Search Results (98,500)

IgG Fc binding protein (FcGBP) is a mucin-like protein that binds strongly to IgG and IgG–antigen complexes in intestinal mucus. FcGBP presence and its altered expression levels in meconium accumulating in the fetal intestine and amniotic fluid flowing in the intestine may provide new knowledge of the mechanisms responsible for the immune adaptation of the fetus to extrauterine life. FcGBP concentrations were measured by ELISA in the first-pass meconium and amniotic fluid samples collected from 120 healthy neonates delivered by either vaginal birth (n = 35) or cesarean section (n = 85) at 36 to 41 weeks gestation. The meconium FcGBP concentrations (405.78 ± 145.22 ng/g) decreased (r = −0.241, p = 0.007) over the course of 36 to 41 weeks gestation, but there were no significant changes (p > 0.05) in the amniotic fluid FcGBP (135.70 ± 35.83 ng/mL) in the same period. Both meconium and amniotic fluid FcGBP concentrations were higher (p < 0.05) in neonates delivered by cesarean section. Decreases in the meconium FcGBP concentrations correlated (r = −0.37, p = 0.027) with the gestational age in neonates delivered by vaginal birth but not in those delivered by cesarean section (p > 0.05). No association was found between the FcGBP concentrations in meconium and amniotic fluid and the birth weight (p > 0.05). With the development of the mucosal immune system in the fetal intestine over the course of the third trimester of gestation, the meconium FcGBP concentrations decrease. Increased FcGBP concentrations measured in the meconium and amniotic fluid of neonates delivered by cesarean section may possibly indicate altered intestinal mucosal function. Intrauterine growth is not associated with the intestinal mucosal barrier maturation involving FcGBP. Full article

Forest volume is an important information for assessing the economic value and carbon sequestration capacity of forest resources and serves as a key indicator for energy flow and biodiversity. Although remote sensing technology is applied to estimate volume, optical remote sensing data have limitations in capturing forest vertical height information and may suffer from reflectance saturation. While LiDAR data can provide more detailed vertical structural information, they come with high processing costs and limited observation range. Therefore, improving the accuracy of volume estimation through multi-source data fusion has become a crucial challenge and research focus in the field of forest remote sensing. In this study, we integrated Sentinel-2 multispectral data, Resource-3 stereoscopic imagery, UAV-based LiDAR data, and field survey data to quantitatively estimate the forest volume in Saihanwula Nature Reserve, located in Inner Mongolia, China, on the southern part of Daxing’anling Mountains. The study evaluated the performance of multi-source remote sensing features by using recursive feature elimination (RFE) to select the most relevant factors and applied four machine learning models—multiple linear regression (MLR), k-nearest neighbors (kNN), random forest (RF), and gradient boosting regression tree (GBRT)—to develop volume estimation models. The evaluation metrics include the coefficient of determination (R²), root mean square error (RMSE), and relative root mean square error (rRMSE). The results show that (1) forest Canopy Height Model (CHM) data were strongly correlated with forest volume, helping to alleviate the reflectance saturation issues inherent in spectral texture data. The fusion of CHM and spectral data resulted in an improved volume estimation model with R² = 0.75 and RMSE = 8.16 m³/hm², highlighting the importance of integrating multi-source canopy height information for more accurate volume estimation. (2) Volume estimation accuracy varied across different tree species. For Betula platyphylla, we obtained R² = 0.71 and RMSE = 6.96 m³/hm²; for Quercus mongolica, R² = 0.74 and RMSE = 6.90 m³/hm²; and for Populus davidiana, R² = 0.51 and RMSE = 9.29 m³/hm². The total forest volume in the Saihanwula Reserve ranges from 50 to 110 m³/hm². (3) Among the four machine learning models, GBRT consistently outperformed others in all evaluation metrics, achieving the highest R² of 0.86, lowest RMSE of 9.69 m³/hm², and lowest rRMSE of 24.57%, suggesting its potential for forest biomass estimation. In conclusion, accurate estimation of forest volume is critical for evaluating forest management practices and timber resources. While this integrated approach shows promise, its operational application requires further external validation and uncertainty analysis to support policy-relevant decisions. The integration of multi-source remote sensing data provides valuable support for forest resource accounting, economic value assessment, and monitoring dynamic changes in forest ecosystems. Full article

Disease resistance is one of the most important target traits for sugarcane genetic improvement. Sugarcane brown stripe (SBS) caused by Helminthosporium stenospilum is one of the most destructive foliar diseases, which not only reduces harvest cane yield but also sugar content. This study aimed to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) and candidate genes associated with SBS resistance. Here, the phenotypic investigation in six field habitats showed a continuous normal distribution, revealing that the SBS resistance trait is a quantitative trait. Two high-density linkage maps based on the single-dose markers calling from the Axiom Sugarcane100K SNP chip were constructed for the dominant sugarcane cultivars YT93-159 (SBS-resistant) and ROC22 (SBS-susceptible) with a density of 2.53 cM and 2.54 cM per SNP marker, and mapped on 87 linkage groups (LGs) and 80 LGs covering 3069.45 cM and 1490.34 cM of genetic distance, respectively. A total of 32 QTL associated with SBS resistance were detected by QTL mapping, which explained 3.73–11.64% of the phenotypic variation, and the total phenotypic variance explained (PVE) in YT93-159 and ROC22 was 107.44% and 79.09%, respectively. Among these QTL, four repeatedly detected QTL (qSBS-Y38-1, qSBS-Y38-2, qSBS-R8, and qSBS-R46) were considered stable QTL. Meanwhile, two major QTL, qSBS-Y38 and qSBS-R46, could account for 11.47% and 11.64% of the PVE, respectively. Twenty-five disease resistance candidate genes were screened by searching these four stable QTL regions in their corresponding intervals, of which Soffic.01G0010840-3C (PR3) and Soffic.09G0017520-1P (DND2) were significantly up-regulated in YT93-159 by qRT-PCR, while Soffic.01G0040620-1P (EDR2) was significantly up-regulated in ROC22. These results will provide valuable insights for future studies on sugarcane breeding in combating this disease. Full article

We hypothesized that compounds containing ether linkages within their backbone structures, when exposed to hydroxyl radicals (•OH), can generate ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) as a result of the formation of triplet excited carbonyl species (³R=O*). To evaluate this hypothesis, we investigated the UPE of four compounds, each at a final concentration of 185.2 µmol/L: EGTA (ethylene glycol-bis(β-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid), a potent chelator of divalent cations, and three crown ethers—12-crown-4, 15-crown-5, and 18-crown-6—containing two, four, five, and six ether bonds, respectively. •OH was generated using a modified Fenton reagent—92.6 µmol/L Fe²⁺ and 2.6 mmol/L H₂O₂. The highest UPE was recorded for the Fe²⁺–EGTA–H₂O₂ (2863 ± 158 RLU; relative light units), followed by 18-crown-6, 15-crown-5, and 12-crown-4 (1161 ± 78, 615± 86, and 579 ± 109 RLU, respectively; p < 0.05), corresponding to the number of ether groups present. Controls lacking either H₂O₂ or Fe²⁺ exhibited no significant light emission compared to the buffer medium. These findings support the hypothesis that ether bonds, when oxidatively attacked by •OH, undergo chemical transformations resulting in the formation of ³R=O* species, the decay of which is associated with UPE. In crown ethers exposed to Fe²⁺-H₂O₂, the intensity of UPE was correlated with the number of ether bonds in their structure. Full article

Directed Energy Deposition is an additive manufacturing subgroup that uses a laser beam to melt the wire or powder to create a melt pool. In the current study, a scientometric analysis has been carried out to analyze the contribution of countries, publication type analysis, distribution of publications over the years, keywords analysis, author analysis, cited journal, categories, institutes of publication, and report the practical implications. Firstly, the database was extracted from the Web of Science and then post-processed with CiteSpace 6.2.R4 and VOSviewer 1.6.20 software. Afterward, the associated results had been extracted and reported. It was found that China is the leader according to publication, followed by the USA and Germany, which mostly published their achievements in article and proceeding paper formats, which are increasing annually. According to the keywords, additive manufacturing, Laser Metal Deposition, and fabrication are the most commonly used. Based on the CiteSapce and VOSviewer results, Lin, Xin and Huang, Weidong are the authors with the highest publication rates. In addition, Additive Manufacturing, Materials & Design, and Materials Science and Engineering: A are the most cited journals, and regarding the categories, materials science, multidisciplinary, applied physics, and manufacturing engineering are the most commonly used DED processes. Northwestern Polytechnical University, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, and the United States Department of Energy (DOE) have performed the most research in the field of DED. Full article

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of different additives on the microbial composition, fermentation quality, and bacterial community structure of big-bale Leymus chinensis silage. An experiment was set up with four treatment groups: a control (C) group, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (L) group, molasses (M) group, and L. rhamnosus + molasses (LM) group, with three replications per group, and L. chinensis silages were fermented for 20 and 40 days. The lactic acid, acetic acid, 1,2-propanediol, and propionic acid contents increased, and pH, butyric acid, 1-propanol, and ethanol contents decreased in the L, M, and LM groups compared to the C group. In the LM group, the number of lactic acid bacteria was the highest, while the pH was the lowest. Enterobacter and Paucibacter were the main dominant genera in the C group. The addition of L. rhamnosus and molasses increased the relative abundance of Lactobacillus, Weissella, and Enterococcus. Lactobacillus abundance correlated positively (p < 0.01) with Lactococcus, Enterococcus, and Weissella and correlated negatively with Enterobacter and Paucibacter. Conversely, Enterobacter and Paucibacter showed a strong positive correlation (p < 0.01, R = 0.55) during fermentation. Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, and Weissella were positively associated (p < 0.01) with acetic and lactic acid levels, while Enterobacter abundance was correlated positively (p < 0.05, R = 0.43) with 1,2-propanediol content. In summary, the addition of both L. rhamnosus and molasses improved the fermentation quality and bacterial community structure of big-bale L. chinensis silage. In addition to inhibiting harmful microorganisms, this combination improved the fermentation products of big-bale L. chinensis silage through microbial regulation. Full article

Background: Workplace mobbing is a widespread phenomenon with serious psychological and emotional consequences on employees’ emotional well-being. Psychological resilience has been identified as a potential protective factor against such adverse outcomes. Aim: This study investigates the relationship between workplace mobbing and emotional well-being, as expressed through positive and negative affect, and examines the mediating role of psychological resilience in this association. Methods: Ninety nurses participated in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected using the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), the Workplace Psychologically Violent Behaviors (WPVB) scale, and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Statistical analyses included correlation, multiple regression, and mediation using bootstrapped confidence intervals. Results: Resilience was strongly associated with positive affect (r = 0.74, p < 0.001) and inversely with negative affect (r = −0.46, p < 0.001). Mobbing was significantly related to increased negative affect (β = 0.12, p < 0.001) but not to positive affect. Resilience emerged as the strongest predictor of emotional outcomes and partially mediated the relationship between “Attack on professional role” and negative affect. Conclusions: Psychological resilience plays a key protective role in moderating the emotional impact of workplace mobbing. Enhancing resilience in healthcare professionals may mitigate the negative emotional effects of mobbing, although it does not fully buffer against all its consequences. Full article

Despite the widespread accessibility of vaccines and antivirals, seasonal influenza virus epidemics continue to pose a threat to public health. In this study, we constructed a recombinant replication-deficient simian adenovirus type 25 vector carrying the full-length hemagglutinin (HA) of the H1N1 influenza virus, named rSAd25-H1. Both systemic and mucosal humoral immune responses, as well as the protective efficacy, were assessed in mice immunized via the intramuscular (IM) or intranasal (IN) route. A single-dose IM or IN administration of rSAd25-H1 elicited a robust systemic IgG antibody response, including hemagglutination inhibition antibodies. As expected, only IN immunization was able to induce IgA production in serum and respiratory mucosa. Notably, a single dose of rSAd25-H1 at the highest dose (10¹⁰ viral particles) conferred complete protection against lethal homologous H1N1 challenge in mice despite the route of administration. These findings demonstrate the potential of simian adenovirus type 25-based vectors as a promising candidate for intranasal vaccine development targeting respiratory pathogens. Full article

Understanding how prey and predator species partition activity patterns across time and space is essential for elucidating behavioral adaptation and ecological coexistence. In this study, we examined the diel and seasonal activity rhythms of two sympatric rodent species—Rhombomys opimus (Great gerbil) and Meriones meridianus (Midday gerbil)—and their primary predators, Otocolobus manul (Pallas’s cat) and Vulpes vulpes (Red fox), in a desert-steppe ecosystem on the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains, China. Using over 8000 camera trap days and kernel density estimation, we quantified their activity intensity and spatiotemporal overlap. The two rodent species showed clear temporal niche differentiation but differed in their synchrony with predators. R. opimus exhibited a unimodal diurnal rhythm with spring activity peaks, while M. meridianus showed stable nocturnal activity with a distinct autumn peak. Notably, O. manul adjusted its activity pattern to partially align with that of R. opimus, whereas V. vulpes maintained a crepuscular–nocturnal rhythm overlapping more closely with that of M. meridianus. Despite distinct temporal rhythms, both rodent species shared high spatial overlap with their predators (overlap index OI = 0.64–0.83). These findings suggest that temporal partitioning may reduce predation risk for R. opimus, while M. meridianus co-occurs more extensively with its predators. Our results highlight the ecological role of native carnivores in rodent population dynamics and support their potential use in biodiversity-friendly rodent management strategies under arid grassland conditions. Full article

This study investigates the dynamics of dust acoustic periodic waves in a three-component, unmagnetized dusty plasma system using generalized $(r^{★},q^{★})$ distributions. First, boundary conditions are applied to reduce the model to a second-order nonlinear ordinary differential equation. The Galilean transformation is subsequently applied to reformulate the second-order ordinary differential equation into an unperturbed dynamical system. Next, phase portraits of the system are examined under all possible conditions of the discriminant of the associated cubic polynomial, identifying regions of stability and instability. The Runge–Kutta method is employed to construct the phase portraits of the system. The Hamiltonian function of the unperturbed system is subsequently derived and used to analyze energy levels and verify the phase portraits. Under the influence of an external periodic perturbation, the quasi-periodic and chaotic dynamics of dust ion acoustic waves are explored. Chaos detection tools confirm the presence of quasi-periodic and chaotic patterns using Basin of attraction, Lyapunov exponents, Fractal Dimension, Bifurcation diagram, Poincaré map, Time analysis, Multi-stability analysis, Chaotic attractor, Return map, Power spectrum, and 3D and 2D phase portraits. In addition, the model’s response to different initial conditions was examined through sensitivity analysis. Full article

Determining charge and discharge behavior is essential for optimizing charging strategies and evaluating balancing algorithms in battery energy storage systems and electric vehicles. Conventionally, a sequence of circuit simulations or tedious hardware tests is required to evaluate the performance of the balancing algorithm. To mitigate these problems, this paper proposes a variable capacitor model that can be easily built from the incremental capacity curve. This model provides a direct and insightful R-C time constant method for the charge/discharge time calculation. After validating the model accuracy by experimental results based on the cylindrical lithium-ion cell test, a switched-capacitor active balancing and a passive cell balancing circuit are implemented to further verify the effectiveness of the proposed model in calculating the cell balancing time within 2% error. Full article

This study aimed to develop a reliable method for profiling reducing sugars in honey using capillary zone electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection (CZE-LIF). Reducing sugars were derivatized with 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid (APTS) in the presence of 2-picoline borane, a safer alternative to sodium cyanoborohydride. Key parameters influencing the derivatization efficiency—temperature, pH, incubation time, and reagent concentrations—were systematically optimized. The highest labeling efficiency for glucose, mannose, and maltose was achieved at 50 °C in 0.5 M citric acid with 0.1 M APTS, while fructose showed low reactivity due to its ketose structure. To reduce the background signal from excess reagents, three cleanup strategies were evaluated. Liquid–liquid extraction with ethyl acetate effectively removed unreacted APTS without significant analyte loss, whereas solid-phase extraction and microextraction caused substantial losses of hydrophilic sugars. The method showed good linearity (0.5–10 mM, R² > 0.994), precision (RSD 0.81–13.73%), and accuracy (recoveries 93.47–119.75%). Stability studies indicated that sugar standards should be stored at –20 °C. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of four nectar honeys—rapeseed, acacia, phacelia, and dandelion—revealing differences in glucose and fructose content related to botanical origin. The results confirm the suitability of CZE-LIF for sensitive and selective carbohydrate analyses in complex food matrices. Full article

Background: Moral harassment (mobbing) in healthcare, particularly among nurses, remains a persistent issue with detrimental effects on mental health, resilience, and quality of life. Aim: We examine the relationship between the resilience of nurses working in Emergency Departments (EDs) and how these factors influence experiences of workplace mobbing. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 90 nurses from four public hospitals in Greece’s 5th Health District. Data were collected between October 2023 and March 2024 using the WHOQOL-BREF, Workplace Psychologically Violent Behaviors (WPVB) scale and the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). The sample consisted primarily of full-time nurses (84.3% female; mean age = 43.1 years), with 21.1% reporting chronic conditions. Most participants were married (80.0%) and had children (74.4%), typically two (56.1%). Statistical analyses—conducted using SPSS version 27.0—included descriptive statistics, Pearson and Spearman correlations, multiple linear regression, and mediation analysis, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Resilience was moderate (mean = 66.38%; Cronbach’s α = 0.93) and positively correlated with all WHOQOL-BREF domains—physical, psychological, social, and environmental (r = 0.30–0.40)—but not with the overall WHOQOL-BREF. The mean overall WHOQOL-BREF score was 68.4%, with the lowest scores observed in the environmental domain (mean = 53.76%). Workplace mobbing levels were low to moderate (mean WPVB score = 17.87), with subscale reliabilities ranging from α = 0.78 to 0.95. Mobbing was negatively associated with social relationships and the environmental WHOQOL-BREF (ρ = –0.23 to –0.33). Regression analysis showed that cohabitation and higher resilience significantly predicted better WHOQOL-BREF outcomes, whereas mobbing was not a significant predictor. Mediation analysis (bootstrap N = 5000) indicated no significant indirect effect of resilience in the relationship between mobbing and WHOQOL-BREF. Conclusions: Resilience was identified as a key protective factor for nurses’ quality of life in emergency care settings. Although workplace mobbing was present at low-to-moderate levels, it was negatively associated with specific WHOQOL-BREF domains. Enhancing mental resilience among nurses may serve as a valuable strategy to mitigate the psychological effects of moral harassment in healthcare environments. Full article

Background/Objectives: Non-coding microRNA-34a (miR-34a) regulates the expression of key factors involved in several cellular processes, such as differentiation, apoptosis, proliferation, cell cycle, and senescence. Deregulation of the expression of these factors is implicated in the onset and progression of several human diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and pathologies associated with viral infections and inflammation. Despite numerous studies, the molecular mechanisms regulated by miR-34a remain to be fully understood. The present study aimed to generate miR-34a knockout cell lines to identify novel genes potentially regulated by its expression. Methods: We employed the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system to knock out the hsa-miR-34a gene in HeLa and 293T cell lines, two widely used models for studying molecular and cellular mechanisms. We compared proliferation rates and gene expression profiles via RNA-seq and qPCR analyses between the wild-type and miR-34a KO cell lines. Results: Knockout of miR-34a resulted in a decreased proliferation rate in both cell lines. Noteworthy, the ablation of miR-34a resulted in increased expression of the long non-coding RNA MALAT1. Additionally, miR-34a-5p silencing in the A375 melanoma cell line led to MALAT1 overexpression. Conclusions: Our findings support the role of the miR-34a/MALAT1 axis in regulating proliferation processes. Full article

Soil testing has long been used to optimize fertilization and crop production. More recently, soil health testing has emerged to reflect the growing interest in soil multifunctionality and ecosystem services. Soil health encompasses physical, chemical, and biological properties that support ecosystem functions and sustainable agriculture. Despite its relevance to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 13, and 15), comprehensive soil health testing is not widely practiced due to complexity and cost. The aim of the study presented here was to contribute to the further development, implementation, and testing of an integrated procedure for soil health assessment in practice. We developed and tested a rapid, standardized soil health assessment tool that combines near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and multi-nutrient 0.01 M CaCl₂ extraction with Inductive Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy analysis. The tool evaluates a wide range of soil characteristics with high accuracy (R² ≥ 0.88 for most parameters) and has been evaluated across more than 15 countries, including those in Europe, China, New Zealand, and Vietnam. The results are compiled into a soil health indicator report with tailored management advice and a five-level ABCDE score. In a Dutch test set, 6% of soils scored A (optimal), while 2% scored E (degraded). This scalable tool supports land users, agrifood industries, and policymakers in advancing sustainable soil management and evidence-based environmental policy. Full article