Search Results (1,487)

This article examines the ancestral belief system of fishermen in the Taihu Lake region through the worship of Xianfeng 先锋 (lit. “forerunner”). Existing studies of Taihu fishermen’s beliefs have primarily provided general descriptions of fishing communities, while the formation, transmission, social functions, and contemporary transformation of Xianfeng belief remain insufficiently examined. Drawing on textual analysis and ethnographic fieldwork, this article addresses this gap by exploring how Xianfeng belief has been sustained through the tradition of ritual specialists (Tangmen Taibao 堂门太保) and transformed from family-based ancestor worship into a community-wide protective practice through rituals such as incense pilgrimages and incense association rites. In doing so, it reconstructs the developmental trajectory of Xianfeng belief and provides a representative case for understanding the religious transformation of the rapidly disappearing fishing communities in the Taihu Lake region, while contributing to a broader discussion of religious change in China’s waterborne societies. Full article

The growing demand for environmentally sustainable materials has accelerated the development of bio-based coatings as alternatives to conventional petroleum-derived surface treatments. Among renewable biopolymers, lignin has emerged as a particularly attractive candidate owing to its abundance, renewable origin, aromatic structure, antioxidant activity, ultraviolet shielding capability, and diverse functional groups suitable for chemical modification. As a major by-product of the pulp, paper, and biorefinery industries, lignin represents an underutilized renewable resource with significant potential for value-added coating applications. This review provides an overview of recent advances in lignin-based coatings for sustainable and biodegradable materials. The chemical structure, physicochemical properties, industrial sources, extraction technologies, purification methods, and functionalization strategies of lignin are discussed. Particular attention is given to nanostructured lignin systems, including lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) and chemically modified derivatives, which have demonstrated improved compatibility and performance in coating formulations. Fabrication technologies such as solution casting, dip coating, spray coating, layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly, extrusion processing, and nanocomposite approaches are examined. Mechanical, barrier, thermal, UV-shielding, antioxidant, antimicrobial, hydrophobic, and environmental performance are comparatively assessed. Lignin nanoparticles and chemically modified lignins generally show improved functionality, while waterborne coatings for paper and fiber-based packaging appear closest to practical application. However, lignin heterogeneity, durability, scalability, and limited regulatory evaluation and end-of-life assessment remain major barriers to commercialization. Full article

This study aims to assess the impact of the October 2023 Gaza War on water and sanitation systems and propose actionable solutions for effective management. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach (quantitative and qualitative). Primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews, targeted questionnaires, and direct field observations. Secondary data were gathered from reports by international organizations (UNRWA, OCHA, WHO), Palestinian authorities, academic research, in addition to satellite imagery and Geographic Information System (GIS) data for damage assessment. The results showed that the institutional level of emergency preparedness before the war varied significantly. Despite the existence of pre-developed emergency plans (mean score 3.26, relative weight 65.28%, p = 0.0355), there were significant shortcomings in practical staff training (mean score 2.64, relative weight 52.83%, p = 0.006), logistical readiness, and the activation of international partnerships. The study also revealed major challenges faced in providing water and sanitation services during the war, including fuel and resource shortages, safety risks for field teams, weak coordination with security agencies, lack of materials and equipment, insufficient emergency funding, coordination gaps, staff displacement, communication breakdowns, difficulty accessing water sources, area division and blockade, and loss of personnel. Specifically, the inability to access water sources was a critical challenge (mean score 4.30, relative weight 86.04%, p < 0.0001), as was indiscriminate shelling impacting field team safety (mean score 4.19, relative weight 83.77%, p < 0.0001) and lack of materials and equipment (mean score 4.15, relative weight 83.02%, p < 0.0001). Residents reported water availability only every 10–15 days, and over 70% of water and sanitation systems were damaged. While funding proposals were being prepared (mean score 3.26, relative weight 65.28%, p = 0.02), weaknesses in reporting systems and coordination of roles were observed (mean score 2.55, relative weight 50.94%, p < 0.0001). The research contributes to guiding local and international efforts towards reconstruction, enhancing resilience, and ensuring the provision of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation for the affected population, thereby reducing the risks of waterborne diseases and improving public health. Full article

Global climate change significantly alters environmental and health dynamics, posing a major 21st-century public health threat. Diseases commonly transmitted through water and/or food (diarrhea, cholera, dysentery) are particularly sensitive to these changes. While numerous studies have investigated the climate impacts on waterborne diseases, a critical assessment of the applied methodologies and the consistencies of their outcomes is lacking. This systematic review synthesizes the impact of climate change on waterborne diseases, focusing on analytical methods and predictive models used to explain disease presence or abundance. We further evaluate the strengths and limitations of each approach, identifying key gaps for future research. We analyzed 78 indexed research articles published between 1996 and 2023. Our findings demonstrate that diverse climate-related extreme events, including precipitation, flooding, and drought, substantially impact waterborne disease incidence. Additionally, temperature, salinity, humidity, sunshine duration, wind patterns, and specific water quality parameters play significant roles, with regional variations observed. Sensitivity analysis methods and mathematical models are employed to assess sensitivities, quantify correlations, examine impacts, and predict risks. Based on these findings, we urge future research to prioritize elucidating mechanisms and developing models that leverage climate data to predict disease presence or abundance accurately and quantitatively. Full article

Sequential decision-making is a critical process that governs the loading and unloading operations of container terminals through a series of instructions. The quality of these batch-level dispatching decisions directly determines operational efficiency and the competitive position of the terminal. This paper proposes an intelligent instruction sequencing model based on a Parallel Priority-driven Deep Q-Network (ppDDQN) algorithm, acting as a centralized instruction dispatcher. The proposed ppDDQN extends standard Double DQN by incorporating (i) a parallel priority mechanism that integrates five domain-specific decision features—yard crane movement, container flipping, loading sequence, operational conflicts, and task completion potential—into the experience replay prioritization, and (ii) a wake–sleep feature learning architecture for structured state representation. A comprehensive simulation study with 100 validation cases across three scales (29, 50, and 100 containers) demonstrates that ppDDQN achieves a 20.0% improvement in normalized objective value over the genetic algorithm baseline and a 9.0% improvement over the step-activation variant (with statistical significance p < 0.01), while maintaining feasibility in over 96% of test cases across all scales. The proposed method effectively mitigates yard crane travel distance, limits container rehandling, and resolves operational conflicts, providing a robust batch-level sequencing solution under multi-equipment operational constraints. Full article

This study focuses on ways to improve the adhesion of organic coatings in a duplex anticorrosion protection system for S235JRG2 steel. To this end, the steel was mechanically pretreated by blasting with synthetic corundum (F40). Subsequently, the effect of this treatment on the indirect increase in the adhesion of the organic coating applied to the inorganic coating was analyzed. The inorganic coatings comprised electrogalvanized zinc and hot-dip galvanized zinc, while the organic system consisted of a water-borne coating. The reference specimens comprised cold-rolled steel surfaces (without mechanical pretreatment) and chemically pretreated zinc layers (prepared by Cr³⁺-based passivation). The mechanical surface pretreatments were characterised by surface roughness parameters (ISO 21920-2). The quality of the deposited inorganic coatings was evaluated using metallographic cross-sections. The adhesion of the organic coatings was assessed by a pull-off adhesion test (ISO 4624). The quantitative evaluation (pull-off strength) was carried out using a universal testing machine, while the qualitative analysis, namely the extent of adhesive and cohesive failure, was performed by digital image analysis in ImageJ. Degradation testing was conducted in a neutral salt spray environment (ISO 9227). The results indicate that the most pronounced increase in adhesion can currently be achieved by means of a conversion interlayer. In terms of indirect adhesion enhancement, a statistically significant increase relative to the rolled reference specimen was demonstrated for the electrogalvanized zinc layer. The degradation test results likewise suggest a positive effect on the operational reliability of the components. These findings open up new scope for further research into more environmentally friendly mechanical surface pretreatment methods. Full article

Carbon nanotube (CNT)- and graphene flake (GF)-modified polyester (PET) nonwoven composites were prepared using a one-sided impregnation process with waterborne polyurethane (PU) as the binder. The objective of this work was to clarify how the geometry and loading of one-dimensional CNTs and two-dimensional GFs regulate conductive network formation, anisotropic mechanical behavior, and thermal response in PU/PET nonwoven composites. The novelty of the study lies in the direct comparison of CNT and GF fillers in the same nonwoven/PU matrix and in correlating filler morphology with mechanical reinforcement, electrical conductivity, and textile-related thermal management performance. The sample codes C5 and C6 represent CNT contents of 5 and 6 wt.%, respectively, while G4 and G6 represent GF contents of 4 and 6 wt.%, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that GF tended to form sheet-like coatings on fiber surfaces and to fill inter-fiber pores, whereas CNTs showed more local aggregation because of their high surface energy. The composites exhibited anisotropic tensile behavior, with higher tensile strength in the longitudinal direction than in the transverse direction. In the longitudinal tensile test, G4 reached a tensile strength of 13.01 MPa, while C5 reached 11.35 MPa. With increasing carbon material content, both the electrical and thermal conductivities of the composites increased. The electrical conductivity reached 0.02100 S/cm for C6 and 0.05893 S/cm for G6. The thermal conductivity of the CNT/PU/PET composites increased from 0.1163 to 0.1923 W/(m·K), whereas that of the GF/PU/PET composites increased from 0.1793 to 0.2537 W/(m·K). Infrared thermal imaging further indicated that carbon material addition produced faster heating and slower heat dissipation than the unmodified PU/PET sample. These results provide a useful reference for developing multifunctional nonwoven composites for smart textiles, special protective clothing, wearable thermal management layers, and flexible electronic textile substrates. Full article

Solid–solid phase change materials integrate high heat storage, leak-proof performance, and dimensional stability, thereby positioning them as optimal candidates for thermoregulating textile applications. This study effectively synthesized PEG-based crosslinked waterborne polyurethane phase change materials (WPU-SSPCMs) with polyethylene glycol (PEG) as the soft segment, hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) as the diisocyanate, and glycerol (GL) as the multifunctional chain extender. The effects of PEG molecular weight, diisocyanate type, chain-extension temperature, and monomer molar ratio on the phase transition behavior and thermal stability of WPU-SSPCMs were systematically investigated. The results indicate that at a PEG molecular weight of 2000, a chain-extension temperature of 70 °C, and a monomer molar ratio of n(PEG:HMDI:GL) = 1:2:0.67, the synthesized WPU-SSPCMs exhibited optimal comprehensive performance. The material demonstrated a melting temperature of 33.38 °C with a high enthalpy of 80.31 J/g. It displayed characteristic solid–solid phase transition behavior without evidence of liquid leakage during heating. Following 100 thermal cycles, the enthalpy variation remained below 1 J/g, indicating exceptional thermal and cycling stability. When applied to cotton fabric, the resultant thermoregulating textile displayed a buffering plateau during both heating and cooling processes, demonstrating a pronounced temperature-regulating effect relative to untreated fabric. The developed WPU-SSPCM holds considerable promise for applications in intelligent temperature regulation. Full article

Waterborne, water-related, and foodborne infectious diseases remain preventable causes of mortality, but long-term evidence on their demographic, spatial, and premature mortality burden is limited in Costa Rica. This ecological population-based study described deaths classified under selected ICD-10 codes during 2000–2023 using official mortality and population data. Crude and age-standardized mortality rates, years of life lost (YLL), and YLL rates were estimated by time, sex, age group, and geographic area. A total of 2450 deaths were identified. Diarrhea and gastroenteritis of presumed infectious origin accounted for 1537 deaths (62.7%), followed by other bacterial intestinal infections (23.8%) and leptospirosis (7.0%). Annual crude mortality rates ranged from 1.28 per 100,000 population in 2021 to 3.03 in 2017. Mortality showed a bimodal age pattern, with the highest rate among persons aged 75 years or older and a relevant early-childhood component. A total of 57,625.5 YLL were estimated, with the largest burden among children aged 0–4 years and the highest provincial YLL rates in Limón, Puntarenas, and Guanacaste. These findings support incorporating premature mortality metrics into environmental health surveillance, although the ecological design does not identify exposure sources or causal determinants. Full article

Asphalt pavement wearing courses are directly exposed to hydrodynamic scouring, fuel erosion, freeze–thaw action, and traffic abrasion, leading to accelerated surface deterioration, skid-resistance loss, frequent maintenance, and increased life-cycle carbon emissions. To address these challenges, this study developed an organosilicon-based erosion- and skid-resistant asphalt wearing course (OES-AWC) through a stepwise material design strategy. An organosilicon-treated asphalt concrete matrix was first prepared to improve resistance to moisture damage, fuel erosion, and ice adhesion, and its curing behavior and optimal dosage were determined. A skid-resistant surface layer was then designed by optimizing the anti-skid aggregate type, organosilicon-to-aggregate ratio, and surface texture. Finally, waterborne epoxy resin was introduced to enhance aggregate anchorage, and the integrated OES-AWC was evaluated in terms of abrasion durability, rutting resistance, long-term skid resistance, and life-cycle impacts. The results show that organosilicon treatment forms a hydrophobic siloxane network, which improves the moisture damage, fuel erosion, and anti-icing resistance of asphalt concrete by 22.0–41.1%. Emery aggregates and the optimized surface structure enhance friction stability, while waterborne epoxy resin significantly suppresses aggregate stripping under repeated wheel loading. Compared with conventional asphalt wearing courses, the optimized OES-AWC increased wear durability by 148.1% while maintaining stable skid resistance under prolonged abrasion. Life-cycle assessment further demonstrates that OES-AWC can reduce carbon emissions by 47.2% and overall costs by 25.0%, with a probability exceeding 90% according to the uncertainty analysis. These findings indicate that OES-AWC provides a durable, low-carbon, and cost-effective maintenance strategy for asphalt pavements exposed to complex service environments. Full article

Some groups of Diphyllobothriid tapeworms can cause foodborne or waterborne taeniasis, yet their systematics and evolution remain poorly understood. Based on mitochondrial genome data, this study reconstructed the phylogenetic trees of 11 cestode orders using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods, clarified the valid species of Spirometra, traced the evolutionary history of four key ecological traits, and estimated the divergence times of major groups. Phylogenetic analyses supported Diphyllobothriidea and Bothriocephalidea as distinct clades, with Diphyllobothriidea forming a sister group to Haplobothriidea. In addition, three novel types of mitochondrial gene arrangements were identified in tapeworms, and variations in these arrangement types appear to correspond to changes in proglottid morphology. Species validation has shown that the available Spirometra mitogenomes represent only four valid species. Phylogenetic analysis identified two genetic lineages within S. mansoni, and a comparison of their representative sequences showed that the differences mainly lie in 12 PCGs, 7 tRNAs, 2 rRNAs, and 2 mNCRs. Ancestral character reconstruction suggested that tapeworms likely originated from freshwater fish hosts, with gradual adaptation to terrestrial hosts representing the main pathway of diversification, whereas transitions to marine environments were independent evolutionary events occurring in only a few groups. Molecular clock analyses indicated that tapeworm diversification began in the mid-to-late Oligocene, with episodic species radiations in different groups closely linked to host diversification and climatic changes. Notably, most groups within the family Diphyllobothriidae radiated during the Pleistocene, whereas Spirometra radiated during the Pliocene, coinciding with the origin of human-specialized cestodes. This study clarifies the phylogenetic position of diphyllobothriid tapeworms, infers the evolutionary patterns of ancestral traits across different tapeworm groups, and provides a theoretical basis for elucidating the origin and species diversity of tapeworms, as well as for assessing the transmission risk of pathogenic species. Full article

Inland waterway locks are critical navigation infrastructures in waterborne transport systems, and their operational reliability is closely associated with the resilience and service capacity of regional inland waterway networks. As lockage demand continues to increase, reservation scheduling has emerged as an important institutional and operational instrument for improving traffic organization, alleviating congestion, and enhancing the adaptive capacity of lock operations. However, the implementation of reservation-based rules may reshape lockage resource allocation, priority mechanisms, vessel arrival patterns, and stakeholder benefit structures, thereby generating social risks that cannot be adequately captured by conventional engineering safety assessment methods. To address this issue, this study develops a stakeholder-informed dynamic social risk assessment framework for inland waterway lock reservation scheduling. First, a hybrid scheduling mode combining priority reservation and declaration-based queuing is conceptualized, and its operational process is characterized through lockage resource allocation, vessel reservation/declaration, coordinated water-area control, anchorage and safety inspection, and sequenced vessel lockage. Second, drawing on the social amplification of risk framework, a social risk assessment indicator system is constructed from four dimensions: legality, rationality, feasibility, and controllability. Third, a Dynamic Weighting Model is introduced to adaptively update indicator weights according to changes in scheduling rules and operational states, while a Two-Dimensional Cloud Model is developed to jointly represent risk probability and risk consequence under uncertainty. The proposed approach is validated using the reservation scheduling scenario of the Three Gorges locks. The results indicate that the overall social risk is classified as level 2, corresponding to a moderately low risk level, suggesting that the reservation scheduling mode is generally compatible with lock operation and navigation management requirements. Among the four dimensions, controllability exhibits the highest relative risk, indicating that greater attention should be paid to safety management, reservation compliance, public opinion guidance, and emergency response. The proposed framework provides a systematic and visual decision-support tool for risk identification, risk grading, and scheme optimization in inland waterway lock reservation scheduling. Full article

Cryptophyta are ecologically important microalgae in marine and brackish ecosystems, but their future habitat suitability and ballast-water-associated surveillance priorities under climate change remain insufficiently understood. Based on 136 georeferenced occurrence records from China’s coastal waters and 24 marine environmental variables, this study applied the Biomod2 ensemble modeling framework to predict the current and future potential distribution of Cryptophyta in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea. The ensemble model showed high predictive performance (Kappa = 0.94, TSS = 0.94, AUC = 0.997), outperforming most individual algorithms. Annual mean temperature (bio22) and maximum salinity (bio15) were identified as the dominant environmental constraints, indicating that thermal and salinity regimes jointly shape habitat suitability. Under present conditions, suitable habitats were broadly distributed across China’s coastal and shelf waters. Future projections indicated that suitable habitats generally remained extensive under most climate scenarios, suggesting that future environmental changes may maintain or reshape potential recipient environments for Cryptophyta. However, this response was not linear with increasing emission intensity; under the high-emission scenario, suitable habitats declined in some regions and showed stronger spatial reorganization, implying that excessive warming or altered salinity may reduce broad-scale suitability. These findings suggest that climate change may alter the spatial pattern of Cryptophyta habitat suitability under different emission pathways. Given the role of ship ballast water in transporting planktonic microalgae, persistent or newly suitable habitats, especially those located near ports, estuaries, semi-enclosed bays, and aquaculture areas, should be regarded as habitat-suitability-based surveillance priorities. This study provides a basis for climate-informed monitoring, ballast-water-associated screening, and adaptive management of coastal microalgae in the China Seas. Full article

Lead (Pb) is a persistent aquatic pollutant that disrupts redox homeostasis in fish. This study investigated hepatic Pb accumulation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, antioxidant responses, lipid peroxidation, and transcriptomic alterations in juvenile pufferfish (Takifugu obscurus) exposed to waterborne Pb. Juvenile pufferfish were exposed to 5.98 mg/L waterborne Pb, corresponding to 10% of the 96 h LC₅₀, for 96 h. Liver, blood, and hepatocyte samples were collected at 0, 12, 24, 48, and 96 h, with four biological replicates at each sampling time point. Hepatic Pb accumulation increased over time and reached the highest level at 96 h. ROS levels in blood cells and hepatocytes increased rapidly and peaked at 12 h. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities showed early activation followed by late suppression, whereas glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) displayed partial adaptive recovery. Malondialdehyde (MDA) content increased progressively and reached approximately 2.8-fold of the control level at 96 h, indicating persistent lipid peroxidation. RNA-seq analysis identified 167, 460, 1398, and 2580 differentially expressed genes at 12, 24, 48, and 96 h, respectively. Enrichment, temporal trend, and weighted gene co-expression analyses indicated that Pb exposure shifted hepatic responses from early redox regulation to later metabolic adaptation, protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, proteasome function, and oxidative phosphorylation. qRT-PCR validation of 12 hub genes supported the RNA-seq results. These findings provide integrated biochemical and transcriptomic evidence for oxidative-stress-mediated hepatic toxicity in pufferfish exposed to waterborne Pb. Full article