Search Results (4,054)

To clarify cultivar differences in growth performance, yield formation, and bioactive characteristics at the sprout and fresh seed stages, twelve pea cultivars were evaluated. Growth traits, yield formation, and changes in phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity during sprouting were assessed, and the nutritional quality and mineral element composition of fresh seeds were also determined. The results showed that cultivars 24-164 and 24-510 exhibited low germination rates and severe cotyledon decay, making them unsuitable for sprout production. Significant differences were observed among the remaining cultivars in growth traits, edible ratio, and yield efficiency, with cultivars 24-724 and 24-486 showing superior processing efficiency and utilization value. During sprouting, total phenolic and total flavonoid contents, as well as 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), were significantly influenced by both cultivar and light exposure stage. Root length and root diameter were significantly and positively correlated with phenolic accumulation and antioxidant activity. Analysis of fresh seed quality revealed marked inter-cultivar variation in nutritional and health-related traits. Cultivar 24-486 exhibited the highest values for phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, vitamin C, vitamin E, and Fe and Se accumulation, whereas cultivar 24-013 showed advantages in calcium and potassium contents. These results identify cultivars 24-724 and 24-486 as promising candidates for sprout production and highlight cultivar 24-486 as a dual-purpose genotype for both sprout and fresh seed utilization. Full article

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a microorganism commonly found in water and food matrices, and its rapid and accurate detection is crucial for maintaining public health and ensuring food safety. However, traditional molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) sensors often face challenges such as tedious template removal and prolonged sensing times. This study develops a label-free bacterial molecularly imprinted sensor that utilizes the synergistic effect of polypyrrole (PPy) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to achieve highly sensitive detection of E. coli. Based on the large specific surface area and superior conductivity of MWCNTs, as well as the favorable electrochemical polymerization properties of PPy, a PPy/MWCNTs composite film was fabricated via a one-step electropolymerization process. The prepared sensor exhibited excellent kinetic characteristics, with a template removal time of only 15 min, and could be regenerated and used for subsequent detection within 30 min. Under optimized conditions, the biosensor showed a satisfactory linear response over the concentration range of 10²–10⁸ CFU/mL, with a low detection limit of 65 CFU/mL (3σ/S). Furthermore, recovery experiments conducted in tap water and lemon juice samples yielded satisfactory recoveries ranging from 87.1% to 114.8%, demonstrating the reliability and practical applicability of the proposed sensor for bacterial detection in real samples. This sensor offers advantages such as simple preparation, low material cost, and high sensitivity, providing a reliable and practical analytical platform for the rapid and reliable detection of bacteria. Full article

Background/Objectives: Although digital workflows for complete denture fabrication are increasingly implemented in clinical practice, randomized controlled pilot trials directly comparing their clinical performance and patient satisfaction with conventional complete dentures (CCDs) remain scarce. This study aimed to compare patient satisfaction and clinical effectiveness between conventionally and digitally fabricated complete dentures (DCDs). Methods: In the present exploratory randomized controlled clinical pilot study using a cross-over design, 15 edentulous patients received both a conventionally fabricated and a digitally fabricated complete denture in randomized order. Each denture was worn for a three-month adaptation period. Patients were blinded to the fabrication method. Oral health-related quality of life was assessed using the OHIP-G49 questionnaire, and clinical performance was evaluated using standardized criteria at baseline, after three months with the first denture, and after three months with the second denture. Results: Both fabrication methods yielded satisfactory clinical outcomes in all patients. All 15 patients rated the DCDs as highly satisfactory, while 14 patients rated the CCDs equally favorably; one patient was unable to tolerate the conventional denture. DCDs demonstrated a slight but consistent advantage in oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) scores. Conclusions: Both conventional and digital complete dentures are clinically effective and well accepted by edentulous patients. However, DCDs offer a modest improvement in patient satisfaction and OHRQoL. Digitally fabricated complete dentures provide comparable clinical results to conventional methods while offering potential advantages in patient comfort and perceived quality of life. Given the exploratory nature of the study and the limited sample size, the results should be interpreted with caution and primarily serve to inform future, adequately powered randomized clinical trials. Full article

The deep integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain technology enables emerging applications in multi-party collaboration and trusted data sharing. However, the scalability constraints of blockchain networks remain a major bottleneck when handling high-frequency interactions in IoT–blockchain systems. Sharding addresses this challenge by partitioning the blockchain network into parallel sub-networks. Nevertheless, it introduces significant coordination overhead for cross-shard transactions. Among mitigation strategies, Broker-based mechanisms (e.g., BrokerChain) have attracted increasing attention for their efficiency in handling cross-shard communication by reducing verification overhead and communication latency. Despite these advantages, existing research typically treats the Broker group as a fixed configuration, neglecting the impact of Broker selection on system performance. To bridge this gap, this paper proposes the Accumulative Activity–Temporal Liveness Broker Selection Strategy (AT-BSS) to optimize cross-shard transaction processing in sharded IoT–blockchains. Specifically, we formally characterize the Accumulative Activity and Temporal Liveness of accounts in the account–transaction network and use these two metrics to identify accounts that maximize transaction-aggregation efficiency. We implement AT-BSS on the BlockEmulator platform and evaluate it against two baselines, namely, ABChain and BrokerChain. Under different settings of the number of Brokers (BrokerNum), number of shards (ShardNum), transaction arrival rate (InjectSpeed), and maximum block size (MaxBlockSize), AT-BSS consistently outperforms both baselines in terms of Transactions Per Second (TPS), Transaction Confirmation Latency (TCL), and Cross-shard Transaction Ratio (CTX). Compared with ABChain, AT-BSS achieves up to 15.5% higher TPS and reduces TCL and CTX by up to 80.2% and 28.7%, respectively. AT-BSS yields more pronounced results over BrokerChain, with TPS improvements of up to 229% and reductions of up to 97.7% in TCL and 80.5% in CTX. Full article

Biosensors based on electrolyte-gated organic field-effect transistors (EGOFETs) have attracted considerable attention due to their advantages, including low cost, inherent signal amplification, and low-voltage operation. A critical step influencing sensing performance is the integration of specific receptors onto the device surface. Among various strategies, the covalent immobilization of biorecognition elements onto gold surfaces via thiol chemistry is one of the most widely used approaches. In this study, we report the optimization of a mixed self-assembled monolayer (SAM) composed of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (11-MUA) and 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MPA) for label-free detection of human IgG using EGOFETs. The quality of the SAM was systematically modulated by varying the total concentration from 10 to 400 mM and characterized using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The results revealed that a concentration of 50 mM yielded a densely packed and well-ordered monolayer. After covalent immobilization of anti-IgG antibodies via 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride/N-hydroxysuccinimide (EDC/NHS) chemistry and subsequent blocking with ethanolamine and bovine serum albumin (BSA), the functionalized gate electrodes were integrated into poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT)-based EGOFETs. Electrical measurements demonstrated that EGOFET biosensors functionalized with the 50 mM SAM achieved optimal sensing performance. The devices exhibited a highly linear response (R² = 0.998) over a wide concentration range from 1 fM to 10 nM, with a LOD of 2.82 fM, and showed excellent selectivity against non-target immunoglobulins A and M (IgA and IgM). This SAM concentration optimization strategy provides a versatile approach for engineering high-performance EGOFET biosensors, with potential applicability to a broad range of disease biomarkers. Full article

Lithium sulfide (Li₂S) is indispensable for lithium–sulfur batteries and sulfide solid-state batteries. However, its high preparation cost and strict process conditions represent core bottlenecks restricting large-scale commercial application. To address this issue, a novel process featuring a low-cost, high-safety, and controllable reaction is proposed in this work. Compared with the commercial H₂S-based route for Li₂S production, the developed process presents distinct advantages, including accessible raw materials, high safety, low overall cost, and low environmental load. Using Li₂SO₄·H₂O as the raw material and Ti as the reducing agent, high-purity T-Li₂S (>99.9%) is successfully synthesized via solid-state sintering and purification, yielding a higher purity level than that of commercial C-Li₂S (>99.7%). Furthermore, sulfide all-solid-state electrolytes T-Li_5.3PS_4.3ClBr_0.7 and C-Li_5.3PS_4.3ClBr_0.7 are prepared using the as-obtained T-Li₂S and commercial C-Li₂S as precursors, respectively. The room-temperature Li-ion conductivities are determined to be 14.5 mS/cm and 11.0 mS/cm, revealing faster ion migration and efficient ion transport in T-Li_5.3PS_4.3ClBr_0.7 without high-temperature assistance, which fully validates the feasibility of the proposed strategy. Overall, this work provides a new technical route for the preparation of high-purity Li₂S, showing promising application prospects. Full article

Introduction: Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men in Poland. Prognosis is generally poor, largely due to late diagnosis at advanced stages and the aggressive biological nature of the disease. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of various treatment modalities and determine their impact on overall survival in male patients diagnosed with small-cell (SCLC) and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed 1431 men (mean age: 61.5 years) treated at the Katowice Oncology Center in Poland between 2002 and 2012. Overall survival was assessed using the Kaplan–Meier method and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression. Evaluated prognostic factors included clinical stage, surgical intervention (partial or total lung resection), first-line treatment regimen, and the number of treatment cycles. Results: Survival probabilities declined progressively with advancing clinical stage for both SCLC and NSCLC. Patients who underwent surgical resection demonstrated significantly longer survival compared to non-surgically treated patients (p < 0.001). Furthermore, combined radiochemotherapy yielded superior therapeutic outcomes compared to chemotherapy alone. In the non-surgical NSCLC cohort, first-line treatment with platinum derivatives combined with gemcitabine resulted in the highest 1-year survival rate compared to other pharmacological schemes. Discussion: The high mortality observed within the first 12 months post diagnosis reflects the late-stage presentation common during the study period. The findings align with established oncological principles, confirming that surgical resection and multimodal therapies offer the greatest survival advantages for eligible patients. Conclusions: Survival rates for both SCLC and NSCLC are overwhelmingly dictated by early diagnosis and the feasibility of surgical resection. Improving long-term outcomes depends heavily on implementing effective lung cancer screening programs to detect the disease at operable stages and utilizing optimized combined treatment protocols. Full article

This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to determine the diagnostic yield of whole-exome and targeted-panel sequencing in children with hearing loss. We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library to identify studies describing cohorts of >50 families undergoing whole exome or targeted panel sequencing. Studies were excluded if they pre-screened for common deafness genes without including the data in final analyses, focused on syndromic hearing loss, or lacked diagnostic yield information. Meta-analysis employed a random-effects model of single proportions to determine yield across included studies. The pooled diagnostic yield for bilateral hearing loss was ~47%, while unilateral cases demonstrated a yield of only ~5% across both testing methods. These findings demonstrate that the diagnostic yield for bilateral hearing loss exceeds that of other conditions frequently requiring clinical genetic testing, such as epilepsy and intellectual disability, though this advantage does not extend to unilateral hearing loss. These results have important implications for healthcare policy decisions regarding genetic testing guidelines and funding. Full article

Background and Objectives: Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignancies of the urinary tract and poses a significant clinical challenge due to its biological heterogeneity and high rates of recurrence and progression. Urothelial carcinoma represents the predominant histological subtype, ranging from non-muscle-invasive disease with relatively favorable outcomes to aggressive muscle-invasive and metastatic forms associated with poor prognosis. Accurate diagnosis, staging, prognostic stratification, and assessment of treatment response are therefore essential for optimal patient management. The objective of this review is to summarize and critically evaluate the current evidence on the role of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in bladder cancer, with particular emphasis on [¹⁸F]FDG PET/CT and non-FDG radiotracers. Materials and Methods: A narrative review of the available literature was performed, focusing on clinical studies, review articles, and guideline documents addressing the use of PET/CT in bladder cancer. The literature search included articles published between 2000 and 2025, while earlier landmark studies were selectively included if considered historically important for understanding the development of PET/CT imaging in bladder cancer. The initial search yielded over 500 records; after screening titles and abstracts, more than 100 articles were selected for full-text evaluation. The analyzed evidence encompasses the clinical applications of [¹⁸F]FDG PET/CT and alternative radiotracers, including choline-, acetate-, methionine-, and sodium fluoride-based tracers, and fibroblast activation protein inhibitors (FAPI), across different stages of disease and clinical settings. Results: Conventional imaging modalities, such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, provide important anatomical information but remain limited in the evaluation of lymph node involvement, early metastatic disease, treatment response, and disease recurrence. Despite limitations related to physiological urinary excretion, [¹⁸F]FDG PET/CT has demonstrated clinical value in selected scenarios, particularly for staging, prognostic assessment, detection of recurrence, and response evaluation. To overcome FDG-related constraints, several non-FDG radiotracers have been investigated. Among these, FAPI PET/CT has emerged as a promising modality due to its ability to target the tumor stroma, potentially improving lesion detectability and tumor-to-background contrast. Conclusions: This review summarizes and critically evaluates current evidence on the role of PET/CT in bladder cancer, with a focus on [¹⁸F]FDG PET/CT and non-FDG radiotracers. The discussed studies highlight their applications in primary diagnosis, staging, prognostic assessment, detection of recurrence, and evaluation of treatment response, as well as their respective advantages and limitations. Furthermore, potential future directions for PET/CT imaging in clinical practice are outlined, emphasizing the need for further research to clarify the optimal use of established and emerging radiotracers. Full article

This paper investigates frequentist prediction methods for the Burr X distribution under Type II censored data. To address the challenges of small sample sizes and high censoring rates commonly encountered in survival analysis, we derive four point prediction methods: best unbiased prediction (BUP), maximum likelihood prediction (MLP), conditional median prediction (CMP), and median unbiased prediction (MUP). For interval prediction, we examine four approaches—the pivotal method, the Wald method, the highest conditional density (HCD) method, and the shortest-length method to construct prediction intervals. The finite-sample performance of these methods is evaluated through Monte Carlo simulations and illustrated using three real-world datasets. The results demonstrate that CMP provides the most stable point predictions, with its advantage being particularly pronounced in small samples due to the conditional median’s robustness to extreme values. For interval prediction, the pivotal method yields the most consistently reliable coverage. The shortest-length method exhibits high accuracy and efficiency. Analyses of three real datasets further validate the applicability of these methods to both complete and right-censored data. Full article

Weed control in rice remains a critical challenge in direct-seeded rice cultivation. This study combined field and laboratory experiments to compare the efficacy of nine herbicide combinations against weeds in dryland rice fields and to evaluate their impact on rice economic traits. A model was constructed using principal component analysis for comprehensive evaluation, aiming to identify optimal herbicide combinations for direct-seeded rice under shallow drip irrigation in Hinggan League. The results indicate that pendimethalin provides better pre-emergence control compared to oxadiargyl and pretilachlor. The combination of florpyrauxifen-benzyl + benzobicyclon provided optimal weed control efficacy and rice economic performance when applied as a foliar treatment. Forty-five days after application, weed control efficacy against Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv. and Amaranthus retroflexus L. was 72% and 85%, respectively, with fresh weight reduction of 63%. Theoretical yield reached 4285.48 kg·ha⁻¹. At rice harvest, no herbicide residues were detected in rice straw or grains across all treatments, confirming the safety of the applied treatment for rice. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to evaluate the comprehensive scores of each treatment, with pendimethalin + florpyrauxifen-benzyl + benzobicyclon achieving the highest score of 0.65. The study indicates that the combination of pendimethalin as a pre-emergence and florpyrauxifen-benzyl + benzobicyclon offers significant advantages in weed control efficacy and rice growth, achieving the highest comprehensive evaluation score. This combination holds important application value for weed control and grain yield assurance in direct-seeded rice fields. Full article

Total nitrogen (TN) is a critical indicator of water eutrophication. Conventional detection methods (e.g., alkaline potassium persulfate digestion and the Kjeldahl method) suffer from complex sample preparation, time-consuming operations, and reagent-induced pollution. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) offers unique advantages for rapid water quality analysis, yet it predominantly relies on costly actively Q-switched lasers, with passive Q-switching rarely explored due to multi-pulse output instability. This study employed a passively Q-switched laser as the excitation source for water TN measurement. By optimizing the multi-pulse trigger position, the signal-to-background ratio (SBR) was effectively enhanced. Combined with the substrate liquid–solid conversion method, key parameters (trigger delay, laser energy, argon flow rate) were optimized. Laboratory measurements of KNO₃ standard solutions (0–25 mg/L) using cyanogen (CN) molecular spectral lines yielded a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.98, and a limit of detection (LoD) of 2.19 mg/L. Tests on actual water samples showed relative deviations ranging from 3.93% to 6.39%. These results demonstrate that passively Q-switched LIBS is a viable, cost-effective solution for rapid water nitrogen detection. Full article

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) are powerful and flexible tools for identifying single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with quantitative traits (yield, stress resistance) in plants. Variable selection and machine learning are two effective approaches in GWAS. However, both face limitations in complex, noisy data analysis in the big-data era. In this study, we integrated variable selection and machine learning under the mixed linear model framework, proposing a novel method, the improved LASSO screening and sparse Bayesian learning algorithm (ILSBL). The ILSBL first corrects the polygenic and environmental noise, then reduces genotypic dimensionality by LASSO-based variable selection, and finally performs parameter estimation using sparse Bayesian learning. Two simulation experiments and association analyses of three flowering-time-related traits in Arabidopsis thaliana were conducted to validate the new algorithm. The results showed that, compared to established methods, the ILSBL exhibited flexibility in simulation studies and maintained robust performance under complex genetic backgrounds, achieving a favorable balance among statistical power, parameter estimation accuracy, runtime efficiency, and false-positive rate. The analysis of the real Arabidopsis datasets further confirmed the advantages of ILSBL for GWASs, with 30 candidate genes adjacent to significant quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) associated with flowering-related traits. These results provide valuable insights for a better understanding of the genetic basis underlying flowering-related traits in Arabidopsis. Full article

Cover crops (CCs) provide key ecosystem services, including nitrogen (N) retention and increased soil organic carbon (SOC), although their short-term benefits may be limited in dry continental climates. This study assessed a conservation system combining CC and non-inversion tillage (MT+CC) over a full crop rotation (sunflower–winter wheat–corn–sunflower) in south-eastern Romania, compared with plough-based tillage (PT). A randomized block design was conducted on a clay loam Luvisol, and N retention was estimated annually from soil mineral N and the biomass and N content of CC and weeds. MT+CC increased N retention during the first three years (+20.30 kg ha⁻¹ before corn; +26.67 kg ha⁻¹ before sunflower), but this advantage declined, and in year four PT showed higher N retention due to intensive weed growth. MT+CC reduced corn and sunflower yields, likely because of water competition and temporary N immobilization, but increased winter wheat yields. After four years, SOC was significantly higher under MT+CC (1.42%) than PT (1.37%), while total N remained unchanged, resulting in a higher C:N ratio. Consequently, in continental climates, CC use has a limited N retention potential, and excessively late CC sowing and termination is risky in crop rotations dominated by high-N-demand spring crops. Full article

Wheat straw is an abundant agricultural residue with high potential for carbohydrate-based bioconversion, yet its efficient utilization is limited by lignocellulosic recalcitrance. This study systematically investigated Organosolv extraction of wheat straw (Triticum aestivum) with the goal of achieving near-complete enzymatic hydrolysis at minimized process severity and energy demand. Process severity was evaluated using the P-Factor concept. In preliminary screening, acid catalysts and liquor ratios were assessed. Strong acids clearly outperformed weak acids: at comparable severity, 5% (w/w, DM) H₂SO₄ or p-toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA) yielded glucose yields of 83 ± 2.4% and 81 ± 6.2%, respectively, whereas weak acids (phosphoric, lactic, acetic) and a catalyst-free control resulted in only ~20–41% glucose yield. Liquor ratio strongly affected extraction performance; a ratio of 1:19 provided the highest glucose yield (85 ± 1.4%) and robust mixing compared to 1:12–1:15 (67–68%). Two novel pretreatment strategies applied prior to Organosolv extraction, namely Hot-Water Pretreatment (HWP) and Water Pretreatment (WP), significantly increased hydrolysability compared to untreated straw (58 ± 3%), reaching 79 ± 2% for HWP and 86 ± 5% for WP. DoE-based experiments (135–170 °C; P-Factor 3.0–4.0) showed that increasing temperature from 135 to 150 °C markedly improved hydrolysability (e.g., WP: 74 ± 3% to 96 ± 3%), while further increasing to 170 °C provided no additional benefit. Response-surface modeling predicted a maximum hydrolysability of approximately 88% for HWP but complete hydrolysis for WP within 152–170 °C, indicating a broad operational window. Overall, combining simple Water-based Pretreatment with severity-optimized Organosolv extraction enables energy-efficient, near-complete hydrolysis at lower operating temperatures, reducing both energy demand and pressure requirements, and thereby offering advantages in process cost and scalability. Full article