Search Results (496)

Tyre wear is a major contributor to global microplastic pollution, affecting air, soil, water, and wildlife as well as human health. In the European Union (EU), the latest Euro 7 regulation foresees the introduction of tyre abrasion limits covering all tyre categories, referring to two testing methods (convoy on road or laboratory drum) developed by the United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29). In this study, we applied the convoy method adopted by the UNECE Working Group on Noise and Tyres (GRBP) as part of the UN Regulation 117 on tyre performance parameters. The method has been developed by the Task Force on Tyre Abrasion (TFTA) of the UNECE and involves vehicles driving on public roads for about 8000 km. Candidate and reference tyres are fitted in a convoy of up to four vehicles, and an abrasion index for each candidate tyre is determined as a ratio of the abrasion of the candidate and reference tyres. In our tests, in addition to the abrasion rate, we measured the tread depth reduction and defined a service life index (i.e., total mileage potential) without the need of a different methodology. The results from six summer and nine winter C1 class passenger car tyres of various sizes showed a wide range of abrasion rates and service life values. We also compared our results with values reported in the literature and on websites. The conclusions of this study are expected to support the ongoing discussion on limit setting for C1 tyres and the definition of a service life index. Full article

Although particulate matter (PM) pollution from vehicles’ exhaust has decreased significantly over the years, the contribution from non-exhaust sources (brakes, tyres) has remained at the same levels. In the European Union (EU), Euro 7 regulation introduced PM limits for vehicles’ brake systems. Regenerative braking, i.e., recuperation of the deceleration kinetic and potential energy to the vehicle battery, is one of the strategies to reduce the brake emission levels and improve vehicle efficiency. According to the regulation, the shares of friction and regenerative braking can be determined with actual testing of the vehicle on a chassis dynamometer. In this study we tested the regenerative capabilities of a plug-in hybrid vehicle, both in the laboratory and on the road, under different protocols (including both smooth and aggressive braking) and covering a wide range of driving conditions (urban, rural, motorway) over 10,000 km of driving. Good agreement was obtained between laboratory and on-road tests, with the use of the friction brakes being on average 7% and 5.3%, respectively. However, at the same time it was demonstrated that the friction braking share can vary over a wide range (up to around 30%), depending on the driver’s behaviour. Full article

Super-resolution microscopy (SRM) has revolutionized our understanding of subcellular structures, including cell organelles and viruses. For human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), SRM has significantly advanced knowledge of viral structural biology and assembly dynamics. This review analyzes how SRM techniques (particularly PALM, STORM, STED, and SIM) have been applied over the past decade to study HIV structural components and assembly. By categorizing and comparing studies based on SRM methods, HIV components, and labeling strategies, we assess the strengths and limitations of each approach. Our analysis shows that PALM is most commonly used for live-cell imaging of HIV Gag, while STED is primarily used to study the viral envelope (Env). STORM and SIM have been applied to visualize various components, including Env, capsid, and matrix. Antibody labeling is prevalent in PALM and STORM studies, targeting Env and capsid, whereas fluorescent protein labeling is mainly associated with PALM and focused on Gag. A recent emphasis on Gag and Env points to deeper investigation into HIV assembly and viral membrane dynamics. Insights from SRM studies of HIV not only enhance virological understanding but also inform future research in therapeutic strategies and delivery systems, including extracellular vesicles. Full article

The 13th International Foamy Virus (FV) Conference was held from 8 to 10 November 2023 at the BioParque/Zoological Garden in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This was the first conference on spumaretroviruses to be held in the Southern Hemisphere and in the unique environment of the rainforest. New developments and current perspectives in FV research were presented. Highlights of the conference included the structural biology of the envelope protein (Env) and insights into its function and evolution, epidemiologic identification of Amazonian indigenous people with a high prevalence of simian FV (SFV) infections, investigations of virus biology and genomics using synthetic FV DNAs, studies of humoral immune response, and development and applications of SFV vectors. The last day of the meeting was a special tour of the Centro de Primatologia do Rio de Janeiro, located northeast of Rio de Janeiro amidst the protected rainforest, where New World primate hosts of spumaretroviruses are rescued and studied. Our report summarizes the meeting highlights and outcomes for future discussions. Full article

HIV-1 proviral landscapes were investigated using near-full-length HIV single-genome sequencing on blood samples from five children with vertically acquired infection and on ART for ~7–9 years. Proviral structures were compared to published datasets in children prior to ART, children on short-term ART, and adults on ART. We found a strong selection for large internal proviral deletions in children, especially deletions of the env gene. Only 2.5% of the proviruses were sequence-intact, lower than in the comparative datasets from adults. Of the proviruses that retained the env gene, >80% contained two or more defects, most commonly stop codons and/or gag start mutations. Significantly fewer defects in the major splice donor site (MSD) and packaging signal were found in the children on short or long-term ART compared to the adults, and tat was more frequently defective in children. These results suggest that different selection pressures may shape the proviral landscape in children compared to adults and reveal potentially different genetic regions to target for measuring the intact HIV reservoir and for achieving HIV remission in children. Full article

Avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J), an α-retrovirus, mediates infection by binding to the host-specific receptor chNHE1 (chicken sodium–hydrogen exchanger type 1), leading to immunosuppression and tumorigenesis, which severely threatens the sustainable development of the poultry industry. Studies have shown that the tryptophan residue at position 38 (W38) of the chNHE1 protein is the critical site for ALV-J infection. In this study, we employed the CRISPR/Cas9 system to construct a lentiviral vector targeting the W38 site of chNHE1, transfected it into chicken primordial germ cells (PGCs), and validated its antiviral efficacy through ALV-J infection assays, successfully establishing an in vitro gene-editing system for chicken PGCs. The constructed dual lentiviral vector efficiently targeted the W38 site. PGCs isolated from 5.5- to 7-day-old chicken embryos were suitable for in vitro gene editing. Stable fluorescence expression was observed within 24–72 h post-transfection, confirming high transfection efficiency. ALV-J challenge tests demonstrated that no viral env gene expression was detected in transfected PGCs at 48 h or 72 h post-infection, while high env expression was observed in control groups. After 7 days of infection, p27 antigen ELISA tests were negative in transfected groups but positive in controls, indicating that W38-deleted PGCs exhibited strong resistance to ALV-J. This study successfully generated ALV-J-resistant gene-edited PGCs using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, providing a novel strategy for disease-resistant poultry breeding and advancing avian gene-editing applications. Full article

This study investigates hazardous emissions from foundry binder systems, comparing organic resins (phenolic urethane, furan, and alkaline-phenolic) and clay-bonded green sand with inorganic alternatives (sodium silicate and geopolymer). The research was conducted at the Fundaciόn Azterlan pilot plant (Spain), involving controlled chamber tests for the production of 60 kg iron alloy castings in 110 kg sand molds. The molds were evaluated under two configurations: homogeneous systems, where both mold and cores were manufactured using the same binder (five trials), and heterogeneous systems, where different binders were used for mold and cores (four trials). Each mold was placed in a metallic box fitted with a lid and an integrated gas extraction duct. The lid remained open during pouring and was closed immediately afterward to enable efficient evacuation of casting gases through the extraction system. Although the box was not completely airtight, it was designed to direct most exhaust gases through the duct. Along the extraction system line, different sampling instruments were strategically located for the precise measurement of contaminants: volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phenol, multiple forms of particulate matter (including crystalline silica content), and gases produced during pyrolysis. Across the nine trials, inorganic binders demonstrated significant reductions in gas emissions and priority pollutants, achieving decreases of over 90% in BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) and over 94% in PAHs compared to organic systems. Gas emissions were also substantially reduced, with CO emissions lowered by over 30%, NO_x by more than 98%, and SO₂ by over 75%. Conducted under the Greencasting LIFE project (LIFE 21 ENV/FI/101074439), this work provides empirical evidence supporting sodium silicate and geopolymer binders as viable, sustainable solutions for minimizing occupational and ecological risks in metal casting processes. Full article

Momordica balsamina, a plant traditionally used in African medicine, contains a 30 kDa protein, MoMo30, previously identified by our group as an anti-HIV agent that binds glycan residues on the gp120 envelope protein, thereby acting as an entry inhibitor. In this study, we investigated whether prolonged exposure to MoMo30 exerts selective pressure on HIV-1 and induces mutations in the viral envelope (env) gene. T-lymphocyte cells were infected with HIV-1_NL4-3 and continuously treated with MoMo30 over a 24-day period. Viral RNA was isolated at regular intervals, and env genes were sequenced using the Illumina platform. RNA sequence variant calling was performed using iVar, which uses a frequency-based binomial test with a default allele frequency threshold of 3% and a minimum base quality of 20 and applies Bonferroni correction for multiple testing. The infectivity of the MoMo30-exposed virus was assessed using MAGI-CXCR4 cells, visualized by β-galactosidase staining, and compared to untreated controls. Statistical significance was determined via two-way ANOVA. MoMo30-treated HIV-1 exhibited multiple detrimental mutations in gp120 and gp41, including missense, nonsense, and frameshift changes. Notably, 32% of N-linked glycosylation sites were deleted in the treated virus, while no such changes were observed in controls. Functionally, the MoMo30-treated virus demonstrated a sixfold reduction in infectivity compared to untreated HIV-1_NL4-3. These findings suggest that MoMo30 imposes genetic pressure on HIV-1_NL4-3, selecting for mutations that reduce viral fitness. Full article

Generative neural networks have expanded from text and image generation to creating realistic 3D graphics, which are critical for immersive virtual environments. Physically Based Rendering (PBR)—crucial for realistic 3D graphics—depends on PBR maps, environment (env) maps for lighting, and camera viewpoints. Current research mainly generates PBR maps separately, often using fixed env maps and camera poses. This limitation reduces visual consistency and immersion in 3D spaces. Addressing this, we propose EnvMat, a diffusion-based model that simultaneously generates PBR and env maps. EnvMat uses two Variational Autoencoders (VAEs) for map reconstruction and a Latent Diffusion UNet. Experimental results show that EnvMat surpasses the existing methods in preserving visual accuracy, as validated through metrics like L-PIPS, MS-SSIM, and CIEDE2000. Full article

Maize is one of the top five field crops worldwide and is indispensable as animal feed, serves as a raw material in many industries, and is a staple for human food. However, its production is under increasing pressure mainly due to abiotic stress. Drought and excessive precipitation, air temperature fluctuations, and reduced soil fertility due to inadequate soil pH reactions are among the biggest challenges that must be overcome. Therefore, the goal of this study was to determine the effects of these combined stressful abiotic conditions on maize grain yield and quality and to determine the genetic-specific response of maize genotypes in such conditions. The experiment was set up in eastern Croatia according to the randomized complete block design in four replications. A total of 10 maize hybrids of different FAO maturity groups were evaluated across four diverse environments, each subjected to one or two abiotic stresses (extreme precipitation, drought, high air temperatures, and acidic soil). Analysis of variance revealed that all treatment effects were statistically significant, except for the effect of hybrids on grain yield. Depending on the effect of abiotic stress, the variations among environments were up to 51.4% for yield and up to 12.1%, 18.9%, and 0.81% for protein, oil, and starch content, respectively. Differences among hybrids were less pronounced for yield (7.9%), while for protein (13.5%), oil (17.3%), and starch content (1.5%) were similar. However, the largest variation was found for the interaction effect. In the conducted research, ENV2 recorded the highest grain yield, along with the highest oil and starch content, as well as the second-highest protein content, while the hybrid effect remained unclear. Generally, ENV4 had the greatest negative impact due to the combined effects of extreme abiotic stresses, including soil acidity, drought, and high air temperatures. Full article

We investigated HIV-1 immune evasion mechanisms in a slow progressor (CBJC515) by constructing pseudoviruses expressing autologous Env proteins. Intriguingly, all pseudoviruses exhibited resistance to the broadly neutralizing antibody (bNAb) PGT135. Using site-directed mutagenesis and chimeric Env construction, we identified distinct escape mechanisms: early 2005 strains lost the N332 glycan site, while 2006/2008 strains retained key epitopes but developed resistance through structural modifications in the V1/V4/C2 regions or acquired novel N-glycosylation sites (N398/N611). These findings provide insights into how HIV-1 can escape from N332-directed bNAb responses without altering the epitope itself. Furthermore, chimeric experiments also elucidated regional co-evolution and functional maintenance: the V1V2 region broadly interfered with envelope protein function, while the V3 region may exhibit compensatory activity, restoring functionality and mitigating deleterious polymorphisms in other regions to keep Env antigenic diversity. These results offer valuable mechanistic clues that may inform the development of next-generation HIV-1 vaccines. Full article

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are a key driver of the low-altitude economy, where precise localization is critical for autonomous flight and complex task execution. However, conventional global positioning system (GPS) methods suffer from signal instability and degraded accuracy in dense urban areas. This paper proposes a lightweight and fine-grained visual UAV localization algorithm (FIM-JFF) suitable for complex electromagnetic environments. FIM-JFF integrates both shallow and global image features to leverage contextual information from satellite and UAV imagery. Specifically, a local feature extraction module (LFE) is designed to capture rotation, scale, and illumination-invariant features. Additionally, an environment-adaptive lightweight network (EnvNet-Lite) is developed to extract global semantic features while adapting to lighting, texture, and contrast variations. Finally, UAV geolocation is determined by matching feature points and their spatial distributions across multi-source images. To validate the proposed method, a real-world dataset UAVs-1100 was constructed in complex urban electromagnetic environments. The experimental results demonstrate that FIM-JFF achieves an average localization error of 4.03 m with a processing time of 2.89 s, outperforming state-of-the-art methods by improving localization accuracy by 14.9% while reducing processing time by 0.76 s. Full article

This article summarizes the case of 30-year-old male diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and its longitudinal follow-up, which provided a secondary diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) eight years later. The most impactful result was his response to rituximab treatment after the systematic failure of prior treatments. Although the expression of endogenous retroviral proteins has been associated with autoimmunity, the patient did not show increased expression of the toxic protein HERV (human endogenous retrovirus)-W ENV, a target of the ongoing clinical trials with temelimab in MS and long COVID-19 cases. However, genome-wide HERV transcriptome analysis by high density microarrays clearly revealed a distinct profile in the patient’s blood supportive of an altered immune system. Limitations of the study include sub-optimal frequency of magnetic resonance imaging to monitor lesion progression, and similarly for reassessment of HERV profiles after rituximab. Overall, the coincidence of HERV alterations and the impactful response to rituximab presents the possibility of additional, more specific, therapeutic targets encoded by other HERV elements yet to be discovered. Full article

The two-component signal transduction system EnvZ/OmpR is described to mediate response to osmotic stress, although it regulates genes involved in other processes such as virulence, fatty acid uptake, exopolysaccharide production, peptide transportation, and flagella production. Considering that some of these processes are known to be important for a successful symbiosis, the present study addresses the effects of extra envZ-like gene copies in the Mesorhizobium–chickpea symbiosis. Five Mesorhizobium-transformed strains, expressing the envZ-like gene from M. mediterraneum UPM-Ca36T, were evaluated in terms of symbiotic performance. Chickpea plants inoculated with envZ-transformed strains (PMI6envZ⁺ and EE7envZ⁺) showed a significantly higher symbiotic effectiveness as compared to the corresponding control. In plants inoculated with PMI6envZ+, a higher number of infection threads was observed, and nodules were visible 4 days earlier. Overall, our results showed that the overexpression of Env-like protein may influence the symbiotic process at different stages, leading to strain-dependent effects. This study contributes to elucidating the role of an EnvZ-like protein in the rhizobia–legume symbioses. Full article

This review explores the mechanisms by which Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) regulatory proteins manipulate host cellular pathways to promote viral replication and immune evasion. Key viral proteins, such as Nef, Vpu, Vif, Vpr, and Env, disrupt immune defenses by downregulating surface molecules such as CD4 (Cluster of Differentiation 4) and Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class I, degrading antiviral enzymes like APOBEC3G (Apolipoprotein B mRNA editing catalytic polypeptide-3G) and SAMHD1 (Sterile Alpha Motif and Histidine Aspartate domain-containing protein 1), and counteracting restriction factors including BST-2 (Bone Marrow Stromal Antigen 2)/Tetherin and SERINC5 (Serin Incorporator 5). These interactions support viral persistence and contribute to the establishment of chronic infection. Emerging therapeutic strategies aim to disrupt these HIV-host interactions to restore innate antiviral responses and enhance immune clearance. Approaches such as stabilizing host restriction factors or blocking viral antagonists offer a promising alternative to conventional antiretroviral therapy. By targeting host-dependent pathways, these interventions may reduce drug resistance, tackle latent reservoirs, and provide a pathway toward sustained viral remission or functional cure. Full article