Evaluation of Lippia scaberrima Sond. and Aspalathus linearis (Burm.f.) R. Dahlgren extracts on human CYP enzymes and gold nanoparticle synthesis: implications for drug metabolism and cytotoxicity.

Background: Metabolism is an important component of the kinetic characteristics of herbal constituents, and it often determines the internal dose and concentration of these effective constituents at the target site. The metabolic profile of plant extracts and pure compounds need to be determined for any possible herb-drug metabolic interactions that might occur.

Methods: Various concentrations of the essential oil of Lippia scaberrima, the ethanolic extract of Lippia scaberrima alone and their combinations with fermented and unfermented Aspalathus linearis extract were used to determine the inhibitory potential on placental, microsomal and recombinant human hepatic Cytochrome P450 enzymes.

Magnifying Networks for Histopathological Images with Billions of Pixels.

Amongst the other benefits conferred by the shift from traditional to digital pathology is the potential to use machine learning for diagnosis, prognosis, and personalization. A major challenge in the realization of this potential emerges from the extremely large size of digitized images, which are often in excess of 100,000 × 100,000 pixels. In this paper, we tackle this challenge head-on by diverging from the existing approaches in the literature-which rely on the splitting of the original images into small patches-and introducing magnifying networks (MagNets).

Integrated assessment of the natural purification capacity of tidal flat for persistent toxic substances and heavy metals in contaminated sediments.

Natural purification of pollutants is highly recognized as regulating ecosystem services; however, the purification capacity of tidal flats remains largely unknown and/or unquantified. A 60-day mesocosm transplant experiment was conducted in situ to assess the purification capacity of natural tidal flats. We adopted the advanced sediment quality triad approach, monitoring 10 endpoints, including chemical reduction, toxicity changes, and community recoveries.

A Review of the Potential of Poly-(lactide-co-glycolide) Nanoparticles as a Delivery System for an Active Antimycobacterial Compound, 7-Methyljuglone.

7-Methyljuglone (7-MJ) is a pure compound isolated from the roots of A. DC., a shrub indigenous to South Africa.

Effects of different concentrations and particle sizes of nanoplastics on gut microbiology, metabolism, and immunity in Chiromantes dehaani.

This study investigated the effects of nanoplastics (NPs) of varying particle sizes (75, 500, and 1000 nm) and concentrations (2.5 and 10 mg/L) on the gut health of Chiromantes dehaani. The experimental groups included a control (Cg0), and varying combinations of particle size and concentration.

Limited effects of culling on the behavior of invasive lionfish (Pterois miles) in the Mediterranean.

Invasive species pose serious threats to ecosystems. To reduce ecological and economic consequences of invasions, efforts are made to control invaders and evaluating the effects of such efforts is paramount. Lionfishes (Pterois volitans and Pterois miles) are native to the Indo-Pacific Ocean and pose a major threat to local ecosystems in the invaded Atlantic and Mediterranean.

Ecological interruption on food web dynamics by eutrophic water discharge from the world's longest dike at Saemangeum, Yellow Sea.

The man-made sea dike has disrupted the natural link between riverine and marine ecosystems and caused eutrophication within the aquatic ecosystem. The eutrophic water discharge has also raised concerns. As a representative tidal flat with the longest dike in the world, Saemangeum has experienced the problem of eutrophication.

The Intrinsic and Instrumental Values of Blockchain to Provide Beef Traceability in Hong Kong, South Korea, and the United States.

Although previous research has identified that consumers are willing to pay for traceability, it remains unknown which types of traceability information might have the highest value, and whether consumers have an intrinsic value for blockchain technology above and beyond the instrumental value of providing traceability. A choice experiment was conducted with over 1500 consumers in Hong Kong, South Korea, and the U.S.

The under-investigated plastic threat on seagrasses worldwide: a comprehensive review.

Marine plastic pollution is a well-recognised and debated issue affecting most marine ecosystems. Despite this, the threat of plastic pollution on seagrasses has not received significant scientific attention compared to other marine species and habitats. The present review aims to summarise the scientific data published in the last decade (January 2012-2023), concerning the evaluation of plastic pollution, of all sizes and types, including bio-based polymers, on several seagrass species worldwide.

Chromium (III) removal by perennial emerging macrophytes in floating treatment wetlands.

Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) are a sustainable solution to treat polluted water, but their role in chromium (Cr(III)) removal under neutral pH conditions remains poorly understood. This study evaluated the potential of FTWs planted with two perennial emergent macrophytes, Phragmites australis and Iris pseudacorus, to remove Cr(III) and nutrients (N and PO-P) from water containing 7.5 mg/L TN, 1.

Diversity of MrTolls and their regulation of antimicrobial peptides expression during Enterobacter cloacae infection in Macrobrachium rosenbergii.

Toll/Toll-like receptor (TLR) is an important pattern recognition receptor that plays an important role in the immunity of animals. Six Toll genes were identified in Macrobrachium rosenbergii, namely, MrToll, MrToll1, MrToll2, MrToll3, MrToll4, and MrToll5. SMART analysis showed that all six Tolls have a transmembrane domain, a TIR domain, and different number of LRR domains.

Factor diagnosis and governance strategies of ship oil spill accidents based on formal concept analysis.

Ship oil spill accidents have a prolonged duration, complex consequences, challenging cleaning and repairing efforts, and pose a significant threat to the environment, economy, and society. Eliminating irrelevant information and identifying key factors using traditional methods is challenging due to the complexity of the causes of ship oil spill accidents. To address this, this article sorts out the accident databases of the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) and eight national maritime administration agencies, and innovatively constructs a formal concept analysis (FCA) model based on reports of 100-plus ship oil spill accidents.

Laboratory Comparison of Low-Cost Particulate Matter Sensors to Measure Transient Events of Pollution-Part B-Particle Number Concentrations.

Low-cost Particulate Matter (PM) sensors offer an excellent opportunity to improve our knowledge about this type of pollution. Their size and cost, which support multi-node network deployment, along with their temporal resolution, enable them to report fine spatio-temporal resolution for a given area. These sensors have known issues across performance metrics.

Spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the relationships between PM concentrations and their drivers in China's coastal ports.

PM is one of the primary air pollutants that affect air quality and threat human health in the port areas. To prevent and control air pollution, it is essential to understand the spatiotemporal distributions of PM concentrations and their key drivers in ports. 19 coastal ports of China are selected to examine the spatiotemporal distributions of PM concentrations during 2013-2020.

Improving Surface Wear Resistance of Polyimide by Inserting KH550 Grafted GO.

To improve the wear resistance of polyimide (PI), surface modification was developed. In this study, the tribological properties of graphene (GN), graphene oxide (GO), and KH550-grafted graphene oxide (K5-GO) modified PI were evaluated by molecular dynamics (MD) at the atomic level. The findings indicated that the addition of nanomaterials can significantly enhance the friction performance of PI.

Analysis of navigational risk indicators as a function of the ship's domain width for the selected offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea.

This study concerns the analysis of navigational risk indicators as a function of the ship's domain width estimated for nine selected representative ships sailing under various hydrometeorological conditions (average and deteriorated ones) observed within the Offshore Wind Farm to be constructed within the Polish offshore zone on the Baltic Sea. For this purpose, the authors compare three types of domain parameters according to the guidelines by the PIANC, Coldwell and Rutkowski (3D). The study enabled selection of a group of ships which can be considered safe and can optionally be allowed to navigate and/or fish in the immediate vicinity and within the offshore wind farm.

Characterisation and calibration of low-cost PM sensors at high temporal resolution to reference-grade performance.

Particulate Matter (PM) low-cost sensors (LCS) present a cost-effective opportunity to improve the spatiotemporal resolution of airborne PM data. Previous studies focused on PM-LCS-reported hourly data and identified, without fully addressing, their limitations. However, PM-LCS provide measurements at finer temporal resolutions.

Insight into the marine microplastic abundance and distribution in ship cooling systems.

Microplastics (MPs) are becoming widely recognized as one of many global environmental issues. Although recently, it has been suggested that marine plastics may affect a ship's operation, the presence of MPs in a ship's cooling system has not received significant attention. In this study, samples of 40 L each were taken from each of the five main pipes (sea chest (SC), ejector pump (EP), main engine jacket freshwater pump (MJFP), main engine jacket freshwater cooler (MJFC), and expansion tank (ET)) in each season (February, May, July, October 2021) to identify and characterize MPs in the five main pipes of the ship cooling system from the training ship Hanbada, Korea Maritime and Ocean University.

Improving Thermal Conductivity and Tribological Performance of Polyimide by Filling Cu, CNT, and Graphene.

The thermal conductivity, mechanical, and tribological properties of polyimide (PI) composites filled by copper (Cu), carbon nanotube (CNT), graphene nanosheet (GNS), or combination were investigated by molecular dynamics simulation (MD). The simulated results suggested that Cu can improve thermal stability and thermal conductivity, but it reduces mechanical properties and tribological properties. CNT and GNS significantly improved the thermal and tribological properties at low content, but they decreased the properties at high content.

The non-Haplochromis fish fauna in Uganda: an update on the distribution and a review of data gaps.

Freshwater fishes are the second most threatened group of vertebrates after amphibians. In most developing countries, the conservation of freshwater fishes is largely hampered by limited information and data. The Red List assessments by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) provide a benchmark for monitoring and mitigating species extinction risk, but these assessments require, inter alia, quantitative information on the species range in the wild.

Spatiotemporal variations of NO and its driving factors in the coastal ports of China.

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO) is one of the major air pollutants in coastal ports of China. Understanding the spatiotemporal varying effects of driving factors of NO is vital for the implementation of differentiated air pollution control measures for different port areas. Based on the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) satellite data, we adopted a Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) model to explore the influences of meteorological and socioeconomic factors on the NO Vertical Column Concentrations (VCDs) in coastal ports of China from 2015 to 2021.

Cadmium accumulation by Phragmites australis and Iris pseudacorus from stormwater in floating treatment wetlands microcosms: Insights into plant tolerance and utility for phytoremediation.

Environmentally sustainable remediation is needed to protect freshwater resources which are deteriorating due to severe industrial, mining, and agricultural activities. Treatment by floating wetlands could be a sustainable solution to remediate water bodies. The study aimed to examine the effects of Cd on Phragmites australis and Iris pseudacorus growth (height, biomass, root length and chlorophyll contents), anatomy, Cd accumulation in their biomass and their ability to remove Cd, N and P.

Research on Pressure-Flow Characteristics of Pilot Stage in Jet Pipe Servo-Valve.

Jet pipe servo-valves are widely used in high-precision servo control systems. However, the accuracy of pressure-flow characteristic equations relevant to its pilot stage needs to be improved. In contrast to the traditional analytical approach using the orifice equation, the article investigates the pressure and flow characteristics of the pilot stage based on the impact jet principle.

Outwelling of nutrients into the Pasur River estuary from the Sundarbans mangrove creeks.

The Pasur River estuary (PRE), the largest estuary in the Sundarbans mangrove area, provides vital fishery resources and supports millions of livelihoods in the southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh. This study focused on the tidal and run-off effects on the outwelling of nutrients from the Sundarbans mangrove creeks to the PRE. Spatial and temporal variations of nutrient and chlorophyll-a concentrations were assessed by water sampling at 11 stations in the study area from January to December 2019.