Search Results (2,781)

The aquatic environment in aquaculture serves as the foundation for the survival and growth of aquatic animals, while a high-quality water environment is a necessary condition for promoting efficient and healthy aquaculture development. To effectively guide early warnings and the regulation of water quality in aquaculture, this study proposes a predictive model based on a dual-channel and dual-attention mechanism, namely, the DAM-ResNet-LSTM model. This model encompasses two parallel feature extraction channels: a residual network (ResNet) and long short-term memory (LSTM), with dual-attention mechanisms integrated into each channel to enhance the model’s feature representation capabilities. Then, the proposed model is trained, validated, and tested using water quality and meteorological parameter data collected by an offshore farm environmental monitoring system. The results demonstrate that the proposed dual-channel structure and dual-attention mechanism can significantly improve the predictive performance of the model. The prediction accuracy for pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and salinity (SAL) (with Nash coefficients of 0.9361, 0.9396, and 0.9342, respectively) is higher than that for chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N), nitrite (NO₂⁻), and active phosphate (AP) (with Nash coefficients of 0.8578, 0.8542, 0.8372, and 0.8294, respectively). Compared to the single-channel model DA-ResNet (ResNet integrated with the proposed dual-attention mechanism), the Nash coefficients for predicting pH, DO, SAL, COD, NH₃-N, NO₂⁻, and AP increase by 12.76%, 12.58%, 11.68%, 18.350%, 19.32%, 16%, and 14.99%, respectively. Compared to the single-channel DA-LSTM model (LSTM integrated with the proposed dual-attention mechanism), the corresponding increases in Nash coefficients are 9.15%, 9.93%, 9.11%, 10.91%, 10.11%, 10.39%, and 10.2%, respectively. Compared to the ResNet-LSTM (ResNet and LSTM in parallel) model without the attention mechanism, the improvements in Nash coefficients are 1.91%, 2.4%, 0.74%, 3.41%, 2.71%, 3.55%, and 4.13%, respectively. The predictive performance of the model fulfills the practical requirements for accurate forecasting of water quality in nearshore aquaculture. Full article

Background: Repetitive intramuscular injections of botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) have become the treatment of choice for a variety of disease entities. But with the onset of BoNT therapy, the natural course of a disease is obscured. Nevertheless, the present study tries to analyze patients’ “suspected” course of disease severity under the assumption that no BoNT therapy had been performed and compares that with the “experienced” improvement during BoNT treatment. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, all 112 BoNT long-term treated patients in a botulinum toxin out-patient department were recruited who did not interrupt their BoNT/A therapy for more than two injection cycles during the last ten years. Patients had to assess the remaining severity of their disease as a percentage of the severity at onset of BoNT therapy and to draw three different graphs: (i) the CoDB-graph showing the course of severity of patient’s disease from onset of symptoms to onset of BoNT/A therapy, (ii) the CoDA-graph illustrating the course of severity from onset of BoNT/A therapy until recruitment, and (iii) the CoDS-graph visualizing the suspected development of disease severity from onset of BoNT/A therapy until recruitment under the assumption that no BoNT/A therapy had been performed. Three different types of graphs were distinguished: the R-type indicated a rapid manifestation or improvement, the C-type a continuous worsening or improvement, and the D-type a delayed manifestation or response to BoNT therapy. Four patient subgroups (cervical dystonia, other cranial dystonia, hemifacial spasm, and the migraine subgroup) comprised 91 patients who produced a complete set of graphs which were further analyzed. The “experienced” improvement and “suspected” worsening of disease severity since the onset of BoNT/A therapy were compared and correlated with demographical and treatment related data. Results: Improvement was significant (p < 0.05) and varied between 45 and 70% in all four patient subgroups, the “suspected” worsening was also significantly (p < 0.05) larger than 0, except in the migraine patients and varied between 10 and 70%. The “total benefit” (sum of improvement and prevented “suspected” worsening) was the highest in the other cranial dystonia group and the lowest in the migraine subgroup. The distributions of R-,C-,D-type graphs across CoDB-, CoDS-, and CoDB-graphs and across the four patient subgroups were significantly different. Conclusions: (i) Most BoNT long-term treated patients have the opinion that their disease would have further progressed and worsened if no BoNT/A therapy had been performed, (ii) The type of response to BoNT/A is different across different subgroups of BoNT/A long-term treated patients. Full article

Due to the high altitude, unique geographical location, difficult accessibility and low temperature, the environmental factors influencing phytoplankton composition have rarely been investigated in the Selin Co Lake, which is the largest lake in the Tibetan Plateau. Phytoplankton composition can indicate aquatic ecosystem conditions, which may be sensitive to environmental factors in the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, we investigated the main environmental factors that influence phytoplankton species in the Selin Co Lake by analyzing the spatial distribution and applying statistical analyses. We also compared the influential environmental factors in this lake with other lakes around the world. The results suggest that the eleven environmental variables can explain about 46.78% of the phytoplankton’s composition. DO and fluoride were the most significant environmental variables, followed by arsenic and COD, and the other variables had comparatively smaller and more insignificant influences on phytoplankton composition. There were five dominant phytoplankton species in the Selin Co Lake, namely, Microcystis sp., Navicula spp., Chlorella vulgaris, Ankistrodesmus falcatus, and Westella sp. Some of these dominant species were also found in other tropical lakes, suggesting that the phytoplankton community could adapt to environmental changes. A clear understanding of the influential environmental variables affecting phytoplankton composition could help us to make proper water quality protection strategies in future climate change scenarios. Full article

A Solar Corrosion Fenton reactor (SCFr) was developed by packing an iron-carbon steel filament inside the reactor to enable the in situ release of Fe²⁺. A Box–Behnken experimental design was used to optimize the effect of HRT (20, 30, and 40 min), the mass ratios of the packed filament inside the reactor with respect to volume (0.1, 0.2, 0.3 w/v), and the peroxide dosage added (500, 1000, and 1500 mg/L), the response variables were the percentage removal of COD, color, and turbidity. The optimum conditions for SCFr were an HRT of 24.5 min, a ratio of 0.16 (0.0032 m²/L), and a peroxide dose of 1006.9 mg/L. The removal was 91.8%, 98.4%, and 87.3% COD, color, and turbidity, respectively. Without solar radiation, the percentage removal was reduced by 16.3%, 47.9%, and 34.0% in terms of COD, color, and turbidity, respectively. The concentration of Fe²⁺ released was 25.4 mg/L of Fe²⁺. Prolonged HRT increases Fe²⁺ concentration and turbidity, which increase COD. The oxidation kinetics were fitted to a Behnajady–Modirshahla–Ghanbery (BMG) model, which indicated a high oxidation rate that is reflective of low treatment times. The w/v ratio was the most significant factor; the release of Fe²⁺ was stimulated by UV radiation and the chloride concentration of wastewater, which prevents the formation of an oxide layer, thus allowing its continuous release, taking advantage of solar radiation and the pH and chloride concentration of the raw sample. Full article

The application of geotextiles as filter materials in various systems, such as biofilters, wetlands, and wastewater treatment plants, has grown significantly in recent years. The ability of these materials to support biofilm growth makes them ideal for the removal of organic and inorganic contaminants present in wastewater. The objective of this research was to analyze clogging through variations in permeability, using column tests for 80 days with two types of nonwoven geotextiles with different grammages (GT120 and GT300), as well as to study the efficiency in the removal of organic matter. A synthetic wastewater was used, allowing the specific observation of biological clogging and the treatment carried out exclusively by microorganisms. The results indicated that bioclogging was not a significant factor within the experimental period. Through the mass test, a continuous increase in biofilm growth over time was observed for both geotextiles. For scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images, GT300 presented a larger biofilm area. A higher removal of COD (80%), N (52%), and P (36%) by microorganisms present in GT300 was found, which appears to be associated with its greater thickness and weight. The higher mesh density provides a larger area for the growth of microorganisms, allowing a greater amount of biomass to establish itself and contributing to the efficient removal of pollutants. These findings highlight the potential of using geotextile filters in wastewater treatment applications, where biofilm growth can positively contribute to contaminant removal without immediately compromising permeability. Full article

The treatment of wastewater using microalgae is regarded as a green and potential technology. However, its engineering application has been largely hindered because of the limitation of microalgae separation and harvesting. Therefore, immobilization technology has been widely used to embed microalgae for wastewater treatment. In this paper, sodium alginate (SA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the common immobilized carriers were used to immobilize ankistrodesmus falcatus for simulated slaughtering wastewater (SSW) treatment. The experimental results of the mass transfer and adsorption of immobilized carriers were found to show that the mass transfer of SA-SiO₂ gel balls (SS-GB) was better than PVA-SA gel balls (PS-GB) and that the adsorption of PS-GB was better than SS-GB. When immobilizing microalgae with the two kinds of carriers, it was found that SA-SiO₂ microalgal spheres (SS-MS) were better than PVA-SA microalgal spheres (PS-MS) for the maintenance of microalgal cell activity and that PS-MS were better than SS-MS for the resistance to biodegradation. This is because the carrier of PS-MS had a thick shell and dense structure, while the carrier of SS-MS had a thin shell and loose structure. The results of SSW treatment by PS-MS and SS-MS were found to show that the total phosphorus (TP) removal rates of PS-MS and SS-MS were 90.31% and 86.60%, respectively. This indicates that the TP removal effect of PS-MS was superior to that of SS-MS. The adsorption kinetics simulation showed that the adsorption of TP onto PS-GB was controlled by chemisorption and that the adsorption of TP onto SS-GB was controlled by physical adsorption. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N) removal of PS-MS were 9.30% and 10.70%, respectively, and the COD and NH₄⁺-N removal of SS-MS were 54.60% and 62.08%, respectively. This indicates that the COD and NH₄⁺-N removal effect of SS-MS were superior to PS-MS. This is the result of the combined action of the degradation by microalgal cells and adsorption by the carrier. Full article

The rapid development of the residential and industrial sectors produces a huge amount of treated domestic wastewater. The treated wastewater is discharged and could affect the environment in the long term. Improving the quality of treated domestic wastewater for water reclamation would benefit both sectors. This study aims to determine the efficiency of the biofilm-phytoremediation integration process in reclaiming domestic wastewater. A cuboid-shaped reactor was filled with 15 L of domestic wastewater, utilizing water hyacinth and a polyethylene carrier as supporting media for the process. The integrated reactor is tested in two phases: the initial adaptation of bacteria with domestic and synthetic wastewater (Phase I) and the integration process of biofilm-phytoremediation, based on the factors of NH₃-N concentration and hydraulic retention time (HRT), for 24 to 48 h (Phase II). In Phase II, pollutant removal was observed at varying NH₃-N concentrations: C1 (11–13 mg/L), C2 (9–11 mg/L), and C3 (3–5 mg/L). The study’s findings indicate a consistent performance in the first phase, with removal rates for COD and NH₃-N ranging between 86.7–100.0% and 79.0–99.6%, respectively. The reactor effectively removed pollutants at varying concentrations of NH₃-N, with average removal up to 100% (COD), 99% (NH₃-N), and 80% (PO₄³⁻). This integrated reactor shows the finest treated water quality outcomes for non-potable water recovery, as well as offers an alternative to resolve water scarcity for use in various sectors. Full article

Humic substances are abundant in landfill leachate, especially humic acids, which are insoluble at low pH in aqueous solutions. Focusing on the chemical properties of humic acids, we describe in this work a new method for a sustainable treatment of landfill leachate originated from solid wastes, which consists of the reduction of organic load (COD, chemical oxygen demand) and colour and is based in the gradual decrease in pH to the value in which HAs are insoluble in water solution. Zeta potential values mark the chemical stage of humic acids because of ionisation–protonation of the phenolic and carboxylic groups, and this parameter is monitored during flocculation, changing from −16.8 mV at pH 7.7 to 0.0068 mV at pH 2.0, when HAs precipitate. The final result is the reduction in the organic matter content (COD) and colour in the leachate, 86.1% and 84.7%, respectively. Solids produced by precipitation during the acidification treatment have been characterized by elemental chemical analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, concluding a high similarity in chemical composition with commercial and natural humic acids. Protonated humic acids at low pH can interact with other molecules by hydrogen bonds and form bigger molecular structures much more unstable in suspension, which conduct to precipitation. The mean diameter of the humic acids aggregates was measured, detecting the formation of big molecular structures at low pH. This process is analysed and compared economically with other processes proposed for landfill leachate treatment, resulting in a promising technique for the management of this residue. Full article

Traditional wastewater treatment processes still encounter challenges such as the limited treatment efficiency and excessive greenhouse gas emissions, which restrict their application in environmentally sustainable practices. This study developed an A/O biofilm system and assessed the impact of inoculating the system with the heterotrophic nitrification–aerobic denitrification (HN–AD) strain Alcaligenes faecalis WT14 on pollutant removal efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. A continuous monitoring experiment was conducted over 140 days, comparing the system inoculated with WT14 (the T_WT14 system) and the non-inoculated system (the CK system). The results demonstrated that the T_WT14 system outperformed the CK system in pollutant removal, with higher NH₄⁺-N, TN, and COD removal efficiencies of 11.22%, 21.96%, and 12.51%, respectively, and the quality of discharge water from T_WT14 maintaining compliance with national discharge standards. This improvement underscores the positive impact of inoculation with the WT14 strain on enhancing the pollutant removal performance of the A/O biofilm system. Regarding greenhouse gas emissions, the T_WT14 system exhibited a significantly higher N₂O emission flux in the aeration tank compared with the CK system, while CO₂ and CH₄ emissions were predominantly concentrated in the anaerobic tank. Global warming potential (GWP) analysis showed no significant difference in the total average GWP between the two systems. However, the T_WT14 system demonstrated a lower GWP per unit of TN removed, highlighting its superior ecological benefits. Environmental factor analysis revealed that the temperature, pH, humidity, and salinity had significant impacts on both pollutant removal efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, microbial community analysis indicated that inoculation with the WT14 strain enhanced microbial diversity and richness within the A/O biofilm system, with Alcaligenes and norank_f_JD30-KF-CM45 playing key roles in nitrogen removal. This study provides valuable insights for optimizing A/O biofilm system design and offers scientific guidance for the sustainable upgrading of wastewater treatment technologies. Full article

In constructed wetlands (CWs) with multiple plant communities, population structure may change over time and these variations may ultimately influence water quality. However, in CWs with multiple plant communities, it is still unclear how population structure may change over time and how these variations ultimately influence water quality. Here, we established a CW featuring multiple plant species within a polder to investigate the variation in plant population structure and wastewater treatment effect for drainage water over the course of one year. Our results showed that the total species decreased from 52 to 36; however, 20 established species with different ecological types (emerged or submerged) remained with the same functional assembly for nutrient absorption, accounting for 94.69% of relative richness at the initial stage and 91.37% at the last state. The Shannon index showed no significant differences among the initial, middle, and last states. Meanwhile, regarding nutrient content, the total phosphorus (TP) concentration decreased by 57.66% at the middle stage and by 56.76% at the last state. Total nitrogen (TN) decreased by 50.86% and 49.30%, respectively. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) decreased by 36.83% and 38.47%, while chlorophyll a (Chla) decreased by 72.36% and 78.54%, respectively. Redundancy analysis (RDA) results indicated that none of the selected environmental variables significantly affected the species community except for conductivity. Our findings suggest that when utilizing multiple species for CWs, it is essential to focus on the well-established species within the plant community. By maintaining these well-established species, water purification in CWs can be sustained. Full article

This study presents a novel system for diagnosing and evaluating soccer performance using wearable inertial sensors integrated into players’ insoles. Designed to meet the needs of professional podiatrists and sports practitioners, the system focuses on three key soccer-related movements: passing, shooting, and changes of direction (CoDs). The system leverages low-power IMU sensors, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication, and a cloud-based architecture to enable real-time data analysis and performance feedback. Data were collected from nine professional players from the SD Huesca women’s team during controlled tests, and bespoke algorithms were developed to process kinematic data for precise event detection. Results indicate high accuracy rates for detecting ball-striking events and CoDs, with improvements in algorithm performance achieved through adaptive thresholds and ensemble neural network models. Compared to existing systems, this approach significantly reduces costs and enhances practicality by minimizing the number of sensors required while ensuring real-time evaluation capabilities. However, the study is limited by a small sample size, which restricts generalizability. Future research will aim to expand the dataset, include diverse sports, and integrate additional sensors for broader applications. This system offers a valuable tool for injury prevention, player rehabilitation, and performance optimization in professional soccer, bridging technical advancements with practical applications in sports science. Full article

In this contribution, we described how phytoremediation using M. aquaticum is feasible with coupled ozonation/Fenton-like processes in real wastewater from the denim textile industry, with the purpose of removing color and, therefore, highly polluting particles. For the ozonation/Fenton-like process, pHs of 3 and 9 were evaluated using a copper-enriched pumice to activate the catalytic processes carried out in the Fenton-like reactions. Subsequently, phytoremediation was carried out using M. aquaticum to completely degrade the by-products generated from the ozone/Fenton-like process. Plant health was controlled through the determination of chlorophylls and carotenes. All the analyses were monitored by COD, UV–Vis spectrophotometry for the determinations of color quantification in the wastewater and oxidizable organic matter, and SEM/EDS for the characterization of the material and XPS to corroborate the oxidation state of the copper that gives rise to radical species. The results indicate that, at pH 3.0, the ozonation process with the PMPCu catalyst at 1 g/L is the most efficient, achieving a percentage of color removal of 86.79 ± 1.3% and COD of 76.19%, which is consistent with the optimization analysis of the experimental design. The residual color and its degradation by-products were eliminated by phytoremediation. Full article

The aim of this study was to investigate associations and differences between dynamic strength index (DSI) and multi-directional jumping, linear and curvilinear sprinting, and change of direction (CoD). Highly trained basketball players (n = 44) performed a 20 m linear sprint, 20 m 3-point line (curvilinear) sprint, countermovement jump (CMJ), drop jump (DJ), bilateral horizontal jump, unilateral horizontal jump, lateral jump, basketball-specific lateral jump and isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP). The results showed weak to moderate associations between IMTP performance and horizontal jump, lateral jump and curvilinear sprint (r = −0.33–0.41; p < 0.05). No correlations were found between CMJ peak force and performance variables, while weak correlations were observed between DSI and unilateral horizontal jump (r = −0.36; p < 0.05), lateral jumps, linear sprint and CoD deficit (r = −0.37, −0.38; p < 0.05), showing that lower magnitude of DSI is associated with better performance in those tests. Additional analysis revealed that the low DSI subgroup had the highest IMTP peak force, while the high DSI subgroup had the highest CMJ peak force. The low DSI group showed better performance in vertical, horizontal and lateral jumps, while no significant differences were observed in DJ and curvilinear sprint performance compared to other groups. The findings indicate that athletes with lower DSI values exhibit superior physical performance, suggesting that a strength-oriented training approach may be beneficial for basketball players. Due to the ballistic nature of basketball, more maximal strength training is required to optimize the DSI ratio in basketball players. Additional studies are needed to determine the precise benchmarks for navigating training based on DSI values. Full article

The ubiquitous presence of phenolic compounds in effluents poses a risk to aquatic organisms and human health. This study investigates the responses of the emerging algal-bacterial granular sludge process in treating phenolic wastewater. The results showed that phenol at 1, 10, and 100 mg/L had little effect on ammonia-N, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and phosphate-P removal. At the highest phenol concentration of 100 mg/L, the average removal rates of ammonia-N, COD, and phosphate-P were 94.8%, 72.9%, and 83.7%, respectively. The presence of phenol led to a decline in chlorophyll content of the algal-bacterial granular sludge, concurrently resulting in an increase in the abundance of microbial diversity. Algal-bacterial granular sludge exhibited mechanisms such as elevated extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) production, which may aid in coping with oxidative stress from phenols. This research underscores the algal-bacterial granular sludge’s potential for treating phenolic wastewater, thereby advancing knowledge in the field of phenol degradation with this innovative technology. Full article

The demand for clean-cut seafood fillets has led to an increase in fish processing side streams, which are often considered to be low-value waste despite their potential as a source of high-quality proteins. Valorizing these side streams through innovative methods could significantly enhance global food security, reduce environmental impacts, and support circular economy principles. This study evaluates the environmental sustainability of protein recovery from herring, salmon, and cod side streams using pH-shift technology, a method that uses acid or alkaline solubilization followed by isoelectric precipitation to determine its viability as a sustainable alternative to conventional enzymatic hydrolysis. Through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), five key environmental impact categories were analyzed: carbon footprint, acidification, freshwater eutrophication, water use, and cumulative energy demand, based on a functional unit of 1 kg of the protein ingredient (80% moisture). The results indicate that sodium hydroxide (NaOH) use is the dominant environmental impact driver across the categories, while energy sourcing also significantly affects outcomes. Compared to conventional fish protein hydrolysate (FPH) production, pH-shift technology achieves substantial reductions in carbon footprint, acidification, and water use, exceeding 95%, highlighting its potential for lower environmental impacts. The sensitivity analyses revealed that renewable energy integration could further enhance sustainability. Conducted at a pilot scale, this study provides crucial insights into optimizing fish side stream processing through pH-shift technology, marking a step toward more sustainable seafood production and reinforcing the value of renewable energy and chemical efficiency in reducing environmental impacts. Future work should address scaling up, valorizing residual fractions, and expanding comparisons with alternative technologies to enhance sustainability and circularity. Full article