Search Results (2,256)

The analysis of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery is essential to modern remote sensing, with applications in disaster management, agricultural monitoring, and military surveillance. A significant challenge is that the complex and noisy nature of SAR data severely limits the performance of traditional machine learning (TML) methods, leading to high error rates. In contrast, deep learning (DL) has recently proven highly effective at addressing these limitations. This study provides a comprehensive review of recent DL advances applied to SAR image despeckling, segmentation, classification, and detection. It evaluates widely adopted models, examines the potential of underutilized ones like GANs and GNNs, and compiles available datasets to support researchers. This review concludes by outlining key challenges and proposing future research directions to guide continued progress in SAR image analysis. Full article

In the context of the global energy transition, renewable and sustainable resources are increasingly being explored as an alternative to fossil fuels. Lignocellulosic and organic waste biomass is abundant, low-cost, and represents a promising feedstock for bioenergy production. However, the valorization of abandoned or underutilized residues remains largely unexplored. This study evaluated the bioenergy potential of eight solid organic waste materials collected from abandoned sites, including: (1) landfilled woodwaste, (2) softwood and (3) hardwood sawdust, (4) fresh pine bark (5) decomposed pine bark, (6) decomposed leaf and yard waste, (7) decomposed organic food waste (8) and aged barn dust. Physicochemical characterization revealed their high organic matter content across all substrates, with volatile solids (VS) ranging from 40% to 95%, whereas the C/N ratio varied widely from 10 to 1297. To optimize conditions, co-digesting was performed at a fixed substrate-to-inoculum ratio (SIR) at 1, which effectively balanced the high carbon content and enhanced process stability. Under thermophilic anaerobic digestion, organic matter degradation ranged from 16% to 71%. The highest specific methane potential reached 89.9 ± 7.7 L CH₄·kg VS added⁻¹ for fresh pine bark, while the lowest was 25.2 ± 6.8 L CH₄·kg VS added⁻¹ for decomposed organic food waste. The resulting digestates were rich in nutrients, demonstrating high agronomic value. Anaerobic digestion of abandoned lignocellulosic and organic residues presents a dual benefit: it reduces pollution while producing renewable energy in the form of methane and valuable by-products that can be used as fertilizers, thereby ensuring a circular economy. This study demonstrates the significant potential of utilizing overlooked waste streams as valuable resources in sustainable bioenergy generation. Full article

Rice processing generates substantial residual biomass globally—about 170 million tons of husk, 62–71 million tons of bran and 23–39 million tons of broken rice annually—which remains largely underutilized and creates environmental burdens and lost economic opportunities. This study was conducted to address the necessity for integrated sustainability assessments of rice mill biorefineries. The focus of this study is on transitioning from a global context of residual biomass generation to a local-scale application in small and medium mills (100–300 tons/day). We apply a resource-centric framework, combining process simulation, techno-economic analysis, and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA—selected for its capacity to quantify trade-offs and avoid burden-shifting across multiple impact categories) with Social-LCA. Five valorization scenarios are assessed. Results demonstrate that biorefinery pathways fundamentally alter supply provision: husk cogeneration boosts energy self-sufficiency (SGI = 12.54), displacing fossil fuels, while silica and nutrient recovery create new, local material flows, substituting for virgin resources. However, chemically intensive routes increase human toxicity impacts (up to 4.0 × 10⁻¹ kg 1,4-DB eq/kg) despite product diversification. Social analysis reveals a tension between worker preferences for advanced technology and community priorities for low-chemical, employment-generating options. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis identifies a diversified configuration (oil, flour, feed, cogeneration) as most robust, optimizing overall resource productivity and circularity. This work transitions the conceptual model of a rice mill from a linear processor to a multi-output bio-resource hub, offering actionable pathways to enhance regional energy, mineral, and nutrient security through circular economy implementation. Full article

The valorization of wine by-products aligns with circular bioeconomy principles. This study investigates the ultrasound-assisted aqueous extraction (UAE) of bioactive compounds and cell wall polysaccharides from Syrah grape stems (Vitis vinifera L.) to produce polysaccharide extracts with the intrinsic potential to form cellulose-rich gels with enhanced antioxidant properties. Extractions were performed at three temperatures (10, 20, and 50 °C) and three ultrasonic power densities (120, 206, and 337 W/L), and compared to conventional extraction (CE, 200 rpm). The results demonstrated that UAE significantly accelerated the extraction kinetics for total phenolics (TP), flavonols, and antioxidant capacity (ABTS, FRAP), achieving up to a 3.1-fold increase in TP yield at 20 °C. Notably, UAE at 337 W/L and 20 °C produced antioxidant levels equivalent to those obtained by CE at 50 °C, enabling high efficiency at lower, compound-preserving temperatures. Carbohydrate analysis revealed that the extracts were inherently “cellulose-rich” (glucose ~49–52 mol%), with co-extracted pectins and hemicelluloses constituting a composite polysaccharide matrix with inherent gel-forming capacity, as evidenced by its composition. While total polysaccharide yield was maximized at 10 °C, UAE’s primary effect was the facilitation of extraction and potential structural modification of polymers rather than increasing bulk yield. The process reduced extraction times by 3- to over 6-fold to achieve equivalent bioactive yields compared to CE. This work establishes UAE with water as a process aligned with green chemistry principles, an efficient strategy for the integrated, one-step recovery of antioxidant phenolics and gel-forming polysaccharides from grape stems, transforming this underutilized residue into a multifunctional extract precursor for cellulose-rich hydrogels suitable for food and pharmaceutical applications. Full article

Background/Objectives: Although genetic testing is recommended for pediatric hearing loss, referral rates within otology and audiology practices remain low. This study evaluated referral rates, referral pathways, and genetics appointment completion before and after implementation of a quality improvement (QI) referral protocol in an ethnically diverse pediatric cohort. Methods: Phase 1 (January–August 2023) included chart reviews of 88 pediatric patients with hearing loss to assess whether genetics referrals were made and completed. Data collected included demographics, referral modality (clinical note documentation, routed note to genetics, or direct referral order), and appointment status. In Phase 2 (September 2023–September 2024), a standardized referral protocol was implemented requiring all newly diagnosed patients to be referred using one of three predefined pathways. Providers received brief training and reminder cards. Chart reviews were then conducted for an additional 114 patients. Results: A total of 202 patients were included (Phase 1: n = 88; Phase 2: n = 114). Following protocol implementation, the proportion of patients with any documented genetics referral increased significantly (35.2% vs. 68.4%, χ² = 22.03, p < 0.001). Referral order placement, documentation, and note routing increased across all referral modalities (all p < 0.001). Genetics appointment completion also improved significantly, from 11.4% in Phase 1 to 38.6% in Phase 2 (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Genetic referrals for pediatric hearing loss remain underutilized but improved substantially following implementation of a standardized referral protocol. These findings highlight the importance of optimizing referral pathways and providing ongoing provider education. QI initiatives represent a practical strategy to enhance access to genetic evaluation and support precision care. Full article

Near misses—clinical events that could have resulted in patient harm but did not—are increasingly recognized as critical yet underutilized sources of insight in surgical quality improvement. In thoracic surgery, where procedures are physiologically demanding and care pathways are highly interdependent, near misses frequently precede major complications and expose latent system vulnerabilities rather than isolated technical errors. A structured narrative review methodology was employed, including a targeted literature search of major biomedical databases and thematic synthesis of relevant studies. This narrative review synthesizes evidence from patient safety science, surgical quality literature, and thoracic surgery—specific outcomes research to examine how near misses can be systematically leveraged to improve care. We discuss the transition from individual-centered explanations of adverse events to system-based models that emphasize human factors, communication, escalation pathways, and organizational culture. Particular attention is given to contemporary quality frameworks such as failure to rescue and textbook outcome, which highlight the importance of early recognition, coordinated response, and recovery from complications rather than complication avoidance alone. We further explore the central role of psychological safety and leadership behaviors in enabling meaningful learning from near misses. By reframing near misses as actionable data rather than anecdotal “close calls,” quality improvement emerges as a core professional responsibility in thoracic surgery. We conclude that excellence in thoracic surgery should be defined not by the absence of complications, but by the capacity of surgical systems to learn, adapt, and prevent future harm. Full article

Pomegranate peel, accounting for 35–50% of the fruit weight, is an underutilized agri-food by-product. This study applied, for the first time, fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a simple and sustainable strategy to simultaneously obtain tannin-rich extracts and polysaccharide fractions with potential prebiotic activity. Peels from two cultivars, Wonderful and G1, differing in peel thickness, were subjected to three fermentation protocols (air- and not air-exposed) and monitored at 25 °C over 48 and 72 h. HPLC-DAD analysis showed that yeast-inoculated fermentation increased total tannin concentration in dry extracts (up to 70%) without inducing chemical modifications to tannin profiles. As determined by Dynamic Light Scattering, fermentation promoted significant depolymerization of native polysaccharides, while DOSY-¹H-NMR analyses revealed the presence of reduced molecular weight fractions down to 26 kDa. In vitro growth assays confirmed that fermented polysaccharides were more efficiently utilized as a carbon source by Bifidobacterium breve and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum compared to non-fermented controls, likely thanks to polysaccharide depolymerization induced by fermentation. The study demonstrated that air-exposed S. cerevisiae fermentation was an effective process alternative to chemical or enzymatic hydrolysis for modifying pomegranate peel pectin directly within a complex matrix, while simultaneously enhancing tannin recovery. This approach represents a possible sustainable strategy for pomegranate peel valorization into functional ingredients. Full article

The massive annual production of tea generates substantial underutilized by-products, leading to resource waste. This study aimed to develop an efficient process for converting these by-products into high-quality feed via fermentation with Lentilactobacillus buchneri (L. buchneri). Using a response surface methodology, the key fermentation parameters (time, temperature, inoculum size, and moisture) were optimized to target pH and crude protein (CP) content. The optimal conditions (4.5 days, 34.5 °C, 5.00 × 10⁶ CFU/g, 54% moisture) yielded a product with a pH of 3.72 and CP content of 17.96%, which was similar to the predictions. Fermentation successfully reduced ether extract (EE), tea tannin (TTN), and propionic acid (PA), while increasing lactic acid (LA) and lowering pH. This process was driven by the dominance of Lactobacillus (99.29% relative abundance), as revealed by microbial analysis. This work provides a viable and optimized strategy for valorizing tea by-products into nutritionally enhanced feed, thereby contributing to sustainable agricultural practices. Full article

For battery-powered Smart Road components deployed in locations without access to the electrical grid, limited energy availability represents a major challenge to long-term autonomous operation. While photovoltaic panels are the most commonly used energy-harvesting solution, their effectiveness depends strongly on environmental and climatic conditions and may be insufficient in shaded areas or in highly dynamic road environments. Road infrastructure, however, inherently provides additional and largely underutilized energy sources, among which thermoelectric energy generated by temperature gradients within the road structure is particularly promising. This review addresses the problem of identifying viable alternatives or complements to photovoltaic energy harvesting by focusing on thermoelectric transducers as a potential power source for Smart Road applications. The objective of the article is to provide a comprehensive overview of the physical principles underlying thermoelectric transducers, the different architectures of thermoelectric modules, and their practical applicability in road transportation systems. Particular attention is devoted to implementation approaches that do not interfere with traffic flow or compromise road safety, as well as to existing applications of thermoelectric energy harvesting in transportation infrastructure. In addition, the review discusses the potential and limitations of concentrated thermoelectric transducers for increasing power density. By synthesizing current research results, this work evaluates the feasibility, advantages, and challenges of thermoelectric energy harvesting to extend the operational lifetime of autonomous Smart Road components and identifies directions for future research. Full article

Blue–green infrastructure (BGI) is an important nature-based solution for mitigating urban overheating, and machine learning (ML) techniques offer strong potential in capturing the complex, nonlinear relationships between influencing factors and BGI cooling effects. This study presents a systematic review of 54 journal articles published between 2015 and 2025 that applied ML to assess the cooling performance of BGI. We classified BGI into seven types across three spatial scales, evaluated the metrics and indicators used to characterize the BGI cooling effects, and examined the ML algorithms, model performance, and data sources adopted in reviewed studies. We found that 2D BGI morphology metrics and BGI physical and biological metrics are most frequently used as model inputs, whereas 3D morphology metrics are used less. Surface temperature-related indicators dominate model outputs, while air temperature and human heat stress indicators, which better reflect heat health hazards, remain underutilized. In terms of methodology, ML applications are primarily based on artificial neural networks for temporal regression and tree ensemble algorithms for spatial regression. Building on these findings, we identify key research gaps and advocate that future research should develop comprehensive multi-source and multi-scale BGI databases, improve model transparency and generalizability, and integrate energy-balance information into BGI-ML studies. Finally, we propose a systematic BGI-ML modeling framework to guide future research in this field. Full article

Bilberry (Vacciniummyrtillus L., Ericaceae) is chiefly valued as an edible plant for its berries, widely consumed as a functional food, whereas the leaves, as agro-waste, remain an underutilized natural source of bioactives. The traditional use of V. myrtillus leaves is well documented, particularly for managing diabetes and gastrointestinal disorders. However, their potential spasmolytic activity, which could support such uses, remains unexplored. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the spasmolytic potential of V. myrtillus leaf extract on the gastrointestinal tract and to elucidate its underlying mechanism of action. The spray-dried 50% hydroethanolic extract of V. myrtillus leaves, obtained by double percolation, was analyzed using HPLC-DAD. The analysis revealed phenolic acids, with chlorogenic acid as the major compound, and flavonoids, predominantly isoquercitrin. Spasmolytic activity was tested on isolated rat ileum, and the mechanism of action was monitored using models of spontaneous contractions and acetylcholine-, histamine-, CaCl₂⁻, Bay K8644-, L-NAME-, ODQ-, apamin-, BaCl₂⁻, charybdotoxin-, glibenclamide-, TRAM-34-, and quinine-modified contractions. The extract’s activity on isolated ileum strips is primarily mediated via Ca²⁺ channels, cGMP, histamine, and NO pathways. Overall, this study affirms V. myrtillus leaves as a valuable source of phenolic compounds with potential for treating spasmodic gastrointestinal disorders. Full article

Accurate crop type mapping remains challenging in regions where persistent cloud cover limits the availability of optical imagery. Multi-temporal dual-polarization Sentinel-1 SAR data offer an all-weather alternative, yet existing approaches often underutilize polarization information and rely on single-scale temporal aggregation. This study proposes PTU-Net, a polarization–temporal U-Net designed specifically for pixel-wise crop segmentation from SAR time series. The model introduces a Polarization Channel Attention module to construct physically meaningful VV/VH combinations and adaptively enhance their contributions. It also incorporates a Multi-Scale Temporal Self-Attention mechanism to model pixel-level backscatter trajectories across multiple spatial resolutions. Using a 12-date Sentinel-1 stack over Kings County, California, and high-quality crop-type reference labels, the model was trained and evaluated under a spatially independent split. Results show that PTU-Net outperforms GRU, ConvLSTM, 3D U-Net, and U-Net–ConvLSTM baselines, achieving the highest overall accuracy and mean IoU among all tested models. Ablation studies confirm that both polarization enhancement and multi-scale temporal modeling contribute substantially to performance gains. These findings demonstrate that integrating polarization-aware feature construction with scale-adaptive temporal reasoning can substantially improve the effectiveness of SAR-based crop mapping, offering a promising direction for operational agricultural monitoring. Full article

Coconut residue (CR) is a major by-product generated during the wet processing of virgin coconut oil (VCO). Despite its potential as a raw material for value-added products such as dietary fiber, it remains underutilized due to its perishable nature, highlighting the need for appropriate pretreatment to improve safety and quality prior to valorization. This study evaluated the effects of thermal pretreatments, namely pan-roasting at 65–70 °C, hot-air drying at 50 °C and 60 °C, and their combinations, on the microbiological and physicochemical properties of CR. Microbiological quality was assessed through aerobic plate count, yeast and mold count, and total coliform analysis, while physicochemical properties were evaluated using pH, titratable acidity (TA), and instrumental color measurements. Results showed that CR subjected to pan-roasting, either alone or followed by drying at 60 °C, maintained acceptable microbial counts and generally exhibited lower TA and higher pH compared to other treatments, suggesting improved stability and reduced acidity development. However, pan-roasting caused color changes as reflected by a significant reduction in lightness (L*) values relative to the control. Overall, pan-roasting could serve as a promising thermal pretreatment step to enhance microbiological safety and preserve the physicochemical quality of CR. While these results indicate its potential for preparing CR for dietary fiber valorization, confirmation through analysis of fiber content, techno-functional properties, and validation using CR from commercial VCO processing facilities is still required. Full article

Lignocellulosic biomass is one of the most abundant renewable carbon resources available, currently used predominantly for energy generation through direct combustion, yet still underutilized as a feedstock for higher-value biochemical conversion. Its structural complexity and intrinsic recalcitrance continue to challenge efficient biological processing. Overcoming these barriers requires an integrated understanding of plant cell-wall architecture, pretreatment chemistry, enzymatic mechanisms, and process engineering. This review provides a clear and conceptually grounded synthesis of these elements, illustrating how they converge to enable the development of second-generation (2G) lignocellulosic biorefineries. This review examines the hierarchical organization of cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin; the principles and performance of modern pretreatment technologies; the synergistic action of cellulolytic systems, including lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) and non-hydrolytic proteins such as swollenins; advances in C5/C6 sugar fermentation; and emerging strategies for lignin upgrading. In addition to a comprehensive analysis of the literature, representative industrial and experimental case studies reported in the literature are discussed to illustrate practical process behavior and design considerations. By integrating mechanistic insight with industrially relevant examples, this review highlights the technical feasibility, current maturity, and remaining challenges of lignocellulosic biorefineries, underscoring their strategic role in enabling a competitive, low-carbon bioeconomy. Full article

This study examines the feasibility of incorporating cocoa bean hulls (CBH) into chocolate in order to improve the resource efficiency of the cocoa value chain. The substitution of cocoa nibs with pre-milled cocoa bean hulls without adjustment of fat content was investigated in dark chocolate. The reference R100.0 (dark chocolate, 0% CBH) was compared with V75.25 (25% of cocoa nibs replaced; 16.25% CBH total) and V50.50 (50% replacement; 32% CBH total). Increasing CBH significantly elevated viscosity and yield stress, and firmness rose correspondingly. Both effects align with the literature attributing such increases to higher solids loading and reduced fat content. Colour analysis (ΔE) showed distinct differences between R100.0 and V50.50. Environmental impact was reduced by 16% for V75.25 and 32% for V50.50. According to the EU Novel-Food-Status-Catalogue, CBH is not classified as novel food. While CBH is typically regarded as an underutilized by-product, this study demonstrates its potential as a functional, cost-reducing ingredient in dark chocolate formulations when applied at optimized inclusion levels. Full article