United States Department of the Interior

Abstract Species-rich grasslands are key habitats for bumblebees. Intensive agricultural practices such as frequent mowing and high grazing pressure have led to significant declines in floral resources in grasslands, contributing to pollinator declines. We investigated the effects of delayed mowing and delayed grazing on bumblebee and floral communities in species-rich grasslands in north-west Ireland. Using a paired field design, we monitored bumblebee and floral abundance, species richness, and diversity, over two growing seasons under both delayed and conventional management regimes. Both delayed mowing and delayed grazing significantly increased floral and bumblebee abundance. These effects were more pronounced for common than rare bumblebee species, which may be related to the later emergence of rare species that require resources later in the season when grazing or mowing has been reinstated. In the delayed and conventional mowing fields, some pre-existing differences in floral abundance were present so further work is needed to confirm findings of this treatment. Overall, we demonstrate that adaptive land management strategies—particularly those that reduce summer time disturbance—can enhance bumblebee communities and floral resources, and can be used for bumblebee conservation in agricultural landscapes. Implications for Insect Conservation: Delaying mowing and reducing grazing pressure could measurably enhance floral-resources and support bumblebee abundance. Incorporating such practices into agrienvironment schemes, and supporting farmers with their implementation, can improve habitat quality and promote longterm conservation of bumblebees in grassland landscapes.

Intangible Victory" is an audiovisual installation in the form of the intangible being of the "Victory of Samothrace" that uses interactive digital media. Specifically, through this installation, we redefine the visual symbolism of the ancient sculpture, paying attention to time as a wear factor (entropy) and the special importance of the void as an absence of the sculptural form. Emptiness completes the intangible essence of the sculpture in the field of symbolism as well as in that of artistic significance for the interpretation of the work today. The function of the void and the interaction of the viewer with the work, causes the emergence of a new experience-dialogue between space and time. The use of digital media and technology reveals the absence of the sculptural form as it is visualized in the "Victory of Samothrace". The sculptural form is reconstructed from fibers in space in a cylindrical arrangement. The form is rendered with colored strings-conductive sensors, that allow the visitor to interact with the work, creating a sound environment through movement. The sound completely replaces the volume, as the void of the sculptural form together with the viewer in unison present an audiovisual symbolism of the "Victory of Samothrace".

Fire whirls, a combustion-intensifying phenomenon, offer potential for cleaner, more efficient burns with reduced emissions in environmental applications like oil spill remediation. While most knowledge of fire whirls stems from laboratory-scale experiments, and only a limited subset of these experiments has captured emissions, this study addresses a critical research gap by conducting one of the largest controlled fire whirl experiments to date, focusing on enhancing in-situ burning. Using a 1.5-meter diameter crude oil pool with 15 mm and 40 mm slick thicknesses on an open water surface, fire whirls were successfully generated within a 5-meter-tall three-wall structure under the influence of various wind conditions. Measurements of flame geometry, flow velocity, temperature profiles, heat flux, mass consumption, and emissions were compared to pool fires. Results revealed that fire whirls, with mean flame heights nearly double those of pool fires, increased burning rates by 40% and reduced soot emissions by 40%. The highest fuel consumption efficiency of 95% was achieved in a 15 mm slick thickness fire whirl experiment, while in other fire whirl experiments, especially those with 40 mm slick thickness, premature extinguishment was observed lowering ultimate fuel consumption efficiencies. Enhanced performance compared to traditional pool fires suggests that fire whirls might be more effective for in-situ burning, however this efficiency is currently only achieved under calm ambient conditions. This study discusses the potential interactive effects of ambient conditions, configuration sizing, and boilover phenomenon on fire whirl dynamics, highlighting the need of continued research across scales to optimize configurations and mitigate detrimental emissions, thereby enhancing the efficacy of in-situ burning in large-scale oil spill scenarios.

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In the context of Research on Optimization Model of Supply Chain Robot Task Allocation Based on Genetic Algorithm and Software Practice, aiming at solving the problems of premature convergence of genetic algorithm (GA) in the path planning involved in supply chain robot task allocation and the generation of a large number of infeasible paths due to crossover and mutation, this study improves the traditional genetic algorithm. Binary coding is adopted to store paths, providing a basis for subsequent genetic operations such as crossover and mutation, which is conducive to the efficient implementation of the supply chain robot task allocation optimization model in software practice. By combining with particle swarm optimization (PSO) for local search, the search speed of genetic algorithm is accelerated and the search efficiency is improved, which lays a good foundation for the rapid solving of the task allocation optimization model. Meanwhile, a repair mechanism is introduced to study all infeasible paths, determine the reasons for their infeasibility and carry out corrections, ensuring the feasibility of paths in the task allocation process. Simulation results show that in simple single - target scenarios of supply chain robot task allocation, the improved algorithm has a faster convergence speed and avoids local optimization; in multi - objective complex environments, it can obtain appropriate path solutions. This improved genetic algorithm provides strong algorithm support for the establishment and software implementation of the supply chain robot task allocation optimization model.

BackgroundDisproportionate breast cancer burdens and poor outcomes in LMICS fuel global inequalities. Targeting teenage high schoolers has been mooted as a viable solution to the poor awareness compounding this. A Harvard-endorsed initiative to achieve this, in what was a global first, is evaluated in this paper.MethodA 12-month, pre-and-post-tests quasi-experimental study of three randomly-selected schools in Southeast Nigeria. Exposure to breast cancer awareness teachings with integrated engagement-enhancing measures was the intervention.ResultsCompared to 81.3% at baseline, breast cancer awareness was unchanged after one month (OR-1.10; CI 0.96–1.26) but significantly rose to 92.1% at the 12-month mark (OR 0.37; CI 0.26–0.52). Knowledge of breast self-examination (BSE), used to assess behavioural change, increased steadily. Levels at the baseline were 62.0% and 85.0% lower than that at one (OR 0.38; CI 0.34–0.42) and 12 months (OR 0.15; CI 0.12–0.19), respectively.In general, non-specific breast cancer knowledge did not improve over 12 months, but specifics related to early symptoms and risk factors, did. While, over the 12 months, ‘knowledge’ of preventive behaviours was not consistently improved relative to baseline, its actual ‘practice’ increased at both the one (+ 13.5%) and twelve (+ 17.3%) month marks, even though it’s correct timing only improved after 12 months (+ 6.9%; p = < 0.01) and not at one month (+ 0.8%; p = 0.17).Prolonged intervention (at 12 months) allowed males to match females on a few knowledge parameters.ConclusionTargeting high schools with breast awareness interventions that have engagement-enhancement measures appears impactful. Such outcomes may hold the key to stemming the inequalities in LMICs.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41043-025-00943-x.

Against the hypothesis that the ability to defend the brood by stinging is a key enabling mechanism in the origin of sociality in the Hymenoptera, it was claimed that small colonies do not defend the nest against large adversaries. We report on a test of this claim. Using a simulated vertebrate intruder, we provoked early colonies of three species of paper wasps (Polistes) until all adult females had either attacked or fled. In each species, a substantial fraction of adult females attacked the intruder, with an approximately linear relationship between the total number of females and the number attacking, consistent with the initial hypothesis. This experimental approach also presents a novel method for comparing attack-readiness between species, developmental stages, or experimental conditions.

In this experimental study, comprehensive laboratory tests were conducted to investigate the mechanical properties of tire-derived aggregate (TDA) Type A and TDA–soil mixtures applicable in the construction of drainage layer, embankment fill, and backfill materials for retaining walls, pipes, and bridge abutments. This study was an investigation of the mechanical properties of TDA, as a lightweight material, and TDA–fine-grained soil mixtures for different mix ratios of 15%, 20%, 35%, 40%, 50%, and 60% of TDA-A relative to the dry weight of the soil. Various composite samples were tested using triaxial and direct shear apparatus. Measured properties include specific gravity, Proctor maximum dry density and optimal water content, unconfined compressive strength, peak compressive strength, shear strength, and hydraulic conductivity. Test results revealed that the addition of TDA to the soil significantly improved the compressive strength under confinement and permeability of the composite specimens. Based on the test results and supporting data from intensive literature reviews, the TDA–soil mixture showed very encouraging results for use in civil engineering applications as a lightweight backfill material.