Search Results (187)

Effective flood management in agricultural fields has become increasingly important due to the rising frequency and intensity of rainfall events driven by climate change. This study investigates the applicability of urban flood analysis models—SWMM (1D) and K-Flood (2D)—to irrigated agricultural fields with artificial drainage systems. A case study was conducted in a rural area near the Sindae drainage station in Cheongju, South Korea, using rainfall data from an extreme weather event in 2017. The models simulated inland flooding and were validated against flood trace maps provided by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS). Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis showed a true positive rate of 0.565, a false positive rate of 0.21, and an overall accuracy of 0.731, indicating reasonable agreement with observed inundation. Scenario analyses were also conducted to assess the effectiveness of three improvement strategies: reducing the Manning coefficient, increasing pump station capacity, and widening drainage channels. Among them, increasing pump capacity most effectively reduced flood volume, while channel widening had the greatest impact on reducing flood extent. These findings demonstrate the potential of urban flood models for application in agricultural contexts and support data-driven planning for rural flood mitigation. Full article

As modern generative models advance rapidly, AI-generated images exhibit higher resolution and lifelike details. However, the generated images may not adhere to world knowledge and common sense, as there is no such awareness and supervision in the generative models. For instance, the generated images could feature a penguin walking in the desert or a man with three arms, scenarios that are highly unlikely to occur in real life. Current AI-generated image detection methods mainly focus on low-level features, such as detailed texture patterns and frequency domain inconsistency, which are specific to certain generative models, making it challenging to identify the above-mentioned general semantic fakes. In this work, (1) we propose a new task, reasoning AI-generated image detection, which focuses on identifying semantic fakes in generative images that violate world knowledge and common sense. (2) To benchmark the new task, we collect a new dataset Spot the Semantic Fake (STSF). STSF contains 358 images with clear semantic fakes generated by three different modern diffusion models and provides bounding boxes as well as text annotations to locate the fakes. (3) We propose RADAR, a reasoning AI-generated image detection assistor, to locate semantic fakes in the generative images and output corresponding text explanations. Specifically, RADAR contains a specialized multimodal LLM to process given images and detect semantic fakes. To improve the generalization ability, we further incorporate ChatGPT as an assistor to detect unrealistic components in grounded text descriptions. The experiments on the STSF dataset show that RADAR effectively detects semantic fakes in modern generative images. Full article

Salt marsh vegetation significantly changes water motion and sediment transport in coastal wetlands, which further influences the geomorphological evolution of coastal wetlands. Accurate determination of the vegetation drag coefficient (Manning’s roughness coefficient) is critical to vegetation flow resistance research. Previous studies on the vegetation roughness coefficient mainly conducted flume experiments under the one-dimensional steady flow condition, which could not reflect the two-dimensional unsteady flow condition in salt marsh vegetated zones. Through theoretical formula analysis and synchronized field observations in a salt marsh vegetated zone, we propose a novel method for calculating the roughness coefficient of salt marsh vegetation especially under the two-dimensional unsteady flow condition. The results indicate that the vegetation roughness coefficient under the two-dimensional unsteady flow condition can be obtained by integrating the flow resistance equation with the discretized momentum conservation equation. Then, in combination with field observation data, the temporal variations in the vegetation roughness coefficient can be derived. The salt marsh vegetated zone in the Jiuduansha Wetland is dominated by flooding currents, and ebbing currents are of secondary importance. The flow resistance of vegetation on flooding and ebbing currents is remarkable. Moreover, the roughness coefficient shows an inverse power-law relationship with the product of flow velocity and water depth (i.e., U_fh_f) at the control volume center. Under the same U_fh_f scenario, due to the increase in the water-facing area of vegetation, the roughness coefficient during the submerged period is generally greater than that during the non-submerged period. The calculated roughness coefficients and their relationships with U_fh_f are consistent with those shown in previous flume experiments, indicating that our proposed method is reasonable. This new method could help determine vegetation flow resistance accurately (particularly under the two-dimensional unsteady flow condition), and it may provide implications for eco-geomorphological simulations of coastal wetlands. Full article

Humans are constantly exposed to low doses and low-dose rates of ionizing radiation from both natural and man-made sources. For this reason, there is a growing interest in studies on the biological effects of low-dose radiation. Vibrational spectroscopies, such as Fourier transform infrared and Raman micro-spectroscopies, have been fruitfully employed for studying the effects of high doses of ionizing radiation on biosystems. Aiming at clarifying the potential of the above-mentioned spectroscopic techniques to monitor the changes induced in cells, tissues, and other biological samples by low doses of ionizing radiations, we report a review of the literature in this research field. The analysis of published results suggests that vibrational spectroscopies make a valuable contribution. Additional and more systematic investigations could help to fully exploit the capabilities of these spectroscopic techniques. Full article

Perianal complications of Crohn’s disease are one of the significant reasons for abdominoperineal resection in patients with medically refractory perianal Crohn’s disease. A 35-year-old man with Crohn’s disease with colostomy presented to our clinic due to perianal fistulas. Complete stricture of the anus was observed, and the patient was found unsuitable for the stoma closure. The Turnbull–Cutait procedure was performed and he was discharged on the fifth postoperative day. In the second month after surgery, rectoscopy revealed a 2 cm long pouch on the neorectum. Then, the patient was treated with antibiotics and infliximab. Following the treatment, the symptoms of the patient were regressed. In the 10th postoperative month, a perianal abscess was seen, and the patient was treated with antibiotics. His ileostomy was reversed in the 18th postoperative month without any complications. In the 42nd postoperative month, no complications were reported. This case report presents the index perianal Crohn’s disease case successfully treated with the Turnbull–Cutait procedure. Full article

Ship manufacturing is a critical backbone industry in China, where the nation leads on a global scale in terms of vessel completions and order volumes. However, the high volume of orders often imposes substantial processing loads, increases the risk of equipment failures, and exacerbates production bottlenecks. Despite the accumulation of significant amounts of data in this field, analyzing bottlenecks remains a persistent challenge, primarily due to the presence of heterogeneous, multi-source data and the lack of effective data integration mechanisms. The traditional approaches are largely limited to bottleneck detection, offering minimal capabilities in terms of deep analysis, traceability, and interpretability, which are crucial for comprehensive bottleneck resolution. Meanwhile, extensive knowledge remains underutilized, leading to analytical results that are overly reliant on expert experience and lacking in interpretability. To address these challenges, this research proposes a graph-retrieval-based bottleneck mining method for ship manufacturing, employing large language models and a knowledge graph. The approach integrates a data-driven “turning point” mechanism for dynamic bottleneck detection and the manufacturing process knowledge graph, consisting of process subgraphs and 5M1E (Man, Machine, Material, Method, Measurement, Environment) specification subgraphs. Furthermore, a question-answering chain is introduced to enhance the interaction between the LLMs and the knowledge graph, improving the retrieval and reasoning capabilities. Using practical production data from a Shanghai ship thin plate production line, our method demonstrates a superior performance compared to that of four existing models, validating its effectiveness in throughput bottleneck analysis. This approach provides a scalable and efficient solution for analyzing complex bottleneck issues in industrial production, contributing to enhanced manufacturing efficiency and digital transformation. Full article

In the process of China’s path to modernization, the concept of harmonious coexistence between man and nature has become increasingly prominent. In the dual context of the development of human society and the improvement of ecological wellbeing, how to reasonably exert environmental regulation policies to actively address the problem of ecological overload has become an important challenge that we need to face urgently. Therefore, based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2005 to 2021, this paper uses the three-dimensional ecological footprint model to evaluate the degree of interference of human activities on the ecological level and selects the difference-in-differences model to examine the impact of external policy shocks, namely, a carbon emissions trading pilot (CETP) policy, on ecological pressure and its transmission mechanism. The results show that moderate government intervention, unified market regulation, and positive industrial response jointly enhance the mitigation effect of CETP on ecological pressure. In areas with strong environmental regulation and a high level of green credit, the incentive effect of the carbon trading mechanism is more significant. In the context of the transformation from industrial civilization to ecological civilization, the findings provide practical guidance and paths for how regions and enterprises can effectively respond to CETP and how governments, markets, and industries can jointly reduce the ecological pressure on the environment. Full article

Informal soft system methodologies hold a significant role in developing complex systems. They bridge system knowledge and sensemaking among heterogeneous stakeholders. This article investigates the application of conceptual models to support such communication and understanding among transdisciplinary stakeholders, ensuring the translation of customer requirements and needs into suitable engineered systems. This article presents a case study incorporating observations, interviews, and a review of conceptual models utilized by an aerospace and defense case company for the development of future Manned–Unmanned Systems. It explores how practitioners employ conceptual modeling to support the Human Systems Integration (HSI) aspects of technological, organizational, and human elements of Manned–Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) systems. The results indicate that practitioners utilize a mix of informal and formal types of conceptual models when developing Human Systems Integration aspects of the system. Formal models, such as sequence diagrams, requirement overviews, and functional flow models, are applied when addressing technology-focused aspects. Organization-centered modeling leverages representations like stakeholder maps and swimlane diagrams, while people-centered aspects rely more on informal techniques such as storytelling and user personas. The findings suggest a potential underestimation by practitioners of the value of quantification in conceptual modeling for Manned–Unmanned Systems development. This study highlights the important role that conceptual modeling methods play, particularly focusing on the informal aspects. These methods are instrumental in enhancing effective communication and understanding among transdisciplinary stakeholders. Furthermore, they facilitate mutual understanding, which is essential for fostering collaboration and shared vision in the development of complex systems. This facilitates deeper insights and reasoning into HSI for MUM-T applications. Full article

More and more attention has been paid to the environmental problems brought about by the development of the global economy. Based on the principal–agent theory, this paper constructs an incentive model for the government and polluting enterprises and explores the incentive problem of the government and polluting enterprises in undertaking environmental responsibility. At present, the research on the incentive of polluting enterprises focuses on the hypothesis of ‘rational man’, and less on the fairness preference of polluting enterprises. However, in other research fields, it has been proved that fairness preference has a great influence on the incentive mechanism. Fairness preference is introduced into the incentive model, and the incentive effect of polluting enterprises before and after considering fairness preference is compared and analyzed. This study found that the reward and punishment mechanism considering fairness preference can increase the behavior of polluting enterprises to assume environmental responsibility and limit the behavior of not assuming environmental responsibility. The stronger the fairness preference of polluting enterprises, the stronger the role of incentive mechanism; after considering the fairness preference, the government’s subsidies and penalties for polluting enterprises will increase with the increase in the fairness preference of polluting enterprises, and the expected benefits of polluting enterprises and the government will also increase; under the same incentive mechanism, the income of polluting enterprises with strong fairness preference is higher, but the government’s income is lower. Adopting the same incentive mechanism for different polluting enterprises will cause the loss of social benefits. After considering the fairness preference, the incentive strategy set up to a certain extent promotes the polluting enterprises to assume environmental responsibility and realize the coordinated development of the economy and the environment. Therefore, the government should set reasonable subsidy and punishment policies according to the fairness preference of polluting enterprises to encourage enterprises to fulfill their environmental responsibilities, improve environmental quality and reduce pollution. Full article

The 1–2 seat helicopters have developed considerably in recent years. They have a maximum take-off weight of 250 to 750 kg. Most of these helicopters have been converted into unmanned versions. Typically, such UAV models retain the rotor system, power plant, transmission, and empennage of the manned versions. For this reason, statistics and design methods for small manned helicopters are also applied to unmanned versions. The existing methods for selecting helicopter parameters in the preliminary design phase are based on statistical data for heavier-class helicopters. However, the lightest weight class helicopters differ significantly from their heavier counterparts. The analysis shows that the results of parameter selection at the preliminary design stage have an error rate of between 11 and 30%. The main reason for this difference is a scale factor. In this paper, a method for determining helicopter tail unit parameters at the preliminary design stage is presented. The proposed relationships for the horizontal stabilizer, fin, tail boom, and tail rotor parameters are based on an analysis of statistical data from 36 rotorcraft and the author’s design experience. In particular, the article presents the relationships between the geometric parameters of the empennage and tail rotor from other helicopter data. The relationships presented also allow the mass of the tail unit to be determined. Full article

The proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and big data has catalyzed the emergence of data markets. Regulatory and technological frameworks such as International Data Spaces (IDS) have been developed to facilitate secure data exchange while integrating security and data sovereignty aspects required by laws and regulations, such as the GDPR and NIS2. Recently, novel attack vectors have taken a toll on many enterprises, causing significant damage despite the deployed security mechanisms. Hence, it is reasonable to assume that the IDS may be just as susceptible. In this paper, we conduct a STRIDE threat analysis on IDS to assess its susceptibility to traditional and emerging cybersecurity threats. Specifically, we evaluate novel threats such as Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks, compromised end-user devices, SIM swapping, and potential backdoors in commonly used open-source software. Our analysis identifies multiple vulnerabilities, particularly at the trust boundary (TB) between users and the IDS system. These include the traditionally troublesome Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, key management weaknesses, and the mentioned novel threats. We discuss the hacking techniques, tools, and associated risks to the IDS framework, followed by targeted mitigation strategies and recommendations. This paper provides a framework for performing a STRIDE-based threat analysis of the IDS. Using the proposed methodology, we identified the most potent threats and suggested solutions, thus contributing to the development of a safer and more resilient data space architecture. Full article

The evolution of man on Earth took place under conditions of constant exposure to background ionizing radiation (IR). From this point of view, it would be reasonable to hypothesize the existence of adaptive mechanisms that enable the human organism to safely interact with IR at levels approximating long-term natural background levels. In some situations, the successful operation of molecular mechanisms of protection against IR is observed at values significantly exceeding the natural background level, for example, in cancer cells. In 15–25% of cancer patients, cancer cells develop a phenotype that is resistant to high doses of IR. While further investigations are warranted, the current evidence suggests a strong probability of observing positive health effects, including an increased lifespan, a reduced cancer risk, and a decreased incidence of congenital pathologies, precisely at low doses of ionizing radiation. This review offers arguments primarily based on a phenomenological approach and critically reconsidering existing methodologies for assessing the biological risks of IR to human health. Currently, in the most economically developed countries, there are radiation safety rules that interpret low-dose radiation as a clearly negative environmental factor. Nowadays, this approach may pose significant challenges to the advancement of radiomedicine and introduce complexities in the regulation of IR sources. The review also examines molecular mechanisms that may play a key role in the formation of the positive effects of low-dose IR on human radioadaptive capabilities. Full article

Background: The “streamline flow” of the portal vein (PV) is a controversial yet well-known theory presented almost 125 years ago. It states that blood from the superior mesenteric vein (SMV) goes preferentially to the right liver lobe, while splenic and inferior mesenteric veins divert blood predominantly to the left lobe, affecting this way the metastatic distribution of colorectal cancer (CRC). The aim of this systematic review is to assess its validity by examining and combining all the relevant literature with a critical eye. Materials and methods: This study constitutes a systematic review of the literature and adheres to all PRISMA system criteria. Three search engines (PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library) were used, and 11 out of 435 studies between 1984 and 2024 were finally included in this meta-analysis. All statistical analysis was conducted using RevMan Web, Version: 7.12.0, and Jamovi v 2.3.260 software. Results: The meta-analysis revealed that regardless of the primary location of the tumor, the metastases preferentially migrate to the right lobe due to various possible reasons. The prevalence of metastases from right colon cancer to the right liver lobe was 75%, while the prevalence of left colon cancer metastases to the right lobe was 68%. This difference was not found statistically significant. Conclusions: The theory has been proven inaccurate, at least from the perspective of the origin-associated distribution of CRC metastases in the liver lobes, and therefore bears no clear predictive value. Further research under different perspectives is essential for determining more definite conclusions. Full article

Porcine respiratory disease is a significant economic problem for the global swine industry. Haemophilus parasuis (H. parasuis), Streptococcus suis (S. suis), and Pasteurella multocida (P. multocida) are three important pathogenic bacteria of the swine respiratory tract. Notably, the three pathogens not only frequently manifest as mixed infections, but their striking clinical similarities also present difficulties for pig populations in terms of disease prevention and treatment. Thus, we developed a triplex real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay based on a TaqMan probe for the detection of H. parasuis, S. suis serotype 2, and P. multocida. Primers and probes were designed to target the conserved regions of the H. parasuis OmpP2 gene, the S. suis serotype 2 gdh gene, and the P. multocida Kmt1 gene. By optimizing the reaction system and conditions, a triplex qPCR method for simultaneous detection of H. parasuis, S. suis serotype 2, and P. multocida was successfully established. The amplification efficiencies of the standard curves for all three pathogens were found to be highly similar, with values of 102.105% for H. parasuis, 105.297% for S. suis serotype 2, and 104.829% for P. multocida, and all R² values achieving 0.999. The specificity analysis results showed that the triplex qPCR method had a strong specificity. The sensitivity test results indicated that the limit of detection can reach 50 copies/μL for all three pathogens. Both intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation for repeatability were below 1%. This triplex qPCR method was shown to have good specificity, sensitivity, and reproducibility. Finally, the triplex qPCR method established in this study was compared with the nested PCR as recommended by the Chinese national standard (GB/T34750-2017) for H. parasuis, the PCR as recommended by the Chinese national standard (GB/T 19915.9-2005) for S. suis serotype 2, and the PCR as recommended by the Chinese agricultural industry standard (NY/T 564-2016) for P. multocida by detecting the same clinical samples. Both methods are reasonably consistent, while the triplex qPCR assay was more sensitive. In summary, triplex qPCR serves not only as a rapid and accurate detection and early prevention method for these pathogens but also constitutes a robust tool for microbial quality control in specific pathogen-free pigs. Full article

Advanced diagnostic technologies have made accurate and precise diagnosis of pathogens easy. Herein, we present a new diagnostic method, droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), to detect and quantify Acinetobacter baumannii in mini bronchoalveolar lavage (mini-BAL) samples. A. baumannii causes ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), a severe healthcare infection affecting patients’ lungs. VAP carries a high risk of morbidity and mortality, making its timely diagnosis crucial for prompt and effective management. Methodology. The assay performance was evaluated by comparing colonization data, quantitative culture results, and different generations of PCR (traditional PCR and Real-Time PCR—qPCR Taqman^® and SYBR^® Green). The ddPCR and qPCR Taqman^® prove to be more sensitive than other molecular techniques. Reasonable analytical specificity was obtained with ddPCR, qPCR TaqMan^®, and conventional PCR. However, qPCR SYBR^® Green technology presented a low specificity, making the results questionable in clinical samples. DdPCR detected/quantified A. baumanni in more clinical samples than other methods (38.64% of the total samples). This emerging ddPCR technology offers promising advantages such as detection by more patients and direct quantification of pathogens without calibration curves. Full article