The frequent failure of headstarting programs suggests we are overlooking important factors in amphibian reintroduction science. Since many repatriation efforts are in vain, such programs can become difficult to justify from a cost-benefit perspective (chronic failure also takes its toll on staff morale), ultimately working against the goals of conservation programs. The question of how to properly prepare amphibian larvae or juveniles for reintroduction and persistence in the landscape is of utmost importance. Here, we offer a previously unconsidered perspective that is predicated on the idea that amphibians, being vertebrates, have forebrain-based cognitive capabilities aligned along the nucleus accumbens-based reward system and the amygdaloid nuclei-based fear system. Experiences uploaded by the ventromedial pallium as memories are thought to be tagged as accumbens-based ‘good’ or amygdala-based ‘bad’, and stored as (relatively) long-term memories; as such, amphibians are said to be salient creatures. The necessarily nurturing nature of zoo husbandry protocols naturally works against young amphibians acquiring ecologically realistic life lessons, especially when these forebrain reward and fear circuits are developing. For example, in zoos, food provisioning eliminates the reward associated with searching for and then finding food, and the emphasis on survival in captivity means headstarted animals released into the wild have no opportunity to experience fear. Such under-stimulated reward/fear circuits poorly prepare headstarted animals for life in the wild. It follows that kindling this circuitry as it develops with ecologically relevant stimuli will better prepare animals for life following release into the wild. To the extent that realistic headstarting protocols call for sacrificing a few animals to enhance the experiences of the remaining many, they will no doubt be resisted by institutions. But we have two choices here: keep doing things the way we have been doing and expect different outcomes, or experiment with new ideas based on a broader understanding of these animals—ideas such as these we are now proposing—to improve the success of repatriation efforts.
Microalgae serve as a cell factory for sustainable biomass and high-value compound production, yet their industrial-scale cultivation is often constrained by light energy utilization. The continuous illumination often limits photosynthetic efficiency and biomass and high-value compound productivity due to a kinetic mismatch between rapid photochemical reactions (picosecond-to-millisecond scale) and slower downstream biochemical processes (like Calvin-Benson cycle). Flashing/pulsed light strategies mitigate these by delivering intermittent photons, exploiting the biological effects to enhance quantum yield, biomass productivity, and targeted metabolites accumulation. This mini review emphasizes historical development of core concepts, molecular mechanisms, Photosystem II (PSII) dynamics, plastoquinone buffering, temporal decoupling, parameter optimization, the applications in autotrophic and mixotrophic modes, and photobioreactor innovations. An updated timeline to date highlights the emerging AI-driven adaptive lighting systems that promise real-time optimization of flashing regimes. This review summarizes current understanding, critical knowledge gaps and future directions, particularly in intelligent control for scalable, energy-efficient cultivation of microalgae by the rational design of advanced photobioreactors and cultivation strategies.
Research into biodegradable polymers, driven by environmental imperatives, has progressed significantly. The copolymerization of CO2 and epoxides produces poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC), which exhibits favorable biodegradability but suffers from poor thermomechanical properties. To address this, recent studies have incorporated rigid monomers or crystalline segments into such copolymerizations, generating a diverse range of CO2-derived copolymers with enhanced thermal and mechanical performance. However, their degradation profiles remain insufficiently characterized. In this study, we selected several representative CO2-derived copolymers, recently synthesized by our group, to systematically investigate the structure-property relationship. We evaluated their biodegradability through a series of tests, including biodegradation rate analysis, compost disintegration, and seed germination assays. These polymers, developed by our research team, offer advantages such as low cost, tunable properties, broad applicability, and environmental compatibility. They are thus promising candidates for introducing new materials into the biodegradable plastics market.
This study presents a process design, simulation, and optimization framework for converting septic sludge into biomethane using Aspen Plus®. The sludge was characterized, revealing carbon, hydrogen, and volatile matter contents of 33.80, 5.86, and 34.86 wt.%, respectively. The developed Aspen Plus® model was validated against three literature datasets, achieving percentage errors below unity. Optimization using Response Surface Methodology-Central Composite Design (RSM-CCD) showed that the maximum biomethane yield was 58.227 vol% under optimal conditions: 25 °C hydrolysis temperature, 60 °C digester temperature, 35 days hydraulic retention time (HRT), and an organic loading rate (OLR) of kg·VS·m−3·day−1, with a desirability score of 1.0. A techno-economic evaluation using the Aspen Process Economic Analyser (APEA) demonstrated the system’s economic feasibility, with a total capital investment of USD 3.19 million, an annual operating cost of USD 1.29 million, and a payback period of approximately 3.8 years. The optimized system achieved a net energy gain of 82.6%, IRR of 16.6%, and NPV of $4.64 M, confirming strong economic viability. Sensitivity analysis further revealed that CAPEX, OPEX, feedstock cost, and upgrading energy demand significantly influence system profitability, emphasizing the importance of process optimization and energy-efficient upgrading strategies. Environmental assessment showed that the optimized system improved methane recovery efficiency to 98.7% and achieved a CO2 emission reduction potential of 0.49 kg CO2-eq/kg CH4, demonstrating strong greenhouse gas mitigation potential. Overall, the findings establish anaerobic digestion of septic sludge as a sustainable and cost-effective waste-to-energy pathway suitable for decentralized urban wastewater management, supporting circular economy and clean energy objectives in developing regions.
Cardiac fibrosis is a central pathological feature of heart failure and contributes to myocardial stiffening, impaired electrical conduction, and progressive ventricular dysfunction. Traditionally, fibrotic remodeling has been viewed as a fibroblast-driven process in which activated fibroblasts deposit excessive extracellular matrix following cardiac injury. However, emerging evidence indicates that fibrosis arises from coordinated interactions among multiple cardiac cell populations, including cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, immune cells, pericytes, and fibroblasts. In this review, we discuss the role of cardiomyocytes and their interactions with other cell types in the heart in facilitating cardiac fibrosis. We discuss how interactions among cardiomyocytes, immune cells, endothelial cells, pericytes, and fibroblasts contribute to fibrotic remodeling in both ischemic and non-ischemic heart disease. Our signaling emphasis is on transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-mediated cardiac fibrosis in the context of cellular interplay. We posit that a better understanding of these integrated signaling networks may reveal new opportunities to prevent or reverse pathological cardiac fibrosis.
