Search Results (437)

Spectral line shapes are used to diagnose parameters of white dwarfs and neutron stars in particular. In magnetized plasmas, the motion of the radiating atom in the plasma needs to be considered in the collision process as the electronic structure of the atom depends on its center-of-mass translational momentum. More broadly, collision models do not explicitly or fully account for the motion of the nucleus, accounting for deflection through conservation of momentum. Traditionally, the correlation between electronic and nuclear motion has been captured through mass-polarization terms involving momenta scalar products between different electrons. We reformulate the collision problem accounting for the motion of the nucleus, taking advantage of unitary transformations. In this new formulation, Coulomb interactions between the atom and projectile/plasma particle become displaced Coulomb interactions, and exchange interactions include corrections of order $1/M_A$. We demonstrate the resulting impact on the elastic scattering T-matrices of the $1s$ state of hydrogen, where the lowest-energy electrons increase the real part by 20–30% while leaving the imaginary part practically unaltered. Lastly, we present a formulation so that the atomic motion can be explicitly included in the collision problem for magnetic-field applications. Full article

A prism-coupled surface plasmon resonance (SPR) platform was assessed for detecting dilute acetone in liquid samples representative of condensed exhaled breath. The study combines transfer-matrix Fresnel calculations with wavelength-interrogated experiments performed with a PMMA prism and a nominal 50 nm Au layer. The numerical analysis was used to examine the resonance position, line broadening, minimum reflectance, sensitivity, and figure of merit as a function of optical and material parameters. Experimentally, aqueous acetone solutions spanning 1.8–90 ppm were analyzed. The resonance band shifted systematically toward longer wavelengths as the acetone content increased, and reproducible spectral changes were obtained for concentrations down to approximately 9 ppm using the present optical setup. From the measured spectral slope and baseline fluctuations, the statistical limit of detection was estimated to be close to 1 ppm, whereas the practical limit was governed mainly by spectrometer resolution and low-concentration signal separation. These results establish a reproducible reference for non-functionalized Au/PMMA SPR sensing of acetone in condensed breath-like aqueous media. Full article

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) is a legume valued in several countries for its nutritional quality, low input requirements, and economic profitability. However, cowpea productivity is significantly constrained by anthracnose disease caused by Colletotrichum species. Enhancing host resistance through the introgression of resistance alleles from landraces and wild relatives offers a promising strategy for durable disease management. This study evaluated 20 cowpea landraces and 18 V. unguiculata ssp. dekindtiana accessions for resistance to anthracnose under natural field infection. The cultivars Ife Brown and V. vexillata line TVNu-428 were included as susceptible and resistant checks, respectively. The experiment was laid in an alpha lattice design (8 × 5) with three replications arranged. Anthracnose symptoms characterized by enlarged light-brown lesions surrounded by reddish-brown halos were produced on all the accessions and the symptoms progressed throughout the assessment period. Five V. unguiculata ssp. dekindtiana accessions (TVNu-113, TVNu-1506, TVNu-1222, TVNu-420, and TVNu-136) and three cowpea landrace accessions (TVu-14076, TVu-17556, and TVu-17567) were identified as promising sources of anthracnose resistance. These accessions represent valuable genetic resources for broadening the cowpea resistance gene pool and support the strategic utilization of wild cowpea germplasm in breeding programs. Full article

Hybridization between sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) and its wild relative Erianthus rockii offers a promising route to broadening the narrow genetic base of modern cultivars, but the authenticity and chromosome inheritance patterns of such hybrids remain poorly understood. In this study, we combined molecular marker (tetra-primer ARMS-PCR) and cytogenetic (genomic in situ hybridization, GISH) approaches to verify hybridity and track chromosome transmission in 24 F₁ and 12 BC₁ progeny. The F₁ hybrids exhibited a strict n + n transmission pattern, receiving exactly 15 chromosomes from E. rockii. When F₁ plants were used as the male parent in backcrosses, no BC₁ seeds were obtained due to complete pollen sterility. Remarkably, when F₁ plants served as the female parent, all 12 BC₁ clones retained the entire set of 15 E. rockii chromosomes intact, following an unconventional 2n + n pattern. These findings reveal a strong parent-of-origin effect and, for the first time, demonstrate that the whole E. rockii chromosome complement can be stably transmitted into backcross progeny without loss or recombination. This opens a direct route for introgressing complete wild genomes into sugarcane breeding lines, preserving complex polygenic traits and guiding rational crossing strategies. Full article

Hydrogen-rich shaft furnaces operated with coke oven gas (COG) represent an important low-carbon ironmaking route. Conventional porous-medium CFD models, however, do not explicitly resolve geometry-dependent burden descent or downward advection of solid sensible heat in variable-cross-section moving beds. To address this gap, a user-defined-scalar (UDS)-based pseudo-fluid moving-bed dual-temperature CFD framework is developed in this study. The framework couples geometry-dependent pseudo-solid kinematics, UDS-based transport of pseudo-solid species and sensible enthalpy, and a 12-step reduction-reforming-carbon reaction network on a fixed Eulerian mesh. It is applied to a 0.5 Mt·a⁻¹ industrial reactor through one reference case and three parametric groups covering solid descent velocity, cooling-side back pressure, and CH₄ content. Mesh-independence and mass-conservation checks indicate that the medium mesh is adequate for the intended trend-level assessment; the fine-to-medium deviations are 0.54% for DRI metallization, 0.23% for DRI outlet temperature, and 0.20% for top-gas temperature, with a net global mass residual of 1.53 × 10⁻⁶ kg·s⁻¹; the baseline DRI metallization (96.3%), carbon content (1.1%), and combined H₂ + CO utilization (29.45%) all fall within the reported ranges of the HBIS demonstration line and Energiron-ZR projects. As the descent velocity increases from 2.88 to 6.72 × 10⁻⁴ m·s⁻¹, DRI metallization drops from 98.0% to 79.4% and the outlet temperature rises from 313.3 to 719.4 K. Increasing the cooling-gas outlet back pressure from 60 to 100 kPa reduces the cooling-outlet excess flow from 1.49 to 0.11 kg·s⁻¹, indicating a dynamic gas-seal control between the two gas circuits, whereas raising the inlet CH₄ fraction from 10 to 23 vol% lowers the apparent CH₄ conversion from 29.5% to 18.5% and broadens the carbon-deposition zone. The framework offers a continuum basis for proof-of-concept and trend-level analysis of variable-cross-section hydrogen-rich moving-bed shaft furnaces. Full article

This Editorial introduces the Special Issue “Spatial Planning and Land-Use Management: 2nd Edition” and discusses the eight articles published in it. Taken together, these contributions demonstrate that contemporary spatial planning and land-use management can no longer be understood as narrowly regulatory or sector-specific activities. Rather, they must be approached as integrative and adaptive practices capable of mediating between ecological integrity, territorial cohesion, infrastructure provision, social justice, public health, and participatory governance. The Special Issue brings together case studies from China, the United States, Australia, Iran, Portugal, Slovakia, and Belgium, as well as comparative evidence from peri-urban landscapes, and spans a wide range of spatial scales, from neighbourhoods and urban forests to metropolitan green belts, urban agglomerations, peri-urban territories, and ecoregions. Several major lines of inquiry emerge across the volume. First, the articles reaffirm the need for multiscale planning frameworks able to connect local action with regional and supra-regional structures. Second, they broaden the understanding of infrastructure by including not only transport and urban facilities, but also ecological, green, and even nocturnal infrastructures. Third, they show that many of today’s most difficult planning questions arise in spaces of transition and overlap, especially peri-urban areas, where conflicts among land uses, ecosystem services, development pressures, and governance arrangements become particularly acute across sectors and across spatial and temporal scales. Fourth, they underline that planning effectiveness increasingly depends on participation, co-design, and cooperation among diverse actors, including civic initiatives and local communities. Overall, the Special Issue highlights spatial planning as a strategic field of action through which societies can address land-use conflicts, reconcile environmental and social objectives, and design more sustainable, resilient, and liveable territories. Full article

Canine osteosarcoma (OSA) is a highly aggressive primary bone tumor and a valuable model in comparative oncology. Nevertheless, commonly used canine in vitro models remain incompletely and inconsistently characterized, while exhibiting substantial biological heterogeneity affecting experimental outcomes. This study aimed to comparatively characterize three canine osteosarcoma cell lines (OSCA8, OSCA29, and D17) in reference to canine hTERT fibroblasts, and with a focus on functional properties and selected molecular features, namely including miR-27b-3p and IGF2BP3 expression. The cytophysiological profile of the cells was evaluated in relation proliferation and migratory capacity. In turn, gene expression was determined with RT-qPCR, and proteins detected with Western blotting. The D17 cell line showed the highest metabolic activity and the largest fraction of S-phase cells, whereas OSCA8 cells demonstrated the greatest clonogenic potential and the highest migratory activity in the wound healing assay. OSCA29 cells displayed an intermediate functional profile, while all OSA cell lines exhibited comparable migratory capacity in transwell assay. At the molecular level, miR-27b-3p expression was significantly higher in OSCA8 and D17 cells than in OSCA29 cells. In turn, IGF2BP3 transcript levels were lower in OSCA29 cells, whereas protein analysis revealed distinct immunoreactive forms. Together, these findings highlight the functional heterogeneity of commonly used canine osteosarcoma cell lines and broaden their current characterization. Full article

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder marked by progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and the accumulation of Lewy bodies, intracellular inclusions enriched in α-synuclein. Synphilin-1 interacts with α-synuclein, localizes to Lewy bodies, and has been implicated in inclusion formation and neuroprotection in cellular and animal models; however, its physiological function in vivo remains poorly defined. Here, we generated and characterized a synphilin-1 knockout (Sph-1 KO) mouse by targeted genetic deletion of the Sph-1 locus and performed a comprehensive phenotyping battery including behavioral testing as well as biochemical, histological, structural, and ultrastructural analyses. Sph-1 KO mice survived to nearly two years of age and showed normal body weight, lifespan, motor performance, learning and memory, anxiety-like behavior, attention, and gross brain morphology. Western blot analyses indicated that levels of α-synuclein and synaptic proteins were largely unchanged. While outer mitochondrial membrane proteins were unaffected, the mitochondrial matrix protein HSP60 was reduced, consistent with altered mitochondrial proteostasis in the absence of synphilin-1. Strikingly, histochemical analyses, magnetic resonance imaging, and electron microscopy revealed early-onset hydrocephalus in Sph-1 KO mice associated with severe loss and disorganization of motile ependymal cilia in the ventricular lining, a cell type that normally expresses high levels of synphilin-1. Ultrastructural and immunohistochemical analyses revealed disrupted ependymal architecture, mislocalization of acetylated α-tubulin to the cytoplasm, cellular swelling, and enlarged, aberrant mitochondria, whereas cortical neurons appeared largely structurally unaffected. Together, these findings identify synphilin-1 as a key regulator of microtubule organization and cytoskeletal/organelle homeostasis in ependymal cells, required to maintain motile ciliogenesis, cerebrospinal fluid flow, and ventricular integrity. This unexpected role for synphilin-1 in ciliated brain epithelia, along with a reduction in the critical mitochondrial chaperone HSP60, broadens our understanding of synphilin-1 biology and provides a new framework for its potential relevance to PD-associated pathology. Full article

Cow’s milk allergy (CMA) remains one of the most common food allergies in infancy, requiring the avoidance of cow’s milk and its derivatives. Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for infants. For those infants with CMA whose mothers are unable to breastfeed or choose not to, extensively hydrolysed formulas (eHFs) are widely recommended as first-line milk substitutes, whereas hydrolysed rice formulas (HRFs) are increasingly recognised as a viable alternative. This concept paper provides a healthcare professional (HCP) perspective on HRF, drawing on expert consensus from two meetings convened in 2025. Discussions noted the long history of safe and effective HRF use in Europe, its nutritional adequacy, and the evolving international guidelines supporting HRF as an alternative first-line option. A key meeting outcome was the development of a practical decision tree to help UK clinicians decide when HRF should be the preferred choice. Key considerations for its use in non-breastfed infants include the following: parental/caregiver stress related to persistent symptoms; ongoing symptoms despite multiple interventions; cultural and lifestyle choices; religious dietary requirements; and specialists’ recommendations. Secondary considerations highlighted by HCPs include the following: proven reactions whilst infants are breast-milk-fed together with parental request for formula; faltering growth; multiple symptoms; taste acceptance (older infants); and parental preference based on experience. The role of functional components, such as prebiotics and human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), was noted in regard to the emerging evidence of benefits to the microbiome and immune development. The experts emphasised the importance of engaging HCPs across all levels of CMA care and addressing challenges in translating current guidance into treatment practice. It was concluded that, overall, HRF represents a nutritionally complete, plant-based alternative that has been shown to be well tolerated (taste, symptoms) in clinical studies. It can be used to broaden therapeutic options for infants with CMA in the UK who are not exclusively fed breast milk. Full article

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are valuable liquid-biopsy biomarkers, yet their extreme rarity makes high-purity, high-throughput enrichment challenging. In spiral inertial microfluidics, high cell loading induces long-range hydrodynamic interactions that broaden the focused blood-cell stream; consequently, a subpopulation completes the ~0.5 and ~1.0 Dean-cycle migrations with a phase delay, compressing the CTC–blood cell gap and degrading purity. Here we propose a Dean-cycle phase-regulated double-spiral design informed by this phenomenon. This design aims to mitigate the stream-broadening effect by boosting the Dean number during the first half-cycle to promote synchronized blood-cell migration and shifting the CTC equilibrium position near one full cycle to further widen the CTC–blood cell separation. We implement this strategy in a second-generation double-spiral microfluidic chip (SDMC) and scale it to a four-channel parallel array (ASDMC). Under optimized conditions, ASDMC processes diluted whole blood (hematocrit = 4%) without the need for red blood cell (RBC) lysis or antibody labeling, achieving a sample throughput of 1200 μL·min⁻¹. Specifically, it exhibits a mean recovery rate of 98.8% across three spiked tumor cell lines (MCF-7, PC-9, and Mahlavu) and a mean white blood cell (WBC) depletion efficiency of 93.3%. In a pilot clinical testing of 20 patients (NSCLC and HCC), enriched fractions enabled immunofluorescence identification of CK⁺CD45⁻DAPI⁺ CTCs, with an exploratory trend of increasing CTC counts with advanced disease stage (4–34 cells·mL⁻¹). These results describe a scalable, label-free platform, and the observed purification performance aligns with our proposed mechanism: Dean-cycle phase regulation to mitigate blood-cell migration lag. Our findings support further technical validation and clinical assessment in larger cohorts. Full article

In this study, systematic experiments are conducted on a vertical rigid cylinder with two degrees of freedom in the subcritical Reynolds-number regime. The selected flow conditions cover the excitation stage, the lock-in stage, and the post-lock-in stage of vortex-induced vibration. Structural displacements, hydrodynamic forces, and wake vorticity fields are measured simultaneously using laser displacement sensors, force transducers, and particle image velocimetry. The results show that the cross-flow motion remains dominant throughout the investigated range, while the in-line motion is activated through phase coupling within the lock-in region. A stage-dependent redistribution of hydrodynamic loading is identified. The loading first concentrates in the cross-flow direction during synchronization, then partially shifts toward the in-line direction under coupled motion, and finally becomes spatially dispersed as desynchronization develops. This directional redistribution moderates the peak cross-flow amplitude, broadens the lock-in region, and alters the sequence of force-coefficient peaks. The synchronized wake measurements reveal that the flow evolves from incoherent structures to organized vortex streets and then to fragmented and irregular patterns, directly reflecting the formation and collapse of directional load concentration. These findings establish a consistent linkage between hydrodynamic loading, structural response, and wake evolution, and provide experimental evidence for the coupled dynamics of two-degree-of-freedom vortex-induced vibration, offering physical insight for the design and assessment of realistic marine cylindrical structures. Full article

The ADA 2026 Standards of Care in Diabetes introduces pivotal updates that refine diagnostic and therapeutic workflows. Expanding upon the 2025 guidelines, the 2026 edition broadens continuous-glucose-monitoring (CGM) eligibility to include all individuals on insulin or non-insulin therapies where CGM aids management. Significant new guidance addresses hyperglycemia management in oncology, identifying metformin as the preferred first-line intervention for drug-induced glycemic excursions. Additionally, type 1-diabetes (T1D) risk stratification is refined; a confirmed single IA-2 autoantibody now warrants monitoring levels similar to the Stage 2 disease. Furthermore, prerequisites for automated-insulin-delivery (AID) initiation have been removed to streamline technology access. For laboratory professionals, these revisions emphasize the critical role of advanced glycemic metrics and precise autoantibody profiling in complex clinical contexts. Full article

In recent times, increasing attention has been devoted to the investigation of atmospheric processes through remote sensing in order to improve our understanding of climate dynamics and atmospheric physics. This requires accurate simulation of the spectra emitted by the Earth, from which atmospheric composition and thermodynamic conditions can be retrieved. The FORUM mission focuses on observations of the Earth’s outgoing radiation in the far-infrared spectral region, which has been only sparsely explored due to observational challenges, despite its significant contribution to the characterization of atmospheric processes. As part of the mission activities, dedicated simulations of the measurements expected from the FORUM instrument are required. Different models and codes can be employed for this purpose. Fast radiative transfer models, such as SIGMA-FORUM, efficiently simulate all-sky conditions, whereas detailed line-by-line models, such as KLIMA, have generally been limited to clear-sky applications. In this context, SIGMA-FORUM, an all-sky fast radiative transfer model operating in the 10–2760 cm⁻¹ spectral range and KLIMA, a FORTRAN-based line-by-line algorithm extensively validated under clear-sky conditions, are used to simulate FORUM radiances in both clear and cloudy atmospheres. This study extends the comparison between SIGMA-IASI/F2N and KLIMA to cloudy-sky scenarios by incorporating cloud optical properties into KLIMA using the same parametrization approach adopted in SIGMA-FORUM version 2.4. By combining complementary modeling approaches, this work enables KLIMA to simulate atmospheric radiances under all-sky conditions, thereby broadening its applicability. Full article

Irradiation creep of engineering alloys in nuclear reactor cores differs from the creep that is observed outside of the irradiation environment. It exhibits characteristics like high temperature thermal creep because it occurs in an environment of elevated vacancy point defect concentrations, but one must also consider the effect of interstitial point defects and the effect of both vacancy and interstitial concentrations, which are greater than the thermal equilibrium values, on an evolving microstructure. Irradiation creep is dependent on the point defect flux to different sinks and can be modelled using conventional rate theory. The net interstitial or vacancy point defect flux to different sinks determines the strain rate in a direction that can be considered perpendicular to the plane of the sink, which is the extra half plane of an edge dislocation or the plane of a grain boundary. There has been increasing evidence that, for complex alloys such as Zr-2.5Nb pressure tubing in CANDU reactors, the irradiation creep is largely dependent on the grain structure (size and shape). While the maximum amount of thermal creep by dislocation slip will be proportional to the distance a dislocation travels, i.e., proportional to the grain dimension in the direction of slip, observations indicate that the magnitude of irradiation creep is inversely proportional to the grain dimensions, indicating a creep mechanism dependent on diffusional mass transport. Mechanistic modelling of irradiation creep based on rate theory is described and used to account for high diametral creep rates observed for pressure tubes with unusual microstructures fabricated by non-standard fabrication routes. Full article

Artocarpin, a prenylated flavonoid isolated from Artocarpus altilis heartwood, has emerged as a promising multi-targeted bioactive compound for combating UV-induced skin aging. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the molecular mechanisms and photoprotective efficacy of artocarpin across in vitro, in vivo and clinical study, based on the peer-reviewed literature published between 2012 and 2025, retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Delivery strategies designed to overcome the inherent physicochemical limitations of artocarpin on skin penetration are also discussed. Artocarpin demonstrates antioxidant effects through both direct free radical scavenging and activation of the Nrf2-ARE pathway, providing sustained cellular defense. Its anti-inflammatory properties target multiple signaling cascades, including the NF-κB and MAPK pathways, effectively mitigating UV-induced inflammatory response. The compound maintains dermal matrix homeostasis by inhibiting matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) expression while preserving collagen synthesis and fibroblast mechanical function. Additionally, artocarpin exhibits selective apoptosis modulation, being cytoprotective in normal keratinocytes while acting as pro-apoptotic in damaged or abnormal cells, thereby supporting tissue homeostasis. It also inhibits melanogenesis through anti-inflammatory mechanisms rather than direct tyrosinase inhibition. Furthermore, artocarpin has been shown to induce autophagic cell death in certain cell lines; however, its role in UV-induced skin damages remains to be clarified. Despite these promising biological activities, the poor water solubility (<0.1 mg/mL) and high lipophilicity (log P ≈ 5) of artocarpin significantly limit its skin penetration. Lipid-based delivery systems, including liposomes, transfersomes, ethosomes, and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), are presented as effective strategies to enhance transepidermal delivery, with each system offering distinct mechanistic advantages. Further investigations should prioritize the safety of artocarpin within each delivery system, as well as the synergistic co-encapsulation with complementary natural antioxidants to simultaneously target multiple mechanisms involved in UV-induced skin damage, thereby broadening its application in the cosmeceutical industry. Full article