Search Results (5,355)

This research contrasts model-centric (MCAI) and data-centric (DCAI) strategies in artificial intelligence, focusing specifically on optical quality control. It addresses the necessity for a thorough empirical study to evaluate both approaches under identical conditions. By examining casting and leather datasets, the study highlights that the quality and diversity of data play a more vital role in the success of models than merely fine-tuning hyperparameters. While MCAI delivers dependable results with superior datasets, DCAI methods—such as label correction, data augmentation, and generating synthetic data through diffusion models—significantly enhance recognition performance. For the casting dataset, accuracy increased from 83% to 93%, and for the leather dataset, from 53% to 62%. These results indicate that robust AI systems are built on high-quality, balanced data. Full article

L-asparaginase (L-ASNase) is a vital enzymatic drug widely used for treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and certain lymphomas. However, its clinical application is often limited by a short plasma half-life, pronounced immunogenicity, and systemic toxicities. To address these challenges, we recently developed conjugates of L-ASNase with cationic polymers, enhancing its cytostatic activity by increasing enzyme binding with cancer cells. The present study focuses on the development of liposomal formulations of E. coli L-asparaginase (EcA) and its conjugates with cationic polymers: the natural oligoamine spermine (spm) and a synthetic polyethylenimine–polyethyleneglycol (PEI-PEG) copolymer. This approach aims to improve enzyme encapsulation efficiency and stability within liposomes. Various formulations—including EcA conjugates with polycations incorporated into 100 nm and 400 nm phosphatidylcholine/cardiolipin (PC/CL, 80/20) anionic liposomes—were synthesized as a delivery system of high enzyme load. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed successful enzyme association with liposomal carriers by identifying characteristic changes in the vibrational bands corresponding to both protein and lipid components. In vitro release studies demonstrated that encapsulating EcA formulations in liposomes more than doubled their half-release time (T_1/2), depending on the formulation. Cytotoxicity assays against Raji lymphoma cells revealed that liposomal formulations, particularly 100 nm EcA-spm liposomes, exhibited markedly superior anti-proliferative activity, reducing cell viability to 4.5%, compared to 35% for free EcA. Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) provided clear visual and quantitative evidence that enhanced cellular internalization of the enzyme correlates directly with its cytostatic efficacy. Notably, formulations showing higher intracellular uptake produced greater cytotoxic effects, emphasizing that hydrolysis of asparagine inside cancer cells, rather than extracellularly, is critical for therapeutic success. Among all tested formulations, the EcA-spermine liposomal conjugate demonstrated the highest fluorescence intensity within cells providing enhanced cytotoxicity. These results strongly indicate that encapsulating cationically modified L-ASNase in liposomes is a highly promising strategy to improve targeted cellular delivery and prolonged enzymatic activity. This strategy holds significant potential for developing more effective and safer antileukemic therapies. Full article

In this paper, we present a Unified Framework for cross-domain Space drone Pose Estimation (UF-SPE), addressing the simulation-to-reality gap that limits the deployment of deep learning models in real space missions. The proposed UF-SPE framework integrates offline domain generalization with online unsupervised domain adaptation. During offline training, the model relies exclusively on synthetic images. It employs advanced augmentation techniques and a multi-task architecture equipped with Domain Shifting Uncertainty modules to improve the learning of domain-invariant features. In the online phase, normalization layers are fine-tuned using unlabeled real-world imagery via entropy minimization, allowing for the system to adapt to target domain distributions without manual labels. Experiments on the SPEED+ benchmark demonstrate that the UF-SPE achieves competitive accuracy with just 12.9 M parameters, outperforming the comparable lightweight baseline method by 37.5% in pose estimation accuracy. The results validate the framework’s efficacy and efficiency for robust cross-domain space drone pose estimation, indicating promise for applications such as on-orbit servicing, debris removal, and autonomous rendezvous. Full article

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) play a central role in materials science due to their extended π-conjugated systems, with their stability and reactivity depending critically on their aromatic character. In this work, we systematically investigated the aromaticity and stability of a broad range of linear (acenes, phenacenes, biphenylenes, and cyclobuta-acenes) and belt-like (cyclacenes, cyclophenacenes, and cyclobiphenylenes) PAHs containing five to twelve benzene rings. A diverse set of aromaticity descriptors was employed, including geometric (HOMA), electronic (MCI, FLU) and magnetic (NICS) descriptors, plus the recently developed Q₂ indices, based on the components of the distributed multipole analysis (DMA) electric quadrupole tensor. These data were complemented by stability analyses using singlet–triplet energy splitting (ΔE_S–T) and fractional occupation number-weighted densities (N_FOD) values. Our results indicate that acenes and phenacenes follow a comparable aromatic trend, with inner rings possessing lower aromaticity and the edge rings showing a more pronounced aromatic character. A subtle difference is observed in the position of the most aromatic ring, which lies slightly closer to the interior in acenes. Phenacenes, however, exhibit greater overall stability, attributed to their armchair edges. For biphenylenes and cyclobuta-acenes, the antiaromatic cyclobutadiene moiety perturbs the aromaticity only in its direct neighborhood and preserves the aromaticity in the remaining chains. In belt-like systems, cyclacenes exhibit strong radical character and low stability, consistent with longstanding synthetic challenges, whereas cyclophenacenes display enhanced aromaticity and stability with extending size. Cyclobiphenylenes combine localized antiaromatic centers with preserved benzene-like aromaticity in rings distant from the cyclobutadiene unit. Full article

Natural plant fibres have gained growing research interest as a construction material due to efforts to reduce the negative environmental impacts caused by construction activities. Many researchers have investigated the suitability of utilising plant fibres as reinforcement in self-compacting concrete (SCC) as a substitute for synthetic fibres, recognising that the production of synthetic fibres generates significant amounts of CO₂. In this study a bibliometric analysis was conducted to investigate the current research achievements and map the scientific studies where plant fibres were used in SCC. A detailed discussion on the effects of various plant fibres and their underlying mechanisms on the properties of SCC is also provided. The findings indicated that using plant fibres typically reduces the flowability, filling ability, and passing ability of SCC due to the high water absorption of plant fibres, fibre and aggregate interlocking, and the fibre agglomeration effect. Incorporating plant fibres increases the viscosity and enhances the segregation resistance of SCC due to the strong cohesion between plant fibres and the cement matrix. The inclusion of plant fibres usually improves the mechanical properties of SCC because of the synergetic effects of plant fibres on crack-bridging and strain redistribution across the cross-section of SCC. Adding plant fibres to SCC also reduces drying shrinkage and cracking due to the fibre bridging effect, while generally lowering the resistance to sulphate attack, acid attack, and freeze–thaw cycles and increasing the water absorption rate of SCC due to the increased porosity of the mix. A comprehensive overview of research gaps and future perspectives for further investigations is also provided in this study. Full article

The tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus is the most prevalent ectoparasite in dogs, causing discomfort to the animals and acting as a vector for several pathogens, including the bacterium Ehrlichia canis and the protozoa Babesia canis, Babesia gibsoni, and Hepatozoon canis. Control of this parasite is traditionally carried out with synthetic chemical acaricides. However, due to the increasing number of cases of resistance, phytotherapy has been increasingly investigated as a promising alternative. In this study, the larvicidal activity of the crude ethanolic extract and essential oil obtained from the inflorescences of Achyrocline satureioides was evaluated, whose constituents were identified through phytochemical analyses and gas chromatography. The analyses revealed that the extract is rich in flavonoids, tannins, and saponins, while the essential oil is composed mainly of terpenes. In contact tests with impregnated paper, the extract at 100 mg/mL showed a mortality rate of 32.2% in R. sanguineus larvae with LC₅₀ calculated at 249.62 mg/m., while the essential oil, at the same concentration, resulted in 56.55% mortality, and the LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ were 119.73 mg/mL and 185.53 mg/mL, respectively. These results indicate that the essential oil of A. satureioides has significant larvicidal activity and has potential for use as an alternative, alone or in combination with other extracts or synthetic acaricides. Full article

To explore the induction of low temperature the Tiger Puffer (Takifugu rubripes) In this study, the influence of temperature on the pituitary gland during masculinization was investigated through chronic hypothermia stress experiments. Metabolomics was used to analyze the metabolic regulatory network of the pituitary gland under hypothermia stress. ELISA technology was employed to determine the activity content of oxidative stress-related enzymes in the pituitary gland. Further, TUNEL fluorescence labeling and qPCR were used to detect the apoptosis level of pituitary cells. Finally, to assess the impact of low-temperature stress on muscle tissue, HE staining and qPCR techniques were employed. The results showed that after 45 days of low-temperature stress, the differential metabolites of the pituitary gland were mainly enriched in the amino acid metabolic signaling pathway, and the contents of amino acids such as GSH and its synthetic precursors in the pituitary tissue changed significantly. The contents of oxidative stress indicators such as ROS and MDA all showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing. The qPCR results of TUNEL fluorescence labeling and apoptosis-related genes were consistent, indicating that the apoptotic level of pituitary cells first increased and then decreased with the stress process. Histological analysis revealed that low temperature led to muscle cell atrophy and increased interstitial space in muscle tissue. The expression changes in genes related to muscle development further confirmed that low temperature significantly inhibited muscle growth and development. Therefore, this study speculates that after being subjected to chronic low-temperature stress, the pituitary gland of the red-finned Oriental pufferfish can alleviate the oxidative stress response of the body by strengthening the amino acid metabolic pathway, and the fish body has shown a physiological trend of gradually adapting to low-temperature stress, but the growth and development of muscles are still significantly inhibited. The results of this study can provide theoretical support for understanding the physiological adaptation mechanism of the red-finned Oriental pufferfish to low-temperature stress and lay a foundation for subsequent in-depth exploration of the pituitary response mechanism to low temperatures. Full article

The separation of oil-in-water emulsions from industrial wastewater remains a significant challenge, particularly under saline conditions. This study evaluated bacterial cellulose (BC) membranes from Komagataeibacter hansenii for filtering synthetic effluents with high oil content (ES1) and saline oil-in-water emulsions (ES2). FTIR confirmed the incorporation of lipophilic compounds into the BC matrix. Crystallinity decreased from 78.8% to 40% following ES1 filtration, while a new peak at 2θ ≈ 31.8° appeared in ES2, indicating salt deposition. TGA revealed increased mass loss in the oil-saturated membrane (BCO), whereas the saline-exposed membrane (BCOS) exhibited higher thermal stability. SEM showed fiber compaction and localized deposition of oil and salt, corroborated by EDS, which identified Na, Cl, Ca, and elevated oxygen levels. Mechanical testing indicated that oil acted as a plasticizer, increasing the elongation at break of BCO, while salt crystallization enhanced BCOS stiffness. The membranes removed up to 98% of organic load (BOD and COD), 69% of oils and greases, and reduced turbidity and apparent color by 92%. Partial salt retention (~23%) and a significant decrease in dissolved oxygen were also observed. These results demonstrate the potential of BC membranes as an effective and sustainable solution for the treatment of complex oily and saline wastewater. Full article

Natural fibers are replacing synthetic fibers and are used to develop different useful composite products due to their environmental advantages. To fabricate high-performance composites, high-quality natural fibers are essential. Fiber quality largely depends on the extraction method and subsequent treatment. In this study, fibers were extracted using both machine and manual methods, treated with 5% NaOH, and used at a 30:70 fiber-to-matrix volume ratio to fabricate composite laminates. Key properties such as tensile, flexural, and impact strength, water absorption, elemental composition, and morphological structure were analyzed. When comparing the untreated fiber composites, the machine-extracted samples exhibited a 6.7% increase in tensile strength and a 7.06% increase in flexural strength over those extracted manually. For treated fiber composites, the machine-extracted samples showed improvements in tensile, flexural, and impact strengths of 19.82%, 19.38%, and 26.59%, respectively, compared to those extracted manually. These enhancements indicate that machine extraction provides fibers with better structural integrity and consistency, contributing to stronger fiber–matrix bonding. The machine-extracted treated composites showed reduced water absorption and smaller fiber diameters, indicating that machine extraction was more effective in removing impurities from the fibers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed improved fiber–matrix interfacial bonding in the machine-extracted composites, which also exhibited better water resistance. This study highlights that fiber extraction and treatment significantly influence the mechanical, physical, and morphological properties of natural fiber composites, as verified through SEM, EDS, and universal testing machine (UTM) analysis. Full article

The increasing demand for data utilization has renewed attention to the trade-off between privacy protection and data utility, particularly concerning pseudonymized datasets. Traditional methods for evaluating re-identification risk and utility often rely on fragmented and incompatible metrics, complicating the assessment of the overall effectiveness of pseudonymization strategies. This study proposes a novel quantitative metric—Relative Utility–Threat (RUT)—which enables the integrated evaluation of safety (privacy) and utility in pseudonymized data. Our method transforms various risk and utility metrics into a unified probabilistic scale (0–1), facilitating standardized and interpretable comparisons. Through scenario-based analyses using synthetic datasets that reflect different data distributions (balanced, skewed, and sparse), we demonstrate how variations in pseudonymization intensity influence both privacy and utility. The results indicate that certain data characteristics significantly affect the balance between protection and usability. This approach relies on simple, lightweight computations—scanning the data once, grouping similar records, and comparing their distributions. Because these operations naturally parallelize in distributed environments such as Spark, the proposed framework can efficiently scale to large pseudonymized datasets. Full article

Accurate assessment of wetland hydraulic performance and solute treatment depends on the spatial resolution of bed topography and vegetation density. To evaluate this influence, synthetic shallow-water wetlands with spatially correlated random fields of bed elevation and vegetation density were used to examine how data resolution affects predictions of hydrodynamic residence time and treatment performance. Coarse-graining of input data produced modest median errors in nominal residence time, although variability across realizations increased with greater topographic heterogeneity. The variance of residence time was the most sensitive metric, showing a consistent tendency toward underestimation as grid size increased, with maximum median errors exceeding 10% and 35% for grid sizes equal to and twice the correlation length, respectively. In contrast, outlet concentration errors remained relatively small, typically below 5% even when grid size exceeded the correlation length of bed features, indicating a stronger dependence on nominal residence time than on variance. Within the range of vegetation stem density variability considered, heterogeneous vegetation patterns in a flat-bed wetland exerted comparatively little influence on residence time metrics and contaminant concentration at the outlet. The results provide insights into the reliability of wetland models under varying data resolutions and identify conditions under which coarse-graining is acceptable, offering guidance for field measurement strategies and numerical modeling. Full article

Cathepsin S (Cat S) is a cysteine protease involved in several human diseases (i.e., autoimmune, inflammatory and cardiovascular disorders, cancer, and psoriasis) and is an important target in drug development. Emerging evidence highlights the potential of inhibiting Cat S by glycosaminoglycans, particularly chondroitin sulfates (CSs), as a promising therapeutic strategy. Given the limited and heterogeneous GAG materials from animal sources, a series of synthetic biotinylated non- or sulfated chondroitin oligomers were synthesized and assessed for their ability to inhibit Cat S. The biotinylated disaccharide C4S displayed in vitro potent inhibitory activity toward Cat S with IC₅₀ value in the micromolar range and showed selectivity over cathepsins K and L. Molecular modeling studies suggested that only C4S dp2 but not C6S, C4,6S or non-sulfated chondroitin binds selectively to the active site of Cat S. In addition, a synthetic multivalent C4S dp2 glycosylated BSA was shown to be more efficient towards Cat S inhibition (nanomolar range) than the monovalent parent C4S dp2. Our findings also indicated that this new neoglycoconjugate displayed selectivity for Cat S vs. cysteine cathepsins expressed by differentiated THP-1 cells. This study reports a new approach for designing selective and potent inhibitors of Cat S using multivalent C4S derivatives as a molecular scaffold. Full article

The design of fallout shelters is located at the intersection of many disciplines, so this is a multifaceted challenge with a high level of engineering complexity. Nonetheless, it should be considered as part of sustainable development in a broader sense—as an investment in the resilience of the urban infrastructure, the safety of the population and the continuity of the city functioning in crisis situations. One can identify the research gap indicating a lack of contemporary model solutions for shelters and this article aims to fill this gap. A comparative analytical method with an interdisciplinary approach based on a comparison of 10 existing shelter infrastructure solutions in different parts of the world was proposed. Supporting research aspects were formulated and synthetically represented in table: (A) functional integration into the city; (B) minimisation of impact on the urban fabric; (C) self-sufficiency and renewability of resources; (D) inclusiveness vs. exclusiveness. The analysis show that the existing model of the shelter as a segregated exclusive military facility does not fit the contemporary world. The result is a set of practical design recommendations based on case studies that could provide a starting point for the development of the New Fallout Shelter Standard (NFSS) for urban shelters as a sustainable civil resilience infrastructure in the 21st century. Full article

Objective: To investigate the sensitization to the dispersal of blue 124, a synthetic dye used in textile applications. The chemical properties of this dye allow it to migrate from fabrics to the skin, posing a risk for sensitization and allergic reactions. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of 30,629 consecutive patch test data from 1997 to 2021 in the Triveneto region (Italy) was performed using disperse blue 124 1% in petrolatum. Data were analyzed to assess trends in sensitization rates across different demographics and occupational groups. Results: The prevalence of sensitization to disperse blue 124 was 2.5% (n. 780 patients) and declined over the considered period, reaching a prevalence of approximately 1.5–1.9% in recent years. Sensitization was slightly higher in women (2.7%) compared to men (2.3%, p = 0.053), and in 36–65-year-old individuals (p < 0.05). Painters and textile workers presented a mild increase in sensitization, without reaching the statistical significance. Discussion: Disperse blue 124 sensitization declined significantly over the considered period, probably as result of the reduced use of this dye in textiles available on the Italian market. Its occupational role is limited. Conclusions: Contact dermatitis associated with disperse blue 124 declined over the considered period, but it is still above 1%, indicating the need for monitoring. Full article

Biomimetic lipid platforms provide versatile tools for mimicking various types of biological membranes and enable investigation of how industrially important amphiphiles (e.g., permeation enhancers and surfactants) interact with different membrane compositions. For example, antimicrobial lipids such as medium-chain fatty acids (FAs) and monoglycerides (MGs) are promising antibiotic alternatives that disrupt bacterial membranes and their distinct mechanisms of action are a topic of ongoing interest. The potency and targeting spectrum of individual antimicrobial lipids vary and mixing different lipids can improve functional activities. Biophysical studies indicate that optimally tuned mixtures exhibit greater disruption of synthetic lipid bilayers; however, their activity against more complex bacterial membrane compositions is largely unexplored. Herein, we applied electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to investigate how two MG/FA pairs—composed of 10-carbon long monocaprin (MC) with capric acid (CA) and 12-carbon long glycerol monolaurate (GML) with lauric acid (LA)—disrupt tethered lipid bilayers composed of Escherichia coli bacterial lipids. While MC and CA individually inhibit E. coli, MC/CA mixtures at intermediate ratios displayed synergistic membrane-disruptive activity. Mechanistic studies showed that this synergistic activity depends on the MC/CA molar ratio rather than total lipid concentration. In contrast, GML/LA mixtures had weak membrane interactions across all tested ratios and lacked synergy, which is consistent with their low activity against E. coli. Together, the EIS results reveal that an effective disruption synergy against target membranes can arise from combining individually active antimicrobial lipids with distinct membrane-interaction profiles, laying the foundation to develop potent antimicrobial lipid formulations for tackling antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Full article