Water Content Research Articles

Advanced Lignin‐Based Hydrogels with Superior Stiffness, Toughness, and Sensing Capabilities

AbstractHydrogels, known for their 3D polymer networks and high water content, are widely used in applications ranging from agriculture to tissue engineering and soft electronics. However, balancing toughness and stiffness in hydrogels remains a significant challenge due to the inverse relationship between these properties. In this study, a dual‐network hydrogel is developed composed of lignin/poly(N,N‐dimethylacrylamide) (PDMA) and sodium alginate/Ca2⁺ (SA/Ca2⁺) using a solvent exchange method. This hydrogel incorporates multi‐level energy dissipative structures, resulting in both high stiffness and toughness. Specifically, the DL/S0.1Ca0.5 hydrogel exhibited impressive mechanical performance, including a tensile stress of 3.7 MPa, a tensile strain of 1100%, and a tensile modulus of 8.7 MPa, along with remarkably high toughness of 97,000 J m−2 and work of extension of 25 MJ m−3. Additionally, it demonstrates exceptional rupture and collision resistance, outstanding conductivity of 19.7 S m−1, and high strain sensitivity with a gauge factor up to 7.78. These features highlight its potential for use in extreme sports protection and wearable sensors, representing a significant advancement in the development of multifunctional hydrogels.

Antihypertensive effects and changes in extracellular water content by mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists in patients with primary aldosteronism.

In primary aldosteronism (PA), non-suppressible excessive aldosterone secretion due to dietary salt intake significantly contributes to hypertension and cardiovascular complications. Blocking the overactivation of mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs) with mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) is a cornerstone for the medical treatment of PA. However, the role of MRAs in controlling hypertension remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the relationship between changes in body composition parameters (determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis), blood pressure (BP) levels, serum potassium (K+) levels and Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) scores after MRA treatment in 50 patients with PA. Treatment with MRAs significantly decreased the systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) levels and extracellular water (ECW) volume, while it increased the serum K+ levels, active renin concentrations (ARCs), and scores on several SF-36-based quality of life (QOL) subscales. ECW change (ΔECW) and serum K+ change were not significantly associated with changes in SBP and DBP levels. ΔECW showed a significant inverse correlation with ΔARC, suggesting that ARC increases with decreasing ECW volume due to renal MR activity blockade and that ARC is a highly sensitive indicator of ECW volume. In the stratified analysis of patients with PA, ECW volume was significantly decreased in those aged ≥60 years and those with a body mass index of ≥25 kg/m2. In conclusion, MRA treatment showed antihypertensive, biochemical, and QOL improvement effects in patients with PA. The antihypertensive effect may not be related to the decrease in ECW volume due to renal MR activity blockade. Evaluation of ECW using BIA in patients with PA treated with MRAs. Abbreviations: ARC, active renin concentration; BIA, bioelectrical impedance analysis; BMI, body mass index; BP, blood pressure; ECW, extracellular water; K+, serum potassium; MRA, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist; PA, primary aldosteronism; QOL; quality of life; Δ, parameter changes after MRA treatment.

Effect of tea polyphenols on the quality of frozen cooked noodles

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesThe growing consumer demand for natural, healthy, and convenient food options has led to the rising popularity of frozen cooked noodles (FCN). Tea polyphenols (TPs), known for their diverse biological activities, are increasingly being utilized as a natural food additive in research and development. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of TPs on the thermal and pasting properties of wheat flour as well as their influence on the quality of FCN.FindingsThe results from differential scanning calorimeter and RVA analyses showed that TPs did not significantly affect the thermal and pasting properties of wheat flour. However, the addition of low‐dose TPs (<1.5%) improved the quality of FCN during storage. Texture and tensile analyses demonstrated an enhancement in hardness, chewiness, resistance, and an increase in resistant starch content in the noodles. Low‐field nuclear magnetic resonance findings revealed an increase in the proportion of strongly bound water, accompanied by a decrease in free water content. Scanning electron microscopy observations illustrated a well‐developed gluten network structure. In contrast, the incorporation of 1.5% TPs adversely affected the quality of FCN.ConclusionsThe appropriate integration of TPs plays a significant role in alleviating the quality degradation of FCN during storage.Significance and NoveltyThis study provides a theoretical basis for the development of polyphenol‐enriched flour products and functional foods.

Evolution Enhances Kemp Eliminase Activity by Optimizing Oxyanion Stabilization and Conformational Flexibility.

The base-promoted Kemp elimination reaction has been used as a model system for enzyme design. Among the multiple computationally designed and evolved Kemp eliminases generated along the years, the HG3-to-HG3.17 evolutionary trajectory is particularly interesting due to the high catalytic efficiency of HG3.17 and the debated role of glutamine 50 (Gln50) as potential oxyanion stabilizer. This study aims to elucidate the structural and dynamic changes along the evolutionary pathway from HG3 to HG3.17 that contribute to improved catalytic efficiency. In particular, we evaluate key variants along the HG3 evolutionary trajectory via molecular dynamics simulations coupled to non-covalent interactions and water analysis. Our computational study indicates that HG3.17 can adopt a catalytically competent conformation promoted by a water-mediated network of non-covalent interactions, in which aspartate 124 is properly positioned for proton abstraction and both glutamine 50 and mutation cysteine 84 contribute to oxyanion stabilization. We find that HG3.17 exhibits a rather high flexibility of Gln50, which is regulated by the conformation adopted by the active site residue Trp44. This interplay between Gln50 and Trp44 positioning induced by distal active site mutations affects the water-mediated network of non-covalent interactions, Gln50 preorganization, and water content of the active site pocket.

Transfection of 12/15-lipoxygenase effectively alleviates inflammatory responses during experimental acute pancreatitis

BACKGROUND Acute pancreatitis (AP), the initially triggered inflammatory process in the pancreas, can be life-threatening. It has been reported that 15-lipoxygenase may promote the removal of damaged intracellular components, maintain intracellular homeostasis, and promote apoptosis by upregulating the activity of caspases. Despite an increased understanding of the lipoxygenase pathway in inflammation and immune diseases, the role of the Alox15 gene product in modulating the inflammatory changes during AP is not well defined. AIM To investigate the effect of Alox15 expression in cerulein-induced AP in rats. METHODS Model rats were transfected with Alox15 by injecting a recombinant lentivirus vector encoding Alox15 into the left gastric artery before inducing AP. The expression of Alox15 was then assessed at the mRNA and protein levels. RESULTS Our in vivo results showed that serum amylase activity and pancreatic tissue water content were significantly reduced in Alox15 -transfected rats. Further, the mRNA expression levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, as well as the protein expression of nuclear factor kappa B in pancreatic tissue were reduced. Additionally, we observed an upregulation of cleaved caspase-3 that implies an induction of apoptosis in pancreatic cells. The transfection of Alox15 resulted in a lower number of autophagic vacuoles in AP. CONCLUSION Our findings demonstrate a regulatory role of Alox15 in apoptosis and autophagy, making it a potential therapeutic target for AP.

Experimental investigation on the restart characterization of shale oil-water flow in a horizontal pipe

ABSTRACT With the dwindling conventional oil resources and increasing energy demand, shale oil development has gradually become a hot spot in the global energy industry. Moreover, the shale oil pipeline also inevitably experiences abnormal operations, such as shutdown and restart during regular maintenance or emergency accident repairs. However, previous restart research primarily focused on conventional crude oil pipelines, and there is still a research gap on shale oil-water flow. Therefore, this work conducted the shale oil-water restart flow experiment in the multi-test section pipe flow loop, considering the temperature (20–50℃), starting frequency (15–25 hz), and water content (0–80%). Based on the restart pressure and volume flow rate change, the response characteristics of start pressure are studied. Moreover, the changing rules of restart pressure are explored with starting frequency, temperature, and water content. Eventually, the variation trend of the restart pressure absolute errors between the calculated value and the experimental data with the starting frequency is analyzed. The results show that the restart pressure reaches the maximum around 10 s after the pump starts, and the maximum restart pressure is approximately 1.5 times the stabilized restart pressure. Moreover, the restart pressure increases linearly with the starting frequency and decays exponentially with the temperature and water content (after the inversion point). With the starting frequency reduced from 45 hz to 15 hz, the restart pressure reduces from 24.6 kPa to 10.0 kPa at 20°C. Furthermore, the empirical formulas can predict the starting pressure at low frequencies. This research lays a theoretical foundation for the safe restart of shale oil-water flow.

Identification and Analysis of the Nutrition Value of Black Teripang (Holothuriaedulis) and Sand Teripang (Holothuria Scabra) In the Waitiu Flow of Lewolema District

Indonesia is a country with a large area of ​​water, with enormous potential for marine biodiversity which is useful as food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. There are several marine biota that produce secondary metabolites that are beneficial to humans, including microorganisms, blue green algae, green algae, brown algae, red algae, sponges, coelenterates, bryozoans, molluscs and sea cucumbers (echinoderms). Sea cucumbers are marine animals classified in the phylum Echinodermata, class Holothuroidea. This animal lives on sandy substrates or can be found in coral ecosystems. Sea cucumbers have complete and quite high nutritional content, but the existence of sea cucumbers with a high population in East Flores Regency has not been utilized properly. This study aims to identify and analyze the nutritional content of Sand Sea Cucumber (Holothuria Scabra) and Black Sea Cucumber (Holothuria Edulis). Identification is based on morphology and body color and spicules of the dorsal integument tissue, while the analysis of nutritional value includes water content and ash content using the gravimetric method, protein content using the Kjeldahl method, fat content using the Soxhlet method and carbohydrate content using the by difference method. The results of the study showed that the nutritional content of Sand Sea Cucumber (Holothuria Scabra) was 5.472% water content, 51.056% ash content, 27.072% protein content, 1.449% fat content and 20.424% carbohydrate content, while the nutritional content of Black Sea Cucumber (Holothuria Edulis) was 6.214% water content, 18.864% ash content, 51.636% protein content, 0.659% fat content and 28.841% carbohydrate content.

Effects of different sand fixation plantations on soil properties in the Hunshandake Sandy Land, Eastern Inner Mongolia, China.

Planting forests is an effective way to improve desertification. In order to elucidate the impacts of different vegetation types on soil development and restoration of degraded lands, we compared the properties of soils at different depths in three plantation forests in the Hunsandak Sandy Land in the Chinese agro-pastoral ecotone (Ulmus pumila, Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica, and Populus simonii). The results show that all three plantation forests were able to significantly improve the soil properties, and they resulted in soil nutrient enrichment in the surface layer. As the soil depth increased, the soil became progressively poorer in nutrients, the fine particle content decreased, and the bulk density and water content increased. The orders of the fractal dimension characterization and soil improvement effects of the different tree species were as follows: U. pumila > P. sylvestris var. mongolica > P. simonii. Compared with the bare sand, the soil bulk density under the U. pumila plantation was 19% lower; the soil water content was 74% higher; the soil organic matter, total N, P, and K were 336%, 207%, 106%, and 31% higher; the available N, P, and K were 41%, 125%, and 21% higher; and the clay and silt contents were 498% and 387% higher, respectively. The ranges of the soil fractal dimension were 1.67-2.08 for the bare sandy land and 2.14-2.32 for the planted forests. The soil fractal dimension was strongly correlated with the soil physicochemical properties, especially with the soil nutrients and fine particle content, which exhibited highly significant correlations (p < 0.01), and the correlation coefficients were all greater than 0.8. Therefore, we believe that U. pumila is a suitable sand-fixing plant species in this area. In addition, the soil fractal dimension can be used as an important reference index for characterizing soil properties in sandy areas.

An Analysis of the Conceptual and Functional Factors Affecting the Effectiveness of Proton-Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis

Hydrogen has the potential to decarbonize the energy and industrial sectors in the future, mainly if it is generated by water electrolysis. The proton-exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) system is regarded as a propitious technology to produce green hydrogen from water using power supplied by renewable energy sources. It offers many benefits, such as high performance, high proton conductibility, quick response, compact size, and low working temperature. Many conceptual and functional parameters influence the effectiveness of PEM, including temperature, pressure of anode and cathode regions, water content and wideness of the layer, and cathode and anode exchange current density. In addition, the anodic half-reaction (known as the oxygen evolution reaction (OER)) and cathodic half-reaction (known as the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER)) perform an important function in the development of PEMWE. The current study aims to present these parameters and discuss their impacts on the performance of PEM. Also, the PEM efficiency is presented. The different methods used to enhance the scattering of OER electrocatalysts and minimize catalyst loading to minimize the price of PEMWE are also highlighted. Moreover, the alternative noble metals that could be used as electrocatalysts in HER and OER to minimize the cost of PEM are reviewed and presented.

Induced Phytomanagement of Multi-Metal Polluted Soil with Conocarpus erectus Supported by Biochar, Lignin, and Citric Acid

Induced heavy metals (HMs) phytoextraction from heavily contaminated soils is challenging, as high HM bioavailability causes phytotoxicity and leaching. This study introduces a novel approach for HM immobilization with biochar (BC) and lignin (LN), and later their controlled mobilization with citric acid (CA) in soil. Conocarpus erectus was grown for 120 days in shooting-range soil (SS) polluted with Pb, Cr, Cd, Ni, and Cu. HM concentrations in parts of the plants, their percentage removal, and leaching from SS were measured. Moreover, plant biochemical parameters such as the contents of chlorophyll a (Chl-a), chlorophyll b (Chl-b), protein, ascorbic acid (AsA), amino acids, and total phenolics, along with biophysical parameters such as relative water content (RWC) and water uptake capacity (WUC), were also inspected. Adding BC, LN, and BC+LN to SS improved biomass, as well as the biophysical and biochemical parameters of plants, while efficiently reducing HM concentrations in plant parts, DTPA extract, and leachates compared to the control (CK). However, the greatest amplifications in plant height (82%), dry weight of root (RDW) (109%), and dry weight of shoot (SDW) (87%), plant health, and soil enzymes were noted with the BC+LN+CA treatment, compared with the CK. Moreover, this treatment resulted in Pb, Cr, Cd, Ni, and Cu removal by 68, 30, 69, 59, and 76% from the SS compared to the CK. Surprisingly, each HM concentration in the leachates with BC+LN+CA was below the critical limits for safer water reuse and agricultural purposes. Initial HM immobilization in HM-polluted soils, followed by their secured mobilization during enhanced phytoextraction, can enhance HM removal and reduce their leaching without compromising plant and soil health.

Effects of Soil Compaction Stress Combined with Drought on Soil Pore Structure, Root System Development, and Maize Growth in Early Stage

Soil compaction is a major environmental stress to root development and plant growth. Meanwhile, drought always results in increasing soil mechanical impedance, which in turn aggravates soil compaction stress. In this study, a column experiment with three levels of compaction stress (low, moderate, and severe) and two levels of soil water content (well-watered and drought,) was established to investigate the effects of soil compaction combined with drought on soil pore structure, root development, and maize growth properties. The results showed that soil compaction combined with soil water stress significantly affected the characteristics of soil pore structure. With the increase in soil compaction, the porosity, larger pores (&gt;500 μm), and maximum pore diameter significantly decreased (p &lt; 0.05) regardless of soil water status. Additionally, both pore morphology and network parameters also deteriorated under soil compaction with drought conditions. Soil compaction substantially affected the root length, root volume, root surface area, and root average diameter in the whole profile (p &lt; 0.05). Compared to well-watered conditions, the effects of soil compaction on root characteristics under drought conditions were more obvious, which indicated that appropriate soil water content could alleviate compaction stress. The aboveground biomass and plant height showed a consistent trend with root traits under soil compaction stress regardless of water status. A Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that there were significant correlations between most soil pore parameters and maize growth traits. In addition, soil compaction showed a significant effect on both stomatal conductance and transpiration rate while soil water showed a significant effect on SPAD (Soil Plant Analysis Development).

Penilaian Penerapan Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) pada Proses Produksi Dimsum (Studi Kasus : UMKM XYZ)

Dimsum is a high-risk food category because it uses basic ingredients of chicken meat and these ingredients have a water content of around 65-80% and a high pH of around 6-7, as well as easily degraded and easy to grow microorganisms. This study aims to assess the application of GMP in the production process in Aceh Dimsum Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (UMKM) and the application of GMP is the basic requirement for granting a distribution permit certificate for the Deep Food (MD) category by the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM). In this study, the assessment of the application of GMP in dimsum production process was carried out using the Gap Assessment method by assessing the suitability and non-conformity of the GMP aspects applied. The assessment is carried out by giving value weight to the finding of nonconformity based on the category of nonconformity. From the results of the research that has been carried out, conformity findings, nonconformity findings, and GMP aspect findings that are not applied to the production process are obtained. There are 17 points of conformity findings applied from 12 aspects of GMP. There were 51 points of nonconformity findings found from 21 aspects of GMP. There are 2 points of aspects that do not apply or are not used to UMKM from 2 aspects of GMP (aspects of internal testing laboratories and aspects of water, ice, gas and energy (electricity, fuel). Based on the amount of value weighted obtained from the findings of nonconformity, the score obtained by UMKM is around a score of 78. Based on this score, the level (rating) of UMKM is rating D. The conclusion that can be drawn is that UMKM need to make improvements to the discrepancies found in the production process.

Drought stress mitigation and improved yield in Glycine max through foliar application of zinc oxide nanoparticles.

The impact of climate change on agricultural production is apparent due to declining irrigation water availability vis-à-vis rising drought stress, particularly affecting summer crops. Growing evidence suggests that zinc (Zn) supplementation may serve as a potential drought stress management strategy in agriculture. Field studies were conducted using soybean (Glycine max var. Saba) as a model crop to test whether foliar application of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) or conventional Zn fertilizer (ZnSO4) would mitigate drought-related water stress and improve soybean yield. Each fertilizer was foliar applied twice at a two-week interval during the flowering stage. Experiments were concurrently conducted under non-drought conditions (70% field capacity) for comparison. Results showed drought significantly reduced relative water content, chlorophyll-a, and chlorophyll-b in untreated control plants by 35.7%, 47.7%, and 41.4%, respectively, compared to non-drought conditions (p < 0.05). Under drought conditions, ZnO-NPs (200mg Zn/L) led to 33.1% and 20.7% increase in chlorophyll-a and chlorophyll-b levels, respectively, compared to ZnSO4 at 400mg Zn/L. Likewise, catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities increased by 62.6%, 39.5% and 28.5%, respectively, with ZnO-NPs (200mg Zn/L) under drought compared to non-drought conditions. Proline was significantly increased under drought but was remarkably suppressed (~ 54% lower) with ZnO-NPs (200mg Zn/L) treatment. More importantly, the highest seed yield was observed with ZnO-NPs (200mg Zn/L) treatment under drought (39% higher than untreated control) and non-drought (79.4% higher than control) conditions. Overall, the findings suggest that ZnO-NPs could promote seed yield in soybean under drought stress via increased antioxidant activities, increased relative water content, decreased stress-related proline content, and increased photosynthetic pigments. It is recommended that foliar application of 200mg Zn/L as ZnO-NPs could serve as an effective drought stress management strategy to improve soybean yield.

Impact of Cow Urine and Substrate Composition on Germination and Early Growth of Papaya (Carica papaya L.) Seedlings

Aim: This study evaluates the impact of cow urine and substrate composition on the germination and early growth of papaya (Carica papaya L.) seedlings, a critical phase for successful crop establishment. Study Design and Methodology: Conducted as a factorial experiment, it assessed eleven substrate or growing media combinations with and without cow urine treatment. Results: Results reveal that cow urine significantly reduces the time to 90 percent germination (T90) and enhances the germination index, indicating its stimulatory effect on seed metabolic activity. Treatments combining cow urine with substrates like soil, sand, vermiculite, cocopeat, and perlite (T10) showed the shortest T90 and highest germination index, suggesting cow urine accelerates germination. Additionally, cow urine application improved growth metrics such as relative growth rate (RGR) and total biomass accumulation, with T10 and T8 treatments yielding the highest values. Enhanced leaf relative water content (LRWC) and elevated proline levels in cow urine-treated plants indicate better water retention and stress resilience. Strong positive correlations were observed among proline content, RGR, and biomass accumulation, highlighting cow urine’s contribution to vigorous seedling growth and stress adaptation. Conclusion: The findings suggest that cow urine, in combination with optimized substrates, is a sustainable growth enhancer that promotes robust seedling development, suitable for organic farming practices aimed at papaya cultivation.

Synthesis and Mechanism Study of an Environmental Additive Used in Water-Based Drilling Fluids from Bovine Bone Glue

At present, animal bone glue has been widely used in industry, but there are no relevant research reports on its application in the petroleum industry. In this paper, the rheological properties, inhibition, filtration, and temperature resistance performance of modified bone glue (Mbg) were evaluated in water-based drilling fluids, and the results showed that Mbg can significantly affect the performance of water-based muds with minimal dosage, and temperature resistance of Mbg could reach up to 130 °C. The inhibition mechanism of Mbg in drilling fluids was investigated by infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), zeta potential, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results revealed that when 2% Mbg was added, a three-dimensional network structure was formed in an aqueous solution, which reduced the water content from 4.83% to 4.23%. FT-IR analysis showed that Mbg strongly adsorbed onto clay through hydrogen bonding, which reduced the clay particles in based muds from 1.251 µm to 0.789 µm and effectively controlled the filtration loss of the drilling fluids.

Overexpression of vacuolar H+-pyrophosphatase from a recretohalophyte Reaumuria trigyna enhances vegetative growth and salt tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana

Reaumuria trigyna, a wild and endangered salt-secreting small shrub, is distributed in arid and semi-arid areas of Inner Mongolia, China. An H+-pyrophosphatase gene (RtVP1) was isolated from R. trigyna according to transcriptomic data, which encoded a plasma membrane and tonoplast-localized protein. RtVP1 was quickly upregulated by NaCl and exogenous abscisic acid treatment and rescued the sucrose deficiency sensitive phenotype of the AtVP1 mutant (avp1). Transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing RtVP1 exhibited a higher leaf area, plant height, fresh weight, root length, and soluble carbohydrate accumulation compared to the wild type (WT) under normal conditions. RtVP1 overexpression increased the seed germination rate and decreased the reduction rate of fresh weight, root length, and chlorophyll content in transgenic plants under salt stress. Catalase enzyme activity, proline content, relative water content, and soluble sugar content were significantly increased in transgenic Arabidopsis under salt stresses, but the malondialdehyde content was dramatically decreased. More K+ and less Na+ were accumulated in transgenic Arabidopsis leaves, resulting in a relatively lower Na+/K+ ratio. In transgenic Arabidopsis roots, K+ was unchanged, but Na+ and the Na+/K+ ratios were reduced compared to those in WT. More Na+ and K+ were accumulated in the intracellular of transgenic yeast, and the Na+/K+ ratio was significantly reduced compared to the control. These results showed that R. trigyna RtVP1 promotes the vegetative growth of plants, mainly by regulating carbohydrate metabolism, and confers salt tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis by maintaining Na+/K+ homeostasis and enhancing the antioxidant and osmotic regulatory capacity. These results indicated that RtVP1 can serve as an important candidate gene for genetic improvement of crop yield and salt tolerance.

Advancements in Binary Solvent-Assisted Hydrogel Composites for Wearable Sensing Applications

The advancement of wearable sensing technologies has been pivotal in revolutionizing healthcare, environmental monitoring, and personal fitness. Among the diverse materials employed in these technologies, multifunctional hydrogel composites have emerged as critical components due to their unique properties, including high water content, flexibility, and biocompatibility. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art in binary solvent-assisted hydrogel composites for wearable sensing applications. It begins by defining hydrogel composites and their essential attributes for wearable sensors, specifically focusing on binary solvent-assisted methods that enhance their performance and functionality. The review then delves into the applications of these composites in health monitoring, environmental detection, and sports and fitness, highlighting their role in advancing wearable technologies. Despite their promising features, there are significant challenges related to durability, sensitivity, and integration that need to be addressed to fully exploit these materials in wearable devices. This review discusses these challenges and presents potential solutions, including the development of new materials, improvement in fabrication processes, and strategies for achieving multifunctionality and sustainable design. Looking forward, the paper outlines future directions for research in this field, emphasizing the need for innovative materials and technologies that can lead to more effective, reliable, and eco-friendly wearable sensors. This review aims to inspire further research and development in the field of wearable sensing, paving the way for new applications and advancements in healthcare, environmental monitoring, and personal fitness technologies.

Pengaruh Penambahan Ubi Jalar Kuning (Ipomoea Batatas L.) dan Bunga Rosella (Hibiscus Sabdariffa L.) Terhadap Karakteristik Fisikokimia dan Organoleptik Saus Tomat

Abstract. Tomato sauce is a product produced from a mixture of tomato puree or tomato paste or tomato solids obtained from ripe tomatoes, which is processed with spices, with or without the addition of other food ingredients and permitted food additives. The addition of yellow sweet potato was chosen as a natural thickener and rosella flowers to replace the role of synthetic dyes in tomato sauce. The research design used in this study was a randomized factorial block design consisting of 2 factors, namely the addition of yellow sweet potato (0%,15% and 30%) and the addition of rosella flowers (0%, 5% and 10%). Parameters tested are water content, total dissolved solids, pH, total carotene, antioxidant activity, color intensity and organoleptic. The results showed that there was an interaction between the addition of yellow sweet potato and rosella flower on water content, total dissolved solids, pH, antioxidant activity. The addition of yellow sweet potato affected the water content, total dissolved solids, pH, total carotene, antioxidant activity, brightness (L) and redness (a+). The addition of rosella flowers affected the water content, total dissolved solids, pH, total carotene, antioxidant activity and brightness (L). The best treatment was A2B1 with a value of water content (63.32%), total dissolved solids (19.33°Brix), pH (3.89), total carotene (22.32µg), antioxidant activity (76.71%), color intensity (L 39.63; a* 15.6; b* 16.2); aroma 4.24 (rather delicious), color 4.12 (rather bright), taste 4.56 (delicious), texture 4.88 (thick), preference 4.36 (rather like).

Methane Gas Transport in Ca-MMT Shale Nanoslits Considering Water Content Effects: Insights from Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

Two-phase flow remains a significant challenge in the development of water-bearing shale gas, particularly regarding the flow of gases through clay minerals in such formations. Nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulation is investigated to research the two-phase flow of water (H2O) and methane (CH4) through Ca-montmorillonite (MMT) shale nanoslits. The results indicate that water molecules preferentially adsorb onto the surfaces of the Ca-MMT shale nanoslits, leading to the formation of water bridges within the nanoslits as water content increases. Notably, CH4 molecules exhibit complete solubility in the water phase, and their maximum velocity gradually decreases, resulting in a flattened parabolic flow profile with a higher gas-water percent (GWP). In the two-phase flow, CH4 continues to flow without slip in the inorganic nanopores due to water molecules occupying the surfaces and creating a water film. However, when the water content (GWP) exceeds 80.87%, CH4 gas molecules become dissolved in the water, filling the inorganic nanoslits and leading to a zero-gas flux. This condition causes CH4 retention in adjacent nanoslits, creating a "water lock gas" effect. This research provides a theoretical foundation for understanding multiphase flow in water-bearing shale gas and offers a refined description of the shale gas extraction process for future application.

Effects of Melatonin Pre- and Post-Drought Treatment on Oxidative Stress Markers and Expression of Proline-Related Transcripts in Young Wheat Plants

Wheat can tolerate a mild water deficit, but prolonged drought causes a number of detrimental physiological changes resulting in a substantial decrease in productivity. The present study evaluates the potential of the natural plant growth regulator melatonin to alleviate the negative effects of moderate drought in two Bulgarian winter wheat cultivars at the early vegetative stage. Melatonin doses of 75 µM were root-supplemented 24 h before or after the stress period. The levels of several biometric parameters, osmolyte content and stress indicators as well as the expression of genes coding for key enzymes of the proline biosynthesis pathway were analyzed in leaves at the end of the drought stress and after two and four days of recovery. Applied alone, melatonin did not exert significant effects on most of the monitored parameters. Water deprivation negatively affected seedlings’ fresh weight and water content and increased the stress markers and osmolyte levels. These were accompanied by a high accumulation of TaP5CS and TaP5CR transcripts coding for the enzymes Δ-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthase and Δ-pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase, respectively. The effect of melatonin in reducing drought stress was similar whether applied before or after exposure, though slightly more effective when used as a pre-treatment.