Search Results (11,476)

Since the molecular mechanisms underlying sex determination in Procambarus clarkii are still unclear, it is important to investigate the genetic basis of sex determination in crustaceans. Currently, the molecular mechanisms of sex determination and the gender-specific markers in this species remain poorly understood. In this study, a total of 14,046,984 SNPs and 2,160,652 InDels were identified through genome-wide resequencing of 89 individuals (45 females and 44 males). Further analysis confirmed that the candidate chromosome was Chr38, the sex determination system was identified as XY, and the sex determination region was located at Chr38: 6,000,000–21,100,000 bp. A pair of sex-specific molecular markers has been identified based on a 21 bp female-specific insertion within the candidate sex-determining region. Additionally, SOAT, NPC1, PTGS2, FANCD1, and VAlRS were identified as candidate sex-determining genes through the screening of candidate genes and RT-qPCR validation analysis. These findings provide a robust foundation for investigating sex-determining mechanisms in crustaceans. Through the integration of genome-wide association studies (GWAS), selection signals, and transcriptome analysis, we identified, for the first time, genes associated with sex determination, growth, and immunity. These genes represent promising candidates for further functional studies and genetic improvement in Procambarus clarkii. Full article

Background/Objectives: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) associated with cervical carotid artery pathology remains a therapeutic challenge due to uncertainty regarding emergent carotid artery stenting (eCAS) and the need for intensified antithrombotic therapy, which may increase the risk of hemorrhagic transformation (HT). This retrospective cohort study evaluated the functional and safety outcomes of eCAS within an extended treatment time window. Methods: We analyzed 139 consecutive patients with anterior circulation AIS and large vessel occlusion treated with mechanical thrombectomy between 2019 and 2024. Patients were eligible for MT within 24 h based on clinical–core mismatch (DAWN) or perfusion–core mismatch (DEFUSE 3) criteria. Outcomes were compared between patients treated with eCAS and those undergoing MT without stenting. Results: Twenty-five patients underwent eCAS, predominantly for tandem lesions (80%). Median age was 66 years, median baseline NIHSS was 14, and median infarct core volume on DWI/CTP was 15 mL. Baseline characteristics were comparable between groups, except for the site of occlusion (p < 0.001). A good functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale, mRS 0–2 at 90 days) was observed in 60% of patients in the eCAS group versus 43% in the non-stenting group, without statistical significance (p = 0.067). Rates of parenchymal hematoma (12% vs. 18.4%) and symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (8% vs. 3.5%) were similar between groups. Conclusions: In this single-center cohort, eCAS performed in an extended time window did not demonstrate a clear signal of increased hemorrhagic risk. However, residual confounding and imbalance between treatment groups persisted despite the application of inverse probability weighting (IPW), and the findings should be interpreted cautiously. Full article

Myopathy, Lactic Acidosis, and Sideroblastic Anemia type 2 (MLASA2) is a rare mitochondrial disorder caused by pathogenic variants (PVs) in the YARS2 gene (which encodes the Mt-TyrRS protein. We performed a comprehensive clinical–molecular synthesis by integrating a systematic review and meta-analysis of all published MLASA2 cases with survival modeling and three-dimensional structural mapping. Across the aggregated cohort, anemia (88.6%), sideroblastic phenotype (85.7%), and lactic acidosis (82.9%) were the most prevalent phenotypes. Fifteen PVs were identified, dominated by p.(Phe52Leu) (29.4%). Survival estimates were 94.1% at 10 years, 70.7% at 30 years, and 42.4% at 50 years; cardiomyopathy and diagnosis before age 10 were associated with decreased survival. We generated the first 3D structural map of all reported Mt-TyrRS PVs, identifying nine spatial hotspots across catalytic, anticodon-binding, and tRNA-binding domains. An integrated framework combining structural density, clinical severity, in silico predictions, and ΔΔG destabilization classified three clusters as High-risk, three as Medium-risk, and three as Low-risk. Among them, cluster 3, a large catalytic hotspot encompassing 44 residues and including nearly half of all MLASA2 cases, showed the strongest pathogenic convergence. This clinical–structural integration provides new insights for a better comprehension of MLASA2, enhancing variant interpretation and improving diagnostic and prognostic precision. Full article

Most animal welfare (AW) assessment protocols have been developed for intensive production systems and European cattle, raising concerns about their applicability in the tropics. To compare the results obtained by using the welfare quality (WQ) assessment for fattening cattle in the dry tropics, relevant modifications were implemented in 20 cattle production units (PUs) during the dry (DS) and rainy (RS) seasons. Regarding the principle of good feeding, only during the RS, between 20% and 25% of the farms maintained their animals in the acceptable and good categories, compared to the DS, where all PUs were classified as unacceptable (p < 0.04). Under the “Appropriate Behavior” principle, only 15% and 60% of the PUs maintained their animals at good and acceptable levels, respectively, in the RS, but not in the DS (p < 0.001). Conversely, during the DS, better scores were obtained for the measures and criteria in the Good housing group, with 45%, 50%, and 5% of PU classified as acceptable, good, and excellent, respectively, while for the RS, only 15%, 30%, and 5% reached these levels (p < 0.01). Meanwhile, under the “Good Health” principle, better animal health scores were observed during the RS, with 20%, 30%, and 50% of farms classified as acceptable, good, and excellent, compared to the DS, where only 70% and 10% of farms maintained their animals at good and excellent levels (p < 0.01). It is concluded that better animal welfare (AW) indicators were recorded during the RS, and the adjustments we applied to the conventional WQ protocol comprised a modification for the criterion that included the prolonged absence of thirst as well as adding six new indicators (measures) to the principles of housing, health, and behavior, which are considered essential for evaluating AW in cattle that are managed under extensive conditions by season. Full article

Behçet’s disease is a chronic, multisystem inflammatory disorder characterized by recurrent mucocutaneous and ocular manifestations, in which genetic factors, particularly cytokine gene polymorphisms, are thought to contribute to disease susceptibility. This study aimed to investigate the association of Interleukin-12B and Interleukin-23R gene polymorphisms and haplotype distributions with Behçet’s disease in Denizli, a province of Turkey. A total of 88 patients with Behçet’s disease and 133 healthy controls were genotyped for Interleukin-12B (rs3213119, rs3213120, rs3212227, rs3213113, rs2082412) and Interleukin-23R (rs1004819, rs7517847, rs7530511, rs10489629, rs10889677) polymorphisms using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Genotype, allele, and haplotype distributions were evaluated for associations with Behçet’s disease risk and clinical manifestations. The results demonstrated that the Interleukin-12B rs2082412 G allele and rs3213119 G allele were associated with increased risk of Behçet’s disease. Additionally, the Interleukin-23R rs7530511 TT genotype and rs10489629 GG genotype and G allele were significantly associated with Behçet’s disease susceptibility. Haplotype analyses revealed AAAGG and GTCAC as the most frequent haplotypes in Interleukin-12B and Interleukin-23R loci, respectively, in both patients and controls. These findings suggest that Interleukin-12B and Interleukin-23R gene polymorphisms and haplotypes may be associated with Behçet’s disease susceptibility and clinical heterogeneity in this population. Full article

With the rapid growth of multimodal remote sensing (RS) data, there is an increasing demand for intelligent onboard computing to alleviate the transmission and latency bottlenecks of traditional orbit-to-ground downlinking workflows. While many lightweight AI algorithms have been widely developed and deployed for onboard inference, their limited generalization capability restricts performance under the diverse and dynamic conditions of advanced Earth observation. Recent advances in remote sensing foundation models (RSFMs) offer a promising solution by providing pretrained representations with strong adaptability across diverse tasks and modalities. However, the deployment of RSFMs onboard resource-constrained devices such as nano satellites remains a significant challenge due to strict limitations in memory, energy, computation, and radiation tolerance. To this end, this review proposes the first comprehensive survey of onboard RSFMs deployment, where a unified deployment pipeline including RSFMs development, model compression techniques, and hardware optimization is introduced and surveyed in detail. Available hardware platforms are also discussed and compared, based on which some typical case studies for low Earth orbit (LEO) CubeSats are presented to analyze the feasibility of onboard RSFMs’ deployment. To conclude, this review aims to serve as a practical roadmap for future research on the deployment of RSFMs on edge devices, bridging the gap between the large-scale RSFMs and the resource constraints of spaceborne platforms for onboard computing. Full article

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is influenced by behavioral and genetic factors, yet evidence on eating behavior patterns and related genetic polymorphisms in Central Asian populations remains limited. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess eating behaviors among adults with and without MetS and evaluate their associations with clinical indicators and ADIPOQ rs266729 and MC4R rs17782313 variants. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 200 adults (115 non-MetS, 85 MetS) was conducted using Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), standardized clinical measurements, and PCR-RFLP genotyping. Results: Participants with MetS were older than non-MetS adults (52 vs. 47 years; p = 0.004) and had substantially higher systolic blood pressure (126 vs. 114 mmHg; p < 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (83 vs. 74 mmHg; p < 0.001), and BMI (32.2 vs. 25.9 kg/m²; p < 0.001). Waist circumference, hip circumference, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL were also significantly higher, while HDL was lower (1.13 ± 0.40 vs. 1.58 ± 1.50 mmol/L; p = 0.008). DEBQ restrained, emotional, and external eating scores showed no differences between groups (all p > 0.05). Eating behavior distribution was similar (p = 0.291). ADIPOQ genotypes (CC/CG/GG) did not differ by MetS status (p = 0.227), nor did MC4R variants (p = 0.679). Among MetS participants, clinical indicators did not vary across eating behavior categories, and no associations were observed between eating behavior and either polymorphism. Conclusions: Despite clear clinical and metabolic differences between MetS and non-MetS groups, neither eating behavior patterns nor ADIPOQ and MC4R variants were associated with metabolic measures among MetS group. Full article

Although technologies used in non-fossil methane and fossil resources to produce blue hydrogen are relatively mature, a system-integrated approach to reference system (RS)-based purification of H₂, CO₂ capture and storage, and UHS is relatively unexplored and requires research to fill gaps in the literature regarding balanced permutations and geological viability for net-zero requirements. This research proposes a system-integrated process for H₂ production through a PSA-based purification technique coupled with amine-based CO₂ capture and underground hydrogen storage (UHS). The intellectual novelty of the research is its first quantitative treatment of synergistic effects such as heat recovery and pressure-matching across units. Additionally, a site separation technique is applied, where H₂ and CO₂ reservoirs are selected based on the permeability of rock formations and fluids. On a research methodology front, a base case of a steam methane reforming process with the production of 99.99% pure H₂ at a production rate of 5932 kg/h is modeled and simulated using Aspen Plus™ to create a balanced permutation of mass and energy across units. As per the CO₂ capture requirements of this research, a capture of 90% of CO₂ is accomplished from the production of 755 t/d CO₂ within the model. The compressed CO₂ is permanently stored at specifically identified rock strata separated from storage reservoirs of H₂ to avoid empirically identified hazards of rock–fluid interaction at high temperatures and pressures. The lean amine cooling of CO₂ to 60 °C and elimination of tail-gas recompression simultaneously provides 5.4 MW_th of recovered heat. The integrated design achieves a net primary energy penalty of 18% of hydrogen’s LHV, down from ~25% in a standalone configuration. This corresponds to an energy saving of 8–12 MW, or approximately 15–18% of the primary energy demand. The research computes a production cost of H₂ of 0.98 USD per kg of H₂ within a production atmosphere of a commercialized WGS and non-fossil methane-based production of H₂. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis of ±23% of the energy requirements of the reference system shows no marked sensitivity within a production atmosphere of a commercially available WGS process. Full article

Scutellaria baicalensis is an important medicinal plant, and the diversity of its rhizosphere microbiota may influence its growth, development, and yield. Numerous studies have reported that warming associated with global climate change significantly altered plant-associated soil microbial diversity. To reveal the effects of night-time warming on the rhizosphere microbial community of S. baicalensis, soil microbial diversity in the rhizosphere (RS) and bulk soil (BS) of S. baicalensis were analyzed by employing bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ITS sequencing technology. Warming significantly altered both bacterial and fungal communities in the rhizosphere and bulk soils of S. baicalensis, with pronounced changes in OTU composition, relative abundances at both phylum and species levels. The analysis of alpha and beta diversity showed that warming significantly altered the fungal community structure in the rhizosphere soil (R² = 0.423, p < 0.05) and significantly reduced the species richness in the bulk soil of S. baicalensis (Shannon and Simpson index, p < 0.05). LEfSe and functional prediction analyses revealed that warming altered the taxonomic composition of both bacterial (35 taxa, LDA > 3) and fungal (24 taxa, LDA > 4) communities in rhizosphere and bulk soils of S. baicalensis, with multiple bacterial and fungal taxa serving as treatment-specific biomarkers. Functional predictions indicated that fungal functional groups, including saprotrophic and mycorrhizal guilds, were more strongly affected by warming than bacteria. Overall, warming has a significantly stronger impact on fungal communities in the rhizosphere and bulk soils of S. baicalensis than on bacteria, and has a significantly greater effect on the diversity of microbial communities in bulk soils than that in rhizosphere soils. This study provides important data for understanding the impact of global climate change on the rhizosphere microbial communities of cultivated plants. Full article

We investigated an exact solution in a conformal invariant Randall-Sundrum 5D warped brane world model on a time dependent Kerr-like spacetime. The singular points are determined by a quintic polynomial in the complex plane and fulfills Cauchy’s theorem on holomorphic functions. The solution, which is determined by a first-degree differential equation, shows many similarities with an instanton. In order to describe the quantum mechanical aspects of the black hole solution, we apply the antipodal boundary condition. The solution is invariant under time reversal and also valid in Riemannian space. Moreover, CPT invariance in maintained. The vacuum instanton solution follows from the 5D as well as the effective 4D brane equations, only when we allow the contribution of the projected 5D Weyl tensor on the brane (the KK-‘particles’). The topology of the effective 4D space of the brane is the projective $\mathbb{R}{P}^3$ (elliptic space) by identifying antipodal points on $S^3$. The 5D is completed by applying the Klein bottle embedding and the ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$ symmetry of the RS model. This model fits very well with the description of the Hawking radiation, which remains pure. We have also indicated a possible way to include fermions. Our 5D space admits a double cover of $S^3$ and after fibering to the $S^2$, we obtain the effective black hole horizon. The connection with the icosahedron discrete symmetry group is investigated. It seem that Bekenstein’s conjecture that the area of a black hole is quantized, could be applied to our model. Full article

Background and Objectives: The vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 (VKORC1) plays a central role in the vitamin K cycle, which is essential for γ-carboxylation of multiple bone-related proteins. Genetic variants in VKORC1 may influence bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoporosis risk. Materials and Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate the association between VKORC1 polymorphisms and osteopenia and osteoporosis. Relevant studies were identified through PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Data on study characteristics, genotypes, BMD measurement, ethnicity, sex, and menopausal status were extracted. Results: Six studies comprising 7335 participants were included. All studies assessed BMD using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The mean participant age ranged from 41.9 to 63.7 years. The VKORC1 variants most frequently studied, which were included in the meta-analysis, were rs9923231 and rs9934438. The overall effect of VKORC1 risk alleles on osteopenia/osteoporosis was significant with a p = 0.041 (fixed effects OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.01–1.35). Heterogeneity among studies was insignificant (I² = 0%, p = 0.893). Conclusions: A modest association was observed for the VKORC1 variants. The current body of evidence requires further studies to elucidate whether VKORC1 polymorphisms have a clinically meaningful role in bone health. Full article

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDSs) are essential for stormwater management in urban areas, with varying hydrological, social, ecological, and economic benefits. Nevertheless, choosing the SUDS most appropriate for public spaces poses a challenge when balancing details/specifications against community decisions, primarily social implications and perceptions. Building on the SUDS design pillar of the amenity, this study outlines a three-phase methodological framework for selecting SUDS based on social facilitation. The first phase introduces the application of the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and Classificatory Expectation–Maximization (CEM) techniques by modeling complex social interdependencies to find critical components related to urban planning. A Likert scale survey was also conducted with 440 urban dwellers in Tunja (Colombia), which identified three dimensions: Residential Satisfaction (RS), Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change (RACC), and Community Participation (CP). In the second phase, the factors identified above were transformed into eight operational criteria, which were weighted using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) with the collaboration of 35 international experts in SUDS planning and implementation. In the third phase, these weighted criteria were used to evaluate and classify 13 types of SUDSs based on the experts’ assessments of their sub-criteria. The results deliver a clear message: cities must concentrate on solutions that will guarantee that water is managed to the best of their ability, not just safely, and that also enhance climate resilience, energy efficiency, and the ways in which public space is used. Among those options considered, infiltration ponds, green roofs, rain gardens, wetlands, and the like were the best-performing options, providing real and concrete uses in promoting a more resilient and sustainable urban water system. The methodology was also used in a real case in Tunja, Colombia. In its results, this approach proved not only pragmatic but also useful for all concerned, showing that the socio-cultural dimensions can be truly integrated into planning SUDSs and ensuring success. Full article

Resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) provides insight into the intrinsic organization of brain networks and is increasingly recognized as a sensitive marker of age-related neural changes. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) offers a portable and cost-effective approach to measuring rsFC, including in naturalistic settings. However, its sensitivity to age-related alterations in network topology remains poorly characterized. Here, we applied graph-based analysis to resting-state fNIRS data from 57 healthy participants, including 26 young adults (YA, 18–30 years) and 31 older adults (OA, 50–77 years). We observed that older adults exhibited a marked attenuation of low-frequency oscillation (LFO) power across all hemoglobin contrasts, corresponding to a 5–6-fold reduction in spectral power. In addition, network analysis revealed altered topological organization under matched sparsity conditions, characterized by reduced degree heterogeneity and increased segregation in older adults, with the strongest differences observed in the default mode (DMN), auditory, and frontoparietal control (FPC) networks. Network visualizations further indicated a shift toward more right-lateralized and posterior hub organization in older adults. Together, the coexistence of reduced oscillatory power and increased connectivity suggests that fNIRS-derived rsFC reflects combined neural and non-neural hemodynamic influences, including increased coherence arising from age-related vascular and systemic physiological processes. Overall, our findings demonstrate that fNIRS is sensitive to age-related changes in large-scale hemodynamic network organization. At the same time, sensitivity to non-neural hemodynamics highlights the need for cautious interpretation, but it may provide complementary, clinically relevant signatures of aging-related changes. Full article

The pharmacologic management of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) presents a challenge to clinicians due to the interindividual variability in drug response to available medications. There is evidence that CYP2C9 is associated with the response to PDA treatment; however, no data from the Middle East is available. This study aimed to investigate the association between CYP2C8 and CYP2C9 genetic polymorphisms and response to ibuprofen or indomethacin in neonates with PDA. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of neonates with a gestational age < 32 weeks and birthweight < 1500 g with PDA between 2019 and 2023. Eligible neonates were those diagnosed with PDA and treated with at least one course of ibuprofen or indomethacin. Genotyping was performed to identify four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), namely CYP2C8*3 rs10509681, CYP2C9*2 rs1799853, CYP2C9 rs2153628, and CYP2C9*3 rs1057910. Allele frequencies were compared between responders and non-responders, and non-genetic predictors were assessed using logistic regression. A total of 146 infants were identified. Of these, 86 were enrolled. Genetic analysis showed that the heterozygote genotype (TC) for the CYP2C8 gene was the most common (45%), while wild-type alleles were predominant for CYP2C9 variants. No significant differences in allele frequencies were found between responders and non-responders to the treatment (p > 0.05). In a secondary analysis, the need for multiple surfactant doses independently predicted poor response (aOR 0.244, 95% CI 0.086–0.693, p = 0.008), while extremely low birth weight showed a borderline association (aOR 0.281, 95% CI 0.062–1.268, p = 0.099). Carriers of CYP2C8*3 rs10509681, CYP2C9*2 rs1799853, CYP2C9 rs2153628, and CYP2C9*3 rs1057910 were not associated with variations in response to NSAIDs. Full article

Background: Accurate assessment of prolonged disorders of consciousness (pDOC) is a critical clinical challenge. Misdiagnosis in pDOC can occur in up to 40% of cases, highlighting the need for more objective and reproducible biomarkers to support neurophysiological scales, thereby improving diagnosis and guiding therapeutic and prognostic decisions. Electroencephalography (EEG) microstate analysis is a promising, non-invasive method for tracking large-scale brain dynamics, but research in pDOC has predominantly relied on a canonical 4-class model. This methodological constraint may limit the ability to capture the full complexity of neural alterations present in these patients. Objective: This pilot study aimed to offer an objective method for assessing consciousness, complementing and enhancing the existing approaches established in the literature. The classical 4-class and an extended 7-class microstate model were compared to determine which more accurately characterizes the complexity of resting-state brain dynamics across different levels of consciousness in pDOC patients and healthy controls (HCs). Methods: Retrospective resting-state EEG (rsEEG) data from a cohort of pDOC patients and HC subjects were analyzed. Microstate analysis was performed using both 4-class and 7-class templates. The models were evaluated and compared based on three criteria: spatial correspondence with canonical maps (shared variance), the number of significant intra-group correlations between temporal features (Spearman test), and their ability to discriminate between the pDOC and HC groups (Wilcoxon test). Results: The 7-class microstate model provided a more accurate description of brain activity for most participants, with a greater number of microstate classes exceeding the 50% shared variance threshold compared to the 4-class model. In the pDOC group, both the 4-class and 7-class models showed a mean shared variance <50% in class D, which is associated with executive functioning across both templates. For the HC group, a prevalence of classes B and D emerged in both models, indicating higher engagement of executive functions. Furthermore, the 7-class model allowed for a group-specific analysis, which demonstrated that microstates A and F were consistently shared among 86% of pDOC patients. This suggests the potential preservation of specific intrinsic brain networks, particularly the sensory and default networks, even in the presence of severely impaired consciousness. Moreover, the 7-class model yielded a higher number of significant correlations within both groups and identified a broader set of temporal features that were significantly different between pDOC patients and HCs. These results highlight the enhanced sensitivity of the 7-class model in distinguishing subtle brain dynamics and improving the diagnostic capability for pDOC. Conclusions: The 7-class microstate model provides a more fine-grained and sensitive characterization of brain activity in both pDOC patients and healthy individuals. It demonstrated better performance in capturing individual brain dynamics, identifying shared network patterns, and discriminating between clinical populations. These findings suggest that the extended 7-class model holds greater potential for clinical utility and could lead to the development of more robust biomarkers for assessing consciousness. Full article