Browse Articles

Blue carbon storage in surface sediments of seagrasses and mangroves for Mauritian inventories

Speed guidance strategy at intersections based on platoon recognition in connected and autonomous vehicles environments

To alleviate the issues of widespread traffic congestion and low passage efficiency at urban signalised intersections, which result in increased vehicle energy consumption, this paper proposes a speed guidance strategy based on platoon recognition in connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) environments. The study focuses on vehicle platoons, considering the impact of varying CAV penetration rates, CAV aggregation intensity and the spatio-temporal distribution of mixed traffic flows. Six distinct platoon passage scenarios through intersections are defined, based on whether platoons encounter obstructions. Three distinct guidance strategies are proposed for these scenarios: acceleration guidance, deceleration guidance and platoon splitting. Finally, a case study on secondary development based on Vissim is conducted. The results show that the platoon-based speed guidance strategy reduces vehicle fuel consumption (from 3.152 to 0.600 L/s), delay time (from 9.22 to 3.79 s), and the number of stops (from 0.18 to 0.04 times) compared to no speed guidance Furthermore, the effectiveness of platoon-based speed guidance strategies varies with CAV penetration rates. As the CAV penetration rate approaches 0.7, the benefits to traffic of the guidance strategy become more apparent. The most significant reductions were observed in fuel consumption, delay time and the number of stops: 40%, 37% and 23%.

HiMamba-Net: a Hilbert-serialized Mamba network for 3D point cloud instance segmentation

Editorial Note: Drug prescriptions preceding opioid-related deaths–a register study in forensic autopsy patients

Research on mechanical characteristics and failure modes of interbedded rock mass with varying dip angles under high in-situ stress

Abstract This study investigates the mechanical behavior and failure mechanisms of soft-hard interbedded tunnel under high in-situ stress, where interfacial joint planes reduce overall strength and induce anisotropy, leading to asymmetric large deformations during excavation that jeopardize construction safety and long-term operational stability. Focusing on the Jianshan Tunnel along the Zhonglan section of the Yinlan High-Speed Railway, we integrated field testing, laboratory experiments, and numerical simulations to analyze the mechanical response of interbedded rock masses at varying dip angles under high stress. Key findings include:①Field stress measurements at 342.57 m depth revealed a maximum horizontal principal stress of 12.40 MPa, with principal stress relationships SH > SV> Sh;②Laboratory tests demonstrated that the mechanical properties of interbedded rock masses are governed by the soft layer at low dip angles, by the interfacial planes at medium angles, and by the hard layer at high angles, exhibiting distinct failure modes: tensile splitting, shear failure, and composite failure, respectively;③ Numerical simulations classified surrounding rock deformation into four zones based on horizontal displacement evolution: slow-development, rapid-development, stabilization, and attenuation zones, with peak asymmetric displacement occurring at medium dip angles where minor eccentric tension and major eccentric compression regions form in supporting structures. These results provide critical insights for deformation control technologies and analogous engineering projects.

Psychosocial factors associated with engagement and efficacy of mindfulness intervention in the classroom

Background Mindfulness practice has been associated with a range of benefits in the literature. However, intervention effects show substantial person-to-person variability, and the individual differences underlying this variability remain underexamined. Identifying the psychosocial predictors of the practice can increase our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the benefits of mindfulness practice and inform strategies to increase both engagement and efficacy of it. Methodology 66 university students in Singapore were recruited if they had completed a course where mindfulness practice was conducted during the lecture. Participants were aged between 18–39 years old (Mage = 22.2 years). They completed an online survey measuring trait mindfulness, personality traits, attachment and conflict styles, intrinsic motivation, grit, and attention control. Outcome variables of engagement and efficacy were self-reported. Multiple linear regression for each independent variable controlled for different course taken and prior mindfulness experience using a multiple comparison corrected confidence interval of 99.8%. Results Intrinsic motivation was positively associated with both engagement in mindfulness practice and its usefulness. The observing facet of trait mindfulness, total trait mindfulness and conscientious personality were negatively associated with how difficult participants felt the mindfulness practice was. Discussion The significant psychosocial and cognitive variables associated with both engagement and efficacy of mindfulness practice from this exploratory study add to our understanding of the type of participants that might be more suited for mindfulness practice in the classroom.

Gender differences in associations of proximal social-ecological factors with depressive symptoms among rural Chinese adolescents: a network analysis

The expert’s cadence, the novice’s rush: A multi-level analysis of cognitive rhythm in translation production under pressure

This study examines how time pressure and translator experience interact to shape the cognitive rhythm of translation production. Sixty-five Chinese-English translators’ (35 novices, 30 experienced) keystroke activities were tracked as they translated comparable texts under three time conditions: Short, Standard, and Free. Multi-level analyses captured micro-level behaviors (pausing, segmentation) and macro-level process organization (phase allocation, revision strategies). Results reveal experience-dependent adaptation. Both groups demonstrated increased fluency and production stability when time pressure was relieved, producing longer and more consistent text segments and engaging in more immediate self-correction. However, the two groups diverged fundamentally in their strategic responses. Experienced translators maintained stable production rhythms across all conditions and strategically allocated time to orientation and end revision, cleanly separating drafting from revision. Novices, in contrast, exhibited a reactive, blended strategy: drafting and revision were tightly coupled, and process efficiency depended heavily on external time constraints. Notably, novices’ behavioral pattern most closely resembled that of experienced translators under the moderate deadline, but they failed to capitalize on unlimited time for further strategic improvement. These findings suggest that translation expertise is characterized by metacognitive control over cognitive rhythm and resilience against external constraints. Novices, lacking such adaptive regulations, are prone to a cognitively costly, reactive process. The study’s implications extend beyond translation, highlighting the universal importance of strategic process management in professional practice and demonstrating how time constraints can serve as a pedagogical scaffold to help beginners develop adaptive expertise.

Adding nefopam to oxycodone-based patient-controlled analgesia provides noninferior analgesia with opioid sparing after laparoscopic surgery

Correction: Where do they come from and where do they go: Understanding the relationship between deprivation and the geographical journeys of trainee doctors in England

Fractional caputo modeling of delayed disease dynamics: sensitivity analysis and control strategies incorporating environmental influences

Assessing undergraduate mentoring competency in a research-intensive Hispanic serving institution: A revalidation

Mentoring is a critical factor in fostering persistence and professional identity among undergraduate students from underrepresented minority (URM) backgrounds in STEM. However, the systematic assessment of mentor effectiveness, particularly within diverse institutional contexts, remains a challenge. The Mentoring Competency Assessment (MCA), though widely used, was originally validated on a homogeneous sample and subsequent revisions (MCA-21) relied on traditional psychometric methods (PCA/CFA), leaving concerns about its applicability and complexity in highly diverse settings. This study addressed the need for a culturally relevant and psychometrically rigorous assessment by examining the factor structure of the MCA-21 among research mentors ( N  = 323) at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). We utilized Exploratory Graph Analysis (EGA), a network-based method that identifies latent structures without imposing rigid model assumptions, to assess how mentoring competencies cluster in this unique context. EGA results revealed a more parsimonious three-factor structure, significantly differing from the original six-factor model. This abbreviated structure suggests that effective mentorship at an HSI may be best captured by clusters focusing on (1) Research Skill Development, (2) Identity and Belonging, and (3) Career Alignment. These findings indicate that the structure of mentoring competencies is context-dependent, potentially integrating culturally responsive practices into core domains. The resulting three-factor structure provides a validated, context-specific, and less burdensome instrument for HSI settings (CLI = 0.951). This refinement enhances the utility of the MCA for evaluating mentor effectiveness, improving the precision of mentor training programs, and ultimately fostering equitable professional development for URM students in diverse academic environments.

Reconfigurable MIMO antenna for Sub-6 GHz 5G cognitive radio with machine learning based metaheuristic optimization

Abstract The growth of 5G and cognitive radio (CR) has increased the need for frequency-reconfigurable multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas that can access spectrum dynamically while controlling interference. This paper presents a wideband reconfigurable MIMO antenna for Sub-6 GHz 5G CR applications. The proposed antenna supports interweave and underlay operating modes, which improves spectrum utilization, coverage adaptability, and communication flexibility. Reconfigurability is achieved using varactor diodes for continuous frequency tuning and PIN diodes for band switching. In wideband mode, the antenna operates from 2.59 to 5.09 GHz, with a simulated reflection coefficient close to -35 dB and a peak gain of about 5.6 dBi. The measured reflection coefficient reaches approximately -40 dB and shows close agreement with the simulated response, confirming the practical feasibility of the design. A machine-learning-assisted optimization framework using particle swarm optimization (PSO), Newton Raphson optimization (NRO), and Walrus Optimization (WO) is used to improve bandwidth, gain, and impedance matching. Electromagnetic simulations and measurements confirm strong $$S_{11}$$ , gain, isolation, and radiation performance. These results show that the proposed design is suitable for next-generation adaptive wireless systems and provides a scalable framework for reconfigurable MIMO antenna design in 5G and cognitive radio environments.

Evaluation of stream visual assessment protocol with measured water quality parameters in urban streams

Accurate assessment of stream health is important due to the numerous known influences of habitat, including water quality, on aquatic ecosystems as well as human health. The Stream Visual Assessment Protocol (SVAP) of the Natural Resources Conservation Service is an accessible resource for resource managers and the citizenry that provides a rapid “snapshot” assessment of general stream health, based on visual physical characteristics. This study evaluated whether SVAP scores can be used to infer water quality conditions. We assigned SVAP scores for four urban streams in the southeastern U.S. Piedmont region using ten metrics, and assessed whether the scores were strongly correlated with measured data for four physical features (depth, flow rate, canopy cover, water temperature) and seven water quality parameters (pH, dissolved oxygen concentration and percent saturation, conductivity, total dissolved solids, turbidity, and Enterococcus ). The SVAP scores were strongly correlated with measured physical characteristics, but there were few significant correlations between SVAP scores and water quality data. The findings suggest that the SVAP should not be used to infer water quality conditions, which are critically important to stream habitat health.

Phloiokeratosis is a new ichthyosiform hyperkeratotic cornification disorder in dogs with SUV39H1 variants

Abstract The continuous renewal of healthy epidermis depends on the finely regulated proliferation of basal keratinocytes and subsequent differentiation as the newly formed cells move upwards through the epidermis. Perturbations in keratinocyte differentiation may lead to cornification disorders. We investigated seven dogs from four independent families that showed striking multifocal tree bark-like skin lesions. Histopathologically, lesional skin was characterized by pronounced epidermal hyperkeratosis. We therefore tentatively termed the phenotype phloiokeratosis, derived from the Greek word phloiós for tree bark. Whole genome sequencing revealed four independent variants in the SUV39H1 gene encoding an H3K9 methyltransferase, which is involved in epigenetic silencing of chromatin. Phloiokeratosis is inherited as an X-chromosomal semi-dominant trait. Four of the affected dogs were heterozygous females and had lesion patterns reminiscent of Blaschko lines. In two of them, trio analyses experimentally confirmed de novo mutation events in the SUV39H1 gene. Previously, Suv39h1 −/− knockout mice had been reported to have normal skin. So far, no human patients with SUV39H1 loss-of-function variants have been reported. The findings in SUV39H1 mutant dogs with phloiokeratosis for the first time link SUV39H1 deficiency to a heritable skin phenotype. Our study highlights the essential role of SUV39H1-mediated epigenetic silencing during normal keratinocyte differentiation.

Circular economy approach to eggshell waste utilisation: Insoluble protein extraction and CaCO3 upcycling for carbonated hydroxyapatite (cHAP)-based fire-resistant wood

Transitioning to a resource-efficient and sustainable circular economy is vital for tackling climate- and environmental-related challenges. This study demonstrates a closed-loop strategy for upcycling agricultural biowaste eggshells. Water-insoluble proteins were extracted from both shell membranes and shell fragments by boiling in water using protein denaturants. The ground eggshells also were used to prepare calcium acetate (Ca(CH 3 COO) 2 ) and to treat Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) sapwood. Mineralisation of the wood was achieved by performing a two-step impregnation process using aqueous solutions of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (NH 4 H 2 PO 4 ) and Ca(CH 3 COO) 2 salts. Morphological studies revealed the relatively low saturation of wood matrix with mineral, with cell lumina mostly unfilled, while elemental mapping confirmed homogeneous distribution of Ca and P within the wood matrix. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that wood treatment resulted in the in-situ co-precipitation of low-crystallinity hydroxyapatite (Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 ), and spectroscopic analysis indicated carbonate substitution within the Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 crystal lattice, suggesting the formation of carbonated hydroxyapatite (Ca 10-x (PO 4 ) 6-x (CO 3 ) x (OH) 2-x-2y (CO 3 ) y ). Microscale combustion calorimeter (MCC) and cone calorimeter (CC) measurements of mineralised wood revealed a reduction in the total heat release (THR) compared with untreated wood, indicating potential for further optimisation of wood modification process. Results suggest that the proposed aqueous solution-based processing approach for converting an abundant resource, chicken eggshells, into value-added products has potential for new technology and bioeconomy development and represents a promising pathway towards improved sustainability.

A flexible loop in the Smc3 head domain is required for stability and cohesin complex integrity

PEC-CDC: A prediction error-based calibration framework for robust unsupervised deep clustering

While deep clustering has made significant strides, the inherent overconfidence of Softmax-based calibration remains a critical bottleneck. Even dedicated frameworks like Calibrated Deep Clustering (CDC) fail to fully eliminate this issue, as they continue to rely on probability-based metrics. These relative metrics are constrained by inter-class normalization, which often forces high confidence scores onto ambiguous samples where discriminative features are underdeveloped. To address this limitation, we propose PEC-CDC, a novel framework that reconfigures the CDC architecture by replacing its probability-based calibration head with a regression-based Prediction Error-based Classification (PEC) head. Our core motivation is that prediction error serves as an absolute measure of distributional support independent of other classes, making it inherently resistant to overconfidence. Specifically, we utilize a frozen Teacher-Student module to shift the model’s evaluation from relative confidence probability to absolute sample–cluster distribution consistency. Qualitative analysis via t-SNE and error distribution visualizations confirms that our framework establishes superior semantic boundaries and compact cluster manifolds. Extensive experiments demonstrate that PEC-CDC achieves state-of-the-art performance; notably, on the challenging CIFAR-100 dataset, it attains an Adjusted Rand Index (ARI) of 45.61%, effectively quadrupling the performance of leading baselines such as CueCo.

Prospective association between bullying victimization and malevolent creativity among Chinese middle school students: the mediation of trait anger and moderation of moral identity

Erythropoietin, transfusions, and outcomes of retinopathy of prematurity and brain injury in extremely preterm infants: A post hoc analysis of the Preterm Erythropoietin Neuroprotection Trial (PENUT)

Background Erythropoietin is perceived as both a neuroprotectant and a biomarker for hypoxic stress. Objective To explore correlations between serum erythropoietin (Epo) concentrations, perinatal risk factors, red blood cell transfusions and recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo) with outcomes including retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and brain injury on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in extremely preterm infants. Methods This is a post hoc analysis of data from the Preterm Erythropoietin Neuroprotection Trial of preterm infants born between 24 0/7 and 27 6/7 weeks gestation and randomized to placebo or rHuEpo treatment (N = 941). Serum Epo concentrations were collected within 24 hours (baseline) and at 7, 9, and 14 days. MRI was obtained at 36 weeks postmenstrual age (N = 220). Results Baseline Epo concentrations negatively correlated with gestational age, delayed cord clamping, and Apgar scores, and positively correlated with intraventricular hemorrhage and risk of death. Neither endogenous Epo at baseline nor trajectories from birth to 14 days were associated with ROP. In the placebo group, Epo at 1 week of life (r = 0.26, p = 0.033) and 2-week area under the curve (r = 0.28, p = 0.019) positively correlated with white matter injury. In the treatment group, Epo at 14 days negatively correlated with white matter injury (r = −0.35, p = 0.004). Grey matter injury negatively correlated with baseline Epo in the placebo group (r = −0.27, p = 0.01) but positively correlated in the treatment group (r = 0.23, p = 0.047). Transfusions were associated with severe ROP (p < 0.0001) and total brain injury on MRI (p = 0.007). Transfusion volumes in the first week of life were associated with a greater risk of severe ROP in males (p = 0.0006). Conclusions Endogenous Epo concentrations in preterm infants are influenced by perinatal variables and correlate with poor outcomes. The association of Epo with MRI results differed between placebo and rHuEpo treatment groups. Transfusions were associated with increased ROP and brain injury on MRI.