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Global aquaculture makes an important contribution to food security directly (by increasing food availability and accessibility) and indirectly (as a driver of economic development). In order to enable sustainable expansion of aquaculture, we need to understand aquaculture’s contribution to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and how it can be mitigated. This study quantifies the global GHG emissions from aquaculture (excluding the farming of aquatic plants), with a focus on using modern, commercial feed formulations for the main species groups and geographic regions. Here we show that global aquaculture accounted for approximately 0.49% of anthropogenic GHG emissions in 2017, which is similar in magnitude to the emissions from sheep production. The modest emissions reflect the low emissions intensity of aquaculture, compared to terrestrial livestock (in particular cattle, sheep and goats), which is due largely to the absence of enteric CH 4 in aquaculture, combined with the high fertility and low feed conversion ratios of finfish and shellfish.

BACKGROUND: In 1994, a “Pan-European Programme for Intensive and Continuous Monitoring of Forest Ecosystems” started to contribute to a better understanding of the impact of air pollution, climate change and natural stress factors on forest ecosystems. The programme today counts approximately 760 permanent observation plots including near 500 plots with data on both air quality and forest ecosystem impacts. SCOPE: This paper first presents impacts of air pollution and climate on forests ecosystems as reported in the literature on the basis of laboratory and field research. Next, results from monitoring studies, both at a European wide scale and related national studies, are presented in terms of trends and geographic variations in nitrogen and sulphur deposition and ozone concentrations and the impacts of those changes in interaction with weather conditions on (i) water and element budgets and nutrient-acidity status, (ii) forest crown condition, (iii) forest growth and carbon sequestration and (iv) species diversity of the ground vegetation. The empirical, field based forest responses to the various drivers are evaluated in view of available knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: Analyses of large scale monitoring data sets show significant effects of atmospheric deposition on nutrient-acidity status in terms of elevated nitrogen and sulphur or sulphate concentrations in forest foliage and soil solution and related soil acidification in terms of elevated aluminium and/or base cation leaching from the forest ecosystem. Relationships of air pollution with crown condition, however, appear to be weak and limited in time and space, while climatic factors appear to be more important drivers. Regarding forest growth, monitoring results indicate a clear fertilization effect of N deposition on European forests but the field evidence for impacts of ambient ozone exposure on tree growth is less clear.

This study introduces the Smart Evaluation of Work Ability (SEWAbility), an AI-powered video analysis system designed to support objective job analysis by deriving task-specific job demands from real-world sewing task videos. SEWAbility processes overhead surveillance footage from factory environments through a hierarchical analytical pipeline. Videos are first clustered into work tasks using 88-dimensional handcrafted features capturing upper-extremity motion trajectories and joint angle statistics. Each task is subdivided into work cycles and further into work elements, from which Repetitive Motion Pattern (RMP) features are extracted. Based on an analysis of 21 sewing videos across three task categories (A: tops, B: beddings, C: bottoms), SEWAbility effectively distinguished task types. In the video of work task A1, seven work cycles of sewing activity were correctly identified, and 18 repetitive work elements were extracted from the first work cycle. The resulting RMP features provided objective descriptions of motion trajectories, joint speeds, and ranges of motion, yielding interpretable and task-specific biomechanical benchmarks. By enabling scalable and systematic quantification of job demands, SEWAbility demonstrates the feasibility of deriving task-specific biomechanical benchmarks from workplace videos. While this preliminary study analyzed data from a single sewing worker with a physical disability, the broader dataset from more workers will allow future validation. In this way, SEWAbility holds promise to support data-driven employment recommendations and vocational rehabilitation planning for individuals with disabilities.

Abstract African wild pigs have a contentious evolutionary and biogeographic history. Until recently, desert warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus) and common warthog (P. africanus) were considered a single species. Molecular evidence surprisingly suggested they diverged at least 4.4 million years ago, and possibly outside of Africa. We sequenced the first whole-genomes of four desert warthogs and 35 common warthogs from throughout their range. We show that these two species diverged much later than previously estimated, 400,000–1,700,000 years ago depending on assumptions of gene flow. This brings it into agreement with the paleontological record. We found that the common warthog originated in western Africa and subsequently colonized eastern and southern Africa. During this range expansion, the common warthog interbred with the desert warthog, presumably in eastern Africa, underlining this region’s importance in African biogeography. We found that immune system–related genes may have adaptively introgressed into common warthogs, indicating that resistance to novel diseases was one of the most potent drivers of evolution as common warthogs expanded their range. Hence, we solve some of the key controversies surrounding warthog evolution and reveal a complex evolutionary history involving range expansion, introgression, and adaptation to new diseases.

Background Pancreaticoduodenectomy, also known as the Whipple procedure, is a complex surgery for which increased operative time is associated with worse outcomes for patients. Body composition has been shown to be a contributing factor to operative time and can vary widely amongst pancreaticoduodenectomy patients. We hypothesized that greater amounts of adipose tissue are associated with extended pancreaticoduodenectomy operative time. Methods Demographic variables were retrieved retrospectively from the medical record for the first 211 consecutive patients enrolled in an institutional biobanking protocol with malignancies associated with pancreatectomy. Our final cohort of 68 patients underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy and had preoperative CTs available for body composition analysis. Variables of interest were associated with operating time. Results Younger patient age, greater number of lymph nodes removed, and the need for a vascular repair were all associated with increased operative time. When considering surgeries without vascular repairs ( n  = 56), neither subcutaneous adipose ( p  = 0.80) nor visceral adipose ( p  = 0.32) were associated with surgery length. Skeletal muscle was unique, with greater muscle mass tending to associate with longer operating times ( p  = 0.051). Additionally, a sexual dimorphism was revealed whereby increased operative time was associated with greater skeletal muscle mass for females ( p  = 0.005) but lower skeletal muscle mass for males ( p  < 0.001). Conclusions Contrary to expectations, increased adiposity was not associated with extended pancreaticoduodenectomy operative time. However, skeletal muscle mass was associated with operative time in a sex-dependent matter. Assessment of skeletal muscle mass could prove useful in identifying patients at risk of prolonged pancreaticoduodenectomy operations.

Key Points 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET imaging of atherosclerosis is a reliable and reproducible measure of vascular inflammation, which can be used as a surrogate end point in clinical drug trials The 18 F-FDG PET signal indicates increased metabolic activity of macrophages, and probably also reflects contributions from local hypoxia and efficiency of tracer delivery by the microcirculation Initial data suggest that 18 F-FDG PET provides prognostic information above clinical and anatomical assessment alone; however, the outcome of large, prospective studies is awaited Several tracers with established roles in cancer imaging ( 68 Ga-DOTATATE, 11 C-PK11195, and 18 F-fluoromethylcholine) might be more-specific for vascular inflammation and better-suited to coronary artery imaging than 18 F-FDG 18 F-FDG is the most-commonly used tracer in PET imaging of atherosclerosis. 18 F-FDG uptake can be used to identify patients at the highest risk of clinical events and as a surrogate end point in clinical trials of antiatherosclerotic therapies. However, background myocardial uptake of 18 F-FDG can make identifying high-risk coronary artery plaque difficult. Several novel PET tracers have, therefore, also been tested in atherosclerosis imaging. Here, Tarkin et al. review the role of state-of-the-art PET imaging of inflammation in atherosclerosis, including the rationale for this modality, and its current and future uses. PET imaging of atherosclerosis can quantify several in vivo pathological processes occurring within the arterial system. 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is the most-commonly used PET tracer, with well-established roles in atherosclerosis imaging. In this context, the 18 F-FDG signal largely reflects tracer uptake by plaque macrophages and, therefore, inflammation with smaller contributions from other resident cell types. As a marker of plaque vulnerability, the 18 F-FDG PET signal can be used to help to identify patients at the highest risk of clinical events. 18 F-FDG PET has also been used successfully as a surrogate end point in clinical trials of antiatherosclerotic therapies. Nonetheless, imaging atherosclerosis with 18 F-FDG has several limitations. Most importantly, coronary artery imaging is problematic because 18 F-FDG accumulates in all cells that metabolize glucose, and background myocardial uptake is generally greater than any signal originating from a plaque. To help to overcome these limitations, several novel PET tracers, which might be more-specifically targeted than 18 F-FDG, have been tested in atherosclerosis imaging. These tracers are designed to track inflammation, hypoxia, neoangiogenesis, or active calcification, which are all precursors to plaque rupture and its clinical sequelae.

Self-powered photosensor is fabricated based on nanostructure TiO 2 /natural dyes. TiO 2 nanostructured thin film was prepared on FTO/glass substrates by hydrothermal method. Surface morphology, crystalline structure, as well as optical properties of the prepared sample are investigated. Three types of natural dyes, pomegranate, aubergine, and coffee are used as an active layer (absorber) of the fabricated photosensor. However, the solution of dye was casted onto TiO 2 and left to dry naturally and carbon/FTO was used as a back contact of the device. Current-voltage (I-V) characteristic under dark and light case was characterized for all prepared sensors. Besides, the fabricated sensors appeared good response to whit light under zero bias voltage. Sensitivity, raise and decay time of the prepared photosensor are calculated.

Foraging behaviour is one of the distinctive behaviours of honey bees, Apis mellifera. This behaviour is the link between the honey bee colony and the ambient environment. Therefore, various in-colony and out-colony factors have an impact on this behaviour, and many studies have been employed to investigate these factors. Foraging behaviour is not advantageous only for the colony and for plant pollination but also has other benefits. In contrast, some disadvantages have also been discovered to be linked with foraging activity. Practically speaking, the control over this behaviour is very important to maximize colony products as well as to increase other agricultural benefits. This paper presents a review on foraging activity including; the regulation of foraging tasks, factors impacting this behaviour, foraging preference, variations between subspecies, monitoring methods as well as the possible methods for controlling this behaviour. As concluded from this review, more work needs to be performed in order to elucidate certain aspects of foraging behaviour.

Contemporary cancer treatment strategies are shifting toward targeted therapies to improve efficacy and minimize toxicity. Here, we report the design and preclinical evaluation of MBRC-101, a first-in-class antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting EphA5, a receptor tyrosine kinase with an established role in embryonic development but not extensively studied in cancer. We show that EphA5 is expressed in multiple solid tumors, including cancers of the aerodigestive (non-small cell lung, head and neck, gastric, colon, and pancreatic) and genitourinary (bladder and ovary) tracts, as well as most breast cancer subsets (including triple-negative tumors), with limited expression in normal tissues. MBRC-101 is a humanized anti-EphA5 antibody conjugated to monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) through a ThioBridge, thereby ensuring stable drug-to-antibody ratio and reducing off-target effects. MBRC-101 showed potent antitumor activity, achieving complete tumor regression in several patient-derived xenograft models. Preclinical Good Laboratory Practice-compliant toxicology studies in rats and nonhuman primates demonstrated that MBRC-101 is well tolerated, with observed toxicities limited to known MMAE off-target effects. These findings establish EphA5 as a therapeutic target in cancer and support the translational development of MBRC-101 as a promising ADC candidate for clinical evaluation, currently in a first-in-human multicenter investigational trial for patients with advanced solid tumors (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06014658).

Alterations in both cell metabolism and transcriptional programs are hallmarks of cancer that sustain rapid proliferation and metastasis 1 . However, the mechanisms that control the interaction between metabolic reprogramming and transcriptional regulation remain unclear. Here we show that the metabolic enzyme 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase 4 (PFKFB4) regulates transcriptional reprogramming by activating the oncogenic steroid receptor coactivator-3 (SRC-3). We used a kinome-wide RNA interference-based screening method to identify potential kinases that modulate the intrinsic SRC-3 transcriptional response. PFKFB4, a regulatory enzyme that synthesizes a potent stimulator of glycolysis 2 , is found to be a robust stimulator of SRC-3 that coregulates oestrogen receptor. PFKFB4 phosphorylates SRC-3 at serine 857 and enhances its transcriptional activity, whereas either suppression of PFKFB4 or ectopic expression of a phosphorylation-deficient Ser857Ala mutant SRC-3 abolishes the SRC-3-mediated transcriptional output. Functionally, PFKFB4-driven SRC-3 activation drives glucose flux towards the pentose phosphate pathway and enables purine synthesis by transcriptionally upregulating the expression of the enzyme transketolase. In addition, the two enzymes adenosine monophosphate deaminase-1 (AMPD1) and xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH), which are involved in purine metabolism, were identified as SRC-3 targets that may or may not be directly involved in purine synthesis. Mechanistically, phosphorylation of SRC-3 at Ser857 increases its interaction with the transcription factor ATF4 by stabilizing the recruitment of SRC-3 and ATF4 to target gene promoters. Ablation of SRC-3 or PFKFB4 suppresses breast tumour growth in mice and prevents metastasis to the lung from an orthotopic setting, as does Ser857Ala-mutant SRC-3. PFKFB4 and phosphorylated SRC-3 levels are increased and correlate in oestrogen receptor-positive tumours, whereas, in patients with the basal subtype, PFKFB4 and SRC-3 drive a common protein signature that correlates with the poor survival of patients with breast cancer. These findings suggest that the Warburg pathway enzyme PFKFB4 acts as a molecular fulcrum that couples sugar metabolism to transcriptional activation by stimulating SRC-3 to promote aggressive metastatic tumours. The glycolytic enzyme PFKFB4 directly phosphorylates and regulates binding of the coactivator SRC-3 to ATF4 and thereby increases the transcriptional activity of this complex, leading to increased expression of metabolic genes, and enhancing tumour growth and metastasis.