Search Results (8,149)

The phytoplankton community, which forms the base of aquatic food webs, plays a central role in ecosystem functioning and accounts for most primary production in aquatic systems, particularly in lentic environments. However, climate change and chemical pollution, especially herbicides, pose increasing threats to its structure and functioning. We hypothesized that herbicide exposure would alter both structural and functional attributes of the phytoplankton community, with primary production responding more strongly than community structure. This experimental study evaluated the effects of two widely used herbicides, atrazine and 2,4-D, applied individually and in combination, on a phytoplankton community maintained at a fixed elevated temperature representative of the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway SSP2-4.5 scenario described in the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Because temperature was not experimentally varied, the study was designed to assess herbicide responses under this fixed elevated thermal condition rather than warming effects or herbicide–temperature interactions. Phytoplankton samples collected from an artificial urban reservoir were exposed to six treatments, including a control, comprising different nominal concentrations of atrazine (32 and 64 µg L⁻¹) and 2,4-D (150 and 500 µg L⁻¹), applied alone or in mixture, in a completely randomized design with 10 independent replicates per treatment. Throughout the experiment, all samples were maintained under identical experimental conditions: a constant temperature of 31.8 °C, an irradiance of 140 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹, and a 12 h light/12 h dark photoperiod. Response variables included density, taxonomic composition, biomass (chlorophyll a), and primary production (net photosynthesis). The results showed that herbicide treatment altered taxonomic composition and was associated with a marginal response in density but had no significant effects on species richness, diversity, evenness, dominance, or biomass. In contrast, net photosynthesis was the only functional variable significantly affected by herbicide treatments, with post hoc comparisons revealing lower values in the Mixture treatment than in the 2,4-D High treatment. Overall, these findings suggest a decoupling between community structure and phytoplankton functional performance following exposure to atrazine and 2,4-D under a thermal condition representative of the SSP2-4.5 climate scenario, with net photosynthesis appearing more sensitive than conventional structural descriptors. Full article

Wine lees (WL) are one of the main byproducts generated during winemaking and are usually disposed of in landfills or incorporated into the soil as an organic amendment; nevertheless, these practices can have negative environmental impacts. Reusing agro-industrial byproducts is a key step toward more sustainable production cycles, and WL represent a promising alternative for formulating culture media for the production of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) biomass, microorganisms widely used in the food and wine industries. In this work, we aim to evaluate the ecotoxicity of WL using a bioassay with zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos and to analyze their potential as a source of nitrogen and growth factors for the production of UNQLp 11 Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strain biomass in whey permeate. Trials conducted with zebrafish showed that embryos exposed to WL exhibited increased mortality in a concentration-dependent response and the appearance of sublethal effects, such as alterations in embryonic development. Regarding WL biotechnological application, the results obtained confirm that the growth of Lpb. plantarum depends largely on the composition of the culture medium. Whey permeate media (WP) without supplementation showed nutritional limitations, reflected in lower cell counts. While supplementation with WL significantly improved bacterial growth, in some cases reaching values comparable to those obtained with MRS. The results demonstrated that WL can act as an efficient nutrient source, with the potential to replace commercial yeast extract in Lpb. plantarum culture media. Full article

The fine-scale monitoring of plantation cover disappearance and appearance is challenging because these changes are often expressed as weak within-class variations in high-resolution images. This study proposes MLLAForestCD, a three-class pixel-level semantic change-detection network for Eucalyptus plantations. The model uses an MLLA encoder to model the long-range spatial context with efficient linear attention, while a dual-axis change extractor reorganizes paired bi-temporal features through complementary layouts before contextual interaction. Multi-scale fusion then combines semantic cues with boundary-level details. We further construct the Eucalyptus Change Detection Dataset (ECDD), which contains plantation scenes with weak spectral contrast, fragmented boundaries, and directional canopy textures. Under the retained patch-level training/validation split, MLLAForestCD achieves an F1-score of 96.66% and an mIoU of 93.59%. After separate training and evaluation based on WHU-CD, it achieves an F1-score of 97.29% and an IoU of 90.10%; this result reflects performance under an independent WHU-CD training protocol. Finally, annual change maps from 2020 to 2023 are used to derive the most recently detected plantation-appearance time within the observation window. The resulting product is interpreted as a recent stand-renewal event map and requires independent forestry records before biological stand age can be inferred. Full article

Improving rice grain quality while reducing nitrogen (N) fertilizer input is a key challenge for sustainable rice production. Although biochar can enhance soil fertility and N use efficiency, its effects on grain quality and starch functionality under reduced N input remain unclear. Two-year pot experiments involving japonica rice cultivars were conducted with different N rates (0.7N–1.1N) under no-biochar (NB) and biochar (BI) conditions. Under non-biochar conditions, grain yield increased with N input, with no significant difference between 1.0N and 1.1N. Biochar application increased grain yield by 4.0–13.3% compared with the corresponding no-biochar treatments, and the yield of BI-0.9N was comparable to that of NB-1.0N. Nitrogen reduction decreased grain chalkiness and improved eating quality, whereas excessive N reduction lowered head rice rate. Biochar improved milling quality and eating quality, while its effects on appearance quality were relatively limited. Compared with 1.0N, 1.1N increased protein content but reduced amylose content and starch viscosity parameters, whereas 0.9N showed the opposite trend. Biochar further increased starch viscosity parameters, with peak and final viscosities increasing by 4.4–30.2% and 2.9–38.9%, respectively, under reduced N conditions, and altered starch thermal properties. Correlation analysis indicated that milling quality correlated with protein content and starch solubility, while eating quality correlated with peak viscosity and breakdown value. In this study, biochar combined with 10% N reduction (BI-0.9N) maintained grain yield while improving grain quality and starch functional properties compared with conventional N management (NB-1.0N), indicating its potential as a nitrogen-saving management option for japonica rice production. Full article

Banana Fusarium wilt, caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), is a devastating disease and a major threat to global banana production. Here, we identified 24 genes predicted to encode heme-dependent peroxidase- or catalase–peroxidase-related proteins in Foc race 4 (Foc4), whereas nine genes encoding thiol-dependent peroxide-reducing proteins were catalogued separately. Phylogenetic, synteny, and Ka/Ks analyses indicated a conserved peroxidase repertoire under strong purifying selection, without substantial lineage-specific expansion. Motif, domain, gene-structure, and promoter analyses revealed subgroup-specific features and abundant putative stress- and hormone-responsive cis-regulatory motifs. Expression profiling during banana infection and H₂O₂ treatment showed distinct temporal and oxidative-stress responses. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses linked subsets of these genes to antioxidant activity, peroxide metabolism, peroxisomal functions, and stress signaling. A F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici ortholog-based interaction network combined with co-expression analysis prioritized five peroxidases potentially associated with pathogenicity-related expression programs. FoCP, selected separately based on its rapid H₂O₂ response and catalase–peroxidase annotation, enhanced oxidative-stress tolerance when heterologously expressed in yeast. Overall, Foc4 appears to adapt to oxidative stress through condition-specific regulation of a conserved peroxidase repertoire rather than gene-family expansion. The network-prioritized peroxidases provide candidates for further functional and pathogenicity studies. Full article

This paper explores whether the adoption of renewable energy has accelerated income catch-up in Central and Eastern Europe. The analysis is based on the conditional beta convergence theory, which posits that, after controlling for steady-state differences among countries, economies with lower initial incomes are expected to grow faster. This study uses balanced annual panel data from 11 Central and Eastern European countries between 2000 and 2024. The study distinguishes between two measures of renewable energy transition: renewable electricity production (REL) and renewable energy consumption (REN). The empirical study is conducted in three phases. First, descriptive statistics and convergence indicators are used to document the adoption of renewable energy. Second, income growth equations are estimated using pooled OLS models, fixed-effects models, and random-effects models. Finally, model selection and residual diagnostic tests are applied, including the F-test between pooled OLS and fixed-effects models, the Breusch–Pagan LM test, the Hausman test, and robustness tests based on cluster standard error and Driscoll–Kraay standard error. Other tests include panel unit root tests, substitution lag structure tests, outlier diagnostics, and a pre-specified two-year lag model. The results provide qualified support for conditional income convergence. In fixed-effects models, the coefficient for initial income is typically negative, indicating that lower-income countries tend to grow faster after accounting for structural differences. However, this finding weakens under the more demanding Driscoll–Kraay inferences, particularly in the REN model. In contrast, neither the renewable energy variables nor their interaction with initial income provide strong evidence that they have an independent impact on faster income catch-up. Overall, the renewable energy transition appears to be an accompanying rather than independent driver of income convergence. Full article

The “high-temperature carbonization and low-temperature chlorination process” can recover titanium from high-titanium blast furnace slag containing 20–25% TiO₂ at 1450–1700 °C and 500–600 °C. The carbonization process was carried out in an industrial three-phase AC electric furnace with a rated power of 9000 kVA. Through Factsage calculations, XRD, SEM-EDS, and industrial data collection, the mechanism of carbonization and the impact of smelting parameters were illustrated. The results indicated that Ti primarily existed as titanaugite or perovskite in the slag, and the reduction reaction of TiO₂ began at 1301 °C. But to complete perovskite transformation, a temperature exceeding 1550 °C was necessary. When the reaction began, the reaction rate of TiO₂ to Ti₂O₃ was faster than that of Ti₂O₃ to TiC, and TiC grains appeared as small island-shaped particles (0–3 μm) and larger aggregates (0–10 μm) surrounding Fe. Furthermore, as the molten pool was agitated, the TiC particles detached from the surface of the carbon and it became very difficult for them to grow. In the final reaction stage, most of the TiC contained a certain amount of oxygen and was dispersed, with a particle size of 0–5 μm and a settling tendency. In terms of industrial production, the results indicate that employing coke with a particle size of 0.074–1 mm, maintaining a bath temperature ≥1550 °C, and implementing stage-specific power supply protocols (particularly for the high-conductivity final stage) are crucial for achieving a ≥88% industrial carbonization rate. Full article

The transition from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 has led to a rapid increase in scientific publications addressing human–machine collaboration, artificial intelligence and sustainable manufacturing, which makes it difficult to obtain a coherent overview of the main research directions and global collaboration patterns in this field. This study aims to clarify the development of Industry 5.0 by combining a conceptual overview of its enabling technologies with a bibliometric analysis of scientific articles indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection. The paper outlines the role of key technologies such as computer vision, machine learning, edge computing and collaborative robots in supporting adaptive, human-centred and resource-efficient production systems. The bibliometric component examines publication trends, country-level research activity and thematic relationships between keywords in order to identify dominant topics and emerging areas of interest. The results indicate a concentration of research output in countries with strong investments in advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence, as well as a growing association between Industry 5.0 and themes such as human–robot collaboration, predictive maintenance, digital twins and ethical aspects of intelligent systems. The analysis also highlights the appearance of new research clusters related to workforce adaptation, resilient supply chains and sustainable production strategies. By providing both a synthesis of technological developments and a quantitative mapping of the literature, this study offers an updated overview of how Industry 5.0 is currently interpreted within the scientific community and supports the identification of future research directions and industrial implementation priorities. Full article

Background/Objectives: Functional constipation is common in older adults and impairs quality of life. Evidence for multi-strain orally disintegrating (OD) probiotic formulations in this population remains limited. Methods: In this single-center, open-label, single-arm pre–post study, adults aged 65–90 years meeting the Rome IV criteria for functional constipation were administered an OD tablet containing Bacillus subtilis TO-A, Enterococcus faecium T-110, and Clostridium butyricum TO-A for 8 weeks. The primary endpoint was change in the defecation score based on a modified Bristol Stool Form Scale. Secondary endpoints included stool frequency, straining, JPAC-QOL, the modified Constipation Scoring System, Izumo Scale, Dietary Variety Score (DVS), selected metabolic/nutritional variables, and exploratory gut microbiota analyses. Results: Fifty participants provided consent, and 49 were included in the full analysis set; 45 participants completed the 8-week intervention and were included in the paired primary endpoint analysis. The defecation score showed a nominally significant change toward normalization of stool form at week 8 (IQR: −1.0, 7.0; 95%CI: −9.6, −4.2). Stool frequency did not change significantly, whereas constipation-related quality of life and symptom burden significantly changed. DVS increased modestly, and HbA1c decreased slightly; however, these secondary findings should be interpreted as exploratory because no adjustment for multiplicity was performed. Four patients withdrew from this study: one was due to death, but a causal relationship with the study drug was not confirmed. Two gastrointestinal adverse events could have been related to the study product. Exploratory subgroup analyses suggested a larger change in participants not receiving acid-suppressive therapy. Conclusions: The three-strain OD probiotic tablet was associated with changes in stool form and constipation-related symptom burden in older adults with functional constipation. Because this was a single-arm, open-label study without multiplicity adjustment for secondary endpoints, the findings should be regarded as exploratory and hypothesis-generating. Given the absence of a control group, causal efficacy cannot be inferred, and placebo effects, natural symptom fluctuation, or other time-varying confounders cannot be excluded; therefore, the most robust conclusion is that the preparation appeared safe and well tolerated for over 8 weeks in this population. Full article

This study investigates the formulation of a natural cosmetic product using pigment derived from annatto (Bixa orellana) seeds, which is widely utilised as a natural colourant in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic applications. The objective was to optimise pigment extraction using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and evaluate its suitability for cosmetic formulation. Extraction was performed using supercritical carbon dioxide and ethanol as a co-solvent over a range of operating conditions to identify parameters that provided high pigment recovery. High extraction yields were obtained under several operating conditions, with favourable performance achieved at relatively low temperature, pressure, and flow rate. The annatto pigment extract was incorporated as a colouring agent into a naturally derived lipstick formulation containing beeswax and plant-derived oils. The developed formulation demonstrated satisfactory performance and appearance, confirming the suitability of annatto-derived pigment. Colour analysis indicated that processing conditions influenced extraction yield but did not significantly affect pigment colour or final product appearance. Overall, the results support the use of annatto pigment extracted via SFE as a viable and sustainable option for natural cosmetic product development. Full article

Background and Objectives: Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) have become a major therapeutic platform in breast cancer and other solid tumors. Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd), trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1), and sacituzumab govitecan (SG) differ substantially in antibody target, linker, payload, drug-to-antibody ratio, and bystander effect, resulting in heterogeneous pulmonary and cardiac toxicity profiles. This narrative review critically compares interstitial lung disease (ILD)/pneumonitis and cardiotoxicity associated with these three agents, aiming to prevent inappropriate extrapolation of toxicity algorithms and to provide a practical, agent-specific framework for multidisciplinary care. Materials and Methods: A targeted narrative search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, ClinicalTrials.gov, regulatory product information, and oncology/cardio-oncology guidance was performed and updated on 24 August 2026. Priority was given to regulatory documents, pivotal trials, pooled safety analyses, real-world cohorts, systematic reviews, and multidisciplinary recommendations. Pharmacovigilance data and case reports were included only to characterize rare events. Results: T-DXd is associated with a clinically important ILD/pneumonitis risk (approximately 12–15% in pooled analyses), predominantly grade 1–2 but occasionally fatal, requiring proactive surveillance, immediate interruption for suspected disease, and grade-directed corticosteroid therapy. T-DM1 shows a low but established pneumonitis incidence of approximately 1%, with permanent discontinuation recommended upon diagnosis. SG-related pneumonitis is rare and incompletely defined, without a T-DXd-like surveillance mandate. Both T-DM1 and T-DXd retain trastuzumab-derived cardiac monitoring requirements; symptomatic heart failure remains uncommon, although protocol-defined LVEF declines appear more frequent with T-DXd. SG lacks an established cardiomyopathy signal. Conclusions: Cardiopulmonary toxicity of ADCs is agent-specific rather than a class effect. Monitoring intensity, diagnostic thresholds, and management pathways must be tailored to the individual drug, regimen, indication, dose, patient comorbidity, and prior therapy. Close collaboration among oncology, radiology, pulmonology, and cardio-oncology is essential to preserve both treatment efficacy and patient safety. Full article

Background: Nicotine exposure is increasingly occurring through non-combustible products such as electronic cigarettes and nicotine pouches. Although sport participation is often considered protective against substance use, nicotine use appears to be increasingly normalised within performance-oriented sporting environments. Methods: This scoping review synthesised evidence on non-combustible nicotine use among amateur and university athletes. Following Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines, the searches were conducted in Ovid MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and CINAHL for peer-reviewed studies published from 2019 onwards that examined non-combustible nicotine use in these populations. Results: Eleven studies, predominantly cross-sectional and conducted in high-income Western countries, met the inclusion criteria. Nicotine use was more common among male athletes, younger athletes, and those participating in team and contact sports, particularly for e-cigarette use. Across studies, nicotine use was frequently characterised as socially normative and compatible with sport, influenced by peer networks, social identity, perceived harm reduction, and beliefs regarding performance enhancement, coping, and recovery. The evidence base was limited by inconsistent measurement approaches and a predominance of studies examining demographic correlates rather than behavioural drivers. Conclusions: Non-combustible nicotine use appears embedded within sport-specific social norms and performance-related beliefs, highlighting the need for theoretically informed research and sport-specific prevention strategies. Full article

Pomaces, by-products from beverage industries, which are extremely rich in various bioactive compounds such as dietary fiber, polyphenolic compounds, carotenoids, etc., represent valuable sources of natural antioxidants. Due to their nutritional properties, innovative food products could be developed by incorporating pomace powders as potentially functional ingredients. In the present work, new dehydrated fruit-based products, known as fruit rolls or leathers, were developed from apples and bananas (2/1, w/w), with honey (2%), lemon juice (2%), and freeze-dried grape or sea buckthorn pomace powders (3%), without artificial sweeteners, preservatives, or hydrocolloids. Several physicochemical (moisture content, water activity, pH, CIE L*a*b*) and chemical (total phenolic and carotenoid contents) parameters were investigated both for pomace powders and developed fruit rolls. Moreover, the prepared fruit rolls were evaluated in terms of sensorial characteristics using a seven-point hedonic scale. The samples obtained by incorporation of freeze-dried pomace powders exhibited increased values of the total phenolic content (86.54 and 95.77 mg GAE/g d.m.) compared to the control sample (59.62 mg GAE/g d.m.). Sensory evaluation with twenty untrained panelists indicated good acceptability, with mean scores above 6.00. The addition of freeze-dried pomace powders improved the visual attributes, the appearance and color of the corresponding fruit rolls receiving slightly higher scores compared to the control. The newly developed fruit rolls with freeze-dried grape or sea buckthorn pomace powders could represent a tasty, interesting alternative for sweet snacks. Full article

A reproducible design evaluation system is developed in this study by integrating the grey statistical method (GSM), analytic hierarchy process (AHP), and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE). Eight first-level and 40 second-level indicators were identified, covering product positioning, appearance features, function, materials, process structure, ergonomics, interactive experience, and economic efficiency. Through GSM screening, the indicator set was refined, and AHP weighting results confirmed logical consistency. Product positioning (weight = 0.190), appearance features (0.165), and interactive experience (0.151) were the most influential first-level indicators. At the second level, user-group positioning (global weight = 0.056), pattern and finish design (0.055), market positioning (0.052), door panel material (0.051), and door style design (0.051) were found to be important indicators of innovation. Interactive experience metrics such as operational convenience and labor-saving access highlighted the increasing importance of usability. FCE modeling results provided deterministic scores, reducing subjectivity and enabling reproducible evaluation. Beyond cabinetry, the GSM–AHP–FCE model can be used to evaluate sensor-integrated smart furniture, tactile interfaces, ergonomic layouts, or feedback mechanisms through various tests. Full article

The film industry presents one of the most capital-intensive and financially uncertain environments within cultural markets. While prior research has predominantly measured success through box office revenue, return on investment (ROI) offers a more meaningful lens for producers and investors operating under conditions of extreme distributional skewness and limited predictability. This study examines which observable film- and audience-related characteristics determine whether a film generates above- or below-median ROI, using a dataset of 3153 films drawn from The Movie Database (TMDB, 1916–2017). Drawing on ensemble learning methods and SHAP-based decomposition to identify the direction and magnitude of variable effects, the study compares Random Forest, XGBoost, and CatBoost models, with Random Forest achieving the strongest predictive performance. We find that audience engagement volume, proxied by total vote count, is the strongest signal of realised investment efficiency in the classification framework, ranking ahead of production budget and content characteristics; in a continuous-outcome robustness check, the ordering of engagement and budget is reversed, so that the two emerge as the joint leading predictors while their relative rank depends on the specification. Because engagement metrics become observable only after theatrical release, the framework is explanatory rather than pre-release predictive in nature and speaks primarily to post-release investment decisions. SHAP analysis further indicates non-linear threshold effects, suggesting that audience engagement and production budget influence investment outcomes differently across value ranges. In the fitted model, the contribution of production budget diminishes beyond an approximate log-budget value corresponding to 25 million USD, a pattern indicating that higher expenditure is associated with lower investment efficiency within this sample rather than a causally identified turning point. Genre, by contrast, contributes relatively little to investment outcomes once audience visibility and financial scale are accounted for. These findings have implications for the economics of cultural markets: financial performance in film appears at least as strongly tied to audience reach as to production scale, and more strongly than to content type, which qualifies budget-centric investment heuristics prevalent in the industry. Full article