Search Results (293)

This study optimized the mix proportions of ultra-high-toughness fly ash-based geopolymer composites (EGC) and investigated the effects of sub-elevated temperature curing on its tensile properties using dumbbell-shaped tensile tests, microstructural analysis, and Digital Image Correlation (DIC). The results indicate that fiber incorporation significantly mitigates matrix brittleness, enabling EGC to achieve an ultimate tensile strain of up to 4.5%. Under ambient curing, both tensile strength and strain capacity improved with age. Sub-elevated temperature curing markedly enhanced early-age mechanical properties; at later ages, tensile strength further increased while strain capacity slightly declined. Microstructural analysis revealed that sub-elevated temperature curing accelerated geopolymerization, resulting in a denser matrix, with DIC confirming that EGC’s high ductility stems from multiple micro-cracking propagation. By adopting the Menetrey–Willam damage model, numerical simulations successfully captured the stress concentration and damage redistribution process, mechanically confirming the pseudo-plasticity and multiple damage evolution of EGC. Full article

Microscopic colitis (MC) is an inflammatory bowel disease characterized by chronic watery diarrhea. Although barrier dysfunction and immune activation are implicated, underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The aim of this study was to characterize enteric glial cells (EGC) and mast cell distribution across MC subtypes, assess treatment effects, and explore EGC-related gene expression and barrier markers. Colonic biopsies from patients with active collagenous colitis (aCC), budesonide-refractory CC (rCC), and active lymphocytic colitis (LC) were compared to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), ulcerative colitis (UC), and healthy controls (HC). A subset of CC patients was studied during active disease (aCC) and in clinical remission due to budesonide treatment (tCC). Immunofluorescence quantified EGC positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein (EGC^GFAP+) and S100 calcium-binding protein B (EGC^S100β+), mast cell tryptase, and tight junction proteins. RNA-sequencing assessed EGC-related gene expression. Results showed that EGC^GFAP+ were highest in rCC and decreased following budesonide treatment in aCC, whereas EGC^S100β+ were highest in aCC, remained unchanged following treatment, resembled IBS, and were reduced compared with UC. Mast cell numbers were higher in aCC than in HC and rCC but remained unchanged following treatment, while mast cell degranulation decreased after treatment. Tight junction proteins were unchanged. RNA-sequencing indicated differential regulation of EGC-related genes. In conclusion, MC shows subtype-specific alterations involving EGC and mast cells, suggesting distinct glial states and differential treatment responsiveness. Our findings support the presence of distinct neuroimmune alterations in CC and LC and highlight EGC as potential contributors to MC pathophysiology. Full article

To investigate the mechanical behavior and failure mechanisms of fiber-reinforced geopolymer drainage pipes under three-edge bearing loads, three-edge bearing tests were conducted on unreinforced engineered geopolymer composite (EGC) and polyvinyl alcohol fiber-reinforced engineered geopolymer composite (PVA-EGC) pipes, as well as glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP)-reinforced EGC and PVA-EGC pipes. The effects of different matrix materials and reinforcement types on the bearing capacity, crack development, and strain field evolution were systematically analyzed based on the load–displacement response, crack evolution, and distributed fiber optic monitoring. The results show that the unreinforced pipes exhibited brittle failure with four-lobe cracking. The bridging effect of PVA fibers delayed crack propagation and improved the post-cracking bearing capacity and structural integrity. The ultimate bearing capacity increased from 2489.38 N for the EGC pipe to 3088.98 N for the PVA-EGC pipe, representing an increase of 24.1%. For the reinforced pipes, the cracking load increased from 7215.18 N for the GFRP-reinforced EGC pipe to 15,339.56 N for the GFRP-reinforced PVA-EGC pipe, corresponding to an increase of 112.6%. The ultimate bearing capacity increased from 18,123.94 N to 24,855.69 N, representing an increase of 37.1%. The GFRP-reinforced PVA-EGC pipe exhibited a more gradual decrease in post-peak bearing capacity and improved deformation resistance and structural ductility. Crack analysis showed that PVA fibers effectively restrained crack localization. The cracking mode changed from through-cracks to multiple fine and uniformly distributed cracks, significantly improving the crack control capacity of the pipe. In addition, the combined action of PVA fibers and GFRP reinforcement reduced strain concentration and promoted more uniform stress transfer. This delayed crack propagation and the development of the GFRP reinforcement toward its ultimate stress state, thereby improving the overall bearing performance of the pipe. Full article

The increasing demand for sustainable food packaging has generated interest in biodegradable carriers for bioactive chemicals. This study created porous aerogels from water caltrop starch (WCS) to encapsulate and regulate the release of epigallocatechin (EGC), a sensitive natural polyphenol. WCS aerogels with different EGC concentrations (0.6–2.5 g per 2.5 g starch) were produced using sol–gel processing and freeze-drying. Structural investigations (FTIR, XRD) suggested bonding interactions between WCS and EGC, which stabilized the polyphenol and affected crystallinity. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that an appropriate EGC loading (1.8 g) facilitated a well-connected porous network, improving water and oil retention. Rheological and textural investigations demonstrated that the addition of EGC enhanced the gel network, leading to increased mechanical properties. In vitro release tests revealed a sustained, diffusion-controlled release profile over 10 days, with higher EGC loading resulting in enhanced retention. The aerogels demonstrated concentration-dependent antibacterial efficacy against E. coli and S. aureus, and exhibited preliminary degradability in soil and water. These findings suggest that WCS-based aerogels represent a potential biodegradable delivery system for polyphenols, demanding additional research for functional food packaging. Full article

To promote the valorization of red mud (RM), a high-volume industrial solid waste, engineered geopolymer composites (EGC) were developed using a ternary binder comprising ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), fly ash (FA), and RM. Ten mixtures were designed using a simplex-centroid method, and the effects of binder composition on fresh-state flowability, axial compressive behavior, and axial tensile performance were systematically investigated. The results showed that GGBS was the dominant factor governing compressive strength. The mixture with the highest GGBS content, G50F50R0, achieved a maximum compressive strength of 111.7 MPa. Although RM incorporation reduced compressive strength, the strength remained approximately 70 MPa at an RM content of 30%, while the post-peak brittleness was noticeably mitigated. In tension, an appropriate RM content of 5–15% effectively reduced matrix toughness, enabling pronounced strain-hardening and multiple-cracking behavior through fiber bridging. Consequently, tensile ductility and strain energy density were substantially enhanced, with the ultimate tensile strain reaching up to 6.9%; however, excessive RM addition led to performance degradation. By overlaying multi-objective performance boundaries, an optimized composition range of 40–45% GGBS, 50–60% FA, and 0–8% RM was identified, enabling the simultaneous achievement of high strength, high toughness, and high energy absorption. These findings demonstrate the technical feasibility of using RM to produce EGC and provide a theoretical basis for the high-value utilization of RM. Full article

Background: Discrepancies between endoscopic and pathological diagnoses commonly occur. From pre-malignant neoplasms to early gastric cancers (EGC), this inconsistency often leads to significant alteration of management. AI (artificial intelligence) assisted diagnostic tools have the potential to mitigate the differences. From optimizing endoscopic examination through standardizing quality and risk stratification by identifying at-risk populations to enhancing EGC detection and characterization guiding therapeutic interventions, AI-assisted endoscopy has shown potential to overcome current limitations in standard care. Methods: In this state-of-the-art narrative review, we synthesize the current evidence and prevailing paradigm, discuss existing limitations, and outline the future directions of AI-assisted endoscopy in EGC. Results: AI models demonstrate potential in enhancing all steps of the EGC management pathway, from optimizing endoscopy quality, identification of at-risk populations, and lesion detection, lesion characterization, to endoscopic resection guidance and lymph node metastasis prediction. Yet, existing evidence largely remains retrospective, with interventional data demonstrating heterogeneity. The conflicting data largely stems from inherent fundamental limitations of AI research in EGC, such as the lack of standardized objective performance metrics, inconsistent methodologies, and reporting standards. These issues fundamentally hinder generalizability and implementation in routine clinical practice. Conclusions: AI-enhanced endoscopy demonstrates potential to overcome current limitations in EGC management. Despite this promising future, there are obstacles to validation, implementation, and mitigating disparities owing to inherent fundamental issues. Full article

The flavor variation among different tea plant cultivars significantly influences their economic value. ‘Huangjinya’ (HJY), a typical light-sensitive etiolated tea cultivar, is prized for its fresh and mellow taste with low bitterness and astringency, and commands a high market value, serving as excellent germplasm for breeding superior-flavor tea varieties. Previous studies have largely focused on the mechanisms underlying fresh and umami tastes, whereas the regulatory mechanisms underlying bitterness and astringency remain poorly understood. In this study, two tea plant (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) cultivars with distinct bitterness and astringency phenotypes, namely ‘Fuxuan 9’ (FX) and HJY, were used to investigate the formation mechanism of reduced bitterness and astringency through integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses. Metabolomic profiling identified 601 differentially accumulated metabolites between the two cultivars, which were significantly enriched in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway. Notably, although the total flavonoid content was higher in HJY, the accumulation of non-esterified catechins (C, EC, EGC), which are key contributors to bitterness, was significantly lower than in FX. By contrast, the levels of esterified catechins (EGCG, GCG) showed no marked differences between cultivars. This distinct accumulation pattern provides a metabolic basis potentially associated with the reduced bitterness and astringency in HJY. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that the catechin biosynthetic gene CsLAR was significantly down-regulated in HJY, consistent with the reduced accumulation of non-esterified catechins. Promoter cloning and functional validation confirmed that the CsLAR promoters in both cultivars were active, which differed by only one regulatory element. Under shading treatment, CsLAR expression in HJY was more sensitive to light and decreased more markedly, suggesting that the expression of CsLAR may be regulated by transcription factors. Furthermore, 385 differentially expressed transcription factors were identified, with predicted binding sites in the CsLAR promoter region, implying their potential involvement in modulating catechin accumulation through modulation of CsLAR expression. Together, these multi-omics findings reveal molecular features potentially contributing to the low bitterness and astringency of HJY, providing a theoretical basis and candidate regulators for breeding tea cultivars with improved flavor profiles. Full article

Background: Esophagogastric cancer (EGC), encompassing oesophageal, gastroesophageal junction (GEJ), and proximal gastric malignancies, remains a major contributor to global cancer mortality. Neoadjuvant therapy, chemotherapy (CT) or chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is now standard for locally advanced, resectable disease. However, variability in treatment response and survival outcomes continues to challenge therapeutic optimisation. Methods: This systematic review followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines and included studies published between January 2020 and September 2025. Eligible studies enrolled adult patients with resectable EGC treated with neoadjuvant CT or CRT, reporting data on pathological response (pathological complete response (pCR) or tumour regression grade (TRG)) and survival outcomes [overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS)]. Sixty studies (18 randomised controlled trials and 42 cohort analyses) were included for qualitative synthesis. Results: Across all regimens, pCR rates ranged from 8% to 49%, with CRT achieving higher pCR (mean 33%) and major TRG response (63%) compared to CT alone (pCR 22%, TRG 48%). Immunotherapy-enhanced protocols (IO-CRT and IO-CT) demonstrated the most promising outcomes, reaching mean pCR rates up to 48–50%. Patients with complete or major regression consistently achieved superior OS and DFS, confirming pathological response as a consistent prognostic marker for long-term survival. Significant clinical heterogeneity was observed across histological subtypes (SCC vs. AC), treatment intensity, and surgical timing, while methodological heterogeneity stemmed from variations in TRG systems, follow-up duration, and reporting standards. Conclusions: Pathological response is consistently associated with survival following neoadjuvant therapy in EGC, yet its predictive power is modulated by tumour histology and treatment modality. Standardisation of TRG assessment, integration of molecular biomarkers, and harmonisation of study design are essential for improving comparability and advancing personalised, multimodal strategies in oesophagogastric oncology. Full article

The increasing adoption of exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCSs) in the maritime industry has raised concerns regarding the management of sludge residues generated during wet scrubber operation. Conventional onboard sludge handling methods primarily rely on temporary storage and onshore disposal, resulting in increased storage requirements, disposal costs, and environmental burdens. Although vacuum drying has emerged as a promising approach for onboard sludge volume reduction, limited studies have addressed the integrated risk-informed design, reliability evaluation, and operational validation of onboard vacuum drying systems under marine operating conditions. This study proposes a risk-informed systems engineering framework for the design, reliability evaluation, and validation of an onboard vacuum drying system (VDS) for EGCS sludge treatment. The framework establishes a closed-loop process in which functional analysis and hazard identification inform quantitative reliability assessment and structural verification, which in turn drive design refinement and are subsequently confirmed through hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) validation and experimental testing. The results demonstrated stable vacuum operation at the designated pressure of 3 Torr for more than 30 min, with a minimum chamber pressure of 0.08 Torr. Structural assessment confirmed that the calculated stresses remained well below the allowable limits of ASME Section VIII Division 1, while modal analysis indicated acceptable dynamic stability. FMECA-based design refinement reduced the Risk Priority Number (RPN) values of major components by 50–67%, with an average reduction of 53.3%. HIL-based validation and experimental testing further verified the effectiveness of the control architecture and the operational feasibility of the system. The study demonstrates how a risk-informed systems engineering framework can systematically integrate structural verification, quantitative reliability improvement, and operational validation for onboard environmental treatment systems. The proposed framework provides a practical and transferable methodology for enhancing the safety, reliability, and operational feasibility of marine systems operating under complex onboard conditions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Whole-genome duplication (WGD) and transposed duplication (TRD) are two principal evolutionary drivers of plant genome expansion, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying their divergent co-expression patterns remain poorly characterized. Methods: In this study, based on the reference genome of tea plant (Camellia sinensis ‘Yunkang 10’, YK10), we integrated publicly available transcriptomic, ATAC-seq, H3K27ac ChIP-seq, whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS), and SNP data from eight tissues and performed a multi-layered analysis of co-expression divergence across 4071 WGD and 10,174 TRD gene pairs. Results: WGD gene pairs exhibited significantly higher co-expression rates (44.3%) than TRD pairs (33.0%), with gene length and sequence similarity jointly promoting co-expression. Chromatin accessibility and H3K27ac modification were each positively correlated with expression and co-expression; however, under equivalent chromatin accessibility conditions, TRD gene expression remained systematically attenuated, and this reduced expression state was significantly associated with elevated levels of CG, CHG, and CHH methylation, suggesting that these epigenetic marks may collectively participate in the transcriptional repression of TRD genes. Promoter-proximal SNPs exerted disproportionately deleterious effects on TRD co-expression, demonstrating that the combined effects of genetic variation and epigenetic modifications are associated with enhanced transcriptional divergence. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed that WGD modules showed significant associations with EC, GC, and EGC accumulation, whereas WRKY and bHLH transcription factors in the TRD MEblue module exhibited strong associations with EGCG and ECG. Conclusions: This study systematically characterizes multi-omics association patterns related to duplicate gene co-expression divergence, providing insights into potential hierarchical regulation. It offers mechanistic clues for catechin metabolic regulation and provides candidate targets for metabolite-directed breeding. Full article

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of foodborne illness in animal-derived food products, yet comprehensive data on its antimicrobial resistance and toxigenic potential from Central Asia remain scarce. We examined 711 food samples (meat, milk, and dairy products) from the Kostanay region of Kazakhstan (2024–2025). Isolates were identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry; antimicrobial susceptibility was assessed by disk diffusion (EUCAST v.16.0); enterotoxin production (types A–E) by ELISA; and resistance and toxin genes by PCR. Concordance between methods was evaluated using Cohen’s kappa coefficient. S. aureus was recovered from 11.8% of samples (84/711), with raw cow’s milk carrying the highest contamination risk (OR = 2.75; 95% CI: 1.74–4.38). High resistance to ampicillin (52.4%) and benzylpenicillin (50.0%) was found; 20.2% of strains were multidrug-resistant. Among the 17 cefoxitin-resistant isolates, only 4 harbored mecA, suggesting that 13 isolates (15.5%) should be interpreted as cefoxitin-resistant, mecA-negative isolates with a putative BORSA-like phenotype rather than as confirmed MRSA. Staphylococcal enterotoxins A–E were detected in 26.2% of isolates, and egc-cluster genes seg and sei were present in 9.5% each. The strongest genotype–phenotype concordance was observed for aph(3′)/kanamycin (κ = 0.65) and blaZ/benzylpenicillin (κ = 0.64). These results underscore the need for combined molecular and phenotypic surveillance for regional food safety monitoring. Full article

This study investigates the synergistic therapeutic potential of Rivastigmine (RVG) and Epigallocatechin (EGC) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder characterized by neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and dysregulated signaling pathways. Conventional therapies primarily provide symptomatic relief and target limited pathways, highlighting the need for multi-target strategies with improved efficacy and safety. An integrated in silico approach combining pharmacokinetic evaluation, network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulations is used to determine the synergistic potential of RVG and EGC. Pharmacokinetic analysis indicates favorable drug-likeness and acceptable ADME/Tox profiles for both compounds. Network pharmacology identified 146 overlapping targets associated with AD, highlighting key hub genes including NFKB1, MAPK1, STAT1, PRKACA, GRB2, LYN, and PTPN11, which are involved in neuroinflammation, synaptic signaling, and neuronal survival. Functional enrichment analysis indicated significant involvement of MAPK/ERK signaling and immune-regulatory pathways. Importantly, the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway is identified as a novel mechanism connecting neuroimmune modulation with intracellular kinase-driven neurodegeneration. Molecular docking studies showed strong binding affinities of RVG and EGC toward key AD-related targets, particularly MAPK1, supported by stable hydrogen bonding and interaction profiles. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed stable protein-ligand interactions, with EGC contributing structural stability and RVG exhibiting adaptive flexibility within the binding pocket. These results suggest that the RVG-EGC combination exhibits synergistic potential by simultaneously modulating neuroinflammatory, oxidative stress, and kinase-mediated signaling pathways. The integration of PD-1/PD-L1 and MAPK/ERK signaling provides a novel mechanistic pathway for multi-target therapeutic intervention in AD. Full article

To address the difficulty of accurately capturing the dynamic patterns of carbon emission time series—characterized by nonlinearity, non-stationarity, and complex fluctuations—this paper proposes a carbon emission prediction model based on an elite-guided collaborative social spider learning optimization algorithm (EGC-SSLO) integrated with a Long short-term memory (LSTM) network. First, considering the limitations of the standard stochastic social learning optimization (SSLO) algorithm in complex high-dimensional optimization problems, such as insufficient elite information guidance, weak local exploitation in the later stages, and a tendency to become trapped in local optima, three complementary improvement strategies are introduced. The adaptive elite mean-guided search strategy enhances the search directionality by incorporating the cooperative information of the best individual and the elite mean. The worst-individual hybrid Cauchy–Lévy search mechanism achieves a dynamic balance between early-stage global exploration and late-stage local exploitation through long-range Lévy flights and fine-grained Cauchy perturbations. The quadratic directional exploitation strategy further refines the search trajectory of candidate solutions, thereby improving convergence accuracy. These three strategies significantly enhance the optimization performance without increasing the time complexity order of the algorithm. Experimental results on the CEC2017 (30-dimensional), CEC2020 (20-dimensional), and CEC2022 (20-dimensional) benchmark suites demonstrate that EGC-SSLO consistently outperforms classical algorithms such as PSO, GWO, and HHO, as well as their improved variants, in terms of convergence accuracy, convergence speed, and robustness. Furthermore, the Wilcoxon rank-sum test and Friedman test confirm that the observed improvements are statistically significant. Finally, an EGC-SSLO-LSTM carbon emission prediction model is constructed and applied to daily carbon emission data in China from 2019 to 2025 for empirical analysis. The experimental findings show that the EGC-SSLO-LSTM model markedly outperforms both the standard LSTM and SSLO-LSTM approaches across key evaluation metrics, including mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), and the coefficient of determination (R²). In particular, the MAE is decreased by 39.9% and 4.64% compared with the two benchmark models, respectively, which highlights the strong effectiveness and practical potential of the proposed method in real-world carbon emission forecasting applications. Full article

pH critically influences the astringency of tea, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study aimed to elucidate how pH modulates tea astringency through dual mechanisms (polyphenol–saliva binding and polyphenol oral metabolism) with comparable in vivo and in vitro oral processing (OP) models. After optimizing OP parameters (10 mL, 10 s), the effect of pH (3.0–6.0) on green tea infusion and representative polyphenols (epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin (EGC), and gallic acid (GA)) was investigated by sensory evaluation, turbidimetry, and paper spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS). Astringency intensity was shown to increase as pH decreased from 6.0 to 3.5, with a slight decline at pH 3.0. Turbidimetry revealed that lower pH led to greater turbidity increases after OP, indicating enhanced polyphenol–saliva binding. PS-MS revealed that lower pH was associated with greater reductions in polyphenol concentrations and increased formation of metabolites, with changes consistent with the conversion of EGCG to EGC and GA. These pH-dependent trends were consistent between in vivo and in vitro OP and were validated with single polyphenol solutions. Collectively, these findings reveal that pH modulates tea astringency by simultaneously enhancing both binding and metabolism of polyphenols. The comparable in vivo and in vitro OP approach provides a robust platform for mechanistic studies of astringency in complex food systems. Full article

Cystic echinococcosis (CE), caused by Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.), is a significant zoonotic disease affecting livestock and public health worldwide, particularly in endemic regions such as La Araucanía, Chile. This study evaluated the role of cattle in the transmission dynamics of E. granulosus sensu stricto (s.s.) by morphologically and molecular characterizing hydatid cysts (HC) collected from cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats. A total of 123 cysts were obtained from a local slaughterhouse, with cattle contributing the majority of samples (n = 94). Fertility was highest in sheep (76.2%) and low in cattle (3.2%), while cysts from pigs and goats were infertile. PCR amplification and sequencing of the cox1 gene confirmed the predominance of genotype G1 (98.1%), with two additional haplotypes (Eg^B and Eg^C) identified in cattle and sheep. Two cattle samples harbored genotype G3. Phylogenetic analyses grouped all sequences within the E. granulosus s.s. complex. The results corroborate the role of cattle as important sentinels for environmental surveillance of CE due to their exposure and traceability but highlight their lower competence in parasite transmission to definitive hosts compared with sheep. The genetic diversity observed aligns with previous findings in Chile, underscoring the epidemiological significance of E. granulosus s.s. and genotype G1 in the region. Full article