Search Results (2,658)

This study develops a multi-stage, Arrhenius-type reaction rate model for exothermic heat release during thermal runaway (TR) that depends on the local active material temperature, T_Cell, and the remaining reactant fraction, Y. Model parameters are identified from an accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC) test on an NMC721 pouch cell. Validation across other cell formats (cylindric and prismatic) and cathode chemistries (LCO, LMO, NCA, LFP) is left for future work. Model performance is evaluated in a 3D CFD (AVL FIRE™ M 2021.2) representation of the ARC assembly and benchmarked against Gaussian and polynomial one-step TR formulations that depend solely on T_Cell. The three TR models are further applied to a generic 4S4P pouch cell module under stagnant and actively cooled conditions to assess thermal propagation. In the ARC test, the Arrhenius-type model shows improved agreement with measured cell skin temperatures for the NMC721 cell; in the 4S4P module, it exhibits a trend toward higher thermal propagation rates relative to the Gaussian and polynomial models. Full article

In early modern Islamic thought, the concept of zindīq (heretic) occupied a critical space at the intersection of theology, law, and state authority, particularly in the context of Muslim–Christian relations. One of the most significant scholarly attempts to define this term came from Ibn Kemāl (d. 940/1534), a leading Ottoman jurist and theologian, whose treatise Risāla fī mā yataʿallaq bi-lafẓ al-zindīq (Treatise on the Definition of the Word Zindīq) sought to clarify the precise meaning and legal implications of zandaqa (heresy). This article provides the first English translation and critical edition of Ibn Kemāl’s treatise, making this important work accessible to a wider scholarly audience. Through a close reading of the text, this study examines how Ibn Kemāl systematically distinguished zindīq from murtadd (apostate), mulḥid (disbeliever), and munāfiq (hypocrite), shaping Ottoman legal discourse on heresy. The present analysis further explores the theological and jurisprudential foundations Ibn Kemāl employed to define and punish heretics, particularly in light of the controversial execution of Mollā Kābid (or Mullā Qābiḍ, tr. Molla Kābız), who had asserted the superiority of Jesus over Muhammad. This case demonstrates the presence of polemical debates in the shaping of confessional boundaries in the ninth/fifteenth-century Ottoman Empire and reflects the broader challenges of Muslim–Christian interactions during this period. Additionally, this study investigates the broader implications of Ibn Kemāl’s classification of zindīq within the context of Muslim–Christian relations, considering how interfaith polemics and religious boundary-making influenced Ottoman legal thought. By contextualizing this treatise within early modern Ottoman legal and theological traditions, this study contributes to the understanding of how heresy was redefined in a multi-religious empire navigating theological, political, and interreligious challenges. Full article

Objectives: To optimise surgical treatment of mitral valve disease (MVD), a better understanding of gender-based differences is required. In this study, we analyse the gender-based differences among patients undergoing mitral valve surgery. Methods: Between January 2019 and December 2024, 809 consecutive patients were admitted to our centre for surgery for MVD. We analysed the patient characteristics, surgical details, postoperative and short-term outcomes of these patients. Results: Females (31.8%) undergoing mitral valve (MV) surgery were older (p < 0.001). Females had a higher rate of atrial fibrillation (p < 0.001), Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (p = 0.002) and malignancy (p = 0.030). Furthermore, females were more often admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) preoperatively (p = 0.037). Among these patients, 419 patients underwent isolated MV surgery. Furthermore, males underwent minimally invasive MV surgery more often (p = 0.004). Females had higher rates of combined MVD (p < 0.001) and combined MS (p < 0.001). Males had higher rates of severe mitral regurgitation (MR) (p = 0.041) and Left Atrium (LA) dilation (p = 0.004). Females exhibited higher rates of severe Tricuspid Regurgitation (TR) (p = 0.032) and pulmonary hypertension (p < 0.001). males had higher rates of posterior mitral leaflet (PML) prolapse (p < 0.001) and Flail leaflets (p < 0.001). Males underwent mitral valve repair (MVr) more often (p = 0.002). Early MACCE were reported in 5.1% of the patients. Freedom from major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) was comparable at 1 year and three years (p = 0.548). Prognosis and freedom from events were comparable between genders. Conclusions: Mitral valve disease presents differently across genders. There exist fundamental differences in the pathophysiological processes and presentation of mitral valve disease. Mitral valve surgery can be carried out with low mortality and morbidity rates irrespective of gender. Full article

Currently, the customs inspection of wood-boring pests in timber still primarily relies on manual visual inspection, which involves observing insect holes on the timber surface and splitting the timber for confirmation. However, this method has significant drawbacks such as long detection time, high labor cost, and accuracy relying on human experience, making it difficult to meet the practical needs of efficient and intelligent customs quarantine. To address this issue, this paper develops a rapid identification system based on the peristaltic signals of wood-boring pests through the PyQt framework. The system employs a deep learning model with multi-attention mechanisms, namely the Residual Denoising Vision Network (RDVNet). Firstly, a LabVIEW-based hardware–software system is used to collect pest peristaltic signals in an environment free of vibration interference. Subsequently, the original signals are clipped, converted to audio format, and mixed with external noise. Then signal features are extracted through three cepstral feature extraction methods Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC), Power-Normalized Cepstral Coefficients (PNCC), and RelAtive SpecTrAl-Perceptual Linear Prediction (RASTA-PLP) and input into the model. In the experimental stage, this paper compares the denoising module of RDVNet (de-RDVNet) with four classic denoising models under five noise intensity conditions. Finally, it evaluates the performance of RDVNet and four other noise reduction classification models in classification tasks. The results show that PNCC has the most comprehensive feature extraction capability. When PNCC is used as the model input, de-RDVNet achieves an average peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) of 29.8 and a Structural Similarity Index Measure (SSIM) of 0.820 in denoising experiments, both being the best among the comparative models. In classification experiments, RDVNet has an average F1 score of 0.878 and an accuracy of 92.8%, demonstrating the most excellent performance. Overall, the application of this system in customs timber quarantine can effectively improve detection efficiency and reduce labor costs and has significant practical value and promotion prospects. Full article

Blue fescue (Festuca glauca) is a widely used ornamental grass worldwide. Drought is an important limiting factor for the growth and development of blue fescue; therefore, cultivating new strains of blue fescue with a strong drought tolerance is of great significance for its production practice. To investigate the drought tolerance mechanism of ds-1, this study subjected both ds-1 and “Festina” to a natural drought treatment and measured their physiological and biochemical indicators. A transcriptomic analysis was also conducted to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. The results showed that, after the drought treatment, the relative water content (RWC), water use efficiency (WUE), and photosynthetic rate (Pn) of ds-1 leaves were significantly higher than those of “Festina”; in addition, the contents of H₂O₂ and O₂⁻, the relative electrical conductivity (REC), the malondialdehyde (MDA) content, the gas conductance (Gs), and the transpiration rate (Tr) were significantly lower than those of “Festina”. The peroxidase (POD) activity of ds-1 was significantly higher than that of “Festina”, while the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of ds-1 was significantly lower than that of “Festina”. The transcriptome data analysis showed that there were a total of 9475 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between ds-1 and “Festina”. A Venn plot analysis showed 692 DEGs between ds-1—8d vs. “Festina”—8d and ds-1—16d vs. “Festina”—16d. A KEGG enrichment analysis showed that these 692 genes were mainly enriched in 86 pathways, including those related to the photosynthesis antenna protein, plant hormone signal transduction, MAPK signaling, starch and sucrose metabolism, and arginine and proline metabolism. Further screening identified genes that may be associated with drought stress, including PYL, PP2C, SnRK2, ABF, BRI1, JAZ, MYC2, Lhc, and MPK6. The qRT-PCR results indicated that the expression trends of the DEGs were consistent with the transcriptome sequencing results. Our research results can provide a basis for exploring candidate genes for drought tolerance in blue fescue. In addition, our research results provide valuable genetic resources for the development of drought-resistant ornamental grass varieties, which can help reduce water consumption in cities and decrease labor and capital investment. Full article

Meta-cresol (m-cresol) is highly corrosive and toxic, and is widely present in industrial wastewater. As a pollutant, it adversely affects various aspects of human production and daily life. To evaluate the feasibility of using sunflowers to remediate m-cresol-contaminated wastewater, this study used Helianthus annuus L. as the test subject to analyze its tolerance and the wastewater purification efficiency under different m-cresol concentrations. The results showed that the net photosynthetic rate (P_n), transpiration rate (T_r), stomatal conductance (G_s), and light energy utilization efficiency (LUE) of Helianthus annuus L. exhibited an overall decreasing trend, while the intercellular CO₂ concentration (Cᵢ) initially increased and subsequently decreased with increasing m-cresol concentration. When m-cresol concentration reached or exceeded 60 mg·L⁻¹, the net photosynthetic rate and intercellular CO₂ concentration in the leaves showed opposite trends with further increases in m-cresol stress. The inhibition of net photosynthesis in sunflowers by m-cresol was mainly attributed to non-stomatal factors. The maximum photochemical efficiency (F_v/F_m), actual photochemical efficiency (ΦPSII), photochemical quenching coefficient (q^P), PSII excitation energy partition coefficient (α), and the fraction of absorbed light energy used for photochemistry (P) all decreased with increasing m-cresol concentration. In contrast, non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), the quantum yield of regulated energy dissipation [Y(NPQ)], and the fraction of energy dissipated as heat through the antenna (D) first increased and then decreased. Under low-concentration m-cresol stress, sunflowers protected their photosynthetic system by dissipating excess light energy as heat as a stress response. However, high concentrations of m-cresol caused irreversible damage to Photosystem II (PSII) in sunflowers. Under m-cresol stress, chlorophyll a exhibited strong stability with minimal degradation. As the m-cresol concentration increased from 30 to 180 mg·L⁻¹, the removal rate decreased from 84.91% to 11.84%. In conclusion, sunflowers show good remediation potential for wastewater contaminated with low concentrations of m-cresol and can be used for treating m-cresol wastewater with concentrations ≤ 51.9 mg·L⁻¹. Full article

Pachysandra terminalis (P. terminalis), a plant belonging to the Buxaceae family, is known as a great source of aminosteroid alkaloids. In a previous communication, we reported on the isolation of a variety of aminosteroids from P. terminalis, which presented interesting activity against the protozoan pathogens, Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and Plasmodium falciparum. In the present study, variations in the alkaloid profile of P. terminalis related to seasonal changes as well as differences between plant organs (leaves and twigs) and between plant populations were investigated to prioritize candidates for targeted isolation in further studies. For this purpose, sample material of P. terminalis was collected from the two nearby populations in monthly intervals over one year. The ethanolic (75%) extracts were analyzed using UHPLC/+ESI-QqTOF-MS/MS, and the resulting data converted to variables encoding the intensity of MS signals in particular m/z and retention time (t_R) intervals over the chromatographic runs. The very large and complex data matrix of these <t_R:m/z> variables was evaluated using multivariate data analysis, especially principal component analysis (PCA) and volcano plot analysis of t-test data. The results of these analyses, for the first time, allowed a holistic analysis of variation in the alkaloid profiles in P. terminalis organs over the vegetation period. The evaluation of the PCA scores and loadings plots of principal components 1 through 3, as well as of volcano plots, highlighted 25 different compounds, mostly identified as aminosteroid alkaloids, that were most relevant for the differences between leaves and twigs and between the two populations and mainly determined the changes in their chemical profiles over the vegetation period. Full article

Background/Objectives: Patients with non-valvular heart failure frequently develop valvular disease. However, the prevalence of valvular disease across patients with different heart failure etiologies remains underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the burden of VHD among patients with non-valvular heart failure, and secondly evaluate its association with cardiopulmonary test. Methods: We analyzed data from patients with non-valvular heart failure (HF) who were evaluated as outpatients at the HF clinic between February 2020 and November 2024. Patients were categorized into three groups: coronary artery disease-related HF (CAD-HF), dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and other causes (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, and various cardiomyopathies). Demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as echocardiographic and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) results, were evaluated. Results: Among all groups mild mitral regurgitation (MR) was the most common valvular disease, followed by mild tricuspid regurgitation (TR). Patients with CAD-HF frequently had mild aortic regurgitation (AR) compared to DCM (23.6% vs. 14.9%, p = 0.05). In the CPET subgroup, which included 41 patients who consented to participate, in patients with moderate-to-severe VHD had significantly lower VO₂/HR (oxygen pulse), VO₂max, and OUES, indicating worsened functional capacity despite similar left ventricular ejection fraction. Hypertension and atrial fibrillation were independently associated with greater valvular disease severity on multivariable analysis. Conclusions: No significant differences in valvular disease between patients with DCM and CAD-HF were documented, apart from a higher prevalence of mild AR in the CAD-HF group. Patients with moderate-to-severe valvular regurgitation demonstrated worse cardiopulmonary performance, regardless of ejection fraction, highlighting the important role of CPET in evaluating the functional impact of valvular heart disease in this population. Full article

Cold stress significantly impairs plant growth and development, making the study of cold resistance mechanisms a critical research focus. Oreorchis patens (Lindl.) exhibits strong cold hardiness, yet its molecular and physiological adaptations to cold stress remain unclear. This study utilized microscopy, physiological assays, and RNA sequencing to comprehensively investigate O. patens’s responses to cold stress. The results reveal that cold stress altered leaf anatomy, leading to irregular mesophyll cells, deformed chloroplasts, and variable epidermal thickness. Physiologically, SOD and POD activities peaked at 5 °C/−10 °C, while CAT activity declined; osmotic regulators (soluble sugars, proline) increased with decreasing temperatures. Compared to the reference plants (e.g., Erigeron canadensis, Allium fistulosum), O. patens exhibited lower SOD and POD but markedly higher CAT activities, alongside reduced MDA, soluble sugars, proline, and proteins, underscoring its distinctive tolerance strategy. Low temperature stress (≤10 °C/5 °C) significantly decreased the SPAD index; the net photosynthetic rate (Pn) initially increased and then approached zero within the temperature range from 30 °C/25 °C to 25 °C/20 °C; transpiration rate (Tr) and stomatal conductance (Gs) changed synchronously, accompanied by an increase in intercellular CO₂ concentration (Ci). RNA sequencing identified 1139 cold-responsive differentially expressed genes, which were primarily enriched in flavonoid/lignin biosynthesis, jasmonic acid synthesis, and ROS scavenging pathways. qRT-PCR analysis revealed the role of secondary metabolites in O. patens response to cold stress. This study was the first to discuss the physiological, biochemical, and molecular regulatory mechanisms of O. patens resistance to cold stress, which provides foundational insights into its overwintering mechanisms and informs breeding strategies for cold-hardy horticultural crops in northern China. Full article

With the widespread integration of Artificial Intelligence-Generated Content (AIGC) into e-commerce platforms, understanding how users perceive, evaluate, and respond to such content has become a critical issue for both academia and industry. This study examines the influence mechanism of AIGC Content Quality (AIGCQ) on users’ Purchase Intention (PI) by constructing a cognitive model centered on Trust (TR) and Perceived Risk (PR). Additionally, it introduces two moderating variables—Ethical Concern (EC) and Perceived Platform Responsibility (PLR)—to explore higher-order psychological influences. The research variables were identified through a systematic literature review and expert interviews, followed by structural equation modeling based on data collected from 507 e-commerce users. The results indicate that AIGCQ significantly reduces users’ PR and enhances TR, while PR negatively and TR positively influence PI, validating the fundamental dual-pathway structure. However, the moderating effects reveal unexpected complexities: PLR simultaneously amplifies both the negative effect of PR and the positive effect of TR on PI, presenting a “dual amplification” pattern; meanwhile, EC weakens the strength of both pathways, manifesting a “dual attenuation” effect. These findings highlight the nonlinear cognitive mechanisms underlying users’ acceptance of AIGC, suggesting that PLR and EC influence decision-making in more intricate ways than previously anticipated. By uncovering the unanticipated patterns in moderation, this study extends the boundary conditions of the trust–risk theoretical framework within AIGC contexts. In practical terms, it reveals that PLR acts as a “double-edged sword,” providing more nuanced guidance for platform governance of AI-generated content, including responsibility frameworks and ethical labeling strategies. Full article

China has the largest population of pigeons globally, particularly for commercial meat production. Due to insufficient emphasis on bloodline preservation, there is a significant occurrence of breed hybridization, which presents challenges to the differentiation and identification of various pigeon breeds. In this study, a single-nucleotide polymorphism chip was developed to elucidate genomic relationships and genetic diversity among 10 pigeon breeds, encompassing meat, racing, and ornamental varieties. Principal component analysis revealed that this resource population could be classified into three major clusters: homing and Tarim pigeons; the Dianzi (DZ) and Xinjiang Roller (XR) varieties; and commercial meat pigeon breeds, including the Euro-pigeon (EP), Danish King (DK), Silver King (SK), Yellow Carneau (YC), Red Carneau (RC), and Taishen (TS) varieties. Phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that the HP, TR, DZ, and XR varieties clustered into a large group. Of these, the HP and TR groups and the DZ and XR group were closely genetically related. Other meat pigeon varieties clustered into a large group. The genetic relationship between the YC and RC pigeons was intertwined, suggesting that although there were differences in feather color, the genetic backgrounds are similar. The phylogenetic tree results also demonstrated that the DK and SK pigeons had a considerable genetic distance, indicating that although the feather color was similar, the birds belong to two distinct genetic groups. The Pigeon 5 K liquid chip can effectively discriminate among different pigeon populations and provides a method for the identification and evaluation of pigeon germplasm resources, especially for pure breed identification and exploration of new resources. Full article

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, poses a significant public health threat in Asia. Although Culex species are primary vectors, the role of Aedes albopictus in JEV transmission has gained attention under changing ecological conditions. This study evaluated the vector competence of Ae. albopictus for three JEV genotypes: I (GI), III (GIII), and V (GV). Laboratory-reared Ae. albopictus were orally challenged with each genotype, and infection rate (IR), dissemination rate (DR), head–thorax positivity rate (HTR, proxy for potential transmission), and transmission rate (defined as saliva positivity) were assessed at 7 and 14 days post-infection (dpi). Ae. albopictus showed marked genotype-specific differences. By 14 dpi, GV had the highest DR (100.0%) and HTR (71.7%), with viral RNA detected in 36.7% of TR. GIII showed moderate competence (76.9% DR, 39.3% HTR), but low TR (6.6%). In contrast, GI-infected mosquitoes exhibited minimal infection and negligible transmission, with viral RNA rarely detected beyond the midgut. These findings indicate that Ae. albopictus is highly competent for transmitting JEV genotype V and moderately for genotype III, but not genotype I, under laboratory conditions. This highlights its potential role in the transmission dynamics of emerging JEV genotypes and underscores the need for continued surveillance. Full article

Tricuspid valve diseases are an increasing cause of cardiovascular mortality, peaking in the eighth decade of life. More than 75% of severe tricuspid regurgitations are recognized via functional mechanisms, often secondary to left heart disease and pulmonary hypertension. Surgical risk for isolated correction of tricuspid regurgitation, both repair or replacement, is associated with prohibitive risk mainly in elderly patients, with several comorbidities and right ventricular dysfunction. In the past decade, different percutaneous devices have been developed to treat a large group of high-surgical-risk patients. Early diagnosis and careful patient selection are essential to improving prognosis in severe TR. Potential treatment options may vary in different stages of disease. The current available results from present studies have proven the safety and effectiveness of these devices under proper clinical indications, although selection bias and non-randomization in most investigations at present do not allow for definite indications. Ideal anatomic and clinical parameters to predict interventional success are in continuous evolution and need definite standardization. We report three cases in which different percutaneous techniques were employed for treatment when surgery was not suitable. The literature is discussed for each condition. Despite promising results in terms of safety and success rate, further randomized studies are needed to better understand which patients may be subject to long-term effects on survival and quality of life. Full article

Background: Enamel surface roughness after bracket debonding is an important issue due to its impact on plaque accumulation and the potential development of carious lesions. This in vitro study aimed to assess enamel roughness after the removal of metallic and sapphire brackets and the effect of a remineralization treatment. Methods: Two hundred extracted human permanent teeth with healthy enamel were randomly distributed into two groups (n = 100) and bonded with either metallic or sapphire brackets using the same adhesive (3M™ Transbond™ XT (St. Paul, MN, USA), Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, MN, USA). The enamel surface roughness was measured before bonding, after debonding, and after remineralization using SEM and a TR200 roughness (SaluTron GmbH, Frechen, Germany) tester. The parameter Ra was used to quantify the surface roughness. One-way ANOVA, the normality test, variance homogeneity, and the Bonferroni post hoc test were used to analyze the data. Results: Debonding significantly increased the enamel surface roughness in both groups. The sapphire bracket group presented significantly higher mean Ra values post debonding (4.14 ± 0.36 µm) compared to the metallic group (2.56 ± 0.52 µm). Remineralization led to a decrease in surface roughness in both groups, though not to baseline levels. The changes were statistically significant (p < 0.01), with a power of the test of 1.0. Conclusions: The bracket material significantly affects enamel surface roughness after orthodontic debonding. Sapphire brackets produced greater surface irregularities than metallic ones. Remineralization partially reduced roughness in both groups, with the final values in the metallic group being closer to baseline levels. Crucially, these values remained far above the clinical threshold for plaque retention, highlighting the need for improved debonding techniques. Full article

Clouds cover nearly two-thirds of Earth’s surface, making reliable cloud mask data essential for remote sensing applications and atmospheric research. This study develops a TrAdaBoost transfer learning framework that integrates active CALIOP and passive MODIS observations to enable unified, high-accuracy cloud detection across FY-4A/AGRI, FY-4B/AGRI, and Himawari-8/9 AHI sensors. The proposed TrAdaBoost Cloud Mask algorithm (TCM) achieves robust performance in dual validations with CALIPSO VFM and MOD35/MYD35, attaining a hit rate (HR) above 0.85 and a cloudy probability of detection (${POD}_{cld})$ exceeding 0.89. Relative to official products, TCM consistently delivers higher accuracy, with the most pronounced gains on FY-4A/AGRI. SHAP interpretability analysis highlights that 0.47 μm albedo, 10.8/10.4 μm and 12.0/12.4 μm brightness temperatures and geometric factors such as solar zenith angles (SZA) and satellite zenith angles (VZA) are key contributors influencing cloud detection. Multidimensional consistency assessments further indicate strong inter-sensor agreement under diverse SZA and land cover conditions, underscoring the stability and generalizability of TCM. These results provide a robust foundation for the advancement of multi-source satellite cloud mask algorithms and the development of cloud data products integrated. Full article