Search Results (10,557)

To overcome the flammability and formaldehyde-emission problems associated with plywood, a novel soy protein-based intumescent flame-retardant adhesive with phosphorus–nitrogen–silicon (P-N-Si) synergism (C@Si@APP) was developed in this study. C@Si@APP was initially prepared by coating silane-modified ammonium polyphosphate with collagen. Subsequently, C@Si@APP was combined with lignin and adenine and incorporated into a soy protein, collagen, and isocyanate (MDI)-based adhesive matrix to fabricate a flame-retardant adhesive for eucalyptus plywood. Cone calorimeter (CONE) analysis demonstrated that the flame-retardant plywood bonded with SPI/C/MDI/C@SiAPP18 achieved the most effective flame-retardant and smoke-suppression performance, and the peak heat release rate, total heat release, and total smoke production were reduced by 23.5%, 20.7%, and 43.9%, respectively, and the release rates of CO and CO₂ were also effectively suppressed. Mechanistic analysis indicated that the enhanced flame retardancy was mainly governed by a condensed-phase mechanism, in which phosphorylation and siloxane crosslinking promoted the formation of a compact and thermally stable char layer that protected the underlying material, whereas a gas-phase contribution involving the dilution of flammable volatiles by non-combustible gases (NH₃, H₂O, and CO₂) and possible radical scavenging by phosphorus-containing species is proposed as a plausible complementary pathway inferred from the TGA-FTIR results and the previous literature. Full article

Core parameters of the Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Computed Tomography System (MUCTS), such as spatial resolution, slice thickness, and three-dimensional reconstruction volume error, directly determine imaging performance and clinical diagnostic accuracy. To objectively and systematically assess the imaging quality and diagnostic reliability of this device, this study took the MUCTS developed by Weishi Medical Imaging Co., Ltd., as the test object. Multidimensional performance tests were carried out using standard ultrasound phantoms and polyurethane-based tissue-mimicking musculoskeletal phantoms. Under unified imaging and reconstruction parameters, key indicators, including effective detection radius, axial resolution, lateral resolution, imaging dead zone, slice thickness, geometric position accuracy, and three-dimensional reconstruction volume error, were quantitatively measured, and compliance verification was performed against product technical specifications. The test results demonstrated that the nominal center frequency was 3 MHz with a measured frequency deviation of 3%, and the effective detection radius reached 90 mm. Within the valid imaging range, the axial resolution was 0.5 mm, lateral resolution was 1 mm, imaging dead zone was 1 mm, and slice thickness was 3.2 mm. The relative error of geometric position accuracy was 3%, the relative deviations in perimeter and area measurements were both −1%, and the relative deviation in three-dimensional reconstructed volume was −8%. All indicators satisfied product technical requirements. Qualitative comparative experiments on tissue-mimicking phantoms confirmed that the system could reproduce multiscale and multi-contrast musculoskeletal anatomical features, and the acquired images showed favorable consistency with designed phantom targets. In conclusion, this musculoskeletal ultrasound tomographic system exhibits stable imaging performance and credible quantitative measurements, and can meet clinical and research demands for tomographic imaging and three-dimensional reconstruction of human musculoskeletal tissues. Full article

Zanthoxylum rhetsa (Roxb.) DC. (Ma-Khwaen) is an economically important medicinal plant traditionally used for pain and inflammatory disorders. This study explored its phytochemical composition, biological activities, and potential for nano-spray product development. Methods: Ethanolic fruit extracts collected from five provinces in Northern Thailand were evaluated for extraction yield, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant activity, and anti-inflammatory activity. Extracts from Nan Province were further selected for DPPH radical scavenging, GC–MS characterization, nitric oxide (NO) inhibition assay in LPS stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages, nano-spray formulation development, and stability assessment. Results: Considerable phytochemical variation was observed among geographical origins, with TPC and TFC ranging from 19.47 to 103.09 mg GAE/g extract and 28.57 to 400.72 mg QE/g extract, respectively. The Nan whole-fruit extract exhibited the highest extraction yield (20.81%), whereas the pericarp extract showed the strongest antioxidant activity (IC₅₀ = 111.78 μg/mL). GC–MS analysis revealed anti-inflammatory phytochemicals, predominantly α-terpineol, geranyl acetate, n-hexadecanoic acid, oleic acid, and linalool. The selected extract demonstrated potent anti-inflammatory activity (IC₅₀ = 6.95 ± 0.44 μg/mL), exceeding that of prednisolone, and was successfully incorporated into a physically stable nano-spray formulation with 60-day storage stability. Conclusions: These findings provide scientific validation for the traditional use of Ma-Khwaen and support its development as a stable nano-spray formulation for muscle pain relief and inflammation alleviation. Full article

Background: Gross Berth Productivity (GBP) is a primary terminal benchmark, yet it is routinely read as an efficiency signal, and vessel-call-level evidence is scarce. Methods: From 4463 vessel calls at a major East Asian container terminal (2021–2025), we model GBP with XGBoost and SHAP under a leakage-controlled ablation, adding per-crane, service-level and container-level yard and gate records. Results: Berth productivity falls 24.2%, a medium effect. Gang productivity, the crew-level rate berth productivity commonly read as measuring, falls only 4.2%, a small effect. From 2024 to 2025 berth productivity is statistically equivalent ($\delta =-0.007$), so the decline has leveled off. SHAP identifies cargo volume, not crane speed, as the dominant correlate, stable in 16 of 20 sub-populations and all 200 bootstrap resamples; the model retains $R^2\approx 0.64$ without the ratio’s components. An additive decomposition assigns 71% of the modeled decline to falling call size—fewer containers handled per vessel call, not fewer calls and not smaller ships—and 8% to crane speed; a shift-share decomposition traces 94% of that fall to portfolio turnover. Crane interference is bounded within $\pm 0.10$. Conclusions: Falling berth productivity can reflect a commercial shift to smaller calls rather than operational decline. Evidence is single-terminal. Full article

This study examines South Africa’s long-run growth slowdown, with particular attention to investment dynamics, using quarterly data spanning 1960Q1–2025Q3. The analysis combines Bayesian Structural Time Series (BSTS) modelling to estimate the evolution of latent trend growth with Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) to assess the robustness of selected macroeconomic growth correlates. The BSTS results reveal a substantial long-run decline in trend growth, with particularly strong posterior evidence of deterioration following the global financial crisis. In the baseline BMA specification, investment growth emerges as the most robust contemporaneous correlate of GDP growth, with a posterior inclusion probability of 1.000, a result that remains stable across alternative prior specifications and treatment of the interest rate. However, when lagged GDP growth is introduced alongside lagged investment growth, GDP persistence dominates, while the posterior support for lagged investment declines substantially. The findings therefore qualify interpretations of investment as an independent predictor or causal driver of growth. Rather, weak investment dynamics constitute an important feature of South Africa’s prolonged low-growth environment alongside substantial persistence in economic activity. The results suggest that sustainable growth requires not merely higher investment, but improvements in the structural conditions that determine its productivity, including infrastructure reliability, logistics efficiency, institutional capacity, and policy certainty. Full article

Groundwater is essential for drinking and irrigation to ensure a stable life and economic development, especially in semi-arid to arid rural areas such as the Lagnadiz district in central Morocco. However, its occurrence is highly variable in discontinuous media because of its uneven circulation along fractures, making it difficult to locate productive drilling sites. This study aimed to identify suitable locations for the establishment of productive wells by combining Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 imagery, a DEM, and geological data. Lineaments were automatically extracted and validated using Google Earth imagery, slope and hillshade maps, and field observations. Six thematic layers (lithology, drainage density, distance to faults, slope, lineament density, and lineament intersection density) were weighted using the Analytic Hierarchy Process and integrated through Weighted Linear Combination. The resulting groundwater potential map shows that high potential areas cover 38.53% of the study area, followed by moderate potential areas (34.84%) and low potential areas (26.63%). A ±10% weight sensitivity analysis showed strong map stability, with r values of 0.9949–0.9999 and class agreement rates of 93.31–99.61%. The map was independently validated using exploitation-yield data from 22 boreholes that were not involved in its construction. Using a productivity threshold of 5 m³/h, the ROC analysis produced an AUC of 0.795, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 0.581 to 0.949, indicating an acceptable ability of the GWPI map to distinguish between the two productivity groups. Full article

Water–nitrogen mismatch constrains stable and resource-efficient spring maize production in the eastern Loess Plateau. A two-year field experiment was conducted in Jinzhong, Shanxi Province, China, during 2024–2025. Supplemental irrigation was applied three, four, or five times in 2024 and two, three, or four times in 2025, with 15 mm per event. Nitrogen rates were 180, 240, and 300 kg N ha⁻¹ in 2024 and 180 and 240 kg N ha⁻¹ in 2025. Spring maize growth, grain yield, water use efficiency (WUE), partial factor productivity of applied nitrogen (PFP), and soil NO₃⁻–N were evaluated, and Pareto-front analysis identified non-dominated water–nitrogen combinations. Across the tested supplemental irrigation regimes, growth and grain yield generally increased as the number of irrigation events increased. Compared with 180 kg N ha⁻¹, 240 kg N ha⁻¹ generally increased grain yield and WUE, whereas 300 kg N ha⁻¹ provided no additional yield benefit and reduced PFP in 2024. Higher nitrogen rates increased soil NO₃⁻–N concentrations. Under the conditions of this experiment, Pareto analysis showed that four to five irrigation events (60–75 mm) may represent a candidate strategy for balancing WUE and PFP under the dry conditions of 2024, whereas a lower-input supplemental irrigation regime may be considered under the normal-rainfall conditions of 2025. These findings support precipitation-adaptive water and nitrogen management for dryland spring maize. Full article

Mango is an economically vital tropical fruit, but commercial production is often compromised by unstable fruit development and inconsistent quality under conventional farming practices. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are widely applied in mango production in Hainan Province and significantly influence fruit quality attributes, including fruit size, total soluble solids (TSSs), and titratable acidity (TA). This study aimed to elucidate the effects of PGRs on fruit enlargement and quality in ‘Guifei’ mango (Mangifera indica L.), identify the optimal PGR application regime, and preliminarily screen core indicators for mango fruit quality evaluation. A completely randomized design was adopted, with three mango trees per treatment as biological replicates. Different concentrations of thidiazuron (TDZ), gibberellic acid (GA₃), and 6-benzyladenine (6-BA) were sprayed individually or in combination on 8–10-year-old mango trees at 20, 35, and 50 days after full bloom. Fruit morphological characteristics and quality attributes were then determined. Coefficient of variation analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, and principal component analysis were used to screen core fruit quality evaluation indicators, and Duncan’s multiple-range test was applied for mean separation to distinguish statistically significant differences from merely numerical trends. Among the individual PGR treatments, 16 mg/L TDZ, 100 mg/L GA₃, and 100 mg/L 6-BA exhibited the most favorable balance between fruit enlargement and quality maintenance. Among the combined treatments, GA₃ (100 mg/L) + 6-BA (100 mg/L) + TDZ (16 mg/L) exhibited the best overall performance, effectively promoting fruit enlargement while maintaining relatively stable fruit quality. Four indicators, namely, average single fruit weight, TSS, TA, and vitamin C content, were preliminarily identified as core indicators for evaluating ‘Guifei’ mango fruit quality. These findings provide a scientific basis for optimizing PGR application regimes and evaluating fruit quality in high-quality ‘Guifei’ mango production in Hainan. Full article

Modeling bounded data presents a fundamental challenge in reliability and risk analysis, particularly when the underlying observations exhibit heterogeneous distributional shapes and complex failure-rate patterns. To address this challenge, we introduce a novel Unit Hjorth (UHj) distribution, obtained through an exponential transformation of the classical Hjorth model, which transfers its flexible reliability structure to the unit interval while retaining analytical tractability. A comprehensive theoretical investigation of the proposed model is developed, including its boundary behavior, limiting submodels, quantile function, ordinary moments, cumulants, mode characterization, order statistics, stress–strength reliability, and other important reliability measures. The UHj density can be strictly increasing or non-monotone, including unimodal forms, while its hazard rate can accommodate increasing, bathtub-shaped, upside-down-bathtub, and modified-bathtub patterns. This broad hazard-rate flexibility makes the model particularly suitable for representing heterogeneous reliability and risk profiles that cannot be adequately captured by conventional bounded distributions. For statistical inference, a comprehensive estimation framework is established based on maximum likelihood, maximum product of spacings, and six additional classical estimation methods. Their finite-sample performance is systematically assessed through extensive Monte Carlo simulations using multiple measures of bias, efficiency, accuracy, and numerical stability. The simulation results indicate that the likelihood- and spacing-based procedures generally provide the most accurate and stable parameter estimates. The practical relevance of the proposed model is further demonstrated through three real-world datasets from computer science, engineering, and environmental applications. In these applications, the UHj distribution provides competitive, and in several cases superior, goodness-of-fit performance compared with a range of established unit distributions. Overall, the proposed model provides a unified and flexible framework for bounded-data modeling, reliability assessment, risk characterization, and statistical inference, offering a useful addition to the class of bounded probability models for complex applied-data scenarios. Full article

Soil compaction is one of the main forms of physical soil degradation affecting agricultural productivity. Although its effects on soil structure and crop growth have been extensively investigated, their implications for irrigation management have received little attention. This review synthesises current knowledge on how soil compaction modifies the hydraulic functioning of agricultural soils and discusses the consequences for irrigation scheduling and precision irrigation. The available evidence shows that soil compaction reduces water infiltration and saturated hydraulic conductivity while altering soil water retention and plant-available water. Surface sealing and crust formation can further restrict infiltration, particularly when bare soil is exposed to high-energy rainfall or sprinkler irrigation. These changes modify water movement, redistribution and storage within the soil profile, affecting root development, plant physiological responses and crop productivity. The magnitude of these effects depends on soil texture, soil water status, crop species and environmental conditions. Conventional irrigation scheduling generally assumes stable soil hydraulic properties and may not adequately represent compacted soils. Recent advances in soil moisture sensing, crop modelling, remote sensing and decision support systems provide new opportunities to incorporate soil structural variability into irrigation management. Combining precision irrigation with preventive traffic management and practices that enhance soil structural and biological resilience may improve irrigation efficiency, optimise water use and enhance the long-term sustainability of irrigated agricultural systems. Full article

Fracturing-fluid retention caused by capillary trapping and surfactant loss during transport through porous media can impair post-fracturing productivity in tight reservoirs. In this study, a rhamnolipid/isopropanol/limonene/water nanosized dispersed formulation was developed as a biosurfactant-based flowback aid. Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams, dynamic light scattering, surface- and interfacial-tension measurements, contact-angle measurements, porous-medium transport experiments, and sand-packed drainage tests were employed to evaluate the formulation behavior and flowback-aiding performance. The largest optically clear single-phase region was obtained at a rhamnolipid/isopropanol mass ratio of 3:1. The formulation maintained nanoscale hydrodynamic dimensions at NaCl or CaCl₂ concentrations up to 10 g/L, while systems containing ≤80 wt.% water exhibited comparatively stable hydrodynamic sizes during 7 d of aging at 70 °C. The equilibrium surface tension reached 25.87 mN/m at 200 mg/L. After passage through the proppant/rock-powder-packed medium, the formulation retained a surface tension of 32.02 mN/m and produced a water contact angle of 95°, compared with 51.20 mN/m and 67°, respectively, for the rhamnolipid aqueous solution. The maximum relative aiding-drainage enhancement approached 89.2% at 2000 mg/L. These results indicate an association among formulation characteristics, interfacial properties, porous-medium transport behavior, and drainage performance, and support the potential of the rhamnolipid-based dispersed formulation as a flowback-aid candidate under the investigated laboratory conditions. Full article

Intelligent control of the ladle furnace (LF) process and its endpoint is essential for product quality and stable continuous casting. Existing studies mainly address endpoint prediction or operating-parameter recommendation. Prediction models rarely provide multivariable operating schemes directly, whereas recommendation models often suffer from insufficient coordination among modules and complex commissioning. This study proposes a collaborative LF operating-parameter optimization method combining endpoint prediction with case-guided genetic–tabu search. Given the initial heat state and target endpoint temperature, the method treats electric energy input, power-on duration, and key material additions as decision variables, evaluates each candidate using temperature and composition prediction models, and coordinates the variables through a unified objective. A dynamic weighting mechanism coupling generational annealing with feasible-population temperature-error feedback balances endpoint quality against resource input. Case-based reasoning guides population initialization, while a real-coded genetic algorithm and tabu search strengthen global exploration and local exploitation. For 400 independent historical heats, the method obtained a recommendation satisfying all model constraints for every heat. Relative to the corresponding historical operations, the mean recommended quantities of lime, slag agent, aluminum granules, high-carbon ferromanganese, electric energy input, and power-on duration were reduced by 6.98%, 12.79%, 9.34%, 8.85%, 7.89%, and 8.95%, respectively. Case-guided initialization improved first-generation solution quality and early convergence, whereas tabu search enhanced mid-to-late local refinement. The method converts existing endpoint-prediction capability into coordinated multivariable operating recommendations. Full article

This study develops a multi-criteria decision-support approach that integrates spatial, functional, and managerial dimensions to assess the suitability potential of accommodation facilities in Istanbul for building-integrated greenhouse applications within the context of sustainable food systems and sustainable tourism. The dataset, comprising 688 lodging facilities affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye, was analyzed in accordance with a hierarchical evaluation framework that includes categories, criteria, and subcriteria. In this context, the distribution of facilities across each criterion was first examined to assess the current situation; subsequently, the criterion weights were determined using the Best–Worst Method (BWM) based on expert opinions, and the Greenhouse Integration Suitability Scores (GISSs) were calculated using the Weighted Linear Cumulative (WLC) method. Facilities were ranked according to their continuous GISSs; under the Jenks Natural Breaks classification, only 13.4% of the sites (92 out of 688) fell into the high and very high classes. The six-dimensional sensitivity analysis showed that facility rankings remained largely stable under different data, weighting, and method scenarios, whereas class boundaries were more sensitive to the classification method used. Spatial statistical analyses revealed that GISS values exhibited significant and positive spatial autocorrelation (Moran’s I = 0.2478, p < 0.001); Beşiktaş, Pendik, and Ümraniye emerged as the top-priority districts. The findings reveal that physical and spatial conditions are the key determinants of greenhouse integration potential, while functional and managerial variables play a significant role in the varying levels of suitability of the facilities. The framework developed extends the assessment of building-integrated greenhouse applications from the individual building scale to the urban scale, offering a transferable decision-support approach for public institutions, planners, and facility managers. In this regard, the study establishes a data-driven and adaptable prioritization tool that can guide decisions on urban food production, sustainable tourism, and investment. Full article

Background: Obesity-related metabolic dysfunction includes adipose inflammation, hepatic steatosis, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and intestinal disturbances. Avenanthramides are oat-specific phenolic amides, and their contribution to metabolic responses to oat foods is difficult to attribute because beta-glucan and the wider oat matrix can affect the same endpoints. This narrative review examines their mechanisms, exposure biology, evidence attribution, and translational readiness. Methods: Cell, animal, pharmacokinetic, and human studies were organized by chemical definition and intervention format, including purified congeners, characterized foods, enriched matrices, and whole-oat products. Parent compounds, circulating metabolites, target tissues, and clinical outcomes were interpreted separately. Results: In cell and animal models, avenanthramides influence NF-κB-related inflammation, redox regulation, hepatic insulin signaling, glucose production, fatty-acid metabolism, and intestinal ecology. Human studies demonstrate dietary exposure to parent compounds and metabolites, while clinical evidence comes mainly from small enriched-food exercise studies. Among the studies identified and appraised in this narrative review, none established an avenanthramide-specific effect on adiposity, liver fat, insulin sensitivity, dyslipidemia, or other cardiometabolic outcomes. Conclusions: The current literature supports measurable exposure and candidate mechanisms; a validated anti-obesity effect requires targeted clinical trials. Next studies need stable, analytically defined preparations, metabolite-informed dose selection, matched food controls, and trials that link measured exposure with prespecified clinical outcomes. Full article

Background/Objectives: Screening for neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) or antiviral small-molecule inhibitors (SMIs) using live virus is laborious and often confined to higher biosafety levels, thus restricting accessibility. The use of murine leukemia virus (MLV)-derived pseudotype vector particles displaying spike or envelope proteins of the targeted human pathogen and susceptible target cells expressing the cognate virus receptor lowers biosafety requirements. Extended drug discovery campaigns demand larger quantities of pseudotype vector particles most favorably produced by stable high-titer suspension vector-producing cells (SVPCs). We aimed to demonstrate that this can be achieved by employing transposon vectors. Methods: Sleeping Beauty transposon vectors were used to rapidly establish MLV-derived SVPCs using two SARS-CoV-2 spike variants as well as highly susceptible target cells expressing the virus receptor ACE2 and the cellular protease TMPRSS2. Generated cell lines and viral vectors were characterized by employing syncytial-formation assay, Western blot analysis, vector titration and neutralization experiments using two SMIs and two nAbs. Results: The expression, fusogenicity and particle incorporation of two spike variants was confirmed and the production of high-titer MLV(SARS-CoV-2) particles was demonstrated. The components of this novel cellular assay platform consisting of stable susceptible target cells and high-yield SVPCs were successfully utilized to characterize nAbs directed against the spike protein and cell-entry-inhibiting SMIs targeting the cellular protease TMPRSS2. Conclusions: The proof-of-concept (POC) cellular assay platform components, namely, the two SVPCs and the highly susceptible target cell line, should prove useful in future small-molecule cell-entry inhibitor discovery campaigns, as well as the development of neutralizing antibodies and vaccine candidates directed against SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, the panel of transposon vectors should be easily adaptable to other non-cytotoxic viral pathogens provided these efficiently pseudotype MLV. Full article