Green Ones Research Articles

Eu2+:CsCaX3 (X = Cl, Br, I) perovskite nanocrystals in glasses for blue light-emitting applications

Eu2+:CsCaX3 (X = Cl, Br, I) nanocrystals in glass show tunable blue emission, excellent chemical-, thermal- and photo-stability, high photoluminescence quantum yield of 81.9% and external quantum efficiency of 24.6% when excited with a UV LED chip.

Cobrançosa Table Olive Fermentation as per the Portuguese Traditional Method, Using Potentially Probiotic Lactiplantibacillus pentosus i106 upon Alternative Inoculation Strategies

Spontaneous fermentation of table olives, as per a traditional Mediterranean process, is still performed empirically; hence, final product quality is somewhat unpredictable. Our main goal was to validate an endogenous (potentially probiotic) lactic acid bacterium strain in Cobrançosa table olives as a vector for a more standardized process, further adding commercial value to the olives themselves. The traditional Portuguese fermentation process typically consists of two stages: sweetening, when olives are periodically washed with spring water to different proportions, and salting, when water is no longer changed, but salt is gradually added to the brine, up to 7–10% (w/w). Lactiplantibacillus pentosus i106 was inoculated as follows: (plan A) 2020/21 harvest, with 0, 3, 5, and 7% (w/v) NaCl, without sweetening; (plan B) 2020/21 harvest, with 5 and 7% (w/v) NaCl, during salting and sweetening; and (plan C) 2019/20 harvest, with 5% (w/v) salt, and sweetening and salting. Microbiological, physical, and biochemical evolutions were monitored for 8 months, and final nutritional and sensory features were duly assessed. Compared to the control, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) predominated over yeasts only if deliberately inoculated; however strain viability was hindered above 5% (w/w) NaCl, and LAB inhibited enterobacteria. Degradation of (bitter) oleuropein to hydroxytyrosol and verbascoside was faster upon inoculation. Color-changing olives from the 2020/21 harvest exhibited higher fat content and lower water content compared to green ones (2019/20 harvest), and different salt levels and inoculation moments produced distinct sensory properties. The best protocol was plan C, in terms of overall eating quality; hence, the addition of Lpb. pentosus i106 provides benefits as a supplementary additive (or adjunct culture), rather than a starter culture.

The Influence of Lactic Acid Fermentation on Selected Properties of Pickled Red, Yellow, and Green Bell Peppers

Red, yellow, and green peppers are vegetables rich in natural pigments. However, they belong to seasonal vegetables and need to be treated to prolong their shelf life. One new approach to processing vegetables is to pickle them using lactic acid bacteria. The use of such a process creates a new product with high health value, thanks to the active ingredients and lactic acid bacteria. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of the applied strain of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on the chemical properties, including the content of active compounds (pigments) and the physical properties of the peppers. Levilactobacillus brevis, Limosilactobacillus fermentum, and Lactoplantibacillus plantarum were used for fermentation and spontaneous fermentation. The pigments, polyphenols content, and antioxidant properties were determined in the pickled peppers, as well as sugar content, color, dry matter, texture properties, and the count of lactic acid bacteria. In all samples, similar growth of LAB was observed. Significant degradation of chlorophylls into pheophytins was observed after the fermentation process. No significant differences were observed in the parameters tested, depending on the addition of dedicated LAB strains. After the fermentation process, the vitamin C and total polyphenols content is what influenced the antioxidant activity of the samples. It can be stated that the fermentation process changed the red bell pepper samples in the smallest way and the green ones in the highest way.

Where is the carbon premium? Global performance of green and brown stocks

The relative equity pricing of more climate-friendly (“green”) versus less climate- friendly (“brown”) companies is an open question in climate finance. Previous research comes to conflicting conclusions, documenting either a “carbon premium” with brown stocks yielding higher returns, or the opposite, with green stocks outperforming brown. This paper provides new international evidence on this issue for a range of methodologies. Using carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as reported by companies to measure their greenness, we document that green stocks across the G7 have generally provided higher returns than brown stocks for much of the past decade. We also try to reconcile our findings with previous work, and we provide some results for early 2022 that show that brown stocks outperformed green ones during the energy crisis.

Зеленая трансформация бизнес-моделей предприятий индустрии туризма

Business adjustment to dynamically changing market conditions and the environment, including environmental challenges and risks, requires extensive use of innovations. In turn, capacities of product, technological, organizational and other innovations often cannot be fully implemented within the current business model (BM) framework. The solution assumes a systematic approach, including innovative transformation of both BM single elements and the logic of the company value understanding, its offer generation and profit allocation. The need for business to meet the sustainable development criteria and the search for ways to integrate sustainable development goals into existing business models have led to the emergence of sustainable business model (SBM) concept, and the number of studies and relevant publications has been steadily increasing in recent years. At the same time, there are only a few research trying to adjust the SBM concept to tourism. Others are in their initial stage, and therefore unanswered questions remain, of which the key ones are about the fundamental differences between SBM and traditional BM, incentives for BM amendments, and the options for companies to incorporate sustainability into their BM. The research aims at developing a scheme for tourist companies’ BM transformation from traditional into green business models (GBM), which required preliminary analysis of the GBM essence and key characteristics. The research methodology includes comparative analysis of key parameters in structural components for both traditional and green BM of companies operating in the tourist market. Canvas nine-block BM is taken as a basis. Result: the essence and key characteristics of the GBM are identified, possible ways of transforming business models of tourism enterprises into green ones are identified and presented in the form of a schematic model, modern trends in the greening of BM tourism enterprises are analyzed.

Ecofriendly chromatographic estimation of spasmolytic pharmaceutical mixture along with official toxic impurity, 3,5-dichloroaniline: Complete green profile appraisal.

Nowadays, Green Analytical Chemistry is widely applied to provide various analytical methods with eco-friendly procedures employing the least toxic, harmful reagents on humans and the environment without affecting the efficacy of the determination. Accordingly, two eco-friendly, accurate, and reliable high-performance thin-layer chromatography-densitometry and high-performance liquid chromatographic methods were established for the determination and separation of two antispasmodic drugs, namely phloroglucinol and trimethylphloroglucinol in their pure, combined dosage form along with phloroglucinol toxic impurity, 3,5-dichloroaniline. For high-performance thin-layer chromatography-densitometry, efficient separation was developed via utilizing the stationary phase of high-performance thin-layer chromatography silica gel 60 F254 plates and developing a system comprising of ethyl acetate-butanol-ammonia in the ratio of 8.0:2.0:0.2, by volume and scanning of the developed bands at 210.0nm. The subsequent method is isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection in which separation was successively attained using XTerra RP-C18 (250 × 4.6mm, 5μm) column as stationary phase and methanol-10.0mM phosphate buffer, pH 3.7±0.1 as mobile phase in the ratio of 75.0:25.0, v/v at flow rate 1.0ml/min and scanning at 220.0nm. The developed liquid chromatography methods were validated according to the International Council for Harmonization guidelines, and all results acknowledged their efficacy. Additionally, the proposed methods worked well for assessing the cited drugs in binary combined commercially available pharmaceutical formulation. The greenness profile of the present methods was assessed and estimated using various assessment tools, namely; Green Analytical Procedure Index, analytical eco-scale method, National Environmental Method Index in addition to Analytical GREEnness tool to evaluate the greenness of the provided methods with a statistical comparison between them to assess the more green ones.

Labeling Microplastics with Fluorescent Dyes for Detection, Recovery, and Degradation Experiments.

Staining microplastics (MPs) for fluorescence detection has been widely applied in MP analyses. However, there is a lack of standardized staining procedures and conditions, with different researchers using different dye concentrations, solvents, incubation times, and staining temperatures. Moreover, with the limited types and morphologies of commercially available MPs, a simple and optimized approach to making fluorescent MPs is needed. In this study, 4 different textile dyes, along with Nile red dye for comparison, are used to stain 17 different polymers under various conditions to optimize the staining procedure. The MPs included both virgin and naturally weathered polymers with different sizes and shapes (e.g., fragments, fibers, foams, pellets, beads). We show that the strongest fluorescence intensity occurred with aqueous staining at 70 °C for 3 h with a dye concentration of 5 mg/mL, 55 mg/mL, and 2 µg/mL for iDye dyes, Rit dyes, and Nile red, respectively. Red fluorescent signals are stronger and thus preferred over green ones. The staining procedure did not significantly alter the surface, mass, and chemical characteristics of the particles, based on FTIR and stereomicroscopy. Stained MPs were spiked into freshwater, saltwater, a sediment slurry, and wastewater-activated sludge; even after several days, the recovered particles are still strongly fluoresced. The approach described herein for producing customized fluorescent MPs and quantifying MPs in laboratory-controlled experiments is both straightforward and simple.

Design of a superb Eu2+–Mn2+ co‐doped narrow‐band green phosphor via nearly 100% energy transfer efficiency

AbstractThe excellent narrow‐band emitters, especially the green ones, are regarded as a pivotal research direction for light‐emitting diodes (LED) backlights in liquid‐crystal displays (LCDs). A nearly single‐peak green emission centered at 513 nm with a full width at half maximum of 28 nm is reached in KAl11O17:0.1Eu2+, 0.15Mn2+ phosphor via nearly 100% energy transfer (ET) efficiency, and the extended X‐ray absorption fine structure analysis elucidates its mechanism, which is that Eu2+ and Mn2+ are constrained to form Eu2+–Mn2+ pairs with a small distance 3.7 Å caused by the local environment relaxation inducement. Meanwhile, by creating an unhindered energy flow between Eu2+, Mn2+ and K+/O2− defect levels through ET and multilevel electron trapped and recombination process, the KAO:Eu2+, Mn2+ phosphors perform superb photoluminescence property with a high color purity of 83%, an excellent thermal stability (94%@200°C), and unexceptionable internal and external quantum efficiencies of 91.7% and 66.4%, which all are superior to characteristics of commercial β‐SiAlON:Eu2+ phosphor. Moreover, the white LED fabricated using KAO:Eu2+, Mn2+ to provide green component shows a wide color gamut of 105% National Television System Committee. These results indicate a potential for an application of our material in LCD–LED backlights, and the design of such local relaxation‐induced structure provides a significative reference to develop the new narrow‐band emitters.

How the color of reflective materials influences the occurrence of mammals and birds

Color reflective materials have been widely employed in agriculture, airports, and road traffic as signals and to prevent the damage caused by mammals and birds. The negative impacts of such applications on wildlife have been acknowledged, but little is known about the particular effects of different colors applied to these materials. We recorded the occurrence of wildlife using 56 camera traps placed in locations affected by different reflective color sheeting (red, yellow, green, blue, white, mirror and control without disturbance) in a subtropical montane forest of southwestern China. We compared richness and abundance of ground bird and mammal species. The results showed that the yellow reflective material has an attractive effect on birds during daytime compared with the control group, while the red and green ones appear to repel them. However, the general tendency was a reduction of bird species occurring at night because of all the different sources of reflective light. For mammals, no significant difference was found among disturbances during either day or night. Species showed different responses to specific colors but further research in this regard is needed. Based on these experimental findings, we recommend that all reflective materials should be avoided or used carefully within protected areas. Moreover, red and green signals are suitable for airports and agriculture fields to effectively prevent damage and safety concerns inflicted by birds. Biodiversity, Conservation biology, Environmental contamination and remediation, Environmental impacts, Population biology

Development of a complete meal from underutilized indigenous and exotic foods

A complete meal is a food served and eaten in one sitting whose nutrient variety has been optimized. Green bananas are a good source of resistant starch and dietary fibre while Irish potatoes are rich in starch and dietary fibre. Moringa leaves are rich in protein, minerals and vitamins while being low calorific value. Fig gourd leaves are mainly rich in vitamins. However, many people prefer ripe bananas as snacks/fruit to cooked green ones. Moringa leaves are mainly used for medicinal purposes hence rarely used as a food item. Exotic vegetables are mostly preferred in food processing to indigenous ones hence making the indigenous vegetables underutilized. Development of a complete meal using these neglected food items would improve their utilization. The bananas, fig gourd leaves and Moringa leaves were oven dried at 60 C and ground into powder using a blender. A composite powder was prepared that could be reconstituted at the time of need. The flours were blended into a paste and a pellet as the final product in a ratio of Moringa: potato flour: fig gourd leaves (1:10:1). The paste and pellets were subjected to proximate analysis and sensory evaluation. The proximate composition of the paste was 3.22±0.5, 12.83±0.8 2.86±0.2, 11.32±0.6% for protein, fat, fibre and ash. The product was formulated to provide the RDA for an average adult of 62kg. The overall acceptability of the product by sensory panelist was liked moderately by 70% of the panelists making it viable food product.

CdSe/CdSeS Nanoplatelet Light-Emitting Diodes with Ultrapure Green Color and High External Quantum Efficiency.

Colloidal II-VI group nanoplatelets (NPLs) possess ultranarrow emission line widths, for which they have great promise in achieving the purest display color in solution-processed light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Red NPL-LEDs have shown extremely saturated red color with high efficiency, while the green and blue ones lag far behind. Herein, we report green NPL-LEDs with the purest color in accordance with the Rec. 2020 standard and the peak external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 9.78%. By carefully controlling the aspect ratio, capping ligands, and purifications of CdSe/CdSeS core/alloyed-crown NPLs, NPL films with excellent flatness and unity photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) are realized, laying a solid foundation for improving LED performance. Furthermore, via tuning the carrier injection balance, the record-high EQE for green NPL-LEDs is achieved. The electroluminescence (EL) exhibits an extremely saturated green color with the Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.163 0.786), which demonstrates their great potential in applications of ultrahigh-definition display technology. Our findings would help to further improve the performance of all NPL-LEDs.

Plastic contamination of sandy beaches along the southern Baltic – a one season field survey results

The subject of this study was microplastics (>32 µm), large micro-/macroplastics (>2 mm) and plastic litter (visible by naked eye) contamination on sandy beaches and in coastal waters along the Polish coast of the Baltic Sea. Microplastics were studied with particular attention, with simultaneous observations in the water and across the beach. Other data was intended to serve as a background and as possible sources of microplastics. Most of the microplastics found were fibers <1 mm long, with blue fibers dominating, followed by transparent, red and green ones, both in sand and water samples. The concentration of microplastics on the beach sand ranged from 118 to 1382 pieces kg−1, while in coastal waters from 0.61 to 2.76 pieces dm−3. As for large micro-/macroplastics and plastic litter, there was no dominant litter along the coast. The amount of large micro-/macroplastics ranged from 2 to 124 pieces m−2 (or from 0.13 to 44.30 g m−2). Regarding plastic litter, on average between 0.03 and 6.15 litter debris m−2 were found (or from 0.007 to 4.600 g m−2). The study confirms that plastic pollution of the Polish coastal zone is a significant problem comparable with both the rest of the Baltic Sea and other seas and oceans. Similar color-based composition of microplastics among all studied sites suggests that they may have a common source, while the contamination of large micro-/macroplastics and plastic litter (both amount of particles and their composition) along the Polish coast is highly site-specific and may be influenced by various local factors.

Ultra-small size (1–20 μ m) blue and green micro-LEDs fabricated by laser direct writing lithography

Ultra-small micro-LEDs are essential for next-generation display technology. However, micro-LEDs below 5 μm have been seldom reported. In this work, we demonstrate InGaN-based blue and green micro-LEDs from 1 to 20 μm by using laser direct writing lithography. The 1-μm blue micro-LEDs show a peak external quantum efficiency of 13.02%, which is 9.57% for green ones. By characterizing the size-dependent external quantum efficiency and simply assuming that this variety is dominantly determined by the dry-etching induced dead zone, we deduce that the dead zone sizes of carrier injection at the edge of chips are 0.18 and 0.15 μm in blue and green ones, respectively. A time-resolved photoluminescence measurement also shows that carrier lifetime reduction at the edge of blue ones is more serious than that of green ones, reflecting the easier carrier lateral diffusion in the former than the latter. These results exhibit the ability of laser direct writing lithography on micro-LED fabrication and also provide a reference for predicting the limit of their chip size scaling-down.

Metal organic vapor phase epitaxy of high-indium-composition InGaN quantum dots towards red micro-LEDs

Micro-scale light-emitting diodes (micro-LEDs) are regarded as the next generation display technology. Compared to blue and green ones, InGaN-based red micro-LEDs require higher indium composition in their active region, which is quite challenging for material growth. Here, high-indium-composition InGaN quantum dots (QDs) with a density of 3 × 1010 cm-2 are self-assembly grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) based on a precursor-alternate-admittance method. The growth mechanism is systematically studied, and consequently a 613-nm red QDs sample with an internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of 12% is demonstrated. Furthermore, when micro-LEDs based on these red InGaN QDs with a chip size of 1-20 µm are fabricated, an electroluminescence blueshift to yellow and green is observed. The 20-µm and 1-µm micro-LEDs show 4.92% and 1.78% external quantum efficiency (EQE) at 0.3 and 20 A/cm2, respectively. By introducing multiple quantum wells (MQWs) pre-strained layer beneath the QD layers, a 10-µm micro-LED with 638 nm emission wavelength is demonstrated, with a price of reduced EQE to 0.03% at 10 A/cm2.

Do serve distance and net height modify serve biomechanics in young tennis players?

The aim of this study was to determine whether decreasing serving distance and net height would immediately influence serve biomechanics and performance in young intermediate tennis players. Ten young tennis players (9 to 12 years) performed maximal effort flat serves from three court conditions (“red”, “orange” and “green”: serving distance at 6.40, 9.00 and 11.89 m from the net and net height at 0.80 m, 0.80 m and 0.91m, respectively). A radar measured ball speed while serve kinetics and kinematics were calculated with a 20-camera optical motion capture system. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to analyze the effect of the three conditions on ball speed, serve kinematics and kinetics. No significant differences in shoulder and elbow kinetics were observed between the three conditions. Ball speed, maximal flexion angle of the back knee and maximal angular velocities of back knee extension and trunk flexion significantly improved when players served from the red conditions in comparison with green ones. This study shows that reducing serve distance and net height may be an effective coaching strategy to immediately increase ball speed, leg drive and trunk flexion in young tennis players.

Air Quality as a Priority Issue for the New Economy

The article talks about the problem of air pollution. In the world, its economic, social, and environmental aspects are receiving increased attention. This trend is clearly visible in the example of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by all countries of the world in 2015 with a horizon of implementation up to 2030. A significant part of the SDGs is directly or indirectly related to combating air pollution, which will improve the health of the population and life cities, mitigate climate problems, create a new energy sector, implement new technologies, etc. Here we can mention SDG 3 (health), SDG 7 (energy), SDG 8 (economic growth), SDG 9 (industrialization and innovation), SDG 11 (sustainable cities), SDG 13 (climate), SDG 15 (terrestrial ecosystems). In fact, we can talk about the formed “air” priorities in the transition to new economic models, primarily green and low-carbon ones.

Plastid development of albino viviparous propagules in the woody mangrove species of Kandelia obovata.

The process of plastids developing into chloroplasts is critical for plants to survive. However, this process in woody plants is less understood. Kandelia obovata Sheue, Liu & Yong is a viviparous mangrove species; the seeds germinate on the maternal tree, and the hypocotyls continue to develop into mature propagules. We identified rare albino propagules through field observation among normal green and brown ones. Toward unveiling the propagule plastid development mechanism, albino propagule leaves only have etioplasts, low photosynthesis rates, and drastically reduced chlorophyll a/b and carotenoid contents, but with increased superoxide dismutase activities. To identify candidate genes controlling propagule plastid development, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed between the albino and green propagules. Twenty-five significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were associated with albino propagule plastid development, the most significant SNPs being located on chromosomes 1 and 5. Significant differentially expressed genes were identified in porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolisms, carotenoid and flavonoid biosynthesis by combining transcriptome and GWAS data. In particular, KoDELLAs, encoding a transcription factor and KoCHS, encoding chalcone synthase, may be essential to regulate the albino propagules plastid development through weakened chlorophyll and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways while promoting chlorophyll degradation. Our results provide insights into genetic mechanisms regulating propagule plastid development in woody plants.

Sustainable Tourism through Green Event Perspectives in Danang City: Challenges and Solutions

While there has been much research on non-green events in creating massive ecological footprints, including high use of energy, water, food and natural resources, relatively little research has been conducted on the green event’s role in achieving sustainable tourism. The capacity, resources, innovation and engaging a range of key stakeholders, various ways in which events have been considered and operationed as green ones. The current paper sought to explore contemporary challenges to put forward the argument that Danang’s tourism industry acknowledges the importance of the green events. From secondary data sources, the paper concludes with an analysis of future research that needs to be associated with the green event management model to formulate and implement tourism policies in sustainable tourism development.

Enhancement of Photosynthetic Capacity in Spongy Mesophyll Cells in White Leaves of Actinidia kolomikta.

Considering that Actinidia kolomikta bears abundant white leaves on reproductive branches during blossoming, we hypothesized that the white leaves may maintain photosynthetic capacity by adjustments of leaf anatomy and physiological regulation. To test this hypothesis, leaf anatomy, gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence, and the transcriptome were examined in white leaves of A. kolomikta during flowering. The palisade and spongy mesophyll in the white leaves were thicker than those in green ones. Chloroplast development in palisade parenchyma of white leaves was abnormal, whereas spongy parenchyma of white leaves contained functional chloroplasts. The highest photosynthetic rate of white leaves was ~82% of that of green leaves over the course of the day. In addition, the maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm) of the palisade mesophyll in white leaves was significantly lower than those of green ones, whereas Fv/Fm and quantum yield for electron transport were significantly higher in the spongy mesophyll of white leaves. Photosynthetic capacity regulation of white leaf also was attributed to upregulation or downregulation of some key genes involving in photosynthesis. Particularly, upregulation of sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), glyeraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and RuBisCO activase (RCA) in white leaf suggested that they might be involved in regulation of sugar synthesis and Rubisco activase in maintaining photosynthetic capacity of white leaf. Conclusions: white leaves contained a thicker mesophyll layer and higher photosynthetic activity in spongy parenchyma cells than those of palisade parenchyma cells. This may compensate for the lowered photosynthetic capacity of the palisade mesophyll. Consequently, white leaves maintain a relatively high photosynthetic capacity in the field.

Quantifying means-end reasoning skills in simulation-based training: a logic-based approach

We develop a logic-based approach for designing simulation-based training scenarios. Our methodology embodies a concise definition of the scenario concept and integrates the notions of training goals, acceptable versus unacceptable actions and performance scoring. The approach applies classical artificial intelligence (AI) planning to extract coherent plays from a causal description of the training domain. The domain- and task-specific parts are defined in a high-level action description language [Formula: see text]. Generic causal and temporal logic is added when the causal theory is compiled into the underlying Answer Set Programming (ASP) language. The ASP representation is used to derive a scoring function that reflects the quality of a play or training session, based on a distinction of states and actions into green (acceptable) and red (unacceptable) ones. To that end, we add to the casual theory a set of norms that specify an initial assignment of colors. The ASP engine uses these norms as axioms and propagates colors by consulting the causal theory. We prove that any set of such norms constitutes a conservative extension of the underlying causal theory. With this work, we hope to lay the foundation for the development of design and analysis tools for exercise managers. We envision a software system that lets an exercise manager view all plays of a tentative scenario design, with expediency information and scores for each possible play. Our approach is applicable to any domain in which means-ends reasoning is pertinent. We illustrate the approach in the domain of crisis response and management.