Paddy soils represent key biogeochemical interfaces linking arsenic (As) transformation and carbon (C) cycling. Dimethylarsenate (DMAs), a widespread organoarsenic contaminant in rice paddies, can alter methane (CH4) dynamics, but the underlying mechanisms based on dissolved organic matter (DOM)-microbe interaction and the mitigation potential of biochar still remained insufficiently understood.

Human metabolism converts inorganic arsenic to the pentavalent methylated species MMA(V) and DMA(V), the forms most people excrete, and the forms long read as the end of a detoxification pathway. Whether a transporter sets how much of these metabolites reaches the genome has not been tested in a mammalian cell. We expressed human AQP3, AQP7, AQP9 or AQP10 in HEK293T and MRC5-SV40 cells and measured γH2AX by flow cytometry across dose series of As(V), MMA(V) and DMA(V), pairing every aquaporin with a GFP-Tubulin control and an untransfected mock acquired in the same run. As(V) was inactive in HEK293T cells and only weakly active in MRC5-SV40 cells to 20 µM, and both methylated species damaged DNA only in the millimolar range, DMA(V) being the more potent of the two in both cell lines. Against that weak baseline, AQP9 and AQP10 raised DMA(V)-induced γH2AX in HEK293T cells by roughly 17 percentage points over the matched control, more than doubling the damage the same exposure produced in control cells, whereas AQP3 and AQP7 changed it not at all. AQP9 alone remained active with MMA(V). The ranking held in MRC5-SV40 fibroblasts at one-sixth the size, and within single wells the damage rose with the amount of AQP9 a cell carried while the control was flat. Aquaglyceroporins therefore discriminate among arsenic species, and AQP9 and AQP10 turn a weakly genotoxic metabolite into a substantially more genotoxic one.

Monolithic and laminated glass elements are increasingly used in structural applications, where their response to impact loading must be assessed to ensure safety. For soft impacts, simplified simulations based only on the initial impact velocity may be inaccurate because the transient coupling between the impactor and the glass depends on the impactor stiffness and mass. This study investigates the dynamic response of monolithic and laminated glass beams under soft impact loading using accelerometers, an instrumented impact hammer, strain gauges, operational modal analysis, and simplified finite element models. The influence of three impactor heads and three hammer masses is examined. Two approaches are assessed: a modal simulation driven by the measured impact-force history and a sensor-based method that reconstructs stresses from measured structural responses and experimentally identified mode shapes. Comparisons with experimental measurements yield approximate absolute-peak errors of 2.1% for the monolithic-beam acceleration and 1.5% for the laminated-beam stress, normalised by the maximum absolute measured response in each case, with corresponding Pearson correlation coefficients of 0.972 and 0.943. The results show that accounting for the measured impact-force history and combining response measurements at discrete locations with modal information can provide efficient estimates of dynamic response and stress without explicitly modelling the impactor-glass contact.

The contamination of water bodies by heavy metals and synthetic dyes presents a significant environmental challenge, necessitating the development of sustainable remediation strategies. Adsorption has emerged as a promising approach for wastewater treatment and biochar stands out as a low-cost, environment-friendly adsorbent. This study explores the potential of biochar made from banana peel (BPBC) for removing methylene blue (MB), methyl orange (MO), As(V), and Ni(II) from their aqueous solutions using spectrophotometry. The biochar was produced by pyrolyzing dry banana peels at 400°C in a Muffle Furnace and was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. SEM images reveal surface roughness and pore development, indicating a heterogeneous and porous surface. BET analysis showed an increase in surface area and pore volume after pyrolysis, confirming mesoporosity. PZC for banana biochar surface was determined to be 5, which indicated that the biochar surface is positively charged at pH values below it. A maximum removal efficiency of 95.02% was observed for MB using 0.5 g of biochar in 30-min contact time with BPBC. Ni(II) and As(V) ions were removed with efficiencies of 81.86% and 54.80%, respectively, using 1 g of biochar. Adsorption kinetics data fit the pseudo-second order (PSO) model with R[2] values of 0.9958 and 0.9952 for 10 and 20 ppm MB solution, respectively. Adsorption data obeyed the Freundlich isotherm for MB, while As(V) adsorption on BPBC followed both the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms. pH studies revealed enhanced adsorption of MO under acidic conditions (at pH 2.9), while MB showed best performance at neutral pH. Regeneration studies of BPBC for the removal of MO under acidic conditions showed a decrease in removal efficiency from 79.18% to 29.2% after the fourth cycle.

Characterizing open ocean biodiversity at basin scales remains challenging due to sparse sampling and limited opportunities to validate satellite-derived estimates of plankton community composition. Through the Citizens of the Sea initiative, we deployed standardized environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling kits on 27 sailing vessels during the 2024 Pacific Rally circumnavigating between New Zealand, Tonga, and Fiji, generating 728 surface ocean eDNA samples across 1.5 million km[2]. Using three complementary metabarcoding markers (bacterial 16S rRNA, eukaryotic 18S rRNA and metazoan Cytochrome Oxidase I genes), and following rigorous bioinformatic quality control, we obtained 31,177 unique Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs), providing the first high-resolution plankton biodiversity assessment of this understudied region. After accounting for human-derived variation, all metabarcoding markers revealed clear latitudinal patterns in alpha diversity and community composition. ASV richness increased significantly with sea-surface temperature and community turnover was strongly correlated with gradients in temperature and chlorophyll-a. Comparisons between eDNA-inferred phytoplankton functional groups and satellite-based estimates showed moderate agreement for prokaryote-dominated communities (R[2] = 0.27) but a weak correlation for eukaryotic phytoplankton (R[2] < 0.15), reflecting functional-type-specific mismatches between molecular and remote sensing approaches. Our results reinforce that citizen science fleets can generate high-quality oceanographic eDNA datasets at scales unattainable by research expeditions, while demonstrating the strong potential of these initiatives to bridge molecular observations with satellite-derived assessments and improve our understanding of open ocean plankton biodiversity.

Arsenic-organic co-contamination in mineral-processing wastewater remains difficult to remediate because organic collectors compete with As(III) for oxidants, reactive species, and surface sites. Here, MgFe2O4-modified biochar (MF-BC) was developed as a peroxydisulfate (PDS) activator for the concurrent degradation of benzohydroxamic acid (BHA) and oxidation-immobilization of As(III). MF-BC formed functionally differentiated but electronically coupled carbonaceous and MgFe2O4 domains. BHA showed a relative association preference for the carbonaceous domains and was degraded predominantly through a singlet oxygen-mediated nonradical pathway, whereas PDS activation and arsenic retention mainly occurred at the MgFe2O4-associated domains. Electrochemical measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations collectively indicated that electrons released during BHA oxidation were transferred through the carbonaceous framework to MgFe2O4, promoting Fe(III)/Fe(II) cycling and sustaining PDS activation. As(III) was oxidized to As(V) through combined radical and nonradical pathways, followed by immobilization primarily via inner-sphere As-O-Fe complexation. Multilevel ecotoxicological assays confirmed a substantial reduction in the biological toxicity of the treated water. This study demonstrates that spatially decoupling organic oxidation from arsenic transformation can alleviate competitive interactions in co-contaminated systems, while cross-domain electron transfer couples the two processes to enhance overall treatment performance.

Advancements in long-read sequencing technologies, such as those developed by Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT), have opened new possibilities for 16S rRNA gene profiling of microbial communities by enabling full-length sequencing. In this study, we optimized and validated a cost-effective, in-house ONT workflow for zebrafish gut microbiome analysis and compared its performance to the gold-standard Illumina NovaSeq platform. Using a PCR-based barcoding strategy, we successfully sequenced both the V3-V4 and V1-V9 regions of the 16S rRNA gene, achieving high read accuracy and balanced demultiplexing across samples. Our results demonstrate that ONT short-read (V3-V4) sequencing using the latest V14 chemistry and Dorado basecaller achieves resolution comparable to that of Illumina, supporting amplicon sequence variant classification. Rarefaction analysis confirmed that the sequencing depth (~240,000 reads/sample) was sufficient to capture microbial diversity in the zebrafish gut, a complex and taxonomically rich environment. Furthermore, taxonomic classifications and diversity metrics were consistent between platforms, supporting the reliability of ONT for microbiota profiling. While full-length (V1-V9) ONT sequencing yielded higher taxonomic richness through operational taxonomic units, it did not significantly improve species-level resolution, likely due to current database and bioinformatics limitations. Our custom library preparation protocol simplified multiplexing, reduced costs and improved scalability without compromising accuracy. Although 15 samples were conservatively multiplexed per flow cell in this study, the workflow has since been applied to larger-scale datasets with up to 75 samples per run and to additional amplicon targets, demonstrating its portability and adaptability across diverse biological contexts. These findings position ONT as a viable, scalable and field-deployable alternative to Illumina for microbiome research.

GPR120 is expressed in the tongue and plays an important role in fatty acid taste perception. Natural polyunsaturated fatty acids, including α-linolenic acid and linoleic acid, are found in various edible oils such as soybean, rapeseed, and safflower oils. These fatty acids activate GPR120 but are susceptible to oxidation during storage and heating. To address these limitations while retaining GPR120 activity, a series of conformationally restricted, aliphatic side-chain-conjugated aryl short-chain fatty acid derivatives was synthesized. Several compounds exhibited potent GPR120-mediated activity. Compound 20, one of the most active compounds, enhanced fatty orosensation in a preliminary sensory evaluation.

Strong iron-arsenic (Fe-As) coupling in iron tailings hinders selective As separation during Fe recovery, posing risks of secondary contamination and limiting tailings valorization. This study developed a nitrate-biomass hydrothermal treatment that enables selective Fe-As decoupling from iron tailings through pH evolution and As(V) reduction. The proposed strategy achieved ∼90% Fe recovery in the solid phase for valorization and ∼90% As separation to the liquid phase for safe management. During hydrothermal treatment, nitrate reduction induced pH rebound, which promoted Fe recovery. Notably, nitrate addition markedly enhanced the electron-donating capacity of the hydrothermal system, resulting in a six-fold increase in As(V) reduction efficiency. The reduction of As(V) weakened the association between As and Fe-bearing phases, thereby promoting Fe-As separation. Nitrogen transformation analysis indicated that nitrate participated in the formation of pyrrolic-N structures within hydrochar through interactions with biomass-derived intermediates. Combined experimental evidence and density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggested that pyrrolic-N contributed to As(V) reduction by enhancing electron transfer from carbon matrices to As(V) and lowering the energy requirement for reduction. Overall, this study establishes a nitrate-driven electron transfer system for selective Fe-As decoupling, providing mechanistic insights into nitrogen-mediated reductive transformation and a sustainable strategy for resource recovery from complex solid wastes.

Most of the world population lives by a water body. Observing, caring and understanding the ocean is vital for all. Among several branches of robotics - marine robotics creates the most interdisciplinary and participatory scientific pool, bringing citizen and scientists close to the use of aquatic robots. International efforts, such as the EU-funded MONUSEN project, are pioneering the technological transfer across borders, disciplines and people, therefore sustaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Goal 14 Life below Water). In particular, under MONUSEN we carried out two activities involving the general public, demonstrating the use and utility of cost effective technology. The first activity saw the presentation and usage of MARUS - Marine Robotic Unity Simulator - which offers advanced capabilities of generating realistic maritime environments allowing for closer-to-reality V&V - Verification & Validation - of applications developed for maritime vehicles. The second activity shared the functionality of the autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) SWAMP (Shallow Water Autonomous Multipurpose Platform). Participants piloted SWAMP ASV, collecting data along a predetermined path. Through the active involvement in data collection, they gained knowledge of state-of-the-art methods for controlling autonomous surface vehicles and contributed to a learning-by-imitation experiment. Both activities showed that the setting of the experiments and the visual interfaces effectively engaged a wide range of people belonging to different ages, cultures and education. The activities transferred new knowledge to the public, truly bringing them closer to the scientific work carried out in MONUSEN.

Arsenic (As) contamination can threaten groundwater quality and human health, particularly where redox conditions fluctuate. Although iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al) (hydr)oxides strongly adsorb arsenate under oxic conditions, flooding can promote As(V) reduction to more toxic and mobile As(III) and destabilize the Fe(III)-As(V) complexes. This study evaluated ferrous sulfate and aluminum sulfate as in-situ soil amendments to immobilize As and assess their stability under submergence. A batch, column leaching, and anaerobic incubation study was conducted to monitor redox potential (Eh), As speciation, and Fe/Al behavior. Results showed that both amendments reduced water-soluble and leachable As at pH 7-9. In batch tests, Fe and Al amendments lowered water-soluble As by 78.3% and 83.3%, respectively. Column tests showed that most As eluted within the first 10 pore volumes, with Fe and Al amendments reducing cumulative leachable As by 60.3% and 89.7%, respectively. During incubation, soil Eh declined to strongly reducing conditions (-259 mV). Around days 20-30 of incubation, the As(III)/total As ratio was >50%. Fe amendment showed substantial Fe(II) accumulation consistent with reductive dissolution and As remobilization. Although the Al amendment remained redox-stable and maintained lower dissolved As, strongly reducing conditions could still increase risk by shifting As(V) toward As(III). Overall, aluminum sulfate is preferred for flood-prone or redox-fluctuating soils because it remains effective under reducing conditions, whereas ferrous sulfate can be applied for persistently oxic sites to minimize redox-driven Fe(III)-As(V) destabilization.

Titanium dioxide-cobalt ferrite functionalized sugarcane bagasse biochar (SBC/TiO2-CoFe2O4) was developed as a multifunctional adsorbent for arsenate [As-(V)] removal from water. While numerous binary TiO2-biochar or magnetic biochar systems have been reported, limited studies have explored the synergistic integration of both TiO2 and CoFe2O4 on a biochar matrix, particularly for arsenate removal under alkaline conditions. The material was synthesized via the sol-gel approach using sugarcane bagasse biochar pyrolyzed at 450 °C. Its adsorption performance toward arsenate was systematically evaluated at pH 8.5, selected due to its relevance to alkaline arsenic-contaminated groundwater and its proximity to the point of zero charge (PZC ≈7.8) of the composite. Surface and structural analyses using FTIR, SEM, and EDS provided evidence for the successful deposition of TiO2-CoFe2O4 particles onto the biochar matrix. Under the optimized adsorption conditions (0.1 g adsorbent, initial As-(V) concentration of 2 mg L[-1]), the composite achieved an experimental equilibrium adsorption capacity of 0.39 mg g[-1], while 87.3% arsenic removal was obtained after 24 h of contact time. The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second-order model. Nonlinear isotherm fitting indicated best overall agreement with the Redlich-Peterson model (R [2] = 0.669, AIC = -18.32), consistent with adsorption on an energetically heterogeneous composite surface; the Langmuir theoretical maximum capacity is reported as q max = 0.526 mg g[-1] for isotherm characterization purposes. Thermodynamic analysis confirmed a spontaneous (ΔG° < 0), endothermic (ΔH° > 0), entropy-driven adsorption process. ICP-OES analysis of the regenerant further demonstrated minimal Fe, Co, and Ti release (≤0.055% of the nominal metal content over four regeneration cycles), confirming high structural stability during repeated reuse. Overall, the SBC/TiO2-CoFe2O4 composite demonstrated promising multifunctionality by combining moderate adsorption capacity, magnetic recoverability, and reusability under environmentally relevant dilute conditions rarely tested in prior composite-biochar studies, highlighting its laboratory-scale potential as a sustainable biochar-based system for arsenate remediation in alkaline aqueous environments. Although phosphate competition experiments confirmed the expected inhibitory effect of competing oxyanions, further evaluation under complex natural groundwater conditions is warranted prior to field application.

Mining and smelting activities have accelerated the release of antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As) into the environment, resulting in high ecological risks. Microorganisms are considered key drivers of Sb and As cycling. However, their effects on Sb/As transformation in antimony smelting soils remain poorly understood. In this study, an indigenous microbial consortium capable of oxidizing both Sb and As was obtained from antimony smelting soil and used to investigate the interactions between microorganisms and Sb-As co-contaminated soils. The results showed that the functional microbial consortium enhanced Sb and As release from the soil by increasing the system pH from 7.41 to 8.89, thereby promoting the dissolution of solid-phase Sb and As. The concentrations of total dissolved Sb and As reached 246.47 and 30.5 µmol L[-1] by day 16, respectively, and the released Sb(III) and As(III) were completely oxidized to Sb(V) and As(V). In the abiotic control, the corresponding concentrations of total dissolved Sb and As were 95.89 and 12.08 µmol L[-1], respectively, with an As(III) concentration of 3.54 µmol L[-1]. Sequential extraction results revealed that microbial activity altered the speciation distribution of Sb and As in soils, decreasing the proportions of easily exchangeable and specifically surface-bound fractions while increasing the residual fractions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis further showed that, compared with the original soil, the functional microbial consortium increased the proportions of Sb(V) and As(V) in the solid phase from 34.79% to 40.54% and from 9.53% to 15.96%, respectively, suggesting that microbial activity might promote the precipitation of Sb(V) and As(V), thereby facilitating the re-immobilization of a fraction of the released Sb and As. Furthermore, the succession of microbial communities during the interaction process was investigated. The release of Sb and As from soil increased the abundance of microorganisms related to Sb/As metabolism. Spearman correlation analysis suggested that Arenimonas, Luteimonas, Arthrobacter, and Brevundimonas were likely involved in Sb(III)/As(III) oxidation, whereas Devosia and Aminobacter contributed to the elevation of system pH. This study provides insights into the microbial-mediated transformation, migration, and oxidation of Sb and As in soils.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) develops through multiple pathogenic and environmental factors. Increasing evidence suggests that the oral microbiota, particularly intratumoral bacteria, is also associated with OSCC progression; however, the relationship between individual bacterial subspecies and the tumor immune microenvironment remains poorly understood. We previously demonstrated that Fusobacterium nucleatum is enriched in OSCC tissues. In this study, we investigated the biological and immunological properties of F. nucleatum subspecies, with a particular focus on regulatory T-cell (Treg) induction. We reanalyzed our 16S rRNA gene sequencing dataset from 12 oral and pharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma specimens at the amplicon sequence variant (ASV) level and examined archived human OSCC tissues by immunofluorescence and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Treg differentiation and bacterial metabolite production were examined in vitro, and selected F. nucleatum subspecies were evaluated in a mouse tongue carcinogenesis model (n = 6/group). ASVs most closely matching F. nucleatum subsp. animalis were the most abundant among the detected F. nucleatum-associated ASVs. In three human OSCC specimens with detectable F. nucleatum, FOXP3-positive cells preferentially accumulated in the peritumoral stroma. In vitro, culture supernatants from F. nucleatum subsp. animalis, but not subsp. polymorphum, promoted Treg differentiation in two independent experiments, and butyrate production may be associated with the Treg-promoting strains. In vivo, subsp. animalis significantly increased Ki67-positive, nuclear YAP1-positive, and Foxp3-positive cell numbers, whereas subsp. polymorphum significantly increased only nuclear YAP1-positive cell numbers. Furthermore, FISH demonstrated spatial proximity between F. nucleatum and FOXP3-positive cells in a human OSCC case. These findings indicate functional heterogeneity among F. nucleatum subspecies and suggest that their effects on epithelial and immune parameters differ among subspecies. Our findings support possible subspecies-specific immunomodulatory effects of F. nucleatum in OSCC and highlight the importance of subspecies- and strain-level analyses for understanding the biological significance of the intratumoral microbiota.