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The production of lithium (Li) increased by 256% in recent years due to unprecedented demands from technological industries. Intensive harvesting poses serious impacts on the sustainability of Li production. Herein, we address the global Li cycle and predict the peak production to reach 740000 million tons in 2041. Global Li accumulation in water bodies is mapped, and the consequences on human health of a wide range (<0.06–>20 mg L −1 ) of Li concentrations in drinking water are explored. The implications to human health of Li exposure remains unresolved and needs further investigation. There are still no recommendations on safe limits of Li in drinking water for humankind. In conclusion, there is an emergency call to health governing bodies, environmental protection agencies and scientific communities for urgent efforts on sustainable production of Li and identify their thresholds levels in drinking water to minimize the emerging consequences of Li on humans.

Biochar (BC) applications have multiple impacts on crops’ nutrient availability, growth and yield depending on the feedstock type and pyrolysis conditions. Pot and field experiments were conducted to examine the effects of biochars (BCs) prepared from three different feedstocks, Acacia modesta wood biochar (AWB), Dalbergia sissoo wood biochar (DWB) and poultry litter biochar (PLB), on soil’s nutrient availability, uptake by wheat (Triticum aestivum) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus) crops and their yield attributes. All BCs were applied at the rate of 10t ha−1 in each treatment in both experiments, and pot and field trials were designed according to a two-factor factorial completely randomized design (CRD) and two-factor factorial randomized complete block design (RCBD), respectively. The concentration of soil NO3-N, NH4-N, Olsen P and extractable K increased by 98.5, 296, 228 and 47%, respectively, in the pot experiment with the application of PLB+polyhalite (PH) treatments. Similarly, in field experiments, NO3-N, NH4-N and Olsen P contents increased by 91, 268 and 156% under the PLB+PH treatment, respectively. However, in both experiments, soil’s microbial biomass phosphorus (MBP) was significantly higher after AWB+PH treatment, and the increments were 127 and 109% while microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) contents were 16 and 14% higher than the control under DWB+PH and AWB+PH treatments, respectively, in the field experiment. Similarly, combined PLB+PH increased the total organic carbon (TOC) of soil by 193%. Moreover, PLB+PH co-applications with PH significantly increased sunflower grain yields by up to 58% and the harvest index by 45%. Overall, no negative impact with respect to BCs was observed on the soil’s nutrient content and plant growth. Hence, for immediate crop benefits and soil health, using nutrient biochar (PLB) alone or in combination with chemical fertilizers is recommended.

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Aim Integrating chemical and organic fertilizers not only improves soil biological health and plant growth but also reduces costs of agricultural production, and hence, is an economically feasible approach to sustain plant growth in developing countries. Methods We performed a field experiment to evaluate the impact of poultry litter-derived biochar (BC; 10 and 20 t ha −1 ) with and without chemical fertilizers (CF) on soil nutrient availability, microbial abundance, and soil enzymatic activity. Results Combined application of BC and CF significantly increased soil nutritional status and soil organic carbon (SOC), however these improvements were more prominent at higher BC level (20 t ha −1 ), which increased soil microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus by 27, 58, and 61%, respectively. Furthermore, BC20 + CF treatment improved soil microbial abundances such as actinomycetes (24%), bacteria (70%), AMF (49%) and saprophytic fungi (38%). In terms of wheat growth and yield attributes, BC20 + CF application enhanced spike length (55%), leaf area index (30%), tillers (12%), along with biological yield (26%) and grain yield (36%). BC20 + CF application was positively correlated with different soil enzymatic activities i.e. urease (24%), dehydrogenase (44%), and β-glucosidase (93%). Principal component analysis (PCA) analysis also showed that co-application of BC at the rate of 20 t ha −1 along with CF was the most efficient treatment for improving soil nutrient status and microbial activities. Conclusions Hence, soil supplementation with BC along with CF improved soil biochemical characteristics and nutrients availability for longer time, resulting in better and more sustainable agricultural production. Graphical Abstract

Compost application to soil is an effective strategy to enhance soil fertility, promote plant growth, and support sustainable agriculture. Nevertheless, the variability in the responses of plants to compost amendments across different compost types, concentrations, exposure durations, application media, and across different physiological traits of plants is not well understood. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis using data from 92 peer-reviewed scientific articles to better understand the effect of compost amendments on plant physiological, biochemical, and yield traits. The results of this study showed that compost amendment significantly improved plant growth parameters, and the increase in shoot biomass and plant height was the highest (~19.4–42.7%), followed by root length (20.4%) and root biomass (19.7%), indicating the important role of compost in promoting root development. In addition, photosynthetic efficiency was significantly enhanced, and total chlorophyll and carotenoid content increased by 13.5–49.1%. The yield-related traits, total yield, and 100-grain weight responded positively and significantly increased by ~18%. There were variations among different plant species and different exposure conditions. The mechanistic interaction between compost components, soil agrochemical properties, and plant physiological and yield responses should be further explored to maximize the benefits of compost application in sustainable agriculture.

The current research aims to determine the impact of orange peel dye (OPD), an eco-friendly addition, on the optical properties of biodegradable polymers. This study investigates the enhancement of optical properties in solid electrolytes based on chitosan (CS) and glycerol, with varying OPD concentrations. UV–Vis-NIR spectroscopy revealed significantly enhanced UV–visible light absorption in the 200–500 nm region and effective UV light blocking. FTIR analysis showed strong interactions between OPDs and the CS matrix, with functional groups such as O–H, C=O, and C=C. UV–Visible spectroscopy indicated a reduction in the optical band gap from 5.11 eV in pure CS to 2.93 eV and 2.84 eV with increasing OPD concentrations, reflecting alterations in the electronic structure and enhanced sub-bandgap states. The refractive index improved from 1.31 in pure CS to 1.54 and 1.62 in the doped electrolytes, attributed to increased optical density and light-harvesting capability. Optical basicity also increased from 1.01 to 1.32, enhancing donor properties. These results suggest that OPD-doped CS solid electrolytes offer enhanced optical properties, making them suitable for optoelectronic and UV-blocking applications due to their tunable band gap, improved polarizability, and enhanced light interaction.

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is most likely one of the most successful surgical procedures in medicine. It is estimated that three in four patients live beyond the first post-operative year, so appropriate surgery is needed to alleviate an otherwise long-standing suboptimal functional level. However, research has shown that during a complete THA procedure, a solid hip implant inserted in the femur can damage the main arterial supply of the cortex and damage the medullary space, leading to cortical bone resorption. Therefore, this study aimed to design a porous hip implant with a focus on providing more space for better osteointegration, improving the medullary revascularisation and blood circulation of patients. Based on a review of the literature, a lightweight implant design was developed by applying topology optimisation and changing the materials of the implant. Gyroid and Voronoi lattice structures and a solid hip implant (as a control) were designed. In total, three designs of hip implants were constructed by using SolidWorks and nTopology software version 2.31. Point loads were applied at the x, y and z-axis to imitate the stance phase condition. The forces represented were x = 320 N, y = −170 N, and z = −2850 N. The materials that were used in this study were titanium alloys. All of the designs were then simulated by using Marc Mentat software version 2020 (MSC Software Corporation, Munich, Germany) via a finite element method. Analysis of the study on topology optimisation demonstrated that the Voronoi lattice structure yielded the lowest von Mises stress and displacement values, at 313.96 MPa and 1.50 mm, respectively, with titanium alloys as the materials. The results also indicate that porous hip implants have the potential to be implemented for hip implant replacement, whereby the mechanical integrity is still preserved. This result will not only help orthopaedic surgeons to justify the design choices, but could also provide new insights for future studies in biomechanics.

The COVID-19 pandemic has enormously affected the psychological well-being, social and working life of millions of people across the world. This study aimed to investigate the psychological distress, fear and coping strategies as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated factors among Malaysian residents. The mean age (±SD) of the participants (N = 720) was 31.7 (±11.5) years, and most of them were females (67.1%). Half of the participants had an income source, while 216 (30%) identified themselves as frontline health or essential service workers. People whose financial situation was impacted due to COVID-19 (AOR 2.16, 95% CIs 1.54-3.03), people who drank alcohol in the last four weeks (3.43, 1.45-8.10), people who were a patient (2.02, 1.39-2.93), and had higher levels of fear of COVID-19 (2.55, 1.70-3.80) were more likely to have higher levels of psychological distress. Participants who self-isolated due to exposure to COVID-19 (3.12, 1.04-9.32) and who had moderate to very high levels of psychological distress (2.56, 1.71-3.83) had higher levels of fear. Participants who provided care to a family member/patient with a suspected case of COVID-19 were more likely to be moderately to highly resilient compared to those who did not. Vulnerable groups of individuals such as patients and those impacted financially during COVID-19 should be supported for their mental wellbeing. Behavioural interventions should be targeted to reduce the impact of alcohol drinking during such crisis period.

The pharmacological effectiveness of indoles, benzoxazepines and benzodiazepines initiated our synthesis of indole fused benoxazepine/benzodiazepine heterocycles, along with enhanced biological usefulness of the fused rings. Activated indoles 5, 6 and 7 were synthesized using modified Bischler indole synthesis rearrangement. Indole 5 was substituted with the trichloroacetyl group at the C7 position, yielding 8, exclusively due to the increased nucleophilic character of C7. When trichloroacylated indole 8 was treated with basified ethanol or excess amminia, indole acid 9 and amide 10 were yielded, respectively. Indole amide 10 was expected to give indole fused benoxazepine/benzodiazepine 11a/11b on treatment with alpha halo ester followed by a coupling agent, but when the reaction was tried, an unexpectedly rearranged novel product, 1,3-bezodiazine 12, was obtained. The synthetic compounds were screened for anticholinesterase and antibacterial potential; results showed all products to be very important candidates for both activities, and their potential can be explored further. In addition, 1,3-bezodiazine 12 was explored by DFT studies, Hirshfeld surface charge analysis and structural insight to obrain a good picture of the structure and reactivity of the products for the design of derivatised drugs from the novel compound.

Beyond qualitative assessment, gait analysis involves the quantitative evaluation of various parameters such as joint kinematics, spatiotemporal metrics, external forces, and muscle activation patterns and forces. Utilizing multibody dynamics-based musculoskeletal (MSK) modeling provides a time and cost-effective non-invasive tool for the prediction of internal joint and muscle forces. Recent advancements in the development of biofidelic MSK models have facilitated their integration into clinical decision-making processes, including quantitative diagnostics, functional assessment of prosthesis and implants, and devising data-driven gait rehabilitation protocols. Through an extensive search and meta-analysis of over 116 studies, this PRISMA-based systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of different existing multibody MSK modeling platforms, including generic templates, methods for personalization to individual subjects, and the solutions used to address statically indeterminate problems. Additionally, it summarizes post-processing techniques and the practical applications of MSK modeling tools. In the field of biomechanics, MSK modeling provides an indispensable tool for simulating and understanding human movement dynamics. However, limitations which remain elusive include the absence of MSK modeling templates based on female anatomy underscores the need for further advancements in this area.