Search Results (86)

Background/Objectives: Food waste in school canteens constitutes a significant environmental, organizational, and public health challenge. Despite numerous initiatives aimed at reducing plate waste, limited evidence exists on participatory interventions grounded in coherent theoretical frameworks and implemented in real school settings. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the Schools Don’t Waste (SDW) program, a participatory, educational, and behavioral intervention based on the Needs-Based, Learner-Centered, Behaviorally Focused (NLB) model, in reducing visually assessed plate waste in primary school canteens. Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-post design without randomization was conducted in 37 public primary schools in Warsaw during the 2024/2025 school year. The intervention consisted of four stages: baseline plate waste assessment (T1), participatory roundtable meetings (T2), implementation of educational and organizational actions (T3), and post-intervention evaluation (T4). Plate waste was assessed using a standardized five-point visual scale. Differences between T1 and T4 were analyzed at the school level using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Implementation fidelity and its association with food waste reduction were explored using Spearman correlations. Results: A total of 4988 meals were assessed at baseline and 4080 at follow-up. Significant reductions were observed in the proportion of completely uneaten meals (Δ = −6.10 pp; p < 0.001; r = −0.67), meals with three-quarters uneaten (Δ = −5.76; p < 0.001), and meals with half uneaten (Δ = −7.97; p = 0.002). Overall uneaten meals decreased significantly (p = 0.004). Sixty-two percent of schools demonstrated measurable improvement, although fidelity indicators were not significantly correlated with outcomes. Conclusions: Participatory, low-cost interventions integrating educational and organizational components may effectively reduce plate waste in school settings, while structural and contextual factors appear to moderate intervention effectiveness. Full article

Seed priming studies commonly emphasize growth and physiological responses, yet ionomic regulation and tissue-specific nutrient allocation under salinity stress remain poorly explored, particularly in underutilized crops such as Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea L.). This study investigated whether Mg(NO₃)₂ seed priming, previously shown to enhance salt tolerance, is associated with consistent ionomic patterns in contrasting Bambara groundnut genotypes (BGN-14 and BGN-25). Seeds were primed with 0.03% Mg(NO₃)₂ and grown under control or saline conditions (200 mM NaCl) for five weeks. Shoot and root tissues were analyzed for macro- and micronutrient composition using ICP-OES. In BGN-14, salinity caused a marked reduction in shoot fresh weight (−49.5%, p < 0.05), whereas Mg(NO₃)₂ priming largely mitigated this effect under salinity (−0.4%, p > 0.05). Root fresh weight declined numerically under salt stress (−70.1%) and primed + salt conditions (−45.5%), but these changes were not statistically significant. Shoot dry weight increased significantly in primed plants (+83.5%, p < 0.05), while salinity reduced SDW (−58.4%); primed + salt plants maintained SDW near control levels (+2.6%). In BGN-25, root biomass was unaffected by treatments, whereas salinity significantly reduced shoot biomass relative to primed plants, with a consistent trend of primed > control > primed + salt > salt. Salinity increased the Na⁺/K⁺ ratio, particularly in roots. In BGN-14, the root Na⁺/K⁺ ratio increased significantly from 1.07 to 4.49 (p < 0.05), indicating enhanced Na⁺ accumulation, while shoot ratios increased non-significantly. BGN-25 showed a more moderate increase in shoot ratios and a pronounced rise in root ratios. Principal component analysis revealed distinct nutrient clustering, with Na, Fe, and Al loading strongly under salinity, while Ca, K, Mg, and Cu aligned with improved physiological performance. Although differences between salt and primed + salt treatments were often not statistically significant, several ion ratios and nutrient relationships were numerically enhanced under Mg(NO₃)₂ priming. This study builds upon earlier physiological findings (where BGN-14 consistently exhibited a stronger positive response to Mg(NO₃)₂ priming, outperforming BGN-25 under salt stress) and provides exploratory, hypothesis-generating evidence that Mg(NO₃)₂ priming may contribute to salinity tolerance through coordinated ionomic adjustments, including altered Na⁺ allocation and improved nutrient balance, rather than complete Na⁺ exclusion. These findings highlight the relevance of ionomic responses in understanding stress adaptation in underutilized legume crops. Full article

Salinity stress has become an increasingly critical challenge for agricultural production, especially for rice, a staple crop that feeds over 50% of the world population but is extremely sensitive to salt stress. In this study, ten rice genotypes were treated with three salinity levels (0, 50, and 100 mM NaCl) to investigate the effects of salt stress on rice, and this data was then used to build regression models that describe plant growth responses as a function of stomatal conductance (Gs), chlorophyll content (SPAD), and shoot K⁺ and Na⁺ contents—parameters that can be used for high-throughput screening of rice plants for salinity stress tolerance. In silico modeling results showed that the best model for predicting shoot dry weight (SDW) was based on Gs, SPAD, and shoot K⁺ content, while shoot Na⁺ content had no significant influence on biomass accumulation. These findings challenge the traditional focus on Na⁺ exclusion from the shoot as a breeding target and suggest that enhancing K⁺ retention and optimizing stomatal development and operation may be a more effective strategy for improving rice growth under salinity. Overall, this study highlights the need to reconsider key genetic targets involved in the regulation of Gs, K⁺ homeostasis, and chlorophyll maintenance to better face the challenges caused by salinity in future climate scenarios. Full article

Restorative Practices (RP) are increasingly adopted in U.S. pre-K-12 schools as an alternative to punishment, yet research less frequently examines student perspectives on this transition. This qualitative study centers alumni student voices in the implementation of RP at Riverdale High School (RHS), an urban-emergent high school, through semi-structured interviews with 13 alumni who attended before, during, and after RHS’s shift from punishment to RP. Using the Social Discipline Window (SDW) as a conceptual framework, the study explores students’ perceptions of their relationships with teachers and administrators. Findings indicate four distinct experiences in both disciplinary practices and relational dynamics: (1) punitive “To” experiences, where adults exerted expectations without support, (2) neglectful “Not” experiences, where students experienced neither expectations nor support, (3) permissive “For” experiences, where adults offered support without expectations, and (4) restorative “With” experiences, where students experienced high expectations and high support from adults. Some students, however, described harmful experiences unrepresented by the SDW, leading to the proposal of an Emergent Social Discipline Window, which includes “Against” experiences, representing situations where students experienced harm from adults. Findings underscore the need to prioritize student voices in RP implementation, ensuring students are centered in decision-making processes. Full article

Background: Differences in total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) across sports, sex, and skill level support the need for sport- and athlete-specific energy intake recommendations. The purpose of the current review was to examine TDEE and related markers of energy expenditure across field-based team sports. A secondary aim was to evaluate physical activity levels (PAL), calculated as TDEE divided by resting metabolic rate (RMR), and their utility in estimating energy needs within team sports. Methods: The review was limited to studies that included the field-based team sports of rugby or soccer and reported energy expenditure data using doubly labeled water (DLW). A literature review identified 11 studies meeting criteria. Weighted means (Xw) and standard deviations (SDw) were calculated for each variable when pooled across each sport category. Results: Rugby (4417 ± 654 kcal·d⁻¹) had a higher average TDEE than soccer (3157 ± 331 kcal/day; p < 0.001). When normalized to body mass, rTDEE was similar between sports (rugby: 49.5 ± 1.3 kcal·kg⁻¹·day⁻¹; soccer: 49.3 ± 1.8 kcal·kg⁻¹·day⁻¹; p = 0.967). PAL values were significantly higher in rugby (2.2 ± 0.4) compared to soccer (1.7 ± 0.2; p = 0.004). RMR was also greater in rugby (2136 ± 322 kcal·d⁻¹) compared to soccer (1835 ± 208 kcal·d⁻¹; p = 0.04). Conclusions: Rugby athletes exhibited higher TDEE values than soccer athletes, reflecting greater absolute energy demands. However, similar relative TDEE values suggest that differences in body size and composition likely contribute to the observed differences in absolute expenditure. These findings underscore the importance of individualized nutrition strategies within team sports and highlight PAL as a useful metric to contextualize energy requirements. Full article

Based on monitoring data from 2019 to 2024 at 270 typical surface drinking water sources (SDWS) in the Pearl River Basin (PRB), the occurrence and health risks of metal and metalloid pollutants (MMPs) were analyzed from a large watershed scale and long-term evolution. The results indicated that the overall pollution status of 8 MMPs (As, Cd, Pb, Mn, Sb, Ni, Ba, V) were at a low level and the concentrations of Cd, Pb, Ni, Ba, and V exhibited downward trends from 2019 to 2024. The distribution of MMPs exhibited significant regional differences with the main influencing factors including geological conditions, industrial activities, and urban development. River-type drinking water sources might be more affected by pollution from human activities such as industrial wastewater discharge, and the concentration levels of MMPs were generally higher than those in lake-type drinking water sources. Monte Carlo simulation revealed that 33.08% and 12.90% of total carcinogenic risks (TCR) exceeded the threshold of 10⁻⁶ for adults and children, respectively. Ba and Ni were the main contributors to the TCR, while As posed a certain non-carcinogenic risk to children. Sensitivity analysis indicated that concentrations of As and Ba were the main factors contributing to health risks. Although highly stringent water pollution control and a water resource protection policy have been implemented, it is still suggested to strengthen the control of As, Ba, and Ni in industrial-intensive areas and river-type water sources in the PRB. Full article

Nitrogen (N) is the most important macro-nutrient for plant growth and development, which not only results in the highest cost in crop production but may also lead to environmental pollution. Hence, there is a need to develop N and use efficient genotypes, a prerequisite for which is a better understanding of N stress adaptation. Here, responses of two contrasting linseed accessions at the seedling stage were assessed for N stress-induced changes in twelve phenotypic traits and for gene expression profiling in the roots. The results showed that nine out of twelve phenotypic traits were affected under N stress conditions, and include total root length (TRL), root tips (RT), shoot dry weight (SDW), root dry weight (RDW), root-to-shoot ratio (R/S), plant nitrogen content (PNC), shoot nitrogen content (SNC), root nitrogen content (RNC), and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). For example, under N stress, the TRL, RDW, SDW, PNC, SNC, and RNC showed reductions of 7.1, 7.6, 16.0, 43.7, 43.3, and 38.7%, respectively. The N-efficient (NE) genotype outperformed the N-inefficient (NI) genotype for all root and shoot traits and NUE under N stress and N normal conditions. Transcriptome analysis identified 1034 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under the contrasting N conditions and uncovered the opposite responses of the two linseed genotypes to N starvation at the gene expression level. DEGs included 153 transcription factors distributed in 27 families, among which ERF, MYB, NAC, and WRKY were the most represented. In addition, DEGs involved in N absorption and transport, root development, amino acid transport, and antioxidant activity were found to be differentially expressed. The candidate genes identified in the current study are purported for their roles in N metabolism in other crops and might also play a pivotal role in N stress adaptation in linseed, and therefore could be useful for further detailed research on N stress response in linseed, paving the way toward developing N-efficient linseed cultivars with improved root system architecture. Full article

The issue of work sustainability is a crucial component in the advancement of sustainable development in Chinese society. The present study integrates the theories of sociology and psychology in order to construct a new analytical framework for work sustainability. The present study utilised the 2022 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) to investigate the impact of social status (SS) on the sustainable development of work (SDW). A total of 23,665 data points from 25 provinces were analysed, with the mediating effect of media use and intergenerational and regional heterogeneity also analysed. The study found the following: Firstly, social status significantly and positively affects the degree of SDW, with individuals in high social status positions enhancing their sense of occupational control through the accumulation of resources. Secondly, media use partially mediates the relationship between social status and SDW, with social comparison and access to information as the core transmission paths. And thirdly, there is significant intergenerational and regional heterogeneity, with the middle-aged and the elderly, and individuals from the eastern region, more significantly affected by social status. This study offers novel insight into the mechanism of the sustainable development of work and psychological well-being in the digital age, providing a theoretical foundation and practical inspiration for the sustainable development of society. Full article

Pythium schmitthenneri, a soilborne pathogen responsible for root rot in olive trees, poses a significant threat to olive production. Managing this pathogen remains challenging due to its aggressive root colonization and the limited efficacy of conventional control methods. Given the concerns associated with chemical treatments, this study evaluated the resistance of eight olive varieties to P. schmitthenneri-induced root rot under controlled greenhouse conditions by assessing structural and biochemical defense mechanisms. Greenhouse trials revealed that Arbequina, Koroneiki, and Haouziya exhibited strong resistance, with 0% disease severity, while Picholine Marocaine and Picholine Languedoc were highly susceptible, reaching 100% disease severity. Growth parameters varied significantly, with susceptible varieties showing severe reductions in root length (RL), root fresh weight (RFW), and root dry weight (RDW), whereas resistant varieties maintained these parameters unchanged. While shoot length (SL) remained unaffected across all varieties, shoot fresh weight (SFW) and shoot dry weight (SDW) were significantly reduced in susceptible ones. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed that resistant varieties maintained stable levels of lignin, cellulose, and polysaccharides, while susceptible ones exhibited extensive cell wall degradation. Additionally, total polyphenol content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) significantly increased in resistant varieties upon infection, whereas susceptible varieties experienced a substantial decline. These findings highlight the crucial role of structural and biochemical defenses in olive resistance to P. schmitthenneri and suggest that selecting resistant varieties could serve as a sustainable strategy for managing root rot in olive production. Full article

We present a brief overview of the field of charge density waves (CDW) in condensed systems with focus set to the underlying mechanisms behind the CDW ground state. Our intention in this short review is not to count all related facts from the vast volume of literature about this decades-old and still developing field, but rather to pinpoint the most important, mostly theoretical ones, presenting the development of the field. Starting from the “early days”, mainly based on weakly coupled, chain-like quasi-1D systems and Peierls instability, in which the Fermi surface nesting has been the predominant and practically paradigmatic mechanism of the CDW ground state stabilisation, we track the change in paradigms while entering the field of layered quasi-2D systems, with Fermi surface far away from the nesting regime, in which rather strong, essentially momentum-dependent interactions and particular reconstructions of the Fermi surface become essential. Examples of real quasi-1D materials, such as organic and inorganic conductors like Bechgaard salts or transition metal trichalcogenides and bronzes, in which experiment and theory have been extremely successful in providing detailed understanding, are contrasted to layered quasi-2D materials, such as ${\mathrm{high-T}}_c$ superconducting cuprates, intercalated graphite compounds or transition metal dichalcogenides, for which the theory explaining an onset of the CDWs constitutes a frontier of this fast-evolving field, strongly boosted by development of modern ab initio calculation methods. Full article

A bioassay study was conducted to determine the differences in the sensitivity of selected crops to simulated clomazone residues (nine concentrations were used ranging from 5.625 to 1440 μg a.i./kg soil). White mustard was the most susceptible as measured by shoot fresh weight (SFW) and shoot dry weight (SDW) inhibition, with EC₅₀ values of 94.6 and 128.2 μg a.i./kg soil, respectively. Regarding the EC₅₀ values for the inhibition of pigment content (carotenoids, chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b), sugar beet and white mustard showed a high sensitivity, as the EC₅₀ values for all three pigments were in the range of 45.8–47.4 and 57.5–63.3 μg a.i./kg soil, respectively. However, as the SFW and SDW of sugar beet were only reduced at the three highest clomazone concentrations applied, white mustard proved to be the most sensitive crop. Wheat was less sensitive (EC₅₀ = 214.4–243.8 μg a.i./kg soil, for all three pigments), while sunflower and maize were the least sensitive (EC₅₀ = 359.7–417.5 and 456.1–535.8 μg a.i./kg soil, respectively). Field trials were conducted for two years in the Srem region to study the dynamics of clomazone degradation in sandy loam soil. Clomazone was applied pre-plant incorporated (PPI) and post-emergence (POST-EM) in three doses: 480, 720 and 960 g a.i./ha. Soil samples were taken at regular intervals from the day of herbicide application until one year after application and residue concentrations were determined using the white mustard bioassay (based on the measurement of carotenoid content inhibition). The application rate had no consistent effect on the persistence of clomazone. Slower degradation was observed in the PPI treatment than in the POST-EM treatment (8.5 and 15 days longer average half-lives in the first and second year, respectively). Persistence was affected by lower rainfall, resulting in a longer half-life in the second year (12 days on average). Herbicide residues caused no visible injury to white mustard one year after application, while the reduction in carotenoid content ranged from 0.37 to 22.89%, indicating that no injury can occur to any of the tested crops one year after application of clomazone in sandy loam soil. Full article

Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for plant growth, and low-phosphorus (LP) stress significantly limits cotton productivity. Here, we conducted single- and multi-locus genome-wide association studies (GWASs) on four LP-related traits using 419 upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) accessions genotyped with 2.97 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Phenotypic analysis reveals substantial variation under LP stress, with LP-SDW showing the highest coefficient of variation (33.69%). The GWASs identified thousands of significant SNPs, including pleiotropic loci associated with multiple traits. Chromosomes A08, D09, and D12 harbored novel associated signals. Multi-locus models significantly enhanced detection sensitivity, identifying 123 SNPs undetected by single-locus approaches. Functional annotations prioritized six candidate genes near associated SNPs, including GhM_A08G1315 (remorin protein) and GhM_D06G1152 (carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase), whose LP-induced expression patterns were validated by qRT-PCR. These genes are implicated in membrane signaling, root architecture modulation, and hormone metabolism. Our findings provide novel genetic insights into LP tolerance and establish a foundation for breeding phosphorus-efficient varieties through marker-assisted selection in cotton. Full article

The ongoing threat of viral pandemics such as COVID-19 highlights the urgent need for novel antiviral therapeutics targeting conserved viral proteins. In this study, peptides of 10–30 kDa derived from the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum were identified as potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro), a key enzyme in viral replication. Peptides less than 60 amino acids in length were retrieved from the UniProt database and aligned with reference antiviral sequences using the Biopython pairwise2 algorithm. Six candidates were selected for structural modeling using AlphaFold2 and Swiss-Model, followed by molecular docking using ClusPro2. LigPlot+ was used to assess molecular interactions, while NetMHCpan 4.1 and AVPpred evaluated immunogenicity and antiviral potential, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations over 100 ns were conducted using OpenMM. These peptides demonstrated stable binding interactions with key catalytic residues of Mpro. Specifically, peptide A0A8J9SA87 interacted with Cys145 and Glu166, while peptide A0A8J9SDW0 exhibited interactions with His41 and Phe140, both of which are known to be essential for Mpro inhibition. Although peptide A0A8J9X3P8 also interacted with catalytic residues, it exhibited greater structural fluctuations during molecular dynamics simulations and achieved lower AVPpred scores, suggesting lower overall antiviral potential. Therefore, A0A8J9SA87 and A0A8J9SDW0 were identified as the most promising candidates. Molecular dynamics simulations further supported the high structural stability of these peptide-Mpro complexes over a 100 ns timescale, reinforcing their potential as effective inhibitors. These findings support P. tricornutum as a valuable source of antiviral peptides and demonstrate the feasibility of in silico pipelines for identifying therapeutic candidates against SARS-CoV-2. Full article

Seedling cultivation is the foremost part of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam) production. It is of great significance to reveal the effects of different temperatures on the nutrients of sweet potato storage roots and their relationship with the sprouting quality and to explore the appropriate temperature management for seedlings. In this study, we simulated the temperature differences during the sprouting and seedling period in the summer growing area of sweet potato in the Yangtze River Basin and set three constant temperatures (17 °C, 22 °C and 27 °C) and corresponding three-day/night variable temperatures (21/13 °C, 26/18 °C and 31/23 °C). Thus, we investigated the nutrients, amylase activity, endogenous hormones, and sprouting characteristics of storage roots during the sprouting and seedling period of three sweet potato cultivars with different starch contents. The results showed that with the increase in temperature, the starch and soluble protein (SP) contents in sweet potato storage roots decreased, and the total soluble sugar (TSS), reducing sugar (RS), and sucrose contents increased during the sprouting and seedling period. The amylase activity enhanced; the hormone (IAA) content increased, and the abscisic acid (ABA) content decreased, which, in turn, led to an earlier time of sprouting time (ST), emergence stage (ES), and full stand of seedling stage (FSS). Comparing at the same average temperature, the physiological metabolism and sprouting time and quality of sweet potato were better at variable temperatures than at constant temperatures, in which 31/23 °C was more conducive to the advancement of the ST of sweet potato. At the same time, it was more conducive to the improvement of the seedling cutting amount (SCA), seedling weight (SDW), and seedling number (SDN). The sprouting time and quality of different sweet potato cultivars differed, and cultivars with higher starch content were superior to those with lower starch content. The sucrose and starch contents at different sprouting stages of storage roots can be used as important indicators of the quality of sweet potato seedlings. Full article

Background: Hospitalization for severe neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) presents challenges, often requiring environments that ensure safety while addressing therapeutic needs. Traditional closed wards, originally designed for psychiatric conditions like schizophrenia, may not fully address the unique needs of AD patients. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a Specialized Dementia Ward (SDW) tailored for AD patients compared to a General Ward (GW). Methods: A retrospective study compared 51 AD patients in an SDW (February 2018–January 2019) and 40 AD patients in a GW (December 2017–January 2018). Patients met NINCDS-ADRDA criteria, with a Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) ≤ 2 and a Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) ≤ 20. Clinical assessments at admission and four weeks included K-MMSE, Resident Assessment Instrument Minimum Data Set Version 2.0 (RAI-MDS), and Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q). Psychotropic medication use, length of stay, and discharge destination were also analyzed. Results: No statistically significant differences emerged between SDW and GW groups regarding baseline demographics, cognitive function, ADL, or neuropsychiatric symptoms. At four weeks, both groups exhibited trends toward improved K-MMSE, RAI-MDS, and NPI-Q scores and reduced psychotropic usage, but these did not reach statistical significance. Although mean length of stay was shorter for SDW patients (3.2 vs. 4.9 months; p = 0.078), the difference was not significant. Notably, a significantly higher proportion of SDW patients were discharged home (58.8% vs. 37.5%; p = 0.049). Conclusions: Although clinical outcomes were comparable, the SDW demonstrated advantages in facilitating discharge to home, suggesting that tailored ward environments may better support AD patients. These findings underscore the importance of therapeutic environments in dementia care and highlight the need for further research on specialized dementia ward designs to improve outcomes and patient satisfaction. Full article