Search Results (674)

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), particularly members of the genus Lactobacillus, have emerged as promising biological agents with antimicrobial and anti-biofilm properties. While numerous individual studies have reported their inhibitory effects against pathogenic microorganisms, a systematic understanding that integrates their functional components, molecular mechanisms, and material-based applications remains lacking. In this review, we provide a comprehensive and component-oriented overview of LAB-mediated antimicrobial strategies. We first summarize secreted factors, including organic acids, bacteriocins, hydrogen peroxide, and extracellular vesicles, which collectively contribute to direct pathogen inhibition and environmental modulation. We then discuss cell-associated components such as surface-layer proteins and exopolysaccharides, highlighting their roles in adhesion interference and competitive exclusion. In addition, we examine whole-cell effects, including niche competition, quorum sensing disruption, and host immune modulation. Importantly, we place particular emphasis on the anti-biofilm activity of lactobacilli, detailing mechanisms involved in the prevention of the pathogen initial adhesion, disruption of extracellular polymeric substance matrices, and destabilization of mature biofilms. Finally, we explore emerging strategies that integrate lactobacilli with biomaterials, particularly hydrogel-based systems, to achieve controlled delivery, enhanced stability, and sustained antimicrobial activity. These biohybrid approaches represent a promising direction for the development of next-generation antimicrobial materials. These findings support the concept of LAB-based living antimicrobial materials as a next-generation strategy to combat biofilm-associated infections. Overall, this review aims to bridge the gap between molecular functions and translational applications of lactobacilli, providing new insights into its potential as a versatile platform for antimicrobial and anti-biofilm interventions. Full article

The implementation of medication adherence interventions is suboptimal. To guide implementation, this study aimed to tailor an existing implementation determinant framework to support the assessment of the implementability of such interventions in a specific context prior to implementation, and to investigate whether experts can assess in advance which determinants are important for implementing medication adherence interventions. In a Delphi study, experts rated determinants based on constructs of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) in terms of their importance for implementing medication adherence interventions. Determinants were then prospectively evaluated in four Dutch living labs implementing medication adherence interventions. The results were compared to assess agreement between expert opinion and real-world practice. Of 40 evaluated CFIR determinants, 16 were important in the majority of the living labs. These determinants concerned the inner setting, characteristics and roles of involved individuals, and implementation process domains of the CFIR. After comparing the prospective evaluation with Delphi results, expert opinions matched living lab observations for 18 out of 40 determinants (45%) regarding (un)importance. The CFIR was tailored to primary care medication adherence interventions based on practice observations, offering a potentially helpful framework to assess implementability of these interventions in specific contexts in advance. Determinant frameworks could benefit from incorporating real-world practice data. Full article

Background: Population ageing has increased the burden of geriatric syndromes among older adults with cardiovascular disease, where frailty is associated with adverse outcomes, including hospitalization, functional decline, and mortality. Digital technologies and Living Lab approaches offer new opportunities for the early detection, prevention, and monitoring of these conditions through user-centred innovation and stakeholder collaboration. Our purpose is to review the role of technology in the detection, prevention, and monitoring of geriatric syndromes in older adults with cardiovascular disease and to explore the potential of the Living Lab model for developing and implementing innovative solutions in geriatric care. Materials and Methods: A narrative review was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, and ScienceDirect. Eleven studies were included. Evidence on physical, cognitive, psycho-emotional, and social frailty, as well as technology-enabled assessment and monitoring approaches, was synthesized. Results: Digital technologies, including wearable sensors, telemonitoring platforms, mobile health applications, machine-learning models, and digital phenotyping tools, supported the early identification and monitoring of frailty, fall risk, cognitive decline, depressive symptoms, and functional deterioration. Technology-assisted interventions improved physical and cognitive performance and promoted social engagement. The Living Lab model facilitated the co-creation, evaluation, and validation of technologies in real-world settings, enhancing usability, acceptability, and implementation in clinical practice. Conclusions: Technology-supported assessment and monitoring can improve the management of geriatric syndromes in older adults with cardiovascular disease. Living Labs provide a valuable framework for the user-centred development and integration of these innovations, supporting personalized and proactive care strategies that promote healthy ageing. Full article

Introduction: AQUArestore is a three-year project focused on promoting adaptive ecological restoration strategies for river ecosystems in the vulnerable cross-border region of Portugal. The project responds to pressing environmental challenges across the territory, including severe habitat degradation, climate vulnerability, declining water security, and biodiversity loss, with particular concern for freshwater fish communities, making river restoration essential to preserve native species and freshwater ecosystem services. Objective: The project aims to develop a replicable framework for restoration of Mediterranean transboundary riverine habitats, supporting the objectives of the EU Nature Restoration Law (NRL, Regulation 2024/1991). The consortium AQUArestore will develop (1) robust restoration indicators, (2) implement living labs for restoration experimentation, and (3) establish capacity-building and training programs for technicians and citizens. Methodology: The project kick-off meeting was used to operationalize project tasks, detail the implementation calendar and milestones, and clarify responsibilities of each project member and partner institutions within the different work tasks. The meeting gathered consortium members from the coordinating institution CEF-ISA (researchers at the Instituto Superior de Agronomia) and partners WWF Portugal (an environmental NGO) and Mushmore Cooperative, each one contributing according to their respective expertise and institutional objectives. Results: The AQUArestore project kick-off meeting took place in January 2026 at ISA, Lisbon, and included a presentation of the NRL and a detailed discussion of project task development. In detail, the activities will begin with the compilation of information on previously restored sites (Task 1). This will support the development and validation of environmental and biodiversity indicators of restoration outcomes, including those linked to freshwater fish assemblages and riparian vegetation (Task 2). The project will then establish two living labs as platforms to test nature-based solutions in collaboration with stakeholders and local communities (Task 3). In parallel, AQUArestore will strengthen technical capacity through training for practitioners and public authorities (Task 4). Finally, dissemination will be supported through citizen science, communication activities, and stakeholder engagement, fostering a broader impact (Task 5). Together, these tasks provide an integrated, science-based, and participatory framework aiming to support adaptive river restoration under climate and environmental changes. Conclusions: By integrating ecological restoration, biodiversity and environmental monitoring, and stakeholder engagement, AQUArestore is expected to contribute to the recovery of Mediterranean freshwater ecosystems and improve habitat quality and connectivity for native fish communities, enhancing resilience to climate change and other anthropogenic pressures. Full article

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the entertainment sector face significant challenges managing seat assignments through manual processes that are error-prone and time-consuming. This paper presents an intelligent agent-based system that automates seat assignment, while providing natural language support for operational staff. The system integrates a large language model (Gemini 2.5 Flash) for conversational interaction with a constraint-based optimization algorithm that considers capacity, accessibility, revenue, and business priorities. A fuzzy matching engine combining spaCywith the fuzzy string matching library FuzzyWuzzy consolidates duplicate reservations from multiple channels. The cloud-based architecture leverages AWS managed serverless services (ECS Fargate for container orchestration and Lambda for event-driven pipelines) with PostgreSQL for data management. Technology Readiness Level 4 (TRL4) validation demonstrated 94% precision in duplicate detection, successful assignment of 87% of reservations with 82% average capacity utilization, and effective natural language query handling. The system reduces manual processing time by 65%, while improving assignment quality through systematic enforcement of constraints. This work demonstrates the feasibility of AI-powered operations management for resource-constrained SMEs, offering a practical reference architecture combining conversational AI with algorithmic optimization. Full article

The Lysobacter capsici XL1 β-lytic protease (Blp) is a bacteriolytic enzyme that hydrolyzes peptide bonds in the interpeptide bridge of the peptidoglycan of Gram-positive bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant strains of pathogenic bacteria. The Blp has been extensively characterized. The only unexplored aspect is the mechanism by which this enzyme recognizes target cells. In this work, we demonstrated for the first time that the Blp structure contained a C-terminal subdomain that can be responsible for this interaction. Molecular modeling suggested a hydrophobic nature of the interaction between the Blp and peptidoglycan. Model mutant forms of the Blp, which have fewer hydrophobic areas in the C-terminal subdomain, also had fewer sites for potential interaction with the ligand. Wet lab experiments showed that these mutant Blp forms exhibited poorer binding to peptidoglycan and living Staphylococcus aureus 209P cells, resulting in decreased bacteriolytic and proteolytic activity. Amino acid residues N136 and Y160 in the C-terminal subdomain were identified and can be important for the interaction of the enzyme with target cells. Further research into the mechanism of target cell recognition by bacterial bacteriolytic proteases will enable the use of this knowledge to expand the specificity of action of these enzymes, including as antimicrobial agents for medical applications. Full article

Soil surface moisture (SSM) is a critical indicator of agricultural drought, yet high-resolution projections under climate change remain scarce. This study develops a machine learning framework to predict and project SSM at 1 km resolution across five European Living Labs (LLs), encompassing vineyards, olive groves, and fruit tree systems. Historical Sentinel-1 SSM observations (2014–2024) were used to train ensemble models (Random Forest, XGBoost, ExtraTrees, LightGBM) incorporating climate variables, soil texture, topography, and land use. Tree-based models achieved R² values of 0.63–0.87. Vineyards showed the highest predictability (R² ≈ 0.87), reflecting their sensitivity to short-term atmospheric demand and surface water availability, whereas olive groves were the least predictable (R² ≈ 0.63–0.68), consistent with deeper rooting systems and greater drought buffering capacity. When forced with bias-corrected CMIP6 projections under SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5 for 2041–2070, models indicate minimal changes under SSP1-2.6 but pronounced SSM declines of 8–24% under SSP5-8.5, with historically wetter regions experiencing the largest absolute losses. SHAP analysis confirmed precipitation and potential evapotranspiration as dominant predictors across all crops. This framework provides spatially explicit, crop-relevant SSM projections to support climate adaptation in European agricultural landscapes. Full article

Digital Twins and Living Labs are increasingly used to support conservation, safety, accessibility, and visitor experience in cultural-heritage sites. Their practical value, however, depends on interfaces that can explain heterogeneous evidence, expose provenance, and operate under public-sector governance constraints. This paper presents a Sovereign Conversational Assistant (SCA) for the Libelium Heritage Living Lab, implemented as a small-language-model (SLM) and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) stack that combines curated heritage and operational knowledge bases with provenance logging, refusal controls, and language enforcement. We first compare the Spanish public model BSC-LT/ALIA-40b-instruct-2601 with mistralai/Mistral-Small-3.2-24B-Instruct-2506 using 19 canonical test conditions executed over 155 repeated runs across five categories: historical queries, client experience, data analysis, hallucination resistance, and safety/ethics. Mistral passed all repeated runs, whereas ALIA passed 129/155 runs, showing strong factual and visitor-information behaviour but weaker numerical analysis, cross-lingual safety, and Spanish-language enforcement. To address external validity, we add a non-sovereign baseline comparison over the 13 canonical prompts against claude-opus-4-7, gemini-3.5-flash, and gpt-5.5 under the same RAG-conditioned harness. In this prompt-level comparison, mean final scores were ALIA 0.963, Claude Opus 4.7 0.938, Gemini 3.5 Flash 0.892, GPT-5.5 0.877, and Mistral 0.871; no pairwise difference was significant after Holm correction, and ALIA was non-inferior to the best external baseline at margins of 0.05 and 0.10, whereas Mistral was not. The contribution is therefore not a new RAG algorithm, but an operational method for deploying and evaluating a governance-aware, sovereign assistant for cultural-heritage Digital Twins, together with evidence that sovereign models can be competitive in controlled heritage RAG tasks while still requiring larger, human-calibrated benchmarks before stronger claims are made. Full article

Bottom-up approaches to climate resilience are increasingly promoted, yet there remains a gap in understanding how science-society connections can be operationalized in everyday contexts to support adaptive land-use practices, particularly in small towns and peripheral regions. This paper addresses this gap by examining how Living Labs (LLs) can function as process-oriented interfaces between scientific knowledge, local experience, and participatory negotiation, rather than as instruments for producing novel biophysical and social-learning insights. Drawing on selected case studies from the Biodiversity Hub and the Department for Building and Environment at the University for Continuing Education Krems (Austria), the study applies a qualitative, transdisciplinary Living Lab approach combining regular shared site walks, emotional communication, and cross-sectoral ecosystem services assessment matrices (aligned with established classifications and quantitative data collection). Resilience is grounded in the literature as a social–ecological capacity for adaptation and transformation and is operationalized pragmatically as the strengthening of connectedness between people, place, and ecological processes. The key findings show that short, place-based, and experiential interactions—such as shared walks and co-creative ecosystem service assessments—can lower participation barriers, mitigate power asymmetries, and enable rapid integration of scientific perspectives into everyday land-use decision-making. Rather than producing directly replicable outcomes, Living Labs generate transferable process principles, including emotional correspondence, structured negotiation, and the use of simple boundary tools to support collective learning and action. The paper contributes to resilience and land-system research by demonstrating how Living Labs can enhance local adaptive capacity and climate resilience through process design, immediate feedback, and continuous experimentation. It thereby complements conventional, indicator-driven assessments by illustrating how resilience can be enacted through participatory, place-based governance practices, offering practical guidance for municipalities and regions facing climate-related risks such as heat stress, drought, soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and increasing pressures on the secure provision of food, materials, and drinking water. Full article

Brain-on-a-chip (BOC) refers to a miniaturized in vitro platform that integrates living neuronal networks on a micro-engineered chip, enabling the simulation of brain functions, neural activities and physiological responses. BOC technology is an advanced evolution of microphysiological systems (MPS) and Lab-on-a-Chip platforms, providing novel paradigms for in vitro modeling and exploring early-stage biocomputing by interfacing living neural networks with engineered electronics. Microelectrode arrays (MEAs) serve as the critical physical interface for bidirectional communication in these systems. In this review, we systematically examine the technological landscape and engineering requirements of MEAs tailored for BOC applications, evaluating them across electrical characteristics, structural properties, and biocompatibility. Two primary classes of current MEA technologies, including planar arrays for 2D neural cultures and 3D flexible arrays for brain organoids, are discussed in detail. We highlight the transition from passive planar electrodes to high-density active CMOS and TFT-based arrays, and detail how 3D flexible MEAs utilize endogenous integration and exogenous wrapping strategies to overcome tissue-mechanics mismatches. Furthermore, the integration of MEAs with microfluidics, optoelectronics, and electrochemical sensors to enable multimodal monitoring is explored. With the advantages of the various MEAs, the application of MEAs for BOC, particularly in biological computing and network plasticity research, is discussed. Finally, future technological developments in scalability bottlenecks, chronic stability, and the incorporation of artificial intelligence for MEAs of BOC are prospected. Full article

Objective: Surgical simulation has been shown to improve efficiency, performance, and time to mastery for complicated procedures, but simulation training is not always considered when introducing new devices or products. As part of a performance improvement project, we sought to design and evaluate simulation training for the skin cell suspension autograft (SCSA) with surgery residents during their Burn rotation. Methods: Residents were asked to read instructional materials and watch training videos before coming into the simulation lab for the training session supervised by a Burn surgeon. A qualitative survey was designed and administered after completion of the rotation. Results: Twelve residents have completed the training thus far. Their feedback from the training session was rated on a five-point Likert scale and indicated that the simulation activity was an appropriate length (4.6/5.0), was thorough (4.8/5.0), and led to more confidence (4.4/5.0) and less apprehension (4.4/5.0) when performing the procedure on live patients. This was followed by their use of the product in the operating room with complete success. Conclusions: The novel SCSA training shows great promise for improving the confidence and performance of surgical residents. This could allow for a shorter time for residents to become independent in its use, thereby allowing for increased operative efficiency with the opportunity to significantly improve trainee expertise. Full article

Climate change impacts in Europe are accelerating, creating urgent adaptation needs across diverse local contexts. This paper presents the implementation of a Systems Innovation Approach (SIA) through living labs to co-design climate resilience strategies in nine European case studies. SIA provides a structured, participatory framework for systemic change through a stepwise approach, enabling the development of tailor-made sustainability strategies by co-designing a portfolio of short-, mid-, and long-term innovative solutions. Living labs can successfully support open innovation ecosystems by facilitating knowledge exchange, trust-building, and co-creation of tailored innovation pathways for adaptation. Results showcase how the SIA can be operationalized in the context of climate change adaptation and resilience throughout nine case studies. The discussion highlights how living labs, using an SIA, can enhance stakeholder networks and build capacity and co-create knowledge and mutual understanding across diverse stakeholders while fostering actionable strategies. However, challenges remain regarding sustaining living labs beyond project funding, maintaining engagement, and bridging planning-to-implementation gaps. The paper concludes with recommendations for institutionalizing living labs within governance frameworks to accelerate Europe’s transition toward climate resilience. Full article

Hybrid hydrogen energy storage systems are increasingly considered for renewable integration in rural and weak-grid contexts, yet much of the literature remains simulation-based, site-specific, or insufficiently explicit about control and operational performance. This paper examines a hybrid hydro–PV–battery–hydrogen system operated at the Agkistron Living Lab in Northern Greece and assesses the role of layered storage in renewable surplus valorization and resilience-oriented operation. This study combines a system architecture description, a supervisory energy management strategy based on Hybrid Automata, and analysis of field data under both grid-connected and intentional off-grid conditions. The installation integrates hydropower, photovoltaics, battery storage, alkaline electrolysis, hydrogen storage, and PEMFCs. The results show that during on-grid operation, the EMS prioritizes battery charging and then hydrogen production, enabling high renewable utilization and low curtailment while preparing reserves for outages. During a 48 h intentional islanding event, the battery and hydrogen pathway operated sequentially, achieving an autonomy index of 82%, compared with 36% for the battery-only benchmark. Although the hydrogen pathway showed lower round-trip efficiency than battery-only storage, it substantially extended off-grid autonomy and continuity of supply. The findings support hybrid battery–hydrogen storage as a transferable operating concept for rural systems where renewable surplus and resilience requirements coexist. Full article

Disasters pose severe threats to life, livelihoods, and socioeconomic stability globally, with disproportionate impacts on vulnerable groups. Despite growing recognition of the importance of citizen engagement in disaster risk reduction and resilience (D3R), existing participatory frameworks remain fragmented, predominantly top-down, and unsustainable beyond project funding cycles. There is a recognised need for an integrated conceptual framework that aims to systematically embed co-design and co-create principles into D3R governance while aiming to ensure the inclusion of vulnerable populations. This paper addresses this gap by presenting the Co-Design Co-Create Framework (CCF), a conceptual institutional model for citizen engagement in D3R. The CCF comprises six iterative phases—KNOW, RAISE AWARENESS, CO-DESIGN CO-CREATE, OUTREACH, KEEP ENGAGED, and EVALUATION—organized as a Living Lab ecosystem. Distinctive conceptual innovations include a Disaster Assembly mechanism designed to promote long-term sustainability through polycentric governance, explicit inclusion of vulnerable groups via Social Vulnerability Index assessment, proposed dual production of co-created policies and co-designed tangible solutions, and participatory tools including Policy Delphi and Storytelling. Unlike conventional time-bound initiatives, the CCF is designed to address critical gaps in existing disaster risk reduction (DRR) practices through embedded sustainability mechanisms, citizen empowerment aimed at Arnstein’s highest participation level, systematic knowledge-to-product translation, and bottom-up planning principles. This conceptual framework conceptualises disaster resilience as a continuously evolving, socially legitimate, and just process anchored in durable governance structures. Empirical validation through field implementation constitutes a direction for future research. Full article

Background/Objectives: Malaria affects almost half of the world’s population and causes more than 600,000 deaths annually. Young children in malaria-endemic areas have the highest mortality rate because of their immature immune systems. Global efforts to control the disease have had limited success, with two WHO-recommended pre-erythrocytic malaria vaccines showing suboptimal efficacy; no vaccine has yet been approved against the blood stages of the parasite that causes the clinical symptoms of malaria. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify new vaccine candidates against the parasite’s blood stages to achieve protection against the disease. Methods: Previous studies in our lab identified a few potential vaccine candidates expressed on the surface of malaria-parasite-infected RBCs using sera from disease-resistant children from malaria-endemic regions and a phage-displayed cDNA library generated from P. falciparum. In an innovative approach, we successfully immunized mice using live Plasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cells {Pf-iRBCs (L)}, the membrane fraction of P. falciparum-infected RBCs {Pf-iRBCs (M)}, and live uninfected human red blood cells (hRBCs) in suitable adjuvants. The polyclonal sera produced against Pf-iRBC immunizations were evaluated for specificity and parasite inhibition in vitro and used in a phage display biopanning assay to identify novel antigens on the surface of Pf-iRBCs. Results: Our data indicate that the polyclonal serum produced in BALB/cJ mice, against live Pf-iRBC (L) and their membrane fraction, specifically interacts with surface antigens of parasitic origin on Pf-iRBCs. Additionally, the anti-Pf-iRBC polyclonal serum exhibits significant parasite-killing activity in the in vitro growth inhibition assay (GIA). We have identified both known and novel antigens associated with the Pf-iRBC membrane using phage display cDNA library screening assays. Conclusions: As a proof of concept, our phage display screening identified antigens known to be associated with the Pf-iRBC membrane. Additionally, we identified several unknown Pf-iRBC antigens predicted to be associated with Pf-iRBC membrane (PlasmoDB), suggesting that our approach has the potential to identify novel antigens yet to be evaluated as vaccine candidates against falciparum malaria. In our follow-on studies, we will evaluate the newly identified antigen using an integrated in vitro and in vivo challenge experiment. These studies form the core supporting data for further evaluation of the vaccine potential of novel Pf-iRBC antigens and for follow-on vaccine trials in non-human primates, with an ultimate goal of a malaria vaccine for humans. Full article