Alternative Processing Methods Research Articles

Acidification of Cocoa Nibs using Malic Acid to Modify the Color While Preserving the Bioactive Compounds.

The occurrence of non-fermented cocoa beans in the Indonesian market is still a huge challenge that needs to be solved. Unfermented cocoa beans are considered low-quality cocoa due to their low chocolate flavor and taste, and high bitterness and astringency levels. This limits its usability in the industries. An effort to utilize unfermented cocoa beans can be made through an alternative processing method utilizing an acidification process. Malic acid was used for acidification at various concentrations (0.01, 1, 2.5, and 5%). This acid solution was used to incubate the cocoa nibs for 1,3 and 5 hours. Physicochemical characteristics such as color changes, anthocyanin content, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity of acidified cocoa nibs were analyzed. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis was also utilized to evaluate the changes in the functional groups. The results showed that the acidification of cocoa nibs using >1% malic acid significantly altered the color of cocoa nibs from brownish-purple to reddish color. Anthocyanin and phenolic content of cocoa nibs could be preserved to more than 61 and 65%, resulting in preserved antioxidant activity (>66%). The use of 2.5% malic acid followed by incubation for 3 hours resulted in cocoa nibs with bright red color and highly-preserved bioactive compounds.

Effect of ultrasound applications on physico-chemical, sensory, and microbiological quality of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss W.)

Ultrasound, whose use has increased in recent years, is one of the most important food processing methods that provides to maintain food quality and increase food safety. The effect of ultrasound treatment on some quality characteristics of vacuum packed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss W.) fillets during cold storage was determined. Experimental groups were formed using different power and duration variables (30%W/5 min.; 30%W/15 min.; 80%W/5 min, and 80%W/15 min.).The samples were stored at 4±1ºC until physico-chemical (moisture, pH, color, and texture), sensory, and microbiological analyses were performed. The effect rates of ultrasound application on the evaluated quality characteristics differed from each other. While there was a significant difference between the groups in the decrease in moisture, increase in pH value and changes in sensory parameters, the change depending on storage was not observed within the group. The decrease in colour and texture values was prevented to a certain extent. It was observed that the effect of ultrasound applications on microbiological inactivation varied according to the type of bacteria and application conditions. The lowest increase in the number of the total mesophilic aerobic bacteria, the total psychrophilic aerobic bacteria, and the lactic acid bacteria was detected in the (80% W/5 min) group, while Enterobactericeae and Pseudomonas spp. were detected in the (80% W/15 min) group. The highest inactivation was observed in Pseudomonas spp. bacteria. Our results showed that ultrasound can be an important alternative food processing method to maintain the quality characteristics and food safety of fish meat.

Recovery of solid waste as refuse derived fuel (RDF) to develop urban waste management through community empowerment

Abstract Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) is a solid waste processing technology that converts waste into fuel using its calorific value. Solid waste can be processed into RDF as briquettes in a smaller-scale society. Kalisalak Village, located in Batang District, Batang Regency, has the potential to utilize dry leaf waste into bio briquettes as a substitute for LPG gas for cooking. More than 80% of the Batang Regency area is agricultural land, so there is a lot of organic solid waste, especially dry leaves. This study aims to develop the potential of RDF as an alternative waste processing method to produce high-value products through community empowerment. The activity stages consist of field surveys, product prototype making, outreach and training for the community, and monitoring. The RDF process adopts a thermal method in processing waste due to its efficiency in recovering waste into renewable energy in a relatively short time. Dried leaf waste will go through a bio-drying process to reduce the water content by increasing its calorific value, thus producing waste with a lower water content. The bio-drying process is carried out using simple tools easily obtained by the local community. The resulting RDF bio briquette product can be sold and used as charcoal fuel.

Carbon Nanotube-Based Segregated Thermoplastic Nanocomposites Structured via Electromagnetic Melt Processing.

A cutting-edge method that uses electromagnetic (EM) energy for the melt processing of thermoplastic polymer nanocomposites (TPNCs) is reported. The properties and microstructures of TPNCs produced via the proposed EM-processing method and TPNCs via conventional heat processing are contrasted. The EM-processed TPNCs prepared with EM-susceptible carbon nanotubes (CNTs) exhibited a significant enhancement in transport and mechanical properties, outperforming the conventionally processed TPNCs. Thus, the EM-processed TPNCs demonstrated an ultralow electrical percolation threshold (∼0.09 vol %) and a remarkable increase in volume electrical conductivity of 8 orders of magnitude (i.e., 1.1 × 10-5 S/m) at only 1.0 wt % CNT loading, compared to their hot-pressed counterparts. This highlights the superior network formation, level of segregation, and structuring enabled by EM processing. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that EM-processed TPNCs exhibited higher crystallinity (∼9% higher) and a predominantly α crystal phase compared to the hot-pressed TPNCs. Microstructural inspection by electron microscopy disclosed that EM processing led to segregated but interconnected multiscale networks of a thin and well-defined CNT interphase that encompassed from the nanoscale of the CNTs to the macroscopic scale of TPNCs. In contrast, conventional processing developed a more diffused CNT interphase with less interconnectivity. The EM-processed TPNCs developed a statistically higher stiffness (+20%) and in certain cases, even better strength (+10%) than the hot-pressed TPNCs. However, the EM-processed TPNCs displayed significantly lower ductility, owing to their higher crystallinity, more brittle crystal α phase, and the potential formation of microvoids in the bulk of the TPNCs inherent to the unoptimized EM processing. This work provides an understanding of an alternative and unconventional processing method capable of achieving higher structuring in nanocomposites with advanced multifunctional properties.

Fabrication of α-W and β-W Films By Using CsF–CsCl–WO3 Molten Salt: Effect of Oxygen Contents in W Films

1. Introduction Tungsten(W) has a melting point of 3695 K, the highest among pure metals, and has excellent heat resistance. It also exhibits excellent properties such as high wear resistance, high corrosion resistance, low thermal expansion, and low sputtering rate. Because of these properties, W has been expected to be used as plasma-facing materials in fusion reactors [1]. However, its hardness and brittleness make it difficult to process into complex shapes, and conventional W processing methods are costly. Therefore, W electrodeposition in molten salts has been explored as an alternative processing method [2–4]. Recently, our group has reported that dense and mirror-like β-W films can be obtained in molten CsF–CsCl–WO3 at 773 K [5]. We have also found that the crystal structure of electrodeposited W has a temperature dependence between 773 and 923 K [6]. We predict that the oxygen content in the W films influences the crystal structure. Thus, in this study, the crystal structure and oxygen content of W films electrodeposited in molten CsF–CsCl–WO3 at 773–973 K were analyzed to investigate their relationship.2. Experimental Galvanostatic electrolysis was conducted in eutectic CsF–CsCl (50:50 mol%, melting point 713 K) containing WO3 (2.0 mol%) at 773–973 K in an Ar atmosphere glove box. For galvanostatic electrolysis, a Cu foil was used as the working electrode, a glassy carbon rod was used as the counter electrode and a Pt wire was used as the quasi-reference electrode. Surface morphology of the samples was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Phase identification of the samples was conducted by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Analysis of oxygen content in the samples was conducted by inert gas fusion-NDIR.3. Results and Discussion Fig. 1 shows the XRD patterns of the samples obtained by galvanostatic electrolysis at various temperatures. At temperatures of 773 K, 823 K, and 873 K, only β-W was detected. A mixture of α-W and β-W was detected at 923 K, and only α-W was detected at 973 K. Fig. 2 shows the oxygen contents in W films electrodeposited at various temperatures. The oxygen contents decreased from 6.65 at% to 0.24 at% as the bath temperature increased from 773 K to 973 K. These results suggest that the presence of oxygen in W films stabilizes β-W. Furthermore, our group has reported that the structure of the W(VI) ions in CsF–CsCl–WO3 is fac-[WO3F3]3− [5]. Thus, the electrochemical reduction of W(VI) ions can be described as the following formula: [WO3F3]3− + 6e− → W(s) + 3O2− + 3F− It is predicted that the covalent W–O bonds in [WO3F3]3 − partially remained during the electrochemical reduction and that oxygen atoms were incorporated into the W films. However, higher temperature is expected to accelerate the dissociation of covalent W–O bonds and lower the oxygen content in the W films, resulting in the formation of α-W. To further confirm the relationship between crystal structure and oxygen content in the W films, post-annealing treatments were performed using β-W films electrodeposited at 823 K. The post-annealing treatments were conducted under vacuum conditions of 2 × 10− 3 Pa at 873 K or 973 K. The β-W films were heated to 873 K or 973 K for 10 minutes and then held for 3 hours. The XRD patterns of β-W as-electrodeposited at 823 K and after annealing at 873 K or 973 K are shown in Fig. 3. After the annealing treatments at 873 K and 973 K, the electrodeposited β-W films were both transformed to α-W. Moreover, the oxygen content in the samples annealed at 973 K were analyzed. As shown in Fig. 4, the oxygen content decreased from 1.82 at% to 0.38 at% accompanied by crystal phase change from β-W to α-W. The reason for the phase transformation from β-W to α-W is speculated to be the breaking down of the covalent W–O bonds in β-W, resulting in the release of oxygen.

Investigation of the Thermophysical Simulation and Material Removal Mechanism of the High-Volume-Fraction SiCp/Al Composite in Wire Electrical Discharge Machining.

SiC particle reinforced aluminum matrix composites (SiCp/Al) are widely used in aviation, weaponry, and automobiles because of their excellent service performance. Wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) regardless of workpiece hardness has become an alternative method for processing SiCp/Al composites. In this paper, the temperature distribution and the discharge crater size of the SiCp/Al composite are simulated by a thermophysical model during a single-pulse discharge process (SPDP) based on the random distribution of SiC particles. The material removal mechanism of the SiCp/Al composite during the multi-pulse discharge process (MPDP) is revealed, and the surface roughness (Ra) of the SiCp/Al composite is predicted during the MPDP. The thermophysical model simulation results during the MPDP and experimental characterization data indicate that the removal mechanism of SiCp/Al composite material consists of the melting and vaporization of the aluminum matrix, as well as the heat decomposition and shedding of silicon carbide particles. Pulse-on time (Ton), pulse-off time (Toff), and servo voltage (SV) have a great influence on surface roughness. The Ra increases with an increase in Ton and SV, but decreases slightly with an increase in Toff. Moreover, compared with experimental data, the relative error of Ra calculated from the thermophysical model is 0.47-7.54%. This means that the developed thermophysical model has a good application and promotion value for the WEDM of metal matrix composite material.

A novel highly thermally stable phosphor powder Ba2LuSbO6: Eu3+ for latent fingerprint visualization

In modern forensic science, fingerprints are critical evidence due to their uniqueness and difficulty to replicate. However, it is challenging to observe and identify some latent fingerprints (LFP), because alternative processing methods for recognition are often required. The use of Eu3+-doped phosphors, which emit red-orange light, presents an effective approach for enhancing the visibility of LFP. Eu3+-doped Ba2LuSbO6 (BLSO) phosphors were synthesized using a high-temperature solid-state method, aiming to improve the recognition of LFP for enhanced fingerprint identification. The phase structure of the fluorescent powder samples was analyzed through X-ray diffraction (XRD) combined with Rietveld refinement, as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Photoluminescence spectra of Ba2LuSbO6: xEu3+ phosphor samples exhibit orange-red emission peaks at 595 and 618 nm when excited by 250 nm deep ultraviolet light. Concentration quenching is observed at a doping concentration of 20 mol%. The Ba2LuSbO6: 0.2Eu3+ phosphor sample demonstrates exceptional thermal stability, with value of 92.50% at 423 K. The quantum efficiency of the Ba2LuSbO6: 0.2Eu3+ phosphor sample was evaluated using an integrating sphere, yielding an IQE of 79.34%. In order to visualize latent fingerprints (LFPs), hydrophilic BLSO: 0.2Eu3+ phosphors were transformed into hydrophobic BLSO: 0.2Eu3+@OA phosphors through a coating of oleic acid (OA). The BLSO: 0.2Eu3+@OA phosphor proves capable of generating dependable LFP fluorescence images with superior contrast and resolution. These findings underscore the significant potential for application of BLSO: 0.2Eu3+ products LFP visualization.

Potential Utilisation of Solar-Assisted Kiln Dryer in Bamboo Drying

Bamboo is increasingly used as an alternative material for producing renewable and environmentally friendly products. Bamboo should be dried before use to increase its stability and improve its resistance against biodeterioration agents. The most common drying method for bamboo is through air-drying. Alternatively, artificial drying, such as solar drying, can produce optimum drying results regarding the drying rate and quality of bamboo throughput. This study investigated the potential utilisation of solar drying methods for processing local bamboo. The drying characteristics and physical and mechanical properties of solar-dried Gigantochloa levis bamboo culms’ bottom, middle, and top sections were determined. The drying time of G. levis culm has been reduced to about 40 days compared to the conventional air drying of 70 days using the solar-assisted kiln dryer. Solar-dried culms have a lower final moisture content of 20% than air-dried ones. The average circumference and diameter shrinkage values of solar-dried G. levis culms from green to approximately 12% moisture content were 3.22% and 4.29%, respectively, and the wall thickness shrinkage was 8.12%. The mean values of modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity of solar-dried G. levis culm were 63.75 and 12567.99 N mm-2, respectively, while its mean values of compression and shear parallel to fibre were 45.87 and 10.01 N mm-2, respectively. The quality of solar-dried G. levis culms produced in this study showed the viability of using a solar-assisted kiln-dryer as a potential alternative processing method for drying local bamboo species in Malaysia.

Optimization of thermal shock response spectrum as infrared thermography post-processing methodology using Latin hypercube sampling and analytical thermal N-layer model

In this work, we continue to develop and investigate the Thermal Shock Response Spectrum (TSRS) method as an alternative data processing method for infrared thermography (IRT). We focus on improving the current TSRS algorithm and present an optimization methodology for finding the optimal thermal Q-factor and characteristic frequency pair, which is based on the widely applied random sampling method. We show the qualitative relationship between the determined optimal characteristic frequency and the corresponding maximum difference in diffusion length between reference and defective models, as calculated by selecting a specific one-dimensional thermal N-layer model. The investigations were performed on an inhomogeneous plate made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) with artificial square defects at different depths. Furthermore, two different heat sources were used: a xenon flash lamp and a laser. These sources are not only distinct by their underlying physics but also generate inherently different pulse shapes. To quantitatively estimate the contrast between defect and non-defect areas, and to compare these results with commonly used infrared thermography (IRT) data post-processing methods such as Pulse Phase Thermography (PPT) and Thermographic Signal Reconstruction (TSR), the Tanimoto criterion (TC) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were used.

Dynamic changes in the metabolome and microbiome during Citrus depressa Hayata liquid fermentation

Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP) is a common traditional Chinese herbal medicine, valued for its multi-bioactivity. However, its processing time, environment, and microorganisms all affect its quality and bioactivity. To address this, the study replaced solid-state fermentation with liquid fermentation using microorganisms and isolated Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, respectively. This aimed to discover a more stable processing method and examine metabolite-micobiota correlations. Non-targeted metabolomics identified 70 differential metabolites, focusing on amino acids, polymethoxyflavones (PMFs), and carbohydrates. Long-read sequencing showed a shift in dominant bacterial genera from Lactobacillus to Pediococcus, then to Clostridium. Spearman analysis revealed a positive correlation between specific Clostridium species and PMFs production. B. amyloliquefaciens fermentation notably increased PMFs content without reducing hesperidin levels, suggesting its potential as an alternative processing method. This study offers valuable insights into metabolome-microbiome interactions for future biotransformation research.

Probing the structural stability of R-phycocyanin under pressure.

The red macroalgae Porphyra, commonly known as Nori, is widely used as food around the world due to its high nutrient content, including the significant abundance of colored phycobiliproteins (PBPs). Among these, R-phycocyanin (R-PC) stands out for its vibrant purple color and numerous bioactive properties, making it a valuable protein for the food industry. However, R-PC's limited thermal stability necessitates alternative processing methods to preserve its color and bioactive properties. Our study aimed to investigate the in-situ stability of oligomeric R-PC under high pressure (HP) conditions (up to 4000 bar) using a combination of absorption, fluorescence, and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques. The unfolding of R-PC is a multiphase process. Initially, low pressure induces conformational changes in the R-PC oligomeric form (trimers). As pressure increases above 1600 bar, these trimers dissociate into monomers, and at pressures above 3000 bar, the subunits begin to unfold. When returned to atmospheric pressure, R-PC partially refolds, retaining 50% of its original color absorbance. In contrast, heat treatment causes irreversible and detrimental effects on R-PC color, highlighting the advantages of HP treatment in preserving both the color and bioactive properties of R-PC compared to heat treatment.

An energy and area-efficient spike frequency adaptable LIF neuron for spiking neural networks

As Moore's law approaches its limit, conventional computing methods face energy efficiency challenges, prompting the exploration of alternative information processing methods like spiking neural networks (SNNs). Neurons, the fundamental unit of the nervous system, are crucial for efficiently implementing SNNs in hardware, requiring energy and area-efficient design. This paper presents novel circuit designs for the leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF) neuron model at 7 nm FinFET technology, including 8T FinFET LIF Neuron 1, 7T FinFET LIF Neuron 2, 7T FinFET LIF Neuron 3 and 6T FinFET LIF Neuron 4. In the proposed configurations of LIF neuron, the energy per spike is reduced by 95.80 %, 95.89 %, 95.89 %, 96.76 %, and 96.65 % in the 8T FinFET LIF neuron 1 (case 1), 8T FinFET LIF neuron 1 (case 2), 7T FinFET LIF Neuron 2, 7T FinFET LIF Neuron 3, and 6T FinFET LIF Neuron 4, respectively, compared to the lowest energy per spike reported in the literature, with the minimum known energy per spike being 0.67 fJ. The proposed FinFET neurons offer attractive hardware acceleration (spiking frequency in the MHz range), minimal energy per spike (fJ range), simplicity, and area efficiency, making them more biologically plausible due to their adaptable spiking frequency.

Full-Fat Soybean Meals as an Alternative Poultry Feed Ingredient-Feed Processing Methods and Utilization-Review and Perspective.

On a global scale, the poultry industry expands its wings in terms of meat and egg production to the masses. However, this industry itself requires a sustainable and permanent supply of different inputs, one of which is poultry feed and nutrition. Soybean is a versatile protein that is offered to poultry in different inclusion rates in commercial diets after being processed using various thermal and mechanical processing methods. Conventional commercial soybean meal is usually prepared by the extraction of oil from whole soybeans using solvents, producing a meal that has approximately 1% crude fat. Without oil extraction, full-fat soybean (FFSBM) is produced, and it is an excellent source of dietary energy and protein for poultry with a nutritional profile of 38-40% protein and 18-20% crude fat, on average. FFSBM has less crude protein (CP) than solvent-extracted soybean meal (SE SBM) but higher metabolizable energy due to higher fat content. Alternatively, extruded expeller processing produces defatted soybean meal containing approximately 6-7% crude fat. Studies have demonstrated that FFSBM can be used in poultry diets to improve poultry nutrition, performance, and quality of the poultry meat and eggs produced. This review aims to evaluate the nutrition and use of meals prepared from conventional and high-oleic soybeans using various feed processing methods.

Novel FFPE proteomics method suggests prolactin induced protein as hormone induced cytoskeleton remodeling spatial biomarker

Robotically assisted proteomics provides insights into the regulation of multiple proteins achieving excellent spatial resolution. However, developing an effective method for spatially resolved quantitative proteomics of formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue (FFPE) in an accessible and economical manner remains challenging. We introduce non-robotic In-insert FFPE proteomics approach, combining glass insert FFPE tissue processing with spatial quantitative data-independent mass spectrometry (DIA). In-insert approach identifies 450 proteins from a 5 µm thick breast FFPE tissue voxel with 50 µm lateral dimensions covering several tens of cells. Furthermore, In-insert approach associated a keratin series and moesin (MOES) with prolactin-induced protein (PIP) indicating their prolactin and/or estrogen regulation. Our data suggest that PIP is a spatial biomarker for hormonally triggered cytoskeletal remodeling, potentially useful for screening hormonally affected hotspots in breast tissue. In-insert proteomics represents an alternative FFPE processing method, requiring minimal laboratory equipment and skills to generate spatial proteotype repositories from FFPE tissue.

Alternative data evaluation methodology for infrared thermography analogous to the Shock Response Spectrum analysis method

We propose an alternative method for processing infrared thermography (IRT) data based on a thermal 1-layer model. The method is based on the analogy of the Shock Response Spectrum (SRS) analysis for mechanical systems (ISO 18431). A thermal Q-factor, similar to the resonance sharpness (Q-factor) of a mechanical oscillator, is introduced as a parameter for selecting a specific thermal 1-layer model. Two main aspects of this method and corresponding properties have been considered: the strictly model-based treatment of this methodology and an empirical introduction of additional bandpass filters. The method is validated with two practical examples: for a homogeneous polymer sheet with blind holes and an inhomogeneous plate made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) with artificial defects, the capability of defect detection is compared with established methods. The comparison of the results with the commonly used data processing methods of IRT as Pulsed Phase Thermography (PPT) and Modified Differential Absolute Contrast (MDAC) shows equivalent or sometimes improved performance.

Plasma Processing of Rubber Powder from End-of-Life Tires: Numerical Analysis and Experiment

Tire recycling is becoming an increasingly important problem due to the growing number of end-of-life tires (ELTs). World-wide, ELTs account for more than 80 million tons. ELTs contribute to environmental pollution in the long term. They are flammable, toxic and non-biodegradable. At the same time, ELTs contain rubber, metal and textile cord, which are valuable raw materials. ELTs are buried in landfills, burned, crushed and restored. Most of these methods have a negative impact on the environment. From an environmental point of view, the most preferred ways to recycle tires are retreading and shredding. Rubber powder (RP) or crumb is mainly used for rubber pavers production, waterproofing, curbs, road slabs and various surfaces. An alternative method for RP processing, eliminating the disadvantages of the above approaches, is plasma gasification and pyrolysis. The paper presents a thermodynamic and kinetic analysis and an experiment on plasma processing of RP from worn tires to produce flammable gas. At a mass-average temperature of 1750 K, the yield of synthesis gas from plasma-air gasification of RP was 44.6% (hydrogen—19.1, carbon monoxide—25.5), and 95.6% of carbon was gasified. The experimental and calculated results satisfactorily agreed. It was found that plasma products from RP did not contain harmful impurities, either in calculations or experiments. Plasma gasification allows for recycling ELTs in an environmentally friendly way while also generating flammable gases that are valuable commodities. In this research, plasma technology was demonstrated to be effective for gasifying RP to produce flammable gas.

Comparing traditional and commercial nixtamalization of three maize landraces: impact on pozole quality and consumer acceptance

One of the most typical dishes of traditional Mexican cuisine is pozole, made with nixtamalized maize. This dish has a special place as part of the identity of Mexican culture. However, it is time-consuming to prepare. With an increasing demand for precooked maize for pozole and the limited information on its preparation process, this study aims to assess the impact of both traditional (TN) and commercial nixtamalization (CN) on the quality of processed maize and its reception by consumers, focusing on the three most popular maize landraces used in pozole recipes. This study was carried out with the Cacahuacintle (‘CAC’), Elotes Occidentales (‘EO’) and Ancho (‘AN’) landraces, which were nixtamalized using the traditional method (only lime) and the commercial method (lime + additives) and the grain was flowered. The quality of the flowered grain was determined, and a sensory analysis consisting of magnitude of difference tests, a descriptive analysis, affective test and evaluation of consumer preferences was carried out. The ‘CAC’ landrace, when processed traditionally, yielded the highest sensory and commercial quality. The ‘EO’ landrace demanded a longer flowering time, resulting in less volume but retaining the aleurone layer. This characteristic helped preserved a portion of the anthocyanins. Consistently, maize landraces subjected to traditional nixtamalization displayed higher ratings for attributes related to masa and nejayote aroma. The ‘CAC’ landrace subjected to CN faced challenges in acceptability due to odors of acetic acid and sulfuric acid. These findings underscore the importance and advantages the TN techniques. They also emphasize the need to preserve grain quality and meeting consumer preferences when exploring alternative maize processing methods for emerging markets.

A comparative study on anisotropy of additively manufactured CoCrNi medium-entropy alloys by hot isostatic pressing and ultrasonic impact treatment

The anisotropy properties of samples in different direction is found in additively manufactured (AM) CoCrNi medium-entropy alloys (MEAs). In this study, the laser direct energy deposition AM CoCrNi MEAs have been subjected to two alternative processing methods: hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and ultrasonic impact treatment (UIT). The effect of HIP and UIT on the microstructure, grain orientation, grain boundary distribution, phase distribution and mechanical properties of AM CoCrNi MEAs were systematically studied. The results show that HIP decreased the partial mechanical anisotropy of AM CoCrNi MEAs, and YS was significantly reduced. The main reason is that the HIP induces the formation of large number of Cr2O3 particles, and transformation of low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) into high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs). Surprisingly, both the yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the AM CoCrNi MEAs were increased when the UIT was added after every laser deposition of one layer (UIT-1). This is due to the combined effect of quasi-static loading and ultrasonic oscillations of UIT, which results in the dislocation multiplication and the formation of a large number of substructures. In addition, the above strengthening phenomena also lead to decrease partial mechanical anisotropy of AM CoCrNi MEAs.

Intelligent Methods for Forest Fire Detection Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

This research addresses the problem of early detection of smoke and open fire on the observed territory by unmanned aerial vehicles. We solve the tasks of improving the quality of incoming video data by removing motion blur and stabilizing the video stream; detecting the horizon line in the frame; and identifying fires using semantic segmentation with Euclidean–Mahalanobis distance and the modified convolutional neural network YOLO. The proposed horizon line detection algorithm allows for cutting off unnecessary information such as cloud-covered areas in the frame by calculating local contrast, which is equivalent to the pixel informativeness indicator of the image. Proposed preprocessing methods give a delay of no more than 0.03 s due to the use of a pipeline method for data processing. Experimental results show that the horizon clipping algorithm improves fire and smoke detection accuracy by approximately 11%. The best results with the neural network were achieved with YOLO 5m, which yielded an F1 score of 76.75% combined with a processing speed of 45 frames per second. The obtained results differ from existing analogs by utilizing a comprehensive approach to early fire detection, which includes image enhancement and alternative real-time video processing methods.

Rapid dissolution without elemental fractionation by laser driven hydrothermal processing

Traditional dissolution of geologic samples often requires a significant time investment. Here, we present an alternative method for the dissolution of geologic materials using laser-driven hydrothermal processing (LDHP). LDHP uses laser energy directed onto a submerged sample, which increases the temperature and pressure at the liquid–sample interface and drives the hydrothermal dissolution coupled with photomechanical spallation, an ablative process. This uses focused 527 nm laser energy at 40 W average power, 1 kHz pulse repetition rate, and 115 ns pulse duration. When LDHP is performed on basalt geostandards (BCR-2 and BHVO-2) using the conditions outlined, we show that LDHP does not produce significant elemental fractionation and, thus, can be considered an alternative processing method to traditional mechanical crushing and acid digestion. Additionally, it is possible using LDHP to utilize the spatially confined beam to target and selectively isolate individual phases in a rock, potentially alleviating the need for mechanical separation of inclusions that are difficult to physically isolate. Furthermore, using this outlined method of LDHP, we demonstrate full dissolution of 120 mg of obsidian in 85 minu, meaning that LDHP is a potentially very useful method when sample processing is time sensitive.