Yeast, crucial in beer production, holds great potential owing - to its ability to transform into a valuable by-product resource, known as brewer’s spent yeast (BSY), with potentially beneficial physiological effects. This study aimed to compare the composition and soluble polysaccharide content of Brewer’s spent yeast with those of cultured yeast strains, namely Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) and S. boulardii (SB), to facilitate the utilization of BSY as an alternative source of functional polysaccharides. BSY exhibited significantly higher carbohydrate content and lower crude protein content than SC and SB cells. The residues recovered through autolysis were 53.11%, 43.83%, and 44.99% for BSY, SC, and SB, respectively. Notably, the polysaccharide content of the BSY residue (641.90 μg/mg) was higher than that of SC (553.52 μg/mg) and SB (591.56 μg/mg). The yields of alkali-extracted water-soluble polysaccharides were 33.62%, 40.76%, and 42.97% for BSY, SC, and SB, respectively, with BSY comprising a comparable proportion of water-soluble saccharides made with SC and SB, including 49.31% mannan and 20.18% β-glucan. Furthermore, BSY demonstrated antioxidant activities, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), ABTS, and DPPH scavenging potential, suggesting its ability to mitigate oxidative stress. BSY also exhibited a significantly higher total phenolic compound content, indicating its potential to act as an effective functional food material. Full article

Background: as a relatively high number of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients develop major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), our aim was to determine the significance, and possible predictive value of QRS complex width and ST-segment elevation. Methods: our patient sample included 200 PCI-treated STEMI patients, which were divided into two groups based on the following duration of symptoms: (I) less than 6 h, and (II) 6 to 12 h. For every patient, an ECG was performed at six different time points, patients were followed for up to six years for the occurrence of MACE. Results: the mean age was 60.6 ± 11.39 years, and 142 (71%) were male. The 6–12 h group had significantly wider QRS complex, higher ST-segment elevation, lower prevalence of ST-segment resolution as well as MACE prevalence (p < 0.05). ECG parameters, QRS width, and magnitude of ST-segment elevation were proved to be independent significant predictors of MACE in all measured time points (p < 0.05). Even after controlling for biomarkers of myocardial injury, these ECG parameters remained statistically significant predictors of MACE (p < 0.05). Conclusion: our study highlights that wider QRS complex and a more pronounced ST-segment elevation are associated with longer total ischemic time and higher risk of long-term MACE. Full article

Land use and land cover (LULC) change is the variable with the maximum influence on carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems, due to a fundamental alteration of the ecosystem, structure, function, and variability over time. Understanding the dynamics of aboveground carbon stocks in underway constructions and urban expansions is crucial to provide a basis for land use management and planning. The objective of this study was to analyze the spatiotemporal dynamics of aboveground carbon storage and assess how the LULC change is affected by human intervention, as well as how aboveground carbon stocks respond to these changes in the tropical highland landscape of Jatigede. In this study, changes in aboveground carbon stocks were investigated between 2014 and 2021 by using the integrated valuation of ecosystem services and tradeoffs (InVEST) model. The results revealed that the total aboveground carbon stock decreased between 2014 and 2021. Forests showed the greatest decline in the aboveground carbon stock in terms of space. The primary cause of the reduction in the aboveground carbon stock was the conversion of vegetated land to agricultural and urban land cover. The aboveground carbon stock change was also caused by the continuing construction, which resulted in the extension of construction zones. However, an increase in the aboveground carbon stock was mostly observed in mixed gardens that were close to forest areas. The preservation of mixed gardens as a tree-based agroforestry system can be suggested for enhancing the aboveground carbon stock, as mixed gardens play a significant role in carbon storage in the midst of the increasingly massive deforestation due to the expansion of urban areas. Full article

This study aims to experimentally confirm whether knowledge that has been challenging to transfer through traditional on-the-job training (OJT) can be effectively transferred by introducing a formalized OJT approach that describes the improvement process knowledge of skilled production systems consultants, facilitating imitation by unskilled consultants. We adopted the Digital Triplet (D3) concept, an extension of the authors’ digital twin framework to intelligent activities, aligning with our study objectives. Recognizing the difficulty and inadequacy of knowledge transfer in production systems consulting OJT, we propose an OJT support method integrating a decision-making modeling approach for skilled consultants’ processes based on the Generalized Production Systems Consulting Process Model (GCPM) from prior literature into traditional OJT methods involving self-learning and direct instruction. This method enables the construction of a domain-specific GCPM, formalizing the improvement process flow implemented by skilled consultants and linking it to production improvement expertise and tools. In a case study focused on energy-saving improvement, we constructed and tested a domain-specific GCPM’s efficacy in facilitating the transfer of difficult-to-transfer knowledge. The results indicate that domain-specific GCPM facilitates such knowledge transfer, including specialized improvement, knowledge utilization, rationale, and adaptation to specific cases. Full article

This work reports on a model that describes patient-specific absorbed dose-dependent DNA damage response in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of thyroid cancer patients during radioiodine therapy and compares the results with the ex vivo DNA damage response in these patients. Blood samples of 18 patients (nine time points up to 168 h post-administration) were analyzed for radiation-induced γ-H2AX + 53BP1 DNA double-strand break foci (RIF). A linear one-compartment model described the absorbed dose-dependent time course of RIF (Parameters: c characterizes DSB damage induction; k₁ and k₂ are rate constants describing fast and slow repair). The rate constants were compared to ex vivo repair rates. A total of 14 patient datasets could be analyzed; c ranged from 0.012 to 0.109 mGy⁻¹, k₂ from 0 to 0.04 h⁻¹. On average, 96% of the damage is repaired quickly with k₁ (range: 0.19–3.03 h⁻¹). Two patient subgroups were distinguished by k₁-values (n = 6, k₁ > 1.1 h⁻¹; n = 8, k₁ < 0.6 h⁻¹). A weak correlation with patient age was observed. While induction of RIF was similar among ex vivo and in vivo, the respective repair rates failed to correlate. The lack of correlation between in vivo and ex vivo repair rates and the applicability of the model to other therapies will be addressed in further studies. Full article

Lung diseases have received great attention in the past years because they contribute approximately one-third of the total global mortality. Pulmonary drug delivery is regarded as one of the most appealing routes to treat lung diseases. It addresses numerous drawbacks linked to traditional dosage forms. It presents notable features, such as, for example, a non-invasive route, localized lung drug delivery, low enzymatic activity, low drug degradation, higher patient compliance, and avoiding first-pass metabolism. Therefore, the pulmonary route is commonly explored for delivering drugs both locally and systemically. Inhalable nanocarrier powders, especially, lipid nanoparticle formulations, including solid-lipid and nanostructured-lipid nanocarriers, are attracting considerable interest in addressing respiratory diseases thanks to their significant advantages, including deep lung deposition, biocompatibility, biodegradability, mucoadhesion, and controlled drug released. Spray drying is a scalable, fast, and commercially viable technique to produce nanolipid powders. This review highlights the ideal criteria for inhalable spray-dried SLN and NLC powders for the pulmonary administration route. Additionally, the most promising inhalation devices, known as dry powder inhalers (DPIs) for the pulmonary delivery of nanolipid powder-based medications, and pulmonary applications of SLN and NLC powders for treating chronic lung conditions, are considered. Full article

Background and Objectives: Before COVID-19 vaccinations became available, adhering to non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), like social distancing (SD), wearing masks, and hand hygiene, were crucial to mitigating viral spread. Many studies reported that younger individuals were more reluctant to follow these measures compared with older ones. We hypothesized that it would be worthwhile to find factors that influenced SD compliance among young people during the pre-vaccination phase of a pandemic. Materials and Methods: We analyzed data of adults aged 19–44 from the 2020 South Korean Community Health Survey and compared socio-demographic, health-related behavioral, and psychological factors between compliant and non-compliant cohorts. Results: A total of 59,943 participants were enrolled and we found that older age groups (30–39 and 40–44) and safety concerns (such as viral infection, virus-related death, economic damage, and transmitting virus to vulnerable people) were significantly associated with adherence to SD. Conversely, participants who were not living with a spouse, were unable to stay at home despite symptoms, smoked, drank, and had a negative attitude toward government policy statistically correlated with non-compliance. Conclusions: In times when NPIs were the primary defense against the pandemic, it is essential to identify factors that positively or negatively affect individual compliance with them, especially among young people. Using a large-scale, well-designed national survey, we could gain insights into the early recognition of risk factors for non-compliance and appropriate follow-up interventions (i.e., education campaigns, clear communication of public guidelines, and implementation of guidelines), which will help people to avoid suffering from other waves of future infectious diseases. Full article

The advent of social commerce (SC) has transformed the landscape of online consumer behavior, emphasizing the significance of customer-to-customer relations in shaping sustainable relationships with customers. This research investigated the intricate relationships between social commerce dimensions, particularly suggestions and recommendations, forums and communities, and ratings and reviews, and their influence on customer-to-customer value co-creation (C2CVCC) and sustainable customer relationships (SCRs). A questionnaire was designed and administered to 635 respondents. We examined the psychometric properties of the measurements and subsequently applied partial least squares as a structural equation modeling method (PLS-SEM) for hypothesis testing. The findings revealed that the dimensions of SC significantly impact C2CVCC, with ratings and reviews playing a pivotal role. Furthermore, C2CVCC emerged as a substantial mediator in the path between SC and SCRs. The empirical analysis showcased strong support for the proposed model, with robust path coefficients (β) and p-values confirming direct and indirect effects. These findings offer valuable insights for businesses seeking to leverage SC and customer interactions to enhance SCRs in the digital era. Understanding the dynamics of C2CVCC within the context of SC has become essential for marketers and businesses aiming to thrive in today’s competitive online marketplace. Full article

Silk fibroin (SF) has been widely used in biomedical applications for the hydrophilicity modification of high molecular polymer materials. However, the challenge remains to immobilize SF with high structure stability and strong adhesion strength between SF and the substrate. Here, we propose an effective two-step process for modifying polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with SF: dipping PET film in SF solution and subsequently carrying out plasma-assisted deposition in SF aerosol. The structure and property analysis revealed that the SF-modified PET (PET-SF) prepared using the two-step method exhibited superior structural stability and stronger adhesion strength compared to the dip-coating method and the plasma-assisted deposition method. In addition, PET-SF prepared using the two-step method resulted in a higher concentration of SF and an increased content of active groups on its surface, enhancing its hydrophilicity compared to the other two methods. Additionally, the influence of dipping time and deposition time in the two-step method was investigated. The results demonstrated that the dipping time for 6 h and the deposition time for 3 min resulted in maximum SF grafting amount with a highly stable structure. Furthermore, the PET-SF exhibited satisfactory hydrophilicity when the deposition time was more than 3 min and showed the most hydrophilicity surface at 8 min. Full article

The purpose of this study is to look into the differences in leaf functional traits between Cunninghamia lanceolata from different provenances, as well as to expose the response characteristics of leaf morphological and stoichiometric traits of Cunninghamia lanceolata from different provenances to diverse the environment of provenances. In this study, we chose 30 Cunninghamia lanceolata from different provenances as the research object and analyze the differences in leaf morphological and stoichiometric traits of Cunninghamia lanceolata from different provenances, the relationships among leaf functional traits, and the relationships between leaf functional traits and environmental factors of provenances. The results showed that the coefficient of variation of leaf morphological traits was 15.31% to 22.86%，and the coefficient of variation of stoichiometry provenances was 3.19% to 26.05%. The coefficient of variation of leaf carbon content was relatively small，indicating that carbon is the most stable element in the Cunninghamia lanceolata. And significant correlations are observed among different leaf functional traits. Using redundancy analysis to explore the relationship between leaf functional traits and environmental factors of provenances, it was found that the genetic effects of environmental factors explained 43.19% of the heterogeneity in leaf functional traits of Cunninghamia lanceolata. As a result, studying the variation of leaf functional traits of Cunninghamia lanceolata from different provenances, as well as how they correlate with environmental factors in provenances, is critical for understanding and predicting the responses and adaptations of Cunninghamia lanceolata from different provenances in the backdrop of global changes in the environment, and it additionally serves as a scientific basis for the sustainable development of Cunninghamia lanceolata and the selection of excellent Cunninghamia lanceolata provenances. Meanwhile, it makes scientific recommendations for China to do research on the sustainable development and productivity enhancement of cedar plantation forests. Full article

Iligan City has been the heart of major industries in steel, cement, and hydropower and is one of the highly urbanized coastal cities in Mindanao, Philippines. Due to its geological state, environmental challenges like flooding, natural disasters, and environmental degradation have been experienced by the city. With the climate crisis, these risks are being magnified. Recently, nature-based solutions (NBS) have gained significant attention worldwide, viewed as a key solution to the consequences of climate change. Yet implementation of strategies and policies regarding NBS, especially in developing countries, has received poor attention. Hence, this study aims to assess the awareness and perceptions of stakeholders in Iligan City regarding climate change, NBS, and willingness to engage in actions involving NBS. Stakeholder mapping and surveys were conducted through purposive sampling. A total of 187 respondents were interviewed from different sectors (LGUs, NGOs, the private sector, and academia) in Iligan City. Results revealed significant differences in awareness and perceptions across the distinct socio-economic backgrounds of stakeholders, where respondents with higher education and income have greater levels of awareness, perception, and willingness. The study recommends future targeted approaches and increased campaigns for climate change and sustainable solutions such as integrating NBS in adaptation strategies and mitigation plans to foster multi-level stakeholder collaboration. Full article

Neutrophil-derived proteases are critical to the pathology of many inflammatory lung diseases, both chronic and acute. These abundant enzymes play roles in key neutrophil functions, such as neutrophil extracellular trap formation and reactive oxygen species release. They may also be released, inducing tissue damage and loss of tissue function. Historically, the neutrophil serine proteases (NSPs) have been the main subject of neutrophil protease research. Despite highly promising cell-based and animal model work, clinical trials involving the inhibition of NSPs have shown mixed results in lung disease patients. As such, the cutting edge of neutrophil-derived protease research has shifted to proteases that have had little-to-no research in neutrophils to date. These include the cysteine and serine cathepsins, the metzincins and the calpains, among others. This review aims to outline the previous work carried out on NSPs, including the shortcomings of some of the inhibitor-orientated clinical trials. Our growing understanding of other proteases involved in neutrophil function and neutrophilic lung inflammation will then be discussed. Additionally, the potential of targeting these more obscure neutrophil proteases will be highlighted, as they may represent new targets for inhibitor-based treatments of neutrophil-mediated lung inflammation. Full article

Over 120 small-molecule kinase inhibitors (SMKIs) have been approved worldwide for treating various diseases, with nearly 70 FDA approvals specifically for cancer treatment, focusing on targets like the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family. Kinase-targeted strategies encompass monoclonal antibodies and their derivatives, such as nanobodies and peptides, along with innovative approaches like the use of kinase degraders and protein kinase interaction inhibitors, which have recently demonstrated clinical progress and potential in overcoming resistance. Nevertheless, kinase-targeted strategies encounter significant hurdles, including drug resistance, which greatly impacts the clinical benefits for cancer patients, as well as concerning toxicity when combined with immunotherapy, which restricts the full utilization of current treatment modalities. Despite these challenges, the development of kinase inhibitors remains highly promising. The extensively studied tyrosine kinase family has 70% of its targets in various stages of development, while 30% of the kinase family remains inadequately explored. Computational technologies play a vital role in accelerating the development of novel kinase inhibitors and repurposing existing drugs. Recent FDA-approved SMKIs underscore the importance of blood–brain barrier permeability for long-term patient benefits. This review provides a comprehensive summary of recent FDA-approved SMKIs based on their mechanisms of action and targets. We summarize the latest developments in potential new targets and explore emerging kinase inhibition strategies from a clinical perspective. Lastly, we outline current obstacles and future prospects in kinase inhibition. Full article

Soil organic matter (SOM) is important for the global carbon cycle, and hyperspectral remote sensing has proven to be a promising method for fast SOM content estimation. However, because of the neglect of the spectral response of soil physical properties, the accuracy and spatiotemporal transferability of the SOM prediction model are poor. This study aims to improve the spatiotemporal transferability of the SOM prediction model by alleviating the coupling effect of soil physical properties on spectra. Based on satellite hyperspectral images and soil physical variables, including soil moisture (SM), soil surface roughness (root-mean-square height, RMSH), and soil bulk weight (SBW), a soil spectral correction model was established based on the information unmixing method. Two important grain-producing areas in Northeast China were selected as study areas to verify the performance and transferability of the spectral correction model and SOM content prediction model. The results showed that soil spectral corrections based on fourth-order polynomials and the XG-Boost algorithm had excellent accuracy and generalization ability, with residual predictive deviations (RPDs) exceeding 1.4 in almost all the bands. In addition, when the soil spectral correction strategy was adopted, the accuracy of the SOM prediction model and the generalization ability after the model migration were significantly improved. The SOM prediction accuracy based on the XG-Boost-corrected spectrum was the highest, with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.76, a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 5.74 g/kg, and an RPD of 1.68. The prediction accuracy, R² value, RMSE, and RPD of the model after the migration were 0.72, 6.71 g/kg, and 1.53, respectively. Compared with the direct migration prediction of the model, adopting the soil spectral correction model based on fourth-order polynomials and XG-Boost reduced the RMSE of the SOM prediction results by 57.90% and 60.27%, respectively. This performance comparison highlighted the advantages for considering soil physical properties in regional-scale SOM predictions. Full article

Microalgae have considerable potential as a renewable feedstock for biochemical and bioethanol production that can be employed in processes associated with carbon capture. Large-scale microalgae cultivations are often non-axenic and are often cohabited by bacteria. A better understanding of the influence of cohabiting bacteria on microalgae productivity is required to develop sustainable synthetic co-culture processes at scale. Nutrient limitation is a frequently employed strategy in algal cultivations to accumulate energy reserves, such as lipids and carbohydrates. Here, a non-axenic culture of an estuarine green microalga, Chlorella vulgaris CCAP 211/21A, was studied under nutrient replete and deplete conditions to assess how changes in nutrient supply influenced the cohabiting bacterial population and its association with intracellular carbohydrate accumulations in the alga. Nutrient limitation resulted in a maximum carbohydrate yield of 47%, which was 74% higher than that in nutrient replete conditions. However, the latter condition elicited a 2-fold higher carbohydrate productivity. Three cohabiting bacterial isolates were cultivable from the three culture conditions tested. These isolates were identified using the 16S rRNA gene sequence to belong to Halomonas sp. and Muricauda sp. The composition of the bacterial population varied significantly between the growth conditions and time points. In all cases and at all time points, the dominant species was Halomonas isolates. Nutrient depletion resulted in an apparent loss of Muricauda sp. This finding demonstrates that nutrient supply can be used to control cohabiting bacterial populations in algal cultures, which will enable the development of synthetic co-culture strategies for improving algae productivity. Full article

We develop a framework for creating distortion functions that are used to construct new bivariate copulas. It is achieved by transforming non-negative random variables with Lomax-related distributions. In this paper, we apply the distortions to the base copulas of independence, Clayton, Frank, and Gumbel copulas. The properties of the tail dependence coefficient, tail order, and concordance ordering are explored for the new families of distorted copulas. We conducted an empirical study using the daily net returns of Amazon and Google stocks from January 2014 to December 2023. We compared the popular Clayton, Gumbel, Frank, and Gaussian copula models to their corresponding distorted copula models induced by the unit-Lomax and unit-inverse Pareto distortions. The new families of distortion copulas are equipped with additional parameters inherent in the distortion function, providing more flexibility, and are demonstrated to perform better than the base copulas. After analyzing the data, we have found that the joint extremes of Amazon and Google stocks are more likely for high daily net returns than for low daily net returns. Full article

Automatic detection of tire defects has become an important issue for tire production companies since these defects cause road accidents and loss of human lives. Defects in the inner structure of the tire cannot be detected with the naked eye; thus, a radiographic image of the tire is gathered using X-ray cameras. This image is then examined by a quality control operator, and a decision is made on whether it is a defective tire or not. Among all defect types, the foreign object type is the most common and may occur anywhere in the tire. This study proposes an explainable deep learning model based on Xception and Grad-CAM approaches. This model was fine-tuned and trained on a novel real tire dataset consisting of 2303 defective tires and 49,198 non-defective. The defective tire class was augmented using a custom augmentation technique to solve the imbalance problem of the dataset. Experimental results show that the proposed model detects foreign objects with an accuracy of 99.19%, recall of 98.75%, precision of 99.34%, and f-score of 99.05%. This study provided a clear advantage over similar literature studies. Full article

The development of strong and ductile alloys for application in cryogenic temperatures has long been sought after. In this work, we have developed a face-centered cubic Ni₁₀Co_56.5V_33.5 multi-principal element alloy (MPEA) that exhibits a balanced combination of high strength and good ductility at 77 K, based on the considerations of large local lattice distortion (LLD) and low stacking fault energy. The small-grained Ni₁₀Co_56.5V_33.5 MPEA exhibits a yield strength of 1400 MPa and an ultimate tensile strength of 1890 MPa, while preserving a good ductility of 23%. Moreover, precession electron diffraction and transmission electron microscopy revealed multiple deformation mechanisms, including wavy dislocations, atypically severely twisted dislocation bands, hierarchical stacking faults, and deformation twins, which are implicated in the alloy’s outstanding mechanical performance. These insights offer a strategic guide for the design of strong and ductile alloys, particularly for utilization in extreme environments. Full article

Nitrogen is an essential element for maize growth, but excessive application can lead to various environmental and ecological issues, including water pollution, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity loss. Hence, developing maize hybrids resilient to low-N conditions is vital for sustainable agriculture, particularly in nitrogen-deficient soils. Combining ability and genetic relationships among parental lines is crucial for breeding superior hybrids under diverse nitrogen levels. This study aimed to assess the genetic diversity of maize inbred lines using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and evaluate their combining ability to identify superior hybrids under low-N and recommended conditions. Local and exotic inbred lines were genotyped using SSR markers, revealing substantial genetic variation with high gene diversity (He = 0.60), moderate polymorphism information content (PIC = 0.54), and an average of 3.64 alleles per locus. Twenty-one F1 hybrids were generated through a diallel mating design using these diverse lines. These hybrids and a high yielding commercial check (SC-131) were field-tested under low-N and recommended N conditions. Significant variations (p < 0.01) were observed among nitrogen levels, hybrids, and their interaction for all recorded traits. Additive genetic variances predominated over non-additive genetic variances for grain yield and most traits. Inbred IL3 emerged as an effective combiner for developing early maturing genotypes with lower ear placement. Additionally, inbreds IL1, IL2, and IL3 showed promise as superior combiners for enhancing grain yield and related traits under both low-N and recommended conditions. Notably, hybrids IL1×IL4, IL2×IL5, IL2×IL6, and IL5×IL7 exhibited specific combining abilities for increasing grain yield and associated traits under low-N stress conditions. Furthermore, strong positive associations were identified between grain yield and specific traits like plant height, ear length, number of rows per ear, and number of kernels per row. Due to their straightforward measurability, these relationships underscore the potential of using these traits as proxies for indirect selection in early breeding generations, particularly under low-N stress. This research contributes to breeding nitrogen-efficient maize hybrids and advances our understanding of the genetic foundations for tolerance to nitrogen limitations. Full article

As a result of the uneven growth of rice, unbalanced vibration of threshing drum caused by stalk entanglement in combine harvester is more and more severe. In order to reveal the influence of unbalanced excitation on the roller axis locus during rice threshing, the stability of threshing drum was studied. The dynamic signal test and analysis system are used to test the axial trajectory of threshing drum. At the same time, the influence of the unbalanced excitation caused by the axis winding on the axis trajectory is analyzed by the experimental results. Axis locus rules under no-load and threshing conditions are obtained. In order to simulate the axial and radial distribution of unbalanced excitation along the threshing drum, the counterweight was distributed on the threshing drum instead of the entangled stalk. Then, the definite effect of unbalanced excitation on the rotating stability of threshing drum is analyzed. Results show that the amplitude of stem winding along the grain drum is larger in the vertical direction and smaller in the horizontal direction when compared with the unloaded state under 200 g weight. It was found that the amplitude in both horizontal and vertical directions decreased after 400 g and 600 g counterweights were added, respectively, to simulate the radial distribution of stalk winding along the grain barrel. Finally, it can be seen that with the increase in the weight of the counterweight, the characteristics of the trajectory misalignment of the threshing cylinder axis become more and more obvious. This study can provide reference for reducing the unbalanced excitation signal of threshing drum and improving driving comfort. Full article

François’ langur is an Endangered colobine inhabiting limestone habitats in southern China and northern Vietnam. Its global population has been estimated to be just more than 2000 mature individuals. Populations in Vietnam are highly fragmented with reportedly fewer than 200 adults in total and 50 in a single location. Although the François’ langur in Vietnam is highly imperiled as remnant populations persist in only three to four sites, little research has been carried out to provide a reliable estimate of its remaining population. In this study, we conducted field surveys in Lam Binh District, Tuyen Quang Province, northeastern Vietnam. In total, we recorded at least 16 groups of François’ langurs, with 156 individuals, raising the total number of individuals by approximately 10% compared to a previous study. The group structure, group size, activity budget, and density of the Lam Binh population resemble those reported in François’ langurs in China and other limestone langur species. The results show that the behavior ecology of limestone langurs significantly differs from that of forest langurs probably because they occupy separate habitats with distinctly different environmental variables. During our surveys, we detected a number of direct threats to this population, namely illegal logging, hunting, firewood collecting, hydropower development, grazing, and mining. It is recommended that the protection forest be elevated to the nature reserve status to better protect the most important population of the François’ langur in Vietnam. Full article

Our paper deals with gas-geochemical measurements of CH₄ and CO₂, as well as the first measurements of dissolved H₂ and He in the waters of the eastern shelf of Sakhalin Island, obtained during cruise 68 on the R/V Akademik Oparin (OP68) on 12–18 August 2023. The shallow eastern shelf has high concentrations of dissolved methane and helium in the water. The combined anomalies of methane and helium indicate the presence of an ascending deep fluid. The sources of methane in the studied area are the underlying oil- and gas-bearing rocks extending to the coast of the island. The deep faults of the region and the minor discontinuities that accompany them along the eastern coast of Sakhalin Island create a fluid-permeable geological environment both on the shallow shelf and on the coastal part of the island. East Sakhalin current and counter-current influence gases that migrate from lithospheric sources; these currents form a special hydrological regime that ensures high solubility of the gases released and their transfer under the lower boundary of the seasonal pycnocline to the east, where they are involved in the general circulation of the Sea of Okhotsk. Full article