Search Results (11,521)

To reveal the electromagnetic response characteristics and hydro-thermal evolution mechanism of frozen soil under microwave irradiation, we used remolded frozen soil prepared from undisturbed parent soil collected in Hegang, China, as the research object. We conducted dielectric parameter tests across the 715–1150 MHz and 2250–2650 MHz frequency bands and 1.5 kW microwave heating tests on specimens with three gravimetric water contents (15%, 20%, and 25%) paired with a coupled numerical simulation of electromagnetic field-heat transfer-moisture migration. The results show that water content is the dominant factor controlling the dielectric response of frozen soil. The dielectric loss and water content sensitivity of frozen soil in the low-frequency band (dominated by unfrozen water) are significantly higher than those in the high-frequency band (dominated by ice phase and soil matrix). Microwave-induced temperature rise exhibits a three-stage characteristic, as follows: slow temperature rise, isothermal plateau at the freezing point, and rapid temperature rise. Specimens with a lower initial water content show a higher temperature rise efficiency in the late heating stage, with a maximum rate of 1.112 °C·s⁻¹ for the 15% water content specimen. Mass loss is negatively correlated with initial water content, with a maximum value of 1.8 g after 120 s of irradiation. In addition, the non-uniformity of the electromagnetic field results in a temperature field pattern characterized by a high-temperature core at the specimen center and lower temperatures at the edges. This study provides fundamental theoretical support and technical guidance for the application of microwave thawing technology in geotechnical engineering, particularly for frozen soil foundation treatment in cold regions. Full article

This study aimed to elucidate the effects of different fattening stages on slaughtering performance, meat quality, muscle fiber characteristics, connective tissue properties, and intramuscular fat deposition in Yanbian cattle. A total of 40 eighteen-month-old castrated male Yanbian cattle were raised together under identical conditions. At 24, 28, 32, and 36 months of age, 10 animals were randomly selected and slaughtered. Increased fattening periods, slaughter performance of Yanbian cattle improved steadily, carcass weight and meat weight increased significantly (p < 0.05). Dressing percentage and lean meat percentage reached their maxima at 32 months, which were 60.09% and 46.96% respectively. Cooking loss and centrifugal loss decreased with fattening time (p < 0.05), with the 32- and 36-month-old groups showing the best water-holding capacity. Intramuscular fat content increased significantly during fattening (p < 0.05), with no significant difference between the 32- and 36-month-old groups (p > 0.05). However, Warner–Bratzler shear force (WBSF) was significantly higher at 32 and 36 months than at 24 and 28 months (p < 0.05), indicating reduced tenderness with prolonged fattening. The endomysial collagen network at 32 months maintained a compact yet filamentous structure, whereas by 36 months it had transformed into a dense sheet-like configuration. In conclusion, fattening to 32 months achieves a compromise among marbling, collagen maturity, water-holding capacity, slaughtering efficiency, and the onset of increased toughness. Therefore, 32 months is recommended as the fattening endpoint when balancing meat production and quality traits. Full article

Chicken meat palatability is shaped by what the meat contains (e.g., intramuscular fat and fatty-acid composition), what happens to those components during storage and cooking (including oxidation and transfer into soups or meat juices), and how tastebud signaling integrates the resulting stimuli. Chicken sold in Japan as “Jidori” (premium native-line products) is often described as having a richer flavor that lingers longer than that of standard broiler chicken, and published poultry work, including reports by the author and their colleagues, has linked this phenotype to higher arachidonic acid (AA) levels in the meat; however, the mechanistic basis remains under debate and has not been overturned. In addition, intact AA is a highly hydrophobic long-chain fatty acid that partitions poorly into aqueous phases, making a direct “AA-as-tastant” mechanism unlikely. This review develops a hierarchical interpretation that separates food-level associations from tastebud mechanisms and reframes AA as a primarily downstream lipid substrate. Two complementary routes are proposed: (i) a food-chemistry route in which cooking and storage oxidation generate low-molecular-weight, water-accessible lipid-oxidation products that partition into soups, meat juices, and cooking loss, and (ii) a receptor-centered route in which kokumi-related signaling pathways, particularly those involving the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), amplify taste intensity, continuity, and aftertaste within tastebuds. This framework emphasizes how these routes can be linked experimentally by combining matrix/phase manipulations with targeted carbonyl profiling, fractionation–reconstitution, and pathway-perturbation assays in tastebud readouts. Overall, the model is intended to support mechanism-focused study designs beyond single-compound explanations. Full article

Curcuminoids from Curcuma longa L. (curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin) are attractive bioactives yet constrained by low water solubility and chemical instability. Herein, we introduce a Supramolecular Deep Eutectic Solvent (SupraDES) as a “Janus” green platform, combining extraction and stabilization with a subsequent solvent-to-material strategy. Eight NaDES/SupraDES formulations based on choline chloride (ChCl) or betaine with glycerol (Gly) or citric acid (CitA), with/without β-cyclodextrin (βCD), were assessed. The extinction coefficients of the most promising solvents were extrapolated at 425 nm for the UV–vis quantification of curcuminoids, to determine extraction performance. The SupraDES ChCl:Gly:βCD gave the best performance during the first solvent screening, improving at the same time the bioactive stability (after 30-day, 47.5% loss vs. 62.8% of ChCl:Gly alone). Subsequent microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) optimization identified 80 °C as the optimal process temperature, with near-equilibrium reached within 15 min (3139.4 µgCurc/gEXT). Peleg modelling (R² = 0.997) indicated a fast extraction rate and limited benefit from longer residence times. Finally, the curcuminoid-loaded SupraDES was incorporated into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) networks crosslinked with CitA and 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF); thermal analysis confirmed the formation of a stable crosslinked structure. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a βCD-based SupraDES acting as a Janus platform that couples supramolecular extraction of lipophilic bioactives with their direct incorporation into bio-based polymeric materials, exemplifying an integrated green chemistry approach aligned with circular bioeconomy principles. Full article

Tung cake, a by-product of Vernicia fordii oil extraction, is an underutilized biomass residue rich in natural bioactive constituents and therefore shows potential for the development of sustainable protective formulations. In this study, tung cake-derived systems, including the aqueous extract, fermentation broth, and extract–ethanol mixtures with different ethanol volume fractions, were prepared and systematically evaluated as a unified protective system on two representative biological surfaces, namely rubberwood and fresh fruit. For rubberwood, the formulations were assessed in terms of uptake behavior, antifungal efficacy against Aspergillus niger, resistance to moisture swelling, and physicochemical characteristics using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). For fruit surfaces, preservation performance was evaluated through weight loss, decay rate, and color retention during storage. The results showed that formulation performance depended strongly on the preparation route and extract–ethanol mixture. In rubberwood, the 60–90% mixtures and the extract displayed showed better performance antifungal activity, with the 60%, 80%, and 90% mixtures reaching a control efficacy of 75.00% and the extract achieving 68.75%. The treatments also improved the dimensional stability of wood, and the water-saturated volumetric swelling rate decreased from 8.98% in the control to 5.63% in the extract-treated group. FTIR and XRD analyses indicated that the basic lignocellulosic chemical framework and cellulose-related diffraction features of rubberwood were largely retained after treatment, while treatment-dependent qualitative spectral and apparent diffraction differences were observed. SEM provided more direct evidence of surface-associated covering and reduced fungal attachment. A comparable protective tendency was also observed on fruit surfaces. In oranges, the 80% extract–ethanol mixture showed the most favorable preservation performance under the tested storage conditions, maintaining a decay rate of 0 throughout 10 days of storage, reducing weight loss to 17.76%, and preserving surface color more effectively than the control. Overall, the 80% ethanol mixture achieved the best balance between antimicrobial activity and barrier-related protection across both rubberwood and fruit surfaces. These findings demonstrate that tung cake waste can be converted into a bio-based protective system with potential mold-inhibiting and preservation functions across different biological substrates. Full article

We study the extreme behavior of six central Chile glacier mass balance series facing significant retreats and ice wastage due to climate variability and change. This has led to reduced meltwater availability in dry seasons, increasing competition for downstream water resources. Understanding glacier mass balances is crucial for predicting future water availability in scenarios with higher water demands. We used Extreme Value Theory tools to analyze the data and identify extreme events. The main objective of this study is to statistically analyze glacier mass losses in Chile, using mass balance data collected from both national and international sources. The results show high heterogeneity in the extreme behavior of glaciers, with some showing an approximately exponential tail (Guanaco Glacier), others exhibiting stability with slight tails (Echaurren Norte and Mocho Glaciers) and one (Amarillo Glacier) with a highly unstable structure. The other analyzed glaciers (Juncal Norte and Juncal Sur) have slight and potentially limited tails. These results confirm the high importance of studying glaciers in the Andes in order to better understand their responses to climate change, an important and relevant aspect for the future management of glacier melt water resources. Full article

A controlled composting biodegradation system was implemented to evaluate a wood–plastic composite (WPC) composed of wood fibers and recycled HDPE (rHDPE), in accordance with ASTM D5338, by measuring CO₂ capture over 45 days. This evaluation was complemented with mechanical and physicochemical characterization, including stereomicroscopy/SEM, mass loss, water absorption, contact angle, tensile strength, FTIR, TGA, and DSC. The results showed 6.12% biodegradation, classifying the material as neither biodegradable nor compostable. SEM analysis revealed increased surface roughness, cracks, and microbial-like structures, together with a 10% decrease in contact angle. The mechanical properties declined by 33% (tensile strength), despite only 1.26% mass loss, which was attributed to weakening of the matrix–fiber interfacial adhesion due to water absorption. TGA, DSC, and FTIR supported the interpretation that degradation occurred preferentially in the wood fibers. Full article

The leaves and bark of Litsea species have traditionally been used as folk medicine to treat pain, headache, inflammation, diarrhea, and gastroenteritis. This study investigated whether dietary supplementation with Litsea cubeba leaves could preserve key functional components of the colonic barrier in a mouse model of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a control diet or a diet supplemented with L. cubeba leaves (20 g/kg diet) for 2 weeks, and colitis was induced by administering 3% (w/v) DSS in drinking water during the final week. Dietary L. cubeba leaf supplementation significantly attenuated DSS-induced body weight loss and suppressed the increase in Disease Activity Index. In addition, L. cubeba leaf supplementation attenuated DSS-induced reduction in fecal immunoglobulin A content and significantly prevented the reduction in fecal mucin content, which are key functional components of the colonic barrier. Furthermore, plasma levels of the inflammatory chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 were significantly decreased by L. cubeba leaf supplementation, accompanied by a reduction in plasma alanine aminotransferase activity, a marker of liver injury. These findings suggest that dietary L. cubeba leaf supplementation alleviates DSS-induced ulcerative colitis in mice, at least in part, by preserving key functional components of the colonic barrier rather than predominantly through direct suppression of colonic inflammatory gene expression. Full article

This paper presents a bidirectional power flow control strategy for a grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV)-based water pumping system employing a brushless DC (BLDC) motor drive. The proposed system enables continuous water pumping operation under varying solar irradiance conditions without the use of phase-current sensors while maintaining the motor at its rated operating speed. A single-phase voltage source converter (VSC) employs a unit vector template (UVT)-based control scheme that regulates bidirectional power flow between the utility grid and the dc-link, thereby supporting both grid-to-load and PV-to-grid power transfer. Excess photovoltaic energy can be exported to the utility grid during periods of reduced pumping demand, improving overall utilization of the available solar power. The voltage source inverter (VSI) driving the BLDC motor employs a PWM_ON_PWM switching scheme to reduce torque ripple while operating at fundamental frequency to minimize switching losses. The proposed system also incorporates maximum power point tracking (MPPT), power factor correction, and harmonic mitigation to improve power quality and ensure compliance with IEEE-519 requirements. The effectiveness of the proposed control strategy is evaluated through detailed MATLAB/Simulink R2023a simulations under various operating conditions. The simulation results demonstrate stable dc-link voltage regulation, bidirectional power flow capability, continuous pumping operation, and reduced torque ripple, highlighting the suitability of the proposed system for grid-interactive solar water pumping applications. Full article

Tomato crop residues (TCR) from soilless greenhouses are treated as waste, causing greenhouse gas emissions and biomass loss. Within a circular economy framework, gasification converts TCR into renewable energy and biochar; however, its high pH and electrical conductivity (EC) limit its use as a substrate. This study evaluated whether pre-treatment could enable TCR biochar to act as a substrate component and nutrient source in tomato and pepper seedlings. Biochar was produced by gasification and pre-treated by water incubation plus nitric acid, reducing EC from 27 to 8.7 dS m⁻¹ and pH from 10.4 to 8.2 while achieving nitrate loading without leaching. Pristine biochar severely restricted growth. Subsequent experiments evaluated pre-treated biochar mixed with perlite or cocopeat, with or without external N and K. The 15/85% (w/w) pre-treated biochar/cocopeat mixture (PTB/C) showed the best overall performance. In the absence of additional N/K, PTB/C produced shoot biomass and shoot N concentrations comparable to N-/K-supplemented cocopeat; shoot K was comparable in tomato and higher in pepper. With N and K supplementation, PTB/C exceeded supplemented cocopeat biomass by 1.41- and 1.95-fold in tomato and pepper, respectively. These results indicate that pre-treated TCR biochar can reduce dependence on imported cocopeat and external N/K supply. Full article

Aquatic environments that support tourism, including coasts, lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries, are experiencing accelerating eutrophication worldwide. This trend increases the frequency and intensity of algal blooms. These blooms undermine ecosystem services and weaken the socio-economic performance of destination areas. Despite these challenges, existing research remains fragmented. Aquatic sciences mainly examine nutrient enrichment and bloom dynamics. In contrast, tourism studies often treat blooms as episodic disturbances and rarely integrate exposure pathways, risk communication, or feedback to destination governance. This review synthesizes evidence across freshwater and marine systems to develop a coupled tourism–water ecosystem perspective. We link eutrophication drivers and bloom typologies to three dimensions. These are the degradation of tourism-supporting ecosystem services, compound health stressors, and communication filters. The first includes losses of water clarity and aesthetic value. The second involves multi-route exposure through contact, inhalation, and seafood ingestion. The third shapes perceived safety, trust, and behavioral adaptation. We further connect perceived health risks to observable tourist behaviors, including cancellation, destination substitution, and activity avoidance. These micro-level responses can aggregate into market-level demand contractions and consumption reallocation. They can also trigger regional economic cascades, including public management costs, employment impacts, and long-term reputational damage. Crucially, tourism is not merely a victim of blooms. It can also act as a reinforcing anthropogenic driver through wastewater burdens, infrastructure expansion, and pulse pressures. These pressures lower ecological resilience, especially under warming and hydrological stabilization. Finally, we identify governance leverage points. These include early-warning systems, threshold-based graded interventions, transparent risk communication, and integrated social–ecological modeling. These strategies can reduce uncertainty-driven losses and support adaptive destination management. Overall, this review reframes algal blooms as systemic social–ecological risks. It provides a structured basis for future empirical attribution and policy design in tourism-dependent waters under climate stress. Full article

This study assesses the future availability of water resources in Lake Guiers by 2050, considering the combined impacts of climate change and human activities, using the Water Evaluation and Planning System. As Senegal’s main freshwater source, the lake faces growing pressure from agricultural expansion, aquatic plant overgrowth, competing stakeholder demands, and increasing water use. The study combines field data on hydrological flows and agricultural water use with climate projections under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios. Climate data were downscaled and bias-corrected using CMhyd, multiple linear regression, and the Mann–Kendall test. Model calibration showed strong performance (NSE = 0.95; R² = 0.96). Results reveal decreasing precipitation and rising temperatures under both scenarios. Agricultural withdrawals (79,331,457.14 m³/year) already exceed crop water needs (69,115,088.03 m³/year), resulting in significant water losses estimated at over 10 million m³ per year. Scenario analysis indicates that high water demand under Shared Socioeconomic Pathways SSP8.5 could lead to critical declines in lake volume as early as 2026 (550 million m³), while moderate demand growth under SSP4.5 could maintain water availability until 2050. The proposed PREFERLO-Grand Transfer project would add further stress to the lake’s capacity. These findings emphasize the urgent need for sustainable water management and policy actions. Full article

Deep stormwater drainage tunnels are increasingly being used to mitigate urban flooding, but in-tunnel sediment deposition reduces their discharge capacity and complicates their maintenance. With direct field observation constrained, numerical simulation is essential, and river-based total sediment load formulas require reassessment for use in deep tunnels. The three-phase (air–water–sediment) CFD solver SedInterFoam is first validated against a benchmark open-channel suspended sediment experiment, and is then applied to a horseshoe tunnel under a fixed design discharge for multiple inlet sediment concentrations spanning urban stormwater conditions. Four classical formulas (Yang, Shen–Hung, Ackers–White, Engelund–Hansen) are evaluated at the CFD-resolved hydraulic state; Toffaleti is omitted because its zone-based formulation is incompatible with the partially filled horseshoe geometry. The CFD consistently shows persistent retention of a substantial fraction of the inlet sediment load, whereas the transport capacity-limited interpretation of the classical formulas predicts near-complete sediment throughput—indicating structural inadequacy for the dilute, supply-limited regime typical of urban stormwater. A Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE)-style dimensionless deposition formula is therefore proposed, with inlet sediment loading as the explicit independent variable and a tunnel correction factor 𝐾_tunnel absorbing the geometric, hydraulic, and sediment variations. Its regression yields an almost linear scaling and a nearly constant deposition ratio, while analysis of the internal flow and concentration fields shows that the retained sediment is strongly concentrated near the bed and that near-bed turbulent mixing weakens moderately with a rising inlet concentration. While calibrated for a single non-cohesive settleable sand fraction, the framework provides a transferable basis for inlet-loading-dependent deposition prediction in deep stormwater drainage tunnels, and subsequent extension of 𝐾_tunnel to broader sediment conditions with field-based validation is expected to enable maintenance planning, dredging volume estimation, and sediment retention risk assessment. Full article

Sustainable small hydropower (SHP) is central to the clean-energy transition of mountainous Central Asia, yet its long-term reliability depends on a rapidly changing cryosphere. Winter river-ice dynamics—an underappreciated control on run-of-river generation—remain poorly characterized owing to the collapse of in situ hydrometeorological networks since 1991. We use a 112-month Sentinel-1 C-band SAR time series (February 2017–May 2026) over a 5320 km² headwater catchment of the Chu River basin, northern Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan, to quantify river-ice phenology at 20 m resolution using a per-pixel summer-baseline anomaly approach. Mid-winter (December–February) ice cover declined significantly at −0.51%·yr⁻¹ (p = 0.013; Mann–Kendall p = 0.029), with the 2026 winter recording an unprecedented 2.6–2.8 σ departure from the 2017–2025 climatology. Contrasting the cold 2022 and warm 2026 winters revealed bidirectional climate sensitivity—early breakup versus persistent thin ice—posing distinct SHP hazards. ERA5-Land reanalysis (1992–2026) showed significant winter warming with no precipitation or snowfall trend, indicating thermally forced ice decline. Interpreted within a conceptual Peak Water scenario, this signals a closing window of opportunity for SHP generation, with direct relevance to sustainable water–energy management and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 7; SDG 13). Our results provide the first decadal, satellite-based evidence of river-ice loss for Central Asian mountain rivers and a transferable monitoring framework to support climate-resilient, sustainable hydropower planning in ungauged basins. Full article

Mediterranean-type forest ecosystems are becoming increasingly vulnerable to intensifying drought, threatening the resilience of even highly adapted ecosystems such as the Northern Jarrah Forest in south-western Australia. This study quantifies multi-decadal dynamics of canopy water stress using a 36-year multispectral satellite archive (1988–2024) and the newly developed Infrared Canopy Dryness Index (ICDI). We combined this spatiotemporal dataset with a MaxEnt-based risk assessment framework to identify the biophysical drivers of drought-induced canopy loss and to delineate high-risk zones under accelerating climate-forcing changes. Our results demonstrate a systematic spatial expansion of canopy dryness, paralleling a deteriorating regional climatic water balance. Hotspot analysis revealed a transition from localized, peripheral stress to widespread, chronic drought conditions across the landscape. The modelling achieved high diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.952), significantly outperforming conventional assessment methods. Regolith depth was identified as the primary determinant of drought-induced canopy collapse, followed by ICDI, NDVI, and slope. Crucially, high-biomass stands exhibited disproportionately higher risk of collapse, revealing a density-dependent vulnerability that suggests productive forests are approaching critical hydraulic thresholds. Conversely, lower-stature forests to the east of the study area demonstrated greater stability, likely due to reduced evapotranspirative demand. These findings provide robust spatial evidence for transitioning from reactive monitoring to proactive forest management. We conclude that targeted interventions, such as ecological thinning and prescribed burning in identified high-risk zones, are imperative to protect the forest and preserve the structural integrity of Mediterranean ecosystems in a drying climate. Full article