Search Results (19,040)

The rapid adoption of electric vehicles (BEVs) has increased the need to understand how fast-charging strategies influence long-distance travel times under real-world conditions. While most manufacturers specify maximum charging power and standardized driving ranges, these figures often fail to reflect actual highway operation, particularly in adverse weather. This study addresses this gap by analyzing the fast-charging behaviour, net battery capacity and highway energy consumption of 62 EVs from different market segments. Charging power curves were obtained experimentally at high-power DC stations, with data recorded through both the charging infrastructure and the vehicles’ battery management systems. Tests were conducted, under optimal conditions, between 10% and 90% state of charge (SoC), with additional sessions performed under both cold and preconditioned battery conditions to show thermal effects on the batteries’ fast-charging capabilities. Real-world highway consumption values were applied to simulate 1000 km journeys at 120 km/h under cold (−10 °C, cabin heating) and mild (23 °C, no AC) weather scenarios. An optimization model was developed to minimize total trip time by adjusting the number and duration of charging stops, including a 5 min detour for each charging session. Results show that the optimal charging cutoff point consistently emerges around 59% SoC, with a typical deviation of 10, regardless of ambient temperature. Charging beyond 70% SoC is generally inefficient unless dictated by charging station availability. The optimal strategy involves increasing the number of shorter stops—typically every 2–3 h of driving—thereby reducing total trip. Full article

The tensile behavior of cold recycled cement-treated mixtures (CRCTMs), typically produced through full-depth reclamation (FDR), is critical for pavement design. Since no universal design method exists, different tests are applied, leading to varying results. In this context, this study aimed (a) to statistically analyze the flexural tensile strength (FTS) and indirect tensile strength (ITS) of CRCTMs incorporating reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and lateritic soil (LS); (b) to evaluate how using FTS or ITS influences the design of CRCTM layers. FTS and ITS tests were conducted with different cement (1–7%) and RAP (7–93%) contents at multiple curing times (3–28 days), and results were used for statistical and mechanistic analyses. Results showed that cement and RAP contents significantly increased FTS and ITS. RAP exhibited the strongest influence on ITS. This indicates that CRCTMs with similar materials benefit from higher RAP contents. Mechanistic analysis revealed that lower RAP contents require thicker pavement structures, suggesting that increasing RAP can reduce costs and environmental impacts. FTS was about 65% higher than ITS, but using ITS in design led to structures 1.7–3.3 times thicker for the same service life. These findings highlight the need for proper CRCTM characterization, with flexural tests recommended for more reliable and cost-effective pavement design. Full article

Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) systems are a technology designed to simultaneously convert solar energy into both electrical and thermal energy. The overall conversion efficiency of these systems can be significantly enhanced by effectively cooling the photovoltaic (PV) module. To this end, this paper presents a comparative experimental study of a PV panel under three distinct configurations: operating with a no cold plate, with an ordinary cold plate, and with a spiral coil cold plate. The system’s photo-thermoelectric efficiency was evaluated by measuring key parameters, including the PV panel’s surface temperature, electrical power output, and the water tank temperature. The results indicate that the spiral coil configuration demonstrated a marked superiority in temperature regulation over the baseline case, achieving a maximum temperature reduction of 13.8 °C and an average reduction of 10.74 °C. Furthermore, a stable temperature drop exceeding 10 °C was maintained for 74.07% of the experimental duration. When compared to the ordinary cold plate, the spiral coil configuration continued to exhibit superior performance, delivering maximum and average temperature drops of 3.6 °C and 2.16 °C, respectively, while sustaining a cooling advantage of over 2 °C for 66.67% of the test period. These findings conclusively demonstrate that the spiral coil cold plate is the most effective configuration for enhancing the system’s overall performance. Full article

Late spring frosts represent a major threat to grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.), a risk increasingly exacerbated by climate change-driven shifts in phenology. To explore sustainable strategies for frost mitigation, this study investigated the effect of a natural polysaccharide-based biogel, derived from carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.), on the molecular response of grapevine buds exposed to severe cold stress. To this aim, a preliminary RNA-Seq analysis was carried out to compare the transcriptomes of biogel-treated frozen buds (BIOGEL), untreated frozen buds (NTF), and unstressed controls (TNT). The transcriptomic analysis revealed extensive reprogramming of gene expression under freezing stress, highlighting the involvement of pathways related to membrane stabilization, osmotic adjustment, and metabolic regulation. Interestingly, the biogel treatment appeared to attenuate the modulation of several cold-responsive genes, particularly those associated with membrane functionality. Based on these preliminary transcriptomic data, twelve candidate genes, representative of the functional classes affected by biogel treatment, were selected for qRT-PCR validation. The expression patterns confirmed the RNA-Seq trends, further suggesting that biogel application might mitigate the typical transcriptional activation induced by frost, while supporting genes involved in cellular protection and integrity maintenance. The overall analyses suggest that the biogel may act through a dual mechanism: (i) providing a physical barrier that reduces cold-induced cellular damage and stress perception, and (ii) promoting a selective adjustment of gene expression that restrains excessive defense activation while enhancing membrane stability. Although further field validation is required, this natural and biodegradable formulation represents a promising and sustainable tool for mitigating late frost injuries in viticulture. Full article

The ability of Ribes species to survive the fluctuating winter and early spring conditions, relies on the regulation of transcription factors (TFs) and other key genes involved in the abiotic stress response. In this study, we developed specific primers for 33 stress-responsive genes, which may facilitate future functional studies in Ribes and other less-characterized lineages within the Saxifragales order. These genes were selected based on a comparative transcriptomic analysis of R. nigrum cv. Aldoniai and are known to function in cold acclimation and stress signaling pathways. We analyzed expression profiles of these 33 genes in R. aureum, R. hudsonianum, and R. nigrum microshoot cultures exposed to controlled cold stress, deacclimation and reacclimation treatments. Our results revealed species-specific genetic responses across acclimation cycles of varying durations (24–96 h). Cold stress induces molecular changes in three Ribes spp.; however, deacclimation triggered by transient warming significantly reduced freezing tolerance in R. nigrum, had a moderate effect on R. hudsonianum, and minor impact on R. aureum. Gene expression profiling revealed distinct, species-specific regulatory patterns among species during different stress cycles, highlighting conserved and specific genes in acclimation mechanisms within the Ribes spp. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of transcriptional regulation under acclimation cycles in currants and provide molecular tools that may support breeding strategies aimed at enhancing cold tolerance in Ribes crops amid increasing climate variability. Full article

Allergen-free (AF) baked goods usually show inferior texture and mouth-feel due to lack of functional proteins. This study evaluated the quality characteristics of AF muffins incorporated with three different sources of chickpea protein isolate (CPI), including commercial CPI, laboratory CPI, and cold plasma-modified laboratory CPI at varying addition levels (5%, 10%, and 15%). Results indicate that commercially available CPI exhibits high viscoelasticity in whole wheat muffin batter due to mixed protein types and severe denaturation, but the finished muffins are excessively hard with insufficient elasticity. Adding 15% laboratory CPI treated with cold plasma significantly enhanced the viscoelasticity of the muffin batter. The final product achieved a volume of 99.43 cm³, representing a 20.1% increase compared to the protein-free control group. This resulted in a superior product with enhanced elasticity, moderate hardness, and improved color. This study confirms that cold plasma modification technology effectively unlocks the structural and functional potential of chickpea protein in AF baking systems, offering an innovative solution for developing high-quality, high-protein AF foods. Future research will focus on the industrial scalability of this technology, product sensory characteristics, and shelf-life evaluation. Full article

Iron-based metallic glasses are gaining increased interest due to their good glass-forming ability, high compressive strength, high corrosion resistance, catalytic properties, excellent soft magnetic properties, and relatively low cost. Cold spraying was successfully used to produce amorphous coatings from commercially available powder without any crystallization due to its high cooling rate and short processing time, minimizing thermal influences. Thick and dense amorphous coatings were obtained. The effect of a substrate on the microstructure, phase composition, microhardness, flexural strength, and wear behaviour of the coatings was investigated. The cold sprayed coatings revealed an almost complete amorphous structure and negligible porosity. The coating deposited on the steel substrate showed higher microhardness, better resistance to loose abrasive wear, and a slightly lower wear index tested in the coating and Si₃N₄ ball tribological association than that cold sprayed on an Al alloy. The force required to destroy the durability of the coating–steel substrate system estimated during three-point bending tests was also much higher. Both coatings were characterized by a comparable friction coefficient. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study assessed the chemical and physical stability of ascorbic acid in pediatric total parenteral nutrition (TPN) admixtures under conditions reflecting both hospital compounding and home administration. Methods: Two storage protocols were examined: (A) refrigerated storage (15 days, 4 ± 2 °C) followed by addition of ascorbic acid and a 24-h period of storage at room temperature, and (B) vitamin supplementation within 24 h after composing and storage at 21 ± 2 °C. A validated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was used to quantify ascorbic acid degradation. Physical stability was evaluated via optical microscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), laser diffraction (LD), zeta potential, and pH measurement. Results: Ascorbic acid content remained above 90% of the declared value in both protocols, although gradual degradation was observed with increasing storage time and temperature. Emulsion droplet sizes remained within pharmacopeial limits (<500 nm), and no coalescence or phase separation was detected. Zeta potential values (−20 to −40 mV) confirmed kinetic stability, while pH ranged from 5.8 to 6.2, remaining within acceptable safety margins. Conclusions: Vitamin C in pediatric TPN admixtures is stable under refrigerated conditions for up to 15 days. However, the additional 24 h at room temperature resulted in measurable loss of ascorbic acid content, suggesting a need for improved guidance in home-based parenteral nutrition, particularly regarding transport and handling. The study underscores the importance of strict cold-chain maintenance and highlights the role of emulsion matrix and packaging in protecting labile vitamins. This research provides practical implications for hospital pharmacists and caregivers, supporting better formulation practices and patient safety in pediatric home TPN programs. Full article

Background: Inguinal wound healing disorders have been a relevant problem in the surgical treatment of peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAD) for decades with reported rates of up to 30%. Despite the otherwise diverse innovations in vascular surgery, there are hardly any improvements in this area, on the contrary, comorbidities such as obesity, as relevant risk factors, continue to increase. The application of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has in turn shown promise in approaches for the treatment of chronic wounds, we therefore evaluated the potential reduction in inguinal wound healing disorders through the intraoperative application of CAP. Methods: We carried out a pilot study including 50 patients with a high risk for inguinal wound healing disorders that underwent a peripheral arterial reconstruction with inguinal access. Alternately, these patients were treated once intraoperatively with CAP (n = 25) or served as the control group (n = 25). The wound condition was then evaluated for the next fourteen days, with a follow up of three months. Results: The two groups showed no differences regarding risk factors such as smoking, obesity, PAD stage or surgery-related aspects like incision length or duration of surgery. No differences were found regarding wound-related readmission. However, the patients who had been treated intraoperatively with CAP showed a significant reduction in the need for surgical revisions due to inguinal wound healing disorders (8% vs. 32%, p = 0.034). Conclusions: This pilot study shows that the intraoperative use of CAP could be a promising approach to reduce major inguinal wound healing disorders. Full article

This study develops a discrete element model incorporating the water–ice phase transition volume effect to simulate frost damage in saturated granite. The model investigates the damage evolution and mechanical degradation under freeze–thaw cycles. The results show that during freeze–thaw cycles, the model’s temperature field exhibits non-uniform distribution characteristics and geometric dependency, with lower maximum temperature differences in Brazilian disk models versus uniaxial compression specimens. Frost heave damage progresses through three distinct stages: localized bond fractures (1~5 cycles); accelerated crack interconnection and branching (15~20 cycles); and fully interconnected damage zones (25~30 cycles). As the number of freeze–thaw cycles increases, the crack network significantly influences the mechanical behavior of the model under load. The failure mode of the loaded model undergoes a transformation from brittle penetration to ductile fragmentation. Freeze–thaw cycles cause more significant degradation in the tensile strength of granite compared to compressive strength. After 30 freeze–thaw cycles, the uniaxial compressive strength and Brazilian tensile strength decrease by 47.5% and 93.8%, respectively. These findings provide theoretical support for assessing frost heave damage in geotechnical engineering in cold regions. Full article

This study investigates stress detection in dairy cattle by integrating circadian rhythm analysis and deep learning. Behavioral biomarkers, including feeding, resting, and rumination, were continuously monitored using Nedap CowControl sensors over a 12-month period to capture seasonal variability. Circadian features were extracted using the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), and deviations from expected 24 h patterns were quantified using Euclidean distance. These features were used to train a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural network to classify stress into three levels: normal, mild, and high. Expert veterinary observations of anomalous behaviors and environmental records were used to validate stress labeling. We continuously monitored 10 lactating Holstein cows for 365 days, yielding 87,600 raw hours and 3650 cow-days (one day per cow as the analytical unit). The Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT, 36 h window, 1 h step) was used solely to derive daily circadian characteristics (amplitude, phase, coherence); STFT windows are not statistical samples. A 60 min window prior to stress onset was incorporated to anticipate stress conditions triggered by management practices and environmental stressors, such as vaccination, animal handling, and cold stress. The proposed LSTM model achieved an accuracy of 82.3% and an AUC of 0.847, outperforming a benchmark logistic regression model (65% accuracy). This predictive capability, with a one-hour lead time, provides a critical window for preventive interventions and represents a practical tool for precision livestock farming and animal welfare monitoring. Full article

Influenza viruses cause mild to severe lower respiratory infections, sometimes resulting in hospitalization and death. Vaccination remains the primary prophylactic strategy. Live attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIVs) efficiently induce antiviral immune responses and contain temperature-sensitive and cold-adapted mutations that render them safe. These mutations are principally located in the PB1 and PB2 subunits of the viral RNA polymerase, but the mechanism by which they attenuate the virus is unclear. We introduced the PB1 and PB2 mutations from two LAIV backbones, A/Ann Arbor/6/1960 H2N2 (AA) and A/Leningrad/134/17/1957 H2N2 (Len), into the model influenza strain A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 H1N1 (PR8). In contrast to the wild-type (WT) PR8 polymerase, the two “PR8-LAIV” polymerase complexes demonstrated maximal activity at cold temperatures (30–32 °C) and greatly reduced activity at elevated temperatures (>37 °C). To further understand the impact of the LAIV mutations, we infected MDCK cells with WT and mutated PR8 viruses that contain the Len and AA LAIV mutations in PB1 and PB2. The PR8-LAIV mutant viruses exhibited a selective, temperature-dependent defect in the replicase activity of the viral RNA polymerase relative to WT PR8, while also demonstrating a temperature-dependent enhancement in the transcriptional activity of the enzyme. In addition, the PR8-LAIV mutant viruses produced similar levels of viral proteins to WT PR8 at 37 °C, but greatly (2–3 log₁₀) reduced levels of infectious viral progeny. Collectively, these data show that LAIV mutations selectively alter influenza viral RNA polymerase function, favoring transcription over genome synthesis at 37 °C, thereby preserving viral antigen production while also contributing to viral attenuation. Full article

Milk is widely consumed due to its high nutritional value and ease of digestion. However, because it is highly perishable, it requires specific technologies to ensure its microbiological safety and preserve its characteristics. Thermal methods such as pasteurization and UHT are common, but the growing demand for more natural foods is driving interest in less invasive alternatives. This study reviews emerging technologies in milk processing, such as freeze-drying, ultrasound, supercritical carbon dioxide, ohmic heating, pulsed electric fields, high pressure, ozonation, cold plasma, and pulsed light. These methods show potential for eliminating microorganisms with reduced nutritional loss and environmental impact. Despite advances, challenges remain for their large-scale application, especially in process standardization and economic viability. This analysis contributes to expanding knowledge about these technologies, offering pathways for innovation, sustainability, and greater alignment with today’s consumer demands. Full article

Background/Objectives: Sarcopenia is an age-related condition marked by a progressive decline in muscle mass, weakened strength, and decreased physical performance in the elderly. Methods: In this research, we used D-galactose (D-gal)-induced 8-week-old male C57BL/6J mice to establish a sarcopenia model. This model was utilized to investigate the effect and potential mechanism of α-ketoglutaric acid (AKG), a key intermediate of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, on sarcopenia. Results: Our findings demonstrated that AKG significantly ameliorated muscle mass, exercise endurance, grip strength, and cold tolerance in D-gal-induced aging mice. AKG could regulate protein homeostasis, thereby enhancing the protein composition and size of myofibers in D-gal-induced aging mice. Additionally, AKG enhanced SOD activity in the skeletal muscle of D-gal-induced aging mice and scavenged reactive oxygen species (ROS) by activating the SIRT1/PGC-1α/Nrf2 pathway, thereby improving mitochondrial function. Conclusions: In conclusion, AKG combated sarcopenia by regulating protein homeostasis and optimizing mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle. This study provides a scientific foundation for developing therapeutic interventions using AKG to target muscle aging. Full article

Culinary herbs and spices are highly valued for their contribution to aroma, color, and overall flavor in traditional foods. Microbial inactivation in fresh herbs and spices is challenging due to their complex surface structures and dense natural microflora, which limit the effectiveness of conventional methods. Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) is an innovative non-thermal technology with potential applications in the fresh spice industry. This study investigates the efficacy of ACP, generated using a practical, simple, and original system that allows uniform treatment without complex equipment, on microbial inactivation and quality attributes of fresh spices. Treatments of 1 and 3 min were applied, and their effects on natural microflora, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas syringae spp. were evaluated on the first day and after 7 days of storage. Results showed that 3 min treatments achieved higher reductions in natural microflora (2.91 log CFU g⁻¹), E. coli (2.76 log CFU g⁻¹), and P. syringae spp. (2.24 log CFU g⁻¹) compared to 1 min treatments (1.87, 1.93, and 1.65 log CFU g⁻¹, respectively). Different herbs exhibited varying responses to ACP, reflecting differences in leaf structure and chemical composition, which highlights the need for tailored treatment strategies. ACP treatment did not significantly affect water activity, color, or moisture content (except for rosemary, bay leaf, and thyme), nor total anthocyanin content (TAA), total phenolic content (TPC), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), or total flavonoid content (TFC). However, total chlorophyll content (TCC) and pH increased significantly in most samples (except rosemary and dill). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the tissue integrity of rosemary and mint was affected by ACP, although more than 50% of carvone in mint was preserved, and its concentration increased. The observed microbial reductions and 3–8-day shelf-life extension suggest meaningful improvements in safety and storage stability for industrial applications. Overall, ACP demonstrates promise as a safe, efficient, and scalable alternative to conventional decontamination methods, with broad potential for enhancing the quality and shelf life of fresh spices. Full article