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Effect of print angle on dimensional accuracy and printing efficiency of directly 3D-printed clear aligners
Factors associated with preterm birth and low birth weight among infants with congenital heart disease in Changsha City, China, 2022–2024
Evaluation of idiopathic olfactory dysfunction as a warning marker for early parkinson’s disease: a population-based cross-sectional study
Intelligent multi-objective optimization of thermal comfort and ventilation performance in stratum ventilation design
A direction aware predictive offloading framework for energy conscious mobile augmented reality systems
Earliest perissodactyls reveal large-scale dispersals during the PETM
Perissodactyls were a diverse order of mammals in the Northern Hemisphere during the Paleogene, but very few species remain today. They first appear during the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM; 56 Ma) on the three continents of the Northern Hemisphere. Because they lack modern diversity, the study of their evolutionary history remains difficult, relying almost exclusively on fossils. In addition, their origin and early diversification remain elusive since all main groups appear at the same time with several genera and are already diverse, contrary to other modern mammal orders. Here, we investigate the early evolution of perissodactyls by analyzing a new dataset focusing on early species to obtain a new expansive phylogeny. This new topology, in combination with new observations and comparisons demonstrates that several genera are synonymous, simplifying the evolutionary picture of early perissodactyls. We show that the number of genera was overestimated and should be significantly reevaluated. These results also highlight fast dispersals of two genera, Pliolophus and Cardiolophus , on the three Northern continents, reflecting that of other modern mammals. The phylogeny also supports a potential Indo-Pakistani origin of perissodactyls. In addition, this large-scale phylogeny shows that many species that were named as “ Hyracotherium ” in the past (or sometimes “ Eohippus ”, the “dawn-horse”) and considered as “horses”, are not actually closely related to horses (Hippomorpha), including Hyracotherium itself, but can be considered as basal perissodactyls.
Volcanic personality: the man who recognized volcanoes as a planet-shaping force of nature
Should professors be forced to retire?
Daily briefing: The battle over the identity of the first animals
Trajectories of emotional and physical distress during ICU stay and their association with clinical factors and cognitive status at discharge
Generalized spatial two stage least squares analysis of foreign direct investment air pollution and green technology innovation in Chinese cities
Effect of partial replacement of volcanic ash with slag on the performance of sustainable alkali-activated materials for lead-contaminated soil remediation
Nested PCR as a superior diagnostic method for Acanthamoeba keratitis compared to conventional techniques
Comprehensive blood glucose level prediction from HbA1c levels using machine learning models across the biological range
Modelling the impact of energetic electrons on electron-acoustic instabilities and HF/UHF wave propagation in the ionospheric-like plasmas
Optimizing immersion time and frequency in a twin-bottle temporary immersion system for mass production of Zingiber officinale Roscoe
Task status evaluation strategy for dynamic traffic police dispatching in accident response
Synergistic impact of mesoporous Zn/Al-LDH nanorods for developing dielectric and thermal properties of epoxy as insulation in GIS/GIL
Abstract Gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) and transmission lines (GIL) depend on epoxy spacers to ensure electrical reliability under high-voltage stress. Yet, the limited dielectric strength and thermal tolerance of neat epoxy constrain its long-term applicability. This work investigates Zn/Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoparticles as functional fillers for epoxy insulation. The nanofillers were synthesized by co-precipitation, surface-functionalized for improved compatibility, and incorporated into epoxy at loadings of 1–7 wt%. Structural, thermal, dielectric, and breakdown properties were systematically assessed. The Zn/Al-LDH exhibited a mesoporous nanostructure with high surface area (~ 98.9 m 2 /g) and uniform dispersion in the matrix, increasing epoxy structural ordering from 21.1% to 28.9%. Thermal stability improved as the char yield rose from 14% (neat epoxy) to 17.1% at 5 wt%, while the glass transition temperature shifted from 93.5 °C to 109.8 °C, surpassing the IEC 62271-1 limit. Dielectric analysis confirmed stable permittivity, low loss at 50 Hz, and suppressed DC conductivity down to 10⁻ 15 –10⁻ 12 S/cm. Most notably, breakdown strength rose from 30.08 kV/mm in neat epoxy to 37.42 kV/mm at 5 wt%, representing a 24% enhancement and the most reliable statistical profile under Weibull analysis. Beyond this concentration, agglomeration effects reversed the benefits, lowering performance below that of pure epoxy. These findings highlight Zn/Al-LDH/epoxy nanocomposites as a promising class of advanced insulating materials, with optimum performance achieved at 3–5 wt% loading. The combined improvements in dielectric reliability, thermal stability, and breakdown endurance demonstrate their potential for next-generation GIS/GIL applications.