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Local joint flexibility of external ring-reinforced tubular K-joints under axial loading
Issue Editorial Masthead
Neural network-based method for exact solutions of Burgers-type equations
MedLK-SCNet: a multi-scale hierarchical fusion model for high-precision classification of laryngeal malignancies
Climate change perception–impact–adaptation pathways among farmers: evidence from seven major agricultural governorates in Egypt
Abstract Climate change poses growing challenges to Egyptian agriculture, yet farmers’ adaptive responses remain uneven. This study examines perceptions of climate change, its impacts, and adaptation pathways among 2953 farmers across seven major agricultural governorates in Egypt. Utilizing composite indices, this study captures the multidimensionality of climate awareness, perceived impacts, adaptation practices, barriers, and institutional support. The findings reveal a clear mismatch between high levels of climate awareness and the limited uptake of technical adaptation measures. Farmers’ responses are largely concentrated on low-cost, incremental practices, while capital-intensive technologies, such as modern irrigation systems and digital tools, are rarely adopted. Traditional irrigation methods continue to dominate, despite widespread reports of climate-related impacts on agriculture, including severe productivity declines in key crops. Statistical analyses show a strong positive association between adaptation practices and reported changes in productivity, whereas the perceived severity of climate impacts is not significantly associated with adaptation levels. These results indicate that farmers’ adaptation decisions are primarily reactive—shaped by tangible production outcomes and structural constraints rather than by awareness alone. These findings underscore the importance of complementing awareness-focused interventions with targeted financial, market, and extension support to enable effective, transformative climate adaptation in Egyptian agriculture.
Morphological and physiological adaptations underpin drought resilience in contrasting populations of annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum)
Photoinduced Enhancement of Chemical Shift Sensitivity to Local Vibrations
Abstract The advent of novel free-electron laser sources enabling time-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (tr-XPS) provides a unique opportunity to monitor local chemical environments in real time by measuring sub-eV shifts in core-electron binding energies. These shifts reflect the interplay between electronic excitation and nuclear motion, an interplay that remains largely unexplored. In our combined theoretical and experimental study of fluoropyridine (C5H4FN), we investigate this link by monitoring the evolving chemical environment at the N and F atomic sites as the photoexcited S1 state relaxes to the ground state via a conical intersection. We find that the F site responds primarily to vibrational relaxation, showing minimal sensitivity to the electronic excited state. In contrast, excitation to S1 induces a measurable energy shift at the N site and significantly enhances its sensitivity to local vibrations within the ring. This behavior arises from a photoinduced redistribution of charge, which also increases the Coulomb interaction between the 1s electron at the N atom and the atomic partial charge at an adjacent C atom. This insight opens new avenues for exploring ultrafast dynamics and conical intersection pathways in more complex systems, from photostable DNA bases to light-harvesting materials.
Integrated geospatial, hydrochemical and isotopic assessment of groundwater recharge, dynamics and quality variations in a climate-induced coastal aquifer of Western India
Effect of bridging intervention strategy with remimazolam on postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery
Spatial and temporal variation of dissolved heavy metal contamination in surface water of Na Thap River, Southern Thailand
Abstract Heavy metal pollution in aquatic environments represents a significant global challenge. The Na Thap River, a tidal river connected to the Gulf of Southern Thailand, represents a vulnerable tropical estuarine ecosystem subject to contamination from multiple pollution sources. This study aimed to quantify ten heavy metals; Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Zinc (Zn), Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Nickel (Ni), Arsenic (As), and Mercury (Hg) in Na Thap River surface water from 2017 to 2021, to analyze spatial and temporal distribution patterns. Surface water samples were collected from 10 sampling sites and analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and Hydride Generation-Inductively Coupled Plasma (HG-ICP) methods. Exploratory data analysis was used to assess contamination levels and identify unsafe month-site combinations. Correlation analysis was used to measure the relationship among heavy metals. Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to explore the variation of different heavy metals in different dimensions. Results revealed that several heavy metals exceeded Thailand’s surface water quality standards, with high toxic metals (Cd, Pb) and medium toxic metals (Cu, Ni) showing concerning levels across different sites and time periods. Specific unsafe zones and time periods were identified throughout the Na Thap River system, revealing critical contamination hotspots posing risks to ecosystem health. Temporal and month wise analyses indicated a clear seasonal pattern that contamination risk was concentrated in February, March, June, and July, with February showing unsafe conditions across all monitoring sites simultaneously. Elevated concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cd, and Pb were most frequently observed during the southwest monsoon period, suggesting that seasonal hydrological processes played an important role in controlling heavy-metal transport and accumulation throughout the river system. Spatial sites 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 emerged as persistent contamination hotspots requiring immediate intervention. PCA identified distinct metal groupings with Dimension 1 (43.7% variance) dominated by Ni, Cu, Cr, and Cd, while Dimension 2 (17.2% variance) was characterized by Mn, Fe, and Pb, indicating different pollution sources. Spatially, recurring exceedances were concentrated at sites 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7, indicating priority locations for management action. These findings provide essential baseline data for developing targeted pollution control strategies to protect this vulnerable ecosystem and dependent communities.
Failure analysis of coal–rock composites with different coal thicknesses under uniaxial loading based on resistivity response and damage evolution
Treatment strategies of palliative care and psycho-oncology specialists for patients with both pain and delirium: a nationwide survey
Optimization and hardware evaluation of a modified reconfigurable ring oscillator PUF
Response surface methodology optimization of ozonation for COD removal from real industrial wastewater
Investigation of tidally vigilant spatiotemporal foraging strategies of a Dugong (Dugong dugon) population in the macro-tidal Gulf of Kachchh, India
AI-driven Linear Diophantine Fuzzy evaluation for advancing quality and innovation in physical education
Multidimensional landscape persistence enhances the structural resilience of ecological networks in high-density urban agglomerations: a case study of the GBA
Abstract In high-density urban agglomerations, the conflict between rapid land expansion and ecological integrity poses a critical threat to regional sustainability. Existing ecological network planning mostly focuses on static connectivity based on single-temporal data, overlooking the stability of landscape units over long time series and their structural robustness against future uncertainties. To address this, taking the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) (2000–2020) as a case study, this paper proposes an optimization framework integrating "MSP and Conflict Risk Rectification" (MSP-FT). First, Structural Persistence (SPI) and Functional Persistence (FPI) were quantified using long-time-series data. Second, a "Dual-threshold integration" strategy was implemented: a dual-threshold screening mechanism integrating “connectivity skeletons” and "high-quality cores" was adopted for source identification, and a spatiotemporal conflict risk penalty mechanism was introduced for resistance surface reconstruction. Finally, network resilience and effectiveness were evaluated by combining complex network theory and a "Topography-based Conservation Baseline (TCB)" benchmark. The results showed that: (1) The persistence strategy optimized network structure; compared with the traditional Static Ecological Network (SEN), the cumulative resistance cost of Persistence Ecological Networks (PENs) decreased by 30%, and the α index (closure) increased by 14.3%, forming a complex “cyclic redundancy” structure. (2) Robustness simulations confirmed that PENs maintained higher connectivity efficiency under intentional attacks due to their multi-center skeleton. (3) Crucially, overlay analysis against the TCB revealed a significant “Spatial Mismatch”: the current topography-dependent protection paradigm fails to cover approximately 54% of low-altitude source gaps and 88% of cross-regional corridor gaps. Accordingly, a hierarchical Redline-extension strategy was proposed: implementing "Remediation of Baseline Integrity" for source gaps and "Functional Connectivity Control" for corridor gaps. This study provides a scientific basis for constructing more adaptive ecological security patterns in high-density urban agglomerations.
Spatially-adaptive dynamic dictionary learning for fine-grained remote sensing image segmentation
Common mistletoe effects on Scots pine growth in northern Poland: a case study
Abstract The spread of common mistletoe ( Viscum album L.) and its increasingly frequent occurrence in forest stands have become important research and economic issues. Increased mistletoe occurrence has been observed in many European countries, and its effects on infested stands include slower growth, reduced needle biomass, and deteriorated wood quality. Empirical data were collected from an 80-year-old Scots pine stand, where diameter at breast height and tree height were measured for 500 trees. At the same time, the degree of mistletoe infestation was assessed and trees were assigned to three groups: uninfested trees (p0), trees with up to 50% crown infestation (p1), and trees with more than 50% crown infestation (p2). Mistletoe infestation was observed in 36.4% of all trees. From each infestation group, two sample trees were selected from each of five diameter classes using Urich’s method, and increment cores were collected at a height of 1.3 m using a Pressler increment borer. Annual radial increment for the period 2000–2022 was determined for each core using WinDendro software. Statistical analyses comparing p0, p1, and p2 trees, including ANOVA and the Kruskal–Wallis test, revealed statistically significant differences in radial increment in the final year of the study (2022). Pairwise comparisons (Student’s t-test, Welch’s t-test, and the Mann–Whitney U test) indicated statistically significant differences in annual radial increment at breast height between p0 and p2 trees over the last three years of the study (2020–2022). The strongest effect was observed in 2022, when the mean annual radial increment of trees with crown infestation exceeding 50% (p2) was more than 60% lower than that of uninfested trees (p0). These results indicate that the mere presence of mistletoe does not necessarily limit tree growth; rather, growth reduction depends on the degree of crown infestation. A marked reduction in radial increment occurs mainly at high infestation levels and is likely exacerbated by environmental stress.