Abstract Urban road intersections are among the most critical locations for road safety because they involve complex interactions among multiple road users, particularly during turning maneuvers, where conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles frequently occur. This study adopts an observational approach to develop four statistical models for identifying the factors that significantly influence pedestrian–vehicle interactions during both right- and left-turn maneuvers. The study contributes to the existing literature by explicitly incorporating left-turn maneuvers and proposing a practical simplification of social force variables into directly observable indicators. These simplified indicators proved to be statistically significant and effectively captured the dynamics of pedestrian–vehicle interactions, enabling safety analyses in environments where advanced sensing technologies or automated traffic-monitoring systems are unavailable. The proposed simplification of the social force methodology incorporates variables such as pedestrian direction change, pedestrian conflict, crossing behavior, crossing speed, trajectory within the intersection, and the pedestrian paths. Vehicle-related surrogate safety measures, including crossing time and vehicle speed, were also incorporated into the analysis. Specifically, near-crash events were defined using the post-encroachment time (PET) indicator, linking conflict-based safety measures with behavioral and geometric explanatory variables. Predictive performance was further evaluated through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The final specification (Model 4) demonstrated excellent predictive accuracy, achieving an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.992. Traffic conditions, geometric characteristics, and the simplified social force variables emerged as the strongest predictors of near-crash occurrence. The most influential predictors included pedestrian direction change, zebra-crossing time, curve length, crossing length, and the absolute difference between design and available sight distance.
Developing sustainable, functional plant-based foods is increasingly important. This study developed an almond-based spread enriched with Lacticaseibacillus casei ATCC 334 using ultrasonication, lactic fermentation, and microencapsulation. Ultrasound treatments at 40-80% amplitude for 5-10 min were assessed; the mild condition (40%, 5 min) reduced syneresis and enhanced the antioxidant activity of the almond extract. Four spreads were produced, and the formulation combining ultrasound treatment, fermentation, and spray-dried microencapsulated probiotic showed favorable physicochemical and probiotic stability characteristics. It exhibited suitable composition (moisture, 47.1%; fat, 29.9%; protein, 10.4%), controlled acidity (3.1%; pH 4.7), and a metabolite profile containing amino acids, polyols, and lipophilic antioxidants. The product displayed a firmness of 0.95 N and a stable gel structure for 21 days. Antioxidant capacity increased during storage, while probiotic viability remained above functional levels and persisted after simulated gastrointestinal digestion (>= 6 Log CFU/g). These results demonstrate that integrating these technologies improves stability and probiotic performance in almond-based fermented spreads.
This study provides evidence of the fungistatic capacity of an active edible film containing quercetin and orange essential oil (OEO), demonstrating favorable mechanical properties and stability for postharvest applications. Phytopathogenic fungi are a major cause of postharvest losses and waste. Certain bioactive compounds, such as quercetin (a key component of the natural chemical defense system of plants) and OEO, are known for their fungicidal properties. OEO contains a high concentration of terpene molecules that share chemical similarities with quercetin, potentially enhancing its bioavailability and toxicity. Active edible films offer a promising means of delivering bioactive compounds to help reduce the spread of fungal infections in food. Therefore, this study sought to develop an active edible film incorporating quercetin and OEO to inhibit the spore germination and growth of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Three edible films were formulated: PQN1 (0.075 mg/mL quercetin, 20 mg/mL OEO), PQN2 (0.030 mg/mL quercetin, 5 mg/mL OEO), and a control (PC) without active compounds. PQN1 exhibited the highest fungistatic activity, inhibiting C. gloeosporioides growth by 32.3 +/- 0.8%. PQN1 also showed greater stability than PC, as indicated by zeta potential values (-63.3 +/- 6.2 mV vs. -5.224 +/- 5.4 mV, respectively). The elongation percentage and water vapor permeability (WVP) increased in films containing the active compounds, while tensile strength, Young's modulus, and solubility decreased in the presence of OEO. No significant difference in thickness was observed. Overall, the PQN1 edible film shows potential for preventing C. gloeosporioides contamination in fruits and vegetables.
The assessment of individual specialization in marine top predators provides insight into their role in marine ecosystems. The northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) is considered a generalist consumer; however, adult females could exhibit individual specialization to meet the energetic demands of reproduction. We evaluated foraging variability and individual specialization in adult females from the San Benito Archipelago (Mexican Pacific), using vibrissae from recently weaned pups as maternal proxies. Stable isotopes analyses (δ13C and δ15N) were conducted on vibrissae segments collected in two breeding seasons (2016–17 and 2022–23). Isotopic profiles showed consistent temporal patterns across years, with ¹³C and ¹⁵N-enriched values during the post-molting migration, and ¹³C-depleted values during lactation, reflecting maternal energy transfer. At colony level, isotopic niche widths (4.5–7.3‰2) indicate a generalist strategy. However, individual niches were considerably smaller (< 1‰2), revealing within colony partitioning. The individual specialization index (SI) revealed that 65
BRAF kinases are involved in cancer cell survival and metastasis. Mutations in BRAF are frequent in several types of cancer, occurring in more than 50
