Search Results (87)

Background: Understanding the absorption and distribution of herbicides in plants and animal tissues is essential for assessing their potential risks to human health. Method: In this study, we employed imprint desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (IDESI-MSI) to visualize in both vegetable and animal tissues the absorption of Roundup which is a widely used herbicide. Results: Using IDESI-MSI with a pixel size of 150 µm, we detected the herbicide alongside several endogenous metabolites on oil-absorbing films applied to carrot sections. Time-course experiments revealed progressive herbicide penetration into carrot tissue, with penetration depth increasing linearly over time at a rate of approximately 0.25 mm/h. In contrast, green pepper samples showed minimal herbicide infiltration, likely owing to their hydrophobic cuticle barrier. Additionally, mice fed with herbicide-treated carrots exhibited detectable levels of herbicide in liver and kidney tissues. Conclusions: These findings highlight the utility of IDESI-MSI as a powerful analytical platform for the rapid evaluation of chemical migration and absorption in food and biological systems, with important implications for food safety and toxicological research. Full article

Glyphosate (GLYP) is an effective and low-cost broad-spectrum herbicide. However, this herbicide and its primary degradation product, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), have been linked with adverse human health effects. The global use of glyphosate has significantly increased in recent years, resulting in more direct and indirect human exposure. In this context, GLYP and AMPA are often detected in fresh and processed foods for adults and infants, as well as in drinking water worldwide. Diverse extraction and quantification methods for GLYP and AMPA from foods have been developed. Solid-phase extraction and QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) are the most frequently employed cleanup strategies, while LC-MS/MS is one of the most sensitive and selective techniques for detecting GLYP and AMPA in food products. Although most studies show that GLYP and AMPA concentrations in foods remain within established maximum residue limits, occasionally they exceed legal limits. Thus, the widespread presence of GLYP and AMPA in foodstuffs is a public concern that may lead to consumers exceeding the acceptable daily intake due to prolonged dietary exposure, even if levels remain within thresholds. Therefore, this review explores the different approaches and techniques used in the extraction, detection, and quantification of GLYP and AMPA in foods. Full article

Glyphosate (N-phosphonomethylglycine) is a widely used organophosphorus herbicide that inhibits the shikimate pathway, a crucial metabolic route responsible for the synthesis of aromatic amino acids in plants and certain microorganisms. Due to its broad-spectrum activity, glyphosate serves as the main active ingredient in various commercial herbicide formulations, including Roundup and Kalach 360 SL (KL). It poses a health hazard to animals and humans due to its persistence in soil, water erosion, and crops. The aim of our study was to continue the previous research to explore the impact of KL on bone using physico-chemical parameters and in silico studies after exposing female wistar rats for 60 days. The in silico study concerned the assessment of binding affinity and molecular interactions using computational modeling approach. The rats were allocated into three experimental groups: group 1 (n = 6) served as controls, while groups 2 and 3 received low and high doses (Dose 1: 126 mg/Kg and Dose 2: 315 mg/Kg) of KL dissolved in water, respectively. All rats were sacrificed after 60 days of exposure. XRD and FTIR spectrum analysis of bone tissues in female rats showed significant histoarchitectural changes associated with bone mineralization disruption. Our results have demonstrated that sub-chronic exposure of adult female rats to KL causes bone rarefaction, as confirmed by a previous histological study. This physico-chemical study has further confirmed the harmful impact of KL on the crystalline fraction of bone tissue, composed of hydroxyapatite crystals. In addition, the computational analyses showed that glyphosate binds to 3 Glu form of osteocalcin (3 Glu-OCN) (4MZZ) and decarboxylated osteocalcin (8I75) with good affinities and strong molecular interactions, which justified and supported the in vivo findings. In conclusion, KL may interfere with hydroxyapatite and osteocalcin and, therefore, impair bone remodeling and metabolism. Full article

Glyphosate (GP) and its derivatives are present in almost all environments and suspected to induce acute and chronic kidney injuries. This public health issue is relatively underexplored. We therefore conducted an investigation on rats and tubular HK2 cells cultured for 24 h to determine whether GP’s and Roundup’s^® (RU) potential renal toxicity might be related to mitochondrial respiration impairment and the increased production of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in both the renal cortex and medulla (involved in filtration and reabsorption, respectively) using a high-resolution oxygraph (Oxygraph-2K, Oroboros instruments). GP alone decreased maximal uncoupled mitochondrial respiration in the medulla (−14.2%, p = 0.02). RU decreased mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes I and I + II and the maximal respiratory capacity both in the renal cortex (−13.5%, p = 0.04; −20.1%, p = 0.009; and −14.7%, p = 0.08, respectively) and in the medulla for OXPHOS I + II (80.82 ± 7.88 vs. 61.03 ± 7.67 pmol/(s·mL), −24.5%, p = 0.003). Similarly, in HK2 cells, the decrease in OXPHOS CI + II was greater after RU (65.87 ± 1.30 vs. 51.82 ± 3.50 pmol/(s·mL), −21.3%, p = 0.04) compared to GP. Increased H₂O₂ production was mainly observed after RU in the medulla (+14.3% in OXPHOS CI + II, p = 0.04) and in HK2 cells (+19% in OXPHOS CI + II, p = 0.02). In conclusion, although the medulla might be more prone to GP-related mitochondrial damage, RU toxicity was greater in both the renal cortex and medulla and in cultured tubular HK2 cells. Enhancing mitochondrial respiration and reducing oxidative stress might favor the prevention of or reduction in such worldwide-used herbicides’ deleterious effects on the kidneys. Full article

A malalignment between rattlesnake-envenomed patients’ degree of compromised coagulation and the data generated by standard hematological determinations generated with blood samples anticoagulated with calcium (Ca) chelating agents is almost certain. Many rattlesnake venom toxins are Ca-independent toxins that likely continue to damage plasmatic and cellular components of coagulation in blood samples (anticoagulated with Ca chelation) during transportation from the emergency department to the clinical laboratory. The most straightforward approach to abrogate this patient–laboratory malalignment is to reduce “needle to activation time”—the time from blood collection to commencement of laboratory analysis—with utilization of point-of-care (POC) technology such as thrombelastography. The workflow and history of standard and POC approaches to hematological assessment is reviewed. Further, using a preclinical model of envenomation with four different rattlesnake venoms, the remarkably diverse damage to coagulation revealed with POC thrombelastography is presented. It is anticipated that future investigation and potential changes in clinical monitoring practices with POC methods of hematological assessment will improve the management of envenomed patients and assist in precision care. Full article

Brazil is one of the largest consumers of herbicides in the world, and glyphosate-based herbicides (e.g., Roundup^®) are commonly applied in cropland. Among vertebrates, amphibians are especially susceptible to contamination due to their strong association with freshwater environments. However, our knowledge of how these herbicides affect amphibians is still scarce, mainly regarding the impacts of commercial formulations. In this study, we experimentally evaluated the effects of Roundup Original DI^®, a glyphosate-based herbicide, on tadpoles of Physalaemus cicada and Physalaemus erikae. Spawnings were collected in south and southern Bahia, transported to the laboratory, and kept until the tadpoles reached developmental stage 25. Tadpoles were acclimated for 24 h and subsequently exposed to increasing herbicide concentrations at acute and chronic levels to assess survival, lethal concentration (LC50 96 h), and morphological and ontogenetic responses. Contamination significantly decreased the survival of tadpoles of both species and affected the development of tadpoles of P. erikae. The estimated lethal concentration (LC50) after 96 h for Physalaemus cicada was 5.52 mg a.i./L, and Physalaemus erikae was 3.40 mg a.i./L. Also, at chronic concentrations, morphological changes were observed in the tadpoles of P. erikae, with the changes being mainly in the tadpoles’ tail and body shapes. Therefore, Roundup Original DI^® is considered moderately toxic to both species. Our results extend the knowledge regarding the action of pesticides mainly for species of the genus Physalaemus, which is the best-known genus for glyphosate based-herbicide toxicity. Full article

Aiming at the problem of target rounding by UAV swarms in complex environments, this paper proposes a goal consistency reinforcement learning approach based on multi-head soft attention (GCMSA). Firstly, in order to make the model closer to reality, the reward function when the target is at different positions and the target escape strategy are set, respectively. Then, the Multi-head soft attention module is used to promote the information cognition of the target among the UAVs, so that the UAVs can complete the target roundup more smoothly. Finally, in the training phase, this paper introduces cognitive dissonance loss to improve the sample utilization. Simulation experiments show that GCMSA is able to obtain a higher task success rate and is significantly better than MADDPG in terms of algorithm performance. Full article

Diabetes is one of the most common diseases worldwide, with an increasing number of people affected. Insulin therapy is still the major treatment for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and has evolved from bulky syringes to modern insulin pens introduced in 1985. An insulin pen consists of three major parts: a cartridge, a single-use pen needle (PN), and a precision dosing mechanism. Initially, PNs were long and thick, causing great discomfort and concern. Thanks to advances in design, shorter and thinner needles have appeared on the market, improving patient acceptability and pain perception. Studies highlight the influence of PN geometry and other characteristics on injection-related pain, including length, diameter, bevel design, and hub. Despite a lack of specific international regulations for PN geometry, scientific publications have focused on exploring different PNs’ characteristics to optimize patient comfort and reduce pain. To guide the selection of suitable PNs, this review provides a round-up of literature research findings on the impact of PN geometry on pain perception and patient acceptability. Specifically, it provides an overview of the PN manufacturing process, current international regulations, and the state-of-the-art research on PN geometry affecting pain perception. Full article

Adoption of diverse weed management practices is viewed as essential for slowing the spread of herbicide-resistant (HR) weeds. Yet, adoption of diverse tactics has remained low, while there has been explosive growth of resistant weeds. This study analyzes U.S.-farm-level data to identify factors affecting adoption of diverse weed management practices. This study uses directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) to consider how practice adoption is influenced by different causal pathways between farmer and farm characteristics and farmer awareness of and concern over HR weeds. This study then uses multiple regression analysis to estimate the direct and indirect pathways that influence practice adoption. Respondents relied more heavily on herbicide-based weed control methods than on mechanical or cultural methods. Concern over herbicide resistance increased the number of practices farmers adopted and the percentage of acres where farmers implemented these practices. Practice adoption was negatively associated with increasing levels of farmer risk aversion. Technological optimism—belief that new herbicides would soon be developed to counter HR weeds—discouraged diverse herbicide use practices that combat resistance, but encouraged use of some non-chemical weed control methods. Perceived weed dispersal externalities (from weed mobility) led to more diverse weed management, running counter to hypotheses that greater mobility reduces incentives for individual resistance management. Full article

Increasing the diversity of native forbs in pasturelands can benefit insect pollinator populations, which have been declining widely. Establishing native forbs into existing pasturelands can be challenging, however, and information about effective planting strategies in these systems is lacking. In this study, we evaluated several planting strategies to improve native forb establishment. Two field experiments were conducted in Virginia, USA in 2021 and 2022. Experiment 1 evaluated how six herbicide treatments and tillage affected establishment success when forbs were planted in summer or fall. Experiment 2 investigated how different seeding rates from 2.2 to 56 kg/ha and pre-seeding cold stratification affected forb establishment. In experiment 1, treatments using Roundup/glyphosate and tillage resulted in the most forb establishment. Planting in summer improved establishment with Roundup/glyphosate application. In experiment 2, native forb plant establishment was positively associated with seeding rate (p < 0.001), with a rate of 56 kg/ha resulting in almost 3x more forbs compared to the lowest seeding rate. Cold stratification also increased target plant establishment (p < 0.01), but these effects were inconsistent among species. Our results suggest that effective native forb establishment can be achieved through intensive site preparation with Roundup/glyphosate or tillage to suppress vegetation and planting at rates no higher than 11 kg/ha. Full article

When multi-dynamic target UAVs escape, the uncertainty of the formation method and the external environment causes difficulties in rounding them up, so suitable solutions are needed to improve the roundup success rate. However, traditional methods can generally only enable the encirclement of a single target, and when the target is scattered and escaping, this will lead to encirclement failure due to the inability to sufficiently allocate UAVs for encirclement. Therefore, in this paper, a real-time roundup and dynamic allocation algorithm for multiple dynamic targets is proposed. A real-time dynamic obstacle avoidance model is established for the roundup problem, drawing on the artificial potential field function. For the escape problem of the rounding process, an optimal rounding allocation strategy is established by drawing on the linear matching method. The algorithm in this paper simulates the UAV in different obstacle environments to round up dynamic targets with different escape methods. The results show that the algorithm is able to achieve the rounding up of multiple dynamic targets in a UAV and obstacle scenario with random initial positions, and the task UAV, which is able to avoid obstacles, can be used in other algorithms for real-time rounding up and dynamic allocation. The results show that the algorithm is able to achieve the rounding up of multi-dynamic targets in scenarios with a random number of UAVs and obstacles with random locations. It results in a 50% increase in the rounding efficiency and a 10-fold improvement in the formation success rate. And the mission UAV is able to avoid obstacles, which can be used in other algorithms for real-time roundup and dynamic allocation. Full article

Wild herbivore responses to anthropogenic climate change are often projected to be habitat and geographic range shifts as warmer conditions reduce the quantity and nutritional quality of forage plants, which makes species presence/absence a focus. Since 1978, herbivore abundances at the National Bison Range, MT, USA, were measured for grasshoppers (catch-effort), microtine rodents (runway density), and ungulates (drives and round-ups), along with climate and vegetation quantity (biomass) and quality (nitrogen content and chemical solubility related to digestibility). Counter to expectation with warming and drying, forage biomass increased as grass biomass increased more than dicot biomass decreased, and forage quality (solubility) increased. Consequently, herbivores that consume a grass diet (>25% grass: certain grasshoppers, microtines, bighorn sheep, elk, bison) increased in abundance, while herbivores consuming less grass declined (certain grasshoppers, pronghorn, whitetail, and mule deer). The result is an 18% increase in herbivore abundance and herbivory, counter to climate change expectations. Historically, grasshoppers consumed 46% more vegetation than mammals; now, they consume only 14% more, as grasshoppers did not increase as expected with climate change. Therefore, herbivores respond rapidly to climate-induced vegetation changes, and this is not a simple loss/addition of species, but changing trophic dynamics, which requires more knowledge of ecosystem dynamics. Full article

Urban and agricultural runoffs can transport contaminants and pesticides into freshwater ecosystems, particularly in the developing tropics. For instance, organophosphate and pyrethroids pesticides, such as Roundup, Malathion, and Permethrin, have been found in tropical streams. The uncontrolled application of these pesticides has become a growing concern due to their adverse effects on various non-targeted organisms. Unfortunately, most studies have focused on a few selected model species, ignoring the effects on other non-target organisms, which may play an important role in tropical lotic ecosystems. In addition, the biological characteristics of aquatic crustaceans, including their morphology, physiology, and behavior, make them susceptible to toxic chemicals. For this reason, this study used the widely distributed freshwater shrimp Xiphocaris elongata as a model organism to determine the acute toxicity of Permethrin, Malathion, and Roundup. Our results show that the proportion of mortality of X. elongata in each concentration group became progressively higher as the concentration of exposure increased. We also found that the synthetic pyrethroid Permethrin was the most toxic pesticide tested, with a median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) value for 96 h of 3.96 × 10⁻⁶ µg·L⁻¹, followed by organophosphate Malathion (8.87 µg·L⁻¹) and Roundup (748.92 µg·L⁻¹). Experiments with this freshwater shrimp showed a good control performance and reproducibility for the tested pesticides. This study demonstrated that X. elongata is a suitable test organism that can be a representative bioindicator of pesticide toxicity in tropical streams. Full article

The behavioral (filtration activity) and biochemical (oxidative stress) effects of Roundup 360 Plus (active substance glyphosate) herbicide on two species of unionid mussels, Unio tumidus (Philipsson, 1788) and Anodonta anatina (L.), were evaluated at concentrations ranging from 15 to 1500 μg L⁻¹ of glyphosate for five days. During all experiments, we did not record the mortality of the studied mussel species. Exposure to Roundup herbicide induced dose-dependent filtration disruptions in both U. tumidus and A. anatina. Exposure of the mussels to a low and environmentally relevant concentration 15 µg glyphosate L⁻¹ resulted in a slight (<20%) and temporary decrease in mean valve dilation. Exposure of the mussels to Roundup at relatively high concentrations caused drastic and prolonged shell closure and a reduction in the mussel shell opening rate. Exposure of both mussel species to herbicide resulted in oxidative stress; an increase in superoxide dismutase enzymatic activity was detected. The most significant increase in SOD activity was observed after the exposure to the highest Roundup concentration. However, no correlation between the Roundup concentration and enzymatic activity was found. The use of unionid mussels to detect environmentally relevant concentrations of Roundup, as a part of biological early warning system for pollution, is limited, but they can serve to detect the incidental pollution of aquatic ecosystems with high concentrations of this herbicide. Full article

A common practice in inventory systems with several customers requiring differentiated service levels is to group them into two or three classes, where a customer class is a group of customers with the same preset service level in terms of product availability. However, there is no evidence that grouping customers into two or three classes is optimal in terms of the ordering policy parameters. This paper studies the effect of the number of customer classes on the inventory level of a single-period inventory system with stochastic demand and individual service-level requirements from multiple customer classes. Using a Sample Average Approximation approach, we formulate computationally tractable multi-class service level models, under responsive and anticipative priority policies in cases of shortage, as mixed integer linear problems (MIPs). The effect of the number of classes on the inventory level is determined using a round-up aggregation scheme; i.e., given a sufficiently large initial number of classes, it is reduced by adding the lower service level classes to the next higher class. We analytically characterize the optimal inventory level under responsive and anticipative priority policies as a function of the initial number of classes and the number of classes grouped based on the round-up aggregation scheme. Under a responsive priority policy, we show that there is an optimal number of classes, while under an anticipative priority policy, the optimal number of classes is equal to the initial number of classes. The effect of free-riders resulting from the round-up aggregation scheme on the optimal inventory level is studied through numerical experiments. Full article