nutritional quality on marginal sandy soils. Full article

Resolving the eukaryotic tree of life (eToL) remains a fundamental challenge in biology. Much of eukaryotic phylogenetic diversity is occupied by unicellular microbial eukaryotes (i.e., protists). Among these, the phylogenetic positions of a significant number of lineages remain unresolved due to limited data and ambiguous traits. To address this issue, we introduce the term “PUPAs” (protists with uncertain phylogenetic affiliations) to collectively describe these lineages, instead of using vague or inconsistent labels, such as incertae sedis or orphan taxa. Historically, protists were classified based solely on morphological features, and many with divergent cell structures were left unplaced in the eToL. With the advent of sequence-based approaches, the phylogenetic affiliations of some PUPAs have been clarified using molecular markers, such as small subunit ribosomal DNA. The combination of technological progress and continuous efforts to cultivate diverse protists, including PUPAs and novel protists, now enables phylogenetic analyses based on hundreds of proteins, providing their concrete placements in the eToL. For example, these advances have led to the discovery of new deep-branching lineages (e.g., Hemimastigophora), the resolution of relationships among major groups (e.g., Microheliella, which linked Cryptista and Archaeplastida), and insights into evolutionary innovations within specific clades (e.g., Glissandra). In this review, we summarize current consensus in eukaryotic phylogeny and highlight recent findings on PUPAs whose phylogenetic affiliations have been clarified. We also discuss a few lineages for which the phylogenetic homes remain unsettled, the evolutionary implications of these discoveries, and the remaining challenges in resolving the complete eToL. Full article

Plant architecture is a crucial agronomic trait significantly impacting soybean (Glycine max) yield. Traditional breeding has made some progress in optimizing soybean architecture, but it is limited in precision and efficiency. The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats and CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR/Cas) system, a revolutionary gene-editing technology, provides unprecedented opportunities for plant genetic improvement. This review outlines CRISPR’s development and applications in crop improvement, focusing specifically on progress regulating soybean architecture traits affecting yield, such as node number, internode length, branching, and leaf morphology. It also discusses the technical challenges for CRISPR technology in enhancing soybean architecture, including that the regulatory network of soybean plant architecture is complex and the development of multi-omics platforms helps gene mining. The application of CRISPR enables precise the regulation of gene expression through promoter editing. Meanwhile, it is also faced with technical challenges such as the editing of homologous genes caused by genome polyploidy, the efficiency of editing tools and off-target effects, and low transformation efficiency. New delivery systems such as virus-induced genome editing bring hope for solving some of these problems. The review emphasizes the great potential of CRISPR technology in breeding next-generation soybean varieties with optimized architecture to boost yield potential. Full article

Mental health conditions affect many young people in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where stigma is high and access to care is limited. Digital tools accessible on basic mobile phones offer a scalable way to promote mental health, but evidence on their effectiveness in SSA is limited. This study evaluated the reach, feasibility, acceptability, and knowledge outcomes of Digital MindSKILLZ, an interactive voice response (IVR) mental health intervention implemented in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia. Over seven months, 700,138 people called the platform, and 425,395 (61%) listened to at least one message. Of these users, 63.6% were under 25 and 68.3% were from rural areas. The three content branches—mental health information, mental health skills, and soccer quizzes—were accessed by 36.5%, 46.4%, and 50.9% of users, respectively. Among users who accessed the mental health branch of the intervention, the mean number of messages completed was 7.6 out of 18 messages. In a follow-up survey, 91% of users understood the content, 85% would recommend the intervention, and 38% found the mental health content most helpful. Average knowledge scores were 62%, with lower scores on common disorders and stigma. The intervention showed strong reach and acceptability, but content and implementation improvements are needed to boost engagement and retention. Full article

Background: This review investigates the use of virtual and augmented reality games in dementia care. It provides an insight into the last 13 years of research, including the earliest publications on this topic, and takes a systematic and bibliographic approach. Methods: We sourced research publications from three different scientific databases (PubMed, Scopus, and APA PsycInfo) for this publication. We chose the PRISMA approach and categorized the studies according to the publisher. A set of 12 variables was defined across three categories (bibliographic, medical, and technical). Results: Of the 389 identified articles, 36 met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. After a phase of pilot studies mainly being conducted, the number of publications increased by four times but decreased again in 2023. Dominating were pilot and feasibility studies; 8 out of the 36 trials were RCTs. The median trial population was 24, and the protocols were performed for an average of 10 weeks, with two 40-min sessions a week. Simulator sickness was reported but not by the majority of participants. A total of 59% of the studies used fully immersive 3D-VR systems. We identified only three publications that provided high immersion quality. These findings indicate the positive effects of using virtual and augmented reality systems on participants’ cognitive function and mood. Conclusions: This publication focuses on the technical aspects of the applied technologies and immersion levels of the patients. Using augmented and virtual reality methods to improve the quality of life and physical interaction of dementia patients shows the potential to enhance cognitive functioning in this population, but further investigation and multicenter RCTs are needed. There are strong indications that this research branch has high potential to benefit both caretakers and patients. Full article

Background: Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) injections and arthrocentesis are commonly used minimally invasive methods for treating temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). Although considered safe, they can cause neurological complications. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize all identified evidence for neurological adverse events following intra-articular TMJ interventions. Methods: This review was based on a systematic search with BASE, DOAJ, PubMed, SciELO, and Semantic Scholar on 28 May 2025. It included primary studies involving patients diagnosed with TMDs who underwent intra-articular injections into the TMJ or were treated with arthrocentesis, and in whom neurological adverse effects associated with the intra-articular intervention were reported. Studies reporting non-specific symptoms or unrelated systemic conditions were excluded. The risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute’s critical appraisal tools. Results were presented in summary tables. Results: The search yielded five eligible studies comprising 319 patients, of whom 320 neurological adverse events were reported. Included studies comprised a randomized controlled trial, two retrospective studies, and two case reports. Four studies had a low risk of bias, and one had a moderate risk of bias according to the Joanna Briggs Institute appraisal tools. The proportion of patients affected ranged from 14% to 65% depending on the study design and intervention type. The most common adverse event was transient facial nerve (cranial nerve VII) paralysis, mainly involving the temporal and zygomatic branches. Less commonly reported complications involved the trigeminal nerve branches (V1, V3). There is also a single case of epidural hematoma with palsy of the oculomotor nerve (III). Most symptoms resolved spontaneously within a few hours to a few days. The use of local anesthesia and large volumes of irrigation (60 mL) during arthrocentesis increases the risk of complications. Attempts to explain the mechanisms of complications include local anesthetic diffusion, compression neuropraxia due to lavage fluid leakage, and corticosteroid neurotoxicity. One of the limitations of the study is the scarcity of data. Conclusions: Although most adverse events are mild and reversible, these findings highlight that precise, real-time guided injection and careful control of lavage volumes can minimize extra-articular spread of anesthetics or fluids, thereby reducing the likelihood of neurological complications. This study received no funding. PROSPERO ID number: CRD420251088170. Full article