Christopher M. Powers, PT, PhD, FAPTA, the 57th McMillan Lecturer, is a professor and associate chair in the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. Dr Powers is internationally recognized for his expertise and leadership in human movement science, and his research has advanced our understanding of lower-extremity biomechanics and their role in musculoskeletal injury. His work has shaped evidence-based approaches to preventing and treating knee pain and sports-related injuries. He has authored more than 230 peer-reviewed publications that have been cited more than 30,000 times, underscoring the broad impact of his scholarship across rehabilitation science, sports medicine, and orthopedics. His research contributions have been recognized with multiple awards from APTA. His sustained leadership and service to the profession are equally notable. Dr. Powers has received service awards from both APTA and the California Physical Therapy Association, reflecting his long-standing commitment to advancing physical therapy through organizational leadership and professional advocacy. He has served as the president of the California chapter of the APTA and as president of the Academy of Physical Therapy Research. He currently serves as vice president of the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research, where he continues to champion the profession's scientific research and its translation into improved patient care.

This study evaluated the effects of partially replacing sugarcane silage with Moringa oleifera silage on carcass traits and meat quality of lambs. Sixteen male Santa Inês × Dorper lambs (23.0 ± 2.00 kg; 6 months old) were assigned to either sugarcane silage (C) or a mixed silage containing sugarcane and M. oleifera (C + M; 50:50 on a dry matter basis) over a 75-day experimental period, including 15 days of adaptation and 60 days of evaluation. Carcasses were evaluated for fasting weight, hot and cold carcass weights, carcass yields, non-carcass components, fat cover, ribeye area, and commercial cut yields. Meat quality was assessed in the Longissimus lumborum muscle for pH, lightness (L*), redness (a*), yellowness (b*), chroma (C*), hue angle (h°), cooking loss, shear force, proximate composition, and oxidative stability based on thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Lambs fed the C + M diet had lower fasting and hot carcass weights than those fed the control diet (p < 0.01), whereas fat cover and ribeye area were not significantly affected. Meat dry matter, crude protein, ether extract, and ash contents did not differ between treatments (p > 0.05). Color parameters, oxidative stability, and shear force were also unaffected by dietary treatment. Cooking loss was higher in the C + M group (p < 0.05), indicating lower water-holding capacity under the evaluated conditions. Overall, replacing 50% of sugarcane silage with M. oleifera silage preserved most physicochemical meat quality attributes, although it reduced fasting and hot carcass weights and increased cooking loss. These findings indicate that M. oleifera silage may be used as an alternative forage resource in tropical lamb finishing systems, provided that its effects on carcass weight and water-holding capacity are considered.

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a devastating disease impacting citrus orchards worldwide. Identifying candidate genes and/or genomic regions that significantly influence plants' response to HLB is essential for breeding programs. Nevertheless, this remains a challenge, especially during the early stages of the citrus-pathogen interaction, when phenotypically distinguishing tolerant genotypes is not trivial. This work focused on identifying genomic regions and candidate genes associated with citrus response to Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas).

Acrocomia aculeata (macaúba) is an oil-producing palm with high potential for sustainable bioenergy in tropical regions. We present the first chromosome-scale, haplotype-resolved genome assembly for the species and the genus, generated with Oxford Nanopore, PacBio HiFi, and Hi-C sequencing. The assembly spans 1.94 Gbp organized into 15 pseudochromosomes (N50 = 143.43 Mbp; QV = 76.4), with two fully phased haplotypes (Hap1: 1.93 Gbp; Hap2: 1.92 Gbp) resolved at chromosome scale. Genome completeness reached 98.9% complete BUSCOs for predicted proteins and > 90% k-mer completeness. Repetitive elements comprise 73-77% of the genome, with LTR retrotransposons accounting for ~55%. The LTR Assembly Index (LAI = 25.11) confirms gold-standard quality, sustained across both haplotypes. Annotation predicted 28,367 protein-coding genes with structural consistency across haplotypes and similarity to other palm genomes. Comparative analyses revealed strong chromosomal collinearity with closely related species. This reference genome supports evolutionary genomics, conservation, and molecular breeding of macaúba.

Aptamers are short single-stranded nucleic acid molecules with a unique ability to bind with high specificity andaffinity to a wide range of biomolecules, including proteins, viruses, and small molecules, due to the formation of tertiary structures, making them a powerful alternative to antibodies in biosensing, diagnostics, and therapy. Their advantages, such as high stability, the possibility of targeted chemical modification, and reproducible solid-phase synthesis without the use of cell-based systems or bioreactors, have driven the active development of methods for their design and optimization. This review systematizes the key stages in the evolution of aptamer development technologies, starting with the classic SELEX technology, and considers its modifications, including CE-SELEX, M-SELEX, Cell-SELEX, HT-SELEX, and others, aimed at improving the efficiency, specificity, and automation of the process. Special attention is paid to the integration of computational methods such as secondary and tertiary structure prediction (RNAfold, MXfold2, RNAComposer), molecular docking (AutoDock Vina, HADDOCK, ZDOCK), molecular dynamics (GROMACS, AMBER, NAMD), and SELEX data analysis (AptaSUITE, FASTAptamer). The implementation of machine learning and deep learning algorithms (AptaDiff, RaptGen, Apta-MCTS, Xelari) is also described, opening up new opportunities for the rational design of de novo aptamers, optimization of their affinity, and minimization of experimental costs. The review discusses the limitations of the current methods, such as limited amount of structural data, the complexity of predicting noncanonical pairs and pseudoknots, and the insufficient generalizability of ML models to new sequence families. This review highlights the transformative potential of aptamers in biomedicine but emphasizes the need for rigorous experimental validation of computational predictions to overcome current limitations.

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungal species. Due to its high toxicity, Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is one of the most hazardous mycotoxins found in various food crops. The ability to detect such a toxin is therefore important for the safe consumption and handling of large quantities of crops. For this, surface-enhanced spectroscopy provides the sensitivity to detect low concentrations of analytes but is limited in terms of specificity toward a given analyte. This work explores how to enhance the selectivity of a SERS active platform by conjugating it with aptamers designed to specifically recognize AFB1 target molecules. A robust flow-through lab-on-a-chip platform with an integrated SERS gold nanohole array functionalized with an aptamer (apta-SERS) was developed and tested on real samples, demonstrating rapid, high-affinity toxin detection. The sensitivity of the nanoholes was evaluated in the range of 10-700 ppb, and in the presence of a complex matrix such as food crop extracts, a limit of detection of 10 ppb was reached. Such a platform enables in situ AFB1 detection through SERS-enhanced aptamer recognition that forms a hairpin loop secondary structure around AFB1. The developed microfluidic platform minimizes direct contact with contaminated samples, and results are highly selective and reproducible, making it promising for other portable toxin-detection applications.

This study evaluated the effects of replacing sugarcane silage with Tithonia diversifolia silage on physiological responses, body temperature, enteric methane (CH4) production, and selected ruminal microbial populations of lambs raised under tropical conditions. Twenty uncastrated crossbred lambs (½ Santa Inês × ½ Dorper), approximately 120 days old and with an initial body weight of 25.74 ± 2.47 kg, were assigned to two dietary treatments: exclusive sugarcane silage (SCA) or a 50:50 mixture of sugarcane silage and T. diversifolia silage (SCA + TD). Diets were formulated with a 60:40 forage-to-concentrate ratio. Physiological parameters, surface and infrared temperatures, enteric CH4 production, and ruminal microbial populations were evaluated. Data were analyzed using mixed models in R software. Lambs fed SCA showed greater respiratory rate (RR) and higher surface and infrared temperatures in most evaluated body regions compared with lambs fed SCA + TD (p < 0.05). Rectal temperature was not affected by dietary treatment (p > 0.05). No significant differences were observed for enteric CH4 production variables between treatments (p > 0.05). Dietary treatment affected Ruminococcus flavefaciens abundance, which was greater in lambs fed SCA + TD (p < 0.001), whereas the remaining ruminal microbial populations were not affected. The inclusion of T. diversifolia in sugarcane silage improved physiological and thermoregulatory responses of lambs and increased the abundance of a fibrolytic ruminal microorganism, although it did not reduce enteric CH4 production under the conditions evaluated in this study.

Unmanaged fishing gear, whether lost at sea or discarded on land, represents a significant source of marine litter and a growing challenge for waste management systems. Although global initiatives for the management of end-of-life fishing gear (EOLFG) are largely concentrated in the Northern Hemisphere, examples from the Global South remain limited. In Brazil, for instance, recent national and regional policies that address marine litter have encouraged the circular management of EOLFG. Following this trend, the present study presents the outcomes of an initiative in Ubatuba, São Paulo, which integrates waste management and community engagement. Over a 24-month period, we collected data to assess material flows and identify opportunities for recycling and repurposing EOLFG and to identify key stakeholders engaging with our initiative. In all, 1570 kg of polyethylene and 1439 kg of polyamide were received and processed. Ropes and gillnets were the most common types of fishing gear, representing 92.3% of items. From our results, the lack of large-scale reverse logistics, the heterogeneity and highly degraded nature of EOLFG, and the limited recycling infrastructure in the region constrain the feasibility of recycling initiatives. Despite these challenges, the participation of artisanal fishers and net menders, who ensured a supply of clean and dismantled nets, was pivotal for the continued operation of our management system. Our findings demonstrate that community-based actions, when aligned with regulatory incentives, are essential to advance Brazil's contribution towards the global effort against marine plastic pollution.