Search Results (4,732)

The increasing share of renewable energy, such as solar and wind energy, in the energy mix implies a demand for sustainable energy storage systems for the mitigation of the intermittency of these energy sources. One option, therefore, is stationary batteries based on abundant sodium, stored in hard carbon (HC) anodes. In this work, following the sustainable by design principle, HCs were synthesized from cotton-based textile waste using three different thermochemical routes: hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) followed by pyrolysis under nitrogen atmosphere (HC-250-N), HTC followed by pyrolysis under a water vapor stream (HC-250-W), and direct pyrolysis (HC-direct-N). The impact of the synthesis method on the physicochemical properties and electrochemical performance of the HCs was thoroughly investigated. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and gas adsorption analyses revealed that the HTC pre-treatment significantly enhanced the carbon content, microporosity, and degree of structural graphitic order. HC-250-N exhibited the highest graphitic character and more uniform microstructure, while HC-250-W showed the largest specific surface area and broader micropore distribution. Electrochemical evaluation in sodium-ion half-cells indicated that HC-250-N delivered the most balanced performance, with a reversible capacity of 335 mAh g⁻¹ and good cycling stability. These findings confirm the potential of textile waste-derived HCs as promising and sustainable anode materials for sodium-ion batteries and highlight the importance of tailoring synthesis parameters—such as HTC treatment and pyrolysis conditions—to optimize their structural and electrochemical properties. Full article

In response to the challenges of drastic illumination variations, large differences in fruit scale, and severe occlusion in real-field environments, this paper proposes a lightweight end-to-end detection model, termed EMBS-DETR, for tomato maturity detection. The proposed method is built upon the RT-DETR-R18 baseline framework, retaining the advantages of global modeling and end-to-end detection enabled by the Transformer architecture, while introducing targeted improvements in feature extraction and multi-scale feature fusion. In the feature extraction stage, a C2f-FDConv module is incorporated to enhance the modeling capability of high-frequency fine-grained features, such as the surface texture and color gradients of tomatoes, while reducing redundant parameter overhead. For high-level semantic representation, an improved parameter-free attention mechanism, SimAM-TF, is designed. By jointly modeling neuron energy functions and color-aware modulation, it effectively enhances feature representation under complex lighting and occlusion conditions. For multi-scale feature fusion, a novel EMBS-FPN structure is proposed. Based on bidirectional feature flow and a multi-scale weighted fusion mechanism, this structure integrates multi-branch receptive field modeling with an efficient upsampling strategy, enabling adaptive fusion of P3–P5 feature layers. This design significantly improves representation stability for objects of varying scales while maintaining model lightweight characteristics. To evaluate the proposed method, a real-field tomato maturity dataset was constructed, consisting of 2327 images collected from facility-grown pink large-fruit tomato varieties widely cultivated in North China. According to agricultural industry standards and physicochemical properties, the dataset is categorized into three classes: immature (796 images), turning stage (718 images), and mature (813 images). Experiments were conducted on an Ubuntu 20.04 platform with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU. The input resolution was set to 640 × 640. Standard evaluation metrics, including Precision, Recall, mAP@0.5, mAP@0.5:0.95, as well as Params, GFLOPs, and Model Size, were used for comprehensive assessment. The experimental results demonstrate that EMBS-DETR achieves 90.9% Precision, 85.7% Recall, 89.9% mAP@0.5, and 79.8% mAP@0.5:0.95. Meanwhile, with only 37.03 M parameters, 25.2 GFLOPs computational cost, and a model size of 46.3 MB, the proposed model maintains low computational and storage overhead, achieving a favorable balance between accuracy and efficiency. Compared with mainstream YOLO-based models, the proposed method demonstrates superior overall performance in complex field environments, providing effective technical support for automated tomato maturity perception and intelligent visual understanding in precision agriculture. Full article

Ilex guayusa Loes., an Amazonian holly cultivated by indigenous Kichwa communities, is valued for its caffeine-rich leaves (2.0–3.5% dry weight). However, industrial processing generates substantial by-products that remain undercharacterized and underutilized. This study provides baseline quantitative assessment and physicochemical characterization of guayusa processing residues from the Kallari cooperative (Napo, Ecuador) to explore their potential within a circular bioeconomy framework. Granulometric analysis showed that processing produces predominantly coarse material (>425 μm, 67.5%), while intermediate and fine fractions (<425 μm) account for 32.5% of total biomass. Comparative analysis of pooled fractions (n = 10 subsamples per fraction) did not show clear compositional differences across twelve physicochemical parameters (p > 0.05), suggesting relatively comparable compositional profiles within the analyzed material. Residues contained relevant bioactive compounds, including total phenolics (15.7–16.0 mg GAE g⁻¹ DW) and condensed tannins (9.4–10.0 mg GAE g⁻¹ DW). Preliminary caffeine analysis (n = 2 composite samples) indicated values of 1.89–2.09% DW. Correlation analysis showed a negative association between protein and tannins (r = −0.785, p = 0.007) and a positive relationship between fiber and tannins (r = 0.660, p = 0.038). Exploratory principal component analysis suggested structural–phenolic patterns, although results should be interpreted cautiously due to the limited sample size. At the cooperative scale (18–25 t yr⁻¹), these residues represent 5.8–8.1 t yr⁻¹ of underutilized biomass. While the findings suggest potential suitability for applications such as functional ingredients, bioactive extraction, and cosmetic formulations, further validation including independent biological replication, compound-specific profiling, and techno-economic assessment is required. This study establishes a baseline dataset to support future valorization strategies within Amazonian indigenous bioeconomy contexts. Full article

Background/Objectives: Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is a chronic, recurrent allergic disease with the risk of permanent injury or visual disabilities. Tacrolimus (FK506) is a potent immunosuppressant with insoluble ability and a high molecular weight. Methods: To address this disease, we successfully prepared FK506-loaded polymeric micelles (0.01%, FK506-MS) by a simple, organic solvent-free method. The physicochemical properties of FK506-MS were characterized. Corneal permeability, biocompatibility, and bioavailability were evaluated in vitro and in vivo in comparison with a commercially available FK506 suspension (0.1%, FK506-Susp). Therapeutic efficacy was also assessed in a murine model of VKC. Results: FK506-MS exhibited a small, homogeneous particle size with near-neutral surface charge. FK506-MS displayed a rapid and sustained release, along with excellent biocompatibility and stability. Ocular pharmacokinetic studies in rabbits revealed that FK506-MS, despite being only one-tenth the concentration of FK506-Susp, could achieve sufficient concentration in the conjunctiva with a prolonged half-life (T1/2) while systemic exposure in blood was markedly reduced. FK506-MS elicited comparable therapeutic responses across evaluated parameters: clinical symptoms, molecular biomarkers of inflammation, and histopathological findings. Conclusions: The dose-sparing advantage of FK506-MS suggests that the conventional paradigm of concentration-dependent therapeutic efficacy may require further refinement. The nanomicellar delivery system not only overcomes the solubility limitation of FK506 but also exhibits a potential therapeutic paradigm: achieving comparable clinical efficacy with a lower dose and reduced systemic exposure. These results provide a promising preclinical basis for the potential development of a topical tacrolimus therapy that may offer improved safety, cost-effectiveness, and patient adherence. Full article

This study evaluates the influence of harvesting methods and seasonal variability on the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of Tetragonisca fiebrigi honey produced in the tropical dry forest of Bolivia. Despite the growing interest in stingless bee honey, studies addressing the combined effects of seasonality and collection practices in this region remain scarce. Honey samples were collected during winter and spring using three approaches: conventional, optimized (based on good manufacturing practices), and direct racking from natural nests. Physicochemical parameters (pH 4.60–6.15; moisture 28-34%; water activity 0.69–0.75) and sugar composition (glucose 10.60–29.03 g/100 g; fructose 9.01–21.97 g/100 g; sucrose 0.70–3.23 g/100 g) showed variability primarily associated with season rather than harvesting method. Bioactive compounds exhibited a marked seasonal effect, with higher total phenolic content (up to 11.03 mg GAE/100 g), flavonoids (up to 23.08 mg QE/100 g), and antioxidant capacity (DPPH up to 1.33 mol TE/100 g; ORAC up to 25.93 mol TE/100 g) in spring samples. Multivariate analysis (PCA) revealed that honey variability is structured along bioactive and physicochemical axes, with samples obtained using the optimized method showing reduced dispersion and greater compositional consistency. These results indicate that while seasonality governs the compositional and functional properties of T. fiebrigi honey, improved harvesting practices contribute to reducing variability and enhancing product standardization. This study provides one of the first comprehensive datasets on Bolivian stingless bee honey and highlights its potential as a functional food, supporting the development of species-specific quality criteria and sustainable meliponiculture in tropical dry forest ecosystems. Full article

High-capacity energy storage batteries contain complex physicochemical systems. The thermal runaway within batteries pose significant challenges to widespread application in energy storage systems. To better investigate the safety warning thresholds of battery energy storage systems, it is necessary to study the thermal runaway characteristics and behavioral patterns of batteries under various abusive conditions. This study focuses primarily on energy storage batteries in actual operation and on simulating real-world operating conditions. A multi-parameter experimental monitoring platform based on temperature, voltage, expansion force, and particulate matter concentration was established to investigate the multi-parameter variation patterns and distinctive characteristics of thermal runaway in energy storage cells under electrothermal coupling and overcharging abuse conditions. The results show that under electrothermal coupling conditions, the initial critical moment of thermal runaway occurs 530 s earlier than under overcharging conditions, with a maximum temperature reaching 457.2 °C; however, under overcharging conditions, the thermal runaway process is more severe, with a maximum temperature reaching 580.9 °C. A comparative analysis of the early warning thresholds for multiple parameters revealed that the threshold based on mechanical signals appears the earliest. Under electrothermal coupling conditions, the force signal preceded the injection valve signal, voltage signal, and temperature signal by 121 s, 305 s, and 732 s, respectively, with a maximum expansion force of 6836 N; under electrical abuse conditions, the force signal preceded the aforementioned signals by 458 s, 711 s, and 1733 s, respectively, with a maximum expansion force reaching 7566 N. This study provides a basis for the thermal management design and safety control of energy storage batteries. This study offers insights for safeguarding the proper operation of battery energy storage systems. Full article

The study aimed to evaluate the influence of growing location and drying method on the physicochemical properties, bioactive compound composition, and antioxidant capacity of wild Rosa canina L. fruits collected from four Herzegovinian locations. Significant differences were observed among locations and drying methods for all analysed physico-chemical parameters. Fresh fruits exhibited high dry matter content (average 54.6%). The highest ascorbic acid content was recorded in fresh fruits from location L1 (112.20 mg/100 g fw), whereas drying reduced its concentration approximately 3.7-fold. Total phenolic content ranged from 1205.45 mg GAE/100 g fw in fresh fruits from location 1 to markedly lower values after drying (approximately 50% reduction). β-carotene content varied from 1.01 to 20.12 mg/100 g fw, with the highest level detected in fresh fruits from location 4, while lycopene ranged from 3.33 to 59.28 mg/100 g fw, with fresh fruits from location 1 showing exceptionally high values. Fresh fruits exhibited the highest antioxidant capacity (ABTS assay), while dried samples retained considerable activity, with significant location-dependent interactions between growing site and drying method. Results confirm that pedo-climatic conditions significantly shape the bioactive profile of rosehip fruits and highlight Herzegovinian rosehip as a valuable functional material for food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. Full article

The pervasive issue of lead contamination in water systems necessitates the development of advanced and sustainable remediation methodologies. Powdered activated carbon synthesized from Pinus roxburghii has been meticulously evaluated as a high-performance capture medium to remove sequestration of lead ions from aqueous systems through batch adsorption studies. These adsorption dynamics were optimized by Response Surface Methodology integrated with Central Composite Design, enabling precise calibration of crucial influential factors such as pH, contact time, and adsorbent dosage. Morphological analysis conducted using Scanning Electron Microscopy confirmed a highly porous structure, while Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy identified functional groups, such as hydroxyl groups coupled with carbonyl groups, which exhibit strong metal affinity. Under optimal conditions, a pH of 8.2, a time of 140 min, and an adsorbent dosage of 0.03 g/L resulted in a maximum lead removal efficiency of 99.86%. Validation trials substantiated the reproducibility of the process, yielding a marginally diminished efficiency of 98.62 ± 1.24%. The integration of RSM not only validated the statistical significance of the experimental outcomes but also reinforced the predictive accuracy. This study demonstrates the critical interplay of adsorption parameters and highlights the physicochemical properties of Pinus roxburghii-based activated carbon, emphasizing its potential for advanced water purification processes. Full article

One of the fundamental recommendations for sustainable agricultural practices is protecting soil biodiversity by increasing the use of organic fertilizers and substrates. According to EU regulations, certain animal by-products (including horn shavings) may be used as crop fertilizers; however, insufficient information is available on the impact of this fertilizer substrate on the soil environment. This study was conducted to determine the effects of annual soil application of horn shavings on selected characteristics of Lumbricidae communities and physicochemical properties of the soil. Experimental plots had the following treatments of cattle horn shavings (CHS): CHS100 (100%; 1.3 t·ha⁻¹; equivalent to 161 kg N/ha), CHS75 (75%; 0.98 t·ha⁻¹), CHS50 (50%; 0.65 t·ha⁻¹), and SL (control without fertilization). After 2 years of application, an electrical method was used to collect earthworms over the following 3 years. Earthworms found belonged to five species representing three ecological groups: Dendrobaena octaedra, Dendrodrilus rubidus tenuis, Lumbricus rubellus, Aporrectodea caliginosa, and Lumbricus terrestris. Significantly higher values of earthworm metrics were demonstrated between the plot with the highest fertilization (CHS100) and the plots with lower horn shavings additions (abundance: CHS100 > CHS75 and CHS50 by a mean of 43.2%; biomass: CHS100 > CHS75 and CHS50 by a mean of 43%). Species richness was not affected but an increase in CHS application led to a greater biodiversity index. CHS treatments affected selected soil parameters to varying degrees, with soil moisture having the greatest influence on the given earthworm traits. Cattle horn shavings used as a fertilizer are a positive promoter of earthworms in soils and further research in this area may be warranted. Full article

Soil monitoring is fundamental for maintaining global soil health, ensuring food security, and achieving sustainable development. While satellite platforms provide invaluable tools for this purpose, the accuracy of soil monitoring heavily relies on the appropriate design of their remote sensing payload parameters. This study focuses on enhancing the accuracy of satellite-based global soil monitoring. Key physicochemical soil parameters—including total nitrogen (TN), soil organic matter (SOM), total salt content (TSS), moisture content (MC), and clay fraction (Clay)—were analyzed. A full-chain analytical validation model integrating “instrument–radiative transfer–soil parameter inversion” was developed. Using spectral measurements and soil sample analyses from the black soil region of Northeast China, the spectral response characteristics of core soil parameters were simulated and cross-validated under varying spectral resolutions and integration times. Results indicate that, under specific parameter configurations, the ‘Linshi-1’ satellite achieved robust TN inversion accuracy with R² > 0.65. SOM consistently exhibited good inversion performance, with RMSE ranging between 5.04 and 5.76 g/kg across various spectral treatments (all < 6 g/kg). TSS inversion demonstrated strong stability, maintaining an RMSE of approximately 0.43–0.44 g/kg at resampled spectral resolutions≥10 nm (corresponding to an SNR > 263). MC inversion accuracy was sensitive to both spectral resolution and regional variations, requiring a resampled resolution below 10 nm for consistently high accuracy. Clay inversion required the highest resolution, achieving an RMSE of less than 6 g/kg only at resampled resolutions of 1 nm or 2 nm (SNR approximately 150–210). These findings guided the design of the ‘Linshi-1’ black soil monitoring satellite system and its hyperspectral payload prototype. This effort establishes a solid theoretical and methodological foundation for future deployment, providing crucial space-based support for China’s black soil resource management and sustainable utilization. Full article

This study presents a short-term, IoT-enabled sensor-based assessment of treated municipal water and decentralized groundwater in Bragança, northeastern Portugal. Two drinking-water supply contexts were compared: treated surface-water-derived municipal water from the public supply system and groundwater from a decentralized supply system serving part of a higher education campus. Five sampling points were monitored during three campaigns between January and March 2026. At each point, pH, electrical conductivity, temperature, oxidation–reduction potential, and total dissolved solids were recorded at 10 s intervals over approximately 10 min monitoring windows using a multiparameter probe integrated into an IoT-enabled data acquisition workflow. Microbiological analyses were performed on groundwater samples as complementary information. Treated municipal water showed lower mineralization, narrower parameter ranges, and higher oxidation–reduction potential, reflecting source-water characteristics, treatment, and operational control. Groundwater showed higher mineralization, lower oxidation–reduction potential, and greater variability among sampling points and campaigns, consistent with stronger local hydrogeochemical and operational influences. The repeated short-interval readings provided more detailed physicochemical profiles than isolated spot measurements, although the short monitoring windows do not represent continuous long-term high-frequency monitoring. Overall, the results support standardized IoT-enabled sensor-based monitoring as a complementary tool for short-term water-quality assessment and indicate the need for longer seasonal datasets and laboratory confirmation. Full article

The effects of pre-harvest application of Bacillus velezensis LYB73 on rhizosphere soil properties, microbial communities, fruit quality, and flavor-related traits in different peach cultivars are still not well understood. In this study, three peach cultivars, “Jinxia” (JX), “Wanhujing” (WHJ), and “Youpantao” (YPT), were subjected to B. velezensis LYB73 treatment or a sterile-water control under field conditions. Rhizosphere bacterial (16S rRNA) and fungal (ITS) communities were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing. Soil physicochemical properties, fruit nutritional and functional components, antioxidant capacity, and electronic sensory traits were also evaluated. The application of LYB73 was associated with lower rhizosphere soil pH (5.52–6.82) and changes in several soil nutrient-related parameters. Microbial community analyses indicated that LYB73 treatment was accompanied by shifts in the composition of rhizosphere bacterial and fungal communities. For example, the relative abundance of Pseudomonadota increased in the JX treatment group, while Ascomycota was enriched in the JX and YPT treatment groups. At the genus level, taxa such as Gemmatimonas, Saitozyma, and Cephalotrichum showed increased relative abundance in some treated groups. Compared with the control, LYB73-treated fruits generally showed higher levels of reducing sugars, titratable acids, amino acids, total phenols, total flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity. The magnitude of these responses varied among cultivars: JX showed larger increases in total phenols, total flavonoids, and DPPH scavenging activity, WHJ showed a greater increase in amino acids and ABTS scavenging activity, and YPT showed the largest increase in superoxide anion scavenging activity. Electronic sensory analysis further suggested that LYB73 treatment affected taste and aroma-related traits, although the responses differed among cultivars. Correlation analysis showed that several dominant microbial genera were significantly associated with soil properties, fruit quality indices, and sensory indicators. Overall, these results suggest that pre-harvest application of B. velezensis LYB73 may influence rhizosphere microecology and fruit quality in a cultivar-dependent manner, providing preliminary support for its potential use in peach production. Full article

This study investigated the efficiency of macrophyte-based phytoremediation systems using Phragmites karka and Typha latifolia for the treatment of poultry–aquaculture wastewater and its suitability for irrigation reuse. Physicochemical parameters, heavy metals, and water quality indices were analysed using correlation analysis and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Strong positive correlations were observed among turbidity, nutrients, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅), and chemical oxygen demand (COD), while dissolved oxygen (DO) showed significant negative relationships, indicating organic pollution-driven oxygen depletion. Heavy metals exhibited strong intercorrelations, suggesting common anthropogenic sources and similar removal pathways. PCA results revealed that the first three principal components (PCs) explained over 95% of the total variance, with positive values recorded from the first PC highlighting organic load, nutrient enrichment, and metal interactions as dominant factors controlling wastewater quality. The negative values of factor loadings obtained in the second and third PCs confirmed the roles of sedimentation, adsorption, microbial activity, and plant uptake in pollutant removal. Water Quality Index (WQI) values decreased drastically from highly polluted levels (>3000) in raw wastewater to <1.0 after 21 days of treatment, indicating excellent water quality. Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR) also declined significantly, confirming a low sodicity risk. Both macrophytes demonstrated high treatment efficiency, with Typha latifolia showing slightly improved sodium reduction. Overall, the study highlights macrophyte-based systems as sustainable, cost-effective solutions for wastewater treatment and safe agricultural reuse. Full article

Groundwater is the primary source of livestock watering across the arid pasturelands of western Kazakhstan, yet no systematic field hydrochemical assessment has been published for this region in over 40 years. This study presents the first systematic field-based hydrochemical characterisation of groundwater sources used for pasture livestock watering in the West Kazakhstan Region and Aktobe Region, filling a critical data gap that has persisted since the Soviet era. Specifically, it characterises the hydrochemistry, water quality, and infrastructure condition of groundwater sources, and evaluates the groundwater resource potential against current and projected livestock water demand. A total of 139 groundwater samples were collected along 11,182 km of field routes during May–July 2025, and analysed for 25 physicochemical parameters; hydrochemical classification was performed using AquaChem 11, and spatial analysis was conducted in ArcGIS 10.8. The groundwater chemistry distribution is bimodal: fresh bicarbonate-calcium-magnesium waters (TDS < 3.0 g/L) constitute approximately 80% of samples, while highly mineralised chloride-sulphate-sodium waters (TDS up to 9.91 g/L) occur in salt-dome-influenced discharge zones. Nitrate concentrations exceeded 50 mg/L in 23–36% of samples, with maxima of 635 mg/L, reflecting intensive anthropogenic contamination near livestock facilities. Predictive exploitable fresh groundwater resources exceed current livestock demand by a factor of 162. The principal constraint on pasture water supply is not resource scarcity but the non-operational status of 51–75% of inspected watering infrastructure, a legacy of post-Soviet institutional collapse that requires urgent rehabilitation. Full article

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting has rapidly evolved into a controlling platform for the fabrication of patient-specific biomedical implants, with growing importance in advanced drug delivery systems. Beyond structural tissue engineering, bioprinted constructs now function as programmable therapeutic depots capable of localized, sustained, and stimuli-responsive drug release. This review focuses on recent biomaterial design strategies that enable precise control over drug encapsulation, retention, and release kinetics within 3D bioprinted architectures. The physicochemical and mechanical properties of bioinks, including crosslinking density, porosity, degradation behavior, viscoelasticity, and swelling characteristics, directly influence drug loading efficiency and release dynamics under physiological conditions. The rational tuning of these parameters allows the development of constructs that provide spatially controlled and temporally regulated therapeutic delivery. Recent advances in predictive modeling, such as finite element modeling (FEM), data-driven machine learning approaches, and ML, have significantly improved the ability to correlate material composition, printing parameters, and structural geometry with drug diffusion and degradation-mediated release mechanisms. These tools facilitate the optimization of printing variables including extrusion pressure, nozzle diameter, and layer resolution to ensure structural fidelity while maintaining therapeutic functionality. Emerging strategies incorporating multi-material printing, gradient architectures, and stimuli-responsive biomaterials have expanded the potential of 3D bioprinting for combination therapies and personalized medicine. This review discusses key challenges in translating bioprinted drug delivery systems into clinical applications, including the standardization of drug release characterization methods, and long-term stability assessment. Full article