Search Results (7,467)

Wastewater treatment remains a major challenge in rural and peri-urban areas, where conventional centralized infrastructure is often unavailable or insufficient. In this context, Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) have emerged as cost-effective and energy-efficient alternatives for decentralized wastewater treatment. This review presents a comprehensive and multidimensional assessment of 15 NBS types, evaluating their technical performance, economic viability, environmental sustainability, and social dimensions. The analysis indicates that NBS can achieve pollutant removal efficiencies comparable to those of conventional treatment systems, particularly for organic matter and, in some cases, emerging contaminants. However, their performance is strongly influenced by system design and operational conditions. The main limitations of NBS include relatively low hydraulic and pollutant loading capacities, as well as substantial land requirements, ranging from 0.45 to 840 m²·PE⁻¹. These constraints limit their applicability in densely populated areas while making them particularly well suited for rural and low-density settings. From both economic and environmental perspectives, NBS offer significant advantages, including construction cost reductions of up to 66% and substantially lower energy consumption than conventional technologies. Nevertheless, their successful implementation depends not only on technical performance but also on social acceptance, stakeholder engagement, and the establishment of appropriate governance frameworks. Overall, NBS constitute a flexible and sustainable approach to wastewater treatment, whose effectiveness ultimately depends on site-specific conditions and the integration of complementary treatment components. Full article

This paper proposes a norm-based admissibility criterion formulated in the frequency domain for evaluating whether translational and rotational motion amplitudes of a ship moored at a quay remain within operational limits prescribed by port authorities. The approach is built on a linear six-degree-of-freedom model that includes hydrodynamic added-mass and radiation-damping effects, wave excitation forces, and aerodynamic wind loads, as well as linearized reactions of mooring lines and quay fenders, including an equivalent viscous representation of hull–fender friction. Instead of explicitly inverting the full system matrix to compute the complete response, the admissibility assessment is derived from row-wise norm bounds of the frequency-domain system, yielding a computationally efficient admissibility criterion for compliance with motion limits. The criterion naturally enables a port-oriented decision index and an operational safety margin that can be evaluated for each degree of freedom and used to compare alternative mooring arrangements. Numerical verification is performed for a bulk carrier under storm wave excitation and different loading conditions, demonstrating the sensitivity of admissibility to mooring geometry and pretension. The results confirm that the proposed criterion provides a practical engineering tool for rapid go/no-go decisions regarding cargo operations and supports the selection of mooring arrangements that improve operational robustness under adverse environmental loading conditions. In addition, a Monte Carlo-based uncertainty analysis is performed to evaluate the robustness of the proposed admissibility criterion with variable mooring stiffness and damping parameters. The proposed criterion is intended as a rapid engineering screening tool to complement conventional frequency-domain response analysis. Full article

Agro-industrial by-products from beetroot, raspberry, sea buckthorn, and shadbush are valuable sources of natural pigments and renewable filler materials, but their hydrophilic surfaces limit compatibility with hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrices. This study evaluated the effect of catalyst-free vapor-phase hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) treatment of pigment-rich powders and their incorporation into PDMS composites at 5 and 20 wt.% filler loadings. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and contact angle measurements were used to characterize surface modifications. Mechanical behavior under puncture loading was evaluated using texture analysis. FTIR confirmed successful silylation through the reduction in hydroxyl groups and the emergence of silicon-containing functionalities. Treated fillers exhibited rougher, more irregular surfaces, which suggested improved filler dispersion and interfacial compatibility within the PDMS matrix. Modified composites showed enhanced hydrophobicity, with contact angles up to 102.84°. Composites containing 5 wt.% HMDS-treated raspberry filler demonstrated the highest puncture resistance and elasticity, indicating improved interfacial interactions. In contrast, 20 wt.% filler loading generally reduced puncture resistance and elasticity, possibly due to increased particle agglomeration and reduced matrix continuity, as suggested by the SEM observations, whereas shadbush-filled composites showed decreased performance after treatment. Overall, HMDS surface modification effectively improves the compatibility of pigment-rich agro-waste fillers with PDMS and supports their use as functional fillers and natural colorant sources in silicone-based composites, providing a value-added route for the utilization of agro-industrial by-products. Full article

Dissolved bio-essential trace metals (Cu, Zn, Co, Ni, and Fe) in seawater and 17 elements in surface sediments were studied to assess the metal contamination and associated ecological risks in the Sulaibikhat Bay Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the northwestern Arabian Gulf. Dissolved metals were mostly at low to moderate levels and within the limits of most international water quality standards. However, dissolved Cu concentrations (0.54 to 4.73 µg L⁻¹) in the MPA stations (MPA-1 and MPA-2) exceeded the Oslo–Paris Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR) ecotoxicological assessment thresholds, suggesting possible adverse ecological effects. Sediment showed higher levels of Cd, Cr, Ni, V, Cu, and Zn at stations within the MPA, with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) linking these enrichments to nearby industrial and desalination discharge sources. The calculated enrichment factor (EF) and geoaccumulation index (I_geo) values confirmed moderate to substantial anthropogenic contributions for Cd, Cr, and Ni, while the major lithogenic elements were derived from natural mineralogical inputs. A pollution load index (PLI) > 1 at stations MPA-1, MPA-3 and MPA-4 in Sulaibikhat Bay indicated cumulative metal contamination. Ecological risk assessment criteria classified sediments within the MPA and Sulaibikhat Bay as having a moderate level of ecological risk, with Cd identified as the principal contributor. The toxicological indices, namely mean Effect Range Median Quotient (m-ERM-Q) and mean Probable Effect Level Quotient (m-PEL-Q), indicated a low-to-moderate probability of adverse biological effects due to Cu and Ni exposure in the MPA. In contrast, the reference station in the Kuwait Bay showed very low contamination and negligible ecological risk. These findings stress the need for continuous monitoring and effective source control to protect the ecosystem of this newly established MPA in Kuwait. Full article

Conventional antibiotics exhibit limited ability to penetrate host cell membranes, making intracellular bacterial infections difficult to eradicate completely. As naturally derived nanoscale membrane structures, bacterial extracellular vesicles (EVs) possess excellent biocompatibility and intrinsic transmembrane transport capability, thereby demonstrating unique advantages for in vivo drug delivery. The present study investigated the feasibility of using EVs derived from the avirulent Streptococcus suis T15 as novel carriers for ciprofloxacin delivery. We also comprehensively evaluated the biosafety and anti-infective efficacy of this nanodrug delivery system in vitro and in vivo. Cytotoxicity assays, live/dead cell staining, and hemolysis analyses demonstrated that T15-derived EVs at concentrations below 50 μg/mL did not cause significant cellular damage or hemolysis. Serum biochemical analyses in mice further confirmed the absence of obvious organ toxicity, indicating favorable biosafety within the tested concentration range. Ciprofloxacin was successfully loaded into EVs using a combination of ultrasonication and electroporation, achieving a drug concentration of 438.6 μg/mL and a loading efficiency of 10.96%. The ciprofloxacin-loaded EVs (EV-CIP) exhibited significantly greater antibacterial activity than free ciprofloxacin against both intracellular bacteria and fluoroquinolone-resistant strains exhibiting efflux pump activity. Evaluation in animal infection models showed that EV-CIP markedly reduced mortality in infected Galleria mellonella larvae. It also decreased bacterial burdens in multiple mouse organs and significantly alleviated histopathological damage. These results collectively suggest that EVs derived from the avirulent S. suis T15 were safe and effective within the tested concentration range and experimental conditions. The EV-based ciprofloxacin delivery system substantially enhanced the clearance of intracellular pathogens and fluoroquinolone efflux pump-positive bacteria, suggesting its potential application in the treatment of difficult-to-treat bacterial infections. This study provides a theoretical and experimental basis for the further development of novel EV-based anti-infective drug delivery strategies for livestock and poultry. Full article

In this study, novel and stable cellulose-based oleogels with tunable rheological properties were successfully developed for lubrication applications via cross-linking reactions of epoxidized soybean oil (ESO), microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), and isocyanate. This cross-linking strategy not only overcomes the incompatibility issue arising from the polarity difference between MCC and ESO but also enables precise control over the oleogels’ rheological behavior by tailoring the cross-linking density. The resulting oleogels exhibit excellent thermal stability, with an initial decomposition temperature (T_5%) of approximately 300 °C. Furthermore, oxidation resistance is significantly enhanced with increasing cross-linking density, resulting in a substantial increase in the oxidation induction time (OIT) from 5 to 79 min at 210 °C. Rheological characterization reveals that the oleogels exhibit typical shear-thinning and thixotropic behavior. The plateau modulus ($G_N^0$) exhibits a positive correlation with cross-linking density, accompanied by a simultaneous improvement in structural recovery ability. Tribological tests show that the friction coefficient increases with the cross-linking degree, while four-ball tests indicate that the extreme-pressure load-carrying capacity is governed mainly by the nature of the base oil in addition to the cross-linking density of the gel network. This work provides a promising strategy for the development of high-performance and customizable bio-based lubricating materials. Full article

Skin tissue engineering has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for severe wounds and inflammatory skin diseases. Stem cell-derived exosomes (SC-Exos) have recently gained increasing attention as cell-free therapeutic agents with regenerative and immunomodulatory potential, offering possible advantages over direct stem cell transplantation. To fully realize their therapeutic potential, however, efficient delivery platforms are needed to enhance local retention, preserve vesicle integrity, and support sustained release within the diseased skin microenvironment. In this review, we discuss advanced polymeric biomaterials as functional delivery platforms for SC-Exos in skin tissue engineering. We focus on natural and synthetic polymers engineered into nanofibrous scaffolds, hydrogels, and microneedles, and examine how these systems enhance exosome loading, protect vesicle integrity, improve local retention, and modulate release kinetics. We further highlight the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of polymer–exosome systems in skin lesion repair, focusing on their roles in promoting angiogenesis, modulating local inflammation and immune responses, and facilitating extracellular matrix remodeling. Finally, we address remaining challenges and future directions for translating polymer-based SC-Exos delivery platforms into clinically relevant skin regenerative therapies. Full article

Chronic wounds are a persistent clinical and public health challenge due to impaired tissue repair caused by sustained inflammation, oxidative stress, and cellular senescence. Natural polyphenols such as curcumin and resveratrol, alongside mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) secretome, have demonstrated complementary anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and pro-angiogenic properties with potential for wound healing. This study reports two complementary in vitro investigations evaluating the release profiles of curcumin and resveratrol from two polymeric platforms: poly(vinyl alcohol)/sodium alginate/carboxymethylcellulose films (Study 1) and an acrylate copolymer-based hydrogel incorporating MSC secretome (Study 2). UV-Vis spectrophotometric analysis confirmed analytical selectivity with no interference from excipients. Resveratrol exhibited progressive and consistent release from the hydrogel. Curcumin compromised polymer matrix integrity and reduced resveratrol release efficiency. Also showed unsatisfactory release in both systems, attributed to its low aqueous solubility. These results support the use of resveratrol-loaded polymeric matrices as promising sustained-release platforms for bioactive wound dressings and highlight the need for nanoencapsulation strategies to improve curcumin bioavailability. Full article

Inflammation and oxidative stress induced by high glucose levels constitute essential factors impeding wound healing in diabetes, posing a significant threat to public health. Despite its notable anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential, the clinical applicability of quercetin is hampered by its hydrophobicity and limited oral bioavailability. To address these issues, the thin-film hydration method was used to encapsulate quercetin into FQ micelles. Subsequently, 3-aminophenylboronic acid-modified oxidized alginate was crosslinked with polyvinyl alcohol, and simultaneously loaded with glucose oxidase (GOX) and FQ micelles, to construct a glucose-activated cascade acidification-triggered controlled-release hydrogel (OSSP@FQ&GOX). The phenylboronic ester bonds in the hydrogel are responsive to glucose and undergo cleavage. GOX-mediated oxidation of glucose produces gluconic acid, resulting in a lower local pH and subsequently triggering FQ micelle release. The released FQ micelles alleviate oxidative stress and exert immunomodulatory effects, while the hydrogel also provides self-healing, and biocompatible properties that facilitate cutaneous regeneration in diabetic mice. Thus, this study highlights the potential of combining GOX with natural products and multi-stimuli-responsive hydrogels for the treatment of chronic diabetic wounds, while also opening new avenues for the development of multifunctional wound dressings. Full article

Traditional urban drainage systems face increasing pressures due to growing urbanization and climate change, which amplify stormwater volumes beyond the design capacity of sewer networks. These conditions often result in combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) bypasses, discharging untreated, nutrient-laden effluents into receiving water bodies. Elevated nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loads from these events exacerbate eutrophication and harmful algal blooms in lakes. The ENVISION project (Lake Pollution: Integrating Nature-Based Solutions Into Environmental Urban Planning for Risk Mitigation) addresses the impact of urban discharges on lakes and evaluates the potential of Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs) to mitigate N and P releases from CSOs. A coupled hydrological–hydraulic and probabilistic modeling framework is applied to the Lake Maggiore (Northern Italy) catchment as a case study, to assess the potential of NBSs in reducing CSO events and, consequently, the N and P loads discharged into the lake. Preliminary results from the hydrological–hydraulic approach are presented. Full article

Intense rainfall and the resulting increase in ground saturation can significantly modify the mechanical performance of rock masses in natural slopes, particularly when fractured material is present. Extended infiltration reduces shear strength along discontinuities and increases pore-water pressures, raising the probability of large-scale landslides. When a tunnel is built within or near an unstable slope, the response of both structures becomes coupled, and this tunnel–slope interaction has proven to be an important aspect in the design and safety assessment of underground infrastructure in mountainous regions. This study evaluates the static and seismic performance of a tunnel–slope system in a fractured shale–limestone slope that failed after heavy rainfall. Since ground exploration was limited, the observed failure was reproduced through a back-analysis within a performance-based design (PBD) framework to calibrate representative geomechanical parameters. These parameters were then used in three-dimensional finite difference models to simulate the tunnel construction process and the seismic response of the system. During construction, the interaction between the tunnel and the slope was found to be minor. Under seismic loading, however, the simulations revealed notable interaction effects: slope displacements accumulate in the zone where the tunnel runs closest to the unstable critical section, and the stresses in the tunnel lining increase as a result of both the interaction with the slope and the curvature of the alignment. These results indicate that tunnel–slope interaction should be explicitly considered in the analysis and design of underground infrastructure whenever the tunnel lies within about four diameters of an unstable slope. Full article

Deploying large language models on limited edge hardware remains an open challenge for natural language robot control. This study compares three quantized sub-1.5B models, namely SmolLM2-135M, Gemma3-1B, and TinyLlama-1.1B, for velocity-command generation on a TurtleBot3 Burger in ROS/Gazebo using llama.cpp. The evaluation uses a two-tier protocol: an atomic benchmark with 900 inference trials ($50\times 6\times 3$) measuring parse success, semantic accuracy, and latency, and a mission benchmark with 150 multi-step navigation runs and 870 total steps measuring waypoint, heading, and endpoint error from Gazebo ground-truth pose. A clear model-load cold-start effect is observed: the first warmup inference after loading is roughly 6–$9\times$ slower than steady-state warm-start inference because of KV-cache initialization and memory-mapped weight paging. Warm-start latencies differ significantly across models (Kruskal–Wallis $H=682.3$; $p<{10}^{-148}$): 0.506 s for SmolLM2, 1.661 s for TinyLlama, and 2.903 s for Gemma3. Semantic accuracy also differs across models under the trial-level independence approximation used in this benchmark (${\chi }^2=57.6$; $p<{10}^{-12}$), with TinyLlama-1.1B achieving the highest score of 72.7%, ahead of Gemma3-1B with 51.7% and SmolLM2-135M with 42.7%. On mission aggregates, Gemma3-1B yields the lowest overall waypoint error of 0.654 m and endpoint error of 1.022 m, while TinyLlama-1.1B remains close and retains the strongest atomic command fidelity. These results suggest that quantized small LLMs are promising for supervised, edge-local natural language robot control, but the observed error rates and simulation-only evaluation indicate that they are not yet reliable enough for unsupervised real-world deployment. Full article

RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase (RdRp), one of the key enzymes in the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) life cycle, is a recognized druggable target for Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) treatment. Its inhibition has been associated with reduced viral loads in infected individuals. A library of 1562 Philippine Natural Compounds was screened in silico for potential SARS-CoV-2 anti-RdRp activity using a high-throughput virtual screening (VS) approach. Molecular docking experiments and in silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) predictions were used to determine compounds with potential inhibitory capabilities against RdRp. The top three compounds, Vitelignin A (VIT), Vitexoside (VIX), and Cannabifolin C (CAN), were subjected to molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in complex with RdRp, confirming the formation of stable protein-ligand complexes. Overall, these results suggest promising inhibitory capabilities of these three compounds against SARS-CoV-2 RdRp. Their shared presence in extracts of Vitex negundo, a Philippine medicinal plant, warrants further in vitro and in vivo investigation regarding the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of its extracts and active components. Full article

The present study explores the impact of UV-B radiation on biochemical traits and phenolic profile of in vitro cultures (IC) and micropropagated plants (MP) of Lavandula viridis L’Hér and Thymus lotocephalus G. López and R. Morales. Two UV-B treatments were applied: a single 4 h exposure (UV-B 1) and repeated exposure over four consecutive days (UV-B 4). Additionally, the potential of phenolic-rich extracts loaded into alginate-based hydrogels for dye removal was also evaluated. UV-B exposure triggered oxidative stress in both species, particularly in MP, increasing hydrogen peroxide levels and lipid peroxidation, and affecting chlorophyll and carotenoid content. Both species responded by accumulating soluble sugars and phenolic compounds as a defense mechanism. Rosmarinic acid, the predominant phenolic compound, increased significantly under UV-B radiation in IC and MP. IC showed higher concentrations after UV-B 1 exposure, with L. viridis reaching 50.1 mg/g and T. lotocephalus 32.3 mg/g, increases of 16% and 41%, respectively, over the control. Polyphenol-loaded hydrogels showed high methylene blue adsorption efficiency, highlighting their potential as eco-friendly materials for wastewater treatment and environmental remediation. Optimal adsorption conditions were determined using Box–Behnken design and Response Surface Methodology, demonstrating the applicability of these natural hydrogels as sustainable and efficient materials for dye removal from contaminated wastewater. Full article

Diagnosis of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) relies on lower respiratory tract sampling, often requiring bronchoscopy. Given its invasive nature, non-invasive diagnostic methods are desirable. In this retrospective case–control study, we evaluated the diagnostic performance of serum P. jirovecii PCR and β-D-glucan for PCP diagnosis. Adult patients with hematologic malignancies and positive P. jirovecii PCR in lower respiratory tract samples were included as cases and classified as PCP or colonization. Controls had negative BAL PCR. Stored serum samples were analyzed by P. jirovecii PCR and β-D-glucan. Forty-one cases (29 PCP, 12 colonization) and 36 controls were included. Serum P. jirovecii PCR was positive in 20/41 cases (49%) and in 15/29 patients with PCP (52%), while no controls were serum PCR-positive. For PCP diagnosis, serum PCR had a sensitivity of 52% and a specificity of 89%. For detection of P. jirovecii in the lower respiratory tract, sensitivity was 49% and specificity 100%. Detectable serum P. jirovecii DNA was associated with higher P. jirovecii load in respiratory tract samples and higher β-D-glucan levels, but not with the presence or severity of pneumonia. Serum P. jirovecii PCR is a highly specific marker of P. jirovecii in the lower respiratory tract and may serve as a useful initial non-invasive test in patients with suspected PCP, prior to invasive respiratory sampling. Full article