Search Results (9,258)

This paper investigates frequency manoeuvring as a method to improve the resilience of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) networks operating in contested electromagnetic environments. The study considers scenarios in which the network initially operates on a single channel and is then exposed to intentional jamming or unintentional interference affecting the primary channel, adjacent channels or a wider frequency range. Several response policies are compared, including no channel change, immediate switching after quality degradation is detected, delayed switching after a defined loss-of-connectivity interval, and periodic frequency hopping. In addition to channel switching, the analysis also considers changes in channel bandwidth, comparing narrower channels with lower throughput but potentially higher resistance to interference against wider channels with greater capacity but increased susceptibility to disruption. The evaluation includes the switching cost, which is modelled as temporary packet loss, additional delay and jitter during reconfiguration. Performance is assessed using the packet delivery ratio, latency, jitter, packet loss and communication continuity. The main objective is to identify the interference conditions under which frequency manoeuvring becomes operationally beneficial and to determine which policy offers the best trade-off between resilience and communication performance. In quantitative terms, immediate switching under environmental interference achieved a PDR of 0.961 and a mean latency of 123.6 ms compared with a PDR of 0.946 and a mean latency of 138.7 ms for fixed-channel operation. Manoeuvring gave a substantial 12.2-percentage-point PDR gain under jamming (periodic hopping: 0.780 vs. 0.658) and a 6.7-percentage-point gain under combined interference (0.674 vs. 0.607). These results indicate that manoeuvring is most worthwhile once interference is persistent and channel-focused rather than purely environmental. Full article

Cosmetic wastewater is increasingly recognized not only as a disposal problem but also as a potential source of recoverable water and formulation-derived compounds. This review critically examines the relationship between cosmetic formulation chemistry, wastewater composition, pollutant removal mechanisms, membrane separation, fouling behaviour, and reuse-oriented treatment design. Cosmetic wastewater shows high compositional variability, with reported COD values ranging from approximately 2400 mg O₂/L to more than 100,000 mg O₂/L, depending on product type, cleaning practices, and raw material losses. Surfactants, emulsifiers, oils, polymeric thickeners, preservatives, fragrances, UV filters, dyes, and microplastics contribute differently to organic load, emulsion stability, toxicity, and treatment resistance. Conventional treatment processes reduce coarse, suspended, emulsified, and biodegradable fractions, but they are limited by low biodegradability, sludge generation, inhibitory compounds, and incomplete removal of persistent micropollutants. Advanced oxidation, adsorption, electrochemical processes, and hybrid systems can improve the transformation, phase transfer, retention, and polishing of recalcitrant compounds, with AOPs typically achieving COD removal of approximately 55–85% and hybrid systems improving overall performance by about 10–25% compared with biological treatment alone. Membrane technologies are evaluated as selective barriers enabling clarification, polishing, water reuse, and resource recovery. MBRs can remove more than 90–95% of COD and BOD₅, while NF/RO polishing may reject more than 90–95% of selected recalcitrant organics and microcontaminants. The novelty of this review lies in shifting the discussion from end-of-pipe wastewater treatment toward source-oriented recovery, integrated treatment trains, and mechanism-based selection of technologies before cosmetic wastewater becomes diluted, mixed, and difficult to reuse. Full article

Plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (PELNs) are lipid bilayer nanostructures containing endogenous lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and phytochemicals, which have attracted increasing interest as bioinspired carriers for cancer therapy. This review evaluates how plant source, isolation, purification procedures, vesicle composition, cargo-loading strategy, and administration route shape the quality and tumor-delivery performance of PELNs. The available evidence indicates that plant source and processing are major determinants of particle size, purity, surface charge, cargo profile, and biological activity. Ultracentrifugation remains widely used but is limited by contaminant co-isolation and poor scalability, whereas density-gradient purification and size-exclusion chromatography improve purity, and ultrafiltration and tangential flow filtration offer greater potential for large-scale manufacturing. Passive incubation generally preserves vesicle integrity and is most suitable for hydrophobic small molecules, whereas electroporation, sonication, and extrusion can increase cargo loading but may cause aggregation, membrane remodeling, or loss of endogenous components. Preclinical studies suggest that PELNs can exert intrinsic antitumor effects, modulate the tumor microenvironment, improve chemotherapeutic delivery, and help overcome drug resistance. However, evidence for in vivo tumor-targeting remains less robust than evidence for cellular uptake, and direct comparisons with established nanocarriers remain scarce. Clinical translation will require standardized nomenclature and characterization, reproducible manufacturing, quantitative loading and release assays, route-specific biodistribution studies, and repeated-dose safety evaluation. These findings provide a framework for the rational development of PELNs as reproducible tumor-oriented nanocarriers. Full article

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T therapy has achieved partial therapeutic efficacy in solid tumors, but its overall effectiveness remains limited. IL-21-armored CD276.CAR-T (IL21.CD276.CAR-T) represents a promising strategy to enhance anti-tumor activity against esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, resistance mechanisms remain unclear. We generated IL21.CD276.CAR-T cells and evaluated their cytotoxicity in vitro and in B-NDG xenograft models. Poliovirus receptor (PVR) expression on ESCC cells was analyzed, and shRNA-mediated PVR knockdown was performed to validate its role in resistance. IL-21R expression on ESCC cells was examined to exclude direct IL-21 signaling. IL-21 enhances the cytotoxicity of CD276.CAR-T cells against ESCC. Although IL21.CD276.CAR-T exhibited potent cytotoxicity in vitro, it failed to achieve complete tumor regression, and resistant cells still emerged. Mechanistically, resistance was not caused by CD276 antigen loss or IL-21R expression, but by upregulation of PVR on cancer cell membrane after IL21.CAR-T exposure. PVR knockdown restored CAR-T sensitivity in vitro, enhanced the anti-tumor capacity of IL21.CD276.CAR-T cells, and partially improved anti-tumor efficacy in vivo without systemic toxicity. PVR may act as a mediator of resistance to IL21.CD276.CAR-T in ESCC. Targeting PVR represents a novel strategy to overcome IL21.CAR-T resistance and improve therapeutic outcomes in ESCC. Full article

Traditional crack monitoring methods, relying on discrete point sensors, cannot capture the full spatiotemporal evolution of cracks. To address this limitation, this paper presents a distributed online monitoring approach using ultra-weak Fiber Bragg Grating (UWFBG) array sensing technology. A 16 m full-scale π-beam was instrumented with a grating array strain sensing system and tested under progressive mid-span loading until failure. The array successfully detected crack initiation at 848.7 kN (0.9P1) and tracked the transformation from L-shaped to U-shaped cracks, yielding a final crack count of 90 with a maximum width of 1.21 mm and length of 246.5 cm at 1791.7 kN. The strain–load curves exhibited a clear linear-to-nonlinear transition and continuous slope increase, closely matching manual observations. Quantitative correlation analysis further established a strong linear relationship between UWFBG peak strains and manually measured crack widths, with the fitting equation ε = 7918 · w − 110 and a coefficient of determination R² = 0.971, providing a specimen-specific basis for strain-based crack severity estimation that requires in-situ calibration before field application. The UWFBG array maintained stable signal acquisition throughout the entire loading process, offering superior data continuity and measurement range compared to resistive strain gauges, which suffered progressive data loss after cracking. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can provide real-time, full-field strain mapping and quantitative crack evolution monitoring, offering a powerful tool for bridge health assessment. Full article

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) and related incretin-based therapies are highly effective anti-obesity treatments, but weight loss may also include reductions in fat-free mass, raising concern for selected patients at risk of sarcopenia. This narrative review summarizes current evidence and practical, evidence-informed strategies to support muscle health during GLP-1 RA-based anti-obesity therapy. Particular emphasis is placed on identifying higher-risk patients, including older adults, frail individuals, patients with low baseline muscle mass or strength, sarcopenic obesity, chronic kidney disease, low physical activity, or rapid weight loss. Preventive strategies include baseline assessment of body composition and muscle function, individualized resistance and multicomponent exercise, adequate protein intake, attention to nutritional adequacy, and periodic monitoring of body composition, strength, and physical performance. Treatment pace and dose escalation may also be individualized in higher-risk patients when unfavorable changes in fat-free mass or function occur. Current evidence remains limited, and many recommendations are extrapolated from weight-loss, nutrition, exercise, and sarcopenia literature rather than GLP-1 RA-specific trials. Overall, a risk-stratified and multidisciplinary approach may help preserve muscle mass and function while maintaining the cardiometabolic benefits of GLP-1 RA-based therapy. Full article

The development of biodegradable polymer composites from renewable resources is important for reducing dependence on petroleum-based plastics and improving the sustainability of short-life-cycle products. However, poly(butylene succinate) (PBS)/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blends are generally immiscible, and the reinforcing effect of alkali-treated hemp stem fiber (HSF) on their mechanical, thermal, rheological, morphological, and biodegradation behavior remains insufficiently understood. This study investigates PBS/PLA biocomposites prepared at fixed blend ratios of 90/10 and 80/20 wt.% and reinforced with 5–20 phr alkali-treated HSF. Hemp stem fibers are treated using 5 wt.% NaOH, dried, sieved, and compounded with PBS/PLA blends in an internal mixer at 190 °C and 50 rpm for 15 min, and fabricated by hot compression molding at 190 °C for 13 min. The incorporation of HSF improves composite stiffness, with the highest Young’s modulus of 306 MPa observed for the 80/20/15 composition, representing a 71% increase over neat PBS. The maximum flexural strength reaches 48 MPa for 90/10/20, while the highest flexural modulus reaches 1377 MPa for 80/20/20, representing improvements of 21% and 77%, respectively. In contrast, tensile stress at break and elongation at break generally decrease with HSF incorporation because localized fiber agglomeration, incomplete matrix wetting, and interfacial gaps limit effective stress transfer, particularly at higher HSF loadings. The MFR exhibits composition-dependent, non-monotonic behavior. The addition of PLA initially increases the MFR relative to neat PBS, whereas higher HSF loadings generally reduce the MFR due to restricted polymer chain mobility and increased resistance to melt flow. FT-IR results indicate no strong chemical interactions among PBS, PLA, and HSF, while DSC shows nearly unchanged melting temperatures but composition-dependent changes in PBS crystallinity and crystallization behavior. FESEM confirms a phase-separated PBS/PLA morphology with embedded HSF. Soil burial tests show increased weight loss with higher HSF content and exposure time, confirming enhanced biodegradation. Full article

Developing tire sealants that effectively combine rapid sealing and mechanical durability remains a key challenge. This study presents a novel, high-performance sealant based on a natural rubber latex (NRL) matrix reinforced with uniformly dispersed hydrophobic nano-silica (SiO₂). A stable and homogeneous composite was achieved by employing sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) as a surfactant and using ultrasonic processing. In simulated puncture tests, the optimized composite demonstrated superior performance, reducing the critical repair distance by approximately 3 km and the tire pressure loss by more than 75% compared to the reference samples. The repair mechanism was investigated through rheological analysis, electron microscopy, and mechanical testing. The enhanced performance correlates with electrical double-layer compression and particle aggregation and is accompanied by increased storage modulus and viscosity recovery that contribute to the sealing efficiency. These effects collectively increase the sealant’s storage modulus, enabling rapid sealing and effective resistance to shear under mechanical loading during tire rotation. This work provides both a practical formulation strategy and mechanistic insight for the development of next-generation, high-performance tire puncture sealant. Full article

With the continuous increase in horizontal displacement during unconventional oil and gas drilling, drilling operations are commonly plagued by high frictional resistance, severe pipe sticking issues and difficulties in directional drilling. Conventional single-component water-based drilling fluid lubricants fail to satisfy multifunctional demands, including high-temperature resistance, salt tolerance and long-term lubrication. In this work, a novel microsphere lubricant, RB-Si, with high-temperature and high-salinity resistance was developed by combining the merits of solid and liquid lubricants. The product was synthesized using myristic acid and triethanolamine as raw materials via co-reaction with boric acid and nano-silica. Laboratory tests reveal that after aging at 180 °C, the lubrication coefficient reduction rates of based mud, saturated salinity-based mud and a high-density (2.0 g/cm³) drilling fluid gel system containing 1.0 wt% RB-Si reached 90.1%, 83.3% and 62.8%, respectively. Meanwhile, RB-Si can effectively plug the micropores in the filter cake, reduce fluid loss, inhibit shale hydration and swelling, and exhibit excellent compatibility with drilling fluids. RB-Si rapidly adsorbs onto the surfaces of metallic drill strings and formation rocks to construct a durable and high-strength lubricating film, accompanied by the rolling friction of the incorporated microspheres, thereby reducing frictional drag between the drill string/casing and the drill string/borehole wall. This lubricant effectively mitigates high frictional resistance under prolonged friction conditions, and is expected to provide technical support for long-horizontal-well drilling. Full article

Background/Objectives: Symmetrical dual-site acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors offer a compelling strategy to mitigate mutational drug resistance, yet static modeling fails to capture induced-fit dynamics under mutational stress. Methods: Here, a 100,000-compound virtual library was filtered using a machine learning-based QSAR classification pipeline. A strict, empirically calibrated Jaccard applicability domain filter (AD = 0.823) eliminated topological anomalies, yielding a robust cross-validation accuracy (ROC-AUC: 0.80 ± 0.05; independent test MCC: 0.61). Multi-parameter ADMET and shape screening prioritized unique chemotypes to probe the 20 Å enzyme gorge. All-atom explicit-solvent molecular dynamics simulations were coupled with 150 ns enhanced-sampling Metadynamics along two orthogonal collective variables (gorge depth and ligand orientation) to map out the free energy surfaces under mutational stress. Results: Symmetrical probes suffered catastrophic unbinding upon anchor loss. Conversely, the symmetrical core of Lead Compound 1631 demonstrated extraordinary structural resilience. In silico site-directed mutagenesis (W86A and W286A) triggered a thermodynamic locking effect; the W86A mutant forced the complex into a deeper energetic well (ΔG_min = 9.23 ± 1.98 kJ/mol) than the wild-type state (5.26 ± 1.69 kJ/mol). MM/GBSA decomposition confirmed an active electrostatic-solvation compensation mechanism along a “solvation see-saw” diagonal (ΔΔG_total = +1.59 kcal/mol). Finally, Dynamic Cross-Correlation Matrix analysis quantified a mechanical inversion of the CAS-PAS axis into an anti-correlated clamping mode (−0.04) that locked the ligand bridge in place. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that symmetrical dual-site targeting, combined with dynamic thermodynamic locking, provides a resilient framework to overcome mutational resistance in AChE inhibitors. Full article

Shading in agroforestry systems reduces light availability and increases the risk of lodging, limiting wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield. A two-year field experiment was conducted to assess the effects of chlormequat chloride (CCC) on wheat stem morphology, carbohydrate metabolism, lignin biosynthesis, lodging resistance, and yield under four shading intensities (S0: natural light; S1: 10% → 25% shading; S2: 20% → 50% shading; S3: 30% → 75% shading) from jointing to maturity stage. Shading resulted in taller plants with increased center of gravity, thinner stems, and reduced lignin, cellulose, and soluble sugar content, weakening stem-breaking strength and reducing yield. CCC application decreased internode length, increased stem solidity, and enhanced lignin and cellulose accumulation, as well as lignin biosynthesis enzyme activity. These changes improved stem-breaking strength and lodging resistance. Moreover, CCC significantly increased wheat yield by 2.7% to 23.3% (p < 0.05) depending on the shading intensity, and there was a significant interaction between shading intensity and CCC application on wheat grain yield (p < 0.05) The results demonstrate that CCC application can mitigate shading-induced yield loss by enhancing lodging resistance and improving stem integrity under the artificial-shading conditions evaluated in this study. Its effectiveness in actual agroforestry systems requires further field validation. Full article

Tribology is a growing field concerning reductions in the environmental footprint of tribological systems while increasing their operational efficiency by minimizing friction, wear and lubrication in an environmentally conscious manner. This review aims to discuss in detail sustainable lubrication strategies, with particular emphasis on surface modification and coating-based strategies for advanced tribological applications. The surface engineering techniques covered in this study are critically reviewed with regard to their ability to improve wear resistance, reduce friction and increase the durability of components, such as laser surface texturing (LST), nitriding, plasma treatment and advanced coating technologies such as DLC-, TiN-, CrN- and PVD-based coatings. Another key focus is on the synergy of sustainable lubricants and engineered surface coatings. The tribochemical compatibility of eco-friendly lubricants, bio-lubricants, ionic liquids and advanced coated surfaces is explained in detail, because they are essential for the formation of stable tribofilms, lubricant retention, reductions in surface degradation, and the minimization of tribological losses. They are an important component of environmental footprint, energy consumption and the thermal stability and service life of tribological components. Recent developments in coating-assisted green tribology, sustainable tribochemistry and circular sustainability concepts of the design of tribological systems are also included in the review. In addition, the review briefly outlines the use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a potential tool for the future evaluation of the environmental sustainability of tribological systems. The proposed expanded set of Green Tribology principles offers useful guidance for the implementation of tribology-based solutions toward more sustainable engineering systems and responsible resource utilization. Full article

Verticillium dahliae is a devastating soil-borne fungal pathogen that causes severe yield losses in melon (Cucumis melo L.) and other crops. Identifying novel resistance genes is crucial for sustainable disease management. In this study, we characterized the function of CmVQ23, a candidate gene previously identified through QTL mapping, in mediating defense against V. dahliae using heterologous expression in Arabidopsis thaliana. Subcellular localization assays revealed that the CmVQ23-eGFP fusion protein predominantly localized to the nucleus, consistent with its predicted role as a co-factor of transcription factor. Upon V. dahliae inoculation, CmVQ23-overexpressing Arabidopsis lines exhibited significantly reduced disease indices and restricted fungal proliferation compared with wild-type and mutant plants, although these lines displayed altered vegetative growth, including delayed bolting and reduced plant height. Mechanistically, CmVQ23 overexpression promoted reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and hypersensitive response (HR)-mediated cell death at infection sites, as evidenced by intensified DAB and trypan blue staining. Furthermore, transgenic lines maintained higher photosynthetic efficiency, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities, and increased lignin deposition via upregulation of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO). Notably, CmVQ23 overexpression markedly upregulated both salicylic acid (SA)- and jasmonic acid/ethylene (JA/ET)-responsive marker genes, including AtPR1, AtPR2, AtPR5, AtPAD4, AtPDF1.2, and AtVSP2 upon infection. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that CmVQ23 functions as a positive regulator of resistance to Verticillium dahliae by orchestrating ROS/HR-mediated cell death, antioxidant defense, phenylpropanoid pathway activation, and phytohormone signaling crosstalk, offering a promising genetic resource for improving Verticillium wilt resistance in crops. Full article

Infrared thermography enables non-contact monitoring of induction motor thermal behavior, but absolute temperature alone may not distinguish faults with similar surface heating. This paper presents a proof-of-concept case study on the explainable thermographic diagnosis of three-phase induction motors using transient thermal signatures. Two faults were imposed on the same Siemens 1LA2080-4AA10 squirrel-cage motor: loss of forced ventilation (hereafter, cooling failure) and a resistive-bank-induced phase unbalance condition denoted in the test bench as 50% phase unbalance. The approach combines motor-specific regions of interest, transient thermal descriptors, hot area expansion, first-order thermal modeling, healthy baseline residuals, and two physically motivated indices: the Cooling Failure Index (CFI) and Phase Unbalance Thermal Index (PUTI). Cooling failure was analyzed from radiometric CSV data, whereas phase unbalance was evaluated from color-mapped thermal video through scale-based temperature reconstruction and is therefore interpreted as an estimated thermal signature. For the baseline self-reference consistency check, the residual-based fault flag remained false. Cooling failure increased the maximum radiometric temperature from 77.2 °C to 91.6 °C, with 43,399 pixels above 80 °C. Phase unbalance showed a localized stator-dominated rise without hot area expansion above 80 °C in the reconstructed sequence. The rule-based layer assigned high CFI to cooling failure and high PUTI to phase unbalance, supporting explainable case-study-based discrimination while avoiding claims of general classifier validation. Full article

Ti-6Al-4V alloy possesses excellent specific strength, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility, rendering it widely applicable in aerospace, marine engineering and biomedical fields. Selective laser melting (SLM) serves as an effective technique for manufacturing complex Ti-6Al-4V components. However, SLM-formed specimens generally suffer from surface defects such as high surface roughness, adhered powders, spheroidized particles, and localized spatter, which degrade their service performance and limit further practical applications. Therefore, effective surface modification is urgently required. This work systematically explores the synergistic effects of sandblasting at various angles followed by acid pickling on the surface characteristics of SLM-formed Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The SLM Ti-6Al-4V samples were first treated by sandblasting at different impact angles and then subjected to acid pickling. Material mass loss, micro-morphology, surface roughness, contact angle, surface microhardness, abrasive-particle embedment and surface residual stress were measured and analyzed. The results show that sandblasting angle exerts a remarkable influence on material removal behavior, abrasive-particle embedment and near-surface mechanical response. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations indicate that sandblasting at different angles can not only effectively eliminate surface-adhered powders, but also generate impact pits, cutting grooves, and ploughing marks whose morphologies vary with sandblasting angles. The subsequent acid pickling process further removes loose particles and sharp protrusions, and promotes the formation of microscale surface structures. Benefiting from the combined effects of mechanical sandblasting and chemical acid pickling, the alloy samples exhibit substantially reduced surface roughness and enhanced surface wettability. Meanwhile, sandblasting induces work hardening and thus increases surface microhardness and surface residual stress, while acid pickling regulates surface morphology and the state of the work-hardened layer to a certain degree. Overall, this study provides an economical, efficient, and industrially feasible composite surface modification approach to reduce surface roughness, enhance hydrophilicity, and tailor surface hardness of SLM Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Full article