Search Results (32,388)

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease initiated by dysbiotic subgingival biofilms and characterized by local tissue destruction, epithelial ulceration, immune-cell activation, and extracellular-matrix remodeling. Increasing evidence suggests that periodontal inflammation may extend beyond the oral cavity through recurrent bacteremia, dissemination of microbial products, systemic cytokine activation, endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and thrombo-inflammatory signaling. These mechanisms are also implicated in atrial structural remodeling and atrial fibrillation (AF), but the molecular bridge between periodontal lesions, systemic inflammatory–fibrotic activity, and the atrial substrate remains incompletely defined. This structured narrative review synthesizes mechanistic, translational, biomarker-based, observational, and interventional evidence linking periodontal inflammation with cardiovascular remodeling and AF. Literature was identified through searches of PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science, complemented by reference-list screening. Particular attention was given to thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-related signaling, galectin-3 (Gal-3), and SGLT2-related cardiometabolic pathways. Because of heterogeneity in study populations, periodontal definitions, biomarker measurements, interventions, and cardiovascular endpoints, findings were synthesized thematically rather than quantitatively. Periodontitis is associated with systemic inflammatory activation, endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and cardiovascular phenotypes, including atherosclerotic disease, hypertension, heart failure, and AF. Epidemiological studies support an association between periodontitis and incident AF, while human tissue data link periodontal inflammatory burden with atrial fibrosis, non-paroxysmal AF, and left atrial appendage thrombosis in selected AF populations. The strength of evidence differs across the proposed pathways: Gal-3 has the most consistent clinical evidence in AF and cardiac fibrosis; TSP-1/TGF-ß signaling is supported mainly by mechanistic periodontal-tissue and selected cardiovascular studies; and SGLT2-related pathways remain indirect systemic modifiers of the cardiometabolic and inflammatory milieu. Evidence regarding periodontal therapy and AF-related outcomes remains promising but limited and does not establish a direct antiarrhythmic effect. The available evidence supports a biologically plausible inflammatory–fibrotic continuum linking periodontitis, systemic immune activation, endothelial dysfunction, atrial remodeling, and AF susceptibility. However, causality, temporal sequence, tissue-level concordance, and biomarker-based clinical utility remain insufficiently established. Future studies integrating standardized periodontal assessment, circulating biomarkers, tissue-level inflammatory–fibrotic markers, cardiac imaging, and rhythm monitoring are needed to clarify whether local periodontal molecular signatures reflect systemic or cardiac remodeling relevant to AF vulnerability. Full article

Efficient pretreatment is essential for overcoming lignocellulosic biomass recalcitrance and enabling its use in biotechnological processes. In this study, corncob, an agricultural by-product rich in cellulose and hemicellulose, was subjected to acid pretreatment to remove hemicellulose and subsequently delignified using two deep eutectic solvent (DES) systems: choline chloride:urea and choline chloride:glycerol. The effect of temperature and reaction time was evaluated for both systems; ChCl:U was selected for optimization due to its superior lignin removal performance under the conditions evaluated. Temperature, time, and solid–liquid ratio (SLR) were optimized using a Box–Behnken design to maximize lignin removal. Under optimal conditions (113 °C, 5.7 h, 1:16.2 g/mL), 59.086% lignin removal was achieved. Temperature and reaction time significantly influenced delignification, whereas the solid–liquid ratio had a minimal effect. Structural changes in biomass throughout the process were characterized by compositional analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), confirming effective delignification. To the best of our knowledge, there are few studies that comprehensively characterize DES-treated corncob using FTIR and SEM analysis. These findings demonstrate that choline chloride:urea has potential as a sustainable and effective pretreatment system for lignocellulosic biorefineries based on agricultural residues. Full article

In this work, we carried out a computational study of the gas-phase thermal decomposition of N-aryl-3-oxobutanamides (β-ketoamides) and the 2-arylhydrazone derivatives. We performed calculations using density functional theory (DFT) at the B97D-GD3BJ/deft2tzvp level, with multivariant analysis including descriptors of global reactivity, e.g., ionization energy (I), electron affinity (A), molecular hardness (η) and electrophilicity (ω). The objective was to elucidate the reaction mechanism. To this end, we modeled the structures of reactants, transition state structures (TSs) and products and studied the effect of substituents on the N-aryl and the 2-aryl aromatic ring on the energy of activation. The synchronicity of the process and the nature of non-covalent interactions were studied to gain insight into the reactivity and selectivity of these molecules. We examined the reactivity of 2-arylhydrazone derivatives, which show reaction rates about three orders of magnitude slower than the parent β-ketoamide. We evaluated two competing mechanisms involving cyclic TSs of six and four members. This study included electronic descriptors, e.g., NBO analysis, IGM/IBSI, Wiberg bond indexes, and intrinsic reaction coordinate calculations (IRCs). We introduce a new descriptor, Dynamic Synchronicity, SyD, for mechanistic and kinetic characterization. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first comprehensive theoretical study of the system ketoamide/aryl hydrazone. Multivariate statistical methods, i.e., principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), are useful tools for the selection of the atoms involved in the TSs. Full article

Productivity evaluation in industrial software projects is still predominantly based on aggregate Function Point-to-effort ratios. Such an approach overlooks the internal structural and functional heterogeneity of software projects, potentially leading to misleading comparisons between systems characterized by similar functional sizes but markedly different structural complexities. This work investigates the hypothesis that projects with similar functional structures, within the same application domain, tend to exhibit comparable productivity behavior. For this purpose, an adaptive and structurally informed productivity assessment approach is proposed, based on a Structural Productivity Index that integrates domain-specific productivity information with project functional composition. The proposed model is validated through real-world and synthetic project datasets, combined with consistency indicators and clustering-based analyses to examine its behavior under different conditions and its capability to distinguish regular productivity patterns from structurally anomalous projects. Experimental results suggest that the proposed adaptive productivity modeling approach provides a more coherent interpretation of productivity estimates compared with traditional productivity metrics. The proposed structural representation provides an interpretable basis for future AI-based productivity analytics. Full article

Water scarcity is a major constraint to wheat production in arid regions, highlighting the need for sustainable approaches to improve crop productivity and irrigation water-use efficiency (IWUE). Although Bacillus-based bioinoculants have been widely investigated, the potential of indigenous strains adapted to arid environments remains underutilized for the developing of site-specific bioinoculants. This study developed an integrated screening strategy combining plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits characterization, greenhouse evaluation, correlation analysis, and multivariate analyses to identify elite indigenous Bacillus strains capable of improving wheat performance under contrasting irrigation regimes. Fifty-one indigenous Bacillus strains representing 19 species, identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, were characterized for indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), ammonia (NH₃), siderophore production, and potassium-solubilizing activity and subsequently evaluated in greenhouse conditions under full (FI) and deficit (DI) irrigation. Plant growth was assessed at 85 days after sowing, while yield and yield-related traits were evaluated at physiological maturity (130 DAS). Significant variation was observed among the strains in both PGP traits and their effects on wheat performance. Selected strains increased vegetative growth traits by 22.2–53.7% under FI and 16.4–49.2% under DI, while improving yield-related traits and IWUE by 24.7–52.3% and 14.7–67.2%, respectively, compared with the uninoculated control. Correlation analysis identified IAA production as the PGP trait most strongly associated with wheat growth, grain yield, and IWUE, followed by NH₃ production, whereas siderophore production showed weak associations with most agronomic traits. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis consistently identified Bacillus cereus A2, B. pumilus D2 and E3, and B. safensis D5 as the elite strains, while several additional indigenous strains also exhibited considerable potential under both irrigation regimes. This study demonstrates that the integrated screening approach enabled the identification of strain-level differences that could not be adequately captured by individual PGP traits alone, highlighting indigenous Bacillus strains as valuable resources for developing locally adapted bioinoculants to improve wheat productivity, IWUE, and drought resilience in arid and semi-arid agroecosystems. Full article

Bacillus velezensis is a promising candidate for the biocontrol of plant pathogens due to its production of broad-spectrum antimicrobial metabolites. The present study evaluates the antifungal potential and metabolic profile of the non-pathogenic rhizobacterial strain Bacillus velezensis 5RB. Modifying the mineral composition across three different growth media (A, B, and C) resulted in distinct secondary-metabolite profiles of B. velezensis 5RB. Notably, the free-cell supernatant of strain 5RB cultivated in medium A and C demonstrated the most potent antifungal activity against the gray mold pathogen Botrytis cinerea. For the first time, the antimicrobial metabolites produced by B. velezensis 5RB across these three media were comprehensively characterized using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quantitative time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS). Mass spectrometric analyses (LC-ESI-MS) identified predominantly lipopeptides from the surfactin and fengycin families, alongside three classes of polyketides: macrolactins, difficidins, and bacillaenes. Multiple lipopeptide homologues, including a novel surfactin isoform (B*), were confirmed by tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). Additionally, this study provides the first experimental evidence for subtilosin A production by B. velezensis 5RB. The multicomponent fermentation matrix of 5RB conferred robust biocontrol protection to tomato leaves against B. cinerea and Phytophthora infestans in an in vitro disease model, underscoring its strong potential for sustainable agricultural applications. Full article

We study a support-based notion of fuzzy density together with fuzzy weight in Lowen fuzzy topological spaces. Two equivalent descriptions of the density invariant are considered: one based on supports of fuzzy sets meeting every nonzero fuzzy open set and the other on ordinary subsets meeting every nonzero fuzzy open set in a positive degree. The invariant is characterized by the ordinary density of the associated support topology. This representation is used to distinguish results transferred from ordinary topology from phenomena that retain membership-level information. We show that the supports of a fuzzy base form an ordinary base for the support topology, yielding a structural comparison between ordinary weight and fuzzy weight. For surjective fuzzy continuous and fuzzy open mappings, the fiber-cardinality estimate is shown to be sharp, while a counterexample demonstrates that fuzzy openness cannot in general be omitted from the reverse estimate. We also construct two Lowen fuzzy topologies with the same support topology and the same support-based fuzzy density but different fuzzy weights, with genuinely non-crisp membership functions playing an essential role in one of them. Applications to finite products, group quotients and fuzzy symmetric powers are obtained, and the density and weight of lower-semicontinuous Lowen fuzzy topologies are computed. Full article

A water-soluble, low-molecular-weight polysaccharide fraction, designated OJP-2, was extracted from the roots of Ophiopogon japonicus; its structural characteristics and immunomodulatory activity in macrophages were subsequently investigated. OJP-2 exhibited a narrow apparent molecular weight distribution with an average molecular weight (Mw) of 3568 Da and was primarily composed of fructose (0.784) and glucose (0.208). Structural analysis—integrating UV spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and 1D/2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy—revealed that OJP-2 is an inulin-type fructan. Its structure is characterized predominantly by β-(2→1)-linked Fruf chains and terminal α-D-Glcp residues, with potential signals indicating C-6-substituted Fruf units. In vitro immunological studies demonstrated that OJP-2 promoted nitric oxide (NO) production and enhanced the secretion of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α in RAW264.7 macrophages. Under LPS/IFN-γ stimulation, OJP-2 induced non-monotonic changes in the CD86/CD206 macrophage phenotype, with the most pronounced effects observed at a concentration of 50 μg/mL. Furthermore, Western blot analysis showed that, compared to the Model group, treatment with OJP-2 resulted in a downward trend in the relative levels of p-p65/p65 and p-IκBα/IκBα across the tested concentration range. Collectively, these findings indicate that OJP-2 modulates macrophage activation phenotypes and influences NF-κB-related signaling pathways. Thus, OJP-2 is a candidate fructan for further investigation of immunomodulatory activity. Full article

Lake Nasser represents Egypt’s principal strategic freshwater reservoir; however, its long-term phytoplankton dynamics at the basin scale remain insufficiently characterized. This study presents a detailed spatiotemporal investigation of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) variability across the reservoir during the 2002–2020 period using exclusively MODIS-Aqua Level-3 satellite observations. As no concurrent in situ measurements were available for validation, the reported values are treated as satellite-derived Chl-a estimates rather than direct observations of phytoplankton biomass. A non-parametric statistical approach, incorporating the Mann–Kendall test, Theil–Sen slope estimator, coefficient of variation (CV), and relative anomaly analysis, was used to characterize pixel-level climatology and temporal trends. The findings demonstrate that the reservoir exhibits pronounced spatial heterogeneity and a well-defined bimodal seasonal pattern associated with the annual Blue Nile flood pulse during August–October and winter convective mixing processes between November and February. Although annual-scale analysis did not indicate a statistically significant monotonic trend, seasonal investigations revealed strongly contrasting temporal responses throughout the year. At the pixel level, significant increases dominated ten of the twelve calendar months, from September through June, with median slopes among significant pixels of +0.36 to +1.47 mg m⁻³ yr⁻¹. July and August reversed this pattern, combining significant declines along the northern and central main channel with the steepest increases in the record at the extreme southern inflow. The directional contrast was unaffected by control of the false discovery rate within each calendar month (q = 0.05), which retained 66% of the significant pixels. Summer conditions were additionally marked by substantial temporal variability (CV > 60%) and pronounced positive anomalies, reaching +274.51% during August. Notably, these anomalies were spatially concentrated within the central and southern sectors of the reservoir, rather than within the conventionally productive northern region. This spatial redistribution, together with the broad enrichment tendency indicated by the pixel-level trends, points to an intensification of the summer maximum within the southern inflow zone and to a possible emergence of localized eutrophication risk, a hypothesis that requires confirmation through concurrent nutrient, transparency, and dissolved-oxygen observations. Overall, the study provides valuable geospatial insights for the environmental management of Lake Nasser, emphasizing the importance of implementing targeted early-warning systems for harmful algal bloom monitoring. The results also demonstrate the critical role of satellite-based Earth observation technologies in supporting adaptive water resource management under evolving climatic and hydrological conditions. Full article

Computing capacity has become a metered factor of production for digitally intensive enterprises, yet its consumption exhibits strong temporal heterogeneity—tidal intraday cycles, weekly contrasts, seasonal surges, and project-driven regime shifts—so that individually provisioned capacity is structurally underutilized. This paper proposes a park-level computing power sharing center (CPSC) as an institutional mechanism that converts the temporal complementarity of co-located enterprises into measurable cost savings. We develop a general mode-design framework that separates CPU core-hours from GPU card-hours, characterizes demand via deterministic tides and stochastic modulations, and derives optimal pooled capacity commitments through a newsvendor-type quantile condition. A parametric calibration protocol maps observable temporal features—peak-to-trough ratios, inter-tenant phase spreads, and residual volatility—into closed-form diversity-factor expressions with Monte Carlo confidence intervals. The procurement model covers a multi-option contract menu (on-demand, one–three-year reserved instances, savings plans, and spot), region-specific pricing, hardware class tariffs, and ancillary costs, including network egress, migration, and data sovereignty compliance; benefits are measured relative to each tenant’s individually optimal reserved portfolio, not naive retail procurement. A mechanism design analysis incorporating Shapley value allocation, Bayesian incentive compatibility, and penalty structures ensures individual rationality and robustness to misreporting and strategic load shifting. We further develop an energy model—with utilization-dependent power draw, facility PUE, embodied carbon, and marginal grid emission factors—showing that financial savings translate into genuine emission reductions only when pooling enables physical capacity retirement rather than mere billing reallocation. The framework is applied to twenty representative Chinese parks spanning seven functional categories; all park-level data are reconstructed from public sources using the calibration methodology, and the reported figures are model-derived projections, not empirical measurements. The model yields procurement saving estimates of 4.6–20.2% relative to individually optimal reserved-procurement portfolios, with high-diversity parks at the upper end. Sensitivity analyses across regional tariffs, hardware mixes, and cross-country utilization benchmarks (Uptime Institute, US DOE, EU Commission) confirm robustness and delineate boundary conditions. This paper concludes with a data provenance taxonomy and a phased implementation roadmap. Full article

Citrus aurantium L. by-products are a valuable source of bioactive compounds with potential industrial applications. This study evaluated the use of natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs), formulated with choline chloride as the hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA) and fructose as the hydrogen bond donor (HBD), combined with ultrasound-assisted extraction to optimize the recovery of flavonoids from Citrus aurantium L. industrial by-products. A central composite design (CCD) was employed to optimize total flavonoid content (TFC). The molar ratio (MR; 1 and 2 mol of HBD per mol of HBA) and the percentage of added water (AW; 40 and 60%) were optimized. In addition to TFC, total phenolic content (TPC), total ascorbic acid (TAA), antioxidant capacity (Ax) and phenolic profiles were also evaluated. The optimal extraction conditions, as obtained by Response Surface Methodology (RSM) for TFC, corresponded to an HBD molar ratio of 1.33 per 1 mol of HBA and 47.48% added water, resulting in an optimal value of 1576.63 ± 4.9 mg quercetin equivalents (QE)/100 g dry mass (DM). Maximum values of 4276.94 ± 25.4 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100 g DM for TPC, 2077.66 ± 21.3 mg/100 g DM for TAA and 88.09 ± 0.1% inhibition for Ax were also obtained. The optimal NADES was characterized by density, viscosity, pH, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. Additionally, phenolic profiling revealed high concentrations of hesperidin (2747.1 mg/100 g DM), naringenin (1251.93 mg/100 g DM), and quercetin + luteolin (660.65 mg/100 g DM). Full article

This review critically evaluates glass-ceramics derived from aluminosilicate solid wastes through the linked framework of raw-material chemistry, the processing route, microstructure, thermal performance, and environmental safety. Waste-derived CaO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂ (CAS) and CaO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂ (CMAS) systems currently provide the most developed basis for dense and porous building products, whereas evidence for other compositional systems remains less mature. Across these materials, phase assemblage, residual-glass connectivity, crystallized pore-wall integrity, and pore structure jointly govern thermal stability, heat transfer, dimensional stability, cracking behavior, and mechanical-property retention after high-temperature treatment. Bulk crystallization and powder sintering are the principal demonstrated preparation routes, although their applicability depends strongly on waste composition, glass-forming ability, and processing windows. Future studies should integrate multi-source waste design, low-energy processing, standardized thermal and mechanical characterization, long-term leaching assessment, and life-cycle analysis to establish reliable performance and environmental boundaries for practical applications. Full article

Southeast Asia faces a substantial burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), creating increasing interest in bacteriophage-based antimicrobial strategies. However, the regional development, contributors, collaboration patterns, and evolving research priorities of this field remain insufficiently characterized. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of Scopus-indexed publications on bacteriophage-based antimicrobial research affiliated with Southeast Asian countries from 1981 to 2025. Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny and VOSviewer were used to evaluate scientific production, citation patterns, leading contributors, collaboration networks, and conceptual and thematic development. A total of 862 publications were analyzed, with scientific output accelerating markedly after 2019 and reaching its highest level in 2025. Thailand emerged as the dominant regional contributor, with Vongkamjan (n = 21) and Surachat (n = 20) as the two most prolific authors. Mahidol University (n = 182), Prince of Songkla University (n = 142), and Universiti Putra Malaysia (n = 139) were the leading institutions, demonstrating a concentration of research capacity in Thailand and Malaysia. Scientific Reports was the most productive journal (30 publications), whereas Frontiers in Microbiology recorded the highest citation count among the leading sources (963 citations). Collaboration mapping revealed increasingly interconnected regional and international research networks. Thematic analyses demonstrated a transition from foundational and pathogen-specific investigations toward AMR, bacteriophage therapy, biofilm control, aquaculture, genomic and comparative genomic analysis, wastewater and public-health applications, and One Health-oriented research. Emerging topics included endolysins, quorum sensing, CRISPR-associated approaches, metagenomics, and genome-informed phage characterization. These findings demonstrate the rapid expansion and thematic diversification of bacteriophage-based antimicrobial research in Southeast Asia while highlighting persistent geographic concentration and the need for stronger regional infrastructure, collaboration, and translational capacity. Full article

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) leaves are an abundant agricultural by-product and an underexploited source of bioactive polyphenols. This study characterized hydroalcoholic leaf extracts from autochthonous Sardinian cultivars and evaluated their effects in RKO human colorectal carcinoma cells. LC–HRMS revealed flavonol-rich profiles dominated by glycosylated derivatives of quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin, with marked cultivar-dependent differences and higher total flavonol abundance in Cannonau and Nieddera. Cyclic voltammetry showed distinct redox reactivity among extracts, with Vermentino and Martellada Bianca displaying the strongest electrochemical responses, consistent with their modulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species. In RKO cells, the extracts reduced metabolic activity in a dose-dependent manner, with IC50 values ranging from 100.3 to 251.8 µg/mL. At the molecular level, treatments modulated c-myb expression and shifted the bax/bcl2 balance toward a pro-apoptotic profile. These effects were supported by DAPI staining, showing chromatin condensation and nuclear fragmentation, and by moderate activation of caspase-3/7. Overall, Sardinian grapevine leaf extracts showed cultivar-specific phenolic composition, redox activity, and pro-apoptotic effects in an in vitro colorectal cancer model, supporting their potential valorization as sustainable sources of bioactive compounds. Further studies addressing bioavailability, metabolism, and in vivo effects are required to assess their physiological relevance and translational potential. Full article

Territorial space use efficiency (TSUE) serves as a core quantitative metric for evaluating the sustainability of space use, which constitutes a vital component of regional sustainable development. Nevertheless, existing studies have not established a systematic quantitative system for assessing the status of the sustainability of space use based on TSUE. From the perspective of production–living–ecological spaces, this study constructs a multi-dimensional efficiency evaluation framework for sustainable territorial management. This study adopts geographic data envelopment analysis (GeoDEA), spatial autocorrelation analysis and multi-scale geographically weighted regression (MGWR). It calculates TSUE, applies efficiency levels to characterize the status of the sustainability of space use, and further reveals its spatiotemporal evolution and driving mechanisms. The results indicate that the level of the sustainability of space use generally exhibits a fluctuating evolution, with distinct phase transitions emerging around 2010. Only 20% of cities attain medium-high or higher levels of sustainability in space use, with pronounced spatial disparities across the country. Areas with high-efficiency production and living spaces are mainly clustered in eastern and central China, while high-efficiency ecological spaces are concentrated in western and northeastern China. In addition, driving factors exert markedly heterogeneous effects on the three types of territorial functional spaces. This study provides scientific support for implementing differentiated territorial spatial governance and advancing regional sustainable development. Full article