Simple Means Research Articles

Wax-shaped wettability assisted patterning of silver nanowires on various substrates as transparent, flexible, or stretchable electrodes

With the rapid development of flexible and wearable devices, flexible transparent conductive electrodes are highly demanded. However, there is no available technology that can pattern emerging electric materials (e.g., silver nanowires (AgNWs)) on versatile substrates in large scale to achieve high performance in different aspects on demands, such as transparency, flexibility, stretchability, and biocompatibility. Here, a wax-shaped wetting/dewetting (WSWD) method is demonstrated to pattern AgNWs networks into transparent conductive circuits ranging from tens of micrometers to centimeters on various substrates. For instance, the AgNWs coatings patterned on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films achieve high electrical conductivity and optical transparency up to 73%, and a stable resistance (CV < 0.1%) after cyclic bending (>200 times); the AgNWs coatings patterned into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannels exhibit good durability after cyclic bending (>200 times) and stretching (30% strain). Finally, the flexible AgNWs coatings are used as wearable transparent heaters applied to the human finger joint and wrist, which are thermally stable and safe (42 °C < T < 50 °C for 3 min) under cyclic bending. Thus, this method provides a simple, low-cost, green, and versatile means for fabricating transparent conductive electrodes, which can be applied to optoelectronic, wearable, and healthcare devices.

Industrial housing clusters in nineteenth-century Lisbon: finding spatial patterns

Abstract This article aims to analyse housing solutions used in nineteenth-century Lisbon to deal with explosive demographic and urban development. It particularly focuses on two specific types of industrial housing ensembles created in Lisbon called pátios and vilas operárias. The goal of this article is to analyse the spatial distribution of pátios and vilas operárias in Lisbon. Through the potential of geographic information systems, we aim to understand in a spatial-quantitative way the spatial patterns of these kinds of industrial housing ensembles for the most deprived population. To do so, we used spatial modelling and spatial analysis procedures, including simple spatial distribution, mean centre, standard distance, directional distance and density estimation (hotspots). The new contribution of this article lies in the increase of scientific knowledge about these forms of working-class housing – the pátios and vilas operárias – and their spatial implementation in Lisbon in the second half of the nineteenth century.

Performance Improvement of A Low Aspect Ratio Axial Flow Compressor Rotor by Means of Turbulence Generator

The present paper reports results of an experimental investigation aimed at improving the performance and operating range of an axial flow compressor using a simple passive means. A total of four configurations are tested, namely, (i) basic rotor configuration without any passive means, (ii) rotor with modified partial shroud (MPS), (iii) rotor with MPS and turbulence generator, TG, placed on the casing at the leading edge of the rotor blade and (iv) rotor with MPS and turbulence generator, TG1, placed on the casing at 44 mm upstream of the leading edge of the rotor blade. The turbulence generators are made of velcro tape. The rotor performance is determined by measuring static pressure on the casing, upstream and downstream of the rotor blade. In addition, five hole probe traverses are made at the rotor exit at five flow coefficients (at, above and below design flow coefficients). From the casing static pressure measurements, stall flow coefficient of rotor (with MPS + TG1) is found to be decreased. From the five hole probe measurements, rotor (with MPS + TG1) is found to have improved total and static pressure coefficients compared to rotor (with MPS). Slightly reduced performance of this rotor compared to the basic configuration is attributed to the adverse effects of MPS. The improved performance of the rotor (with MPS + TG1) is attributed to the energization of the casing wall boundary layer at the rotor inlet, due to vortexes generated by TG1.

A negative feedback bionic hydrogel reverses damaged cartilage microenvironment and induces targeted BMSCs differentiation for cartilage regeneration

The compromised microenvironment after cartilage injury generally leads to low survival or abnormal differentiation of implanted stem cells for fibrocartilage formation with weak mechanical properties. Suitable and safe bionic materials can provide mechanical properties for cartilage repair while promoting cartilage regeneration effects. However, to our knowledge, mechanical strength modulation of therapeutic peptide-based bionic hydrogels remains relatively unexplored, and further application of peptide-based bionic hydrogels in a negative feedback manner for defective cartilage repair has been seldom reported so far. In this study, we reported the first sophisticated design and fabrication of a dual cross-linked peptide-based hydrogel for promoted cartilage regeneration in a feedback-regulated manner. The integration of multiple supramolecular forces including host–guest interactions and extensive hydrogen bonding endow the resulting hydrogels with excellent self-healing and mechanical strength for highly synergistic lubrication properties and compressive performance. More importantly, the unique integrative peptide VPM-pmTGF-β1 can realize on-demand pmTGF-β1 release that is triggered by the MMP-3-responsive cleavage of a VPM sequence. When the VPM-pmTGF-β1-modified hydrogel system is implanted into the cartilage defect sites in a model of SD rats, MMP-3-triggered on-demand pmTGF-β1 release suppresses IκBα/NF-κB signaling pathway-induced cartilage inflammation in a negative feedback manner while promoting the targeted cartilage differentiation of BMSCs for efficient cartilage regeneration. The novel strategy developed herein contributes to a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the biological properties of peptide-based hydrogels for cartilage defect repair and provides a simple yet powerful means for clinical translations.

Bioinspired ceramic-polymer composites with hierarchical nacre-mimetic structure via accumulative rolling technique

Constructing nacre-mimetic architecture in ceramic-polymer composites is an effective approach to improve fracture toughness. Here, ceramic-polymer composites with nacre-mimetic brick-and-mortar structure were fabricated using an accumulative rolling technique. Non-isometric and flaky Ti3AlC2 powders with ultrafine dimensions along with Al2O3 and h-BN powders with micron-sized dimensions were employed as constituents and the effect of their size on mechanical properties was investigated. The results showed that the flaky ceramic powders were preferentially aligned along the rolling direction under the shear force exerted by the rollers, and formed staggered stacking layers. Significant differences in the characteristic dimensions of flaky ceramic powders contributed to a hierarchical structure of the composites. Compared with the composites containing merely ultrafine-sized Ti3AlC2 flakes, the strength of composites decreased when Ti3AlC2 flakes were replaced by larger Al2O3 and h-BN flakes. However, such substitution inhibited the crack propagation, leading to a stable crack growth behavior featured by rising R-curves owing to the activation of various extrinsic toughening mechanisms, including crack deflection, uncracked-ligament bridging and pull-out of ceramic platelets. The accumulative rolling technique offers a simple but effective means for toughening ceramic materials and optimizing their functional properties along specific directions.

Biological efficiency in processing information in green plants

The detection and processing of environmental information is a fundamental attribute of all living systems. This article approaches the question of how efficiently plants process that information, considering it likely that differential efficiency among different species may help explain differential survival. The primary routes of information transfer, that is, signal transduction, are relatively well understood. It is pointed out, based on current understanding, that erasure of such information may be of equal importance to its acquisition. This in turn could provide a simple means of quantifying the acquisition of information by a plant and the efficiency in doing so. However, wild plants live in an environment that is noisy. A useful analogy to deal with such situations can be found in quantum theory of open systems, wherein processes are both well-characterized and well understood, unlike those in plants. This paper develops this theme from quantum information processing and provides a mean of transferring such quantum characterization to biological dynamical situations. The article concludes with discussion on communication theory, indicating that there is a dearth of experimental results that can currently be used to investigate information processing but suggesting how progress can be made in this important programme.

The Word “Mamluk”: From Simple Meaning To Military and Political Term

Abbasilerden itibaren İslâm tarihi kaynaklarında sıkça rastladığımız sözcüklerden birisi “memlûk" kelimesidir. Sözcük “mâlikin mülkü” anlamına gelen basit anlamından evrilerek “özel birlikte muvazzaf asker” anlamında kullanılmıştır. Memlûk Türk Devleti (1250-1517) döneminde seçkin bir sınıfın üyesi olarak önem kazanmış, bu dönem memlûk askeri sınıfı toplumun seçkin sınıfı olmuştur. Memlûk kökenli askerlerin idari ve askeri mevkilerde söz sahibi olmasından dolayı devletin adı da bu sözcük ile anılmıştır. Diplomaside üst mevkideki statüsüne atfen muhatabını tazim-hürmet anlamında bir hitap sözcüğü olarak önem kazanmış, böylece “memlûk” sözcüğü basit anlamından uzaklaşıp siyasi terim olarak kullanılmıştır. Makalemizde sözcüğün basit anlamının yanı sıra askeri bir kavram olmasından ve diplomaside siyasi bir terime dönüşmesinden bahsedeceğiz. Çalışmamız Memlûk tarihi kaynaklarındaki kayıtlar dikkate alınarak hazırlanmıştır.

Enhancing the dispersibility of commercial pea protein ingredients using stirred media milling: Potential mechanisms of action

This study found that stirred media milling (SMM) showed great potential in enhancing the functional properties of commercial legume proteins. The effects of SMM on protein dispersibility and structure in 5% pea protein solutions were investigated. The milling increased pea protein dispersibility index from around 12 to 99%, over an 8-fold increase. During milling, the D[4,3] of protein particles decreased from around 122 μm to 320 nm and the magnitude of the zeta potential increased from 21.6 to 30.0 mV. Microscopy analysis revealed that the morphology of the protein particle changed from aggregated, irregular, and dense before milling to uniformly distributed and spherical after milling. And hydrophobic interactions were the primary intramolecular forces maintaining the structure of the water-dispersible protein particles. Intrinsic fluorescence intensity, surface hydrophobicity, and free sulfhydryl group analysis of the pea proteins increased after milling, and there was a net change in the secondary structure of the proteins from β-sheet and random coil to α-helix and β-turn. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that insoluble protein aggregates transformed into water-dispersible ones after milling. These results suggested that the conformation and aggregate state of protein molecules were changed during milling. This study indicates that the stirred media milling is a simple and effective means of enhancing pea protein dispersibility, which could expand the application of plant protein in the food industry.

Knowledge Management and Sustainable Competitive Advantage in the Service Industry in Nigeria: An Interacting Effect of Innovation

Organizations exist to compete for resources, customers, market shares and space, profit margins among other things in the ever so dynamic business environment. In achieving this, their strength lies in their unique, inimitable, intangible knowledge. This is the objective of this study, “knowledge management and sustainable competitive advantage in the service industry in Nigeria: an interacting effect of innovation. All of MTN Nigeria’s Matori, Lagos office employees served as the study’s population, and researchers used a cross-sectional survey approach (242. Questionnaire was developed in a 5-point scale and administered, 205 were returned and 193 (80%) was utilized for analysis. Simple percentage, mean, standard deviation, correlation coefficient and hierarchical regression analysis were adopted for analysing data retrieved on SPSS 25 due to the presence of the interacting effect of innovation. The results showed a statistically significant positive relationship between KM and SCA (r=0.474, p&lt;0.01), KM has a positive significant effect on SCA (R2=0.453, p 0.000&lt;0.05, Fobserved 186.796). the result of the interacting effect on innovation on both variables KM and SCA returned a partial correlation result of 0.295 (29.5%) indicating that innovation has an interacting influence of 29.5% both ways in ensuring that an organization through its KM practices attains the level of SCA it desires with a with a high tolerance and low multicollinearity of 0.592. The study recommends ensuring an enabling environment that allows knowledge management practices and innovativeness to thrive as this will ultimately lead organizations to attain sustainable competitive advantage over its rivals.

Advances and Prospects for Hydrogel-Forming Microneedles in Transdermal Drug Delivery.

Transdermal drug delivery (TDD) is one of the key approaches for treating diseases, avoiding first-pass effects, reducing systemic adverse drug reactions and improving patient compliance. Microneedling, iontophoresis, electroporation, laser ablation and ultrasound facilitation are often used to improve the efficiency of TDD. Among them, microneedling is a relatively simple and efficient means of drug delivery. Microneedles usually consist of micron-sized needles (50-900 μm in length) in arrays that can successfully penetrate the stratum corneum and deliver drugs in a minimally invasive manner below the stratum corneum without touching the blood vessels and nerves in the dermis, improving patient compliance. Hydrogel-forming microneedles (HFMs) are safe and non-toxic, with no residual matrix material, high drug loading capacity, and controlled drug release, and they are suitable for long-term, multiple drug delivery. This work reviewed the characteristics of the skin structure and TDD, introduced TDD strategies based on HFMs, and summarized the characteristics of HFM TDD systems and the evaluation methods of HFMs as well as the application of HFM drug delivery systems in disease treatment. The HFM drug delivery system has a wide scope for development, but the translation to clinical application still has more challenges.

Chemical vapor reaction synthesis and photoelectronic properties of CuS and Cu3SbS4 thin films

Chemical vapor reaction is a simple and efficient experimental means of preparing metal sulphide films. Through systematically studying the effect of vulcanisation temperature on the growth of copper sulfide (CuS) thin film. The copper antimony sulfide (Cu3SbS4) thin film was obtained by further vulcanized Sb/Cu mental film. The structure and optical properties of the as-prepared films were characterized by x-ray diffraction, Raman and photoluminescence spectra. The hexagonal structure of CuS film was confirmed and Cu3SbS4 grew preferentially along the (112) crystal plane. The surface grains of CuS and Cu3SbS4 films were finally condensed into spheres. The content of S and the resistance of the films increase with the increase in temperature, but the bandgap of the films will be decreased. The bandgap of Cu2−xS films prepared at 195 °C−350 °C is in the range of 2.2–2.5 eV and that of Cu3SbS4 thin films prepared at 350 °C is 1.77 eV, and has good absorption in the visible light range. In addition, The Hall effect measurement indicated CuS and Cu3SbS4 films have p-type semiconducting behavior. The carrier concentration and mobility are 2.45 × 1021 cm−3 and 1.28 cm2 Vs−1 for CuS, and 4.30 × 1017 cm−3 and 185.93 cm2 Vs−1 for Cu3SbS4, respectively. The I-T tests show that the CuS and Cu3SbS4 thin films have photoconductive properties.

Gold nanoclusters supported Molybdenum diselenide-porous carbon composite as an efficient electrocatalyst for selective ultrafast probing of chlorpyrifos-pesticide

Chlorpyrifos (CPS) is an organophosphorus pesticide widely utilized in agricultural production. Much like other commonly used highly toxic and hazardous substances, is harmful to humans, plants, and animals. Thus, the development of highly efficient electrocatalysts that can monitor and detect levels of CPS in environmental samples is urgently required. This research describes a simple means of synthesizing Au nanoclusters (AuNCs) incorporated into MoSe2-Porous carbons (PCs) via a single-step hydrothermal reaction followed by chemical reduction. AuNC-MoSe2-PC coated Glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs) exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity, interfacial charge transfer ability (96 Ω), and cathodic peak intensities at a low reduction wave potential (∼ −0.74 V) for sensing CPS. The developed sensor exhibited a wide linear range from 5 to 185 nM, a rapid amperometric response of < 3 s, a low detection limit (0.15 nM), and ultra-sensitivity (27.027 μA nM−1 cm−2) for CPS at −0.74 V vs. Ag|AgCl than other reported modified electrodes. Furthermore, the sensor had excellent reproducibility, repeatability, reusability, and long-time stability (88% activity retention after 1 month) with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of < 5% and exhibited remarkable tolerance for the detection of CPS in the presence of potentially interfering substances. The practical applicability of the sensor was tested for the quantitative analysis of trace CPS levels in paddy water, pond water, and seawater samples, and it demonstrated recoveries of 97.9 to 106.6 % with RSDs below 5% (n = 3), which are comparable to the results of high-performance liquid chromatography.

Relationship of maximum walking speed with peak oxygen uptake and anaerobic threshold in male patients with heart failure

This retrospective observational study aimed to examine the relationships of maximum walking speed (MWS) with peak oxygen uptake (peak VO2) and anaerobic threshold (AT) obtained by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) in patients with heart failure. The study participants were 104 consecutive men aged ≥ 20 years who had been hospitalized or had undergone outpatient care at our hospital for heart failure between February 2019 and January 2023. MWS was measured in a 5-m section with a 1-m run-up before and after the course. Multivariable analysis was used to examine the association between MWS and peak VO2 and AT by CPX. The Pearson correlation coefficient showed that MWS was positively correlated with percent-predicted peak VO2 and percent-predicted AT (r = 0.463, p < 0.001; and r = 0.485, p < 0.001, respectively). In the multiple linear regression analysis employing percent-predicted peak VO2 and percent-predicted AT as the objective variables, only MWS demonstrated a significant positive correlation (standardized β: 0.471, p < 0.001 and 0.362, p < 0.001, respectively). Multiple logistic regression analyses, using an 80% cutoff in percent-predicted peak VO2 and AT, revealed that only MWS was identified as a significant factor in both cases (odds ratio [OR]: 1.239, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.071–1.432, p = 0.004 and OR: 1.469, 95% CI: 1.194–1.807, p < 0.001, respectively). MWS was correlated with peak VO2 and AT in male patients with heart failure. The MWS measurement as a screening test for exercise tolerance may provide a simple means of estimating peak VO2 and AT in heart failure patients.

Simulation of Dynamic Rearrangement Events in Wall-Flow Filters Applying Lattice Boltzmann Methods

Wall-flow filters are applied in the exhaust treatment of internal combustion engines for the removal of pm. Over time, the pressure drop inside those filters increases due to the continuously introduced solid material, which forms pm deposition layers on the filter substrate. This leads to the necessity of regenerating the filter. During such a regeneration process, fragments of the pm layers can potentially rearrange inside single filter channels. This may lead to the formation of specific deposition patterns, which affect a filter’s pressure drop, its loading capacity and the separation efficiency. The dynamic formation process can still not consistently be attributed to specific influence factors, and appropriate calculation models that enable a quantification of respective factors do not exist. In the present work, the dynamic rearrangement process during the regeneration of a wall-flow filter channel is investigated. As a direct sequel to the investigation of a static deposition layer in a previous work, the present one additionally investigates the dynamic behaviour following the detachment of individual layer fragments as well as the formation of channel plugs. The goal of this work is the extension of the resolved particle methodology used in the previous work via a discrete method to treat particle–particle and particle–wall interactions in order to evaluate the influence of the deposition layer topology, pm properties and operating conditions on dynamic rearrangement events. It can be shown that a simple mean density methodology represents a reproducible way of determining a channel plug’s extent and its average density, which agrees well with values reported in literature. The sensitivities of relevant influence factors are revealed and their impact on the rearrangement process is quantified. This work contributes to the formulation of predictions on the formation of specific deposition patterns, which impact engine performance, fuel consumption and service life of wall-flow filters.

On the State of Training in Parent-Infant/Toddler Psychotherapy in Germany

Regulation disorders in early childhood and postpartum mental disorders of parents can be effectively treated by interventions that involve parents and child (so-called parent-infant psychotherapy, PIP). Availability of PIP in routine care remains low, even though the intervention is in high demand. This study aims to map the current situation of psychotherapy training in PIP in Germany, to record existing obstacles from the perspective of the institutes, and to obtain indications for improving training. Contact persons of training institutes all over Germany were invited to participate in an online survey. N = 95 persons answered questions about possible training in PIP and related advantages and hurdles as well as conditions for a future implementation. Nineteen (22.4 %) of the institutions indicated that PIP was part of their training concept. In 84.2 % of the cases this was aimed at child and adolescent psychotherapists. In 63.6 % of the institutes PIP was treated comprehensively. On average, 2.55 barriers were perceived, most frequently of an organizational nature. 75.9 % of the institutes that did not yet offer PIP would be willing to do so in the future under at least one condition. Among those conditions, information on PIP curricula and specific training content was most frequent (40.7 %).The low implementation of PIP in training seems to be mainly due to barriers of an organizational nature that can be overcome by some simple means, such as the dissemination of model curricula.

Decipher the key role of ketone toward singlet oxygen evolution in Fenton-like process for water decontamination

Persulfate-based Fenton-like processes are often unsatisfied on the remediation of the complex mediums because the active species of free radicals have usually short lifetime (only 1 µs for hydroxyl radical) or poor selectivity to abatement of the targeted organics. Herein, we report an oxygen-doped carbon catalyst prepared by simple pyrolysis means for persulfate activation to eliminate 2,4-dichlorophenol in the water environment. Experiments and density functional theory calculations uncover reactive sites of the ketonic group displaying the strong site distance effect for the sole active specie of singlet oxygen evolution in the proton-coupled electron transfer regime. Accordingly, the complex water body decontamination has been overwhelmingly realized with the removal efficiency (0.89 (0.007) min−1 for 2,4-dichlorophenol), 3.0–9.4 of pH tolerance, the acceptable stability in continuous-flow and cyclic system. Overall, this work provides novel guidance in metal-free persulfate activation systems for real water remediation.

Antibody response to pneumococcal conjugate vaccine 10 among Nigerian children under 5 years.

Invasive pneumococcal diseases have been a major contributor to childhood mortality, particularly in the developing world and pneumococcal vaccines were introduced to reduce the burden. The Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine 10 (PCV 10) was incorporated into the Nigerian National Programme on Immunization (NPI) in 2014 to reduce the incidence of childhood pneumococcal infections. This study was done to determine the immunogenicity of the vaccine in our clime. This cross-sectional study was carried out between September 2019 and January 2020 at the Children Outpatient Clinic of the Federal Medical Center, Owerri, Nigeria. Two hundred and forty five children between the ages of 20 weeks and 59 months, who had received three doses of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine 10 (PCV 10) at 6, 10 and 14 weeks according to the NPI schedule, were recruited into the study. The anti-pneumococcal PCV 10 IgG concentration was determined using Human Anti-Pneumococcal CPS 10 IgG vaccine ELISA Kit ®. Simple proportions, means and median (as appropriate) were used to analyse the data. Kruskal Wallis test and Spearman's correlation were done to test association. Significance was set as p< 0.05. The mean anti-pneumococcal IgG concentration was 11.01±1.23 IU/ml and all the study participants formed protective levels of anti-pneumococcal IgG. There was a slight positive correlation between antibody response and age (r=0.13, p=0.04), and the antibody response was slightly more in males than females. All the children under the age of five years who had received PCV 10 at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age, who participated in this study formed protective levels of antibodies to the vaccine. Antibody levels increased slightly with age. The PCV 10 currently used in the Nigerian programme is sufficiently antigenic and a downward trend in pneumococcal diseases should soon be noticeable.

Stearic acid-modified MOF-based composite phase change materials for solar-thermal energy conversion and storage

The utilization, conversion and storage of clean solar energy serving composite phase change materials (PCMs) formed through combination of shape-stable PCMs and light-absorbing materials becomes one of the most efficacious measures to accomplish sustainable development. In this article, the metal–organic framework (MOF) was functionally modified with stearic acid (SA) by in-situ hydrothermal method for the first time and the prepared SA-modified HKUST-1 (HS) was served as the support material for SA. The morphology and crystal structure of HS displayed unobvious change, while significantly increased the surface and formed a relatively strong hydrogen bond with SA. Therefore, the SA adsorption rate of HS reached as high as 60 wt% without any leakage, which was 20 wt% higher than HKUST-1. TaON and SiW12 were collaboratively employed as light-harvesting materials innovatively, and all PCM composites were fabricated through the simple solution immersion means. It is exciting that the SA/HS/TaON/SiW12 composite PCMs not only exhibited good shape-stability, high latent heat (126.4 J/g) as well as heightened thermal conductivity (grown by 295.9% than SA), but also displayed the outstanding thermal reliability and remarkable solar-thermal energy conversion capability (efficiency reached 96.6%). This work expanded a new orientation of photothermal materials used for utilization of solar energy especially in the application of solar water heater systems.

Correlations and projective measurements in maximally entangled multipartite states

Multipartite quantum states constitute the key resource for quantum computation. The understanding of their internal structure is thus of great importance in the field of quantum information. This paper aims at examining the structure of multipartite maximally entangled pure states, using tools with a simple and intuitive physical meaning, namely, projective measurements and correlations. We first show how, in such states, a very simple relation arises between post-measurement expectation values and pre-measurement correlations. We then infer the consequences of this relation on the structure of the recently introduced entanglement metric, allowing us to provide an upper bound for the persistency of entanglement. The dependence of these features on the chosen measurement axis is underlined, and two simple optimization procedures are proposed, to find those maximizing the correlations. Finally, we apply our procedures onto some prototypical examples.

Characterizing sediment load variability in the red river system using empirical orthogonal function analysis: Implications for water resources management in data poor regions

This paper introduces a novel data-based modelling approach, Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF), to characterize the sediment load variability at the downstream section of the Red River system in Vietnam. We modified the original EOF and performed it on the demeaned datasets of monthly total sediment load. Rating curves between the discharge and sediment load were used to validate the performance of EOF analysis. The results showed significant similarity between simulated and observed patterns. A dramatic decrease in sediment load has been observed via both the EOF and rating curve methods across the observation period (∼1958–2021), with two dramatic decreasing phases identified (1988–2008 and 2009-present). The variation in the sediment load was mainly related to the seasonal and inter-annual hydrological conditions in the basin, as well as the dam-reservoir impact. Before 1988, river discharge and rainfall were well correlated to the first EOF mode, indicating that the natural forces were the main driving factor for the sediment load. However, anthropogenic pressure (dam-reservoir impact) emerged as an important driver to the declining of sediment load since the end of 1988 and became more severe towards the end of 2008. We conclude that the modified EOF method developed in this study successfully demonstrates a simple and efficient means of reconstructing and evaluating the sediment load variability over time in data-poor regions, influenced by complex natural and anthropogenic – drivers. It can, thus, be useful for water resources management in ungauged basins in the region.