Search Results (298,141)

The survival status of Lumnitzera littorea is near threatened globally and critically endangered in China. Clarifying its global distribution pattern and its changing trends under different future climate models is of great significance for the protection and restoration of its endangered status. To build a model for this purpose, this study selected 73 actual distribution points of Lumnitzera littorea worldwide, combined with 12 environmental factors, and simulated its potential suitable habitats in six periods: the Last Interglacial (130,000–115,000 years ago), the Last Glacial Maximum (27,000–19,000 years ago), the Mid-Holocene (6000 years ago), the present (1970–2000), and the future 2050s (2041–2060) and 2070s (2061–2080). The results show that the optimal model parameter combination is the regularization multiplier RM = 4.0 and the feature combination FC (Feature class) = L (Linear) + Q (Quadratic) + P (Product). The MaxEnt model has a low omission rate and a more concise model structure. The AUC values in each period are between 0.981 and 0.985, indicating relatively high prediction accuracy. Min temperature of the coldest month, mean diurnal range, clay content, precipitation of the warmest quarter, and elevation are the dominant environmental factors affecting its distribution. The environmental conditions for min temperature of the coldest month at ≥19.6 °C, mean diurnal range at <7.66 °C, clay content at 34.14%, precipitation of the warmest quarter at ≥570.04 mm, and elevation at >1.39 m are conducive to Lumnitzera littorea’s survival and distribution. The global potential distribution areas are located along coasts. Starting from the paleoclimate, the plant’s distribution has gradually expanded, and its adaptability has gradually improved. In China, the range of potential highly suitable habitats is relatively narrow. Hainan Island is the core potential habitat, but there are fragmented areas in regions such as Guangdong, Guangxi, and Taiwan. The modern centroid of Lumnitzera littorea is located at (109.81° E, 2.56° N), and it will shift to (108.44° E, 3.22° N) in the later stage of the high-emission scenario (2070s (SSP585)). Under global warming trends, it has a tendency to migrate to higher latitudes. The development of the aquaculture industry and human deforestation has damaged the habitats of Lumnitzera littorea, and its population size has been sharply and continuously decreasing. The breeding and renewal system has collapsed, seed abortion and seedling establishment failure are common, and genetic variation is too scarce. This may indicate why Lumnitzera littorea is near threatened globally and critically endangered in China. Therefore, the protection and restoration strategies we propose are as follows: strengthen the legislative guarantee and law enforcement supervision of the native distribution areas of Lumnitzera littorea, expanding its population size outside the native environment, and explore measures to improve its seed germination rate, systematically collecting and introducing foreign germplasm resources to increase its genetic diversity. Full article

The ornate dog tick Dermacentor reticulatus is a key vector of several pathogens and has been expanding its range across Europe, raising concerns about the associated veterinary and public health risks. This study aimed to assess the current distribution and local-scale expansion of D. reticulatus in southwestern Poland, particularly in and around the city of Wrocław. In 2024, host-seeking ticks were collected using the flagging method at 80 sites, including 30 previously monitored locations and 50 newly designated ones, selected based on land cover analysis and field verification. Spatial statistics and kriging method were applied to evaluate changes in the tick’s range compared to data from 2014–2019. The presence of D. reticulatus was confirmed at 68 sites, including 13 located beyond the previously estimated range. A shift in the mean center of tick occurrence toward the southeast was observed, along with an increase in the compact area of occurrence. The results indicate a continued expansion of D. reticulatus in the region, with urbanization and landscape structure likely influencing its spread. These findings underscore the importance of local-scale surveillance and spatial modeling in assessing the risk of tick-borne diseases. Full article

Background/Objectives: Increasing the bioavailability of poorly absorbed drugs is a continuous challenge in modern pharmaceutical technology. This is due to the problematic nature of BCS class IV active pharmaceutical ingredients: these drugs possess poor solubility and membrane permeability. Moreover, many undergo immediate efflux and/or rapid systemic metabolism after absorption. This project aimed to improve the bioavailability of BCS class IV drugs by formulating gastroretentive self-emulsifying systems using curcumin as a model drug. Methods: The base of the systems was created by melting emulsifying agents, dissolution retardants, and PEGs together. Curcumin was added after the mixture was cooled slightly. Aqueous dispersions of several compositions were characterized by dynamic light scattering. After screening these results, the viscosities of the selected formulations were evaluated. Dissolution retardants were selected and added to the most superior samples, and their dissolution profiles were compared. Gastroretention of the final formulation was achieved by dispersing air in the molten system through melt foaming; internal structure was assessed by microCT, and physicochemical properties by PXRD and DSC. Cytotoxicity was measured in Caco-2 cells using MTT and Neutral Red assays, and transcellular transport was also studied. Results: Based on these results, a homogeneous gastric floating system was developed. We observed an advantageous cytotoxic profile and increased bioavailability. Conclusions: Overall, we were able to create a self-emulsifying gastroretentive formulation displaying extended release and gastric retention with a low amount of cost-efficient excipients. Full article

The basic structural concepts in the study of monatomic fluids at equilibrium are presented in this entry. The scope encompasses both the classical and the quantum domains, the latter concentrating on the diffraction and the zero-spin boson regimes. The main mathematical objects for describing the fluid structures are the following n-body functions: the correlation functions in real space and their associated structure factors in Fourier space. In these studies, the theory of linear response to external weak fields, involving functional calculus, and Feynman’s path integral formalism are the key conceptual ingredients. Emphasis is placed on the physical implications when going from the classical domain (limit of high temperatures) to the abovementioned quantum regimes (low temperatures). In the classical domain, there is only one class of n-body structures, which at every n level consists of one correlation function plus one structure factor. However, the quantum effects bring about the splitting of the foregoing class into three path integral classes, namely instantaneous, total thermalized-continuous linear response, and centroids; each of them is associated with the action of a distinct external weak field and keeps the above n-level structures. Special attention is given to the structural pair level n=2, and future directions towards the complete study of the quantum triplet level n=3 are suggested. Full article

This work breaks a 180-year-old framework created by Hamilton both with regard to the use of imaginary quantities and the definition of a quaternion product. The general quaternionic algebraic structure we are considering was provided by the author in a previous work with a commutative product and will be provided here with a non-commutative product. We replace the imaginary units usually used in the theory of quaternions by linearly independent vectors and the usual Hamilton product rule by a Hamiltonian-adapted vector-valued vector product and prove both a new geometric property of this product and a vectorial adopted Euler type formula. Full article

Since the Great East Japan Earthquake, floriculture has expanded in Namie Town, Fukushima Prefecture, as part of agricultural recovery. Growth surveys are essential for floriculture production, cultivation management, and trials as they help assess plant growth. However, these surveys are labor-intensive, and the standards used can vary owing to subjective judgments and individual differences. To address this issue, image-processing technologies are expected to enable more consistent and objective evaluations. In this study, we explored image processing in growth surveys by estimating plant growth parameters from three-dimensional (3D) point clouds acquired using a smartphone-based 3D scanner. Focusing on lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum), we estimated the plant height and the number of nodes above the bolting. The results showed that plant height could be estimated with high accuracy, with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.2 cm. By contrast, the node number estimation showed a mean error exceeding one node. This error was attributed to the challenges in handling variations in point cloud density, which stem from the 3D point cloud generation method and leaf occlusion caused by dense foliage. Future work should focus on developing analysis methods that are robust to point-cloud density and capable of handling complex vegetative structures. Full article

Resource utilization of water treatment residuals (WTRs) has emerged as a significant focus in environmental engineering research. In this study, waste iron sludge from a groundwater de-ironing plant was used as the raw material. Ferric salts were recovered via sulfuric acid leaching and subsequently polymerized into polyferric sulfate (PFS) with varying basicity (B = 0.1–0.4) using the alkalization–aging method. The optimal leaching conditions were determined as a liquid–solid ratio of 10:1, a sulfuric acid concentration of 3 mol·L⁻¹, a reaction temperature of 70 °C, and a reaction time of 30 min, yielding a ferric leaching amount of 0.45 g Fe/g dry sludge. Characterization results revealed that the synthesized PFS exhibited similar ferric polymer species, functional group structures, and polymeric crystal structures to those of commercial PFS (CPFS). Coagulation performance tests demonstrated that at a dosage of 30 mg Fe/L, the prepared PFS achieved turbidity and UV₂₅₄ removal efficiencies of 96.88% and 81.87%, respectively, outperforming CPFS. In domestic wastewater treatment, combining the synthesized PFS with magnetic nanoparticles Fe₃O₄@C yielded a magnetic coagulant that further enhanced the removal of turbidity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total phosphorus (TP) to maximum efficiencies of 94.66%, 81.97%, and 98.08%, respectively. This study confirms the technical feasibility and environmental–economic benefits of preparing magnetic PFS coagulants from waste iron sludge for wastewater treatment. Full article

Rice bran represents an exceptional natural source of dietary fiber (DF), and its physicochemical properties and therapeutic potential are closely associated with its origin and processing methods. Herein, rice bran was subjected to extrusion, fermentation, and a combined treatment of fermentation and extrusion to explore the alternations in the structural, physicochemical, and functional properties of the resulting insoluble dietary fiber (IDF). All treatments induced substantial microstructural alterations in IDF, producing fiber matrices with enhanced porosity and looser architectures. The employed processing treatments significantly enhanced the functional properties of rice bran IDF over the unprocessed sample, with 1.37- to 1.78-fold increases in oil-holding capacity, 1.31- to 1.48-fold increases in cholesterol-adsorption capacity, 2.89- to 5.90-fold increases in α-amylase-inhibitory activity, and 2.41- to 3.70-fold increases in glucose-adsorption capacity. Among them, extrusion proved more effective than fermentation in enhancing the water-holding capacity, sodium cholate binding, and cholesterol-adsorption capacity of rice bran IDF. However, fermented rice bran-derived IDF exhibited the optimum α-amylase-inhibitory and glucose-absorption capacities among all employed IDF samples. These findings provide valuable insights for the development of rice bran-based functional foods with enhanced health benefits. Full article

A new family of monothiooxalamide derived from 2-aminobenzothiazole was synthesized with the purpose of investigating its anticancer activity. The design of the compounds was focused on targeting the HDAC6 enzyme, a target for antineoplastic drugs. The in silico affinity of compounds to HDAC6 was performed and confirmed by docking simulation. The structures of monothiooxalamide–benzothiazole hybrids were characterized by 1D and 2D NMR experiments, as well as through mass spectrometry and IR spectroscopy. In addition, the antiproliferative activity of compounds was assessed in human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB231) and non-malignant cells (MCF-10A and NIH/3T3). The most active compound was N-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)-2-((4-methoxybenzyl)amino)-2-thioxoacetamide (1c), which inhibited breast cancer cell growth and invasiveness in vitro and induced late apoptosis in the MCF-7 cell line. The molecular structure of 1c was solved by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The supramolecular arrangement of benzothiazole and 4-methoxy-benzylamine moieties, present in the crystal structure of 1c, was consistent with the interactions on the docked DD2-HDAC6 catalytic site. Full article

IGBT high-power devices are subjected to various extreme working conditions for long periods and are affected by multiple loading conditions, inevitably leading to various aging and failure issues. Among them, the solder layer, as one of the weakest parts in the packaging structure of IGBT modules, has rarely been studied regarding its thermal fatigue characteristics and interface structure evolution behavior. In this work, a rapid temperature test chamber was used to conduct a thermal fatigue temperature cycling experiment on IGBT modules from −40 to 150 °C. The microscopic structural evolution behavior and the growth pattern of intermetallic compounds (IMC) during the solder layer’s thermal fatigue process of the IGBT modules were studied. At the same time, the changes in relevant static parameters of the IGBT after thermal cycling fatigue were tested using an oscilloscope and a power device analyzer, thereby clarifying the failure mechanism of the IGBT module. This provides a theoretical basis and data support for the thermal design and reliability assessment of IGBT modules. Full article

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in students’ lives necessitates the systematic incorporation of foundational AI literacy into educational curricula. Students are challenged to develop conceptual understanding of computational frameworks such as Machine Learning (ML) algorithms and Decision Trees (DTs). In this context, unplugged (i.e., computer-free) pedagogical approaches have emerged as complementary to traditional coding-based instruction in AI education. This study examines the pedagogical effectiveness of an instructional intervention employing unplugged activities to facilitate conceptual understanding of DT algorithms among 47 9th-grade students within a Computer Science (CS) curriculum in Greece. The study employed a quasi-experimental design, utilizing the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy as the theoretical framework for assessing cognitive development and conceptual mastery of DT principles. Quantitative analysis of pre- and post-intervention assessments demonstrated statistically significant improvements in student performance across all evaluated SOLO taxonomy levels. The findings provide empirical support for the hypothesis that unplugged pedagogical interventions constitute an effective and efficient approach for introducing AI concepts to secondary education students. Based on these outcomes, the authors recommend the systematic implementation of developmentally appropriate unplugged instructional interventions for DTs and broader AI concepts across all educational levels, to optimize AI literacy acquisition. Full article

In the context where the surrounding rock of deep coal mine roadways is in a complex mechanical environment of “three highs and one disturbance”, mining disturbances are prone to cause instability and damage to the roadways, and the severe deformation of the south wing main roadway caused by mining disturbances in the 2404 working face of a certain mine in the Jiaoping Mining Area restricts safe production. In order to reduce the deformation and damage of the south wing main roadway affected by long-term dynamic pressure, this study proposes a determination method of key rock strata for top cutting pressure relief and the pressure-relief method along the stress transmission path of the south wing main roadway. It completes the design and field test of the hydraulic fracturing scheme for the hard roof of the 2404 transportation roadway, and evaluates the pressure-relief effect through means such as pressure curves, mine pressure manifestation laws, and borehole observation. The results show that hydraulic fracturing significantly weakens the strength of the roof rock strata, forms through cracks between the pressure-relief holes, reduces the average working resistance of the support by 18% after fracturing, and reduces the average pressure step distance of the roof by 34%. During the mining process, the stress variation range of the coal pillar is small, and there is no obvious deformation or damage to the surrounding rock and support structure of the south wing main roadway. It effectively cuts off the stress transmission path of the hard roof and controls the deformation of the roadway, providing technical support for the control of surrounding rock in deep dynamic pressure roadways. Full article

The ocean harbors vast potential for oil and gas resources, positioning offshore drilling as a critical approach for future energy exploration. However, high-temperature and high-pressure offshore reservoirs present formidable challenges, as conventional water-based drilling fluids are prone to thermal degradation and rheological instability, leading to wellbore collapse and stuck-pipe incidents. Offshore oil-based drilling fluids (OBDFs), typically water-in-oil emulsions, offer advantages in wellbore stability, lubricity, and contamination resistance, yet their stability under extreme high-temperature conditions remains limited. This study reveals the enhancement of offshore OBDFs performance in harsh conditions by employing nano-SiO₂ to synergistically improve emulsion film stability and non-Newtonian rheological behavior while systematically elucidating the underlying mechanisms. Nano-SiO₂ forms a composite film with emulsifiers, reducing droplet size, enhancing mechanical strength, and increasing thermal stability. Optimal stability was observed at an oil-to-water ratio of 7:3 with 2.5% nano-SiO₂ dispersion and 4.0% emulsifier. Rheological analyses revealed that nano-silica enhances electrostatic repulsion, reduces plastic viscosity, establishes a network structure that increases yield stress, and promotes pronounced shear-thinning behavior. Macroscopic evaluations, including fluid loss, rheological performance, and electrical stability, further confirmed the improved high-temperature stability of offshore OBDFs with nano-SiO₂ at reduced emulsifier concentrations. These findings provide a theoretical basis for optimizing offshore OBDFs formulations and their field performance, offering breakthrough technological support for safe and efficient drilling in ultra-high-temperature offshore reservoirs. Full article

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) play an increasingly vital role in wilderness search and rescue (SAR) operations by enhancing situational awareness and extending the capabilities of human teams. Yet, a lack of standardized benchmarks has impeded the systematic evaluation of single- and multi-agent path-planning algorithms. This paper introduces an open-source dataset and evaluation framework to address this gap. The framework comprises 60 geospatial scenarios across four distinct European environments, featuring high-resolution probability maps. We present a lost person probabilistic model derived from statistical models of lost person behavior. We provide a suite of tools for evaluating search paths against four baseline methods: Concentric Circles, Pizza Zigzag, Greedy, and Random Exploration, using three quantitative metrics: Accumulated probability of detection, time-discounted probability of detection, and lost person discovery score. We provide an evaluation framework to facilitate the comparative analysis of single- and multi-agent path-planning algorithms, supporting both the baseline methods presented and custom user-defined path generators. By providing a structured and extensible framework, this work establishes a foundation for the rigorous and reproducible assessment of UAV search strategies in complex wilderness environments. Full article

In this study, we examine the presence of bias in weighted least squares (WLS) estimation within the context of first-order bifurcating autoregressive (BAR(1)) models. These models are widely used in the analysis of binary tree-structured data, particularly in cell lineage research. Our findings suggest that WLS estimators may exhibit significant and problematic biases, especially in finite samples. The magnitude and direction of this bias are influenced by both the autoregressive parameter and the correlation structure of the model errors. To address this issue, we propose two bootstrap-based methods for bias correction of the WLS estimator. The paper further introduces shrinkage-based versions of both single and fast double bootstrap bias correction techniques, designed to mitigate the over-correction and under-correction issues that may arise with traditional bootstrap methods, particularly in larger samples. Comprehensive simulation studies were conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed bias-corrected estimators. The results show that the proposed corrections substantially reduce bias, with the most notable improvements observed at extreme values of the autoregressive parameter. Moreover, the study provides practical guidance for practitioners on method selection under varying conditions. Full article