Search Results (499)

With the proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT), gesture recognition has attracted attention as a core technology in human–computer interaction (HCI). In particular, mmWave frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar has emerged as an alternative to vision-based approaches due to its robustness to illumination changes and advantages in privacy. However, in real-world human–machine interface (HMI) environments, hand gestures are inevitably accompanied by torso- and arm-related reflections, which can also contain gesture-relevant variations. To effectively capture these variations without discarding them, we propose a preprocessing method called Adaptive Top-K Selection, which leverages vector entropy to summarize and preserve informative signals from both hand and body reflections. In addition, we present a Multi-Stream EfficientNetV2 architecture that jointly exploits temporal range and Doppler trajectories, together with radar-specific data augmentation and a training optimization strategy. In experiments on the publicly available FMCW gesture dataset released by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, the proposed method achieved an average accuracy of 99.5%. These results show that the proposed approach enables accurate and reliable gesture recognition even in realistic HMI environments with co-existing body reflections. Full article

Heat stress (HS) is an environmental variable challenging pig production worldwide. It may alter carcass composition by increasing fat deposition but the mechanisms are poorly understood. Betaine is a metabolic modifier able to decrease carcass fat in pigs, but the effects of betaine on lipolysis under high temperatures are not known. Our goal was to determine a potential effect of betaine on lipolysis in the fat tissue of Iberian pigs under thermoneutral (TN) or HS conditions. Eight pigs (89 kg BW) were used to obtain explants from dorsal subcutaneous adipose tissue. Explants were cultivated under TN (37 °C) or HS conditions (41.5 °C) for 1.5 h to study direct effects of HS on acute lipolysis. Treatments included control and betaine addition (200 µM). Indirect effects of HS were examined using the culture medium amended with 1 μM isoproterenol ±10 nM insulin in the presence or absence of betaine and HS. Media glycerol was measured at the end of the incubations as a proxy of lipolysis. HS decreased basal lipolysis (−47%; p < 0.001) but increased isoproterenol-stimulated (a β-agonist) lipolysis (+31%; p < 0.01). Betaine increased non-stimulated lipolysis both under TN and HS conditions (73%; p < 0.001). As expected, isoproterenol augmented lipolysis both in TN (2714%; p < 0.001) and HS (3589%; p < 0.001) conditions. The addition of insulin to lipolysis-stimulated explants analogously diminished glycerol release in TN (−39%; p < 0.001) and HS (−50%; p < 0.001) conditions. In conclusion, HS reduced non-stimulated lipolysis in Iberian pigs in line with increased adipose tissue accretion, while betaine partly increased lipolysis, counteracting the effects of HS. Betaine supplementation could be a strategy to counteract HS-induced fattening in pigs. Full article

This study presents a domain-adapted retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipeline that integrates geological knowledge with large language models (LLMs) to support intelligent question answering in the metallogenic domain. Focusing on the Qin–Hang metallogenic belt in South China, we construct a bilingual question-answering (QA) corpus derived from 615 authoritative geological publications, covering topics such as regional tectonics, ore-forming processes, structural evolution, and mineral resources. Using the ChatGLM3-6B language model and LangChain framework, we embed the corpus into a semantic vector database via Sentence-BERT and FAISS, enabling dynamic retrieval and grounded response generation. The RAG-enhanced model significantly outperforms baseline LLMs—including ChatGPT-4, Bing, and Gemini—in a comparative evaluation using BLEU, precision, recall, and F1 metrics, achieving an F1 score of 0.8689. The approach demonstrates high domain adaptability and reproducibility. All datasets and codes are openly released to facilitate application in other metallogenic belts. This work illustrates the potential of LLM-based knowledge engineering to support digital geoscientific research and smart mining. Full article

Background/Objectives: Pokémon GO has had a substantial global impact, emerging as one of the most prominent smartphone game releases of the 21st century. Beyond its entertainment value, this game has the potential to encourage physical activity alongside recreational engagement. Consequently, it may facilitate the integration of augmented reality into daily routines within the context of advancing mobile device technology. This study aimed to assess the impact of Pokémon GO on users’ physical activity levels, as well as to identify other implicit health outcomes and potential risks. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-long form) and a custom-designed survey (including demographic characteristics) administered to a cohort of 243 Pokémon GO players (112 females and 131 males, mean age 27 ± 7 years). Results: According to IPAQ-long form data, 68% of Pokémon GO users demonstrated high physical activity levels, 29% moderate, and 2.5% insufficient activity. More than 80% of participants reported increased walking distances, and 39% indicated that playing the game had improved their overall mood, while 13% reported enhanced social interactions. However, some findings are concerning, with 27% of respondents admitting to sacrificing sleep, 20% considering themselves addicted, and more than half exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO) screen time guidelines based solely on the time spent playing Pokémon GO. Conclusions: Pokémon GO has a positive impact on users’ physical activity levels, particularly in terms of low-intensity physical activities such as walking. This observational study suggests that the application may be associated with a healthy lifestyle and enhanced interpersonal contact. Prudent and safe usage is advised, as the game has the potential to be addictive and may pose risks when misused. Full article

Achieving a balance between enhancing both humoral and cellular immunity while ensuring sustained release for attenuated live vaccines has long been a challenge in the vaccine industry. However, the incorporation of chemical materials as nanoadjuvants has emerged as a promising strategy to address this challenge. In this study, a novel nano-adjuvant with sustained release properties was developed by combining polyethylene glycol (PEG) and other biochemical and molecular biology agents with CpG. The efficacy of this adjuvant was assessed using the widely applied CSF attenuated live vaccine. The body temperature and relative daily weight gain results demonstrated the safety of the formulations. Importantly, the combination of CpG immune enhancers and sustained-release agents led to a synergistic augmentation of both humoral and cellular immune responses. Specifically, the combination of PEG20000 and benzoic acid, along with Seppic white oil, significantly enhanced humoral immunity. In contrast, the combination of total white oil, PEG6000 and benzoic acid demonstrated superior efficacy in promoting cellular immunity. This study offers important insights into enhancing vaccine efficacy through novel adjuvant combinations, which can be applied to the development of more effective vaccines in the future. Full article

The recent incursions of three agromyzid leafminers (Liriomyza huidobrensis, L. sativae, and L. trifolii) into Australia pose a significant threat to horticultural production. Outbreaks of these polyphagous pests are consistently associated with the disruption of their parasitoids caused by the widespread use of non-selective insecticides and to increasing pesticide resistance in these agromyzids. An analysis of the international literature for records of parasitoids associated with L. huidobrensis, L. sativae, and L. trifolii revealed that they are attacked by a similar profile of parasitoid families: Eulophidae (63% of records), Braconidae (19%), Pteromalidae (9%), and Figitidae (8%). Diglyphus isaea, Neochrysocharis formosa and Hemiptarsenus varicornis (all already recorded in Australia) were the most commonly reported parasitoids worldwide. These species, along with Australia’s broader parasitoid fauna, will play an important role in managing invasive Liriomyza species, provided insecticide use does not disrupt their populations. However, key knowledge gaps remain, especially regarding the taxonomy of local parasitoids, their potential use in conservation biocontrol programs, and the local landscape features that support parasitoid populations. The use of various species in augmentative releases is considered, including constraints and opportunities related to strain selection and the potential use of thelytokous strains for mass-rearing. Full article

Background: Lateral epicondylitis is a common degenerative condition of the elbow, often managed conservatively. However, a subset of patients who had recalcitrant symptoms and repeated corticosteroid injections may develop subtle lateral elbow instability, particularly involving the radial collateral ligament (RCL). This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of RCL repair combined with open ECRB debridement in patients with chronic lateral epicondylitis and mild instability. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 92 patients who underwent surgery for recalcitrant lateral epicondylitis between 2016 and 2022. Twelve patients with imaging and intraoperative findings of mild lateral instability underwent open RCL repair with or without LUCL augmentation (unstable group). The remaining 80 patients without instability underwent arthroscopic ECRB release and drilling (stable group). Pre- and postoperative outcomes were assessed using VAS, MEPS, DASH, and range of motion. Comparative analyses were performed between the two groups. Results: All unstable patients had a history of repeated steroid injections (mean 3.4) for 18 months. Postoperatively, pain scores (VAS) improved from 6.8 to 1.4, MEPS increased from 53 to 91, and DASH decreased from 47.1 to 13.8. No major complications or recurrent instability were observed at one-year follow-up. Subgroup analysis revealed that older age, previous surgery, and a greater number of injections were significantly associated with instability. Conclusions: RCL repair combined with ECRB debridement yields favorable clinical outcomes in patients with recalcitrant lateral epicondylitis and mild instability, especially those who had a history of repeated corticosteroid injections. Proper evaluation and surgical repair of underlying ligament pathology may improve outcomes in this subset of patients. Favorable clinical outcomes were defined as improvements compared to preoperative baseline scores. These outcomes were compared to preoperative scores and exceeded MCID thresholds where applicable. Full article

Objectives: This study was designed to optimize a ceftazidime (CTZ)-loaded nanocarrier that could efficiently permeate across corneal tissues. Moreover, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) was combined with an optimized CTZ-loaded formula to augment the antimicrobial activity and facilitate the efficient healing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced keratitis. Methods: Different CTZ-loaded invasomes (INVs) and CTZ-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) were fabricated and fully characterized via the determination of the entrapment efficiency (EE%), particle size (PS), surface charge, and percentage of CTZ release. Next, NAC was added to the optimized formulae from each nanocarrier, which were further assessed through ex vivo corneal permeation and in vitro antimicrobial activity studies. Finally, an in vivo evaluation of the optimal nanocarrier in the presence of NAC was performed. Results: Both nanocarriers showed nanoscale PS with sufficient surface charges. CTZ-loaded NLC formulae showed a higher EE% range with a sustained drug release profile. Both optimized formulae showed a spherical shape and excellent stability. Moreover, the antibacterial activity and biofilm inhibition assessments confirmed the synergistic effects of NAC when combined with different CTZ-loaded nanocarriers. However, the optimized CTZ-loaded INV formula achieved higher corneal permeation and deposition compared to the optimized CTZ-loaded NLC formula. Finally, the in vivo assessment confirmed the dominance of the optimized CTZ-loaded INV formula combined with NAC, where the microbiological, histopathological, and immunohistopathological examinations showed the rapid eradication of keratitis. Conclusions: Recent strategies for the incorporation of antibiotics into nanocarriers, combined with mucolytic agents, can offer a promising platform to boost the therapeutic efficiency of antibiotics and prevent antimicrobial resistance. Full article

Nowadays, Internet of Things (IoT) application systems are broadly applied to various sectors of society for efficient management by monitoring environments using sensors, analyzing sampled data, and giving proper feedback. For their fast deployment, we have developed Smart Environmental Monitoring and Analysis in Real Time (SEMAR) as an integrated IoT application server platform and implemented the input setup assistance service using prompt engineering and a generative AI model to assist connecting sensors to SEMAR with step-by-step guidance. However, the current service cannot assist in connections of the sensors not learned by the AI model, such as newly released ones. To address this issue, in this paper, we propose an extension to the service for handling unlearned sensors by utilizing datasheets with four steps: (1) users input a PDF datasheet containing information about the sensor, (2) key specifications are extracted from the datasheet and structured into markdown format using a generative AI, (3) this data is saved to a vector database using chunking and embedding methods, and (4) the data is used in Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to provide additional context when guiding users through sensor setup. Our evaluation with five generative AI models shows that OpenAI’s GPT-4o achieves the highest accuracy in extracting specifications from PDF datasheets and the best answer relevancy (0.987), while Gemini 2.0 Flash delivers the most balanced results, with the highest overall RAGAs score (0.76). Other models produced competitive but mixed outcomes, averaging 0.74 across metrics. The step-by-step guidance function achieved a task success rate above 80%. In a course evaluation by 48 students, the system improved the student test scores, further confirming the effectiveness of our proposed extension. Full article

Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a significant fruit pest of economic and quarantine importance in South America. Biological control using augmentative releases of parasitoids or conservation strategies for these natural enemies are handy tools in integrated fruit fly management programs. The functional response describes the natural enemy consumption rate with increasing resource density. Such information may be relevant for selecting the parasitoid species that is potentially most suitable to serve as a biocontrol agent of A. fraterculus. Furthermore, the number of discarded hosts determined from functional response analysis might be used to estimate suitable host densities, avoiding wastage of larvae/puparia associated with host overproduction. Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate the functional response of four Neotropical-native parasitoid species commonly associated with species of the Anastrepha genus in the Americas, such as the pupal parasitoid Coptera haywardi (Ogloblin) (Hymenoptera: Diapriidae) and the larval parasitoids Ganaspis pelleranoi (Brèthes) (Hymenoptera: Figitidae), Doryctobracon crawfordi (Viereck), and Opius bellus Gahan (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). The package “frair” from R software was used to determine the functional response type and parameter estimation, enabling selection, fitting, and comparison among standard functional response models and integral parameters. Four relevant conclusions can be highlighted: (a) G. pelleranoi showed a flexible functional response, with a statistically significant deviation to a Type III rather than a Type II response found among the three other parasitoid species; (b) G. pelleranoi had a handling time significantly lower than the other tested parasitoid species; (c) the number of attacked hosts varied among all four parasitoid species, with C. haywardi and G. pelleranoi exhibiting the highest proportion of attacks at low and high host densities, respectively; and (d) the percentage of discarded hosts was significantly low at 1–5 and 1–20 hosts per parasitoid in C. haywardi and G. pelleranoi, respectively, whereas in both D. crawfordi and O. bellus, it was high at any offered host density. Results provide helpful comparative information about the possible performance of these species as biocontrol agents against A. fraterculus populations within augmentative and/or conservative biological control programs. Full article

The integrity of subsea oil and gas pipelines is essential for offshore safety and environmental protection. Conventional leak detection approaches, such as manual inspection and indirect sensing, are often costly, time-consuming, and prone to subjectivity, motivating the development of automated methods. In this study, we present a deep learning-based framework for detecting underwater leaks using images acquired in controlled experiments designed to reproduce representative conditions of subsea monitoring. The dataset was generated by simulating both gas and liquid leaks in a water tank environment, under scenarios that mimic challenges observed during Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) inspections along the Brazilian coast. It was further complemented with artificially generated synthetic images (Stable Diffusion) and publicly available subsea imagery. Multiple Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architectures, including VGG16, ResNet50, InceptionV3, DenseNet121, InceptionResNetV2, EfficientNetB0, and a lightweight custom CNN, were trained with transfer learning and evaluated on validation and blind test sets. The best-performing models achieved stable performance during training and validation, with macro F1-scores above 0.80, and demonstrated improved generalization compared to traditional baselines such as VGG16. In blind testing, InceptionV3 achieved the most balanced performance across the three classes when trained with synthetic data and augmentation. The study demonstrates the feasibility of applying CNNs for vision-based leak detection in complex underwater environments. A key contribution is the release of a novel experimentally generated dataset, which supports reproducibility and establishes a benchmark for advancing automated subsea inspection methods. Full article

Vanillin is the compound of great interest to the industry. It is used to augment and enhance the aroma and taste of food preparations and also as a fragrance compound in perfumes and detergents. Currently, majority of the world’s supply consists of chemically synthesized or lignin-derived vanillin. The application of biocatalysis for sustainable manufacturing of food ingredients, pharmaceutical intermediates, and fine chemicals is the key concept of modern industrial biotechnology. The main goal of this research was to conduct optimization procedures aimed at intensifying the microbial hydrolysis process of the lignin-rich plant raw materials and further bioconversion of the released ferulic acid to vanillin. The tests were performed in the solid-state fermentation system with strains selected during the screening stage on agri-food by-products such as brewer’s spent grain. A specially designed single-use bag bioreactor was used to carry out the process on a preparative scale with the most effective strain. The experiment was designed using the RSM, which allowed for an increase in biosynthesis efficiency from 363 mg/kg to 1413 mg/kg (an increase of 389%). The progress of the process was controlled by the use of chromatographic techniques (HPLC) by quantitative determination of vanillin content in the obtained extracts. Full article

Forests play a crucial role in storing excess carbon released into the atmosphere. By mitigating climate change, forest carbon stocks play a vital role in achieving green transitions. However, limited information is available regarding the factors that affect forest carbon stocks. The primary objective of this analysis is to investigate the impact of green agricultural technologies and bioenergy on forest carbon stocks. The empirical investigation was conducted using the method of moments quantile regression (MMQR) technique. Results using the MMQR approach indicate that bioenergy is beneficial in augmenting forest carbon stores at all levels. A 1% increase in bioenergy is associated with an increase in forest carbon stocks ranging from 3.100 at the 10th quantile to 1.599 at the 90th quantile. In the context of developing economies, similar findings are observed; however, in developed economies, bioenergy only fosters forest carbon stocks at lower and middle quantiles. In contrast, green agricultural technologies have an adverse effect on forest carbon stocks. Green agricultural technologies have a significant negative impact on forest carbon stocks, particularly between the 10th and 80th quantiles, with their influence declining in magnitude from −2.398 to −0.619. This negative connection is observed in both developed and developing countries at most quantiles, except for higher quantiles in developed economies. Gross domestic product (GDP) has an adverse effect on forest carbon stores only in developing countries, whereas human capital diminishes forest carbon stocks in both developed and developing nations. Governments should provide support for the creators of bioenergy and agroforestry technologies so that forest carbon stocks can be increased. Full article

Background: DEAD/H box 5 (DDX5) serves as a transcriptional coactivator for several transcription factors including E2F1, the primary target of the tumor suppressor pRB. E2F1 physiologically activated by growth stimulation activates growth-related genes and promotes cell proliferation. In contrast, upon loss of pRB function due to oncogenic changes, E2F1 is activated out of restraint by pRB (deregulated E2F1) and stimulates tumor suppressor genes such as ARF, which activates the tumor suppressor p53, to suppress tumorigenesis. We have recently reported that DDX5 augments deregulated E2F1 activity to induce tumor suppressor gene expression and apoptosis. During the analyses, we noted that over-expression of E2F1 increased DDX5 expression, suggesting a feed forward loop in E2F1 activation through DDX5. Objective: We thus examined whether the DDX5 gene is a target of deregulated E2F1. Method: For this purpose, we performed promoter analysis and ChIP assay. Result: The DDX5 promoter did not possess typical E2F binding consensus but contained several GC repeats observed in deregulated E2F1 targets. Insertion of point mutations in these GC repeats decreased responsiveness to deregulated E2F1 induced by over-expression of E2F1, but scarcely affected responsiveness to growth stimulation. ChIP assays showed that deregulated E2F1 induced by over-expression of E2F1 or expression of E1a, which binds pRB and releases E2F1, bound to the DDX5 gene, while physiological E2F1 induced by growth stimulation did not. Conclusions: These results suggest that the DDX5 gene is a target of deregulated E2F1, generating a feed forward loop mediating tumor suppressive E2F1 activity. Full article

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a predominant cause of global cancer-related mortality, highlighting the pressing demand for innovative therapeutic strategies. Natural polysaccharides have emerged as promising candidates in cancer research due to their multifaceted anticancer mechanisms and tumor-suppressive potential across diverse malignancies. In this study, we enzymatically extracted a polysaccharide, named ERPP, from Ruditapes philippinarum and comprehensively evaluated its anti-colorectal cancer activity. We conducted in vitro assays, including CCK-8 proliferation, clonogenic survival, scratch wound healing, and Annexin V-FITC/PI apoptosis staining, and the results demonstrated that ERPP significantly inhibited HT-29 cell proliferation, suppressed colony formation, impaired migratory capacity, and induced apoptosis. JC-1 fluorescence assays provided further evidence of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) depolarization, as manifested by a substantial reduction in the red/green fluorescence ratio (from 10.87 to 0.35). These antitumor effects were further validated in vivo using a zebrafish HT-29 xenograft model. Furthermore, ERPP treatment significantly attenuated tumor angiogenesis and downregulated the expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor A (Vegfaa) gene in the zebrafish xenograft model. Mechanistic investigations revealed that ERPP primarily activated the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. RT-qPCR analysis showed an upregulation of the pro-apoptotic gene Bax and a downregulation of the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2, leading to cytochrome c (CYCS) release and caspase-3 (CASP-3) activation. Additionally, ERPP exhibited potent antioxidant capacity, achieving an 80.2% hydroxyl radical scavenging rate at 4 mg/mL. ERPP also decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels within the tumor cells, thereby augmenting anticancer efficacy through its antioxidant activity. Collectively, these findings provide mechanistic insights into the properties of ERPP, underscoring its potential as a functional food component or adjuvant therapy for colorectal cancer management. Full article