Search Results (5,371)

This study investigates the application of the Co-Flow Jet (CFJ) active flow-control methodology to an automotive rear wing through a combined CFD and experimental campaign conducted on a modified McLaren 765LT. The work evaluates the aerodynamic response, energy performance, and practical integration of embedded Co-Flow systems under representative on-track conditions. An extensive CFD design campaign assessed multiple Co-Flow architectures, from which three representative configurations incorporating embedded ducted axial fans were selected for experimental testing. The results indicate that aerodynamic performance is strongly influenced by the interaction between momentum injection, vehicle conditions, and duct architecture. The most effective configuration achieved drag reductions of up to 9% together with downforce increases of approximately 15% under highly loaded conditions, significantly exceeding the repeatability levels of the measurements. The efficiency analysis further showed that, under selected operating conditions, the aerodynamic benefits obtained from the Co-Flow system can exceed the electrical power required by the actuation system. However, increased mass-flow capability alone was not found to guarantee improved aerodynamic performance or efficiency. The results demonstrate the successful integration and operation of a fan-driven Co-Flow system on a production-based vehicle and highlight the importance of momentum injection level and duct design. The findings should be interpreted within the scope of the investigated vehicle and operating envelope. Due to confidentiality constraints, part of the absolute aerodynamic data could not be disclosed, and the results are therefore presented primarily as relative variations. Full article

To evaluate the effects of swimming training on growth, swimming performance, and osmoregulatory-related indices in juvenile coho salmon, freshwater-reared fish were subjected to current of 1 body length per second (BL·s⁻¹) from December 2024 to April 2025. Fork length, body weight, condition factor, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and gill and intestinal Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase (NKA) protein abundance were measured monthly, and critical swimming speed (U_crit) was evaluated after one month of training. Trained fish showed greater fork length in March and higher body weight in March and April than controls. The condition factor was higher in trained fish in February and March, but declined during spring smolt development. Swimming capacity was enhanced by training, as indicated by significantly higher U_crit. Mean IGF-1 levels did not differ between groups, but IGF-1 correlated positively with body size only in trained fish. No significant training effect was detected for either gill or intestinal NKA protein abundance, although gill NKA increased significantly in April, likely reflecting seasonal smoltification. In addition, IGF-1 was significantly correlated with gill NKA in trained fish in March. Collectively, these results indicate that sustained swimming training improves growth and swimming performance and may enhance associations among measured physiological variables during smoltification in juvenile coho salmon. Full article

Edible insects are increasingly recognized as a viable alternative protein source, offering a potentially sustainable approach to addressing global food security challenges. This narrative review critically examines the nutritional composition, environmental advantages, techno-functional attributes, and potential applications of insect-based proteins within human food systems. Edible insects are characterized by high protein content, favourable essential amino acid profiles, and appreciable levels of key micronutrients, rendering them nutritionally comparable to conventional livestock-derived proteins. Moreover, insect production systems generally require substantially lower inputs of land, water, and feed, resulting in comparatively lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduced overall environmental burden. Despite these advantages, broader adoption remains constrained by challenges related to regulatory heterogeneity, food safety concerns, and limited consumer acceptance. Overall, the available evidence suggests that edible insects can function as a nutritionally adequate and environmentally sustainable complementary protein source; however, significant variability in nutrient composition, limitations in standardized safety assessment, and socio-cultural barriers currently restrict their large-scale integration into mainstream food systems. In addition, inconsistencies in analytical methodologies and reliance on in vitro data further complicate cross-study comparisons and translational relevance. Future research should focus on standardization of rearing and processing conditions, harmonization of evaluation frameworks (e.g., protein quality indices), comprehensive safety assessments, and well-designed clinical studies to validate nutritional and functional benefits, alongside the development of effective strategies to improve consumer acceptance and support regulatory alignment across regions. Full article

Accurate plant-level photovoltaic (PV) power estimation is important for performance monitoring, model benchmarking, and grid-integration studies. In bifacial horizontal single-axis tracking (HSAT) systems, this task is complicated by the coupled effects of front-side irradiance, rear-side irradiance, tracker position, and module temperature. This study proposes an algorithmic framework for same-time-step AC power estimation in a bifacial HSAT PV plant using field measurements of irradiance, tracker angle, module temperature, and inverter active power. The framework is not intended as an operational forecasting model because future irradiance and weather conditions are not predicted; instead, it evaluates how compact physics-based structure, interpretable nonlinear learning, and ensemble learning estimate measured AC power under nominal operating conditions. An empirical rear-to-front irradiance relationship was derived using solar-elevation bins and incorporated into a compact physics-based benchmark. This benchmark was compared with an additive Explainable Boosting Machine (EBM) and a Random Forest (RF) on a common test subset of 3916 observations. The physics-based model achieved an RMSE of 19.6 kW, an R² of 0.72, and an NRMSE of 0.38. The EBM improved these values to 17.09 kW, 0.786, and 0.334, respectively, while the RF achieved 15.96 kW, 0.814, and 0.312. Chronological validation showed weaker and more variable performance than randomized validation, indicating that temporal generalization remains challenging. Overall, the results support the use of interpretable PV-domain-guided learning as a transparent intermediate approach between compact physics-based modeling and more flexible ensemble regression. Full article

This experiment investigated the effects of two rearing systems, cage and free-range, on growth performance, serum biochemical parameters, slaughter performance, cecal microbiota, and hepatic metabolism of yellow-feathered broilers. A total of 240 healthy 21-day-old Liangfenghua yellow-feathered male broilers with similar body weight were randomly assigned to a cage group (LY) and a free-range group (SY), with 10 replicates per group and 12 birds per replicate. All birds were fed the same diet until 63 days of age. Compared with the LY group, the SY group had significantly lower final body weight, average daily gain, and abdominal fat percentage (p < 0.05), while average daily feed intake and feed-to-gain-ratio were significantly higher (p < 0.05). The Shannon and Simpson indices of the cecal microbiota were significantly higher in the SY group (p < 0.05), and the genera Bacteroides, Lactobacillus, Rikenella, and Oscillibacter were specifically enriched. A total of 560 differential metabolites were identified by liver non-targeted metabolomics, and these metabolites were significantly enriched in the necroptosis, cysteine and methionine metabolism, thiamine metabolism, and amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism pathways (p < 0.05). Correlation analysis between cecal microbiota and liver metabolites revealed that the differentially abundant bacterial genera showed significant negative correlations with multiple amino acid metabolites in the liver. In conclusion, the free-range rearing system reduced the growth performance of yellow-feathered broilers but enriched specific bacterial genera, increased gut microbiota diversity, and modulated host amino acid metabolism and energy homeostasis through the “gut microbiota–liver” axis, ultimately inducing an adaptive metabolic state characterized by reduced abdominal fat deposition and remodeling of hepatic metabolic pathways. Full article

Plateau waters in Northern Sichuan, China, act as critical headwaters of the Yellow River. Microbial communities in water bodies and soil matrices within this region are increasingly pressured by intensive animal rearing; yet few studies have characterized microbial shifts across entire riverine niches. In this study, we employed next-generation sequencing based metagenomics to investigate microbial features, community structure and diversity, metabolic potentials, and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the Baihe River, a tributary in the source region of the Yellow River. Sampling locations covered the main stem and three tributaries of the Baihe River, spanning from its source, through upstream and downstream segments, to the convergence site with the main stem of the Yellow River. Results revealed that Pseudomonadota and Bacteroidota were the most abundant phyla. The relative abundance of most taxa at multiple taxonomic levels exhibited an increasing trend along the river continuum driven by rising total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations; however, a notable exception occurred at BH1 (the Baihe source), where the abundance of numerous taxa was markedly higher than in downstream samples. We detected abundant ARGs predominantly associated with antibiotic resistance. Furthermore, prevalent viruses affiliated with the phyla Uroviricota and Nucleocytoviricota, together with pathogenic bacteria, were identified as etiological agents of diverse infectious diseases. This study provides novel perspectives for managing aquatic contamination in plateau river ecosystems by linking environmental variables, microbial succession, and resistome distribution. Full article

The aim of this study was to compare carcass composition, meat quality, digestive tract morphometry, and leg bone dimensions of Pekin and Muscovy ducks. The study involved 40 birds, including 10 males and 10 females from each genotype, reared to market age. Carcass traits, physicochemical properties of breast and leg muscles, texture parameters, internal organ development, intestinal measurements, and selected dimensions of the femur and tibia were evaluated. The results demonstrated a significant effect of duck genotype (p < 0.05) on carcass weight, dressing percentage, and the proportion of neck, wings, and skin with subcutaneous fat. Genotype also affected meat color (L*, a*, b*), intramuscular fat and collagen content, cooking loss, pH, electrical conductivity, and selected texture parameters of breast muscles. Differences were also observed in the mass and proportion of internal organs, most intestinal morphometric traits, and selected bone measurements. Sex had a significant effect on body and carcass weight, selected meat quality traits, intestinal measurements, and leg bone dimensions, with males generally showing greater body size and more developed skeletal structures. Significant interactions between genotype and sex were observed for several analyzed traits. The findings indicate that both genotype and sex substantially affect slaughter traits and meat quality characteristics of ducks. Full article

The present study evaluated the effects of the prepartum administration of immunotropic preparations on the growth performance, physiological status, and metabolic profile of calves. Sixty pregnant Holstein cows were divided into three groups (n = 20 each): the first experimental group received a single intramuscular injection of sodium nucleinate (5 mL), the second experimental group received a single intramuscular injection of Ribotan (5 mL), and the control group received saline solution. All treatments were administered 3–9 days before calving. The obtained calves were monitored until 60 days of age. Clinical, growth, hematological, and biochemical parameters were assessed at days 1, 10, 30, and 60. Calves from the treated cows showed improved neonatal adaptation, including faster development of standing posture and the suckling reflex. Body weight was significantly higher in experimental groups at 30 and 60 days (p ≤ 0.05), with consistently greater average daily gains. Blood analysis revealed increased total protein, albumin, and γ-globulin levels, indicating enhanced protein metabolism and immune status. In contrast, cortisol concentrations were lower in treated groups, reflecting reduced physiological stress. Multivariate (PCA) and correlation analyses confirmed strong associations between growth performance, metabolic activity, and immune indicators, and demonstrated clear separation between control and treated groups. Ribotan exhibited the most pronounced biological effect, while sodium nucleinate showed moderate but consistent improvements. In conclusion, prepartum immunotropic treatment of cows enhances early-life adaptation, metabolic efficiency, and growth performance of calves and may represent a practical strategy for improving calf rearing outcomes in dairy farming systems. Full article

Understanding the early life history of the endangered largemouth bronze gudgeon (C. guichenoti) is crucial for optimizing artificial rearing and conservation strategies. To provide a unified scientific basis for these efforts, this study characterized the ontogeny of C. guichenoti larvae from hatching to 30 days post-hatch (dph) by integrating analyses of allometric growth, digestive histology, and enzyme activities. Morphometric analysis revealed that total length increased exponentially with age. Positive allometric growth was observed in swimming organs (pectoral, dorsal, and caudal fins) and eye diameter, indicating a priority in developing locomotion and sensory capabilities for survival in lotic environments. Histological examination showed that the digestive tract became patent by 4 dph, and functional structures were established by 5 dph, coinciding with yolk sac absorption and the initiation of exogenous feeding. The digestive system reached near-adult maturity by 20 dph. Enzyme activity profiles showed that trypsin activity increased continuously, peaking at 30 dph, while amylase and alkaline phosphatase peaked at 20 dph. Lipase activity remained low until a slight increase at 30 dph. These results indicate that C. guichenoti larvae adopt a “locomotion-first” strategy, with the digestive system becoming functional at 5 dph and maturing by 20 dph. These findings collectively define the critical windows for artificial propagation, specifically guiding the timing of initial feeding and feed formulation. Full article

Plants can provide natural enemies with alternative food resources that enhance their performance in addition to prey consumption. Extrafloral nectaries attract beneficial insects by supplying nectar in exchange for pest suppression, although other arthropods may also benefit. This study aimed to characterize the extrafloral nectar composition of bottle gourd, Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standley (Cucurbitaceae), a host plant of Nesidiocoris tenuis Reuter (Hemiptera: Miridae), and to evaluate the effects of its carbohydrate profile on key biological parameters of this predator. Extrafloral nectar was chemically characterized for carbohydrate and amino acid composition, and laboratory bioassays were conducted to assess the effects of a sugar solution of the extrafloral nectar carbohydrate profile when provided with two factitious food sources, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) eggs and Artemia sp. (Anostraca: Artemiidae) cysts. Female egg production, nymphal development and food source consumption were evaluated. Chemical analysis revealed that bottle gourd extrafloral nectar consisted primarily of glucose, fructose, sucrose and melezitose, while serine was the dominant amino acid. Four essential amino acids were also detected. Sugar supplementation did not affect nymphal development rate but significantly reduced factitious food consumption. Significant differences in egg production were observed among feeding regimes. Sugar supplementation did not affect egg production when E. kuehniella eggs were provided, but significantly increased egg production when Artemia cysts were used as food source. These results indicate that extrafloral nectar carbohydrates can function as effective supplementary nutritional resources for N. tenuis, particularly when lower-quality factitious food sources are used. These findings enhance our understanding of plant–predator nutritional interactions and suggest that extrafloral nectar-derived components warrant further evaluation for incorporation into mass rearing protocols. Full article

The use of functional feeds in aquaculture has increased due to the reduction in fishmeal and the need to improve the gut health of farmed organisms. This study evaluated the effects of supplementing nucleotides (NT) and mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) in the diet of juvenile Penaeus vannamei reared in a synbiotic system for 60 days. Four treatments were tested: a control diet without additives (RC); a diet supplemented with 2 g NT kg⁻¹ (NT); a diet supplemented with 2 g MOS kg⁻¹ (MOS); and a diet supplemented with 1 g NT kg⁻¹ and 1 g MOS kg⁻¹ (NT/MOS). Water quality, zootechnical performance, gut morphology, microbiota indicators, and economic benefits were evaluated. There were no significant differences in water quality or production performance among treatments. However, additive supplementation improved economic efficiency and net revenue, with the NT/MOS treatment showing a 7.06% economic gain relative to the control. MOS supplementation increased the proportion of Bacillus spp. to 13.9 × 10⁷ CFU g⁻¹, suggesting a prebiotic effect and potential control of Vibrio spp. Morphologically, supplemented shrimp exhibited shorter mucosal folds and thicker gut walls. NT and MOS supplementation appeared to be an economically promising strategy for shrimp production in synbiotic systems. Full article

As important silkworm varieties reared on artificial diet, Youshi No. 1 (YS) and Guangshi No. 1 (GS) showed remarkable differences in physiological characteristics. GS had significantly better performance than YS in body weight, cocooning ability, food intake, feed utilization efficiency, and digestive enzyme activities. We further performed metabolomics and 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing to analyze their metabolic profiles and midgut microbiota. More than 40 differential metabolites were screened out, and four metabolic pathways related to feeding divergence were determined via KEGG enrichment, among which L-valine was enriched in multiple pathways. Significant structural differences were also observed in midgut microbiota, and Bacillus was positively correlated with pantothenic acid and valine metabolism. These correlational results disclosed that differential metabolites and gut microbiota might underlie the phenotypic variations between the two varieties. Integrated analysis combined with functional verification experiments demonstrated that supplementation of 1% L-valine or specific Bacillus strains in an artificial diet was associated with the improvement of the growth performance, cocoon quality, and feed utilization efficiency of the YS silkworm variety. Full article

This study evaluated the effects of intensive indoor, free-range, and free-range feed-restricted rearing strategies on the growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of indigenous Gerze chickens. A total of 252 one-day-old chicks were allocated to three treatments: free-range (FR), free-range feed-restricted (FRR), and intensive indoor-reared (IN) groups. Outdoor access and Skip-a-Day feed restriction began at 8 weeks of age, and birds were reared until 16 weeks. At slaughter, 16 chickens per group, balanced by sex, were selected for carcass and meat-quality analyses. Although the IN group showed higher live weights at several intermediate ages, final body weight did not differ significantly between the FR and IN groups, whereas FRR birds had lower final body weight. Feed conversion ratio and cumulative feed consumption did not differ among groups, but these pen-level results should be interpreted cautiously. The IN group had a higher dressing percentage and abdominal fat ratio, whereas edible giblet ratios were greater in the FR and FRR groups. Free-range rearing affected selected meat-quality traits, including lower leg L* and a* values and higher pH values. These findings provide production-oriented evidence that Gerze chickens may be suitable for local free-range systems, while Skip-a-Day feed restriction requires further evaluation. Full article

Introduction: The Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus (ABFT) is a large pelagic apex predator with adaptations for a life of ceaseless swimming during long-distance oceanic migrations. The environmental physiology and energetics of tunas have interested researchers for many decades, but they are notoriously challenging to study because they are so difficult to keep in captivity. Adult ABFT are, however, now fattened in cages at various sites in the Mediterranean, while juveniles are reared from hatching every year at the Unique Scientific and Technological Infrastructure for ABFT aquaculture (ICAR-IEO), near Cartagena in Spain. These facilities provide access to animals, but the fish remain very problematic to study because of their highly active but physiologically delicate nature and, for adults, their very large sizes. Objective: To study the in vivo physiology and behaviour of ABFT. Methodology: We used heart rate biologging and high residency acoustic tracking to follow cardiac and swimming activity over a year in n = 24 adult ABFT (mass range 25 to 200 kg) held in a cage off the coast of Malta (Malta Fish Farming). We then performed swim tunnel respirometry on young of the year juveniles (500g) at ICRA-IEO, but subsequently took a ‘hands-off’ approach, using video analyses and group respirometry on free-swimming animals. Results: The descriptive approach on the caged adults provided understanding of how seasonal water temperatures (15 to 28 °C) affect tuna physiology and behaviour. The swimming respirometry on juveniles revealed that their performance was constrained by confinement in the tunnel, compared to when they were swimming at their spontaneous preferred speed in their rearing tank. Video analyses provided insights into the effects of size (25 to 200 cm bodylength) on spontaneous swimming speeds and coupled with tank respirometry, revealed how progressive hypoxia affects the metabolic rate and schooling behaviour of juveniles. Conclusions: These opportunistic and disparate pieces of information are nonetheless valuable for such a fascinating but data-deficient species, and can be useful in mechanistic models for management of an extremely valuable fishery in a context of global change. Full article

Hybrid snakehead (Channa argus × Channa maculata) is a major cultured freshwater fish in China, but standardized health monitoring using serum biochemistry is limited by the lack of species-specific reference intervals. This study established reference intervals for 20 serum biochemical parameters in hybrid snakehead reared under 27 °C for 90 days. The body weights of the sampled fish ranged from 50 g to 160 g and were exempted from diseases by health check. All parameters were measured using an automated analyzer with commercial reagent kits. Most parameters exhibited non-normal, right-skewed distributions, and only total protein (TP) was normally distributed. Smoothed bootstrap resampling and kernel density estimation were applied to extract the main peak distribution and reduce bias from outliers and long tails. Species-specific reference intervals were established based on the main peak data, providing more reliable physiological baselines than conventional percentiles. Correlation analysis revealed coordinated changes among liver function, nutrient metabolism, tissue damage, and digestive enzymes. These results provide a standardized tool for health assessment, subclinical disease diagnosis, and comparative analysis in juvenile hybrid snakehead maintained at an optimal temperature in indoor mesocosm systems. Full article