Search Results (2,868)

Designing with reclaimed materials introduces uncertainty as a persistent condition rather than a temporary lack of information. While circular construction increasingly relies on digital infrastructures for traceability and documentation, existing approaches often assume stable and comparable material information. This paper presents ReShelter, a full-scale reclaimed timber demonstrator, as a framework for designing with differentiated uncertainty in circular construction. The project combines heterogeneous timber resources, staged inspection strategies, adaptive design methods, robotic fabrication, and on-site documentation workflows. Four reclaimed timber streams from industrial, demolition, and waste sources, each with distinct levels of geometric complexity and available information, were integrated through source-specific representation and assessment methods. Rather than pursuing complete material characterisation, the workflow establishes fit-for-purpose confidence across design, fabrication, and assembly. Results show how uncertainty can be transformed into actionable constraints through adaptive joint systems, scan-based fabrication, and differentiated data models while retaining architectural flexibility and design intent. During assembly, LiDAR scanning, Gaussian splatting, and semantic annotation were used to document both geometric change and the reasoning behind on-site adaptations. By formalising workflows that valorise reclaimed materials rather than virgin resources, the paper proposes architectural methods that accommodate partial and evolving knowledge, supporting resilient, expressive, and resource-conscious circular building practices. Full article

The domestic dog is the most morphologically diverse domesticated mammalian species. That diversity has arisen from deliberate, sustained artificial selection over the most recent 1% of the domestic dog’s evolutionary history. However, artificial selection has pushed many individual breeds so far from the ancestral canine form that many dogs within these breeds can no longer perform the critical biological functions their bodies evolved to serve. Indeed, much of the popularity of many dog breeds is predicated on them no longer being functional dogs; rather, they are representations or caricatures of human aesthetic desires. The result is breeds in which the teleonome of individual dogs, i.e., the integrated biological system by which they maintain viability has been structurally dismantled in the pursuit of appearance. This article applies teleonomic and allostatic load theory to a multi-domain analysis of extreme brachycephaly as a primary case study, drawing on representative examples from other extreme phenotypes to examine their welfare costs across conformational disorder, innate health, allostatic load, and veterinary costs. A detailed Five Domains analysis of extreme brachycephalic morphotypes, where the epidemiological evidence is most complete, reveals that every major welfare domain is simultaneously compromised from birth because artificial selection has structurally compromised teleonomic function across morphological, physiological, physical, and behavioural traits. Allostatic load theory then provides the mechanistic explanation for the resulting shorter lifespans. The article concludes by addressing the veterinarian’s emerging role as arbiter of animals’ fitness for purpose under consumer and welfare laws, making the case for an Innate Health Assessment to become a standardised functional assessment framework grounded in teleonomic principles. Full article

Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), a risk factor for cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and metabolic dysfunctions in humans, has been recapitulated in murine models by genetic and dietary modifications. The relevance of HHcy in clinical and experimental settings has led to the development of various analytical techniques with varying sensitivity and sample volume requirements. This study uses a fit-for-purpose, small-volume LC-MS/MS workflow to quantify plasma homocysteine (Hcy), methionine (Met), and cysteine (Cys) in a diet-induced HHcy mouse model. Using these assays that overcome limitations imposed by sample availability in small animals, our study evaluated circulating levels of these amino acids in C57BL/6 mice fed a HHcy-inducing diet rich in Met and lacking vitamins B6, B9, and B12. The increased Hcy and decreased Cys plasma concentrations observed in these mice correlated with decreased glutathione concentrations in brain homogenates and concomitant increase in the activity of the antioxidant enzyme Glutathione-S-Transferase and in the levels of the lipid peroxidation marker malondialdehyde. Overall, our work links plasma HHcy to the induction of brain oxidative stress, supporting the role of dietary modifications as complementary therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative conditions. Full article

In this study, an efficient and eco-friendly chitosan/Fe₃O₄/bentonite (Ch-Fe₃O₄-Bent) ternary hybrid adsorbent scaffold is developed for the efficient removal and recovery of Th(IV) from contaminated water, facilitating sustainable environmental remediation. The developed scaffold promotes circular economy principles through the recovery of valuable actinide resources while reducing secondary waste generation and mitigating the environmental impacts associated with radioactive wastewater. The crucial radioactive thorium has drawn a lot of attention, and many substances used in numerous industrial operations are thorium isotopes. This paper describes the synthesis of a chitosan hybrid scaffold for thorium adsorption purposes. Many characterization methods were performed on the fabricated scaffold. Removal of thorium (IV) from aqueous media using a Ch-Fe₃O₄-Bent ternary scaffold was comprehensively investigated through batch experiments under different operational parameters. Thorium adsorption was evaluated as a function of contact time, solution pH, initial thorium concentration, and temperature. The adsorption data were fitted to nonlinear Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherm models to evaluate the material’s thorium removal capacity. Among the isotherm models tested, the Langmuir model provided the best fit for thorium adsorption (R² = 0.88039), while the kinetic data followed the pseudo-second-order model (R² = 0.99322, q_e = 199.61407 mg/g). Based on the nonlinear Langmuir isotherm, the chitosan scaffold composite exhibited a maximum removal capacity (q_max) of 204.80984 mg/g. The thermodynamic feasibility of the adsorption process was evaluated, and the results confirm that the chitosan scaffold serves as a highly effective sorbent for the recovery and adsorption of Th(IV) ions from aquatic environments. Furthermore, this chitosan scaffold can be used to remove radioactive Th(IV) from surface water, seawater, and wastewater generated by nuclear fuel production technologies, mining operations, and laboratories handling radioactive materials. Temperature-dependent studies showed that Th(IV) adsorption occurs spontaneously at room temperature and becomes more favorable at elevated temperatures, indicating an endothermic process. Additionally, the fast adsorption kinetics of Th(IV) onto the chitosan scaffold render it highly attractive for the scale-up of thorium extraction. Overall, the findings highlight the potential of the developed chitosan scaffold as an environmentally sustainable and cost-efficient adsorbent for radioactive wastewater treatment, contributing to cleaner production, efficient resource utilization, environmental conservation, and the advancement of sustainable nuclear technologies. Full article

Human skin remains difficult to model in vitro because it brings together stratified epidermal, dermal, hypodermal, vascular, immune, appendageal, neural, and microbial elements within a single tissue. Traditional two-dimensional cultures and animal models still offer useful insight, but both have clear translational limits. Three-dimensional (3D) human skin models have therefore become increasingly valuable for mechanistic, pharmacologic, and regenerative research. This narrative review followed a fit-for-purpose literature selection framework. Priority was given to primary studies and reviews published between 2019 and 2025 that reported major advances in model architecture, biomaterials, vascularization, immune integration, appendage formation, sensorization, or translational application. Greater weight was given to studies that linked added complexity to measurable functional outputs. Current platforms include organotypic human skin equivalents, bioprinted constructs, microfluidic skin-on-a-chip systems, and pluripotent stem cell-derived organoids. Important advances include self-assembled or decellularized matrices that more closely reflect native extracellular matrix composition, perfusable microvasculature, hypodermal incorporation, immune cell integration, and real time sensing. These systems now support work in barrier testing, safety testing, dermal drug development, inflammatory dermatoses, melanoma, wound healing, aging, and regenerative transplantation. No single platform fully reproduces native human skin. The more relevant question is not how much complexity can be added, but which added features meaningfully improve performance for a defined endpoint. A fit-for-purpose framework may offer a better basis for model selection, benchmarking, standardization, and translational adoption. Future progress will depend on application specific validation, clearer performance benchmarks, scalable manufacturing, and closer alignment with regulatory and clinical needs. From that perspective, 3D skin models are best understood as complementary platforms for translational dermatology research. Full article

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are increasingly used for decentralized wastewater treatment and reuse where conventional infrastructure is difficult to sustain. This review integrates evidence on hydraulic reliability, biogeochemical performance, reuse safety, sustainability trade-offs, and process-based modeling, and derives design implications for Neotropical settings. Organic-matter and suspended-solids removal is generally more robust than nitrogen, phosphorus, and pathogen control. More reliable performance is associated with controlled hydraulic loading, solids-limiting pretreatment, stable flow distribution and water levels, and protection against stormwater-driven short-circuiting and clogging. Reuse should therefore be evaluated against fit-for-purpose microbial, nutrient, salinity, and chemical endpoints rather than removal efficiency alone. We propose seasonal monitoring, tracer or residence-time-distribution assessment where decisions depend on hydraulic efficiency, locally calibrated design envelopes, and a minimum reporting set covering climate/season, flow and loading, HRT/HLR, configuration, pretreatment, media, monitoring duration, influent/effluent concentrations, and hydraulic indicators. This study is a structured narrative review with thematic synthesis; literature identification and corpus reporting were informed by applicable PRISMA 2020 principles. Three Scopus searches yielded 593 records; after removal of 37 duplicates, 556 unique records remained. The final thematic corpus comprises 80 reports, of which 30 are present in the Scopus exports and 50 were identified through complementary routes. Full article

Background: Immersive virtual reality (VR) may support rehabilitation and patient engagement; however, little is known about how frontline healthcare professionals perceive its clinical relevance and feasibility in post-acute community care settings. This study explored healthcare professionals’ perceptions of the potential clinical uses, usability, and implementation requirements of patient-facing immersive VR in a community hospital providing post-acute care in Singapore. Methods: Using purposive sampling, nineteen healthcare professionals from a subacute hospital in Singapore participated in individual semi-structured interviews. Participants discussed their expectations of VR, experienced approximately 10–15 min of a reminiscence-oriented virtual tour of a local (now defunct) village, using an Oculus Quest head-mounted display, and subsequently reflected on its usability and potential applications. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 informed the interview guide and was used as a sensitising framework. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using hybrid deductive–inductive framework analysis. Results: Four themes were identified: (1) clinical value was conditional on therapeutic relevance; (2) anticipated patient acceptability depended on person–content fit and social context; (3) simple navigation did not remove physical and sensory barriers; and (4) clinical integration required a supporting service model. Conclusions: Healthcare professionals viewed immersive VR as potentially useful but not yet ready for routine clinical implementation. Adoption in post-acute care should be guided by therapeutic purpose, accessibility, and integration into existing workflows rather than technological novelty alone. Future research and development should prioritise co-designed therapeutic content, patient selection, accessibility, workflow integration, and implementation support. Full article

Purpose: Body mass index (BMI) is widely used in childhood obesity surveillance despite limitations in capturing central adiposity, which has been hypothesized to relate to reduced participation in movement. This study compared associations between z-score waist circumference (zWC), z-score waist-to-height ratio (zWHR), and BMI and device-measured physical activity in predominantly African American, low-income schoolchildren. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 264 schoolchildren aged 5–12 years (146 girls, 118 boys; mean age 8.5 ± 1.8 years; ~86% African American; ~93% eligible for free/reduced-price lunch). Anthropometrics and free-living PA (Actigraph GT9X) were measured. Regression models evaluated associations between each anthropometric z-score and PA intensities, adjusting for age, sex, wear time, and school. Results: Measures of central adiposity showed inverse associations with physical activity that were of similar or slightly greater magnitude than those for BMI, although differences between models were modest. All three adiposity measures (zWC, zWHR, zBMI) were significantly and negatively associated with total moderate–vigorous physical activity (MVPA), only in girls. A one-unit increase in zWC was associated with a decrease of 3.334 min/day in MVPA. The largest negative associations were observed for zWC and zWHR with vigorous activity. Conclusions: In this population of schoolchildren, waist-based measures showed inverse associations with physical activity of similar or slightly greater magnitude than BMI, particularly among girls. Although modest differences in model fit prohibit claiming superiority over BMI, these findings support utilizing waist-based measures as practical, low-cost complements to traditional BMI in school-based surveillance and activity targeting. Full article

Published breath examination studies report inconsistent associations between diabetes and exhaled volatile organic compounds, partly because conventional appraisal tools do not assess whether quantitative data are comparable and fit for secondary use. We developed the National Institute of Metrology–Diabetes Breath Assessment (NIM-DBA) framework, drawing on metrological specifications and data-quality principles issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science were searched through April 2025 for quantitative human breath data related to diabetes. Breath acetone was used as a case study, and the same literature pool was assessed with the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 (QUADAS-2) tool. Of 38 eligible studies, six (15.8%) met all NIM-DBA criteria. QUADAS-2 found high risk of bias in patient selection (79%) and unclear risk in index-test reporting (82%). A post-classification comparison of the six criteria-met and 32 criteria-not-met studies identified exploratory enrichment of standardized breath maneuvers, calibration coverage, alveolar or end-expiratory sampling, pre-sampling alcohol control, sample-stability validation, background assessment, and morning sampling. These findings do not establish breath acetone as a standalone diagnostic biomarker. Instead, they show how fitness-for-purpose assessment can identify more comparable evidence and clarify how methodological choices contribute to inconsistent findings. NIM-DBA complements clinical risk-of-bias tools and may support secondary quantitative data use and future study design. Full article

Background: Transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) and vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) are key nociceptive ion channels involved in chemosensation, pain signaling, and neurogenic inflammation. Several sesquiterpene lactones target TRPA1, but the activity profile of these secondary metabolites of the common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) remains uncharacterized. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the activity of five ragweed sesquiterpene lactones on TRPA1 and TRPV1, respectively. Methods: We investigated the effects of five ragweed-derived sesquiterpene lactones—acetoxydihydrodamsin, costunolide, isoalantolactone, peruvin, and psilostachyin—on TRPA1 and TRPV1 using ⁴⁵Ca²⁺ uptake in receptor-overexpressing CHO cells and covalent docking to human TRPA1. Results: Costunolide, isoalantolactone and acetoxydihydrodamsin induced TRPA1 activation (counts per minute of ⁴⁵Ca²⁺ uptake at 40 µM concentration: 5070 ± 346.5, 10,197 ± 1237, 3704 ± 1634, respectively) but not TRPV1 activation, as demonstrated by Ca²⁺ influx. Acetoxydihydrodamsin induced concentration-dependent TRPA1 activation that was significantly inhibited by 10 µM of the selective antagonist HC-030031. Docking studies demonstrated covalent interactions of costunolide, isoalantolactone, and acetoxydihydrodamsin (−47.3, −51.5, and −45.0 kcal/mol FITTED score) with the electrophile-sensitive binding region of TRPA1. Conclusions: Ragweed sesquiterpene lactones act as TRPA1 agonists without detectable TRPV1 activation. This study provides the first data identifying acetoxydihydrodamsin as a TRPA1 agonist, expanding the pharmacological map of ragweed sesquiterpene lactones. These results suggest that these metabolites may contribute to both the irritant properties and the pharmacological potentials of A. artemisiifolia. Full article

Background: Quality assurance (QA) is a cornerstone of safe and effective postgraduate training in gynecological laparoscopic surgery, where clinical outcomes depend on procedural complexity, equipment sophistication, and the coordinated competence of an entire surgical team. This article is a narrative review of the conceptual, professional, and regulatory foundations of QA in healthcare education, complemented by a structured synthesis of the collective teaching and clinical experience of the author group. It is not an empirical study, and the sections that follow present a conceptual mapping supported by expert perspective rather than original outcome data. Methods: Sources were identified through targeted searches of PubMed/MEDLINE and Google Scholar, supplemented by hand-searching of policy and curriculum documents issued by professional bodies and by backward citation tracking, without date restriction. Approximately 480 records were screened at title and abstract level, 112 were assessed as full text, and 41 sources were retained against predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, with five further sources added during peer review. In a second and separate step, the ten co-authors, who hold teaching and supervisory roles in gynecological laparoscopy across academic centers in Romania and Germany, each completed the same six-item written prompt on training provision, trainer development, trainee assessment, and institutional QA practice; responses were coded thematically by two authors independently and consolidated into explicit points of convergence and divergence. Results: We describe how QA principles, originally articulated in general quality-management and health-promotion literature, have been adapted by professional and regulatory bodies, including the European Board and College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (EBCOG), European Society for Gynecological Endoscopy (ESGE), American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), and the UK General Medical Council, into concrete standards for training providers, trainers, and trainees. We outline the structures used to monitor and audit training quality, including Kirkpatrick’s four-level evaluation model and periodic institutional review cycles, alongside documentation and certification pathways such as the Gynecological Endoscopic Surgical Education and Assessment (GESEA) program, with governance and financing as cross-cutting determinants of sustainability. The author synthesis converged on a consistent gap between documented standards and their routine enforcement and diverged on whether external review and formal certification should become mandatory. Conclusions: The conceptual architecture of QA in gynecological laparoscopy is coherent and broadly fit for purpose, but we identified no study linking the implementation of a specific QA standard to measurable gains in trainee competency or patient outcomes in this field. Proposals for harmonized, outcome-oriented, and where appropriate, mandatory external review should therefore be read as reasoned positions awaiting prospective evaluation rather than as evidence-based recommendations; generating that evidence, with the trainee’s own perspective collected rather than inferred, is the principal task for future research. Full article

Immune–organoid co-culture has been proposed as a bridge between reductionist assays and clinical immuno-oncology, but the urologic evidence remains substantially thinner than this description suggests. This critical narrative review evaluates peer-reviewed work in prostate cancer, urothelial carcinoma and renal cell carcinoma from January 2014 through to 31 July 2026, separating patient-derived immune-preserving models from reconstituted cytotoxicity assays and adjacent engineering studies. Native air–liquid interface cultures have retained endogenous lymphoid, myeloid and stromal compartments in renal cell carcinoma for short-term checkpoint-inhibitor experiments. Reconstituted bladder and kidney organoids have supported mechanistic testing of chimeric antigen receptor T cells, and a bladder study has examined treatment-induced Jurkat-cell migration. These studies establish technical feasibility, but most use small cohorts, short endpoints and incomplete immune composition, and none has prospectively shown that a multi-lineage urologic organoid assay improves treatment selection. Published prostate systems remain largely epithelial or stromal, leaving a conspicuous immune-modelling gap. We therefore argue against equating greater cellular complexity with greater validity. The appropriate model is the least complex system that preserves the mechanism, spatial constraint and temporal window required by the question. A tiered framework is proposed that progresses from analytical quality control, through defined effector and suppressor modules, to perfused or spatially organised cultures only when these features are necessary. Minimum reporting standards, disease-specific immune modules, clinically meaningful endpoints and a four-stage validation ladder are specified. Multi-lineage systems can clarify resistance mechanisms and screen combinations, but predictive or clinical claims require blinded patient concordance and prospective utility studies rather than architectural sophistication alone. Full article

To illustrate the importance and complexity of considering “task–technology fit”, as well as users’ roles and purposes, when studying AI adoption within any occupation, we present findings from a 2023-25 mixed-method study about professional musicians’ uses and perceptions of AI in music-making. The initial interviews conducted with a diverse group of 42 U.S. musicians suggested that individual levels of interest in and adoption of AI in their music-making depended on the specific task considered, whether the task was perceived as “core” versus “supportive” to one’s professional role, and the intention of using AI to “assist” versus “replace” one’s work. Responses to a subsequent 2025 survey, designed to further explore these insights, as well as to collect additional information about musicians’ AI adoption, confirmed the value of eliciting respondents’ interest, uses, and feelings about using AI for specific tasks rather than in general terms. Exploring the impact of the respondents’ professional roles and purpose proved to be more challenging. Nevertheless, role-based differences were documented, several statistically significant. The study has methodological implications for studies of AI adoptions across fields. Full article

Botanical dietary supplements are widely used, and many are marketed for liver support. Yet product-specific prevalence data are limited, and composition, standardisation, authenticity, and safety vary substantially. This focused narrative review integrates clinical, regulatory, product quality, and analytical evidence, using milk thistle, artichoke leaf, turmeric, and green tea as case studies. Unlike ingredient-centred reviews, it links clinical interpretation to product identity, formulation, batch characterisation, and analytical decision-making. Searches updated to 3 August 2026 prioritised controlled human studies, primary regulatory sources, and fit-for-purpose analytical literature. The selected evidence was dominated by small or short trials, heterogeneous formulations, surrogate outcomes, and incomplete lot characterisation. It did not establish disease-modifying efficacy for any reviewed preparation. Bioavailability-enhanced turmeric products and concentrated green tea extracts show that plausible benefits can coexist with liver-injury risk. Product substitution, inaccurate labelling, contamination, undeclared co-ingredients, and microbiological non-conformity can further alter exposure. Because no single method is sufficient, complementary chemical, microbiological, molecular, and palynological analyses are integrated into a staged, qualitative, risk-based workflow, from product definition through confirmatory testing and action. Product- and lot-specific characterisation, transparent trial reporting, adverse-event investigation, and surveillance are required before broad liver-support claims can be sustained. Full article

Purpose: Although machine learning-based prediction of overall survival (OS) in palliative radiotherapy for bone metastases has been investigated, explainable deep learning (DL) models remain underexplored. This study aimed to develop and validate an explainable DL model to predict OS in this setting, and to examine whether this flexible model provides predictive value beyond a standard Cox model based on routinely collected baseline variables. Methods and Materials: We analyzed all 472 eligible patients who received palliative radiotherapy for bone metastases between January 2013 and August 2024; patients alive with less than one year of follow-up were retained as right-censored observations. The primary endpoint was OS over a fixed 1-year horizon. A DeepSurv model using 14 baseline predictors, including the planned prescribed dose (biologically effective dose, BED10), was developed with repeated 5-fold cross-validation (K = 5, R = 10) and compared with standard and ridge-penalized Cox models fitted on identical splits. Performance was assessed by the time-dependent concordance index (C-index), integrated Brier score (IBS), time-dependent area under the curve (AUC) at 90, 180, and 365 days, and a calibration analysis at one year; 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained by patient-level bootstrapping of the pooled out-of-fold predictions. Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) and SurvLIME were computed on the held-out test sets. Results: Within one year, 242 patients (51.3%) died; median OS was 225 days (95% CI: 189–287). The DeepSurv model achieved a pooled time-dependent C-index of 0.779 (95% CI: 0.751–0.807), an IBS of 0.135 (95% CI: 0.122–0.149), and AUCs of 0.892 (0.857–0.925), 0.862 (0.822–0.895), and 0.856 (0.814–0.895) at 90, 180, and 365 days, with an observed/expected ratio of 0.94 and a calibration slope of 1.02; discrimination was comparable to the Cox model (C-index 0.763, 95% CI: 0.737–0.789). SHAP identified poor performance status as the dominant predictor (mean |SHAP| 0.178), followed by male sex (0.067), high-risk primary tumor type (0.063), multiple bone metastases (0.047), and planned dose (0.033), the latter being the only leading feature associated with lower predicted mortality; SurvLIME gave consistent results. In multivariable Cox analysis, performance status (hazard ratio [HR] 2.21 per standard deviation [SD], p < 0.001) and planned dose (HR 0.71 per SD, p < 0.001) were independently associated with OS. Conclusions: The explainable DL model predicted OS after palliative radiotherapy for bone metastases with discrimination and calibration comparable to those of a well-specified Cox model, and its feature attributions agreed with the Cox coefficients, suggesting that the prognostic information in these baseline variables is essentially additive and can therefore be delivered at the bedside as a simple score, without dedicated AI infrastructure and without loss of predictive performance. The combined use of SHAP and SurvLIME verified that the model relies on established clinical factors, most prominently performance status, and provides patient-level explanations. Pending external validation, such prediction may support individualized decisions on treatment goals and radiation schedules. Full article