Browse Articles

Chemometric and computational modeling of polysaccharide coated drugs for colonic drug delivery

Application and optimization of BP prediction model driven by internet of things in tourism education

A non-invasive diagnostic approach for neuroblastoma utilizing preoperative enhanced computed tomography and deep learning techniques

Production performance and stability of mixed forage grasslands improved by planting proportion and mode in Horqin sandy land, China

An experimental study of levamisole incorporated diet on fish health and resistance against Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from Oreochromas niloticus

Abstract Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is one of the most common ones that harm fish. P. aeruginosa has been regarded as one of the most significant threats to the fishing industry, which also affects public health. Thus, the present investigation was done in two steps; the first step was to examine the prevalence and the antibiogram of P. aeruginosa among Nile tilapia (Oreochromas niloticus (O. niloticus)) from aquaculture farms in Kafr El-shiekh Governorate with an emphasis on their antibiotic resistance genes (BlaTEM, tetA, and sul1). The second step was to investigate the effect of levamisole as a feed supplement for tilapia fish on growth performance, immunity, serum biochemistry, and the protective effect against artificial infection with the previously isolated in the first step P. aeruginosa strain. One hundred samples were collected from morbid Nile tilapia fish in the first step. The incidence of P. aeruginosa was 14%. Susceptibility of P. aeruginosa isolates to 9 antimicrobial agents showed that about half of P. aeruginosa isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR) to (5–6) antibiotics. All of the isolates were sensitive to amikacin, ciprofloxacin, and norfloxacin (100%), and half of them were resistant to azithromycin, amoxicillin with clavulanic, tetracycline, and sulfa with trimethoprim. P. aeruginosa isolates were confirmed diagnosed using the 16S rRNA gene, which was detected in 100% of the tested isolates, and was also evaluated for the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (blaTEM, tetA, and sul1), which were 85.7%, 85.7%, and 100%, respectively. In the second step, a 2-month feeding trial was performed on 160 O. niloticus fish with a weight of 56.75 ± 3 g. Fish were randomly distributed into four groups, each at a rate of 10 fish per aquarium in four replicates, and fed on a diet containing 0.0, 500, 750, and 1000 mg levamisole/kg diet. At the end of the feeding trial, fish were challenged by pathogenic P. aeruginosa, which was isolated in the first step. The results of the in vivo trial showed that levamisole safely improved the growth and immunity of Nile tilapia without side effects on liver function.

Merging microencapsulated garlic extract as a bioactive ingredient into manufacturing functional soft cheese

Abstract The study aimed to produce a functional soft cheese with garlic extract (GE). First, the GE was encapsulated using gum Arabic (GA) and whey protein isolate, and its characteristics [zeta-potential, particle size, Coacervates yield, Encapsulation efficiency and polydispersity index, scanning electron microscope (SEM)] were evaluated. The free GE (FGE) and encapsulated GE (EGE) were then added to UF-soft cheese formulation (0.2 and 0.4% w/w). The samples were kept for 30 days in a refrigerator and their physicochemical, sensory properties, Texture profile, SEM and radical-scavenging activity were examined. EGE UF-soft cheese exhibited more free-radical scavenging activity than FGE at the same concentration and control, 25.14, 22.12, and 13.64%, respectively. The EGE-fortified cheese had a harder and gummier texture, a more noticeable change than the FGE and control cheese. In comparison to FGE-fortified and control, the sensory attribute representing overall quality, especially that fortified with 0.2% EGE displays the highest value. The study demonstrates that the use of EGE in cheese fortification provides a healthy and promising approach to reducing the strong flavor of garlic and enhancing bioactivity in the production of functional soft cheese, offering up novel opportunities for the development of distinctive dairy products with functional features.

In-vitro assessment and characterization of anticancer, antibacterial, and antioxidant activity of diatom-derived metabolites

Comprehensive analysis of splicing variants in corneal endothelial cells of patients with Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy

Arctic warming from a high-latitude effusive volcanic eruption

Physiological and molecular mechanisms of nitrogen in alleviating drought stress in Phoebe bournei

Exogenous melatonin modulates physiological responses, phytochemical profiles and essential oil production in grapefruit mint under drought stress

Research on multi-UAV autonomous obstacle avoidance algorithm integrating improved dynamic window approach and ORCA

Novel fabrication techniques for HKUST-1 adsorptive nanocomposite membrane for heavy metals removal from wastewater

Integration of the reptile search algorithm and the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system enhances standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index forecasting

Expanding the V1-MT model to the estimation of perceived fluid direction

Abstract Humans can readily perceive the direction of liquid flow, yet computational modeling of this process remains challenging due to the complexity of non-rigid motion. Previous models based on neural activities in the primary visual cortex (V1) and the middle temporal area (MT) have been effective in explaining rigid motion perception. In this study, we extend the V1-MT model to address the perception of liquid flow direction. Participants observed video clips of liquid flow and reported the perceived direction, while the V1-MT model was used to predict these perceptions. The winner-take-all approach failed to accurately capture the observed perceptions. In contrast, a weighted mean of directional energies yielded strong predictions, highlighting that the human visual system spatially integrates directional energies from non-rigid motion components. These findings broaden the applicability of the V1-MT model to non-rigid motion and provide insights into how the visual system bridges the gap between computational models of rigid and non-rigid motion perception.

Unravel subseafloor hydrothermal leaching and magmatic degassing during chimney formation at Kolumbo volcano

Abstract Hydrothermal chimneys are the upmost expression of fluids, metals and ligands transfer from the subseafloor to the hydrosphere, eventually forming seafloor massive sulfides. In volcanic arc settings, both magmatic and hydrothermal fluids occur together. While each fluid reflects different metal mobilizing mechanisms (i.e. magmatic degassing and hydrothermal leaching of subseafloor lithologies), it is unclear which metals they respectively provide to the budget of the chimneys. We investigate the metal sources and mobilizing mechanisms associated with a gold-rich hydrothermal field from Kolumbo volcano (South Aegean Volcanic Arc, Greece) by comparing Pb isotope ratios of ore minerals from a chimney with those of potential source rocks. Four key findings result from our study: (1) Kolumbo volcanic rocks are the main source of Pb for the chimneys; (2) Magmatic assimilation of Cycladic Basement allows to track magmatic differentiation and identify metal mobilizing mechanisms for Pb and metals with similar behavior. At Kolumbo, magmatic degassing mobilizes As, Ag, Au, Cu, Hg, Sb, Sn and Zn along with Pb, while hydrothermal leaching of rhyolite provides Tl and likely some base metals to the chimneys; (3) Magmatic fluids contributed to galena and Sb-Pb sulfosalts formation while pyrite formed from hydrothermal fluids leaching rhyolite; (4) Galena growth zones in pyrite reveal episodic pulses of magmatic fluids during the chimney growth. The combined use of Pb isotopes on ore minerals and source rocks provides an additional tool to discriminate between magmatic and hydrothermal fluids contribution during seafloor massive sulfide formation, especially in arc settings where magmatic assimilation of crustal material with distinct isotopic signature is more likely to occur.

Assessing groundwater drought in Iran using GRACE data and machine learning

Finite element analysis of mandibular fracture fixation authenticated by 3D printed mandible mechanical testing

RFID-embedded mattress for sleep disorder detection for athletes in sports psychology

The cervical microbiome of ewe breeds with known divergent fertility following artificial insemination with frozen-thawed semen

Abstract The use of artificial insemination (AI) with frozen-thawed semen in sheep is limited internationally due to low pregnancy rates. An exception is Norway, where high success rates routinely occur following vaginal deposition of frozen-thawed semen during natural estrus. Previous research suggests that breed-specific differences in pregnancy rates may result from impaired cervical sperm transport. This study compared cervical microbiomes among sheep breeds with known differences in pregnancy rates after AI. Cervical samples were collected from Suffolk (low fertility) and Belclare (medium fertility) breeds in Ireland, and Norwegian white sheep (NWS) and Fur breeds (both high fertility) in Norway, during the follicular phase of both natural and synchronized estruses, and the luteal phase of synchronized estrus. Amplicon sequencing revealed significantly higher bacterial abundance during the follicular phase in the low-fertility Suffolk breed compared to high-fertility breeds. Alpha diversity was higher in Suffolk and Belclare breeds, especially during the natural follicular phase, coinciding with pronounced beta diversity differences among breeds. Genus Histophilus was the top feature leading to microbial differences between ewe breeds and types of cycle. Ewe breed was the main driver of cervical microbial composition; increased microbial load in lower-fertility breeds may negatively impact sperm survival/transport, hampering AI success.