Search Results (224,813)

This article presents the results of a systematic review investigating the potential of agricultural wastes as sustainable and low-carbon alternatives in reinforced concrete (RC) production. Background: The depletion of natural resources and the environmental burden of conventional construction materials necessitate innovative solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of construction. Agricultural wastes, including coconut shells (CSs), rice husk ash (RHA), and palm oil (PO) fuel ash, emerge as promising materials due to their abundance and mechanical benefits. Objective: This review evaluates the potential of agricultural wastes to improve sustainability and enhance the mechanical properties of RC structural elements while reducing carbon emissions. Design: Studies were systematically analyzed to explore the sources, classification, and material properties of agro-wastes (AWs), with a particular focus on their environmental benefits and performance in concrete. Results: Key findings demonstrate that AWs enhance compressive strength, tensile strength, and modulus of elasticity while reducing the carbon footprint of construction. However, challenges such as variability in material properties, limited long-term durability data, and lack of standardized guidelines hinder their broader adoption. Conclusions: AWs hold significant potential as sustainable additives for RC elements, aligning with global sustainability goals. Future research should address material optimization, lifecycle assessments, and regulatory integration to facilitate their mainstream adoption in construction. Full article

This study was conducted in Sawena district, located in the Eastern Bale Zone of Ethiopia, with the aim of analyzing climate variability and identifying adaptation strategies. Secondary data covering the period from 1984 to 2023 were utilized, along with structured and unstructured questionnaires. Primary data were gathered from 350 pastoralist households across six kebeles through a household survey. This study used the Mann–Kendall test, Sen’s slope estimator, the coefficient of variation, descriptive statistics, and a multivariate probit model to analyze climate variability and adaptation strategies. The Mann–Kendall test, Sen’s slope estimator, and coefficient of variation analysis results showed significant rainfall increases in September, October, and November, with high winter variability and an upward autumn trend. Temperature analysis revealed consistent warming, with the greatest increases in September (0.049 °C/year) and summer (0.038 °C/year), and an annual mean rise of 0.034 °C per year, indicating climate shifts affecting pastoralist and agro-pastoral livelihood strategies and water resources that lead the area toward vulnerability. The descriptive results indicated that pastoralist households have adopted various adaptation strategies: 45.1% participate in seasonal livestock migration, 26.3% rely on productive safety net programs, 19% pursue livelihood diversification, and 9.7% engage in agroforestry. Multivariate analysis indicates that education, age, credit access, livestock ownership, asset value, and media exposure influence these strategies. The findings highlight the importance of policies to enhance climate resilience through diversification, sustainable land management, and improved access to resources like credit and markets, alongside strengthened education and targeted extension services. Full article

Background/Objectives: α-Synuclein (α-syn) protein is a major pathological agent of familial Parkinson’s disease (PD), and its levels and aggregations determine neurotoxicity in PD pathogenesis. Although the pathophysiological functions of α-syn have been extensively studied, its biological functions remain elusive, and there are reports of wild-type (WT) α-syn and two missense mutations of α-syn (A30P and A53T) inducing protective neuritogenesis through neurite outgrowth. However, the function of another α-syn mutation, E46K, has not been fully elucidated. Thus, we compared the effect of E46K α-syn with other types to identify the mechanisms underlying neurite outgrowth. Methods: We transfected SK-N-SH cells with WT and mutant (A53T and E46K) α-syn to investigate the effects of their overexpression on neurite outgrowth. Then, we compared the differential effects of α-syn on neurite outgrowth using microscopic analysis, including confocal microscopy. We also analyzed the differential regulation of cell division control 42 effector protein 2 (Cdc42EP2) using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. Finally, to confirm the implication of neurite outgrowth, we knocked down Cdc42EP2 using small interfering RNA. Results: Unlike WT and A53T α-syn, E46K α-syn failed to promote neurite outgrowth by not inducing Cdc42EP2 and subsequent βIII-tubulin expression. Cdc42EP2 knockdown impaired neurite outgrowth in WT and A53T α-syn transfectants. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that WT and mutant α-syn are linked to Cdc42EP2 production in neuritogenesis, implying α-syn involvement in the physiological function of axon growth and synapse formation. Thus, α-syn may be a potential therapeutic target for PD. Full article

Leaf senescence is a major concern for postharvest leafy vegetables, as leaves are highly prone to yellowing and nutrient loss, resulting in reduced commercial value and limited shelf-life. This study aimed to investigate the effect of L-cysteine (L-cys) on postharvest Chinese flowering cabbage stored at 20 °C. The results showed that 0.5 g L⁻¹ L-cys treatment effectively slowed leaf senescence by downregulating chlorophyll degradation genes (BrNYC1, BrNOL, BrPPH, BrPAO, BrNYE, and BrSAGs) and senescence marker gene BrSAG12. Moreover, this treatment exhibited positive influence on the nutritional quality of cabbage. Also, L-cys treatment maintained ROS homeostasis, preventing excessive ROS accumulation and lipid membrane oxidation. L-cys treatment also maintained a higher total antioxidant capacity and scavenging rate of •OH and O₂^•−. Additionally, L-cys treatment maintained high levels of ascorbate and glutathione and activated antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase) and the expression of the encoding genes. Furthermore, L-cys treatment elevated endogenous H₂S levels, which are correlated with increased L-cysteine desulfhydrase activity and the upregulation of H₂S biosynthesis-related genes. These findings suggest that L-cys can delay leaf senescence by reducing chlorophyll breakdown, maintaining ROS homeostasis, and stimulating endogenous H₂S production. Full article

The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) offers orbit and clock corrections through the B2b signal, enabling Precise Point Positioning (PPP) without relying on ground communication networks. This capability supports applications such as aerial and maritime mapping. However, achieving high precision during the convergence period remains challenging, particularly for missions with short observation durations. To address this, we analyze the performance of PPP over short periods using PPP-B2b products and propose using the backward smoothing method to enhance the accuracy during the convergence period. Evaluation of the accuracy of PPP-B2b products shows that the orbit and clock accuracy of the BDS surpass those of GPS. Specifically, the BDS achieves orbit accuracies of 0.059 m, 0.178 m, and 0.186 m in the radial, along-track, and cross-track components, respectively, with a clock accuracy within 0.13 ns. The hourly static PPP achieves 0.5 m and 0.1 m accuracies with convergence times of 4.5 and 25 min at a 50% proportion, respectively. Nonetheless, 7.07% to 23.79% of sessions fail to converge to 0.1 m due to the limited availability of GPS and BDS corrections at certain stations. Simulated kinematic PPP requires an additional 1–4 min to reach the same accuracy as the static PPP. Using the backward smoothing method significantly enhances accuracy, achieving 0.024 m, 0.046 m, and 0.053 m in the north, east, and up directions, respectively. For vehicle-based positioning, forward PPP can achieve a horizontal accuracy better than 0.5 m within 4 min; however, during the convergence period, positioning errors may exceed 1.5 m and 3.0 m in the east and up direction. By applying the smoothing method, horizontal accuracy can reach better than 0.2 m, while the vertical accuracy can improve to better than 0.3 m. Full article

The coal industry is a high risk, high difficulty industry, and the annual global mine accident rate is high, so the safety of coal mine underground operations has been a concern. With the development of technology, the application of intelligent security technology in coal mine safety has broad prospects. In this paper, the research progress of vital signs monitoring and support equipment for underground personnel in coal mines is reviewed. The two main methods to ensure the safety of miners are discussed. They consist of directly monitoring human vital signs through portable devices such as smart helmets and smartwatches and indirectly monitoring underground environmental parameters. In addition, the application of information technology, sensor technology and artificial intelligence in vital signs monitoring is briefly discussed, and some future research directions are proposed. For example, through big data and artificial intelligence technology, vital signs data can be compared with historical data, individual health trends and potential risks can be analyzed, and we can provide personalized health management programs for miners. These technologies not only improve the safety of underground coal mine operation, but also provide an important guarantee for the realization of intelligent and safe coal mine production. Full article

In agricultural production, droughts occurring during the crucial growth periods of crops hinder crop development, while the daily-scale standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) can be applied to accurately identify the drought characteristics. In this study, we used the statistical downscaling method to obtain the daily precipitation (P_r), maximum air temperature (T_max) and minimum air temperature (T_min) during the rice growing season in Heilongjiang Province from 2015 to 2100 under the SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 in CMIP6, to study the spatial and temporal characteristics of drought during the rice growing season in cold region and the effect of climate change on drought characteristics. The potential evapotranspiration (PET₀) was calculated using the regression correction method of the Hargreaves formula recommended by the FAO, and the daily SPEI was calculated to quantitatively identify the drought classification. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between the meteorological factors (P_r, T_max, T_min), PET₀ and SPEI. The results showed that: (1) Under 3 SSP scenarios, P_r showed an increasing trend from the northwest to the southeast, T_max showed an increasing trend from the northeast to the southwest, and higher T_min was mainly distributed in the east and west regions. (2) PET₀ indicated an overall interannual rise in the three future SSP scenarios, with higher values mainly distributed in the central and western regions. The mean daily PET₀ values ranged from 4.8 to 6.0 mm/d. (3) Under SSP1-2.6, rice mainly experienced mild drought and moderate drought (−0.5 ≥ SPEI > −1.5). The predominant drought classifications experienced were mild, moderate, and severe drought under SSP2-4.5 and SSP8.5 (−0.5 ≥ SPEI > −2.0). (4) The tillering stage experienced the highest drought frequency and drought intensity, with the longest drought lasting 24 days. However, the heading flower stage had the lowest drought frequency and drought intensity. The drought barycenter was mainly in Tieli and Suihua. (5) The PET₀ was most affected by the T_max, while the SPEI was most affected by the P_r. This study offers a scientific and rational foundation for understanding the drought sensitivity of rice in Northeast China, as well as a rationale for the optimal scheduling of water resources in agriculture in the future. Full article

In the installation of pre-bored grouted planted (PGP) piles and other composite pile foundations, cement is commonly used in the grouting stage. However, the cement-production process generates significant CO₂ emissions, which are not favorable for achieving low-carbon societal goals. This study explores the use of industrial solid waste (mineral powder and gypsum powder) mixed with cement as a grouting material in test pile TP1, while traditional cement grout was used in test pile TP2. Both test piles were instrumented with optical fiber sensors along their shafts. The findings indicate that the ultimate load-bearing capacity of TP1 was approximately 93% of that of TP2, signifying a 7% reduction when mineral and gypsum powder were added to cement. Additionally, TP1’s peak surface friction in various soil layers ranged from 1.29 to 2.79 times that of the bored pile, whereas TP2’s peak surface friction was about 1.42 to 3.10 times higher. The cement consumption for TP1 was roughly 65% less than for TP2, and the cost of grouting materials for TP1 was reduced by 35%. This study confirms that utilizing solid waste in the grouting stage of PGP piles is feasible, and optimizing material proportions may enhance future performance. Full article

This research explores how varying proportions of virgin polyethylene terephthalate (vPET) and recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) in vPET-rPET blends, combined with preform thermal conditions during the stretch blow molding (SBM) process, influence PET bottles’ microscopic characteristics. Key metrics such as viscosity, density, crystallinity, amorphous phase relaxation, and microcavitation were assessed using response surface methodology (RSM). Statistical analysis, including Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and its power, supported the interpretation of results. The first part of the work details the experimental design and statistical methods. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) and amorphous phase density analysis revealed reduced free volume size, a substantial increase in free volume quantity, and a transformation toward ellipsoidal geometries, highlighting significant structural changes in the material. At the same time, the intrinsic viscosity (IV) and PALS studies indicate that the solid-state post-condensation effect (SSPC) is linked with microcavitation through post-condensation product diffusion. The conclusions, which resulted from the microstructure analysis, affected the material’s mechanical strength and were validated by pressure resistance tests of the bottles. Full article

Ovarian aging significantly impacts female fertility, with mitochondrial dysfunction emerging as a key factor. This study investigated the effects of recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) on mitochondrial function and metabolism in aging female reproductive cells. Human granulosa cells (HGL5) were treated with FSH/LH or not. Mitochondrial function was assessed through various assays, including mitochondrial mass, membrane potential, ROS levels, and ATP production. Mitochondrial dynamics and morphology were analyzed using MitoTracker staining. Cellular respiration was measured using a Seahorse Bioenergetics Analyzer. Metabolic reprogramming was evaluated through gene expression analysis and metabolite profiling. In vivo effects were studied using aging mouse oocytes. FSH/LH treatment significantly improved mitochondrial function in aging granulosa cells, increasing mitochondrial mass and membrane potential while reducing ROS levels. Mitochondrial dynamics showed a shift towards fusion and elongation. Cellular respiration, ATP production, and spare respiratory capacity were enhanced. FSH/LH-induced favorable alterations in cellular metabolism, favoring oxidative phosphorylation. In aging mouse oocytes, FSH/LH treatment improved in vitro maturation and mitochondrial health. In conclusion, FSH/LH supplementation ameliorates age-related mitochondrial dysfunction and improves cellular metabolism in aging female reproductive cells. Full article

This study assessed the effects of fenobucarb (F) (1%, 10%, and 20% of the LC₅₀-96h value) on the brain cholinesterase (AChE) activity, food intake (FI), feed conversion rate (FCR), and growth of silver barb (Barbonymus gonionotus, Bleeker, 1849). It also assessed the AChE inhibition levels that cause the abnormal swimming, behavior, and mortality of silver barb and how the feeding regime affects the recovery rate of the AChE activity. The results showed that the brain AChE inhibition increased with the F concentrations. It peaked after nine hours, at 73.6% and 79.7% for the two highest concentrations, and then the AChE activity started to recover. After 96 h, the inhibition level was still 11.8% in the fish exposed to the two lowest concentrations and 30.5% in the fish exposed to the highest concentrations. Even when placed in clean water, the inhibition level in the fish that were exposed to the highest concentrations and only fed every third day was 32% after 14 days. Although there were no differences in the feed intake at any time, the fish exposed to F had a higher FCR and a lower specific growth rate and weight compared to the control fish at the later stages of the experiment. Thus, although the use of F in rice farming in the Mekong Delta may not lead to direct fish kills, it impacts the growth and health of the fish, which could have negative implications for wild fish populations and the long-term production of healthy fish in the Mekong Delta. Full article

This study introduces a novel water-insoluble dispersant for coal water slurry (CWS), namely, a poly(sodium styrene sulfonate)-grafted SiO₂ nanoparticle (SiO₂-g-PSSNa). SiO₂-g-PSSNa was synthesized by combining the surface acylation reaction with surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) verified that SiO₂-g-PSSNa with the desired structure was successfully obtained. Afterwards, the performance of SiO₂-g-PSSNa as a dispersant in CWS preparation was evaluated. The results indicated that the optimal dosage of SiO₂-g-PSSNa was 0.3%. Compared to the famous commercial products, PSSNa and lignosulfonate (LS), SiO₂-g-PSSNa exhibits improved viscosity reduction performance. When SiO₂-g-PSSNa was used as the dispersant, the maximum coal loading of CWS was 64.2%, which was higher than LS (63.4%) and PSSNa (63.9%). All CWSs obtained in this study were pseudoplastic fluids and more consistent with the Herschel–Bulkley rheological model. The turbiscan stability index (TSI) of CWS prepared with SiO₂-g-PSSNa was 0.05, which was significantly lower than CWSs obtained from PSSNa (0.30) and LS (0.36). Therefore, SiO₂-g-PSSNa also exhibits excellent stability performance. This result was confirmed by rod penetration tests. The underlying mechanism was also clarified by various measurements, such as contact angle, zeta potential, EDS and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance spectra (low-field NMR). The results reveal that SiO₂-g-PSSNa can adsorbed onto the coal surface. SiO₂-g-PSSNa possesses a special branched structure, which bears a higher charge density as compared to linear ones with approximate chemical composition. As a result, coal particles adsorbed with SiO₂-g-PSSNa exhibit more electronegativity. With the enhancement of the electrostatic repulsive between coal particles, the apparent viscosity was lowered and the static stability was improved. This study demonstrated that solubility in water is not an essential factor in engineering the dispersant. Densely charged groups are probably more important. Full article

Monitoring the farm acoustic environment can provide important information about processes affecting crop production. This paper assesses farmers’ knowledge and attitudes toward acoustic technology for farm monitoring in Rwanda. Stratified random sampling was used to select 430 farmers from 3 sectors. Demographic, farm, and technical knowledge data were collected from farmers with a survey. Cross-tabulation results show farmers with secondary and university education are more interested in acoustic technology than those with a primary education and farmers engaged in commercial farming are more interested in technology for monitoring acoustic sources than subsistence farmers. However, nearly all farmers are willing to deploy a listening technology to monitor the acoustic environment. Farmers have a clear priority to listen to animals on the farm, whether they are pests (specifically, birds) or livestock. A chi-square test of independence indicates a significant relationship between farmers’ consideration of technology for farm monitoring and their attitudes toward sound monitoring. Farmers want a technological solution, but demand that the solution be low-cost and provide a simple alert. The results inform system requirements for an Internet of Things acoustic network that can deliver this information to the farmer. Full article

Nitrogen (N) fertilization is an effective practice for restoring degraded grasslands, which might strongly depend on the rooting system and resource competition of individual plant species. The purpose of this study is to explore a method to distinguish the response of various plant root architectures to the resource availability in a mixed ecosystem in situ. Field experiments were conducted using isotope techniques in conjunction with a specialized experimental design at a semiarid grassland location featuring heavily grazed (HG) and moderately grazed (MG) grassland sites with different dominant species. The same amounts of water and ¹⁵N-labelled fertilizer were uniformly supplied by a tube fertigation system at soil depths of 0, 15 and 45 cm. At both the HG and MG sites, there was a significant increase in aboveground net primary production (ANPP), water use efficiency (WUE) and ¹⁵N use efficiency (¹⁵NUE) at the community level with increasing depths of fertigation. The ANPP and plant N uptake exhibited higher values at the HG site compared to those at the MG site, while ¹⁵NUE and ¹⁵N abundance were significantly lower at the HG site. The annual species Salsola collina Pall. exhibited the highest aboveground biomass (AGB) and ¹⁵N abundance compared to all other species. Furthermore, the ¹⁵N enrichment of S. collina increased with greater depths of ¹⁵N-labelled fertilization, indicating that S. collina might develop a more extensive root system in response to water and N addition in the degraded grassland. Our study highlights that using isotope methods could indirectly distinguish root distribution and resource acquisition. In the recovery of degraded grassland by N fertilizer, we should not only consider the aboveground biomass but also pay special attention to the resource competition of individual plant species due to the possible discrepancy in rooting systems. Full article

This paper addresses the issue of noise interference and variable working conditions in the production and machining environment, which lead to weak tool life features and reduced prediction accuracy. A tool lifetime prediction method based on AVMD-DAMResNet is proposed. The method first adapts the parameters of the variational modal noise reduction algorithm using an improved sparrow optimization algorithm, and then reconstructs the original vibration signal with noise reduction. Second, the residual module of the deep residual network is enhanced using a two-dimensional attention mechanism. A parallel residual network tool prediction model (DAMResNet) was constructed to optimize the model’s weight allocation to different features, achieving multi-channel and multi-dimensional feature fusion. Finally, the noise-reduced signal was input into the DAMResNet model to accurately predict tool lifetime. The experimental results show that, compared with the original ResNet model, the proposed AVMD-DAMResNet model improves the coefficient of determination (R²) by 5.8%, reduces the root mean square error (RMSE) by 31.2%, and decreases the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) by 31.4%. These results demonstrate that the AVMD-DAMResNet-based tool lifetime prediction method effectively reduces noise and achieves high prediction accuracy. Full article