Search Results (2,084)

Bacterial infection, biofilm formation, and the associated oxidative stress and persistent inflammation represent major obstacles to wound healing, tissue engineering, and implantable medical devices. Owing to their highly hydrated three-dimensional networks, favorable tissue compatibility, and versatile capacity for functional loading, hydrogels have been widely investigated for the treatment of infected wounds. This review systematically summarizes the major antibacterial mechanisms of hydrogels, including cationic contact-killing, chemical antibacterial activity mediated by metal ions and reactive halogen species, nanozyme-catalyzed reactions and bidirectional regulation of reactive oxygen species, as well as photothermal synergistic antibacterial therapy. Key design strategies are also discussed, including natural polymer-based matrices, multiple dynamic crosslinking, stimuli-responsive controlled release, three-dimensional printing, and spatial compartmentalization. In addition, recent advances in infection-microenvironment regulation, wet-interface adaptation, temporally coordinated tissue repair, and integrated diagnosis and therapy are highlighted. The field is currently shifting from single-mode bacterial eradication toward multistage tissue repair and intelligent theranostics. However, major challenges remain, including balancing antibacterial efficacy with biosafety, achieving reproducible manufacturing and sterilization-compatible formulations, maintaining functional stability during storage, and improving the clinical relevance and standardization of preclinical evaluation. In addition, most smart systems still lack quantitative coupling among pathological signals, therapeutic dosage, and treatment outcomes. Future studies should therefore integrate mechanistic design with manufacturing reproducibility, clinically relevant validation, and quantitative feedback regulation, thereby advancing antibacterial hydrogels from multifunctional proof-of-concept systems toward precise, controllable, and clinically translatable therapeutic platforms. Full article

Climate change increasingly challenges winter wheat production, making balanced nutrient management essential for maintaining crop productivity and grain quality. In this context, fertilization remains a key factor determining crop productivity and yield stability. This study was conducted during 2022–2025 within a long-term field experiment established in 1975 at the Agricultural Research and Development Station Secuieni, Romania, to evaluate the cumulative effects of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization on winter wheat yield, yield components, grain quality, and soil chemical properties. The experiment was established on a medium-textured cambic chernozem using a two-factor split-plot design with five replications. Five phosphorus (P₀, P₄₀, P₈₀, P₁₂₀, and P₁₆₀ kg ha⁻¹ active ingredient) and nitrogen (N₀, N₄₀, N₈₀, N₁₂₀, and N₁₆₀ kg ha⁻¹ active ingredient) treatments were evaluated using the winter wheat cultivar Otilia grown in a bean–wheat–maize rotation. Fertilization significantly increased grain yield and improved grain quality. The highest winter wheat grain yield, 6897 kg ha⁻¹, was obtained with the N₈₀P₁₆₀ fertilization treatment, indicating that this nitrogen and phosphorus combination provided the most favorable response under the experimental conditions. Higher nitrogen rates significantly increased grain quality parameters, with protein content rising from 9.15% at N₀ to 14.20% at N₁₆₀, wet gluten content increasing from 17.29% to 28.97% and starch content decreasing from 70.95% at N₀ to 66.91% at N₁₆₀; however, the application of higher fertilizer rates did not result in further increases in grain yield. These findings emphasize the importance of balanced nitrogen and phosphorus management for improving winter wheat productivity and grain quality under changing climatic conditions. Full article

A miniature label-free biosensor based on a chemically etched single-mode optical fiber (SMF) is reported for the detection of matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8), a salivary biomarker of active periodontitis with a clinical decision threshold of 20 ng/mL. Fibers etched in 48% hydrofluoric acid to a waist diameter of 16.0 ± 1.4 µm gave a mean refractive index (RI) sensitivity of 376.8%/RIU and an RI limit of detection (LOD) of 5.9 × 10⁻⁴ RIU. Fibers were tested with MMP-8 spiked into phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and into saliva over 0–200 ng/mL using a post-rinse protocol with per-fiber matrix subtraction. Dose–responses followed a Langmuir isotherm (Kd = 7.1 ng/mL in PBS, 12.7 ng/mL in saliva), with cohort LODs of 0.043 and 0.52 ng/mL, both well below the threshold. MMP-9 (100 ng/mL) and human serum albumin (1 mg/mL) gave negligible responses (≤2.7%, versus 68.2% for MMP-8 at 100 ng/mL); antibody immobilization was confirmed by confocal immunofluorescence. A commercial sandwich ELISA on the same spike series gave a matched-matrix LOD of 41.1 ng/mL, nearly two orders of magnitude higher. This performance requires no metal coating, nanostructuring, label, or signal amplification, only a single wet-etching step on stock telecommunications fiber. Full article

Ergot, caused by Claviceps purpurea (Fr.) Tul., is a re-emerging disease that is particularly severe under wet weather during cereal flowering. It reduces grain quality and contaminates food and feed with toxic ergot alkaloids. Because no single measure reliably controls it, this study evaluated components of a hybrid protection approach for winter rye, coupling host-based control (cultivar susceptibility) with a panel of chemical, biological and botanical agents assessed in vitro against the pathogen. In a poisoned-medium (agar-dilution) assay, 11 treatments differed highly significantly in the suppression of mycelial growth. Complete inhibition (100%) was obtained with prothioconazole, mandestrobin, a systemic copper formulation, a Bacillus subtilis (QST 713) biocontrol product, mandarin essential oil (EO) (1% and 5%), and lemon and ginger EOs at 5%; azoxystrobin (83.6%) was intermediate, whereas ginger EO at 1% (74.8%) and lemon EO at 1% (30.2%) were significantly less inhibitory, with the EOs showing a clear dose response. In a field trial in which plots were artificially inoculated with a conidial suspension of the pathogen at anthesis, cultivar, location and year all significantly affected ergot content (p < 0.001; model R² = 0.937), which ranged from 0.60% (cultivar DL 19) to 2.69% (cultivar SU Performer). Infestation was governed by a strong location × year interaction, yet a significant cultivar effect was detected within every location and year. Ergot content was very strongly correlated with ergot weight (r = 0.96) but not with yield, indicating that susceptibility was not linearly related to yield in this material and is a cultivar- and environment-driven trait relevant to integrated ergot management. Full article

The global seafood industry generates substantial quantities of processing by-products such as heads, viscera, skin, bones, scales, and shells. These residues represent an underutilized resource rich in proteins, lipids, minerals, enzymes, and polysaccharides. Conventional valorization approaches such as chemical extraction, wet rendering, and enzymatic hydrolysis have been used to recover valuable compounds from seafood waste. However, conventional methods often involve high chemical consumption, long processing times, and environmental concerns. Green extraction technologies have emerged as promising alternatives, with subcritical water extraction (SWE) gaining significant attention due to its unique properties and ability to simultaneously extract and convert biomass components. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the valorization of seafood processing wastes using SWE. Particular emphasis is placed on the physicochemical properties of subcritical water, the reaction mechanisms governing the hydrolysis and transformation of proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides, and the key parameters influencing extraction performance. Recent advances in the recovery of value-added products such as amino acids, bioactive peptides, protein hydrolysates, omega-3-rich oils, chitin derivatives, and mineral-rich materials are summarized. In addition, the integration of SWE with complementary technologies such as supercritical CO₂ extraction, enzymatic hydrolysis, and hydrothermal carbonization is examined as a strategy for developing integrated seafood biorefineries. Full article

Bioadhesive hydrogels combine tissue-adhesive properties with therapeutic multifunctionality, offering promising solutions for regenerative medicine. This comprehensive review examines the design strategies, fundamental adhesion mechanisms, and clinical applications of these biomaterials. We systematically discuss four primary adhesion mechanisms: physical interactions, chemical adhesion, topological mechanical interlocking, and bioinspired adhesion. Key design parameters, including wet-environment adhesion strength, self-healing capability, injectability, and controlled biodegradability, are analyzed and benchmarked against commercial products. Major material platforms, encompassing catechol-based systems, chitosan derivatives, gelatin/GelMA variants, Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based adhesives, and multi-network hybrid systems, are evaluated for their adhesive performance and functional integration. Tissue-specific applications spanning wound healing, bone/cartilage repair, soft tissue sealing, vascular repair, and neural regeneration are critically assessed, emphasizing in vivo outcomes and clinical translation barriers. Finally, we discuss emerging frontiers, including artificial intelligence-guided material design, on-demand detachable adhesives, and regulatory pathways. Synthesizing over 140 peer-reviewed references from the past two decades, this review provides a systematic roadmap from fundamental adhesion science toward the clinical implementation of next-generation bioadhesive hydrogels. Full article

The dust generated during coal mining poses a significant threat to miners’ health and safety. Surfactants, as effective agents for improving coal wettability, require a deeper exploration of their microscopic action mechanisms. This study systematically investigates the micro-interaction behaviors and wetting regulation mechanisms of four types of surfactants—anionic (SDBS), cationic (CTAB), zwitterionic (BS-12), and nonionic (AEO-9)—with lignite, bituminous coal, and anthracite through molecular simulations and dynamic contact angle experiments. To correlate the wettability differences with the physical and chemical properties of different coal ranks, XRD and SEM observations were employed to analyze the mineral composition and surface microstructure. The results demonstrate that SDBS has the strongest adsorption capacity on coal, with the wettability capacity ranked as follows: SDBS > CTAB > BS-12 >AEO-9. This research reveals the regulation mechanism of surfactants on coal wettability, providing a theoretical basis for optimizing dust prevention technologies and fostering the development of green mining. Full article

While limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) can reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 50%, low early-age strength in low-clinker formulations limits its structural adoption. This study investigates practical strategies to accelerate early strength development in low-clinker LC3 mortars (clinker fraction ~42.5%) using sodium carbonate (1–3%) and a commercial chemical accelerator (1.5–3%), evaluated individually and in combination. Eleven mortar mixes were tested for compressive and flexural strength at 3, 7, and 28 days per BS EN 196-1, alongside ATR-FTIR hydration characterization and dry versus wet mixing comparisons. Results show that 2% sodium carbonate is the optimal single dosage, increasing 7-day compressive strength by ~29% (from 6.8 to 8.8 MPa) and flexural strength by 22% (from 2.46 to 3.00 MPa). Combining 1% sodium carbonate with 1.5% accelerator produced a pronounced synergistic effect, boosting 7-day compressive strength by 38% (9.4 MPa) and flexural strength by 34% (3.30 MPa). FTIR spectra confirmed enhanced silicate polymerization and carboaluminate precipitation. These findings provide construction practitioners with a scalable, low-cost chemical activation method to facilitate early demoulding and formwork stripping in sustainable low-carbon construction. Full article

Shallow wetlands retain metals and metalloids from industrial, mining, agricultural, urban, and atmospheric sources; however, shallow water columns, active sediment–water exchange, and recurrent wetting–drying also favor remobilization. This critical narrative review evaluates physical, chemical, biological, and ecological engineering approaches for metal-contaminated shallow wetlands, focusing on the hydrological and biogeochemical conditions governing performance. Evidence was differentiated among natural or semi-natural wetlands, engineered wetland analogues, and transferable studies of contaminated sediments, soils, or wastewaters. Physical interventions rapidly control localized sediment inventories but can disturb habitats and redistribute particles. Chemical amendments reduce porewater concentrations and bioavailability, although durability depends on pH, redox conditions, dissolved organic matter, and competing ions. Biological and ecological engineering approaches can support ecological function recovery, but performance depends on plant traits, microbial processes, hydroperiod, and maintenance. No intervention was consistently superior across site conditions and outcome domains. Within this framework, sustainability is evaluated through durable risk reduction, ecological function recovery, life-cycle feasibility, responsible residual management, and accountable long-term stewardship. The reviewed mechanistic and conceptual evidence supports considering site-specific treatment trains, although direct comparative field evidence demonstrating their superiority over individual interventions remains limited. Future studies should prioritize hydrologically realistic field validation, standardized flux and bioavailability endpoints, mixed-contaminant scenarios, life-cycle assessment, and explicit measurement of ecological function recovery. Full article

The Yinchuan Basin is situated at the leading edge of the latest northeastward expansion of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Sedimentary sequences at basin margins are crucial for understanding basin–mountain coupling relationships, yet systematic studies remain scarce. Here, we present a comprehensive sedimentological, paleomagnetic, whole-rock major and trace element, carbon–oxygen isotope, and detrital zircon U–Pb geochronological analysis of ZK01 Borehole (203 m) from the Kushui River area in the southern basin. Multi-proxy reconstruction reveals that Quaternary climate evolution can be divided into five stages: (1) Early Pleistocene (~2.58–1.77 Ma) alluvial fan-lacustrine alternations with high-amplitude climatic fluctuations, responding to orbitally-driven monsoon precipitation changes; (2) late Early Pleistocene (~1.77–0.78 Ma) stable lacustrine environment with sustained warm–humid conditions and subdued wet–dry oscillations; (3) Middle Pleistocene Climate Transition (MPT, ~0.9–0.6 Ma), marked by positive δ¹³C shifts, heavier δ¹⁸O values, and peak CIA values, indicating intensified chemical weathering in the catchment despite regional warming–drying; (4) Late Pleistocene (~0.16–0.12 Ma) extreme arid alluvial fan phase, with decreased CIA, recording a major dry event; and (5) post-last interglacial (~0.12 Ma–present) shallow lake recovery, with gradual enrichment of all proxies. Detrital zircon U–Pb age spectra show multi-peak characteristics (200–300 Ma, 400–500 Ma, etc.), consistent with upper Yellow River sediments. From the Late Pliocene to the Quaternary, the 200–300 Ma component increased while Precambrian components decreased. Provenance evolution indicates the Yellow River has been the primary sediment carrier, with increasing young components linked to the far-field effects of the Kunlun-Huanghe Movement, revealing tectonic uplift-driven headward erosion and provenance changes. We conclude that Quaternary environmental evolution of the Yinchuan Basin was jointly controlled by orbital-scale monsoon climate and episodic tectonic uplift of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau margin, with Yellow River integration further reshaping the basin’s drainage pattern. Full article

Dark fermentation of organic waste offers a means of coupling molecular hydrogen (H₂) production with the bioconversion of wet organic feedstocks. However, its practical performance remains limited by unstable carbon and electron-flow distribution, substrate heterogeneity, and dynamic shifts in microbial community structure. This review critically evaluates microbial consortium engineering as a strategy to improve the selectivity, stability, and controllability of dark-fermentative H₂ production. Available experimental evidence indicates that H₂ productivity is determined not by a single high-performing strain but by the coordinated activity of microorganisms responsible for hydrolysis, fermentation of soluble compounds, and conversion through H₂-producing pathways. Disruption of this coordination redirects carbon and electrons toward lactate, alcohols, methane, and homoacetogenic pathways. Synthetic microbial consortia enable more targeted control over community composition and the allocation of metabolic functions; nevertheless, their operational performance and reproducibility may decline substantially when defined model substrates are replaced by chemically heterogeneous, non-sterile waste-derived substrates. The most reproducible performance is achieved when community composition is matched to feedstock chemistry and reactor operating conditions. Further progress will require a transition from empirical culture selection to substrate-specific engineering of microbial functions supported by metabolite profiling, molecular analyses, and mass- and electron-balance data. Full article

Earth’s early history provides the only natural record for evaluating how planetary evolution can generate environments capable of initiating life. Here we review early Earth evolution through the lens of urability: the time-dependent capacity of planetary environments to support prebiotic chemistry progressing toward compartmentalized, self-propagating, information-bearing systems. We argue that urability is not a single globally habitable state, but a transient overlap among several coupled dimensions: liquid water availability, permissive temperature, ocean pH and salinity, access to bioessential elements, atmospheric shielding and volatile retention, and exposed or shallow environments that enable concentration, mineral catalysis, and wet–dry cycling. During the Hadean–early Archean transition, these dimensions were shaped by magma-ocean degassing, late accretion history, atmospheric compositional evolution from CO₂-rich to more N₂-dominated states, ferruginous ocean chemistry, tectonic recycling, continental growth, and intermittent land emergence. These processes created tradeoffs: high pCO₂ may have enhanced abiotic nitrogen fixation but imposed hot and acidic conditions, whereas CO₂ drawdown improved climate and ocean pH while weakening some fixed-nitrogen sources; ferruginous chemistry could locally enhance phosphate availability while also promoting nutrient scavenging; and tectonic recycling could stabilize the carbon cycle while generating chemically diverse but spatially intermittent land environments. We therefore frame life’s origin as a planetary timing problem, in which prebiotic opportunities opened and closed as multiple environmental constraints came into and out of overlap. This perspective motivates coupled models that resolve when and where water, temperature, pH, nutrients, energy, atmospheric photochemistry, and exposed land surfaces jointly produced urable environments on Earth and other rocky planets. Full article

Acid mine drainage (AMD) generation in sulfide waste rock deposits involves complex hydrogeochemical processes that require controlled experimental approaches to improve our understanding of them. In this study, a laboratory-scale waste rock dam reactor was operated for 31 weeks using representative materials from the Iberian Pyrite Belt. Continuous monitoring of physicochemical parameters and weekly chemical analyses generated a big dataset that was evaluated using graphical and statistical approaches. The reactor successfully reproduced the principal hydrogeochemical processes characteristic of AMD environments, including sulfide oxidation, contaminant transport and attenuation. Graphical and statistical analyses consistently validated the proposed conceptual hydrogeochemical model. Sulfate concentrations were identified as the main control on electrical conductivity, while alternating wet and dry periods governed pH fluctuations through precipitation–dissolution and redissolution processes. The progressive decrease in dissolved metals and sulfate along the reactor reflected precipitation processes comparable to those observed in natural AMD systems. The reactor reproduced, at a small scale, both the temporal evolution and the three hydrological phases described for natural waste rock dams, demonstrating its reliability as a reproducible experimental platform for hydrogeochemical modeling and the investigation of AMD generation under controlled conditions. An effective diagnosis of contamination processes in mine waters is essential for future remediation interventions. Full article

To investigate the effect of femtosecond laser scanning path on the surface integrity of 7075 aluminum alloy after paint removal, parallel, Z-shape, and loop-shape scanning were compared in terms of surface morphology, microstructure, chemical composition, roughness, wettability, and corrosion resistance. Parallel scanning effectively removed the paint while maintaining a surface roughness of 0.27 μm, close to that of the original substrate. The resulting regular unidirectional laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) yielded a water contact angle of 85°, consistent with the Wenzel wetting model. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed the lowest C 1s and O 1s peak intensities, the lowest lattice-oxygen fraction in Al₂O₃, the strongest metallic Al⁰ signal, and limited thermal oxidation. Electrochemical measurements showed the most positive corrosion potential (−0.974 V), the highest film resistance and charge-transfer resistance, and the best corrosion resistance for parallel scanning. By contrast, energy accumulation at the ends during Z-shape scanning and thermal accumulation at the corners and center during loop-shape scanning increased pit and recast-defect densities, oxidation, and corrosion degradation. Loop-shape scanning produced a surface roughness of 3.60 μm and a contact angle of 140.7°, indicating superhydrophobicity, but also the highest corrosion current density and the poorest corrosion resistance, showing that superhydrophobicity does not necessarily correspond to high corrosion resistance. The results show that scanning path affects LIPSS evolution, oxide-film integrity, and corrosion resistance through the spatial distribution of laser energy and thermal accumulation. Among the three paths, parallel scanning provided the best combination of paint removal, low substrate damage, and corrosion resistance, supporting its use in femtosecond-laser paint removal from aircraft aluminum alloy skins. Full article

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 7 and 13) have accelerated the search for sustainable carbon materials to address energy and environmental challenges. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) effectively converts wet biomass into hydrochar without energy-intensive drying. However, raw hydrochar’s low surface area and limited porosity restrict its performance in adsorption, catalysis, and energy storage, necessitating activation to produce nanoporous hydrochar. This review critically evaluates physical (steam, CO₂), chemical (KOH, H₃PO₄, ZnCl₂), metal-based (Fe-based), and emerging green (H₂O₂, carbonate-based) activation strategies, emphasizing pore formation mechanisms, parameters, post-treatments, and their influence on material properties. Comparative analysis shows that KOH activation consistently yields the highest surface areas and microporosity, while H₃PO₄ and ZnCl₂ generate hierarchical pore structures at lower temperatures. Physical activation offers environmentally benign alternatives, whereas metal-assisted and green oxidative methods introduce additional functionalities. The review identifies key challenges regarding scalability, chemical recovery, wastewater management, pore control, and techno-economic feasibility. To enable industrial deployment, future research must prioritize scalable, closed-loop recovery methods, machine learning optimization, and pilot-scale demonstrations. Full article