Search Results (478)

This study evaluates the efficacy of commercial clean-label additives, specifically fermentates, in inhibiting mold growth in vitro and extending the shelf life of preservative-free bread. The mold growth on selected bread was modeled using the time-to-growth approach. The pH, a_w, and moisture content of fresh bread were determined. In addition, selected fermentates were characterized physicochemically. Fermentates, defined as liquid or powdered preparations containing microorganisms, their metabolites, and culture supernatants, were tested at varying concentrations (1% to 12%) to assess their antimicrobial performance and impact on bread quality parameters, including moisture content, water activity, and pH. The results showed significant differences in fermentate efficacy, with Product A as the best mold growth inhibitor in vitro and a clear dose-dependent response. For Penicillium corylophilum, inhibition increased from 51.90% at 1% to 62.60% at 4%, while P. chrysogenum had an inhibition ranging from 32.26% to 34.49%. Product F exhibited moderate activity on both molds at 4%, inhibiting between 28.48% and 46.27%. The two molds exhibited differing sensitivities to the fermentates, with P. corylophilum consistently more susceptible to inhibition. Product A displayed a low pH (2.61) and high levels of lactic acid (1053.6 mmol/L) and acetic acid (1061.3 mmol/L). Product F presented a similar pH but lower levels of lactic and acetic acid. A time-to-growth model, validated by significant coefficients (p < 0.05) and high predictive accuracy (R² > 0.95), was employed to predict the appearance of mold on bread loaves. The model revealed that higher concentrations of fermentates A and F delayed mold growth, with fermentate A demonstrating superior efficacy. At 2% concentration, fermentate A delayed mold growth for 8 days, compared to 6 days for fermentate F. At 8% concentration, fermentate A prevented mold growth for over 25 days, significantly outperforming the control (4 days). Additionally, fermentates influenced bread quality parameters, with fermentate A improving crust moisture retention and reducing water activity at higher concentrations. These findings highlight the potential of fermentates as sustainable, consumer-friendly alternatives to synthetic preservatives, offering a viable solution to the challenge of bread spoilage while maintaining product quality. Full article

Straw fiber curtain contains a plant fiber blanket woven from crop straw, which is mainly used to protect embankment slopes from rainwater erosion. To investigate the erosion control performance of slopes covered with straw fiber curtains of different structural configurations, physical model tests were conducted in a 95 cm × 65 cm × 50 cm (length × height × width) test box with a slope ratio of 1:1.5 under controlled artificial rainfall conditions (20 mm/h, 40 mm/h, and 60 mm/h). The study evaluated the runoff characteristics, sediment yield, and key hydrodynamic parameters of slopes under the coverage of different straw fiber curtain types. The results show that the A-type straw fiber curtain (woven with strips of straw fiber) has the best effect on water retention and sediment reduction, while the B-type straw fiber curtain (woven with thicker straw strips) with vertical straw fiber has a better effect regarding water retention and sediment reduction than the B-type transverse straw fiber curtain. The flow of rainwater on a slope covered with straw fiber curtain is mainly a laminar flow. Straw fiber curtain can promote the conversion of water flow from rapids to slow flow. The Darcy-Weisbach resistance coefficient of straw fiber curtain increases at different degrees with an increase in rainfall time. Full article

In drought-prone regions without irrigation systems, effective agrotechnologies such as subsoiling are crucial for enhancing soil infiltration and water retention. However, the effects of subsoiling can vary depending on crop type and environmental conditions. Despite previous research, there is limited understanding of the contrasting responses of C3 (sunflower) and C4 (maize) crops to subsoiling under drought stress. This study addresses this knowledge gap by assessing the effectiveness of subsoiling as a drought mitigation practice on Haplic Chernozem in Northern Bulgaria, integrating ground-based and remote sensing data. Soil physical parameters, leaf area index (LAI), canopy temperature, crop water stress index (CWSI), soil moisture, and yield were evaluated under both conventional tillage and subsoiling for the two crops. A variety of optical and radar descriptive remote sensing products derived from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellite data were calculated for different crop types. Consequently, the use of machine learning, utilizing all the processed remote sensing products, enabled the reasonable prediction of LAI, achieving a coefficient of determination (R²) after a cross-validation greater than 0.42 and demonstrating good agreement with in situ observations. Results revealed differing responses: subsoiling had a positive effect on sunflower, improving LAI, water status, and slightly increasing yield, while it had no positive effect on maize. These findings highlight the importance of crop-specific responses in evaluating subsoiling practices and demonstrate the added value of integrating unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and satellite-based remote sensing data into agricultural drought monitoring. Full article

Lubrication between the rail gauge face and wheel flange is necessary to improve vehicle performance and reduce component wear. One way to achieve this is to use a solid stick loaded against the wheel flange. This paper details twin-disc testing of eight stick products according to Annex H of EN 15427-2-1:2022 (previously Annex L of EN 16028:2012) and then describes a new assessment methodology using conditions more relevant to field application. EN 15427-2-1:2022 specifies a test involving the application of the product during wheel–rail specimen contact. Once a specified time has elapsed, product application ceases, and performance is assessed as the time taken for the friction coefficient to return to a nominal dry value. This is described as “retentivity”. In the new test, the product is applied whilst wheel and rail are out of contact, to allow the product to build up on the wheel, then the specimens are put into contact, under conditions representing 150 m of continuous, heavy flange contact; this process is repeated a set number of times. The new test showed that products that failed the current friction criteria successfully protect the wheel and rail from wear, which is ultimately the aim of the product application. Full article

This study developed phospholipid-based liposomes loaded with extract from wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum L.) tea processing residues to enhance polyphenol stability and delivery. Liposomes were prepared with phospholipids alone or combined with 10–30 mol% cholesterol or β-sitosterol. The effect of different lipid compositions on encapsulation efficiency (EE), particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, stability, thermal properties, diffusion coefficient, and diffusion resistance of the liposomes was investigated. Liposomes with 10 mol% sterols (either cholesterol or β-sitosterol) exhibited the highest EE of polyphenols, while increasing sterol content to 30 mol% resulted in decreased EE. Particle size and PDI increased with sterol content, while liposomes prepared without sterols showed the smallest vesicle size. Encapsulation of the extract led to smaller liposomal diameters and slight increases in PDI values. Zeta potential measurements revealed that sterol incorporation enhanced the surface charge and stability of liposomes, with β-sitosterol showing the most pronounced effect. Stability testing demonstrated minimal changes in size, PDI, and zeta potential during storage. UV irradiation and lyophilization processes did not cause significant polyphenol leakage, although lyophilization slightly increased particle size and PDI. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed that polyphenols and sterols modified the lipid membrane transitions, indicating interactions between extract components and the liposomal bilayer. FT-IR spectra confirmed successful integration of the extract into the liposomes, while UV exposure did not significantly alter the spectral features. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay demonstrated the extract’s efficacy in mitigating lipid peroxidation under UV-induced oxidative stress. In contrast, liposomes enriched with sterols showed enhanced peroxidation. Polyphenol diffusion studies showed that encapsulation significantly delayed release, particularly in sterol-containing liposomes. Release assays in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids confirmed controlled, pH-dependent polyphenol delivery, with slightly better retention in β-sitosterol-enriched systems. These findings support the use of β-sitosterol- and cholesterol-enriched liposomes as stable carriers for polyphenolic compounds from wild thyme extract, as bioactive antioxidants, for food and nutraceutical applications. Full article

Thermal sensors are widely used in medical, industrial and other fields, where the requirements for high sensitivity and portability continues to increase. Here we propose a suspended bridge structure fabricated using MEMS, which effectively shrinks the size and reduces heat loss. This study reviews current sensor-related theories of heat conduction, convective heat transfer and thermal radiation. Heat loss models for suspended and non-suspended bridge structures are established, and finite element analysis is conducted to evaluate their thermal performance. The thermal performance of the suspended bridge structure is further validated through infrared temperature measurements on the manufactured sensor device. Theoretical calculations demonstrate that the proposed suspension bridge structure reduces heat loss by 88.64% compared with traditional designs. Benefiting from this improved heat retention, which was also confirmed by infrared thermography, the thermal sensor fabricated based on the suspension bridge structure achieves an ultra-high sensitivity of 0.38 V/W and a fast response time of less than 200 ms, indicating a high accuracy in thermal characterization. The correlation coefficient obtained for the sensor output voltage and input power of the sensor is approximately 1.0. Based on this design, multiple microfluidic channels with suspended bridge structures can be integrated to realize multi-component detection, which is important for the development of multifunctional biomedical detection. Full article

To address the negative effects of high-starch diets on largemouth bass (LMB), this study evaluated the feasibility of using a Gracilaria lemaneiformis-konjac glucomannan mixture (GKM, 2:1) as a substitute for strong flour (SF). Four iso-nitrogenous and iso-lipid diets were formulated: a control (15% SF; GK00) and three other diets replacing 33.3% (GK05), 66.7% (GK10), or 100% (GK15) of SF with GKM. Each diet was randomly administered to triplicate tanks of fish (10.49 ± 0.232 g) for a 10-week feeding trial. Results showed that the GKM inclusion groups significantly improved the fish survival and feed intake. Fish in GK05 and GK10 groups exhibited significantly higher final body weight, weight gain, and specific growth rate than the GK00 group, while GK15 showed no significant increase in these metrics. There was no impairment in protein, lipid, phosphorus, and energy retention efficiency in the GK05 and GK10 groups compared to those of the GK00 group. Apparent digestibility for feed dry matter, protein, lipid, phosphorus, and the 16 amino acids was not decreased in the GK05 and GK10 groups relative to the GK00 group. In addition, this study revealed reduced phosphorus waste per kilogram of weight gain in GK05 and GK10. In conclusion, these findings position GKM as a sustainable alternative to SF in feed for LMB. Full article

Planting concrete exhibits notable advantages, including effective reduction of waterborne pollutants, significant ecological restoration capacity, and alignment with principles of green and sustainable development. As a result, it has been increasingly utilized in slope protection and infrastructure construction. In this study, phosphogypsum-based planting concrete was modified using basalt fibers to enhance its mechanical and permeability-related properties. A series of laboratory tests was conducted to evaluate compressive strength, porosity, and sand permeability. The results indicated that the incorporation of basalt fibers effectively improved the compressive strength of the phosphogypsum planting concrete, with longer fibers (18 mm) contributing to a more pronounced enhancement than shorter fibers (6 mm). Moreover, an increase in fiber content led to a gradual decrease in porosity. The addition of basalt fibers also reduced both sand permeability and the water permeability coefficient. Meanwhile, specimens containing 6 mm fibers exhibited a greater reduction in permeability than those with 18 mm fibers. Furthermore, higher fiber content was found to significantly enhance the water retention capacity of the concrete. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the design and optimization of fiber-reinforced planting concrete for ecological engineering applications. Full article

High levels of pesticide use are associated with intensive crop production. Pesticides are increasingly prevalent in surface and groundwater, which is a major environmental concern. Various methods have been proposed to improve the retention and/or degradation of pesticides in soils. These methods are mainly based on soil adaptation with organic wastes to mitigate soil and water pollution. In addition, there has recently been increased interest in assessing the influence of organic waste additions on pesticide movement in soils with low contents of organic matter. Agriculture and related industries generate large amounts of waste each year. Because of their components, they have the great ability to produce high-value products for environmental restoration. This study reports on the influence of four different agro-industrial wastes (orange peel, beer bagasse, grape pomace, and gazpacho waste) used as organic amendments on the leaching of metobromuron and chlorbromuron (phenylurea herbicides) on a silty clay loam soil (gypsic–calcaric regosol) with low organic matter contents from a semiarid area (southeastern Spain). The adsorption, leaching, and dissipation processes of these herbicides were evaluated on a laboratory scale in amended and unamended soils. In addition, the main leaching indices (GUS, LIX, LEACH, M LEACH, LIN, GLI, HI, and ELI) commonly used to assess groundwater protection against pesticide pollution were evaluated. The sorption coefficients (K_OC) increased in the amended soils. Metobromuron was found in leachates in all cases, although a marked reduction was observed in amended soils, while chlorbromuron was mainly retained in soils, especially in the top layer. The disappearance time (DT₅₀) for metobromuron and chlorbromuron in soil ranged from 11 to 56 d and 18 to 95 d, respectively. All indices except GLI categorize metobromuron as mobile or very mobile in unamended soil. For chlorbromuron, GUS, LIX, LEACH, MLEACH, and Hornsby classify this compound as a medium-to-high leache, while GLI and ELI classify it as having low mobility. In amended soils, most indices classify metobromuron as transitioning to mobile, while most indices catalog chlorbromuron as immobile/transition. Full article

Designing advanced electrode architectures with tailored morphology and redox synergy is essential for achieving high-performance supercapacitive energy storage. In this study, a PVP-assisted hydrothermal approach was employed to synthesize binder-free NiCo₂O₄ nanostructured electrodes directly on nickel foam substrates. By modulating the PVP concentration (0.5–2 wt%), hierarchical flower-like nanosheets were engineered, with the NiCo-P₁ sample (1 wt% PVP) exhibiting an optimized structure, superior electroactive surface area, and enhanced ion accessibility. Comprehensive electrochemical analysis revealed that NiCo-P₁ delivered an outstanding areal capacitance of 36.5 F/cm² at 10 mA/cm², along with excellent cycling stability over 15,000 cycles with 80.97% retention. Kinetic studies confirmed dominant diffusion-controlled redox behavior with high OH⁻ diffusion coefficients and minimal polarization. An asymmetric pouch-type supercapacitor device (NiCo-P₁//AC) exhibited a wide operating window of 1.5 V, achieving a remarkable areal capacitance of 187 mF/cm², energy density of 0.058 mWh/cm², and capacitive retention of 78.78% after 5000 cycles. The superior performance is attributed to the synergistic integration of mixed-valence Ni and Co species, engineered nanosheet morphology, and low interfacial resistance. This work underscores the significance of surfactant-directed design in advancing cost-effective, high-performance electrodes for next-generation flexible energy storage technologies. Full article

Graph attention networks are pivotal for modeling non-Euclidean data, yet they face dual challenges: training oscillations induced by projection-based high-dimensional constraints and gradient anomalies due to poor adaptation to heterophilic structure. To address these issues, we propose LDC-GAT (Lyapunov-Stable Graph Attention Network with Dynamic Filtering and Constraint-Aware Optimization), which jointly optimizes both forward and backward propagation processes. In the forward path, we introduce Dynamic Residual Graph Filtering, which integrates a tunable self-loop coefficient to balance neighborhood aggregation and self-feature retention. This filtering mechanism, constrained by a lower bound on Dirichlet energy, improves multi-head attention via multi-scale fusion and mitigates overfitting. In the backward path, we design the Fro-FWNAdam, a gradient descent algorithm guided by a learning-rate-aware perceptron. An explicit Frobenius norm bound on weights is derived from Lyapunov theory to form the basis of the perceptron. This stability-aware optimizer is embedded within a Frank–Wolfe framework with Nesterov acceleration, yielding a projection-free constrained optimization strategy that stabilizes training dynamics. Experiments on six benchmark datasets show that LDC-GAT outperforms GAT by 10.54% in classification accuracy, which demonstrates strong robustness on heterophilic graphs. Full article

This study evaluated the adsorption and desorption of imidacloprid (IMI), thiamethoxam (THM) and clothianidin (CLO) in an andisol (Freire soil) and an inceptisol (Chufquén soil) from southern Chile with different organic matter and clay contents. The soils had a slightly acidic pH and clay and clay-loam textures. The tests were carried out at 20 °C with CaCl₂ 0.01 M as the electrolyte. Kinetic experiments were performed and isotherms were fitted to the pseudo-second-order, Elovich, Weber–Morris, Freundlich and Langmuir models. The kinetics were best described by the pseudo-second-order model (R² > 0.99), indicating chemisorption; the rate was the highest for THM, although IMI and CLO achieved the highest retention capacities. The Chufquén samples, with lower organic matter but 52% clay, exhibited the highest K_f and q_m of up to 12.4 and 270 mg kg⁻¹, respectively, while the K_d (2.3–6.9 L kg⁻¹) and K_oc (24–167 L kg⁻¹) coefficients revealed a moderate leaching risk. THM was the most mobile compound due to its high solubility. Desorption was partially irreversible (H = 0.48–1.48), indicating persistence in soil. FTIR analysis confirmed the interaction with O-Al-O/O-O-Si-O groups without alterations in the mineral structure. In the soils examined in this study, the clay fraction and variable-charge minerals, rather than organic matter, were more closely associated with the adsorption behaviour of these NNIs. Full article

Constructed wetlands are nature-based technologies widely used for the treatment of wastewater and contaminated surface water. This study evaluated the efficiency of free water surface (FWS) and horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF) constructed wetlands in reducing the turbidity of mine spoil rainwater using the w-C* model. Different hydraulic retention times (2, 4, and 6 days) were tested, and the influence of macrophyte type and substrate on the w parameter was investigated. Model calibration was performed based on correlation coefficients (R), coefficient of determination (R²), Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), and root mean square error (RMSE). The results indicated a 99% reduction in turbidity, with average values of R = 0.87 ± 0.05 (FWS) and 0.87 ± 0.03 (HSSF), and NSE of 0.76 ± 0.04 (FWS) and 0.74 ± 0.07 (HSSF), demonstrating good agreement between observed and predicted data. The settling rate (w) ranged from 0.16 to 0.40 m·d⁻¹ in FWS and from 0.20 to 0.70 m·d⁻¹ in HSSF, with the lowest value recorded in the control (0.09 m·d⁻¹). The best performances were observed in FWS-P with Pistia stratiotes (0.40 m·d⁻¹) and HSSF with Typha domingensis (0.70 m·d⁻¹), demonstrating that vegetation, combined with the use of medium-grain substrate (9.5–19.0 mm), enhances turbidity removal. The w-C* model proved to be a robust tool for describing the kinetics of suspended colloidal particle removal in constructed wetlands, providing valuable insights for optimizing hydraulic parameters and design criteria for full-scale application. Full article

The aim of this study was to develop double emulsions-filled chitosan hydrogel beads for topical application and to elucidate their skin penetration behavior. Double emulsions were prepared by a two-step emulsification method, and double emulsions-filled chitosan hydrogel beads were prepared by the extrusion method. The structure, stability, and skin penetration behavior were investigated. The results of yield efficiency (above 80%) and microstructure observation confirmed the feasibility of the preparation method. After loading the hydrophilic active ingredients (vitamin C) into this system, the retention ratio after storage for 6 weeks increased by 77.6%. Furthermore, hydrogel beads could promote the permeation of hydrophilic active ingredients loaded in double emulsions. When the concentration of chitosan was 3% (w/v), the permeation coefficient of vitamin C from hydrogel beads exhibited an increase (1.7-fold) compared with double emulsions. This system could affect the orderliness of lipid structures in the stratum corneum. In addition, the results indicated that this system could be used for the topical delivery of hydrophobic active ingredients (quercetin) as well. This is the first report of chitosan bead stabilization of W/O/W emulsions, yielding a 2.6-fold increase in skin uptake of hydrophilic actives. Full article

Alcohol abuse is a widespread addiction globally, leading to long-term health issues and social consequences. Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl palmitate (EtPa) are frequently requested by local authorities, solicitors, or private individuals to assess long-term chronic excessive alcohol consumption. In this paper, we present a validation process aimed at developing sensitive methods for detecting EtG and EtPa in hair samples. EtG was extracted by overnight sonication in water followed by sample clean-up using solid phase extraction (SPE) and analysis by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). EtPa was extracted using a simple ultrasonication extraction followed by analysis using gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The analytical method was validated by assessing linearity, precision, accuracy, recovery, sensitivity, and selectivity. Both EtG and EtPa methods obtained a coefficient of determination (r2) above 0.999 across concentration ranges of 4, 8, 16, 24, 48, and 96 pg/mg and 120, 240, 360, 480, 600, and 720 pg/mg. Extraction recoveries were both close to 100% with stable retention times and proven sensitivity and selectivity. These methods were validated according to the standards set by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) Lab51 and ISO 17025. Full article