Search Results (125)

This study aims to elucidate the effects of split-topdressed nitrogen (N) via micro-sprinkling fertigation on grain filling and N translocation and overcome the bottleneck in the synchronous enhancement of yield-quality under traditional border irrigation with broadcast N application. Using Gaoyou 2018 (strong gluten) and Heng 4399 (medium gluten), four treatments were established: conventional border irrigation with N at jointing (I1), micro-sprinkler irrigation with N at jointing (I2), micro-sprinkler irrigation with N at jointing and anthesis (1:1; I3), and micro-sprinkler irrigation with N at jointing, anthesis, and 12 days after anthesis (DAA) (5:3:2; I4). Results showed that I4 achieved the highest grain yield (10,578.6 kg·ha⁻¹; +9.6% average), primarily attributed to significantly increased thousand-kernel weight (TKW; +1.7–4.2 g). I4 accelerated mid-to-late filling, extended the active filling period, and increased final grain mass by 1.5–4.6 g. I4 promoted post-anthesis N uptake and its remobilization to grains, improving nitrogen uptake efficiency (NUpE). I4 elevated grain protein content (gliadin-to-glutenin ratio +6.0%), improved gluten characteristics, and enhanced bread-baking quality, with these advantages being more pronounced in the strong-gluten cultivar. Overall, I4 synergistically enhances grain yield and quality by optimizing grain filling and N translocation. This study provides a theoretical basis for mitigating N leaching and ammonia volatilization while implementing high-yielding, high-quality cultivation practices. Full article

Assessments based solely on gesture execution may not reproduce the sensory and biomechanical demands of actual tool use. This study compared upper-limb muscle activation during gesture execution (GE) and actual tool use (AU) in 52 healthy adults in their twenties performing five tasks derived from the Florida Apraxia Screening Test-Revised: sprinkling salt, drinking water, stirring coffee, combing hair, and writing. Surface electromyography was recorded from eight muscles of the dominant right upper limb. Because GE and AU were obtained from the same participants, primary comparisons were performed using two-sided paired-samples t tests. Family-wise error across 40 muscle-by-task comparisons was controlled using the Holm procedure, and mean paired differences, 95% confidence intervals, p values, and Cohen’s dz were reported. After Holm adjustment, 18 of 40 comparisons were significant (absolute dz = 0.52–1.62). GE showed greater anterior deltoid activation in Tasks 1, 2, 3, and 5 and greater biceps and triceps activation in Task 3. AU showed greater extensor carpi radialis and extensor digitorum activation in Task 2; greater activation of all measured wrist and finger muscles in Task 4; and greater posterior deltoid, triceps, wrist, and finger muscle activation in Task 5. These findings demonstrate task- and muscle-specific differences in normalized EMG amplitude between GE and AU. The observed differences may be associated with physical interaction during AU, but the underlying biomechanical and sensorimotor mechanisms were not directly measured. The results provide exploratory reference data from healthy young adults for future studies comparing representational and actual tool-use conditions. Full article

To ensure large-scale production of plant-derived polyphenols, efficient and scalable in vitro culture systems are needed that can enable high biomass accumulation and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. The present study evaluates the suitability of transformed Salvia bulleyana shoot and hairy root cultures for biomass growth and phenolic compound production in different bioreactor systems, including two temporary immersion systems (PlantForm™ and RITA^®) and a nutrient sprinkle bioreactor (NSB). A pronounced system- and organ-specific response was observed. In transformed shoot cultures, the RITA^® bioreactor promoted high growth and volumetric productivity, although metabolite accumulation was lowered by partial hyperhydricity. In contrast, the PlantForm™ system provided more stable morphogenesis and higher polyphenol content, although less effective growth. In hairy root cultures, the NSB proved to be the most effective system, combining high biomass productivity with greater phenolic compound accumulation; total polyphenol content reached 65.1 mg/g DW, with rosmarinic acid (RA) constituting up to 78% of total phenolics. The highest volumetric productivity was achieved in NSB-grown hairy roots, reaching 837.9 mg/L total polyphenols and 651.3 mg/L RA. Secondary metabolism was further enhanced by elicitation with 100 μm methyl jasmonate applied under optimized bioreactor conditions. In transformed shoot cultures, elicitation increased RA accumulation by 63%, resulting in final productivity of 1164 mg/L RA, and 1250 mg/L total polyphenols. In hairy root cultures, RA accumulation increased by 44%, leading to final productivity of 795 mg/L RA and 933 mg/L total polyphenols. Our findings indicate that the balance between biomass growth and secondary metabolism in S. bulleyana cultures is determined by bioreactor configuration. The nutrient sprinkle bioreactor represents a highly effective platform for phenolic acid production in hairy root cultures, whereas temporary immersion systems can be successfully applied for transformed shoot cultivation. The combination of tailored bioreactor strategies with methyl jasmonate elicitation provides a promising approach for scalable production of high-value phenolic compounds in plant in vitro culture systems. Full article

Micro-sprinkler irrigation is commonly used to optimize plant growing environments and prevent growth inhibition and yield losses caused by high air temperatures (T_a) in greenhouses. Nevertheless, instantaneous photosynthetic rate measurements suffer from time lag, and the temporally dynamic microclimate alterations induced by micro-sprinkling make it difficult to reproduce the real ambient conditions for crop growth. Therefore, two treatments, namely micro-sprinkling combined with drip irrigation (MSDI) and conventional drip irrigation control (DI), were established in a Venlo-type greenhouse. Continuous chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) monitoring combined with rapid light curves under fixed photosynthetically active radiation was adopted to investigate the diurnal alleviation effects of micro-sprinkling on tomatoes under high-temperature stress. This study found that Φ_PSII was more sensitive than Fv/Fm in detecting changes in PSII photochemical performance under high-temperature stress. Micro-sprinkling showed greater mitigation effects under moderate heat stress, with the highest enhancement in Φ_PSII (approximately 0.12) observed when leaf temperature (T_l) was around 34.5 °C. However, the improvement effect decreased under extreme heat conditions, and Φ_PSII increased by only 0.017 when T_a exceeded 38 °C. The slope of the fitted line between Φ_PSII and PAR on sunny days increased with increasing heat stress, indicating the enhanced sensitivity of PSII photochemical regulation to thermal stress. Compared with DI, MSDI increased tomato yield by 31.2% and 47.6% in 2021 and 2022, respectively, while improving fruit quality by increasing single fruit weight, fruit shape index, and soluble sugar content. In addition, MSDI increased SPAD, Fv/Fm, Φ_PSII, and ETR by 9.6–15.6%, 8.8–14.8%, 10.3–13.3%, and 10.3–19.6%, respectively, indicating improved PSII photochemical performance under high-temperature conditions. In conclusion, micro-sprinkling mitigated part of the negative effects of high-temperature stress and significantly improved tomato yields and fruit quality, which could be used in agricultural production. Full article

Reflecting on emotionally challenging experiences with caregivers is a critical developmental process through which children learn to identify, express, and regulate emotions. However, much of the existing literature on caregiver–child emotion socialization has centered White, middle-class families, limiting understanding of how these processes unfold within culturally and contextually situated interactions among Black families. Guided by Margaret Beale Spencer’s Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory and the Integrative Conceptual Model of Adaptive Racial/Ethnic and Emotion Socialization, the present study explored how Black girls (ages 5–11) described experiences of sadness, stress, and anger during caregiver-guided conversations embedded within a culturally grounded shared book reading activity. Fifteen Black girls (M = 8.27 years, SD = 1.71) and their caregivers participated in a novel video-recorded shared reading activity followed by a guided discussion about emotions. Black girls described sadness in relation to separation from loved ones, social exclusion, and witnessing harm; stress primarily in response to academic pressures; and anger in response to perceived unfairness and injustice. They also identified diverse emotion regulation strategies, including deep breathing, solitude, cognitive reframing, imaginative coping, and seeking social support. Across emotional contexts, caregivers consistently encouraged elaboration, validated children’s emotional experiences, and reinforced adaptive coping strategies, creating supportive opportunities for collaborative emotional meaning-making. Our findings highlight shared reading as a culturally affirming context for caregiver-supported emotion socialization and underscore the importance of centering Black girls’ voices in research on socioemotional development. Full article

Haemonchus contortus (Hc) is a parasitic nematode affecting sheep. Arthrobotrys is a group of nematophagous fungi (NF) that capture nematodes with specialized traps. This study evaluated the in vitro predatory ability of Arthrobotrys thaumasia (At) and A. musiformis (Am), as well as the nematocidal activity of their liquid culture filtrates against Hc. NF isolates were obtained by sprinkling soil onto agar plates containing nematodes. Isolates were identified morphologically and molecularly. The predatory activity (PA) was tested on agar plates inoculated with nematodes and fungi; plates inoculated only with nematodes served as controls. After 10 days at 18 °C and 28 °C, larvae were counted. For nematocidal activity (NA) of LCFs, fungi were grown in Czapek–Dox (CzDB) and potato dextrose broths. Two concentrations (100 mg/mL and 130 mg/mL) were tested. Nematodes and LCFs were incubated for 48 or 72 h. PA was analyzed using unpaired Student’s t-tests, and LCFs were evaluated by ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc test. Taxonomic procedures confirmed the isolates as Am and At. For PA, effectiveness was 74.64% for Am and 83.53% for At. The highest NA of LCF of Am in CzDB was 51% at 100 mg/mL and 76.7% at 130 mg/mL. That of the LCF of At was 22% at the highest concentration. Both isolates show strong potential as biocontrol agents against haemonchosis. Full article

Urban heat island (UHI) mitigation is essential for improving urban sustainability by reducing heat stress, energy demand, and climate-related health risks. This study evaluates three rooftop measures—highly reflective roofs (HR), green roofs (GR), and rooftop water sprinkling (WR)—in Osaka Prefecture, Japan, using an integrated assessment framework. Temperature changes induced by each measure were simulated using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and linked to energy consumption and health impacts through temperature sensitivity coefficients. Health impacts were quantified using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and all impacts were monetized for cost–benefit analysis. All measures reduced summer outdoor air temperatures, although their temporal and seasonal effects differed. HR and WR mainly produced daytime cooling, whereas GR provided stronger nighttime cooling. HR and GR increased residential energy consumption due to higher winter heating demand, while WR avoided this penalty through seasonal operation. All measures reduced office and commercial energy consumption and improved health impacts, with GR and WR producing larger benefits than HR. WR achieved the highest benefit–cost ratio, followed by GR and HR. These findings emphasize temporal characteristics, seasonal trade-offs, and spatial targeting in UHI policy. Full article

The cost of living is rising daily, particularly in rural areas. This is due to a variety of factors, including unemployment and a lack of knowledge about available useful resources. The study meticulously documented the diverse uses of cow dung among community members of the Maungani village of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. The qualitative approach was employed to inventory the uses of cow dung in the Maungani community. The most prevalent use was as a fertilizer for vegetables such as spinach and cabbage, which are commonly cultivated in household backyards. Other significant uses included honey harvesting, paving yards, sprinkling over vegetables to deter herbivores, as a mosquito repellent, in medicinal and cosmetic applications, as a water purifier, and as a fuel source for fire. Furthermore, some respondents emphasized the importance of cow dung in biogas production, which is vital for many communities globally. The study recommended the continued use of cow dung as a fertilizer to mitigate the financial burden of costly inorganic fertilizers on peasant farmers. Further recommendations suggest that the continuous utilization of cow dung in various ways can help rural community members achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1, 2, and 3. Full article

This study aims at developing an integrated system comprising TDR technologies for continuous and 3D monitoring of the vadose zone with special focus on the aerial distribution of water during an artificial sprinkling experiment. The system was tested during field artificial infiltration experiments. The objective of this study is to evaluate a flexible long TDR sensor in the field during a sprinkling and infiltration experiment that mimics rainfall and irrigation events through zonal wetting, monitor the resulting water flows and compare the findings with those from custom rigid spatial TDR sensors. This study exclusively used the TDR technique to measure soil moisture changes during the infiltration experiment, utilizing both custom rigid spatial sensors and a flexible sensor. The results indicate that the flexible sensor, which can be installed in the soil in arrays that rigid sensors cannot, achieved logical and coherent soil moisture estimations, proving that it could also be used as a standalone sensor for soil volumetric water content measurements. The use of long flexible sensors, along with long rigid sensors, facilitates continuous, precise, and 3D monitoring of moisture changes across larger soil volumes, transcending traditional point measurements and 1D soil moisture profiles typically associated with the TDR technique. Full article

Reconciling high crop productivity with reduced resource inputs is a primary challenge for sustainable agriculture in water-scarce regions. This study evaluated the feasibility of reducing nitrogen (N) fertilizer application for winter wheat under limited micro-sprinkler irrigation in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, China. A field experiment compared five treatments: a non-fertilized and non-irrigated control (CK), conventional flood irrigation with standard N (FI), and limited micro-sprinkler irrigation (80 mm) with standard N (MI), a 20% N reduction (MI1), and a 40% N reduction (MI2). We analyzed grain yield, water and N use efficiency (WUE and NUE) and the apparent soil N balance. WUE in this study was expressed as grain yield per seasonal evapotranspiration (ET), and NUE was evaluated using agronomic indices. The results showed that the MI1 treatment maintained a high grain yield that was not significantly different from the high-input FI and MI treatments. This high yield was sustained by a compensatory mechanism involving enhanced post-anthesis N assimilation and increased extraction of deep soil water, which offset the reduced inputs. Consequently, MI1 significantly improved WUE, irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), and NUE, while reducing the apparent soil N surplus by 74.5% compared to FI. In contrast, the greater N reduction (MI2) led to a significant yield penalty. In conclusion, a moderate (20%) reduction in N top-dressing under limited micro-sprinkler irrigation presents a viable strategy to maintain high wheat yield, simultaneously enhance resource-use efficiency, and markedly reduce environmental N losses. Full article

Shoot cultures of Nepeta curviflora were used to test the effect of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and riboside 6-benzylaminopurine (r-BAP) on the growth and production of phenolic compounds. The best multiplication was achieved on agar Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) with r-BAP (1.5 mg/L), where 74% of explants produced about eight axillary shoots. The fresh weight (FW) was about 0.6 g/tube (24 g/L) and the dry weight (DW) was about 0.04 g/tube (2 g/L). To scale up the culture, the shoot culture was grown for the first time in a nutrient sprinkle bioreactor. After 4 weeks of culture, the multiplication rate (8.13) was higher than that observed in glass tubes (8.03). The fresh biomass was 113.2 g/bioreactor (75.5 g/L) and the dry mass was 14 g/bioreactor (9.3 g/L). Extracts from obtained plant material were analyzed by the UPLC/DAD/qTOF-MS technique. A total of 32 phenolic compounds were identified and quantified. The total content of compounds ranged from 600 to 1400 mg/100 g of dry weight (DW), depending on the culture conditions. In the profile of shoot cultures, rosmarinic acid was dominant, whereas prolithospermic acid was mostly noted in extract from aerial parts of the plant obtained from the field. Full article

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) utilising a hydroxyl radical (•OH), a strong oxidant, are seen as a promising solution for removing hazardous and recalcitrant pollutants from waste streams. Among AOPs, non-thermal plasmas, especially pulsed corona discharge (PCD), enable the abatement of hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with high energy efficiency. This study demonstrates the viability of upscaling PCD technology with water sprinkling in degrading the VOC toluene using a semi-pilot scale plasma reactor. A toluene–air mixture was treated with varying gas-phase toluene concentrations (30–100 ppm) and pulse repetition frequencies (25–800 pps), achieving toluene removal of 5–55% in PCD and an additional 10–18% in PCO, as well as excellent toluene removal energy efficiencies from 9.0 to 37.1 g kW⁻¹ h⁻¹. The process design with water sprinkling provides additional advantages compared to dry reactors—the water surface serves as a source of hydroxyl radicals and scrubs the air from degradation by-products resulting from the incomplete oxidation of target pollutants. Transformation products of toluene were identified, and an oxidation pathway via hydroxylation of the aromatic ring was suggested as the major route towards ring-opening reactions. A photocatalytic oxidation reactor with TiO₂ catalyst plates, following PCD as a post-treatment, enabled additional removal of residual contaminants, also converting residual ozone to oxygen. The PCD reactor with water sprinkling and post-plasma photocatalysis shows promising results for upscaling the process. Full article

Two types of spherical mold samples—designated PW1 (reference) and PW2 (modified) were prepared using the dip-and-sprinkle method. Both samples consisted of seven layers, but PW2 was differentiated by the incorporation of 5 wt.% ground walnut shell chips into the fifth layer of its structure. The aim of this modification was to assess the feasibility of employing biodegradable organic additives to generate controlled porosity after thermal decomposition, thereby enhancing gas transport through the mold structure. The gas permeability of the samples was determined across a broad temperature range from 25 to 950 °C using a dedicated, custom-built test rig developed for elevated-temperature permeability assessments. The results revealed that the inclusion of walnut shell chips significantly increased the gas permeability of the molds by approximately 42% at ambient temperature and 36% at 950 °C, attributable to the formation of stochastically distributed macro-voids upon burnout of the organic additive. The study demonstrates that selective layer modification using natural waste materials can be a viable method for tailoring functional properties of ceramic molds, offering a cost-effective, sustainable, and easily scalable alternative to conventional pore-forming strategies. Full article

Micro-sprinkling fertigation, a novel irrigation and fertilization way, can improve the grain yield (GY) and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of winter wheat to meet sustainable agriculture requirements. In order to clarify the physiological basis behind the improvements, a field experiment with a split-plot design was conducted during the 2020–2021 and 2021–2022 growing seasons. The main plot encompassed two irrigation and fertilization modes, namely, conventional irrigation and fertilization (CIF) and micro-sprinkling fertigation (MSF), and the subplots included four nitrogen application rates (0, 120, 180, and 240 kg ha⁻¹, denoted as N0, N120, N180, and N240, respectively). Moreover, a ¹⁵N isotopic tracer experiment was performed to determine the distributions of nitrogen in the soil. Compared with those under CIF, the GY under MSF at N180 and N240 significantly increased by 9.09% and 9.72%, which was driven mainly by increases in the grain number (GN) and thousand-grain weight (TGW). The increase in the TGW under MSF was the result of the significantly increased net photosynthesis rate at the grain-filling stage. Notably, the number and dry weight of inefficient tillers and the number of ears with fewer than 10 grains were significantly lower under MSF than those under CIF. In addition, the ¹⁵N isotopic tracer experiment revealed that nitrogen was primarily concentrated in the 0–30 cm soil layers under MSF, which conforms well with the spatial distributions of the roots and water, and subsequently improved the NUE under N180 and N240. In conclusion, MSF enhanced both the GY and NUE at the N180 level by optimizing root–water–nitrogen spatiotemporal coordination and reducing redundant tillering. Full article

It is an urgent issue for preventing slope failure caused by increasingly severe earthquakes and heavy rain. As a conventional construction method, reinforcing bar insertion work uses the tensile force of the core bar to integrate multiple core bars and pressure plates. Meanwhile, landslide deterrence piles are a construction method in which steel or concrete piles are constructed below the slope, and the rigidity of the piles is used to resist slope failure. In this study, these methods are combined to propose a reinforcing bar insertion work that uses pipes as a construction method. The pipes are not embedded in the immovable layer and are not connected to the reinforcing bar insertion work; therefore, the construction is expected to be simple. Two series of model experiments—a lift-up experiment and a water sprinkling experiment—were performed. Through the lift-up experiment, the effectiveness of the proposed method against static load was confirmed, and the evaluation formula of the load applied to the core bar was proposed. Through the water sprinkling experiment, the effectiveness against rainfall was confirmed, that is, the time until slope failure was extended by the proposed method. Full article