Search Results (21,772)

Optimizing nitrogen (N) management is crucial for high-quality rice (Oryza sativa L.) production. However, how N affects grain quality at different positions within a panicle remains unclear. This study evaluated the effects of different N application regimes on the milling, appearance, eating, and nutritional quality of grains at varying panicle positions. We used a japonica cultivar Wuyunjing 31 in a controlled pot experiment with three N treatments: N32:0 (early heavy N), N16:16 (split application with late N topdressing), and N16:0 (low-N control). Results showed that late N topdressing (N16:16) significantly improved head rice yield across all grain positions, which was linked to higher storage protein accumulation (especially glutelin) and larger length-to-width ratio. Conversely, late N application deteriorated appearance quality by increasing the chalky grain rate and chalkiness. This negative effect was most pronounced in superior grains on upper and middle branches. Furthermore, the N16:16 treatment consistently decreased amylose content while increasing albumin, prolamin, and glutelin levels, demonstrating a clear trade-off between carbon (C) and N sinks. We speculated that these intra-panicle differences result from increased competition for carbon resources between starch and protein synthesis pathways. Overall, precision N management should account for spatial differences in grain development to effectively balance rice yield and quality. Full article

Climate change-induced abiotic stress, particularly heat and drought during olive oil accumulation, significantly threatens the productivity and oil quality of olive trees (Olea europaea L.). This study investigated the efficacy of pre-harvest elicitation using the biostimulants harpin and chitosan (both as commercially available products) under summer conditions in Greece, in commercially productive rainfed groves of cv. ‘Megaritiki’. Multivariate analysis (PCA and factor analysis) revealed that pre-harvest application of these elicitors successfully balanced the trade-off between oil yield and quality. Both harpin and chitosan maintained hydrolytic (free acidity—0.25 and 0.29 g oleic acid 100 g⁻¹, respectively, compared to 0.56 g oleic acid 100 g⁻¹ in the control) and primary oxidative markers (peroxides—4.16 and 4.16 meq O₂ kg⁻¹, respectively, compared to 5.20 meq O₂ kg⁻¹ in the control) at exceptionally low levels compared to untreated trees. The treatments induced a distinctive metabolic shift regarding volatile compounds governed by the lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway. Harpin application was strongly associated with complex floral and fruity volatile compounds (2-hexen-1-ol and trans-2-hexenal) and a high α-tocopherol concentration (38.58 mg kg⁻¹ compared to 23.12 mg kg⁻¹ in the control), suggesting an enhanced physiological response in favor of oil quality attributes. Conversely, chitosan elevated the oxidative stability of the oil by increasing total phenol concentration (by almost 97% compared to the control) and prioritizing the accumulation of the stable monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid—increased by 12.5% compared to the control) over polyunsaturated ones (linoleic acid), while endowing the oil with desirable “green freshness” aromas (cis-3-hexenal). These results demonstrate that elicitation with harpin and chitosan is a potent tool for sustainably enhancing extra virgin olive oil quality under rainfed conditions in Greece, steering fruit metabolism toward a premium nutraceutical and sensory profile and enhancing the functional properties of the oil (phenol content, antioxidant capacity, monounsaturated fatty acids, α-tocopherol and squalene). Full article

Masonry bricks and blocks are among the most widely used construction materials worldwide; however, their conventional production relies on energy-intensive firing processes and virgin raw materials, leading to significant environmental impacts. In response to increasing sustainability and decarbonization demands in the construction sector, numerous novel ceramic and refractory materials have been proposed for masonry applications. This systematic review provides a comprehensive assessment of recent advances in ceramic and refractory materials for masonry bricks and blocks, focusing on material classification, processing routes, microstructure–property relationships, and sustainability performance. Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, the peer-reviewed literature published between 2018 and 2025 was systematically identified, screened, and analyzed. An analytical framework based on well-established relationships from ceramic science was adopted to support consistent comparison of mechanical, thermal, acoustic, durability, and sustainability-related properties across heterogeneous material systems. Conventional fired ceramics, waste-derived ceramics, lightweight and porous systems, alkali-activated and unfired materials, and advanced engineered ceramics were comparatively evaluated. The results reveal a clear shift from dense traditional fired ceramics toward materials incorporating industrial and agricultural residues, engineered porosity, and low-temperature or unfired processing routes. Waste-derived and geopolymer-based systems demonstrate significant potential for reducing CO${}_2$ emissions and energy consumption while maintaining functional performance suitable for masonry applications. Lightweight and porous ceramics exhibit enhanced thermal and acoustic behavior, often accompanied by reduced mechanical strength, highlighting application-dependent trade-offs. Overall, this review provides an integrated perspective linking composition, processing, microstructure, performance, and environmental impact, identifying key research trends and knowledge gaps relevant to sustainable masonry construction. Full article

Antimony is a critical metal for future industries, energy, and national defense. China was once the world’s largest exporter of antimony ore. However, in recent years, China’s antimony ore production has declined, driving profound transformations and restructuring in the global antimony trade landscape. This study integrates industry analysis with complex network topology methods, applying industrial concentration indices, oligopoly indices, and network topology indicators to global antimony trade data from 1994 to 2024 to analyze the evolution of China’s trade position and competitive edge. The findings reveal that the global antimony trade operates as an oligopolistic market. Although China’s resource-endowment advantage is diminishing, it retains a strong position in downstream, high-value-added segments. China’s competitive edge has shifted from resource exports to processed product exports, demonstrating an evolutionary pattern of “continued strength downstream and gradual weakening mid- to upstream.” By combining industry analysis and network topology, this study offers a novel perspective for assessing competitive edges in critical metals and provides scientific references for resource-rich countries in governing their advantageous mineral resources and formulating related policies. Full article

(1) Background: Curve data compression plays a critical role in efficient storage, transmission, and multi-scale visualization of vector spatial data, especially for complex geographic boundaries. Achieving high compression efficiency while preserving geometric fidelity remains a challenging task. (2) Methods: This study proposes a vector curve compression framework based on a convolutional autoencoder. Curve data are segmented and resampled to unify network input, after which coordinate-difference sequences are encoded into low-dimensional latent vectors through convolutional layers and reconstructed via a symmetric decoder. (3) Results: Experiments conducted on a global island boundary dataset demonstrate that the proposed method achieves effective data reduction with stable reconstruction accuracy. Specifically, compared with the classical Douglas–Peucker (DP) algorithm, Fourier series (FS) methods, and fully connected autoencoders (FCAs), the 1D CAE exhibits superior and more robust reconstruction performance, especially under high compression ratios. It achieves the lowest positional deviation (PD = 42.41) and the highest spatial fidelity (IoU = 0.9991, with a relative area error of only 0.0067%), while maintaining high computational efficiency (57.32 s). Sensitivity analyses reveal that a convolution kernel size of 1 × 7 and a segment length of 25 km yield the optimal trade-off between representational capacity and model stability. (4) Conclusions: The proposed method enables efficient vector curve compression and reliable coastline reconstruction, and is particularly suitable for small- and medium-scale cartographic applications up to a map scale of 1:250 K. Full article

Ecosystem services (ESs) support human well-being, but their integrated assessment in urban green spaces remains challenging, particularly at the project scale, where finer spatial resolution (tens of meters) is required. Historical parks are complex socio-ecological systems with non-linear ES interactions. This study develops a design-oriented framework to assess how restoration interventions influence regulation, maintenance, and cultural ES potential provision. Indicators derived from field surveys and established models were selected according to CICES V5.2 and adapted to ecological and cultural features of historical parks. Survey units were defined for each ES section to enable a spatially explicit comparison between current and design scenarios. A normalized scoring system was applied to evaluate category-level changes and overall interaction patterns. The framework was tested on the restoration project of Monza Park (northern Italy). Results show a marked increase in cultural and regulation services (+28% and +17%, respectively), while maintenance services exhibited a slight decrease (−3%). These trends are reflected in the Cumulative Indicator Score (CIS), indicating an overall positive balance of ES provision in the design scenario. The Design Effectiveness Score (DES) showed consistently non-negative values (DES ≥ 0), reaching maximum effectiveness in transitions to woody vegetation (DES ≈ 1). The Synergy–Trade-off Score (STS) confirmed a general increase in ES supply across all categories, with a clear prevalence of synergies over trade-offs. The proposed framework supports the data-driven, spatially explicit evaluation of design alternatives and can guide decision-making in historical park restoration. Full article

The herbal tea industry has experienced substantial growth, particularly regarding green tea (Camellia sinensis). In the manufacturing of filter tea, fine herbal dust is generated as a residual by-product during grinding and sieving and is typically discarded as waste. This study aims to explore the application of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) for secondary valorisation of green tea herbal dust by investigating the effects of various parameters on extraction efficiency. Antiradical activity of UAE extracts was determined using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, and the total phenolic content (TPC) was measured using Folin–Ciocalteu’s assay. Furthermore, selected phenolics were quantified by HPLC and qualitatively characterised by liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionisation and quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QToF-MS/MS). The results demonstrate that UAE parameters have a pronounced influence on the antioxidant activity, TPC, and individual polyphenolic profile of green tea herbal dust extracts. Ethanol–water mixtures at a ratio of around 40–60%, as well as moderate impulse regimes (around 60%) and extraction times (around 10 min), were the most suitable for extracting green tea polyphenols. Epigallocatechin gallate was the predominant phenolic component in most extracts, alongside epicatechin, epigallocatechin, catechin, and gallic acid. The findings highlight the UAE technique as a robust, green, and scalable method for valorising green tea by-products, thereby facilitating the development of high-value natural extracts for applications in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Full article

Decentralized microgrids have been proven to enable socioeconomic growth in developing countries. However, they are long-lasting investments whose profitability is highly uncertain due to unstable local socioeconomic contexts, which may delay the breakeven point, if ever reachable. Over the long term, capacity expansion and non-linear degradation of components also arise. Moreover, policymakers and developers are increasingly focusing on environmental and social considerations, raising the complexity of project development. Accordingly, multi-year planning has been simplified by addressing single challenges independently. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive procedure to efficiently solve stochastic multi-year problems for off-grid microgrids in developing countries, including capacity expansion and the non-linear degradation of battery and renewable assets. The novel procedure combines the efficient A-AUGMECON2 methodology for multi-objective formulation, the iterative decomposition of the non-linearities of the battery, and the inclusion of a two-step capacity expansion. A case study developed for Soroti, Uganda shows that the proposed model is suitable for planning purposes, with savings even beyond 20%. The Pareto frontier highlights the trade-offs among the net present cost, total emissions, and land use, which can support policy and business decision-making under uncertainty. The methodology renders these complex modeling challenges solvable and is scalable to energy system applications. Full article

Mycotoxin contamination remains a persistent threat to food safety in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighboring countries, driven by conducive tropical agroecological conditions, inadequate post-harvest practices, and limited regulatory governance. This critical narrative review (2009–2024) synthesizes the occurrence data for major staple foods (maize, peanuts, cassava, sorghum, millet, and beans) and dairy products compiled from Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, MDPI and institutional sources. It examines the co-occurrence patterns, exposure pathways, and analytical and regulatory gaps. Warm, humid lowland environments favor Aspergillus and aflatoxins, whereas cooler, humid highland zones promote Fusarium, fumonisins, and deoxynivalenol. Across commodities, contamination intensifies along food value chains through inadequate drying, non-hermetic storage, insect damage, and prolonged handling, with processed products generally exhibiting the highest levels of mycotoxins. Regulated mycotoxins, including aflatoxins, fumonisins, trichothecenes, ochratoxins, and zearalenone, frequently exceed European Union (EU), East African Community (EAC), and Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) limits in staple foods. Their co-occurrence is widespread, including emerging mycotoxins such as beauvericin and enniatins, particularly in maize- and peanut-based products, raising concerns about potential additive or synergistic effects. Aflatoxin M1 in milk highlights plant–feed–animal–human transfer within a One Health framework. Despite increasing evidence, the available data remain fragmented and heterogeneous; rapid tests dominate, while few studies employ multi-mycotoxin LC-MS/MS methods. Cross-border trade between countries, such as Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Angola, facilitates the circulation of contaminated commodities in the absence of harmonized standards and risk-based controls. Priorities include harmonized regional surveillance, biomarker-based co-exposure assessment, cost-effectiveness evaluation of mitigation strategies, and regulatory alignment at borders. Coordinated, multisectoral action is essential to reduce chronic dietary exposure and improve food safety across the region. Full article

Due to high specific energy absorption, composite/metal hybrid multi-cell thin-walled tubes hold significant potential in the field of automotive passive safety. However, the material coupling effect enhancing SEA often elevated the initial peak crushing force, reducing crushing force efficiency and compromising occupant protection. To balance SEA and CFE, trigger holes were introduced as an induced deformation mechanism for hybrid tubes to reduce IPCF while preserving SEA, with the optimized perforated configuration yielding higher CFE than the non-perforated counterpart. A high-fidelity finite element model of the hybrid tube was developed and experimentally validated, and the influences of induced structural parameters on SEA and CFE were investigated. Given the strong nonlinear coupling between trigger parameters and crashworthiness, a multilayer perceptron surrogate model was constructed using 200 optimal Latin hypercube sampling samples (20 for validation). A Q-learning enhanced particle swarm optimization (QL-PSO) algorithm was adopted for optimization, with reinforcement learning dynamically adjusting PSO parameters to balance global exploration and local exploitation. Finite element simulations validated that the proposed method achieved a favorable SEA-CFE trade-off, with SEA and CFE improved by 12.02% and 16.39% respectively, outperforming reported configurations. Compared with standard PSO, QL-PSO exhibited superior search efficiency and inverse mapping accuracy, with 22% higher optimization efficiency and full compliance with inverse design performance targets. This study provided valuable guidance for the design of thin-walled energy-absorbing structures in multi-material vehicle bodies. Full article

To overcome the seasonal constraints of explant availability and facilitate genetic improvement in Catalpa ovata, this study established a dual-pathway in vitro regeneration system (encompassing adventitious shoot organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis) using mature zygotic embryos. We systematically evaluated the synergistic effects of maternal genotypes, plant growth regulators (PGRs), basal media, and the histone deacetylase inhibitor Trichostatin A (TSA). Genotype screening revealed significant divergence in regenerative potential, with the half-sib family 32F17 exhibiting superior responsiveness (84.7% callus induction). A high cytokinin-to-auxin ratio (ZA3 medium) optimally drove direct shoot organogenesis. For adventitious shoot proliferation, the addition of TDZ significantly improved the multiplication coefficient (up to 2.99 on ZB4 medium), although a physiological trade-off with shoot elongation was observed. In parallel, the application of 10 µM TSA significantly enhanced somatic embryogenesis from embryogenic calli, effectively alleviating the inhibitory constraints of exogenous PGRs. For rhizogenesis, the DKW basal medium proved superior to half-strength MS, with the ZE3 treatment (0.1 mg·L⁻¹ NAA + 0.1 mg·L⁻¹ IBA) yielding the highest rooting frequency (69.6%) and robust root architecture. Notably, while somatic embryo conversion remained recalcitrant, plantlets derived exclusively from the adventitious shoot organogenesis pathway were successfully acclimatized ex vitro. These transplanted plantlets exhibited consistently high survival rates (83.1–84.4%) across all tested genotypes, effectively overcoming the initial genotype-dependent recalcitrance. Collectively, this optimized protocol provides a reliable technical platform for the large-scale clonal propagation and biotechnological breeding of C. ovata. Full article

As a core area for soil and water conservation on the Loess Plateau and a national primary shale oil production zone, Qingyang City faces an increasingly acute contradiction between its inherently fragile ecological base and energy development activities. From the dual perspectives of ecological regulating services and production-supporting services, this study selected six key ecosystem services—habitat quality (HQ), soil retention (SR), carbon storage (CS), water yield (WY), food supply (FS), and grassland forage supply (GS)—to comprehensively assess their spatiotemporal evolution, trade-off/synergy relationships, and driving mechanisms from 2000 to 2020. The results indicate: (1) Significant changes occurred in the total amounts and spatial patterns of all ecosystem services during 2000–2020. HQ showed a fluctuating upward trend, while SR, FS, and GS increased overall; by contrast, CS and WY generally declined. (2) Ecosystem services exhibited a differentiated pattern characterized by “intra-category synergy and inter-category trade-off.” Regulating and supporting services were generally dominated by synergistic relationships, although clear differences remained among specific service pairs; provisioning services generally showed trade-offs with regulating services, among which the trade-offs between FS–HQ and between FS–GS were the most pronounced, whereas FS–CS showed a certain degree of synergy. (3) Driving force analysis revealed a continuous decline in the influence of natural factors and a sharp intensification of human activity factors. Groundwater level and land-use intensity became core drivers of pattern shifts, with their explanatory power increasing significantly. The study reveals that ecosystem services in Qingyang have rapidly transitioned from being dominated by natural hydrothermal conditions to being profoundly reshaped by energy development activities, exposing the region to the ecological risk of a “resource curse.” These findings provide a scientific basis and management insights for achieving coordinated development between resource exploitation and ecological conservation in ecologically fragile areas of the Loess Plateau. Full article

Spatial and temporal ontologies play a foundational role in modeling dynamic real-world phenomena across domains such as geographic information systems, artificial intelligence, and the Semantic Web. Although decades of research have advanced spatial reasoning, temporal logic, and ontology engineering, fully integrated spatio-temporal frameworks remain fragmented across disciplinary traditions. This paper presents a comprehensive review of spatial, temporal, and spatio-temporal ontologies, examining their conceptual foundations, formal logical models and Semantic Web standards. The literature is analyzed to classify major modeling paradigms and to evaluate their theoretical assumptions, representational capabilities, and computational trade-offs. The review proposes a taxonomy distinguishing foundational ontologies, spatial-centric models, temporal-centric frameworks, integrated spatio-temporal systems. Comparative discussion highlights tensions between logical expressiveness and scalability, as well as challenges related to interoperability and dynamic reasoning. The analysis identifies persistent gaps, including limited native temporal support in description logics, complexity in modeling evolving spatial relations, absence of unified spatio-temporal standards, and lack of standardized evaluation benchmarks. The paper concludes by outlining research directions focused on hybrid ontology–knowledge graph architectures, multi-scale modeling, event-driven semantics, and neuro-symbolic integration. By synthesizing theoretical and applied perspectives, this review provides a structured foundation for advancing interoperable and scalable spatio-temporal knowledge systems capable of supporting next-generation intelligent applications. Full article

Varroa destructor (Bee mite) and Deformed Wing Virus are primary causes of honeybee colony collapse. This study developed an automated AI-based vision inspection system for detecting bee mites and deformed bees using the YOLO algorithm. The system integrates an RGB camera, a beecomb rotation motor, and an image transmission module to enable automated dual-sided image acquisition of the beecomb. The image characteristics of normal bees, bee mites, and deformed bees were analyzed, and YOLO-based object detection models were developed to classify them. Six YOLO models—based on YOLOv8 and YOLOv11 architectures across three model sizes (nano, small, and large)—were evaluated on 405 test images (6441 objects). The proposed system reduced the inspection time from 240 s required for manual method to 20 s per beecomb, achieving 12-fold efficiency improvement. Comparative analysis showed model-task specialization: YOLOv8l excelled in detecting small bee mites (F1: 92.5%, mAP[0.5]: 92.1%), while YOLOv11s achieved the highest performance for morphologically diverse deformed bees (F1: 95.1%). Error analysis indicated that detection performance was influenced by morphological characteristics. Deformed bee detection errors correlated with overlap in wing-to-body ratio: DB Type II exhibited 18.6% miss rate, while DB Type III achieved perfect detection. In bee mite detection, a sensitivity–specificity trade-off was observed: YOLOv11l had the lowest false negatives (2.5%) but highest false positives, while YOLOv8l demonstrated superior discrimination. These results demonstrate the practical potential of the proposed system for field deployment in apiaries, supporting early pest diagnosis and improved colony health management. The model-task specialization framework provides guidance for architecture selection based on object characteristics. Future work will focus on multi-location validation and real-time monitoring integration. Full article

This study investigates the integration of Organic Rankine Cycle systems with hydrogen production and use to enhance energy efficiency and economic viability in waste heat recovery applications. A comprehensive thermodynamic, exergoeconomic, and environmental assessment evaluates multiple ORC configurations and six working fluids across hospital and hotel facilities. The analysis quantifies component-level exergy costs, system-level economics, and operational CO₂ emission reductions, focusing on optimal sizing strategies and threshold conditions under which hydrogen storage enhances energy autonomy without compromising economic viability. Results reveal fundamental design trade-offs: Basic ORC achieved the lowest LCOE at 0.033 $/kWh through operational simplicity, while complex configurations extract up to 70% more power at 14–32% higher cost. N-pentane exhibits superior thermodynamic–economic performance in the Parallel Dual ORC configuration, achieving 20% thermal efficiency and 40% exergy efficiency. R1233zd emerges as the preferred alternative from a safety perspective, exhibiting comparable performance with minimal penalties in both power generation and efficiency metrics. System-level analysis shows that properly sized ORC–hydrogen integration reduces Hospital 1 user LCOE_tot from 0.23 $/kWh to 0.069 $/kWh—a 70% reduction achieved by minimizing grid dependence. Environmental benefits strongly correlate with grid carbon intensity, with operational CO₂ emission reductions ranging from 181 tons annually in Spain to 752 tons in Poland. Full article