Search Results (1,950)

Global urbanization and population aging urgently require cities to adapt to support older adults’ independence and well-being. While active mobility drives health and social equity, micro-scale proximity remains under-studied. This study evaluates ‘hyper-accessibility’ to essential daily services for older adults in Madrid and Munich, examining distributive spatial justice and its implications for healthy aging. Using quantitative spatial analysis, walking accessibility to seven key services was modeled at a strict 300 m threshold. These metrics were intersected with a sociodemographic disadvantage score to reveal urban disparities. Key findings expose structural contrasts. In Madrid, 50.82% of older adults achieve hyper-accessibility to daily services, though green areas (8.86%) and health facilities (15.82%) represent critical gaps. Conversely, Munich’s decentralized fabric yields hyper-accessibility for just 31.6% of seniors, with community centers (7.19%) and sports facilities (8.6%) being severely restricted. These spatial inequities highlight how restrictive walking thresholds function as invisible barriers to active mobility, isolating older populations. Ultimately, integrating hyper-accessibility metrics into local planning is vital for mitigating these baseline deficits and fostering age-inclusive, socially just urban environments. Full article

Driven by increasingly severe drought stress associated with global warming, this study investigated a synthetic microbial community, SynCom-SASW01, with strong stress tolerance and plant growth-promoting potential, and systematically elucidated its mechanisms for enhancing drought resistance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Dual-site field trials demonstrated that SynCom-SASW01 significantly alleviated drought-induced growth suppression, increasing grain yields by 10.42% and 8.52% at the Hohhot and Hulunbuir sites, respectively. This improvement was primarily associated with increased effective tiller number and enhanced root vigor. Physiologically, inoculation promoted root proline and glutathione accumulation and enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities, including superoxide dismutase, thereby reducing malondialdehyde levels. Environmental analyses showed that the consortium established rhizosphere “micro-reservoirs” through exopolysaccharide secretion, improving soil relative water content and the availability of alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen and phosphorus. High-throughput sequencing revealed that SynCom-SASW01 reshaped the endosphere microbiome through early colonization priority effects, selectively enriching beneficial taxa such as Pseudomonas. Functional prediction indicated upregulated branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis, promoting osmotic adjustment and redox homeostasis. These findings provide a microbiome-based strategy for stabilizing wheat productivity in arid regions. Full article

This paper shifts the research perspective from “Buddhist monasteries” to “monastic Buddhism,” using Nālandā Mahāvihāra as a micro-level case to illuminate the broader support mechanism of Indian Buddhist monasteries, with particular focus on the concept of “non-exhaustible endowment”. Drawing on epigraphic evidence, Vinaya texts, and Chinese pilgrims’ records, it finds that major donors supported monasteries through religious rituals, land grants, and cash investments, primarily in the form of landed property and gold and silver currency, which were designated as non-exhaustible endowments. Monasteries then engaged in agriculture, handicrafts, building industry, commerce, and lending, transforming static assets into a non-exhaustible cycle of capital that benefited both monastics and laity. Systems such as Yizhi (robe funds) and Gongfu zhi Zhuang (robe-providing estates) reveal mature financial services that not only liberated monks from economic constraints but also stimulated the cotton textile trade between India and China. The wealth possessed by monasteries was not static but perpetually engaged in a dynamic cycle of capital. Major Buddhist monasteries thus emerged as regional economic engines, which became the core value for continuous royal patronage, as well as the key incentive for their violent destruction by Turkic Muslims. However, the transformation of the religious landscape and economic network in late medieval Bihār was not a simplistic process. Faced with a changing political and religious environment over time, Sufi saints, Jain followers, Shaiva ascetics and other religious communities, each grounded in their own faiths, landholdings, commercial networks and educational systems, gradually displaced, restructured and undermined the Buddhist monastery-centered endowment mechanism, causing Buddhism to progressively lose its regional dominance as an institutionalized religion. Full article

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are key mediators of intercellular communication across biological kingdoms, with central roles in immune regulation and disease processes. Despite shared structural features, EVs derived from bacteria, plants, and mammalian cells differ substantially in their biogenesis, molecular composition, and immunological functions. EV formation pathways generate vesicles with distinct cargo profiles, including pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) in bacterial EVs, regulatory small RNAs in plant-derived vesicles, and cytokines, microRNAs, and antigen-presenting complexes in mammalian EVs. Differences in cargo result in divergent immune outcomes. Bacterial EVs predominantly activate innate immunity via pattern recognition receptors such as Toll-like receptors, whereas plant-derived EVs exhibit low immunogenicity and mediate cross-kingdom RNA interference. In contrast, mammalian EVs primarily regulate immune responses by modulating antigen presentation and cytokine signaling. These findings support a framework in which EV origin determines immunological function and therapeutic applicability. This perspective highlights the importance of selecting appropriate EV sources for vaccine development, regenerative medicine, and targeted delivery strategies, while addressing current challenges related to heterogeneity, standardization, and safety. Full article

Population aging has increased the need for public open spaces that older adults can use safely, comfortably, and confidently. In many urban parks and community squares, however, resting facilities are still designed as standardized street furniture, with cold materials, insufficient hand support, limited wheelchair-inclusive space, and weak support for everyday social interaction. This study examines age-friendly public facilities as micro-scale spatial elements that shape sitting, standing, staying, communication, and willingness to remain in small urban open spaces. Drawing on field observation, behavioral analysis, semi-structured interviews, and a multi-criteria design-evaluation process, the study identifies older adults’ key facility-use needs and translates them into design indicators and alternative facility schemes. The results show that physical support and inclusive spatial use are the most important design priorities. Standing-up assistance, sitting-posture support, perceived structural stability, and age-appropriate dimensional adaptation were more influential than purely decorative or auxiliary functions. Among the three alternative schemes, the modular pergola system performed best because it combined stable hand support, independent seating, an age-friendly interactive table, shaded resting space, wheelchair-inclusive layout, and wood-based sensory comfort. The sensitivity analysis further confirmed that this scheme maintained a stable advantage under most weight-adjustment conditions. The findings suggest that age-friendly public facility design should move beyond the improvement of individual furniture products and instead integrate bodily support, spatial accessibility, social interaction, material comfort, and environmental pattern quality. This study provides a design-decision framework for improving the inclusiveness, accessibility, and health-supportive capacity of urban public open spaces for older adults. Full article

Diabetes mellitus represents a major global health challenge with rapidly increasing prevalence and substantial morbidity driven by metabolic and vascular complications. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as critical mediators of intercellular communication and are increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of diabetes. This review summarizes current knowledge on EV biology, including their classification, cellular sources, biogenesis, uptake mechanisms, and molecular cargo. We discuss the contribution of EV-associated microRNAs to immune dysregulation and β-cell damage in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), as well as the role of EVs in insulin resistance, metabolic signaling, and vascular dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Particular emphasis is placed on EV-mediated modulation of endothelial function, angiogenesis, and tissue repair, alongside their involvement in the impairment of insulin receptor integrity. We further explore how lifestyle factors may influence EV composition and function, highlighting their potential integration into preventive strategies. Finally, we evaluate the emerging therapeutic potential of EVs as biomarkers and delivery systems, while addressing current limitations and future directions. Collectively, EVs represent a promising frontier in understanding diabetes pathophysiology and developing innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Unlike previous reviews that examine EVs separately as biomarkers or therapeutic vehicles, this review integrates emerging evidence supporting EVs as mediators of systemic communication linking pancreatic islets, adipose tissue, immune cells, vascular endothelium, kidney, heart, and retina throughout diabetes progression. We further critically evaluate translational barriers that currently limit clinical implementation of EV-based diagnostics and therapeutics. Full article

Bone marrow (BM) is highly sensitive to ionizing radiation: high doses cause extensive cell death, BM failure, and immune suppression, whereas low doses may increase long-term cancer risk without acute toxicity. Radiation-induced BM effects are partly mediated by disrupted intercellular communication via extracellular vesicles (EVs), including alterations in their microRNA cargo. EV–microRNA packaging remains unclear, although RNA-binding proteins are thought to contribute. To address this, murine BM cells and EVs were isolated 24 h after total body irradiation (0, 0.1, or 3 Gy). MicroRNAs were analyzed using nCounter and validated by RT–qPCR, while RNA-binding proteins (hnRNP A2b1, hnRNP Q) were assessed by Western blotting and confocal microscopy. Protein–microRNA interactions were examined using motif analysis and immunoprecipitation, and functional associations were explored via KEGG pathway analysis. High-dose irradiation induced widespread microRNA changes, whereas low-dose irradiation had minimal effects. Distinct cellular and EV microRNA profiles indicated selective sorting, with specific microRNAs enriched in cells but depleted in EVs. hnRNP A2b1 emerged as a potential regulator, showing nuclear relocalization and reduced EV association after irradiation; these changes correlated with decreased export of motif-containing microRNAs, possibly linked to key BM pathways. Overall, radiation alters EV–microRNAs through dose-dependent, protein-mediated selective sorting, potentially affecting BM communication and homeostasis. Full article

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains one of the most aggressive and heterogeneous malignancies worldwide, characterized by high rates of locoregional recurrence, metastatic dissemination, and therapeutic resistance. Angiogenesis plays a central role in tumor progression by supporting vascular remodeling, hypoxia adaptation, invasion, immune evasion, and metastatic spread. In HNSCC, angiogenic activation is regulated through complex interactions involving hypoxia-inducible factors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling, stromal remodeling, inflammatory pathways, and epigenetic mechanisms within the tumor microenvironment. Recent evidence has also highlighted the role of non-coding RNAs, particularly microRNAs, and exosome-mediated communication in modulating angiogenic and immune-related signaling pathways. Although antiangiogenic therapies, including monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors, have demonstrated biological activity in HNSCC, their clinical efficacy remains limited by tumor heterogeneity, adaptive resistance mechanisms, toxicity, and the lack of validated predictive biomarkers. Several emerging therapeutic strategies are under preclinical or early clinical investigation in HNSCC, including miRNA-based approaches, nanoparticle-assisted delivery systems, vascular normalization concepts, and combinations with immune checkpoint inhibitors; however, robust clinical evidence for most of these strategies remains limited, and their translation to routine practice requires further validation. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the molecular mechanisms regulating angiogenesis in HNSCC and critically discusses current and emerging pharmacological strategies targeting these pathways. Particular emphasis is placed on VEGF/VEGFR signaling, the integration of miRNA and exosome biology, resistance mechanisms, and translational perspectives for biomarker-guided personalized therapy. The novelty of this review lies in the systematic integration of miRNA- and exosome-mediated angiogenic regulation, therapeutic resistance pathways, and precision medicine strategies into a unified pharmacological framework, addressing gaps not fully covered by prior reviews focused primarily on VEGF-targeted agents. Full article

Sports-based television formats combining competition, cooperation, and physical confrontation have long attracted large audiences. Since the 2000s reality television has increasingly adapted these elements, particularly through wrestling- and boxing-themed programs. This study examines the genre of celebrity boxing within the broader context of contemporary media culture, with the aim of interpreting its popularity through perspectives from communication and media theory. The analysis applies a qualitative approach drawing on concepts such as the media violence and Carey’s and Couldry’s ritual model of communication and includes an empirical case study of the Hungarian television program Sztárbox. The findings suggest that celebrity boxing operates as a pseudo-sporting spectacle that combines media violence with celebrity culture to maintain audience attention, while its dramaturgy—following Barthes’ and Jenkins’ interpretations—relies heavily on simplified moral oppositions and dramatized role-playing. These elements function as micro-rituals that structure viewer engagement and contribute to collective meaning-making beyond mere entertainment. The study concludes that the appeal of celebrity boxing lies not only in the display of physical confrontation but in its ritualized narrative framework, which reinforces social and cultural interpretations of conflict, identity, and spectacle within the logic of contemporary media environments. Full article

The increasing interconnectivity and digital transformation of Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance (CNS) systems have expanded their attack surface, rendering traditional perimeter-based security models inadequate for protecting these critical infrastructures. Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA), founded on the principle of “never trust, always verify,” offers a paradigm shift towards continuous, context-aware security. This paper presents a literature review investigating the application of ZTA principles to secure modern CNS ecosystems, following the guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) through its Cybersecurity Strategy and Plan. We analyze the alignment of ZTA core tenets—such as least-privilege access, micro-segmentation, and continuous authentication—with the unique operational requirements of CNS systems. This paper also presents a cybersecurity framework, under development within the Future Communications Digital Infrastructure (FCDI) project of the SESAR JU program, which aims to assist CNS stakeholders in collaboratively identifying cybersecurity threats within their scope of responsibility. The review critically examines implementation challenges for specific CNS subsystems: secure aeronautical communications (e.g., LDACS), resilient PNT (Positioning, Navigation, and Timing) services, and integrated surveillance networks (e.g., ADS-B, multilateration). Furthermore, we identify and evaluate domain-specific challenges, including integration with legacy avionics and ground systems, managing stringent latency and reliability constraints, and protecting against sophisticated threats targeting supply chains and data fusion processes. By synthesizing current research and practical deployment insights, this review aims to provide a foundational reference for aerospace engineers, cybersecurity specialists, and policymakers, offering a roadmap to enhance the cyber-resilience of vital CNS infrastructure in an era of evolving digital threats. Full article

The flooded rice rhizosphere is a continuous reactive interface composed of sediment, porewater, root-surface oxic microdomains, and iron plaque, where redox processes and Fe cycling regulate Cd/As speciation, bioavailability, and plant accumulation. Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have shown potential for reducing Cd/As uptake in rice, but the coupled roles of microbial community responses, iron-plaque gating, and cross-interface elemental migration remain insufficiently integrated. This review synthesizes the current evidence on ENM transformation and partitioning at flooded rhizosphere microinterfaces, focusing on front-end speciation changes, root-surface retention, microbial functional regulation, and plant sequestration or transport. Correlative evidence suggests that rhizosphere microorganisms are associated with altered redox conditions, Fe cycling, As methylation potential, and metabolite secretion, which may influence Cd/As partitioning and cross-interface migration. However, direct causal validation of the complete ENM transformation–microbial response–Fe cycling–Cd/As flux–grain accumulation sequence within a single integrated system remains lacking. We further discuss how elevated CO₂, micro-/nanoplastics, Fe/DOM dynamics, and water management regimes may modify this framework, and we identify Sb as a theoretical boundary case because direct ENM–rice evidence remains limited. Finally, we highlight the need to integrate spatial tracing and imaging methods, including persistent luminescence tracing, LA-ICP-MS, NanoSIMS, and µ-XRF/µ-XANES, with metaomics to connect particle localization, microbial function, and contaminant fate. Full article

Aquatic environments that support tourism, including coasts, lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries, are experiencing accelerating eutrophication worldwide. This trend increases the frequency and intensity of algal blooms. These blooms undermine ecosystem services and weaken the socio-economic performance of destination areas. Despite these challenges, existing research remains fragmented. Aquatic sciences mainly examine nutrient enrichment and bloom dynamics. In contrast, tourism studies often treat blooms as episodic disturbances and rarely integrate exposure pathways, risk communication, or feedback to destination governance. This review synthesizes evidence across freshwater and marine systems to develop a coupled tourism–water ecosystem perspective. We link eutrophication drivers and bloom typologies to three dimensions. These are the degradation of tourism-supporting ecosystem services, compound health stressors, and communication filters. The first includes losses of water clarity and aesthetic value. The second involves multi-route exposure through contact, inhalation, and seafood ingestion. The third shapes perceived safety, trust, and behavioral adaptation. We further connect perceived health risks to observable tourist behaviors, including cancellation, destination substitution, and activity avoidance. These micro-level responses can aggregate into market-level demand contractions and consumption reallocation. They can also trigger regional economic cascades, including public management costs, employment impacts, and long-term reputational damage. Crucially, tourism is not merely a victim of blooms. It can also act as a reinforcing anthropogenic driver through wastewater burdens, infrastructure expansion, and pulse pressures. These pressures lower ecological resilience, especially under warming and hydrological stabilization. Finally, we identify governance leverage points. These include early-warning systems, threshold-based graded interventions, transparent risk communication, and integrated social–ecological modeling. These strategies can reduce uncertainty-driven losses and support adaptive destination management. Overall, this review reframes algal blooms as systemic social–ecological risks. It provides a structured basis for future empirical attribution and policy design in tourism-dependent waters under climate stress. Full article

Real-time telemetry is essential for performance optimization and safety in motorcycle racing, yet commercial solutions remain proprietary, expensive, and poorly extensible. This paper presents the design, implementation, and experimental evaluation of an open-architecture embedded telemetry unit built around the STM32H745 dual-core microcontroller. The system integrates a u-blox ZED-F9P RTK-GNSS receiver, a Bosch BNO085 9-DoF IMU with on-chip sensor fusion, a CAN-FD interface for powertrain data acquisition, and a SIM7600E-H 4G/LTE module for real-time remote streaming, all housed in a 3D-printed vibration-resistant enclosure. The firmware employs deterministic dual-core task partitioning: the Cortex-M7 core handles sensor fusion and CAN-FD at high frequency, while the Cortex-M4 core manages 4G communication and microSD logging. We explicitly delimit the scope of the evidence presented: CAN-FD powertrain acquisition and end-to-end operational reliability are experimentally validated on real circuit data spanning four campaigns, over 100 laps, and 5.8 h of logging—with sustained acquisition of 13 powertrain channels at speeds up to 185 km/h and zero system resets or data-integrity errors. In contrast, RTK positioning accuracy (2.5 cm CEP), sensor-fusion latency (sub-2 ms at the 99th percentile), 4G-uplink reliability, and thermal margins are characterized through manufacturer specifications, Monte Carlo simulation, and analytical models, with a fully instrumented end-to-end measurement campaign identified as the immediate next step. The 50 Hz effective positioning rate combines 25 Hz GNSS with IMU interpolation. With a bill of materials of approximately EUR 265, the platform offers an order-of-magnitude cost reduction over commercial alternatives while providing full openness and extensibility for distributed intelligence applications. Full article

The growing request for more sustainable materials and environmentally friendly nanofabrication methods in the electronics field has recently driven the scientific community in the development of bio-derived materials as an alternative to conventional lithographic resists. In this work, we used chitosan, a biodegradable and biocompatible polysaccharide, as a green direct-write resist material for Atomic Force Microscopy-based nanolithography. Chitosan thin layers were obtained by spin coating and systematically characterized, in terms of thickness and surface roughness, demonstrating nanoscale smoothness and tunable film thickness. Three Pulse–Atomic Force Lithography (P-AFL) approaches, i.e., Constant Pulse, Gradient Pulse, and Raster Pulse AFL methods, were used to pattern nanostructures with constant-depth nanogrooves, variable-depth (2.5D) profile, and three-dimensional nanoholes on chitosan films. The results reveal high pattern fidelity, reproducibility, and tunability of feature dimensions as a function of applied force and scanning direction. Moreover, the RP-AFL technique enabled the fabrication of well-defined 3D nanostructures with depths matching the film thickness, which is a prerequisite for subsequent pattern transfer. This experimental work provided a first proof-of-concept to adopt chitosan as a more sustainable alternative with respect to conventional resists. Moreover, the results highlight P-AFL methods as a versatile and low-impact nanofabrication strategy, contributing to the development of greener micro- and nano-manufacturing technologies. Full article

Digital platforms are increasingly presented as instruments for sustainable tourism governance, yet destinations often remain data-rich and governance-poor: digital traces are dispersed across actors, indicators are weakly standardised and communities frequently lack meaningful access to the information that shapes destination decisions. This article addresses this problem through the conceptual design and preliminary formative evaluation of ORVE (Optimisation of Resources and Valorisation of Experiences), a destination-level platform designed to connect tourists and residents, companies and institutions and Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) through a circular data ecosystem, understood as feedback loops across stakeholder levels. Methodologically, the study adopts Design Science Research (DSR). It operationalises problem identification, definition of solution objectives, artefact design and development, preliminary demonstration and formative evaluation, while recognising that full-scale causal evaluation remains a future research stage. The empirical component draws on a real-world pre-test with 12 tourism companies mediated by Biosphere Portugal, two Biosphere-administered pilot-company surveys involving 58 and 52 companies and scenario-based testing by 14 student groups involving more than 60 final-year students from Tourism and Tourism and Hospitality Management programmes. These sources are interpreted as exploratory and formative evidence rather than as a representative adoption study or a causal impact evaluation. The results suggest perceived usefulness for structuring sustainability information, supporting indicator monitoring and informing decision making, while also revealing operational constraints related to usability, data-entry flexibility, privacy communication, validation mechanisms, data availability in micro and small enterprises and the need for close onboarding support. The article contributes a refined platform architecture, a governance requirements matrix, design principles, an operationalisation roadmap and an evaluation protocol for sustainable tourism platform governance. Full article