Search Results (141)

Background/Objectives: Early and accurate detection of glaucoma is vital for preventing irreversible vision loss, yet traditional diagnostic approaches relying solely on unimodal retinal imaging are limited by data sparsity and constrained context. Furthermore, real-world clinical data are often fragmented across institutions under strict privacy regulations, posing significant challenges for centralized machine learning methods. Methods: To address these barriers, this study proposes a novel Quality Aware Vertical Federated Learning (QAVFL) framework for decentralized multimodal glaucoma detection. The proposed system dynamically integrates clinical text, retinal fundus images, and biomedical signal data through modality-specific encoders, followed by a Fusion Attention Module (FAM) that adaptively weighs the reliability and contribution of each modality. Unlike conventional early fusion or horizontal federated learning methods, QAVFL operates in vertically partitioned environments and employs secure aggregation mechanisms incorporating homomorphic encryption and differential privacy to preserve patient confidentiality. Results: Extensive experiments conducted under heterogeneous non-IID settings demonstrate that QAVFL achieves an accuracy of 98.6%, a recall of 98.6%, an F1-score of 97.0%, and an AUC of 0.992, outperforming unimodal and early fusion baselines with statistically significant improvements (p < 0.01). Conclusions: The findings validate the effectiveness of dynamic multimodal fusion under privacy-preserving decentralized learning and highlight the scalability and clinical applicability of QAVFL for robust glaucoma screening across fragmented healthcare environments. Full article

Sand is the backbone of modern civilization and faces heightened demand in the Anthropocene. The uncontrolled extraction of sand raises concerns regarding its irreversible ecological impact. The sand industry is not well understood, especially from the perspective of sustainability. To address this knowledge gap, this systematic review combines policy analysis with the use of material flow analysis (MFA) indicators, environmental externalities, and geopolitics to assess the overall sustainability of the sand industry. By utilizing trade data, this study identified the primary importers and exporters of sand within each continent and selected the top 3–4 countries for analysis. Based on these countries, relevant studies in the literature on the trade and domestic extraction of sand and that used the principles of MFA were found to assess the patterns of its consumption. Illicit sand mining adds a further challenge regarding data accuracy and verification. This study revealed that China’s consumption of sand surpasses that of all the other countries studied, at 17,700 million tonnes, and China has the highest mass of recycled aggregates in use. Using gross domestic product as a proxy for size of the economy, it was found that China consumed 0.001251 million tonnes of sand per million USD. European nations showed a striking balance in their sand industries by placing equal importance on using virgin sand and recycled aggregates, thus contributing to a circular economy. The use of MFA for future research can reveal hidden flows by positioning itself as a science–policy interface, enabling greater circularity within the lock-ins of the construction sector. Full article

The limited microwave-heating performance caused by moisture and ordinary aggregates limits the application efficiency of emulsified asphalt in rapid pavement repair engineering. Silicon carbide (SiC) and ferrosoferric oxide (Fe₃O₄) were introduced as modifiers to prepare the microwave-sensitive emulsified asphalt used in this work. The electromagnetic properties, microwave heating properties, microstructural evolution law, and rheological performance of emulsified asphalt or its evaporation residue were studied. The results show that modification through SiC and Fe₃O₄ can produce a pronounced synergistic effect and can significantly enhance both the electromagnetic and high temperature rheological properties. Coupling polarization enhancement with magnetic responsiveness increases the dielectric constant and loss peaks compared with single doped samples. This compensates for the weak magnetic response or insufficient stiffness of single doped systems and leads to a maximum early-stage microwave heating rate increase of 176.2%. The rheological performance of the compound doped system is also markedly improved. The R (3.2 kPa) of the 2% SiC + 3% Fe₃O₄ group sample increased by 59.7% and the J_nr (3.2 kPa) decreased by 68.9% compared to the control group. The rigid and elastic complementarity of the two modifiers effectively suppresses irreversible deformation at high temperatures. Moreover, the modifiers accelerate the microstructural transition of the asphalt from a particulate state to a continuous phase under microwave exposure. Adjusting the compound doping ratio of SiC and Fe₃O₄ allows the system to be tailored for either high temperature stability or rapid heating, providing technical support for its application in microwave-assisted pavement repair field. Full article

Curcumin is a natural bioactive compound of plant origin, characterised by a wide variety of properties that make it useful in numerous industries. Furthermore, due to its health-promoting properties, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects, it has found applications in medicine and animal husbandry. Unfortunately, curcumin has low bioavailability; its hydrophobic nature means it is poorly absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract, and it is rapidly metabolised in the liver. In recent years, research has been conducted into adding nanoencapsulated active ingredients, such as curcumin, to animal feed. This research aims to improve the bioavailability and stability of these ingredients, extend their shelf life, and enhance their absorption. These effects are expected to improve overall animal health, increase production efficiency, and enhance the quality of animal products. However, a significant challenge remains: the irreversible aggregation and chemical instability of bioactive substances due to the hydrolysis of their polymeric encapsulants, which can lead to toxic effects. This study utilised peripheral whole blood from five Blanc de Termonde rabbits. In vitro cell exposure was conducted using three distinct concentrations of nanoencapsulated curcumin (C1–C3: 10, 5.0, and 2.5 µg/mL) and a control. Cytotoxicity was determined by assessing viability using trypan blue exclusion, the comet assay, and the micronucleus assay. The results indicated that all tested concentrations of nanocurcumin significantly decreased the viability of blood cells to approximately 1–9%. In contrast, the encapsulation matrices themselves were not toxic (results were statistically significant). In the comet assay, the nanocurcumin formulations were toxic at all concentrations, and the results were statistically significant. Following exposure, the micronucleus assay revealed cell damage and a high percentage of apoptotic cells (up to 30% for Cur1 at 10 ug/mL). A significant number of binucleated cells with two micronuclei (BNCs + 2MN) were also observed, again for Cur1. In view of the considerable variation in the results from the individual tests, it is advisable to repeat the research using different matrix forms and concentrations of curcumin. Full article

Background: Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy marked by retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), apoptosis, vascular insufficiency, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, excitotoxicity, and neuroinflammation. While intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction remains the primary intervention, many patients continue to lose vision despite adequate pressure control. Emerging neuroprotective agents—citicoline, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), pyruvate, nicotinamide, pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ), homotaurine, berberine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)—target complementary pathogenic pathways in experimental and clinical settings. Methods: This literature review synthesizes current evidence on glaucoma neuroprotection, specifically drawing on the most relevant and recent studies identified via PubMed. Results: Citicoline enhances phospholipid synthesis, stabilizes mitochondrial membranes, modulates neurotransmitters, and improves electrophysiological and visual field outcomes. CoQ10 preserves mitochondrial bioenergetics, scavenges reactive oxygen species, and mitigates glutamate-induced excitotoxicity. Pyruvate supports energy metabolism, scavenges reactive oxygen species, and restores metabolic transporter expression. Nicotinamide and its precursor nicotinamide riboside boost NAD⁺ levels, protect against early mitochondrial dysfunction, and enhance photopic negative response amplitudes. PQQ reduces systemic inflammation and enhances mitochondrial metabolites, while homotaurine modulates GABAergic signaling and inhibits β-amyloid aggregation. Berberine attenuates excitotoxicity, inflammation, and apoptosis via the P2X7 and GABA-PKC-α pathways. Preclinical models demonstrate synergy when agents are combined to address multiple targets. Clinical trials of fixed-dose combinations—such as citicoline + CoQ10 ± vitamin B3, citicoline + homotaurine ± vitamin E or PQQ, and nicotinamide + pyruvate—show additive improvements in RGCs’ electrophysiology, visual function, contrast sensitivity, and quality of life without altering IOP. Conclusions: A multi-targeted approach is suitable for glaucoma’s complex neurobiology and may slow progression more effectively than monotherapies. Ongoing randomized controlled trials are essential to establish optimal compound ratios, dosages, long-term safety, and structural outcomes. However, current evidence remains limited by small sample sizes, heterogeneous study designs, and a lack of long-term real-world data. Integrating combination neuroprotection into standard care holds promise for preserving vision and reducing the global burden of irreversible glaucoma-related blindness. Full article

With the widespread deployment of mobile imaging sensors and smart devices, the risk of image privacy leakage is increasing daily. Protecting sensitive information in captured images has become increasingly critical. Existing image privacy protection measures usually rely on manual blurring and occlusion, which are inefficient, prone to omitting privacy information, and have an irreversible impact on the usability and quality of images. To address these challenges, this paper proposes TSLEPS (Two-Stage Localization and Erasure method for Privacy protection in Sensor-captured images). TSLEPS adopts a two-stage framework comprising a privacy target detection sub-model and a privacy text erasure sub-model. This method can accurately locate and erase the private text areas in images while maintaining the visual integrity of the images. In the stage of detecting privacy targets, an inverted residual attention mechanism is designed and combined with a generalized efficient aggregation layer network, significantly improving privacy target detection accuracy. In the stage of privacy text erasure, a texture-enhanced feature attention mechanism is proposed with an adversarial generative network for the erasure task to achieve efficient erasure of privacy texts. Moreover, we introduce the half-instance normalization block to reduce the computational load and inference time so that it can be deployed on resource-constrained mobile devices. Extensive experiments on multiple public real-world privacy datasets demonstrate outstanding performance, with privacy target detection achieving 97.5% accuracy and 96.4% recall, while privacy text erasure reaches 38.2140 dB PSNR and 0.9607 SSIM. TSLEPS not only effectively solves the privacy protection challenges in sensor-captured images through its two-stage framework, but also achieves breakthrough improvements in detection accuracy, erasure quality, and computational efficiency for resource-constrained devices. Full article

The marine habitats of the world’s oceans are being driven beyond their resilience. The ongoing biodiversity crisis is happening fast, within the lifespan of researchers trying to produce the information necessary for the conservation of habitats and marine ecosystems. Here, we report on the destruction of sciaphilic sessile communities and coralligenous concretions produced by the anchoring of a high-tonnage vessel inside a Marine Protected Area in Cyprus. The damage from the anchors and the chains consisted of the dislodgement of large boulders that were dragged or rolled over the seafloor, increasing the breakage and further dislodgement of more boulders; many were left upside-down. The biological communities that thrived in the dark environments below the boulders were directly exposed to high irradiance levels and went through a slow mortality and decaying process, most probably due to a combination of several deterioration agents, such as exposure to direct sunlight, predation, mucilage aggregates, and cyanobacterial blooms. The enforcement of regulatory measures for anchoring and transit in the MPA is necessary to prevent similar destruction. Given the extent of the irreversible damage to these sciaphilic communities, our study is, unfortunately, another environmental post-mortem contribution. Full article

Aging is a key risk factor for neurodegenerative disorders and is associated with widespread systemic and brain-specific changes. Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a progressive and irreversible brain disorder, primarily affects older adults and leads to a gradual decline in cognitive function. The underlying disease mechanisms often begin years before clinical symptoms appear, limiting the effectiveness of current treatments. Several factors linked to aging—including inflammation, oxidative stress, impaired metabolism, and protein aggregation—contribute to the onset and progression of AD. A central feature of AD is the abnormal accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau, a microtubule-associated protein, driven by post-translational modifications such as acetylation and hyperphosphorylation. These modifications lead to structural changes in tau, promoting the formation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), which are more closely associated with cognitive decline than Aβ plaques. Interestingly, tau accumulation and the resulting cognitive impairments are often observed in aged individuals without Aβ deposition, highlighting tauopathy as a distinct contributor to age-related cognitive decline. This review focuses on new developments in therapeutic approaches that target oxidative stress, protein aggregation, and neuroinflammation, and our current understanding of the molecular pathways relating aging and tau pathology in AD. Full article

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic and complex neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cognitive decline, memory loss, and irreversible impairment of brain functions. The etiology of AD is multifactorial, involving a complex interplay of genetic, environmental, and physiological factors, including the aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) and oxidative stress (OS). The role of OS in AD pathogenesis is of particular significance, given that an imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants promotes cellular damage, exacerbates Aβ deposition, and leads to cognitive deterioration. Despite extensive research, current therapeutic strategies have largely failed, likely due to the use of single-target drugs unable to halt the multifactorial progression of the disease. In this study, we investigated the synergistic therapeutic effect of plant-derived bioactive compounds Withanone, Apigenin, Bacoside A, Baicalin, and Thymoquinone in combination with N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (NN-DMT), a psychedelic molecule. We used a transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans model to assess the behavioral and molecular outcomes following compound exposure. Motility assays, thioflavin S staining, and survival assays under oxidative stress were employed to evaluate the treatment efficacy. The results of the behavioral and molecular analyses indicated that the combination therapy exhibited a higher efficacy than the monotherapies, leading to a significant reduction in age-related motility defects in the AD model. Furthermore, the combination treatment substantially reduced Aβ plaque burden, enhanced survival following OS insult, and demonstrated a synergistic effect in mitigating AD-related hallmarks. Taken together, these findings support the potential of combining NN-DMT with specific bioactive compounds as a promising multi-target therapeutic approach for AD. Full article

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a predominant neurodegenerative disorder, is clinically characterized by progressive cognitive deterioration and behavioral deficits. An in-depth understanding of the pathogenesis and neuropathology of AD is essential for the development of effective treatments and early diagnosis techniques. The neuropathological signature of AD involves two hallmark lesions: intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles composed of hyperphosphorylated tau aggregates and extracellular senile plaques containing amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide depositions. Although Aβ-centric research has dominated AD investigations over the past three decades, pharmacological interventions targeting Aβ pathology have failed to demonstrate clinical efficacy. Tau, a microtubule-associated protein predominantly localized to neuronal axons, orchestrates microtubule stabilization and axonal transport through dynamic tubulin interactions under physiological conditions. In AD pathogenesis, however, tau undergoes pathogenic post-translational modifications (PTMs), encompassing hyperphosphorylation, lysine acetylation, methylation, ubiquitination, and glycosylation. These PTM-driven alterations induce microtubule network disintegration, mitochondrial dysfunction, synaptic impairment, and neuroinflammatory cascades, ultimately culminating in irreversible neurodegeneration and progressive cognitive decline. This review synthesizes contemporary advances in tau PTM research and delineates their mechanistic contributions to AD pathogenesis, thereby establishing a framework for biomarker discovery, targeted therapeutic development, and precision medicine approaches in tauopathies. This review synthesizes contemporary advances in tau PTM research and delineates their mechanistic contributions to AD pathogenesis, thereby establishing a solid theoretical and experimental basis for the early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases, the discovery of therapeutic targets, and the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Full article

Upon activation, platelets undergo rapid phenotypic transitions to maintain hemostasis, yet the kinetics governing these transitions remain poorly quantified. We present an integrated experimental and mathematical model describing platelet transitions between resting, activated, aggregating, inhibited, and exhausted phenotypes, determined by experiment rate constants for these reactions. Theoretical simulations of platelet transitions accurately describe the independently determined experimental read-out. Platelet aggregation under the conditions used directly correlates with the activation of αIIbβ3 integrins, demonstrating that the parameters of platelet aggregation achieved by the laser diffraction technique can be used for the evaluation of the rapid activation and deactivation kinetics of αIIbβ3 integrins. We demonstrate that platelet desensitization occurs at multiple activation stages, with distinct kinetic profiles for shape change and integrin deactivation. We also show that even 5 s of receptor-mediated PKA activation (iloprost) is sufficient for a complete inhibition of ADP-induced platelet aggregation. However, when iloprost was added after platelet stimulation by ADP, platelet activation was not fully inhibited, and after 180 s, aggregation became irreversible. The presented data help to understand the mechanisms of platelet transition between different phenotypes. The model effectively characterizes key physiological phenotypes and can serve as a modular framework for integration into more comprehensive models. Full article

Honey has been recognised for centuries for its potential therapeutic properties, and its application in wound healing has gained attention due to its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative properties. With the rapid increase in multidrug resistance, there is a need for new or alternative approaches to traditional antibiotics. This paper focuses on the physicochemical changes that occur when formulating honey into Pluronic F127 hydrogels. The manual incorporation of honey, irrespective of quality type, presented the amelioration of Pluronic’s capacity to undergo sol–gel transitions, as investigated by parallel plate rheology. This novel finding was attributed to the formation of fractal aggregates via the hydrogen-bonding-induced irreversible aggregation of honey–PF127 micelles, which subsequently dominate the entire hydrogel system to form a gel. The hydrogen bonding of micelles was identified through Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). This is the first known study to provide physicochemical insight into the effects that honey incorporation has on the thermogelation capacity of Pluronic F127 hydrogels for downstream dermal wound applications. Full article

Proteinopathies, characterized by the misfolding, aggregation, and deposition of proteins, are hallmarks of various neurodegenerative and systemic diseases. Increasingly, research has highlighted the role of protein misfolding in parasitic infections, unveiling intricate interactions between host and parasite that exacerbate disease pathology and contribute to chronic outcomes. The life cycles of parasitic protozoa, including Plasmodium, Toxoplasmosis, and Leishmania species, are complicated and involve frequent changes between host and vector environments. Their proteomes are severely stressed during these transitions, which calls for highly specialized protein quality control systems. In order to survive harsh intracellular conditions during infection, these parasites have been demonstrated to display unique adaptations in the unfolded protein response, a crucial pathway controlling endoplasmic reticulum stress. In addition to improving parasite survival, these adaptations affect host cell signaling and metabolism, which may jeopardize cellular homeostasis. By causing oxidative stress, persistent inflammation, and disturbance of cellular proteostasis, host–parasite interactions also contribute to proteinopathy. For instance, Plasmodium falciparum disrupts normal protein homeostasis and encourages the accumulation of misfolded proteins by influencing host redox systems involved in protein folding. In addition to interfering with host chaperone systems, the parasitic secretion of effector proteins exacerbates protein misfolding and aggregate formation. Autophagy, apoptosis regulation, organelle integrity, and other vital cellular processes are all disrupted by these pathological protein aggregates. Long-term misfolding and aggregation can cause irreversible tissue damage, which can worsen the clinical course of illnesses like visceral leishmaniasis, cerebral malaria, and toxoplasmosis. Treating parasite-induced proteinopathies is a potentially fruitful area of therapy. According to recent research, autophagy modulators, proteasome enhancers, and small-molecule chaperones may be repurposed to lessen these effects. Pharmacological agents that target the UPR, for example, have demonstrated the ability to decrease parasite survival while also reestablishing host protein homeostasis. Targeting the proteins secreted by parasites that disrupt host proteostasis may also offer a novel way to stop tissue damage caused by proteinopathies. In conclusion, the intersection of protein misfolding and parasitic infections represents a rapidly advancing field of research. Dissecting the molecular pathways underpinning these processes offers unprecedented opportunities for developing innovative therapies. These insights could not only transform the management of parasitic diseases but also contribute to a broader understanding of proteinopathies in infectious and non-infectious diseases alike. Full article

Fatigue damage to asphalt pavements due to continuous loading occurs mainly at the binder–aggregate interface or within the asphalt binder. The mechanical response of asphalt binder under variable stress conditions was comprehensively analyzed by repeated loading tests. The viscoelastic intervals of three asphalt binders (Pen70–80, Pen60–70, and SBS) were determined by stress scanning tests, and two different sizes of stresses were selected for constant stress time scanning inside and outside of the intervals based on the experimental thresholds, to provide a reference for the selection of load combinations for variable stress fatigue tests. Cyclic loading of the samples using DSR focused on the complex shear modulus and phase angle behavior of asphalt binder samples under linear viscoelastic (LVE) and nonlinear viscoelastic (NLVE) stresses. The study reveals that under LVE and NLVE stresses, asphalt binders exhibit different mechanical behaviors, each indicating different aspects of damage accumulation and recovery capabilities. Under LVE stress, asphalt binders demonstrate an initial rapid decay of modulus, followed by a phase of slowed degradation and then a swift decline leading to fatigue failure. This pattern contrasts with the response under NLVE stress, where a more pronounced and quicker degradation is observed in both the initial and final phases, indicating significant initial damage. Analyzing the experimental results, at small stresses within the online viscoelastic interval, the modulus decay of asphalt specimens mainly occurs at the late loading stage, and the phase angle growth also occurs mainly at the late loading stage, while at large stresses, the asphalt specimens produce a large amount of modulus decay at the early loading stage. Furthermore, the study explores the NLVE-LVE loading mode, observing a rapid recovery phase in the early stages of the second phase. This phase is characterized by an increase in modulus accompanied by a decrease in phase angle, indicating an increase in the elasticity of the specimen. However, in the LVE-NLVE mode, a rapid accumulation of damage is observed without a similar recovery phase, highlighting the impact of NLVE stress on inducing irreversible damage. The findings suggest a complex interplay between the type of stress applied and the mechanical response of asphalt binders, with significant implications for understanding the fatigue and recovery behavior of asphalt materials under variable stress conditions. The aim is to investigate the mechanical response and damage evolution law of asphalt binder under repeated loading of variable stress to provide reference for material selection and development of durable pavements. Full article

There is increasing interest in the development of meat analogs due to growing concerns about the environmental, ethical, and health impacts of livestock production and consumption. Among non-meat protein sources, mycoproteins derived from fungal fermentation are emerging as promising meat alternatives because of their natural fibrous structure, high nutritional content, and low environmental impact. However, their poor gelling properties limit their application in creating meat analogs. This study investigated the potential of creating meat analogs by combining mycoprotein (MCP), a mycelium-based protein, with potato protein (PP), a plant-based protein, to create hybrid products with meat-like structures and textures. The PP-MCP composites were evaluated for their physicochemical, rheological, textural, and microstructural properties using electrophoresis, differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic shear rheology, texture profile analysis, confocal fluorescence microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy analyses. The PP-MCP hybrid gels were stronger and had more fibrous structures than simple PP gels, which was mainly attributed to the presence of hyphae fibers in mycelia. Dynamic shear rheology showed that the PP-MCP hybrids formed irreversible heat-set gels with a setting temperature of around 70 °C during heating, which was attributed to the unfolding and aggregation of the potato proteins. Confocal and electron microscopy analyses showed that the hybrid gels contained a network of mycelia fibers embedded within a potato protein matrix. The hardness of the PP-MCP composites could be increased by raising the potato protein content. These findings suggest that PP-MCP composites may be useful for the development of meat analogs with more meat-like structures and textures. Full article