Search Results (1,944)

In recent years, the cosmetic and dermo-cosmetic industries have experienced a shift driven by the principles of green chemistry and the growing consumer demand for clean-beauty platforms. Conventional personal care formulations heavily rely on synthetic glycols, petroleum-derived penetration enhancers, and heavy chemical preservatives to stabilize active ingredients and optimize topical application. However, these ingredients are increasingly scrutinized due to their associated carbon footprints and processing inefficiencies. Consequently, the development of multi-functional, bio-based, and ecologically sustainable solvents has emerged as a primary frontier in modern cosmetic engineering. For the first time, this study focused on determining the physicochemical properties and direct cosmetic application potential of Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADESs) based on 1,3-propanediol (PDO) and glycerin (GLY) paired with organic acids (citric, succinic, malic, and lactic) at a 6:1 molar ratio. Unlike traditional, highly viscous eutectic mixtures, the engineered NADESs successfully optimized liquid dynamic viscosities, overcoming a major barrier for topical application. The new NADESs and, for comparison, a physical mixture of their substrates were incorporated into aqueous serums and O/W emulsions. Accelerated stability trials (40 °C/4 °C, 3 months) combined with pH monitoring revealed that while liquid serums maintained exceptional stability, the emulsion formulations were highly dependent on the specific acid structures. All formulations of cosmetics demonstrated very good radical scavenging activity (up to 89% DPPH inhibition) and microbiological purity, complying with the ISO 17516:2014 standard. Furthermore, in vivo sensory evaluations visualized via heatmaps confirmed that NADESs effectively eliminated the characteristic “sticky effect” of polyols, significantly enhancing product ease of application on skin. This study provides the first systematic evidence that these NADESs offer seamless cold-process compounding, reduced homogenization times, and simplified single-pot operations. Consequently, this work establishes a novel, clean-beauty-compliant platform for advanced dermo-cosmetic manufacturing. Full article

A symmetric integrity seal is worth exactly what its key is worth. Any party holding the keyed-hash (HMAC) key of an Internet of Things (IoT) audit trail can forge a record, re-seal a modified one, and leave no cryptographic trace, so an HMAC-sealed log establishes nothing to an external auditor or regulator beyond the honesty of the operator itself. This paper separates integrity from evidential strength and decomposes the latter into six properties—integrity, authenticity, non-repudiation of the anchored history, third-party verifiability, temporal upper-bounding, and bounded completeness—stating for each what a cryptographic mechanism can and cannot establish. It then presents the Ledger-Anchored Compliance Transformation Layer (LA-CTL), a two-tier architecture for Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) in which edge gateways seal each record with HMAC-SHA256 for operator-side verification and anchor RFC 6962 Merkle roots over sealed batches on a Byzantine fault-tolerant permissioned ledger shared with the auditor and the regulator. Records remain off-chain, preserving erasability under the General Data Protection Regulation. All cryptography is real; the consortium is evaluated both in a seeded network simulation and as four validator processes over sockets under LAN and emulated WAN conditions, at steady load and under the failure of a backup and of the primary. Anchoring is batch-priced rather than record-priced: on-chain state falls to 0.57 bytes per record at batch size 1024, while inclusion proofs grow logarithmically to at most 330 bytes. Holding the Merkle batching constant and varying only the publication substrate shows that most detection capability comes from the batching rather than from the ledger—a single-notary log matches the consortium on tampering, insider re-sealing, deletion and reordering—and that the quorum is distinguished on one attack: compromise of the publisher, which is the attack an operator-selected notary cannot withstand. The insider re-seal that the symmetric baseline accepts by construction is detected in all 10,000 trials. What the anchor does not give is stated with equal care: a commit bounds when the committed bytes existed, not when the event they describe occurred. Full article

Several global challenges are converging: rising organic solid waste generation, growing food demand, and increasingly unfavorable conditions for food production, including more frequent and severe droughts, water scarcity, and limited agricultural land for expansion. Bioconverting organic waste into alternative protein sources has emerged as a promising strategy to address waste management and feed production challenges simultaneously. This study presents a comprehensive systematic literature review on protein production through the bioconversion of residual biomass using the black soldier fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens). The BSF is a highly voracious organism during its larval stage and can substantially reduce organic waste volumes while converting them into biomass rich in proteins and lipids with high nutritional value for livestock and aquaculture feed formulations. The review examines Waste-to-Protein systems from three perspectives: technical, economic, and environmental. The technical perspective focuses on production system operations and substrate properties. The economic perspective addresses profitability indicators, capital and operating costs, economies of scale, and the economic performance of incorporating insect-derived protein into animal production systems. From an environmental perspective, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the predominant method for evaluating WtP-BSF systems. Among the systems assessed using LCA, 63% rely on crop-derived substrates for larval feeding. These substrates have intrinsic commercial value, and together with the environmental burdens associated with energy consumption during BSFL rearing, they may constrain the overall sustainability and profitability of WtP-BSF systems. By evaluating factors such as feed dosage, larval density, actual organic waste, and eco-efficiency metrics for livestock feed, opportunities for a circular economy could be developed in developing countries, helping to decrease dependence on landfills. Full article

Open-field burning of agricultural residues is a persistent environmental challenge that contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and the loss of valuable biomass resources. This study developed sustainable mushroom cultivation substrates by replacing 50% of conventional sawdust with locally available agricultural residues, including corn stalks, rice straw, sugarcane leaves, and leaf litter, to reduce production costs, enhance mushroom productivity, and promote circular bioeconomy practices. The physicochemical properties, mycelial growth, contamination, yield performance, nutritional composition, economic feasibility, and environmental benefits of the alternative substrates were evaluated using Lentinus sajor-caju and Pleurotus species. Among the tested formulations, corn stalk-based substrates exhibited the most favorable characteristics, with improved nitrogen availability and a more balanced C/N ratio, resulting in faster colonization, lower contamination, quicker fruiting body formation period, and superior biological efficiency. The corn stalk formulation achieved the highest productivity across species, including biological efficiencies of 61.99% for L. sajor-caju, 102.79% for P. cornucopiae, 99.40% for P. ostreatus, and 101.96% for P. pulmonarius. In addition, alternative substrates maintained or enhanced mushroom nutritional quality, with high protein (18.22–31.37%), dietary fiber (up to 30.58%), and low-fat contents (1.11–1.95%). Economic analysis demonstrated that a 50:50 sawdust-biomass substitution strategy substantially reduced substrate costs, achieving approximately 30% savings at industrial production scales. Overall, this study demonstrates that converting agricultural residues into high-value mushroom substrates provides an effective strategy to improve production efficiency, reduce costs, and advance sustainable mushroom cultivation systems. Full article

Heavy metal contamination of agricultural soils and urban green spaces has become a major environmental concern, threatening ecosystem functioning, food safety, and sustainable land management. Silicon-based growing media have emerged as an environmentally friendly approach for reducing metal mobility while enhancing plant establishment in contaminated environments. Despite growing research interest, a comprehensive evaluation of the mechanisms, effectiveness, and practical applications of silicon-amended growing media across diverse plant systems remains lacking. This systematic review addresses this gap by synthesizing current evidence following the PRISMA 2020 framework. A systematic search of Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, ResearchGate and Google Scholar identified 247 publications published between 2010 and 2025, of which 32 peer-reviewed studies met the predefined inclusion criteria for qualitative analysis. The reviewed literature demonstrates that silicon incorporation into growing media improves substrate functionality by modifying physicochemical properties, immobilizing heavy metals, regulating metal transport within plants, strengthening antioxidant and osmo-protective defense systems, preserving photosynthetic activity, and improving nutrient acquisition and water-use efficiency. Furthermore, silicon influences molecular signaling pathways and promotes beneficial rhizosphere interactions that collectively enhance plant resilience under metal stress. Among the evaluated materials, silicon nanoparticles consistently exhibited greater remediation efficiency than conventional silicon sources because of their higher surface reactivity and improved bioavailability. Overall, silicon-based substrate engineering represents a multifunctional and sustainable strategy for mitigating heavy metal contamination while improving the performance of agricultural crops and urban vegetation. Future research should focus on validating these findings under long-term field conditions, optimizing silicon formulations for different substrate types and contamination scenarios, evaluating environmental safety, and integrating silicon-based technologies into climate-resilient agricultural practices and urban green infrastructure. Full article

This study evaluated the effects of growing media and fertilizer applications on greenhouse strawberry cultivars ‘Pharachatan 80’ and ‘US Jumbo’ using a 4 × 3 factorial in CRD with five replications. Growing media comprised sand (S), coconut coir dust (C), and cow manure (M) in varying ratios (1:1, 1:1:1, 1:1:2, and 1:1:3 v/v), paired with no chemical fertilizer (NCF), a half-recommended dose (½ RDCF), or a full recommended dose of chemical fertilizer (RDCF). Results revealed that unamended substrate (S:C = 1:1 v/v) under NCF severely constrained crop performance. Conversely, integrating cow manure with chemical fertilizers significantly enhanced vegetative growth and yield attributes. Specifically, S:C:M 1:1:1 v/v combined with ½ RDCF optimized total marketable yield, increased the proportion of Grade 2–4 fruits, and improved fruit quality across both cultivars. However, elevated temperatures in tropical lowland greenhouses constrained fruit enlargement, resulting in ≥70% Low-Grade fruits (<7.0 g). Correlation and principal component analyses confirmed that balanced root-zone management mitigates severe nutrient stress. Overall, S:C:M 1:1:1 v/v with ½ RDCF represents the most effective strategy for tropical greenhouse strawberry cultivation, although implementing microclimate cooling or exogenous biostimulants remains necessary to overcome high-temperature limitations. Full article

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technology has attracted growing interest for on-site food safety monitoring, with flexible substrates offering distinct advantages in conformal sampling, portability, and non-destructive analysis. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in flexible SERS substrates for practical food safety applications, covering design strategies including material selection, structural engineering, and performance enhancement, as well as diverse applications such as swabbing-based detection, in situ analysis, enrichment-assisted trace detection, and multiplexed contaminant identification. Challenges and future perspectives are also discussed, focusing on portable instrument adaptation, simplified sample pretreatment, intelligent data analysis, and scalable manufacturing. This review aims to bridge the gap between laboratory research and field deployment, providing valuable insights for the commercialization of flexible SERS technology in real-world food safety monitoring. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study examined the effect of three different cultural media—coconut coir, peat moss, and deep-water culture—on the metabolomic profiles of two tomato cultivars, Heinz and Roma. Tomato fruit quality is influenced by intricate interactions between the genotype and root-zone environment; nevertheless, little is known about how substrate-based systems compare metabolically to deep-water hydroponics. Methods: Fruit samples from both cultivars grown under controlled greenhouse conditions were analyzed using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR) spectroscopy to identify treatment-dependent biochemical changes. Polar metabolites were extracted using a methanol–water solvent solution and examined using a 600 MHz NMR spectrometer. Spectral datasets were processed and analyzed with multivariate statistical tools such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA), and Orthogonal Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA). Results: Distinct clustering patterns were observed, indicating both cultivar-specific and cultivation-system-dependent metabolic differentiation. The PCA model displayed excellent explanatory and predictive capacity, while supervised OPLS-DA improved group discrimination, demonstrating that both genotype and growing medium significantly influenced the chemical composition of the fruit. Soluble sugars (glucose, fructose, and sucrose), sugar alcohols, organic acids such as citric and malic acids, and a variety of amino acids involved in nitrogen metabolism and stress reactions were among the key distinguishing factors. Carbohydrate-related spectral areas (3.0–5.5 ppm) were highly associated with treatment separation, indicating that the cultivation system had a significant impact on carbon allocation and energy metabolism. Conclusions: Fruits grown in deep water culture have distinct metabolic fingerprints from those grown on coconut coir and peat moss, implying that root-zone oxygen availability and nutrient dynamics may influence primary and secondary metabolism. Full article

Hemoglobin (Hb) and its glycated variant (HbA1c) are essential clinical biomarkers for diagnosing anemia, acute hemorrhage, and long-term glycemic control. The growing demand for decentralized point-of-care (POC) testing has accelerated the development of rapid, inexpensive, and portable electrochemical sensing platforms. These technologies exploit the intrinsic redox activity of the heme prosthetic group, yet achieving efficient direct electron transfer (DET) remains a fundamental challenge because the electroactive iron center is deeply embedded within the globin structure. This review critically examines recent advances in electrochemical Hb sensing, tracing the evolution of electrode architectures from conventional carbon substrates to nanostructured materials, including graphene, MXenes, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). We compare the advantages and limitations of non-enzymatic biomimetic platforms and affinity-based sensing strategies, including aptamer- and antibody-based biosensors, with emphasis on electron-transfer efficiency, molecular selectivity, analytical performance, and suitability for POC implementation. Beyond analytical performance, we evaluate the principal barriers to clinical translation, including biofouling, whole-blood matrix effects, viscosity-dependent mass transport, manufacturing scalability, and the persistent gap between validation in synthetic media and performance in clinical samples. Finally, we discuss emerging applications in wearable menstrual health monitoring and ingestible gastrointestinal bleeding sensors, highlighting the integration of advanced electrochemical materials with miniaturized electronics as a pathway toward practical, consumer-oriented diagnostics. Full article

Approximately 5–33% of the dates growing in Saudi Arabia are downgraded to low-quality fruit that either goes to waste or is used to make animal feed, which is considered a potential feedstock abundant in sugar. By a thorough comparative study, this study evaluated the up-cycling of low-quality Saudi dates (Wannana, Shagra, Sabbaka, Barhi, Saqai, Khalas and Sukkari) as fermentation substrates for xanthan gum production by Xanthomonas campestris. Pure glucose, pure sucrose, and a commercial standard were used as a baseline. The sole carbon source was date juice (≈12.5–17 °Brix) in a batch aerobic fermentation conducted at the standard conditions of temperature (30 °C), speed 180 rpm, and time (120 h). The xanthan gum was quantified and tested for its properties like functional groups (FTIR), color, thermal behavior (TGA and DSC), and rheology in the form of both steady- and dynamic-shear rheology. Xanthan gum was produced in the range 5.60–7.77 g L⁻¹ by the date-based substrates with Barhi (7.77 g L⁻¹) and Saqai (7.58 g L⁻¹) surpassing those of the glucose (6.68 g L⁻¹) and sucrose (6.23 g L⁻¹) controls. FTIR spectra of date-derived gums were almost identical to that of the commercial standard, indicating that their functional groups and the primary structure were very similar. In addition, the date-derived powders were darker and yellower (L* 61.09, 71.00; whiteness index 54.92, 63.34) than the commercial gum (L* 84.71; whiteness index 78.19). This is likely attributed to the presence of residue date pigmentation and products of Maillard and caramelization. Thermogravimetric analyses revealed that the breakdown of materials occurred in two stages, of which the char residue of the date-derived gums was much higher for those degraded at 500 °C (48.93, 54.05%) versus that of the commercial reference (33.49%), which is to be interpreted as a better ability of the former to resist thermal degradation. All solutions acted as pseudoplastic, shear-thinning liquids (flow behavior index n < 1); the consistency coefficient (K) rose with concentration and fell with temperature. The activation energy varied between 9.98 kJ mol⁻¹ (commercial) and 29.39 kJ mol⁻¹ (Saqai). Overall, low-quality Saudi dates can be considered a technically and economically viable, sustainable, and low-cost carbon substrate suitable for upcycling to produce xanthan gum, which is safe for use as a food additive. Full article

Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiac magnetic resonance is the reference standard for non-invasive myocardial tissue characterization. Conventional LGE analysis focuses on the presence and extent of fibrosis, yet these measures incompletely describe the spatial complexity of myocardial scar that underpins arrhythmogenesis. Entropy, derived from radiomic analysis of LGE signal-intensity distributions, has emerged as a surrogate marker of myocardial tissue heterogeneity. Mechanistically, heterogeneous fibrosis promotes electrical conduction alterations, and entropy serves as a global descriptor of this complex substrate. A growing body of evidence suggests that higher LGE entropy is associated with increased arrhythmogenicity and major adverse cardiac events. Several studies have shown that this association remains significant after adjustment for conventional clinical and imaging predictors. A smaller number of studies have gone further, demonstrating that incorporation of LGE entropy improves the discriminatory or reclassification performance of established risk-prediction models. This narrative review critically synthesizes the current evidence on LGE-derived entropy, compares methodological approaches and clinical applications, and discusses its principal limitations. After standardization and prospective validation, entropy-based phenotyping may prove useful for individualized risk stratification beyond conventional LGE metrics and guide clinical decision-making. Full article

Self-supported electrodes that combine high activity, durability, and low-cost manufacturing are essential for scalable alkaline water electrolysis. Here, we report a one-pot, high-current-density electrodeposition platform that grows Ni-rich bimetallic catalysts directly on a carbon fabric derived from a mass-produced bamboo-cellulose kitchen wipe (bamboo-derived carbon fabric, BCF). Using a single NiCl₂/NH₄Cl base bath containing 5 mM of a selectable secondary metal ion (Ce, Fe, W, or Mo), galvanostatic deposition at 1 A cm⁻² for 15 min produces conformal polycrystalline catalyst shells on the individual carbon fibers. The Ce-containing cathode (BCF@NiCe) delivers hydrogen evolution overpotentials of 96.8 mV at 20 mA cm⁻² and 222 mV at 1 A cm⁻², rivaling a Pt/C benchmark on the same substrate at industrially relevant current densities, which is attributed to the cooperative interface between metallic Ni and nanocrystalline, oxygen-vacancy-rich CeO_2−x together with a superhydrophilic fibrous architecture that releases fine H₂ microbubbles. Adding Fe to the same bath yields a Ni–Fe–Ce anode (BCF@NiFeCe) that outperforms a RuO₂ benchmark for oxygen evolution above 0.1 A cm⁻² (η = 312 mV at 0.1 A cm⁻²) with a Tafel slope of 60 mV dec⁻¹. Both electrodes operate stably for 200 h of continuous electrolysis, with the Ni/CeO_2−x nanostructure, the oxygen-vacancy population, and the surface chemical states fully preserved after the test, and the same protocol extends to Ni–W and Ni–Mo on nickel foam, establishing a versatile, low-cost route to high-current-density electrodes for green hydrogen production. Full article

Keratin is an abundant, recalcitrant structural protein that constitutes the primary component of several animal wastes, particularly chicken feathers. Because of their potential and availability, various technologies, such as anaerobic biodigestion, have been used to degrade keratin and transform feathers into biogas and other value-added products. However, due to their fibrous architecture and rigid structure, keratinous materials are elastic, water-insoluble, and enzymatically resistant, which makes natural degradation difficult. In this sense, before using chicken feathers as feedstock in biodigesters, the keratin in the residue must be cleaved in pretreatment steps. Whether as a single substrate or in co-digestion processes, the keratin breakdown is critical for enhancing biogas production from feathers. In this context, there is growing emphasis on developing pretreatment methods to facilitate protein hydrolysis and digestion, thereby improving biogas generation. To evaluate progress in recycling waste keratin, a bibliometric analysis of original scientific publications on the pretreatment of chicken feathers for anaerobic digestion was conducted using the Scopus database. The findings indicate that researchers apply chicken feathers in processes, including standard biodigestion, co-digestion with food waste, animal manure, and slaughterhouse waste, for biomethane and biohydrogen production. Across the evaluated studies, the pretreatment methods showed notable improvements in feather solubilization and subsequent biogas yield; however, they still encounter key limitations, including ammonia (NH₃) inhibition, high chemical/reagent costs, and high energy demand. Full article

To evaluate how composted agricultural and forestry organic materials function as components of horticultural growing media, a pot experiment was conducted with chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.) grown in a cinnamon-soil-based medium. The composted material, produced from chestnut shells, chicken manure, and spent mushroom substrate, was incorporated at 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, and 50% (v/v). Water-extractable dissolved organic matter (WE-DOM) was characterized by excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC), together with the fluorescence index (FI), biological index (BIX), humification index (HIX), and fluorescence regional integration (FRI). Growing-medium physicochemical properties, chrysanthemum traits, and an entropy-weighted comprehensive evaluation were also assessed. Compost amendment increased soil organic matter (SOM), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total nitrogen, and total phosphorus, lowered pH, and was associated with improved porosity and water-retention characteristics. FI ranged from 1.810 to 2.371 and exceeded 1.9 at amendment rates of 30–35%, suggesting a greater contribution from microbially derived DOM. BIX, HIX, and P_V,n/P_III,n were generally higher in amended treatments than in the control, although their responses were non-monotonic across amendment rates, suggesting greater contributions from recently produced DOM and stronger humification-related fluorescence signals. EEM-PARAFAC resolved five fluorescent components. C1, C2, C3, and C5 were predominantly humic-like, whereas C4 displayed both protein-like and humic-like features. With increasing amendment rate, the relative contributions of C1–C4 generally increased, whereas that of C5 declined, suggesting a shift from the native soil fluorescence profile toward a more complex DOM composition influenced by compost inputs and subsequent biological transformation. Chrysanthemum height, stem diameter, flower number, and biomass were generally more favorable at amendment rates of 30–40%. The entropy-weighted evaluation yielded the highest overall response score at 30%, while the 35% treatment also maintained a high score. Considering WE-DOM fluorescence characteristics, growing-medium properties, and plant performance together, a volumetric amendment rate of 30–35% represents a relatively favorable range for the tested composted material under the present pot-experiment conditions. Full article

Rapid population growth, urbanization, and industrialization are continuously increasing global energy demand while intensifying climate change associated with fossil fuel consumption. In this context, renewable energy production from organic waste has gained increasing attention as a sustainable and environmentally friendly strategy. Anaerobic digestion (AD) offers significant potential for simultaneous waste stabilization and biomethane generation. However, many previous studies investigating lignocellulosic or nutrient-rich substrates have relied on physical, chemical, or thermal pretreatment methods to enhance biodegradability, despite their additional operational costs, energy consumption, and environmental impacts. Therefore, developing low-cost and pretreatment-free co-digestion strategies remains an important research need. This study investigated the biomethane production potentials of untreated chicken manure (CM) and duckweed (Lemna minor-LM) collected from the final sedimentation tanks of wastewater treatment plants under mono-digestion and co-digestion conditions. The study hypothesized that rapidly growing and widely available LM biomass could enhance methane production without requiring pretreatment. Among all reactors, CM0.75 (75% of the total TS derived from CM and 25% from LM and inoculum) achieved the highest performance with a cumulative biogas production of 5350 mL (74.2% of CH4) and a methane yield of 327 mL CH4/g VS, while mono-digestion of CM resulted in the lowest methane yield of 104 mL CH4/g VS. The results demonstrated that LM biomass naturally proliferating in wastewater treatment plants can be directly utilized as an effective co-substrate to improve biomethane production from poultry wastes. The proposed approach provides a cost-efficient, eco-friendly, and circular-economy-oriented alternative by eliminating the need for pretreatment while simultaneously valorizing problematic biomass generated in wastewater treatment facilities. Full article