Search Results (1,564)

Biochar (BC) and hydrochar (HC) have attracted increasing attention as sustainable soil amendments for improving soil water retention and mitigating agricultural water stress. This review synthesizes and compares the current state of knowledge on the production, physicochemical properties, and hydraulic performance of slow-pyrolysis BC, hydrothermal carbonization hydrochar (HTC HC), and hydrothermal liquefaction hydrochar (HTL HC). The mechanisms governing soil water retention are first examined, followed by a comprehensive review of the effects of amendment properties, feedstock type, thermochemical conversion conditions, particle size, application rate, and soil characteristics on field capacity, permanent wilting point, plant-available water, and water-holding capacity. The available evidence demonstrates that BC generally provides the most consistent improvement in soil hydraulic properties, particularly in coarse-textured soils, whereas the performance of HTC HC is considerably more variable and strongly dependent on hydrothermal conversion conditions and soil characteristics. HTL HC remains largely unexplored but shows promising hydraulic performance and exceptional resistance to biodegradation. Apparently contradictory findings among published studies are shown to arise largely from interactions among feedstock and conversion conditions, resulting amendment properties, soil characteristics, application conditions, and differences in hydraulic evaluation, highlighting the need for integrated mechanistic frameworks rather than interpretation based on individual factors. A comparative assessment of the three materials further considers ecotoxicity, biodegradation, life-cycle assessment, and techno-economic analysis. Overall, BC is currently the most mature soil amendment technology, HTC HC offers important advantages for wet biomass utilization, and HTL HC represents a promising but underdeveloped alternative. Future research should emphasize standardized evaluation methods, long-term field validation, and integrated mechanistic approaches linking production conditions, amendment properties, soil characteristics, and application conditions to enable predictive, application-specific design of carbonaceous soil amendments for sustainable soil water management. Full article

The anisotropic mechanical behavior of laser powder bed fused (LPBF) IN718 results from the combined effects of crystallographic texture and grain morphology, although their individual contributions remain difficult to quantify. In this work, six representative volume elements (RVEs) are systematically compared using a unified EBSD–Dream3D–DAMASK crystal plasticity framework to separate the effects of texture and morphology. The microstructures include two EBSD-derived RVEs, two discretized columnar RVEs, and two discretized lamellar RVEs generated from identical orientation distributions. Predicted elastic moduli and yield strengths are validated against experiment, while Taylor factor analysis, directional effective grain size, slip compatibility, KAM, and local crystal plasticity fields are used to identify the governing deformation mechanisms. The results show that crystallographic texture predominantly controls the elastic response, whereas grain morphology governs the onset of plastic deformation. Lamellar RVEs provide the closest agreement with the experimental yield-strength anisotropy by reproducing the directional effective grain size, the connectivity of mechanically hard domains, and the resulting redistribution of stress and plastic strain. Furthermore, texture discretization preserves the dominant anisotropic trends while substantially reducing the computational cost of full EBSD reconstructions, establishing an efficient and physically meaningful framework for crystal plasticity simulations of LPBF materials. Full article

Grain boundaries affect the mechanical and functional properties of crystalline materials by influencing interfacial energy, mobility, segregation, and the accumulation of damage. Among the grain boundaries in the grain boundary network, coincidence site lattice boundaries form a particular type of special grain boundary that is characterized by a higher degree of lattice-site coincidence. The present study examined the mechanisms involved in the formation of grain boundaries in a laser-powder-bed-fused AlSi10Mg alloy which had been subjected to two-pass twist equal-channel angular pressing (twist-ECAP). The microstructural evolution, deformation texture, and local orientation gradients were investigated using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Moreover, atomistic simulations were carried out in order to assess the effect of geometrically necessary boundary (GNB)-like dislocation walls on the retention of planar faults. The EBSD results indicated that twist-ECAP considerably refined the microstructure and produced a strong fiber texture. Most of the Σ3 grain boundary segments detected were found in areas dominated by the ⟨110⟩||ED component, showing that their appearance is strongly dependent on the texture. Also, the atomistic modelling showed that the presence of a GNB-like wall led to the retention of planar-fault configurations and thus resulted in the highest number of atomic environments related to faults and extended dislocation-line lengths. These results show that the formation of Σ3 grain boundary segments in severely deformed LPBF AlSi10Mg is a coupled process which is mainly controlled by macroscopic texture selection and is locally assisted by deformation-boundary evolution. Full article

The growing demand for clean-label, high-quality, and sustainable meat products has increased interest in non-conventional processing technologies as alternatives to conventional processing methods. Therefore, this review aims to critically evaluate the technological advances, practical benefits, limitations, and industrial implementation potential of cold plasma, high hydrostatic pressure, ultrasound, microwave processing, and ohmic heating in meat and meat products. Studies published between 2016 and 2026 were analyzed, with emphasis on mechanisms of action, effects on physicochemical and microbiological properties, processing performance, and evidence of industrial applicability. Current evidence indicates that these technologies have progressed beyond laboratory-scale investigations in several applications, with HHP showing the highest level of commercial adoption, particularly in ready-to-eat meat products, while ultrasound, cold plasma, microwave processing, and ohmic heating exhibit different degrees of pilot- and industrial-scale development depending on the application. These technologies can enhance microbial safety, improve techno-functional properties, optimize processing efficiency, and contribute to shelf-life extension while reducing reliance on synthetic additives. However, their effectiveness is strongly influenced by processing conditions, product composition, economic feasibility, and technology-specific limitations. Reported challenges include lipid oxidation, color deterioration, texture modifications, heating non-uniformity, high implementation costs, limited process standardization, and regulatory uncertainties. Overall, recent advances demonstrate meaningful progress toward industrial application, but the degree of technological maturity varies substantially among technologies and applications. Further research should prioritize industrial-scale validation, process standardization, techno-economic assessment, regulatory harmonization, and consumer acceptance to facilitate broader commercial adoption. Full article

The application of natural colorants in cheese manufacture is gaining increasing interest as an alternative to synthetic additives. This study investigated the incorporation, stability, and technological effects of blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) anthocyanins on semi-hard Trappist cheese during eight weeks of storage under simulated commercial refrigerated display conditions. Cheese samples were soaked in natural blackcurrant juice for seven days and subsequently evaluated for anthocyanin composition, color characteristics, texture properties, microbiological quality, and sensory acceptance. HPLC analysis confirmed the successful incorporation of blackcurrant anthocyanins into the cheese, with delphinidin-3-rutinoside(D-3-R) being the predominant compound. D-3-R concentration decreased from 20.23 to 5.88 mg/100 g dry matter during storage, corresponding to an approximately 71% reduction, while cyanidin-3-rutinoside content became below the detection limit by week 8. Significant changes were observed in all quantified anthocyanins (p ≤ 0.05), indicating progressive pigment degradation. The maximum image-based color difference reached ΔE = 38.20 under standardized imaging conditions. Interestingly, color development followed a biphasic pattern, characterized by initial pigment redistribution and color intensification despite decreasing anthocyanin concentrations, followed by progressive color fading associated with anthocyanin degradation. Texture analysis revealed significant storage-related changes in the mechanical properties of the rind, suggesting structural reorganization of the cheese matrix. Microbiological analyses demonstrated the persistence of technologically important lactic acid bacteria throughout storage, indicating compatibility of the treatment with the cheese microbiota. Sensory evaluation performed by 60 consumers showed high acceptance of blackcurrant-treated cheese. The results indicate that blackcurrant juice soaking is an effective strategy for producing naturally colored semi-hard cheeses enriched with anthocyanins while maintaining desirable microbiological, textural, and sensory characteristics. The observed degradation kinetics under the storage conditions applied in this study emphasize the importance of optimizing storage conditions for anthocyanin-enriched dairy products. Full article

Pleurotus ostreatus (shimeji) is an edible mushroom widely recognized for its nutritional value and production of bioactive compounds. In addition to its fruiting body, mycelial biomass has emerged as a promising and sustainable alternative to produce bioactive compounds under controlled cultivation conditions. This study evaluated the nutritional composition, texture profile, biochemical composition, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant properties of the mycelium of P. ostreatus. Nutritional parameters were determined by FoodScan™ (NIR), while biochemical composition was assessed through spectrophotometric quantification of soluble proteins, free amino acids, reducing sugars, and total carbohydrates. Texture Profile Analysis (TPA) was performed to characterize the mechanical and technological properties of the mycelial biomass. Total phenolic compounds were quantified using the Folin–Ciocalteu method, and individual phenolics were identified by HPLC-DAD. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by ABTS, DPPH, TEAC, and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays. The mycelium exhibited high moisture content and relevant protein levels, as well as a rigid structural profile characterized by elevated hardness and gumminess. Biochemical characterization revealed considerable concentrations of soluble proteins and free amino acids, together with detectable levels of reducing sugars and total carbohydrates. The aqueous extract showed high total phenolic content and expressive antioxidant activity, with gallic acid identified as the predominant phenolic compound, followed by ferulic acid. The extracts also demonstrated efficient radical scavenging capacity in ABTS, DPPH, and hydroxyl radical assays. These findings highlight P. ostreatus mycelium as a sustainable source of bioactive compounds with potential applications as a functional ingredient in food, nutraceutical, and biotechnology sectors, reinforcing its role within circular bioeconomy strategies. Full article

The swim bladder (fish maw) of the blackspotted croaker (Protonibea diacanthus) commands a high price for males, yet the biological basis for this preference has remained unclear. We evaluated sexual dimorphism in commercially sized fish (n = 30 per sex) by comparing body weight, and assessed swim bladder texture and nutrient composition of both swim bladder and dorsal muscle in a subset of four fish per sex. Male swim bladders possess significantly superior textural properties than those of females, particularly in the key parameters of hardness (1804.33 ± 581.05 vs. 728.53 ± 46.81 gf), springiness (0.91 ± 0.03 vs. 0.73 ± 0.09), and chewiness (1161.18 ± 171.86 vs. 374.68 ± 97.72 gf) (all p < 0.05), whereas body weight, swim bladder weight, and total collagen content did not differ. Swim bladder amino acid and fatty acid profiles were largely similar between sexes, except for higher glutamic acid and leucine in males. In contrast, dorsal muscle proximate and nutrient profiles showed no significant differences between sexes, indicating nutritionally equivalent fish meat. These results demonstrate that sex critically affects swim bladder but not muscle quality, highlighting the need for further investigation into the mechanisms underlying these textural differences of swim bladder and explore potential dietary or genetic interventions to modulate swim bladder quality in aquaculture. Full article

A solid solution treatment (SST) followed by single-stage aging (0–30 h, 140 °C) was performed on 7075 aluminum alloy specimens with longitudinal axes oriented at 0°, 45° and 90° to the rolling direction. The mechanical properties and microstructure were analyzed by tensile testing, optical microscope (OM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results show that the average tensile strengths of the as-received 7075 aluminum alloy in the three directions were 304 MPa (0°), 295 MPa (45°) and 297 MPa (90°), respectively, with an anisotropy index (AI) of 0.97, indicating that the as-received samples exhibited negligible anisotropic mechanical properties. After SST, elongated grains with coarse size were formed, which is primarily attributed to the inheritance of the deformed fiber texture introduced by hot rolling. EBSD analysis of the 30 h aged specimens revealed that, within the same analyzed area, the total grain-boundary length in the 45° direction (16.4 cm) was much larger than that in the 0° (10.4 cm) and 90° (13.5 cm) directions. As the grain morphology showed no significant change between the SST and aged conditions, this grain-boundary distribution was representative of the microstructural state established during SST and persisted throughout the artificial aging process, contributing to the anisotropic mechanical properties. During artificial aging, prolonged aging time significantly facilitated the precipitation, with the 30 h aged sample exhibiting a significantly higher density of precipitates compared to the 6 h aged sample, leading to enhanced mechanical properties. The tensile strengths of the 30 h aged samples increased to 165 MPa, 236 MPa and 196 MPa in the three directions, respectively. Meanwhile, due to the fixed crystallographic orientation relationship between the precipitates and the Al matrix, the precipitates tended to form on specific planes, which enhanced the anisotropic mechanical properties. Consequently, the AI value increased from 0.97 (as-received) to 1.43 (30 h aged) with prolonged aging time. Full article

Driven by energy conservation, emission reduction and lightweight manufacturing demands, wrought magnesium alloys feature low density, high specific strength and balanced comprehensive performances, making them promising lightweight materials for aerospace, automobile, electronic and other industries. This paper systematically reviews the rolling fabrication technologies and recent research progress of wrought magnesium alloy sheets. Special attention is paid to deformation characteristics, microstructure evolution mechanisms and property regulation rules of typical rolling processes, including conventional rolling, cross rolling, accumulative roll bonding, equal-channel angular rolling, asymmetric rolling and twin-roll casting. Existing studies confirm that dynamic recrystallization, grain refinement, activation of non-basal slips and basal texture weakening act as core mechanisms to enhance the strength–ductility matching, formability and anisotropy of magnesium alloy sheets. Each rolling technology possesses unique merits in production efficiency, microstructural homogeneity, texture modification and industrial practicability. Nevertheless, several bottlenecks still restrict its large-scale promotion, such as edge cracking, strong basal texture, poor process stability and high manufacturing cost. Future research priorities lie in multi-process compound forming, intelligent parameter control and short-process eco-friendly manufacturing, so as to facilitate mass production and extensive engineering application of high-performance wrought magnesium alloy sheets. Full article

Cemented carbide is extensively applied in cutting tools. Surface laser micro-texturing alleviates tool surface wear and boosts cutting performance. This work adopts response surface methodology to investigate circular micro-texture parameters (diameter, spacing, offset) of YG8 carbide tools with average friction coefficient as the response, constructing a quadratic regression model to acquire optimal texture parameters: diameter 0.46 mm, spacing 0.93 mm, offset 0.31 mm. Friction tests reveal texture parameters greatly affect tribological properties, and the wear mitigation mechanism of optimized textures is analyzed. Turning experiments compare plain tools, air-ablation and liquid-phase laser textured tools. Cutting force and temperature models for smooth and liquid-phase textured cutters are built and validated. Results show air-textured tools reduce cutting force by 26.35% and average temperature by 13.42%, while liquid-phase counterparts achieve 30.07% force drop and 20.73% temperature reduction. Genetic algorithm optimization yields liquid-texture force attenuation coefficient 0.3646 and temperature coefficient 0.2961, offering theoretical support for high-performance textured cutter design. Full article

Objective: Commercial lip balm sticks are often selected based on brand popularity and marketing claims, which may not reflect formulation quality or mechanical reliability. This study investigated whether lipid matrix organization better predicts mechanical integrity and consumer acceptance than commercial positioning and introduced the Structural Lipid Architecture (SLA) concept. Materials and Methods: Seven best-selling commercial lip balm sticks were evaluated through consumer research, instrumental texture analysis, and compositional assessment. A validated questionnaire completed by 234 participants assessed product performance, fracture perception, purchasing behaviour, and willingness to pay for improved quality. Mechanical properties were determined using a Brookfield CT3 Texture Analyzer, while INCI compositions were analysed for structural wax diversity, lipid co-structuring agents, and melting point distribution within the SLA framework. Results: Overall, 76.9% of respondents reported having previously experienced stick fracture or deformation, while 94.4% expressed willingness to pay more for products offering superior performance and safety. Product fracture was strongly associated with reduced confidence in product quality (ρ = 0.672, p < 0.0001) and lower repurchase intention (ρ = 0.725, p < 0.0001). Hardness strongly correlated with mechanical work (r = 0.950, p = 0.001). Formulations combining complementary natural, mineral, and/or synthetic waxes with lipid co-structuring agents exhibited superior structural cohesion and fracture resistance, whereas simplified wax systems showed progressive mechanical failure. Conclusions: Best-selling status did not consistently predict superior mechanical performance. Optimized combinations of complementary structural waxes were key determinants of product integrity and fracture resistance. Full article

The angular distribution of surface-strands in oriented strand board (OSB) is closely associated with board mechanical properties and mat formation quality. By acquiring surface images through vision sensing and combining them with deep learning-based segmentation, the angle classes of OSB surface-strands can be segmented and statistically analyzed automatically. However, OSB surface images contain complex strand textures, blurred boundaries, local adhesion between adjacent strands, and subtle differences among neighboring angle classes. To address these challenges, this study proposes a direction-aware dual-branch semantic segmentation network (DiBiNet) for pixel-level segmentation of surface-strand angle classes. OSB surface images were collected using a Hikrobot MV-CE120-10UC color industrial camera, and an 11-class dataset was constructed, including the background and ten angle classes from 0° to 90°. The samples were cropped to 512 × 512 pixels, and an improved angle-semantic-consistent Copy–Paste strategy was used to augment the training data. DiBiNet enhances directional feature representation through a Directional Strip Detail Enhancement Module, improves semantic feature modeling by combining MobileNetV3-Small with a DS-MobileViT Block, and fuses the two branches through a Bilateral Gated Fusion Module. Considering the continuity among angle classes, Direction Vector Auxiliary Supervision is introduced to map discrete angle labels into continuous direction vectors, thereby improving discrimination among neighboring classes. Experiments on the self-constructed dataset show that DiBiNet achieves a mean Intersection over Union (mIoU) of 0.8532, an overall pixel accuracy (Acc) of 0.8823, and a Dice coefficient of 0.8623, outperforming several representative semantic segmentation models. After 8-bit integer (INT8) + 16-bit floating-point (FP16) mixed quantization, the model achieves a neural processing unit (NPU) inference speed of 34.0 frames per second (FPS) on the RK3588 platform, demonstrating its potential for vision-based sensing and edge AI inspection. Full article

This study investigates the influence of joining technology on the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of joints produced from extruded AA2017 aluminum alloy rods. Rotary Friction Welding (RFW) was compared with conventional TIG welding to evaluate the effects of solid-state and fusion-based joining mechanisms. The joints were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), hardness measurements, tensile testing, and fracture analysis. TIG welding produced a coarse-grained cast microstructure within the fusion zone, whereas RFW generated a fine-grained microstructure formed through intense thermomechanical deformation accompanied by crystallographic texture evolution. These distinct microstructural characteristics resulted in markedly different mechanical behavior. The RFW joints achieved an ultimate tensile strength of 247 MPa and an elongation to failure of 12.5%, compared with 160 MPa and 1.7%, respectively, for the TIG-welded joints. The results demonstrate that the joint formation mechanism is the primary factor governing the microstructural evolution and mechanical performance of AA2017 alloy joints. Full article

This study investigates the effects of air cooling and water mist cooling on the microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir additive manufactured Al-Cu-Li alloy. The results show that under air cooling, coarse grains (average 15.37 μm) form, accompanied by coarse θ phase (Al₂Cu), S phase (Al₂CuMg), and Fe-containing brittle intermetallic compounds. A strong texture is observed (P_max = 6.45), and the tensile fracture surface exhibits a mixed ductile–brittle fracture mode with the coexistence of cleavage facets and dimples. The tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation are 325 MPa, 165 MPa, and 21%, respectively. Water mist cooling significantly refines the grain size (average 5.15 μm), weakens the texture (P_max = 5.41), suppresses the formation of detrimental Fe-containing phases, and promotes the precipitation of fine, dispersed θ phase and T1 phase (Al₂CuLi) (~200 nm). The fracture surface transforms into a uniformly dimpled ductile fracture. Mechanical properties are simultaneously improved: tensile strength reaches 348 MPa (+7%), yield strength 182 MPa (+10%), and elongation 24.5% (+17%). Rapid cooling achieves a synergistic optimization of strength and ductility through grain refinement strengthening, precipitation strengthening, and elimination of harmful phases. Full article

The coupled mechanisms governing carbon–nitrogen turnover across soil particle-size fractions remain unclear. This study investigated soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) dynamics across five particle-size fractions in Cambisols under conventional and organic orchard management. Results showed that particle size dominated δ¹³C variation (Partial η² = 0.36) while management practice regulated δ¹⁵N variation (Partial η² = 0.38), revealing a fundamental decoupling of C and N cycling within the particle-size matrix. The progressive linear increase in δ¹³C with declining particle size signaled a transition of SOC from net accumulation to net decomposition, accompanied by directional carbon translocation from coarse sand to clay fractions. A universal critical soil pH threshold ~5.3 was identified, where inter-particle-size carbon flow reached its maximum while microbial decomposition was minimized. Organic management reduced the intensity of plant-derived carbon translocation between particle-size fractions, yet substantially enhanced microbial anabolism, leading to drastically elevated stocks of microbial necromass carbon (MNC) in both particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) pools. Notably, the relative proportional distribution of POC and MAOC remained unchanged across the two management practices, which was intrinsically constrained by the inherent textural properties of the studied Cambisols. Counterintuitively, progressive soil acidification concurrently increased SOC lability and overall carbon stabilization, a paradox that directly demonstrated decoupling between chemical oxidizability and physical protection during particle-size carbon translocation. These findings confirmed incomplete carbon–nitrogen coupling within soil particle-size fractions, and demonstrated that SOC stabilization was co-regulated by organo-mineral interactions and microbial processing, whereas nitrogen dynamics were primarily modulated by exogenous management-derived inputs. This work provided novel insights for optimizing agricultural management strategies to synergistically enhance soil fertility and long-term carbon sequestration. Full article