Search Results (751)

This technical study presents calendering as an innovative and continuous industrial solution for the reuse of uncured carbon fiber prepreg scraps, which are typically discarded in large quantities in the aerospace sector. By applying heat and pressure through rollers, the authors successfully transform residual fragments into functional sheets, promoting a circular economy that reduces environmental impact and raw material costs. Although the process induces a slight fiber misalignment, which decreases longitudinal strength, the results reveal significant improvements in transverse properties and increased material isotropy. Finally, the research validates the feasibility of this technique by fabricating a curved structural demonstrator, proving that these recycled composites maintain high stiffness and suitable thermal stability for secondary aeronautical applications. Full article

The twelfth-century Beneventan manuscripts of the Cathedral Chapter Library of Benevento constitute a largely understudied corpus of medieval illumination, whose material composition has not yet been investigated. This paper presents an in situ non-invasive multi-analytical investigation of three of these codices: Ms. 7 and Ms. 17 (Sanctorale), and Ms. 19 (Missal–Breviary) assigned to two different production environments, through a workflow combining elemental/molecular spectroscopy with point-based and Vis-NIR hyperspectral imaging and high-resolution microscopy. The study examines pigments, binders, and inks, across the three manuscripts, with the aim of establishing an exploratory research protocol that combines autoptic observations and diagnostic analyses to characterising and comparing manuscript production environments. The principal pigments identified across the three manuscripts are cinnabar, natural ultramarine (lapis lazuli), a copper-based green, and lead white, with iron-gall ink consistently present for text writing. Notable differences between the two production environments include the use of orpiment versus an unidentified organic lake for yellow, and the presence of minium, a red–purple lake, and gold exclusively in Ms. 19. A particularly significant finding is the use of iron gall ink, employed across all three manuscripts as a writing medium and as a pigment for modulating tonal values. Moreover, a brown ink was identified in preparatory underdrawings and decorative details, but its composition remains undetermined. Full article

Background: Polymorphonuclear (PMN) leukocyte recruitment to activated pulmonary endothelium is a central mechanism in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This process is mediated by selectins and their counter-ligand, P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1), encoded by SELPLG. Genetic variation in SELPLG has been associated with ARDS susceptibility, while disruption of PSGL-1/P-selectin interactions attenuates lung injury in preclinical models. Because inflammatory stimuli increase both SELPLG expression and circulating PSGL-1 levels, PSGL-1 represents a promising biomarker and therapeutic target. We sought to define the genetic determinants of plasma PSGL-1 levels and evaluate their causal relationships with key inflammatory and endothelial biomarkers. Methods: Genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics for plasma PSGL-1 levels were obtained from the UK Biobank Pharma Proteomics Project (n = 35,571) and the SCALLOP consortium (n = 21,758 across 13 cohorts). Associated variants underwent functional annotation and in silico analyses to identify potential effects on protein structure and gene regulation. Bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) was performed using GWAS summary statistics for C-reactive protein (CRP), E-selectin, GlycA, and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) to assess potential causal relationships with PSGL-1 levels. Results: Multiple cis- and trans-acting loci were significantly associated with plasma PSGL-1 concentrations. Three coding SELPLG variants (rs201689859, rs74792300, and rs139943851) were predicted to alter PSGL-1 protein structure and were associated with lower circulating PSGL-1 levels. Four promoter variants (rs1420663, rs1833245, rs1420664, and rs8179110) were linked to altered transcriptional activity, including a potential effect of rs1420664 on hypoxia-inducible factor binding. Bidirectional MR demonstrated that genetically predicted CRP, E-selectin, GlycA, and sICAM-1 levels were associated with increased plasma PSGL-1 concentrations. Additional loci implicated pathways related to immune signaling, cell adhesion, and protein stability. Conclusions: Large-scale GWAS and Mendelian randomization analyses identified genetic variants that regulate plasma PSGL-1 levels and demonstrated causal links between inflammatory and endothelial biomarkers and PSGL-1 expression. These findings provide new insights into the genetic regulation of leukocyte trafficking pathways and support a role for PSGL-1 in inflammatory diseases, including ARDS, sepsis, and cardiovascular disorders. Full article

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic central nervous system disease with heterogeneous symptoms, including gait disturbances and motor fatigue, affecting daily functioning and quality of life. Episodic assessments may miss within-day functional fluctuations, whereas home-like monitoring may characterize them. This technical proof-of-concept case study quantified gait parameters (velocity, step length, and variability) during natural walking, explored temporal changes in gait and activity as potentially fatigue-relevant motor-performance patterns, and examined the feasibility of deriving candidate digital measures in MS. Three individuals with MS (one EDSS 1; two EDSS 3) were monitored in an instrumented apartment for 6.5–9.0 h using three LiDAR sensors. Gait parameters, region transitions, activity patterns, EDSS, FSMC, VAS-F, and available data-yield indicators were summarized descriptively. Compared with published healthy-adult references, P01 and P03 showed lower walking velocity, and P03 showed reduced step length. P01 maintained stable gait, P02 increased afternoon walking velocity, and P03 showed an afternoon velocity decline and a smaller step length decrease. The behavioral profiles described different spatial activity patterns, and the activity levels remained low during monitoring. LiDAR-based monitoring may provide a privacy-preserving approach to capture gait and activity variations as candidate variables for future validation without establishing fatigue specificity, clinical validity, or diagnostic thresholds. Full article

Very prevalent respiratory and cardiovascular diseases result in chronic hypoxia, promoting metabolic, kidney, heart, and other malignant diseases. Hypoxia research employs animal models based on chronically breathing hypoxic air (O₂ < 21%), usually by injecting N₂ into the animal’s chamber. However, continuous high-flow N₂ supply is available only in limited facilities, reducing the capability for hypoxia research to be widely conducted. Here, we describe an optimized setting for subjecting rodents to chronic normobaric hypoxia by requiring minimal N₂ supply. The primary aim of this study was the technical development and optimization of a system for chronic normobaric hypoxia exposure rather than testing a specific biological hypothesis The setting is based on providing the O₂ consumed by the animals and eliminating the exhaled CO₂ and water vapor. O₂, CO₂, temperature, and humidity in the hypoxic chamber are controlled by an Arduino-based unit activating a pump that introduces room air to restore the metabolized O₂. Another pump continuously recirculates the chamber air through a Peltier-based dryer and CO₂-absorbing soda lime. To correct any deviation in the actual value of hypoxia within the chamber, the control unit allows the injection of N₂ into the chamber from a gas source. The setting performance was successfully tested in vivo when subjecting mice to 11%–O₂ chronic hypoxia. This device, requiring a low N₂ supply, may facilitate in vivo experimental research on hypoxia-related diseases. Full article

This work proposes guidelines for coding a grafcet on a microcontroller, following the specifications described in standard IEC 60848:2013. While previous works exist for coding a simple grafcet on platforms like Arduino or STM32, they overlook implementing timers, hierarchical structure, and other advanced resources included in the IEC 60848:2013. Throughout this study, procedures for implementing the majority of the resources described in the standard using pseudocode and C++ are presented. These resources include timers, stored actions, macrosteps, enclosures, and forcing orders, among others. Previously, it has been necessary to identify ambiguities, vagueness, inaccuracies, and the non-modular approach of the IEC 60848:2013 standard that impeded a proper and unequivocal implementation, proposing improvements and interpretations to make it more unequivocal and exportable. Examples are included to illustrate how to apply the proposed guidelines, and a template to assist in coding any grafcet is made available in a repository. As a result, this article provides designers with a complete set of tools and resources to unequivocally implement concurrent discrete-event processes. The implementation on several microcontrollers exhibits exceptional memory efficiency under scaled stress-testing conditions (100 steps and 25 timers): less than 2% of the RAM for STM32F411RE and ESP32, and less than a 1.5% increase in ROM when implementing the analysis of 100 transitions and the definition of 25 timers. This proves its scalability for complex discrete-event applications. Cycle times depend on whether there is access to macrostep expansions and enclosures but are around 80 microseconds for the STM32F411 and 20 microseconds for the ESP32. Full article

Background/Objectives: Dietary fiber and polyphenols are recognized modulators of intestinal and immune homeostasis; however, evidence regarding their combined impact under physiological conditions remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate whether a diet enriched with fermentable fiber and polyphenols modulates mucosal and systemic immune biomarkers, as well as microbiota composition and function in healthy adult female rats. Methods: Wistar rats were fed either a reference diet (REF group) or a fiber- and polyphenol-enriched diet (FP group) for nine weeks. At the end of the intervention, plasma lipid profile, systemic and mucosal immune status (assessed by immunoglobulin (Ig) content in several compartments), cecal microbiota composition (determined by 16S rRNA sequencing), cecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and cecal Ig-coated bacteria, among other variables, were quantified. Results: The FP group exhibited a higher IgG concentration in plasma and elevated IgG2c levels in mucosal compartments compared with REF animals. The FP diet did not alter either intestinal morphology or hematologic and lipid variables; however, FP rats exhibited increased fecal moisture and reduced fecal pH. With regard to cecal microbiota, the FP group displayed higher microbial evenness, distinct β-diversity clustering, and shifts in the abundance of multiple genera. In addition, elevated cecal SCFA concentrations, particularly for acetate and propionate, were found in the FP group. Conclusions: Long-term intake of fermentable fiber and polyphenols promotes microbial fermentation and enhances humoral immunity without inducing structural or systemic physiological alterations. These findings support the role of plant-based foods in promoting immune and gut microbiota homeostasis under healthy conditions. Full article

Functional properties of caseins play a crucial role in the dairy industry, so it is important to develop methods to improve their functionality. The aim of this study is to investigate the combined effect of high-intensity ultrasound (HIUS) treatment and calcium chelation on functional properties of casein micelles. For this purpose, micellar casein concentrate (MCC) was prepared with a concentration of 3% (w/w) casein. Then, 0 and 10 mM of Disodium hydrogen phosphate was added. HIUS was performed at a frequency of 20 kHz, power intensity of 550 W/cm², and an amplitude of 100% for 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 min at 25 °C. Factorial design was employed to investigate the effect of ultrasound time (UST) and disodium phosphate (DSP) on foam capacity (FC), emulsion activity index (EAI), gelation time (GT), G′ at 480 min of oscillation time (G′₄₈₀), slope of complex viscosity, and linear viscoelastic region (LVR). At 0 mM of DSP, increasing UST from 0 to 15 min decreased GT from 114.39 ± 3.20 to 83.52 ± 1.61 min, and it extended LVR from 40.36 ± 0.12 to 41.27 ± 0.27% of the applied strain. In addition, applying HIUS for 15 min increased the elasticity and firmness of MCC gel networks at 0 mM of DSP. G′₄₈₀ was not influenced by UST, but it was reduced by DSP from 108.40 ± 3.29 to 15.78 ± 1.58 Pa. Increasing both UST and DSP significantly increased FC from 110.00 ± 13.23 to 163.33 ± 11.55% and foam stability (FS) in all treatments. FS reached its maximum (doubled) after 10 min of UST at 0 mM of DSP. However, EAI and emulsion stability index (ESI) decreased with increasing both UST and DSP. HIUS treatment combined with calcium chelation might highlight a new approach to improve foaming properties. However, regardless of calcium chelation, HIUS treatment is a promising technology to improve the gelling properties of casein micelles. Full article

Introduction: Brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) is a salmonid fish considered a genetically and geographically highly structured species. The species is catalogued as vulnerable in the Spanish Red List since 1992. Based on morphological differentiation, some authors have proposed splitting Salmo trutta into many taxa and in recent years, several binomials involving morphologically differentiated Western Mediterranean brown trout morphs have regained relevance as distinct species and are now assessed in the IUCN Red List. However, Spanish legislation still considers a single species, S. trutta, inhabiting Atlantic and Mediterranean rivers. Analyses of mitochondrial DNA variation across the species’ native range have revealed numerous matrilineal lineages and helped disentangle the phylogenetic relationships and biogeographic history of brown trout. Four largely distant evolutionary lineages defined by sequencing the mitochondrial control region (Adriatic, AD, Mediterranean, ME, Atlantic, AT and Duero, DU) are native among the Iberian brown trout populations. Stocking activities have resulted in introgressive hybridization of these native populations with non-native northern Atlantic stocks throughout the Iberian rivers and compromise the evolutionary singularities of brown trout in the Iberian Peninsula. Methodology: In this study, we compare complete mitogenomes from Iberian brown trout specimens with those from other regions, using both newly sequenced samples and whole mitogenomes from the GenBank database and estimate their divergence times relative to those observed among species of other Salmoninae genera, such as Oncorhynchus and Salvelinus, to assess patterns of species-specific divergence among Iberian brown trout populations. Results: The evolutionary relationships of the specimens using their mitogenomes fitted with previous analyses using partial mitochondrial sequences and confirmed the strong differentiation among the Iberian lineages. All the branches involving distant Iberian mitogenomes are sister branches with taxa historically described under different binomials (such as Salmo macrostigma, S. multipunctatus, S. pallaryi). Conclusions: The results provide evidence supporting the existence of potentially distinct and undescribed native Salmo species in the Iberian rivers. Full article

Background: Gastric cancer is a major global health concern. Although sex- and gender-based differences have been described, they are not yet well established, and the available evidence is often inconsistent. This systematic review aims to explore these differences in the incidence, clinicopathological characteristics, risk factors, treatment, and survival of gastric cancer, thereby contributing to healthcare equity. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in the main medical bibliographic databases (PubMed, Embase and Web of Science) in February 2026 following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Studies on gastric cancer were selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results were synthesized qualitatively according to incidence, clinicopathological characteristics, risk factors, treatment outcomes, and survival. Due to the heterogeneity and predominantly observational design of the included studies, no meta-analysis or formal risk-of-bias assessment was conducted. Results: A total of 38 studies, involving more than 500,000 participants, were included. Most reported a higher incidence of gastric cancer in men, with a predominance of intestinal and well-differentiated tumors, while diffuse and poorly differentiated tumors were more common in women. Men showed higher rates of smoking, alcohol consumption, and postoperative complications. Overall survival tended to be higher in women, especially in early stages, although some studies described worse outcomes among young women. Conclusions: This review highlights relevant sex- and gender-related differences in gastric cancer and underscores the need to systematically incorporate these variables into future research to advance towards more personalized medicine. The available evidence was limited by the predominance of retrospective observational studies and heterogeneity across study designs and reported outcomes. Full article

The integration of wind energy into urban environments is constrained by low wind speeds, high turbulence, and the recurrent negative torque experienced by lift-driven vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs). This study specifically evaluates a straight-bladed H-Darrieus rotor equipped with a single upstream passive flat-plate deflector for the wind regime measured on the campus of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (Lima, Peru). A three-dimensional transient CFD model using the SST k–ω turbulence model was applied to compare the baseline rotor and the deflector-assisted configuration under identical operating conditions; DMST calculations were used only as a low-order cross-check for the bare rotor performance trend, not as a substitute for experimental validation. The deflector was selected after a geometric sensitivity assessment and positioned at 30° relative to the incoming flow, with a span equal to the rotor height and a length comparable to the rotor diameter. At TSR = 2.5, the maximum power coefficient increased from 0.4459 for the bare rotor to 0.6153 with the deflector, equivalent to an improvement of approximately 38%. Velocity and pressure fields show that the deflector accelerates the flow toward the advancing blade while shielding the returning blade, thereby reducing adverse torque and smoothing cyclic torque fluctuations. The results define the applicability of the proposed passive device for low-to-moderate urban wind environments with a dominant wind sector and provide a reproducible numerical basis for subsequent wind-tunnel and field validation. Full article

Hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) is an emerging non-thermal technology that is capable of improving the quality and shelf life of fruit juices while retaining heat-sensitive bioactive compounds. This study optimized a mixed-fruit juice (MFJ) blend—60% mandarin, 25% pineapple, and 15% watermelon using a D-optimal mixture design. The MFJ was subjected to HC at varying pressures (4–6 bar) and times (40–60 min) and compared to thermal treatment (90 °C for 30 s). The optimized predicted HC treatment (5 bar/52 min) effectively maintained pH, titratable acidity, and TSS. Notably, HC at 6 bar for 60 min reduced the sedimentation index by 2% and lowered viscosity to 3.56 cP. Compared to thermal processing, the optimized HC-treated sample demonstrated superior nutrient retention, preserving 82.29% of vitamin C, 93.50% of total phenolics, 87.43% of flavonoids, and 61.67% of antioxidant activity. Microbial safety was also improved, achieving a 1.35 log CFU/mL reduction in total plate count and 47.96% peroxidase inactivation. While sensory evaluation showed slightly lower acceptability for HC-treated juice (6.36) versus the control (7.14), it significantly outperformed thermal treatment (3.83). Furthermore, the cavitated sample demonstrated superior bioactive retention after 14 days of storage at 4 °C, with total phenolic content retained at 31.55 ± 0.9 mg GAE/100 mL. The findings suggest that hydrodynamic cavitation can be considered a promising non-thermal processing technology for improving physicochemical stability, preserving bioactive compounds, and extending the shelf life of functional fruit beverages. This underscores HC’s potential as a viable, high-quality alternative to traditional pasteurization in the beverage industry. Full article

The objective of this study is to explore the beliefs of teacher educators (TE) and pre-service teachers (PST) regarding cultural diversity and its relationship with teaching-learning practices, to contribute to strengthening Initial Teacher Education (ITE) with an intercultural approach. A quantitative observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional pilot study was conducted using a survey administered to 230 PST and TE from 18 Chilean universities. The results showed that TE exhibited higher levels of negative beliefs (d = 1.00; p < 0.001) and less favorable educational practices to cultural diversity (p = 0.012). Although no statistically significant differences were observed in favorable educational practices, a trend toward higher scores was identified among PST. Regression models indicated that the teaching role was significantly associated with negative beliefs, whereas the other variables showed no significant associations. Overall, the findings suggest a dissociation between stated and structural beliefs regarding cultural diversity, which may influence the implementation of intercultural pedagogical practices in teacher education. They underscore the need to strengthen intercultural training—particularly among TE—through critical reflection to align beliefs and pedagogical practices, and to advance future research on the evolution of these beliefs and their impact on teaching practice. Full article