Saved Queries

The study of the destruction mechanisms of mineral component particles during processing in grinding units is a relevant scientific problem that requires further theoretical and experimental solutions. This work is dedicated to determining the kinetic characteristics of ferromagnetic bodies moving under the influence of an electromagnetic field within a vortex mill. Dependencies of the velocity of these bodies on the radial coordinate for various values of magnetic induction and its gradient were obtained, establishing that velocities can reach approximately 50 m/s. A model for the disintegration of Portland cement particles, caused by their interaction during mechanical processing in a vortex mill, has been developed. It is shown that the average number of disintegration events for the predominant portion of the studied particles is two, which is significantly lower than the total number of collisions. An analysis of the key factors influencing the intensity and nature of particle destruction was conducted, including the magnitude of magnetic induction, the switching frequency of electromagnets, and the magnetic susceptibility of the processed materials. Based on a statistical analysis of the particle size distributions of the mineral raw material after dispersion, a principle for dividing the space within the working volume of the unit into functional zones was formulated: (1) a zone of mixing, grinding, and particle activation (at ferromagnetic element speeds of 0–12 m/s); (2) a zone of intensive grinding and particle activation (with speeds of 12–50 m/s). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research in Cement and Concrete)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 713 KB

Open AccessArticle

Extracellular ATP Suppresses Perlecan Core Protein Synthesis via P2Y2 Receptor-Mediated Inhibition of Akt Signaling in Cultured Vascular Endothelial Cells

by Lihito Ikeuchi, Takato Hara, Kazuki Kitabatake, Fumiaki Uchiumi, Chika Yamamoto, Mitsutoshi Tsukimoto, Tomoya Fujie and Toshiyuki Kaji

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(22), 10973; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262210973 (registering DOI) - 12 Nov 2025

Abstract

Perlecan, a major heparan sulfate proteoglycan in the vascular basement membrane, plays an essential role in maintaining endothelial barrier integrity, regulating fibroblast growth factor-2 signaling, and exerting anticoagulant activity. Although alterations in perlecan expression are implicated in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis, the upstream regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of extracellular ATP on perlecan expression in vascular endothelial cells. ATP, but not ADP or adenosine, suppressed perlecan expression at both mRNA and protein levels in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. This suppression was recovered by knockdown of P2Y2 receptor (P2Y2R), but not by P2X4 receptor, P2X7 receptor, or P2Y1 receptor knockdown, indicating the selective involvement of P2Y2R. Mechanistically, ATP reduced Akt phosphorylation mediated by P2Y2R, and inhibition of Akt by inhibitors decreased perlecan expression, whereas inhibitors of phosphoinositide 3-kinase, mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinases did not exhibit this recovery effect. These results suggest that ATP downregulates perlecan synthesis via the P2Y2R-mediated inhibition of Akt signaling. Given that ATP is markedly elevated under pathological conditions, such as inflammation and platelet activation, suppression of perlecan synthesis is an important mechanism by which ATP promotes vascular disease progression. Full article

(This article belongs to the Collection Feature Papers Collection in Biochemistry)

►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

34 pages, 580 KB

Open AccessReview

Phloroglucinol α-Pyrones from Helichrysum: A Review on Structural Diversity, Plant Distribution and Isolation

by Yulian Voynikov

Plants 2025, 14(22), 3460; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14223460 (registering DOI) - 12 Nov 2025

Abstract

Helichrysum species (Asteraceae) are renowned for their diverse phytochemical profiles and traditional medicinal applications. Among their specialized metabolites, phloroglucinol-α-pyrone derivatives represent a structurally unique and pharmacologically significant class of compounds. This review consolidates over five decades of phytochemical research, documenting 52 distinct compounds isolated from 11 Helichrysum species across the Mediterranean, African, and Iranian regions. The compounds are organized into structural subclasses, including monopyrones, dipyrones, and various phloroglucinol derivatives distinguished by their molecular scaffolds. Isolation yields reported in the literature range from trace amounts to relatively abundant constituents (0.48% w/w), with arzanol emerging as the most extensively studied compound. Bioactivity profiles reveal anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antiparasitic properties, with arzanol demonstrating potent dual inhibition of mPGES-1 and 5-LOX. This review provides comprehensive reference data for future investigations into the chemistry and therapeutic potential of α-pyrone secondary metabolites from Helichrysum species. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Isolation and Characterization of Secondary Metabolites from Plants)

5 pages, 615 KB

Open AccessShort Note

(1R,2R,6S)-3-Methyl-6-(3-(4-phenylpiperidin-1-yl)prop-1-en-2-yl)cyclohex-3-ene-1,2-diol

by Alexandra V. Podturkina, Nikolai S. Li-Zhulanov, Tatyana V. Rybalova, Konstantin P. Volcho and Nariman F. Salakhutdinov

Molbank 2025, 2025(4), M2088; https://doi.org/10.3390/M2088 (registering DOI) - 12 Nov 2025

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder whose primary manifestation is motor dysfunction. Previous research showed that (1R,2R,6S)-3-methyl-6-(prop-1-en-2-yl)cyclohex-3-ene-1,2-diol (Prottremine) exhibits potent antiparkinsonian activity in animal models of PD, with an efficacy comparable to levodopa. Herein, we report the synthesis of a new Prottremine derivative, (1R,2R,6S)-3-methyl-6-(3-(4-phenylpiperidin-1-yl)prop-1-en-2-yl)cyclohex-3-ene-1,2-diol. The compound was fully characterized and its structure was confirmed through single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Full article

►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

18 pages, 576 KB

Open AccessArticle

Explainable Deep Learning for Endometriosis Classification in Laparoscopic Images

by Yixuan Zhu and Mahmoud Elbattah

BioMedInformatics 2025, 5(4), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedinformatics5040063 (registering DOI) - 12 Nov 2025

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition that often requires laparoscopic examination for definitive diagnosis. Automated analysis of laparoscopic images using Deep Learning (DL) may support clinicians by improving diagnostic consistency and efficiency. This study aimed to develop and evaluate explainable DL models for the binary classification of endometriosis using laparoscopic images from the publicly available GLENDA (Gynecologic Laparoscopic ENdometriosis DAtaset). Methods: Four representative architectures—ResNet50, EfficientNet-B2, EdgeNeXt_Small, and Vision Transformer (ViT-Small/16)—were systematically compared under class-imbalanced conditions using five-fold cross-validation. To enhance interpretability, Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) were applied for visual explanation, and their quantitative alignment with expert-annotated lesion masks was assessed using Intersection over Union (IoU), Dice coefficient, and Recall. Results: Among the evaluated models, EdgeNeXt_Small achieved the best trade-off between classification performance and computational efficiency. Grad-CAM produced spatially coherent visualizations that corresponded well with clinically relevant lesion regions. Conclusions: The study shows that lightweight convolutional neural network (CNN)–Transformer architectures, combined with quantitative explainability assessment, can identify endometriosis in laparoscopic images with reasonable accuracy and interpretability. These findings indicate that explainable AI methods may help improve diagnostic consistency by offering transparent visual cues that align with clinically relevant regions. Further validation in broader clinical settings is warranted to confirm their practical utility. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Imaging Informatics)

15 pages, 1357 KB

Open AccessArticle

AT-TSVM: Improving Transmembrane Protein Inter-Helical Residue Contact Prediction Using Active Transfer Transductive Support Vector Machines

by Bander Almalki, Aman Sawhney and Li Liao

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(22), 10972; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262210972 (registering DOI) - 12 Nov 2025

Abstract

Alpha helical transmembrane proteins are a specific type of membrane proteins that consist of helices spanning the entire cell membrane. They make up almost a third of all transmembrane (TM) proteins and play a significant role in various cellular activities. The structural prediction of these proteins is crucial in understanding how they behave inside the cell and thus in identifying their functions. Despite their importance, only a small portion of TM proteins have had their structure determined experimentally. Inter-helical residue contact is one of the most successful computational approaches for reducing the TM protein fold search space and generating an acceptable 3D structure. Most current TM protein residue contact predictors use features extracted only from protein sequences to predict residue contacts. However, these features alone deliver a low-accuracy contact map and, as a result, a poor 3D structure. Although there are models that explore leveraging features extracted from protein 3D structures in order to produce a better representative contact model, such an approach remains theoretical, assuming the structure features are available, whereas in reality they are only available in the training data, but not in the test data, whose structure is what needs to be predicted. This presents a brand new transfer learning paradigm: training examples contain two sets of features, but test examples contain only one set of the less informative features. In this work, we propose a novel approach that can train a model with training examples that contain both sequence features and atomic features and apply the model on the test data that contain only sequence features but not atomic features, while still improving contact prediction rather than using sequence features alone. Specifically, our method, AT-TSVM, employs Active Transfer for Transductive Support Vector Machines, which is augmented with transfer, active learning and conventional transductive learning to enhance contact prediction accuracy. Results from a benchmark dataset show that our method can boost contact prediction accuracy by an average of 5 to 6% over the inductive classifier and 2.5 to 4% over the transductive classifier. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Proteins: Structure, Function, and Drug Discovery)

24 pages, 2741 KB

Open AccessArticle

PLA Nanoplastics Accumulate but Do Not Cause Acute Toxicity to Marine Rotifers, Brine Shrimps, and Zebrafish Embryos

by Doyinsola Suliat Mustapha, Olga Rodríguez-Díaz, Miren P. Cajaraville and Amaia Orbea

J. Xenobiot. 2025, 15(6), 196; https://doi.org/10.3390/jox15060196 (registering DOI) - 12 Nov 2025

Abstract

Conventional plastics are widely utilised across industrial sectors and in consumer products. However, the growing use of plastics has led to plastic pollution, including the formation of nanoplastics (NPs), which are harmful to aquatic organisms. Bioplastics are emerging alternatives. They are renewable and/or biodegradable and are supposed to be more environmentally friendly. However, the toxicity and environmental fate of bioplastics are not yet fully understood. This study evaluated the toxicity and fate of commercially available plain or fluorescent polylactic acid (PLA) NPs (250 nm) on aquatic organisms. Confocal microscopy demonstrated the uptake of fluorescent PLA NPs by the test organisms, marine rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis), brine shrimps (Artemia salina) and zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos. However, the results of the bioassays indicate that plain PLA NPs did not induce acute toxicity in either of the two zooplankton species and did not cause substantial mortality, malformations, or hatching delays in zebrafish embryos at the tested concentrations (up to 100 mg/L). However, brine shrimp showed a significant decrease in ingestion capability. The biochemical biomarkers, catalase activity induction, as an indicator of oxidative stress, and acetylcholinesterase inhibition, as a marker of neurotoxicity, showed no significant alterations compared to the control of both zooplankton species and that of zebrafish embryos. Overall, the findings suggest a pattern of no acute and low sublethal toxicity for the tested plain PLA NPs in the studied organisms. Nonetheless, further research is imperative to comprehensively assess the environmental fate of bioplastics found in various consumer products, as these may contain harmful chemical additives, as well as the effects of prolonged exposure and their impact on physiological parameters, ensuring informed decisions before their widespread commercialisation and presence in the environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Ecotoxicology)

►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

23 pages, 501 KB

Open AccessReview

Brainstem Stroke and Dysphagia Treatment: A Narrative Review on the Role of Neuromodulation, Skill-Based Swallowing Training and Transient Receptor Potential Agonists

by Ivy Cheng, Wan-Qi Li, Shaheen Hamdy, Emilia Michou, Maggie-Lee Huckabee, Noemí Tomsen, Pere Clavé and Rainer Dziewas

Audiol. Res. 2025, 15(6), 156; https://doi.org/10.3390/audiolres15060156 (registering DOI) - 12 Nov 2025

Abstract

Swallowing is mediated by the central nervous system, including cortical and subcortical structures, the cerebellum, and the brainstem. The brainstem contains the swallowing centre that is crucial for initiating and coordinating swallowing. Consequently, brainstem damage due to stroke often leads to severe and persistent dysphagia. The aim of the present narrative review is to provide an overview of dysphagia following brainstem stroke and its management. It summarizes the physiology and pathophysiology of dysphagia following brainstem stroke and the available therapeutic options, and evaluate their effectiveness for dysphagia following brainstem stroke, which would promote the development of therapeutic protocols. Neuromodulatory techniques, including pharyngeal electrical stimulation (PES), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), modulate the excitability of corticobulbar circuits. These techniques promote neuroplasticity through peripheral or cortical electrical or electromagnetic inputs. Skill-based swallowing training emphasizes cortical involvement in enhancing swallowing skill, offering a targeted approach to behavioural rehabilitation. Finally, transient receptor potential (TRP) agonists increase sensory inputs to the swallowing system by stimulating the sensory receptors in the oropharynx, potentially activating the swallowing network. While these options have shown promise in dysphagia rehabilitation following stroke, most the available data comes from patients with mixed stroke lesions, with limited data focused specifically on brainstem lesions. Therefore, the evidence for their efficacy in patients with brainstem stroke remains underexplored. Therefore, treatment decisions should rely on the understanding of swallowing physiology, neuroplasticity, and clinical evidence from related stroke populations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Brainstem Diseases on Hearing, Balance, Speech and Swallowing)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 2345 KB

Open AccessArticle

Preliminary Effects of a Robot-Based Therapy Program with Atlas-2030 in Children with Cerebral Palsy Receiving Care at a Specialized Rehabilitation Center

by Igor Salinas-Sánchez, María R. Rocío Huerta-Teutli, David Cordero-Cuevas, Guadalupe Maldonado-Guerrero and Raide A. Alfonso González-Carbonell

Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(22), 12047; https://doi.org/10.3390/app152212047 (registering DOI) - 12 Nov 2025

Abstract

Robot-based rehabilitation emerges as a promise to enhance mobility and improve the rehabilitation outcomes in children with cerebral palsy. The study aimed to evaluate the preliminary effects of a robot-based therapy program with Atlas-2030 on spatiotemporal gait parameters, pelvis kinematics, gross-motor function, quality of life, and joint range-of-motion in children with cerebral palsy receiving care at a specialized rehabilitation center. This is a single-arm, institution-based, quantitative, longitudinal, pilot study with repeated measures. Sixteen sessions of a robot-based therapy program with the Atlas-2030 wearable exoskeleton were applied to all the children from APAC-IAP in Mexico City with cerebral palsy. Pre-intervention, after eight and sixteen sessions, the GMFM-66, the CP QoL-Child, and gait analysis were performed. The results suggest that an Atlas-2030 robot-based therapy program combined with therapeutic stimulation exhibited better scores on the modified Ashworth scale: hip flexors and extensors: 2.0(1.0), knee flexors and extensors: 2.0(2.9), p > 0.0167, and experience enhanced range of motion in hip flexion: 122.5(5) deg, and extension: 11(5) deg and knee extension: 0(5) deg, p < 0.0167, pelvis rotation approached zero on both sides (left: −1.99(14.04, right: 2.22(13.43), p > 0.0167) reducing the difference in laterality, inducing physiological muscle activation patterns, and higher scores in quality of life regarding well-being and acceptance: 17(1.0) and emotional well-being and self-esteem: 14.5 (1.0), p > 0.0167. The limitations of this study include the following: recruitment from a single specialty care center, the absence of a control group, and the adjusted significance level of p < 0.0167, which may lead to false negatives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rehabilitation and Assistive Robotics: Latest Advances and Prospects)

14 pages, 624 KB

Open AccessArticle

Caraway Extract Increases Ucp-1 mRNA Expression in C3H10T1/2 Adipocytes Through Direct and Indirect Effects

by Hisako Takahashi, Nanami Tomishima, Toshihiro Suzuki, Hiromu Morimoto, Hirofumi Inoue, Kentaro Kaneko, Tsuyoshi Goto, Teruo Kawada, Mariko Uehara and Nobuyuki Takahashi

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(22), 10970; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262210970 (registering DOI) - 12 Nov 2025

Abstract

Carum carvi, commonly known as caraway, is a medicinal and culinary plant recognized for its anti-inflammatory properties, primarily attributed to its essential oil components. However, the thermogenic potential of caraway—particularly the biological activity of its water-soluble extract—remains largely unexplored. In this study, we investigated the effects and underlying mechanisms of caraway on Ucp-1 mRNA expression in beige adipocytes and on inflammation-mediated suppression of thermogenesis, by treating C3H10T1/2 adipocytes with caraway water extract (CWE) or caraway hexane extract (CHE) during both the induction and maturation phases, followed by isoproterenol stimulation, and measurement of mRNA levels of Ucp-1 and differentiation-related genes. Additionally, RAW264.7 cells were treated with CWE prior to stimulation with lipopolysaccharides followed by evaluation of inflammatory marker expression. CWE increased Ucp-1 mRNA expression directly by enhancing adrenergic sensitivity and promoting beige adipocyte differentiation during the induction phase of differentiation. Further, CWE mediated an indirect effect on Ucp-1 expression by suppressing macrophage inflammation, thus restoring Ucp-1 expression otherwise inhibited under inflammatory conditions. These results suggest that caraway extracts—especially the water-soluble compounds—may serve as therapeutic candidates for obesity-related conditions by enhancing energy expenditure and mitigating chronic inflammation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Food-Derived Compounds on Brown Fat Cell Function)

8 pages, 758 KB

Open AccessBrief Report

UVB-/Age-Dependent Upregulation of Inflammatory Factor Interleukin-6 Receptor (IL-6R) in Keratinocytes Stimulates Melanocyte Dendricity

by Daigo Inoue, Koji Ohba and Takako Shibata

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(22), 10971; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262210971 (registering DOI) - 12 Nov 2025

Abstract

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation stimulates melanogenesis in melanocytes and melanin transfer to keratinocytes, where the former is mediated by pleiotropic factors such as SCF, α-MSH, and endothelin-1 (ET-1) secreted by keratinocytes. Therefore, the interaction between melanocytes and keratinocytes after UVB exposure appears to be critical to stimulating melanogenesis. The factors that are responsible for inflammation, one of the key biological processes, are crucial to forming the chronic inflammatory microenvironment in solar lentigines (hereafter called age spots). While chronic inflammation is thought to be involved in hyperpigmentation, the molecular mechanisms through which microinflammation affects melanocyte activation in age spots have not been elucidated. In our study, immunohistochemical analysis showed that the expression of the inflammatory factor IL-6R is enhanced in age spots. Specifically, in cultured keratinocytes irradiated with 10 mJ/cm² UVB, the expression of IL-6R was upregulated in UVB exposure- and age-dependent manners, and the co-culture of melanocytes with UVB-irradiated keratinocytes further demonstrated that melanocyte dendrites increased in length and number in a keratinocyte-age-dependent manner. Moreover, the suppression of IL-6R function in keratinocytes by an IL-6R-specific neutralizing antibody, Tocilizumab, inhibited melanocyte dendricity. These results indicate that the age- and UVB-dependent upregulation of IL-6R in keratinocytes stimulates melanocyte dendricity, which may also contribute to excessive melanin deposition in age spots. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Melanin Pigmentation: Physiology and Pathology)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 1281 KB

Open AccessArticle

Preview Control of a Semi-Active Suspension System Supplemented by an Active Aerodynamic Surface

by Syed Babar Abbas and Iljoong Youn

Sensors 2025, 25(22), 6922; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25226922 (registering DOI) - 12 Nov 2025

Abstract

This research presents a harmonized optimal preview control strategy for a semi-active suspension system (SASS) with a controlled damper varied between the upper and lower bounds of the damping coefficient and an active aerodynamic surface (AAS) control. The preview control algorithm is based on a simplified bilinear 2-DOF quarter-car model to address the tradeoff between passenger ride comfort and road holding capabilities. While the active suspension with the actuator requires a significant amount of energy to provide control force, the semi-active suspension system with a variable damping coefficient mechanism consumes minimal energy to adapt quickly to the real-time operating conditions. Moreover, the dynamic performance of semi-active suspension with the preview controller in conjunction with the active aerodynamic surface is significantly improved. MATLAB^® (R2025b)-based numerical simulations for different road excitations were carried out for the evaluation of the proposed system. Both time-domain and frequency-domain results demonstrate enhanced vehicle dynamic performances in response to road bumps, asphalt road excitations, and harmonic input signals. The simulation performance results indicate that the proposed system extraordinarily reduced the variation in the mean-squared value of the car body vertical acceleration. At the same time, the system enhanced the wheel-road holding metric by decreasing the variation in the gripping force on the ground surface, while maintaining the necessary suspension rattle space constraints within the prescribed limit. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Vehicular Sensing)

18 pages, 4664 KB

Open AccessArticle

Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Mechanisms Underlying Adaptive Differentiation of Black Soldier Fly Larvae Induced by Regional Food Waste Domestication

by Bin Zhang, Rencan Yang, Zaimei Yuan, Hongren Su, Jingyi Shi, Shichun He, Sifan Dai, Dawei Sun, Zhiyong Zhao, Qingquan Hu and Dongwang Wu

Biology 2025, 14(11), 1584; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14111584 (registering DOI) - 12 Nov 2025

Abstract

Black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens) are widely used in organic waste bioconversion, and their adaptive capacity to region-specific food waste is critical for efficient application. This study aimed to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the adaptation of black soldier fly larvae to long-term domestication on regional food waste from Kunming and Qujing. Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses were performed to identify differences in gene expression and metabolite profiles between the two groups of larvae. The results showed significant divergence in gene expression networks, with key differences in cytochrome P450 detoxification pathways, TOR nutrient-sensing pathways, and zf-C2H2 zinc finger transcription factor families. Metabolomic analysis revealed region-specific metabolic reprogramming, including enhanced branched-chain amino acid degradation in one group and activated sphingolipid signaling pathways with accumulated indole derivatives in the other. Additionally, 13.86% of unannotated metabolites in the metabolome exhibited high connectivity in metabolic networks, suggesting potential roles as “bridge metabolites” in adaptation. These findings demonstrate that long-term domestication on regional food waste drives adaptive differentiation in black soldier fly larvae through regulatory network remodeling, metabolic reprogramming, and activation of hidden metabolic reserves. The study provides a theoretical basis for optimizing the application of black soldier flies in waste treatment and strain breeding and establishes a “substrate-gene-metabolism” multi-omics framework for understanding insect adaptive evolution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Ecology)

22 pages, 1475 KB

Open AccessArticle

Integrated Local Strategy for Enhancing Olive Oil Prices: The Case of the Estepa Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Local Agri-Food System (Spain)

by Carlos Bueno-Suarez, Manuel David García-Brenes and Manuel Delgado-Pertíñez

Agriculture 2025, 15(22), 2352; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15222352 (registering DOI) - 12 Nov 2025

Abstract

Spain’s olive oil production is world-leading. A significant portion of Spain’s olive oil production is in Andalusia, a southern region. In the Estepa region, a local agri-food system based on olive monoculture is emerging. Furthermore, producers are implementing strategies for differential quality and environmental sustainability to increase the competitiveness of their products. One of the main challenges facing the agricultural sector is generational change. The primary objective of this study is to analyze the results of the actions implemented to enhance the organization, sustainability, quality of production, and prices. The aim is to contrast, through a case study, the qualitative aspects that have enabled them to improve their product price through a competitiveness strategy based on quality improvement, which required synergistic actions in terms of productive structuring and sustainability. To this end, this study conducted structured interviews with key stakeholders in the PDO and consulted the National Reference Price Index at Origin. The results show that the pricing system based on olive oil quality has resulted in producers obtaining a differential income of €200/t in the market. However, it has been unable to halt the structural rural exodus and the progressive abandonment of productive agricultural activities. The study offers recommendations for rural development policymakers. Research into new models of production and organization for rural areas that offer social and environmental sustainability is vital, as these models have great relevance for political decision-making. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Price and Trade Dynamics in Agricultural Commodity Markets)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 7126 KB

Open AccessArticle

Performance Degradation Mechanism of New Grouting Filling Material Under Goaf Erosion Environment

by Han Yang, Junwu Xia, Yujing Wang, Yu Zhou, Kangjia Song and Siyong Tan

Materials 2025, 18(22), 5147; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18225147 (registering DOI) - 12 Nov 2025

Abstract

This study aims to resolve the “secondary activation” challenge when erecting structures over goaf zones by employing a novel grouting and filling material. It delves into the performance degradation of the innovative ECS soil grouting filling material (ESGF material) within the goaf’s ionic erosion context. Erosion tests were performed on ESGF material specimens with varying mix designs to mimic the sulfate and chloride erosion scenarios commonly encountered in practical engineering. The macro-mechanical properties and microstructural changes of ESGF materials under ionic erosion environment were systematically investigated by various testing methods, such as unconfined compressive strength (UCS), SEM, XRD, TG, FTIR, and Raman. The findings indicate that both sulfate and chloride erosion lead to a reduction in the strength of the ESGF material. As erosion progresses, the specimens experience a mass increase followed by a decrease, with their strength exhibiting a consistent downward trend. In sulfate erosion conditions, the buildup of expansion product like ettringite (AFt) and thaumasite (TSA) inflicts substantial internal structural damage. Conversely, Friedel’s salt, the primary product of chloride erosion, exhibits relatively weaker expansiveness, and chloride concentration exerts a less pronounced effect on material degradation. Moreover, the cementitious material content and the proportion of quick-setting component play a significant role in determining the ESGF material’s resistance to erosion. By adjusting the quick-setting components ratio in response to changes in the water content of soft soil, the anti-ion erosion performance of solidified soil can be effectively enhanced. Notably, curing with a 5% sulfate maintenance could significantly improve the erosion resistance of ESGF material. This suggests that ESGF materials can be used without concern for curing issues in high-salinity environments during grouting. The research addresses the root cause of goaf subsidence while facilitating the recycling of solid waste, offering an environmentally friendly solution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Advanced Materials Characterization)

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Error

Oops... you haven't selected anything for export.

Displaying article 1-50 on page 1 of 2000.

Go to page 1 2 3 4 5

Search Results (353,838)

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI