Search Results (323)

Cinnamaldehyde (CA) is a potential substitute for antibiotic growth promoters in animal breeding. In this study, we investigated its effects as a dietary supplement on growth performance, serum antioxidant capacity, intestinal digestive enzyme activities, intestinal morphology, and caecal microbiota in meat rabbits. Weaned meat rabbits (n = 450) were randomly assigned to five groups, Groups A, B, C, D, and E, and fed 0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mg/kg CA diets, respectively, for 47 days. Biological samples including serum (antioxidants), duodenal/caecal content (enzymes), intestinal tissue (morphology), and caecal digesta (microbiota) were collected at day 47 postweaning for analysis. Groups C and D showed significantly higher final body weights than Group A, with Group D (150 mg/kg CA) demonstrating superior growth performance including 11.73% longer duodenal villi (p < 0.05), 28.6% higher microbial diversity (p < 0.01), and 62% lower diarrhoea rate versus controls. Digestive enzyme activity as well as serum antioxidant capacity increased with increasing CA dose, Microbiota analysis revealed CA increased fibre-fermenting Oscillospiraceae (+38%, p < 0.01) while reducing Ruminococcaceae (−27%, p < 0.05). Thus, dietary CA supplementation at 150 mg/kg was identified as the optimal CA dose for improving meat rabbit production. These findings highlight CA as a functional feed additive for promoting sustainable rabbit production. Full article

This review surveys recent advances and emerging prospects in phase-transfer catalysis (PTC) for fuel desulfurization. In response to increasingly stringent environmental regulations, the removal of sulfur from transportation fuels has become imperative for curbing SO_x emissions. Conventional hydrodesulfurization (HDS) operates under severe temperature–pressure conditions and displays limited efficacy toward sterically hindered thiophenic compounds, motivating the exploration of non-hydrogen routes such as oxidative desulfurization (ODS). Within ODS, PTC offers distinctive benefits by shuttling reactants across immiscible phases, thereby enhancing reaction rates and selectivity. In particular, PTC enables efficient migration of organosulfur substrates from the hydrocarbon matrix into an aqueous phase where they are oxidized and subsequently extracted. The review first summarizes the deployment of classic PTC systems—quaternary ammonium salts, crown ethers, and related agents—in ODS operations and then delineates the underlying phase-transfer mechanisms, encompassing reaction-controlled, thermally triggered, photo-responsive, and pH-sensitive cycles. Attention is next directed to a new generation of catalysts, including quaternary-ammonium polyoxometalates, imidazolium-substituted polyoxometalates, and ionic-liquid-based hybrids. Their tailored architectures, catalytic performance, and mechanistic attributes are analyzed comprehensively. By incorporating multifunctional supports or rational structural modifications, these systems deliver superior desulfurization efficiency, product selectivity, and recyclability. Despite such progress, commercial deployment is hindered by the following outstanding issues: long-term catalyst durability, continuous-flow reactor design, and full life-cycle cost optimization. Future research should, therefore, focus on elucidating structure–performance relationships, translating batch protocols into robust continuous processes, and performing rigorous environmental and techno-economic assessments to accelerate the industrial adoption of PTC-enabled desulfurization. Full article

The disposal of agro-industrial waste is a pressing environmental issue. At the same time, due to the high silica content in specific agricultural residues, their processed products can be utilised in various industrial sectors as substitutes for commercial materials. This study investigates the key technological, physico-mechanical, and viscoelastic properties of industrial elastomeric compounds based on synthetic styrene–butadiene rubber, intended for the tread of summer passenger car tyres, when replacing the commercially used highly reinforcing silica filler (SF), Extrasil 150VD brand (white carbon black), with a carbon–silica filler (CSF). The CSF is produced by carbonising a finely ground mixture of rice production waste (rice husks and stems) in a pyrolysis furnace at 550–600 °C without oxygen. It was found that replacing 20 wt.pts. of silica filler with CSF in industrial tread formulations improves processing parameters (Mooney viscosity increases by up to 5.3%, optimal vulcanisation time by up to 9.2%), resistance to plastic deformation (by up to 7.7%), and tackiness of the rubber compounds (by 31.3–34.4%). Viscoelastic properties also improved: the loss modulus and mechanical loss tangent decreased by up to 24.0% and 14.3%, respectively; the rebound elasticity increased by up to 6.3% and fatigue resistance by up to 2.7 thousand cycles; and the internal temperature of samples decreased by 7 °C. However, a decrease in tensile strength (by 10.7–27.0%) and an increase in wear rate (up to 43.3% before and up to 22.5% after thermal ageing) were observed. Nevertheless, the overall results of this study indicate that the CSF derived from the carbonisation of rice production waste—containing both silica and carbon components—can effectively be used as a partial replacement for the commercially utilised reinforcing silica filler in the production of tread rubber for summer passenger car tyres. Full article

A novel cellulose-degrading bacterial strain, D3-1, capable of degrading cellulose under medium- to high-temperature conditions, was isolated from soil samples and identified as Staphylococcus caprae through 16SrRNA gene sequencing. The strain’s cellulase production was optimized by controlling different factors, such as pH, temperature, incubation period, substrate concentration, nitrogen and carbon sources, and response surface methods. The results indicated that the optimal conditions for maximum cellulase activity were an incubation time of 91.7 h, a temperature of 41.8 °C, and a pH of 4.9, which resulted in a maximum cellulase activity of 16.67 U/mL, representing a 165% increase compared to pre-optimization levels. The above experiment showed that, when maize straw flour was utilized as a natural carbon source, strain D3-1 exhibited relatively high cellulase production. Furthermore, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of products in the degradation liquid revealed the presence of primary sugars. The results indicated that, in the denitrification of simulated sewage, supplying maize straw flour degradation liquid (MSFDL) as the carbon source resulted in a carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 6:1 after a 24 h reaction with the denitrifying strain WH-01. The total nitrogen (TN) reduction was approximately 70 mg/L, which is equivalent to the removal efficiency observed in the glucose-fed denitrification process. Meanwhile, during a 4 h denitrification reaction in urban sewage without any denitrifying bacteria, but with MSFDL supplied as the carbon source, the TN removal efficiency reached 11 mg/L, which is approximately 70% of the efficiency of the glucose-fed denitrification process. Furthermore, experimental results revealed that strain D3-1 exhibits some capacity for nitrogen removal; when the cellulose-degrading strain D3-1 is combined with the denitrifying strain WH-01, the resulting TN removal rate surpasses that of a single denitrifying bacterium. In conclusion, as a carbon source in municipal sewage treatment, the degraded maize straw flour produced by strain D3-1 holds potential as a substitute for the glucose carbon source, and strain D3-1 has a synergistic effect with the denitrifying strain WH-01 on TN elimination. Thus, this research offers new insights and directions for advancement in environmental sewage treatment. Full article

The role and performance of desert sand in alkali-activated mortar remain insufficiently understood. To address this knowledge gap, this study systematically investigates the fluidity, mechanical properties, and microscopic morphology of alkali-activated mortar with varying desert sand substitution rates (DSRR, 0–100%). The key findings reveal that a low DSRR (10–20%) enhances mortar fluidity and reduces drying shrinkage, though at the cost of reduced compressive strength. At 40% DSRR, the mortar exhibits elevated porosity (12.3%) and diminished compressive strength (63 MPa). Notably, complete substitution (100% DSRR) yields a well-structured matrix with optimized pore distribution, characterized by abundant gel micropores, and achieves a compressive strength of 76 MPa. These results demonstrate that desert sand can fully replace river sand in alkali-activated mortar formulations without compromising performance. Microstructural analysis confirms that desert sand actively participates in the alkali activation process. Specifically, the increased Ca²⁺ content facilitates the transformation of amorphous gels into crystalline phases. It also found that desert sand could make the fly ash more soluble, affecting the alkali activation reaction. Full article

The accurate early-stage estimation of environmental load (EL) and construction cost (CC) in road infrastructure projects remains a significant challenge, constrained by limited data and the complexity of construction activities. To address this, our study proposes a machine learning-based predictive framework utilizing artificial neural networks (ANNs) and deep neural networks (DNNs), enhanced by autoencoder-driven feature selection. A structured dataset of 150 completed national road projects in South Korea was compiled, covering both planning and design phases. The database focused on 19 high-impact sub-work types to reduce noise and improve prediction precision. A hybrid imputation approach—combining mean substitution with random forest regression—was applied to handle 4.47% missing data in the design-phase inputs, reducing variance by up to 5% and improving data stability. Dimensionality reduction via autoencoder retained 16 core variables, preserving 97% of explanatory power while minimizing redundancy. ANN models benefited from cross-validation and hyperparameter tuning, achieving consistent performance across training and validation sets without overfitting (MSE = 0.06, RMSE = 0.24). The optimal ANN yielded average error rates of 29.8% for EL and 21.0% for CC at the design stage. DNN models, with their deeper architectures and dropout regularization, further improved performance—achieving 27.1% (EL) and 17.0% (CC) average error rates at the planning stage and 24.0% (EL) and 14.6% (CC) at the design stage. These results met all predefined accuracy thresholds, underscoring the DNN’s advantage in handling complex, high-variance data while the ANN excelled in structured cost prediction. Overall, the synergy between deep learning and autoencoder-based feature selection offers a scalable and data-informed approach for enhancing early-stage environmental and economic assessments in road infrastructure planning—supporting more sustainable and efficient project management. Full article

This study aimed to optimize the performance of pervious concrete (PC) while promoting sustainability using recycled concrete aggregates (RCAs), styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) waste, and silica fume (SF). The mixtures were developed using the Taguchi approach with four mix design factors, each at three levels: the water-to-binder ratio (w/b), RCA replacement percentage by weight of natural aggregates, the cement substitution rate with SF, and the SBR addition rate by binder mass. Thus, a total of nine mixes were prepared and tested for density, porosity, permeability, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, abrasion resistance, and resistance to freezing and thawing. The results revealed that incorporating RCA and SBR decreased density and compressive strength but increased porosity and permeability. The performance of PC enhanced with SF addition and reduced w/b. TOPSIS was then employed to find the optimum mixture design proportions by considering multiple performance criteria. The results indicated that a high-performing sustainable PC mixture, with enhanced strength and durability characteristics, was formulated with a w/b ratio of 0.30, 25% RCA, 5% SF replacement, and 4% SBR addition. Full article

Object detection technology enables the automatic identification of photovoltaic (PV) panel locations and conditions, significantly enhancing operational efficiency for maintenance teams while reducing the time and cost associated with manual inspections. Challenges arise due to the low resolution of remote sensing images combined with small-sized targets—PV panels intertwined with complex urban or natural backgrounds. To address this, a parallel architecture model based on YOLOv5 was designed, substituting traditional residual connections with parallel convolution structures to enhance feature extraction capabilities and information transmission efficiency. Drawing inspiration from the bottleneck design concept, a primary feature extraction module framework was constructed to optimize the model’s deep learning capacity. The improved model achieved a 4.3% increase in mAP, a 0.07 rise in F1 score, a 6.55% enhancement in recall rate, and a 6.2% improvement in precision. Additionally, the study validated the model’s performance and examined the impact of different loss functions on it, explored learning rate adjustment strategies under various scenarios, and analyzed how individual factors affect learning rate decay during its initial stages. This research notably optimizes detection accuracy and efficiency, holding promise for application in large-scale intelligent PV power station maintenance systems and providing reliable technical support for clean energy infrastructure management. Full article

Watermeal (Wolffia globosa) is an emerging sustainable feed ingredient, valued for its rapid growth, high protein content, and rich nutrient profile, offering great potential to improve the efficiency and sustainability of edible cricket production systems through efficient resource use and reduced environmental impact. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of replacing commercial cricket feed with dried watermeal and to determine the optimal substitution level for the production performance of two-spotted crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus). Seven dietary treatments were tested, namely 0% (control; T1), 10% (T2), 25% (T3), 50% (T4), 75% (T5), 90% (T6), and 100% (T7). Crickets were reared for four weeks in an open system with 6 replicates per treatment, with each containing 120 nymphs. Body weight, feed intake, and survival rate were recorded weekly, and a production index was calculated at the end of the trial. Results showed average growth rates ranging from 7.40 to 28.20 mg/day, feed conversion ratios (FCR) between 1.03 and 1.68, survival rates of 29.28% to 69.73%, and production index values from 24.00 to 128.30. A significant decline in production efficiency (p < 0.05) was observed at substitution levels of 75% and above, with the 100% watermeal group showing the lowest production efficiency (p < 0.05), likely due to nutrient imbalances and indigestible compounds. Segmented regression analysis identified 36.7% as the optimal level of watermeal supplementation. In terms of body composition, crickets fed diets containing up to 50% watermeal (10%, 25%, and 50%) showed crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, and ash contents comparable to those fed the commercial diet. This finding suggests that dried watermeal can replace up to 50% of the commercial cricket feed without negatively affecting growth performance, survival, or nutritional quality, with 36.7% identified as the optimal replacement level for maximizing production efficiency. Full article

In the current context of environmental concerns and the search for sustainable food solutions, this study investigated the valorization of Luffa cylindrica seed press cake, a waste byproduct from oil extraction, as a functional ingredient for meat substitute formulations. The research systematically characterized the functional and bioactive properties of L. cylindrica seed press cake powder (LP) and its blends with tapioca flour (TF) at ratios of 30–70%. Techno-functional analyses included: hydration properties (water holding capacity, water absorption capacity, water absorption index, water solubility index, swelling power, oil absorption capacity); rheological characteristics; bioactive profiling through antioxidant assays (DPPH, ABTS, FRAP); and reducing sugar content determination. Meat substitute formulations were developed using an LP30/TF70 blend combined with coral lentils, red beet powder, and water, followed by a sensory evaluation and storage stability assessment. Pure L. cylindrica powder exhibited the highest water holding capacity (3.62 g H₂O/g) and reducing sugar content (8.05 mg GE/g), while tapioca flour showed superior swelling properties. The blends demonstrated complementary functional characteristics, with the LP30/TF70 formulation selected for meat substitute development based on optimal textural properties. The sensory evaluation revealed significant gender differences in acceptance, with women rating the product substantially higher than men across all attributes. The study successfully demonstrated the feasibility of transforming agricultural waste into a valuable functional ingredient, contributing to sustainable food production and representing the first comprehensive evaluation of L. cylindrica seed press cake for food applications. However, the study revealed limitations, including significant antioxidant loss during thermal processing (80–85% reduction); a preliminary sensory evaluation with limited participants showing gender-dependent acceptance; and a reliance on locally available tapioca flour, which may limit global applicability. Future research should focus on processing optimization to preserve bioactive compounds, comprehensive sensory studies with diverse populations, and an investigation of alternative starch sources to enhance the worldwide implementation of this valorization approach. Full article

Neural stem cells have shown great potential in the therapy of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), because of their ability to differentiate into various types of neural cells and substitute for damaged neurons. Their clinical application is, however, impeded by limitations such as low survival rates following transplantation, low efficiency of differentiation, the potential for tumorigenesis, and the risk of immune rejection by the host. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) have become increasingly popular as an alternative tool in regenerative medicine due to their accessibility, multipotency, and low immunogenicity. The recent advance in inducing ADSCs into neural stem cell-like cells (iNSCs) opens up a new avenue for the treatment of PD by restoring dopaminergic neuron populations. Here, the biological characteristics, induction protocols, molecular mechanisms, and prospective applications of ADSCs in neural repair are summarized systematically. We also covered current technical challenges, such as differentiation protocol optimization and functional integration, and future perspectives, including biomaterial and gene editing applications to enhance ADSC-based therapies. With these challenges met, ADSCs hold excellent potential for advancing personalized and combination therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. Full article

The mevalonate pathway is crucial for synthesizing isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP), the universal precursor of terpenoids, with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR) serving as the rate-determining enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) to mevalonate, requiring NAD(P)H as an electron donor. Improving the cofactor promiscuity of HMGR can facilitate substrate utilization and terpenoid production by overcoming cofactor specificity limitations. In this study, we heterologously expressed rpHMGR from Ruegeria pomeroyi in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) for the first time and established that it predominantly utilizes NADH. To broaden its cofactor usage, we employed Molecular Operating Environment (MOE)-assisted design to engineer the cofactor binding site, creating a dual-cofactor-utilizing mutant, D154K (the substitution of aspartic acid with lysine at residue 154). This mutant exhibited a significant 53.7-fold increase in activity toward NADPH, without compromising protein stability at physiological temperatures. The D154K mutant displayed an optimal pH of 6, maintaining over 80% of its catalytic activity across the pH range of 6–8, regardless of whether NADH or NADPH was the cofactor. These findings highlight the value of rational design, enhance our understanding of HMGR-cofactor recognition mechanisms, and provide a foundation for future efforts to optimize and engineer HMGR for broader cofactor flexibility. Full article

Developing high-performance photocatalysts for solar hydrogen production requires the synergistic modulation of chemical composition, nanostructure, and charge carrier transport pathways. Herein, we report a Cs and P co-doped tubular graphitic carbon nitride (Cs/PTCN-x) photocatalyst synthesized via a strategy that integrates elemental doping with morphological engineering. Structural characterizations reveal that phosphorus atoms substitute lattice carbon to form P-N bonds, while Cs⁺ ions intercalate between g-C₃N₄ layers, collectively modulating surface electronic states and enhancing charge transport. Under visible-light irradiation (λ ≥ 400 nm), the optimized Cs/PTCN-3 catalyst achieves an impressive hydrogen evolution rate of 8.085 mmol·g⁻¹·h⁻¹—over 33 times higher than that of pristine g-C₃N₄. This remarkable performance is attributed to the multidimensional synergy between band structure tailoring and hierarchical porous tubular architecture, which together enhance light absorption, charge separation, and surface reaction kinetics. This work offers a versatile approach for the rational design of g-C₃N₄-based photocatalysts toward efficient solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion. Full article

Aiming at the problems of serious pavement temperature diseases, low efficiency and high loss of ice-breaking methods, high occupancy rate of waste tires and the low utilization rate and insufficient durability of rubber particles, this paper aims to improve the service level of roads and ensure the safety of winter pavements. A pavement material with high efficiency, low carbon and environmental friendliness for active snow melting and ice breaking is developed. Firstly, NaOH, NaClO and KH550 were used to optimize the treatment of rubber particles. The hydrophilic properties, surface morphology and phase composition of rubber particles before and after optimization were studied, and the optimal treatment method of rubber particles was determined. Then, the optimized rubber particles were used to replace the natural aggregate in the polyurethane gel mixture by the volume substitution method, and the optimum polyurethane gel dosages and molding and curing processes were determined. Finally, the influence law of the road performance of RPGM was compared and analyzed by means of an indoor test, and the ice-breaking effect of RPGM was explored. The results showed that the contact angles of rubber particles treated with three solutions were reduced by 22.5%, 30.2% and 36.7%, respectively. The surface energy was improved, the element types on the surface of rubber particles were reduced and the surface impurities were effectively removed. Among them, the improvement effect of the KH550 solution was the most significant. With the increase in rubber particle content from 0% to 15%, the dynamic stability of the mixture gradually increases, with a maximum increase of 23.5%. The maximum bending strain increases with the increase in its content. The residual stability increases first and then decreases with the increase in rubber particle content, and the increase ranges are 1.4%, 3.3% and 0.5%, respectively. The anti-scattering performance increases with the increase in rubber content, and an excessive amount will lead to an increase in the scattering loss rate, but it can still be maintained below 5%. The fatigue life of polyurethane gel mixtures with 0%, 5%, 10% and 15% rubber particles is 2.9 times, 3.8 times, 4.3 times and 4.0 times higher than that of the AC-13 asphalt mixture, respectively, showing excellent anti-fatigue performance. The friction coefficient of the mixture increases with an increase in the rubber particle content, which can be increased by 22.3% compared with the ordinary asphalt mixture. RPGM shows better de-icing performance than traditional asphalt mixtures, and with an increase in rubber particle content, the ice-breaking ability is effectively improved. When the thickness of the ice layer exceeds 9 mm, the ice-breaking ability of the mixture is significantly weakened. Mainly through the synergistic effect of stress coupling, thermal effect and interface failure, the bonding performance of the ice–pavement interface is weakened under the action of driving load cycle, and the ice layer is loosened, broken and peeled off, achieving efficient de-icing. Full article

During the processing of marinated braised beef, excessive sodium intake is likely to occur, which can lead to various health issues. Exogenous L-lysine (L-Lys), as an essential amino acid for the human body, has the capability to enhance the quality of low-sodium meat products. This study aimed to investigate the effects of exogenous L-Lys on the quality of low-sodium plain boiled beef and marinated braised beef, as well as its underlying mechanisms of action. Among them, the substitution rate of KCl was 60%. This study was conducted with three batches of experiments, each batch serving as an independent parallel. For low-sodium plain boiled beef, the optimal addition level of L-Lys was screened out through the research on the effects on meat quality indicators, water distribution, microstructure, and sensory evaluation. For the quality of low-sodium plain boiled beef, in terms of microstructure, the addition of L-Lys reduced muscle fiber breakage and voids, thereby improving its microstructural characteristics. Combined with quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA), the optimal level of additional L-Lys was subsequently determined to be 0.6%. It was further processed into marinated braised beef in soy sauce, and a comparative analysis was conducted with low-sodium marinated braised beef in soy sauce without L-Lys addition for shear force, meat color, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and total viable count (TVC) during the storage periods of 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 d. The results show that the redness (a*) value significantly increased within 0–12 d (p < 0.05), leading to a more stable meat color. Moreover, the addition of L-Lys significantly reduced the shear force and thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) values in the marinated braised beef (p < 0.05), thereby optimizing the tenderness of the marinated braised beef and inhibiting lipid oxidation. Although the total viable count (TVC) of the L-Lys group was higher than that of conventional low-sodium marinated braised beef in soy sauce from 9 to 12 d, both groups of products had undergone spoilage by day 12; therefore, the addition of L-Lys had no effect on the shelf life of the products. Comprehensive analysis suggested that the addition of exogenous L-Lys could optimize beef quality by enhancing hydration, improving muscle structural properties, and exerting antioxidant synergistic effects. Full article