Search Results (2,763)

Forecasting hydropower plant power production is a great challenge in the context of maintaining power system stability, reliability and efficiency, especially in an age with variable renewable energy sources when demand for electricity is steadily rising. Accurate forecasting methods are a crucial enabler for the operational existence of power systems that rely on renewable sources. And while in the pursuit of increased accuracy of predictions, many recent research works rely on artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques, this study proposes and adopts a more conventional approach with standardized mathematical models to address the problem of hydropower production forecasting. The model predicts the runoff–power relationship. It starts with the normalization of different rain phenomena as a part of the statistical characterization of runoff events. The system transforms rain occurrence to runoff events via the USDA SCS CN model and then feature vectors are composed, which are used to generate kernel coefficients via interpolation. Contrary to models based on artificial intelligence, the proposed approach has several practical advantages requiring a minimal set of input parameters, which significantly reduces data preprocessing demands and allows for a straightforward integration into existing systems, thereby lowering the cost and the implementation and deployment time. Furthermore, the simplicity and universality of the model make it so that it can be adapted across a wide range of hydropower plants of varying scales and with diverse hydrological and meteorological conditions. The model’s performance and prediction accuracy are evaluated using empirical data records of time series over a five-year period for the meteorological parameters and production of an existing real-life hydropower plant in Bulgaria. The performance of the newly proposed model is assessed using widely accepted statistical error metrics, namely, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), the Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) coefficient, and the Pearson correlation coefficient (R). These metrics provide a comprehensive assessment of the forecasts’ precision and effectiveness. The results show that the proposed model offers admissible accuracy with low computational effort. Thus, it can be successfully implemented in practice in a number of hydropower plant production forecasting applications. Full article

Background: Acute Graft versus Host Disease (aGvHD) is a serious complication of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (Allo-SCT) associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Enteral nutrition (EN) has been associated with improved transplant outcomes, yet standardized early EN practices remain inconsistently adopted across centers. Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluated the adoption and clinical outcomes of a standardized Day +1 EN protocol in patients undergoing Allo-SCT. The protocol included feeding tube (FT) placement on Day +1 with EN initiated at 25 mL/h. Demographic and clinical data were extracted from electronic health records for patients treated after protocol adoption (post-protocol) and retrospective controls from one year prior (pre-protocol group). Outcomes included successful Day +1 EN initiation, gastrointestinal (GI) complications, FT removal reason, and occurrence and severity of lower GI and overall aGvHD by Day +100 (Modified Glucksberg Criteria). Group comparisons used Welch’s t-test and Fisher’s Exact test (p < 0.05). Results: The final cohort included 108 patients (67 pre-protocol and 41 post-protocol). Successful Day +1 EN initiation occurred in 95.1% (n = 39) of patients post-protocol versus 4.5% (n = 3) pre-protocol (p < 0.001). GI complications and FT removal reason did not differ significantly between groups, and no FTs were removed due to adverse events. The occurrence of lower GI aGvHD was significantly lower post-protocol (12.2% vs. 28.4%, p = 0.05). Conclusions: Adoption of a standardized Day +1 EN protocol in Allo-SCT patients was successfully implemented and well-tolerated without adverse FT-related events. The significant difference in lower GI GvHD occurrence in the post-protocol group warrants confirmation of Day+1 EN in patients receiving an Allo-SCT in a future randomized trial. Full article

Thailand preserves one of the most extensive records of Mesozoic vertebrate tracks in Tropical Asia, yet these ichnological data have never been comprehensively synthesized. This review compiles and reassesses all known Triassic to Cretaceous vertebrate tracksites in Thailand to clarify their stratigraphic distribution, taxonomic diversity, and palaeobiogeographical significance. Published records, new field observations, and updated stratigraphic correlations are integrated to evaluate trackmaker attributions and temporal patterns. The Thai record documents diverse assemblages including chirotheriids, early theropods, sauropodomorphs, ornithopods, sauropods, and crocodilians. Late Triassic–Early Jurassic assemblages capture a major faunal transition, revealing the co-occurrence of non-dinosaurian archosaurs and some of the earliest dinosaurs in the region, whereas Lower Cretaceous sites are dominated by theropods, sauropods and diverse ornithopods. Comparison with other Asian ichnofaunas indicates faunal continuity across eastern Asia and supports early dinosaur dispersal into equatorial low latitudes. This synthesis also evaluates site conservation, highlighting the vulnerability of several Triassic localities and a positive trend of community-led discoveries since 2009, underscoring the need for proactive management and standardized digital documentation. Overall, the Thai ichnological succession represents the most complete Mesozoic track record presently known from Tropical Asia and provides key insights into vertebrate evolution, palaeoecology, and regional biogeography. Full article

Yellow fever (YF) is an infectious disease caused by the yellow fever virus (YFV), an arbovirus of the Flaviviridae family. It is transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes of the Culicidae family and affects both humans and non-human primates (NHPs). This study aimed to investigate the sylvatic Culicidae fauna and the occurrence of natural YFV infection in a microregion of southern Santa Catarina, Brazil, an area recently affected by a sylvatic YF outbreak. Entomological collections were conducted between January and February 2023 in five municipalities with confirmed viral circulation. Natural YFV infection was assessed using RT-LAMP. A total of 4352 female culicids were collected, representing at least 32 species, including several key sylvatic YFV vectors. Haemagogus leucocelaenus was identified in all sampled municipalities, whereas Haemagogus (Haemagogus) janthinomys Dyar, 1921, historically considered the primary vector of sylvatic YFV in Brazil, was not detected. Mosquitoes from the genera Aedes Meigen, 1818; Haemagogus Williston, 1896; Psorophora Robineau-Desvoidy, 1827; and Sabethes Robineau-Desvoidy, 1827 were tested for YFV. Only one pool, composed of Sabethes albiprivus, tested positive, yielding a minimum infection rate (MIR) of 11.6. This is the first record of natural YFV infection in Sa. albiprivus in southern Brazil, and only the third record globally, highlighting its potential role as a secondary vector in maintaining viral circulation in sylvatic environments. Based on species presence and abundance, Hg. leucocelaenus is likely to have acted as the primary YFV vector in the study area. The composition of the culicid fauna, coupled with the detection of YFV in sylvatic vectors, indicates an ongoing epidemiological risk. These findings underscore the need to strengthen entomological surveillance and expand YF vaccination coverage in affected and neighbouring regions. Full article

Indoor lighting systems are a significant contributor to building energy consumption while also directly affecting occupant comfort and circadian regulation. Recent advances in smart lighting have introduced adaptive and human-centric approaches; however, the integration of optimization-oriented control strategies with interoperable automation frameworks remains only partially articulated in the literature. This study presents a systematic bibliometric review of smart indoor lighting research, with particular attention to the roles of hyper-heuristics (HH), Internet of Things (IoT) platforms, and IFTTT/Event–Condition–Action (ECA) automation. A PRISMA-based methodology was applied across Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore for the period 2010–2025. A total of 5529 records were identified, with 5229 screened after duplicate removal, and 27 core studies included following eligibility assessment. To reduce the risk of over-interpreting null intersections, the review also incorporated a search-sensitivity analysis based on expanded query formulations and title–abstract screening. Bibliometric analysis was conducted using MATLAB and VOSviewer to identify publication trends, technological clusters, and patterns of fragmentation across the literature. The results indicate rapid growth in IoT-based and energy-aware lighting systems, alongside mature research in circadian and comfort-driven lighting. However, explicit indexed evidence connecting hyper-heuristics with IoT platforms and IFTTT/ECA frameworks remains sparse and fragmented in the available literature. Co-occurrence analysis further reveals weak metadata-level connections between optimization techniques and IoT protocols, while the sensitivity analysis confirms that broadened retrieval improves recall but still yields only limited directly relevant evidence. Overall, the review identifies a gap in the explicit convergence of optimization, interoperable IoT infrastructure, and event-driven automation for human-centric indoor lighting. On this basis, it outlines a conceptual integration framework combining hyper-heuristics, IoT middleware, and event-driven control. The findings provide a structured roadmap for future research and implementation-oriented studies aimed at improving both energy efficiency and human-centric comfort in smart indoor environments. Full article

Climate-driven heat and water stress are increasingly compromising rainfed maize yields in transition zones, with significant implications for global food security. While continental-scale models of crop suitability exist, they often fail to capture the high-resolution heterogeneity of agricultural landscapes or distinguish between irrigated and rainfed systems in semi-arid regions. This study models the current and future suitability of rainfed maize in Kansas, USA, using a Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) approach. To accurately isolate biophysical constraints, we employed a novel data-filtering workflow using the USDA Cropland Data Layer (CDL) and Landsat-based Annual Irrigated Datasets (LANID) to train the model exclusively on rainfed occurrences. We projected suitability shifts for the mid- (2041–2070) and end-of-century (2071–2100) periods under two CMIP6 Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5), using high-resolution CHELSA bioclimatic variables. The model, achieving an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.73 and validated against 30 years of historical USDA production records, reveals a distinct spatial contraction of areas climatically suitable for growing maize. Projections indicate a significant decline in suitability across Western and Central Kansas driven by rising temperatures and precipitation variability, with the most highly suitable optimal habitats projected to decline by approximately 90% by mid-century. These findings quantify mounting climate impacts on maize-growing areas of the Great Plains and provide spatially explicit baselines for the development of regional adaptation strategies and groundwater conservation policies. Full article

This study proposes a quantitative identification method for drought–flood abrupt alternation (DFAA) events in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) based on the daily standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) data from 1982 to 2021 and analyzes their spatiotemporal evolution characteristics. The results show that the proposed identification method has good applicability and agrees well with historical records. Grid-scale DFAA events showed an overall slowly increasing trend in occurrence frequency. The mean occurrence frequency, mean duration, and mean intensity were 0.67 events, 30.57 d, and 1.45, respectively. The mean occurrence frequency had a pattern of being higher in the middle and lower reaches and lower in the upper reaches, whereas the mean intensity had a pattern of being higher in the west than in the east and higher in the south than in the north. A total of 16 DFAA events were identified in the YRB, with a mean annual occurrence frequency of 0.4 events per year and an increasing trend across decades. The mean total duration of these events was 31.81 d, and the intensity ranged from 0.96 to 1.79. DFAA events were generally less frequent in the upper reaches and more frequent in the middle and lower reaches and the inland-drainage area. For the level-II water resource subregions, Hekouzhen–Longmen (Subregion IV), Sanmenxia–Huayuankou (Subregion VI), the area below Huayuankou (Subregion VII), and the inland-drainage area (Subregion VIII) had higher occurrence frequencies and larger fluctuations in duration. These findings could provide a scientific reference for flood control, drought relief, and disaster risk management in the YRB. Full article

Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a rare but potentially life-threatening condition that may lead to sudden cardiac death. Among the causes, dysfunctions of ion channels involved in the cardiac action potential (specifically in SCN5A and SCN10A genes) are particularly significant. Among diagnosed Brugada patients, fever-induced episodes occur in 20–30% of cases. Fever worsens sodium channel dysfunction, as elevated temperature further reduces their conductance. First clinical manifestation of BrS occurs usually during a febrile episode, especially in young people. We performed a multiparametric examination in addition to genetic analysis. We treated a 19-year-old man presenting with subfebrility. During the patient’s subfebrile episodes, 12-lead ECG recordings revealed ST-segment elevations in leads V1–V3. Notably, the patient remained asymptomatic. Targeted genetic testing of SCN5A did not reveal any disease-causing variants as an underlying cause of the syndrome, but the temperature-inducing effect was demonstrated. The occurrence of the Brugada type 1 pattern has also been observed at subfebrile episodes, although significantly rarely. This case demonstrates that in susceptible patients, even a relatively mild elevation in body temperature can trigger ion channel dysfunctions. Timely diagnosis and follow-up are important in preserving quality of life and preventing fatal outcomes. Full article

Background and Objectives: High rates of mortality and morbidity among elderly hip fracture patients are a recognized global issue. This study aimed to evaluate risk factors for early complications and 30-day mortality in hip fracture patients. Materials and Methods: The prospective study included 583 patients over 65 years old who sustained hip fractures from fall and underwent surgery. Each patient was followed up for 30 days and complications were recorded. Regression models were used to assess the influence of patient characteristics and laboratory markers on 30-day mortality and complications. Results: Any complication increased the risk of mortality by 5.6 times (95% CI 1.6–19.9, p = 0.008). Having > 6 comorbidities increased the risk of mortality by 8.2 (95% CI 1.9–35.5, p = 0.005) and the risk of complications by 2.3 (95% CI 1.9–35.5, p = 0.000). Patients > 85 years old had increased risk of mortality by 2.2 times (95% CI 1.2–4.1, p = 0.015) and a 1.7-fold increase in risk of complications (95% CI 1.2–2.4, p = 0.005). Vitamin D significantly predicted mortality with odds ratio of 2.1 (95% CI 1.1–4.1, p = 0.028). Serum N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels > 780 ng/L predicted 2.3-fold increase in mortality (95% CI 1.0–4.9, p = 0.040) and a 2.6-fold risk of complications (95% CI 1.7–3.9, p = 0.000). Conclusions: Occurrence of complication increases the risk of mortality. Age and comorbidities are significant factors associated with 30-day mortality and complications. Vitamin D levels are associated with higher risk of mortality. N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels correspond to higher risks of death and complications. Full article

Background: Patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are often underfed and frequently experience enteral feeding (EF) intolerance. We examined the association between EF timing, caloric intake and EF intolerance, and mortality. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated adult patients with moderate-to-severe TBI in a tertiary-care ICU. In the first 7 days, we recorded daily caloric intake from EF and the occurrence of EF intolerance—defined as a gastric residual volume > 500 mL or >250 mL with vomiting. Results: Among 298 patients, 210 (70.4%) received early EF. The median 7-day cumulative caloric intake was 7766 kcal for the early EF group (64.7% of caloric requirement) and 2783 kcal (23.1% of caloric requirement) for the late (after 48 h) EF group (p < 0.001). EF intolerance occurred in only 24 patients (8.1%), with no significant difference between the early and late groups. Hospital mortality was 13.8% with early EF versus 30.7% with late EF (p = 0.001), 8.5% with caloric intake ≥ 80% of requirement versus 21.3% with lower caloric intake (p = 0.02) and 50% in patients with EF intolerance versus 16.1% in those without intolerance (p < 0.001). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, early EF was associated with lower mortality (odds ratio 0.326; 95% confidence interval 0.165–0.644), whereas EF intolerance was associated with higher mortality (odds ratio 7.451; 95% confidence interval 2.787–19.922). Conclusions: In patients with moderate-to-severe TBI, early EF was associated with higher caloric intake and lower mortality compared to late EF. EF intolerance was uncommon but strongly associated with higher mortality. Full article

Cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD) remains a major contributor to infant morbidity and mortality in the United States, yet the influence of maternal social determinants of health on risk is not fully understood. This study examined associations of maternal age, education, and race/ethnicity with the live birth prevalence of CCHD using recent national birth data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Vital Statistics System (2022–2023). CCHD was identified from birth certificate records and analyzed as a binary outcome. Regression analyses were performed to evaluate relationships between maternal characteristics and CCHD occurrence. Overall, CCHD was a rare outcome with a modest decline in prevalence between the two years examined. Increasing maternal age was associated with higher odds of CCHD, while Latina ethnicity was associated with lower odds compared to the reference group. Other racial/ethnic categories and maternal education level were not significantly associated with CCHD risk in adjusted analyses. These findings suggest that certain maternal factors, particularly age and ethnicity, are associated with variation in the live birth prevalence of CCHD and underscore the need for further research into underlying environmental and structural contributors not captured in standard birth records. Full article

Pesticidal plants are vital for pest management in sub-Saharan Africa, yet knowledge about them is culturally and geographically unevenly documented. This study examined ethnobotanical knowledge and the distribution of pesticidal plants among six ethnic groups (Maasai, Chagga, Iraqw, Pare, Nguu, Zigua) in northern Tanzania. Data related to ethnobotanical knowledge were collected from questionnaire surveys involving 266 participants, 24 focus group discussions, 26 key informant interviews, complemented by field verifications across the six ethnic groups. Pesticidal plant coordinates were accessed from herbarium voucher specimens from The National Herbarium of Tanzania. Chi-square tests of independence assessed associations between ethnic groups and knowledge transmission pathways. Penalized logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the influence of demographic factors on reported knowledge of pesticidal plants. Spatial overlay was conducted to examine the distribution of pesticidal plant species occurrences across agroecological zones and rainfall gradients. The results revealed a significant association between ethnic group and the source of pesticidal plant knowledge. Across all ethnic groups, knowledge was predominantly acquired through family/community traditional sources, with the highest frequencies recorded among the Maasai, Iraqw, and Zigua. Knowledge is mainly transmitted orally, particularly among the Maasai, Iraqw, and Zigua. A total of one hundred and six distinct species were recorded across the six ethnic groups surveyed, with Tephrosia vogelii and Solanum incanum being the most frequently cited. Leaves were the most frequently used plant part across all ethnic groups, with notably high usage among the Chagga, Iraqw, and Maasai. Perceptions of the declining population of pesticidal plants were the highest among the Maasai. Spatial mapping revealed pesticidal plant hotspots in the Northern Rift and Volcanic Highlands agroecological zones, and they fall within zones receiving moderate to relatively high rainfall. The findings highlight that ethnobotanical knowledge of pesticidal plants in northern Tanzania is strongly shaped by ethnic affiliation, oral knowledge transmission, and localized ecological availability, with clear spatial hotspots aligned to specific agroecological zones and high-rainfall areas. Full article

Based on previous studies and the ecological characteristics of Portunus trituberculatus, we hypothesized that climate change could substantially reshape its suitable habitat in Zhoushan fishing ground. Under present-day climate conditions (2010–2020), P. trituberculatus exhibits a distinct seasonal distribution pattern in this region. However, its potential spatial response to future climate change, and whether suitable habitat will remain available, remains poorly understood. To address this gap, we combined species occurrence records with environmental variables from the Bio-ORACLE v3.0 database, including benthic temperature, benthic salinity, benthic current velocity, primary productivity, bathymetry, topographic slope, and topographic aspect, to develop a maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model and predict the potential distribution of suitable habitat for P. trituberculatus under present-day conditions and future SSP1-2.6 and SSP2-4.5 scenarios for 2030–2040, 2040–2050, and 2090–2100. Model performance was high across all seasons, with area under the curve values exceeding 0.80. Primary productivity and benthic temperature were the dominant environmental predictors, highlighting the joint influence of trophic conditions and thermal constraints on habitat suitability. Future projections revealed pronounced seasonal reorganization of suitable habitat rather than a uniform range shift. Spring suitable habitat expanded consistently under both scenarios, with the magnitude of expansion increasing toward the end of the century and reaching 46.9% by 2100 under SSP2-4.5, likely because warming relaxed low-temperature limitation during the early seasonal transition. In contrast, suitable habitat in autumn and winter generally contracted. Autumn losses were moderate but persistent, ranging from 5.4% to 16.4%, whereas the strongest declines occurred in winter, particularly under SSP2-4.5, where habitat reductions exceeded 30% after mid-century. These contractions were likely associated with cumulative thermal stress and related environmental changes under continued warming. Summer responses were scenario-dependent, showing weak gains or net declines under SSP1-2.6 but substantial expansion under SSP2-4.5 after mid-century, reaching up to 23.6% by 2050, suggesting that habitat suitability in this season is shaped by interactions among thermal conditions, trophic support, and habitat characteristics. Overall, these findings reveal strong seasonal asymmetry in habitat responses to climate change and provide a scientific basis for seasonally adaptive management of P. trituberculatus resources in Zhoushan fishing ground. Full article

Antarctic terrestrial photosynthetic biota is dominated by cryptogamic communities, which are largely restricted to scarce ice-free areas. Among these, nunataks constitute habitats of remarkable biogeographical interest, as they may harbor distinctive biotic assemblages worthy of investigation. This work presents a comprehensive assessment of lichen diversity on Antarctic nunataks. The lichen flora of four nunataks on the Hurd Peninsula (Livingston Island, maritime Antarctica) was investigated. Specimens were identified using an integrative approach combining morphological assessment and DNA barcoding. This survey revealed a high and potentially underestimated species richness, with 39 confidently identified and several additional taxa requiring further taxonomic resolution. A review of published records of lichen occurrence in nunatak and non-nunatak environments throughout Antarctica was used to evaluate patterns in taxonomic, biogeographical, and morphotype composition. This synthesis showed that nunataks support lower species richness than other ice-free environments. Most of their taxa occur in non-nunatak areas, consistent with patterns observed locally on the Hurd Peninsula. Floristic overlap seems greater in continental Antarctica, suggesting a stronger influence of nunatak-associated environmental constraints in the maritime region. These results underscore the ecological significance of nunataks as environmentally filtered habitats and highlight their relevance for understanding biodiversity patterns and community assembly in Antarctica’s terrestrial ecosystems. Full article

Concerns regarding the safety, environmental impacts, and long-term sustainability of pesticide-dependent crop protection have intensified interest in biological control, which suppresses pest populations using natural enemies (predators, parasitoids, and pathogens) within integrated pest management (IPM) programs. This bibliometric study maps the development of biological control research from 2000 to 2025 using records retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. The publication trends, collaboration structures, leading countries and institutions, core journals, keyword co-occurrence and clustering, citation bursts, and influential cited references were examined using CiteSpace and VOSviewer. The results show a pronounced increase in publication output after 2011, indicating rapid expansion and consolidation of the field in the last decade. Keyword analyses reveal a thematic shift toward ecosystem-based framing, reflected by the growing prominence of terms such as ecosystem services, habitat management, and ecological intensification, which emphasize landscape- and management-oriented approaches to enhancing pest suppression. Cited-reference patterns highlight the persistent influence of the foundational literature on habitat manipulation, landscape complexity, and conservation biological control. Despite the field’s growth, research gaps remain in integrating biological control with emerging bioengineering tools and explicitly accounting for climate-driven variability across regions and production systems. Full article