Pub Date : 2026-02-17DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2026.02.009
Guangxi Yue, Chung K. Law, Junfu Lyu, Hai Zhang
Introduction
介绍
{"title":"Editorial for the Special Issue on Low-Carbon Transformation for Conventional Energies","authors":"Guangxi Yue, Chung K. Law, Junfu Lyu, Hai Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.eng.2026.02.009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2026.02.009","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction","PeriodicalId":11783,"journal":{"name":"Engineering","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":12.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146223286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Polyurethane (PU) is highly resistant to biodegradation, primarily due to the intrinsic stability of its urethane bond. Aside from a small number of amidases reported to hydrolyze (poly)urethane bonds, several promiscuous esterases have also been found to catalyze PU degradation. In this study, we clarified the ligand-free crystal structure of Aes72, an esterase enzyme that exhibits promiscuous hydrolytic activity toward carbamate and amide bonds, at a high resolution of 1.80 Å. We investigated the catalytic mechanism underlying urethane bond cleavage by Aes72 using multiscale quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulations. Our findings indicate that the reaction mechanism consists of four concerted elementary steps, with the nucleophilic attack (step i) identified as the rate-determining step. The subsequent structure-guided engineering of Aes72 yielded several enhanced single mutants, ultimately resulting in a superior double mutant, F276A/L141I. This variant exhibited approximately a two-fold increase in catalytic efficacy toward bis(4-hydroxybutyl) (methylenebis(4,1-phenylene)) dicarbamate (BMC) hydrolysis and significantly enhanced degradation performance on two distinct polyether-based PU materials compared to the wild-type enzyme. Our findings provide essential mechanistic insights into the structure–function relationship of the promiscuous esterase Aes72 in PU degradation and demonstrate its potential applicability in bio-based plastic recycling.
{"title":"Structural Elucidation and Mechanisms-Guided Engineering of a Promiscuous Esterase for Enhanced Polyurethane Depolymerization","authors":"Jiawei Liu, Mingna Zheng, Yuan Wen, Wei Xia, Xu Han, Jie Zhou, Weidong Liu, Ren Wei, Yanwei Li, Weiliang Dong, Min Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.eng.2026.02.008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2026.02.008","url":null,"abstract":"Polyurethane (PU) is highly resistant to biodegradation, primarily due to the intrinsic stability of its urethane bond. Aside from a small number of amidases reported to hydrolyze (poly)urethane bonds, several promiscuous esterases have also been found to catalyze PU degradation. In this study, we clarified the ligand-free crystal structure of Aes72, an esterase enzyme that exhibits promiscuous hydrolytic activity toward carbamate and amide bonds, at a high resolution of 1.80 Å. We investigated the catalytic mechanism underlying urethane bond cleavage by Aes72 using multiscale quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulations. Our findings indicate that the reaction mechanism consists of four concerted elementary steps, with the nucleophilic attack (step i) identified as the rate-determining step. The subsequent structure-guided engineering of Aes72 yielded several enhanced single mutants, ultimately resulting in a superior double mutant, F276A/L141I. This variant exhibited approximately a two-fold increase in catalytic efficacy toward bis(4-hydroxybutyl) (methylenebis(4,1-phenylene)) dicarbamate (BMC) hydrolysis and significantly enhanced degradation performance on two distinct polyether-based PU materials compared to the wild-type enzyme. Our findings provide essential mechanistic insights into the structure–function relationship of the promiscuous esterase Aes72 in PU degradation and demonstrate its potential applicability in bio-based plastic recycling.","PeriodicalId":11783,"journal":{"name":"Engineering","volume":"95 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":12.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146209739","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-13DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2026.02.007
Yaqin Sun, Cheng Niu, Guangyan Sun, Xinyuan Zhao, Suyue Zhang, Zaiwei Zong, Wei Wang, Feiqiang Chen, Tianyi Fan, Na Liu, Shaoting Qiu, Yani Li, Xupeng Wei, Yunzheng Yan, Shuyuan Pan, Wu Zhong, Yuntao Zhang, Song Li
Since 2022, global mpox outbreaks have resulted in 172 510 confirmed cases and 462 deaths as of October 31, 2025. Tecovirimat, a small-molecule therapeutic agent for orthopoxvirus infections (e.g., smallpox and mpox), is clinically limited owing to its poor solubility. A novel tecovirimat formulation was developed and characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and stability assessments. The antiviral activity of tecovirimat against orthopoxvirus was evaluated using cytopathic effect inhibition assays. Safety evaluations included: ① active systemic anaphylaxis and vascular irritation tests in guinea pigs and rabbits, respectively, evaluated using scoring systems and histopathological examinations; ② visual assessment of hemolytic activity in red blood cells; and ③ repeated-dose toxicity evaluation in cynomolgus monkeys (14-d administration followed by a 28-d recovery period). The novel formulation enhanced the aqueous solubility of tecovirimat to 50 mg∙mL–1. The lyophilized powder formulation 5 (LP5) exhibited exceptional stability under high-temperature, high-humidity, and photolytic conditions and maintained favorable physicochemical properties after 90 days of storage at 40 °C and 75% relative humidity (RH). Furthermore, safety assessments revealed no concerns regarding allergic reaction, irritation, hemolysis, or toxicity in repeated-dose studies. These findings demonstrate that the novel tecovirimat formulation is a stable, safe, and promising candidate for industrial development and clinical applications.
{"title":"Boosted Tecovirimat Injection for Orthopoxvirus Infection Therapy","authors":"Yaqin Sun, Cheng Niu, Guangyan Sun, Xinyuan Zhao, Suyue Zhang, Zaiwei Zong, Wei Wang, Feiqiang Chen, Tianyi Fan, Na Liu, Shaoting Qiu, Yani Li, Xupeng Wei, Yunzheng Yan, Shuyuan Pan, Wu Zhong, Yuntao Zhang, Song Li","doi":"10.1016/j.eng.2026.02.007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2026.02.007","url":null,"abstract":"Since 2022, global mpox outbreaks have resulted in 172 510 confirmed cases and 462 deaths as of October 31, 2025. Tecovirimat, a small-molecule therapeutic agent for orthopoxvirus infections (e.g., smallpox and mpox), is clinically limited owing to its poor solubility. A novel tecovirimat formulation was developed and characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and stability assessments. The antiviral activity of tecovirimat against orthopoxvirus was evaluated using cytopathic effect inhibition assays. Safety evaluations included: ① active systemic anaphylaxis and vascular irritation tests in guinea pigs and rabbits, respectively, evaluated using scoring systems and histopathological examinations; ② visual assessment of hemolytic activity in red blood cells; and ③ repeated-dose toxicity evaluation in cynomolgus monkeys (14-d administration followed by a 28-d recovery period). The novel formulation enhanced the aqueous solubility of tecovirimat to 50 mg∙mL<sup>–1</sup>. The lyophilized powder formulation 5 (LP5) exhibited exceptional stability under high-temperature, high-humidity, and photolytic conditions and maintained favorable physicochemical properties after 90 days of storage at 40 °C and 75% relative humidity (RH). Furthermore, safety assessments revealed no concerns regarding allergic reaction, irritation, hemolysis, or toxicity in repeated-dose studies. These findings demonstrate that the novel tecovirimat formulation is a stable, safe, and promising candidate for industrial development and clinical applications.","PeriodicalId":11783,"journal":{"name":"Engineering","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":12.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146184545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-13DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2025.10.038
Weijie Chen, Naikun Kuang, Christoph Martin, Akshit Puri, Bin Liu, Jing He, Yunpeng Zhou, Yunkai Li
Agricultural water scarcity is increasingly conflicting with demands for both crop yield and crop nutritional quality, yet current irrigation strategies are failing to achieve synergistic improvements. This study explores how reducing soil moisture fluctuations (SMFs) affects crop yield and quality, using tomato plants under three irrigation treatments: fast wetting (FW), medium wetting (MW), and slow wetting (SW). We analyzed soil moisture dynamics, yield, fruit quality, soil bacteria, and plant molecular responses. Slowing the wetting process significantly improved tomato yield by 10%–20% and increased vitamin C and lycopene content by 10%–17% and 7%–29%, respectively, while reducing the irrigation quota by 30%–35%. The results showed a significant increase in the relative abundance of Myxococcota and Chloroflexi, while the relative abundance of Actinobacteria significantly decreased. Functional prediction showed that the abundance of aerobic chemotrophic heterotrophy was suppressed, whereas nitrate reduction was promoted. Based on a joint analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics, several genes encoding key enzymes (GME, DHAR, IDH1, crtB, and crtH) in the pathways of ascorbic acid, lycopene, and organic acid cycles were significantly affected. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that the stabilized soil moisture directly increased microbial community diversity and soil fertility, which subsequently activated transcriptional pathways associated with nutrient assimilation and antioxidant biosynthesis. This cascade of biological responses ultimately mediated improvements in crop productivity and quality. These findings challenge the conventional understanding of wet-dry cycles in irrigation. Reducing SMFs offers a practical approach to simultaneously improving water-use efficiency, crop yield, and fruit quality, with potential applications in sustainable agriculture.
{"title":"Reducing Soil Moisture Fluctuations Significantly Improves Crop Yield and Quality: Insight into Multiomics in Soil–Plant Systems","authors":"Weijie Chen, Naikun Kuang, Christoph Martin, Akshit Puri, Bin Liu, Jing He, Yunpeng Zhou, Yunkai Li","doi":"10.1016/j.eng.2025.10.038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2025.10.038","url":null,"abstract":"Agricultural water scarcity is increasingly conflicting with demands for both crop yield and crop nutritional quality, yet current irrigation strategies are failing to achieve synergistic improvements. This study explores how reducing soil moisture fluctuations (SMFs) affects crop yield and quality, using tomato plants under three irrigation treatments: fast wetting (FW), medium wetting (MW), and slow wetting (SW). We analyzed soil moisture dynamics, yield, fruit quality, soil bacteria, and plant molecular responses. Slowing the wetting process significantly improved tomato yield by 10%–20% and increased vitamin C and lycopene content by 10%–17% and 7%–29%, respectively, while reducing the irrigation quota by 30%–35%. The results showed a significant increase in the relative abundance of Myxococcota and Chloroflexi, while the relative abundance of Actinobacteria significantly decreased. Functional prediction showed that the abundance of aerobic chemotrophic heterotrophy was suppressed, whereas nitrate reduction was promoted. Based on a joint analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics, several genes encoding key enzymes (<em>GME</em>, <em>DHAR</em>, <em>IDH1</em>, <em>crtB</em>, and <em>crtH</em>) in the pathways of ascorbic acid, lycopene, and organic acid cycles were significantly affected. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that the stabilized soil moisture directly increased microbial community diversity and soil fertility, which subsequently activated transcriptional pathways associated with nutrient assimilation and antioxidant biosynthesis. This cascade of biological responses ultimately mediated improvements in crop productivity and quality. These findings challenge the conventional understanding of wet-dry cycles in irrigation. Reducing SMFs offers a practical approach to simultaneously improving water-use efficiency, crop yield, and fruit quality, with potential applications in sustainable agriculture.","PeriodicalId":11783,"journal":{"name":"Engineering","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":12.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146184432","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-12DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2025.12.040
Sungbin Ju, Seonghyun Chung, Sung Bae Park, Jun Mo Koo, Giyoung Shin, Hyeonyeol Jeon, Jeyoung Park, Dongyeop X. Oh
{"title":"Reframing Biodegradable Plastic as an Effective, Chemically Recyclable Resource for a Circular Economy","authors":"Sungbin Ju, Seonghyun Chung, Sung Bae Park, Jun Mo Koo, Giyoung Shin, Hyeonyeol Jeon, Jeyoung Park, Dongyeop X. Oh","doi":"10.1016/j.eng.2025.12.040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2025.12.040","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11783,"journal":{"name":"Engineering","volume":"70 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":12.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146160942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-10DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2025.12.038
Margi Shah, Yue Zhou, Jianzhong Wu, Max Mowbray
{"title":"Deep Reinforcement Learning for Scheduling of a Steel Plant in the Electricity Spot Market","authors":"Margi Shah, Yue Zhou, Jianzhong Wu, Max Mowbray","doi":"10.1016/j.eng.2025.12.038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2025.12.038","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11783,"journal":{"name":"Engineering","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":12.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146153034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-10DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2026.02.006
Lingping Zhu, Minhazur Rahman, Teemu H. Teeri
{"title":"Give Me a Reductase! Where Do Plant Polyketide Synthases Get Their Accessory Activities?","authors":"Lingping Zhu, Minhazur Rahman, Teemu H. Teeri","doi":"10.1016/j.eng.2026.02.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2026.02.006","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11783,"journal":{"name":"Engineering","volume":"97 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":12.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146153033","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-09DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2026.01.022
Ning Shao, Rui Liu, Jingjing Gan, Yuanjin Zhao
Biocompatible hydrogels are highly valuable for wound management; however, improving their mechanical compatibility and achieving controlled drug release for dynamic wound treatment remain challenging. Inspired by skin structure and function, a novel mechanically-responsive hydrogel was developed using drug-loaded liposomes as structural units. The crosslinked hydrogel network was generated via free-radical polymerization of acrylamide, incorporating double-bond-functionalized liposomes as crosslinkers. Deformable liposomes endowed the hydrogel with improved mechanical properties and enabled controlled drug release in response to mechanical deformation. The rifampin-loaded mechanically-responsive hydrogel exhibited strong antimicrobial activity both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, anti-inflammatory effects and enhanced wound-healing properties were observed in dynamic wound environments. These findings indicate that mechanically-responsive skin-mimicking hydrogels offer a promising strategy for dynamic wound management.
{"title":"Skin-Inspired Mechanically-Responsive Antimicrobial Hydrogels with Liposome-Based Crosslinkers","authors":"Ning Shao, Rui Liu, Jingjing Gan, Yuanjin Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.eng.2026.01.022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2026.01.022","url":null,"abstract":"Biocompatible hydrogels are highly valuable for wound management; however, improving their mechanical compatibility and achieving controlled drug release for dynamic wound treatment remain challenging. Inspired by skin structure and function, a novel mechanically-responsive hydrogel was developed using drug-loaded liposomes as structural units. The crosslinked hydrogel network was generated via free-radical polymerization of acrylamide, incorporating double-bond-functionalized liposomes as crosslinkers. Deformable liposomes endowed the hydrogel with improved mechanical properties and enabled controlled drug release in response to mechanical deformation. The rifampin-loaded mechanically-responsive hydrogel exhibited strong antimicrobial activity both <em>in vitro</em> and <em>in vivo</em>. In addition, anti-inflammatory effects and enhanced wound-healing properties were observed in dynamic wound environments. These findings indicate that mechanically-responsive skin-mimicking hydrogels offer a promising strategy for dynamic wound management.","PeriodicalId":11783,"journal":{"name":"Engineering","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":12.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146138390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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