Search Results (39)

The decline of salmonid stocks in the Baltic Sea region is a matter of serious concern, prompting many countries to implement widespread stocking of artificially reared individuals to restore or enhance populations. While such interventions are intended to be beneficial, their efficacy remains a subject of ongoing debate. Artificially reared fish often face challenges in adapting to natural environments and may struggle to compete with wild counterparts, potentially leading to reduced growth rates and diminished overall fitness. This study evaluated the growth and physiological condition of naturally hatched versus artificially reared Salmo trutta juveniles during their first two years of life, prior to smoltification and seaward migration. The results demonstrated that stocked juveniles exhibited significantly slower growth, a higher incidence of fin damage, and a greater abundance of cultivable gut bacteria compared to wild individuals. Conversely, no significant differences were observed in blood parameters. Such growth retardation suggests potential difficulties in adaptation and recruitment. Consequently, while the release of artificially reared S. trutta fry facilitates the restoration of extinct populations, its capacity to enhance existing stocks within Baltic Sea riverine ecosystems may be limited. Full article

Background/Objectives: Guang Chenpi, the aged pericarp of Citrus reticulata ‘Chachi’, is a traditional Chinese medicinal food with documented health benefits. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the multifaceted bioactivity of a standardized Guang Chenpi extract (GCE), both alone and in combination with ergothioneine (EGT) and polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN), using in vitro and in vivo models. Methods: GCE quality was characterized by LC-MS/MS. Combination regimens of GCE with EGT or PDRN were assessed in UVB-irradiated 3D MelaKutis^® skin tissue for ROS levels, antioxidation defense markers (NNT, GSH-PX1), and melanocyte protein (Pmel17). In zebrafish, GCE was evaluated for toxicity, antioxidant activity, tail fin regeneration, skin barrier protection, melanogenesis inhibition, and expression of collagen (col1a1a, col1a1b, and col1a2) and elastin (elna) genes. Results: In 3D skin models, GCE combined with EGT or PDRN significantly enhanced antioxidant defenses (NNT increased by 113–186%; GSH-PX1 by 173–231%), reduced ROS by 46.27–57.76%, and decreased melanocyte protein (Pmel17) by 23.44–44.27%. In zebrafish, GCE showed low toxicity (≤0.63 mg/mL) and exhibited dose-dependent antioxidant activity (ROS reduction: 27.57–61.85%), enhanced tail fin regeneration (11.35–27.84%), and strengthened skin barrier function (65.20–89.32% protection). GCE also upregulated collagen and elastin gene expression, improved blood circulation, and suppressed melanogenesis. Conclusions: GCE is a promising multifunctional natural ingredient with significant antioxidant, regenerative, and skin-protective properties. Its combination with EGT or PDRN results in enhanced protective effects against UVB-induced skin damage, supporting its potential use in advanced pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical formulations. Full article

This study synthesized an efficient amino-modified silica gel decolorizer by aminating silica hydroxyls, characterized via SEM, FT-IR, N₂ adsorption and XPS. It investigated its decolorization of Sparassis crispa crude polysaccharides using decolorization rate and polysaccharide retention as indices, revealing pigment adsorption mechanisms. Polysaccharide activity preservation by physical adsorption was evaluated via antioxidant (DPPH, ABTS, •OH scavenging) and zebrafish caudal fin repair assays. The results showed 79.85% decolorization and 86.54% polysaccharide retention within 5 min, with over 75% decolorization after five cycles of reuse. Results suggest that pigment adsorption may involve interactions between amino groups and chromophoric compounds. The decolorized polysaccharides showed better antioxidant and zebrafish caudal fin repair activities than those treated with traditional H₂O₂. These findings support the development of efficient, low-damage decolorization strategies for edible and medicinal polysaccharides. Full article

Silicon-Based Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) exploit inherent manufacturing variations to produce a unique, random, and ideally unclonable secret key. As electronic devices are decommissioned and sent for End of Life (EOL) recycling, the encrypted critical program information remains within the device. However, conventional PUFs remain vulnerable to invasive attacks and reverse engineering that with sufficient time, resources, and effort can enable an adversary to bypass the security enclave of the system and extract this secret data. Recent research has started to explore techniques to respond to tamper attempts using electromigration (EM) and time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) to the PUF entropy source, preventing future authentication attempts with well-known semiconductor reliability failure mechanisms. This work presents a Pre-Amplifier Physical Unclonable Function (Pre-Amp PUF) with a self-corruption function designed and manufactured in a 3 nm FinFET technology. This PUF can perform a destructive read operation as an EOL anti-counterfeit measure against recycled and reused electronics. The destructive read utilizes an accelerated aging technique that exploits both Hot Carrier Injection (HCI) and Bias Temperature Instability (BTI) degradations directly at the PUF entropy source bitcell data. This work demonstrates a silicon proven ability to irreversibly corrupt the encryption key, invalidating the PUF key, and blocking future authentication attempts. By utilizing HCI and BTI aging effects rather than physical damage a PUF that can self-corrupt its own key without being detectable with imaging techniques is demonstrated for the first time. A feedback loop enables corruption of up to ~30% of the PUF entropy source, which is approximately 3× more data corruption than the prior state of the art self-corrupting PUF. Our technique reuses on-chip stable (repeatable) PUF bitcells identifying circuitry and thereby minimizes the area overhead to support this differentiated feature. Full article

Delphinus delphis uses the Algeciras–Gibraltar Bay (BA-G) as a feeding and breeding ground, but heavy maritime traffic and recreational fishing increase its exposure to injuries and anthropogenic threats. Over three years, more than 110,000 photographs were collected during 593 sampling days, resulting in a catalogue of 1356 adult individuals identified by dorsal fin markings and the species’ characteristic white patch. The posterior sectors and distal tip of the fin were the most affected by lesions, confirming the impact of local human activities. In addition, 104 putative mother–calf pairs were recorded, highlighting the importance of the BA-G as a breeding area. Individuals with greater dorsal fin damage showed significantly higher recapture frequencies, suggesting that exposure to anthropogenic pressures is associated with greater recurrent detectability. This catalogue, one of the most comprehensive catalogues available for D. delphis worldwide, represents a key tool for long-term monitoring of this population and provides a methodological framework that can be extrapolated to other regions where human pressure increases the marking of individuals. The results reinforce the need for specific management measures in the BA-G, including the establishment of protected areas, as a fundamental step towards conserving this endangered species. Full article

This article presents a methodology for estimating the gripping forces in a Fin Ray-type gripper, based on the integration of experimental and computational approaches. The development and validation methods includes (1) mechanical modeling and material selection; (2) experimental tests to relate FG finger displacement to maximum applied force using a load cell; (3) validation of the computational model through finite element method (FEM) simulations in ABAQUS using experimental data; and (4) experimental analysis of the FG handling a chicken egg, with the FEM determining the stress applied to the egg. The computational results showed a maximum stress of approximately 7 MPa on the egg, with no signs of damage, demonstrating the FG’s suitability for handling delicate objects in both the experimental and computational procedures, thus enabling safe object handling without causing damage. This work advances research on Fin Ray-type flexible end-effectors, emphasizing their utility in manipulating fragile objects without requiring complex force and pressure control algorithms. Full article

Parasitic infections, such as those caused by the myxozoans Myxobolus cerebralis and Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae, pose major threats to wild and farmed salmonids due to severe tissue damage and impairment of the host immune system. While individual infections have been studied, limited information is available on the host response during co-infection. This study investigated the transcriptomic immune response of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) during single and sequential co-infections with M. cerebralis and T. bryosalmonae using RNA-seq. Trout were exposed to single infections (Mc or Tb) followed by co-infections (Mc⁺ or Tb⁺). Fish were sampled at 31 days post-single infection (1 day post-co-infection). RNA from gill and caudal fin (portal of parasite entry) was sequenced, followed by differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identification and GO and KEGG enrichment. In the caudal fin, Mc⁺ (1 day after co-infection with T. bryosalomne) fish showed mild immune activation with C4B upregulation, while Tb⁺ fish exhibited a stronger response involving IFI44, ISG15, RSAD2, and TLR7 signaling. In gills, Mc⁺ fish showed moderate cytokine-related gene upregulation, while Tb⁺ (1 day after co-infection with M. cerebralis) fish displayed increased expression of humoral response genes (C3, immunoglobulin pathways) but suppression of genes involved in B cell development. These results indicate that the order of infection shapes the outcome of the host immune response, offering candidate targets at the host–pathogen interface. Full article

Frost heave in seasonally frozen soil surrounding natural gas pipelines (NGPs) can cause severe damage to adjacent infrastructure, including road surfaces and buildings. Based on the stratigraphic characteristics of seasonal frozen soil in Beijing, a soil–natural gas pipeline–heat pipe heat transfer model was developed to investigate the mitigation effect of the soil-freezing phenomenon by transferring shallow geothermal energy utilizing heat pipes. Results reveal that heat pipe configurations (distance, inclination angle, etc.) significantly affect soil temperature distribution and the soil frost heave mitigation effect. When the distance between the heat pipe wall and the NGP wall reaches 200 mm, or when the inclined angle between the heat pipe axis and the model centerline is 15°, the soil temperature above the NGP increases by 9.7 K and 17.7 K, respectively, demonstrating effective mitigation of the soil frost heave problem. In the range of 2500–40,000 W/(m·K), the thermal conductivity of heat pipes substantially impacts heat transfer efficiency, but the efficiency improvement plateaus beyond 20,000 W/(m·K). Furthermore, adding fins to the heat pipe condensation sections elevates local soil temperature peaks above the NGP to 274.2 K, which is 5.5 K higher than that without fins, indicating enhanced heat transfer performance. These findings show that utilizing heat pipes to transfer shallow geothermal energy can significantly raise soil temperatures above the NGP and effectively mitigate the soil frost heave problem, providing theoretical support for the practical applications of heat pipes in soil frost heave management. Full article

Ice accumulation on heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) structures presents significant operational challenges. These challenges include reduced efficiency, increased energy consumption, and potential damage to equipment. Traditional de-icing methods, such as chemical treatments, mechanical scraping, or heating-based techniques, are often labor-intensive, costly, and environmentally harmful. This study uniquely investigates ultrasonic de-icing as an energy-efficient alternative for HVACR applications, focusing on the specific structural geometries found in these systems. A comprehensive numerical simulation framework was developed using finite element analysis to explore ultrasonic wave propagation across four distinct HVACR structures. Key parameters such as ultrasonic frequency, power levels, and the number and placement of actuators were examined for their impact on ice detachment efficiency. Results from simulations on a plate structure reveal that ultrasonic excitation can propagate effectively across large areas (at least 150 × 150 mm), enhancing the de-icing coverage. Lower frequency (e.g., 30 to 45 kHz) excitation results in greater displacement, improving de-icing performance, while increased actuator numbers with the same total power input also enhance effectiveness. Two actuators seem sufficient for the de-icing of a 300 × 300 mm plate. For tube-and-fin structures, specific high-power ultrasonic frequencies selectively excite the fin plates, demonstrating efficient ice removal when actuated on the tube. However, optimal performance requires careful design of actuator placement and vibration modes to accommodate the irregular shapes of these structures. Full article

Background: The efficacy of banaba leaf extract was tested against carboxymethyllysine (CML)-induced toxicity in embryos and adult zebrafish. Additionally, the individual and combined effects of banaba (BNB) and policosanol (PCO) were analyzed to alleviate dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and associated effects in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced hyperlipidemic diabetic zebrafish. Methodology: The high cholesterol diet (HCD, final 4%, w/w)-fed zebrafish were injected with STZ to develop diabetes and were subsequently fed with either HCD or HCD+BNB (final 0.1% w/w) or HCD+PCO (final 0.1% w/w) or HCD+BNB+PCO (each final 0.1%, w/w) each for 14 days. The zebrafish tail fin was amputated to assess tissue regeneration, while the organs and blood were collected for histological and biochemical analysis. Results: Severely compromised embryo survivability and developmental defects were noticed in the CML-injected group that significantly improved following BNB exposure. Similarly, CML-induced acute paralysis and mortality of adult zebrafish were effectively mitigated by the treatment with BNB. In the hyperlipidemic diabetic zebrafish, both BNB and PCO supplementation displayed the hypoglycemic effect; however, a remarkable reduction (p < 0.05) in blood glucose levels was observed in the BNB+PCO group, around 14% and 16% less than the BNB group and PCO group, respectively. Likewise, higher tail fin regeneration was noticed in response to BNB+PCO supplementation. Both BNB and PCO have a substantial counter-effect against HCD+STZ-induced dyslipidemia. However, the combined supplementation (BNB+PCO) displayed a significantly better effect than that of BNB and PCO alone to alleviate total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TGs), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). The most impressive impact of BNB+PCO was noticed in the elevation of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), which was ~1.5 times higher than the HDL-C level in response to BNB and PCO. Also, BNB+PCO effectively reduced the malondialdehyde (MDA) and elevated the plasma sulfhydryl content, paraoxonase (PON), and ferric ion reduction (FRA) activity. Histological analyses revealed a significant effect of BNB+PCO in preventing inflammatory infiltration, fatty liver changes, and interleukin-6 production. Similarly, a notably better effect of BNB+PCO compared to their individual effect was noticed in preventing kidney damage and mitigation of ROS generation, apoptosis, and cellular senescence. Conclusions: The finding establishes the substantial effect of BNB and PCO in countering hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and associated disorders, which synergistically improved following the combined supplementation with BNB+PCO. Full article

In October 2023, a disease outbreak in pufferfish (Takifugu obscurus) farms in Zhongshan City, Guangdong, China, caused high mortality. Diseased fish (mean length: 15 ± 1 cm) exhibited swimming disorders, fin rot, hemorrhage, and an enlarged spleen. Histopathological observations generally revealed inflammation, necrosis, and congestion in the spleen, kidneys, and brain tissues. The most severe pathological changes included interstitial edema and tubular atrophy in the kidneys, hemosiderin deposition in the spleen, massive red blood cell infiltration, and a decrease in lymphocytes. A single strain of bacteria (Tol-1) was isolated from the diseased pufferfish and identified as a Gram-positive streptococcus strain, exhibiting α-hemolysis on sheep blood agar plates. Through biochemical characterization, 16S rDNA sequencing, morphological analysis, and specific primer-based identification, the Tol-1 strain was identified as Lactococcus garvieae, serotype I. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing indicated that Tol-1 was sensitive to Chloramphenicol, Ampicillin, Cephalexin, and Doxycycline, but resistant to Kanamycin, Gentamicin and Ciprofloxacin. In addition, 15 common virulence factors were detected in the Tol-1 strain, including adhPav, adhPsaA, adhC I–II, adh, and hly 1–3. Pufferfish (mean length: 17 ± 1 cm) subjected to artificial infection via intraperitoneal injection (IP) with the Tol-1 strain exhibited clinical symptoms and histopathological damage similar to those observed in naturally infected fish. An infection dose of 1 × 10⁵ CFU/fish resulted in 80% mortality. The study fulfilled Koch’s postulates, indicating that the disease outbreak in pufferfish was caused by L. garvieae, which exhibited a high mortality rate in pufferfish despite the subtle clinical symptoms. These results serve as a warning for pufferfish farming areas and provide a scientific basis for future prevention and control efforts. Full article

The working environment of electronic devices in the aerospace field is harsh. In order to ensure the reliable application of the SOI FinFET, the total ionizing dose (TID) and hot carrier injecting (HCI) reliability of an SOI FinFET were investigated in this study. First, the influence of TID on the device was simulated. The results show that TID causes the threshold voltage to decrease and the off-state current and subthreshold swing to increase. TID causes more damage to the device at high temperature and also reduces the saturation drain current of the device. HCI causes the device threshold voltage to increase and the saturation drain current to decrease. The HCI is more severe at high temperatures. Finally, the coupling effects of the two were simulated, and the results show that the two effects cancel each other out, and the degradation of various electrical characteristic parameters is different under different coupling modes. Full article

Lumpfish are broadly used as biological sea lice removers in Norwegian salmon farming and are mostly produced in hatcheries. To date, there is little systematic documentation on the mortality causes of lumpfish in hatcheries. In the current study, data from 12 selected fish groups from four hatcheries in Norway were collected to understand the challenges and opportunities related to the categorization of mortality causes of lumpfish in hatcheries. This study indicated that a high proportion of lumpfish mortality was categorized by the hatcheries as unspecified. When specified, mortality was primarily assessed as due to fin damage. Our analyses showed that mortality categorized as fin damage correlated with the detection of infectious agents in dead fish, suggesting that mortality was due to infections rather than fin damage. It was not possible to conclude whether infection with pathogens present in the environment caused fin damage or if injuries from aggression were a gateway for pathogens. Furthermore, due to the lack of information regarding production conditions, it was not possible to assess risk factors causing eventual aggression or the presence of pathogens. This study revealed that mortality causality—the chain of events leading to death—is mainly unclear in lumpfish hatcheries because (1) mortality categorization does not focus on underlying causes and (2) there is little documentation of production conditions, making it very difficult to relate mortality rates to external factors. The present findings highlight that there are gaps in the registrations made by hatcheries and that there is an urgent need to implement standardized monitoring protocols for lumpfish hatcheries. This will help identify the causes of mortality and, therefore, allow for the implementation of proper measures that will ensure better survival. Full article

(1) Background: Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is a flowering plant reported to have anti-obesity, antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory effects. This study aims to evaluate the UV-absorbing and antioxidant activities of roselle aqueous extracts (RAE) and test the protective effects of RAE against UV radiation in zebrafish embryos. (2) Methods: DPPH assay and UV-spectrum methods were applied to evaluate the antioxidant and UV-absorbing activities, respectively. The protective effects of RAE were evaluated using fin morphology recording, Kaplan–Meier analysis, and Cox proportional hazards regression. Real-time PCR experiments were also applied to detect both the UV- and RAE-induced gene expressions. (3) Results: Our results show that (i) RAE had UV-absorbing abilities and significantly reduced ROS production in vitro; (ii) the mean times of malformed fins in the UV + RAE (36 and 48 ppm) groups were 3.56 and 4.44 days, respectively, and were prolonged compared to those in the UV-only group (3.36 days); (iii) zebrafish in the UV + RAE (36 and 48 ppm) groups were 0.963 and 0.496 (p < 0.001) times more likely to develop to malformed fins, respectively, than those in the UV-only group; and (iv) the RAE treatment led to the 0.19- to 0.62-fold downregulation of the p53, p21, mdm2, and bcl2 gene expressions, compared to the UV-only group. (4) Conclusions: The UV-protective effects of RAE might derive from both the in vitro UV-absorbing activity and in vivo regulation of the p53, p21, mdm2, and bcl2 gene expressions. Full article

The pectoral fin propulsion of a bionic robotic fish always consists of two phases: propulsion and recovery. The robotic fish moves in a burst-and-coast swimming manner. This study aims to analyze a pair of bionic robotic fish with rigid pectoral fin propulsion with three degrees of freedom and optimize the elliptical propulsion curve with the minimum recovery stroke resistance using computational fluid dynamics methods. Then, the time allocated to the propulsion and recovery phases is investigated to maximize the propulsion performance of the bionic robotic fish. The numerical simulation results show that when the time ratio of the propulsion and recovery phases is 0.5:1, the resistance during the movement of the robotic fish is effectively reduced, and the drag-reducing effect is pronounced. According to a further analysis of pressure clouds and vortex structures, the pressure difference between the upstream and downstream fins of the pectoral fin varies with different stroke ratios. The increase in recovery phase time helps to prevent premature damage to the vortex ring structure generated during the propulsion process and improves propulsion efficiency. Full article