Search Results (1,287)

Reliable magnetic-materials screening requires more than a model that performs well within one computational catalogue. We develop and audit a composition-anchored library residual (CALR) protocol for transferring density-functional-theory (DFT) magnetic-moment information across heterogeneous databases. CALR harmonizes moment percentiles within each library, fits a composition-only ridge anchor, and admits a bounded moment residual only when a nested, composition-disjoint bridge test supports improved rank correlation. AFLOW and JARVIS moments are evaluated against experimental Curie temperatures from NEMAD, with a frozen Materials Project snapshot as a third source. On 484 AFLOW-JARVIS bridge compositions, neither directional gate opens: cross-fitted changes in Spearman correlation are +0.0079 (95% interval −0.0027 to 0.0187) and +0.0060 (−0.0125 to 0.0238). The Materials Project-to-JARVIS bridge gives Δrho = 0.0101 (−0.0036 to 0.0250), also returning the composition anchor. Ungated transfer improves one direction but produces negative transfer in the reverse; CORAL and density-ratio weighting underperform the anchor. A fixed-hash semi-synthetic control shows that CALR can activate for a known transferable residual and close for zero, non-transferable, or reversed residuals, although finite-sample false openings remain. CALR is therefore an auditable diagnostic for cross-library magnetic screening and negative-transfer risk, not formal risk control or validated permanent-magnet discovery. We re-ran the Materials Project analysis with current cell atom counts (nsites), traced every aligned key to a selected DFT identifier and experimental DOI, froze a percentile map on common compounds before gating, held out chemical families from training, resampled element-set groups through the full fit/select pipeline, and compared CALR with same-budget target-domain models. The MP gate remains closed after the nsites correction. We state a single protected deployment estimand: Spearman ρ of the frozen ranking versus experimental Tc on composition-disjoint target-library keys. Structure-resolved and aggregation sensitivities leave the headline |M|–Tc Spearman near 0.43. Family-grouped cross-validation lowers the composition-ridge OOF ρ from 0.697 to 0.461. The 484-key bridge is underpowered for the observed residual (forward 80% power requires Δρ ≈ 0.015–0.020). Materials Project reuses 100% of the NEMAD labels already seen in the AFLOW/JARVIS workflow. CALR still equals the composition ridge on every real direction; we state quantitative conditions under which its extra cost would be justified, and the independent library experiment that would be required to claim a practical benefit. Full article

Fire remains one of the most damaging exposures a concrete structure can face, yet how entrained air interacts with that damage is still not fully mapped out. This work looks at that gap directly, testing concretes with nominal total fresh-concrete air contents of approximately 2% (control), 4% (AE-4), and 6% (AE-6) after exposure to temperatures between 23 °C and 700 °C, followed by either air or water cooling. Six properties were measured: dry unit weight, thermal conductivity, compressive strength, flexural strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), and dynamic modulus of elasticity (DEM), and each was then modeled with a dedicated feed-forward artificial neural network (ANN) using only AE content and temperature as inputs. The compressive strength of the control mix fell from 65.30 MPa at ambient temperature to 8.57 MPa at 700 °C, an 87% loss, with comparably steep reductions recorded for the other properties. At every temperature tested, water-cooled control specimens retained less strength and stiffness than their air-cooled counterparts. The ANN models, trained with the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm, reproduced the experimental trends closely, returning coefficients of determination between 0.9364 and 0.9735. Sensitivity analysis placed temperature well ahead of AE content as the dominant driver of property change in every model (sensitivity ratio of 2.36–7.25 versus 1.14–1.87), although AE content was never negligible. The models provide accurate predictions within the investigated experimental ranges and may support preliminary assessment of comparable air-entrained concrete systems. Scanning electron microscopy tied these numbers to what was actually happening inside the material: the C–S–H structure held together reasonably well up to about 500 °C, then broke down visibly by 700 °C, with the AE’s air voids appearing to interrupt crack growth along the way. Together, the results offer both a practical dataset and a set of ready-to-use ANN tools for assessing the residual condition of air-entrained concrete after fire. Full article

Reheating alters residual molecular order and matrix architecture in retrograded starch, but these changes do not necessarily produce parallel changes in enzymic digestion. Gels of normal maize starch (NM), high-amylose maize starch (HM), and a 50/50 (w/w) NM/HM blend were stored at 4 °C for 7 d and steam-reheated to core temperatures of 50 or 80 °C. HM was less hydrolysed than NM at either temperature. At 300 min, hydrolysis reached 51.3% and 61.4% for HM at 50 and 80 °C, respectively, versus approximately 81% for NM. DSC and XRD showed that HM-containing gels retained more thermally stable ordered structures. The 50/50 blend responded differently: reheating to 80 °C lowered hydrolysis from 72.6% to 65.6% despite no corresponding increase in residual order. This inverse response coincided with lower pore area (12.8 to 4.6 m²/g), larger 4 V/A pore diameter (966 to 2623 nm), and a more continuous freeze-dried morphology, consistent with fewer fine mercury-accessible pores and internal interfaces. Overall, starch structural composition established the broad ranking of hydrolysis after reheating, whereas matrix reorganisation modified the relationship between residual order and enzymic susceptibility in the 50/50 blend. Residual molecular order alone was therefore insufficient to predict the digestion response after reheating. Full article

Field evidence for earthen and natural-fibre walls in hot climates remains scarce. This study reports a six-month field comparison of two wall constructions, instrumented on both faces at Riyadh (hot-arid) and Taif (milder highland), Saudi Arabia. Twenty-four sensors logged temperature and humidity every 15 min on three orientations of two open test cells with identical 300 mm walls: one of rammed earth reinforced with camel hair, the other of hollow concrete block. Twelve outer/inner wall pairs were analysed over 1708 wall-days. The earth wall damped the daily temperature swing more than the concrete block in every orientation at both sites: mean decrement factor 0.42 versus 0.58 at Taif and 0.47 versus 0.64 at Riyadh, holding on 86–99% of matched days. Mean inner-face amplitude fell from 12.5 to 7.0 °C at Riyadh. Time lag reached 3.2 h at Riyadh against 1.3 h for concrete block, but the materials were indistinguishable at Taif. Once construction moisture had dissipated, the earth wall damped the daily absolute-humidity swing by 57–58% against 11–48% for concrete block. Because the cells are open and unconditioned, these descriptors are comparative indices rather than transferable wall properties, and no cooling-load saving is inferred. Full article

Tropical ornamental Anthurium andraeanum requires substantial electrical heating for overwintering when cultivated in greenhouses in subtropical regions, making cold tolerance improvement a key factor for cost reduction. However, whether exogenous 6-Benzylaminopurine (6-BA) can enhance cold hardiness in Anthurium and its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we conducted a controlled experiment to compare the physiological and biochemical responses of A. andraeanum ‘Alabama’ subjected to low-temperature stress following foliar application of 6-BA versus water. Our results show that, compared with water treatment, 6-BA application was associated with better preservation of subcellular structural integrity, higher proline accumulation, lower hydrogen peroxide content, decreased relative electrical conductivity, increased leaf fresh weight, dry weight, and area along with reduced water content, and lower stomatal density. These findings suggest that, under defined low-temperature conditions, 6-BA is associated with enhanced physiological performance in A. andraeanum, potentially through coordinated effects on subcellular stability, osmotic adjustment, reactive oxygen species accumulation, leaf morphology and water metabolism, and stomatal density. This work provides a theoretical basis and technical reference for cold-tolerant cultivation of Anthurium. Full article

The air-feeding system of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) delivers oxygen for electrochemical reactions while critically influencing stack power, efficiency, and durability. Compared to hydrogen supply, air management poses greater technical challenges owing to the need for precise dynamic control, composition regulation, and impurity tolerance. Thermal management similarly governs reaction kinetics, water–thermal balance, and material longevity. To address the coupling between these two subsystems, this study proposes hybrid intelligent control architecture. For the highly nonlinear air supply system, a nonlinear enhanced sliding mode controller (ASMC) is developed that achieves finite-time convergence with improved response speed and reduced delay. For thermal management, a PID controller optimized by the RIME (Rime Ice Optimization) algorithm is designed. The coordinated strategy maintains optimal reaction conditions and meets dynamic power demands, thereby ensuring safe, efficient, and sustainable fuel cell operation. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed ASMC reduces rise time by 85.0% compared to model predictive control and by 70.0% versus standard sliding mode control, with steady-state error 60.0% lower than that of fuzzy logic control. In thermal management, the RIME-optimized PID controller achieves rapid temperature stabilization within the optimal range, requiring 22.0% fewer iterations than the marine predator algorithm. The integrated control architecture effectively decouples air supply and thermal regulation objectives, providing a robust solution for PEMFC system operation. Full article

Geodesic dome greenhouses have attracted growing interest as alternative structures for sustainable crop production, as their curved structures provide advantages while creating distinct internal airflow characteristics. This geometry also alters internal air movement and temperature distribution relative to conventional greenhouses, yet quantitative information on airflow recirculation, stagnant-zone formation, and thermal stratification in full-scale geodesic dome greenhouses remains limited. To address this gap, this study combined field measurements with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to characterize these geometry-specific airflow and thermal behaviors and to quantify the relative contributions of buoyancy and forced convection. Three operational ventilation configurations were evaluated: mechanical ventilation with an open-air inlet, mechanical ventilation with supply fans, and mechanical ventilation with both an open-air inlet and supply fans (combined ventilation). A 4V icosahedron dome greenhouse in South Bend, IN, USA, served as the reference structure. Spatial comparisons under the open-inlet configuration showed reasonable agreement between the simulated and measured temperature and air velocity data, with coefficients of determination of 0.905 for temperature and 0.920 for velocity. Under all three configurations, the air formed recirculating flow patterns, but stagnant regions still appeared near the upper dome and by the inlet vents. At canopy level, combined ventilation produced the smallest stagnant zone at 12.67%, against 14.63% for open-inlet ventilation and 16.75% for supply-fan ventilation. Open-inlet ventilation lowered the overall greenhouse temperature more than supply-fan ventilation (24.54 ± 0.69 °C versus 26.17 ± 0.58 °C), while combined ventilation held a similar average temperature (24.55 ± 0.43 °C) with a more uniform distribution. The Richardson number indicated that open-inlet ventilation was more strongly influenced by buoyancy (Ri = 1.05), whereas combined ventilation was governed mainly by forced convection (Ri = 0.17). These findings provide a quantitative characterization of airflow recirculation, stagnant regions, thermal stratification, and buoyancy–forced-convection interactions in the investigated full-scale geodesic dome greenhouse, providing a basis for geometry-specific ventilation assessment and design. Full article

Synthetic fibre composites deliver high mechanical performance at a substantial energy and carbon cost, motivating a shift to renewable reinforcements. Flax and hemp are credible candidates, but their uptake is constrained by thermal stability and inherent combustibility, and their performance depends strongly on how completely the laminate is consolidated during manufacture. Vacuum-Assisted Resin Infusion Moulding (VARIM) yields low-void, well-consolidated laminates, yet the thermal and acoustic behaviour of VARIM-processed flax and hemp composites has not been compared directly. This study evaluates unidirectional flax/epoxy and hemp/epoxy laminates, each consisting of five plies produced under identical VARIM conditions, using TGA, DSC, limiting oxygen index (LOI) and UL 94 HB testing, SEM, and four-microphone impedance tube transmission loss (TL) measurements (ASTM E2611). Both laminates remained thermally stable to approximately 200–220 °C. Hemp/epoxy recorded a higher 5 wt.% degradation temperature (222 versus 207 °C), char residue (10.22 versus 9.29 wt.%) and average TL (13.22 versus 11.56 dB, 250–2000 Hz), while both laminates returned an identical LOI of 21.54% and a UL 94 HB rating. The fibre-governed properties therefore differed between the two laminates whereas the flammability response, governed by the shared epoxy matrix, did not. The glass transition temperature also differed (71.9 versus 65.3 °C) but is attributed to a small difference in degree of cure rather than to the reinforcement. The results provide baseline data for selecting VARIM-processed bio-composites for thermal management and passive noise control. The findings support Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 9, 12, and 13 through the development of sustainable, low-carbon bio-composite materials. Full article

Heat stress is known to affect dairy cow behavior, but its effects on milking-order patterns and stabilization after herd entry in large commercial herds are not well described. We analyzed 70,491 parlor records from 484 Holstein cows milked three times daily in a free-stall herd to examine how thermal conditions shape milking-order dynamics. Daily intraday milking-order displacement was quantified based on changes in queue position between successive milkings. Cow-specific regressions of milking order on ambient temperature were used to identify clusters of thermal response, and time to reach a stable queue position was evaluated for newly introduced cows according to thermal conditions at herd entry. Results show a modest increase in intraday physical displacement from thermally comfortable to severely hot days, whereas relative displacement did not differ significantly across the four thermal categories. Cows showed consistent individual differences in how their milking position shifted with temperature that were only weakly associated with parity, days in milk, milk yield, or panting score. In an exploratory severe versus non-severe comparison, cows entering the herd under severe thermal conditions had a lower adjusted hazard of reaching the predefined stabilization criterion (HR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.43–0.90). Collectively, these findings indicate that milking-order patterns extracted from routine parlor records are associated with behavioral responses to thermal conditions. Their management implications, including decisions related to herd entry and cooling, require further experimental evaluation. Full article

In this study, thermal comfort parameters and illuminance (E) are investigated in four differently oriented workspaces at Najran University, using an R data logger and an Extech HD450 lux meter in accordance with international standards. The findings reveal that the effect of orientation on indoor temperature is limited. Class (1), oriented northwest/northeast, consistently showed the highest temperatures when cooling was off. Meanwhile, the northeast-oriented office, which had a smaller WWR, maintained lower temperatures in the afternoon. The Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) comfort band was achieved only in the labor workspace and office at 13:00 and 15:00, and at 15:00 in Classes (1) and (2). Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD) values were mostly below 10% at 13:00 and 15:00, meeting standards, but often exceeded 10% in Classes (1) and (2). The south-facing classroom received more daylight than the north-facing one, highlighting how orientation affects illuminance, despite both classrooms being identical in area, window-to-wall ratio (WWR), and window-to-floor ratio (WFR). Correlation analyses revealed the following: the WFR and mean general temperature (Ta) were strongly correlated (0.96), whereas the WFR and mean relative humidity (RH) were moderately correlated (0.59). WFR or WWR versus (Ta) had an R² of 0.93 (p = 0.03), whereas RH had an R² of 0.35 (p = 0.4). WFR or WWR versus E showed an R² of 0.92 (p = 0.03), indicating strong relationships in this small dataset. Overall, the findings indicate that architects should adopt orientation-specific concepts that carefully balance WWR and glazing specifications, emphasizing the importance of field-validated evidence for façade optimization. Full article

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a rapidly expanding transboundary vector-borne disease threatening livestock systems across Asia, with increasing risk of introduction into previously unaffected regions such as South Korea. This study developed an integrated, spatially explicit framework to assess the plausibility, timing and source-region structure of LSD virus (LSDV) introduction via windborne dispersal of infected arthropod vectors. Maximum Entropy models based on climatic, environmental, and topographic variables were used to determine habitat suitability for four major vector families (Culex spp., Musca domestica, Stomoxys calcitrans, and Culicoides spp.). All four were run via the transport simulation; S. calcitrans had the best experimental transmission efficiency, whereas Culicoides spp. provides the strongest evidence for passive long-distance transport. Livestock density and vector suitability were used to calculate the risk of LSD incidence in the adjacent source regions. A fourth-order Runge–Kutta trajectory model driven by ERA5 reanalysis winds at 850 hPa (about 1458 m) was used to predict windborne dissemination. This model included degradation of mechanically transmitted virus as well as survival limitations based on temperature, humidity, and wind. The simulated trajectories arrived in South Korea within the retention period of mechanically transported LSDV, with a median transit time of 18 h (interquartile range 10.0–30.3 h), 61.4% arriving within 24 h, and 87.1% within 48 h. North Korea accounted for 76.5% of weighted arrivals, with a median transit time of 11 h. Transit durations varied significantly by source location. For all four vector species, the predicted infectious arrival mass peaked in September and decreased thirteen-fold by November. Infected farms were found in regions of greater anticipated exposure than non-infected controls when compared to the October 2023 Korean epidemic (58.1% vs. 34.3% in the two highest risk groups; median exposure 0.214 versus 0.045; p < 0.001), although randomly relocating the dispersal surface reproduced comparable agreement in 23.6% of permutations, indicating that outbreak locations provide only limited validation of a pathway-specific introduction model. Random permutation of the dispersion surface produced a comparable result in 23.6% of permutations, indicating limited robustness of the observed spatial relationship to spatial randomization. With pairwise geographical and temporal distances significantly associated (Mantel r = +0.136, p = 0.013), spatiotemporal analysis revealed that the 74 reported outbreaks originated from a maximum of 25 introduction events over a 13-day period, consistent with significant farm-to-farm dissemination after introduction. The seasonal window, source-region structure, and transit timeframes of windborne LSDV introduction into South Korea are described in this paper. Reported epidemic sites only partially validate a pathway-specific introduction model since they reflect both the point of introduction and subsequent local transmission. This evaluation is pathway-specific and does not evaluate overall incursion risk; windborne transport is one of numerous possible introduction paths to consider. Full article

Spent hops generated during the dry-hopping stage of beer production were investigated as a precursor for the production of biochar and ZnCl₂-activated carbon for phenol adsorption from aqueous solutions. The effects of production conditions on adsorption performance were evaluated through factorial experimental designs, and the resulting materials were characterized by SEM, FTIR, and N₂ adsorption–desorption analyses. Chemical activation significantly enhanced the textural properties of the material, increasing the specific surface area from 113.6 to 755.9 m² g⁻¹ and the pore volume from 0.087 to 0.442 cm³ g⁻¹ compared with biochar. FTIR analysis revealed the presence of oxygen-containing functional groups and aromatic structures that may contribute to phenol adsorption. The activated carbon produced under optimized conditions (700 °C, 30 min, and 130 μm particle size) exhibited an adsorption capacity of 57.32 mg g⁻¹. Kinetic experiments showed rapid adsorption, with equilibrium reached within approximately 60 min, and the pseudo-second-order model provided the best fit to the experimental data (R² = 0.999). Equilibrium studies demonstrated that adsorption capacity increased with temperature, reaching a Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity of 727.46 mg g⁻¹ at 55 °C. Economic analysis showed that activated carbon presented a higher production cost than biochar (24.35 versus 13.40 US$ kg⁻¹). However, its superior adsorption performance resulted in a lower performance-adjusted cost (0.516 versus 0.856 US$ g⁻¹ of phenol adsorbed). These findings demonstrate that spent hops are a promising feedstock for the production of activated carbon, contributing to both wastewater treatment and the valorization of brewing-industry residues. Full article

To reduce the high post-harvest losses of perishable fruits due to fungal spoilage, a novel, self-healing, active multilayer coating based on green polymer chemistry was developed. The system was constructed by the layer-by-layer technique from a dual-modified pullulan polyelectrolyte pair—pullulan maleate and enzymatically derived pullulan betaine with incorporation of β-cyclodextrin/neem oil inclusion complex (β-CD/NO). SEM and DSC analyses confirmed the successful formation of the complex and the structural transition to a rough topography. Due to strong interlayer electrostatic interactions and β-CD as a rigid filler, the multilayer films with the active complex achieved the highest tensile strength of 1.30 ± 0.61 MPa (up to 4× increased in comparison to the monolayer films), with a decrease in elasticity to 10.84%. Additionally, water vapor permeability values were reduced by 22%–28% compared to related biomatrices, while rapid, water-activated self-healing successfully repaired physical film damage. In vitro testing against Candida albicans showed a pronounced synergistic effect with a zone of inhibition of 16.5 ± 1.1 mm for the active formulation. During seven-day in vivo testing on fresh figs, the active coating effectively suppressed yeast proliferation at room temperature (maintaining levels at 2.1 log CFU/g versus 7.1 in untreated figs) and under refrigerated conditions. This innovative system represents a highly promising and sustainable platform for active food packaging. Full article

High-mountain streams in semiarid regions are particularly vulnerable to climate change projections due to reduced snow cover and increasing air temperatures. In these environments, groundwater may play a critical role in sustaining streamflow and regulating stream thermal regimes. This study analyzes discharge, air temperature, and water temperature records collected along an altitudinal transect in the Alhorí River watershed (Sierra Nevada, SE Spain) during the hydrological years 2020–2025. The basin is fully deglaciated and characterized by glacial–periglacial deposits and weathered schists that promote snowmelt infiltration and groundwater storage. Results show a progressive downstream increase in discharge, with gains of up to 164% in the upper reaches and an overall increase of approximately 484% from the spring source to the gauging station, indicating substantial groundwater contributions along the river. Strong thermal decoupling between air and water temperatures was observed. Spring water temperature remained nearly constant (~4 °C), with a thermal lag of about 49 days relative to air temperature and an annual amplitude (~0.3 °C) much smaller than that of air temperature (~10 °C). Stream temperature decreased with altitude at a lower rate than air temperature (−0.33 versus −0.54 °C per 100 m), demonstrating persistent groundwater thermal buffering. These findings provide evidence of the role of shallow groundwater storage in sustaining streamflow and moderating thermal variability in Mediterranean mountain catchments, with potential relevance under future hydroclimatic changes. Full article

Although natural biopolymers represent promising sustainable packaging alternatives, their weak mechanical and barrier properties limit industrial use. While previous reviews focus on descriptive aspects of enzymatic modification, this review fills a critical literature gap by systematically bridging molecular-level laccase-driven reactions with quantitative techno-economic and safety and regulatory frameworks. We evaluate the kinetic and topological differences between direct tyrosyl-coupled protein homopolymerisation and mediator-assisted ‘graft-then-link’ polysaccharide strategies. Crucially, we analyse how entrapment versus surface-immobilised architectures dictate mass-transfer regimes, establishing their specific functional fitness for active oxygen scavenging or intelligent time-temperature monitoring. Beyond physical performance, we critically assess the translational bottlenecks currently hindering industrial scaling. For the first time, we integrate a quantitative techno-economic analysis using the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) framework, demonstrating that active film fabrication costs (EUR 0.01–0.10/m²) are heavily offset by high-protein food waste savings (>EUR 2.00/kg). Finally, we navigate European and US regulatory landscapes for enzymatically active materials and evaluate safety risks via the Threshold of Toxicological Concern (TTC) model and deterministic migration modelling. This comprehensive analysis establishes a ‘Safe-by-Design’ paradigm, guiding the scalable development of intrinsically safe, high-performance biocatalytic packaging. Full article