Search Results (5,877)

Populations of European bison (Bison bonasus), Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber), and Eurasian moose (Alces alces) in Poland are currently experiencing significant growth. These species are subject to strict legal protection or specific regulatory frameworks. The purpose of the study is to analyze Polish legislation concerning the protection of selected species and to identify legislative actions that could ensure healthy, sustainable, and well-managed population levels in Poland. The study also explores carefully regulated forms of sustainable use, including the potential consumption of meat from these species. During this research, the methodology of analysis and scientific interpretation of legal acts was used. Case law and relevant socio-economic and environmental factors were also analyzed and highlighted. The results show that the law currently in force and its interpretation may pose challenges to achieving fully effective conservation outcomes. Wildlife protection requires effective, locally adapted population management. Proposals for legal changes that would support diversified and sustainable management approaches, while maintaining a high level of protection, ensuring environmental stability and sustainability, and ensuring the highest standards of public safety, are presented. De lege ferenda postulates indicate that it is essential to balance the legitimate interests of wildlife conservation, public health, and society. Full article

Background: Anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies represent the first disease-modifying therapeutic strategy targeting amyloid-β pathology in early Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Although several agents have demonstrated the ability to reduce cerebral amyloid burden, their clinical efficacy and safety remain subjects of substantial scientific and regulatory debate. This study aimed to synthesize randomized evidence evaluating the benefit–risk profile of anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies in biomarker-confirmed early AD. Methods: A systematic review and classical pairwise meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for phase III placebo-controlled trials evaluating lecanemab, donanemab, aducanumab, and gantenerumab in patients with mild cognitive impairment due to AD or mild AD dementia with biomarker confirmation of amyloid pathology. The primary outcome was change from baseline in the Clinical Dementia Rating–Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB) at the longest available follow-up. Safety outcomes included amyloid-related imaging abnormalities with edema or effusion (ARIA-E), amyloid-related imaging abnormalities with hemorrhage (ARIA-H), serious adverse events, and treatment discontinuation. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed. Results: Six randomized comparisons derived from four phase III trials involving 7695 participants met the eligibility criteria. Anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies were associated with a statistically significant slowing of clinical progression compared with placebo (pooled mean difference in CDR-SB: −0.42 points; 95% CI −0.59 to −0.25; I² = 78%). The observed effect was primarily driven by trials of lecanemab and donanemab, whereas aducanumab demonstrated discordant results across trials and gantenerumab showed no clinically meaningful benefit. Despite statistical significance, the magnitude of the pooled effect approached the lower boundary of the minimal clinically important difference reported for CDR-SB in early AD. Treatment was associated with a markedly increased risk of ARIA-E (pooled risk ratio 10.1; 95% CI 7.8–13.0), with moderate heterogeneity across studies. Most ARIA-E events were asymptomatic and detected through protocol-mandated MRI monitoring. Conclusions: In biomarker-confirmed early Alzheimer’s disease, anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies produce a statistically significant but modest slowing of clinical decline accompanied by a substantially increased risk of ARIA. The benefit–risk profile appears heterogeneous across individual antibodies and may reflect pharmacological differences in amyloid targeting and clearance mechanisms. These findings support cautious, individualized use of anti-amyloid therapies and highlight the need for longer-term studies to determine whether short-term slowing of decline translates into clinically meaningful disease modification. Full article

Fruit color is a key quality indicator for apples and directly influences their market value. The process of fruit ripening encompasses various physiological and biochemical changes, such as the breakdown of chlorophyll and the buildup of anthocyanins and carotenoids. This study investigated the mechanism of chlorophyll degradation in apple peels using ‘Granny Smith’ varieties. The experiments involving the treatment with methyl jasmonate (MeJA) indicated that a concentration of 10 µM MeJA led to a reduction in chlorophyll degradation, while a higher concentration of 1500 µM MeJA enhanced this degradation, which aligned with the variations observed in the expression of genes associated with chlorophyll degradation. The key chlorophyll degradation gene MdSGR1 was cloned and found to be induced by methyl jasmonate. MdSGR1 encodes a 283-amino-acid protein belonging to the stay-green superfamily. The promoter possesses inducible cis-acting elements that respond to methyl jasmonate, low temperature and light, while the protein is localized to chloroplasts. Overexpression and silencing vectors were constructed. Overexpression of MdSGR1 induced chlorosis in tobacco leaves and ‘Granny Smith’ apple peels, decreased chlorophyll content, and upregulated related gene expression. Conversely, silencing MdSGR1 produced opposite effects. Arabidopsis thaliana plants overexpressing MdSGR1 exhibited low chlorophyll content, reduced photosynthetic rate, upregulated expression of genes associated with chlorophyll degradation. The results of yeast one-hybrid and dual-luciferase reporter assays indicated that the MdMYC2 transcription factor interacts with the promoter region of MdSGR1. In conclusion, MdSGR1 is crucial for the degradation of chlorophyll in apple peel, and it is regulated both by the MdMYC2 transcription factor and different concentrations of MeJA. This study preliminarily elucidated the regulatory mechanism of methyl jasmonate on chlorophyll degradation in fruit peel, and these findings provide an important theoretical basis for controlling degreening and color quality in apple fruit. Full article

The phoD gene encodes alkaline phosphatase, which hydrolyzes organic phosphorus and releases bioavailable phosphorus for direct utilization by marine organisms. phoD-harboring bacteria are reported to be sensitive to environmental changes. As a common ecological disturbance, annual Ulva prolifera green tides in the southern Yellow Sea pose significant ecological challenges, yet the responses and assembly processes of phoD-harboring bacterial communities remain poorly understood. In this study, high-throughput sequencing was used to characterize these communities across the pre-bloom, bloom and post-bloom stages. The results revealed significant stage-specific shifts in community structure, with the bloom and post-bloom stages exhibiting higher similarity to each other than the pre-bloom stage. Abundant taxa were more sensitive to environmental fluctuations across all stages and were characterized by broader niche breadths but reduced phylogenetic diversity during the bloom. In contrast, rare taxa maintained relatively stable diversity but showed marked niche contraction. Neutral community model and βNTI analyses demonstrated that stochastic processes dominated community assembly overall. Green tide drove rare taxa toward heterogeneous selection and drift, while abundant taxa shifted toward homogeneous selection during the post-bloom stage. Co-occurrence network analysis showed increased microbial correlations during the bloom, implying a trend toward greater network stability of phoD-harboring bacterial communities under green tide disturbance. The lagged responses, functional redundancy and divergent ecological strategies of abundant and rare taxa may explain how green tides drive variations in microbes involved in the phosphorus cycle. These findings provide new insights into the microbial regulatory mechanisms of the nutrient cycle in coastal ecosystems affected by large-scale U. prolifera green tides. Full article

Climate change is intensifying water scarcity in the Mediterranean region, placing the Antalya province of Türkiye at significant risk due to declining water availability, rapid population growth, and intense tourism activities which increase seasonal demand. This study forecasts population and urban water demand until 2050 and evaluates several water loss reduction scenarios for the city’s drinking water distribution network. In developing the forecasted water demand, the analysis incorporates several water loss reduction scenarios. These include a baseline scenario maintaining current water loss levels, a moderate improvement scenario aligned with Türkiye’s national regulatory targets, and an advanced scenario achieving international best practices. Results show that reducing water losses, caused mainly by aging infrastructure, pressure fluctuations, and leaks, can substantially decrease total water demand. Improved network efficiency is therefore essential for maintaining long-term water security and supporting climate change adaptation efforts in Antalya. Full article

The construction sector is undergoing a rapid transition toward more resilient, sustainable, and digitally connected systems, creating increasing demand for materials capable of providing functions beyond conventional structural performance. In this context, smart materials have emerged as promising solutions due to their ability to respond to mechanical, thermal, chemical, or electromagnetic stimuli through adaptive behaviors such as self-healing, structural sensing, energy regulation, vibration control, and reversible deformation. Despite growing scientific interest, available knowledge remains fragmented across specific material families and isolated application domains. Therefore, this study presents a PRISMA-based systematic review of smart materials in construction using peer-reviewed journal literature indexed in Scopus during the 2021–2026 period. The review examines the principal smart material families currently applied in construction, including self-healing concretes, self-sensing cementitious systems, Shape Memory Alloys (SMA), piezoelectric materials, phase change materials, adaptive coatings, conductive nanocomposites, and multifunctional geopolymers. Their engineering functions, structural and architectural applications, reported performance characteristics, sustainability contributions, digital integration potential, and implementation barriers are comparatively discussed and qualitatively synthesized based on the reviewed literature. The findings indicate that smart materials can improve durability, structural health monitoring, seismic resilience, thermal efficiency, lifecycle performance, and carbon reduction when properly integrated into buildings and infrastructure. However, large-scale adoption remains constrained by high initial costs, manufacturing scalability, regulatory uncertainty, long-term durability validation, and limited market confidence. The review further shows that the greatest future potential lies in combining material intelligence with IoT platforms, artificial intelligence, BIM environments, and digital twins. Overall, smart materials are positioned as strategic enablers of next-generation low-carbon, adaptive, and intelligent construction systems. Full article

Major infrastructure investments alter accessibility and urban development patterns, yet their impact on housing prices varies significantly across regions. The prevailing interpretation attributes this heterogeneity to supply differences or regulatory constraints, treating land use regulations as exogenous variables. Nevertheless, even two regions with a nominally similar regulatory framework may produce substantially different outcomes in the housing market, depending on the effectiveness of rule implementation. This paper argues that this approach overlooks a critical variable: the ability of regional authorities to coordinate, regulate, permit, and implement spatial development in a predictable and timely manner. In line with this, a conceptual framework is developed, grounded in the literature on spatial and multi-level governance, in which regional institutional capacity is proposed as a potential mediator of capitalization around project milestones (announcement, funding, construction, operation), rather than as a backdrop. This capacity shapes outcomes through three interrelated dimensions: the responsiveness of supply, which depends on administrative capacity and regulatory consistency; the coherence of governance across jurisdictions within functional urban areas; and the management of land value through land value capture instruments. From this framework, testable propositions are derived regarding the intensity, timing, and spatial distribution of price effects. The study does not empirically estimate changes in housing prices, nor does it test the propositions put forward. Instead, it develops the conceptual framework and organizes the spatial and institutional units of observation required for a subsequent empirical test. The framework is specified spatially through Section A, Line 4 of the Athens Metro to organize the project’s spatial units, administrative jurisdictions, land uses, and milestones for future analysis. The contribution is threefold: conceptual, as it elevates regional institutional capacity from a contextual to an explanatory variable; theoretical, in that it bridges urban economics with the governance literature; and policy-relevant, since it repositions the reform of regional governance as a constituent element of housing policy and as a factor that may shape sustainable spatial development outcomes. Full article

This study presents a multi-indicator remote sensing framework for assessing satellite-derived water-quality-related and trophic-state-related dynamics across four freshwater systems in Türkiye Egirdir Lake, Sapanca Lake, Catalan Dam, and Yuvacik Dam between the baseline (2015–2018) and recent (2023–2025) periods. Rather than providing a regulatory or use-specific satellite-based assessment of water-quality-related indicators, the study evaluates optically and thermally detectable surface water indicators derived from Sentinel-2 MSI and Landsat 8/9 imagery processed in Google Earth Engine. The Normalized Difference Chlorophyll Index (NDCI), the Normalized Difference Turbidity Index (NDTI), and land surface temperature (LST, applied to water surfaces) were used to detect change patterns through period-mean difference mapping (Δ-mask) and interannual time series analysis. Results reveal distinct spatial and temporal dynamics broadly consistent with the interplay of climatic, hydrological, and anthropogenic drivers. In the southern Mediterranean systems, positive ΔNDCI anomalies in littoral and inflow zones were associated with increasing summer LST, with Egirdir Lake exhibiting a statistically significant warming trend of +0.170 °C yr⁻¹ (Mann–Kendall τ = 0.53, p = 0.029), interpreted cautiously as a physically plausible signal consistent with regional climate trends, suggesting elevated thermally mediated eutrophication-related optical risk. In the northern Marmara systems, satellite-observed patterns were more strongly associated with anthropogenic nutrient loading and morphological constraints, with turbidity-related optical increases concentrated in western and marginal zones despite relatively stable thermal conditions. As concurrent in situ measurements were unavailable, cross-sensor consistency checks and literature-based benchmarking were applied as alternative validation strategies. Across all four systems, positive ΔNDCI anomalies were systematically concentrated in shallow marginal and inflow zones, while ΔNDTI patterns varied by system, underscoring the role of littoral dynamics as early indicators of optically detectable water-quality deterioration and trophic-state-related change. The proposed framework offers a scalable, cost-effective approach for freshwater quality surveillance in data-scarce environments and provides direct support for integrated water resource management under Türkiye’s National Water Plan (2026–2036). Full article

To address the application bottlenecks of organic phase change materials characterized by low thermal conductivity and susceptibility to liquid leakage, this study utilized natural poplar wood as a raw material to construct a three-dimensional carbon/silver heterogeneous porous skeleton via delignification, gradient carbonization, and in situ electroless silver plating. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was then vacuum-encapsulated within this structure to prepare form-stable composite phase change materials (CPCMs). The regulatory effects of carbonization temperature and metal interface modification on the microscopic morphology and thermophysical properties of the materials were systematically investigated. The results indicate that the skeleton carbonized at 800 °C achieves an optimal balance between pore distribution and skeleton rigidity, ensuring the uniform conformal growth of silver nanoparticles and endowing the material with excellent anti-leakage performance. The thermal conductivity of the optimal sample reaches as high as 0.683 W/(m·K), with the melting latent heat maintained at 133.9 J/g, while also demonstrating an agile and stable photothermal conversion response. Non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations further confirm that the silver nanoparticle modification layer smooths the phonon vibration frequency mismatch between the carbon substrate and organic segments, significantly reducing the interfacial thermal resistance. This research provides an important reference for the structural design and microscopic heat transfer mechanism analysis of high-performance phase change energy storage materials. Full article

The biosynthesis of sex pheromones in lepidopteran pheromone glands is tightly regulated by pheromone biosynthesis-activating neuropeptide (PBAN) signaling; yet the contribution of non-coding RNA-mediated post-transcriptional regulation remains largely unclear. This study aimed to characterize temporal transcriptomic changes, candidate non-coding RNA-mediated regulatory associations, and temporal molecular dynamics underlying transcriptional remodeling after PBAN treatment in Ostrinia furnacalis. First, we performed comprehensive whole-transcriptome sequencing (WTS) on 18 biologically independent samples collected at six time points (0, 20, 40, 60, 90, and 120 min) after PBAN injection. Then, we systematically identified and quantified the dynamic expression patterns of differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs, miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs in response to PBAN stimulation. By integratively analyzing these multidimensional omics datasets and inferring sequence-based interaction relationships, we inferred a dynamic candidate competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) like regulatory network. The candidate ceRNA network anchored four core node genes: the PBAN receptor (PBANR), the rate-limiting enzyme acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), and the terminal biosynthetic enzymes desaturase (DES) and fatty acyl-CoA reductase (FAR). The qRT-PCR results further support the temporal expression pattern of key genes during the PBAN response, suggesting that this network can provide a valuable resource for further functional studies. Full article

Transposable elements (TEs) are inserted into the genome and may change its properties; those occurring in or near regulatory regions may also alter gene expression. Given the challenges of detecting insertions in short-read sequencing, we analyzed structural variants in polar and brown bear genomes by a reciprocal alignment of one species’ sample genomes to a reference sequence of the other species, thus inferring TE insertion as the other genome’s “deletions”. With this approach, we detected short interspersed elements (SINEs) belonging to the CAN SINE family as dominant fixed TEs. We observed a non-random distribution of CAN SINE insertion positions near both protein- and RNA-coding genes, where TEs often overlap UTRs or occur in their vicinity. In contrast, SINEs avoid coding sequences, suggesting TE insertions that would disrupt such sequences are under purifying selection. We used black bear as an outgroup and determined that most of the CAN SINE insertions in the polar bear genome were derived, since they are not present in black or brown bear, while there is no dominant trend for CAN SINE insertions in brown bear relative to the outgroup. Many of the genes with UTRs affected by CAN SINEs are potentially relevant to the differences between the species (body shape, size, etc.) or to Arctic-adaptation phenotypes such as fur color, metabolism, and the immune system. This supports a model that CAN SINEs have contributed to regulatory evolution in bears and provides further evidence of such events across carnivore genomes in the animal kingdom. Full article

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is enriched with arsenite (As(III)), arsenate (As(V)), and jarosite. While jarosite can immobilize arsenic (As) through adsorption and other mechanisms, it dissolves and transforms into other minerals under near-neutral and reducing conditions via microbial mediation, thereby altering As fate. Fulvic acid (FA), a ubiquitous natural organic matter in the environment, has been proven to exhibit complex interactions with various iron minerals, Fe/S-metabolizing microorganisms, and As. However, the role of FA in the bioreduction and transformation of jarosite, as well as its subsequent impact on As mobility and fate, remains unclear. This study aims to elucidate the regulatory effect of FA on the biodissolution and transformation of jarosite, and the corresponding changes in As speciation. The results showed that FA exerted contrasting effects depending on arsenic speciation. In the As(III) treatments, FA intensified the inhibition of microbial dissimilatory sulfate reduction, suppressed sulfide production, and consequently limited orpiment formation. In contrast, in the As(V) treatments, FA enhanced the association of As(V) with jarosite surfaces, reduced aqueous As stress, and supported the persistence of As-tolerant sulfate-reducing populations. This promoted jarosite transformation toward mackinawite and facilitated As immobilization through orpiment precipitation. This study reveals the critical role of FA in the migration and transformation of As in mining areas, providing novel insights for optimizing AMD remediation strategies such as soil capping. Full article

As a precious indigenous goose resource in China, the Zhedong white goose occupies an essential position in the domestic goose industry. However, this breed spontaneously enters a prolonged non-laying period of over two months per year, which greatly limits egg production capacity and restricts the economic development of the goose industry. Herein, this study systematically compared serum physiological indices and serum and fecal metabolome, as well as fecal microbial communities, between laying and non-laying Zhedong white geese, aiming to reveal the key regulatory mechanisms underlying reproductive stage transition. Physiological analyses indicated that non-laying geese had higher serum levels of GnRH, PRL, APOA, and T-AOC, whereas the concentrations of LH, E₂, TNF-α, IL-1, and calcium were significantly reduced; FSH, PROG, and BA levels showed no significant differences between the two groups. Metabolomic analysis identified 277 upregulated and 403 downregulated DAMs in feces, and 386 DAMs in serum. The shared enriched pathways across serum and fecal samples encompassed arginine biosynthesis, histidine metabolism, and pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, as well as steroid hormone biosynthesis. A total of 120 DAMs overlapped in two specimens, and the non-laying geese presented pronounced depletion of tryptophan-derived metabolites and steroid hormone-related metabolites. Metagenomic results showed no significant difference in gut microbial alpha diversity between groups, while their microbial community structures were clearly differentiated. A total of 774 upregulated and 854 downregulated microbial species were screened in non-laying geese, and these differential microbes were primarily enriched in pathways associated with reproductive hormone signaling, steroid biosynthesis and energy metabolism. Multi-omics correlation analysis verified close associations between differential microbes and reproductive-related metabolites. Certain probiotic strains, including Pediococcus pentosaceus and Lactococcus raffinolactis, were positively correlated with steroid hormones and tryptophan metabolites, and their abundances declined obviously in the non-laying stage. Collectively, this study elaborates the holistic changes in serum biochemistry, gut metabolome and microbiome in geese at different reproductive stages. The dysregulation of amino acid and steroid hormone metabolism, combined with the loss of beneficial intestinal microbes, jointly induces the non-laying phenotype. This study provides new perspectives for understanding the gut–reproductive axis and supplies promising biomarkers to improve the laying performance of geese. Full article

Objectives/Background: Regular physical activity is a key health behavior associated with physical and mental well-being. However, sustaining physical activity remains challenging among adults, and the psychological mechanisms that support continued engagement require further clarification. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory, this study examined the roles of autonomous motivation and controlled regulation in health behavior engagement, focusing on the mediating role of physical activity self-regulation strategies. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 468 Korean adults. Autonomous motivation and controlled regulation were assessed using the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-3, and physical activity self-regulation strategies were measured using the Physical Activity Self-Regulation Scale. Health behavior engagement was assessed using a single-item measure based on the stages of change for exercise. Structural equation modeling with bootstrapping was used to examine direct and indirect relationships among the study variables. Results: Both autonomous motivation (β = 0.649, p < 0.001) and controlled regulation (β = 0.153, p < 0.001) were positively associated positive with self-regulation strategies. Self-regulation strategies were positively associated with health behavior engagement (β = 0.336, p < 0.001). Autonomous motivation showed both a significant direct effect (β = 0.131, p = 0.018) and a significant indirect effects through self-regulation strategies (bias-corrected 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.206, 0.420]) on health behavior engagement, indicating partial mediation. In contrast, controlled regulation showed no significant direct effect (β = −0.062, p = 0.144) but had a significant indirect effect through self-regulation strategies (bias-corrected 95% CI [0.043, 0.131]). Conclusions: Autonomous motivation appears to be a stronger predictor of health behavior engagement than controlled regulation, both directly and indirectly through self-regulation strategies. These findings highlight the importance of motivational quality and suggest that self-regulation strategies are a key mechanism through which motivation is translated into physical activity engagement among adults. Interventions should therefore combine autonomy-supportive approaches alongside the development of practical self-regulatory skills to promote sustained physical activity. Full article

Liangshan Yanying chicken is a valuable plateau-adapted indigenous poultry breed in China. The poultry cecum modulates nutrient metabolism, gut microbial colonization and intestinal immune barrier establishment, while the molecular mechanisms driving its age-dependent development during the brooding stage remain unclear. Here, integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling coupled with bioinformatics correlation analysis were conducted on cecal samples collected from chickens at post-hatching days 1, 14 and 28. Significant temporal changes were observed in cecal gene expression and metabolite abundance, and day 14 was identified as a critical window for cecal functional maturation and microbial colonization. In total, 2424 metabolites were annotated, including 600 differentially accumulated metabolites. The cecum exhibited phase-specific metabolic patterns: endogenous energy metabolism dominated at 1–14 d, while lipid biosynthesis prevailed at 14–28 d. The intestinal IgA immune network was verified as the core pathway maintaining cecal immune homeostasis in young chicks. Multi-omics conjoint analysis yielded 53 overlapping KEGG pathways, 14 core pathways, 3 pivotal metabolites and 5 hub genes, based on which three interactive regulatory networks were constructed. Transcriptomic data were validated via qRT-PCR. This study reveals cecal metabolic remodeling and regulatory characteristics during the brooding period, supplementing gut developmental research on plateau indigenous chickens. Notably, these results reflect age-related cecal developmental changes rather than breed-specific high-altitude adaptation mechanisms. Further independent verification is required for metabolomic data and predicted regulatory networks. This finding provides a theoretical basis for scientific breeding and feeding management of Liangshan Yanying chickens. Full article