Search Results (3,447)

Rough-walled fractures in conglomerate reservoirs promote near-wellbore proppant deposition, nonuniform flow, and insufficient distal support, making proppant-schedule screening difficult using small-scale smooth-slot tests alone. This study develops a benchmark-constrained and cost-aware hierarchical screening workflow by integrating a 20 m rough-wall physical experiment, transient Fluent simulations, and archived short-time EDEM sensitivity records. The benchmark experiment used a 20 m × 4.5 m × 10 mm artificial rough-wall fracture and ten operating conditions involving pumping rate, fluid viscosity, proppant size, and sand concentration. In the Fluent model, wall roughness was treated as a regularized roughness representation, and the carrier fluids were modeled using Newtonian constant viscosities measured from laboratory calibration. The experimental effective propped area ranged from 25.5% to 65.1%. Within single-factor comparison subsets, medium viscosity improved support continuity, pumping-rate gains became limited near 0.20 m³/min, particle size affected the balance between distal coverage and bed stability, and 300 kg/m³ sand concentration caused blockage. Image-segmentation-based comparison showed that Fluent captured the main wedge-shaped deposition morphology and screening-level geometric trends. The archived EDEM records indicated that grid-resolution refinement and mixed particle-size representation substantially increased computational cost. A Case 10 mesh-sensitivity check further confirmed that mesh refinement did not alter the first-order deposition morphology. The proposed workflow uses Fluent for whole-domain rapid screening and reserves EDEM/CFD-DEM for targeted short-time sensitivity checks. Full article

Background/Objectives: Dogs are important carriers and transmitters of staphylococci from surface microbiota. Carriage screening allows for the identification of animals colonised with pathogens such as methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), which are spread between animals and from dogs to humans. This cross-sectional study determined the diversity of staphylococci from the surface microbiota of clinically healthy dogs in Bulgaria and their susceptibility to antimicrobial agents. Methods: The study was performed with 30 healthy dogs reared in the region of Stara Zagora, Bulgaria in 2024 and 2025. Swabs were obtained from eight body sites from each dog and incubated on blood and mannitol salt agar. Random isolates were identified by MALDI-TOF MS and tested for resistance to oxacillin/cefoxitin and to 14 classes of antimicrobial drugs (AMD). Results: Ninety out of 100 tested isolates were confirmed as Staphylococcus spp. from 15 different species. The total share of coagulase-positive (CoPS) staphylococci significantly exceeded that of coagulase-negative (CoNS) ones. Fifteen phenotypically methicillin-resistant staphylococci were identified—eight CoNS and seven CoPS—and confirmed by MIC test. The highest resistance was against penicillin (64.4%), ampicillin and minocycline (52.2%), whereas the highest sensitivity was to rifampin, amikacin, cefquinome and amoxicillin + clavulanic acid. Conclusions: Data about the carriage of MRSP, MRSA and multidrug-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci in healthy dogs are important in view of the increased risk of colonisation/infection for people in contact with these dogs in households and veterinary facilities (clinics, hospitals). This supports the “One Health” approach integrating animal, human and environmental health. Full article

Cathinone and its synthetic derivatives are among the most popular drugs worldwide. However, the literature provides data on the medicinal and cytotoxic potential of some of these compounds. These data are extremely limited due to the need to obtain additional permits for laboratory studies. Consequently, the therapeutic potential of cathinones may not have been fully explored. Furthermore, the literature provides data on the reduction or reversal of undesirable biological properties of drugs encapsulated in a bio-compatible carrier and administered through targeted therapy. The current study presents preliminary theoretical and experimental tests for further research on target cathinone–graphene–oxide complexes. A non-psychotropic cathinone model—o-fluorophenylacetic acid—was used. The NMR properties (chemical shifts, spin–spin coupling constants, and T₁ relaxation times) of graphene oxide–F-derivative complexes were measured at an acidic and neutral pH. To analyze the structure and stability of the possible complexes in different environments, molecular modelling was performed with simplified graphene oxide models using density functional theory. Experimental data were compared with theoretical values, and the most stable structures that may account for the observed spectral properties of the studied complexes were presented. The obtained data indicate a stronger tendency towards the formation and stabilization of GO-2-fluorophenylacetic acid complexes in a neutral environment. Full article

Protected horticulture moves fragile pots, plug trays, seedlings, harvested products, and carriers through narrow, humid, and crowded spaces. Transport robots must therefore integrate locomotion, perception, localization, handling, placement, scheduling, and human–robot interaction rather than operate as simple carts. This structured narrative review reorganizes evidence from seedling transplanting, nursery operations, harvest support, manipulation, perception, and autonomous navigation around the complete transport chain: target recognition, pickup, loading, loaded navigation, docking, unloading or placement, payload protection, and workflow feedback. The synthesis covers mobile platforms, payload support, perception and localization, motion control, gentle handling, digital support, and fleet coordination. Three barriers remain: short laboratory tests rarely provide season-long evidence; many prototypes are too specialized for variable workflows; and benchmarks seldom combine motion accuracy, handling reliability, payload quality, and resilience. Progress will require modular platforms, robust sensing, payload-safe control, standardized interfaces, and closer co-design between robotics and horticultural operations. Full article

Background: Hepatitis D virus (HDV) causes one of the most severe forms of chronic viral hepatitis. Despite its severity, universal screening of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive individuals, as recommended by European guidelines, is not widely implemented. This study aimed to evaluate the yield of reflex HDV testing and to characterize HBV carriers who tested positive or negative for anti-HDV. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Clalit Health Services database in northern Israel (2014–2024). HBsAg-positive patients were categorized into two groups: those screened for HDV via reflex testing (2019–2024) and those tested based on clinical discretion (2014–2019). We compared these cohorts to evaluate the impact of reflex screening on coverage, diagnostic yield, and time to diagnosis. Results: Among 1336 HBsAg-positive individuals, HDV screening rates increased from 57.5% to 93.1% following reflex implementation. HDV seropositivity increased from 3.17% to 6.48% (p = 0.02). Ethiopian-born individuals had significantly higher positivity than others (10.4% vs. 3.9%, p = 0.0221). The average time from HBV diagnosis to HDV testing decreased from 38.1 ± 31 months (median 37.5) to 1.3 ± 6.1 months (median 0). Conclusions: Anti-HDV reflex testing significantly improved screening coverage, increased detection of anti-HDV seropositive cases and was associated with shorter time to serologic identification. These findings support the integration of reflex testing into national screening policies to enable earlier diagnosis and reduce the burden of infection. Full article

Vaccination represents the cornerstone of Newcastle disease control. Nanotechnology offers a promising approach to improve the effectiveness of DNA vaccines, supporting their use as an alternative to conventional platforms. Herein, the Avian Orthoavulavirus 1 (AOAV-1) fusion (F) gene was cloned into a DNA expression plasmid (pDNA). After validating the constructed pDNA-F and confirming robust intracellular protein expression in vitro, three polymeric nanoparticles (NPs)-based formulations were generated using Chitosan (Cs), poly(lactic-co-glycolic) (PLGA), and poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM)-Dendrimers. Physicochemical characterization, stability assessment, and in vitro release analysis confirmed nanoparticle formation and effective DNA incorporation. In vivo experiments were conducted to comparatively evaluate the immunogenicity, particularly the immune priming capacity, and protective efficacy of nanoparticle-based formulations and naked pDNA-F, all tested in parallel at standardized pDNA doses via intranasal (IN) and intramuscular routes. PAMAM-Dendrimers-pDNA-F IM group demonstrated superior efficacy, with 100% survival, the highest post-challenge anamnestic antibody titers, and a pronounced reduction in viral RNA shedding. PLGA-NPs-pDNA-F IN group demonstrated enhanced efficacy, with 90% survival. Naked pDNA-F surpassed the Cs-NPs-pDNA-F in both immune priming and clinical protection, with Cs-NPs-pDNA-F exhibiting the lowest overall performance. These findings highlight that DNA vaccine performance depends on both carrier type and administration route, with PAMAM dendrimers and PLGA enhancing efficacy, whereas chitosan demonstrated reduced efficacy under the tested conditions. Full article

Direct current (DC) surface flashover on polystyrene (PS) remains a critical bottleneck that impedes its reliable application in high-voltage insulation apparatus. To circumvent the protracted processing durations and stringent film-forming conditions inherent in conventional surface modification techniques, this study proposes a novel “liquid-film-assisted in situ rapid plasma curing” strategy. By harnessing atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) technology within an argon ambient, the rapid (<6 min) and efficient deposition of a fluorosilane (FAS-13) functional coating onto the substrate was achieved. Microscopic characterizations coupled with isothermal surface potential decay (SPD) measurements reveal that this coating substantially mitigates the detrapping and surface migration of charge carriers. Macroscopic DC flashover testing corroborates that, under the optimal modification ratio, the surface breakdown voltage of PS is elevated to 14.04 kV, yielding an insulation gain of 26.94%. To elucidate the underlying physical mechanisms, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were conducted, revealing that the energy band misalignment between the wide-bandgap fluorinated layer and the substrate facilitates the construction of a high-density deep trap network (with a depth of ~0.8 eV) at the coating–substrate interface. By robustly anchoring primary electrons and inducing the formation of a homopolar space charge shielding layer, these deep traps physically arrest the evolution of the secondary electron emission avalanche (SEEA). Consequently, this work not only establishes a viable engineering framework for the rapid, large-scale surface reinforcement of DC insulation equipment but also provides profound quantum chemical insights into interfacial trap regulation within all-organic dielectrics. Full article

In this study, a streptomycin sulfate-loaded bioactive glass/chitosan (STRS–BG/CH) composite scaffold was fabricated via an improved unidirectional freeze-drying method, with drug loadings of 20–40%. The scaffolds were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis before and after in vitro testing. Antibacterial efficacy was evaluated against Gram-positive (Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli) microorganisms via the agar diffusion method. The STRS–BG/CH scaffolds exhibited highly interconnected porous structures, prolonged antibacterial activity, and enhanced apatite-forming ability in vitro. Compared with bead-based carriers, scaffold-based systems provide enhanced structural integrity and interconnected porosity, which are advantageous for sustained drug release, apatite formation, and tissue integration. Accordingly, these multifunctional scaffolds may simultaneously provide localized antibacterial activity and potential relevance to bone tissue engineering applications. The prepared STRS–BG/CH scaffolds functioned as controlled release carriers for streptomycin sulfate while simultaneously maintaining antibacterial efficacy and bioactive performance. These results illustrate the importance of STRS–BG/CH scaffolds as a promising antibacterial bioactive scaffold system, warranting further biological investigation. Full article

To improve the visible-light response and antibacterial performance of titanium dioxide, a TiO₂/GO/CdS mesoporous nanocomposite was prepared via an ultrasound-assisted sol–gel method in this study. Systematic characterizations including XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, BET, UV-Vis DRS and FTIR were carried out to analyze the structure, morphology and optical properties of the material. The results show that the composite exhibits a typical mesoporous structure with a specific surface area of 197.0962 m²/g and a pore size distribution of 2–14 nm. CdS is successfully doped into the TiO₂ matrix and forms a heterostructure with GO. UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra indicate that the synergistic effect of CdS and GO significantly broadens the visible-light absorption range of TiO₂ and suppresses the recombination of photogenerated carriers. Antibacterial tests using Escherichia coli as the target strain demonstrate that the TiO₂/GO/CdS composite exhibits remarkably better visible-light photocatalytic bactericidal activity than pure TiO₂ and the TiO₂/GO composite. This work provides a new strategy for the modification of TiO₂-based photocatalytic antibacterial materials, and the as-prepared composite shows promising application prospects in the antibacterial field. Full article

Beyond its function as a carrier of hereditary information, recent research has uncovered novel properties of extracellular DNA, including its role in the adaptation to the environment when released from plants. The secreted DNA has been shown to exert insecticidal effects against insect pests, which play an adaptive role in plant-insect interactions, particularly in regulating populations of economically important sap-feeding insects. The molecular mechanisms underlying this insecticidal effect are underinvestigated and remain largely unknown. Therefore, there is a need for more efforts to uncover these mechanisms to better understand plant–pest interactions, which would provide new insights into natural pest control strategies and inspire biotechnological applications. In the current study, we show that Pittosporum tobira (P. tobira) secretes single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) that exerts an insecticidal effect on Coccus hesperidum (C. hesperidum). We collected extracellular DNA from P. tobira leaves and tested its potential insecticidal effect by applying it to C. hesperidum, which is a well-known pest that causes damage to P. tobira. Our results revealed that the outermost layer of the leaf cuticle of P. tobira predominantly contains ssDNA of approximately 100 nt in length, originating from both chloroplast and nuclear genomes. This DNA exhibited pronounced insecticidal activity against C. hesperidum, with chloroplast-derived sequences significantly enriched compared to the total DNA in intact plant cells. These findings suggest that the microevolution of the P. tobira nucleome and plastome contributed to the formation of extracellular DNA with insecticidal properties (eci-DNA), which is part of its defense strategy against insect pests. Moreover, in this article, for the first time, we show that antisense DNA (illustrated with oligonucleotide insecticide Coccus-11) is capable of activating insect retrotransposons and upregulating their RT-RNase H, a crucial enzyme for the DNA containment mechanism and successful action of oligonucleotide insecticides. Notably, the laboratory-developed ssDNA-based ‘genetic zipper’ technology, designed for sustainable pest management, possesses characteristics similar to eci-DNA found in nature, highlighting a potential natural parallel to this biotechnological approach for sustainable pest management. Full article

Background: COVID-19 severity shows marked interindividual variability, suggesting a role for host genetic factors. Polymorphisms in genes involved in the renin–angiotensin system and inflammatory response, such as the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), have been proposed as potential modulators of disease severity. Objectives: To evaluate the association between the ACE I/D (rs4646994) and TNF-α-308 G/A (rs1800629) polymorphisms and COVID-19 severity in a Mexican population. Methods: A total of 235 individuals with RT-PCR–confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were included. Patients were classified as hospitalized (severe, n = 155) or non-hospitalized (asymptomatic–mild, n = 80). Genotyping was performed by PCR–RFLP. Genotype distributions were analyzed using χ² tests under dominant and recessive genetic models, and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results: The ACE I/D polymorphism showed a significant association with COVID-19 severity. Carriers of the I allele (ID + II) had a higher risk of hospitalization compared with DD homozygotes (OR = 2.78, 95% CI: 1.53–5.06, p = 0.001). After adjustment for sex, the association remained significant (adjusted OR = 2.55, 95% CI: 1.38–4.70, p = 0.003). Sex-stratified analysis revealed that this association was significant only in male patients. The DD genotype was more frequent among non-hospitalized individuals, suggesting a potential protective effect in this population. No significant association was observed between the TNF-α-308 G/A polymorphism. Conclusions: The ACE I/D polymorphism is associated with COVID-19 severity in a Mexican population, with a stronger association observed in males. These findings highlight the potential role of host genetic background and sex-specific effects in COVID-19 outcomes. Full article

Rhizosphere microbiome engineering is a promising approach that can enhance crop resilience and input use efficiency by redirecting plant–microbe–soil interactions toward predictable functions. Here, we review the mechanistic bases underlying rhizosphere assembly and stability, including root exudate-mediated selection, priority effects, keystone taxa, and metabolite-driven signaling, and connect these principles to proposed design rules for microbial inoculants. We present a generalizable Design–Build–Test–Learn (DBTL) framework for engineering synthetic microbial consortia, covering trait-to-module mapping (nutrient acquisition, phytohormone modulation, ACC deaminase activity, stress-protective metabolites, and biocontrol), compatibility screening, minimal yet robust community architectures, and iterative optimization driven by multi-omics and high-throughput phenotyping. Translation to field settings is framed as an engineering challenge defined by formulation and administration limitations, including carrier type, seed coating and encapsulation methods, shelf life, strain invasiveness, and permanence of colonization amid environmental diversity. We also summarize how integrative measurement pipelines (amplicon and shotgun sequencing, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and network or causal analyses) can advance microbiome studies from correlation to actionability. We describe how precision agriculture (sensors, remote sensing, and variable-rate inputs) and AI/ML (split-sample comparisons, transfer learning, and active learning) approaches can accelerate strain discovery, mixture optimization, and adaptive experimentation, driven by the need for stringent controls, metadata-rich reporting, and cross-site comparability. Use cases focus on stress conditions (drought, salinity, thermal extremes, and biotic stress) to demonstrate how microbial functions translate to agronomic outcomes and to highlight critical bottlenecks for reproducible, scalable microbiome products. Full article

Radon (²²²Rn) and thoron (²²⁰Rn) are widely used to investigate diffuse degassing, fault-zone permeability, hydrothermal circulation, and subsurface unrest, but their signals are not direct proxies for a single process. This manuscript is a critical synthesis and methodological article that develops a reduced inference framework for interpreting radon–thoron observations in volcanic, tectonic, and hydrothermal settings. The framework separates accessible support of the immediate radium parents ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁴Ra, recoil-scale release into the mobile phase, multiphase transport, geological carrier-gas throughput, and observational closure. It also distinguishes total activity flux from activity concentration and chamber throughput from natural carrier-gas dilution. Synthetic illustrative experiments test the internal behavior of the reduced operator; a concise re-reading of the public Upper Rhine Graben dataset illustrates the limits of concentration-only inference; and published volcanic and hydrothermal examples are used as literature-grounded vignettes. The purpose is not to validate a universal inversion model but to define what can be inferred from different observation packages. The paper, therefore, emphasizes three operational levels: anomaly reporting, mechanism discrimination, and local inversion. Full article

Aspartate–glutamate carrier 1 (AGC1) deficiency is a rare neurometabolic disorder caused by biallelic pathogenic variants in SLC25A12. Clinically, it is characterized by early-onset developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, often associated with hypomyelination and reduced brain N-acetylaspartate. AGC1 loss reduces malate–aspartate shuttle flux, limiting cytosolic NAD⁺ regeneration and impairing neuronal redox coupling, ATP supply, and aspartate-dependent biosynthesis during brain development. We integrate human genetics with mechanistic evidence from mammalian, Drosophila melanogaster, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae models to describe conserved transport principles and species-specific regulation underlying selective central nervous system vulnerability. We review the management of AGC1 deficiency, focusing on ketogenic therapy. Published reports show reproducible seizure reduction and, in some patients, improved myelination and N-acetylaspartate. However, these responses are heterogeneous and appear to depend on the timing, duration, and stability of ketosis. Preclinical evidence suggests that β-hydroxybutyrate may contribute to metabolic support in AGC1 deficiency. Prospective studies should test disease modification using standardized endpoints plus MRI/¹H-MRS and ketosis measures. Full article

This paper investigates a transportation service procurement problem for truckload operations within a combinatorial auction framework. In practice, conventional clock auctions may suffer from slow convergence and inefficient allocation when the number of auction rounds is limited. To address this issue, we propose a two-phase combinatorial auction framework, in which supplementary bidding is introduced after the clock auction to improve allocation efficiency. The proposed framework integrates the bid generation problem, the winner determination problem, and the supplementary bidding process, all formulated as mixed-integer linear programming models. Two variants of the framework are developed, where supplementary bundles or bids are generated by the auctioneer or the carriers. Computational experiments show that the proposed framework improves allocation efficiency and reduces procurement costs within the tested settings compared with the standard clock auction. In addition, the supplementary bidding phase accelerates convergence and enables near-efficient allocations within a limited number of rounds. The results demonstrate that the framework can achieve reasonable allocation outcomes while accelerating convergence. Full article