Search Results (2,314)

As demand for sustainable plant protein rises, pumpkin seeds emerge as a promising but underutilized source. Conventional alkaline extraction (ALK) often impairs protein functionality, prompting interest in non-thermal alternatives. This study systematically compared the functional, colloidal, and structural properties of pumpkin seed protein isolates obtained via ALK (conducted at 50 °C), ultrasound-assisted (UAE), and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE). UAE produced the highest extraction yield (50.07%), superior overall solubility, greatest water and fat absorption capacities, and lowest least gelation concentration (12%). Furthermore, UAE best preserved native protein secondary structure (retaining 43.45% alpha-helix), as quantified by FTIR peak deconvolution, and maintained an intact, flake-like morphology under scanning electron microscopy (SEM), yielding the most uniform particle size distribution. Conversely, MAE achieved the highest protein content (73.53%) and the most negative zeta potential, leading to the highest emulsifying and foaming capacities despite inducing a bimodal particle size and irregular, porous surface morphology. ALK performed the poorest across structural and functional metrics, severely denaturing the proteins due to combined alkaline and thermal stress. UAE is recommended for applications requiring optimal solubility and gelation, whereas MAE is highly effective for emulsion- and foam-based food systems, reinforcing pumpkin seeds as a viable sustainable protein ingredient. Full article

Accurate quantification of phosphogypsum (PG) filler in epoxy composites is essential for quality control and performance optimization. Conventional separation by muffle furnace calcination suffers from slow epoxy decomposition and risks thermal degradation of CaSO₄, leading to inaccurate PG quantification. This study introduces a microwave-assisted separation method that leverages molecular vibration heating to achieve faster heating rates and more uniform temperature distribution, enabling complete epoxy removal while minimizing CaSO₄ decomposition. Comprehensive characterization (X-ray diffraction, XRD; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, FT-IR; scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy, SEM-EDS) confirms the structural integrity of the isolated PG filler. Among five quantification methods evaluated, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) based on sulfur content provides the highest accuracy (spike recovery: 91–99.8%, relative standard deviation, RSD ≤ 4.2%), while gravimetry suffices for single-filler systems. This work establishes a reliable analytical framework for PG characterization in epoxy composites, supporting quality control and resource valorization. Full article

This study aimed to characterize carcass traits, organ weights, reproductive organ measurements, meat chemical composition, and gastrointestinal tract characteristics in Barki (BAR), Rahmani (RAH), and their crossbred BAR × RAH sheep. A total of 30 adult sheep, consisting of 10 animals from each breed group, (5 males and 5 females per group), aged approximately 36.5 ± 0.75 months, were randomly selected from the flock raised under uniform management systems in northern Egypt. The animals were subjected to comprehensive phenotypic evaluation following slaughter. The crossbred BAR × RAH animals were found to be superior for all weight-related traits since they had the highest mean values for cold carcass weight (30.12 ± 2.43 kg), final live body weight (59.46 ± 1.28 kg), slaughter weight (58.27 ± 2.19 kg), as well as trimmed meat weight (23.70 ± 1.35 kg), all of which were significantly higher than those of both purebred breeds (p < 0.001). BAR breed had the lowest values in the weight-related traits but the most favorable ratio of lean-to-fat tissue (4.12 ± 0.92) and the highest content of ash in the meat (1.00 ± 0.05%). Pronounced breed differences were observed in the measurements of the reproductive organs. Chemical analysis of the meat revealed that the meat of the crossbred animals contained the highest amount of moisture (74.66 ± 1.99%) and crude protein (21.65 ± 0.57%). The results of the GI tract revealed that the crossbred animals had the longest intestines (41.17 ± 2.18 m). The pH of the animals also showed breed-specific characteristics. Crossbreeding BAR and RAH improved growth, carcass and reproductive traits, supporting its use in breeding programs. Full article

The present work was designed to investigate the impacts of tartary buckwheat flavonoids (TBF) on the growth performance and physiological metabolism of Liangshan Yanying chickens. A total of 144 healthy 4-week-old Liangshan Yanying chickens of uniform body weight were randomly divided into four groups. Each group consisted of six replicates with six chickens per replicate. The control group was fed a basal diet, whereas the treatment groups received the same basal formulation supplemented with TBF at concentrations of 20, 40, and 60 mg/kg, respectively. The entire feeding trial lasted for 10 consecutive weeks. Growth performance, serum parameters, bone quality, slaughter traits, and hepatic lipid metabolism were determined and statistically analyzed. Results showed that dietary TBF supplementation had no significant impact on the overall growth performance (p > 0.05); however, final body weight and average daily weight gain displayed a positive linear trend in response to increasing TBF levels (0.05 < p < 0.1). For serum parameters, TBF supplementation significantly increased total antioxidant capacity (p < 0.05) and decreased malondialdehyde content (p < 0.05) in a linear manner. Specifically, compared with the control group, the 60 mg/kg TBF group increased T-AOC by approximately 64.6% and reduced MDA by approximately 67.9%, demonstrating a robust antioxidant effect. A linear increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels approaching significance (p = 0.055) was also observed. A significant quadratic regulatory effect of TBF was observed on serum glucose concentrations (p < 0.05), whereby the 60 mg/kg TBF dose reduced serum glucose by 15.6% relative to the control (p < 0.05), reflecting a robust hypoglycemic effect. Regarding bone quality, supplementation with 20 and 60 mg/kg TBF significantly elevated tibial phosphorus content relative to the 0 mg/kg TBF group (p < 0.05). Regression analysis showed that increasing dietary TBF levels linearly elevated tibial calcium content (p < 0.05) and resulted in linear increasing trends in tibial ash content, tibial phosphorus content, femur ash content, and femur calcium content (0.05 < p < 0.1). Concerning slaughter performance, dietary TBF inclusion resulted in a significant linear rise in breast muscle percentage (p < 0.05). At the molecular level, TBF upregulated the mRNA expression of hepatic AMPKα1 and CPT1, while concurrently downregulating the expression of FAS and ACC (p < 0.05). Collectively, dietary TBF supplementation in Liangshan Yanying chickens effectively improved antioxidant capacity, promoted tibial calcium and phosphorus deposition, regulated hepatic fatty acid oxidation and synthesis via AMPK-related genes, and enhanced lean meat deposition, with no adverse effects on growth performance under the experimental conditions. Full article

The current work aims to enhance the structural, optical, photocatalytic, and cytotoxic properties of CuO NPs at varied rGO concentrations of 5% and 10%. In the present work, a one-step hydrothermal method was successfully applied to prepare rGO/CuO NCs at different concentrations of RGO. The novelty of this work was to enhance the structural, optical, photocatalytic, and cytotoxic properties of CuO using the addition of rGO sheets. XRD, TEM, SEM-EDX, XPS, FTIR, UV-vis, PL, and DLS techniques were used to characterize the prepared samples. XRD data confirmed the formation of the monoclinic phase of CuO with a decrease in crystallite size, from 21.14 nm for CuO to 16.94 nm for the 10% rGO/CuO NCs nanocomposite. SEM and TEM images verified the uniform anchoring and excellent dispersion of CuO nanoparticles on the rGO sheets, and the EDX spectra showed the presence of Cu, O, and C elements in the obtained rGO/CuO NCs. DLS measurements showed that the hydrodynamic radius dropped from 69.98 ± 17.81 nm for CuO to 51.72 ± 10.48 nm for 10% rGO/CuO NCs. The zeta potential values remained negative for all samples, ranging from −20.50 ± 8.69 mV for CuO to −25.60 ± 9.08 mV for 10% rGO/CuO NCs, suggesting enhanced colloidal stability with rGO incorporation. Furthermore, FTIR and XPS analyses confirmed that Cu–O–C bonding formed between CuO and rGO. UV-Vis analysis revealed a redshift in the absorption edges as rGO content increased, reducing the band gap from 3.65 eV to 3.60 eV. Additionally, PL spectra showed a marked reduction in emission intensity due to a decrease in the recombination rate between electron (e⁻)–holes (h⁺) pairs. The CuO/(10%)rGO NCs showed the best photocatalytic performance with a 93.56% degradation of methylene blue (MB) after 120 min under UV irradiation, and followed pseudo-first-order kinetics with k = 0.0203 min⁻¹. Cytotoxicity studies on HT1080 cells showed a dose-dependent decrease in viability. 10% rGO/CuO NCs exhibited the highest cytotoxicity effect, resulting in 58% and 50% viability at 1.4 mg/mL, respectively. The presented results showed that the presence of rGO in CuO NPs played a role in enhancing the structural stability, charge mobility, and biological reactivity of Cu NPs. This study highlighted that the rGO/CuO NCs are a promising multi-functional material for environmental and biomedical applications. Full article

Environmental concerns associated with the construction industry have drawn increasing attention worldwide. This study addresses the dual challenges of carbon emissions from cement production and construction waste disposal by developing and characterizing a fiber-modified geopolymer recycled aggregate porous concrete (GRAPC). An orthogonal experiment first optimized the GRAPC mix proportion (slag content = 40%, alkali modulus = 1.4, alkali content = 8%). Subsequently, the effects of coir, basalt, and steel fibers (0.25% and 0.5%) on its properties were investigated through laboratory experiments combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The results show that steel fibers at 0.25% dosage enhanced compressive strength by approximately 25% due to their effective stress-bearing capacity. In contrast, 0.5% coir and basalt fibers reduced compressive strength by approximately 20.5% and 22.2%, respectively, due to low intrinsic strength and agglomeration. In addition, 0.25% coir and steel fibers increased effective porosity by 18.4% and 17.4%, respectively, owing to their uniform dispersion. All fibers promoted a more ductile-like failure mode, with coir fibers providing the best toughness improvement. This study elucidates how fiber type and dosage regulate the macro-properties and micro-mechanisms of GRAPC, providing a basis for designing sustainable eco-friendly concrete with great potential for non-primary load-bearing engineering fields. Full article

Karst pile foundation cavity treatment requires grouting materials with suitable flowability, stability, strength, and cost-effectiveness, while large quantities of waste mudstone generated by tunnel excavation in Guangxi, China, also require sustainable valorization. In this study, tunnel-excavated mudstone from a tunnel project in Guangxi, China, was used as the primary raw material to develop a solidified grouting material for karst pile foundation cavity treatment. Uniform experimental design, stepwise nonlinear regression, response surface analysis, and multi-objective optimization were employed to evaluate the effects of key mix parameters and determine the optimal formulation. The results showed that the optimal slurry was obtained at a cementitious material-to-mudstone ratio of 0.16, an admixture-to-cementitious material ratio of 0.06, a water-to-solid ratio of 0.63, and the slag powder content-to-cementitious materials ratio of 0.34. In addition, the anti-dispersion performance improved by 87.78%, and compared with conventional cement-soil, C25 concrete, and C30 concrete, the CO₂ emissions were reduced by 37%, 67.4%, and 68.6%, respectively, with the material cost being 73.8% lower than that of traditional cement mortar. These results indicate that the proposed material has promising engineering applicability and demonstrates significant economic and environmental benefits, as well as the valorization potential of tunnel-excavated mudstone. Full article

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is an important dietary source of health-promoting long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). As rearing conditions significantly influence fillet quality, this study evaluated the effects of warm and cool rearing temperature and photoperiod regimes on salmon growth, lipid profiles, and antioxidant capacity. Atlantic salmon (210 days old) were reared for 92 days under low temperature (14 °C, 12 h light) or high temperature (21 °C, 24 h light) conditions to simulate relevant seasonal conditions, winter and summer respectively. At day 302, conditions were reversed to create low-to-high (L→H) and high-to-low (H→L) treatments, continuing until day 362. Growth parameters, muscle lipid content, fatty acid profile, and antioxidant activity were measured at 302 and 362 days. Lipid content and fatty acid profile were also measured based on fillet location and fish sex. High rearing temperatures accelerated weight gain and increased total and neutral lipid contents, but elevated saturated fatty acids (SFA) and decreased PUFAs in structural polar lipids. High temperatures also significantly increased antioxidant activity, indicating elevated oxidative stress. Conversely, low temperatures suppressed growth but preserved essential PUFAs and maintained oxidative stability. Following the temperature shift, the H→L group had enriched polar lipids with PUFAs and maintained oxidative stability. On the other hand, L→H group showed lower PUFAs accumulation in polar lipid and enhanced oxidative stress. Total lipid content was higher in the head region, followed by the middle and tail sections of the fillet. However, fatty acid composition remained largely uniform across all three sections of the fillet. There were no significant differences in total lipid content between fish sexes. In conclusion, production efficiency and nutritional quality can be optimized by initially rearing salmon at high temperatures to promote rapid growth, followed by low temperature finishing phase to increase essential PUFA content and maintain oxidative stability. Full article

The increasing generation of organic and liquid wastes calls for sustainable strategies to convert residues into valuable energy resources. This study investigates waste Oxytree biomass (Paulownia Clon In Vitro 112^®) as a sorbent for producing impregnated solid fuels from selected liquid wastes, including used cooking oil, spent mineral oil, and pyrolysis condensate, targeting industrial energy applications. Oxytree biomass was selected due to its high and predictable yield, uniform composition, and favorable physical properties compared to conventional lignocellulosic residues such as pine sawdust. Biomass and liquid wastes were characterized in terms of fuel properties and elemental composition. Several empirical combinations of sorbent and liquid fractions were tested to optimize homogeneity and fuel quality, resulting in a final composition of sorbent:used cooking oil:used machine oil:pyrolytic condensate equal to 3:1:1:3. The temporal stability of this selected fuel was verified over 24 h, 3 days, and 1 week. The resulting fuels exhibited an energy value of approximately 15 MJ/kg, low ash content (<1%), and minimal concentrations of chlorine and sulfur (<0.08%). Overall, the findings demonstrate that Oxytree waste biomass can serve as an effective sorbent for integrating problematic liquid wastes into solid fuels, providing a practical route for waste valorization and supporting circular economy principles, and establishing a foundation for further research on sustainable energy applications of biomass and industrial residues. Full article

In this work, micro/nano-scale (TiB₂ + TiC)/Al composites with reinforcement contents ranging from 0 to 30 wt.% were fabricated by the combination of Ti-B₄C reactive sintering and spark plasma sintering (SPS). The results indicate that a sintering temperature of 1400 °C is essential for achieving a complete reaction between Ti and B₄C, successfully producing a bimodal TiB₂-TiC reinforcement consisting of nano-scale and micro-scale particles. Microstructure analysis reveals that the addition of micro/nano-scale TiB₂ and TiC ceramic particles significantly refines the grain size of the Al matrix from 11.52 μm in pure Al to 1.09 μm in the 30 wt.% (TiB₂ + TiC)/Al composite. As the TiB₂ and TiC contents increase, Vickers hardness and compressive yield strength increase progressively, while the uniform compressive plastic strain first increases and then decreases. The 20 wt.% (TiB₂ + TiC)/Al composite demonstrates the optimal comprehensive properties, with a compressive yield strength of 196.4 ± 6.1 MPa, an ultimate strength of 914.6 ± 20.1 MPa, and a uniform plastic strain of ~73.2%, as well as minimal wear rates of (3.143 ± 0.194) × 10⁻⁴ mm³/(N·m), 1.676 ± 0.251× 10⁻³ mm³/(N·m) and (3.093 ± 0.335) × 10⁻³ mm³/(N·m) at 1 N, 3 N, and 5 N, respectively. This improvement stems from the combined effects of grain refinement, dispersion strengthening, enhanced load-bearing capacity and reduced adhesive wear via the TiB₂ and TiC reinforcements. Full article

Harsh environments and climate change hamper industrial hemp productivity. Under stress conditions, uniform germination and vigorous seedlings are key to sustaining crop establishment and performance. Trichoderma spp. are beneficial micromycetes, able to colonize plant roots and promote plant development even under abiotic stress conditions. Thus, the seed treatment with specifically selected Trichoderma isolates could be a useful strategy to enhance hemp seed germination and plantlet growth. In this view, a preliminary screening was performed with ‘Eletta campana’ cv. Nine out of 20 Trichoderma isolates enhanced the radicle growth (+66–111%); most of them resulted in good root colonization, but only four isolates significantly enhanced the shoot DW (+18–22%). Three isolates were selected for a pot experiment, compared to T. afroharzianum T22, to evaluate the effect on plant growth, root architecture, accumulation of photosynthetic pigments and stress-related compounds, and variation in antioxidant activity in 20-day-old plantlets. T. afroharzianum OR4 significantly promoted plantlet growth (+9% shoot DW and +11% leaf DW). The seed treatment had a low impact on the other variables studied, except in the case of foliar proline content, a marker of stress tolerance, that was greatly increased with T. afroharzianum T22 and T. atrobrunneum X44 (+32% and +17% DW). Full article

Utilising highly mineralised mine water for drip irrigation of desert vegetation in mining areas represents a crucial approach to alleviating freshwater scarcity and achieving mine water resource utilisation. However, high salt inputs may pose risks of salt return to root zones and deep accumulation. To ensure the safe and effective utilisation of mine water, laboratory 45 cm soil column infiltration tests (freshwater, 8, 12, 16 g L⁻¹) were conducted in the heavily saline-affected desert vegetation zone of Dananhu, Hami, Xinjiang, alongside 2023–2024 field drip irrigation trials (8, 12, 16 g L⁻¹). This study established a ‘soil column inversion–field validation–scenario optimisation’ framework (16 g L⁻¹) and field drip irrigation trials (8, 12, 16 g L⁻¹) during 2023–2024. A multi-scale HYDRUS-1D/3D simulation framework—‘soil column inversion–field validation–scenario optimisation’—was established to quantify water–salt transport processes in the root zone and optimise emitter flow rates. HYDRUS-1D demonstrated excellent fitting for soil moisture content, wetting front, and salinity distribution (R² = 0.964–0.979, 0.995–0.998, 0.791–0.898). Following parameter migration, HYDRUS-3D achieved R² values of 0.834–0.949 for simulating field-scale stratified salinity. Overall desalination occurred in the 0–80 cm soil profile over two years. Within the 0–40 cm root zone, reduction rates decreased with increasing irrigation salinity: 45.77% (2023) and 59.64% (2024) under 8 g L⁻¹ treatment, significantly higher than the 24.24% and 30.91% reductions observed at 16 g/L (p < 0.05). During the high-temperature period of July–August, transient salt accumulation occurred in the 0–10 cm surface layer, while the 80–120 cm zone exhibited cumulative risk. Scenario simulations indicated that increased dripper flow rates expanded the wetted zone horizontally but weakened vertical leaching. The 2.0–2.4 L h⁻¹ range demonstrated superior overall performance in balancing root zone desalination rates and irrigation uniformity. The study recommends targeting root-zone salinity stability through a combination of moderate leaching, summer transpiration suppression, and seasonal flushing/natural leaching, alongside prioritising low-to-medium flow emitters. This approach synergistically reduces both surface salinity return and deep accumulation risks. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to develop bilayer tablets using hot-melt pneumatic extrusion (HMPE)-based 3D printing for the integrated treatment of allergic rhinitis and asthma. The formulation combined levocetirizine dihydrochloride (immediate release) and montelukast sodium (delayed release) within a single dosage form to provide a sequential-release formulation strategy relevant to the intended pharmacological roles of the two drugs. Distinct polymer matrices were selected for each drug layer to ensure mechanical robustness, stability, and appropriate release characteristics. Methods: The printed tablets were systematically characterized by mechanical testing, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and in vitro dissolution. Drug content uniformity was evaluated in accordance with USP <905>. Results: The tablets satisfied USP standards for content uniformity and exhibited sufficient mechanical strength for handling and packaging. DSC and PXRD analyses indicated amorphization of levocetirizine within the polymer matrix, while the amorphous state of the raw montelukast used in this study was retained after printing. In vitro dissolution tests demonstrated immediate release of levocetirizine in acidic medium (pH 1.2) and delayed release of montelukast at intestinal pH (6.8), thereby achieving the intended dual-phase release profile. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate the feasibility of fabricating an HMPE-based 3D-printed bilayer tablet integrating immediate-release levocetirizine and delayed-release montelukast, with reproducible dual-phase release and drug-specific solid-state and performance characteristics within a single oral dosage form. Full article

Auditory pseudowords are widely used in psycholinguistics and cognitive neuroscience, but their construction requires control of sublexical familiarity and careful characterization of how acoustic cue manipulations may shift perceived lexical plausibility. Here we introduce the Minho Pseudoword Wordlikeness Ratings (MPWR), the first normative dataset of wordlikeness judgments for European Portuguese (EP) auditory trisyllabic CV pseudowords, and evaluate whether adding a localized F0-based prominence cue modulates wordlikeness beyond distributional familiarity. One hundred and twenty pseudowords were assembled from naturally produced syllables drawn from the Minho Spoken Syllable Pool (MSSP) and recorded under uniform conditions. Each item was implemented in three token types with constant segmental content: a flat baseline and two F0-enhanced versions (+15%) targeting either the penultimate or final syllable. Native EP listeners (N = 101) provided wordlikeness ratings on a 7-point scale. MSSP-derived indices quantified pseudoword syllable familiarity (SWI_All, SWI_N3) and stress-position propensity for the targeted syllable (SPP_marked). Ratings were intentionally low overall yet showed substantial item-to-item variability. F0 enhancement produced a small but reliable decrease in wordlikeness relative to flat tokens, with no reliable difference between penultimate and final targeting positions. SWI_All robustly predicted ratings, whereas SPP_marked added little explanatory value. MPWR provides a practical EP resource for selecting and matching auditory pseudowords using normative wordlikeness ratings and transparent corpus-based descriptors. Full article

Against the backdrop of dual-carbon goals and resource constraints, the high-value utilization of recycled fine aggregates (RFAs) remains limited, leading to inconsistent engineering performance and insufficient durability. Enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation (EICP) represents a promising low-carbon cementation method, yet its deposition uniformity and cementation efficiency are influenced by the pore structure of granular media and associated mass transfer pathways. This study employs a two-stage experimental design to investigate the synergistic effects of particle size distribution characteristics, represented primarily by d₅₀, and fiber addition on EICP-cemented RFA. Phase I (fiber-free; d₅₀ = 0.67–1.14 mm) results indicate that, across the tested gradation schemes, the CaCO₃ content generally decreased from 9.49% to 7.72% as the representative d₅₀ increased, while the dry density changed only slightly (1.637–1.617 g/cm³). However, the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) decreased from 1000 kPa to 541 kPa (45.9% reduction), indicating that strength is primarily governed by the connectivity of the cementation network rather than solely by the degree of densification. In Phase II, glass fiber (GF), polypropylene fiber (PPF), and jute fiber (JF) were incorporated into the ERFA4 gradation scheme selected for fiber modification. All three systems exhibited a unimodal optimum pattern: the peak CaCO₃ contents reached 10.71% (GF 0.5%), 10.11% (PPF 0.7%), and 11.46% (JF 0.7%), corresponding to peak UCS values of 1917, 1874, and 2450 kPa, respectively. Microscopic analysis suggested that fiber bridging coupled with CaCO₃ deposition may contribute to the formation of a “fiber-CaCO₃-particle” stress-transfer network, which is consistent with the observed enhancements in load-bearing capacity, ductility, and post-peak stability. Full article