Search Results (1,131)

Spot blotch has become a major devastating disease in wheat. In the current study, Faisalabad-08 was supplemented with various levels of selenium (Se) both in vitro and in greenhouse experiments (CRD, n = 3) to counter the spot blotch pathogen. The results revealed that minimum disease incidence was assessed in the case of T₂ (50 mg L⁻¹). However, maximum plant growth attributes, including plant height (PH), plant fresh weight (PFW), plant dry weight (PDW), leaf surface area (LSA), and root length (RL), were recorded in T₅ (50 mg L⁻¹ + pathogen). Similarly, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, membrane stability index, carotenoid, relative water contents, proline, sugar, flavonoid, total phenolic content, SOD, POD, CAT, PPO, and PAL contents were enhanced in T₅ compared to other tested treatments. However, MDA, an oxidative damage marker, was significantly decreased with T₅. Correlation, PCA, and heatmap analysis suggested that all the attributes were significantly interrelated, except MDA, in defining the crop’s potential to sustain its growth under biotic stress. In crux, foliar Se application (50 mg L⁻¹) effectively mitigates spot blotch through enhanced antioxidant defense and physiological homeostasis. This sustainable approach offers a viable alternative to conventional fungicides for integrated wheat disease management. Full article

This study investigates the influence of laser spot size (Ø100 µm vs. Ø50 µm) on the microstructure, transformation behavior, and hardness of Ti-51.17 at.%Ni shape memory alloy samples fabricated by laser powder bed fusion. Samples were produced using identical processing parameters covering laser powers of 50–150 W, scanning speeds of 500–750 mm/s, and matched volumetric energy densities (28–83 J/mm³), with spot size as the only variable. Although both laser spot sizes produced comparable melt pool geometries and predominantly B2 austenite matrices with minor fractions of B19′ martensite, the Ø50 µm samples exhibited finer microstructures, higher residual stresses, and lower martensitic transformation temperatures in the as-built state. Heat treatment at 800 °C reduced residual stresses and partially homogenized the microstructure; however, differences in their transformation behavior remained. These differences were attributed to the spot-size-dependent Ni evaporation. Although transformation temperatures increased with increasing energy density for both conditions, the Ø50 µm samples consistently showed lower values. In the 55–83 J/mm³ volumetric energy density range, the estimated Ni content ranged from 51.15 to 50.42 at.%, and the Ø50 µm samples showed approximately 0.1–0.2 at.% greater Ni loss than their Ø100 µm counterparts. These findings demonstrate that Ni evaporation is a laser-spot-size-dependent phenomenon that must be considered when processing near-equiatomic Ti-Ni alloys. Full article

Neonatal screening using Dried Blood Spot (DBS) cards is an important and successful public health facility in Europe, enabling early detection of congenital disorders for early treatment and prevention of overt disease. Biobanks of stored DBS cards offer significant potential for biomedical research. Biobanking and secondary use of DBS cards also raise ethical and legal issues, particularly concerning the rights of parents and children. This study provides a comprehensive overview of legislation and legal practices governing DBS biobanking across 29 European countries, based on a survey conducted in collaboration with the International Society for Neonatal Screening. Findings reveal a highly heterogeneous landscape: 15 countries have national legislation, five have regional guidelines, and nine lack formal regulations. Only four countries require explicit parental consent for DBS storage, with considerable variation in approval processes for research use. A harmonization of practices, with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as a basis for future regulation, supplemented by clearer guidance on ‘public interest’ and robust safeguards for individual rights may lead to more transparent and consistent governance, which is essential to balance scientific progress with the protection of parental and children’s rights in DBS-based research across Europe. Full article

Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) results from inflammatory responses that leave persistent dark spots around pores after acne lesions are resolved. This pigmentation is caused by increased melanogenesis in melanocytes stimulated by acne-causing bacteria, followed by phagocytosis of excess melanin by macrophages that remain in the dermis. Therefore, to eliminate PIH caused by acne, it is essential not only to suppress excessive melanin synthesis by melanocytes but also to promote the degradation of melanin retained within macrophages. In this study, we investigated whether a culture extract of Bacillus velezensis AmoreLumina (AL), containing more than 80% moranoline (1-Deoxynojirimycin), could inhibit acne-induced pigmentation. Moranoline reduces melanin synthesis by inhibiting the glycosylation of tyrosinase, a key melanogenic enzyme, thereby suppressing its activity. The extract suppressed the upregulation of melanogenic enzymes (tyrosinase, TRP1, and TRP2) and melanin production in melanocytes exposed to acne bacteria, while promoting melanin degradation via macrophage lysosomal activity, as assessed by the relative protein expression level of p62 using Western blotting. Furthermore, in an ex vivo human skin model subjected to acne and ultraviolet radiation-induced pigmentation, treatment with the extract (0.2%) significantly reduced pigmentation (relative delta L 2.98, p value < 0.01). These findings suggest that cosmetic or pharmaceutical formulations incorporating AL extract or moranoline may potentially improve PIH caused by acne-related inflammation. Full article

Background/Objectives: Particle arc therapy (PArc) is an emerging radiotherapy technique with the potential to improve dose conformity and organ-at-risk (OAR) sparing, while also enhancing biological effectiveness through favourable dose-averaged linear energy transfer (${\mathrm{LET}}_{\mathrm{d}}$) distributions. This scoping review aimed to evaluate the current evidence on PArc, including dosimetric, biological, and delivery-related outcomes, and to identify key limitations and future research directions. Methods: Following the PRISMA-ScR 2018 guidelines, a systematic search was conducted across MEDLINE, Scopus, and Google Scholar in December 2025, identifying 74 relevant studies. Eligible studies included peer-reviewed articles reporting treatment planning, dosimetric, biological, or delivery outcomes, with comparisons to conventional particle therapy techniques. Data were extracted and synthesised qualitatively due to heterogeneity in study designs, reported metrics, and outcome definitions. Results: Relative to conventional particle therapy techniques, PArc generally demonstrated maintained target coverage, enhanced conformity (median relative improvement in conformity index: 6.3%), and more variable dose homogeneity. Improved OAR sparing and reduced integral dose (median relative reduction in integral dose: 10.5%) were commonly observed, although these benefits were sometimes accompanied by an increased low-dose bath, reflecting a trade-off between low-dose and intermediate–high-dose regions. Reductions in intermediate-to-high dose volumes were often associated with improved modelled biological outcomes, including reduced predicted normal tissue complication probabilities and secondary cancer risk. Enhanced ${\mathrm{LET}}_{\mathrm{d}}$ distributions were reported, with redistribution of high ${\mathrm{LET}}_{\mathrm{d}}$ from surrounding healthy tissue to the tumour volume, particularly in studies of carbon-ion arc therapy and radioresistant tumours. Robustness findings were mixed, with trade-offs among conformity, homogeneity, delivery efficiency, and ${\mathrm{LET}}_{\mathrm{d}}$ enhancement, and strong dependence on tumour site, delivery strategy, and evaluation method. Delivery efficiency was also variable, depending on machine capabilities and optimisation strategies. Conclusions: PArc shows significant potential to improve radiotherapy outcomes; however, the current evidence is largely limited to in silico studies. Further research is required to establish standardised methodologies and evaluation frameworks, integrate biological optimisation, and validate findings through prospective clinical studies before routine clinical implementation can be achieved. Full article

Shallot (Allium cepa var. aggregatum) is an annual herbaceous plant of the Amaryllidaceae family cultivated worldwide for its gastronomic importance, unique flavour, and nutritional properties. In Ecuador, shallot is considered an emerging crop; however, the lack of effective detection and treatment options for phytoviruses remains a challenge for farmers. These viruses negatively impact crop yield, leading to substantial economic losses and declining crop quality. Simultaneous infections can synergistically exacerbate crop damage. In this study, the molecular detection of the five most common shallot viruses—Shallot latent virus (SLV), Onion yellow dwarf virus (OYDV), Shallot virus X (ShVX), Leek yellow stripe virus (LYSV), and Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV)—were investigated in shallots obtained from different market suppliers in Quito, Ecuador. We identified two viruses using RT-PCR: SLV (latent) and IYSV (responsible for severe disease symptoms). Shoot tip culture produced shallot plants completely free of IYSV, while SLV persisted in the regenerated plants. This study reports IYSV for the first time in shallots in Ecuador and shows that shoot tip culture can serve as a partial cleaning method to improve crop quality and support more effective pathogen management and control strategies. Full article

Staphylococcus aureus is an important zoonotic pathogen that threatens public health, food safety, and livestock production. Bacteriophages are promising antibacterial agents for controlling antimicrobial-resistant S. aureus, but their biological properties and genomic safety require systematic evaluation. In this study, three S. aureus phages, vB_SauL_202501, vB_SauM_202502, and vB_SauL_202503, were isolated from sewage samples and characterized by morphological observation, biological assays, whole-genome sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis. Transmission electron microscopy showed that vB_SauL_202501 and vB_SauL_202503 exhibited siphovirus-like morphology, whereas vB_SauM_202502 displayed myovirus-like morphology. Among the three phages, vB_SauM_202502 showed a relatively broader lytic spectrum and stronger sustained lytic activity in the spot assay. The optimal multiplicities of infection were 0.1, 0.1, and 0.01, respectively, and vB_SauL_202503 showed the shortest latent period, approximately 30 min. All three phages retained detectable infectivity at pH 5–10 and 4–37 °C, while vB_SauM_202502 maintained relatively high residual titers after heat treatment and ultraviolet irradiation. Genome analysis revealed double-stranded DNA genomes of 43,180–44,630 bp with GC contents of approximately 33.5%. No typical antimicrobial resistance genes or definitive auxiliary metabolic genes were identified. However, genes associated with lysogenic regulation, recombination, or immune modulation were detected in some phages, indicating that their lifestyles and application safety require further validation. These findings enrich S. aureus phage resources and provide a basis for the comparative characterization and safety assessment of candidate phages. Full article

The voluntary carbon market (VCM) has faced sustained legitimacy stress since 2023, when peer-reviewed work found that fewer than one in six issued credits represented a real emission reduction. In parallel, tokenisation through Web3 protocols, decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs), and regenerative finance (ReFi) infrastructures introduced new participants interacting with incumbent registries without a shared coordination framework. Existing scholarship examines commons governance, complex system governance (CSG), and tokenised carbon markets largely in isolation; the gap addressed here is the absence of an integrated system-of-systems (SoS) governance treatment of the tokenised VCM. This study develops and empirically applies a polycentric SoS governance framework for the tokenised VCM, structured around four research questions and five foundational contributions. We treat the tokenised VCM as an SoS that is polycentric in configuration but not by design, and develop a system-of-systems engineering (SoSE) governance reading of it. We reformulate Ostrom’s eight design principles as SoS governance criteria for digital–physical hybrid commons, map each to CSG metasystem functions, and apply the framework to four cases: KlimaDAO, Toucan Protocol, Regen Network, and the post-2023 Verra reforms. Qualitative coding is complemented by on-chain and Base Carbon Tonne spot-price evidence from October 2021 to December 2025. Disclosure by an analytical intermediary acted on the SoS roughly seven weeks before formal regulatory action and was associated with about 90% of the observed bridging slowdown, interpreted descriptively rather than causally. We derive an eight-item reform agenda, six DAO–registry interface specifications, and a five-level governance maturity rubric. Full article

Background: Classical phenylketonuria (PKU) requires the lifelong dietary restriction of phenylalanine-containing foods. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of a phenylalanine-restricted diet on carnitine, amino acid, vitamin, and mineral status in children with classical PKU. Methods: This case–control study included 30 children with classical PKU and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Dietary adherence was categorized as good, moderate, or poor according to blood phenylalanine concentrations during the preceding year. Dried blood spot amino acid and acylcarnitine profiles combined with serum micronutrient and hematological parameters were analyzed. Results: No significant differences were observed between the PKU and control groups regarding tyrosine, free carnitine (C0), acetyl carnitine (C2), valine, or methionine concentrations (p > 0.05). Arginine levels were significantly lower in the PKU group than in controls (40.14 ± 29.89 vs. 48.25 ± 16.08 µmol/L, p = 0.008). Vitamin B12, folate, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and mean corpuscular volume were significantly higher in patients with PKU (all p < 0.05). Dietary adherence exhibited a strong negative correlation with phenylalanine concentrations (r = −0.86, p < 0.001), a moderate negative correlation with the phenylalanine-to-tyrosine ratio (r = −0.56, p = 0.001), and a moderate negative correlation with body mass index (r = −0.55, p = 0.002). Conclusions: Children with classical PKU receiving long-term dietary treatment maintained adequate carnitine and micronutrient status. Reduced arginine concentrations observed in treated children with classical PKU warrant further investigation, although their clinical significance remains uncertain. Full article

Laser shock peening (LSP) is an advanced surface modification technique that significantly enhances the fatigue resistance of metallic components through the synergistic implantation of deep compressive residual stresses (CRSs) and gradient microstructural refinement. Existing investigations have shown that LSP can generate strengthening layers extending from several hundred micrometers to approximately 1 mm in depth, with affected zones reaching 5–6 times the depth typically achieved by conventional shot peening in representative titanium alloys. In specific cases, LSP has increased the fatigue limit from 483.2 MPa to 593.6 MPa, corresponding to an improvement of approximately 22.8%, while optimized treatment of Ti-17 compressor blades has extended fatigue life by more than two orders of magnitude. This review systematically elucidates the anti-fatigue strengthening mechanisms of LSP across a range of metallic systems, with emphasis on three key aspects: (i) the mechanistic retardation of fatigue crack initiation and propagation, mediated by CRS-induced reductions in the stress intensity factor and enhanced crack closure effects; (ii) the parametric sensitivity of surface integrity and stress field homogeneity to laser energy density, spot overlap ratio, and multiple-impact sequencing; and (iii) the process-specific characteristics of emerging LSP variants, including laser peening without coating, warm laser shock peening, and cryogenic laser shock peening. Furthermore, we critically evaluate the role of multiscale numerical simulations—encompassing macroscopic finite element analysis, mesoscopic crystal plasticity modeling, and molecular dynamics—in optimizing process parameters and predicting fatigue life. By integrating experimental, computational, and theoretical perspectives, this review establishes a coherent process–structure–property framework to guide the rational design of LSP protocols for targeted fatigue performance enhancement. Full article

Agricultural production faces increasing pressure to improve efficiency while reducing chemical inputs and environmental impacts. Laser-based technologies have attracted attention because their wavelength, energy input, exposure duration, and spatial delivery can be adjusted for different biological targets and operational purposes. This review provides a stage-oriented synthesis of laser-based biostimulation, optical sensing, and targeted physical control across crop production and postharvest stages, including seed treatment and seedling establishment, field growth management, ripening and quality assessment, and postharvest preservation. Rather than treating laser-based technologies as a single uniform approach, this review focuses on technical functions, key operating parameters, possible interaction mechanisms, and evidence levels. Particular attention is given to how wavelength, power density, delivered energy dose or fluence, spot size, and exposure duration affect biological responses, sensing performance, and physical treatment efficacy. Current evidence indicates that many applications remain limited to laboratory studies, controlled-environment tests, field demonstrations, or engineering prototypes. Major challenges include parameter standardization, mechanistic validation, environmental robustness, model transferability, crop or product safety, equipment cost, and system integration. Future research should emphasize mechanism-informed dose–response assessment, adaptive sensing and control, multi-source data fusion, product-specific validation, and techno-economic evaluation. Full article

The fracturing design of horizontal wells in low-permeability reservoirs mostly relies on static data such as logging data, and insufficient utilization of while-drilling information from drilling and mud logging leads to an unreliable basis for staged fracturing and cluster design, making it difficult to achieve efficient reservoir stimulation. To address this issue, this paper takes mechanical specific energy (MSE) as the core engineering parameter. Based on the drilling and mud logging data from the horizontal section of an example well, a mechanical specific energy model is established after data preprocessing. The K-medoids unsupervised clustering algorithm is adopted to realize the fine division of fracturing stages, and the optimal number of stages is determined using the elbow method. A fracturing sweet spot index (FSI) is constructed using the random forest algorithm. This index integrates four key parameters: oil saturation, porosity, permeability, and mechanical specific energy to optimize perforation cluster placement. The proposed method is validated through finite element numerical simulation and field data comparison. The research results show that the optimal division of the example well is determined as 11 stages with six clusters per stage, and the matching degree between stage-cluster division and reservoir heterogeneity is significantly improved. Compared with the original scheme, the stimulated reservoir volume (SRV) of the optimized construction scheme is increased by 19.6%, and the treatment pressure exhibits an obvious overall reduction trend, as demonstrated by the construction pressure curves. The research indicates that this method can make full use of drilling while-drilling data to realize integrated geological and engineering evaluations of fracturing and optimization of staged fracturing and cluster designs, and can provide effective technical support for the fracturing optimization design of horizontal wells in low-permeability reservoirs lacking complete logging data. Full article

Fruit and vegetable wastes can be recycled into value-added fermentation broths (FBs) through anaerobic fermentation, but the characteristics of FBs and the effects on soil ecological processes remain insufficiently understood. This study analyzed FBs produced from 14 wastes and selected five FBs (garlic, tomato, sweet potato, apple, and lettuce) for pot experiments. The results showed significant differences among the FBs in nutrients, enzymes, and microbial communities. Garlic FB had the highest concentrations of ammonium nitrogen (309.81 mg/L), total phosphorus (327.73 mg/L), total potassium (1365.8 mg/L), and organic matter (28.99 g/L), along with the highest activity of acid phosphatase, urease, protease, and catalase (p < 0.05). FB application improved soil nutrient availability and enzyme activities, with garlic FB showing the strongest effects, increasing catalase, urease, acid phosphatase, and β-glucosidase by 83.34%, 180.72%, 112.34%, and 21.95%, respectively. Metagenomic analysis revealed that the soil treated with garlic FB contained beneficial taxa, including Saprospiraceae, Chitinophagaceae, Azotobacter, and Sphingomonas, which are associated with enzyme production and organic matter decomposition. Furthermore, the application of FBs reduced the incidence of downy mildew and leaf spot and promoted the growth of Brassica chinensis. Though chemical fertilizer produced the highest biomass due to immediate nutrient availability, the FB treatments, especially garlic FB, showed advantages concerning soil health, disease suppression, and sustainability, highlighting their potential for organic waste recycling and sustainable agriculture. Full article

UAV-based weed detection in precision agriculture is constrained by asymmetric error costs: a missed weed patch causes herbicide under-treatment and yield loss, whereas a false alarm only prompts an unnecessary spot treatment. Cost-sensitive active learning (cAL) addresses this through an asymmetric misclassification penalty $r^{+}$, but the optimal value is scene-dependent and cannot be determined without domain expertise or advance knowledge of scene difficulty—a fundamental barrier to autonomous UAV monitoring workflows. We propose AdaRisk-Agent, the first LLM-orchestrated framework for adaptive $r^{+}$ calibration in cAL-based UAV weed detection. We validate the framework on four UAV multispectral scenes from two public datasets—WeedsGalore (Germany, five-band maize) and WeedyRice (Vietnam, four-band paddy)—spanning two crop types, two sensor configurations, and weed prevalence from 3.1% to 30.5%. Adaptive calibration reduces the false-negative rate (FNR) by up to $80\%$ relative to symmetric-cost baselines across all scenes. The deterministic surrogate (AdaRisk-Rule) surpasses the fixed-policy oracle (cAL $r^{+}=7$) on two of four scenes without advance scene knowledge, achieving a $50\%$ FNR reduction on the most spectrally challenging scene. A context-feature ablation confirms that budget urgency is the primary calibration signal and that test-set-independent deployment is feasible. Each calibration decision is accompanied by a natural-language justification, enabling auditable deployment in operational precision agriculture workflows. Future work will extend AdaRisk-Agent to multi-class weed species detection and multi-scene meta-learning for compact offline surrogate policies. Full article

The persistent accumulation of tetracycline (TC) antibiotics in aquatic environments poses severe ecological and public health risks, necessitating the development of multifunctional platforms capable of simultaneous detection and degradation. Herein, we report magnetically recoverable plasmonic Fe₃O₄/Cu₂O-Ag nanocomposites (NCs) that integrate visible-light-driven photocatalysis with ultrasensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection. Hierarchical flower-like Fe₃O₄ nanocrystals were employed as magnetic supports, followed by in situ growth of Cu₂O nanocrystals and controlled deposition of Ag nanocrystals. The optimized composite (FCA-2) exhibited enhanced visible-light absorption (E_g = 1.86 eV), suppressed electron–hole recombination, and improved photocurrent response, which were attributed to Schottky barrier formation at the Cu₂O-Ag interface and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effects. Under simulated solar irradiation, FCA-2 NCs achieved 91.79% degradation of TC within 60 min, following pseudo-first-order kinetics (k = 20.37 × 10⁻³ min⁻¹). Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations revealed that optimal Ag loading maximized plasmonic “hot spot” density, thereby enhancing electromagnetic field intensity and SERS performance. The FCA-2 substrate enabled ultrasensitive TC detection with a limit of detection of as low as 10⁻¹⁰ M. Moreover, the superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄ core allowed for rapid magnetic separation and sustained performance over multiple SERS–photocatalysis cycles, with negligible signal attenuation after 30 days. This work presents a rational strategy for constructing plasmonic magnetic NCs that synergistically couple photocatalytic remediation, ultrasensitive sensing, and magnetic recyclability, offering significant potential for integrated environmental monitoring and sustainable water treatment applications. Full article