(1) Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) contributes to the significant burden of cancer mortality in the United States (US). Despite highly efficacious antivirals, chronic viral hepatitis (CVH) remains an important cause of HCC. With advancements in therapeutic modalities, along with the aging of the population, we aimed to assess the contribution of CVH in HCC-related mortality in the US between 1999–2020. (2) Methods: We queried all deaths related to CVH and HCC in the multiple-causes-of-death files from the CDC Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database between 1999–2020. Using the direct method of standardization, we adjusted all mortality information for age and compared the age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) across demographic populations and by percentile rankings of social vulnerability. Temporal shifts in mortality were quantified using log-linear regression models. (3) Results: A total of 35,030 deaths were identified between 1999–2020. The overall crude mortality increased from 0.27 in 1999 to 8.32 in 2016, followed by a slight reduction to 7.04 in 2020. The cumulative AAMR during the study period was 4.43 (95% CI, 4.39–4.48). Males (AAMR 7.70) had higher mortality rates compared to females (AAMR 1.44). Mortality was higher among Hispanic populations (AAMR 6.72) compared to non-Hispanic populations (AAMR 4.18). Higher mortality was observed in US counties categorized as the most socially vulnerable (AAMR 5.20) compared to counties that are the least socially vulnerable (AAMR 2.53), with social vulnerability accounting for 2.67 excess deaths per 1,000,000 person-years. (4) Conclusions: Our epidemiological analysis revealed an overall increase in CVH-related HCC mortality between 1999–2008, followed by a stagnation period until 2020. CVH-related HCC mortality disproportionately affected males, Hispanic populations, and Black/African American populations, Western US regions, and socially vulnerable counties. These insights can help aid in the development of strategies to target vulnerable patients, focus on preventive efforts, and allocate resources to decrease HCC-related mortality. Full article

A greenhouse experiment was realized to investigate the effects of plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on soil quality and the growth, nutrient uptake, and physiological performance of Batavia lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. longifolia). For this purpose, six fertilization treatments were applied: (i) inorganic fertilization (I.F.—control, i.e., usual/conventional fertilization), (ii) I.F. + PGPR, (iii) I.F. + PGPR + AMF, (iv) manure (MAN), (v) MAN + PGPR, and (vi) MAN + PGPR + AMF. Soil fertility was influenced by the treatments, and soil respiration (CO₂ flux) was significantly increased after applications of PGPR and AMF. Following MAN fertilization in particular, an approximately sixfold higher soil respiration value was recorded following the MAN + PGPR + AMF treatment compared to the control (I.F.). Root, leaf, and total biomass dry weights were significantly affected by the PGPR and AMF applications, mainly following the I.F. treatment. In contrast, K, Mg, and Fe uptake was significantly influenced by PGPR and AMF application following the MAN treatment. The SPAD value, performance index (PI), photosynthetic rate, and stomatal conductance were significantly higher in the I.F. + PGPR + AMF-treated plants compared to the control plants. Overall, these data prove the beneficial roles of PGPR and AMF in soil quality and fertility and the nutrient uptake and physiological performance of lettuce plants. However, further clarification is needed in the near future to test the interaction effects between PGPR, AMF, and the type of fertilizer used (organic or inorganic). Full article

The emergence of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) marks a significant advancement in the automotive industry, transitioning from driver-assistance technologies to fully autonomous systems. This change is particularly impactful in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, which is a significant automotive market and technological hub. However, the adoption of AVs in the GCC faces unique challenges due to the influence of cultural norms and geographical characteristics. Our research utilizes a customized framework of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), which is adapted to include cultural and geographical factors. This approach fills a gap in the existing literature by identifying and analyzing the key factors affecting the adoption of AVs in the GCC. Our findings indicate a difference in the receptiveness towards AVs among different demographics. Younger participants displayed a more favorable attitude towards AVs compared to older individuals. Additionally, gender and educational attainment play significant roles in the acceptance of AVs. Specifically, our results suggest that there are variations in acceptance rates among genders and individuals with varying levels of education. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a relatively high acceptance rate of AVs due to its advanced infrastructure and openness to technological innovations. Our study identifies facilitating conditions and performance expectancy as crucial determinants of intention to use AVs in the GCC. It emphasizes the importance of infrastructure readiness and the perceived advantages of AVs in promoting their adoption. Full article

Intermodal terminals and warehouses operate in different countries and deliver specific services to their customers. For many clients, it is important to receive a full set of the logistics services delivered by a single operator. However, individual intermodal terminals and warehouses may face challenges with providing these services, e.g., just-in-time goods delivery, goods distribution, cargo handling in non-standard situations, and others. In such cases, the cooperation between logistics companies may be required to organize the comprehensive service of cargo within supply chains. One of the possible solutions is to integrate transport and logistics services providers, establishing their cooperation within one virtual logistics center. The aim of this article is to justify theoretically the possibility of creating such a center by combining services performed by the intermodal terminals and warehouses already in operation under a single entity, in order to minimize the cost of logistics services and the time of goods delivery, as well as to create a comprehensive range of logistics services needed by customers. The relevance of the article and the novelty of the idea are associated with justification of the possibility of combining the activities of intermodal terminals and warehouses located separately in the region in order to improve the logistical service of customers. The theoretical basis for creating a virtual logistics center is based on graph theory methods. The article presents a theoretical model, based on a system of edges and vertices of the graph tree, which corresponds to the activities performed by separately located intermodal terminals and individual warehouses. The discussion is focused on the current problems of creating virtual logistics centers. The research results may be interesting for the managers of intermodal terminals, warehouses, and logistics centers, as well as other decision-makers involved in supply chains implementation and development. Full article

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a multifaceted disorder influenced by various factors. Drug–drug interactions (DDIs) present a notable risk factor for hospitalization among patients with CKD. This study aimed to assess the frequency and attributes of potential DDIs (pDDIs) in patients with CKD and to ascertain the concordance among different Clinical Decision Support Software (CDSS). A cross-sectional study was conducted in a nephrology outpatient clinic at a university hospital. The pDDIs were identified and evaluated using Lexicomp^® and Medscape^®. The patients’ characteristics, comorbidities, and medicines used were recorded. The concordance of different CDSS were evaluated using the Kendall W coefficient. An evaluation of 1121 prescribed medications for 137 patients was carried out. The mean age of the patients was 64.80 ± 14.59 years, and 41.60% of them were male. The average year with CKD was 6.48 ± 5.66. The mean number of comorbidities was 2.28 ± 1.14. The most common comorbidities were hypertension, diabetes, and coronary artery disease. According to Medscape, 679 pDDIs were identified; 1 of them was contraindicated (0.14%), 28 (4.12%) were serious-use alternative, and 650 (9.72%) were interventions that required closely monitoring. According to Lexicomp, there were 604 drug–drug interactions. Of these interactions, 9 (1.49%) were in the X category, 60 (9.93%) were in the D category, and 535 (88.57%) were in the C category. Two different CDSS systems exhibited statistically significant concordance with poor agreement (W = 0.073, p < 0.001). Different CDSS systems are commonly used in clinical practice to detect pDDIs. However, various factors such as the operating principles of these programs and patient characteristics can lead to incorrect guidance in clinical decision making. Therefore, instead of solely relying on programs with lower reliability and consistency scores, multidisciplinary healthcare teams, including clinical pharmacists, should take an active role in identifying and preventing pDDIs. Full article

The gradual loss of kidney function due to increasing age is accompanied by structural changes such as fibrosis of the tissue. The underlying molecular mechanisms are complex, but not yet fully understood. Non-fibrillar collagen type VIII (COL8) could be a potential factor in the fibrosis processes of the aging kidney. A pathophysiological significance of COL8 has already been demonstrated in the context of diabetic kidney disease, with studies showing that it directly influences both the development and progression of renal fibrosis occurring. The aim of this study was to investigate whether COL8 impacts age-related micro-anatomical and functional changes in a mouse model. The kidneys of wild-type (Col8-wt) and COL8-knockout (Col8-ko) mice of different age and sex were characterized with regard to the expression of molecular fibrosis markers, the development of nephrosclerosis and renal function. The age-dependent regulation of COL8 mRNA expression in the wild-type revealed sex-dependent effects that were not observed with collagen IV (COL4). Histochemical staining and protein analysis of profibrotic cytokines TGF-β1 (transforming growth factor) and CTGF (connective tissue growth factor) in mouse kidneys showed significant age effects as well as interactions of the factors age, sex and Col8 genotype. There were also significant age and Col8 genotype effects in the renal function data analyzed by urinary cystatin C. In summary, the present study shows, for the first time, that COL8 is regulated in an age- and sex-dependent manner in the mouse kidney and that the expression of COL8 influences the severity of age-induced renal fibrosis and function. Full article

Biodiversity and sustainable development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are considerably impacted by invasive alien plants (IAPs). Increasing plant invasions in SSA threaten agricultural productivity, biodiversity conservation, and other socioeconomic activities, which in turn put the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in peril. In order to effectively combat IAPs, understanding their functional traits (morphological, physiological, and phenological traits) and integrating them into remote sensing (RS) is vital. While functional traits influence IAPs’ fitness to invade and establish in a new geographical range, RS aids in studying them remotely, delineating and mapping them, and predicting their potential invasions. The information on this study topic was gathered by reviewing various existing studies published between 2000 and 2024. Based on this review, it was deduced that the majority of IAPs are fast-growing (or acquisitive), with a shorter leaf lifespan, bigger leaves, and higher plant height, ultimately resulting in a higher resource acquisition ability. We established further that in SSA, there are limited studies on IAP functional traits and their integration in RS. Many studies conducted in the region focus mostly on IAP distribution. Evidence from prior studies revealed that functional trait remote sensing (FTRS)-based research not only improves detection and mapping but also predicts whether a certain alien plant can become invasive or expand its distribution range. Thus, using the FTRS approach could help IAP management in SSA, ultimately achieving the SDGs. Our review discusses IAP implications in SSA (e.g., Angola, Tanzania, Benin, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Malawi, etc.) and for the achievement of SDGs; functional traits and their impact on alien invasions; and the importance of incorporating functional traits into RS. Full article

Coccidiomycosis is a potentially life-threatening fungal infection endemic to certain regions of Argentina. The infection is caused by Coccidioides spp. and is primarily diagnosed by Coccidioides antibody (Ab) detection. Access to rapid, highly accurate diagnostic testing is critical to ensure prompt antifungal therapy. The sōna Coccidioides Ab Lateral Flow Assay (LFA) performs faster and requires less laboratory infrastructure and equipment compared with other Ab detection assays, potentially providing a substantial improvement for rapid case screening in coccidioidomycosis-endemic regions; however, validation of this test is needed. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the analytical performance of the sōna Coccidioides Ab (LFA) and compare agreement with anti-Coccidioides Ab detection assays. A total of 103 human sera specimens were tested, including 25 specimens from patients with coccidioidomycosis and 78 from patients without coccidioidomycosis. The sōna Coccidioides Ab Lateral Flow Assay (LFA) was performed with a sensitivity of 88%, and specificity and accuracy of 87%. Furthermore, the Coccidioides Ab LFA had good agreement with other anti-Coccidioides Ab detection assays. Our findings suggest the sōna Coccidioides Ab LFA has satisfactory performance and may be useful for diagnosing coccidioidomycosis in endemic regions. Full article

Flexible sensors have gained popularity in recent years. This study proposes a novel structure of a resistive four-channel tactile sensor capable of distinguishing the magnitude and direction of normal forces acting on its sensing surface. The sensor uses Ecoflex^TM00-30 as the substrate and EGaIn alloy as the conductive filler, featuring four mutually perpendicular and curved channels to enhance the sensor’s dynamic responsiveness. Experiments and simulations show that the sensor has a large dynamic range (31.25–100 mΩ), high precision (deviation of repeated pressing below 0.1%), linearity (R2 above 0.97), fast response/recovery time (0.2 s/0.15 s), and robust stability (with fluctuations below 0.9%). This work uses an underactuated robotic hand equipped with a four-channel tactile sensor to grasp various objects. The sensor data collected effectively predicts the shapes of the objects grasped. Furthermore, the four-channel tactile sensor proposed in this work may be employed in smart wearables, medical diagnostics, and other industries. Full article

Citrate-coated electrostatically stabilized very small superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (VSOPs) have been successfully tested as magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) contrast agents and are promising tools for molecular imaging of atherosclerosis. Their repeated use in the background of pre-existing hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis has not yet been studied. This study aimed to investigate the effect of multiple intravenous injections of VSOPs in atherosclerotic mice. Taurine-formulated VSOPs (VSOP-T) were repeatedly intravenously injected at 100 µmol Fe/kg in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE KO) mice with diet-induced atherosclerosis. Angiographic imaging was carried out by in vivo MRI. Magnetic particle spectrometry was used to detect tissue VSOP content, and tissue iron content was quantified photometrically. Pathological changes in organs, atherosclerotic plaque development, and expression of hepatic iron-related proteins were evaluated. VSOP-T enabled the angiographic imaging of heart and blood vessels with a blood half-life of one hour. Repeated intravenous injection led to VSOP deposition and iron accumulation in the liver and spleen without affecting liver and spleen pathology, expression of hepatic iron metabolism proteins, serum lipids, or atherosclerotic lesion formation. Repeated injections of VSOP-T doses sufficient for MRA analyses had no significant effects on plaque burden, steatohepatitis, and iron homeostasis in atherosclerotic mice. These findings underscore the safety of VSOP-T and support its further development as a contrast agent and molecular imaging tool. Full article

Sidewalk cleaning operations are essential to maintaining a clean and safe urban environment. Despite their vital role, these activities, particularly the blowing of road dust, can lead to the resuspension of road dust and associated pollutants, which poses risks to human health and the environment. While the role of blowers on particulate matter resuspension has been investigated, there is limited information on emitted bioaerosols. This study aimed to compare the occupational exposure of operators and passersby during sidewalk cleaning using two manual methods—blowing and jet washing—in two distinct urban environments. The study focused on metal road traffic tracers (copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb)) and cultivable/non-cultivable microorganisms. We showed that blowing resuspends inhalable particles containing metals (Cu, Zn, and Mn, but not Cd or Pb) and bioaerosols (fungi and Gram-negative bacteria) throughout the year. This represents an important source of exposure for the blower operators and poses a potential long-term respiratory health risk for them. Operators working in cabs are shielded from such exposure, but passersby, especially vulnerable populations, may be at risk. While jet washing reduces operator exposure to Gram-negative bacteria in comparison to blowing, it does not mitigate fungal exposure, particularly in vegetated sites. These findings underscore the necessity for the implementation of effective protective measures and the development of alternative cleaning methods to mitigate exposure risks. Full article

Microwave radiometry (MWR) is instrumental in detecting thermal variations in skin tissue before anatomical changes occur, proving particularly beneficial in the early diagnosis of cancer and inflammation. This study concisely traces the evolution of microwave radiometers within the medical sector. By analyzing a plethora of pertinent studies and contrasting their strengths, weaknesses, and performance metrics, this research identifies the primary factors limiting temperature measurement accuracy. The review establishes the critical technologies necessary to overcome these limitations, examines the current state and prospective advancements of each technology, and proposes comprehensive implementation strategies. The discussion elucidates that the precise measurement of human surface and subcutaneous tissue temperatures using an MWR system is a complex challenge, necessitating an integration of antenna directionality for temperature measurement, radiometer error correction, hardware configuration, and the calibration and precision of a multilayer tissue forward and inversion method. This study delves into the pivotal technologies for non-invasive human tissue temperature monitoring in the microwave frequency range, offering an effective approach for the precise assessment of human epidermal and subcutaneous temperatures, and develops a non-contact microwave protocol for gauging subcutaneous tissue temperature distribution. It is anticipated that mass-produced measurement systems will deliver substantial economic and societal benefits. Full article

Steel slag is a by-product of the steel industry and usually contains a high amount of f-CaO and f-MgO, which will result in serious soundness problems once used as a binding material and/or aggregates. To relieve this negative effect, carbonation treatment was believed to be one of the available and reliable methods. By carbonation treatment of steel slag, the phases of f-CaO and f-MgO can be effectively transformed into CaCO₃ and MgCO₃, respectively. This will not only reduce the expansive risk of steel slag to improve the utilization of steel slag further but also capture and store CO₂ due to the mineralization process to reduce carbon emissions. In this study, based on the physical and chemical properties of steel slag, the carbonation mechanism, factors affecting the carbonation process, and the application of carbonated steel slag were reviewed. Eventually, the research challenge was also discussed. Full article

Undertaken in Kolkata, India, our study aimed to explore the experiences of Bengali middle-class women on perceived stressful events, social support, and coping experiences following childbirth. Becoming a mother following childbirth is a shared phenomenon irrespective of culture, social strata, or country, while stress during the postpartum period or depression is not. Discrete medical intervention does not sufficiently address the complexities of postpartum experiences since influencing factors also include economic, political, cultural, and social backgrounds. Adopting a feminist and phenomenological approach, individual in-person interviews were conducted with twenty women recruited via snowball sampling. Our findings revealed that events experienced as stressful may lead to poor postpartum well-being. Underpinned by gendered discourse and biases, stressful events included familial imperatives for a male child, poor social and emotional support from the family, mostly partners and fathers, and systemic workplace barriers. The women in our study commonly resided with their mothers postpartum. They expressed feeling sheltered from these experiences, cared for, and supported. We discuss the women’s experiences from a feminist pragmatic worldview, which advocates for a flexible feminism recognizant of the unique and nurturing relationship experiences between Bengali middle-class women and their mothers. In conclusion, we advocate for culturally sensitive, women-centered postpartum care practices that may entail the inclusion of intergenerational care during this critical phase of maternal well-being. These insights underscore the necessity of tailoring postpartum support systems to align with the cultural and familial contexts of the individuals they serve. Full article

Bio-based epoxy resins have received significant attention in terms of concerns regarding carbon emission. Epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) derived from sustainable feedstock has been widely used to blend with traditional diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) to replace some of the petroleum-based components. In this work, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were applied to track the network formation and predict the performance of methyl hexahydrophthalic anhydride (MHHPA)-cured ESO/DGEBA blend systems. The effects of ESO content and cross-linking degree on the mass density, volumetric shrinkage, glass transition temperature (T_g), coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), Young’s modulus, yield strength, and Poisson’s ratio of the epoxy resin were systematically investigated. The results show that systems with high ESO content achieve gelation at low cross-linking degree. The T_g value, Young’s modulus, and yield strength increase with the increase in cross-linking degree, but the CTE at the glassy state and Poisson’s ratio decrease. The comparison results between the simulated and experimental data demonstrated that the MD simulations can accurately predict the thermal and mechanical properties of ESO-based thermosets. This study gains insight into the variation in thermo-mechanical properties of anhydride-cured ESO/DGEBA-based epoxy resins during the cross-linking process and provides a rational strategy for optimizing bio-based epoxy resins. Full article

As young workers prefer urban labors and migrate to USA and Canada, mango harvesting is becoming scarce on Mexican coasts. This seasonal labor is becoming expensive and when many orchards produce fruit simultaneously, grower losses increase. In this research, an innovative fruit detachment method was tested after applying a viscous paste to the pedicel of mango fruits hanging in the tree. Activated carbon or charcoal (AC), was mixed with different amounts of nitric acid to provide three AC composite blends named: light, medium, and dense. The nanomaterial was applied with a brush to the fruit pedicel/peduncle taking up to 4 h before the mango fruits felt to a net below the tree canopy. Mango detachment experiments indicated that the medium blend was the most efficient in releasing the fruit, taking an average of 2 h. The dense nano-material decreased latex exudation to 7% of the fruits. Fruit maturity emerged as a crucial factor for detachment time, followed by mango weight. Full article

As the most significant interannual signal in the tropical Pacific, the influence of ENSO on the interannual variability in TC genesis location in the western North Pacific (WNP) has received much attention in previous studies. This paper mainly emphasizes the underlying SST factors independent of the ENSO signal and explores how they modulate interannual tropical cyclone genesis (TCG) latitude variability. Our study finds that the meridional sea temperature gradient (SSTG) between the Kuroshio Extension and the WNP still has a significant effect on the interannual variability in the TCG latitude after removing the effect of ENSO (r = 0.6). The interannual forecasts of the TCG latitude were effectively improved from 0.67 to 0.81 when the ENSO-independent SSTG and ENSO were regressed together in a multi-linear regression. We then propose an ENSO-independent physical mechanism affecting the TCG latitude. The equatorward (poleward) SSTG excited the positive (negative) Pacific–Japan telecorrelation pattern over the WNP, forming Rossby wave trains and propagating northward. A significant cyclonic vortex (anticyclonic vortex) with strong convective development (suppression) developed near 20° N, leading more TCs to the northern (southern) part of the WNP. These findings provide a new perspective for the prediction of the interannual variability in the TCG latitude. Full article

This paper presents a comparative study of entropy estimation in a large-alphabet regime. A variety of entropy estimators have been proposed over the years, where each estimator is designed for a different setup with its own strengths and caveats. As a consequence, no estimator is known to be universally better than the others. This work addresses this gap by comparing twenty-one entropy estimators in the studied regime, starting with the simplest plug-in estimator and leading up to the most recent neural network-based and polynomial approximate estimators. Our findings show that the estimators’ performance highly depends on the underlying distribution. Specifically, we distinguish between three types of distributions, ranging from uniform to degenerate distributions. For each class of distribution, we recommend the most suitable estimator. Further, we propose a sample-dependent approach, which again considers three classes of distribution, and report the top-performing estimators in each class. This approach provides a data-dependent framework for choosing the desired estimator in practical setups. Full article

Nerve sheath tumors (NSTs) are well-recognized primary nervous system tumors, but there is relatively limited information in dogs including comparison of NSTs in different anatomical locations. This retrospective study describes the clinical features and outcomes in a group of dogs with NSTs affecting the cranial nerves or spinal nerves. Thirty dogs were included, 25 with a presumptive diagnosis and five confirmed by histopathologic analysis. Seven dogs also had cytology of tumor samples, which were supportive of the NST diagnosis in four. Eight dogs had cranial nerve-associated NSTs, with six involving the trigeminal nerve. Twenty-two dogs had spinal nerve-associated NSTs including 13 invading the spinal canal and nine peripheral to the spinal canal, with the majority affecting nerves or nerve roots of the brachial plexus. The prognosis was poor, with dogs being euthanized eventually because of disease progression. Among dogs alive 1 week after diagnosis, the median survival time was 4 months but ranged from 2 weeks to >2 years. While there was a broad overlap between NST locations, survival was generally longer for dogs without spinal canal or intracranial involvement. The results expand available information on NSTs in dogs but should be interpreted with caution given the small number of dogs with a definitive diagnosis. Further investigation is warranted to determine how tumor location, invasiveness, and treatments pursued impact outcome. Full article

Currently, the classification of grapevine black rot disease relies on assessing the percentage of affected spots in the total area, with a primary focus on accurately segmenting these spots in images. Particularly challenging are cases in which lesion areas are small and boundaries are ill-defined, hampering precise segmentation. In our study, we introduce an enhanced U-Net network tailored for segmenting black rot spots on grape leaves. Leveraging VGG as the U-Net’s backbone, we strategically position the atrous spatial pyramid pooling (ASPP) module at the base of the U-Net to serve as a link between the encoder and decoder. Additionally, channel and spatial dual-attention modules are integrated into the decoder, alongside a feature pyramid network aimed at fusing diverse levels of feature maps to enhance the segmentation of diseased regions. Our model outperforms traditional plant disease semantic segmentation approaches like DeeplabV3+, U-Net, and PSPNet, achieving impressive pixel accuracy (PA) and mean intersection over union (MIoU) scores of 94.33% and 91.09%, respectively. Demonstrating strong performance across various levels of spot segmentation, our method showcases its efficacy in enhancing the segmentation accuracy of black rot spots on grapevines. Full article

Natural scaffolds have been the cornerstone of tissue engineering for decades, providing ideal environments for cell growth within extracellular matrices. Previous studies have favored animal-derived materials, including collagen, gelatin, and laminin, owing to their superior effects in promoting cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation compared to non-animal scaffolds, and used immortalized cell lines. However, for cultured meat production, non-animal-derived scaffolds with edible cells are preferred. Our study represents the first research to describe plant-derived, film-type scaffolds to overcome limitations associated with previously reported thick, gel-type scaffolds completely devoid of animal-derived materials. This approach has been employed to address the difficulties of fostering bovine muscle cell survival, migration, and differentiation in three-dimensional co-cultures. Primary bovine myoblasts from Bos Taurus Coreanae were harvested and seeded on alginate (Algi) or corn-derived alginate (AlgiC) scaffolds. Scaffold functionalities, including biocompatibility and the promotion of cell proliferation and differentiation, were evaluated using cell viability assays, immunofluorescence staining, and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Our results reveal a statistically significant 71.7% decrease in production time using film-type scaffolds relative to that for gel-type scaffolds, which can be maintained for up to 7 days. Film-type scaffolds enhanced initial cell attachment owing to their flatness and thinness relative to gel-type scaffolds. Algi and AlgiC film-type scaffolds both demonstrated low cytotoxicity over seven days of cell culture. Our findings indicated that PAX7 expression increased 16.5-fold in alginate scaffolds and 22.8-fold in AlgiC from day 1 to day 3. Moreover, at the differentiation stage on day 7, MHC expression was elevated 41.8-fold (Algi) and 32.7-fold (AlgiC), providing initial confirmation of the differentiation potential of bovine muscle cells. These findings suggest that both Algi and AlgiC film scaffolds are advantageous for cultured meat production. Full article