Search Results (1,474)

Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs) have emerged as promising natural nanocarriers for biomedical applications owing to their distinctive ability to facilitate intercellular communication and transport bioactive molecules. In this review, we employ bibliometric analysis to identify research hotspots and trends, providing a comprehensive overview of these core themes. The bibliometric results reveal a sustained increase in annual publications in this field, with keyword analysis identifying drug delivery, cross-kingdom regulation, immunomodulation, engineering modification, and gut microbiota as five major research themes. The focus of research has evolved from early basic biological characteristics into engineered smart delivery platforms, with the application areas expanding from intestinal inflammation to neurological, metabolic, dermatological, and oncological diseases. This review systematically examines the core directions in this field. It compares the strengths and limitations of mainstream isolation methods and highlights the value of multi-omics integration, covering the molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis and gut microbiota regulation by PDEVs along with engineering strategies such as drug loading, surface modification, and membrane fusion. It also discusses the latest progress in frontier therapeutic applications of PDEVs, including cancer, inflammatory diseases, tissue regeneration and aesthetics, and neurological disorders. Finally, this review summarizes the key challenges confronting the field, including the lack of standardized protocols, production bottlenecks, and engineering obstacles. It also delineates future directions, including establishing international standardization definitions, advancing multi-omics and AI-driven mechanistic elucidation, developing scalable and efficient purification technologies, and executing systematic preclinical safety and pharmacokinetic evaluations to facilitate clinical translation. Full article

The Mississippi River Delta region is of national and international relevance in terms of agriculture, energy, river navigation, and fisheries. Being one of the most engineered rivers in the world, the Mississippi River has been intensively altered over the past 150 years. The river alterations included the construction of dams, levees, diversions, channelization, spillway flood control systems, and many others. These engineering practices have significantly modified the natural hydrology and sediment dynamics of the river and its deltaic region. While these interventions have provided critical benefits such as flood protection, improved navigation, and economic development, they have also led to profound environmental and ecological consequences. The reduction in sediment delivery to the Mississippi River Delta has accelerated land loss, contributing to the disappearance of coastal wetlands at an alarming rate. The land loss has diminished critical habitats for wildlife, reduced storm surge protection for coastal communities, and disrupted the delta’s natural ability to adapt to fast subsidence. The long-term sustainability of the delta is further threatened by the compounding effects of climate change, including rising sea levels, increased storm intensity, and extreme precipitation and drought conditions. This paper examines the effects, consequences, and future risks of the major river engineering practices on the Mississippi River Delta and provides strategic recommendations that balance human needs with changing natural conditions to ensure sustainability. Specific recommendations include river diversion upstream of New Orleans, better strategies to deal with floods and droughts, strategic maintenance or removal of portions of levees, hybrid coastal-inland human migration, improved transportation connections between coast and inland, and better preparation for future ecosystem shifts. This review is needed because river engineering has made the Mississippi River Delta economically vital yet increasingly vulnerable to sediment loss, wetland collapse, saltwater intrusion, flooding, and population decline. By synthesizing these linked natural and human consequences, it provides a timely framework for rethinking delta sustainability under climate change. Full article

Across societies, judges are entrusted with extraordinary authority to shape legal norms, public policy, and individual rights, with decisions that can influence communities and future generations. This social contract rests on expectations of competence, impartiality, and ethical self-regulation. Popular representations often portray judges as detached, stoic, and immune to typical human emotional reactivity and outside influence. However, judges remain subject to the same biological, psychological, and social realities that affect all humans, including stress physiology, neurocognitive load, emotional strain, and the cumulative effects of allostatic burden. Emerging research suggests that these factors may have important implications for judicial well-being, decision-making, and the effective functioning of justice systems. The recent Nauru Declaration, recognizing that the well-being of judges is essential for a properly functioning judiciary, has led to the 2025 United Nations General Assembly proclamation that the 25th July be recognized as an annual International Day for Judicial Well-being. Drawing on literature identified through scholarly databases, this concept article examines evidence relating to stress, burnout, resilience, and well-being within justice systems, with particular emphasis on judges and judicial well-being. We explore the relevance of lifestyle medicine and whole-person approaches to health in supporting judicial functioning and vitality. Framed through the lens of the judiciary’s societal responsibilities and the broader social contract, we contend that judicial well-being is not merely an individual concern, but one with institutional and societal significance. The article argues that well-being within systems of justice matters to society; it examines evidence relating to judicial stress and self-control fatigue, and concludes with solutions-oriented approaches and future directions for promoting judicial well-being and sustainable justice systems. Full article

This paper illustrates the theoretical framework, the methodological approach, and the primary findings of a project titled MASSTER (Managing(South)Africa-and-Senegal-Sustainability-Targets-through-Economic-diversification-of-Rural-areas), in which higher educational institutions (HEIs) and organizations from Senegal, South Africa, and Europe collaborate with the aim of addressing the nexus between migration, agriculture and development in Sub-Saharan Africa by co-creating evidence-based training, tools, and actions to foster development and co-development while targeting several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely Zero-hunger, Good-Health-and-Wellbeing, Gender-Equality, Quality-education, Decent-work-and-economic-growth, Responsible-consumption-and-production, all within the frame of Partnership-for-the-Goals. The MASSTER project employs a transdisciplinary and bottom-up approach based on a cross-sectional study conducted in South Africa and Senegal to identify actual challenges, needs, and resources from farmers (n = 737) and students enrolled in agricultural courses (n = 1.013). Findings underpinned the co-creation of the primary project outcomes: training on agritourism development, farm management, income-generating activities, climate change resilience, and food value chain; toolkits designed to boost the adoption of the Whole of Society Approach and to strengthen cooperation between HEIs and local communities; MASSTER Student-and-alumni-tracking-procedure-with-early-warning-mechanism-for-brain-drain; and a MOOC on critical-thinking-and-empowerment. The MASSTER project can have a relevant impact at local and international levels, providing evidence-based tools to be used by HEIs, stakeholders/policymakers, and the scientific community to actively foster development and co-development. Full article

Amid the accelerated global transition toward sustainable electromobility, Chinese Electric Vehicles (EVs) have forged a complex, evolving communication ecosystem across overseas social media platforms. Conceptualizing global digital discourse as a complex adaptive system (CAS), this study integrates CAS theory with Competitive Framing theory to systematically elucidate the thematic configurations, framework dynamics, and ecological activation mechanisms underlying the international image of Chinese EVs. By integrating unsupervised BERTopic modeling, Large Language Model (LLM) semantic mapping, the Entropy Weight Method (EWM), and Social Network Analysis (SNA), this inquiry operationalizes a comprehensive computational communication framework to mine large-scale behavioral and textual data from YouTube. The empirical findings unveil that: (1) international audience perceptions have broken through the traditional “low-cost manufacturing” stereotype, spontaneously giving rise to a multidimensional, composite cognitive schema centered on smart ecosystems and design experiences; (2) driven by the interplay of rational and irrational user feedback loops, the ecological activation efficiencies across diverse discursive dimensions exhibit pronounced nonlinear variances, characterized by a “strong activation of intelligent ecosystems versus a long-tail stagnation of cost-effectiveness salience”; and (3) positive technological frameworks and negative geopolitical or regulatory risks engage in fierce, adversarial contestation and structural hybridization within a highly volatile network topology, culminating in a unique “dual-core” configuration. Theoretically, this study enriches the scholarly understanding of country-of-origin and corporate brand images through a complex systems lens; methodologically and practically, it offers a high-fidelity, actionable quantitative paradigm for global brand empowerment and targeted cross-border public opinion governance. Full article

Within UNESCO’s framework for sustainable heritage, this study examines how community engagement shapes the conservation of religious architectural heritage and the continuity of cultural landscapes. Using Sanliqiao Catholic Church in Wuxi, China, as a case study, it explores how heritage value is produced through the interaction of everyday practices, place identity, and participation in governance. Drawing on 19 interviews, field observations, archival materials, historical images, and 216 online comments, the findings reveal how everyday spatial practices sustain the cultural landscape. These practices generate differentiated place identities among believers, residents, and commercial stakeholders. Such identity differences, in turn, influence uneven participation in heritage governance and shape how cultural value is experienced and distributed. Cultural landscape reproduction thus emerges as a dynamic process linking everyday practice, identity formation, and participatory governance structures. The study underscores the critical role of inclusive participation in heritage governance and contributes to broader international debates on socially sustainable heritage management, with implications for similar religious and urban heritage sites beyond the Chinese context. Full article

The findings of this study indicate that although artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded in operational practices across the Australian insurance sector, explicit engagement with ethical AI principles remains limited. Based on an analysis of 156 AI-related web pages from Australian insurers, the results show that 58% of companies do not reference any AI Ethics Principles, highlighting a gap between AI adoption and ethical governance. The predominance of operational themes over governance-oriented discourse suggests that ethical considerations are not yet systematically integrated into public-facing communication strategies. While certain principles, particularly human wellbeing and privacy, receive greater attention, others such as accountability and contestability remain comparatively underrepresented. This imbalance indicates a structural gap between technological implementation and transparent ethical articulation. From an actuarial and governance perspective, strengthening the visibility and consistency of responsible AI commitments may enhance stakeholder trust and support sustainable innovation. This study provides one of the first empirical assessments of publicly articulated ethical AI governance in the Australian insurance sector; future research could extend the analysis to international markets and additional data sources. Full article

Despite Nigeria’s vast and diverse untapped potential in solar, wind, biomass, and small-scale hydropower, a significant and persistent gap remains between national policy ambition and the practical implementation of renewable energy projects. This study investigates the underlying structural reasons why existing sustainable energy strategies have failed to significantly reduce fossil fuel dependency or resolve chronic electricity shortages, particularly within underserved semi-urban and rural communities where energy poverty remains a major barrier to development. Through a comprehensive thematic analysis of current regulatory frameworks, international development reports, and peer-reviewed academic literature, this research identifies critical bottlenecks in the energy transition process, with a specific focus on the deployment of solar mini-grids and decentralized energy systems as viable alternatives to the struggling national grid. The findings reveal that progress is hindered not by a lack of natural resources or high-level policy intent but by fragmented institutional coordination, weak regulatory enforcement, and a lack of robust de-risking mechanisms necessary to attract essential private sector investment. To bridge this implementation gap, this paper proposes a multi-dimensional strategic framework centered on fostering inter-agency synergy, implementing specialized capacity-building programs, and stabilizing financial foundations for renewable infrastructure. Full article

Public spaces in Iraqi cities carry social memory, daily trade, and civic trust; therefore, post-conflict reconstruction must be evaluated through social performance as well as physical repair. This study develops a user-satisfaction framework for sustainable and resilient public space reconstruction in post-conflict Iraq. A convergent mixed-methods design was used, combining literature and site analysis with Likert-scale surveys of residents and experts in two public-commercial case studies: Eskan Bazaar and Najafi Street. The resident survey included 901 valid respondent records (Eskan Bazaar, n = 451; Najafi Street, n = 450), and the expert survey included 89 respondent records (Eskan Bazaar, n = 48; Najafi Street, n = 41). The analysis used weighted means, standard deviations, medians, percentage agreement, site comparison, and reliability testing. Cronbach’s Alpha showed acceptable to excellent internal consistency for the local surveys (0.79 and 0.91) and excellent internal consistency for the expert surveys (0.93 for both sites). Results show that Najafi Street scored higher than Eskan Bazaar across all local factors, especially cultural preservation (3.15 versus 2.71) and accessibility (2.57 versus 2.30), while accessibility remained the weakest local dimension in both cases. Expert results similarly favored Najafi Street, particularly for cultural preservation (3.28 versus 2.83) and accessibility (3.26 versus 2.94). The findings were translated into a five-pillar framework covering community engagement, cultural preservation, environmental stewardship, economic revitalization, and adaptive resilience. The framework is preliminarily validated through construct reliability, cross-case application, expert-local triangulation, and monitoring indicators, while future post-occupancy testing is recommended. Full article

Background/Objectives: Illness uncertainty is a pervasive psychosocial experience in chronic conditions that is particularly prominent in pediatric oncology. While existing research has explored its psychological impact, a gap remains in understanding how this uncertainty evolves throughout the disease trajectory and how families collectively negotiate and manage this experience over the long term. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in the hematology ward at a pediatric hospital in Shanghai, China. Using purposive sampling, semi-structured interviews were performed with 32 participants from 12 families of children currently undergoing cancer treatment. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The sample was dominated by leukemia cases, with a small number of lymphoma cases; therefore, the findings are most directly transferable to families of children with hematological malignancies. Results: Illness uncertainty is a dynamic and persistent experience permeating the entire pediatric cancer trajectory. Key sources of uncertainty include diagnostic ambiguity and delays, barriers in physician–patient communication, and profound disruptions to family daily life. In response, families proactively develop multidimensional coping strategies: reframing meaning to accept uncertainty, reorganizing family roles and responsibilities, strengthening internal communication, and mobilizing external support networks. These strategies demonstrate both family resilience and inherent vulnerability under sustained pressure. Conclusions: Illness uncertainty in pediatric cancer transcends medical boundaries and is deeply embedded in family life. Healthcare systems should recognize uncertainty as a core experience throughout the disease process and provide family-centered psychosocial and structural support. Strengthening hospital social work services and fostering synergy between peer networks and community resources are essential to enhancing families’ capacity to manage uncertainty and alleviating their long-term psychosocial burden. Full article

This scientometric and bibliometric study analyzes global research trends on polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)-producing microorganisms and their applications in bio-based packaging between 2014 and 2025. Using the Scopus database and advanced tools such as Bibliometrix in RStudio and VOSviewer, scientific output and international collaboration networks were evaluated. The results demonstrate exponential growth in publications, driven by the urgent need to mitigate the petrochemical plastics crisis and develop biodegradable alternatives within the circular economy. Multidisciplinary analysis reveals a thematic shift from basic physiological and taxonomic studies towards complex applications in metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, the optimization of low-cost substrates such as industrial effluents, multi-omics tools, gene editing with CRISPR-Cas9, and, as an emerging exploratory approach, quantum modeling to optimize cell performance. Despite significant progress, critical technological gaps were identified related to challenges in downstream processing, the management of mixed microbial communities, and insufficient funding for the characterization of physicochemical and biocompatibility properties. It is concluded that, to ensure the commercial scalability and sustainability of PHAs, future research must prioritize overcoming these economic and technological bottlenecks, fostering strategic collaboration between academia and the biotechnology industry. Full article

Sustainable tourism in oasis landscapes requires governance approaches that go beyond generic destination-growth models and standardized sustainability checklists. In living cultural landscapes such as Al-Ahsa Oasis, tourism development is inseparable from water systems, palm-grove agriculture, rural livelihoods, heritage values, climate stress, visitor behavior, and institutional accountability. This paper develops a governance framework for sustainable tourism in Al-Ahsa Oasis, Saudi Arabia, a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape. Methodologically, it is a conceptual framework-development study based on structured critical review and contextual synthesis. It critically interprets international sustainable tourism, heritage management, visitor management, and sustainable investment frameworks in relation to recent Al-Ahsa-specific evidence on rural tourism, resident satisfaction, farm-tourist behavior, rural lodges, land-cover change, and World Heritage governance. The study proposes a six-dimensional framework structured around cultural landscape stewardship, water-sensitive ecological governance, agricultural landscape continuity and rural accommodation regulation, community benefit and local enterprise, climate-responsive visitor management and interpretation, and monitoring and institutional accountability. These dimensions are treated as interdependent governance fields rather than separate checklist categories. The framework is further operationalized through an indicator and governance matrix linking suggested indicators, data sources, governance mechanisms, and responsible actors. The paper contributes by reframing sustainable oasis tourism as an adaptive governance problem rather than a technical exercise in applying predefined criteria. It provides an evidence-informed basis for planning, monitoring, stakeholder deliberation, policy refinement, and future empirical testing in Al-Ahsa and comparable arid cultural landscapes. Full article

Community-based heritage tourism plays an important role in promoting sustainable development while preserving cultural heritage in indigenous and traditional communities. However, limited empirical evidence exists regarding its contribution to sustainable development within Mongolia’s nomadic communities. Grounded in Social Exchange Theory (SET), this study examines the relationships among Community Participation, Heritage Interpretation, Tourism Management, Cultural Identity Preservation, and Sustainable Development. Data were collected from 250 international tourists who participated in community-based heritage tourism experiences in Mongolia and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that Heritage Interpretation and Tourism Management positively influence Cultural Identity Preservation, while Community Participation, Tourism Management, and Cultural Identity Preservation significantly enhance Sustainable Development. Community Participation, however, does not significantly influence Cultural Identity Preservation. Furthermore, Cultural Identity Preservation partially mediates the relationship between Tourism Management and Sustainable Development. These findings highlight the importance of effective tourism management and meaningful heritage interpretation in strengthening cultural preservation and promoting sustainable development. The study extends the application of Social Exchange Theory in the context of community-based heritage tourism and provides practical implications for policymakers and destination managers seeking to balance cultural heritage conservation with sustainable tourism development. Full article

Despite the rapid expansion of “diverse books” initiatives in children’s and young adult (YA) literature, Jewish identity remains inconsistently recognized within diversity frameworks in publishing, curriculum, and literacy education. This conceptual review examines how Jewish children’s and YA literature can serve as a resource through which young people interpret identity, confront erasure, and imagine more inclusive social worlds. Drawing on culturally relevant and culturally sustaining pedagogy, critical literacy, and critical youth studies, the article argues that Jewish narratives expand the interpretive possibilities of literacy education by foregrounding diasporic identity, antisemitism, and the internal diversity of Jewish communities. To operationalize this argument, the article proposes a culturally sustaining framework for K–12 literacy instruction organized across four strands: contemporary Jewish life, global Jewish identities, intersectional Jewish identities, and agency-centered narratives of antisemitism. The discussion illustrates how educators can use these texts to support youth agency, ethical inquiry, and critical media literacy, including in contexts shaped by curricular and political constraints. By repositioning Jewish children’s and YA literature as central to inclusive literacy, this article reframes representation as a question of interpretive possibility. Full article

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is recognized as one of the most urgent global health threats, demanding coordinated, multisectoral responses under the OH framework. Among the multidisciplinary tasks aimed at collectively tackling the AMR crisis, surveillance, research and education stand as major priorities. Education is a strategic pillar of the World Health Organization Global Action Plan, yet a comprehensive synthesis of educational initiatives explicitly grounded in One Health (OH) remains limited. Previous reviews have examined AMR educational interventions focusing on specific strategies, regions, professional groups, or pedagogical tools, but without an OH perspective. This review is the first to comprehensively synthesize educational programmes that explicitly integrate OH principles across different educational levels, target audiences, and learning settings. It also examines the pedagogical strategies used to promote AMR awareness, prevention, and responsible antimicrobial use. A structured literature search (2015–2025) was conducted in Scopus and complemented by institutional sources and citation tracking. Educational initiatives incorporating OH principles, addressing multiple sectors, or promoting interdisciplinary AMR education were narratively synthesized. School-based programmes (e.g., e-Bug, ISGlobal initiatives, Ambientech); public awareness and community education via national strategies such as PRAN; programmes for university students; professional training, and continuing education (e.g., ESCMID, AMR EDUCare); and international online platforms including FAO e-learning programmes and the OH Workforce Academy were examined. Programmes were analysed according to target population, pedagogical approach, sectoral integration, and evaluation methods. Active and experiential methodologies, such as service-learning (e.g., Tiny Earth, MicroMundo) game-based learning, gamification, and interdisciplinary and systems thinking-based learning, consistently enhance knowledge acquisition, systems thinking skills, and awareness of cross-sectoral AMR transmission pathways. Despite all these initiatives, studies on knowledge, perceptions and attitudes about AMR point to clear errors and deficiencies. Key gaps, such as inconsistent curriculum integration, limited integration of environmental dimension and scarce rigorous impact evaluations, persist. Strengthening OH-oriented AMR education requires policy-level curriculum inclusion, cross-sector collaboration, standardized competencies, and robust evaluation frameworks. Embedding education within national AMR strategies is essential to fostering sustained behavioural change and preserving antimicrobial effectiveness across human, animal, and environmental systems. Full article