Chlorinated paraffins (CPs), complex polychlorinated alkanes, are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) of growing concern. They are used as flame retardants, plasticizers, and lubricants, and enter agroecosystems via wastewater irrigation, sewage sludge, atmospheric deposition, and industrial runoff, exhibiting strong sorption, long half-lives, and bioaccumulative potential. While short-chain CPs (SCCPs) are regulated under the Stockholm Convention, medium- and long-chain CPs (MCCPs, LCCPs) are increasingly detected in soils, sediments, and crops but remain poorly categorized for toxicity and environmental fate. Evidence indicates that CPs can alter soil microbial diversity, inhibit enzymatic activity, disrupt nutrient cycling, and accumulate in plants, posing risks of food-chain transfer and human exposure. However, significant knowledge gaps persist regarding their long-term ecotoxicological impacts, degradation and transformation processes, and interactions with soil organic matter that govern their mobility, persistence, and bioavailability. This review discusses the existing literature on CP occurrence, fate, and ecological effects in agricultural environments, emphasizing analytical techniques and monitoring approaches for assessing soil-plant-human exposure, and identifies key research needs. Addressing these gaps is essential for improving risk assessment, guiding regulatory development, and protecting soil health, crop productivity, and food safety. CPs represent a “silent contaminant” in agriculture, threatening soil health, crop productivity, and food safety. Future research should integrate advanced detection methods, pilot-scale remediation strategies, and comprehensive risk assessments to inform policy, protect vulnerable populations, and safeguard sustainable agricultural production.
The development of efficient, safe, and reversible solid-state hydrogen storage materials is essential for advancing a sustainable hydrogen-based energy economy. In this work, we present a comprehensive first-principles density functional theory investigation of the perovskite hydrides SiMgH3 and GeMgH3, focusing on their structural, dynamical, mechanical, electronic, optical, and hydrogen storage properties. Both compounds are found to be thermodynamically and dynamically stable, as confirmed by negative formation energies and phonon spectra free of imaginary modes. Mechanical analysis reveals that both hydrides are ductile and mechanically robust, with SiMgH3 exhibiting higher stiffness and stronger resistance to deformation compared to GeMgH3. Electronic structure calculations indicate metallic behavior with mixed ionic–covalent H–metal bonding, which enhances charge transport and supports reversible hydrogen mobility within the lattice. Optical properties further demonstrate strong dielectric response and efficient low-energy photon absorption, indicating favorable electronic polarization characteristics. Hydrogen storage analysis shows that SiMgH3 exhibits superior performance, with a gravimetric capacity of 5.46 wt This study shows that SiMgH3 and GeMgH3 are stable hydrogen-storage materials with good mechanical strength and electronic conductivity. SiMgH3 performs better, offering higher hydrogen capacity and a lower hydrogen release temperature, making it more suitable for practical applications.
PurposeThe target date to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 is less than a decade; urban commercial solid waste in developing nations has elicited considerable concern. From previous studies, some policies on commercial refuse have been implemented, but the issue persists. The purpose of this study is to examine Sustainable Human Settlement (SHS) using Commercial Solid Waste (CSW) disposal systems to achieve SDG 11.Design/methodology/approachThis study engaged a multistage sampling technique to examine the types, quantities and impediments of CSW disposal practices. The market and three trades with the highest volume of refuse were selected via purposive sampling at the first and second stages, and random sampling at the third stage to identify the 15 lines that generated the most trash. A questionnaire was administered to 345 traders using systematic random sampling, and the data were analysed using inferential statistics. The diffusion of innovation theory (DoIT) and theory of planned behaviour (ToPB) constructs applied confirmed the theoretical gap.FindingsThe findings revealed that decomposable (84.85%) and non-decomposable (15.15%) refuse were generated daily (2,611.07 kg), weekly (13,055.35 kg) and 339,439.1 kg in the dry season. Tailoring materials generated the highest daily refuse (1,162.80 kg). Inadequate skips, poor funding, insufficient decision-making process, poor maintenance of facilities and scarce technical measures were identified as impediments to the CSW disposal system at the marketplace. DoIT and ToPB can be applied to enhance CSW disposal practices for SHS. Audit policy will help achieve SDG 11 across marketplaces in Nigeria.Originality/valueAs part of this study's implications, DoIT and ToPB will be used to improve SHS through the CSW disposal system at the Ahia-Ohuru market.
Abstract Background The cribriform plate is a crucial small bony structure in the anterior cranial fossa that plays a key role in surgical procedures and forensic identification. Despite its importance in olfaction, there is limited research on its morphological, morphometrical variations and sexual dimorphism in African populations, prompting a study to investigate these aspects in a selected KwaZulu-Natal population. Methods Fifty-five (55) CT scans of the cribriform plate were assessed from the axial and coronal views. Morphology of the cribriform plate was recorded based on the Kawahara method, morphometry and related structures of the cribriform plate were investigated to identify any sexual dimorphism. Result Type IV plates were most common in males, while Types I and II dominated among females. Males generally had larger measurements, though females showed longer and deeper right-sided plates. The anterior ethmoidal artery (AEA) was typically located below the skull base in both sexes. The teardrop type of crista galli was most common type in both sexes. Keros Type II was most prevalent in both sexes. On both sides of both sexes, the AEA was commonly located below the skull base. Ethnic differences showed Black individuals had longer right-sided plates, while White females had greater width and depth. Conclusions This study found no statistically significant differences in the morphology and morphometry of the cribriform plate within the KwaZulu-Natal population. However, the observed variations may have clinical implications for surgical planning, particularly in procedures involving the anterior skull base.
Dengue is a major mosquito-borne viral disease with no effective antiviral treatment currently available. This work introduces a machine-learning framework to predict anti-dengue activity in small molecules using Atomic-Weighted Vector (AWV) descriptors and data-balancing techniques. Sixteen datasets, each containing 2118 molecules, were generated with MD-LOVIs (Molecular Descriptor from Local Vertex Invariants) and preprocessed with IMMAN (Information theory-based CheMoMetric ANalysis), with Shannon entropy applied for feature selection. To address class imbalance (imbalance ratio = 6.66), the ADASYN algorithm was employed. Thirty classifiers spanning six methodological families were evaluated under two validation schemes (tenfold cross-validation and percentage split) on both balanced and imbalanced datasets. Performance was assessed using accuracy (ACC). Nonparametric statistical tests (Friedman, Nemenyi, Wilcoxon) indicated that data balancing improved model robustness. Tree-based and function-based classifiers achieved the best predictive performance. Overall, the proposed workflow offers a reproducible, data-driven approach for virtual screening of anti-dengue compounds and is readily extensible to other antiviral drug discovery tasks.
