Research works

Partial soil wetting and drying regulate root water uptake in deep-rooted apple orchard

The drought-prone Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) apple trees have roots that extend deep into the soil. Even when the upper soil layers (0–10 m) are above the permanent wilting point, deep (>10 m) root water uptake (RWU) occurs; the reasons for the deep RWU remain unknown. This stud...

Contrasting effects of mineral, farmyard manure, and integrated fertilization on soybean productivity, seed quality, and soil biochemical properties

Mineral and organic fertilizers differ in nutrient-release patterns and effects on soil biological processes, yet their combined influence on soybean productivity, seed composition, and soil biochemical functioning remains unclear. This study evaluated soybean and soil responses...

Dissolved organic matter composition and mineral surface chemistry modulate organic retention and formation of mineral associated organic matter

The interaction between dissolved organic matter (DOM) and minerals governs OM stabilisation in soils. Heterogeneous composition of DOM and diverse mineral surface characteristics in soils make it challenging to determine reaction mechanisms at mineral-organic interfaces. To dete...

Risk factors and molecular epidemiology of ST2-type carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii carrying blaOXA−23−like and blaOXA−51−like genes

The emergence and spread of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB, A. baumannii ) has raised significant concerns and challenges globally. This study analyzes the risk factors, distribution of antibiotic resistance genes, and virulence genes associated with CRAB infe...

Impact of green logistics on export performance: an empirical study in Vietnam on the comprehensive and progressive agreement for trans-Pacific partnership nations

This research examines the association between green logistics and Vietnam’s export performance with its Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) partners, using an augmented gravity model and panel data from 2010 to 2018 and 2022. Using Feasi...

Perceived negative social influence related to weight loss: development of a questionnaire and exploratory factor analysis

Weight loss is often unsuccessful in the long term. The social environment plays a role in lapses and relapses. Perceived negative social influence is still underexplored in the context of weight loss. The aim of this study was to develop a questionnaire to measure perceived nega...

Digital mind mapping tools for B2 tertiary EFL students: An exploration of impacts on writing

Planning is crucial in academic writing, as it enables students to organize their ideas and use new vocabulary logically. However, many B2-level undergraduate EFL students struggle with coherent organization and lexical diversity in their argumentative essays, which limits writin...

Steroid formulation, standardized prednisolone-equivalent dose, and thyroid–adrenal axis function in 28,695 adults: a real-world cross-sectional study

Exogenous steroid misuse is an increasingly recognized public health concern with potential consequences for hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid (HPT) axis regulation. However, dose-standardized evidence linking specific steroid formulations to thyroid function markers remains scarce....

First basin-scale assessment of PCB and DDT contamination in Mediterranean zooplankton: a baseline for the central–southern basin

dw), primarily as degradation products (DDE and DDD), indicating legacy inputs. Spatial patterns revealed higher PCB levels in coastal areas affected by industrial and urban pressures (e.g. Athens and eastern Sicily), while DDTs were more associated with regions influenced by his...

The combination of TLSs and the neutrophil-to- monocyte ratio predicts early recurrence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Liver cancer, primarily hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is one of the deadliest cancers globally. However, effective predictive models for early recurrence and poor prognosis in HCC remain limited. This retrospective study analyzed 180 patients with HCC to explore the prognostic...

Exploring the relation between childhood adversity and diabetes medication adherence: a cross-sectional study

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) are associated with poor health outcomes, but their effect on the medication adherence of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the relation between ACE and medication adherence, while also exploring w...

Beyond the main mode: the contribution of access and egress trips in door-to-door travel

Access and egress trips constitute a substantial part of a train trip in minds of travellers, often being the deciding factor whether to travel by train at all. Despite a host of studies analysing individual legs within a multimodal trip chain, the full chain within a multimodal...

Numerical simulation on full-link underwater LIDAR with an optical filter using OAM modulation

Optical filtering based on orbital angular momentum (OAM) modulation can effectively suppress background noise and multiple-scattering light in water, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of underwater lidar. Although OAM modulation has been investigated in previous...

Weak fault feature diagnosis method for electric drive systems based on a multisource feature fusion selection mechanism

Electric drive systems (EDS) feature high integration and strong nonlinearity, which renders weak fault identification a challenging task. Acoustic particle velocity signals employed for noncontact fault monitoring are prone to contamination by noise and redundant features. This...

Altered circulating blood microbiota in unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion

The etiology of unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA) remains poorly understood. Emerging evidence implies that URSA is closely related to dysbiosis of the symbiotic microbiota, while the characteristics of blood microbiome in URSA remain unclear. In the present preli...

Concentration-dependent green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles using Physalis angulata Linn. leaf extract: Structural evolution, cytocompatibility, and anti-Streptococcus mutans activity

Dental caries remains a major global oral health problem primarily associated with the biofilm-forming bacterium Streptococcus mutans . Conventional antimicrobial agents often exhibit limited biofilm penetration and may induce resistance, highlighting the need for sustainable nan...

Fibroblast-driven matrix remodeling shapes immune exclusion in lung cancer

The lung tumor microenvironment (TME) is shaped by reciprocal interactions among cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), extracellular matrix (ECM), immune cells, endothelial cells, and tumor cells. Available evidence supports an integrated sequence in which tumor-derived factors,...

Environmental surface and air contamination of MPXV in household and healthcare settings: a systematic review of detection and viability

Mpox virus (MPXV) transmission primarily occurs through direct contact with infected skin lesions or body fluids. However, the 2022 and 2024 global outbreaks renewed concerns regarding the potential contribution of contaminated surfaces and air to transmission dynamics. This syst...

Epidemiology of food allergy in children under 3 years old in Guangdong: a community cross-sectional study

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, major allergens, and associated risk factors of food allergy (FA) among children under three years old in Guangdong, China. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 across three cities (Guangzhou, Foshan, Huizho...

Homogenizing inter-grain recombination stabilizes perovskite solar cells

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have achieved remarkable efficiencies, but operational stability remains a key challenge. This highlight discusses the work of Zhang et al., who identify asymmetric inter-grain recombination at heterogeneous grain boundaries as a previously overlooke...