Search Results (8,492)

This study investigates the adsorption behavior of natural sepiolite for the removal of cadmium (Cd²⁺), copper (Cu²⁺), and nickel (Ni²⁺) ions from aqueous solutions under batch conditions. The sepiolite was extensively characterized prior to adsorption experiments. Mineralogical analysis confirmed the presence of crystalline sepiolite, while DTG-TGA revealed thermal stability with distinct weight loss linked to surface and structural water. BET analysis indicated a high surface area of 194 m²/g and a mesoporous structure favorable for adsorption. Batch experiments evaluated the effects of contact time, pH, adsorbent dosage, and initial metal concentration. Adsorption was highly pH-dependent, with maximum removal near-neutral pH values. Higher adsorbent dosages reduced in a lower adsorption capacity per unit mass, primarily because the fixed amount of solute was distributed over a larger number of available sites, leading to unsaturation of the adsorbent surface and possible particle agglomeration. Isotherm modeling revealed that the Langmuir model provided the best fit, indicating monolayer adsorption with maximum adsorption capacities of 15.95 mg/g for Cd(II), 37.31 mg/g for Cu(II), and 17.83 mg/g for Ni(II). Langmuir constants indicated favorable interactions. Kinetics showed rapid adsorption within the first hour, reaching equilibrium at 240 min through surface adsorption and intraparticle diffusion. Cu(II) exhibited the fastest uptake, while Ni(II) adsorbed more slowly, suggesting differences in diffusion rates among the metal ions. Desorption using 0.1 N HCl achieved over 80% efficiency for all metals, confirming sepiolite reusability. Overall, raw sepiolite is an effective, low-cost adsorbent for removing potentially toxic elements from water. Full article

A star tracker lens works in the environment with the temperatures ranging from −40 °C to 80 °C (a range of 120 °C), which makes athermalization a crucial step in the design. Traditional approaches could spend quite an amount of iterative process in between the optimization for nominal condition and athermalization. It is highly desired that the optimization can start with a thermally robust layout to improve the design efficiency. This study takes the star tracker lens module with seven elements as the base for investigating the possible layout variation on dioptric power distribution and thermo-optic coefficient $dn/dT$ of the material, which are the two major factors of the layout interacting with each other to influence the thermal stability of the overall lens module. All the possible layouts are optimized firstly for the nominal condition at T = 20 °C, and only those meeting the optical performance specifications are selected for thermal performance evaluation. A merit function based on a thin lens model which represents the focal plane drift over a temperature range of 120 °C is then used as the criteria for ranking the layout variations passing the first stage. The layouts at top ranking exhibiting low focal plane drift become potential candidates as the final solution. The proposed methodology provides an efficient approach for designing thermally resilient star tracker optics, especially addressing the harsh thermal conditions encountered in Low Earth Orbit missions. Full article

The synthesis, characterization, and equilibrium studies of complexes of selected lanthanide ions Eu(III), Gd(III), and Tb(III) with the ligand 1,3-bis(3-bromo-5-chlorosalicylideneamino)-2-propanol (H₃L) are reported. It was found that in the solid state, the complexes with the formulas [Eu(H₃L)₂(NO₃)₃], [Gd(H₃L)₂(NO₃)₃], and [Tb(H₃L)₂(NO₃)₃] are formed. In solution, complexes with stoichiometries of Ln(III):H₃L 1:1 and 1:2 were obtained. The ligand H₃L was isolated in crystalline form, and its molecular structure and conformation were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The compounds were further characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR techniques, and mass spectrometry (ESI), confirming the formation of the Schiff base group. Stability constants of the complexes in solution were determined using potentiometric titration, providing insights into the metal-ligand binding equilibria. In addition, the spectroscopic properties of the ligand and its lanthanide(III) ion complexes were investigated by UV-Vis spectroscopy, which confirmed ligand-to-metal charge transfer interactions, as well as by luminescence measurements. The luminescence studies revealed inefficient energy transfer in [Eu(H₃L)₂(NO₃)₃] complexes, while no transfer was observed in [Tb(H₃L)₂(NO₃)₃] systems at any pH value. This behavior is attributed to the large energy gap between the ligand triplet state and the lowest resonant levels of the studied lanthanide ions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining importance in clinical pharmacology, supporting therapeutic decisions and the prediction of drug interactions, although its applications have significant limitations. The aim of the study was to evaluate the accuracy of the responses of four large language models (LLMs), namely ChatGPT-4o, ChatGPT-3.5, Gemini Advanced 2.0, and DeepSeek, in the field of clinical pharmacology and drug interactions, as well as to analyze the impact of prompting and questions from the National Specialization Examination for Pharmacists (PESF) on the results. Methods: In the analysis, three datasets were used: 20 case reports of successful pharmacotherapy, 20 reports of drug–drug interactions, and 240 test questions from the PESF (spring 2018 and autumn 2019 sessions). The responses generated by the models were compared with source data and the official examination key and were independently evaluated by clinical-pharmacotherapy experts. Additionally, the impact of prompting techniques was analyzed by expanding the content of the queries with detailed clinical and organizational elements to assess their influence on the accuracy of the obtained recommendations. Results: The analysis revealed differences in the accuracy of responses between the examined AI tools (p < 0.001), with ChatGPT-4o achieving the highest effectiveness and Gemini Advanced 2.0 the lowest. Responses generated by Gemini were more often imprecise and less consistent, which was reflected in their significantly lower level of substantive accuracy (p < 0.001). The analysis of more precisely formulated questions demonstrated a significant main effect of the AI tool (p < 0.001), with Gemini Advanced 2.0 performing significantly worse than all other models (p < 0.001). An additional analysis comparing responses to simple and extended questions, which incorporated additional clinical factors and the mode of source presentation, did not reveal significant differences either between AI tools or within individual models (p = 0.34). In the area of drug interactions, it was also shown that ChatGPT-4o achieved a higher level of response accuracy compared with the other tools (p < 0.001). Regarding the PESF exam questions, all models achieved similar results, ranging between 83 and 86% correct answers, and the differences between them were not statistically significant (p = 0.67). Conclusions: AI models demonstrate potential in the analysis of clinical pharmacology; however, their limitations require further refinement and cautious application in practice. Full article

Background/Objectives: The multi-attribute method (MAM) has found diverse use in the analytical characterization of therapeutic protein products during their development and production. As the MAM matures it has the potential to enter quality control (QC) laboratories, consolidating and replacing many less informative chromatographic techniques; however, this requires an appropriate risk assessment and understanding of method capability. Methods: A validated MAM approach was used to quantify product quality attributes (PQAs) using three different mass spectrometers across two laboratories; the results were compared to conventional hydrophilic interaction chromatography–fluorescence detection (HILIC-FLD) and cation exchange chromatography–ultraviolet (CEX-UV) techniques. Results: Stressed, long-term, and accelerated stability studies were performed, and their effects on glycosylation, deamidation, oxidation and N- and C-termini were quantified. Conclusions: Overall, the inter-instrument inter-laboratory data provided here showed important considerations for transferring methods between laboratories and establishing the correlation between the MAM and conventional data, elements which are necessary to transition the MAM to the QC environment and ultimately achieving the goal of replacing orthogonal QC methods. Full article

The expanding use of rare earth elements (REEs) in high-tech industrials has increased their environmental release, raising concerns about their ecological risks. This study employed the Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films (DGT) technique to assess REE bioavailability, spatial distribution, and ecological risks of REEs in sediments of the Yitong River, a historically polluted urban river in Changchun, China. Sediment characteristics (organic matter, pH, salinity), nutrient dynamics (N, P), and metal concentrations (Fe, Mn, As, etc.) were analyzed alongside REEs to evaluate their interactions and environmental drivers. Results revealed that REE concentrations (0.453–1.687 μg L⁻¹) were dominated by light REEs (50.1%), with levels an order of magnitude lower than heavily industrialized regions. Ecological risk quotients (RQ) for individual REEs were below thresholds (RQ < 1), indicating negligible immediate risks, though spatial trends suggested urban runoff influences. Probabilistic risk assessment integrating DGT data and species sensitivity distributions (SSD) estimated a low combined toxic probability (2.26%) for REEs and nutrients. Microbial community analysis revealed correlations between specific bacterial (e.g., Clostridium, Dechloromonas) and fungal genera (e.g., Pseudeurotium) with metals and REEs, highlighting microbial sensitivity to pollutant shifts. This study provides a multidimensional framework linking REE bioavailability, sediment geochemistry, and microbial ecology, offering insights for managing REE contamination in urban riverine systems. Full article

Multiple-mode immunoassays have the advantages of self-correction, self-validation, and high accuracy and reliability. In this work, we developed a strategy for the design of triple-mode immunoassays with the self-assemblies of three-in-one small molecules as signal reporters. Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ), with a well-defined redox peak and excellent spectroscopic and fluorescent signals, was chosen as the signaling molecule. PQQ was coordinated with Cu²⁺ to form metal–organic nanoparticle as the signal label. Hexahistidine (His₆)-tagged recognition element (recombinant streptavidin) was attached to the Cu-PQQ surface through metal coordination interaction between the His₆ tag and the unsaturated metal site. The captured Cu-PQQ nanoparticle released a large number of PQQ molecules under an acidic condition, which could be simultaneously monitoring by electrochemical, UV-vis, and fluorescent techniques, thereby allowing for the development of triple-model immunoassays. The three methods were used to determine the concentration of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) with the detection limits of 0.01, 0.1, and 0.1 ng/mL, respectively. This strategy opens up a universal route for the preparation of multiple-model signal labels and the oriented immobilization of bioreceptors for molecular recognition. Full article

This study investigates the feasibility of landfill expansion using the limit equilibrium and finite element methods. A 15.5 m high reinforced fill structure (RFS) was analyzed to assess how fill type, consolidation rate, geometric configuration, waste strength, compaction and the inclusion of banquettes affect horizontal displacement, differential settlement, reinforcement strain and facing behavior. The baseline configuration demonstrated acceptable settlement, reinforcement strain, and gabion performance but exceeded allowable horizontal displacement limits. The scenarios including increasing consolidation rate and substitution with sand backfill further aggravated displacements, whereas banquettes significantly reduced lateral movement and settlement, demonstrating their effectiveness in stabilizing slopes. Enhancing the industrial waste properties decreased displacements substantially improving overall stability. Geometric modifications, such as widening the reinforced zone, enhanced displacement control, while higher compaction achieved the best global performance, albeit with increased gabion compressibility. Extending geogrid length provided only marginal improvements beyond a certain threshold. Overall, banquettes, enhanced waste properties, and improved compaction were identified as the most effective strategies for stable efficient landfill expansion, emphasizing the importance of displacement control and reinforcement–facing interaction. Full article

Against the backdrop of inclusive development and modernization of employment governance, the limitations of traditional approaches to promoting employment for persons with disabilities—such as information asymmetries and inefficient resource allocation—have become increasingly salient. Building a systematic promotion framework for disability employment has therefore emerged as a critical agenda for advancing modern social governance. Drawing on bounded rationality and information asymmetry theories, this study develops a tripartite evolutionary game model encompassing government, employers, and persons with disabilities. By incorporating key elements such as initial intentions, skill matching, and policy signal transmission, the model analyzes the strategic choices and dynamic interactions among stakeholders. We conduct numerical simulations using delay differential equations (DDEs), perform stability and sensitivity analyses in MATLAB R2024b, and triangulate findings with a practice-based case from Shanghai. The results indicate that persons with disabilities exhibit the highest policy responsiveness within the employment ecosystem and act as the core driver of convergence toward desirable equilibria through four mechanisms: skill-matching effects, policy signal diffusion, perceived institutional fairness, and system-level synergy gains. Although employer subsidies and penalties directly target firms, they exert the strongest psychological incentive effects on persons with disabilities, revealing a “misaligned incentives” feature in policy signaling. Systemic synergy gains activate market network effects, facilitating a pivotal shift from “policy transfusion” to “market self-sustenance.” Based on these findings, we propose a diversified policy toolkit, enhanced policy signaling mechanisms, and innovations in concentrated employment models to support the modernization of disability employment governance. Full article

Informal settlements, urban areas with substandard housing conditions and inadequate infrastructure, are increasing in Africa’s sub-Saharan cities, fueled by rapid urbanization, economic challenges, and high housing prices. However, developers often ignore the green building (GB) concept when upgrading housing conditions for these communities. This study aims to investigate GB design strategies specifically for residential structures in Akabahizi to identify and propose practical strategies suitable for informal settlements such as Akabahizi and to develop sustainable housing solutions that enhance environmental quality and meet the needs of residents. Simulation software and combined qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques, including field surveys, interviews, and assessments of existing building conditions, constitute the methodology used in this study. The focus was on the influence of climatic factors, including temperature, precipitation, and wind, on design choices, particularly GB design and current residential buildings in Akabahizi. Based on the survey, 82.5% of residents support the GB concept, 87.4% recognize the importance of GB for community well-being, and 97.1% recognize the benefits of integrating energy-efficient technology for residents’ well-being. Questionnaire findings were considered in decision-making for the design of the new proposed structure to address challenges in the area. Optimized energy efficiency, daylight access, and thermal comfort resulting from courtyard design support GB design incorporating a courtyard as a robust and culturally relevant sustainable design framework tailored for Akabahizi. The courtyard provides green space that promotes social interaction, improves air quality, and delivers natural cooling elements that are essential for residential housing. The proposed new design, with green roof and renewable energy devices, improved material usage, and natural ventilation elements, outperformed the existing one in terms of lower levels of carbon emission for environmental protection. In conclusion, a collaborative effort is needed among various stakeholders, including architects, urban planners, and educational institutions, to promote and implement sustainable building practices. The study suggests that enhancing awareness, offering training opportunities, and empowering local professionals and residents alike can pave the way for improved living conditions and sustainable urban development in Akabahizi and similar informal settlements. Full article

Balconies are widely recognized for enhancing urban livability, making them attractive elements to incorporate in building renovation projects. However, their impact on energy performance remains insufficiently studied, particularly in temperate climates, like the Mediterranean, where both heating and cooling demands must be considered. This article evaluates the energy impacts of integrating open balconies into housing retrofits on the space conditioning demand of dwellings through spatialized analysis at the urban block scale. Focusing on Barcelona’s Eixample district, a parametric Urban Building Energy Modeling (UBEM) was employed to assess how balcony design interacts with urban morphology (orientation, obstructions), building features (window-to-wall ratio, WWR), and balcony length. Results reveal a seasonal trade-off at the block scale: balconies increase heating demand (0.1–1.6 kWh/m²·yr) by reducing winter solar gain but decrease cooling demand (0.1–3.8 kWh/m²·yr) through summer shading. Net effects vary by unit position, with south-facing and moderately glazed dwellings benefiting the most. Deeper balconies (1.5–2 m) amplify both effects, while optimal depth depends on the window-to-wall ratio. Under future climates, retrofits combining insulation and balconies mitigate rising cooling demands more effectively than insulation alone, reducing block-level demand by up to 16%. Although balconies alone show modest energy savings at the block scale, they enhance localized thermal resilience. The study highlights the need for integrated retrofit strategies that balance thermal insulation with solar protection to address both current and future energy challenges while enhancing occupant well-being. Full article

The One Health approach offers an integrative framework to understand infectious threats, environmental factors, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and how their interactions affect the human–animal–environment interface. This review examines the epidemiology, transmission pathways, and mechanisms of microorganisms of public health importance (bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses). It highlights the interconnectedness of ecosystems, where the environment plays a central role in the dissemination of pathogens, driven by climate change, globalization, agricultural intensification, and habitat degradation. AMR is a major concern, driven by the indiscriminate use of pharmaceuticals in human, veterinary, and agricultural settings, horizontal gene transfer through mobile genetic elements, and microbial evolution. The study of different pathogens is of great importance due to their high prevalence in different ecosystems, their virulence, clinical interest, and mortality rates produced. Some of them are ESKAPE bacteria, Candida auris, Plasmodium falciparum, and emerging viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, which present complex transmission dynamics influenced by ecological and health determinants. The review also addresses the effects of climate change on the persistence and geographic spread of pathogens. Successful implementation of the One Health program requires intersectoral policies, integrated surveillance systems, prudent use of antimicrobials and investment in translational science. Coordinating these strategies is essential to limit the spread of pathogens, protect biodiversity, and save global health in the face of the growing threat of infectious diseases. Full article

To address the issue that the current research on TBM disc cutter rock breaking insufficiently considers actual stratified rock masses, this study constructs numerical models of stratified rock masses with different bedding dip angles and bedding spacings based on the discrete element method (DEM). The whole process of TBM disc cutter rock breaking is numerically simulated through the displacement loading mode. The research results show that the bedding dip angle has a significant impact on the crack propagation mode. When α = 45°, the bedding intersects with the contact point of the disc cutter, and cracks penetrate directly along the bedding without an obvious “crushed zone”, resulting in the minimum number of cracks. The bedding spacing regulates the rock-breaking effect in stages. When d = 45°, the “crushed zone” interacts with two beddings to form three branch cracks, reaching the peak number of cracks and achieving the optimal rock-breaking efficiency. The cracks generated by disc cutter rock breaking exhibit the characteristic of “slow initial growth and rapid later surge” with the increase in time steps, which is highly consistent with the actual mechanical process of rock breaking. This study reveals the influence mechanism of bedding properties on TBM disc cutter rock breaking, verifies the reliability of the DEM combined with PB and SJ models in the simulation of stratified rock mass breaking, and provides theoretical support and data references for the parameter optimization of TBM disc cutters and efficient tunneling under complex stratified geological conditions. Full article

Titanium-containing nanoparticles have emerged as materials of significant technological importance due to their multifunctional properties and excellent performance. With their expanding applications, the amount of TiO₂ nanoparticles (TNPs) being released into the soil environment has increased significantly. This review addresses the gap in current research, which has predominantly focused on the environmental behavior of TNPs in aquatic systems while lacking systematic integration of the synergetic mechanism of adsorption–transformation–ecological effects in soil systems and its guiding value for practical applications. It deeply reveals the interaction mechanisms between TNPs and environmental pollutants. TNPs exhibit outstanding adsorption performance towards environmental pollutants such as heavy metals and organic compounds. Specifically, the maximum adsorption capacities of titanate nanowhiskers for the heavy metal ions Cu(II), Pb(II), and Cr(III) are 143.9 mg·g⁻¹, 384.6 mg·g⁻¹, and 190.8 mg·g⁻¹, respectively. Additionally, 1-hydroxydinaphthoic acid surface-modified nano-TiO₂ exhibits an adsorption rate of up to 98.6% for p-nitrophenol, with an enrichment factor of 50-fold. The transformation process of TNPs after pollutant adsorption profoundly affects their environmental fate, among which pH is a critical controlling factor: when the environmental pH is close to the point of zero charge (pHpzc = 5.88), TNPs exhibit significant aggregation behavior and macroscopic sedimentation. Meanwhile, factors such as soil solution chemistry, dissolved organic matter, and microbial activities collectively regulate the aggregation, aging, and chemical/biological transformation of TNPs. In the soil ecosystem, TNPs can exert both beneficial and detrimental impacts on various soil organisms, including bacteria, plants, nematodes, and earthworms. The beneficial effects include alleviating heavy metal stress, serving as a nano-fertilizer to supply titanium elements, and acting as a nano-pesticide to enhance plants’ antiviral capabilities. However, excessively high concentrations of TiO₂ can stimulate plants, induce oxidative stress damage, and impair plant growth. This review also highlights promising research directions for future studies, including the development of safer-by-design TNPs, strategic surface modifications to enhance functionality and reduce risks, and a deeper understanding of TNP–soil microbiome interactions. These avenues are crucial for guiding the sustainable application of TNPs in soil environments. Full article

Agricultural straw, a massive lignocellulosic by-product, requires high-value utilization strategies, and larvae of Protaetia brevitarsis (a resource insect) can convert straw into two valuable products: insect protein and frass rich in humic acid (HA). In this study, we investigated the interactions among multiple parameters affecting HA extraction efficiency and optimized the extraction process. The resulting extract was characterized by elemental analysis to determine nutrient elements, trace elements, and heavy metals; by ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C NMR) spectroscopy to identify the main categories of bioactive molecules; and by pot experiments to evaluate its effects on plant growth and quality. The optimized extraction conditions yielded extracts with a total organic carbon (TOC) concentration of 46.8 g/L, meeting the Chinese standard for water-soluble humic acid fertilizers (NY 1106-2010). Elemental analysis indicated that the extract was rich in trace elements, and heavy metal contents met the limitation requirements of toxic and harmful substances in fertilizers (GB 38400-2019). ¹³C NMR analysis revealed that the extract was enriched in aliphatic and methoxyl carbons, while pot experiments with cherry radish demonstrated that application of the extract at appropriate dosages significantly promoted plant growth and improved crop quality. These findings provide scientific support for circular agriculture and arable land protection, highlighting both their academic significance and broad application prospects. Full article