Search Results (16,452)

Agricultural residues serve as a vast yet underutilized biomass resource with significant potential for bioenergy and biomaterial applications. Converting these residues into densified biomass pellets enhances energy density, handling efficiency, and transportability, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional feedstocks. While extensive research has focused on woody biomass, studies on the pelletization of vegetable crop foliage remain limited. This study examines the pelletability of foliage from corn, soybean, tomato, eggplant, cucumber, and summer squash, assessing their physical properties, bulk durability, bulk density, and energy consumption during pelletization. Results demonstrated that variation in biomass composition significantly influences pellet quality, with lignin content improving durability and ash content affecting moisture uptake and combustion properties. Cucumber had the highest pellet density (691.2 kg/m³) and durability (97.9%), making it suitable for long-term storage and transport. Sawdust exhibited the lowest moisture absorption (16–18% db), which is attributed to its highest lignin content. Pelletization energy requirements varied significantly, with cucumber (21.8 kWh/t) and summer squash (18.7 kWh/t) requiring the lowest energy input, whereas soybean (49.6 kWh/t) and sawdust (47.3 kWh/t) exhibited the highest energy demands due to greater resistance to densification. A predictive model was developed to correlate single pellet density and durability with bulk pellet properties—yielding high predictive accuracy, with R² = 0.936 for bulk density (BD_e) and R² = 0.861 for bulk durability (BD_u)—thereby facilitating process optimization for large-scale pellet production. This study demonstrated that foliage residues from greenhouse crops, such as cucumber and summer squash, can be effectively pelletized with low energy input and high physical integrity. These outcomes suggest that such underutilized agricultural residues hold promise as a densified intermediate feedstock, supporting future applications in bioenergy systems and advancing circular resource use in controlled-environment agriculture. Full article

Asymptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD) poses a silent risk, potentially leading to severe conditions if undetected. Integrating new screening tools into routine general practitioner (GP) visits could enable early detection. This study investigates the feasibility of photoplethysmography (PPG) monitoring for assessing vascular health across different blood pressure (BP) conditions. Custom femoral artery phantoms representing healthy (0.82 MPa), intermediate (1.48 MPa), and atherosclerotic (2.06 MPa) vessels were tested under hypertensive, normotensive, and hypotensive conditions to evaluate PPG’s ability to distinguish between vascular states. Extracted features from the PPG signal, including amplitude, area under the curve (AUC), median upslope–downslope ratio, and median end datum difference, were analysed. Kruskal–Wallis tests revealed significant differences between healthy and unhealthy vessels across BP states, supporting PPG as a screening tool. The fiducial points from the second derivative of the photoplethysmography signal (SDPPG) were analysed. The ${\displaystyle \frac{b}{a}}$ ratio was most pronounced between healthy and unhealthy phantoms under hypertensive conditions (ranging from –2.13 to –2.06), suggesting a change in vascular wall distensibility. Under normotensive conditions, the difference in ${\displaystyle \frac{b}{a}}$ ratios between healthy and unhealthy phantoms was smaller (0.01), and no meaningful difference was observed under hypotensive conditions, suggesting the reduced sensitivity of this metric at lower perfusion pressures. Intermediate states were challenging to detect, particularly under hypotension, suggesting a need for further research. Nonetheless, this study highlights the promise of PPG monitoring in identifying vascular stiffness. Full article

Peelability, a crucial commercial trait for fresh-eating citrus, has received limited research attention regarding its underlying mechanisms. This study investigated three late-maturing citrus cultivars, namely ‘Qingjian’ (QJ), ‘Mingrijian’ (MRJ), and ‘Chunjian’ (CJ), analyzing their peelability development using texture analysis and exploring the physiological and biochemical factors influencing peeling difficulty. The results showed that peelability improved with fruit maturation, reaching its peak at full ripeness, with the following order of peeling difficulty: QJ (hardest) > MRJ (intermediate) > CJ (easiest). At full maturity, QJ (the most difficult to peel) exhibited more regularly shaped peel cells with fewer intercellular spaces, lower intracellular organic matter accumulation, and higher levels of cell wall polysaccharides, calcium (Ca), and abscisic acid (ABA). These characteristics may be linked to the lower relative expression of soluble sugar (TS)-related genes (CCR4A, SPP1) and the titratable acid (TA)-related gene (CsCit1), as well as the higher relative expression of ABA biosynthesis genes (NCED1, NCED2). Correlation analyses demonstrated that citrus peel firmness and adhesion strength are significantly associated with multiple growth and developmental characteristics, including fruit morphometric parameters, peel cellular architecture, intracellular organic compound content, cell wall polysaccharide levels and related degradative enzyme activities, calcium concentrations, and endogenous phytohormone profiles. These findings provide valuable insights for studying peelability mechanisms and improving fruit quality in citrus breeding. Full article

Pulmonary embolism (PE) remains a major cardiovascular emergency associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Despite advances in risk stratification models, accurately predicting which intermediate-high-risk patients will deteriorate remains challenging. Systemic thrombolysis, while effective in high-risk PE, is not a viable option for a significant proportion of patients due to contraindications, and its efficacy in the intermediate-high-risk group remains inconclusive. Drawing parallels from acute myocardial infarction and stroke, where percutaneous interventions have revolutionized treatment, interventional therapies are emerging as a promising alternative for PE management. However, challenges persist regarding optimal patient selection, procedural timing, and balancing efficacy with safety. The establishment of pulmonary embolism response teams (PERTs) has played a crucial role in streamlining decision-making and facilitating access to advanced therapies. As novel catheter-based techniques continue to evolve, the field of PE management is undergoing a paradigm shift, mirroring the transformation seen in acute coronary and cerebrovascular care, positioning interventional approaches at the forefront of therapy. Full article

There is evidence that the properties of hadrons are modified in a nuclear medium. Information about the medium modifications of the internal structure of hadrons is fundamental for the study of dense nuclear matter and high-energy processes, including heavy-ion and nucleus–nucleus collisions. At the moment, however, empirical information about medium modifications of hadrons is limited; therefore, theoretical studies are essential for progress in the field. In the present work, we review theoretical studies of the electromagnetic and axial form factors of octet baryons in symmetric nuclear matter. The calculations are based on a model that takes into account the degrees of freedom revealed in experimental studies of low and intermediate square transfer momentum $q^2=-Q^2$: valence quarks and meson cloud excitations of baryon cores. The formalism combines a covariant constituent quark model, developed for a free space (vacuum) with the quark–meson coupling model for extension to the nuclear medium. We conclude that the nuclear medium modifies the baryon properties differently according to the flavor content of the baryons and the medium density. The effects of the medium increase with density and are stronger (quenched or enhanced) for light baryons than for heavy baryons. In particular, the in-medium neutrino–nucleon and antineutrino–nucleon cross-sections are reduced compared to the values in free space. The proposed formalism can be extended to densities above the normal nuclear density and applied to neutrino–hyperon and antineutrino–hyperon scattering in dense nuclear matter. Full article

The ultra-thin Invar alloy strips are widely used in the manufacture of the fine masks; cold rolling of such thin strips (<100 μm) poses significant difficulties, primarily due to the limited number of grains within the thickness range. Consequently, it is important to understand the grain structure and property evolutions of the ultra-thin Invar alloy strips during cold rolling. In this study, an annealed Invar36 alloy strip, 100 µm thick, was cold rolled to different thicknesses, and the surface deformation morphologies, cross-sectional grain structure, intracrystalline microstructure and tensile properties of these thin strips were characterized and analyzed. The results show that plastic deformation of the initial annealed equiaxed grains is not uniform, depending on the grain orientation, resulting in different slip bands morphologies, unevenness and increase in roughness. Meanwhile, the grain rotation and rolling texture develop with increasing cold rolling reduction. The dislocation density in the 60% cold-rolled strip is about decuple that of the original annealed strip, and high-density tangled dislocations are formed, making the tensile strength increase from 430 MPa to 738 MPa. Grain refining and proper intermediate annealing are proposed to optimize the thickness uniformity, evenness and surface roughness. Full article

Maternal–fetal tolerance mechanisms are crucial during human pregnancy to prevent the immune rejection of the embryo. A well-known mechanism blocking NK-cell cytotoxicity is the interaction of their inhibitory killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (iKIR) with HLA-C molecules on the target cells. In this study, we aimed to investigate the expression of iKIRs (KIR2DL1 and KIR2DL2/3) on the matched decidual and peripheral γδT cells and the localization of HLA-C ligands throughout human pregnancy. The degranulation of γδT cells of pregnant and non-pregnant women in the presence of trophoblast cells was evaluated as well. Our results showed a higher proportion of iKIR-positive γδT cells at the maternal–fetal interface early in human pregnancy compared to the paired blood of pregnant women and full-term pregnancy decidua. In accordance, HLA-C was intensively expressed by the intermediate cytotrophoblasts and decidua-invading extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs) in early but not late pregnancy. Decidual γδT cells during early pregnancy showed higher spontaneous degranulation compared to their blood pairs, but neither decidual nor peripheral γδ T cells increased their degranulation in the presence of Sw71 EVT-like cells. The latter were unable to suppress the higher cytotoxicity of γδT cells, suggesting a complex regulatory landscape beyond NK-like activity inhibition. Full article

Nowadays, Pt-based catalysts are widely applied in carbon monoxide (CO) removal at room temperature. However, the effects of abundant hydroxyl groups (OH*) on the decomposition of intermediate products and catalyst durability have rarely been studied. In this work, a novel hydroxyl-rich structured mesh-type Pt/Mn/γ-Al₂O₃/Al catalyst using a water vapor treatment (WVT) strategy to generate OH* in situ was developed. Firstly, density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicated that Mn-modification enhanced the adsorption capacity of CO and reduced the work function and the energy barrier of the catalytic reaction. Meanwhile, the water molecule dissociation ability of the Pt catalyst was improved. Secondly, the effects of WVT on the selected catalysts were investigated, and a possible reaction mechanism was proposed. XPS, FTIR, and TG results showed that WVT increased the content of OH*. Moreover, in situ FTIR further indicated that the increase of OH* content could alter the reaction path (from carbonate to formate pathway), thus enhancing the activity and durability of the catalyst. The selected catalyst exhibited excellent durability with 100% conversion within 200 h for 1000 ppm CO at room temperature. Full article

Direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) is a syntrophic metabolism wherein free electrons are directly transferred between microorganisms without the mediation of intermediates such as molecular hydrogen or formate. Previous research has demonstrated that Methanothrix harundinacea 6Ac is capable of reducing carbon dioxide through DIET. However, the mechanisms underlying electron uptake in M. harundinacea 6Ac during DIET remain poorly understood. This study aims to elucidate the electron and proton flux in M. harundinacea 6Ac during DIET and to propose a model for electron uptake in this organism, primarily based on the analysis of gene transcript levels, genomic characteristics of M. harundinacea 6Ac, and the pathways generating fully reduced ferridoxin (Fd_red²⁻), reduced coenzyme F₄₂₀ (F₄₂₀H₂), coenzyme M (CoM-SH), and coenzyme B (CoB-SH) during DIET. The findings suggest that membrane-bound heterodisulfide reductase (HdrED), F₄₂₀H₂-dehydrogenase lacking subunit F (Fpo⁻), and cytoplasmic heterodisulfide reductase (HdrABC)-subunit B of F₄₂₀-reducing hydrogenase (FrhB) complex play critical roles in electron uptake in M. harundinacea 6Ac during DIET. Specifically, Fpo⁻ is responsible for generating Fd_red²⁻ with reduced methanophenazine (MPH₂), driven by a proton motive force, while HdrED facilitates the reduction of heterodisulfide of coenzyme M and coenzyme B (CoM-S-S-CoB) to CoM-SH and CoB-SH using MPH₂. Additionally, cytoplasmic heterodisulfide reductase HdrABC and subunit B of coenzyme F₄₂₀-hydrogenase complex (HdrABC-FrhB complex) catalyzes the reduction of oxidized coenzyme F₄₂₀ (F₄₂₀) to F₄₂₀H₂, utilizing CoM-SH, CoB-SH, and Fd_red²⁻. This study represents the first genetics-based functional characterization of electron and proton flux in M. harundinacea 6Ac during DIET, providing a model for further investigation of electron uptake in Methanosaeta species. Furthermore, it deepens our understanding of the mechanisms underlying electron uptake in methanogens during DIET. Full article

Tantalum is extensively used in inertial confinement fusion research for targets in radiation transport experiments, hohlraums in magnetized fusion experiments, and lining foams for hohlraums to suppress wall motions. To comprehend the physical processes associated with these applications, detailed information regarding the ionization composition and electrical conductivity of tantalum plasma across a wide range of densities and temperatures is essential. In this study, we calculate the densities of ionization species and the electrical conductivity of partially ionized, nonideal tantalum plasma based on a simplified theoretical model that accounts for high ionization states up to the atomic number of the element and the lowering of ionization energies. A comparison of the ionization compositions between tantalum and copper plasmas highlights the significant role of ionization energies in determining species populations. Additionally, the average electron–neutral momentum transfer cross-section significantly influences the electrical conductivity calculations, and calibration with experimental measurements offers a method for estimating this atomic parameter. The impact of electrical conductivity in the intermediate-density range on the laser absorption coefficient is discussed using the Drude model. Full article

Diosgenin, a crucial precursor for steroidal drug production, has poorly understood regulatory pathways. Diosgenin is the primary active component of Dioscorea zingiberensis. Notably, D. zingiberensis also possesses the highest diosgenin content among Dioscorea species, reaching up to 16.15% of dry weight. This study identified DZHDZ32 as a potential regulator of diosgenin biosynthesis in D. zingiberensis through transient overexpression. To validate its function, we developed an optimized genetic transformation method for D. zingiberensis and generated two DZHDZ32-overexpressing lines. The DZHDZ32 transcription factor belongs to the HD-ZIP I subfamily and is localized to the nucleus. Notably, overexpression of DZHDZ32 resulted in a significant increase in its transcript levels in leaves (264.59- and 666.93-fold), leading to elevated levels of diosgenin and its biosynthetic intermediates, including cholesterol and β-sitosterol. Specifically, diosgenin content increased by 41.68% and 68.07%, cholesterol by 10.29% and 16.03%, and β-sitosterol by 12.33% and 19.49% in leaves compared to wild-type plants. Yeast one-hybrid and dual-luciferase assays demonstrated that DZHDZ32 directly binds to the promoters of ACAT and GPPS1, consistent with the significant upregulation of ACAT and GPPS1 expression (3.69- and 4.87-fold and 4.75- and 6.53-fold, respectively) in the overexpressing lines. This study established an optimized genetic transformation method for D. zingiberensis and identified DZHDZ32 as a key regulator of diosgenin biosynthesis. The discovery of DZHDZ32 has significant implications for enhancing diosgenin production and advancing steroidal drug development. Full article

Directionally solidified (DS) superalloys have become a primary material choice for turbine blade applications. Due to the complex shape of the blades, certain regions inevitably experience stress axes oriented orthogonally to the crystal growth direction. Therefore, this study explores the creep characteristics of a DS superalloy in different orientations (transverse (T) versus longitudinal (L) with respect to grain growth direction) under intermediate and high temperatures (980 °C and 1070 °C), while simultaneously analyzing their respective deformation mechanisms and microstructural transformation behaviors. Experimental findings reveal pronounced orientation-dependent variations in creep performance, deformation modes, and microstructural development. Notably, the T specimen exhibits higher creep resistance at 980 °C, which can provide a basis for the design of some components that require high creep resistance and maintain small deformation. At 980 °C, L specimens primarily undergo γ′ phase shearing via antiphase boundaries (APBs) pairs, whereas T specimen exhibits APB pairs and superlattice intrinsic stacking faults (SISFs) shearing mechanisms. At 1070 °C, the L specimen exhibits dislocation shearing of γ′ alongside dislocation bypassing of tertiary γ′, while the T specimen demonstrates dislocation climbing within the γ channels. Additionally, the L specimen exhibits significant N-type rafting, while the T specimen shows significant Ostwald ripening characteristics, with an Ostwald ripening rate constant of 1.04 × 10⁻²⁰ m³/h. Full article

This work introduces a 0.6-scale water model of the continuous slab-casting process and a MATLAB-based model to study the effects of non-primed and multiphase flow on pressure and flow rate. The water model uses stopper-rod flow control and features pressure and velocity measurements at multiple locations. The new computational model, PFSR V4 (Pressure-drop Flow-rate model of Stopper Rod metal delivery systems, Version 4), improves upon a prior one-dimensional Bernoulli-based framework by incorporating a bubble accumulation zone. This zone represents a region of bubbly flow with an intermediate gas fraction between constant-pressure gas pockets below the stopper tip and the downstream bubbly flow regime. Parametric studies with the water model show that flow remains fully primed at low gas flow rates but transitions to non-primed flow as the gas flow rate exceeds 10–16 SLPM. Three different flow regions are observed inside the water model nozzle: air pocket, bubble accumulation, and bubbly flow, which are also captured by the new computational model. Above a critical gas flow rate, the flow becomes unstable and difficult to control, though higher hot gas flow rates are expected for similar transitions in a real steel caster due to gas expansion at high temperatures. Pressure changes are minimal in the air pocket region and increase significantly in the upper bubble accumulation zone, where liquid velocity is much higher than in the classic bubbly-flow region, found lower in the nozzle. The new model was successfully calibrated to match the observed flow regimes and shows good agreement with the water-model measurements. Full article

Sargassum filipendula is a marine macroalgae, also known as brown algae. These species contain significant amounts of polysaccharides, such as alginates, and phenolic compounds, including phlorotannins, with excellent biological properties. This study evaluated the extraction of bioactive compounds from the residual biomass of Sargassum filipendula using deep eutectic solvents based on alkanol amines combined with polyols. The residual biomass presented a content of 7.36% protein, 1.11% lipids, 20.51% ash, 14.88% moisture, 50.25% total fibers, and 5.89% alginate. Preliminary screening identified N, N-(dimethylamino)-ethanol: benzyl alcohol (1.30:1) and N, N-(dimethylamino)-ethanol:1,3-propanediol (1.83:1) as the most efficient solvents for the extraction of bioactive compounds. The optimization process showed that the temperature and solid–liquid ratio significantly influenced (p < 0.05) the extraction of total phenolic compounds, phlorotannins, and the content of photosynthetic pigments. Intermediate temperatures (74.4 °C for N, N-(dimethylamino)-ethanol: benzyl alcohol (1.30:1) and 68.4 °C for N, N-(dimethylamino)-ethanol:1,3-propanediol (1.83:1), and a lower solid-to-liquid ratio (0.03) were optimal conditions to extract the low-pigment phlorotannins selectively. In contrast, higher temperatures (120 °C) maximized the extraction of phlorotannins and photosynthetic pigments. N, N-(dimethylamino)-ethanol: benzyl alcohol (1.30) extracted 110.64 mg PGE/g phlorotannins and 78.15 mg GAE/g phenolics, while N, N-(dimethylamino)-ethanol:1,3-propanediol (1.83:1) produced 21.57 mg PGE/g and 72.89 mg GAE/g, respectively. The extraction of photosynthetic pigments reached a maximum yield at 120 °C, using N, N-(dimethylamino)-ethanol: benzyl alcohol (1.30:1), with a content of 21.61 µg/g of chlorophylls and 38.11 µg/g of pheophytins, while N, N-(dimethylamino)-ethanol: 1,3-propanediol (1.83:1) provided content of 17.76 µg/g and 36.32 µg/g, respectively. The extracts exhibited antioxidant activity with 0.69 mg TE/mL in scavenging DPPH radicals, 24.42 mg TE/mL in scavenging ABTS radicals, and 2.26 mg TE/mL of iron-reducing antioxidant power. These results demonstrate the potential of DESs for the sustainable recovery of bioactive compounds from Sargassum filipendula residual biomass. Full article

Correlations between conditions of the polyaniline (PANI) interlayer formation on the surface of a polysulfone (PSF) porous membrane substrate and the structure and performance of thin-film composite (TFC) membranes for nanofiltration with a polyamide (PA) selective layer prepared via interfacial polymerization (IP) were studied. It was shown that application of the PANI layer significantly enhanced hydrophilicity (the water contact angle decreased from 55 ± 2° down to 26–49 ± 2°), decreased pore size and porosity, and increased the surface roughness of the selective layer surface of porous PSF/PANI membrane substrates due to the formation of bigger PANI globules, which affect the formation of the PA layer of TFC membranes via IP. It was shown that the application of the PANI intermediate layer yielded the formation of a thinner PA selective layer, a decline in surface roughness, and an increase in hydrophilicity (the water contact angle declined from 28 to <10°) and crosslinking degree of the selective layer of TFC NF membranes. The developed approach allows us to enhance the water permeation up to 45–64 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹ at ΔP = 0.5 MPa and improve membrane selectivity (rejection coefficient of MgSO₄—>99.99%; LiCl—5–25%; sulfadimetoxine—80–95%) and also ensure enhanced long-term operational stability of TFC nanofiltration membranes with a PANI interlayer. Moreover, Mg²⁺/Li⁺ separation factor values were found to increase to 37 and 58 for PANI-modified membranes compared to 9 and 8 for the reference NF-PSF membranes. Full article