Realising smarter stormwater management: A review of the barriers and a roadmap for real world application.

Effective management of stormwater systems is necessary for protection of both the built and natural environments. However, stormwater management is facing multiple, growing challenges, including climate change, ageing infrastructure, population growth, urbanisation, environmental concerns, regulatory and institutional changes and public awareness. While the potential of 'smart', internet-of-things enabled stormwater management systems to address these challenges is increasingly being recognised, with considerable evidence in literature for the benefits of more data-driven approaches, implementation to date remains low. This paper, therefore, provides a comprehensive review of the potential barriers to adoption of smarter stormwater management practices that require addressing, and provides a roadmap for real world application. Barriers related to all elements of stormwater management, from the asset sensing to the data analytics and online optimisation, are identified. Technical challenges discussed include the availability and reliability of technologies, technological and physical limitations, decision making, uncertainty and security. Technical barriers are rapidly reducing and there is increasing evidence in the academic literature of the efficacy of smart technologies. However, socio-economic barriers remain a significant challenge, and issues such as trust and lack of confidence, resistance to change, expense, and lack of knowledge and guidance are reviewed. A 'smart stormwater management wheel' that provides a flexible and iterative approach for implementing smart functionality is also presented. Whilst acting as a roadmap, this aims to facilitate a structured methodology for overcoming barriers and benchmarking progress, and may be used to explore trade-offs and relationships between differing levels of implementation for each of the constituent technologies in a smart stormwater system.

Bladder cancer therapy using a conformationally fluid tumoricidal peptide complex.

Partially unfolded alpha-lactalbumin forms the oleic acid complex HAMLET, with potent tumoricidal activity. Here we define a peptide-based molecular approach for targeting and killing tumor cells, and evidence of its clinical potential (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03560479). A 39-residue alpha-helical peptide from alpha-lactalbumin is shown to gain lethality for tumor cells by forming oleic acid complexes (alpha1-oleate). Nuclear magnetic resonance measurements and computational simulations reveal a lipid core surrounded by conformationally fluid, alpha-helical peptide motifs. In a single center, placebo controlled, double blinded Phase I/II interventional clinical trial of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, all primary end points of safety and efficacy of alpha1-oleate treatment are reached, as evaluated in an interim analysis. Intra-vesical instillations of alpha1-oleate triggers massive shedding of tumor cells and the tumor size is reduced but no drug-related side effects are detected (primary endpoints). Shed cells contain alpha1-oleate, treated tumors show evidence of apoptosis and the expression of cancer-related genes is inhibited (secondary endpoints). The results are especially encouraging for bladder cancer, where therapeutic failures and high recurrence rates create a great, unmet medical need.