Search Results (3,252)

The presence of foreign matter in food poses food safety issues for consumers and directly threatens the food supply chain. In order to ensure food quality and hygiene, promote economic efficiency, and protect consumers’ health rights, the rapid, non-destructive detection of foreign matter in food is an urgent task that requires development. Hyperspectral imaging technology can obtain high-resolution spectral information of foreign matter in multiple wavelengths, and it is widely used in food safety testing. However, the cost and size of the system remain obstacles to further development. Additionally, there are currently no effective solutions for acquiring foreign matter samples or for storing and sharing hyperspectral data during production. This review introduces hyperspectral imaging systems, covering both the software and hardware, as well as a series of algorithms for processing spectral images. The focus is on cases of hyperspectral imaging used for foreign matter detection tasks, with an examination of future developments and challenges. Full article

In the forests of Jambi Province, Indonesia, the Indigenous Suku Anak Dalam have encountered rapid alterations to the environment upon which they previously depended. Their culinary traditions—and the knowledge that accompanies them—are placed at a greater risk as palm oil plantations expand and forest areas diminish. This research is based on extensive interviews with customary leaders (called Tumenggung, who guide communal life and cultural practices), elders, and women in five settlements in Merangin District. Rather than regarding participants as research subjects, we engaged with their narratives. The image that emerged was not merely one of food scarcity but also one of cultural loss. Instead of forest tubers, untamed fruits, or fish, families now depend on instant noodles or cassava. The rivers are no longer clean, and the trees that were once a source of both sustenance and medicine are largely extinct. Nevertheless, individuals devise strategies to adapt, including cultivating small crops in the vicinity of their dwellings, collecting what is left along the plantation’s perimeter, and distributing their meager possessions to their neighbors. This research demonstrates that food security for Indigenous peoples is not solely dependent on agriculture or nutrition. It is about the right to have a voice in one’s own land, dignity, and memory. Genuine solutions must transcend technical fixes and nutritional aid. The first step is to respect Indigenous voices, protect their territories, and support their methods of knowing and living before they are also lost. Full article

Atherosclerosis is now recognized as a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial wall, in which perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) has evolved from a passive structural component to a key player in regulating vascular homeostasis and the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, playing an active, not just structural, role. PVAT surrounds blood vessels and influences them metabolically, immunologically, and vascularly by secreting adipokines, cytokines, and other bioactive mediators. Under physiological conditions, PVAT has protective roles, as it produces adiponectin, nitric oxide (NO), and other vasodilatory factors that help maintain vascular tone and reduce inflammation. In particular, brown-like PVAT (rich in Uncoupling Protein-1 (UCP1) and mitochondria) offers significant vasoprotective effects. Under pathological conditions (obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance), PVAT undergoes a phenotypic transition towards a pro-inflammatory profile by increasing leptin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) secretion and decreasing adiponectin, contributing to endothelial dysfunction, vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation, local immune cell recruitment, extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, and fibrosis. PVAT plays a complex role in vascular health and disease, interacting with systemic metabolism through the secretion of bioactive molecules. Metabolic imbalances can promote PVAT inflammation. Epigenetic alterations and micro ribonucleic acid (miRNAs) can influence PVAT inflammation, and modern imaging methods for PVAT assessment, such as the fat attenuation index (FAI) and artificial intelligence-assisted radiomic profiling, may become predictive biomarkers of cardiac risk. Future directions aim to identify biomarkers and develop targeted therapies that modulate PVAT inflammation and dysfunction in the context of cardiovascular diseases. Full article

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of phytase enzyme supplementation on the thermoregulatory responses of Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica) exposed to different thermal environments. A total of 720 one-day-old laying quails were assigned to a completely randomized design with five dietary treatments (0, 500, 1000, 1500, and 3000 FTU of phytase) and three thermal conditions: thermal comfort (24 °C) and heat stress environments (30 °C and 36 °C). Each treatment had six replicates with eight quails per experimental unit. Data were collected during the early laying phase, peak egg production, and the final laying phase. Measurements included rectal and surface temperatures (assessed via thermographic imaging), allowing the calculation of core-to-surface and surface-to-environment thermal gradients. Quails exposed to severe heat stress (36 °C) showed increased heat dissipation via convection (p = 0.001) and radiation (p = 0.029) when supplemented with phytase doses above 1500 FTU/kg. Additionally, high-dose phytase supplementation reduced the cloacal temperature and optimized thermal gradients, indicating a potential protective effect of exogenous phytase in alleviating heat stress. Overall, these findings highlight phytase supplementation as a promising nutritional strategy to enhance heat tolerance, mitigate thermal stress, and improve the welfare and physiological resilience of quails throughout the production cycle. Full article

In this paper, we introduce a new vehicle automation model describing the latest intelligent vision systems, but not limited to them, based on interactions between the vehicle, its user, and the environment, occurring simultaneously or at different times. The proposed model addresses the lack of vehicle automation models that would simultaneously incorporate the latest vision systems and human actions, organize them according to interaction types, and enable quantitative performance analysis. The model, based on interactions, organizes in terms of types and enables parametric analysis of the operation of the latest automatic vision systems and modern knowledge about human behavior using the perception of visual information. The concept of interaction cycles was introduced, thanks to which it is possible to analyze subsequently occurring interactions, i.e., when actions trigger reactions. Interactions were decomposed into fragments containing single direct unidirectional interactions. The interactions have been assigned consistent numerical effectiveness parameters related to image recognition by individual systems, thanks to which numerical analysis at different levels of detail is possible, depending on the needs. For each of the six interaction types, ten applications of the newest and available vision systems, including those prepared by the authors, were reviewed and selected for effectiveness analysis using the presented model. The analysis was performed by appropriately weighting and averaging or multiplying interaction effectiveness. The overall effectiveness of the interaction model for selected solutions was over 80%. The model also allows the selection of weights for individual components, depending on the criterion being analyzed, e.g., safety or environmental protection. Humans turned out to be the weakest link in interactions, e.g., reducing the human driver role increased overall effectiveness of interactions to almost 90%, and its increase resulted in an effectiveness reduction to over 70%. Examples of selecting solutions for implementation based on the interaction cycle and its fragment, taking into account the effectiveness of subsequent interactions, were also presented. The presented model is characterized by its comprehensiveness, simplicity and scalability according to needs. It can be used both for scientific analysis of existing solutions and be helpful in selecting solutions for modification and implementation by the vehicle manufacturers. Full article

Background: CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulators are available for 90% of people with cystic fibrosis (PWCF), which has contributed to substantial nutritional changes. PWCF identify differences in their relationship with food, as well as alterations in body size and image when taking CFTR modulators. This has led to increasing risks relating to issues with body image, disordered eating behaviors (DEBs), and eating disorders (EDs). DEBs can be an early indication of an ED. CF care has traditionally emphasized body mass index and weight gain, which may have heightened the critical focus of body habitus. Prior to CFTR modulators, the “legacy diet” was often promoted and after years of encouragement to eat high volumes of calorically dense foods, PWCF on modulators have shared that the subsequent body changes have been challenging. Given the body changes that PWCF may have experienced, CF care team nutritional guidelines are evolving. The prevalence and etiology of EDs is largely unknown. Therefore, interventions designed to reduce risk factors for EDs and enhance protective factors against the development of DEBs need to be prioritized. To date, there are no reliable and validated screening tools in the United States to identify DEBs for PWCF. The purpose of this paper is to (1) review eating behaviors and disordered eating in PWCF, and (2) discuss important future directions for the assessment and treatment of DEBs to improve quality of life for PWCF. Full article

Background/Objectives: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an endogenous hormone with receptors widely expressed across multiple organs. GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), primarily used for diabetes management, have demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties beyond glucose regulation. This study explores the protective effect of semaglutide, a GLP-1RA, in reducing oxidative stress and promoting wound healing in human dermal fibroblasts. Additionally, it assesses whether semaglutide offers the direct protection of retinal endothelial cells under oxidative stress. Methods: Human dermal fibroblasts and retinal endothelial cells were treated with semaglutide at concentrations ranging from 0 to 45 pg/mL for 24 h under oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Cell viability and ATP levels were measured via MTT and ATP assays. Apoptosis was evaluated using propidium iodide staining. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial superoxide were assessed through confocal microscopy with specific fluorescent probes. Wound healing was tested using scratch assays, with closure monitored over time and quantified with ImageJ (version 1.51). Gene expression levels of antioxidants, extracellular matrix components, inflammatory cytokines, and MMPs (MMP3, MMP9) were determined via real-time PCR. Results: Semaglutide significantly improved cell viability and ATP production under oxidative stress (p < 0.001), while reducing apoptosis and intracellular ROS levels. It notably accelerated fibroblast wound closure, achieving near-complete restoration. Gene analysis revealed increased expression of antioxidant and ECM-related genes, along with decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines and MMPs, indicating reduced inflammation and enhanced tissue remodeling. Conclusions: Semaglutide offers robust antioxidative and cytoprotective effects in dermal fibroblasts and retinal endothelial cells, promoting wound healing. These findings highlight its therapeutic potential for diabetic foot ulcers and diabetic retinopathy, supporting further in vivo investigation. Full article

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, public interest in healthcare has significantly in-creased, emphasizing the importance of early disease detection through lung sound analysis. Lung sounds serve as a critical biomarker in the diagnosis of pulmonary diseases, and numerous deep learning-based approaches have been actively explored for this purpose. Existing lung sound classification models have demonstrated high accuracy, benefiting from recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. However, these models often rely on transmitting data to computationally intensive servers for processing, introducing potential security risks due to the transfer of sensitive medical information over networks. To mitigate these concerns, on-device AI has garnered growing attention as a promising solution for protecting healthcare data. On-device AI enables local data processing and inference directly on the device, thereby enhancing data security compared to server-based schemes. Despite these advantages, on-device AI is inherently limited by computational constraints, while conventional models typically require substantial processing power to maintain high performance. In this study, we propose a lightweight lung sound classification model designed specifically for on-device environments. The proposed scheme extracts audio features using Mel spectrograms, chromagrams, and Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC), which are converted into image representations and stacked to form the model input. The lightweight model performs convolution operations tailored to both temporal and frequency–domain characteristics of lung sounds. Comparative experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model achieves superior inference performance while maintaining a significantly smaller model size than conventional classification schemes, making it well-suited for deployment on resource-constrained devices. Full article

Refractive error affects people’s vision and may be the cause of a variety of fundus diseases. Early detection of refractive error and its location are very important to protect vision and prevent the occurrence of pathological symptoms. In this paper, a dual-focus SS-OCT system was developed to obtain whole-eye imaging and eight biometry parameters, which include corneal center thickness, lens center thickness, anterior chamber depth, vitreous chamber depth, corneal anterior and posterior surface curvature, lens anterior and posterior surface curvature. The diopter of each refractive component and the whole eye can be calculated from these parameters. Healthy subjects were measured under different accommodative stimuli using the proposed system and compared with the refractometer. The results show that there is a high consistency between the two in the overall diopter. The advantage of our system is that it cannot only measure the overall refractive deviation, it can also find the location of the deviation, which will be critical for the prevention and treatment of refractive system diseases in humans. Full article

The integrity measurement mechanism (IMM) is key to creating a trusted execution environment (TEE) for containers. It ensures that files inside containers are real and have not been tampered with. However, traditional IMMs are inefficient. This is because they rely on message-digest algorithms (MDAs), which require a lot of time and space. This makes them hard to use in environments where resources are limited. To solve these problems, we present two novel metadata-driven IMMs, the Overlay2 IMM and the Btrfs IMM, which use the built-in metadata structures of the Overlay2 and Btrfs filesystems, respectively. Compared to MDA-based IMMs, these new IMMs are much more efficient in operation. They are also more secure because they use an external validation mechanism that does not depend on the container’s running state. This effectively reduces security risks in dynamic environments. We built complete prototypes of these new IMMs. We tested them on edge servers with Intel CPUs and embedded devices with ARM CPUs. When we compared them with traditional MDA-based methods (including MD5 and SHA256), we found significant improvements. Our methods are more efficient in computation. They reduce the need for space and time by using filesystem metadata instead of hashing entire files. This makes them suitable for environments with limited resources. They run outside the container, so malicious actors inside the container cannot detect them, ensuring robust protection. In addition, they can check file integrity consistently no matter the container’s state (running, paused, or stopped). This is because they use metadata from the container image, which improves the overall reliability and consistency of the integrity measurement process. Full article

Background and Clinical Significance: Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) retinopathy can both cause outer retinal changes in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients treated with HCQ and corticosteroids. Differentiating between transient steroid-induced CSCR and irreversible HCQ toxicity is critical to avoid unnecessary discontinuation of essential therapy. Case Presentation: Three female SLE patients (ages 47, 41, and 37) on long-term HCQ (25, 9, and 6 years, respectively) and recent or ongoing low-dose prednisolone presented with unilateral OCT findings, parafoveal or pericentral photoreceptor defects, with the fellow eye unaffected. Review of clinical history and serial imaging revealed transient subretinal fluid in all cases, associated with recent corticosteroid use or dose escalation. Subsequent tapering or cessation of steroids led to resolution of the fluid, and earlier OCT scans confirmed normal outer retinal morphology, indicating that these changes were residual effects of resolved CSCR rather than HCQ toxicity. In Cases 1 and 2, the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in the affected eye declined from 20/22 to 20/40 during the CSCR episode and improved to 20/30 and 20/25, respectively, after subretinal fluid resolution. In Case 3, by contrast, BCVA remained stable at 20/20 throughout the pre-, during-, and post-CSCR periods. Conclusions: Resolved CSCR can mimic HCQ retinopathy. These cases emphasize the importance of detailed medication history, serial multimodal retinal imaging, and comparison with prior and fellow-eye scans to distinguish resolved CSCR from HCQ retinopathy. Such thorough evaluation and careful differential diagnosis help ensure appropriate management—avoiding unnecessary HCQ discontinuation while protecting both ocular and systemic health. Full article

Background and Objectives: Systemic inflammatory markers from an ordinary complete blood count (CBC) may foreshadow where non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) will first spread, but organ-specific signatures remain poorly defined. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 302 adults (mean age 60.7 ± 13.4 years; 80.8% men) with stage IV NSCLC managed at OncoHelp Medical Center, Timișoara, between January 2022 and December 2024. Eligibility demanded a single radiologically confirmed distant site at diagnosis and pre-treatment CBC. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte (PLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte (LMR) ratios were compared across pleural (n = 52), bone (n = 86), liver (n = 66), and brain (n = 98) metastases using Kruskal–Wallis tests with Bonferroni adjustment; z-standardized logistic models identified independent predictors. Results: Metastases clustered most often in brain (32.5%), followed by bone (28.5%), liver (21.9%), and pleura (17.2%). Median PLR rose selectively in pleural disease (274 vs. 217–253 in other sites; p = 0.006). LMR fell to 2.0 in bone but climbed to 2.8 in brain lesions (p = 0.032 and 0.008, respectively). NLR was globally elevated (6.7–7.6), yet differed significantly only for bone and liver deposits. Logistic modeling showed that each standard-deviation rise in absolute neutrophil count quadrupled the odds of hepatic involvement (Odd Ratio (OR) 4.26; 99% Confidence inerval (CI) 2.20–6.25), monocytosis nearly doubled bone risk (OR 1.83; 1.01–3.33), while higher erythrocytes, eosinophils, and lymphocytes independently protected against pleural seeding (all p < 0.01). Age-stratified analysis revealed that osseous and cerebral metastases predominated in patients ≤ 50 years, whereas inflammatory indices were age-invariant. Conclusions: Routine CBC ratios encode distinct “inflammatory fingerprints” that mirror the first metastatic destination in NSCLC: platelets herald pleural spread, neutrophils favor liver and bone, and divergent lymphocyte–monocyte balances separate bone from brain. Although no substitute for cross-sectional imaging, these low-cost markers could refine clinical suspicion, guide targeted work-up, and illuminate the biology of organ-selective dissemination, particularly in resource-limited settings. Full article

High-resolution (HR) remote sensing images contain rich, sensitive information regarding the distribution of geospatial objects and natural resources. With the widespread application of HR remote sensing images, there is an urgent need to protect the data security of HR remote sensing images during transmission and sharing. Existing encryption approaches typically employ a global encryption strategy, overlooking the varying texture complexity across different sub-regions in HR remote sensing images. This oversight results in low efficiency and flexibility for encrypting large-scale remote sensing image data. To address these limitations, this paper presents a texture-adaptive hierarchical encryption method that combines region-specific security levels. The method first decomposes remote sensing images into grid-based sub-blocks and classifies them into three texture complexity types (i.e., simple, medium, and complex) through gradient and frequency metrics. Then, chaotic systems of different dimensions are adaptively adopted to encrypt the sub-blocks according to their texture complexity. A more complex chaotic system encrypts a sub-block with a more complex texture to ensure security while reducing computational complexity. The experimental results on publicly available high-resolution remote sensing datasets demonstrate that the proposed method achieves adequate information concealment while maintaining an optimal balance between encryption security and computational efficiency. The proposed method is more competitive in encrypting large-scale HR remote sensing data compared to conventional approaches, and it shows significant potential for the secure sharing and processing of HR remote sensing images in the big data era. Full article

Image protection in privacy-sensitive domains, such as healthcare and military, exposes critical limitations in existing secret image sharing (SIS) schemes, including cumbersome shadow management, coarse-grained access control, and an inefficient storage-speed trade-off, which limits SIS in practical scenarios. Thus, this paper proposes two SIS schemes to address the above issues: the hierarchical control sharing scheme with Gaussian blur (HCSS-GB) and the image bit expansion-based sharing scheme (IBESS). For scenarios with limited storage space, HCSS-GB employs Gaussian blur to generate gradient-blurred cover images and integrates a controllable sharing model to produce meaningful shadow images without pixel expansion based on Shamir’s secret sharing. Furthermore, to accommodate real-time application scenarios, IBESS employs bit expansion to combine the high bits of generated shadow images with those of blurred carrier images, enhancing operational efficiency at the cost of increased storage overhead. Experimental results demonstrate that both schemes achieve lossless recovery (with PSNR of ∞, MSE of 0, and SSIM of 1), validating their reliability. Specifically, HCSS-GB maintains a 1:1 storage ratio with the original image, making it highly suitable for storage-constrained environments; IBESS exhibits exceptional efficiency, with sharing time as low as 2.1 s under the $(7,8)$ threshold, ideal for real-time tasks. Comparative analyses further show that using carrier images with high standard deviation contrast ($C_{\sigma }$) and Laplacian-based sharpness ($S_L$) significantly enhances shadow distinguishability, strengthening the effectiveness of hierarchical access control. Both schemes provide valuable solutions for secure image sharing and efficient shadow management, with their validity and practicality confirmed by experimental data. Full article

Background: Binge eating disorder (BED) frequently arises during the transitional age (18–25 years), a critical developmental period characterized by challenges in autonomy, identity formation, and interpersonal functioning. This study investigated psychopathological predictors of BED risk in this age group, with particular focus on parental bonding, attachment style, body dissatisfaction, alexithymia, and depressive symptoms. Methods: A total of 287 participants aged 18–25 years completed the Binge Eating Scale (BES), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ), and Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). Sociodemographic information and body mass index (BMI) were also collected. Results: Compared with non-BED risk groups, individuals at risk of BED exhibited significantly higher BMI, greater alexithymia, higher body dissatisfaction, more insecure attachment patterns, and lower recalled paternal and maternal care. Hierarchical binary logistic regression revealed that the final model explained 56.1% of the variance (Nagelkerke R²) and correctly classified 92.1% of cases. Significant predictors of BED included body dissatisfaction, elevated BMI, low maternal care, and low maternal protection. Conclusions: This study is the first to examine BED risk factors specifically during the transitional age. Findings indicate that body image dissatisfaction, higher BMI, and inadequate maternal emotional care and protection are salient predictors at this life stage. Preventive interventions should integrate parental psychoeducation, nutritional guidance, and therapeutic strategies addressing both eating disorder symptoms and attachment-related difficulties to reduce BED onset and improve psychosocial outcomes in emerging adults. Full article