Abstract
Stroke affects over 100 million people worldwide, and over two-thirds of survivors experience lasting upper-limb impairments, which significantly impact their quality of life. The global shortage of rehabilitation providers, who cannot attend to all patients who need it, creates an urgent, not yet answered, need for reliable and accessible rehabilitation innovations. Robotic rehabilitation has been emerging as an effective alternative to traditional physical therapy. This paper presents the development and evaluation of 2 degree-of-freedom exoskeleton, coupled to a collaborative robotic manipulator, which performs upper-limb rehabilitation. The system targets elbow flexion/extension and forearm pronation/supination, using two direct current brushless actuators. To accommodate a wide range of users, the mechanical design is modular and adjustable, allowing the rehabilitation of a broad range of arm lengths, while mechanical barriers prevent unsafe joint motions. Furthermore, limit switches ensure the movements are performed within safe values and an emergency button is also available for emergency stop. Safety assessment confirmed the actuators' performance and the integrity of the physical barriers. Three different rehabilitation modes were implemented: passive assist, active assist and active resist. Passive assistance tests achieved consistent trajectory tracking with a root mean square error of 4.85(o)& strns; for pronation/supination and 0.87 & strns;(o) for elbow flexion/extension, while maintaining smooth motion profiles with spectral arc length values of-1.603 and-1.56, respectively. Active resistance generated stable bidirectional torque across the full range of motion, reaching up to 1 Nm for forearm pronation/supination and 7 Nm for elbow flexion/extension. The adaptive active assistance strategy modified the assistance torque in real time according to the detected user performance. These findings establish a foundation for future clinical evaluation and real-world applications, with the system's modular design and multiple therapy modes showing potential to support diverse rehabilitation needs.

Abstract
Feline chronic kidney disease is a leading cause of mortality in geriatric cats, characterized by a progressive and irreversible loss of renal function. Despite its high prevalence, early diagnosis remains challenging due to nephron compensatory mechanisms and the limited sensitivity of traditional biomarkers, creating a diagnostic gap that necessitates the exploration of novel biomarkers for earlier detection. This review examines the complex pathophysiology of the disease, including renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system activation, tubulointerstitial fibrosis, and mineral metabolism disturbances. By analyzing recent scientific literature, this work evaluates current diagnostic landscape and clinical relevance of emerging biomarkers. Evidence indicates that symmetric dimethylarginine and fibroblast growth factor-23 improve detection of early metabolic and filtration changes, while urinary biomarkers like cystatin B and retinol-binding protein provide specific insights into tubular injury. Bridging the diagnostic gap requires a transition from a reactive, azotemia-based framework to a multi-parametric diagnostic approach that integrates novel biomarkers with serial clinical and laboratory monitoring. Although financial constraints and limited availability restrict widespread clinical implementation, incorporating these advances is essential for earlier prognostic stratification and timely therapeutic decision-making. This integrated strategy has the potential to slow disease progression and improve survival and quality of life in cats with chronic kidney disease.

Abstract
Visible-Near-Infrared (Vis-NIR) spectroscopy, spanning approximately 400 to 2500 nm, is an innovative technology with growing relevance for diagnostics performed at the point of care (POC). This review explores the potential of Vis-NIR in veterinary medicine, highlighting its advantages over complex techniques like Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) by being rapid, non-invasive, reagent-free, and compatible with miniaturized, portable devices. The methodology involves directing a broadband light source, often using LEDs, toward the sample (e.g., blood, urine, faeces), collecting spectral information related to molecular vibrations, which is then analyzed using chemometric methods. Successful veterinary applications include hemogram analysis in dogs, cats, and Atlantic salmon, and quantifying blood in ovine faeces for parasite detection. Key limitations include spectral interference from strong absorbers like water and hemoglobin, and the limited penetration depth of light. However, combining Vis-NIR with Self-Learning Artificial Intelligence (SLAI) is shown to isolate and mitigate these multi-scale interferences. Vis-NIR spectroscopy serves as an important complement to centralized laboratory testing, holding significant potential to accelerate clinical decisions, minimize stress on animals during assessment, and improve diagnostic capabilities for both human and animal health, aligning with the One Health concept.

Abstract
This study analyzes forest cover change patterns, agricultural expansion, and economic growth in Mozambique from 2001 to 2024, using remote sensing data from Global Forest Watch and socioeconomic indicators from the World Bank and FAO. Mozambique lost approximately 4.6 million hectares of forest during the analyzed period, with agriculture accounting for 97.4% of total deforestation. GDP per capita increased by 90.5%, while cultivated area expanded by 116.4%. However, agricultural productivity declined by 25.3%, revealing a paradox: production growth relied on extensive land expansion rather than intensification. Statistical analysis of three 8-year sub-periods identified significant differences in GDP per capita, agricultural GDP per capita, population, and agricultural employment (p < 0.001), but agricultural deforestation remained statistically stable (p = 0.065). This pattern suggests premature decoupling between economic growth and deforestation at income levels (USD 604) substantially below historical Environmental Kuznets Curve thresholds (USD 8000-10,000). However, this decoupling is fragile, driven by capital-intensive extractive sectors that generate GDP growth without absorbing rural populations. The persistence of extensive agricultural expansion, combined with weak governance, demographic pressures, and climate variability, indicates that observed stabilization represents an initial, vulnerable phase requiring structural transformation through agricultural intensification, inclusive industrialization, land tenure reform, and climate resilience building.

Abstract
High-throughput plant phenotyping (HTPP) enhances the throughput, resolution, and dimensionality of conventional manual phenotyping techniques. However, existing platforms face significant challenges, including high acquisition and maintenance costs, limited adaptability to field conditions, and inadequate data management capabilities. This paper introduces GREENTRIBE, an open-source, multi-sensor HTPP architecture that integrates Internet of Things sensing devices and robotics to collect, process, and manage comprehensive phenotypic and environmental data. GREENTRIBE features a multiscale sensing network, built on a sensor-independent communication protocol. An ontology-driven data management layer was designed in accordance with common standards and metadata guidelines, ensuring FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) (meta)data. The architecture combines Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence data analysis pipelines with a process-based crop model for data assimilation, allowing the quantitative traits derived from the sensing layer to be linked to contextual data (genotype, environment, and management conditions). The architecture and performance indicators are presented, demonstrating efficient data collection, processing, and management. Phenotyping is the cornerstone of GREENTRIBE, offering a valuable platform for generating data-rich, reproducible workflows, multimodal datasets, and analysis systems with high impact on Precision Agriculture, improving real-time monitoring, input application, and environmental impacts assessment towards maximized crop productivity, quality, and sustainability.

Abstract
Shipping container unloading is a physically demanding task often carried out under challenging conditions, which motivates the use of automation. However, automating this process is complex due to the unpredictable sizes and quantities of each shipment. Existing solutions tend to be task-specific, rely on closed software stacks, and offer limited information on performance in non-controlled environments, which restricts their adaptability. We present CARGO, a modular pipeline that enables a mobile manipulator equipped with regular sensors and actuators to unload containers autonomously. The pipeline employs a predefined, layered workflow composed of reconfigurable modules that can be adapted to various robots, ensuring that all boxes in a stack are systematically handled. In simulation, the pipeline successfully unloaded a full container without collisions, thereby validating the complete workflow. Laboratory tests further confirmed these results, with the mobile manipulator successfully unloading boxes across multiple trials, with a success rate of 97%. These results demonstrate that a versatile mobile manipulator can handle mixed box sizes and chaotic layouts using a generic, modular pipeline, highlighting a promising direction for flexible container-unloading automation.