Search Results (1,864)

Acaricide resistance is a major challenge for the control of Rhipicephalus microplus, and differences between laboratory and field efficacy may complicate the assessment of resistance. However, the influence of parasitic developmental stages on acaricide susceptibility remains poorly understood. Metanymphs were historically considered an acaricide-resistant stage, although this assumption was later questioned. To re-evaluate this issue, three experiments were conducted. First, replicated field spray treatments were performed to evaluate mortality over time. Second, feeding chambers attached to cattle were used to expose ticks at different stages to acaricide. Third, partially engorged females were sprayed and surviving engorged females were evaluated for reproductive performance. Field mortality varied according to the developmental stages corresponding to each assessment day. In feeding chambers, mortality reached 83% in non-engorged nymphs and 90% in young adults, compared with 29% in engorged nymphs and 8% in controls. Females surviving treatment while partially engorged maintained high reproductive performance, whereas subsequent acaricide immersion markedly reduced hatchability and egg production. These findings demonstrate stage-dependent differences in acaricide susceptibility and indicate that developmental and engorgement status may contribute to discrepancies between laboratory and field efficacy tests. Full article

Widespread antibiotic use in aquaculture has increased selective pressure on resident bacterial communities, accelerating the emergence of resistance in key pathogens and raising concerns for animal health, environmental microbiomes, and food-chain safety. Reducing dependence on therapeutic antimicrobials requires alternative strategies that remain effective under the processing and biosafety constraints of intensive production systems, where recurrent bacterial diseases continue to cause substantial economic losses. Live probiotics, currently the most extensively studied microbiome-based intervention, have practical limitations, including reduced viability during feed pelleting and extrusion, transient gut colonization, strain-specific host responses, biosafety concerns related to horizontal transfer of antimicrobial-resistance genes, and variable regulatory requirements across regions. Postbiotics, defined as preparations of non-viable microbial biomass, with or without metabolites, that confer a demonstrated health benefit in the target host, and paraprobiotics, which emphasize inactivated whole-cell preparations that preserve surface-associated microbial molecular patterns, may help address several of these constraints. These approaches offer improved compositional definition, greater feed-processing stability, and a potentially more favorable biosafety profile. Because they are non-viable, their anti-pathogen effects do not depend on growth or competitive colonization but may instead involve preformed antimicrobial compounds retained in some preparations, interference with pathogen attachment, modulation of the intestinal environment, reinforcement of barrier function, and stimulation of host immune responses. This review synthesizes current evidence on postbiotics and paraprobiotics in aquaculture, with emphasis on structural classification, pattern-recognition receptor signaling, intestinal barrier function, innate immune priming, encapsulation technologies, and translational readiness. Taken together, available evidence supports postbiotics and paraprobiotics as promising, but not yet fully characterized, alternatives to live probiotics within antibiotic-reduction strategies for aquaculture. Progress toward commercial application will depend on resolving key questions related to dose–response relationships, processing stability in formulated feeds, and species-specific efficacy. Full article

The photophysics of a series of Schiff base–BF₂ complexes was investigated using steady-state and femtosecond/nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, as well as theoretical computations. The native chromophore has a weak fluorescence and a short fluorescence lifetime (<30 ps, determined using the femtosecond fluorescence upconversion method). No triplet state formation was observed for the compounds. Moreover, attachment of a heavy atom (iodine) to the phenyl ring did not enhance intersystem crossing (ISC), which was different from that observed with Bodipy analogs. We attribute the lack of ISC to the short lifetime of the S₁ state, which decays rapidly through an efficient non-radiative decay channel, possibly geometry torsion. We also studied a Schiff base–BF₂ complex with a twisted molecular structure, which showed a similarly short S₁ state lifetime (<100 ps) and weak fluorescence. Using nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and intermolecular triplet–triplet energy transfer, we determined the triplet state lifetime of the Schiff base–BF₂ complexes to be ca. 20 μs, which is much shorter than that of the Bodipy chromophore (100–800 μs). Based on femtosecond transient absorption spectra, we inferred that the decay of the emissive S₁ state takes about 17–20 ps, leading to a non-emissive (dark) state, followed by the formation of a long-lived non-emissive singlet excited state. Theoretical computations demonstrated large spin–orbit coupling matrix elements (SOCMEs, up to 29 cm⁻¹), but the fast non-radiative relaxation of the S₁ state inhibits ISC. Thus, we propose that the fast internal conversion inhibits ISC of the iodo-containing molecules. A theoretical study of the zero-field splitting (ZFS) parameters of the triplet state indicates that the ZFS D parameter (45 cm⁻¹) was overestimated for the iodo-containing compounds, whereas a reasonable value was obtained for the iodo-free compounds (ca. 0.03–0.06 cm⁻¹). Full article

Place attachment is important in urban planning and environmental psychology, yet the relationships among spatial, behavioral, and experiential factors and place attachment remain insufficiently understood. This cross-sectional study examined these associations among users engaged with Shimokitazawa, Tokyo. A purposive sample of 127 participants evaluated three spatial areas each, yielding 381 evaluations nested within respondents. Structural equation modeling (SEM) using maximum likelihood estimation with robust standard errors (MLR) and respondent-level clustering was complemented by exploratory group comparison and qualitative text analysis. The results distinguished Physical Environment from Natural Sensory Environment. Natural Sensory Environment was positively associated with Place Attachment (β = 0.452), whereas Physical Environment showed positive associations with Behavioral (β = 0.269) and Experiential Factors (β = 0.530), as well as a positive total indirect association with Place Attachment (β = 0.472). Exploratory analyses identified four descriptive orientations—identity-, everyday-life-, repeated-experience-, and perception-oriented—but provided no statistically robust evidence of between-group differences in structural associations. The findings provide preliminary support for a conceptual framework linking spatial, behavioral, and experiential factors with place attachment and highlight the potential importance of environmental quality and opportunities for repeated engagement. Given the cross-sectional, non-probability sample and single-case context, causal, developmental, and broader population-level generalizations require further investigation. Full article

Background/Objectives: Structured cytopathology reporting systems attach an evidence-based risk of malignancy (ROM) to every diagnostic category for the thyroid, salivary gland, urinary tract, lung and other sites. None exists for the oral cavity, and the ROM of an oral brush cytology category has not, to our knowledge, been reported. Methods: All oral liquid-based cytology specimens accessioned at one tertiary dental hospital between 2015 and 2024 were reviewed; those with a site-concordant histopathological diagnosis obtained within 90 days formed the analytic cohort (n = 137). Cytological reports were recovered from primary laboratory records and assigned to a five-tier ordinal scale. The target condition was malignancy or high-grade dysplasia, and diagnostic indices were calculated at every ordinal threshold with Wilson 95% confidence intervals. Results: ROM rose monotonically: 15.6% (95% CI 8.7–26.4) for negative, 53.3% (30.1–75.2) for atypical favoring reactive, 76.9% (61.7–87.4) for atypical cells of undetermined significance (ACUS), 87.5% (52.9–97.8) for atypical favoring neoplastic and 100% (74.1–100) for malignancy. The ACUS value far exceeded that of the similarly named tier in the thyroid (22%) and salivary gland (30.5%) systems and fell within the range spanned by their suspicious-for-malignancy tiers (74% and 83.8%). Malignancy was never reported in a histologically benign or low-grade lesions. Sensitivity at the ACUS threshold was 25.0% in keratotic against 79.3% in non-keratotic lesions (p = 0.004). Conclusions: These are, to our knowledge, the first category-specific ROM estimates for oral brush cytology, and they identify a nomenclature problem: a category named for the pathologist’s uncertainty carried a risk equivalent to suspicious for malignancy elsewhere; while a negative report was followed by disease in one lesion in six. Any oral reporting system should attach an explicit ROM to each category; our exploratory data further suggest that the surface keratinization of the sampled lesion should be recorded. Full article

This paper presents a computational pipeline for window-level semantic enrichment of texture-mapped building models used in urban digital twins (UDTs). The pipeline combines SAM-based candidate generation, super-resolution-based input matching (SRIM), a fine-tuned ResNet-50 window/non-window classifier, and texture-to-mesh mapping to instantiate verified regions as independent 3D window objects. Rather than proposing a new segmentation or super-resolution model, the study integrates existing components for low-resolution facade textures attached to 3D models. In experiments on 130 real building models, the EDSR-based SRIM configuration achieved the best mean accuracy of 95.0% and F1 score of 0.951 over 10 runs. An auxiliary experiment on cropped Open Images samples showed a consistent advantage of SRIM-based conditioning. A small-scale aspect-ratio-based evaluation of the generated 3D windows yielded an overall mean relative error of 14.93%, indicating suitability for semantic enrichment rather than precision-grade reconstruction. The method is relevant to downstream UDT applications such as facade editing, maintenance planning, and simulation-oriented model refinement. Full article

Viral infections continue to pose a major global health challenge because of rapid viral evolution, immune escape, and the emergence of novel pathogens. This review examines the biological characteristics, antiviral mechanisms, production strategies, and therapeutic potential of camelid VHH as next-generation antiviral agents. The review synthesizes current evidence on the structural and functional properties of VHH, their methods of generation and engineering, and their applications against a broad range of respiratory and non-respiratory viruses. Camelid VHH nanobodies exhibit high specificity and affinity, exceptional physicochemical stability, efficient tissue penetration, and the unique ability to recognize conserved and cryptic epitopes that are often inaccessible to conventional antibodies. Engineering approaches, including multivalent, bispecific, Fc-fused, and half-life-extended constructs, further enhance their antiviral potency and pharmacokinetic properties. Evidence from preclinical studies demonstrates potent antiviral activity against multiple viral pathogens through mechanisms that include blocking viral attachment and fusion, inhibiting intracellular replication, targeting conserved viral proteins, and reducing the likelihood of viral escape. The review also highlights emerging advances in recombinant production platforms, artificial intelligence-assisted nanobody design, targeted delivery technologies, and One Health applications. Collectively, the available evidence indicates that camelid VHH represent a highly versatile and adaptable platform for antiviral therapeutics and diagnostics, with considerable potential to support pandemic preparedness and the development of broad-spectrum interventions against current and emerging viral diseases. Full article

Wearable robotics has expanded beyond conventional exoskeletons and prosthetic devices toward compact systems that attach to or move along the human body. Within this field, on-body mobile robots have emerged as a promising platform for healthcare monitoring, haptic interaction, assistance with daily activities, rehabilitation support, and dynamic wearable interfaces. However, on-body locomotion remains challenging because local curvature changes continuously, limb diameters vary, contact is compliant, and the system must preserve user comfort while ensuring safe physical human–robot interaction. A recent study introduced an open on-limb locomotion mechanism based on spherical rollers and passive diameter adaptation. That work also revealed the need to integrate sensing, control electronics, and actuation more tightly within the wearable platform. These limitations motivate the present study, which advances a validated locomotion concept into an embedded wearable mechatronic system evaluated under more anthropomorphic conditions. To overcome these limitations, this paper presents an integrated, second-generation open on-limb robot that incorporates active steering for real-time locomotion and contact alignment. Moving beyond previous passive compliance and rigid 2D bilateral symmetry constraints, we introduce a generalized differential kinematic framework based on a complete Jacobian of the roller centers and coordinate-independent circumradius estimation. This mathematical foundation enables the system to actively leverage the geometric alignment variable as feedback for closed-loop steering corrections. Experimental results on variable-diameter surfaces demonstrate the platform’s ability to maintain longitudinal locomotion, handle non-symmetric link deflections, and perform online diameter estimation. To support reproducibility, all 3D-printable components are made openly available. Full article

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) causes substantial losses to the swine industry, creating a need for complementary antiviral interventions. This study evaluated the antiviral and protective effects of baicalin against PRRSV in vitro and in vivo. Cytotoxicity and antiviral activity were assessed in porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs), and stage-specific assays were used to identify the affected phase of infection. Twenty piglets were assigned to Mock, baicalin, PRRSV, and PRRSV plus baicalin groups to evaluate clinical outcomes, viremia, respiratory shedding, tissue lesions, and inflammatory responses. Baicalin did not markedly affect PAM viability at concentrations up to 80 μg/mL. Within the tested non-cytotoxic concentration range, baicalin was associated with concentration-dependent reductions in infectious virus titers and PRRSV nsp9 mRNA levels. Among the stage-specific conditions examined, the greatest reduction in progeny virus production was observed when baicalin was present during the viral attachment phase, whereas no significant effects were detected in the direct virucidal, entry, intracellular replication, or progeny-release assays under the tested conditions. Compared with the PRRSV group, the PRRSV plus baicalin group showed lower viral loads in serum, oropharyngeal swabs, and nasal swabs at multiple sampling time points, together with less pronounced fever and clinical signs and partial preservation of body-weight gain. By the end of the experiment, four of five piglets survived in the PRRSV plus baicalin group, compared with one of five piglets in the PRRSV group. Serum IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α concentrations were also lower in the PRRSV plus baicalin group at several sampling time points. Collectively, baicalin showed antiviral activity against PRRSV in PAMs, with the greatest activity observed when it was present during the viral attachment phase. In piglets, prophylactic dietary baicalin supplementation was associated with lower viral burden and less severe clinical, inflammatory, and pathological changes. Full article

Distal-less homeobox 1 (DLX1) has emerged as a promising urinary biomarker for prostate cancer. This study developed a label-free piezoelectric acoustic biosensor for selective DLX1 detection using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The QCM gold electrode was sequentially functionalized with L-cysteine, graphene oxide (GO), and an amine-terminated DLX1 capture probe covalently immobilized through EDC–NHS-mediated amide bond formation. Stepwise surface functionalization was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), supported by contact angle measurements, X-ray diffraction, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. XPS provided multi-element evidence for Au–S thiolate formation, GO deposition, amide coupling, probe immobilization, and Watson–Crick hybridization with the synthetic DLX1 target. Under optimized conditions, the biosensor exhibited a linear response to DLX1 concentrations and achieved a limit of detection of 81.19 nM. Non-complementary sequences, including PCA3 and SARS-CoV-2, produced frequency shifts below 9 Hz, confirming high selectivity. Comparative experiments showed that GO-mediated covalent immobilization was essential for reliable detection, whereas direct DNA attachment to bare Au generated anomalous positive frequency shifts, which were attributed to weak physisorption. The proposed platform offers a sensitive and selective strategy for quantitative DLX1 detection and may support future point-of-care nucleic acid diagnostics. Full article

Co-based oxides are commonly introduced into porous ceramic membranes to add catalytic activity, but their attachment at the atomic scale remains unclear. We examined a buried Co₃O₄/Al₂O₃ interface formed by sol–gel deposition and thermal conversion. Site-specific focused-ion-beam (FIB) lift-out, scanning transmission electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (STEM-EDS), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were used to access and characterize the interface. A Co-rich spinel-type domain with a (111) lattice spacing was observed next to Al₂O₃(012). The observations guided density functional theory (DFT) initial models. After structural relaxation, substrate-O-mediated Co-O contacts emerged from both starting geometries: the O-bridged-start model exhibited eight contacts across four Co sites, whereas the non-bridged-start model developed three contacts around one Co site. Around the Co-O-Al linkages, there is a clear manifertation of the interface polarization and charge redistribution, indicated by charge-density-difference and Bader analyses. In both models, projected density of states (PDOS) showed coupling between Co 3d and O 2p states, while integrated crystal orbital Hamilton population (ICOHP) analysis further indicated that O atoms retained Al-O bonds while forming occupied-state Co-O bonds. These results support a representative, laterally distributed Co-O-Al motif as an atomic-scale pathway for chemically attaching the functional oxide to porous alumina. Full article

Functionalizing textiles with nanoparticles is a promising strategy for developing sustainable materials with antimicrobial activity and reduced potential for resistance. This study aimed to develop antimicrobial cotton and polyester (PE) textiles functionalized with gold and silver nanoparticles (Au@UP and Ag@UP) biosynthesized using Undaria pinnatifida (UP) aqueous extracts. The nanoparticle-functionalized textiles were characterized by Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and nanoparticle attachment–detachment and stability were evaluated on both substrates. Antioxidant activity was assessed by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, while antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and cytocompatibility using the L-929 cell line were determined. UV–vis spectroscopy revealed residual release, while SEM, UV–vis, and FTIR confirmed nanoparticle binding. Cotton exhibited higher nanoparticle affinity and stability (KS = 0.5007 for Au@UP and 0.4817 for Ag@UP), attributed to its abundance of reactive hydroxyl groups. Although antioxidant activity decreased after nanoparticle binding (<5%), functionalized cotton gauzes retained antimicrobial activity. Au@UP and Ag@UP textiles were non-cytotoxic (>80% cell viability) and inhibited the growth of S. aureus (~15% and 90%, respectively) and P. aeruginosa (~90% for both). These findings support the potential of UP-mediated nanoparticle-functionalized textiles, particularly Ag@UP-containing materials, as sustainable antimicrobial surfaces. Full article

Background/Objectives: Periodontal and peri-implant diseases are influenced by several risk factors, including smoking. While cigarette smoking (CS) is a well-established risk factor, the impact of heated tobacco products (HTPs), electronic cigarettes (E-Cigs), and waterpipe (WS) remains less clear. This systematic review aimed to update the current evidence evaluating the clinical, radiographical, and inflammatory biomarkers of periodontal and peri-implant status among different untreated adult users of inhaled tobacco and nicotine products. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane Library was performed for studies published between April 2022 and December 2025. Data were extracted and synthesized qualitatively according to the study protocol (PROSPERO: CRD420261284851). Studies were qualitatively assessed using the Risk-of-Bias in Nonrandomized-I. Results: Thirty-one studies including 3106 subjects were analyzed. CS consistently showed the worst periodontal and peri-implant status, with higher plaque indices, probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), marginal bone loss (MBL) and more missing teeth. WS showed parameters comparable to CS and worse than non-smokers, with particularly high plaque accumulation and probing depth, as well as a pro-inflammatory biomarker profile. E-Cigs and HTPs generally exhibited intermediate status; E-Cigs showed increased PD and CAL compared with non-smokers, with elevated bleeding on probing despite a lower gingival index, whereas MBL was notably higher, showing the highest overall values among all smoking categories, exceeding CS. HTPs presented slightly less harmful outcomes than other smokers, but the evidence was limited. Biomarker analysis indicated elevated pro-inflammatory and tissue-destructive markers, particularly in CS and WS. Conclusions: Smoking negatively affects periodontal and peri-implant status, with CS exhibiting the worst impact. E-Cigs and HTPs appear less harmful but are not risk-free. Longitudinal studies are warranted to define long-term effects, particularly on peri-implant status, for which robust evidence was restricted to CS. Full article

Background: Fathers may experience psychological difficulties during the transition to parenthood, and depressive symptoms during the antenatal period may be associated with fathers’ well-being and adjustment to the paternal role. Marital satisfaction and paternal attachment may be important psychosocial factors associated with fathers’ mental health during this period. This study aimed to examine the relationships among marital satisfaction, paternal attachment, and depressive symptoms among expectant fathers. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was employed. The study was approved by the Van Yüzüncü Yıl University Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee (20 December 2024; Approval No. 2024/13-07). Institutional permission was obtained from the hospital where the study was conducted. Written and verbal informed consent was obtained from all participants, and the study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Data were collected between January 2025 and September 2025 at a hospital located in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Türkiye. The study was completed with 336 fathers. Data collection instruments included the Personal Information Form, Marital Life Scale (MLS), Paternal–Antenatal Attachment Questionnaire (PAAQ), and Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS). Multiple regression analysis and forest plot analysis were performed. Results: A statistically significant difference was observed between EPDS scores and MLS, PAAQ, educational status, spouse’s educational status, place of residence, family type, income status, spousal attendance at antenatal visits, and history of depression (p < 0.05). The regression model was statistically significant (F(9326) = 14.4, p < 0.001) and explained 26.4% of the variance in EPDS scores (R² = 0.284). In the adjusted regression model, MLS, educational level, PAAQ, and family type were significantly negatively associated with EPDS scores, whereas a history of depression was significantly positively associated with EPDS scores (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Higher marital satisfaction and paternal attachment were associated with lower depressive symptoms among expectant fathers, whereas a history of depression was associated with higher depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of considering marital and attachment-related factors when assessing fathers’ psychological well-being during the antenatal period. Full article

This paper investigated the lubricant stability and anti-biofouling performance on slippery liquid-infused nanostructured surfaces (SLIPSs) using thermodynamic and interfacial energy analyses. ZnO nanorods were synthesized on indium tin oxide substrates with and without a ZnO seed layer by electrochemical deposition and subsequently infused with PDMS-based silicone oil. The seed-layer-assisted growth produced densely packed and vertically aligned ZnO nanorods. Interfacial energy analysis showed that the resulting SLIPSs satisfied the criterion for resistance to water-induced lubricant displacement (ΔE₂ = 64.14 mJ·m⁻²), indicating effective lubricant retention, whereas non-seeded surfaces exhibited reduced lubricant stability. Consistent with this prediction, the seed-layer-assisted SLIPSs retained droplet mobility following spin testing at 2500 rpm, although the reduced sliding velocity indicated a decline in slippery performance. Anti-biofouling evaluation using Escherichia coli (XL1-Blue) revealed that the SLIPSs effectively suppressed bacterial attachment, reducing surface coverage to below 0.3% after 24 h of incubation. In comparison, the pristine ITO and ZnO nanorods exhibited values of 50.8% and 54.6%, respectively. Subsequent surface free energy analysis demonstrated that lubricant infusion reduced the work of adhesion to 77.92 mJ·m⁻². These findings provide insight into the interfacial interactions governing lubricant retention and bacterial attachment on SLIPSs. Full article