Browse Articles

Nesting in anticipation: Spatial ecology of giant honey bees (Apis dorsata) in relation to crop succession mapped by remote sensing

Seasonal migration and nesting of the giant honeybee Apis dorsata (Fabricius, 1793) are widely associated with mass-flowering crops, yet how colony settlement relates to surrounding landscape structure remains poorly understood. We analysed land-use patterns within the effective foraging range of A. dorsata colonies in the central Chitwan plain, Nepal, using satellite-derived land-use maps from three seasonal snapshots spanning one agricultural cycle: December 1999, February 2000, and April 2000. For each season, land-use composition was quantified radially around nesting sites and compared with spatially constrained random reference landscapes, allowing background seasonal turnover to be separated from nest-specific spatial contrasts. To evaluate both the magnitude and spatial consistency of these contrasts across colonies, we developed a signal–precision framework that integrates contrast strength with repeatability across 55 nesting sites, comprising approximately 300 nests, and 55 matched random locations. Across seasons, the strongest nest-associated signals corresponded to two nectar- and pollen-relevant crops: mustard in December 1999 and buckwheat in February 2000. These signals peaked within 1–3 km of nests, consistent with the effective foraging range of A. dorsata , whereas the distinction between nest-centred and random landscapes became less pronounced at larger distances. Although mustard and buckwheat covered smaller proportions of the landscape than dominant cereals, such as wheat and rice, or other land-use classes, including grassland and fallow land, they consistently emerged as the most spatially precise nest-associated components, highlighting their diagnostic relevance for nesting environments. By separating nest-specific signals from seasonal land-use change and quantifying both their strength and spatial consistency, our colony-centred, null-model-based framework reveals how large-scale agricultural structure becomes reflected in colony settlement patterns. Through interannual return to traditional nesting sites, colony fidelity interacting with structured agricultural dynamics generates distinct nest-centred signals for forage-relevant crops, producing a pattern consistent with apparent anticipation of future resource availability. Although based on data from 1999–2000, this study provides a historical baseline of colony–landscape relationships, with ongoing work aimed at evaluating their persistence under current conditions.

Multi-criteria AHP-GIS approach for groundwater potential zonation in the semi-arid Bouanane basin

Abstract Sustainable groundwater management remains a critical challenge in semi-arid regions, where climatic variability and increasing anthropogenic pressures constrain aquifer resilience. In this context, the present study applies an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)-based GIS framework to delineate groundwater potential zones in the Bouanane Basin, a data-scarce semi-arid environment. The analysis integrates nine hydro-environmental factors, including precipitation, land use, lineament density, drainage density, geology, soil type, slope, elevation, and NDVI, to capture both structural and surface controls on groundwater occurrence. The AHP weighting scheme achieved an acceptable level of consistency (CR = 0.070), ensuring the reliability of the pairwise comparison process. he results identify three groundwater potential classes: very low (1.24%), low (84.88%), and moderate (13.87%). Model performance was evaluated using data from 27 wells and validated through the kappa coefficient (κ = 0.82), indicating strong agreement between predicted and observed conditions. The findings highlight the dominant influence of geological structure, lineament density, and precipitation in controlling groundwater distribution. The predominance of low to moderate potential zones reflects the hydro-climatic and geological constraints typical of semi-arid environments. This study provides a spatially explicit assessment of groundwater potential and contributing factors, offering a practical basis for groundwater management in data-limited semi-arid basins.

Examining the evolving roles of quantity surveyors in achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals

The roles of Quantity Surveyors (QSs) in the construction industry are vital, yet their contribution to sustainability has been underexplored. This study examines the roles of quantity surveyors in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) towards advancing the 2030 global agenda. A structured questionnaire was used to solicit the views of 88 professional QSs working with various firms registered with the Ghana Institute of Surveyors (GhIS) on the theme under investigation. The data gathered were analyzed using descriptive (frequencies, percentages, mean) and inferential (Fuzzy Synthetic Analysis) statistics. The Fuzzy Synthetic Analysis revealed that QSs play critical roles in Social Development and Education (index 4.300), Environmental Sustainability and Resource Management (index 3.933), Poverty Alleviation and Food Security (index 3.696), and Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development (index 3.619). The findings not only highlight the critical impact of QSs in various SDG-related areas but also reveal substantial gaps that need to be addressed to meet the 2030 targets. Although there is a growing interest in research on the UNSDGs in the construction industry, professional Quantity Surveyors have yet to prioritize the SDGs when carrying out their roles. Using Fuzzy Synthetic Analysis, this study reveals important insights into QSs’ roles in achieving the SDGs. The four identified critical roles serve as a model for QSs and other professionals to use as indices in future projects to help achieve the SDGs by 2030.

Palaeoproteomic insights into the evolutionary history of cave bears from southwestern Europe

Abstract Dental enamel proteomics provides access to molecular information from time periods far beyond the reach of ancient DNA, offering a powerful means to investigate evolutionary dynamics in deep time. Here we present the first large-scale enamel proteomic dataset for 55 cave bears to date, analysing fossils spanning the Early to Late Pleistocene across southwestern Europe, including key specimens from Atapuerca sites. Using a non-enzymatic demineralization workflow and LC-MS/MS analysis we consistently recovered rich enamel proteomes and identified taxonomically informative peptides alongside two previously unknown amino acid variations in AMBN-249 and SERPINA1-341 positions. Phylogenetic analyses are consistent with a basal position of Ursus dolinensis within the speleoid clade, providing new molecular evidence relevant to its debated taxonomy. Together, these findings show that enamel proteomes preserve phylogenetic structure and lineage-specific molecular signals, highlighting the potential of palaeoproteomics to inform evolutionary relationships within the speleoid clade across the Pleistocene.

Effect of a patient-driven perioperative intervention on health literacy: A stepped-wedge cluster randomised sub-study

We hypothesised that a patient-driven safety checklist would enhance patients’ health literacy. This study was conducted as a sub-study of a multicentre cluster trial with a stepped wedge design. Data were collected between March 2022 and February 2024. Healthcare personnel were partially blinded to group allocation and fully blinded to the health literacy questionnaire outcome. The study included seven surgical specialties (clusters) from a tertiary teaching hospital and two community hospitals in Norway. The patients were included from a pool within the cluster trial. In each of these seven clusters, 50 patients were randomly selected from 100 eligible patients both the control and the intervention group using a computer-generated randomisation procedure. This resulted in a total sample of 700 patients: 350 in each group, response rate 49.3%. Adults (≥18 years) undergoing elective surgery, fluent in Norwegian, living at home, and without cognitive impairment were included. Standard surgical information combined with a patient safety checklist consisting of items with instructions and information (medication safety, preparations, activity restrictions, complications, and follow-ups). The checklist was delivered preoperatively (≤ eight weeks). Controls received standard surgical information. No significant differences were observed in mean scores across the nine health literacy questionnaire outcome domains between the control and intervention groups. In this stepped wedge cluster trial, a preoperative patient safety checklist did not improve health literacy scores compared to standard care. Nevertheless, an interaction effect with time for the domain “Actively managing my health”, may indicate that the patient-driven checklist could support elective surgical patients’ health management. This finding aligns with qualitative feedback and warrants further investigation using larger samples and more sensitive and context-specific measurement tools. Trial registration: Registration date in the ClinicalTrials.gov, 20 March 2017, ID: NCT03105713 .

Graphitic carbon for ultrahigh-capacity removal of neonicotinoids in real water systems

Inhibition of SUR1-TRPM4 attenuates astrocyte swelling and reactivity under oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation

Astrocytes play essential roles in maintaining brain homeostasis but undergo pathological alterations following ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Astrocyte swelling and reactive changes are associated with secondary injury processes, including cerebral edema and neuroinflammatory responses. In vitro injury models have demonstrated cellular swelling and stress-induced alterations in astrocytes. The sulfonylurea receptor 1-transient receptor potential melastatin 4 (SUR1-TRPM4) channel has been implicated in astrocyte swelling; however, its potential association with downstream stress-related signaling responses remains incompletely understood. In this study, CTX-TNA2 cells, a rat astrocyte cell line, were subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) to model I/R injury. Cellular swelling, astrocyte reactivity, and cell viability were evaluated together with indicators of oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and STAT3-associated signaling responses. OGD/R induced cell swelling, increased GFAP expression, and reduced cell viability, accompanied by enhanced NOX4-related oxidative stress, activation of PERK-mediated endoplasmic reticulum stress signaling, and STAT3 activation. Pharmacological inhibition of SUR1-TRPM4 attenuated astrocyte swelling and those signaling cascades under OGD/R conditions, accompanied by reduced GFAP expression and improved cell viability. Modulation of individual stress pathways partially attenuated GFAP expression under OGD/R conditions. These findings suggest that SUR1-TRPM4 contributes not only to astrocytic swelling but also to astrocyte reactivity and cellular stress responses under in vitro ischemia-like conditions.

Mechanistic insights into As(III) removal from groundwater using iron net-based zero-valent iron: reaction pathways and inhibitory effects of phosphorus and silicon

Virtual community-based interventions for family caregivers of people with dementia: A scoping review protocol

Introduction Family caregivers provide the majority of long-term care for people with dementia and often experience substantial psychological distress, social isolation, and caregiving burden. With the rapid development of digital technologies, virtual communities—platforms that enable interaction, information exchange, and emotional support—have emerged as a potential approach to support dementia caregivers. However, evidence regarding technological forms, content components and outcomes remains fragmented and heterogeneous. This scoping review aims to systematically map the existing evidence on virtual community-based interventions for family caregivers of people with dementia. Methods This protocol follows the Joanna Briggs Institute methodological framework for scoping reviews and will adhere to the PRISMA-P guidelines. The ‘Population-Concept-Context’ framework will guide eligibility determination. Empirical studies involving family caregivers of people with dementia and describing interventions delivered through interactive virtual communities will be eligible. We will systematically search eight databases. Grey literature sources will also be searched. Two reviewers will independently screen the literature and extract data using an iteratively refined charting tool focusing on technological forms, content components, and outcomes. Findings will be synthesized through descriptive mapping and qualitative content analysis. Discussion To our knowledge, based on preliminary searches, this appears to be the first scoping review to focus specifically on virtual community-based interventions targeted at dementia family caregivers. Findings will provide a comprehensive overview of technological forms, content components, and outcomes, offering essential insights for the design, implementation, and evaluation of future virtual community interventions.

Pioglitazone does not improve standard steroid therapy for severe to profound sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Abstract Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (iSSNHL) and acute acoustic trauma (AT) are commonly treated with corticosteroids, although evidence for optimal treatment strategies remains limited. Pioglitazone, a peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor-γ agonist with anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties, has been proposed as a potential adjunctive therapy. In this prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted across five countries, 128 adults with severe to profound unilateral iSSNHL or AT were treated within 96 h of symptom onset. Patients received standard corticosteroid therapy combined with intratympanic and/or oral pioglitazone or placebo. Hearing outcomes were assessed using changes in pure-tone audiometry at the most affected frequencies over 12 weeks. All treatment groups showed significant hearing improvement over time; however, no additional benefit of pioglitazone was observed compared with placebo. Overall hearing thresholds improved substantially, while variations in corticosteroid dose and treatment duration did not influence recovery. These findings indicate that pioglitazone does not enhance hearing recovery when added to corticosteroid therapy, and that higher or prolonged corticosteroid dosing offers no measurable advantage. Further randomized controlled studies are warranted to better define effective treatment strategies for these conditions.

Exploring compassionate care in rehabilitation among individuals who are involved with the criminal-legal system with traumatic brain injury: A scoping review

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is disproportionately prevalent among individuals who are involved with the criminal-legal system and can impact one’s ability to critically think and emotionally regulate, thereby increasing risk of aggressive behaviour and recidivism. Considering and providing compassionate care can improve healthcare experiences and outcomes for this population. This scoping review aimed to answer the question: “To what extent is compassionate care considered or provided in rehabilitation for individuals who are involved with the criminal-legal system with TBI?” A systematic search through MEDLINE, Embase, APA PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register, Nursing and Allied Health Premium, Criminal Justice Abstracts, CINAHL Complete, and Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts was established, and articles that met predetermined inclusion criteria were identified. A descriptive numerical summary and qualitative analytical techniques were applied to analyse the data. Twenty-five articles met the inclusion criteria and 24% (n = 6) of included articles were identified to provide/consider compassionate care through awareness of suffering, judgement and consideration, and motivation to alleviate suffering in rehabilitation programs, interventions, or services provided by healthcare providers or professional disciplines. While findings indicate dominance of Western contexts and a lack of routine consideration and/or provision of compassionate care, it highlights the following opportunities to integrate compassionate care in rehabilitation programs or services for those who intersect the criminal-legal system with TBI: (1) routine TBI and criminal-legal system-related education and TBI screening to increase awareness of patient suffering, (2) person-centred frameworks to address judgement and consideration of patients’ suffering, and (3) establish relationships between patients and service providers and monitor progress throughout rehabilitation to alleviate patient suffering. Research on the role of compassionate care in rehabilitation outcomes, how compassionate care may be routinely integrated, and its impact (positive or negative) on individuals are encouraged. Research globally is also encouraged, as many of the included articles/studies in this review were published in Western countries, with most of them originating from the United States. As such, findings from this review may represent a Western perspective on compassionate care and may not be generalizable to other countries.

COVID-19-related role disruption and alcohol use disorder risk among adults in South Korea

Pesticide-induced ecological traps and insect pollinator foraging network disruption in apple orchards compared to adjacent graveyard refugia

Beyond acute toxicity, agricultural pesticide regimes fundamentally restructure insect foraging networks through complex, poorly understood community-level pathways. By comparing eight conventional apple orchards with adjacent pesticide-free graveyard refugia in Shopian, Kashmir, this study documents the ecological cascades triggered by intensive, calendar-based pesticide applications. Orchards supported 68% lower insect abundance and 55% lower species richness than paired graveyards, with hoverflies and solitary bees disproportionately suppressed. Plant-pollinator networks exhibited structural collapse: connectance declined by 46%, nestedness by 46%, and network-level specialization increased by 63% (all p < 0.01), reflecting resource-constrained rather than co-evolutionarily structured communities. Foraging niche breadth contracted significantly across all shared taxa (Paired t-test: t = 5.61, p < 0.001). A chi-square goodness-of-fit test formally demonstrated that April foraging visits were disproportionately concentrated on Brassica campestris relative to its floral availability (76.0% of visits versus 48.0% availability; χ² = 62.88, df = 3, p < 0.001), satisfying the primary analytical criterion for ecological trap identification: this species preferentially attracted over 70% of non- Malus foraging visits during peak neurotoxic insecticide application, in the complete absence of uncontaminated floral alternatives. A parallel trap effect persisted through May–June (χ² = 31.65, df = 3, p < 0.001), extending exposure risk across the season’s most biologically active phase. Functional homogenization followed, with long-tongued insects declining by 78% and functional richness by 62%, driven by direct toxicity and herbicide-mediated elimination of deep-corolla floral resources. These findings elucidate a mechanistic cascade from phenologically triggered trap formation through network collapse to functional homogenization. Conservation strategies must prioritize permanent pesticide-free refugia and temporally explicit restrictions on bee-toxic insecticide application throughout the April–June risk window.

Artificial riffles as a driver of bed morphology enrichment in a trained upland river

Uncovering the genetic basis of crown rust resistance in a northern-by-southern oat biparental population

Crown rust, caused by the fungal pathogen Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae ( Pca ), is a destructive foliar disease of oat. Use of host resistance is the preferred method of disease management. However, frequent emergence of new Pca races has hindered crown rust management in oat. Identification and deployment of non-race-specific genetic resistance will aid oat breeding efforts to develop germplasm with durable crown rust resistance. To map and characterize crown rust resistance, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population was developed from a cross between LA07065_SBSBSB_32-2 and CDC Dancer and evaluated for crown rust reaction in four field environments for two years. The RIL population was genotyped using the oat 6K Infinium iSelect single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array and a total of 956 polymorphic SNP markers were used to construct the linkage map. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping detected a total of six QTL on chromosomes 2D, 4A, 7A, 7C, and 7D influencing crown rust resistance. Two of these QTL were validated using genotype-phenotype association analysis in an independent set of oat lines. The identified QTL demonstrated additive effects on crown rust resistance within the RIL population. A major QTL on chromosome 7C, QPca-ars-7C , was detected consistently across environments and explained up to 16.54% of the phenotypic variation. Markers linked to QPca-ars-7C, and other QTL detected in this study have the potential to be used in marker-assisted selection for crown rust resistance.

Seismic fragility of a concrete gravity dam: integrating in-situ shear testing with displacement-dependent concrete–rock interface modeling

Abstract The concrete–rock interface plays a critical role in governing stability of concrete gravity dams. Existing design practices rely on mapped joint roughness coefficient ( JRC ) values that neglect both excavation-induced damage and displacement-dependent degradation resulting in unconservative overestimation of interface shear capacity. This study integrates 56 in-situ direct shear tests on Class I and II behavior rocks with displacement-dependent numerical modeling. Effective JRC values back-calculated from in-situ direct shear tests using the Barton–Bandis criterion revealed reductions of 40% (Class II) and 22% (Class I) relative to mapped JRC values that is attributed to excavation-induced damage. A two-stage model capturing hyperbolic pre-peak JRC mobilization and exponential post-peak degradation is presented and validated against in-situ measurements (R 2  = 0.92 and 0.89 respectively). The validated interface is implemented for a 140 m concrete gravity dam using 20 recorded seismic acceleration time histories representative of the regional seismic hazard. Under 1.0g peak ground acceleration interface shear stress reached 5.32 MPa with 968 mm permanent displacement. Seismic fragility analysis indicated a median peak ground acceleration of 0.213g for serious damage at 50% exceedance probability. The results indicate that conventional approaches are less conservative. The presented field-validated approach provides a reasonable method for performance-based seismic risk assessment of concrete gravity dams in tectonically active regions. Further work incorporating cyclic shear testing, CNS boundary conditions, three-dimensional modeling and long-term bond degradation effects is recommended to enhance the reliability of the presented framework.

Antibiotics and priority effects on colonizing resistant Escherichia coli strain assemblages in a community setting

Colonizing antibiotic resistant bacteria often exists within functionally structured microbial communities, where occurrence is influenced by dependencies essential to stability and function. Considering these interactions could improve understanding of factors influencing diversity of colonizing resistant bacteria within human community settings. Using a framework that considered biotic interactions, we reexamined factors associated with assemblage of colonizing antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli strains in a densely populated urban informal settlement. We identified antibiotic selection, colonization legacy, positive feedbacks and dispersal as key assembly processes. Antibiotics and colonization legacy exerted strain-specific effects while dispersal factors influenced all strains rather uniformly. Specifically, areas frequently exposed to bactericidal antibiotics were dominated by locally established resistant strains, whereas areas frequently exposed to bacteriostatic antibiotics had increased presence of less-established strains. Assemblage configuration was influenced by relative abundance of strains initially present in and around the disturbed areas. Hygiene practices reinforced local strains consistently while weather variables had variable effects: high monthly average minimum temperatures increased abundance of nearly all strains, whereas increases in monthly average maximum temperature, humidity, and rainfall uniformly decreased strain abundance. Overall, we show that survival selection, driven by selective forces, and dispersal selection, shaped by colonization potential, jointly influenced strains recruitment and assembly, suggesting antibiotics and priority effects as factors contributing to resistant E. coli assemblages in this setting. Together these findings underscore need for context-specific antibiotic stewardship and hygiene interventions.

Atomistic simulations of crystallographic anisotropy and defects in shock loading

Abstract The impact of crystallographic orientation, select grain boundaries, and vacancies on the shock response of aluminum was investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. Shock loading in the [001], [011], and [111] directions was explored, revealing anisotropic behavior in shock speed, generated dislocation density, and melting. The Hugoniot elastic limit (HEL) in the [100], [110], and [111] directions were calculated as 18.7 GPa, 17.8 GPa, and 22.5 GPa, respectively. These results were found to be an order of magnitude larger than the uniaxial compressive yield strengths computed at high strain rate using an affine loading scheme. Metastable melting in the [011] and [111] directions occurred around a pressure of 100 GPa and roughly 1000 K below the observed metastable melting [001] direction and the equilibrium melt curve. The role of select twist and tilt grain boundaries was assessed. Differences in the wave speed profile were observed for most grain boundaries, but only for piston velocities $$\:\le\:$$ 1.5 km/s. Additionally, the presence of vacancies, both randomly distributed and clustered, led to a decrease in shock speed with a larger decrease in shock speed recorded at higher vacancy concentrations. The change in shock speed, relative to a defect free cell, exhibited a dependence on the configuration of the defects. Melting was also found to occur at lower pressures for increasing vacancy concentrations. These results highlight key trends in the role of defects and crystallographic orientation in the behavior of FCC metals, such as aluminum, under extreme loading conditions.

Euclidean consistency-driven dual-layer information fusion framework for UAV-based traffic accident scene reconstruction

This study aims to develop an interpretable dual-layer information fusion framework driven by the Euclidean Consistency Index (ECI) for UAV flight parameter optimization, which integrates a statistically interpretable linear module with a nonlinear learning layer implemented via support vector regression to enhance 3D reconstruction accuracy in traffic accident scenarios. Experiments based on UAV oblique photogrammetry (27 configurations) were conducted to evaluate reconstruction accuracy using elevation error, horizontal error, and distortion anomaly metrics. The results reveal that flight altitude and image overlap exert coupled effects on reconstruction performance. An optimal parameter range is identified as 20–25 m altitude, 80–85% forward overlap, and 70–75% side overlap, achieving centimeter-level accuracy and stable geometric consistency. The high inter-layer agreement (ECI = 0.9133) confirms the robustness of the proposed fusion strategy. Validation in a real-world accident scene offers preliminary support for its practical applicability under similar conditions. Within the tested experimental scope, this framework provides a quantitatively interpretable and operationally stable foundation for UAV flight parameter selection in accident reconstruction.

Genomic investigations of Plocamiomonas psychrophila and Dictyochophyceae sp. CCMP2098 reveal organellar genome complexity in Arctic Stramenopiles