Beekeeping is a profitable and mind-relaxing practice; however, monitoring beehives poses significant challenges, such as consuming time and potentially disturbing hive equilibrium, which may lead to colony collapse. Developing precision beekeeping (PB) systems is crucial to assist beekeepers in decision-making, automate redundant hive maintenance, and enhance the security and comfort of bee life. This review systematically explores research on PB systems, based on a keyword-driven search of Scopus and Web of Science databases, yielding 46 relevant publications. The analysis highlights a notable increase in research activity in the field since 2016. The integration of advanced technologies, including machine learning, cloud computing, IoT, and scenario-based communication methods, has proven instrumental in predicting hive states such as queen status, enemy attacks, readiness for harvest, swarming events, and population decline. Commonly measured parameters include hive weight, temperature, and relative humidity, with various sensors employed to ensure precision while minimizing bee disturbance. Additionally, bee traffic monitoring has emerged as a critical approach to assessing hive health. Most studies focus on honeybees rather than stingless bees and, in the context of enemy identification, Varroa destructor is the primary target. This review underscores the potential of novel technologies to revolutionize apiculture and enhance hive management practices.

Ammonia decomposition is one of the most used pathways for carbon-free hydrogen production, particularly in systems where ammonia is used as a hydrogen carrier. Modelling and simulation are critical for the general quantification of reaction kinetics, transport limitations, reactor performance, and system-level integration; however, simulation-based studies remain disjointed across modelling scales and synthesis routes. This systematic review examines modelling and simulation studies on ammonia decomposition published in the period between 2014 and 2025, identified through a structured Scopus search and screened using PRISMA methodology. A total of 70 modelling-focused studies were classified into five modelling categories: reactor-scale numerical and CFD modelling; kinetic and thermochemical mechanism modelling; thermodynamic, energy, and exergy-based process simulation; multiscale or cross-scale modelling; and conceptual or dimensionless modelling frameworks. The results show that reactor-scale CFD and kinetic models constitute most published studies, while integrated multiscale frameworks linking catalyst-scale phenomena to reactor and process-level performance remain limited. Furthermore, the inclusion of techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life-cycle assessment (LCA) is limited, restricting quantitative evaluation of scalability and system viability. Based on the reviewed literature, key methodological gaps are identified, and a multiscale modelling roadmap is proposed to support the design, optimisation, and scale-up of ammonia-to-hydrogen conversion systems.

With rising demand for clean energy and uncertainty surrounding large-scale renewable deployment, ammonia has emerged as a viable carrier for hydrogen storage and transportation. This study conducts a global patent-based analysis of ammonia-to-hydrogen production technologies to determine technological maturity, dominant design pathways, and emerging innovation trends. A statistically robust retrieval, screening, and classification process, based on the PRISMA guidelines, was employed to screen, sort, and analyze 708 relevant patent families systematically. Patent families were categorized according to synthesis processes, catalyst types, and technological fields. The findings indicate that electrochemical, plasma-based, photocatalytic, and hybrid systems are being increasingly investigated as alternatives to low-temperature processes. At the same time, thermal catalytic cracking remains the most established and widely used method. Significant advances in reactor engineering, system integration, and catalyst design have been observed, especially in Asia. While national hydrogen initiatives, such as those in Brunei, highlight the policy importance of ammonia-based hydrogen systems, the findings primarily provide a global overview of technological maturity and innovation trajectories, thereby facilitating long-term transitions to cleaner hydrogen pathways.

Hydrogen has been widely regarded as a key energy carrier. However, its storage and long-distance transportation are challenging, resulting in the emergence of ammonia as a potential carrier of hydrogen due to its high hydrogen density, ease of liquefaction, and established transport infrastructure. This study presents a techno-economic and environmental impact assessment of two methods of hydrogen production from ammonia: catalytic cracking (ACC) and electrocatalytic (AEC) decomposition, modeled under the specific local economic conditions of Brunei Darussalam. Analysis over a 20-year plant lifetime under local economic conditions indicates that the more technologically established ACC achieves a higher net present value of USD 7.298 million, compared to USD 6.867 million for AEC, primarily due to its significantly lower replacement costs. Sensitivity analysis indicates that AEC becomes economically favorable at production rates above approximately 29.5 kg/h or electricity prices exceeding USD 0.13/kWh. Environmental impact analysis indicates that AEC produces higher lifetime CO2 emissions of approximately 84.9 million kg, compared to ACC with approximately 44.0 million kg of CO2 emissions under grid-based electricity supply. This is mainly due to its higher electricity demand. Overall, the study highlights clear economic–environmental trade-offs between ACC and AEC and underscores the importance of integrated techno-economic and environmental evaluation for ammonia-based hydrogen systems in a Bruneian context.

With the increasing demand for clean energy and the uncertainty surrounding the application of renewables, recent years have seen ammonia emerging as a viable way to store and transport hydrogen on a large scale. Its increasing importance in national hydrogen policies, as in the case of Brunei, highlights the need to look into technological readiness and global paths of innovation for this novel fuel. This study analyzes the global development of ammonia-based hydrogen production technologies from a methodological perspective and has shown that 708 granted patents to that were systematically screened, sorted and analyzed. A statistically sound retrieval method and screening process, following the PRISMA guidelines, have been employed to categorize the patents by synthesis processes, types of catalyst, and technological field. The results indicate that electrochemical, plasma-based, photocatalysis, and hybrid systems are becoming common paths as low-temperature alternatives, while thermal catalytic breakdown remains the most popular and well-known path to pursue. A range of reactor engineering, system integration, and catalyst design efforts have been undertaken, particularly in Asia. This indicates a high level of industrial and research interest in advancing ammonia-to-hydrogen technologies. These findings offer a clear overview of current technological maturity and emerging innovation trends, supporting long-term transitions toward cleaner hydrogen pathways.

Hemiplegic individuals often face significant challenges in operating standard manual wheelchairs due to their condition, which restricts the use of one side of the body. Addressing this gap, this paper presents a novel wheelchair attachment that enables single-arm operation, enhancing mobility and independence. Developed through a systematic engineering design process, this research involved the identification of critical user requirements - usability, flexibility, portability, adaptability, affordability, and safety. These considerations guided the design and iterative prototyping of multiple models, leading to the selection and extensive testing of a final design. The results demonstrate that the optimised prototype not only significantly improves task efficiency and accuracy for wheelchair users but also provides substantial benefits to hemiplegic/triplegic individuals, allowing them to perform activities that were previously difficult. Highlighting the potential for patentability and marketability, this invention stands as a significant advancement in assistive technology, promising to transform the accessibility landscape for disabled individuals.

This study explores hydrogen’s potential as a sustainable energy source for Brunei, given the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels and associated environmental concerns. Specifically, it evaluates two hydrogen production technologies; steam methane reforming (SMR) and alkaline water electrolysis (AWE), through a techno-economic framework that assesses life cycle cost (LCC), efficiency, scalability, and environmental impact. SMR, the most widely used technique, is cost-effective but carbon-intensive, producing considerable carbon dioxide emissions unless combined with carbon capture to yield “blue hydrogen”. On the other hand, AWE, particularly when powered by renewable energy, offers a cleaner alternative despite challenges in efficiency and cost. The assessment revealed that AWE has a significantly higher LCC than SMR, making AWE the more economically viable hydrogen production method in the long term. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted to determine the main cost factors affecting the LCC, providing insights into the long term viability of each technology from an operational and financial standpoint. AWE’s economic viability is mostly driven by the high electricity and feedstock costs, while SMR relies heavily on feedstock costs. However, Environmental Impact Analysis (EIA) indicates that AWE produces significantly higher carbon dioxide emissions than SMR, which emits approximately 9100 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. Nevertheless, findings suggest that AWE remains the more sustainable option due to its higher LCC costs and compatibility with renewable energy, especially in regions with access to low-cost renewable electricity.

Keratin, a fibrous structural protein, has been employed as a biomaterial for hemostasis and tissue repair due to its structural stability, mechanical strength, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. While extensive research has focused on developing scaffolds using keratin extracted from various sources, no studies to date have explored the use of keratin derived from human nail clippings. In this study, keratin was extracted from human nail clippings using the Shindai method and used to fabricate and compare two types of scaffolds for bone tissue engineering via the freeze-drying method. The first scaffold consisted of keratin combined with gelatin (KG), while the second combined keratin, gelatin, and hydroxyapatite (HAp) (KGH), the latter synthesized from blood cockle clam shells using the wet precipitation method. Physicochemical characterization and surface morphology analysis of keratin and both scaffolds showed promising results. Tensile strength testing revealed a significant difference in Young’s modulus. The KG scaffold exhibited higher porosity, water uptake, and water retention capacity compared to the KGH scaffold. In vitro biocompatibility studies revealed that the KGH scaffold supported higher cell proliferation compared to the KG scaffold. This study demonstrates the potential of using human nail-derived keratin in composite scaffold fabrication and serves as a foundation for future research on this novel biomaterial source.

As the global shift toward a low-carbon economy accelerates, hydrogen is emerging as a crucial energy source. Among conventional methods for hydrogen production, steam methane reforming (SMR), commonly paired with pressure swing adsorption (PSA) for hydrogen purification, stands out due to its established infrastructure and technological maturity. This comprehensive techno-economic analysis focuses on membrane-based hydrogen production, evaluating four configurations, namely SMR, SMR with PSA, SMR with a palladium membrane, and SMR with a ceramic–carbonate membrane coupled with a carbon capture system (CCS). The life cycle cost (LCC) of each configuration was assessed by analyzing key factors, including production rate, hydrogen pricing, equipment costs, and maintenance expenses. Sensitivity analysis was also conducted to identify major cost drivers influencing the LCC, providing insights into the economic and operational feasibility of each configuration. The analysis reveals that SMR with PSA has the lowest LCC and is significantly more cost-efficient than configurations involving the palladium and ceramic–carbonate membranes. SMR with a ceramic–carbonate membrane coupled with CCS also demonstrates the most sensitive to energy variations due to its extensive infrastructure and energy requirement. Sensitivity analysis confirms that SMR with PSA consistently provides the greatest cost efficiency under varying conditions. These findings underscore the critical balance between cost efficiency and environmental considerations in adopting membrane-based hydrogen production technologies.

Hydrogels have garnered considerable interest as dynamic platforms for wound healing due to their ability to maintain a moist environment and promote tissue regeneration. This study explores the synthesis and characterization of honey-pectin hydrogels, leveraging the natural healing properties of honey combined with the biocompatibility of pectin. Employing a solution casting method, hydrogels with varied honey concentrations were prepared and examined to ascertain their suitability for wound care applications. The hydrogels were subjected to a series of characterization techniques including Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Swelling Tests, and Hydrogel Dehydration Rate Testing (HDRT) analyses. The SEM and FTIR results demonstrated that the inclusion of honey not only enhanced the structural integrity but also enriched the chemical stability of the hydrogels. Swelling tests revealed that the hydrogels could effectively absorb and retain moisture, a crucial function for preventing wound desiccation. Additionally, the HDRT results demonstrated that the hydrogels adequately managed moisture release, a critical factor in preventing maceration while supporting natural healing processes; with the dehydration rate ranged from 37.24 to 50.02 g/m2/h and 11.03 to 31.58 g/m2/h, for the air-dried and the vacuum-dried hydrogels, respectively. This study highlights the potential of honey-pectin hydrogels as effective wound dressings that can be tailored to meet specific clinical requirements and sets the stage for further development and clinical testing to enhance their therapeutic efficacy and usability in medical applications.

Since the discovery of COVID-19, the wearing of a face mask has been recognized as an effective means of curbing the spread of most infectious respiratory diseases. A face mask must completely enclose the lips and nose properly for effective prevention of the disease. Some people still refuse to wear the mask, either out of annoyance or difficulty, or they are just wearing it incorrectly, which diminishes the mask's effectiveness and renders it worthless. The deep learning models described in this research provide a mechanism for assessing whether a face mask is being worn correctly or incorrectly using images. For both training and testing, the suggested method makes use of MaskedFace-Net dataset that contains annotated photos of an individual's face with proper and improper masks. Threshold optimizations are applied to produce significant results of prediction when comparing ResNet50, MobileNetV2 and DenseNet121 models. It is observed that better performance can be achieved with having accuracy as the target evaluation metric and reaching accuracy levels of 97.6%, 99.0%, and 99.8% for ResNet50, DenseNet121, and MobileNetV2, respectively after threshold optimization. As an outcome, DenseNet121 outperformed the other evaluated models when accuracy, recall, and precision metrics were used to assess the testing set. The face mask categorization can be used to automatically monitor face masks in real-time in public locations like hospitals, airports, shopping complexes and congested spaces to verify compliance with the published guidelines by the higher authorities in a country, making the results valuable for future use.

Manual cell counting using Hemocytometer is commonly used to quantify cells, as it is an inexpensive and versatile method. However, it is labour-intensive, tedious, and time-consuming. On the other hand, most automated cell counting methods are expensive and require experts to operate. Thus, the use of image analysis software allows one to access low-cost but robust automated cell counting. This study explores the advanced setting of image processing software to obtain routes with the highest counting accuracy. The results show the effectiveness of advanced settings in CellProfiler for counting cells from synthetic images. Two routes were found to give the highest performance, with average image and cell accuracies of 85% and 99.8%, respectively, and the highest F1 score of 0.83. However, the two routes were unable to correctly determine the exact number of cells on the histology images, albeit giving a respectable cell accuracy of 79.6%. Further investigation has shown that CellProfiler is able to correctly identify the bulk of the cells within the histology images. Good image quality with high focus and less blur was identified as the key to successful image-based cell counting. To further enhance the accuracy, other modules can be included to further segment an object hence improving the number of objects identified. Future work can focus on evaluating the robustness of the routes by comparing them with other methods and validating with the manual cell counting method.

A home electrical composter has arisen as a popular tool to expedite the lengthy composting process. It has been conveniently selected as a compost producer in kitchen households and is especially favoured in urbanized settings. The generated composts from the electrical composter, however, are still found to be immature and would require additional curing. The quality of the compost can be improved by investigating the initial carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C/N ratio) of kitchen waste. It is, therefore, the aim of this paper to determine the optimum initial C/N ratio by preparing two primary samples: with and without soil. Samples of 10:1, 15:1, 20:1, 25:1, 30:1, and 35:1 C/N ratios were fed into the electrical composter and allowed to cure for 4 weeks. The six main samples were further divided into sub-samples for replications. The phytotoxicity levels and maturity of the produced compost were assessed in terms of the germination index (GI), using a seed germination test. In addition, statistical analyses using box plots and T-distributed Stochastic Neighbour Embedding (T-SNE) were carried out to observe the root growths’ variability and to deduce any significant clusters amongst the samples. The results have shown that samples with and without soil performed better with C/N ratios of 10:1 and 25:1 and with GI values of 16.2 and 31.8, respectively. The results also indicate the presence of a substantial level of phytotoxins within the samples, even after four weeks of curing.

Tissue damage and organ failure are major problems that many people face worldwide. Most of them benefit from treatment related to modern technology's tissue regeneration process. Tissue engineering is one of the booming fields widely used to replace damaged tissue. Scaffold is a base material in which cells and growth factors are embedded to construct a substitute tissue. Various materials have been used to develop scaffolds. Bio-based natural materials are biocompatible, safe, and do not release toxic compounds during biodegradation. Therefore, it is highly recommendable to fabricate scaffolds using such materials. To date, there have been no singular materials that fulfill all the features of the scaffold. Hence, combining two or more materials is encouraged to obtain the desired characteristics. To design a reliable scaffold by combining different materials, there is a need to choose a good fabrication technique. In this review article, the bio-based natural materials and fine fabrication techniques that are currently used in developing scaffolds for tissue regeneration applications, along with the number of articles published on each material, are briefly discussed. It is envisaged to gain explicit knowledge of developing scaffolds from bio-based natural materials for tissue regeneration applications.

Due to their extraordinary prospective uses, particularly in the areas of oil–water separation, underwater superoleophobic materials have gained increasing attention. Thus, artificial nacre has become an attractive candidate for oil–water separation due to its superhydrophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity properties. Synthesized artificial nacre has successfully achieved a high mechanical strength that is close to or even surpasses the mechanical strength of natural nacre. This can be attributed to suitable synthesis methods, the selection of inorganic fillers and polymer matrices, and the enhancement of the mechanical properties through cross-linking, covalent group modification, or mineralization. The utilization of nacre-inspired composite membranes for emerging applications, i.e., is oily wastewater treatment, is highlighted in this review. The membranes show that full separation of oil and water can be achieved, which enables their applications in seawater environments. The self-cleaning mechanism’s basic functioning and antifouling tips are also concluded in this review.

Ankle sprains are among the most prevalent musculoskeletal system injuries. Prevention of ankle sprains is important, given the frequency of occurrence of an ankle sprain, the risk of reinjury, and its long-term effects. A systematic patent review using the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)’s PATENTSCOPE database has been performed to study the current development of ankle sprain prevention methods. Using the PRISMA statement as a basis, a total of 426 patent documents have been selected for review, consisting of 150 granted patents and 276 patent applications. In the past decade, China and the United States of America (43% and 29% of the patent applications, respectively) have shown great interest in developing ankle sprain prevention methods. Approximately 49% (or 74) of the patents from the 150 granted are associated with braces, 46% (or 68) are related to orthosis, 3% (or 5) are related to tape, and the remaining 2% (or 3) are associated with other types of ankle sprain prevention methods. This patent review shows that inventors are leaning towards braces and orthosis as the main prevention methods for ankle sprains, with greater interest in orthosis in recent years. Additionally, patents on smart wearable devices suggest initial commercial interest in the development of smart wearable devices as an ankle sprain prevention method.

Ultralow pressure membrane filtration (ULPMF) has been explored for over 10 years. It shifts the paradigm in the operation of membrane filtration. Traditionally, the membrane is regularly cleaned to allow application of high transmembrane pressure (ΔP). On the other hand, ULPMF does not employ chemical cleaning and operates under ultralow pressure of < 0.1 bar, driven by gravity and befriends the (bio)fouling. The biofilm is preserved atop the membrane surface, which eventually controls the flux stabilization. It was initially developed to supply drinking water, but has also been explored for different applications. This chapter outlines the state of the art and the implementation of ULPMF. Next, the characteristics of the ULPFM system, mainly on the rationale behind the flux stabilization and the biofilm-aided filtration, are discussed. Subsequently, factors affecting the stable flux, organic removals/rejection, and biofilm ecosystem are outlined. Finally, the sustainability issue and perspectives on the further developments of the system are outlined.