Search Results (141)

Background: Little is known about the rate of rib fracture healing after Surgical Stabilization of Rib Fractures (SSRFs). We sought to evaluate the radiographic evidence of rib healing and hypertrophic ossification (HO) in patients after SSRFs. Methods: A single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted on all patients who had undergone SSRFs from 1 January 2010 to 31 March 2023 and had a computed tomography (CT) of the chest performed greater than 6 months after SSRFs. The rib fracture locations were mapped on the initial trauma CT scan and evaluated on the follow-up CT scan for healing and HO formation. Results: A total of 254 SSRF cases were evaluated, 21 patients met the inclusion criteria; out of 208 fractures, 109 underwent SSRFs. The median time to follow-up CT scan was 17(7–88) months. Overall, 95% of the fractures healed completely. Seventy percent of the non-union fractures were in posterior or paraspinal locations on ribs 8–10. HO was noted in nine patients and seen as early as 8 months post-operatively. A significant association was identified between the fixation method used to perform SSRFs (89% vs. 11%, p = 0.024) and operative day (6(0–9) vs. 2(2–5), p = 0.023). Conclusions: Non-union of rib fractures is uncommon after SSRFs. Many of these fractures involve the posterior or paraspinal lower rib cage. HO between fractures is common after SSRFs. Full article

Sources of renewable energy have attracted considerable attention. Their expanded use will have a substantial impact on both the cost of energy production and climate change. Solar energy is one efficient and safe option; however, solar energy harvesting sites, irrespective of the location, can impact the ecosystem. This experimental study explores the energy available inside and outside of novel miniature energy harvesting cages by measuring light intensity and power generated. Varying light intensity outside the cage has been utilized to study the remaining energy inside the cage of a flexible design, where the heights of the harvesting panels are parameters. Cages are built from custom photovoltaic panels arranged in a staircase manner to provide access to growing plants. The balance between power generation and biological development is investigated. Two different structures are presented to explore the variation of illumination intensity inside the cages. The experimental results show a substantial reduction in energy inside the cages. The experimental results showed up to 24% reduction in illumination inside the cages in winter. The reduction is even larger in summer, up to 57%. The results from the models provide a framework to study the possible impact on a biological system residing inside the cages, paving the way for practical farming with sustainable energy harvesting. Full article

Foraging behavior in hens is an important indicator of animal welfare. It involves both the search for food and exploration of the environment, which provides necessary enrichment. In addition, it has been inversely linked to damaging behaviors such as severe feather pecking. Conventional studies rely on manual observation to investigate foraging location, duration, timing, and frequency. However, this approach is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and subject to human bias. Our study developed computer vision-based methods to automatically detect foraging hens in a cage-free research environment and compared their performance. A cage-free room was divided into four pens, two larger pens measuring 2.9 m × 2.3 m with 30 hens each and two smaller pens measuring 2.3 m × 1.8 m with 18 hens each. Cameras were positioned vertically, 2.75 m above the floor, recording the videos at 15 frames per second. Out of 4886 images, 70% were used for model training, 20% for validation, and 10% for testing. We trained multiple You Only Look Once (YOLO) object detection models from YOLOv9, YOLOv10, and YOLO11 series for 100 epochs each. All the models achieved precision, recall, and mean average precision at 0.5 intersection over union (mAP@0.5) above 75%. YOLOv9c achieved the highest precision (83.9%), YOLO11x achieved the highest recall (86.7%), and YOLO11m achieved the highest mAP@0.5 (89.5%). These results demonstrate the use of computer vision to automatically detect complex poultry behavior, such as foraging, making it more efficient. Full article

This study proposes a novel expandable spinal cage to maximize the effectiveness of spinal fusion surgery in the treatment of lumbar disk disorders and aims to verify its mechanical stability through finite element method (FEM) analysis and mechanical testing. To address the limitations of existing cages, which do not provide sufficient height and angle expansion and have constraints in independently adjusting height and angle with continuous fine-tuning, this study introduces a new linkage mechanism. This design enables precise spinal alignment restoration tailored to the individual anatomical characteristics of patients, even in minimally invasive surgical environments, distinguishing itself from traditional rack-and-pinion or wedge-based designs. The results of FEM analysis and static load testing demonstrated a high correlation between the predicted yield locations in FEM analysis and actual test results. Furthermore, the compression and compression–shear load tests confirmed that the proposed cage achieved an ultimate load exceeding the lowest fifth percentile of FDA-approved products, meeting clinical requirements. The proposed expandable spinal cage offers significant improvements over existing products and has the potential to evolve into a safer and more effective spinal fusion device through further dynamic fatigue testing and clinical studies to assess long-term durability and practical applicability. Full article

Background: Some rib fractures do not heal appropriately and can cause significant pain and morbidity. Little is known about the locations likely to experience dysfunctional healing. We sought to determine the location of symptomatic non-union/malunion (NU/MU) rib fractures presenting to our Chest Wall Injury and Reconstruction Center. Methods: A single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted on all patients with NU/MU fractures presenting for evaluation at our CWIRC from 1 January 2019 to 30 July 2023. Their rib injury locations were mapped using computed tomography scans of the chest and a physical exam was used to characterize the location of their symptomatic NU/MU fractures. The location of the NU/MU injury was identified as either the anterior (A), anterior–lateral (AL), lateral (L), posterior–lateral (PL), or posterior (P) region of the chest wall. The results are presented as a mean +/− standard deviation for normally distributed data and median (minimum—maximum) for non-normally distributed data. Results: A total of 28 cases were evaluated. The average age at time of presentation was 48+/−14 years and 71% of patients were male. A total of 72 NU/MU fractures (median/pt 2(1–11)) were evaluated. Sixty-one percent of the injuries were on the right side. In most patients (25/28, 89%), the injuries were all in the same anatomic location in the rib cage. Three patients had NU/MU injuries in multiple anatomic locations. All multilevel injuries were sequential, without any normally healed ribs between NU/MU injuries. The most common locations were the L and PL regions (A–3, AL–8, L–19, PL–42, P–0). The most commonly symptomatic ribs were in ribs 6–10. Conclusions: Symptomatic NU/MU healing often occurs in the L and PL locations along the bony chest wall. Symptomatic NU/MU injuries also occur in the cartilaginous extensions of the bony ribs and along the costal margin. Symptomatic NU/MU healing is uncommon in the A and AL upper rib cage, as well as in P injuries. Full article

Photobacterium damselae subsp. Piscicida (PDP), a marine bacterium, has been reported to infect a variety of economically important marine species worldwide. Understanding the occurrence and pathogenicity of PDP is crucial for effective disease control and ensuring the success of aquaculture operations. In late August 2023, an epidemic outbreak of P. damselae subsp. piscicida DQ-SS1, accompanied by significant mortality, was recorded in cage-cultured black rockfish (Sebastes schlegelii) located on Daqin Island for the first time. Genomic analysis revealed that DQ-SS1 possesses 2 chromosomes, with a total size of 4,510,445 bp and 3923 predicted CDSs. Pathogenic genes analysis identified 573 and 314 genes related to pathogen–host interactions and virulence, respectively. Additionally, DQ-SS1 displayed susceptibility to 15 antimicrobials, was resistant to 11 antimicrobials, and was intermediately sensitive to four antibiotics. Meanwhile, the in vitro assay revealed that the extracellular products (ECP) of DQ-SS1 were lethal to macrophages and exhibited hemolysin, lipase, and amylase activities. Moreover, DQ-SS1 also demonstrated the ability to survive in fish serum and resist complement-mediated killing. The in vivo assay showed that the infected fish exhibited severe histopathological alterations, such as the infiltration of inflammatory cells, cellular degeneration and necrosis, and loose cell aggregation. Lastly, the in vivo infection assays revealed the LD₅₀ of DQ-SS1 was 1.7 × 10³ CFU/g. This is the first study to elucidate the pathogenicity and genomic characteristics of multidrug-resistant PDP in cage-cultured S. schlegelii, which contributes to the advancement of diagnostic and preventative strategies for this disease in marine-cultured fishes and provides information for an in-depth study of the pathogenic mechanism of PDP. Full article

This exploratory study expected crop management and climatic factors to significantly influence the nutrient composition and amino acid digestibility of tannin-free sorghum grain determined in broilers of 3 wks of age. Using data from six tannin-free sorghum samples harvested across the southeast USA, Pearson correlations were analyzed (r ≥ |0.8|; p < 0.05). Standardized ileal amino acid digestibility (SIAD) was determined in a previous study using eight replicate cages with 13 birds per sorghum sample. SIAD values were correlated with nitrogen fertilization, yield, seeding rate, and climatic data obtained by surveying the crop growers and from weather stations. Nitrogen fertilization positively correlated with dry matter and starch. Yield was positively associated with SIAD, while seeding rate was negatively correlated with dry matter and Lys. Fiber, particular neutral detergent fiber, showed an inverse relationship with SIAD. No significant correlations with climatic factors were found, which was likely due to the close proximity of growing locations (r ≤ |0.8|; p > 0.05). Despite the limitations of a small sample size (n = 6) and genetic variability within and between each sorghum sample, these findings provide preliminary insights into managing sorghum cultivation to enhance its nutritional value for poultry. Future research should explore larger datasets, from further locations apart, and standardized data collection measurements to be able develop predictive models for grain quality improvement. Full article

Aquaculture and tourism can both be important industries for economic development, particularly in isolated geographies endowed with natural beauty. However, spatial conflict can arise, particularly along scenic coastlines, such as that in Oban, Scotland. This area is notable for the frequent overlap between marine tours and cage culture sites, with tours passing by or near these aquaculture locations. This study aims to understand whether tourists who encounter aquaculture operations during these tours have positive attitudes toward aquaculture–tourism integration, which refers to the favourable perception and acceptance of the coexistence of aquaculture and tourism activities, and whether this exposure influences their intention to consume locally farmed aquatic products. A face-to-face survey was conducted to recruit 200 tourists who experienced marine tours in Oban, Scotland. Hierarchical cluster analysis identified three types of tourists based on tourism motivation: (1) Multiple motivations, (2) “Relaxers”, and (3) “Outgoing nature enthusiasts”. Among the three tourist segments, the “Relaxers” were particularly unfamiliar with the concept of farming aquatic food. In general, the majority of tourists were positive about being exposed to aquaculture during marine tours. The results of the structural equation modelling analysis indicated that attitudes towards being exposed to aquaculture during marine tours mediate the relationship between attitudes towards aquaculture and the intention to eat locally farmed aquatic food. Motivational tourism factors, socialisation, and learning positively and significantly influenced attitudes towards being exposed to aquaculture during marine tours. Compared to age, gender, education, income, and travel frequency, only tourists’ dietary patterns significantly influenced behavioural intention. The findings suggest that aquaculture might serve as a potential site for social knowledge exchange, which might be crucial not only for tourism to be successful but also for promoting aquaculture’s social acceptability. The results can be used to inform policymakers, marketers, and aquaculture/tourism practitioners to promote sustainable aquaculture tourism in Scotland or similar sites where tourism and aquaculture coexist. Full article

This study investigates the effects on hard-bottom macro-zoobenthic communities of converting a mariculture plant into an Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) system. This study was conducted from 2018 to 2021 in the semi-enclosed Mar Grande basin of Taranto (northern Ionian Sea), on a facility located 600 m off the coastline, with a production capacity of 100 tons per year of seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and seabream (Sparus aurata). The results from seasonal sampling performed in a treatment site, where bioremediators (filter-feeding invertebrates such as sponges, polychaetes, mussels, and macroalgae) were deployed, and a control site without bioremediators were compared. Before the IMTA installation, the hard substrates under the cages were sparsely inhabited, with significant sediment coverage. By 2021, the treatment site exhibited revitalized and more diverse macro-zoobenthic communities, with species richness increasing from 83 taxa in 2018 to 104 taxa, including notable growth in sponges, annelids, mollusks, and bryozoans. In contrast, the control site showed no substantial changes in biodiversity over the same period. Biodiversity indices, including Shannon and Margalef indices, improved significantly at the treatment site, particularly during summer months, highlighting a more resilient and balanced benthic environment. Taxonomic distinctness (delta+) and multivariate analyses (PERMANOVA, PCO) confirmed significant spatial and temporal shifts in community structure at the treatment site, driven by IMTA implementation. SIMPER analysis identified key taxa contributing to these changes, which played a pivotal role in structuring the community. The emergence of filter feeders, predators, and omnivores at the treatment site suggests enhanced nutrient cycling and trophic complexity, while the decline in opportunistic species further supports improved environmental conditions. These findings demonstrate the potential of IMTA to promote recovery and sustainable mariculture practices, also offering a comprehensive understanding of its positive effects on hard-bottom benthic community dynamics. Full article

Cracks in the cages of bearings frequently appear during manufacturing and operation, directly affecting the dynamic characteristics and reliability of the bearing. A dynamic model of a cylindrical roller bearing with cage cracks was established, in which the interactions between the cage, the roller and rings, and the oil-gas lubrication effects were considered to investigate the influence of cracks. The derived dynamic differential equations of cylindrical roller bearings were solved by means of the modified Newton–Raphson iterative algorithm and the BDF predictive correction algorithm with automatic variable order and step length. The dynamic characteristics of bearings with different cage cracks were studied, and the influence of cage cracks on bearing dynamic characteristics and cage life was analyzed. The results show that the effect of crack depth, angle, and location on bearing dynamics and crack propagation life is obvious. With the increase in crack depth and angle, the cage equivalent stress changes obviously, and the movement of the cage’s centroid is chaotic. The propagation life of crack initiation on the side beam is much smaller than that of crack initiation on the beam. Full article

Aquaculture is a globally widespread practice and the world’s fastest-growing food sector and requires technological advances to both increase productivity and minimize environmental impacts. Monitoring the sector is one of the priorities of state governments, international organizations, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States (FAO), and the European Commission. Data collection in aquaculture, particularly information on the location, number, and size of production facilities, is challenging due to the time required, the extent of the area to be monitored, the frequent changes in farming infrastructures and licenses, and the lack of automated tools. Such information is usually obtained through direct communications (e.g., phone calls and e-mails) with aquaculture producers and is rarely confirmed with on-site measurements. This study describes an innovative and automated method to obtain data on the number and placement of structures for marine and freshwater finfish farming through a YOLOv4 model trained on high-resolution images. High-resolution images were extracted from Google Maps to test their use with the YOLO model for the identification and geolocation of both land (raceways used in salmonids farming) and sea-based (floating sea cages used in seabream, seabass, and meagre farming) aquaculture systems in Italy. An overall accuracy of approximately 85% of correct object recognition of the target class was achieved. Model accuracy was tested with a dataset that includes images from Tuscany (Italy), where all these farm typologies are represented. The results demonstrate that the approach proposed can identify, characterize, and geolocate sea- and land-based aquaculture structures without performing any post-processing procedure, by directly applying customized deep learning and artificial intelligence algorithms. Full article

This study applied high-resolution satellite data to address the siting and evaluation challenges for potential cage aquaculture areas of large yellow croaker in Zhejiang Province. A typical template of water environmental factors for large yellow croaker cage aquaculture was developed, incorporating various environmental parameters and considerations that were not fully addressed in previous studies. This paper established the Site Selection Method for Large Yellow Croaker potential aquaculture (SSM-LYC) based on the template. Site selection and grading evaluation of potential cage aquaculture areas were performed using SSM-LYC. The findings include the following: (1) Potential aquaculture sites for large yellow croaker include 11 areas with water depths of 15–60 m along the coast of Zhejiang Province from 27° to 31° north latitude, of which 7 are in water depths of less than 40 m, and 4 are in water depths of 40–60 m. (2) Assessment and scoring for potential aquaculture sites were performed, pinpointing 4 central locations of first-level aquaculture areas offering scientific evidence for the feasibility of deep-sea aquaculture of large yellow croaker along the Zhejiang coast. (3) The conclusions drawn from this research provide significant guidance for future aquaculture strategies and regional planning. Moreover, SSM-LYC can be applied to other coastal waters in the world. Full article

Caged mussels enable biomonitoring investigations due to their tendency to absorb contaminants in industrial zones. This study aimed to investigate the levels of seven indicator polychlorinated biphenyls (i₇PCB) congeners in the biomonitoring organism Mytillus galloprovincialis over two years (2016–2018) after transplantation from three stations in the Eastern Aegean Sea industrial zone. Additionally, i₇PCBs were found in Nemrut Bay’s surface sediments. The highest PCB level was found at Site 5 located near a petroleum refinery of the Petkim Port. According to sediment quality criteria, PCB levels at Sites 1, 4, 5, and 6 may have an adverse biological impact. PCB concentrations varied among samples; congeners 28, 153, 101, and 118 were most prevalent in sediments, whereas congeners 138, 153, 101, and 118 were most prevalent in mussels. i₇PCB concentrations were below the maximum residual levels permitted in fishery products. In addition, calculations of the hazard ratio and estimated daily intake show no potential negative impacts from PCB exposure. Significantly positive correlations appeared between PCB (28, 52, 101, 118) levels and the condition index of the mussels. The highest amounts of ∑i₇PCB in mussels were identified in September 2016 at Site 2 and in October 2017 at Site 1. Industrialization around the Port of Nemrut had a harmful impact on Sites 1 and 2. Preventing marine pollution plays a key role in ensuring the sustainability of marine living resources and sustainable coastal management. Full article

This study investigates the seasonal dynamics and interrelationships between geochemical and hydrobiological parameters in lake ecosystems impacted by fish cage farming in Lake Ladoga, Russia. Environmental conditions at three trout farms were assessed, focusing on water and sediment quality as well as benthic and zooplankton communities. For each farm, two categories of sampling sites were designated: cage sites and reference sites located 100–600 m away from the cages. Fieldwork was carried out across four seasons in 2023: February, June, August, and November. The findings indicate that intensive fish feeding results in significant organic waste accumulation beneath trout cages, altering the composition and abundance of planktonic and benthic organisms. The organic matter content in sediments beneath the cages during periods of intensive feeding was found to increase 2–5 times compared to the reference sites. In winter, accumulated organic matter in the sediments underwent mineralization, bringing hydrobiological indicators closer to the reference values. The geochemical and hydrobiological parameters analyzed in this study serve as valuable indicators for developing ecological monitoring approaches in freshwater cage aquaculture. Full article

Due to the limitations of farming space, fish cage aquaculture is gradually expanding into offshore deep-sea areas, where the environmental conditions surrounding deep-sea fish cages are more complex and harsher compared to those in shallower offshore locations. Conventional multi-point moored gravity flexible fish cages are prone to damage in the more hostile environments of the deep sea. In this paper, we present a design for a single-point mooring vessel-shaped fish cage that can quickly adjust its bow direction when subjected to waves from various angles. This design ensures that the floating frame consistently responds effectively to wave impacts, thereby reducing the wave forces experienced. The dynamic response of the floating frame and the mooring forces were simulated by coupling the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method with the Moordyn numerical model for mooring analysis. The three degrees of freedom (heave, surge, and pitch) and the mooring forces of a scaled-down vessel-type ship cage model under wave conditions were investigated both numerically and experimentally. The results indicate that the error between the simulation data and the experimental results is maintained within 6%. Building on this foundation, the motion response and mooring force of a full-sized ship-shaped net box under wave conditions off the southeast coast of China were simulated. This study examined the effects of varying mooring lengths and buoy configurations on the motion response and mooring force of the fish cage. Finally, we constructed the fish cage and tested it under the influence of a typhoon. The results demonstrate that the fish cage could operate stably without structural damage, such as mooring failure or floating frame breakage, despite the significant deformation of the floating frame. Full article