Hydrogel-based plant bioelectronics are emerging as promising platforms for real-time monitoring and modulation of plant physiology, stress responses, environmental interactions, and growth. Compared with rigid electrodes and conventional polymer films, hydrogels provide a soft, hydrated, conductive, and tunable interface that reduces mechanical mismatch with growing plant tissues while enabling electrochemical, electrophysiological, optical, and multimodal sensing. This review examines recent advances in hydrogel materials for plant bioelectronics, focusing on how network structure, design requirements, materials strategies including crosslinking chemistry, porosity, swelling, adhesion, conductivity, transparency, gas permeability, and biocompatibility affect plant-device performance. Applications in monitoring plant physiology, hormones, pH, moisture, glucose, and overall plant health are highlighted. Reported hydrogel systems exhibit Young’s moduli from ∼ 1 kPa to several MPa and ionic conductivities of 10−3-10−1 S cm−1. Several plant-interfacing devices sustain strains above 300 %, maintain stable electrical performance over 10,000 loading cycles, and support continuous growth monitoring for up to 14 days. Despite these advances, standardised evaluation under realistic agricultural conditions remains limited. Future research should prioritise standardised testing, biodegradable biomass-derived materials, multimodal sensing integration, and closed-loop bioelectronic systems to advance precision agriculture and bio-regenerative life-support applications.
Antibiotic-contaminated wastewater has become a significant environmental challenge driving the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and disrupting soil microbial ecology in agroecosystems. Wastewater from hospitals, livestock production systems, slaughterhouses, and wastewater irrigation introduces antibiotic residues, antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) into agricultural soils, accelerating selective pressure and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) within microbial communities. This review examines the major sources and environmental fate of antibiotics in soil systems and discusses their impacts on microbiome-resistome interactions, nutrient cycling, soil fertility, agroecosystem resilience, and food safety. We also explore how antibiotic exposure alters microbial community structure and promotes the persistence of resistant pathogens in agricultural environments. Advanced mitigation strategies, including membrane technologies, membrane bioreactors, advanced oxidation processes, constructed wetlands, and biochar-based remediation, are evaluated for reducing antibiotic and ARG dissemination. In addition, emerging CRISPR-based engineering and bacteriophage-mediated approaches are discussed as precision tools for targeted resistome suppression and soil microbiome restoration. Finally, an integrated One Health framework linking wastewater regulation, antimicrobial stewardship at farm level, sustainable manure management, and soil microbiome surveillance is proposed to support sustainable agriculture and mitigate environmental antimicrobial resistance.
Homeless populations face multiple and intersecting vulnerabilities in rapidly urbanizing cities; however, the lived experiences of individuals residing beneath flyovers in Dhaka remain underexplored. This study explores their lived experiences, with particular attention to shelter, food security, safety, and personal identity, and challenges related to food, income, housing, safety risks, extreme weather, and sexual violence. By employing a qualitative design, data collection was conducted with 20 in-depth interviews (IDIs) using purposive sampling. The study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to facilitate an in-depth exploration of participants' lived experiences of homelessness. Themes were developed inductively from the raw data and subsequently interpreted within the study's theoretical framework. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's six-stage thematic approach and NVivo 15 to facilitate systematic data coding. The findings reveal that people residing under flyovers face informal housing, food shortages, unstable informal incomes, exposure to harsh weather, dependence on begging, security risks, and experiences of sexual violence. Future large-scale mixed-methods research involving women, children, and people with disabilities is needed to provide a more comprehensive understanding of homelessness and vulnerability in urban Bangladesh. The findings provide evidence to inform more inclusive urban policies that integrate temporary shelter, accessible healthcare, livelihood support, and community safety for people experiencing homelessness beneath flyovers in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Present study addresses critical knowledge gaps by systematically studying the ground state structural, electronic, photocatalytic, mechanical and optical, characteristics of RbCdX 3 (X = F, Cl, Br) halide perovskites via first-principles calculations. The ground state formation energy and elastic tensor analysis establish that the compounds are mechanically and energetically stable. The calculated band structure reveals that all the structures exhibit indirect bandgap characteristics and values of 5.53, 3.87, and 2.77 eV for the RbCdF 3 , RbCdCl 3 and RbCdBr 3 structures, respectively. The bonding character of different interatomic bonds is explained by Mulliken and −pCOHP analysis. The calculated redox potentials indicate that RbCdCl 3 and RbCdBr 3 structures are suitable as photocatalysts for water separation and the degradation of environmental contaminants. The estimated various elastic parameters indicate that all the materials are elastically ductile, soft, and anisotropic, with high machinability, highlighting their mechanical robustness for practical applications. Phonon dispersion analysis indicates that RbCdF 3 and RbCdBr 3 exhibit dynamical stability, whereas RbCdCl 3 is dynamically unstable. The overlap between the acoustic and low-frequency optical phonon modes in the RbCdF 3 and RbCdBr 3 compounds is linked to reduced thermal conductivity and enhanced transport properties. Optical properties with strong absorption in the UV region and high transparency in the visible region, indicate potential for optical applications such as window materials and UV absorbers. This detailed investigation highlights the opportunities of RbCdX 3 (X = F, Cl, Br) perovskites in optoelectronic and photocatalytic devices, providing the groundwork for future experimental and theoretical studies.
Mesalazine (MES) is a first-line therapy for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, its clinical use is limited by variable patient response, intolerance, and reduced efficacy in severe cases. To address these challenges, we have designed and evaluated seventeen MES derivatives (M1–M17) using a comprehensive in silico strategy. Density functional theory with the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) basis set was employed to optimize geometries and explore electronic structure, stability, and reactivity. Structural characterization was further supported by FTIR and UV–visible spectral analysis. Molecular docking against five key IBD-associated targets (TNF, NOD2, ATG16L1, IL23R, and IL6) reveled that M1, M5–M8, M10, M11, M14, M16, and M17 showed stronger binding affinities than MES, where the M6 and M8 showed the strongest binding affinity. MES was more toxic towards the human body, although some of its derivatives were less toxic compared to MES, while M8 demonstrated an overall improved ADMET profile as an IBD medication. Molecular dynamics simulations of both M8–NOD2 and MES–NOD2 complexes revealed stable behavior in each system; however, M8 reduced structural fluctuations, flexibility, and solvent exposure, whereas MES promoted a more compact and conformationally restricted state, indicating distinct stabilization mechanisms, with M8 demonstrating superior dynamic control. Collectively, these findings identify M8 as a promising drug candidate for IBD, warranting further experimental validation through in vitro and in vivo studies.
