Artiles
Open Access
Review
20 April 2026Molecular Targets and Emerging Therapeutics in Cardiac Fibrosis
Cardiac fibrosis represents a global health crisis, observed in nearly all forms of heart disease, and contributes significantly to the progression of heart failure. Driven by diverse etiologies such as chronic hypertension, myocardial infarction, and metabolic disorders, cardiac fibrosis is characterized by the excessive deposition of extracellular matrix proteins. At the cellular level, the activation of cardiac fibroblasts into myofibroblasts serves as the primary mechanism for this structural remodelling. Excessive collagen deposition, crosslinking, and pathological scarring lead to increased ventricular stiffness, electrical arrhythmias, and a profound decline in cardiac function, affecting the quality of life for millions of patients worldwide. The review discusses the existing well-known profibrotic signals and molecular signalling pathways leading to cardiac fibroblast activation, collagen synthesis, and crosslinking. Mechanosensitive pathways, signalling mechanisms involved in collagen crosslinking, and epigenetic factors of cardiac fibrosis are also discussed along with their potential antifibrotic targets and therapeutic drugs. Further, small-molecule inhibitors, peptide-based therapies, natural compounds, and repurposed drugs for fibrosis are also discussed. This review concludes with recent approaches of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy for cardiac fibrosis.
Open Access
Review
20 April 2026A Transboundary Network of Protected Areas for the Conservation of the Far Eastern Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis)
The last Far Eastern leopards survived at the junction of the Southwest of Primorsky Krai in Russia and the Laoyeling-Dalongling in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces in China. By the year 2000, there were only 30–35 individuals living in an area of approximately 3000 km2. Thanks to conservation efforts, this endangered subspecies has moved away from the edge of extinction, with more than 150 individuals living in an area over 14,000 km2 in 2022. Reliable protection of key habitats has played a crucial role in this success. Over the past 25 years, the transboundary network of protected areas dedicated to the conservation of the Far Eastern leopard has increased 12 times, from 1532 km2 to 18,961 km2, covering 12,636 km2, or 90 percent of its current range. The latest step was the proclamation in 2024 of the Sino-Russian transboundary protected area “Land of Big Cats”. This includes the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve, the Land of the Leopard National Park with a buffer zone in Russia (3694 km2), and the Northeast Tiger Leopard National Park in China (14,612 km2). According to our estimates, this will ensure the long-term preservation of 17,239 km2 of suitable habitats, which will allow for the maintenance of a potential population of at least 300 Far Eastern leopards.
Open Access
Article
20 April 2026Assessing the Role of Renewable Energy, Environmental Taxes, and Energy Use in Shaping Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Nigeria
Amid persistent environmental pressures linked to energy dependence and structural inefficiencies, this study represents one of the first empirical attempts to concurrently investigate the effects of renewable energy, green technology, environmental taxes, economic growth, energy imports, and government effectiveness on greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) using data updated through 2024 for Nigeria’s evolving economy. Using the “Autoregressive Distributed Lag” (ARDL) approach with “Granger causality” analysis, the results confirm a stable long-run association between the indicators. Renewable energy and energy imports indicate a negative correlation with GHGE in both the near and long term, supporting Nigeria’s low-carbon transition. Economic growth reduces emissions in the near term but shows no significant long-run effect. Environmental taxes exhibit a weak positive association with emissions, reflecting enforcement and institutional limitations, while green technology and government effectiveness show negative but insignificant impacts. The causality findings reveal unidirectional links from environmental taxes to emissions and from emissions to government effectiveness. The results highlight the importance of strengthening renewable energy, diversifying energy sources, and enhancing institutional capacity to achieve sustainable environmental outcomes in Nigeria.
Open Access
Article
20 April 2026Zr-Doped Ru-Based Catalyst for Highly Active and Durable Acidic Oxygen Evolution Reaction
Developing an oxygen evolution reaction catalyst that exhibits both high catalytic activity and robust stability in acidic media remains a significant challenge to date. In this work, a RuZrOx/Ti-1 catalyst was successfully constructed on a Ti mesh substrate via a facile one-step pyrolysis method. Physical characterization reveals that the as-prepared RuZrOx/Ti-1 catalyst exhibits a densely packed nanosphere morphology on its surface, accompanied by abundant pores, which can provide a rich interface for the oxygen evolution reaction. The RuZrOx/Ti-1 catalyst achieves a low overpotential of only 199 mV for the OER at a current density of 10 mA·cm−2 and demonstrates excellent long-term durability, operating stably for 400 h at this current density. In summary, this work provides a viable strategy for designing high-performance acidic OER catalysts, thereby paving the way for the advancement of electrodes for water oxidation.
Open Access
Article
17 April 2026Electrical and Thermal Performance of SiC Wide-Bandgap Power Devices: Influence of Package Configuration
Wide Bandgap (WBG) semiconductors, particularly Silicon Carbide (SiC), have become pivotal in advancing high-efficiency, high-power-density systems. Cascode configurations, combining a high-voltage SiC JFET with a low-voltage Si MOSFET, enable Normally-OFF operation while leveraging SiC’s superior switching and thermal properties. However, co-packaging these devices introduces critical design challenges related to parasitic inductance, thermal management, and reliability. This study investigates the impact of bonding configuration and die-attach material selection on dynamic and thermal performance in SiC-based modules. Double Pulse Test (DPT) results reveal that direct bonding provides a better tradeoff between switching losses and dynamic operation stability, mitigating VDS overshoot, gate oscillation, and EMI risk, thereby improving switching stability under system-level stress. Conversely, indirect bonding increases inductance, amplifying oscillations and dynamic stress during turn-off events. Thermal analysis demonstrates that while system-level cooling dominates Rthja, the adoption of sintered silver (Ag) as a die-attach material achieves ~20% reduction in Rthjc, lowering junction temperatures and enhancing reliability for high-power applications. These findings underscore the importance of interconnect design and attach material optimization in achieving robust, high-efficiency operation of wide-bandgap devices.
Open Access
Review
17 April 2026Optical Fiber Sensing Materials from a Green Chemistry Perspective: Principles, Applications, and a Sustainable Prospectus
Optical fiber sensing technology offers high sensitivity, electromagnetic immunity, and distributed sensing capabilities, with broad applications in environmental, biomedical, and industrial monitoring. However, its reliance on heavy-metal-doped glasses, rare-earth elements, and non-biodegradable polymers imposes significant environmental burdens across their lifecycle. This review establishes a systematic framework based on the Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry to assess and redesign optical fiber sensing materials, including silica, soft glass, and polymer matrices, as well as functional coatings, fluorescent probes, and plasmonic nanostructures. It highlights green alternatives such as sol-gel synthesis, bio-based polymers, carbon quantum dots, and biosynthesized nanoparticles. A multi-dimensional sustainability assessment, covering performance, environmental impact, economics, and social factors, identifies key challenges such as performance-environment trade-offs and scaling-up costs. Future pathways integrating AI-assisted design, additive manufacturing, modular systems, and policy support are proposed. The study argues that green attributes and high performance are synergistic, positioning green optical fiber sensing as essential for achieving circular economy goals and UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Open Access
Article
17 April 2026Between Cultural Expectations and Personal Choices: Marriage Attitudes of Central Asian Women
This qualitative study explores the evolving attitudes of marriage among Central Asian women living in the United Kingdom. Drawing on a social constructionist framework and employing reflexive thematic analysis, interviews with five single women from Central Asia reveal how migration, education, and exposure to new cultural environments shape their perceptions of marriage. Two overarching themes emerged from the data: the tension between cultural expectations and personal agency, and the negotiation of marriage as a choice shaped by lived experiences, gender norms, and structural constraints. These findings demonstrate a shift toward autonomy and critical reflection, whilst demonstrating a persistence of traditional pressures and patriarchal values. This study provides an in-depth appreciation of how gender, culture, and identity intersect in shaping marriage perceptions among diasporic youth and offers further insight that will inform future research and culturally informed support initiatives.
Open Access
Article
16 April 2026Barriers to Low-Carbon Transition: An Empirical Assessment of GHG Emissions and Mitigation Readiness in the Matsapha Industrial Area, Eswatini
Climate change mitigation in the manufacturing sector is crucial for reducing global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In Eswatini, the industrial sector is the largest contributor to the national GHG inventory. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the mitigation readiness of this sector through a unique multi-stakeholder approach, using the Matsapha Industrial Area as a case study. Through an extensive survey, between November 2024 and January 2025, of industry managers, achieving an exceptionally high response rate of 91% (n = 21), employees (n = 63), local residents (n = 385), and a key ministry, the study evaluated emission sources, mitigation measures, stakeholder awareness, and the policy framework. The findings reveal a critical awareness-action gap: while basic awareness of climate change is high, a significant limitation was identified where nearly half (48%) of the surveyed industries could not provide quantifiable annual energy use data, and strategic mitigation is limited to cost-saving efficiency measures. Critically, the study confirms a policy vacuum, with no regulations mandating GHG monitoring or mitigation for manufacturing. This governance gap is the primary barrier to decarbonization. The results underscore an urgent need for a sector-specific industrial climate policy with a mandatory Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) framework, coupled with targeted capacity-building initiatives to translate awareness into accountable climate action.
Open Access
Review
16 April 2026The Chinese Genetic Traits in Atlantic Azores Archipelago and Its Ancient Anthropology Relationship with Sahara-Canary Islands Circle
Genetic studies in the Atlantic Azores Islands (1500 km far from Portugal) show that the modern population is composed of both northern and southern European populations. However, a significant Chinese input of HLA characteristic genes is noticed, possibly with people or genes that may have been left by Zheng-He very big crew which sailed seas from China in a long-lasting expedition (1421–1423 AD). This was concluded after Azorean HLA genetics comparison with HLA genes of worldwide populations by both neighbour joining and correspondence methodology. Also, the Machado- Joseph ataxia disease gene variant (ATXN3, Chr 14) is identical in China and the Azores, where this ataxia was discovered, and it has a high frequency. Moreover, the predisposing HLA-B*2707 gene variant to ankylosing spondylitis is the same in Azores and Far East Asian countries. This data may reflect a strong founder Chinese effect followed by isolation in Azores. In addition, “Carthaginian” coins were found in Corvo Is (Azores) of Spanish fabrication. This is contradictory to the official version that pre- Portuguese Azores had been virgin and inhabited. Also, Cart–ruts in Azores indicate a (Atlantic) common culture with Canary Islands and Mediterranean area. On the other hand, genetic studies on Canarians show that they present European, Iberian and Berber characteristics. A prehistoric lunisolar megalithic calendar is found: “Quesera” (Cheeseboard) of Zonzamas, pyramids similar to those found in nearby Western Sahara (90 km far from Canary Islands). In addition, lbero-Guanche rock scripts which can be transcripted with Iberian-Tartessian signary and are also found at Tim Missaw shelter (Sahara Desert, Algeria). Populated green Sahara area dissecation after 5000 years BC and subsequent people migration could be the origin of Canary Islands, Sahara and other Mediterranean culture traits. Thus, we have defined the Saharo-Canarian Circle as a genetic, anthropological, and prehistoric culture radiation area; it might have given raise to the Iberian-Tartessian signary and to other ancient lineal Mediterranean scripts.
Open Access
Article
16 April 2026Integrated Assessment of Ecosystem Carbon Storage and Ecological Risk Index Under Multi-Objective Driven Approach: A Case Study of the Karst Ecologically Fragile Area in Guangxi
In the context of global climate change, enhancing ecosystem carbon storage (CS) capacity and reducing ecological risk have become essential pathways toward achieving carbon neutrality. Land use/land cover change (LUCC), as a key factor influencing both CS and ecological security, has garnered widespread attention in recent years. However, most existing studies have focused on small-scale regions, lacking comprehensive assessments at the provincial level under multiple scenarios. To address this gap, this study takes the ecologically fragile karst region of Guangxi as a case study. Based on the PLUS-InVEST model, this study construct three land use scenarios (natural development, economic development, and ecological protection) to simulate land use changes by 2030, and then conduct an integrated assessment of the dynamics of ecosystem CS and the spatial distribution of landscape ecological risk under different scenarios. The results show that: (1) From 2000 to 2020, land use in Guangxi has shown a general trend of decreasing farmland area and increasing construction land. CS has exhibited notable spatial heterogeneity over time, with an overall upward trend, particularly in forest-rich areas where CS has increased significantly. (2) By 2030, CS will be jointly driven by land use patterns, climate change, and socioeconomic factors under different scenarios, with the ecological conservation scenario leading to the greatest increase in CS. (3) Spatial auto-correlation and LISA cluster analyses reveal a spatial coupling pattern of high carbon–low risk and low carbon–high risk, suggesting that ecological conservation measures can effectively enhance carbon sequestration. These findings provide scientific support for land use optimization, ecological protection and CS management in Guangxi under the carbon neutrality goal, and offer valuable insights for land use planning and ecological risk regulation in ecologically fragile karst regions.