Search Results (5,612)

With the continuous expansion of petroleum exploitation, a large amount of petroleum hydrocarbons has leaked into the Earth’s soil, which seriously threatens ecological health. Hence, a series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of natural attenuation (NA), rice husk (RH), and biochar derived from rice husk (RHBC) in enhancing the bioremediation of petroleum-contaminated soil. When the biodegradation time reached 100 d, the total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) biodegradation amounts of NA, RH, and RHBC were 3688.2, 4557.9, and 5913.3 mg/kg, which was equal to the biodegradation efficiency of 32.8, 40.6, and 52.6%, respectively. Compared with NA and RH, the biodegradation efficiency of n-alkanes C₁₁–C₁₅ (C₁₁ represents n-alkanes with 11 carbons, namely n-Hendecane) C₁₆–C₂₉, and C₃₀–C₄₀ in RHBC increased to 69.7~82.5%, 42.4~81.5%, and 30.2~48.1%, equivalent to 12.2~34.5%, 6.9~31.2%, and 13.5~37.1% more than NA and RH, respectively. Moreover, the half-life of biodegradation in RHBC was shorted to 83.3 d, equal to 49.7 and 67.9% of NA and RH, respectively. Furthermore, the application of RHBC could improve the dehydrogenase activity in soil and promote the growth and reproduction of petroleum-degrading bacteria (PDB), which enhances the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons. This study exhibited that biochar formed from biomass pyrolysis is a potential biostimulator in enhancing the remediation of petroleum-contaminated soil by indigenous bacteria. Full article

Although many physical activity (PA) interventions for older adults have proven effective in controlled research settings, optimal implementation in real life remains challenging. This study identifies determinants perceived by stakeholders when implementing community-based PA interventions for older adults. We interviewed 31 stakeholders guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Results showed that stakeholders are very specific about the role they can play in implementation, making collaboration between stakeholders crucial. Barriers and motivators were identified in the CFIR intervention characteristics domain (relative advantage, complexity and costs, evidence quality and strength, and adaptability and trialability), in the outer setting domain (cosmopolitism, patient needs, and external policy and incentives), in the inner setting domain (implementation climate, relative priority, compatibility and organizational incentives and rewards) and in the individual characteristics domain (knowledge and beliefs, and other personal attributes). An overarching theme was the stakeholders’ emphasis on aiming for broad health goals in interventions, as they perceive PA as a means to reach these goals rather than an end in itself. Another overarching theme requiring attention in future implementation efforts is the need to tailor implementation efforts to the specific needs of older adults as the end users of the intervention. Full article

Background/Objectives: The accurate quantification of ground-glass opacities (GGOs) and consolidation volumes has prognostic value in COVID-19 patients. Nevertheless, the accurate manual quantification of the corresponding volumes remains a time-consuming task. Deep learning (DL) has demonstrated good performance in the segmentation of normal lung parenchyma and COVID-19 pneumonia. We introduce a Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) strategy for the segmentation of normal lung parenchyma and COVID-19 pneumonia that is both time efficient and quality effective. Furthermore, we propose a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) to classify GGO and consolidation based on a probabilistic characterization and case-sensitive thresholds. Methods: A total of 65 Computed Tomography (CT) scans from 64 patients, acquired between March 2020 and June 2021, were randomly selected. We pretrained a 3D-UNet with an international dataset and implemented a HITL strategy to refine the local dataset with delineations by teams of medical interns, radiology residents, and radiologists. Following each HITL cycle, 3D-UNet was re-trained until the Dice Similarity Coefficients (DSCs) reached the quality criteria set by radiologists (DSC = 0.95/0.8 for the normal lung parenchyma/COVID-19 pneumonia). For the probabilistic characterization, a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) was fitted to the Hounsfield Units (HUs) of voxels from the CT scans of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia on the assumption that two distinct populations were superimposed: one for GGO and one for consolidation. Results: Manual delineation of the normal lung parenchyma and COVID-19 pneumonia was performed by seven teams on 65 CT scans from 64 patients (56 ± 16 years old (μ ± σ), 46 males, 62 with reported symptoms). Automated lung/COVID-19 pneumonia segmentation with a DSC > 0.96/0.81 was achieved after three HITL cycles. The HITL strategy improved the DSC by 0.2 and 0.5 for the normal lung parenchyma and COVID-19 pneumonia segmentation, respectively. The distribution of the patient-specific thresholds derived from the GMM yielded a mean of −528.4 ± 99.5 HU (μ ± σ), which is below most of the reported fixed HU thresholds. Conclusions: The HITL strategy allowed for fast and effective annotations, thereby enhancing the quality of segmentation for a local CT dataset. Probabilistic characterization of COVID-19 pneumonia by the GMM enabled patient-specific segmentation of GGO and consolidation. The combination of both approaches is essential to gain confidence in DL approaches in our local environment. The patient-specific probabilistic approach, when combined with the automatic quantification of COVID-19 imaging findings, enhances the understanding of GGO and consolidation during the course of the disease, with the potential to improve the accuracy of clinical predictions. Full article

Background: This viewpoint paper reports the state of the art at a global level on research, practice and assessment, policies, and training in the clinical psychology of aging and, more specifically, in geropsychology. The main sources of information were as follows: (1) the most recent reviews of the literature available in the scientific literature; (2) the resources on the internet referable to professional and academic associations dealing with the topic; and (3) the laws, policy initiatives, and funded programs that are aimed at the diffusion and applications of mental health in aging. Methods: The present study aims to provide an updated and comprehensive memorandum highlighting the importance of prioritizing mental health in older adults. It seeks to promote health in general and disease prevention strategies, ensuring equitable access to mental health services integrated into primary care and designed for aging. This paper also aims to shed light on the slow development process and lack of consolidation in the adaptation of academic training at master’s and doctoral levels in most developed countries, despite the long-declared importance of enhancing resources for the promotion of geropsychology. Results: The results of the present study are patchy. Although the importance of enhancing resources for the promotion of geropsychology has long been declared, the development process seems very slow, and the adaptation of academic training at master’s and doctoral levels in most developed countries—those that, for demographic reasons and attitudes, should be more sensitive to the issue, does not yet seem to have consolidated. Conclusions: Collaboration among diverse professionals is crucial for providing integrated and comprehensive care to older adults that addresses their physical, psychological, and social needs. Full article

The scientific selection of photovoltaic (PV) sites is essential for achieving sustainable development of renewable energy and ensuring regional ecological security. In western China, extensive land resources coexist with a fragile ecological environment. To this end, we propose a PV siting framework based on policy restrictions and construction suitability. This paper evaluated the PV construction suitability index (CSI) from four dimensions of topography, climate, location, and ecology and proposed typical “PV+” models. Then, Qilian County was selected as a case study. The results showed the following: (1) In Qilian, 59.97% (8333.18 km²) of the area is unsuitable for development due to policy restrictions, leaving 40.03% (5563.02 km²) available for PV construction. (2) The most suitable areas are approximately in the western and southern areas, where there is a lot in common with the reported PV sites under construction. (3) Three distinct PV development models are proposed according to policy guidelines and local circumstances, including the PV + pastoralism model, PV + mine rehabilitation model, and PV + hydropower model. The results can be used to determine the suitable areas for solar PV farms and the appropriate development model, as well as promote the sustainable development of renewable energy. Full article

Breast cancer (BC) continues to significantly impact women worldwide. Numerous studies show that physical activity (PA) significantly enhances the quality of life, aids recovery, and improves survival rates in BC patients. PA’s influence extends to altering DNA methylation patterns on both a global and gene-specific scale, potentially reverting abnormal DNA methylation, associated with carcinogenesis and various pathologies. This review consolidates the findings of the current literature, highlighting PA’s impact on DNA methylation in BC patients. Our systematic analysis indicates that PA may elevate global DNA methylation within tumour tissues. Furthermore, it appears to modify gene-specific promoter methylation across a wide spectrum of genes in various tissues. Through bioinformatic analysis, to investigate the functional enrichment of these affected genes, we identified a predominant enrichment in metabolic pathways, cell cycle regulation, cell cycle checkpoints, mitosis, cellular stress responses, and molecular functions governing diverse binding processes. The Human Protein Atlas corroborates this enrichment, indicating gene functionality across 266 tissues, notably within various breast tissues. This systematic review unveils PA’s capacity to systematically alter DNA methylation patterns across multiple tissues, particularly in BC patients. Emphasising its influence on crucial biological processes and functions, this alteration holds potential for restoring normal cellular functionality and the cell cycle. This reversal of cancer-associated patterns could potentially enhance recovery and improve survival outcomes. Full article

Agri-food supply chains have the potential to make a significant contribution to achieving sustainable development goals through ongoing improvements in their configurations. A range of strategic, tactical, and operational level decisions pertaining to the design and operation of sustainable supply chains have been studied in the extant literature. However, investigations into the adoption of multi-modal transportation as a strategic decision in the context of agri-food supply chains operating in constrained environments are limited. As such, in this study, the adoption of bi-modal transportation for the domestic vegetable supply chain in a developing country context under certain constraints was examined. A mixed-integer linear programming model was developed to determine the volume and direction of the product flow to achieve the minimum total food-miles and smallest emissions footprint. As a case study, a Sri Lankan mainstream vegetable supply chain was used to investigate the applicability of a combination of truck and railway modes to transport vegetables from farms to retailer locations via economic (consolidation) centers. The adoption of a bi-modal transportation structure demonstrated the potential to reduce food miles by 32%, transportation costs by 36%, contributions to global warming potential by 35%, and empty truck hauls by 38%, compared to a structure with truck-based, uni-modal transportation. Full article

The diversity of land use and consolidation is fundamental to ensuring sustainable development. However, the impact of diverse land uses and consolidation on the well-known shallow accumulation pattern of soil nitrogen (N) remains unclear. This existence of this knowledge gap severely constrains the sustainable production of newly created farmland. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of land use and gully land transformation on the vertical distribution of soil N in agricultural and nature catchments. Methodologically, soil nitrate (NO₃⁻), ammonium (NH₄⁺) and total nitrogen (TN) were measured to a depth of 100 cm in the hillslope forestland, grassland and gully cropland areas of the treated (gully landform reshaping) and untreated (natural gully) catchments on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). The results indicated that soil N in the hillslope forestland and grassland exhibited a shallow accumulation pattern, while the vertical distribution of soil N in the gully cropland areas displayed a homogeneous, random or deep accumulation pattern. In the hillslope areas, vegetable cover was the dominant factor controlling N variation in the topsoil. In contrast, in the gully areas, the interaction of landform transformation and hydrology was the primary factor influencing the distribution of soil N. In the treated catchment, soil NO₃⁻ exhibited a significant deep accumulation pattern in the newly created farmland through gully landform reshaping. In the untreated catchment, soil NH₄⁺ showed a significant deep accumulation pattern in the undisturbed natural gully. This study provides valuable insights into how land use and gully landform transformation affect the soil N profile. This information is crucial for the sustainable development and scientific management of valley agriculture at the catchment scale. Full article

In the information age, the new wave of the information technology revolution has profoundly changed our mode of production and way of life. Pseudo human settlements (PHS), consisting of digits and information, have become increasingly important in human settlements (HS) systems, and become a strong support for the high-quality development of global HS. Against this background, clarifying the spatiotemporal heterogeneity and driving mechanisms of the coupling and coordination between the PHS and real human settlements (RHS) is of great significance to the high-quality development of HS and providing a reasonable explanation of today’s man–land relationship. Therefore, we developed a theoretical framework system for describing PHS–RHS coupling and coordination based on multi-source data such as internet socialization, public utility, and remote sensing images, etc. Taking the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River (UAMRYR), which is the key region consolidating China’s “two horizontal and three vertical” urbanization strategy, as a case study area, we have comprehensively analyzed the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the coupling and coordination of PHS and RHS and its driving mechanism in UAMRYR during the period of 2011–2021, by comprehensively applying the modified coupling coordination degree (CCD) and other models. The results show are as follows: (1) Temporal process—The CCD exhibited a reverse L-shaped increasing trend. The CCD class varied significantly, with the extremely uncoordinated and severely uncoordinated classes present at the beginning of the study period and disappearing toward the end of the study period, while the well coordinated and highly coordinated classes were absent at the beginning of the study period and appeared toward the end of the study period. (2) Spatial pattern—The CCD exhibited an equilateral triangle-shaped, core–margin spatial pattern and a characteristic of core polarization. Overall, the spatial distribution of the CCD exhibited a characteristic of “high in the central region, low in the eastern and western regions, and balanced in the south–north direction”. (3) Dynamic evolution—The CCD increased more rapidly in the north-eastern direction than in the south-western direction; the CCD exhibited north-eastward migration and dispersion, and the spatial variability decreased. (4) Driving mechanisms—The primary factors affecting the CCD varied significantly over time. The living system was dominant in the PHS, whereas the human system was dominant in the RHS. The PHS had a greater effect than the RHS on the CCD. The study broadens the research scope of human settlements geography, establishes a scientific foundation for advancing urban HS construction in the UAMRYR, and offers theoretical support for the high-quality development of cities in the UAMRYR. Full article

In order to predict the ground settlement in a scientific, intuitive, and simple way, based on the theory of Bio-consolidation, a three-dimensional fluid-solid coupled numerical calculation programme FGS-3D for ground settlement was compiled by using the Fortran 95 language, and a front-end operation platform was developed by using Microsoft VisualBasic, so that a three-dimensional variable-parameter fully coupled viscoelastic-plastic model of ground settlement was constructed using the city of Yancheng as an example, and the development of ground settlement and horizontal displacement changes from 2021 to 2030 were predicted. The results show that the three-dimensional fully coupled finite-element numerical model of building load, groundwater seepage, and soil deformation established by the above computer development program can directly create a hydrogeological conceptual model of groundwater mining and predict ground settlement, so as to achieve the visualisation of the three-dimensional seepage of groundwater and the fully coupled simulation of ground subsidence in the whole process of groundwater mining. Under the joint action of construction load and groundwater mining, the water level of the aquifer in Yancheng City rises by 1.26 m on average in the main groundwater mining area of the group III pressurised aquifer, forming two smaller landing funnels, and the lowest water level of the two landing funnels is −15 m. Full article

Expansive soil is prone to rapid strength degradation caused by repeated volume swelling and shrinkage under alternating dry–wet conditions. Basalt fiber (BF) and cement are utilized to stabilize expansive soil, aiming to curb its swelling and shrinkage, enhance its strength, and ensure its durability in dry–wet cycles. This study examines the impact of varying content (0–1%) of BF on the physical and mechanical characteristics of expansive soil stabilized with a 6% cement content. We investigated these effects through a series of experiments including compaction, swelling and shrinkage, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), undrained and consolidation shear, dry–wet cycles, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses. The experiments yielded the following conclusions: Combining cement and BF to stabilize expansive soil leverages cement’s chemical curing ability and BF’s reinforcing effect. Incorporating 0.4% BFs significantly improves the swelling and shrinkage characteristics of cement-stabilized expansive soils, reducing expansion by 36.17% and contraction by 28.4%. Furthermore, it enhances both the initial strength and durability of these soils under dry–wet cycles. Without dry–wet cycles, the addition of 0.4% BFs increased UCS by 24.8% and shear strength by 24.6% to 40%. After 16 dry–wet cycles, the UCS improved by 38.87% compared to cement-stabilized expansive soil alone. Both the content of BF and the number of dry–wet cycles significantly influenced the UCS of cement-stabilized expansive soils. Multivariate nonlinear equations were used to model the UCS, offering a predictive framework for assessing the strength of these soils under varying BF contents and dry–wet cycles. The cement hydrate adheres to the fiber surface, increasing adhesion and friction between the fibers and soil particles. Additionally, the fibers form a network structure within the soil. These factors collectively enhance the strength, deformation resistance, and durability of cement-stabilized expansive soils. These findings offer valuable insights into combining traditional cementitious materials with basalt fiber to manage expansive soil hazards, reduce resource consumption, and mitigate environmental impacts, thereby contributing to sustainable development. Full article

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a benign disease characterized by the descent of pelvic organs due to weakened pelvic floor muscles and fascial tissues. Primarily affecting elderly women, POP can lead to various urinary and gastrointestinal tract symptoms, significantly impacting their quality of life. The pathogenesis of POP predominantly involves nerve–muscle damage and disorders in the extracellular matrix metabolism within the pelvic floor. Recent studies have indicated that genetic factors may play a crucial role in this condition. Focusing on linkage analyses, single-nucleotide polymorphisms, genome-wide association studies, and whole exome sequencing studies, this review consolidates current research on the genetic predisposition to POP. Advances in epigenetics are also summarized and highlighted, aiming to provide theoretical recommendations for risk assessments, diagnoses, and the personalized treatment for patients with POP. Full article

A resurgence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP)—the leading cause of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia, particularly in children—occurred following the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to investigate the clinical manifestations, macrolide resistance patterns, and therapeutic approaches related to the MP pneumonia epidemic. Children and adolescents diagnosed with MP pneumonia in September–December 2023 were screened. Clinical data were retrospectively collected from 13 major hospitals using concordant microbiological criteria, including either a positive PCR result or four-fold increase in serological markers. Demographic characteristics, treatment modalities, and clinical outcomes were analyzed. Of the 474 screened patients, 374 (median age: 7.7 [IQR, 5.4–9.6] years; hospitalization rate: 88.6%) met the microbiological confirmation criteria. Most patients experienced fever (98.9%), and lobular/lobar consolidation (59.1%) was the dominant radiological finding. The macrolide resistance rate remained high at 87.0%; corticosteroids were widely used (55.6%) alongside macrolides, despite resistance. Patients with consolidation had prolonged fever (median 8 vs. 7 days, p = 0.020) and higher hospitalization rates (92.3% vs. 83.0%, p = 0.008). Macrolide resistance did not significantly influence radiological outcomes. This study highlights the ongoing challenge of macrolide resistance in MP pneumonia and need for tailored therapeutic approaches. Despite high resistance, macrolides remain commonly prescribed, often concurrently with corticosteroids. Full article

The diagnostic accuracy of handheld ultrasound (HHUS) devices operated by newly certified operators for pneumonia is unknown. This multicenter diagnostic accuracy study included patients prospectively suspected of pneumonia from February 2021 to February 2022 in four emergency departments. The index test was a 14-zone focused lung ultrasound (FLUS) examination, with consolidation with air bronchograms as diagnostic criteria for pneumonia. FLUS examinations were performed by newly certified operators using HHUS. The reference standard was computed tomography (CT) and expert diagnosis using all medical records. The sensitivity and specificity of FLUS and chest X-ray (CXR) were compared using McNemar’s test. Of the 324 scanned patients, 212 (65%) had pneumonia, according to the expert diagnosis. FLUS had a sensitivity of 31% (95% CI 26–36) and a specificity of 82% (95% CI 78–86) compared with the experts’ diagnosis. Compared with CT, FLUS had a sensitivity of 32% (95% CI 27–37) and specificity of 81% (95% CI 77–85). CXR had a sensitivity of 66% (95% CI 61–72) and a specificity of 76% (95% CI 71–81) compared with the experts’ diagnosis. Compared with CT, CXR had a sensitivity of 69% (95% CI 63–74) and a specificity of 68% (95% CI 62–72). Compared with the experts’ diagnosis and CT diagnosis, FLUS performed by newly certified operators using HHUS devices had a significantly lower sensitivity for pneumonia when compared to CXR (p < 0.001). FLUS had a significantly higher specificity than CXR using CT diagnosis as a reference standard (p = 0.02). HHUS exhibited low sensitivity for pneumonia when used by newly certified operators. Full article

Automatic classification of buildings within port areas from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images is crucial for effective port monitoring and planning. Yet, the unique challenges of SAR imaging, such as side-looking geometry, multi-bouncing scattering, and the compact arrangement of structures, often lead to incomplete building structures and blurred boundaries in classification results. To address these issues, this paper introduces SPformer, an efficient and lightweight pyramid transformer model tailored for semantic segmentation. The SPformer utilizes a pyramid transformer encoder with spatially separable self-attention (SSSA) to refine both local and global spatial information and to process multi-scale features, enhancing the accuracy of building structure delineation. It also integrates a lightweight all multi-layer perceptron (ALL-MLP) decoder to consolidate multi-scale information across various depths and attention scopes, refining detail processing. Experimental results on the Gaofen-3 (GF-3) 1 m port building classification dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of SPformer, achieving competitive performance compared to state-of-the-art models, with mean intersection over union (mIoU) and mean F1-score (mF1) reaching 77.14% and 87.04%, respectively, while maintaining a compact model size and lower computational requirements. Experiments conducted on the entire scene of SAR images covering port area also show the good capabilities of the proposed method. Full article