Search Results (180)

Black soldier fly (BSF) larvae are among the most widely mass-reared insects and develop in moist feed substrates where larvae and microorganisms jointly degrade organic matter but also compete for nutrients. Microbial activity introduces variability and often decreases substrate conversion efficiency (SCE), defined as the ratio of larval biomass produced to substrate consumed. Supplementing feed substrates with antimicrobial agents may suppress microbial activities and thereby enhance the SCE. In this study, BSF larvae were reared on chicken feed supplemented with 0–0.2% benzoic acid at either initial pH = 7.6 or pH ≤ 4, under varying larval densities. Larval weights and CO₂ production from both larvae and substrates were measured periodically. At low pH, benzoic acid lowered the CO₂ evolution from the feed substrate while the substrate reduction rate (SRR) diminished dose dependently, indicating suppressed microbial activity. Despite the lower SRR, larval biomass yield remained unchanged, resulting in a dose-dependent increase in SCE. The effect was most pronounced in feed-sufficient larvae. Benzoic acid had no effect on larval performances in terms of maximal larval weight, specific growth rate, or mortality. Their overall net growth efficiency (larval weight gain relative to assimilated substrate) even increased dose-dependently. However, the low pH needed for benzoic acid to be active did have minor negative effects on larval performances. These findings demonstrate that microbial activity influences SCE during productions of BSF larvae and that substrate conversion efficiency can be manipulated and potentially optimized without harming the larvae through the inclusion of antimicrobial agents such as benzoic acid in their feed substrates. Full article

Developing highly efficient and stable electrocatalysts from inexpensive and earth-abundant elements represents a significant advancement in overall water splitting (OWS). This study focuses on the synthesis and evaluation of palladium-modified cobalt–phosphorus (PdCoP) and cobalt–iron–phosphorus (PdCoFeP) coatings for use as electrocatalysts in hydrogen evolution (HER), oxygen evolution (OER) and overall water splitting (OWS) in alkaline media. A facile electroless plating method is adopted to deposit the CoP and CoFeP coatings onto a copper surface (Cu sheet), with sodium hypophosphite (NaH₂PO₂) acting as the reducing agent. Pd crystallites were incorporated on CoP and CoFeP coatings using the galvanic displacement method. This study details morphological characterization (using SEM, EDX, and XRD), as well as electrochemical activity testing, for both HER and OER using linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) at different temperatures. The stability of the catalysts for HER was evaluated using chronoamperometry (CA) and chronopotentiometry (CP). The results show that the Pd-modified CoFeP and CoP catalysts exhibited lower overpotentials of 207 and 227 mV, respectively, for HER and 396 mV for OER at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² compared to the unmodified CoFeP and CoP catalysts. The innovation achieved in this study lies in combining a facile, low-cost deposition method (electroless plating followed by galvanic displacement) with a novel, highly effective ternary composition (PdCoFeP) that exploits synergistic electronic and morphological effects to achieve superior bifunctional performance for alkaline OWS, achieving a low cell voltage of 1.69 V at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻². Overall, this research demonstrates that these synthesized materials are promising candidates for sustainable and economical hydrogen production. Full article

Ready-to-eat (RTE) foods can carry antimicrobial-resistant pathogens; however, few studies link real-world surveillance to practical interventions. This study addressed this gap by estimating the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in ready-to-eat foods from Al-Qassim and evaluating a rapid, orthogonal confirmation workflow (culture → MALDI-TOF MS → Vitek 2 → mecA/mecC PCR). The in vitro activity of citrate-stabilized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) against food-derived MRSA was quantified, and synergy with oxacillin (primary) and ciprofloxacin (secondary) was examined. Silver-susceptibility stability was assessed over 20 days of sub-MIC serial passage, with attention to whether β-lactam co-exposure constrained drift. We surveyed 149 RTE products and paired the confirmation workflow with mechanistic tests of AgNPs as antibiotic adjuvants. S. aureus was recovered from 24.2% of products and MRSA from 6.7%, with higher recovery from animal-source matrices and street-vendor outlets. MALDI-TOF MS provided rapid species confirmation and revealed two reproducible low-mass peaks (m/z 3990 and 4125) associated with MRSA, supporting spectral triage pending molecular confirmation. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed the expected β-lactam split (MRSA oxacillin/cefoxitin non-susceptible; MSSA oxacillin-susceptible but largely penicillin-resistant), with last-line agents retained. Citrate-stabilized AgNPs displayed consistent potency against food-derived MRSA (MIC 8–32 µg/mL; MIC₅₀ 16; MIC₉₀ 32) and were predominantly bactericidal (MBC/MIC ≤ 4 in 90%). Checkerboards demonstrated frequent AgNP–oxacillin synergy (median fractional inhibitory concentration index [FICI] 0.37; 4–16-fold oxacillin MIC reductions) and additive-to-synergistic effects with ciprofloxacin (median FICI 0.63), translating time–kill assays into rapid, sustained bactericidal activity without antagonism. During sub-MIC evolution, silver MICs rose modestly (median two-fold) and often regressed off drug; oxacillin co-exposure limited drift. RTE foods therefore represent credible MRSA exposure routes. Integrating MALDI-assisted triage with automated AST enables scalable surveillance, and standardized AgNP formulations emerge as promising β-lactam adjuvants—pending in situ efficacy, safety, and residue evaluation. Full article

The emergence of large language models (LLMs) has redefined the potential of artificial intelligence in clinical domains. In this context, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems provide a promising approach to enhance traceability, timeliness, and accuracy in tasks such as biomedical question answering (QA). This article presents a narrative and thematic review of the evolution of these technologies in maternal health, structured across five axes: technical foundations of RAG, advancements in biomedical LLMs, conversational agents in healthcare, clinical validation frameworks, and specific applications in obstetric telehealth. Through a systematic search in scientific databases covering the period from 2022 to 2025, 148 relevant studies were identified. Notable developments include architectures such as BiomedRAG and MedGraphRAG, which integrate semantic retrieval with controlled generation, achieving up to 18% improvement in accuracy compared to pure generative models. The review also highlights domain-specific models like PMC-LLaMA and Med-PaLM 2, while addressing persistent challenges in bias mitigation, hallucination reduction, and clinical validation. In the maternal care context, the review outlines applications in prenatal monitoring, the automatic generation of clinically validated QA pairs, and low-resource deployment using techniques such as QLoRA. The article concludes with a proposed research agenda emphasizing federated evaluation, participatory co-design with patients and healthcare professionals, and the ethical design of adaptable systems for diverse clinical settings. Full article

The overuse of antibiotics in human and veterinary medicine has contributed significantly to their persistent presence in the environment, creating conditions that promote the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In this context, innovative approaches that reduce antibiotic doses without compromising therapeutic efficacy are urgently needed. This review explores the emerging role of plant-derived secondary metabolites, particularly saponins, as bioactive excipients capable of enhancing antibiotic activity through synergistic mechanisms. By improving membrane permeability, inhibiting resistance pathways, and modulating host responses, these natural adjuvants may allow for lower antibiotic concentrations in clinical treatments, ultimately reducing pharmaceutical residues entering the environment. We discuss the potential of such combined therapies not only to mitigate the evolution and dissemination of AMR in natural microbial communities but also to provide more sustainable, biodegradable, and ecologically safer alternatives to synthetic formulation agents. Plant-derived compounds, inherently shaped by co-evolution with microbes, offer a dynamic and adaptive molecular diversity that may be less prone to long-term microbial resistance. In addition to reviewing current knowledge, this article highlights the environmental and public health implications of integrating phytochemical excipients into antibiotic regimens, and calls for further interdisciplinary efforts to evaluate their safety, efficacy, and role in shaping future antimicrobial stewardship. Full article

Ionic rare earths are extracted from primary sources by the in situ chemical leaching method, where the type and concentration of leaching agents significantly affect the mechanical properties and microstructure of the ore body. In this study, MgSO₄ and Al₂(SO₄)₃ solutions of varying concentrations were used as leaching agents to investigate the evolution of shear strength, the characteristics of Duncan–Chang hyperbolic model parameters, and the changes in microstructural pore characteristics of rare earth samples under different leaching conditions. The results show that the stress–strain curves of all samples consistently exhibit strain-hardening behavior under all leaching conditions, and shear strength is jointly influenced by confining pressure and the chemical interaction between the leaching solution and the soil. The samples leached with MgSO₄ exhibited higher shear strength than those treated with water. The samples leached with 3% and 6% Al₂(SO₄)₃ showed increased strength, while 9% Al₂(SO₄)₃ caused a slight decrease. With increasing leaching agent concentration, the cohesion of the samples significantly declined, whereas the internal friction angle remained relatively stable. The Duncan–Chang model accurately described the nonlinear deformation behavior of the rare earth samples, with the model parameter b markedly decreasing as confining pressure increased, indicating that confining stress plays a dominant role in governing the nonlinear response. Under the coupled effects of chemical leaching and mechanical stress, the number and size distribution of pores of the rare earth samples underwent a complex multiscale co-evolution. These results provide theoretical support for the green, efficient, and safe exploitation of ionic rare earth ores. Full article

By modulating the mass ratio of hydrothermal agents to cobalt/iron precursors, Co₃O₄ nanowires were successfully integrated into spinel-type Co/Fe@NF, forming a heterojunction anode for alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) hydrogen production. This Co₃O₄ nanowire-assembled CoFe₂O₄ nanosheet anode (Co/Fe(5:1)@NF) exhibits exceptional electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance, requiring only 221 mV overpotential to achieve 10 mA cm⁻². Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) was employed as a model pollutant to investigate the anode sacrificial material; it achieved approximately 95% SMX degradation efficiency, reducing the OER potential of 50 mV/10 mA cm⁻². SMX oxidation coupled with Co/Fe heterojunction structure partially substitutes the OER. Co/Fe heterojunction generates an internal magnetic field, which induces the formation of novel active species within the system. ·O₂⁻ is the newly formed active oxygen species, which enhanced the proportion of indirect SMX oxidation. Quantitative analysis reveals that superoxide radical-mediated indirect oxidation of SMX accounts for approximately 38.5%, Fe(VI) for 9.4%, other active species for 6.1%, and direct oxidation for 46.0%. The nanowire–nanosheet assembly stabilizes a high-spin configuration on the catalyst surface, redirecting oxygen intermediate pathways toward triplet oxygen (³O₂) generation. Subsequent electron transfer from nanowire tips facilitates rapid ³O₂ reduction, forming superoxide radicals (·O₂⁻). This study effectively driven by indirect oxidation, with cathodic hydrogen production, providing a novel strategy for utilizing renewable electricity and reducing OER while offering insights into the design of Co/Fe-based catalyst. Full article

The rapid proliferation of Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) marks a pivotal moment in artificial intelligence, eliciting responses from academic shock to industrial awe. As these technologies advance from passive tools toward proactive, agentic systems, their transformative potential and inherent risks are magnified globally. This paper presents a comprehensive, critical review of ChatGPT’s impact across five key domains: natural language understanding (NLU), content generation, knowledge discovery, education, and engineering. While ChatGPT demonstrates profound capabilities, significant challenges remain in factual accuracy, bias, and the inherent opacity of its reasoning—a core issue termed the “Black Box Conundrum”. To analyze these evolving dynamics and the implications of this shift toward autonomous agency, this review introduces a series of conceptual frameworks, each specifically designed to illuminate the complex interactions and trade-offs within these domains: the “Specialization vs. Generalization” tension in NLU; the “Quality–Scalability–Ethics Trilemma” in content creation; the “Pedagogical Adaptation Imperative” in education; and the emergence of “Human–LLM Cognitive Symbiosis” in engineering. The analysis reveals an urgent need for proactive adaptation across sectors. Educational paradigms must shift to cultivate higher-order cognitive skills, while professional practices (including practices within education sector) must evolve to treat AI as a cognitive partner, leveraging techniques like Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and sophisticated prompt engineering. Ultimately, this paper argues for an overarching “Ethical–Technical Co-evolution Imperative”, charting a forward-looking research agenda that intertwines technological innovation with vigorous ethical and methodological standards to ensure responsible AI development and integration. Ultimately, the analysis reveals that the challenges of factual accuracy, bias, and opacity are interconnected and acutely magnified by the emergence of agentic systems, demanding a unified, proactive approach to adaptation across all sectors. Full article

This study systematically analyzes the influencing factors and optimization strategies of foam stability and performance for CO₂-soluble foaming agents in high-temperature and high-pressure (HTHP) complex reservoir environments. By constructing a HTHP experimental system and utilizing dynamic foam testing, interfacial tension analysis, and microscopic observation of liquid films, the effects of chemical factors (e.g., pH, foaming agent concentration, stabilizer synergy) and physical factors (e.g., temperature, pressure) on foam behavior are investigated. The results show that the nonionic surfactant E-1312 exhibits optimal foam performance in neutral to mildly alkaline environments. The foam performance tends to saturate at around 0.5% concentration. High pressure enhances the foam stability, whereas elevated temperature significantly reduces the foam lifetime. Moreover, the addition of nano-sized foam stabilizers such as silica (SiO₂) can significantly delay liquid film drainage and strengthen interfacial mechanical properties, thereby improving foam durability. This study further reveals the key mechanisms of CO₂-soluble foaming agents in terms of interfacial behavior, liquid film evolution, and foam formation in porous media, providing theoretical guidance and optimization pathways for the molecular design and field application of CO₂ foam flooding technology. Full article

The complex pathological mechanisms of atherosclerosis (AS) involve lipid metabolism disorders, inflammatory responses, and plaque instability, resulting in significant challenges to effective clinical management. Current therapeutic approaches, such as statins and stent implantation, suffer from issues including single-target action, notable side effects, and the risk of restenosis. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems have demonstrated considerable promise by enabling the codelivery of multiple agents directly to atherosclerotic lesions, thereby improving therapeutic efficacy and minimizing systemic toxicity. Among various nanomaterials, organic nanoparticles have recently emerged as a research hotspot in the field of AS treatment due to their excellent biocompatibility, degradability, and potential for targeted modification. This review systematically summarizes the recent advances and emerging trends in the application of organic nanoparticles for AS treatment, employing bibliometric analysis to delineate research frontiers. We employed bibliometric tools to analyze 1999 articles on organic nanocarriers for AS therapy indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection. The analysis included co-occurrence and clustering techniques to explore influential keywords and key contributors. Temporal analysis was applied to identify emerging research hotspots and track the evolution of this field. The literature reveals three major current focal areas: (1) the development of engineered biomimetic organic nanoparticles; (2) the design of multifunctional polymer-based organic nanocarriers; and (3) the innovation of organic-coated stents. This article not only provides a comprehensive overview of cutting-edge organic nanotechnologies for AS therapy, but also critically discusses the challenges in clinical translation, offering insights into future directions for the development of safe, effective, and personalized nanomedicine strategies against AS. Full article

This study investigates the effectiveness of calcined magnesium–aluminium layered double hydroxide (CLDH) as a functional additive for mitigating carbonation-induced corrosion in alkali-activated slag concrete (AASC). Mixtures incorporating different CLDH contents (0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8%) were evaluated under accelerated CO₂ exposure (3%, 65% RH, 25 °C) for 90 days. Mechanical characterisation was carried out through 28-day compressive strength tests to assess the potential impact of CLDH on the structural performance of the material. Performance characterisation included electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to assess the corrosion of embedded steel, phenolphthalein spraying to determine the carbonation depth, and complementary techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDX) for assessments of the microstructural evolution. The results demonstrate that CLDH significantly enhances resistance to CO₂ ingress, increasing the polarisation resistance (Rp) to over 55 kΩ·cm² (at 6% CLDH) and reducing the carbonation depth by more than 50% compared to the reference mix. These improvements are attributed to the memory effect-induced regeneration of LDH-type lamellar phases, controlled release of OH⁻ and CO₃²⁻ anions, and progressive densification of the microstructure, thereby limiting the ingress of aggressive agents. The optimal dosage was identified as 6%, as higher contents offered no further improvement and evidenced the formation of residual phases such as MgO. This work highlights the potential of CLDH as an effective and sustainable strategy to enhance the durability of alkali-activated cementitious materials against degradation processes driven by carbonation and corrosion. Full article

Iron is a limiting factor for plant and microbial growth because, in soil environments, it is predominantly present as oxyhydroxide minerals, rendering it unavailable to plants and microorganisms. Siderophores are chelating agents secreted to solubilize iron and facilitate its uptake. To understand the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of microbial communities, as well as the evolution of pathogens within hosts, it is essential to study the genes shared between microorganisms for environmental adaptation and survival. In this study, we conducted microbiological assays to evaluate the effect of the siderophore produced by Rouxiella badensis strain SER3 on the mycelial growth of fungal pathogens such as Fusarium brachygibbosum 4BF. Using spectrophotometric techniques and bioinformatics tools, we identified desferrioxamine E (nocardamine) in the culture supernatant, and the corresponding biosynthetic gene cluster in the SER3 genome was confirmed through antiSMASH analysis and synteny comparisons. Gene expression analysis by RT-PCR showed differential expression of biosynthetic precursors when strain SER3 was grown alone or in interaction with fungal pathogen. Finally, scanning electron microscopy revealed structural damage to F. brachygibbosum hyphae during co-culture with strain SER3. These results suggest that the production of desferrioxamine E may act as a biocontrol mechanism employed by R. badensis SER3 against F. brachygibbosum. Full article

Constructing heterojunction photocatalysts with efficient interfacial charge transfer is critical for solar-driven hydrogen evolution. In this study, a highly dispersed MoS₂/g-C₃N₄ composite was successfully synthesized via a stirring-assisted hydrothermal in situ growth strategy. The introduction of stirring during synthesis significantly enhanced the uniform dispersion of MoS₂ nanosheets and exposed abundant edge sites, leading to well-integrated heterojunctions with enhanced interfacial contact. Comprehensive structural and photoelectronic characterizations (XRD, SEM, TEM, EDS mapping, UV–Vis, TRPL, EIS, EPR) confirmed that the composite exhibited improved visible-light absorption, accelerated charge separation, and suppressed recombination. Under simulated solar irradiation with triethanolamine (TEOA) as a sacrificial agent, the optimized 24% MoS₂/g-C₃N₄-S catalyst achieved a high hydrogen evolution rate of 14.33 mmol·g⁻¹·h⁻¹ at a catalyst loading of 3.2 mg, significantly outperforming the unstirred and pristine components, and demonstrating excellent cycling stability. Mechanistic studies revealed that the performance enhancement is attributed to the synergistic effects of Type-II heterojunction formation and edge-site-rich MoS₂ co-catalysis. This work provides a scalable approach for non-noble metal interface engineering and offers insight into the design of efficient and durable photocatalysts for solar hydrogen production. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now the computational core of smart building automation, acting across the entire cyber–physical stack. This review surveys peer-reviewed work on the integration of AI with indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and energy performance, distinguishing itself by presenting a holistic synthesis of the complete technological evolution from IoT sensors to generative AI. We uniquely frame this progression within a human-centric architecture that integrates digital twins of both the building (DT-B) and its occupants (DT-H), providing a forward-looking perspective on occupant comfort and energy management. We find that deep reinforcement learning (DRL) agents, often developed within physics-calibrated digital twins, reduce annual HVAC demand by 10–35% while maintaining an operative temperature within ±0.5 °C and CO₂ below 800 ppm. These comfort and IAQ targets are consistent with ASHRAE Standard 55 (thermal environmental conditions) and ASHRAE Standard 62.1 (ventilation for acceptable indoor air quality); keeping the operative temperature within ±0.5 °C of the setpoint and indoor CO₂ near or below ~800 ppm reflects commonly adopted control tolerances and per-person outdoor air supply objectives. Regarding energy impacts, simulation studies commonly report higher double-digit reductions, whereas real building deployments typically achieve single- to low-double-digit savings; we therefore report simulation and field results separately. Supervised learners, including gradient boosting and various neural networks, achieve 87–97% accuracy for short-term load, comfort, and fault forecasting. Furthermore, unsupervised models successfully mine large-scale telemetry for anomalies and occupancy patterns, enabling adaptive ventilation that can cut sick building complaints by 40%. Despite these gains, deployment is hindered by fragmented datasets, interoperability issues between legacy BAS and modern IoT devices, and the computer energy and privacy–security costs of large models. The key research priorities include (1) open, high-fidelity IEQ benchmarks; (2) energy-aware, on-device learning architectures; (3) privacy-preserving federated frameworks; (4) hybrid, physics-informed models to win operator trust. Addressing these challenges is pivotal for scaling AI from isolated pilots to trustworthy, human-centric building ecosystems. Full article

Creativity is the primary driver of our cultural evolution. The astonishing potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and its possible application in the creative process poses an urgent and dramatic challenge for humanity; how can we maximize the benefits of AI while minimizing the associated risks? In this article, we identify all forms of human–AI collaboration in this realm as cyber-creativity. We introduce the following two forward-looking scenarios: a utopian vision for cyber-creativity, in which AI serves to enhance and not replace human creativity, and a dystopian view associated with the pre-emption of all human creative agency caused by the rise of AI. In our view, the scientific community is called to bring its contribution, however small, to help humanity make steps towards the utopian scenario, while avoiding the dystopian one. Here, we present a decalogue of research challenges identified for this purpose, touching upon the following dimensions: (1) the theoretical framework for cyber-creativity; (2) sociocultural perspectives; (3) the cyber-creative process; (4) the creative agent; (5) the co-creative team; (6) cyber-creative products; (7) cyber-creative domains; (8) cyber-creative education; (9) ethical aspects; and (10) the dark side of cyber-creativity. For each dimension, a brief review of the state-of-the-art is provided, followed by the identification of a main research challenge, then specified into a list of research questions. Whereas there is no claim that this decalogue of research challenges represents an exhaustive classification, which would be an impossible objective, it still should serve as a valid starting point for future (but urgent) research endeavors, with the ambition to provide a significant contribution to the understanding, development, and alignment of AI to human values the realm of creativity. Full article