Browse Articles

Kinetic and isotherm study of Ni-MOF/Magnetite nanoparticles adsorption capacity as green synthesized adsorbent towards rhodochrome (Kammererite)

Abstract This study presents a novel approach by batch adsorption method for the removal of Rhodochrome (Kammererite) from wastewater via a sustainable, environmentally friendly, natural-dependent synthesis to produce Ni/MOF/tea-magnetite nanoparticles as adsorbent. No approach for the elimination of this category of chlorite was discussed using the adsorption batch method, which is highly efficient in relation to cost and time, as well as being rapid and environmentally benign. The study will also consider pH, nanoparticle dose, dye concentration, agitation speed, temperature, and contact time to evaluate how this influence removal efficiency, as well as isotherms, kinetics, and nanoparticle reusability as a cost-saving strategy. The morphology and microstructure of the adsorbent material were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, zeta potential measurement, and X-ray diffraction (XRD).The optimum removal parameters were pH 8, a duration of 5 min at 600 rpm, and 0.07 g of nanoparticles, resulting in a clearance rate of 93%. Moreover, it was shown that the material may be utilized for three cycles with a clearing rate of 85%. The adsorption process can be conducted without modifying the temperature. The adsorption isotherm and kinetics studied was evaluated using the different kinetics study, Langmuir, Freundlich, DKR, and Temkin models. The removal procedure was determined to comply with the Temkin model and pseudo second order reaction.

RSM-optimized biodiesel production from Ethiopian Podocarpus falcatus seed oil using a CaO-CeO2 heterogeneous composite catalyst and oxidative stability assessment

Improving the nutritional and sensory attributes of green faba bean seeds by whey-based fermentation

Abstract Fermentation enhances the nutritional and sensory properties of foods, including legumes like green faba beans. This study examines the effect of the fermentation medium (brine vs. whey) on trypsin inhibitor content and other physicochemical and sensory parameters of green faba bean seeds. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to explore correlations between these features. Seeds were fermented for 7 days in either brine or whey, at 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, or 8% salt. Data showed that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) growth was highest ( p  < 0.05 ) in whey at low salt levels, accompanied by increased acidity. Trypsin inhibitor activity significantly decreased in both media, improving bean digestibility. The highest reduction (79.63%) occurred in whey at 2% salt. Brine-fermented beans exhibited lower lightness (L*), lower ash content, and a shift in a * values toward red compared to whey-fermented beans. Texture softened in both media, with whey producing a softer texture, particularly at higher salt levels. Based on PCA, the significant positive loadings of log LAB, acidity, pH, moisture, and L* on PC1 indicate that these variables are important drivers of change in the dataset, most likely reflecting the overall progress and features of the fermentation process. The distinct separation of fermentation methods in the PCA plot indicates that whey fermentation resulted in a more pronounced shift in bean attributes than brine fermentation, especially in terms of acidity and moisture content. Panelists preferred whey-fermented beans, particularly at 2% and 4% salt, for color and taste over brine-fermented and raw seeds. This study highlights whey fermentation’s potential to enhance green faba bean digestibility and nutritional profile, offering valuable implications for the food industry and consumer health.

Mycorrhizal symbiosis between Coprinellus disseminatus and Cremastra appendiculata, insights from gene expression

Occurrence, environmental correlates, and risk assessment of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Caspian sea coastal waters

Study on the survival prognosis of over 80 years old patients of esophageal cancer with other cancers-based on SEER data analysis

Experimental and RSM simulation assessment of Gamma-ray shielding efficiency of nano-modified concrete exposed to elevated temperatures

The prevalence and predictors of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Chinese patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a multicenter retrospective study

A unified framework for detecting point and collective anomalies in operating system logs via collaborative transformers

Luteolin alleviates angiogenesis in HUVECs by inhibiting VEGFA expression: integrating network pharmacology and experimental validation

Research on ground deformation induced by large caisson construction at the Zhuchong pumping station in Xinyang, China

HTRF-based identification of small molecules targeting SARS-CoV-2 E protein interaction with ZO-1 PDZ2

Social identity and cooperation co-evolve in a multilevel public goods game

Abstract In the real world people often face collective action problems at multiple scales, where they must choose between local and global cooperation. Unlike single public goods scenarios, which can be solved if enough players are willing to cooperate, multilevel collective action problems introduce an additional coordination challenge in working towards the same goals. Using a pre-registered, online behavioural experiment, we investigate how perceptions of social identity predict and covary with cooperation success in multilevel public goods games. We find that introducing a local cooperation option undermines global cooperation and exacerbates parochial biases, but that increasing the payoffs of global cooperation boosts global cooperation levels. We also see a performance-cohesion effect, whereby successful cooperation within groups is associated with increased social identification with that group. Overall, our findings point to the importance of social context for cooperation, social identity, and their interplay.

Analog photography enhances identity, well-being, and social connection, in Southeastern China

Benomyl modulates paracetamol bioaccumulation and endophytic microbiome diversity in zucchini

Abstract Paracetamol, a widely used analgesic and antipyretic, has emerged as a prevalent environmental pollutant that poses risks to various organisms, including plants. Phytoremediation, particularly the use of Cucurbitaceae family plants, offers a promising, eco-friendly approach to mitigate such pollutants. This study investigated the bioaccumulation of paracetamol in zucchini ( Cucurbita pepo cv. Atena Polka) and explored the role of the fungicide benomyl in modulating paracetamol bioaccumulation. Additionally, the impacts of these compounds on zucchini health (measured by biomass, chlorophyll content, and phenolic compound concentrations) and on the diversity of the endophytic microbiome (assessed via the Biolog EcoPlate™ and identification of isolated endophytes via 16S rRNA gene sequencing) were evaluated. Four treatments were assessed over a 28-day cultivation period: control (no pharmaceutical or fungicide), paracetamol (25 mg/kg) (P), paracetamol + benomyl (P + B), and benomyl alone (B). The results revealed that paracetamol accumulated significantly more in the roots of the P variant, but notably, the P + B variant presented a 24-fold increase in paracetamol concentration in aboveground tissues compared with the P variant. The bioaccumulation factors indicated that benomyl significantly enhanced the translocation of paracetamol to aerial parts in the P + B variant. Compared with the control, all the treatments reduced plant biomass, with the lowest values observed in the P variant. The chlorophyll content, in turn, was the highest in the P + B treatment, suggesting that benomyl helped mitigate oxidative stress. The levels of phenolic compounds, particularly flavonoids and phenylpropanoids, were elevated in the P variant, indicating a stress response. Additionally, the endophytic microbial community showed diminished diversity in the P variant. In the P + B variant, in turn, the microbial diversity measured via Biolog Ecoplates and 16S rRNA gene sequencing was greater. Our findings demonstrate that benomyl significantly enhanced the accumulation of paracetamol in the aerial parts of zucchini while promoting the resilience of plants and their associated endophytic bacteria and improving their potential for the phytoremoval of pharmaceutical pollutants.

DA34FL: a robust dynamic accumulator-based authentication and key agreement with preserving model training data integrity for federated learning

Abstract Federated Learning (FL) offers a privacy-preserving distributed learning paradigm by enabling model training without direct access to raw data. However, FL remains vulnerable to unauthorized access during training and client-server exchanges. Authentication and key agreement are essential to restrict access to legitimate participants. Existing FL authentication schemes are prone to impersonation risks, centralized PKI fragility, and insufficient integrity guarantees. To address these challenges, we propose DA $$^3$$ 4FL, a robust dynamic accumulator-based authentication and key agreement with preserving data integrity for FL. Specifically, our proposed DA $$^3$$ 4FL is an efficient authentication protocol utilizing dynamic accumulators, blockchain technology, and message authentication codes, which ensures robust member management, authorized access, and data integrity. Security analysis against the eCK adversary model confirms the resilience of our protocol. Furthermore, experiments and performance evaluations show the effectiveness of our method, with computational overhead competitive with current state-of-the-art (SOTA) baselines.

Enhanced EAADE: a quantum-resilient and privacy-preserving authentication protocol for secure data exchange in vehicular social networks

Controllability of the gene regulatory network in zebrafish embryogenesis

Abstract The development in multicellular organisms is governed by gene regulatory networks (GRNs), which are often difficult to control by the theory of network controllability. While transcription factors (TFs) have been studied, the controllability of the entire developmental process, from early embryo to terminal differentiation, remains unclear. To address this, we reconstructed inferred GRNs across developmental stages using single-cell RNA sequencing data from zebrafish embryogenesis. We inferred networks for both trunk and branch trajectories, and calculated the fraction of driver nodes for each. About 80% of nodes were driver nodes in most networks. Notably, the fraction of driver nodes was significantly lower at the final developmental phase than in earlier phases, suggesting that inferred GRNs become more controllable as development progresses. Furthermore, we identified critical TFs—defined as transcription factors originating from critical edges—that may highlight key regulatory points.

Optogenetic stimulation attenuates central post-stroke pain via BDNF/TrkB signaling pathway modulation in the ascending pain modulation system

Assessing eco-environmental quality and its drivers in the Shandong section of the Yellow River Basin with an improved remote sensing ecological index

Abstract The Shandong section of the Yellow River Basin (SDYRB), a critical zone for ecological security in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, faces multiple ecological challenges including salinization, soil erosion, water scarcity, and anthropogenic pollution. These issues significantly hinder regional sustainable development. To assess eco-environmental quality in the SDYRB accurately, an Improved Remote Sensing Ecological Index (IRSEI) was developed by integrating the Composite Salinity Index (CSI) and Soil–Water Conservation Function Index (SWCFI). Utilizing multi-temporal imagery (2009–2023), this study analyzed spatio-temporal patterns of eco-environmental quality and their driving mechanisms. The results show that: (1) The overall eco-environmental quality exhibits a declining trend, with a spatial distribution pattern characterized as “superior in the west and poorer in the east”. High-quality areas were concentrated in western plains and Yellow River riparian zones, versus low-quality areas in eastern/northern coasts. (2) The global Moran’s I approached 1 and exhibited a gradual year-by-year decline, indicating persistent spatial agglomeration of ecological quality. Local spatial autocorrelation was predominantly characterized by High-High (H–H) and Low-Low (L–L) agglomerations, with low-value areas exhibiting an outward spread tendency. (3) Ecological quality fluctuated, declining significantly (2009–2014) before recovering (2019–2023). Degradation hotspots were identified in the northeast and southwest, whereas the improved areas were concentrated in the central region. (4) Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression and GeoDetector (GD) identified synergistic natural and anthropogenic driving factors: mean annual temperature, evapotranspiration, nighttime light intensity, and land use were dominant. This study improves the applicability and interpretability of IRSEI in salinized and soil-eroded regions by integrating CSI and SWCFI, offering a scientific foundation for ecological conservation and high-quality development in the SDYRB. The approach can also be extended to dynamic monitoring and evaluation of other similarly vulnerable ecological zones.