Search Results (2,658)

This paper discusses the economic factors that affect and, hence, must be investigated for the subsequent stage of onshore power supply (OPS) (or cold ironing) applications. In order to be considered a viable alternative to the conventional but pollutant marine gas oil, the cost of electricity must be favorable when determining the optimal choice for vessels at the time of mooring. The financial burden of onshore power supply encompasses the expenses associated with its production, distribution, and the enhancement of port grids. Further research must be conducted on the potential for alternative approaches to recapture the authorized revenue for the DSO, along with the parameters that govern vessel types and the dimensions of ports equipped with operational cold ironing mechanisms. Full article

Iron deficiency anemia remains a global nutritional challenge due to the low bioavailability and side effects of conventional inorganic iron supplements. A novel organic iron supplement, oyster peptide ferrous chelate (OP-Fe), was prepared using oyster peptides as ligands. Its preparation process was optimized via single-factor experiments and statistical methods with the optimal conditions identified as 1% peptide concentration, 35 °C chelation temperature, 3.91:1 peptide-to-iron ratio, 1.49% ascorbic acid concentration and pH 6.05. Under these conditions, the chelate’s iron content reached 15.44 ± 0.18 g/kg. Multi-dimensional characterization confirmed that Fe²⁺ formed stable complexes with oyster peptides through carboxyl, amino, and imidazole groups. In vitro Caco-2 cell experiments showed OP-Fe achieved a maximum iron absorption rate of 76.07%, significantly higher than ferrous sulfate (52.39%). In vivo pharmacokinetic studies in mice demonstrated higher iron accumulation in serum and small intestine for OP-Fe. Key iron transport-related genes (PEPT1, TFR1, DMT1) were upregulated, contributing to enhanced absorption. OP-Fe exhibits favorable structural stability and bioavailability, holding potential as an efficient iron supplement. Full article

Bioarchaeology continues to generate growing volumes of data from finite and often destructively sampled resources, making data reusability critical according to FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility and Ethics). However, much valuable information remains trapped in grey literature, particularly PDF-based reports, limiting discoverability and machine processing. This paper explores Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Named Entity Recognition (NER) techniques to improve access to osteoarchaeological and palaeopathological data in grey literature. The research developed and evaluated the Osteoarchaeological and Palaeopathological Entity Search (OPES), a lightweight prototype system designed to extract relevant terms from PDF documents within the Archaeology Data Service archive. Unlike transformer-based Large Language Models, OPES employs interpretable, computationally efficient, and sustainable NLP methods. A structured user evaluation (n = 83) involving students (42), experts (26), and the general public (15) assessed five success criteria: usefulness, time-saving ability, accessibility, reliability, and likelihood of reuse. Results demonstrate that while limitations remain in reliability and expert engagement, NLP and NER show clear potential to increase FAIRness of osteoarcheological datasets. The study emphasises the continued need for robust evaluation methodologies in heritage AI applications as new technologies emerge. Full article

This study investigates the influence of different sintering protocols and resin cement shades on the optical properties of monolithic zirconia restorations. Zirconia, widely used in dentistry for its superior mechanical strength and esthetic potential, demonstrates phase transformations influenced by stabilizing oxides and processing conditions. While increasing yttria content enhances translucency, it compromises mechanical durability. Factors such as sintering temperature, grain size, porosity, and cement selection further affect translucency parameter, contrast ratio, and opalescence. In this research, 36 zirconia samples were divided into three groups according to sintering procedure performed; conventional, fast, and super-fast sintering. Each was tested with two shades of dual-cure resin cement (yellow and transparent). Optical parameters including translucency parameter (TP), contrast ratio (CR), and opalescence parameter (OP) were measured using a spectrophotometer under controlled conditions. Statistically significant differences in OP values between the conventional sintering protocol and both the rapid and super-fast sintering protocols were found. A statistically significant difference was observed in OP values between the yellow and transparent cement groups. Neither the main effects of the sintering protocol nor the cement type were statistically significant on TP and CR values. However, a statistically significant interaction effect between the sintering protocol and cement type was observed for CR values. The findings highlight that both processing parameters and cement selection interaction play crucial roles in optimizing the TP and CR values of zirconia restorations, enabling improved esthetic outcomes in clinical practice. Full article

Olive pomace (OP), a by-product of olive oil production, is a sustainable resource rich in bioactive compounds with potential applications in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. This study investigates the protective effects of olive pomace juice (OPJ) against H₂O₂-induced neuronal damage and LPS-induced inflammatory responses in HT22 and BV2 cells, respectively. OPJ suppressed H₂O₂-induced cell death and exerted anti-apoptotic effects by reducing the BAX/BCL2 ratio and caspase-3 cleavage. OPJ also mitigated neurodegenerative hallmarks by decreasing amyloid fibrils formation and inhibiting β-secretase and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Mechanistically, OPJ enhanced antioxidant response by upregulating Nrf2 and its downstream molecule HO-1, along with increasing mRNA levels of antioxidant enzymes, including catalase, SOD1, and GPx. OPJ further activated AMPKα–SIRT1–PGC1α signaling and CREB–BDNF–TrkB signaling, suggesting modulation of key antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and neurotrophic pathways. In BV2 cells, OPJ downregulated pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL-1β) and decreased iNOS and COX-2 expression through suppression of NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. HPLC analysis identified hydroxytyrosol (10.92%) as the major active compound in OPJ, which compared with tyrosol (2.18%), and hydroxytyrosol exhibited greater neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects than tyrosol. This study highlights the potential of OPJ and its major compound, hydroxytyrosol, as functional agents for mitigating neurodegeneration-related cellular response, supporting its application in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Full article

Background: Intentional tooth replantation (ITR) is a promising treatment option for preserving teeth in cases where conventional endodontic therapy is challenging, or when previous endodontic treatment and apicoectomy have been unsuccessful. The procedure involves extracting the compromised tooth, preserving the alveolar socket and root surface, performing extraoral endodontic therapy, and replanting the tooth in the alveolar socket. Objective: An increase in evidence-based support for ITR has improved the viability of ITR as a treatment option for patients. This review aims to further establish and provide new areas of potential research for ITR with respect to root morphology, extraction, and surgical techniques, maintenance of the tooth socket, and methods for post-op stabilization. Materials and Methods: A literature review was performed across PubMed from 1 January 1980 to 1 July 2025, with a focus on oral surgery techniques, atraumatic extraction techniques, topographical discrepancies in root system anatomy, and ITR procedural outcomes. Conclusions: Although ITR is not a common procedure performed in contemporary clinical practice, gathering sufficient data on the variables influencing the procedure may help patient outcome and improve communication between the endodontist and oral surgeons. Full article

This study assesses how satellite clock products affect Precise Point Positioning (PPP) for GPS, Galileo, and GPS+Galileo. Multi-GNSS data at 30 s were processed for 12 global IGS stations over one week in 2025, with each day split into eight independent three-hour sessions. SP3 clocks (ORB, 5 min) were compared with dedicated CLKs (CLO, 5 s, 30 s, 5 min) across final (FIN), rapid (RAP), and ultra-rapid (ULT; observed/predicted) product lines from multiple analysis centers. Two timing strategies were tested: nearest-epoch sampling (CLOCK0) and linear interpolation (CLOCK1). CLO consistently delivered the lowest 2D/3D errors and the fastest convergence. ORB degraded accuracy by a few millimeters and extended convergence by ~5–10 min, most notably for GPS. With 5 min clocks, CLOCK1 yielded small gains for Galileo but often hurt GPS; with 30 s clocks, interpolation was immaterial; 5 s clocks offered no measurable benefit. FIN outperformed RAP; OPS slightly outperformed MGEX; ESA/GFZ ranked highest. ULT solutions were weaker, especially in the predicted half. Zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) biases were negligible; variance was smallest for GPS+Galileo with CLO (~7–10 mm), increased by ~1–2 mm with ORB, and was largest in ULT. Dense, high-quality clock products remain essential for reliable PPP. Full article

Background: Identifying differences between genders regarding long-term surgical outcomes in bariatric surgeries may be important for optimizing their results. Objective: The current study evaluated mid-term gender-specific differences in patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Methods: A retrospective cohort study was done in our university-based hospital, including patients who underwent laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (LSG) between January 2014 and December 2017. We compared demographics and clinical history (including BMI) before and after surgery, as well as the Bariatric Analysis and Reporting Outcome System (BAROS) and complications. Results: We enrolled 217 patients, 86 of whom were males (39.6%), with an average age of 52 ± 0.8 years. We observed no significant differences between males and females in minimal BMI attained (26.35 ± 4.9 vs. 25.9 ± 4.5 respectively, p = 0.56), total complications rate (p = 0.165), early post-op complication rate (p = 0.158), need for re-operation (p = 0.357), and BAROS score (p = 0.42). Conclusions: LSG outcomes were similar for male and female patients, as measured by BAROS, BMI reduction, and complication rates. Further studies are warranted; however, in the meantime, LSG can be offered to the entire population, regardless of gender-specific considerations. Full article

With the growing popularity of DevOps culture among companies and the corresponding increase in Microservices architecture development—both known to boost productivity and efficiency in software development—an increasing number of organizations are aiming to integrate them. Implementing DevOps culture and best practices can be challenging, but it is increasingly important as software applications become more robust and complex, and performance is considered essential by end users. By following the Design Science Research methodology, this paper proposes an iterative framework that closely follows the recommended DevOps practices, validated with the assistance of expert interviews, for implementing DevOps practices into Microservices architecture software development, while also offering a series of tools that serve as a base guideline for anyone following this framework, in the form of a theoretical use case. Therefore, this paper provides organizations with a guideline for adapting DevOps and offers organizations already using this methodology a framework to potentially enhance their established practices. Full article

The bioactive potential of dairy-derived peptides has attracted increasing interest due to their capacity to exert antioxidant and antihypertensive effects. This study investigated three artisanal cheeses manufactured with animal rennet (CTRL), Onopordum platylepis extract (OP), or a mixture of both coagulants (AR/OP) to compare their peptide profiles and associated bioactivities. Water-soluble extracts were analyzed to identify precursors and released bioactive peptides, and in vitro assays were performed to assess antioxidant activity and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition. The analysis of precursors suggested a predominance of antioxidant sequences in CTRL and ACE-inhibitory precursors in OP, with AR/OP showing intermediate values. However, direct peptide identification confirmed that the AR/OP mixture produced a wider range of peptides with antioxidant activity, while OP and AR/OP exhibited similarly high levels of ACE-inhibiting peptides. These results were consistent with in vitro assays, which confirmed AR/OP as the most active sample for antioxidant potential and OP, closely followed by AR/OP, as the strongest for ACE inhibitory activity. Overall, the integration of precursor analysis, peptide identification, and experimental validation highlights the influence of the coagulant on the generation of bioactive peptides, suggesting that the use of Onopordum platylepis Murb. (O. platylepis) alone or in combination with animal rennet may enhance the functional properties of cheese. Full article

Nanoparticle–surfactant composite flooding systems significantly enhance oil recovery through synergistic effects. When the optimal ratio of SiO₂ nanoparticles to nonionic surfactant alkylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (OP-10) in the composite system is 3:2, the oil–water interfacial tension (IFT) decreases to 0.005 mN/m, and the contact angle changes from the original 128° to 42°, achieving effective wettability alteration. Core displacement experiments demonstrate that the recovery rate using nanoparticles alone is 46.8%, and using surfactant alone is 52.3%, while the composite system achieves 71.5%, representing a 39.2 percentage point improvement over water flooding. The composite system operates through multiple mechanisms including interfacial tension reduction, wettability alteration, stable emulsion formation, and enhanced sweep efficiency. The wedging effect of nanoparticles at pore throats and the interfacial activity of surfactants form significant synergistic enhancement, providing a new technical pathway for efficient development of low-permeability reservoirs. Full article

This paper presents a compact and accurate readout circuit for remote two-wire resistive sensors, based on an inverting operational amplifier with a fixed bias voltage, diode steering, and unidirectional square-wave excitation generated by a microcontroller. The proposed method determines the sensor resistance by directly sampling two steady-state voltage plateaus at the op-amp output during alternating excitation phases. This approach enables fast, lead-wire-insensitive measurements without the need for analog filtering or precise PWM duty-cycle control. The architecture supports sensor array multiplexing via analog switches, allowing scalable, low-power implementation. Experimental results demonstrate a maximum relative error of 0.23% across a wide resistance range (0.5–3.5 kΩ), confirming the method’s suitability for low-cost, embedded, and remote sensing applications. Full article

This study investigated the effect of superheated steam (SS) assisted glycosylation modification on the flavor profile of oyster peptides (OP), and explored the correlation between key flavor compounds and glycosylation degree using Gas Chromatography–Ion Mobility Spectrometry (GC-IMS) and nano-scale Liquid Chromatography coupled with High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (nano-LC/HRMS). The results indicated that SS treatment accelerated the glycosylation process, reduced free amino groups level, and distinguished their unique flavor through E-nose. GC-IMS analysis detected 64 signal peaks including 13 aldehydes, 6 ketones, 7 esters, 6 alcohols, 2 acids, 2 furans and 5 other substances. And it was revealed that SS-mediated glycosylation treatment reduced the levels of fishy odorants like Heptanal and Nonanal, while promoting the pleasant-smelling alcohols and esters. In addition, Pearson correlation showed a positive correlation between excessive glycation and the increase in aldehydes, which might cause the recurrence of undesirable fishy notes. Further nano-LC/HRMS analysis revealed that arginine and lysine acted as the main sites for glycosylation modification. Notably, glycosylated peptides such as KAFGHENEALVRK, DSRAATSPGELGVTIEGPKE, generated by mild SS treatment could convert into ketones and pyrazines in subsequent reactions, thereby contributing to overall sensory enhancement. In conclusion, SS treatment at 110 °C for 1 min significantly improved the flavor quality of OP and sustains improvement in subsequent stages, providing theoretical support for flavor optimization of oyster peptides. Full article

An unmet challenge in managing breast cancer is treatment failure due to resistance to apoptosis-inducing chemotherapies. Thus, it is important to identify novel non-apoptotic therapeutic agents. Several non-apoptotic programmed cell death pathways utilize specific cellular signaling events to trigger lytic and pro-inflammatory cell death, examples of which are pyroptosis and necroptosis. Our study illustrates that ophiobolin A (OpA) is an anti-cancer agent that triggers lytic cell death in breast cancer cells, including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). This study reveals that OpA induces typical pyroptosis-like characteristics, including cellular swelling, plasma membrane rupture, GSDMD cleavage, and release of cytokines in breast cancer cells. However, the additional involvement of RIPK1 and induction of RIPK3 clustering in select cell lines suggest that multiple pathways may be triggered upon OpA treatment. The induction of pro-inflammatory cell death suggests potential applications for OpA in cancer treatment. Full article