The Impact of Oxford Nanopore Technologies Based Methodologies on the Genome Sequencing and Assembly of Romanian Strains of .

Background: is a worldwide invasive species with serious economic impacts. Herein, we are presenting the first project of sequencing and assembling the whole genomes of two lines of derived from Romanian local populations using exclusively Oxford Nanopore Technologies data.

Methods: We implemented both MinION and Flongle flow-cells and tested the impact of various basecalling models and assembly strategies on the quality of the sought-after representative genome assemblies.

A Systematic Review of Medical Treatments for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Dogs: Evaluating Strategies for Reproductive Function Preservation.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common condition in intact male dogs and a leading cause of subfertility. While surgical and chemical castration are effective treatments for BPH, managing this condition in breeding dogs is challenging due to the desire to preserve reproductive function. This study systematically reviews medical treatments for BPH that maintain breeding potential.

Is anti-müllerian hormone useful for monorchidism diagnosis in the tomcat?

Monorchidism is an uncommon condition in tomcats, defined by the congenital absence of one of the testicles. Due to the lack of information regarding possible biomarkers, most monorchidism cases require laparotomy in order to differentiate it from cryptorchidism. Human data suggest that monorchid patients have lower serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels when compared to cryptorchids, premises that has been also scrutinized in veterinary medicine.

An MRI-Based Method for the Morphologic Assessment of the Anterior Tibial Tuberosity.

: A prominent anterior tibial tuberosity (or tibial tubercle) can be seen in ongoing Osgood-Schlatter disease (OSD) in teenagers or as a sequela of OSD in adults. Current radiological methods do not provide a true anatomical assessment of the tibial tuberosity; therefore, we proposed and developed a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-based method for measuring the anterior tibial tuberosity index, aiming to deal with the current lack of effective techniques for accurately assessing these particular morphologic features. : A retrospective study included 47 knees with tibial tuberosity measurements on both true sagittal MPR images of 3D proton density (PD)-weighted MRI sequences and lateral knee radiographs.

Anti-Müllerian hormone as a diagnostic marker for testicular degeneration in dogs: insights from cryptorchid models.

Introduction: The increasing prevalence of infertility in male dogs in clinical practice mirrors current trends seen in human medicine. Acquired infertility is notably more common in dogs compared to congenital causes, with conditions such as testicular degeneration leading to irreversible loss of fertility. Current diagnostic methods for testicular degeneration, such as histopathological and cytological examinations, rely on testicular biopsy or fine needle aspiration, making them less feasible for routine use.

Anti-Müllerian hormone in feline cryptorchidism: Serum levels, tissue expression, and implications for testicular health.

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) has become a pivotal subject in the study of testicular descent, maturation, integrity, and male fertility. Recent studies explored its roles and implications across various domestic species. A prominent approach involved the understanding of the modulation of AMH in reproductive disorders, including cryptorchidism.

New insights into semen separation techniques in buffaloes.

Male infertility is frequently caused by idiopathic or unexplained reasons, resulting in an increase in demand for assisted reproductive technologies. In buffaloes, more than in other animals due to reproductive hardiness, successful fertilization needs spermatozoa to effectively transit the female reproductive system to reach the oocyte. This mechanism naturally picks high-quality sperm cells for conception, but when artificial reproductive technologies such as fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or intrauterine insemination are utilized, alternative techniques of sperm selection are necessary.

Characterization of Complex Concentrated Alloys and Their Potential in Car Brake Manufacturing.

The paper studies new materials for brake disks used in car manufacturing. The materials used in the manufacturing of the brake disc must adapt and correlate with the challenges of current society. There is a tremendous interest in the development of a material that has high strength, good heat transfer, corrosion resistance and low density, in order to withstand high-breaking forces, high heat and various adverse environment.

The Landscape of the DNA Transposons in the Genome of the Horezu_LaPeri Strain of .

Natural transposons (NTs) represent mobile DNA sequences found in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes. (the fruit fly) is a eukaryotic model organism with NTs standing for about 20% of its genome and has contributed significantly to the understanding of various aspects of transposon biology. Our study describes an accurate approach designed to map class II transposons (DNA transposons) in the genome of the Horezu_LaPeri fruit fly strain, consecutive to Oxford Nanopore Technology sequencing.

Predicting Pregnancy Outcome in Dairy Cows: The Role of IGF-1 and Progesterone.

The purpose of this study was to determine the link between insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), progesterone (PROG), non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs), β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), and glucose (GLU) and pregnancy probability after the first artificial insemination (AI) and during the first 100 days in milk (DIM), during the critical transition period. We determined levels of serum IGF-1, PROG, NEFA, BHB, and GLU in Holstein dairy cows via ELISA, using blood samples collected 7 days before parturition (DAP) until 21 days postparturition (DPP). The group was split into cows diagnosed pregnant at 100 DIM (PREG) and those that did not conceive at 100 and 150 DIM (NPREG).

Liquid Biopsy Snapshots of Key Phosphoproteomic Pathways in Lung Cancer Patients for Diagnosis and Therapy Monitoring.

Phosphorylation is a post-translational modification in proteins that changes protein conformation and activity for regulating signal transduction pathways. This mechanism is frequently impaired in lung cancer, resulting in permanently active constitutive phosphorylation to initiate tumor growth and/or reactivate pathways in response to therapy. We developed a multiplexed phosphoprotein analyzer chip (MPAC) that enables rapid (detection time: 5 min) and sensitive (LOD: 2 pg/μL) detection of protein phosphorylation and presents phosphoproteomic profiling of major phosphorylation pathways in lung cancer.

Possibilities of Physical-Chemical Sensors' Use for Optimizing the Processing of Metallurgical Melting Based on Computer Systems.

This article presents aspects regarding the possibilities of optimizing the quality of the elaboration of metallurgical melts by determining their physical-chemical properties. Thus, the article analyzes and presents methods for determining the viscosity and electrical conductivity related to metallurgical melts. Among the viscosity determination methods, two methods are presented, namely: the rotary viscometer method and the electro-vibratory viscometer method.

Experimental Research for the Establishment of the Optimal Forging and Heat Treatment Technical Parameters for Special Purpose Forged Semi-Finishes.

The authors present in this paper the experimental results and conclusions obtained after conducting a comparative study on three samples of forged semi-finished products from the steel brands 10CrMo9-10, 25CrMo4, and 42CrMo4. These are common heat-resistant alloy steels used in various industries nationally and internationally. This study aimed to test under the same identical experimental conditions of forging and heat treatment of three samples made of three different brands of steels 10CrMo9-10, 25CrMo4, and 42CrMo4.

High-Strength and Heat-Insulating Cellular Building Concrete Based on Calcined Gypsum.

A cellular concrete with a fine porous structure was experimentally made using the corrosion technique for aluminum powder as an expanding agent in an aqueous solution of Ca(OH). The originality of this paper was the use of our own production method for the fine aluminum powder through atomizing the recycled molten waste of this metal using concentrated jets of nitrogen. Additionally, the waste melting technique involved our own microwave heating method.

Somaclonal Variation-Advantage or Disadvantage in Micropropagation of the Medicinal Plants.

Cell and tissue plant cultures are used either to save vulnerable species from extinction or to multiply valuable genotypes, or both, and are widely applied for economically important plant species. For medicinal plants, the use of in vitro technologies for the production of secondary metabolites and pathogen-free plants has been greatly developed. Two opposite aspects characterize the in vitro micropropagation of medicinal plants: maintaining genetic fidelity for the perpetuation and preservation of elites, and the identification and exploitation of somaclonal variations associated with new, useful traits.

ONT-Based Alternative Assemblies Impact on the Annotations of Unique versus Repetitive Features in the Genome of a Romanian Strain of .

To date, different strategies of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) have been developed in order to understand the genome structure and functions. However, the analysis of genomic sequences obtained from natural populations is challenging and the biological interpretation of sequencing data remains the main issue. The MinION device developed by Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) is able to generate long reads with minimal costs and time requirements.

Genome ARTIST_v2-An Autonomous Bioinformatics Tool for Annotation of Natural Transposons in Sequenced Genomes.

The annotation of transposable elements (transposons) is a very dynamic field of genomics and various tools assigned to support this bioinformatics endeavor have been developed and described. Genome ARTIST v1.19 (GA_v1.

Non-Aqueous Electrodeposition and Characterization of AlCrCuFeNi High Entropy Alloy Thin Films.

Materials used in the marine industry are exposed to extreme conditions, so it is necessary to meet remarkable characteristics, such as mechanical resistance, low density, and good corrosion resistance. The challenging environment requires continuous performance improvements, so this work is focused on developing new materials with superior properties, using the electrochemical deposition technique, which are convenient for marine engineering. High-entropy alloys have been attracting tremendous interest in many applications, due to their simple crystal structures and advantageous physical-chemical properties, such as high strength, anti-corrosion, erosion, and electro-magnetic capabilities.

The use of co-design in developing physical activity interventions for older adults: a scoping review.

Background: Promoting physical activity (PA) participation in older adults is important for preserving quality of life and functional independence. Co-design has been shown to increase engagement of end-users in health-related policies and interventions. This scoping review aimed to examine how co-design has been used to develop PA interventions for older adults.

Recovery of Waste with a High Iron Content in the Context of the Circular Economy.

In order to apply the concepts that allow the transition from a linear to a circular economy, waste generators and/or processors must identify those variants that generate products that can be used as secondary raw materials, thus also respecting the actions governing sustainable development. This paper presents such a variant, the briquetting of waste with high iron content, waste generated on current flows in steel enterprises or deposited in industrial sites. The obtained briquettes are analyzed for chemical and mechanical characteristics so that can be used as secondary materials in the steel production.

Assessment of Hot Corrosion in Molten NaSO and VO of Inconel 625 Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting versus Conventional Technology.

Inconel 625 samples, obtained by Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and conventional technology, were tested for hot corrosion resistance against a molten mixture of NaSO and VO. The assessments were performed in air, at 900 °C with exposure time of up to 96 h, and at 1000 °C for 8 h. Weight gain was higher for samples obtained by SLM, with 37.

Natural Polymers and Their Nanocomposites Used for Environmental Applications.

The aim of this review is to bring together the main natural polymer applications for environmental remediation, as a class of nexus materials with advanced properties that offer the opportunity of integration in single or simultaneous decontamination processes. By identifying the main natural polymers derived from agro-industrial sources or monomers converted by biotechnology into sustainable polymers, the paper offers the main performances identified in the literature for: (i) the treatment of water contaminated with heavy metals and emerging pollutants such as dyes and organics, (ii) the decontamination and remediation of soils, and (iii) the reduction in the number of suspended solids of a particulate matter (PM) type in the atmosphere. Because nanotechnology offers new horizons in materials science, nanocomposite tunable polymers are also studied and presented as promising materials in the context of developing sustainable and integrated products in society to ensure quality of life.

Investigation of Scanning Strategies and Laser Remelting Effects on Top Surface Deformation of Additively Manufactured IN 625.

The main drawbacks of the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) process are the surface quality and dimensional accuracy of manufactured parts due to the edge and corner effects. These effects can be diminished by using an appropriate balance of the process parameters and scanning strategies. This paper focuses on the assessment of reducing the edge and corner effects that occur in additively manufactured IN 625 alloy via the LPBF technique by varying the hatch angle rotation (by 45°, 67°, and 90°) and volumetric energy density (VED), and using the laser top surface remelting technique (LSR).

Glass Foam from Flat Glass Waste Produced by the Microwave Irradiation Technique.

A glass foam with good thermal insulation characteristics (apparent density of 0.38 g/cm, porosity of 81.9% and thermal conductivity of 0.