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Multilayer barrier flexible polymer films are gaining attention for their lightness and versatility, representing over 17% of global plastic packaging production, primarily in the food sector. However, their complex chemical composition and strong interlayer adhesion—due to the presence of tie layers pose significant recycling challenges. This review explores waste management technologies for these complex films, including physical recycling (mechanical recycling, delamination, and selective dissolution‐precipitation) and chemical recycling (pyrolysis, gasification, and depolymerization). Among them, mechanical recycling is the least energy‐intensive and most environmentally friendly but is hindered by polymer degradation. Delamination, the least impactful solvent‐based method, offers advantages, while selective dissolution‐precipitation achieves high polymer purity but has a substantial environmental footprint due to excessive solvent use. Chemical recycling, though highly energy‐intensive, produces derivatives with purity comparable to virgin materials. Therefore, the recent insights into each recycling process and their main scientific and technological challenges are summarized and discussed. Furthermore, life cycle assessment (LCA) studies on multilayer film waste management are reviewed. One proposed eco‐design strategy involves transitioning from multi‐material to mono‐material multilayer films, offering a promising path toward sustainable management. Multilayer barrier flexible polymer films, representing over 17% of global plastic packaging production, face recycling challenges due to complex compositions and strong interlayer adhesion. This image examines recycling methods, including mechanical recycling, delamination, selective dissolution‐precipitation, and chemical recycling. Mechanical recycling is eco‐friendly but limited by polymer degradation, while chemical methods offer high purity but are energy‐intensive.

Polyphenolic and Terpenoids are potent natural antiparasitic compounds. This study aimed to identify new drug against Leishmania parasites, leishmaniasis’s causal agent. A new in silico analysis was accomplished using molecular docking, with the Autodock vina program, to find the binding affinity of two important phytochemical compounds, Masticadienonic acid and the 3-Methoxycarpachromene, towards the trypanothione reductase as target drugs, responsible for the defense mechanism against oxidative stress and virulence of these parasites. There were exciting and new positive results: the molecular docking results show as elective binding profile for ligands inside the active site of this crucial enzyme. The ADMET study suggests that the 3-Methoxycarpachromene has the highest probability of human intestinal absorption. Through this work, 3-Methoxycarpachromene and Masticadienonic acid are shown to be potentially significant in drug discovery, especially in treating leishmaniasis. Hence, drug development should be completed with promising results.

Pistacia Atlantica in folk medicine is used by Algerian traditional healers for treating a wide variety of diseases and conditions including dyspepsia, digestive problems, peptic ulcers, and, in particular, inflammatory diseases. The present study aimed to assess the phytochemical composition, in vitro antioxidant activity (using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ABTS+, and reducing power methods), enzyme inhibitory activity (towards α-amylase and urease), antibacterial activity, and in vivo anti-inflammatory activity of the unripe fruit extracts of Pistacia atlantica collected from different parts of the Djelfa region of Algeria. According to the findings, various aqueous extracts exhibited significant antioxidant and enzymatic activities in all tests, but showed that they have a weak inhibitory effect against all tested bacterial strains. Twenty-one minerals comprising both macro- and microelements (Ba, Br, Ca, Cl, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sr, Th, U, and Zn) were determined using the technique of neutron activation analysis (INAA). The result indicates that the concentration of the mineral element is close to the minimal FAO recommendation. In addition, the result revealed significant anti-inflammatory activities. The data generated can be a valuable source of information for the pharmaceutical industry and medical research. These results suggest that the unripe fruit extracts of Pistacia atlantica have an appropriate potential to be utilized across a wide range of contexts as an agent with multifunctional uses, as well as a natural remedy for other physiological diseases.

Nowadays, Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing offers promising opportunities for the customized manufacturing of ankle–foot orthoses (AFOs) targeted towards rehabilitation purposes. Polypropylene (PP) represents an ideal candidate in orthotic applications due to its light weight and superior mechanical properties, offering an excellent balance between flexibility, chemical resistance, biocompatibility, and long-term durability. However, Additive Manufacturing (AM) of AFOs based on PP remains a major challenge due to its limited bed adhesion and high shrinkage, especially for making large parts such as AFOs. The primary innovation of the present study lies in the optimization of FFF 3D printing parameters for the fabrication of functional, patient-specific orthoses using PP, a material still underutilized in the AM of medical devices. Firstly, a thorough thermomechanical characterization was conducted, allowing the implementation of a (thermo-)elastic material model for the used PP filament. Thereafter, a Taguchi design of experiments (DOE) was established to study the influence of several printing parameters (extrusion temperature, printing speed, layer thickness, infill density, infill pattern, and part orientation) on the mechanical properties of 3D-printed specimens. Three-point bending tests were conducted to evaluate the strength and stiffness of the samples, while additional tensile tests were performed on the 3D-printed orthoses using a home-made innovative device to validate the optimal configurations. The results showed that the maximum flexural modulus of 3D-printed specimens was achieved when the printing speed was around 50 mm/s. The most significant parameter for mechanical performance and reduction in printing time was shown to be infill density, contributing 73.2% to maximum stress and 75.2% to Interlaminar Shear Strength (ILSS). Finally, the applicability of the finite element method (FEM) to simulate the FFF process-induced deflections, part distortion (warpage), and residual stresses in 3D-printed orthoses was investigated using a numerical simulation tool (Digimat-AM®). The combination of Taguchi DOE with Digimat-AM for polypropylene AFOs highlighted that the 90° orientation appeared to be the most suitable configuration, as it minimizes deformation and von Mises stress, ensuring improved quality and robustness of the printed orthoses. The findings from this study contribute by providing a reliable method for printing PP parts with improved mechanical performance, thereby opening new opportunities for its use in medical-grade additive manufacturing.

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) has a great beneficial health effect; it has been used in traditional medicine by many cultures. Likewise, the α-amylase inhibitors are potential compounds in the development of drugs for the treatment of diabetes. The beneficial health effects of fenugreek lead us to explore the chemical composition of the seeds and their antioxidant and α-amylase inhibition activities. The flavonoid extraction from fenugreek seeds was achieved with methanol through a Soxhlet apparatus. Then, the flavonoid glycosides were characterized using HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS analysis. The antioxidant capacity of fenugreek seed was measured using DPPH, FRAP, ABTS, and CUPRAC assays. Finally, the α-amylase inhibition activity was carried out using in vitro and in silico methods. The methanolic extract was found to contain high amounts of total phenolics (154.68 ± 1.50 μg GAE/mg E), flavonoids (37.69 ± 0.73 μg QE/mg E). The highest radical-scavenging ability was recorded for the methanolic extract against DPPH (IC50 = 556.6 ± 9.87 μg/mL), ABTS (IC50 = 593.62 ± 9.35 μg/mL). The ME had the best reducing power according to the CUPRAC (A 0.5 = 451.90 ± 9.07 μg/mL). The results indicate that the methanolic extracts of fenugreek seed best α-amylase inhibition activities IC50 = 653.52 ± 3.24 μg/mL. Twenty-seven flavonoids were detected, and all studied flavonoids selected have good affinity and stabilize very well in the pocket of α-amylase. The interactions between the studied flavonoids with α-amylase were investigated. The flavonoids from fenugreek seed present a good inhibitory effect against α-amylase, which is beneficial for the prevention of diabetes and its complications.

The 2019-novel coronavirus has unfolded everywhere in the world and obliged a billion human beings in open confinement, whereas many treatments, and vaccines have been proposed towards this pandemic. The main protease (Mpro) is an attractive drug target due to the fact that it is the essential protein for virus invasion. This research tests in silico the effect of five vitamins towards Mpro, by employing molecular docking (MD), molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) with molecular mechanics–Poisson–Boltzmann surface area (MM–PBSA) studies. To achieve this work, we have applied some software’s as Autodock Vina, Discovery Studio Visualizer, APBS, and GROMACS. The inhibitors used were decided entirely on the basis of their importance in the production of red blood cells that prevent anemia, in lymphocyte immune system responses, in the regulation of reactive oxygen species production, such as tocopherol (vitamin E), thiamine (vitamin B1), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), biotin (vitamin B7), and glutathione (GSH). The best inhibitor pose established at the highest repetition ratio (RR) and the minimal affinity energy value (MEV), then the best selected inhibitor was considered to MDS. The results indicate that GSH is the leading inhibitor model among the other tested vitamins in the active site of Mpro with a RR value of 94% and MEV of − 5.5 kcal/mol, its RMSD, RMSF, Rg, and hydrogen bonds show stability with Mpro. Furthermore, thiamine, biotin, and tocopherol are viewed as satisfying inhibitors to Mpro, but pyridoxine was observed as the weakest inhibitor. Based on our result, we could recommend the usage of glutathione and vitamin B family as a supportive strategy for feasible remedy of COVID-19 virus.

Highly biobased poly(butylene succinate-co-terephthalate) (PBST) with processing temperatures close to those of commodity polymers (160-180 °C) and long-chain branched architectures (LCB) are synthesized by different strategies. Their rheological properties are investigated, in particular their melt strength properties. A two-step synthesis route is first proposed based on linear LCBs produced by polycondensation followed by reactive extrusion with an epoxy-based multifunctional agent Joncryl® at concentrations up to 2 wt%. A one-step synthesis strategy is also developed using glycerol as a branching agent, introduced at a low concentration (0.5 wt%) directly during the PBST polycondensation process. The molecular weights, LCB structures, and thermal properties are determined by triple detection size exclusion chromatography and differential scanning calorimetry. For PBSTs synthesized in two steps, gelation takes place simultaneously with the branching reactions. However, a concentration of Joncryl® close to 2 wt% is required to improve the melt strength properties, with strain hardening effects under elongation conditions. Interestingly, PBSTs synthesized by in-situ addition of glycerol show remarkable melt strength and a high melt stabilization process. Dynamic rheology investigations allow attributing these effects to statistical/homogeneous gel-free LCB architectures obtained during reactive extrusion without any additional post-processing. The effectiveness of approaches to easily improve the melt strength of highly biobased aliphatic-aromatic copolyesters (theoretical biobased content up to 85%) and to eliminate extrusion defects/instabilities in PBSTs is thus demonstrated, allowing the possibility of expanding the industrial application domains of these polymers in packaging and sustainable applications.

Context: The widespread use of Pistacia atlantica Desf. ssp. (Anacardiaceae) in traditional medicine can be partly attributed to the content of its secondary metabolites, in particular, the phenolic compounds.Objective: The effects of harvest period, growing region and gender on the phenolic compounds, flavonoids and condensed tannins contents were studied, as well as on the antioxidant activities of P. atlantica leaves in order to provide a scientific basis for optimal collection.Materials and methods: Leaves were collected monthly from April to October 2010 in two Algerian sites. The powdered leaves were used for preparing the ethyl acetate extract. Contents of total phenolics (TPC), flavonoids (FC) and condensed tannins (CTC) were determined spectrophotometrically. Antioxidant activity was evaluated through radical scavenging activity (RSA) of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (250 μM) and the reducing power capacity (RPC) determination by K3Fe(CN)6 (1%).Results: The TPC was found to vary from 79 ± 13 to 259 ± 8 mg gallic acid equivalents/g of dry weight (DW) during the study period. The RSA and RPC varied between 262 ± 18 and 675 ± 21 mg Ascorbic Acid Equivalent (AAE)/g DW, and from 259 ± 16 to 983 ± 20 mg AAE/g DW, respectively. A seasonal pattern was observed consisting of a decrease in TPC content and RPC from spring to autumn. The FC, CTC and RSA did not show a seasonal pattern.Discussion and conclusion: Our findings showed that secondary metabolite content and antioxidant activities of P. atlantica leaves were more influenced by harvest time and growing region than by gender.

The global financial markets suffered unprecedented shocks, leading to significantly increased uncertainty in the markets due to various economic and financial recessions and geopolitical tensions, resulting in substantial fluctuations in market prices. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the response of the clean energy, conventional energy, and food markets to economic uncertainty and political tension while considering the influence of numerous crises and political conflicts. To achieve this, we employ the DCC-GARCH-based connectedness approach and the quantile-on-quantile model on monthly data spanning from May 2008 to June 2023. The results provide evidence of the sensitivity of dynamic volatility spillovers between financial assets to GEPU and GPR during major economic and financial crises and geopolitical events. Notably, this sensitivity increases significantly during the global financial crisis (GFC), the European debt crisis, Brexit, the US presidential election, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russian-Ukrainian war. However, the investigation of the tail dependence structure reveals that the relationship between uncertainties and total volatility connectedness across various market conditions appears to be asymmetric and heterogeneous. Our findings assist policymakers and green investors in designing the most effective policies to mitigate the impact of uncertainties on both conventional and green investments. This is achieved through insightful knowledge about the primary drivers of contagion among these indices, all while not compromising sustainability goals.

Currently, the main drivers for the production of phosphate glass fiber-reinforced composites are the growing demand for lightweight materials, reduced energy consumption, improved durability, and minimized environmental impact. This study aims to develop thermoset-based composites using chopped and continuous phosphate glass fibers (PGFs) combined with polyester and epoxy matrices, processed via contact molding. Physical, mechanical, thermal, and morphological characterizations were conducted. The addition of PGFs led to a steady increase in density and fiber volume fraction. For polyester composites with short PGFs, density rose from 1.60 g/cm3 (0 wt%) to 1.77 g/cm3 (22.8 wt%), with a corresponding volume fraction increase from 0% to 14.4%. Similarly, epoxy composites showed density values from 1.70 g/cm3 to 1.87 g/cm3 and volume fractions up to 15.2%. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that as the fiber content increased, the thermal degradation of the resin was delayed, as evidenced by a rise in onset degradation temperature and greater residual mass—indicating improved thermal stability of the composites. Tensile strength increased from 20.8 MPa to 71.3 MPa (polyester) and from 26.8 MPa to 75.9 MPa (epoxy) with chopped fibers, reaching 145.7 MPa and 187.9 MPa, respectively, with continuous fibers. Flexural strength reached 167.9 MPa (polyester) and 218.0 MPa (epoxy) in continuous-fiber configurations. Young’s modulus values closely matched Hirsch model predictions. These findings confirm the potential of PGF-reinforced thermoset composites for high-performance and sustainable material applications.