Search Results (6,031)

Against the backdrop of energy conservation and environmental protection, developing more stable and efficient phosphors has become an urgent challenge. In this study, we have synthesized a series of Ca_2.5Hf_2.5Ga₃O₁₂:Eu³⁺ (CHGO:Eu³⁺) red phosphors via a high-temperature solid-state method, which exhibit strong red emission at 610 nm under 394 nm excitation, corresponding to the ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ transition of Eu³⁺. To improve the lattice vacancies caused by charge imbalance when Eu³⁺ is doped into the CHGO lattice to replace Ca²⁺, we introduce the charge compensator M⁺ (M = Li, Na, K). The results of the emission spectrum show that the introduction of charge compensators can effectively improve the luminescence intensity. Among them, K⁺ has the most significant effect on increasing the emission intensity of Eu³⁺, making the emission intensity of the phosphor more than twice that when there are no charge compensation ions. Additionally, the quantum efficiency and thermal stability of these phosphors are significantly improved compared to the CHGO:0.075Eu³⁺ sample before substitution. At 423 K, the emission intensity of the CHGO:0.075Eu³⁺, 0.075K⁺ sample still remains at 88.7% of that at 298 K. The color rendering index of the prepared white LED is 81.2, and its CIE chromaticity coordinates are (0.3212, 0.3065). This indicates that the prepared CHGO:0.075Eu³⁺, 0.075K⁺ red phosphor has broad application prospects in solid-state lighting. Full article

Granite is a major lithology of stone-built cultural heritage across East Asia, the Iberian Peninsula, the Indian subcontinent, Egypt and Italy. Long regarded as durable, it nonetheless undergoes mineralogical, microstructural and macroscopic alteration through pathways that are mechanistically universal yet regionally distinctive in expression. This review synthesizes granite weathering within a multianalytical framework spanning mineralogy, microstructure, geochemistry, environmental drivers and conservation science. Mineral-specific reactions—feldspar hydrolysis, biotite oxidation coupled to clay-mineral genesis, iron-bearing transformations driving surface coloration, quartz-mediated thermal microcracking and accessory-mineral pathologies—are examined as coupled processes governing macroscopic decay. A suite of complementary analytical methods, including non-destructive, minimally invasive and laboratory-based techniques, delivers mechanistic and prognostic resolution unattainable by any single method. Two case settings—the tenth-century rock-carved Buddhas of Gyeongju Namsan and the urban granite of Jongmyo Shrine, Seoul—illustrate how integrated diagnostics resolve coupled decay on natural outcrops and how cumulative atmospheric exposure is recorded in monument-scale fabrics. Chemical weathering indices, environmental controls and conservation implications are unified into a single framework, and key gaps—standardization, time-resolved diagnostics, climate projection, multi-omics coupling, consolidant durability and machine learning—are articulated as a research agenda for granite heritage science. Full article

Morphostructural characterization of Creole cattle is essential for assessing the diversity and productive potential in the highland livestock systems. The study was conducted in Chuschi and Chipao districts, at 3800 m above sea level, with the objective of morphostructurally characterizing 154 Creole cows. Seventeen phaneroptic variables and twenty-one morphometric variables were recorded. The multivariate analysis identified three cattle biotypes. Based on proportionality, compactness, and cannon bone load indices, Biotype 1 (16.9%) comprised more compact, robust, and heavier animals with a greater tendency toward meat production aptitude, followed by Biotype 2 (48.1%) and Biotype 3 (35.1%), which were more slender but with a stronger bone structure. No association was found between biotypes and phaneroptic characteristics, except for teat type (p < 0.05). The proportions of red, black, dull black, qosca, and roan coat colors were common across all biotypes; however, Biotype 1 predominated in callejón (15.38%), Biotype 2 in qosne (8.11%) and in other less frequent coat colors (10.81%), while Biotype 3 predominated in dark roan (16.67%) and jet black (11.11%). In the high-Andean region of Ayacucho, three subpopulations of Creole cattle were identified with potential for beef production, dual-purpose use, and adaptation to rugged terrain, highlighting the need to investigate their genetic diversity. Full article

Background/Objectives: Discrepancies between measured indoor temperature and perceived comfort in hospital settings raise concerns about the role of visual environment in shaping sensory perception and psychological well-being. This study examined the effects of wall finish, wall color, and color temperature on thermal perception, visual perception, affect, perceived restoration, and EEG responses in patient rooms using virtual reality. Methods: In total, 192 participants were assigned to either a 20 °C or 25 °C ambient-temperature condition and exposed to one of 12 virtual patient-room scenes in a between-subjects experiment. Pre- and post-experimental survey data and EEG data were analyzed. Results: Compared with those tested at 20 °C, participants tested at 25 °C underestimated room temperature more and rated wall finish, wall color, and color temperature as more visually comfortable. At 20 °C, participants exposed to the latex paint finish condition rated the wall finish as visually more comfortable and reported greater willingness to rest than those in the vinyl wallcovering condition; however, EEG regression showed higher occipital alpha/beta ratio index values for vinyl wallcovering, indicating a relaxation-related EEG response. Under both temperature conditions, yellow walls led to warmer temperature estimation than blue or white walls. At 20 °C, warm color temperature produced warmer thermal sensation, more visually comfortable color-temperature ratings, higher room pleasantness, and greater willingness to rest than cool color temperature. Conclusions: Differences in perceptual, psychological, and EEG responses to patient-room visual environment should be interpreted together with ambient-temperature conditions in healthcare settings. Full article

This study evaluated the effect of evening primrose seed, cold-pressed oil, and defatted seed meal on the fatty acid composition, tocopherol content, physical properties, sensory acceptance, and oxidative stability of dark chocolate. Samples were prepared under controlled laboratory conditions with 2.5% or 5% of the tested ingredients and stored for 8 months. All ingredients introduced α-linolenic and γ-linolenic acids, and increased tocopherol content, with the strongest effect observed in the oil-fortified chocolate. After storage, moderate losses of tocopherols were detected, while oxidation indices confirmed acceptable oxidative stability of the fortified chocolates. Viscosity dependent on the type of added ingredient, with the oil-containing formulation showing the most favorable technological profile. Color parameters remained largely unchanged, except for the sample with added oil, and hardness was affected mainly by seed and meal additions. Sensory scores remained within the acceptable range for all samples (5–8.5 points on a 9-point hedonic scale). Overall, evening primrose ingredients can be successfully used as functional additives in dark chocolate. Among the tested formulations, evening primrose oil provided the greatest improvement in the lipid profile and maintained acceptable physical and sensory properties. However, the slightly greater changes observed in this formulation may be important when determining shelf life. Full article

The longissimus dorsi (LD) and biceps femoris (BF) muscles are important meat-producing regions in camels. Investigating differences in meat quality and proteomic profiles between the LD and BF muscles in Junggar Bactrian camels can provide a molecular basis for regulating camel meat quality and genetic improvement. In this study, 20 healthy adult male Junggar Bactrian camels were selected. Following slaughter, muscle samples were collected from the splenius (SP), triceps brachii (TB), LD, external oblique (EO), gluteus medius (GM), and BF. Meat quality parameters (pH, meat color, shear force, drip loss, and cooking loss) were measured. The LD exhibited the highest meat quality among the six cuts, in contrast to the BF, which showed the lowest. Proteomic analysis of LD and BF from 6 Junggar Bactrian camels was conducted to identify proteins associated with meat quality, yielding 81 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis highlighted several significantly enriched terms among the DEPs (p < 0.05), including calcium-dependent phospholipid binding, zinc ion binding, and metal ion binding. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis (p < 0.05) further indicated notable enrichment in cytoskeletal organization, 2-oxocarboxylate metabolism, and the citric acid cycle. DEPs associated with meat quality were identified, including tubulin α-chain-like 3 and synaptic function regulator FMR1 isoform X15, which can serve as candidate DEPs for shear force. Protein phosphatase 1 regulatory subunit 14C isoform X1 can serve as a candidate differentially expressed protein for pH. Protein phosphatase 1 regulatory subunit 14C isoform X and anchoring protein repeat domain 1 can serve as candidate DEPs for cooking loss. Membrane-associated protein A4 and membrane-associated protein A7 isoform X1, as well as the transcriptional activator of cytochrome c oxidase 1, can serve as candidate DEPs for color a*. These data may serve as a reference for further studies on how different cuts affect meat quality and for practical efforts to improve camel meat quality. Full article

WPR (WEB1/PMI2-related) genes play a crucial role in regulating chloroplast movement and leaf coloration in plants. Previous studies have shown that these genes are implicated in leaf yellowing, both in Arabidopsis thaliana and in Paulownia fortunei following infection with Paulownia witches’ broom. To investigate the functions of the ZjWPR genes in jujube, bioinformatics methods were employed to identify the ZjWPR gene family in jujube, analyze their protein physicochemical properties, gene structure, evolutionary relationships, and cis-acting elements in this study. The results revealed that the ZjWPR gene family in jujube comprised 10 members. Phylogenetic analysis showed that WPR genes were divided into two classes, with ZjWPR genes distributed across three subgroups within Class II. Conserved motif analysis indicated that motif 2, motif 3, motif 7, and motif 8 were the most highly conserved and most genes exhibited similar structures. Cis-element analysis in their promoter suggested that ZjWPR genes were regulated by multiple hormones and were associated with stress responses such as low temperature and drought. Moreover, all ZjWPR genes contained light-responsive elements. Expression analysis of the ZjWPR gene family under Jujube Witches’ Broom (JWB) stress showed that ZjWPR4 and ZjWPR5 were significantly up-regulated in JWB-susceptible jujube cultivars following phytoplasma infection, whereas no significant changes were detected in JWB-resistant cultivars. Additionally, the expression levels of ZjWPR2, ZjWPR3, and ZjWPR6 were also altered in response to infection, suggesting their potential involvement in the response to JWB stress and the associated leaf chlorosis process. Moreover, transient overexpression of ZjWPR4 and ZjWPR5 in sour jujube leaves led to significant reductions, in critical photosynthetic parameters, including Fv/Fm, Fq′/Fm′, and ETR compared with WT, thereby reinforcing their functional contribution to JWB-associated leaf yellowing. This study provides valuable insights for further functional characterization of the ZjWPR gene family in mediating JWB-induced leaf yellowing and related metabolic pathways. Full article

The influence of natural and synthetic blue food colorants on the human body, including the cardiovascular system, is a complex and not fully understood topic. Considering that various papers have demonstrated that oxidative stress is a crucial step in the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), our experiments on the pro- or antioxidant action of three blue food colorants (one natural colorant—genipin—and two synthetic colorants—brilliant blue FCF and patent blue V) focused on two aspects that are important for the development of CVDs: the level of biomarkers of oxidative stress induced by H₂O₂/Fe²⁺ (the donor of hydroxyl radicals—one of the most aggressive reactive oxygen species produced in humans) in human blood platelets and human plasma, as well as the arachidonic acid cascade in blood platelets stimulated by thrombin (in vitro). Our results demonstrated that two tested blue colorants—genipin and brilliant blue FCF (at four used concentrations: 2, 10, 20, and 200 µM)—reduced plasma lipid peroxidation induced by H₂O₂/Fe²⁺. Moreover, all tested blue colorants (genipin, brilliant blue FCF, and patent blue V; at the concentrations 2, 10, 20, and 200 µM) inhibited lipid peroxidation in blood platelets treated with H₂O₂/Fe²⁺. In contrast, only genipin (at the highest used concentration—200 µM) statistically significantly reduced plasma protein carbonylation induced by H₂O₂/Fe²⁺ (inhibition of this process: about 25%). However, all tested food colorants decreased blood platelet protein carbonylation stimulated by H₂O₂/Fe²⁺, but their action was not always statistically significant. In addition, we noted that all used blue food colorants (1–200 µM) have protector effects on the change in the level of thiol groups in plasma proteins stimulated by H₂O₂/Fe²⁺, but these tested colorants change the level of thiol groups in blood platelets treated with H₂O₂/Fe²⁺ only at the highest used concentration—200 µM. In conclusion, the present study provides the first data on the antioxidant potential of genipin, brilliant blue FCF, and patent blue V in selected elements of blood treated with H₂O₂/Fe²⁺. Earlier and current studies have indicated the promising potential of these blue food colorants, especially genipin (without cytotoxicity toward human blood platelets), which can modify the oxidative stress of platelets and plasma in vitro at concentrations (1–200 µM) which can be obtained in blood during its administration. However, the presented results have limitations, especially concerning the mechanistic clarity surrounding the antioxidant properties of the tested blue food colorants. Therefore, further in vivo experiments are needed to provide a better understanding of their antioxidant potential. Full article

Sidr (Ziziphus spina-christi L.) is an underutilized fruit native to arid and semi-arid regions that possesses considerable nutritional and phytochemical value. However, its potential for controlled lactic fermentation and development into value-added fermented products has received limited scientific attention. This study investigated the effects of five brine formulations on the controlled fermentation of Sidr fruit pickles and monitored changes in physicochemical properties, bioactive compounds, microbial dynamics, texture, color, and sensory attributes during 90 days of storage at ambient temperature. The treatments consisted of 10% NaCl (control), NaCl supplemented with sodium sorbate, NaCl with sucrose and vinegar, NaCl with sucrose and Lactobacillus plantarum starter culture, and NaCl with sucrose, vinegar, and garlic. Brine formulation significantly influenced fermentation kinetics, microbial succession, and product quality throughout storage. The inoculated treatment containing L. plantarum exhibited the most rapid acidification, reaching a pH of 4.02 and titratable acidity of 0.24%, while maintaining the highest lactic acid bacteria population (>9 log CFU g⁻¹) and enhanced microbiological stability. This treatment also showed superior retention of ascorbic acid, total phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and texture compared with the non-inoculated treatments. Pearson correlation analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) further demonstrated strong associations between starter-culture fermentation, bioactive compound preservation, and overall product quality. Sensory evaluation indicated that all treatments remained acceptable throughout storage; however, the inoculated samples consistently received the highest scores for taste, texture, and overall acceptability. Overall, the results indicate that controlled lactic fermentation using L. plantarum represents an effective approach for enhancing the quality, stability, and bioactive retention of fermented Sidr fruit products, supporting the valorization of this underexploited fruit resource for sustainable food applications. Full article

Microplastic pollution in tropical urban rivers has become an increasing environmental concern due to rapid urbanization, inadequate waste management, and hydrological transport processes. This study investigated the occurrence, characteristics, and spatiotemporal distribution of microplastics in the Can Tho River, Vietnam, along an urban–peri-urban–rural gradient during dry and wet seasons. Surface-water samples were collected at 15 sites and analyzed for microplastic abundance, density, shape, color, and size composition using stereomicroscopic identification and statistical analyses. Microplastics were detected at all sampling sites in both seasons, indicating widespread contamination throughout the river system. Although seasonal differences in overall abundance and density were not statistically significant at the basin scale, clear spatial variability was observed, particularly in urban and peri-urban regions. Fibers and fragments were the dominant shapes, while blue, purple, and green particles were the most common color categories. Particles larger than 1000 µm accounted for the largest proportion of detected microplastics, and continuous size-distribution analysis revealed broadly similar overall distributions, although a greater proportion of smaller particles was observed during the dry season. The results suggest that hydrological conditions, urbanization, and land-use characteristics may contribute to the observed spatial and seasonal patterns of microplastic distribution in the Can Tho River. Peri-urban zones exhibited the greatest seasonal variability, highlighting their role as transitional areas that may influence microplastic redistribution in tropical river systems. This study provides baseline information for understanding microplastic pollution in the Mekong Delta and supports future river management strategies. Full article

The effects of red seaweed, psyllium husk, and chia seeds on the structural and functional properties of comminuted meat batters were evaluated. Meat batters were formulated with 1% of each ingredient or their combinations totaling 1% and evaluated for pH, cooking loss, microstructure, texture profile analysis, color, rheology, and protein interactions. Formulation did not affect (p ≥ 0.08) pH or cooking loss, indicating that water- and lipid-holding capacity and emulsion stability were preserved across treatments. Hardness increased (p ≤ 0.05) in treatments containing red seaweed, alone or combined with psyllium husk. Fiber addition did not influence (p ≥ 0.17) raw batter color; however, cooked products showed differences (p ≤ 0.05) in lightness (L*) and total color change (ΔE*). Rheological analysis indicated similar viscoelastic behavior among treatments with no significant differences among treatments (p ≥ 0.07) for storage modulus, loss modulus, or tangent delta at the start, peak, or end of the small-amplitude oscillatory shear test. Microstructural observations revealed treatment-dependent networks, and protein solubility analysis showed changes (p ≤ 0.05) in ionic and hydrogen bonding, while disulfide bonds were unaffected (p = 0.60). Incorporation of 1% of these ingredients maintained desirable physicochemical, textural, and functional properties, highlighting their potential as ingredients in meat batters. Full article

Existing Kansei-oriented product design studies often rely on simplified styling–color associations or weighted matching of perceptual imagery, making it difficult to capture users’ multi-affective requirements. To address this limitation, this study proposes a product form innovation design method based on a multi-domain coupling network model and establishes a mapping framework from target Kansei images to design solutions. Taking electric mopeds as a case study, the KJ method, k-means clustering, fuzzy Kano analysis, probabilistic hesitant fuzzy entropy weighting, and game-theoretic weighting were employed to identify the target Kansei image. Product form was then decomposed into styling, color, and material domains, and a multi-domain coupling network was constructed based on a form-element co-occurrence matrix. Through topological analysis and the LH-index, 14 key form elements associated with the target image were identified. Quantification Theory Type I was subsequently applied to establish the mapping relationship between form elements and Kansei images, while the Bee Evolutionary Genetic Algorithm (BEGA) was used to generate optimal design solutions. The results indicate that “elegance” is the dominant Kansei image for electric mopeds. The proposed model achieved strong predictive performance (R² = 0.923), and the optimized design obtained an 85% user recognition rate, showing high consistency across multiple validation methods. The proposed framework effectively reveals the coupling effects of styling, color, and material and provides a systematic approach for data-driven product form innovation. Full article

The study developed and characterized a natural beverage formulated from hibiscus extract (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.), pineapple (Ananas comosus L.), and cacao mucilage (Theobroma cacao L.), with the aim of valorizing agricultural by-products and providing a natural, healthy, and sustainable alternative. A completely randomized design with a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement was used. Six beverage formulations were prepared by combining three levels of Hibiscus extract–pineapple proportion (Factor A) with two levels of cacao mucilage (Factor B), resulting in six treatments that were evaluated in triplicate for their physicochemical, sensory, and microbiological properties. The analyses showed significant variations in °Brix (14.90–22.40), density (1.087–1.119 g/mL), and pH (2.71–3.31), indicating that cacao mucilage increased soluble solids retention and colloidal stability without altering acidity. In the sensory evaluation, treatment T1 (30% hibiscus extract, 10% pineapple, and 40% cacao mucilage) achieved the highest acceptance due to its balanced color, flavor, and texture. Microbiological analyses confirmed that the beverage complied with the limits established by the Ecuadorian standard NTE INEN 2337:2008 for non-carbonated fruit beverages. Overall, cacao mucilage proved to be an effective natural stabilizer that enhances the physicochemical and sensory quality of tropical beverages, representing an innovative strategy for the sustainable valorization of cacao by-products in the food industry. Full article

Accurately locating and reliably diagnosing insulation defects in oil-immersed transformers remains challenging. To overcome this, a micro-robot is employed to autonomously identify partial discharge (PD)-induced carbon traces on the insulation surface of the core components. Accurately capturing the multi-scale complex features of surface-discharge carbon traces under low-illumination conditions is critical for effective defect detection. Therefore, to address the obscurity of carbon trace features caused by insufficient illumination inside oil-immersed transformers, a Retinex-based image enhancement algorithm with superimposed illumination estimation is proposed. By transforming the original image into the HSI color space and integrating negative-image illumination fusion, this algorithm decouples brightness from chromaticity and preserves dark-region details, thereby reducing color distortion and enhancing carbon trace features. Furthermore, to handle the significant scale variations in carbon traces, a C2f module integrated with spatial and channel synergistic attention (SCSA) is designed. This module employs multi-scale depthwise separable convolutions and wide-channel self-attention to enhance cross-scale feature representation and reduce redundancy. Moreover, to address the feature resolution degradation in the fast spatial pyramid pooling module, which hinders the accurate perception of tiny carbon traces, a poly kernel inception atrous spatial pyramid pooling module (PKI-ASPP) is adopted. This preserves precise morphological details and minimizes the missed and false detection rates for tiny carbon traces. Finally, to tackle the difficulties in fusing complex morphological features, a deformable large kernel attention (DLKA) module is introduced into the neck network. This adapts to irregular carbon trace shapes, significantly improving the localization and learning of complex morphologies. Experiments on a transformer PD carbon trace dataset demonstrate that the proposed model significantly improves perceptual capabilities for carbon traces with massive scale variation. The improved model outperforms the baseline across all evaluation metrics, with mAP50 improved by 2.7% and mAP50-95 improved by 7.9%. These results indicate that the proposed method is highly reliable, providing solid technical support for internal surface discharge intensity detection and insulation condition assessment in oil-immersed transformer maintenance. Full article

Excessive sodium intake remains a major public health concern, yet reducing salt in savory foods often decreases consumer acceptance. This study evaluated tempeh-derived powders as natural flavor-enhancing ingredients for sodium reduction in vegetable broth. Four powder variants were prepared from laboratory-made tempeh: fresh tempeh powder (TP), overripe tempeh powder (OTP), roasted tempeh powder (RTP), and fried tempeh powder (FTP). These powders were incorporated into broth formulations with 20% and 30% sodium reduction, alongside full-salt and reduced-salt controls. Physicochemical analyses were conducted, and sensory evaluation was performed with 282 consumer panelists using consumer acceptance testing, perceived saltiness assessment, Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA), Just-About-Right (JAR), penalty analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA). Calculated added sodium decreased from 314.7 mg/100 mL in the full-salt control to 251.8 and 220.3 mg/100 mL in the 20% and 30% reduced-sodium controls, respectively. Tempeh powder addition significantly modified broth color and viscosity, while pH remained stable at 6.19–6.25. Total free amino-compound values increased markedly in tempeh-containing broths, with OTP showing the highest values at 245.6 and 242.2 mg glutamic acid equivalents/L in OTP_80 and OTP_70, respectively. Sensory results showed that OTP_80 achieved the highest overall hedonic score among reduced-sodium formulations and was significantly higher than CON_80 and CON_70 (p < 0.05). OTP_70 also maintained high overall liking and was not significantly different from the full-salt control. RATA and PCA indicated distinct sensory profiles among powder variants. These findings suggest that overripe tempeh powder may serve as a promising clean-label ingredient for sodium compensation in reduced-sodium savory broth. Full article