Earth Innovation Institute

In this study, we have created a 172‐year drought catalogue for Romania (1852–2023) by combining long‐term meteorological records, documentary sources and two drought indices: the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), respectively. The SPEI analysis highlights increasing dryness, especially in southern and eastern areas, driven by higher potential evapotranspiration and rising air temperatures since the 1990s, whereas SPI shows little change in precipitation‐based droughts. Five major drought‐rich periods emerged—1866–1867, 1918–1920, 1947–1948, 2000–2001 and 2019–2022—with the first and last being the most severe. These events exhibit notable regional differences, largely shaped by the Carpathian Mountains, as stations in the south and east endure longer and more intense droughts. Documentary evidence further contextualises these episodes, revealing their social and economic impacts. The resultant long‐term drought atlas for Romania extends beyond existing data products, enhancing drought risk assessments and informing future adaptation strategies.

Context The recent expansion of commercial agriculture in the Miombo woodlands of central Africa has led to widespread levelling of termite mounds. These mounds contain significantly lower soil organic carbon (SOC) than surrounding soils, and their levelling could largely reduce SOC content in the plough layer, which remains understudied. Objectives We aim to investigate the effects of mound levelling on SOC of the plough layer in a 1.5 km² plot used for commercial farming and quantify the contribution of pre-existing termite mounds to SOC variation in the levelled cropland. Methods Before and after levelling, we conducted unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveys with structure-from-motion (SfM) technique, and paired soil sampling (0−25 cm) in between-mound areas. Results Termite mounds were regularly distributed but morphologically heterogeneous in the plot, with volumes ranging from 7.2 m³ to 820.9 m³. Large termite mounds clustered in areas with higher topographic wetness index (TWI). Three years after levelling, SOC content in the plough layer of the plot overall reduced by 26% but variability increased by 29%. In the levelled plot, mound morphology, soil texture, and TWI explained over 40% of SOC variation, with mound morphology (characterized by hypsometrical integral, HI) being most influential. Older, larger mounds (with lower HI) were associated with lower SOC after levelling. Conclusions The immediate and significant reduction of SOC content in the plough layer due to termite mound levelling in commercial farming may affect productivity. Further research is needed to assess its long-term agricultural and ecological impacts at larger scales.

Floral traits describe organs or structures directly related to plant reproduction, and they are essential to understanding plant–pollinator interactions, notably for conservation purposes. The growth of plant trait‐based approaches lies in the availability of data shared by the international research community on dedicated platforms, as well as in protocols compiled in handbooks on how to measure these traits in a standardized way. Floral traits are important pieces that are missing from these handbooks, likely due to the complexity of flower morphology. Here, we present a handbook of standardized protocols dedicated to floral traits that can be applied to a wide set of temperate plant species to quantify these traits at the scale of plant communities. The 24 floral traits are grouped into three categories: visual and olfactory cues, accessibility and resources. We also provide four additional features related to flower abundance and phenology that we recommend measuring to scale up individual species' trait values to overall plant communities. By collecting these floral traits in a standardized way, we promote applications in the context of community ecology to predict the diversity of pollinator communities, identify the effects of environmental changes and study plant–pollinator networks.

Fusarium fungi cause Fusarium head blight (FHB) in oats, reducing yield and contaminating grains with harmful tri-chothecene mycotoxins. FHB symptoms in oats are often not visually distinct, necessitating alternative detection methods. We developed digital PCR (dPCR) assays as the most accurate DNA-based method to detect trichothecene-producing Fusarium species commonly found in oats. Building on existing quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays, we developed dPCR assays targeting all trichothecene producers (the Tri5 gene), or specific to F. langsethiae (Fl), F. poae (Fp), and F. sporotrichioides (Fs). All targeted single copy genes, except F. poae which targeted rDNA which is a variable and multi-copy target (and hence not as reliable as the other assays for quantification). Optimized dPCR assays showed excellent linearity (R 2 = 0.99) and greater resilience than qPCR to varying oat DNA concentrations. Overall, when comparing assay sensitivity using both fungal and field oat DNA extracts, dPCR assays were superior to qPCR for Tri5, Fl, and Fs, but the converse was true for Fp. Performance comparisons using field samples showed moderate to perfect agreement between qPCR and dPCR for Tri5 and Fl (κ = 0.5 and 0.86) and poor agreement for Fp (κ = 0.00). Strong correlations were observed between the methods for Tri5, Fl, and Fp (r = 0.88-0.97), but unlike dPCR, qPCR did not detect Fs in any of the field samples. We conclude that the dPCR assays for Tri5, Fl, and Fs offer a reliable method for quantification while that for Fp is reliable for fungal detection but less reliable for quantification of the pathogen in field samples.

The reciprocal fate decision of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to either bone or adipocytes is determined by Wnt-related signaling and the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R). Azoramide, an ER stress alleviator, was reported to have an antidiabetic effect. In this study, we investigated the function of azoramide in regulating the lineage determination of MSCs for either adipogenic or osteogenic differentiation. Microcomputed tomography and histological analysis on bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)2-induced parietal periosteum bone formation assays, C3H10T1/2 and mouse bone marrow MSC-derived bone formation and adipogenesis assays, and specific staining for bone tissue and lipid droplets were used to evaluate the role of azoramide on the lineage determination of MSC differentiation. Cells were harvested for Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and immunofluorescence staining was used to explore the potential mechanism of azoramide for regulating MSC differentiation. Based on MSC-derived bone formation assays both in vivo and in vitro, azoramide treatment displayed a cell fate determining ability in favor of adipogenesis over osteogenesis. Further mechanistic characterizations disclosed that both the GLP-1R agonist peptide exendin-4 (Ex-4) and GLP-1R small interfering (si)RNA abrogated azoramide dual effects. Moreover, cAMP-protein kinase A (PKA)-mediated nuclear β-catenin activity was responsible for the negative function of azoramide on bone formation in favor of adipogenesis. These data provide the first evidence to show that azoramide may serve as an inhibitor against GLP-1R in MSC lineage determination.

Seed-applied fungicides support agricultural production by controlling seed- or soil-borne diseases. However, they can impact non-target soil organisms. In this study, we investigated the effect of eight seed treatments (including two authorized for organic farming) on root colonization of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. One experiment was conducted in greenhouse conditions, on a sterile substrate inoculated with the AM fungus Rhizophagus irregularis MUCL 41833 and one in field conditions, where winter wheat was colonized by native soil AM fungi. In greenhouse conditions, the six conventional seed treatments reduced root colonization five weeks after sowing. No difference with the control treatment was measured thereafter for a product containing triazole alone. In contrast, seed treatments containing fludioxonil (fungicide molecule alone or formulated with the triazole difenoconazole), and prochloraz formulated with the triazole triticonazole significantly reduced root colonization until 11 weeks after sowing. Notably, when formulated with sedaxane, the adverse effect of fludioxonil was reduced. The negative effect of seed treatments on AM fungal root colonization in field was smaller than in the greenhouse and generally not significant, with disparate results from one timestep to another. This may be related to the dilution or the degradation of the active ingredients in the soil during the winter period or AM fungal species/strain involved in symbiosis. Overall, our results outline that the direct effect of seed treatment is highly variable depending on the modes of action, half-lives and interactions between active ingredients. By contributing to highlight the undesired effects of pesticides on AM fungi (i.e., by delaying root colonization), this study pleads for a reduction of pesticide applications to encourage the rapid and efficient establishment of functional mycorrhizal symbioses.

The cement–soil pipe pile is a novel blend of cement and soil, designed to enhance load-bearing capabilities while cutting down on the need for cement. Its tubular construction is key to its strength. To delve into how the pile’s cross-sectional size affects its load-bearing properties, we took into account the soil–cement’s strain-softening behavior. Laboratory tests examined the load-bearing properties of piles. We created an exponential decay Mohr–Coulomb model in ABAQUS for further development, performed field tests, and built a numerical model incorporating wall thickness, pile diameter, and length. The unit volume ultimate bearing capacity was used to evaluate pile performance, with a focus on a 600 mm diameter pile. The results show that wall thickness minimally affects load-bearing capacity, needing to be at least a quarter of the diameter. Larger diameters increase the ultimate bearing capacity, but the capacity per unit volume declines. The 600 mm diameter pile boasts the highest unit volume ultimate bearing capacity. The pile’s effective length is roughly 10 m. Beyond this, extending the pile length increases the single pile’s ultimate bearing capacity by less than 5%, but the unit volume capacity starts to dwindle.

The impact of general anesthetics on neurodevelopment is highly controversial in terms of clinical and preclinical studies. Evidence mounted in recent years indicated development of social cognitions was more susceptible to general anesthesia in early life. However, the behavioral characterization during adolescence and underlying mechanisms remains unclear. Herein, we observed that early postnatal S-ketamine exposure specifically induced deficits in sociability and social cognition via a machine learning assistant behavioral analysis toolbox- Social Behavioral Atlas (SBeA). Furthermore, S-ketamine exposure constantly activates microglia in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), mediating excessive synaptic pruning and dendritic structural abnormalities, leading to overexcitation of excitatory synaptic transmission. Notably, S-ketamine exposure activated Stat1-Arg1 pathway in microglia. Downregulating Arg1 expression or prophylactic administrating Arg1 selective inhibitor nor-NOHA could reverse microglial overactivation and attenuate the neurodevelopmental disturbance induced by S-ketamine exposure. Our study identifies the abnormal behavioral phenotypes in adolescence induced by early postnatal S-ketamine exposure and reveals a potential target for preventing anesthesia-related neurodevelopmental abnormalities.

Compounds with crystallization and vitrification capabilities can achieve more uniform grains with higher crystalline density after glass crystallization, improving the fluorescence properties of glass ceramics (GCs). In this work, a series of Tb³⁺-doped SrLa2Ga4Si2O14 glasses and glass ceramics were prepared through traditional melt quenching and thermal treatment. The glass exhibits good transmittance and a sharp exothermic peak at 961 ºC. The photoluminescence and radioluminescence properties were studied in detail, and the Tb³⁺ aggregation in glass and GC was discussed. Compared with the glasses, the opaque GCs show inferior fluorescence properties but better X-ray irradiated fluorescence, about 10% of the integrated emission intensity of the commercial BGO scintillation crystal. More precise processing in glass–ceramics towards homogeneous crystallization and good transmittance need to be addressed, and a promising scintillator with improved scintillating performance can be expected.

This article describes an effort to calculate the public and economic value of museum experiences. A significant feature of the research was its use of outcome metrics grounded in decades of visitor research on the perceived value of visiting a museum. The article lays out the underlying theoretical approach and presents data from a year-long study of visitors to eight Finnish museums. Results showed that museum users perceived that their visit experience resulted in enhanced, durable feelings of personal, social and physical well-being, with valuations of the economic benefits of these enhanced feelings of well-being in the range of €204–€641/visit. As was the case of the eight museums in the study, most museums annually serve tens to hundreds of thousands of visitors, thus annually individual museums create on the order of tens of millions of Euros of value for their communities and collectively provide value in the billions of Euros. The findings from this research make it possible for museums to make a more valid and credible case for the significant value they create and for the vital role they play in supporting the public’s well-being.

Ni–Sb–SnO₂ (NATO) has demonstrated significant practical advantages for electrochemical ozone production (EOP) and wastewater treatment. However, its limited lifetime poses challenges for environmental applications. In this study, bilayer electrocatalysts (NATO/C‐ATO) with an inner layer doped with carbon material were synthesized by electrodeposition combined with multiple quenching processes. It exhibited excellent EOP activity and stability under acidic conditions, achieving a current efficiency of 34.4% and an accelerated lifetime of 121 h. Additionally, a continuous flow stacked electrolyzer was designed via a combination of flow field simulation and experimental validation. Compared to conventional batch reactors, this design intensifies the mass and heat transfer processes in operation, enabling the production of ozonated water at a high concentration of 36.6 mg h⁻¹ and the rapid degradation of organic pollutants. This work provides new insights into the design of efficient electrocatalysts and application equipment for advanced oxidation processes.

Accurate cross-scale measurement of surface profiles is essential in various fields such as materials science and nanotechnology. Traditional measurement techniques, like atomic force microscopy (AFM), provide high-resolution data but are limited in range, making it challenging to characterize surfaces with both fine and large-scale features comprehensively. This limitation creates a conflict in achieving precise, wide-range measurements necessary for advanced applications. To address this challenge, we propose a novel nested-feedback splicing measurement strategy that integrates AFM with an electrodynamic displacement system. This approach combines the high resolution of AFM with the extensive range capabilities of electrodynamic stages, allowing for detailed characterization across multiple scales. Our results demonstrate that the developed system significantly improves measurement accuracy, particularly in capturing detailed surface profiles over large areas. The experimental data validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, showing enhanced precision in multi-scale topographic characterization and seamless integration between fine and large-scale measurements. This advancement paves the way for more comprehensive surface analyses in scientific research and industrial applications, highlighting the system’s potential to revolutionize precision measurement technology.

The interaction between hydraulic fractures (HFs) and natural fractures (NFs) has long been a prominent focus in reservoir fracturing, particularly in the development of hot dry rock (HDR) reservoirs. Activating existing NFs plays a crucial role in constructing a complex fracture network and enhancing reservoir fracturing effectiveness. This study utilizes the lattice-based method XSite and the smooth joint models (SJMs) to construct granite fracturing models with various combinations of parallel and intersecting NFs and explore the three-dimensional (3D) interaction behavior between fractures. The research findings demonstrate that the variation in the approach angle influences the propagation of HFs through a pair of parallel NFs, which can occur in three ways: no crossing, offset crossing, or direct crossing. As the number of parallel NFs rises, HFs predominantly activate the initially encountered NFs on a large scale, while the activation level of subsequent NFs markedly diminishes. Within a cluster of intersecting fractures, HFs tend to preferentially pass through NFs with the smallest approach angle and suppress the activation of NFs with higher approach angles. Furthermore, the numerical simulation results provide valuable insights into the evolution of breakdown pressure, fracture aperture, principal stress, lattice displacement, and other fracturing outcomes throughout the interaction process. These findings serve as important references for controlling HF propagation and activating NFs in the development of HDR reservoirs.

Brillouin optical time domain analysis (BOTDA) is an attractive solution to temperature and strain measurement for structural health monitoring. Here, we report a slope-assisted vector BOTDA system without optical filters based on simultaneous double-sideband modulations: the pump wave is intensity-modulated into a double-sideband frequency-agile optical pulse train while the probe wave is phase-modulated into an optical carrier and double-sidebands. The double sidebands of the phase-modulated probe wave will experience the Brillouin gain and loss from that of the pump wave through the vector SBS effect. With the phase cancellation broken in the phase-modulated probe wave, the resulting RF signal of the Brillouin-induced beat signal theoretically doubles the signal-to-noise ratio relative to conventional schemes. The phase-shift spectrum of the RF signal is immune to optical power fluctuation and has a monotonous vector slope of 108-MHz. Therefore, a single-slope-assisted vector BOTDA is implemented with a sampling rate of 500 Hz to measure a mechanical vibration containing a 74.36 Hz component and a dynamic range of 1500μϵ. Then, the dynamic range is expanded to 3000μϵ using a multi-slope-assisted scheme. We believe the proposed scheme is a competitive solution to rapid, wide-dynamic range distributed temperature and strain sensing.

The article investigates the possibility of simultaneously recovering equivalent sources under an external field and the spectral characteristics of a useful signal. Examples of variational formulations for different versions of the method of linear integral representations are presented, and the problem of finding the density distribution of gravitating or magnetic masses on several horizontal planes is formulated. Additionally, the Fourier transform of the anomalous field element based on the known signal values at certain observation points, complicated by noise, is discussed.