Search Results (7,989)

Aluminium alloys are extensively considered in aviation and automobiles owing to their lightweight properties and favourable specific strength-to-weight ratio. Generally, the poor surface properties of these alloys limit their application, particularly in sliding conditions. To enhance the surface qualities, particularly the material’s wear resilient features, a unique surface modification process using electro-discharge coating (EDC) has been employed. This work investigates the optimisation of coating variables produced by the EDC technique utilising green compact electrodes composed of 50 wt.% tungsten disulfide (WS₂) and 50 wt.% copper (Cu) powder. The substrate material utilised was AA7075 alloy. The Taguchi–TOPSIS approach was employed to determine optimal EDC process variables, with pulse-on time (T_on), current (I_p), and pulse-off time (T_off). Wear rate (WR), surface roughness (SR), and friction coefficient (CoF) were used to assess the coating features. A wear study was performed with a pin-on-disc device with an undeviating sliding speed (0.25 m/s) and a 25 N load. The results revealed that the supreme features derived from the linear plots were I_p (4 A), T_on (80 µs), and T_off (5 µs). The ANOVA found that I_p had the utmost significant impact, accounting for 44.09%; T_off, 28.01%; T_on, 20.33%; and minimum error, 8.58%. A validation trial with perfect parameters returned values of 0.000179 mm³/Nm (WR), 0.204 (CoF), and 2.818 µm (SR). These findings are significantly better than those of the other coatings. The discrepancy among the estimated and experimental relative closeness in optimal settings is 6.34%, demonstrating that the Taguchi–TOPSIS method is more appropriate for multi-criteria optimisation. Full article

Alpha-mangostin (AM), a xanthone from Garcinia mangostana, has shown promising nephroprotective properties, but its mechanisms in acute kidney injury (AKI) remain incompletely defined. In this study, we applied an integrative network pharmacology pipeline combined with molecular docking to clarify AM’s multi-target mechanisms in AKI. We identified 128 predicted AM targets and intersected them with AKI-related genes, yielding 122 shared targets. Protein–protein interaction analysis identified ten hub genes—TNF, AKT1, IL6, SRC, CTNNB1, HSP90AA1, NFKB1, HIF1A, PPARG, and PTGS2—implicating inflammatory, hypoxia, and cell-survival pathways. KEGG enrichment highlighted HIF-1 signaling, PI3K–Akt signaling, chemokine signaling, AGE–RAGE signaling, and pathways related to cellular senescence and oxidative stress, while GO terms emphasized responses to chemical/oxygen-containing compounds, kinase activity, signal transduction, and apoptosis. Molecular docking against the ten hub proteins showed favorable binding energies across multiple targets. The strongest predicted affinities were observed for PTGS2 (−11.13 kcal/mol), TNF (−9.74 kcal/mol), and AKT1 (−9.48 kcal/mol). Docking positioned AM within the COX-2 catalytic pocket, engaging key catalytic and hydrophobic residues similar to known inhibitors. MD simulation interaction analysis confirmed that AM maintained stable contacts with key human PTGS2 residues, characterized by dominant hydrogen bonds and water-bridge interactions with SER353, TYR355, ARG513, and SER530, along with consistent hydrophobic contacts, and persistent interactions sustained throughout the 200 ns trajectory. Collectively, these results suggest that AM modulates interconnected inflammatory, hypoxic, and survival pathways relevant to AKI, acting as a multi-target ligand with notable interaction involving COX-2, TNF, and AKT1. Further experimental validation and formulation strategies to improve bioavailability are recommended for the advancement of AM toward therapeutic evaluation in AKI. Full article

Acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS) are key targets for herbicide resistance breeding in Brassica crops, yet the evolutionary origin and functional role of AHAS2 genes in Brassica napus (AACC) and B. carinata (BBCC) remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the distribution, ancestry, and agronomic trait associations of AHAS2 across 227 accessions representing six Brassica species. Bra.AHAS2 was amplified in 21 of 42 B. rapa (AA) accessions, and Bol.AHAS2 in 10 of 15 B. oleracea (CC) accessions. In B. napus, BnaA.AHAS2 and BnaC.AHAS2 were amplified in 73/131 and 30/131 accessions, respectively, with 19 accessions showing amplification of both homologs. All seven B. carinata accessions amplified BcaC.AHAS2. No AHAS2 homologs were amplified in three B. nigra (BB) or 29 B. juncea (AABB) accessions. Phylogenetic and gene structure analyses revealed that BnaA.AHAS2 (in B. napus) originated from Bra.AHAS2 of B. rapa, whereas BnaC.AHAS2 (in B. napus) and BcaC.AHAS2 (in B. carinata) derived from Bol.AHAS2 of B. oleracea. Association analysis showed the amplification of BnaA.AHAS2 or BnaC.AHAS2 was not associated with tribenuron-methyl resistance. However, amplification of BnaA.AHAS2 was significantly associated with reduced plant height, branching height, silique number on the terminal raceme, seed yield per plant, and thousand-seed weight in B. napus. Furthermore, haplotypes of BnaA.AHAS2 (BnaA05g03070D) were significantly associated with eicosenoic acid content, oleic acid content, flowering time, and cadmium translocation. Collectively, these findings resolve the diploid progenitor origins of AHAS2 in Brassica allotetraploids and reveal previously unrecognized associations of AHAS2 with agronomic and stress-related traits, offering valuable insights for molecular breeding in oilseed Brassica crops. Full article

Owing to the high stability and low cost of nanozymes, they have been extensively investigated and reported. In this work, highly active CeO₂ nanoflowers were first prepared and then different metal elements were doped into the CeO₂ nanoflower matrix via a novel synthesis method to fabricate M-CeO₂ (M = Cu, Fe, Co, Mn, La) nanomaterials. Mn-CeO₂ with the highest peroxidase-like activity was selected via systematic screening, the as-prepared Mn-CeO₂ nanocomposites exhibited enhanced enzyme-like activity due to the strong metal-support interaction. This article explored the effects of doping ratio, pH, temperature, reaction time, and material concentration on its activity. A simple sensitive and selective colorimetric method was established and successfully used to detect hydrogen peroxide and ascorbic acid sensitively. When the hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) concentration is within the 2.0–120.0 μM range, the UV-visible absorbance at 652 nm was associated linearly with the H₂O₂ concentration, R² = 0.9959, LOD = 1.7 μM (S/N = 3). The absorbance of the reaction system showed a good linear relationship with the ascorbic acid (AA) concentration (1.0–40.0 μM, R² = 0.992), LOD = 0.98 μM (S/N = 3). This study provides an effective way to construct efficient nanozymes and their potential applications in sensing and detection. Full article

Recent reports have shown that polymorphisms in the TRPS1 and TRIB1 genes are associated with plasma lipid levels and the risk of cardiovascular disease. This study evaluates the associations of TRPS1 and TRIB1 polymorphisms with subclinical atherosclerosis (SA) and plasma lipid levels in Mexican individuals. This study included 1406 Mexican mestizo individuals (417 individuals with SA and 989 healthy controls). Genotyping of TRPS1 and TRIB1 polymorphisms was performed using TaqMan assays in a real-time PCR system. To analyze whether these polymorphisms are associated with SA and plasma lipid levels, we used logistic regression (OR [95% CI]), adjusted for confounding factors. The AA genotype of the TRPS1 rs2737229 A/C polymorphism showed a significant association with the risk of developing SA under multiple genetic models [codominant: OR = 1.61 (95% CI: 1.10–2.36), p = 0.048; recessive: OR = 1.42 (1.02–1.99), p = 0.039; additive: OR = 1.26 (1.05–1.53), p = 0.015]. Similarly, the TT genotype of the TRIB1 rs2954029 T/A polymorphism was also significantly associated with the risk of developing SA [codominant: OR = 1.63 (1.10–2.43), p = 0.033; recessive: OR = 1.64 (1.13–2.37), p = 0.009]. In a sub-analysis of SA individuals, individuals with homozygous AA for the TRPS1 rs2737229 polymorphism had higher LDL cholesterol levels [135 mg/dL (110–148)] than those with homozygous CC [118 mg/dL (99–139)] (p < 0.003). The analysis of the TRIB1 rs2954029 polymorphism showed that carriers of the TT genotype had increased glucose levels [97 mg/dL (87–118)] compared to carriers of the AA genotype [91 mg/dL (84–99)] (p < 0.002). In summary, our findings showed that, in Mexican Mestizos, the AA genotype of the TRPS1 rs2737229 A/C SNP and the TT genotype of the TRIB1 rs2954029 A/T polymorphism are associated with a higher risk of developing SA and elevated levels of glucose and LDL cholesterol. Full article

Hyperspectral image (HSI) classification regarding vegetation is hampered by strong intra-class spectral variability and inter-class similarity, and commonly used random pixel splits can introduce spatial-context leakage that inflates test accuracy in patch-based models. To address these issues, we propose a classification framework that couples a leakage-free block partition (LFBP) strategy with class-aware multi-prototype contrastive loss (CAMP-CL). LFBP assigns non-overlapping spatial blocks to training/validation/test sets and reserves a buffer matched to the patch radius to prevent contextual overlap while keeping class distributions balanced. CAMP-CL represents each class with multiple learnable prototypes and performs supervised contrastive learning at the prototype level, encouraging compact yet multimodal intra-class embedding and improved inter-class separation. Experiments conducted on the Matiwan Village airborne HSI dataset under the LFBP protocol show that the proposed method can achieve 91.51% overall accuracy (OA) and 91.49% average accuracy (AA). Compared with the strongest baseline, supervised contrastive learning (SupCon), the proposed method yields consistent gains of 1.07 percentage points (pp) in both OA and AA while improving OA by 5.76 pp over the cross-entropy baseline. The results suggest that CAMP-CL is beneficial for addressing the challenges of HSI classification for fine-grained vegetation, while leakage-free evaluation protocols are important for obtaining more reliable performance estimates in practical settings. Full article

The prediction of drying kinetics in hygroscopic biological materials remains challenging due to the strong coupling between internal moisture diffusion, evolving surface wettability, material deformation and thermolabile bioactive compounds degradation. In this context, periodic temperature variations are inherent to many industrial and solar drying systems, yet most experimental and modeling studies evaluate product quality under constant-temperature conditions. This work provides a demonstration that periodic drying can alter quality degradation pathways in ways that may not be captured by constant-temperature experiments. A coupled non-isothermal lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) model for heat and moisture transport was integrated with a Weibull kinetic formulation to describe the degradation of total carotenoids, total polyphenols, and antioxidant activity in carrot slices. Validation against experimental data across 50–70 °C demonstrates excellent agreement (R² > 0.96 for moisture ratio; quality retention within ±2% of the literature values). Seven drying scenarios were systematically evaluated: constant temperature (60 °C), fast and slow periodic oscillations, high-amplitude cycles, a mixed strategy combining constant initial drying with subsequent oscillations, and two intermittent ON/OFF profiles. Results reveal that while total polyphenol degradation within the present model is constrained to ~13.3% retention under the adopted kinetic parameters, carotenoid and antioxidant retention are highly sensitive to temperature history. The mixed strategy (60 °C for 2 h followed by 50–60 °C oscillations) achieves the highest quality retention (TC: 51.6%, AA: 34.4%) while requiring the lowest energy input (0.512 kJ), outperforming constant drying (TC: 48.8%, AA: 32.9%, 0.563 kJ). Conversely, high-amplitude intermittent drying (70/25 °C) accelerates carotenoid degradation (TC: 46.7%) despite shorter drying time (8.81 h), and low-amplitude intermittent cycling (65/55 °C) yields the poorest mean quality (31.4%) with the highest energy consumption (0.583 kJ). The framework reveals that oscillation frequency critically determines quality outcomes: slow cycles (8 h period) marginally improve retention, while fast cycles (2 h) offer no benefit over constant drying. These findings provide quantitative insights toward the design of drying strategies, demonstrating that optimal strategies must account for the coupling between temperature history and moisture-dependent vulnerability, with the mixed strategy emerging as the best-performing strategy among the tested scenarios. Full article

Tripterygium glycoside tablets (TGT), a representative formulation derived from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, have limited clinical application due to adverse reproductive toxicity. In previous studies investigating the effects of TGT on chronic kidney disease (CKD), it was found that both TGT and its alkaloid-enriched fraction (AEF) induced testicular atrophy, suggesting that AEF may be the material basis for the reproductive toxicity of TGT. Therefore, the reproductive toxicity of AEF was investigated in depth. This study established a CKD rat model to investigate the toxic effects of TGT, AEF, and the non-alkaloid-enriched fraction (NAEF) on the reproductive system during CKD treatment. Network toxicology and metabolomics were combined to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of AEF-induced reproductive toxicity. The results showed that both TGT and AEF significantly reduced testicular index and sperm concentration, causing seminiferous tubule atrophy and disrupting the levels of testosterone (T), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH). Furthermore, TGT, AEF, and NAEF all significantly inhibited the proliferation of GC-1 cells. Network toxicology indicated that AEF modulates targets such as SRC, AKT, and HSP90AA1, thereby influencing pathways including the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway and pathways in cancer. Metabolomics obtained 89 differential metabolites of AEF, which were enriched in glycerophospholipid, linoleic acid, and arachidonic acid metabolism, a finding consistent with the constructed “metabolite–enzyme–reaction–gene” network. In summary, AEF exerts reproductive toxicity primarily by disrupting hypothalamic–pituitary–testicular axis homeostasis and perturbing glycerophospholipid, linoleic acid, and arachidonic acid metabolism. Full article

Dietary composition and the intestinal nutrient availability modulate metabolic pathways linked to nutrient sensors, generating molecular adaptations that influence birds’ feeding behavior and performance. The present study investigated the impact of reducing dietary crude protein (CP) and the essential amino acids (AA) lysine (Lys), methionine (Met), threonine (Thr), and tryptophan (Trp) on mRNA expression of the nutrient sensors T1R1 and T1R3, as well as on feeding behavior and productive performance in broiler chickens. A total of 64 one-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chicks were allocated to four dietary treatments: a control diet meeting recommended CP and AA levels (target live weight < 2.0 kg; T1); a diet with 3% reduction in CP and full exogenous AA supplementation (T2); a diet with 3% reduction in CP and 50% AA supplementation (T3); and a diet with 3% reduction in CP without AA supplementation (T4). After a 7-day adaptation, a 32-day single-choice test offered an AA matrix, containing Lys, Met, Thr, and Trp at eight concentrations (0.1–3.5%) for 4 h/day to assess acceptability and palatability. On day 39, six birds per treatment were sampled from the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum for quantitative PCR. Relative to controls, birds fed diets T2, T3, and T4 displayed lower feed consumption, daily gain, feed conversion ratio, and body weight (p < 0.050). These diets downregulated T1R1 and T1R3 mRNA expression (p < 0.001), indicating a molecular adaptation to the nutritional environment, and increased acceptability but reduced palatability (p < 0.050), suggesting altered feeding motivation and sensory perception. Overall, CP and AA reduction impaired performance and modified nutrient-sensor expression and feeding behavior. Full article

This study aimed to assess whether hemp or buckwheat flour, and the replacement of water with cistus infusion, can simultaneously improve the nutritional value and antioxidant potential of wheat–chia bread while maintaining acceptable sensory quality. Control bread (WCh) and variants with hemp flour (WChH) or buckwheat flour (WChB), prepared with either water or cistus infusion (Cis), were baked. The chemical composition, amino acid profile and protein quality (AAS), fatty acid profile, phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties (TPC, FRAP), color (CIELAB), and texture were determined. E-tongue and e-nose analyses, as well as consumer evaluation, were also performed. Hemp flour most significantly increased the protein and dietary fiber content of bread and improved the PUFA content and PUFA/SFA ratio. Buckwheat flour shifted the lipid profile toward MUFA and yielded the highest lysine AAS, although lysine remained the limiting amino acid in all variants. Cistus infusion increased the polyphenol pool and antioxidant activity, with the strongest effect observed in the combined WChH/Cis and WChB/Cis systems. Electronic nose and an electronic tongue analyses confirmed significant differentiation of the flavor and aroma profiles among variants. Consumer evaluation showed a decrease in acceptance following hemp flour addition, which was partially mitigated by cistus infusion, while buckwheat variants maintained good sensory acceptance. Full article

Understanding the soil–plant transfer of both essential and non-essential elements is crucial for evaluating the crop nutritional quality, environmental interactions, and food safety. This study delivered a multiyear and multielement assessment under field conditions of the element uptake, translocation, and accumulation in raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.), based on data collected over two growing seasons (2024–2025) in two contrasting Romanian agroecosystems. Two commercial cultivars (Opal and Delniwa) were investigated under fertilized and unfertilized conditions. The concentrations of essential macroelements such as Ca, Mg, Na, and K, as well as trace elements (Li and Sr), were determined in soils and fruits using ICP-OES and AAS. The soil–fruit transfer was quantified through the transfer factor, assisted by a robust statistical framework which integrated spatial–temporal variability and non-parametric analysis. The results highlighted two contrasting accumulation regimes. The essential macroelements revealed a dynamic uptake pattern driven by the physiological demand, soil availability, and fertilization. K exhibited the highest transfer capacity, while Ca had a restricted translocation to the fruits, due to the intrinsic transport limitations. On the other hand, Li and Sr revealed a constrained accumulation, characterized by low concentrations, weak responsiveness to fertilization, and a strong dependence on the soil geochemical background and interannual dilution processes. The spatial variability between the cultivation sites and year-to-year changes in the dilution intensity was evidenced as the dominant driver of the transfer efficiency, while the varietal differences had a secondary but detectable role, mainly for the Ca–Sr discrimination. Overall, the results evidenced that the multielement accumulation in the raspberries was governed by the interplay between the soil geochemistry, physiological transport constraints, and environmental variability. Furthermore, the research provided a field-based, multiyear evidence supporting improved soil management, cultivar selection, as well as the strategies that may increase the fruit nutritional quality while minimizing the trace element risks. Full article

Emerging evidence suggests that polymorphisms in the reverse transcriptase connection (RT-conn) and RNase H domains may contribute to resistance to reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTIs). Here, we characterised the polymorphic landscape of the RT-conn and RNase H domains in HIV-1 subtype C (HIV-1C) from Botswana across the pre-ART and post-ART eras, including treatment-naïve (TN) and treatment-experienced (TE) individuals. A total of 1571 HIV-1C sequences were analysed: 76 pre-ART (≤2002) and 1495 post-ART (>2002) sequences were obtained from the Los Alamos database and the Botswana Combination Prevention Project (2013–2018). Post-ART sequences were stratified into TN (n = 1282) and TE individuals with virologic failure (TEVF, n = 213). Naturally occurring and ART-associated polymorphisms within RT-conn (aa 321–440) and RNase H (aa 441–560) were assessed. Among TN individuals, 12 polymorphisms exceeded 5% pre-ART, including R461K and L491P, while 31 polymorphisms were observed post-ART, indicating a temporal shift. Several substitutions were significantly higher in TEVF and showed a history of thymidine analogue-, tenofovir- and lamivudine/emtricitabine-based exposure. Covariant analysis identified significant co-occurrence of polymerase mutations (M184V/I, D67N) with RT-conn/RNase H substitutions (p < 0.05). These findings demonstrate HIV-1C evolution within the extended RT domains under ART pressure and support their inclusion in molecular surveillance frameworks in Botswana. Full article

Moringa oleifera leaves are recognized as a nutrient-dense plant material of compositional and nutritional interest. This study aimed to characterize the nutritional and physicochemical properties of M. oleifera dried leaves through nutritional assessment and spectroscopic fingerprinting. Amino acid profiling, antioxidant activity assessment using ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays, chromatographic analysis of organic acids and sugars, color measurement, techno-functional characterization, and vibrational spectroscopy including Fourier Transform infrared with attenuated total reflectance (FT-IR/ATR) and Raman were employed. The crude protein content was 16.13 ± 0.43%. Moringa leaves contained all essential amino acids, with notably high tryptophan content (amino acid score, AAS = 200.00%). The amino acids limiting the nutritional value of the protein were primarily sulfur-containing amino acids (AAS = 49.57%) and lysine (AAS = 49.79%). Histidine, leucine, and valine also showed levels below the reference protein. Antioxidant activity exhibited solvent-dependent patterns: the 80% ethanolic extract demonstrated significantly higher FRAP activity (27.05 ± 1.05 mg Trolox Equivalent (TxE)/g dry matter (DM)) and ORAC values (107.24 ± 6.80 mg TxE/g DM), while no statistically significant differences between extracts were observed for DPPH, ABTS, or total phenolic content. Chromatographic profiling identified fructose and glucose as the predominant sugars, alongside citric, succinic, lactic, and acetic acids. The leaves exhibited favorable techno-functional properties, including high water holding capacity and water solubility index. Spectroscopic analysis revealed bands consistent with proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and glycoside-related structures, while the preserved green-yellow coloration (hue angle 101.68°) indicated retention of pigment-related features during processing. These findings provide compositional and physicochemical characteristics of Moringa leaves relevant to their evaluation as a plant-derived food material. Full article

This work presents an experimental investigation into the fatigue and fracture behavior of explosion-welded aluminum–steel transition joints for marine applications. A commercial TriClad^® laminate (AA5086/AA1050/ASTM A516) was characterized by nanoindentation to assess local elastic–plastic properties across the interface. Fatigue tests revealed an endurance strength of approximately 20 MPa, with crack initiation predominantly occurring at or near the aluminum–steel interface. Fracture properties were determined using digital image correlation combined with an inverse analysis to estimate mixed-mode stress intensity factors. The results highlight the effectiveness of explosion welding in achieving a graded mechanical transition and provide guidance for the design of durable lightweight structures. In addition, results demonstrated that combining nanoindentation and full-field analysis is an effective pathway for assessing graded joints. Full article

Solid-state welding processes, particularly friction-stir welding (FSW), offer significant advantages for joining different aluminum alloys due to their good mechanical performance, energy efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. The FSW of the AA5052-H32 and AA6261-T6 alloys has not been previously reported. In this study, the effects of the main FSW process parameters on the mechanical behavior of different AA5052/AA6261 alloy joints were systematically investigated. A full factorial experimental design was applied, considering the tool rotation speed (900–1800 rpm) and the welding speed (56–252 mm/min) as control factors, along with their ratio (Rs/Ws). The results of the tensile tests reveal that the joint strength is strongly affected by the interaction between the rotation and welding speeds, with the Rs/Ws ratio is identified as a key parameter governing material flow, plastic deformation, and defect formation. The maximum tensile strength, approximately 198 MPa, corresponding to a mechanical efficiency of 84.4%, was achieved at 1800 rpm and 7 rev/mm, a condition that favored effective material mixing and a defect-free interfacial bond (≈162–186 MPa). The microhardness profiles showed a minimum of approximately 40–50 HV within the TMAZ, on the advancing side. In general, clear quantitative relationships were established between the process parameters and the mechanical properties, which allowed for the identification of optimal operating conditions to produce high-quality FSW joints between the dissimilar materials AA5052/AA6261. Full article