Search Results (46,127)

A systematic investigation was conducted on the laser shock forming (LSF) process of carbon steel Q355ME sheets and practical skin components, focusing on the influence of absorption layer types, laser energy, and impact cycles on forming capacity and surface properties. Three kinds of absorbing layers were compared in the experiment: no absorbing layer, 0.1 mm aluminum foil and 0.12 mm black tape. The results show that when the black tape is used as the absorbing layer, the forming effect is the best, the arc height value reaches 2.63 mm, and the radius of curvature is 1066 mm. Using 0.1 mm thick black tape as the absorption layer and laser parameters of 10% overlap rate, 15 ns pulse width, 4 mm spot, and 1064 nm wavelength, the single impact of 13 J, 15 J, and 17 J, and one, two, and three impacts of 15 J energy were carried out on the plate. It was found that the increase in laser energy and impact times resulted in increases in deformation, surface roughness, microhardness, and residual stress of the plate. The surface work hardening phenomenon of Q355ME plate after laser shock slowed down the increase in these performance parameters. The experimental results show that the laser energy is linearly positively correlated with the residual stress in a certain energy range. Under the optimized laser process parameters, the forming error of the actual skin parts is controlled within ± 0.4 mm, the surface residual stress increases by 368.9%, and the surface microhardness increases by 10.4%. The ultra-high strain plastic deformation and grain refinement on the surface of the sheet were caused by multiple laser shock peenings, which confirmed that LSF technology can improve the formability of carbon steel skin parts and improve its surface properties. Full article

Compressor blades are subjected to multiaxial loads during operation. Using uniaxial life prediction formulas to predict their fatigue life can result in significant errors. Therefore, by analyzing the loading conditions of the blades, a fatigue life prediction model suitable for compressor blades was developed. This model was established by applying the load of a specific engine type to a notched bar specimen and considering the gradient and strengthening effects. Firstly, the parameters of the SWT model were used as the damage parameters to determine the critical plane location based on the principle of coordinate transformation, and these results were compared with the actual fracture angles. Additionally, the physical mechanisms of multiaxial fatigue crack initiation and propagation were investigated at the microscopic level. Secondly, the non-uniform stress field on the critical plane was obtained using the finite element method. The stress distribution from the critical point to the specimen’s principal axis was extracted and normalized to calculate the equivalent stress gradient factor. Finally, the results of the comprehensive fatigue life prediction model were computed. Comparisons between the calculated results of the proposed model, the SWT model, and the Shang model with the experimental fatigue life showed that the prediction accuracy of the proposed model is higher than that of the SWT model and the Shang Deguang model. Full article

The application of plasma technology in agriculture has emerged as a promising approach to enhance plant health and manage microbial interactions, offering potential solutions for sustainable crop production and disease control. This study contributes to this field by exploring the effects of plasma treatments on plant physiology and microbial dynamics, with a focus on their potential to improve agricultural outcomes. This investigation aims to systematically determine optimal plasma seed treatment parameters for enhancing plant vigor and promoting beneficial microbial associations while minimizing pathogenic interactions in Arabidopsis thaliana. This study focuses on understanding the effects of various plasma treatments on chlorophyll content, root length, microbial growth, and microbial quantification in plants and microbes. The treatments involve the use of an atmospheric jet plasma handheld device, a globe plasma, and a glow discharge plasma chamber with air and argon. These treatments were applied for varying time durations from 10 s to 5 min. The results demonstrated that the globe plasma treatment for 1 min significantly enhanced chlorophyll a extraction and root length, outperforming the other treatments. Additionally, the study examined the impact of plasma on plant–microbe interactions to assess whether plasma treatments affect beneficial microbes. Plasma treatments showed minimal impact on most beneficial microbe activity, though species-specific sensitivities were observed, with Pseudomonas cedrina showing moderate growth inhibition, revealing no significant disruption to their activity. The microbial quantification assays indicated that the globe plasma treatment effectively reduced microbial counts, while combined treatment with plant and microbe plasma together did not yield significant changes. Additionally, the chlorophyll estimation of plasma-treated samples indicated that the globe plasma and atmospheric jet plasma treatments were effective in enhancing chlorophyll content, whereas the combined treatment with both plant and microbe plasma did not yield significant changes. These findings suggest that plasma treatments, especially the globe plasma, are effective in improving plant health and controlling microbial activity. Future research should focus on optimizing plasma conditions, exploring the influence of plasma parameters and the underlying mechanisms, and expanding the scope to include a wider range of plant species and microbial strains to maximize the benefits of plasma technology in agriculture. Full article

This study investigated the influence of physicochemical water parameters on benthic macroinvertebrate communities across 11 sampling stations located in the Western, Antalya, and Eastern Mediterranean Basins of Türkiye. Field studies were conducted in April, July, and October of 2018–2019. Water quality variables, such as temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand, ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus, were measured. A total of 177 taxa and 5331 individuals were identified, with Insecta being the most dominant class, especially the order Diptera. Statistical analyses, including detrended correspondence analysis (DCA), revealed clear relationships between environmental gradients and species distribution. Species such as Paratendipes albimanus, Microtendipes pedellus, and Potamanthus luteus showed strong correlations with DO and other water quality parameters. This study emphasizes the importance of specific macroinvertebrate taxa as indicators of environmental conditions and suggests that certain species may serve as bioindicators for ecological monitoring and management in Mediterranean freshwater ecosystems in the context of ongoing global climate change. Full article

This study experimentally investigates the use of stainless-steel woven wire mesh (SSWWM) as a patch material for repairing damaged glass fibre-reinforced (GFR) composite laminates. The effects of several factors on the three-point bending (3PB) behaviour of the parent laminate were examined, including the repair method (the plugging of open hole and the external patch repair), the mesh count of the SSWWM, and the number of SSWWM layers. According to the findings, all parameters considered in this study play a pivotal role in 3PB behaviour. Employing SSWWM as a patch material can recover 66.02–129.2% of the undamaged 3PB failure load, depending on the repair method, mesh count of the SSWWM, and number of SSWWM layers. Overall, decreasing the mesh count and increasing the number of SSWWM layers and applying an external patch repair method yield better results in terms of failure load and patch efficiency. This can be attributed to the increased wire diameter, improved bending rigidity, and better load distribution over a wider area. The SSWWM bridges the damaged zone, ensuring effective load transfer between the patch and parent laminate while preventing crack propagation. Utilising SSWWM as a patch material provides a quick, reliable solution for damage scenarios in engineering applications. Full article

Background/Objectives: Cytoreductive surgery for women with advanced ovarian cancer is a demanding process with high morbidity. The present analysis aims to identify whether using the Ligasure^® Maryland jaw open sealer/divider (LMJsd) with a nanocoating (Covidien^®, Medtronic^®, 710 Medtronic Parkway, Minneapolis, MN, USA), could lead to better outcomes during cytoreduction surgery by reducing intraoperative bleeding and other hospitalization-related parameters. Methods: Patients with ovarian cancer (FIGO III/IV) who were subjected to primary or interval cytoreductive surgery at the Gynecologic-Oncology Unit, 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Papageorgiou General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece, were included in the analysis. Patients were retrospectively allocated into two groups: women operated on with or without using the LMJsd. Differences between the two groups (intraoperative blood loss and blood transfusion, duration of surgery, postoperative blood transfusion, admission to intensive care unit (ICU), and overall hospital length of stay) were investigated. Results: From 2012 to 2020, 284 women with ovarian cancer were surgically treated; 208 were stage III/IV. In the LMJsd group of women (n = 34), the duration of surgery and blood loss during surgery were significantly decreased (p < 0.0005) compared to the non-LMJsd group (n= 174). The intraoperative blood transfusion rate and the number of packed red blood cell units transfused were significantly decreased in the first group (p = 0.0025); the postoperative blood transfusion rate was not different (p = 0.065). Moreover, ICU admission and overall hospital length of stay were significantly decreased in the LMJsd group (p < 0.0005 and p = 0.015). Conclusions: Using the LMJsd is associated with decreased intraoperative bleeding and transfusion rates, duration of surgery, admission to ICU, and overall hospital length of stay in women treated with surgical cytoreduction for advanced ovarian cancer. Some limitations of this study are as follows: its limited impact because it is an observational retrospective analysis and bias because the cumulative experience of the surgeons may have an impact on the surgical outcomes. Full article

To pursue higher thermal efficiency in aero gas turbines, the contradiction between extreme high-temperature conditions and material temperature resistance limits has made advanced thermal management technologies crucial. Effusion cooling is a technique that utilizes a large number of small holes (around 0.1 mm in diameter) to cool more effectively. Through numerical simulation, the current research investigates the impact of different parameters on the effectiveness of effusion cooling, including porosities (φ), blowing ratios (Br), height of the porous structure (H), thermal conductivity (λ) of the porous structures, and the ratios of the mainstream temperature to the coolant temperature (R_t). The results show that with the increased porosity, the cooling effectiveness of the porous structure surface first increases and then decreases, while the averaged cooling effectiveness downstream of the mainstream gradually increases. The first two parameters have the greatest influence on the cooling effectiveness. And there is a positive relationship between the blowing ratios and cooling effectiveness, meaning that higher blowing ratios lead to greater cooling effectiveness. A larger height and a smaller thermal conductivity coefficient cause a non-uniform temperature distribution. Different temperature ratios have little influence on coolant coverage pattern. Finally, a correlation is built to predict the cooling effectiveness considering all the parameters which provides fundamental references for the application of effusion cooling. Full article

This study investigated the effects of the foliar application of sodium silicate (SS) on phytolith formations in Dendrocalamus brandisii (Munro) Kurz. leaves by analyzing the phytolith concentration, morphological parameters, and assemblage compositions across leaves of varying ages and different phenological stages. The results showed that SS significantly increased the phytolith concentration in D. brandisii leaves, showing a trend of old leaves > mature leaves > young leaves. The concentration of phytoliths was the highest at the late shooting stage (November) and the lowest at the dormancy stage (January). August (shooting stage) and May (branching and leafing stage) were the critical periods for phytolith formation and the size and morphological variation. Sodium silicate significantly increased the proportion of saddle, bilobate, and stomatal phytoliths, which might help optimize the silicified structure of leaf epidermal cells and enhance the leaf resistance and light energy utilization efficiency. The results help clarify the mechanism of phytolith formation in different phenological periods of D. brandisii and provide a theoretical basis for the efficient use of silicon fertilizers in bamboo cultivation. Full article

Objective: The study investigates the dietary effects of Moringa oleifera leaf powder on obesity, blood biochemical parameters, and organ health in hyperlipidemic zebrafish (Danio rerio). Methodology: Adult hyperlipidemic zebrafish (n = 56/group) were fed for 12 weeks either with a high-cholesterol diet (HCD, 4% w/w) or HCD supplemented with 0.5% (w/w) M. oleifera leaf powder (0.5% MO) or HCD with 1.0% (w/w) M. oleifera leaf powder (1.0% MO). At different time points (0 to 12 weeks), the survivability and body weight (BW) of zebrafish were measured, while various biochemical and histological evaluations were performed after 12 weeks of feeding the respective diets. Additionally, an in silico approach was used to assess the binding interactions of MO phytoconstituents with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. Results: Following 12-week supplementation, higher zebrafish survivability was observed in the MO-supplemented groups compared to the survivability of the HCD group. Relative to the initial BW, only 4% BW enhancement was observed post 12 weeks of dietary intake of 1.0% MO, in contrast to 27% BW gain in the HCD group. MO supplementation at both (0.5% and 1.0%) effectively mitigates the HCD-induced dyslipidemia and significantly minimizes the atherogenic coefficient and atherogenic index. Similarly, MO reduces elevated blood glucose levels, the ALT/AST ratio, and augments ferric ion reduction (FRA) and paraoxonase (PON) activity in a dose-dependent manner. Likewise, MO (particularly at 1.0%) effectively restrained HCD-induced steatosis, hepatic interleukin (IL)-6 production, and protected the kidneys, testes, and ovaries from oxidative stress and cellular senescence. The in silico findings underscore that the six phytoconstituents (chlorogenic acid, isoquercetin, kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside, astragalin, apigetrin, and myricetin) of MO exhibited a strong interaction with HMG-CoA reductase active and binding site residues via hydrogen and hydrophobic interactions. Conclusions: The findings demonstrated an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hypoglycemic effect of MO, guiding the events to prevent HCD-induced metabolic stress and safeguard vital organs. Full article

Flight altitude is a critical parameter influencing both the spatial resolution and operational efficiency of UAV multispectral imaging; however, its quantitative effects on crop monitoring accuracy remain insufficiently characterized. This study investigated maize in the Yuci District, Jinzhong, China, using multispectral imagery and ground measurements of soil moisture, SPAD, leaf water content (LWC), leaf area index (LAI), plant height (PH), and aboveground biomass (AGB) collected at eight altitudes (65–200 m). Correlation analysis and three modeling approaches were applied: stepwise linear regression (SLR), random forest (RF), and back-propagation neural network (BPNN). Accuracy decreased with altitude. At 65–100 m, the correlations were strongest: LAI–NDVI/GNDVI ranged from 0.818 to 0.938, and SPAD–NDVI/GNDVI exceeded 0.816. At 80–100 m, RMSE values for LAI, SPAD, and LWC were 0.05, 10.37, and 0.67, with RE below 15%. At 200 m, the lowest R² dropped to 0.23, with errors rising sharply. RF and BPNN outperformed SLR, with BPNN yielding the highest accuracy for LAI and AGB. Overall, 65–100 m is optimal for precision monitoring, 120–160 m balances accuracy and efficiency, and 180–200 m suits large-scale reconnaissance. These findings provide methodological guidance for UAV flight parameter optimization in precision agriculture. Full article

This study investigates the effects of welding parameters and the addition of a buffer layer on the morphology, microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance of the overlay layer during overlay welding. This paper uses Q235 steel as the base material, ER309L as the buffer layer, and ER347 as the overlay layer to conduct process experiments on overlay welding component, aiming to obtain optimal process parameters. The effects of welding line energy and weld bead overlap rate on the morphology, dimensions, and dilution rate of the overlay layer were analyzed. Furthermore, the influence of the presence or absence of the buffer layer on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance of the overlay layer was investigated. The microstructure and morphology of the overlay layer were characterized by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Mechanical and electrochemical tests were also performed to evaluate the mechanical and corrosion resistance properties of ER347 stainless steel weld overlays. The results showed that the optimal process parameters were successfully obtained, which ensured sound weld bead formation while minimizing dilution. The addition of the buffer layer (ER309L) improved the bonding quality of the overlay welding component interface, reduced element dilution in the overlay layer, significantly improved hardness distribution, and reduced sudden changes in hardness in the fusion zone, thereby optimizing the mechanical properties of the ER347 stainless steel overlay layer. After adding the buffer layer, the corrosion current density decreased from 6.23 × 10⁻⁵ A·cm⁻² to 2.21 × 10⁻⁵ A·cm⁻², and the corrosion potential increased from −1.049 V to −0.973 V, effectively reducing the corrosion risk of the overlay component. This study innovatively introduced a buffer layer in the process of overlay welding austenitic stainless steel on low-carbon steel and investigated the impact of the overlay welding process on the overlay layer, thereby contributing to a comprehensive understanding of the overlay welding process from multiple perspectives. Full article

Understanding genetic variation in commercially valuable tree species is essential for improving breeding and conservation efforts. This study investigates genetic variation, heritability, and trait relationships in Pterocarpus macrocarpus, a vital hardwood species for Thailand’s reforestation initiatives. We evaluated growth (height and diameter), morphology (biomass dry weight and specific leaf weight), and physiological traits (net photosynthesis [A], transpiration rate [E], and water-use efficiency [WUE]) across 112 open-pollinated families from six natural populations under controlled nursery conditions over 30 weeks. Using a randomised complete block design, variance and covariance analyses were conducted to estimate genetic parameters. Seedling survival reached 95%, confirming favourable conditions for genetic expression. There were significant differences among populations and families within populations in growth and biomass. In contrast, physiological traits showed notable family-level variation (A, E, WUE) and only population effects for WUE. Residual variance was predominant across traits, indicating considerable within-family variation. Growth and biomass exhibited moderate to high heritability (individual: 0.39–1.00; family: 0.61–0.90), while specific leaf weight and shoot-to-root ratio had lower heritability at the individual level. Physiological traits showed low to moderate heritabilities (individual: 0.26–0.43; family: 0.47–0.62), with maternal effects via seed weight significantly influencing early growth. The heritability of height decreased over time, whereas the heritability of diameter remained stable. Strong genetic correlations among growth and biomass suggest the potential for combined selection gains. However, physiological traits show weak or no correlations with growth, highlighting their independent genetic control. Variation at the population level in growth and WUE may reflect adaptive responses to seed-source environments. Our findings support the use of nursery-based screening as a cost-effective method for the early identification of high-quality families. WUE is a promising focus for breeding programs targeting drought-prone regions. This study provides key insights for advancing the genetic improvement and conservation of P. macrocarpus, emphasizing the importance of incorporating physiological traits into breeding and conservation strategies. Full article

Background and Objectives: Although numerous studies have explored various predictors of positive airway pressure (PAP) adherence, the potential impact of objective sleep scoring data obtained during PAP titration on adherence has not been thoroughly investigated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between objective sleep parameters obtained from PAP titration, including sleep efficiency (SE), wake after sleep onset (WASO), and sleep latency (SL), and short-term PAP adherence in individuals with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Materials and Methods: A total of 227 individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of OSA underwent overnight PAP titration and were subsequently divided into adherence and non-adherence groups. Baseline demographic characteristics, clinical data, diagnostic polysomnography results, and PAP titration data were obtained for all subjects. Paired sample t-tests were utilized to assess differences in sleep parameters between diagnostic polysomnography and PAP titration within each group. Binomial logistic regression was used to evaluate the predictive value of changes in SE, WASO, and SL for PAP adherence and to determine optimal cut-off values. A χ² analysis was conducted to assess the relationship between categorical improvements in SE and WASO and adherence to PAP therapy. Results: Among the study cohort, 176 (77.5%) participants were classified as adherent, while 51 (22.5%) participants were classified as non-adherent. SE during PAP titration (83.3 ± 12.6%) was significantly higher compared to baseline polysomnography (80.9 ± 12.4%, p = 0.020), and WASO was significantly reduced (63.9 ± 58.9 min vs. 77.7 ± 67.2 min, p = 0.016). No significant difference was observed in SL between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis indicated that increased SE (odds ratio [OR]: 1.025, p = 0.039) and decreased WASO (OR: 0.994, p = 0.027) both served as significant predictors of PAP adherence, but the overall predictive ability of these indicators was modest (area under the curve 0.60 for SE; 0.62 for WASO). The optimal thresholds distinguishing adherence were ΔSE ≥ 2.39% and ΔWASO < −1.5 min. Participants who exhibited improvements in SE (χ² = 5.296, p = 0.021) and WASO (χ² = 6.877, p = 0.009) demonstrated a significantly higher likelihood of adhering to PAP therapy. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that objective increases in sleep quality, specifically elevated SE and decreased WASO during initial PAP titration, are significantly associated with short-term PAP adherence among patients with OSA. Full article

Texture, a significant visual attribute in images, plays an important role in many pattern recognition tasks. While Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have been among the most effective methods for texture analysis, alternative architectures such as Vision Transformers (ViTs) have recently demonstrated superior performance on a range of visual recognition problems. However, the suitability of ViTs for texture recognition remains underexplored. In this work, we investigate the capabilities and limitations of ViTs for texture recognition by analyzing 25 different ViT variants as feature extractors and comparing them to CNN-based and hand-engineered approaches. Our evaluation encompasses both accuracy and efficiency, aiming to assess the trade-offs involved in applying ViTs to texture analysis. Our results indicate that ViTs generally outperform CNN-based and hand-engineered models, particularly when using strong pre-training and in-the-wild texture datasets. Notably, BeiTv2-B/16 achieves the highest average accuracy (85.7%), followed by ViT-B/16-DINO (84.1%) and Swin-B (80.8%), outperforming the ResNet50 baseline (75.5%) and the hand-engineered baseline (73.4%). As a lightweight alternative, EfficientFormer-L3 attains a competitive average accuracy of 78.9%. In terms of efficiency, although ViT-B and BeiT(v2) have a higher number of GFLOPs and parameters, they achieve significantly faster feature extraction on GPUs compared to ResNet50. These findings highlight the potential of ViTs as a powerful tool for texture analysis while also pointing to areas for future exploration, such as efficiency improvements and domain-specific adaptations. Full article

Hydrological modeling is essential for the sustainable management of watershed systems. Physically based models like MOHID-Land simulate soil water dynamics using Richards’ equation, parameterized through the van Genuchten–Mualem (VGM) model. Although the sensitivity of individual VGM parameters—residual water content (θr), saturated water content (θs), pore size distribution (n), inverse of air entry pressure (α), and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)—is well documented, their combined effects remain underexplored. This study assessed both isolated and joint impacts of these parameters through a deterministic ±10% perturbation scheme, resulting in 31 unique parameter combinations. Model performance was evaluated using the Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) and Percent Bias (PBIAS). Full-parameter interaction achieved the best results (NSE = 0.50, PBIAS = 25.32), compared to the uncalibrated baseline (NSE = 0.01, PBIAS = 34.06). The pair θs and n emerged as the most influential. Adding secondary parameters to this core pair yielded only marginal performance gains, while removing them from the full set caused similarly marginal declines. These findings reveal a hierarchical sensitivity structure, emphasizing θs and n as key targets for calibration. Prioritizing this pair enables a more efficient soil calibration process, preserving model accuracy while reducing computational cost by limiting parameter space exploration. Full article