Search Results (511)

Prostate cancer (PC) remains a leading cause of malignancy in men worldwide, with current diagnostic methods such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing and tissue biopsies facing limitations in specificity, invasiveness, and ability to capture tumor heterogeneity. Liquid biopsy, especially analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), has emerged as a transformative tool for non-invasive detection, real-time monitoring, and treatment selection for PC. This review examines the role of ctDNA in both localized and metastatic PCs, focusing on its utility in early detection, risk stratification, therapy selection, and post-treatment monitoring. In localized PC, ctDNA-based biomarkers, including ctDNA fraction, methylation patterns, fragmentation profiles, and mutations, demonstrate promise in improving diagnostic accuracy and predicting disease recurrence. For metastatic PC, ctDNA analysis provides insights into tumor burden, genomic alterations, and resistance mechanisms, enabling immediate assessment of treatment response and guiding therapeutic decisions. Despite challenges such as the low ctDNA abundance in early-stage disease and the need for standardized protocols, advances in sequencing technologies and multimodal approaches enhance the clinical applicability of ctDNA. Integrating ctDNA with imaging and traditional biomarkers offers a pathway to precision oncology, ultimately improving outcomes. This review underscores the potential of ctDNA to redefine PC management while addressing current limitations and future directions for research and clinical implementation. Full article

As urbanization processes are no longer characterized by simple linear expansion but exhibit leaping, edge-sparse, and discontinuous features, spatiotemporally continuous impervious surface coverage data are needed to better characterize urbanization processes. This study utilized GAIA impervious surface binary data and employed spatiotemporal aggregation methods to convert thirty years of 30 m resolution data into 1 km resolution spatiotemporal impervious surface coverage data, constructing a long-term time series annual impervious surface coverage dataset for the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. Based on this dataset, we analyzed urban expansion processes and landscape pattern indices in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region, exploring the spatiotemporal response relationships of ecological environment changes. Results revealed that the impervious surface area increased dramatically from 7579.3 km² in 1985 to 37,484.0 km² in 2020, representing a year-on-year growth of 88.5%. Urban expansion rates showed two distinct peaks: 800 km²/year around 1990 and approximately 1700 km²/year during 2010–2015. In high-density urbanized areas with impervious surfaces, the average forest area significantly increased from approximately 2500 km² to 7000 km² during 1985–2005 before rapidly declining, grassland patch fragmentation intensified, while in low-density areas, grassland area showed fluctuating decline with poor ecosystem stability. Furthermore, by incorporating natural and social factors such as Fractional Vegetation Coverage (FVC), Habitat Quality Index (HQI), Land Surface Temperature (LST), slope, and population density, we assessed the vulnerability of urbanization development in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. Results showed that high vulnerability areas (EVI > 0.5) in the Beijing–Tianjin core region continue to expand, while the proportion of low vulnerability areas (EVI < 0.25) in the northern mountainous regions decreased by 4.2% in 2020 compared to 2005. This study provides scientific support for the sustainable development of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration, suggesting location-specific and differentiated regulation of urbanization processes to reduce ecological risks. Full article

Urban expansion fragments once-contiguous forest patches, generating pronounced edge gradients that modulate soil physicochemical properties and biodiversity. We quantified how fragmentation reshaped the soil microbiome continuum and its implications for soil carbon storage in a temperate urban mixed deciduous forest. A total of 18 plots were considered in this study, with six plots for each fragment type. Intact interior forest (F), internal forest path fragment (IF), and external forest path fragment (EF) soils were sampled at 0–15, 15–30, and 30–45 cm depths and profiled through phospholipid-derived fatty acid (PLFA) chemotyping and amino sugar proxies for living microbiome and microbial-derived necromass assessment, respectively. Carbon fractionation was performed through the chemical oxidation method. Diversity indices (Shannon–Wiener, Pielou evenness, Margalef richness, and Simpson dominance) were calculated based on the determined fatty acids derived from the phospholipid fraction. The microbial biomass ranged from 85.1 to 214.6 nmol g⁻¹ dry soil, with the surface layers of F exhibiting the highest values (p < 0.01). Shannon diversity declined systematically from F > IF > EF. The microbial necromass varied from 11.3 to 23.2 g⋅kg⁻¹. Fragmentation intensified the stratification of carbon pools, with organic carbon decreasing by approximately 14% from F to EF. Our results show that EFs possess a declining microbiome continuum that weakens their carbon sequestration capacity in urban forests. Full article

Micro-fragmented adipose tissue (MFAT) is a promising autologous therapy for knee osteoarthritis. To avoid repeated liposuction procedures for its clinical application, MFAT obtained from patients with knee osteoarthritis was stored at −80 °C in a tissue bank. This study describes the preparation, cryopreservation, thawing, and washing, as well as comprehensive analysis of cell populations in fresh and MFAT thawed after two years. Immunophenotyping of both fresh and thawed MFAT showed a significant presence of endothelial progenitors and pericytes in the stromal vascular fraction. Viability before (59.75%) and after freezing (55.73%) showed no significant difference. However, the average cell count per gram of MFAT was significantly reduced in thawed samples (3.00 × 10⁵) compared to fresh ones (5.64 × 10⁵), likely due to processing steps. Thawed MFAT samples showed increased CD73 expression on the CD31^highCD34^high subset of EP and SA-ASC, as well as increased expression of CD105 on EP, the CD31^lowCD34^low subset of EP, pericytes, and SA-ASC. Microbiological testing confirmed 100% sterility, and double washing efficiently removed DMSO, confirming sample safety. Histological analysis revealed healthy, uniformly shaped adipocytes with intact membranes. This approach allows accurate estimation of cell yield for intra-articular injection, ensuring delivery of the target cell number into the knee. Quality control analysis confirms that cryopreserved MFAT retains high cellular and structural integrity, supporting its safety and suitability for clinical application. Full article

To explore the influence of mine roof on the damage and failure of sandstone surrounding rock under different pressure rates, mechanical experiments with different strain rates were carried out on sandstone rock samples. The strength, deformation, failure, energy and damage characteristics of rock samples with different strain rates were also discussed. The research results show that with the increases in the strain rate, peak stress, and elastic modulus show a monotonically increasing trend, while the peak strain decreases in the reverse direction. At a low strain rate, the proportion of the mass fraction of complete rock blocks in the rock sample is relatively high, and the shape integrity is good, while rock samples with a high strain rate retain more small-sized fragmented rock blocks. This indicates that under high-rate loading, the bifurcation phenomenon of secondary cracks is obvious. The rock samples undergo a failure form dominated by small-sized fragments, with severe damage to the rock samples and significant fractal characteristics of the fragments. At the initial stage of loading, the primary fractures close, and the rock samples mainly dissipate energy in the forms of frictional slip and mineral fragmentation. In the middle stage of loading, the residual fractures are compacted, and the dissipative strain energy keeps increasing continuously. In the later stage of loading, secondary cracks accelerate their expansion, and elastic strain energy is released sharply, eventually leading to brittle failure of the rock sample. Under a low strain rate, secondary cracks slowly expand along the clay–quartz interface and cause intergranular failure of the rock sample. However, a high strain rate inhibits the stress relaxation of the clay, forces the energy to transfer to the quartz crystal, promotes the penetration of secondary cracks through the quartz crystal, and triggers transgranular failure. A constitutive model based on energy damage was further constructed, which can accurately characterize the nonlinear hardening characteristics and strength-deformation laws of rock samples with different strain rates. The evolution process of its energy damage can be divided into the unchanged stage, the slow growth stage, and the accelerated growth stage. The characteristics of this stage reveal the sudden change mechanism from the dissipation of elastic strain energy of rock samples to the unstable propagation of secondary cracks, clarify the cumulative influence of strain rate on damage, and provide a theoretical basis for the dynamic assessment of surrounding rock damage and disaster early warning when the mine roof comes under pressure. Full article

The Mediterranean region is increasingly confronted with intersecting environmental, agricultural, and socio-economic challenges, including biowaste accumulation, soil degradation, and high dependency on imported fossil fuels. Biomethane, a renewable substitute for natural gas, offers a strategic solution that aligns with the region’s need for sustainable energy transition and circular resource management. This review examines the current state of biomethane production in the Mediterranean area, with a focus on anaerobic digestion (AD) technologies, feedstock availability, policy drivers, and integration into the circular bioeconomy (CBE) framework. Emphasis is placed on the valorisation of regionally abundant feedstocks such as olive pomace, citrus peel, grape marc, cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) residues, livestock manure, and the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW). The multifunctionality of AD—producing renewable energy and nutrient-rich digestate—is highlighted for its dual role in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and restoring soil health, especially in areas threatened by desertification such as Sicily (Italy), Spain, Malta, and Greece. The review also explores emerging innovations in biogas upgrading, nutrient recovery, and digital monitoring, along with the role of Renewable Energy Directive III (RED III) and national biomethane strategies in scaling up deployment. Case studies and decentralised implementation models underscore the socio-technical feasibility of biomethane systems across rural and insular territories. Despite significant potential, barriers such as feedstock variability, infrastructural gaps, and policy fragmentation remain. The paper concludes with a roadmap for research and policy to advance biomethane as a pillar of Mediterranean climate resilience, energy autonomy and sustainable agriculture within a circular bioeconomy paradigm. Full article

The Harry Potter fandom community around the world prefers a universe of wizards and witches that includes all people, but also has concerns about the author’s perspective regarding gender identity. This disjunction paralyzes the cultural reader with moral confusion, which is a danger to their emotional investment in the text. Although scholars have analyzed this phenomenon using fragmented prisms, such as social media activism, cognitive engagement, translation, pedagogy, and fan creativity, there is no unifying model that can be used to understand why reading pleasure endures. This article aims to fill this gap by examining these strands of research in a divergent manner, adopting a convergent mixed-methods study approach. Based on neurocognitive (EEG) values, cross-cultural focus groups, social media analysis, and corpus linguistics, we outline the terrain of reader coping mechanisms. We identify separate fan fractions and examine the corresponding practices. The results are summarized by proposing a model called the MDRL (Moral dissonance repair loop) which is a theoretical model that shows how translation smoothing, pedagogical reframing and fan-based re-moralization interact with one another in creating a system that enables the reader to be collectively able to obtain their relations with the text back to a manageable point and continue being engaged. This model makes a theoretical contribution to new areas in the study of fans, moral psychology, and cognitive literature. Full article

Gas–liquid two-phase flow is very common in fluid machinery and has complex multiphase flow characteristics. Under the gas-containing conditions, common issues in fluid machinery include the transport of liquid, bubble variations, and pressure drop characteristics; these can be analyzed using a simplified venturi tube. In order to investigate the influence of incoming gas on the gas–liquid flow, a venturi tube with the range of inlet gas volume fraction (IGVF) from 0 to 16% was used in this experiment. The development of a two-phase flow was recorded by using high-speed photography. Under different initial liquid flow rates and gas content conditions, the evolution of the two-phase flow was similar, with the main difference being the rate of evolution. The incoming gas mainly underwent a process from column shape to expansion and then to fragmentation passing through the venturi tube. In the experimental images, the projected area of the main bubble increased linearly with the increase in IGVF. Meanwhile, the transporting ability of the venturi tube was weakened due to the blockage caused by high gas content, especially when the IGVF exceeded 10%. The pressure drop characteristics indicated an increase in losses with the increase in gas content. Full article

Urbanization has profoundly transformed land surface morphology and amplified thermal environmental modifications, culminating in intensified urban heat island (UHI) phenomena. Local climate zones (LCZs) provide a robust methodological framework for quantifying thermal heterogeneity and dynamics at local scales. Our study investigated the Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan urban agglomeration (CZXA) as a case study and systematically examined spatiotemporal patterns of LCZs and land surface temperature (LST) from 2002 to 2019, while elucidating mechanisms influencing urban thermal environments and proposing optimized cooling strategies. Key findings demonstrated that through multi-source remote sensing data integration, long-term LCZ classification was achieved with 1,592 training samples, maintaining an overall accuracy exceeding 70%. Landscape pattern analysis revealed that increased fragmentation, configurational complexity, and diversity indices coupled with diminished spatial connectivity significantly elevate LST. Rapid development of the city in the vertical direction also led to an increase in LST. Among seven urban morphological parameters, impervious surface fraction (ISF) and pervious surface fraction (PSF) demonstrated the strongest correlations with LST, showing Pearson coefficients of 0.82 and −0.82, respectively. Pearson coefficients of mean building height (BH), building surface fraction (BSF), and mean street width (SW) also reached 0.50, 0.55, and 0.66. Redundancy analysis (RDA) results revealed that the connectivity and fragmentation degree of LCZ_8 (COHESION8) was the most critical parameter affecting urban thermal environment, explaining 58.5% of LST. Based on these findings and materiality assessment, the regional cooling model of “cooling resistance surface–cooling source–cooling corridor–cooling node” of CZXA was constructed. In the future, particular attention should be paid to the shape and distribution of buildings, especially large, openly arranged buildings with one to three stories, as well as to controlling building height and density. Moreover, tailored protection strategies should be formulated and implemented for cooling sources, corridors, and nodes based on their hierarchical significance within urban thermal regulation systems. These research outcomes offer a robust scientific foundation for evidence-based decision-making in mitigating UHI effects and promoting sustainable urban ecosystem development across urban agglomerations. Full article

Repetitive DNA represents over 50% of the human genome and is an abundant component of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA). We previously showed that cfDNA levels and integrity can predict survival in elderly patients with cardiovascular disease. Here, we aimed to clarify whether a low-pass next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach can characterize the repeat content of cfDNA. Considering the bimodal distribution of cfDNA fragment lengths, we examined the occurrence of repetitive DNA subfamilies separately in dinucleosomal (>250 bp) and mononucleosomal (≤250 bp) cfDNA sequences from 24 patients admitted for heart failure. An increase in the relative abundance of Alu repetitive elements was observed in the longer fraction, while alpha satellites were enriched in the mononucleosomal fraction. The relative abundance of Alu, ALR, and L1HS DNA in the dinucleosomal fraction correlated with different prognostic biomarkers, and Alu DNA was negatively associated with the presence of chronic kidney disease comorbidity. These results, together with the observed inverse correlation between Alu DNA abundance and cfDNA integrity, suggest that the composition of plasma cfDNA could be determined by multiple mechanisms in different physio-pathological conditions. In conclusion, low-pass NGS is an inexpensive method to analyze the cfDNA repeat landscape and identify new cardiovascular disease biomarkers. Full article

Urban forests play a crucial role in enhancing vegetation cover and bolstering the ecological functions of cities by expanding green space, improving ecological connectivity, and reducing landscape fragmentation. This study examines these dynamics in Jinhua City, China, utilizing Landsat 8 satellite imagery for all four seasons of 2023, accessed through the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. Fractional vegetation cover (FVC) was calculated using the pixel binary model, followed by the classification of FVC levels. To understand the influence of landscape structure, nine representative landscape metrics were selected to construct a landscape index system. Pearson correlation analysis was employed to explore the relationships between these indices and seasonal FVC variations. Furthermore, the contribution of each index to seasonal FVC was quantified using a random forest (RF) regression model. The results indicate that (1) Jinhua exhibits the highest average FVC during the summer, reaching 0.67, while the lowest value is observed in winter, at 0.49. The proportion of areas with very high coverage peaks in summer, accounting for 50.6% of the total area; (2) all landscape metrics exhibited significant correlations with seasonal FVC. Among them, the class area (CA), percentage of landscape (PLAND), largest patch index (LPI), and patch cohesion index (COHESION) showed strong positive correlations with FVC, whereas the total edge length (TE), landscape shape index (LSI), patch density (PD), edge density (ED), and area-weighted mean shape index (AWMSI) were negatively correlated with FVC; (3) RF regression analysis revealed that CA and PLAND contributed most substantially to FVC, followed by COHESION and LPI, while PD, AWMSI, LSI, TE, and ED demonstrated relatively lower contributions. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing urban forest landscape design and enhancing urban vegetation cover, underscoring that increasing large, interconnected forest patches represents an effective strategy for improving FVC in urban environments. Full article

During the machining of unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (UD-CFRPs), their anisotropic characteristics and the complex cutting conditions often lead to defects such as delamination, burrs, and surface/subsurface damage. This study systematically investigates the effects of different fiber orientation angles (0°, 45°, 90°, and 135°) on cutting force, chip formation, stress distribution, and damage characteristics using a coupled macro–micro finite element model. The model successfully captures key microscopic failure mechanisms, such as fiber breakage, resin cracking, and fiber–matrix interface debonding, by integrating the anisotropic mechanical properties and heterogeneous microstructure of UD-CFRPs, thereby more realistically replicating the actual machining process. The cutting speed is kept constant at 480 mm/s. Experimental validation using T700S/J-133 laminates (with a 70% fiber volume fraction) shows that, on a macro scale, the cutting force varies non-monotonically with the fiber orientation angle, following the order of 0° < 45° < 135° < 90°. The experimental values are 24.8 N/mm < 35.8 N/mm < 36.4 N/mm < 44.1 N/mm, and the simulation values are 22.9 N/mm < 33.2 N/mm < 32.7 N/mm < 42.6 N/mm. The maximum values occur at 90° (44.1 N/mm, 42.6 N/mm), while the minimum values occur at 0° (24.8 N/mm, 22.9 N/mm). The chip morphology significantly changes with fiber orientation: 0° produces strip-shaped chips, 45° forms block-shaped chips, 90° results in particle-shaped chips, and 135° produces fragmented chips. On a micro scale, the microscopic morphology of the chips and the surface damage characteristics also exhibit gradient variations consistent with the experimental results. The developed model demonstrates high accuracy in predicting damage mechanisms and material removal behavior, providing a theoretical basis for optimizing CFRP machining parameters. Full article

Standard semen parameters remain the cornerstone of male infertility evaluation, though they often poorly reflect the likelihood of success in assisted reproductive technology (ART). This study evaluates sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) as a diagnostic tool for male infertility and predictive biomarker for ART success. Semen samples were collected from 20 fertile donors and 40 infertile patients with abnormal semen parameters. A fraction of each sample was used for SDF assessment via TUNEL assay and flow cytometry, while the remaining portion was processed for conventional semen analysis and ART. Infertile patients exhibited higher SDF levels (32.77 ± 13.61%) compared to donors (22.19 ± 8.37%; p < 0.01), a difference that remained statistically significant across all subgroups stratified by semen parameters. Additionally, significant correlations were obtained between the percentage of SDF and sperm count (r = −0.4036), motility (r = −0.6377), and morphology (r = −0.2783). Regarding ART outcomes, patients with low-quality embryos exhibited higher SDF levels compared to those with high-quality embryos (30.02 ± 12.52% vs. 23.16 ± 8.41%; p = 0.0036). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed an area under the curve (AUC) above 0.7 for the classification of male infertility as well as the assessment of embryo quality. Overall, our results support the utility of SDF as both a diagnostic biomarker for male infertility and a predictive indicator of embryo quality in ART, particularly in the presence of an oocyte-related female factor. Full article

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly aggressive, treatment-resistant grade IV brain tumor with poor prognosis that grows rapidly and invades surrounding tissues, complicating surgery and frequently recurring. Although the crucial role of endogenous peptides has been highlighted for several tumors, the specific peptidomic profile of GBM remains unexplored to date. This study aimed to perform a preliminary characterization of the low molecular mass proteome fraction of Cavitron Ultrasonic Surgical Aspirator (CUSA) fluid collected from different tumor zones, i.e., the core and tumor periphery of newly diagnosed (ND) and recurrent (R) GBM. The samples, pooled by tumor type and collection zone, were centrifuged through molecular cut-off filter devices to collect the non-retained fraction of the proteome <10 kDa for direct full-length LC-MS analysis. A total of 40 and 24 peptides, fragments of 32 and 18 proteins, were marked as ND and R GBM COREs, respectively, while 132 peptides, fragments of 46 precursor proteins, were identified as common and included proteins which were cancer-related or involved in GBM pathophysiology. Besides providing a preliminary overview of the unexplored peptidome of GBM, this pilot study confirms peptidomics as a promising tool to discover potential GBM biomarkers in the perspective of clinical applications increasingly oriented towards a precision medicine approach. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with the identifier PXD060807. Full article

The development of novel antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with broad-spectrum activity represents a promising strategy to overcome multidrug resistance in pathogenic bacteria. In this study, we investigated the antimicrobial activity of three designed peptides—R44K^S*, V31K^S*, and R23F^S*—engineered to incorporate an amyloidogenic fragment from the S1 protein of Staphylococcus aureus and one or two cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) fragments to enhance cellular uptake. The antimicrobial efficacy of these peptides and their combinations was assessed against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and Bacillus cereus. The results demonstrated that all three peptides exhibited significant antibacterial activity in a concentration-dependent manner, with R44K^S* being the most potent. Peptide combinations, particularly V31K^S*/R23F^S* and R44K^S*/V31K^S*, showed enhanced inhibitory effects and reduced minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), suggesting synergistic or additive interactions. Fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) analysis confirmed that most combinations exhibited synergy or additive effects. These findings highlight the potential of CPP-modified peptides as antimicrobial agents and underscore the importance of optimizing peptide combinations for therapeutic applications. Full article