Search Results (468)

Insecticide resistance monitoring is essential for effective mosquito control. This study compared CDC Bottle Bioassays (BBAs) using technical and formulated insecticides (deltamethrin/Deltagard and malathion/Fyfanon EW) against the Culex pipiens complex (Fogg Rd) and Culex tarsalis Coquillett (Vic Fazio). BBAs indicated resistance to deltamethrin and emerging resistance to malathion in Fogg Rd, as well as resistance to both in Vic Fazio. Field trials, however, showed high efficacy: Deltagard caused 97.7% mortality in Fogg Rd and 99.4% in Vic Fazio. Fyfanon EW produced 100% mortality in Fogg Rd but only 47% in Vic Fazio. Extended BBA endpoints at 120 and 180 min aligned better with field outcomes. Deltagard achieved 100% mortality at 120 min in both populations; technical deltamethrin reached 85.7% (Fogg Rd) and 83.5% (Vic Fazio) at 180 min. Fyfanon EW and malathion showed similar performance: 100% mortality was achieved in Fogg Rd by 120 min but was lower in Vic Fazio; malathion reached 55%; and Fyfanon EW reached 58.6% by 180 min. Statistical analysis confirmed that BBAs using formulated products better reflected field performance, particularly when proprietary ingredients were involved. These findings support the use of formulated products and extended observation times in BBAs to improve operational relevance and resistance interpretation in addition to detecting levels of insecticide resistance. Full article

This study evaluated the effects of maternal supplementation with rumen-protected methionine (RPM), alone or combined with rumen-protected choline (RPC) and betaine (RPB), during the periconceptional and prepartum periods on reproductive outcomes and offspring performance in Chios ewes. One hundred synchronized ewes were assigned to three groups—control (no supplementation), M (5.50 g RPM/day), and MCB (3.50 g RPM, 1.60 g RPC, 0.49 g RPB/day)—from day −14 to +14 relative to mating. Blood was collected on days −14, 0, and +14 for ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), ferric-reducing ability (FRAP), and malondialdehyde (MDA), on days 18 and 21 for progesterone, and on day 26 for pregnancy-associated glycoprotein (PAG) detection. Thirty days before and up to lambing, the ewes were further divided into C-C, C-M, C-MCB, M-M, M-C, MCB-MCB, and MCB-C subgroups. Embryonic loss did not differ between groups. FRAP was higher (p < 0.001) in MCB ewes, and ABTS was lower (p < 0.05) in M ewes, in the periconceptional period. Offspring in the C-M, C-MCB, M-M, M-C, and MCB-MCB groups had higher birth weights (p < 0.01), along with increased MDA levels (p < 0.05). The results suggest that maternal methyl donor supplementation during early and/or late gestation enhances antioxidant status, supports embryonic development, and increases birth weight. Full article

Background/Objectives: Ewing sarcoma (ES), a highly aggressive bone and soft tissue cancer occurring in children and young adults, is defined by the ETS fusion oncoprotein EWS::FLI1. Although event-free survival rates remain high in ES patients with localized disease, those with metastatic or relapsed disease face poor long-term survival odds. Topoisomerase 1 (TOP1) inhibitors are commonly used therapeutics in ES relapse regimens. Methods: In this work, we used a genome-wide CRISPR knockout library screen to identify the deletion of the TOP1 gene as a mechanism for resistance to topoisomerase 1 inhibitors. Using isogenic cell line models, we performed a high-throughput small-molecule screen to discover a small molecule, GNF-7, which had an IC50 that was 10-fold lower in TOP1-deficient cells when compared to the wild-type cells. Results: The characterization of GNF-7 demonstrated the molecule was highly active in the inhibition of CSK, p38α, EphA2, Lyn, and ZAK and specifically downregulated genes induced by the EWS::FLI1 fusion oncoprotein. Conclusions: Together, these results suggest that GNF-7 or small molecules with a similar kinase profile could be effective treatments for ES patients in combination with TOP1 inhibitors or for those patients who have developed resistance to TOP1 inhibitors. Full article

Smart glasses are promising alternatives for the continuous, unobtrusive monitoring of heart rate (HR). This study validates HR estimates obtained with the “Essilor Connected Glasses” (SmartEW) during sedentary activities. Thirty participants wore the SmartEW, equipped with an IMU sensor for HR estimation, a commercial smartwatch (Garmin Venu 3), and an ECG device (Movesense Flash). The protocol included six static tasks performed under controlled laboratory conditions. The SmartEW algorithm analyzed 22.5 s signal windows using spectral analysis to estimate HR and provide a quality index (QI). Statistical analyses assessed agreement with ECG and the impact of QI on HR accuracy. SmartEW showed high agreement with ECG, especially with QI threshold equal to 70, as a trade-off between accuracy, low error, and acceptable data coverage (80%). Correlation for QI ≥ 70 was high across all the experimental phases (r² up to 0.96), and the accuracy within ±5 bpm reached 95%. QI ≥ 70 also allowed biases to decrease (e.g., from −1.83 to −0.19 bpm while standing), with narrower limits of agreement, compared to ECG. SmartEW showed promising HR accuracy across sedentary activities, yielding high correlation and strong agreement with ECG and Garmin. SmartEW appears suitable for HR monitoring in static conditions, particularly when data quality is ensured. Full article

Seasonal reproduction in sheep reduces reproductive efficiency. Melatonin (MT) plays a crucial role in reproductive processes. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a 5-day MT implant pretreatment on estrus synchronization and reproductive performance in sheep during seasonal anestrus. A total of 40 multiparous Mongolian sheep were selected and randomly divided into two groups. In the MT group (n = 20), the ewes received an MT implant for 5 days, and then, they were given a progesterone (P4)-containing vaginal sponge for 14 days with equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) administered (330 I.U. per ewe; I.M.) at sponge removal. Control (CON) ewes (n = 20) were similarly treated but did not receive MT implants. The results demonstrated that MT implantation significantly improved serum levels of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), increased post-ovulatory luteal diameter and serum P4 levels, and reduced ovarian apoptosis. Compared with the CON group, the MT group showed significantly higher pregnancy (68.23% vs. 50.59%) and lambing rates (63.53% vs. 47.06%; number of lambed ewes/number of total ewes) following cervical-timed artificial insemination. Ovarian transcriptome analysis revealed 522 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the MT group compared with the CON group, including 355 upregulated and 167 downregulated DEGs. In addition, MT significantly enhanced proliferation and inhibited apoptosis in cultured granulosa cells (GCs) and luteal cells (LCs) in vitro. Moreover, it enhanced the antioxidant capacity of GCs and LCs probably by activating the NRF2 signaling pathway as well as stimulating steroid hormone synthesis. In conclusion, MT implantation 5 days before applying the conventional P4-eCG protocol enhances ovine reproductive outcomes during seasonal anestrus. MT implantation has a beneficial role on the growth and function of ovarian cells. These findings offer novel evidence supporting the functional role of MT in mammalian reproduction, and would be informative for optimizing estrus synchronization in sheep. Full article

Cell-free massive multiple-input multiple-output (CF M-MIMO) is one of the most promising technologies for future wireless communication such as 5G and beyond fifth-generation (B5G) networks. It is a type of network technology that uses a massive number of distributed antennas to serve a large number of users at the same time. It has the ability to provide high spectral efficiency (SE) as well as improved coverage and interference management, compared to traditional cellular networks. However, estimating the channel with high-performance, low-cost computational methods is still a problem. Different algorithms have been developed to address these challenges in channel estimation. One of the high-performance channel estimators is a phase-aware minimum mean square error (MMSE) estimator. This channel estimator has high computational complexity. To address the shortcomings of the existing estimator, this paper proposed an efficient phase-aware element-wise minimum mean square error (PA-EW-MMSE) channel estimator with QR decomposition and a precoding matrix at the user side. The closed form uplink (UL) SE with the phase MMSE and proposed estimators are evaluated using MMSE combining. The energy efficiency and area throughput are also calculated from the SE. The simulation results show that the proposed estimator achieved the best SE, EE, and area throughput performance with a substantial reduction in the complexity of the computation. Full article

Target detection in UAV aerial images has found increasingly widespread applications in emergency rescue, maritime monitoring, and environmental surveillance. However, traditional detection models suffer significant performance degradation due to challenges including substantial scale variations, high proportions of small targets, and dense occlusions in UAV-captured images. To address these issues, this paper proposes DMF-YOLO, a high-precision detection network based on YOLOv10 improvements. First, we design Dynamic Dilated Snake Convolution (DDSConv) to adaptively adjust the receptive field and dilation rate of convolution kernels, enhancing local feature extraction for small targets with weak textures. Second, we construct a Multi-scale Feature Aggregation Module (MFAM) that integrates dual-branch spatial attention mechanisms to achieve efficient cross-layer feature fusion, mitigating information conflicts between shallow details and deep semantics. Finally, we propose an Expanded Window-based Bounding Box Regression Loss Function (EW-BBRLF), which optimizes localization accuracy through dynamic auxiliary bounding boxes, effectively reducing missed detections of small targets. Experiments on the VisDrone2019 and HIT-UAV datasets demonstrate that DMF-YOLOv10 achieves 50.1% and 81.4% mAP50, respectively, significantly outperforming the baseline YOLOv10s by 27.1% and 2.6%, with parameter increases limited to 24.4% and 11.9%. The method exhibits superior robustness in dense scenarios, complex backgrounds, and long-range target detection. This approach provides an efficient solution for UAV real-time perception tasks and offers novel insights for multi-scale object detection algorithm design. Full article

Italy supplies about one-seventh of the European Union’s total glass production, and the sector’s sizeable resource demands make it a linchpin of national industrial strategy. With growing environmental regulations and the push for resource efficiency, Material Flow Accounting has become essential for companies to stay compliant and advance sustainability. The investigation concentrates on Italy’s glass industry to clarify its material requirements, ecological footprint, and overall sustainability performance. STAN software v2, combined with an Economy-Wide Material Flow Accounting (EW-MFA) framework, models the national economy as a single integrated input–output system. By tracking each material stream from initial extraction to end-of-life, the analysis delivers a cradle-to-grave picture of the sector’s environmental impacts. During the 2021 production year, Italy’s glass makers drew on a total of 10.5 million tonnes (Mt) of material inputs, supplied 76% (7.9 Mt) from domestic quarries, and 24% (2.6 Mt) via imports. Outbound trade in finished glass removed 1.0 Mt, leaving 9.5 Mt recorded as Domestic Material Consumption (DMC). Within that balance, 6.6 Mt (63%) was locked into long-lived stock, whereas 2.9 Mt (28%) left the system as waste streams and airborne releases, including roughly 2.1 Mt of CO₂. At present, the post-consumer cult substitutes only one-third of the furnace batch, signalling considerable scope for improved circularity. When benchmarked against EU-27 aggregates for 2021, Italy registers a NAS/DMI ratio of 0.63 (EU median 0.55) and a DPO/DMI ratio of 0.28 (EU 0.31), indicating a higher share of material retained in stock and slightly lower waste generated per ton of input. A detailed analysis of glass production identifies critical stages, environmental challenges, and areas for improvement. Quantitative data on material use, waste generation, and recycling rates reveal the industry’s environmental footprint. The findings emphasise Economy-Wide Material Flow Accounting’s value in evaluating and improving sustainability efforts, offering insights for policymakers and industry leaders to drive resource efficiency and sustainable resource management. Results help scholars and policymakers in the analysis of the Italian glass industry context, supporting in the data gathering, while also in the use of this methodology for other sectors. Full article

Vermipsyllid parasitize the body surface of sheep, feeding on blood and transmitting diseases, causing severe economic losses to the livestock industry. An outbreak of sheep Vermipsyllid fleas in the mountain pastures of Xinjiang’s Altai region showed that several commonly used commercial anthelmintic drugs had poor therapeutic effects on the prevalent flea species. This study first conducted species identification of Vermipsyllid through morphological analysis of 200 female and 40 male specimens collected from the Altai region, followed by molecular biological identification of 6 randomly selected fleas (3 females and 3 males). Finally, pharmacodynamic experiments were performed to screen for highly effective anthelmintic drugs. Ninety Altai multiparous ewes infected with Vermipsyllid were divided into six groups (fifteen sheep per group): an untreated control group (Ctr), avermectin injection group (Group I), ivermectin injection group (Group II), moxidectin pour-on group (Group III), cypermethrin pour-on group (Group IV), and dichlorvos pour-on group (Group V), with a 14-day trial period. On Day 0, each group received a single treatment according to drug instructions and specified dosages. The number of fleas, flea population reduction rates, and cure rates were measured on Day 0, Day 3, Day 7, and Day 14 to screen for effective anthelmintic drugs. Results showed that unfed female and male fleas were grayish-brown. Engorged females reached 14.15 mm in size, appearing pale white or yellow, with their sterna maintaining the original size and shape despite abdominal distension. Female fleas had 20–21 segments on the labium, while males had 16–19 segments. The hind tibiae featured four notches, and each side of the tergite had 13 ± 1 cup-like indentations. Molecular biological identification indicated that the identified fleas belonged to D. ioffi (Vermipsyllidae, Dorcadia Ioff), showing 99.13% sequence similarity with D. ioffi from Xinjiang, China. In pharmacodynamic experiments, the number of D. ioffi in Groups IV and V decreased to zero on both Day 7 and Day 14, which was extremely significantly lower than other groups (p < 0.01). The flea population reduction rates in Groups IV and V reached 100% on both days. By Day 14, the cure rates of Groups I, II, and III were 0%, while those of Groups IV and V were 100%. Avermectin injection, ivermectin injection, and moxidectin pour-on showed poor anthelmintic effects, whereas cypermethrin and dichlorvos pour-on exhibited high anthelmintic activity against this flea species. Full article

A comprehensive characterization of two pressed-curd cheeses produced from ewe’s milk using enzymatic coagulation—Manchego cheese (with Protected Designation of Origin, PDO) and Castellano cheese (with Protected Geographical Indication, PGI)—was performed throughout the manufacturing process (industrial or traditional) and ripening stages (2, 9, 30, 90, and 180 days). Proton high-resolution magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H HRMAS NMR) spectroscopy, combined with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis, was applied to intact cheese samples. The combination of this spectroscopic technique with chemometric methods allows for the characterization of each type of sheep milk cheese according to its geographical origin and production method (artisanal or industrial), as well as the estimation of ripening time. The results demonstrate that HRMAS NMR spectroscopy enables the rapid and direct analysis of cheese samples, providing a comprehensive profile of their metabolites—a metabolic ‘fingerprint’. Full article

This study investigates the performance prediction of poly-crystalline photovoltaic (PV) systems in Jordan using experimental data, analytical models, and machine learning approaches. Two 5 kWp grid-connected PV systems at Applied Science Private University in Amman were analyzed: one south-oriented and another east–west (EW)-oriented. Both systems are fixed at an 11° tilt angle. Linear regression, Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO), ElasticNet, and artificial neural networks (ANNs) were employed for performance prediction. Among these, linear regression outperformed the others due to its accuracy, interpretability, and computational efficiency, making it an effective baseline model. LASSO and ElasticNet were also explored for their regularization benefits in managing feature relevance and correlation. ANNs were utilized to capture complex nonlinear relationships, but their performance was limited, likely because of the small sample size and lack of temporal dynamics. Regularization and architecture choices are discussed in this paper. For the EW system, linear regression predicted an annual yield of 1510.45 kWh/kWp with a 2.1% error, compared to 1433.9 kWh/kWp analytically (3.12% error). The south-oriented system achieved 1658.15 kWh/kWp with a 1.5% error, outperforming its analytical estimate of 1772.9 kWh/kWp (7.89% error). Productivity gains for the south-facing system reached 23.64% (analytical), 10.43% (experimental), and 9.77% (predicted). These findings support the technical and economic assessment of poly-crystalline PV deployment in Jordan and regions with similar climatic conditions. Full article

The oxygen-evolving IrO₂-Ta₂O₅/Ti anode (OEA), primarily used in electrolyzers for plating, metal powder production, electrowinning (EW), and water electrolysis, is analyzed. This study focuses on the distribution of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity and the associated operational loss over the randomized OEA texture. The OER activity and its distribution across the IrO₂-Ta₂O₅ coating surface are key factors that influence EW operational challenges and the lifecycle of OEA in EW processes. To understand the OER activity distribution over the coating’s randomized texture, we performed analyses using anode polarization in acid solution at both low and high (EW operation relevant) overpotentials and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) during the OER. These measurements were conducted on anodes in both their as-prepared and deactivated states. The as-prepared anode was deactivated using an accelerated stability test in an acid solution, the EW simulating electrolyte. The obtained data are correlated with fundamental electrochemical properties of OEA, such as structure-related pseudocapacitive responses at open circuit potential in the same operating environment. OER and Ir dissolution kinetics, along with the physicochemical anode state upon deactivation, are clearly characterized based on current and potential dependent charge transfer resistances and associated double layer capacitances obtained by EIS. This approach presents a useful tool for elucidating, and consequently tailoring and predicting, anode OER activity and electrolytic operational stability in industrial electrochemical applications. Full article

Purpose: We present our single-institution experience of sarcomatous brain metastasis patients who underwent stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) over the past 35 years. Methods: In total, 31 patients (16 males) who underwent SRS for sarcoma brain metastases were identified. Median age at presentation to SRS was 47 (range: 4–78) months. Common histopathologies included leiomyosarcoma (eight patients), osteosarcoma (six patients), alveolar sarcoma (three patients), Ewing sarcoma (three patients), and undifferentiated/unclassified sarcoma (three patients). The median Karnofsky Performance Score (KPS) was 90. Nine patients underwent pre-SRS craniotomy. The median dose prescribed was 18 Gy. The median cumulative tumor volume was 1.4 cc. Results: Median patient overall survival (OS) after SRS was 7 (range: 0–155) months. Local tumor control (LTC) was achieved in 105 out of 113 tumors, at a median time of 3 (range: 0–17) months between SRS and progression. LTC rates per patient and per tumor were 74.2% and 92.9%, respectively. Following SRS, 10 patients (32.3%) developed new tumors at a median time of 6 (range: 1–25) months. Four patients experienced adverse radiation effects (AREs). At the last follow-up, all patients died, one patient from intracranial progression, 27 from systemic disease progression, and the remaining from unrelated medical conditions. Conclusions: Given high LTC and low ARE rates, this suggests SRS as a strong candidate for the non-invasive management of sarcomatous brain metastases, which typically present late following initial presentation of the primary disease. Full article

With continued scaling of CMOS technology, the critical charge required for state retention in SRAM cells has decreased, leading to increased vulnerability to radiation-induced soft errors such as single-event upsets (SEUs) and single-event multi-node upsets (SEMNUs) in space environments. To address these reliability challenges, this paper proposes a 16-transistor radiation-hardened SRAM cell, EWS-16T, designed to improve resilience against soft errors. The performance of the proposed EWS-16T cell was evaluated through the 90 nm CMOS process and compared with previously reported radiation-hardened cells, including QCCS, SCCS, SAW16T, HP16T, RHSCC16T, and S8P8N. The results show that EWS-16T achieves the shortest write access time (22.11 ps) and the highest word line write trip voltage (WWTV) (279 mV) among all comparison cells. In addition, it demonstrates excellent performance in terms of critical charge tolerance (>300 fC) and low hold power consumption (53 nW). Furthermore, a comprehensive performance evaluation using the electrical quality metric (EQM) confirms that the EWS-16T cell achieves an outstanding balance among write efficiency, power consumption, and soft error resilience. These results indicate that EWS-16T is a highly promising SRAM design capable of ensuring reliable operation even in radiation-intensive space environments. Full article

Background: Respiratory infections (RIs) are a common cause of care by Prehospital Emergency Medical Services (PEMS). Early Warning Scores (EWS) are tools used by PEMS to assess patients with acute pathology. However, there is little evidence of their application in RIs. The primary aim of this study was to assess the ability of five EWS to predict one-year mortality (M1Y) and two-year (M2Y) mortality in patients with suspected RI assisted by PEMS. The secondary objective was to perform a survival analysis. Methods: An observational and prospective study was conducted in adult patients with RIs transferred by EMS to their referral hospital. The variables necessary for the calculation of EWS [National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2), Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score, Quick COVID-19 Severity Index (qCSI), CURB-65 Score for Pneumonia Severity (CURB-65) and BAP-65 Score for Acute Exacerbation of COPD (BAP-65) score] were collected. The prognostic ability of the EWS was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Patients were followed up and a survival study was performed. Results: A total of 819 patients met the inclusion criteria. M1Y was 55.9% and M2Y was 63.5%. BAP-65 showed the best predictive ability at both 1 and 2 years, with AUC of 0.716 and 0.711, respectively. 48.8% of deaths took place during the first month. Conclusions: BAP-65 was the score with the best ability to predict both M1Y and M2Y after the index event in patients with RIs. All other EWS analyzed showed poor performance except in patients with low comorbidity. Full article