Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (Switzerland)
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing InstituteNot a member yet
1861300 research outputs found
Sort by
Tuning Oxygen Reduction Kinetics in LaSrCoO4 with Strained Epitaxial Thin Films and Wrinkled Freestanding Membranes
No full textSluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) remains a critical barrier to advancing intermediate-temperature electrochemical energy devices. Here, we demonstrate that strain engineering in two platforms, epitaxial thin films and freestanding membranes, systematically tunes ORR kinetics in Ruddlesden-Popper LaSrCoO4. In epitaxial films, film thickness is varied to control in-plane tensile strain, whereas in freestanding membranes strain relaxation during the release step using water-soluble sacrificial layers produces flat or wrinkled architectures. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis reveals more than an order of magnitude increase in the oxygen surface exchange coefficient for tensile-strained films relative to relaxed films, together with a larger oxygen vacancy concentration. Wrinkled freestanding membranes provide a further increase in oxygen surface exchange kinetics and a lower activation energy, which are attributed to increased active surface area and local strain variation. These results identify epitaxial tensile strain and controlled wrinkling as practical design parameters for optimizing ORR activity in Ruddlesden-Popper oxides
Ex Situ Breeding and Conservation of Osmoderma Species: A Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Breeding Guidelines for Reintroduction
No full textHermit beetles (Osmoderma spp.) are protected and endangered across Europe, experiencing ongoing decline throughout most of their range. Because nearly all populations are small and isolated, Osmoderma genus is highly susceptible to extinction and requires active conservation measures. The primary cause of decline in the genus is habitat loss, particularly the removal of hollow trees that provide essential larval habitat. The nutritional wood mold within these hollows, on which larvae depend for 3–4 years of development, is directly linked to population survival. The aim of this study was to develop methodical ex situ breeding guidelines for reintroduction designed to eliminate environmental constraints and ecological requirement gaps. We first synthesize literature-based evidence on habitat conditions, applied methods, study durations, and key ecological insights relevant to Osmoderma conservation. Based on these results, we then create an ex situ breeding guideline for reintroduction, combining published data with practical breeding objectives in cases where empirical data are limited
Review on the Mechanical Properties and Modification Techniques of Coral Concrete
No full textCoral aggregate concrete (CAC) serves as a critical material for sustainable development in marine engineering, effectively addressing the shortage of aggregate resources in the construction of offshore islands and reefs. In this paper, the aggregate characteristics, static and dynamic mechanical properties and modification technology of CAC are systematically reviewed. Research indicates that the coral aggregates (CAs), due to its high porosity (approximately 50%), low bulk density (900–1100 kg/m3), and rough, porous surface, results in relatively low static compressive strength (20–40 MPa), insufficient elastic modulus, and significant brittleness in CAC. However, its dynamic performance shows the opposite advantage. Under impact loads, the energy absorption capacity is enhanced by 32.6–140.3%, compared to ordinary concrete (OC) due to the energy dissipation mechanism of pore platic deformation. Through the modification techniques, such as aggregate pre-treatment (acid washing/coating), incorporation of auxiliary cementitious materials (silica fume increases strength by 16.4%), fibre reinforcement (carbon fibres enhance flexural strength by 33.3%), and replacement with novel cementitious materials (magnesium sulphate cement improves chloride ion binding capacity by 90.7%), the mechanical properties and durability of CAC can be significantly optimised. This paper highlights gaps in current research regarding the high strain rate (>200 s−1) dynamic response, multi-factor coupled durability in marine environments, and the engineering application of alkali-activated materials, providing theoretical basis for future research directions
T-LysYal for Managing Dry Eye Disease, the Advent of Supramolecular Aggregates in Ophthalmology: A Narrative Review
No full textDry Eye Disease (DED) is a highly characterised multifactorial disease resulting in the loss of tear film homeostasis and associated with a major impact on patient quality of life. DED affects up to half of the global population, with modern lifestyle factors playing a critical role in disease development, particularly excessive use of digital devices. The ultimate treatment goal is restoration of tear film homeostasis and breaking the ‘vicious circle’ of DED. Today, the use of tear substitutes represents the main option for the treatment of DED. These topical formulations aim to provide lubrication, reduce osmolarity, and improve tear clearance. However, they do not interact with the ocular surface epithelium nor modulate ocular inflammation, and do not fully restore natural tear function. T-LysYal is the first supramolecular ocular surface modulator for DED. Studies demonstrate that T-LysYal promotes tissue repair, improves tear breakup time, restores corneal epithelial cell damage, and modulates inflammation processes, significantly reducing the severity of DED symptoms in patients. In addition, T-LysYal provides stability that prolongs activity and favours cell adhesion. Through its 3D nanotube structure, movement of water in the eye is retained and improved, enhancing ocular hydrodynamics. This narrative review introduces T-LysYal for DED whilst highlighting both its in vitro activity and clinical profile against hyaluronic acid, a mainstay of disease management
The Labeled Square Root Cubature Information GM-PHD Approach for Multi Extended Targets Tracking
No full textFor modern radars with high resolutions, an extended target may generate more than one observations. The conventional point target-based tracking method can hardly be applied in such scenarios. Recently, the ET-GM-PHD approach has been presented for tracking these extended targets. The performance of such an approach has been influenced by the following disadvantages. First, it has been formulated under the linear Gaussian assumptions. When targets move with nonlinear models, the tracking performance may be rapidly decreased. Second, it neglects the time associations of the estimated states at different time steps, which makes it very challenging to manage targets for the radar systems. In this paper, we present a labeled ET-GM-PHD approach based on the square root cubature information filter (SRCIF) to solve such problems. To be more specific, we, first, utilize the SCRIF for predicting and updating the GM components of the ET-GM-PHD approach. For decreasing the computational cost, a candidate observation extracting method has been put forward in the GM component updating step. Thus, the ET-GM-PHD approach can be adopted to track extended targets with nonlinear motions. Second, a label-based trajectory constructing method has been proposed. By assigning the GM components with different labels before the GM component predicting step, we can obtain the estimated states with different labels. On this basis, the associations between the estimated states and trajectories can be modeled based on these labels. Thus, we can obtain the states and trajectories of multi extended targets simultaneously. The simulation results prove the effectiveness of our approach
Recent Progress on Hybrid Percolation Transitions
No full textPercolation describes the formation of a giant cluster once the average degree of a network exceeds a critical value. A hybrid percolation transition (HPT) denotes a phenomenon in which a discontinuous jump of the order parameter and the critical behavior, a basic pattern of a continuous transition, appear together at the same threshold. Such HPTs have been reported in many different systems. In this review, we present several representative examples of HPTs and classify them into two categories: global suppression-induced HPTs and cascading failure-induced HPTs. In the former class, critical behavior manifests itself in the distribution of cluster sizes, whereas in the latter it emerges in the distribution of avalanche sizes. We further outline the universal scaling relations shared by both types
Tear Protein Alteration in Dogs with Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca
No full textKeratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) in dogs is an immune-mediated disorder characterized by aqueous tear deficiency, ocular surface inflammation, and risk of vision loss. Although tear quantity is routinely evaluated using the Schirmer tear test (STT), the accompanying qualitative alterations in tear protein composition remain poorly understood. In this exploratory study, we identified and characterized qualitatively differentially expressed tear proteins in samples collected from seven Beagle dogs with KCS and five healthy Beagles. Samples were collected using filter paper, extracted in phosphate-buffered saline, concentrated by trichloroacetic acid precipitation, and then separated via two-dimensional electrophoresis. Differential protein spots were identified by MALDI-TOF-MS-based peptide mass fingerprinting. Total protein concentrations were determined by measuring UV absorbance at 280 nm and were found to be significantly higher in dogs with KCS (30.7 ± 13.5 mg/mL) than in healthy dogs (11.5 ± 1.8 mg/mL, p < 0.05). Five proteins were identified as differentially expressed: serum albumin, lactotransferrin isoform 1, immunoglobulin gamma heavy chain C, major allergen Can f 1, and lysozyme C. High-molecular-weight proteins were upregulated in KCS, whereas low-molecular-weight proteins (<10 kDa, proline-rich protein-like components) were markedly reduced or absent. These compositional shifts suggest that KCS alters both the quantity and qualitative integrity of the tear proteosome, reflecting impaired tear film homeostasis and diminished ocular surface defense. The results support the potential utility of the tear proteome as a source of diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers in canine KCS
Sustaining Vernacular Heritage: Challenges and Strategies for Residential Conservation in Suzhou’s Pingjiang Historical Block
No full textDespite its status as a heritage model, Suzhou’s Pingjiang Historic Block suffers from a significant “conservation deficit”. The current study quantifies this decay and identifies its socio-economic drivers through a field survey of 517 traditional residences and a multivariate analysis of 188 resident households. The results reveal widespread degradation, including 32% roof damage and 55% unauthorized window replacements. Binary logistic regression identifies institutional status (hukou) as the decisive predictor of housing integrity (β = −0.544). Non-local migrants, trapped by tenure insecurity, exhibit significantly higher damage rates (53.5%). In contrast, local residents, driven by an “Aging Trap” and thermal comfort needs, are the primary drivers of adaptive window replacements (OR = 2.71). These findings indicate that current static policies are failing to address structural misalignments between preservation mandates and resident reality. The study advocates for a shift towards “Adaptive Integrity”, proposing tenure integration for migrants and technical retrofitting support for the aging local population to reconcile heritage protection with contemporary living needs
Recurrent Vulvovaginitis as an Unusual Presentation of Diagnosed Obstructed Hemivagina and Ipsilateral Renal Anomalies (OHVIRA) Syndrome in an Adolescent: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
No full textBackground: Vulvovaginitis is a common condition in pediatric and adolescent female patients and is most frequently caused by infection. Although non-infectious etiologies are less common, they should be considered, particularly in cases that are refractory to standard treatment. Case: We report a rare case of a 16-year-old adolescent who was ultimately diagnosed with obstructed hemivagina and ipsilateral renal anomalies (OHVIRA) syndrome after experiencing recurrent vulvovaginitis for more than one year. Despite repeated antimicrobial treatments, her symptoms persisted. Further imaging studies revealed uterine didelphys with an obstructed hemivagina and ipsilateral renal agenesis. Surgical resection of the vaginal septum resulted in complete resolution of symptoms. Conclusions: Müllerian anomalies, such as OHVIRA syndrome, should be considered in the differential diagnosis for adolescents with recurrent vulvovaginitis refractory to conventional therapy. Delayed diagnosis may result in complications that significantly impair both quality of life and future reproductive potential
IAVOA–EATCN: An Adaptive Deep Framework for Accurate Power Load Forecasting
No full textWith the large-scale integration of renewable energy, the operational complexity of power systems has increased, placing higher demands on the accuracy of load forecasting. To address the nonlinear characteristics of load variations and improve feature utilization, this paper proposes an IAVOA–EATCN load forecasting model. In the feature engineering stage, an expand–reduce transformation is employed to reconstruct the original multi-feature inputs, and variational mode decomposition (VMD) is further applied to extract low- and high-frequency components, thereby compressing redundant features while preserving essential information structures. In terms of model architecture, the nonlinear representation capability of the temporal convolutional network (TCN) is enhanced by introducing the FlexSwish activation function, and an Efficient Channel Attention (ECA) mechanism is integrated to strengthen the perception of critical features. For parameter optimization, an improved African Vulture Optimization Algorithm (IAVOA) is proposed, which initializes the population using perturbation-enhanced dynamic Tent mapping, balances global exploration and local exploitation through adaptive parameter control, and incorporates elite retention and migration mechanisms to avoid premature convergence. Experimental results on real-world load data demonstrate that the proposed model achieves RMSE, R2, and MAE values of 26.5544, 0.9804, and 18.5589, respectively, significantly outperforming benchmark methods and exhibiting strong generalization capability and practical potential for intelligent load forecasting