Natural Conditions Research Articles

Optimal height distribution design and experimental validation of pin-fin heat sink under natural convection based on dynamic surrogate model

Pin-fin heat sinks are widely employed to dissipate heat from power devices under natural convection conditions. To improve heat dissipation performance, optimization of the fin height distribution was conducted in this study. In order to enhance optimization efficiency, we propose a dynamic surrogate model that integrates machine learning, iteratively sampling and training until the convergence criterion is met. Compared with traditional surrogate models, the dynamic surrogate model significantly reduces the prediction error of the optimal result, proving more efficient and yielding superior outcomes with fewer samples. By optimizing the fin height distribution, the heat sink thermal resistance was minimized without increasing mass. Subsequently, an experimental bench was developed to compare the heat sink's total thermal resistance pre- and post-optimization under natural convection conditions. Experimental results demonstrate that within the input heat flux range of q = 500–1200 W/m2, the optimized heat sink's total thermal resistance is diminished by 6.08% to 8.01%, without any mass increment, which confirms the dynamic surrogate model's efficacy in natural convection scenarios. This study elucidates the design principles governing the height distribution of pin-fins of heat sinks under natural convection, and provides a significant insight for guiding the design of pin-fin heat sinks.

Effect of alfalfa downy mildew (Peronospora aestivalis) infection on the growth and development of Therioaphis trifolii (Homoptera: Aphidiidae)

Downy mildew disease, which is caused by Peronospora aestivalis (Mastigomycotina: Peronosporaceae) and the spotted alfalfa aphid Therioaphis trifolii (Hemiptera: Aphididae), affects Medicago sativa (alfalfa) production. P. aestivalis and T. trifolii frequently occur together under natural conditions. In this study, alfalfa-P. aestivalis-T. trifolii were used as the research objects to explore the effects of different degrees of P. aestivalis infection on the growth and reproduction of T. trifolii, and the life table of T. trifolii population was constructed based on the fecundity parameters. The results revealed that alfalfa downy mildew infection had a significant effect on T. trifolii population. T. trifolii fed on mildly infected alfalfa plants exhibited the longest life span (18.9 d) and the highest number of nymphs (30.6) compared to those fed on alfalfa in other treatments. In terms of population life table parameters, the intrinsic rate of increase (0.626) and finite rate of increase (1.869) of T. trifolii fed on moderately infected alfalfa were the highest, and the generation time (8.310) and population doubling time (1.108) were the shortest, indicating that moderately infected alfalfa are conducive to T. trifolii population development. This study provides insights into the effects of alfalfa downy mildew on the main reproductive parameters and population of T. trifolii on M. sativa.

YOLOv5s-BiPCNeXt, a Lightweight Model for Detecting Disease in Eggplant Leaves.

Ensuring the healthy growth of eggplants requires the precise detection of leaf diseases, which can significantly boost yield and economic income. Improving the efficiency of plant disease identification in natural scenes is currently a crucial issue. This study aims to provide an efficient detection method suitable for disease detection in natural scenes. A lightweight detection model, YOLOv5s-BiPCNeXt, is proposed. This model utilizes the MobileNeXt backbone to reduce network parameters and computational complexity and includes a lightweight C3-BiPC neck module. Additionally, a multi-scale cross-spatial attention mechanism (EMA) is integrated into the neck network, and the nearest neighbor interpolation algorithm is replaced with the content-aware feature recombination operator (CARAFE), enhancing the model's ability to perceive multidimensional information and extract multiscale disease features and improving the spatial resolution of the disease feature map. These improvements enhance the detection accuracy for eggplant leaves, effectively reducing missed and incorrect detections caused by complex backgrounds and improving the detection and localization of small lesions at the early stages of brown spot and powdery mildew diseases. Experimental results show that the YOLOv5s-BiPCNeXt model achieves an average precision (AP) of 94.9% for brown spot disease, 95.0% for powdery mildew, and 99.5% for healthy leaves. Deployed on a Jetson Orin Nano edge detection device, the model attains an average recognition speed of 26 FPS (Frame Per Second), meeting real-time requirements. Compared to other algorithms, YOLOv5s-BiPCNeXt demonstrates superior overall performance, accurately detecting plant diseases under natural conditions and offering valuable technical support for the prevention and treatment of eggplant leaf diseases.

Effect of shrinkage-mitigating additive and curing condition on flexural and fracture behavior of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) unnotched beam

The study aims to examine how the flexural and fracture behavior of UHPC is impacted when shrinkage is mitigated by adding shrinkage-mitigating additives. Furthermore, due to the consistent use of UHPC for structural repair and reinforcement throughout the year, including emergency construction in winter, it is necessary to carry out construction operations in winter conditions. Thus, this study adopts the natural cold curing condition of UHPC specimens to mimic real-world outdoor construction settings, while also using the standard curing condition as a comparison. The bending test was performed on three different types of UHPC materials: material 1 without a shrinkage-reducing agent (SRA) or expansive agent (EA), material 2 with 1 % SRA, and material 3 with 1 % SRA and 7.5 % EA. Fracture and flexural behavior of UHPC beams were studied, and Spearman's correlation between shrinkage and flexural/fracture toughness was evaluated. The study revealed that adding SRA/EA decreased the mean flexural tensile strength of specimens cured in standard conditions. Additionally, specimens cured in natural conditions showed less flexural tensile strength when SRA/EA was added. Furthermore, when compared to material 1, the addition of SRA and EA greatly reduced the fracture energy of UHPC, resulting in reductions of 21.9 % and 26.6 %, respectively, for materials 2 and 3. The fracture toughness showed a modest correlation with the shrinkage behavior, and the fracture energy exhibited a high association with the shrinkage behavior. The research findings can provide references for UHPC applications in natural winter conditions when the material contains shrinkage-mitigating additives.

Towards a sustainable recovery of polyphenols from agrifood waste: Performance of polymeric sorbents with natural deep eutectic solvent extracts

Olive oil production generates large amounts of waste, which contains phenolic compounds at relevant concentrations. In recent years, interest in the recovery of these compounds has grown to take advantage of their natural antioxidant properties. Natural deep eutectic solvents (NaDESs), considered as green solvents, have proved their efficiency to extract phenolic compounds from agri-food waste. The resulting extracts must be purified before being used in pharmaceutical, food, or cosmetic applications. In this study, the performance of several non-functionalized polymeric sorbents (PuroSorb PAD900, PAD950 and PAD610, and Macronet MN202) was evaluated for the purification of NaDES extracts (choline chloride-glycerol (1:5); 30% water) from olive tree leaves. It is important to highlight that these types of characterization studies are common for conventional solvent extracts but are very novel and scarce for their NaDES counterparts. Sorption was investigated at the natural conditions of the extracts (pH 5.3), and ethanol-water mixtures were used in the desorption experiments. Overall, the four sorbents displayed good sorption characteristics, with MN202 being particularly suited to retain 3-hydroxytyrosol. Ethanol levels above 70% were appropriate for desorption of most phenolic compounds, while mixtures with ethanol content below 50% were more efficient for small polar molecules such as 3-hydroxytyrosol.

Occurrence of Maize Leaf Spot Disease Caused by Leptosphaerulina australis in Yunnan, China.

Maize (Zea mays) is vital as a staple food and livestock feed crop. Yunnan is one of the main maize-producing provinces in China (National Bureau of Statistics, 2022). While corn production in Yunnan is lower than the national average, the development of drought-tolerant varieties has contributed to improving productivity. In August 2021, a new leaf spot disease on maize was observed in Lancang, Yunnan (22°26'38.11"N to 22°48'38.68"N, 99°48'15.13"E to 99°59'20.03"E), causing serious damages to maize production with incidence up to 76.19 %. Initially, small light yellow lesions were seen scattered on diseased maize leaves, round or polygon, measuring 0.3 to 2.0 cm in diameter. In the intermediate phase, these lesions sank, ruptured, and turned white with dark brown borders. In severe cases, they merged into large irregular patches, reaching up to 10 cm, leading to complete leaf necrosis. Small black ascomata were seen on the lesions. Tissue sections reveal perithecium embedded in leaves, measuring 94~145 μm in diameter. Symptomatic tissues were sterilized in 1.5% NaClO for 60s, and washed twice withsterile purified water, then plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 25℃, 90% relative humidity (RH), and a 12-hour light cycle. 6 isolates were obtained from 2 diseased maize cultivars. In 20 days, the colony reached the edge of the PDA plate, the center darkening from white, featuring white aerial mycelium on top and black on the reverse side. Brown ascomata, solitary or clustered, measured 80.1~176.7 × 55.57~138.9 μm. The ellipsoid to oblong ascospores were 17.9~39.7 × 10.9~14.1 μm, and the bitunicate, thick-walled asci were 90.1~133.3 × 26.6~33.5 μm. The genomic DNA was extracted using the Chelex-100 method (Möller et al. 1992). For molecular identification, the ITS, LSU, and β-tubulin (Tub2) genes were amplified using primer pairs ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990), LR0R/LR5 (Vilgalys et al. 1990) and Btub2Fd/Btub4Rd (Woudenberg et al. 2009), respectively. Sequencing was performed by Sangon Biotech (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. The sequenced loci (GenBank accession nos.: LSU, OL687348-53; ITS, OL617009-10, and OL664058-61; Tub2, OL741678-83) of the isolates exhibited 100%/ 99%/ 100% similarities with L. australis genes: LSU, MH868885; ITS, KF381084; Tub2, GU237541, respectively. Using MEGA 11.0, phylogenetic trees were constructed using the maximum-likelihood algorithm on concatenated sequences of LSU, ITS, and Tub2 for isolates LCMB1 to 6. The isolates clustered with two L. australis strains with 100 % bootstrap support (1,000 replicates). The results were consistent with the Bayesian Inference tree. The pathogenicity test used strain LCMB4 on six healthy maize plants during the heading period under natural conditions. Three leaves pre-plant were wounded with sterile sandpaper and sprayed with conidial suspension (106 spores ml-1, diluted in sterilized water) in the greenhouse at 28℃, 90% RH, and a 12-hour light cycle, with sterilized distilled water used for control. Inoculated leaves developed symptoms consistent with the described after 10 days, while control leaves remained symptomless. The same pathogen was re-isolated from the infected leaves, fulfilling Koch's postulates. Previously, L. australis has been isolated from turfgrass (Mitkowski et al. 2004), Alfalfa (Zhang et al. 2021), soil (Li et al. 2018), and Paris polyphylla var. chinensis (Fu et al. 2019), but not from maize. This is the first report of L. australis causing leaf spot on maize globally.

Direct observation of degassing during decompression of basaltic magma.

Transitions in eruptive style during volcanic eruptions strongly depend on how easily gas and magma decouple during ascent. Stronger gas-melt coupling favors highly explosive eruptions, whereas weaker coupling promotes lava fountaining and lava flows. The mechanisms producing these transitions are still poorly understood because of a lack of direct observations of bubble dynamics under natural magmatic conditions. Here, we combine x-ray radiography with a novel high-pressure/high-temperature apparatus to observe and quantify in real-time bubble growth and coalescence in basaltic magmas from 100 megapascals to surface. For low-viscosity magmas, bubbles coalesce and recover a spherical shape within 3 seconds, implying that, for lava fountaining activity, gas and melt remain coupled during the ascent up to the last hundred meters of the conduit. For higher-viscosity magmas, recovery times become longer, promoting connected bubble pathways. This apparatus opens frontiers in unraveling magmatic/volcanic processes, leading to improved hazard assessment and risk mitigation.

Scientific Substantiation of Determination of Mineral Fertilizer Needs of the Russian Federation

The paper considers the issue of scientifically based determination of the need for mineral fertilizers to obtain various gross grain harvest in the near future. In contrast to the previously developed principles for determining the need for mineral fertilizers, a different approach is outlined, which is based on calculations not for the whole country, but for Federal Districts, since their natural and climatic conditions are very diverse. This made it possible to take into account the variability of the calculated data affecting the yield of grain crops and the effectiveness of the use of mineral fertilizers for them. First of all, this applies to the soil cover and agrochemical properties of soils. According to the data obtained, the yield of winter wheat obtained without the use of fertilizers varied from 23.2 to 34.1 c/ha, and the increase in N60 was from 11.4 to 2.2 c/ha. A more significant increase in yield was established during the transition of soils according to the degree of agrochemical cultivation from low to increased to high. The yield of winter wheat on sod-podzolic soil increases 5 times and amounts to 36.7 kg/ha. Similar data were obtained on other types of soils. The need for mineral fertilizers to produce 145–150 million tons of grain is estimated at 5.4 million tons, for 170–175 million tons – at 8.4 million tons.

Impact of freeze–thaw cycling on the stability and turnover of black soil aggregates

During freeze–thaw cycling, aggregates undergo a dynamic change in breakdown–formation (turnover), however, how the turnover occurs between aggregates of various particle sizes is not clear. To clarify the influence of freeze–thaw cycling on the dynamic changes in the particle size of soil aggregates, soil aggregates from the Black Soil Region of Northeast China were selected as the research objects. The study conducted in situ dynamic monitoring experiments, innovatively applying the rare earth oxide (REO) tracer method to natural conditions of freeze–thaw cycles (autumn freeze–thaw period, freezing period, and spring freeze–thaw period), accurately tracking the turnover paths and quantifying the turnover rates between aggregates of various particle sizes. The results revealed that the total value of the formation paths of the 2–5 mm aggregates and 0.25–2 mm aggregates increased during the autumn freeze–thaw period. The number of freeze–thaw cycles and accumulated snowfall were significantly positively correlated with aggregate stability, with an increase in the number of freeze–thaw cycles and accumulated snowfall resulting in an increase in the proportion of aggregates > 0.25 mm, which improved aggregate stability. In addition, the total value of the breakdown path of macro-aggregates increased during the spring freeze–thaw cycling period. Soil moisture was significantly negatively correlated with aggregate stability, with increased soil moisture resulting in a decrease in the percentage of aggregates > 0.25 mm, which resulted in a decrease in aggregate stability. The study can provide a reference understanding for the effects of freeze–thaw cycles on the structure of black soil and provide a theoretical basis for improving the quality of arable land.

Ontogenesis and Bioecological Features of the Species Rosmarinus prostratus in Apsheron Conditions

The ontogenesis and bioecological composition of the species Rosmarinus prostratus, belonging to the genus Rosmarinus L., were studied. The study was conducted on the territory of the Absheron Peninsula on the experimental site of the Institute of Dendrology Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan in cultural conditions. The species Rosmarinus prostratus, belonging to the genus Rosmarinus L., has normal periods of development in the natural conditions of the Absheron Peninsula. This species can be used as an ornamental plant for landscaping parks and gardens, as well as a medicinal plant for mass production, industrially various drugs.

Wolbachia-infected pharaoh ant colonies have higher egg production, metabolic rate and worker survival.

Wolbachia is a widespread maternally transmitted endosymbiotic bacteria with diverse phenotypic effects on its insect hosts, ranging from parasitic to mutualistic. Wolbachia commonly infects social insects, where it faces unique challenges associated with its host's caste-based reproductive division of labor and colony living. Here, we dissect the benefits and costs of Wolbachia infection on life-history traits of the invasive pharaoh ant, Monomorium pharaonis, which are relatively short lived and show natural variation in Wolbachia infection status between colonies. We quantified the effects of Wolbachia infection on the lifespan of queen and worker castes, the egg-laying rate of queens across queen lifespan, and the metabolic rates of whole colonies and colony members. Infected queens laid more eggs than uninfected queens but had similar metabolic rates and lifespans. Interestingly, infected workers outlived uninfected workers. At the colony level, infected colonies were more productive as a consequence of increased queen egg-laying rates and worker longevity, and infected colonies had higher metabolic rates during peak colony productivity. While some effects of infection, such as elevated colony-level metabolic rates, may be detrimental in more stressful natural conditions, we did not find any costs of infection under relatively benign laboratory conditions. Overall, our study emphasizes that Wolbachia infection can have beneficial effects on ant colony growth and worker survival in at least some environments.

Identifying the dominant compound events and their impacts on vegetation growth in China

Terrestrial vegetation plays a vital role in global carbon recycling, but it is also affected by compound events (CEs); however, little is known about the impacts of these CEs on vegetation in terms of their occurrence and magnitude. Using meteorological observations and vegetation indices (leaf area index (LAI), gross primary productivity (GPP), and net primary productivity (NPP)) from 1981 to 2020, we explored the occurrence of 13 CEs types and identified the dominant CEs types across different eco-geographical regions of China, and quantified the response of various vegetation types to dominant CEs. We found that CEs of extreme hot-dry, extreme hot-dry-high fire weather, dry-high fire weather, and high fire weather-strong wind were the dominant types of compound events during the growing season in China, and their hazards increased at a rate of >0.1HI/10a during 1981–2020. We further detected that more than 60% of the total vegetation areas showed a strong negative correlation with compound extreme hot-dry-high fire weather-strong wind events, which was relatively higher than compound extreme hot-dry events. The response of vegetation to compound events varied at the national scale, which was related to the vegetation type, dominant compound event type, and local natural conditions. This study highlights the benefits of a multivariate perspective on compound events and reveals the regional differences in the response of vegetation to compound events, which can provide initial guidance to assess the regional compound event risk of vegetation against the background of carbon neutrality by 2060.

Different Protein Sources of Larval Diet on the Rearing of Anastrepha fraterculus (Diptera: Tephritidae): Biological and Nutritional Analyses.

Anastrepha fraterculus (Diptera: Tephritidae) is considered an important pest in Neotropical countries. The laboratory rearing of this species should reproduce conditions in nature; thus, special attention is required to the nutritional quality of diets for larval development. Protein components (wheat germ) are costly and account for most production costs in lab insect rearing. In this sense, this work aimed to identify ingredients to replace wheat germ, without compromising diet quality for the lab rearing of A. fraterculus. We tested diets composed of whole rice flour, corn flour, and a mixture of whole wheat flour + soybean flour as substitutes for wheat germ as well as a raw wheat germ diet, considered the control. The protein sources used in the larval diet influenced the biological performance of both the larval and adult stages of A. fraterculus during six generations. The diet containing corn flour and wheat germ showed similar results in the different developmental parameters. The diet with rice flour also provided adequate biological development for A. fraterculus throughout its life cycle and was nutritionally similar to the control. As it is local product, rice flour can replace wheat germ (costly imported product) in artificial diets for A. fraterculus, reducing production costs by roughly 30% without compromising the biological and nutritional parameters of the insects. Faced with this, the rice flour can be considered suitable for the mass rearing of A. fraterculus in the laboratory.

Effect of the Fe0/PMS advanced oxidation system on the removal of aromatic organic compounds

The aromatic organic compounds present in groundwater environments have low contents, high toxicity, long half-lives and stable chemical properties, which increase the difficulty of degradation under natural conditions. In this study, an zero-valent iron activated peroxymonosulfate system (Fe0/PMS) was constructed to remove common aromatic organic compounds in groundwater. The results showed that at an initial pH of 7.0, Fe0=0.3 g/L, PMS= 0.5 mM, and initial concentration of organic matter (C0) =0.1 mM, the removal efficiency of the seven aromatic organic compounds by the Fe0/PMS system reached more than 70 %, which shows good removal ability. Alcohol quenching tests and liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry tests showed that the main active oxygen species in the system were SO4•─ and OH•, which could efficiently degrade aromatic organic compounds through electrophilic substitution, hydroxylation, carbonylation and decarboxylation reactions and reduce the biological toxicity of organic compounds in wastewater to a certain extent. In the long-term dynamic reaction process, the removal rate of aromatic organic compounds in actual groundwater by the Fe0/PMS system can be maintained above 75 %, and the complex structure can be effectively destroyed. This research can provide a theoretical basis for the efficient treatment of aromatic organic compounds in groundwater.

Dithiothreitol prevents the spontaneous release of cortical granules in in vitro aged mouse oocytes by protecting regulatory proteins of cortical granules exocytosis and thickening the cortical actin cytoskeleton

In assisted fertility protocols, in vitro culture conditions mimic physiological conditions to preserve gametes in the best conditions. After collection, oocytes are maintained in a culture medium inside the incubator until in vitro fertilization (IVF) is performed. This time outside natural and physiological conditions exposes oocytes to an oxidative stress that renders in vitro aging. It has been described that in vitro aging produces a spontaneous cortical granule (CG) release decreasing the fertilization rate of oocytes. Nevertheless, this undesirable phenomenon has not been investigated, let alone prevented. In this work, we characterized the spontaneous CG secretion in in vitro aged oocytes. Using immunofluorescence indirect, quantification, and functional assays, we showed that the expression of regulatory proteins of CG exocytosis was affected. Our results demonstrated that in vitro oocyte aging by 4 and 8 h altered the expression and localization of alpha-SNAP and reduced the expression of NSF and Complexin. These alterations were prevented by supplementing culture medium with dithiothreitol (DTT), which in addition to having a protective effect on those proteins, also had an unexpected effect on the actin cytoskeleton. Indeed, DTT addition thickened the cortical layer of fibrillar actin. Both DTT effects, together, prevented the spontaneous secretion of CG and recovered the IVF rate in in vitro aged oocytes. We propose the use of DTT in culture media to avoid the spontaneous CG secretion and to improve the success rate of IVF protocols in in vitro aged oocytes.

An “all-in-one” and confined self-enhancing Fenton-like membrane reactor for multiple antibiotic treatment in aquatic environment at natural pH

Conventional Fenton oxidation technique utilized for the treatment of antibiotics is plagued by issues such as extra H2O2 requirement and harsh reaction conditions. In this work, an “all-in-one” membrane reactor with H2O2 self-supply and self-catalysis at natural pH conditions for multiplex antibiotic residues degradation was developed by loading bifunctional composite Pt/CuO2 Janus nanoparticles (Pt/CuO2 JNPs) on the surface of the PVDF membrane. Specifically, the Fenton reagents H2O2, which was generated from the decomposition of the functional material CuO2 NPs in a near natural pH condition without extra addition, was synergistic activated by nano-enzyme Pt NPs and Cu2+. This, in turn, greatly improves the practicability of the reactor. Notably, the large number of nanopores present on the surface of the reactor endows it with a confined self-enhancing effect, which could greatly improve its catalytic degradation efficiency of antibiotics. The developed membrane reactor is capable of degradation 97.6 % of chloramphenicol (CAP) residues after several cycles of filtration. The apparent rate constant of the developed membrane reactor for CAP is approximately folded for the bulk reaction system. What’s more, the developed membrane reactor features favorable usability and preservability and superior universality for common antibiotics.

Magneto-Enzymatic Microgels for Precise Hydrogel Sculpturing.

The inclusion of hollow channels in tissue-engineered hydrogels is crucial for mimicking the natural physiological conditions and facilitating the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to cells. Although bio-fabrication techniques provide diverse strategies to create these channels, many require sophisticated equipment and time-consuming protocols. Herein, collagenase, a degrading agent for methacrylated gelatin hydrogels, and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are combined and processed into enzymatically active spherical structures using a straightforward oil bath emulsion methodology. The generated microgels are then used to microfabricate channels within biomimetic hydrogels via a novel sculpturing approach that relied on the precise coupling of protein-enzyme pairs (for controlled local degradation) and magnetic actuation (for directional control). Results show that the sculpting velocity can be tailored by adjusting the magnetic field intensity or concentration of MNPs within the microgels. Additionally, varying the magnetic field position or microgel size generated diverse trajectories and channels of different widths. This innovative technology improves the viability of encapsulated cells through enhanced medium transport, outperforming non-sculpted hydrogels and offering new perspectives for hydrogel vascularization and drug/biomolecule administration. Ultimately, this novel concept can help design fully controlled channels in hydrogels or soft materials, even those with complex tortuosity, in a single wireless top-down biocompatible step.

Co-infection dynamics of B. afzelii and TBEV in C3H mice: insights and implications for future research.

Ticks are important vectors of disease, particularly in the context of One Health, where tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are increasingly prevalent worldwide. TBDs often involve co-infections, where multiple pathogens co-exist in a single host. Patients with chronic Lyme disease often have co-infections with other bacteria or parasites. This study aimed to create a co-infection model with Borrelia afzelii and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in C3H mice and to evaluate symptoms, mortality, and pathogen level compared to single infections. Successful co-infection of C3H mice with B. afzelii and TBEV was achieved. Outcomes varied, depending on the timing of infection. When TBEV infection followed B. afzelii infection by 9 days, TBEV symptoms worsened and virus levels increased. Conversely, mice infected 21 days apart with TBEV showed milder symptoms and lower mortality. Simultaneous infection resulted in mild symptoms and no deaths. However, our model did not effectively infect ticks with TBEV, possibly due to suboptimal dosing, highlighting the challenges of replicating natural conditions. Understanding the consequences of co-infection is crucial, given the increasing prevalence of TBD. Co-infected individuals may experience exacerbated symptoms, highlighting the need for a comprehensive understanding through refined animal models. This study advances knowledge of TBD and highlights the importance of exploring co-infection dynamics in host-pathogen interactions.

ОБЩИЙ ПОДХОД К РЕШЕНИЮ ЗАДАЧИ ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЯ РАБОТО-СПОСОБНОСТИ ТРАКТОРОВ В АПК

Agricultural production is characterized by the seasonality of mechanized work in the cultivation of crops. In addition, the amount of wear on aggregates and equipment systems is determined, on the one hand, by natural and climatic conditions and, on the other, by the nomenclature of operations performed in the planned period, organizational, production and technical conditions in a particular farm. Tractor units and systems are interconnect with each other and interdependent on each other, i.e. the amount of wear of some parts affects the wear of others. In this regard, the purpose of the research is to develop a concept for ensuring the operability of tractors in the agro-industrial complex by optimizing the resource consumption of aggregates and systems, taking into account the conditions of their operation. The most promising direction for improving the efficiency of tractor operation is the development of measures to optimize the resource consumption of their units and systems, taking into account the operating conditions of machinery in the agro-industrial complex. To predict changes in the physical parameter of a part, unit, and tractor system for the planned period of a certain amount of work, a concept is introduced - an indicator of resource consumption, which determines the amount of change in the diagnostic parameter of the unit state per unit of work performed. The assessment of the tractor condition is carry out by the level of equipment resource consumption, which makes it possible to promptly respond to the state of technical operation of equipment, the conditions of their operation and develop measures to optimize resource consumption. The resource consumption level (Urr) of the tractor, theoretically, can vary from 0 to 1. In this case, Urr=0 it is assumed that the tractor is written off from the balance sheet of the farm or is missing; with Urr=1, it is assumed that the tractor is in good condition and all tractor parameters have nominal values. With known patterns of changes in the level of resource consumption for various types of agricultural operations, it becomes possible to plan the range of work for each tractor for the planned period, taking into account the optimal resource consumption of their units and systems.

Preparation of CMC-MF/FeO(OH) by growing ferric nanoparticles on melamine foam in-situ for effective phosphate removal

Nanocomposite adsorbents composed of a bulk matrix and metal nanoparticles have garnered significant attention for phosphorus (P) removal. However, many nanocomposite adsorbents have been synthesized in harsh environments involving high temperature or high energy consumption, which do not meet industrial requirements; on the other hand, lots of adsorbents are synthesized by directly depositing metal hydroxides on bulk matrixs, leading to the active components shedding from the matrix due to the lack of chemical anchoring sites to immobilize metal oxide. To overcome the limitations of the existing methods, we synthesized a nanocomposite adsorbent named CMC-MF/FeO(OH) using a facile method in a mild environment. It involved coating an anchoring film prepared with carboxymethyl cellulose sodium (CMCNa) on melamine foam (MF) for in-situ growth of ferric nanoparticles. Our results demonstrated that the CMC-MF/FeO(OH) adsorbent showed promising efficiency in phosphate removal. The adsorption process was effectively described by Elovich kinetic model and Freundlich isotherm model. The adsorption mechanism was ascribed to the chemisorption by inner-sphere complex along with physical adsorption. A maximum adsorption capacity of 31.579 mg P/g which calculated by Langmuir isotherm model was achieved at 45 °C and natural pH condition in experimental range. The adsorbent exhibited effective P adsorption even in harsh environments, with the process being spontaneous and exothermic. In column applications, the CMC-MF/FeO(OH) adsorbent reduce the P content of wastewater from 4 mg P/L to 0.5 mg P/L within a short empty bed contact time of 190.95 s. Furthermore, the adsorption capacity reached 8.87 mg P/g in a column study, and trace P levels in lake water decreased to undetectable levels in a lake experiment, effectively inhibiting algae growth.