Search Results (4,684)

The rapid deployment of sixth-generation (6G) Internet of Things (IoT) networks demands lightweight authentication mechanisms that provide low latency, high scalability, and robust security for resource-constrained devices operating in dynamic wireless environments. Conventional authentication approaches based on Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS), blockchain-assisted architectures, and Generic Bootstrapping Architecture (GBA)-based schemes introduce significant computational complexity, communication overhead, synchronization delays, and infrastructure dependencies, limiting their suitability for large-scale edge-assisted IoT environments. This paper proposes Lightweight Timed Efficient Stream Loss-Tolerant Authentication over the Constrained Application Protocol (L-TESLA-CoAP), a lightweight and infrastructure-independent authentication framework that integrates adaptive TESLA delayed-key authentication, CoAP communication, edge-assisted synchronization, replay-aware synchronization, SHA3-HMAC-based symmetric authentication, and rotating pseudonym identities to provide continuous packet-level authentication. The proposed framework was implemented and evaluated using a Python-based simulation environment under constrained 6G IoT communication scenarios with network sizes ranging from 50 to 1000 IoT devices. The comparative evaluation against CoAP, DTLS, TLS, Blockchain-CoAP, and GBA-Hybrid TESLA shows that the proposed framework achieves low authentication latency (approximately 0.8–1.3 s) and low energy consumption (approximately 60–75 mJ) while maintaining packet-loss recovery capability, reduced communication overhead, reduced computation time, low memory consumption, and authentication throughput. Furthermore, the proposed framework provides resilience against replay, packet injection, impersonation, synchronization manipulation, and denial-of-service attacks through adaptive synchronization and delayed key disclosure. These results indicate that L-TESLA-CoAP provides an efficient, scalable, and lightweight authentication solution suitable for next-generation edge-assisted 6G IoT applications. Full article

Nearly two-thirds of global energy is lost as waste heat. Thermoelectric materials enable the direct conversion of heat into electricity, offering a promising recovery strategy. However, many high-performance systems rely on toxic or scarce elements such as Pb and Te, limiting sustainability. This review compares transport mechanisms in bulk and thin-film thermoelectrics, highlights environmentally benign material alternatives and fabrication routes, and discusses key challenges and future opportunities for sustainable energy applications. To provide a comprehensive overview of tellurium- and Pb-free bulk thermoelectrics, recent developments are summarized in a comprehensive table detailing material composition, peak zT values, temperature differences (ΔK), efficiencies (η), power output (P_out) (or maximum power density (P_max)), and device geometries. Full article

Asphalt binders become stiffer and more brittle during aging, increasing their susceptibility to fatigue and thermal cracking. Rejuvenation is therefore a key strategy for restoring aged bitumen and enabling the effective use of reclaimed asphalt materials. This review examines agricultural by-products, biowastes, and other biogenic materials as bio-rejuvenators for aged bituminous binders. The reviewed materials are classified according to their source, processing route, functional role, chemical characteristics, rejuvenation mechanism, performance effects, and practical limitations. The main groups include waste cooking oils, virgin vegetable oils, reactive bio-oils, biomass-derived bio-oils, agricultural and forestry residues, tree-resin-derived products, animal-based rejuvenators, and other organic waste-derived materials. The literature indicates that these materials can restore aged bitumen through light fraction replenishment, colloidal rebalancing, diffusion, asphaltene deagglomeration, chemical interaction, and anti-aging effects. Waste cooking oils and agricultural/forestry residue-derived rejuvenators provide particularly strong recovery of conventional binder properties, whereas reactive bio-oils and tree-resin-derived systems offer a more balanced rheological response and cracking–rutting balance. However, their effectiveness strongly depends on dosage, feedstock variability, binder compatibility, processing route, and aging condition. Overall, bio-rejuvenators offer a promising pathway for sustainable asphalt recycling, but their practical implementation requires standardized dosage selection methods, long-term aging assessment, mixture- and field-scale validation, and life-cycle evaluation. Full article

Green creativity is critical for achieving green outcomes in engineering project design, where designers must address environmental goals under constraints of cost, functionality, and technical feasibility. Consistent with the increasing application of artificial intelligence (AI) in design practices, the psychological impact of AI adoption on designers’ green creativity has been a central issue in green engineering designs. Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study theorizes and tests a dual-path moderated mediation model, with job engagement and psychological detachment as two parallel mediating pathways of resource enhancement and maintenance, respectively, through which AI adoption influences designers’ green creativity under the “immersion–recovery” resource mechanism. Furthermore, inclusive leadership is set as a key boundary condition to moderate the mediating pathways above. A multi-wave online survey of 312 engineering project designers from the Chinese construction industry is employed to examine the hypotheses. These findings not only extend theoretical understanding of the mechanisms underlying AI’s impact in the green engineering domain but also provide new insights for leadership practices in complex engineering design contexts. Full article

Wavelet denoising is used before side-channel power analysis, but SNR/MSE may not reflect key recovery. This paper evaluates five wavelet methods for measurement-driven DPA/CPA evaluation. On ATMEGA16A AES-128 traces, TH, MOD, TI, WP and GHM are compared under the same dataset and attack flow, using peak separability, correlation stability, trace demand and cost. Denoising and attack rankings differ. In first-byte DPA, GHM achieves 100% success with 387 traces and DPA-SNR about 21.7; TI needs 502 traces and reaches 17.8. In 16-byte CPA, TI performs best overall, with a mean correlation 0.2719 and cumulative trace demand of 2921; MOD has the lowest maximum byte threshold, 647. No method is optimal for all attack statistics. DPA favors peak fidelity and false-peak suppression, CPA favors covariance stability and shift-invariant smoothing, and TI is a practical compromise under attack-path or cost constraints. These conclusions are framed as dataset- and attack-statistic-specific evidence for the measured unprotected ATMEGA16A AES-128 implementation, rather than as a universal ranking of wavelet denoising methods. Full article

Membrane distillation (MD) has emerged as a thermal process used in desalination, wastewater treatment, and resource recovery. It has demonstrated high salt rejection, but process scale-up is affected by unstable process performance caused by membrane fouling and scaling, limitations of heat and mass transfer, and module design challenges. The research outputs presented here assess membrane module design and configurations, hydrodynamic optimization, understanding of membrane fouling, and its control in long-term and intermittent process operation. Furthermore, the integration of crystallization, resource recovery from wastewater, and techno-economic feasibility are also elucidated. The collective findings showed that optimization of the modules, process operating conditions, and the integration of crystallization could improve MD performance stability and resource recovery. Beyond crystallization, MD has demonstrated the ability to recover nutrients from anaerobic digestate, suggesting process expansion directions. These findings provide insights into the key requirements for MD implementation at an industrial scale. Full article

The association of atrial fibrillation (AF) and neck of femur fractures (NOF) are common in old people, creating a complex clinical scenario with significant implications for morbidity, mortality, and healthcare systems. This narrative review explores the bidirectional relationship between AF and NOF, focusing on shared risk factors, pathophysiological links, and challenges in clinical management, and also reviews the benefit of an orthogeriatric model. Advanced age, frailty, osteoporosis, polypharmacy, and cardiovascular comorbidities predispose patients to both conditions, while AF itself increases fall risk through haemodynamic instability, syncope, and adverse effects of rate- or rhythm-controlling medications. Importantly, the physiological stress of hip fracture and subsequent surgery can precipitate new-onset or worsening AF via inflammatory, neurohormonal, and metabolic mechanisms. The main challenge for ortho-geriatricians lies in anticoagulation management and preoperative and postoperative management. While anticoagulation reduces thromboembolic risk in AF, it increases perioperative bleeding risk in patients with NOF, often leading to delays in surgery that are independently associated with poorer outcomes. This review examines the current evidence regarding perioperative anticoagulation strategies, timing of surgery, and postoperative resumption of therapy. In addition, the review examines important outcome parameters such as mortality, stroke, bleeding, length of hospital stay, and functional recovery. This highlights the importance of not only improving multidisciplinary care involving orthopaedics, cardiology, geriatrics, and anaesthesia to optimise outcomes, but also enhancing risk stratification. Standardised perioperative pathways and integrated geriatric–cardiac assessment may help mitigate complications. Therefore, understanding how AF and NOF interact is key to delivering holistic, patient-centred care for an increasingly elderly population in orthogeriatric wards. Full article

The accumulation of agricultural waste poses significant agronomic and environmental challenges in tropical smallholder farming systems where organic wastes remain underutilized. This study evaluated the effectiveness of vermicomposting with Eisenia fetida in enhancing nutrient recovery and improving the quality of organic fertilizers produced from agricultural waste. Four substrate treatments—poultry manure and vegetable waste (T1), cow dung, chicken manure, and vegetable waste (T2), cow dung and vegetable waste (T3), and a control without earthworms (T4)—were assessed over a period of 60 days. Key physicochemical properties evaluated included bulk density, pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and potassium, and the C:N ratio. Vermicomposting significantly improved nutrient composition, with the C:N ratio decreasing from 26.43 in the control treatment to 12.23, indicating enhanced compost maturity. Treatment T2 recorded the highest concentrations of total nitrogen (2.63%), phosphorus (1.21%), and potassium (1.45%). A significant reduction in organic carbon also indicated enhanced mineralization during the decomposition process. Compared with traditional composting, vermicomposting improved nutrient availability, compost maturity, and overall compost quality. These findings demonstrate that vermicomposting is an effective resource recovery strategy for converting agricultural waste into nutrient-rich organic fertilizer while supporting sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural systems. Full article

In heterogeneous edge-water carbonate gas reservoirs during the middle-to-late development stage, edge-water invasion and pressure depletion significantly compromise production stability and gas recovery. To investigate water invasion behavior under permeability heterogeneity and evaluate the effectiveness of CO₂ injection for water control and enhanced gas recovery, a series of long-core depletion experiments and three-dimensional vertically heterogeneous physical-model experiments were conducted based on representative reservoir conditions. The results show that permeability contrast plays a key role in governing water breakthrough timing and gas production performance. High-permeability cores experience earlier water breakthrough but contribute higher overall recovery, whereas low-permeability cores exhibit delayed depletion and pronounced production decline after breakthrough due to large pressure differentials. In multilayer commingled production, interlayer pressure imbalance drives fluid crossflow from low- and medium-permeability zones toward high-permeability zones, leading to premature water breakthrough, delayed layer activation, and the development of water-blocked gas zones, thereby intensifying interlayer heterogeneity. After depletion, CO₂ injection effectively modifies fluid flow pathways and improves reservoir connectivity. Through gravity-assisted displacement and energy replenishment, CO₂ mitigates water invasion, reconnects previously isolated gas zones, and enhances overall reservoir utilization. The findings demonstrate that CO₂ injection provides a dual benefit in both water control and production enhancement, offering valuable insights for improving recovery strategies in heterogeneous edge-water gas reservoirs. Full article

The gut microbiome is a dynamic ecosystem that plays essential roles in host metabolism, immune regulation, colonization resistance, and maintenance of intestinal homeostasis. Antibiotic exposure profoundly disrupts this ecosystem by reducing microbial diversity, depleting beneficial commensals, reshaping microbial metabolic functions, and remodeling the gut resistome through the selection and dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Increasing evidence from longitudinal metagenomic, multi-omics, and experimental studies indicates that these perturbations may persist long after antibiotic withdrawal due to incomplete ecological recovery, sustained mobile genetic element-mediated ARG dissemination, and altered microbiome resilience. Beyond antimicrobial resistance, antibiotic-induced dysbiosis has been associated with reduced short-chain fatty acid production, altered bile acid metabolism, impaired epithelial barrier function, and broader disturbances in host metabolic homeostasis, although many of these relationships remain associative rather than causal. This review provides an integrated overview of antibiotic-driven gut microbiome dysbiosis, emphasizing the ecological, functional, metabolic, and resistome-level consequences of antibiotic exposure together with the mechanisms governing microbiome recovery. Current microbiome-targeted restoration strategies, including probiotics, phage therapy, fecal microbiota transplantation, and next-generation microbiome therapeutics, are critically evaluated with particular attention to their evidence maturity, limitations, and translational potential. Finally, key knowledge gaps and future research priorities are discussed to support the development of more effective microbiome-preserving antimicrobial strategies and to limit the long-term dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. Full article

Under the “dual carbon” goals (carbon peak and carbon neutrality), the new energy vehicle (NEV) industry has become a strategic focus of great-power competition, and the resilience of its international supply chain is critical to industrial security and development initiatives. As a traditional automobile manufacturing hub in China, Hubei Province faces increasingly prominent global risks in its supply chain during the transition to NEVs; scientifically evaluating and enhancing its international supply chain resilience is therefore of great practical significance. Drawing on supply chain resilience theory, this paper constructs an evaluation index system comprising 18 specific indicators across four dimensions: robustness, redundancy, agility, and innovativeness. To overcome the limitations of a single weighting method, a combined subjective and objective weighting approach that integrates the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the entropy weight method was employed to determine indicator weights. Subsequently, the TOPSIS model was applied to measure the supply chain resilience level of Hubei Province from 2018 to 2025, with horizontal comparisons conducted against Shanghai and Guangdong. Finally, an obstacle degree model was introduced to quantitatively diagnose the key factors constraining resilience improvement. The results indicate that the international supply chain resilience of Hubei’s NEV industry has shown a continuous upward trend. By 2025, it ranks in the first tier alongside Guangdong (with closeness coefficients of 0.8180 and 0.8181, respectively), approaching the level of Shanghai. Weaknesses are concentrated primarily in the agility dimension, while upstream resource dependence remains a salient issue within the robustness dimension. “External dependence on key raw materials,” “average recovery time from logistics disruptions,” and “level of supply chain information sharing” are still the top three obstacle factors. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) further reveals that low resource autonomy and slow logistics recovery are core conditions leading to low resilience, and the coupling of multiple obstacle factors amplifies the risk transmission effect. Based on this, this study proposes optimization recommendations focusing on foundation strengthening and chain consolidation, digital chain connectivity, and innovation–chain integration, in order to enhance the resilience of the international supply chain for new energy vehicles in Hubei. This research provides a methodological reference for evaluating the supply chain resilience of regionally distinctive industries and offers a quantitative basis for Hubei Province and related enterprises to formulate targeted improvement strategies. Full article

Household food waste remains a huge challenge for solid waste management in municipalities worldwide, especially in the Global South. Existing studies that measure food waste (FW) in cities are scarce, have limited geographic scope, and have limited timeframes. In that direction, the current investigation provides data on the FW composition of nine regions of the municipality of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), based on a three-year sampling across 155 neighborhoods. Waste samples were collected from 2021 to 2023. In total, about 24,038 kg (fresh weight) was analyzed. Results showed that FW accounts for an average of 47.7 ± 1.9% of household waste in the study period. The FW composition in the city of Rio de Janeiro ranged from 60.3–76.5% for fruits, vegetables, and salads, 15.0–25.1% for fine aggregate (small-sized food residues < 2.54 cm, like rice, beans, grains, and fragmented food particles), and 3.2–5.8% for proteins (discarded animal-based protein foods like chicken and meat). The chi-square goodness-of-fit test was applied to evaluate whether the FW composition in each of the nine regions differed from the mean FW composition of the Rio de Janeiro municipality. The findings revealed statistically significant differences (p-value < 0.05) in the average FW fractions in specific regions and years compared with the city’s average composition. Thus, one of the key takeaways of this investigation was that the percentages of discharged food waste fractions vary over time and across locations, even within the same municipality. The present research took a first step toward understanding the food waste problem in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and underscores the importance of monitoring food waste data to guide the development of locally specific strategies for sustainable urban food systems, including waste prevention, recycling, and food recovery. Full article

Aiming at the bottleneck of the difficult scrubbing and separation of scandium and titanium in the solvent extraction process for scandium recovery, a novel strategy for scandium–titanium separation via citrate complex scrubbing is proposed based on the difference in complexation properties between scandium/titanium and hydroxycarboxylic acids. The mixed Na₃Cit + H₂O₂ system was screened as the optimal scrubbing agent. The effects of key parameters including dosages of Na₃Cit and H₂O₂ and phase ratio (O/A) on scrubbing performance were systematically investigated. The optimal process conditions were determined as follows: temperature of 25 °C, molar ratio n(Na₃Cit)/n(Ti) = 30:1, molar ratio n(H₂O₂)/n(Ti) = 3:1, phase ratio (O/A) of 1:1, shaking speed of 200 r/min, and scrubbing time of 30 min. Under the optimal conditions, the titanium scrubbing efficiency reaches 97.37% with zero co-scrubbing efficiency of scandium. The separation efficiency is 14.47 times higher than that of the conventional H₂SO₄ + H₂O₂ scrubbing system, which significantly enhances the scandium–titanium separation performance. This work provides a feasible technical route for the deep separation and purification of scandium and titanium from titanium white waste acid. Full article

Continental mixed shale oil reservoirs are characterized by strong lithological heterogeneity, complex reservoir architecture, and highly variable hydraulic fracture propagation, making it difficult to simultaneously maximize hydrocarbon recovery and economic performance. Existing optimization methods generally emphasize either production enhancement or economic evaluation, while lacking an integrated framework that quantitatively couples geological characterization, hydraulic fracturing design, production forecasting, and techno-economic optimization. To address this limitation, this study proposes a geology–engineering integrated workflow based on EUR–IRR response-surface co-optimization. Geological and engineering sweet spots were first identified through integrated core observations, well-log interpretation, and mineralogical analyses. A three-dimensional hydraulic fracture propagation model was subsequently established and calibrated using field production data to optimize key fracturing parameters, including cluster number, pumping rate, fluid intensity, and proppant intensity. Based on the optimized fracturing design, a series of development scenarios with different lateral lengths and well spacings were evaluated. The corresponding 15-year project-level estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) and internal rate of return (IRR) were quantitatively coupled through interpolation-based response-surface modeling, enabling identification of the optimal development window under the economic constraint of IRR ≥ 6%. The results indicate that the maximum EUR (7.215 × 10⁵ m³) is achieved with a 5000 m lateral length and a 50 m well spacing; however, the corresponding IRR is only 5.8%, indicating that maximizing production alone does not ensure economic viability. The recommended development scheme consists of a 3500 m lateral length and a 150 m well spacing, yielding a 15-year project EUR of 4.238 × 10⁵ m³ and an IRR of 12.5%, representing the optimal balance between production efficiency and economic return. Sensitivity analysis under ±10% oil price fluctuations further demonstrates the robustness of the optimized development strategy. The proposed workflow establishes a quantitative framework that integrates geological characterization, hydraulic fracture simulation, production prediction, and techno-economic evaluation. It provides an effective decision-support methodology for fracturing design and well pattern optimization in highly heterogeneous continental mixed shale oil reservoirs and can be readily extended to similar unconventional reservoirs. Full article

Human interaction with the environment depends on the integration of sensory input, cognitive processing, and motor output within dynamic sensorimotor loops. These processes are supported by distributed neural circuits and shaped by learning, memory, and neuroplasticity across the lifespan. This review synthesizes current understanding of the mechanisms underlying sensorimotor integration and highlights how experience-dependent plasticity supports functional recovery and performance optimization in both health and disease. Disruptions such as traumatic brain injury, neurodegenerative disease, and aging may frequently result in combined cognitive and motor impairments. Here, we review non-invasive interventions that leverage neuroplasticity, including physical activity, motor training, and cognitive training, with increasing emphasis on integrated cognitive–motor approaches. Emerging technologies such as virtual reality provide ecologically valid, immersive environments that simultaneously engage perception, cognition, and action, with the potential to enhance training outcomes. However, variability in effectiveness and limited evidence for far transfer remain key challenges. To address these limitations, we highlight the integration of immersive training with objective biological measures. In particular, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR)-based metabolomics offers a promising, non-invasive approach to identify biomarkers of neuroplastic adaptation. The integration of robust biomarker tools may facilitate the development and assessment of effective precision cognitive–motor interventions to optimize rehabilitation approaches and help build resilience in vulnerable individuals. Full article