Search Results (495)

High-nickel layered oxide cathodes, exemplified by LiNi_0.9Co_0.05Mn_0.05O₂ (NCM90), exhibit high specific capacity but suffer from severe interfacial degradation and structural instability during electrochemical cycling. Herein, we present a phosphate-based in situ modification approach that forms a durable, self-established cathode–electrolyte interphase (CEI), thereby resolving these key challenges from the root. We employ a controlled (NH₄)₂HPO₄ coating and optimized thermal treatment to fabricate a thin, dense layer of crystalline lithium phosphate on the NCM90 surface. This coherent layer serves as an artificial CEI precursor, which electrochemically evolves into a highly stable and ionically conductive interfacial shield during operation. It effectively suppresses parasitic reactions, mitigates transition metal dissolution, and alleviates mechanical strain induced by phase transitions. Comprehensive optimization of calcination temperature and coating content identifies 760 °C and 1 wt% as the optimal conditions, yielding a well-preserved layered structure and effectively suppressed Li⁺/Ni²⁺ mixing compared with the pristine NCM90. When tested at 0.1 C in the potential range of 2.75–4.3 V, the coated electrode delivers a high initial discharge specific capacity of 204.08 mAh g⁻¹. After 100 charge–discharge cycles at 1 C, it retains 89.24% of its capacity, and its rate capability is also significantly improved. Collectively, these findings verify that forming a customized CEI via precursor coating successfully suppresses interfacial degradation and improves structural integrity, thus representing a viable, scalable pathway toward advanced lithium-ion batteries with exceptionally stable cathodes. Full article

Background: We previously demonstrated recapitulation of the relative hypogonadotropic hypogonadism of obesity, the Reprometabolic Syndrome (RMS), in women of normal BMI with a one-month high-fat, eucaloric diet (HFD). Objective: Assess effects of HFD on sleep, body composition and lifestyle and metabolic secondary outcomes and correlate insulin sensitivity changes with the RMS. Methods: A total of 18 normally cycling women aged 18–38 with BMI 18–24 kg/m² were enrolled for a four-month study including a eucaloric HFD (48% calories from fat) for one menstrual cycle. Activity, sleep, body composition, and the lipidome were measured in all participants. Fecal microbiome was analyzed in the last nine participants, and insulin sensitivity by two-stage hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp was measured before and after HFD in 15 participants. Results: Relative to the pre-diet period, BMI, activity and sleep measures did not change, except for waking after sleep onset (WASO), which appeared to decrease during and post HFD. DXA revealed statistically significant decreases in total percent fat, total fat mass, visceral fat volume, and trunk fat volume. Whole-body insulin sensitivity decreased with the HFD while adipocyte insulin sensitivity was unaffected. Insulin sensitivity changes did not correlate with change in gonadotropins or response to gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH). Multiple significant changes in plasma lipids were observed, including increased ceramides and glucosylceramides. Microbiome analysis revealed increased microbial diversity. Conclusions: A one-month eucaloric HFD that induced RMS in normal-weight, reproductive-aged women also induced whole-body insulin resistance (IR) and multiple lipidomics changes potentially associated with IR. These changes in IR occurred despite overall stable activity, BMI and sleep, but did not correlate with the HPO axis defects. The unexpected decrease in body fat and increase in microbial diversity may be related to specific dietary elements of the HFD. Full article

This study investigates the impacts of algogenic organic matter (AOM) distribution characteristics, specifically molecular weight (MW) and hydrophobicity, on the formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) derived from Microcystis aeruginosa. This study focuses on both extracellular organic matter (EOM) and intracellular organic matter (IOM) and their contributions to DBP formation. AOM was divided into 12 fractions based on MW and hydrophobicity (transphilic, hydrophilic, and hydrophobic fractions). The results reveal that the hydrophobic fraction (HPO) contributes the most to IOM, while low-MW (<1 kDa) and high-MW (>100 kDa) organic matter are the main components of AOM. An analysis of fluorescent species indicates that humic acid-like and fulvic acid-like compounds derived from the hydrophilic fraction (HPI) of EOM and the hydrophobic fraction (HPO) of IOM are the dominant low-MW (<1 kDa) species. Additionally, aromatic proteins derived from HPO in both EOM and IOM are the dominant high-MW (>100 kDa) fluorescent species. This suggests that proteins or polysaccharides are the primary adsorbents on the membrane during ultrafiltration (UF), while the humic acid component is not significantly deposited. Furthermore, this study identifies that the >100 kDa HPO in IOM serves as the main precursor for trichloromethane (TCM), trichloroacetic acid (TCAA), and dichloroacetic acid (DCAA). In EOM, the precursor for the highest TCMFP (63.6 µg/mg-C) is the >100 kDa HPI, while the highest contribution to TCM (21%) is from the >100 kDa HPO. These findings provide crucial information for controlling DBPs derived from AOM through membrane filtration, particularly in eutrophic water environments. Full article

Foaming technology can effectively reduce the viscosity of polymer-modified asphalt and significantly decrease energy consumption during pavement construction, making it an effective approach for achieving low-carbon pavement construction and maintenance. However, mechanically foamed asphalt relies on specialized equipment and requires strict parameter control. Although water-based foaming methods using zeolites or ethanol can alleviate these issues to some extent, they still present disadvantages such as significant variability in foaming performance and potential risks during transportation and construction. Therefore, this study investigates the feasibility of using crystalline hydrates with high water of crystallization for micro-foamed asphalt. Three types of micro-foamed SBS-modified asphalt (MFPA) were prepared using hydrates with different contents of water of crystallization. Physical property tests, foaming characteristic parameters, viscosity–temperature analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), adhesion tensile tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and fluorescence microscopy were conducted to evaluate their effects on the physical and chemical properties, viscosity reduction performance, adhesion, and compatibility of SBS-modified asphalt. Furthermore, dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) tests, bending beam rheometer (BBR) tests, fatigue life modeling, and morphological analysis were employed to investigate the rheological properties, fatigue life, and bubble evolution behavior of the MFPA system. The results indicate that utilizing the thermal decomposition characteristics of crystalline hydrates with high water of crystallization (Na₂SO₄·10H₂O, Na₂HPO₄·12H₂O, and Na₂CO₃·10H₂O) to release H₂O and CO₂ in SBS-modified asphalt for micro-foaming is a short-term reversible physical viscosity reduction process. The maximum expansion ratio (ERmax) of MFPA reaches 8–10, the half-life (HL) remains stable at approximately 180 s, and the foaming index (FI) peak is about 1160. The construction temperature can be reduced by 10–15%, and the viscosity reduction effect remains stable within 60 min. Compared with unfoamed SBS-modified asphalt, the compatibility, rutting resistance, and fatigue life of MFPA increase by approximately 65%, 32%, and 30%, respectively, while the low-temperature performance decreases by 18%. Under the same short-term and long-term aging conditions, MFPA exhibits better aging resistance. Specifically, its rutting resistance increases by 37%, and fatigue resistance improves by 30% compared with aged SBS-modified asphalt, while the low-temperature performance remains essentially unchanged. Full article

Artemisia maritima holds potential applications in the rehabilitation of degraded environments, particularly in salt-affected areas, for biosaline agriculture aimed at biomass production for further valorization and green biotechnology. The aim of the present study was to investigate the response of A. maritima to alterations in soil chemical composition, including differences in mineral supply, the addition of various sodium salts, and contamination with several heavy metals (cadmium, lead, copper, manganese, zinc), in order to establish a scientific basis for further applied research. Under standard fertilization conditions, the growth of A. maritima plants was restrained by nitrogen deficiency. Surplus nitrogen enhanced mineral uptake and growth, especially for shoots, and stimulated clonal development. Low to moderate (50 and 100 mmol L⁻¹) NaNO₃ treatment significantly stimulated shoot growth, while Na₂HPO₄ and NaHCO₃ treatments exhibited the most adverse effects at 200 and 400 mmol L⁻¹, resulting in reduced growth and biomass, and even the deterioration of the aboveground parts. Chlorophyll fluorescence parameters served as reliable early indicators of the detrimental effects of salinity associated with individual anions. Shoot macronutrient levels remained unchanged for phosphorus and calcium, while nitrogen increased in nitrate treatments. Root mineral nutrient content was more susceptible to salinity, with significant changes observed for all macro- and micronutrients, varying depending on the specific element and anion type. The alterations in mineral nutrition observed for each anion treatment exhibited distinct characteristics. A. maritima plants demonstrated high tolerance to all heavy metals, with roots being more susceptible compared to shoots. At the shoot level, statistically significant growth inhibition was evident only for 1000 mg L⁻¹ lead and 1000 mg L⁻¹ zinc treatments. A. maritima plants can be characterized as high accumulators of cadmium, lead, manganese, and zinc, and as extreme accumulators of copper in shoots. Nitrophily, clonal expansion with a help of bud-bearing roots, and the ability to accumulate relatively high concentrations of mineral elements in shoots are among the important physiological characteristics of A. maritima plants, enabling them to exhibit high resilience in environmentally heterogeneous habitats. Full article

An HPO (Hunter–Prey Optimizer)-optimized Bidirectional LSTM (HPO-BiLSTM) model is introduced to address the challenges in predicting gas concentration within coal mining working faces. This study aims to adaptively adjust the key hyperparameters (such as learning rate and number of hidden layer units) of the BiLSTM network through intelligent optimization algorithms. While the BiLSTM architecture inherently mitigates gradient vanishing and exploding problems through its gating mechanisms, the proposed HPO method focuses on addressing the inefficiency of manual parameter tuning and the risk of trapping in local optima that traditional methods encounter when dealing with nonlinear and non-stationary gas concentration time series. The experiment utilized the actual methane monitoring data from the 15117 working face of Jishazhuang Coal Mine in Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province (with a sampling interval of 2 min). The proposed HPO-BiLSTM model was compared with baseline models such as LSTM, BiLSTM, GA-BiLSTM, and PSO-BiLSTM in terms of performance. This study systematically compares the performance of LSTM, BiLSTM, and BiLSTM models optimized with GA, PSO, and HPO. Results demonstrate that all optimized models outperform the baselines, with HPO-BiLSTM achieving the best overall performance. It attained the lowest RMSE and highest R² across the training, validation, and test sets, showcasing superior fitting and generalization capabilities. Furthermore, HPO-BiLSTM converged to the lowest loss value (0.00062) in only 15 iterations, demonstrating significantly greater efficiency and stability than both GA-BiLSTM (loss 0.00072, 25 iterations) and PSO-BiLSTM (loss 0.00071, 30 iterations). The experiments confirm that the HPO algorithm effectively configures BiLSTM hyperparameters, mitigates overfitting, and provides a more accurate and robust solution for gas concentration prediction in coal mines. Full article

Background: Broodiness is a major limiting factor for reproductive efficiency in indigenous avian breeds, a phenomenon underpinned physiologically by granulosa cell (GC) apoptosis and subsequent follicular atresia. While Serine Protease 23 (PRSS23) has been implicated in mammalian ovarian remodeling, its specific regulatory function in avian follicular dynamics remains elusive. Methods: Utilizing the Wuding chicken—an indigenous breed distinguished by robust environmental adaptability but compromised by high broodiness frequency—as a biological model, this study dissected the molecular mechanism of PRSS23-mediated follicular regression. We cloned the complete coding sequence of the Wuding chicken PRSS23 gene, characterized its spatiotemporal expression profile, and interrogated its function in primary GCs via gain- and loss-of-function assays. Results: RT-qPCR analysis revealed that PRSS23 is differentially expressed across the hypothalamic–pituitary–ovarian (HPO) axis, with ovarian expression being significantly upregulated during the broody period compared to the laying period. Mechanistically, PRSS23 overexpression significantly downregulated the expression of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) and key steroidogenic enzymes (STAR, CYP19A1, HSD3β1), thereby suppressing the expression of genes governing the biosynthesis potential of progesterone and estradiol. Concurrently, PRSS23 overexpression was associated with transcriptional repression of components of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling cascade; this transcriptional regulation further induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase, and activated the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway characterized by BAX upregulation and BCL2 downregulation. Conversely, siRNA-mediated knockdown of PRSS23 alleviated these inhibitory effects, promoting GC proliferation and survival. Conclusions: These findings establish PRSS23 as a pivotal pro-atretic factor in Wuding chickens, driving ovarian atrophy through the dual transcriptional-level inhibition of steroidogenesis and survival signaling pathways. This study identifies a potential molecular target for marker-assisted selection programs aimed at attenuating broodiness while preserving the superior meat quality traits of indigenous poultry. Full article

Infection urinary stones account for approximately 10–15% of all urinary stones worldwide, with a rising incidence observed in recent decades, particularly in countries with a high Socio-Demographic Index (SDI). This trend has been partially attributed to dietary changes, including increased consumption of processed foods. Heavy metals belong to a group of substances, the source of which can be both food and the human environment. Among many heavy metals, in this study, we focus on copper and investigate its influence on the nucleation and growth of struvite crystals, the primary component of infection urinary stones. Experiments were conducted in artificial urine, both in the presence and absence of Proteus mirabilis, a urease-producing bacterium commonly associated with infection urinary stones. In a bacteria-free system, bacterial urease activity was mimicked by the addition of aqueous ammonia solution. Our results demonstrate that the presence of copper in artificial urine induces a slight shift in the struvite crystallization toward lower pH values, indicating that crystal formation initiates earlier compared to a control test. Additionally, the amount of precipitated struvite increases modestly in the presence of copper. Struvite crystals formed in copper-containing artificial urine are larger and exhibit altered habit and morphology. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses confirm that copper does not incorporate into either the bulk or surface structure of the struvite crystals. X-ray diffraction (XRD) data show that struvite remains the sole crystalline phase, consistent with the control samples. Microbiological assays reveal that copper, at the concentrations tested, does not affect the viability of P. mirabilis, indicating an absence of bacteriostatic or bactericidal effects. To elucidate the physicochemical mechanisms underlying copper’s influence on nucleation and growth of struvite, speciation analysis of chemical complexes was performed. This revealed the formation of various copper complexes in artificial urine, including Cu(OH)⁺, CuCit⁻, CuC₂O₄, Cu(OH)₂, CuHPO₄, Cu(NH₃)²⁺, Cu(NH₃)₂²⁺, and Cu(NH₃)₃²⁺. These chemical complexes modulate the equilibrium and formation of complexes with Mg²⁺ and PO₄³⁻ (e.g., MgHCit, MgCit⁻, MgOH⁺, MgC₂O₄, MgSO₄, MgHPO₄), contributing to the observed shift in struvite crystallization to lower pH values. Full article

Traditional analytical methods for assessing oil oxidation frequently depend on expensive and intricate equipment or elaborate procedures, thereby hindering their practical use in everyday situations. Sensory evaluation and GC-MS analysis indicated that during storage, the peroxide value (PV) and aldehyde content of pecan oil increased, consistent with progressive oxidation, while the acid value (AV) remained stable. The shelf-life prediction model further underscores its reliability as an oxidation marker. The coefficient of determination (R²) for the first-order kinetic model at temperatures of 20, 40, 50, and 60 °C ranged from 0.9183 to 0.9841. The correlation coefficients between the measured and predicted shelf-life values were 0.9993 for cold-pressed pecan oil (CPO) and 0.9866 for hot-pressed pecan oil (HPO). A filter-paper-based colorimetric aldehyde sensor was developed for the visual assessment of pecan oil shelf-life, which leverages the chemical reaction between hydroxylamine sulfate and aldehydes to generate a distinct naked-eye color shift from red to purple-blue—this enables the qualitative identification of whether cold-pressed (CPO) and hot-pressed (HPO) pecan oil complies with the national peroxide value (PV) limit of 0.25 g/100 g or exceeds it. Specifically, CPO is deemed to be expired when a* ≤ 11 and HPO when a* ≤ 15; consistent red-to-purple-blue color changes for the sensor yielded 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity for both oils at the national PV limit, thereby validating its application as a highly accurate qualitative (pass/fail) indicator for oil oxidation. By contrast, sensory evaluation can also reliably distinguish when pecan oil exceeds the national PV limit qualitatively, yet it lacks quantitative accuracy due to inherent subjective biases. Full article

The Wuding chicken, a renowned indigenous breed in Yunnan Province, is prized for its superior meat quality; however, its economic potential is limited by pronounced broodiness and suboptimal egg production. Central to alleviating these constraints is the precise regulation of ovarian granulosa cell (GC) proliferation and steroidogenic processes that dictate follicular development and laying performance. While Estrogen Receptor 2 (ESR2) is a known transcription factor implicated in follicular maturation, its spatiotemporal dynamics within the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis and its specific regulatory mechanisms in Wuding chicken remain elusive. This study characterizes ESR2 expression across the HPO axis during the laying and broody periods and functionally validates its role in GCs. We observed that ESR2 expression was significantly higher throughout the HPO axis during the laying period compared to the broody period, with the most pronounced differential expression occurring in the ovary. Notably, subcellular localization analysis revealed that ESR2 is distributed in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm, indicating involvement in both nuclear transcriptional regulation and cytoplasmic signaling. Functional assays demonstrated that ESR2 modulates the expression of genes associated with GC proliferation, steroidogenesis, and apoptosis, involving the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Our findings indicate that this process involves a synergistic interplay between genomic and potential non-genomic actions. Specifically, ESR2 overexpression upregulates the expression of key signaling components and steroidogenic genes, including CYP19A1, STAR, PTGS2, and FSHR, while its cytoplasmic localization suggests a role in non‑genomic interactions. Together, these coordinated mechanisms synergistically maintain GC functional homeostasis. Collectively, these results prove that ESR2 plays an important role in regulating GC homeostasis and follicular development through genomic and non-genomic modes of action. These findings provide a molecular basis for the role of ESR2 in avian follicular development and offer potential targets for improving the reproductive efficiency of Wuding chickens. Full article

Broodiness in poultry represents a major bottleneck for reproductive performance, governed by complex remodeling of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis. CYP11A1, the rate-limiting enzyme in steroidogenesis, is essential for hormone synthesis; however, its spatiotemporal dynamics within the HPO axis during reproductive transitions remain unclear. Using the Wuding chicken as a model, this study characterized the expression profile and cellular function of CYP11A1. We identified a distinct “ovary-hypothalamus expression inversion” pattern: CYP11A1 expression exhibited an ovary-dominant pattern during the egg-laying period to support folliculogenesis; however, this shifted to a hypothalamus-dominant pattern during the broodiness period. This inversion indicates its active role in central neurosteroid modulation rather than a passive response to HPO axis regression. In vitro assays in granulosa cells (GCs) demonstrated that CYP11A1 overexpression significantly upregulated AKT1 and mTOR transcription, promoted the G0/G1 to S/G2/M cell cycle transition, and enhanced cell proliferation. Conversely, CYP11A1 knockdown arrested the cell cycle and suppressed the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Additionally, CYP11A1 coordinated the expression of steroidogenic genes (STAR, HSD3B1), reflecting a coupling between steroid metabolism and cell growth. These findings reveal CYP11A1 as a critical molecular node linking HPO axis remodeling, granulosa cell proliferation, and steroidogenesis, providing a potential target for molecular breeding to mitigate broodiness in indigenous chickens. Full article

Leigh Syndrome Spectrum (LSS) is a rare and heterogeneous disease continuum with most published cohorts in small sizes that limit the statistical power. Large-scale meta-analyses with published case-level clinical data extracted from the literature are essential for robust population analysis but are hindered by the burden of manually standardizing the unstructured, heterogeneous, and sparse case-level data from the literature. We developed a novel workflow which is among the first to combine Generative AI (GenAI) with human-in-the-loop curation to overcome this barrier. This pipeline utilized Google’s Gemini-2.5-pro and rapidly processed over 2300 cases from published case data tables in two weeks and achieved >90% accuracy in mapping raw clinical data to Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) terms. This process rapidly yielded a harmonized LSS virtual cohort of 1679 data-rich cases, which is the largest LSS virtual cohort reported so far, and thus enables characterization of LSS phenotypic and genetic architectures, revealing that autosomal recessive (932 cases) and mitochondrial (752 cases) inheritance are the most common. The most frequently mutated genes were SURF1 (240 cases), MT-ATP6 (199), and MT-ND3 (183). HPO term consolidation identified common hallmark phenotypes, including lactic acidosis, hypotonia, bilateral basal ganglia lesions, and mitochondrial respiratory chain deficiency. The cohort’s scale enabled large-scale survival analysis, revealing that defects in mitochondrial translation are associated with the poorest prognosis (84% mortality in this group) and early onset (0.23 years). Among the deceased group, patients with Complex V mutations were linked to a significantly shorter mean survival time (1.77 years) than those with Complex I (3.70 years) or IV (3.57 years) mutations. This GenAI-driven methodology establishes a scalable framework for rapidly creating analysis-ready virtual cohorts from heterogeneous literature and accelerating population-level study for rare diseases including Leigh Syndrome and other mitochondrial diseases. Full article

Polyester/cotton blended fabrics—valued for comfort and durability—face significant fire hazards due to a synergistic “scaffold effect” during combustion. Conventional treatments with high temperature or some acidic phosphorus flame retardants during preparation often compromise the mechanical strength. Inspired by mussel adhesion chemistry, a mechanically enhanced polyester/cotton fabric was developed by using a novel bio-inspired phosphorus/nitrogen (P/N) synergistic coating. A uniform polydopamine-polyethylenimine (PDA-PEI) layer is rapidly deposited via co-deposition, suppressing dopamine self-polymerization. Subsequent covalent bonding with 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propanediyl bis (phosphoryl chloride) (DPPC) establishes a robust P/N network. The fabricated PDA-PEI/DPPC coating reduces peak heat release rate (pHRR) and total heat release (THR) by 57.7% and 32.6%, respectively, in cone calorimetry, achieving self-extinguishment and a high limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 24.6%. Remarkably, the coating simultaneously increases the weft-direction breaking strength by 55% and elongation at break by 27.2%; these changes overcome the typical mechanical degradation associated with acidic phosphorus flame retardants. A comprehensive analysis reveals a synergistic mechanism: phosphoric acids catalyze cellulose dehydration and char layer formation in the condensed phase (90% stable C–C bonds), while radical scavengers (PO·, HPO·, and PDA) and non-flammable gases suppressed gas-phase combustion. This work presents a facile and effective strategy for fabricating high-performance and mechanically robust flame retardant polyester/cotton textiles, demonstrating the significant potential for improving fire safety in practical applications. Full article

The highly squinted mode, as an operational configuration of synthetic aperture radar (SAR), fulfills specific remote sensing demands. Under equivalent conditions, it necessitates a higher pulse repetition frequency (PRF) than the side-looking mode but produces inferior imaging quality, thereby constraining its widespread application. By applying the sparse SAR imaging method to highly squinted SAR systems, imaging quality can be enhanced while simultaneously reducing PRF requirements and expanding swath. Hyperparameters in sparse SAR imaging critically influence reconstruction quality and computational efficiency, making hyperparameter optimization (HPO) a persistent research focus. Inspired by HPO techniques in the deep unfolding network (DUN), we modified the iterative soft-thresholding algorithm (ISTA) employed in fast sparse SAR reconstruction based on approximate observation operators. Our adaptation enables adaptive regularization parameter tuning during iterations while accelerating convergence. To improve the robustness of this enhanced algorithm under realistic SAR echoes with noise, we integrated hypergradient descent (HD) to automatically adjust the ISTA step size after regularization parameter convergence, thereby mitigating overfitting. The proposed method, named Hyper-ISTA-GHD, adaptively selects regularization parameters and step sizes. It achieves high-precision, rapid imaging for highly squinted SAR. Owing to its training-free iterative minimization framework, this approach exhibits superior generalization capabilities compared to existing DUN methods and demonstrates broad applicability across diverse SAR imaging modes and scene characteristics. Simulations show that the hyperparameter selection and reconstruction results of the proposed method are almost consistent with the optimal values of traditional methods under different signal-to-noise ratios and sampling rates, but the time consumption is only one-tenth of that of traditional methods. Comparative experiments on the generalization performance with DUN show that the generalization performance of the proposed method is significantly better than DUN in extremely sparse scenarios. Full article

Lactic acid is a crucial bio-based chemical with widespread applications in industries such as the food, chemical, bioplastic, and pharmaceutical industries. As demand for lactic acid rises, the search for efficient fermentation strains has become increasingly important. This study aimed to optimize fermentation conditions to enhance lactic acid production using Latilactobacillus sakei L-7. We began by screening key medium components and process parameters through single-factor experiments. Subsequently, we applied response surface methodology for a more comprehensive optimization. The optimal medium formulation was determined to be 40 g/L glucose, 39.54 g/L yeast extract, 10 g/L CH₃COONa, 6 g/L K₂HPO₄, 0.2 g/L MnSO₄, 0.4 g/L MgSO₄, and 1 mL/L Tween 80. Under the optimized fermentation conditions of 30.27 °C and pH 8.46, the lactic acid production reached 26.18 ± 0.44 g/L, a 50.6% increase compared to pre-optimization levels. These results offered preliminary support for utilizing L. sakei L-7 in the industrial production of lactic acid. Full article