Artiles
Open Access
Review
23 July 2026Sustainable Business Models in Agri-Food Systems: A Systematic Review of Environmental Performance, Economic Resilience and Sustainability Trade-Offs
Sustainable transformation of agri-food systems has become increasingly important as environmental pressures intensify, resource availability declines, and global food demand rises. This study presents a structured review of sustainable business models in agri-food systems, examining their contributions to environmental performance, economic resilience, and sustainability trade-offs. Approximately 60 academic publications published between 2010 and 2024 were analyzed to evaluate theoretical foundations, sectoral applications, and enabling mechanisms, including digitalization, circular economy practices, and governance frameworks. Unlike previous studies focused on specific sustainability practices or sectors, this review provides an integrated assessment of environmental performance, economic resilience, and sustainability trade-offs within sustainable agri-food business models. The findings indicate that sustainable business models integrate ecological considerations into value creation, improve resource efficiency, and strengthen resilience across sectors such as aquaculture, dairy, and wine production. Sustainability outcomes are shaped by tensions among economic growth, ecological limits, and social equity, resulting in uneven and context-dependent outcomes. Digitalization and circular economy approaches create opportunities for innovation, resource optimization, and value recovery, but also introduce challenges related to energy consumption, data governance, unequal access, and implementation costs. Stakeholder engagement, performance measurement, and supportive institutions emerge as critical drivers of sustainability transitions. Thus, sustainable business models can enhance environmental performance and economic resilience, although their effectiveness depends on governance quality, equitable access to innovation, and the management of environmental, economic, and social trade-offs.
Open Access
Review
23 July 2026Sepsis-Induced Cardiomyopathy and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Sepsis remains the leading cause of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and cardiovascular dysfunction in the ICU. Sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy (SCM) and sepsis-associated ARDS frequently coexist and share overlapping mechanisms, including cytokine-driven injury, endothelial disruption, microvascular dysfunction, and mitochondrial abnormalities. Despite their clinical relevance, these entities are often evaluated in isolation, overlooking the integrated heart-lung interactions that characterize severe sepsis and ARDS. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on the shared pathophysiology and diagnostic approach to cardiomyopathy and lung injury in sepsis-associated ARDS, emphasizing the physiologic links that unify these syndromes. We review the immunologic, endothelial, and metabolic mechanisms that drive concurrent myocardial depression and alveolocapillary injury, with particular attention to microcirculatory failure, autonomic dysregulation, and mechanical ventilation-associated cardiopulmonary interactions. We then review diagnostic tools, including echocardiography, lung ultrasound, CT imaging, biomarkers, and advanced hemodynamic monitoring, and highlight the impact of integrated assessment on accurate phenotyping and management. Cardiomyopathy and ARDS in sepsis arise from common pathophysiologic drivers and should be understood as a unified cardiopulmonary phenotype rather than isolated organ failures. Early multimodal detection is critical for optimizing management strategies and improving outcomes.
Open Access
Article
23 July 2026Spatial Suitability Assessment and Differentiated Pathways for Ecological Products Value Realization
This study develops a dual-dimensional framework integrating development capacity and ecological function importance to assess ecological product value realization suitability across 76 cities in the Yellow River Basin. Using multi-source data and the CRITIC weighting method, we identified four suitability zones: suitable (25.02%), marginally suitable (6.11%), marginally unsuitable (38.59%), and unsuitable (30.28%). The basin generated an estimated USD 2.15 billion in ecological product value in 2020. We propose differentiated pathways, including ecologically safeguarded green industrial transformation in suitable zones, ecological restoration in marginally suitable zones, protection-oriented management in marginally unsuitable zones, and compensation mechanisms in unsuitable zones. Here, ‘suitable’ denotes conditional opportunity for low-impact value-realization instruments under ecological safeguards, not permission for unconstrained development. The framework links ecological-product accounting with spatial planning while acknowledging that social, cultural, and governance dimensions require complementary assessment.
Open Access
Article
23 July 2026Effects of Manipulating Water and Temperature on Soil Nematode Communities of Heterogeneous Karst Habitats in Southwest China
Global climates are rapidly changing and future climates are predicted to be characterized by extreme climatic events, especially prolonged drought and hot weather. In this study, we explored the effects of manipulated low and high soil water availability and soil temperature on soil food webs (as indicated by soil nematode communities) from contrasting soil habitats. Soils were collected from a relatively arid karst mountain peak, a relatively moist karst piedmont, and a mixed soil of these two was also tested. The results showed that water availability was the primary factor influencing the soil food web. Soil food web structures were mature under low water availability in mountain peak soils and under high water availability in piedmont soils. In the mountain peak soils, high water availability decreased the maturity index and structure index of soil nematodes, which was mainly due to marked increase in the absolute and relative abundances of low trophic level organisms (i.e., bacterivores and fungivores). In the Piedmont soils, high water supply increased the maturity index and structure index of soil nematodes, which mainly due to the increases in the absolute and relative abundances of higher trophic level nematodes, such as omnivores and predators. However, the nematode maturity index and structure index showed no significant response to variations in water availability when soils from the mountain peak and piedmont were mixed and cultured together. Although the overall effect of temperature on the soil nematode community was weaker than that of water availability, temperature exerted significant context-dependent effects. Particularly, moderate temperatures increased fungivorous nematode abundance under drought conditions in mountain peak soils but decreased it under moist conditions in piedmont soils. Notably, plant-parasitic nematodes showed no significant response to either soil moisture or temperature treatments across all soil types, indicating a high degree of stability in this trophic group under short-term fluctuations in water and temperature. Our results suggest that changes in precipitation may have stronger effects on soil nematode communities than increases in temperature. However, the interaction between temperature and moisture should not be overlooked, as it can shape nematode community composition in habitat-specific ways. In addition, drought-tolerant soil organisms may be available for improving the resistance of soil food webs to prolonged drought under climate change conditions.
Open Access
Communication
21 July 2026Protective Proteins Can Improve Cell-Free System Performance in Austere Environments
Cell-free gene expression (CFE) technology is an appealing expression chassis for fieldable synthetic biology. Reagents for cell-free protein expression can be preserved, transported, or stored over long periods, even at elevated temperatures. Therefore, cell-free synthetic biology efforts are practical for applications such as fieldable biosensing and decentralized or on-demand therapeutics production in austere environments and at emergency or natural disaster sites. However, these systems still require incubation to operate under standard conditions (e.g., 16 °C to 37 °C), whereas the conditions in the application environment often lie outside these limits. To address this technological gap, we propose adding heat-shock chaperones from diverse organisms to expand the cell-free system’s operating range. We present a method for assessing protective protein candidates, and we demonstrate a 100-fold improvement in fluorescent reporter expression at non-standard temperatures and a widening of the temperature range for system operation by more than 4 °C, as measured by fluorescence from reporter expression. Moreover, we show that dual-chaperone systems can yield higher fluorescence output compared to single-chaperone ones. These chaperone-inspired systems may perform in environments where standard ones fall short, expanding their usability and application potential.
Open Access
Review
21 July 2026Rose Genomics Research Associated with Important Agronomic and Ornamental Traits for Biobreeding: Progress, Challenges and Prospects
Rose is a globally significant ornamental crop and an emerging genomics system for woody ornamental plants. In recent decades, the rapid evolution of high-throughput sequencing and robust technical platforms has yielded high-quality reference genomes and been propelling our understanding of rose biology to unprecedented depths. This review systematically synthesizes the current landscape of rose genomics, recent development of technical and resource platforms, and the molecular mechanisms underlying pivotal agronomic traits such as floral development, scent biosynthesis, petal lifespan, and stress resilience. Despite these strides, high genome heterozygosity, polyploidy, and recalcitrance to genetic transformation remain significant barriers. We discuss how integrating cutting-edge technologies, such as pangenomics, single-cell transcriptomics, AI-assisted genomic selection, and precise CRISPR-based editing, can bridge the gap between fundamental research and practical applications. Collectively, this review provides a strategic roadmap for accelerating the development of next-generation rose cultivars through trait-based biobreeding.
Open Access
Article
20 July 2026Flood Vulnerability, Social Risk, and Economic Damage Assessment in the Lower Karnali River Basin, Nepal
The lower Karnali River basin is one of Nepal’s most flood-prone regions, yet it has lacked an integrated risk assessment. This study presents the first comprehensive analysis combining physical vulnerability, social vulnerability, and economic damage assessment for the corridor. Utilizing a validated 2D HEC-RAS model across eight return periods (2–500 years), we quantified impacts on 23,929 buildings, 477 km of roads, and 16,065 hectares of paddy cropland using locally calibrated depth-damage curves. Those calibrations were mainly focused on three building typologies, two road surface classes, and paddy crops at the maturity stage. A Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) was developed for 27 wards, integrating demographics, healthcare access, and education. Findings indicate total economic damages range from NPR 395 million (2-year) to NPR 3538 million (500-year), with buildings consistently accounting for the largest share (41–42%). Madhuwan Ward 6, Geruwa Ward 1, and Rajapur Ward 7 emerged as the highest combined flood risk hotspots through the integration of social vulnerability and physical hazard. The results prove that social infrastructure investment, particularly in healthcare, serves as a direct flood risk reduction measure. This research provides a spatially explicit evidence base to guide targeted mitigation, land-use policy, and social protection in the basin.
Open Access
Communication
20 July 2026Diabetes Knowledge, Self-Management, and Belonging: A Community of Practice Perspective on Camp for Youth with Type 1 Diabetes
Youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) often face barriers to recreation participation, disease self-management, and peer connection. This research note examined how a university-based diabetes camp, grounded in a Community of Practice (CoP) model, supported youth learning, self-management, and belonging. Participants were 33 youth, ages 11 to 18, attending a university-based diabetes day camp in Northern Utah. Self-reported, open-ended post-camp evaluation responses were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis. Three themes were identified: applied diabetes knowledge, intentional self-management in active settings, and belonging through shared experience. Findings suggest that recreation-based camp programming supported practical diabetes learning, more deliberate self-management behaviors, and meaningful peer relationships, thereby reducing isolation and normalizing living with T1D. Results highlight the value of interdisciplinary, recreation-centered CoP models for creating supportive recreation spaces for youth with chronic health conditions.
Open Access
Review
20 July 2026Neurotechnology in Stroke Neurorehabilitation: Towards Precision and Personalized Rehabilitation Treatment
Given the large global population of stroke survivors and limited rehabilitation resources, efficient treatments are urgently needed to help patients regain independence and reintegrate into society. In this review, we discuss how artificial intelligence and neurotechnology can be used to accelerate neurorehabilitation after stroke. First, we introduce neurorehabilitation mechanisms that provide the basis for neurotechnology development. Next, we describe how neurophysiological and neuroimaging biomarkers can be used for multimodal assessment and prognostic prediction. We then provide examples of brain-computer interface (BCI)-driven rehabilitation robots and BCI-triggered transcranial and peripheral neuromodulation for closed-loop rehabilitation training.
Open Access
Article
20 July 2026Trait Number and Coding Shape Estimates of Functional Diversity
Functional diversity estimates increasingly inform ecological research, yet how methodological choices such as trait number and coding affect common metrics remains poorly quantified. Here, we systematically evaluate the effects of trait number and coding strategy on functional diversity metrics using benthic macroinvertebrate traits. Across 14 functional diversity indices representing functional richness, evenness, dispersion, and redundancy, we showed that metric responses to trait number are highly facet-dependent. Functional richness and evenness indices were particularly sensitive to trait number, whereas dispersion and redundancy metrics were comparatively stable. Estimation uncertainty was minimized at intermediate trait number, indicating a potential balance between functional space resolution and statistical robustness. Despite broad consistency between binary and fuzzy coding approaches for several metrics, redundancy metrics showed substantial divergence between coding schemes. These results demonstrate that hidden methodological decisions can substantially influence functional diversity indices. Our study provides a quantitative framework for evaluating metric robustness and reveals that widely used indices differ fundamentally in their response to dimensionality—a mathematical behaviour that must be understood before ecological interpretation. We recommend reporting trait number alongside functional diversity values and exercising caution when comparing communities assessed with different trait sets, particularly for richness and evenness metrics.
