Search Results (1,097)

The reaction of either the L or D enantiomer of H₂N-C*H(R)CO₂⁻ (R = -CH₂SH cysteine, C; -C(SH)(CH₃)₂, penicillamine, PN; or -CH₂CH₂SH, homocysteine, HC) with an imidazole-4-carboxaldehyde and nickel(II) acetate in methanol yields a single stereoisomer of a thiazolidine (from C or PN) or a thiazine (from HC) nickel complex. Five pairs of enantiomeric products were prepared and characterized by IR, ESI MS, EA, and single crystal structure determination. There is retention of chirality for the thiazolidine and thiazine complexes on ring position 4, C_α of the parent amino acid, and transfer of chirality to the newly generated stereogenic centers, ring positions 3 (the amino acid nitrogen atom, N_AA) and 2 (the aldehyde carbon atom, C_ald). For the thiazolidines, the new stereogenic centers, N_AA, and C_ald, have identical stereochemical assignments to one another and to the assignment of the alpha carbon atom, either all R from the L enantiomers of C and PN or all S from the D enantiomers of C and PN. For the thiazine products from HC, the newly generated stereogenic centers, ring positions 3 (N_AA) and 2 (C_ald), are identical to one another but opposite to that of the retained stereogenic center (ring position 4, the alpha carbon atom). Regardless of stereochemical assignment (R or S), the hydrogen atoms of C_α, N_AA, and C_ald, ring positions 4, 3, and 2, are always all cis to one another for the five pairs of enantiomers examined. This is a consequence of the fact that the thiazolidine and thiazine rings are fused to two other chelate rings of the complexes, which seems to explain the high stereospecificity observed in these systems. Full article

²¹²Pb is an important medical radionuclide for targeted alpha therapy, and its reliable supply depends on the efficient production of parent nuclides such as ²²⁸Ra, ²²⁸Th, and ²²⁴Ra. Natural thorium resources are abundant and represent a potential source of these radionuclides. However, the separation and enrichment of trace radium from thorium-rich high-salinity systems remain challenging due to extremely low radium concentrations and Th/Ra mass ratios on the order of 10⁹. In this work, a radium separation strategy based on BaSO₄ co-precipitation was developed. The precipitation behavior of BaSO₄, precipitation kinetics, radium co-precipitation efficiency, and thorium recovery in concentrated thorium nitrate solutions were systematically investigated. The results show that elevated ionic strength and competitive interactions between Th⁴⁺ and SO₄²⁻ reduce the effective sulfate activity under high-thorium conditions, making excess sulfate necessary to achieve efficient BaSO₄ precipitation. Under optimized conditions, the radium co-precipitation recovery exceeded 80% at a Ba²⁺ concentration of 3 mM. Meanwhile, thorium exhibited negligible incorporation into the BaSO₄ phase and could be almost completely recovered via subsequent hydroxide precipitation. The proposed method features operational simplicity, use of common reagents, low cost, and compatibility with high-salinity matrices. It provides a feasible technical pathway for the subsequent production of high-purity ²²⁸Th or ²²⁴Ra and the preparation of ²²⁸Th/²¹²Pb or ²²⁴Ra/²¹²Pb generator systems. Full article

Banana Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 (Foc TR4), poses a severe threat to global banana production, and breeding resistant cultivars remains the most effective control strategy. Mutation breeding, including radiation mutagenesis and somaclonal variation, has become a primary approach for developing resistant germplasm in triploid Cavendish bananas. However, whether secondary bud-sport selection from resistant somaclonal lines inadvertently compromises original resistance mechanisms at the molecular level remains poorly understood. In this study, we generated 44 mutants from Baxi jiao via ⁶⁰Co γ-irradiation and selected five lines with distinct phenotypic variations. We also collected somaclonal variant lines GCTCV-218, GCTCV-119, GCTCV-105, their bud-sport derivatives (NK_No.1, NTH, RK_No.1), and the radiation-induced resistant mutant ‘Zhongre No.1’. Using whole-genome resequencing and transcriptome analysis, we systematically compared the genetic and transcriptomic outcomes of these breeding strategies. Radiation mutagenesis induced substantial genomic structural variations and generated novel expression patterns of defense-related genes. In contrast, while bud-sport derivatives of GCTCV-218 remained genetically similar to their parent, they exhibited significant downregulation or loss of key resistance gene expression, particularly PR-1 family members. Our findings reveal that phenotype-driven somaclonal selection can inadvertently erode original resistance mechanisms, and we recommend prioritizing radiation mutagenesis for developing banana cultivars with stable and durable resistance to Foc TR4. Full article

Background/Objectives: Given the limited evidence internationally, this qualitative study employed discovery interviews to explore the lived experience of patients who developed Hospital-Acquired Malnutrition (HAM) and that of their carers. Methods: Seven (two patients [(n = 1 female] and five carers [n = 3 female]) completed discovery interviews with an experienced independent interviewer. Carers were either spouses or parents. Responses were thematically analyzed using a constant comparative approach. Results: A key theme was ‘It’s not about the food, it’s the hospital system’ with the needs of the system dominating, including when patients were feeling at their worst. Subthemes were ‘integration of care’ and ‘patient acuity’, including symptoms that impacted food intake. Another theme was ‘Who is looking out for the patient?’, exploring ‘reliance on carer advocacy’, and ‘variation in staff involvement’. One carer said, “… the girl that delivered the meal tray was the only one in our hospital stay who actually said to [the patient], ‘I’m so glad you’re sitting up. I was worried about you because you hadn’t eaten for so long?” A persistent but comparatively less strong theme was ‘When it is about the food’ which explored ‘the quality of the food’ and ‘receiving information on eating and drinking’. Conclusions: The three key themes identified from carers and patients were hospital system impacts, care co-ordination and, less strongly, experiences with food quality and information. The key opportunities to prevent, or better support the nutritional care of patients with, HAM may be through improving systems and care co-ordination. Full article

Schistosomiasis remains a major public health concern in Nigeria. We molecularly characterized Schistosoma eggs obtained from human urine to identify species and assess the presence of hybrid schistosomes in Abuja, Nigeria. Urine samples were collected from 1887 participants aged five years and above. Samples were examined for Schistosoma eggs using light microscopy. A total of 507 (26.9%) were positive for any form of Schistosoma while 91 (4.8%) had atypical Schistosoma eggs. DNA extracted from pooled ova was analyzed using metagenomic sequencing, read mapping, phylogenetic analysis, and BLASTn confirmation. Molecular analyses identified genetic signatures associated with both S. haematobium and S. bovis within pooled human urine samples, indicating the co-circulation of multiple schistosome species in the study area. Phylogenetic analyses based on trans-ITS and mitochondrial COX1 markers supported the presence of distinct nuclear and mitochondrial schistosome lineages. However, because sequencing was performed on pooled egg samples, the findings cannot distinguish between true recombinants and mixed infections involving co-circulating parental species. These findings highlight the potential complexity of schistosome transmission dynamics in endemic communities and underscore the need for enhanced molecular surveillance, especially single-parasite genomic approaches, and integrated One Health investigations to better understand schistosome transmission and its implications for control and elimination efforts in Nigeria. Full article

Most existing dialogue understanding methods rely on flat classification paradigms, failing to capture hierarchical semantic structures and cross-level dependencies. To address this limitation, we reformulate dialogue understanding as a hierarchical semantic path inference problem, where prediction is performed over a constrained path space rather than independent label spaces. We propose HiCoPro, a graph-conditioned structured inference framework for modeling multi-level dialogue semantics. The framework consists of the following: (i) a Graph-Conditioned Label Space (GCLS) that encodes hierarchical dependencies into label embeddings via graph propagation; (ii) a compatibility-based logit fusion mechanism that jointly scores semantic relevance and structural consistency; and (iii) a constraint-aware decoding strategy that enforces hard parent–child dependencies during inference. By integrating semantic representations with graph-conditioned label structures via a bilinear compatibility function and learnable logit-level fusion, the model jointly captures semantic relevance and structural consistency. To support this task, we construct PrefDial, a general-domain hierarchical dialogue dataset with systematic three-level annotations, serving as a benchmark for structured dialogue understanding. Experimental results demonstrate that HiCoPro achieves superior Macro F1, Exact Match, and Hierarchical Consistency on PrefDial, while remaining competitive on multiple public benchmarks. Further analysis highlights the effectiveness of graph-conditioned modeling in balancing semantic discrimination, hierarchical consistency, and robustness. Full article

Objective: We aimed to elucidate the epidemiological characteristics and co-infection status of HBoV in Guangzhou and to investigate the potential recombination events and alterations in antigenic properties among circulating HBoV strains. Methods: Utilizing respiratory specimens collected from patients at sentinel surveillance hospitals in Guangzhou between August 2023 and December 2025, multiplex pathogen detection was performed. We describe the temporal and demographic distribution of HBoV in Guangzhou and determine its co-infection patterns. Subsequent sequence analysis focused on identifying potential recombination events and characterizing antigenic properties. Results: The epidemiological features of HBoV in Guangzhou exhibited a primary epidemic peak around the autumn season, followed closely by a secondary peak. HBoV infection was predominantly observed in children under three years of age. Co-infections with rhinovirus and parainfluenza virus were common. Whole-genome sequencing yielded 15 complete HBoV genome sequences. Recombination analysis and verification suggested potential recombination events in two of these sequences. A comparative analysis of the antigenic characteristics of one identified recombinant strain, GZ-2024-20891, against its putative parental strains and domestic prevalent strains revealed potential alterations in its antigenic characteristic. Conclusions: Bocavirus is highly prevalent among young children under 3 years of age, with a secondary peak following the main epidemic peaks around autumn in Guangzhou. Genetic recombination and potential antigenic alteration were detected in bocavirus. Full article

The hybrid golden pompano “Chenhai No. 1” (CH), generated through distant hybridization [(♀ Trachinotus ovatus × ♂ T. blochii) × ♂ T. ovatus], exhibits significantly enhanced growth performance compared to its parental T. ovatus (TO). To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying this rapid growth, we performed integrated transcriptomic and untargeted metabolomic profiling of muscle tissue. Transcriptomic analysis identified 3172 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) highlighting the ‘darkorange2’ module as strongly associated with rapid growth. Key DEGs, including mapk8a, acacb, and pkmb, were upregulated and implicated in energy metabolism, glycolysis, and signal transduction. Metabolomic profiling detected 576 significantly altered metabolites, predominantly enriched in glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, amino acid metabolism, lipid biosynthesis, and mTOR signaling. Integrated analysis revealed coordinated alterations between core module genes and differential metabolites in interrelated pathways, including correlations between pfkpa/pfkma and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, acacb and phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylethanolamine, and sesn2 and leucine. These findings suggest that the growth advantage of CH arises from the coordinated enhancement of energy metabolism, amino acid sensing, and lipid metabolic remodeling, establishing a synergistic transcription–metabolism regulatory network. This study provides multi-omics insights into the molecular basis of rapid growth in an economically important teleost fish. Full article

Climate change is intensifying soil salinization, posing a major threat to crop establishment and productivity, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), one of the most salt-tolerant cereals, offers valuable genetic resources for improving salinity resilience at early growth stages. This study exploited the genetic diversity of the Nested Association Mapping (NAM) population Halle Exotic Barley-25 (HEB-25) to dissect salinity tolerance during germination and seedling developmental stages. First, the HEB-25 parental lines (25 wild barley genotypes and cv. Barke) were evaluated under salinity treatment to identify contrasting responses. Based on this screening, four HEB families (01, 04, 09, and 22) were selected out of 25 HEB families for detailed phenotypic and genomic analysis. Seeds of the selected HEB families were subjected to 40% seawater salinity stress and control treatments to assess germination percentage and seedling traits, including shoot length, root length, fresh weight (FW), dry weight (DW), DW/FW ratio, root–shoot ratio, and salt tolerance index (STI). Substantial variation was observed among families for all measured traits under salinity stress. STI values enabled clear differentiation among families: Family 01 exhibited the most consistent overall tolerance profile, Family 22 showed the strongest sensitivity in biomass traits, and Family 04 displayed a trait-specific response with sensitivity at the family-mean level but exceptional within-family diversity, harboring some of the highest individual TI values across the population. A genome-wide association study was conducted using 32,995 SNP markers. A total of 27 significant SNPs were identified, corresponding to 20 quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Of these, 12 QTLs were detected under control conditions, 16 under seawater treatment, and 21 based on tolerance indices, indicating both constitutive and stress-responsive genetic effects. Gene annotation within these regions revealed approximately 23 candidate genes associated with abiotic stress tolerance, including genes involved in ion transport, osmotic adjustment, kinases and stress signaling pathways. HEB_22_003, HEB_04_087, and HEB_01_013 represent the most promising genotypes for salinity breeding. These findings highlight the effectiveness of combining precise phenotyping with high-resolution genomic analysis in the HEB-25 population to uncover the genetic architecture of salinity tolerance at early developmental stages. We identified 20 salinity-responsive QTLs, including five major-effect loci on chromosomes 2H, 4H, 5H, and 7H that consistently explained the largest share of phenotypic variation. These loci co-localized with candidate genes linked to ion homeostasis, Ca²⁺-mediated signaling, protein glycosylation, epigenetic regulation, and root system plasticity, revealing key mechanisms underlying early-stage salt adaptation in barley. The strong and contrasting responses of Family 01 and Family 04 provide an excellent genetic framework for functional validation of tolerance alleles. Collectively, these genomic resources establish a robust foundation for QTL pyramiding, marker-assisted breeding, and the development of climate-resilient barley cultivars for saline agroecosystems. Full article

Wild carrot (Daucus carota subsp. carota), the wild relative of cultivated carrot, is globally identified as an invasive weed that threatens hybrid carrot seed production through natural cross-pollination, resulting in compromised genetic purity. Manual identification across the large areas required to ensure genetic purity in carrot seed crops is impractical. Remote sensing offers an alternative; however, morphological similarities among wild carrot, cultivated carrot, and common weeds hinder reliable detection. Early identification, however, remains essential for preventing genetic contamination. This study evaluated leaf-level hyperspectral reflectance spectroscopy (400–2450 nm) with machine learning to discriminate wild carrot from hybrid carrots, parental lines, and 19 co-occurring weed species. Spectral data from 266 wild carrot plants across three New Zealand sites and six weeks (5–10 weeks after emergence) showed negligible spatial effects (R² = 0.034–0.055, pseudo-F = 1.46–2.39, p > 0.05) and moderate temporal variation (R² = 0.136–0.151, pseudo-F = 5.48–6.17, p < 0.001), indicating broadly stable spectral signatures suitable for model generalization. Savitzky–Golay filtering, with min–max normalization outperformed SNV, yielding high full-spectrum accuracies for wild carrot vs. other species (90.35%, κ = 0.80), wild carrot vs. weeds (96.03%, κ = 0.92), and a multi-class model (90.79%, κ = 0.88). After removing atmospheric water-absorption bands to follow airborne sensing, reduced-band models based on airborne-compatible wavelengths maintained strong performance, including 89.40% accuracy (κ = 0.79) for wild carrot vs. weeds using a 20-band Subspace Discriminant model (400–402, 527, 705–720 nm). These findings demonstrate that stable wild carrot spectra and carefully selected visible and red-edge bands can underpin cost-effective UAV/UGV-mounted hyperspectral or multispectral sensors for site-specific wild carrot management. Full article

Background/Objectives: Cochlear implantation (CI) represents a well-established intervention for the management of severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss. The co-occurrence of severe hearing loss and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) presents unique diagnostic and therapeutic challenges that significantly impact post-implantation outcomes. This review aims to synthesize the current literature on cochlear implantation in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), including diagnostic, audiological, rehabilitative, and functional outcome considerations. Methods: A structured search of PubMed and Scopus was performed for English-language articles published between January 2000 and January 2026, focusing on audiological assessment, rehabilitation challenges, multidisciplinary management, and post-implant functional outcomes in this population. Results: The findings synthesized in this review suggest that cochlear implantation in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder must be interpreted within a broader communicative-ecological framework rather than through auditory metrics alone. These findings highlight a multidimensional model of post-implant outcomes, shaped by the dynamic interplay between auditory access, social engagement, family context, and language-learning environments. Conclusions: Most children with ASD and severe-to-profound hearing loss show improvements in speech perception and production after cochlear implantation, although outcomes are highly variable. A multidisciplinary approach, through coordinated collaboration among specialists, enhances family engagement, optimizes compliance with care plans, and ultimately contributes to improved clinical and developmental outcomes. ASD should not be considered a contraindication for CI; however, careful individual assessment, realistic parental counseling, and a multidisciplinary approach availability to evaluation and rehabilitation are essential. Full article

Background: Glucosinolates, secondary metabolites present in Brassicales, and their breakdown products have demonstrated various biological effects, including anti-carcinogenic activities in some animal models. The active compounds include indole-3-carbinol (I3C) and N-methoxyindole-3-carbinol (NI3C). Building on these findings, several synthetic N-substituted I3Cs strongly inhibited the growth of human cancer cell lines. This effect was mediated by reactive intermediates formed by sulphotransferase (SULT) 1A1. Objective: We present genotoxicity findings on I3C and N-substituted derivatives, with special consideration given to SULTs. Methods: We review genotoxicity findings with I3C, NI3C and their parental glucosinolates. Then, we present some findings hitherto unpublished. Results: Neoglucobrassicin and its breakdown product NI3C demonstrated high genotoxic activity in vitro and formed high levels of DNA adducts in animal studies. These effects were strongly enhanced in the presence of SULT1A1. By contrast, glucobrassicin and I3C were weakly mutagenic. New observations include: enhanced activation of NI3C to a mutagen by human SULT1C4 compared to SULT1A1; SULT1A1-dependent genotoxicity of I3C (induction of sister chromatid exchange, SCE); cellular co-localisation of SULT1A1 and DNA adducts formed in the kidneys of NI3C-treated mice. Conclusions: I3C and NI3C are genotoxic in the presence of an appropriate SULT, but with large quantitative and qualitative differences (I3C required higher concentrations and induced only SCE, virtually no gene mutations). No information is available regarding the genotoxicity of other N-substituted I3C derivatives being developed as antineoplastic drugs. We suspect that they may greatly vary in this activity, which in turn might impact clinical effectiveness as well as adverse side-effects. Full article

With the rise in digital technologies, video games have become a key arena of family communication, where relationships, norms and roles are being reinterpreted. The aim of this study is to explore the meanings attributed to video games in the narratives of different generations, and how they shape the dynamics of family interactions. The research employed a qualitative approach: 26 semi-structured interviews were conducted with three groups—young adult gamers, gamer parents and non-gamer parents. Through thematic analysis, we identified five main categories of meaning, along which the interviews were analysed. The results highlight that co-play has the potential to bridge the gap between generations, whilst social discourses surrounding digital media significantly influence parents’ interpretations of control and responsibility. This study interprets video games as mediated rituals of contemporary family communication, in which relationships, norms and meanings are constantly renegotiated. Full article

Adolescent gambling is a growing public health concern as opportunities expand across both physical and digital environments. This study examined gender differences in on-site and online gambling among Finnish adolescents and assessed associations with school engagement, family context, peer activities, and co-occurring risk behaviors. Data were obtained from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), collected from Finnish adolescents aged 15–16 in 2024 (boys: n = 1706; girls: n = 1588). Associations with past-12-month gambling were analyzed using Rao–Scott’s chi-square tests, F tests, and multinomial logistic regression, examining gender interactions. Gambling was more common among boys than girls: 7% of boys had gambled on-site only, 3% online only, and 11% both during the past 12 months. Among girls, the corresponding proportions were 0–2%. Skipping school, spending leisure time with friends, risky sexual behavior, and problematic substance use were associated with increased odds of both gambling types, whereas parental control was associated with decreased odds. Problematic social media increased the odds of on-site gambling, while problematic gaming decreased the odds. Several associations with online gambling differed by gender. These findings support multi-level prevention targeting family, school, peer, and behavioral risk factors. Full article

Temporal psychological well-being (subjective well-being, future confidence and life satisfaction) is an important indicator of the level of mental health and well-being. During adolescence, the dynamic development of their psychological well-being is more susceptible to multiple factors. However, the trends and multidimensional influences on adolescents’ temporal psychological well-being, as well as their co-development with the relationship between interpersonal relationships and temporal psychological well-being, are not known. Therefore, 568 adolescents (M_age ± SD = 17.41 ± 1.14) aged 16 to 19 years were selected for this study using longitudinal data from the 2018, 2020, and 2022 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). Analyses were conducted using the latent growth curve model (LGCM). It was found that adolescents’ subjective well-being, future confidence, and life satisfaction showed a significant linear decline. Health status, academic pressure, and parent–child relationships were significantly associated with the initial level and developmental trajectory of temporal psychological well-being. In addition, we observed co-development patterns between interpersonal relationships and adolescents’ temporal psychological well-being, such that parallel changes in interpersonal relationships coincided with changes in well-being over time, and vice versa. This study reveals the dynamic patterns of changes in adolescents’ temporal psychological well-being and their co-development with relationships, providing empirical evidence for targeted interventions. Full article