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Keywords = technology dependence

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23 pages, 918 KiB  
Review
Advances in Graphite Recycling from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries: Towards Sustainable Resource Utilization
by Maria Joriza Cañete Bondoc, Joel Hao Jorolan, Hyung-Sub Eom, Go-Gi Lee and Richard Diaz Alorro
Minerals 2025, 15(8), 832; https://doi.org/10.3390/min15080832 (registering DOI) - 5 Aug 2025
Abstract
Graphite has been recognized as a critical material by the United States (US), the European Union (EU), and Australia. Owing to its unique structure and properties, it is utilized in many industries and has played a key role in the clean energy sector, [...] Read more.
Graphite has been recognized as a critical material by the United States (US), the European Union (EU), and Australia. Owing to its unique structure and properties, it is utilized in many industries and has played a key role in the clean energy sector, particularly in the lithium-ion battery (LIB) industries. With the projected increase in global graphite demand, driven by the shift to clean energy and the use of EVs, as well as the geographically concentrated production and reserves of natural graphite, interest in graphite recycling has increased, with a specific focus on using spent LIBs and other waste carbon material. Although most established and developing LIB recycling technologies are focused on cathode materials, some have started recycling graphite, with promising results. Based on the different secondary sources and recycling paths reported, hydrometallurgy-based treatment is usually employed, especially for the purification of graphite; greener alternatives are being explored, replacing HF both in lab-scale research and in industry. This offers a viable solution to resource dependency and mitigates the environmental impact associated with graphite production. These developments signal a trend toward sustainable and circular pathways for graphite recycling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Graphite Minerals and Graphene, 2nd Edition)
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15 pages, 750 KiB  
Review
Using Biocontrol Fungi to Control Helminthosis in Wild Animals: An Innovative Proposal for the Health and Conservation of Species
by Júlia dos Santos Fonseca, Beatriz Bacelar Barbosa, Adolfo Paz Silva, María Sol Arias Vázquez, Cristiana Filipa Cazapal Monteiro, Huarrisson Azevedo Santos and Jackson Victor de Araújo
Pathogens 2025, 14(8), 775; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14080775 (registering DOI) - 5 Aug 2025
Abstract
Helminth parasites of wild animals represent a major threat to the health of these animals, leading to significant losses in performance, health, and zoonotic implications. In some zoos, anthelmintics have traditionally been used to control these parasites, many of which are also zoonotic. [...] Read more.
Helminth parasites of wild animals represent a major threat to the health of these animals, leading to significant losses in performance, health, and zoonotic implications. In some zoos, anthelmintics have traditionally been used to control these parasites, many of which are also zoonotic. Other actions, such as the removal of organic waste, have also been adopted. Few or no control measures are applied to free-ranging wild animals. Helminthophagous fungi are a promising biological alternative. When animals ingest fungal spores, they are excreted in their feces, where they trap and destroy helminth larvae and eggs, preventing and reducing the parasite load in the environment. Another alternative is to administer fungi by spraying them directly into the environment. This review aims to examine the use of helminthophagous fungi in the control of helminthiases in wild animals, highlighting their potential to minimize dependence on chemical treatments and promote sustainable animal breeding and production. There are many challenges to making this viable, such as environmental variability, stability of formulations, and acceptance of this new technology. These fungi have been shown to reduce parasite burdens in wild animals by up to 75% and can be administered through the animals’ feeding troughs. To date, evidence shows that helminthophagous fungi can reliably curb environmental parasite loads for extended periods, offering a sustainable alternative to repeated anthelmintic dosing. Their use has been linked to tangible gains in body condition, weight, and overall welfare in various captive and free-ranging wildlife species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Parasitic Pathogens)
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14 pages, 1181 KiB  
Article
Effects of Ultrafine Bubble Water on Gut Microbiota Composition and Health Markers in Rats
by John Nicholas Jackowetz, Carly S. Hanson, Minto Michael, Kiriako Tsoukalas, Cassandra Villanueva and Peter A. Kozak
Nanomaterials 2025, 15(15), 1193; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano15151193 - 5 Aug 2025
Abstract
Ultrafine bubbles (UFBs) represent an emerging technology with unique physicochemical properties. This study investigated the effects of air-filled UFBs infused in drinking water on gut microbiota composition and the associated health markers in Sprague Dawley rats over a 12-week period. Using a two-phase [...] Read more.
Ultrafine bubbles (UFBs) represent an emerging technology with unique physicochemical properties. This study investigated the effects of air-filled UFBs infused in drinking water on gut microbiota composition and the associated health markers in Sprague Dawley rats over a 12-week period. Using a two-phase design, UFB concentration was increased from 1.7 × 106 to 6.5 × 109 UFBs/mL at week 7 to assess dose-dependent effects. Administration of UFBs in drinking water induced significant shifts in gut microbiome populations, characterized by increased Bacteroidetes (+122% weeks 8–12) and decreased Firmicutes (−43% weeks 8–12) compared to controls. These microbial shifts coincided with enhanced short-chain fatty acid production (butyrate +56.0%, p ≤ 0.001; valerate +63.1%, p ≤ 0.01) and reduced inflammatory markers (TNF-α −84.0%, p ≤ 0.05; IL-1β −41.0%, p ≤ 0.05; IL-10 −69.8%, p ≤ 0.05). UFB effects demonstrated systematic concentration-dependent threshold responses, with 85.7% of parameters exhibiting directional reversals between low (1.7 × 106 UFBs/mL) and high (6.5 × 109 UFBs/mL) concentration phases rather than linear dose–response relationships. The systematic nature of these threshold effects, with 71.4% of parameters achieving statistical significance (p ≤ 0.05), indicates concentration-dependent biological mechanisms rather than random effects on gut biology. Despite current metagenomic techniques identifying only 25% of the total gut microbiome, the observed changes in characterized species and metabolites demonstrate UFB technology’s therapeutic potential for conditions requiring microbiome modulation, providing new insights into UFB influence on complex biological systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanobubbles and Nanodroplets: Current State-of-the-Art)
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27 pages, 4509 KiB  
Article
Numerical Simulation and Analysis of Performance of Switchable Film-Insulated Photovoltaic–Thermal–Passive Cooling Module for Different Design Parameters
by Cong Jiao, Zeyu Li, Tiancheng Ju, Zihan Xu, Zhiqun Xu and Bin Sun
Processes 2025, 13(8), 2471; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13082471 - 5 Aug 2025
Abstract
Photovoltaic–thermal (PVT) technology has attracted considerable attention for its ability to significantly improve solar energy conversion efficiency by simultaneously providing electricity and heat during the day. PVT technology serves a purpose in condensers and subcoolers for passive cooling in refrigeration systems at night. [...] Read more.
Photovoltaic–thermal (PVT) technology has attracted considerable attention for its ability to significantly improve solar energy conversion efficiency by simultaneously providing electricity and heat during the day. PVT technology serves a purpose in condensers and subcoolers for passive cooling in refrigeration systems at night. In our previous work, we proposed a switchable film-insulated photovoltaic–thermal–passive cooling (PVT-PC) module to address the structural incompatibility between diurnal and nocturnal modes. However, the performance of the proposed module strongly depends on two key design parameters: the structural height and the vacuum level of the air cushion. In this study, a numerical model of the proposed module is developed to examine the impact of design and meteorological parameters on its all-day performance. The results show that diurnal performance remains stable across different structural heights, while nocturnal passive cooling power shows strong dependence on vacuum level and structural height, achieving up to 103.73 W/m2 at 10 mm height and 1500 Pa vacuum, which is comparable to unglazed PVT modules. Convective heat transfer enhancement, induced by changes in air cushion shape, is identified as the primary contributor to improved nocturnal cooling performance. Wind speed has minimal impact on electrical output but significantly enhances thermal efficiency and nocturnal convective cooling power, with a passive cooling power increase of up to 31.61%. In contrast, higher sky temperatures degrade nocturnal cooling performance due to diminished radiative exchange, despite improving diurnal thermal efficiency. These findings provide fundamental insights for optimizing the structural design and operational strategies of PVT-PC systems under varying environmental conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical Simulation of Flow and Heat Transfer Processes)
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18 pages, 810 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Technology, Economic Development, Environmental Quality, Safety, and Exchange Rate on the Tourism Performance in European Countries
by Zeki Keşanlı, Feriha Dikmen Deliceırmak and Mehdi Seraj
Sustainability 2025, 17(15), 7074; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17157074 - 4 Aug 2025
Abstract
The study investigates the contribution of technology (TECH), quantified by Internet penetration, in influencing tourism performance (TP) among the top ten touristic nations in Europe: France, Spain, Italy, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Germany, Greece, Austria, Portugal, and the Netherlands. Using panel data from [...] Read more.
The study investigates the contribution of technology (TECH), quantified by Internet penetration, in influencing tourism performance (TP) among the top ten touristic nations in Europe: France, Spain, Italy, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Germany, Greece, Austria, Portugal, and the Netherlands. Using panel data from 2000–2022, the study includes additional structural controls like environment quality, gross domestic production (GDP) per capita, exchange rate (ER), and safety index (SI). The Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) is employed to capture heterogeneous effects at different levels of TP, and Driscoll–Kraay standard error (DKSE) correction is employed to make the analysis robust against autocorrelation as well as cross-sectional dependence. Spectral–Granger causality tests are also conducted to check short- and long-run dynamics in the relationships. Empirical results are that TECH and SI are important in TP at all quantiles, but with stronger effects for lower-performing countries. Environmental quality (EQ) and GDP per capita (GDPPC) exert increasing impacts at upper quantiles, suggesting their importance in sustaining high-level tourism economies. ER effects are limited and primarily short-term. The findings highlight the need for integrated digital, environmental, and economic policies to achieve sustainable tourism development. The paper contributes to tourism research by providing a comprehensive, frequency-sensitive, and distributional analysis of macroeconomic determinants of tourism in highly developed European tourist destinations. Full article
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30 pages, 1939 KiB  
Review
A Review on Anaerobic Digestate as a Biofertilizer: Characteristics, Production, and Environmental Impacts from a Life Cycle Assessment Perspective
by Carmen Martín-Sanz-Garrido, Marta Revuelta-Aramburu, Ana María Santos-Montes and Carlos Morales-Polo
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(15), 8635; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15158635 (registering DOI) - 4 Aug 2025
Abstract
Digestate valorization is essential for sustainable waste management and circular economy strategies, yet large-scale adoption faces technical, economic, and environmental challenges. Beyond waste-to-energy conversion, digestate is a valuable soil amendment, enhancing soil structure and reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers. However, its agronomic benefits [...] Read more.
Digestate valorization is essential for sustainable waste management and circular economy strategies, yet large-scale adoption faces technical, economic, and environmental challenges. Beyond waste-to-energy conversion, digestate is a valuable soil amendment, enhancing soil structure and reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers. However, its agronomic benefits depend on feedstock characteristics, treatment processes, and application methods. This study reviews digestate composition, treatment technologies, regulatory frameworks, and environmental impact assessment through Life Cycle Assessment. It analyzes the influence of functional unit selection and system boundary definitions on Life Cycle Assessment outcomes and the effects of feedstock selection, pretreatment, and post-processing on its environmental footprint and fertilization efficiency. A review of 28 JCR-indexed articles (2018–present) analyzed LCA studies on digestate, focusing on methodologies, system boundaries, and impact categories. The findings indicate that Life Cycle Assessment methodologies vary widely, complicating direct comparisons. Transportation distances, nutrient stability, and post-processing strategies significantly impact greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient retention efficiency. Techniques like solid–liquid separation and composting enhance digestate stability and agronomic performance. Digestate remains a promising alternative to synthetic fertilizers despite market uncertainty and regulatory inconsistencies. Standardized Life Cycle Assessment methodologies and policy incentives are needed to promote its adoption as a sustainable soil amendment within circular economy frameworks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Research on By-Products and Treatment of Waste)
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33 pages, 3972 KiB  
Article
A Review and Case of Study of Cooling Methods: Integrating Modeling, Simulation, and Thermal Analysis for a Model Based on a Commercial Electric Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor
by Henrry Gabriel Usca-Gomez, David Sebastian Puma-Benavides, Victor Danilo Zambrano-Leon, Ramón Castillo-Díaz, Milton Israel Quinga-Morales, Javier Milton Solís-Santamaria and Edilberto Antonio Llanes-Cedeño
World Electr. Veh. J. 2025, 16(8), 437; https://doi.org/10.3390/wevj16080437 - 4 Aug 2025
Abstract
The efficiency of electric motors is highly dependent on their operating temperature, with lower temperatures contributing to enhanced performance, reliability, and extended service life. This study presents a comprehensive review of state-of-the-art cooling technologies and evaluates their impact on the thermal behavior of [...] Read more.
The efficiency of electric motors is highly dependent on their operating temperature, with lower temperatures contributing to enhanced performance, reliability, and extended service life. This study presents a comprehensive review of state-of-the-art cooling technologies and evaluates their impact on the thermal behavior of a commercial motor–generator system in high-demand applications. A baseline model of a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) was developed using MotorCAD 2023® software, which was supported by reverse engineering techniques to accurately replicate the motor’s physical and thermal characteristics. Subsequently, multiple cooling strategies were simulated under consistent operating conditions to assess their effectiveness. These strategies include conventional axial water jackets as well as advanced oil-based methods such as shaft cooling and direct oil spray to the windings. The integration of these systems in hybrid configurations was also explored to maximize thermal efficiency. Simulation results reveal that hybrid cooling significantly reduces the temperature of critical components such as stator windings and permanent magnets. This reduction in thermal stress improves current efficiency, power output, and torque capacity, enabling reliable motor operation across a broader range of speeds and under sustained high-load conditions. The findings highlight the effectiveness of hybrid cooling systems in optimizing both thermal management and operational performance of electric machines. Full article
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17 pages, 6882 KiB  
Article
Development and Evaluation of a Solar Milk Pasteurizer for the Savanna Ecological Zones of West Africa
by Iddrisu Ibrahim, Paul Tengey, Kelci Mikayla Lawrence, Joseph Atia Ayariga, Fortune Akabanda, Grace Yawa Aduve, Junhuan Xu, Robertson K. Boakai, Olufemi S. Ajayi and James Owusu-Kwarteng
Solar 2025, 5(3), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/solar5030038 - 4 Aug 2025
Abstract
In many developing African countries, milk safety is often managed through traditional methods such as fermentation or boiling over firewood. While these approaches reduce some microbial risks, they present critical limitations. Firewood dependency contributes to deforestation, depletion of agricultural residues, and loss of [...] Read more.
In many developing African countries, milk safety is often managed through traditional methods such as fermentation or boiling over firewood. While these approaches reduce some microbial risks, they present critical limitations. Firewood dependency contributes to deforestation, depletion of agricultural residues, and loss of soil fertility, which, in turn, compromise environmental health and food security. Solar pasteurization provides a reliable and sustainable method for thermally inactivating pathogenic microorganisms in milk and other perishable foods at sub-boiling temperatures, preserving its nutritional quality. This study aimed to evaluate the thermal and microbial performance of a low-cost solar milk pasteurization system, hypothesized to effectively reduce microbial contaminants and retain milk quality under natural sunlight. The system was constructed using locally available materials and tailored to the climatic conditions of the Savanna ecological zone in West Africa. A flat-plate glass solar collector was integrated with a 0.15 cm thick stainless steel cylindrical milk vat, featuring a 2.2 cm hot water jacket and 0.5 cm thick aluminum foil insulation. The system was tested in Navrongo, Ghana, under ambient temperatures ranging from 30 °C to 43 °C. The pasteurizer successfully processed up to 8 L of milk per batch, achieving a maximum milk temperature of 74 °C by 14:00 GMT. Microbial analysis revealed a significant reduction in bacterial load, from 6.6 × 106 CFU/mL to 1.0 × 102 CFU/mL, with complete elimination of coliforms. These results confirmed the device’s effectiveness in achieving safe pasteurization levels. The findings demonstrate that this locally built solar pasteurization system is a viable and cost-effective solution for improving milk safety in arid, electricity-limited regions. Its potential scalability also opens avenues for rural entrepreneurship in solar-powered food and water treatment technologies. Full article
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18 pages, 3776 KiB  
Systematic Review
Information Technology-Based Intervention on the Socio-Emotional Competence of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Yunshan Liu, Sirao Li, Yaping Huang and Dan Li
J. Intell. 2025, 13(8), 98; https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence13080098 (registering DOI) - 4 Aug 2025
Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have deficits in social–emotional competence. Most people with ASD have difficulties in emotion recognition, emotion understanding, emotion expression, and emotion regulation, which seriously affects their normal social communication and interaction. The information technology (IT) era has given [...] Read more.
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have deficits in social–emotional competence. Most people with ASD have difficulties in emotion recognition, emotion understanding, emotion expression, and emotion regulation, which seriously affects their normal social communication and interaction. The information technology (IT) era has given more possibilities for intervention training for people with ASD, and research has proven that technological interventions have a significant effect on the socio-emotional competence of people with ASD. This study employed a meta-analytic approach using 32 independent effect sizes from 25 studies to investigate the effects of IT interventions on socio-emotional competence in individuals with ASD, using emotion recognition, understanding, expression, and regulation as dependent variables and examining key moderating factors. The results found that information technology has an excellent effect on social–emotional competence in ASD (Hedges’ g = 0.897, CI = 0.676, 1.117, z = 7.967, p < 0.001) and is significantly moderated by the intervention technique (Q = 7.392, p = 0.025) and the intervener (Q = 4.933, p = 0.026). The findings provide insights into further deepening information technology intervention research as well as practical applications. Full article
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21 pages, 1369 KiB  
Article
Optimizing Cold Food Supply Chains for Enhanced Food Availability Under Climate Variability
by David Hernandez-Cuellar, Krystel K. Castillo-Villar and Fernando Rey Castillo-Villar
Foods 2025, 14(15), 2725; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14152725 - 4 Aug 2025
Abstract
Produce supply chains play a critical role in ensuring fruits and vegetables reach consumers efficiently, affordably, and at optimal freshness. In recent decades, hub-and-spoke network models have emerged as valuable tools for optimizing sustainable cold food supply chains. Traditional optimization efforts typically focus [...] Read more.
Produce supply chains play a critical role in ensuring fruits and vegetables reach consumers efficiently, affordably, and at optimal freshness. In recent decades, hub-and-spoke network models have emerged as valuable tools for optimizing sustainable cold food supply chains. Traditional optimization efforts typically focus on removing inefficiencies, minimizing lead times, refining inventory management, strengthening supplier relationships, and leveraging technological advancements for better visibility and control. However, the majority of models rely on deterministic approaches that overlook the inherent uncertainties of crop yields, which are further intensified by climate variability. Rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations, along with shifting temperature patterns and extreme weather events, have a substantial effect on crop productivity and availability. Such uncertainties can prompt distributors to seek alternative sources, increasing costs due to supply chain reconfiguration. This research introduces a stochastic hub-and-spoke network optimization model specifically designed to minimize transportation expenses by determining optimal distribution routes that explicitly account for climate variability effects on crop yields. A use case involving a cold food supply chain (CFSC) was carried out using several weather scenarios based on climate models and real soil data for California. Strawberries were selected as a representative crop, given California’s leading role in strawberry production. Simulation results show that scenarios characterized by increased rainfall during growing seasons result in increased yields, allowing distributors to reduce transportation costs by sourcing from nearby farms. Conversely, scenarios with reduced rainfall and lower yields require sourcing from more distant locations, thereby increasing transportation costs. Nonetheless, supply chain configurations may vary depending on the choice of climate models or weather prediction sources, highlighting the importance of regularly updating scenario inputs to ensure robust planning. This tool aids decision-making by planning climate-resilient supply chains, enhancing preparedness and responsiveness to future climate-related disruptions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Emerging Food Safety Challenges)
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24 pages, 5644 KiB  
Article
Design and Optimization of Target Detection and 3D Localization Models for Intelligent Muskmelon Pollination Robots
by Huamin Zhao, Shengpeng Xu, Weiqi Yan, Defang Xu, Yongzhuo Zhang, Linjun Jiang, Yabo Zheng, Erkang Zeng and Rui Ren
Horticulturae 2025, 11(8), 905; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11080905 (registering DOI) - 4 Aug 2025
Abstract
With the expansion of muskmelon cultivation, manual pollination is increasingly inadequate for sustaining industry development. Therefore, the development of automatic pollination robots holds significant importance in improving pollination efficiency and reducing labor dependency. Accurate flower detection and localization is a key technology for [...] Read more.
With the expansion of muskmelon cultivation, manual pollination is increasingly inadequate for sustaining industry development. Therefore, the development of automatic pollination robots holds significant importance in improving pollination efficiency and reducing labor dependency. Accurate flower detection and localization is a key technology for enabling automated pollination robots. In this study, the YOLO-MDL model was developed as an enhancement of YOLOv7 to achieve real-time detection and localization of muskmelon flowers. This approach adds a Coordinate Attention (CA) module to focus on relevant channel information and a Contextual Transformer (CoT) module to leverage contextual relationships among input tokens, enhancing the model’s visual representation. The pollination robot converts the 2D coordinates into 3D coordinates using a depth camera and conducts experiments on real-time detection and localization of muskmelon flowers in a greenhouse. The YOLO-MDL model was deployed in ROS to control a robotic arm for automatic pollination, verifying the accuracy of flower detection and measurement localization errors. The results indicate that the YOLO-MDL model enhances AP and F1 scores by 3.3% and 1.8%, respectively, compared to the original model. It achieves AP and F1 scores of 91.2% and 85.1%, demonstrating a clear advantage in accuracy over other models. In the localization experiments, smaller errors were revealed in all three directions. The RMSE values were 0.36 mm for the X-axis, 1.26 mm for the Y-axis, and 3.87 mm for the Z-axis. The YOLO-MDL model proposed in this study demonstrates strong performance in detecting and localizing muskmelon flowers. Based on this model, the robot can execute more precise automatic pollination and provide technical support for the future deployment of automatic pollination robots in muskmelon cultivation. Full article
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16 pages, 2212 KiB  
Article
Entity Recognition Method for Fire Safety Standards Based on FT-FLAT
by Zhihao Yu, Chao Liu, Shunxiu Yang, Jiwei Tian, Qunming Hu and Weidong Kang
Fire 2025, 8(8), 306; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire8080306 - 4 Aug 2025
Abstract
The continuous advancement of fire protection technologies has necessitated the development of comprehensive safety standards, leading to an increasingly diversified and specialized regulatory landscape. This has made it difficult for fire protection professionals to quickly and accurately locate the required fire safety standard [...] Read more.
The continuous advancement of fire protection technologies has necessitated the development of comprehensive safety standards, leading to an increasingly diversified and specialized regulatory landscape. This has made it difficult for fire protection professionals to quickly and accurately locate the required fire safety standard information. In addition, the lack of effective integration and knowledge organization concerning fire safety standard entities has led to the severe fragmentation of fire safety standard information and the absence of a comprehensive “one map”. To address this challenge, we introduce FT-FLAT, an innovative CNN–Transformer fusion architecture designed specifically for fire safety standard entity extraction. Unlike traditional methods that rely on rules or single-modality deep learning, our approach integrates TextCNN for local feature extraction and combines it with the Flat-Lattice Transformer for global dependency modeling. The key innovations include the following. (1) Relative Position Embedding (RPE) dynamically encodes the positional relationships between spans in fire safety texts, addressing the limitations of absolute positional encoding in hierarchical structures. (2) The Multi-Branch Prediction Head (MBPH) aggregates the outputs of TextCNN and the Transformer using Einstein summation, enhancing the feature learning capabilities and improving the robustness for domain-specific terminology. (3) Experiments conducted on the newly annotated Fire Safety Standard Entity Recognition Dataset (FSSERD) demonstrate state-of-the-art performance (94.24% accuracy, 83.20% precision). This work provides a scalable solution for constructing fire safety knowledge graphs and supports intelligent information retrieval in emergency situations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Fire Science and Fire Protection Engineering)
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16 pages, 3316 KiB  
Article
Experimental Study on the Electromagnetic Forming Behavior of Pre-Painted Al 99.0 Sheet
by Dorin Luca, Vasile Șchiopu and Dorian D. Luca
J. Manuf. Mater. Process. 2025, 9(8), 259; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmmp9080259 - 3 Aug 2025
Viewed by 74
Abstract
Development of forming methods for surface-coated metals is a current concern due to their economic and environmental advantages. For a successful forming operation, it is necessary that both components, the substrate and the coating, are able to withstand stress without damage until the [...] Read more.
Development of forming methods for surface-coated metals is a current concern due to their economic and environmental advantages. For a successful forming operation, it is necessary that both components, the substrate and the coating, are able to withstand stress without damage until the final shape and dimensions are reached. This goal can be achieved through good knowledge of the elastic and plastic properties of the substrate and the coating, the compatibility between them, the appropriate surface treatment, and the rigorous control of technological forming parameters. Our study was carried out with flat specimens of pre-painted Al 99.0 sheet that were electromagnetically formed by bulging. Forming behavior was investigated as depending on the initial thickness of the substrate, on the aluminum sheet pretreatment, as well as on the plastic deformation path of the metal–paint structure. To verify the damage to the paint layer, tests with increasing strains were performed, and the interface between the metal and the coating layer was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The obtained results indicate that electromagnetic forming of pre-painted sheets can be a feasible method for specific applications if the forming degree of the substrate is tightly correlated with the type of desired coating and with the pretreatment method used for the metal surface. Full article
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17 pages, 1763 KiB  
Article
Target-Guided Droplet Routing on MEDA Biochips Considering Shape-Dependent Velocity Models and Droplet Splitting
by Yuta Hamachiyo, Chiharu Shiro, Hiroki Nishikawa, Hiroyuki Tomiyama and Shigeru Yamashita
Biosensors 2025, 15(8), 500; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios15080500 - 3 Aug 2025
Viewed by 57
Abstract
In recent years, digital microfluidic biochips (DMFBs), based on microfluidic technology, have attracted attention as compact and flexible experimental devices. DMFBs are widely applied in biochemistry and medical fields, including point-of-care clinical diagnostics and PCR testing. Among them, micro electrode dot array (MEDA) [...] Read more.
In recent years, digital microfluidic biochips (DMFBs), based on microfluidic technology, have attracted attention as compact and flexible experimental devices. DMFBs are widely applied in biochemistry and medical fields, including point-of-care clinical diagnostics and PCR testing. Among them, micro electrode dot array (MEDA) biochips, composed of numerous microelectrodes, have overcome the limitations of conventional chips by enabling finer droplet manipulation and real-time sensing, thus significantly improving experimental efficiency. While various studies have been conducted to enhance the utilization of MEDA biochips, few have considered the shape-dependent velocity characteristics of droplets in routing. Moreover, methods that do take such characteristics into account often face significant challenges in solving time. This study proposes a fast droplet routing method for MEDA biochips that incorporates shape-dependent velocity characteristics by utilizing the distance information to the target cell. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves approximately a 67.5% reduction in solving time compared to existing methods, without compromising solution quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Biosensors)
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12 pages, 1010 KiB  
Article
The Effect of cdk1 Gene Knockout on Heat Shock-Induced Polyploidization in Loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus)
by Hanjun Jiang, Qi Lei, Wenhao Ma, Junru Wang, Jing Gong, Xusheng Guo and Xiaojuan Cao
Life 2025, 15(8), 1223; https://doi.org/10.3390/life15081223 - 2 Aug 2025
Viewed by 142
Abstract
(1) Background: Polyploid fish are highly important in increasing fish production, improving fish quality, and breeding new varieties. The loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus), as a naturally polyploid fish, serves as an ideal biological model for investigating the mechanisms of chromosome doubling; (2) [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Polyploid fish are highly important in increasing fish production, improving fish quality, and breeding new varieties. The loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus), as a naturally polyploid fish, serves as an ideal biological model for investigating the mechanisms of chromosome doubling; (2) Methods: In this study, tetraploidization in diploid loach was induced by heat shock treatment, and, for the first time, the role of the key cell cycle gene cdk1 (cyclin-dependent kinase 1) in chromosome doubling was investigated; (3) Results: The experimental results show that when eggs are fertilized for 20 min and then subjected to a 4 min heat shock treatment at 39–40 °C, this represents the optimal induction condition, resulting in a tetraploid rate of 44%. Meanwhile, the results of the cdk1 knockout model (2n cdk1−/−) constructed using CRISPR/Cas9 showed that the absence of cdk1 significantly increased the chromosome doubling efficiency of the loach. The qPCR analysis revealed that knockout of cdk1 significantly upregulated cyclin genes (ccnb3,ccnc, and ccne1), while inhibiting expression of the separase gene espl1 (p < 0.05); (4) Conclusions: During chromosome doubling in diploid loaches induced by heat shock, knocking out the cdk1 gene can increase the tetraploid induction rate. This effect may occur through downregulation of the espl1 gene. This study offers novel insights into optimizing the induced breeding technology of polyploid fish and deciphering its molecular mechanism, while highlighting the potential application of integrating gene editing with physical induction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Animal Science)
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