Search Results (595)

Perfluorinated alkyl substances and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) are long-chain compounds, with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) being the most well-known examples. Both are considered typical non-genotoxic carcinogens (NGTxCs). In this study, we verified whether the Bhas 42 cell transformation assay (Bhas 42 CTA) can be used as an effective in vitro method to predict carcinogenicity of NGTxCs using both PFOA and PFOS as typical representatives. Transcriptome analysis during the PFOA-induced transformation process showed that many factors related to the effects of PFOA on the immune system and cancer hallmarks increased or decreased. Thus, we demonstrated that mechanistic analyses such as transcriptome analyses in combination with the transformation focus formation results from the Bhas 42 CTA may be useful tools when assessing the carcinogenicity and other biological effects of NGTxCs such as PFOA. We propose that the Bhas 42 CTA is a simple in vitro test for the detection of NGTxCs, that it has in vitro oncotransformation as an endpoint, and that it can also detect the activation of factors involved in malignant progression, such as invasion and metastasis. It allows for the comprehensive detection of subtle mechanisms in parallel with focus formation throughout the transformation process, from the early stages to malignancy. Full article

This study presents, for the first time, the occurrence and community structure of wild fish inside marine aquaculture cages of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili), meagre (Argyrosomus regius), and common dentex (Dentex dentex). Coexistence of farmed and wild fish was observed only in cages of gilthead seabream and European sea bass, with wild fish constituting 0.08% of the total sampled fish biomass. Twelve wild fish species from five families were recorded: Carangidae, Clupeidae, Mugilidae, Moronidae, and Sparidae. Bogue (Boops boops) and jack mackerel (Trachurus sp.) were the most abundant. Multivariate analysis indicated that location significantly influenced the wild fish community composition, while reared species and farming duration, along with their interaction, had no significant effect. Descriptive comparisons suggested potential differences in biometric traits of bogue and jack mackerel between reared species and farming duration. The findings highlight the need for further research on wild fish in cages to better understand the potential health and biosecurity risks they may pose. Full article

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a primary driver of cervical cancer. Integration of HPV into the human genome causes persistent expression of viral oncogenes E6 and E7, which promote carcinogenesis and disrupt host genomic function. However, the impact of integration on host gene expression remains incompletely understood. We used multimodal RNA sequencing, combining total RNA-seq and Cap Analysis of Gene Expression (CAGE), to clarify virus–host interactions after HPV integration. HPV-derived transcripts were detected in 17 of 20 clinical samples. In most specimens, transcriptional start sites (TSSs) showed predominant early promoter usage, and transcript patterns differed with detectable E4 RNA region. Notably, the high RNA expressions of E4 region and viral-human chimeric RNAs were mutually exclusive. Chimeric RNAs were identified in 13 of 17 samples, revealing 16 viral integration sites (ISs). CAGE data revealed two patterns of TSS upregulation centered on the ISs: a two-sided pattern (43.8%) and a one-sided pattern (31.3%). Total RNA-seq showed upregulation of 12 putative cancer-related genes near ISs, including MAGI1-AS1, HAS3, CASC8, BIRC2, and MMP12. These findings indicate that HPV integration drives transcriptional activation near ISs, enhancing expression of adjacent oncogenes. Our study deepens understanding of HPV-induced carcinogenesis and informs precision medicine strategies for cervical cancer. Full article

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the impact of chromium (Cr) supplementation on glucose and lipid metabolism in breast muscle in broilers under heat stress. A total of 220 day-old broiler chicks were reared in cages. At 29 days old, 180 birds were randomly assigned to three treatments (0, 400, and 800 µg Cr/kg, as chromium picolinate) and transferred to climate chambers (31 ± 1 °C, 60 ± 7% humidity) for 14 days. Growth performance, carcass traits, serum biochemical indices, fasting glucose and insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), as well as muscle metabolomic profiles and gene expression related to energy and lipid metabolism were analyzed. The results showed that, compared with the heat stress group, the groups supplemented with 400 and 800 µg Cr/kg showed higher dry matter intake and average daily gain, breast muscle ratio, and lower feed conversion ratio and abdominal fat ratio; chickens supplemented with 400 and 800 µg Cr/kg showed significantly lower serum corticosterone (CORT), free fatty acids, and cholesterol levels compared with the heat stress (HS) group (p < 0.05). Fasting blood glucose and HOMA-IR were also significantly reduced, while fasting insulin was significantly increased in the Cr-supplemented groups (p < 0.05). Metabolomic analysis revealed that Cr supplementation regulated lipid and amino acid metabolism by altering key metabolites such as citric acid, L-glutamine, and L-proline, and modulating pathways including alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, and glycerophospholipid metabolism. Furthermore, Cr supplementation significantly upregulated the expression of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1 α (PGC-1α), ATP Binding Cassette Subfamily A Member 1 (ABCA1), Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor α (PPARα), and ATP Binding Cassette Subfamily G Member 1 (ABCG1) in both the hepatic and muscle tissue. This paper suggested that chromium supplementation may enhance energy metabolism and lipid transport like the findings of our study suggested. Full article

Silicon-doped C₆₀ fullerenes represent a distinctive class of heterofullerenes with tunable structural, electronic, and chemical properties arising from substitutional incorporation of Si atoms into the carbon cage. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of substitutional Si–C₆₀ systems and their endohedral and exohedral complexes, with emphasis on synthesis strategies, structural features, and theoretical investigations. Experimental methods, including laser vaporization and arc discharge of Si-containing graphite targets, have enabled the preparation of Si-doped fullerenes, although challenges remain in controlling the dopant number, position, and distribution. Computational studies, dominated by density functional theory and molecular dynamics simulations, elucidate the effects of Si substitution on cage geometry, HOMO–LUMO modulation, charge localization, aromaticity, and finite-temperature stability. Exohedral functionalization and endohedral encapsulation of Si-doped cages significantly enhance their potential for applications in sensing, catalysis, energy storage, and nanomedicine. Si incorporation consistently strengthens adsorption of small molecules, pharmaceuticals, biomolecules, and environmental pollutants, often transforming weak physisorption into strong chemisorption with pronounced electronic and spectroscopic changes. The synergistic insights from experimental and theoretical work establish Si-doped fullerenes as versatile, electronically responsive nanoplatforms, offering a balance between stability, tunability, and reactivity, and highlighting future opportunities for targeted synthesis and application-specific design. Full article

High-precision spiral trajectory tracking for aquaculture net-cage inspection is hindered by uncertain hydrodynamics, strong coupling, and time-varying disturbances acting on an underactuated autonomous underwater vehicle. This paper adapts and validates a model–data-driven learning-aided adaptive robust control strategy for the specific challenge of high-precision spiral trajectory tracking for aquaculture net-cage inspection. At the kinematic level, a serial iterative learning feedforward compensator is combined with a line-of-sight guidance law to form a feedforward-compensated guidance scheme that exploits task repeatability and reduces systematic tracking bias. At the dynamic level, an integrated adaptive robust controller employs projection-based, rate-limited recursive least-squares identification of hydrodynamic parameters, along with a composite feedback law that combines linear error feedback, a nonlinear robust term, and fast dynamic compensation to suppress lumped uncertainties arising from estimation error and external disturbances. A Lyapunov-based analysis establishes uniform ultimate boundedness of all closed-loop error signals. Simulations that emulate net-cage inspection show faster convergence, higher tracking accuracy, and stronger robustness than classical adaptive robust control and other baselines while maintaining bounded control effort. The results indicate a practical and effective route to improving the precision and reliability of autonomous net-cage inspection. Full article

Dried orange pulp (Citrus sinensis) is known for its antioxidant properties. This study aimed to examine the effects of adding dried orange pulp (OP) to the layers’ diets on the concentration of selected elements in the egg. The present work was part of a bigger project aiming to investigate the effect of orange pulp in layers’ diets on the performance of birds and egg quality. There were three dietary treatments and 63 layers per treatment, with 189 layers in total. Cages were the experimental units, and seven cages were allocated per treatment (n = 7). The dietary treatments were (1) a control treatment (C) that involved a basal diet without orange pulp addition, (2) an OP treatment with the addition of 9% dried orange pulp, and (3) a hesperidin–naringin (EN) treatment with 0.767 g hesperidin and 0.002 g naringin added per kg of diet; these levels of hesperidin and naringin represent those present in dried orange pulp for the OP treatment. Birds were fed the diets for 30 days. The diets had similar energy and protein levels and contained the same vitamin and mineral premixes. The analyzed egg (yolk, albumen, shell) elemental profile consisted of As, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Sb, Se, Sr, V, and Zn and was determined via Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Dried orange pulp supplementation significantly altered the elemental profile. OP largely altered the element concentrations in albumen and egg yolk. Most notably, it decreased the concentrations of Co (p < 0.001), Fe (p < 0.001), Mn (p < 0.001), Ni (p = 0.046), and Se (p = 0.035) in egg yolk and those of Co (p = 0.011), Fe (p = 0.025), Cr (p = 0.049), Cu (p = 0.001), and Se (p = 0.014) in albumen. In addition, it decreased the concentrations of As (p = 0.025) and Ca (p = 0.025) in the eggshell. Principal component analysis was applied to the concentrations of the examined elements in all egg parts to explore the relationships between the elements and detect those capable of distinguishing samples, resulting in the apparent separation of yolk, albumen, and eggshell samples. Further analysis revealed that all samples were clustered into the three dietary treatments, resulting in 100% correct classification. The chelating and antioxidant capacities of flavonoids are intricate and rely on a variety of factors. OP supplementation modulated the deposition of specific elements in egg parts in comparison to those from layers fed a typical diet. Thus, this study indicated that eggs with specialized elemental profiles could be created. Full article

To advance the application of sustainable recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) in bridge engineering, this study introduces a novel reinforced RAC-filled circular steel tubular (RRACFCST) column, leveraging the dual confinement of an external steel tube and an internal reinforcement cage. Its primary novelty is a comprehensive analytical framework integrating a new theoretical model by using limit analysis, ferrule theory, and the twin shear unified strength theory. Then, a rigorously validated nonlinear finite element model that incorporated material nonlinearity and interface effects was used to validate the proposed theoretical model. The results demonstrate the significant performance of the steel reinforcement cage, which enhanced the axial bearing capacity by 17.86%, and an optimal recycled aggregate replacement rate of 70% yielded the bearing capacity, with 100% replacement still achieving a 13.3% higher capacity than unconfined conventional concrete, demonstrating how effective confinement can compensate for and overcome the inherent deficiencies of RCA. Conversely, larger diameter–thickness ratios would reduce the strength by 33.7%. These quantifiable findings provide critical design insights and a validated predictive tool, establishing the RRACFCST column as a promising and high-performance sustainable solution for bridge structures. Full article

The zeolite structure, with its precisely distinct pores, settled cages, and adsorption sites, enables the formation and stabilization of isolated metal centers. These well-defined structures make metal-loaded zeolites promising catalysts. Three different β zeolites were synthesized by an aqueous ion-exchange procedure, firstly with cobalt (Co), and secondly with zinc (Zn), cerium (Ce), and copper (Cu), to make three bimetallic CoZn/β, CoCe/β, and CoCu/β zeolites, respectively. X-ray powder diffraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, and low-temperature nitrogen adsorption analysis revealed the structural, morphological, and surface properties of the studied materials, while optical properties were investigated by UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The lowest onset potential of 1.67 V was obtained for both CoZn/β and CoCe/β, while the somewhat positive value of 1.70 V was observed for CoCu/β. CoZn/β exhibited the lowest value of Tafel slope of 89 mV dec^−1, while slightly higher values of 109 and 113 mV dec⁻¹ were calculated for CoCe/β and CoCu/β during ORR, respectively. CoZn/β showed four-electron pathways of ORR, CoCu/β showed a mixed ORR mechanism, while CoCe/β offered two-electron pathways of ORR. All presented results established that CoZn/β had the highest OER/ORR activity, followed by CoCu/β, while CoCe/β had the lowest activity detected. Full article

This study investigates the adrenal gland structure and gene expression in Acomys cahirinus compared to Mus musculus, aiming to assess its relevance for human adrenal disease modeling. We identified a well-defined zona reticularis in Acomys, resembling the human adrenal cortex. Transcriptomic analysis revealed upregulation of key steroidogenic genes (Cyp17a1, Sult1e1, Hsd3b2, Defb18, Kiss1, H2-Ke6), with validation by qRT-PCR and CAGE-seq. The gene Nupl1 showed discordant results between RNA-seq and CAGE. Pathway analysis highlighted enrichment of steroidogenesis and adrenal metabolism. Notably, a GTEx-based comparison demonstrated that Acomys adrenal gene expression closely mirrors the expression in the human adrenal cortex, whereas Mus musculus samples diverged toward brain-specific signatures. These findings suggest that Acomys cahirinus represents a promising model for adrenal research, though further studies including single-cell transcriptomics and functional assays are warranted to fully establish its translational potential. Full article

The installation of an egg collection net in the upper section of a Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) cage (diameter 25 m × height 15 m) raises concerns regarding the potential compromise of cage stability due to the fine mesh size. This study addresses two primary questions: (1) How can the egg collection net be deployed effectively without undermining cage stability? (2) What are the effects of the egg collection net on the cage volume and shape under varying current conditions? To investigate these questions, a mass–spring interaction model was developed to simulate the contact behavior between net structures, and numerical simulations were performed under various current speeds and sinker weight conditions. The results indicate that optimal deployment is achieved when a sinker weight of 78.5 N per meter is applied along the lower perimeter of the egg collection net. The additional volume reduction induced by the egg collection net was minimal (0.01–0.54%), falling within the natural range of flow-induced fluctuations. These findings lay the groundwork for the development of more robust and efficient bluefin tuna aquaculture systems. Full article

The transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) signaling axis plays a pivotal role in orchestrating a wide array of biological functions, encompassing cellular growth, proliferation, and differentiation. The aim of the present study was to identify the members of TGFβ signaling pathway and their expression patterns in large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) under different culture modes. TGFβ signaling pathway and their expression patterns in fish reared under two different culture modes: Group N (2400 fish in a 120 m³ cage) and Group V (168,000 fish in a 5600 m³ aquaculture vessel). After 120 days, we analyzed 15 fish from each group and found that Group V exhibited faster growth and a slender body shape compared to Group N. Bioinformatics analysis identified 48 TGFβ superfamily members in L. crocea, including 21 ligands, 10 receptors, and 3 Smads. mRNA expression levels indicated that these signaling molecules influence growth rate and body shape through five distinct ligand–receptor–R-Smad pathways, with the INHBB-, Nodal-, and GDF3-ACVR2A-ALK4-Smad2 axis playing a predominant role in regulating these traits. Full article

Background/Objectives: The purpose of this review was to determine the impact of osteoporosis on outcomes after surgery for cervical deformity. Cervical deformity involves abnormal curvature or misalignment of the cervical spine, often resulting in a significant loss of quality of life and requiring surgical correction. While osteoporosis has been associated with hardware failure including screw loosening and cage migration in spine surgery, its role in cervical deformity remains unclear. Existing studies report mixed findings with regard to postoperative sequelae in patients with osteoporosis undergoing surgical correction of cervical deformity. Methods: A systematic review using PRISMA guidelines and MeSH terms involving spine surgery for cervical deformity and osteoporosis was performed. The Medline (PubMed) database was searched from 1990 to August 2022 using the following terms: “osteoporosis” AND “cervical” AND (“outcomes” OR “revision” OR “reoperation” OR “complication”). This review focused on radiographic outcomes, as well as post-operative complications. Results: Eight studies were included in the final analysis. Three papers assessed risk factors for the development of post-operative distal junctional kyphosis (DJK), but only one found osteoporosis as a predictor for DJK. Although three studies found that osteoporosis was not significantly associated with the incidence of surgical complications, one highlights osteoporosis as a predictor of complications at 90 days postoperatively (p < 0.001) and another associates osteoporosis with overall poor outcomes (p = 0.021). Furthermore, one study assessing the relationship between osteoporosis and reoperation found no association. Conclusions: Overall, our systematic review suggests that in patients undergoing surgery for cervical deformity, osteoporosis is not predictive of the need for reoperation or the development of postoperative complications, such as DJK, dysphagia, superficial infection, and others. These findings highlight the need for further study regarding the role of osteoporosis in surgical correction of cervical deformity. Full article

Lake Batur is part of the Batur UNESCO Global Geopark and an active caldera of Mount Batur on Bali Island, Indonesia, and it has no inlet or outlet. The current state of the lake has deteriorated due to severe environmental degradation. The lake’s management will focus on the environment and other aspects planned in an integrated, sustainable lake management scenario. The research aims to develop a Key Performance Indicator instrument to determine the lake’s sustainable status. These indicators included environmental, socio-cultural, economic, institutional-management, and infrastructure-technology aspects. The method used is Multi-Aspect Sustainability Analysis to determine its sustainable status and identify the factors that have the most leverage in actions to restore Lake Batur. The primary data was collected through in-depth interviews, questionnaires, and field surveys. Respondents were stakeholders who knew the factual conditions of Lake Batur. The research results show that Lake Batur is in a state of alert or declining sustainability, even predicted to become critical if there is no significant management soon. The performance of all aspects is in the alert category (unsustainable or <50/100) except the social-cultural in the acceptable category (not yet ideal/sustainable). The management scenario of Lake Batur, at least increases to the acceptable category, includes controlling the number of floating net cages and the forest area, developing the potential of tourism and fisheries, reducing conflicts, establishing rules for lake use, increasing the role of the central government, and digitalization of lake management development, construction of water infrastructure and the use of renewable energy. Full article

Heated tobacco products (HTPs) frequently induce user discomfort due to high mainstream smoke temperatures. To address this challenge and improve the inhalation experience, this experiment designed and prepared a cage-shaped braided tube as the cooling section of the filter for HTPs. The thermal, cooling, suction resistance, and smoke composition properties of the filter were tested and analyzed. Thermal analysis (DSC/TG) revealed a 116.53 J/g increase in endothermic enthalpy for PEG-impregnated samples, accompanied by maintained thermal stability (decomposition temperature ≈ approximately 350 °C). The 0.8 wt% Carbon Nanotube (CNT) composite achieved exceptional thermal conductivity (0.597 W/m·K), representing a 521% improvement over untreated controls. The braided tube optimal performance (3 mm inner diameter, 30% PEG/0.8% CNT) reduced the highest smoke temperature to 47.8 °C while maintaining acceptable suction resistance (68.5 Pa, 56.4% reduction vs. commercial IQOS filters). GC-MS analysis confirmed negligible alterations in smoke composition (p > 0.05). This innovation offers an effective thermal management solution that does not compromise sensory experiences. Full article