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11 pages, 1043 KiB  
Review
GPR143-Associated Ocular Albinism in a Hispanic Family and Review of the Literature
by Anushree Aneja, Brenda L. Bohnsack, Valerie Allegretti, Allison Goetsch Weisman, Andy Drackley, Alexander Ing, Patrick McMullen, Andrew Skol, Hantamalala Ralay Ranaivo, Kai Lee Yap, Pamela Rathbun, Adam Gordon and Jennifer L. Rossen
Genes 2025, 16(8), 911; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes16080911 - 30 Jul 2025
Viewed by 294
Abstract
Background/Objectives: While ocular albinism (OA) is usually associated with reduced vision, nystagmus, and foveal hypoplasia, there is phenotypic variability in iris and fundus hypopigmentation. Hemizygous pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants in GPR143 at X: 151.56–151.59 have been shown in the literature to be associated [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: While ocular albinism (OA) is usually associated with reduced vision, nystagmus, and foveal hypoplasia, there is phenotypic variability in iris and fundus hypopigmentation. Hemizygous pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants in GPR143 at X: 151.56–151.59 have been shown in the literature to be associated with OA. The purpose of this study was to report the case of a Hispanic male with X-linked inherited OA associated with a hemizygous GPR143 variant and to review the literature relating to genotype–phenotype associations with GPR143 and OA. Methods: After consent to an IRB-approved protocol, a 14-year-old Hispanic male patient with OA and his parents underwent whole genome sequencing (WGS) in 2023. Two maternal uncles with nystagmus underwent targeted variant testing in 2024. A literature review of reported GPR143 variants was completed. Results: A male with reduced visual acuity, infantile-onset nystagmus, foveal hypoplasia, and iris hypopigmentation was identified to have the variant GPR143, c.455+3A>G, which was also present in his mother and two affected maternal uncles. This variant has been previously identified in other Hispanic patients of Mexican descent. Additionally, 127 variants were identified in the literature and reported to be associated with OA. All patients had reduced visual acuity (average 0.71 ± 0.23 logMAR), 99% had nystagmus, 97% foveal hypoplasia, 79% fundus hypopigmentation, and 71% iris hypopigmentation. Of those patients with reported optotype best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), eight (9%) had VA from 20/25 to 20/40, 24 (24%) had VA from 20/50 to 20/80, and 63 (67%) had VA from 20/100 to 20/200. The most frequent type of variant was missense (31%, n = 39). Frameshift and nonsense variants were associated with the lowest rates of iris hypopigmentation (50% [n = 11] and 44% [n = 8], respectively; p = 0.0068). Conclusions: This case represents phenotypic variability of GPR143-associated OA and highlights the importance of repeat genetic testing and independent analyses of test results for accurate variant classification, particularly in non-White and Hispanic patients. Further studies in more diverse populations are needed to better develop genotype–phenotype associations for GPR143-associated OA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Human Genomics and Genetic Diseases)
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21 pages, 14138 KiB  
Case Report
Multi-Level Oncological Management of a Rare, Combined Mediastinal Tumor: A Case Report
by Vasileios Theocharidis, Thomas Rallis, Apostolos Gogakos, Dimitrios Paliouras, Achilleas Lazopoulos, Meropi Koutourini, Myrto Tzinevi, Aikaterini Vildiridi, Prokopios Dimopoulos, Dimitrios Kasarakis, Panagiotis Kousidis, Anastasia Nikolaidou, Paraskevas Vrochidis, Maria Mironidou-Tzouveleki and Nikolaos Barbetakis
Curr. Oncol. 2025, 32(8), 423; https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol32080423 - 28 Jul 2025
Viewed by 414
Abstract
Malignant mediastinal tumors are a group representing some of the most demanding oncological challenges for early, multi-level, and successful management. The timely identification of any suspicious clinical symptomatology is urgent in achieving an accurate, staged histological diagnosis, in order to follow up with [...] Read more.
Malignant mediastinal tumors are a group representing some of the most demanding oncological challenges for early, multi-level, and successful management. The timely identification of any suspicious clinical symptomatology is urgent in achieving an accurate, staged histological diagnosis, in order to follow up with an equally detailed medical therapeutic plan (interventional or not) and determine the principal goals regarding efficient overall treatment in these patients. We report a case of a 24-year-old male patient with an incident-free prior medical history. An initial chest X-ray was performed after the patient reported short-term, consistent moderate chest pain symptomatology, early work fatigue, and shortness of breath. The following imaging procedures (chest CT, PET-CT) indicated the presence of an anterior mediastinal mass (meas. ~11 cm × 10 cm × 13 cm, SUV: 8.7), applying additional pressure upon both right heart chambers. The Alpha-Fetoprotein (aFP) blood levels had exceeded at least 50 times their normal range. Two consecutive diagnostic attempts with non-specific histological results, a negative-for-malignancy fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNA-biopsy), and an additional tumor biopsy, performed via mini anterior (R) thoracotomy with “suspicious” cellular gatherings, were performed elsewhere. After admission to our department, an (R) Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) was performed, along with multiple tumor biopsies and moderate pleural effusion drainage. The tumor’s measurements had increased to DMax: 16 cm × 9 cm × 13 cm, with a severe degree of atelectasis of the Right Lower Lobe parenchyma (RLL) and a pressure-displacement effect upon the Superior Vena Cava (SVC) and the (R) heart sinus, based on data from the preoperative chest MRA. The histological report indicated elements of a combined, non-seminomatous germ-cell mediastinal tumor, posthuberal-type teratoma, and embryonal carcinoma. The imminent chemotherapeutic plan included a “BEP” (Bleomycin®/Cisplatin®/Etoposide®) scheme, which needed to be modified to a “VIP” (Cisplatin®/Etoposide®/Ifosfamide®) scheme, due to an acute pulmonary embolism incident. While the aFP blood levels declined, even reaching normal measurements, the tumor’s size continued to increase significantly (DMax: 28 cm × 25 cm × 13 cm), with severe localized pressure effects, rapid weight loss, and a progressively worsening clinical status. Thus, an emergency surgical intervention took place via median sternotomy, extended with a complementary “T-Shaped” mini anterior (R) thoracotomy. A large, approx. 4 Kg mediastinal tumor was extracted, with additional RML and RUL “en-bloc” segmentectomy and partial mediastinal pleura decortication. The following histological results, apart from verifying the already-known posthuberal-type teratoma, indicated additional scattered small lesions of combined high-grade rabdomyosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, and osteosarcoma, as well as numerous high-grade glioblastoma cellular gatherings. No visible findings of the previously discovered non-seminomatous germ-cell and embryonal carcinoma elements were found. The patient’s postoperative status progressively improved, allowing therapeutic management to continue with six “TIP” (Cisplatin®/Paclitaxel®/Ifosfamide®) sessions, currently under his regular “follow-up” from the oncological team. This report underlines the importance of early, accurate histological identification, combined with any necessary surgical intervention, diagnostic or therapeutic, as well as the appliance of any subsequent multimodality management plan. The diversity of mediastinal tumors, especially for young patients, leaves no place for complacency. Such rare examples may manifest, with equivalent, unpredictable evolution, obliging clinical physicians to stay constantly alert and not take anything for granted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Thoracic Oncology)
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18 pages, 6673 KiB  
Article
Tribological Properties of MoN/TiN Multilayer Coatings Prepared via High-Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering
by Jiaming Xu, Ping Zhang, Jianjian Yu, Puyou Ying, Tao Yang, Jianbo Wu, Tianle Wang, Nikolai Myshkin and Vladimir Levchenko
Lubricants 2025, 13(8), 319; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants13080319 - 22 Jul 2025
Viewed by 354
Abstract
To address the limitations of single-layer nitride coatings, such as poor load adaptability and low long-term durability, MoN/TiN multilayer coatings were prepared via high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS). HiPIMS produces highly ionized plasmas that enable intense ion bombardment, yielding nitride films with enhanced [...] Read more.
To address the limitations of single-layer nitride coatings, such as poor load adaptability and low long-term durability, MoN/TiN multilayer coatings were prepared via high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS). HiPIMS produces highly ionized plasmas that enable intense ion bombardment, yielding nitride films with enhanced mechanical strength, durability, and thermal stability versus conventional methods. The multilayer coating demonstrated a low coefficient of friction (COF, ~0.4) and wear rate (1.31 × 10−7 mm3/[N·m]). In contrast, both TiN and MoN coatings failed at 5 N and 10 N loads, respectively. Under increasing loads, the multilayer coating maintained stable wear rates (1.84–3.06 × 10−7 mm3/[N·m]) below 20 N, and ultimately failed at 25 N. Furthermore, the MoN layer contributes to COF reduction. Grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the enhanced crystallographic stability of the multilayer coating, thereby revealing a dominant (111) orientation. The multilayer architecture suppresses crack propagation while effectively balancing hardness and toughness, offering a promising design for extreme-load applications. Full article
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26 pages, 1676 KiB  
Article
Water and Nitrogen Dynamics of Mungbean as a Summer Crop in Temperate Environments
by Sachesh Silwal, Audrey J. Delahunty, Ashley J. Wallace, Sally Norton, Alexis Pang and James G. Nuttall
Agronomy 2025, 15(7), 1711; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15071711 - 16 Jul 2025
Viewed by 251
Abstract
Mungbean is grown as a summer crop in subtropical climates globally. The global demand for mungbean is increasing, and opportunities exist to expand production regions to more marginal environments, such as southern Australia, as an opportunistic summer crop to help meet the growing [...] Read more.
Mungbean is grown as a summer crop in subtropical climates globally. The global demand for mungbean is increasing, and opportunities exist to expand production regions to more marginal environments, such as southern Australia, as an opportunistic summer crop to help meet the growing global demand. Mungbean has the potential to be an opportunistic summer crop when an appropriate sowing window coincides with sufficient soil water. This expansion from subtropical to temperate climates will pose challenges, including low temperatures, a longer day length and a low and variable water supply. To assess mungbean suitability to temperate, southern Australian summer rainfall patterns and soil water availability, we conducted field experiments applying a range of water treatments across four locations with contrasting rainfall patterns within the state of Victoria (in southern Australia) in 2020–2021 and 2021–2022. The water treatments were applied prior to sowing (60 mm), the vegetative stage (40 mm) and the reproductive stage (40 mm) in a factorial combination at each location. Two commercial cultivars, Celera II-AU and Jade-AU, were used. Water scarcity during flowering and the pod-filling stages were important factors constraining yield. Analysis of yield components showed that increasing water availability at critical growth stages, viz. the vegetative and reproductive stages, of mungbean was associated with increases in total biomass, HI and grain number in addition to increased water use and water use efficiency (WUE). Average WUEs ranged from 1.3 to 7.6 kg·ha−1·mm−1. The maximum potential WUE values were 6.4 and 5.1 kg·ha−1·mm−1 for Celera II-AU and Jade-AU across the sites, with the estimated soil evaporation values (x-intercept) of 83 and 74 mm, respectively. Nitrogen fixation was variable, with %Ndfa values ranging from 9.6 to 76.8%, and was significantly affected by soil water availability. This study emphasises the importance of water availability during the reproductive phase for mungbean yield. The high rainfall zones within Victoria have the potential to grow mungbean as an opportunistic summer crop. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Innovative Cropping Systems)
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11 pages, 1987 KiB  
Article
Dirhodium Tetraacetate Binding to Lysozyme at Body Temperature
by Gabriella Tito, Giarita Ferraro and Antonello Merlino
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(14), 6582; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26146582 - 9 Jul 2025
Viewed by 180
Abstract
Paddlewheel dirhodium complexes are cytotoxic compounds that are also used as catalysts and in the formation of Rh-based artificial metalloenzymes. Low-temperature structures of adducts formed by the model protein hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) with dirhodium tetraacetate ([Rh2(μ-O2CCH3 [...] Read more.
Paddlewheel dirhodium complexes are cytotoxic compounds that are also used as catalysts and in the formation of Rh-based artificial metalloenzymes. Low-temperature structures of adducts formed by the model protein hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) with dirhodium tetraacetate ([Rh2(μ-O2CCH3)4]) when crystals of the protein were treated with the metal compound at 20 °C demonstrated that [Rh2(μ-O2CCH3)4] in part breaks down upon reaction with HEWL; dimeric Rh-Rh units bind the side chains of Asp18 and the C-terminal carboxylate, and monometallic fragments coordinate the side chains of Arg14 and His15 in 20% ethylene glycol, 0.100 M sodium acetate at pH 4.5 and 0.600 M sodium nitrate, while dimeric Rh-Rh units bind the side chains of Asn93 and Lys96, the C-terminal carboxylate and Asp101, with monometallic fragments that bind the side chains of Lys33 and His15 in 0.010 M HEPES pH 7.5 and 2.00 M sodium formate. To verify whether the binding of this metallodrug to proteins also occurs at body temperature, crystals of HEWL were grown in 0.010 M HEPES pH 7.5 and 2.00 M sodium formate at 37 °C and soaked with [Rh2(μ-O2CCH3)4] at the same temperature. X-ray diffraction data collected on these crystals at 37 °C demonstrate that [Rh2(μ-O2CCH3)4] reacts with proteins at body temperature. The structures of the Rh/HEWL adduct formed at 20 °C (obtained from data collected at 100 K) and at 37 °C under the same experimental conditions are very similar, with metal binding sites that are conserved. However, metal-containing fragment occupancy is higher in the structure obtained at 37 °C, suggesting a role of temperature in defining the protein metalation process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Peptide and Protein Metalation)
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15 pages, 1171 KiB  
Article
Virus-like Particles Produced in the Baculovirus System Protect Hares from European Brown Hare Syndrome Virus (EBHSV) Infection
by Giulio Severi, Lucia Anzalone, Laura Madeo, Anna Serroni, Claudia Colabella, Antonella Di Paolo, Pier Mario Mangili, Elisabetta Manuali, Andrea Felici, Monica Cagiola, Antonio Lavazza, Lorenzo Capucci, Giovanni Pezzotti and Antonio De Giuseppe
Vaccines 2025, 13(7), 731; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13070731 - 5 Jul 2025
Viewed by 432
Abstract
Background/Objectives: European Brown Hare Syndrome (EBHS) is an acute and highly contagious viral disease of hares that causes considerable economic losses on wild and captive-reared hares. No preventive treatments are currently available to defeat the disease. Immunoprophylactic and biosafety measures could be applied [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: European Brown Hare Syndrome (EBHS) is an acute and highly contagious viral disease of hares that causes considerable economic losses on wild and captive-reared hares. No preventive treatments are currently available to defeat the disease. Immunoprophylactic and biosafety measures could be applied to prevent EBHS only in captive-reared hares, where vaccination is proposed as an effective strategy. Due to the lack of a cellular substrate for virus growth, commercially available vaccines are autovaccines produced from inactivated liver suspensions of hares dead for EBHS. Therefore, using a recombinant vaccine based on VP60 major capsid protein seems a viable alternative to overcome such a problem. Methods: the 6xHis C-terminal tagged VP60 protein of EBHSV was expressed and produced in baculovirus, purified by affinity chromatography and the self-assembled recombinant (rEVP60-His6) protein. To establish the protective properties of rEVP60-His6-based VLPs, hares were immunised with 50 and 100 µg of VLPs and parenterally challenged with EBHSV. Results: all hares vaccinated with 100 µg of VLPs survived after the experimental infection, demonstrating the excellent protective ability of this prototype VLPs-based vaccine. Conclusions: self-assembled EBHSV rEVP60-His6 protein was successfully produced following a rapid, simple, low-cost protocol. Although the protective efficacy of such VLPs were experimentally demonstrated, some key aspects remain to be clarified, including the duration of protection, the entity of the antibody response, and the ability to stimulate cell-mediated response. Last, an additional aspect to be evaluated is whether the use of an adjuvant can determine whether its presence improves the performance of the recombinant VLPs vaccine. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Virus-Like Particle Vaccine Development)
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32 pages, 5287 KiB  
Article
UniHSFormer X for Hyperspectral Crop Classification with Prototype-Routed Semantic Structuring
by Zhen Du, Senhao Liu, Yao Liao, Yuanyuan Tang, Yanwen Liu, Huimin Xing, Zhijie Zhang and Donghui Zhang
Agriculture 2025, 15(13), 1427; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15131427 - 2 Jul 2025
Viewed by 360
Abstract
Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) plays a pivotal role in modern agriculture by capturing fine-grained spectral signatures that support crop classification, health assessment, and land-use monitoring. However, the transition from raw spectral data to reliable semantic understanding remains challenging—particularly under fragmented planting patterns, spectral ambiguity, [...] Read more.
Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) plays a pivotal role in modern agriculture by capturing fine-grained spectral signatures that support crop classification, health assessment, and land-use monitoring. However, the transition from raw spectral data to reliable semantic understanding remains challenging—particularly under fragmented planting patterns, spectral ambiguity, and spatial heterogeneity. To address these limitations, we propose UniHSFormer-X, a unified transformer-based framework that reconstructs agricultural semantics through prototype-guided token routing and hierarchical context modeling. Unlike conventional models that treat spectral–spatial features uniformly, UniHSFormer-X dynamically modulates information flow based on class-aware affinities, enabling precise delineation of field boundaries and robust recognition of spectrally entangled crop types. Evaluated on three UAV-based benchmarks—WHU-Hi-LongKou, HanChuan, and HongHu—the model achieves up to 99.80% overall accuracy and 99.28% average accuracy, outperforming state-of-the-art CNN, ViT, and hybrid architectures across both structured and heterogeneous agricultural scenarios. Ablation studies further reveal the critical role of semantic routing and prototype projection in stabilizing model behavior, while parameter surface analysis demonstrates consistent generalization across diverse configurations. Beyond high performance, UniHSFormer-X offers a semantically interpretable architecture that adapts to the spatial logic and compositional nuance of agricultural imagery, representing a forward step toward robust and scalable crop classification. Full article
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23 pages, 337 KiB  
Article
A Spacetime Metric for the 4 + 1 Formalism
by Martin Land
Sci 2025, 7(3), 86; https://doi.org/10.3390/sci7030086 - 1 Jul 2025
Viewed by 369
Abstract
In his foundational work on classical and quantum electrodynamics, Stueckelberg introduced an external evolution parameter, τ, in order to overcome difficulties associated with the problem of time in relativity. Stueckelberg particle trajectories are described by the evolution of spacetime events under the [...] Read more.
In his foundational work on classical and quantum electrodynamics, Stueckelberg introduced an external evolution parameter, τ, in order to overcome difficulties associated with the problem of time in relativity. Stueckelberg particle trajectories are described by the evolution of spacetime events under the monotonic advance of τ, the basis for the Feynman–Stueckelberg interpretation of particle–antiparticle interactions. An event is a solution to τ-parameterized equations of motion, which, under simple conditions, including the elimination of pair processes, can be reparameterized by the proper time of motion. The 4+1 formalism in general relativity (GR) extends this framework to provide field equations for a τ-dependent local metric γμν(x,τ) induced by these Stueckelberg trajectories, leading to τ-parameterized geodesic equations in an evolving spacetime. As in standard GR, the linearized theory for weak fields leads to a wave equation for the local metric induced by a given matter source. While previous attempts to solve the wave equation have produced a metric with the expected features, the resulting geodesic equations for a test particle lead to unreasonable trajectories. In this paper, we discuss the difficulties associated with the wave equation and set up the more general ADM-like 4+1 evolution equations, providing an initial value problem for the metric induced by a given source. As in the familiar 3+1 formalism, the metric can be found as a perturbation to an exact solution for the metric induced by a known source. Here, we propose a metric, ansatz, with certain expected properties; obtain the source that induces this metric; and use them as the initial conditions in an initial value problem for a general metric posed as a perturbation to the ansatz. We show that the ansatz metric, its associated source, and the geodesic equations for a test particle behave as required for such a model, recovering Newtonian gravitation in the nonrelativistic limit. We then pose the initial value problem to obtain more general solutions as perturbations of the ansatz. Full article
19 pages, 4387 KiB  
Article
Comparing Chlorophyll Fluorescence and Hyperspectral Indices in Drought-Stressed Young Plants in a Maize Diversity Panel
by Lovro Vukadinović, Vlatko Galić, Andrija Brkić, Antun Jambrović and Domagoj Šimić
Agronomy 2025, 15(7), 1604; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15071604 - 30 Jun 2025
Viewed by 335
Abstract
Progressing climate change necessitates the development of drought-tolerant crops, and understanding the temporal dynamics of genotype x environment interactions (GxE) is crucial. This study aimed to test established phenotyping methods (chlorophyll a fluorescence (ChlF) and hyperspectral (HS) imaging) to investigate the variability in [...] Read more.
Progressing climate change necessitates the development of drought-tolerant crops, and understanding the temporal dynamics of genotype x environment interactions (GxE) is crucial. This study aimed to test established phenotyping methods (chlorophyll a fluorescence (ChlF) and hyperspectral (HS) imaging) to investigate the variability in 165 inbred maize lines’ responses to progressive drought stress. The inbred maize lines were grown under controlled conditions and were challenged with water withholding. Fifteen ChlF and HS indices were measured at three consecutive time points (M1, M2, and M3). Mixed models were employed to estimate the GxT interaction effects via Best Linear Unbiased Predictors (BLUPs) for each variable. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) performed on the GxT BLUPs from each time point revealed a highly dynamic interaction structure. While the primary axis of GxT variation (PC1) was consistently associated with HI, which is related to plant vigor, across all measurement times, its importance intensified under severe stress (M3). The secondary axis (PC2) shifted markedly over time: after initial variations at M1, it was dominated by GxT effects in specific ChlF parameters related to photosynthetic regulation under moderate stress (M2), before shifting again under severe stress (M3) to reflect the GxT effects on indices potentially related to pigment degradation and other stress indicators. Full article
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18 pages, 4409 KiB  
Article
Immunogenicity of Matrix Protein 2 Ectodomain (M2e) Displayed on Nodavirus-like Particles as Avian Influenza Vaccine for Poultry
by Anis Suraya Mohamad Abir, Wen Siang Tan, Abdul Rahman Omar, Kok Lian Ho, Munir Iqbal and Abdul Razak Mariatulqabtiah
Vaccines 2025, 13(7), 701; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13070701 - 27 Jun 2025
Viewed by 506
Abstract
Avian influenza is an economically significant disease affecting poultry worldwide and is caused by influenza A viruses that can range from low to highly pathogenic strains. These viruses primarily target the respiratory, digestive, and nervous systems of birds, leading to severe outbreaks that [...] Read more.
Avian influenza is an economically significant disease affecting poultry worldwide and is caused by influenza A viruses that can range from low to highly pathogenic strains. These viruses primarily target the respiratory, digestive, and nervous systems of birds, leading to severe outbreaks that threaten poultry production and pose zoonotic risks. The ectodomain of the avian influenza virus (AIV) matrix protein 2 (M2e), known for its high conservation across influenza strains, has emerged as a promising candidate for developing a universal influenza vaccine in a mouse model. However, the efficacy of such expression against poultry AIVs remains limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the immunogenicity of nodavirus-like particles displaying the M2e proteins. In this study, three synthetic heterologous M2e genes originated from AIV strains H5N1, H9N2 and H5N2 were fused with the nodavirus capsid protein (NVC) of the giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii (NVC-3xAvM2e) prior to immunogenicity characterisations in chickens. The expression vector pTRcHis-TARNA2 carrying the NVC-3xAvM2e gene cassette was introduced into E. coli TOP-10 cells. The recombinant proteins were purified, inoculated into one-week-old specific pathogen-free chickens subcutaneously and analysed. The recombinant protein NVC-3xAvM2e formed virus-like particles (VLPs) of approximately 25 nm in diameter when observed under a transmission electron microscope. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis revealed that the VLPs have a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.198. A direct ELISA upon animal experiments showed that M2e-specific antibodies were significantly increased in vaccinated chickens after the booster, with H5N1 M2e peptides having the highest mean absorbance value when compared with those of H9N2 and H5N2. A challenge study using low pathogenic AIV (LPAI) strain A/chicken/Malaysia/UPM994/2018 (H9N2) at 106.5 EID50 showed significant viral load in the lung and cloaca, but not in the oropharyngeal of vaccinated animals when compared with the unvaccinated control group. Collectively, this study suggests that nodavirus-like particles displaying three heterologous M2e have the potential to provide protection against LPAI H9N2 in chickens, though the vaccine’s efficacy and cross-protection across different haemagglutinin (HA) subtypes should be further evaluated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Veterinary Vaccines and Host Immune Responses)
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17 pages, 2272 KiB  
Article
The Manufacture of Lake Pigments from Artificial Colours: Investigating Chemistry and Recipes in the First Book on Synthetic Dyes-Based Lakes
by Eva Eis, Adele Ferretti, Francesca Sabatini, Valentina Corona, Stefano Legnaioli, Richard Laursen and Ilaria Degano
Heritage 2025, 8(7), 245; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8070245 - 24 Jun 2025
Viewed by 683
Abstract
In 1900, Francis Herbert Jennison’s book The Manufacture of Lake Pigments from Artificial Colours was published in London. In the early 20th century, the technical literature focussing on synthetic dyes mainly dealt with their use for dyeing. Conversely, the literature on lake pigment [...] Read more.
In 1900, Francis Herbert Jennison’s book The Manufacture of Lake Pigments from Artificial Colours was published in London. In the early 20th century, the technical literature focussing on synthetic dyes mainly dealt with their use for dyeing. Conversely, the literature on lake pigment manufacture is less comprehensive, and Jennison’s publication was the first monograph on this topic. His book comprises descriptions of the dyes, substrates, and various methods for lake making. Practical examples complete the work: sixteen colour plates with original samples of lake pigments showcase the practical effect on colour of the different dyes and preparation methods. Herein, we present an overview of the context of Jennison’s research and delve into a selection of formulations. Green lake pigment plates were sampled and analysed by liquid chromatography coupled with spectroscopic and spectrometric detectors and by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy to correlate the chemical composition with the recipes reported in the book. Seldom or no longer used and unexplored historical dyes were detected, along with polyphenolic compounds possibly used as precipitating agents in lake pigment formulations. Moreover, the examination of two different editions of the Jennison manuscript (i.e., the English and German books) revealed different chemical profiles corresponding to the same lake pigment formulation. This emphasizes the significance of Jennison’s book, confirming how understanding of early formulations is needed to elucidate the later ones. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dyes in History and Archaeology 43)
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39 pages, 30587 KiB  
Article
Hierarchical Swin Transformer Ensemble with Explainable AI for Robust and Decentralized Breast Cancer Diagnosis
by Md. Redwan Ahmed, Hamdadur Rahman, Zishad Hossain Limon, Md Ismail Hossain Siddiqui, Mahbub Alam Khan, Al Shahriar Uddin Khondakar Pranta, Rezaul Haque, S M Masfequier Rahman Swapno, Young-Im Cho and Mohamed S. Abdallah
Bioengineering 2025, 12(6), 651; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering12060651 - 13 Jun 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 876
Abstract
Early and accurate detection of breast cancer is essential for reducing mortality rates and improving clinical outcomes. However, deep learning (DL) models used in healthcare face significant challenges, including concerns about data privacy, domain-specific overfitting, and limited interpretability. To address these issues, we [...] Read more.
Early and accurate detection of breast cancer is essential for reducing mortality rates and improving clinical outcomes. However, deep learning (DL) models used in healthcare face significant challenges, including concerns about data privacy, domain-specific overfitting, and limited interpretability. To address these issues, we propose BreastSwinFedNetX, a federated learning (FL)-enabled ensemble system that combines four hierarchical variants of the Swin Transformer (Tiny, Small, Base, and Large) with a Random Forest (RF) meta-learner. By utilizing FL, our approach ensures collaborative model training across decentralized and institution-specific datasets while preserving data locality and preventing raw patient data exposure. The model exhibits strong generalization and performs exceptionally well across five benchmark datasets—BreakHis, BUSI, INbreast, CBIS-DDSM, and a Combined dataset—achieving an F1 score of 99.34% on BreakHis, a PR AUC of 98.89% on INbreast, and a Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC) of 99.61% on the Combined dataset. To enhance transparency and clinical adoption, we incorporate explainable AI (XAI) through Grad-CAM, which highlights class-discriminative features. Additionally, we deploy the model in a real-time web application that supports uncertainty-aware predictions and clinician interaction and ensures compliance with GDPR and HIPAA through secure federated deployment. Extensive ablation studies and paired statistical analyses further confirm the significance and robustness of each architectural component. By integrating transformer-based architectures, secure collaborative training, and explainable outputs, BreastSwinFedNetX provides a scalable and trustworthy AI solution for real-world breast cancer diagnostics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: From Precision Medicine to Diagnostics)
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19 pages, 255 KiB  
Article
V. S. Naipaul, Mimicry, and the Fictionalization of Caribbean Black Power in Guerrillas
by Robert Kyriakos Smith
Literature 2025, 5(2), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/literature5020011 - 30 May 2025
Viewed by 755
Abstract
V. S. Naipaul’s 1975 novel Guerrillas is the earliest example of Caribbean fiction that purports to provide a realistic depiction of Trinidad’s brief but historically significant Black Power movement. Naipaul was an Indo-Trinidadian expatriate who immigrated to the U.K. in 1950 and remained [...] Read more.
V. S. Naipaul’s 1975 novel Guerrillas is the earliest example of Caribbean fiction that purports to provide a realistic depiction of Trinidad’s brief but historically significant Black Power movement. Naipaul was an Indo-Trinidadian expatriate who immigrated to the U.K. in 1950 and remained there until his death in 2018. He was famously Anglophilic; and given his notorious insistence that culturally the West Indies are derivative, not creative, it is unsurprising that Naipaul depicts Black Power as an empty form that Trinidad and Great Britain import to their detriment from the U.S. In its fictionalization of the story of a real-life figure on the periphery of Black Power, Guerrillas presents Black Power’s presence in Trinidad and the UK as a failure and a sham. My article traces Naipaul’s transformation of what was originally a journalistic account into his novel Guerrillas in order to highlight the tendentiousness of his representation of Trinidadian Black Power. The plot of the novel repurposes the crux of Naipaul’s essay “The Killings in Trinidad” in which he reports how a Trinidadian Black Power poseur known as “Michael X” conspired in the January 1972 murder of a white woman named Gale Ann Benson. Crucial to Naipaul’s dismissal of Black Power as a derivative fiction, this article argues, is the fraudulent Michael X, himself a mimic man par excellence in his embodiment of Black Power as an empty and parodic form devoid of original content. I demonstrate how Naipaul’s marginalization of Caribbean Black Power depends on formal mimicry and on his selection of this marginal player/mimic man as representative of the movement in Trinidad. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Defiant Asymmetries: Asian American Literature Without Borders)
21 pages, 4887 KiB  
Article
Marine-Derived Peptides from Phaeodactylum tricornutum as Potential SARS-CoV-2 Mpro Inhibitors: An In Silico Approach
by David Mauricio Cañedo-Figueroa, Marco Antonio Valdez-Flores, Claudia Desireé Norzagaray-Valenzuela, Loranda Calderón-Zamora, Ángel Radamés Rábago-Monzón, Josué Camberos-Barraza, Alma Marlene Guadrón-Llanos, Alberto Kousuke De la Herrán-Arita, Verónica Judith Picos-Cárdenas, Alejandro Camacho-Zamora, Alejandra Romero-Utrilla, Carlos Daniel Cordero-Rivera, Rosa María del Ángel, Moisés León-Juárez, José Manuel Reyes-Ruiz, Carlos Noe Farfan-Morales, Luis Adrián De Jesús-González and Juan Fidel Osuna-Ramos
Microorganisms 2025, 13(6), 1271; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13061271 - 30 May 2025
Viewed by 836
Abstract
The ongoing threat of viral pandemics such as COVID-19 highlights the urgent need for novel antiviral therapeutics targeting conserved viral proteins. In this study, peptides of 10–30 kDa derived from the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum were identified as potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main [...] Read more.
The ongoing threat of viral pandemics such as COVID-19 highlights the urgent need for novel antiviral therapeutics targeting conserved viral proteins. In this study, peptides of 10–30 kDa derived from the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum were identified as potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro), a key enzyme in viral replication. Peptides less than 60 amino acids in length were retrieved from the UniProt database and aligned with reference antiviral sequences using the Biopython pairwise2 algorithm. Six candidates were selected for structural modeling using AlphaFold2 and Swiss-Model, followed by molecular docking using ClusPro2. LigPlot+ was used to assess molecular interactions, while NetMHCpan 4.1 and AVPpred evaluated immunogenicity and antiviral potential, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations over 100 ns were conducted using OpenMM. These peptides demonstrated stable binding interactions with key catalytic residues of Mpro. Specifically, peptide A0A8J9SA87 interacted with Cys145 and Glu166, while peptide A0A8J9SDW0 exhibited interactions with His41 and Phe140, both of which are known to be essential for Mpro inhibition. Although peptide A0A8J9X3P8 also interacted with catalytic residues, it exhibited greater structural fluctuations during molecular dynamics simulations and achieved lower AVPpred scores, suggesting lower overall antiviral potential. Therefore, A0A8J9SA87 and A0A8J9SDW0 were identified as the most promising candidates. Molecular dynamics simulations further supported the high structural stability of these peptide-Mpro complexes over a 100 ns timescale, reinforcing their potential as effective inhibitors. These findings support P. tricornutum as a valuable source of antiviral peptides and demonstrate the feasibility of in silico pipelines for identifying therapeutic candidates against SARS-CoV-2. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Antimicrobial Treatment)
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15 pages, 1680 KiB  
Article
The Missing Structures of Pasteur’s Aspartates
by Damian J. C. Kersten and Martin Lutz
Crystals 2025, 15(6), 521; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15060521 - 29 May 2025
Viewed by 307
Abstract
In his crystallographic research on chiral separation, Louis Pasteur reported the crystals of the sodium salts of enantiopure and racemic aspartic acid. Their atomic structure remained unknown to this day. In the present article, the two crystal structures are reported. The X-ray diffraction [...] Read more.
In his crystallographic research on chiral separation, Louis Pasteur reported the crystals of the sodium salts of enantiopure and racemic aspartic acid. Their atomic structure remained unknown to this day. In the present article, the two crystal structures are reported. The X-ray diffraction of both crystals was severely affected by twinning. Their crystal packing is very similar and can be described as a three-dimensional coordination network. A decomposition of the structures into layers helps to explain the twinning as stacking faults. In the enantiopure crystal, the layers are parallel to (0,1,0) and in the racemic crystal parallel to (0,0,1). The sum formula of the two crystal structures is identical, representing the monohydrate of the monosodium aspartate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Organic Crystalline Materials)
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